A Conspiracy to Defraud...

"So, what did he do?" Tom asked.

"He? The cabin assistant on my flight to Houston was a female. A Cassandra Gallo. A very attractive young lady." Barry said now more curious than ever about Cassie.

"Ok.....but every flight I've been on, there has always been a male cabin assistant. Also, I have never flown alone on the corp jet. It has always been with other GeoTex personnel flying with me." Tom could sense that Barry was troubled by something to do with the cabin assistant.

"Ever fly with Mr. Chase?" Barry asked.

"Twice. Both times when we went out to the annual Las Vegas trade convention."

"A male cabin assistant on those flights?"

"Yep...As I said, all the flights I have been on has been a three male crew." Tom knew that there was something going on in Barry's mind. But, Barry was not giving out too much information. The meeting ended and Tom left the office.

Barry sat back in his swivel chair. Renewed thoughts of someone trying to get him seduced into a compromising situation for blackmail jumped into his conscious train of thought. "Ok.... who selects the crew members for the flight? Are they regular GeoTex employees?" His mind was racing as he pressed the intercom.

"Rita, could you come in here a moment."

The door quickly opened and Rita walked into the room. She was always nervous around Barry, ever since his promotion to Executive VP. He was now her boss also along with Mr. Chase. She had to drop the first name with him. No more 'Barry', now it was Mr. Knoll. He treated her nicely at times, other times she feared that he was about to fire her.

"Yes, Mr. Knoll what can I do for you?" She said in an upbeat voice.

"Rita, do you know who the crew members are for the corporate jet? Are they GeoTex employees?" A lump formed in Rita's throat. He had asked her questions that she did not have the answers for.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Knoll. I don't know very much about the corporate jet and the members of the crew." ...A long pause... "What I do whenever Mr. Chase or other VP's want to use the jet, I just call Mr. Phipps in Human Resources. I tell him that there is a request for the jet. The departure date and arrival date." ...Another pause... "The only question Mr. Phipps ever asks is if Mr. Chase is traveling alone." Rita was nervous. She knew the her new boss liked complete answers.

"Ok, Rita. Would you call Alex and have him come up to my office as soon as he can. Have him bring all the personnel records and information about the corporate jet that he might have."

"Yes, Mr. Knoll. I'll call Mr. Phipps and have him come right up." Rita was glad to leave the room without being subjected to any harsh words from Barry. In her mind, he would always be that up-start Barry!

There was a knock on the door. Barry looked up from his computer and called out. "Come in."

The door opened and in walked Alex Phipps, the VP of Human Resources. Barry always had a suspicious mind when it came to the HR department. He wondered about the value they really added to the company. They always seemed too interested in 'making things nice' instead of managing a crisis as they should. But, he hid his personal feeling.

"Hello, Barry. Rita called and said you wanted to see me. Something about the crew of the corporate jet." Alex said as he took a chair in front of Barry's desk. He was trying to retain as much stature as he could in the presence of the younger man.

"Yeah...Alex, I do have some questions about the corporate jet. First, what department is responsible for the jet. Who's budget is it in?" Start with the easy questions. Barry already knew that the corporate jet was in the HR budget. Alex was responsible for that budget.

"Its in my budget, Barry. HR carries the load for the jet." Alex answered and made it sound as if it were a burden that he didn't need.

"Cool... in your budget. Good place for it.... Next, are the crew members GeoTex employees?" Barry could not find any records of them when he went into the company data base.

"No. We own the jet, but we hire the pilot and co-pilot whenever there is a request for someone to use the jet." Alex paused and then continued. "There's a company that supplies the pilot and co-pilots. Its actually owned by eight pilots who have formed this company and are hired out to fly the private and corporate jets. It seems to be a better financial deal for us to hire them as required." Quick, crisp answer.

"What about the cabin assistant?" Barry asked. "Is she also an employee of the same company?" That question seemed to cause Alex to squirm in his chair a little.

"No. We use a temp agency for the cabin assistant. Again, a better financial deal for us." Alex did not elaborate this time.

"Ok, who selects the cabin assistant? Does the temp agency send the first person that's on their list?" Another squirm as the questions were narrowing their target.

"Usually I place the order myself." Alex said. An even briefer answer.

"So you placed the order to the temp agency for the cabin assistant on my flight to Houston last week. Correct?" Narrowing the target.

