Look Both Ways (16 page)

“You think they promoted you to this location because of Cedargrove?”

“I think it’s quite possible that someone on high felt a black face was needed here, too. I was probably sent here to be the scapegoat. This alone would be hard to deal with. Now I find that in a moment of weakness I allowed myself to care for someone, thus creating an opportunity to be deceived again. As we speak, a slack-jawed weasel named Price Bishop, who doesn’t have enough brains to come in out of the rain, is questioning my job performance. He was next in line for the position I was given. So please excuse me if your words sound a bit hollow to me right now.”

“I understand how you feel, but you’re wrong. I would never do anything to harm you.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I have some calls to make. Please see yourself out.” She picked up the phone and dialed Travis’s number, not waiting for Will to leave.

“Travis, I’m home. I got your messages, and I got four from Price. I assumed from the tone of his voice on the last one that he does have my job, but thanks for your concern.”

He indeed sounded concerned. “Do you want me to come over there? I can try and help you sort this out. I don’t want him to do this to you. I want—”

Not wanting his pity, she cut him off. “Thanks for your offer, but I’ll see you in the morning, and don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I may be down, but I’m not out yet. We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

Will was still there when she hung up.

“Susan, I’m sorry for everything you’re going through. I know you’re angry and hurt, but I also know I love you, and I had no part in this. Think about this weekend, because all of it was real. You make me happier than I’ve ever been, and I don’t want to even think of losing you. I’ll call a meeting and see if I can defuse this mess. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

She held the door open. “Please don’t do me any favors. I want to meet you on the battlefield, face to face. Don’t get any ideas of redeeming yourself by having them go away. You just worry about your own hide, Rev. Cartwright, and have a nice life.”

She watched his broad shoulders droop and her heart cried out. He turned to face her. His lips formed words that remained unspoken as he turned and walked away. Her heart shattered. She closed and locked the door before answering the phone.

“Hi, Angie, I’m glad you called. I almost let him get to me.”

“How did he defend what he did?”

“He claimed to have no knowledge of the story. He said that his last advice to the group was to wait until he returned to take the next step.”

“You know, Susan, he’s probably telling the truth. The paper did quote Rev. Otis, not Will. Willie Cartwright doesn’t appear to be the kind of man who would do something like that. Now, on the other hand, that Rev. Otis is a slime bag if ever I saw one. Did Will seem sincere about his feelings for you, or do you care to discuss it?”

“Only with you. He said he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I really thought he meant it, Angie. There was this little voice inside of me saying that I was rushing things, but I really believed him. I know for a fact that I’m in love with him.”

“Don’t you think you should find out if he’s telling the truth before dismissing him from your life? Even if you wait until this is over, I think you should explore your relationship. That man is too good to let get away. That is, if he was sincere.”

“I don’t think I care to find out. This whole thing has caused me more pain than I should have allowed. I spent a wonderful weekend with a man I was sure would be the last and greatest love of my life. Everything was perfect. We talked about our future. Children. Now I feel like a damn fool.”

Anger and pain fused.

“Angie, I need to call home. My parents are probably going nuts worrying about me. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Yearning for comfort from someone whose love was never in question, she dialed home.

“Mom, it’s me. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay. I’m still fuming mad and more hurt than I’ve ever been, but I’m in control.”

“Honey, does Willard Cartwright mean that much to you? Are you angry because of the problem at work or your personal feelings for him?”

“Both, I think. I was falling in love with him, Mom. No, that’s not true. I am in love with him. Just standing next to him, holding his hand. Just hearing his voice, watching him walk into a room was more thrilling than any experience I’ve ever had, but so much for that. I have a career to save. I’ll plot my revenge on Rev. Cartwright at a later date.”

“Have you talked to him yet? Did he admit to this?”

“He claims not to have any knowledge of it. He said that one of his members was responsible.”

“And you don’t believe him?”

“I don’t know, Mom, but even if I did, I don’t see a relationship with him now. I don’t feel an iota of trust in him, and I don’t trust myself in his company.”

