Schemes Come to Naught novel · Chapter 12 of 24
Chapter 12: Two Certified Copies
The townhouse was empty when I got home.
Valeria's coat was gone from the hook, her car was gone from the curb, and her side of the closet hung open and bare.
On the dresser lay the engagement ring, set neatly in its velvet box with the lid up.
There was no note.
I called her seven times.
Every call went straight to a voice saying the mailbox was full.
I did not sleep.
At eight the next morning I stood on the marble floor of the First Ohio branch downtown, in yesterday's shirt, in front of a man in a gray vest.
He had asked me to sit.
I hadn't.
"Mr. Lowell, I'd rather say this in my office."
"Say it here."
He swallowed.
"The Lowell Family Trust held three accounts with us. Checking, savings, and a brokerage sweep. As of nine o'clock Thursday night, all three were empty."
I heard it.
I didn't understand it.
"Empty."
"The trustee initiated the transfers herself, in person, between four and six that afternoon. Ms. Soto was the signer. Under the trust agreement, she needed nobody's approval." His fingers tightened on the folder. "The funds went out in three wires to a company in Delaware. We tried reaching her Friday. She hasn't returned our calls."
"How much?"
"Two million, three hundred and ninety thousand dollars."
I laughed.
It came out ugly.
"That's not possible. That's every cent. I have a debit card. I paid for a cake with it yesterday."
"It was declined," he said gently. "Our system flagged it yesterday."
Keep reading free with an account. Start Schemes Come to Naught from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.
← Chapter 11 · All chapters · Chapter 13 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend