Chapter 21: Escape

Everyday Frank waited in his office for the summons from the SEC. Al Crossman told him it might not be an official summons, but a letter informing him that he was the target of an SEC investigation. Al told him that was the next best thing to an actual summons. Frank tried to forget about it. It wasn't easy and his decision to tell Trudy about it was causing him some serious doubts. Trudy fretted over it more even more than he did.

Frank found out that Floyd was taking his vacation, and that meant no eye-opening coffee first thing in the morning. That was hard to get used to, too. He was doubly glad when he heard Jeannette arriving.

The forecast was complete. Aaron had done a good job putting it together and he was helping Blake prepare the proposal for the plant refurbishments in Bayonne and Texas City. Frank scheduled a presentation to Alvin and the Board. He had press releases ready and then they'd have the conference calls with the Wall Street boys. Frank figured to use them as a springboard to finalizing his financing package for the R&D program. So, as Frank sat back sipping on the coffee that Jeannette finally placed in front of him, it seemed that Nadine Persky's hubris was having little effect on Western Chemical at that moment in time.

Agent Henderson surprised Frank when he stuck his head into the office.

"Got a minute?" he asked Frank.

"I didn't know you guys were back," Frank said as he motioned him to a chair. "Coffee?"

Henderson took a chair across the desk from Frank but declined the coffee offer. "It's just me today," he told Frank, "and I won't be here that long. I just came by to ask you a few questions."

"Go for it," Frank replied.

"Does the name 'Trans-Atlantic Partners' mean anything to you?" Henderson asked.

"Not a thing. What is it?"

"I followed up on the lead you gave me—that big block trade of Western Stock," Henderson explained.

"I forgot all about it," Frank said. "It seems like a long time ago."

"It took some doing to get the information," Henderson said. "I'm not even all the way to the bottom, yet. It may turn out that the lead you gave me might be a good one."

"I'm listening," Frank said.

"The outfit I just mentioned is a Swiss partnership. It was that entity that made the trade on that block of stock through an attorney in New York."

"So, who are the partners?"

"That's what I don't know—yet, anyway," Henderson said. "The New York lawyer's not talking and you know about Swiss secrecy laws. It's not quite like it used to be, but that information doesn't come forth very easy. We've had to go through our embassy over there to request it."

"For all we know, it could have been a legit trade," Frank said. "But, I've got this feeling about it that won't go away."

"All I know is that it's worth finding out," Henderson said. "So, you confirm that you don't know anything about this partnership? What about the other officers?"

"Not that I know of," Frank said. "They have to fill out disclosure forms each year. I could get them for you. I don't remember everything on them."

"We've already got copies of them," Henderson said. "What about outside directors?"

"They fill out the same forms."

"Whoever it is, they're obviously trying to get the money offshore."

"Mueller?" Frank mused to himself.

"Who's that?" Henderson demanded. "Don't you have a director by that name?"

"Yeah, he's a German bank president."

"That could be just the connection," Henderson said. "Foreign partnership; access to banking; right next door to Switzerland."

"I don't know..." Frank began.

"We've got to check him out."

"It would be against Mueller's interest to do something to drive up the stock price," Frank explained. "He'd just disclosed that he was trying to buy up shares on the cheap to try to take control of the company."

"Can't sort that out now; he's got to be checked out. It might be a smokescreen—who knows?"

"You can't do anything until you've got the principals' identities, can you?"

"No, not really. It's anyone's guess when they might come through."

"Then, there's no point in getting Mueller hot-and-bothered right now," Frank said. He paused for a second. "Did you get that other information I sent over to you?"

"Yes," Henderson answered. "That's pretty cut and dried. It has to be a big personal disappointment."

"It is," Frank answered. He looked away from Henderson—out the window—and then turned back to face him. "The facts speak; I can't change them. When are you gonna do what you've gotta do?"

"We could act on it right away," Henderson replied. "It might be a good idea to hold off for a little while. We can see what other mischief they might be up to—make sure that we've got the whole scheme uncovered. They're not going anywhere."

