Synergy: New Adult Romantic Suspense (U-District, #1)

by Ashland, Jodi

  Luckily for her, the CEO of Johansson Tek had an opening in his schedule the very next morning. Marge was able to get her on the last flight to New York from SeaTac airport, just three hours after Patricia had been in Jade’s office. She was now running on three cups of coffee, after a seven-hour flight, and not being able to fall asleep until two a.m. due to the three-hour time difference.

  She hadn’t had a chance to let Bryce know where she was going before she left. He was tied up in meetings, and she barely had enough time to drive to her house, throw together an overnight bag, and make it to the airport before her flight. It was her bad luck that her cell phone had gone dead and she’d forgotten her charger at home. Marge knew where Jade was; she’d let Bryce know.

  Now Jade waited in the lobby of Johansson Tek at five a.m. her time, and she felt every missing hour of sleep.

  “Mr. Johansson will see you, Miss Buchanan. Please follow me,” his assistant said.

  Jade walked into a spacious executive office. “Mr. Johansson, thank you for meeting me on such short notice.” Jade extended her hand to Gregory Johansson and looked into his eyes. She’d met him on two occasions with her grandmother, when Gran had taken her on shopping sprees to Manhattan.

  “Of course, Jade, and please call me Greg. I greatly admired your grandmother. As you know, she and I had been working together for a very long time.” He seemed genuinely happy to see her, no evil eyes, no sinister look.

  “My grandmother was very fond of you as well.” Jade sat in the chair he indicated. “Unfortunately, I have a delicate matter to discuss with you.”

  “Please be forthcoming. I always appreciated that about Gloria.”

  Jade swallowed hard. “There seems to be a discrepancy between the amount you’re billing us and the amount we’re paying.”

  “By how much?” Greg leaned forward to review the copy of the check and the purchase order Jade was handing him.

  “By almost a third. As you can see, we cut a check for the amount on the purchase order. But one of your buyers told us recently that you’re invoicing us for only a third of that amount.”

  Greg reached for his glasses and put them on to study what Jade had given him. “Would you give me a moment?” He dialed a number on his phone. “Ah, yes, Randy, can you look up a work order number for me and let me know how much it is? Yes, I’ll wait. The number is 69342. Can you email a copy to me? Okay, thank you.”

  After he received the email, Greg leaned back in his chair. “You’re right. Our work order is for one third of the price you cut this check for. I’m afraid we overbilled you. Let’s take a look at all the invoices to see if it’s happened before.”

  “I’m sure it’s a mistake.”

  “Thank you, Jade. This is highly embarrassing. We value our relationship with you, and we’ll work with you to make this right.” Greg punched another number on his phone. “Frank, can you come down to my office right away. Pull the invoices for Synergy Technologies and bring them with you.” He turned his attention back to Jade. “Frank is our CFO. He’ll help us figure this out.”

  Greg printed the work order while they waited. “We may be here a while. Why don’t we sit down together by the windows? Would you like something to drink?”

  “I’ll have a sparkling water if you have it.” Jade took a seat in an oversized leather chair. “If I drink any more coffee, I’ll have a buzz for a week.”

  Greg sat down next to her. “So, tell me, how does it feel to be CEO at such a young age?”

  “Unreal.” Jade smiled. “At first, everyone assumed our new COO was running things. I had to come on pretty strong before they took me seriously.”

  Greg laughed. “Well, if you’re anything like Gloria, I’m sure they take you seriously now.”

  “Yes.” Jade chuckled. “I’m sure they all take me seriously now.”

  “Ah, Frank.” Greg glanced at the doorway and motioned a tall, thin man in a dark gray suit over to where they were sitting. “Let’s review the invoices over here. This is Jade Buchanan, CEO of Synergy Technologies.”

  Frank looked down at Jade over his glasses and shook her hand. “Mind telling me what this is about?” he asked Greg.

  “It seems we’ve over-billed Synergy at least once.”

  “I don’t think so.” Frank frowned.

  “We’re not accusing your team of anything, Frank. We just want to know how the mistake was made. Let’s look at the facts and work from there.”

  Greg arranged some papers in front of them. “Here’s Synergy Technologies purchase order and check in the amount of $355,750 last month for one thousand units. Here’s last month’s work order from downstairs for $249,025. What does your invoice show?”

  Frank pulled the top invoice from last month and smiled. He placed it in front of both of them. “It shows we billed Synergy for $249,025 and the check behind it”—Frank flipped the page over—“is for $249,025.”

  Jade leaned forward, surprised not by the amount of the check, but by the check itself. “That’s not one of our checks.” She pointed to the copy she brought with her. “This is what our checks look like.”

  Frank picked up both checks and examined them closely. “The names aren’t the same.” He placed the checks upside down so Jade and Greg could read them. “The top of your check says Synergy Technologies Corporation. The check we received says Synergy Technologies, LLC.”

  “Wouldn’t that be the same company?” Jade asked, confused.

  “No.” Frank leaned back to explain. “Companies can have similar names, especially if they’re incorporated in different states. You could have Synergy, Synergy Technologies, Synergy Technologies Corporation, Synergy Technologies, LLC. They’re all different corporate entities unless you register them as the same. Most corporations don’t.”

