Emily read the name on the check three times.<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer Benefits Consulting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek remained seated, elbows on his knees, hands clasped so tightly that the knuckles had gone pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho owns it?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you already know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily turned back to her husband.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is a benefits administrator paying you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek rubbed his mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t personal.\u201d<\/p>\n
No one had asked whether it was.<\/p>\n
Emily heard the mistake too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat wasn\u2019t personal?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe consulting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat consulting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI helped her with some things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat things?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cData cleanup. Forms. Administrative work.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost admired how quickly he assembled the explanation.<\/p>\n
Emily did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou work in commercial insurance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why is someone in my company\u2019s benefits office paying you nearly three thousand dollars for administrative work?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was side work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you make everything complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI make things complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat came out wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt came out exactly the way you meant it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I picked up the deposit slip.<\/p>\n
The account number ended in the same four digits Linda had given me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis account received the childcare reimbursements.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s head turned.<\/p>\n
He had forgotten that detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd these checks too,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe deposit slip is for one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I showed him the amount.<\/p>\n
$2,940.<\/p>\n
Same as the check.<\/p>\n
Emily sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much money is in that account?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me a number.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe eight thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShow me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood abruptly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get to demand access to everything I have because your mother decided she\u2019s an investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found checks hidden in our daughter\u2019s piggy bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t hide them there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie\u2019s voice came from the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did.\u201d<\/p>\n
All three of us turned.<\/p>\n
She had been listening again.<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s face went rigid.<\/p>\n
\u201cSophie, go watch your movie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said nobody would look in my bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
I went to Sophie and took her hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome with me, sweetheart.\u201d<\/p>\n
This time she obeyed.<\/p>\n
I walked her into the living room, sat beside her, and asked if she wanted popcorn. She did. While I made it, my hands shook.<\/p>\n
Not because of Derek.<\/p>\n
Because Sophie had been made part of this.<\/p>\n
Perhaps she had not understood what she was hiding, but he had used her trust as storage.<\/p>\n
That felt worse than the money.<\/p>\n
When I returned to the dining room, Emily was standing by the front door.<\/p>\n
Derek had his coat on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily said, \u201cI\u2019m staying here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not keeping my children from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly what you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m saying I need space tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother fills your head with nonsense for one afternoon and suddenly I\u2019m dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one called you dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why can\u2019t the kids come home?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don\u2019t want to spend tonight arguing in front of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what you wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve never liked me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not true.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve tolerated me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI defended you more times than you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen congratulations. You can stop pretending.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened the door.<\/p>\n
Emily said, \u201cDerek.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me the login for the work account.\u201d<\/p>\n
His shoulders stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he left.<\/p>\n
The door closed.<\/p>\n
Emily stood staring at it.<\/p>\n
I wanted to comfort her.<\/p>\n
Instead, I waited.<\/p>\n
She turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you believe any of what he said?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout consulting?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
We put the children to bed at my house.<\/p>\n
Sophie asked whether her piggy bank could be fixed again. I promised we would find someone who knew how to repair ceramic properly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy used superglue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
Then she became serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid I do bad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy said it was a secret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re allowed to tell Mommy and me things that make you worried, even if someone calls them a secret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy wasn\u2019t bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say he was.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at her blanket.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said the papers were boring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey probably seemed boring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe gave me five dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor putting them in the bank?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat I was helping.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can always help by telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
After she slept, Emily and I returned to the kitchen.<\/p>\n
The papers lay in clear plastic sleeves now.<\/p>\n
I had learned enough over the previous days not to handle evidence casually.<\/p>\n
Emily looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI give copies to the officer.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd my company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat depends on what the police tell us.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rubbed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to tell them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou may.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI work there. My account was used.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you should speak to an attorney first.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn attorney?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I can\u2019t afford some huge legal case.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can afford one consultation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of attorney?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone who understands employment and financial fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n
She leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you become this person?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat person?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person who knows what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou seem like you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent today discovering that your husband may have stolen money using my identity and hidden checks in your daughter\u2019s toy. I am making one reasonable decision at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer seemed to comfort her more than certainty would have.<\/p>\n
At eleven, my phone rang.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda Mercer.<\/p>\n
I put the phone on speaker without telling her.<\/p>\n
Emily straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came to my office.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere may have been some confusion in the records you received.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat confusion?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m reviewing them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you discuss those records with anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Emily looked at me.<\/p>\n
Then Linda said, \u201cMargaret, that may have been premature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cForty-eight forged signatures did not feel premature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying you shouldn\u2019t protect yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is exactly what you\u2019re saying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m saying some of the documents may have been generated automatically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith handwritten signatures?\u201d<\/p>\n
She went silent.<\/p>\n
I continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Derek tell you I went to the police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you spoken to him today?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lie was too easy.<\/p>\n
I picked up one of the checks.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you own Mercer Benefits Consulting?\u201d<\/p>\n
The silence lasted much longer this time.<\/p>\n
Finally she asked, \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019m looking at two checks issued by that company to Derek.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Linda\u2019s breathing changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get those?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is an interesting question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you own the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the wrong answer.<\/p>\n
Not because I knew for certain she did.<\/p>\n
Because she had asked where I got the checks before denying the connection.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow familiar are you with its checks?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not discussing this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
Her voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to understand that Derek is not telling you everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily flinched.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don\u2019t know who is listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at Emily.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho are you afraid is listening?\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda did not answer.<\/p>\n
Then she said, \u201cTomorrow. Ten in the morning. St. Matthew\u2019s parking lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA church?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s public.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMargaret.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sixty-four years old, not stupid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen help me in daylight, in your office, with records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice broke slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019ve been suspended.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily\u2019s eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn internal audit found discrepancies.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the checks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many discrepancies?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means you know more than you\u2019re saying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know enough to tell you this is bigger than your forty-eight claims.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to get smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Linda lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour name wasn\u2019t the only one used.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did not speak.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were other caregivers,\u201d she continued. \u201cOther family members. Other reimbursement accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I don\u2019t have the records anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho started this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cLinda?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her next words came quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDerek didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then the line went dead.<\/p>\n
Emily stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
I called back.<\/p>\n
Straight to voicemail.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said he didn\u2019t start it,\u201d Emily whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you believe her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe she was frightened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My phone rang again.<\/p>\n
This time the caller ID showed Derek.<\/p>\n
Neither of us answered.<\/p>\n
A message arrived seconds later.<\/p>\n
EMILY, COME HOME. WE NEED TO TALK BEFORE YOUR MOTHER MAKES THIS WORSE.<\/p>\n
Then another.<\/p>\n
SHE DOESN\u2019T KNOW WHAT SHE\u2019S WALKED INTO.<\/p>\n
Emily looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnows what?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the hallway where my grandchildren slept.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re finally asking the right question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily read the name on the check three times. \u201cMercer Benefits Consulting.\u201d Derek remained seated, elbows on his knees, hands clasped so tightly that the knuckles had gone pale. \u201cWho … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-one-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14466,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14426\/revisions\/14466"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feelonestory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}