Chapter 7 - The Forensic Audit of Caleb MercerThe conference room at Blackridge Holdings was filled with the smell of old paper and fresh coffee. For three days, Leah and I sat at the long table, systematically dismantling Caleb Mercer’s corporate empire.
Caleb had assumed that because he was running a local concrete business, his financial records were too boring for anyone to scrutinize. But as a forensic auditor, I knew that a man who was sloppy with his wife was always sloppy with his taxes.
"We found the transfers, Frank," Leah said, sliding a thick red binder across the table. "Caleb has been using his company's accounts to launder money for a local drug distribution ring in the valley. He’s been inflating his concrete invoices to cover the cash transactions."
"Does Diane know?" I asked.
"She was the accountant, Frank," Leah smiled, a sharp, professional glint in her eyes. "Her signature is on every single fraudulent deposit slip. She’s been routing the laundered cash through her private estate trust to avoid paying federal taxes."
"This is grand larceny, money laundering, and conspiracy," I said, leaning back in my chair. "The federal prosecutors are going to have a field day with this."
Suddenly, my private phone buzzed on the table. It was an restricted number, but I answered, putting it on speaker.
"Frank Mercer?" a raspy, shaking voice whispered through the line. It was Diane, calling from her jail cell.
"Speaking," I said coldly.
"Please, Frank..." Diane wept, her voice losing all of its former, haughty arrogance. "I’m an old woman. I can't survive in a state prison. My lawyers say they are looking at fifteen years. Talk to your friend Ramirez. Tell him to drop the conspiracy charges against me. I’ll make Caleb sign the divorce papers. I’ll give Emma whatever she wants!"
May you like
"You should have thought about the survival of my daughter before you locked her in that freezing storage shed, Diane," I said, my voice holding a calm, absolute certainty that made the line go completely silent. "You wanted to teach my daughter respect. Now, the state is going to teach you justice. Enjoy the cell."
I pressed the red button, cutting off her frantic, weeping voice, and closed the laptop. The traps were all sprung, and the Mercers had absolutely nowhere left to hide.
Related Stories
