The building creaked and groaned, as the wind whipped violently, against the cladding outside. The young-assistant, brushed, her blonde-hair, away from her face. The young investor sat in the adjacent-chair. He shuffled through, his paper-work, before giving me, a gold, loose-leaf, folder. He cleared his throat. I placed my hand, on his shoulder, and felt the sweat.
"You know, this is a major investment, in something, which I really don't know, anything about. I will give a couple of my friends, a ring, to see if this holds water. We will circle-back, to this conversation."
"Do you think, I am a con-artist?"
I nodded
"Those numbers are too good, to be true. There must be something, more to them. My father said that if something doesn't seem right, they are hiding something. If your company, is making so much money, why don't you have, more investors?"
"Because, the more investors, you have, the more the shares get deluded. People, who come in later, are disadvantaged. You have no incentive to invest. "
"Is that why, you are here. You want me, to risk my money, on you, playing in the major league. What happens, if you lose it all, on a gamble, that doesn't pay-off?"
"You will get your money, plus interest."
I shut the door, and coldly whispered
"I am sure, you know who I am. I am sure; you know how I do business. I don't like risks. Risks, lead to loss. I like my investments, to be air-tight. What you have presented me with, is an interesting company, which has the potential, to do good things. At least, that is what, your initial earns, are telling me. Normally, I wouldn't invest, in something, that hasn't been tested. But, I will go against my better judgement, and give you, a chance. I will give you, the initial capital. I want, to see a growth of at least twenty-percent, in the first month.
If it grows, I will invest more. But, if there is a whiff, of mis-management, or you lose my money, and fail to pay back, the interest, in good time, I will pull the plug."
"So, is that a deal?"
I calmly responded
"I am guessing, you have never closed, a deal. I will get my receptionist, to fax-you, the contract for you, to sign. And we will go, from there."
"Should, I get a lawyer, to give it, a one-over?"
I nodded
"That is not, a bad idea. It will help you see, that the deal, is above board."
Present day9:00 office
My spear is sharpened. My teeth are ready to gnarl, at your flesh! Feel, his bones crunching, beneath my fingers. His blood, will feel majestic, causing through, my veins. His scarlet-red eyes will radiate in my stomach. He is going, to die, painfully.
I grabbed the silver, pump-action shot-gun, from the gun safe, and discharged the cartridge. I placed, the ammo-box, on the bed. The red shell's, glistened, in the dawns, early-light. The casings, exclaimed brutally, as I placed them, in my gun. I fasoned, the tatted, shoulder-straps, to the weapon. My business-partner, wheezed.
"So what are you going to do, about him?"
I clocked the gun, and waited for the swarm of ducks, to fly into range
"He needs to know, that there are consequences, for losing my money."
I fired the gun, and watched, as the fathers fell to the ground, like lava from a volcano.
"He has to know, he is dancing, with the devil."
He wheezily replied
"It was a mistake. That is life. You cannot be too hard, on him."
I laughed
"Jay-walking, is a mistake. Losing two thousand dollars is not. Losing that much, is a calculated-effort, to screw with me!"
I slammed, the case shut, and whispered
"I should have trusted my gut. But, I was sucked in, by those juicy-numbers. Now, all I can do, is watch, as my investment, goes down, the toilet. The worst thing, is that I involved, you, in all of this."
He softly responded
"You know, that I am a big boy. If I saw the warning signs, I would have pulled the plug. I was blinded by his charm. His ability, to spin wool, into gold. Mistakes were always going to be made. He played us, both. And this is what we get.
Have you given him, a time-line, to get your money back?"
I nodded
"I am going to see him, tomorrow, to discuss that."
"Are you going to bring, your shot-gun?"
I shook my head
"I think maybe, it would be best, if I leave that, at home."
Office- 10:00
"We need to talk"
"I am not Jesus; I cannot walk back, into that office, and become king. Derrick, is still in charge, whether, you like it or not.
"Do you think, this is a game? You sat in that chair, next to me, and you made me a promise. You said, that you would make sure, my money, was safe. But, I got played, didn't I! I got sucked into, your web, and now I am trapped."
"So I am guessing, you, are going, to pull the plug."
"If you can tell me, another way, for me to keep my money, safe I am all ears. But, for the time being, I have to think about, myself. You have, to put out, your own fires, before I can even think, about, helping you, rebuild. If you know, what I mean."
