Chapter 18 - The Rest of the Money
Richard Vale’s deal came with a condition: he would speak only to me and the prosecutor, with his lawyer present. I agreed because the money mattered more than my pride. He was brought into a conference room in county custody, no longer wearing his tailored suits. Without the suit, he looked smaller, but not less dangerous.
“You’ve made a mess,” he said.
“You stole twelve million dollars.”
“I moved funds to keep the company alive.”
“You paid yourself.”
“I paid people who could get things done.”
The prosecutor slid a statement across the table. “Where did the remaining funds go?”
Richard leaned back. “A portion went to political donations, a portion to cover old debts, and a portion to a private account Eleanor controlled. She thought she was clever enough to keep a reserve in case the company turned on her.”
“Where is it?” I asked.
“An account in the Cayman Islands. The details are in a safe-deposit box.”
“Why tell us now?”
“Because Eleanor has decided I’m expendable. She sent someone to my cell with a message that I should stop talking. I don’t like being disposable.”
The prosecutor made no promise beyond considering his cooperation. Richard gave the box number and the name of the attorney who held the key. The account records traced another seven million dollars to a private company that owned several luxury properties, including a winter lodge in Vermont.
The lodge had been purchased through a chain of trusts. One trust listed Eleanor as the beneficiary. Another listed Julian.
Eleanor’s attorney issued a statement calling Richard a “vindictive criminal seeking revenge.” She denied ownership of the offshore account. Then investigators found a signed instruction bearing her initials, directing the funds into the private trust.
That afternoon, the board voted to remove her permanently as CEO. The vote was unanimous except for one director who abstained.
I thought the worst was over. Then Martha called from the courthouse.
“The judge has granted the foundation’s request for an independent administrator,” she said. “But Eleanor has filed an emergency motion to challenge your shares. She’s claiming your mother signed a new will six weeks before she died.”
May you like
“Did she?”
“No. And Eleanor has produced a document that says she did.”
