Smokescreen

“Dana, why are you brining these to me?”

“Because they’re all for Sullivan PR. I took the liberty of going into the A/P System and noticed there’s a flag on them to halt any outgoing payment.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“You mean nothing has been paid? Not even the retainer?”

“Nothing.”

“What the fuck?”

“I’ll give you one guess. So I took the liberty of scheduling a call for you in five minutes with the Accounting Manager and CFO.”

“This is tens of thousands of dollars. Why didn’t I know?” I thumb through the invoices.

“Laci said Stella’s concerned because of your relationship.”

“Bullshit! This is her business. She gave us weeks of uninterrupted dedication. Other clients sat on the back burner. I can’t believe she didn’t mention we weren’t paying her. This must be why Edward has been avoiding me.”

The phone at her desk rings and she backs away. “They’re a few minutes early, but you need to handle this and then you have that other appointment.”

I nod in understanding and sit back to wait for her to transfer the call. As soon as it rings through, I press the speaker button and bark, “McCoy!”

“Max, this is Grant and I have Brenda, the Accounting Manager here with me.” Grant sounds nervous. He’s been the CFO for years, even before my dad died, and we’ve always worked well together. Hell, he even helped me hide the declining profits a few months ago. But I’m pissed and he has to have seen this oversight.

“Grant, I suspect you know what I have on my desk?”

“I’ve recently been made aware. But we’re in a difficult situation. Funds to Sullivan PR have been restricted until approval by the board. Edward sent the memo himself. Your initials are actually on the signature line.”

Dana rushes in and her face is red. “I never approved this and I’m instructing you to pay seventy-five percent of these invoices tonight. I’ll have Dana draft a new and updated memo and include the entire board, executive staff, and mid-level managers. It’s not just this one vendor, how many more are we holding payment on?”

Silence.

“Grant?”

“None, sir, just Sullivan PR.”

“Don’t worry about transferring the funds to the business account. Have a check cut in in ten minutes and in my office. I’ll deliver it myself. I’ll be out of the office the next few weeks, but Dana will schedule a time when I return for a one-on-one between us. This is unacceptable.”

I press the off button before either can respond. Dana shakes her head and gives me a sympathetic look, then goes back to her desk. Within five minutes, a memo comes through for approval. It basically states, that any restrictions on payments to any vendors will now come directly from me and will include a full explanation of delay. I approve.

Five minutes later, Grant walks in looking ashamed. He hands me an envelope and I open to confirm the right amount.

“Max, I’m in a bind here. It’s a power play between you and Edward and I have a whole department scared to lose their jobs. Brenda was only doing what she was told.”

“Didn’t you think it was odd that the restriction to pay invoices was on the one company helping us save our reputation?”

“Yeah, but honestly, I saw your initials and thought you approved.”

“I’d never withhold payment to a vendor for an ongoing job.”

“Is it true? Do you have a vested interest in this specific vendor?” he asks quietly.

“If you’re trying to chase the rumor patrol, I won’t dignify with an answer. But if you’re asking if I am making sure a small business that has done a tremendous job is getting paid, then yes.”

He nods and walks out as I grab my coat and my things. Dana hands me a folder on my way out with several copies of my itinerary and wishes me luck.