Robbie's Scheme

by Justin Haines

“Oh, it’s a very much a Ponzi scheme that Mr. Locke’s running. That’s what we call it when someone steals money from their unsuspecting investors to fund a lavish lifestyle, then steals money from new investors to pay back the old ones. Now, please let me present my offer without interruption.”

  Robbie and Mark both nod their heads, signaling they can stay quiet for a minute while Sally continues.

  “With you at the top, you don’t have as much to offer us. So, I’m sorry to say, you’re going to prison. That part is non-negotiable. What you can negotiate is a leaner sentence. Unlike John here, I’m not asking you to walk me through all the mechanics of your crimes. All I’m asking for is the names of the people who helped you break the law and how they did. You testify in court to seal our cases against your accomplices, and I’ll make sure the judge delivers a reduced sentence for you. After all, I have a much better relationship with our judiciary bench in this state than John does.”

  “You want me to snitch?”

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  “But I have nothing to snitch on,” Robbie turns away from Sally as if he’s pleading with Mark for help. “I don’t associate with criminals. I don’t know about any crimes.”

  “Whatever you say, Robbie. Why don’t you think the offer over, talk to your lawyer, and get back to us?”

  Sally gets up from the chair and steps to the door, acting like she wants to give them a moment to discuss the offer.

  But John doesn’t move. He already knows the answer they’ll be hearing. He watches Robbie slowly move his head from side-to-side and purse his lips, acting like he’s considering it. John knows it’s an act, and he won’t even pretend to fall for it like Sally.

  “You know, orange isn’t so bad,” Robbie announces.

  “I think this conversation is over,” Mark says as he steps toward the door.

  “Finally, we agree on something,” John says as he holds the door open for everyone.

  “So, who’s time are we wasting next?” Mark grins. “My clients pay me by the hour and you have a hallway full of them.”

  Chapter Thirty

  The look on the maître d’s face when Maya walks into the restaurant confirms that he recognizes her. Her heart sinks; she’s confident he wouldn’t remember her for any good reason. She knows Robbie used to frequent this Italian restaurant and knew the staff by name, it’s part of why he brought her here on a date.

  As she’s led through the restaurant to her awaiting table, Maya receives similar looks from other members of the wait staff.

  Weaving their way to the secluded booths in the back corner, Maya wonders if the recognition comes from being the girl on a criminal’s arm in their restaurant. Or are they still loyal to Robbie and his hefty tips, and know she’s the girl who brought about his downfall? Part of her mind goes so far as to worry that they recognize her as the woman in the dresses too cheap to be able to afford the menu. Despite being deep inside the restaurant and well away from the door, Maya does up another button on her coat. It’s the most expensive part of her outfit, and she doesn’t need to reveal the results of online shopping she’s wearing underneath.

  No matter the specific reason, Maya doesn’t like that this location was picked for lunch and today’s interview. The odds are too high that her meal will include a large serving of spit. She already feels uncomfortable; she doesn’t need this session to be playing out on enemy turf.

  “Maya, thank you so much for joining me,” Chris Clark says as he stands from the booth to greet her.

  Maya ignores his attempt to kiss her hand and shakes his with a firm squeeze instead. Taking a deep breath, she slides across the booth from him and prepares to start the interview.

  “Yeah, well, you said it was important. I’m not sure I have time to stay for an entire lunch though.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll be able to make time.”

  “Why did you request this interview with me?” Maya asks cutting straight to the point.

  Their previous interactions had given her the impression that Chris isn’t a fan, so both she and her editor couldn’t believe it when he called the paper demanding a sit-down with her for an exclusive interview. While she wanted to come up with an excuse and send Selena instead, her editor was adamant she needed to come here today.

  “First off, I want to apologize to you. I must admit, when we first met, I assumed you to be another empty-headed lady accompanying a hedge fund jerk out on the town. While your questions were certainly fierce, I still didn’t take you seriously as the reporter you claimed to be. For that, I am sorry. I had a revelation when reading your article on Robbie. As it turns out, I completely underestimated you. It feels so good to see him finally brought down and his reputation rendered to what it deserves. Thank you for accomplishing that, Maya.”

  “Just doing my job. The truth needs to be reported.”

  “Nevertheless, publishing the truth requires great bravery. Now, both as a reward and apology, I would like to give you another story to bravely publish.”

  “About you?”

  “It will be another follow-up piece in your series on Robbie and the investigation,” Chris says as if he didn’t hear Maya’s question. “Have you been in communication with John about the investigation?”

  “John? Do you mean Special Agent Knott?”

  “Yes. Sorry, I forget his last name sometimes. I guess we just have a closer relationship. Has he shared with you any of the witness information in his investigation?”

  The waitress interrupts the discussion with a basket of bread for the table and an offer of drinks from the bar. Maya declines, wanting this interview to be as short as possible, but Chris decides to indulge in a gin and tonic, and he even provides the waitress with specific instructions for which brands to include in the drink. Maya can’t remember eating with someone this picky since her niece’s second birthday.

