That could wait. We had our whole lifetimes together.
20
Josh
It was about quarter to six when everything went to shit.
I was sitting in my office, my head in a spreadsheet, trying to get a grip on financial projections for the paper, when Keith called. I figured he was just calling to say goodbye, because he was planning on leaving early and had already passed the request for time off by me.
"What's up? You getting ready to leave?"
"Head's up. Two FBI Special Agents just visited my office with a warrant. They've taken my computer and phone."
"What?"
"They had a warrant to search my office and take my computer and cell phone. I think they're with the Financial Crimes Division."
"Did they say what they were looking for?"
Keith exhaled heavily on the other line. "Evidence of MBS using offshore accounts to evade taxes and money laundering."
I rubbed my forehead, a sense of dread filling me. "Tax evasion? Money laundering? What's going on, Keith? You're CFO. What could they mean?"
"It means they think we're criminals."
"We've been audited for the past five years by the IRS. How could we be evading taxes? How did that supposedly take place? What offshore accounts? Whose money?"
"They claim we've been taking money from criminal enterprises, inflating the cost of purchases and making it look like the money was spent on renovations and purchasing equipment. Inflating the cost of services and using that to both launder money and avoid taxes."
"What criminal enterprises? What could we possibly be laundering money for? We're a news organization."
"They claim that someone in the organization is involved in a criminal enterprise and has been laundering money through the corporation."
"Who?'
"They say it's me or one of my staff," Keith said.
"For fuck's sake," I said and opened my door to see two men dressed in what was clearly FBI identified jackets walking rapidly down the hall towards my office. "I see them. They're coming down the hallway."
"Just cooperate. I've done nothing wrong, Josh. This will all be cleared up."
"Okay. Call my lawyer."
"Already did. Sullivan is on his way."
I ended the call and waited for the two FBI Special Agents to arrive, a very upset Jenna trailing behind them.
She tried to push by them. "Mr. Macintyre, I wanted to call you but they--"
"It's okay, Jenna. I'll take care of this. Go back to your desk."
Jenna nodded and dropped back, allowing the two Special Agents to come through.
"Mr. Joshua Macintyre?" one of the two men said. Older with thinning blond hair and piercing blue eyes, he was tall and lean, reminding me of an old cowpoke if you put him in a horseman's duster and cowboy hat instead of the FBI jacket. Beside him stood a trim younger
man with dark hair and eyes.
"That's right. And you are?"