Arthur called at 9:17 on Friday morning.
I was in the study, reviewing the property documents with Mara, when his name appeared on my phone. For several seconds, I considered letting the call go to voicemail.
Then I answered.
"Vivian."
His voice sounded tired.
"Arthur."
"I understand you've been receiving documents about the old investment."
I looked at Mara. She raised one finger, silently reminding me to be careful.
"How did you hear about that?"
"The investigator contacted me."
That was reasonable. The police had indicated that they intended to interview him.
"Do you know what happened to the money?"
There was a pause.
"Yes."
The answer came so quietly that I almost missed it.
"Then I think we should talk."
"Not over the phone."
I agreed to meet him at a café near the courthouse. Mara insisted on accompanying me, although she would sit at another table unless we needed her.
The café was almost empty when we arrived. Rain streaked the windows, and the smell of fresh coffee mixed with the damp wool of our coats.
Arthur was already there.
He looked older than he had the previous morning. His gray hair was uncombed, and the skin beneath his eyes had darkened. He stood when he saw me but didn't attempt to hug me.
"Thank you for coming."
I sat opposite him.
"Tell me about the $420,000."
He folded his hands on the table.
"That money was supposed to help Julian establish his business."
"Why was it transferred to Vantage Capital?"
"Because Daniel Mercer was handling the investment."
"Who was Daniel Mercer?"
"A financial adviser. He worked with several small companies and private investors. Julian had met him through a business association."
Arthur looked down at the table.
"At the time, I believed he was competent."
"What happened?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"The investment failed. The company lost most of the money."
"Most?"
"Some of it was recovered. Not enough."
I leaned forward.
"Where did the rest go?"
Arthur took a breath.
"That's the part I should have told you years ago."
He explained that the original investment had been structured as a loan to a development project. Mercer had promised to secure a commercial property and lease it to a design business that Julian planned to establish.
The building in the photograph had been part of that arrangement.
But the property had never been transferred to Julian's company. Instead, it was purchased through a separate entity and later refinanced.
Arthur had tried to recover the funds, but Mercer had claimed that the project had incurred unexpected costs. Legal action would have been expensive, and Arthur feared that Julian's new business would collapse if the dispute became public.
"So you accepted the loss?"
"I accepted the explanation. At least initially."
"And then?"
Arthur looked toward the window.
"Then I discovered that some of the money had been moved through accounts that weren't included in the original agreement."
My fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
"Did you tell the police?"
"No."
"Why not?"
He didn't answer immediately.
"Because Julian begged me not to."
I sat back.
"You're saying Julian knew?"
"Not everything. But he knew enough to understand that the investment wasn't what Mercer had promised."
Arthur's expression tightened.
"He said Mercer had manipulated the accounts and that he was trying to recover the money privately. I believed him."
"Did you?"
"Yes."
I looked at him for a long moment.
"Then why did you never mention it when Julian began asking me for money?"
Arthur's shoulders sagged.
"Because I thought the problem had been resolved."
"Had it?"
"No."
The word landed between us.
He admitted that, over the following years, he had helped Julian with several smaller financial emergencies. He believed the business would eventually recover and repay the original losses.
Some of those payments had gone directly to the company. Others had been routed through entities Arthur didn't fully understand.
"Did you know about the guarantees signed in my name?" I asked.
"No."
"Did you know Julian was using Elena's company?"
Arthur shook his head.
"I didn't even know he was involved with her until recently."
I watched him carefully.
He seemed sincere, but sincerity wasn't proof. He had already admitted that he had ignored warning signs because acknowledging them would have forced him to confront his son's behavior.
"Did Julian ever mention Vantage Holdings?"
Arthur frowned.
"No. The name means nothing to me."
"Then why was your transfer used in the older transaction?"
"I don't know."
For the first time during the conversation, he looked genuinely frightened.
I pushed the photograph of the commercial building toward him.
"Do you recognize it?"
He studied the image.
"Yes. That's the property Mercer purchased."
"Who owns it now?"
"I thought it had been sold."
"To whom?"
Arthur shook his head.
"I don't know."
Mara joined us then, carrying a slim folder.
She asked Arthur whether he would provide a formal statement to the investigators. He agreed, although he looked uneasy when she explained that the interview would include questions about every payment he had made to Julian's company.
Before we left, Arthur reached for my hand.
"Vivian, I need you to understand something. I never wanted any of this to happen."
I withdrew my hand gently.
"I believe you didn't want it to happen."
He looked at me.
"That's not the same as saying you did nothing wrong," I continued.
His eyes filled.
"No."
We parted outside the café.
On the drive back, Mara remained quiet until we reached the courthouse.
"He's withholding something," she said.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because he described a failed investment, but he couldn't explain the later transfers. Either he genuinely doesn't know, or he's avoiding a part of the story."
I looked through the windshield at the rain.
"Do you think Julian was involved from the beginning?"
"I think we need the records before deciding."
That afternoon, the investigator sent us a new development. The commercial building had been sold twice. The most recent purchaser was a company registered under the name Northbridge Property Group.
Its director was Daniel Mercer.
But the registered address belonged to an office suite occupied by Julian's company until three years earlier.
I read the message several times.
The building that had supposedly been lost in a failed investment had returned to the orbit of Julian's business.
And the financial trail was still active.
At 5:40, Mara called.
"They found another transfer," she said. "A payment from Julian's company to Northbridge made just two months ago."
I stood in the kitchen, staring at the empty counter where the divorce papers had been.
"How much?"
"Seventy-five thousand dollars."
I closed my eyes.
The company had been in financial trouble. Julian had told me that he couldn't pay suppliers, that payroll was at risk, and that my money was the only thing standing between him and bankruptcy.
Yet someone had been sending substantial payments to a property company connected to the very investment that had supposedly failed years earlier.
"Is the payment legitimate?"
"We don't know yet."
I looked toward the study.
"Then we find out."
Click here to continue reading: PART 7: The Woman Who Managed Julian’s Accounts Brought a Ledger to My Attorney, and One Handwritten Note Exposed a New Betrayal
The Money Left My Account, and My Husband’s Gratitude Concealed a Betrayal Already Waiting Behind Closed Doors
Part 6 of 20
