“I’m always in search of new ways to rock your world, baby!”
Chapter Nineteen – The Accusation
Madalyn arrived at Innovare at a quarter to three o’clock in the afternoon and signed in at the front desk. The receptionist escorted her to the executive suite and asked her to wait a moment while she informed Mr. Spencer of her arrival. She took a seat on the black leather couch and opened her purse, looking for her lipstick case. She applied fresh lip gloss and checked her hair. It was really windy outside.
Madalyn heard the clicking of Ms. Burke’s heals approaching on the wood floor. She was impeccably dressed as ever in her navy blue shift dress with large white buttons arranged horizontally across the waist. She gave Madalyn a tight smile as she greeted her. “Mr. Spencer is ready to see you. You may follow me.”
“It’s so good to see you again,” Madalyn purred and held out her left hand to shake Ms. Burke’s hand. “You’re engaged!” Ms. Burke said, staring at the Marquise diamond with envy.
“Yes,” Madalyn said while watching her reaction. “Mr. Spencer must have forgotten to share the good news with you this morning. It’s been a hectic day for him, I’m sure. I’ll see myself in.” Madalyn strolled past her and smiled at the shock written all over Ms. Burke’s face. It confirmed Madalyn’s suspicion that the little tramp had plans of her own where Royce was concerned. Madalyn knocked on Royce’s office door before entering. He looked up from his desk and greeted her with a wide grin.
She walked over and sat on his lap, throwing her legs over the side of his chair. “I hope you don’t mind, but I shared our happy news with Ms. Burke. Though I’m not so sure she was very happy about it.”
He smiled down at her. “Is that so? You have nothing to worry about, Madalyn. I only have eyes for you. Tell the world. Call the press. Whatever you like, baby.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
“I didn’t know if you wanted the official engagement to be announced yet because of your job,” he said. “But now that the cat is out of the bag, I’ll be shouting it from the rooftops. Now greet me properly, woman!”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss. His breath was minty fresh and she smiled, knowing he had anticipated her arrival. She brushed her lips against his and suckled on his full bottom lip until his lips finally parted, allowing her tongue to softly sashay across his in a slow and torturous dance, until she felt him grow hard against her bottom. She pulled back to catch her breath.
“Hello,” she murmured and nuzzled her face into Royce’s neck.
“Hello,” he said. He rubbed her leg lazily with his hand. “Are you ready for the meeting?”
“What?” She pulled back to stare at him. “I thought I would wait in your office until it was over.”
“Well,” Royce said. “I was thinking now that you’re officially my fiancé you could join the meeting and hear the good news first hand.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “How will the board feel about that?”
“I don’t give a damn how they feel about it,” he said. “This is still a private company and I’m in charge. If I want you there, then you’ll be there. End of story.”
“All right, boss man,” Madalyn said, standing up and saluting Royce. “Let’s get going then. The meeting is about to start.” She turned to lead the way and felt a whack to her bottom. It was quite effective; she giggled all the way to the conference room.
They entered the executive conference room and Royce escorted Madalyn to a row of chairs lined up along the back wall of the room to observe. She took the seat closest to the head of the table. The board members were already assembled and speaking to each other in quiet tones. Her presence caused quite a stir as all heads turned to look at her.
“Good afternoon,” Royce said from the head of the table, nodding to the members of the board. “Allow me to introduce my fiancée, Madalyn Russell. I’ve asked her to join us for this special occasion.” The group applauded politely and offered their congratulations, smiling warmly at Madalyn. If they were surprised by the news they didn’t let on. She shook hands with each member as Royce introduced her. It was a diverse group. When everyone resumed their seats, Royce leaned over to press the speakerphone and dialed his secretary.
“Ms. Burke, please escort Mr. Daniels into the executive conference room. We’re ready to begin our meeting.”
