Chapter 6: What Grace Found
Grace Holloway's office was on the fourteenth floor of a building on Louisiana Street, and she had the kind of stillness about her that made you feel, the moment you sat down, that whatever was happening could be managed.
She slid a folder across the desk before I had fully settled into the chair.
"Start on page three," she said.
Page three was a summary of financial activity tied to Ethan's director-level access at Sterling Crest.
The corporate card charges I already knew about.
What I hadn't known was the rest.
"He had co-signatory access on two vendor accounts," Grace said.
"Accounts you authorized when he was brought in to oversee the Austin expansion two years ago.
He used that access to redirect payments."
"To where?"
"A private LLC registered in Delaware.
Parrish-Whitmore Logistics."
I looked up.
"Parrish," I said.
"As in Gerald Parrish.
Chloe's father." Grace folded her hands on the desk.
"The LLC was formed fourteen months ago.
Ethan is listed as managing partner.
Gerald Parrish is listed as a silent investor.
Three Sterling Crest vendor payments were redirected to that account over the past eight months.
Total amount—" She tapped the page.
"Just over $340,000."
The room was very quiet.
"Gerald called me this morning," I said slowly.
"He presented himself as a concerned father."
"He may also be that," Grace said.
"People can be two things.
But his name is on this filing, and his account received the funds." She paused.
"There's one more thing."
She turned to the last page.
"The LLC was formed the same week Ethan flew to Austin for what he logged internally as a vendor meeting.
There's no vendor on record for that trip.
But there is a hotel charge — two rooms, three nights — and a dinner reservation for four at a restaurant in downtown Austin."
"Four people," I said.
"We don't know who the other two were yet.
But the timing lines up with when Chloe says she and Ethan first met."
I sat back.
Fourteen months ago.
The LLC, the first meeting with Chloe, the beginning of the redirection.
It had all started at the same time.
This wasn't a man who had fallen into an affair and made a series of bad decisions.
This was a plan.
A slow, deliberate plan to extract money, build a parallel life, and walk away.
The $2,500 envelope suddenly felt like a joke with a very long setup.
"What are our options?" I said.
"Civil recovery is straightforward given the documentation.
Criminal exposure depends on how the DA's office reads the intent behind the LLC structure.
I'd recommend we file the civil suit first and let the paper trail speak." Grace paused.
"I also think you should know — I reached out to a contact at the DA's office this morning.
Informally.
She said if the documentation holds, they'd be interested."
"File the civil suit," I said.
"And send everything to your contact."
Grace nodded and made a note.
"There's one thing I want to be careful about," I said.
"Chloe.
She met with me today.
I believe she didn't know about the LLC.
Her father may have kept her completely in the dark."
"That's possible," Grace said.
"It doesn't change his liability."
"No.
But it changes how I want to handle the communication around this." I thought for a moment.
"Can we file without her name appearing in any of the initial documents?"
Grace considered it.
"We can structure the civil complaint to focus on Ethan and the LLC.
Her name doesn't need to be in the first filing."
"Do that."
I stood and picked up my bag.
The velvet box shifted inside it.
"Claire." Grace's voice stopped me at the door.
"He had seven years of access to your life and your company.
He could have taken far more than he did.
I think he got impatient."
"He got greedy," I said.
"There's a difference.
Impatient people make mistakes.
Greedy people make plans."
I took the elevator down alone.
My phone showed two missed calls from Ethan.
No voicemails.
May you like
Then, as I stepped out onto Louisiana Street, a third call came in — and this time it wasn't Ethan.
It was Margaret.
