Chapter 5: The Husband Who Started Asking Questions
At 8:15 the next morning, Daniel Hayes arrived at his father's office carrying a folder he had barely slept long enough to assemble.
He hadn't come to apologize.
Not yet.
He had come because the numbers in the company accounts no longer made sense.
For three years, Daniel had served as vice president of operations at Hayes Construction. He knew the company's major contracts, understood its supply chain, and could recognize an irregular invoice faster than most accountants could locate the relevant spreadsheet.
But the reserve account Richard had mentioned was unfamiliar.
Daniel had never approved transfers from it.
And yet the report his father had shown him two weeks earlier contained Daniel's electronic approval.
He had assumed someone had made an administrative mistake.
Now he wasn't so sure.
The receptionist looked up as he entered.
“Good morning, Mr. Hayes.””
“Is Gregory in?””
“He's in a meeting.””
“Tell him I need ten minutes.””
She hesitated.
“Should I let him know what it's about?””
Daniel placed the folder on the counter.
“Tell him it's about the reserve account.””
Her expression changed almost imperceptibly.
Daniel noticed.
“What's wrong?””
“Nothing, sir.””
“Then why do you look worried?””
The receptionist glanced toward the executive corridor.
“Mr. Price asked everyone not to disturb him this morning.””
Daniel picked up the folder.
“Then I'll disturb him myself.””
He walked past her before she could respond.
Gregory Price's office stood at the end of the corridor, behind a glass door with a brushed-steel nameplate.
Daniel knocked once and entered.
Gregory was standing behind his desk, speaking quietly into his phone. He ended the call when he saw Daniel.
“Daniel. I wasn't expecting you.””
“Clearly.””
Gregory smiled with the practiced ease of a man who had spent seventeen years making bad news sound manageable.
“What's going on?””
Daniel put the folder on the desk.
“I want to know why my electronic signature appears on four transfers from the reserve account.””
Gregory didn't touch the folder.
“That's an administrative issue. I was going to have accounting review it.””
“When?””
“This week.””
“The transfers happened six weeks ago.””
Gregory sat down.
“Then we'll review them today.””
Daniel opened the folder.
“Four transfers. Same receiving account. Same approval code.
Same timestamp pattern. And all four invoices reference a supplier that hasn't worked for us in over a year.””
Gregory glanced at the pages.
“Someone probably reused an old vendor profile.””
“Someone also used my approval credentials.””
“Which is why we'll investigate.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Did you approve these transfers?””
Gregory looked directly at him.
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
Daniel closed the folder.
“Then someone stole my credentials.””
“Possibly.””
“Who has access to the approval system?””
“Several people.””
“Names.””
Gregory sighed.
“Daniel, this isn't a police interrogation. We have procedures for handling these things.””
“I'm asking you a simple question.””
“And I'm telling you I'll have the team look into it.””
Daniel stood.
“Fine. I'll ask the team myself.””
Gregory's expression hardened.
“Your father has been filling your head with suspicions, hasn't he?””
Daniel stopped.
“What does that mean?””
“Richard has always believed that if something goes wrong, someone must be plotting against him. Sometimes an accounting error is just an accounting error.””
“This isn't one accounting error. It's four unauthorized transfers totaling nearly four hundred thousand dollars.””
Gregory folded his hands.
“And your father told you this?””
“I saw the records.””
“Records he selected.””
Daniel stared at him.
Gregory leaned back.
“Think about it. Richard controls the company. He controls the accounts.
He controls who sees what. If money has gone missing, perhaps you should ask him why he waited so long to tell you.””
Daniel felt an uncomfortable pressure in his chest.
It was the same doubt Mia had planted the previous night.
The same suspicion he had tried to ignore while driving to the office.
Gregory saw it land.
“I'm not accusing anyone,” he said gently.
“I'm asking you to keep an open mind.””
Daniel gathered his folder.
“I intend to.””
He left without another word.
Behind him, Gregory waited until the glass door closed.
Then he reached for his phone.
At 9:30 a.m., Detective Bennett sat across from Gregory in a conference room at police headquarters.
