Chapter 28
Sandra spent Monday morning reviewing construction contracts for several clients who needed help understanding terms or wanted an attorney to ensure their business was being handled properly.
Living on the Eastern Shore, she'd built relationships with electricians, carpenters, plumbers, and landscapers who worked for various builders scattered across the peninsula.
Most were hardworking people trying to make an honest living in an industry where bigger companies often held all the advantages. Sandra wanted to make sure her contractors had equal access to representation.
A soft knock interrupted her concentration. "Sandra?" Portia poked her head through the doorway, expression concerned. "Manuel Garcia is here. He looks upset."
Sandra glanced at her appointment book. His name wasn't scheduled. "Send him in."
Manuel walked into her office practically vibrating with anxiety, weathered hands clutching a manila folder against his chest,his agitation palpable.
"Mr. Garcia, sit down," Sandra said gently. "What's wrong?"
"Ms. O'Neill, I don't know what to do," he began, his slight accent more pronounced with stress. "I was working on the Patterson house today… the big one on Creek Road that Blackwood is building."
Sandra nodded. She remembered him mentioning the custom waterfront home from his contract.
"The home buyer, Mrs. Patterson, stopped by to check on the progress. When she asked who I was, I told her I was doing electrical work." Manuel shifted uncomfortably. "She got very upset, saying I was overcharging her."
"Overcharging?" Sandra frowned. "You don't set the prices for homeowners, Manuel. That goes through Blackwood."
"That's what I tried to explain! But she kept insisting I was doing something wrong, that I was..." He struggled for words. "She called me a crook."
Sandra saw papers clutched in his hands. "What do you have there?"
"My contract with Blackwood Luxury Custom Homes." He placed the folder on her desk, his hands shaking. "To show you I'm not doing anything wrong."
Sandra opened the folder and scanned the straightforward contract. Manuel had an agreement with Blackwood to do all the electrical work for the Patterson house at a price she knew was competitive.
"This fee is standard for a house that size," Sandra said. "I don't understand what Mrs. Patterson is upset about."
Manuel took a steadying breath. "She says she's being charged almost twice that amount for electrical work.
Said her friend is having a house built by someone else, and that her electrician charges half what she's paying.
" His voice rose with frustration. "But my charge is just what I have on my contract. "
Sandra felt unease flutter in her stomach. "Over twice? You're certain?"
"Positive. She showed me her contract with Blackwood, waved it in my face. I looked at it, and she is being charged almost 80 percent more than what I’m getting paid."
Sandra's legal training kicked in. She knew builders typically marked up subcontractor costs by 20 to 40 percent for overhead and profit. But this was way over Manuel's quote… a markup that went far beyond industry standards.
"Mrs. Patterson threatened to ruin my business," Manuel said quietly. "Said she'd tell everyone that Garcia Electrical overcharges customers. Ms. O'Neill, I can't afford to lose my reputation."
Sandra reached across and patted his arm. "That won't happen, Mr. Garcia. You're one of the most honest contractors I know. Let me make some calls and figure out what's going on."
After Manuel left, Sandra stared at the contract, her mind racing. But before jumping to conclusions, she needed more information. She walked into Tom’s office. “Hey, have you got a minute? I need to ask you something."
"Of course. What's on your mind?"
"Have any of your contractor clients mentioned discrepancies between what they're charging builders and what homeowners are being billed? Beyond normal markup, I mean."
"Funny you should ask. I had Rupert ask me about something similar last week. A plumber had a homebuyer come to him asking about their price, then complained about how much the builder was charging them.”
Sandra's pulse quickened. "Which builder?"
“Rupert didn’t say.”
“Thanks,” she said, offering a smile before moving to Rupert’s office. He waved her in, and she sat in the chair across from his desk.
“Tom mentioned that you had a subcontractor client concerned about their fees being increased above market standards.”
Rupert blinked, then nodded. “Yes, but I know builders typically mark up to 40 percent. I told him not to worry about it. The buyer can take it up with the builder. Why?"
“My client is worried about his reputation since he does work on his own and not just for a builder. You weren’t concerned?”
There was a pause. Rupert looked down, his gaze on the pen in his hand. “Well… no… but I still think it’s up to the homebuyer to talk with the builder if they have questions.”
“Which builder was it?”
He screwed his mouth to the side. “Harrison Blackwood. It made me feel kind of awkward since I’m looking to possibly have him build a house for me.” Shaking his head slightly, he asked, “Why do you ask?"
“Have you spoken to anyone at Blackwood Homes about this?”
