Dead in a Week

by Andrea Kane

  “I was hoping you’d say that. Call me when it’s done. Oh, and hi, Claire.”

  Claire had the urge to dive under the covers and pretend she wasn’t there. But who was she kidding? “Hi, Marc. Good night, Marc.”

  “You heard the lady,” Ryan said. “Good night, Marc.”

  8

  Five days left…

  Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe

  26 February

  Monday, 7:05 a.m. local time

  Susan Pennington stared out the window of their luxury suite, which overlooked the magnificent wonders of Lake Tahoe—the snow-covered mountains majestic enough to be the Alps and the water clear and blue enough to be Lake Geneva.

  The exquisite scene was lost on her. She saw nothing but Lauren.

  “Vance, I’m terrified.” She turned, tightening the sash on her dressing robe, her gaze fixed on her husband as he packed up the laptop case he’d be taking to Santa Clara for his morning commute to NanoUSA.

  Vance stopped what he was doing and walked over to her, gently gripping her shoulders. “I’m terrified, too,” he admitted. “But I firmly believe we’re going to get Lauren back soon and unharmed. I refuse to contemplate any other alternative.”

  Susan searched her husband’s expression, her own tight with worry. “You have that much faith in Aidan Devereaux?”

  “In him and his team, yes, I do. I realize that most of that faith comes from the gut. This group of theirs doesn’t exactly have a website touting their skills and services. But I’ve been extremely impressed so far. Remember, they knew about Lauren’s kidnapping before I was even contacted. They already had a plan in place before Aidan showed up at my office door. Just meeting with him—it’s clear that he’s a brilliant thinker and an equally brilliant leader.”

  “Not to mention a former Marine,” Susan added quietly, fully aware of what that fact meant to her husband.

  “Yes. That, too.” Vance spoke with utter conviction. “I made a few phone calls to my guys in the Marines. They all came back with glowing reports on Aidan. So he’s the real deal. I’ve also met with Simone Martin. She’s insightful in ways that surprised even me. She’ll handle both her feigned job and her real job without missing a beat. In a few hours I’ll introduce her to my team. Then she’ll be off and running.”

  “I’m sure you’re right. But, Vance, time is running out.” Susan gripped the lapels of his business suit, panic lacing her tone. “What if it takes Simone too much time to locate the mole at your company— assuming one even exists? And what if that discovery isn’t soon enough to protect Lauren? She’s somewhere in Europe—or God knows where. Aidan and Simone are here, thousands of miles away from our daughter and her kidnappers. What if—”

  “Their European ground team must be in place by now,” he interjected. “They’ll be searching relentlessly for Lauren while Aidan runs the operation from our end. I’ll get an update from Simone as soon as I get to the office. They’ve already coordinated a comprehensive plan that will cover every tangible scenario in every location. Lauren will be home with us within the week. You’ll see.”

  Susan blinked back her tears. “And you?”

  “What about me? I’ll be wherever Aidan needs me to be.”

  “I never doubted that. But will you do whatever you have to? Including compromising your work ethics? What if it comes down to that?”

  Warring emotions slashed across Vance’s face. “According to Aidan, it won’t.”

  “And if he’s wrong?”

  “Then there’ll be no choice. As opposed as I am to disclosing details of Nano’s most groundbreaking and confidential project, if it comes down to that or saving our daughter’s life—there is no choice.”

  “Robert will never forgive you,” Susan said, reluctantly bringing up Nano’s CEO, his fierce commitment to his new technology, and his ultimate faith and future plans for Vance.

  “Maybe not,” Vance replied. “Maybe it will destroy my career and my relationship with Robert. But he’s a father, too. I have to hope that, on some level, he’ll understand. If not, it won’t change my decision.”

  “Thank you for that.” Susan knew how much that statement cost her husband. But all she could think about was Lauren.

