“How is her piano practice coming along?” I asked.
“She played her first complete Bach piece on Tuesday,” Arthur said, his eyes bright with a sudden warmth. “No mistakes. I told her she has more discipline than my entire board of directors.”
The warmth faded as he set his heavy gold pen on the laminate table, tapping it twice against his leather folder.
“Let us talk about the business at hand,” he said.
“I spent the morning looking over the regional sales records,” I said, keeping my voice quiet. “I noticed some gaps in the vendor lists for the midwest division.”
Arthur shook his head, a dismissive wave of his hand cutting through the air. “The sales division is the crown jewel of Meridian, Evelyn. Ryan Cole has run that department with absolute precision for five years.”
“There are several large marketing consultancies on the ledger that do not seem to have physical offices,” I said.
“We delegate those choices to the regional executives,” Arthur said, his tone tightening. “Ryan’s margins are twelve percent higher than the industry average. I do not micro-manage a man who delivers those kinds of numbers.”
“Even if those numbers are insulated by undocumented payouts?” I asked.
Arthur stopped tapping his pen. He leaned forward, his shoulders squaring beneath his tailored suit.
“Evelyn, we have been partners in this negotiation for three months,” he said. “I respect your thoroughness, but you must trust my oversight. Ryan is a difficult personality, but his performance is spotless.”
“I am only looking at the data, Arthur,” I said.
“Then look at the net profit,” he said. “The board is satisfied, and the merger depends on that division remaining stable.”
I took a slow sip of my four-dollar coffee, the warmth of the mug doing nothing to ease the tightness in my chest. Arthur was a good man, but his faith in Ryan was a shield he refused to put down.
“I will review the regional files again tonight,” I said.
“Do that,” Arthur said, picking up his pen and sliding it back into his breast pocket. “You will find nothing but success there.”
