The $68,400 he had taken from our joint account was only a small part of the total.
The investigators also found evidence that Richard had been preparing to leave the country. He had made inquiries about overseas accounts, arranged meetings with Adrian Vale, and kept copies of documents at a separate address.
I learned most of this through Margaret, who was careful not to reveal details she was not authorized to share.
The evidence concerning Sophie was even more disturbing.
Investigators were examining whether the proposed trust had been intended to disguise the movement of money through an arrangement involving a child who had no understanding of what was happening around her.
No one had established that Sophie herself had been harmed, and I refused to assume otherwise.
But the questions surrounding her identity and the proposed financial arrangement were serious enough that the authorities were treating the matter with urgency.
