Esteemed Baton Rouge banker Ted, now a stockbroker, sits down with a walk-in client. She tells him she wants to move custody of the securities her late husband left her into a brokerage account. Ted processes and deposits most of the holdings but sets aside the “speculative file,” planning to deal with it after the weekend. Mrs. Lewis dies before he ever does. When Ted finally opens the file, he realizes he is sitting on $21 million in stocks that no one else knows about—fully endorsed by a woman with no family, no heirs, and no trail. The temptation is immediate, and permanent. Not long after, Ted meets a younger, aggressive, stunning blonde and falls hard. They plunge into a wild, reckless affair that ends abruptly when her father catches them together and sues Ted for ignoring his account at the firm. Ted’s wife throws him out. His children shut him down completely. Though the lawsuit is fueled more by vengeance than substance, Ted settles. The U.S. Attorney agrees to accept the plea, but the judge still sends him to prison for a year.
Ted comes out leaner, tougher, and clearer. He sells his baseball card collection, moves into a trailer park, and begins training for a marathon. Quietly, methodically, he figures out how to access the stocks he has been hiding for years. A chance meeting with an old friend—now a minister—gives him the solution he needs. Ted arranges for the securities to be placed in a charitable account he can manage. The plan works almost too well. Ted rebuilds his life and slowly reconnects with his children. The foundation’s assets swell far beyond expectations, enriching both Ted and the church. Anticipating the 2008 crash, Ted shorts the market and hits his personal target of $10 million. Now he faces a new problem: controlling the minister’s increasingly extravagant behavior, fueled by sudden wealth. And while he’s at it, Ted decides it wouldn’t hurt to bring down his accuser and his prosecutor. He succeeds. He arranges for the foundation to be paid out to the remainder beneficiary, leaves the state, and disappears. Living quietly in Colorado, Ted eventually hears from the FBI—and escapes once more, this time for good.
Kudos to my friend, neighbor, and first-time author who handed me this book last week. Well done, Greg.
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