Melissa arrived with an attorney.<\/p>\n
That alone marked progress.<\/p>\n
The woman who had once clicked financial approvals without reading them now refused to enter a room without someone explaining consequences.<\/p>\n
I wished the lesson had cost less.<\/p>\n
She sat opposite me at Nina's office.<\/p>\n
Daniel remained outside.<\/p>\n
That was intentional.<\/p>\n
Melissa's attorney requested that her interview occur without her brother because their interests might conflict.<\/p>\n
They already did.<\/p>\n
Nina placed photographs of the duplicate passports on the table.<\/p>\n
Melissa stared at hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI've never seen that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice recovered it from Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't give it to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you provide a passport copy to anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said Northstar needed identity verification.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you knew Northstar involved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew my name was on something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is different from what you told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was quiet.<\/p>\n
No tears today.<\/p>\n
Good.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you understand Northstar to be?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA family investment company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOurs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel had claimed she knew fragments.<\/p>\n
Apparently he had provided at least the label.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were you supposed to invest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why were you beneficiary?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul said it was temporary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Daniel couldn't be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy couldn't Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said lenders were watching him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you knowingly agreed to hold assets outside his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know company money would move through it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot initially.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you learn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe six months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix or seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked why the account showed so much money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had access?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo statements?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnline.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you knew about the sixteen million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you saw balances.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask where the money came from?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul said investments.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd later?\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at the passport photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you stop believing him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter he asked me to sign the first offshore authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot the twelve-million transfer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Another one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEight hundred thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCayman account.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina wrote quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame destination bank?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
I paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause by then I knew he was using Northstar to hide money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI confronted Paul.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe showed me enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat enough?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTransfers from Prescott. Bell Advisory. Dad's company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPHL?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsked Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I needed to stay out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa's hands tightened around each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Paul told me something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Northstar would protect me if Daniel went down.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cProtect you how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said there was enough money offshore for me to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLeave where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe country.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
The duplicate passport.<\/p>\n
Not just identity documentation.<\/p>\n
An escape package.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the duplicate passport genuine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Paul arrange it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he could.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her attorney shifted uncomfortably.<\/p>\n
Nina asked, \u201cDid you pay him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you ask for one?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was scared Daniel's fraud would become public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you were planning to run.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was planning to have an option.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
The family word.<\/p>\n
Option.<\/p>\n
Everyone wanted an escape route before they wanted accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew's duplicate passport?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Paul was arranging something for him too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy Andrew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Andrew thought Victor would blame him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you plan to leave together?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul said everyone needed separate routes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many passports did he arrange?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa's face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Paul arrange one for your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina watched carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're withholding something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa looked toward her attorney.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
She exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom knew about the offshore account.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor told her.\u201d<\/p>\n
That connected another thread.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA month ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Daniel had created a reserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Evelyn know it contained diverted funds?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me not to touch it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said it might be the only money left after Claire destroyed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt no anger this time.<\/p>\n
Only exhaustion.<\/p>\n
