Green Kills

by Avi Domoshevizki

  Ronnie updated her with the details of the conversation.

  “I can’t shake the feeling he knows more than he’s telling us. The way he left the coffee shop so quickly. His promise to discover the identity of the mystery man from the hotel, and now this. I don’t know whether I should be happy or sorry for bringing him into this situation,” Ronnie said, sighing.

  “I’m bothered by something else,” Liah began hesitantly. “Gadi has never kept any secrets from you. If he’s doing that now, it means he thinks we’ll be safer that way. Perhaps we should just drop it. It’s really not our job to catch a killer, even if he did murder the CEO of the company you’re the chairman of. Perhaps it would be safer to convince Gadi to come with us to the police, give the two detectives we met this morning all the information you both have and go back to New York?” Liah gave Ronnie a pleading look.

  “I never thought anyone would be able to construct a sentence containing the words ‘perhaps it would be safer’ and ‘go back to New York’ and make it sound reasonable. But you may be right. I’ll talk to Gadi soon and then we’ll decide.”

  He dropped to one of the sofas so preoccupied that he wasn’t even aroused by the sight of Liah’s body, revealed through an opening in her bathrobe.

  Chapter 14

  Chicago, October 18, 2013, 5:25 PM

  The wind blew so violently it seemed to penetrate the window frame on the Sears Tower’s twelfth floor. The large man moved to sit on the other side of his impressive desk. The telephone rang. He stretched across the desk, struggling with his flaccid belly, reached his hand out, and picked up the receiver.

  “Hello.”

  “Robert?”

  “What do you want?” Robert groaned when he identified the voice.

  “The mission you instructed me to perform has been carried out.”

  “What have you done? How could such a supposedly simple action end up as such a disaster?”

  “You asked for results — you got them.” Anger brought out the traces of an Asian accent in the voice of his interlocutor. “We told you the man’s resistance would be removed; that’s exactly what happened. What’s the problem?”

  “We wanted you to pressure him, convince him with some talking, perhaps threaten him a bit, but killing him…?”

  “It’s a pity you never told me that. I have a recording of our conversation. Would you like me to play it for you? Perhaps then you’ll be able to explain when exactly you limited the scope of my action.” There was silence on the other end of the line, finally broken when the Chinese man continued with a cold voice, “And I expect, as we’ve agreed, to have two hundred thousand dollars deposited in my account by Monday morning.”

  “You’ll get the money,” Robert hurried to say, “but what the hell did you tell him that made him take his own life?”

  “Are you sure you want to know? Besides, who said he committed suicide? By the way, next week, you’ll get an additional call from me with new instructions.”

  “W…w…what? What sort of instructions?” Robert mumbled, staring at the phone after he realized the call had been disconnected, an acidic taste crawling up his throat. He called back, but to his surprise, his call was answered by a cellular company automated message: “We’re sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service.” He tried a few more times but to no avail. All his attempts were met by the same irritating message.

  I’m in over my head in a vicious mess. The shocking realization overwhelmed him as he loosened his tie and attempted in vain to undo the top button of his shirt with trembling hands.

  Chapter 15

  San Francisco International Airport, October 21, 2013, 6:30 AM

  The sun sent its first rays, trying to warm the morning air, in vain. Liah and Ronnie stood wrapped around each other in front of the United Airlines terminal.

  “I hope I’m able to catch the night flight back. I’ll be back home same time tomorrow at the latest,” he whispered in Liah’s ear, while trying to release himself from her hold on his body. His action only served to achieve the opposite result. Liah tightened her grip, refusing to let go. Concern for Ronnie paralyzed her.

  “Don’t worry. I promise not to do anything stupid. All I plan on doing today is to meet with McGrady from Accord Ventures to try and keep the prospect of their investing in TDO alive. If I have time, I’ll try to meet with the rest of the funds. No macho stuff, I promise.”

  “But Ronnie …” Liah began, when a police officer the size of a small hut and armed like Robocop emerged to their right and interrupted.

  “Sir, please move your vehicle. This is a no-parking zone,” he barked at them without trying to conceal his dislike of the hundreds of tearful farewells he had to witness on a daily basis.

  “Yes, sir,” answered Ronnie, gently disentangling himself from Liah. He lovingly caressed her cheek and blew her a final farewell kiss. His eyes continued to follow her as she moved through the gigantic revolving door and was swallowed into the terminal.

  It was eight thirty AM when he drove his car onto the famous Sand Hill Road, the holiest of holies of private equity and venture funds in the United States, the dwelling place of more than a trillion dollars. Fifteen minutes later, the efficient hostess of the Madera led him to a table for two at the rear of the restaurant, placed the menu on his table, smiled, and left, hurrying to admit the next of the customers crowding the entrance.

  “Coffee?” A waitress emerged from nowhere.

  “Gladly. And I would like to order a Louisiana lump crab meat frittata, whole wheat toast, and orange juice.”

  “Thank you, sir. Your order will be coming out in about seven minutes.”

