Authors: A Lexy Beck
I quickly picked up my phone and dialed Cain’s number. It went to voicemail immediately and I hung up. I sent a text, hoping he would see it sooner.
Cain, call me ASAP. I have news!!!
I dialed my father and reached his voicemail as well. My last try was Reese.
“Jennifer, I was just going to call you.” He sounded as if he were in a rush. “Cain’s in…”
“Reese, Dylan was just here. He… what? Cain’s where?”
“In jail. Is Dylan still there? Are you Ok?
“No…yes…” My head was spinning, and our conversation was a verbal game of ping-pong that I couldn’t keep up with. “Reese, why is Cain in jail? He’s supposed to be at home.”
“The police picked him up, extortion and the murder of Alice Bennett. Your father and Thomas are with him now.”
As I listened to Reese I frantically ran around the apartment looking for my purse, keys, and shoes. “Reese, I’m on my way down there.”
“No! You stay there! He doesn’t need you down here causing a scene. You stay there until we hear something. Your father said he would call you later.”
I stopped scurrying around the apartment as the seriousness of the situation sank in. My visit from Dylan seemed to pale in comparison to what Cain was going through.
“Jennifer, why was Dylan there? What happened?”
“Reese, I’m Ok. I need to process what’s going on. I have some news that is going to help Cain and we can talk about it tomorrow. Dylan confessed to some things.”
“Alice’s murder?”
The question sank in and I realized that Dylan was definitely capable. “No, but I wouldn’t put it past him…let me know the second you hear anything from Dad.”
“You got it.” Reese hung up.
Aimee looked at me. “So…what’s going on?” I filled her in as we sat on the couch together. I couldn’t help but cry.
“I’m staying with you tonight. You won’t be alone. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
“Thank you, Aimee.”
She gave me a rueful smile. “It’s kind of my fault anyway, right? I mean, I’m the one that told you to start dating. Although, I must admit, I didn’t mean date an extremely attractive yet complicated mogul.”
We both laughed a little and I went in pursuit of pajamas, a pillow and a blanket. Aimee and I finished the bottle of wine and I tottered off to bed. I faced a long night of tossing and turning, thinking about the future—Cain’s future. I thought about Alice Bennett, the woman who lost her life, probably through a wicked plot conceived in someone’s sick mind—but not Cain Parker’s. I finally fell asleep with the ghoulish vision of Dylan in my living room behind my eyelids and wondered what would have happened if the pizza guy hadn’t “saved” me.
At about two in the morning my phone rang and I grabbed it without even looking at the screen. “Hello? Hello?”
“Jennifer, I just left Cain. He’ll be held until sometime tomorrow. He’s okay, but I want to meet first thing in the morning.” Dad hung up. Not even a “How are you doing?” or “It’s going to be Ok.” Just a click.
Sometime after, I passed out again, dreaming of Cain lost in a jungle. I woke up hoping everything that had happened was a bad dream
.
I threw the covers back and sauntered down the hall, finding Aimee had already left. I found a note from her, assuring me that everything was going to be okay. I tapped the coffee pot, turning it on, and then trudged back to my room to start the long day ahead. I got to work early, coffee in hand. I noticed that Aimee had emailed me a copy of the recording.
I love you, Aimee!
Dad and Reese were already in the office. Reese looked as though he had slept there—not Dad, though. At some point, he had found the time to shave and put on a fresh, starched shirt; I could see the dark circles underneath his eyes, though. I was grateful that they had been there for Cain, whatever their reasons.
Dad waved me into a chair and shut the door. “Good morning. We haven’t heard anything new, but I spoke with Jeffrey Ballard, the chairman of the board for Vawter. Cain had me call him. He’ll be here this morning so we can fill him in.”
I couldn’t help but cut to the chase of my real concern. “Dad, how was Cain? How was he holding up?”
“He was fine, Jennifer. He’s strong. Listen, when Ballard gets here, let me do the talking, and please, no mention of your relationship with Cain. We don’t need to complicate anything.” Dad’s stern look and order didn’t surprise me and I nodded my agreement.
“You heard about last night?” I looked at Reese for an indication he had filled my father in. Dad nodded. “Well, I’ve got some good news…” I told them about the encounter with Dylan and played the recording. Reese clapped his hands together and my dad graced me with a rare smile.
