I’ve been more successful than I ever dreamed possible, he thought.
His career had provided a good life, one he never imagined when he graduated from Princeton. The opportunities at Jordano had been substantial. Harry had taken advantage and reaped the rewards.
Sure, there’d been some rough periods. Market downturns always brought additional pressure in the investment industry. But nothing compared to the turmoil of the past several weeks. Julie Monroe’s murder, the Sierra Health fiasco, the police investigation, the SEC subpoena – all of this was uncharted territory.
And the relationship with Nora brought a complication to his life that was both scary and exciting. He wasn’t sure where it was going to lead, but it showed how devoid of romance his marriage had become. Nora had touched emotions that had been long suppressed. Harry was no longer sure what the future held.
The ringing of the telephone brought him out of his reverie. Harry saw Sandy’s cell phone number displayed on the console and steeled himself for the conversation.
“Hi Sandy. How’s Jeremy doing?”
“I’m worried.” He could hear the nervous tone in her voice. “I took Jeremy to see Dr. Fitzgerald. Now he wants to run additional tests. He didn’t say anything specifically, but he seemed concerned. He wants me to take Jeremy to the hospital later today to have blood drawn.”
“I’m sure it’ll turn out to be nothing.” Harry tried to reassure her. “Maybe Jeremy has an early case of the flu. You know how quickly kids catch bugs from each other.”
“I hope you’re right,” Sandy fretted. “It was just… Dr. Fitzgerald’s demeanor after the exam worried me. He seemed, I don’t know, like he was trying to hide something.”
“Do you want me to call him?”
Dr. Fitzgerald had been Jeremy’s pediatrician since he was a baby.
“No, let’s not panic. It’s probably nothing. I’ll take him to the hospital now. We should be home by dinner time.”
“I’ll be leaving here shortly. I’ll be home by 6:30.”
Harry hung up the phone.
What else can go wrong? Harry hoped the rest of the day stayed quiet. He needed to get some work done.
*****
As Harry walked into the house, the telephone was ringing. He threw his car keys onto the kitchen counter and reached to answer it before it stopped. Sandy and Jeremy weren’t home yet—besides the phone, there were no other sounds.
“Hello?” He opened the refrigerator door to see what he could snack on, and grabbed a raspberry yogurt.
“Hi Harry!” It was Nora. Her voice was a little louder than usual, and she sounded a little tipsy.
Harry looked around quickly to confirm again that Sandy wasn’t there. But he was still nervous she might come walking through the door.
“Nora, what are you doing? Why are you calling me at home?” Harry said angrily. He was sure that he hadn’t given Nora his home phone number.
“I wanted to hear your voice. I know I shouldn’t have called. I almost caught you before you left work, but your admin said you’d just gone. So I decided to go home, get in my PJs, and open a bottle of wine. Then I got to thinking, maybe I could call and say a quick hello. I will sleep better knowing that I’ve talked to you.” Nora sounded like she had already drunk most of the bottle.
Harry took a deep breath. He was pissed. “What if Sandy had answered the phone?” He was trying not to explode. He listened for any sound of her car in the driveway.
“Don’t worry, I would have hung up,” Nora responded. “Or maybe I could have had a little chat with her. I could find out what your favorite sexual position is.” Nora giggled uncontrollably.
She’s drunk, Harry thought.
Harry was beyond annoyed. “Look, Nora. I realize you’re just teasing me, but you can’t call here. This will create problems for both of us.” Harry heard Sandy’s car pull into the driveway. “I have to go – Sandy’s home.”
“Can’t we talk a little longer? I wanted to hear about the rest of your day.” Nora’s voice had taken on a plaintive tone.
“Not now, Nora. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?” He had to get off the phone.
“I’ll be in bright and early. Maybe we can have coffee?”
“Yeah, that’s fine, see you around 8am. Bye.” Harry hung up quickly.
“Who was on the phone?” Sandy asked as she walked through the door. He hadn’t been quick enough.
