Jonathan's POV
Apartment - Later Afternoon
I was making lunch for myself.
When my knife paused mid-air.
Daniel's words wouldn't leave my mind.
"Jewelry designing was my childhood dream. Losing my name as a dignified designer. I just want them to know I designed them. They're not just sketches, they're my feelings."
And I sold them to my customers unknowingly.
Even if I didn't know…
I was feeling guilty.
It was late afternoon. I came home yesterday night, and just woke up.
After meeting Daniel, my mind was in a mess.
The office would have been too loud for me to focus so I came home.
I put the plate and a glass of water on the side and picked the two bags I brought from the office on the sofa.
I was going to take a bite,
…but ended up staring at the food.
In the past few months at times I was so tired, I ordered take-away.
"How did you manage to cook fresh food for me and never complained? How did you manage to wait for me, still not be angry when I wouldn't come."
Recalling the office lunch fact.
"Even at work, you would bring for me, yet alone…never eat."
Both were filled with files and folders.
I removed a book, which I was writing the notes in.
I flipped to the page with the names.
I had client names…
I knew who delivered the documents to them.
Veronica…I knew she handled the documents.
I knew she did the paperwork.
But she didn't have access to any system.
She did only the handwriting for the work.
She sorted the documents…I know.
She delivered them…I know.
They were only physical movements.
I now had access to the logs.
And Veronica was the one who delivered.
But there still was a missing link…
The person who compiled the documents.
That could only mean one thing…
Could there be another person involved?
I had been scanning the laptop for two hours.
Scrolling the files up and down.
It felt like a maze.
Then..
My eyes brightened up.
"Looks like this hacker must have been a lawyer," I said.
"He really knows how to add loopholes."
A hidden drive was sitting right in front of me the whole time, and I kept missing it.
"Honestly, Imelda, if I knew you like locks so much, I'd give you one every birthday."
But Imelda is Imelda.
She may be rich, but being rich doesn't guarantee brains.
Again she used her birthday.
"People use their husbands, kids, parents' passwords, she uses herself."
My eyes were wide open in shock.
Not only did I have access to the upload logs…
I had the transfer authorizations as well.
I had backend logs.
File uploads done by the person.
And transfer approvals…
Seventy percent approved by Imelda.
Thirty percent Fredrick.
One thing everyone knew.
People lie.
Because memories can be distorted.
Emotions can be justified.
But systems…
Record regardless of being biased to anyone.
I was reviewing the delivery confirmations.
The receipt acknowledgements.
"That means Veronica delivered the forged documents to the officials and brought the signed, verified, stamped one's back from the clients or officials."
"Now did she meet them face-to-face, or they had their pawns face her…"
"This wasn't what I expected to find out."
"So far I thought she probably delivered it to a mailbox or the butler."
"But in person…"
I leaned forward.
I just noticed something.
Veronica's name…
Wasn't in the uploads.
Wasn't in the transfers.
Only…delivery logs.
Receive.
Deliver.
Go back…file.
Again, I couldn't be sure if she got anything from this.
And why?
First…I was relieved.
It came sharp…sudden.
She hadn't done anything wrong.
There was no such record.
Then my chest tightened.
She had been enduring for three whole years.
And…
I never noticed.
Her name wasn't in the records.
Again good.
But there's no way to prove she was used by Imelda for her underground stealing work.
My chest eased up a bit.
Veronica never did anything that's on record.
And delivering isn't a crime.
From what I gathered…
She didn't transfer anything.
She didn't create any documents.
But this also meant, I don't have anything to legally prove Imelda used Veronica for deliveries.
She only delivered them, came back with the forged verified documents and logged them in.
Again back to the same question.
Who transferred the documents?
Who made them?
Now I was certain there was another person involved in this conspiracy.
But there was a consistent gap.
I noticed after Veronica logged in..
Files moved forward.
But there was no clear handler.
At places the sequence broke.
The delivery logs were persistent.
But…
Then…
Lapse.
Surface…
New IP addresses.
Either the person who handled the transfers was different.
Or…the person was a professional one, and knew how to leap IP addresses like ping pong balls.
Then about a month after Veronica's log in…
The files would be approved.
And uploaded.
Claiming Daniel's designs as Imelda's.
Again…
No mention of the person or persons involved in the transfer.