  Jade thought she understood. She pointed to the check from her company. “Is your company name Johansson Tek, LLC?”

  Frank and Greg leaned in to look. “No, we’re Johansson Tek Corporation.”

  “So this check wasn’t written to your company. And you received a check that wasn’t written from my company.”

  “Yes, it appears that way.” Frank massaged his forehead. “I should have caught this. I sincerely apologize.”

  Jade shook her head. “I have a feeling I’ll be apologizing in the end. Something fishy has been going on at my company, and I haven’t been able to put my finger on it.”

  Frank flipped through the stack of invoices. “It appears to have been going on for at least a year. All are from the same corporate entity.”

  A year? Jade’s chest grew heavy. “Would you mind reviewing all of your invoices from my company as far back as you have a record?”

  “You want to know how long this has been going on?”

  “Yes. Is that okay, Greg?” She heard the pleading in her own voice the minute the words were out. There was no point in trying to hide it now.

  “Absolutely.” Greg’s eyes softened. “Whatever we can do to help.”

  Jade took in a deep breath of relief. She turned to Frank. “Do you have any idea how they could be doing this?”

  “From what I can see, it appears the order is being placed with the bogus company and then the bogus company places the real order with us. We in turn must ship it to them or directly to you. Greg, may I borrow your computer?”

  “Be my guest.”

  Frank pulled up the web-based financial system and logged in. “Yeah, see here.” He waved Jade over. “When I pull up the order, the shipping address appears to be correct. However, when I go into Accounts Receivable to invoice you, it goes to a P.O. box. Is this address yours?”

  “No. So, we think we’re placing the order with you, but it’s the bogus company that actually places the order with you. That means we cut checks to this bogus company for an extra thirty percent, then they cut a check to you for the correct amount. We get our parts, you get your money, and they keep the difference. They’re acting like a distributor we don’t
know about, and no one suspects anything is going on.”

  “It’s a sophisticated scheme. Where I see they went wrong is increasing the price by too much. It made you look into it. They got greedy.”

  “I really appreciate your help, and your discretion.” Jade looked to Frank and Greg. “I’ll be bringing the police into this, but I don’t want to alert anyone at Synergy. Please communicate only with me and Detective Hawkins. I’ll leave my personal cell number. Don’t send me information via email or call me at my office number. Please send a copy of the invoices to Detective Hawkins at this fax number.”

  Jade wrote down her cell number on the business card Detective Hawkins had given her. She’d ask Neal to bring her copies of the invoices; that way she could be sure there was a copy somewhere other than Synergy and she could investigate the problem along with the police.

  Frank took the card Jade handed him. “I’ll see what I can find.”

  Jade leaned back and sipped her water to wet her dry throat. Someone had been stealing from her grandmother. Someone she trusted. There were a limited number of people who could have entered the bogus company into the financial system. It would likely be someone in Purchasing or Accounts Payable, as it was a part of their normal job responsibilities. The list of people it could be was fairly small, but maybe that person wasn’t calling the shots. Maybe Patricia or one of her co-workers entered the new company without knowing it wasn’t legitimate. As soon as she got home, she’d call Detective Hawkins. An overwhelming sense of dread washed over her. She couldn’t trust anyone at Synergy, including Bryce, until she found out who the culprit was.

  “Are you all right, Jade?” Greg asked after Frank left.

  “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to sit here for a few minutes. It’s hard to realize someone my grandmother trusted has been stealing from her and now from me. Everything suddenly makes sense.”

  “How so?”

  “Our sales have been steadily increasing, but our profits have been declining. None of the improvements we make seem to help. I think every dollar in profit has been stolen out from under us. I’m going to guess this has been going on for years.”

  “My word,” Greg said. “I can honestly say I don’t know that anyone here would have caught it either. If there’s anything we can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “There is one thing. You have a lawyer by the name of Joshua Greenberg.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, he’s been harassing me trying to get me to sell the company.”

  Greg leaned back. “We asked him to reach out to you when Gloria passed away to see if you were interested in us acquiring the company. It wasn’t meant to harm you, only to give you options. I didn’t know he was continuing to pursue it.”

  “He is. Can you ask him to stop?”

  “Absolutely. If he weren’t on business travel on the West Coast, I’d call him in here now. I’m sure he misunderstood my intentions.”

  “Or he’s involved in all of this. He seemed to know more than he should.”

  “How so?”

  “Were you aware that my company is having financial difficulty?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Well he knows all about it.”

  Greg leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “I take this seriously, Jade. I can assure you that we’ll look into the invoices and Joshua’s behavior on our end and get back to you.”

  “Thank you, I really appreciate it. No one steals from my grandmother, or me, and gets away with it.”

  CHAPTER 27

  HE COULDN’T STAND IT. This was risky, but he had to find out if Jade knew anything. Why else would she have flown to Johansson Tek?

  He walked to the backyard of her condo, grateful there were no dogs out this time of night. With a rock, he smashed the sliding glass door and prepared to run if anyone heard him.