  “Some,” Maya admits once the waitress leaves with the bartender’s marching orders. Chris isn’t supposed to be the one asking questions in this interview, so she doesn’t feel a need to share anything with him. “Why?”

  “Well, if you’re asking me that, you obviously don’t know who the key witness is. The one who deceived Robbie and turned over all information to law enforcement so justice could prevail.”

  “You?”

  “Exactly. I was never interested in investing my family’s fortune with that scam artist. He was far too persistent about it. I knew something was wrong.”

  Maya knows quite a few secrets about the case, but there’s been no mention of Chris. Maya interprets that to either mean Chris is exaggerating whatever minor involvement he has, or he’s the secret surprise witness for the trial. Both cases should make for an interesting interview.

  “So, you were working as an informant?” Maya pulls her phone from her purse and types a quick note into it. “Do you mind if I record the rest of this conversation?”

  “Not at all. I’m here today so people can learn the truth and discover the hero of this investigation.”

  Maya quickly places her phone on the table, pushing it closer to Chris to make sure the audio is clear. She’s glad he’s fine with this being recorded; otherwise, she worries no one would believe Chris’s arrogance.

  “And the hero isn’t law enforcement or John Knott? It’s you?”

  “Don’t get me wrong, none of this could have happened without them. John’s doing a great job. But it also couldn’t have happened without me.”

  “So, it’s your belief that even after the publication of my article, Robbie would still be walking free without the evidence you provided the FBI?”

  “Oh, Maya, don’t be jealous. You also played an important role.” She cringes at his condescending tone, fighting the urge to check her watch or end this interview short. “It’s just that law enforcement and the prosecution require a higher burden of proof than your article contained. That’s where I came in.”

  “Are you willing to disclose what
you provided the FBI with?”

  “Not all the details, but some broad strokes. Any piece of documentation I received from Merry Men went straight to the FBI. It gave them much better insight into the fund’s financials. And once I finally did invest with the fund, the FBI was watching the money.”

  “Do you know what the money was used for?”

  “As far as they can tell, nothing. The money simply sat in Merry Men’s account. A real firm would have invested it in the market almost instantly. But while people were banging on Robbie’s door for their money back, my money simply sat there, untouched.”

  Maya lets the statement hang in the air for a moment as she thinks about what that means. The first implication that comes to her mind doesn’t appear to have dawned on Chris yet.

  “Are you sure that helps the FBI’s case? Wouldn’t a typical Ponzi scheme be sending that money out to their investors demanding it? Or moved into accounts offshore for Robbie and his accomplices to hide and use later?”

  “I’m not a criminal, Maya. I can’t pretend to know how their minds work. What I do know is that the FBI is using this information as part of their case against Robbie.”

  The waitress reappears with his gin and tonic but is quickly shushed away and prevented from taking their orders. Chris doesn’t want to lose the momentum of their interview and Maya doesn’t object because she realizes there’s a headline here that he doesn’t see.

  “Do you know of any other witnesses in the case? Have you spoken with Sally Clayton about the prosecution’s plans for the trial? About your specific involvement when they go in front of the judge?”

  “No, none of that. It’s still early days, Maya. I just think it’s important for the people to understand what led to this point, and I believe you’re the best person to get this message out.”

  Snatching her phone off the table, Maya quickly starts typing notes into it. Watching her rapid thumb movements, Chris takes a sip from his drink. Placing it back down on the table, the expression on his face is less cheerful than when she sat down. This interview isn’t going the way he envisioned. He clears his throat to pull her attention back up from the phone.

  “Don’t waste an opportunity, Maya. Your competitors would love an exclusive interview like this. They wouldn’t be questioning it.”

  “I’m just looking to report the truth,” Maya says without looking up from the screen.

  “And that’s what I’m trying to tell you. The truth behind Robbie Locke’s arrest.”

  Finally hearing the irritation in Chris’s voice, she drops her phone back onto the table and offers her most pleasant smile. The kind that men are always telling her she should use more. He seems like that type of guy.

  “Can you walk me through how and when the FBI originally approached you?”

  Chris sighs and indulges in another sip of gin before diving into the story. He didn’t arrange this meeting to go over minor details like this. He wants front-page stories lauding his involvement in the case. He wants Maya to spread the message that he’s the law and order candidate in this senate race.

  But he’s willing to play the game and fill in the background details that supplement front-page headlines. As he concludes a summary of the introductory meeting, he begins to wonder if she’s the right reporter for this interview request.

  “Do you recall the date of this meeting?” Maya asks as he winds down.

  “Is that important?”

  “Yes, especially for my paper’s fact-checkers.”

  Chris rolls his eyes at the dedication to minor details, but he complies by pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the calendar to answer her question.

  Hearing the date quickly confirms Maya’s suspicion that he only became involved after the FBI struck out with her. She assumes the FBI’s first choice for an informant in this investigation would have been someone who works at the fund. Which means, at best, Chris was their third choice. Yet here he is, wanting to be the star.

  “Is there anything else you want me to include in my article?”

