Chapter 15 - THE ACCOUNTANT IN FLORIDA|
Victor Hale agreed to meet us at a marina outside Sarasota.
He was seventy-four, thin, and deeply suspicious of anyone carrying a briefcase. When Daniel introduced us, Victor looked at me for a long time.
"You look like your father."
"People say that."
"He was a good man."
"Did you help Margaret steal from him?"
Victor flinched.
"I helped her move money. I didn't know she intended to keep it."
"How much?"
He stared at the water.
"At first, two hundred thousand. She said it was a temporary loan. Then there were more transfers."
"Why?"
"She claimed Gerald had promised Ethan a larger share of the estate. She said the trust was unfair."
"Did my father know?"
"Eventually."
Victor rubbed his hands.
"He gave me a deadline to return the money. Margaret threatened to expose a mistake I had made years earlier. I panicked."
"What mistake?"
"I had approved an investment without proper authorization. It lost money. Margaret found out and used it to control me."
"Did she threaten my mother?"
He looked up.
"Not directly."
"What does that mean?"
"She told me your mother had been asking questions. She said if the investigation continued, the family would be destroyed."
Daniel leaned forward.
"Did you ever meet Preston Cole?"
"Yes. He drafted the property transfer documents."
"Was the transfer to Cedar Ridge legitimate?"
"No. Margaret wanted to sell the eastern parcel without the trust's approval. Cole told her it would be difficult, but he could create a chain of documents that would make it look like an old transfer."
I felt my jaw tighten.
"Did Ethan know?"
Victor hesitated.
"Eventually."
"How?"
"He came to my office with Margaret. He asked how much the land was worth and whether it could be sold without your approval."
"Did you tell him?"
"I told him it couldn't."
Victor opened a small case and removed a flash drive.
"I kept copies of the original records. I thought one day the truth might matter."
Daniel took it.
"Why didn't you come forward sooner?"
Victor's expression was weary.
"Because I was a coward."
He looked at me.
"And because Margaret told me your mother had died knowing I had helped betray her husband."
I looked away.
"Did you know she was being given medication that wasn't prescribed by her doctor?"
Victor's face changed.
"What?"
I showed him the prescription records.
He stared at them.
"No. I never knew about this."
"Could Margaret have arranged it?"
"I don't know. But I remember she asked me to pay a clinic in New Jersey. She said it was for a private medical consultation."
"Do you have the payment records?"
He nodded slowly.
"Somewhere."
Daniel leaned closer.
"Where?"
Victor looked at us both.
"Before I give you anything else, you need to understand something. Margaret wasn't working alone."
My stomach tightened.
"Who else?"
He looked directly at me.
"Someone in the company helped her. Someone who had access to the trust records and knew how to hide the transfers."
"Who?"
May you like
Victor swallowed.
"Your husband."
