Chapter 4: The Second Account
Bradley looked like a man standing at the edge of a cliff.
Barbara noticed it too.
“Bradley,” she said sharply.
“Don't say anything else.””
I turned toward her.
That was the wrong thing to say.
“What exactly shouldn't he tell me?””
Barbara folded her arms.
“This is between husband and wife.””
“You were demanding two hundred thousand dollars from me thirty seconds ago. You're already in it.””
Harold rubbed his forehead.
“Barbara, maybe we should stop.””
“No.””
Her voice cracked like a whip.
Then she pointed at me.
“She is trying to punish all of us because she got wet.””
I stared at her.
“Got wet?””
“It was a stupid joke.””
“Your son shoved me into freezing water while you applauded.””
Bradley stepped between us.
“Enough.””
I looked at him.
“Then answer me.””
He swallowed.
“There was another account.””
My pulse jumped.
“What account?””
“The business account.””
For a second, the driveway seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
“My business account?””
“Not the main operating account.””
He said it quickly, like that somehow made it better.
“The secondary reserve.””
I knew exactly which one.
I kept a reserve account for unexpected equipment repairs, insurance increases, and emergency payroll.
Bradley had never been involved in my company.
But two years earlier, while I was recovering from surgery, I had given him limited authorization to handle several household transfers.
I thought I had removed it afterward.
Apparently, I hadn't.
“How much?””
“Maddie—”
“How much did you take?””
“Fifty.””
I stared at him.
“Fifty dollars?””
His face answered before his mouth did.
“Fifty thousand.””
My knees nearly buckled.
Harold cursed under his breath.
Even Barbara went quiet.
“You stole fifty thousand dollars from my company?””
“I didn't steal it.””
“What would you call taking money without permission?””
“I was going to put it back.””
“With what?””
Bradley opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I turned toward Harold.
“Did you receive that money?””
Harold looked ashamed.
“Some.””
“How much?””
“Twenty thousand.””
Barbara snapped, “Harold!””
He looked at her.
“What? We're already standing in the wreckage.””
I faced Bradley again.
“Where did the other thirty go?””
His jaw tightened.
“Investments.””
My stomach sank.
“What investments?””
“There was an opportunity.””
“What opportunity?””
“Crypto.””
I actually laughed.
One short, disbelieving sound.
“You took thirty thousand dollars from my company and gambled it on cryptocurrency?””
“It wasn't gambling.””
“Where is it now?””
Silence.
“Bradley.””
“I lost most of it.””
The cold from the pool seemed to return.
Not on my skin.
Inside my chest.
“How much is left?””
“Maybe six thousand.””
I closed my eyes.
Eighty thousand dollars.
Thirty from our emergency fund.
Fifty from my business.
And he had hidden all of it.
Barbara stepped forward.
“He was trying to help his family.””
I opened my eyes.
“By stealing from his wife?””
“Stop using that word!””
“Why? Does it sound ugly?””
She flinched.
“Good. It should.””
Bradley reached toward me.
I stepped back.
“Don't touch me.””
His hand dropped.
“You're blowing this up.””
I stared at him.
“You stole fifty thousand dollars from my company.””
“I made a mistake.””
“A mistake is forgetting an anniversary.””
“Maddie—”
“A mistake is denting the car.””
My voice shook now.
“This required passwords. Transfers. Lies. Months of lies.””
Rachel approached from the house.
“Ms. Carter?””
I turned.
“Everyone has about twenty minutes remaining.””
“Thank you.””
Barbara threw her hands up.
“This is insane!””
Rachel remained calm.
“Ma'am, I'm simply enforcing the renter's request.””
Barbara stormed away.
Harold followed slowly.
Bradley stayed.
“You can't call the police.””
I looked at him.
“I didn't say I was going to.””
“But you're thinking about it.””
“I’m thinking about a lot of things.””
“Maddie, please. I could lose everything.””
Something inside me hardened.
“You mean like my trust?””
He stared at me.
I got into my SUV.
This time he didn't stop me.
I drove away while the lake house disappeared in my mirror.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled into a roadside hotel.
My hands were shaking so badly that I dropped my room key twice.
Inside, I locked the door and opened my laptop.
I logged into the company banking portal.
The reserve balance made my stomach turn.
Then I opened the transaction history.
There were transfers I didn't recognize.
Not one.
Not three.
Eleven.
I started writing down dates and amounts.
Then one transaction caught my attention.
$12,500.
The recipient wasn't Harold.
It wasn't Barbara.
It wasn't a cryptocurrency exchange.
It was a company.
Horizon Consulting LLC.
I searched the name through my company records.
Nothing.
Then I noticed the mailing address attached to the transaction.
I knew that address.
I had sent Christmas cards there.
It belonged to Bradley's sister.
Natalie.
I stared at the screen.
Then my phone rang.
Natalie.
I answered.
May you like
She didn't say hello.
“Maddie,” she whispered, “there's something Bradley doesn't know that I know.””
