Chapter 6 - Why Daniel Met Me
The shattered cup lay between us like evidence.
I wanted Daniel to say Ryan was lying.
Instead he sat back down.
That was worse.
“You approached me because of Caldwell?” I asked.
“At first.”
The words were barely audible.
Patricia whispered his name.
Daniel ignored her.
“I met you at the Chamber dinner because I knew your firm handled distressed construction companies. Dad had talked about bringing in restructuring help. I thought if I could get an introduction—”
“You flirted with me for an introduction.”
“I liked you.”
“After?”
“Immediately.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
He dragged a hand through his hair.
“I had a reason to walk over to your table. I did not have a reason to fall in love with you.”
Ryan laughed under his breath.
Daniel snapped, “You don’t get to laugh.”
I kept my eyes on Daniel.
“When did your mother know?”
“After our third date.”
“And what did she say?”
He didn’t answer.
Patricia did.
“I said it was fortunate.”
“Fortunate,” I repeated.
“That Daniel had met someone intelligent who understood the pressures of the business.”
“You mean someone who could save it.”
Patricia’s posture remained perfect.
“Is there a difference?”
There was the woman I had been trying not to see since the wedding.
Not a monster. Not a mastermind in pearls.
Something simpler and colder: a person who believed relationships were resources.
My phone buzzed.
Marcus.
I stepped into the hallway to answer.
“I found the bank account behind Northlight,” he said. “Not all the money stayed in Patricia’s trust.”
“Where did it go?”
“Three destinations. One is a private lender called Bracken Capital. One is a law firm. The last is a personal account held by Ryan Caldwell.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred sixteen thousand.”
I looked through the doorway.
Ryan was pouring another coffee.
“Send me the backup.”
“I already sent it to outside counsel. Emily, there’s another thing. Bracken Capital holds a convertible note against Caldwell Development.”
My grip tightened.
“A note?”
“Signed by Thomas three weeks before he died. If Caldwell defaults on certain obligations, Bracken gets the right to acquire controlling equity for one dollar plus assumption of debt.”
I stopped breathing for a second.
“Who owns Bracken?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find.”
I returned to the sunroom.
“Ryan,” I said, “why did Northlight send you $216,000?”
The coffee pot slipped in his hand.
A thin line of coffee splashed across the white tablecloth.
Patricia stared at him.
That reaction interested me.
She hadn’t known.
Ryan set the pot down.
“Consulting.”
“For what?”
“Projects.”
“Name one.”
He smiled weakly.
I nodded. “That answer worked badly for Daniel last night too.”
Patricia turned toward him. “Ryan?”
He snapped, “Don’t.”
“Did you take money from the company?”
“It wasn’t from the company.”
“It came from Northlight.”
“Exactly.”
“You authorized payments to Northlight.”
“And?”
Daniel was staring at him now.
“Ryan,” he said, “what did you do?”
Ryan pushed back his chair.
“What all of you did. I tried to keep this family alive.”
He walked toward the door.
I stepped aside, but Daniel blocked him.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.”
“Sit down.”
Ryan shoved him.
Daniel shoved back.
Patricia shouted both their names.
Then Ryan said the sentence that ended the fight.
“Ask Mom who Bracken Capital belongs to.”
Daniel turned toward her.
Patricia’s face had gone completely white.
I felt the room narrow.
“You know?” I asked.
Her lips parted.
The front doorbell rang.
Nobody moved.
It rang again.
Patricia finally walked out of the sunroom and opened the door.
A courier handed her a certified envelope.
She signed for it with a shaking hand.
The return address was Bracken Capital Partners.
Inside was a notice of default.
May you like
Caldwell Development had seventy-two hours to cure $1.1 million in obligations.
Or Bracken would take control of the company.
