I couldn't speak.
The face in the photograph belonged to Robert Hale.
Richard's oldest business partner.
The man Claire had brought into the investigation.
The man who had supposedly helped preserve Richard's evidence.
The man who had been described as trustworthy.
I looked at Thomas.
“Robert controls the second account?”
“We don't know yet.”
“But that's who Richard met.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I wasn't certain.”
“Then why bring me here?”
“Because I needed you to see the photograph before anyone could pressure you.”
Elaine shook her head.
“I knew Robert was involved.”
I turned.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“Since when?”
“Since before Richard died.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because Richard ordered me not to.”
I stared at her.
Again.
Another secret.
Another person protecting another person.
I felt exhausted.
“I'm done with secrets.”
Thomas nodded.
“So am I.”
We left the hospital with the photograph and documents.
By the time we reached the office, investigators had already contacted Robert.
He had agreed to meet.
I almost asked why he wasn't arrested.
Thomas explained that evidence had to be handled carefully.
A suspicion wasn't enough.
A photograph wasn't enough.
A financial connection wasn't enough.
We needed the trail.
And the trail began with the second account.
That evening, the investigators obtained records showing that the account had been opened six years earlier.
The registered company was unfamiliar.
But its mailing address was Robert's former office.
I stared at the statement.
“How much moved through it?”
Thomas calculated.
“Three-point-eight million.”
“From Richard's companies?”
“Mostly.”
“And where did it go?”
“Several places.”
He showed me the destinations.
One belonged to Pierce Development.
Another belonged to a consulting firm.
Another belonged to an account associated with David.
And a fourth belonged to a trust.
I recognized the trust name.
My name was on it.
“What?”
Thomas checked again.
“This is your trust.”
“No.”
“It is.”
“But I never opened that account.”
“Neither did Richard.”
My stomach turned.
“Then who did?”
The investigators were already tracing it.
A signature appeared on the original paperwork.
Mine.
But I had never signed it.
Again.
Another forged signature.
Only this one was older.
Six years older.
The same year the financial transfers began.
I looked at Thomas.
“Who prepared it?”
“We're checking.”
The answer came an hour later.
Robert.
He had created the trust as part of an estate-planning arrangement.
I felt betrayed in a way I hadn't expected.
Robert had always spoken about protecting Richard's legacy.
He had apparently been using the same machinery to move money.
But why?
The investigators found another clue.
A transfer from the second account to Robert's personal investment account.
The amount was $480,000.
Date: three years earlier.
Purpose: consulting fee.
Another transfer.
$310,000.
Another.
$190,000.
The payments continued.
Robert had received nearly one million dollars.
Yet he had never reported the money as income.
“That's enough to charge him,” I said.
“Maybe,” Thomas answered.
“But not enough to explain everything.”
The following morning, Robert arrived.
He didn't look surprised.
He walked into the conference room and placed his keys on the table.
Then he looked at me.
“I suppose Richard's finally talking.”
I felt a chill.
“What does that mean?”
Robert sat.
“He always said you'd eventually find out.”
Thomas leaned forward.
“Did you control the second account?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
“Did you steal the money?”
“No.”
“Where did it go?”
“Into projects Richard authorized.”
“Why conceal them?”
“Because they weren't legal under the company agreements.”
I stared.
“What projects?”
“Acquisitions.”
“Of what?”
“Land.”
“The development properties.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Richard wanted to compete with Pierce.”
Thomas looked at the records.
“Then why did money go to David?”
Robert sighed.
“Because David was useful.”
“Useful for what?”
“Information.”
I looked at him.
“You worked with David.”
“Yes.”
“You knew he was manipulating Michael.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you stop him?”
“Because Michael wasn't the real target.”
“Then who was?”
“Pierce.”
Robert explained.
Pierce Development had been using shell companies to buy properties cheaply.
Richard wanted to expose them.
Robert had created the second account to fund the investigation.
But somewhere along the way, money began disappearing.
Robert claimed he didn't know who was responsible.
