Nine arms scattered among the crowd are dully raised. Clare smiles with relief.
“Can you please call or visit your parents and pacify them that you’re okay and are working here?”
The arms are lowered the silence remains. Biting her bottom lip, Clare looks down again at the ledger.
“On studying the accounts, this whole set-up is hardly breaking even. There is also a lot of waste and things unaccounted for. That is not your worry, but mine…”
She pauses to look at the worried faces.
Here goes!
“Most of you know that the business with ‘upstairs’ and similar was breaking the law. It was only because the State Senator, Sheriff, police department to name but a few, were all corrupt and getting kickbacks. That the practice has continued for so long, it was becoming uncontrollable. That has c
