Her eyes met mine.
“A return from the year your father died.”
“That’s normal.”
“It wasn’t his.”
My mind sharpened.
“Whose name?”
My mother opened her handbag.
Ruiz immediately stepped forward.
“Stop.”
Mom froze.
“What is in the bag?”
“A photocopy.”
“You removed it?”
“No. I copied it.”
Ruiz sighed.
“Please tell me you wore gloves.”
My mother looked mildly offended.
“My husband raised a forensic accountant.”
A tiny smile appeared on Ruiz’s face.
“Fair point.”
Mom pulled out a clear plastic sleeve.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
She handed it to Detective Ruiz.
Ruiz placed it on the tray.
I looked down.
It was not a tax return.
It was a Form K-1.
A schedule showing income allocated from a business entity.
The company name read MERCER NORTH HOLDINGS.
My gaze moved to the recipient.
For a second, the letters made no sense.
Then they arranged themselves into a name I knew.
