Chapter 6: The Accountant Who Disappeared
The receipt shook in my hand.
Gregory Mills.
Seventy-five thousand dollars.
I remembered the day he resigned.
He had walked into my office wearing his usual gray suit, carrying a cardboard box.
“Ethan, I think it's time for me to move on,” he had said.
I remembered being surprised.
“Is something wrong?””
“No. Nothing like that. I've just been offered an opportunity elsewhere.””
I had thanked him for five years of loyal service.
I had even given him a generous farewell bonus.
Now I wondered whether he had been stealing from me while smiling across my desk.
Rochelle took the receipt.
“Where did this come from?””
My father explained.
“Darius gave me an envelope containing several documents. He said they were investment records. I didn't look closely until today.””
Rochelle examined the paper.
“Do you have the envelope?””
“Yes. It's at home.””
“Good. Don't throw anything away.””
We drove to my parents' house.
The entire journey was silent.
My mother sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window.
My father drove with both hands gripping the steering wheel.
I sat in the back, looking at the receipt.
When we arrived, my father unlocked the front door.
The familiar smell of coffee and furniture polish greeted me.
The living room looked exactly as it had when I was a child.
Family photographs lined the shelves.
My high school graduation picture.
My first company opening.
My parents standing beside me in front of our original office.
And one photograph from my thirtieth birthday, with Vanessa standing between my parents.
I looked away.
My father walked toward his study.
“Everything should be in the filing cabinet.””
He opened the bottom drawer.
Then he began pulling out folders.
After several minutes, he found a thick brown envelope.
“This is it.””
Rochelle put on a pair of disposable gloves before opening it.
Inside were several pages, a business card, two receipts, and a handwritten note.
She examined the note first.
It contained only one sentence.
*THE FINAL SIGNATURE MUST BE OBTAINED BEFORE THE WEDDING.*
Beneath it was Darius's handwriting.
My mother leaned over.
“Why would anyone write that?””
Rochelle placed the note aside.
“Because the wedding date was apparently part of their timeline.””
I looked at my father.
“Did Darius ever explain why the transaction had to happen today?””
“He said there was a financing deadline.””
“Did you believe him?””
“I did.””
“Why?””
My father looked ashamed.
“He showed me documents claiming the buyer had already deposited money.””
Rochelle examined one of the receipts.
“Where was the money deposited?””
My father pointed.
“A holding account.””
She read the details.
Then she shook her head.
“This doesn't look like a standard escrow confirmation.””
“Why not?””
“The account holder doesn't match the title company. And the reference information is incomplete.””
She photographed the document.
“I'm sending this to our forensic accountant.””
I sat on the edge of the sofa.
My mind kept returning to Gregory.
If he had received seventy-five thousand dollars, what had he given Darius?
Access to my company records?
My signature?
Banking information?
“Rochelle, can we find Gregory?””
“We can start with the records Daniel has. But don't contact him until we've established what evidence exists.””
I pulled out my phone.
“I know someone who might know where he is.””
“Who?””
“His former assistant.””
I searched my contacts.
Her name was Lauren Bennett.
She had worked under Gregory for two years before moving to another department.
I called her.
She answered after three rings.
“Ethan? Hi. Is everything okay?””
“Lauren, I need to ask you something about Gregory Mills.””
Her tone changed.
“Gregory?””
“Yes. Do you know where he is?””
“I haven't spoken to him in months.””
“Did he leave the company on good terms?””
There was a pause.
Then she whispered, “You really don't know?””
My stomach tightened.
“Know what?””
Lauren took a breath.
“Gregory wasn't just resigning. He was being investigated.””
I sat upright.
“What?””
“About eight months ago, I noticed several payments that didn't match the invoices. I reported them to him because I thought there had been a mistake.””
“And?””
“He told me to stop asking questions.””
“What happened next?””
“He removed my access to the finance records.””
My jaw tightened.
“Did you tell anyone?””
“I tried. But he said the company was restructuring, and I was going to lose my job if I kept making accusations.””
I closed my eyes.
“Lauren, why didn't you tell me?””
“I was afraid. Gregory had been working with you for years. Everyone trusted him. I thought you would believe him instead of me.””
I looked at Rochelle.
She was listening carefully.
“Lauren, do you have any evidence?””
“Yes.””
“What kind?””
“I saved copies of several invoices and payment approvals before my access was removed.””
My heart began pounding.
“Can you send them?””
“I can. But there's something else.””
“What?””
“Gregory didn't work alone.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who helped him?””
Lauren hesitated.
Then she said, “Someone from your personal life.””
I looked at the photograph on my parents' shelf.
“Who?””
“Vanessa.””
The room went silent.
My father slowly sat down.
My mother covered her mouth.
I felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath me.
“Lauren, are you certain?””