“Just the compliance officer from work. We were discussing the trustee statement that’ll be communicated to the press tomorrow. The language has to be just right.” Harry prayed this sounded plausible. “How’d you make out at the hospital?” he asked, changing the subject.
“We won’t know anything further until tomorrow. They need to run the blood tests.” Sandy’s face was drawn and worry lines creased her forehead. Jeremy had followed her through the kitchen door, and was leaning languidly against the kitchen counter. His complexion was pale, his demeanor quiet.
“How are you feeling, buddy?” Harry asked, trying to sound upbeat. “Did you mind the blood test?”
Jeremy shrugged. “It was fine.”
“Why don’t you go into the family room and watch TV while we get supper on the table?”
“Okay.” Jeremy walked into the other room and turned on Family Guy. Harry usually wouldn’t let him watch that show, but tonight could be an exception.
He turned to Sandy. “Did you learn anything new at the hospital?”
“No.” Sandy sounded frustrated. She withdrew a pot and closed the cabinet door with a bang. “I think something else is going on. Dr. Fitzgerald seemed unduly concerned after he examined Jeremy today.”
“Alright. Let’s not jump to conclusions. We’ll find out tomorrow. Like I said earlier, it’s probably just an early case of the flu.”
“I hope you’re right.” Sandy pulled plates from the shelf. She had picked up angel hair pasta and eggplant parmigiana at the grocery store on her way home.
Harry cut the Italian bread while Sandy portioned the food onto the dinner plates.
“I’ll get Jeremy,” he said.
Harry walked into the family room. “Dinner’s ready…” Jeremy was fast asleep on the couch, his legs curled up tight. Deciding dinner could wait, Harry covered him with a small blanket and turned out the light. He lightly rubbed his son’s head. Jeremy looked so young and small.
Harry returned to the kitchen. “He’s asleep.”
“That’s probably for the best. He said he wasn’t feeling very hungry.” Sandy opened a bottle of red wine and poured herself a large glass. The wine reminded Harry of Nora’s surprising and disturbing phone call. “Would you like some?” Sandy waved the bottle.
“No thanks. Wine’s been giving me a headache lately.”
“Really? I haven’t heard you mention that. Well, all the more for me.” Sandy downed the first glass quickly and poured herself another.
“Maybe you should slow down, if you don’t want to be under the weather tomorrow.” Harry knew Sandy didn’t handle her liquor as well as she thought.
Dinner was eaten mostly in silence. Both of them were consumed by their own thoughts. Harry picked at his food, his appetite having waned.
He believed Jeremy would be fine so his thoughts wandered back to work. He made a mental list of things that had to be done tomorrow, and he couldn’t let any distractions deter him. Dealing with Kaspar was his top priority. Next, he would speak to Marketing about final preparations for the trustee press release planned for late afternoon. Then he had a meeting scheduled with the fund managers to review their latest buy and sell recommendations.
Finally, Harry thought, I need to decide what to do about Nora. She really overstepped a boundary tonight. If Sandy had answered the phone…
Harry didn’t want to think about that conversation. Nora’s reluctance to hang up when Harry told her he couldn’t talk also bothered him.
This can’t happen again.
He decide
d that he would somehow find the time to speak to her during the day tomorrow. He needed to send a strong message.
Chapter 25
Monday, November 3
Nick’s team assembled at 7am in the large conference room. Rain knocked against the windows, obscuring the early morning traffic on the street below.
There was an undercurrent of excitement in the air. The reports and documents from Jordano Funds were stacked a good two feet high on the conference room table. The piles seemed like sentinels guarding state secrets.
Nick surveyed the room while he carefully sipped his hot coffee. He was proud of the team he had assembled. Each member’s strengths complemented the others. Where one of the staff lacked experience or knowledge, another team member provided expertise.
“Okay, let’s get started.” Nick sat down at the head of the table. He pointed at the stacks of documents on the cheap, government-issue aluminum table. “We have a lot of material to review, so we need a solid approach. “Anyone have any ideas?” Nick considered the group around the table.
