Political Murder

by Emma Lathen

  Then he thought about the real estate implications of it all. Iron Mountain had said keep your filing cabinets with us because our space is cheaper than yours. But, and there was that word again, what if you needed no file cabinets at all, just your flash drive. He had a box of them now. Marked; but in a little box not even 20% filled up.

  He got up and went down to the office again and walked through alone. No copier; no print area; no mail boxes; a PC on every desk with its own printer. A sign in the workshop area saying, “Real chi- na; use the dishwasher for all cups, plates, and other utensils.” More self-service which people usually found to be better service he had learned.

  With none of those things crowding the office, he noticed everything seemed to be in miniature. Even the conference room was small- er because there were fewer people. The office supplies area was small because little paper, ink, folders, and similar such things were needed anymore. He wondered what would happen to Staples, Of- fice Depot, and Office Max. He would arrange to put sell orders in tomorrow. They were still growing but that was a false flag. As usual when it came to cultural and people impacts on investments, he would be right and early acting upon it.

  He noticed they just had stamps, not a stamp machine because so little mail would be sent. No room for bookkeepers, receptionists, or such things because there were so few people involved and those were at a few dollars per hour in India. No separate security. No parking spaces required since they all lived there and most of them didn’t even have a car anymore. He wouldn’t be seeing Sam the Chauffer anymore except as an Uber driver.

  And what about all the little shops that had catered to the Sloan peo - ple? They were abandoned too. He had heard about this in upstate New York when high taxes drove the manufacturers out. But little was said about all the people and small businesses that depended on their trade and paid well for it in New York City itself.

  This Senate Hearing would be rough, with worse to come in the future. There was danger in the air. Genghis Khan wasn’t at the gate yet; but believed he would be soon. So they were smart to move fast, as they just did. Interestingly, the Devonshire was the new castle protected by walls and the security moat downstairs. Nothing much had changed in history; the mob was out there. They might be right after all. Either way, right or wrong, he was glad the Sloan had less to protect since they liquefied Exchange Place, eliminated US em- ployment, and now only had private quarters to work from in the US. Austin was the sole exception; he would ask Elizabeth, again, if they really wanted Austin or shouldn’t do what they did in the Devonshire. Yes, that would be smart. Hold off on Austin; see how the Devonshire worked.

  In sum he thought, good for Elizabeth and George. We needed to do this. And John went back to his apartment, put his head on the soft pillow of calmness, and dozed off until the next morning.

  Chapter 10

  Showdown Meeting

  John began his meeting at 7:30 AM not 10 AM because everyone was there early and itching to go. This led John to speak to the point. “Today we have seen the early election returns on our slimmed down mobile organization. With no commuting or security obstacles in front of us, we each just arrived, got our single serve coffees, a bit of fruit kindly left in the fridge because there are so few of us here, and here we are.”

  He paused and then continued, “No formal clothes except for Ken who only had his suit with him. Last night I got to think about our increasingly friction free life and the impact on most people and businesses. Above all they have less work because there is less fric- tion to deal with. Last night I came downstairs and walked through the office. Let’s get up and do it together,” and they did.

  He continued, “Don’t think about what is here; think about what is not: No file cabinets and they did not go to Iron Mountain either; no secretarial or clerical areas and equipment; no reception area; no large printer; few office supplies; no landlines; and the list goes on and on.”

  John looked at them, “What does this mean for the Sloan, our invest - ments, and us personally? It means we were smart to move when we did. It means we are here in the Devonshire behind its moat. It just occurred to me we would be smart to have no visitors here. If they find out how small the place is they will comment; and their com- ments will lead to most people and businesses seeing exactly why they have less than they want and we have, a volatile combination if there ever was one.”

  Bowman interjected, “I remember when Costco pointed out they made their corporate offices look bigger than they actually were to dissemble with visiting reps and dignitaries. They said it worked. Made sense to me then and even more so now that I take John’s point.”

