Chapter 8: The Witness Who Disappeared
Victor Hale arrived at the police station wearing a navy suit and carrying a leather briefcase.
I saw him through the glass partition before the investigator led me into the adjoining interview room. Our attorney had advised me not to contact him directly, and I had no intention of confronting anyone without the authorities present.
Victor looked older than he did in Marcus's photograph.
His silver hair had thinned, and he walked with a slight limp. But when he noticed me, his expression changed.
“You're Marcus's wife,” he said.
“I was.””
He lowered his eyes.
“I'm sorry.””
I had heard those words so many times that they had almost lost their meaning.
“Did you know my husband?””
“Yes.””
“Did you know Derek?””
Victor glanced toward the investigator.
“I knew him professionally.””
“Then why did Marcus write that one of you was lying?””
His face tightened.
The investigator intervened.
“Mr. Hale, we're here to establish what you know about the financial records and Marcus's final evening. Please answer the questions directly.””
Victor sat down.
For several seconds, he studied his hands.
Then he opened his briefcase and removed a thin folder.
“I was the financial director for the construction company. Derek worked for one of our subcontractors, but he had access to some of the project records.””
“Was he authorized to approve payments?”” the investigator asked.
“Not directly. He could submit vendor information and supporting documents, but he wasn't supposed to authorize transfers.””
I leaned forward.
“Then why was his name on the documents?””
Victor swallowed.
“Because someone used his credentials. At least, that's what the system showed.””
“Could he have done it himself?””
“Yes.””
“Could someone else have?””
Victor hesitated.
“Yes.””
The investigator asked him to explain the disputed transactions.
Victor described several payments made to a consulting company that appeared to provide services the construction firm had never received. Marcus had noticed inconsistencies and begun comparing invoices with project schedules.
At first, Victor said, he believed the errors were administrative.
Then Marcus discovered that the same credentials had been used to approve transactions on dates when the account holder was supposedly unavailable.
“Marcus came to me,” Victor said.
“He believed someone inside the company was moving money through false invoices.””
“And what did you tell him?”” I asked.
“I told him to document everything.””
“Did you help him?””
Victor looked at me.
“Not enough.””
I waited.
He opened the folder.
Inside were copies of internal emails, several transaction summaries, and a printed calendar entry.
The date was the evening Marcus died.
Beside the time, someone had written: *Meeting—private.*
“Who was he meeting?”” I asked.
Victor shook his head.
“I didn't know at the time. I only learned about the appointment later.””
“Who told you?””
“Derek.””
The room went silent.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Derek told you about Marcus's meeting?””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“The morning after the accident.””
My voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Why would he know about a private meeting?””
Victor looked away.
“That was one of the questions I should have asked.””
The investigator leaned forward.
“Tell us exactly what happened.””
Victor explained that Derek had called him early that morning, saying Marcus had been involved in an accident. Derek claimed he'd heard about it through a mutual business contact.
Then he asked whether Victor knew where Marcus kept his financial records.
“What did you say?”” the investigator asked.
“I told him I didn't know.””
“Did you believe him?””
Victor rubbed his forehead.
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because Derek had been asking questions about the investigation for weeks. He wanted to know what Marcus had discovered and whether anyone else had copies of the documents.””
I looked at the photograph in my handbag.
“What about the man standing beside Derek?””
Victor's expression shifted when I showed him the image.
“That was me.””
I stared at him.
“You were there with them?””
“Yes. That photograph was taken at a restaurant several weeks before Marcus died.””
“Why did Marcus write that one of you was lying?””
Victor looked toward the investigator.
“I think he suspected I knew more than I was saying.””
“Did you?””
He didn't answer immediately.
Finally, he nodded.
“I knew Derek had asked for access to records he wasn't authorized to see. I also knew someone had approved payments using credentials that shouldn't have been available to him. I suspected Derek was involved, but I couldn't prove it.””
“Then why didn't you tell the police?””
Victor's face reddened.
“Because I was afraid the investigation would expose my own failures. I'd approved the subcontractor's access arrangements. I hadn't caught the irregularities early enough. If the company collapsed, dozens of employees could lose their jobs.””
I stared at him.
“So you protected your position.””
“I told myself I was protecting the company.””
