Ok I caved. Here is my thread for my nano. This serves as an excellent back-up site if my computer goes haywire. I'll post each chapter as a new entry. It's all done in third person but focuses on a different person each chapter. Feedback is welcomed via nanomail or posting in the thread.
Working Title: The Pioneers (Definitely will change)
General Story Warning: Has swear words, drinking, violence and murder.
General Summary: The legal team of an auditing firm extorts various firms and reports false information to the monitoring agencies. A CEO, Karen Hill, refuses to play along and recruits a team to stop them. Can they stop the evil firm without breaking the laws or ethical rules themselves?
Chapter Warning: Mild Swearing and Very Mild Violence
Chapter Summary: Pioneer Auditing, Incorporated fires its CEO for not complying with the unreasonable request of falsifying records.
Chapter 1
Third Person POV - Karen Hill
“Book that God damn journal entry!” Karen Hill could not believe that she heard Andrew Knight shout while throwing the ledger for their biggest client, Clark Motor Company on his desk. “You were not promoted to be the CFO of Pioneer for your mind!” Andrew glared at the newest member of the executive team, expecting her to crack and obey. Because Andrew was so laid back, Karen never expected his response.
Still, Karen did not waiver. “This entry is a pure fraud! I cannot do it. It would be a violation of ethics as a CPA, and as the chief financial officer of the company. I’m going to go back and edit this until it is right.” She turned towards the door.
Andrew Knight bolted from his chair and stood in front of the door. “Mrs. Hill. You are not publishing your report. The one our legal office created, the one you should book, is the one that will be published. If you refuse to play nice and book the entry, your replacement will enjoy the BMWs and book the entry. The choice is yours.”
When Karen said nothing, Andrew decided to begin listing off what would happen if she did not book that entry. “If you dare to leave, just remember these few things. One, the good quality suits, like Armani, only fit those who earn them.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and pouted as if his four-year-old daughter had just tried to tell a lie. Then, he grabbed her pink suit jacket and ruffled it.
“Two, we own all of your work even if you thought you did. Those plans you wrote are ours. Of course, any protections for shareholders and employees you had will be removed thus modifying the plan enough so we can call it ours. Besides, hiding imperfections in company books is what we get paid to do. Three, the company is always right due to its size and the legal team we’ve assembled. I am sure you have gotten really familiar with them, especially Mr. Jameson. His wife would sure hate to know you were with him at 1 AM a week ago, ‘working on the audit’.” His fingers bent as he said “working on the audit”, making it clear no one would believe that was the reason, even if though was the truth.
With a flick of her wrist, Karen knocked Andrew’s hand away. “I thought we were people who actually cared to create and maintain a functioning economy, not blackmailers who ruined the economy with a single stroke of a pen.”
“We did not destroy the economy. We are just living like kings for keeping it on life support. These people are going to rob from their companies and going to ruin the economy. We just make sure John and Jane on the street are still employed while they do it. That is something James Dalton never understood while he was alive. His kids understood that the best people to maintain the economy are the ones who understand it best and have the richest tastes.” He stepped in closer to her, and began breathing down her neck. The low-volume of his voice did little to mask the hostility. “I am going to have someone else book the correct entry. Your services are no longer required, Mrs. Mistake. Security will show you to your car.” He pushed her away from him and then stepped out of the way. He would not have done that but for the fact the security button was outside of his reach.
She readjusted her suit, and blinked. Now, she was unable to hide her shock at how they could change James Dalton’s vision for Clark Motor Company so readily. “Pardon me, but you’re just one person on the board of directors. Do you really think you can fire me right here right now? The other directors might decide to fire you instead of me when they hear about your little scheme.”
Andrew whipped out his smartphone from his pocket and dialed Michelle Crowitz, the only female on the five person board of directors. “Hi, Michelle. Karen won’t play ball with us.”
“What do you mean, won’t play ball?” Her voice reeked of concern.
Andrew cleared his throat. “She won’t book a quarterly journal entry for Clark Motor Company as we are required to by law. Your husband can better explain the details. Do you think we should fire her?”
“Absolutely. There are plenty of ambitious women who can play by the rules and still manage to earn a profit. We cannot go around breaking the law. I can have Michael draw up the papers tonight.”
The call ended. Andrew raised his eyebrows and could not contain his mischievous smirk. “Shall I dial the others?”
Karen quickly began heading for the stairs, not even bothering to waste time with Andrew. She knew that security would be escorting her out, and wiping her hard-drive clean. She had seen it happen with too many women before. They would get pregnant, the company would fire them to avoid insurance, and then they would claim that the men were the only ones accomplishing things in the firm. Karen never believed the women until now, but it was far too late to do anything except for maybe save the accounting plan she had developed and the proper books for Clark Motor Company.
She reached her desk, and quickly attempted to activate a remote backup program on her work computer. The program would begin copying selected directories of her hard drive, specifically those that contained her radical accounting ideas, to a website accessible by a good friend of hers. Security would wind up formatting her disk drive, but perhaps her friend would get a copy before then. Karen kept paper copies of her most important ideas but preserving her laptop computer may help prove some of the things Pioneer Auditors, Inc., would say about her would be patently false, or reveal the scheme.
Just as the program started, security approached. Karen hid the icons for the program and began copying personal photos to a USB device. She knew those photos would never leave the building. In fact, she had backups. Yet the files should keep security busy from clearing her hard drive until the files she wanted to send were sent.
A security guard tapped her on the shoulder. “Enough messing with the computer. It is time to go.” Karen pocketed the USB and then they left Karen’s office.
The pair walked past the mostly male, ex-coworkers on the sixteenth floor to reach the elevator. When the pair entered the elevator, the guard grabbed the USB Karen had put in her left front pocket. He took a magnet to it, which fried most of the data on the USB from ever being recovered. “Now, Mrs. Hill, why would you try to steal company secrets?”
