Chapter 7 - SOMEONE WAS MOVING MONEY THROUGH ADAM'S NAME
The transfer existed.
$40,000.
From Adam Bennett Holdings.
To Sable North.
Problem:
Adam Bennett Holdings did not exist.
Not officially.
No company registered under that exact name.
But the bank account used his name and partial Social Security number.
Identity misuse.
Or a shell designed to look like him.
Rachel worked as Sable North’s bookkeeper.
She had become suspicious months earlier.
Payments entered.
Then left.
Consulting fees to vendors she could not verify.
Adam’s $25,000 was real.
The extra $40,000 was not his.
At least not knowingly.
“Why didn’t Savannah report it?” I asked.
“She thinks it’s Adam.”
Rachel sounded angry.
“She thinks he’s quietly funding growth because he promised he would.”
I looked at him.
“Did you promise?”
Adam nodded.
“Eventually.”
Of course.
The liar had created the perfect environment for someone else to lie in his name.
Then Rachel revealed more.
Sable North had received $110,000 total from entities connected to people at Adam’s employer.
That made the vendor conflict look like kickbacks.
If false, someone was framing both Adam and Savannah.
If real, their careers were worse than we thought.
Bernice immediately separated the issues.
“Your affair is still yours.”
Adam nodded.
“The financial scheme may not be.”
Good.
No easy redemption.
Then Rachel sent statements.
One vendor name appeared repeatedly.
NORTHFIELD STRATEGY GROUP.
Bernice recognized it.
Not Adam.
Her former law firm had once represented Northfield.
Owner:
Victor Lang.
Former procurement director at Adam’s company.
Fired two years earlier for manipulating vendor bids.
Adam’s face changed.
“I testified in that investigation.”
There.
Motive.
Victor hated him.
But why Savannah?
Because Savannah had worked events at the same company.
She had recorded Adam’s careless retreat conversation.
Victor may have learned about it.
Used her proximity.
Maybe fed money through her company to make Adam look corrupt.
Then another fact:
Victor’s niece worked with Savannah.
Rachel Monroe.
The woman sending us evidence.
I stopped.
“Rachel.”
Silence.
“Victor Lang is your uncle.”
Long pause.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say that?”
“Because you would stop listening.”
Reasonable.
Suspicious.
Both.
“Are you helping him?”
“No.”
“Prove it.”
She sent one more file.
An audio recording.
Victor speaking.
Once Bennett’s vendor vote happens, everything ties back to him.
Another voice:
What about the wife?
Victor:
She doesn’t matter. He’s already leaving her.
My skin went cold.
Victor knew Adam planned to leave.
How?
Then the second voice spoke again.
I recognized it immediately.
May you like
Savannah.
She had been working with Victor before Adam ever began the affair.
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