Normal conversation felt almost extravagant.
Around noon, Ray called.
He sounded stunned.
“Frank brought the original agreement.”
“And?”
“It’s worse than I thought.”
We put the call on speaker.
Ray explained.
When he started the gym, the bank had approved only part of the money he needed.
Frank supplied the rest.
Ray remembered signing a private loan agreement.
What he did not remember—because he claimed he had never seen it—was an attached management clause.
The clause gave one of Frank’s companies control over certain revenue if Ray missed repayment milestones.
“Did you miss them?” I asked.
“No.”
Susan’s voice came through the speaker.
“That appears to be why the accounting became complicated.”
Marcy leaned closer.
“What do you mean?”
“Someone altered the payment records to make Ray appear delinquent.”
My daughter looked at me.
“So Mercer Athletic Consulting…”
“Was created later as a vehicle to collect money under an agreement that appears to predate the company itself,” Susan said.
