Family Secrets: A Jake Badger Mystery Thriller

by Glenn Rogers

  They found nine of them. Added up, they totaled three hundred and ninety-two thousand and ten dollars.

  “Who could have done that?” I asked.

  Lyell said, “Baker. Any of his people who worked on the final report. Any number of people, really.”

  “So what does that amount represent?” Alex asked.

  “The last payment to Jamison,” June said, looking at me.

  I nodded.

  “So tomorrow,” Alex said, “the task is to figure out who did that.”

  “And whoever it is,” June said, “is the killer.”

  Chapter 56

  June raised the question I knew she would—did she still need protection since we got the assassins? Yes, I explained. Based on the recent past, we could expect more assassins. She saw the logic of my argument and agreed. So the three of us headed back to the Embassy Suites in Glendale for the night. As before, June rode with me, Alex followed in his Navigator, hanging back, watching for someone who might be following us.

  As we drove, June said, “So, tell me about this woman who put herself in harm's way impersonating me.”

  “Monica Nolan,” I said. “Former army MP. College graduate. A captain when she retired. Started her own investigations agency. Doing well. Respected. Smart. Tough. A colleague and friend.”

  “And very attractive,” June said.

  “Yes, she is. You didn't see the full effect today.”

  “Because she was trying to look like me.”

  “Yeah. NO! No, no. That’s not what I meant. No.” Holy crap, I thought to myself. I just stepped on a land mine. “No,” I said again. “I wouldn't put it that way at all. I just meant that ... um ...”

  June laughed, enjoying watching me try to wiggle out of the spot I'd gotten myself into.

  “You're a very attractive woman,” I said. “It's just that Ja, Ma, ah ... well, shoot.”

  “Monica.”

  “Yes, Monica is also very attractive ... in a different sort of way.”

  “Uh-huh. Well, she must be very good at what she does. Trying to make double Ds look like Cs is probably a difficult thing to do.”

  “Uh ... I wouldn't know about that. I um ...”

  “What color's her hair?” June asked.

  “Red.”

  In my peripheral vision I could see June nod. “Red hair, green eyes, tall, small waist and big boobs. And, you said, smart and tough. What's not to like?”

  I took a deep breath.

  “I'm sorry,” she said. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

  “Yes. And you're enjoying it.”

  She laughed again. “Okay. Enough fun. I really do appreciate what you and Monica did for me today.”

  “It's what we do,” I said.

  “Risking your lives?”

  “Doesn't happen everyday,” I said, “but it's not a lot different than when we were in the military.”

  “I suppose. It's just foreign to anything I've ever known.”

  I smiled. “That's true for most people.”

  “I can't imagine what it must be like for a police officer's family.”

  “It can be tough.”

  We were silent for a moment. The late-night freeway traffic was sailing right along, as it normally does. The temperature was a pleasant sixty-eight and the night sky was clear. The Moody Blues played quietly in my stereo.

  “Weren't the Moody Blues a little before your time?” June asked.

  “Technically, yes. But one of my philosophy professors used them in his Intro to Philosophy class to introduce us to some important philosophical questions. He told us the Moody Blues were philosophers of rock-n-roll. I got hooked on them.”

  “You studied philosophy?”

  “It was my major.”

  “You majored in philosophy and then went into the Marines and became a sniper?”

  “Does that seem incongruous?”

  “A little bit, yeah.”

  “You don't find the concept of a literate warrior compelling?”

  “A literate warrior?”

  “Socrates, the father of moral philosophy, was a hoplite warrior in the army of Athens. He fought in three campaigns in the Peloponnesian war.”

  “I don't think I knew that,” June said. Then she shifted in her seat and yawned. It had been a long day.

  “Before I forget,” I said, “that photo of you and Jane on your dresser in your bedroom, can I get a copy of that?”

  She looked at me. “The one with Greg in it?”

  “Yeah. It might be helpful in talking to people about Jane. A visual reference. Might jog a memory.”

  “But you already have a photo.”

  “Yeah, but that one just caught my eye. The two of you together could be a powerful visual image.”

  She shrugged. “Okay, sure. I've got all our photos in my computer. I'll print one for you in the morning.”

  “Thanks. You might also want to follow up on the bug issue in your office.”

  “With everything else going on, I'd completely forgotten about that. I’ll have someone come in and do a sweep in the morning.”

  “Or Alex and I can handle it for you if you'd like.”

  “Sure. Do you have the equipment you need?”

  “Actually, they’re not usually that difficult to find. We’ll take a look in the morning if you’d like.”

  “Sure. And if you find one?”

  “Then we figure out who's connected to the other end of it.”

  “Well,” she said, yawning again, “I’m sure a literate warrior can handle it.”

  Chapter 57

  June was up early. She got ready first and then waited for Alex and me. It didn’t take either of us long. When we were set, June said, “Would it be okay if we went straight to the office and had breakfast delivered? I'd kind of like to get started.”

  As a CEO, she was used to being in charge, to giving orders. I liked that she asked. “Okay by me,” I said.

