Fare Game

by Cade Haddock Strong

  “What are you going to do today?” Riley asked one morning over breakfast.

  “Pull my hair out. Watch paint dry. Maybe catch a soap opera or two. I haven’t seen an episode of General Hospital since college.”

  “Is that show even still on?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Maybe you should go up to Asheville for a little while,” Riley suggested, “especially now that you and Scott have signed all the papers.”

  Kay shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.” Somewhere in the turmoil of the last few weeks, the deal to purchase her brother Scott’s parcel had closed, bringing her property to a full ten acres. “But that would mean being away from you and I don’t know if I could stand that, not right now.”

  “You are going to drive yourself crazy if you keep sitting around here all day.”

  Kay used her fork to push the scrambled eggs around on her plate. “I know. I guess I could call that architect Doug recommended, maybe try to set up a time to meet him.”

  “That sounds like a great idea. Might as well while you have the time on your hands.”

  After Riley left for the office, Kay relented and called the architect. They set up a time to get together in Asheville the following week.

  When the weekend rolled around, she and Riley drove up to Asheville in separate cars. The leaves on the trees were just starting to turn, but the weather was still fairly mild and being away from the city did wonders to ease Kay’s tension. She and Riley spent hours surveying her property, her original five acres plus the land she’d recently acquired from her brother Scott.

  As they walked, Kay pointed toward the ridge. “Like we talked about before, I want to build the house up there, I just don’t know exactly where.” She looked at Riley. “What do you think?”

  Riley set her small daypack down on a nearby stump and pulled out her water. “I’m not sure. I need to look at the views again once we get up there.” She took a swig of water and held it out for Kay. “Want some.”

  “Nah, I’m good.”

  Riley stowed her water and slung her pack over her shoulder. “Onward and upward.”

  When they reached the clearing on the ridge, Riley turned in place to take in the view. “Gosh, it’s even more beautiful than I remember. I can’t believe you own all this.”

  Kay stood beside her. “I know, me neither.”

  “You hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  Riley pulled a large blanket out of her pack and pointed to a sunny flat spot a few yards away. “How about over there?”

  “Perfect.”

  There was a light wind and the blanket floated to the ground. Riley sat down and rummaged around in her pack. “Turkey or ham?”

  “Turkey.”

  As they ate their lunch, Riley scanned the surrounding area and the horizon. When she was done eating, she crinkled up her deli paper, tucked it in her pack and pulled out a notebook.

  Kay watched as Riley furiously scribbled notes. A few strands of blond hair had escaped her ponytail and she kept brushing them off her face. Her brow was crinkled, and her eyes never left the page in front of her. “How do you manage to look so serious and so beautiful at the same time?” Kay asked.

  Riley looked up and gave her the sweetest, softest smile she’d ever seen. Kay smiled back and pointed at the notebook. “Whatcha writing about in there?”

  “Observations about the property, thoughts about the house, stuff like that.” Riley closed her notebook and tucked the pencil behind her ear. “Mind if we walk the perimeter of the ridge again?”

  “Not at all,” Kay said and popped the last bit of her turkey sandwich into her mouth.

  Riley brushed the crumbs off her lap and hopped to her feet. She reached for Kay’s hand and pulled her up off the blanket.

  They strolled along the ridge hand in hand, stopping occasionally to discuss the view from this vantage point or that. “How big a house do you think you’d like to build?” Riley asked. “We should probably start there.”

  Kay stopped walking. She looked down at the ground and kicked a small stone like a soccer ball. “I, um.”

  “It’s okay if you don’t know for sure. I was just thinking it might help to—”

  “It’s not that, Rye.” Kay felt a lump form in her throat. She looked up and stared into Riley’s bright blue eyes. “It’s just, this house we’re talking about, I hope it’ll be our house. I want to make decisions about it together.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  Riley didn’t say another word. She linked her arm through Kay’s, and they finished walking the perimeter arm in arm. Kay’s step felt lighter than it had in weeks.

  When they got back to the spot where they’d left the blanket, Kay broke the silence. “To answer your question—”

  “What question?”

  “About how big a house I want.”

  “Oh, yeah. What are you thinking?”

  “Honestly, I don’t want anything too big.”

  Riley draped her arm over Kay’s shoulders. “I’m 100% with you on that. None of that McMansion stuff you see everywhere. We just need to make sure there’s enough—”

  “Room for kids,” Kay said quietly.

  Riley smiled and kissed her softly on the lips. “Yeah, that.”

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Over the next few weeks, Kay spent much of her time up in Asheville and Riley joined her there on the weekends. Waiting for the Logan board to finish their investigation was agonizing but they did their best to stay positive and focused their energy on the new house.

  After a handful of meetings with Sean Ionescu, the Asheville architect, the house in Asheville started to take shape. As they’d discussed, it was going to be on the small side—about 1,800 square feet with three bedrooms plus an office—plenty of room to accommodate future little ones who might come along. The architect’s preliminary plans included a cozy bookshelf-filled loft overlooking a wide-open kitchen/living area with a wall of windows offering sweeping views of mountains. At Kay’s insistence, the drawings included two fireplaces, one in the living area and another in the master bedroom. Growing up in the North, she had fond memories of gathering around the fire with her family in the winter.

