Chapter 10 - The First Ledger
“What first ledger?” Mark asked.
Lucy did not answer immediately.
That scared him.
“Lucy.”
She looked toward the window.
“When I first found the fake vendors, I didn’t go to police.”
“Why not?”
“Because I had used one of them too.”
Mark stared.
“What?”
“Not for theft.”
“Then for what?”
Lucy swallowed.
“Three years ago, your company was about to miss payroll.”
Mark remembered.
He had been six days from bankruptcy.
A surprise payment from a city subcontractor saved them.
He had believed it was an accelerated invoice.
Lucy continued.
“I moved eighty thousand dollars from an inactive vendor reserve into payroll.”
Mark felt heat rise in his face.
“You transferred city project money?”
“I borrowed it for six days and replaced it when the receivable cleared.”
“That was illegal.”
“Yes.”
“You never told me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because forty families were about to miss paychecks and you were falling apart.”
“That doesn’t make it legal.”
“I know.”
Her refusal to defend herself made the anger harder.
She continued.
“Victor found the transaction during an audit. He used it against me. Said if I exposed the later thefts, he’d make it look like I started the scheme.”
“And did you?”
“No.”
“Can you prove that?”
“Keller’s backup might.”
Ruiz returned to the office with a federal agent named Harris.
They had already found the first ledger.
Not on paper.
In Lucy’s archived payroll files.
The transaction was exactly as she described.
Improper.
Repaid.
Recorded under her credentials.
Harris looked at Lucy.
“You may have criminal exposure.”
Mark’s stomach tightened.
Lucy nodded.
“I know.”
“You could have deleted this.”
“I didn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because if I ever told the truth, I wanted all of it told.”
Harris studied her for a long moment.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed.
“What?” Ruiz asked.
Harris ended the call.
“Victor Shaw just walked into the county courthouse with an attorney.”
Mark frowned.
“He’s surrendering?”
“No.”
Harris looked at Lucy.
“He filed for emergency custody of Jack.”
Mark laughed in disbelief.
“Victor isn’t related to Jack.”
“He is claiming Lucy is dangerous, you are under investigation, and Diane is Jack’s legal stepmother.”
Lucy’s face went cold.
“She’s not his legal stepmother.”
Harris nodded.
“Then we’d better prove your divorce was never finalized before a judge hears this in two hours.”
— — —
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