I turned around.
Tears filled her eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I wanted you to know who people were before they knew what I had.”
PART 3
The investigation lasted eleven weeks.
For the first two, Charles insisted to everyone that he would be exonerated.
He wasn’t.
Auditors uncovered his involvement in directing over $4.2 million in purchasing contracts to businesses linked to his brother and a former college friend.
Contract prices were inflated.
Fictitious consulting work was invoiced.
Internal complaints were suppressed.
And documents disappeared once the audit started.
Charles was fired for cause.
His deferred compensation was frozen while litigation proceeded.
Meridian filed suit to recover losses and submitted evidence to federal investigators.
His brother’s business collapsed within a month.
Grant repeatedly called me.
I ignored seven calls.
On the eighth attempt, Rachel left a voicemail.
“Mom, please. I need to talk without Grant.”
I
