Chapter 8: The Woman Behind the Transfers
"Nobody leaves this building.""
Elaine's voice was firm.
The security officer immediately moved toward the hallway.
The forensic examiner checked the access logs.
"Someone is attempting to erase the archived storage account.""
"Can you stop it?"" Megan asked.
"I'm trying.""
A progress bar appeared on the monitor.
Then it froze.
The examiner typed rapidly.
"Whoever is doing this has administrative access.""
Elaine looked at Dylan.
"Where is Curtis?""
"In the conference room, I think.""
The security officer hurried away.
Megan followed Elaine toward the corridor.
They found Curtis sitting at the table with his arms crossed.
He looked up.
"What's going on now?""
Elaine placed her phone on the table.
"Someone has attempted to delete a company storage account.""
Curtis shrugged.
"Then call IT.""
"The request originated from this property.""
"That doesn't mean it was me.""
"Your employee credentials were used.""
Curtis laughed.
"Several people know my password.""
Elaine leaned forward.
"Who?""
Curtis didn't answer.
The security officer entered.
"His company laptop is secured.""
"Check the workstation in his office too," Elaine instructed.
Curtis stood.
"You can't keep treating me like a criminal.""
"Then stop giving us reasons to investigate you.""
His expression turned vicious.
"You've been waiting for an excuse to take my position.""
Elaine looked at him.
"This isn't about your position.""
"Of course it is. You approved my performance bonus. You signed the reports. Now you want to pretend you knew nothing?""
Elaine didn't move.
"I approved a report based on information you supplied. When the numbers failed verification, I requested an investigation.""
Curtis smiled.
"Convenient.""
Megan stepped forward.
"Why did you send that complaint about me?""
Curtis turned toward her.
"I didn't.""
"The file was created on your workstation.""
"Someone used my computer.""
"And copied my signature from my employment application.""
"That's not my problem.""
Megan stared at him.
"You tried to make me look like a thief because you knew I'd find your records.""
Curtis leaned forward.
"You should have stayed out of things you didn't understand.""
Elaine ended the confrontation.
"Take him back to the conference room.""
As Curtis was escorted away, his phone buzzed on the table.
The security officer looked at Elaine.
"Do you want this documented?""
"Yes. Preserve the device and record the notification without opening any private content beyond the authorized scope.""
The screen lit up.
A message preview appeared.
*LAURA: I deleted the old account. Are we safe now?*
Megan looked at Elaine.
Elaine immediately instructed the examiner to document the notification.
Curtis stopped walking.
His face had gone completely blank.
"That's private.""
Elaine turned toward him.
"Then you should have kept company records off personal accounts.""
Back in the office, the examiner managed to stop the deletion process.
Some files had been removed.
But the account's recovery records remained.
And they contained a list of previously connected devices.
One belonged to Laura Miller.
Another belonged to Richard Vaughn.
The third belonged to Curtis.
Megan stared at the screen.
"They were all accessing the same account.""
Elaine nodded.
"Now we need to know what was stored there.""
The examiner began recovering the available files.
Several deposit reports appeared.
Then photographs of handwritten ledgers.
Then scanned bank statements.
And finally, a folder labeled:
*COLUMBUS — ORIGINAL AGREEMENT.*
Elaine opened it.
Inside was a signed agreement between Curtis and Richard.
The document stated that Curtis would provide financial information concerning certain company transactions in exchange for Richard ensuring that the Columbus investigation was closed without disciplinary action.
Megan read the final paragraph.
It was not a repayment agreement.
It was a confidentiality agreement.
Curtis had agreed to keep silent about a separate financial arrangement involving Richard.
"What's the arrangement?"" Megan asked.
Elaine scrolled further.
A spreadsheet appeared.
It contained payments made from a company operating account to several external businesses.
One payment was particularly large.
Forty-two thousand dollars.
The recipient was a consulting company owned by Richard's brother.
Megan looked up.
"Was that a legitimate supplier?""
Elaine shook her head.
"I've never seen that company on our approved vendor list.""
The examiner opened the registration details.
The business had been registered shortly before the first payment.
Its mailing address was a residential property.
The listed owner was Richard's brother.
Megan leaned closer.
"So Richard was taking money too.""
"Possibly through a fraudulent vendor arrangement," Elaine replied.
"We'll need legal and forensic confirmation.""
Dylan looked sick.
"Does that mean Curtis was stealing money to keep Richard quiet?""
"That may be part of it," Megan said.
"But why did Curtis keep taking money after the Columbus hotel closed?""
Elaine looked at the payment history.
"Because the arrangement continued.""
She opened another folder.
The transfers showed payments from the Akron property.
Some went through Dylan's account.
Others went directly to Miller Property Solutions.
And several were routed through Laura's personal account.
Megan pointed to the latest transaction.
"There's a payment from yesterday.""
The amount was $9,500.
The reference field read:
*FINAL SETTLEMENT — ACR.*
Elaine frowned.
"What does ACR mean?""
Dylan stared at the screen.
"Akron.""
Megan looked at him.
"Why would anyone call it a final settlement?""
Dylan shook his head.
"I don't know.""
Elaine opened the associated message.
It had been sent from Laura to Curtis.
*LAURA: Once the Akron records are cleared, we can finally leave. Richard said the transfer will cover everything.*
Megan felt her stomach tighten.
"They were planning to leave.""
Elaine nodded.
"And they thought the evidence would disappear.""
A phone rang.
It was corporate legal.
Elaine answered.
She listened for nearly a minute, then stood.
"What do you mean the account is being accessed from another location?""
She looked at the examiner.
He checked the latest activity.
The recovery process had triggered an automatic security alert.
Someone had just logged in from a residential address.
The examiner traced the device location to a property outside Akron.
Elaine read the address.
Megan recognized it.
It was listed as Laura Miller's home address.
"She's deleting the original files," Megan said.
Elaine immediately called local law enforcement and corporate legal.
They were instructed not to access or alter any personal devices without proper authorization.
But the company could preserve its own cloud records and notify the relevant authorities.
While Elaine made the calls, Megan examined the recovered spreadsheet again.
At the bottom was a hidden worksheet.
It contained names, dates, and payment references.
One name appeared beside the largest transfer.
Not Curtis.
Not Dylan.
Not Richard.
A person Megan had never expected to see.
*ELAINE BROOKS.*
The amount beside her name was $18,000.
Megan slowly turned toward her.
"Elaine?""
Elaine looked at the screen.
Her face lost all color.
"I never received that money.""
But the spreadsheet contained more than a name.
It included a transaction reference, a bank confirmation number, and a digital authorization bearing Elaine's credentials.
The same credentials that had appeared on the suspicious transfer from six months earlier.
Megan stepped away from the desk.
"Someone is using your identity.""
Elaine nodded.
Then her phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID displayed the name of the company's chief financial officer.
She answered.
A man's voice came through the speaker.
"Elaine, stop the investigation immediately.""
Elaine frowned.
"Who is this?""
"It's Martin. I've just been informed you're accessing restricted financial records.""
"These records involve potential theft.""
"I don't care. You're no longer authorized to investigate.""
Elaine stood motionless.
"Who made that decision?""
The man lowered his voice.
"Richard Vaughn.""
Elaine looked at Megan.
Then she answered:
"Richard doesn't have authority to stop a fraud investigation.""
Martin was silent.
Finally, he said something that made Elaine grip the edge of the desk.
"Then you should know Richard has already filed a formal complaint against you.""
The call ended.
Megan looked at the spreadsheet again.
May you like
For the first time, she wondered whether the investigation had been designed to expose Curtis alone.
Or whether Curtis had been used to hide something much larger.
