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A Woman In Full: Sharon's Journey Continues; Part V - Triage free porn video
A Woman In Full: Sharon's Journey Continues
Part V - Triage
Jocelyn sat back, her neck sore from the constant turning, reaching and
sorting. Hundreds of e-mails, and nothing about the transaction, other
than the usual garden-variety accounting memos. The good news, she
thought, was that there was also nothing to suggest anything sinister.
Keep going, she thought.
It was Sharon who had been so suspicious after the dinner. Not
immediately after, when all she could recall were the intensely personal
way in which Darla and Brad had been with them; but later, when other
realities began to assert themselves in the mind. The discussion with
Jack Mumford had started Sharon thinking more critically, and then she
had come to her conclusions following the tea with Darla.
They knew about Sharon's past. That was the main thing Sharon took away
from the tea. That, and an apparent friendship with Justine Platt.
Justine's husband's firm was on retainer to Jocelyn's company. Rumor had
it that Justine made sure she knew everything of note that her husband
knew about what went on with his biggest clients, and whatever she didn't
learn in his bed, she learned in others.
"Wait a minute," she said aloud.
She went back through her written list of e-mails. She was certain that
there had been some mention of HH&P somewhere. It hadn't been
transaction-specific. In fact, she was pretty sure it hadn't been from
Brad. But the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that it
was there somewhere.
She pored over the lists, but found nothing. Maybe her notation hadn't
mentioned the firm. She went back over them again.
Something about legal expenses? Yes, that was it. She had been copied,
something to the corporate controller.
"Maybe I should let it go until tomorrow."
No, that wouldn't do. One had to follow these leads when one thought of
them, or else the connection, the vital thread, was lost. She suddenly
wished Sharon was there, because here was something she could ask her to
help with.
She stopped.
She was suddenly gripped by an intense desire to hold Sharon, to kiss
her, to tell her how much she loved her. I don't do that enough, she
thought. She reminded herself of the wild lovemaking from earlier in the
week and decided they didn't do that often enough, either.
She laid the thought aside and went back to work. She pored over page
after page. Then she found it.
It was an e-mail from the legal department to Kate DeVries.
The sight of the name pulled her up short. It had been Kate who had
befriended her shortly after she'd been hired. She'd come on to Jocelyn,
and had suggested the weekend in San Juan that had begun the worst
episode of her life - when she thought she'd lost Sharon.
She shoved the thought aside. Kate had been dispatched.
"The April 9th bill from HH&B for $8,500,000 should not have been charged
to general legal," the e-mail read. "Transaction 0001358 was a derivative
transaction and should have been charged to..."
"Useless, as usual," she sighed. She placed it back in the file folder
for April.
She kept digging. There were several more e-mails to and from Kate. She
read each one carefully. There was one from Kate to her. It was dated the
day they had decided to go to San Juan.
"Hmmm," she said aloud. "That's funny. We were both in Charlotte that
day."
The Victorian clock on the mantel chimed the half hour.
"Huh?" Jocelyn said aloud. Was that 2:30? Sharon should have been home by
now.
She picked up the phone and dialed Sharon's cell. It went right to voice-
mail.
"Shit, she could have walked home by now."
Well, there was no way she'd have wanted Sharon to do that. Still, it
wasn't like Sharon to let her cell battery run low. Maybe she'd been
trying to call.
She tried again. Again, it went right to voice-mail. A sense of fear
began to grow in the pit of her stomach.
Suddenly, the papers strewn on the table held no interest for her. She
packed everything up neatly, in order, but without regard for why she had
been looking at them. She needed to stay calm, to distract herself from
the terror growing in her heart.
She put everything back in the folders, just the way she'd brought them
home. She'd get back to them later, or tomorrow, or Monday, whenever she
knew that Sharon...
The phone was right there, and she picked it up and dialed Sharon's cell,
slowly and carefully.
"Hi, you've reached Sharon. I can't take..."
End call. Redial.
"Hi, you've reached Sharon..."
End call. Redial.
"Hi, you've..."
"No..." she gasped. "Please..."
End call. Redial.
The front doorbell rang.
Jocelyn dropped the phone and ran to the apartment door, rushed into the
hall and peered out the peep-hole.
A homeless guy?
That's what it looked like. He wasn't big, or menacing, but even in the
poor light, she could see he had a scraggly beard and scruffy clothes.
She turned the outside light on.
He was cradling a woman in his arms. Her hair was the same as Sharon's.
"Shit!!"
She fumbled with the lock and got the door open.
"Jocelyn?" the homeless guy asked.
"Who are you? What happened? Is she all right?"
It was then she saw the blood, spattered on his shirt, some on his face.
"What have you done to her?!"
