by Marie Astor
Suddenly, Candace noticed familiar outlines in the couple heading towards her. She paused. The young man and woman looked like Jon’s brother, Paul, and his girlfriend, Lisa. But then Southampton was full of young, athletic blond men and dainty girls, and when it came to young couples in love, they all had an air of happiness about them, making them all look alike. Candace squinted her eyes. Her instinct had been correct: the man and woman walking towards her were indeed Paul and Lisa.
Candace liked Paul; she found his attempt at the acting profession endearing and his successful transition into marketing commendable. She wished that Jon were closer with his brother, but then she was not one to talk: her own relationship with her siblings consisted of Christmas and birthday cards. In the beginning, Candace had yearned for loud family gatherings. Her own family dynamic had pretty much made that impossible, so she had hoped that Paul and Jon might get closer, but instead, the opposite seemed to be taking place. On several occasions she had attempted to include Paul in family outings, but Jon had nixed the idea, adding that he saw plenty of his brother at the office. And now that Hank Bostoff was getting ready to retire, Candace worried that the struggle for the company control might sever the relationship between the two brothers irreparably. Up until recently, Paul’s involvement in the business had been that of duty, but since he had started dating Lisa Foley, Paul began to actively insert himself into the company affairs, and according to Jon, unproductively so. Candace was too removed from these matters to pass judgment, so now she was glad of the opportunity to get to know Lisa Foley a little better.
Lisa turned her face to the gentle breeze as she walked next to Paul, her hand entwined with his. They were strolling down the main town street, throwing leisurely glances at the window displays of galleries that peppered the town. To put it mildly, the ratio of galleries and souvenir shops to the local population was disproportionate, but then these ornate displays of overpriced merchandise were intended for the tourists, and now, with the summer crowds gone, this imbalance was palpable. Almost every store was empty, with clerks yawning discreetly behind the counters. A few more weeks and many stores would reduce their hours and some would shut down entirely for the winter.
Lisa felt Paul’s grip tighten around her fingers and looked up.
“It’s my brother’s wife, Candace, over there,” Paul muttered. “I had no idea that they would be down here this weekend. I just hope we won’t get sucked into coming over to their house. Ever since my brother bought that ostentatious place, he’s been showing it off to everyone he knows.”
“Let’s go over and say hello.” Lisa put on a smile: spending the afternoon with Paul’s brother’s family was not at the top of her list. Still, she knew that Jon Bostoff did not hold a warm place in his heart for her, but maybe, just maybe, she could manage to change his mind by turning Jon’s wife into an ally.
“We have to – she’s nodding at us; there’s no escape,” Paul grumbled.
A few steps later, a beautiful blond woman in her late thirties was smiling at them and kissing Paul on the cheek. Lisa thought that Jon’s wife looked exactly like Christy Brinkley: the same golden hair, sky-blue eyes, and a million dollar smile. And from what Lisa had heard about Jon’s wife, her smile was indeed worth millions: she had come from sizeable wealth – the kind of wealth that the Bostoffs could only dream about.
“It’s so nice to see you again, Lisa,” Candace was saying.
“You too, Candace,” Lisa chirped. “Paul did not know you were going to be up here this weekend. We would have stopped by and visited.”
“Jon did not tell you, Paul?” Candace started and then caught herself. “Oh, well, he’s been so busy lately… But now that I’ve run into you, you’re coming over: Jon is making barbecue, and I don’t want to hear any excuses.” Candace winked. “Paul, your nephews will be so happy to see you.”
Paul tightened his grip on Lisa’s hand. “I’m looking forward to seeing them too.”
“I’m parked right over there.” Candace motioned to the parking spot across the street.
“Great. We’ll follow you in my car,” said Paul. “Let me help you with these.” He motioned at Candace’s packages.
“Oh, thanks. You’re a sweetheart.”
