Chapter 9: The Person Who Knew My Mother
I read the message three times.
That person knows your mother.
For a moment, I wondered whether Tasha was trying to frighten me into abandoning the investigation.
She'd already used guilt, anger, tears, and promises. Perhaps this was simply another attempt to make me hesitate.
But the wording bothered me.
She hadn't said the person knew my family.
She'd said the person knew my mother.
I called Tasha.
She answered immediately.
"Are you coming tonight?""
"Who are you talking about?""
"I'll explain in person.""
"Give me a name.""
"I can't do this over the phone, Marcus.""
"Why not?""
"Because you won't believe me.""
I closed my eyes.
"Then tell me something I can verify.""
She was silent.
Finally, she said, "The person who helped me was involved in the first wedding account transfer.""
I looked at the papers scattered across Mom's kitchen table.
"The twelve thousand dollars?""
"Yes.""
"How?""
"I can't explain everything until you see the records.""
I felt my patience thinning.
"Did this person receive money from the wedding account?""
"Yes.""
"How much?""
"I don't know the total.""
"You keep saying that.""
"Because I didn't have access to every transaction!""
I paused.
That was the first time she'd suggested she might not have controlled all the money herself.
"Whose account received the transfer?""
"I'll show you tonight.""
I ended the call before the conversation could turn into another argument.
Mom had been listening.
"Do you think someone else was involved?""
"I don't know.""
She looked toward the window.
"There's only one person I can think of who knew about my savings before Tasha did.""
I turned to her.
"Who?""
She hesitated.
"Your aunt Patricia.""
My father's older sister.
I hadn't seen Aunt Patricia in nearly a year. She lived about an hour away and worked part-time at a local community center. She and Mom had been close for decades, though they'd had disagreements over money in the past.
"Why would Aunt Patricia know about your savings?""
"Because she helped me sort out your father's estate after he died. She knew about the investment account, and she knew I'd been saving for your future.""
I stared at Mom.
"Did you tell her you were giving us twelve thousand dollars?""
"No. I told her I'd been thinking about helping with the wedding, but I hadn't made a decision yet.""
"When was that?""
"About nine months ago.""
I felt a chill.
That was only a few weeks before Tasha opened the secret account.
"Did you tell Tasha about that conversation?""
"No.""
I looked down at the papers.
"Then how would she know?""
Mom shook her head.
"I don't know.""
I called Aunt Patricia.
She answered with her usual cheerful greeting.
"Marcus! What a surprise.""
"Hi, Aunt Patricia. I need to ask you something important.""
Her tone changed.
"What's wrong?""
I explained that Mom's financial information might have been used without her permission and that we were trying to identify everyone who might have had access to certain documents.
I didn't accuse anyone.
I asked whether she'd discussed Mom's savings with Tasha.
Aunt Patricia went quiet.
Then she said, "Why are you asking me that?""
"Because we found documents suggesting that someone knew about Mom's financial contribution before it was made.""
"Denise told me she was thinking about helping with the wedding.""
"Did you tell Tasha?""
"No.""
The answer came quickly.
Then she added, "Not directly.""
I gripped the phone.
"What does that mean?""
Aunt Patricia sighed.
"Last winter, Tasha called me because she was worried about her business. She said she'd heard Denise might be willing to help with the wedding costs. She asked whether I thought your mother could afford it.""
I stared at the table.
"How did she know Mom was considering it?""
"I assumed Denise had told her.""
"She hadn't.""
Aunt Patricia fell silent.
"Marcus, I didn't know anything was wrong.""
"Did you give Tasha any money?""
"No.""
"Did you sign anything for her?""
"No.""
"Did you introduce her to anyone who could arrange business financing?""
Another pause.
"Yes.""
I felt my stomach drop.
"Who?""
"A man named Victor Shaw. He helps small businesses arrange private financing. Tasha met him at a networking event, and she asked whether I could introduce them because I knew him through the community center.""
"Did you know he was involved in the wedding account?""
"No.""
"Did you know he was handling her debts?""
"No, Marcus.""
Her voice trembled.
"I swear to you, I only introduced them. I didn't know she was using your mother's information.""
I believed that she might be telling the truth.
But I needed to verify it.
"Can you send me his contact information?""
"Yes.""
Before we hung up, Aunt Patricia asked whether Mom was all right.
I told her Mom was safe, but the situation was serious.
"I'll call her," she said.
"Please don't discuss the documents with Tasha or Victor before we understand what's happening.""
"I won't.""
When I told Mom about Victor, she looked troubled.
"I've heard that name.""
"From where?""
"At one of Tasha's events. She introduced him as a business adviser. He shook my hand and asked about your wedding.""
