Chapter 6 - The Account With Emma's Birthday
Rebecca moved Sarah and the children again.
This time they stayed at a secured apartment owned by her law firm.
Mark was prohibited from contacting Sarah directly.
Detective Hayes opened a formal investigation into Brenda's disappearance.
Meanwhile Daniel kept tracing money.
Three days later, he arrived with another discovery.
"There's an offshore account."
Sarah rubbed her temples.
"Of course there is."
"Twenty-seven million dollars."
She stared at him.
"Whose?"
"Yours."
Sarah almost laughed.
"I have eighty-three dollars in my checking account."
"Technically, Bennett Residential has twenty-seven million."
"And technically I'm Bennett Residential."
"Correct."
Rebecca leaned forward.
"Can Mark access it?"
"Not without triggering compliance review."
"Why?"
Daniel rotated his laptop.
The account password reset questions appeared.
Sarah read the recovery information.
First child's birthday.
Emma's birthday.
Second child's birthday.
Toby's birthday.
Mother's maiden name.
Sarah's maiden name.
Her stomach turned.
"He built it around me."
Daniel nodded.
"Completely."
Rebecca looked at him.
"Could Sarah move the money?"
"Yes."
"No," Sarah said.
They looked at her.
"If it's stolen, I don't want it."
Rebecca smiled faintly.
"That's the correct answer."
Daniel opened another file.
"There's more."
Sarah groaned.
"There is always more."
"The account received money from seventeen companies."
"Victor Hale?"
"Some appear connected to him."
"Some?"
"One is connected to Richard Collins."
Brenda's father.
Sarah leaned forward.
"How much?"
"Eight million."
Rebecca frowned.
"That makes Brenda's disappearance more interesting."
Daniel nodded.
"And more dangerous."
Then Sarah noticed one transaction.
$640,000.
Recipient: E. BENNETT EDUCATIONAL TRUST.
Her breath caught.
"Emma?"
Daniel shook his head.
"I thought so too."
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know."
Sarah stared at the initials.
E. Bennett.
"Maybe another shell company."
"Maybe."
That evening Sarah put the children to bed.
Emma asked whether Mark was going to jail.
Sarah didn't know how to answer.
"Your dad made some very bad choices."
"Does he love us?"
The question hurt more than anything Mark had done to her.
"I think he does."
"Then why did he scare Toby?"
Sarah brushed Emma's hair from her forehead.
"Sometimes people love badly."
Emma thought about that.
"Is Brenda dead?"
Sarah froze.
"Why would you ask that?"
Emma looked frightened.
"Because Dad said she would be."
Sarah's pulse jumped.
"When?"
"The day before we left."
"What exactly did he say?"
Emma whispered, "He was yelling at her in the guest house."
"What did he say?"
Emma swallowed.
"He said, 'If Hale finds out you copied that ledger, you're dead.'"
Sarah immediately called Rebecca.
Before Rebecca answered, another call came through.
UNKNOWN.
Sarah stared at it.
Then answered.
Silence.
"Hello?"
Breathing.
Then a woman's whisper.
"Sarah?"
She knew the voice.
"Brenda?"
"Don't say my name."
Sarah stood.
"Where are you?"
"I need you to listen."
"What happened?"
"Mark lied to both of us."
Sarah closed the bedroom door.
"Where are you?"
"I found something in the ledger."
"What?"
Brenda began crying.
"Your name wasn't chosen because you were his wife."
Sarah gripped the phone.
May you like
"Then why?"
"Because of your father."
