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He opens his drawer and tosses me a manila folder. What I see inside makes my blood run cold.
“What is this?” Although I can already tell.
“It's about Bobby Wells. The girl’s father. One of our foremen. He’s been diverting money and funding different accounts which we have eventually traced to him.”
$482,450.25 Half a million dollars. “Since when? He only started five months ago!”
“He started a month into his hire.”
Bree and I started seeing each other four months ago. The same time Bobby started diverting funds. Exactly five months ago she’d delivered pizza to me. It took me a whole month to get her on the initial dates that cemented our relationship.
“His largest savings prior to working with Apex was his daughter’s college fund, which is where most of the money went.”
Within a couple of weeks of our dating, it was clear to Bree and me that we wanted to be in it for the long haul. We decided she wasn’t going to Nevada State College anymore, and she started applying to UConn and to Yale so she could be close to me.
Going to Connecticut meant at least three times the tuition fee for NSC.
“Why would Bobby steal money?” My head is spinning. I love and respect that man. I couldn’t have chosen a more decent man for a father-in-law.
“Because all of a sudden his daughter is now going to Yale. He was bragging about it to his friends. I imagine it was you who planted those seeds in the poor girl's head. Tell me, does she even have the grades for it?”
Still reeling from this news, I don’t respond to my father’s insult.
But why steal it though?
That’s what I can't wrap my head around. I had fully assured Bobby and Maria Wells that I was helping Bree apply for a special scholarship and that we had a very good chance of getting the fees knocked down to almost nothing. Between Bree and I, we knew the real reason why she didn’t need to worry about money was that we were getting married and I can afford to pay her tuition, as well as support her without breaking a sweat.
“There’s got to be a mistake.” Bobby and his friend Drew are straight-up guys. Tim and I have worked with them for the past five months. I can’t believe Bobby would manipulate funds meant for subcontractor payments. But the evidence is right in front of me, as clear as day. “Let me talk to him.”
“You will do no such thing. Besides, he’s in custody.”
“Hang on, when did this happen?”
“We've suspected for a while and put a tail on him. He was caught red-handed yesterday and police picked him up today. He’s confessed to it already.”
I blink slowly, shocked beyond words. “Come again?”
“The police have his confession on tape, son. He’s looking at prison time.”
My fist comes down hard on the desk but Father doesn’t flinch. “This is a right fucking mess.”
“You are not to go near that girl. The media is ravenous for this. There’s going to be too much speculation.”
I drop my head into my palms. “Father I'm in love with his daughter. Please don’t do this. I know you can make this go away."
He says nothing.
I look into my father's cold gray eyes and plead, "Whatever it is, Bobby will make it right. I’ll make it right. Hell, I’ll even pay the money back.”
“It’s too late.”
“That man is going to be my father-in-law.”
“A thief! Over my dead body.”
“Father please, I’m begging you. You and I know that you have the power to make this go away.”
He looks at me for a long time. After watching me squirm for a full minute, he says, “One condition.”
