Chapter 9 - The second signature
The bank confirmed it two weeks later.
Walt Bennett.
My father.
The designated Lizzy Care Account required dual signatures for cash withdrawals above $2,500 because of conditions set when the account was opened.
Gloria was primary guardian signatory.
Walt had been added as secondary authorized signer after the trust company requested additional fraud protection.
I had not known.
Why would I?
I was not guardian.
I had signed no bank forms.
The $6,500 withdrawal contained both signatures.
So did four others.
$4,000.
$5,800.
$3,250.
$7,500.
Total large cash withdrawals over fourteen months:
$27,050.
Not all automatically stolen.
Receipts eventually supported some:
Summer camp deposit paid partly in cash.
Child therapist whose small practice briefly had card-processing problems.
Home safety installation after Lizzy began sleepwalking.
Legitimate.
But several remained strange.
Then the forensic accountant found the electronics purchase.
Sterling Electronics.
$2,397.10.
Gloria had told Rebecca it was:
“A television for Lizzy’s educational room.”
Photographs from the house showed the television mounted in Walt’s downstairs den.
Eighty-five inches.
Surround sound.
Lizzy watched cartoons there sometimes.
Was it for her?
Come on.
Then another:
Mariner Tech Supply.
$4,812.
Paid from a cash withdrawal signed by both Gloria and Walt.
Equipment appeared on Walt’s fishing boat.
Chart plotter.
New marine radio.
Battery-management unit.
When confronted, Walt said:
“The boat was used for family outings with Lizzy.”
Rebecca read that sentence twice.
Then removed her glasses.
May you like
“That is ambitious.”
For Rebecca, that was comedy.
