his family is well-connected so it didn’t stick.”
“I still don’t see how this relates to me. Did you think you’d get revenge on another rich guy? Now who’s judgmental?”
“No no no.” She shook her head vigorously. “Nothing like that. Johnny and whoever he’s working for. They used Janey’s situation as bait. They promised to get the charges dropped against her if I agreed to help them.”
Finally, Chase left the door and sat down at his desk. He rubbed his temples. “Why you? There must be tens of thousands of cases in this state alone. Why did they choose Janey’s sister?”
She shrugged. “I’m not an administrator. I’m a private investigator.”
“And you’re saying they planned this from the start? To get you involved?”
“I’ve thought about it a lot. I don’t think so. It seems like an opportunity Johnny saw and grabbed with both hands.”
“You are old friends then?”
She shook her head. “God no, I wouldn’t say friends. We grew up in the same neighborhood.”
“Are you gonna tell me who he’s working for? Is it Bates? I can’t think who else—”
“No. Chase it’s worse than you think. They’re not looking for your trade secrets. I thought the same as you until this morning.”
“What is it then? And why are you telling me all this now?”
“I thought I was out of this when you fired me this morning. I was trying to figure out how to tell Johnny when he called me out of the blue. Sounded all sweet.”
“So?”
“Johnny Macone has never spoken to me like that before in my life. It’s probably the only reason I’m sitting in front of you now and not unconscious in the basement of his bar.”
Chase smiled weakly. “An investigator. I knew there was something about you that didn’t fit.”
She looked down. “I’m sorry. Really I am. I didn’t see another choice. I decided this morning that I was out but he upped the stakes. Implied it wouldn’t be good for my health if I backed out now. Chase that’s the thing,” she leaned forward across the desk and grabbed his hand. “It’s not corporate espionage. They’re trying to set you up.”
“Who is?”
“I don’t know the name. But we can find out easily. It’s someone in your business.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “Say you and Mike walked out on the business today. Who’d become CEO?”
He shrugged.
“This is important.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“There must be someone you’ve groomed to take over. They wouldn’t risk this unless there was a strong chance they’d get to reap the rewards.”
“Tell me everything you know.”
“That’s pretty much it. I thought I was here to look for information in your systems about Keton, Naylor and BEK. But I found out from Johnny this morning that the reason they wanted me here was to listen out for signs that you were about to finalize those deals. It makes sense – they’d primed me to look for those keywords, and I’d be the one to coordinate the paperwork. I think I was here as a safeguard in case their friend tried to double-cross them.”
“Why those deals? They’re tiny compared to some of the others.”
“They’re plants. I don’t know the details but I assume they were designed to look too good to pass up and planted by the inside guy.”
“But that’s impossible. We carry out exhaustive research before investing. You know that. And it’s not like I have shareholders who can fire me for making a bad investment. It’s a family firm.”
“Chase, you don’t understand. Johnny didn’t mention you getting fired. He was talking about you being arrested for securities fraud. There’s something about those companies.”
He shook his head and started rummaging on his desk for something. He found what he was looking for and held it up. It was a thick brown paper folder.
“See this? This is a fraction of the information I myself pored over before authorizing the Bracken deal. That’s not
“I still don’t see how this relates to me. Did you think you’d get revenge on another rich guy? Now who’s judgmental?”
“No no no.” She shook her head vigorously. “Nothing like that. Johnny and whoever he’s working for. They used Janey’s situation as bait. They promised to get the charges dropped against her if I agreed to help them.”
Finally, Chase left the door and sat down at his desk. He rubbed his temples. “Why you? There must be tens of thousands of cases in this state alone. Why did they choose Janey’s sister?”
She shrugged. “I’m not an administrator. I’m a private investigator.”
“And you’re saying they planned this from the start? To get you involved?”
“I’ve thought about it a lot. I don’t think so. It seems like an opportunity Johnny saw and grabbed with both hands.”
“You are old friends then?”
She shook her head. “God no, I wouldn’t say friends. We grew up in the same neighborhood.”
“Are you gonna tell me who he’s working for? Is it Bates? I can’t think who else—”
“No. Chase it’s worse than you think. They’re not looking for your trade secrets. I thought the same as you until this morning.”
“What is it then? And why are you telling me all this now?”
“I thought I was out of this when you fired me this morning. I was trying to figure out how to tell Johnny when he called me out of the blue. Sounded all sweet.”
“So?”
“Johnny Macone has never spoken to me like that before in my life. It’s probably the only reason I’m sitting in front of you now and not unconscious in the basement of his bar.”
Chase smiled weakly. “An investigator. I knew there was something about you that didn’t fit.”
She looked down. “I’m sorry. Really I am. I didn’t see another choice. I decided this morning that I was out but he upped the stakes. Implied it wouldn’t be good for my health if I backed out now. Chase that’s the thing,” she leaned forward across the desk and grabbed his hand. “It’s not corporate espionage. They’re trying to set you up.”
“Who is?”
“I don’t know the name. But we can find out easily. It’s someone in your business.” She drummed her fingers on the table. “Say you and Mike walked out on the business today. Who’d become CEO?”
He shrugged.
“This is important.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
“There must be someone you’ve groomed to take over. They wouldn’t risk this unless there was a strong chance they’d get to reap the rewards.”
“Tell me everything you know.”
“That’s pretty much it. I thought I was here to look for information in your systems about Keton, Naylor and BEK. But I found out from Johnny this morning that the reason they wanted me here was to listen out for signs that you were about to finalize those deals. It makes sense – they’d primed me to look for those keywords, and I’d be the one to coordinate the paperwork. I think I was here as a safeguard in case their friend tried to double-cross them.”
“Why those deals? They’re tiny compared to some of the others.”
“They’re plants. I don’t know the details but I assume they were designed to look too good to pass up and planted by the inside guy.”
“But that’s impossible. We carry out exhaustive research before investing. You know that. And it’s not like I have shareholders who can fire me for making a bad investment. It’s a family firm.”
“Chase, you don’t understand. Johnny didn’t mention you getting fired. He was talking about you being arrested for securities fraud. There’s something about those companies.”
He shook his head and started rummaging on his desk for something. He found what he was looking for and held it up. It was a thick brown paper folder.
“See this? This is a fraction of the information I myself pored over before authorizing the Bracken deal. That’s not
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