Chapter 14 - The Money Behind the Maintenance
The payment was labeled as a performance bonus.
Seventy-five thousand dollars.
Transferred through a Vale Development subsidiary to Owen Price shortly before the forged easement was filed.
The amount was unusual.
Owen's annual salary was considerably less than the transfer.
More importantly, the company's ordinary compensation records contained no explanation for such a bonus.
Detective Bennett examined the transaction alongside the security logs and property documents.
Money alone did not prove criminal conduct.
A bonus could be legitimate.
But its timing mattered.
And so did the work Owen had performed.
Investigators obtained additional company records through lawful process.
An internal email described the payment as compensation for "special project coordination."
The project code matched Crescent Point Marina.
Owen's name appeared on the distribution list.
So did Graham's.
The detective highlighted the date.
Nine days before the pool incident.
Daniel learned about the financial connection through information his attorneys could properly share from the ongoing civil dispute.
He sat silently as Rebecca explained the records.
"Seventy-five thousand dollars," he repeated.
"Yes."
"For turning off cameras?"
"We don't know that the payment was solely for that. The records connect him to the broader project."
Daniel rubbed his temples.
"He's been working in my house for two years."
Rebecca nodded.
"That gave him access to systems and information other people wouldn't have."
Daniel remembered how Owen had installed extra cameras after several packages disappeared from the porch.
He had thanked him.
He had praised his professionalism.
He had even recommended him to a neighbor.
Now the same man was linked to a forged property transaction and a suspicious camera outage.
Daniel felt foolish.
But Rebecca stopped him before he could blame himself again.
"Trust isn't evidence of negligence by itself," she said. "The question is what you do now that you know more."
Daniel looked toward the courthouse documents.
"What happens to Owen?"
"That depends on what investigators can establish and what charges prosecutors decide are supported."
Daniel nodded.
His anger had not disappeared.
But he was beginning to understand that accountability required more than naming someone as guilty.
It required proving what they had done.
That afternoon, Elena attended a meeting with an employment attorney.
She brought Owen's termination message and the notebook containing her observations.
The attorney explained that her rights would depend on the circumstances of her employment and the applicable laws.
He did not promise an easy victory.
Elena appreciated that.
She had spent too much time listening to people who made promises while hiding their intentions.
Afterward, she visited Daniel and Ellie.
Ellie opened the apartment door holding her teddy bear.
"Mrs. Ortiz!"
Elena knelt.
"Hello, sweetheart."
Ellie hugged her carefully.
"Are you still my friend?"
Elena looked surprised.
"Of course."
"Even though Vivian fired you?"
"That doesn't change how I feel about you."
Ellie stepped back.
"Can you come to my school play?"
Elena smiled.
"If your daddy says it's okay and you want me there, I'd be honored."
Daniel stood in the kitchen doorway.
"She's been practicing her lines all week."
Ellie frowned.
"I only have three."
"Three very important lines," Daniel said.
Elena laughed.
For several minutes, the apartment felt warm and ordinary.
Then Ellie noticed Elena wasn't wearing her gardening gloves.
"Are you going to work somewhere else?"
"I'm looking."
Ellie thought about that.
"Maybe the people will be nicer."
"I hope so."
That evening, after Ellie went to sleep, Daniel received a call from Rebecca.
"The court has ordered preservation of the relevant business records," she said.
"Good."
"And Owen's attorney has contacted the prosecutor."
Daniel straightened.
"Why?"
"He may be interested in discussing cooperation."
Daniel felt a sharp surge of hope.
"Does that mean he'll tell the truth?"
"It means he's considering his options."
Daniel looked toward Ellie's bedroom.
Through the open door, he could see the brown teddy bear beside her pillow.
"What if he lies again?"
"Then his statements can be tested against the records."
Daniel walked slowly to the window.
Outside, apartment lights glowed across the courtyard.
For the first time since the pool incident, he imagined the people who had frightened Ellie becoming frightened themselves.
But Rebecca's next words stopped him.
"Daniel, there's one more thing."
"What?"
"The company records include correspondence about your daughter's trust. Graham wasn't simply asking whether you had signed."
Daniel gripped the phone.
"What was he asking?"
Rebecca paused.
"He wanted to know whether Ellie herself had discovered the original trust restrictions."
Daniel stared into the darkness.
May you like
Graham had been tracking what an eight-year-old girl knew.
And Daniel was beginning to understand that the pool attack had followed a specific discovery.
