He Bet $10,000 the Black Waitress Couldn’t Speak German — Unaware She Was a Court Interpreter!
Chapter 10
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Marta spoke carefully: "We have stopped the transfer."Owen closed his eyes. "How close was it?""Tomorrow morning."He looked at the staff schedule pinned beside the door: Ruth, Nia, eleven other names. He had nearly handed Victor the restaurant and thanked him for saving it."Why blame Nia?"Marta's expression hardened. "Because she noticed a difference. He expected no one at dinner to notice."Downstairs, Victor entered the dining room. Owen heard his voice before he saw him: "We need to talk."Owen closed the office door behind him. Victor looked at the papers in his hand. "You've been busy.""The transfer is stopped."For the first time, Victor's expression changed before he could hide it. "That money is committed.""Marta disagrees.""She doesn't understand the structure.""Then explain Schedule C."Victor stepped closer. "You owe me a great deal of money, Owen.""I know.""And you have people depending on this restaurant.""I know that, too.""Then stop behaving like a man who can afford enemies."Owen's voice shook, but he spoke: "You made an invoice in Nia's name. I know what you did."Victor smiled faintly. "Can you prove that?"Celia was standing at the bottom of the stairs. Neither man had seen her arrive. She looked at Victor, then at Owen, and walked out.Nia found her waiting outside the church the following afternoon. Celia looked as if she had not slept."Can we talk? Inside?""Ruth stays."Celia nodded. In the office, she took a laptop from her bag. "I prepared the invoice."Nia went still. Ruth stood behind her chair."Victor told me the payment needed to be recorded as consulting.""You knew it was a bet.""Yes.""And you stood there while he called me dishonest."Celia began to cry. Nia waited."I need you to understand. My father is in assisted living. Victor helped arrange the payments. I couldn't lose—""Don't." Celia stopped. Nia's voice was quiet. "My mother needs care, too. You watched me lose work anyway.""I know."For a long moment, nobody spoke. Then Celia turned the laptop around. "I kept the earlier files, and the messages telling me what to change."Nia did not touch the keyboard. "Why now?""Because yesterday he told me to delete everything.""Why didn't you?"Celia wiped her face. "Because I finally understood that if this fell apart, my name would be on all of it."Ruth folded her arms. "And hers already was."Celia nodded. "Yes."Nia looked at the screen. There was a message from Victor:Replace the payment paragraph. Keep Brooks on the attribution page.Below it was Celia's reply:Did not translate the replacement.Victor had answered with six words:She took the money. Use her name.