Page 16 of The Hampton Beach Café 6
Maybe he knew he was grumpy,Frances thought as she turned to face the next customer.
Just as she opened her mouth to say hello, her phone rang. BHC Accountants flashed on the screen.
“Sorry,” she said instead. “I can't miss this call.”
She grabbed her phone from the stand next to the register and turned to Vincent who was walking past into the kitchen.
“Can you take this order, please? It's Adam.”
He nodded and slipped into her spot behind the register as she stepped away. Lucinda shot her a small smile when she ducked into the kitchen. Frances knew that she'd be there with her if she could but the line of outstanding orders was too substantial for Lucinda to take even a two minute break.
“Hi, Adam?”
“Yes, hello,” his voice was still professional, but it was low and filled with concern. Frances felt her heart sink as she heard it.
“What did you find?”
“I'm sorry to tell you this, Frances,” he said. “But the credit check came back very busy indeed. There have been several high-interest, short-term loans taken out against your name. I've tracked down the banks. Well, I hesitate to call them banks really. If they didn’t have a registered business name, I'd more likely call them loan sharks. The loans are all in your name alone, with all your correct information associated with them.”
“What do you mean they're in my name?” Frances asked, her voice shaking. “I didn't take out any loans, certainly not with any loan shark.”
She managed to stop talking as her voice wobbled. She did not need to add sobbing to her accountant to her day.
“Well, I know that…you barely let the team take out loans when they're vetted and triple-backed. In my opinion, it seems that someone has taken out loans in your name, Frances, for something called a Bruno. Do you have any idea what that is?”
It felt like her blood had been replaced with jelly—her limbs were heavy, and she was pretty sure if she stopped concentrating so hard, her heart would stop beating.
“Café Bruno is the…investment transaction we spoke about a few months ago,” she said quietly. “You're saying the café is the listed reason for the loans?”
Adam paused. “Yes, all the supporting paperwork lists this Bruno entity as the motivation for seeking approval. You knew about this then?”
“No!” Frances exclaimed. “Not at all! I don't know how this happened...”
The phone went silent as she paused to try and gain her composure.
“Frances,” Adam said haltingly. “I'm afraid it's a substantial balance…there's over a hundred thousand dollars of debt, and you're liable for all of it.”
Frances felt the blood drain from her face as she tried to process what she was hearing. “But how is that even possible? That's so much money!”
“I'm not sure, Frances, but we need to start working on a plan to resolve this as soon as possible,” Adam said. “I'll get started.”
“Adam…” she said, her voice breaking. “I don't think…I can't afford you.”
It was true. Even a normal accountant was expensive—and Adam was not a normal accountant. There was no way she could meet his hourly, especially for something as complex and involved as this...
“Frances…” he said, his voice suddenly soft, “…you were the first person to trust me with your finances. You helped me build this practice from the ground up. You have brought countless clients to me and my team over the last decade. It's very clear to me that you have been the victim of some kind of fraud. Do you really think I'm going to sit back and let it happen because of something so insignificant as that?”
She was crying now, though thankfully, it was silent rather than the body-wracking sobs she so wanted to let loose.
“Adam...”
“Frances…” he cut her off, “…you'll pay me when you pay me. And if you can't pay me, then I'll count it against the likely hundreds of thousands of dollars in finders fees I probably should have paid you for all those corporate clients you've referred to me.”
She knew she couldn't argue, and not for the first time she thanked her mom for instilling in her at such a young age the importance of getting good people on your side way before you ever need them. She'd worked hard her whole life, but having people willing and able to help her out like this was a privilege she would never take for granted.
Frances thanked him and hung up the phone, feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable. She knew she needed to take action, but she didn't even know where to start. She began with wiping her eyes and tried to figure out how to talk to anyone about this without breaking down.
ELEVEN
