Richard's face tightened.
“My account?”
“Yes.”
He leaned closer.
“I never authorized those payments.”
Daniel looked at him.
“That's what Laura suspected.”
Richard examined the records.
The authorization codes were familiar.
He had used similar codes for legitimate company transactions.
But several approvals were timestamped during meetings when he had not been near his computer.
Others appeared after midnight.
He pointed toward one.
“I was out of state that day.”
Daniel nodded.
“We found travel records supporting that.”
Richard's expression changed.
“Then they used my credentials.”
“That appears likely.”
Daniel turned another page.
“And this is why Laura became frightened.”
He placed a transaction summary on the desk.
Richard stared at the total.
More than eight hundred thousand dollars in questionable payments had passed through the accounts during the period Daniel examined.
Some transfers might eventually be explained.
Others appeared clearly fraudulent.
Richard felt sick.
“That's money intended for families whose homes needed repairs.”
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.”
Richard stared at the numbers.
He remembered attending ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
Shaking hands with residents.
Standing beside Adrian while photographers captured smiling employees.
He had believed the programs were helping people.
Some were.
But others had been underfunded while invoices falsely claimed the work was complete.
The betrayal was larger than Richard's marriage.
People had lived in unsafe housing while his business partner and administrative manager apparently diverted money intended to help them.
Richard covered his face.
Daniel waited.
Finally, Richard lowered his hands.
“What happened the night Laura died?”
The investigator's expression changed.
He reached for a second folder.
“This part is more complicated.”
Richard leaned forward.
Daniel opened the folder.
“Laura met me that afternoon. She brought copies of the financial records and signed an authorization for me to share them with an attorney.”
He paused.
“She was frightened, but she was determined.”
Richard swallowed.
“She told me she wanted to speak to you that evening.”
Daniel nodded.
“She said she planned to take everything home.”
He looked down at his notes.
“Then she received a message.”
Richard's hands tightened.
“From Nicole.”
“According to Laura, yes.”
Daniel continued.
“The message said you were at the old Millbrook office and wanted to discuss the investigation privately.”
Richard shook his head.
“I wasn't there.”
“I understand.”
Daniel looked toward him.
“Laura called me to say she was changing her route.”
Richard stared.
“She asked me to keep the copied documents safe.”
The investigator's expression darkened.
“She also said something unusual.”
Richard leaned closer.
“What?”
Daniel hesitated.
“She said Nicole seemed to know exactly which papers she had given me.”
Richard felt a chill.
Daniel continued.
“Laura believed someone had been accessing her office files.”
He looked toward the financial records.
“And she had reason to believe Adrian was involved.”