Chapter 17 - The Second Account
The investigator seized the laptop and copied its contents before anyone could examine the messages further. Lily signed a statement and agreed to remain available for questioning.
She wanted to leave the townhouse immediately.
“Do you have somewhere safe to go?” Sarah asked.
“My sister’s in Milwaukee.”
“Can anyone find you there?”
Lily hesitated. “Victor knows where she lives.”
The investigator arranged temporary protection and told her not to travel alone. I did not promise to help her beyond that. Her evidence might matter, but she had taken part in the scheme that hurt my family.
When we returned to the estate, Marcus was waiting in the study.
“How did it go?”
“Lily says Victor planned to frame you.”
He sat down slowly. “That would explain the note.”
“She also says Victor used Ethan’s handwriting samples to create it.”
“Why would Ethan give Victor samples?”
“He worked for him. There were plenty of documents.”
Marcus looked toward the window. “I wish I could say I’m surprised.”
Sarah explained that the investigators had found messages about a second account. Nobody knew who “D” was or where the account was held.
The bank account tracing team found a dormant trust in the Cayman Islands registered through two companies. The original funding appeared to match the transfers from Silver Current Holdings.
The account had been opened under a name neither of us recognized: D. Mercer.
“Daniel Mercer?” I asked.
“Possibly,” Sarah said. “But the name could be a coincidence.”
Daniel had been Aaron’s former chief of staff, the man seen entering the company archive. His sister, Olivia, owned one of the consulting firms that had received money.
The connection was too neat. I still refused to assume it was proof.
The investigators requested more documents from Lily’s laptop. One email from Victor instructed her to prepare a “closing packet” for Daniel. Another said, “The second account stays dormant until the Vance transfer is challenged.”
I read the line twice.
“Which Vance transfer?” Marcus asked.
“The foundation’s land transfer,” Sarah replied. “The parcel that Ethan tried to sell to developers.”
“That case was settled years ago,” I said.
“Maybe Victor believed another challenge could reopen the property issue. Or he planned to use the money to pressure the foundation.”
The account held nearly $2.8 million.
The discovery brought a fresh wave of press attention. A business reporter published a story that claimed I had “inherited a hidden offshore fortune” from the money stolen by Ethan. The headline spread across social media before Sarah could issue a correction.
Donors called the center. Some were angry. Others were frightened. One family said they would pause their daughter’s therapy appointments until the headlines cleared.
I issued a statement explaining that the account was under investigation and had no connection to the center’s operating funds. I also invited donors to review the foundation’s audited books.
Marcus stood beside me while I made the announcement.
Afterward, he said, “You don’t have to carry every accusation alone.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
I looked at him. “I’m trying.”
That evening, Lily’s attorney called Sarah. Lily had remembered who “D” was.
It wasn’t Daniel Mercer.
The contact was saved under a private email address, but Lily said Victor had once used the name in a phone call.
May you like
“David,” she told her attorney. “David Vance.”
My father had been dead for six years.
