Chapter 4 - The Company That Didn’t Exist
Daniel photographed everything before touching another document.
It was something Rachel used to tease him about.
He documented everything.
Insurance claims.
Home repairs.
Even serial numbers on appliances.
Now that habit became protection.
Margaret stood near the doorway.
“You’re making a terrible mistake.”
Daniel looked up.
“What mistake?”
“Turning grief into suspicion.”
“Rachel was suspicious before she died.”
“She was stressed.”
“About you.”
Margaret’s eyes flashed.
Emma flinched.
Daniel immediately softened his voice.
“Sweetheart, go sit with Aunt Claire downstairs.”
Margaret interrupted.
“No.”
Daniel looked at her.
“My daughter is not staying in this room while you and I talk.”
Daniel’s younger sister Claire had arrived late to the party and was standing outside the study, stunned by everything she had heard.
She took Emma downstairs.
Once the child was gone, Daniel shut the door.
“Now talk.”
Margaret folded her arms.
“MRC was an outside consulting company.”
“You just said you didn’t know what it was.”
“I didn’t recognize the initials.”
Daniel almost smiled.
One lie had collided with another in less than thirty seconds.
He called his company’s chief financial officer, Ben Keller.
“Ben, have we ever done business with MRC Strategic Services?”
Silence.
Then:
“Where did you hear that name?”
Daniel’s eyes sharpened.
“Answer me.”
Ben exhaled.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“I’d need to pull records.”
“Estimate.”
Another pause.
“Maybe three million over several years.”
Daniel stared at his mother.
Margaret looked away.
“What services?”
“That’s complicated.”
“No. It’s an invoice. What did they do?”
Ben lowered his voice.
“I never saw deliverables.”
Daniel felt something inside him harden.
“Who approved payments?”
“Your mother.”
Margaret snapped, “Because I had authority.”
Daniel kept the phone on speaker.
“Who owns MRC?”
“I don't know.”
“Find out.”
Ben hesitated.
“Daniel, there’s something else.”
Margaret moved toward the phone.
Daniel stepped back.
Ben continued:
“Rachel asked me the same questions eleven months ago.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
“How long before she died?”
“Four days.”
Margaret closed her eyes.
Daniel whispered, “What did you tell her?”
“The truth.”
“And what happened?”
“She asked me to meet her privately.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Ben went quiet.
Then he said:
“Your mother called me that night.”
Margaret’s face went white.
“What did she say?”
Ben swallowed.
“She told me Rachel was having some kind of breakdown and that I was not to discuss company finances with her anymore.”
Daniel looked at his mother.
Margaret didn’t deny it.
Instead, she said:
“I was protecting this family.”
Daniel answered softly.
“From Rachel?”
“No.”
May you like
Margaret stared at him.
“From what Rachel was about to destroy.”