"He saved my life," Sharon croaked. "His name is Bart. He's my friend."
Jocelyn waved him in, and took Sharon from him as she stepped unsteadily
inside. Together they guided her into the apartment. Her dress was torn,
the skirt almost completely torn away, and her pantyhose was hanging down
on one side. One shoe was missing.
Once inside, they got her to the couch.
"What happened?"
"I was on 20th Street," Bart said, "over by Broadway. Dead quiet, you
know? Heard...heels. Woman walking. I started following, you know, other
side of the street. Didn't wanna freak her out. Quiet night, bad things
happen on the street."
"Sharon said you and she are friends?"
Bart nodded.
"Kinda. She helps me out sometimes. Nice lady. Real nice. Best, know what
I'm sayin'?"
"So why were you following her on the other side of the street?"
"Didn't know it was her at first. But I knew she was scared, 'cause she
started walking faster. Could hear the heels.
"Then it stopped. Just...stopped. So I thought, well, maybe she lives on
the block and she got to her place. But I kept walking. Don't know why.
Just did."
Jocelyn waited, then gestured for him to continue.
"Then I heard a scream. Started running. Motherfucker was trying to rape
her. Tore her dress, had his hands all over her. Piece of sheetmetal was
lying in the street, guess somebody went to throw it in the dumpster -
construction site, y'know? I picked it up...hit him in the neck. Big black
guy. I told her to run, but she just laid down on the ground. Out cold.
"But I musta cut an artery. In his neck. Bled like a sonofabitch. He
started to come after me, I made him chase me. Back toward Broadway.
Nobody around. Could tell he was in bad shape, 'cause he was a big
fucker, but he didn't look too good. Kinda staggered.
"Half way up the block, he fell down. I let him bleed.
"I came back, she was just wakin' up. Musta passed out. Can't say I blame
her."
He looked at her as if for the first time.
"Wait...you're her husband?"
She stared back at him.
"No offense intended, ma'am. Just that she told me she was married, like
a housewife. I just assumed...no offense, really..."
"It's all right." A wave of her hand.
Jocelyn turned to Sharon. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she seemed all
right otherwise.
"He started to strangle me," she said. "That's the last thing I remember.
Then I was lying on the ground, and Bart helped me up and brought me
home."
"Did he do anything else?"
"Hit me in the head. Nothing else."
She hesitated, but she couldn't help herself.
"Why were you walking? You promised me you wouldn't. You promised!"
"I took a cab from the restaurant...said he couldn't get across town...some
problem...water main break..."
Jocelyn knelt down next to her, fearful she was going to faint.
"You okay?" she asked. Sharon nodded and gave a weak smile.
"I did take a cab. Honest."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Jocelyn turned back to Bart.
"Thank you."
"Ma'am."
"Really, I can't thank you enough. Is there anything I can do for you?
Anything at all?"
He smiled.
"Just drop somethin' in my cup if you see me on the street."
"I think I can do a lot better than that," Jocelyn said. She was stunned
when he shook his head.
"I explained all that to your...wife. She'll tell you, but don't ask her
tonight."
Jocelyn walked over to the mantel and picked up her purse. She opened her
wallet and took out five 20s. She offered them to Bart.
"Five Andrew Jacksons," he mused. "That's somethin'."
"It's all I have with me right now," she said. "But I can help you more
if you let me."
"Make him promise not to spend it on crack," Sharon said.
"I hardly think..." Jocelyn started to say, but Sharon cut her off.
"Bart, promise me."
She sat up, as if to add emphasis.
He smiled.
"I promise," he said.
"Good. Now, I guess we have to report this to the police, and..."
"Ma'am, I'd really rather you didn't do that."
Jocelyn stared at him questioningly.
"No matter what happens, can't turn out good for me, know what I'm
sayin'? Most likely, I'll be just another psycho homeless guy, and this
motherfucker will be the sympathetic victim. And even if Ron Kuby rides
to the rescue and gets me off, there'll be...like, loads of nice people who
want to set my life straight."
"Probably."
"Don't want it. I dropped out. I told your wife. I live below the radar.
Wanna stay there."
"Let him go, Jocelyn," Sharon said. "I don't want the police involved,
either."
"Why ever not?"
Sharon shook her head.
"Later."
"I think she's pretty wasted," Bart said. "Don't let her sleep for a
couple hours. Just in case."
Jocelyn nodded.
"Thanks for the Jacksons. I gotta run an errand."
Twenty minutes later, Sharon was lying in a hot bath of her favorite
lilac scent. Her head had stopped throbbing, and her voice had returned
to normal, just a hint of huskiness to it. She had explained to Jocelyn
all that Bart had told her.
"I left a message with Dr. Hadley's service," Jocelyn said. "I'm hoping
she'll see you tomorrow."
