“Not yet, but it will.”
“When?”
“Eventually.”
“You said that you place great importance in the trustworthiness and integrity of the founders.”
“I do.”
“You trusted Jeff King?”
“He was a person of integrity and character.”
Who was cheating on his wife, going to the Gold Club multiple times a week, shooting heroin, and picking up young women on Mature Relations. At the same time, he was cheating on you and your soon-to-be-ex-wife under the terms of your polyamorous agreement. Yup. Integrity and character. “What about his judgment?”
“He was vetted by our investment committee. Our decision was unanimous.”
You might want to consider adding some new people to your committee. “Mr. King was a married man who had entered into a relationship with my client through a sugar daddy app called Mature Relations. Didn’t that bother you?”
“It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t illegal.”
You would know. “He was cheating on his wife.” And you.
“At times, we find it necessary to distinguish between an individual’s business and personal judgment.”
How convenient. “Do you think it enhanced the stature of your firm by investing in a business run by a guy who preyed on young women?”
“With hindsight, it wasn’t ideal from a marketing standpoint.”
Or an ethical one. Although I’m sure seemed like a fine idea at the time.
He added, “I try to avoid making moral judgments on people’s personal lives.”
Especially when you’re cheating on your wife, too. “Would you patronize a hookup site?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Do you know anybody else at the company who was using it?” Other than you, Steele, and the “Guy from Rye.”
“No.”
“But you were willing to invest in somebody who did?”
“If I had known about it at the time, I might have reconsidered.”
“When did you become aware of Mr. King’s relationship with my client?”
“When I saw it on the news.”
I find that hard to believe. “Were you surprised?”
“Not really, I suppose. Jeff and Chloe had separated. He was under intense pressure.”
“We’ve been told that Mr. King was accused of sexual harassment at several companies, including Y5K.”
“Those claims were exaggerated.”
Not exactly a denial. “Did Y5K pay any settlements?”
“That’s confidential.”
“We can subpoena the company’s records.”
“You’ll need to address it with the company’s lawyers.”
“I understand that he was difficult to work with.”
“He was demanding, but fair.”
“Did you notice anything unusual in his behavior recently?” Other than cheating on you and his wife, picking up women on a sugar daddy site, and doing heroin?
He measured his words. “His behavior was erratic at times.”
“Did he have a substance problem?”
“With hindsight, probably.”
“Did you ever see him take heroin or other drugs, or offer them to others?”
“No.”
I wasn’t convinced. “You were at his house on the night that he died along with members of Y5K’s senior management.”
“Jeff wanted to thank us for our work on the IPO.”
“There were also several women, including your associate, Ms. Chu.”
“Christina is a very talented analyst and an important member of our team.”
“Did you invite the other women to the party?”
“Christina did—at my suggestion. We’ve made it a priority to support female entrepreneurs.”
By inviting them to parties as eye candy for a bunch of horny guys?
He added, “It was an excellent opportunity to make connections.”
Until King died. “Were they expected to provide entertainment as well?”
“That was up to them.”
“Did that include sex?”
“We’re all adults, Mike.”
How enlightened. And, as you’ve already pointed out, it wasn’t illegal. “Were people using drugs?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Did you know that Mr. King had invited my client to his house?”
“No.”
“Do you think that was a good idea?”
“Obviously not.”
We finally agree about something. “Did he ever mention that he and Ms. Low were having sex and using heroin when they got together?”
“No.”
“Did he ever tell you whether he or Ms. Low provided the heroin?”
“We never discussed it.”
“We believe that Mr. King provided it.”
“That’s not what the police told me.”
“We believe that someone other than my client may have spiked the heroin.”
“It wasn’t me.”
I didn’t expect you to admit it. “It was somebody else at the party.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“But you wouldn’t rule out the possibility.”
“I find that hard to believe,” he repeated.
“Have you ever used heroin?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Never even smoked a little weed?”
“No.”
Right. “Is the IPO still on?”
“Absolutely. Jack Steele has been appointed as chairman. Tristan Moore is going to become acting CEO. Alejandro Sanchez will be promoted to Senior Vice President and remain as Chief Technology Officer.”
“Seems everybody got a promotion.”
“If you’re suggesting that somebody killed Jeff to move up the corporate ladder, you don’t understand how business works.”
Guess not. “Were you and Mr. King friends?”
“We spent most of our time talking about business.”
“Did you ever get together outside the office?”
“From time to time.”
“I understand that he and his wife had an open marriage.”
“That was none of my business.”
Actually, it was. “And they were involved with multiple partners at times.” I was looking for a reaction.
His expression didn’t change. “You know more than I do.”
I doubt it. I didn’t want to reveal that Kaela Joy had told us that Patel and his soon-to-be ex-wife had been involved in a multi-partner relationship with King and his wife. We would save that for trial.
