One Love (35 page)

“
She hung up on me.” Jackie
pouted.

“
Calling Charles is scum was
not the best approach, dumbbell.”

“
Sure, blame me after you
got her upset in the first place.” Jackie lifted her
nose.

“
Oh no. You don’t have the
nerve!” Lanessa aimed an accent pillow at her head.

Jackie caught it in mid-air. “Okay, so
maybe I did shoot my mouth off without thinking.”

“
Thank you,” Lanessa said
promptly. She frowned. “It wouldn’t have mattered. Charles played
his ace. He figured out just out badly Yasmin needed to be loved
and told her all the things she wanted to hear.”

“
The bastard!” Jackie said
with vigor.

“
Yeah.”

“
So tell me what you found
out about him and Paxton-Waite.” Jackie got up and crossed to the
kitchen counter.

“
Ever heard of dual-use
technology?” Lanessa asked.

“
Items that can be used for
good or evil,” Jackie said with a grin. She filled two mugs with
fresh coffee and came back to the sofa.

“
You never cease to amaze
me. Umm, thanks.” Lanessa accepted the hot ceramic mug. She savored
the smell of rich dark roast Louisiana coffee.

“
We have clients who make
such products. There are all kinds of export regulations.” Jackie
pulled her legs up on the sofa and crossed them.

“
So I’ve learned. And it
seems Dawson and Hargrove find them a nuisance.” Lanessa took a
drink before continuing.

“
Don’t tell me those guys
are terrorists. Not those white bread old family boys.” Jackie gave
a short laugh.

“
The only thing they’re
after is money, darlin’. Geo-politics means nothing to them.”
Lanessa settled back to tell the tale. “There are a few things that
make me think Paxton-Waite annual reports are mostly works of
fiction.”

“
You mean profits inflated
so investors won’t jump ship.” Jackie did not seem shocked at all.
“Happens a lot with companies big and small. Sometimes a fudge here
or there doesn’t make a huge difference.”

“
You mean people don’t care
if they lie?”

“
Well it depends on how
egregious it is. For example, a report might choose to interpret
figures in a way that is more favorable to the company. It isn’t a
lie really. At worse it can be called misleading.”

“
Sorta like calling the
glass half full,” Lanessa put in with a slight smile.

“
Precisely. It’s putting the
best spin on what information you have.” Jackie lifted a
shoulder.

“
Still sounds fishy to me.”
Lanessa wore a sour look.

“
Sometimes there is no
definitive answer. And if it helps them gain financing and no great
money is lost, all is well.”

“
Then it’s called a matter
of interpretation.”

“
Yes. We deal with it all
the time. In fact, we advise companies how to read complex
projections based on formulas.” Jackie looked pleased with herself.
“As it happens, I’m damn good at it.”

“
In other words, you’ve
played spin doctor.” Lanessa poked her leg with a
forefinger.

“
It’s standard business
practice, honey child.” Jackie grinned for a moment then grew
serious. “But like I said, sometimes there are decisions that could
go either way based on the data.”

“
Sure. I’ve seen that fine
line walked at the legislature. Lobbyist comes in with the same
data, different conclusions. Sometimes it’s all just
guess-timates.” Lanessa sat thinking, her brows drawn together as
she concentrated.

Jackie gazed at her. “Are you saying
Paxton-Waite has crossed that line?”

Lanessa put Jackie’s view in context
with what she’d learned about Paxton-Waite. “I’m no expert at
reading annual reports from big companies, but... I think they
could get into real trouble soon.”

“
Let me take a look at what
you’ve found so far. I may be able to give you an idea.”

“
That would be great!”
Lanessa sat up in anticipation.

“
Of course, sometimes it
like gazing into a crystal ball and calling on the spirits to
speak. Reading those reports can be an adventure.” Jackie swung her
legs down and planted both feet on the floor.

“
It’s easy to hide the truth
behind a lot of fancy words,” Lanessa agreed. “I know that from
being around politicians for ten years. But with your genius on my
side, I’ll bet we can do it.”