  She turned away, dashing tears off her cheeks. “In the meantime, I’m doing absolutely nothing but losing my mind. I can’t concentrate. I can barely go through the motions of skiing and snowboarding. And I’m only doing that much for our other children.”

  “That’s a big something. You’re holding down the emotional fort.”

  “For now,” Susan responded. “Jessica and Andrew aren’t stupid. They’re both picking up on my tension—and yours. I’ve implied that you and I are going through a rough patch. That certainly upsets them, but it’s the only explanation I can give them without divulging the truth. Still, they’re puzzled by the fact that Lauren isn’t answering their texts, other than in cryptic snatches. How much longer do you think it’s going to be before they put two and two together?”

  “Not long,” Vance said grimly. “We’ll keep them out of the loop as long as we can. But I will discuss this with Aidan. We might have to tell the kids about their sister. They’re adults. If they realize what’s at stake, they’ll stick to the script. But I don’t want to do anything without running it by Aidan first. I might be a control freak, but I’m not an idiot. When I turned this over to Aidan and his team, I said I’d let them take the lead. I intend to do that.”

  He zipped up his laptop case and slung it over his shoulder, walking over to give Susan a quick kiss on her forehead. “I’ll fly back right after I meet with Simone and give her center stage with my team.”

  “Find out as much as you can about Aidan’s overseas efforts. Please, Vance.”

  “Count on it.”

  NanoUSA main conference room

  26 February

  Monday, 9:45 a.m. local time

  Standing beside Vance at the podium, Simone scanned the cavernous room.

  There were over a hundred very anxious people—executives, area managers, and workers—staring back at her as Vance outlined her credentials and explained what her role at Nano would be.

  At the word McKinsey, the tension swelled to fill the room.

  Simone got it. The employees were being told: “We’re going to make this division even stronger and more efficient.” But what they were hearing was: “Some of us are about to get fired.”

  She and Vance had discussed this prior to the meeting. Simone’s advice to him was that he had to be the one who put his team’s minds at ease. They needed to hear it from their boss, not some hired consultant. However, first they needed to know what this was all about. They needed Simone’s direction regarding what was about to happen and what their roles would be. It was up to her to win them over and to make them think of her as an ally and not an enemy.

  To that end, she’d chosen her outfit carefully. A deep navy Theory blazer with a standing collar and open front, over a matching woolblend sheath dress that fell to just above her knee. Expensive but not intimidating. And the use of navy was no accident either. Blue was the color of loyalty and would inspire trust from her audience. And navy added just the level of professionalism and competence she wanted. Lastly, to compensate for her petite height, Simone had worn matching three-inch navy Tory Burch suede stiletto pumps.

  The total effect would help her cause.

  Smiling, she took the mike from Vance, thanked him for his introduction, and stepped up to the podium.

  “I’m very pleased to have been invited to work with all of you to make NanoUSA even stronger than it already is,” she said. Calming words chosen to inspire team spirit. Given the short time frame she had, she had to go for pointed words and a soothing presence to accomplish her goal.

  “I know you’re all very busy, so I’ll start right out by sharing some results we’ve achieved for other clients. Simultaneously, I’ll explain the process we’ll follow, and after that, I’ll be happy t
o answer any questions you may have.”

  With that, Simone dimmed the lights and switched to the first content slide in her presentation.

  The slide appeared with a collage of word balloons emanating from a crowd of people in silhouette. Productivity is up 20%, the first balloon read. Employee satisfaction is through the roof, stated the second. The third balloon announced: Gross margins are higher than ever.

  Simone read each one aloud in her lightly accented English. She then paused to mentally and physically assess the room. The vibes were mixed, and the tenor of the room was still clouded in suspicion. Given that, she made a tactical decision not to show the video testimonials behind each balloon.

  Instead, she went straight to the methodology, a topic she hoped would divert their attention to something other than losing their jobs. She launched into describing End Products Value Analysis and the high-level concepts behind this diagnostic tool that would isolate inefficiencies in each area. Across the top of the page, she listed key deliverables in green, some in yellow, and others in red. She talked about how employees would be asked to list key end products/deliverables that they worked on and how much time they spent doing so. Other departments, executives, even outside companies—would be asked what they valued.

