“Not tonight, Daniel.”
His smile faded.
“Gloria, this is important.”
“So is my safety.”
A pause.
Then he nodded.
“Of course.”
He turned and walked toward his car.
But before leaving, he looked back at the camera.
And for one brief second, the expression on his face frightened me.
It wasn’t concern.
It was calculation.
***
The following morning, I met Detective Grant at the station.
She had reviewed the footage.
She also had news.
The receiving account used in the six-million-dollar transfer was connected to a trust-services business.
That business had a legal adviser.
Daniel Pierce.
My heart began pounding.
“How closely connected?”
Grant opened another document.
“His firm prepared some of the corporate paperwork.”
I stared at her.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean he knew the money was stolen.”
“No,” she agreed. “But it creates a serious conflict that we need to investigate.”
I looked down.
For weeks, I’d been relying on Daniel.
