Chapter Four

Xavier

A knock sounded at the door to my office, turning my attention away from the computer, and I called out, "enter."

Betty pushed through the door carrying a small brown sack in one hand and her ever-present notebook in the other. I knew without asking the sack contained an almond bear claw sprinkled with extra sugar frosting. It was my absolute favorite pastry. I restricted myself to two each week and added an extra half an hour to my workout those days to make up for having indulged.

Betty crossed to the coffee station, plated the delicacy, and made me a mug of coffee before setting both on my desk. She then sat in the chair opposite me, positioning her notebook and pen in front of her.

It was our routine to meet at 10 am every day to update each other on my schedule.

I bit into the buttery goodness of the bear claw and smothered a groan. Betty handed me a napkin and I wiped the powdered sugar from my mouth.

"I have no idea how I'm going to manage without you, Betty. Are you sure Harvey can't move to Florida on his own?"

Betty laughed. "No, he cannot and if you don't contact the employment agency, or give me permission to do so, you're going to be left without a personal assistant. If you leave it much longer, he or she will not have the benefit of a handover and directions on what you like and dislike."

I took another bite of the bear claw, set it on the plate, wiped my fingers clean, and sat back in the chair.

"Seven working days, Xavier. Our removalist and flights to Florida are booked and confirmed. I'm leaving and there will not be another extension. You have had more than enough time to hire someone to take my place."

Betty was becoming a little irate and she had every right to be after the way I'd disrupted her plans. I'd already talked her into staying two weeks longer than planned which had resulted in having a very annoyed Harvey on the other end of the line. I'd given him my word that there would no further fuck ups to their plans.

"I know. I promise I'll speak with the agency today and have them send over a few suitable candidates tomorrow for interview."

"Thank you. Now…" Betty picked up her notepad and flipped through a couple of pages. "Detective Inspector Otsana Brooks called the company half an hour ago. Downstairs paged me and I spoke with her about meeting with you. It's scheduled for 2 pm so I've postponed your two thirty with Marlo from the wire supplier to tomorrow afternoon."

The mystery was solved…Otsana was female. I reminded my misogynistic self, her gender made no difference. All that mattered was she was up to the job because I was tired of the bullshit and wanted the issue solved once and for all.

I made a note on my own notepad. "Will you set up afternoon tea, please? Maybe grab some of those cherry macarons from the bakery. Has Cillian been informed, he'll need to be present?"

"No, I haven't had a chance to advise him. He's been with Dominic from accounting all morning. When I finish here, I'll ask Molly to let him know. She may need to rearrange his schedule also. I'll send one of the staff from downstairs out to the bakery."

"Thank you." I picked up the pastry and took another large bite. It was every bit as good as the first. Betty waited patiently while I finished chewing and swallowed. "I'm moving back the announcement of Panda's release but only Cillian, you, and I are aware of the change at this point in time. I'll get you to schedule a meeting with Ralph in advertising so I can have him push everything back by two weeks. I want him to handle everything personally and not advise any staff until it's absolutely necessary. The release will go ahead after two weeks regardless of the results of the investigation."

"Do you have any idea at all who it might be?"

"Not a fucking…sorry…Not a clue, and Cillian and I made the decision this morning that from this point on, everyone…" I paused and stared into Betty's eyes, so she knew what I was saying included her. "…everyone will be investigated by the police corporate fraud squad. I'm sorry, Betty. There is no doubt in our minds that you aren't involved, but we can't continue to feed selective information to investigators."

To her credit, Betty didn't bat an eyelid and the look in her eyes showed only honesty and confidence.

"So Evan is no longer handling the case?"

"No, it's been handed to the police who have more resources and fresh eyes."

She reached across the desk and placed her wrinkled hand, dotted with age spots, over mine. "I'm happy to provide anything they need and answer as many questions as necessary. Hopefully, it may help them to find whoever is betraying you."

"How did I get so lucky to have you? Neither Cillian nor I doubt your loyalty and integrity for even a millisecond, but over the past fifteen years, since this began before the release of Matilda, we feel we have been hobbling investigations by refusing to allow them full access to everyone. We felt by doing so we were protecting our longest serving and most loyal employees, but had we been honest, the insider most likely would have been exposed long before now. It just hurts to think it may be someone who has been around a for a long time and who we have trusted."

