CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
T he next morning, when Rhonda walked into the office, I saw fresh circles under her eyes, and then I looked more closely. Her eyes were swollen.
I got to my feet. “Rhonda! Are you all right? What’s happened?”
“It’s Will and Reggie. Will did as he told me he would and talked to Reggie about something at work. Now, neither Reggie nor Angela is talking to either one of us. I don’t know what the conversation was, and Will wouldn’t tell me.”
I hugged her and then sat down. “This doesn’t sound like any of them. What could it be?”
Rhonda shook her head. “All I know is my family is about to explode, and I can’t do anything about it. I’m furious with the three of them. I’m glad the holiday week is here. I need to keep busy.”
“Okay, then. Dorothy and I have taken care of the confirmations for Thanksgiving dinner and upgraded the seating chart.”
“There will be more changes tomorrow, but it’s smart to have it organized for the moment.”
I’d just printed out the room reservations for the weekend to show Rhonda when Lorraine stumbled into the office. “Arthur has been arrested.”
Rhonda and I shot up out of our seats.
I held onto Lorraine as she collapsed into a chair, crying. “What’s wrong? How can we help?”
“It has something to do with his office and a financial offering. As they took him away, Arthur told me not to talk to anyone about it, but I had to come to you. I don’t know what’s going on, but I need to be there for him.”
Rhonda and I glanced at one another.
“That’s it,” said Rhonda. “Oh my God. It all makes sense. I have to call Will.”
“I’ll stay right here with Lorraine,” I said.
“I’ll use Dorothy’s office,” said Rhonda.
After Rhonda left, I turned to Lorraine. “Have you called a lawyer?”
“Oh, yes. Arthur gave me the name of one in Tampa. He was warned this might happen and tried to handle it before it became a bigger issue.”
“Where is Arthur now?” I asked.
“He’s at the county jail. He told me he won’t be there long.” She cupped her hands over her face. “It was so embarrassing to have policemen drive up to our door and take him away.”
“I’m sure,” I said.
Rhonda returned. “I just talked to Will. I’m sorry, but I can’t be involved with this. Lorraine, I hope things turn out right for you and wish you all the best.” Her eyes glistened with tears; Rhonda hugged Lorraine. “I have to go home. This is ripping my family apart.”
“I’ll come as soon as I can,” I told Rhonda. Facing Lorraine, I said, “I’m going to call our lawyer, Mike Torson. You may need one for your own purposes.”
“I know Mike. I’ll call him myself. Thanks for your help, Ann. I don’t want to make trouble for anyone.”
I got up and hugged her. “Lorraine, you’re part of the hotel family. We’re here for you. After talking to Mike, please let me know what we can do to help you.”
As soon as she left the office, I called Vaughn.
He listened as I told him what had happened and then said, “I’m glad I didn’t take Arthur up on going in on a special deal one of his friends was offering.”
“You knew something was wrong?” I asked, shocked.
“No, I have my own financial advisor and don’t use anyone else. It’s best that way. I trust him completely.”
“I wonder if this is what was bothering Will. Rhonda had to go home. I told her I’d come as soon as I could. Hopefully, I’ll find out more information. Talk to you later.” I ended the call and gathered my things. I’d talk to Bernie first, and then I’d go see Rhonda.
###
W hen I drove up to Rhonda’s house, I noticed that Will’s car was not in its usual place in the driveway beside Rhonda’s gray Mercedes.
When I knocked on the door, Rita answered it. “Come in, Annie. Rhonda’s waiting for you upstairs in the sitting area. I’ll bring coffee.”
“Thank you. How is she?”
Rita shook her head. “She’s crying hard.”
I raced upstairs. Rhonda was a softie who didn’t hide her feelings, but she didn’t cry often. It must be bad.
When I walked into the sitting area, Rhonda was staring out the window, wiping her face with a tissue.
“Rhonda, I’m here,” I said softly.
She turned and got to her feet.
I stepped forward and embraced her, feeling her shoulders shake.
“It’s going to be all right, whatever it is,” I said. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Everything is messed up. Neither Angela nor Reggie will take my call. Will told me not to go to their house and that I was to stay out of it.”
“What is going on? Tell me what you know.”
“Like you, I know Arthur got arrested. Will told me it was insider trading.”
“And Angela and Reggie?”
“Reggie thinks Will told the authorities about it. And he told Angela she’s not to talk to either one of us until it was proven otherwise.” Rhonda dabbed at her eyes and drew a deep, shaky breath. “Angela and I have never not spoken to one another, even through difficult times.”
