“Do you have your passport ready?” Ken asked, poking his head into Sam's office from the hallway. Sam was busy typing out a memo.
“It's been ready for weeks now.”
“Good,” Ken replied as he stepped further in. “Because after the holidays you're headed to London. We have a small office there that interfaces with our UK subsidiary.”
“I'll look forward to it.”
“Maybe not so much after I pile on the reading material. This will be your first audit of a foreign subsidiary. The guidelines are different.”
“Stretching my horizons?”
“After this, it'll likely be India sometime in the summer.”
“Just keep me away from the Middle East.”
Ken chuckled. “Hey, I wanted to compliment you on the Christmas party. I think your date made quite an impression.”
“Angela?”
“You'd better keep that girl around, Sam. She's going to help propel you into bigger things. I know it all sounds horribly superficial, but that's the way things work in the upper echelon. Having a trophy wife on your arm makes a great impression. Almost as much as the kind of suit you wear and the car you drive.”
“Here I thought it was about degrees and certificates.”
Ken laughed. “Maybe down here in the trenches, but up there image is everything. You, Sam, have a real good image going for you.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
Sunday, December 25, 1994
Sam's Townhouse – North Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Sam was in his kitchen removing the hot package of popcorn from the microwave when he heard his doorbell ring. He looked at his clock and it was a quarter past two.
“Who in the world?” Sam asked himself as he walked to the front door. He opened it and stood in bewilderment looking at Susan.
“Merry Christmas, Sam.”
“Sues? Is everything okay?”
“I'm fine.”
“What are you doing here? I thought you flew back home.”
“Well, surprise, I'm here. Can I come in before I freeze?”
“Oh, sorry, please come in,” Sam said, stepping aside.
“Is Angela still at her parents?”
“Yeah, she'll be back tonight,” Sam replied as he closed the door. “I never got an invite.”
“Still on Dad's naughty list?”
“A permanent status so long as I'm living with her.”
Susan stepped further into the sunken living room and took in the aroma. “Yum, popcorn. Spending your Christmas in front of the TV?”
“Not much else to do. I was about to watch my favorite Christmas movie.”
“Please don't tell me it's one of those old classics like It's a Wonderful Life.”
“No, Die Hard.”
Susan laughed as she took her coat off. “Cool!”
Sam stood and watched her as she handed him her coat. “Sues, what are you doing here?”
“Keeping you company,” Susan answered as she held up a small gift. “This is for you. Merry Christmas.”
“Thanks,” Sam replied with a perplexed expression as he took the gift. “Sorry, I didn't get anything for you.”
“Don't apologize. You did give me something and it's probably a lot nicer than what I gave you.”
“It is? Now I'm a little curious what Angela obviously got you.”
“It's not from her. It's totally from you.”
“Now I'm really confused.”
“I'm here. That's what you gave me.”
“Sues, really, what's going on? Why didn't you fly home to see your family?”
Susan frowned and sat on the couch. “I didn't want to go.”
Sam walked to the couch and sat down beside her. “Did you have a big blow-out with your parents?”
“Nope. I'd rather be with my family here. Besides, we weren’t able to connect for dinner this month. I know we were both busy, but I really missed it.”
Sam smiled. “It's a nice surprise that you hung around, but didn't you skip going home last year, too?”
“Yeah, but that was because they were all sick.”
“I see. So, why didn't you want to go after missing a year?”
Susan sighed and leaned back. She stared at the Christmas tree with a melancholic expression.
“Hey, Sues, please talk to me.”
“It's all about Jeremy Rodgers,” Susan muttered.
“Who?”
“I haven't told you much about my family, have I?”
“Not really.”
“I was never really close to them. I was the youngest and they all went their own ways by the time I was old enough to notice. It sort of made me an only-child runt of the family. By the time I was ten, all the girls I knew were moving on to other things which didn't include me. That made for a lonely existence.
“Then a new family moved into the neighborhood. They had one son, Jeremy Rodgers.” Susan paused and attempted to quell her suddenly swelling emotions. “We were the same age and he had a hard time making friends, so we were a perfect fit for each other. Pretty soon we did everything together. It didn't matter how much my old friends teased me over whatever made them feel better about themselves, Jeremy and I had each other. Our friendship was so perfect because it was completely innocent. Neither of us were the slightest bit interested in anything other than just being with each other and having fun.” Susan again paused as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Did something happen to him?”
“He got sick. By the time we were twelve, he died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. I was devastated and it took a long time for me to get over it.”
Sam put his arm around her. She buried her face in his shoulder and started to cry. “Why didn't you ever tell me this before?”
“I don't know. Maybe because you're my Jeremy now, and I didn't want to jinx you. You and Angela became like my family. Everything I want to be around is here. Or maybe I just can't take another Christmas with a family that hardly knows me. Everything about my old home feels dead to me. I just couldn't bear another year of wallowing in painful memories.”
Sam gently kissed Susan on her forehead and handed her a tissue.
