Limiting Liabilities: Book Two - The Martinique Files

by Colette Alaine

  “You’ve told me that before but Will runs a tight ship, you said.” Jaclyn remembers what he told her.

  “He does, it’s true but if the owner wants something, Will’s gotta give it to him.”

  “The owner wouldn’t put the business at risk, would he?” Jaclyn’s concerned for Eric’s job more so than Will’s position, a man Eric refuses to introduce to her.

  “I think he resented his father for being too strict and not giving him what he wanted. Now that he’s deceased he doesn’t have any restrictions and he’s playing the spoiled brat.” Eric reveals his theory.

  “You sound worried.”

  “I need this job. Not just because I need to make a living but because it’s what I love doing and I’ve been really successful early in my career. I can’t lose it all. No one else is gonna hire me at this level. Will is so secure or at least he was when he promoted me, that he saw my potential and wanted me to be his future. I appreciate it and I want to help the guy out.” Eric shows his loyalty.

  “What are you gonna do?”

  “I don’t know yet. Any ideas?” He is open to hear whatever suggestions she might have.

  “I’ll think about it and let you know. Right now all my ideas have nothing to do with chrome plating.” She winks at him as she teases and he cannot resist her.

  Will is about at his wits end with Donnie. The plant is performing at its best level ever. Production is high with strong client companies and they are very pleased with the work. But Donnie spends every dime Will brings in and he is cutting more into the finances than the books can take. Something’s gotta be done.

  “Robbie, we have to stop Donnie and we have to do it quickly if we want this place to survive.” Will concedes he can no longer handle this problem alone.

  “What do you have in mind?” Robbie is all ears and will do whatever Will suggests.

  “We gotta get Eric involved.”

  Robbie shakes his head violently. “Not a good idea.” Robbie does not trust Eric simply because he is too trustworthy and will not do anything under the table. It is hard to work with a guy who is so focused on obeying every rule.

  “He’s smarter than the two of us when it comes to this kind of stuff,” Will explains their predicament and how he feels they can at least address it.

  “I wanna hear the idea first.” Robbie is not convinced.

  “We drop word that it’s us that dumped the sludge.”

  Robbie cannot believe his ears. This could mean the end of everything for him. “They’ll shut us down.”

  “Naw, they’ll sue us but first they’ll investigate and Donnie’s sifting off the profits will be exposed. With all them government people watching over us, we’ll be able to run this business the right way. We’ll have to pay some fines and stuff but it’ll be better than watching Donnie gamble and drink the money away.” Will is convinced this is the best way to handle the matter.

  “What do you want Eric to do?”

  “We tell him and you know, he’s gotta report. It’s just not in him to keep that kind of secret. Besides, he’ll see that his future is at risk if he doesn’t do the right thing. He’s young and he’ll risk his job before he risks his reputation and he’ll keep his job. I’m not gettin’ rid of him,” Will assures Robbie he is going to be loyal to the end.

  “Donnie don’t know nothing about runnin’ this business.”

  “If the government finds out, he won’t be. It’ll be us. This is where I think Eric can help us out the most.”

  “Big risk.” Robbie will have to face his wife and tell her he lied to her. That could easily end his marriage, the last thing he wants. He loves her so much. And the kids. She would take the kids. Life would be unbearable without them. All of them.

  “Either way we’re gonna lose out. This is the best option,” Will continues to assure his assistant. “Think about it and then let’s talk to Eric tomorrow.”

  Robbie considers the proposal the rest of the day and through the night. By the next morning he resolved to tell his wife he did not realize it was wrong and he had to protect Will. He found himself stuck in the middle. Lying to her was to keep her safe. If she did not know anything, she couldn’t tell anything. He informs Will that he is on board with the idea and with telling Mr. Clean, Eric.

  Telling Eric they dumped sludge in Lake Michigan and that Donnie is siphoning off all the profits and quickly putting the business deep in the red nearly sends the young businessman into a panic attack. Now he knows exactly what is wrong with Will and he clearly understands his dilemma.

