The Estate - Day 05.2

Paul watched as the Spoon drifted to the ground and could see that it was struggling to avoid landing as it naturally wanted to be in the air. Paul was expecting to see even a hint of black or grey smoke wafted from the tires as the pilot pushed the plane on to the ground, but it never appeared. The plane never seemed to have landed as Paul continued to watch it taxi into one of the PeregrinusMax hangers.

It stopped short then a cart drove out to meet it and as it pulled the Spoon into the Hanger and the large doors closed behind them. Alameda continued, "If you really want a noise maker like you described that would be Alejandro. He's the Director of Logistics and Planning. He has a nasty habit of being right, but not one of the former executives listened to him. Two years before it happened, he told me and Armando almost everything that was going to happen, including the lawsuit. He did get one thing wrong, he expected the company to go into receivership rather than being sold off as part of the settlement."

Alameda looked at Paul and said, "Paul, right now this is a pretty small company and I should in all fairness let you know that Armando is my husband and Alejandro is my brother. My daughter Amarissa oversees the Manufacturing department and she's one you're going to want on your list too. At one point my other two children worked here as well."

Heather spoke as she crossed the room, "We appreciate your honesty Alameda. If you were not aware, Paul is my brother and we are a family owned and run company. I for one like that you and your family are committed to this effort and we're not making any changes that will affect them. In our company there are no stock holders other than Paul and I and our spouses, oh and his daughter too. As long as you and your family are up front and honest with us, we will get along fine."

Alameda sighed with a sense of relief and said, "We have not been told anything about you, the new owners, other than you're a lawyer and quite frankly that has a lot of people concerned. We would hope the new owners were more familiar with the aviation and airline industries."

Paul reply, "Those are perfectly valid concerns and I intent to take a hands-off approach to this company provided the right people are running it. I am also not planning on firing anyone nor am I planning on layoffs as long as this company turns a profit. I will also do what I can to make sure we sell at least ten of those planes."

Paul looked back from the window at Alameda as he continued, "My intent and purpose was to gain quick access to a fleet of aircraft, not to take over the company. I need this company to service our travel needs and everything above and beyond that is gravy as far as I am concerned. But we can discuss that more when we meet with Armando and the acting Director of Aviation later."

"Thank you Paul," Alameda said with some relief, "That will put a lot of fears to rest and I think we have everything and more that your company could possible need in the way of airline services."

Alameda's phone started ringing outside and she excused herself and rushed out to catch the call. Paul turned to Heather and said, "I'm kind of flying blind here, if you'll pardon the pun, but I have an idea lurking around in the back of my head. Do you trust me enough to follow my lead?"

"Paul, I love you and I trust you without hesitation. Take this where ever you want it to go and I will follow your lead. I will even run naked on the tarmac if you think it will help. If I have concerns, we can discuss them later." She said while she straightened his tie.

Paul leaned forward and kissed his sister very passionately, then said, "Thank you. I will do my best to make sure this little venture works out for us. Worst case we can sell the company for a profit in a year or two if necessary."

Alameda opened the door and saw Paul and Heather kissing. She stepped back and waited a moment while she thought, "Didn't she say he was her brother? They couldn't have the same kind of relationships that our family has, could they?"

She knocked and this time and gave them a moment before she entered and told them, "Richard and Rosalynn are on their way up and should be here at any moment. May I suggest a lunch meeting with the people you wanted to meet with? I can arrange to have all of them and lunch setup in the executive conference room right after your tour with Armando."

Paul responded and said, "That sounds like a good idea. I would also like the CFO at that meeting too and if Alejandro is as insightful as you say I would like him on the tour as well."

Alameda reluctantly spoke up and said, "We don't have a CFO anymore. She left with the other executives. I've being filling in for that role until we knew what was happening with the company."