"You want me to be checked out by my endocrinologist?" Sharon asked.
"A medical doctor who showed enormous sensitivity to your particular
issues, and who will understand why you don't want this to be reported to
the police. I think she understands you better than anyone on the face of
the earth except possibly for me."
Sharon reached up and took Jocelyn's hand.
"Thanks."
Jocelyn turned to go back to their bedroom, but Sharon added, "Although,
the reason I don't want to report this has nothing to do with me. Not in
the end."
Jocelyn came back into the bathroom.
"I can't get past the fact that Darla Holloran knew about my past - any
part of it. Or that she let me know that she knew."
"I've been thinking about that. You said she was drinking; it may have
been a slip."
Jocelyn sat down on the toilet seat cover. Sharon shook her head.
"After seeing that group, how she worked it, I don't put anything past
her. She may not like the job she's doing, but she's still doing it, and
she'll keep right on with it. The religious values crap is all a sham.
"In any event, I don't want to give them any more ammunition than
they may already have."
"What about your attacker?"
"Bart thinks he killed him. He's been on the streets long enough to
know."
By the time Sharon and Jocelyn got into bed, it was starting to get
lighter outside.
Three blocks away, police were discovering the body of a man who
appeared to have suffered a fatal cut to the carotid artery at one of the
local construction sites. Later that morning, an officer would see that
the dead man, identified as one Lawrence Brock, matched the description
of a suspect wanted in connection with a series of murderous sexual
assaults on women in Manhattan, two of which had occurred around the
Flatiron District.
At about the same time, a lone figure stood at the back end of a gas
station on the East River at 23rd Street, having just tossed a piece of
scrap sheet metal into the river. He took another look around, making
sure no one was there to see. Satisfied that he was completely alone and
unobserved, he tossed another object into the river - a black patent
leather pump with a one-and-a-half inch heel, size eight-and-a-half, with
a slight spatter of blood on the toe.
Sharon slept in the next morning, but Jocelyn was up by ten. She put on a
pot of coffee, had a little bit of the cut up cantaloupe that Sharon had
bought the day before. She was getting ready to dive back into the
detective work she'd begun the night before when she remembered that the
Sunday New York Times would be waiting on the front steps.
Jocelyn read the Times main section and business section religiously,
regardless of work schedule. She decided that today would be no
different. Maybe she would even allow herself time to peruse Arts and
Leisure.
She opened the door to the apartment and saw that one of her tenants had
already brought it in when they had gotten their own. She came back
inside and pulled it out of the blue plastic sleeve.
"SEC INVESTIGATES MID-SIZE NEW YORK FINANCIAL COMPANY"
The headline jumped out at her.
"ACTION FOLLOWS COMPLAINT BY BOARD MEMBER; CEO ACCUSED OF FRAUD"
There was a picture of Brad Holloran next to the article.
She sat down and scanned the article. Financial reinsurance contract may
not have resulted in actual risk shifting...terms reversed in current
year...shifting of liabilities may have affected stock price...questions
about CEO's bonus structure...other officers could be targeted.
Jocelyn's heart skipped a beat.
She went back and re-read the article, slowly and deliberately, not
allowing herself to react emotionally. She wasn't mentioned. Okay, that
was one good thing.
She turned to the business section, where the article was continued and
another one served as background. It was this second that caught her eye.
"Chief Executive Officer Bradley Holloran has thus far earned rave
reviews during his tenure at the company. He is credited with solid
financial results as well as having assembled a solid management team.
Asked about the investigation, he appeared to be confident that the SEC
would in the end be satisfied that there had been no wrongdoing.
"'These transactions were thoroughly vetted, internally and externally,
both before and after the fact,' Holloran said when questioned by the
Times. 'But we will cooperate fully with the SEC to assure that all facts
are known.'
"Randall Platt, of Holtby, Higgins and Platt, representing Mr. Holloran
would say only, 'My client intends to cooperate fully with this
investigation.'"
The phone rang. Jocelyn saw that the caller was listed as "Private". She
answered before it could ring a second time.
"Don't panic," Brad said.
"I'm not," Jocelyn replied, sounding far more calm than she felt.
"Good. This is a fishing expedition of biblical proportions, and we'll
make them look like fools in the end. I just got off the phone with
Platt. HH&P folks will want to meet with us in the morning."
"Us?"
"You're CFO, my dear. Of course they want to talk to you."
"But I wasn't even working for the company when this deal was done," she
said.
"No. But you oversaw the financial reporting at year end, and you're CFO
now. All you have to do is tell the truth."
She felt a little like Eve talking to the serpent.
"Oh, I'll do that all right. Is that what HH&P wants with me?"