“I’m not looking for an ‘I-told-you-so’ here, but come on guys… I told you so. Cain isn’t guilty, it’s Dylan!”
Reese laughed out loud and Dad raised his hand. “I’ll be the first to say you were right in this instance.” I smiled; that was as good as it got with my dad. It was hardly an apology, but I took it as one.
“Let’s not celebrate yet. Ballard’s on the way, along with Cain’s assistant, to hear the latest. I’m glad we have something to offer them besides quoting a few legal statutes. I’ll see you in the boardroom in fifteen minutes.”
Vawter’s chairman didn’t waste any time getting to the heart of the matter. “We like Cain—there wouldn’t be a Vawter without the Parkers for goodness’ sake—but…” Jeffrey Ballard looked more like a mild-mannered shopkeeper than a powerful COB. “We can’t make business decisions based on likeability. These are some serious charges here, and unfortunately everything points to Cain.”
Ashley fumed at the end of the table but held her tongue. It was only a courtesy that she was here at all; she had no influence.
“Wait a second, Mr. Ballard.” My father’s commanding voice halted the other man in his tracks. “We have information that you are not aware of. It’s a recording, if you would indulge us for a minute or two. We’d like you to hear it.”
“Certainly, I would.” Ballard looked surprised but could hardly say no.
Dad gave me a nod. I tapped on the email, opening the recording. I turned up the volume and placed the tablet on the table. The gathering looked horrified as Dylan threatened me and intimated that he had caused the death of Rachel Murant. Ashley began to quietly cry; I dug in my purse for tissues and discreetly handed them to her.
When it was over, nobody moved for a minute. Jeffrey Ballard was obviously shaken. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This definitely changes things. How do we move forward?”
“Well, the first thing I would suggest you do is get Mr. Parker out of jail, so we can further discuss everything with him.”
“Agreed. Please, Jack, do whatever you need, you have my permission to move forward.”
“Second, I’d suggest we turn this recording and the logs we have from Hunter Livingstone over to the police as soon as possible. That will give them more than enough to go after Dylan Rogers and take the heat off of Mr. Parker.”
“You’ll have our full cooperation with everything. I just ask we keep this as low key as possible, right now. We don’t want anything else hurting the reputation of the company.”
Dad got to his feet. “Of course. But understand, once the police get their hands on this information…”
“I’m aware, but at least we will be prepared.” Jeff Ballard stood to join Dad.
“I want to tell Cain.” Ashley’s voice quivered. “It was my sister, Rachel, that he’s talking about. That he….well… I want to tell him.”
“That’s fine, Miss Murant.”
“Ashley, I think I should be the one to tell Cain about Dylan’s confession. He will probably have some questions about…”
“No thanks, Miss Dunning. I think you have been more than enough help. She was my sister, Cain is my… my… friend. I will be the one to tell him!” She slid her chair out, gathered her belongings and left the room.
It was noon by the time I had heard from Cain. I had been on tenterhooks all morning and when my phone rang, relief flooded through me.
“Hey, thank God. I’d been waiting to hear from you. Everything Ok?” I knew Ashley had been waiting for him at the precinct to break the news to him; I wished I could have been there to console him.
“I’m as good as I can be. It’s all still too unbelievable. Dylan, Rachel, Alice... I can usually hold it together pretty well, Jennifer, but this is a lot.” He sounded tired and downcast.
“I know, but it will soon be over. As soon as the police find Dylan.” I wondered how close Dylan really was. Given his surprise visit, I felt like he was always just around the corner from me.
“Jen, I heard about him coming to your apartment. If he had hurt you…” Cain’s voice trailed off. “Let’s just hope the police find him before I do.” I knew Cain was serious.
“That’s the last thing you need—or want—right now, Cain. Focus on this meeting today.” I was looking at the email that Dad had sent me this morning, forwarded from Jeffrey Ballard about a board meeting to discuss Cain’s future and the situation at hand.
“What meeting? I’m behind on everything.”
“Your board meeting, I’m sure they will be contacting you about it. I saw the email from Ballard. The board is going to discuss…” I tried to figure out easiest way to break the news to him.