Sam twirled a toothpick in his teeth. “Well boss, we’ve got tax forms over there,” pointing to the left side of the table, “and we’ve got transaction journals over here,” motioning towards his right. “In the middle, there are regulatory filings for each of the funds named in the subpoena. Maybe we divvy up the work based on each person’s expertise. If we work in two-man teams, we can make sure that two sets of eyes look at all of the documents. That should cut down on missed items.”
“Good idea, Sam,” Nick said. “Victor, you work with Sam to review the tax statements. Devon, you and Joe can focus on the 10K and other regulatory filings. That leaves the transaction reports. I’ll review those with Cam.” Cameron Waters was the team’s newest member and Nick felt he needed the most oversight. “Let’s break into separate groups. We can use the other conference room too. We’ll reconvene at 4pm to review what’s been learned. I’ll talk to Pete to see if we can have lunch brought in. Any questions?”
“Yeah, just one,” Sam said. “Can we get breakfast too? Lunch is about five hours away. I might waste away to nothing.” He patted his stomach. Chuckles broke out around the table.
“Sorry, Sam,” Nick replied, shaking his head. “One meal a day is the government limit.” He rose to leave.
“A good boss would at least spring for a couple dozen donuts. Besides, we’ll be more productive on a full stomach.”
Nick sighed. “Alright, fine. He took a twenty from his wallet and tossed it on the table. “Run down to Dunkin’ Donuts and get some donuts and bagels. Everyone can provide their own coffees or lattes. I’m not buying those.”
Sam flashed his brightest smile as he grabbed the money from the table. “You’re the best, boss.”
“Yeah,” Nick said sarcastically, “and a chump too.” The team hid smiles as they filed out of the room.
Nick returned to his desk.
Cameron showed up a moment later. “Hi Nick,” he started. “What do you want me to do?”
“Let’s separate the reports in the conference room by fund—there should be seven funds all together. We’re looking for patterns of transactions that don’t make sense—repeated transactions, cancellations, and adjustments. Look for things that seem out of the ordinary—large transactions for the size of the account, things like that. If you find something, note it and move on. I’ll do the same. We’ll review later in the day and dig into the most promising situations. How’s that sound?”
Cameron nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll get started.”
“I’ll meet you in the conference room in a few minutes.”
“Gotcha.”
Nick’s attention returned to the papers in front of him, but his focus was soon interrupted by noise in the corridor outside the conference room. He looked up as Devon and Joe carried a stack of the regulatory filings into the other conference room. She was laughing at something Joe had said, and was totally unaware of Nick’s attention.
Nick watched her cross the office.
She was petite, barely over five feet. Her short black hair provided sharp contrast to her alabaster skin. Nick couldn’t deny it any longer: he wanted to ask her out.
It’s been so long since I’ve done this, he thought, chagrined. I’m not even sure I remember how.
Nick had felt a growing physical attraction for Devon for some time. He was always aware of her presence in the office. Her perfume, a light scent, lingered in the air whenever she walked by. But Devon was almost nine years younger than him.
Nearly a different generation, he thought.
And she reported to him. He tapped his pen on the edge of his desk.
Geez, he thought, I’m getting way ahead of myself. I don’t even know if she has a boyfriend.
Chapter 26
Tuesday, November 4
The next morning came much too quickly. Harry groaned when his alarm went off at 5:30am. He got up slowly and stopped at Jeremy’s door. The light from the hallway fell across his son’s bed. Jeremy’s complexion was pale, and his breathing was shallow and labored. Harry shook his head—he hoped Jeremy would feel better soon.
As Harry headed towards the city, he was glad that traffic was light. Boston’s rush hour had improved since the Big Dig construction project during the 1990’s. That’s when the elevated highway that divided the city was buried beneath the surface road, resulting in a labyrinth of new tunnels that led in myriad directions. However, getting into downtown from the suburbs could still be challenging. Harry pulled into the office garage just before 7am.
