There was a spring in my step, as I walked along the carpeted corridor from the elevator to the lobby taking in the décor. Gold stars woven into the border of the deep blue carpet highlighted paneled doors of highly polished Cherry Wood. Subtle gold striped wallpaper covered the walls above a Marine blue wainscot. The theme felt very patriotic and historical. Solid. When I’d checked in, I was actually so tired I hadn’t noticed any of it. The comfortable lobby felt like a good place for us to meet the United States Attorney General.
“Kimberly, hey, over here.” Cameron called from the lobby, looking absolutely gorgeous as she sat perched on a blue damask loveseat with a carved Cherry frame. There wasn’t a tired line in her face. But then, that was probably Botox doing what it was supposed to. She patted the seat next to her.
“Kate is on her way down. She left the presentation in her room, though. You know, so we don’t spring this on Nathan immediately. Poor guy. He’s probably looking forward to a reconnection with me after all these years, and instead he’ll get three anxious women and a despicable plot.”
I sighed. “If he’s the person you say he is, I think there’s a good chance he will be angered enough by what we show him to take it seriously. I hope he can’t wait to catch those sleazeballs. You know his personality. How do we approach him? Should you introduce us right away or take a minute, then signal us to come over?”
She tapped her index finger against her chin as she considered my question. “You know, maybe waiting to introduce you isn’t a bad idea. You and Kate could sit on the sofa over there like you’re waiting for someone. He doesn’t need to know the person you’re waiting for is him. He always spotted the pretty women, so he’s sure to notice both of you. By the way, Kimberly, travel must agree with you. You look great tonight.”
Before I could say ‘thanks’ a familiar voice called, “Hey you two—” Kate strode across the lobby, a vision in forest green suede, right down to the matching boots. The outfit really set off her auburn hair. She looked as glamorous as a movie star. Never in my wildest dreams would I be that stunning, but I felt I was still a head-turner.”
Cami checked her watch. “He should be here any minute. He—“
I interrupted her. “Hold on about Nathan for a minute. Check out that man who just came in.” I glanced in the direction of the lobby doors. “You know, there is something about a guy with a young face and a helmet of silver hair that really turns me on. I think I just fell in love. He’s not really what you’d call handsome, but—“
They both looked in the direction I indicated.
“—but if you must know, Kimberly, you just fell in lust with my friend Nathan Hartman!”
The man looked in our direction, waved and called out, “Cameron. I’d know you in a minute. You haven’t changed a bit.”
My heart flip-flopped then sunk. Why did he have to be Cami’s Nathan? Plan A was abandoned since he’d now seen us together. They hugged and Cami said, “You look amazing, Nate. Love the silver hair. It really suits you.”
Then she did that cute little lip biting maneuver. “Look, I didn’t plan to start the evening this way, but these are my friends Kimberly Martin and Kate Steele.”
Despite the confusion that shot across his face, he was gracious. His eyes filled with questions, but he extended his hand to Kate with a gleaming attorney-like smile. “Pleased to meet you.” Then he turned to me and the expression in his eyes changed. Nathan Hartman was one very sexy man. You know how they say in romance books that a person felt an electrical connection. Well I don’t know if he felt it, but the electricity shot from my hand right down to my toes as he shook it warmly.
We locked eyes and he said in a husky baritone, “Kimberly, or is it Kim?” Before I could say Kimberly, he said, “I’ll call you Kimberly. Welcome to the political hotbed of the nation, or at least the perimeter.” Was it my imagination that he held my hand longer than a normal handshake? And oh those eyes. Such a deep brown you could drown in them.
Turning back to Cami he said, “So, tell me my lovely, do I have a dinner date with three beautiful women, or just the one who broke my heart years ago?” He smiled showing straight white teeth as uniform as a packet of Chiclets and put an arm around Cami’s shoulder.
She opened innocent eyes, drawing him in. “Hope you don’t mind. It’s actually all three of us and I can assure you the evening won’t be anything like you anticipated.”
He gave her a theatrical leer, and she slapped his arm. “Knock it off! Not that kind of an evening. Anyway, we can tell you all about this over dinner, okay? I’m starving.”
~40~
The valet opened the doors of Nathan’s Mercedes. Kate and I slid into the generous backseat, leaving the front passenger seat for Cameron.
Nathan said, “I made reservations at a great Japanese restaurant. Do you still salivate at the mere mention of Japanese food, Cameron?”
“You bet. I’m surprised you remembered.”
“You’re a pretty hard woman to forget. Oops, sorry.” He turned to us, “I’m being a bit inconsiderate. Is that okay with you two? We could go somewhere else if you don’t like that kind of food.”
Well, I happen to love Asian cooking, particularly sushi and tempura. I knew Kate wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, though, because she squeezed my hand when she said, “Fine with me.”
“This restaurant serves something special called a Sampan Boat Dinner. It’s a wonderful sampling of their best dishes all laid out in a huge bamboo basket that looks like a miniature sampan.”
Nathan sounded happy he didn’t have to change the reservation.” It’s really an impressive presentation.”
