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Thirty-Nine
Val
It’s Wednesday, and I’ve been on pins and needles, waiting for everything to come together.
Our department has been working around the clock to get the changes to the software ready. It’s come a long way from the rough draft that Carson was originally shown.
The team took my ideas and ran with them. They came up with some very innovative improvements on their own. Excitement is high.
I’ve barely seen Chase as we’re working opposite shifts.
I’m getting ready to grab some lunch because I’m hungry. I skipped breakfast again this morning. My stomach has been acting up. Maybe Ellen was right, and I'm coming down with something.
“Val, it’s Jaxson Gibson. Would you be able to stop by my office today?”
“Hi, Jaxson. Yes, I was getting ready to leave for lunch in a few minutes. I could be there in about fifteen minutes if that works?”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
When I walk into Jaxson’s office, I’m shown into a small conference room in the back.
Jaxson comes in. “Val, thanks for coming in so quickly,” he pushes a file toward me, “We were able to pull the bank statements of ReConstruct as well as Victor’s accounts. We went back quite a few years. ReConstruct has made multiple mid-sized payments to your uncle. Each one into a different bank account belonging to your uncle.”
“Why different accounts?”
“It’s a common practice to use different accounts if you don’t want anyone noticing the transactions.”
“I see.”
“We matched the dates of each of the deposits, and they were two to three days after Carlucci Software approved a bid made by ReConstruct. Almost all the bids were for renovations of the Carlucci building and office spaces.”
“Mid-sized, like possible kickbacks?”
“By mid-sized, I would say they are roughly twenty percent of the completed renovation cost. In this instance, the renovation, which was quite extensive, was three million. This one here cost only one hundred thousand. So, the deposits range anywhere from twenty grand all the way up to six hundred thousand.”
“Over how many years?”
“We only went back five years. If you add up the funds over the last five years, we’re looking at about two million dollars.”
“Do you know if this is the only company my uncle has been receiving kickbacks from?”
“There were other deposits that looked suspicious, but they were petty amounts. If he is or was taking kickbacks, it wouldn’t add up to the funds he received from ReConstruct. Carlucci’s hasn’t had that many high-cost types of service or work done. Carlucci Software occupies the top floor and rents out the remaining ten floors. Renovations were typically required whenever a business moved out and another business came in.”
“I understand. Now that I have this information. Where do I go from here?”
“You paid me to collect this information, proof if you will. If you decide to share it with your board of directors, it would be up to you and the board to decide if you want to press criminal charges.”
“Thank you, Jaxson.”
“Of course. I’m available for questions if you decide to press charges.”
As I leave Jaxson’s offices, my head is reeling. I don’t even feel like getting lunch as my stomach is churning again.
What my uncle did was wrong, unfair, and, yes, criminal. But do I want to be the person responsible for having him convicted?
I look at the time. It’s now after one o’clock. I swing by the house to see if Chase is up. I need him to help me figure this out.
When I pull up to the duplex, I see a realtor's car in the driveway. When I open the door there’s a young woman standing in the living room with a tape measure in her hand.
