by Rachel Dylan
“We’re going to pass the Maxwell Inn, right?”
“Yes, we’ll have to go past the inn and then a couple of miles further to our version of the suburbs. This block you see here is really our historic downtown area. Shops and a few restaurants. But the best eatin’ in town is another block down.”
“Yes, I actually went to Pa’s last night.”
“Great. Next you’ll need to check out Mel’s BBQ and also Billy’s Shack.”
She laughed. “All the restaurants have people’s names in them.”
He nodded. “That’s just the way it works around here. They’re named after the owners. All family owned and operated.”
She looked out the window as they passed the inn and the restaurants. Then she could tell they were getting close to the suburbs, as Greg called it. Lots of big trees and grass. Even in the winter the grass still looked green to her. She loved all the trees and greenery. The area felt so vibrant and alive.
“Out here we got the big box stores and grocery. And lots of little neighborhoods. That’s about it. Then we turn down this road coming up on the left and that’s Wakefield Corporation. Both the corporate headquarters and the manufacturing facility is all out here.”
She’d seen pictures of the company on the website, but she really wasn’t prepared for what it looked like in person. In the middle of this Southern town stood a very large modern building. In direct opposition to the law firm and the inn. It was at least ten floors high and sprawling with a white high tech motif. “Wow,” she said.
“Yeah, looks like a duck out of water, huh? Lee is from Maxwell, but he’s a science geek through and through. He wanted the high tech feel to his company even if it sat in the heart of the Deep South. So that’s exactly what he built. There’s really nothing like it in any comparable southern town. One of a kind. Just like Lee himself.”
“It looks even bigger than it does on the website.”
“And it employs a lot of people. The entire customer service branch is stationed here. A huge chunk of the town works in that department. Then we have the tech people and engineers. The factory and warehouses are on site here, too, but further down the road. Wakefield owns all of this property. It’s about fifty acres total, although a good portion of that is unused.”
“It’s amazing that Lee invented the Wakefield Chip. It really has revolutionized security applications for computers.”
“Yeah. It’s not as snazzy as those apps or whatever they call them. I’m not big into technology myself. I’m too old for that. But from what I understand it, most big companies are turning to the Wakefield Chip now. That’s how this whole Cyber Future thing came about, right?”
“Yes. Cyber Future was one of our largest distributors of the Wakefield Chips. They’re suing for breach of contract, but they’re the ones who didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. We—Wakefield—abided by the terms of the contract. They did not.”
He nodded. “We will have to check in at the main desk. If you have any electronics those will have to be logged in by the receptionist.”
“I have my laptop.” Hope was even more impressed when she stepped into the reception area at Wakefield. Lush beige couches with ivory pillows were spread out in the lobby where a receptionist sat behind a white marble desk. A big chandelier hung down providing a bit of opulence. She could’ve been in Silicon Valley at a high tech company.
“Hi, Mary,” Greg said to the receptionist.
“Good morning, Greg. And who do you have with you today?”
“This is Hope Finch. She’s one of the lawyers from New York. We’re here to see Lee and his group.”
“Oh, yes.” Mary was all business when Greg said the word Lee. She immediately picked up the phone and was only on the line for a moment. “They’re ready to see you. Let me just get Ms. Finch’s laptop serial number, and I’ll have someone escort you up to the seventh floor.”
Hope wasn’t surprised about the security. Anytime you were dealing with technology and patents, companies were very wary. It didn’t matter if you were their lawyer. Everyone followed the rules. No exceptions.
After the security check, a nice lady came around the corner to escort them up. A quick elevator ride to the seventh floor, and they were led to a large conference room.
“After you,” Greg said.
Hope stepped into the room. Oh no. Not again. The conference room held a group of men. But there was one man sitting at the table who surely didn’t belong. Special Agent Gabe Marino. He simply smiled at her. What game was this man playing?
The room had a large table fully equipped with technical equipment. A flat screen monitor hung on the wall. It was exactly what she would expect from a tech company.
She watched as Lee and Greg shook hands. She’d seen Lee’s picture so she recognized the man. Tall, dark hair, and in his fifties. She also knew the other man in the room as the General Counsel at Wakefield--Will Cantwell who she had met before. Will wasn’t a Maxwell native. Like her, he’d worked at a large New York law firm for years before taking the General Counsel position at Wakefield.
Introductions and handshakes were exchanged with Will and Lee. Then Gabe stood up and walked over to her.
“Hope,” Lee said. “This is Gabe Marino. He lives here in Maxwell and does security consulting for us. I thought given the nature of this litigation, he should be involved.”
Consulting, she thought. Did they not know what he did for a living either? How deep did his cover go? He made a slight head tick toward her. As if asking for her to keep quiet. Talk about dilemmas. Her gut told her that she shouldn’t say anything until she understood the full circumstances of what was going on here. The last thing she wanted to do was to blow up an undercover FBI investigation.
“I know Sam is going to be taking the lead, but, Lee, I’d appreciate getting up to speed a bit,” Greg said.
