Chapter 5
The audit request had been filed forty-eight hours before Jasper entered hospice.
It covered:
Related-party vendors.
Maintenance expenses.
Medical-supply contracts.
Fuel-card discrepancies.
Vehicle safety reports.
Payments to entities linked to Frederick and Avery.
Samuel Price, the chief financial officer, argued that a full audit would disrupt operations.
Lena Ortiz answered:
“Then we audit without disrupting operations.”
Frederick said:
“This is harassment by a grieving widow.”
I spoke for the first time.
“Jasper requested it.”
Avery’s mouth tightened.
“He was medicated.”
Miles played another portion of the deposition.
Jasper said:
“I am requesting a forensic audit because I have evidence that my father and mother diverted company funds and concealed fleet defects.”
The board room became silent.
“What defects?” Miriam asked.
Jasper answered through the recording.
“Braking assemblies on refrigerated units purchased through North County Fleet Solutions. At least nine failed inspection. Reports were altered.”
North County Fleet Solutions appeared in the folder.
Its owner:
FBA Holdings.
Frederick Beaumont Avery Holdings.
A company jointly controlled by my in-laws through layered entities.
Beaumont Logistics purchased replacement parts from their private vendor at inflated prices.
Some parts were used.
Some existed only on invoices.
The company paid millions.
Jasper discovered the arrangement after one of his trucks crashed near Montpelier.
That crash led to the medical scan identifying his cancer recurrence.
A truck driver lost control when a brake assembly failed.
Jasper went to the scene.
During evaluation for minor injuries, doctors discovered an abnormal mass.
The crash that revealed his illness may have been caused by the fraud he was investigating.
“Was Jasper driving?” I asked Miles afterward.
“No. He was in a company vehicle behind the truck. Debris struck his car.”
The truck driver, Paul Keller, survived with spinal injuries.
Company reports blamed weather.
Jasper obtained the original mechanic warning.
Do not release Unit 47. Rear brake pressure unstable.
Someone changed the electronic record to:
Monitor next service.
Access credentials:
Samuel Price.
Samuel claimed Frederick instructed him.
Frederick denied it.
The audit passed by majority vote.
All records were preserved.
Frederick and Avery were suspended from board duties pending investigation.
Not removed permanently.
Not declared guilty.
Suspended because of conflicts and evidence risk.
Their attorneys threatened litigation.
Miriam replied:
“You may litigate. You may not access the servers.”
After the meeting, I returned home.
Toby sat on the stairs.
Rose colored at the dining table.
A bruise had darkened along Toby’s cheek.
“I watched more of Dad’s video,” he said.
“You should not have done that alone.”
“Miles gave me the family section.”
I looked toward Miles.
“He requested it. I believed he deserved context.”
Toby’s anger moved between us.
“Dad let Grandpa near me knowing Grandpa hit him.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He believed Frederick had changed.”
“Did he?”
“No.”
“Then Dad was wrong.”
“Yes.”
The word hurt.
It was also necessary.
Toby began crying.
“I don’t want to be mad at him. He’s dead.”
“You are allowed to be angry at someone you love.”
“What if that ruins what I remember?”
“It won’t. It makes the memory complete.”
Rose looked up.
“Is Grandpa going to jail?”
“We don’t know.”
“Is Grandma bad?”
I sat beside her.
“She did something wrong and hurtful. Adults will decide legal consequences.”
“Did Daddy know?”
“He knew they might make unsafe choices.”
“Why didn’t he tell us?”
“He was trying to protect us and made mistakes.”
May you like
Rose returned to her drawing.
Children can hold truth when adults stop decorating it.