  John smiled, and continued, “So rule 1 of the new era: No visitors here. Period.” “Rule 2: Don’t talk about this. Don’t talk about it with your wives, friends, children, or others. We need to get hold of all this; get used to it, digest it, and then think again. I believe we will stick to this policy. But, and this is an important but, no talking about this with outsiders which includes Tom Robichaux, my son Jack, or daughter Laura, for my personal examples, and on down the line. Nobody means nobody.”

  “Any comments?” There were none at first, then Charlie concluded, “It is something isn’t it.”

  Bowman added, “I go out for lunch anyway. Perhaps a few dinners too now, to meet people?” and chuckled.

  Everett chimed in, “Yes, Walter. Smart plan.” When the VPof Yes and No agree, then it is over and that discussion was. There would be more of that as fewer people meant smaller audiences which meant less need to dissemble. It went on and on and on John thought.

  And he got back to it. The Senate Hearing was apt to be brutal as a beginning and worse downstream. He was delighted they had placed their assets and work place in friendly more anonymous foreign places where they would be foreigners as tourists contributing mon- ey to the local economies while requiring no unpaid services for it such as schools, roads, police, and the like.

  Elizabeth had put the whole Ireland office at the airport. She had tak- en over some empty offices available due to airline consolidation. She had built out 8 studio style bedroom/living room apartments for visitors to the premises. For the moment she had not settled on a personal address for herself, if she needed one at all. The airport location might work as well for her in Ireland as the Devonshire in New York.

  With knowing about Elizabeth’s plans for Dublin, John went on, “And we should keep the Ireland office out of bounds for visitors too.”

  Everett said, “What about tax audits and similar things?” Nicholls interjected because this was now his responsibility, “Most of that can be done remotely; if not, we can set it up at our Dublin’s lawyers’ offices. We can set up a separate room there for the cor- porate financial files. They are all online anyway; those documents required to be kept can be maintained at the local lawyers’offices so they can be inspected physically there if need be. Tax agencies these days are fully capable and willing to deal with tax files remotely; we just have to provide them with authorizations to do so.”

  Everett was having an agreeable day, something that never suited him well, “Good, good, but we will have to keep a close eye on all of it” he cautioned. People were relieved by his returning to his har- rumphing nature. Things were being normalized.

  John said, “You know, the hardest part is we can now continue with our work. The Internet, emails, texts, cells, and the like have elim- inated the need for traditional meetings that soaked up so much of our time and energy, providing us with so much fertile ground for complaint. That is pretty much gone now. We will have to get along without that diet of complaint or substitute other things. Let’s go around once and get opinions about where we are before we adjourn and get to work hours earlier than expected.”

  “George?” “I like it. No more Miss Evans being my handmaiden; but I don’t need to be screened off anymore. As a retired Chairman, I will do specific assignments to help. My share ownership is quite enough to cover any expense
s I might have. I’m here to help, John. Let me know when I can.”

  Charlie said, “I’m up next as President, I guess. I feel like George.” Nicholls commented next, “Easier than when you had this job, John. Calling you John may be my hardest transition,” as he chuckled with the others. “I’m fine with it all.”

  Walter and Everett just nodded. So John said, “Meeting over. As you work through this, let me know what you learn and your suggestions going forward.”

  Charlie added to complete the meeting, “And it is the shortest meet - ing I remember. Let’s have fewer of them, just like John likes,” and they smiled and chuckled as they went to their respective new places with the old accoutrements.

  Chapter 11

  Senate Conference

  That morning Senator Elvira Whitehorse, born Whitehors, conferred with her Chief of Staff, Molly Greenwood, about the planned Senate Hearing regarding Big Banks. “Molly, when can we get the Sloan down here? I am itching to take them on.”

  “Senator, the process server did serve the Sloan yesterday; however, he had to break some of the rules to get into the Sloan, up to the Chairman’s floor, and serve Elizabeth Thatcher. I think we should wait a few days to see if their lawyer, Jack Reynolds, objects.”

