The Money Is Green (14 page)

Shaking his head, Jason answered firmly, “No, of course I wouldn’t make you change schools. You’re going to be a junior next year. We can find a better place to live that’s in the same school district. Besides, next year is going to be critical for you if you’re going to have a chance at a soccer scholarship.”

Wiping her head in mock exasperating, Crystal let out a big sigh. “Whew. That makes me feel a lot better. So, how much more money are you going to be making? Can you afford to buy me a new car when I turn sixteen?”

Jason frowned and leaned across the table. “Let’s just say you’re on a need-to-know basis as far as what I make. As far as buying you a new car, we can wait and see how you’re doing in school when that time rolls around. I think we’ve got a couple of months before we need to concern ourselves about that.” He reached for another slice of pizza. “Crystal, I’m leaning toward taking this position, but I need you to promise me something.”

“Okay,” she said. “What?”

“I will do my best to place you with one of your friends’ families when I’m gone, but if I get into a pinch, I might have to let Janine watch you. Would you at least give her a chance and try to be civil with her? I’m not asking you to be her best friend, but treat her decently and try not to act like you’re in a torture chamber when she’s around.”

“Okay, Dad,” she said as she wiped her hands with a napkin. “I’ll try to be nice. But don’t make me stay with her often.”

“Thank you, Crystal. I’ll do my best to keep it to a minimum and only as a last resort.”

♦

The morning sun shone brightly through the window of Jason’s office as he studied his computer screen, re-reading the response he had prepared to Mei explaining the terms and compensation of his new position. Jason read the words he had typed one more time, coming to the last line, “I accept the position.” He leaned back his chair and flexed his fingers. There’s a lot riding on this. Brian is right. I’m one of the most qualified people to take this job, and there are a lot of people at Soltech who will be depending on me to do the job well and steer this company to the future. It’s a big commitment for me, but here goes. He hit send on the computer and his reply was shot off to Mei.

Standing up, he stretched, picked up the coffee cup near the keyboard, and took a sip. I might as well refresh this, he thought, and he started off toward the kitchen. He hadn’t taken two steps before his cellphone began ringing. He checked the caller ID. Why is Brian calling me so early?

He answered it. “How are you, Brian?”

“Hey, Jason. I hope I’m not calling you too early.”

Jason set his cup on his desk and sat on the corner, letting his leg dangle over the side. “No, not at all. I was just thinking about you. I sent Mei Chen my acceptance of the position to run Soltech. Thanks for your guidance.”

“Congratulations,” Brian said, but he his heart didn’t sound like it was in it. “I’m sure you’ll do well.”

“Is everything okay?” Jason asked. “I didn’t expect to hear from you until the opening bid date.”

Brian heaved a heavy sigh and spoke in a somber tone. “Have you heard the news about Andrew Dillon?”

Jason scanned a new email from Mei, saying how delighted she was at his decision. He looked up from the screen. “No, I haven’t heard anything about Andrew.” Concern showed in his voice. “What’s up with him?”

“He was attacked and murdered yesterday afternoon while riding his bike home. The police don’t have any suspects and the few witnesses that arrived on the scene didn’t see anything. It’s a sad day around here. Andrew was a great guy.”

Jason stood up, his mouth open. “Oh wow. I missed that on the news. Who would want him dead? He was one of the nicest guys in the industry.” He slumped down in his chair. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I just saw him at the renewable energy convention at Mosconey Center last week. He was happy and excited about some of the new projects Earth-Sun was getting ready to start.”

“I know it’s pretty unbelievable. I guess you can’t be too careful nowadays. The area where he was riding his bike has nothing but million-dollar homes. It wasn’t exactly a high crime area.” Brian paused for a second. “Because of the suddenness of his death, Earth-Sun pulled their bid for the Copper Mountain job and Soltech looks like they’re in the first position.”

“I sure didn’t want to win the bid this way, Brian,” Jason said somberly. He sent a quick email to Mei about Andrew’s death.

