Chapter 4
Lauren brought in an outside forensic accountant.
Not someone connected to the D’Angelos.
Roman insisted on it.
Marco had controlled too many family books for too long.
The support records were examined first.
False delivery confirmations were confirmed quickly.
Then the auditor noticed something that had nothing to do with Nora.
The vault boxes used the same archival numbering format as the charity club’s financial investigation files.
Roman frowned.
“What investigation?”
The auditor pulled records from three years earlier.
The club had renovated two community centers and funded a youth medical program during the same period Nora disappeared.
Most of the work was legitimate.
The accounting was not clean.
Several vendors received emergency advances above authorized limits.
A property-management company received duplicate reimbursements.
Two invoices were approved using Roman’s authorization code on days he was outside Illinois.
Roman stared at the pages.
“Why wasn’t this caught?”
“The accounts were later reconciled.”
“Meaning?”
“Funds were moved back. Credits applied. Some payments canceled.”
“Did the charity lose money?”
“Possibly. We need more time.”
“What does this have to do with Nora?”
The auditor did not know.
Nora did.
Or at least she knew the beginning.
“I used to work here.”
Roman turned.
“At the club?”
“For six months.”
He had known Nora worked events when they met.
He had not known she also helped the finance office.
“I was temporary staff. Mostly donor receipts, invoices, gala payments.”
“When?”
“Before Sophie was born.”
“Did you work with Marco?”
“Yes.”
Her voice changed.
“I asked him about some vendor payments.”
Lauren immediately leaned forward.
“What kind?”
“I don’t remember enough to be useful. There were two invoices for the same equipment. Different vendors. Same amount.”
“What happened?”
“Marco said it was a correction.”
“And?”
“I believed him at first.”
Then another duplicate appeared.
Nora asked again.
Marco became irritated.
She mentioned it to Helena because Helena chaired the charity committee at the time.
Roman stared at her.
“You told my mother?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“That I didn’t understand family accounting.”
“Then?”
“She asked whether I had copied anything.”
Lauren looked up.
“Had you?”
“Only a few notes for myself.”
“Do you still have them?”
Nora shook her head.
“They were in a box at my old apartment.”
“What happened to the box?”
Nora looked toward the vault.
“Helena had people move my belongings after she told me Roman died. She said the estate would store anything connected to him until it was safe.”
Roman went completely still.
The belongings inside the vault were not random.
Some had come from Nora’s apartment.
Lauren immediately ordered every box inventoried under counsel supervision.
No one was looking for a secret confession.
They were looking for dates.
Documents.
Something showing what Nora had noticed before she vanished from Roman’s life.
Marco’s financial irregularities.
Nora’s questions.
Helena’s sudden interest.
May you like
Then a false death.
The sequence was becoming harder to call coincidence.
