What Victor had done felt different.
It was pain without a clear location.
“I met Victor after Daniel d/i/ed,” I said.
Priya nodded.
“He helped settle the insurance claim.”
“He handled everything. Taxes. Investments. The farm’s pension accounts.”
“Did your husband know him?”
“No. Victor was recommended by the insurance company.”
Samuel sat across from me.
“We checked his licensing history this afternoon. He had no formal complaints.”
“That means he was careful,” Priya said. “Not honest.”
She opened a spreadsheet.
“At first, the missing amounts were small. Five hundred dollars. Twelve hundred. Two thousand. They were labeled as administrative expenses.”
I stared at the screen.
“I never noticed.”
“You were grieving. You were running a farm. And the documents were designed to look routine.”
She moved to another page.
“After two years, the withdrawals increased. Mr. Hale created false investment accounts and sent you fabricated statements.”