"You have to know, that there might not be, a company, for you to rebuild. Your name, is keeping the high-end clients, sitting at the table. Once you leave, they will pay the bills, and leave as well."
"That is not my problem. If your friend, Ron, has any common-sense, he will get you, in the drivers-seat, and allow you, to steer the company, out of this mess, you created."
"What are you going, to tell your friend?"
"They have a right to know, the truth. They have to know, what happened. From there, they have a choice to make. To either stay or leave."
11:00
"As many of you, have seen, the money, where you have placed, your money, is being investigated. So you have a choice, to make. You can either hope, that the damage is minimised. That they leave, with their tails, between their legs, or you can take your money out, and invest somewhere safer. "
"I guess, you are sharpening your knives. Ready, to stab him, in the back, you have to know, the risks, that leaving, will cause him. His business is built on the back, of wealthy people, like you."
"You have to understand, he was already, lying in his coffin. All I did, was lay the dirt on top, and finish the job. How safe, is your money, inside, of his fortress. So let us, take a vote. Do we stay or pull our money. "
"I think, I speak for the group, when I say, I am shocked. How could it, have ended like that. Our money is lost, no matter, what the outcome is. He has taken a flame thrower! To our legacy. I think we need to take; whatever is left, and leave, while our heads, are still, held-high."
"So that settles it. I will organise, for you, to get your money. "
11:30
He anxiously said
"I am guessing, this is not, a house-call."
I regrettably replied
"The Board and I have been talking, and we have come to a resolution. We are pulling our money, from your company."
He mockingly laughed
"You have got to be joking. You, have single handily, destroyed my company. If you had waited, you would have got your return on investment. "
" Your company is down the toilet. Your reputation is going to leave, with me, as well. You have, to live with that. You have to live, with the idea, that on your watch, someone, closest to you, made a fatal-error, which has left you, in this position."
"So this is your solution. I guess, when it gets tough, you weasel, your way-out, of danger. To hell, with the investment! As long, as you are safe, that is all that matters. My house is on fire, and you are running away, like a coward. Pick-up, a hose, and help, put out the fire!"
"With all due respect, I cannot help you. Your business is contaminated. If you do, get through the investigation, no-one, is going to want, to invest in your company. Who in their right mind, would risk, their money, in a company, suspected, of insider-trading. I didn't have to call you. I could have pulled, the money, and watched from the side-line. But, out of respect for you, I wanted to tell you, that my money matters, to me."
"So, Ben Franklin has got a hold of your conscious.
"Good luck."
4
The wind whispered, elegantly through, her bleached-blonde, hair. The young-women, placed her manicured hand, on the back of his hair, and ran her fingers, across the scalp of his greasy-hair. She placed, the clumps of hair, in her palm, and softly said
"I am guessing, you didn't wash your hair, very much, when you were living there."
"I don't like the way, the water, flows over me."
"So you decided, not to bathe at all?"
"Yes"
"Do you have no, dignity? You smell, as though, you have bathed, with pigs in the mud! This is not the boy, I raised. It is honestly amazing, it has been less, than a week, but you have sculpted him, into a mirror-image, of you."
"I am guessing, you don't approve, of the way, he has treated me?"
"I don't know what you expect me, to say. He is going, to make you sick."
"What does it matter? I am an adult. And I have the right, to decide, what I do, with my body."
"Get in the car."
She shut the car-door, and turned her attention towards me. Her eyes were like daggers. Her words, spat-out, like venom. She placed, her hand on my shoulder, and gruffly stated
"I don't know, what kind of stories, you told him, about me. And personally, I don't care. All I ask, is that you make him, bathe; to make him sleep, to be a parent, for the first-time, in your life.
"Do you not want him, to have a choice? This is a free country-man, and you can be, what you want to be."
"Not like that. I want him, to express himself. But, I want him, to bathe. How can you not see, that."
"You see the world, as black and white. You see freewill and choice, as non-existent entities, in this void. Your boy, is growing, into a man, before your eyes, and therefore, should be treated, as such."
"But, it is not, about that, is it."