  The obvious question raised by this value analysis was whether an area could stop doing a red item, saving those resources and redeploying them somewhere else.

  “As you know,” Simone continued, “your department has struggled to keep up with the demands placed upon it. Mr. Pennington has asked me to make sure that we are using our resources wisely before bringing anyone else on board.” Her glance swept the room. “Questions?”

  A hand was immediately raised, and Jim Baskin, one of Vance’s senior executives, spoke directly to his boss, rather than to Simone.

  “I’ll be blunt,” he said, “and ask what every person in this room wants to know. It’s no secret that when McKinsey consultants like Ms. Martin come in, twenty percent of the employees lose their jobs. Is that what’s going on here?”

  Vance stepped up to the mike. “I really appreciate that honest and difficult question, Jim. And I’m going to give you an equally honest answer. No one is going to lose their job as a result of Ms. Martin’s efforts. Let me repeat what I just said: No one is going to lose their job. Our goal here is to focus on identifying the inefficiencies and disconnects. There may be some changes in responsibilities, but all in the spirit of getting better.”

  Simone spoke up, reclaiming the position of power that Vance had hired her for. “I, too, am glad you said out loud what was on everyone’s mind. And Mr. Pennington, I appreciate your candor in articulating the company’s intent here.”

  She could actually feel the tension abate, allowing her to continue freely.

  “Given the size of this organization, I’ll be talking to each senior area manager. Those managers will be consulting with their teams. We’d like to make this entire process happen in two days, so I’ve broken up the next two days into forty-eight one-hour time slots. Please choose a time slot. I’ll meet with you before work, during work, or after work to accommodate you.”

  Vance added, “And to kick off this process, I’ll take the first slot available right after this meeting.”

  Simone penciled that in, then passed the sheet on to the twenty managers.

  Phase one was underway.

  * * *

  Vance shut the door behind the last retreating employee and turned to face Simone.

  “We barely had time to talk before the meeting,” he said. “And we have only an hour now. So I’ll get straight to it. I need a more thorough update than ‘everything is in motion.’”

  “And I plan to give you one,” Simone replied. “I waited until after the meeting so I could include my assessments when I filled you in.” She glanced down at her watch, her delicate brows drawing together. “I’ll be thorough but brief. You must take off for Lake Tahoe by lunchtime.”

  “Agreed. But I also must know what’s going on with the hunt for my daughter.”

  “To begin with, a European tactical team has been formed and is already on the move.” Simone chose her words carefully—not too much, not too little. “They’re following solid leads that will tell them where Lauren has been taken. They’ll act accordingly. Aidan met with them while he was in Munich. He’ll have more details for you. His flight is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco this evening, after which, he’ll catch a quick flight to Reno and head straight to Lake Tahoe so he can bring you up to speed.”

  “Isn’t that risky?” Vance asked nervously. “We know the kidnappers are watching my every move. Won’t they spot Aidan showing up at my hotel?”

  A small smile curved Simone’s lips. “Aidan has a way of remaining invisible. So he’ll be the one making all the necessary commutes between here and Tahoe when face-to-face meetings outside the office are necessary. I’ll be available by phone or videoconference, as well. You know where to find me. I’ll be a fixture at NanoUSA.”

  Vance nodded, absorbing Simone’s detailed report even as his mind was fixed on results.

  His next question came as no surprise.

  “Is your tactical team close to finding Lauren?”

  “I don’t know their current status,” Simone answered honestly. “But if they’re not now, they will be. We’re all aware that the clock is ticking. And you should be aware that our team doesn’t fail.”

  “I pray you’re right.”

