Chapter 8 - HALF A MILLION DOLLARS
The account was in Nevada.
I had never lived in Nevada.
Never banked there.
Never signed anything there.
Yet somehow, an account existed in my name.
Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars had passed through it.
Then disappeared.
Marcus traced the money into three shell companies.
One led back to Robert.
One to Jason.
The third belonged to someone named Thomas Keene.
“Who is he?” I asked.
Marcus shook his head.
“Still working on it.”
Caroline spread the documents across her conference table.
“This is bigger than a messy family.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we may be looking at fraud.”
“May?”
She gave me a look.
“Fine.”
“Fraud.”
I leaned back.
My head hurt.
For years, I had thought the Bennetts were simply controlling.
Cruel.
Entitled.
Now I was beginning to wonder if their family dinners had been hiding something much darker.
Marcus finally found Thomas Keene.
Former accountant.
Worked for Robert for nine years.
Then disappeared from the company three months after Lily was born.
“Disappeared?”
“Quit suddenly.”
“Where is he?”
“Wisconsin.”
“Can we talk to him?”
“We can try.”
Thomas refused the first call.
Then the second.
On the third, Marcus mentioned my name.
Thomas went silent.
Then he said, “Tell Emily to stop digging.”
Marcus asked why.
Thomas hung up.
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
Lily lay beside me holding her stuffed rabbit.
I stared at the ceiling.
Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the slap again.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A text.
You don’t know what Jason signed.
I sat up.
Another message.
Ask him about the hospital.
My chest tightened.
I typed back.
Who is this?
No answer.
Then another message.
The money wasn’t for him.
I called.
The number was disconnected.
The next morning, I went to Jason’s supervised visit.
Not because I wanted to see him.
Because I wanted answers.
He sat across from Lily at a small family-services center.
A caseworker remained in the room.
Jason looked thinner.
Lily stayed close to me.
He held out a toy.
“Hey, bug.”
Lily stared at him.
Then hid behind my leg.
Jason’s face fell.
I should have felt sorry for him.
I didn’t.
After the visit, I stopped him in the hallway.
“What did you sign at the hospital?”
His face changed.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Emily.”
“Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars moved through an account in my name the day after Lily was born.”
Jason looked like he had been punched.
“Where did you hear that?”
“So you knew.”
He looked toward the caseworker.
Then lowered his voice.
“You need to drop this.”
“Why?”
“Because Lily is safe.”
“Is she?”
“Yes.”
“You said she needed to learn before your mother hit her.”
His eyes filled with shame.
“I didn’t mean that.”
“What did you mean?”
“I thought Mom was going to take the bowl away.”
“That’s a lie.”
He looked away.
I stepped closer.
“Who is Thomas Keene?”
Jason went white.
That was the answer.
“You know him.”
“Emily.”
“Who is he?”
Jason whispered, “Someone who should’ve kept his mouth shut.”
Then he walked away.
That afternoon, Marcus called.
“We found Keene.”
“Good.”
“No.”
His voice was grim.
“Someone got to him first.”
“What does that mean?”
“His house was empty.”
My stomach tightened.
“He left?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
May you like
Marcus paused.
“There was blood on the kitchen floor.”
