Chương 6
“No.”
She nodded once.
“I believe you.”
The speed of the answer caught him off guard.
Then she added, “But I need to know why your name is attached to everything.”
Daniel looked at the folder.
Because that was the part he had been avoiding.
Not because he thought he was guilty.
Because he knew there were things he had done that looked terrible when separated from the reasons behind them.
“The project was falling behind,” he said.
Rachel waited.
“Materials got delayed. Contractors started charging more. The city was threatening penalties.”
“So?”
“So I moved money.”
Her expression tightened.
“Without approval?”
“I had approval.”
“From who?”
“Mara.”
“Only Mara?”
Daniel did not answer quickly enough.
Rachel noticed.
“Daniel.”
“She was the financial director.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He rubbed his hands together.
“The board was already fighting about everything. Every decision became another meeting. Another delay. We were months behind schedule.”
“And you thought you could fix it.”
“Yes.”
“By moving funds.”
“Temporarily.”
“How temporary?”
“Until the next payment came through.”
“Did it?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Daniel looked toward the window.
“The paperwork.”
Rachel waited.
“I didn’t finish all of it.”
The kitchen became quiet.
“You didn’t finish the paperwork?”
“I was trying to keep the project moving.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“No.”
“Daniel.”
He looked back at her.
“I thought I would go back and clean everything up.”
Rachel leaned against the counter.
“That is exactly the kind of sentence people say right before everything gets worse.”
He almost argued.
Then stopped.
Because she was right.
That was the part he hated.
Not that she doubted him.
That she understood him.
Daniel had always believed he was different from people who ignored problems. He told himself he was responsible because he carried more than everyone else.
But sometimes carrying something meant refusing to admit you needed help.
Rachel opened a cabinet and pulled out a box.
“You still haven’t taken these.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“Your old apartment things.”
He stared at it.
He had forgotten about the box.
After his landlord sold the building, Rachel had offered to keep the things he did not have room for. Most of it was old paperwork, books, and random items he had promised himself he would organize later.
Later had never come.
“I looked through it yesterday,” Rachel said.
“Why?”
“Because I was looking for anything related to the project.”
“You knew about the box?”
“I remembered you left it here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because until today, I didn’t think I needed to.”
She opened it.
Inside were old notebooks, tax documents, and folders.
Rachel pulled out a thin envelope.
Daniel saw his name written across it.
“Where did that come from?”
She stopped.
“I found it behind the bottom folder.”
“Why was it there?”
“I don’t know.”
“You checked this box before?”
“No.”
“But you said you looked yesterday.”
“I looked for anything obvious.”
She tapped the side of the box.
“The bottom was stuck.”
Daniel frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“The cardboard had separated. I thought the box was damaged.”
She pulled back the folded section underneath.
A second compartment appeared.
Inside was the envelope.
Daniel stared.
Rachel looked uncomfortable.
“I didn’t hide it.”
“I know.”
“I’m just saying.”
“I know.”
He opened it.
Inside was a copy of a transfer authorization.
The date was eighteen months earlier.
The amount was forty-eight thousand dollars.
His signature was at the bottom.
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
“I didn’t sign this.”
Rachel looked at him.
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve signed thousands of things.”
“I know my signature.”
He flipped the page over.
There was handwriting on the back.
Four words.
Ask who benefited.
Rachel read it.
“Do you know that handwriting?”
“No.”
“Could it be Mara’s?”
Daniel looked again.
He wanted to say yes.
He wanted to say no.
He hated that neither answer came easily.
A knock came from the front door.
Both of them froze.
Rachel glanced toward the hallway.
“I’m not expecting anyone.”
Daniel stood.
The knock came again.
Harder.
Rachel moved first.
“Stay here.”
“I’m not five.”
“No, you’re currently the person whose name is on a public accusation.”
That stopped him.
She opened the door halfway.
A woman stood outside holding a folder.
Daniel recognized her.
Karen Ellis from the county housing review office.
Rachel looked confused.
“Can I help you?”
Karen looked past her.
Her eyes landed on Daniel.
“I was hoping I could speak with him.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“What is this about?”
Karen hesitated.
Then she held out the folder.
“The original complaint is no longer the only issue.”
Rachel took a step back.
Daniel felt his chest tighten.
“What does that mean?”
Karen lowered her voice.
“It means someone submitted additional documentation this afternoon.”
“From who?”
Karen looked at him.
“Mara Voss.”
Daniel stared.
“What documentation?”
“I can’t discuss details outside the office.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because tomorrow’s hearing changed.”
Daniel looked at the folder in her hand.
“What changed?”
Karen did not answer immediately.
That was the answer.
Something had changed.
Something big enough that she had driven to Rachel’s house instead of waiting.
Finally she said, “The new documents suggest you were not acting alone.”
Daniel felt the room shift.
Not because he was surprised.
Because he suddenly understood what Mara had done.
She had not only accused him.
She had built a story where his own decisions became evidence against him.
Karen extended the folder.
“Mr. Mercer, you need to see what was submitted.”
Daniel took it.
The first page was a printed email.
The sender was Mara.
The recipient was the housing board.
The subject line was simple.
Daniel Mercer’s unauthorized financial decisions.
At the bottom was a sentence Daniel read three times.
I repeatedly warned him to stop.
His hand went still.
Because that was not the part that scared him.
May you like
The part that scared him was the date.
The email had been sent six days before the audit began.
