Claire immediately said,
“Your phone says you did.”
“No.”
“Then why is it there?”
Elijah stared at the screen.
“Because someone sent it to my personal account.”
Claire shook her head.
“You're making this more complicated than it needs to be.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Ma'am, maybe you should let him finish.”
Claire glared at him.
“Who are you?”
“Daniel Ortega.”
She recognized the name.
Her expression changed slightly.
“Ortega Construction?”
“Yes.”
“You own it?”
“Yes.”
Claire looked between the two men.
“What does that have to do with this?”
“Nothing.”
Daniel smiled.
“But I have known Elijah for twenty-nine years.”
Claire looked at Elijah.
“You expect me to trust someone just because he has friends?”
“No.”
Elijah's voice became softer.
“You don't have to trust me.”
He pointed toward a chair.
“But you should sit down.”
Claire stared at him.
“Why?”
“Because what you're about to learn may take longer than five minutes.”
Something in his voice made her hesitate.
Finally, she sat.
Daniel pulled out the chair across from her.
Elijah remained standing.
He looked at the phone.
“Your payment yesterday was forty-seven dollars and eighty cents.”
“Yes.”
“Our register shows one payment of forty-seven dollars and eighty cents.”
“Yes.”
“Your bank shows another payment for forty-seven dollars and eighty cents.”
“Yes.”
“And this morning, someone transferred forty-seven dollars and eighty cents into my personal account.”
Claire stared at him.
“Exactly.”
“But I didn't send it.”
Claire frowned.
“I didn't either.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“Then someone else did.”
Elijah nodded.
“Yes.”
Claire looked at the screen.
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“Then find out.”
Elijah gave a small smile.
“That is what I am trying to do.”
Claire leaned back.
For the first time, her anger began to turn into curiosity.
“Can you trace it?”
Elijah looked at Daniel.
Daniel shook his head slightly.
Elijah said,
“Not from this phone.”
“Why?”
“Because the sender's information has been hidden.”
Claire stared at him.
“That is possible?”
“Yes.”
“Who would do that?”
Elijah did not answer.
Daniel did.
“Someone who didn't want to be identified.”
Claire looked at him.
“That sounds like a crime.”
“It might be.”
The diner became quiet again.
Claire looked at Elijah.
“Are you saying someone used my account?”
“Maybe.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“Are you involved?”
Elijah looked directly into her eyes.
“No.”
She studied his face.
There was no fear.
No anger.
No defensiveness.
Only sadness.
And somehow that bothered her more.
“Then why is the money in your account?”
Elijah slowly sat down.
“Because this isn't the first time.”
Claire froze.
“What?”
“It happened last month.”
Daniel looked at him.
“You didn't tell me.”
“I didn't know what to tell you.”
Claire leaned forward.
“How many times?”
“Three.”
“And you kept the money?”
“No.”
Elijah looked at her.
“I returned it.”
“To whom?”
“I couldn't.”
“Why?”
“Because there was no sender.”
Claire stared at him.
“What did you do with it?”
“I donated it.”
Claire blinked.
“You donated stolen money?”
“I donated money that wasn't mine.”
“To where?”
“A shelter.”
Daniel smiled faintly.
“That sounds like Elijah.”
Claire looked at him.
“What shelter?”
“The Hope House.”
Claire knew it.
Everyone in town knew the Hope House.
It was a small shelter for homeless families located behind the old Methodist church.
Elijah had volunteered there for years.
Claire suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“Why didn't you report it?”
“I did.”
“To whom?”
“The bank.”
“And?”
“They told me it was a technical error.”
Claire shook her head.
“Banks don't just create transfers.”
“I know.”
“Then why didn't you investigate?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“I couldn't get the information.”
Claire looked at her phone again.
Something was bothering her.
She opened the banking application.
She tapped the first transaction.
Then the second.