"Yes, I did." Alex was obviously getting very nervous.

"Did you request anyone special for the flight?" Almost in the cross-hairs.

"Yes." Alex flexed his jaw.

"Ok...tell me about your selection. Why a female on my flight?" A notch to the right. The prey squirms in the sight.

"Was there a problem with the young lady?" Alex asked. His voice was not so confident now.

"Answer my question first, Alex. Why a female on my flight?" The prey was frozen in its tracks.

"I assumed that Mr. Chase filled you in on the procedure for the crew members." Alex was now visibly shaken and small beads of sweat dotted his forehead.

"Let's assume he hasn't...... Why a female on my flight?" Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

"Whenever Mr. Chase flies alone on the corporate jet, he request that the cabin assistant be a young female. When Rita called last week to tell me that you were requesting the jet. I asked her if you were traveling alone. She said yes." Alex took a deep breath and hesitated before continuing. Barry was glaring at him across the desk.

"I assumed that Mr. Chase had told you about the arrangement. So, I called the agency and requested that they send Cassandra if she were available. Cassandra is one on Mr. Chase's favorite cabin assistants."

POW!!! Alex's words slammed into Barry's unsuspecting brain. "Cassandra is one of Mr. Chase's favorite cabin assistants."

"I'm sorry if there was some confusion, Barry. It won't happen again." All Alex wanted to do was make a fast exit to the door.

"Not so fast, Alex. I need to understand this completely." Barry was now on a different mental track. Gone was the conspiracy theory about sexual blackmail. This was now an entirely different scenario. Could the Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, Steven Chase be having 'mile high adventures' with the cabin assistants. This was too good not to 'fully understand'.

"As I understand it, Alex.... For all other flights using the corporate jet, you hire a male cabin assistant. But, when Steven flies alone, you hire a young female cabin assistant at his request. Is that correct?" The sweat on Alex' forehead was more pronounced.

"Yes. It is Mr. Chase's standing orders that I hire the crew in that manner." Alex was trying to weasel his way out of any responsibility. Barry could smell the blood. He wouldn't stop now.

"What agency do you use for the female assistants? The same one you hire the male assistants?" Alex wet his lips with his tongue.

"No, I used another agency." Not a good answer.

"And.....?" Barry wanted him to say it out loud.

"That agency name was given to me by Mr. Chase." Alex cleared his throat.

"And the name of that agency?" Barry said leaning his fore arms on his desk

.

Alex looked directly at Barry and said. "EES."

"Huh...? EES...? I never heard anything about that employment agency." Barry looked at him with a hard suspicious stare.

"Ahhh....well...its the Elite Escort Service." Alex was in a full sweat now. He knew that his situation was getting very tenuous. It was obvious to Barry that this agency would not appear on any of the GeoTex records.

Barry now leaned back in his chair. His eyes fixed on the man sitting across the desk from him. The secret was now out in the open. A secret that Alex now suspected that Mr. Chase didn't want Barry to know about.

"Ok...tell me how Elite Escort Service gets paid." No way to dodge this bullet.

"I write them a check from the HR temp employee account." Another incomplete answer.

"And the amount of that check?" Barry pushed harder.

"There is a flat fee, twelve hundred dollars for an over night stay. Eight hundred dollars for each additional night." Alex stammered as he continued. "Mr. Chase would call me upon his return and tell me how much addition I needed to add to the check to Elite." Alex was way down the road now. Maybe the noose was already around his neck.

"Tell me about the additional dollars. How much were they?"

"Sometimes Mr. Chase would tell me three hundred dollars, other times as much as a thousand dollars." Trying to shift the responsibility, Alex's voice was very strained.

"And what were these additional dollars for?" Arrows were darting from Barry's eyes as his gaze seemed to burn right through Alex.

"They were gratuities." Alex stammered

"Let me get this straight. First there is a twelve hundred dollar fee for, let's say, twenty four hours of work. That's fifty dollars an hour, for a cabin assistant. And then, there is a tip of three hundred to one thousand dollars." Barry's voice had a very strong accusatory tone to it. Alex had the strong feeling that he was in a police interrogation room.

"What could a mere cabin assistant do to earn all that money?" The very direct question required a very direct answer.

