The House (29 page)

Bryce continued, “Hayes says Mrs. McGrath is prepared to buy however many shares become available due to the company’s new ownership.”

“Do they know three hundred, perhaps more, are available?”

“His attendance at the board meeting was my first time seeing him,” Bryce said.

Had Helena McGrath anticipated this might happen, or perhaps Inman? Is that why she asked him to represent her? Worse yet, Anna said, “Is Helena McGrath using Inman to orchestrate some sort of takeover?” Anna left Bryce little time to answer. “In fact, what sort of person is she?”

“That’s easy.” Bryce chuckled. His humor dissipated. “Despite being a sturdy eighty-year-old, she’s quite smart. Reminds me a lot of you. Her husband, not unlike Edward, started out small then got pretty big.”

“He was in real estate?”

“No. Boxes.”

“Boxes?”

“Meet me for breakfast in the morning,” Bryce said. “I’ll explain.” ?

Chapter 41

Anna met Bryce for breakfast the following morning at the Amory Pillage Egg Shoppe down from the house, during which time he explained of Helena McGrath’s husband.

“Canning McGrath owned a small store for over fifty years,” Bryce began. He buttered his bagel, took a bite and swallowed.

“But what about the boxes?” Anna asked. “How can someone make a small fortune selling boxes?”

“Canning sold boxes on the side, ones he designed and put together. No one ever thought much of Canning McGrath or the boxes he made. What no one also knew was that he owned the patent to his boxes.” Bryce took another bite of his bagel, again swallowed and drank some coffee. “The boxes were well designed, came in all sizes, were extremely cheap. The companies that purchased them assumed the freight and shipping charges. Canning McGrath would have loved the Internet.”

“He died?”

“About fifteen years ago. His key to selling the boxes was direct relationships between user and maker. No middlemen. Just sellers to buyers. Using the Yellow Pages, he searched out what companies might be interested in purchasing his boxes, called them and wrote letters. He never asked more than a worthy profit. The companies he contacted were small and rarely known, all in the U.S. Many of them sold products to third-world countries and were pleased with what he provided. Everybody got what they wanted.”

“In that way, he was like Edward,” Anna said.

“Yeah.” Both Bryce and Anna knew that many third-world countries were not so third-world anymore. Several of them had burgeoning middle-class populations.

“Canning McGrath was the first person to invest in Manning Ventures, Edward’s prime interest outside of real estate,” Bryce said. “He wanted to leave something for you.” Edward’s right hand man, and now Anna’s, paused in the echo of his words. The weight of their meaning grew heavy in the silence. Anna looked upon her hand to which she had not yet returned her wedding band.

Bryce continued. “Edward had been looking to get into some thing beyond selling properties. Canning gave him the boxes.”

“How so?” Anna said.

“Edward had been playing with one of Canning’s boxes at the outset of one of his trips to Brazil. The plane had yet to take off. Ed ward busied himself with inspecting the box while the plane sat on the tarmac. When the passenger beside him asked to see it, Edward handed it over. The man spent the remainder of the flight studying the way it was put together. When deplaning at the end of the flight, he told Edward he could use a box like that, but he needed it to be two-inches by three-inches in size. He also needed 10,000 of them each month starting immediately. Edward called Canning, but there was no way Canning could come up with that many boxes that size that soon. Neither could he produce that many on a consistent basis. Through one of his contacts in Hong Kong, Edward found a company that could make the boxes at a price that would allow McGrath a sizeable profit. Things ran smoothly since Canning owned the patent, not that the Chinese cared. All this happened before the British released Hong Kong to China. Anyway, the boxes were made and delivered to the man Edward had met on the plane. He was from Argentina. When Edward delivered Canning his first check, Canning gave him half and said, ‘Take the rest and make it grow, like you did with my boxes.’

“So Edward started Manning Ventures. The whole purpose of the company has been to bring together needs, those of consumers and business people, and ideas to fill those needs. Some of the money’s in stocks as you see. But many of the small startups Ed ward seeded came with profitable ideas much like Canning McGrath’s boxes, simple inventions that met the needs of consumers and businesses around the world. Edward felt like he was getting a lot more than he was giving.”

