Chapter 7 – The Bribed Evaluator
Agent Reed met Natalie and Maya in the private conference room of a small law office in Alexandria.
He was in his early forties, with tired eyes and the controlled manner of a man accustomed to bad news.
Officer Ramirez had brought them through the underground garage.
Reed examined the black card and copied the files from Tyler’s drive.
When the video ended, he remained silent for several seconds.
“You knew Tyler contacted me?” Natalie asked.
“I suspected the anonymous messages came from someone inside Harrison’s household. I didn’t know it was a child.”
“You gave him instructions.”
“I told him not to confront Harrison and to save evidence somewhere safe.”
“He’s thirteen.”
“I know.”
“You should have protected him.”
“I was trying to identify him without alerting Harrison.”
“And while you were trying, Harrison took him out of the country.”
Reed accepted the anger without defending himself.
Maya opened the account map on her laptop.
“These companies moved at least seventy million dollars,” she said.
“Closer to one hundred and twelve million,” Reed replied. “Harrison’s network includes pension funds, real estate partnerships, and charitable foundations.”
Natalie stared at him.
“You already knew?”
“We knew money was disappearing. We couldn’t prove where it went.”
“Now you can.”
“Possibly. But the defense will argue that the files were manipulated. We need records directly from the Zurich bank or testimony from someone inside Harrison’s operation.”
“Victor?”
“He won’t cooperate unless he believes Harrison plans to sacrifice him.”
Natalie remembered the courtroom.
“What about Dr. Mercer?”
Reed looked at her.
“The family evaluator?”
“Tyler said Harrison paid her.”
Within an hour, Reed obtained authorization to search financial records associated with Mercer.
Maya found the first payment.
Two weeks before Mercer submitted her custody recommendation, a consulting company controlled by her brother received $250,000 from a Vale Meridian subsidiary.
A second payment of $400,000 followed after the judge awarded Harrison primary custody.
Natalie felt sick.
“My son stood in court and lied because Harrison threatened him, and the woman responsible for protecting him had already been bought.”
Reed’s phone rang.
He listened, asked two questions, and ended the call.
“Harrison’s people just filed an emergency petition.”
“For what?”
“They’re accusing you of stealing $3.8 million from Tyler’s trust. They want an international warrant issued before you can leave the country.”
“That account was created with a forged signature.”
“We’ll argue that.”
“We don’t have time to argue.”
Natalie stood.
“My son is in Zurich with a man who threatened him.”
Reed looked toward Ramirez.
“We’re working with Swiss authorities.”
“Working how?”
“Through official channels.”
“Harrison owns officials.”
“Not all of them.”
“But enough.”
Maya turned the laptop toward Reed.
“I found something else.”
The $3.8 million account showed a pending transfer.
The transfer would activate when Tyler entered Armitage Private Bank in Zurich and completed a biometric verification.
Once activated, the money would move out of the account under Natalie’s name and into a shell company in the Cayman Islands.
Harrison was not merely preparing to accuse her.
He was creating a live transaction that would make the accusation appear true.
The transfer was scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Zurich time.
Maya checked the clock.
“That’s in six hours.”
Natalie looked at Reed.
“Get me on a plane.”
“You’re the subject of an active theft complaint.”
“You know it’s false.”
“I do.”
“Then stop me after I have my son.”
Reed held her gaze.
May you like
Finally, he picked up his phone.
“I know a pilot.”