  “I am. But while our tactical team is carrying out its overseas assignment, you and I have our work cut out for us right here. We have two days. When I’m finished talking to all the members of your staff, I’ll have a clear picture of their level of integrity—where it comes to you and to the company. I’ll need to expand that exploration further, to the senior leadership outside the manufacturing division. Can you get me on their calendars?”

  “Of course,” Vance replied. “I’ll handle it myself. Although Ethan Gallagher, my personal assistant, could probably make it happen as fast as I can. He has a hotline to the PAs of all NanoUSA’s top brass. He also knows me, my schedule, and my projects inside out.”

  “I’m sure he does or he wouldn’t be your PA. Obviously, I’ll want to talk to him, as well as the PAs of all the high-level executives—beginning with Robert Maxwell’s. I assume he or she is exceptional?”

  “She,” Vance supplied. “Zoe Pearson. She’s not just exceptional, she’s indispensable. I don’t think there’s anything that woman can’t do. Robert jokes that she’s his unofficial CEO. I’ll set up meetings for you with her, with Ethan, and of course, with the senior executives you’ve asked to speak with.”

  “Good,” Simone responded. “Because those execs are internal customers of the outputs and services that your department provides and have important perspectives on the winners and losers. That info is essential to me. There’s no question that, given how your technology threatens the Chinese electronics industry, Chinese agents have made multiple attempts to influence and infiltrate your company at this crucial time. The fact that your daughter was kidnapped is an indication that they were unsuccessful in their recruiting efforts or their successful recruiting efforts were stopped by the rigorous security measures your company has in place.”

  “Which leads us back to your theory that there’s a mole inside our company and that ferreting him or her out could be crucial to finding the animals who have Lauren.”

  “Exactly.” Simone nodded. “We suspect the kidnappers are European, not Chinese, for obvious reasons. A Chinese kidnapper in Munich, Germany, would stand out more. So my guess is that the Chinese are pulling the strings. They might be working with a mole in your company, but my experience tells me that they hired others to do the kidnapping for them.”

  Vance rubbed a palm over his jaw. “There are so many moving parts and so little I can do, other than lining up your meetings. What else?”

  “You can talk to me about you.”


  “Pardon me?”

  Simone walked over and poured two cups of coffee, handing one to Vance. “We’re going to use the rest of this time for me to interview you. Starting with the personal. Who hates you the most?”

  The question took Vance off guard and he started. “Now that’s a tough one. Hates me? Resents me? Feels threatened by me? Which?”

  “All of the above.”

  “That’s a pretty complex question.”

  “It’s an imperative one for you to answer.”

  “I understand.” Vance’s brow furrowed. “I’ll need this cup of coffee—and the hour we’ve got.”

  “Fifty minutes,” Simone corrected. “So drink your coffee. And voice your thought process aloud.”

  9

  Reno-Tahoe Airport, Reno, Nevada

  26 February

  Monday, 9:35 p.m. local time

  Aidan hopped into the town car that was waiting for him at the airport and leaned back in his seat, resting his eyes. He’d be videoconferencing with the team in twenty-five minutes. They wouldn’t have a lot of time. He’d be at the Ritz-Carlton in an hour.

  Not that he had a hell of a lot to report.

  His last few hours in Munich had been a complete bust, other than ascertaining that Abby, Emma, and Joyce had safely arrived in Disneyland. Danijel had been unavailable all day and had yet to return Aidan’s call. And his visit to Hofbräuhaus had yielded nothing. He’d hoped that by showing up there around the same time of day as Lauren had, he’d find some of the same employees and customers who worked and frequented the restaurant then. He’d managed that part just fine. After showing Lauren’s photo around—casually saying she was his niece and he was here to surprise her—two male waiters and a table of college kids remembered seeing her. Unfortunately, that’s all they remembered. Two of the kids had noticed a dark-haired guy talking to her, but they’d never seen him before and had no idea who he was. There’d been some curiosity expressed, which Aidan had immediately squelched by saying the guy was her boyfriend and they were vacationing in Europe.