"You see an infant. You swaddle him, in your arms, in the desperate-hope, to squeeze, the last-bit, of child-hood, out of him. You can't see, the adult, he is morphing into. The days, of him, holding you dearly, are gone. Hopefully, you see that, before, he regrets you, even-more, than he already does."
"I know, a lot, about you. Maybe, I know more than I should. But the question is what you are going to do, to change it. The way, I look at the state of play. You are nothing more, than a land-lord; paying his rent and utilities. You have no real power, over the way that I treat him, because, you were always at work, trying to find the next big thing.
You couldn't stop and smell the roses, and this is the price that you pay, for that mistake. Now, with all due respect, I am going to take him, home, and give him a bath. We will discuss visitation later."
The tires gnashed and snarled, as they gripped the road. Smoke billowed, from the asphalt.
Chunks, rock, shot like bullets through the air, piecing my thin, weiry-skin.
12:00
Ron, banged, on the glass-window, and softly said
"The old man is out. So in essence, we are cooked. So if any of you have any ideas, I would love, to hear it. Otherwise, we are nothing but, a sinking ship. "
The room fell silent. I finally spoke. I nervously said
"There is no way, of paying back, Walters son. What is he going to do, when he figures out, his money is gone?"
Ron, softly stated
"I don't think, he is going to be happy. But I don't have a clue, what kind of power or influence, he has. He is new, to the game, and he hasn't found that killer instinct; like everyone else has."
I gently asked
"Do we have an emergency-fund?"
Ron calmly said
"I don't think bribing him, is a good idea. Greed is what got us here, in the first place; I don't think, it is the solution."
I fearfully asked
"How much, do you think it would take?"
He smiled
"I know, what you are thinking. Give him, the money he inically invested back, and give him, some fable about, how it will take more time, to return, a profit, on his investment."
Ron said
"Could that work?"
I gently said
"No. He might not have been in the game long, but even an idiot, could see through that. But, that is the only plan that we have. "
I whispered in Ron's ear, and said
"Can you arrange a meeting?"
Ron fearfully asked
"Do you think, we should clear this with Derrick?"
I laughed
"Derrick, is sitting on a palm-chair, somewhere in the Caribbean, smoking a cigar, and drinking single malt whiskey. It is clear, where his priority, is. I will take the fall, if this doesn't work."
I heard, the glass quiver, as I shut the door. My answering machine mockingly blinked at me. Her voice was like lighting through, a still night. She swiftly said
"You are going to pay, for not treating my child right. You have, got less than two days, a week with him. I hope you are proud of yourself."
I laughed, and deleted the message. I grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge, and waited for my phone to buzz.
Walter Whitman, placed his fur-coat, on the dining-table, and sat by the fire. He nervously checked his phone for updates, before calling me. He gently stated
"I think we need to have a chat"
The young man's crooked smile was jaggedly etched, across his face. He grabbed a can of beer, from the outside fridge, and slammed it down on the table. He softly whispered
"I know you think I am an idiot, but surely you should have been able to see, what you have done. Where is my money, which I gave you?"
I nervously stated
"It has gone, to paying off my company's debt."
The young man, smiled, and whispered in my ear.
"I know, you have no control, over the money. So I am going to make this easy for you. You drag your boss, off of whatever island, he is on, and get him, to give me, a call."
I shook my head
"That might be easier said, then done. I have no idea, where he is."
Walter simply said
"How is that my problem?"
I gently said
"I will get this done; just give me, a little bit of time."
1:00Office
The once, vibrant office, lay barren. Ron sat in the corner office, drinking expired coffee, and washing it down, with sludgy-green, milk. Ron was staring at the financial records, searching for a way, to get out of this hole. I nervously tapped on the glass-door, and gently sat down.
The chair, squealed, in horror, under my weight. I gently said
"He wants, to see the boss."
Ron shook his head
"Did you tell him, how impossible, that mission would be."
I nodded
"He doesn't care, and quite frankly, I agree. He is sitting ideally by, while I bail out his company. I am left with the struggle, of pulling a rabbit out of a hat, and he is simply lapping up, the sun-light by the pool. No! I think, he needs to do what he, is being paid to do, and fix the hole in the ship.
Do you know, where he is"
Ron smiled
"Thailand"
"Do you have access to his accounts?"
I simply stated
"I want to cut him off. I want to force him, to fix the mess he has created."
I softly asked
"Is there any other scandals, which could hamper our re-branding?"
