Chapter 11

Friday, December 14, 2029...

Margie, Mary, Gina, Karen, and Steve were at today’s staff meeting.

I started the meeting by saying, “I believe everyone knows that I will be leaving Friday of next week to fly to Atlanta. I will be spending the Christmas - New Year holiday with Tamerlane. You can contact me by phone or email if any problems arise. Are there any questions?”

Steve asked, “Do you have a return date scheduled?”

“Yes. My reservations have me returning on the sixth of January and I will be in the office on the seventh.”

There were no further questions, so I said, “Margie, the rest of us will be here for some time, so give me the status of what is happening with SPI and then you can go back to work.”

She said, “SPI has been contacted by a large number of investors. Some of the investors were clients of my former employer, and most of those have transferred their investments to us. I’ve heard that the majority of my former employer’s investors are still considering whether they wish to change investment firms. Our advertising has also gained us additional investors. I am again at the point where I will need to hire additional people to handle future investment business.

“Our business plan includes managing real estate, but we don’t really have an actual real estate management staff. I only have one person with a background in managing real estate and he also has experience in managing investments. He can manage your former home, Carl, and Steve and Karen’s home with no problem. However, I would like to create a real estate management division within SPI and start managing real estate properties for the owners of the properties.

I asked, “Are you thinking of managing residential or commercial real estate?”

“I think we should start out with residential properties and then branch out to include commercial properties.”

“Do you have enough space in your current area for the additional people you will need?”

“Initially, Yes. But I think we will soon outgrow our current space. But more important, our clients would be coming into our office, and I don’t think having them come here would be a good idea. I was thinking of leasing or purchasing a building for our real estate division.”

“All right, Margie. Put together a costed proposal for buying a building and configuring it to do business. Include the projected operating costs for the first year of operation. Have Myra introduce you to our head accountant: Edmund Winchell. He can help you with the financial aspects of the proposal. When the proposal is ready, we can go over it.”

Margie smiled and said, “All right, Carl. That is all I have for now.”

She then left the meeting.

I said, “Steve, let’s start with The Rattler’s status, and in particular, bring us all up to speed on the hearing and the lawsuit.”

Steve explained what happened during the hearing and answered a few questions. When he was finished, I asked, “Steve how many of the Eye Witness exposé’s articles and personal profiles does The Rattler have left to publish?”

“We have four articles left, Carl.”

“When those articles have been published, does The Rattler have anything else to publish?”

“Yes. Do you recall me mentioning that we would have a problem due to the period of time between finishing the publication of one exposé, and our starting to publish the next exposé?”

“Yes, I vaguely recall us talking about that.”

“Well, you told me to go ahead and find something to publish during the gap between exposés. I think I talked with you about it, but I discussed my problem with Karen. We decided The Rattler should publish a series of articles about how the media outlet for our next exposé harmed people by invading their privacy.

“Back before we started the exposé on the Eye Witness, I had a personal list of media outlets on which I wanted to do exposés. That was before we prepared our prioritized list of media outlets, which I subsequently gave to my reporters.

“I told them I wanted them to interview people who have had their privacy invaded by the media outlets on my list starting with the first media outlet on my original list. At that time, I wasn’t certain which exposé we would publish after publishing the Eye Witness’s exposé.

“When our official list was released, I had them start interviewing the people associated with articles published by the first two media outlets on the official list. I told my reporters that when they finished the interviews and articles for those two media outlets, they should begin working on articles for the next outlet on our list. We currently have a backlog of at least three months of articles from the interviews we have already conducted. My reporters are continuing to interview people, and six months from now, I anticipate we will have at least a nine-month backlog.”

“Good. That relieves my mind, Steve. Mary, what is your group doing?”

“Team 3 will finish their training in two weeks, and then I will assign the next media outlet on our list to them.

“Team 2 will need close to a week to finish writing their exposé. When they finish, I will assign them a new exposé.

“The problem Team 1 encountered - with the owner of God’s Spokesman Weekly Newsletter being a pedophile - is delaying the development of the articles for its exposé significantly.”

“Why is that, Mary?”

“Briana and Trent located and interviewed the two women that Jiles had sex with. Both women recounted the details of Jiles seducing them and provided approximate dates for when Jiles actually had sex with them. They both gave us written permission to include their names in our articles. The big thing was, one of the ladies they interviewed, who just turned twenty, gave us the names of additional young women that Jiles seduced before they reached the age of consent. They were told that at least one of the girls is still under the age of consent.”

“Briana sent a list of the additional girls to me and we are trying to locate their current addresses, and we are also preparing background information for Brianna and Trent to use when they interview the young women.”

“Have you told Vic about this development?”

“No. Briana called me this past weekend and she gave me an overview of what they learned during the interviews they have conducted so far. I told her to continue to interview the people left on their original list of interviewees. I also told her I wanted to consult with Vic about the additional young ladies, and whatever she and Trent do, do not interview any underage girls without parental consent and at least one parent or guardian being present during the interview. I will be adding that to our training program.