CHAPTER 7

Susan’s head throbbed so intensely that even the tick of the clock was annoying. She lay awake and tried to think of other things, but Will’s smile would not go away. After flipping channels on the television, she finally turned it off, pushed back the white sheet with lime and yellow butterflies, and went to the kitchen.

Dino hopped off the bed and followed her down the steps.

“Oh, Dino. Why aren’t humans this loyal?” she asked as the cat purred against her legs.

She made a cup of warm milk, found it tasteless, and poured it down the drain.

“No use going back to bed, Dino. There’s no way I can fall asleep tonight.”

She made a pot of coffee and turned on the stereo. After a short doze on the sofa, she showered and dressed. Hearing the paperboy downstairs at six o’clock, she hurried, picked up the tri-folded newspaper, and tucked it under her arm.

“Okay Susan, let’s go in and get this over with.”

Feeling skittish and very much alone, she made her way into the darkened, eerily quiet building. Once in her office, she sat on the edge of the desk, opened the newspaper, and found the article Angie had hoped would be there. The caption was all she needed to read:
LENDER CRIES FOUL.

She was sitting at her desk reading the full story when she heard footsteps approaching.

“I thought you might be here. I couldn’t sleep either,” Travis said, coming in with outstretched arms. “I’m sorry you had to come home to all this. I talked to Price several times last night. He is trying to make it appear that you knew about this story. He told Deeds that he had advised you to satisfy Cartwright by approving the loans in question and that you refused.”

“I don’t see that it would have made a difference if I had been here. I knew the matter would not go away, and I’ve been working to build a defense. I couldn’t let Cedargrove, or anyone else, bully me into going against my responsibility. Those loan applications were incomplete. If I had knowingly allowed them to slide past guidelines, I might as well admit that I’m not good at my job.”

“Maybe you should have approved them. It certainly would have saved everyone a lot of trouble, especially you.”

“You know as well as I do that Price Bishop redlined that community. The people of Cedargrove know it, too. If, in reviewing those loans, I had found no problems, I would have approved them and let the chips fall where they may. I agreed to process the loan applications once the necessary documents were provided.”

“Price said the underwriters had reviewed the files and couldn’t find sufficient reasons for the denials. He claims time lapse made it impossible to successfully fight their charges. In that case, how can you possibly fight it now?”

“In my own way, Travis. I’m not backing down for Price, Rev. Cartwright, or those people in Cedargrove.”

She saw his eyes darting back to the credenza behind her. From the corner of her eyes she saw that she had set her purse on the edge of the credenza instead of inside the drawer. The airline stub was sticking from the outside pocket.

“You went to Atlanta this weekend? That’s where the papers said Rev. Cartwright was.” His face contorted in angry comprehension. “You were with him.”

Susan watched his face contort in anger as he slapped his palm against his forehead. “You were in Atlanta with Willard Cartwright. Oh, I may be slow, but I’m getting the picture now. The paper won’t run a story without trying to get comments from both sides. He took you out of town so you couldn’t rebuke their claims.”

He stood and smiled. “You and Cartwright have been…how could you?” he asked.

She waited for his next rhetorical outburst.

“When did you start sleeping with him, Susan? Is that how you planned to make their charges disappear? I guess you underestimated yourself, pretty Susan.” He exhaled and leaned forward, placing his palms on the edge of her desk. “While you were playing me, he was playing you.”

“I didn’t lie to you, and I didn’t play you. I accepted friendship and gave it in return. I asked you not to expect anything beyond that. Maybe I should have anticipated your feelings, but I certainly didn’t encourage them.”

“Of course not. It was the perfect set-up. Well, the joke’s on you, now, isn’t it?”

His spiteful laugh filled the room. Susan stood and walked around the desk.

“Travis, I told you over and over that I wasn’t ready to make a commitment, and that was the truth. Maybe I should have realized you were getting serious and ended our friendship sooner, but I honestly didn’t see it coming. I’m profoundly sorry if you feel misled.”

He grabbed her shoulders. “You couldn’t make a commitment to me, but you didn’t tell me you had made one to him.” He let go of her and bolted for the door, literally running into Price. “I need to see you in my office, Price. Now! It’s urgent!”