I handed him a card. “I would appreciate your help in arranging meetings with Mr. Steele and other members of management.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
When hell freezes over. “And I would also like to chat with Ms. Chu for a few minutes.”
“Unfortunately, she isn’t here.”
“I can wait.”
“She won’t be in today.”
I heard a knock on the glass wall behind me. I turned around and saw Chu standing outside Patel’s office, mouthing the words, “Call me.”
I swung around and looked at Patel. “How fortuitous. Looks like she’s here.”
36
“OUR RELATIONSHIP IS PURELY PROFESSIONAL”
Christina Chu’s office was half the size of Patel’s, and she had a view of the courtyard where the smokers congregated. She was a slender woman in her early thirties whose brown eyes were hidden behind over-sized eyeglasses. Her straight black hair was pulled into a French twist, exposing pearl earrings.
I pointed at the only personal item on her desk: a framed photo of decked-out Chu standing next to a beaming young man sporting a tux. “Husband?”
“Fiancé. It was taken at the Y5K holiday party last year.”
I glanced at the massive diamond ring on her finger. “Have you set a date?”
“Not yet. We just got engaged.”
/> “Best wishes.”
“Thank you.” Her tone turned serious. “I’m under no obligation to talk to you. And I am limited in what I can say because of existing non-disclosure agreements.”
“Understood.” Venture capitalists are as uptight as lawyers. “Are you a partner here at the firm?”
“Gopal and I will have that discussion next year.”
In her cutthroat world, she would need to hit a few grand slams between now and then. “How did you get into venture capital?”
“I took a seminar from Gopal at Stanford. He reached out when I was at Facebook.”
“He must think very highly of you. I’ve read that this is a tough field for women.”
“It’s very competitive. Fortunately, Gopal has been an excellent mentor.”
“How long did you know Jeff King?”
“About ten years. He was a gifted entrepreneur and a charismatic leader.”
And a gifted philanderer and a charismatic misogynist.
She added, “I introduced him to Gopal and recommended that we invest in Y5K. Its technology is extraordinary.”
How do I say this delicately? “Were you at all concerned about Mr. King’s reputation for some less-than-stellar behavior at his prior startups?”
“Those allegations were overblown. We have very high standards.”
Seriously? “No issues?”
“In the course of our due diligence, some concerns arose about Jeff’s behavior at his previous company. As a result, we brought in Jack Steele.”
That worked out great, didn’t it? “To deal with management or character issues?”
“Both. Gopal and Jack informed Jeff that even the appearance of inappropriate behavior would have a serious adverse impact on the company’s prospects and our investment. He promised to be more careful.”
Before or after his visits to the Gold Club? “Did he take these warnings seriously?”
“Yes.”
Before or after he started meeting women on Mature Relations? “Did you know that he met my client through a sugar daddy site?”
“I do now.”
“Did that bother you?”
“Yes, but we can’t monitor the private lives of the CEOs of the companies we fund.”
“I take it that your firm will make millions if the IPO moves forward?”
“Yes.”
And you’ll be a hero. “Did you see Ms. Low at the party?”
“No.”
“Did you know that she was going to be there?”
“No.”
I showed her a list of the names of the other women at the party. “Mr. Patel said that you invited them.”
“I did. They’re some of the most talented entrepreneurs and engineers in the Valley.”
They’re also beautiful young women who were flirting with King, Steele, Patel, and their pals. “Were you concerned about Mr. King’s reputation for treating women poorly?”
“Absolutely not. I invited them because they’re successful people who wanted to meet Jeff and other A-List people. I think it’s misogynistic of you to suggest that my friends can’t take care of themselves.”
“I’m sorry.” No, I’m not. “Did you notice anything unusual about Mr. King’s behavior at the party?”
“He was a gracious host and a perfect gentleman.”
Until he went upstairs to shoot heroin and sleep with a woman he had met on a sugar daddy site. “Did you know that he had a substance problem?”
“It didn’t come as a great surprise.”
“Was anybody using drugs at the party?”
“No.”
“Was anybody angry at Mr. King?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“What time did you leave?”
“Eleven-forty-five.”
“By yourself?”
“Gopal and I shared an Uber.”
I wondered if that was the euphemism for “We were holding hands.” “I understand that he and Mrs. Patel have separated.”
“That’s none of your business—or mine. Our relationship is purely professional.”
A little too defensive. “I wasn’t suggesting otherwise.” Except that I just did.
She stood up. “Anything else?”
I glanced at the photo of her fiancé. “Not at the moment. In the spirit of full disclosure, we are planning to contact your friends who were at the party.”
“They didn’t ask to be involved in this mess, and they can’t help you.”
