Chapter 6 - Monday morning
The forensic audit began without Claire.
Daniel tried to postpone it.
The lender refused.
At 9:12 Monday morning, Maren received a call from the audit firm.
They wanted to speak with Claire immediately.
Daniel had told them she was responsible for consolidated financial reporting.
Claire attended remotely with counsel present.
The lead auditor, James Porter, opened with:
“Mrs. Mercer, your husband informed us you left the residence after a serious family incident.”
Claire almost admired the speed.
Maren said:
“Before discussing personal allegations, we are providing evidence that Mr. Mercer knew of unauthorized trust-linked transfers and used Mrs. Mercer’s credentials without consent.”
Silence.
Documents were uploaded.
Audio.
Metadata.
Deck footage was not initially included.
It became relevant fifteen minutes later when Daniel joined the call.
He looked exhausted.
“Claire is retaliating because of an incident involving my daughter.”
Maren remained calm.
“What incident?”
Daniel described Claire “physically confronting” Ava at the barbecue.
Claire watched him.
He knew the camera existed.
Maybe he assumed it had been deleted.
Maren shared the footage.
No commentary.
The screen showed the bump.
Ava spinning.
Daniel watching.
The silence afterward lasted several seconds.
The lead auditor said:
“Mr. Mercer, you witnessed the contact?”
Daniel answered:
“I witnessed part of it.”
The camera showed his face pointed directly toward them.
Maren replied:
“We’ll preserve your characterization.”
Daniel’s attorney immediately stopped him from continuing.
Then auditors asked about the $647,500.
Daniel called them temporary internal advances.
The trust administrator said they were unauthorized.
Evan joined.
He blamed bookkeeping mistakes.
Owen’s audio contradicted both.
By noon, the lender froze Mercer Ridge’s revolving credit facility pending investigation.
The company did not collapse instantly.
But it could no longer move money freely.
Daniel called Claire afterward.
She answered only because Maren recorded the conversation with lawful notice.
“You’re destroying thirty years of work.”
Claire replied:
“You took Ava’s money.”
“I was replacing it.”
“You used my name.”
“Because you signed reports.”
“I signed summaries you misrepresented.”
“You could have come to me.”
Claire stared at the phone.
“I did.”
Silence.
Three months earlier, after Owen gave her the drive, Claire had asked Daniel whether anything unusual had happened with Ava’s trust.
He laughed.
Said Evan had made a coding error.
Promised it was fixed.
Claire remembered now.
She had given him the opportunity.
He had lied.
Daniel’s voice softened.
“Come home.”
“No.”
“Ava needs you.”
Claire’s anger sharpened.
“You used Ava to get me out.”
“That isn’t fair.”
“Rebecca told me.”
Silence.
Then:
“My sister doesn’t understand what she’s talking about.”
“Neither did Ava, apparently.”
Daniel exhaled.
“I was trying to keep the family together.”
“You humiliated your wife in front of your family.”
“You were pulling away already.”
“Because you were stealing from your daughter.”
“That word again.”
“What word would you prefer?”
Daniel lost patience.
“You have no idea what Evan did to this company.”
Claire caught it.
“What Evan did?”
“Forget it.”
“No.”
He stopped.
Claire continued:
“You keep saying you’re protecting him.”
“He has problems.”
“What kind?”
“Debt.”
“What kind of debt?”
Daniel refused.
Then Claire said:
“Clear Creek Automotive.”
Complete silence.
She knew instantly.
He recognized it.
“Daniel?”
“Stay away from that.”
“Why?”
“Because it has nothing to do with you.”
“It has something to do with Natalie.”
Daniel’s breathing changed.
“Who showed you that?”
“Owen preserved it.”
“Owen doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“Natalie did.”
“Claire.”
“She wrote that Evan paid Clear Creek four days before she died.”
Daniel’s voice became low.
“Do not go looking for Mark Voss.”
“Why?”
“He’s dangerous.”
That was not the answer Claire expected.
“What did he do?”
“Nothing to Natalie.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I asked him.”
“When?”
Daniel said nothing.
Claire’s heart pounded.
“You investigated the payment.”
“Yes.”
“After Natalie died?”
“Yes.”
“What did Mark tell you?”
“That Evan paid him to damage the SUV.”
Claire stood so quickly her chair struck the hotel wall.
“What?”
Daniel rushed:
“Not the brakes. Not anything meant to cause a crash.”
“What did he damage?”
“He said he was supposed to make it fail to start.”
Claire closed her eyes.
“Did you tell police?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Mark said he refused.”
“Did you believe him?”
“I wanted to.”
Those three words carried nine years of guilt.
Then Daniel whispered:
“I found out later he did something.”
Claire could barely speak.
“What?”
“He loosened a battery connection.”
“That doesn’t cause a mountain-road crash.”
“No.”
“Then why hide it?”
“Because Evan had already paid him to interfere with the vehicle. If police knew, they’d think—”
“That your brother killed Natalie.”
“Yes.”
“And you protected him.”
Silence.
Daniel had just admitted concealing evidence from his first wife’s death investigation.
Claire looked toward Maren.
Maren was already writing notes.
Then Claire asked the question Daniel clearly did not want.
“Why did Evan want Natalie’s SUV not to start?”
Daniel’s answer was barely audible.
May you like
“She was driving to Boulder to meet her divorce lawyer.”
👉 Daniel admitted he concealed Evan’s attempt to interfere with Natalie’s SUV before her death, transforming the old financial cover-up into evidence of deliberate intimidation surrounding the fatal crash.