"I understand, sweetheart. You didn't want to point the finger at men and women who have supported you from the beginning, but yes, you have hampered those working the case. It's time for a new start with this new team that's coming on board."

"I agree and so does Cillian."

"Do you want me to take care of the mail outs for Panda? Are you sure it's a good idea to delay the announcement of the release date and move the actual release back?"

"Cillian and I will task Pamela to call clients and advise them early orders have been postponed. And yes, we believe pushing it back is for the best at this time. Hopefully, the police will find who is involved before release and minimise the share price spikes."

"Very well. Your day is clear, and apart from a couple of correspondence items, I'm free to help wherever you need."

I nodded my thanks. Turning my hand over, I squeezed hers. She smiled, stood, and left me to the quiet of the office on my own.

The first thing I took care of after she closed the door was to place a call to the employment agency. It was something that should have been dealt with weeks earlier. I considered myself an astute CEO, but I'd been negligent in finding a replacement for Betty because I'd buried my head in the sand and was in deep denial about her imminent departure.

***

"I'll ask my personal assistant to schedule appointment times for the five possible replacements we have discussed, and she will call you tomorrow. Thanks for returning my call from this morning and I look forward to meeting with those you have suggested."

I disconnected the call at the same time Betty knocked and poked her head around the side of the door.

"Xavier, Detective Brooks is here for your meeting."

I glanced at the clock on the wall, it showed three minutes to two. My respect for the detective rose, it was rare anyone arrived at meetings on time these days and they always seemed to have some pathetic excuse for their tardiness.

When had I become an arrogant bastard who picked fault with everything and everyone? Maybe after Panda was released, I'd take a holiday. I could go somewhere there was no internet, like a state park in maybe Alaska, where I could trek through the bush and reclaim my peace of mind.

"Bring her in please, Betty."

While Betty was gone, I shrugged on the gray jacket of my suit, and rounded the desk to greet Otsana.

The woman who accompanied Betty knocked the breath from my lungs. I encountered beautiful women almost every day and on the rare occasions I accepted an invitation to a benefit—always alone or with Cillian, and they held no interest for me. My lack of dating, or a woman on my arm, had rumors circling that I was gay. The assumption, although false didn't bother me, I'd been called worse.

The woman crossing my office with a smile on her face and one hand outstretched gave a whole new meaning to the saying—She was drop-dead gorgeous.

Otsana was tall, standing just a few inches shorter than my six feet three inches. She wore white pants that fit like a glove, black shirt, white jacket, and black pumps on her feet. Her unusual black hair, peppered with silvery-white threads was swept back from her face and I couldn't see if it was in a bun, ponytail, or some kind of twist. Although her hair was unusual, it was her eyes that caught and held my attention. One was a bright shade of blue, the other…a rich chocolate brown.

"Mr. Bennett?"

Otsana stood, waiting for me to take her hand. When I did, a powerful jolt of…I had no fucking idea what it was, shot through my body with the same force a shooting star used to cross the sky.

We both jumped, snatched our hands from each other, and stepped back. Our eyes remained locked together, and the confusion I felt was mirrored in her orbs.

"Detective Inspector Brooks," I answered when I located my voice that had temporarily fled like a criminal from a crime scene.

Cillian strode in and offered his hand to Otsana in greeting. He glanced my way with one eyebrow raised which was his way of telling me he was interested in the lady. I frowned but bit back the "hell no" that almost crossed my lips. I filed the jealous feelings aside to analyze later when I was alone.

"Otsana is fine, thank you, especially as we'll be working closely together over the coming weeks."

"Tea, coffee, juice…Detective?" Betty asked.

"I'll have water if it's not too much trouble please."

Betty placed a mug of coffee in front of me, one for Cillian, and a glass of iced water for Otsana. A plate of macarons was set in the center of the table and lifting it, I offered the delicacies to Otsana. After she accepted one, Cillian helped himself, and I declined after having had a bear claw earlier in the day.