Within seconds the conference room door opened and a short, balding man appeared and walked directly over to Royce to shake his hand. Madalyn was barely able to contain her gasp. She turned to look out of the large window at the Detroit skyline, hoping nobody had noticed her expression. It was the man from Old San Juan that she had seen shaking hands with Royce. What an odd coincidence. Why hadn’t Royce mentioned it to her?
“Mr. Daniels,” Royce said. “It’s good to see you again. You remember the members of the board from our last meeting? Yes, good. Also present is the Executive Vice President of Research, Mark Spencer, the CFO, Stacy Williams, and my fiancée, Madalyn Russell,” he said motioning to where Madalyn sat. “Please sit down. We’re anxious to get started and hear the status of the final stage of our clinical trial.”
Mr. Daniels sat in the chair to the left of Royce and nodded to the members of the board. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat as he reached into his briefcase for a thin stack of papers.
“Could I inconvenience you for a glass of water?” he said while wiping the sheen of sweat from his brow. Royce retrieved a bottle of water from the mini-refrigerator.
Mr. Daniels opened the bottle of water and took a long drink, and then cleared his throat once again. “Excuse me,” he said. “Where should I begin? Yes. Well. Before we go over the results of the last clinical trial, there is a delicate matter that I would like to bring to the attention of the board of directors; a most urgent matter!”
Royce stared at Mr. Daniels in confusion.
Mr. Daniels shuffled his papers briefly and continued, “I wish to inform the board that approximately four weeks ago, I received a deposit in my personal bank account in the sum of $25,000. As you may or may not be aware, bribes paid to a Food and Drug Administration agent are punishable as a criminal offense.”
“What exactly are you saying, Mr. Daniels?” Royce asked.
“I have reason to believe that the deposit came from a bank account belonging to Innovare Incorporated, more specifically, from an account specifically set aside to fund the company’s research,” Mr. Daniels said and pulled out a tissue, wiping the sweat from his brow.
A collective gasp filled the boardroom as the members looked around, each member as shocked as the next. Madalyn covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to keep quiet. Her attorney’s instincts shifted into high gear. It took all of her willpower to sit quietly and allow the story to unfold. She stood ready to jump in if need be, and observed Mr. Daniels’ reactions closely.
“That’s impossible!” Royce said in a confident tone. “I’m the only authorized signer on that account and I did not authorize such a payment.”
“Indeed,” Mr. Daniels said with a small cough as he slid a sheet of paper over in front of Royce. “I have here with me a copy of the deposit information. Your accounting department has confirmed that this wire transfer was authorized by you on Tuesday, July 30th at exactly 5:50 P.M.”
Royce grabbed the piece of paper and inspected it briefly. “I was on a cruise in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, July 30th. This doesn’t make any sense! Stacy, we need to investigate this immediately.”
“Royce,” Stacy said in a strong and respectful voice. “Mr. Daniels contacted me several days ago regarding this matter, requiring that I keep his request confidential. I’ve already reached out to the bank to begin an investigation. Their initial feedback is that this appears to be a legitimate transaction. You’re the only authorized electronic signer of the account. You must enter the bank’s website and input your password to authorize the information. I also
confirmed with the bank that a request for wire transfer and authorization can be made on-line at any time.”
“But even if someone did hack into our account and authorize the payment, someone else must have completed the request for a wire transfer,” Royce said. “I want you on this immediately! It’s our number one priority.”
“Yes, sir,” she said and turned to face the group. “However, I’m compelled to report to the board that Royce does, in fact, have the ability within the accounting system to request a wire transfer.”
“What? How is that possible?” An older gentleman seated at the opposite end of the table stood up and slapped his palm heavily on the table, demanding answers. Stacy paused and allowed him to speak. “That is a serious internal control issue. It violates the most basic segregation of duties controls. An individual is not supposed to be able to record, authorize, and retain custody of assets. We’re about to take this company public. It’s embarrassing to say the least!”