"I suppose so," Frank sighed.

"These insider cases are never easy. Something like this always happens," Henderson said. "Like you said, 'the facts speak'."

"I'd just like to get it over with," Frank admitted.

"If this Swiss thing turns into something, it looks like it will be over soon," Henderson acknowledged. "We'll have both ends of the package tied up."

Brenda parked her car in the driveway at Gloria's house. Her mentor sounded agitated on the phone. She assumed it was because she'd delayed a few days to check in after returning from Austin where she met up with Alvin. Brenda, herself, wondered why she hadn't reported to Gloria like the good soldier that she usually was. There was an uneasy feeling inside her.

Juana opened the door before she had a chance to ring the bell. She must have seen the car approaching in the long lane that led to the highway. Brenda thought that Juana looked dour. She'd never really hit it off with Gloria's maid—not that it was important to her. Juana's moods were handy, however, in gauging Gloria's moods and giving her some advance warning when she needed it. This looked like one of those days when she would need it.

"Dee Señora is on dee veranda," Juana said and led Brenda to the large French doors and opened them. "Señora, ees Señora Hart," she announced.

"I know who it is," Gloria sneered. "Don't you think I can recognize my own friends?"

Juana said nothing; she bowed her head and retreated to the safety of the house. Brenda approached the round patio table where Gloria sat glowering at her.

"Were you waiting for me to beg you to come over?" Gloria taunted. "Were you expecting an engraved invitation?"

"You know better that that, Gloria. I just had some personal things to attend to. Don't forget that I gave up two days to attend to your business and..."

"I know that," Gloria interrupted. "Do you think I'd forget when I arrange for someone to boink my own dear husband?"

"It was your idea, Gloria; and I thought I was more than just someone."

Oh, yes, yes. C'mon, Bren—don't be that way. I should be the sensitive one. After all..."

"After all—what?" Brenda protested. "Are you saying it only meant something to you? Do you think I didn't feel anything about this? Did you wonder how I squared it with Blake?"

"This isn't like you, Bren. You look nervous. Let's have a drink."

"I suppose I could use one." She walked to the bar set up in the corner of the veranda. "The usual for you?" she asked Gloria.

"I guess so," Gloria answered. Brenda poured the vodka and iced tea for Gloria. She poured vodka over ice for herself.

"Don't you want some lime in it?" Gloria asked. Brenda shook her head. "I don't know how you can drink it straight. I'd at least want to have some lime in it; something to take the taste of the vodka away. Lime tastes better than vodka."

"That's what we've come to," Brenda mumbled.

"What's that, Bren? I didn't quite hear what you said."

"I just said that I'd like to see what the vodka really tastes like without the lime to cover it over. Why not taste things like they really are?"

"You mean honest vodka, straight up?"

"Yeah," Brenda answered, "I might even like it. It's been a long time since..." Brenda's voice trailed off.

"Help yourself," Gloria said. "Everyone has to try it that way once. I surely did. You'll be back to putting lime in it soon enough."

Brenda sipped on her drink. It burned her throat going down, but it wasn't half-bad. It occurred to her that the pretense of the lime was unnecessary. "I guess that if I liked lime better than vodka, I'd just have lime."

"Whatever," Gloria said in a languid voice.

Brenda leaned back in her chair and raised the glass to her lips again. She drank slower. It occurred to her that Gloria gulped so fast she barely tasted what she was drinking.

"Don't you want to know how it went?" Brenda asked.

"What went?"

"You know—my trip to Austin; me and Alvin."

Gloria sighed. "Okay, how did it go?"

"It didn't," Brenda told her.

"Say what?" Gloria demanded and sat up.

"Just what I said. I met up with him, alright. He turned me down."

"Turned you down?" Gloria asked, squinting like she always did when she didn't understand something.

"That's right; I asked him why, so he bought me a drink. He was very nice about it. He explained everything. He told me that it was different now; he said that he wouldn't feel right—that you and he..."