“I’m sure you didn’t, Jason, there’s no question in my mind. Out of respect for Andrew and his family, I’m going to push back the bid opening for three more days. I’m sure there will be a church service right in the middle of the bid opening, and that wouldn’t be good for anybody.”

“I completely understand,” Jason said. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do, but if you think of something, please let me know.”

“Thanks. If I hear anything further about the service and such, I’ll pass it on to you. Let me ask you something. If Andrew was murdered as reported, who would have benefited most from Andrew’s death?”

Jason drew a deep breath and put his hand to his forehead. “Uh, I don’t know what to say. The thought hadn’t occurred to me until you mentioned it. I didn’t know Andrew that well personally, so I don’t know what he had going on in his personal life. I’ll have to give it some thought.”

“I’ll do the same.”

Jason hung up and walked to the window, staring out over the vast manicured lawn area below his office. This is unbelievable, he thought. Andrew leaves a wife and two little kids. What a tragedy.

His computer dinged, telling him he had an email.

Turning from the window, he leaned down and checked the screen. The email was from Mei, so he quickly opened it.

It’s really terrible what happened to Mr. Dillon. I know this death is still fresh in everybody’s minds, but you need to get in front of Brian Thompson and secure that Copper Mountain deal. Because of this unfortunate circumstance, we’re in the first position and I don’t want anything to get in the way of us getting that project. We can grieve for Mr. Dillon, but the world will not stop and we must keep moving
.

Jason read it again in disbelief. He thought about what Brian had just said to him and then he remembered his last conversation with Mei. She predicted Earth-Sun was going to pull their bid. Was there really management turmoil there or did she know about something else? A chill rose up his spine. I’ve just committed to work for her. Another thought, more horrible than the first, hit him. If I don’t meet her expectations, will the same happen to me?

He started to pace the floor in front of his office, wringing his hands in front of him. I know Mei is callous and a ruthless businesswoman, but is she capable of murder? I hope I haven’t made a colossal mistake.

He re-read the email one more time, then picked up his phone. Janine picked it up on the third ring. “Hi, baby, are you calling me with good news? Did you land that Copper Mountain job?”

He sighed, running his left hand through his hair. “I think so, but not the way I wanted to. I think we got it by default.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You sound like you’ve had a death in the family.”

Jason let out a breath of air. “It isn’t exactly a death in the family, but one of my colleagues is dead. The guy who was running the solar
company that was competing with Soltech for the Copper Mountain job was murdered yesterday afternoon. Now his company, Earth-Sun, has pulled their bid.”

Janine was silent for a moment. “I see how you got it by default.” She paused then asked, “Do you think there’s any connection to the Copper Mountain job and his murder?”

“Uh, Brian more or less suggested that, but I don’t know. This has all happened so fast, I don’t know what to think. The person who benefits from this tragedy is Mei Chen if we get the job. But that would mean she’d be involved with a murder.”

“How well do you know Mei?” Janine asked. “You mentioned she’s well connected in the Communist Party. It’s not like they play paddy-cakes all the time. You might want to do some research on her, but be careful. Maybe she’s completely innocent in this but, if she had a hand in it, she’s a dangerous lady.”

“Yeah, I’ll do some checking around,” Jason answered. “Should I resign from the company?”

“Don’t be silly, Jason. You have no proof she’s done anything other than having a big bid fall in her lap. Keep doing what you’re doing, but keep your eyes open.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Like you said, she’s probably got nothing to do with the murder, but all the same, I’ll keep alert. Thanks for being my sounding board. I’m so stunned I didn’t know who to call.”

“I’m glad you called me, sweetie. Anytime you need to talk, I’ll be available for you.”

“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.” Jason set his phone down and folded his arms around his chest. He shook his head. There’s no way she’s involved. She’s got too much to lose if things go bad.

E
IGHTEEN

J
ason sauntered casually up the narrow walkway that lead to Janine’s front door. He glanced at the manicured flowerbeds on both sides brimming with colorful pansies illuminated by the soft Malibu landscape lights. He barely made out the well-maintained lawn that smelled as if it had been freshly mowed. Even though it was Saturday, he had worked most of the day before picking up Crystal to run her to a friend’s home where she was staying the evening.

