Page 11 of Wishing Stone

5

Krystina

With my feet up on the corner of my desk, I swallowed the last dregs of my coffee as I clicked through emails. There was an email from Sheldon Tremaine at Beaumont Jewelers letting me know that my Christmas present for Alexander was ready to ship. Not only was Sheldon a client of mine, but Alexander and I were also customers of his. He had designed several pieces of jewelry for me, including the triskelion necklace Alexander had given me, and I knew he was a master at his craft. I could count on him to deliver exactly what I wanted.

I smiled to myself, already feeling excited about the custom-made gift for my husband. It was hard finding a gift for a man who already had everything, and the ornate twenty-four-carat gold design was precisely what I’d been looking for.

I continued going through the emails, the repetitive sound of my finger pressing on the mouse the only thing that could be heard in the quiet house. The silence was almost deafening, and a feeling of loneliness washed over me.

When I still reported to my office on the thirty-seventh floor at Cornerstone Tower, Alexander had only been an elevator ride away. We’d have lunch together and even sneak in a quickie here and there. Now it felt like Alexander was slipping away from me. Perhaps it was because I’d been seeing him less. With him always an hour away in the city, I was constantly left home alone. Well, I wasn’t technically alone, but it felt like that whenever I wasn’t near him. He was my addiction, and I needed him like the air I breathed.

Pushing away the feeling of loneliness, I finished the arduous task of filing my emails. I flagged the ones that needed responses and trashed the junk messages. Despite the economic problems in the city, business was going well, and I had clients booked through the end of next year. I knew how fortunate I was during these tumultuous times and never failed to appreciate it.

As I considered all those who’d been struggling, I thought about the call I received last night from Claire Stewart. The office manager at Stone’s Hope was reliable and competent. She was known to have a level head even under the most trying circumstances, so it was a bit jarring when she called me in a panic. Still, I understood why she was so upset.

When Claire had gone in to close the November accounting books, she found the operating account had been wiped clean. After spending the entire day trying to get answers from the bank about where the money went, she’d discovered a thirty-two thousand dollar transfer was made. The money had been transferred to an account under the name of Hannah Wallace, the single mother Stone’s Hope had hired over a year ago. And now, Hannah was missing.

Claire had followed the appropriate steps. She was in regular contact with the bank and had called the police to file a report. However, she hadn’t even thought about the December operating budget in all her worrying about finding the money. Once she realized the only cash the shelter had left were the funds raised for Christmas, she panicked because that money was slated to buy gifts and host a small holiday party for the mothers and children staying at the shelter. It was why she had called me late last night. Claire couldn’t stomach the idea of using that money to cover the December operating expenses, and she was hoping I’d be able to give her an alternate solution.

Before I could do that, I needed to call Stephen Kinsley, Alexander’s trusted friend and lawyer. He managed Alexander’s legal matters, including all things related to The Stoneworks Foundation, the parent organization of Stone’s Hope Women’s Shelter. If anyone would know what to do about all of this, he would. Picking up the phone, I dialed his number.

“Stephen, hi. It’s Krystina,” I said after his secretary put me through to him.

“Krystina! It’s been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“We’ve got a problem. I haven’t filled Alexander in on the details yet, but since he usually lets Justine and me handle everything with the women’s shelter, I figured I would just get with you directly.” I explained the situation to Stephen while he listened quietly. When I was through, I heard him sigh.

“This is a tough one, Krystina. Fortunately, theft from a charity is rare, but it happens more frequently during tough economic times like we are experiencing now. Claire did the right thing by reporting the misappropriations to the police. If she didn’t, it would raise questions if the Attorney General ever decided to investigate.”

My brows arched in alarm. “The Attorney General?”

“Yeah. Theft from a non-profit isn’t like theft from a normal business entity. Non-profits have to follow a whole different set of rules. I’ll have to get with a forensic accountant to deep dive into the books to ensure there isn’t more missing money. What Hannah did here, assuming she’s guilty, is larceny, but she also might have been skimming long before this happened.”

My stomach dropped.

“Oh, no. I hadn’t even considered that. Let’s hope not.”

“At some point, the IRS will most likely need to be involved, but I’m not going to jump the gun on that until we know exactly what we are dealing with. Is Claire at the shelter now?” Stephen asked.

“She should be.”

“Good. I’ll send one of my investigators to talk to her later today or tomorrow so we can get the ball rolling. Then, we’ll go from there.”

“Thanks, Stephen. I appreciate the help. In the meantime, can we move money from another area of the Foundation to cover the December operating costs at Stone’s Hope? This way, we don’t have to use the money set aside in savings for Christmas.”

“Unfortunately, no. A transaction like that isn’t allowed. Stone’s Hope is a subsidiary of The Stoneworks Foundation, but operates under a different tax ID.”

I frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand. How does that impact our ability to move money?”

“The Foundation can’t just transfer that dollar amount to an outside entity without the approval of the Attorney General or the court. Transferring assets that impact a charity’s ability to operate takes time. If we don’t follow the proper procedures, it could put the entire Foundation at risk. I know you don’t want to, but you’re going to have to use the Christmas funds to cover the operating costs so that you don’t default on the bills. I’m sorry I don’t have a better answer for you.”

My stomach sank with a feeling of hopelessness. “That’s okay. Keep me updated on the investigation. Thanks again for your help, Stephen.”

“Anytime.”

I ended the call, sat back in the chair, and began to drum my fingernails on the desk. The shelter was personal to Alexander—so personal that when he trusted me enough to oversee the regular operations at Stone’s Hope, it had been one of the greatest honors of my life. For me, it was a different kind of declaration of his love. There had to be something I could do, but I didn’t know what.

Sighing, I turned back to my computer. I would have to think more about the problems at the shelter later. I currently had emails that I needed to finish sorting and a holiday ad blitz to roll out for Beaumont Jewelers. Turning back to my computer, I got to work on the pending deadlines.

---