Chapter 7 - The Company Laura Tried to Save
Davenport Coastal had been founded by Michael’s father, Thomas Davenport, thirty-two years earlier.
Thomas had left sixty-two percent of the company in a family trust.
Michael controlled day-to-day operations.
Caroline chaired the board.
The trust’s voting structure prevented either sibling from selling the company without the other.
Or so Michael had always believed.
Laura discovered the weakness.
A clause in the trust allowed voting authority to transfer temporarily if the acting chief executive became legally incapacitated, was removed for cause, or was implicated in financial misconduct.
Grant had drafted amendments to that clause after Thomas died.
Caroline stared at the papers.
“I signed this.”
“So did I,” Michael said.
“You told us it was routine governance.”
Grant had.
The new structure granted interim voting authority to an “independent fiduciary committee.”
Three people had been designated.
One had died.
One was a retired judge living in Florida.
The third was Grant Mercer.
Caroline whispered, “If Michael is removed for fraud…”
“Grant gets significant temporary voting power,” Rachel Kim said.
“And if I’m also compromised?”
Rachel looked at her.
“Then the committee could exercise control over most trust votes until a court intervenes.”
Michael understood.
“They needed me disgraced.”
Rachel nodded.
“And possibly you.”
Caroline sat slowly.
Vanessa’s media campaign suddenly looked less emotional.
It looked strategic.
Michael’s assault on Maya had handed them exactly what they needed.
Grant and Vanessa had not created that mistake.
Michael had.
They had simply weaponized it.
Eric Sloan agreed to meet Michael only after Ortiz approved.
They met in a lawyer’s conference room.
Eric looked ten years older than Michael remembered.
“I should have spoken earlier,” he said.
“Yes,” Michael replied.
Eric flinched.
Michael immediately regretted the hostility.
“What did Laura find?”
Eric opened a folder.
“Fake vendors. Inflated construction contracts. Asset transfers.”
“We know that.”
“She also found Grant had been falsifying internal reports to make certain developments look less profitable.”
“Why?”
“To depress the company’s valuation.”
Caroline leaned forward.
“For an acquisition?”
Eric nodded.
“Seagrass had preliminary financing.”
Michael stared.
“To buy Davenport Coastal?”
“To buy distressed pieces after a governance crisis.”
Vanessa’s company would acquire the assets.
Grant would obtain temporary voting control.
Together they could force restructuring.
Michael asked, “What did Laura do?”
“She confronted me.”
“When?”
“Three weeks before she disappeared.”
“You lied to her?”
“At first.”
“Why?”
“Grant knew about my gambling debt.”
Michael’s anger surged.
Eric looked ashamed.
“I owed almost four hundred thousand dollars. Grant covered part of it. Then he owned me.”
“So you falsified invoices.”
“Yes.”
“And Laura found out.”
“Yes.”
Michael stood.
“You could have stopped this.”
Eric met his eyes.
“So could you.”
The room became silent.
Michael sat again.
Eric was right.
“What happened the night before Laura vanished?”
Eric swallowed.
“She came to the office after eleven. Grant was there.”
“Vanessa?”
“I didn’t see her.”
“What did Grant say?”
“He told Laura she was about to ruin Sophie’s life.”
Michael’s fingers curled.
“He said he had enough records to make it look as though Laura stole the money. He said if she went to police, Michael would believe the documents before he believed her.”
Michael could barely speak.
“And what did Laura say?”
Eric looked at him.
“She said, ‘That’s the problem. He probably will.’”
The words were a blade.
Eric continued.
“I left. I was scared.”
“When did Grant pay you?”
“Three days later.”
“After Laura disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you take it?”
“Because he told me Laura had run.”
“Did you believe him?”
Eric looked away.
“No.”
Michael stood again.
This time he did not shout.
“You let us search for her for fourteen months.”
Eric’s voice broke.
“I know.”
Ortiz intervened.
“Did you see Laura after that office confrontation?”
Eric hesitated.
Everyone noticed.
“Eric?”
He rubbed both hands over his face.
“Yes.”
Michael stopped breathing.
“When?”
“The night she disappeared.”
“Where?”
“At the old Cypress Point development.”
Michael stared.
Davenport Coastal owned an unfinished luxury development twelve miles north of Malibu.
Construction had stalled because of coastal permitting problems.
“Why were you there?”
“Grant called me. Said he needed documents from the site office.”
“What time?”
“Around one in the morning.”
“Did you see Laura?”
Eric nodded.
“Her car wasn’t there.”
“Whose was?”
“A black Range Rover.”
Vanessa drove a black Range Rover at the time.
Michael knew because Laura had helped her choose it.
“What did you see?”
“Laura standing near the unfinished sales pavilion.”
“Was she alone?”
“No.”
Eric began shaking.
“Vanessa was with her.”
Michael leaned closer.
“And Grant?”
May you like
Eric looked directly at him.
“He came out of the building carrying Laura’s phone.”