“Briana wanted to know if they should contact the local police. I told her ‘yes,’ but to wait until Vic could be with them. I haven’t been able to contact him yet.”

“Okay, stay behind when the meeting is over and we will have a conference call with Vic. Anything else going on, Mary?”

“Yes. Carly and Rodrick started the process of writing the articles on God’s Spokesman Weekly Newsletter and the personal profiles of everyone associated with the magazine. However, what Briana and Trent learn about Jiles may affect all of the profiles they write, so they may have to revise the profiles once Briana and Trent finish their interviews.

“I find it difficult to believe that the Spokesman’s staff have worked for Jiles all these years without them being aware he is a pedophile, or at least suspecting that of him. We may have to go back and reinterview some of the people who have known him for a long time.

“My last item is, I will be forming a second group of teams to prepare articles for The Scorpion.”

“Okay. Karen what has been happening with The Scorpion?”

“The Scorpion is almost ready to start publishing articles. I hired three writers to write articles for the paper. Initially, I am going to make The Scorpion a monthly paper. Once I get a large enough backlog of articles written, I will switch it to a biweekly paper. I hope to make it a weekly paper within two years.

“I want to get my readers involved in the articles we publish, so I am considering adding a section for reader feedback. I’m thinking of a column where readers can make comments about our topics and request articles for specific topics. I’m also thinking of a second column, similar to the Ann Landers column, where readers can ask for advice about problems they have with their lifestyles,”

“Both columns sound like a good thing for your paper, Karen. We need to get Vic involved once you have defined the details of how the column will handle input from your readers. We don’t want to end up in a lawsuit if the advice the paper gives causes problems.”

“A lawsuit is one of the things I am concerned about. The other thing is, what qualifications does the person writing the advice column need. For example, does that person need to be a psychologist or a psychiatrist?”

“I agree, Karen. We will need to evaluate those types of questions.

“Steve, do any of the sections Karen mentioned seem appropriate to you for The Rattler?”

“Yes. When Karen and I discussed her idea, I decided to wait until I can evaluate the effectiveness her ideas has on her readers. I suspect it will have a profound impact.”

“I agree. Does anyone have any additional questions or comments?”

No one appeared to have anything further to address, so I said, “I have one further announcement. Once Tamerlane arrives in San Diego and gets settled, she will be taking on the task of starting our third on-line newspaper. She wants to call the newspaper The Black Widow and the paper will publish articles about the political community and its practices at the State and National levels. I think she will also be publishing exposés on specific politicians, political parties, and government agencies.

“Mary, I think she will need you to create a third group of teams.”

“I suspect you are right, Carl. This should be very interesting and I for one will take great pleasure skewering certain politicians and political practices.”

“Well, that’s all I have for today. Meeting adjourned.”

Mary and I stayed behind as everyone went back to work. Using his private phone number, I called Vic on our conference phone.

When he answered, I said, “Welcome home, Vic. Mary and I have another hot item that requires your immediate attention.”

“What’s wrong now, Carl?”

“Mary is more familiar with the problem than I am, so I will let her explain it to you.”

Mary explained the problem in the same fashion as she had during our meeting with a few additional comments thrown in. When she was finished, Vic asked a few questions to clarify what had happened in Atlanta.

Vic asked, “Did either or both of the women or their parents report what happened to them to the police?”

Mary said, “I don’t recall Briana mentioning it to me, Vic.”

“Okay, Mary. What I want you to do is call Briana right now and ask her if the seduction was reported to the police. If she doesn’t know, have Briana contact the two women and find out. I’ll talk with Carl while you contact Briana.”

Mary stepped out of the room to call Briana.

I asked, “Why is this important, Vic?”

“It’s simple, Carl. If the sexual activity was reported, Briana and Trent do not have to report what they learned.

“If the seductions were reported, I suggest you have Briana and Trent arrange for another interview with the women and have them focus on what they or their parents told the police and how the police responded.”

“That’s a good idea, Vic.”

Mary returned to the room and said, “Vic, Briana mentioned that both women mentioned that their parents found out and took them to the police station, but nothing happened to Jiles to their knowledge.

Vic then said, “Carl, you and Mary need to handle this situation with some caution. Especially in respect to the young women Briana and Trent plan to interview. There are several things that need to be considered in moving forward.

“First, Briana and Trent do not need to report what they learned from the two women they interviewed to the police, for a report has already been given to the police department. However, if the seduction of any other underage girls was not reported, Briana and Trent will have to report what they were told.

“Mary, how long will Briana and Trent need to complete their interviews?”

“I don’t know, Vic. She still needs to locate most of the young women.”

“Okay, Mary. Contact Briana as soon as you can reach her. Have Briana complete confidential informant forms for the two women she has interviewed and for those that she will interview. She should assign a name to each confidential informant. Then have Briana and Trent use the tapes to prepare a set of interview notes for the two interviews they completed using the confidential informant names. Once that is done, have them mail the tapes and forms to you.

