Page 51 of Silent Menace
The man was perceptive. It was unnerving. Again, she deliberated how much to tell him. She couldn’t deny his observations, but she hadn’t wanted to lead with that subject. But if her suspicionswere correct and these incidents were somehow related to whatever was going on at Eukaria, they were relevant to this meeting.
She took a deep breath. “There have been multiple attempts on my life over the last few days.” The trunk incident counted since she very well could have died there.
He cocked his head to the side, and she thought she caught a glimmer of surprise in his eyes. What had he been expecting her to say? Had he thought she was a victim of domestic violence or something? If he’d checked her background as thoroughly as he’d indicated, he knew she was widowed and probably gathered that she hadn’t waded back into the dating game.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you know who is behind these attacks or what their motive is?”
“Unfortunately, no. However, there is a very real possibility that someone discovered my questions about certain findings in Eukaria’s accounts and doesn’t want me to reveal what I know.”
He leaned back. “And what do you know?”
She hit a few keys on her laptop, and a set of spreadsheets appeared on the large wall monitor. Beginning with the clearly misappropriated funds, she presented her findings to him. His expression didn’t change as she went through the evidence, but when she paused for a breath, he turned his gaze on her. Anger simmered there.
But his voice was surprisingly calm when he said, “Thank you, Mrs. Nieland. I will begin an inquiry at once. I will track down the individual stealing money from our firm.”
She nodded. “I hope you identify them quickly. But that’s not all I’ve found. I think the problem goes much deeper.” She opened a new spreadsheet—one detailing the suspicious payments. “As I worked through the accounts, I came across a large number of red flags. I realize some of these may be legitimate business expenses, but coupled with the missing funds, they strongly indicate a more serious issue.”
Mr. Luque remained quiet as she explained her concerns. When she finished, he stared at the screen for several moments. Electricity, and not the good kind, seemed to pulse through the room, weighting the air with tension.
Finally, he turned back to her. The anger she’d observed ten minutes earlier had been replaced with cool calculation. “Good work, Mrs. Nieland. I appreciate your attention to detail.”
“That is my job.”
A rakish grin split his face, but his eyes remained hard. “I was also very pleased with your colleague’s work. Mr. Pierce knew how to handle the intricacies of our accounts.”
She tried not to let her puzzlement show. She’d just shown him evidence that Frank hadn’t handled their accounts well at all.
Without giving her a chance to protest, he continued. “But Frank and I had an agreement that, it would seem, left him with some confusion about what needed to be brought to my attention.”
Her brain started to buzz. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
“I appreciate your concerns—and the fact you came directly to me to voice them. Someone has clearly embezzled funds from Eukaria, and as I said, I will take care of that issue. However, these other things...” He fluttered a hand at the screen. “They aren’t anything to be perturbed about. If I had been informed sooner about Frank’s death and your assuming of his responsibilities, I would have let you know that before you went to so much trouble.”
“So you’re telling me all these subscriptions, purchases, and payments are legitimate?” She held her breath as she waited for his answer. Deep down, she knew there was no way that was true. Something fishy was going on at Eukaria Investments. If the CFO couldn’t see that, he was either incompetent ... or he was complicit.
Dread filled her at the thought. She’d really, really hoped thisman would be an ally in her quest to find answers and bring the guilty parties to justice.
She didn’t think she’d given any indication of where her thoughts were going, but Mr. Luque seemed to sense her realization. He held her gaze with an intensity that made her skin crawl. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, could hardly think.
The CFO leaned toward her. “Let’s not pretend we don’t understand each other. Eukaria Investments does what it claims to do. My uncle’s firm employs quite a few people, pays plenty in taxes, and satisfies its clients with record-breaking returns. If some of its methods are unconventional—that is of no concern to you. You will, of course, inform me immediately if there is direct evidence of theft or an inconsistency that needs to be corrected to avoid attracting attention in an audit, but otherwise, you should assume everything else is as it should be. In return, I will see to it that you are rewarded privately for your services. And I will provide you with protection against any further attacks on your person.”
Hailey could hardly believe what she was hearing. She shook her head slowly, then faster. “I can’t be involved in this.”
His hard gaze turned glacier cold. “Forgive me if I did not make myself clear. This isn’t a request. You will be ‘involved,’ as you put it. It’s too late to back out now.”
She jutted her chin, anger starting to rise. Who did this man think he was? “I don’t thinkyouunderstand. I’m not going to break the law for you or Eukaria Investments or anyone else.”
A muscle ticced in his jaw, but instead of responding directly to her refusal, he pulled a small photograph from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. Studied it. Ran his finger over it.
Though she hadn’t yet seen the subject of the photo, Hailey’s nerves tingled. She wanted to snatch it from his hands and see what he was about to bait her with, but she restrained herself. He’d show her when he was ready. She refused to let him know how much of an effect he was having on her.
After several more tension-filled seconds, he placed it face up on the table between them. An image of herself holding Jenna in their front yard, both of them looking off to the side and smiling as if it were the happiest moment of their lives. She caught her breath. Had she seen that photo before? Had she even been aware it was being taken? She couldn’t remember.
“You clearly love your little girl. I think you’ll realize how important your cooperation is to your family’s well-being.” He returned the photo to his pocket and stood, his frame towering over her. “Think about it. I’ll give you until Monday.” He strode toward the door. Just before he reached it, he paused, not bothering to look back at her. “One more thing, keep this little conversation to yourself. Getting the police involved would be a very bad idea. I have resources in place. I’ll know if you contact them, and there will be grave consequences.” With that, he was gone.
Hailey stared after him. For a moment, she could hardly think or breathe. The man had threatened her as casually as a 1950s mobster.
She couldn’t—wouldn’t—cover for a money laundering operation. She also couldn’t let Jenna be harmed. And he’d mentioned her family almost as if he was referring to more than just the two of them. Would he put a hit out on her parents too? Her cousins? At least her siblings lived out of the region, but she didn’t know how far his influence reached. And was it just him? His uncle was Eukaria’s CEO. It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume this was a family operation.