“I know. They have to decide whether to let me run my own company or not. This is exactly what Dylan was after, except I don’t think he planned on being caught in the middle of this.” Cain collected his thoughts. “Jen, I’ll be there, and I’d like you there as well. I’m sure your dad and the others will be there representing the interests of Vawter and the board. I’d like one person in my corner.”
“I’ll be there, Cain. Try to get some rest and just be ready.” I hung up the phone and closed my eyes. I reflected on what Dylan had said when he showed up at my house. How Cain had it all and would someday be in Dylan’s position, looking in.
Dad stopped by my office looking for Reese and noticed me in a trance, staring out of the window. “Jennifer, have you spoken to Cain? He’s out.”
I spun my chair with a flick of my foot, barely moving the rest of my body and breaking my stare. “I have, he just called. Dad, tell me this is going to be Ok? Tell me Cain will be alright and he has a chance?”
“I wish I could. If—
when
—the police finally catch Dylan, it will help Cain’s case even more.” Dad took his normal businesslike attitude and paused. “But what you did—the recording—it’s a huge win for Cain. You helped him a lot.”
I smiled and thanked Aimee in my head. “Thanks, Dad.”
“Now, get ready, I’d like for you to come to the board meeting with me. I think it would be good to have you there as well, especially considering the part you’ve played in all of this.” Dad turned and left, and I couldn’t help but smile a little bit.
The board meeting was to be a small, intimate meeting of the twelve board members, a few of us from DDC, and Cain. I had never been in a meeting of such magnitude; or at least one that would potentially affect someone I cared about so much.
I arrived with the rest of the group from DDC and found a chair near the door, anxiously waiting for Cain to arrive. I had hoped to catch him before the meeting started, but he was nowhere in sight. I wondered if the board would actually have the meeting without hearing from Cain. Moments later, I caught a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye and jumped up to meet him before he entered the room.
“Cain, I just wanted to say, that no matter what…” I wasn’t sure how I intended to finish the sentence and fortunately, Cain didn’t let me.
“Shh, there isn’t going to be a ‘no matter what.’ I’ll be fine, Jennifer. It will all be fine.” Cain didn’t look overly confident, lacking the posture and commanding look of his usual self-assuredness.
“Cain, I wanted to be there for you. When Ashley told you, when you found out, when you got out.”
“I know Jen, it’s Ok. We need to get started.” Cain leaned in and kissed my forehead and gave me a short, one-armed embrace. He was a man defeated, beaten down.
The remaining board members and attendees took their seats around the large boardroom table. I counted seventeen people consisting of board members, attorneys and senior executives. I sat next to Reese, who gently patted my arm as I settled in my chair. Dad sat across from me, toward the head of the table.
Jeffrey Ballard’s voice cut through the hushed whispers. “I’d like to call this meeting to order so we can get started. I’d like to thank everyone for making it at such short notice. We have only a few things to discuss today, and then we will break into executive session.”
“Jeffrey, before you get started, I would like to address the board. I realize you have an agenda, but this meeting is about me, and everything going on at Vawter. I hope the board can give me some latitude.” Cain looked serious, but still lacked his normal confidence.
“Cain, I think we can do that, please go ahead.” I was relieved to see the chairman acknowledge Cain and give him the opportunity to speak for himself.
“I am sorry that we have to be here today. I would prefer to be working on the expansion projects I pitched to you a few weeks ago. I know that you have serious doubts about me at the moment and have concerns about my leadership. Let me assure you that I am not guilty of any of the things I’ve been charged with, and I believe that in the fullness of time, I will be exonerated. But for now, you have a decision to make.” Some of the board shifted in their seats. It didn’t take a profiler to see that they were nervous and unhappy about the situation their CEO was in. Undaunted, Cain continued.
“I have no doubt that some of you doubt my competence as a leader, but let me remind you of what we have accomplished, together…” For the next fifteen minutes, Cain went through an impressive list of accomplishments, including the launches of some notable businesses. He finished his plea with a powerful ending. “Listen, I’m not asking you to keep me because I saved the company millions with our technology upgrades last year. I’m not even asking you to keep me because you like me. I’m asking you to keep me as CEO because you know that I care about Vawter. This company was created by my family, and exists because of all of you.” Cain paused and took a moment to look at each person around the table. “I welcome any questions or comments.”