“Of course. I don’t want to bore Hope with stuff she already knows. Gabe, why don’t you show her around the facility and speak to her about some of the security issues we’ve discussed, so she’s fully briefed on those concerns. Then we can regroup and talk trial logistics. We’re at the less than a week countdown now.”
This was actually good. She needed to talk to Gabe alone and figure out what was happening. “Thanks, Lee.”
She walked out of the conference room with Gabe right behind her. She waited until they’d taken a few steps before she spoke. “You need to tell me what’s going on right now.”
“Wait just a second.”
She could feel her temper starting to flare. Was Gabe playing all of them? Was his name even Gabe? Did he work for the FBI? The questions bubbled up as she waited for him to speak.
“Security consultant? Start talking,” she demanded.
“Let me explain.”
“I’m listening.”
He looked around again making sure no one was around in the long corridor. “I told you the truth. I am working undercover as I explained to you. And my cover is as the owner of a security company that is based here in Maxwell. That’s what people here believe I do.”
“You realize how crazy this sounds? First, you show up in my apartment in New York with a highly questionable warrant. Then, I travel down here and you appear out of thin air. And now, I have the CEO of my client under the impression that you’re what? A security consultant?”
“I know it sounds suspect, and if I say you need to trust me, you’ll probably laugh. But that’s what I’m going to have to say.”
She crossed her arms. “If you really suspected me of being involved with Nola’s supposed criminal activities, then you wouldn’t be telling me this.”
“I had reason to think you might be involved, but after spending just a little time with you and doing some additional digging, I’m fairly certain you’re not. I’m taking a risk, and hoping that you can help me. A literal leap of faith.”
His eyes showed sincerity, but she questioned his entire story. “Who knows about you?”
“My cover is completely intact. I usually don’t do much work in Maxwell. The only person in this town besides my mother that knows I’m FBI is the chief of police, Caleb Winters. It was too risky to expand beyond that. My security consulting company provides the perfect cover story for my travel and work schedule. Most people think when I leave to go to Atlanta each day that I’m actually out working jobs throughout the state. And then when I have to travel out of state, they assume I’m doing it for my security business. No one has ever questioned it. I’ve been doing it like this for five years. It also serves as a solid cover for work I need to do for the FBI elsewhere. So it’s something that needs to stay in place.”
“You’ve got it all figured out, huh?”
He shook his head. “Far from it where this case is concerned. I literally fell into this investigation.”
“I have a hard time believing that. What does that even mean for an FBI agent? Aren’t you assigned your cases anyway?”
“Usually, I am assigned cases. But sometimes we find cases ourselves and bring them in. Given our line of work, you never know what you’re going to be exposed to. Where your sources take you.”
“And how did that play out in this case?”
“There’s been an uptick in crime in Maxwell. I started snooping around and the facts didn’t add up to me. Counterfeiting, drugs, a couple of muggings. Yeah, we have small town crime, but the counterfeiting really troubled me. Add to that picture an influx of new residents that don’t really fit in, and I knew something was going on. I did some intelligence gathering and every road leads back to Nola. And to Wakefield. Bank accounts, shell companies. I believe that Nola has set up illegal businesses throughout the south. I think he’s expanding his operation into Maxwell and using Wakefield Corporation to help cover his tracks.”
“So now you’ve convinced Lee that Wakefield needs a security consultant so you can have access to conduct your FBI investigation.”
He nodded. “Basically. So you can see why I need you to stay quiet. But beyond that, I’m still going to need your help.”
“My help.” She shook her head. “My help? I’m about to start a major trial in less than a week. How in the world can I help you with this half-baked investigation?”
“Just give me a chance. If you want to do the right thing, then you know that as their lawyer you need to protect Wakefield’s interests. Just think of the company’s exposure because of Nola’s activities. That alone should cause you to want to assist the FBI. That’s in addition to just being a good citizen, and a steward of the law.”
“And how exactly do you plan to get proof that will hold up in court against Nola? Assuming that any such proof exists?”
“I told you I needed your help, and I meant it.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
“We’re a team. I know you have work to do so that you can prepare for trial, but you also have access. You’ve got eyes and ears in places I don’t.”
“I’m not a spy. I’m an attorney.” She stood with her hands on her hips trying to give off an air of defiance. He wasn’t budging though. Yeah, he might have the inside track to Lee, but he had no in with Nola. But Nola was not only a witness at trial, he was her witness. She was responsible for getting him ready to testify. This could go sideways really fast if she didn’t rein Gabe in.
“I know exactly what you are. And I’m not asking you to be something you’re not. That’s the beauty of this investigation. You simply have to be you.”
“And you get around the attorney client privilege how?”
“I’m a consultant for Wakefield Corporation.”
“Under false pretenses.”
“But the more important piece is something you’re very aware of. Nola is not your client.”
She sighed. “Show me around while I think about this.” She needed time to gather her thoughts. To implement a plan. He was right about Nola. Her loyalty was to Wakefield Corporation, not to Nola as an individual man.