  “Why should we worry about him?” “He’s well connected here and you would be wise to not alienate him no matter what you do about the Sloan and others. Also our lawyer, Harry Goldman, has to deal with him and should be allowed to do so at his own pace.”

  “Are you rubbing it in that you were in the House, this is my first time in elective office, and I managed to irritate the Republicans enough they wouldn’t appoint me to the Consumer Affairs job?”

  “No Senator. You beat me in the primary if you recall; so you took the big hand. I am just suggesting a little caution in your first year. They’ll be watching you.”

  “Good, let them.” Elvira was a feisty ball of energy making up for her height of just over 5 feet. She was in perpetual motion and would accept nothing less from others. She was in alignment with the Cal- ifornia Granola crowd in a way the more nuanced, less shrill Molly was not; so Elvira had won.

  Molly didn’t like it one little bit but felt she had to bide her time and stay close so that when Elvira stumbled, she’d be next in line. So far Elvira was stumbling a lot. The Senior Senator from California was disgusted with her and said, “You’d think I’d like two women to represent California. In theory I would; but Elvira is a menace. Sorry you lost, Molly.”

  Politics was like that Molly knew. Easy to give sympathy in private. Public support is what mattered and the Senior Senator had not sup- ported Molly in her primary campaign when remaining neutral. The party people noticed because Molly was the senior in the primary, having been a House member while Elvira was only an advocate, but one with a fervent and passionate group of supporters the Senior Senator did not want to offend. More importantly, they were voters who held grudges and angry when thwarted.

  So Molly and the Senior Senator were stuck for now. But now wasn’t forever they both knew, especially in the volatile political world. Elvira’s cut into Molly’s musings with a predictable order, “Call Harry and tell him next week voluntarily for the Sloan or get a Court appearance to force a date.”

  Molly felt surrender was the smart move; Elvira was expecting a fight so she could maintain her position but blame backing off on her cautious Chief of Staff.

  Molly took the trick by saying, “Will do,” and left to do exactly that before any possible recall by Elvira. Molly dialed Harry’s private number, always a signal in DC, and left a message. Harry saw the caller ID and suspected what it was about. He suspected Molly knew he would know too. He would bet the house that Elvira wasn’t smart enough to know about the courtesy of Kings, or Queens in the case of long serving Queen Elizabeth who met guests at the Airport. He would have kept the house if anyone took his bet; he could have doubled down and bet that no pro in DC would have taken that bet. He would have been right about that too.

  Molly’s voice message was clear. Elvira wanted a showdown. Com- mit by next Friday or she wants you to go to Court to force a date. Court was fine with Harry. He got paid. He got to complain to the client. And he knew the Judge would be infuriated but would know it wasn’t his idea, but that of the new Granola Senator as she was called informally in DC. All good for Harry and Molly too, for that matter Harry pondered.

  Jack Reynolds had reported his expectations to John Thatcher who he had known for years. Jack predicted what Elvira would require Harry to do. He would be right. John’s reaction to Jack’s prediction was, “Good job, Jack.”

  John was a pleasure to do business with, Jack had found over the years. If John had a problem he would just pause. None of that New York yelling for Thatcher. He was like TR; he spoke softly but car- ried a big stick. And was fun too, though not everyone saw that part of John.

  I guess just old coots like me, Jack chuckled to himself. Well John was an old coot too. No he reflected, John was first and foremost a gentleman. Never a coot. But Jack was and that was fine with him, and he knew it was fine with John too.

  This led to an emergency hearing in front of Judge Halsell at 11 AM the next Monday. Halsell permitted emergency hearings in new cas- es to scorch the pushy noncollegial hard ball types or press ganged lawyers like Harry Goldman who the Judge knew never would have pushed this on his own.

  The Judge’s clerk informed Jack of the get together. “Mr. Reynolds, the Judge wanted you to know there will be an emergency hearing at next Monday at 11. The Judge said you could put it off but probably expected it.”

  “Tommy, the Judge is rarely wrong.”

