by Michael Todd
“Of course, of course.” The scientist had a confused and curious look on his face as he stood once more. “Anything for Jack’s daughter. I can see now that he was very right to trust in your work above that of all other scientists out there.”
“Was there ever any doubt?” she asked, her head tilted in a slight challenge.
“Of course not,” he responded smoothly, “but it’s always nice to see one’s faith rewarded. How does Friday work for you? Lunch, around two?”
“I’ll call you later for the details,” she said and shook the man’s hand while she made sure to look him firmly in the eye. “I’m afraid that my time spent away has left me with no knowledge of good places to eat around here.”
“I’d be more than happy to provide you with some suggestions,” Robinson interjected quickly, happy that the conversation had tilted more toward a topic that he had some knowledge of.
“Perfect.” Courtney smiled. “Until then, Dr. Belford, it’s been a pleasure.”
“Likewise, Dr. Monroe,” he said, but she had already turned and headed back to the elevators.
“Now, Robinson,” she said as the man struggled to keep up the pace, “before lunch, I’d really like to look over the data that we’ll present our friends from the Internal Revenue Service.”
“Of course, Dr. Monroe,” he said with a firm nod.
Chapter Four
Courtney looked around the conference table and acknowledged that she’d never had much of a mind for business. While she knew her way around a business transaction, over the past couple of months, she’d had quite an education as she’d gone over the various terminologies and the sheer amount of red tape that went into running a business in the States.
That said, her experience was practically nil compared to some of the heavy hitters whom she shared a room with. They talked like they’d done this sort of thing all their lives. She saw graduation rings from most of the ivy league business schools in the country, as well as a couple of European universities. There was a veritable alphabet soup on each of the names, describing how well versed they were in running a business exactly like this.
They all addressed her courteously, as one would a peer, but she could tell that they looked at her askance as they had their hushed conversations with their assistants. She knew what they were thinking. What was a biologist doing running a company? Shouldn’t she be digging around in some random section of the earth in the mud for a new kind of beetle that nobody cared about?
Robinson stood behind her. He was tall with a boyish charm about him that told her of a rich heritage of trust fund fathers and supermodel mothers. His broad shoulders, neatly trimmed blond hair, and clean-shaven face were evidence that good looks came with a lot of work too.
Her eyes were drawn to the conference table—or, rather, the sixty-inch screen that displayed the profit margins that could be expected with the coming quarter’s fluctuations in the market. There wasn’t much about the technical aspects that she was familiar with, but she did know a thing or two about the contract whose details were over all the graphs.
“I simply don’t see any benefit for us to continue this relationship with the Pentagon,” one of the men said. He leaned back in his seat as he peered down through his glasses at the papers laid out in front of him. “We see a massive amount of our annual budget go into funding what was essentially Dr. Monroe’s pet project. And yes, while he was around to run the thing personally, the budget was kept clean and we had nothing to complain about. Right now, there is nobody heading the project up and therefore nobody to ensure that it stays within budget. I say let the contract run its course for another two months and shut it down.”
“If I may?” Courtney asked and raised her hand. A surprised moment of silence ensued as they all turned to face her.
“Thank you for your attention,” she said, opened a file on the table in front of her, and withdrew a sheaf of papers. “I would like to point out that what you called my father’s pet project is funded by the federal government. This happens through an entirely theoretical research grant provided by the government—for which they pay us millions—of which only a percentage is needed to actually run the project. You know, to pay the salaries of the technicians and scientists who were brought on by my father, as well as upgrading staff computers and cell phones every five years as required in the contract.
“The rest of the money is handed back to the Pentagon in exchange for tax benefits and, in general, staying on the good side of the people from whom we might acquire some very lucrative contracts in the future. The kind that aren’t simply pet projects but will line all your pockets in the form of tax-incentive-based year-end bonuses every step of the way. That’s what we get for keeping this project alive.”
There was a minute of silence.
“On the other hand,” she continued, “if there is any alteration or termination of the project, not only will it annoy the people in the Pentagon who have relied on the study results from the people who work down there, it will also enact Clause—” She took a moment to check the contract in front of her. “Clause seventy-two of all contracts of this kind, which requires the government to evaluate all the parties involved. At best, we can expect the audit to end all audits on the project. At worst, we’ll have assets seized, people brought in for interviews, the whole shebang.”
She leaned forward and actually enjoyed the uncomfortable silence that resulted from what she had said. “Please note that I have absolute faith in the integrity of all members of the board present—if not for your loyalty to the company, then for your own ambition and desire to stay out of jail. But I don’t need to remind you about the kind of whiplash that kind of investigation would have, especially on the stock prices should IRS agents be seen carrying boxes and files out of this very building. Now, I’ll grant you all that I don’t have as much of a mind for business as—hell, as everyone present—but I do know that we should probably renew that contract for at least another year to give ourselves time to get all our affairs in order. In the meantime, I’d be more than willing to step into my father’s shoes and keep the budget on the research project at a bare minimum while still achieving the results we are paid for.”
