THE TAINTED TRUST: A DOUGLASS CRIME AND ROMANCE THRILLER SERIES (THE KING TRILOGY Book 2) (10 page)

The speaker paused to take drink of water, then smiled again. “I’m happy to see a few of my clients here tonight. For them, I need no introduction. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Miles Dennis. I’m a broker with Iacardi & Sons, in New York. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the company, it’s small, very well respected, has offices in the World Trade Center, has been operating successfully for over fifty years, and specializes in brokering commodities.” Dennis grinned, then blushed. “One of the perks of this job is to have the privilege of plugging my company, whenever I want.”

While the audience laughed politely, Kerri continued to stare at Dennis. She liked him and was delighted to have enrolled in his course.

Dennis continued, “My job is to deliver the course to you and to try to make the subject interesting and fascinating to you. I urge you to ask questions, as many as you like, but please save them until the end of the class. Believe it or not, your questions might not be of any interest to others. They might also waste time… Any questions?” he asked, smiling again.

Silence.

“If any of you could determine the future, you would certainly have the means to become wealthy beyond your wildest dreams. It’s evident, however, that none of you is so blessed. If you were, you wouldn’t be here. Please dream with me for a moment. Suppose all of you were blessed with the ability to predict the future, and that you wanted to apply this ability to commodities. Your only limitation is that you could forecast only changes in prices, not the times of their occurrences… Can anyone tell me what problem that limitation presents?” Dennis searched the audience for a raised hand.

After a very long fifteen seconds, one hand was raised. It was Kerri’s.

Dennis pointed to her. “At last we have an answer. Please go ahead.”

“With that limitation, we would have to live with an element of risk,” Kerri offered.

“Bravo!” Dennis declared. “Good answer. I couldn’t have said it better… Now, suppose we mortals decided to try to improve our chances of determining the future by graphing a series of events over time. If we graphed the series long enough, it would run off the end of the page. Eventually we would notice that a portion of the line we are producing looks like another portion of the same line. Can anyone tell me the significance of that?”

Kerri raised her hand once again.

“I’m pleased we have one alert person in this class,” Dennis acknowledged. “Go ahead, please.”

“The similarity would suggest history is repeating itself.”

“Exactly. Take a bow for that answer.” Dennis picked up a piece of chalk and proceeded to draw a crooked continuous line across the full length of the five sections of blackboard. He turned to face the class when he ran out of blackboard. “Now, assume the line I’ve just drawn is our graph of a particular series of events. If we were to spend enough time graphing it, eventually we would be reasonably certain which direction the line would go next… Can anyone tell me why?”

Kerri glanced around the amphitheater to see that once again, no hand was raised. Her modesty refused to allow her to raise hers for the third time.

“Time’s up,” Dennis declared. “I’m going to ask you all to return to the Thursday session fully prepared to answer that question. The answer is absolutely crucial to your success in this business. You must learn how to follow a line and react to it. If you do, the future will belong to you. The line is the only thing that really counts in this game. Discarding the vast majority of lines and selecting the ones that have the potential to make you money are the most important things you will ever learn about the commodities game. A line on a chart is the historical price record. There can be no argument, no mystery. It’s a fundamental fact.”

Dennis continued without interruption until ten, then concluded the first session. “Thank you for your kind attention. I look forward to seeing all of you again on Thursday evening.”

Kerri was thrilled. At last she was doing something useful. She was involved, growing again. Commodities fascinated her, and so did Miles Dennis. She had identified him as a learned confident man, a professional. She looked forward to the Thursday session and resolved to arrive early enough to get a front row seat.

CHAPTER 27

After racing through another two days of her frustrating job search, Kerri returned to the Long Island Community College, this time early enough to have a choice of all the front row seats.

Dennis, reviewing his notes on a chair behind the lectern, looked up and recognized Kerri immediately. It was difficult for him not to recognize her. Dressed in a tight pink skirt and breast enhancing red cashmere sweater, she was drop dead gorgeous. Her long blonde hair, large blue eyes and infectious white smile reached out and captivated him. “I’m glad to see my star pupil has returned,” he said with a big smile. “It’s like a breath of fresh air to see a woman showing such interest in my class.”

Kerri smiled, nodded politely, then took a seat in the front row.

“I’m curious to know why you have an interest in commodities. Would you mind telling me?” Dennis asked, continuing to stare at Kerri, almost intoxicated by her beauty.

Embarrassed by his stare and nervous about answering the personal question, Kerri blushed. “I was involved in a business case study in my last year of university. The more involved I got, the more the subject interested me.”

“What university was that?”

“The University of British Columbia.”

“You’re Canadian?”

Kerri smiled and nodded.

“What brought you to New York?”

“I married a football player. He brought me here.”

“Really. Who does he play for?”

“The Jets. He’s their quarterback.”

“Brian Pyper?”

Once again Kerri nodded, displaying a proud smile.

“You sure know how to pick ’em. I think he’s an extremely talented quarterback, even better than Nameth. Maybe they’ll win another Super Bowl with him.”

“That’s his fondest dream.”

“Oh no,” Dennis said, suddenly realizing his oversight. “I rudely asked your husband’s name without first asking yours. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Certainly. I’m Kerri.”

Dennis stood and approached her. “Delighted to meet you, Kerri Pyper,” he said, reaching for her hand, and practically drooling over her good looks. “I have some great books on commodities. Would you be interested in reading them?”

“I certainly would. Thank you for offering.”

“Fine. I’ll bring them here next Tuesday… Or maybe you could pick them up at my office. Do you ever get to Manhattan?”

“My job search has taken me there many times, regrettably all in vain.”

“That sounds like fun. What type of work are you looking for? I mean, do you have something specific in mind?”

