Chapter 4: The Arrest They Had Planned
The doorbell rang a third time.
Daniel stood motionless in the hallway, listening to the rain strike the windows. His mother's fingers tightened around his sleeve.
“Daniel, sweetheart, don't open it,” Margaret whispered.
He looked through the narrow glass panel beside the door.
Two men stood on the porch. One wore a dark overcoat and held a leather folder. The other displayed a badge attached to his belt.
Daniel opened the door.
“Mr. Daniel Bennett?”” the man with the badge asked.
“Yes.””
“My name is Detective Harris. This is Officer Collins. We'd like to speak with you about a financial complaint involving Bennett Development Group.””
Daniel kept one hand on the door.
“What complaint?””
Detective Harris opened his folder.
“We received information suggesting that approximately $250,000 was transferred from a company account into an unauthorized private investment fund. The transaction appears to have been approved using your credentials.””
“Then someone forged my signature.””
“That is something we'll need to establish.””
Daniel looked at the document in the detective's hand.
“May I see it?””
Harris showed him the first page.
Daniel recognized the company logo immediately. Beneath it was a digital authorization bearing his name.
But the signature was not his.
“I've never seen this document.””
“Were you aware of the transfer?””
“No.””
“Did you authorize anyone to manage your financial accounts?””
“My business partner handles certain administrative matters, but he doesn't have permission to move company funds without my approval.””
Detective Harris made a note.
“Who is your business partner?””
“Michael Reed.””
“Is he aware of this investigation?””
Daniel hesitated.
“He called me earlier. He discovered the suspicious transaction.””
Harris looked up.
“When?””
“Less than an hour ago.””
The detective exchanged a glance with his colleague.
“Mr. Bennett, we'd like you to accompany us to the station for a formal interview.””
Margaret stepped forward.
“Are you arresting my son?””
“No, ma'am. We're requesting his cooperation.””
“He hasn't done anything wrong.””
“Mom,” Daniel said gently, “it's okay.””
He turned toward Detective Harris.
“I'll cooperate, but I'm not answering formal questions without my attorney.””
Harris nodded.
“That's your right.””
Daniel reached for his phone.
Before he could call his lawyer, another vehicle pulled into the driveway.
Michael Reed jumped out, carrying a laptop bag.
“Daniel!””
He hurried up the front steps.
“Detective, I'm Michael Reed. I'm the company's chief financial officer.””
Harris looked at him.
“Mr. Reed, we were just discussing a transfer involving your company.””
“I know. That's why I'm here.””
Michael opened his laptop.
“I brought the original transaction logs.””
He placed the laptop on a small table near the entrance.
“The authorization submitted yesterday came from an external IP address. It wasn't generated from Daniel's office or his home network.””
Detective Harris leaned closer.
“Can you identify the location?””
“Not yet. But the account used to submit the request was registered using an email address associated with Lauren Whitmore.””
Daniel felt his stomach tighten.
Michael continued.
“I also found a second authorization request. This one attempted to change the beneficiary of Daniel's business insurance policy.””
Harris straightened.
“Do you have documentation?””
Michael nodded.
“Everything is here.””
For the first time, the detective's expression changed.
He closed his folder.
“Mr. Bennett, I think we need to expand the scope of this investigation.””
Daniel looked at Michael.
“What about the money?””
“The $250,000 never left the company's account. The transfer was flagged by our bank's fraud department.””
Daniel exhaled.
At least the company hadn't lost the money.
But someone had clearly intended to make it appear that he had stolen it.
Detective Harris took several photographs of the documents.
“Mr. Reed, I need you to preserve all original records. No deletions, no alterations.””
“Understood.””
The officers left after arranging a formal interview for the following morning.
Daniel watched their vehicle disappear down the street.
Then he turned toward Michael.
“Tell me everything.””
Michael looked at Margaret.
“Maybe we should talk somewhere private.””
Margaret immediately shook her head.
“No. Whatever concerns my son concerns me.””
Michael nodded respectfully.
“Then I'll be honest.””
He opened his laptop again.
“Someone accessed Daniel's company email three weeks ago. They downloaded financial reports, insurance documents, and several files related to his father's estate.””
Daniel stared at him.
“Three weeks?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“I didn't know at the time. The access was disguised as a routine administrative login.””
Michael turned the laptop around.
A list of timestamps appeared.
One login had occurred at 11:42 p.m.
Another at 2:16 a.m.
A third had happened during Daniel's bachelor party.
“Who had access to my email?””
“You, me, and the administrative assistant.””
“Lauren?””
Michael shook his head.
“Not officially.””
Daniel remembered giving Lauren his laptop password several months earlier when she needed to print an engagement announcement.
He had trusted her completely.
“Could she have accessed it?””
“Possibly.””
Daniel sank into a chair.
Margaret approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I'm sorry.””
He looked up.
“For what?””
“For bringing her into our family.””
Daniel gently covered her hand.
“You didn't bring her into anything. I chose her.””
Michael cleared his throat.
“There is one more thing.””
He opened another file.
“This is a list of payments made from Lauren's personal account over the last six months.””
Daniel stared at the screen.
Several payments were marked as consulting expenses.
One was for $8,500.
Another was for $12,000.
The recipient was a private investigations firm.
“Why was she paying investigators?”” Daniel asked.
Michael clicked the payment details.
“The company name is Cole Risk Solutions.””
Daniel immediately remembered the phone conversation.
Ethan Cole.
His former fiancée.
“Can you find out who owns it?””
Michael searched the company records.
Then he went quiet.
“What?””
Michael turned the laptop toward him.
The registered owner was Ethan Cole.
Daniel stared.
“That doesn't make sense. Ethan told me Lauren had destroyed his life.””
Michael scrolled further.
“There's something else. The company received payments from Lauren for nearly a year before your engagement.””
Margaret looked confused.
“Why would Lauren pay the man she supposedly hated?””
Daniel didn't answer.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Ethan appeared.
*Ethan: I'm leaving Boston now. I need to show you something in person. Do not trust anyone who says Lauren was working alone.*
Daniel read it twice.
Then another message arrived.
*Ethan: Especially not the person who introduced you to her.*
Daniel looked up.
Michael was watching him.
“Who introduced you to Lauren?”” Michael asked.
Daniel's face slowly changed.
“Robert Hayes.””
The same man who had stood up for Margaret at the wedding.
The same man who had encouraged Daniel to trust Lauren.
Daniel immediately called him.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then a familiar voice answered.
“Daniel, my boy. I heard about the wedding. What a terrible day.””
Daniel's voice was cold.
“Robert, we need to talk.””
“Of course. Anything.””
“Did you know Lauren before you introduced us?””
There was a pause.
Then Robert chuckled.
“Daniel, what kind of question is that?””
“A simple one.””
Robert's tone changed.
“I think you're making a mistake.””
Daniel looked at Michael.
“Why?””
Robert lowered his voice.
“Because if you start digging into Lauren's past, you might discover things about your own family that you would rather leave buried.””
The call ended.
Daniel slowly lowered his phone.
Outside, the wind shook the rose bushes.
May you like
And suddenly, the biggest question wasn't whether Lauren had planned to steal his money.
It was why Robert Hayes had brought her into his life in the first place.
