Chapter 8 - THE WOMAN WHO KEPT THE ORIGINALS|
The following morning, I received a call from Margaret Ellis.
She had been the company's senior accountant for nearly twelve years before retiring the previous spring.
I remembered her as precise, quiet, and almost impossible to intimidate.
“Claire,” she said, “I think you need to see something.”
I drove to her home that afternoon.
Margaret greeted me at the door and led me into a small study filled with filing cabinets and old photographs.
She looked tired.
“I should have contacted you earlier.”
“About what?”
She placed a thick envelope on the desk.
“Harbor Point.”
Inside were printed emails, payment summaries, and copies of internal approval forms.
I recognized several immediately.
“These are the original records?”
“Some of them. I kept copies when I noticed discrepancies.”
“Why didn't you report them?”
“I did. I raised concerns with Grant.”
I looked up.
“What did he say?”
“He told me the board had approved everything and that I was misunderstanding the structure.”
“And you believed him?”
“No.”
She looked down at her hands.
“But I was close to retirement. I had worked there for years. I didn't want to destroy the company without proof.”
I opened another folder.
There were two versions of the same consulting agreement.
One listed a payment of twenty thousand dollars per month.
The other listed eighty thousand.
The second version carried my digital signature.
The first did not.
“Who changed this?”
“Grant's office requested the amendment.”
“Did he send it?”
“His executive assistant did.”
Margaret hesitated.
“There is something else.”
She pulled out a printed email.
The message was addressed to Grant and copied to Savannah.
The subject line read: October Closing—Final Authorization.
I scanned the contents.
The email discussed the transfer of a substantial amount of money to a company that would acquire Harbor Point through an intermediary.
The arrangement would make it appear that Ashford Development Group had paid the seller directly, even though part of the money would be redirected before closing.
At the bottom was a sentence that made my stomach tighten.
Claire's approval is required for the final release. Please ensure the authorization is completed before the board review.
I looked at Margaret.
“Did I ever approve this?”
“No.”
“Then why is my signature on the final copy?”
“I don't know.”
I read the email again.
There was another attachment.
A spreadsheet listing the people who would receive payments after closing.
Grant's name appeared first.
Savannah's company appeared second.
A third name belonged to a man I recognized from the company's legal department.
I leaned back.
“This wasn't just Grant.”
Margaret nodded.
“I think several people knew.”
I felt the room grow smaller.
“Why are you giving me this now?”
“Because yesterday I heard Grant say the October closing was going ahead no matter what. I realized he might be preparing to move everything before anyone could stop him.”
I gathered the documents.
“Will you testify?”
She looked frightened.
Then she nodded.
“Yes. If you need me.”
I reached across the desk and took her hand.
“Thank you.”
As I left, Margaret called after me.
“Claire?”
I turned.
“Be careful. Grant isn't the only person who benefits if you stay quiet.”
I stopped.
“What do you mean?”
She glanced toward the front window.
May you like
“I saw someone from the company outside my house last week.”
And suddenly, I understood why she had waited so long to call me.
