by Axl Goode
She no longer needed a particular client, she could gain another one any time she wanted. She couldn’t just email the mayor of the city though, informing him she was going to discontinue investing his funds. Nor did she want to do that. He had been her biggest and longest-lasting client and all she really wanted was to know why someone thought he might be investing illegal funds.
Duane Frederickson’s doors finally opened and he stepped through with a smile on his face.
“Brenley, my favorite money manager. I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I had a phone conference I couldn’t escape,” he said in a warming voice.
He was wearing a blue suit that couldn’t have cost less than a fortune. His hair was combed back in his classic style. He wasn’t a bad-looking man for someone his age. Standing, Brenley put on her best smile and walked over to shake the mayor’s hand.
“I understand how those things go.”
They walked into his sumptuous office. It was like walking into a different building. Books lined the shelves located behind his desk from floor to ceiling. The walls were equally filled with pictures and plaques of awards he had received through the years. He strolled around his desk to sit in his large executive-style chair while she settled into one of his ornately decorated leather chairs.
“So tell me how everything is going with you. It’s been a while since I’ve stopped in to chat,” he said in a casual, friendly manner.
“I’ve just been working how I normally do. The investments all look really good, with a pretty steady return rate,” she said with her typical vagueness when it came to business. She didn’t give her secrets away or discuss the technicalities of her methods with anyone. Using her usual tactics she tried to avoid endless meetings so she put a time constraint on them. “I have some business back at the office in a little while, so I can’t stay long. I tried to schedule a meeting with you via email, but your secretary told me that you were unavailable for a few weeks. I hope this isn’t interrupting anything.”
“I will have to talk with her about that. I don’t remember being too busy for something this important but I’ll certainly figure out what happened there,” Frederickson said with a polished political response.
“It’s okay. I understand you’re a very busy man. I wanted to discuss your current investments and also some other investments that could be higher risk but may have a higher yield. I am contemplating starting a separate investing account that would require you to sign over for a higher risk ratio. However it could have a yield ratio up to ten percent over the existing one. It would be a substantial amount of profit if executed properly, yet you could also lose a substantial amount if I’m wrong about my hunch. I can go over the exact details with you later, but I wanted to get your opinion, as well as a few other clients’ before I start drawing up the paperwork.”
“I think that sounds very interesting. I like to live on the dangerous side occasionally. I think as long as you’re investing my funds, I would ultimately trust that they are in good hands. You’ve always come through spectacularly,” he said with utter sincerity.
“Thank you very much.” Brenley felt bad for having ever doubted Frederickson and not wanting to continue the conversation. Knowing that she had to get some more answers before leaving, she pressed on.
“The other thing I wanted to discuss was your current investment. I know you called Greg the other day concerned about someone else logging into your account while you were viewing it. He said you were convinced that an individual at the bank was responsible for it. I’m not sure why you would think that, seeing as our systems wouldn’t interfere with your viewing of your account at all.” Deciding to go out on a limb and trust her instincts, Brenley watched Frederickson’s reactions closely as she continued.
“Considering this, I should go ahead and admit that I was reviewing your accounts. I received a letter last Monday by registered mail with a note in it about you. I haven’t told anyone about it because you’re my client and I respect your privacy. It said that you were investing illegal funds.
“I personally have no reason to suspect any sort of fraud or use of illegal funds. However with someone taking the effort to go through the trouble of sending a letter through registered mail, I thought I should diligently do a little research and investigate the matter. That is why I was looking at your accounts. I find this all a little disconcerting to say the least.” A slight twitch of nervousness passed through Frederickson’s eyes before he quickly reverted to the same confident smile.
“That is very unsettling news. There seems to be strange things going on that I have no knowledge about. I wasn’t aware I was doing anything illegal and the funds are all mine, so I’m not sure what to make of it. I can have my accountant go through everything with me just to double-check but as far as I’m aware, I’ve been doing business the same as always. I do appreciate your discretion with this matter though. I know the media would have a field day with that sort of information. I wonder who would send you a letter like that. Was it handwritten or typed?”
“It was typed. I was curious myself. Who would know that you invest with me? That’s not public knowledge, although I know you have told plenty of colleagues in order to send them in my direction, which I greatly appreciate,” she said with a warm tone.
“I haven’t made any secret of it. You’re the best investor I know. I’ve mentioned you to tons of people.”
“Thank you again. I don’t want anyone to come under fire here, so I just wanted to inform you about the situation. I think for now it would be best if we just let it go. If something else turns up I’ll let you know.”
“That sounds good to me. I’ll have my accountant double-check everything I’m doing. I really don’t know why someone would want to blackmail me—“
Who said anything about blackmail?
“But I suppose a politician always has adversaries, right?” he said, giving a small chuckle.
