Working It Out

It's hard enough to be what you are
Harder to be what you're not
It's hard to know what you need to get
Harder to know what you've got
I'm working it out

 

“Hiya, Trix.” Jim smiled as he opened the door of his parents’ penthouse apartment. “You look great!” He glanced over his shoulder and then quickly gave her a kiss. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

“Me too,” she admitted. “Things have been really busy with work, but I was hoping to see you soon. I need to tell –”

“Beatrix, darling!” The effusive David Steward bounded up to Trixie, greeting her enthusiastically with a buss to both cheeks.

Trixie flushed slightly as Jim looked on in amusement.

“You naughty girl! You didn’t tell me that you’d be at today’s meeting.” David’s eyes twinkled as he gave a large wink to Jim. “And your dreamy boyfriend is here as well.”

It was Jim’s turn to color in embarrassment while David plowed ahead in his typical extroverted manner.

“Beatrix you look simply divine. Doesn’t she, James?”

“Yes, I already told her she looked nice.”

David took her by the arm and led her into the living room area of the apartment as she shot a look of regret towards Jim. “You simply must sit next to me. There is so much for me to tell you.” He paused for a moment. “That suit is perfect on you. So right for your coloring, but darling, just wait until you see what I’ve found for the night of the fundraiser.”

A feeling of relief coursed through Trixie as she realized that one of the many things on her list of things to do might be close to being resolved. Not that a dress makes a huge difference in the overall scheme of national security, she thought to herself. Still, it’s something!

“What did you find?” she managed to ask.

“A vintage dress!” he breathed.

“What do you mean, vintage?” she asked, her brow furrowing.

David gave a light tinkle. “Beatrix, vintage is a classic design. Just imagine someone with timeless style, like Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn, or perhaps Ingrid Bergman. What do you say? Are you willing to give a vintage dress a shot?”

Trixie shrugged. “If you think it’ll work then I’m fine with it.”

David squeezed her arm. “Trust me; you’ll dazzle that handsome James of yours.”

Trixie shook her head. “Just promise me that it’s not over the top. I can handle most dresses if they’re just not over the top.” She sighed. “Why don’t evening dresses have pockets?”

David grinned. “It’s funny you should mention that—“”

Trixie brightened. “You’re kidding, right? It really has pockets?”

“Oh, Beatrix!” David gave a pretend moan. “You wound me with your lack of faith. I have yet to steer you wrong on fashion, but you keep insisting I would send you out on the most important social event of the season in something only a pop singer would wear on stage at a concert.”

Trixie wrinkled her nose. “You’re right. You do seem to know me rather well.” She cast a suspicious look at him. “Is it orange?”

He gave an almost girlish giggle. “They do say orange is the new pink!” He winked. “But no. It will suit you. Hush before someone hears. Now, tell me why is that adorable Bitsy Thornhill refusing to look at you and where is the darling Mitsy?”

 

 

“The name is that important to you?” Chuck Prescott leaned back in his chair and picked up his glass of ice water. He arranged his fork on the ordinary red and white checked tablecloth. He had eaten at Tony’s Italian Ristorante for years. His loyal patronage enabled him to have privacy for lunch when needed.

“It is,” Charlie answered. He scratched his neck right below his ear and gave his father a measured look. “Do you think I’m crazy to throw away a partnership over a name?”

Chuck laughed. “The Prescotts and Berkleys have always been known for their idiosyncrasies. However, they never let them get in the way of prosperity. You don’t need Connors, Ford, and Newman near as much as they need you. I think you’re smart to call the shots you want.” Chuck noticed the flash of relief in his son’s eyes. “But, if you don’t stay on with them, what does that mean?” he probed. “Do you want to come on board at Eastway? You know there’s always a place for you there.”

“Thanks, Dad. And I appreciate your confidence in me.” Charlie paused. “Do you need me at the company?”

Chuck noticed the waiter approaching their table in the back corner bearing two steaming plates of spaghetti and meatballs. He waited until the server finished before continuing the conversation with his only son.

