Catching the Bad Guy (Book Two) (Janet Maple Series) (9 page)

“I’ve got to get going, baby.” David
carefully disengaged his shoulder from Mila’s lovely head.

“Don’t you want to stay over?”

“I wish I could, baby, but I’ve got a
business dinner.”

“On a Friday night?”

“Money never sleeps,” David quoted
Gordon Gekko. The words took him back to 1987, the year the movie Wall Street
had been released. David had been a teenager at the time, full of hungry
dreams, and when he saw Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko on the silver screen,
he knew that he too would find his fortune on Wall Street. Funny how things
looked different in retrospect: the kind of trading Gordon Gekko perpetrated in
Wall Street seemed like mere child’s play to David now.

Mila said nothing and rose from the bed
to gather her things. David could sense her annoyance. “But, baby, will you
keep our nest warm for me? You can move in tomorrow.” David placed the
apartment key in Mila’s hand.

Her eyes lit up. “Really, David?
Tomorrow?”

He nodded. “As far I am concerned, this
place is yours. And here is some cash in case you want to pick up a few
things.” David placed a bulging envelope on the vanity table.

“Thank you, sweetie,” said Mila, linking
her warm, full lips with his.

Reluctantly, David pulled himself away.
He could not very well show up for a date with Aileen with a boner. “I really
have to get going, baby.”

David stepped into the shower and turned
on the coldest water possible. He would not have bothered to shower for Aileen,
but he wanted to look spick and span for Cornelius Finnegan.

***

Half an hour later, David walked into
Keens steakhouse. Had it been up to him, he would have opted for a more modern
venue, but Keens was Finnegan’s favorite place, and David knew better than to
contradict Finnegan. David took a seat by the bar and waited for Finnegan to
arrive.

He did not have to wait long. Always
punctual, Finnegan appeared in the doorway at exactly eight o’clock. “Hello,
David.”

“Cornelius.”

“How is my daughter’s favorite fellow
doing?” Cornelius slapped David on the shoulder. “You know, you’re all Aileen
talks about these days.”

“Thank you, sir. But I’m sure you’re
exaggerating. In fact, I think it’s the other way around,” David managed,
praying to God that his compliment sounded convincing. Were it within his
power, he would prefer never to hear a word about Aileen.

“Huh. You smooth talker,” Cornelius
chuckled. “Let’s go get a table. There’s something important I want to talk to
you about before our girlie gets here.”

David could feel his apprehension
rising. He sincerely hoped that what Finnegan had to say would not have
anything to do with the Emperial investigation.

“Well now, that’s much better,” remarked
Finnegan once they were seated in a private dining room. The wood-paneled room
only housed a few tables, all of which were empty at the moment. “I’ve asked
them for some privacy,” Finnegan added, eyeing David meaningfully.

David took a small sip of his scotch. He
wanted to keep his head clear when talking to Cornelius.

“Aren’t you going to drink your drink?”
Finnegan asked.

“I’m just trying to cut down on liquor,
but tonight certainly warrants an exception,” David agreed and took an obedient
swallow.

“Good. I wouldn’t want to see you
turning into one of those health-obsessed vegans or whatever they call them.”
Finnegan finished the rest of his drink and signaled to the waiter who was
standing by the far side of the room. “Bring us another round of Macallan,
Johnny.”

Uneasy under the direct stare of
Finnegan’s tiny, glinting eyes, David finished the rest of his drink.

“So, I trust that those dogs at the
Treasury left you alone?” asked Finnegan.

“Yes, Cornelius. I’m most grateful for
your influence on the matter.”

“I’m only glad to be of help. After all,
my future son-in-law can only be a law-abiding citizen,” said Finnegan,
slapping David on the shoulder.

The side door opened, and the waiter
walked in with their drinks. “Set them down here, Johnny,” said Finnegan. “And
then leave us alone. My daughter will be joining us later in the evening.
Please let us know as soon as she arrives.” The waiter placed the drinks on the
table, bowed and left the room.

Finnegan sipped at his scotch. “The old
department chief at the Treasury was very much set in his ways—not the kind of
man one could do business with. But the fellow I got there now used to work at
the DA’s office, and he knows how things really work, so I don’t think you’ll
be hearing from them anymore. And now that we have the Treasury under control,
there is another matter that I’d like to discuss with you.”

David swallowed apprehensively. Would
Finnegan be blunt enough to press him for a proposal date for his daughter?

“A childhood friend of mine has just
been elected to the board of directors of a very prominent company. Let’s say
this friend of mine were to come into some valuable information”—Finnegan
paused, twirling his thick thumbs—“would there be a way for us to capitalize on
it?”

A wave of relief washed over David. Now,
there was a topic he was more than happy to discuss. “Certainly, as you know,
information is the ultimate form of currency,” David spoke slowly, eyeing
Finnegan meaningfully. “The regulations around insider information are strict,
but there are a number of structures that could be formed in order to maintain
anonymity.”

“Like the setup you strung together for
Emperial?” Finnegan’s tiny eyes glinted. “Look, David, I hold the post of New
York State attorney general, and before that I was the Manhattan district
attorney. I know all about rules and regulations and, best of all, I have the
contacts to make sure the regulators keep their noses out of our business.”
Finnegan raised his glass to his lips. “Now you, David, are said to have the
trading expertise to get the thing done.”

“Yes, sir,” David replied evenly. Did
the old man really have to rub David’s nose into it?

“Now, Muller, I hope you didn’t take me
the wrong way. I was just busting your chops. I want us to be partners, and I
want us both to make money while doing it. So, how about you open up a new
hedge fund and we get to work?”

“Certainly, I could do that. What kind
of trading volume are we talking about?”

“David, do you really think it’s going
to be just us? There are people I need to include to insure that our interests
are protected. You are not the only one who wants to get rich.”