A woman in the middle of the table raised her hand.
“Joan? Go ahead.”
“I support you, Mr. Parker. I just wanted everyone to know that. We have a long history. I’ve known your family for years.”
“Thank you,” Cain said quietly. A few others nodded their heads in agreement, but the majority of the group remained silent.
I could feel the tension in the room rise and shift against Cain. I felt panicked, but Cain stood tall and confident. Suddenly, my dad’s eye caught mine and he gave me a slight nod.
“Mr. Parker, Mr. Ballard, if you’ll give me a minute?” Cain and the chairman both acknowledged Dad as he stood to speak.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I know many of you. I’ve been part of the business community here for over twenty-five years. I have had the pleasure of working with some of you personally, though others I only know socially. You know me. You know I am a cautious man, who doesn’t take risks. I believe that business matters should always be considered from an intelligent and unemotional standpoint. However, there are times when you should listen to your gut. I’ve heard your concerns and I understand them all. You do have some tough choices to make. Of course, I have no standing with Vawter—no real interest outside of our working relationship—but I have had the recent opportunity to work with Cain Parker.” I held my breath; I couldn’t believe this was happening. “Cain Parker is an honest man and an intelligent leader. From a legal standpoint, I can offer you my advice. These legal concerns have no standing. There is no substantial evidence, just some circumstantial evidence that will be easily eradicated in court. It’s unfortunate that Cain Parker and Vawter will be forced to take that route, but that’s not something in your control. Personally, I recommend that you keep Mr. Parker as CEO for Vawter. I think that changing leaders know, in the midst of these challenges, is a big mistake.” Dad set his stare at Cain and then nodded to the chairman.
“Jack, thank you. I appreciate your candor. I’d like to move ahead to an executive session, and ask that everyone except the board please leave the room. We’ll call you back in when we are ready.” Jeffrey Ballard motioned toward the door as the table began to clear, with the exception of the twelve board members. “Jack, I’ll need you to stay as well, as our council.”
I stood and gave Dad a look of desperation and mouthed, “Thank you,” to him as I left the room after Cain. Neither of us spoke while we waited. Fifteen minutes later, the doors opened and we were invited back in.
“Cain, the board has come to a decision. It’s been a very challenging few months and the last several weeks have been the worst of it. As you are aware, we engaged Dunning, Durst and Chandler to represent the board’s interests in what was best for Vawter, and you were involved in that decision upfront. We looked toward your guidance, your direction, your leadership. In light of everything that has transpired over the last few weeks, and most notably in the last forty-eight hours, the board has determined that now, more than ever, we need your continued leadership and direction to get through this trying time.” Jeffrey Ballard extended his hand to Cain.
“Thank you, I appreciate your support. I won’t let you down.” Cain’s confidence seemed to return before my very eyes; his posture improved and his beautiful eyes regained their gleam.
“Cain, one last thing—the board has necessitated that we immediately shut down the sites and companies where the breaches have occurred. We understand it will mean a significant financial loss, but it’s a call we had to make.”
“Done, and thank you again.” Cain flashed his amazing smile around the room and personally thanked each board member as they left the meeting. The room cleared and all that remained were a few board members having private conversations, our team, Cain, and Ashley, who had been responsible for taking the minutes of the meeting.
“Cain, can I have a moment?” Dad extended his hand and shook Cain’s, pulling him aside from the group. “I meant every word I said earlier, but it’s not in my demeanor to stick my neck out for someone like I did.”
“I understand, sir, I appreciate it, I won’t—”
“No, Cain, you won’t let me down. Or my daughter. Jennifer is in love with you and that’s the reason I did what I did—for her. I have no doubt that you’re a good guy. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
Cain continued to shake Dad’s hand. “Thank you again, Mr. Dunning.”
Dad didn’t look back at me and quietly left the room as I stood in awe having overheard every word. I ran to catch up with him. “Dad!” I followed him into the hall. “Dad!”
I caught up with him and hugged him. “Thank you for this.”
“I do love you, Jennifer.” He smiled briefly and strolled down the hall, away from the departing group.