“I was just copying some personal family photos off of the computer. I am sure you’re tech wizards will confirm that.” Karen did not believe that the techs would confirm that. They would find tech secrets Karen had no access to but she figured that by now she would be framed for just about anything.
The guard nodded. “Of course. This way we don’t have to ask if the USB is useless.” When the elevator reached the bottom floor, the pair exited the elevator. After a few steps, the guard put the USB into the trash. “Your car is wherever the valet put it. If you are ever seen here again, you’ll be arrested.” He pushed Karen outside.
Karen fell outside the front door, scuffing the pants of her pink suit. Then she walked to the valet who retrieved her 2005 BMW Z4 convertible. Afterwards, Karen drove way leaving her ten years with Pioneer behind her. She did not yet have a plan on what to do, but she had the time and the money to make one.
----------
16,339 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2009 - 17 42
Ok Apparently I need more enter spaces between paragraphs. If any of you were thrown by the lack of spacing (and still continued reading), I'm sorry. I can't go back and edit it either because it is the first post. This chapter will have more spaces.
Chapter Warning: Drinking
Chapter Summary: Karen Hill reaches out to an investigative blogger, Jack Cartwright.
Chapter 2
POV Jack Cartwright
Jack Cartwright looked at his blog comments again as he waited for his anonymous tipster. His readers were getting anxious for new gossip. They admired him because he happened to suggest that the current mortgage rates and financial profits were probably inflated and unsustainable. When the market followed suit six months later, his blog took off. Yet, his readers and government officials wanted someone to blame for the crisis. His blog theories were very general, so he could not provide a villain for his readers.
He pulled up a typing program and began to work on his next entry. “How can so many major companies declare profits in a way that is unsustainable? Does the reporting system need to change? It is unlikely that every company is headed up by crooks intending to take more than their share. Yet, a reporting system that suggests profits are better than they are is unlikely to actually cause an economic downturn like this one.” His fingers stopped. His train of thought had ended.
Then a woman in a pink suit sat down next to him. “Mr. Cartwright. I just recently started following your blog, and I have an incredible solution to your problem.”
Jack turned his head up from his laptop. The woman had said the correct code phrase. She was a woman in her fifties. She fiddled with her pure silver watch. Her BMW parallel-parked just outside the window acted like a mirror reflecting his every motion. Because her purse was so small, Jack inferred that she only carried what she felt was necessary. His eyes met her brown eyes. “Hi. Would you like a drink?”
“Tequila sounds good.” It was only five pm, but the woman’s rapid speech and shortness of breath gave away her intense anxiety. That anxiety was probably what fueled her insistence that they meet as soon as humanly possible.
Jack turned to the bartender and ordered her tequila along with a rum and coke for himself. If she was this distressed he would be listening to a story of a lunatic or things really are as bad as this mysterious woman claimed. Either way, Jack sensed it would be a long evening. “What’s your name?”
The woman frowned and blinked at him. “I’m surprised a blogger of your reputation like you does not already know. I am Karen Hill, former CFO of Pioneer Auditors. At noon today, I left the company. They are pulling a large financial fraud over this country but I do not know how to make it public.”
Jack pressed her for more details. “What evidence do you have of this?” Her statements, if true, would make his blog immensely popular again. Yet, posting the ravings of a recent fired executive looking for blood that are unsustainable would ruin his blog’s credibility.
“They fired me for not booking a journal entry for a company that had more lies than a presidential election. She took a deep breath and sagged in her chair. “As for circumstantial evidence, it will take a while to go through it, but look at all the companies that failed. During the last five years, most used my prior company as auditors. Yet no one thinks the accounting profession is corrupt. In fact, some of those so-called bankrupt companies are suddenly solvent when the new leadership is installed.”
“That will take too long and if my readers get wind I am investigating Pioneer, they will suppose Pioneer is guilty.” He drank from his cup of whiskey and shook his head. “If this was a company in the middle of nowhere with little influence maybe a small time blogger would investigate, but I need more proof. You’re probably right honey. It is just not enough.”
Karen poured some salt onto her hand and then placed the lime and cherry down on a napkin. “Why, what is good enough? I need someone of reputation and influence to help get the evidence to nail these guys. What do I need to do?” Her voice trailed off and cracked. Then, she sighed drawing air into her lungs.
“Uhh well,” Jack paused as he saw Karen lick her hand before she drank the shot. “Avoiding the taste I see….”
“Avoiding the question much Jack? What do I need to show you that I am telling the truth?!?”
He rolled his eyes at his newfound companion. “I believe that you believe the company is corrupt. I need hard evidence before that, even evidence that could be spun away. I need more than your word about a conversation that happened in your office and suspicious recoveries that happen all the time in business.” He stood up and stretched for a moment.
“Going somewhere?” Karen asked as the red-headed bartender approached again with the checks.
Jack nodded as he reached for both checks. “This one is on me.” He slipped her his business card. “You now have a direct number to my tip line if you hear about any additional evidence. Goodbye Karen.”
Karen reached into her purse and pulled out one of her old business cards and gave it to him. “The home number on there is still accurate. See you soon Jack.”
He nodded and tipped his cowboy hat to her. “Good luck, Karen.” He did not expect to see her again. Once she cooled down, he figured, that she would no longer believe the world was in such a sorry shape. On the way out, he hears the bartender tell Karen to come back later that evening.
The revolving doors at the Cyclone Lounge gave way as Jack pushed. He went back into his dirty Jeep. Now, he was going to drive down to Long Island Sound. The isolation and fishing was where he drew his best ideas and solved his most complicated problems. The saleswoman bartender and the panicked, disgraced CEO were not his problem. His blog was.