CHAPTER 13: THE MEETING AT THE BANK
The lender agreed to review the disputed application after receiving documentation from Helena. I went to the meeting with Malcolm and a bank investigator named Priya Shah. She was direct and careful. She did not promise an outcome before the review was complete. She asked whether I recognized the signature on a guaranty. I did not. She asked whether I had authorized use of the Brookline property as collateral. I had not. She showed me a business-purpose declaration listing me as an officer of Grant’s holding company. That, too, was false. “We will preserve the records and investigate the submission history,” she said. “We may refer findings to the appropriate authorities.” I appreciated the distinction between suspicion and proof. I signed a written dispute and provided certified identity records. When we left, Malcolm said the bank’s willingness to investigate did not mean the matter was over. There could be further hearings and attempts to challenge my account. I understood. I was prepared to keep showing up. At home, June asked why grown-ups used so many papers. I told her papers could make promises clear, but only if people told the truth about them. She considered that. “So the USB was a paper without paper?” I smiled. “Something like that.” She returned to her homework. I sat beside her, not because she needed help with fractions, but because being present was the one promise I could keep without a lawyer.
