by Patricia Fry
Before she could respond, Buzz called out, “There’s Carol.” He hastened his pace and joined her at the back of her car, where she stood with the trunk open.
She quickly closed it, turned, and smiled nervously at him. “Hi,” she said breathlessly. She glanced at Rags and asked, without much enthusiasm, “So how’d he do?”
“You should have come out of your ivory tower to watch the rehearsal,” Buzz said. “It went super well.”
Carol looked at Savannah, then Rags, saying, “That’s good. I know you were a little worried about this long-distance situation.”
“There’s always something to worry about when you’re directing a play,” Buzz said, “especially when there’s so much money at stake.” He felt something push against his leg and he looked down. “Hi, cat,” he said, running his hand over Rags’s fur. When Rags pushed past Buzz and poked his head under Carol’s car, he asked, “Hey, whatcha got there?”
“What’s he doing?” Savannah asked, choking up on the leash. “What are you pawing at under there, anyway, Rags?”
“I’ll get him,” Michael said, picking him up. When he stood up with the cat something floated to the ground and Rags struggled to follow it. Michael leaned over and Rags jumped from his arms and chased it into a small planted area. Before they could stop him, Rags pounced on it and picked it up in his mouth.
“What is that?” Buzz asked. “Money?”
“I saw it blow out of Carol’s trunk when she closed it,” Arthur said, taking it from Rags. “A check,” he said quietly.
Carol yelped, “Oh! That’s mine.” She snatched it from Arthur, stuffed it into a pocket, and proceeded to unlock her car door.
“You keep loose checks in your trunk?” Arthur asked.
“I planned to go to the bank today, but I didn’t get there in time.” By then, Carol had opened her door and started to slide into the car.
“So how much do we have so far?” Arthur asked. “You haven’t given us an accounting in a while. We have at least one performance sold out, don’t we?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m working on that accounting you want. We’re doing okay financially. I can tell you that.” She closed the door, started her car, and drove off quickly.
“Well, that was reckless,” Arthur said, “a donor check flying around in the parking lot. What’s up with that?”
“Awww, Carol’s a good gal,” Buzz said, smiling in the direction she’d driven.
Arthur looked around. “There aren’t any more checks out here, are there?”
“I’m sure it was just that one. It evidently blew out of her trunk when she closed it,” Buzz assured him. “Those things happen.”
Arthur looked at him, then at the cat. He took a deep breath and said to Michael and Savannah, “Well, let’s get home to my baby, shall we?” He smiled. “She might be awake and ready to be held.”
Savannah shimmied. “Yes, let’s.”
“So Arthur, what’s up with your financial gal?” Michael asked on the drive home.
“I don’t know,” Arthur said. “Lately I’ve felt a little uncomfortable with the situation, but Buzz seems to think everything’s hunky-dory.”
“I think he’s more interested in her hunky-dory than he is in her financial abilities,” Michael suggested.
“What?” Arthur asked.
“He’s infatuated, don’t you think so?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Arthur agreed. “As I understand it, those little backstage romances are common—you know, because we all work so closely together. It’s a temporary thing, I’m sure.”
“Temporary or not,” Savannah said, “if she’s being careless with the funds, that should be looked into.”
“I know,” Arthur said. “I’ve seen a couple of red flags with that woman. Her behavior has me a more than a little concerned. And we don’t need any of us to be concerned two nights before we open.”
“So what are you going to do?” Michael asked. “I mean, is there an accounting protocol—you know, where Carol has someone she’s responsible to? At least two people should be handling finances. She has someone working with her, right?”
Arthur shook his head. “No. There were two of them, but there was a falling out between Carol and the other gal. I don’t know what happened. Buzz assured those of us on the committee that everything is under control and on the up-and-up.”
“I don’t think so, Arthur,” Savannah said.
“Why?” he asked. “I mean I’m suspicious, but why would you be when you’ve just come into town and met her for the first time? What causes you to be skeptical?”
Both Michael and Savannah said, “Rags.”
Savannah added, “Yes, his reaction to her.”
“And that wayward check,” Michael said. “Arthur, I caught a glimpse of it and it appeared to have more than a couple of zeros.”
“Oh!” he gasped. “We’ve been expecting a large check from a local horse rancher. I wonder if that was it. But why wouldn’t she tell us about it? In the beginning she and the other gal were keeping the committee apprised of donations regularly, especially the larger donations.” Arthur asked, “What should I do?”
Michael was quick to suggest, “I’d say you’d better call a meeting of the committee and get a consensus to have the books opened up to you immediately.”
Arthur was quiet for a few moments as he drove, then he let out a sigh. “When you look at the big picture, there’s no reason why I, of all people, should panic about the potential mishandling of these funds. I could cover the $10,000 or $15,000 several times over without ever missing the money, but that’s not the point.”
“Absolutely, that’s not the point,” Savannah said. She touched his shoulder from the backseat. “So Arthur, what caused the red flags you’ve seen?”
“Well, first and foremost, probably Buzz’s sudden change of manner where Carol’s concerned. It seems to be okay with him that she no longer communicates with the committee. In fact, he said we make her feel guilty by asking her to show us the books so often. It makes her nervous.”