“Mr. Jones,” Stacy calmly addressed him. “We’re investigating how this breach of controls occurred. I agree this is highly unusual and cannot be allowed to happen again. But the facts remain.”
“Screw the facts!” Royce pounded his fist against the table and nearly caused Mr. Daniels to fall from his chair. “Something isn’t adding up here!”
“Royce, please don’t misunderstand me,” Mr. Jones said while staring at Royce dead on and shaking his head softly back and forth. “I mean no disrespect by what I’m about to say. As a member of the board, it is my duty to this company to ensure that a complete investigation is carried out on this matter. I believe it would be prudent for the collective group to compile a list of questions for which we seek answers. Where fraud and bribery are concerned, we must consider what employees and management have the ability to do, not what we believe they would do. Management override of controls is the leading cause of corporate fraud. I have absolute faith in you, Royce, but the board must ensure we consider all facts.”
Royce sat rigid in his chair, his back straight and his hands clasped together against the table. “No offense taken, Harry,” he said. “I assure you we’ll get to the bottom of this. Not only was I on a cruise on July 30th, but I was with Madalyn the entire time. She can vouch for me. We can also seek the ship’s records to verify that I didn’t use the computer and Internet access services on board.”
Madalyn blanched involuntarily at his comment, forced again to turn her head towards the window to avoid eye contact with anyone in the room. She hadn’t been with Royce the entire time on July 30th! That was the day they visited Old San Juan and she had left around 5:30 P.M. to meet with Susie and Liz on the Cairo Deck. Would this have given him enough time to carry out such a transaction on a computer? Her stomach felt queasy as she looked over to Royce. Why had he lied to the board of directors? He must have a good reason. He wouldn’t suggest an investigation of the ship’s records if he was guilty—would he?
Her subconscious nagged at her cruelly.
He’s using you as an alibi. You wanted to understand his motivation for offering to pose as your husband on the cruise? Well now you have it. Who does that without an excellent incentive?
“Have you ever wanted something so bad, you were willing to do almost anything to get it?” Those were his words on the beach. He wanted to complete this clinical trial and finally bring a drug to the market in his father’s memory. It would cause the IPO price to skyrocket. All of his hard work would finally pay off.
No wonder he was pissed that you abandoned him on the last morning of the cruise. So long to the alibi he had worked so hard for all week. Speak up!
Madalyn shook her head of these nasty thoughts and refused to believe it. Royce loved her. Of that she was certain. She would not allow her subconscious to beat her down again and to fall into the trap of her black and white thinking. There must be shades of gray in his story—even if she didn’t quite understand how.
Her gaze moved across the table to Mr. Daniels. He was sweating profusely now, wiping his brow and balding head with his tissue. It must be uncomfortable to bring such an alarming piece of news to the attention of a company. Most of the board members were quiet or speaking softly to their neighbor. Some were taking notes and gently shaking their heads. Mark sat quietly in the far right corner of the massive conference room table, leaning back in his chair and observing the entire group. Why wasn’t he jumping in to defend Royce? He’s your brother, you jerk!
Madalyn stood and walked over to Royce. “I can vouch for Royce,” she said. Her voice was solid and she firmly squeezed his shoulder.
He grabbed her hand with one of his and held it tight as he addressed the room. “As Harry suggested, I would request that each member compile a list of questions and provide them to Ms. Williams.” The group nodded their heads in agreement.
“Stacy, please coordinate with Jim. As head of the internal audit department, he should be involved in the investigation and prepare a full report for the board by three o’clock in the afternoon one week from today. We need to address this matter before we announce our intention to go public. This kind of news would be disastrous to our plans for an IPO. Are there any other suggestions?” he asked the group.
Megan Cooper leaned forward. “I would ask Stacy to immediately compile a list of employees who have been in direct contact with Mr. Daniels. If there is foul play at hand, then it would make sense that it likely involves those who have come in contact with him, including the members of the board!”