“And my husband died while you kept quiet.””
Victor lowered his head.
“I have regretted that decision every day.””
The investigator asked several more questions about the financial records. Victor answered them carefully, occasionally referring to documents in his folder.
Then the investigator turned to the calendar entry.
“Who arranged the private meeting?””
Victor pointed to the bottom of the page.
A single set of initials appeared beside the appointment.
*V.H.*
My breath caught.
“You arranged it?””
Victor nodded.
“Marcus called me that afternoon. He said he had evidence linking the suspicious invoices to someone who could access both the company's accounts and the subcontractor's records. He wanted to show me before he went to the authorities.””
“Did you meet him?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
Victor's face twisted.
“Because I was frightened. I asked him to postpone the meeting. I told him I'd call him the following day.””
“And then he died.””
Victor nodded slowly.
For several seconds, the room was silent.
I thought of Marcus waiting for someone he trusted to show up.
I thought of the blue folder hidden beneath the floorboards.
And I thought of how many people had known pieces of the truth while I mourned alone.
“Do you believe Derek caused the accident?”” I asked.
Victor looked directly at me.
“I don't know. I won't lie to you. I have no evidence that proves he did.””
His honesty was painful, but I respected it.
The investigator closed the folder.
“We'll verify these claims and compare them with the existing records.””
The interview ended shortly afterward.
As I stood to leave, Victor spoke again.
“Mrs. Bennett?””
I turned.
“There's something else. Something I should have told Marcus before he died.””
I waited.
“Derek wasn't the only person with access to the financial system. Someone had created a secondary administrator account.””
“Whose account?””
Victor shook his head.
“The username was unfamiliar. But the account was activated shortly before Marcus discovered the transfers.””
The investigator immediately asked for the relevant records.
Victor promised to provide them.
Outside the interview room, our attorney guided me toward the exit.
I felt as if every answer opened another door.
Derek had lied about knowing Marcus. He had access to information related to the disputed accounts. He had asked questions about Marcus's records the morning after the accident.
But we still didn't know whether any of that explained the crash.
And we still didn't know who had sent the messages threatening Ava.
When I returned to Renee's house, Ava was waiting at the kitchen table with a plate of cookies.
She looked up anxiously.
"Did you find the bad man?""
I sat beside her.
"I found someone who knew your daddy. He told us some things that might help us understand what happened.""
"Was he bad too?""
I considered my answer.
"Sometimes adults make selfish choices. Sometimes they stay quiet when they should speak up. We have to look at what people actually did, not just what they say.""
Ava nodded thoughtfully.
Then she slid a cookie toward me.
"This one's yours.""
I smiled for the first time that day.
"Thank you, sweetheart.""
She watched me take a bite.
"Mommy, I remembered something else about the hiding place.""
I set down the cookie.
"What is it?""
"When Daddy made the secret compartment, he gave me a little key. He said it was for the second treasure.""
My heart began pounding.
"Where is the key now?""
Ava frowned, thinking.
"I put it in my jewelry box. The pink one you packed when we moved.""
I remembered the box.
It had been sitting in Renee's guest room since we'd arrived.
I went upstairs and opened it.
Inside were plastic bracelets, broken hair clips, a silver necklace from Marcus's mother, and a tiny brass key attached to a faded blue ribbon.
My hands trembled.
I carried it downstairs.
Ava pointed at the key.
"That's it.""
I looked at Renee.
"We need to tell the investigator.""
Before I could reach for my phone, it rang.
The investigator's name appeared on the screen.
I answered immediately.
“Mrs. Bennett, we've identified the owner of the secondary administrator account.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
“Who is it?””
He paused.
“The account was registered under a business identity connected to someone in your family.””
My mouth went dry.
“Who?””
The investigator's voice lowered.
“Your late husband's younger brother, Daniel Bennett.””
I stared at the key in my hand.
Marcus had told me Daniel worked overseas. After the funeral, he'd stopped returning my calls, and I'd assumed he needed distance from his grief.
May you like
But if Daniel had access to the same financial system Marcus was investigating, then he might have known more than anyone realized.
And if Derek had been hiding the truth about my first husband, I needed to know whether he had been hiding it from me alone—or whether my entire family had been involved.