  “Why are you telling me?” Eric recovers enough to ask the question. Will decides to be honest with him.

  “Because we want you to report us.”

  Eric never anticipated this turn of events. “You’re making me the fall guy.”

  “You won’t lose your job. We’ve gotta do this. You understand that don’t you?” Will tries to get a clue as to what the boy is thinking.

  “I do. Actually, I do but I’m not going to run to the authorities. Not a single one of these men in this company or in any other electroplating company would let me stand. I’ve gotta be smooth about this.” Eric is formulating his own plan.

  “So what are you gonna do?”

  “I’m gonna tell my girlfriend, that’s what.”

  “So you are dating someone.” Eric realizes he just gave away a secret.

  “Yeah, but I’m not introducing her to you.”

  “Good for you but how’s that gonna help us?” Will is lost.

  “Her roommate is an environmental attorney and she works for Billy Solomon.” Eric has heard about the illustrious Billy Solomon from Jaclyn and met him at Tawny’s birthday party. He is a legend wherever anyone brings up environmental law; a very savvy guy. Eric knows he will do the right thing and Eric really has no idea what will work and what will send them all to jail.

  “Well, that ought to do it.” Will is satisfied and lets Eric off early so he can have dinner with Jaclyn.

  “You’re kidding, Jaclyn. You do realize this is huge, right?” Tawny cannot believe she just heard the information she has been searching for months.

  “What will happen to him? He won’t lose his job will he?” Jaclyn frets that she should not have told Tawny but no way could she keep Eric’s secret from her roommate.

  “I’ll see what I can do to keep his name out of all this. I kept my dad’s name out of last year’s huge case and Ken trusts me. Billy will give me a fit but I can schmooze him.” Tawny is thinking out loud. “Let me get this straight: Chicago Electroplating Corporation’s longtime sludge disposer sold to another company about two years ago and within a year, all of the guys that CEC worked with were either let go or quit.” Tawny wants to make sure she has the story correct, especially since Eric is involved. No way does she want to hurt the love of Jaclyn’s life if she can help it.

  “That’s what Will told Eric.”

  “And Will is the manager of the entire company?” Tawny wants to confirm.

  “Yes. He’s been there forever and was hired by the current owner’s father as the first manager. He’s been the only manager there.”

  “Everything is going smoothly with Will until the father gets sick and dies suddenly, you said.” Jaclyn nods in agreement. “Then the son starts demanding more money than his father took as a salaried owner. In the meantime, the original sludge disposal company goes through a merger and starts to charge much higher prices. The combination of the son taking more profits and the disposer charging more hits the bottom line.”

  “Yes, it does but Eric also says that CEC starts to haul in some really big deals. Apparently, they did a few large deals and word got out that they were better than anyone else so the stream of income is continuous.” Jaclyn touts her man’s work place.

  “Really, money is only the issue because the son keeps stealing it and Will is trying to keep the company in the black. He knows how to run the business but how does he tell the son he can’t have
the money?” Again, Tawny is analyzing out loud.

  “Exactly. The son, the owner now, is a twenty-seven year old high school dropout who doesn’t know or do anything. The father did everything to motivate him but he persisted in his bad behavior.” Jaclyn provides a few more details.

  “He’s just a loser whose daddy died and left him a fortune and a company to run,” Tawny summarizes.

  “Daddy didn’t plan very well. He got sick pretty quickly and couldn’t concentrate on getting his affairs in order. The mother died a few years ago from lung cancer. A sister has downs syndrome and is now being cared for by an aunt; a sister of the mother’s. The father was an only child and the mother only had the one sibling. The son is all there is and that’s why Will has to do what he says,” Jaclyn relays what she remembers from conversations with Eric about how his company is run.

  “Or Will could lose his job,” Tawny finishes Jaclyn’s thought.

