Chapter 3 - The Unraveling Alias
At 8:00 AM the following morning, I walked into the downtown headquarters of Voss Financial. Instead of heading to my desk in the auditing wing, I took the executive elevator directly to the top floor.
Marcus Vance, the Managing Director of Voss Financial and a former colleague from my state attorney general days, was sipping espresso when I entered his corner office without knocking.
"Elena?" Marcus set his cup down, surprised. "I thought you were taking the morning off to finish the Grant audit files."
"The Grant files are finished," I said, sliding a thick manila folder onto his glass desk. "And so is Sophie Grant’s husband."
Marcus frowned, picking up the folder. "What are you talking about?"
"Page four," I instructed, standing over him. "Sophie’s husband, 'David Grant,' is actually Daniel Mercer—my husband who supposedly died in 2021. His mother, Celeste Mercer, used Voss Financial's client accounts to launder twelve million dollars of fraudulent life insurance payouts through Aegis Holdings."
Marcus’s face went completely pale as he scanned the bank routing numbers, wire transfers, and forged death certificates I had compiled over the last eight hours.
"My God, Elena..." Marcus looked up, horror in his eyes. "If this leaks before we isolate these accounts, federal regulators will shut Voss down by noon."
"Then you better call the Department of Justice right now," I said smoothly. "Because I already sent a duplicate file to Deputy Attorney General Thomas Sterling fifteen minutes ago."
Before Marcus could respond, his desk phone chimed. He pressed the speaker button with a shaky finger.
May you like
"Mr. Vance," his secretary announced nervously, "there is a Mrs. Celeste Mercer downstairs in the lobby. She insists on seeing you immediately regarding an urgent personal matter."
I smiled—a sharp, uncompromising smile. "Show her up, Marcus. Let’s welcome my mother-in-law to the party."
