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With us both present, she begins.
“These are some of the files you sent me. I’ve printed them and I’ve circled some of the info. There’s still a bit I need to do, but I think this will give you an idea of what’s going on,” she says and hands it to me. There are several pages of data in separate columns with a few sums highlighted.
“Like I’ve told you already,” she continues, “this seems more like a targeted attack, not just an attempt to steal from the company. I mean, we both have degrees in finance. There are simpler ways to do it, without messing with the whole system in the process. That got me thinking that maybe it’s not the data—maybe it’s the system.”
She takes a shaky breath and waits for us to comment. I scan the data she’s highlighted and as I go through the pages, I see a new version of them. “This?” I ask.
“That’s what I wanted to check and—” Her warm smile and confidence are replaced by pure confusion. “These figures here don’t add up; there’s money lost in inflated expenses, and there are expenses that simply don’t exist. If you check the digital receipts from the companies, you’ve bought materials or services from, you’ll see the difference. These ones”—she points at various small sums— “are fake.”
“So, essentially money leaves the company either by overcharging for an service, where the difference goes into the culprit’s pocket or by paying expenses for services that haven’t been rendered.”
Carol nods. “What didn’t make sense to me is why. Whoever is doing this could simply create fake expenses and be done with it—that’s a common practice for money laundering. But here, it looks like the system is creating another layer of expenses that show up randomly, making it obvious that something is off. Well, not obvious, but you know, visible. It’s like a glitch. Judging by the sums in some of these transactions, the company is huge so it’s possible that none of the accountants caught sight of the differences, but the system should—”
“The system is new and there’s no way there’s been a breach there,” I say. Inflated expenses. Fake ones. Money laundering. Yet what Carol is describing doesn’t sound like an actual embezzlement attempt.
I turn to Andrew for some support, but his eyes are glued to the folder he’s holding.
“The new data are not from our system,” Andrew points out. “And those are the correct ones.”
“I’ve asked around about this, checking if there’s software that can run on top of another system and it turns out there is,” Carol continues. “But it’s very expensive, which brings me back to my original point. The sums that were embezzled are more or less what software like that would cost. If someone had the money to buy it in the first place, they wouldn’t need to steal—”
She shifts in her seat and starts over. “Let’s say that the money that is missing so far has covered the initial investment for the software and this person will start profiting from it from now on—it still doesn’t explain the way it was done. It’s not discreet enough to justify a long-term investment like this. Quite the opposite. It’s like whoever is doing this—”
“Wants to be seen,” I say and turn to Andrew who is staring back at me with a deep frown.
Carol is right. This is not just someone trying to profit off a large company. This is someone who wants to harm Reeds as a company. If the investors hear rumors of embezzlement of money laundering, it will be a huge financial hit for the company. That’s not even considering any legal issues that may arise.
I can’t help but feel like this is a personal attack; the way it has been done shows that someone wants to play mind games with me. But who? And why?
Carol shows us the rest of the folders and we go through the data there. She doesn’t tell me where she found the original versions and I don’t press her on that. What’s important is that I have a serious lead in this case.
Andrew takes out his tablet and starts tapping at it furiously before announcing that he’s made the payment to Carol. “You are all set, Carol. This has been a great help.”
“What are you going to do now?” she asks, looking at both of us.
“Another audit, official this time,” I say and turn to Andrew. “And then the police.”
“The owner first,” he reminds me.
He’s right. My father needs to know what’s happening as soon as we confirm the information Carol just gave us. Andrew takes all the folders and heads to my office.
“Will you stay for lunch?” I ask Carol.
“It’s a bit early,” Carol says, uneasy. “Besides I have plans with Rose later today.”
I take her hand and put it on my lips, kissing her knuckles. “I’m glad you came and I don’t want you to leave.” I lean in to kiss her on the lips and while she doesn’t back away, she’s not responding the way she did yesterday.
“Is there something wrong?” I ask again, feeling even more guilty. I should just tell her everything now, but the words are stuck in my throat.
Carol smiles a bit, questioning her own doubts. “Nothing, Brian, really. I was just surprised by everything I’ve discovered.”
She chuckles this time as I lean in for another kiss. Longer, deeper. She kisses me back, almost with the same passion-before she presses her hands on my chest, pushing me away. “I don’t think this is the right time or place for this,” she whispers and then adds, “I’m also very happy that I saw you now.”
With shaky legs, she gets up and I give her a hug, holding her tightly against me like it’s the last time. When she looks up again, her smile is almost a grin. She kisses me on the lips and leaves as abruptly as she came.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Carol
