by Ian Hamilton
“What do you think would be sufficient?” Campbell asked.
“A one-time payment of fifteen million,” said Howell.
“That’s ludicrous,” Campbell said quickly. “How did you come up with that sum?”
“Our initial request was for thirty-five million. This is meeting you more than halfway.”
“It’s meeting us more than halfway only if we’d accepted that your initial demand had any merit — which we most decidedly did not,” Campbell said. “So as not to waste time, let me be frank with you. Our absolute upper ceiling is ten million, and we’ve already offered you that.”
“Over three years.”
“Yes, and we will never pay that amount on a one-time basis, so don’t bother asking.”
“You have no flexibility at all?”
Campbell didn’t respond right away, but Ava could hear background conversation and assumed he was speaking with Berry and Tran. He’s playing with us, she whispered to Howell.
Howell frowned, and she knew he wasn’t pleased with the way the conversation was going.
“I’ll tell you what,” Campbell said after a full minute of silence, “since ten is our ceiling, we’re prepared to offer you six million as a one-time payment. That’s us meeting you more than halfway.”
“Hugh —” Howell started to say.
“That’s our final offer,” Campbell interrupted. “If you need time to discuss it, please take all that you need. We’ll be here for another few hours and then back in the morning. Unlike Ms. Lee, I don’t believe in setting arbitrary deadlines.”
Howell looked at Ava. What do you want me to do? he mouthed.
She leaned closer to the phone. “Mr. Campbell, we’ll take the six million,” she said, and tried to ignore the shocked reaction from Derek, Eddie, and Howell.
“Is this Ms. Lee speaking?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. Let me thank you for being reasonable. One of the things I like about accountants is their practicality,” Campbell said. “But I still have to ask Todd if you’re speaking for him as well.”
“She is,” Howell said, after the briefest of pauses.
“That’s good to hear. And can I assume that the non-disclosure agreement and a statement asserting that Pastor Rogers and the chapel are innocent of any wrongdoing are agreeable to you as well?”
“They are,” Ava said.
“What about the request to allow the Simmons Mission to resume its business?”
“No.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“We’re keeping the warehouse closed,” she said.
“That wasn’t my understanding.”
“Mr. Campbell, you framed your request that we let it reopen as a show of good faith, not a condition,” said Ava. “I’ve decided that I’m not interested in extending good faith.”
“But you’ll be paid as soon as the non-disclosure agreement is finalized. Unless I’m misjudging the competence of Todd’s firm, we can have that done within forty-eight hours. What’s forty-eight hours?”
“Who said anything about forty-eight hours?”
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything. I am stating quite clearly that the warehouse will remain closed.”
“For how long?”
“Until I say it isn’t.”
“And when will that be?”
“I have no idea.”
“The business operating there will suffer considerable losses.”
“Why should I care? In fact, why should you care?” Ava said. “The Simmons family means nothing to me, and according to you, Pastor Rogers has no involvement in either business.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know this will be a problem.”
“And don’t you pretend that Rogers knows nothing about what’s been going on in Chengdu,” Ava said. “I was feeling guilty the moment I was prepared to accept thirty-five million dollars to ignore that fact, but my primary concern was for the investors.”
“The pastor insists he knew nothing about those businesses.”
“Then keeping the warehouse closed shouldn’t be an impediment to closing the deal.”
“For our part, we have no vested interest in keeping it open or closed,” Campbell said. “All the pastor is doing is trying to help a friend. Given that we’re prepared to pay you six million dollars and that closing the business the way you did is an illegal act, I don’t think letting it resume its normal activity is too much to ask. You’ll have to do it sooner or later.”
“Then it will be later.”
“I have to tell you, the pastor will not be happy to hear this. I hope it doesn’t jeopardize our agreement.”
“I’m sure you can explain the difference between a condition and a favour. In my world, favours come at no monetary cost. Conditions don’t.”
Campbell became quiet. “I’ll have to get back to you,” he said finally.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Ava said. “We’ll stay here until you do.”
She pushed the end call button on the phone.
“What just happened?” Howell said.
“I decided to go with Plan C.”
“I didn’t know there was a Plan C.”
“There wasn’t until now,” said Ava.
(49)
Howell pushed back his chair back and rose to his feet. Ava thought her unilateral decision might have irked him, and for a few seconds she thought he was going to leave the boardroom. Instead he went to the credenza, poured a coffee, and came back to the table.
Ava waited until he sat down before saying, “As you and Campbell were talking, I was processing what you said to us earlier,” she said. “I believe they think we’re bluffing, which is why they’re being so hard-nosed. They don’t believe we’ll go to the Mounties or the news media and risk getting nothing. And I’m sure that, in the back of their minds, they know they have Muir, Jasmine, Su Na, and maybe even Cunningham to use as scapegoats if they have to. If I had managed to connect Rogers to the operation in Chengdu or any of the bank accounts, we’d be in a different bargaining position. But I didn’t, and they’re taking advantage of that.”