“You'd think I'd know enough by now to carry some in my purse when I see you.”
“As always, I seem to make you cry.”
“You do, damn it,” Susan said with a laugh. “But you should see me when I listen to Seasons in the Sun. It makes me cry like a baby for hours.” Susan dabbed her tears away and reached for the gift that she earlier gave Sam. “Now it's time for you to open your present.”
Sam slowly tore the wrapping paper off a small, reused cardboard jewelry box. He lifted the top off to reveal an old Matchbox red Pontiac Firebird.
“Sues, you shouldn't have.” Sam paused and his expression dropped as a realization hit. “It was his, wasn't it?”
“He loved his Matchbox cars. He had quite a collection, but I always liked this one because of the colorful bird decal on the hood. A month before he died, he was so sick he couldn't do much anymore. He gave it to me to keep. Now I want to give it to you.”
“Are you sure?”
“It's to commemorate what we have. You mean that much to me, Sam.”
It was Sam's turn to tear up.
“My turn,” Susan said with a grin as she handed a tissue to him.
“It's probably the most meaningful gift anyone has ever given me. Thanks.” Sam quickly regained his composure. “Well, I hope you're not expecting us to play cars from now on. I gave away my Matchbox garage years ago.”
Susan laughed. “Are you going to get us some popcorn before it gets cold?”
“I think I might even have some soda in the fridge,” Sam said as he rose. “It's the good stuff, Cherry Seven-Up.”
“You don't think Angela would mind, you know, if I'm here with you?” Susan asked as Sam walked into the kitchen.
“I think she would be terribly jealous.”
“Seriously?”
“Oh, yes, only because she'd rather be here watching the movie with us.”
* * *
“So, you're really mad at me?” Sam asked as Angela jammed her clothes into the hamper.
“What do you think? Do you understand how stressful Christmas is with my family? I rather would've been back here with you and Sues. So not fair.”
“Family? You're an only child.”
“Okay, it was a stressful time with my parents,” Angela conceded as she climbed into bed.
“Especially when I'm still in the picture, I suppose.”
Angela snorted. “You'll note that I didn't bring you home any gifts from them.”
“It would've been quite a Christmas miracle if you did.”
“Oh,” Angela again groaned as she lay back. “I'm so jealous. If I had known Sues was coming over I would've never gone home.”
“It's funny, though.”
“What?”
“She talked a little bit about her family, which made me realize how she hardly brings them up. She didn't get into specifics, but she gave me the impression that she didn't have a happy life with them.”
Angela paused and sighed. “Not everyone had happy childhoods.”
“She mentioned having brothers and sisters, but that they're much older than she. I was just surprised to hear she had any siblings. We got too wrapped up in the movie for me to ask more about them. Has she ever talked about them with you?”
“No,” Angela replied in a distant tone.
“Something wrong?”
Angela turned away. “I'm just tired and want to go to sleep.”
CHAPTER NINE
Monday, January 23, 1995
Blanchard Corporation – Chelmsford, Massachusetts
“How was London?” Ken asked from the doorway to Sam's office.
Sam finished opening a letter from the stack of mail that had accumulated while he was away. “Not much to say about it. I was tied to a desk for most of the time.”
“I thought I told you to do some sight-seeing.”
Sam waved Ken in and motioned for him to close the door.
“What's going on?” Ken asked as he pulled up a chair.
“I wanted to have some time to pull my records together to show you something, but now's as good a time as any. I found some irregularities that point to things outside of my scope.”
“Procedural?”
“Budget.”
“Shit. What did you find?”
“Large sums of money being channeled through closed accounts into the subsidiary. Normally, this should flow through inter-company accounts as it would be considered a loan.”
“Which closed accounts?”
“I totaled up about a half million through a couple of old Raptor-Eye accounts. That's the old Air Force tie-in project that was closed last summer, right?”
“Did the money flow outside the company?”
“No, it stayed inside,” Sam explained as he found a chart of accounts. “I just can't see where it landed in the subsidiary because I don't have access to those accounts.”
Ken looked over the information and relaxed his demeanor. “Yeah, it looks like our bean-counters forgot to close all the old Raptor-Eye accounts. That's just slush funding for spare parts. Nothing to get alarmed about. Someone just selected the wrong GL accounts.”
“Should I flag it on my report?”
“If you do, it'll likely trigger a visit from Mr. Colin Ross. Have you ever met him?”
“Yeah, at the Christmas party.”
“Well, he's not the type of guy you want getting all up into your business.”
“Why?”
“Did you ever see that movie a couple of years back: A Few Good Men?”
Sam thought for a moment. “Yeah.”
“I swear they based the Colonel Jessup character on Ross. He's a scary sonofabitch that I wouldn't want looking over our shoulders for any specific reason.”
“Is he ex-military?”
“Technically ex, but I sometimes wonder. He used to be a colonel in Army Intelligence who worked out of Fort Belvoir. I think they call it INSCOM. I once asked what he did and was politely told never to ask again.”
