Chapter 9: The Evidence She Never Knew I Had
Curtis didn't shout.
He didn't throw the petition across the room.
He simply looked at Renée and asked one question.
“Who helped you prepare this?””
Renée smiled.
“My attorney.””
“Daniel?””
Her smile faded.
“Don't bring him into this.””
Margaret placed the petition on the table.
“Renée, this filing contains several statements that will need to be supported by evidence.””
“I have evidence.””
“Such as?””
Renée opened her handbag and removed a second folder.
She placed several printed photographs on the table.
The first showed Isaiah standing beside a damaged stack of merchandise.
The second showed him holding a box near the loading bay.
The third showed a packing table covered in unfinished orders.
“Your son has been careless,” Renée said.
“He damaged inventory, ignored instructions, and repeatedly refused to cooperate.””
Curtis looked at the photographs.
Then he looked at Margaret.
“Can we see the originals?””
Margaret nodded.
“Do you have digital copies?””
Renée hesitated.
“They were sent to me.””
“By whom?””
“That doesn't matter.””
“It matters if the photographs have been altered.””
Renée crossed her arms.
“They haven't.””
Curtis picked up the first photograph.
“Do you know when this was taken?””
“Last week.””
“What time?””
“I don't remember.””
Curtis placed it down.
“Peter has the original warehouse recordings. We'll compare every photograph against the footage.””
Renée's expression tightened.
“You can't prove anything.””
Curtis looked at her.
“I don't need to prove anything to you.””
Margaret opened her laptop.
“We've already requested preservation of the relevant camera footage and accounting records. Any claims about Curtis's parenting will be addressed through the proper process.””
Renée laughed bitterly.
“You think a few recordings will save you?””
Curtis didn't answer.
He was thinking about the boy upstairs.
The boy who had apologized for getting hurt.
The boy who had believed his father might blame him.
And now Renée was using those same photographs to portray him as a problem.
Curtis pushed the petition toward Margaret.
“Make copies of everything.””
Margaret nodded.
Renée stood.
“I'm taking Isaiah with me.””
“No,” Curtis replied.
“He's my family.””
“He's my son.””
“You can't keep him from me.””
“I'm not discussing parenting arrangements with you in the middle of a financial investigation.””
Renée grabbed her handbag.
“Fine. I'll let the court decide.””
She headed for the door.
Then she stopped.
“Oh, and Curtis?””
He looked up.
“You might want to ask your precious son why he was in the office after closing on Tuesday.””
Curtis felt his stomach tighten.
“What are you talking about?””
Renée smiled.
“Ask him.””
She opened the door and walked out.
Madison and Tyler followed.
The SUV pulled away several seconds later.
Curtis stood motionless.
Margaret approached him.
“Don't react to that.””
“She's implying Isaiah did something.””
“We don't know what she's implying.””
Curtis looked toward the staircase.
“I'm going to ask him.””
“Carefully,” Margaret said.
“Don't make him feel interrogated.””
Curtis nodded.
He went upstairs.
Isaiah was sitting on his bed.
He looked up immediately.
“Is she gone?””
“For now.””
“Did she take the pictures?””
Curtis sat beside him.
“She left some photographs.””
Isaiah looked down.
“Of the boxes?””
“Yes.””
“I didn't break them.””
“I know.””
The boy rubbed his hands together.
Then he looked at his father.
“Did she tell you about Tuesday?””
Curtis paused.
“She said you were in the office after closing.””
Isaiah nodded.
“I was.””
“Why?””
“Because she told me to get a folder.””
“What folder?””
“The blue one.””
Curtis remembered the blue envelope Isaiah had mentioned.
“What was inside?””
Isaiah swallowed.
“Copies of the employee papers. And a USB drive.””
“Did you take them?””
“No. I only moved them.””
“Where?””
Isaiah pointed toward his desk.
Curtis looked.
A small blue envelope sat beneath a notebook.
“What's that?””
“The one I told you about.””
Curtis opened it.
Inside was a small flash drive and a handwritten inventory sheet.
Isaiah spoke quietly.
“Renée told me to take it to the second office. But Daniel was there, and they were arguing.””
Curtis looked at him.
“What were they arguing about?””
“Money.””
“What kind of money?””
“I don't know. Daniel said the transfer couldn't happen until the account was clear.””
Curtis held the envelope carefully.
“Did they see you?””
Isaiah shook his head.
“I was behind the shelves.””
“What happened next?””
“Renée told Daniel that the boy had already signed everything.””
Curtis's fingers tightened.
“What boy?””
Isaiah looked at him.
“Me.””
Curtis sat very still.
Then he asked, “Did you hear anything else?””
Isaiah nodded.
“Daniel said you would never agree to sign the release if you knew where the money went.””
Curtis looked toward the window.
He had suspected the ownership transfer was connected to the suspicious payments.
Now he had a possible missing piece.
He called Margaret.
“Isaiah has a flash drive that may contain additional company records.””
Margaret immediately answered.
“Don't plug it into anything. Bring it to Peter for forensic imaging.””
Curtis nodded.
“Understood.””
He ended the call.
Isaiah watched him.
“Am I in trouble?””
