Chapter 7 - DANIELA’S NUMBERS
Marcus Bell found the company records in the least dramatic place possible.
A bankruptcy filing.
Vargas Construction had nearly failed the year after Mateo’s conviction.
To renegotiate debts, Gabriel submitted several years of business statements.
Daniela’s bookkeeping files were attached to older supporting records.
Marcus compared them with bank deposits.
There were discrepancies.
Large ones.
During the eighteen months before Daniela’s death, more than $186,000 had been transferred from the company operating account into a series of short-term vendor payments.
Several vendors were legitimate.
Three were not.
Their mailing addresses traced back to properties associated with a man named Raymond Price.
Raymond had run a private lending business.
High interest.
Few questions.
Gabriel had borrowed heavily after using company money to cover losses on two failed house-flipping investments.
Daniela discovered the transfers.
Mateo had never known.
Nina showed him the numbers.
He felt stupid.
Not innocent.
Stupid.
“Daniela tried to tell me.”
“You didn’t know what she found.”
“I told her not to accuse my brother without proof.”
“You were trying to protect your family business.”
“I was trying to avoid an argument.”
Nina gave him a tired look.
“Sometimes those are the same mistake.”
One detail bothered Marcus.
Daniela had apparently begun reversing some payments shortly before she died.
She was moving money back into the company account.
That suggested Gabriel knew she had discovered him.
Then Marcus found an email Daniela had sent the company accountant.
Subject:
Need to discuss irregular withdrawals.
The accountant replied asking to meet Monday morning.
Daniela died Saturday night.
Gabriel had testified at trial that Daniela was not involved in “serious company finances.”
Another lie.
Nina submitted the new material to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit and filed notice that Mateo intended to seek post-conviction relief.
Nothing happened immediately.
Weeks passed.
Mateo learned that hope had bureaucracy.
Then Marcus called Nina from the courthouse archive.
He had found the original crime-scene property log.
One item was missing from everything produced to Mateo’s trial attorney.
A handwritten note recovered from Daniela’s desk.
The evidence description read:
Possible financial figures / family business.
The note itself had apparently been returned to the Vargas family after investigators deemed it unrelated.
Nina stared at the form.
“Who signed for it?”
May you like
Marcus read the name.
Rosa Vargas.
