Chapter 5 - THE SIGNATURE THAT COULD DESTROY HER
"They're not finished stealing," Evelyn whispered.
Ruth Ellison studied the scheduled payment.
"No. And whoever arranged this believes Evelyn will authorize it."
Nolan stood behind his wife's chair.
"Cancel the transfer."
"Not yet," Evelyn said.
He looked at her.
"Excuse me?"
"If we cancel it immediately, whoever is responsible will know we're investigating."
"Eight million dollars is at stake."
"And fourteen million already disappeared. We need evidence connecting the transactions to the person controlling them."
Ruth nodded.
"She's right about the evidence. But we can contact the bank's fraud department and request a confidential hold while preserving the records."
Nolan looked at Evelyn.
She raised one eyebrow.
"See? We can protect the money without frightening everyone in Boston."
He almost smiled.
Almost.
But the possibility that his brother was involved remained between them.
That evening, Nolan arranged a private meeting with Graham at the family home.
Evelyn objected immediately.
"You can't confront him without evidence."
"I'm not confronting him."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Having dinner with my brother."
She stared at him.
"You haven't had a relaxed dinner with Graham in three years."
"Then we're overdue."
Evelyn knew better than to believe that.
Still, she understood what Nolan wanted.
He needed to see his brother.
To watch his face.
To decide whether the man he'd protected since childhood was capable of stealing from injured workers.
Graham arrived wearing a navy suit and carrying a bottle of expensive wine.
He smiled when he saw Evelyn.
"You're looking better."
Nolan noticed her stiffen.
"Better than when?" he asked.
Graham blinked.
"She wasn't feeling well at the gala."
"The gala was last night."
"Yes."
Nolan studied him.
"You left before the announcement."
Graham shrugged.
"Once you stopped the orchestra, I assumed we were finished."
He placed the wine on the table.
"Some donors are furious, by the way."
Evelyn looked at him.
"Over a postponed announcement?"
"Over the way it happened."
"My husband was worried about me."
Graham's smile softened.
"Of course. Family comes first."
But Evelyn noticed something unusual.
Graham didn't ask why she had been unwell.
He didn't ask whether she needed help.
He simply looked at her side, where the loose sweater concealed her injuries.
Then he looked away.
During dinner, Nolan mentioned the employee injury fund.
"Martin's old accounting system needs an audit," he said.
Graham paused with his fork halfway to his mouth.
"What kind of audit?"
"Routine review."
"Why now?"
"We're expanding the foundation."
Graham set down his fork.
"Martin handled those records. I don't know where everything is."
Nolan watched him.
"You're the foundation's chief financial officer."
"And Martin was our institutional memory."
For the first time, Graham sounded irritated.
"Look, Nolan, you put me in charge of donor relationships. I didn't ask to inherit every problem your father created."
The table fell silent.
Evelyn looked between them.
"What problems?"
Graham pushed back his chair.
"Nothing."
Nolan's voice hardened.
"Sit down."
Graham stopped.
Then, slowly, he sat.
For one moment, Evelyn saw the younger brother who had spent his entire life trying to earn Nolan's approval.
"You always do that," Graham said quietly.
"Do what?"
"Talk to me like I'm one of your employees."
Nolan said nothing.
Graham laughed bitterly.
"Dad spent twenty years telling me I wasn't tough enough to run the business. You spent the next fifteen proving him right."
Evelyn felt a flicker of sympathy.
Then Graham looked at her.
"And now your wife is going to audit me?"
"I didn't say that," Nolan replied.
"You didn't have to."
Graham stood.
"Good night."
Nolan let him leave.
Only when the front door closed did Evelyn speak.
"He knows something."
Nolan nodded.
"But I don't think it's what we assumed."
"Why?"
"Because he's frightened."
"Of you?"
"Maybe."
Evelyn looked toward the hallway.
On the console table lay the bottle of wine Graham had brought.
She noticed a folded card beneath its ribbon.
She picked it up.
There was no greeting.
Only an old photograph.
It showed Nolan and Graham as boys standing beside their father at Warehouse Twelve.
On the reverse, someone had written:
Ask Nolan what happened to Thomas Bennett.
Evelyn slowly turned toward her husband.
"Why would Graham want me to ask you about an accident?"
Nolan stared at the photograph.
May you like
His face lost all color.
"Because," he whispered, "Thomas Bennett wasn't injured in an accident."