“Agreed,” Royce said. “If that is all, then I would like to propose Mr. Daniels now report to the results of the most recent clinical trial.”
• • •
Madalyn closed the door to Royce’s office with a resounding click. She turned to him and he immediately pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply. His hands rubbed her back and held her close as he devoured her mouth like a starving man. She kissed him back, her lips moving roughly over his, her nails biting into his shoulders, attempting to pull him yet closer to her. His hands slid through her hair and he gently tugged, forcing her face to look up to his. She gasped for breath when they parted.
“Thank you, Madalyn,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse and his breathing heavy. He leaned his forehead against hers. “I know how difficult that must’ve been for you to vouch for me when we both know it required you to lie.”
“Royce, please tell me what’s going on,” she said. She needed to know the truth. “I saw you talking to Mr. Daniels in Old San Juan. What was he doing there? Was this the reason why you agreed to pose as my husband on the cruise? You needed an alibi?”
“Oh, baby, no!” he said kissing her on top of her head. “I promise I can explain.”
Waves of relief rippled down her spine. Her heart ached with joy for having believed and trusted him in his moment of need. He would have done it for her. She was certain of that.
“Royce, what do you know that I don’t?” she asked. “What’s going on?”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side table to sit down. His face was a mask of pain. He ran both hands through his hair and slouched back in his chair.
“I have one piece of information that no one else does,” he said in a dull voice while staring down at his hands. “But it just doesn’t add up!”
“What is it Royce, tell me!”
“First tell me what you observed in the room,” he said. “I need an independent perspective, to make sure I’m not jumping to conclusions.”
“Well, Mr. Daniels could have filled a swimming pool with his sweat, the poor man,” Madalyn said. “I felt sorry for him. That’s a difficult conversation to have with the board of directors.”
“Yes it is,” Royce said, “especially if you’re lying through your teeth!”
What? Madalyn couldn’t follow him.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Royce said. “Delivering difficult news can be nerve wracking. Some people might feel sick in the stomach; others might stamme
r, tremble or sweat a little. But Mr. Daniels was sweating profusely the entire meeting. Why didn’t he stop sweating once the news had been delivered and the board of directors stepped in, demanding that a full investigation be carried out? I needed to see Mr. Daniels’s reaction to my claim about the ship’s computer records or you vouching for me. He was definitely shocked by the news. It makes no sense! How would someone know his personal account number without him being in on this somehow?”
Madalyn sat back in her chair and contemplated his question. It was a good point.
“Why was Mr. Daniels in San Juan?” Madalyn asked. “I saw you give him something … a business card, maybe, or an envelope.”
“At the time I thought it was purely coincidence that I ran into him,” Royce said. “But now I’m not so sure. He had asked for my contact information again in anticipation of the meeting today. It was strange. He seemed happy to find me alone.”
Royce rubbed his chin, thinking intently. “Did you see my brother? He sat nonchalant in his chair, leaning back and observing the room like he hadn’t a care in the world. Why wasn’t he outraged? This is his company too, damn it! Something shitty is in the air. I can smell it.”
“Royce, I can follow what you’re saying but that’s all circumstantial evidence. However, a completed wire transfer of cash from an Innovare bank account to Mr. Daniels’ personal account is hard evidence. It doesn’t look good that you’re the sole authorized signer of the account.”
“Madalyn, I have compelling evidence that I didn’t wire transfer that money,” Royce said. “The ship’s records will prove I didn’t use the computer and Internet.”
“But you could have used your phone or an iPad.”
“Nope,” Royce said. “I didn’t bring either one with me on vacation. I left them with my secretary to be locked in her drawer while I was gone.”
Madalyn stared open mouthed at him. “Why would you do that?”
“Following in my father’s footsteps,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “I told you my dad taught us the value vacation time—to engage in the experience. Having an iPad or cell phone would have been too tempting. The board ordered me to relax—ordered me to put work aside for a full week—and I did just that.”
Little White Lies Page 23