Chapter 27
Tuesday, November 4
Harry arrived at Boston’s Children’s Hospital five minutes before the scheduled appointment with Jeremy’s doctor. He found Sandy waiting inside the Starbucks located in the lobby. Her anxious look added to Harry’s own nervousness. He felt sorry for his wife; it was an emotion that he hadn’t felt in a long time. Nora briefly crossed his mind but he pushed the thought away.
“Hi honey.” Harry reached down and squeezed her hand. “Are you ready to go up?”
Sandy nodded. She was trying to keep herself under control.
They walked to the elevator and rode to the eighth floor in silence. The red line on the cracked linoleum floor directed them to the Pediatric Oncology ward. When they reached the main desk, Harry told the nurse they had an appointment with Dr. Snow. She nodded and led them down a corridor, finally stopping at the third door on the right. She knocked softly and opened the door.
“Good luck,” she said, her eyes conveying empathy for their situation. Harry was sure that she’d led many parents to this door.
When Harry and Sandy entered the room, they found Dr. Zachary Snow sitting behind a mahogany desk that was piled high with medical reports, X-rays, and other patient records. The doctor, who appeared to be in his mid-fifties, looked up when the door opened.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wainright,” he stated in a gravelly voice, coming around the desk to greet them. “Please have a seat.” He gestured towards the small black sofa that rested against the window. Dr. Snow sat across from them in a leather wingback chair.
“I realize this is a very difficult situation for you. Whenever parents receive unwanted medical news about their child, it’s only natural to react with shock and disbelief. I can assure you that Jeremy will receive the best medical care here, and everything possible will be done to bring about a successful outcome.”
A millions questions ran through Harry’s brain.
What’s the prognosis? What are the treatment options? How bad will the treatment be? How much hope should they have?
His mind was running full speed. He wanted to know everything at once. He took a deep breath to control his anxiety. He was still holding Sandy’s hand.
“Dr. Snow,” Harry began, “Jeremy is our only child. Our lives are built around him and his well-being. We will do whatever’s necessary to help him.” Harry glanced at Sandy but her eyes were downcast.
“First,” Dr. Snow began, “let me explain the disease to you. That may help you to keep a certain perspective.”
Dr. Snow rubbed his knee absentmindedly as if it was giving him pain. He ran his hand through his thinning hair. “Leukemia is a cancer of the blood. It occurs when the body makes an excess of abnormal white blood cells. These cells don’t work like normal white blood cells, which are important in fighting infection. The leukemia cells grow too quickly and don’t stop growing when they should.” Dr. Snow paused. “Any questions so far?”
Harry and Sandy shook their heads. They were numb.
“Jeremy’s been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This type of cancer can worsen quickly. That’s why it’s critical to begin treatment immediately.”
Sandy burst into tears and buried her head in Harry’s shoulder. Harry didn’t know what to say or do, so he sat in silence. He put his arm around Sandy’s shoulder and looked to the doctor for help.
Dr. Snow offered a box of tissues from his desk. Sandy thanked him and blew her nose loudly.
“Let me explain the treatment options. For this type of leukemia, a bone marrow transplant is usually the best course of action. The transplant involves removal of abnormal blood cells from the bone marrow, and replacement with normal blood cells. It offers the highest success rate and fewest complications. Of course, it can also be the most difficult option to implement. The scarcity of appropriate bone marrow donors presents a challenge. We’ll add Jeremy to the bone marrow registry immediately. If we don’t have a directed donor, meaning one that specifically wishes to help Jeremy, then we place him on the list.” Dr. Snow cleared his throat. He knew the next topic was the toughest for the parents to hear.
“Now, the prognosis.” He looked first at Harry, and then Sandy, to make sure he had their full attention. “Medicine has made great strides over the last twenty years in fighting all kinds of cancer. Survival rates have risen substantially for most patients. Jeremy is young and strong, and he’ll need these attributes to aid him in this battle. Most of all, he will need both of you to remain strong, positive forces during his treatment. There’ll be bad days, really bad days, and he will need you to be there for him. Can you do that?”
Harry and Sandy nodded mutely. They were overwhelmed by all the information they’d been given.
Dr. Snow continued. “I understand that Jeremy was adopted. Do you know the birth mother, or can you find out where she might be?”
“I’m not sure,” Harry responded glumly. “We’ll call the adoption agency. But I know they promise to keep records private unless the birth mother agrees to release them. We don’t know anything about her—we never had a need to before this.” Harry felt a sense of helplessness that was unfamiliar to him.
“I recommend you pursue that option to the fullest.” Dr. Snow checked his watch before rising from his seat. “Regardless, we want to begin treatment immediately. Can you speak with Jeremy and explain the situation to him? If you would prefer, you can bring him here and we can do it together. But I think we should start treatment by the end of the week.”
The reality was beginning to sink in. Harry realized the gravity of the situation, and it scared him. “We’ll speak to him tonight.”
Dr. Snow nodded. “My office will call you with appointment information for later this week. You also need to speak with Jeremy’s school. It’s likely he will miss a fair amount of class over the next several months.”
