Chapter 2 - The Empty Account)
Daniel found Maya sitting on the bedroom floor.
A laptop rested in front of her.
Her hands shook over the keyboard.
Daniel immediately crouched beside her.
"What happened?"
She pointed toward the screen.
Their investment account showed a balance of $214.73.
Daniel stared.
Six months earlier, it had contained more than $640,000.
He refreshed the page.
Same balance.
"When?"
"I don't know."
Daniel opened transaction history.
Transfer.
Transfer.
Transfer.
Twenty-seven separate transactions.
Some went to Hayes Strategic Logistics.
Others went to accounts identified only by numbers.
Three went to a company called Blue Meridian Holdings.
Daniel had never heard of it.
"Did you authorize any of these?"
"No."
"Maya."
"No."
He believed her.
Daniel scrolled.
The first transfer occurred eleven days after his deployment.
He felt sick.
They had started almost immediately.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Maya looked down.
"At first I didn't know."
"And later?"
She rubbed her bruised wrist.
Daniel regretted the question instantly.
"They controlled everything."
"How?"
"Your mother moved in three weeks after you left."
"She told me she was visiting you."
"She never left."
Daniel sat beside her.
Maya continued.
"She said you asked her to help with the company while you were away."
"I didn't."
"I know that now."
"What about Julian?"
"He started coming every day."
Daniel closed his eyes.
Maya's voice became quieter.
"They changed passwords. They took the mail. Julian said there had been security problems with the business accounts."
"Why would you believe him?"
Maya looked at Daniel.
"Because he had emails from you."
Daniel opened his eyes.
"What emails?"
Maya showed him.
Daniel read the first one.
Maya,
Mom and Julian need temporary authority while I'm away. Sign whatever Sloan sends. I trust them.
D.
Daniel stared.
The message came from an address almost identical to his.
Almost.
His real address contained daniel.hayes.
This one contained danieI.hayes.
The lowercase L had been replaced by a capital I.
A simple trick.
A convincing one.
Daniel looked at the date.
May 9.
Eleven days after deployment.
"They built this before I left."
Maya looked confused.
"How do you know?"
"Because Sloan knew I'd be difficult to contact."
Daniel stood.
He began pacing.
"This wasn't opportunistic."
"What do you mean?"
"They planned the timing."
Maya hugged her knees.
Daniel stopped.
"Tell me everything."
Her face changed.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
She looked terrified.
Daniel sat again.
"I won't interrupt."
For the next forty minutes, Maya described the collapse of their life.
Victoria had begun with small things.
Criticism.
Questions.
Where was Maya going?
Who had she spoken to?
Why hadn't she answered Victoria's calls?
Then came the finances.
Victoria insisted Maya was irresponsible.
Julian began reviewing bills.
Sloan arrived with documents.
When Maya resisted, they showed her messages supposedly written by Daniel.
Then one afternoon, Maya discovered Julian transferring money from Daniel's private account.
She confronted him.
Julian grabbed her wrist.
That caused the first bruise.
Victoria told Maya she was hysterical.
A week later, Maya tried calling police.
Victoria took her phone.
Julian disconnected the house internet.
"They kept you prisoner?"
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean?"
"They let me leave."
Daniel frowned.
"But every time I did, someone followed me."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
Maya opened her phone.
She showed Daniel photographs of a gray SUV.
Outside a grocery store.
Outside a pharmacy.
Outside a friend's house.
Same vehicle.
Daniel enlarged the license plate.
Partially obscured.
He sent the image to himself.
"Why didn't you run?"
"I tried."
Daniel looked at her.
"Three weeks ago."
"What happened?"
"I drove to Rebecca's."
Maya's closest friend lived ninety minutes away.
"Julian was already there."
Daniel felt cold.
"He was waiting?"
Maya nodded.
"He told Rebecca I was having a mental breakdown."
"What?"
"He had paperwork."
"What paperwork?"
Maya's eyes filled again.
"Medical paperwork."
Daniel stood.
"Whose?"
"Mine."
"Maya, you haven't seen a psychiatrist in your life."
"I know."
Daniel stared at her.
Then he understood.
They weren't only stealing assets.
They were building a story.
A story in which Maya was unstable.
Unreliable.
Possibly incompetent.
Daniel looked at the forged transfers again.
If Maya challenged them, they could discredit her.
If Daniel returned and discovered discrepancies, they could blame Maya.
The sophistication bothered him.
Julian wasn't sophisticated.
Victoria was manipulative, but not technically skilled.
Eric Sloan understood contracts.
But even Sloan couldn't create medical records.
Someone else was involved.
Daniel picked up his phone.
"Who are you calling?"
"Someone I trust."
Maya grabbed his hand.
"No police."
Daniel stopped.
"Why?"
"Because Victoria said—"
"I don't care what Victoria said."
"She said the sheriff owed her."
Daniel stared.
"Which sheriff?"
"Caleb Warren."
Daniel knew the name.
Ashford County Sheriff Caleb Warren.
He had attended Daniel and Maya's wedding.
More importantly, Warren sat on the advisory board of a veterans charity Victoria had funded for years.
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
"Okay."
Maya looked surprised.
"No local police."
Daniel opened another contact.
"Then who?"
"Colonel Briggs."
His former commanding officer was now assigned to the Pentagon.
Daniel stepped toward the window.
Before he could call, he noticed movement near the driveway.
A gray SUV.
The same gray SUV from Maya's photographs.
It rolled slowly past the house.
Daniel watched.
Then it stopped.
The driver's window lowered.
Someone inside raised a phone.
Aimed directly toward Daniel's bedroom.
Daniel moved away from the window.
"What is it?" Maya whispered.
He closed the curtains.
"They're watching the house."
Maya went pale.
Daniel dialed Briggs.
The call connected.
"Briggs."
"Sir, it's Hayes."
A pause.
"Daniel? You're stateside already?"
"Yes."
"Everything okay?"
Daniel looked toward Maya.
"No."
"What do you need?"
Daniel lowered his voice.
"I need you to tell me whether anyone requested copies of my deployment verification records during the last six months."
Briggs became silent.
"Why?"
"Please."
Keyboard sounds came through the phone.
Thirty seconds passed.
Then Briggs said something Daniel hadn't expected.
"Actually, yes."
Daniel gripped the phone.
"Who?"
"Request came through legal channels."
"From?"
Briggs hesitated.
"Eric Sloan."
Daniel looked at Maya.
"When?"
"May second."
Daniel's stomach dropped.
Four days after Daniel deployed.
Briggs continued.
"He requested confirmation of your operational location."
"Did he get it?"
"No specifics. Just deployment status."
"Anything else?"
Another pause.
"Daniel..."
"What?"
"There was a second request."
"From Sloan?"
"No."
"Who?"
Briggs read the name.
Daniel's blood went cold.
Because the second request had come from someone Daniel knew extremely well.
Someone who had eaten dinner in his home.
May you like
Someone who had hugged Maya goodbye before Daniel deployed.
Someone who, until that moment, Daniel hadn't suspected at all.