  Tommy chuckled and said, “Thank you, Mr. Reynolds.” Jack said, “You don’t learn this stuff at law school, Tommy. This will be good for you. The Judge makes it a little hard to find better amusement on weekends, but that ain’t a bad price to pay.”

  “No,” said Tommy chuckling. He liked Jack and not just because the Judge did. The Judge had told him, “Tommy, I can look Jack off; lift an eyebrow; he lets me carry on; he is great fun. Of course we are two of a kind,” and few things could be more true though Jack was from a poor part of the Bronx, a Bronx Science and Harvard/Har- vard Law graduate, while Judge Halsell was an Exeter, Swarthmore, Yale Law School graduate.

  Elvira’s bully boy, Harry Goldman, knew what he didn’t know and treaded lightly at the 11 AM meeting. He knew it was a bad idea before calling it and had his opinion ratified when the Judge lit into him, justifiably in Harry’s opinion. When the Judge started to wind down after seeing clearly none of this was Harry’s idea, he smiled, slowed down, and ground to a halt.

  “What is the emergency? I understand you have a problem, but what is the emergency?” “Senator Whitehorse,” and Harry saw The Judge grimace, “says the Sloan and other Big Banks are abusing the Tax inversion rules; they have closed and sold their New York Office; she says they pretend to be an Irish Company; and she wants the Court to stop them. Ac- cording to her, the sooner the Court does so the less pain and bad precedent there will be. She wants to get their representative exam- ined, on the record, and make her case.”

  The Judge looked over at Jack, Harry stopped, and Jack started up. “The Sloan incorporated their VC and IT company in Ireland about 5 years ago. They set up new automated branches and trust accounts in another parallel company about 5 years ago too, which now con- stitutes the bulk of their business. Do I have anything wrong? Coun- selor?”

  Harry admitted this was all true. The Judge was clearly pleased that Harry had let it go at that, indicating he thought all this was stupid too.

  “Gentlemen, the Court rules from the bench you have 90 days to work out a hearing date. If that doesn’t work, come back in 91 days and I will rule accordingly. Any questions?”

  There could not reasonably be any. Since no clients were present, both lawyers and the Judge smiled. Everyone got paid today, The Judge thought. Good. They both deserved it for having to deal
with this nonsense.

  Harry could have pushed for a date then if a voluntary agreement had not been reached. But he knew that would use up a big marker with the Judge, and be to no avail to boot. In 90 days, the horse would be long out of the barn, in the dog food can, and eaten, as the joke went.

  Better for everyone that this occurred, even though Whitehor’s or Whitehorse, depending on who you were talking to, would not see it that way. Messing with the Sloan, and the rest of their crowd, was no way to get re-elected, Harry, Jack, Molly, and the Judge knew.

  The Interim

  Jack texted Elizabeth the good news.

  She texted back, “Thanks Harry. Just what we needed.” Jack had known Elizabeth was a chip off the old block. This certain - ly proved it. As with John, she never ran him through his paces; got him committed to things he should have remained flexible on; and, above all, gave him more room to maneuver than his adversary, in this case poor Harry stuck with that horrible new Senator. Jack knew that if Molly Greenwood won, there would have been none of that. Jack was similar to virtually all of the DC crowd; they had hoped for Molly and got trouble in Elvira. Well, the way she was going, he would be working for someone else soon. And he would be right.

  Elizabeth had a clear 90 days and somewhat more to consolidate Ireland, their plans, and their leveraged buyout. The buyout had started well. The insiders owned 10% or $5 billion worth. It was divided fairly evenly between the remaining people, indicating their commonality of purpose more than rank as most companies did. George was too wise and multigenerational to do that. He knew they all had enough; the trick was not to overextend it or like the Ancients keep fighting for more like Alexander the Great whose troops realized he would never quit fighting, rebelled, and he died in a battle on the way home to Greece, all before he was 35. Everything he created disintegrated. This was not George’s plan. Equality in ownership allowed for hierarchy without rancor. The Sloan was in excellent shape because of George not being a hog about it all.