Ron shook his head
I made out onto the floor, and ushered what remained of our team together. I nervously said
"I know that you have heard the rumor; and yes they are true. I made a deal, with the old man before he died, and brought shares, using insider information, to gain more money, for this company. Once, he died, the deal was dealt with by his son. Sadly this information got leaked to the press, and now, we are in the weeds.
I don't care what you think of me. I don't care if you respect me or despise me. But what I need is for you, to try and re brand this company. I want you to lean, on whatever friends from the industry, still willing to take you seriously.
And together, we will be able to right the ship."
1:30
I heard, the phone in my back pocket, gently ringing. I saw the caller tag, and saw that it was Derrick. I made my way, into Ron's office, and gently muttered under my breathe
"Derrick, is calling me"
I anxiously answered the call
"You must have a problem, if you have to cut my bank-account"
I laughed
"Have you seen the news? Your company is slowly plummeting to the bottom of the sea, and all you can think about, is that I am dragging you away, from your island paradise. You may not want to hear this; but you have, a moral responsibility, to come back to the office, and rite this ship."
"Are you joking? I thought that was why you were there."
"No. I have done, all that I can. I have attempted to reduce the damage, but without you, coming back, taking responsibility, and stepping down with a bit of dignity and respect, there is no way in hell, that we are ever going to re-brand this company."
"What makes you think, me stepping down, is going to change anything. Investors, are still going to think that, the company, is risky, and they are not going to invest in us."
"Let me worry about investors. Can you at least trust me enough to come back, and un-tether yourself from the company?"
He coyly said
"Of course"
I made my way back to my rented apartment, and grabbed my notebook. I anxiously told Walters's son, that Derrick would be here within a week
2:00
"I am guessing you had a good holiday."
"I am guessing you want to know, if I am going to stand aside gracefully or fight til the end"
I leaned in close
"If I was you, I would step down with grace, before this company is nothing but rubble"
He laughed mockingly
"We both know you are a toothless tiger. I am going to sit back in my seat, and you are going to walk out that door. "
I shook my head
"One call and you are going to be collecting stamps for the rest of your life."
"Do you really think The Old man, scares me? He is a dinosaur, in a world filled with modern technology. If you fire me, I will be meeting him, at the end of the line. "
The old man, placed his black coat onto the hanger, and gently opened the glass, double-doors. He placed, a folder in my hand, and gently said
"I will take it from here"
2:30
Ron grabbed the coffee, and started pouring it into his memorabilia cup. He ushered me inside, and gently asked
"How did you manage, to get The Old man down here?"
I gently stated
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
"How are we going to fix our reputation?"
"Ron I have been here a week, and I have seen your problem; sadly, it is you. You are like an expensive race-car; you are great on a still, calm track; but when the weather shifts, and the track starts to turn wet you slip and slide and fail to perform. Ron, this is not your place. I cannot teach you how to be something which you will never be.
I am sorry, but I have to let you go."
"You don't have the authority to do that"
I simply stated
"The Old man thinks differently. He tasked me, with making the company strong again, and that is what I am doing."
"By firing me?"
"Ron I know you can't see it; so let me help you out. You failed to tell me exactly when our stock plummeted; you gave me some bullshit about it being at nine o'clock, when in reality it was the day before. You were a passenger, when I stepped into this office. Why did you not question why I was here, and what I was doing?"
"I assumed that you had come from the main office."
"That is your problem Ron; you sat there and waited for me, to lead you to the water. You never took the first steps to fix the problem."
"If you were in my shoes Ron, would you keep someone who is clearly floundering, or would you kull them."
"I would get rid of them"
"Collect your things, and head out of my office."
I placed the tape recorder down on the desk and gently stated
"I will remind you that you have waived your right to a lawyer is this correct?"
"That is correct"
"I am going to cut to the chase. We both know, that people like you, are not born into the wealth you have to be cut-throat! And to be honest, I think more people should be like you; it would make this place a hell of a lot better. Sadly you were involved in some "shady" deals."
"Mr. Cartwright, you cannot make an omelette, without breaking a couple of eggs."
"Is that why you did not see the red flags when it came to Rodney's shoes?"
