Chapter 5: A Pact Between Presidents

“Leaving Copenhagen in a few hours. Free to meet when I’m back in town?” Joseph sent Sarah a text message before he boarded his plane.

“Yes, probably. In Vegas trying to figure out this maelstrom with the hotel staff. Should be back in Chicago before you. Meet Friday night?”

“Yes. I’ll call the hotel and text you the room number.”

“Perfect, have a good flight.”

Dennis looked at Sarah as she put down her phone. “Joseph. There may be issues in Copenhagen. I’ll learn more when he’s back in town.”

Dennis knew the rumors. He also knew to keep his mouth shut and act innocent.

“Our flight isn’t for another four hours. Want to wait here, or go to the airport and wait in the executive lounge?”

“Let’s,” Sarah paused to consider. “Let’s go to the airport. No need to gamble with traffic.”

Dennis nodded and picked up the room phone to arrange for the valet to the airport.

At the airport lounge they found a quiet table in a corner and ordered drinks. They reviewed what they learned from JJ.

“Any thoughts on what JJ said? About there being an internal leak?”

Sarah sipped her drink and set it carefully on the table, buying her a few seconds.

“No, not really. Not that I haven’t been thinking. It seems like an insider would have to be someone in management. I mean, a maid, or waiter in a restaurant, or a bell hop, wouldn’t know enough to give someone information, let alone be influential in making a change.”

“That narrows the pool, greatly,” replied Dennis.

“Yeah.” Sarah lifted her drink and swallowed what remained as she looked off to a distant corner lost in thought.

Changing the subject, Dennis said, “I got a heads up from Eliot. It sounds like Richard is going to want another presidents meeting next week. No info yet on what will be on the agenda.”

Sarah did not move her head, but shifted her gaze upward to look at Dennis.

“That’s not good. If he thought our numbers were good and let us off easy last time, this one will probably be a doozy, especially if we can’t find any more info on what’s going on in Vegas.”

Dennis sat quietly, giving Sarah a minute to formulate her response. Instead, she picked up her phone and typed quickly for several minutes. When she set it down she said, “I don’t have a good read on William, but he seems like our best bet to make any progress.”

She saw Dennis’s reaction.

“Don’t worry,” she continued, “I know your reservations run deeper than mine. I’m going to play it tight and try and feel him out before giving him any real information.”

Dennis slowly nodded. “Please do. If you can help William, he’s all ears. If not, no telling what he may ask.”

“I’m going to call him tonight from home. Better to avoid having any unwanted ears hearing our conversation.” Even in an airport’s executive lounge, with no one really within earshot, Sarah was suspicious.

Again, Dennis just nodded. They spent their remaining time before the flight planning meetings for the next week. They tried to put the most important ones earlier in the week in case Richard did call a meeting. It would likely be later in the week and they wanted meetings that would be easier to reschedule.

The flight to Chicago was on time and smooth. Sarah and Dennis both enjoyed a few more drinks in first class and were pleasantly buzzed by the time they landed. Dennis asked if Sarah wanted to stop for dinner before going home.

“Sorry, no. I want to get home and unpacked and have time to connect with William.”

Dennis understood and helped get her into a limo before flagging down a taxi for his own ride home.

Sarah sat in the backseat of the car and rested her head on the plush leather headrest. She thought hard about how much to tell William and how to phrase it. As the car got closer to her home-away-from-home apartment in Chicago, she decided that her original plan was probably best. Play it straight and true, but don’t say too much. Anything less, she figured, and William would smell the bullshit from Houston.

Once in her apartment, Sarah put her laptop and bag on her desk. She went to the bathroom and started hot water into the whirlpool. While it filled she opened her carry-on bag and dropped her dirty clothes in a hamper. She then stripped out of her clothes and dropped them into the hamper as well. She realized she forgot wine, so she padded to the kitchen naked to retrieve a bottle of wine and a glass.

In the bathroom she placed the wine glass, wine bottle, and her phone within easy reach of the whirlpool and stepped into the steaming water. She groaned in pleasure as the hot, sudsy water enveloped her body. Thirty minutes, and two glasses of wine, later she pulled herself up and out of the cooling water. She reached for her fluffy white robe and slipped into it as the water gurgled down the drain.

On her phone she typed, “I’m home. Call when you are free.” She hoped William would be free sooner than later.

Less than twenty minutes later her phone rang as she finished the last of the crackers and cheese, and a third glass of wine.

“Hello, William?”

“Hey, Sarah. Your message sounded urgent. What’s the matter?”

Calmed by the wine, and going with her original plan, she said, “I hear Richard may call a meeting next week.”

“Jimmy spoke with Eliot yesterday, and I heard that, too.”

“Any idea what’s on the agenda?”

William answered evasively, “No, but there’s no shortage of topics on which Richard could focus his attention.”

Sarah finally sighed and said, “Look, William, I don’t want to spar with you for details, so I’ll just put it out there. In Vegas, I learned that there is an internal leak that is causing the problems with the staff.”

William was quiet, then he said, “That’s ... unsettling. Listen, I have a few ... associates, that I trust. I will ask them to quietly poke around and see if they can uncover any leads.”

Sarah exhaled in relief. “Thank you. I was hoping you could help.”

“Of course, I’m always happy to help.”

He then added, “Don’t believe all the rumors. Just because I’ve known Richard since college doesn’t mean I’m his lackey.”

Sarah started to apologize, then he said, “Let me see what I can find, then we should talk again in a few days. Can you be in Houston next Tuesday or Wednesday?”

“Wednesday,” she answered. “I just overbooked Monday and Tuesday in case Richard called a meeting.”

“Understood. Do you want me to ask Jimmy to coordinate with Dennis to get the two of you flights and rooms? Or do you want Jimmy to book reservations for you alone?”

Sarah said, “Go ahead and book Dennis, too. He was with me in Vegas, and frankly, if I keep him in the dark too long he gets too pouty to deal with.”

William offered a genuine laugh. “Jimmy can be the same way. Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of whatever is going on. See you next week.”

“Thanks again,” said Sarah. She then plodded off to her bedroom and collapsed into a deep sleep.

By Friday Sarah was exhausted. The problems in Vegas were starting to affect morale in the Chicago office. Everyone was on edge and it made all of her meetings and phone calls tense.

Dennis poked his head into her office a few minutes after six.

“Need anything?” he asked.

“No. I just need to reply this email and I’m done. Go ahead and get out of here and get started on your weekend.”

“Sure. As always, call or text if you need anything.”

“Of course,” Sarah said with a tired smile. “Thank you, Dennis.”

He smiled in return and offered a small wave before closing her door behind him. Sarah typed a few more lines then clicked the send button. She closed the laptop and shoved it into her briefcase.