  Sean also came up with the idea to build a small two-story barn-like outbuilding—a lower level garage area and an upper level studio apartment—where Kay and Riley could live while the main house was being built. This would enable them to move out of the studio in Doug’s barn sooner than they expected.

  Kay was delighted with the way things were coming together with the house, and she sang along to the song on the radio as she drove toward downtown Asheville after a morning hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Her karaoke was interrupted by an incoming phone call. It was Fred Archie. She crossed two lanes, pulled over to the side of the road and answered the call.

  Fred skipped the usual pleasantries and got straight to the point. “I just got off the phone with Kenneth Hoover, our contact from Logan’s board.”

  “And?” Kay asked, gripping the steering wheel as she waited for his answer.

  “The Logan’s Board of Directors has completed its internal probe. A press release is imminent.”

  Kay sucked in a big breath of air and leaned back against the headrest. “Any idea what it’s going to say?”

  “Nope. Kenneth didn’t share any details, but he did say he’d like to meet with us tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Us, as in you and me? So, he’s connected the dots and knows I’m the whistleblower.”

  “Yes, you and me. And no, it’s not probable Kenneth has any concrete evidence you’re the whistleblower. More likely, your name came up in the board’s probe as the person Howard Rome fired because the CEO suspected you were the whistleblower. The board isn’t fixated on whether you’re actually the whistleblower. All that matters to them is that Howard Rome fired you because he thought you were the whistleblower. It’s all about the CEO’s int
ent when he fired you.”

  “Gotcha. Okay. I’m in Asheville but I can head back to Atlanta later this afternoon.”

  “Great, I’ll let Kenneth know.”

  “Fred.”

  “Yes, Kay.”

  “Would it be all right if Riley came to the meeting too?”

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea. The board’s probe centered around your firing. Let’s not muddy the waters.”

  “I understand. I get your point.”

  “Keep your eyes out for the press release. I’ll circle back with you later today.”

  Kay ended the call with Fred and dialed Riley.

  Riley picked up on the first ring. “Hey, baby.”

  “Logan’s Board of Directors has finished their probe,” Kay said quickly. “They’re expected to issue a press release any minute.”

  “Holy shit! Any idea what it’s going to say?”

  “No idea. Fred just called to give me the heads up.”

  “Stephanie and I just finished lunch.” Riley quickened her pace. “We’re on our way back to the office.”

  “Okay. Call me as soon as you get in front of a computer. I’m going to drive back to Atlanta this afternoon. I’m meeting with Fred tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Drive carefully. I’ll call you as soon as I get back to my office.”

  “What is it?” Stephanie asked as soon as Riley ended the call.

  “Logan’s about to issue a major press release. Come on, we gotta hurry. I want to be in front of my computer when it comes out.”

  As soon as they stepped off the elevator on the fifth floor, it was obvious the press release had already dropped. Everyone was huddled around the smattering of television monitors that silently piped CNN into the office. As she and Stephanie made their way toward her office, a few people glanced in their direction, but Riley didn’t break stride until they were safely inside her office with the door closed behind them. Seconds after she pulled the press release up on her computer, her cell phone rang. It was Kay. Riley put her on speaker phone.

  “Have you read it yet?” Kay asked.

  “No, I just pulled it up. I’m scanning it now.”

  … Logan Airlines today announced that it has named Andrew Lanier as president and chief executive officer… The company also announced that Howard Rome has stepped down from his roles as chairman, president and chief executive officer, and as a director. These changes are effective immediately.

  “Holy fucking shit, Kay. This is incredible.”

  “I know, I know. Go to CNN.com,” Kay urged.

  Riley quickly navigated to the news site and began to read out loud. “Logan Airlines announced today that CEO Howard Rome, along with one of his top lieutenants, is stepping down… The airline has also admitted in a disclosure filed hours ago that it is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulators are investigating potential earnings management by the airline...”

  “Can you believe it?” Kay asked.

  “No, this is so awesome. Good riddance Howard Rome, you fucking cockroach! And the news about the SEC… I mean we were pretty sure, but this confirms the feds are investigating Logan for sure.”

  “Yeah, looks like it,” Kay answered. “And I love how they say Howard Rome is stepping down. Stepping down, my ass. I’m sure a lot of pressure was placed on the bastard to leave.”

  Stephanie peered over Riley’s shoulder to get a better look at her screen. “What’s going on? Why is Logan being investigated by the SEC?”

  Riley looked up at her. “Have a seat, I’ll fill you in.”

  “Hey, Stephanie,” Kay’s voice chirped over the speaker.

  “Hey, Kay.”

  “I’ll leave Riley to give you the scoop.”

  As soon as Riley ended the call, Stephanie peppered her with questions.

  Riley held up her hand. “Hold your horses. I’ll tell you what I can.” She paused for a moment to consider exactly what she should say. In the coming weeks, a lot of people, including Stephanie, would probably deduce Kay’s firing was somehow connected to the SEC investigation, but Riley would never confirm it, not even if someone asked her directly. She looked Stephanie straight in the eye and said, “I don’t know any more about the SEC investigation than what is being reported in the news.” The statement was borderline truthful. Neither she nor Kay were privy to the details of the SEC’s investigation.

