Dune Road by Dani-Lyn Alexander Page B

people.” She tapped Ashleigh’s hand “Before tonight’s events, you seemed to be happier than I’ve seen you in quite some time. In my opinion, that’s worth something.”
    They continued to bicker back and forth. Her mother was a forgiving woman, never holding a grudge against anyone without reason. She always gave everyone a chance to explain their actions, but Ashleigh wasn’t sure she could be as forgiving. Exhaustion beat her. Maybe after she rested she’d be able to think more clearly. She pushed her plate of untouched pancakes away and excused herself.
    Disappointment filled her. Now that she couldn’t be with Cole, she realized how much she wanted him in her life.
    ****
    “About a week ago…” Cole glanced to his father for confirmation on the timeframe. The older man nodded, and Cole continued his explanation to the detective. “My father found money missing from our company. After watching the financial records for a few days, he concluded there was money being skimmed from several of the accounts on a regular basis. He called me in to go through the books.”
    Cole took a deep breath, his thoughts drifting to Bob, who was still in the hospital, and Ashleigh, who probably never wanted to see Cole again. How had things gotten so far out of hand?
    “Mr. Bronson?” Detective Lewis pulled Cole’s attention back to the discussion.
    “I’m sorry. I’m tired and have a lot on my mind. Where was I? Oh yeah, the accounts.” Cole ran a hand through his hair. “I went through everything from the past year and saw a pattern. Then, I dug further and discovered who was skimming the funds. Hector Lopez interned with our company when he was still in college and was then hired as a full time employee the day he graduated. He’s been with us for the better part of twenty years, and was a trusted, valued worker.”
    This wasn’t the first time an employee had been caught embezzling funds, but it wasn’t surprising, considering the size and reach of the family business. When you dealt with large amounts of money, you attracted greed. But it still stung that Hector turned out to be a thief.
    “Anyway, Hector disappeared the day before I was going to confront him. Only four people knew what was going on. Me, my father, my father’s secretary—Sara, and Bob. Someone tipped Hector so he knew to run. I have proof that he stole about six million dollars over twenty years, but on the day we contacted the authorities to have Hector arrested, he suddenly absconded. A few days later, my father received a text from Hector threatening to kill me if my father didn’t drop the investigation and all charges. Dad asked me to disappear for a little while, so I did, but I didn’t take the threat seriously. We are dealing with extremely large sums of money and greed does terrible things to a person...I should have realized that.”
    He glanced at his father. Deep worry lines creased his father’s brow and dark circles ringed his eyes. The stress on his father’s face was Cole’s fault because he hadn’t taken the situation seriously enough. He was also to blame for Bob being in the hospital, and the reason Ashleigh was put in harm’s way.
    Cole shook his head, trying to focus on the interrogation. “The day after I arrived at our cottage estate, Bob and I were running on the beach. It was Bob who discovered Sara, my father’s secretary, was Hector’s informant. There really was no other alternative. It had to have been her, no one else knew. “Then, tonight, I was told that Dennis, Sara’s son, who is one of my security personnel, disappeared. That’s when I realized Hector, Sara, and Dennis were all involved. Sara knew my father has never been good at keeping track of money. She also knew I was the biggest threat. As far as I know, Sara and Dennis haven’t surfaced, but Hector is the man who was shot by my security guard.”
    Cole stood. “Look, Detective Lewis, I really need to get to the hospital to see Bob.