“Are you familiar with succession planning?”

“Yes, of course.” Charlie looked at his dad in surprise. “Why?”

“All good businesses have succession plans. Some use retention planning techniques, especially family businesses. Other might employ a buy-sell plan.” Chuck picked up his fork and knife and neatly cut through a hefty meatball.

“Dad, I understand. Are you trying to tell me Connors, Ford, and Newman has a specific succession plan and that’s why they aren’t willing to add my name to the firm?”

“No.” Chuck sighed and put down his utensils. “I’m trying to tell you that I’m not willing to settle for running a good business.” He paused, and his steel-gray eyes twinkled for a split second. “Eastway-Berkley is a great business. We have three succession plans.”

Charlie frowned. “Why would you have three?”

“Eastway is a family business. If it hadn’t been for your Grandmother Berkley, there wouldn’t be a business. She’s the one that saved the business during the war after your grandfather died. She played such an important role in the business that I would never consider changing the name from Berkley to Prescott.”

“So drop the Eastway and replace it with Prescott,” Charlie suggested flippantly.

“Is that what you would do?” Chuck leaned back and stared hard at his son. “Seriously, if you were running the company would you change the name to Prescott-Berkley or make it Eastway-Berkley-Prescott?”

Charlie fidgeted a moment and then sighed. “No. To be honest, I’d never change it. Eastway-Berkley is too well known. We’d lose too much corporate branding.”

“Exactly!” Chuck grinned. He picked up his fork and looked at his son. “That’s the reason why I hoped you’d take over the business one day.”

Charlie looked down at the plate of spaghetti in front of him. He swallowed hard. “Are you telling me it’s time to leave the firm and come to work for Eastway-Berkley?”

“No, son. I’m trying to tell you it’s time to leave the firm and make your own law firm. Charles E. Prescott, Attorney-at-Law.” He paused for a moment. “Unless of course you could convince Mitsy to marry you and join you in business, then I suppose it could be Prescott and Prescott.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped and he stared openly at his father.

“What?” Chuck snorted. “You didn’t think I still expected you to run Eastway-Berkley, did you?”

Charlie stammered a moment and then pushed a hand through his hair as he gave up the pretense of eating. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

“Son, your mother and I have known for several years now that you needed to make your own mark in your own way. We developed a plan for Eastway-Berkley that will keep it in the family and allow others to run it. Maybe someday your kids will want to be involved. If not, then it’s structured to eventually be sold with the profits going to the Prescott-Berkley Foundation for Literacy.”

“Why?”

“Believe it or not Charlie, we’re very proud that you want to make your own way.”

Charlie measured his father’s words. Several moments passed before he felt he could speak without his voice breaking. “Thanks, Dad.” He cleared his throat and picked up his fork, spearing one of the delicious meatballs on his plate. Eating with gusto for a few moments, he swallowed and sipped his water before speaking again.

“Why would Mitsy want to go into a law business with me? She’s an accountant, not a lawyer.”

Chuck gave a short, knowing laugh. “You’ve had several tax-related cases. I just figured you might be considering it as a specialty. In that case, a tax accountant would be pretty useful to have in the firm.”

“Yeah, I can see what you mean.” He gave his Dad a sharp look. “What makes you think I’m going to ask Mitsy to marry me?”

Chuck laughed loudly and then choked for a moment. By the time he cleared his throat and could speak again, Charlie had become visibly impatient.

“Son, give me some credit. I can see the way you look at her now, not to mention that I saw the way you looked at her ten years ago. Are you saying you have intentions in other areas?” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “That Belden girl, now she’d be a real asset to you in business.”

Charlie grinned. “Yeah, she would. She’s really something. Just trust me when I tell you that girl’s taken, and she has been for a long time.”

“Hmmm. That doesn’t surprise me.”

The two men ate in silence for a few more minutes before Chuck spoke up.

“You never did answer my question about Mitsy. Are you going to ask her to marry you sooner or later?”