  “Besides me being a hero? I’d like for you to mention me as the law and order candidate. I think it’s the right messaging for the approach my campaign will be taking going forward.”

  “You’re running against a former state attorney general.”

  “And which one of us is currently generating headlines for the justice we’re bringing to criminals? My opponent is out of touch and past his prime. He won’t do anything to help enforce the law in the future.”

  “Just to confirm, your quote is that your opponent is out of touch?”

  “Exactly.”

  Maya fights to suppress a smile as she grabs her phone and slides out of the booth. Chris is the last person she thinks should be elected to represent anyone. Hopefully, this interview helps open more eyes to that fact.

  “Thanks for asking to meet with me, Chris. I think I have pretty much everything I need. I don’t want to waste any more of your time. I think I’ll skip out on lunch and try to have this article in tomorrow’s paper.”

  “Exciting. The front-page, hopefully.”

  “I always do my best.”

  Chapter Thirty One

  Maya hates when someone asks to meet with her in a parking garage. It’s such an overdone cliche. She doubts her sources are ever important enough for this arrangement, and she’s certainly under no illusions of equating herself to Bob Woodward. The secrecy is especially unnecessary when the source has already shown up in her newsroom and announced his presence.

  As soon as she steps out of the stairwell, a car door slams shut.

  “What the hell is this?” John shouts across the parkade. Maya spots him standing beside a large black SUV two rows of cars over, and she starts making her way toward him.

  “What does discretion mean to you?” Maya hisses back. “Is yelling a common component at your secret meetings?”

  She grabs the paper John’s waiving in the air and confirms it’s her article from this morning. She understands the frustration — the article’s ripe with quotes from Chris and Sally. None of them are too flattering for John.

  “I thought you were on our side, Maya.”

  “I’m on the side of the truth.”

  “Calling Christopher Clark the hero of this investigation is the truth?”

  “I doubt it. Which is why that’s a direct quote from Chris. It’s how he sees the case, as evidenced by the quotation marks around the phrase.”

  “And calling him the ‘wannabe law and order candidate?’”

  “It is what he wants to be. Again, look at the direct quotes from him.”

  The sound of another car door closing spooks them both. They silently agree to take a few steps back and hide in the shadows of John’s large SUV.

  “You don’t make us come off well in this article,” John whispers once he’s confident there’s no one watching them. “It practically sounds like Robbie’s a hero.”

  “I make it very clear that I believe Robbie to be a criminal. Though, the quotes from the prosecutors suggest they’re less confident.”

  “Why does it matter who Robbie stole the money from?” John asks as he rips the paper back from her. “Just because Robbie refused to accept investments from pension funds and charities doesn’t absolve him of guilt.”

  “I never said it did.”

  “Oh, please. It’s heavily implied in this article. You have a list of his victims accompanied by their net worth, industries, familial wealth inherited, and my personal favorite, past scandals like labor relations and employee treatment.”

  “Hey, if Ben Scotts decides it’s cheaper to keep paramedics at his Wisconsin factories instead of installing air conditioners, people have a right to know.”

  “Are you blaming the victims?”

  “No, but I am trying to show that Robbie has a specific pattern in picking his investors. He took money from oil barons, shipping magnets who knowingly facilitate human trafficking, and miners whose
fortunes come from blood diamonds. No one’s ending up in the poorhouse because of him.”

  “What are you going to write about tomorrow? The merit of spiders for the number of mosquitos they kill each year?”

  Maya smiles, not letting John’s complaints get under her skin. She knows her writing’s already doing enough of that, especially the latest article that her editor’s sending to the presses next.

  “It’s another piece in this series on Robbie. I’ll be examining his charitable contributions over the years and who’s stolen money may be responsible for which act of philanthropy.”

  “Are you kidding me? The Star is going to print that Robbie stole the money Ben Scotts saved on air conditioning and spent it on feeding the homeless?”

  “Isn’t that the same thing your investigation is uncovering?”

  “My investigation is confirming he’s a criminal,” John yells, his patience long gone. “Robert Locke is a thief.”

  “And I’m showing the readers what kind of criminal he is. It’s up to them to determine if his crimes make him evil or if he has a heart of gold.”

  “Heart of gold? Are you forgetting about the private helicopter, yacht, and fleet of sports cars Robbie owns? The only gold was lining his pockets.”

  “That doesn’t make him different from any of the legitimate stock guys around this city. Besides, I heard a rumor that Robbie doesn’t actually own any of that stuff.”

  For a second, John’s face turns completely pale at Maya’s suggestion. But it doesn’t last long. His blood pressure quickly rises and his face turns red. Any information he’s leaked to Maya has specifically been to help move their case forward and hurt Robbie’s defense. Whoever told her that is deliberately hurting their prosecution in the court of public opinion.

  “Who told you that?” John screams, forgetting Maya’s reminders for discretion.

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m having trouble finding a second source, but rest assured, once I do, it will be on the Star’s front-page. Are you willing to confirm or deny, on the record?”

  “No comment,” John says through gritted teeth. “This entire meeting is off the record.”