He maneuvered out of the hotel driveway, pressed the handsfree button built into the car and spoke the name of the restaurant. Dialing beeps sounded on the speaker and a moment later an accented voice answered. Nathan increased
the reservation to four and gave additional requests.
“Okay, we’re set. By the time we get there some hot sake will be waiting for us and dinner will be almost ready to serve. I ordered ahead.”
What a guy. I longed for a man like that and mentally lamented the fact again that he was Cami’s Nathan. Well, she did say she wasn’t interested in him. Maybe—
“Here we are. I hope you brought voracious appetites with you. This will be a feast, and their sake is excellent.”
A potpourri of enticing aromas wafted through the beautifully designed restaurant. From the visiting royalty treatment the host lavished on Nathan, I got the impression he ate there often. He seated us in a section toward the rear of the restaurant set off by shoji screens for privacy. The floor was natural maple. Rattan chairs surrounded a large teak table, their red seat cushions emblazoned with gold Japanese motifs. Colorful illuminated paper lanterns of varying sizes hung from the ceiling casting a soft light.
I wondered whether he had chosen this place to reignite the fire with Cami, then pushed the thought from my mind. Was it my imagination, or was he looking more at me than her? I allowed myself a short flight of fantasy, snapping back to reality when the waiter, clad in a white karate ghi-like outfit with a colorful sash said, “Feast is ready, Mr. Hartman”
My mouth watered while the waiter took his time placing a beautiful square blue plate with a white dragonfly design, maple chopsticks and traditional silverware in front of each of us. He turned back to his trolley, lifted a huge sampan-shaped basket and described everything on it with theatrical ceremony as he carefully positioned it in the middle of the table.
“We black belts of delicious food.” He laughed at his own comment and served each of us selections from the basket. Then he smiled exposing a mouthful of ivory-colored teeth and said to Nathan, “Now I leave you with beautiful women. I not disturb to serve more.” He bowed out of the space.
We raised our sake glasses and clinked.
Cami said, “To what we are about to reveal.”
We sipped sake and sampled the food, trying not to smack our lips. C
ami took the lead.
“Nathan, I know you were probably expecting something else from this evening, but we need your help and I think after you hear what we have to say you won’t be able to resist joining us.”
“Joining you in what?”
Without preamble or fanfare, Cami said, “Capturing some crooks who are embezzling millions from the government.”
“That’s a pretty big accusation, isn’t it?” He looked intrigued. “My mother told me you were doing something government-related. Am I remembering correctly when I say the Federal Association of Correctional Reform?”
“Yes, and that’s what this is all about. The prison system is being ripped off royally, to the tune of about $38,000,000 so far.”
Nathan looked stunned. “What? Look, before I even listen to more, tell me you have some concrete proof of this. That this accusation isn’t just something you suspect.”
Kate chimed in. “Oh, we have proof alright. Lots of it, and its back in my hotel room. We stumbled into this thing by accident because our commissions for furniture sales were being messed with and we were hopping mad.”
I added. “I’m the controller for Correctional Resource Services, the new marketing arm for FACR. We’re pretty sure the CEO Bruce Payton is involved.”
A grimace shaded Nathan’s face. “That ass?”
Cami said, “Good description.” She was about to say more when I put my finger to my lips.
“I don’t think we should discuss this here.” I indicated the shoji screens. “Even though this seems pretty private, sound travels. We’d better wait until we go back to the hotel. Then we can show you plenty to back up what we’re saying.”
He nodded. “Good suggestion. If you have solid evidence, this could be pretty explosive. Let’s enjoy the meal, then you can lay it on me.”
Cami had been right. All he needed was the hint of something to investigate and he was interested. I did admire the fact that he reserved more comment until he evaluated what we had to show him.
I flashed a smile and took the last sip of sake in my glass, then lifted it toward him, indicating I would like a refill from the decanter on the table. He picked it up and I caught that hint of electricity again.
~41~
We tried to relax and enjoy the food, but the die had been cast. As soon as dinner was finished, Nathan signaled for the check. Within five minutes we were on our way back to the hotel.
Kate’s laptop was set up on the table next to the window in her room. They had taken two chairs from Cami’s room so all of us could gather around for the presentation. I have to hand it to Kate. The presentation was first-class, right down to a captivating cover page.
She had scanned everything into documents and spreadsheets, and jpegs of many of the photos had been added. She even handed us a printed page that detailed the complete contents. The first part was a PowerPoint presentation, beginning with the party at the mansion.
The photos captured all the luxury, the expensive catered meal and bar, close up images of Bruce shaking hands with several guests or even clapping them on the back. Other images focused on Julia or Matt glad handing. Everyone appeared happy and slightly drunk. If those photos ever got out, the media would have a field day with them.
Nathan exhaled. “Where the hell did they find a place like that? Are you saying the Department of Justice paid for it?” He shook his head in disgust.
Cami said, “Yep, to the tune of almost $20,000,000 for a three-day rental. Not only that, Nate, but guess who that place belongs to?” She paused dramatically. “It was recently purchased by a corporation called MULCT Enterprises, apparently headed by none other than Julia Harris. We have a copy of the escrow papers and hers is the only name on them. She may even be the sole owner of MULCT.”
