Chapter 8 - Cassandra’s Engagement Ring Came From Lucy’s Trust
The ring was the detail that finally stripped away Cassandra’s last defense.
She had always loved it.
A large diamond set in platinum.
She told everyone I chose it.
That was partly true.
I chose the design.
I agreed to the purchase.
But Cassandra insisted her jeweler could source the stone for less.
She said she would handle payment and I could reimburse her.
I never checked how the jeweler was actually paid.
The forensic accountant did.
Three days before Cassandra collected the ring, Lucy’s trust paid $46,800 to Logan’s company.
Invoice description:
Adaptive Home Safety Consultation and Child Mobility Planning.
Lucy did not require mobility equipment.
There had been no safety consultation.
The money moved through Logan’s operating account.
Then $39,500 went directly to the jeweler that produced Cassandra’s engagement ring.
The remaining amount was split between Logan and Cassandra.
I stared at the transaction record.
Then at a photograph from the wedding.
Cassandra smiling.
Her left hand resting against my chest.
Natalie’s daughter standing beside us in a flower-girl dress.
The diamond on Cassandra’s finger had been bought with money Natalie left to protect Lucy.
It was difficult to invent a cleaner symbol of what Cassandra had been doing.
She wasn’t merely stealing from a trust.
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She had been wearing Lucy’s stolen security as proof that she was joining our family.
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