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His face shoots up in surprise at the sound of the name.
“How do you know that man?” Dad asks.
“This is what I came to ask you the other day with Roscoe, but your meddling wouldn’t let you listen to your own sons. You would have saved us a world of trouble if you’d just minded your business and listened.” I’m actually really pissed now, thinking about that day all over again.
“Quit whining and answer me, Harrison! How do you know the Gallagher name?!”
Dad’s reaction is visceral, beyond what I’d been anticipating.
A smile cuts across my face. “The man who’s been causing so much trouble for Building Bridges. Garfield Hayes? Turns out, Hayes is actually his mother’s name. His real name is Garfield Gallagher, Clayton Gallagher’s.”
Reaching into my jacket, I pull out the old photo of Dad and Clayton and slide it across the table, just in time to see his face go white.
I’ve always thought it would take at least a hurricane or a helicopter crashing through the roof to get Dad looking this scared. He looks like he’s seen a ghost. I should be enjoying the experience of flooring this mean old man, but the only emotions pouring through me are anger and raw pain. We’ve been through so much hell because of his mistakes.
“I… I… I used to know… Clayton,” Dad stutters, picking up the picture, a look of shame in his eyes. “We knew each other many, many years ago, even before any of you boys were born. Last I heard of him, he’d died from an illness. You mean little Garfield is the actual Garfield who’s been doing such despicable things to your business?”
Exhaling, I nod slowly.
I think it’s time to drop the real news on Dad.
“All charges against Building Bridges have been dropped by Garfield. We are now pressing counter charges and he’s not fighting back.”
Now I can actually enjoy the whiteness on Dad’s face deepen, his eyes going almost glassy. This is the victory I’ve waited for my entire life. To prove to this man that I’m worthy, strong enough, smart enough, and as of today, no one will shackle me anymore.
“How… How did…” His voice trails off and he shuts his eyes, shaking his head in an emotion I think is embarrassment.
“I’ll tell you everything, but first, what’s your connection to Clayton Gallagher?”
Dad sighs and takes a full minute to rock quietly back and forth in his seat before facing me again. “We used to be friends and business associates way back. We were very close. He was at your earliest birthdays and once, when he was out of the country, I took Garfield to his first Little League game. His enterprise managed a chain of tiny businesses but it was always too small for him. He found this big-time opportunity to buy out a promising software business. He told me about it…”
Dad’s voice trails off again as he swipes at his forehead. This is a cold man suddenly battling the ugly emotion of regret.
“He shared the details of the business with me to hear my thoughts,” Dad continues, his voice weaker than ever. “I told him not to do it. The tech industry was still blooming at the time and there was no way to predict a growth curve. Clayton took my advice and canceled the deal. A month later, I sealed the deal and bought the entire business. When they were let go by Hayes, they searched for new investors, and by the time they came to me, the market had grown, so I took the change. But I never told Clayton or offered him the chance to do it himself. Three years later, the company shares tripled in value and ever since then, Clayton has hated me with every fiber of his being.”
Unbelievable.
“So this is why Garfield was willing to tear us down if it’s the last thing he did. You stole his family’s chance at generational wealth. Why, Dad? Why would you do something like that to a friend? You already had a flourishing business. Why stab someone who trusted you in the back?” I ask, shaking my head in disgust.
Dad sighs, looking downcast and suddenly very old. “I was trying to be a ruthless businessman. I made a mistake and now my children have paid for it. I… I’m sorry, Harrison.”
That’s the first time I’ve heard him use the word “sorry” outside of threatening someone. There’s way too much happening right now. It’s strange to see my father humbled and tired of arguing.
“How were you able to get the charges dropped?” he asks again, his voice still small.
“The moment I uncovered Clayton Gallagher, finding Garfield was no longer a problem for the private investigators,” I explain. “We tracked him to an apartment in Flushing and I met him face-to-face. The man nearly passed out at the sight of me. I recorded the entire conversation. I told him I have proof of his clandestine activities with a drug gang in Lower Manhattan. Of course my P.I easily discovered all his covert dealings once we put the pieces together. Garfield confessed everything on tape and it’s with the cops now. But I knew he still wasn’t being fully honest with me.”
“How so?” Dad asks.
“There were things he shouldn’t have been able to do without some inside help. Things didn’t add up. This man had access to redacted records and the entire situation over-favored him. Guess who was his inside man?” I ask, sitting back a little to enjoy the next ghostly reaction from Dad.
Thinking briefly, he shakes his head rapidly. “I can’t imagine who it could be. No one jumps out, really.”
“Wade Keller, your prized CFO.”
A loud gasp escapes from his throat and just as I anticipated, his face goes white again. “Wade?Wade?How?”
“Garfield blackmailed him. He had a video of Wade doing disgusting things with women in a private club backroom and all. He was willing to sink us to the ground to protect his reputation. He delayed the investigation, shared information, and frustrated all our efforts on Hayes’s behalf.”
