“What are you doing on your trading account?”
“I’m just checking to see what’s going on. They still haven’t cleared that flag, though.”
“I’m starting to think you’ve got a real-life investigation going on here. I think we need to look at the companies you’ve invested in and see if we can figure this out. With your card getting frozen the other day, this isn’t looking good, Brandon.”
Josh was looking out for me and I knew it, but I didn’t like to be scared for the hell of it. I liked real data and so far, we didn’t have any of that. So far, we just had a red flag on my account and nothing more.
“The credit card thing was because of a mess up with Rose, it wasn’t part of this,” I tried to assure him.
As the words left my mouth, I doubted them, though. Was it all totally unrelated? Or had I actually invested in something that triggered an investigation? I really had no idea, and I knew if I was going to be able to get to the bottom of things, I needed to be totally honest with Josh.
My life had been pretty much by the book. I usually followed the rules, and when I didn’t, I was still within the legal limits. I wasn’t the kind of guy who looked the law in the eyes and laughed at it. I followed the law and the idea of going to prison for anything scared the hell out of me.
“Okay, well then, you are probably fine.”
“Josh, I need to show you something,” I reluctantly said as I logged into the purchasing area of my account. “I continued trading for the last few days, and I even did pretty well.”
“What? Brandon!”
“Shit, I know; but if they were investigating me already, then it wouldn’t have mattered. I didn’t invest in anything I shouldn’t have.”
“I’m telling you, Brandon, they will find a way to connect you to the weirdest things. I had a friend who was investigated because he purchased a lot of diapers online and happened to invest in the same diaper company. None of it was illegal and he happened to have twins, so he bought a lot of damn diapers, but it was a disaster,” he said.
“If it’s all right with you, I think we should have my friend check this out. He’s a private investigator and can dig up some details for us. At the very least, he will be able to confirm whether there is or is not an investigation going on. Is that all right?”
“Should I get my attorney involved?” I asked.
I didn’t want to have to call my attorney. Not only was he hundreds of dollars per hour, but I really didn’t want to waste his time if there was nothing actually going on. It was entirely possible that neither my online account nor my banking issue were a big deal, at all.
There was a loud knock at the door, which scared the crap out of me and Josh. We both sat still and looked at each other for a moment before I got up to answer it. I couldn’t explain why, but I was afraid. Maybe it was that I was afraid someone was coming to arrest me, or just afraid because of how loud the knock had been; but I certainly was worried.
“There’s a scary-looking dude in a suit,” I said and shrugged because there was no reason for a dude in a suit to be at my house. “If something happens, call my lawyer; his number is in that top drawer.”
“Hello, I’m looking for Brandon Baker,” the man said as he removed his sunglasses.
He flashed a smile at me that barely hid the dangerous look in his eye. If he hadn’t been wearing a suit, I would have thought he was there to rob the place. His muscles bulged at the seams and his neck was at least as large as my leg.
“Can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m Antonio Pryor with the Securities Exchange Commission. I’d like to ask you a few questions about your old business partner. Do you have a minute?”
A wave of relief rushed through me. My old business partner was the guy who had bought my company from me. I was up for answering questions about anyone else as long as I wasn’t the one in trouble. I breathed a sigh of relief as I let the man into my house.
“Brandon, should I call your attorney?” Josh asked as he joined us in the entryway.
“No, I think we are okay here. Do I need an attorney?”
“That’s up to you,” he said. “I just have a couple questions about your interactions with your business partner leading up to the sale of your company. I’d be happy to set up an appointment if you’d like to wait and have your attorney present.”
“No, no, I don’t have anything to hide. What can I help you with?”
“Mr. Miller purchased your company on the first of April, is that correct?”
“Yes, I believe that is the day the sale was final. We had worked together for many years up until he purchased the company, though.”
“Were you aware that Mr. Miller had sold off all his shares in your company prior to making the offer?”
“No, I’m not close with him or privy to his investing strategies.”