Part 3: The Paper Trail
Part 3: The Paper Trail
The courtyard erupted into absolute chaos.
Photographers who had been hired to take graduation portraits were now aiming their telephoto lenses directly at my parents’ panicked faces.
My father was furiously arguing with the campus police, his hands waving in the air as he tried to claim the documents were fabricated.
But I had spent the last six months working secretly with a forensic accountant from the state university network.
"The envelope I am holding doesn't just contain bank records," I announced, looking up at the grand gallery. "It contains the IP logs from the banking app used to execute the unauthorized wire transfers."
The crowd went dead silent again.
"Every single transfer was made from my father’s office computer at Hayes Logistics," I said. "And the signature on the authorization form wasn't mine. It was a digital copy lifted from my high school graduation diploma."
My mother sank onto one of the white plastic folding chairs, covering her face as the surrounding parents backed away from her as if she were contagious.
"The state district attorney's office was notified of the grand larceny at 9:00 a.m. this morning," I added, looking at my father one last time. "The warrant was issued the moment my name was called for graduation."
Two plainclothes detectives stepped out from the shadow of the main administration building, walking purposefully toward my father.
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He tried to turn toward the exit, but the security guards held the line, locking the gates of the courtyard.
