What Happened at East Houston Street

Chapter 32

Tip stood behind Cal's desk, holding the Newells' tax returns. He was dumbfounded. Where the fuck did $60 million go?

He walked to the big window and stared out, still holding the papers. His gaze locked onto the bricks of the building across the way, as he thought about the shocking financial reality that he had just seen detailed on paper. His view of the Newell family had been shattered. After seeing just how bad the situation was, he couldn't even figure out how they were still paying his salary at this point.

His thoughts moved to Lauren. Although they had never become close friends, he still cared about her, knowing that she meant so much to Stephanie. He wondered if she even knew how bad their finances were or if she was too busy juggling a relationship with both Brent and Stephanie. He thought about Brent. What did he know about the Newell's sad state of affairs? He always wondered why Lauren would put up with such a brut and now he began to realize that it might have something to do with the Mistler's empire. He thought about Roland Mistler's sudden appearance at the office. Maybe it was more than just a friendly visit. He remembered the look of eagerness on Mason's face as he stood, hidden, at the top of the mezzanine stairs, listening to Roland speak to the receptionist. Though Tip was still confused by all of the events from today, he was certain about one thing. Something was odd about this whole situation. He walked down the hallway to the photocopier and fed the papers into the machine. He then placed the original papers back into Cal's desk drawer, stowing the copy into a manila envelope, which he put in his satchel. Instead of sitting back down at his desk to continue working, he flipped the light switch and walked out the front door.

On his walk to the train station, he pulled out his phone and composed a text message to Stephanie.

Thinking about making a trip to NYC this weekend. Mind if I stay at your place?