Chapter 13 - The Lake House
Denise agreed to be interviewed again. This time she brought her attorney and a box of company records. I wasn't in the room, but Mom told me afterward what mattered to our family.
Denise had helped set up Sable Services and approved transfers she knew were false. She claimed Ethan promised to cover them before anyone noticed. Later he threatened to blame her alone.
"That doesn't make her innocent," Mom said.
"No," Caleb answered. "It means she's finally talking."
The undisclosed part was a receipt for a locked metal case and a second set of records kept at the lake house. Investigators obtained a search warrant. Nobody from our family went with them.
I waited at the apartment while Mom folded laundry, one towel at a time. Every few minutes, she looked toward the door.
"Can we go for a walk?" I asked.
"I'm afraid he'll show up."
"Then let's walk with Caleb. We can't stay in this room forever."
We made it around one block. Mom stopped in front of a bakery and watched a father kneel to tie his daughter's shoe. She began crying again.
"I used to think if Ethan was good to you sometimes, the rest didn't count," she said.
"He was good when he wanted something," I replied. "That doesn't erase what he did."
We bought cinnamon rolls and took them home.
That evening, Detective Vega called. The metal case had contained original ledgers, old checks, and a drive with scanned forms. Investigators would authenticate the files, but the dates appeared to match June's complaints.
"And something else," she said. "There are audio files. One appears to be a conversation between Ethan and another person about moving the money."
"Can you tell us who?" Mom asked.
May you like
"Not yet."
Then the detective added, "Sarah, we'd like to talk to you about the name Ethan used for the person who could take the blame."