As they walked to Candace’s car, Lisa wondered why Paul did not mention their engagement. Could it be he was too taken aback to remember, or was it that he simply did not want to break the news to his family? Well, whatever it was, Lisa was not leaving Jon’s house without announcing the big news.
Jon Bostoff paced the deck of his house. It had been over an hour since Candace had driven into town, and he was already regretting his earlier outburst about the liquor. The weekend had started so perfectly, but now it felt smudged. It was just that Candace could get so peculiar when it came to the help. It had to be something she had picked up in her family. The Covingtons treated hired help as though they were part of the family and had to be equally regarded. In Jon’s opinion, when one paid for one’s services, one expected those services, and stocking the fridge with beer and the bar with liquor was part of it. Jon looked at his watch. It was a little after two. They were supposed to have barbecue for lunch, but with their mother out of the house, Amber and Ollie had cooped themselves up in their rooms, playing video games or texting or whatever it was that the kids occupied themselves with these days.
Jon heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and hurried down the stairs. The weekend was not over yet. There was still enough time to get the barbecue going. Perhaps they might even stay another night. He could either drive up to the office early Monday morning or take a day off.
Jon was surprised to see two cars parked in the driveway. He was even more surprised when he saw that the second car was his brother’s.
“Jon!” Candace smiled at him as she got out of the car. “I ran into Paul and Lisa in town, and I thought it would be wonderful to have them over for barbecue.”
Of course you did, Jon thought. He loved his wife, but at times her politeness drove him mad. God knew he saw plenty of his idiotic brother at work – there was no need to see him over the weekend, not to mention his girlfriend.
“Wonderful.” Jon kissed Candace on the cheek. “What a splendid idea.”
“Hi, Jon.” After helping Lisa out of the car, Paul joined his brother and sister-in-law.
“I’m glad Candace ran into you. The kids will be glad to see you,” Jon managed. “Lisa, always a pleasure.” He nodded at his brother’s pesky girlfriend.
“Likewise, Jon.” Lisa ran her hand through her hair.
At first, Jon thought he had imagined it, but as he took another look, he knew that he had been correct. The glint on Lisa’s ring finger was unmistakable. It was his mother’s sapphire ring. “Is there something you want to tell us?” Jon stared at his brother.
“Lisa and I got engaged. I proposed to her last night.” Paul placed his arm around Lisa. “I was going to tell Father once we got back to the City.”
When were you going to tell me? Jon felt like exploding. “Wonderful! Congratulations to both of you.”
“Paul, Lisa, congratulations!” Candace wrapped her arms around Lisa and kissed her on both cheeks.
“We’ve got to celebrate.” Jon slapped Paul on the shoulder. “Well, let’s get the barbecue started and give the girls a chance to catch up.
As he turned on the grill, Jon made a mental note to talk to his father first thing in the morning.
Chapter 11
“Did you have a nice weekend?” Lisa stood in the doorway of Janet’s office.
“Yes, I did.” Janet hoped that Lisa would not ask for details, for Janet would be hard pressed to come up with a convincing story. She had spent the weekend cooped up in her apartment, with the exception of morning and evening walks with Baxter.
“So did I.” Lisa grinned, sliding into one of the chairs that stood opposite Janet’s desk. “Paul proposed.” Lisa produced her left hand as confirmation of her w
ords. On her ring finger shone a gorgeous sapphire set in diamonds.
“Lisa, congratulations!” Janet leaned in to examine the hefty piece of jewelry. One did not have to be a jeweler to see the stones of stunning clarity and the exceptional workmanship. “The ring is beautiful.”
“To tell you the truth, I wanted a diamond, but this was Paul’s mother’s ring, so I kept quiet.”
“So, when is the wedding?”
“Oh, I think in a year from now. We’ll need time to get the whole thing organized and to give people time to RSVP. There’s so much to do. I’ll have to start looking at venues, seeing caterers, and then there’s the wedding dress…” Lisa clasped her forehead in a gesture of utter exhaustion. “It almost makes me wish we could elope, but then I’ve always dreamed of a big wedding…Will you be my maid of honor?” Lisa’s eyes lit up.
