“Well, not exactly.” Terrence tilted his head to one side and cracked his neck with a loud pop then grinned. “Sorry. Bad habit.” Then he blinked at her through his thick glasses. “No, actually he was more interested in how the sales documents such as his expense reports tied into the monthly reporting system. Said it was really baffling him and he wanted to understand so he wouldn’t make any mistakes going forward.” Trust nodded and looked very pleased. “An admirable young man. It takes a big person to admit he’s made mistakes.” He pointed a finger at her. “And he wants to do better. Isn’t that something?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “It certainly is.”
Terrence leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers across paunch. “And I explained everything to him. He came to me three evenings in a row and I did not turn him away. When I was done with him he knew everything there was to know about expense reconciliation. I even threw in a bit of bookkeeping.” He chuckled. “I never waste a chance to teach someone something new.”
“You’re quite…generous.” Dana struggled to keep a straight face as she stared at the self-satisfied little man. Talk about naïve. How much of the company’s financial secrets had this man given away? He was way too trusting and open to hold a sensitive position like this. But now she knew. Jason had used the knowledge gleaned from Terrence Trust to manipulate his expense reports and the funds allocated to him. And he’d been helped by a poor, innocent man who had no idea he had been duped.
Of course, even with this newfound knowledge Dana knew she could say nothing. This was a matter for Rock to handle and she would bring him into the picture as soon as he returned to office.
But, in the meanwhile, there was one little problem – she’d become oh, so friendly with Jason in the last couple of days that he seemed convinced that she had the hots for him. And she could not get rid of him. And today they had a lunch date. Dear God, give me strength to endure the chattering…
Lunchtime came around soon enough and, stifling a sigh, Dana grabbed her purse and headed out the door. One last time, Dana. Just grin and bear it one last time.
To Dana’s surprise, Jason was not his usual chatterbox self. In fact, his mood seemed distant, almost pensive. More than once during lunch he stared off into the distance, seeming to forget she was even there.
“Are you all right, Jason?” she finally had to ask. “You seem to have a lot on your mind today.”
Jason’s eyes snapped back to her. He blinked then looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time that day. Then his face fell and he heaved a sigh, one of the saddest sounds Dana had heard in a long time.
“It’s my mom,” he said, his voice cracking. “She’s dying.”
Dana’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God,” she whispered. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s her kidneys. They’re giving out on her.” He shook his head. “We’ve been trying to find a donor but we’re too far down the waiting list. She’s past sixty so she’s not priority.” He gave a bitter laugh. “A woman who spent the better part of her life as a nurse helping others. Not a priority.”
“I’m…so sorry.” Dana reached out and touched his hand. She didn’t know what else to do.
“And can you believe it?” he continued, his voice hoarse with emotion, “I’m not a match. Her own son.” He said the last word with such disgust that Dana could not help wondering if somehow he blamed himself for his mother’s suffering.
He put his hands to his head and his nostrils flared as he sucked in his breath. “She doesn’t have health insurance and it costs so much money - the treatment, weekly dialysis, medicines - and it’s all been in vain. God, this is so unfair.”
He looked like he was close to tears and Dana’s heart reached out to him. She could not imagine what he was going through. But even while observing his grief, there was one thing she had to know. Could she ask it now? Yes, she decided. There was never going to be a good time so it was best to just put it on the table while he was in this state – vulnerable, and possibly ready to share.
“Jason, is this why you…took the money?”
Jason looked like he’d just been hit with a two by four. His sad expression gave way to shock then fear. The color drained from his face. “I…I …how do you know about that?”
Dana shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, Jason. What matters is what you did.” She drew in a shallow breath and lowered her voice, trying hard not to sound judgmental. “I understand why you did it but still, it was wrong.”
Jason’s hands began to tremble and he clasped them then lowered them to his lap. “I…I know, Dana. I know it was wrong but what else could I do? My mom needed care.”
The last word ended on such a plaintive note that Dana felt nothing but pity for him. How could she judge a man who was in the depths of despair?
She reached out again and when he saw her hand he took it and clung to it like it was a lifeline. “I want to help you, Jason,” she said earnestly. “Let me help you. Please.”
“But…how? The deed is already done. The money’s all gone.” The desperation gave a sharp edge to his voice.
“You have to confess.” At his look of hopelessness she spoke quickly. “I’ll talk to Rock. I’ll ask him to give you a chance to pay the money back. But there’s no other way but to confess.”
“I can’t,” he moaned. “I can’t go to jail. Not now, when my mother-”
He broke off on a hiccup, almost a sob.
Dana’s heart almost broke, watching him suffer. He was guilty, yes, but he was also a victim of circumstances. Maybe he’d chosen the wrong way to go about things but he’d done it to try to save the life of someone he loved. She just couldn’t leave him to sink.
“Trust me, Jason. There’s no other way. Rock is a reasonable man. If you confess and work out a payment plan I’m sure he’ll be lenient.”