Chapter 73 - The Invoice in the Wrong Folder
The forensic review identified a payment request buried in the TriBeCa project correspondence. It was addressed to a consulting firm linked to one of Alden's associates and described work on valuation strategy.
The invoice by itself was not illegal. The problem was that parts of the same work appeared to have been billed through another vendor account without clear disclosure.
“Duplicate services?” I asked Miriam when she described the limited finding.
“Potentially. The investigators are reconciling the invoices and deliverables. Nobody should conclude more yet.”
I knew what they would need: contracts, time records, actual reports, proof of payment, and someone willing to explain the scope.
Sarah called that evening. “It's infuriating how ordinary the documents look.”
“That's what documents do.”
“Do you think Adrian knew?”
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“I don't know.”
For once, that answer didn't make me feel weak. It made me careful.
