Page 13 of Go First
“They just care about being paid,” Marcus continued.“And for a year or two, that’s what the long firm does.Religiously, if you’ll pardon the pun.”
“Ha.”
“Just like you’d expect from a business associated with a church, they make a point of placing regular orders, paying on time, accruing trust and credit and goodwill.Pay attention to the word ‘credit’.Because once the wholesaler is assured that the firm will pay what it owes in 30, or 60 or 90 days, or whatever arrangement they’ve got in place…”
“The firm places a huge order.”
“Maximum orders.Don’t forget by the way, that the one firm might have built up this relationship with a dozen wholesalers.And once all the goods come in, they sell everything at knock-down prices.Nottooknock-down, but like 25-35% cheaper.Whatever the store owner gets is pure profit, because he's never going to pay.Once the goods are gone, he vanishes as the bills mount up and the suppliers, typically, go bankrupt.It’s a really old-fashioned con, but it’s alive and kicking in the 21stcentury."
"So, our Pastor was ripping people off on a global scale," Kate summarised.
"Exactly.Preaching to the masses while fleecing them blind."Marcus said.
Just then, a wiry figure with a perpetual five-o'clock shadow, a bright polka-dotted bowtie and a tangled nest of salt-and-pepper hair materialized beside them.This was Finn O'Malley, a financial crimes analyst who had a reputation for being both brilliant and utterly eccentric.
“You’re right about the pedigree,” O’Malley said, as if he’d been part of the conversation all along.“There are references to the long-firm-fraud in Polybius.Roman historian of the second century b.c.”
"O'Malley," Marcus said with a grin."Thanks for dropping by.Have you two met before?"
Kate said “Yes” at exactly the same time as O’Malley said “No”, which wasn’t a surprise.His eyes never even left the computer screen.
"Whitfield, eh?Nasty piece of work.But clever.What do you need from me?”
“Basically, what Marcus told me, but with figures, before oh-eight-hundred hours tomorrow, when I’ve got to brief the team.Names, dates, amounts.Everything.”
"It shall be done," O'Malley said, disappearing as quickly as he'd appeared, leaving behind a faint scent of mothballs.
"The man is a walking wonder," Marcus chuckled."A walking wonder with a serious aversion to sunlight."
Kate sighed."Okay, this is getting bigger than I thought.This isn't just about some con-man with a dog-collar.This is about a major criminal enterprise with tentacles stretching across the globe.I need to give Winters a heads-up.Now."
"I'll come with," Marcus said, standing up."Moral support.Plus, I'm curious to see the look on her face when you drop this bomb on her."
"Tempting, but I need to do this alone," Kate said, a serious edge to her voice."You stay here, keep digging.I want to know everything about this guy, every connection, every transaction.Most importantly, everyone who might be raising a glass in celebration when the news breaks.Please.”
She could see the disappointment in Marcus's eyes, but he nodded in understanding."Alright, be careful.And try not to get yourself eaten alive."
The elevator ride to Winters' office was a tense one.Kate had been deliberately avoiding her boss since the end of the last case, and she knew she couldn't put it off any longer.She needed Winters' resources, her authority, her unyielding focus.But she also dreaded the conversation that needed to happen.
Winters' office was, as always, spartan and meticulously organized, smelling faintly of the French perfume she wore.The only personal touches were a Charlotte Bobcats pennant, and a framed photograph of a handsome, but pensive-looking man in naval dress uniform.Nobody knew if he was a husband, brother, father, lover… Nobody, thus far, had ever dared to ask.
Winters looked up as Kate entered, her expression unreadable."Kate," she said, her voice cool and formal."To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Things had been like this since the conclusion of the last big case.Then, as before, it had become clear that Elijah Cox was communicating with the killer from his jail cell; with the killer and, by means of encrypted notes left at the murder scenes, with Kate herself.Only Kate hadn’t kicked that particular detail upstairs until the killer was behind bars.The news had not gone down well.
Kate took a deep breath."I need to update you on the Whitfield case.It’s got elements in common with previous investigations.”
There was a brief, barely perceptible raising of the eyebrows before Winters said, "Go on."The boss could be compassionate and understanding; she was known to defend those working under her with the ferocity of a lioness protecting her young.But if you got on the wrong side of Winters… well, she lived up to that seasonal surname.
Kate laid out the evidence carefully, starting with Whitfield's financial empire, the long firm fraud and the Ponzi scheme.Winters listened in silence, her face betraying nothing.
When Kate finished, the boss steepled her fingers and leaned back in her chair."And what is your assessment of Elijah Cox's role in all of this?I’m assuming he has one, or you wouldn’t be in here briefing me."
There was a coded rebuke in there, a few millimetres beneath the ice.During the debrief Kate had undergone after the last case, Winters had called her a ‘solo flyer’, a ‘rogue operator’ who put her own preoccupation with Cox above safety, above operational priorities and the values of the Bureau.None of those charges were true, but they were… appropriate, and Kate blushed every time she remembered them being said.
Kate swallowed."It’s too early to tell.But the use of Biblical quotes as a calling card at the crime-scene.The deployment of obscure ciphers… These things point to Cox, to Cox sending a personal message to me, at the same time as acting in some kind of mentoring-influencing role towards the killer.”
“He’s pulling the strings at the same time as challenging you to solve the case.”