Chapter 7 - The Business PartnersAndrew's business partners, once formally notified through Priscilla's office of the emerging fraud investigation, responded with considerably less loyalty than Andrew had apparently anticipated.
Marcus Webb, the senior partner at Andrew's development firm, called me directly — an unusual step, Priscilla noted, though not entirely surprising given the potential exposure the firm itself now faced.
"Mrs. Bennett," he said, his voice carrying the particular careful formality of a man protecting his own interests as much as offering genuine sympathy, "I want you to know, the firm had no knowledge of any irregularities in Andrew's personal real estate dealings, including anything involving your property or Mrs. Callahan's former home."
"I appreciate you reaching out," I said carefully. "Though I'm curious what prompted the call."
"We're conducting our own internal review," Marcus said. "Given the LLC connection to Mrs. Callahan's transaction, we need to understand exactly how deeply this pattern extends, and whether any of the firm's legitimate capital was knowingly used to facilitate what may prove to be fraudulent property acquisitions."
"What have you found so far?"
Marcus hesitated, the particular hesitation of someone weighing exactly how much to disclose to a party whose interests might not entirely align with his own. "More than we'd like," he said finally. "Andrew's personal investment losses appear more extensive than he's previously represented to the partnership. We're seeing indications he may have used firm resources, without full authorization, to cover margin calls related to those losses, which would constitute a serious breach of his fiduciary obligations to the partnership."
I sat with this information, understanding the full, expanding scope of what Andrew had apparently been managing, quietly, disastrously, for well over a year before any of it had surfaced into my own awareness.
"What happens now?" I asked. "For the firm, I mean."
"We're evaluating our options," Marcus said. "Likely a formal buyout of his partnership stake, at a valuation reflecting the losses he's incurred, combined with our own internal accounting of any misused firm resources. Depending on what our review ultimately confirms, we may also need to refer certain matters to our own outside counsel, separate from whatever proceeds through your divorce or the fraud investigation regarding Westfield."
"Is Andrew aware of how serious this has become?"
"I believe he's beginning to understand," Marcus said, something that might have been careful, professional satisfaction entering his voice. "This started as what he characterized to us as a minor documentation error regarding a personal property transaction. It's become considerably more than that, in a fairly short window of time."
I thanked Marcus for the call, understanding that whatever remained of Andrew's professional standing was unraveling in parallel with our marriage — not because I had orchestrated any of it deliberately, but because the truth, once properly documented and pursued, had apparently generated its own considerable momentum, extending outward into every corner of Andrew's carefully constructed professional and personal life.
I called Priscilla immediately afterward, relaying what Marcus had shared.
"This is significant," she said. "It substantially strengthens your position for the divorce proceedings, given the scale of financial misconduct now emerging. And frankly, Claire, it suggests the district attorney's office may take the criminal fraud allegations considerably more seriously, given the broader pattern now documented across multiple victims and transactions."
"I keep waiting to feel triumphant about all of this," I admitted. "Instead, I mostly just feel tired. And a little sad, honestly, about how thoroughly Andrew apparently constructed an entire secret life, right alongside our real one, without my ever fully understanding how deep it actually went."
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"That's a normal reaction," Priscilla said gently. "Discovering fraud on this scale, from someone you trusted for nearly two decades — grief and exhaustion are entirely reasonable responses, alongside whatever relief or vindication you might also feel. Give yourself permission to feel all of it, Claire. You don't need to feel only triumphant to be handling this exactly right."
I thought about that advice for a long time afterward, sitting alone in Aunt Evelyn's kitchen — my kitchen, now, entirely, in every sense that mattered — understanding that the road ahead remained considerably longer than I'd initially hoped, but also, increasingly, clearly, moving in exactly the right direction.
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