Otsana withdrew a small notebook, and sheet of paper which she unfolded and put on the table, along with a pen from the pocket of her jacket. I noted her name engraved along the length of the gold pen.

"Do you mind if I tell you what I know to this point?"

Why was I fixated on her plump, rosebud lips and the whiteness of her teeth?

I gave myself a mental slap upside the head to get my focus back on the reason for our meeting.

"No…Go ahead."

"According to information provided to us by Evan Carmichael from the securities commission, the share price of public stock has spiked dramatically over the past fifteen years. It appears it does so between five and twelve days before the date of release for a new product is announced. Is it correct that a major innovative product is only released every five years?"

"It takes that long for Xavier's ideas to be researched for viability, and then given to our developers to work up a model. Thorough testing needs to then take place before a release date is chosen and marketing is put in place," Cillian, who managed all our ‘stuff' explained.

Otsana took numerous notes as Cillian spoke before asking, "Why is your company on the exchange with only three and a half percent of stock available to the public for purchase?"]

I answered her question. "We're a multi-billion-dollar company that I built from the ground up with Cillian's guidance and help. I won't allow any board of directors to overrule our decisions about the direction in which we take the company. I hold fifty-five percent of the stock, Cillian holds forty percent, and the public has three and a half percent as you said."

Otsana frowned. "What about the other one and half percent?"

"My personal assistant, Betty, Cillian's, Molly, and Pamela our movements coordinator and senior manager of shipping all hold half of one percent. The ladies were our first hires, and it is part of their employment package. They will retain their shares after they retire, and when they pass, they will revert to me. The public shareholders are invited to vote on anything to do with the company as long as it isn't anything confidential where the information could be abused."

"So in essence, their votes count for nothing, and they aren't aware of any of the internal workings?"

"Exactly. They are sent a financial statement each year as required by law and dividends are paid in a timely manner."

"So despite having only a small percentage held by the public, they still have the power to make share prices catapult into the stratosphere by buying or selling in certain ways."

"That's correct."

"How, I don't fully understand?"

"Didn't Evan include a breakdown in your file?"

Otsana shook her head.

"The company has six million, two hundred thousand shares in total that are registered on the exchange."

"That makes three and a half percent around two hundred thousand?"

"Two hundred and seventeen thousand to be precise," I informed.

"What would the value of a share be when a product is released if there were no insider trading?"

"It is difficult to know how they would price because the insider trading has taken place for every release except the first. We had no staff at that time. Cillian and I incorporated the business and listed shares on the exchange to make up the shortfall after using the money my grandfather had left me to fund the development of our first product, Indigo."

"The file information showed it wasn't until Matilda that the insider trading was flagged." Otsana scribbled some notes on the sheet of paper and some in her notebook.

"That is correct. About five days before the release date was announced we saw the stocks behaving unusually and contacted the securities commission."

"You made millions with Indigo, why didn't you do a share buyback?" Otsana's question was valid and fair.

"We considered doing so, but there's a huge amount of red tape and paperwork involved, as you would be aware. Cillian and I are making enough money to support a small country, so we decided to leave things as they are and allow others to share in our good fortune."

"I understand." Otsana glanced at the sheet of paper. "After Matilda there was Byron, Krista, and now Panda. Is that correct?"

"Yes. Cillian and I discussed Panda this morning and we've decided to push back the announcement of a release date by two weeks and release Panda onto the market two weeks later than planned. We're hoping to get this mess sorted once and for all."

"The shares have exchanged hands now and we won't be able to stop any sell offs, but hopefully you can track down who is doing this, and it will be the last time it happens," Cillian continued.

"I've been at this job for a long time and there is always something new and unexpected we need to understand, but I give you both my word, we will do our best to find the perpetrator. Talk me through how the share prices have changed over time. Evan has documented it, but I'd like to hear it from you."

I exchanged a glance with Cillian, this was more his part of our company ship and after a subtle nod, he explained, "The shares before we released Indigo held steady at around eleven dollars each. After a successful release, people were keen to acquire stock in a new, innovative, and exciting company they believed would do great things in the future. Stock exchanged hands at record pace and the price of shares jumped to thirty-seven dollars each."

