“Because he told me not to let anyone with papers reach treasury before ten.”
Silence.
Daniel swore softly.
Imani asked:
“Did you know about the transfer?”
“No.”
“Did you know something would happen at ten?”
“I knew a batch was settling.”
“Did you know Northbridge?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Rebecca laughed bitterly.
“Everyone in private wealth knows Northbridge.”
“No.”
Imani shook her head.
“They know the label.”
“I’m asking what you knew.”
Rebecca stared.
“I knew it was used for legacy account consolidation.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know.”
“You authorized fourteen transfers.”
“I approved them after risk clearance.”
“Whose?”
“Graham’s group.”
“Documentation?”
“Internal tickets.”
“Signed?”
“Digitally.”
“By Graham?”
“Sometimes.”
“Others?”
“Charles Whittaker.”
Daniel looked up.
Sterling Crown’s chief executive.
Rebecca nodded.
“Two.”
Imani felt the case widen.
Rebecca continued:
“And Samuel Keene.”
Bank general counsel.
One.
Three senior executives.
Rebecca looked toward her attorney.
Then Imani.
“My bonuses came from the performance pool.”
“Crown Performance Partners?”
“Yes.”
“What did you think it was?”
“Executive retention.”
“You weren’t an executive.”
“I was senior private banking.”
“Exactly.”
Rebecca’s face tightened.
“I thought they were grooming me for regional.”
“Did you ask why bonuses came from an LLC rather than payroll?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because the money cleared.”
The answer was brutally honest.
Imani nodded.
“Better.”
Rebecca stared.
“Better?”
“Truth usually is.”
She leaned back.
“Did you ever question Northbridge?”
Rebecca said nothing.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Last year.”
“What happened?”
“Graham told me the accounts belonged to families with complicated estate structures.”
“That liquidity had to move temporarily for tax positioning.”
“Did you believe him?”
“I wanted to.”
“Not what I asked.”
Rebecca looked down.
“No.”
“Why keep approving?”
Her voice became quieter.
“Because every time I did, my numbers improved.”
“Assets under management.”
“Client retention.”
“Bonus.”
“Promotion discussions.”
Imani looked toward her.
“And when a client complained?”
Rebecca’s face changed again.
“There were scripts.”
Daniel frowned.
“What scripts?”
“Client reassurance.”
“Who wrote them?”
“Compliance communications.”
“Show us.”
Rebecca laughed.
“You froze my computer.”
Imani almost smiled.
“Then tell us where they are.”