“No getting around you, is there, Dad?” Charlie gave him a foolish grin. “Yes, I am. The business decision is something I’d prefer to keep separate from marriage.” He held up his hand as if he knew his father was going to protest. “I know! I know! It works for many people. But her career is the one area where Mitsy has issues with her father.”

“The only area?” Chuck asked mildly.

“To be honest, probably not, but say…” He put his fork down as a thought occurred to him. “Beatrix did a security analysis for Eastway, right? Weren’t you satisfied with her work?”

“More than satisfied,” Chuck replied. He shook his head as he remembered the security hole Beatrix had discovered. “In fact, you might say she saved my bacon. I was impressed. The girl has a natural instinct for things that aren’t quite right. In fact, I’ve given her several recommendations. Did you hear any of those stories Matt Wheeler told us at the dinner he hosted out at his country estate? I don’t know how he managed to stay sane after she was involved in that case involving international gunrunners on the Mississippi River. Let’s just say, the woman is going to do very well in her business. ”

“Mitsy’s boss fired Beatrix from the job she was doing. He seemed to think that since she didn’t present any savings for the business, she wasn’t worth the money.”

Chuck was visibly surprised, but responded with his normal cautious manner. “Anyone can have an assignment that doesn’t click.”

“That’s just it. Mitsy said Beatrix found all kinds of problems with the system. Basic stuff with logins and security, back-ups not handled properly and regularly. Mitsy couldn’t believe how bad things were. Now she’s worried the business is going to crash down around their ears and she’ll take the fall. She said her boss is blaming her office, and he fired her vice-president. Mitsy is pretty upset.”

“Hasn’t she told her father these things?” Chuck disliked the air of gossip that came with the news that his son brought, but the news that William Thornhill would ignore security issues that Beatrix brought to his attention surprised him.

“No. That’s what concerns me. She acts as if she’s scared to death of her dad. She’s always insisting that she wants to be treated like any other employee, no special favors.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Charlie quirked an eyebrow in question.

Chuck sighed. “Look, don’t be offended when I ask this, but is Mitsy any good at her job?”

“Yeah, I think she is.” Charlie frowned. “Why?”

“Every once in a while, in a family-owned business, you’ll come across someone that’s really just not suited for the business. William Thornhill’s business was that way when he inherited it from his uncle. Conrad Thornhill had almost run that business into the ground, but William worked like a fiend to turn things around. So did his wife. I suspect – and mind you, son, this is only idle speculation – Thornhill may not be ready to take any chances with his only daughter. He wants to be sure she can run things.” Chuck paused. “Can she?”

Charlie sat quietly for a moment as he ran several scenarios through his head before he finally answered. “I don’t know. She might have a confidence problem.”

“Mitsy?” Chuck asked. “Are we talking about the same girl? That girl just exudes confidence.”

“Socially, yes she does, but not in business discussions. She’s very unsure of herself.”

“You’ve done business with her?” Chuck was surprised.

“No, of course not.” Charlie paused. “Last week she attended a client dinner with me. She was brilliant, charming, attentive…” Charlie waved his hand. “But, then she sat there quietly during the entire legal discussion on Howard’s business and the issues surrounding how he wants us to set things up for him. There weren’t any simple solutions. It wasn’t until we were driving home that Mitsy asked me why Howard didn’t consider incorporating as an “S” corporation instead of a “C” corporation. She was right on the money. It was the perfect solution for Howard. It’s just not an obvious one because of the limits on shareholders. I called him back the next morning and that’s the way he went.”

“Why didn’t she speak up at dinner?” Chuck asked.

“That’s what I asked her.” Charlie paused. “She just shrugged and said she didn’t think anyone would want her ideas. That men liked it best when women only answered questions they were asked.”

Chuck winced. “Hmmm, your mother certainly doesn’t think that way!”

Charlie laughed and picked up his fork. “Mother has definite ideas about women.”

“Your mother has definite ideas about a lot of things. Speaking of which, she did suggest I bring you this.” Chuck reached into his pocket, pulled out a small blue box, and slid it across the table.

