Chapter 8 - The Offshore Money
George’s office was empty.
His home was empty.
His private plane remained at the airport.
He left by car.
The audit explained why.
Another account had been discovered overseas.
Two hundred million dollars.
Not all of it came from the forty-six million shell transfer.
Most came from hidden licensing deals.
For years, software created by Reyes Medical Systems had been licensed overseas through companies the board did not know existed.
Royalties were diverted.
Taxes avoided.
Profits hidden.
George had not been stealing for months.
He had been stealing for years.
My grandmother must have suspected.
That was why she changed the trust.
Then security footage found George at the airport.
He never boarded a plane.
He met someone in the garage.
Carmela.
She had been discharged from the hospital under legal supervision.
Her attorney got her out before police completed the case.
George and Carmela entered a black SUV owned by Mercer Family Office.
GPS led investigators to a lake property.
The house was empty.
Inside:
Cash.
Passports.
Medication.
And a final sale agreement between Reyes Medical Systems and Mercer Health.
My signature was at the bottom.
Forged.
Notarized.
The notary was Carmela’s sister, Patricia.
Harris called her.
She started crying.
“I thought Clara signed it.”
“Did you watch her sign?”
“No.”
“Then why notarize it?”
“Carmela said it was urgent.”
Another person who believed family was proof.
Then Patricia said something worse.
“George told us Clara would be too sick to attend Monday.”
Us.
Harris asked:
“How many people knew?”
May you like
Patricia went silent.
The lake house contained no family photographs, no clothes, nothing that made it feel lived in. It was a staging point. That frightened me more than a dramatic escape would have. George and Carmela had not panicked after the wedding. They had prepared for the possibility of failure.