“I’m really not qualified to do anything specific, but I would really like to find a job that would give me some business experience. Eventually I want to return to university and get an MBA.”

Dennis reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and removed a card. “Here’s my business card,” he said, handing it to Kerri. “Please drop by my office anytime. I’ll have the books waiting for you. If you don’t make it, I’ll bring them with me on Tuesday.”

Now that Kerri had talked to Dennis on a personal level, she liked him even more. Maybe it was his sincerity, or the self-confidence he exuded without appearing arrogant. Both reminded her of so many self-effacing but competent professors she had known. Uncertain why she wanted to see him again, or even impress him, she just did it instinctively. She reached the front door of Iacardi & Sons at eleven-fifteen the following morning. She opened it timidly and entered the sparsely decorated reception area.

Dennis appeared seconds later. “Hi,” he said, delighted to see her. “Sorry we don’t have a receptionist here. We replaced her with a video monitor. Welcome to my kingdom.”

Kerri’s face flushed red and she lied, “I had a job interview down here this morning, so I thought I would drop by and pick up the books you offered to me last night.”

Dennis gave her an understanding smile. “Would you like to come in? I’ll show you our operation.”

Kerri nodded, thrilled and excited. She had expected Dennis to give her the books and show her the door. Instead, she found herself in the financial center of the world and about to be introduced to a fascinating business by a man she barely knew.

At one o’clock, Dennis lifted three books from the table behind his desk and handed them to Kerri. “Take these and spend as much time as you want with them. If you enjoy them half as much as I did, your time will be well spent. Feel free to call me if you have any questions.”

Kerri smiled. “Thank you, Miles. Thank you for your time and for the books. I wish there was some way I could express my appreciation.”

“There is,” Dennis said with a large grin. “You could come to Iacardi & Sons and work for me.”

“I could?” Kerri asked, shocked, thrilled and surprised by the offer.

“Sure. If you agree, I’d like you to be my assistant. I can’t pay you much, but I guarantee you’ll never be bored. You’ll have a wonderful opportunity to learn the business from the inside… You interested?”

“Interested! I’d be delighted!”

“Then I’ll see you sharp at eight tomorrow morning. I’ve been looking for an assistant for quite a while,” Dennis said as he shook Kerri’s hand. “I was about to hire one until you came along. She has all the secretarial skills I could want, but there’s no way she has the keen interest in the business that you do. To me, what you have is far more important. My instinct tells me you’ll do very well at the job, and that you’ll like it. I promise I’ll do my best to keep it interesting.”

“I’ll do my best to justify your choice,” Kerri promised, thrust into a state of euphoria. She had a job. At last her meaningless empty days were about to come to an end. Now she could contribute, start to grow again. Not only would she be working in a business which fascinated her, she would be working for Miles Dennis. Tomorrow could not come soon enough. She wished Brian was with her to share her incredible news.

Dennis found Kerri waiting on one of the two wooden chairs in the reception area of Iacardi & Sons at seven-thirty the following morning. She had dressed neatly in white silk blouse, navy blue jacket and light gray skirt.

“You’re going to be very successful here, young lady. Come on in. I’ll introduce you to all the crazies who work here.” He led her to the inner office and took the time to introduce her to each of the office staff and account executives. The final introductions were to Charles and Mario Iacardi, the two sons and only progeny of Armando Iacardi, the firm’s founder. Together, they held eighty-five percent of the company’s stock. The remaining fifteen percent was employee owned. With the formalities completed, Dennis spent much of the remainder of the day familiarizing Kerri with the investment portfolios of his clients, including the one held by the King’s trust.

Thrilled with her new status, Kerri wanted to tell two people: Brian, her beloved husband, and Mike King, the father she had not seen since she was nine years of age.

CHAPTER 28

New York. Sunday, November 5, 1988.

Kerri stood alone in the Arrivals Lounge at La Guardia Airport, the tip of her nose no more than an inch from a thick plate glass window. She stared anxiously at the spot where she had expected Brian’s airplane to come to rest over thirty minutes earlier. The swirling streamers of beaded snow whipping across the concrete below were evidence that the forecast of strong winds and snow had been accurate. She scanned an angry gray sky, then turned and walked in the direction of a nearby coffee-shop. Another unwanted coffee would help to waste time.

She was thrilled and relieved when she returned to the same window fifteen minutes later. The familiar Jet’s chartered aircraft was parked at the gantry, its black nose pointed directly at her. Her heart raced in anticipation of being in her husband’s arms again. She hurried to Gate thirty-eight and stood on her toes, eagerly trying to see above the people in front of her, hoping to get a glimpse of Brian’s handsome face. When she saw his black brush-cut, then his imposing athletic figure, she squeezed through the crowd and darted down the hallway.

Brian, dressed in faded jeans, green sweater and Jets jacket, standing on the tips of his toes, his brown eyes opened wide, smiled when he heard the hoots and whistles of his teammates. He dropped his carry on bag barely in time to accept Kerri into his arms.

“God, I missed you!” Kerri cried.

“Me too you,” Brian replied, squeezing Kerri’s buttocks with both hands and lifting her from the floor. “The flight was delayed for an hour in Chicago. They had to de-ice the plane. That’s the bad news… Wanna hear the good news?”

“I watched the game. You won,” Kerri said, continuing to kiss the love of her life. “And you were fantastic, as usual… I have more good news,” she said.

“What?”

“I got a job.”

Brian’s smile evaporated. He released Kerri and lowered her to the floor. He looked straight into her eyes, struggling to appear interested. “That’s fantastic! Where?”

“Let’s get out of here,” Kerri demanded, tugging Brian’s arm. “I’ll tell you all about it on the way home.”