Page 65 of Miss Treated

“Hi, Kelsey, this is Candace, your father’s wife.”

My heart dropped. Why would she be calling? “Hi, Candace, is my dad okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. I was calling to find out if you were coming for this year’s anniversary party?”

Crap. I’d forgotten all about the annual party. The one in which my father paraded his family around as if we were ever a priority to him. It was tempting to skip this year. Chance and Reid had long ago opted out; perhaps it was time for me to do the same. “I’m on assignment and—”

“Your younger brothers will all be there.”

Since all of them had different mothers and were so much younger than me, I didn’t have real relationships with them. This was a shame given how close I was with my older brothers. It had been over a year since I’d seen the youngest ones. “I’ll look into flights.”

“You could stay at the house if you’d like.”

It was kind of her to offer, but there was no way I was staying in the fortress I’d only lived in for a few years before my father moved on to his next family. “I appreciate it. I’ll let you know if I’m able to come in or not.”

“Terrific.”

I disconnected and sighed deeply. Then I quickly brought up flights on my laptop and cringed at the timing. What with the connection to get to New Hampshire, I’d have no choice but to take a half day Friday. Which meant putting in late nights this week to make up for the time off. Or I could just say no.

Why was I still so eager to please my father when he’d never shown the same level of effort? My older brothers certainly didn’t do so.

Ugh. This was what my therapist called my habit of people pleasing. It had started at a young age when I’d tried to gain affection from parents who’d doled out very little. Still, some tendencies were easier to break than others. I should at least go to see my brothers. Let them know they had an older sister who cared about them if ever they wanted a relationship. My only regret was I wouldn’t get time with Dominic this upcoming weekend.

I refocused on my computer and the file in front of me. It was an email confirming IT did not have a log of who made back-end changes via SQL. Which meant anyone could have made a change without any record of it.

The IT director had also included a listing of who had access to the SQL server.

Sophia’s name stood out on the list. If she had access to the back end of the database, she could manipulate the data after it had been processed. In other words, she could potentially alter payee information after a check had gone through the system. That way, everything would look good in an electronic audit. This meant everything I’d matched thus far could’ve been tampered with, and I’d never know it in my search.

I needed to pull hard checks from the bank if I hoped to do a true comparison.

I owed it to this project and to my professional integrity to follow this thread, for better or for worse. But I dreaded what I might find. It was time to meet with Mr. Chambers to voice my newest request.

Gerard looked up as I walked into his office. I took in his gray-peppered hair and blue eyes and thought Dominic rather favored his mother in looks. But there was no doubt his confidence came from both parents. “Kelsey, what can I do for you?”

“I need to pull physical copies of the checks from the bank. To start with, I’d like the last two years.”

“What have you found?”

“Sophia had access to SQL and the back-end database for the last year. And unfortunately, there is no record of the back-end SQL changes.”

“Wouldn’t the transaction changes be recorded in the financial system?”

“Not when they’re made from the back end. It’s why giving production SQL access is such a risk. I’m not accusing her or anyone else. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t go down this path to prove nothing was changed in the database after the fact.”

“I had no idea she had SQL access or why she’d need it. I’ll call the bank today and get you what you need. Did you get a chance to inquire about my brother-in-law’s financial status?”

“No. My brother will be back next week, and I’ll ask him then.”

He heaved a breath. “Yes. Please proceed.”

By that afternoon, I had nine hundred PDFs of check images spanning the last two years. It wouldn’t be an easy task, but I’d go vendor by vendor to compare the payee names from the hard check to what was recorded in the system. In my gut, I knew I was onto something.

A knock sounded on the door. I immediately collapsed the window on my computer. “Come in.”

Dominic walked in, closing the door behind him. The distinct sound of the lock had me raising a brow.

“What are you doing?” Although I absolutely didn’t need the distraction, he was like sunshine walking through my door. His grin only elevated the sensation.