Heather put her arm around Alameda and said, "You are the new Director of Finance for PeregrinusMax and you report to me. If you can't do the job, I will help you hire someone who can. Until then you will deal with all PeregrinusMax's finance issues and call me if you have any questions or issues. Also, the IT department now reports to you. I'll ask Rebecca add you to the weekly meeting I have with my other direct reports and we'll setup a daily one for you and I for the next couple of weeks. We have a fully staffed finance department at your disposal so welcome to Team Heather" she said with a smile, "Think you can handle that?"

"We'll, it's not like we're a big company anymore, so yeah, I think I can. Thank you for your confidence." She said with a smile.

Paul spoke up, "We're a family business, so welcome to the family and pick out one of the former executive offices for yourself and start thinking about who you want to report to you. I expect you to do what Heather does at our offices, keep the wheels on the bus and make sure they go round and round. Does that help better define the direction we're planning on taking this enterprise?"

"Yes, I think it does. Thank you." Alameda said just before she heard the elevator ding. She followed up with "Richard and Rosalynn are here." She then walked out to her desk to greet them.

Heather gave Paul another kiss and said, "I'm going to the other office to make some calls and make sure my staff knows who Alameda is and to keep her in the loop as well as finding someone to start teaching her our processes. I know their data was migrated to our systems, but Alameda needs to be trained on how to do things our way."

Alameda walked out of the office, past her desk and hugged Richard as she said "Good Morning Ric. Thank you again for saving my Husband yesterday".

Richard replied, "It was really Charlotte's idea. I just implemented it."

"Oh... I will be thanking her too." Alameda replied, "Did she start her new job this morning?"

Richard nodded and Rosalynn responded, "Yes. Richard gave her a tour and introduced her to the project team after breakfast. He really didn't have time to do much else before I dragged him up here."

Alameda waved toward the double glass doors and said, "Well Ric... Paul and Heather are expecting you... and they seem like really nice people. I think they are going to do good for all of us."

Richard quietly said "Thank you", then Alameda escorted him to the office door, pulled it back and held it open.

Richard turned to look at Rosalynn like a child going to the principles' office. She glared back at him and pointed at the open door.

Richard raised his slightly lowered head and walked through the door as professionally as he could.

Alameda followed Richard into Paul's office and Rosalynn quietly, but quickly, slipped in behind her just before the door closed.

When Alameda opened the door Paul got up and made his way around the desk as Alameda escorted Richard to the cluster of chairs in the middle of the room.

Richard was tall, looked to be in his early to mid-thirties and he was rather large, at least two hundred pounds. Most of his mass seemed to be in his torso and his chest. It may have been the cut of his suit, but it appeared as if his shoulders were much wider than his waist giving him the look of an upside down pyramid. It was obvious he tried to dress to impress as he wore a dark navy blue suit that fit just a little snug in some areas, but it was clearly tailored for his top heavy form. His shirt and collar were just a hair tight but his tie was a perfect double Winsor.

Paul could tell Richard was not comfortable wearing a suit and was only wearing one because he was meeting with the new owner. The next thing Paul noticed was his blonde eyebrows and his lack of facial hair made his face look blank and nondescript, except for his piercing blue eyes that reminded him of his Daughter's.

Richard had dirty blond medium length hair with some grey on his temples which made him look older than what was listed in his file. Other than his blue eyes, he was a rather unremarkable man to look at.

He had no real distinguishing features other than maybe his perfect skin. If Paul had passed him on the street he wouldn't have given him a second look nor would he have been able to pick him out in a police lineup. His large size and his suit hid if he was overweight or muscular, or a combination of both.

As Paul started to sit down and Alameda asked "Is there anything I can get for you two, coffee, tea, water?"

Paul handed her his empty water bottle and said "Another water sounds good, would you get me one, please?"

Richard took a slow deep breath, looked at Alameda and said "May I have a bottle of water too, please?"

"Two bottles of water coming up." Alameda said as she spun on her heals toward the mini-fridge. "Or is that three bottles?" She continued as she noticed Rosalynn standing in the corner of the office.

Paul looked up and saw Rosalynn was standing next to the door so he looked at her and said, "Thank you for joining us Rosalynn, but you really don't need to be here for this."

