Chapter 7 - THE MISSING MILLIONS
The investigation uncovered millions of dollars missing from companies connected to Connor.
Money had been moved through shell corporations.
Properties had been purchased under aliases.
Luxury cars had been transferred to relatives.
The goal was simple.
Make the family believe Connor owned nothing worth taking.
Then hide the real assets.
But they had made one mistake.
They assumed I would fight over the divorce.
I wasn't.
I was tracing the money.
One account led to another.
Eventually, Parker found a private trust in Nevada.
The beneficiary wasn't Connor.
It was Betsy.
And the original funding came from my father's former partner.
His name was Richard Vale.
I hadn't heard that name in fifteen years.
My father had called him a thief.
Then Richard vanished.
Parker stared at the records.
"He's alive."
"Where?"
"Chicago."
I booked the first flight.
Before leaving, I kissed Brinley's forehead.
"I'm going to find out why."
Chicago was cold.
Richard met me in a private office overlooking the river.
He looked older.
Much older.
But his eyes were unmistakable.
"You look like your father."
"Why did you help Connor?"
"I didn't."
"Then why did your money appear in Betsy's account?"
Richard sighed.
"Because Betsy blackmailed me."
"With what?"
He looked away.
"Your father."
I froze.
"My father?"
"He didn't die from natural causes."
The room seemed to tilt.
"What are you saying?"
Richard slid a folder toward me.
Inside were medical records.
Bank records.
Photographs.
And one handwritten note.
If anything happens to me, protect my daughter.
I read it twice.
Then I looked up.
"What happened to him?"
Richard's eyes filled with regret.
"I was there."
My hands trembled.
"What happened?"
May you like
He whispered:
"Betsy ordered it."