Susan slumped down in her chair. She had not led Travis on, but felt guilty just the same. She half expected Price to come storming back at any minute, and then realized it was nine o’clock. She filled her travel cup from the coffee bar, tucked her leather portfolio under her arm and walked across the reception area, past the boardroom, and into Price’s office.

The office was empty. She looked around the room that was similar to her office but much smaller.
This is what it’s all about
.
Well, you don’t have my office yet, you despicable reprobate.

She started back to her office and heard someone call her name. Waylon Deeds stood in the boardroom door.

“Come on in, Miss Cross. We’re about to start the meeting.”

“I was informed that today’s meeting would be held in Price’s office.”

“Price was a bit too hasty in his presumption. I’ll be using the boardroom as my office until the renovation is complete, but our meetings will still be held here. I’ll officiate this morning. Regular business will be postponed so we can get down to the issues at hand. Here, have a seat,” he said, pulling a chair back from the table. “Unless someone has a pressing issue, we’ll skip the usual discussions and go straight to this Cedargrove Heights matter.”

Price came in soon after and sat on the other side of Mr. Deeds. Travis walked in with the same grimace on his face, followed by three production managers, the head of secondary lending, and the accounting manager. Mr. Deeds called the meeting to order and suggested dispensing with regular business, and asked if everyone had seen the paper. Susan focused on Price’s gloating face.

The room quickly cleared, and Mr. Deeds spoke to Susan and Price. “I would rather discuss this matter with the two of you, and Perry Trask from legal, before involving the others. Needless to say, I’m greatly troubled by the article in yesterday’s paper. Sealand has worked hard to avoid this kind of publicity. Now we’ll have to work even harder to make it disappear. We’re waiting for Perry to get here and see what course of action he thinks we should take.”

“Mr. Deeds, I would like to continue handling this matter until such time as it becomes a legal issue.” Shaky at the beginning, Susan’s voice evened out as she spoke.

“This is already a matter for legal, Miss Cross. I left here with the understanding that you and Price would handle it. Now he tells me you refused to inform him of how the case was progressing until it came down to this,” he responded, slapping the newspaper on the table. “I don’t want this to evolve any further than it has already. It’s out of hand. Let Perry handle it.”

“It’s not out of hand, sir. I had a plan in place in the event something like this happened. I would like to follow it through.”

Price cleared his throat. “Your plan failed. I told you it would, but you didn’t listen. These people want blood. There’s nothing to do but turn it over to legal.”

Not bothering to look Price’s way, Susan addressed Deeds. “My plan will still work, Mr. Deeds, especially now. With the media looking over our shoulders, we have to disprove these charges or this institution will lose its place of distinction in the lending community.”

“There’s nothing we can do now,” Price interjected. “Let Perry handle this and let us get back to our jobs. Those people can’t make a single payment on time, but let them think they can get money by filing a lawsuit and they all line up, especially that big-mouth Rev. Cartwright.”

Facing Deeds, Price continued. “If we had let Perry handle this in the beginning, as I advised when I first called you, we wouldn’t be here now with egg on our faces.”

They waited for Deeds to respond.

“I think it’s a legal matter now, Miss Cross. We need to cut our losses and move on.”

Susan felt the blood rushing through her body. She knew she could not buckle; could not weaken, and could not let Price see the tiniest crack in her resolve. “With all due respect, Mr. Deeds, I have already gone over my plan with Perry, and he approves. You hired me, sir. You put me here to manage this operation. As long as the allegations are procedural and not legal, I should be allowed to continue with my plan.”

“Oh, give it up, Susan!” Price said impatiently. “You had a chance to defuse this mess and you blew it. If you keep handling things your way, we’ll all end up in jail,” he added with infuriating smugness.

Susan had been pointedly ignoring him, but not this time. Her voice thick with contempt, she said, “I don’t recall addressing you, and I was not aware that I needed your permission. Mr. Deeds mentioned that he expected the two of us to handle this. But you never discussed this problem with me when I arrived, and you lied repeatedly when I questioned you. You will recall—unless you selectively choose not to—that the Cedargrove situation was thrown at me on my first day here when you directed Ann to send Rev. Cartwright and his delegation into my office. You knew I had no idea what they wanted. When I asked for your assistance and that of your department, I got zilch. You have overseen this travesty, and I will not be your scapegoat.”