A recording device rested between them.
Gregory had arrived wearing a navy suit and carrying a leather briefcase. He had greeted the officers politely, asked whether he could have a glass of water, and expressed concern about Richard's emotional state.
Everything about him suggested a man who had nothing to hide.
“Mr. Price,” Bennett began, “how long have you worked for Hayes Construction?””
“Seventeen years.””
“And your responsibilities?””
“Financial planning, reporting, cash management, and oversight of the accounting department.””
“Do you have access to the company's reserve accounts?””
“Yes.””
“Can you authorize transfers?””
“Within certain limits.””
“Did you authorize four transfers totaling approximately four hundred thousand dollars over the past six weeks?””
Gregory shook his head.
“No.””
“Do you recognize this account?””
She slid a page across the table.
Gregory examined it.
“It's an account belonging to a consulting company.””
“Have you worked with that company?””
“Not directly.””
“Do you know who owns it?””
“Not off the top of my head.””
Bennett watched him carefully.
“Would it surprise you to learn that the company received payments from an account connected to Mia Carter's design business?””
Gregory raised his eyebrows.
“Mia?””
“Yes.””
“I know she has done design work for some of the company's projects.””
“Did you help arrange those payments?””
“No.””
“Did you discuss any of the transfers with her?””
“Absolutely not.””
Bennett let the silence stretch.
Then she opened a second folder.
“Are you familiar with the security system at Richard Hayes's residence?””
Gregory's hand tightened around his water glass.
“Not particularly.””
“Have you ever accessed it remotely?””
“No.””
“Have you ever asked anyone to disable a camera at the estate?””
“No.””
Bennett nodded as though she had expected the answers.
Then she placed a photograph on the table.
It showed a still image from the hallway camera, with Mia standing beside the staircase and her phone held to her ear.
Gregory looked at it for less than a second before turning away.
“Where did you get that?””
“Does the image look familiar?””
“I don't know what I'm looking at.””
“It's a still from a security recording at Richard Hayes's home on Sunday night.””
Gregory swallowed.
“I see.””
“Do you recognize the woman?””
“Mia Carter.””
“And the voice on the recording?””
“What voice?””
Bennett leaned forward.
“The voice speaking to Mia on the phone.””
Gregory set down his glass.
“I'd need to hear it.””
“Of course.””
She pressed a button on the recorder.
Mia's voice filled the room.
“It's done. He took the bait.””
Then Gregory's voice followed.
“Good. Now we need to make sure Daniel doesn't start asking questions about the reserve account.””
Gregory went pale.
Bennett stopped the playback.
“Is that you?””
He stared at the recorder.
“No.””
“Mr. Price, I can have a forensic audio analyst examine the recording.””
“Then do that.””
“I intend to.””
He leaned forward.
“Detective, this is ridiculous. I speak to dozens of people every day. Someone could have edited my voice into a recording.””
“It's possible for recordings to be manipulated. That's why we preserve the original file and examine its authenticity.””
“Then I have nothing to worry about.””
Bennett closed the folder.
“Where were you on Sunday night between ten and eleven?””
“At home.””
“Alone?””
“My wife was there.””
“Would she confirm that?””
“Of course.””
“Then we'll need to speak with her.””
Gregory's confidence faltered.
Only for a second.
But Bennett saw it.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?”” she asked.
“No.””
“Anything about the money?””
“No.””
“Anything about Mia Carter?””
“No.””
Bennett switched off the recorder.
“Thank you for your cooperation. Please don't discuss the details of this interview with other potential witnesses.””
Gregory stood.
“Am I free to leave?””
“For now.””
He picked up his briefcase and walked toward the door.
Just before he reached it, Bennett spoke again.
“Mr. Price?””
He turned.
“People sometimes assume that because they haven't been formally charged, they're not being investigated.””
Gregory's jaw tightened.
“I understand.””
“Good. Then you understand why I expect you to preserve all relevant financial records and electronic communications.””
He left without answering.
Bennett watched the door close.
Then she picked up her phone.
“Get me the financial crimes team,” she told the officer outside.
