Chapter 3 - WHAT EUROPE COST
The trip cost $214,000.
Claire learned that by noon the next day.
Not airline tickets alone.
Private suites in London.
A villa outside Florence.
A chartered yacht off the Amalfi Coast.
First-class rail.
A personal shopping consultant in Paris.
A wine tour Richard had apparently described as “essential.”
The itinerary included Richard, Diane, Allison, and Allison’s boyfriend, Brock.
Ava was not invited.
Claire almost laughed when she saw that.
Her daughter’s jewelry had funded a family vacation from which her daughter was excluded.
Mara Chen, a forensic accountant retained by Samuel, traced the payments.
The sold jewelry produced approximately $463,000 net after commissions and taxes.
Only $214,000 went toward Europe.
The rest went somewhere else.
A company called Northbridge Family Services.
Claire frowned.
“What is that?”
Mara turned the laptop toward her.
“Owned by Allison.”
Claire stared.
Allison had created the company eleven months earlier.
No website.
No employees.
No legitimate operations Claire could find.
Payments from jewelry proceeds entered Northbridge.
Then went to:
credit-card balances,
a luxury car lease,
two apartment renovations,
and $86,000 transferred into a brokerage account in Allison’s name.
Claire closed her eyes.
“So this wasn’t Dad giving her a trip.”
“No.”
“It was a pipeline.”
Mara nodded.
“And your father signed the sale authorizations.”
“Mom?”
“Some paperwork lists Diane as witness.”
Claire’s jaw tightened.
“And Allison?”
“She received funds.”
Different roles.
Different knowledge.
Claire was learning quickly not to flatten everyone into one villain.
Richard appeared to drive the transactions.
Diane supported him.
Allison benefited substantially.
What Allison knew about Ava’s legal ownership would matter.
Then Mara opened one more document.
A valuation request submitted to the dealer nine months earlier.
The email came from Allison.
Subject:
Ava pieces — what can we realistically get?
May you like
Claire stared at the screen.
Now Allison’s knowledge mattered a lot more.