"My company was going through a slump; we had lost several important clients, and I was looking to bring us back on track. I got a call from my brother Mr. Waterman, who told me that he had a stock that I might be interested in. I researched the company and found that the product was perfect for my company, so I took the deal."
"But surely when you did your research you would have seen that Mr. Waterman had several deals on the books with Mr. Rodney?"
"No."
"This is not your first time, investing sight-unseen. For example when you took the deal with Mr. Ru-Castle, last year. The value of your building almost tripled in value overnight. Surely using your logic you would have never taken that deal, because Mr. Ru-Castle, had links to right-wing fundamentalists."
"Mr. Cartwright, when my associates made those deals, we were very much aware of Mr. Ru-Castles, political views; those views did not affect the purchase of that product."
"Why was that? Why did you not get cold feet, when you heard his views?"
"How does this relate to Rodney's shoes?"
"With all due respect, it will help us both if you simply answer the questions. There is no point, in you trying to figure out, where my line of questioning is going."
"Do you always do your research before buying shares in companies, which are new to the stock market?"
"Mr. Rodney's shoes were a small company. It had a couple of stores, but most of the sales were conducted online. With smaller companies like this, it is easier for me to do my research, it saves me money."
"When you first contacted Mr. Walter man, about Rodney's shoes, did he tell you about his vested interest in the company?"
"No. That conversation did not come up"
"Why is that; surely you would like to know if the deal, was legitimate?"
"I trusted Mr. Walter-man."
"How long have you known Mr. Walter-man?"
"I have known him for twenty-two years; he was the first investor in my company. We would meet when he was in town, to talk about joining forces."
"And I am guessing getting Rodney's shoes, was the next logical step"
"Yes; Rodney's stock was appealing to me and some of my investors. That is why I arranged a meeting with my brother to find more information about them."
"What happened after your meeting?"
"I brought the stock."
"Did you get any other stocks from Mr. Walter-man?"
"No."
"That is funny because, it seems that after you made the deal with Mr. Walter-man, your shares jumped from two cents to two dollars a share. You increased your share price dividends, dramatically; all in all a good day for you, for Mr. Walter-man, and Mr. Rodney's shoes."
"I guess you could say that"
"One deal does not instantly take your company, to the cover of Forbes Magazine."
"Are we done here?"
"Yes."
3:30
"Can you get me a list of all his investors?"
I shook my head
"That information is protected"
"I think the only cause of action is calling, "The Old Man"
People like to talk about me, behind my back. They think that the safety of the shadows is going to protect them. But I am like a blood-hound; once I get a whiff of blood, I am on your scent. That is how you survive in business; by being willing to slash the tires of your enemies
I have seen this game from the start. I have seen masters fold, and I have seen nobodies climb, to the top of the food chain. Marcus was in the latter category. When he started all he did was a cold call. I guess the other guys were not willing to fight as hard as him because, within a year, he was the Salesman of the year. People told me about this kid but I never knew how to get him. He was just out of reach. Until I caught him.
He was at a proud law firm, temping; wasting his talents, and writing numbers into Excel documents. That is when we connected.
My thoughts were interrupted when my phone rang. I stared at the caller Id and softly stated
"Mr. Cartwright, what is it, I can do for my favorite friend."
"I need the names of the investors in a company, for a case that I am working"
I laughed
"Why would I risk, my neck for you?"
"Because you know the power I wield. I have the power to make your life in business smooth sailing, or I can make it a living hell"
"You're not going to scare me. I have plenty of other ways to make money."
"How much power do you have? I know about the associates."
"Is that meant to mean something?"
"The associates are a group of cops, bankers, businessmen, and traders, which you use to get the best trades."
"Mr. Cartwright, it seems that I have made a grave error in doubting your intelligence. But I have to tell you, that I am a major stakeholder in a lot of companies if this bites me in the ass! You will feel my wrath"
"You know I can't make that promise"
"Sadly then, this conversation is over."
"Is that really how you are going to play ball? I hold all of the cards in this situation. With one click of my mouse, your whole operation falls like a stack of dominos. "
I was a client when I saw him. I gently tapped him on the shoulder and gently whispered
"I know you are destined for more than this"
He couldn't wipe the smile off his face; here was someone with real power, telling him he was going to go places, with the right skills. I took him under my wing. I put him on the kill floor with a couple of my best and brightest employees. It was all part of my mantra. "Sink or Swim" and he flourished.
