Chapter 14 #2
“No,” he stated, his tone forceful, and he chastised himself for taking that one with her.
“Everything’s fine. Why?” She went silent for a very long moment.
He thought he even picked up on her pain too, her reaction to his tone, his lie.
He winced. “Okay, fine. I just may have found a problem that I’ll sue somebody over. ”
“Oh, that’s great,” she commiserated.
Yet she lost interest as soon as she sensed it was business. He had to laugh. “I know. Absolutely nothing to do with you or your cases.”
“Sorry, it’s not that I’m trying to separate things to that extent, but, if it won’t hurt you, kill you, or do anything else along that line, it’s really just more day-to-day BS. And you can handle the day-to-day shit all too well on your own.” And, with that, she ended the call.
He had to howl with laughter because, in her world, that’s exactly what it was.
It was just more day-to-day BS. And in a way, that meant just don’t bother her with it.
Someone else might have thought of her attitude as insulting, but he knew she meant it when she stated that he was fully capable of handling his business.
She knew that and believed it completely.
He made a happy sound as he picked up a coffee and headed out, walking over to another one of his project sites.
Along the way, he walked past another building he’d bought to rehab in the future.
He stopped, smiled at her, and promised, “Your time will come, girl.” He had loved that building since forever, and he couldn’t wait to get started.
But he also had to confirm that he did her justice. And doing her justice could look very different, depending on a lot of factors right now. One of them was the lovely mess that somebody had decided to add to his plate, creating an unnecessary nightmare for him.
When Allen called him back a little later, he filled him in on the information they had picked up so far. Allen was cheery, perky even, as he announced, “I have a bit of good news. George Hammond will speak with you.”
“He will?’
“It was a really good idea for me to talk with him first. So, at least now he has some idea of what’s going on and why you might want to meet with him.”
“Yeah, you’re not kidding. Where’s the meeting?”
“He suggested a place downtown and as early as possible.”
Simon pondered that for a moment. “Let’s do it. I’m downtown right now. So, he can make the trip if he wants, and we can talk over coffee.”
Allen laughed. “You really want to take a chance of his showing up and you not having a recorder on you?”
“Oh, I have a recorder,” Simon declared. “Don’t you worry about that.”
“You think it’s that bad?” Allen asked.
“I don’t know what to think at the moment,” Simon admitted, “but get him down here, and I’ll gladly talk to him. Maybe he can ward this off before it gets too far.”
Allen suggested, “Or maybe he’s looking at something completely different.”
Simon hadn’t been off the phone for very long before George called him.
“Simon,” he greeted him, “seems we need to talk.”
And that was George. Crisp, clear, and, as usual, no bullshit. “Yeah, it seems we do. I’m downtown,” he replied, with the same crisp, clear, no-bullshit manner. “If you want to join me—”
After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Whereabouts are you?”
Once Simon provided the location, got the okay from George, Simon sat back and waited.
Sure enough, a limousine pulled up not long afterward. George got out, telling his driver to head around the block and to find a place to park. Then he walked over to Simon. The two shook hands. George looked around and noted, “You do prefer to be outside, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do.”
George winced as he slowly sat down on the bench beside Simon.
Simon pointed to a vendor. “We can have a coffee if you want.”
George turned to it and laughed. “It’s been a long time since I did that.”
Simon smiled as he hopped up, walked over, and got two coffees from the vendor. When he returned and sat down, handing George his coffee, George nodded, staring at the to-go cup.
“Something is so very unconventional about it, and that is always a pleasure,” George noted.
“It always was a pleasure doing business with the bank and with David,” Simon began, “until all this bullshit started happening.”
George grimaced. “Yeah, I wondered if you’d heard about it. When I got the phone calls from your attorney, I knew you had some idea.”
“That’s when you realized that I’d fired Leonard’s nephew Stanley, right?” Simon asked. “Only he used his middle name, Allen, on my construction site.”
George frowned at him. “I did not know that.”
“He had applied to be a welder, and, when we gave him a simple welding test, he failed terribly. However, the welding test wasn’t given immediately on his first day because he had been so confident and because we really needed a welder.
So, they put him right to work. He cost me a lot of money, fixing the foundation work that he butchered.
I showed him what he was supposed to be doing, but he couldn’t even begin to put out the same weld,” Simon shared.
“So, this Stanley guy, some supposed experienced professional, can’t even begin to weld better than me?
He’s obviously never done this work in a production capacity.
So, needless to say, he was fired on the spot.
I don’t know what on earth made him think that he could pass muster as a welder—except for his sheer ego thinking that he was somehow something special.
However, as you know, I don’t deal in special. I deal in competent.”
Geroge sighed. “Well, now he apparently hates you. What am I supposed to do about that?”
“Yes, he has a lot of hate directed at me, but believe me that it’s not good for you or the board or the bank either. A defamation lawsuit is hanging over all your heads.”