“
I’ve offered to help, so
shameless sucking up is not required. Although you can continue to
acknowledge my greatness if so moved.” Jackie gave a regal wave of
her hand.

“
And humble, too,” Lanessa
shot back. “So when can we start?”

“
No time like the present.”
Jackie grimaced. “It’s not like my social calendar is full.
Saturday night and no place to go.”

Lanessa felt the sting of loneliness.
“Yeah.

“
Sorry, I didn’t mean
to—“

“
It’s okay,” Lanessa said
quickly. “No self-pity for us.”

Jackie followed her lead. “You’re
right. I’ve got an idea, let’s get some Chinese food. Not too heavy
to cloud the thinking yet satisfying.” She nodded
eagerly.

“
The Great Wall is only ten
minutes from my office. We’ll pick up my notes and diskettes
first.” Lanessa hopped from the sofa. She wanted to throw herself
into activity to ward off thoughts of Alex. “Let’s get to
it!”

Jackie stood up. “I say we freshen up
our make-up and strut with attitude. Who knows? We might meet a
couple of brothers worthy of our attention.” She walked toward her
bedroom. “Come on.”

“
I don’t know about that.”
Lanessa followed.

“
Hey, let’s prove that
flirting is not a lost art,” Jackie called over her shoulder. “I’ve
got some sassy dangle earrings that are perfect with what you’re
wearing.”

“
We’re supposed to work,
remember?” Lanessa did not feel like flirting at all.

“
And we will. But let’s have
fun, too.” Jackie walked into her huge master bedroom and went to
an oak jewelry armoire. “What did you say about not feeling sorry
for ourselves?”

“
Yeah, yeah.” Lanessa gazed
at the assortment of earrings. “Good Lord!”

“
I’m a collector.” Jackie
giggled. “Here we go. Perfect. With that white T-shirt and jeans,
it gives you a casual sophisticated look.” She held up silver
earrings set with turquoise.

“
If you say so.” Lanessa
took them from her. “They are fabulous though.” She took off her
simple small hoops.

“
See? That’s a start.”
Jackie put a hand on her arm. “Time out for beating up on
ourselves. We deserve the best. I just wish Yasmin could see
it.”

Lanessa sighed. “She needs to believe
in Charles so badly.”

“
You know what? We’re going
to zap two birds with one stone. We’ll get those feds off your case
and show her what a worm he is.” Jackie raised a fist in the air.
“He’ll pay dearly for crossing Warrior Women of the New
Millennium!”

“
Girl, you’re crazy.”
Lanessa giggled at her antics. “Now let’s get going.”

The two friends kept up a steady
stream of light banter all through dinner. They went to Lanessa’s
house after retrieving everything they needed from her office
downtown. Even as they began scouring the information Lanessa had
collected, they joked with each other. Yet their aim was no
laughing matter. Within a couple of hours, they had sorted through
the tangle.

“
So they need money. They’re
holding a lot of Asian stocks that have taken a nose dive.” Jackie
sat back and rubbed her neck. “But it’s not critical
yet.”

“
But it makes all Dawson’s
ambitious expansion talk seem iffy.” Lanessa scrolled down several
pages on her notebook computer. “He wants to rule the world. And
Hargrove’s ego is just as big.”

“
So they’re willing to take
the risk dealing in dual use technology. They must have a buyer and
a maze of middlemen to hide him.” Jackie sprawled in the chair
across from Lanessa’s desk.

“
Whoever he is, I’ll bet
he’s got deep pockets. Some groups have multi-millionaires
financing them.”

“
So now we tell the Commerce
guys.”

“
I’m not sure. Maybe not.”
Lanessa gazed at the spread of papers on the coffee table between
them.

“
I thought we were putting
facts together for them.” Jackie squinted at her. “What are you up
to?”