  Ronnie leaned back and began to run possible scenarios for the upcoming meeting in his head. Whatever happens, it’s important to keep Accord Ventures in the game. If they decide to get out of the investment race, TDO will remain without cash and will be doomed to close. It’s obvious they understand the delicate situation the company’s in, so they’ll try to pressure us to lower our valuation… The phone in his pocket gave a single vibration, announcing a new incoming message. Ronnie examined the screen. The message was sent from an unlisted number: You will soon get a low purchase offer for TDO. Expect pressure from unexpected sources. Please do not share this message with anyone. Additional information will be sent later on.

  Ronnie read and reread the message several times. Finally, he regained his composure and forwarded it to Gadi, adding at the end: Gadi, try and see if you can trace the sender of this message.

  The reply came immediately: Done.

  I’ll never understand how he’s able to reply so fast, Ronnie thought, it seems like he spends his entire life texting and talking on the phone.

  The phone vibrated again, this time a ring accompanied the vibrations.

  “Ronnie, it’s David. When are you coming back to the office?”

  “Probably tomorrow. I’m meeting with Accord Ventures today.”

  “What for? We need to sell the company as quickly as possible, even at a loss. A new investment, especially following Christian’s death, will take months. Leave everything and come back to the office. Henry and I would like to have a word with you.”

  “Since I’m already here, it seems logical to meet with McGrady from Accord.”

  “You’re wasting valuable time.”

  “I’m not so sure about that. It’ll take time to find a buyer, and Accord is already at the end of the process.”

  “Ronnie, the TDO investors think otherwise. I believe we can get an acquisition offer faster than you think. This is also Henry’s opinion.”

  “If you know something I don’t, now’s the time to update me. If you don’t, I intend to conduct the appointment as scheduled.”

  An angry silence settled in. Ronnie patiently waited, until he heard, “I think you’re making a serious mistake, but do what you see fit. Goodbye.” The call ended abruptly.

  The bitter taste of
an approaching failure filled Ronnie’s mouth. He replayed David’s strange instructions in his mind, the impatience in the managing partner’s voice, and the text message he’d received. It was all obscure. Frightening would be more accurate. He felt new variables had entered the complex equation of his life, variables that might soon turn it upside down.

  Chapter 16

  Menlo Park, October 21, 2013, 10:30 AM

  “I’m still shocked by the terrible news,” McGrady opened the conversation right after they’d taken their seats in the conference room. “I can’t understand what could have caused an accomplished person such as Christian to end his own life. If I’m not mistaken, he was married and had young children…” Ronnie nodded, but McGrady didn’t wait for a response and continued sluggishly, “I spoke with him on Thursday, sometime in the late afternoon, just as he’d boarded his plane. I apologized for not calling earlier and gave him our decision regarding the TDO investment. Even though he didn’t like what I had to say, he accepted it in a professional manner.”

  Ronnie was suddenly overwhelmed by the same irritation that had become an inseparable part of him in the past few days. Every time I speak with someone about Christian, I get some additional piece of information I didn’t even know existed, he thought, straining to maintain his self-control. “I’m sorry, Mr. McGrady, but —”

  “Roger. Please call me Roger,” McGrady cut him off.

  “OK, Roger. Allow me to be frank with you. I don’t know anything about the conversation you’re referring to. It would be helpful if you could fill me in on the details.”

  “Yes, of course, Ronnie,” answered Roger, slipping Ronnie’s name into the sentence in an attempt to give his words a more personal touch. “On Thursday, we called a meeting of the fund’s investment committee to discuss the possible investment in TDO. It’s no secret we’ve put a lot of work into evaluating the company and estimating its potential. My conclusion, as someone who spearheaded the deal, and the conclusion of the entire staff was unequivocal: TDO has a bright future ahead of it and investing in the company can potentially yield our fund substantial profits. That’s why I entered the discussion with a strong recommendation to invest in the company. I even intended to propose that we provide the entire amount required for this current investment round ourselves. Christian knew in advance this would be our recommendation. I was so convinced the investment committee meeting would only be a matter of following procedure and that the investment would be approved quickly, that ten days ago I flew out to Boston to participate in a TDO internal strategic discussion. My goal was to speed up the pace of my integration on the company’s board. Christian was so full of life and energetic during that strategy session. I find it hard to believe he killed himself just a few days later.”

  “And what happened during the investment committee meeting?”

  “At first it appeared to proceed as expected. I presented my partners with all the parameters that I thought defined the investment as a successful one, and when I finished, I could recognize the agreement on their faces. However, in the discussion that followed the presentation, two problematic points were brought up. One was the inability of the company to warrant that no inherent problems were concealed in the production process, and the second was a recommendation to wait until the two independent operations, scheduled for the coming week, were performed. The partners thought it would be best not to rush into an investment before these two potential risks were addressed and resolved to our satisfaction. When everyone had finished speaking, I realized I wouldn’t be able to approve the investment at that particular meeting, and the discussion would resume only once we had positive data concerning the two sticking points that had emerged. As I mentioned, I updated Christian with the details of the investment committee decision only when he was already on the plane, on his way to meet me. Until that point, he must have believed his meeting with me would end up with us providing him with a term sheet.” Roger went quiet, an expression of genuine sorrow appearing on his face.

