Chapter 32 #2
Lewis sat straighter in his chair. “Well. That’s more like it. I might keep you around as my maid now that the estate is mine.”
Catherine looked just as confused as I was.
Hallie looked pleased, which meant she was up to something. Catherine caught on. Her blue eyes softened from searing sapphire flames and began to dance like mischievous bluebirds.
“Lewis, I know you’re a very busy man. But if you have a moment, there are some very important people who would like to meet you,” Hallie soothed, verbally stroking his ego.
Lewis stood and straightened, turning his attention to me. “Get out. You’re in my seat.”
“Oh, you don’t even need to sit. It’ll be quick,” Hallie said. “You just stay right there.” She poked her head out and hollered into the house. “Gentlemen?”
I didn’t know what the hell was happening, but one thing was for certain: Hallie was always right. Which meant if she was interrupting a meeting and being nice to Lewis, I was going to go along with it.
Lewis preened like a peacock as four men in suits filled the study doors.
“It’s getting a little crowded in here,” Lewis said, wringing his hands to keep from trembling in giddy delight. He got off on the attention. “Gentlemen.” He extended his hand to shake theirs. “Lewis Halstead. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence in my office this evening?”
The man closest looked down at his hand, then back at Lewis. “You’re the Lewis Halstead who is the current head of the Wilder Foundation?”
“That’s me,” he said with a grin.
“Excellent,” the man said with a chuckle, then snapped a handcuff onto Lewis’s wrist. “I’m Agent Sarazen with the FBI.
You’re under arrest for fraud and embezzlement.
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you.
Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you? ”
My ears rang as the agent finished reciting the Miranda warning while Lewis ignored his right to remain silent and began to thrash and yell. It took the other three agents to get Lewis fully cuffed and out the door.
Blue lights flashed through the windows as he was marched out to the row of federal vehicles.
That’s when I noticed the raid beginning on the second floor. Federal agents carried stacks of documents, electronics, and boxes of evidence out of Lewis’s room.
“They had a warrant,” Hallie said with satisfaction as she watched the flurry of activity unfold. Even though we were in the belly of the house, we could still hear Lewis shrieking from inside a vehicle.
Adrenaline and anger began to leach from my body. I braced for the crash. “And how did they know to get a warrant?”
Hallie smirked. “The maids know everything.”
I sank back in my chair as the room began to spin. “Remember that raise I said you were getting? I’m tripling it.”
“What the hell just happened?” Catherine muttered as she rubbed her temples. “And who’s making sure the grand opening isn’t going up in flames right now?”
“Savannah’s keeping an eye on the party,” Hallie said.
“Yeah, probably getting everyone plastered,” Catherine muttered.
Hallie chuckled. “That’s why Mason and Levi are there too, keeping an eye on her.”
I looked over at Mr. Allen, who was probably tired of all the dramatics that tended to happen in this room. “Are we good?”
The beleaguered attorney let out a sigh of relief.
“The will states that you must be married to inherit the estate. You are indeed married and you fulfilled the requirements to convey ten acres to your wife in a timely manner. How your marriage came about is none of my business.” He wiped his sweat-soaked forehead once more.
“So, yes. I’d say we’re good. And even though I really wish to never return to this house again, I’ll be in touch to see who you’d like to name as the head of the foundation since Mr. Halstead is no longer suitable. ”
I slumped into Granddad’s chair and looked up at Hallie as Mr. Allen slipped out without another word. “How’d you know?”
Her smile was kind as she and Catherine sat across from me.
“I got to work for your granddad for a long time. He had the biggest heart I had ever known. Before he passed, he asked if I would look after things when he was gone. That he believed you would honor the land and treat it kindly. He believed that Lewis had the potential to do great things. But he also believed that absolute power corrupts absolutely. When Lewis started cutting people from the board of trustees, I started keeping an eye on him. He set up offshore accounts disguised as grants and began funneling money from the foundation into them. Instead of living a well-to-do life and doing good with the fortune he was trusted with, he believed he was owed more rather than growing what he had been given.”
I hunched forward and rested my clasped hands on the desk. “I don’t know how I didn’t see it…”
“Because, at the end of the day, he’s still your brother.
And I’m sure you wanted to believe the best in him.
” Hallie tipped her head back and forth.
“Which is also something Walt told me to watch out for.” She stood and hitched a thumb toward the door.
“Now, I believe we have a party to get back to.”