It warmed Anna’s heart that Edward had achieved success fueled by such idealistic standards. Manning Ventures sold every thing from toothbrushes to tutorials on how to use various Internet sites. Customers ranged from foreign governments to independent schools across the globe to various philanthropic organizations seeking to improve the quality of life of those they served.

Bryce said, “Throughout his travels, Edward became increasingly aware that foreign countries and consumers did not often benefit from the products they imported from the U.S. Most times they paid much more than the product was worth. Purchasing and overseeing the sale of foreign properties put him in contact with many of the countries’ wealthiest and poorest citizens along with government officials, a nice mix for developing entrepreneurial ideas and doing business. When he was out inspecting a raw piece of property near a village or small town, Edward would often see a little boy playing and tinkering with something. Or maybe he’d discover a device an old woman had made to help her carry water or to cook with. ‘It’s amazing what many people develop to survive,’ he’d say. ‘They’re small inventions that others could benefit from.’’ A bittersweet taste filled Anna’s mouth in considering all that Edward, the little boy and his mother, Violet, had done in their efforts to survive. And what that survival had made him see even beyond his success.

“The knowledge he held as an American citizen guided him in counseling those who welcomed his ideas on how to make money,”

Bryce said of his mentor. “As a liaison, he bargained for individuals with inventions that U.S. companies wanted to purchase. Ed ward mediated sales between various governments purchasing U.S. products. The American companies, mostly small, welcomed the opportunity to sell their products around the world.”

“They were like Canning McGrath,” Anna said.

“A win-win situation for all.” Bryce smiled. “Canning invested a little of what he made from the boxes into each new venture Ed ward founded. That, along with Canning’s grocery store, gave him plenty to live on. Edward always felt he owed him.”

“But it was Edward who helped him sell the boxes.”

“And it was Canning McGrath who first urged Edward to investigate the buying and selling of foreign properties. Much like he perceived the Internet would change the way commerce was transacted, Canning also foresaw the expansion of the global market. He told Edward, ‘The man who only does business in America is hamstrung.’” Anna said, “How did Edward meet Canning?”

“Canning McGrath purchased the first property Edward ever sold. It was right here in Oakland. He’d come to Edward in search of a small warehouse to tinker with his ideas about making boxes. It had been sort of a hobby McGrath did on the side after a long day in the store. He needed some place to work and store the boxes. The two became friends while Edward searched for and then man aged the sale of the building Canning purchased. They maintained contact after McGrath acquired the property.”

“Edward never mentioned Canning McGrath or his wife, Helena,” Anna said. “Not even when he was prepping me for the board meeting. He focused on Pierce Dawson, Elliott Thompson, Harrison Filbert, Claiborne Rochester, and the others. From your description, Canning McGrath is the closest to being what I would consider a father to Edward.” Anna wondered if McGrath knew of Edward’s dalliances, or that he even had a family.

“McGrath made a fortune selling his boxes,” Bryce said. Bryce shook his head in continued amazement.

A burst of energy flooded through Anna. “You check on Inman, I mean Mr. Hayes,” she said. “Find out where he’s worked. What do colleagues and clients who’ve used his consulting services think of him?” Throughout their relationship Anna had hesitated delving into Inman’s professional life. There were things she wanted to know about Inman, aspects of his professional life that she’d avoided treading into. Like how he’d been able to afford a year away from work after his accident. He’d been broken up pretty badly and had needed time to recover. He’d said nothing about having to sue the other driver. Nor did he seem worried about accumulating unpaid bills. She instructed Bryce, “While you’re doing that, I’m going to talk to Mrs. McGrath. Do you think she’ll see me?”

“Certainly, if I make the call.”

“Do it. And don’t share any of this with Edward.” Anna would confront in-person any ideas Helena McGrath had about overtaking Manning Ventures.

A newfound strength in having addressed her first battle rose within Anna. Still she regretted how she had reacted to Edward. She was also still angry and hurt and would most likely remain so long after his death.