  Alex also agreed, so that's what we did. As we drove, June called a place she knew not far from her office and ordered a substantial breakfast buffet that would be delivered by eight. Having enough money generates all sorts of possibilities and accommodations.

  We arrived at seven twenty. No one followed us. We took the express elevator to the top floor. On the way up, I asked June if she wanted Alex and me to find the bug in her office. She did. So while she went into her father's office, we went into hers. Within five minutes we'd found four bugs, placed strategically throughout her office so that conversations could be heard no matter where, in her expansive office, the conversation took place.

  We took the four bugs into Lyell's outer office, where Ms. Wentworth was already on duty. I paused and looked at her.

  “I've been instructed that I am to give you complete access,” she said, as if the thought of it was repulsive to her.

  I smiled and said, “Thank you.” Alex and I went into Lyell office.

  “Find it?” June asked.

  “Hold out your hand,” I said.

  She did and I dropped the four small microphones into her hand.

  “Four of them?” she said.

  I nodded.

  “Four what?” Lyell asked.

  “Bugs,” June said. “Someone bugged my office and was listening to everything that was being said.”

  “Corporate espionage?” Lyell asked.

  “Probably not,” I said. “More than likely, it is internal monitoring. Wanting to know what June was doing, what decisions she was making.”

  Lyell noticed that I was studying him as I spoke. He said, “Under some circumstances, some chairmen might bug the CEO to make sure he knew what was going to happen before it happened.”

  June looked at him, her eyes searching his.

  “But that’s not what happened here,” he said. “The CEO is my daughter. I groomed her for the position and I have full confidence in her ability to run this company. I don't need to bug her office and I did not bug her off
ice.”

  I said, “I did not mean to accuse, Sir.”

  June looked from him to me and back to him.

  “I understand,” he said. “The question had to be asked and answered.”

  I nodded.

  “I trust you'll look into the origin?”

  “I will.”

  I looked at June. She appeared somewhat mystified at the way her father and I had just interacted.

  “Good,” Lyell said. “Now just before you came in, I was about to share with June another accounting irregularity I found last night after you left.”

  “How late did you stay last night?” June asked.

  “About midnight,” he said.

  “And you were back in here by six this morning?” she said.

  He smiled and said, “Long habit.”

  “So what did you find?” June asked.

  “Another twenty thousand I did not authorize.”

  “Nice round number,” I said.

  “Another payment?” June asked.

  “Probably,” I said.

  “Mr. Lindell,” Alex said, “who else has access to your books?”

  “No one,” he said. “At least no one is supposed to have access. I'm the only one who can sign off on expenditures that come out of this account.”

  “And no one other than you can sign for anything?” Alex asked.

  “The chairman's account is administered by the chairman's office,” Lyell said.

  “Yet someone other than you is spending your money.”

  “Yes. And I intend to find out who and put a stop to it.”

  “Well, then,” I said, “I'll leave you to figure out who's stealing from you and I'll go work on discovering who's been bugging June's office.”

  It seemed apparent to me that there was a connection between the bugs in June’s office and the first two guys who tried to warn me off the investigation. Those first two guys had been Lindell Industries security. Perhaps it was someone in security who was bugging June's office. If it was, he was probably working on behalf of someone else. If it was someone in security who was doing the physical bugging, I was betting I could convince him to tell me who he was passing the information on to. And if it turned out that security had noting to do with bugging June's office, well, at least I'd have eliminated a possible suspect.

  I found the suite of offices designated for security and went in. A few feet inside the door there was a medium sized desk manned by an oversized young guy who looked to be in shape. His hair cut looked military. He wore a blue blazer over a white shirt. His tie was blue with a narrow yellow stripe.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  I introduced myself and explained that I needed to see the director of security.

  “May I ask why?” he said.

  I explained that I was working with Mrs. Morrison and Mr. Lindell on some internal security issues. He looked at me doubtfully.

  “Right now,” I said, “Mrs. Morrison is with her father in his office with my associate. Call Mr. Lindell and ask him if what I have explained is accurate.”

  He studied me for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Finally, he reached for the phone and punched in an extension. I had no idea who he was calling.

  “There's a Mr. Badger here to see you. Says he's working for Mrs. Morrison and Mr. Lindell on internal security issues.”

  He listened.

  “All right,” he said. He hung up and looked at me. “You can go back. First office on the left.”

  Chapter 58

  I knocked on the first door on the left.

  “Come in,” a strong voice from inside said.

  I opened the door and went in. The guy behind the desk didn't get up to greet me. He looked to be in his early fifties. He wore the same blue blazer and blue and yellow-stripped tie as his young associate at the front desk. But his shirt was light blue instead of white. He also looked ex-military or ex-cop. Maybe he was both. Probably joined some police force after he got out of the military and put in enough time as a cop to earn his pension, then left to earn big bucks as a security chief for a major corporation. The little sign on his desk indicated that his name was Conrad Berkholtz.

  I extended my hand across his desk. “Mr. Berkholtz,” I said, “I'm Jake Badger.”

