Classification pending.
Roger read the final figure one more time. Then he noticed a footnote beneath it.
The amount was not the conclusion. It was only the money they could now follow.
According to Natalie, one remaining account had not yet been fully incorporated into the total.
At 8:30 the next morning, Roger was back in Amanda's conference room. Natalie Brooks was already there. The 43-page report sat in front of each of them.
Roger had read it twice. He understood the transactions. What he did not understand was what the final number meant for him.
Natalie opened her laptop. "Before we start, I want to make one thing clear."
Roger nodded.
"$70,000 does not mean Kimberly owes you $70,000."
"I know."
Natalie looked at Amanda. "He actually does."
Amanda almost smiled.
Natalie turned the screen toward Roger. "The number represents the total financial activity we've identified as relevant enough to trace or classify. Different portions will be treated differently."
She highlighted the first group. HELOC advances. Then savings withdrawals.
Then transfers from joint checking. Then payments associated with the revolving credit account.
Some money flowed directly toward K&W Residential Partners. Some passed through accounts Kimberly controlled before reaching the LLC. Some paid contractors.
Some covered carrying costs. Some could not yet be tied exclusively to the Westerville property.
Natalie pointed to another column. "This is why classification matters."
Roger studied the labels.
Potential marital expenditure.
Potential dissipation issue.
Business investment.
Disputed authorization.
Unclassified pending documentation.
The categories were less satisfying than a simple answer, but simple answers were what had created the problem.
Roger asked, "What about the account you said wasn't fully included?"
Natalie opened another tab. The revolving credit account ending 4419.
Roger recognized it immediately.
"We obtained more merchant detail."
She scrolled. Construction materials. Appliance purchases.
A flooring supplier. Hardware. One hotel charge. Several restaurant charges.
Roger looked at the last two categories.
Natalie anticipated the question. "I am not saying those charges prove anything about the affair."
"Understood."
"They're simply part of the account history."
Roger looked at the construction purchases. "Maplecrest?"
"Several delivery addresses correspond to the Westerville property."
Roger leaned back. The total rose again. Not dramatically, but enough.
Amanda spoke. "This gives us a much stronger accounting position for the next settlement conference."
Roger looked at her. "What about the lender?"
"Separate process. The notarized documents are still under review."
"So we negotiate without knowing the final answer."
"We negotiate with what we know today."
Roger had heard variations of that sentence for months. He was beginning to understand that legal disputes were rarely solved by one perfect revelation.
They were reduced one uncertainty at a time.
The second settlement conference took place three weeks later. This time, Roger saw Kimberly.
She stood at the far end of the hallway beside Eric Lawson. For several seconds, neither moved.
Roger had not seen her in person since she confronted him outside Amanda's office. She looked thinner. Her hair was shorter.
Roger noticed those things automatically.
Then he noticed something else.
Jason wasn't there.