Alex was clearly shaken by this interrogation. He had divulged a secret that the Mr. Chase had sworn him to secrecy. And now the new top gun was grilling him about this clandestine arrangement that Mr. Chase had with the Elite Escort Service. Not a good thing for Alex. Definitely not a good thing.

"I'm not sure." Not a good answer.

"The fuck you're not sure!" Barry shouted at the man sitting across from him. "I've had enough of your mealy mouth answers, Alex. Whether you know it or not, you are now just one step away from being an ex-GeoTex employee!" The blood drained from Alex's face.

"Now Alex, one more time. Tell me why all that money was paid to that fucking escort service." Alex could almost hear the sounds of his career at GeoTex flushing down the toilet.

"Mr. Chase needed to have discrete sex with young women. He used the corporate jet and his house in Palm Springs to have these tryst. I was the only one who knew about this arrangement." The confession had finally hit the table. Alex was now waiting to see if the ax was about to fall on his neck.

"How many times? How long has this arrangement been going on?" Barry swiveled back and forth in his chair. His mind flashed to the theme from X-Files...."The Truth is Out There."

"It started about four years ago. Mr. Chase used the corporate jet at least once a month, there were times when he used it as many as three times in a month." He paused as his mind seemed to calculate the number of times. "All told, I guess it must have been around seventy times over the four year period."

It was Barry's turn to do the math in his head. "Just given some rough averages, I'd say that total for Mr. Chase's love tryst has cost GeoTex about a quarter of a million dollars." ...Long pause...a smile on his face... "I don't supposed that little item is in Mr. Chase's employment contract, now is it Alex?"

No...... it isn't, sir" Alex replied.

"So you and Mr. Chase are part of a conspiracy to defraud the company out of thousands of dollars." Barry's eyes had now burned a hole in Alex's psyche. "Not a good thing, Alex. Not a good thing at all." His voice now had a 'death knell' ring to it. Alex felt faint.

"Do you like your job here at GeoTex, Alex?" Barry was the conquering gladiator in the arena. The defeated opponent lay at his feet. One quick thrust of his sword and the fallen man would be history.

"Oh god...yes...sir. I love my job here." Alex's voice was choked up and the fear in his eyes was plain to see..

"You know what you have told me, is clearly ground for your termination. You know that don't you, Alex?" The tip of the sword was at the man's throat.

"Yes...sir...but, please....I need this job. I only did what Mr. Chase told me to do."

"Oh yes, the old Nazi excuse....I only gassed those prisoners because the boss told me to do it." Barry's voice dripped with sarcasm. "That excuse doesn't wash with me, Alex." The fallen man expected the final thrust of the sword.

Barry leaned far back in his chair. His hands were folded together in a prayer position as he contemplated his statement.

"Ok, Alex. I won't fire you this time. But, here's what you have to do if you want to retain your job here at GeoTex." Alex didn't know how to react. The sword was drawn back and he was told that his life was spared.

Before you leave for home this evening, I want you to make a written statement listing all of the things you have told me this morning, plus any and all relevant factors that have a bearing on this matter. You will sign that statement. Do not date it. Then, I want you to make a copy of all the canceled checks made to EES and a summary sheet of the dates and amounts." Barry could see that Alex had stopped trembling and was now listening intently to his every word.

"Under no circumstances are you ever to let Mr. Chase know that you told me about this arrangement of his. If he asks you directly, you will put forth your best lie and deny it to his face. Understood?" Alex nodded his head yes.

"Say it, goddamn it! I want to hear you say it!" Barry shouted at Alex.

"Yes...sir. I understand that I am never to revel to Mr. Chase that I told you about his arrangement." Alex was trembling again.

"As far as Mr. Chase goes, when he comes back from his vacation it will be business as usual. If he wants to use the corporate jet, you do the same routine as you always have. The only exception is that you also notify me of his request."

"I fully understand." Alex replied.

"You know that I now own your ass.....don't you, Alex?" The final statement of control from Barry.

"You are my man now, not Mr. Chase's. If I want you to jump, you only ask 'How high?'. You try fucking with me, I'll really show you how cunning and spiteful I can be when I'm pissed off." His words were both a promise and a threat.

Another thought jumped into Barry's head. "What did you do with EES for this last trip. The one that I made to Houston?" Barry asked.