Richard looked back at Rosalynn and said in a quiet voice, "I don't mind that she's here, in fact I would like her to stay, if that is ok with you, Sir."

If it was ok with Richard, Paul didn't mind, so he motioned to Rosalynn to have a seat on the couch and then he sat down next to Richard where he was facing him, but could still see Rosalynn in the background. There was something familiar about her, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Rosalynn nodded toward Alameda and moved quietly over to the couch and sat down.

Rosalynn also appeared a little oversized and to be in her late thirties or early forties. She had long dirty blond hair and a lightly tanned face. She was dressed in classic women's business attire, a white blouse with ruffles and a basic light brown jacket with a matching skirt.

Her clothes were somewhat tight fitting, as if she had recently gained some weight and her clothes really did not provide any clues as to what she would look like without them on. Paul made mental note that her blue eyes seemed very similar to Richard's.

Paul started the conversation by telling Richard "At our company we don't follow too much formality and we all use first names. May I address you as Richard or do you prefer something more formal?"

Richard looked up and said with a very professional and somewhat monotone voice, "Thank you for the informality Paul, I would prefer if you called me Ric. Only my Mother and my Sister call me Richard."

Paul slid back in his chair to try and make himself and his guests a little more comfortable and asked, "Richard, I would like you to answer some questions for me. The answers to these questions will help me determine what course of action I want to follow."

Richard looked somewhat tense but in a very professional almost robotic voice responded, "Paul, I will answer any questions you ask, provided I can answer them without conflicting with my personal interests or the interests of my family."

He was not expecting that kind of almost courtroom answer. It was very careful phrased just as Paul had done on many occasions.

"This was going to be an interesting interview" he thought. It took him a moment to come up with a response and he kind of half asked half muttered, "That sounds like a very well-practiced response."

Richard continued to look at him with an almost glaring stare tempered with a hint of exhaustion in his voice as he simply said "Yes... Yes it is."

Alameda returned from the fridge and handed the two men their water bottles. She then started for the exit when Paul asked, "Alameda, if Armando and or Alejandro arrive, please ask them to wait outside."

Alameda responded with a very professional "Yes Paul" as she exited the room.

Paul looked at Richard for a moment and decided that he did not seem like the kind of person who engaged in casual conversation so he point blank told him, "Richard, I started a new research organization within my company and they brought you to my attention. You seem to have quite a reputation with them and I would like to understand more about your... unique situation, as Rosalynn described it last week."

Richard looked back at Rosalynn and in an almost boyish whisper said, "I told you they were looking into me when they tapped my honey pot."

Paul reached out and tapped Richard on his arm to get his attention and told him, "Yes, to me it's a good business practice to understand who's working for you and what they can, or can't do. My research team found you only because you are... in my brother-in-law's words... you are a hole in the water. They nicknamed you the 'Paper-boy' because you only exist on paper."

Paul paused for a moment and then said, "Richard, I don't mean to alarm you, but my research department has become quite obsessed with figuring you out. Most of your records only exist in paper form and your home network has stymied them.

Paul paused for a moment to try and get a read from Richard, but his stoic expressions gave him no clues so he continued, "I have a need for someone who can protect company secrets and someone who is good at operating below the radar. Based on what I've seen and been told, you may be the best person to fill that role. I'm more than willing to come to any reasonable employment conditions or fringe benefits you ask for and you will be well compensated monetary for your efforts. I also want you to tell me how you knew we were looking into you."

Richard looked at Paul unblinkingly for a moment before he turned his chair to look back at Rosalynn. He then slowly spun his chair back around until he was staring out the window.

Just as Paul was about to break the silence, Richard turned back to him and in a very presentation like intonation said "Right after the company was sold and you took ownership someone found a dummy computer I set up to detect anyone trying to access my home network. It's called a honey pot. That is when I started closing out my projects in preparations of my anticipated resignation, which was also part of the heated discussion Rosalynn mentioned on the phone last week."

Richard spun around again, looked at Rosalynn before continuing, "For the safety and security of my family I started to look into you too and your Law Firm."

