Everyone will be in an uproar. Kaspar’ll be on the warpath. We’ll really need damage control now, Harry thought. I need to schedule an emergency trustee meeting immediately. What message will Kaspar want the trustees to hear?
He pondered that thought as he put the car into drive and pulled back onto the road without a backwards glance. Horns blared as the cars behind him screeched to a stop. Harry didn’t care. He half-wished someone had hit him. Any excuse for not showing up at work today would be good enough.
Chapter 24
Monday, November 3
The office was eerily quiet when Harry arrived. Chattering keyboards and ringing telephones seemed unusually silent.
Then Harry remembered: Kaspar and some of the staff had flown to the West Coast to visit one of the firm’s most important clients, MicroBurst Technologies. Microburst employees invested their retirement savings in Jordano’s 401k mutual funds, now the most popular type of retirement investment vehicle for baby boomers. The accounts were a win-win for both employers and employees: the employer realized lower costs, and the employee could change jobs and take his vested money with him, usually after just five years.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Kaspar was out of the office.
I need to get some plans in motion before I talk to him, he thought. With the time difference to the West Coast, he hoped Kaspar was still sleeping and hadn’t gotten wind of the article in the Globe.
Harry called Nora as soon as he reached the privacy of his office.
“Hi Harry,” Nora said cheerfully. “How was your weekend?”
“It was fine.” Harry wanted to stick to work matters this morning. “Have you seen the paper this morning?”
“No, I haven’t...”
“It’s not good news. There’s an article that focuses on the SEC subpoena. It says information was provided by an unnamed source inside the company. We need to find out who it is, Nora. I’d like you to come down to my office so we can discuss it.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes,” Nora replied.
Harry hung up the phone and waited for Nora to join him.
I need a vacation, he thought.
The idea of going somewhere warm and sunny and faraway from the issues that had invaded his life was inviting. He thought about all that had occurred during the past several weeks: Julie Monroe’s murder, the Sierra Health fiasco, his burgeoning relationship with Nora. It was hard to believe so many major events could happen in such a short period. And all of them affected him. Harry felt his life was spiraling out of control.
There was a knock. Nora walked in and nudged the door closed with her foot. She was holding two cups of coffee with a small shopping bag under one arm.
“Hi Harry. Look what I got for Jeremy!” Nora placed the coffee cups on the desk and removed a package wrapped in birthday paper from the bag. “I got the football, Harry! I hope he likes it. It has the New England Patriots insignia on it too. Will you give it to him tonight?”
“Sure,” he replied coolly. Harry took the gift from her and placed it on the corner of his desk. Although he wanted to discuss the SEC investigation, Harry decided to first address Nora’s unexpected visit.
“Listen, about Saturday.”
Nora held up her hands as if anticipating this discussion. “That was a really dumb thing for me to do, Harry. I’m not sure why I came by. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble for you. Or upset you.” Nora’s eyes were downcast, her demeanor contrite.
Harry wasn’t expecting the apology, and he found it difficult to continue with his harsh tone. “I know that, Nora. You surprised me, that’s all.” The anger he had felt all weekend was dissipating quickly. He really didn’t want to be mad at her. After all, there’d been no consequences.
“It’s just that I think about you all the time, Harry. I really think you’re a special person, and I’m so attracted to you. I just want to do everything I can for you. When we‘re together, I feel so happy. I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a very long time.” Nora looked up. Her eyes glistened with tears that seemed ready to spill any second.
Any remaining anger fled. Harry was about to reach out and hold her, but at that moment the telephone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he could tell it was an outside number.
Kasper, he thought, glancing at his desk clock. It was only 4:50am on the West Coast.
Harry held up a finger to Nora so she would be quiet. He put the phone on speaker.
“Harry Wainwright.”
“Good, you’re there.” It was Kaspar. “Now what the hell is this I hear about a newspaper article? How bad is it?”
Harry couldn’t sugarcoat this. “It’s pretty bad, Kaspar. The tone of the article makes it sound like we’re covering something up. The timing couldn’t be worse.”
Harry imagined the steam rising from Kaspar’s bald head three-thousand miles away. “We need to find the asshole who talked to the SEC, Harry. Nothing else is more important. I’m going to fuck that person nine ways to Sunday. He’s going to be so sorry that he ever worked at my company.”
He understood his boss’s anger, but Harry thought Kaspar’s focus was a little misplaced. “I agree, but I think we first have to draft a public response to the article. We need to dismiss the allegations as ridiculous. And maintain the firm’s innocence.”
Kaspar grunted. “You’re right, of course. The hanging can happen later. Call me at the end of the day with developments.” With that he was gone. There was never an excess of words with Kaspar.
Harry hung up the phone and looked at Nora. “We need a list of everyone who might have had knowledge of the Sierra Health situation. Include everyone who attended the meetings as well as their staff members who were brought into their manager’s confidence. If you aren’t sure of someone, check with their manager. If you’re still in doubt, include them on the list. We need to figure out who leaked this story and stop them before any further damage is done.”
