Chapter 8 - THE DRIVE THEY BOTH WANTED
Leonard Shaw did not flee to protect his father.
He fled to sell the drive.
From Toronto, he emailed Daniel, Vanessa, Marcus, and Richard the same demand: five million dollars for the master files, paid through cryptocurrency before he traveled onward.
Each recipient received a different sample document so no one could compare how much he possessed.
Daniel told prosecutors he wanted to cooperate, then secretly asked an associate to negotiate. Vanessa's lawyer informed authorities but requested credit toward a plea. Richard surrendered the email immediately and refused all contact.
The Canadian police detained Leonard after a controlled payment linked him to the stolen evidence. The backpack contained the drive, but encryption required a forty-character recovery phrase. Leonard offered it in exchange for protection and reduced charges.
Prosecutors agreed only to consider cooperation.
He gave the phrase.
The drive contained every document the wiped servers had lost: original steel specifications, Northstar invoices, inspection photographs, Claire's stolen certificate, and full audio from the cost meeting.
Richard's complete statement followed the reckless sentence Vanessa released.
“Cut twelve percent from structural procurement. I don't care how—provided every substitution meets the original seismic performance and receives independent testing. If it cannot, we cut elsewhere.”
Marcus replied, “Understood.”
Richard had applied dangerous pressure, but he had not authorized weaker materials.
The drive also proved Vanessa personally approved false Northstar certificates. Marcus signed the inspection changes. Daniel authorized payments and instructed staff to hide a structural warning issued six weeks before the earthquake.
One internal video showed all three in Daniel's office.
Vanessa asked what would happen if the east wing failed.
Daniel placed Claire's digitally signed authorization on the desk.
“Then my wife approved it,” he said. “Richard's daughter takes the fall, and Carter Meridian pays the claims.”
Marcus looked uneasy. “People could die.”
Daniel answered, “It only has to survive long enough for us to replace the steel after refinancing.”
The recording was made four months before the earthquake.
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Daniel had not predicted the exact disaster.
He had knowingly built a deadline into a public building and placed his wife's name beneath it.