“I guess we take our company secrets seriously.”
“Sam, don't ever get on this guy's radar. In fact, don't even talk about him. Get my drift?”
“Loud and clear.”
Friday, February 17, 1995
Pheasant Lane Mall - Nashua, New Hampshire
“Looking nice, as always,” Sam told Susan as he found her waiting in a booth at a nice mall restaurant.
“I think this is the first time I've beat you to dinner,” Susan remarked as Sam took off his coat.
“Looks like a nice place. Did you and Angela eat here before?”
“A couple of times. This mall is one of our favorite places to shop.”
Sam sat and immediately noticed something new about her hairstyle. “Did you do something different to your hair?”
“I'm trying to grow it out a little and add some highlights. What do you think?”
“Very nice. It makes you look a bit older.”
“Thanks,” Susan gushed with a big smile. “Exactly what I was trying for.”
“Anyone in particular you're trying to impress?”
“No, not really,” Susan replied with a dismissive laugh.
“No one at work or in the CYA group?”
“No,” Susan replied, starting to show a hint of annoyance. “Why so interested?”
“Because I think it would be nice if you met someone special.”
“I've already got enough special people in my life, thank you.”
“You do know what I'm talking about, right?”
“Yes,” Susan defensively retorted. “I know what you're talking about.”
“Hey, sorry for prying. I'm just trying to look out for you.”
Susan rolled her eyes. “So are too many others in that regard.”
“Really? Is someone trying to play matchmaker?”
Susan paused and offered Sam a suspicious gaze. “Besides you? Most of my girl-pals in the group.”
“Wow, is it that bad?”
Susan sighed. “I'm starting to wonder if they think I'm a lesbian.”
“Seriously?” Sam blurted while trying not to laugh.
“It's embarrassing.”
“Sorry, it's just something that would've never crossed my mind.”
“I'm just extremely choosy.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“Sure, there's nothing wrong with it unless you're known to never date. Then it becomes a big concern apparently. Particularly when ridiculous inventions like Valentine's Day dredge up unwanted attention to the subject.”
“Sues,” Sam said as he reached across the table and gestured for her hand. She reached out and placed it in his. “Relax. It's me. You know I don't have an agenda.”
“I'm sorry. February always seems to do this to me, but it's been tougher this year.”
“Sorry, I never knew.”
“It's just that I don't form attachments very easily.”
“Sues, is there something you're not telling me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well--” Sam paused, carefully considering his next words. “Did something happen to you in the past? Maybe some guy burned you pretty bad? Or possibly a family member--”
“No,” Susan blurted. “Nothing like that.”
“Sorry, it's just that you don't talk about your past or your family very much.”
“No, Sam. I'm not one of those girls who was abused by her father. There are no dark secrets like that in my family.”
Sam noticed how Susan's eyes darted away just before she started the second sentence of her reply. “Abused by a father? Why did you run to that?”
Susan froze and her heart sank. “Sam, let's not go there.”
“Why?”
“Trust me, it never happened in
my family.”
“Not in your family, but?”
“But?”
“Sues, what are you hiding?”
“Sam, I can't get into it. I promised.”
Sam paused to quell his racing thoughts. “Oh, God. This is about Angela?”
“Oh, I hate it when you read me like that!”
“Her father?”
Susan only replied with a cringe.
“Oh, shit. That would explain a lot.”
“Sam, you need to listen to me. I promised her that I'd keep that between us, but now that you know, it's something that happened when she was a lot younger. It stopped soon after. There hasn't been another instance since. They've both buried it pretty deep, but it's obviously something that's not healthy for her to keep suppressed. We've been talking about it and I'm encouraging her to seek counseling. She's really close to going, but it's something that she needs to do on her own. She can't know that you know. She'll tell you when she's ready, but you need to promise me that you'll keep this to yourself and never tell her you ever knew.”
“How can I possibly un-hear that?”
“Sam, please, do this for me. You've been working very hard to build something solid with her ever since we had that talk back in November. I think you've been doing an awesome job and I'm so proud of you. Now she wants to work on something she thinks is standing in your way. She needs a lot of space right now. I don't think it'll be much longer before she makes that appointment.”
Sam leaned back and let out a deep breath. “All right. I promise to keep my mouth shut. I'll wait for her to come to me and I'll pretend I'm hearing it for the first time. I never actually thought dishonesty would be good for a relationship.”
“See what prying gets you?”
“Just as long as you're not hiding anything else from me.”
Susan chuckled. “Haven't you learned your lesson yet?”
Monday, March 6, 1995
Blanchard Corporation – Chelmsford, Massachusetts
“That's the second time Sam Maxwell has picked up on cash-flow irregularities,” Colin reported to Merrill in his office. Walt was also there, preparing himself a drink at the bar in the far corner of the extravagant office.
The Initiative: In Harm's Way (Book One) Page 13