“Okay, I’ll put the list together by noon. Do you want me to email it to you when I’m done?”
“Yes. I want to review it first. I’m going to assemble the management team at 1pm. I’ll ask each person at that meeting to vouch for the staff on the list. We have to get to the bottom of this.”
Nora got up to leave. “I should be going.”
Harry walked over to where she was standing. He reached out and took her hand. “Nora, I think you’re pretty special too. It’s just that things have been so crazy around here. I haven’t had time to absorb everything.” Harry caressed Nora’s check. “You’re very pretty, you know.”
“Now you’re fibbin’,” she responded teasingly. “No one looks good this early in the morning.”
“I disagree,” Harry murmured. He bent down and kissed her softly on the neck. Nora tilted her head and a soft moan escaped her lips. She put her arms around Harry and pulled him close. Harry lightly bit her earlobe. Nora turned her face towards him and kissed him hard, flicking her tongue against Harry’s teeth. When he opened his mouth, Nora plunged her tongue deeply inside. Harry slid his hands down her back and over the firm outline of her ass. The top button of her blouse had come undone, and Harry watched the swell of her breasts rise and fall with each breath. Nora was sucking on his lower lip. He unbuttoned the rest of her blouse, and slid his hands up her back. Harry unfastened her bra and started to softly caress her breasts.
“Oh god, Harry, that feels so good. But we can’t do this now.” Nora pulled away, righting her undergarments and buttoning her blouse. “When can we see each other again?”
Now it was Harry’s turn to be disappointed. “Later in the week? I’ll let you know.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Nora leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I’m looking forward to it already. Now I better go to work on that list before I jump your bones.” Nora giggled and left the office.
“God,” Harry said out loud to himself, and shook his head. “Get control of yourself, Wainr
ight.”
*****
Nora delivered the list of names just before noon, as promised. Harry was dismayed to see how long it was. Each manager had confided in several of their staff members, so the complete list totaled almost thirty people. Finding the person who had divulged the information to the newspaper wasn’t going to be easy so Harry decided to tackle the problem in a different way.
In his mind, he divided the management team into two groups. He trusted some members of the team implicitly, like Jack Walsh. Others, like Sreekanth and Sinead, seemed unlikely to betray the company’s trust. He thought it made little sense to consider them suspects.
Harry was less sure of other members on the management team.
Jackson Andrews, the head of Marketing, was a pompous and self-serving ass. Harry personally believed he couldn’t be trusted. Despite frequent and loud protestations of concern for the firm and its customers, Andrews was a self-centered jerk who’d look out for his own interests first.
I need to find out if he might have an ulterior motive for doing this, Harry thought.
He also considered Jerry Haskins, the operations manager. Harry knew his personal dislike of the man probably swayed his opinion. But in reality, Haskins was a sneaky son of a bitch who always put his personal gain above all else. He had been at the firm for a long time, almost as long as Harry. Given his management position in the operations group, Jerry was privy to many decisions that might seem unethical to outsiders. He was in an ideal position if he wanted to divulge information that would hurt the firm. Harry remembered seeing Jerry at the restaurant.
I still need to find out what he saw, he thought glumly.
It was time for the management team meeting that Harry had scheduled in the conference room next to his office. He hoped to set a trap that would identify the guilty person. But just as he got up from his chair, Harry’s phone rang. He recognized Sandy’s number. It was unusual to hear from her during the middle of the day.
“Hi, Sandy.” Harry had to keep this conversation short.
Sandy’s voice was distant and cold. “Hi. I wanted to let you know that I’m taking Jeremy to the doctor. He’s been complaining about not feeling well for a few days. He’s been unusually quiet too. Not that you would notice.” Harry hadn’t noticed, but he caught the accusing tone in Sandy’s voice. Jeremy usually caused their lives to run at a frenetic pace.
“Let me know how you make out. Tell Jeremy that I hope he feels better.”
“Yeah, okay,” Sandy said. “I’ve got to go.”
Harry hung up the phone and returned his attention to the meeting that was scheduled to start in a few minutes. He was determined to find out who had leaked the Sierra Health problem to the press. Kaspar wouldn’t be pleased if he had nothing new to report later that afternoon.
*****
The two men stood a few feet apart on the sidewalk. Jerry Haskins appeared to be reading the newspaper while the other was looking into the shop window where men’s suits were on display. The passing traffic on Franklin Street was fairly light during mid-day.
Jerry started speaking in a low voice. “The article even made the front page!” he crowed. “The reporter from the Globe got all of the details right, just like I told him.” He looked up expectantly at the man next to him.
“Yeah, the pressure’s going to get intense now,” the other man responded without diverting his attention from the shop window. “Kaspar will be in an uproar. I’m glad this hit the newspapers while he’s out of town. It will make him worry even more, because he won’t feel in control of the situation.”
The other man snickered. “Since you’re so pleased, how about an advance on my next payment? I could use a little extra cash.”
The taller man turned his attention from the shop window and watched the traffic for a moment. “I told you, when this is done, you’ll be properly compensated. Now get back upstairs before you’re late for the meeting and Harry starts wondering where you’ve been. He doesn’t like you. I bet he suspects that you’re responsible for the article.”