“You’re definitely right about that. Thank you for taking the time to see me, I hope I didn’t take up too much of your day.”
“Not at all. Come back anytime if anything else turns up,” he said, walking her over to the door. “Take care and be safe.”
“You too!” she said, politely exiting the office.
Climbing into her car, she quickly locked the doors. Feeling very unsafe, she started her car to put some distance between her and the mayor’s office. Instead of being reassured that Frederickson wasn’t involved with anything, now she was almost certain he was. There were several points in the conversation that she knew he lied. Being a politician, he was certainly practiced at it enough but that didn’t prevent the few brief instances she saw his eyes give him away. He also held his breath slightly before he told a lie.
There was no question in her mind that Frederickson knew he was doing something illegal.
He played it off quite well, she thought.
She knew he would never have his accountants look at his books to see if anything was amiss. How illegal could it be though? He’s the mayor for Christ’s sake. He’s constantly under public scrutiny. How could he get away with something like that?
The questions were mounting in her mind, but what she was really considering was what to do about it. She didn’t mention how someone had followed her while running the previous night, but didn’t need to in order to know Frederickson was somehow involved. She couldn’t explain it all but her sixth sense was rarely wrong. Clearly he was worried enough to have someone trail her.
Driving through lunchtime traffic to get to work, she contemplated what she should do. She could try to speak with someone else about it but there was no way anyone at the bank would listen with Frederickson being such a large client. The police weren’t going to open a case based on an anonymous note, not to mention the work required to dig something like this up could be a huge task. It would require an audit, which could easily take weeks or months. Frederickson had always seemed like such a good person to Brenley, but leaving hi
s office today she felt like she just met the man. Something had changed him. He seemed pressured in a way he never had before.
What she really needed was evidence that he was doing anything illegal. It crossed her mind briefly that she could just stop right there and not pursue the matter any further and hope it went away, but that wasn’t who she was. She was tenacious and believed in doing the right thing even when it was the hard thing to do. She wasn’t willing to compromise her moral standards for anyone. The next question she faced was the best way to gather evidence of something she had little knowledge about.
There was really only one option for her to pursue. She would have to meticulously review his accounts to look for anything that might reveal a suspicious red flag. She would also have to research him as thoroughly as she could to see if she could find anything there. She could hire a private detective but considering that it seemed someone was already watching her, she thought it would be best to be discreet for now.
It was frightening knowing that someone was monitoring her, but she also felt a little excited to be investigating something so potentially huge. She was great at investigations and loved them. That was one reason she was so good at what she did, because she could investigate companies well enough to discover their financial situation and future well-being. She had worked way too hard to get where she was. There was no way she was going to let someone get her tangled up in any illegal activity. She was going to get to the bottom of it for her own sake as much as doing the right thing.
Pulling up to the bank, she wondered if she should bring anyone else in on her plan to research Frederickson, then thought better of it. She thought momentarily of the previous evening with Zane, recalling what he had said. His sincerity and truthfulness still shocked her. She did have to admit, he seemed much different from what she had initially thought.
Brenley had always thought he seemed like nothing more than a pretty face. The way that he stepped in front of her last night suggested differently. There was no worry in him or discomfort.
He was actually very protective of me, she thought. After having a little more interaction with him, she realized how intelligent he was. His speech was very clear and fluent. He was engaging, staring into her with his brown eyes. Thinking back on it, she realized they had gold rings stretched around them as well. He actually seemed more a mystery now than anything.
He had a room full of computers and a car that couldn’t be street-legal with modifications he claimed to have done himself. Why did he even have an interest in her? It struck her how attentive he was to her needs. He was constantly aware of how she was feeling. Sitting in her car outside the bank, she felt confused. She wanted to dislike him. She wanted him to be all the things she had thought he was. At the same time she wanted him to be something more as well. She liked how he was a mystery to her more than anything now. She started to feel excited and noticed her brain drifting away from the task at hand. Focusing, she got out of her car and got to work.
* * * * *
Back at the mayor’s office, Duane Frederickson stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. He thought he had done a convincing enough job to deter Brenley from further investigation but couldn’t tell. The woman was persistent. He knew that was why she was so good at her job. He had sent someone to shadow her, making sure she didn’t hire a private detective or anything of that nature.
Last night he had received a message on his prepaid phone from her shadow informing him that she had spotted him. The shadow had backed off, still watching her but no longer trailing as closely.
What an incompetent idiot. How hard is it to follow someone around and make sure they don’t recognize they’re being followed?
The damage was done though. No doubt that was the reason for Brenley’s unexpected visit at his office this morning. She must suspect something was amiss. After his excuse for calling the bank the other day, she was beginning to connect the dots.