  “How did Christian take it?” asked Ronnie, trying to gain time to enable him to digest the news.

  Roger thought for a moment, and when he finally answered, some wonder was woven into his voice. “Of course he was disappointed, but he immediately pulled it together and said he was already heading to the West Coast anyway. He wanted me to take some time to have a face-to-face meeting with him. He said he had some additional information that might change the partners’ opinion. Of course I agreed to meet with him. I thought after four months of working together I owed him at least that, but I was also intrigued to hear what he had to say. I have to admit when we spoke, he sounded convinced the information he had was substantial enough to change the fund’s decision.”

  “Did you try to get that information from him?”

  “Of course” — Roger smiled — “but Christian, even though he sounded very relaxed, insisted on delivering it face-to-face and not over the phone. We set up a meeting for Friday morning. I could hear the flight attendant in the background, asking him to turn off the phone because they were about to take off.”

  Ronnie sat silently, digesting the information.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t ask you before, but would you like some coffee?” Roger suddenly woke up. “I feel like I need a strong espresso to recover.”

  “Gladly.” Ronnie rose, and together they stepped out of the conference room and headed toward the kitchen. Five people were crowded around the espresso machine, and judging by their ages, Ronnie guessed two of them were partners and three were junior employees.

  “This is Ronnie Saar, the new TDO chairman,” said Roger. He then introduced two of the junior guys, mentioning they were members of the TDO due diligence team. One after the other, they approached him and expressed their sorrow over Christian’s death. Ronnie couldn’t help but be impressed by the genuine sorrow that prevailed in the place, a feeling that regretfully wasn’t shared by his associates back at Vision Partners. Before they left the kitchen, Ronnie turned to them and said, “I really appreciate your genuine condolences, thank you,” and left the room feeling their stares on his back.

  He followed Roger back to the conference room. “I understand your position,” Ronnie said the moment they sat down, “but in order for me to understand precisely where we stand, please allow me to ask you a few focused questions.”

  “By all means.” Roger spread his hands invitingly.

  “Assuming the two surgeries are satisfactory and we demonstrate our ability to manufacture a couple of new and successful lots of the medicine, would you still be interested in investing?”

  “In principle, yes. Of course, the decision will now heavily depend on the experience and capabilities of the new CEO.”

  “And if we decide together the identity of the new CEO, will that lower the level of uncertainty you’re currently feeling?” Ronnie persisted.

  “I believe so, but as you probably know, I’ll need the approval of the investment committee in any event.”

  “If, under the conditions I just suggested, you promise to recommend the investment, then I’m happy. I can’t expect any more than that at this stage.”

  “I promise.”

  “Excellent. I’ll pass along any name that comes up as a good CEO candidate for your initial approval. In the meantime, we’ll keep in touch. Are we agreed on that?”

  “Agreed,” Roger confirmed.

  “I really appreciate the level of openness with which you’ve conducted this conversation.”

  They shook hands, and Roger accompanied Ronnie to the exit, where he patted him on the shoulder and said, “I don’t envy you the task ahead of you. Good luck.”

  “Challenges are the spice that gives life its flavor.” Ronnie smiled and for the first time understood the meaning of the reputed Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Not even the purple blossoms woven in the trees surrounding the parking lot could cheer him up and shake the disturbing feeling he would soon
get into the Guinness Book of Records as the chairman having the shortest tenure before his company went bust.

  He got into his Prius and drove to the airport. It was time he shook up David and Henry and heard everything they knew and had not shared with him yet.

  Chapter 17

  New York, October 21, 2013, 4:30 PM

  “Who gave you permission to pry into my private life?” Liah exploded.

  “I didn’t ask for permission. I’m asking you again: When were you going to tell him?”

  “That’s none of your business. Once I settle things, I’ll tell him.”

  “Nonsense. You haven’t been able to settle what you refer to as ‘things’ for the past four years. What makes you think you’ll be able to do that now?”

  “I’ll do it. After he realized I’d disappeared to the United States, he sent me a message through my parents that he’s willing to compromise. I believe I’ll be able to make him let me go for a reasonable price. Perhaps even soon.”

  “I’ve known people like him. Chances are slim. Bitches like him will never sign a document the other party is willing to sign. They spend their lives thinking they can always get more.” Gadi raised his voice, “How on earth did you get involved with such a loser? You, of all people? The living embodiment of reason and calculated logic.”

  “I didn’t know he was like that.” For the first time, the rage on Liah’s face was replaced by anguish. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose Ronnie. Don’t tell him anything. Promise me. Please promise me.”

  “He’ll kill me if I tell him. But he’ll also kill me if he finds out I knew and didn’t tell him. I guess that makes me dead, whatever happens.”

  “What do we do?” she asked heavily, her eyes straying.

  Gadi’s voice became surprisingly warm. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to him. With you, he managed to erase the scars he bore and get back to being a normal person. I won’t let the demons of his past to return to haunt him. I’ll help you.”