“You expect me to believe you controlled millions and didn't know?”
“I knew some money was missing.”
“How much?”
“About eight hundred thousand.”
“Eight hundred thousand?”
“Yes.”
“And you did nothing?”
“I investigated.”
“What did you find?”
Robert looked at me.
“I found that someone was using your name.”
The room went quiet.
“My name?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To authorize transfers.”
“Who forged my signature?”
Robert looked toward Thomas.
I followed his gaze.
Thomas's face was expressionless.
Robert said, “I don't know who physically signed the documents.”
“But you know who ordered it.”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Robert looked at me.
“Your son.”
My chest tightened.
“Michael?”
“Yes.”
“That isn't possible.”
“He didn't forge them himself.”
“But he ordered them?”
“He believed he was acting under instructions from David.”
I turned toward Michael, who was waiting outside.
He was called in.
Robert repeated what he had said.
Michael looked stunned.
“I never ordered those transfers.”
“You gave David access,” Robert said.
“To what?”
“Your father's documents.”
Michael shook his head.
“I gave him copies.”
“That's enough.”
I looked at Robert.
“Then who used them?”
Robert was silent.
“Who?”
He finally answered.
“Someone in your household.”
I thought of everyone.
Elaine.
Frank.
The children.
But Robert added something.
“Not one of them.”
I stared.
“Then who?”
Robert looked at me.
“Your late husband's personal assistant.”
My breath stopped.
“She left years ago.”
“She didn't.”
“What do you mean?”
“She still worked for Richard.”
I shook my head.
“No. She moved away.”
“That was what everyone believed.”
Robert reached into his folder.
A payroll record.
Payments had continued after her supposed departure.
Under another name.
I stared at the records.
The assistant's name was Susan Blake.
She had worked for Richard for eleven years.
She knew everything.
Appointments.
Passwords.
Travel.
Bank information.
Family schedules.
She had access to documents.
And she had disappeared without explanation.
“Where is she?”
Robert shook his head.
“I don't know.”
Thomas took the records.
“We'll find her.”
Robert looked at me.
“There is one more thing.”
I didn't want to hear it.
“What?”
“Richard wasn't investigating Susan because he believed she was stealing.”
“Then why?”
“Because he discovered she had been reporting everything to someone else.”
“Who?”
Robert hesitated.
“David.”
My stomach dropped.
But then something didn't fit.
If David controlled Susan, why had Robert blamed Michael?
Why had Elaine blamed herself?
Why had Frank cooperated?
Why had Thomas hidden the second account?
The answer came from the investigators.
They had recovered a deleted message from Susan's old account.
It was addressed to Robert.
The message contained only one sentence:
Richard knows who you really work for.
I looked at Robert.
His face had gone pale.
“Who do you work for?”
Robert said nothing.
“Robert.”
He finally whispered:
“Pierce.”
I felt the room go silent.
But Thomas immediately shook his head.
“No.”
Robert looked at him.
“You know that's not true.”
“Then explain.”
Robert opened his mouth.
Before he could speak, his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Then at me.
His expression changed completely.
“What?”
He answered.
A man's voice came through.
Robert listened.
Then he slowly stood.
“What happened?”
He ended the call.
I stared.
“What?”
Robert looked at me.
“Susan was found.”
“Where?”
“Dead.”
No one moved.
Thomas immediately contacted the investigators.
But Robert's next words were worse.
“She left a message.”
“What message?”
Robert looked directly at me.
“She said Richard's death was never supposed to happen.”
My heart stopped.
“Who killed him?”
Robert's eyes filled with fear.
“The person who was supposed to control your inheritance.”
Click here to continue reading: PART 16: Susan’s Final Message Suggested Richard Was Never Meant to Die, and the Person Behind the Inheritance Scheme Had Been Closer Than We Realized
The Night I Realized My Children Had Stopped Seeing Me as Their Mother and Started Seeing Me as Someone They Would Eventually Inherit From
Part 15 of 20
