“It’s good to see you again, sir” Rachel lifted her hand to shake Mr Anderson’s hand as they stood in the main library of the villa. “Please, have a seat”
“How have you been, Patricia?” He asked as he adjusted comfortably on a chair.
“I have been fine, thanks for asking” Rachel leaned closer “What brings you here?”
“Concerning our last conversation, I wanted to know how far you have gone with your investigation. Personally, I have noticed some strange things recently”
“Strange? That definitely got my attention” Rachel muttered and they both laughed. “What have you noticed?”
“Do you remember when I told you that there was someone I suspected in this company regarding your father’s case?”
“Yes, I remember it clearly” Rachel nodded in approval.
“To be honest, the person I was talking about back then is Morris Scott”
Rachel gasped, almost choking on her saliva. She was sure her heart missed a beat, she didn’t expect him to say that. She already knew the truth but it was surprising to know that he had been talking about Morris all along. “Are you serious? Really?”
“Yes, I am”
“I didn’t expect you to say that,” Rachel chuckled. “I expected to hear someone else”
“I know. That’s why I couldn’t say anything before. I couldn’t keep it to myself again because recently, a number of strange things have been happening”
“Yes, about that. What do you mean?”
“Do you know Morris’s personal bodyguard? A tall, dark muscular guy who is by his side most of the time?” Mr Anderson asked
“I think I have seen him before. He has a mole beside his nose, right?”
“Yes, that’s him!” He responded “I overheard when he was instructing the coding team to detect if a file in the company’s database has been hacked. He was clearly following an order from Morris! When he left, I managed to ask some trusted colleagues in that department for more details…”
“Go on, go on…” Rachel urged, interested in hearing what this was all about.
“The summary is that they discovered that two people hacked into an encrypted file that was stored there and Morris instructed that they wipe out the file. Not just that, he also ordered them to detect the hackers behind it and they seem to have figured it out in a way-”
“What? They know who the hackers are?” Rachel demanded. This wasn’t good. Sophia was one of the hackers, if Morris figured it out, there’s a high chance that her life would be in danger. She needed to know about this.
“Are you alright? You seem to be a bit shaken” Mr Anderson asked, his expression filled with concern
“I am responsible for one of the hackers. My friend, Sophia is a detective and she was one of the hackers that got access to that file”
“Really?” He asked, completely surprised “Unbelievable! And it seems Morris is going after both hackers, trying to figure out their identity. What are you going to do about that? Besides, what is this file all about? Obviously, it’s very important to Morris”
“I’ll have to let her know about this and think clearly about what to do from here. The encrypted file is the evidence of the fabricated lies that were used to throw my father in jail. It contains all the documents and transaction evidence that proves Morris is the one behind my father’s arrest”
“Whaaattt?” Mr Anderson screamed in shock and then burst out in laughter. “No wonder he is so unstable and edgy these days. He must be very close to wetting his pants. So you already knew who was behind your father’s accusations?”
“Yes. I just discovered it a week or so ago. For days, I was in denial, refusing to accept this discovery but I have to, now. It is what it is.”
“I’m really so sorry on your behalf. To think that we believed your father and Morris were dear friends…”
“It’s alright.” Rachel replied “I have accepted my fate. What I need to focus on now is opening a case with a good lawyer”
“You have to think things through carefully. Morris and Judith, especially Judith, are very cunning people. Don’t rush into fighting with people like them. Plan properly”
“Thank you for your advice and help so far, Mr Anderson”
“It’s nothing at all. Your father was someone I looked up to back then, I have to do my part to set him free” He answered “Now that I think about it, it was Morris who sent me that death threat years ago when I tried digging into your father’s case? What a crazy man!”
“Oh my goodness, that’s true. I had totally forgotten about that. So disgusting, and to think he was even reaching out to help my family when he was the one that ruined our lives…”
Mr Anderson nodded in approval “You’re right, he is really disgusting. By the way, who do you think the second hacker is? Apart from your friend, who else would suddenly gain an interest in investigating your father’s case?”
Rachel paused for a moment “George once told me that he would help me investigate my father’s case. He almost got into trouble with his parents concerning this matter so I don’t know if he stopped the investigation or If he continued. I never asked him since then but he is the only person I know who has shown an interest in my father’s case. Unless, there is someone else…”
“Yes, I heard about that issue with his parents. Morris was in a fit of rage, I’m sure he couldn’t handle the idea of his own son figuring out he was the mastermind behind everything. That would be too much for him to handle because he knows that George doesn’t even like him…”
Rachel smiled. “It’s alright. What about you? What do you plan to do from here?”
“I plan to take a long break from working here. I’m actually considering staying away from here until your father’s case is settled”
“Why are you staying away? Is something going on?” Rachel asked
“Morris has his eyes on me. He probably knows that I am here, meeting with you. I noticed one of his men has been following me around from a distance, probably under Morris’s order to keep an eye on me. I need to protect myself and stay away.”
Rachel shivered slightly. “He is so creepy. This is more serious than I thought. I think you should stay away as you plan to. He is probably watching everything we do, everywhere we go these days.”
Mr Anderson stood up and turned in her direction “I have some things to attend to. I’ll see you another time. Till then, make sure you stay safe and protect yourself in any way you can. I hope things turn out well for you.”