  “Yes, and he’s older and needs the job because his own wife is a survivor.” Jaclyn feels sorry for Will despite never having met him.

  “Will decides to save money and dump in Lake Michigan.” Tawny gets back to the crime.

  “Eric says he thought it would dissolve and he really didn’t think about the, what do you call it?” Jaclyn can remember every crazy gem term but chemistry is not her thing.

  “Hexavalent chromium. Just call it chromium 6.” Tawny fills in the missing information for her roommate.

  “When Will heard about the chromium 6 contaminating the drinking water he freaked out. He knew he was the most likely culprit but it just didn’t dawn on him what would happen. He says after watching his wife struggle to survive from cancer he’d never wish that on anyone. He immediately stopped all planned future dumpings.” Jaclyn tries to defend him.

  “Well, with it all over the news I would certainly hope so,” Tawny shoots back, not as sympathetically as her roommate.

  “You’re right. I didn’t think about that. I guess with everyone hunting down the culprit, he wasn’t going to risk getting caught but Eric does feel like he’s appalled that his actions may bring on cancer on someone else,” Jaclyn continues to try to defend her boyfriend’s boss.

  “Whatever his feelings he committed a felony,” Tawny states the facts.

  “And he knows it,” Jaclyn concedes.

  Tawny is eager to know the rest of the story. “Then what happened? I think I’ve got this first part down.”

  “The new owner, the son, Donnie is his name, well he knows about all the new business and wants more money. He’s a big gambler and buys a lot of women stuff.”

  “Sounds like no one I’d ever want to meet.”

  “Will can’t and won’t dump in the lake again so he’s got to find an alternative. One of his assistants tells him he’s heard that the Nigerians will take it and it doesn’t cost much. Anyway, the assistant gets the info and they call the guy and make a deal. It’s so cheap they can’t believe it.” Jaclyn gives her final details.

  “When did Eric find out about all of this?” Tawny is more than a little suspicious, even though she really likes Jaclyn’s boyfriend.

  “Earlier today. They told him everything I told you and I do believe him. He’s such a stickler for the rules. I’m surprised you and he never hit it off. You two live for rules.” This is the first time Jaclyn has ever complained about him.

  “That’s a whole other discussion. But…why tell Eric now?” Tawny wants to know. The timing is awfully curious.

  “Because they know that if he finds out he’s gonna report them.” Jaclyn is not making sense.

  “I don’t get it. Do they want Eric to call the authorities?”

  “Yes, because, well, they think the government is better than the owner and if the government cracks down on them, they can use it against the owner.”

  “That’s amazing. Eric is willing to take the fall?” Tawny asks.

  “Sort’ve. No way will he not say something. It’s his reputation after all but he doesn’t want to be seen as a tattletale. The guys will hate him and he’ll never work again.”

  “So tell Jaclyn’s roommate and let her figure it out.” The picture is becoming quite clear now.

  “Yeah.”

  “The Nigerian contracts aren’t any better than the Lake Michigan dumping.”

  “I don’t think any of them know that.”

  “They’re going to get hit big time with fines,” Tawny explains. “It’s being cleaned up now in the lake but I’m guessing they’re going to foot the bill and they could get sued.”

  “But they’ll keep their jobs because they’re the ones that have to do it. Without them the place will go under,” Jaclyn continues to provide details.

  “This is amazing news, Jaclyn. I need to process it and decide how to tell Billy.”

  “Why not tell him the truth?”

  “I will, of course, but he may not want to paint these guys out as victims,” Tawny explains. She certainly knows Billy better than Jaclyn does.

  “They’re not really victims but they are trying to do the right thing now. They understand that they’ll have to pay for the clean-up,” Jaclyn points out.

  Tawny cannot believe the boss is this bad. “Won’t they lose business if they admit to it?”

  “They’re work is far better than anyone else’s and they’re easy to work with and always make the deadline. Will thinks he can salvage the deals.”