“So Buzz is sticking up for her?” Michael asked. “Do you think he’s in cahoots with her—you know, to mishandle the money?”
“That I doubt.” He glanced at Michael briefly while he drove. “You’re probably right, that Buzz has a thing for her—he’s temporarily thinking with something other than his head where she’s concerned.”
Savannah muttered, “So she has a scapegoat—an unsuspecting scapegoat who could be unknowingly helping her to take or maybe borrow from the till.”
“And we all know,” Michael said, “that someone who borrows like that is often not in a position to pay the money back. Yeah, I’d say it’s time for the committee to see those books—like yesterday.”
Arthur slumped a little in the driver’s seat. “I sure hate to think there’s a problem. We certainly have nothing concrete to go on, but yes, Carol is behaving rather suspiciously—certainly not like a professional.”
“Is she a professional?” Savannah asked.
“She came highly recommended by at least one of the cat-shelter directors. She does their books. But I don’t know about her credentials. I dropped the ball there. I should have…”
“It’s too late for that,” Michael said. “I’d say you’d better confront her, with or without Buzz’s blessing, and get that accounting pronto quick, or her next stop might be a tropical island.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Arthur said. “We can’t just sit back and give her the space to misappropriate those funds. We need to insist on regular accountings and she needs to know we’re serious about that. I’m going to call a meeting tonight.” Arthur turned to Michael and glanced briefly at Savannah in the rearview mirror. “I’d like you two to be there. In fact, I’ll have the meeting at my house, then no one will question why you’re there. Okay?”
“Sure,” Michael said.
“I guess so,” Savannah agreed, “if you think we can help.”
/> ****
By seven that evening Buzz, two representatives from the participating cat shelters, and two others from the production team had arrived at Arthur’s and Suzette’s home. Arthur looked at his watch and asked, “Where’s Carol?”
“I offered to pick her up,” Buzz said, “but she had some preparation to do. She was running a little late. She’ll be here.”
Arthur made brief eye contact with Michael and Savannah.
Another few minutes went by before the doorbell rang and Arthur ushered Carol inside. “Thank you for coming,” he said.
“What were my choices?” Carol asked. “I really don’t like these last-minute meetings. I have a life, you know.”
Addie, who had the starring role in the play, said, “You ought to try juggling my life.” When Carol looked at her, she added, “Full-time job, a six-year-old, a mother with dementia, three cats, and a part in a play.”
Carol didn’t respond. Once she was seated, Arthur glanced at Buzz, who simply watched Carol organize herself and her belongings. She placed her large purse at her feet and removed her lightweight jacket.
Arthur cleared his throat. “Carol, we called this meeting for an accounting. It’s been a while since we’ve had a financial accounting. Since we’re dealing with quite a sum of money and because it’s sorely needed to help the cats, and since this is a joint effort, we all need to be accountable.” He glanced around and continued, “I get the impression that the job we’ve given you is a bit overwhelming, and we want to help you in any way that we can.”
“I’m good,” she said. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Well, it’s always a big deal when you’re handling large sums of money—someone else’s money. As I alluded to, the entire committee is responsible to our donors and supporters, not to mention the cats we’re trying to help.”
Carol faced Arthur defensively. “What are you insinuating?”
“Nothing,” Arthur said. “The committee is just attempting to do our job and you’re part of the committee. We need to work together, which means we need an accounting on a regular basis. Carol, we did that big push for donations last week; surely you have something to report.”
“Um…well…I’ve been busy myself. Yeah, we’ve had some money come in, but I didn’t actually log and deposit the checks right away. I was waiting for the first night’s theater receipts.”
“Most of the seats are prepaid,” Arthur reminded her. “We’ve turned that money over to you. You say you haven’t made a deposit?”
A few others gasped and began tittering among themselves.
“I plan to do that tomorrow, once all of the seats are sold.”
“You should be doing that every day or so,” suggested Catherine, one of the shelter representatives. “I’ve handled a lot of fundraising for our organization and learned that’s the best practice. You don’t sit on money like that.”
“Well,” Carol said flippantly, “you handle your projects your way, and I…”
“No—no—no,” Arthur said. “Let’s not make this confrontational. All we want, Carol,” he said calmly, “is an accounting. How much have we collected so far? Can we see the bank records?”
“But I…” Carol started.
“She’s been busy,” Buzz said. “So what if she hasn’t made it to the bank yet? Show them what you’ve got, Carol,” he urged gently.
Carol took a packet from her purse and removed a stack of documents, handing it to Buzz, who sat to her left. “Here, I made copies. Please pass them along.” She held one copy in her hands. “As you can see…”
“Yeah, what I see,” Catherine said, “is your log of donors and…”
Arthur motioned for Catherine to stop. “Okay. Let’s go slowly. So Carol…”
Before he could continue, Savannah lurched forward. When she realized that her action didn’t go unnoticed, she said, “I’m sorry,” as she trotted across the room. She returned carrying an envelope. Sheepishly, she handed it to Carol. “I think my cat took this out of your purse.”
Carol strained to look at her purse, which she’d moved under her chair and behind her feet. She reached for the envelope.