Charlie’s jaw dropped and he swallowed. “Is that what I think it is?”

Chuck nodded. “Your Grandmother Berkley’s diamond ring. You might want to have it cleaned and sized.”

 

 

Trixie stared, mesmerized, at the heavy cream-colored invitation in her hand.

“Trixie?” Grace Wheeler’s voice echoed in her subconscious. “Are you okay, dear?” Her hand touched Trixie’s shoulder.

Trixie blinked and looked up. “Yes. Thanks Grace. You just took me by surprise.”

Grace frowned. She hadn’t expected to rattle Trixie with the invitation to an afternoon tea fundraiser. “I do apologize, Trixie. It’s terribly last minute, but I committed to attend this event long ago. Honey had planned to attend with me, but now with her schedule...” She paused and continued. “That doesn’t mean I would enjoy your company any less than I would Honey’s.” She paused again, frowning at the ensuing silence from Trixie. “I would pass the tickets on to Carol and Di, but they are already planning on attending the event.” She paused again, thinking Trixie would say something, before adding, “It is a worthy cause.”

Trixie had no problem recognizing the Alzheimer’s foundation as a worthy cause. She accompanied her mother to the Waldorf for tea only last year, and knew it was worth it just for the delicious teacakes. But here… now… not this! She shook her head slightly as if to clear her mind and gave Grace a tentative smile.

“Thank you for asking me, Grace. I’d be honored to attend the Annual Tea Day with you at the Waldorf.”

“Thank you, Trixie.” Grace smiled back at her. “Shall Tom and I pick you up then, say about twenty minutes before two?”

Trixie nodded. “That’ll be great. Unless…” She hesitated. She knew how she felt about Jim, but didn’t want to presume anything at this point in their relationship. Grace Wheeler’s delicately arched right eyebrow lifted ever so slightly in question.

“Unless you’d like to stop by earlier and see my apartment?” Trixie offered. “It’s nothing like yours, but I’m enjoying it.”

“Thank you, Trixie. I’d like that very much.” Grace touched her arm. “Now if I’m not mistaken, my son is trying to signal that he needs to speak with you.”

Trixie turned and saw Jim waving a finger in their direction. She crossed the spacious living area and gave him a friendly smile.

“Trixie, I’m sorry that I can’t stay and talk. Dad and I are meeting with the school’s architect, and I’m going to have to hurry.” He glanced at his watch. “You said you had something to tell me.”

She swallowed. “It’ll have to wait, Jim.” Glancing at her own watch, Trixie continued. “In fact, I’ve got a meeting myself shortly. Do you think we could get together later? I’ve got some news on…” She paused for a moment and frowned. “We really need to talk.”

Jim stared for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Okay, how about we catch up with each other tonight? I can get us a reservation for say, seven?”

Trixie shook her head. “Could we just stay in tonight?”

“How does pizza sound? I’ll come over around seven with food in hand, okay?” He quickly brushed her cheek with a kiss, barely waiting for her nod of affirmation.

Sighing, Trixie decided that Jim seemed just as rushed and pressed for time these days as she did. Of course he is building a multi-million dollar educational complex, she reminded herself. She then returned her attention to the invitation. The beautiful dark blue engraving on thick, creamy cardstock looked and felt rich. The quality of the invitation didn’t surprise her. Her thumb caressed he tiny script in the lower left corner. She smiled as she read again the lists of hosts for the event. At last, she thought to herself. At last!

 

 

“How long do you expect us to work here?” Sean Barnes asked.

Trixie shrugged as she glanced around the executive conference room she had rented for a week. “It depends on how long it takes Freeman to find us suitable office space, get our equipment set up and secure it.” She gave a tentative smile to Agent Amy Freeman. “Freeman, that’s your top priority right now. Get us an office and get us in it. Security is number one.”

Amy’s jaw dropped for a moment before she snapped it shut. This was her first case working undercover and only her second remote assignment. She had less than one year under her belt as a government agent. “Got it. Do you have a location in mind?”