“Is that why you agreed to take the six million?”
“I want more than six million. As far as I’m concerned, we’re still negotiating. Keeping the warehouse in Chengdu closed is our leverage.”
“What if they make the six million conditional on your reopening it? What if they threaten to take the money off the table?” Howell asked.
“Then our deal will go up in smoke and we’ll get nothing, because I’m not reopening the warehouse unless we get paid to do it.”
“Then what do we do if we have no deal?”
“Show them we’re not bluffing by reverting to Plan A.”
“I can’t imagine Campbell will cancel the agreement because of the warehouse,” Eddie said. “If he cared about it, he would already have made it a condition.”
“I think that’s an accurate assessment. I believe Campbell was being truthful when he said they have no vested interest in the warehouse. If I’m reading between the lines correctly, I believe the chapel has decided to get out of the drug business — at least for now and at least in Chengdu. That’s why they didn’t include reopening the warehouse as a condition. And I have to say that, from an ethical viewpoint, it makes this negotiation a lot easier for me. The idea of taking their money and letting them continue to import opioids was troubling me,” she said.
“Do you really think they want out?” Howell asked.
“They’re smart enough to realize that carrying on could be dangerous. If we could figure out what they’ve been up to, why can’t someone else? Right now they’re still safe, so it’s the perfect time to cut and run. We’re their only threat, so they’re prepared to pay us
to go away. If we do, the business becomes a memory. The only fly in the ointment is Rogers’s relationship with the Simmons family. If they’re tight as I hope they are, Rogers won’t want to leave them in such a difficult position.”
“So this is all about using the Simmons family to bring pressure to bear on Rogers?” Howell asked.
“That’s exactly what it is,” Ava said.
“Did the other collection jobs you did get this complicated?”
“Some of them,” Ava said. “Now, Todd, you’ll have to excuse me. I should be making a call to Randy Simmons. Is there an office I can use?”
“You can use mine,” Howell said.
“If Campbell calls while I’m gone, tell him we’ll phone him back.”
Ava left the boardroom and made her way to Howell’s office. She didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of sitting behind his desk, so after closing the office door she sat in one of the visitor’s chairs. She found Simmons’s number on her phone but sat still for a while and gathered her thoughts before dialling.
“This is Randy,” he answered.
“And this is Ava Lee. Have you heard from Sammy Rogers in the past few minutes?”
“No.”
“I expect you will, unless he decides to keep you in the dark,” she said. “They’ve made us an offer that’s wholly inadequate, but for reasons I don’t want to get into we’ve told them we’ll accept it.”
“I’m glad you’ve come to your senses,” Simmons said.
“You won’t be so glad when you hear that I am keeping the warehouse closed.”
“Is that until you’re paid?”
“No. Reopening the warehouse isn’t a condition of the settlement. All they care about is a non-disclosure agreement and a statement that they have no connection to whatever was going on in Chengdu.”
“Sammy told me he’d make reopening the warehouse a priority,” Simmons snapped.
“Maybe his lawyer didn’t hear him properly, because all he asked of us was to consider reopening it as a sign of good faith,” Ava said. “Truthfully, Randy, I believe Sammy’s people have no interest right now in returning to the business, so they aren’t going to need a warehouse. And if they aren’t, why should they care if it reopens?”
“This is beginning to sound like a shakedown.”
“The last time we spoke you asked me if there’s room for you and me to work something out. I’m calling to tell you there is room. I don’t think that qualifies as a shakedown.”
“What do you want?”
Ava hesitated. One of the things Hugh Campbell had said during their negotiations was that somewhere between what someone wanted and what the other party was prepared to give was a number they both could live with. She had decided on a number and wasn’t prepared to budge from it. “I told you before that my clients lost more than thirty million dollars in an investment fund scam that Harvest Table Bible Chapel was involved in,” she said deliberately.
“How much of that did Sammy offer you?”
“Six million.”
“Do you expect me to pay the difference?”
“I accept that it may be unrealistic to expect full repayment, but six million isn’t close to being enough.”
“How much more do you want?”
“I can live with twenty million. So if you want the warehouse reopened, someone has to pay us another fourteen.”
“I’m not going to give you fourteen million dollars.”
“I’m not asking you to. I want you to talk to Sammy. He owes you. However much money he made in Chengdu was because you made it possible. This is his opportunity to pay you back,” she said. “You need to go back to him, and the two of you have to make an arrangement. I don’t need to know the details.”
“You’re assuming that Sammy and I are close enough that he’ll make an accommodation.”
“I am.”
“And if we aren’t?”
“Then I’ll get six million, and you’ll get a massive loss of revenue,” Ava said. “I know you’re probably thinking you can set up another distribution centre, but I promise you that if you do, we’ll find it and shut it down.”
