Samuel looked directly at him.
"Sometimes I think the only time management remembers my name is when something breaks."
Thomas frowned.
"That's not fair, Samuel."
Samuel turned toward him.
"Isn't it?"
The two men stared at each other.
Arthur remained silent.
He wanted to hear what happened next.
Samuel took a breath.
"Last winter, when the heating system failed in the service department, I stayed here three nights helping the emergency crew. I was told the company would recognize the extra work."
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
"That was handled through the department budget."
"I never received anything."
"We had a difficult financial quarter."
"I understand difficult quarters, Thomas. I've worked here longer than some of the managers have been alive."
Arthur watched Thomas carefully.
"Was Samuel compensated for those additional hours?"
Thomas didn't answer.
Samuel shook his head.
"Don't worry about it, sir. It's old news."
Arthur turned toward him.
"Old news doesn't become acceptable simply because enough time has passed."
Samuel looked at Arthur with surprise.
Then he smiled.
"Your father must have taught you something about working people."
Arthur paused.
"Yes. He did."
Before he could say anything else, a young mechanic hurried toward them.
"Samuel, I need your help!"
Samuel turned.
"What's wrong?"
"It's the blue SUV in bay three. The transmission warning came back, and the customer is waiting."
Samuel sighed.
"I thought we fixed that yesterday."
"We did. But it's happening again."
Samuel looked toward Arthur.
"Excuse me, sir. I need to take care of this."
Arthur nodded.
"Of course."
Samuel started walking away.
Then Arthur called after him.
"Samuel?"
The mechanic turned.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for twenty-six years of honest work."
Samuel smiled.
"Thank you, sir."
He returned to the vehicle.
Arthur watched him disappear beneath the raised SUV.
Then he turned toward Thomas.
"I'd like to see the records concerning his compensation."
Thomas nodded.
"I'll arrange that."
"And the records of every employee affected by last year's restructuring."
Thomas's face changed.
"Every employee?"
"Yes."
"That could take some time."
Arthur looked at him.
"Then we should start immediately."
Thomas swallowed.
"Of course."
Arthur took out his phone.
He opened a message from Daniel Brooks, his executive assistant.
There was an attachment containing a preliminary report on Sterling Motors.
Arthur had asked Daniel to collect public information about the company before his visit.
But there was something in the report he hadn't yet examined.
He opened the document.
A list of recent management changes appeared.
At the bottom was a name.
RICHARD COLLINS — REGIONAL DIRECTOR.
Arthur scrolled further.
There was a second document.
It concerned a private consulting company that had been hired to manage Sterling Motors' restructuring.
The company was called Northbridge Strategic Solutions.
Arthur stared at the name.
Something about it seemed familiar.
He opened the ownership information.
Then his expression changed.
Northbridge Strategic Solutions was registered under the name of a company owned by Richard Collins's brother-in-law.
Arthur looked up.
"Thomas?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Who approved the restructuring consultant last year?"
Thomas hesitated.
"Richard Collins recommended them."
"And who approved the contract?"
"I believe the regional executive committee."
"Did anyone examine potential conflicts of interest?"
Thomas looked away.
"I'm not sure."
Arthur closed the document.
He didn't want to make accusations without evidence.
But he had seen enough to know that the investigation was becoming more serious.
His phone rang.
The caller was Daniel.
Arthur answered.
"Hello, Daniel."
"Mr. Bennett, I found something else."
"What is it?"
"I reviewed the documents you requested. There's a connection between Sterling Motors' restructuring expenses and a private consulting firm."
Arthur looked toward the service department.
"Northbridge Strategic Solutions?"
There was a pause.
"Yes, sir. How did you know?"
"I just found the same information."
Daniel lowered his voice.
"There's another issue. The consulting payments were significantly higher than the original agreement."
Arthur closed his eyes briefly.
"How much higher?"
"Almost three times the projected amount."
Arthur remained silent.
"Mr. Bennett, I think you should see the full report before the meeting this afternoon."
"Send it to me."
"I already have."
Arthur ended the call.
Thomas was standing nearby.
"Is everything all right?"
Arthur looked at him.
"That depends on how much you know about Northbridge Strategic Solutions."
Thomas went pale.
"I don't know anything about that company."
Arthur studied his face.
"Are you certain?"
Thomas nodded.
"I only knew that Richard wanted an outside consultant to help with restructuring."
Arthur put his phone away.
"Then I suggest you find out exactly what happened."
Thomas looked frightened.
"Mr. Bennett, I should probably tell you something."
Arthur waited.
Thomas glanced around the service department to make sure nobody was listening.
"Samuel isn't the only employee who was affected by those changes."
Arthur said nothing.
"Three technicians left because they couldn't afford the new compensation structure. Two more were transferred to temporary positions. And one of them..."
Thomas stopped.
"One of whom?"
Thomas swallowed.
"One of them was my brother."
Arthur looked at him.
"Your brother worked here?"
"Yes. He was a service technician for almost nine years."
"What happened?"
Thomas looked down.
"He reported problems with the new system. He said some of the hours were being recorded incorrectly."
"And?"
"Richard told him to stop questioning management decisions."
Arthur's expression darkened.
"What did your brother do?"
"He filed a complaint."
Thomas paused.
"Two weeks later, he was dismissed."
Arthur stared at him.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Thomas's eyes filled with frustration.
"Because I was afraid I'd lose my own job."
Arthur looked toward Samuel.
The older mechanic was still working beneath the SUV.
Then he turned back to Thomas.
"How many other people are afraid to speak?"
Thomas had no answer.
Arthur looked at the ceiling for a moment.
He had entered Sterling Motors expecting to evaluate a business opportunity.
Now he was beginning to suspect that he had walked into something much darker.
He took out his phone again.
"Daniel?"
His assistant answered immediately.
"Yes, sir?"
"Postpone the acquisition meeting."
"Postpone it?"
"Yes."
"How long?"
Arthur looked through the glass toward the showroom, where expensive cars stood beneath brilliant lights.
"Until we understand exactly what has been happening here."
Daniel paused.
"Understood."
Arthur ended the call.
Thomas looked at him anxiously.
"Mr. Bennett, does that mean the deal is off?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
He looked directly at Thomas.
"It means the deal is no longer the most important thing."
Then he walked toward the service department.
He wanted to speak with Samuel again.
Because before he decided what to do about Sterling Motors, he needed to understand how many ordinary people had paid the price for someone else's ambition.
And somewhere upstairs, Richard Collins was about to receive a phone call that would make him realize his carefully protected business arrangements were beginning to unravel.
Richard Collins was sitting behind his desk when his phone began to vibrate.
He had just finished reviewing the latest sales figures. A cup of expensive coffee sat beside his laptop, and a large framed photograph of the Sterling Motors headquarters hung behind him.
For years, Richard had considered himself an excellent businessman.
He knew how to negotiate.
He knew how to persuade investors.
And, perhaps most importantly, he knew how to protect his position when things went wrong.
But the message appearing on his phone was something he had not expected.
ARTHUR BENNETT HAS POSTPONED THE ACQUISITION MEETING.
Richard read it twice.
Then he immediately called David Harrison.
"Where is Mr. Bennett?"
David answered from the conference room.
"I believe he's still downstairs."
"Did he explain why the meeting was postponed?"
"Not exactly."
"What do you mean, not exactly?"
David lowered his voice.
"He asked for additional financial records. He also requested information about the restructuring consultant."
Richard stopped moving.
"Which consultant?"
"Northbridge Strategic Solutions."
For several seconds, Richard said nothing.
Then he slowly leaned back in his chair.