David stifled a smile: the regulators
were even more corrupt than the rogues who were trying to get around the rules.

There was a light knock on the door and
the waiter entered the room. “Sir, Miss Aileen is here,” he announced.

“Thank you, Johnny.” Finnegan wiped his
face with a napkin. “I think I’ll be going now.”

“Aren’t you going to dine with us?”
David asked, half elated, half alarmed. The thought of not being subjected to
Finnegan’s scrutinizing eyes was a relief, but the prospect of being alone with
Aileen’s passion was alarming.

“Not tonight.” Finnegan rose from his
chair. “I believe that we’ve discussed everything we needed to discuss. Let me
know as soon as you have everything up and running. And David, I trust that you
will keep Aileen out of this? There’s no need for her to be troubled by any of
this.”

“Of course, sir.”

At that moment the door swung open and
Aileen was ushered into the room by the waiter. “Hello, girlie!” Finnegan
exclaimed and kissed Aileen on both cheeks. “You’re looking mightily swell
tonight,” he added.

“Oh, daddy!” Aileen blushed, glancing at
David coquettishly.

Here, even David could not help feeling
moved. Aileen was trying so hard for him: she had been losing weight and even
though she was still plump, tonight she looked almost cute. She had put a lot
of effort into her look. Her flared skirt concealed her wide hips and her
freckles were almost invisible under expertly applied foundation. Her red hair
was expertly pulled up and her eyes were shining with the happiness of seeing
him. But no amount of mascara or perfume would ever make Aileen come close to
Mila’s beauty.

“Hello, lovely,” David slipped into his
British accent as he often did around Aileen. What could he do? The girl was a
sucker for Jane Austen.

“I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,”
Finnegan grunted.

“Aren’t you staying for dinner, daddy?”

“What would two young folks like you
want with an old goat like me? No, I’m heading home to keep Mrs. Finnegan
company. Goodnight you two. David, I look forward to hearing from you.”

“What was that about?” asked Aileen
after Finnegan had left.

“Oh, nothing important. Just a few
investment ideas your dad asked me to look over.” David smiled with
self-satisfaction. A plan for getting out of Finnegan’s hold on him was slowly
beginning to form in his head.

Janet walked into Delmonico’s where she
was meeting her childhood friend Lisa for lunch. Lisa was already sitting by the
bar.

From grade school to adulthood, Janet’s
friendship with Lisa had been tempestuous to say the least, but somehow it had
managed to make it through even the roughest of trials.

Lisa smiled and waved, quickly slipping
off the bar stool. “Janet!” Lisa opened her arms for a hug.

“It’s great to see you, Lisa,” said
Janet, returning Lisa’s embrace.

The hostess showed them to their table.

Janet leafed through the menu. She was
not very hungry, had not been hungry ever since Alex became her new boss.

Lisa opened the menu. “I’m starving. I
think I’ll have a burger.”

“Burger sounds good,” Janet replied. She
was not about to bother Lisa with her work troubles, not when Lisa was only a
month away from tying the knot with Paul Bostoff.

“That’s right. To hell with the wedding
diet,” Lisa cheered.

“You don’t need a wedding diet. You look
great.”

“Thanks. It’s the wedding preparations.
We’re just so happy. Paul’s marketing company is doing really well. Jon is
doing well too. He opened a white collar crime consulting business. Believe it
or not, already a ton of clients have signed up.”

“I believe it.” Jon Bostoff certainly
knew the subject matter firsthand.

Lisa reached across the table and
squeezed Janet’s hand. “Thank you, Janet.”

“For what?”

“For putting an end to that madness that
Jon got us all in.” Lisa halted. “I’ve never really spoken to you about this,
but I know that I should have. I had my head in the clouds, or to be more
specific, up my ass. Had it not been for you, things could have turned out
really badly for all of us.”

“Do you really feel this way?” Janet
asked. She was not sure how she herself would have reacted had she been in
Lisa’s shoes. Lisa had been the general counsel at Bostoff Securities, and it
was Lisa who hired Janet after Janet had lost her job at the DA’s office.
Shortly afterwards, Dennis Walker had entered the picture. Janet had been torn
between her loyalty to Lisa and Dennis’s offer. Dennis had promised immunity
for Lisa but not for Paul Bostoff, Lisa’s fiancé and the company’s chief
operating officer. The affairs of Bostoff Securities looked grimmer by the
minute, even if neither Paul Bostoff nor his older brother, Jon Bostoff,
realized it. The Treasury was not the only regulator investigating the firm:
Dennis had warned Janet that the SEC and FBI were hot on the trail. In the end,
Janet decided to accept Dennis’s offer. She had spent months agonizing over her
decision, but, surprisingly, they had all survived, and even more surprisingly,
Lisa and she were still friends.

“Yes. Jon had gotten himself into such a
mess with that snake David Muller! Jon was so desperate for the firm to make
money that he was willing to do almost anything for it. The whole thing was
headed for disaster. But then why am I telling you this? You are the one who
discovered it all in the first place.”

Janet shook her head. “I didn’t do it on
my own.”

“Yes, you did. But then I guess you do
have a point. If I hadn’t dragged you into Bostoff Securities in the first
place you would have never had to deal with the mess that was going on there.
And there I was, thinking that I had done you a great favor, while it was you
who saved me.”

All this praise made Janet feel
uncomfortable. In the light of  recent developments, she did not really feel
like a hero. Janet frowned. What was the use of hiding the truth? Muller’s
exoneration would become public soon enough. She might as well tell Lisa now.

“What’s wrong?” Lisa asked.

“The case against Muller has been closed
due to insufficient evidence.”

“What?”

Patiently, Janet recounted everything
that had happened at work since Alex became her boss.