He soon moved into the trading room. This was a small room on the second floor. Staffs were en-tombed in glass cubicles; with one mission to sell stock. But he was hazed. One night when I was heading to my office, I saw claw marks indented into the back of the cubical. Blood slowly ran down his left hand.
He was too broken up, to tell me who did it; but I had my suspicions.
"People like you, all think the same. You all think you have my number. You think you have figured me out. But in reality; you are holding a handful of nothing! The associates are important to a point, but clearly, you have their number. You can have them. "
"Does that mean you are going to give me, those names?"
"Mr. Cartwright, those names are meaningless to you. You are not going to find the answers there. The people invested in Marcus's company are day traders and small business owners, hoping to make a couple of bucks. They are not big fish"
"I would class you as a big fish"
"Mr. Cartwright, you are not hunting me. If you were hunting me, you would be dead and buried. What you are hunting for, is a connection; something to help your case hold water; because at the moment, all you have is a legal deal with a businessman with shady political views, which is not a crime"
"Who should I be looking at?"
3:00
FBI Head Quarters
Interview Room
"I can't tell you, who to investigate"
"You owe me"
Jacob sat in the corner of the room, the blade of his switch-blade knife dripped onto his computer. He smiled and mouthed the words the cunt had it coming to him.
"What did you do?"
"I incited him; into this office."
"In this office we have rules that must be obeyed. Sadly you have broken them; and for what. To prove you are God. People like you are the reason why, people don't trust investors. They think that we are blood-thirsty; they think that we are only in it to line our pocket and smite our competition. By you attacking him! You have proven them right.
For that, I am sad to say, that I cannot keep you here. My reputation is too important to me, to be thrown away because of someone like you."
A tear gently rolled down his face. I placed my hand on his shoulder, and calmly stated
"Every action has consequences."
"Mr Cartwright; I don't owe you anything. My debt is all paid up."
"It is paid, when I say it is! I built your empire brick by brick; I sat on the side line, and waited for your praise. But I got nothing. I was left out in the cold while you lapped up, all of the praise. All I want is a piece of the action."
"Jacob I am grasping at straws. I have no idea what you think, you did. You helped me stay out of trouble but other than that, you were my cheer-leader."
"How can you be so blind? I made sure, it stayed on track, while you wined and dined your twenty something girlfriend. I kept the engine room running, while you decided what ring you were going to give her. I kept the money rolling in, but I guess you were too busy playing house to notice it."
"And for that I am grateful. But you didn't need to do that; I had it under control."
"I am sure you had a plan; like you always do. You have always been this way. Always waiting and hoping but never wanting to do anything more than that. You would rather leave it up to fate then, do the hard yards. "
"I guess that is why I am here, and you are there. "
"When this house of cards falls down around you, I will not be there to save you. You made the decision to put your trust in Marcus, and you have to live with the affects of that."
The office reeked of regret. The young man loudly chugged what remained of his coke, and chucked it in the steel-bin, by his desk. He placed his wrinkled hand into his pocket, and offered me some candy. The writing on the wrapping had faded, and the candy cane stuck to the side of the wrapper like glue. The wrapping crunched, as I opened it. I peeled back the wrapper, and placed the tasteless candy into my mouth.
I threw the candy, into the bin.
I saw the phone, and nervously waited for it to ring. The green clock ticked ominously. I heard the crunch of the paper, beneath my fingers.
The phone rang. I anxiously stared at the piece of paper, in front of me. I felt a cold hand on the back of my neck. He softly stated
"I know this is all new to you; but you don't need a piece of paper, to sell stocks. Selling is in your DNA. So show him, you are worthy of being up there again."
"Sorry for spitting out your candy."
"I wanted to get rid of it, for years. It has been in my pocket, since I joined the company. "
"Why do you have such a hard time trusting, that Marcus is the right man for the job; you saw his talents first hand."
"I didn't see his talents, I saw him manipulate someone into buying risky shares in companies, which were not worth the paper that they were written on. And if you think, he is going to bring your company back from the grave. Then you really have lost the plot."
"You don't know what you saw. Jack is an allusive client. When he is in town, he wants to spend his money. Marcus worked his nose to the grind-stone, to secure his money. He buys stocks in some of our smaller companies; which keeps them afloat."