“And find out whether we can establish the beneficial owner of that consulting company.””
She paused.
“One more thing. I want a timeline connecting the transfers, the security-system login, and the staged assault.””
At noon, Daniel returned home to find Mia sitting on the sofa with a laptop open across her knees.
She looked up immediately.
“How was work?””
“Interesting.””
“Interesting good or interesting bad?””
Daniel loosened his tie.
“I spoke to Gregory.””
Mia's fingers stopped moving over the keyboard.
“Why?””
“Because my signature appears on some unauthorized transfers.””
She closed the laptop.
“What transfers?””
“The reserve account. Nearly four hundred thousand dollars.””
Mia's face remained still, but her eyes flickered toward the hallway.
“I thought your father was investigating that.””
“He is.””
“Then why are you getting involved?””
“Because my signature was used.””
She put the laptop aside.
“Daniel, I know this is stressful, but you shouldn't let your father drag you into his obsession.””
“My father didn't put my signature on those documents.””
Mia stood.
“You don't know that.””
He stared at her.
“Are you suggesting he forged my approval?””
“I'm suggesting that your father has controlled those accounts for years.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Gregory said the same thing.””
Mia went completely still.
“What?””
“He said I should consider whether Dad was hiding something.””
For the first time, Mia looked genuinely alarmed.
Not because Gregory had spoken to Daniel.
Because Gregory had started preparing Daniel to blame Richard before she could control the conversation herself.
She walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.
“Maybe he's right,” she said.
Daniel followed her.
“Yesterday, you told me my father was trying to take the blame away from you. Now you're saying he might be stealing from his own company.””
“I'm saying I don't know what to believe.””
“But you were certain last night.””
Mia set down the glass.
“I was terrified.””
Daniel watched her face.
He remembered the way she had looked when he entered the kitchen. The blood on her hand. The sound of her scream.
He also remembered the strange way she had kept looking at him, as though checking whether her performance was working.
“Can I ask you something?”” he said.
“Of course.””
“Before I came downstairs last night, were you alone with Dad?””
“Yes.””
“For how long?””
“I don't know. Ten minutes?””
“Did you pick up the knife?””
Mia's eyes widened.
“I told you what happened.””
“I want you to answer the question.””
She stepped away from the counter.
“Why are you doing this?””
“Because I need to know.””
“Know what? Whether your wife is lying to you?””
Daniel didn't answer.
Mia's voice sharpened.
“After everything I've been through, you're treating me like a suspect.””
“I'm asking what happened.””
“You're supposed to trust me.””
“Trust doesn't mean I stop asking questions.””
The words hung between them.
Mia stared at him as though she had never heard him speak that way before.
Then she picked up her phone.
“I'm going for a walk.””
“Where?””
“Somewhere I don't have to defend myself every five minutes.””
She walked out before he could respond.
Daniel remained by the kitchen counter.
For the first time, he wasn't certain that the person he wanted to protect was telling him the truth.
And when he returned to his office later that afternoon, an email from the company's internal audit system was waiting in his inbox.
The subject line read:
*URGENT: Historical approval records restored.*
He opened it.
Attached were four transfer requests, each bearing his electronic signature.
But beneath the signature was a technical detail he had never noticed before.
Every approval had been generated from a device that wasn't his.
And the device identifier belonged to an administrator account assigned to Gregory Price.
Daniel read the line twice.
Then he picked up his phone and called his father.
Richard answered on the first ring.
“Daniel?””
His voice sounded older than Daniel remembered.
“Dad, I need to talk to you.””
A pause.
“About what?””
Daniel looked at the screen.
“About the money. And about Mia.””
Richard didn't speak for several seconds.
Then he asked one question.
“Have you finally started looking at the evidence?””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
“Good,” Richard said quietly.
“Because there's something you need to know about the night your mother died.””
Daniel went cold.
“What does Mom have to do with this?””
Richard took a slow breath.
“Everything, son. Gregory didn't start stealing from me six weeks ago.””
May you like
He paused.
“He started years before that. And your mother discovered it before anyone else.””