Otsana whistled. Why did a woman emitting a long, low whistle cause my dick to twitch?

"Not a bad increase. Those selling did well."

"Indeed," Cillian continued. "The price hovered between thirty-five and forty dollars over the next years and there was a lot of anticipation about what we had in the pipeline. While we developed Matilda, Cillian started building the electronics side of the company. We invested in successful products such as inverters, sound and video, security and surveillance equipment…which we made good use of in studying company computers for hints to the insider with no results, IT and communications, cables and connectors." I paused to take a breath and finish the last of my coffee.

"You had plenty happening to keep share prices steady and investors happy while they waited for the release of your next breakthrough," Otsana commented.

"They were getting decent annual returns because the company was exploding with growth," Cillian informed

"What happened with Matilda?" Otsana asked curiously

Six days before the release date was due to be announced the single share price shot up to one-hundred-and-eight dollars."

"Wow! I have never known a jump to be so high in all our previous investigations on insider trading," Otsana admitted.

"You can understand why we were concerned. We took it straight to authorities. Evan found out through contacts that word on the streets was that we were going to be releasing a never-before-seen product that would set records in sales. Some of the shareholders jumped at the opportunity to sell, thinking the price had peaked. They weren't prepared to gamble on them flatlining if the product failed to live up to expectations."

"Did it…?" Otsana asked.

"Did it what?" I asked back.

"Did Matilda fail to live up to expectations?"

Cillian laughed before saying, "Matilda blew records away and we battled to keep up with demand. By the time sales settled, we'd made over a billion dollars and shares were at two-hundred-and-ninety dollars each. When things settled a little, people scrambled to get their hands on stock, again expecting the company to continue growing. Evan had no luck in finding who the insider was and we let it go hoping it was a one off. But then it happened again eight days before the release date announcement of Byron. Evan started looking closer but there was still nothing. Eleven days before Krista's release date was made public, he came to me and said he was putting an extra five computer experts on our case. There hasn't been one valid piece of information that has led anywhere. Two days ago, which was nine days from announcing Panda'srelease date, it started over, and Evan said he was handing it to a team that had better knowledge of, and resources for, this kind of crime."

"How long before the release date for each product is it announced?"

"Four weeks," I answered.

"What's the current value of the shares?"

I deferred to Cillian, our number's man, even though I was well aware of the value. "Four-hundred-and-sixty-seven dollars each."

"Jesus! They'll hit more than five hundred dollars when you release. I should have invested! Even many of the blue-chip stocks aren't bringing prices that high. I'm impressed."

"We would be too if it had been achieved honestly," Cillian said, every bit as annoyed with the situation as I was.

"Hopefully, my team will get to the bottom of what's happening. From previous experience, we find the perpetrator is usually a long-time employee in a senior position who is the last person you would suspect. Junior employees don't normally have access to sensitive information to be effective."

"I don't…"

Otsana held up one hand and I clamped my mouth shut. What can I say? The woman had a commanding presence.

"Usually," Otsana emphasized knowing I was about to defend those who had been with our company the longest. "It doesn't mean it won't be someone else, but another reason I would like to begin with investigating senior staff is because it appears you have previously refused to allow access to them which has hindered Evan and his team."

Cillian and I exchanged a glance. I suspected the guilty expression on my best friend's face was the same as I was wearing.

"We didn't give them full access because they are men and women who have been loyal to us for years and they are like family."

Otsana tilted her head and pierced me with her oddly mismatched eyes. "As far as you know," she argued. "You may consider them family, but from my experience, those who do not share our blood will never be as loyal and trustworthy as those who do."

Otsana spoke with a deal of animosity, and I wondered what had happened in her past. Someone had let her down, or maybe hurt her, badly.

"I respectfully disagree." I inclined my head at Cillian. "Cillian has been more loyal and trustworthy, and a better friend than anyone I share blood with."

"I thought you were an only child?" Otsana would have read the file and known that to be true, but she appeared to assume I was speaking about a sibling.

