Chapter 3
I didn't panic.
Panic was a luxury I had learned to live without.
When I was twenty-nine, a bank had rejected my fourth business loan while my electricity bill sat unpaid.
When I was thirty-seven, a fire destroyed my original clothing warehouse.
When I was forty-six, cancer took my husband, James, six months after we celebrated our twentieth anniversary.
I had survived all of those things.
But betrayal was different.
Especially when it came from someone I had welcomed into my family's life.
“Vanessa,” I said, “who else knew I was coming?”
“I don't know.”
I studied her face.
“Think carefully.”
She rubbed her trembling hands together.
“Mr. Price contacted me yesterday. He said an inspection was possible, but he didn't identify anyone.”
“Yet he knew my uniform.”
“Yes.”
I took out my phone again.
“Marcus, come to the office.”
He arrived almost immediately.
“Mrs. Carter?”
“Has anyone accessed today's camera recordings?”
He hesitated.
“Mr. Price called security headquarters about an hour ago.”
“What did he request?”
“He wanted us to disable recording in the main showroom for scheduled maintenance.”
I stared at him.
“Did you?”
“No, ma'am.”
“Why not?”
Marcus straightened.
“There wasn't a maintenance order.”
For the first time that morning, I smiled.
“Good.”
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
“Please make secure copies of every camera recording from today and the last sixty days. Use the independent evidence procedure in the security handbook.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“And Marcus?”
He stopped at the door.
“Thank you for following procedure.”
His expression softened.
Then he looked at the overturned bucket outside.
“I should have stepped in when she kicked it.”
Vanessa lowered her head.
I answered carefully.
“You should have. But you can still do the right thing now.”
When he left, I returned to the employee files.
There was one person I needed to speak with.
Tanya Mitchell.
She entered the office looking terrified.
“Mrs. Carter, am I in trouble?”
“No, sweetheart. Please sit.”
She remained standing.
I noticed her fingers trembling around the sleeves of her blouse.
“Your file says you were terminated three weeks ago.”
Her face crumpled.
“I know.”
“Then why are you still working?”
She glanced at Vanessa.
Vanessa said nothing.
“Tell me the truth,” I urged.
Tanya looked down.
“Because Ms. Brooks told me I had to work without pay until I repaid what I supposedly owed.”
My chest tightened.
“What did she say you owed?”
“Four thousand dollars.”
“For what?”
“Missing merchandise.”
“Did you take anything?”
“No, ma'am!”
Her voice broke.
“I've never stolen anything in my life.”
I moved closer.
She began crying.
“My son has asthma. I need his medication. When she told me I would be reported to the police, I begged her to let me keep working.”
I felt tears sting my own eyes.
“Did she promise not to report you if you worked without wages?”
Tanya nodded.
Vanessa whispered, “I was following instructions.”
I turned toward her.
“Stop saying that.”
The room fell silent.
“You were responsible for the people under your supervision. Nobody gave you permission to threaten them.”
Vanessa began shaking.
I looked back at Tanya.
“How long have you been working without pay?”
“Seventeen days.”
“And are there others?”
Tanya hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Three of us.”
I closed my eyes.
Seventeen days.
I imagined Tanya waking before sunrise, arranging childcare, traveling to work, smiling at wealthy customers, and returning home without a paycheck.
All because someone had convinced her she was powerless.
“You will be paid,” I told her.
She stared at me.
“Every dollar you're owed. And we're bringing in independent investigators to review what happened.”
Tanya covered her mouth.
“Thank you.”
I shook my head.
“Don't thank me for giving you what you already earned.”
She began crying harder.
A few minutes later, Naomi arrived.
My daughter entered wearing a navy suit, her braided hair pulled neatly behind her shoulders.
Two independent auditors followed her.
The moment she saw my cleaning uniform, her eyes widened.
“Mom.”
“I'm fine.”
She hugged me anyway.
For several seconds, I let myself lean against her.
My daughter had always reminded me of James.
Strong.
Observant.
Quietly protective.
Then she stepped back.
“What happened?”
I handed her the files.
Her expression changed as she read.
“Unpaid work?”
“Yes.”
“False disciplinary records?”
“Apparently.”
She turned another page.
Then stopped.
“Mom, this is serious.”
“I know.”
She looked at Vanessa.
“Who approved these?”
Vanessa whispered, “Adrian Price.”
Naomi's eyes hardened.
I watched her open her laptop and connect to the company's secure financial system.
A moment later, she froze.
“Mom.”
“What?”
“Someone used your executive credentials yesterday.”
I stepped beside her.
The screen showed an authorization request.
TRANSFER APPROVED.
$1,860,000.
My name appeared beneath the transaction.
But I hadn't authorized it.
Naomi clicked into the access history.
“This was submitted from the regional office.”
“Adrian's office?”
“Yes.”
Her fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard.
“Wait. There's another one.”
A second transfer appeared.
Then a third.
All carrying my electronic signature.
The total exceeded five million dollars.
I gripped the desk.
My company had always maintained strict approval procedures for major transactions.
Somebody had bypassed them.
“Can we stop the money?” I asked.
“I'm contacting the bank's fraud department now.”
Naomi picked up her phone.
Before she could dial, a voice came from the doorway.
“Well, this is an unexpected reunion.”
I turned.
Adrian Price stood beneath the office lights.
He wore a charcoal suit and a pleasant smile.
Exactly as he had at our company anniversary dinner two months earlier.
His gaze traveled over my uniform.
Then settled on Naomi's laptop.
“What a strange outfit, Evelyn.”
I said nothing.
He looked around the room.
“Is there something I should know?”
Naomi closed her laptop halfway.
“Yes.”
Adrian's smile tightened.
She continued.
“We've discovered unauthorized transactions.”
For one brief second, his expression changed.
Then he laughed.
“That's impossible.”
I stepped toward him.
“Then you won't mind explaining them.”
He looked directly into my eyes.
May you like
And said something that chilled me.
“Evelyn, I think you've been making decisions you no longer remember.”
