Chapter 10 - The First Theft
Victor had been stealing in smaller amounts for nearly six years.
Long before Simone became involved.
Expense reimbursements.
Inflated mileage.
Fake equipment repairs.
Small enough that Andre never noticed.
Then Simone discovered irregularities while helping with bookkeeping.
She could have told Andre.
Instead she approached Victor.
That was how their partnership began.
Simone had not been recruited innocently.
She had seen theft and recognized opportunity.
Victor introduced her to methods already working.
Simone introduced Darren.
The operation grew.
By the time Maya walked into Andre's office, the three had become dependent on one another.
Trust was gone.
Only mutual exposure remained.
The revelation changed Andre's understanding of his marriage.
Simone had not begun stealing because Darren manipulated her.
She had made a choice after discovering Victor's dishonesty.
Then another.
Then hundreds more.
Still, Andre resisted reducing her entire existence to those choices.
That was difficult.
Maya made it harder in an unexpected way.
“Was Simone ever nice?”
They were driving home from therapy.
Andre glanced at her.
“Yes.”
“Then why did she turn bad?”
Andre considered correcting the language.
Instead he asked:
“What do you remember?”
“She used to make pancakes shaped like hearts.”
Andre remembered.
“She did.”
“She taught me to braid friendship bracelets.”
“Yes.”
“And she took care of me when I had the flu.”
“Yes.”
Maya stared out the window.
“So was that fake?”
Andre's instinct was to say yes.
It would simplify things.
But he didn't believe it.
“No.”
Maya turned.
“I think people can do real good things and real terrible things.”
“That doesn't make sense.”
“I know.”
“Did she love me?”
Andre took a breath.
“I think she did in whatever way she understood love.”
“Then why hurt me?”
“Because loving someone doesn't automatically make you honest, safe, or good at loving them.”
Maya thought about that for a long time.
“So love isn't enough?”
“No.”
“What else do you need?”
Andre smiled sadly.
“Respect. Truth. Responsibility.”
Maya nodded as if filing the answer away.
At home, Andre received notice that Simone wanted to speak with him through attorneys.
He refused.
Then a letter arrived.
He considered throwing it away.
Instead he gave it to his attorney.
The letter contained no apology to Andre.
It contained an offer.
Simone would provide information helping recover stolen company funds.
In return, she wanted Andre to make one commitment.
Do not cut Noah and Kayla out of his life.
Andre read the request twice.
He expected money.
Property.
Leniency.
Instead Simone asked for something involving the children.
His attorney warned him:
“It may be sincere.”
“Or strategic.”
“Yes.”
Andre looked at photographs on his desk.
Maya.
Noah.
Kayla.
Four years of birthdays and school plays.
Whatever Simone and Darren had done, the children did not disappear from Andre's heart.
“Noah already calls me.”
“And?”
“I answer.”
His attorney nodded.
Andre declined to make any legal bargain involving the children.
But he sent one message through counsel.
Noah and Kayla are not responsible for their parents' choices.
Nothing more.
The following day Simone began cooperating.
She identified accounts.
Passwords.
Shell vendors.
A storage unit containing company records.
And the location of $138,000 in remaining stolen funds.
But she also revealed something Andre had not anticipated.
Victor had planned to frame her for everything.
And he had created documents designed to make Andre believe Simone alone had engineered the fraud.
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For the first time, Andre realized that the people who conspired together had always been preparing to betray one another.
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