Chương 12
“The bank’s log shows successful authentication at 11:43.”
“From my phone?”
“The code was sent to your number.”
“Can they prove it was entered from the tablet?”
“Yes.”
My fingers went still.
“So whoever had the tablet also had access to the code.”
“Yes.”
“And Gavin was home.”
“Yes.”
I pushed the bagel away.
“Elena.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
She leaned back.
“You’re right.”
Her voice softened.
“I don’t.”
The apology was small.
It helped.
I looked down at the page again.
“Can this be reversed?”
“The money is already out.”
“Can it be recovered?”
“Denise is tracing it.”
“Stonebridge?”
“Partly.”
“Partly?”
“Twenty-five thousand went into Stonebridge’s operating account.”
“And the rest?”
“Fifteen thousand went somewhere else.”
“Where?”
“We don’t know yet.”
I pressed my palms against the counter.
“Every answer creates another problem.”
“That’s fraud investigations.”
“We don’t know it’s fraud.”
Elena raised an eyebrow.
I almost laughed.
“You’ve infected me.”
“With caution?”
“With annoying language.”
“Good.”
She took a sip of coffee.
“There’s something else.”
“Of course there is.”
“This one might explain Chicago.”
I went still.
“Elena.”
“I said might.”
“What did you find?”
“Paisley submitted an expense reimbursement three months ago.”
“For the hotel?”
“Not exactly.”
Elena handed me another page.
“It was for a meeting.”
“With who?”
“A lender.”
I read the form.
The company name meant nothing to me.
“What lender?”
“Private real estate financing.”
My eyes moved down the page.
There were four attendees listed.
Gavin Mercer.
Paisley Mercer.
Lauren Pike.
And Marcus Bell.
“Who is Marcus?”
“Mortgage broker.”
I stared at Lauren’s name.
“So Gavin was there.”
“Maybe.”
“But the fuel charges put him in Tennessee.”
“The company card fuel charges.”
I looked up.
Elena nodded.
“Someone else could have used the card.”
“Who?”
“We’re checking.”
The room felt smaller.
“So he may have lied about where he was.”
“Or someone used his card.”
“Either way, the records aren’t clean.”
“No.”
I read the reimbursement again.
Paisley’s signature sat at the bottom.
“Why would Paisley go to a lender?”
“She was listed as operations consultant.”
“She is not an operations consultant.”
“I know.”
“Why was Lauren there?”
“Design consultant.”
“And Gavin?”
“Managing member.”
“Of Stonebridge.”
“Yes.”
I slid the paper away.
“What does Marcus Bell say?”
“We haven’t contacted him.”
“Why not?”
“Because Denise wants counsel involved before third-party outreach.”
I laughed dryly.
“I’m surrounded by people who love procedure.”
“Procedure is what keeps angry people from ruining useful evidence.”
The phrase sounded so much like Samuel that I stared at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Elena looked toward the bedroom.
“You sleep?”
“Some.”
“Hospital okay?”
“For now.”
“Then stop trying to conduct an audit from bed.”
“I’m not in bed.”
“That is not an improvement.”
She gathered the papers.
I caught one edge.
“Leave copies.”
“No.”
“Elena.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you will spend all day staring at them.”
“That’s my choice.”
“And I’m choosing not to help you do it.”
“You work for me.”
Her expression changed.
Not anger exactly.
Something sharper.
“I work for the company.”
I released the page.
The words stayed between us.
Elena had been loyal to me.
That did not make her mine.
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded once.
“Good.”
Then she sat back down.
“I need to tell you something you’re not going to like.”
“That sentence has lost all meaning.”
“Gavin called me last night.”
I stared at her.
“You spoke to him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s still an officer of the company.”
“And what did he say?”
“He asked why vendor payments were frozen.”
“What did you tell him?”
“That unusual transactions were under review.”
“Did you mention Denise?”
“No.”
“Northline?”
“No.”
“Stonebridge?”
“No.”
“He already knows I know.”
“I assumed.”
My chest tightened.
“What else?”
“He asked whether you ordered the freeze.”
“What did you say?”
“I said the controls were authorized under the company’s governance documents.”
“That sounds painfully corporate.”
“It was intentional.”
“Did he ask where I was?”
“Yes.”
I looked at her.
“What did you say?”
“That your location was not relevant to business operations.”
“Thank you.”
“He didn’t like that.”
“I imagine not.”
Elena hesitated.
“He also asked if you were planning to remove him.”
“From what?”
“The company.”
I looked toward the window.
Cars moved through the parking lot below.
“What did you say?”
“I said I didn’t know.”
“That’s true.”
“Yes.”
I rubbed my stomach.
The baby had been quiet since breakfast.
Then a small roll shifted beneath my palm.
I exhaled.
Elena noticed.
“You should lie down.”
“That means you won’t.”
“I might.”
She stood.
“Samuel wants you to meet at his office Monday morning.”
“For what?”
“Corporate counsel is joining.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“Because there’s a difference between freezing transactions temporarily and removing an officer.”
I looked at her.
“Can we remove him?”
“We can discuss it.”
“That means yes with complications.”
“That means discuss it.”
I smiled despite myself.
“You’re enjoying this now.”
“A little.”
Before she left, she paused at the door.
“Madeline.”
“What?”
“Whatever happens with Gavin personally, don’t make the company your weapon.”
The words hurt because they were necessary.
I folded my arms.
“You think I would.”
“I think you’re hurt.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“No.”
She looked tired.
“I think hurt people sometimes confuse control with safety.”
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then I nodded.
“I hear you.”
“Good.”
She left.
At ten-thirty, Bernice texted me.
Please let me retrieve my medication.
No accusation.
No demand.
Just the sentence.
I stared at it.
Then I forwarded it to Samuel.
He called.
“We can arrange supervised access this afternoon.”
“I want to be there.”
“No.”
“It’s my house.”
“That is exactly why you should not be there.”
“I want to see what they take.”
“Inventory can be documented.”
“I don’t trust them.”
“Then have a neutral third party present.”
“I want to be the neutral third party.”
Samuel laughed once.
“You are currently the least neutral person in the county.”
“Fine.”
May you like
We agreed on four o’clock.
A property manager Samuel knew would supervise.