This will be great, Jason thought. I’ll finally have an evening alone with Janine. It’s been too long since we had one of those.

A cool breeze blew in from the west as the quarter-moon started to rise just above the horizon. It won’t be long before summer is here, he thought.

He reached the porch where the front door was set back a couple of feet from the house. He reached up to rap on the door, but before he could, it flung open and there stood Janine, one hand on the door and another on her hip. Jason recognized his white polo dress shirt she was wearing, with the sleeves rolled up and the front unbuttoned. He also noticed she was wearing nothing else.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the house, shutting and locking the door behind him. She brought him close and kissed him firmly on the lips. Jason reached his hands around her and held her tight. He felt himself becoming aroused as she slipped her tongue over his. Over her shoulder he caught a glimpse of a vase of red roses sitting on the coffee table in the front room, a small white card protruding out of the top with the words “I love you, Janine” written on it.

He pulled back, smiling. “I wanted to show you how much….”

She placed her index finger to his lips as she reached for his hands. “Can’t we talk it over in bed?” she asked as she led him, walking backwards, to the master bedroom. Taking off the shirt, she pulled back the bed sheets and flung herself onto the bed. Patting the mattress next to her, she smiled sweetly. “Get those clothes off and join me.”

Jason didn’t hesitate, undoing his shirt and jeans and flinging the rest of his clothes onto the floor. He fell into her arms and kissed her passionately on the lips as his fingers gently caressed her breasts and moved down to her flat stomach. He felt her hands going up and down his back, causing a tingling sensation all over his body. I wish I could feel like this every day, he thought. I want to be with her every day.

♦

Lying on his back, Jason stared at the ceiling as his breathing slowed back to a normal pace. Janine was lying on her side next to him, her finger drawing circles on his chest. He turned his head and stared into her light blue eyes. “I love you so much, Janine. I sent you those flowers because I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate everything you do for me and how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

Janine rolled to her side, her curvy silhouette accentuated by the soft moonlight flowing in through the open window. A light breeze made the curtains flap quietly. A tree frog outside in the yard croaked, making the only sound in the night.

She smiled at him as she continued running her finger over his chest. “I know you love me, and I love you as much. That was a wonderful gesture, and you know I’m a sap for flowers. We don’t get enough quality time together, and I wanted to make sure we took advantage of our being alone for the evening.”

Jason smiled back at her. “Well, you sure started the evening off with a bang. I’m going to make it a point to make more time for us.”

Janine rolled onto her back. “Well, there is one reason we don’t spend time together and we both know who that reason is. I know you love your daughter, Jason, and believe me, I would never ask you to put my interests between you two.” She turned her head to look at him. “But we can’t continue this way.” She paused for a second. “Or I should say, I can’t continue this way. I’m trying to compromise with Crystal, but she doesn’t want to give an inch. I don’t know what else to do.”

“You’ve been more than fair with Crystal, and I don’t blame you at all,” he said, his eyes back staring at the ceiling. “I know it’s easy for me to say, but since I’ve told her the truth, she’s slowly starting to question her mom’s version of events. You probably can’t see it, but I can. She needs a little more time, and I think her attitude will begin to change.”

“You’re right. I can’t see it, nor did I see anything like that while you were gone and I was watching her.” She sighed and sat upright in the bed, the covers bunched up along her waist. “I’m willing to give her some time, Jason, but I’m not going to wait forever. If she doesn’t change her demeanor toward me and accept that you and I are a couple, I can’t stay in this relationship.”

Jason put his arms around her waist and kissed the lower part of her back. “Things are going to change, I promise you.”

N
INETEEN

C
ongressman Eugene Waters sat back in the chair behind the desk in his San Francisco office and listened to the pitch of the two men sitting in front of him. They were both in crisp dark suits with white shirts and could easily have been coming out of a high profile court case or a major financial deal. He pretended to be listening intently but his mind was still back in Bali, with the beautiful Amy rubbing oils all over his body. John Clayton sat in a chair next to the congressman, busily taking notes.