Chapter 9 - THE SECOND ACCOUNT
“Twelve million?”
My voice didn’t sound like mine.
Claire scrolled through the banking alert.
“International destination.”
Mark leaned closer.
“Cayman account.”
Joe’s face became unreadable.
That frightened me more than his anger.
Claire asked, “Who could authorize twelve million?”
Mark hesitated.
“CEO and CFO together.”
Everyone looked at him.
He raised both hands.
“I didn’t do it.”
Joe smiled.
“Then I guess Sarah has bigger problems.”
I looked at Claire.
“Can someone fake Mark’s approval?”
Mark answered before she could.
“With my token.”
Claire stared at him.
“Where is it?”
Mark slowly reached inside his jacket.
Empty pocket.
His face collapsed.
“Oh, no.”
Joe laughed.
“You people should take better care of your things.”
A police officer moved toward him.
“Mr. Vance, do you have Mr. Delaney’s authentication device?”
“No.”
“May we search you?”
“No.”
The officer’s expression hardened.
Claire whispered to me, “They may not have grounds to force a search yet.”
“Yet?”
“Give him time.”
Joe heard her.
“You think you’re clever.”
“No,” Claire said. “I think you’re panicking.”
Tracy suddenly shifted Leo into my brother’s arms.
“Hold him.”
David blinked.
“What?”
“Please.”
Then she walked toward Joe.
He frowned.
“Tracy.”
She stopped inches from him.
“You said we were going to start a life.”
“We are.”
“You said Sarah was destroying you.”
“She is.”
“You said everything you did was to protect Leo.”
“It is.”
Tracy slapped him.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the ballroom.
Joe stared at her.
Then Tracy reached into the inside pocket of his jacket.
Security moved.
So did the officers.
She stepped back holding two small black devices.
My token.
Mark’s token.
The room erupted.
Joe lunged.
An officer grabbed him.
Joe swung his elbow.
Bad decision.
Within seconds, he was against the wall, one arm twisted behind him.
Tommy whispered, “Wow.”
I put a hand over his eyes.
“Mom, I can still hear it.”
“Let me pretend I’m parenting.”
Tracy handed the devices to Claire.
Her hands were shaking.
“He put them in his jacket when the lights went out.”
I stared at her.
“You saw him?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
She started crying.
“Because I was scared.”
That answer I understood.
Joe had built his entire life around making people afraid to challenge him.
Claire handed the devices to police.
“Preserve these.”
Joe shouted from across the room.
“She stole them!”
Tracy laughed through her tears.
“Sure, Joe.”
Then Mark’s phone rang.
He looked at the number.
“Bank fraud department.”
“Answer it,” Claire said.
He put it on speaker.
A woman introduced herself.
Then she said:
“We’ve suspended the twelve-million-dollar transaction due to an irregularity.”
Mark closed his eyes.
“Thank God.”
“However, we need to inform you that the destination account received a prior transfer six months ago.”
Everyone went still.
“How much?” I asked.
The woman paused.
“Seven point three million dollars.”
Mark whispered, “That’s impossible.”
The bank representative continued.
“The transfer was approved by Joseph Vance and…”
She stopped.
I knew the next name would change everything.
“…Sarah Vance.”
I stared at Claire.
“I never approved anything.”
Joe started smiling again.
And this time, I understood why.
The four-point-eight-million-dollar transfer had been the trap.
May you like
But the seven-point-three million?
That was the crime he had already pinned on me.