Trixie shook her head. “My preference is Midtown, but location is secondary to both security and speed. We want the minimum space, furnished, with the shortest lease you can get us. We want to use our own equipment, from the computers to the fax. How long will it take you?”

Amy gulped. “The equipment is easy. I know where to go, and I’ve done that before. The office space, to be honest, I’m starting at ground zero. I’ve never done it.”

Trixie reached for her planner and flipped the pages for a moment before pulling out a business card. “Start with Lisa Chin. She found my apartment, and if she can handle office space, she’ll treat you right. If she doesn’t do commercial space, offer her a small finder’s fee to hook you up with the right commercial office space agent.”

Shooting Trixie a grateful look, Amy took the card and placed it in her own planner, making a small notation as she did so.

“Did the Bureau assign you equipment?” Trixie asked.

“Yes. We have the standard issue laptops, secure satellite wireless, and PDAs similar to yours.” Sean’s eyes narrowed as he eyed Trixie’s handheld unit. Except you have the BLISS unit. How did you manage to get one of those?”

Trixie grinned. “I asked.”

Sean groaned, as if it hadn’t occurred to him to ask for the leading technology equipment for the operation.

“Barnes, find out everything you can on Fireking by tomorrow morning. We want it all. Rumors, financials, anything you can dig up. The original report the Bureau provided was full of holes and out-of-date.” Trixie paused, made a notation on her PDA, and sat back in the chair. The extra assistance was a relief. “I’ll expect both of you back here in the morning no later than eight. That will give us time to review what Barnes digs up on Fireking and its owners. Be sure and see what kind of patents they hold as well, Barnes. Our appointment with Fireking is at ten.” She was pleased to see both heads nod in agreement.

“Chief Walker indicated you were both briefed on the chatter related to this case and were provided all my reports to read. We have to find the technology and the leak. This meeting with Fireking is the first real break we’ve had in a while. Any questions?”

“Are we all attending the meeting at Fireking?” Sean asked.

“No.” Trixie shook her head. “Freeman will stay here and man the phones. That’s part of the problem we’re having, too many calls. We need her working the office space and the phones. Remember, we don’t do divorce work.”

Amy nodded. “What about legitimate business calls? Security reviews, background checks, that kind of thing?”

“Use your best judgment in scheduling appointments. If it’s one of our suspects, it’s an immediate priority. If you have any extra time at all, see what you can find out about this tea next Saturday.” Trixie pulled the creamy card out of her purse and handed it to Amy.

Amy glanced at it and smiled. “Nice, will do. Is there anything else?”

“Yes, any ordinary security reviews can be scheduled for a week or so after the fundraiser for Jim’s school.” She paused and frowned for a moment, glancing back and forth between the two of them. “I need you both to plan to attend the fundraiser. Will it present a problem if you attend the event together?”

Both dark-haired agents shook their heads in a negative response.

“Great. Expect the invitation, but go ahead and pencil in the date.” Trixie made a quick notation on her PDA. “Now, between the three of us, we can handle routine background checks. If necessary, we’ll farm work out to other agencies, but we can’t turn down legitimate business inquiries without attempting to handle it. If word gets out on the street that we’re turning business away, it will look suspicious. The last thing we need is to draw attention to the firm right now.”

“Got it.” Sean answered. “Anything else?” He looked expectantly at Trixie.

“Yeah, one more thing.” Trixie passed the heavy ivory paper across the table to Amy. “I want a background check on everyone on this list.”

Sean frowned as he looked across at the paper. “That’s a long list, when does it need to be completed?”

Trixie grimaced. “As soon as possible, and fair warning – it’s going to grow.”

Amy perused the list and frowned as she looked up at her new boss. “There are a couple of hundred names on here, Belden.” She gave Trixie an odd look. “What exactly is this?”

Trixie sighed. She couldn’t ignore the feeling that had been developing for the last week. “It’s the list of people who are planning to attend Jim’s fundraiser.”