“Threat upon threat.”
“No, promise upon promise.”
Simmons went silent. “You’ll hear from someone,” he said, and he ended the conversation.
(50)
Ava sat in Howell’s office for several minutes, going over her conversation with Randy Simmons. She had rarely felt so conflicted. Part of her wanted the twenty million while part of her wanted revenge on Simmons and Rogers. How could she get both? She left the office with that question bouncing around in her mind.
“How did it go with Simmons?” Howell asked as she entered the boardroom.
“He heard me out, and I have no doubt that he’s calling Rogers,” she said. “Beyond that, I have no idea what the outcome will be.”
“How much did you ask for?” asked Howell.
“Twenty million. And if Campbell comes back to us with less, I’m inclined to say no to them.”
“And do what?” Derek asked.
“Go to the Mounties and to the news media with the information we have. I couldn’t link Rogers to anything, but maybe they can,” she said. “And I think Todd should simultaneously launch a civil suit against the chapel for the full thirty million, plus costs and interest and whatever else he can think of. Given that Cunningham is both COO and CFO and we’ve connected him to Muir, who’s connected to the money, the chapel has a level of fiduciary responsibility for what transpired.”
“Ava is right about Cunningham,” Eddie said. “They can try to pin it on him, they can say he went rogue, but all that would prove is that there wasn’t proper oversight within the organization.”
“But only about an hour ago we were discussing how going to the Mounties and the media is problematic,” Howell said to Ava.
“What we had were questions about its effectiveness. If all we’re offered is six million or thereabouts, then I’m prepared to gamble that it can be highly effective,” she said.
Howell looked at Eddie. “What do you think?”
“I’m with her.”
“I don’t know why I bothered asking,” he said with a smile, and then looked at his watch. “It’s almost eight, and that’s my dinnertime. Since we can’t leave, why don’t we bring in some food. There’s a first-rate sandwich shop on the concourse level.”
“That sounds fine. Order what you want — I eat everything,” said Ava. “While you’re doing that, I need to pay a visit to the ladies’ room.”
“You’ll have to go out of the office and turn right.”
“I won’t be long,” she said as she stood up.
Ava left the boardroom and crossed the office floor. She was almost at the door when Matt Mason, Howell’s partner, opened it to come in. She nodded at him.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“We don’t know yet,” she said, not sure how much Howell had told him.
“I hope you get it resolved in your favour. It’s really been eating at Todd.”
“He seems to be holding up well enough.”
“Don’t let his demeanour fool you. I’ve never seen him so on edge.”
“Well, we’ll know where we stand by the end of the night.”
“Good luck,” Mason said.
“Thanks,” Ava said, and then moved past him.
After using the toilet, Ava washed her hands and splashed cold water over her face. It had been a long, stressful day. She thought she had handled herself well enough, but she felt that her reaction time was slower than it had been when she was collecting debts full-time. Still, they had ended up in a good place.
“Ms. Lee,” a woman’s voice said. Ava turned and saw Howell’s assistant standing at the washroom entrance. “Mr. Howe
ll wanted me to tell you that Mr. Campbell is on the line,” she said.
“I’ll be right there,” Ava said.
She dried her face and followed the woman back into the office. The boardroom door was open, and she could see Howell, Derek, and Eddie hovering over the phone. When Howell saw her, he pressed the speaker button. “Hugh, we can start now. Ava has arrived.”
“I’m here at our office with Lisa and Greg, and Pastor Rogers has joined us via conference.”
Howell cocked an eyebrow at Ava. “Hello, everyone. Thank you for getting back to us so promptly,” he said.
“Before we discuss our revised offer, the pastor wishes to speak to you,” Campbell said. “I trust that this can still be off the record.”
“Absolutely,” Howell said.
There was a stretch of silence, and then Rogers said. “This is rather awkward, and more than a little embarrassing.” His voice had the same rich timbre Ava had noticed in the YouTube video, but there was a touch of hesitation to it, as if he was carefully selecting his words. “I don’t want to get into the role Patrick Cunningham played in this, or discuss the relationship he had with Malcolm Muir,” Rogers said. “The board and I will deal with Patrick appropriately, and whatever was going on in China will come to an immediate halt.”
“Are you saying you knew nothing about it?” Ava asked gently.
“I am —” Rogers began.
“And that’s all we’re going to say about that,” Campbell interrupted. “I don’t intend to let you interrogate the pastor.”
“Then let’s move on,” Howell said quickly. “I’m keen to hear the revised offer.”
Ava could hear the shuffling of paper and some whispering from the other end of the line. When Campbell spoke, he sounded as if he was reading. “We are prepared to offer twenty million dollars to settle this matter if we are satisfied with the non-disclosure agreement and your affirmation that the pastor and the chapel are guilt-free and played no role — directly or indirectly — in any matter relating to the investment fund and the operation that was being run in China,” he said.