Chapter 6: What Vanessa Had Actually Done
Claire called me at two in the afternoon.
I was in the east garden with Lily, who was collecting leaves with the focused seriousness of someone conducting important research.
I stepped to the far end of the path.
"I need to explain what we've found," Claire said, "because it's going to affect what happens in the next forty-eight hours and I want you to understand the full picture."
"All right."
"The photograph you took in October was the first transfer.
There were nine more after it.
Total amount moved from the Meridian Foundation charity account over fourteen months: one point three million dollars."
I sat down on the garden bench.
"The authorization codes are Nathaniel's," Claire continued, "but the access logs show the entries were made from a device registered to Vanessa.
She had obtained his codes sometime in the first two months of their engagement.
We believe she used his home office terminal on at least six separate occasions when he was traveling."
"Where did the money go?"
"Three shell accounts.
Two in Delaware, one offshore.
The offshore account has a secondary signatory." A pause.
"Her brother.
A man named Derek Lowell who has two prior civil fraud judgments in Florida."
Lily held up a red maple leaf.
I gave her a thumbs up.
"The red folder," I said.
"Who put it there last night?"
"One of the foundation's board members.
A man named Arthur Fenwick.
He'd been quietly auditing the account for six weeks after a routine review flagged an irregularity.
He recognized Nathaniel at the gala and made a decision." Another pause.
"He didn't know about your photograph.
Neither did we until last night."
"So there are two separate sources."
"Yes.
Which makes it considerably harder to dismiss."
I watched Lily press the maple leaf carefully between two pages of the small notebook I had given her for exactly this purpose.
"What happens now?" I asked.
"Nathaniel is meeting with the foundation board this afternoon.
The transfers have been reported to the state attorney's office.
There will likely be a formal investigation opened by end of week." Claire's voice was measured, careful.
"There's one more thing."
"Tell me."
"Vanessa knows the board member placed that folder.
Her attorney contacted Nathaniel's firm this morning claiming Arthur Fenwick obtained the documents illegally and that the entire matter is a coordinated effort to derail the wedding for business reasons." A beat.
"She's not going to go quietly."
I already knew that.
"She came to me this morning," I said.
"I know.
You texted me."
"She mentioned Lily."
A silence.
"Elena," Claire said.
"I want you to document every interaction with Vanessa from this point forward.
Time, location, exact words.
Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"Good.
And if she approaches you again — especially if she mentions your daughter — call me immediately.
Not text.
Call."
I said I would.
I hung up and looked at the garden.
Lily had found an acorn and was examining it with the same seriousness she gave everything.
"Mama," she called.
"Does this one have a hat?"
"It does," I said.
"That's a good one."
May you like
She put it carefully in her coat pocket.
I thought about one point three million dollars and a woman who had looked at my daughter's wrist like it was something she owned.
