Chapter 5 - MARGARET'S BEST DEFENSE
Margaret was not stupid.
She had years of clean audits.
No missing millions.
No offshore accounts.
No fake shelters.
The foundation had actually given away substantial money.
Last year:
$2.8 million in legitimate grants.
Emergency vet funds.
Shelter renovations.
Spay-neuter programs.
Disaster rescue support.
That complicated everything.
Margaret could truthfully say:
“I have done more for animals than Emily ever has.”
Cruel.
Also measurable.
Then she argued the lake house expenses produced donor contributions.
The weekend generated:
$410,000 in pledges.
A strong return on $67,000.
Emily hated that.
Then auditors reviewed the private-property expenses.
Some could be justified if directly tied to event use.
Some could not.
The question was not:
Did Margaret help animals?
Yes.
The question was:
Did she treat a charity as an extension of her lifestyle?
May you like
That was harder.
And more believable.