George eyed him, pondered it all, his face a mask of nothingness. “I guess if what you’re saying is true, you could have a chance at making a case,” he admitted, still looking at him sideways. “Do you have any witnesses?”
“You bet I do. Including the people who were there while Leonard’s nephew supposedly showed us how it should be done,” Simon added. “Don’t know if I have that on video, but it would be fun finding that out, wouldn’t it? I’ll have to check and see.”
“If you have that on video, I can put a stop to it. My board, however, is of the opinion that you’ve been running amok for way too long, and the bank is not willing to extend any more credit.”
“I don’t care if they extend more credit or not,” he announced, “but you don’t go around threatening to pull credit that’s already been approved.”
“There are lots of ups and downs in the business world. It’s standard procedure, and, if there’s a problem, we have to take a closer look.” George glanced at him, a small smirk on his face.
“Oh, yeah, that’s well within your purview, but then you turned around and fired David.”
“I didn’t. … David has been let go for not picking up his slack.”
“That’s bullshit. He was fired after he had coffee with me, oddly enough when Leonard’s nephew Stanley was in the same coffee shop, watching David the whole time he was here.” He quickly pulled up his phone and handed it over.
George’s face darkened. “I see.” He stared off in the distance.
“Yeah, and you lost somebody who was extremely good at his job.”
“I hear what you’re saying,” he said. “Of course we’re looking at it from a different perspective.”
“I’m sure you are, but you should also consider your clientele. If you’re trying to tell me that David did anything wrong, then you need to explain that to me. And please remember that I came to you guys because I had a good relationship with David, not because of your banking model.”
George flushed but didn’t say anything.
“Also remember that I can go to any bank and can get the exact same credit,” Simon pointed out, with some added emphasis, “but I was working with David because I liked working with David. So, let’s just confirm we are absolutely clear.
I’ve worked with David for a long time. And, depending on where he ends up next, I may very well end up right there with him. ”
George sighed, then groaned. “This whole family drama thing is such a pain in the ass.”
“Maybe family shouldn’t be allowed to interfere with business.
Nepotism is usually not part of banking.
However, if the bank chooses to hire family, confirm that they’ve proven themselves.
And I don’t mean with a paternity test. You know, like the welding test I gave Leonard’s nephew.
” Simon gave George a casual look, then took a sip of his coffee that was turning cold.
Simon sighed. “Not trying to tell you how to run your business, but, if this is how the bank and the board want to do it, you’re likely to run it into the ground.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Absolutely not. Stating my opinion. However, do consider this a full warning that I will protect my business reputation from Stanley’s interference, no matter whose nephew he is. So, if this goes to a defamation lawsuit, your company will be dragged through the mud.”
“It will, and you too,” George pointed out, his tone turning silky.
“You forget that you’re not the only bank I deal with. I have a lot of money in a lot of places, and plenty of bankers and investment firms have absolutely no issue with me. They know perfectly well what defamation can do to a reputation.”
George stood up, tossed the half-full cup of coffee into the nearby garbage can, and adjusted his coat. “Point taken. I’ll get back to you … soon.” And, with that, he turned and slowly walked away.
To the casual observer, someone might have thought George saw absolutely no indication of an issue.
To Simon though, he knew differently. George had fisted one hand and punched it into his pocket. Simon smiled and muttered out loud, “Yeah, you do that, George.”
As he got up to walk away and head back to one of his rehab jobs, he found himself standing at the base of the same damn church. He looked up and swore.
Somebody walked by and laughed at him, adding, “The building isn’t to blame, you know?” And the man kept right on walking.
Simon turned to him, surprised, then took note of the church building itself. He nodded and tried to walk past, but absolutely no way he could. He groaned. “I don’t know who this is, but it needs to stop.”
And then she spoke; it was Sarah again.
I don’t know what has to stop, she replied in irritation, but you’re becoming a pain in the butt. Can you go away, please?
“I would love to,” he replied, “but you’re the one who has me standing in front of that damn church again.”
She gasped. I don’t go to church anymore. Those places are terrible.
His eyebrows shot up at that, and he said, “I would not say that.”
That’s because you are part of the problem, aren’t you? she cried out. How dare you interfere in my life like this?
Surprised and confused, he said, “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, lady.” And his part of this discussion was said out loud, just now realizing that other people nearby might think he was losing his marbles.
Embarrassed, he shook his head. Really not cool, Simon.
Get a grip. Then he turned back to the church’s steps.
This time, he vowed, “I’m not going inside.
” He turned and walked away. But the farther away he got, a ringing sound started in his head, an alarm bell ringing, an alarm bell that was hard to miss.
Swearing, he turned and headed back up to the church at a quick pace.
In more of a fit of temper than anything, he walked into the church and sat down inside near the door because finally he could breathe again.
As soon as the pain in his chest eased, he looked up and froze.
He saw a foot angled into the aisle, with the rest of the body out of sight. He bounded to his feet and drew closer.
He found the priest to whom he had spoken several times crumpled on the floor, seemingly dead.