Chapter 6 - A Trustee With Too Many AnswersThe next morning, Ethan sat across from Paul Larkin in a conference room overlooking downtown Scottsdale.
Paul was fifty-two, soft-spoken, meticulously groomed, and dressed in a gray suit that looked expensive without attracting attention.
A leather portfolio rested beside his hands.
He had agreed to the meeting after Ethan demanded an explanation.
Ethan had spent the night in a guest room down the hall from Lily. Claire had remained in the primary bedroom.
He'd secured the documents and asked Claire not to approach Lily about what she'd said.
He'd also arranged an appointment with an attorney experienced in trust litigation.
Now he placed copies of the Sunridge invoices on the conference table.
“Explain these.”
Paul adjusted his glasses.
“They're authorized beneficiary expenses.”
“For services my daughter didn't receive?”
“That hasn't been established.”
Ethan slid forward the payment summary.
“These were hidden inside a compartment in my dining table.”
Paul glanced at the page.
For a fraction of a second, his expression changed.
Then he recovered.
“I can't speak to where documents were stored inside your home.”
Ethan watched him carefully.
“Can you speak to why you approved payments?”
“Certainly. The trust permits distributions for Lily's health, education, maintenance, and support.”
“And these bills meet that standard?”
“They were supported by submitted invoices and authorizations.”
“From Claire?”
“From the household caregiver.”
“Claire has no authority to direct trust distributions.”
Paul clasped his hands.
“She acted as the child's primary caregiver.”
“That's not the same thing.”
“No,” Paul acknowledged. “It isn't.”
Ethan leaned forward.
“Did you ever verify that Sunridge provided treatment?”
Paul hesitated.
“Verification procedures vary depending on the type of service.”
“Did you verify it?”
“The file contains attendance documentation.”
“Signed by Claire.”
“Among other materials.”
Ethan took out the copied authorization.
“What about this?”
Paul looked at it.
“Your consent.”
“I didn't sign it.”
Paul's eyes remained steady.
“That's a serious allegation.”
“I'm making it seriously.”
Ethan pointed to the lower right corner.
The document showed his signature attached to a paragraph authorizing extensive treatment and financial payments.
But the surrounding text looked sharper than the signature itself.
It resembled a scanned image.
Paul noticed where Ethan was pointing.
“Digital records often contain inconsistencies.”
“Then you won't object to providing the original.”
Paul was quiet.
“There may not be a paper original.”
Ethan felt anger rise.
“You approved hundreds of thousands of dollars based on an image of my signature?”
“I approved distributions using the information available to me.”
“Which you accepted without verifying?”
Paul's jaw tightened.
“I understand you're upset.”
Ethan leaned back.
The phrase infuriated him.
It turned questions about money into questions about his emotional state.
Claire had used the same tactic.
“I'm asking for the full accounting,” Ethan said. “Every distribution, invoice, recipient, and authorization.”
“Those records contain confidential financial information.”
“They concern my daughter's trust.”
“I will need to review the proper disclosure process.”
Ethan nodded.
“Do that.”
He stood.
Paul raised a hand.
“Mr. Carter, there's no need to escalate this.”
Ethan paused.
“What do you mean?”
“Trust disputes can be expensive. Public allegations can also damage your daughter's interests.”
Something about the wording caught Ethan's attention.
“Public allegations?”
“I simply mean that litigation is rarely anyone's first choice.”
“I haven't threatened publicity.”
Paul shifted in his chair.
“Of course.”
“Who told you that I might?”
The silence stretched.
Then Paul said, “Claire mentioned that emotions were high.”
Ethan understood.
They had spoken.
Probably more than once.
He gathered his documents.
“One other question.”
Paul looked up.
“Were you ever physically present at Sunridge while Lily was there?”
Paul's expression sharpened.
“Why?”
“Because my daughter remembers a man in a gray jacket.”
“I visit numerous service providers.”
“Did you visit that one?”
“Occasionally.”
“With Lily?”
“I don't recall the specific dates.”
Ethan almost smiled.
It was the same answer Claire used when an inconvenient detail surfaced.
He left without shaking Paul's hand.
Outside, the desert sun reflected off parked cars.
He stood beside his truck and called Lily.
Their housekeeper, Rosa Vega, had agreed to remain with her while Claire was out.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Ethan said.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Toast.”
“Anything else?”
“A peach.”
“Good.”
A pause followed.
Then Lily asked, “Did the man tell you I was bad?”
Ethan gripped the phone.
“No, Lily.”
“Because he said I was making trouble before.”
Ethan went still.
“When did he say that?”
Lily hesitated.
“At the car place.”
“What car place?”
“The one where Claire took pictures.”
Ethan glanced at the document in his hand.
“Was the man there?”
“Yes.”
“What did he do?”
“He gave Claire an envelope.”
Ethan felt a sudden chill.
“Did you see what was inside?”
“No. But they argued.”
“About what?”
Lily lowered her voice.
“He said it would look wrong if they kept making appointments when I wasn't even going inside.”
Ethan looked back toward Paul's office building.
The trustee had just told him the records were supported by attendance documentation.
May you like
His daughter was telling him Paul knew the attendance was false.
And if Lily remembered correctly, Paul had known long before the table was opened.
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