I tried to figure out how Veronica did this.
Flashback
Office lights dim…only the one on her desk is bright.
Veronica is all alone in the building.
She stays back as the entire staff leaves on time.
Files are spread across her table.
Her handwriting is steady…even though I know her hand must have been shaking…
From the fact she must not have liked what she was doing.
She downloads the documents, or scans them.
Writes the date, places Imelda's stamp.
She picked her purse, and came down.
Got into her car, and drove off into the middle of the night, carrying secret files even though she didn't know about them.
Sometimes one delivery, sometimes more.
Driving
Leaves the office.
Delivers the files.
Waits at the door, or maybe is allowed to wait in the living room, or hall.
Took the signed, stamped documents.
Went back to the office.
Logs them in.
Sends them to the email she's been given.
Leaves for home if work is done by three.
Stay back if she has to go get the documents early in the morning.
The reason she's seen sleeping at the office.
Present
She never questioned Imelda.
Imelda had some way to suppress her.
Janet.
Me.
Both… to Veronica were important.
Emotionally, Imelda could use me saying she'd hurt me if Veronica didn't obey.
Logically, Imelda could not use me, as she never hurt me to make Veronica believe.
Emotionally, Imelda could use Janet.
Logically, Imelda knows if I find out, I'd never let her go. She wouldn't take that risk.
Then why or what made Veronica work for her?
"The documents made for Rollings Designs customers required my verification."
"I always verified without hesitation."
"For me Imelda was a precise, reliable business partner."
I never had reasons to doubt her work relations.
Or maybe…she made sure I never got suspicious of what she was up to.
Maybe…she made sure I would never question her.
Now my logic is cleared up.
I realized the system was layered not because the documents required, but it was intentional.
The process was sloppy,
It was meticulously structured.
And one person delivering…
One person complying with them…
It wasn't a coincidence.
Only…
The complying person has records of what they did to show Imelda used them.
Veronica doesn't.
I was scanning another folder.
Daniel's words came back to my mind.
"I think you're closer to your answer."
My jaw tightened.
Closer. Not close enough.
Daniel knew there's someone else involved.
Someone who has access to the system and knows what the documents meant.
I scanned the system again.
Nothing.
Second time.
Third time.
Fourth time around…
I noticed one ID kept appearing on intervals while the others were inconsistent.
Obviously,
It didn't have a name.
Only a numerical code.
A normal eye would never capture as normally one would identify a name, not a number.
Now I could clearly see the numerical code was repeated.
And…
Consistent.
It was there in plain sight all along.
"Hello," I called my hacker friend. "Track this ID. I want the consistent ip of this person."
"You got it my man," he said and disconnected.
I also got back to see if I could make out anything.
From my deductions, I'd say the IP belongs to hundred-two hundred miles from here.
I checked the map.
I pinned two locations.
Now, I had to find if Imelda has any connections to these places.
After scanning for a while, my grip loosened on the mouse.
I leaned back…
And felt…
Failed.
Not because I couldn't find the transfer person.
But…
Because everything that I found till now…
Proved how little I knew about Veronica's life, and…
How much I failed Veronica.
What was staring at me through the laptop screen wasn't made by her.
She was just a pawn used to deliver them.
Three years in front of me.
I remember one night when I came home…
She was standing in the door…
Her hands were trembling.
I thought she was cold.
Now…
I didn't know a single thing about this.
But this also made me start thinking about something I had left my mind to skip.
The fact….
Did Veronica know what she was delivering?
Whom she was going to?
The consequences of being caught in the middle of the night, as she was always alone.
And the main question.
I knew she'd never work for Imelda at will.
How did she force Veronica to submit?
Again my focus returned to the screen.
Now the numerical code was standing out.
The same code.
Once could be a coincidence.
Twice could be an oversight.
But more than twice…
This is definitely a pattern.
Another thing I was sure of…
This person wasn't just a random person.
He's not an employee.
But someone trusted by her.
Someone who might be close, or shares the same motive.
That person could also know Veronica, but maybe Veronica is of no concern to him as well.
Whoever they were, they were trusted by Imelda.
And this person wasn't just an employee, he or she probably was taking a commission as this work is of high risk.
And may have or may not have met Veronica, but definitely knew she was the delivery person.