The rest of the board members exchanged looks and a few private conversations before the man who had spoken before stood.
“Well, the official vote on the contract will be held tomorrow, but I think I can save us all some time and mark it down as a pass for renewing the contract for another year?”
One by one, each of the board members gave their assent.
Courtney nodded and leaned back in her seat.
“That said, we still need to show our shareholders that we’ve trimmed the fat due to our last quarter’s poor numbers,” the man continued. “And with Dr. Monroe’s project left in the clear, we still need to find a section where we can safely cut on costs and not affect our profit margin for the next quarter.”
She nodded and let him waffle on. While she understood the concept of budget cuts and ‘trimming the fat,’ as the man had stated, it was completely out of her realm of expertise. She had essentially only come to this meeting to make sure that her father’s research wasn’t shut down. After that, she really didn’t know enough about anything to be able to make any kind of worthwhile impact.
That was what Robinson was there for, she thought with a smile.
“So,” Courtney said as they finally adjourned the meeting for lunch, “high school quarterback?”
Robinson looked up from his papers. “What was that?”
“You look like you would have been your high school’s quarterback,” she said with a smile.
“The school I went to didn’t have a football team, unfortunately,” he said. “I ended up taking part in a lot of other sports, though, and even picked up a couple of Olympic sports. Wrestling, boxing, judo, the works. Even though my parents made sure that I stayed away from a career in sports to get a couple of degrees in business, I sti
ll continue to practice. It’s a good way to stay in shape and blow off some steam.”
“No offense,” she said and regarded him with a speculative look as they headed back to her office, “but you don’t look like you did much boxing. I’ve met a couple of boxers along the way, and they all had tell-tale marks. Usually lots of scar tissue on the cheekbones and eyebrows, broken noses, and sometimes even the cauliflower ear…thing.”
“Oh, right.” Robinson chuckled. “Yeah, my strength always lay in weaving with great skill and enthusiasm to keep from taking too many blows. Plus, I got out of the competitive side of it before too much damage could be done. Which, between you and me, is probably why my mother was the one who insisted that I not take up sports as a way to make a living.”
“Your mother sounds like a smart woman.” Courtney noted a ring on his wedding finger and shook her head with mock regret. “Well, I guess that all the pretty ones are taken. How long have you been married?”
“Oh!” He grinned as he glanced down at the silver band on his finger. “Yeah, we’ve been married for three years now. We actually celebrated our anniversary a couple of weeks ago. You know, the third year is crystal, so I got him a nice little crystal tiara as a joke.”
“Him?”
“Yes. I hope that won’t be a problem. I remember how my parents reacted to the news. Mom was a little more supportive, but my dad is very conservative, even in this day and age. He actually refused to attend the wedding.”
“Of course it’s not an issue.” She waved a hand dismissively. “Like you said, in this day and age, who people marry is entirely their business. So far, you’ve shown yourself to be a competent and professional assistant, even for someone like me.”
“Well, in your defense, you are rather competent for an absentee boss,” he said and his laugh was slightly teasing. “How about you, though? I can’t imagine that you had much time for dating during your time out there in the Zoo, but is there anyone special in your life?”
“Well, I made some friends out there,” Courtney said noncommittally.
“I know there’s a lot more to that,” Robinson said as they reached the elevators, “but I also know that it would be unprofessional of me to pry. Since you seem to think that I’m a great professional, I wouldn’t want to step all over that first impression of yours.”
“Well, as I recall, my first impression was you calling me a bitch over the phone,” she said with a grin. “So you’ve already climbed upward from that.”
“I’m…so, so sorry about that, by the way,” he said and looked away. A quick glance at him confirmed noticeable traces of red visible in his cheeks.
“Don’t worry about it.” She laughed. “I’ve been called a lot worse to my face.”
“Still, though—”
“All is forgiven, don’t you worry.” They stepped into the elevator and there was a short and somewhat awkward silence she felt she needed to break. “Regarding your unasked question…well, there’s a guy. He’s sharp, a scientist, so a little like me, but…well, he’s young and enthusiastic and passionate about everything. He takes risks. He’s…odd too, but sometimes, that makes him even more interesting.”
“It seems more like you have a crush on this guy,” Robinson said. “Did you ever tell him how you feel?”
“Well, yeah, and we even slept together from time to time,” Courtney admitted. “But…there was another woman involved too, which made things more complicated than I would have liked.”
“Oh…interesting.” Her companion raised his eyebrows. “Who is she?”
“Well, technically, I guess I’m the other woman,” she clarified. “But that’s a whole other story for a whole other time. Now, there was something that you wanted to run over with me during lunch?”