"What the..."

"I think he loves you, Gloria."

"Oh, I suppose that he thinks he does," Gloria said. "He's a fool; I'll take care of that later."

"Don't make 'later' into 'too late'," Brenda said. "Why not take him at his word? It's worth thinking about. It would be that storybook that we always thought was closed. At least, that's how I see it."

"But you stayed over; so did he."

"He was already planning on staying. He was on his way to play poker with some men he knows when I caught up with him. He would have stayed over, anyway. I just got a single room and watched a movie. It was kind of nice. It gave me a chance to be by myself for a while—to think about a few things."

"Oh, now I see," Gloria scoffed, "he turned you down for a card game. Of course! That's why you're acting this way. He hurt your pride. It's okay—it'll be our little secret."

"You weren't listening to me, Gloria; you only heard the parts you wanted to. I told you—I believe what Alvin said. He might have been on his way to play cards, but it would have been the same if he hadn't been. You should listen to me."

"Well, it has been different between me and Alvin lately. But, I never said that I expected anything of him. This ruins everything."

Brenda set her glass down. She peered at Gloria and tried to understand what she'd just heard her say. "Ruins? How can you say that, Gloria? I don't think you heard me. I said that he loves you."

"But that ties me down, Bren, and I have things to do—a lot of things to do."

"After I spoke with Alvin, I started thinking of Blake," Brenda confided. "I started wondering if it's too late for us."

"Late? Of course it's too late!" Gloria shouted. "It was too late when it started. You can't have it both ways. I learned that long ago. What we've got—we chose this life so that we could have it. It's your dues; you've got to pay them."

"I once thought that was so. Now, I'm not so sure. You might be right, but..."

"Of course I am," Gloria insisted. "Get yourself another drink. You'll feel better."

"But I'd like to think..."

"Don't think," Gloria said. "I'll think for you. You can't change things with Blake. If you try, he'll push you away. Then you won't have any part of him and you won't have anything else, either. You'll be out in the cold. I wouldn't take that risk if I were you. Business is business and sometimes it's rough."

Brenda got up and walked to the bar where the vodka waited for her. She poured it over the ice. She hesitated a moment and sighed while she looked through the clear liquid to the bottom of her glass. It was hard to make out exactly what was waiting on the bottom with the ice distorting the image. She wondered when she would have the courage to try it straight again. It wouldn't be this time, although a part of her told that it should be. She poured some lime juice on top. It clouded over everything in the glass and she couldn't see the bottom of it at all; and that made it easier to drink. She was being practical. Dreams could wait for another day.

"At least, the thing with Trudy is out of the way," she said as she retook her chair. The alcohol was giving her a buzz. "Tell me, how was it with Frank? I never thought I'd see the day Frank Bennett got taken down. My hat's off to you, Gloria."

"It's not over," Gloria muttered as she ground her teeth together. "Not over by a long shot."

"C'mon, Gloria; give Trudy a break. You already got Frank. What more can you take from her?"

"It's not over," Gloria repeated.

"I don't get it," Brenda said. She thought for a moment. A question occurred to her, but she was almost afraid to ask it. "You did do it with Frank—right?"

"He's not the man everyone thinks he is," Gloria explained. "It was there for him to take, but he ran out on me—right in front of Juana. He lost his nerve. He ran right out of here and home to that ugly scarecrow of his. Now I've got to get even."

"So Alvin turned me down and Frank did the same to you. We both pimped ourselves and we have nothing to show for it."

"So I guess no harm done," Gloria said.

"It makes me want another drink. Then, I'll believe it."

"That we've got in spades, Bren."

"But we still pimped ourselves. We couldn't even close the deal. There's not much to be proud of, but I guess that's what we've come to."

Brenda and Gloria sat on the veranda drinking and thinking. Through the alcohol haze, Brenda tried to remember exactly what she'd said in the preceding minutes. When the buzz from the vodka wore off she remembered; she knew she'd said it but the echo sounded like someone who vaguely resembled her—not the real her. It would have been wise to retract it all—laugh it off—but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to take it back. She'd have to live it down.