Curtis turned.
“No.””
“But I took it.””
“You took it because someone told you to move it. You didn't steal it.””
Isaiah looked uncertain.
Curtis placed the envelope on the desk.
“Thank you for telling me.””
The boy nodded.
Later that afternoon, Peter arrived at the house.
He wore a gray jacket and carried a small equipment case.
Margaret joined them in the dining room.
Peter examined the flash drive without connecting it to the family computer.
“Good thing you didn't plug this in,” he said.
“We'll create a forensic image and work from the copy.””
Curtis watched as Peter connected the drive to his isolated workstation.
A folder appeared.
Inside were several spreadsheets, scanned contracts, and photographs.
Peter opened the first spreadsheet.
It contained a list of company payments.
He scrolled down.
Then stopped.
“Curtis?””
“What?””
“I think you should see this.””
The spreadsheet contained dozens of transfers to a company called Northbridge Holdings.
Curtis recognized the name from the proposed ownership restructuring.
“How much?””
Peter checked the total.
“One hundred and forty-two thousand dollars.””
Curtis stared.
“That's more than the amount we found earlier.””
Peter nodded.
“These transactions were categorized as equipment purchases and supplier advances.””
“Were there actual purchases?””
Peter opened the supporting documents.
“There are invoices, but the vendor details don't match any supplier in your records.””
Margaret leaned closer.
“Who owns Northbridge Holdings?””
Peter searched the registration details.
A few seconds passed.
Then he turned the laptop around.
The listed director was Daniel Reeves.
The second listed officer was Renée Morgan.
Curtis sat back.
They hadn't simply been moving money through questionable labor payments.
They had created a separate company and used Morgan Home Supply to send money into it.
Peter opened another folder.
“This one is interesting.””
A document appeared.
It was titled:
*PROJECT RESET — POST-TRANSFER RESPONSIBILITIES.*
Curtis read the first page.
Daniel would assume control of operations.
Renée would manage finances and personnel.
The company would be transferred into the new holding structure.
And Curtis would be responsible for all debts and disputed transactions arising before the transfer.
He stared at the document.
“They were going to leave me with the liabilities.””
Margaret nodded.
“That appears to be the intended arrangement.””
Peter opened the final attachment.
It was a scanned letter addressed to a bank.
The letter claimed that Curtis had agreed to a restructuring in exchange for a personal settlement.
But the settlement amount was listed as zero dollars.
Curtis felt his stomach turn.
He had been expected to surrender the company, accept responsibility for the questionable transactions, and walk away with nothing.
Then Peter noticed a second attachment.
“There's an audio file.””
Margaret leaned forward.
“From where?””
“The same drive.””
Peter opened it.
A recording began.
Daniel's voice was clear.
“We need the boy's signature on the remaining documents.””
Renée replied, “He already signed the employment forms.””
“Not those. The authorization statement.””
“He won't understand it.””
“He doesn't need to understand it. He just needs to sign.””
Renée laughed.
“And if Curtis finds out?””
Daniel's voice dropped.
“Then we'll tell him his son was helping us hide the money.””
Curtis went completely still.
Renée asked, “Would he believe that?””
Daniel answered:
“He'll believe whatever hurts him most.””
The recording continued for another few seconds.
Then came a sentence that made Margaret close her eyes.
Daniel said:
“Once the transfer is complete, we can finally stop pretending Isaiah is part of this family business.””
Peter paused the audio.
Nobody moved.
Curtis looked toward the staircase.
His son was upstairs, probably wondering whether he had done something wrong by telling the truth.
Curtis stood.
“That's enough.””
Margaret looked up.
“Where are you going?””
“To talk to Isaiah.””
He climbed the stairs.
His son was sitting on the floor, arranging the few schoolbooks he had left scattered across his desk.
Curtis sat beside him.
“Buddy, I need you to hear something.””
Isaiah looked up.
“Okay.””
“You did the right thing.””
The boy nodded.
Curtis continued.
“You didn't hurt this family. You didn't damage the company. You didn't cause any of this.””
Isaiah's eyes became wet.
“Then why did they say I was part of it?””
Curtis pulled him into an embrace.
“Because they thought blaming you would protect them.””
Isaiah buried his face against his father's shoulder.
“Are they going to take the house?””
“No.””
“The company?””
“No.””
“Me?””
Curtis pulled back and looked directly into his son's eyes.
“Never let anyone convince you that you are something that can be taken away because you told the truth.””
Isaiah nodded slowly.
Curtis wiped a tear from his cheek.
Then his phone rang.
Margaret.
He answered.
“What's happening?””
Her voice was urgent.
“Curtis, I just received an update from the attorney. Renée's petition has been accepted for an emergency hearing.””
“When?””
“Tomorrow morning.””
Curtis stood.
“What?””
“She's asking for temporary authority over Isaiah while the court reviews the allegations.””
Curtis looked at his son.
Then Margaret added:
“There's one more problem. Daniel has submitted a sworn statement claiming that Isaiah personally participated in the unauthorized transfers.””
Curtis closed his eyes.
May you like
They were now accusing the boy of helping them.
And the hearing was less than twenty-four hours away.
