The forensic accountant was a quiet, precise man named Howard Lindqvist, a former IRS criminal investigator who now worked for corporate boards that suspected someone was stealing from them. He charged $650 an hour. I paid his $25,000 retainer from my personal savings account, the one Martin didn’t know existed, funded with money I’d saved from my law firm years.
As a director and trust beneficiary, I had the legal right to inspect Voss Meridian’s books. Margaret sent a formal demand letter to the company’s general counsel at nine that morning. By noon, Howard had read-only access to the accounting system.
It took him eleven days.
He laid it all out on Margaret’s conference table on a gray Thursday afternoon.
“The expenses for Ms. Hayes are real,” he said. “The apartment, the car, the jewelry, the resort trips. About $1.1 million over four years, all booked as business expenses and approved by Mr. Martin Voss. Those are personal expenses run through the company. They’ll need to be repaid, and there are tax consequences.”
He turned the page.
“But that’s not the main problem. Every one of those expenses was also approved by the CFO, Adrian Voss. And every time, he approved an invoice for about forty percent more than the actual cost.”
“Forty percent more?” I said.
“The apartment lease is $6,800 a month,” Howard said. “The company has been paying $9,500 a month for it to a property management company called Lakeshore Hospitality Partners LLC. Lakeshore pays the real landlord $6,800 and keeps the difference. The Range Rover lease is $2,100 a month. The company pays Lakeshore $2,900. The Cabo trip cost $14,500. The company paid Lakeshore $21,000.”
He set down a printout from the Illinois Secretary of State’s business database.
Lakeshore Hospitality Partners LLC was formed four years earlier. Its registered agent was a law office in Schaumburg, and its sole member was Clara M. Hayes.
“Clara owns it,” I said.
“Clara owns it,” Howard said. “And here’s where the money goes after it lands in Lakeshore’s account.”
There were monthly transfers from Lakeshore to a brokerage account at a bank in the Cayman Islands. The beneficial owner listed on the account opening documents was Adrian H. Voss.
Total skimmed through Lakeshore over four years: $1.87 million.
“But that’s still not the biggest number,” Howard said, almost apologetically, and turned one more page.
It was the term sheet for the $340 million credit line Voss Meridian was negotiating with the banks, the same deal that required Martin’s key-person life insurance. Section 14.3 named a “Designated Successor” to serve as CEO if Martin died or became incapacitated during the life of the loan.
The Designated Successor was Adrian Voss.
And the $50 million key-person policy would be paid to the company, which Adrian would then be running.
Specialty: Emotional Turning Points
Rachel Monroe writes character-driven stories about betrayal, second chances, and unexpected resilience. Her work highlights the emotional side of family conflict — the silences, the misunderstandings, and the moments when someone quietly decides they’ve had enough.