Chapter 4 - REEVES DESIGN & BUILD
Preston owned forty-one percent of Reeves Design & Build.
His mother held eighteen.
Outside investors and two senior employees held the rest.
The company renovated luxury residences.
Boutique hotels.
Historic homes.
Good work.
Terrible year.
Two major projects went over budget.
A supplier failed.
One client delayed $900,000 in payments after disputing change orders.
Payroll continued.
Subcontractors wanted cash.
Banks wanted covenant compliance.
Not bankruptcy.
Not collapse.
Pressure.
Preston did not tell me how bad it was.
Why?
Pride.
Also our prenup.
My inherited assets remained separate.
His business remained separate.
Neither spouse had automatic rights over the other’s premarital property.
I knew the company was tight.
I did not know it had used a revolving credit line almost to its limit.
Dorinda knew.
She had personal guarantees tied to one older company facility.
That mattered.
The first false reimbursement was $38,500.
Description:
TEMPORARY NURSERY AIR-FILTRATION AND MOLD MITIGATION.
Our home had no mold.
Invoice came from a real Reeves subcontractor.
Work had occurred.
Not at our house.
At a stalled client property.
Preston caused the subcontractor to reissue the invoice description under a project code connected to our residence.
Money came from Dad’s family office to Preston as reimbursement.
Then Preston’s company paid the subcontractor.
Dad’s money solved a business cash problem.
I never saw the request.
My name appeared under:
Family approval.
Typed.
Not handwritten.
The finance manager assumed Preston had authorization under my earlier email.
Poor control.
Not necessarily criminal by the finance manager.
Very possibly fraudulent by Preston depending proof of intent.
Second request:
$54,000.
"Medical transport reserve and secure driver retainer."
No such retainer.
The money went to an overdue insurance premium at Reeves Design & Build.
Third:
$71,250.
"Postpartum household accessibility modifications."
Our condo? No.
Our current house? None.
A carpenter had widened one pantry door for $1,800.
The rest went through the company operating account.
Total questioned by the time I found the folder:
$163,750.
Not millions.
Enough.
Then there was the final request.
May you like
$300,000.
That was the document Dorinda did not want leaving the kitchen.