Holloran laughed loudly.
"They need to know all they can about this. They need everything, inside
out, before, during and after. Besides, you'll probably be kept out of
it, but with the SEC, you never really know. If you are targeted, HH&P
will be there for you, too. At the company's expense, of course."
"That's very generous."
"Only if there's any personal wrongdoing on your part would you have to
pay your own way. I mean, you couldn't expect to rip off the company and
then have the company pay for your defense."
Jocelyn agreed.
"Besides," he added, "it's better for all concerned if we all speak with
one voice. So, eleven in my office?"
"See you there."
Sharon had come into the dining room shortly after the phone rang. She'd
already read both articles.
"This is serious," she said. "What did he say?"
Jocelyn told her about HH&P acting as her counsel.
"What about Jack?" Sharon asked.
"I have to ask him."
Twenty minutes later, he was sitting at the dining room table with them.
Julie was home with the kids.
"I knew you'd call," he said. "I read the articles in the Times first
thing this morning."
Jocelyn updated him on her conversation with Holloran.
"I was tempted to ask him how it was that he had time to talk to the
Times but not to give me a heads-up, but I figured I'd only get a lie in
return."
"I spoke with the other senior partners at the firm. I told them that I
might be representing one of the other officers at the company. They
approved it, and it will be in concert with the firm."
Sharon stirred.
"I thought you said..." she started. Jack held up a hand.
"I know. But this is no longer a board spat. They've called in the SEC.
You need all your weapons. I'm sorry to say it will cost you, but I
promise to keep it as reasonable as possible.
"Jocelyn, the articles did not mention a Wells Notice. Have you received
one?"
Sharon asked what a Wells Notice was.
"It's a notice that the SEC intends to pursue a civil fraud action. It's
the point at which corporate officials generally resign their positions."
"No, unless they're waiting until tomorrow at the office."
Jack shook his head.
"No, it would be served personally. That's good. See if you can find out
if Holloran's received one. I'm guessing not, or else it would have been
in the article. But if he has, that's important to know."
Jocelyn told him about her search of records, and how she hadn't found
anything, yet, but she was looking.
"If you find anything at all that suggests wrongdoing, let me know. Don't
sit on it for a second. Ditto if you receive a Wells Notice."
Sharon told him about the tea party, meeting Justine Platt and Darla's
comment. She felt a chill in the pit of her stomach when Jack asked her
to repeat what had happened, as accurately as she could.
"You're right," he said after he'd thought it through. "It was no
accident that you were invited or that Justine was there."
"There's one more thing," Sharon said. She told him about Darla's remark.
"You know about...me, my past," she said. He looked distinctly
uncomfortable.
"Yes. Julie told me, back when you told her."
"Of course. I wanted you both to know. So, if Darla knows I'm 'a Queens
girl from way back', then she must know..."
"Yes. Darla is an amateur at this sort of thing. But it's clear that they
are holding that information in case they see Jocelyn go off the
reservation."
He stopped.
"Jack, I want to do whatever is best for Jocelyn. There is no doubt in my
mind that they will do whatever they can to protect themselves, including
selling her down the river. I'm of no consequence.
"They're terrorists. They make people fearful of losing their jobs, their
financial security, then they freeze their workers' salaries and gut
their pensions in the name of 'austerity', then turn around and give
themselves multi-million dollar bonuses. Likewise, they want me to be
fearful of being exposed, thus making Jocelyn fearful, and so making her
protect them. And when the time is right, they'll just turn around and
blame her.
"Well, I'm not afraid. And I refuse to allow Jocelyn to be afraid. For
better or for worse, that's what we said, and I meant it.
"Jack, I want you to do whatever you have to do to clear Jocelyn's name."
He laughed.
"Those are my orders."
There was only one remaining question: Jocelyn wanted to know what she
should do about the question of representation.
"The first thing you tell them is that you have already retained your own
counsel," Jack said. "Don't wait for them to ask. As soon as you get past
'hello', tell them. Give them my name and my firm's. Randall Platt will
know, of course."
Julie went out to the kitchen to bring in coffee and cake. Sharon
followed her to help. She had just come back from putting cake dishes on
the dining room table when she realized that Julie had asked her a
question and she hadn't heard it.
"Hey," Julie said, taking her hand. "Are you okay?" Sharon nodded. "It's
probably going to drag on for a while, but Jack says he thinks Jocelyn
will be fine."
"I know." She tried a brave smile. Julie's frown told her it hadn't
worked.
"You are definitely not okay."
Sharon rallied and told her she was. And when Jocelyn and Jack came into
the dining room to join them, talk turned to other things and she was
able to move away from the black cloud she felt hovering nearby.
Julie kept glancing at her, unconvinced.
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