  No alarm sounded, and no nosy neighbors opened their windows or doors. Good. Slowly, he reached in, careful not to cut himself on the broken glass. Leather gloves helped protect his hands, but the shards could still slice through it, and it wouldn’t be a good idea to bleed all over the place. He grasped the latch to unlock it, pushed open the door, and stopped breathing as more glass crashed to the floor.

  Again, he waited. His heart pounded.

  Did anyone hear?

  No one stirred.

  The sound of his shoes grinding glass into the wood floor sounded like a trumpet call to the cavalry. He stopped, his eyes darting around.

  Someone must have heard that.

  A strange screech echoed through the hallway.

  He jumped and turned instinctively toward the sound.

  He could see no one.

  A movement caught his eye, and he tensed, then relaxed. It was only the cat. He breathed in deep to catch his breath as the animal scurried away.

  Where am I?

  The dining room.

  A brief glance with the flashlight told him there was nothing he was interested in here. He stepped into the kitchen. A stack of papers on the counter caught his attention. Bills, an invitation to a wedding, a utility invoice, nothing work related. He opened the cabinets and drawers, finding one drawer Jade used to store paid bills.

  With swift steps, he strode down the hallway, past the small bathroom, and into the second bedroom she’d set up as an office. He flipped through the papers scattered over the desk, nothing on Johansson Tek, or the others.

  Why did you go to New York, Jade?

  The desk drawers were locked.

  What are you hiding?

  He looked for a key, but couldn’t find one. Frustrated, he hurried back to the kitchen and grabbed the largest knife he could find. Using brute force, he chipped away at the wood around the lock and opened the center drawer, which freed the others. Quickly, he rifled through her file folders, all neatly labeled.

  He didn’t find any new clues in Jade’s desk drawers. Financial reports lay all over the desk, but nothing stood out. He had covered his tracks well. There was no indication Jade knew anything about Johansson, and she’d never mentioned it.

  So why go at the last minute? What did you stumble onto?

  He left the office and moved into her bedroom. There were no papers in here. He rifled through her drawers and shoved jewelry into his pockets to make it look like a robbery. He glanced at the clock. Shit! He needed to get out of there. Jade would be arriving any minute.

  He heard the jangle of a key being inserted in the front door.

  Too late.

  He grabbed the knife, switched off the flashlight, and positioned himself against the wall behind her bedroom door. He prayed Jade didn’t come directly into her room and silently cursed himself for not having a backup plan, a way to make her death look like an accident. He’d never killed anyone with his bare hands. He’d always had a way to distance himself from the actual moment of death.

  His heart slammed in his chest like a sledgehammer. He tightened his grip on the knife, ready to strike.

  JADE LOCKED THE DOOR behind her and flipped on the hallway light. She flicked off her shoes and left her suitcase in the hallway to be put away in the morning. Dead on her feet, she dropped her purse on the dining room table, then pulled her cell phone out to put it on the charger. It was past midnight. She’d have to talk to Bryce in the morning. “I bet you’re hungry, Whiskers.” She looked around. Her little ball of fur hadn’t come running like usual. “Where are you?”

  A sudden chill blew over her. She stopped when shards of glass caught her eye.

  How did—

  She froze.

  Her eyes followed the blood smeared across the hardwood floor.

  She whipped her head around, searching for the source. Was someone in her house? She followed the blood trail toward the kitchen.

  A door creaked, and needles pricked the back of her neck. She jerked around. Was that the bedroom door?

  Her ragged breathing and frantic heartbeat were all she could hear.
>
  Another creak sounded above her.

  Is that normal?

  The rustle of wind through the tree outside the broken glass door put her on edge.

  A rattle in the kitchen made her jump. She put her hand to her thrashing heart. Just the ice machine in the freezer making more cubes.

  With silent steps, and her back against the wall, she continued down the hallway. She’d never noticed all those strange sounds before. There were so many, each one elevating her fear.

  The palms of her hands were sweating.

  With caution, she peered around the corner into her kitchen. Whiskers was on the floor licking his paw. Jade rushed to him. Whiskers broke the deafening silence with a loud meow. “Shh,” she whispered.

  Grabbing the phone, she pulled Whiskers into her arms and sat with her back to the cabinets. Her hand shook as she dialed.

  “911. Please state your emergency.”

  “I think I’m being robbed,” Jade whispered into the phone.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, did you say you were being robbed?”

  “Yes.” She tried to say a little louder. Her head jerked at a sound down the hallway. “I think someone is here.”

  Jade half-listened to the woman on the phone asking if she had the correct address while she strained to hear if someone was coming down the hallway. “Yes,” she whispered to the 911 operator.

  “I’ve dispatched the police to your location. Please stay near the phone until they arrive.”

  “How long?”

  “Within ten minutes.”

  Ten minutes? Jade hung up. I could be dead in ten minutes! Frantically, she dialed a number she knew by heart.

  “Hello.” His voice sounded groggy.

  “Neal,” she whispered.

  “Jade?”

  “Someone’s in my house.”

  “Did you call the police?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does the perp know you’re there?”

  “I think so.”

  “The police will be there soon. I just need to get some clothes on, and I’ll be on my way.”

  “I’m scared.”