"What did he ask?""
"Whether we had everything financially organized. He said weddings could be a good opportunity to build relationships with investors.""
I wrote down the details.
Then I called my lawyer.
She advised me not to contact Victor directly until she'd reviewed the information. She wanted to establish whether he had any formal role in Tasha's business and whether the records suggested he had received funds from accounts connected to Mom or me.
I agreed.
At 6:45 p.m., Tasha sent an address.
It was a private office in a commercial building downtown.
My lawyer agreed to attend remotely by phone and instructed me not to sign anything or agree to any financial arrangement. She also advised me to request copies of every document Tasha intended to show me.
I arrived at the building ten minutes early.
Tasha was waiting in the lobby.
She wore a navy dress and held a thick folder against her chest. Her makeup was minimal, and her eyes were swollen.
For the first time since the confrontation at my house, she looked genuinely exhausted.
"Thank you for coming," she said.
"I'm here for the records.""
She nodded.
"I know.""
We went upstairs to a small conference room.
Tasha placed the folder on the table and sat opposite me.
"I want you to understand something before you read these documents.""
I waited.
"I never planned to hurt you.""
I looked at her.
"Then why did you hide the accounts?""
"Because I thought I could fix everything before the wedding.""
"You keep saying that as if the intention makes the result less serious.""
She lowered her eyes.
"I know.""
I opened the folder.
The first document was a transaction report showing transfers from Tasha's business account to another company.
The recipient was listed as Shaw Financial Consulting.
The amounts varied.
$4,000.
$7,500.
$2,800.
$6,000.
I compared the dates with the transfers from our joint account.
Several matched.
"Who is Victor Shaw?"" I asked.
"He's a financial consultant.""
"What did he do for you?""
"He arranged short-term financing when my business was struggling.""
"Did he know the money came from our wedding account?""
Tasha hesitated.
"Some of it.""
"Did he know you had opened an account in my name?""
"I don't think so.""
"Did he know about the applications using Denise's information?""
She shook her head.
"I never told him that.""
I turned to the next document.
It was an agreement between Tasha's company and Shaw Financial Consulting.
The contract described a series of short-term advances and repayment obligations. Some clauses referred to personal guarantees, but the names attached to those provisions were difficult to read in the scanned copy.
I placed it aside.
"Why did money from our wedding account go to him?""
"Because I was behind on repayments.""
"Repayments for what?""
"Business loans.""
"How much did you owe him?""
"I don't know the exact balance.""
I stared at her.
"Did you ever know?""
"Yes.""
"When?""
"At the beginning.""
"And now?""
She pressed her hands together.
"The amount changed when I missed payments.""
I took a slow breath.
"Did you tell him you were going to use the wedding money?""
"I told him I had funds coming in.""
"Did you tell him they belonged to you?""
She looked down.
"I didn't explain where they came from.""
The answer made my jaw tighten.
I turned another page.
There was an email from Victor to Tasha.
The private account must be reconciled before the next payment date. I cannot keep extending the arrangement without documentation.
Tasha had replied:
The wedding account will cover the immediate shortfall.
Victor's response was short.
That account is not listed as collateral. I need confirmation of the source of funds.
I looked up.
"Did you send him confirmation?""
"No.""
"Then what happened?""
"He gave me another week.""
I leaned back.
The records suggested that Victor had been asking questions about the source of the money. They didn't establish whether he knew about the unauthorized accounts or whether he'd knowingly accepted funds obtained through them.
I wasn't going to guess.
But I wanted to understand the second account.
"Show me the account you mentioned.""
Tasha pulled out another document.
It was a statement from a bank I didn't recognize.
The account was registered to a company called VS Advisory Holdings.
The account had received multiple transfers from Tasha's business.
Then I noticed the date of the first transfer.
It was seven months earlier.
The same month Mom had put twelve thousand dollars into our wedding account.
I looked at Tasha.
"Why did money go from your business to this company?""
"Victor said he needed to hold some of the funds temporarily while he restructured the loans.""
"Did he explain why?""
"He said the payments would be easier to manage that way.""
"Did you agree?""
"Yes.""
"Did you receive the money back?""
"Some of it.""
"How much?""
She pointed to a line on the statement.
A total of $18,000 had been returned to her business account over several months.
But more than $27,000 had gone out.
I looked at the difference.
"Where is the rest?""
"I don't know.""
The room seemed to tilt.
"How can you not know where twenty-seven thousand dollars went?""
"Because Victor handled the account.""
"You gave him control of your money?""
"He said it was part of the arrangement.""
"Did you sign an agreement authorizing him to move funds?""
She nodded.
"Yes.""
