Chapter 4 - Dana Mercer
Dana had entered my life fourteen days before the bruise.
Bennett Meridian’s outside auditor found four vendors whose mailing addresses did not match ordinary operations.
Nothing necessarily criminal.
Companies have virtual offices.
Consultants work from home.
Addresses change.
But one vendor called Lakeshore Guest Solutions LLC had billed Bennett Meridian $126,400 over eighteen months for “hotel launch support.”
The company had opened no hotels during that period.
Another vendor, Archer Facilities Advisory, received $74,800 for “property transition consulting.”
Again:
Possible.
Except the tax identification number on one invoice differed from the number on another.
The auditor expanded testing.
Daniel objected.
Called it:
“Year-end accounting theater.”
The audit committee disagreed.
Dana’s firm was retained.
Her first call to me was not about Daniel.
It was about a reimbursement I had approved.
Three years earlier I occasionally performed unpaid branding work for Bennett Meridian.
One vendor invoice listed my name as the internal project sponsor.
Dana asked:
“Did you authorize Lakeshore Guest Solutions for the Hawthorne project?”
“No.”
“Do you recognize the company?”
“No.”
“Did you work on Hawthorne?”
“Yes.”
“Was there a guest-solutions consultant?”
“Not that I remember.”
Silence.
Then:
May you like
“Mrs. Bennett, would you be willing to meet?”
That was when the floor beneath my marriage began moving.
