Chapter 13 - The Cabinet
Preston's message presented an opportunity wrapped in a trap.
I would not trespass, break into an office or take documents merely because he suggested they were there.
Instead, I provided the preserved message to the neutral accountant and sought appropriate preservation measures.
Judge Morrison authorized a narrowly supervised inspection by an independent professional after notice and a chance for objections.
Arthur's lawyers protested vehemently.
They called the request a fishing expedition.
The judge limited the search to records identified by established financial links and specific dates.
That limitation made the order stronger, not weaker.
At the inspection, the cabinet held invoices, correspondence and an original guarantee agreement.
The signature page was dated differently from the copy the lender had sent me.
A forensic document examiner later identified evidence that the signature page had been substituted.
The conclusion required further testing, but the apparent mismatch was significant.
Arthur responded with a sworn statement blaming Thomas Reed, the former controller.
Thomas denied it.
Neither man's declaration resolved the question.
Then a shipping receipt tied the original agreement to a package delivered to Preston's office on the day he had claimed to be traveling.
Travel records placed Preston back in the city that morning.
He had not lied about the trip entirely.
He had lied about when he returned.
At a family-business luncheon, Arthur had always described Preston as too gentle for serious negotiations.
I remembered how my husband had smiled at the insult.
Now I wondered whether the supposedly gentle son had spent years learning to conceal his choices behind his father's intimidating reputation.
That night Preston called through our agreed legal communication line.
His voice sounded strained.
"What would it take for you to stop?"
"A truthful accounting and a fair resolution."
"You don't know the whole story."
"Then tell it under oath."
There was a long silence.
Finally he whispered, "You won't like what you hear about me."
May you like
The line went dead.
