I have received another document from an unidentified source. It appears to be a bank transfer record connected to the contractor agreement. I believe we need to speak before the next meeting.
Robert read it twice.
Then he looked toward Thomas, who was still standing near the board table.
Thomas had seen the message arrive.
His expression changed.
Because he knew exactly which payment Dr. Carter was talking about.
And he knew that this time, the document might reveal not only who had benefited from the agreement, but who had approved the payment after the project was supposedly completed.
Robert did not leave the community center immediately. He stood near the entrance, reading Dr. Carter's message again while the remaining residents slowly made their way outside.
The words bank transfer record kept returning to his thoughts.
Until that evening, the investigation had focused on questionable contractor selection, inconsistent complaint procedures, and the possibility that certain board members had allowed personal relationships to influence official decisions.
A bank transfer could change everything.
Robert walked back into the meeting room. Dr. Carter was collecting her papers, while Thomas Greene stood near the windows speaking quietly with the HOA secretary, Elaine Foster.
“Evelyn,” Robert said, “I received your message.”
She looked up.
“I thought you might want to see this before you leave.”
She handed him a printed copy of the bank record.
The document showed a payment of $8,500 made from an account associated with Greene Property Solutions to a private consulting company called Northfield Community Strategies.
The transfer had occurred several days after the landscaping project was completed.
Robert examined the date.
“Who owns Northfield Community Strategies?”
“That is what I'm trying to establish,” Dr. Carter replied. “The company appears to have been registered several months before the payment. Its listed business address is a small office suite in another county.”
“Was this payment included in the contractor invoices?”
“No. The HOA records contain no reference to it.”
Robert looked again at the amount.
“Who authorized the transfer?”
“The bank record identifies the account holder, but not the person who initiated the transaction. I have requested the original authorization records.”
Thomas had been listening from several feet away.
When Robert turned toward him, Thomas looked uncomfortable.
“Do you recognize this company?” Robert asked.
Thomas hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Who owns it?”
“I believe it belongs to someone Patrick Doyle knows.”
“Someone involved in the project?”
Thomas looked down.
“I don't know the full arrangement.”
Dr. Carter stepped closer.
“Mr. Greene, this is precisely why I asked for complete disclosure. If you recognize the company, I need you to explain what you know.”
Thomas rubbed his forehead.
“I was told it was a consulting payment. Patrick said the company had helped with planning and coordination.”
“Did the HOA approve that expense?”
“I don't remember seeing it approved separately.”
“Then why was money transferred?”
Thomas remained silent.
Robert closed the folder.
“Evelyn, I think we need to preserve the original banking records and refer the financial questions to an independent accountant.”
“I agree.”
Thomas looked at them both.
“Please understand something. I didn't receive that money.”
“Then help us understand where it went,” Dr. Carter replied.
Thomas nodded, but he did not offer another explanation.
Outside, Marcus was still waiting beside his car. When Robert finally approached, Marcus immediately noticed the expression on his face.
“What happened?”
Robert showed him the document.
Marcus read it carefully.
“Eight thousand five hundred dollars?”
“Yes.”
“From the contractor to another company?”
“Correct.”
“Was that money supposed to belong to the HOA?”
“We don't know yet. The payment may have been legitimate, but there is no corresponding record in the association's financial files. We need to establish what services were provided and who authorized it.”
Marcus returned the paper.
“Could this be why Thomas was so nervous?”
“Possibly.”
Marcus looked toward the building.
“Then we need to make sure the investigation doesn't stop here.”
“It won't,” Robert assured him.
The next morning, Dr. Carter contacted an independent accounting firm. She requested a review of the HOA's financial records covering the four-year period surrounding the landscaping project.
The review would examine contractor payments, approval documents, bank transfers, and any expenses that had not been properly reported to the board.
She also contacted the bank to request the relevant transaction authorization records through the appropriate legal process.
Within two days, the accounting firm had begun its work.
The first discovery was relatively simple.
Northfield Community Strategies had received three payments from Greene Property Solutions over a period of eighteen months. The combined total was $21,300.
The company had no publicly available website, no visible portfolio, and very little evidence of substantial business activity.