Then I remembered something he often said when I became frustrated with a difficult case.
Start with what does not belong.
I typed the name of the vendor that had first caught my attention in Daniel’s accounts.
Northstar Advisory.
The folder opened.
Inside were scanned invoices, bank statements, photographs, and a letter addressed to me.
My hands began to shake.
Claire,
If you are reading this, then Northstar has appeared again.
Do not assume the person signing the payment is the person controlling it. Follow the ownership backward, not the money forward. Someone close to our family has been protecting this structure for years.
I heard footsteps in the hallway and quickly closed the laptop.
Evelyn entered wearing a robe.
“You’re still awake.”
“I found something.”
We returned to the screen together. The documents showed that Northstar Advisory had existed long before Vanessa’s brother supposedly created it. The company had changed names and registered owners repeatedly, moving through layers of trusts.
