~42~
Nathan’s secretary brought coffee, and while we sipped, he said, “I went back over everything. We have enough to move forward. Are you sure they have no idea you’re on to them?”
Cami leaned forward in her seat. “Pretty sure. Why?”
He tented his hands. “I want all three of you to be extremely careful from now on. Understand?”
I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. When I glanced at Kate and Cami, I saw the same thing in their faces. What is it about danger that makes it sort of attractive?
Nathan asked lots of questions about normal office and sales procedures. How were the commissions calculated and paid, or in our case, not paid? He asked if I knew anything else about the money paid to HRF.
“Sorry. I’m afraid all I have is speculation. I think the HRF money might go to Matt, but I can’t prove it.”
While he continued to take extensive notes, I noticed two things. He was left-handed and his face darkened whenever our answers confirmed the government was probably being defrauded.
“Kimberly, it seems like this Matt is either a flunky or an active part of what I’m going to call “The Ring.” What does he actually do for CRS? You said his lifestyle is pretty lavish. Any details?”
I sighed and told him about the expensive condo, the car, and his penchant for designer clothes. With each item he nodded, adding to the notes on his pad.
“The best way to describe what he does is that he’s second in command to Julia—sort of a ‘jack of all trades,’ but his formal training is architecture.”
Nate drummed on the table with the fingers of his left hand, the only indication of any emotion. I wondered what was running through his mind.
The last part of our meeting centered around operational technicalities. By three in the afternoon we had covered everything we could. The more we told him the more intense he became, although sometimes his eyes took on a faraway look, like he was off in another universe. Finally, he created a classic T-sign “stop” gesture with his fingers.
Obviously trying to digest everything, he muttered, “Well, their party will be over soon—that I guarantee.” We all realized Nathan had just clicked into his “crusader for justice” mode.
Truthfully I had no idea which arm of the government would be handling an investigation in a situation like this. He picked up the phone and dialed. From the way his end of the conversation went, it was clear whoever was on the other end was a top player.
“That’s all of it. I’ll send a file over. Yeah. We have to move fast. I’ve taken a personal interest in this one, so none of the red-tape stuff. Don’t worry about warrants. Just let me know what you need.”
When he got off the phone he smiled, and nodded. “We’re set. I’ll meet with my FBI contact tomorrow and work out the details.”
The only thing I found more awesome to watch than Nathan in action was his wonderful smile of accomplishment. The edges of his eyes crinkled as the sides of his mouth turned up in a broad grin. It wasn’t a tight-lipped smile like some guys have. I noticed a few of his teeth weren’t perfect, but the smile was. At least to me. I gave myself a mental slap. Watch it. Remember, this is Cami’s friend. Roll your eyeballs back in your head.
I directed my attention back to what was going on around me, and wondered how much I’d missed while falling under his spell.
“—so, Kimberly here’s what you can expect. When you get back to Seattle, try your best to keep cool. Answer as little as possible about your trip to Florida or testifying against someone. By the way, how much did you tell them about why you had to take time off?”
It was a question of natural curiosity, but there was no way I was going to give Nathan even a suggestion of what Ryan had pulled, so I lied and bounced back with, “Oh, I told them it was something personal. That way I didn’t have to go into details. Matt was concerned, so I’ll have to be careful about what I say to him, but no problem. What else?”
He spread his fingers on the desk and got very serious. “Frank, that’s my contact at the FBI, is setting up the plan right now. Meanwhile, we'll start surveillance on Bruce, Julia and Matt. Frank will contact the appropriate field offices tomorrow morning.”
“What happens after that?” Cami turned to Kate and me to indicate all three of us wanted to know.
“Of course we’ll inspect at least a few of the suspect supply depot warehouses and check out the merchandise Alaric shipped. “
“Won’t they suspect something?”
“No. They won’t go in as FBI. The agents will pretend it’s a random inventory assessment for next years’ budget forecasting. At the same time, we’ll see what Superior Moving is up to.”
