Chapter 5: The Crime With My Signature
“The warrant has Rebecca’s name on it.””
For several seconds, I couldn’t hear anything except Clara breathing.
Then Nathan held out his hand.
“Gloria. Speaker.””
She tapped the screen.
“Evan,” Nathan said, “this is Nathan Cole, Rebecca Hale’s attorney. Tell me exactly what you know.””
A man’s voice answered.
“Two financial-crimes detectives entered the Hale residence about fifteen minutes ago. There are also federal agents present.””
My stomach dropped.
“Federal?””
“Yes, ma’am.””
“Why are they searching my house?””
“I can’t access the warrant itself. But I heard one name.””
Nathan leaned closer.
“Which name?””
“RH Property Group.””
Lauren closed her eyes.
Nathan’s expression hardened.
“Rebecca, say nothing else on this call.””
I stared at him.
“They think I did something.””
“They may be investigating an entity registered in your name. That is not the same thing.””
My phone buzzed.
Daniel again.
DO NOT TALK TO POLICE WITHOUT ME.
Then:
WE NEED THE SAME STORY.
I held the screen toward Nathan.
He took one look and said, “Screenshot those.””
Lauren whispered, “Same story?””
I looked at her.
“I don’t know what story he’s talking about.””
Another message arrived.
REMEMBER: YOU HANDLED RH. I HANDLED HALCYON.
My blood turned cold.
Lauren read it over Nathan’s shoulder.
“Oh my God.””
Nathan immediately photographed the messages with his own phone.
“Do not answer him.””
“He’s setting me up.””
Nathan looked at me.
“Yes.””
There was no hesitation.
No comforting lie.
Just the truth.
Lauren began pacing.
“This explains the accounting.””
“What accounting?””
She stopped.
“RH Property Group received payments from Halcyon.””
“How much?””
“I don’t know the total.””
“Guess.””
“Several million.””
Gloria whispered, “For what?””
Lauren looked sick.
“Consulting. Data licensing. Property services.””
“But RH was Daniel,” I said.
“On paper, RH was you.””
The room seemed to shrink.
Daniel hadn’t simply hidden assets in my name.
He had built an escape route.
If anyone discovered money leaving Halcyon, the trail would lead to his unemployed pregnant wife.
Dead weight.
Maybe that phrase hadn’t been an insult.
Maybe it had been a plan.
Nathan’s phone rang.
He checked the number.
“I need to take this.””
He stepped toward the window.
“Yes?””
His expression changed almost immediately.
“Understood.””
He listened.
“No, she will not speak without counsel.””
A pause.
“Today?””
He looked at me.
“We’re at St. Matthew’s.””
Another pause.
“Fine.””
He ended the call.
“Two investigators are coming here.””
Gloria stood.
“To the hospital?””
“Yes.””
“Rebecca just had a baby!””
“They know.””
I pulled the blanket higher around my waist.
“What do they want?””
“To ask about RH Property Group.””
Lauren grabbed her handbag.
“I should leave.””
Nathan blocked the door.
“No.””
Her eyes widened.
“You have relevant information.””
“I can’t be here when federal investigators arrive.””
“Why?””
“Because if Daniel finds out—”
“Lauren.””
I spoke her name quietly.
She looked at me.
“You came into this room yesterday wearing his ring.””
Her face flushed.
“I know.””
“You stood beside him while he told me to collect my belongings.””
“I know.””
“You knew I had given birth the day before.””
Her eyes filled.
“I know.””
“And now you want to run because helping me might cost you something?””
Lauren looked down.
The silence stretched.
Finally, she placed her handbag on the chair.
“I’ll stay.””
Forty minutes later, two people entered.
A woman in her forties introduced herself as Special Agent Maya Chen.
The man beside her was Detective Ross Mercer from the state financial-crimes unit.
Nathan remained beside my bed.
Clara slept against my chest.
Agent Chen looked at her, then at me.
“Mrs. Hale, I understand this is difficult timing.””
“You could say that.””
“We’ll keep this brief.””
Nathan interrupted.
“My client will answer limited factual questions. If I determine a question could expose her to criminal liability, she won’t answer.””
Agent Chen nodded.
“Understood.””
She opened a folder.