Sandy reached out and grabbed the doctor’s hand. She hadn’t spoken a word until now. “Promise me you’ll save him. Promise me.”
Dr. Snow’s features softened. He was sympathetic but firm. “Many factors will contribute to your son’s recovery. I’m confident he’ll receive the best medical care at this hospital. With your help, and Jeremy’s positive spirit, I believe we can have a good result. Remember, he’ll look to you and your husband for strength. Be there for him.”
Sandy and Harry nodded and said goodbye. They walked slowly to the elevator. The nurse that had helped them earlier looked away when she saw them coming. Harry understood why. It must be both so difficult and joyful to work here—days full of hope, days full of sadness. It was a rollercoaster ride at best.
*****
It was a long ride home although traffic was unusually light. Harry kept his thoughts to himself, thinking about the message of hope the doctor had delivered. He focused on this thought to prevent panic and fear from consuming him. He glanced over at Sandy. She sniffled softly into a tissue, and looked out the window of the car with a thousand-yard stare, as if she was in a trance. Harry reached across and held her hand.
“Sandy, we need to follow Dr. Snow’s instructions. We need to remain positive and upbeat, no matter how frightened we are for Jeremy. He’ll get a lot of strength from us. And it will help him in the long run. I know it.”
Sandy sighed deeply, and turned towards Harry. “I just can’t believe this, Harry. First my sister, and now Jeremy. It’s so unfair.” She blew her nose and sighed again. “He’ll be so scared. You know how he hates doctors.”
Harry squeezed her hand. “We will get through this.” He thought briefly of Nora, knowing that he had to end what he had allowed to start. He just wasn’t sure how to do it.
Chapter 28
Tuesday, November 4
Nick was the last one to make it to the conference room at the end of the day. He closed the door behind him and spoke. “Okay team, what did we learn today? Devon, why don’t you go first?”
Devon pushed her dark hair behind her ear and opened
her notebook. “Joe and I reviewed all of Jordano’s regulatory filings for the seven funds being investigated. Over the past several years, the company has headed in one direction: higher fees, more punitive redemption policies, and greater freedom for senior management to direct fund dollars to arcane or risky investments.” Devon’s voice had taken on a sarcastic tone. “These include stellar choices for your average middle class retiree such as mortgage backed securities, options, and derivatives. Although Jordano hasn’t made huge moves into these areas, they’ve invested enough from each fund to produce higher income for the company.” Devon sat back, arms folded across her chest. “And smaller returns for fund investors.”
Nick looked skeptical. “They’ve done this without any shareholder outcry? That’s pretty impressive.”
“I agree,” said Devon. “Like I said, these changes have really added to Jordano’s bottom line. Senior management bonuses have increased by about sixty percent in the past three years alone.”
Sam whistled softly. “No wonder these guys closed rank as soon as we showed up at the door. They’ve got a lot riding on keeping BAU. Business as usual.”
Nick nodded agreement. “This information gives us some insight into the corporate culture at Jordano. We need to understand the motivations that drive the firm. Keep this in mind as we learn more about their operations.” He turned to Devon. “Good summary, Devon.”
Devon blushed a deep crimson. “Thanks, Nick.”
Nick smiled to himself. He had promised himself that he’d ask her out.
So what if she says no, he thought – I won’t be any worse off than I am now. He looked at Sam. “You’re up, big guy.”
Sam smacked his hands together like David Ortiz, the Red Sox slugger, when he steps into the batter’s box at Fenway Park. “Victor and I reviewed Jordano’s corporate tax statements for the last five years. Despite the rough economy, and a stock market that has gone sideways most of the time, the company continues to have impressive results. Their return on equity is over thirty percent. That has held steady despite the tough times. It almost seems impossible, but I ran the numbers myself.”
Nick mulled over the news for a minute. “So Jordano’s corporate culture is to get more for themselves, at the expense of their shareholders, even when the market is producing mediocre results. That’s pretty mercenary, even for the mutual fund world. We need to figure out who is driving the strategy – is it Kaspar Jordano himself, or the whole management team? And how far will they go to achieve their objectives?”
Nick gestured towards Cameron Waters. “Cam, let’s bring the team up-to-date on what we discovered in the transaction journal reports.”
Cam’s voice quavered a bit as he started. He wasn’t used to speaking in front of the whole team. “Nick and I looked at the reports for the past month for the seven funds in the subpoena. We found transactions that looked like regular purchases, but they seemed to be almost ‘too normal’. There were quite a few transactions that were post-dated to one day in the month, October 17th. This occurred predominantly in the International Equity Fund. That’s managed by Jack Walsh, one of the senior portfolio managers.”
Cam paused to take a sip from his Poland Spring water bottle. “We know how the business works – transactions sometimes need to be posted late if the processing was delayed unexpectedly. The odd thing about these transactions is that many were for a similar amount, around two-thousand dollars. Not every transaction, but many were right around that number. It could be coincidence, but Nick and I thought it was worth noting.” Cam looked at Nick for approval, and Nick nodded his agreement.