She didn’t seem too keen on pursuing the matter though, which was good. If she dropped it then he wouldn’t have to worry anymore. Except for someone sending out anonymous notes informing people of his illegal activity. How anyone even knew about that was a mystery to him. It was certainly time to try to figure things out. He would need to keep an eye on Brenley to make sure she didn’t pursue the matter more. He sighed, realizing he also needed to find out who had discovered his secret. Keeping this up is only getting more complicated…
Clearly the note sender didn’t have evidence or the desire to go to the police so he wondered what their motives were. Too much was at stake here for mistakes like Brenley’s shadow being seen by someone. A more tacit approach was needed. Frederickson contemplated the options he had at his disposal.
Through the years he had been put in contact with other officials, all of whom were being manipulated by someone behind the scenes. One official stood out in particular. He was a police officer that appreciated discretion over all else. Frederickson wasn’t sure what the officer was being held at ransom for but knew that the he was in league with what they had dubbed “the messenger”.
Both of them had attempted to discover who had blackmail material on them but had failed. Having worked their entire lives for their current status, neither was willing to compromise their positions, so they did things for “the messenger” that they wouldn’t ever consider otherwise.
Deciding that the best defense would be a good offense, Frederickson started formulating a plan to handle whatever could be thrown at him. He pulled out his prepaid phone, having decided to handle the situation in a more formal manner. Whoever was behind blackmailing him, they were behind blackmailing others as well.
Frederickson never liked working with other city officials in this capacity if he didn’t have to. This matter required that he be sure there was no way for it to backfire though, so he made the phone call. Explaining what he needed to the police officer, he concluded the conversation quickly. Feeling better and more confident about his position than a few minutes ago, he went back inside to meet with a few more people.
* * * * *
A week later after auditing all the mayor’s financials and looking at his career in-depth, Brenley thought she had made a connection. Frederickson had opened a new account approximately four and a half years ago. With that account he wired $5,000,000 into it for investments with her. This wouldn’t be all that odd for someone with as much money as he had. But she couldn’t find any evidence he had that much cash on hand. He seemed to keep most of it invested in some form of hard assets, lacking the liquidity needed for such an endeavor. Meanwhile, the money kept steadily pouring into that account.
This was far from absolute evidence but it did seem a bit strange to her. After looking at the mayor’s career as well, she couldn’t find anything definitive against him. She still felt like there was some piece of the puzzle she wasn’t getting that was needed to connect all the nebulous dots together.
She was almost out of ideas and thinking that she should abandon her attempt at discovering what was going on when a thought hit her. It seemed like someone was monitoring her actions and the information she was accessing. Someone had known that she accessed the mayor’s bank records. Frederickson had known that she did before she ever admitted it to him. The simplest conclusion would be that someone was monitoring her computer activity. If her computer was compromised in some way, maybe she could bluff her way into a clue.
Running with that idea, she sat down and composed an email she thought should catch the attention of anyone monitoring her.
If you’re reading this email, it’s because something has happened to me. I have found a connection that proves Duane Frederickson is investing illegal funds. I am emailing this to myself because I think my phone might be tapped and I can’t trust anyone else. I think he has or has had someone following me. I plan to finish sorting all the documents and make copies of them tomorrow night, then go to the police the next day. I am writing this just in case of the worst scenario.
If you’re reading this, then all the documentation and proof you need is inside the air vent in my room.
After pressing send on her computer she contemplated what she had just done. The email might have seemed a little too fake but if someone were monitoring it, they might or might not know that she had no real proof. Either way, what she really wanted was to gain evidence or at least know for sure if her computer were being monitored.
She decided the best plan was to put the documents up in the air vent like she said and also set up a camera. If someone broke in she would catch them and know there was a connection. It’s not the best plan in the world, but it’ll have to do.
After work, Brenley went to an electronics store and bought a surveillance camera. It was small and inconspicuous, capable of streaming the recording to a remote server that she could access with her phone or laptop. That way she wouldn’t have to take the risk of being at home if anyone took the bait.
She went home and mounted the camera on top of her curtain rod, in a spot hidden by the top of the drapes. It had a clear view of the majority of the room, and wasn’t visible unless you were looking directly at it.
Once she was satisfied she had done as much as she could, she packed some supplies to be comfortable for the next few days. With as much discretion as she could muster, she went to her car and drove herself to a nearby hotel. It was the best she could do without giving away what she was trying to do. If whoever was monitoring her knew she was setting them up, they wouldn’t bite.
After a long day and evening full of work, she ordered a bottle of red wine up to her room. After a few glasses, she relaxed but still wished she had someone there with her. The situation made her feel unsafe and it took her longer than normal to fall asleep.
Chapter Nine
