“My client is worried about his reputation since he does work on his own and not just for a builder. You weren’t concerned?”
There was a pause. Rupert looked down, his gaze on the pen in his hand. “Well… no… but I still think it’s up to the homebuyer to talk with the builder if they have questions.”
“Which builder was it?”
He screwed his mouth to the side. “Harrison Blackwood. It made me feel kind of awkward since I’m looking to possibly have him build a house for me.” Shaking his head slightly, he asked, “Why do you ask?"
“Have you spoken to anyone at Blackwood Homes about this?”
His gaze jumped up to meet hers. “No. Sandra, the subcontractor is being paid, and the homeowner signed a contract with Blackwood Homes at the agreed price. So… I guess I don’t see a problem.”
She stood and forced a smile on her face again. “Okay, thanks, Rupert.” Moving back into her office, she glanced through her clients and made a list of those she knew were subcontractors. Then she looked up their contact information. Calling the first one on her list, Sandra waited.
"Morrison Plumbing. Morrison speaking.”
"Hello, Mr. Morrison, this is Sandra O'Neill from Legal Aid. I know you’re a busy man, so I’ll get right to the point. Have you had any billing discrepancies with Blackwood Homes?"
"Oh, thank God someone else is looking into this," Mr. Morrison said, relief evident in his voice. "I thought I was goingcrazy. The homeowner on Bayview accused me of padding my bills, but I charged Blackwood exactly what we agreed on."
Sandra's investigative instincts were fully engaged now. "I need you to do me a favor. Can you think of any other contractors who've worked on Blackwood projects? Anyone who might have had similar experiences?"
"Well, there's Jake Sullivan—he does HVAC work. And Maria Santos handles landscaping for some of the bigger homes. Want their numbers?"
"Please."
Sandra spent the next hour making calls. Jake Sullivan reported that he’d never been approached by the person having the home built, so he had no idea what was in their contract with Blackwood. Maria Santos said the same thing as Jake, but then added that she had another landscaping friend in Virginia Beach who’d had a problem with a homeowner who hired her months after she’d moved in and was surprised at how much cheaper her fees were now that they didn’t go through the builder.”
Sandra sat back in her chair, staring at her notes. What she was seeing was systematic inflation well beyond normal markup rates, crossing the line from standard business practice into potential fraud. Potential… not definite.
She pulled up the Patterson contract details and made a call, praying it wouldn’t backfire on Manuel.
"Mrs. Patterson? This is Sandra O'Neill from Legal Aid. I spoke with Mr. Garcia earlier, and I'd like to help sort this out."
"That crook!" Mrs. Patterson's voice was sharp with anger. "I can't believe these people think they can overcharge us just because we're not from around here."
"Mrs. Patterson, I need you to understand something important," Sandra said calmly. "Mr. Garcia is charging a competitive price for your electrical work. The issue appears to be with your builder, not your electrician."
There was a pause. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, Mr. Garcia is a very reputable contractor who's being blamed for something he didn't do. Would you be willing to email me a copy of your contract with Blackwood Homes? I think I can help clarify where this discrepancy is coming from."
Mrs. Patterson's tone softened slightly. "Well, I suppose that would be all right. You don’t think Garcia is the problem?"
"I'm certain he isn't. I represent Mr. Garcia and several other contractors in the area who appear to be facing the same issue."
"I'm driving back to Williamsburg now. I'll email you the contract once I get home."
After hanging up, Sandra made one more call, this time to the Virginia State Bar's ethics hotline. If her suspicions were correct, this wasn't just a billing dispute. This was potential fraud.
By evening, Mrs. Patterson's email was waiting in her inbox. Sandra printed the contract and set it aside, needing to clear her head first.
After a light dinner, she filled her bathtub with hot water and lavender bath oil. As she sank into the warm water, her phone rang. Terry's name on the screen made her smile despite her preoccupation.
"Hello, handsome," she answered.
"Hey, beautiful. How are you?"
"Busy. An interesting case came up today."
