Chapter 5 - THE CONTRACT WITH THE HIDDEN CLAUSE
The following morning, my attorney, Daniel Price, arrived with a thick folder.
“Bennett Restoration,” he said, placing it on my desk.
I opened the file.
Mercer had purchased the company's outstanding debt through a holding firm.
That part was legal.
The problem lay in a series of amendments.
One clause gave the lender the right to accelerate repayment if Isabella failed to meet vaguely defined “reputational standards.”
Another allowed Mercer to demand control of the company's equipment and intellectual property after default.
A third purported to grant his company an option on Isabella's home, though the documents appeared incomplete.
Daniel frowned.
“This is aggressive.”
“Illegal?”
“Possibly. We need the original agreements and payment history.”
I studied the signatures.
One looked wrong.
“Isabella didn't sign this.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“How do you know?”
“Because I watched her sign a receipt yesterday. Her handwriting doesn't look like that.”
He examined the page.
“That's not proof.”
“No.”
I closed the folder.
“But it's a reason to investigate.”
Daniel nodded.
“I'll contact her attorney, with her permission.”
I looked toward the window.
Below us, Chicago moved through another gray winter morning.
I had spent years accumulating influence.
May you like
Now I needed something more useful.
Evidence.