“Maybe there are legal implications in conversing with them,” I said, handing her a fresh tissue from a box nearby.
“That’s what I have to believe,” said Rhonda. “You know how competitive Will and Arthur have been. Truthfully, Arthur loved to brag about his big New York City clients and all the connections he had. It bugged Will no end.”
“I’ve always thought Arthur was jealous of the relationship that Will and Reggie have,” I said.
“I’m sure that’s part of it. But now, Reggie is turning against Will, saying he believes Arthur and that the person who notified the SEC was Will.”
“That doesn’t sound like Will,” I said. “If he thought something was wrong, he’d say so to Arthur’s face.”
“I think that’s what Will has been hiding for the past few months.” Rhonda clapped a hand to her chest. “My God! He almost died from a heart attack, keeping the suspicions to himself. Wait until I tell Angela that.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “Remember, you can’t talk to Angela until things get straightened out.”
Rhonda nodded. “I need to talk to Will. Will you come to the office with me?”
“Yes,” I said. Will wasn’t supposed to be under any undue stress. This was the worst—having his reputation and his business possibly ruined by something out of his control.
###
R honda and I entered the office of Grayson and Smythe to find it quiet. We didn’t see Reggie anywhere, and we found Will closed away in his office. He looked up through the glass partition of his office wall and stared at us.
I waited outside while Rhonda hurried to Will and put her arms around him. After a few minutes, Rhonda gestured to me to come inside the office.
She and I sat in chairs in front of Will’s desk.
“We need to know what exactly is happening,” said Rhonda. “You said something about insider trading.”
Will cleared his throat. “To put it simply, insider trading involves trading in a public company's stock or other securities by someone with non-public, material information about the company. Insider transactions are legal if the insider makes a trade and reports it to the Securities and Exchange Commission, but insider trading is illegal when the material information is still non-public. That’s where Arthur went wrong.”
“So, he bought stock in a company before it became public?” I asked. “It seems so simple. Why would he do it?”
“To make money, of course. But I think he wanted to show me up. He’s been trying to get Reggie to leave the company, telling him he’d make more money working with his group out of New York where the big money is.”
“But there are plenty of millionaires right here in Florida,” I said.
“Including your wife,” said Rhonda. “I trust you with my money because I know you and respect how honest and hardworking you are, just like every other client of yours.”
“You are every bit as successful as Arthur,” I said, furious that Will was being blamed for any part of this. "How can you prove you didn’t report the situation?”
“That’s all part of the investigation. Arthur was brought in for questioning. I suspect the SEC has already built a case against him and the others involved.”
Rhonda gazed at Will with such love that I looked away. “Will, darling, is this what has been bothering you these past few months? You’ve been so worried, so upset about work.”
Will looked down at his desk and lifted his face, looking miserable. “Arthur and I have been competing—no question about it. But when I told Reggie that he couldn’t mention this opportunity to any client of ours, he got angry and told me I had to stop competing with his father. Things have been tense between us since then.”
“Shouldn’t Reggie be grateful to you now?” asked Rhonda.
“Like I said, he thinks I may have let it slip about it being a bad deal. The trade would’ve been legal if made after the forthcoming sale of the company was made public. It’s as simple as that.”
“There must be a reason Arthur went ahead with it,” I said. “He’s an honest man.”
“True, but he got greedy,” said Will. “His friend at the company gave Arthur secret information about the forthcoming sale of it and promised it would be made public on a certain date. But the so-called friend didn’t follow through. Arthur bought enough shares to indicate obvious knowledge beforehand.”
“What do you think will happen to him?” Rhonda said. “No wonder Angela and Reggie are so upset.”
“That will depend on the case. Perhaps a fine and some jail time. Perhaps having his license taken away. I can’t say,” said Will. “He’s wealthy enough not to worry about survival.”
“You and I will have to talk to each other about this on our own. And we’re both going to have to speak to Reggie and Angela,” said Rhonda. There was a flash of anger in her voice, and I understood it. This might not have happened if everyone had simply talked to one another about it.
Rhonda continued to address Will. “You know how worried I’ve been about you and your health. You could’ve had a heart attack and died if you hadn’t collapsed. Nothing and nobody are worth losing you.”
Will looked like a schoolboy who’d just been scolded by the principal.
I stood. “Look, I’m going to leave you two and go back to the hotel. Rhonda, take as much time with your family as you need.”