“Yes.” Janet nodded. Even though she knew that being Lisa’s maid of honor would really mean being Lisa’s wedding planner, she was happy to take on the task. Lisa might have her faults, but in moments like these, years of friendship mattered more than petty grudges.
“Oh, goody!” Lisa squealed. “I’ll tell my mom – she’ll be so excited! She misses you, you know. You should say hello the next time you go to see your folks. Remember all those sleepovers we had in school?”
Janet nodded. Lisa’s slumber parties had been impressive. Every girl in the class had hoped to be invited. Lisa’s mother, a marketing executive at Estee Lauder, would give out makeup sample kits to all of Lisa’s friends – pretty pouches with lip gloss, perfume, and scented soaps inside them. A slumber party at Lisa’s house was an event to prepare for. You didn’t just dress in any old pajamas. Every party had a theme: Lisa had thought that it would be a wonderful idea for all the girls to wear matching pajamas, and once the invitees were selected, she would reveal the outfit for the party. Then every girl who had been invited would have her parents drive her to the mall to buy the pajamas of Lisa’s choice. There was one occasion when Janet’s parents were not able to drive her to the mall until the weekend, by which time the pajamas in her size were sold out. Janet’s panic was replaced by gratitude when Lisa presented her with a brand new spare pair. Ever the caring friend, Lisa had bought an extra pair specifically for Janet.
They were twelve then, and it seemed that nothing would ever come between them. But already talk of boys was finding ways into their conversation, with some girls, including Lisa, boasting of their first kiss – the having-been-kissed status separating the popular from the nots, and Janet had to admit that even now, seventeen years later, she found herself in the latter crowd. Only now the popularity ranking had been raised from a kiss to an engagement.
“But I digress,” Lisa sighed. “Believe it or not, I actually have a work-related question to ask you. I just got this audit notice.” Lisa pushed the fax from the SEC across Janet’s desk. “Can you believe the nerve of these buggers coming in at a time like this? How am I supposed to plan my wedding with these jerks hovering over my back?” Lisa frowned. “Anyways, I’m sure Tom will help us handle most of it, but we’ve got to pitch in for appearances’ sake. My paralegal, Meredith, will help you. Let’s start by reviewing the new account forms to see if we need to add any disclaimers. I’ve been meaning to get to it, but I kept putting it off…”
“Sure.” Janet nodded. As luck would have it, she was very familiar with know your customer requirements, as well as required disclosures that brokerage firms were obligated to provide to their clients. She had worked on several cases on these matters at the DA’s office.
“Where are the new account forms?”
“The templates are on the Legal’s shared computer drive.”
“But where are the actual forms?” Janet inquired. “I might as well take a look to make sure everything is in order.”
Lisa perked up. “Oh, sure, that’s a good idea. The Operations group handles the forms – they sit out on the trading floor. Meredith can show you where they are.”
“Sounds good. I’ll get right on it.”
“Thank you, Janet. You’re a lifesaver. Without you, I’d be in a pickle.”
After Lisa left, Janet examined the long list of requested items for the audit. Not so long ago, she used to send out similar lists for documentation requests during investigations, but now that she was on the receiving end, she had to admit that procuring information for a request seemed a lot more complicated than requesting it.
Many items pertained to various departments within the firm, but there was also a section that requested samples of all client agreements and new account forms. That was the section that Lisa wanted Janet to focus on to see if they needed to do any last minute adjustments. Of course, if anything were to be found at fault, last minute fixes would not hold much water with the SEC auditors, but at least the firm would have mitigating circumstances of having made an effort. Janet was only too familiar with this pattern of facts from her experience at the DA.