"I am an only child. I was referencing a couple of cousins I grew up with, and who after a couple of unsavoury incidents, I would not trust as far as I could throw them. We have not spoken for years, and I do not accept invitations to family gatherings, although few and far between now my parents have moved to Florida, they are invited to attend. I prefer our current estrangement to stay that way…Permanently."

"It appears we have both been burned in the past. Maybe those of us on the bottom rungs of society's ladder aren't alienated from our family by squabbles over wealth as I suspect you may have been."

"Ouch! Otsana picked it in one, Xavier." Cillian spoke the words I'd been thinking.

Considering my wealth it wasn't rocket science to work out my recalcitrant cousins had come calling to request a handout. One they did not get.

Otsana's face pinked and her entire body tensed. She must have come to the conclusion she'd crossed a line by passing judgement when she really knew nothing about mine or Cillian's private lives.

"I apologize…"

This time it was me who held up a hand forcing the apology to die on her lips. "No need for an apology or to explain."

She nodded and relaxed. "Getting back to what we were discussing…Can you advise me of the names of all those holding executive positions? The file indicated there has been only minimal investigation, and when Evan demanded more access, he landed in court where a judge agreed with you. He ruled there was no need to delve into the lives of trusted, long-time employees who have been with you for over seventeen years as it was more likely to be someone employed closer to the time of Matilda's release."

"That was mine and Cillian's belief which is why we fought against having their lives turned upside down."

"What's changed that has made you more willing to cooperate?"

"This investigation has been going on for fifteen years and nothing suspicious has been found despite the fact our other employees have had their lives turned inside out. It hurts to think it may be someone we have trusted beyond doubt, but the time has come that we take a close look at everyone."

"Including yourselves?"

It took me a moment to regain my tongue after the shock of being accused and Cillian responded.

"Why on earth would we damage a company and its reputation when it has made us billions? You may delve all you fucking like, but I assure you, neither of us would do anything to endanger what we have worked so fucking hard to build."

Not the language I would have used but Cillian got his point across on behalf of us both. Otsana grinned like she was testing us for a reaction.

"Well played, detective. As Cillian said, you may investigate us all you like…Evan has already looked thoroughly at us both as I'm sure your file shows. But if you feel he may have missed something, by all means do whatever you need."

Otsana tilted her head to the side again, it appeared to be a habit when she was studying someone closely.

"I don't believe it is either of you and I will not be disrupting your lives. Honestly, though, your other executives should have been investigated from the beginning and I am a little surprised none of them offered their cooperation willingly. Had they done so in one way or another, or either one of you as CEO and General Manager had forced the issue instead of fighting against it, this matter may have very well been resolved not long after Matilda."

"You are probably right, detective." Why was her attitude, accusing us of being tardy, setting me on edge? "We most likely should have, but if we continue sitting here arguing about a past that cannot be changed, we'll get no closer to the criminal."

Otsana's cheeks pinked at my rebuke. "Again I apologize if my comments were out of line. It was not my intention to be rude, but I become frustrated with people who insist on making our job so much harder than it should be. Cases that should be wrapped up in months end up taking years when information is not disclosed in a timely manner. I understand why Evan was unable to settle this case. I shall attempt to keep my frustration in check and my opinions to myself."

"I also apologize for my tone. Shall we continue without making further accusations?"

Otsana slipped the notepad open and held her pen poised over the blank page.

I turned my attention to the sheet of paper where Cillian and I had made notes earlier in the day.

"These people are senior executives, most in charge of a small team of people between two and fifteen employees excepting the research and development department which has thirty employees. Ralph Kenny is second in charge of sales and marketing as assistant to Cillian. Demetri Elatri is in charge of the accounting team of three including himself. Betty Lowe, who you have met is my current personal assistant and Molly Carne is Cillian's assistant. Pamela Vault, whom you also would have met, looks after welcoming visitors to this floor, product movement and she also heads our shipping department of fifteen employees which are housed on the ground floor. Glenn Ferris is Human Resources, Elizabeth Watts assists Cillian in procurement of product and components, and Wilson Manx is one of our engineers who is head of research and development."

