Chapter 13 - The Paper Trail

Dana Cho reviewed the documents the next morning. She told us not to jump from a suspicious domain to a conclusion. The lender's identity, the recording details, and the chain of documents all needed independent verification.

“Facts first,” she said. “Panic later, if necessary.”

I liked her immediately.

While Dana worked, a different thread began to unravel. A Harborline investor contacted Bell & Mercer to ask why the firm had reportedly pledged support for Grant's investor showcase. The investor forwarded a presentation with glossy pictures of the yacht, a projected attendance list, and a slide describing me as the firm's financial liaison.

There was my name again, wearing a title I had never held.

I met Martin and the company's counsel in their office. Martin was blunt. “We are sending a formal notice that Bell & Mercer did not sponsor the event or authorize the use of its name. You are not responsible for correcting Grant's investor relations.”

My eyes stung. “Thank you.”

“We still need to finish our review,” he said. “I won't skip procedure because I know you. But so far, the records support what you've told us.”

That was fair. Fair felt better than blind loyalty.

At lunch, Tessa called me from an unknown number. She had resigned from Harborline that morning. Her voice shook.

“I can't keep lying for him,” she said. “He asked me to send the deck to more investors after the cruise was canceled. He wanted me to say you were being vindictive.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“Because he used my email account to send one of the authorization documents. I didn't write it. I want the record to be clear.”

I gave her the contact information for the attorneys and told her to preserve whatever she lawfully had access to. I didn't ask her to steal files. I had learned enough by then to know a good case could be damaged by a reckless shortcut.

Before she hung up, Tessa said, “There's something else. Grant wasn't going to pay for the yacht even if the investors came through.”

“What do you mean?”

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“He told me your card was already on the hook. He said the trick was keeping you from realizing it until after the party.”

Then she added, almost too softly to hear, “And he had a second event planned using your name.”