Chapter 7: The Deal Brandon Didn't Expect
Brandon Cole arrived at Grace's office on Thursday morning in a charcoal suit with no tie, his attorney beside him — a tall man named Whitfield who set a leather portfolio on the table and opened it without greeting anyone.
Mason sat across from them.
Grace sat beside him.
"My client is prepared to provide full cooperation," Whitfield said, "in exchange for consideration on any charges related to his role in the invoicing arrangement."
"Your client admitted in front of witnesses that he threatened an employee to prevent her from reporting financial misconduct," Grace said.
"That's not a starting position that invites generosity."
Whitfield glanced at Brandon.
Brandon leaned forward.
"Gerald built the company.
Thomas Reeve is Gerald's brother-in-law.
The bank account is in Reeve's name but Gerald controls it.
I can give you the account number, the routing, the email chain where Gerald told me how the invoices needed to be structured."
"Why did you agree to it?" Mason asked.
Brandon looked at him directly for the first time since the conference room.
"He came to me before I was hired.
Said he had a system running at his last property and he needed a chef who understood how purchasing worked.
He said the owner would never notice.
He said it was clean."
"And Joanne Parker?"
Brandon's jaw moved.
"She was good.
Better than I expected.
She noticed the dairy substitution within six weeks of starting." He paused.
"I told Gerald.
Gerald said to handle it."
"And you handled it by threatening her job."
"I told her she was wrong.
That the invoices were correct.
She didn't believe me."
"So you went to Gerald."
"Yes."
"And Gerald used my email account to dismiss her."
"Yes."
Mason kept his voice even.
"She had a stroke, Brandon.
She's forty-one years old and she's been in a hospital for two months because of what you and Gerald did to her."
Brandon said nothing.
His attorney put a hand on his arm.
"My client acknowledges the serious impact on Ms.
Parker," Whitfield said, "and is prepared to discuss restitution as part of any agreement."
"Restitution isn't the only issue," Grace said.
She opened her own folder.
"We've identified a secondary account.
Irregular payments, beginning two months after Ms.
Parker's first letter.
We'd like your client to explain those."
Brandon looked at his attorney.
Whitfield nodded once.
"Gerald paid someone to monitor Ms.
Parker after she was dismissed," Brandon said.
"He was worried she'd go to the labor board or find a way to reach Mr.
Vance directly.
He wanted to know if she was talking to anyone."
The room was very still.
"He had her watched," Mason said.
"For about four months.
Then she had the stroke and Gerald said it wasn't necessary anymore."
Mason looked at Grace.
Grace was writing.
"I want everything," Mason said to Brandon.
"The email chain.
The account details.
The name of whoever Gerald paid to watch her.
All of it."
"In exchange for—"
"In exchange for me not adding every charge that applies to you on top of the ones that already apply to Gerald." Mason stood.
"You threatened a woman to protect a fraud.
You watched her fall apart and did nothing.
I'm not offering you a clean exit.
I'm offering you the chance to make sure Gerald Marsh doesn't walk away from this."
Brandon looked at the table.
May you like
Then he looked up at Whitfield.
"Give them the folder," he said.