Even after helping Victor manipulate Daniel, Evelyn had found a way to frame consequences as something I was doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she know twelve million would move?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mattered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe called me the morning Paul sent the approval link.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo approve whatever Paul sent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Daniel's money needed to be protected before the accounts froze.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen was this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe morning of the anniversary dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hours before Daniel publicly humiliated me.<\/p>\n
Before I froze anything.<\/p>\n
They were moving money because they expected control to shift the following morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told Evelyn the accounts were in danger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer fit.<\/p>\n
Victor anticipated the final transaction.<\/p>\n
He wanted funds offshore before control complications emerged.<\/p>\n
But why transfer twelve million to an account apparently linked to him?<\/p>\n
\u201cDid your mother say where the money was going?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said a protected reserve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know Victor controlled the destination?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause after I approved it, he called me furious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the receiving instructions had changed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina looked up sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cChanged by whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore or after you approved?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Paul intended the money to go somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother Cayman account.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of Paul's attempt to fly to Cayman.<\/p>\n
He wasn't necessarily running toward Victor's twelve million.<\/p>\n
He might be trying to recover money Victor had redirected away from Paul's intended escape account.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was Paul's plan?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Melissa looked ashamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo take part of the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis two-point-eight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSplit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBetween whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew, me, and someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn't say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRobert?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then who?<\/p>\n
Nina slid the duplicate passport photographs closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the third participant supposed to travel with Paul?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he use a name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Nina.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca Shaw?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ridgewell's attorney?<\/p>\n
Melissa shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo last name.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina immediately searched Paul's files for Rebecca.<\/p>\n
Dozens of irrelevant results.<\/p>\n
Then one folder.<\/p>\n
R.S.<\/p>\n
Three messages.<\/p>\n
No full name.<\/p>\n
The first:<\/p>\n
Need confirmation before funds move.<\/p>\n
Paul:<\/p>\n
You get your percentage when we are clear.<\/p>\n
R.S.:<\/p>\n
Victor changed destination instructions again.<\/p>\n
Paul:<\/p>\n
Then stop him.<\/p>\n
R.S.:<\/p>\n
I can't without exposing myself.<\/p>\n
Nina stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone inside Ridgewell.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the logical inference.<\/p>\n
Not necessarily Rebecca Shaw.<\/p>\n
But someone with access to Victor's transfer instructions.<\/p>\n
The second message contained a percentage.<\/p>\n
R.S. would receive fifteen percent of recovered offshore funds.<\/p>\n
The third was sent one day before the anniversary dinner.<\/p>\n
Victor suspects. Move tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Paul:<\/p>\n
Melissa will approve.<\/p>\n
R.S.:<\/p>\n
Then after transfer, disappear.<\/p>\n
The timing tightened.<\/p>\n
Paul's escape plan had existed before everything unraveled.<\/p>\n
He expected to move money.<\/p>\n
Then disappear.<\/p>\n
But Victor changed the destination.<\/p>\n
Paul lost control of the stolen reserve.<\/p>\n
And after the anniversary dinner, once I froze the accounts, everyone panicked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Paul tell you to leave the country immediately?\u201d I asked Melissa.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot until after the audit started.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you go?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom told me Daniel would fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
Even escape had been postponed because the family still believed Daniel would restore order.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat made you change your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made that recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI watched it later.\u201d<\/p>\n
She swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI looked at you.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, emotion entered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou weren't yelling. You weren't crying. You just looked at all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered.<\/p>\n
My napkin beside the plate.<\/p>\n
Their laughter fading.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you see?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat we looked awful.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wiped beneath one eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't mean visually.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel said you lived off him. Mom laughed. Dad smiled. Andrew laughed. I filmed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew by then Daniel was moving money. I knew my name was on Northstar. I knew Paul wanted me ready to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I still thought you were the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not comfort her.<\/p>\n
But I listened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI watched it three times. Then I deleted the public post.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou kept the original.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina asked for her phone.<\/p>\n
Melissa surrendered it.<\/p>\n
Forensics recovered messages she had deleted.<\/p>\n
One came from Victor directly.<\/p>\n
Sent four days before dinner.<\/p>\n
When control changes, stay close to Daniel. He will need family around him.<\/p>\n
Melissa replied:<\/p>\n
What about Claire?<\/p>\n
Victor:<\/p>\n
She will be taken care of.<\/p>\n
My skin crawled.<\/p>\n
That phrase again.<\/p>\n
Taken care of.<\/p>\n
Enough to live comfortably.<\/p>\n
Temporary control.<\/p>\n
Protected assets.<\/p>\n
Every scheme reduced me to a passive recipient of whatever other people decided.<\/p>\n
Another message followed.<\/p>\n
Victor:<\/p>\n
Do not discuss Northstar with Claire under any circumstances.<\/p>\n
Melissa:<\/p>\n
Why would she ask?<\/p>\n
Victor:<\/p>\n
She won't.<\/p>\n
He had been certain.<\/p>\n
That certainty had saved me.<\/p>\n
Because people who believed I would never look had left records everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does Victor know about Paul now?\u201d Nina asked.<\/p>\n
Melissa shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Victor ever contact you after the twelve million transfer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn hour later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the money was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he tell you where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Paul contact you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Victor stole it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There.<\/p>\n
