Chapter 6 – Following the Money
Chapter 6 – Following the Money
No one moved.
No one even seemed to breathe.
Landen stared at me, his lips slightly parted.
"They... found the money?"
I nodded.
"The forensic team traced every transaction."
"That's impossible."
"Electronic transfers leave records," I said calmly. "They always do."
Howard stepped forward, his expression filled with concern.
"Elisa, are you accusing my son of stealing from his own company?"
"I haven't accused anyone."
I looked at Cynthia.
"The report speaks for itself."
Cynthia carefully closed the folder.
"The investigation is still ongoing. No conclusions have been reached."
Landen grabbed onto those words immediately.
"There!"
He pointed toward Cynthia.
"You heard her."
She nodded.
"I also said every transfer has now been traced."
His confidence faded again.
Naomi folded her arms.
"You told me this was all because of bad clients."
"It was."
"You said cash flow was the problem."
"It was."
"Then why is there missing money?"
He didn't answer.
She took another step away from him.
"How much?"
Silence.
"How much is missing, Landen?"
He looked at the floor.
"I don't know."
That was the first outright lie anyone in the room could recognize.
I had spent thirteen years married to him.
I knew every expression.
Every pause.
Every nervous habit.
Whenever Landen lied, he rubbed his thumb against the side of his wedding ring.
He was doing it now.
The only difference was that the ring would soon mean nothing.
The sheriff's deputy quietly walked toward the front windows, giving the family a little privacy while remaining within sight.
Cedric had settled on the living room rug, completely absorbed in building a dinosaur fortress from wooden blocks.
I was grateful.
Children deserved better than this.
Landen finally looked at me.
"What do you want?"
"The truth."
"I've told you the truth."
"No."
I shook my head.
"You've told me versions of it."
His shoulders slumped.
"I was trying to save the business."
"By creating fake vendors?"
"I didn't create them."
Howard turned sharply toward his son.
"Landen..."
"I didn't!"
His voice cracked.
"I hired someone to handle accounting."
Cynthia immediately made a note.
"Who?"
"My financial controller."
"What was his name?"
"Derek Collins."
I recognized the name.
Derek had worked for Bradley Commerce Creative for almost four years before quietly resigning six months earlier.
At the time, Landen claimed Derek wanted to spend more time with his family.
Now I wasn't so sure.
Cynthia looked at me.
"Did you ever meet Mr. Collins?"
"Twice."
"What was your impression?"
"He was meticulous."
Landen quickly interrupted.
"He handled everything."
"Everything?"
"The books. Payroll. Vendor payments. Tax filings."
I raised an eyebrow.
"So you signed checks without reviewing supporting documents?"
"It was his job."
"No."
I answered quietly.
"It was his job to prepare them."
His face stiffened.
"It was your job to approve them."
Again, silence.
Naomi slowly lowered herself into a chair.
"I asked you once if anyone else had access to the company accounts."
Landen looked at her.
"I remember."
"You told me only you did."
"I..."
"You lied."
Her voice wasn't angry anymore.
It sounded disappointed.
"I believed everything you said."
For the first time since I'd walked into the kitchen, I realized Naomi looked almost as betrayed as I felt.
Different circumstances.
Different consequences.
The same deception.
My phone buzzed again.
This time, it was an email.
I opened it.
The subject line read:
Preliminary Transaction Analysis – Confidential
Attached was a forty-page report.
I handed my phone to Cynthia.
She scanned the first page.
Then the second.
Her professional expression changed.
"What is it?" I asked.
She looked directly at me.
"The auditors identified twelve transfers."
"Only twelve?"
"They believe those twelve weren't business expenses at all."
Landen closed his eyes.
Howard stared at his son.
"What were they?"
Cynthia hesitated for a moment.
Then she answered.
"Luxury purchases."
Naomi frowned.
"What kind of purchases?"
She continued reading.
"Designer watches."
"International travel."
"Private club memberships."
"Jewelry."
The room grew very quiet.
"And..." Cynthia paused.
"...payments toward the lease of a downtown luxury apartment."
Naomi's eyes widened.
"The apartment?"
Landen's head snapped up.
"Don't."
She ignored him.
"You told me your friend owned that apartment."
No answer.
"You said he let you use it for work meetings."
Still nothing.
"You told me you'd never spend company money on us."
She slowly stood.
The realization spread across her face.
"That apartment..."
Her voice trembled.
"...wasn't your friend's."
Landen swallowed hard.
"No."
"It was yours."
He looked away.
Naomi let out a hollow laugh.
"So every time you said you were making sacrifices for the company..."
She shook her head.
"...you were living there."
No one spoke.
The silence said enough.
Just then, another car pulled into the driveway.
Everyone instinctively looked out the front window.
A dark sedan came to a stop near the curb.
A man in a charcoal suit stepped out carrying a leather briefcase.
He wasn't smiling.
The sheriff's deputy opened the front door before the man even reached it.
"Can I help you?"
The stranger displayed an identification badge.
"I'm looking for Mr. Landen Bradley."
Landen frowned.
"Who are you?"
The man stepped inside.
"My name is Michael Reeves."
He opened his briefcase and removed a sealed envelope.
"I'm here on behalf of First Dominion Commercial Bank."
The room became eerily still.
Michael looked directly at Landen.
"I've been instructed to deliver this notice to you personally."
Landen accepted the envelope with trembling hands.
"What is this?"
Michael answered in a calm, practiced voice.
"It's formal notification that your company's emergency financing has been suspended pending the outcome of a fraud review."
May you like
The envelope slipped from Landen's fingers and landed on the marble floor.
No one bent down to pick it up.
