Chapter 13: The Man My Father Trusted
Elaine didn't let me leave her office alone that evening.
After Daniel's final phone call, she contacted the investigator handling the disputed financial transactions and arranged for the new information to be documented. She also asked Martin Cole to confirm whether anyone besides Daniel had requested information about my father's trust.
By eight o'clock, we had a name.
Gregory Shaw.
He had been my father's accountant for nearly fifteen years. He had prepared tax returns for our family, reviewed the finances of my father's watch repair business, and helped me organize my company's first set of financial statements.
When Dad died, Gregory had helped Daniel collect paperwork for the estate.
I remembered him standing in our living room after the funeral, holding a folder against his chest while Daniel poured him coffee.
I'd trusted him without question.
“Why would Gregory help Daniel?”” I asked.
Elaine looked at the information Martin had provided.
“We don't know that he did. His name appears in the records as someone who requested information about the trust. We need to establish what he knew and whether he participated in any unauthorized transaction.””
I called Gregory the next morning.
He answered cheerfully.
“Sarah! It's been ages. How are you holding up?””
I almost laughed at the casual warmth in his voice.
“I need to ask you about my father's estate.””
There was a brief pause.
“Of course. Is something wrong?””
“Did you help Daniel prepare documents concerning my inheritance?””
The silence that followed was unmistakable.
“Sarah, I think you should discuss estate matters with Martin.””
“I have. Your name appeared in the records.””
“I'm sure there's an innocent explanation.””
“Then explain it.””
He cleared his throat.
“I'd rather not discuss confidential financial information over the phone.””
“I'm asking about my own inheritance.””
“And I'm telling you that the situation is complicated.””
I closed my eyes.
Everyone involved in Daniel's schemes seemed to have developed the same vocabulary.
Complicated. Misunderstood. Private.
Always anything except the truth.
“Gregory, did you prepare a document that claimed my father witnessed a transfer of my company's voting rights?””
He inhaled sharply.
“No.””
“Did you provide Daniel with information about my trust?””
“I provided him with documents he said you had authorized him to collect.””
“Did you verify that authorization with me?””
Another pause.
“No.””
The admission came quietly.
I gripped the edge of my desk.
“Why not?””
“Daniel told me you were traveling and had asked him to handle your affairs. He said you were restructuring the company and wanted to consolidate your assets.””
“Did he show you a signed authorization?””
“Yes.””
“Was it genuine?””
“I assumed it was.””
“You assumed?””
His voice became defensive.
“I've known your family for years. Daniel was your husband. I had no reason to think he would misuse the documents.””
I thought about my father's letter.
He had known Daniel well enough to worry.
Gregory had known my father well enough to understand why the trust existed.
Yet he had chosen convenience over verification.
“Did you receive any money from Daniel?”” I asked.
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
I didn't challenge him. I told Elaine about the conversation, and she advised me not to contact him again while the records were being reviewed.
That afternoon, Martin sent us a copy of an email Gregory had written to Daniel six months earlier.
The subject line read: Documentation Requirements.
The message stated that any change to the trust would require direct verification from me. It also warned that my father's instructions prohibited another person from acting as my representative without formal authorization.
Daniel had replied:
Understood. I'll arrange for Sarah to complete the necessary steps.
But the electronic records showed that no such verification had occurred.
Instead, someone had submitted a document bearing my name.
The request had been rejected.
That was when Elaine discovered something else.
A second version of the authorization had been created two weeks later, using a different document template. It listed Gregory as the preparer and Daniel as the submitting party.
This version had never reached the trust administrator.
It had been saved in the company's document archive.
“Why would someone prepare a second version after the first was rejected?”” I asked.
“To overcome whatever problem caused the first submission to fail,” Elaine replied.
“That's a possibility, not a conclusion. We need the audit records and an explanation from the people involved.””
I stared at the page.
Gregory had claimed he merely assumed Daniel's authorization was genuine.
But the second document suggested that someone had tried again after the original request failed.
The next day, Gregory agreed to meet Elaine and me at her office.
He arrived carrying a briefcase and looking considerably older than I remembered. His gray hair was uncombed, and he avoided looking directly at me.
Elaine explained that the meeting was voluntary and that Gregory could consult his own attorney before answering questions about potential legal exposure.
He nodded.
Then I asked the question I had been carrying since my father's death.
“Did my father ever tell you he was worried about Daniel?””
Gregory's face changed.
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Your father asked me not to interfere unless I had evidence of wrongdoing.””
“And did you find evidence?””
He looked down at his hands.
“I found discrepancies in the paperwork Daniel provided.””
My heartbeat quickened.
“What discrepancies?””
“The dates didn't match. Some of the signatures appeared to have been copied from older documents. I couldn't establish who had created them, but I knew the paperwork wasn't ready to be submitted.””
“Yet you helped him prepare another version.””
“I prepared a draft based on the information he supplied. I never certified your signature.””
“Did you know he intended to sell my company?””
Gregory nodded slowly.
“He told me he had your approval.””
“Did you ask me?””
“No.””
I felt a familiar ache in my chest.
“How many people did Daniel have to convince before he could take something that belonged to me?””
Gregory looked up.
“Sarah, I made a terrible mistake. I believed I was helping your husband organize his affairs. When I realized the documents might be used for something else, I stopped working with him.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was afraid of being wrong. And because Daniel told me your marriage was already ending.””
I sat back.
Fear. Convenience. Assumptions.
Every person who had helped Daniel had found a reason to remain silent.
Elaine asked Gregory to provide all relevant records through his attorney. He agreed.
Before leaving, he turned toward me.
“Your father wanted you protected. He made me promise that if anything happened to him, I would make sure you understood the trust was yours alone.””
My throat tightened.
“Then why didn't you keep that promise?””
He had no answer.
That evening, Elaine called with an update.
The investigators had secured additional records concerning the disputed authorizations and the transfers through Meridian Advisory Services. No final conclusions had been reached, but the evidence was now being examined as part of a formal inquiry.
Then she told me something that made my blood run cold.
“Sarah, Daniel's attorney contacted us. He says Daniel is willing to cooperate, provided we agree to meet tomorrow.””
“Why?””
“He claims he has information about the person who ultimately planned the entire transaction.””
I frowned.
“Daniel planned it.””
“That's what we believe the evidence may show. But he says someone else instructed him to move the money and prepare the documents.””
“Who?””
Elaine paused.
“He hasn't given us a name yet.””
I looked through the window at the darkening Dallas skyline.
For months, Daniel had behaved as though he controlled every piece of my life.
Now, with his company deal frozen, his financial records under scrutiny, and his family turning against him, he was suddenly offering explanations.
I didn't know whether he was finally telling the truth or preparing another lie.
But the next morning, I intended to find out.
May you like
Because if Daniel was telling the truth about one thing, there was still someone else who had helped him.
And I wanted to know why.
