Chapter 5: Natalie’s Secret
I gripped the phone.
“What do you know?””
Natalie was breathing quickly.
In the background, I could hear car doors slamming and Barbara shouting.
“Not over the phone.””
“You called me.””
“Because Bradley is watching everyone.””
“Why?””
“Because he's scared.””
“So am I, Natalie.””
“I know.””
I looked at the banking screen.
“Horizon Consulting LLC.””
Silence.
That was all I needed.
“You know what it is.””
“Yes.””
“Is it yours?””
Another pause.
“Technically.””
My anger rose.
“You have ten seconds to explain before I hang up.””
“It was Bradley's idea.””
Of course it was.
“What was?””
“Horizon.””
Natalie lowered her voice.
“He created it last year.””
“You just said it was yours.””
“It's registered using my address.””
“Why?””
“Because he didn't want anything connected directly to him.””
I stood.
The hotel room suddenly felt too small.
“What does Horizon do?””
“Nothing.””
“What?””
“It doesn't have clients. It doesn't have employees.””
I stared at the wall.
“Then why did my company send it twelve thousand five hundred dollars?””
“I didn't know that money came from your business.””
“But you received it.””
“Some of it.””
“How much?””
“Five thousand.””
“For what?””
Natalie started crying.
“My credit cards.””
I closed my eyes.
“You let my husband steal from me to pay your credit cards?””
“He told me it was his money!””
“Then why create a fake company?””
She had no answer.
Exactly.
“Natalie, what happened to the other seventy-five hundred?””
“I don't know.””
“Find out.””
“How?””
“You're standing in a house full of people who apparently know more about my finances than I do.””
“Maddie—”
“Find out.””
I ended the call.
Then I called someone else.
My accountant, Daniel Price.
He answered on the fourth ring.
“Maddie? Everything okay?””
“No.””
That single word changed his tone.
“What happened?””
“I need you to review every transfer from my company reserve account for the last eighteen months.””
“Tonight?””
“Tonight.””
He paused.
“Is this fraud?””
“I don't know yet.””
Another pause.
“Who had access?””
“My husband.””
Daniel became completely silent.
Then he said, “Send me what you have.””
I forwarded the transaction list.
He called back twelve minutes later.
“Maddie.””
Something in his voice made me sit down.
“What?””
“There are more.””
My mouth went dry.
“More what?””
“Transfers.””
“I can see eleven.””
“Those are direct transfers.””
Daniel spoke carefully.
“There are also reimbursements.””
“How much?””
“I haven't finished.””
“Daniel.””
“At least forty-three thousand.””
I pressed my fingers against my forehead.
“That can't be right.””
“Some are disguised as vendor reimbursements.””
“To who?””
“Different entities.””
“Are they real?””
“I'm checking.””
I heard his keyboard.
Then he stopped.
“Wait.””
“What?””
“There's a recurring vendor called BMC Services.””
“I don't know them.””
“Neither do I.””
“How much?””
“Just under nineteen thousand over nine months.””
I felt nauseous.
“Can you find the owner?””
“Give me a minute.””
I paced.
My phone buzzed repeatedly.
Bradley.
Barbara.
Bradley again.
I ignored them.
Daniel finally spoke.
“I found the registration.””
“And?””
“BMC Services was formed fourteen months ago.””
“By who?””
He hesitated.
“Bradley Michael Carter.””
I stopped moving.
BMC.
Bradley Michael Carter.
My own husband's initials had been sitting in my accounting records.
“How did nobody catch this?””
“The amounts were small and coded as logistics subcontracting. Your company processes hundreds of vendor payments every month.””
I sat on the edge of the bed.
Someone had deliberately made those transactions look ordinary.
“Daniel, freeze everything you can.””
“I can contact the bank's fraud department with you.””
“Do it.””
“And Maddie?””
“Yes?””
“Change every password tonight.””
“I will.””
“Business email too.””
That caught my attention.
“Why?””
“If he was creating vendor records, he may have had access beyond banking.””
I opened my laptop again.
My fingers moved faster.
Company email.
Payroll.
Accounting.
Cloud storage.
One by one, I changed passwords and terminated active sessions.
Then I reached our corporate credit account.
I logged in.
Three authorized cards appeared.
Mine.
My operations manager's.
And one I didn't recognize.
B. Carter.
My heart hammered.
I opened the activity.
Restaurants.
Hotels.
Electronics.
Luxury clothing.
Then a charge from two months earlier stopped me.
$4,860.
Lakeside Jewelers.
I stared at it.
Bradley hadn't bought me jewelry.
Not for my birthday.
Not for our anniversary.
Not anytime.
My phone buzzed.
A text from Natalie.
I opened it.
*I know who the jewelry was for.*
May you like
Then another message arrived.
*And Maddie, it wasn't Barbara.*