"As I usually do when Mr. Chase gets back, I called Rita to find out if there were any special instructions. Mr. Chase would give her a number from one to ten, I knew what the number meant, she didn't. Since you hadn't given her a number, I just sent over the flat fee without any additional dollars." Alex was beginning to get his nerves under control.

"I'll bet the group at EES was surprised at that." Barry said smiling.

"Yes....as a matter of fact, Brenda...she's the owner of EES...called right before this meeting and asked if anything was wrong. I told her no, just a little mix-up on our end. She said that Cassie would be disappointed that she didn't get the usual tip."

"Tell me about the operation over at EES. Out of the twelve hundred dollars, how much does the escort get? What about the tip money?" Barry was suddenly interested in how the money was spread around.

"Brenda told me that its a 40/60 split. The agency gets the 40%, the escort gets the 60%." Barry interrupted him.

"Isn't that unusual? I would have thought that it would be the other way around. A 60/40 split with the agency getting the 60%."

"That's the way it is with most escort agencies in town. But, Brenda told me she did it this way to attract the cream of the crop. The most beautiful and the most talented young ladies. Brenda gives all the tip money to the escort. The agency only works out of the flat fee." He stopped and watch Barry's head nod in agreement.

"Cassie, for example, is a fashion and photography model. She makes good money as a model but the escort money gets her way up into the six figure annual income." Alex smiled. "Not bad for just trading on your looks and other physical talents."

"Ok, that's all I need to know for now, Alex. Just get that statement and the copies of the checks up here before I leave the office this evening." A long thinking pause. "And one last thing. Whenever I request the jet, I want a male cabin assistant. No more EES females. If Mr. Chase wants female companionship, that's up to him." Barry nodded his head toward Alex, a signal that the meeting was over and time for Alex to leave.

"Thank you, sir. I'll see to everything that you told me." Alex made a bee-line to the door. Once out of the office, he stopped and leaned back against the wall.

"Anything wrong, Mr. Phipps?" Rita asked as she saw him breathing very heavy.

"No.....nothing's wrong." He gathered himself up and walked down the hall. He had a statement to write and some copies to make.

Just before Barry left his office to go home, Rita came into the office with a large manila folder. "Mr. Phipps left this at my desk. He said that you wanted it this before he went home." She handed the folder to Barry.

"Also there was a call from a Dr. Jack Lee. He asked if you would call him whenever you had a chance." It was obvious that Rita did not know who Dr. Lee was, and Barry was not about to give her any more information than he had to.

"Thanks, Rita. If Dr. Lee calls again, just take a message." He gave her a faint smile and place the manila folder into his briefcase.

Driving home, Barry's mind was churning through the revelation he received this morning about the sainted Mr. Chase and his high flying lady friends.

"That fucking, sanctimonious, right wing hypocrite!" Barry thought to himself. "He puts on the holier-than-thou attitude all the while he's fucking some twenty year old model behind his wife's back! And its paid for by the company!"

Barry wasn't sure what he would do with this new found information. For right now, he would just keep the manila folder at home with his other insurance policies.

That evening after supper, Barry and Carol retired to the den to relax and have their evening conversation. They would usually sit cuddled next to each other, wine glasses in their hands and soft smooth jazz playing on the stereo. Weeks ago, Barry had told her that there would not be any secrets between them ever again.

So, he told her about the corporate jet, EES and Steven Chase. Carol couldn't believe what Barry was telling her. She knew Steven and his wife from various company functions. She always viewed them as the perfect married couple. This revelation about Steven enjoying young models whenever he traveled alone was a total surprise for Carol.

"And you found out about this because of your suspicions of that young lady .... Cassie who was the cabin assistant on your flight to Houston?" Carol asked as her mind was fixed on the image of sex at 30,000 feet.

"Yes....everything she did and the way she spoke to me gave me the impression that she was available if I wanted her." Barry said as Cassie's lovely face flashed inside his mind.

"So my dearest, you were alone with a lovely and willing female on a plane and at the hotel and you still remained faithful to our marriage?" Carol asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah...there must be something wrong with me." He said in a joking manner.

"Oh my god no!....Barry you are the most wonderful husband that any woman could ever hope for. There is nothing wrong with you at all. If anything is wrong, its something wrong with me!" Carol shouted at him as she turned her body and kissed him on the mouth.