Chapter 6 - The Man Everyone Would Blame
By noon, Nathan was sitting in an interview room downtown.
Not as Emma's grieving husband.
As a possible suspect in financial fraud.
Assistant District Attorney Cole Mercer slid grant approvals across the table.
"Your signature is on every transfer."
"It was forged."
"Convenient."
Mercer tapped another page. "Two point three million dollars moved into vendors tied to your company."
Nathan recognized the names. They were old vendors, long closed.
"I didn't control these accounts."
"The paperwork says otherwise."
"Victoria had access to our records."
Mercer leaned back. "Victoria Crane gave us these documents this morning. She claims Emma discovered your theft shortly before her death."
Nathan laughed once, without humor.
"Of course she does."
"She also says Emma was planning to leave you."
That landed harder than Nathan expected.
Mercer pushed forward a printed email.
From Emma's account.
Nathan is not who I thought he was. If anything happens, look at him first.
Nathan stared at the sentence until the words blurred.
"That's fake."
"It came from her account."
Ruiz finally spoke. "The email metadata shows it was drafted at 10:58 p.m. the night Emma died."
Nathan turned to her. "She was already dead by then."
Ruiz nodded.
The room changed.
Mercer frowned. "Estimated time of death was between ten-thirty and eleven."
"The highway camera caught the crash at 10:31," Ruiz said. "Fire crews reached the car at 10:39. There is no way Emma typed an email at 10:58."
Nathan's pulse kicked.
Someone had accessed Emma's account after the crash.
Someone who knew her password.
Ruiz leaned toward Mercer. "Freeze these accounts. Preserve the email server logs. And do not tell Victoria we found the timestamp problem."
Mercer stopped looking smug.
Nathan's phone vibrated on the table.
May you like
A text from his neighbor, Mrs. Alvarez.
Nathan, call me NOW. Lily says someone is in your house.
