Chapter 5 - The Ledger of Lies
""The firm,"" Grant said, his voice entirely drained of its former volume. He sank down onto the worn sofa, burying his face in his hands. ""The firm expanded two years ago. We opened the branch office in Lansing. To buy into the equity partnership tier, I had to put up capital.""
I stood motionless in the center of the cabin, the floorboards beneath my feet suddenly feeling as unsteady as water. ""We talked about that buy-in, Grant. You told me the firm financed it through an internal partnership loan that would be paid back out of your quarterly distributions.""
""They did at first,"" he whispered. ""Then the commercial litigation market dried up. Two of the founding partners pulled their retirement equity out early after the tax reform passed. The firm called the partner notes. If I didn't cover my share of the capital call within sixty days, my partnership was forfeited. I would have been demoted to senior counsel. At fifty-two years old, Eliza. I would have been an embarrassment.""
""How much?"" I asked. The question was cold, clinical, stripped of any warmth.
""Three hundred and forty thousand dollars,"" he choked out.
The room spun. That was our life. That was the equity from the second mortgage on our primary home that he had told me was invested in municipal bonds. That was the liquid reserve we had spent twenty-five years accumulating to ensure Owen wouldn't have to carry college loans into his thirties.
""You took our home equity,"" I whispered.
""I didn't spend it on frivolous things!"" he pleaded, looking up with tears glistening on his cheeks. ""I invested it in my career! In our future! But the distribution checks haven't come. The Lansing office hasn't turned a profit. And Maren was breathing down my neck every single week about the cabin, demanding we either buy her out or put it on the market because Todd is completely unemployed! She thinks we’re rich, Eliza! She thinks because I have the title of partner, we’re sitting on piles of cash! If I told her we couldn't afford to buy her out, she would have forced a partition sale anyway!""
""So you were going to sell it,"" I said, piecing together the nightmare with horrifying clarity. ""You brought Carol Benton to Bell & Vine tonight to secure a pocket listing. You were going to let a developer flatten this place, take your seven hundred and fifty thousand dollar cut, replenish our raided accounts before I ever noticed, and pay off Maren so she would stay quiet.""
""I was going to save us,"" Grant sobbed. ""I was trying to fix it so you would never have to know how close we were to falling apart.""
""You weren't saving us, Grant,"" I said, looking down at him with a pity that cut deeper than fury. ""You were saving your pride. You traded our anniversary, my grandmother’s legacy, and twenty-five years of trust so you wouldn't have to look your sister and your wife in the eye and say, 'I made a mistake.'""
I walked over to the front door, pulling it open. The night air was crisp, carrying the scent of autumn leaves and damp pine needles.
""Where are you going?"" he asked, panic returning to his tone as he stumbled off the couch.
""I’m going to call Maren,"" I said.
May you like
""Eliza, no! Please! If she knows—""
""She already knows half the story, Grant,"" I turned to face him on the threshold. ""She knows you lied about dinner. She knows you’re desperate to sell. Tomorrow morning at eight, Todd, Maren, and Owen are going to be sitting at that kitchen table. We are going to put every single piece of paper—my grandmother’s lien, your firm’s capital calls, and the county condemnation notices—on this table. And for the first time in Frank Mercer’s family history, we are going to tell the absolute truth.""
