Chapter 10 - The Forensic Audit
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By 8:00 AM on New Year’s Day, while the rest of the city was sleeping off their celebrations, I was sitting in the corner office of my longtime friend and attorney, Marcus Vance.
Marcus had been my lawyer for thirty years. He listened in complete, stunned silence as I explained everything that had happened the previous night—the snow, the trust fund, the arrests, and the second mysterious account Daniel had confessed to.
Marcus rubbed his chin, placing a heavy manila folder on his desk.
“Arthur,” Marcus began slowly. “I pulled up the preliminary police reports from last night. Daniel and Victoria are currently being held without bail at the county detention center. Child Protective Services has already been notified, and given the circumstances, getting you temporary emergency custody of Ethan will be simple.”
“What about the money, Marcus?” I asked, leaning forward. “Daniel said there was a second account in my name.”
Marcus pulled out a stack of financial documents he had obtained through an emergency court subpoena that morning.
“I had my forensic accountant look into the First National Bank records,” Marcus said grimly. “It’s bad, Arthur.”
He pushed a paper across the desk toward me.
“Three years ago—just six months after Rachel passed away—an investment account was opened at Manhattan Wealth Management under your name and Social Security number. The initial deposit was three hundred thousand dollars.”
My jaw dropped.
“Three hundred thousand?”
“Yes,” Marcus nodded. “It was Rachel’s personal life insurance policy that she designated specifically to you. But look at the signature on the opening document.”
I looked closely at the bottom of the page. My name was signed in dark ink, but the handwriting was erratic and slanted.
May you like
“That’s not my signature,” I gasped.
“No, it isn't,” Marcus replied coldly. “It’s Daniel’s handwriting. He forged your signature, diverted the tax statements to a private P.O. Box in New Jersey, and systematically drained all three hundred thousand dollars over twenty-four months.”
