Chapter 4 - The Other File
Mara called at 9:05 the next morning.
“Come in.”
“Did you get permission?”
“Yes.”
I was at her office before ten.
A woman I had never met sat in the conference room.
Early sixties.
Short gray hair.
Red-framed glasses.
She stood when I entered.
“Claire, I’m Helen Avery.”
The name meant nothing to me.
Then she said, “I worked with your father for nineteen years.”
Dad had been chief financial officer of a regional manufacturing company called Fairmont Industrial before retiring two years earlier.
Fairmont.
The name Lauren had seen.
I sat slowly.
Helen continued.
“I was corporate controller.”
Mara placed a file between us.
“Helen came to me six weeks ago.”
“Why?”
Helen looked embarrassed.
“Because I received a demand letter.”
From Fairmont.
The company was investigating irregular payments tied to an employee retirement reserve and several private investment vehicles established during Dad’s final years as CFO.
Helen’s credentials appeared on some approvals.
She insisted she had not signed them.
Mara had been hired to represent her.
“Where does my father come in?”
Helen looked at Mara.
Mara nodded.
Helen turned back to me.
“Your father authorized the underlying transfers.”
My mouth went dry.
“How much?”
Mara shook her head.
“We’re not discussing amounts yet.”
“Was he stealing?”
“We do not have enough evidence to say that.”
“Then what do you have?”
Mara opened the file.
Not enough for me to read everything.
Enough to show me Dad’s name appearing repeatedly beside account references and approval chains.
Helen spoke carefully.
“Some money was moved into outside entities. Fairmont is trying to determine whether those entities were legitimate company investments.”
“And?”
“One of them was connected to your father.”
I remembered Lauren’s midnight call.
“Fairmont Capital?”
Helen’s eyes widened.
“Where did you hear that?”
“Lauren saw it on papers Dad made her sign.”
Mara and Helen exchanged a look.
I hated that look.
“What?”
Mara leaned forward.
“Claire, this may be more serious than we thought.”
The attorney explained that several entities used names similar to legitimate Fairmont subsidiaries.
Close enough to look normal.
Different enough to be private.
Money could move into them without immediately appearing suspicious to someone scanning a ledger.
Dad had financial authority.
He knew the systems.
He knew who reviewed what.
And after retiring, some of those entities continued existing.
“What does any of this have to do with my mother or Lauren?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“My condo?”
“We don’t know.”
I stood.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Because guessing could hurt you.”
“I need something.”
Mara looked at me steadily.
“Then here’s something. Do not sell your condo. Do not borrow against it. Do not sign anything your father sends you. And if your mother or sister has signed documents recently, we need copies.”
That afternoon, I texted Lauren.
Come over whenever you can. Door is open.
She did not respond.
At 6:40, someone knocked.
Lauren stood in the hallway holding a backpack.
May you like
Mom was behind her.
And my mother looked terrified.