First things first, Janet thought, as she opened the shared computer drive that Lisa had mentioned. There, she found the forms in question without delay. As Janet reviewed customer agreements and disclosures, she was relieved to see that the forms were thorough and detailed, precisely corresponding to the industry standards. So far, things looked good. Now, if she could also confirm that these forms were diligently completed and maintained, she would be in lawyer’s paradise.
Before closing the shared computer drive, Janet noticed several folders with the names of the employees of the legal group, including Lisa’s and was interested to see a folder entitled Fred Rossingram. The name did not ring a bell; she clicked on the folder and found a variety of letters and documents with dates predating Lisa, leading her to conclude that Fred Rossingram had been Lisa’s predecessor. The last of the documents with his name dated a little less than two years ago, which was shortly before Lisa’s start date. Janet thought that it was strange that Lisa had never mentioned Fred Rossingram, but even more peculiar was the caliber of work that Rossingram did for the firm – the work that was now being outsourced to Tom Wyman. But as interesting as this discovery was, Janet had a pressing assignment to attend to.
Janet picked up the phone to call Lisa’s paralegal, Meredith, as the prospect of looking for customer files alone on the trading floor did not appeal to her.
Half an hour later, Janet was walking down the trading floor accompanied by Meredith.
“So, how do you find working here so far?” Meredith inquired.
“It’s great; I’m learning a lot.” Janet prided herself on being an honest person, but she could not very well answer Meredith’s question truthfully. “How about yourself? Do you like it?”
“Can’t complain,” Meredith chuckled. “I worked for a senior partner at a law firm for fifteen years; the pace is much calmer here, so that’s the good part.”
“Do you miss your old place?”
“I do,” Meredith admitted. “I used to know the entire firm like the back of my hand. It was a small firm with only three partners, and they all retired and sold off the practice.” Meredith sighed. “I’ve been here for a year, and between you and me, I still can’t seem to make heads or tails of things. That Tom Wyman fella sure likes to convolute things.”
Tell me about it, Janet thought.
“Let me introduce you to the operations folks,” said Meredith after they had reached the far end of the trading floor.
“Rosemarie, I’d like to introduce our new assistant general counsel, Janet Maple. Janet, this is Rosemarie March. She is in charge of the operations group.”
“Hi, Janet, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Rosemarie rose from her chair. She looked to be in her mid-forties and was rail-thin, with red hair pinned up haphazardly. “So you’re working for Lisa, huh?”
“Yes.” Janet nodded. “And I was wondering if you could help me with the audit request we received.”
“Sure, love, I’d be glad to. Lisa usually never makes it to our ne
ck of the woods. What do you need?”
“If you could just show me where the customer files are.”
“I’ve got the hard copies right here.” Rosemarie motioned at a filing cabinet behind her desk. “How far back do you need to go?”
“Oh, just this year.”
“Here you go, honey.” Rosemarie pulled out a large stack of manila folders. “This is for the past three months. Once you’re done with these, just holler, and I’ll give the next three months.”
“Great, thank you, Rosemarie. I’ll look over these at my desk and will bring them back to you when I’m done.”
“No problem.”
Janet stuck the files under her arm. As she walked down the floor, she opened one of the folders and skimmed through its contents. The client in question was a hedge fund called Emperial, located in the Cayman Islands – a recently opened account. The first thing that caught Janet’s eye was the missing anti-money laundering certification. The AML certification was required from every client and counterparty, but there was none on file for Emperial. Janet thought that she probably missed the form. It had to be in the folder somewhere. She would just have a closer look once she got back to her desk.
Suddenly, Janet heard running footsteps and felt a rough push. Good thing she was wearing flats; otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to maintain her balance. But while Janet managed to stay on her feet, half of the files dropped out of her hands and fell to the floor.
“Sorry, miss!” The man who had just rammed into Janet called over his shoulder. “I’ve got to get back to my desk – I have an order to work!”
“Are you okay?” Dean Snider had materialized out of thin air and was scooping the files from the floor.
