Chapter 3 - Olivia Had Found Money Missing From Her Business
Olivia’s studio was called Cole & Finch Interiors.
She owned:
70 percent.
Her business partner, Rachel Finch, owned:
30.
Small commercial interiors.
Luxury residential work.
Boutique hotels.
Good company.
Not huge.
The month before Olivia died, their bookkeeper flagged several payments to a vendor called:
MDC Project Services.
Consulting.
Procurement coordination.
Expediting.
At first glance:
normal.
Interior-design firms hire outside services constantly.
The problem was:
Rachel had never heard of MDC.
Neither had the bookkeeper.
Total transfers over fourteen months:
$238,600.
Not one enormous payment.
Dozens.
Small enough to:
blend.
Olivia began tracing:
them.
Who approved them?
Her credentials had.
Some were initiated from:
her account.
But Olivia told Rachel:
“I didn’t do this.”
Rachel remembered the conversation because Olivia was:
furious.
She also said:
“Madison has had access to some vendor systems since helping during maternity leave.”
I stopped reading.
Madison?
Back when Grace was born, Olivia had temporarily hired Madison as a freelance:
operations coordinator.
Only for:
six months.
Then occasional project work.
I knew that.
What I did not know was that some administrative credentials remained:
active.
MDC Project Services was registered to:
Madison D. Clarke.
Madison’s name before marrying:
me.
My stomach turned.
I called Rachel Finch.
She answered:
carefully.
“Ethan.”
“Did you know?”
A long silence.
“I knew Olivia was looking into payments.”
“Did she think Madison took money?”
“She didn’t know yet.”
“Why didn’t you tell me after Olivia died?”
“I tried.”
“What?”
“I emailed you.”
I searched.
Nothing.
Rachel forwarded:
it.
Sent twelve days after Olivia’s funeral.
Subject:
Olivia / MDC issue
The email said:
Ethan, I’m sorry to raise business questions right now, but Olivia was reviewing payments tied to Madison’s old vendor entity before the accident. I don’t want to speculate. Please call when you’re ready.
I had never seen:
it.
Then I noticed the forwarding address.
At the time, Madison had been “helping” manage my inbox because I could barely function.
I asked Rachel:
“Did anyone respond?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“Your account.”
“What did it say?”
She forwarded:
that too.
I’m aware. Olivia authorized the work. Please close the matter. I don’t want Grace dragged through accusations about someone who helped us.
Signed:
Ethan.
I never wrote:
it.
My hands began:
shaking.
Rachel said:
“I thought you were protecting Madison.”
“I didn’t know.”
Then she gave me one more piece.
The day before Olivia died, she revoked Madison’s access to:
one vendor portal.
She planned to cut the rest after meeting:
the accountant.
“Did Madison know?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Olivia told her.”
“When?”
“That afternoon.”
“What happened?”
“They argued.”
“About what?”
“Madison said she was owed money for years of unpaid help.”
“Olivia said anything she was legitimately owed could be documented.”
Then Rachel hesitated.
“Olivia told me Madison said, ‘You’re making a mistake turning this into theft.’”
I stared at:
the wall.
Olivia confronted Madison around:
3:00 p.m.
At approximately:
9:00 that night, I left for Portland.
Before midnight, Olivia was:
unconscious.
The next day:
dead.
Still, timing is not proof.
Money is not proof.
Grace’s childhood memory was not:
proof.
Then Rachel told me about one final transfer.
Most suspicious of:
all.
$42,000 moved from Cole & Finch’s operating account to MDC Project Services at:
8:17 a.m.
The morning after Olivia was already in intensive care and incapable of authorizing:
anything.
Someone used Olivia’s credentials while she was:
May you like
dying.
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