His gaze jumped up to meet hers. “No. Sandra, the subcontractor is being paid, and the homeowner signed a contract with Blackwood Homes at the agreed price. So… I guess I don’t see a problem.”
She stood and forced a smile on her face again. “Okay, thanks, Rupert.” Moving back into her office, she glanced through her clients and made a list of those she knew were subcontractors. Then she looked up their contact information. Calling the first one on her list, Sandra waited.
"Morrison Plumbing. Morrison speaking.”
"Hello, Mr. Morrison, this is Sandra O'Neill from Legal Aid. I know you’re a busy man, so I’ll get right to the point. Have you had any billing discrepancies with Blackwood Homes?"
"Oh, thank God someone else is looking into this," Mr. Morrison said, relief evident in his voice. "I thought I was going crazy. The homeowner on Bayview accused me of padding my bills, but I charged Blackwood exactly what we agreed on."
Sandra's investigative instincts were fully engaged now. "I need you to do me a favor. Can you think of any other contractors who've worked on Blackwood projects? Anyone who might have had similar experiences?"
"Well, there's Jake Sullivan—he does HVAC work. And Maria Santos handles landscaping for some of the bigger homes. Want their numbers?"
"Please."
Sandra spent the next hour making calls.
Jake Sullivan reported that he’d never been approached by the person having the home built, so he had no idea what was in their contract with Blackwood.
Maria Santos said the same thing as Jake, but then added that she had another landscaping friend in Virginia Beach who’d had a problem with a homeowner who hired her months after she’d moved in and was surprised at how much cheaper her fees were now that they didn’t go through the builder. ”
Sandra sat back in her chair, staring at her notes. What she was seeing was systematic inflation well beyond normal markup rates, crossing the line from standard business practice into potential fraud. Potential… not definite.
She pulled up the Patterson contract details and made a call, praying it wouldn’t backfire on Manuel.
"Mrs. Patterson? This is Sandra O'Neill from Legal Aid. I spoke with Mr. Garcia earlier, and I'd like to help sort this out."
"That crook!" Mrs. Patterson's voice was sharp with anger. "I can't believe these people think they can overcharge us just because we're not from around here."
"Mrs. Patterson, I need you to understand something important," Sandra said calmly. "Mr. Garcia is charging a competitive price for your electrical work. The issue appears to be with your builder, not your electrician."
There was a pause. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, Mr. Garcia is a very reputable contractor who's being blamed for something he didn't do. Would you be willing to email me a copy of your contract with Blackwood Homes? I think I can help clarify where this discrepancy is coming from."
Mrs. Patterson's tone softened slightly. "Well, I suppose that would be all right. You don’t think Garcia is the problem?"
"I'm certain he isn't. I represent Mr. Garcia and several other contractors in the area who appear to be facing the same issue."
"I'm driving back to Williamsburg now. I'll email you the contract once I get home."
After hanging up, Sandra made one more call, this time to the Virginia State Bar's ethics hotline. If her suspicions were correct, this wasn't just a billing dispute. This was potential fraud.
By evening, Mrs. Patterson's email was waiting in her inbox. Sandra printed the contract and set it aside, needing to clear her head first.
After a light dinner, she filled her bathtub with hot water and lavender bath oil. As she sank into the warm water, her phone rang. Terry's name on the screen made her smile despite her preoccupation.
"Hello, handsome," she answered.
"Hey, beautiful. How are you?"
"Busy. An interesting case came up today."
"Want to talk about it?"
Sandra hesitated. Terry was law enforcement, and what she was uncovering might eventually require his expertise. But she needed to be certain of her facts first.
"Not yet. Still gathering information. But I may need to pick your brain about something soon."
"Anything you need. You know that."
They talked for a few more minutes about when they could see each other and his kids, the easy intimacy still amazing her. After hanging up, Sandra climbed out of the cooling water and wrapped herself in her robe.
She settled at her kitchen table with the Patterson contract and a notepad. One glance at the figures confirmed her suspicions.
The contract clearly showed electrical costs at a 60 percent upcharge with no additional line items or mention of upgraded materials. That markup was way above the industry standard.
Sandra stared at the numbers, her legal mind cataloging implications. Builders needed profit margins, but this level of inflation suggested the possibility of deliberate fraud. And if Blackwood was doing this with one house, how many others were affected?
She pulled out her laptop and started a new list of what she’d need to gather evidence to build a case. Tomorrow, she'd start making official inquiries. Tonight, she had enough information to know that Manuel Garcia's problem was perhaps just the tip of a very large, very illegal iceberg.