“I didn’t know. That
was the problem.”
“Did you tell anyone?”
“I contacted Ethan’s office.”
“And?”
“I received a response asking me to prepare a full report.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to it?”
Another silence.
“I gave it to the person who came to collect it.”
“Who?”
“I never learned her full name.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Was it Mara?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did she look like?”
“Red hair. Early thirties. She said she worked directly for Ethan.”
The room suddenly felt too small.
“Dad, when was this?”
“About three weeks before his accident.”
“And after you gave her the report?”
“My contract was terminated. Northbridge collapsed six months later. I was blamed for missing funds.”
“That’s why we lost everything.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your mother was dying.”
“So you let me believe it was just bad business decisions?”
