He Bet $10,000 the Black Waitress Couldn’t Speak German — Unaware She Was a Court Interpreter!
Chapter 9
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"Tell her to compare the dates." Then she left before Ruth could ask anything else.The sheet was a copy of the invoice in Nia's name. At the bottom was the date generated: two days after Victor handed her the check.Nia called Owen. "This proves the invoice came later.""It helps, but we need the original record. Celia has it." There was a pause. "Owen?""I requested the financial attachments this afternoon.""And?"He exhaled. "There are payments listed to a consulting firm I've never heard of. Victor told me they were approved expenses.""Were they?""Marta says no."Nia looked toward the living room where Lily was reading to her grandmother. The bet had seemed cruel; the accusation had seemed personal. Now there were payments, missing attachments, and a woman too frightened to hand over a piece of paper herself."Owen, what exactly did I interrupt?"The next morning, someone called the church office. Then a false review appeared on her listing, and another. By noon, she had received a message from an unknown number:You already got paid. Stop.Nia saved it. She showed Ruth. Ruth read the words twice, then locked the office door."We're reporting this.""It could be anybody.""Then let somebody investigate anybody."Nia tried to return to work. During a meeting that afternoon, she lost her place. "I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?" She apologized and asked the speaker to repeat it. Her voice sounded normal; her hands did not feel normal.When she went downstairs, Lily was sitting beside Ruth doing homework. A man near the entrance lifted his phone. Nia stopped. He turned away quickly and walked out."Who was that?""He asked about renting a room."Nia went to the window. The man crossed the street and got into a dark car. For a moment, she could not move.That night, she checked the front door three times. Her mother watched from the sofa. "You don't have to pretend you're calm.""I'm trying not to scare Lily.""Then sit beside her. Fear gets louder when everybody is in a different room."Nia sat. Lily leaned against her shoulder. "Are we in trouble?""No, baby.""Then why do you keep looking at the window?"Nia kissed the top of her head. "Because I'm worried.""About the man who lied?""Yes."Lily thought about that. "Does he know you tell words for a living?"Nia looked at her. "He knows.""Then he should have picked somebody else."Nia hugged her.At the restaurant, Owen spread the financial documents across his desk while Marta joined by video. Her company's advisers had compared the versions: the German materials described grants for kitchen equipment and training; the English payment instructions routed a large early payment through an outside firm. Victor had described that firm as an independent project partner, but it shared a mailing address with one of his businesses.