  Stephanie stared back at her. “I don’t believe you,” she said. “I think you know more than you’re admitting.”

  Riley had zero acting skills and she hated to lie. “Okay, I know a tiny bit more, but I can’t elaborate. Trust me Steph, I would if I could.”

  Stephanie started to protest but then sank back in her chair.

  Riley leaned forward and rested her elbows on her desk. “I can tell you this. Howard Rome is probably not stepping down voluntarily. He was likely forced to do so for a whole host of reasons, but if I had to bet on it, one of them was improper conduct surrounding Kay’s termination.”

  “Wow, really?”

  “Yep.”

  “I know you said Kay had been treated unfairly, but shit, whatever happened must have been a pretty big deal. I mean it brought down the fucking CEO.”

  “A lot more is likely to surface in the coming days, some true, some not true. Take everything you hear with a grain of salt and trust me, Kay’s the good guy in all this. Don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  When Kay got home from Fred’s office the following evening, she was exhausted, and a sense of relief washed over her when she spotted Riley’s car in the driveway. Riley had been anxious about the meeting with Kenneth Hoover and she’d wanted to come along but had finally agreed Fred was right. It was better if she stayed out of Kenneth Hoover’s orbit.

  Riley bounded out and escorted her into the house. Kay kicked off her heels and plopped into one of the leather armchairs in the living room.

  Riley sat on the ottoman across from her and rubbed her feet. “So, what did good old Kenneth Hoover have to say?”

  “Remarkably, quite a lot. He gave Fred and I a detailed account of what the board’s internal investigation had uncovered.”

  “And?”

  “Well, apparently, and this will come as no surprise to you, Howard Rome completely flew off the handle when he first learned about the subpoena from the SEC. He demanded to know if someone at Logan had tipped off the feds. According to Kenneth, Howard Rome was told, in no uncertain terms, that an effort to identify an internal tipster would be highly inappropriate and possibly illegal.”

  “But let me guess, Howard Rome was not deterred. He went ahead and did it anyway.”

  “Uh-huh. Howard… Did you ever see that show The Good Wife? The drama about that law firm.”

  Riley gave her a curious look. “Yeah, I loved that show, but what does that have to do with anything?”

  “Do you remember that character on the show named Kalinda?”

  “Of course. She was the totally hot bisexual investigator for the law firm.”

  Kay tugged her long dark hair out of its bun, letting it fall loosely over her shoulders. “Yeah, well, I guess the airline has their own Kalinda type person, although their investigator isn’t a hot bisexual woman, it was that red-haired guy, Connor McFadden, and it sounds like Howard Rome asked him to dig around to see if he could identify the person who went to the SEC.”

  “No shit.”

  “Yep.”

  “So,” Riley said, “when the board discovered all of this, they asked Howard Rome to step down?”

  “Yes, and it sounds like he put up quite a fight. It was only when the board threatened to fire him, that he finally gave in.”

  “Fucking narcissistic prick.”

  “That’s putting it mildly.”

  Riley stood up. “I need a glass of wine. You want one?”

  Kay nodded. “Please.”

  When Riley returned with t
he wine she asked, “Are you surprised Logan decided to go public with the fact that the airline is under investigation by the SEC? I mean, up to this point, you and I didn’t even know for sure that the investigation was active.”

  Kay took a sip of her wine and set it on the table. “I asked Fred Archie about that. He said under normal circumstances they probably wouldn’t have disclosed this information publicly, but Logan likely opted to go public about the investigation because it, in legal speak, suited their purposes. Once the board completed its internal probe, they didn’t want to hold off firing the CEO and they needed to offer their shareholders an explanation for the firing. It suited their purposes to be transparent.”

  “I guess that sort of makes sense.”

  “Oh, and get this,” Kay said. “Kenneth offered me my job back, including back pay.”

  Riley sat up in her seat. “Wow, Kay, that’s fantastic. What did you tell him?”

  “I told him I needed to think about it. Of course, I want my name cleared but I’m honestly not sure what to do.”

  “Why don’t you go change out of your suit and we can talk about it after we eat? I picked up dinner from the Vietnamese place down near the park. It’s in the warming drawer.”

  The more they discussed Kenneth’s offer to reinstate her employment at Logan, the more it became evident to Kay, her heart just wasn’t in it. “You remember me talking about my dream to open a store in Asheville?” she asked Riley after dinner.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Well, it certainly wasn’t something I’d planned to do this soon, but now, given everything that’s happened…”

  “You’re thinking that’s what you want to do?”

  “Yeah. I am,” Kay said. She reached out and took Riley’s hands in hers. “But I want to be with you. Right now, that’s all I care about.”

  Riley snuggled up next to her on the couch. “That’s all I care about too. Us being together.” She kissed Kay softly on the lips. “How about this. How about I stay at Logan for a little bit longer, give you some time to make the store a reality, and then, once you’ve got it off the ground, I’ll come join you in Asheville.”