Chapter 3 - The Corporate Audit
The fifteenth arrived, the day of the internal audit at Eric’s logistics firm, Apex Global. Eric woke up early, whistling as he put on his best suit. He genuinely believed he had covered his tracks perfectly. He thought the $1,500 weekly consulting fees were buried too deep in the legacy software system for a standard corporate auditor to find.
What he didn't know was that the external auditor hired by Apex Global was a boutique firm called Vanguard Financial Analytics. And the managing partner of Vanguard was my mentor and closest friend from graduate school, Sarah Jenkins.
Two days earlier, I had sent Sarah a 40-page dossier detailing Eric’s exact methods, the specific ledger codes he used to disguise the embezzlement, and the routing numbers linking Apex Global’s corporate accounts to Diane’s personal checking account.
I sat at home, feeding Lily, watching the security cameras I had secretly installed around the perimeter of our house. At 11:30 AM, Eric’s car pulled violently into the driveway. The tires screeched against the asphalt.
The front door slammed open so hard the drywall cracked behind it. Eric marched into the living room, his tie undone, his face a terrifying shade of crimson. Diane hurried down the stairs behind him, her face pale.
"What happened?" Diane gasped. "Eric, talk to me!"
"They suspended me," Eric roared, kicking a coffee table, sending my nursing magazines flying across the room. "They brought in an outside firm. They knew everything, Mom. They had the exact transaction IDs. They asked me who 'D. Vance Consulting' was. That’s your maiden name! Someone leaked the internal ledger!"
He turned his furious gaze to me, sitting calmly on the sofa with Lily in my arms. "You," he pointed a trembling finger at me. "Did you say something to my boss? Did you talk to anyone?"
I looked up, my expression completely blank. "Why would I do that, Eric? I don't even know what D. Vance Consulting is. Is that why you took my delivery fund? To pay back the money you stole?"
"Shut up!" he screamed, stepping toward me.
Diane caught his arm. "Eric, stop. It doesn't matter. The house transfer went through yesterday. The joint savings are in my account. We have over $200,000 in cash ready to move. We leave tonight. Let the company sue you—by the time the police get involved, the money will be converted into crypto and we’ll be in Cabo."
Eric breathed heavily, staring at me with pure hatred. "She’s right. Get your things, Maya. You’re coming with us. If you stay behind and talk to the cops, I swear to God I’ll make sure you never see this kid again."
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"I’ll get my bags," I said quietly.
I stood up, walked into the nursery, and locked the door behind me. I didn't pack clothes. I grabbed my laptop, opened my secure server, and hit "Send" on an email addressed to the District Attorney's Economic Crimes Unit. Attached were the forged power of attorney, the bank records of the stolen delivery fund, and the recorded audio of them plotting to flee the jurisdiction.
