Chapter 9 - The Man Behind the Anonymous MessageRebecca traced the photographs to Peter Lang, Grayson Development’s CFO.
He agreed to meet only in a crowded coffee shop.
Sienna arrived with Rebecca.
Peter looked exhausted.
“I shouldn’t be doing this.”
Sienna sat across from him.
“Why are you?”
“Because I have a daughter.”
That was all he said at first.
Then he slid a flash drive across the table.
“What is this?”
“Copies of records I preserved after your withdrawal notice.”
Rebecca did not touch it yet.
“Were these obtained lawfully?”
“Company records I had authorized access to.”
“Why did you copy them?”
“Because Walter ordered me to delete a folder.”
Sienna’s eyes narrowed.
“Project Legacy?”
Peter nodded.
“What is it?”
“A restructuring plan.”
“For what?”
“Moving valuable assets out of entities exposed to Mercer and bank claims.”
Rebecca leaned forward.
“Fraudulent transfer planning?”
“I’m not a lawyer.”
“But that’s what it looked like?”
“Yes.”
Peter rubbed his hands together.
“I objected.”
“When?”
“Eight months ago.”
“What happened?”
“Walter told me I was paid to count money, not judge where it went.”
“And Malcolm?”
Peter looked down.
“He was in the room.”
Sienna’s stomach tightened.
“What did he say?”
“Nothing.”
Silence again.
Sienna was beginning to understand that Malcolm’s most destructive action had often been silence.
Peter continued.
“Later he told me his father would never actually move the assets.”
“Did you believe him?”
“I wanted to keep my job.”
The answer was honest.
Rebecca asked, “Why photograph Malcolm?”
“I saw him enter Heritage’s storage facility.”
“You followed him?”
“I followed Walter.”
Peter looked ashamed.
“I was trying to understand what he was hiding.”
Sienna studied him.
“What was Malcolm carrying?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he leave with it?”
“Yes.”
“Then why send me the picture?”
“Because he drove to your building.”
Sienna’s jaw tightened.
“And then drove away.”
Peter nodded.
Rebecca finally took the flash drive.
“Anything else?”
Peter looked at Sienna.
“Yes.”
“Tell me.”
“The five million transfer wasn’t the beginning.”
Sienna stared.
“How far back?”
“Four years.”
Before her marriage.
Before Nolan called Malcolm Dad.
Before she moved into Walter’s mansion.
Peter pulled out a ledger.
“Grayson Development paid Heritage Consulting a total of twelve-point-six million dollars.”
Rebecca scanned the entries.
“Over four years?”
“Yes.”
“What services?”
“None that I could verify.”
Sienna’s voice became quiet.
“And how much of that money came from Mercer-backed projects?”
“Most of it.”
The room seemed colder.
Walter had not begun using her money after she married Malcolm.
The plan had started before.
“Why didn’t our audits catch it?”
Peter answered carefully.
“The amounts were distributed across projects and labeled development consulting, acquisition support, market strategy.”
Rebecca frowned.
“Below materiality thresholds?”
“Usually.”
Sienna almost admired the simplicity.
Not one giant theft.
Dozens of smaller drains.
“What was the money for?”
Peter looked uncomfortable.
“Walter called it the family reserve.”
“Reserve for what?”
“I don’t know.”
“Peter.”
“I swear.”
Rebecca asked, “Did Malcolm receive distributions before the marriage?”
Peter shook his head.
“Not that I saw.”
“So Walter created Heritage before Malcolm benefited.”
“Yes.”
Sienna’s mind raced.
That meant Heritage was not built for Malcolm.
Malcolm had been inserted later.
Why?
“What happened two years ago?” she asked.
Peter hesitated.
“Walter changed the beneficiary.”
“From whom?”
Peter looked toward the window.
“I never saw the original trust agreement.”
“But?”
“I saw tax correspondence.”
Sienna waited.
“The previous beneficiary designation referenced the Grayson Family Foundation.”
Rebecca’s eyes narrowed.
“A charity?”
“Supposedly.”
“Does it exist?”
“Yes.”
“Active?”
Peter shook his head.
“Barely.”
Sienna stood.
“Walter diverted project money into an entity supposedly benefiting a foundation, then changed the beneficiary to Malcolm.”
“That’s what the documents suggest.”
Outside the café, Rebecca said, “We need to verify everything.”
“I know.”
“If true, this becomes much larger.”
“I know.”
“Sienna.”
She stopped.
“This could affect lenders, taxes, investors, maybe regulators.”
Sienna looked through the window at Peter.
“He knew.”
“Peter?”
“Malcolm.”
Rebecca waited.
“He sat in rooms where they discussed moving assets.”
“Yes.”
“He signed Heritage disclosures.”
“Yes.”
“He forged my consent.”
“Yes.”
“And still, some part of me keeps looking for the version where he was manipulated.”
Rebecca’s expression softened.
“Both things can be true.”
Sienna swallowed.
“He can be manipulated and guilty.”
“Yes.”
That sentence hurt more than she expected.
Her phone rang.
Malcolm.
Sienna almost ignored it.
Then answered.
“What?”
His voice was low.
“I need to see you.”
“Why?”
“Because I found something.”
“The blue folder?”
Silence.
Malcolm whispered, “How do you know about that?”
“I know enough.”
“Sienna, please.”
“Bring it.”
“I can’t.”
“Then we have nothing to discuss.”
“You don’t understand.”
“You drove to my building with it.”
Another silence.
“I was trying to protect you.”
Sienna closed her eyes.
“No.”
“Sienna—”
“You were deciding whether protecting me was worth what it might cost you.”
Malcolm had no answer.
Then he said something unexpected.
“My father knows where you’re staying.”
Sienna’s eyes opened.
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you telling me?”
“Because he asked whether Nolan was sleeping better.”
Every hair on Sienna’s arms rose.
Walter had no legitimate way to know Nolan had been having trouble sleeping.
“Malcolm.”
“Yes?”
“Where is your father right now?”
A pause.
“I thought he was at home.”
Sienna looked toward Rebecca.
“But?”
“I just checked the security system.”
May you like
Malcolm’s voice changed.
“He left an hour ago.”
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