Kate said, “Wow, Nathan. You sure charge straight ahead once you’ve made a decision, don’t you?
“Only because what you brought me was so compelling. I want to nail these guys before they suspect anything. With luck, we might even recover a good portion of the money if it isn’t gone or hidden so deep we can’t find it. I’m not sure sending that threatening email to the three of them was such a good idea on your part, though. I know you wanted to shake them up, but sometimes things like that don’t have the results you hope for.”
Cameron shook her index finger at him. “Now don’t go scolding us, Nate. Like you said we’re amateurs so you’ll have to be a little forgiving.”
Amusement flashed in his eyes as he said, “Anyway, you’ve all done a hell of a job. Let the professionals take it from here and, Kimberly, I’ll call you tomorrow evening if that’s okay. I should know more by then. You can keep Cameron and Kate informed.”
He glanced at his watch. “Listen your flights are booked between 6:00 and 7:00 this evening. Let me take you out for a quick dinner, then the driver will take you to the airport. I know it’s early for dinner, but that way you won’t have to eat airline food.”
Cami reached out to pat Nate’s arm. “Leave it to Nate. Always thinking.”
• • • • •
The full impact of what we had pulled off didn’t hit me until I was back in Seattle. Then everything pounded at me and I began to shake. My God. Because of us, a lot of people could go down for government fraud. We had actually managed to involve the Attorney General of the United States and the FBI. To add to my own tension, in the space of a single day I’d allowed myself to indulge in a series of fantasies about that very same Attorney General. Talk about totally unexpected.
He had given all three of us a hug before we went to the airport, but after he hugged me I was toast. Feeling his body against mine set everything tingling and I prayed the others couldn’t tell. Oh, damn. I was doing it again. Letting myself fall for the wrong person. I just couldn’t go down that path again and vowed to exercise whatever will power I could muster, knowing it wouldn’t be easy. Outside of some fleeting attraction to Matt, there hadn’t been anyone in my life since Ryan the Jerk.
I won’t lie. I had a very hard time falling asleep even though I should have been exhausted. I wasn’t. I was totally keyed up. Finally I turned on the TV in the bedroom and it did the trick. As morning light illuminated the bedroom, I heard a perky blonde newscaster, much too cheerful for that early in the morning, giving a TV traffic report.
A quick shower and a cup of strong black French Roast coffee later, I dialed Cami’s number. She answered sounding a lot more energetic than I felt.
I promised her I would let her know everything that happened from the time I walked back into the office until Nathan called that evening. We agreed to have a conference call with Kate around 8:30. Then I mustered every ounce of my courage, took a deep breath and said, “I have to ask you something, okay?”
“Sure, shoot.”
“It’s about Nathan. I, um…”
“I’m pretty sure I know what you’re going to ask me.”
“Oh, Cami, I’m sorry. I know how you must feel…”
“What are you talking about? I think it’s great. Look, Nate and I are friends.
That’s all we ever were and that’s all we’ll ever be. Sure our mothers hoped we would give them lovely little grandkids together, but that was them, not us. I met someone last month, but I didn’t want to say anything about it until we’d seen more of each other. He’s a theatrical talent manager who owns a big Century City agency and, Kimberly, he’s everything I ever wanted. Great personality, rich, successful, exciting lifestyle, the whole package.”
“You didn’t say anything at all. Not even a hint.”
“I wasn’t ready. His name is Milton Rosenthal and he’s a pure love from the tip of his fashionable shoes to the top of his sweet little bald head. Milton just turned 50 and says he loves that I’m a beautiful, intelligent young woman he can take anywhere. I guess compared to 50, I am young. At first I wasn’t attracted to him. I usually go for the hunks and he’s short with a little paunch and thick glasses, but he makes me laugh and I love that about him. Listen, I give you my blessing to go for Nathan with both barrels blasting. Do you need me to help?”
