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So part of me has always wondered… Is our money dirty?
Even if it was once, I’m sure Bradford Steel laundered it and laundered it until it was squeaky clean. I did some preliminary research, and I found no evidence of dirty money.
But still I wonder. So today, I’m going to ask my father.
Once we break for lunch, and the attorneys, Aunt Lauren, and Uncle Ryan go on their way, it’s time.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, son?”
“Where does the Steel money come from?”
He cocks his head. “You know very well where it comes from. You’ve seen our financials.”
I nod. “Right. But how did my grandfather build a ranch into such a thriving enterprise?”
“That started before your grandfather. Your great-grandfather, George Steel, who none of us ever met, took his father’s ranch to the next level by doing things like investing in land that had rich access to water, which was crucial in the desert state of Colorado. He built solid infrastructure and made the decision to concentrate on beef ranching where his father had also added sheep and goats. The sheep and goats weren’t profitable, so he stuck with beef based on the suitability of the land. His abundance of land and water allowed him to let the stock graze so they were grass-fed while most commercial producers offer grain-fed products.”
“I know all that, Dad.”
“It’s all part of the story, Bryce.” Dad continues, “George had beef ranching down to a science, and when your grandpa took over, he had even bigger dreams. He inherited everything, being an only child, and he knew the business because he’d worked alongside his father since he could walk. With all the abundant grasses, the first thing he did was capitalize on what was left after the stock was adequately fed.”
“Hay,” I say.
“Yeah. You could say this business was built on hay.”
I can’t help a laugh. “I guess it’s better than being built on straw.”
“The next thing he did was invest in the best technology to get things working with the best efficiency possible. Then, when the hay crop was a success, he planted the orchards.”
“But they took a long time to grow, right?”
“Not according to Uncle Joe. He planted trees that had just hit maturity. It cost more, but he knew if he could get them producing, they’d pay for themselves, which they did.”
I nod.
“What really took him over the top, though, was when word got out about the quality of the beef. Orders began coming in from all over the country, and he had to expand to meet the demand. That demand led to huge profits, and he began making outside investments. This was around the time Uncle Joe and I became friends. We were three years old. Your grandmother says we were friends before that, but I have no memories. But both your grandpas were friends”—Dad grits his teeth—“so I guess it was natural that we were thrown together. Anyway, Brad was a natural marketer, and soon the Steel brand was well known in national and international circles. At that point, he diversified into various stocks and bonds, precious metals, and the like. And then he invested in other areas of business. Hedge funds, art.” Dad sighs. “You name it, and Brad Steel had his hand in it. He was a genius when it came to making money.”
“Dad…”
“Yeah?”
I take a deep breath. “I worry about what went on here. On our land. With Wendy. Did any of her money get mingled with ours?”
Dad pauses, strokes his chin. “I’ve asked myself that same question many a time, Bryce. I understand your concern, and Uncle Joe and I share it. We’ve known for a while that Brad funded the Future Lawmakers Club, of which he and my father were members. They got into drugs and other illegal stuff before they got into human trafficking. Brad swore up and down he was out of the business by the time anything illegal was happening.”
“And you believed him?”
Dad scoffs. “Hell, no. But Uncle Joe and I have been through these financials from as far back as we have records, and we’ve seen only clean money.”
“So you trust my grandfather? Mom’s dad?”
He swallows. “No. I don’t trust him, Dave.”
“But—”
“That’s not to say that he didn’t build this business ethically. The money isn’t dirty, legally, but it wasn’t necessarily won in the most wholesome of ways either. All we know is that your grandfather had no qualms about skating on ethics. Same with his father. There’s a lot we don’t know that died with them. A lot we can only surmise, but Uncle Joe and I have our suspicions that your grandfather got what he wanted in, shall we say, unethical ways.”