“I think we need to look more closely at these transactions,” Nick added. “It struck me as odd that so many transactions were dated back to October 17th, and that most of them were around the same amount. If these transactions are related in any way, we might have found the smoking gun.”
“What’s the next step, Nick?” asked Sam.
“Let’s go back to Jordano tomorrow. We’ll ask for additional reports. I want to see shareholder purchase requests and compare them to the processed transactions. That might shed some light on what’s going on.”
Nick looked around the conference room. “Great job today, guys. We really made some progress, and I think we’re headed in the right direction. Go home, get a good night’s sleep. The road will get tougher from here.”
Chapter 29
Wednesday, November 5
Harry didn’t sleep well. His mind churned all night with concern for Jeremy. He vacillated between hope and dread, depending upon his thoughts at the moment.
At 5am he gave up on sleep and decided to go for a run. He tossed on a t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants, and a light windbreaker to ward off the chill of the November morning. He slipped on his Nikes and headed out the front door. The air was bracing and a light frost covered the front lawn.
As he ran down the street, he thought about the difficult conversation that he and Sandy had with Jeremy the night before. Sandy was barely able to hold herself together and she left the room a couple times to settle down.
Jeremy, however, seemed to grasp the importance of the conversation. He was unusually quiet and attentive, asking a few questions.
Will it hurt? How long will I be in the hospital? Can my friends visit me?
But he didn’t ask the one question that Harry thought he would ask – am I going to die?
Jeremy seemed more concerned about the potential impact his condition would have on his social life. He wanted to do the things that every twelve-year-old should be able to do without worry.
Harry wasn’t sure that Jeremy fully understood the severity of the situation, but he and Sandy weren’t going to dwell on that with him. They had enough to worry about with the possible outcomes. There was no need to impart their anxiety on their son.
Sandy had agreed to call the adoption agency immediately. She hoped to speak to Sister Catherine Margaret, the elderly nun who had helped them with the adoption twelve years ago. But Harry and Sandy didn’t even know if the nun was still alive.
They also decided to wait until after Jeremy started treatment before they’d tell their families and friends about the situation. It was still too new and raw for them to discuss with anyone yet.
Harry crossed the road and ran into Wendell Park. He tried to pick up his pace a bit, but his legs just wouldn’t cooperate. His breathing was ragged, and he felt a stabbing pain begin in his side. He decided to cut the run short, so he took a shorter path that would wind back towards home.
His mind involuntarily turned to work.
The SEC investigation would have consumed him if it wasn’t for the peril that Jeremy faced. He knew he had to walk a fine line to minimize damage to the firm, yet still satisfy the regulators. But he didn’t have any solutions.
So much for exercise clearing the mind, he thought ruefully.
He slowed to a walk as he turned onto his street. He wasn’t looking forward to another day at the office.
*****
Harry reached his office building’s garage just after 8am. As he shut his car door, he sensed someone behind him. When he turned, he felt arms encircle his neck.
“Hi Harry!” Nora exclaimed. “I’ve missed you. Where’ve you been?’ She leaned in to kiss him on the mouth. Harry briefly responded, but then tried to separate from her.
“Some things have come up, Nora. I was out of the office yesterday afternoon.” Harry look around the garage to see if anyone else from the firm was around. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Sounds serious. Do you want to talk now?’
“No, I need to get up to the office – this SEC thing has everyone spooked. Maybe we can have a drink at the end of the day? I’ll let you know.”
They reached the elevator and Harry pressed eight and eleven for their floors. He tried to stay calm but his stomach was doing somersaults. Nora sensed his tension.
“Is there something wrong, Harry?” She reached
out to touch his arm but he pulled away.
“I can’t discuss it now – we’ll talk later, okay?” Harry found it difficult to look at her.
The elevator dinged for Nora’s floor. “Okay, Harry, we’ll talk later.” She gave him a wistful glance and stepped into the hallway. “Call me when you can.”
When Harry reached his office, he saw someone sitting inside. He realized it was Kevin Jacobs from Operations. He looked worried.
“Hi Kevin,” Harry said as he put his briefcase under his desk. “Do you have an update?”
Kevin nodded. “I’m afraid it’s not good news. The number of calls from shareholders who had their accounts ‘adjusted’ to deal with the Sierra Health mess has been increasing. It seems we have more eagle-eyed septuagenarians than we originally thought. Each of them has questioned the date of their fund purchase. Most realize that the transaction could not have happened on October 17th. But one shareholder, a guy from Poughkeepsie, seemed to grasp the bigger picture. He knew that the market had gone up big that day and he wondered what was going on. He was really pissed and threatened to call the SEC.”
“Shit,” replied Harry as he sat heavily in his chair. “What can we do to stop that?”
“I was finally able to allay his concerns. I explained that we had a system glitch that impacted a number of transactions, and we were doing our best to resolve the issues and make the impacted shareholders whole. But I’m worried, Harry. This is not going as smoothly as we hoped.”
“I know.” Harry was morose. “And with the SEC sniffing around, the slightest hint of impropriety will get their attention.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Have we been able to cover the costs so far?”
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