“
I think they’re playing the
old good cop-bad cop routine on me.” Lanessa raised an eyebrow at
her. “They might just as well decide to take me down, too. What if
they know all this?” She waved a hand over all the
documents.

“
I don’t get it.”

“
Look, it’s not their job to
clear me.” Lanessa tapped a finger on the table. “Nothing in here
says I didn’t help them.”

“
They need evidence to
indict. And nothing here says you took steps to help them engage in
illegal export activity.” Jackie spoke with the ring of authority.
“I’ve sat in on enough meetings with lawyers to know that
much.”

“
The accusation could set my
business back. Nobody is going to think of me as innocent, just
that I didn’t get caught.” Lanessa shook her head slowly. “No, I’m
going to keep this as a backup. Let them do their jobs without my
help.”

“
Good point. Let’s start
with some creative damage control.” Jackie wore a sly, calculating
expression.

“
Begin our own spin.”
Lanessa cleared the screen and began tapped the keyboard. “I’ve got
some ideas. I’ll start by putting distance between me and
Paxton-Waite.”

“
Start with publicizing
widely the work you’ve done for other companies. Make sure it’s
similar to what you did for them.” Jackie grabbed a tablet. She
began to scribble furiously. “A good PR campaign to get business
but--”

“
Yes! Show Dawson and
Hargrove know I’m not their private chump.” Lanessa nodded. “But
maybe I’ll need extra insurance.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
We might be giving those
Commerce guys too much credit. Let’s leave a trail of crumbs they
can follow.” Lanessa stopped typing. “I’ll let them think they’ve
tripped me up.”

Jackie’s eyes gleamed with mischief.
“I like it!”

“
Time to show ‘em all what
I’m made of.” Lanessa raised a fist in imitation of Jackie’s
earlier gesture. “Warrior Woman on the move.”

“
Victory is ours!” Jackie
joined in.

Lanessa felt stronger for the first
time in several weeks. She would not sink into sadness but continue
to build her future.

Chapter 18

“
Son, I don’t like it at
all.” Joe St. Romaine wore a grim expression.

“
What I can do? Lanessa
won’t listen to me. Not now,” Alex replied.

They were in Joe’s office at home. Joe
was semi-retired. His brother and nephew ran the architectural firm
they’d founded together. Alex stood facing a bookshelf that took up
an entire wall. Yet he did not see the first edition titles before
him. He was thinking of Lanessa, again. His father’s voice brought
him back to the room.

“
Metoyer is vicious when
he’s cornered.” Joe rocked back in the leather captain’s chair
behind his oak desk.

“
Where did you hear about
it?” Alex sat down one of two chairs facing the desk.

“
Dickie Hampton. When you
asked me to find out more about Metoyer, I’d asked Dickie what he
knew. His family has done business with them for years.” Joe
glanced at Alex.

“
But I don’t get it. Why
would Metoyer be after Lanessa? She can’t really do anything to
hurt him. I don’t think so anyway.” Alex rubbed his
face.

“
For the last six months,
Metoyer has let it be known he had a big deal cooking. He’s gotten
a few of his friends to invest.” Joe’s took a large cigar from a
box. “Seems there’s a problem.”

“
The Commerce Department is
asking questions about Paxton-Waite.” Alex frowned.

“
What?” Joe blinked at
him.

“
Lanessa told me a few weeks
ago. They questioned her. Metoyer is somehow involved with them.”
Alex felt a rise of anxiety for Lanessa.

“
Not good,” Joe said with a
grunt.

In Louisiana politics and business,
the words ‘federal investigation rattled even the most powerful
men. No family ties or mutual interests offered protection. It was
no wonder Metoyer’s investors were unhappy. But Alex did not care
about them.

“
Had he heard anything about
Lanessa?” he asked.

Joe took a deep breath. “Dickie says a
friend of his is one of the investors. Did Lanessa do some kind of
report for them?”

“
For Paxton-Waite.” Alex
gripped the arm of the chair. “What did he say?”