Chapter 9 - Two Million Missing
Grant claimed the deposit was legitimate.
He said Crestline Strategic Holdings had been created to facilitate the transaction.
The board had never approved it.
I had never heard of it.
Neither had the company’s chief financial officer.
Harbor North demanded the money back.
Grant could not return it.
Within days, the sale that was supposed to make him rich became a potential fraud investigation.
His personal lender also demanded repayment.
Then Vanessa disappeared from the apartment Grant had rented for her.
She took several suitcases.
And one vehicle.
Grant called her repeatedly.
She did not answer.
I knew because, suddenly, Grant began calling me.
Not about Noah.
Not about Elise.
About Vanessa.
“Did your grandfather threaten her?”
“No.”
“Did your lawyers contact her?”
“Not that I know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t care what you believe.”
He lowered his voice.
“She took something.”
“What?”
Silence.
Then he said:
“Company documents.”
Rachel heard the call.
She immediately requested preservation of all corporate records.
Grant refused to identify what Vanessa had taken.
That made us more interested.
Two days later, Vanessa contacted Rachel.
She wanted immunity from civil claims in exchange for information.
Rachel did not promise anything.
Vanessa sent one photograph as proof.
A handwritten ledger.
Grant’s handwriting.
Dates.
Payments.
Initials.
And beside several entries, one word.
E.
Emma.
I stared at the page.
“What does E mean?”
Rachel did not know.
Vanessa did.
She agreed to a recorded interview.
Her first sentence surprised me.
“Grant never planned to stay married to you after learning about the trust.”
I felt no shock anymore.
Only fatigue.
“When did he tell you that?”
“Months ago.”
“Before you were pregnant?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know he was trying to forge my resignation?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
Rachel leaned forward.
“What is the ledger?”
Vanessa swallowed.
“People he paid.”
“For what?”
“To help make the sale happen.”
Lobbyists.
Consultants.
An appraiser.
A corporate intermediary.
And one person inside Crestline.
Vanessa pointed to a set of initials.
M.R.
Our chief operating officer.
Martin Ross.
A man who had worked beside me for four years.
A man who sent flowers when I was hospitalized.
A man who told me not to worry about the company because Grant had everything under control.
I felt betrayed all over again.
Then Vanessa pointed at the entries marked E.
“That doesn’t stand for Emma.”
“What does it stand for?”
Her voice dropped.
“Emergency.”
Grant had created an emergency plan.
A plan to use if I returned to Crestline before the sale was complete.
May you like
And Vanessa said she knew exactly what it was.
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