Chapter 12 - THE FORTY-EIGHT MILLION
Tracing forty-eight million dollars required federal investigators.
By the end of the day, two agents arrived at the hospital.
Special Agent Noah Pierce led the financial crimes team.
He already knew Evelyn.
“I’m sorry we didn’t reach you sooner.”
Evelyn nodded.
“You warned me to wait for protection.”
“You moved before we were ready.”
“I thought my daughter still had a conscience.”
Pierce did not answer.
Tom looked between them.
“You knew about Helen before Mom disappeared?”
“We knew someone inside Carter Green was moving money.”
“Did you know it was her?”
“We suspected.”
Tom’s frustration rose.
“And nobody protected my mother?”
Evelyn interrupted.
“Tom.”
He looked at her.
“I refused protection.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want Helen knowing she was under investigation.”
Tom leaned back.
The entire family had spent months keeping secrets.
Even Evelyn.
Especially Evelyn.
Pierce opened his laptop.
“We traced most of the reserve.”
Funds had moved from Singapore to accounts in Luxembourg.
Then to a holding company in the British Virgin Islands.
Then split again.
Twenty million went into Dane-linked development entities.
Twelve million paid down private loans.
Eight million purchased assets through nominee companies.
The remaining eight million had vanished into cryptocurrency wallets.
Tom stared at the screen.
“Can we recover it?”
“Some.”
“How much?”
“We won’t know yet.”
Evelyn was less concerned with recovery than Pierce expected.
“Find Victor.”
“We’re trying.”
“Find Martin.”
“He’s in custody.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“Martin isn’t the architect.”
Pierce paused.
“Who is?”
Evelyn looked toward Lily before answering.
“Someone on my board.”
Tom frowned.
“Helen?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
“Robert Chen.”
Tom remembered the courtroom.
The chairman of the audit committee.
The man Evelyn had named from memory.
Evelyn explained that Robert had been with Carter Green for twenty-six years.
He reviewed major transactions.
There was no reasonable way Helen could have hidden transfers of this size from him.
“He either helped her.”
Evelyn’s voice tightened.
“Or he deliberately looked away.”
Pierce immediately made a call.
An hour later, investigators went to Robert Chen’s home.
It was empty.
His phone was off.
His wife claimed he was attending a conference in Seattle.
Airline records showed he had never boarded the flight.
Security cameras placed him at a private airfield the previous night.
On the same runway where Victor Dane’s jet had been waiting.
But Victor’s jet had not left.
The flight plan had been canceled.
The aircraft remained in its hangar.
Pierce stared at the report.
“They wanted us watching airports.”
Rebecca understood.
“A diversion.”
Then Tom’s phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
There was a photograph attached.
Helen stood beside Robert Chen.
Behind them was a marina.
May you like
Below the image were six words.
TELL EVELYN TO SIGN OR ELSE.