“You must be wrong. From the look of those pictures, that place is probably worth millions.” His lips drew into a thin line and his eyes narrowed. “Anything else?”
I glanced at the sheet Kate had given me detailing each slide in the presentation. The description of the next one said: photo—Julia’s tub with Julia/Bruce picture on the edge. I took the cue and said, “When you see the next image, it’s pretty obvious she lives there. It was taken in the master bathroom. Cami managed to get upstairs, and recognized a few of the outfits in the closet as ones she’d seen Julia wearing.”
Kate clicked and an enlarged image of the tub with the framed photo perched on the edge filled the screen. Bruce and Julia grinned like a pair of lovers, with the sumptuous bathroom in the background.
I laughed. “That’s just the beginning. As more and more evidence piled up, we realized an extremely clever scheme was developing, and we believe it’s being pulled off by Bruce, Julia and Matt Thorne. It is way beyond us to take it any farther. That’s why Cami suggested we, well, dump it in your lap.”
“Who’s this Matt you just mentioned? I don’t recognize the name.”
“He’s Julia’s right-hand guy. She brought him to Seattle from D.C. He claims to have been left an inheritance by a wealthy grandmother and lives a pretty high lifestyle for a government employee, but we think the grandmother’s initials might actually be FACR.”
Nathan’s fists curled at his side as his whole body tensed. He said in a flat, angry voice, “This is incredible.”
He leaned closer to the screen, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in cupped hands. “Okay, so Julia has this mansion and Lord knows how she accomplished that. You mentioned a rental fee of twenty thousand. That’s not thirty-eight million by any stretch of the imagination.” It was clear he not only believed us, but was on board. “You were right to come to me. I want to see everything you have.”
By two in the morning, we had filled Nathan in, taking great care to walk him through all of the evidence Kate had assembled. We pointed out what we suspected were phony orders, talked quite a bit about the apparently non-existent Alaric Fabricators and its mailbox location in L.A., and added the fact that Mailboxes and Much More had been instructed to forward all mail to an address in Seattle. By the time we came to the shipping company, and said it supposedly received big contracts for receiving and installing government office furniture but turned out to be a company specializing in residential furniture, Nathan’s eyes were flashing and a flush had crept up his face. The biggest surprise came when he saw the photos Cami had managed to get with the guys at Superior Moving and Storage stenciling FACR on the sides of cartons.
“How the hell—what are those guys doing stenciling a government acronym on those cartons?”
“We haven’t figured out that piece of the puzzle, Nate, and we don’t have a clue where the actual merchandise is being manufactured, but we knew you have the resources to investigate, so I called Mom to call your mother and get your number.”
His mouth became an angry slash. “So let me make sure I understand all of this. You think they maneuvered a relatively small number of good-sized pass-through con-tracts, had things manufactured very cheap in some kind of job shop, overcharged FACR and pocketed the difference. Is that about right?”
Kate took the lead. “Absolutely right. Here look at this.” She showed him that every questionable pass-through order was from one of a few supply depots, so it wasn’t likely to be a rush order.
I added, “I think after costs it could amount to as much as $15,000,000 of clear profit. Of course, that’s a rough estimate, but it isn’t out of the question. It could be that high.”
“Man, when you said the evening wouldn’t be what I expected, I never thought it would be anything like this.” He let out a low whistle and cracked his knuckles. “Uh, do you suppose you ladies could take a later flight home tomorrow, maybe in the evening instead of the morning?”
Without checking with the others, I nodded. “If you’re on board, we’ll do what we have to.”
“Do you have an extra copy of what you’ve just shown me?”
Kate was the consummate image of efficiency. She reached into her br
iefcase and withdrew two DVDs in plastic cases. “This is everything. All the originals are in San Francisco. I assume this means you’re in?”
He waved the DVD cases, his deep chocolate brown eyes shining with excitement. “This is enough to launch a full FBI investigation immediately. You bet I’m taking it on. For amateurs, I’m surprised at how well the three of you put the pieces together.” We didn’t say anything, just basked in the glow of his compliment.
Then he added, “I’ve been running this through my mind while you were showing me what you have so far. I want to get on it right away. Normally it would have gone through whistleblower channels, but let’s face it. I’m going to break some rules for you, Cami, and get involved myself. Unbelievable that they seem to be pulling this off right under the scrutiny of my department.”
Cami hugged him. “I knew you’d come through for us.”
“Well, I’ll need a point of contact. Kimberly, you’re the one in the Seattle office, so you’re the logical choice. How about your cell phone number?”
He glanced at his watch. “Look, it’s late. I’ll send a car for you in the morning, and we’ll go over the rest at my office tomorrow. I realize you need to get some rest if you can. How about 10:00? Check out before you leave and my driver will take you to the airport after we’re done. My office will take care of cancelling your flights and rebooking you once we see how long this takes.”
Cami breathed, “Thanks Nate. You’re still the best.”
“He leaned over and gave Cami a kiss on the forehead. Then in what looked like an afterthought, he gave both Kate and me a peck on the cheek.
In my dreams that night, he was kissing more than my cheek.
Ripoff Page 20