“They are to determine which of the new list of women are still in the Atlanta area before starting any further interviews. When that is done, they are to push to complete the interviews of the women who live in Atlanta as quickly as they can.

“When they start an interview let each interviewee know that we have assigned them a confidential informant name. Let them know that we will use their informant name in the articles if they don’t allow us to use their real names. Be sure you let them know that if their real name appears in The Rattler, the police are likely to want to talk with them.

“As each interview is conducted, record the interview and have Briana or Trent take notes of what is said. During the interview, have them ask each interviewee if their seduction was reported to the police. If the seduction was not reported, have them ask why and try to convince them to report what happened to the police. Every night, have Briana mail the interview tapes to you, but keep their written notes.

“If there are any unreported seductions, let me know as soon as possible when they expect to finish their last interview, so I can be in Atlanta. After I arrive, I will consult with Briana and Trent before we go to the police. I will brief them on what they need to say and they should not mention to the police that the interviews were recorded. I will tell them that the police may ask to see their interview notes, and they should give the police permission to make copies. Once I’m finished briefing them, we can contact the police, and report the crimes.”

Mary asked, “What if any of the women give us permission to use their names when they are interviewed?”

“Then we will use their names in the articles, if we feel we can do so without endangering them. At some point, we will have to provide their names to the police.”

“The second item, we need to address is, what has and will the police do regarding Jiles. If Jiles has any power in the area, the police are likely to have ignored the earlier reports of his actions.

If Briana and Trent have to report what they have learned, just how much information are you planning to have them disclose to the police?”

“That will depend on the questions the police ask. I will inform Briana and Trent that if I approve of the question, they are to answer the questions truthfully, but they should not volunteer information or provide the real names of the confidential informants.”

When Mary and I finished talking with Vic, we went back to our offices. Mary had to contact Briana and brief her on what Vic wanted her to do and I went back to work on what I had to finish before Friday.

I went out to a local deli for lunch and tried to relax. I was moderately successful for in addition to the meeting, I had taken care of one of the major items on my list.

After this morning’s meeting, I stopped by my head accountant’s office. I told Edmund the hearing effort was finished, but there was a possibility that it might resume. I told Edmund about the charter flight and I explained the judge’s directions regarding the need to submit documentation defining how he had arrived at my hourly rate. Then I explained how the judge wanted SIMC to submit the invoices for the costs we incurred due to the hearing.

Edmund told me that he had already determined an hourly rate for Steve, Karen, and me. He would create descriptions of how he arrived at those rates. He told me that all he needed at this point was the amount of Steve’s and my time, and our travel costs; plus Gary and Jason’s travel costs and the companies’ invoices, Vic’s invoice, and the invoice from the charter company.

I thanked Edmund for his efforts and reminded him to bill his time for preparing his explanation and all of the time he spends on preparing and updating our invoice to the charge number. I then asked what hourly rate he had come up with for me. Edmund told me the average annual base salary for a CEO of a business the size of SIMC was roughly six hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He said dividing that amount by two thousand and eighty hours a year resulted in a base hourly rate for me of three hundred and twelve dollars and fifty cents.

Edmund then reminded me of the company policy I had prepared regarding overtime and differential pay for working out of the San Diego area. He told me that the overhead rate and offsite differential pay would increase my base hourly rate to about seven hundred and fifty dollars an hour.

He asked about overtime. I said my day in court was less than eight hours. I asked him what I should consider the start and end times for flying to and from Boston. He said, based on what I had told him of the trip, my start time should be when Vic told me I had to leave immediately for Boston, and my end time on Monday should be when I walked into my hotel room. Tuesday should be eight hours. For my return trip, my start time should be when I checked out of the hotel and the end time should be when I arrived at my house.

I told Edmund that I would work out the number of hours I should charge for each day. Before I left his office, Edmund reminded me to have Myra charge her time for making travel arrangements and that I should charge a minimum of eight hours a day for the three days I had been gone plus any overtime that I may have incurred during travel and the day I spent in court. I told Edmund that I had spent less than four hours in court. He said it didn’t matter because I had to be in Boston the entire day, so it was valid for me to charge eight hours for the day. I decided to just accept what Edmund said, but charging eight hours to an effort when I only worked four hours on the effort seemed wrong to me, so I would ask Vic to confirm what I had been told.

During lunch and my stroll back to the office, I decided Edmund was a veritable treasure and I would have to give him a bonus. The only thing I needed to decide was, should I give him a onetime bonus or should I increase his salary. That line of thought raised two additional trains of thought. We didn’t have a policy about bonuses for ‘above and beyond’ efforts, and we had didn’t have a policy regarding profit sharing. As soon as I got back to my office, I would add the tasks of me writing the two company policies to my list of things to do in January, and then, I would decide on the best way to reward Edmund and do it before I left for Atlanta.