37
“I LIKE CHALLENGES”
Yoav Ben-Shalom slid into the chair on the opposite side of the table and spoke deliberately in unaccented American English. “How can I help you, Mr. Daley?”
“I understand that you’re the head of security here at Y5K.”
“I am.”
“You were responsible for Mr. King’s personal security?”
“I was.”
“You must have spent a lot of time with him.”
“I did.”
We were sitting in a windowless room in Y5K’s state-of-the-universe security suite. It had taken me almost a week to penetrate the outer walls of Y5K’s defenses to get an audience with the one-time Israeli commando. On Tuesday, January fifteenth, we were less than three weeks from the start of jury selection, and the clock was ticking.
Of medium height and build, Ben-Shalom was not physically imposing, but his unblinking eyes and serious demeanor evoked a “don’t-even-think-about-messing-with-me” vibe. Dressed in a power suit, a snow-white shirt, and a subdued tie, he could have passed for an investment banker. Upon closer look, his ear-piece, buzzcut, and pockmarked face evoked images of the Mossad. The only thing missing was a pair of mirrored sunglasses.
“What was Mr. King like?” I asked.
“Driven.”
“How was he to work for?”
“Demanding.”
“A profile in TechCrunch said he was difficult.”
“At times.”
“And petty.”
“Occasionally.”
“And vindictive.”
“Never saw it.”
And you wouldn’t tell me if you did. “Did you like working for him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I am well-compensated, and I like challenges.”
I tried to get him to elaborate, but he wouldn’t bite. “He had relationship issues.”
“Everyone does.”
“He was divorced twice.”
“So was your ex-wife.”
I wasn’t surprised that he had checked me out. “He and Mrs. King had separated.”
“It happens.”
“She told us that he had cheated on her throughout their marriage.”
“My job was to protect him, not provide relationship counseling.”
“I trust that you were also aware that he and his wife were involved in a multi-party relationship for a while?”
“As long as it didn’t impact the company, how they chose to spend their private time was of no concern to me.”
“It must have complicated your life.”
“At times.”
“You were aware that Mr. King met my client on a hookup site?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew that Ms. Low wasn’t the only person he met on that site?”
“He made some less-than-ideal choices.”
“You knew that he was doing drugs with my client and others, right?”
“No comment.”
“Did it concern you that he might get some bad smack?”
“Yes.”
“Did you or the board do anything about it?”
“We encouraged Mr. King to use better judgment.”
They did nothing. “Mr. King was also accused of treating several female employees inappropriately at Y5K and prior companies.”
“I can’t discuss personnel matters.”
“I can subpoena the company’s records.”
“We
have lawyers, too.”
I decided to move in another direction. “Would you mind describing what you saw at Mr. King’s house on the night that he died?”
“I gave my statement to Inspector Lee. I presume that he will provide a copy to you if he hasn’t already done so.”
Thanks. “Had you ever met my client before the party at Mr. King’s house?”
“No.”
“But you knew about her?”
“Yes.”
“Were you concerned that Mr. King was seeing someone who was addicted to heroin?”
“Yes.”
“Were you present at any of her prior rendezvouses with Mr. King?”
“All of them.”
“In the room?”
“Nearby.”
“Did you ever speak to her?”
“Not until the morning that Mr. King died.”
“Did you vet all of the invitees to the party?”
“Yes.”
“Did you search them for weapons or drugs?”
“No.”
“You weren’t concerned that somebody may have been armed or brought drugs?”
“Except for your client, everybody worked for Y5K and its venture capital firm, or they were business associates or friends of Mr. Patel and Ms. Chu.”
“Did you search Ms. Low?”
“Mr. King had instructed me not to do so.”
“You didn’t see her bring heroin into the house, right?”
“Her arrangement with Mr. King stipulated that she would bring controlled substances.”
“Says who?”
“Mr. King.”
Who is dead.
He added, “I am prepared to testify that Mr. King and Ms. Low had agreed that Ms. Low would provide recreational drugs.”
That wouldn’t help. “Are you also prepared to testify that you saw her bring heroin into Mr. King’s house?”
“No.”
That would help a little. “Ms. Low told us that Mr. King provided the heroin.”
“She didn’t tell you the truth.”
“A billionaire agreed to be injected with smack that somebody bought on the street?”
“I don’t know where she got it.”
“That would have been reckless behavior by Mr. King.”
“I agree.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Ben-Shalom, I find it hard to believe that a rich man like Jeff King didn’t provide his own high-end drugs.”
“With all due respect, Mr. Daley, I can assure you that he did not.”
With all due respect, you don’t want to admit that your boss was guilty of multiple felonies by purchasing smack for himself. “How were Mr. King and Ms. Low getting along?”
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