Chapter 3 - The Paper Trail
Rebecca found the first secret in forty-eight hours.
Daniel had created three companies Claire had never heard of.
Lakepoint Strategy LLC.
North Meridian Consulting.
Cedar Eleven Partners.
All three received payments from Mercer-Bell Holdings.
All three transferred money into accounts controlled by Daniel.
The total exceeded four million dollars.
Claire stared at Rebecca across the attorney’s office.
“How long?”
“Almost five years.”
“And nobody noticed?”
“Someone noticed.”
Rebecca slid another document across the desk.
Claire recognized the signature.
Her uncle, Peter Bell.
“He approved these?”
“Some.”
Peter was chairman of Mercer-Bell Holdings.
After Claire’s father died, Peter became the closest thing she had to a parent.
He had defended Daniel repeatedly.
When Claire complained that Daniel controlled too much, Peter told her marriage required trust.
When Daniel joined Mercer-Bell as chief strategy officer, Peter supported the appointment.
Claire looked at the transfers.
“Is Peter involved?”
“I don’t know.”
Rebecca leaned forward.
“But there’s more.”
She opened another file.
“Daniel has been meeting with a physician named Dr. Evan Kessler.”
Claire frowned.
“Psychiatrist?”
“Internal medicine.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Rebecca showed her photographs taken outside a private clinic.
Daniel entering.
Daniel leaving.
Vanessa entering two days later.
Claire felt cold.
“Can you find out what he bought at the pharmacy?”
“Not legally without more.”
“Then find me something legal.”
Rebecca smiled faintly.
“That sounds like your father.”
Claire looked away.
Her father, William Bell, had built Mercer-Bell from a small logistics company into a national commercial real-estate group.
Daniel had admired him.
Maybe too much.
“What should I do about Friday?”
“Don’t go.”
“No.”
“Claire.”
“If I cancel, Daniel knows I’m suspicious.”
“And if you go?”
“I find out what he wants.”
Rebecca’s expression hardened.
“You don’t eat anything. You don’t drink anything. You don’t get into his car. You tell me where you are every minute.”
Claire nodded.
Rebecca reached into her desk.
She placed a small recording device on the table.
Claire stared at it.
“You’re serious.”
“Your husband secretly increased your life insurance policy to ten million dollars.”
Rebecca pushed the recorder toward her.
“I stopped thinking this was ordinary divorce preparation yesterday.”
Claire picked it up.
Her phone vibrated.
Daniel.
A message.
Looking forward to Friday. I think it’ll be a new beginning for us.
Claire read it twice.
Then another message arrived.
This one from an unknown number.
DON’T DRINK ANYTHING HE GIVES YOU.
Claire’s breath stopped.
Rebecca noticed.
“What?”
Claire showed her.
Rebecca immediately tried calling the number.
Disconnected.
Claire stared at the six words.
May you like
Someone else knew.
The question was who.