  He looked at my hand and then at me. I got the feeling he was not going to be friendly.

  Then he said, “I don't know what kind of crap you've been feeding Mr. Lindell and Mrs. Morrison, but if there were any internal corporate security issues, they would be talking with me about them.”

  “So, you're saying there are no security issues in this company?”

  “That's what I'm saying.”

  He was being an ass. I wanted to reach across his desk and bloody his nose. But I decided that would not be professional, so I nodded and said, “Give me about five minutes. I'll be right back.”

  In four minutes and thirty-three seconds (I timed myself) I walked back into his office with June and Lyell and Alex behind me. Now Conrad stood up. June had the four bugs Alex and I had discovered in her office.

  June and I were standing right in front Conrad's desk. To June, I said, “Could I have those small devices Alex and I found in your office this morning?”

  I held out my hand and June dropped the four small microphones into my hand. I held them out to Conrad. He looked at them.

  “My associate and I found these in Mrs. Morrison's office a little while ago.”

  Conrad looked up at June and then over to Lyell, who stood to June's left. Then he looked again at the small electronic devices in my hand.

  “Do you recognize them?” I asked.

  He looked at me and then at Lyell. He looked a little confused, and a little uneasy. “Yes,” he said, in answer to my question.

  “Do you know how they got into Mrs. Morrison's office?” I asked.

  “I put them there,” he said, his confusion seeming to deepen as he looked at Lyell.

  “Why?” Lyell asked.

  “I was following orders,” Conrad said.

  “Whose orders?” Lyell asked.

  “Why, yours, Sir.”

  Everyone looked at Lyell.

  Lyell returned Conrad's gaze and calmly said, “Mr. Berkholtz, are you suggesting that I instructed you to bug my daughter's office?”

  “Well, not you personally, Sir. But the instructions came from you, Sir. Your assistant passed them on to me.”

  I looked at Lyell; he looked at me. We both looked at June, and June looked at her father and then at me. Conrad, too, was shifting his gaze from one person to another, looking at everyone in his office.

  “Do you mean to tell me,” Lyell said, “that Ms. Wentworth instructed you to bug my daughter’s office?”

  “Yes, Sir. She also instructed me to monitor the devices, using voice recognition software to create a digital transcription that I was to forward to her each day. The very generous bonus you authorized was to cover all the extra work.”

  “A generous bonus?”

  “Yes, Sir,” Berkholtz said. “And thank you, Sir.”

  “Let me guess,” Lyell said, “twenty thousand dollars.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Conrad said with a smile.

  Lyell looked away and put his right hand on the back of his neck, massaging it, trying to get the kinks out.

  June took advantage of the pause to jump in. “Did Ms. Wentworth inform you of what she was interested in or looking for?”

  “No, Ma'am. And I did not understand that she was looking for anything. She gave me the distinct impression, in fact she specifically told me, that the transcripts were going to Mr. Lindell.”

  “Did she suggest in any way what Mr. Lindell might have been interested in?” June asked.

  “No, Ma'am.”

  June looked at her father.

  He shook his head. “I did not give those instructions.”

  “Oh, Dad, I know that. I'm not concerned about that at all.”

  “Conrad,�
�� I said. I was still annoyed at him, so I called him by his first name. “Did Ms. Wentworth at any time seek your advice or assistance in acquiring people who were willing to serve as muscle or guns for hire?”

  Conrad realized what I was asking him and his expression and manner changed dramatically.

  “No way,” he said emphatically, shaking his head. “She never asked me anything of the sort and if she had I would not have assisted her. I was a cop for thirty years. A good one. I would not engage in any kind of conspiratorial activity. Especially, helping someone hire a shooter.”

  Conrad was either a very good liar or he was telling the truth.

  “What police department?” I asked.

  “LAPD.”

  “Know Frank McGarry?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he know you?”

  “Yes. We worked homicide together for a while.”

  “I'll call him.”

  “You do that,” Conrad said.

  “What else did Ms. Wentworth ask you to do?” June asked.

  “Nothing else. Just the listening devices.”

  “I fired two of your people a couple of weeks ago,” June said.

  “Yes,” Conrad said.

  Lyell was very interested in the exchange now between his daughter and his Chief of Security.

  “The paperwork that came across my desk,” Conrad said, “gave the reason as conduct unbecoming. You were the one who made the charges and signed off on the paperwork. I wasn't about to question you on it.”

  “If Mr. Badger had been willing to press charges,” June said, “it would have become a criminal matter.”

  Conrad looked at me. “You did that to them?”

  I smiled, humbly.

  Alex said, “He excels at that sort of thing.”

  Everyone looked at Alex and he smiled brightly.

  While the subject of the physical abuse I had heaped upon the former Lindell Industries security personnel was germane to the larger context, Lyell was more interested in bringing the attention back to Ms. Wentworth.

  “It appears,” he said, “that Doris has overstepped her authority.”

  June looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “Overstepped her authority?” June said, incredulously.