The image of the Buddhist nun donning a burgundy robe, and her head shaven, appeared before Anna. The flames of anger burning upon Anna’s words from night fall of last evening, now slowed into a cloud of steam swelling with compassion.
All I’ve ever wanted was to be with you, and share your life.
She could not deny that some part of her relished the challenges of running a company.

Manning Ventures was not some toy or a monopoly game. It was a way for her to make some money and to gain her freedom, something she had never possessed with Edward nor prior to their marriage. As his wife, Anna had received a house, wherein she had created a home, one wherein Edward had resided between business trips, and then sometimes only for a day or so. It would take time for Anna to become accustomed to accepting and acknowledging that Edward, in facing terminal illness, had given his company over to her
before
he died. For that reason, she needed to stop In man from carrying out what appeared to be a deliberate takeover of Manning Ventures.

Back at home, Anna considered Bryce’s words as she started up the stairs.
Edward has a way of seeing into the future. If he wants

you at the helm, the company needs you.
Bertrice had gone for the evening and Edward was sleeping. On reaching the landing, she headed for Theo’s bedroom where she had remained despite her recent intimacies with Edward. Anna laid down and recalled Bertrice’s questioning stare from earlier that morning. Anna had been on her way out to meet Bryce for breakfast when she encountered Bertrice in the hallway outside of Edward’s room. Had Bertrice’s look held what Anna had expected or needed to see?

Anna turned over on the bed, placed her arm under her pillow, and chided herself for not having looked in on Edward before lying down. It was only ten-o-clock, not the dead of the night. Moments slid by. Anna forced herself to get up. While slipping back into her night robe, her cell phone rang. She clicked it on and placed it to her ear.

“Hello.” It was Inman. “I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“I’ve been waiting for yours.” Anna lowered herself back upon the bed.?

Chapter 42

The next morning around eleven, Anna arrived at Helena McGrath’s house located in West Berkeley. The spry and chipper old woman invited Anna inside then led her through the house and out to her garden.

“Indian summer’s given my roses longer than usual to bloom.” Helena McGrath slipped her fingers back into her gloves and lifted her pruning shears. She focused her attention on the buds she was cutting. A basket of pink and orange roses lay at her feet. “At some point, I’ve got to till the ground and prepare for next season.” The octogenarian peered over her silver-rimmed glasses and stared at Anna. Had Anna’s mother lived, she would most likely have been Mrs. McGrath’s age. For a moment Anna felt as if her mother had come alive, and that Helena McGrath was harboring the “now transformed” spirit of Anna’s mother.

“Thank you for seeing me,” Anna said to Helena McGrath. The two had foregone introductions and pleasantries in Helena’s haste of welcoming her inside and returning to her garden.

“It’s my pleasure.” The old woman resumed cutting her roses. She laid another orange bud on the stack of what seemed a dozen or so in the basket. “I’ve worked for years to grow these Ecuadorians. And now they’re...” She turned to Anna. “But you didn’t come for a lecture on flowers.” Again she looked over her glasses and inspected Anna. “What can I do for you?” asked Mrs. McGrath. “Or perhaps I should I say, what would you like for me to explain?”

Anna was torn. She could ask why Helena had chosen Inman to represent her on the board, and what were her intentions in offering to purchase more stock. More specifically Anna could ask if Mrs. McGrath had anticipated Dawson and Thompson pulling out? If so, had her desires to purchase more stock influenced In-man’s performance during the meeting? Then there was the nature of Canning McGrath’s relationship with Edward. Yet with McGrath now dead for over a decade, Anna wondered whether that was an appropriate subject to raise with his widow. The weight of these matters swirling in Anna’s mind jettisoned her thoughts back to last night’s conversation with Inman. Anna said nothing to Inman about having spoken with Bryce, and certainly not about having ordered Bryce to research Inman’s professional reputation. Anna’s conversation with Inman had been short, Inman instructing Anna to speak with Helena McGrath since she had been the one to hire him.