She hoped, for a moment, that Gloria would forget it, but she knew that Gloria stored everything in her memory. She might twist her confidences and re-expose them out of context; use them as she saw fit to use them; it was all there for Gloria to use at will. Brenda thought about the many such recollections from times past that were at Gloria's fingertips. "And there is my prison," she thought. "I've made the bars of my own cell and handed her the key."

"We've got to get things back to normal," she said to Gloria as she emptied her glass.

"I'm with you there," Gloria said in a half-hearted way.

"Whatever passes for normal, anyway," Brenda clarified. Gloria didn't answer. Brenda knew it would be up to her to make it all happen. It would be done in Gloria's name, but it would be her work to do. She had to get Gloria roused and functioning.

"It was so simple when all we had to worry about is planning our visits to that school and helping the children with their ABC's," Brenda continued.

"Oh, yes," Gloria agreed. "That was a happier time. The children loved me—and I loved them. It's over now."

"Over—why over?" Brenda queried. She could think of no reason why it should be over. "It can't be, Gloria. It was your favorite thing to do. It's one of the few good things to hold on to."

"Used to be," Gloria slurred as she slumped in her chair. "Trudy ruined it. She had to do that little dance with the ABC's, and then she became Maddy's favorite. That's why I have to get even with Trudy."

Brenda took a deep breath. Even with the drinks she knew the truth. It was no use. Gloria's truth was different, and in the end it would be Gloria's truth that won out. Brenda knew her job and that was to make sanity out of it.

"We'll need Darlene and Ashley back with us. Ashley was pretty embarrassed by the Alvin thing. I think it took her by surprise. And, I haven't heard a thing from Darlene in quite a while."

"Ashley let us down. She's a fake, a phony. The one time I asked..."

"If you had given her some advance warning—some time to get used to the idea, Gloria, she'd have come around. Anyway, I think we need her back. I'm not sure what's going on with Darlene. I have a feeling there's change coming soon with her. That leaves only you and me, so I think we need to make peace with Ashley."

"If you say so, Bren."

"I do say so. Leave it to me. I'll call her up and get her back. She might have been scared by the prospect of hitting on Alvin in Austin, but she wants to belong. As long as we don't press too hard, she'll come back. I'll check with Darlene, too."

"You're so right, Bren, dear. What would I do without you? No one else can bring me to my senses."

"You might want to think about making up with Trudy, too," Brenda said.

"You know, Bren, I think you're right. We'll bring them all back. After we've made up, we'll all go down to Morningside School and be with the children."

Brenda thought about pouring herself a refill. She passed. She still felt a little tipsy, but the feeling wasn't good like it usually was.

"We should have a meeting of the Board of the Foundation," Brenda reminded Gloria.

"Absolutely," Gloria replied. "It's too bad—pool season is over. We could all work out in the mini-gym afterward."

A warm feeling entered Brenda in the belly. "We certainly haven't done that in too long a time," she said.

"You're so right, Brenda," Gloria agreed, "and we will—soon."

"Gloria, I thought..."

"Oh! You thought we would get together in the mini-gym right now? I'm so sorry. We will soon, dear. There's so much to think about. Bring Darlene and Ashley back and then we will."

A few days later Frank was in his office discussing the R&D financing arrangements with Jim Sweeney. The deal was close—close enough to smell and taste.

"When this is over, I'm taking Trudy on a vacation," Frank said.

"You deserve one," Jim replied. "This whole thing makes a lot of sense for us, and the investors. Really nice work, Frank."

"I've got to get moving on hiring a new Controller as soon as my plate is clean," Frank continued.

"I can give you a second opinion, if you'd like me to," Jim offered. "Don't try to find the perfect candidate. It's easy to fall into that rut when you're trying to replace yourself. Have any internal candidates? What about that young man who was working on the forecast. He seemed to be a sharp, young guy."

