Prodigal Son by Susan Mallery Read Free Book Online Page A

father had kept hidden. All the entry titles were the same but the amounts were different, and not for the better.
    Anger filled him. Anger and a growing sense of betrayal. George Hanson had kept the truth from everyone. Jack didn’t know how he’d done it, but the proof was here in the second set of books he’d hidden away.
    Not only was the company close to bankruptcy, but his father’s concealment had been criminal and premeditated. The company was totally screwed—and so was Jack.

Chapter Four
    J ack carefully went through the books, hoping to find something to show that he’d been wrong—that his father hadn’t defrauded employees, stockholders and his family. But with every column, every total, the truth became more impossible to avoid.
    He stood and crossed to the window, where the night sky of Chicago stretched out before him. He could feel the walls closing in and fought against the sense of being trapped. With news like this, the board would pressure him to stay longer. They would insist that a three-month commitment to get things straightened out simply wasn’t enough. In their position, he would do the same.
    He heard someone knock on his office door, then push it open. He turned toward the sound.
    “You’re working late,” Samantha said as she walked toward him. “I had a feeling you would still be here. You executive types—always going the extra mile. Doesn’t being so conscientious get—” She stopped in mid-stride and stared at him. “What’s wrong?”
    So much for a poker face, he thought grimly. There was no point in keeping the truth from her. He would be calling an emergency board meeting first thing in the morning. Time was critical. The financial information would have to be disclosed, first to the board, and then to the investors and the financial world. His father had insisted on taking the company public, which meant playing by the rules of the SEC.
    “I found a second set of books,” he said, nodding toward his desk. “I’ve checked them against the official financial statements and they don’t add up. He was concealing massive expenditures and losses.”
    Samantha’s eyes widened. “Fraud?”
    “That’s one word for it. I can think of fifty others. We’re going to have to do a complete audit and find out the true financial situation. I doubt it’s going to be good news. We’re talking about a possible SEC investigation, plenty of bad press and downturn in the stock price.” He returned his attention to the view. “At least the family owns a majority of the shares. We don’t have to worry about a total sell-off. There will be a hit in our price, but it shouldn’t be too bad. Not with a new management team in place and complete disclosure.”
    “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.
    “You and me both. Not exactly what you want to hear about your new employer. Ready to cut and run?”
    “What? Of course not.” She moved next to him. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m not happy, if that’s what you mean. Just once, I’d like to be surprised by good news.”
    “Jack, you’re talking about your father. That he concealed material financial information. That’s a big deal.”
    “Good thing he’s dead, then. Otherwise, he’d be going to jail.”
    He sounded so calm, Samantha thought. As if all this were happening to someone else. From what she knew, Jack and his father had never been tight, but this had to be hard for him. No one wanted to find out a parent had committed a crime.
    “He wasn’t a bad man,” she said, not knowing if there was any way to make this easier for Jack. “Maybe he just got in over his head.”
    He looked at her. “You’re trying to justify what he did?”
    “Of course not. But from everything I’ve heard, he wasn’t evil.”
    “He doesn’t have to be evil to have broken the law. People do it all the time.” He shook his head. “I’m almost not surprised. He ran several departments himself. He couldn’t give up the