Chapter 4: The Name at the Bottom of the Contract
Curtis read the name three times.
Daniel Reeves.
His business partner.
The man who had helped him build the company from a rented storage unit into a multimillion-dollar operation. The man who had stood beside him at the opening of their first warehouse. The man who had once promised that neither of them would ever make a major business decision without the other's approval.
Curtis looked at the email again.
The proposed transfer would move controlling ownership of Morgan Home Supply into a newly created holding company.
The listed beneficiaries were Renée Morgan and Daniel Reeves.
Curtis was nowhere on the beneficiary list.
“Dad?””
Isaiah was standing beside the bed, watching his father's face.
Curtis folded the paper carefully.
“Where did you find this?””
“Beside the printer. It was sticking out of the tray.””
“When?””
“Yesterday morning.””
“Did Renée see you pick it up?””
Isaiah shook his head.
“I put it inside my backpack.””
Curtis nodded.
“Good.””
He took a photograph of every page before placing the document inside a folder.
Then he looked at his son.
“Isaiah, do you know Daniel?””
“Not really. He came to the warehouse a few times.””
“Did he ever talk to you?””
The boy hesitated.
“He asked if I liked helping with the business.””
“What did you say?””
“I said sometimes.””
Curtis frowned.
“What happened next?””
“He laughed and said I was lucky because most kids didn't get to learn how a real company worked.””
Curtis looked down.
“Did he ever ask you to do anything?””
Isaiah nodded.
“He asked me to take pictures of the inventory shelves.””
“When?””
“Last Wednesday.””
“Why?””
“He said he needed to check some numbers.””
Curtis felt another wave of anger.
“Did you send him the pictures?””
Isaiah looked uncomfortable.
“Renée told me to.””
Curtis walked to the window.
Outside, the neighborhood was quiet. A lawn sprinkler clicked across the street. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked.
Everything looked ordinary.
But the documents in his hands suggested that two people he trusted were preparing to take control of the company he'd spent six years building.
And they had involved his son.
Curtis returned to the bed.
“Listen to me. I need you to stop thinking about the company for a while. You won't be packing anything.
You won't be signing anything. You won't be answering questions from Daniel or Renée.””
Isaiah nodded.
“Okay.””
“Do you understand?””
“Yes.””
Curtis placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Good. I'm going to make a few calls.””
He stepped into the hallway and contacted his attorney, Margaret Ellis.
She answered on the second ring.
“Curtis? Everything all right?””
“No.””
His voice was so controlled that Margaret immediately stopped whatever she was doing.
“What happened?””
“I need you to review a proposed ownership transfer. And I need you to look at several payments made through our accounting system.””
“Who authorized them?””
“Someone using my credentials.””
“Did you authorize them?””
“No.””
A pause followed.
“Curtis, are you somewhere private?””
“Yes.””
“Then send me the documents. Don't confront anyone yet. Don't delete anything. And don't access any account you aren't authorized to access.””
Curtis looked toward Isaiah's bedroom.
“There's another issue. My fifteen-year-old son has been made to work in the warehouse. He was also pressured into signing documents.””
Margaret's voice changed.
“Was he injured?””
“His hands are damaged. He was lifting heavy packages without proper equipment.””
“Is he safe now?””
“Yes. He's with me.””
“Keep him away from the warehouse until we understand what's happening. I'll arrange for an independent review of the records.””
Curtis sent the photographs.
Five minutes later, Margaret called back.
“Curtis, I want you to look at the last page.””
He opened the document.
“What am I looking for?””
“The effective date.””
“I see it.””
“Now look at the signature section.””
Curtis enlarged the page.
His own name appeared beneath a digital signature.
He stared.
It looked convincing.
But the date beside it was from a day when he'd been in Chicago attending a conference.
He remembered the trip clearly.
He had spent two nights at a hotel, met three investors, and returned home on Thursday.
The signature was dated Wednesday.
“I didn't sign this.””
“I believe you,” Margaret replied.
“But there's something else.””
“What?””
“The transfer requires an additional certification. It states that all employees and family members involved in warehouse operations have been compensated and that no outstanding labor disputes exist.””
Curtis closed his eyes.
“Isaiah's name is in the compensation documents.””
“Yes.””
“And he never received a dollar.””
“Then we need to establish exactly what happened.””
Curtis looked at the bedroom door.
“Do you think they're trying to use him to make the transfer look legitimate?””
“I think we need to investigate that possibility before drawing conclusions.””
Curtis thanked her and ended the call.
When he returned to Isaiah's room, his son was sitting with his knees pulled against his chest.
“Dad?””
“Yeah?””
“Are you going to lose the company?””
Curtis sat beside him.
“No.””
“But the paper said—”
“The paper says someone is trying to transfer something they don't own.””
Isaiah looked down.
“Is that because I didn't finish the orders?””
Curtis stared at him.
For a moment, he couldn't find words.
Then he placed both hands on his son's shoulders.
“Nothing happening here is your fault. Not the paperwork. Not the money.
Not the business. None of it.””
Isaiah nodded, although his eyes remained uncertain.
Curtis's phone vibrated.
A new message from Daniel.
Hey, buddy. Heard you're back at the warehouse. We need to talk tomorrow about some paperwork. Nothing serious.
Curtis stared at the message.
Daniel had called Isaiah buddy.
The same man who had apparently been coordinating with Renée.
Another message appeared.
Please don't involve your dad. This is between us.
Curtis slowly turned the screen toward his son.
“Has he ever sent you messages like this?””
Isaiah shook his head.
“No. But he called me yesterday.””
“What did he say?””
“He asked whether I had shown you anything.””
Curtis's jaw tightened.
“What did you tell him?””
“I said no.””
Curtis looked at the phone.
Then he typed a response.
Isaiah is not handling company paperwork. Contact me directly about any business matters.
He pressed send.
Daniel responded almost immediately.
Of course. We should discuss everything privately.
Curtis didn't answer.
He put the phone away and looked at his son.
“Get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be different.””
Isaiah climbed under the blanket.
Curtis turned off the bedside lamp.
But before he closed the door, Isaiah spoke again.
“Dad?””
Curtis turned.
“Yeah?””
“There's something else in the phone.””
“What?””
Isaiah swallowed.
“I don't think Daniel knows I saw it.””
Curtis stepped back into the room.
“What did you see?””
Isaiah looked toward the hallway.
“A picture of a key. And Renée said it was for the second office.””
Curtis went still.
The second office was the private records room.
Only three people had access.
Curtis.
Daniel.
And Renée.
Isaiah reached for his father's hand.
“Dad, I think that's where they keep the papers they don't want you to find.””
Curtis looked at his son.
May you like
Then he looked toward the dark staircase.
For the first time, he wondered how much of his own company he had never truly been allowed to see.