I paused for a moment to give Otsana time to finish writing down everything I'd said. When she was done, I continued.

"Most have offices on the ground floor except Wilson who is on the second floor with his team."

Otsana added the extra information. "You have offices overseas…Have those people been investigated?"

"They are more shop fronts. Each has a manager and two employees. They are situated to coordinate shipping of our new, major product which is their main purpose. They also take inquiries and keep a limited stock of electronics equipment and components for sale. For example…It is easier for our office in Melbourne, Australia, to arrange shipping of our products, which attract high demand, for their region. They haven't been in place very long, but we anticipate they will take pressure off this head office particularly during new product releases."

"That makes sense. When are they advised of the details of new products?"

"Around one month before release we will ship product to the regions to ensure it arrives on time, but it won't be released by the port until our announcement goes live. Panda has gone out, and they have been advised of the delayed release as have the ports."

"Not very trusting," Otsana mused. "Have they been investigated? I don't recall having seen anything in the file."

I shook my head. "Evan agreed it wasn't necessary. Our first office in Ontario didn't open until six years ago and Melbourne came into effect eighteen months ago. Evan ruled them out along with employees who have been with the company for less than ten years since the insider trading was an issue before they were employed."

"I agree, it's highly unlikely to be one of them but if nothing is found, we'll add them into the investigation." Otsana locked her eyes on mine. "Who do you believe is responsible even though you can't prove it yet?"

I leaned forward, rested my elbows on the desk, and tented my fingers before glancing at Cillian for a moment. "That, detective, is the ten-million-dollar question. Being honest…Cillian and I have gone through the company servers with a forensic computer specialist. We have watched the movements of employees and tapped phones."

I held up a hand when Otsana narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak.

"We know phone tapping is illegal, but we were desperate and had a judge sign off on it after we explained what was happening. He agreed to give us fourteen days and said anything found outside the time frame would be deemed illegal and inadmissible in court."

Otsana smiled. "I'm pleased to hear you followed correct procedures."

"Xavier and I hired private detectives to watch a couple of people we suspected, but again nothing was found," Cillian explained.

"Yes, I read their reports that were in the file. The final thing we need to discuss is putting a plant inside the company. She will be able to study the workings of employees and pick up on anything that's out of place that you may have missed. Fresh eyes so to speak."

"She?"

Again, Otsana tilted her head and studied my face before she answered. "I have information that Betty, your personal assistant has been attempting to retire." She grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"I have been reluctant to let her go," I admitted.

"I'd like to put one of our trusted contacts into the position."

I glanced at Cillian who shrugged. "It would save me the trouble of interviewing candidates tomorrow and Betty could start training her in company systems immediately."

"Tell us a little about her," Cillian requested.

"Her name is Aurora Ulrich. She's in her late thirties, married, and is a beat cop over in Rotoma. She works assignments undercover when needed."

"She's taken other assignments similar to this one?" I asked.

"Several times but not for my team. She has also worked several stints with the drug squad. She's an excellent analytical cop who the drug squad and crime divisions would love to have permanently but she prefers the beat. It's been signed off by my superiors so only needs you and Cillian to approve."

"I have no issue with her being here…Cillian?"

"All good with me. She'll be your personal assistant and I just want this to end."

"I'll bring her over tomorrow…11 am?"

"Perfect. I'll let Betty know she's finally going to be free."

"You cannot tell anyone that Aurora is temporary, or her cover will be blown. You need everyone to believe that she has taken Betty's position permanently."

Cillian and I agreed to Otsana's request before we all stood and started toward the door. I took Otsana by the arm, holding her back as Cillian opened the door and left.

"Are you free tonight?"

Otsana's eyes searched mine before she nodded.

"Will you have dinner with me at Zorollos?"

She nodded again. "7 pm? I'll meet you there."

"Perfect." I smiled and escorted Otsana to the elevator, waiting until she was ensconced inside and heading toward the ground floor, before starting back to Betty's desk to give her the news that she'd be heading for Florida before long. I'd also ask her to call the restaurant to advise them I would be dining there in a couple of hours.