Page 23 of Wired Strong

“Pierre Raveaux.” Raveaux stepped forward to introduce himself.

“Welcome to our campus. This is Beverly Cho, CEO of Peerless Accounting, and Dr. Stuart Ka`ula, Headmaster of Kama`aina Schools.”

More handshakes and polite murmurings. Raveaux assessed each of the officials: Cho was a mixed Hawaiian Asian woman dressed in the kind of burlap sack dress and chunky jewelry he associated with artist types; Ka`ula, a stocky man, wore the usual Hawaii business casual and a scowl.

“I appreciate being apprised of this audit, but my role is the day-to-day running of the schools. I’m not sure what I can add to these proceedings,” Ka`ula said.

“I asked to meet because I have specific items I require from each of you.” Leede spoke in her most precise British upper-crust tones. “Is there somewhere private where we can meet? I promise not to take up too much of your valuable time.”

Soon they were seated in a conference room with a sizable coat-of-arms emblem on the wall and several whiteboards that faced a bank of windows. The table was gleaming native hardwood; the chairs were excellent quality. An assistant brought in a tray with water glasses and a carafe.

Raveaux seated himself beside Leede, who took a chair at the head of the table. Enthroned there, she somehow seemed much larger than her diminutive stature as her sharp gaze speared each person. “I understand that these proceedings are to be considered highly confidential, so please don’t speak of this inquiry, our process, or what we are doing, to any of your staff. The reason for that should be self-explanatory.”

Ka`ula poured himself some water. “I’d still like to hear it put into words, Ms. Leede.” He appeared the most resentful of the probe.

“All right. To put it baldly, a case of embezzling is, at least ninety-nine percent of the time, what they call an ‘inside job.’” Leede made air quotes with her fingers. “We don’t know who among your staff is skimming this money, so the fewer people that know we’re looking into it, the more likely we will be able to catch them before they can cover their tracks.” She lifted her messenger bag onto the table and removed four pieces of paper. She handed one each to Ka`ula, Cho, and Gibson. “Detailed on this memo is what I need from you and your staff, to be delivered to my office address on the letterhead by tonight.” She turned to Raveaux and handed him the fourth copy. “You will hold the master list of required documentation and accesses. Please go with Ms. Cho to her accounting firm right now, and pick up any computers used in working with Kama`aina Schools, and deliver them directly to Ms. Smithson, so she can copy their hard drives.” She turned back to the group. “We’ll also need each of your personal computers, both desktop and laptop. Mr. Raveaux will take them to the car.”

Cho reached for her phone, but Leede smiled and held out a hand. “I will hold all of your phones right now, for just a few moments, while Mr. Raveaux goes to the offices here in the building and picks up your computers and then delivers them to my car.” She nodded to Raveaux. “Go. Have the girl who brought in the refreshments show you where their computers are. Stow them in the trunk.” She handed Raveaux the car’s keys.

Raveaux slanted Leede a quick glance—she really did need him as muscle.

An eruption of indignant protests ensued from the administrators.

Raveaux rose and tugged down his jacket, happy to exit the room where the three bigwigs in charge of Kama`aina Schools had just had their privacy and sense of power removed. They weren’t enjoying that—nor being without their computers for the time it would take for their hard drives to be copied by Sophie.

The receptionist needed to be brusquely told by the headmaster to cooperate; but soon she was helping Raveaux carry Gibson and Ka`ula’s laptops, while Raveaux lugged the desktops, all the way out to the Cadillac. They stowed the units in the capacious trunk.

Raveaux returned to the conference room. “Done.”

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Leede told the three administrators. “Mr. Raveaux, please keep Ms. Cho’s phone, and accompany her to her office. You may keep the keys and drive to the Peerless Accounting office, pick up the computers, and then deliver them to Ms. Smithson for duplication. Dr. Ka`ula is allowing me physical access to the records stored here at the Administration Building; they are being delivered to this conference room so that I can review them on site. I’ll await your return.”

“Oui, Madame.” No other response was possible. “Ms. Cho, after you.”

Leede winked at him as he followed the stiff-backed accountant out of the conference room, and he almost smiled back.

Chapter Nineteen

Raveaux

Raveaux calledSophie from the car as he followed Cho’s shiny black Mercedes toward the Peerless Accounting offices downtown. Sophie picked up on the third ring, sounding out of breath. “Yes, Pierre?”

“I’ve just witnessed our new client, Hermione Leede, perform a hostile takeover,” Raveaux said. “I’m holding the phone of the CEO of Peerless Accounting in my pocket so the woman can’t communicate with anyone, and we’re headed to her office to pick up all the computers used in accounting for the Kama`aina Schools. I hope you have a work area prepped and are prepared to duplicate at least ten computers.”

Sophie emitted a liquid stream of syllables that sounded distinctly profane. “I will be. When will you get back to the Security Solutions building?”

“Soon. Less than an hour. I’ll just be dropping them off, then returning to pick up Heri, as she goes by to her friends.” He slowed behind Cho’s Mercedes as she took a left. The Cadillac glided over a pothole like it wasn’t there. “Ms. Leede is quite a surprise. She’s ex-Scotland Yard, has a photographic memory, and is younger than she lets people think she is—no older than fifty, tops.”

“You sound intrigued.” Sophie’s smile was readily apparent in her warm tone. “Maybe she’s the woman for you. I’ll be ready for the computers by the time you get back here to my office. Use the back entrance.” She ended the call.

“Merde.Heri isnotthe woman for me.Youare,” Raveaux muttered, stowing his phone.

Cho entered a parking garage under an office building using a key card; Raveaux cursed again, as the arm on the gate refused to open for him.She was ditching him!Apparently, a forensic accounting investigation required anticipation and brutal efficiency.

Cho wanted to stonewall him?Fine.He’d inconvenience her in return.

Raveaux put the car inParkand locked it, leaving it parked squarely in front of the entry gate’s retractable arm. He jogged into the garage and was just in time to see Cho exiting her vehicle near the stairs.

“Ms. Cho!” He ran toward her, noting the frustration in her expression. “I was forced to leave my vehicle outside your turnstile. If it’s towed, we will bill your firm for our time and expenses.”

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