The Call
1087 Words
Camille stared at her phone as it kept ringing. Elena reached across the table and put her hand over Camille's.
"Don't answer it here," Elena said. "If he asks where you are, tell him you're at the doctor. Nothing more."
Camille took a breath and answered the call, holding the phone to her ear. "Hi, Julian."
Elena watched her sister's face as she listened. Camille's eyes moved back and forth, and her voice stayed thin and careful.
"I'm at a checkup," Camille said. "The doctor wanted to see me again about the blood pressure. I told you about this yesterday." She paused, listening. "No, I'm alone. I'll be home in an hour."
She ended the call and set the phone down on the table, her hand still shaking.
"He believed you?" Elena asked.
"I think so," Camille said. "He's been checking on me more than usual since last week. I thought it was because he was worried about the pregnancy. Now I don't know what to think."
Elena leaned forward. "Tell me exactly what you heard him say to Voss. Every word you can remember."
Camille rubbed her hands together before speaking. "It was two nights ago. I was in the guest room at Julian's house. I wasn't supposed to be there, but I couldn't sleep at my own apartment anymore. I heard Julian on the phone in his study. He said, once things are finalized with the board, he needs Voss to set up an account somewhere outside the country. He said something like, once the baby comes, we move her before anyone starts asking questions. I didn't understand what that meant until now."
"Did he say your name?" Elena asked.
"He said, we move her," Camille said. "I assumed he meant me."
Elena sat back, thinking. "Did he mention any amount of money? A number, an account, anything specific?"
"He mentioned two million," Camille said. "I remember because it startled me. I didn't know Julian had access to that much on his own."
Elena's mind went to the shell company Maxwell had shown her that morning. Two million dollars moving through an account tied to Camille's name, right before the child was born, matched exactly what Maxwell suspected.
"Camille, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest," Elena said. "Did you know your name was on a company account? Something Richard Voss set up?"
Camille's face went white. "How do you know about that?"
"Answer the question," Elena said.
"Voss came to me about four months ago," Camille said. "He said Julian wanted to set aside money for me and the baby, separate from the divorce settlement, so nothing would get complicated later. He had me sign papers. I didn't read all of them carefully. I trusted him because he's been our family's lawyer for years."
"That account isn't for you," Elena said. "It's being used to move money out of the company before the fraud gets discovered. Your name is on it because if anyone finds it, you're the one who takes the blame, not Julian, not Voss."
Camille's hands went to her mouth. "They're setting me up."
"I think so," Elena said. "And if what you heard is true, they might be planning to move you somewhere far away once the baby is born, somewhere it would be difficult for you to come back and explain anything, especially if the money disappears from that account right after."
Tears started falling down Camille's face. "I didn't know any of this when I started seeing Julian. I thought I loved him. I thought he loved me. I didn't think about what it would do to you, and I definitely didn't think I'd end up in the middle of something like this."
Elena did not reach out to comfort her. Too much had happened for that. But she also did not walk away.
"I need you to do something for me," Elena said. "I need you to keep acting normal around Julian and Voss. Don't tell them you spoke to me. Don't tell them you know about the account. If they think you're still cooperating without asking questions, we have time to find proof before they move you or the money."
"And if I do that, what happens to me?" Camille asked.
"If you help me get proof of what they're doing, I'll make sure you're protected when this becomes public," Elena said. "You'll still have to answer for the affair. That part isn't going away. But you won't go to prison for fraud you didn't fully understand you were committing."
Camille wiped her face and nodded slowly. "Okay. What do you need me to do first?"
"Get me a copy of the documents Voss had you sign," Elena said. "Take pictures if you can't take the originals. And if Julian or Voss mention the account again, remember every detail. Numbers, dates, names."
Camille nodded again, more steady this time. "I can do that."
Elena stood up and placed enough money on the table to cover both their drinks. "I have to go. Don't contact me directly again. I'll reach out through a number you don't recognize."
Camille grabbed her arm before she could leave. "Elena, I am sorry. I know that doesn't fix anything, but I am."
Elena looked at her sister for a long moment. "I'll decide how sorry you are by what you do next, not by what you say now."
She walked out of the cafe and called Maxwell as soon as she was outside.
"She confirmed it," Elena said. "Two million dollars, moved through the account under her name, timed around the baby's birth. Voss set it up and told her it was for her protection."
"That's enough to move faster," Maxwell said. "I'll have my people trace the account today. If the transfer hasn't happened yet, we still have a chance to freeze it before Julian and Voss finish covering their tracks."
Elena reached her car and got in, gripping the steering wheel without starting the engine. "Maxwell, there's something else. Camille said Julian talked about moving her somewhere once the baby comes. I don't think he's planning to just cut her off financially. I think he's planning to make sure she can't come back and testify against him at all."
There was a pause on the line. "Elena, if that's true, we're not just dealing with fraud anymore."
"I know," Elena said. "Which means we need to move faster than either of us planned."
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