Chương 10
“No,” she said. “I don’t.”
Vanessa twisted the ring around her finger. “Daniel’s father wants his money back. Daniel thinks Dad used the investment to cover old debt. If the sale fails, they may sue.”
“Get the documents.”
“Dad won’t give them to me.”
“Ask Daniel.”
“He won’t answer.”
“Then you need your own lawyer too.”
Vanessa gave a tired laugh. “Great. A family of lawyers. Grandma would be thrilled.”
“Grandma hid cash in a flour tin because she didn’t trust banks.”
“She hid twenty-dollar bills. Not half a million.”
Claire remembered the blue flour tin in Margaret’s pantry, the lid dented on one side. Her grandmother had paid the lawn boy from it and denied having cash whenever Richard asked.
A memory surfaced: Margaret at the kitchen table, telling Claire to study contracts because “men write down the version that feeds them.”
Claire had been sixteen. She had thought it was bitterness from an old woman whose husband had controlled the checkbook.
“Did Grandma ever talk to you about the trust?” Claire asked.
Vanessa shook her head. “She told me not to marry anyone who liked golf too much.”
“Daniel plays golf.”
“He hates it. That’s why his father likes him less.”
The laugh came to both of them this time, small and unwanted.
Vanessa wiped her eyes. “What do you want me to do?”
“Tell the truth about last night.”
“To whom?”
“My lawyer. Maybe the buyer’s counsel.”
“Against Dad.”
“About what happened.”
“That is the same thing.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
Vanessa looked unconvinced.
Claire reached across the table but stopped before touching her hand. “He will keep making you choose him until you choose something else.”
Vanessa pulled her cup closer. “You already chose something else.”
“Yes.”
“Was it worth it?”
Claire thought of her apartment in Boston, the first one with a radiator that knocked all night. She thought of eating cereal over the sink because she owned one bowl, of calling home and hanging up before anyone answered, of the first boss who praised her for not needing much and the second who warned that being low-maintenance was a good way to disappear.
“Some days,” she said.
Vanessa looked at her for a long time. “That is the first honest thing you’ve said to me.”
On Monday, the lender froze new advances.
The company could still operate from collections, but only if customers paid on time and suppliers did not shorten terms. Richard notified department heads that discretionary spending was suspended. By noon, rumors moved through the factory that Cypress Ridge had withdrawn.
Claire learned this from Linda, who called her personal cell.
“Your father told people the buyer found a family lawsuit,” Linda said.
“There is no lawsuit.”
“Yet?”
“Yet.”
“He also said you raised concerns.”
“That is true.”
“You want me to tell folks what?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing is losing.”
“I can’t use you to manage employee opinion.”
“I didn’t offer to be used. I asked what is true.”
Claire looked at the legal memorandum Rebecca had sent.
“The deal is paused,” she said. “The buyer is reviewing undisclosed financial issues. No decision has been made.”
“Are jobs safe?”
“I don’t know.”
Linda was quiet.
“Teddy asked me whether to postpone his wife’s treatment,” she said.
“What?”
“Not the treatment. A different drug. Insurance approval is in process. He’s afraid coverage will end.”
“The company has not announced layoffs.”
“People don’t wait for announcements when medicine costs nine thousand dollars.”
Claire closed her eyes. “Tell him not to change medical decisions based on rumors.”
“You tell him.”
“I can’t speak for the company.”
“You brought the buyer.”
“I am recused.”
Linda sighed. “That word is doing a lot of work.”
The call ended without anger, which felt worse.
Claire called Evan.
He answered from an airport lounge. “I cannot discuss active diligence with you.”
“Can Cypress Ridge issue a neutral statement that the transaction remains under review?”
“That would be unusual.”
“Richard is telling employees the buyer withdrew.”
“Did he say that in writing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then we cannot respond to every rumor.”
“People are making medical decisions.”
Evan was silent.
Claire continued. “The lender froze advances. If the company misses payroll, the asset value drops and workers suffer before you decide anything.”
“You are making the seller’s argument.”
“The seller is not wrong about everything.”
“I know.”
“What can you do?”
“I can bring an emergency bridge request to the committee, secured by receivables, but we would need access, controls, and seller consent. It may look coercive.”
“It may be coercive.”
“Yes.”
“And if you do nothing?”
“The company may stabilize through collections.”
“Or not.”
“Correct.”
Claire pressed her fingers against the legal pad. “Bring the request.”
“You are recused.”
“I am not directing the deal. I am telling you a risk exists.”
“Claire.”
“Please.”
Evan exhaled. “I will raise it. No promises.”
The forensic accountant began work Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, she had traced the original trust transfer.
The $600,000 had included Claire’s $470,000 share and Vanessa’s $130,000 share. Of that, $480,000 went into Mercer Woodworks. Forty thousand paid overdue property taxes on the house. One hundred twenty thousand funded Vanessa’s condo purchase. Forty thousand of the company transfer later returned to Mercer Family Holdings, then paid the deposit on Vanessa’s wedding venue and a personal credit-card balance in Richard’s name.
The company had repaid $107,300 over four years.
The remaining balance in its records, $412,700, matched the principal still owed to Mercer Family Holdings but not the separate family expenditures.
The trust had received no interest.
Rebecca removed her glasses. “Your father has treated the holding company as a drawer.”
They sat in the same riverfront conference room. A barge moved slowly below, pushing a load of gravel north.
“Did Mom sign?” Claire asked.
“Two transfers. Not the condo payment.”
“Did she benefit?”
“The property taxes preserved the house. Some credit-card charges appear household-related.”
“Appears.”
May you like
“Yes.”
“Could the buyer complete the acquisition and put enough in escrow to resolve this?”