She turned to Mr. Deeds. “I will not be a scapegoat for anyone. I was apprised of this situation, not by Price, but by Rev. Cartwright and the people from that community. After reviewing the allegations, I requested the assistance of all underwriters to review those files and validate the denials. To date, neither Price nor his department has lifted a finger. I’ve handled this to the best of my ability, and with Perry’s cooperation and approval. The only way to clear this up now is my way. Anything less would be an admission of guilt and a tremendous loss of credibility for Sealand.”

“I totally agree.” Perry had arrived in the middle of her statement and taken a seat by the door. “I’ve reviewed Susan’s plan, and I concur with everything she suggested. Price feels we should go back and approve the entire stack of previously denied loans, which would make us look guilty as sin. You do that and Cedargrove Heights will be a small ripple in the wave of damage lawsuits that I know will be filed. Every loan that has been denied since this company was founded will come under scrutiny.”

Before Mr. Deeds could answer, Price spoke up.

“I don’t think Miss Cross should be anywhere near this situation. As a matter of fact, I think she should resign and save herself the embarrassment. It has come to my attention that she has a personal relationship with Rev. Cartwright. I don’t see any of us trusting our jobs to her—not under those circumstances.”

Susan was steaming and looking from one to the other. She decided she might as well risk it all. Turning to Price, she pointed her right index finger at his chest.

“You listen to me, you weak-kneed coward, this company wouldn’t have to wade through this pile of crap if you had one ounce of sense or courage. I don’t know how many people were in on this, but I know that no underwriter worth his or her salt would have rejected a loan based on the reasons you gave to the applicants. You denied those loans for your own personal, racist reasons. If you’d bothered to scrutinize the files, you would have discovered that each file was missing pertinent documents, but you didn’t take it that far. You didn’t do your job, and I’m not taking the blame for your screw-up.”

Laura knocked and entered. “Excuse the interruption, but there are reporters and cameramen in the lobby asking for Miss Cross. It’s a Mr. Warring. I thought you might like to know.”

“Miss Cross?” Mr. Deeds turned to Susan and she turned to Perry, who was holding the morning paper with her rebuttal exposed on the page.

“Perry has the morning newspaper, Mr. Deeds. That will explain.”

Perry pushed the paper down the table. Mr. Deeds glanced at the article and pushed it back.

“I wish you had consulted me before you did this, Miss Cross. You have—”

“She consulted me,” Perry lied. “After her initial contact with the citizen’s group, Susan anticipated that media involvement was inevitable and prepared to take it head-on. I’ll be right by her side to answer any legal concerns, not that she will need my assistance.”

Mr. Deeds looked unconvinced. “I’m thinking we should treat this as a legal matter and proceed from there. Having a war of words in the media is not going to help. If this firm lied to borrowers about their creditworthiness, we might as well face the heat now.”

“Mr. Deeds,” Susan said, standing. “I was brought into the middle of a brewing controversy without any warning. You’re asking me to step aside, but you haven’t considered the consequences Perry mentioned. I did not deny these loans. If I had, you can bet I would have done it properly. As Perry said, backing down now would open the floodgate for a class action lawsuit that I’m sure would be devastating for Sealand. The accusations have been publicized. There is only one way to handle this. My way.”

Mr. Deeds’s face was now a deep crimson. Stroking his chin, he looked at Perry, who shrugged his shoulders
.

“Very well,” he said disconsolately. “Send them in, Laura.”

When the cameras were in place, the reporter began his questioning.

“We’re live in the boardroom of Sealand Prime Financial to get their response to the allegations of redlining that were leveled by a group of citizens from Cedargrove Heights. Production manager Price Bishop, legal advisor Perry Trask, and the company’s president and CFO, Waylon Deeds, joins Susan Cross, head of production. Miss Cross, after your meeting with this group, did you assume the matter was settled?”