Page 76 of Miss Treated

She sneered. “No offense, but as the owner’s son, is it necessary for you to put in the effort?”

Ouch. Guess I could count her out as someone who would be helpful. No matter what I chose to do at my father’s company, it was an uphill battle to earn respect.

She went a step further. “If you ask me, I think you should probably stay in your lane. Same with your little auditor friend.”

I arched a brow, fighting my irritation. “That you talking or Sophia?”

Her face turned red, which gave me some satisfaction.

“Guess I’m not the only one who should stay in their lane. As the manager of sales, you should have no worries about an accounting auditor. Have a good day, Shauna.”

Chapter Forty

Kelsey

This was my third meeting with Mr. Chambers since finding the fraudulent checks. Although we’d gone over all the documentation, the man still hadn’t wrapped his head fully around the truth.

“I don’t understand why they didn’t just come to us for the money they needed.”

“I’m guessing it could be pride.”

His frustration was obvious. “Where was her pride when it came to stealing?”

“I don’t know.” Far be it from me to guess.

He shook his head. “I apologize. I’m reacting emotionally instead of professionally. You’ve done a hell of a job, Kelsey. Truly.”

It didn’t feel like it. Especially since I was in love with someone who’d be caught up in the collateral damage. “What will you do?”

He sat back and shrugged, the gesture of uncertainty uncharacteristic of him. “To be honest, I’m not sure yet.”

The evidence gathered thus far was damning, but we were missing one piece. “We could set up a trip wire on SQL and catch her in the act of making the back-end change.”

“I suppose that’s an option if I can’t get the information about who’s behind SA Associates from the secretary of state. The company wasn’t listed with the county recorder under a DBA.”

When a company set up a bank account, they showed proof of ownership. Finding the link between Sophia and SA Associates was the last piece of the puzzle. “Will you go to the police?” In my last case, the FBI had gotten involved; in another, they’d decided to keep it out of the press and had sued the employee privately. There were a number of avenues to be pursued, but since Sophia was family, I imagined Gerard wouldn’t involve the authorities. Then again, who knew?

“I need to break the news to my wife, but I won’t do it before tomorrow’s party. I don’t want to ruin it for everyone.”

“When will you tell Dominic?”

“After the party.”

“Did you want me to stick around and follow through with process improvements or—”

“No. It’s not necessary. It’s not the process at fault.”

“I disagree. If Sophia didn’t have SQL access, the fraud would’ve been picked up sooner. Also, if she had a designated backup to perform her duties, and she’d been forced to take time off, which could’ve found it sooner too.” There was a reason most financial institutions required employees take two weeks off. It was a guard against fraud.

“You can write up a report and submit it. I’ll take a look at some of the changes you suggest.”

Boy, Dominic wasn’t kidding when he’d said his father had a hard time with change. “I’ll do that. Um, unless you need me here on site, today can be my last day.”

“I hate to take up any more of your time, so let’s make today the last one. Please send me your invoice along with your report.” He rose out of his chair and extended his hand. “After the dust settles, I’ll be sure to recommend you. You did excellent work, and I especially appreciate your discretion.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chambers. You have all you need for the police or insurance company, but I’m available if they have questions. I’ll send the final report with suggested process improvements next week.”

“Terrific. And don’t forget the invoice.”