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Hez nodded. He’d been uneasy about TGU’s finances from the moment he set foot on campus in July. “Okay, but I still don’t understand how that relates to you getting charged with embezzlement.”
“That was the second surprise. I found a lot of stuff that wasn’t on the books. For example, Ellison Abernathy’s official salary was supplemented by money coming in from a private foundation in Birmingham. Funds would appear in an obscure account controlled by the CFO’s office, then be withdrawn in cash and handed to Abernathy.”
“That sounds fishy, to use a technical legal term.”
“It is fishy. I’m pretty sure it was set up that way to evade taxes—and possibly to hide a bribe. Anyway, I’ve been gradually moving this stuff onto the books. I’m going as fast as I can without doing something that will get noticed by the IRS or our lenders, but cleaning up this mess will take years. In the meantime . . .” She shrugged. “Well, I’m stuck continuing some accounting practices I don’t like.”
Now Hez got it. “And that could appear to be embezzlement and blackmail payments if taken out of context.”
“Exactly. Was I moving money out of university accounts and then handing envelopes of cash to Abernathy and Cardin? Yes. Was I embezzling or paying them hush money? No.”
“I think I understand.” Hez chewed on his lower lip as he went over Jess’s convoluted story. “What about the spreadsheet on your laptop—the one showing payments to Rat 1 and Rat 2?”
“That’s fake. Maybe the burglar planted it on an earlier visit.”
“Maybe. He forced a side door last time. Did you notice any damage to your doors or windows?”
“No,” she admitted. “Maybe it was planted remotely.”
He jotted down a note to check with his computer expert, Bruno. “And why would the burglar have come back?”
“Probably because there’s a lot of cash in the house, thanks to TGU’s irregular finances.”
“It sounds like whoever framed you knows a lot about this stuff.”
“Well, they know about the payments to Abernathy and Cardin. Most of the department heads and administration veterans know at least something about the off-the-book payment streams—but I’m not sure who knows what.”
Hez reviewed his notes. “Okay, that’s all the questions I have right now—I’m sure I’ll have more as I dig deeper. Is there anything else I should know?”
“Nothing I can think of.” She held her hands palms up. “You know all my secrets now.”
He doubted that was true, but maybe he knew enough to get her acquitted.
Ten minutes later, he was in his car and driving back to Pelican Harbor. He didn’t love Jess’s story, but at least he now had a defense for the embezzlement charge and an explanation for her payments to Abernathy and Cardin. It would be complicated to put on in front of jurors, and they probably wouldn’t like the fact that Jess played along with shady accounting practices. They might be willing to acquit her, though.
But what would the cost be? Jess’s comments about bankruptcy haunted him. Would he have to upend Savannah’s life and destroy her family’s legacy in order to exonerate Jess?
* * *
She didn’t want to do this. Savannah gritted her teeth and punched in the old nanny’s number Jess had given her. The call to Sarita Barnes began to ring through, and Savannah settled on the swing on her front porch. Marley lay beside her, and he growled when Boo Radley roared over at the pond. A breeze touched her face with the scents of moss and pine.
The longer she was with Simon, the more she wanted to keep him close and see him grow up. He was loving it here, too, and she’d even taken him out to the Gum Swamp late yesterday and shown him the platforms she and his mom had built in their swamping days. He was already thriving, and she was about to upend his life again.
The call got dumped to voice mail, and she left a message explaining who she was and that she was calling to see if Sarita would be available to take Simon. She clicked off her phone and heard something behind her, but when she turned, it was only a fox squirrel hopping off the porch.
Her phone sounded, and she answered it. “Good morning, Sarita. Thanks for returning my call so quickly.”
“Good morning, Ms. Webster. Simon is back in the States?”
“He is. Jess would love you to take charge of him again.”
“I wish I could. That young man is very dear to me, but I took another position a year ago, and I can’t. I have a couple of friends who might be looking for a nanny position if you’d like me to inquire for you.”
Savannah pressed her fingers to her forehead. A stranger? She would have to hand her nephew over to someone none of them knew? Surely Jess wouldn’t want her to do that.
“Ms. Webster, are you there?”
“Sorry, yes, I’m here. I was trying to decide what to do.”