At that point I had to laugh. I’d been so afraid and now Cami was offering to help me. I figured maybe someone up there was watching over us after all.
While dressing for work I realized I was actually singing. Now that’s something, because even on my best day, I cannot sing even one note on key. But all of a sudden I felt like singing. Unfortunately my elation ended as soon as I arrived at the office.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was definite anxiety in the air. I stopped at the receptionist’s desk to ask about messages. She lowered her voice and confided, “Something is happening between Julia and Mr. Payton. Apparently she isn’t answering her private line or cell phone. He has called the main number several times. When I told her who was on the line, she directed me to say she wasn’t in. Each time he gets a little madder. The last time he said to give her a message. It was something like, ‘you’re the one who needed to talk to me urgently. I suggest you return the call or you’ll be seeing me in Seattle.’”
“So he’s coming here?”
“I don’t know. He just left that sharp message late yesterday afternoon. When I got in, she and Matt were already in a closed door meeting. By the way, Matt has been in a rotten mood, and he isn’t taking calls either. I feel like I’m in the middle of a war zone.”
~43~
The next morning I walked back toward my office, fingering through some of the messages that came in while I was gone. As I passed Julia’s office, I heard snatches of conversation. “Worried. Cover tracks…” I recognized Matt’s voice.
Then the door flew open and Matt blasted out of the office, nearly barreling right into me. His face was flushed, but he finally gained control of himself despite beads of sweat dotting his forehead. He looked like he could stand a stiff drink.
“I’m sorry Kimberly. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I guess. But you look like hell. What’s going on?”
He mumbled, “Big customer giving us a real hard time. You know how that can be.” As the flush faded, he cleared his throat. “Apparently, some—uh, custom conference room furniture was delivered a big letter “K” carved in every piece.”
“How could that happen? I mean, quality control—”
He attempted a sardonic laugh. “Rogue inmate. That happens sometimes. As if that isn’t bad enough, General Wilson, the base commander, is threatening to file a complaint.”
Of course I knew that was total bullshit, but not bad for creating a story on the fly. “So what are you going to do?”
Matt grimaced. “Just gotta figure out how to calm him down.”
Between the receptionist mentioning Julia was avoiding Bruce, and now this, I was pretty sure we had struck a nerve
At that point I suppose I could have asked if there was anything he needed me to do, but decided against it when my cell phone rang. The 202 area code on the screen meant it could be Nathan. I retreated into my office, saying I had to answer it.
“Kimberly? Nate. Listen I wanted to alert you that Bruce left D.C. last night headed your way.”
It was only 9:00 in the morning and things seemed to be spinning out of control already. I had a feeling it was going to be a crazy day. “Well, I just got in and our receptionist said Bruce’s been calling, but Julia won’t take his calls.”
“Okay, that's to be expected He’s probably trying to figure out how to cover his ass.” He chuckled. “Maybe that email of yours wasn't such a bad idea.”
“Yeah. We figured it would shake them up without actually saying anything. ”
“Well, it seems like it did the trick. Listen, I want you to call me as soon as he gets there. How are you holding up?”
“Okay,” I said hesitantly.
“You don’t sound okay. Kimberly, this could really get sticky. Promise me you’ll be careful, and you won’t do anything foolish. Let the FBI do their job.”
“No, really, it’s okay and I’m fine. It’s just that Matt’s all upset, and Julia is hiding out in her office, and…”
“If it seems like anything strange or violent might happen, I want you to get out of there. We don’t know what any of them are capable of. Do I have your word on that?”
The concern in his voice spoke volumes. Planning for something was one thing. Watching it begin to happen was a different story. I knew he was right.
“Don’t worry Nate. You’re absolutely right, and I will be careful.”
After Nate’s warning, I fell back into my desk chair, afraid I didn’t have the stomach for what came next.
