Death Before Facebook

have felt more cheerful and confident “Good news, Mr. Hamerton, I think I’ve got it. I should be able to make the modifications in the program in six months, maximum. And I mean maximum—it could take as little as four.”
    “Sit down, Mr. Terry.” There was something about his tone that Cole didn’t like. “Have you seen this letter?”
    It was from the IRS, attaching the bank account of a company called Psypid. Cole’s company. It was addressed to Cole’s partner, Cutting Marquer. Butsy to his friends.
    “What is this?”
    “You tell me.”
    “I’ve never seen it.” It was dated a week earlier, meaning it must have just arrived. The gist of it was that Cole and his partner—who employed about twelve people—had underpaid their payroll taxes and were being given no second chances. He sat down. “I don’t know what it means.”
    “It seems pretty straightforward to me.”
    “We haven’t paid our taxes?” He couldn’t seem to take it in. How could it be? And how could Hamerton know before he did? “Where did you get this letter?”
    “It was in a pile of papers Cutting delivered yesterday.”
    Butsy, dammit. My own partner! My shit-eating, motherfucking lamebrain fool of a partner.
    “My company has a fiduciary duty to its shareholders, Mr. Terry. We were about to put a million dollars in advertising into your product. And this letter very plainly indicates our supplier’s days are numbered. You understand, of course, that we can’t possibly do business with a company that’s on its way out.”
    “On its… what?”
    “Look at that letter. Do you have enough money to pay those taxes? If you don’t, say good-bye to Psypid.”
    It was too much. Not only was Butsy a crook, he was an idiot who couldn’t be bothered hiding the evidence, who actually delivered it to a potential buyer—accidentally, Cole was sure; he knew Butsy.
    He brought his fist down on the table. “Fuck!”
    “Mr. Terry. Please.”
    Even Cole had been surprised at his bellow.
    “Goddamn motherfucker!” As Hamerton cringed, Cole picked up the telephone and threw it. “Goddamn! Where is he?”
    “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him.”
    “I’m going to kill him.”
    He drove to his partner’s house, walked to the front porch, beat on the door, and called Butsy’s name so loudly that neighbors looked out their windows.
    When there was no answer, he kicked the door in and without even bothering to close it, began methodically destroying the contents of the house.
    * * *
     
    Lenore wished she’d gone back to work. She had told her father she’d be home, and here he was, having nothing better to do than go visiting.
    “I was just going to take Caitlin out.”
    “It won’t take a second, darlin’. Let your old dad in, will you?”
    Caitlin came toddling into the room. He bent down. “There you are, you precious thing. How’s Grandpa’s little angel, huh?”
    It infuriated Lenore to hear him talking to her daughter.
    “What can I do for you?”
    “Well, I’ve got a little problem. I had a real good opportunity to make a lot of money fast, so I borrowed a little from the company to make the investment. You know how these things are—there’s no way of predictin’, really. Things didn’t pan out and…”
    “And you didn’t pay it back? Is that what you’re telling me? You embezzled from your own company and now you need me to bail you out? Is that what you’re saying?”
    “I prayed about it, baby. You know I did. I asked for guidance from the Lord and… I don’t know; I did what I thought I was s’posed to.”
    “Your precious Lord told you to steal?”
    “Now you know better’n that, Miss Lenore. You know the Lord wouldn’t say a thing like that. He told me I was gonna be able to pay back the money real fast with plenty of interest. It was a good investment for the company, you see what I mean? Just something went wrong is all.”
    “What is this? Now you’re caught? Are you going to jail?”
    “Well, I probably am. The IRS says I didn’t pay ’em.”
    “I see.” She’d remembered to take some deep breaths, and she was calming down a little. “You used the money you were supposed to pay the company’s taxes with.”
    “I’m in a bind, baby girl. It was good your mama left her money to you; I mean straight to you instead of going through me first. You need that money and I’m real glad for you to have it in your situation.” He looked down at Caitlin, who was amusing