Chapter 20: The Children's Wing Money

Delphine laid the bank statements on the boardroom table at ten that night.

"The gala fund," she said. "It pays for every charity event the company runs."

She tapped the top page.

"Jarrett chairs the committee. His signature releases the money."

"How did you get these?"

"My assistant owes me a favor. She printed them and told nobody."

Stacks of paper covered the long oval table.

Rafe stood at the window with his arms crossed.

I sat down in the chair at the head of it, because it was the one nearest the light.

"Give me ten minutes," I said.

"For what?"

"I count things for a living. When a count is wrong, it's wrong in the same spot every time."

I went down the page with a pen.

Rig company: eighteen thousand dollars, paid by transfer the Monday before the fair.

Flowers for the donor dinner.

Linen, sound, a string quartet.

I stopped.

"There," I said.

"Where?"

"Wednesday before the fair. Cash withdrawal, twenty-four thousand dollars. The memo says stage lighting."

"The stage lighting was in the rig order," Delphine said slowly. "Eighteen thousand. It's already paid."

"Then what is the twenty-four?"

Nobody spoke.

"That's a stand-in at two thousand," I said. "A housekeeper's wages and a florist's tip."

"A rig crew told to change an order and forget it," Delphine said.

"And a florist to put a baby monitor in the roses," Rafe said.

I turned the page toward them.

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