“Right,” he said briskly and returned his attention to the files he carried. “They will cover your meeting with the IRS this afternoon, so you might want to have a look at what was actually agreed on. Now, the board members won’t be very happy that you opened up on the expense accounts, but once you explain that they were used inappropriately by people who have already been fired, I think they’ll agree that it’s best that we don’t handle this investigation internally. We don’t want it to seem like we’re keeping anything under wraps when it comes time to open our books for that audit that you mentioned.”
“Right.” Courtney nodded. “And I assume that those words will have to come from me instead of you when I tell the board about it, right? So how do I thank you for doing all this work for me again?”
“Well, you will pick the lunch tab up out of your own pocket,” he said lightly. “And I’m having the lobster.”
“Fair enough.” She chuckled but paused as her phone buzzed in her pocket. “You go on ahead and bring the car around. I’ll be right with you.”
Robinson nodded and made his way toward the revolving doors of the building as she retrieved the phone. The call came from a blocked number, and while Courtney wanted to avoid any unknowns, she needed to step up in her position there, which meant no more dodging calls.
“Dr. Monroe speaking,” she said into the speaker.
“Remember me, Doctor?” a very familiar voice said through the phone.
“Covington,” she said, and a small smile teased at her lips. “How could I forget? Is there any chance that you got my message?”
“Your message was received, Doctor,” the woman responded waspishly. “I see your cow head, and I’ll raise you the skull of a friend. There’s nowhere on this planet I can’t reach.”
The call cut off quickly and Courtney looked at the phone, her head tilted in thought as her mind raced. The number was still blocked, which told her that it came from a pre-paid phone—more commonly referred to as a burner phone—which allowed the woman to call her without leaving a trail of evidence that led back to her. It was probably an older phone, too, and lacked any kind of GPS tracking that would allow her to identify where the call came from.
There really wasn’t any point in reporting the call, she decided as her car pulled up in front of the building. It wasn’t as if what she’d done was any kind of legal, and considering the fact that the police still had her on their radar over how she’d handled her home invasion, she didn’t want to give them any more ammunition to use against her.
That said, it didn’t mean that she didn’t have any other resources she could fall back on. She could contact the lawyer who had helped her out with the police the first time. And it wasn’t like she didn’t have friends of her own.
As she moved out of the building, she dialed in a long number that she’d committed to memory—one that had helped her manage herself in these tough times over the past couple of months.
It went directly to the voicemail machine.
“Do your thing when you hear the beep,” said the recorded voice of one Salinger Jacobs. She smiled for a moment before the tone sounded.
“Hey, Sal, it’s Courtney,” she said in an unintentionally soft voice. “I hope things are going well with you guys. I’ve…I’ve missed you and Madigan, and even Gutierrez a little. I wanted to let you know that I’ve landed myself in a little trouble during my time here—the kind that might unfortunately rebound onto you guys. I’m trying to handle it on my end, but you might want to keep an eye out for trouble. Extra trouble, that is. Anyway, I have to go, so…call me later?”
She ended the call as she made her way to the car and avoided Robinson’s eye as she slid in beside him.
“Who was that?” he asked, tilting his head.
“I needed to contact some of my business partners back in the Zoo,” she said and forced a smile. “I helped to start a company called Heavy Metal back there and I still have some responsibilities.”
“Heavy Metal?” he asked as they started driving away.
“I think it needs to be said that while I helped to start the company, the name happened before I actually joined them,” Courtney explained.
“I wasn�
��t judging,” Robinson said with a shrug. “I think it’s clever. I’ve seen some of the armor that they use out there on those videos that they put on ZooTube, and…well, you know, Heavy Metal makes sense.”
She tilted her head in confusion. “Hold on. ZooTube?”
“Oh. Remind me to show you some of the stuff they have up there when we’re finished looking over the paperwork,” he said and grinned. “It’ll blow your mind.”
“I bet you’re wrong,” she murmured, her gaze turned toward the tinted windows.
Chapter Five
Sal looked at his phone and drew in a deep, slow breath. He’d played the message a couple of times, mainly because the first time had been blocked out by his elation at hearing Courtney’s voice again. She’d said that she was in some kind of trouble, so he had to pay her the respect of treating that trouble with as much attention as he could muster. That, in turn, meant that he had to get over his overreaction from hearing from her after a month of radio silence before calling her back.
She had said that he was the one who was supposed to call back, right? He thought she had, but there couldn’t be any harm in double-checking in case.
He listened to her message again and made sure, this time, that she wanted him to call her before he dialed her number and waited as the tone took a while to connect. They were on the other side of the planet, after all, and not everything was instant these days, as much as people wanted it to be.
“Hello, this is Dr. Monroe’s phone, how can I help you?” said a man’s voice on the other side.
“Hi. I’d like to speak with Dr. Monroe, please,” Sal replied and tried not to show his surprise that a man had answered Courtney’s phone. “It’s about a message that she left me about an hour ago.”
“And who might I say is calling?”
The guy who’s pissed off by your questions. “Salinger Jacobs, returning an earlier call.”