Chapter 5: The Audit
Three minutes later, Elliot came back down—dragging one overstuffed duffel bag, his suit rumpled, the watch gone from his wrist. He dropped the bag by the door and looked at me like he expected me to change my mind.
“Open it,” he said. “Please. I won’t fight you. I’ll sign whatever papers you want. Just… don’t make me walk out with nothing.”
I tapped my phone one last time, and the magnetic lock released with a soft thud. “You’re not walking out with nothing. You’re walking out with exactly what you earned: nothing you didn’t pay for yourself.”
Two men stepped onto the porch—my head of security, and Elena, my forensic accountant, holding a thick black binder. She nodded at Elliot, her face completely neutral.
“Mr. Carter,” she said, flipping open the binder. “We’ve completed the full audit of your personal and business accounts. Over the last twelve months, you transferred $187,000 from the company’s marketing budget to a private account. You purchased a lease on an apartment in Manhattan for Ms. Julianna Voss. You also falsified quarterly reports to hide the losses from those transactions.”
Elliot swayed, grabbing the doorframe for support. “That’s… that’s petty cash. I was testing a new vendor—”
“Petty cash doesn’t pay for diamond necklaces and five-star hotel stays,” Elena cut in, sliding a copy of the report onto the entry table. “You have until Friday to repay the full amount, or we file criminal charges for embezzlement. The DA’s office already has the statements.”
My head of security stepped forward, gesturing to the driveway. “Your ride’s here, sir. It’s a taxi. The sedan’s already been reclaimed.”
Elliot looked from Elena, to the security guard, to me—waiting for me to say it was all a mistake, that I’d take pity on him. I just tilted my head toward the waiting car.
“Friday, Elliot,” I said. “Don’t be late.”
He picked up his bag, stumbled down the steps, and didn’t look back once. When the taxi pulled away, Elena let out a long breath and smiled.
“All clear,” she said. “And the board’s already sent their vote of confidence. They knew what he was doing for months—they just waited for you to pull the trigger.”