"And you didn't think to tell me, about Jack."
"It was part of the deal that we struck. He only wanted to work with Marcus and me"
"And you let him dictate his terms of service."
"Jacob, let's cut to the chase. You didn't call me about the investigation, because if you did, you would have hung up the phone hours ago. So tell me, what I can do for you."
"I want back in."
"What makes you think, I can do that."
"You are one of the founding partners. You have overall control over everything that goes on, in your business. All you have to do is give me a chance."
"You had a chance in the past, and you blew it. What makes now, different from then?"
"I was young back then, I have learnt a lot."
FBI Head Quarters
Day 2
"Tell me, about how you got involved with Jack."
"Jack came to us. He had a couple of friends, who had highly recommended our services."
"Did he tell you, about his business, in the initial meeting?"
"No. Initially, I had no idea, about the shoes. But after our first meeting, he holds me, which he had a good business deal. "
"So that is when you knew about the shoes?"
"Yes."
"Marcus is it true, that you were offered 15% of the company, with an additional 5%, after five years."
"Yes."
"So why did you lie, to me."
"I didn't lie. He did propose it. But I told him, I was not interested. He said he had a couple of other meetings that day."
"How did the deal with your brother come up?"
"He knew that I was struggling; we had been for a number of months, and so I asked him, if he had any clients looking to make a buck..."
"And Jack was mentioned"
"Yes he mentioned Jack, approached him, with a deal. He wanted to know whether I was interested."
"Where you interested?"
"I knew that I had very little options left. I had to make a big call, and sadly it was the wrong one. I arranged to meet him, the next day, and nut out the contents of the deal."
"What happened to the deal, once he died?"
"Walters's son, took on the deal, and gave me the company stock."
Office9:00
The black suites, grabbed the cardboard boxes in the corner of the room. They smiled and left. I grabbed one of them, on the back of the suite. I heard the rip, as the cotton fell apart. I felt his burly hand, slide across my face. He aggressively stated
"Get your hands off of me."
"You can't take those"
He laughed in my face. Spit flew like volcanic ash
"Young man, I am guessing, you have no idea who I am. I am the law. I have the power to take whatever I want."
I mumbled under my breathe
"Get the old man."
9:20
"As thrilling as it has been reliving the good old says I have business I need to attend to.
"Tell me, what you want me to do?"
"Tell him, to stop rummaging through our stuff"
"Marcus the law is very simple. If they have a warrant they have every right, to take evidence to build their case."
"So that is it then?"
"What are they going to find."
"A couple of months ago, Jack came to the office, for a business trip. He said that he saw potential in the business; he made me an offer to add us, and add us to his business conglomerate."
"Do they know that?"
"No."
"That is the way, I want to keep it."
FBI building
"We have him nailed, dead to rights."
"Hold off on that press release, there is something I have to do first."
"That old man, has gotten in your head hasn't he."
"So what if he has. We will make our speech, but we both know that this is not going to make it to court. For one, he already has enough bad PR, there is no way he is going to subject his investors to more of that, and risk tanking the stock anymore; and secondly he has no money to find a lawyer."
He laughed
"This is not about protecting your friend; you want the company."
"That company would be nothing without me! And he asks as though he is some kind of pure monk. I got the company to where it is now. But I never got the credit that I deserved."
"So you are going to destroy his reputation and your friend to get it?"
"You bet I am! History's greatest moments, were forged in the fire of battle. War taught us, that sometimes, the best way to show your strength and power is through force and power. Sometimes, that is the only way stubborn people like the old man, are going to see, what they are doing. Frank you have a choice. You hand down your ruling or you can sit with me, while the ashes burn."
"We both know how that played out last time, he told you to leave; what makes you think, he is going to change his tune?"
"What do you know about the associates?"
"A few years ago, found out about a small group of business, which were making un-usually large profits. It was strange, but nothing too suspicious; nothing that would raise any red flags on our system. But a couple of months into our investigation, we get a tip off from a young business manager of one of the companies we were looking into. She decided to blow the whistle on them.
That is when she told us, about the associates. Apparently he had been running the operation for years; we staked out the company for a year, before moving in. But by that time, they had disbanded, and headed to safe havens. The investigation went cold."
"Did you question anyone in the association before they disbanded?"
"No"