Chapter 5: The Demand

"Take it off her," Maxwell said again.

Preston's hand stayed on my shoulder for one more second.

Then he lifted it, smiling at the room, and stepped back.

"Maxwell," he said. "This is a family matter."

"Her shoulder is not a family matter," Maxwell said. "It's an assault, and there are six witnesses."

He walked down the length of the table and set his briefcase on it.

He took out a thick envelope and a stack of stapled pages.

"Notice of a special meeting of shareholders," he said. "Called by the holder of twenty-five percent."

He laid one copy in front of each department head.

"The meeting is in twenty-one days. The only item is the removal and replacement of the chief executive."

The woman from accounts sucked in a breath.

Preston laughed, short and easy.

"You can't be serious. You wrote me a check."

"I wrote you one," Maxwell said. "You haven't shown me where it went."

"Bridge financing. It's all in the Q2 report."

"I know," Maxwell said. "I've read the Q2 report. So has she."

He didn't look at me. He didn't have to.

Preston turned to the room.

"Everyone, this is a misunderstanding. Hazel is grieving. Maxwell is overreacting. Please give us a few minutes."

Nobody got up.

One of the department heads, a gray-haired man who ran legal operations, slid his copy of the notice into his folder and closed it without a word.

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