“Sure. You need to know your way around here anyway.”
She only half listened as he talked about the different floors in the main headquarters. After a few minutes, she tried to shake herself out of the foggy haze. She needed to be on her game right now.
“Let’s go outside, and I’ll show you where the factory is,” he said. Then he looked at her again. “Are you okay to walk with those heels you’ve got on?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
They took the elevator down to the first floor and walked outside. The sun was shining brightly today, and she was glad she hadn’t worn a jacket on top of her suit.
She took a moment and looked at him again. His dark hair was neatly styled and instead of a suit he wore a long sleeved button down and khakis. He definitely stood over six feet tall.
“This way.”
She jumped when he put his hand on her back guiding her down a long sidewalk. She was on edge. She didn’t think she was in any danger from this man. But she was definitely going to do some research to make sure he actually was an FBI agent.
“When are you meeting with Nola?” he asked.
“Tomorrow. At Greg’s firm. We’ve done a lot of preparation work over the phone, but there’s no substitute for a face to face meeting when you’re talking about trial testimony.”
They walked in silence down a long sidewalk until the area became more wooded. Trees and shrubbery shaded the path blocking out most of the sunlight. She felt like she was headed into the middle of a campsite. “How do the plant workers get back here?” She eyed the narrow path skeptically.
“There’s a totally separate entrance. When you make the turn into the main headquarters, if you keep going and take a left it will bring you all the way on the other side of the plant. We’re basically coming at it from the back. So this path isn’t used all that often, but it’s here if needed.”
A shiver shot down her arm as she glanced around. Feeling like someone was watching them. She turned around and surveyed the area. She didn’t see anyone, but the feeling was strongly there. The thick tree branches swayed back and forth in the light breeze.
He stopped and turned toward her. “You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. There’s something just a bit creepy about being back here. We went from total sunlight on a mild winter’s day to dark woods in about five minutes.”
“We can turn back, and I can take you by car around the other side if you’d like.”
“No. We’ve made it this far. It’s not like anything is going to happen to us.” She heard the words and realized she was actually trying to convince herself. This was not a normal case. And someone had tried to break into her room last night. What if Gabe was right and she had somehow gotten herself involved in the middle of something dangerous? Could she even trust Gabe? There was someone in those woods, she just knew it. But her eyes told her otherwise.
She realized that they were both staring at each other and had come to a standstill. She broke away and kept walking. He was right there beside her.
Eager to focus on the task at hand she started talking. “So what do you want me to do with Nola tomorrow?”
“I need you to be careful. Yes, I want your help, but if you go in asking too many questions that may not seem relevant, then Nola might get suspicious. I don’t want to worry you, but it could be that Nola is already checking you out. Making sure that you won’t cause him any problems. You need to stay on his good side no matter what. There is too much risk involved if we play it any other way.”
She let his words sink in as they walked in silence the rest of the way to the plant. There was not only a lot she didn’t know about Nola, but there was also a lot she didn’t know about Gabe. Yeah, he said he was an FBI agent, which she tended to believe. But who was the real Gabe Marino?
***
As Gabe looked in Hope’s eyes, he saw a flicker of fear. She wouldn’t admit it, of course, but he’d dropped a lot of information on her. Being a very
smart woman, she wouldn’t just take him at face value. But he’d seen those wheels turning. She was strategizing, and that was fine with him.
He wanted her to act smart. He’d taken a big risk in trusting her to keep his cover intact. And now he needed her to play a role with Nola. One that only she could play, and one that was absolutely vital to his investigation. If he was going to crack this case, he needed hard evidence against Nola. There was simply no other way.
His access to Wakefield Corporation had helped convince him that Lee was on the up and up. But Lee had no idea what Nola was doing right under his nose. He needed to gather the evidence to prove it. Assertions and innuendo wouldn’t fly in court and they wouldn’t be enough to take to Lee.
“So this is the manufacturing plant,” Hope said. She stood looking up at the large industrial facility.
“This is it. Plus all the warehouses.” He pointed toward his right. “I think Nola may be using some of the facilities for his drug business.”
“How is it possible to do that in plain sight?”
“He’d need help from some of the plant workers, but there is plenty of room to hide narcotics. I told you there were some new men in town over the past six to nine months. Well they all work here. Don’t you find that just a bit suspicious?”
She nodded. “It sounds like it’s worth looking into.”
“I may need you to come out here with me again at night when we can do some reconnaissance.”
“Why don’t I like the sound of that?” She quirked an eyebrow.
He didn’t want to say too much right now. “We need to get back to Lee and Greg. We’ve been gone long enough for them to have caught Greg up on everything.”
“All right. Let’s head back.” She didn’t wait for him to answer and started walking.
Hope definitely had a mind of her own. But that might come in handy for his purposes. A strong willed woman like Hope would be what was needed to get information from Nola.
When they walked back into the executive conference room, Lee, Greg, and Will were sitting around the table drinking coffee.
