Chapter 7 - The Pattern in the Numbers
Melissa obtained records from Vivian’s bank with Vivian’s authorization.
The pattern was clear.
Audrey had withdrawn money shortly before mortgage payments, payroll shortages, insurance premiums, and overdue credit-card balances.
She hadn’t been spending Vivian’s money on jewelry or vacations.
She had been keeping a collapsing household functional.
That made Vivian sadder.
It did not make the theft acceptable.
Then the bank’s fraud specialist noticed something Vivian had overlooked.
Three transfers had been initiated from Vivian’s home IP address.
Vivian had been in Charleston visiting friends on each of those dates.
Audrey still possessed an old key at the time.
Vivian called her.
“Were you inside my house while I was away?”
Audrey went quiet.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I needed the computer.”
“You have a laptop.”
“My banking app was locking me out.”
Vivian closed her eyes.
“You came into my house and used my computer because you thought it would look like me.”
Audrey started crying again.
Vivian didn’t comfort her.
For the first time, she could see the architecture of the deception.
Audrey had not been acting impulsively.
She had been managing appearances.
For Vivian.
For Damon.
For creditors.
For herself.
And Damon’s violence had erupted inside a structure Audrey had spent months building.
Melissa advised Vivian not to confront either of them further until they had preserved the financial records and clarified exactly what representations had been made to lenders.
Vivian agreed.
She also made a harder decision.
She removed Audrey as beneficiary from the emergency-access arrangements on every account.
Not from her will.
Not yet.
But from anything Audrey could touch while Vivian was alive.
The following morning, Damon called.
His voice had lost its arrogance.
May you like
“What did you do?”
Vivian knew immediately someone had stopped extending him credit.
