Chapter 18 - The main truth
By the time Dana reconstructed the scheme, the truth was both simpler and uglier than I expected.
Daniel had not begun as a career embezzler.
The first improper payment happened after the West Town project needed an unexpected $42,000 capital contribution.
He authorized an inflated Lakeshore invoice.
Evan returned part of the money through the side-project LLC.
Daniel told himself he would fix it after closing.
Then another construction problem appeared.
Another invoice.
Then Daniel used the same mechanism to pay down a personal credit line.
Then hotel expenses from the affair entered corporate reimbursement.
Each step made the previous step harder to admit.
At some point, concealment became routine.
Daniel started modifying vendor descriptions himself.
Approving expenses beneath internal review thresholds.
Splitting invoices.
Moving personal charges into business categories.
Nothing technologically brilliant.
Just knowledge of the company’s weak controls.
He knew where nobody compared notes.
That was why my breakfast sentence affected him so strongly.
I invited the people you were certain would never compare notes.
That was the scheme’s weakness.
Not one incriminating document.
Separation.
Daniel controlled the board’s version.
The auditor’s version.
Evan’s version.
Melissa’s version.
Mine.
The bank’s version.
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As long as each person held only one story, Daniel appeared plausible.
Then the stories met.
