Chapter 16 - The Money Behind the Secret|
The chief financial officer's name was Peter Lawson.
He had worked with me for eleven years and managed the company's financial reporting.
He was not part of my household.
He had no reason to be involved in Zion's medical care.
Yet there he was in the photograph.
I called him immediately.
"Peter, I need to see you."
"Of course. Is everything all right?"
"No."
He paused.
"What's happened?"
"Your photograph was taken outside Dr. Nolan's office with Daniel and Margaret."
Silence.
Then he said:
"I can explain."
"Then explain."
"Not over the phone."
I almost lost control.
"Everyone seems to have that answer."
He agreed to meet at my attorney's office.
When he arrived, he looked nervous.
My attorney placed the photograph in front of him.
"Do you recognize these people?"
"Yes."
"Why were you with them?"
Peter adjusted his tie.
"I was asked to help with an administrative matter."
"What matter?"
"Payments from the trust."
I stared at him.
"You processed the transfers?"
"I was instructed to verify the accounts."
"By whom?"
"Daniel."
"Why would you take instructions from my brother-in-law?"
Peter looked down.
"Because he told me Olivia had authorized the arrangement."
"She had not."
"I know that now."
I leaned forward.
"How much money did you move?"
"Approximately forty-eight thousand dollars."
"Did you know the payments were connected to medication?"
"No. I was told they were for private pediatric support."
"Did you ask for invoices?"
"Yes."
"What did they show?"
"Consulting services and medical supplies."
My attorney asked:
"Did you receive any personal benefit?"
Peter hesitated.
That hesitation told me enough.
"Answer the question," I said.
He swallowed.
"I received a consulting payment."
"How much?"
"Ten thousand dollars."
The room went silent.
I stood.
"You took money from my son's trust."
"I didn't know what Daniel was doing."
"You knew enough to accept a payment."
Peter's face reddened.
"I made a mistake."
"A mistake is forgetting a meeting. You helped hide money connected to my child."
My attorney raised a hand.
"Marcus."
I sat down.
Peter provided copies of his emails and bank records.
They revealed that Daniel had created a complicated chain of payments through several companies.
Some money had been returned.
Some had disappeared.
And some had gone to a private account in the name of a company registered overseas.
Detective Bennett reviewed the records.
"This is no longer just a question of what happened in the nursery."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the financial investigation may reveal a broader scheme."
I looked at the documents.
"Was the product used to make Zion sleep so Margaret could manage him more easily?"
"We don't know."
"Was it connected to the money?"
"We're still establishing that."
I rubbed my forehead.
Then my attorney received a call.
He listened, then looked at me.
"Marcus, the hospital has contacted us."
I stood.
"Is Zion all right?"
"He's fine. But someone tried to access his medical records using your authorization."
"Who?"
"They used a password connected to your office."
I looked at Peter.
He went pale.
May you like
Detective Bennett immediately called her team.
And for the first time, I wondered whether someone was still trying to control the story even after the truth had begun to come out.
