Chapter 8 - The Company They Tried to Steal
At eight the next morning, I was sitting in a conference room at Meridian's headquarters.
Rebecca was on my right.
Daniel Price sat across from me.
Our outside counsel, Thomas Ellison, stood beside a screen displaying the documents Peter Walsh had delivered.
Rachel was at Helen Brooks's office several miles away.
I had deliberately kept her out of this meeting.
She needed independent representation.
I needed to act as Meridian's controlling shareholder.
Those two responsibilities couldn't be allowed to blur.
Thomas clicked to the first slide.
"Northbridge Strategic Partners appears to have submitted invoices for services it did not perform."
I looked at the amounts.
Forty-eight thousand dollars.
Seventy-six thousand.
One hundred and twenty thousand.
The list continued.
"How much?" I asked.
"Approximately $2.3 million in questionable invoices and transfers currently identified, including the property-related transaction."
I took a breath.
"Is the evidence sufficient to establish fraud?"
"Not yet conclusively. But it is sufficient to justify preserving records, maintaining the payment restrictions, and referring the matter for appropriate investigation."
"What about Rachel?"
Thomas chose his words carefully.
"Several documents bear her electronic signature. We need to determine how those signatures were obtained and used."
I nodded.
"Proceed."
Rebecca stepped forward.
"There's another issue."
The screen changed.
A corporate structure appeared.
Meridian Industrial Systems.
Carter Legacy Holdings.
Northbridge Strategic Partners.
And beneath Northbridge, three additional entities.
I leaned forward.
"What are those?"
"Companies controlled through Grant and Diane."
"Doing what?"
"Purchasing Meridian-related debt and equipment leases from third parties."
I frowned.
"Explain the objective."
Thomas answered.
"We don't yet know their complete strategy. But the records suggest they were trying to position themselves as creditors and commercial counterparties with leverage over Meridian."
I stared at the screen.
Grant hadn't simply been billing my company.
He might have been trying to gain influence over its assets and obligations.
"Could he have taken control?"
"Not directly through these transactions. Ownership remains with Carter Legacy Holdings. But he might have created enough financial and operational pressure to force negotiations."
I looked around the room.
"How long has this been happening?"
Rebecca answered.
"Possibly eighteen months."
Eighteen months.
Rachel had been married for two years.
The timing made my stomach turn.
"What about Charles?"
Thomas changed the slide again.
"Some approvals came through his office."
"Did he benefit?"
"We have not established that."
"Did he know?"
"We're still reviewing communications."
I stood.
I walked to the window.
Below us, employees were arriving for the first full workday after Christmas.
Engineers.
Warehouse managers.
Administrative assistants.
People with mortgages, children, medical bills, and plans for their futures.
To Grant, Meridian might have been a source of money and status.
To me, it was thousands of paychecks and the legacy Daniel had left behind.
I turned.
"Protect the company's operations. I don't want innocent employees paying for this."
Rebecca nodded.
"We have contingency plans for Charles's department."
"Good."
Thomas looked at his tablet.
"There's one more development."
I waited.
"Grant's attorney sent a letter this morning."
"What does it say?"
"He alleges that you're using corporate resources to interfere in his marriage."
I almost laughed.
"Of course he does."
"He also threatens litigation."
"Over what?"
"Defamation, interference with business relationships, and emotional distress."
I looked at Thomas.
"Are those claims supported?"
"From what we've seen, the letter contains broad allegations rather than substantiated facts."
"Then respond appropriately and continue the investigation."
Thomas nodded.
I sat again.
Rebecca opened another file.
"Peter Walsh also provided audio recordings."
"Are they lawful recordings?"
"We're having counsel verify that before anyone relies on them."
"What do they contain?"
"A conversation about Rachel."
My chest tightened.
"Between whom?"
"Grant and Diane."
Rebecca looked uncomfortable.
"Evelyn, I think you should read the transcript rather than listen to it without preparation."
I held out my hand.
"Give it to me."
She passed me three printed pages.
I read the first.
Then the second.
And by the time I reached the third, my hands were trembling.
According to the transcript, Grant had complained that Rachel was asking too many questions.
Diane's response was highlighted.
Then remind her what happens if her mother learns what she signed.
A few lines later, Grant said:
Once we know who controls Carter Legacy, Rachel won't matter anymore.
I stared at those words.
Rachel won't matter anymore.
My daughter had been treated like a tool.
A way into my family.
A connection to Meridian.
And now they were discussing her as though she were disposable.
I put the transcript down.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then my phone rang.
Helen Brooks.
I answered.
"Helen?"
"Evelyn, Rachel is with me."
"Is she okay?"
"She's safe."
"Good."
Helen paused.
"She remembered something about the day she signed the documents."
"What?"
"She says Grant introduced her to a man who claimed he was a corporate attorney."
I sat forward.
"Name?"
"Martin Vale."
I felt my blood run cold.
Martin Vale.
I knew that name.
He had served as Meridian's outside corporate counsel years earlier.
And he had been removed after an internal compliance review revealed serious conflicts of interest.
I looked up at Rebecca.
Then I said into the phone, "Helen, tell Rachel not to contact that man."
May you like
"Why?"
"Because Martin Vale already knows who owns Meridian."
