Phong.”
“You have to, or we’re out of here. A buddy of mine has a room we can crash in if we have to,” Frank said.
“I don’t want to leave here. That makes me sad just thinking about it.” Lily ran a hand down Frank’s bicep as she kissed his neck. “And you always make me happy, and I love that about you.”
“Yes, sweetie, I’ll do anything for you.” Frank blushed. Then he looked over at me. “I’m just saying, Miss Bezu, he’s driving me absolutely nuts. You are a super nice lady and all. And Lily loves it here, but I have to get some sleep.”
“Yes, I understand. And I certainly apologize,” I said. “I promise I will do whatever it takes to make Mr. Phong be quiet.”
“We know you will.” Lily looked at her cell phone. “I’m running late. We have to go. See you later.”
I walked to the end of the hallway and knocked on Cat’s door.
“Come in,” Cat said from the other side of the door.
I opened it. Cat sat in the middle of the floor, two boxes opened and paperwork spread all over. She had a calculator in one hand and a pencil in the other. A pad of paper sat next to her.
“This looks rather intense,” I said.
“It is, but the margaritas have helped numb the drudgery of it all.” Cat put the calculator down and patted a spot on the floor next to her.
I sat down. “Have you had any luck figuring out your store’s books?”
“Sort of.” She exhaled loudly. “But it’s more confusing than ever now.”
“How so?”
“It seems that there’s been a fifty thousand-dollar deposit every year.” Cat shuffled through the papers and handed one to me. “Like this one. See there?”
I looked where her finger sat on the spreadsheet. “That’s a big credit.”
“That’s what I thought, too. Except look here.” Cat flipped more pages and then produced several more sheets, with a fifty thousand dollar deposit highlighted in yellow on each one. “See? I went through these and highlighted the large deposits.”
I held the papers. “What does it mean?”
“I’m not sure.” Cat handed me more pages. “This doesn’t add up.”
I looked at the dates. Each large deposit occurred during a different calendar year but the same month. “Hmm.”
Cat shook her head. “Here’s the problem. I have no idea where the money came from.”
“Oh?”
Cat twisted the ring on her thumb. “Who or what business would be funneling money to us?”
“Funneling? That makes it all sound, I don’t know, underhanded. I’m sure there’s a very legitimate explanation.”
“Like what?”
I bit my bottom lip in thought. “Let’s think about this. Did your dad have any investors or partners in the Sunshine Market?”
Cat shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“None at all?”
“My mom told me that he and some men formed a company before he started the store.”
I held up the palms of my hands. “See? Maybe they were all silent partners with him.”
“Yeah, but their former business together had to do with cars. Not health food.” Cat took a deep breath. “And they disbanded that business. My mom told me that after that business dissolved, my dad started our store.”
“Did she say how he financed it?”
“Yes.” Cat tapped a pencil on the calculator. “She said that he made some money on an investment.”
“Okay. See? Maybe that same investment allowed him to put money into the business every year.”
Cat scrunched her face. “Hmmm.”
I swiped my hands together. “Problem solved.”
“Except that it’s not. I have to unravel this mystery money. Because without the extra money, our store could be in trouble.”
“Oh?”
“And did you notice that the deposits always come in the same month, and last month there was no deposit?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Huh.”
“My dad is gone, and now no more deposits. Is it just a coincidence?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Cat shook her head. “Or perhaps I’m stretching it here. But remember how
“You have to, or we’re out of here. A buddy of mine has a room we can crash in if we have to,” Frank said.
“I don’t want to leave here. That makes me sad just thinking about it.” Lily ran a hand down Frank’s bicep as she kissed his neck. “And you always make me happy, and I love that about you.”
“Yes, sweetie, I’ll do anything for you.” Frank blushed. Then he looked over at me. “I’m just saying, Miss Bezu, he’s driving me absolutely nuts. You are a super nice lady and all. And Lily loves it here, but I have to get some sleep.”
“Yes, I understand. And I certainly apologize,” I said. “I promise I will do whatever it takes to make Mr. Phong be quiet.”
“We know you will.” Lily looked at her cell phone. “I’m running late. We have to go. See you later.”
I walked to the end of the hallway and knocked on Cat’s door.
“Come in,” Cat said from the other side of the door.
I opened it. Cat sat in the middle of the floor, two boxes opened and paperwork spread all over. She had a calculator in one hand and a pencil in the other. A pad of paper sat next to her.
“This looks rather intense,” I said.
“It is, but the margaritas have helped numb the drudgery of it all.” Cat put the calculator down and patted a spot on the floor next to her.
I sat down. “Have you had any luck figuring out your store’s books?”
“Sort of.” She exhaled loudly. “But it’s more confusing than ever now.”
“How so?”
“It seems that there’s been a fifty thousand-dollar deposit every year.” Cat shuffled through the papers and handed one to me. “Like this one. See there?”
I looked where her finger sat on the spreadsheet. “That’s a big credit.”
“That’s what I thought, too. Except look here.” Cat flipped more pages and then produced several more sheets, with a fifty thousand dollar deposit highlighted in yellow on each one. “See? I went through these and highlighted the large deposits.”
I held the papers. “What does it mean?”
“I’m not sure.” Cat handed me more pages. “This doesn’t add up.”
I looked at the dates. Each large deposit occurred during a different calendar year but the same month. “Hmm.”
Cat shook her head. “Here’s the problem. I have no idea where the money came from.”
“Oh?”
Cat twisted the ring on her thumb. “Who or what business would be funneling money to us?”
“Funneling? That makes it all sound, I don’t know, underhanded. I’m sure there’s a very legitimate explanation.”
“Like what?”
I bit my bottom lip in thought. “Let’s think about this. Did your dad have any investors or partners in the Sunshine Market?”
Cat shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“None at all?”
“My mom told me that he and some men formed a company before he started the store.”
I held up the palms of my hands. “See? Maybe they were all silent partners with him.”
“Yeah, but their former business together had to do with cars. Not health food.” Cat took a deep breath. “And they disbanded that business. My mom told me that after that business dissolved, my dad started our store.”
“Did she say how he financed it?”
“Yes.” Cat tapped a pencil on the calculator. “She said that he made some money on an investment.”
“Okay. See? Maybe that same investment allowed him to put money into the business every year.”
Cat scrunched her face. “Hmmm.”
I swiped my hands together. “Problem solved.”
“Except that it’s not. I have to unravel this mystery money. Because without the extra money, our store could be in trouble.”
“Oh?”
“And did you notice that the deposits always come in the same month, and last month there was no deposit?”
I bit my bottom lip. “Huh.”
“My dad is gone, and now no more deposits. Is it just a coincidence?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Cat shook her head. “Or perhaps I’m stretching it here. But remember how
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