  “I’ll see how Billy wants to handle all of this. You know I have to follow his instructions.”

  “I know and so does Eric. All we can do is try. Will figures they’ll find him out one way or another so he might as well admit it and use it for his advantage. If it doesn’t work at least he tried. Either way he’s gonna be out something. This may not be as painful as the alternative.” Jaclyn seems a bit scared. This is new territory for her.

  “I’ll let you know what Billy says. I’ve gotta get to bed now. I have an early morning meeting.”

  “Call me when you can if Billy erupts. I’m not going to sleep well tonight. What Eric said frightened me. All of this could backfire and cost me my relationship.” Tawny hugs her roommate but it is not much comfort.

  The next day Billy is beside himself with exuberance with the news. Together, he and Tawny call Ken. Despite identifying the culprit, they each want to digest how exposure should be handled. They have the perfect circumstances to do this right.

  “We need to talk to Will,” Billy pronounces. “I’ll call him and have him come in. Ken, I think you should be here.”

  “Definitely. I can catch a flight out today if you want.” Ken is most eager to move this case along.

  “Let me call this guy and let you know if he can talk tomorrow.” Billy ends the call and then makes one to Will. They agree on an afternoon meeting the very next day. Billy sends a message to Ken and Ken books his flight. The slow-moving file is picking up speed with every passing moment.

  “I feel your pain, Will, but you broke the law,” Billy explains to the older man shaking uncontrollably in his reception chair. Confident in his work, he is a mess right now. Maybe he should not have done this but what other answer is there?

  “I know and I should’ve known better about the toxin. I got stuck.”

  “I’ve actually seen Donnie in action. Miserable excuse for a man; really a boy who never wanted to grow up so he didn’t.” Billy has some personal knowledge.

  “The business will go under if he’s not put under some kind of control,” Will explains.

  “You really don’t think he’ll fire you.” Ken is amazed.

  Will hates the position he’s in. “He doesn’t care and he doesn’t know anything about the business. He only wants the money.”

  “Go back to work and we’ll figure this out. I’ll call you by the end of the week.” Billy sends him on his way.

  “What are you going to do, Billy?” Ken believes his lawyer has a plan.

  “Call the authorities and trail Donnie. I want t
o make sure all that money is going to casinos and whores.” Billy calls it like it is.

  “That’s kind of blunt.” Tawny is slightly offended.

  “Prostitutes, then. Is that better?”

  “They may be desperate women but that doesn’t mean they’re hookers.” Tawny defends women she does not even know.

  “Really? Do we really have to have this conversation? The point is that he’s spending massive amounts of money every day. If that’s all he does all day, every day, I can see going through it that fast but if he’s not there every day, I’m thinking the money is going elsewhere.” Billy gets the discussion back on track.

  “And he goes to the casinos with the women as a cover?” Tawny inquires.

  “Anything is possible. I smell more than a gambling addict though.” Billy acts sure about his hunch.

  “I’ll get an investigator on it right away. We’ll find out a lot more about Donnie in the next few weeks. What are you thinking?” Ken is curious that Billy is up to something.

  “While I certainly don’t condone anything Will and his folks have done, I do think that Donnie is the root of the problem. That’s why Will is coming clean. He can’t find another way out. I say we follow up on Donnie and make him the culprit if everything Will says is true. The guy’s in strong need of a reality check. Will never did anything wrong before Donnie took control. I say we wait it out a bit longer to see if it holds.” Billy finds his heart in this matter.

  Ken feels for the old man. “I can do that. Let’s get the whole story before we condemn a man who did a very stupid thing. He’ll still have to pay but we can give him a chance to defend himself and redeem himself.”

  “Desperate people do desperate things. I can’t believe so few people knew what was going on and that no one caught him. That fact alone makes it clear that he knew he was doing wrong and he only dumped it during the colder seasons to avoid capture. He’s not the innocent he claims to be.” Billy brings up good points.