glass of Chardonnay.
“When?” Wilson demanded. He wasn’t about to sit there chatting amiably while Emily was still being held hostage.
As Tate put down his glass of wine, his face took on a solemn and serious expression. “Our original plan was to document ten years of stock market abuse and then disclose everything. The idea was to galvanize public opinion against capitalism in its current form. The insiders club, as you described it, was created so CEOs from the world’s largest corporations could get anything and everything they wanted by trading on each other’s company secrets. But the real purpose behind our web of insider trading was to force fundamental changes in the way capitalism is practiced. Ultimately, we wanted to supplant the big money interests, who manipulate the global financial system and crush whoever gets in their way. They’ve killed four American presidents and bought the rest. They murdered your great-grandfather Harry Wilson Fielder, after killing two of his closest associates, Congressman Louis T. McFadden from Pennsylvania and William Tate Boyles from New York. They were eliminated to keep them from exposing generations of concealed corruption. William Tate Boyles was my grandfather. Your father and I shared a common vow to avenge their deaths.”
Wilson’s head was imploding. Was Tate telling him the truth? Had this been his father’s ultimate agenda? He couldn’t wait any longer. “Where’s Emily?”
Tate leaned forward, peering into Wilson’s hazel-green eyes for several moments before responding. “I’m aware that she’s been kidnapped, but I didn’t have anything to do with it, Wilson.”
“Who, then?” Wilson said in exasperation, as the waiter entered the private dining room and placed house salads in front of them.
Tate picked up his fork and held it over the top of his salad. “Does the name Davis Zollinger mean anything to you?”
“Of course,” Wilson said, put off by the condescension. “My father has been charged with the murder of his two daughters. Zollinger was found dead in his Boston office six months ago.”
Tate took a bit of salad before proceeding. “Zollinger was a partner with Damien Hearst, the well-known corporate attorney and dealmaker in Chicago. They were both clients of Fielder amp; Company and Tate Waterhouse, until they started making deals on their own, most of them illegal. Zollinger got smart and wanted out, but Hearst blackmailed him into staying. When Zollinger threatened to go to the FBI, Hearst had him killed and made it look like suicide,” Tate said, taking a sip of his Chardonnay. “Zollinger’s daughters began their own investigation, which could have compromised everything we were doing. That’s when your father decided it was time to accelerate disclosure.” Tate paused again. “He invited Zollinger’s daughters to White Horse, so he could convince them of our commitment to avenge their father’s death. He succeeded. But we failed to protect him from Hearst.”
“Hearst shot my father?” Wilson asked, captivated by this smooth-talking, well-heeled man who claimed to share his father’s lofty goals for societal reform.
“A contract killer hired by Hearst killed the Zollinger women-your father was shot to make it look like a murder-suicide. Hearst was invited to White Horse with a group of current and former clients who were ignoring our guidelines. He was one of the partnership’s legal resources. We threatened to blow the whistle on all of them, if they didn’t conform. You have to understand that each of them was a walking time bomb. They still are. If one of them gets caught, it could still jeopardize everything,” Tate said, hesitating a moment. “We don’t know how Hearst found out about our ultimate plan, but he did. Ever since then, he’s been enticing and coercing members of the partnership to join him. He’s taken your father’s maxim to a whole new level. His latest victim was David Quinn.”
Wilson froze. “Why?”
“You remember how obstinate and pious Quinn could be. He couldn’t wait to get rid of you. You challenged his vision of the future. He used me to exploit the uncertainty surrounding your father’s shooting and the murder charges to discredit you and Kresge amp; Company. I never should have allowed him to manipulate me, but I honestly believe in the America’s Warehouse strategy. I think you knew that all along.
“What you didn’t know was that Quinn had a ruthless, unpredictable side. He was having a wild affair with one of our associates and pocketed a cool half billion while manipulating his company’s stock. Don’t get me wrong, the partnership has made billions on Musselman’s stock in recent weeks, especially the Hearst contingent, but it wasn’t enough for Quinn. All of a sudden he got righteous and began mourning his lost soul. I tried everything to convince him to be patient, but he didn’t trust me anymore. I’d become one of the evil ones who’d corrupted him. He went to the FBI in return for his and Musselman’s immunity. Damien Hearst went ballistic. You know the rest of the story,” Tate said, his eyes communicating sadness.
Wilson was dumbfounded. Tate was either the best liar Wilson had ever met or a victim just like his father. He remained silent, waiting for Tate to continue.
“We believe Damien Hearst is the one who kidnapped your girlfriend. He knows you’re in charge of the company now, and he’s made a pre-emptive strike to manipulate you with Emily’s life.”
“Do you know where she is?” Wilson asked frantically.
“No,” Tate said, pausing. “But, I think we can persuade Hearst to give her back. If we can convince him that he and his clients won’t be included in any disclosure.”
“You’re still planning to disclose the abuses and manipulations?” Wilson asked, hoping for the first time since they’d sat down that Tate was telling him the truth.
“Absolutely. But it can’t happen piecemeal. We have a lot of work to do before we’ll be ready to disclose everything,” Tate said, taking another bite of salad. “Your role is crucial, Wilson. That’s why I’m here.”
“So your publicity proposal was a ploy?” Wilson asked, debating with himself about what to believe.
“Not at all; we want your business. We understand Fielder amp; Company better than any of our competitors, but that’s not why I’m here,” Tate said as he leered at Wilson. “I’m here to ask for your help in modifying our plan.”
“Which plan?” Wilson asked, feeling toyed with again.
“Your father’s.”
“Was it part of my father’s plan to have Daniel Redd killed?”
“Of course not,” Tate said, looking indignant. “That was Hearst and the partners he’d persuaded to join him. Don’t worry, we have all of them under surveillance and we won’t back off until Emily’s returned.”
“If you have them under surveillance, why don’t you know where she is?” Wilson demanded.
“We don’t know which contractors they’re using. The only thing we do know is that she was flown out of Venice on Saturday.”
Just then, two waiters entered the room, removed their salad dishes, placed their main dishes in front of them, and poured more wine.
“I’m sorry,” Tate continued. “I know this isn’t easy for you. Why don’t you eat something? I’ll start from the beginning.”
44
Emily — Eastern Seaboard, North America
Emily immediately stopped breathing when someone touched her and then gently raised her from the cot. Whoever it was had the touch and scent of a woman, probably the same woman who’d worn the Venice carnival mask on the plane, Emily thought.
“Do you need to use the bathroom?” an automated voice said into Emily’s earphones.
Unable to speak because of the tape on her mouth, Emily nodded her head.
The woman untied Emily’s legs and hands. Another person, a man, joined the woman and the two of them lifted Emily from the cot and walked her to the bathroom. Once inside the small bathroom, the woman removed Emily’s blindfold and the tape from her mouth. It was the same woman from the plane with the same mask. “I’ll wait for you outside,” the automated voice said into the earphones as the woman’s lips moved. “Knock on the door when you’re finished.”
Alone in the bathroom, Emily relieved herself while frantically searching for something, anything, that would
