“Mr. Templeton, you’ve made it clear a number of times that you have no interest in speaking with me,” she said.
“No, I made it clear that I wouldn’t be participating in your show. And I won’t be changing my mind about that, for reasons I hope you’ll understand. But Alex told me that you’re likely to present me as an alternative suspect in the murder of my friend Hunter Raleigh, and I can’t let that stand.”
“Then I can arrange for you to be interviewed on camera tomorrow morning,” Laurie said.
Mark shook his head vigorously. “No, no, no. All I want is for you to hear me out.”
Alex spoke for the first time since they sat down. “Please, Laurie. I understand you’re determined not to do me any special favors, but I know how you work. You care about the truth. You should at least listen to what Mark has to say.”
“No promises, but please, go ahead.”
Mark looked to Alex for reassurance. Alex nodded.
“A little more than three years after Hunter was killed,” Mark explained, “the board of directors suddenly realized that the foundation’s assets were nowhere near the targets Hunter had set in his five-year plan for fundraising. Because he wasn’t there to raise our profile and market the foundation, I didn’t think it was a surprise to anyone. But there was enough of a shortfall that the board decided to hire a consultant to do a full-scale study of the foundation from top to bottom-strategic mission, publications, investments, the works.”
It sounded sensible so far. She nodded for him to continue.
“When they looked at the books, they saw not only that our fundraising was down, but that I had approved a significant number of bad investments and questionable expenditures, including large withdrawals in cash. I walked into what I thought was a routine board meeting, and James Raleigh cornered me, demanding explanations for each individual expense.”
“Wouldn’t that be something the CFO would be expected to have?” she asked.
“Ordinarily, but nothing with the Raleighs is ordinary. I refused to answer.”
Laurie felt her eyes widen involuntarily. “I’m surprised they didn’t fire you on the spot.”
“They basically did. My-quote-resignation was announced by the end of business.”
“And then it took you nearly a year to find another job. And in the meantime, you felt the need to hire Alex.”
“I didn’t hire him,” Mark said.
Alex reached over and placed a hand on Mark’s forearm. “Mark, I want to remind you again-”
“You don’t need to remind me. I need to say this, to hell with the consequences. James Raleigh was the one who brought in Alex. After the board let me go, General Raleigh called all of his powerful friends to persuade the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate me for embezzlement. He was certain I had swindled the foundation for nearly two million dollars. When the FBI first came to my door, I took the Fifth, refusing to answer questions. Then they went to my wife, asking her how we paid for a trip to Grand Cayman and her new Audi station wagon. At that point, I was tired of covering for him. I was determined to tell the truth. But I decided to play General Raleigh’s game and give him a choice in the matter.”
“You’re losing me, Mr. Templeton.”
“The reason I didn’t answer his questions at the board meeting is because the questionable transactions were all Andrew Raleigh’s. His father began pressuring him to become more involved in the foundation when Hunter started exploring the possibility of running for office. Andrew ran up his foundation credit card very quickly. When I asked him about the charges, he said he was traveling to network with his prep school friends to raise money for the foundation. Andrew wasn’t part of the same New York social circles as his brother. He was out of his element and thought he’d be a more effective fundraiser in other parts of the country. I believed him at the time, but Alex tells me you think Hunter had concerns even when he was alive. The problem got worse over the years.”
“Are you saying Andrew was embezzling?” Laurie asked.
Mark shrugged. “That may be too strong of a word. I think his heart was in the right place, but Andrew’s a gambler by nature. He spent far too much money entertaining potential contributors at places like casinos. He chose risky investments. And the more he lost, the more desperate he became to make up the losses, leading to even worse choices.”
“You were willing to be fired to protect Andrew?”
“I resigned,” he emphasized with a sad smile. “Even if I’d told the truth, they probably still would have wanted my head. I was innocent of any criminal wrongdoing, but, in truth, I didn’t keep as close of an eye on Andrew as I should have. And I felt protective of him. Hunter was my best friend, so Andrew was like my own kid brother in some ways. I made a decision under pressure to leave the board meeting in silence, unsure what to do. Then the General’s assistant, Mary Jane, called to say they’d be announcing my resignation. I thought I’d simply move on, but I couldn’t get a new position without the General’s recommendation.”
“I don’t understand. Why did General Raleigh hire Alex to represent you before the U.S. Attorney’s Office?” she asked.
“Kicking me out wasn’t good enough for him. He brought in the FBI to conduct a criminal investigation. Once they began asking me questions, I had a choice to make. If I’d told the FBI the entire truth, Andrew’s crimes would have been exposed and the foundation would have had no future. I didn’t want that to happen to Hunter’s legacy. So instead, I told the FBI that someone else close to the foundation, with the instincts of a gambler, was responsible. Of course I knew that whatever I said would work its way back to the General, who immediately realized that Andrew was the guilty party. Everything with James Raleigh is a game of chess. He’s always thinking eight steps ahead. At that point, I had him at ‘check.’ ”
“If he didn’t help you out, you’d expose Andrew,” she said.
“Exactly. The next thing I know, Alex here is calling me, offering to represent me. I worked out a deal where the foundation agreed not to press charges. Technically, I was guilty of failing to supervise Andrew’s actions at the firm. It would not have looked good for me, and my future employment prospects, if that had come out. I paid back to the foundation a token amount for the losses I was supposedly responsible for, and it was agreed that I would get a glowing recommendation from General Raleigh once I signed on the dotted line.”
“That’s a conflict of interest.” Laurie was looking at Alex now, not Mark. “You led the government to believe you committed a crime someone else committed so they wouldn’t scratch beneath the surface.”
Alex’s eyes were flat as he explained the mechanics of the deal. “It’s not a defendant’s job to correct the government’s mistakes. Mark was satisfied with the outcome of the transaction. He also signed a nondisclosure agreement that he just violated by bringing this information to you. Our hope is that you will refrain from dragging Mark’s name into the show now that you know the truth.”
“How can you possibly expect that? You may have cleared your own name, but now Andrew is a suspect.”
Mark looked at Alex, his face suddenly pale. “Andrew? No. You can’t possibly think-”
“You just told me that he stole from his own family’s charity. His brother knew there was money missing, and I can’t imagine the shame Andrew feared if his father discovered the truth.” Andrew also didn’t have an alibi for the time of the murder, she reminded herself.