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If Zegas thought this information would surprise me, he was sorely mistaken.
“Give him enough to keep him happy without divulging anything of consequence.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been doing. Glad we’re on the same page.”
“It’s best to handle him delicately.”
He made a noncommittal noise. “I assume you’re aware of his relationship with Hal Mercer.”
“They’ve been friends for years. That’s why we did so much business with Titan.”
That was the nature of the world we played in. Connections were almost the most important aspect.
“Why did you stop?”
I fingered Muffy’s ears. “I felt it was an area we could capitalize on if we started our own title division at Hollingsworth.”
“Did you get any pushback from Samuel?”
Was there any other way when it came to my father?
“Yes. Eventually, after he saw the potential, he agreed.”
The issue hadn’t been an all-out war between us, though I’d fought harder for that than anything else I could recall when it came to the business. I’d showed him concrete expenditures, high and low profit projections, and one day after months of stringing me along, he agreed.
“Were you aware Hal and your father had a falling out?”
For a man who claimed not to have made much ground on my issue, he certainly knew more than he’d let on.
“I am, but I don’t know over what. It seems natural when a longtime customer and friend takes his business elsewhere, there’s bound to be disagreement.”
A pen tapped on his end of the line. “I need your tax returns for as far back as you have.”
“Why?” I had no issue giving them to the man. It wasn’t as if he could advertise my personal business to the public without consequence. But I failed to see how the information was relevant to my property dilemma.
“You said when the agent came to arrest you, the charge was securities fraud and tax evasion. I want to dig through the tax element first . . . unless you want to fess up and save me the trouble.”
I was grateful we weren’t in the same room. The urge to throttle him was strong. “I’ll have my accountant send them to your office.”
“Wonderful. But I want your copies also.”
“Shouldn’t they be the same?” A throbbing started at the base of my skull.
“Let me do what I do best.”
“I’ll have something to you within the hour.”
“I need you to sign a disclosure you’re okay with a forensic accountant examining the returns as well.”
I stifled a groan. This was all completely unnecessary, yet impossible to avoid. “Send it over.” It appeared we’d moved the focus from the securities fraud aspect of the charges to tax evasion.
Zegas’s voice was muffled as he said something that sounded like porterhouse. “You’re a pain in the ass, Hollingsworth. But a cooperative pain in the ass.”
“I wish I could say the same of you.” The drumbeat in my head marched to my temples. “Call me if anything develops.”
“One more thing,” he said when I had the phone halfway away from my ear. “Let’s meet for dinner. I want to talk to you about your mother’s murder.”
