Point of Contact

“It’s a great honor for the senator to ask us to do this and I’d very much like to accept. The remuneration is extremely generous, too. However, he’s placed three conditions on our employment. And the first two conditions are the two of you, gentlemen.”

Jack and Paul exchanged a confused look.

Rhodes smiled. “I specifically requested you, Paul, because I know your work and I know you understand the value of discretion. There’s no one I trust in the world more than you to handle this thing.” He paused for effect. “I’d bet my life on it.”

Rhodes’s little speech seemed kind of over the top to Jack, but by the look on Paul’s face, it had the desired effect.

Rhodes turned to Jack. “And I didn’t ask for you, Jack. I asked Gerry who his best financial analyst was and he named you without skipping a beat — which was no surprise to me at all. You’re whip smart, just like your father. And given our past history together, I couldn’t be more delighted to have you on board with Paul.”

“I appreciate that, Senator.”

“And if I can’t have the two of you, well, it’s a no-go for me. Sounds crazy, I know, but that’s how strongly I believe in our little team.”

“Well, there you have it,” Hendley said. “Without the two of you, we don’t get the contract.”

Jack and Paul exchanged a noncommittal look. They saw in each other’s eyes exactly the same thing. Neither wanted to do the job — for different reasons, obviously. But there would be an inevitable fallout for both of them if they didn’t take it, Gerry Hendley’s disappointment being the worst of it. Jack saw that his boss clearly wanted the gig.

Rhodes saw this silent exchange as capitulation and took it as a sign of victory.

“Paul, if you agree to take the assignment, you’d handle the forensic accounting. I’d want you to turn on that radar brain of yours and cut through all of the haze. I really don’t think you’ll find anything, and that’s as good an outcome as I can hope for.” Rhodes paused. “But don’t mistake my meaning. If there’s something wrong, something fishy, I want to know. I have a fiduciary responsibility to my company and I’m counting on you to help me fulfill it.”

“Of course,” Paul said. “But any competent CPA can do that kind of work.”

Rhodes pointed at Jack. “Jack, if you sign on, your assignment would be more qualitative in nature. I’d want you to look around, size up the people you meet there, the working conditions, the general feel of the place — even the city. Is it the kind of work environment you’d want to be in? Are the people happy, productive? What’s Dalfan’s quality control like? Their security? And I’d want you to take some time to confer with Paul. If he pulled up a questionable file or two, I’d hope you’d burn some shoe leather and check things out, kick the tires. Do you catch my drift?”

“I think so.”

“They’ll put on their very best dog-and-pony show,” Hendley said. “That’s to be expected. Just keep your eyes and ears open and try to see what’s behind the curtain.”

Rhodes added, “I need you both to keep a very low profile while you’re over there. If word of what you’re doing gets out, it could affect the deal.”

Jack and Paul nodded their agreement.

“Questions?” Rhodes asked.

“What was the third condition for the job?” Jack asked.

“Oh, yes, I almost forgot. You would need to leave for Singapore tonight. We’re up against the clock and it’s a twenty-one-hour flight.”

Paul Brown’s eyes got wide as dinner plates. Jack frowned.

Rhodes saw that he hadn’t sealed the deal yet. He turned to Hendley. “Gerry, do you mind if I have a private word with Paul here in your office?”

“No, not at all. I want to grab a cup of coffee, anyway, and catch up with Jack about another matter. Will thirty minutes do?”

“That should be fine.”

“Call me if you need more,” Hendley said. The four men stood. “C’mon, Jack. They’ve got prune Danish in the cafeteria this morning.”

Jack sighed quietly and followed him out the door.

Gerry Hendley was about to serve him a steaming pile of something, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be prune Danish.

11

Hendley poured himself a coffee, but the prune Danishes were already gone, so he grudgingly reached for a blueberry muffin. Jack snagged a granola bar and a bag of Jocko White Tea, his new favorite caffeinated beverage. Hendley led him to a table in the far corner, away from the other patrons. Free breakfast and lunch was one of the perks of working at Hendley Associates. So were eighty-hour weeks. It was a competitive industry and there was always a market open somewhere around the globe. Eating in meant less time away from the building. Adding a cafeteria had been a costly but necessary expense for the firm.

“Ding and John gave me a detailed brief of the rescue mission yesterday,” Hendley said. “You and the team did excellent work. I never got the chance to tell you that in person.”

“John told us to take some time off. I was sound asleep when you called this morning.”

Hendley flashed a conspiratorial grin. “Late night, eh?”