Chapter 7 - The Woman From Rachel’s Past
Clara sent the photograph to Adrian immediately.
He called within seconds.
“Where did you get this?”
“Anonymous email.”
Adrian enlarged the image.
There was no question.
The woman standing behind Rachel was Vanessa.
Her hair was shorter.
She wore hospital scrubs.
But it was her.
“I met Vanessa two years ago.”
“The photo is almost three years old.”
“I know.”
Adrian called Rachel’s former oncologist.
The doctor could not discuss employee records.
But he remembered Vanessa.
Her name then had been Vanessa Cole Harris.
She worked for a private medical billing contractor.
She had access to patient insurance information.
Adrian felt sick.
Vanessa had known who Rachel was.
She had known Rachel was married to Adrian Mercer.
She had known the family had money.
She had known Rachel was dying.
This had not been a romance that became corrupt.
It might have been a plan from the beginning.
Detective Reed met Adrian and Clara at the police station that afternoon.
Clara arrived separately.
The bruise on her cheek was darker now.
Adrian noticed.
He did not mention it.
Reed examined the photograph.
“We’re tracing the email.”
“Can you verify she worked at the hospital?”
“We’re working on it.”
Adrian placed the supplement bottles on the table.
Reed bagged them.
“There’s more.”
Adrian gave him copies of Rachel’s will and trust documents.
Reed read the guardianship clauses.
His expression tightened.
“This creates a possible financial motive.”
Clara folded her hands.
“She pushed a baby toward a staircase for money.”
“We don’t know that yet.”
Reed spoke carefully.
“We know she pushed the stroller.”
He looked at Adrian.
“We know she attempted to blame Ms. Bennett.”
He tapped the trust documents.
“Now we need to prove why.”
Another detective entered.
He handed Reed a folder.
Reed opened it.
“What is that?”
Adrian asked.
“Preliminary financial records.”
Reed turned one page around.
Three shell companies had received money from accounts linked to Mercer Capital.
One company was registered in Delaware.
Another was registered in Nevada.
The third was registered under a name Adrian recognized.
Harris Family Consulting.
“Harris.”
Clara whispered.
“Vanessa’s former last name.”
Reed nodded.
The transactions went back fourteen months.
Small amounts at first.
Twenty thousand.
Thirty-five thousand.
Forty-eight thousand.
Then the amounts increased.
Someone had stolen more than three million dollars before the transfers Adrian discovered that morning.
Adrian stared at the pages.
“How did my finance department miss this?”
Reed leaned back.
“Maybe they didn’t.”
Adrian looked at him.
“Meaning?”
“Who has authority under you?”
“My CFO, Martin Hale.”
“Where is he?”
“I’ve been trying to reach him.”
Reed exchanged a glance with the other detective.
Martin Hale had not been seen since the previous evening.
His wife reported him missing at 6:40 that morning.
His car was found at Logan Airport.
His passport was gone.
Adrian felt another layer of the floor disappear beneath him.
Martin had worked for Mercer Capital for eleven years.
He had attended Rachel’s funeral.
He had held Emma at her christening.
“Martin is involved?”
“We don’t know.”
Adrian looked at Clara.
She had warned him about Vanessa.
How many other warnings had he ignored?
Then Detective Reed slid another page across the table.
It was an email recovered from Vanessa’s phone records.
The message had been sent to Martin three days earlier.
CLARA FOUND THE FILE.
May you like
TAKE CARE OF THE ACCOUNTS.
I’LL TAKE CARE OF HER.