Direct.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Paul threaten Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he would burn everything down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExact words?\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018If Victor took the reserve, I send Claire everything.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The backup.<\/p>\n
That's why Paul built the dead-man delivery.<\/p>\n
Maybe he had originally created copies as protection.<\/p>\n
Victor's seizure of the reserve turned those copies into a weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't Paul send everything immediately?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he still wanted the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
At least greed remained predictable.<\/p>\n
Police allowed Nina to speak with Paul that afternoon.<\/p>\n
He was not charged with attempting to travel.<\/p>\n
The passport issues and financial investigation were still being sorted.<\/p>\n
But he had retained criminal counsel.<\/p>\n
His attorney permitted a limited conversation.<\/p>\n
Paul looked exhausted on video.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelissa told us the original offshore transfer destination was yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA holding account controlled through a trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeneficiary?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMelissa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd R.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul stopped.<\/p>\n
Nina leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is R.S.?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy attorney says I shouldn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
His attorney interjected.<\/p>\n
Nina changed approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs R.S. employed by Ridgewell?\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul looked toward his lawyer.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas R.S. employed by Ridgewell when the transfer occurred?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid R.S. alter transfer instructions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe intercepted approval through the banking intermediary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did he know the timing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cR.S.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo R.S. told Victor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what role did R.S. play?\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cR.S. was supposed to confirm when Victor wasn't monitoring the account.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina's expression sharpened.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn insider.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would a Ridgewell insider help you steal funds?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause some of the funds were already stolen from Ridgewell.\u201d<\/p>\n
That shifted the frame.<\/p>\n
Paul believed he was stealing stolen money.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much of the twelve million originated from Ridgewell loan proceeds?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout five.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrescott and related entities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCompany money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo your theory of ownership was convenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is R.S.?\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can identify someone inside Ridgewell who helped Victor move money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen do it because it's true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't protect me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've gotten harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I've stopped paying people to tell me things they should have told me before stealing from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul looked down.<\/p>\n
Fair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened when Victor changed destination?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost access.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did the money go?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn account controlled by Vantage Maritime Holdings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan it be frozen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need someone inside the Cayman bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nina shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need legal process.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we use time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul looked frustrated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe money will move.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHas it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot all.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much remains?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast I knew, eight-point-six million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the rest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoved again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSingapore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel Price had moved to Vancouver after supposedly being in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Victor had international structures.<\/p>\n
The money trail was widening.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive us account identifiers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul looked toward his attorney.<\/p>\n
The attorney nodded reluctantly.<\/p>\n
Paul recited them.<\/p>\n
Nina's team started immediately.<\/p>\n
Before the call ended, I asked one final question.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is R.S.?\u201d<\/p>\n
Paul looked at me for a long time.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cYou already know her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca Shaw?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Relief came too quickly.<\/p>\n
Then Paul continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel Sutton.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel, listening from the adjacent room, opened the door.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
He looked stunned.<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy former chief financial officer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marcus swore.<\/p>\n
I remembered Rachel.<\/p>\n
Barely.<\/p>\n
She had left Prescott five years earlier after a bitter disagreement with Daniel.<\/p>\n
At the time, he told me she was incompetent.<\/p>\n
He said she had failed to understand growth.<\/p>\n
He said firing her was one of the easiest decisions he had ever made.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere does she work now?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Marcus answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cRidgewell.\u201d<\/p>\n
Melissa arrived with an attorney. That alone marked progress. The woman who had once clicked financial approvals without reading them now refused to enter a room without someone explaining consequences. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25669,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25692"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25747,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25692\/revisions\/25747"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}