He rode up in the elevator alone, accompanied only by his thoughts. Sandy would get an update from Jeremy’s doctor around noon, so he planned to clear his schedule during the middle of the day in case she tried to reach him.
Harry opened his office door and stopped abruptly.
On his desk was a large basket, replete with several bottles of red and white wine, domestic and foreign cheeses and an assortment of crackers. In front of the basket were several brochures listing romantic bed and breakfast inns, located along the northern seacoast of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Harry was mystified. He noticed that his telephone light was glowing indicating that he had a message waiting. He picked up the phone and dialed his voicemail.
“Hey there, my cutie, I hope you like the basket I left for you!” Nora’s voice whispered into his ear. “Maybe we can take the wine and cheese with us on a weekend adventure to one of the inns listed in the brochures. That would be such fun! I’ll talk to you soon, sweetie. Love, me.”
Harry deleted the message and took a deep breath. He sat down heavily in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair.
This is getting out of control, he thought morosely.
He felt trapped, not sure of his next step. He needed to gain control over the situation. Nora clearly wanted to expand their relationship, but Harry wasn’t so sure—not now. He loved being with her, but he had other considerations. His career was important to him, as he had increasingly realized while dealing with the events of the past few weeks. His marriage to Sandy was rocky right now, but he thought they might be able to regain the closeness they once had.
And Jeremy needs me, thought Harry. He couldn’t imagine what it would do to his son if he left their home.
The telephone rang, jarring him from his thoughts.
It was Nora. He let the call go to voicemail.
Harry got up and walked to his office window. His mind was fractured. He tried to assess all the permutations, all the directions he could go in. His life might depend on the personal and professional decisions that he made today.
He’d never felt so alone.
He’d always been able to handle any situation, no matter the pressure he was under or the consequences that might result. But today he felt like he was dangling from a precipice, hanging onto his sanity by a thread. His capacity to manage his life had diminished in some significant way. He didn’t like the feeling at a
ll.
Harry returned to his desk and slumped into his chair. He wasn’t sure how to survive this week.
*****
The call from Sandy came just after noon.
“Hi Sandy. How’s Jeremy? Did you speak with the doctor?”
He heard sniffling on the other end of the line. Sandy was crying. “You need to come home right now, Harry. Jeremy is very sick. He has leukemia. Doctor Fitzgerald says his white blood cell count is extremely low.” She started to sob loudly.
“Oh my god.” Harry was stunned. His mind went blank and he felt his stomach churn. “What’s the prognosis?” he asked, afraid of the answer.
Sandy took a deep breath but her voice still quivered. “Doctor Fitzgerald told me that Jeremy has an aggressive form of the disease. It’s called acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He’ll start chemotherapy later this week.”
Sandy was crying even harder now.
“He couldn’t tell me the prognosis because a lot depends on how Jeremy responds to treatment. The doctor said the best solution would be to find a bone marrow donor. He’ll add Jeremy to the registry waiting list, but the chance of finding a match is slim. A living relative would be the best candidate.”
Of course, thought Harry. A blood relative would be the best thing. As Jeremy’s adoptive parents, it wasn’t likely that he or Sandy would be a match for their son.
He remembered the adoption twelve years ago. He wondered how difficult it would be to get information for Jeremy’s birth mother. He guessed it wouldn’t be easy.
“The pediatric oncologist at Children’s wants to meet with us at 4pm today. You’ll be there?”
“Of course. Do you want me to pick you up?”
“No, I’ll meet you there. You’re already in town. No sense coming all the way back home.”
Harry tried to sound reassuring. “Okay. I know it’s difficult, but try to relax this afternoon. We’ll get through this.” Harry told himself to believe it too. It was the only way he could confront this news.
He hung up the phone. He wondered how they would break the news to Jeremy? Maybe the doctor could give them some advice. Harry doubted he could focus on his meetings this afternoon, but he felt that he had to try. He picked up his notepad and headed to the conference room down the hall. He decided to not tell anyone at the firm about Jeremy’s illness until they had learned more.
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