The sound of a loud bang echoed down the narrow corridor from the front reception area, as though the heavy wood door had been slammed shut. I peeked out of my office in time to see Bruce charging down the corridor, fire in his eyes, shouting, “Julia, Matt, meeting now! He planted his feet firmly in front of the conference room, and threw open the glass door.
What if Bruce had figured out what we did?
Ducking back into my office, I heard Julia hustle toward the conference room followed by Matt. I reached for my cell to call Nathan, and had only dialed a few numbers when my intercom buzzed. Startled, I reached over and pressed the button. Bruce’s voice bellowed, “Kimberly, come to the conference room—now.”
My knees threatened to buckle, but I hurried across the hall. Seated across from our furious boss, Julia and Matt looked pale and worried. Bruce sputtered, “Kimberly, I’m hungry. Been traveling half the God-damned night.”
I’d never seen him with a 5:00 shadow, crumpled suit or even one of his expensively styled hairs out of place.
He rubbed the stubble on his chin and glared at me. “Get some food delivered—now.” He was like an angry grizzly bear. When he slapped the table, Matt actually jumped in his seat. “Order anything, I don’t care what. Coffee, too. Black and lots of it. Not that dishwater you guys make in this office. Order it from the restaurant.”
My hands were shaking and my knees felt weak. “Okay, Bruce. Right away.” My thumping heart calmed down and I wondered why he had asked me to do it. I was the controller, not the errand girl. I told myself he was just being the chauvinistic jerk he normally is.
I inched toward the door, but he stopped me in my tracks and pointed to the big multi-line phone on the credenza. “Use that phone.” He sank into the chair at the head of the table, legs splayed. “Tell them I’ll pay extra for fast delivery. Then stick around so I can tell you what I need you to do for me.”
While looking at the phone, a great idea popped into my head.
I dialed the restaurant on the first floor of our building and ordered a few omelets, an urn of coffee and some sweet rolls. As an afterthought, I ordered some chocolate donuts, too. Julia looked like she needed a chocolate fix. I was so nervous I’d forgotten to ask for quick delivery. Bruce shouted, “Damn it! What about fast delivery? I said to promise them a big tip for fast delivery!” So I dialed back, added that, then disconnected.
He growled, “You can go now.” He didn't have to tell me to
leave, I was ready. None of them noticed that I had just finished hitting both the speaker and call button for one of my office com lines. I'd be able to hear everything they said.
As a precaution, as soon as the conference room door closed, I rushed to the front desk and told the receptionist not to disturb me, then headed for my office and locked the door. That way no one could barge in. I even remembered to take the receiver for my private line off the hook.
The office was as still as a tomb until Bruce’s angry voice boomed over the com line. I sat on the edge of my chair ready to listen but something bothered me. That feeling I’d forgotten something. How dumb. My cell phone was still on with the ringer on high! I pulled it from my purse and turned it off, too.
Bruce’s voice was filled with fury. “Okay you bitch. How dare you threaten me!”
Julia’s words begged innocence, but I heard a nervous tremor. “Why Bruce, whatever do you mean?”
“I mean that threatening voicemail—the one where you told me to back off or you would report everything you know about me. Did you think I wouldn’t be able to cook up an excuse for using the government credit card? And, where the hell did you get off with that snide Avarice-2 comment, anyway? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Bruce, calm down. I’m sure you know what I was referring to—the, er, Avarice-2 email you sent to Matt and me. Need I go into further detail? It was clever. After all, avarice does mean greed. Look, I won’t be threatened and I won’t cut you in, so forget setting time limits for me. You’re the one who started this. Why you accused me of…”
“Accused you? I didn’t accuse you of anything, Bitch. You’re the one who left me that rotten voice mail out of the blue. What did you expect? Here’s the reality. I have more power than you do. I can and will use my influence to really screw you up if you try anything. After all, you used your government card for personal stuff, too. I haven’t done anything you didn’t do, just more of it. If I go down, so do you.”
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