“Mrs. Hale, are you the managing member of RH Property Group LLC?””
“No.””
Chen slid a document onto the tray.
My name was printed at the top.
Below it was a signature.
Rebecca M. Hale.
It looked like mine.
My stomach twisted.
“That isn’t my signature.””
Detective Mercer leaned forward.
“You’re certain?””
“Yes.””
He placed another document beside it.
Then another.
Loan guarantees.
Wire authorizations.
Property transfers.
Every page carried my name.
Every signature looked frighteningly close to mine.
“I didn’t sign these.””
Agent Chen watched me carefully.
“Did you authorize your husband to sign for you?””
“No.””
“Did you authorize anyone?””
“No.””
“Have you ever received income from RH Property Group?””
“Not that I know of.””
Chen opened another page.
“Last year RH received approximately $6.2 million from Halcyon Analytics.””
Lauren made a small sound.
Chen turned.
“And you are?””
“Lauren Pierce. Halcyon’s CFO.””
Mercer’s eyebrows rose.
“The Lauren Pierce?””
She swallowed.
“Yes.””
Chen looked at her bare hand, then back at her face.
“We were planning to contact you.””
Lauren sat down.
“You don’t have to. I’m here.””
For the next twenty minutes, Lauren explained the payment structures.
Nathan stopped her twice and told her to be precise.
Then Agent Chen asked a question that changed the atmosphere.
“Mrs. Hale, did you know RH Property Group transferred $1.3 million to an offshore account nine days ago?””
I stared at her.
“No.””
“Do you know who controls the account?””
“No.””
Chen slid a photograph toward me.
It showed a banking form.
Beneficial owner:
REBECCA MARIE HALE.
My pulse hammered.
“That’s not mine.””
Nathan asked, “Where was the account opened?””
“Cayman Islands.””
“Identification?””
“Passport copy.””
I felt suddenly nauseous.
“My passport is at home.””
Chen’s gaze sharpened.
“Where?””
“In Daniel’s office safe.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Detective Mercer asked, “Why would your husband have your passport?””
“He told me we should keep important documents together.””
Gloria muttered, “Convenient.””
Agent Chen gathered the papers.
“We’ll need a formal handwriting comparison.””
“Take whatever you need.””
Nathan touched my arm.
“Within proper procedure.””
Chen nodded.
Then she reached for one final photograph.
“Mrs. Hale, there is something else you should see.””
The picture showed a laptop screen photographed during the search.
An email was open.
Sender: Rebecca Hale.
Recipient: Daniel Hale.
Subject: RH Transfers.
The message read:
I moved the money. If anyone asks, you knew nothing.
I stared at it.
“I never wrote that.””
Agent Chen said nothing.
“I swear to you, I never wrote that.””
Nathan leaned over the photograph.
“What email address?””
Chen pointed.
It was mine.
Or almost mine.
My actual address ended in @mailbox.com.
This one ended in @maiIbox.com.
The lowercase “L” had been replaced by a capital “I.””
Nathan saw it too.
“That’s a spoof address.””
Chen nodded slowly.
“We noticed.””
For the first time, she no longer looked at me like a suspect.
She looked at me like evidence.
My phone buzzed again.
Daniel.
Nathan told me not to touch it.
The message preview appeared anyway.
YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE SETTLEMENT.
Then a second.
NOW THEY’LL THINK IT WAS YOU.
Agent Chen read the screen.
Detective Mercer stood.
“Mrs. Hale, don’t respond.””
I looked at him.
“Are you going to arrest Daniel?””
“We don’t discuss operational decisions.””
Then Lauren’s phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
“Halcyon security.””
Nathan said, “Answer it.””
Lauren put it on speaker.
“Lauren Pierce.””
A panicked male voice answered.
“Lauren, we have a problem.””
“What happened?””
“Someone remotely accessed the compliance archive.””
Lauren went pale.
“Who?””
“We’re tracing it.””
“Was anything deleted?””
“No.””
The man hesitated.
“But someone uploaded something.””
Lauren’s eyes narrowed.
“What?””
“A document folder.””
“What folder?””
May you like
His answer made Nathan slowly rise from his chair.
“It’s labeled REBECCA HALE — AUTHORIZATIONS.””