“I saw her in the finance office several times. Gregory told us she was consulting on a private financial project.””
“What was she doing?””
“I don't know exactly. But I remember one afternoon when she came in with a USB drive. Gregory asked me to leave the room.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“When was this?””
“About five months ago.””
Five months.
That meant the financial activity had begun before the wedding invitations were even printed.
“Lauren, can you come to my office tomorrow?””
“Yes. But Ethan…”
“What?””
“Please be careful. Gregory told me once that if anyone discovered the payments, he had enough information to make the entire company look guilty.””
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Rochelle spoke first.
“That's important. We'll preserve her evidence and arrange a formal interview.””
My mother looked at me.
“Ethan, how much money are we talking about?””
I didn't know.
And that was the frightening part.
I had trusted Gregory to manage the company's books.
I had trusted Vanessa with my personal life.
I had trusted my father to recognize a dishonest man.
And now all three had become connected to the same scheme.
My phone vibrated.
Daniel had sent another message.
*URGENT: WE FOUND ADDITIONAL UNAUTHORIZED PAYMENTS.*
I opened the attachment.
A spreadsheet appeared.
There were twenty-three transactions over the previous seven months.
Small amounts at first.
Then larger ones.
$4,800.
$12,500.
$26,000.
$41,000.
The total at the bottom made my vision blur.
*$684,300.*
I stared at the number.
“Rochelle…”
She leaned over my shoulder.
Her expression hardened.
“That's substantial.””
“Can they take it back?””
“Some of it may be recoverable. We need to identify where it went and whether the transactions were authorized. The bank and forensic team will help establish that.””
My father stood.
“Ethan, I swear I didn't know about this.””
I looked at him.
“I know you didn't know about every transaction.””
He lowered his head.
“But you gave them access.””
He nodded.
“I did.””
My mother began crying quietly.
I wanted to comfort her.
Instead, I stared at the spreadsheet.
Then I noticed something strange.
The first unauthorized payment had been made seven months earlier.
The description read:
*CONSULTING FEE — V. REED.*
Vanessa's name.
I opened the transaction details.
The payment had been authorized using a temporary finance approval code.
The code belonged to Gregory.
But the beneficiary account was not Vanessa's personal account.
It belonged to a company called Reed Advisory Group.
I looked at Rochelle.
“Can you investigate this company?””
She nodded.
“Absolutely.””
I searched the company name on my phone.
The first result was a business registration.
The company had been established eleven months earlier.
Its registered address was a small office building in downtown Atlanta.
The listed owner was Vanessa Reed.
I stared at the screen.
“She owns a company?””
My father leaned closer.
“What company?””
“Reed Advisory Group.””
Rochelle took the phone.
She examined the registration.
“That's useful. We need to establish whether this entity received the unauthorized payments and what services it supposedly provided.””
I scrolled further.
A second name appeared under the company's filing history.
Darius Cole.
I felt sick.
Vanessa and Darius had created a company together.
And it had been registered before Vanessa and I got engaged.
My mother whispered, “Oh, Ethan.””
I couldn't answer.
Then my phone rang again.
This time, it was Lauren.
I answered immediately.
“Lauren?””
Her voice was trembling.
“Ethan, I found something else.””
“What?””
“I checked the old finance archive. Gregory kept a folder of personal notes on the company server.””
“What's in it?””
“Copies of emails. Payment instructions. And a document listing everyone involved in the transaction.””
“Can you send it?””
“I can, but there's something you need to know first.””
I sat forward.
“What?””
“Gregory wasn't planning to transfer your company to Darius.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“The original plan was to transfer the properties into a separate holding company, then sell the holding company to an overseas investor.””
“Who?””
Lauren went silent.
Then she whispered, “I don't know the investor's name.””
“Then what do you know?””
“I saw the final agreement. It was signed by the investor's representative.””
“Who was the representative?””
Lauren took a shaky breath.
“Your future brother-in-law.””
I froze.
Vanessa's younger brother, Marcus Reed.
The man who had stood beside me during the engagement party.
The man who had called me family.
The man who had toasted my future marriage.
I looked at Rochelle.
She had heard every word.
“Lauren, are you certain?””
“Yes. I remember his signature.””
My father stood.
“Marcus?””
I nodded slowly.
Then another message arrived from Lauren.
It contained a photograph of the document.
I opened it.
At the bottom, beneath the buyer's representative section, was a familiar signature.
*MARCUS REED.*
But that wasn't the worst part.
Above his signature was the name of the actual buyer.
I read it once.
Then again.
My blood turned cold.
Because the company purchasing my entire portfolio wasn't owned by Darius.
It was owned by someone whose name I had seen on the guest list for my wedding.
*Robert Carter.*
My father.
I looked up.
May you like
He was standing directly in front of me.
And he looked just as shocked as I was.
