The Ridinghood Getaway

Arriving at her office Parish noticed the auditor had located his office without assistance. She moved to his door, noting he generally left it open. “Do you still have everything you need?” He looked up from his keyboard with a grimace. “You have time to answer a couple questions?” Rolling the plush white chair residing in the corner with a silver metal table to a position in front of his desk, Parish wondered what had made him banish the furniture to the corner. She refrained from asking since he didn’t look that friendly. Two vertical lines appeared between his dark eyebrows. Blayze leaned back in his chair, eying her. “I’ve found some oddities I hope you can explain.” Gazing at him with raised eyebrows she waited for the bomb to explode. “For some time now, money is regularly withdrawn from the bank account, gone for a time, then reappears.” Parish realized he was watching her reaction carefully. Did he suspect her of embezzlement? “This is the regular corporate account as opposed to the payroll or investment accounts?” “I have those account numbers and bank. No match to this number.” “Can you show me what you mean?” Blayze moved his chair over to make room for Parish. She rolled hers around to a position beside him. He opened the accounting program to the corporate bank account and showed her the entries in question. “I don’t like the looks of that.” She frowned. “I don’t work with this as a rule.” “What does it look like to you?” Was that a loaded question? “It appears the extra money in the corporate account that would normally be moved into an investment account is being diverted somewhere else.” She sighed. “But if that were the case why does it return?” “Who could answer that?” “Honestly,” she met Blayze’s pale gaze, “I’m not sure anyone except the one who did it. You could check with Tim Hogan, the CFO, he manages the investment account. You could also ask Taylor Washington. He’s the comptroller.” She paused a moment then asked, “Did you think I had done it?” She noticed a flush of color sweep up the auditor’s high cheek bones. He took a deep breath but didn’t answer. “I’d have an awful lot to lose by fooling around with the company accounting. It would never be worth it, even if I was the kind of person so inclined.” She shot him a defiant glance. He scrolled for a time through the accounting in silence. “Okay. I’ll consult those you mentioned. Also,” he appeared to debate with himself. Was he going to take another shot at her? “I’m going to check routing numbers for payroll automatic deposits.” “Is there any way to find out what bank routing numbers go to which banks? It always seemed to me the bank numbers were similar for a particular area as if the number identified the bank’s location.” He nodded. “Although it might relate to the bank’s headquarters rather than branch location.” Parish stared at him, the intensity of his pale-eyed gaze, the hovering dark eyebrows. “Are you thinking someone has been embezzling from the company?” “If the money didn’t return so soon.” He nodded. “This is a strange way to embezzle. Take the money then return it.” He grinned at her. “Usually it’s take the money and run.” “It sounds as if someone did run.” She flashed him a smile. “They just forgot to take the money.” She grabbed her chair and rolled it back to the little table. It might help to check with Midge about the other missing employees. Instead of taking the elevator she made the longer trek to the stairs and up to the third floor where a tall double door in the curved portion of brick wall opened into the area housing human resources. Midge occupied a crescent shaped desk square in the middle of the room facing the doorway with a wall of windows behind her. Parish would have preferred a lower profile place to work. She perched on the royal blue chair beside Midge’s desk. “Mr. Pashasia will probably bug you for some employee information.” “He’s done bugging you?” “I’m chief suspect. He thinks I’ve been embezzling.” Midge put her elbows on the desk resting her chin on her hands. “You’d be the first one I’d suspect, too. You look too innocent to be true.” Ignoring the quip, Parish asked, “Have you checked on the absent employees?” Most of the ones who are gone at the moment are legitimately on vacation or approved leave. Also they haven’t been gone that long. The one Sally reported to the police, Lawrence Manke, worked in IT. I checked and he just left work one day and didn’t return.” “How long ago was that?” Midge frowned. “About six weeks.” “That long. Oh, I didn’t realize it could be that long.” Parish grimaced. “Truth is when they said Mr. Moseley had been gone a month I could hardly believe that.” “Poor Mr. Moseley,” Midge assumed a mournful pose. “You didn’t even miss him.” Parish rolled her eyes. “I’ll send Mr. Pashasia over to see you. You can answer his questions better than I.” “Oh how nice. You’re going to share.” Midge rubbed her hands together. “Don’t complain when it doesn’t turn out the way you want,” Parish warned with a smile. “Darling, things never turn out the way I want. But that isn’t always bad.” Midge shot her a parting cheesy grin.