Chapter 12 - What the Money Bought
By Wednesday morning, Victoria had been taken in for questioning. Her attorney stopped the interview after she repeated that she never intended to injure Ellie. The police held on to the physical evidence; the investigation was far from over.
Meanwhile, a forensic accountant spread Claire's ledgers across a conference table at the district attorney's office.
“Over eleven million dollars,” she told Graham. “Moved from Harbor House through contractors that did almost no work. Elliot controlled the invoices. Several payments were approved under your name.”
Graham looked at the dates. One was the week after Claire's funeral.
“I didn't even go to the office that week.”
“Some signatures may be forged. Others appear genuine.”
He remembered signing piles of documents while barely able to eat, Elliot standing beside him saying, Just the essentials, buddy.
A woman named Amber Ruiz came to the office that afternoon. She'd lived at Harbor House with her young son after leaving an abusive home.
“They shut our floor down for renovations,” she said. “The roof wasn't leaking. The heaters worked. But they made us move. We spent six weeks in our car.”
Graham had seen the renovation budget. He'd approved it.
“I'm sorry,” he said.
Amber shook her head. “I don't need an apology from a man with a mansion. I need the shelter back.”
He had no answer.
Later, Mara brought another file. The first suspicious transfer predated Claire's death by five months. Elliot had signed it, but so had a junior fundraising director.
Graham read the name twice.
Victoria Shaw.
That was his wife's name before she married him.
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Claire hadn't accidentally crossed paths with Victoria. Victoria had been inside the charity before Claire died.
And Elliot had helped her get the job.