He turned back to glare at Paul as he said, "Your law-firm has tripled in size since your Father past away. You and you're your Brother-in-law have an enviable classic car collection. You, your wife, your adopted daughter, your sister and your brother in-law all live together in one of three locations; an apartment downtown, a lakeside mansion or at your mountain retreat."

Richard took a breath as he said, "You are good friends with a family that owns fifth largest hotel chain in the world and you are representing him in a lawsuit against Tamrunnix. Yesterday the President of that company was arrested during a depositions related to your friend's case, in one of your building. Your friend, Robert, did a pretty good job of hiding his stock purchases, but I know it was he who obtained the majority ownership of Tamrunnix which lead to Gunther's arrest."

Before Paul could react, Rosalynn added from the far side of the room, "Served him right. Whoever did that now has a lot of friends here. Gunther was the reason for the lawsuit that almost destroyed PeregrinusMax... before he resigned to take over Tamrunnix with most of his cronies."

Richard paused for a moment to judge Paul's reaction before trying to twist his knife of knowledge even more. Paul was about to speak when Richard landed a painful blow, "You and your family are members of a clothing optional resort called 'The Estate' and you visit often enough you have a room permanently reserved..."

Richard saw by the look of concern on Paul's face that he had hit a sore point and decided to terminate his verbal assault saying, "...Disclosing any more would, in my opinion, represent a risk to my personal interests and the interests of my family."

Paul was concerned, confused, impressed and threatened all at the same time; he was about to ask another question when Rosalynn raised her voice like a parent scolding a child and said, "Richard, you have already put yourself at risk by looking into Paul and his family. You do not need to threaten them and you also have no evidence that Paul or any of his family has been asked to find us. In fact Paul just told you his research group knows nothing."

She paused for a moment and in a quiet yet determined voice said, "This affects me as much as it does you, if you don't tell Paul what he wants to know I will."

There is far more to this than Paul had originally thought and naming The Estate implies that he knows more than Paul expected. He may had hacked into their systems, but if he got into The Estate's systems, "Wow" Paul thought.

He decided to take a risk on both of them and he wanted to get Heather involved in this situation as well so he stood up and put his hand on Richard's shoulder and in a calm quiet voice said, "I'm going to bring my sister into my office and she is going to have some non-disclosure agreements with her. I am then going to give you a choice to continue our conversation or leave. So, please wait quietly for just a moment and I will be right back."

Paul walked through the conference room into the office Heather was using and signaled for her to end her call. She did and he asked, "Do you have any of our generic two-way non-disclosure agreements with you."

She replied, "I always have several just in case we need them. Why?"

"Just follow me and follow my lead." He said "and... I may need you to run out on the tarmac." He said as he chuckled.

Before heading back to Paul's office she and Paul pre-signed the NDAs and she followed him back into his office. Heather placed the confidentially agreements on the edge of the desk along with a pen in front of Richard. Paul made his way to the chair behind the desk and started to explain, "Richard, the forms on the desk are a two-way confidentiality agreement. That means that whatever we discuss or disclose between us will stay with and between us. Heather and I have already filled out our part of this agreement and have signed them. Rosalynn is apparently involved so I will give you the opportunity include her in this pact as well."

Paul leaned forward and looked directly into Richard's eyes and told him, "You have a choice. You can leave now and I will not pursue this issue any further. You may both remain in your current position without fear of reprisal from us. You can even leave the company and I will personally make sure you receive the best separation package available at your level and the highest possible recommendations we can legally provide."

Paul paused, took a breath, then continued, "On the other hand, if you sign and comply with this agreement I can offer you the full resources of my company and any assistance we can personally provide you to resolve your family issues as well as a new position in my law firm reporting directly to me. You will have an executive position within our company, all of the perks and benefits that entails as well. I have a couple of projects I would like to hand over to someone who is capable of the highest level of confidentiality as well as someone who appears quite capable of denying prying eyes access to some very sensitive information. According to my research department you are the best man for the job. This is a one-time offer; I will not make it again."