Corporate Secrets

CHAPTER 2

COLE

"Oh, Mr. Reagan! We didn't realize you would get here this early." I smile as Leah burst in, piles of paper filling her arms. "Richard! Cole's here! How was the flight? How's the office? Honestly, I've missed New York so much." She lays everything in her arms on the table, even as Richard walks in cradling his own pile of paperwork.

Both of them couldn't be any different. Leah was twenty-three when she came to work for me six years ago. Richard had already been my assistant for a year by then.

Her hair was red, flaming red. She had dark green eyes too, a testament to her Irish heritage. She also had the attitude to match. Bold, brash, and with a liking for high heels and loud, heavy metal music.

Richard, on the other hand, was conservative to the core. His black hair used to be in a military cut, his brown eyes sober. He loved suits of all shades, as long as the shade was black. He was a huge fan of classical music as well.

And then, three years ago, both of them came back from vacation sporting matching wedding bands. Go figure. Till now, I wondered how they make it work.

Of course, changes are there. Richard wears his hair longer now. He confessed to me once that it was because he got jealous of one of Leah's music idols. He also wears lighter-colored suits once in a while. And Leah now goes to the orchestra.

Richard lays his own neater-looking pile beside hers. "Hi, Mr. Reagan."

"Rick, Leah." I smiled at them both as they stood side by side. "My flight went well."

"And Tim? Is he still here?"

"Kate has a recital, Leah," Richard says indulgently. He goes to the far end of the room and grabs two chairs, which he brings over to the table.

"Oh, yeah. Did you remember to order the flowers?"

"Of course, I did."

Because watching them is fascinating, I keep my gaze on Richard as he sets Leah's chair just so. He waits for her to sit before he follows suit.

"Well?" I say.

Leah shakes her head and sighs. "Things are a lot worse than we imagined, Cole. We didn't want to give you all of the bad news while you were in Singapore. We figured it was better we waited until you got here."

"He's ruined the place," Richard adds, his tone dark. "We might need to involve the authorities at this point. He was basically running a Ponzi scheme here. Falsified records, fake audit reports, the entire thing is a freaking mess."

"Everything here is what we've managed to uncover going back two or three years. We aren't sure exactly when it started or why," Leah continues. "It's like he just went crazy. And all of this relates to the account books. Matt and Willow say that there's a lot relating to human resources and employee treatments as well, but they are still gathering information."

The more I hear, the more I want to bang my head against the wall. I keep wondering how we could have missed it for so long. I looked over some of the reports myself. Our accounting and audit departments had gone over the books. And yet there had been no hint of anything.

"Are there harassment complaints?"

"Willow says that there weren't complaints, per se. Apparently, whenever he accosted one of the young women and they threatened him, he would pay them off to be quiet about it. Human resources would receive an order to raise the salary of particular employees."

Richard scrubs his hands over his eyes as Leah speaks. "The thing is, there's probably still a lot more that we don't know about. Matt says that people are being a lot more careful with what they say. Not that you can blame them. I'm sure they don't want to lose their jobs."

"What about the management of the building?" I asked.

Leah slaps a hand to her face. "I knew you'd notice. From what I've found, Manning terminated the contract of the guys who used to handle maintenance of this space. There were some complaints, of course. But considering the fact that this area is prime real estate, most of the people leasing space here didn't want to leave. So they started taking care of their own offices themselves."

There is an ache in the base of my skull, the beginning of a massive headache.

"Well, we'll need to get things working again. And we need to find Saul Manning. He cannot get away with what he's done." My hands clench into fists at the thought of him going Scot-free. We can't let that happen, not after what he cost the company.

"No, he shouldn't get away with it. I've been thinking..."

"What?" I ask when Leah hesitates.

"Well, you said we should let go of everyone who worked directly with Saul Manning pending when we complete the investigation."

"But?"

"I think we should rehire one of them. Richard doesn't agree, but I think it could help."

"I feel like doing that would hurt more than help. Whoever we hire would immediately see through things. I mean, everyone already knows what's going on. They'll know we are bringing them back on because we need information."

"I still think it's the best idea we have. Plus, I might have figured out a way for us to do it without raising any brows."

"And what's that?" I interjected before Richard could speak. The idea does sound good if we can implement it without suspicion.

"The personal assistant we fired when we got here isn't actually Manning's assistant. She was a temp. His actual assistant had to take a break. I can't be sure, but I think it was for medical reasons."

"Like she was pregnant with Manning's baby and she took a break to have the child?"

"Dark, Richard," Leah said mildly. But her eyes were already flashing. Wise man that Ricard is, he immediately retreats, holding up two hands.

"Okay, okay, fine."

Leah sniffs then angles her body away from him. I barely held back my laughter at the expression on his face. Someone's going to be in the dog's house.

"She should have resumed work next Monday if this mess hadn't been discovered. While an email had been automatically sent to her by HR, I could tell them to ask her back in. Perhaps, I'll let it slip that we do not consider her a part of whatever went on. That way we reduce suspicion."

"You should consider that we might be inviting in someone who was part and parcel of what went on in this place. I mean, she was Manning's assistant. She had to have known what was going on. Bringing her here would be like knowingly letting in a double agent."

"And it could lead us back to Manning."

"Sir?" Richard says, but I can see that his eyes are already calculating.

"It's highly probable that she knew what was going on with her boss. Bringing her in is a potential danger to us. I understand that perfectly. But those are things we can use to our advantage. We can keep our eyes on her without her knowledge. And if she really was in cahoots with Manning, then finding out she is working here again could draw him out."

"And if they are in contact, she'll lead us to him," Richard finishes, nodding. "That actually does make sense."

"Oh, so it makes sense when it's Cole saying it?" Leah says, standing.

Uh oh. Usually, I keep out of their issues. But I still have a few things to deal with. Well, one thing in particular. "Before you leave, please tell me something is being done to sort out this... Office," I finally say, for want of a better word.

Leah laughs. "Actually, yes. Celine's people are coming over to work here during the weekend."

"You've spoken to her?" Guilt eats at me because I haven't.

Leah must have noticed because she gave me a sympathetic look. "Yes, I have. We had a video call. I showed her the office, and she said she would send her guys. She also said you should be prepared to pay double what she'd usually ask for."

I smiled because it sounded like something she would say. "Thanks, Leah, Richard. Where have you set up?"

"One of the offices below this floor. We are on speed dial one and two," Richard replies, opening the door for his wife, and then walking out behind her. I hear the beginnings of an argument and shake my head. The smile I have been holding back spreads across my face now. Dog house, definitely.

The humor isn't there long, though. Not when I consider the files on my table, the work I have to deal with. It's a grim task before me, but it's my job, isn't it?

I clean up messes. We have just discovered this mess, and now I must take care of it.