The other man grimaced. “I’ll be so happy when he gets knocked down a few pegs. He always acts like he’s better than the rest of us, and I’m sick of it. It’s going to be great watching the door hit his ass when he gets escorted out. That’s a sight I will thoroughly enjoy.”
“You need to give Harry some credit. He’s lasted at the firm for a long time. He knows how to play the game. You can’t underestimate him. Now get up to the meeting before you’re late.”
The taller man spun around on his heels and walked down the street to the corner deli to grab a quick lunch. He loved their pastrami and Swiss on rye, with a little sauerkraut on the side.
Yes, he thought, everything was working out just fine. It won’t be long now.
*****
Grim faces surrounded Harry as he sat at the head of the conference room table. Everyone realized the seriousness of the Globe article. Customers were very sensitive to any impropriety, and the telephone calls into the firm’s customer service center this morning had been three times higher than normal daily volumes. Most of the calls were just inquiries from customers wanting further information and assurances that they didn’t need to worry.
One of Harry’s first tasks that morning had been to meet with Kevin Jacobs, and Beth Harrison, the head of Public Relations. They worked to draft a response for each phone center operator to use when customers called about the article. So far the damage had been minimal. Most customers had left their account balances untouched. But there were a few who couldn’t be mollified. The bad news had been the last straw, and they used it as an excuse to withdraw their money.
At the end of the day, the Fund Accounting department would provide an estimate of that day’s transactions. Harry was guessing that redemptions would be around five million dollars. Not good, but not a disaster. The objective was to stem the tide here and not let it get worse.
Harry looked at each person sitting at the table. Some returned his stare, others looked down at the table or at each other. He needed to know who had been responsible. It was time to set his plan in motion.
“I assume that everyone has read the article in this morning’s Globe?” Nods from around the table. “I can’t begin to describe the breach of confidentiality that has occurred here. The consequences for the person responsible will be severe. I have no doubt that we’ll learn who was involved. That person can expect that both personal and legal action will be taken by the firm.”
Jack Walsh was the first to speak. “Harry, I realize that the firm wants vengeance for the injury it has suffered, but the real objective today has to be the development of a coherent, public response to the article in order to limit the damage that’s been done. Are we prepared to do that?”
“Almost, Jack. There’s a 3pm meeting with the trustees to review the company’s response. Beth, could you fill in the group on the status of the public statement?” Beth Harrison was the face of the firm when Jordano communicated to the public.
“Sure, Harry,” she responded. “Our approach will be two-pronged. First, James Sterling, the president of the board of trustees, will make a comment in time for the 6pm news. He will deny that the handling of the Sierra Health situation described in the article was improper in any way. Next, we’ve drafted a full page advertisement that will run in the Boston newspapers, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. This ad will denounce the article as bunk, and it will highlight our strong internal practices and the awards that the company has received for operational excellence. We expect these efforts will reduce customer concerns. We’ll be watching the telephone call volumes closely tomorrow to assess the reaction.”
“Thanks, Beth.” Harry looked at Jerry Haskins, who was still his prime suspect for the newspaper article. Haskins was sitting back in his chair with his hands behind his head. He looked like he was about to take a nap. It was time to stir the pot a bit.
“Jerry?” Harry called out to hi
m. Haskins looked up in surprise and a hint of fear passed through his eyes. “I want you to collect the records of all outgoing telephone calls from company phones over the course of the past week. Then I want you to determine whether there’s any match on those records to phone numbers for the newspaper. That might give us a start on identifying the person responsible for the leak.”
Jerry looked like he was in a full blown panic. “What will that prove?” he whined. “Anyone could use someone else’s telephone.” His beady eyes were shifting rapidly back and forth, and he licked his lips frequently. Harry had to admit that he was enjoying this.
“You’re right, of course. But if we find the phone number that called the paper, we will be able to start to limit the possible suspects. Don’t forget, our employee key cards keep track of the location of every person each minute of the day.”
The EmployeeTRAC System was a new security feature that had been installed in the Jordano offices earlier that year. Its primary purpose was to identify the location of a staff member immediately in the event of a crisis. Sensors positioned on each of the company’s floors could pinpoint where each employee was at any given time and reports could be generated that showed this information in five minute intervals. Harry was hoping this information would limit his suspect pool.
Jerry looked apoplectic. “But, but, but…” he stammered.
Harry waved his hand at him. “Just do it, Jerry. I’ll be very interested in the results. I want the reports on my desk by 8am tomorrow morning.”
Harry again looked about the room. “Does anyone have anything else for today?” His question was answered with silence. “Okay, meeting adjourned.”
*****
Harry sat in his office, head in his hands. It was difficult to measure the impact that the recent events would have on the firm. Jordano Funds had been like a second home to him for the past fifteen years. He knew that seemed corny, but he had grown comfortable at the firm. By and large, the entire staff was exceptional to work with, and he felt fortunate to have shared so many years with them.
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