Henry handled construction.
I handled financing.
When contractors laughed at a woman asking questions about property values, I learned enough about their business to make them regret underestimating me.
When banks refused our applications, I found other lenders.
When our first investment nearly failed, I sold my jewelry to keep the company alive.
Eventually, we expanded.
Apartment buildings.
Commercial properties.
Small shopping centers.
Then larger developments.
Malcolm joined us eight years after we started.
He was brilliant with numbers.
Ambitious.
And, I believed, loyal.
When Henry died eighteen years ago, Malcolm sat beside me at the funeral.
He told me Cedarline would survive.
He promised to help me protect everything Henry and I had built.
I never imagined that one day I'd be sitting in a police station wondering whether he'd been waiting for the chance to take it.
Detective Grant opened another file.
"Mrs. Sutter, was Malcolm authorized to transfer large amounts of company money?"