"Too green," Frank said, "and no SEC reporting experience. He's just not ready. I was thinking of sending him to one of the divisions to be Controller so he can get some seasoning. I'm not sure that he'd move. He's earned something for his efforts."

"Makes sense," Sweeney said. "I think you need..."

Jeannette cut Jim short with a buzz on the intercom. "Mr. Smith wants to know if he can see you right away. He says it's important."

"Send him in," Frank spoke into the box.

Tyler bounded into the office as soon as Jeannette clicked off the intercom. Jeannette closed the door behind him. "Sorry to break in, gentlemen," Tyler said. "Get on the internet, Frank. Take a look at call options on Western stock."

Frank did as Tyler asked. He studied the computer screen for a few minutes.

Do you see it, Frank." Tyler asked.

"Indeed, I do," Frank answered.

"What gives?" Jim asked. "Let me in on it."

"Somebody is buying out-of-the-money call options on Western Stock in a big way," Tyler said.

"It's the other half of the insider trading," Frank said. "There were the short sales and the put options. Then there was that big block that traded to cover the shorts and now these Calls are the counterpoint of the Puts."

"Sure seems like it," Sweeney agreed. "What're going to do about it?"

"Only one thing to do," Frank answered. "Give Henderson a call."

"I'll get out of your hair while you do that," Sweeney said. "I think we about covered things, anyway."

They shook hands and then Frank asked Tyler Smith to stay with him while he called the FBI.

While Frank was on the phone with Agent Henderson, Al Crossman and Alvin were meeting in the Chairman's office.

"This is the wrong time and place for that, Al. Frank is the star right now. The big shareholders are behind him and he has this financing plan just about under his belt. I can hardly let him go now."

"I've got it figured out," Crossman explained. "We'll publicize Nadine Persky's investigation and say that Frank was asked to step down to avoid any appearance of wrongdoing, and so on and so forth. Besides getting rid of Frank, that does a number of things for us."

"You'll have to explain this to me again," Alvin said.

"First of all, we preempt the SEC. Better to get it out on our own terms than according to theirs. Hell, once it's out, they may even back off and deny the whole thing. On top of that, it gets Herr Mueller back on our side. And finally, it gives the company a squeaky-clean image in a time when not many companies can say they have one."

"It seems a shame," Alvin said. "Frank's a damn fine man. Doin' a fine job, too."

"We'll let him resign. He'll be better off, too. He'll latch on somewhere else."

"There's a catch," Alvin said. "I think he's got Blake Hart and Tyler Smith behind him. They might go if he does. And, we both know Jim Sweeney's in his corner."

"Yeah, but not Jason Lowell. I've heard that Lowell is thinking of jumping ship because of Frank. You could say it was because of Frank's animosity toward Jason. After all, Jason's a key guy."

"He's a wimp, and we both know it," Alvin countered.

"A wimp who has a Ph.D and a lot of credentials," Crossman argued. "It's not a personality contest. Sweeney will have to go, too."

"If we do this to Frank, you won't have to tell Jim twice. He'll be outta here, too."

"So you're agreed..."

"I've got to think it over, Al. I don't want to lose Mueller. At least, I'm standing pat until this R&D financing is put to bed. And, I want to think of a contingency plan in case I lose the other two. Then, we'll see."

"You better not waste too much time," Crossman warned. "I think Mueller is ready to bolt right now."

A few days later Frank and Alvin were on the corporate Jet, heading for Chicago. Jim Sweeney was with them. Tyler Smith had been in New York and would meet up with them at their hotel. They were on their final leg of their quest for the financing of the R&D program. Chicago was the agreed-upon venue for a wrap-up meeting. All the players would be there. Even Murray Shoreham was flying in from the coast.

Once they were at altitude the flight would be a little more than two hours. There was a festive mood among them. Just enough time to nurse a drink until it was time to prepare for landing. Frank had his usual scotch. Alvin and Sweeney had their customary bourbons.