Chapter 5 - Four Hundred Twelve Thousand Dollars

Tessa waited for me at the office with two printed statements and a look that made my stomach drop.

"Please tell me there's a legitimate explanation," she said.

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

Mercer Restoration wasn't a giant company. We repaired historic houses, churches, and fire-damaged buildings. We had twenty-two employees, trucks that needed new tires, and contracts built on handshakes Dad had earned before I learned to swing a hammer.

Four hundred twelve thousand dollars wasn't a rounding error. It was payroll and materials for an entire season.

Tessa pointed to a transfer authorization. "Simone approved it through her finance portal. She's still listed as a secondary approver."

Simone had handled payroll before we hired Tessa. I never removed her access.

"What is Vale Property Group?"

"Registered under Nolan Vale's business address. The note says land acquisition advance."

"We haven't bought land."

"There's more." Tessa pulled out invoices billed by three consultants. Two used the same mailing address. The third belonged to Carina Wells, who had spent dinner looking at the chandelier.

"How much total?" I asked.

"Just over six hundred thousand in the last nine months. Some transfers cleared. Today's was flagged because I contacted the bank. They're reviewing whether it can be recalled."

I sat down. My father had been sleeping in the guest room because Simone said he couldn't manage his workshop apartment. At the same time, she and her brother had been moving our company's money toward a property purchase.

"The shop," I said. "They're buying Dad's land with my business's own cash."

"Maybe. We need the contracts."

I called Dad's lawyer, Leah Park. She told me to preserve documents and meet her in the morning.

Before I left, Tessa handed me another page.

"This came by courier today," she said. "I thought it was a title-company mistake."

Across the top, in block letters, were the words NOTICE OF CLOSING: MERCER WORKSHOP PARCEL. The scheduled date was Tuesday.

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Beneath it was my father's signature, slanting sharply to the right.

It was nothing like the way Walter Mercer signed his name.