Before Carol could grasp it, Rags knocked it out of Savannah’s hand. He picked it up and ran off with it again. “Rags,” Savannah called. “Oh, how embarrassing,” she muttered under her breath. This time when she returned from chasing after the cat, just about everyone was laughing, except for Carol.
“I’m sorry,” Savannah said, handing the envelope to Carol.
But before Carol could take it, Catherine grabbed it. “I thought so,” she snarled. “Airline tickets.” She glanced around at the others and announced, “To Greece.”
Carol slumped, then sat up straight and said with confidence, “Hey, I’m allowed to take a trip, aren’t I? Good God, I’m only your financial person; I’m not your slave. What are you insinuating, anyway?”
“Yeah,” Buzz said compassionately, “people take vacations all the time. Come on, guys, lighten up.”
“It’s a one-way ticket,” Catherine said quietly.
“Yes it is,” Carol agreed. “I plan to stay for a while. I have friends there.”
Catherine challenged, “Last I heard, Carol, you were destitute and very happy to get this job. You’re the only one being paid because you needed the money so badly. Now you can afford a trip to Greece, for crying out loud?”
“My friends sent me the money,” she explained. “I’m going to work for them when I get there.”
“Okay, folks,” Arthur said, “let’s calm down and go over this document Carol has prepared for us.” He winced and asked, “Carol, you don’t have a bank statement we can look at?”
“Yes,” another man said, “all this shows is your notes—your log. We need to see bank records.”
“She told you she hasn’t made a trip to the bank in a few days,” Buzz said.
“Well how about this,” Arthur suggested, “I’ll accompany you to the bank tomorrow morning.” When Carol started to protest, he said, “…or afternoon. You choose a time. If, by the end of the day, you haven’t had the time to meet with me, I’ll discuss our concerns with the police department.”
“Police?” Buzz shouted. “What do you mean, the police? Carol’s a busy woman and…”
Ignoring Buzz’s outburst, Arthur said, “I’ll meet you there at ten. Can you make it?”
Carol nodded reluctantly.
“If there’s anyone else who would like to accompany us, that would be fine—Catherine?”
“Yes, I’ll be there,” she said.
“Good. Thank you all for coming. I’m sure that by ten thirty tomorrow, we’ll have the documents we need.” Arthur faced Carol and asked, “When is your trip?”
Carol hesitated and Catherine said, “She’s leaving Sunday.”
Buzz looked at Carol. “Sunday? But I thought…”
Meanwhile, Michael leaned toward Arthur and whispered, “Maybe you should hold onto those tickets until you know for sure what’s going on.”
“Oh, I don’t know…” Arthur said. “I don’t want to…”
“I heard that,” Catherine said. “I think that’s a great idea. Yes. Keep the tickets until she makes a deposit and someone else becomes a signatory on that bank account.”
“Are you accusing me of something?” Carol asked. “That sounded like an outright accusation.”
“No,” Arthur said, but not very convincingly.
“Because if you are, I have a right to defend myself,” Carol spat. “If you don’t give me those tickets, I’ll call the police. I’ll have you all arrested,” she shouted, standing up.
“Wait,” Arthur said. He took the tickets from Catherine and handed them to Carol. “I’ll meet you at the City Bank on Sperry at ten. You bring the deposit, okay?”
Carol nodded. Avoiding eye contact with anyone, she picked up her purse, the packet of tickets, and her jacket and rushed out the door.
Buzz excused hi
mself and followed her.
“Arthur,” Catherine said, “you’re a swell guy, but I think you just made a big mistake.”
Arthur frowned. He glanced at Savannah and Michael, took a deep breath, and mumbled, “I sure hope not.”
The others filtered out over the next few minutes. Arthur had waved to the last few guests when Michael approached him. He patted Arthur on the back. “Man, that was brutal.”
“Yes,” Savannah said. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
Arthur winced. “I’m sorry you had to see it.”
“So do you think she’ll meet you at the bank?” Suzette asked.
“I sure hope so,” he muttered. “I sure hope so.”
****
“Well?” Buzz questioned the following day when Arthur entered the theater during rehearsal. Several others moved closer, eager to hear his report.
“It’s not good,” Arthur said.
“What happened?” Savannah asked.
“She was a no-show. I went by her place and didn’t find her there, either. There is a bank account, but it only has a couple thousand dollars in it.”
“Good God,” Buzz said. “Are you sure? I had such faith in that girl.”
“Yeah,” Catherine said, “you were putting your faith in the wrong place with her.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Buzz blurted.
“I called the police,” Arthur said. “If any of you know where she might hide out, would you let me know so I can tell Sergeant Patterson?”
Buzz thought for a moment, then said quietly, “Yeah, I might have some information.”
Arthur acknowledged him. “Good. Write it down for me. In the meantime,” he said so everyone could hear, “there’s a very good possibility we’ll get that money back, so don’t lose faith.” He reached out and ruffled Rags’s fur. “Frankly, if it wasn’t for this cat, we might not have the opportunity to act on this; we might have continued being duped. But he came up with those airline tickets, which helped to escalate our investigation into Carol’s intentions.”