"Then we need that agreement.""
She opened another folder and searched through the pages.
After several minutes, she found a document and pushed it toward me.
The title read Private Account Management Authorization.
The agreement was signed by Tasha and Victor.
It allowed the consulting company to receive funds and make specified payments on her behalf.
It did not mention my name.
It did not mention Mom.
And it did not authorize Victor to access either of our accounts directly.
I looked at Tasha.
"Did you tell him about the account opened in my name?""
"No.""
"Did you give him any of my documents?""
"No.""
"Did you give him any of Mom's documents?""
She hesitated.
Then she said, "I gave him a copy of the wedding account statement.""
My blood went cold.
"Why?""
"He asked me to show where the money was coming from.""
"Did you tell him the account was jointly held?""
"Yes.""
"Did you tell him you had permission to use it?""
Tasha's eyes filled.
"I told him you knew I was managing the wedding expenses.""
I stared at her.
"Did you tell him I had approved the transfers?""
She nodded faintly.
The room fell silent.
I looked at the agreement again.
Then I asked the question that had been bothering me since I'd first seen Mom's name on the storage account.
"Did Victor know my mother?""
Tasha looked up.
"Yes.""
"How?""
"He met her at one of my events. He knew she was contributing to the wedding.""
"Did he ask her for money?""
"No.""
"Did he ask you to use her information?""
"No.""
"Did he know about the credit application?""
She shook her head.
"I don't think so.""
I studied her face.
"Then why did you tell me he was the person who knew my mother?""
Tasha wiped her cheeks.
"Because he was the person who knew how much she had.""
I sat very still.
She continued.
"After you and I got engaged, I told him about the twelve thousand dollars. I said Denise had money available and might be willing to help with the wedding. He told me I should keep the funds separate from my business accounts.""
"But you didn't.""
"No.""
"Instead, you used our joint account to cover the debts.""
She nodded.
"And when that wasn't enough, you asked my mother for more.""
Tasha covered her face.
"I thought I could pay everything back.""
I looked at the documents.
"Did Victor tell you to open an account in my name?""
"No.""
"Did he tell you to use Mom's identity?""
"No.""
"Did he ask you to forge our signatures?""
"No.""
Her answers were immediate.
I believed she might be telling the truth about that part. The documents we'd seen did not establish that Victor had directed the unauthorized applications.
But his role in handling the money still needed to be examined.
I closed the folder.
"I'm taking copies of these records to my lawyer.""
Tasha nodded.
"Okay.""
"And I'm not agreeing to any repayment plan tonight.""
"I understand.""
"The wedding remains postponed.""
Her face crumpled.
"Marcus, please. I know I've done terrible things, but I love you. I want to fix this.""
I stood.
"You can start by telling the truth to everyone whose money or identity you used.""
She reached for my hand.
I stepped back.
"Please don't leave me with this.""
I looked at her.
"You left me with it when you decided my consent didn't matter.""
Then I walked out.
I hadn't reached the elevator when my phone rang.
It was Aunt Patricia.
"Marcus, I just got a call from Victor Shaw.""
I stopped.
"What did he say?""
"He wants to meet with you.""
"Why?""
"He said there's something about Tasha's financial records that you haven't seen.""
I gripped the phone.
"What is it?""
Aunt Patricia lowered her voice.
"He said the account statements don't show the entire arrangement.""
I felt a cold pressure settle in my chest.
"Did he explain what he meant?""
"No. He only said that if you want to understand where the money went, you need to look at the original agreement.""
I glanced back at the conference room door.
Tasha was still inside.
"Which agreement?"" I asked.
Aunt Patricia paused.
"The one your mother signed.""
My stomach dropped.
"Mom says she never signed any financial agreement.""
"That's what I told him," Aunt Patricia replied.
"But Victor insists there's a document bearing her signature.""
I looked at the folder under my arm.
The storage unit. The credit application. The false reimbursement form.
And now another document that supposedly carried my mother's name.
Aunt Patricia continued.
"Marcus, Victor said he has the original.""
I swallowed hard.
"Where?""
"He wants to meet tomorrow morning.""
I stared at the elevator doors as they opened.
"Tell him we'll meet at my lawyer's office.""
There was a pause.
Then Aunt Patricia said, "He agreed.""
I stepped into the elevator.
Just before the doors closed, my phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.
Bring Denise. The agreement concerns her, not Tasha.
A second message followed.
And whatever you do, don't let Tasha destroy the original.
I stared at the screen as the elevator descended.
May you like
For the first time, I wondered whether Tasha had been hiding something from Victor, too.
And whether the person who'd helped her create this mess was about to reveal a secret that went back further than our engagement.
