The Insiders' Club (Scott Winslow Legal Mysteries Book 4)

Book summary

"In 'The Insiders' Club' by David P. Warren, attorney Scott Winslow and investigator Lee Henry team up to unravel a high-stakes case in the brokerage world. A secretive group of elite brokers employs a covert method for insider trading, leaving no trace. When Broker Assistant Kathy Jenkins stumbles upon a suspicious conversation, she's wrongfully terminated and hires Scott Winslow to expose the wrongdoing. Lee Henry's unconventional investigation reveals a network of brokers dealing in non-public information. As danger mounts, Scott and Lee must tread carefully to bring the culprits to justice in this suspenseful legal mystery with blurred lines between right and wrong."

Excerpt from The Insiders' Club (Scott Winslow Legal Mysteries Book 4)

The afternoon sun disappeared behind a tall stand of cypress trees, and she felt cooler instantly. Jessica Martin wore Gymshark leggings and an Ernest Leoty bodysuit as she jogged along the familiar park pathways. Why not? She had the money to do it right, and she considered herself trendy, but not pretentious. Jessica made a left turn onto an unpaved trail beside the playground where children squealed, racing to the top of a slide, and playing on swings while demanding that tired looking parents push them higher. She followed the trail upward and when she crested the hill, caught view of the expansive pond next to the trail. It was a bucolic setting that seemed incongruous with the conduct of big business.

At forty-five Jessica was in the best shape of her life. With a slim physique under expensive clothing, the deepest of blue eyes, and jet-black hair that she wore at shoulder length, she made an impression on everyone. Astute, insightful, and always weighing options, Jessica was the consummate professional.

She ran down the hill and onto the paved trail that circled around the pond, checking her smartwatch as she ran. This was more than just her workout time; it was a means to an end. She was to meet him in five minutes and if she was not on time, he would wait only two minutes before leaving.

Everything had to be so damn precise. It was a little overly dramatic, but there was no room for error. There was too much at stake. Jessica didn’t like the way it made her feel, furtively looking over her shoulder for anyone who might be watching, even though no one was ever there. She made her way past ducks sitting between the pathway and the pond, who were entirely unconcerned with her presence.

A soccer ball flew in her direction from a field adjacent to the path. She caught it and looked in the direction of its arrival. A pre-teen boy with a face full of freckles and shaggy red hair said, “That’s our ball, ma’am.”

“Yeah, okay,” Jessica called back and threw the ball to the teenager. “Be careful not to hit others please.”

The boy studied her silently and replied, “Sure thing.” He turned back towards his friends, and they all began to laugh, dismissively. ‘Little shits’ Jessica thought, shaking her head and continuing down the path. She was only a minute away from her destination now. Though the process was always daunting, she smiled at the prospects of what this meeting would bring. The information she gained today should make her more money in the coming week than most middle-class Americans made in a year. And it was as easy as it could be.

Jessica reached the end of the pond and made her way through a meadow of tall grass. A quarter mile later, she came to a towering stand of eucalyptus trees where a bench dedicated to a long-deceased patron of the park had been positioned. She sat down on the unoccupied bench and checked her watch again. The meeting was scheduled to happen in one minute, but there was no other human within three hundred yards of her.

Jessica put her feet up on the bench and looked across the meadow towards the pond where coots gathered noisily, the stand of eucalyptus now behind the bench. No one was moving in her direction. He wasn’t going to make it. Maybe something had gone wrong, and he had to abort. She would give it one more minute and then begin the long jog back to her car. She looked around her repeatedly. Ducks and coots were the only other life form she could spot. She checked her watch again and then stood, feeling the disappointment of a lost deal.

“Hey,” a voice said from behind her, and she jumped.

She turned to see a man of about fifty. He was six feet tall and slender, with a full head of grey hair. He wore an expensive suit and a wide grin.

“Jesus, Jim, you scared the shit out of me.”

“I noticed,” he replied with a self-satisfied smile.

“Did you come out of the woods?”

“Yep. A little short cut from Eighth Avenue I figured out,” he said, grinning.

She turned away from him so that she wasn’t looking his way as the conversation continued. “Well, aren’t you an innovative and amusing guy?”

“I thought so, yeah,” he offered with a chuckle.

“This conversation is already too long if anyone is watching.”

“No need to be nervous. There’s only you and me and a thousand ducks out here.”

“As far as we know, yes. So, what’s the news?”

He turned back towards the forested area behind them and said, “Landmark Properties is being acquired. There is a tight window on this one because the news will go public on Tuesday before close of business.”

“Understood,” Jessica said softly, still not looking in Jim Carson’s direction. “I have to go. I hate this part of the program. It makes me feel vulnerable.” She added, “Have a nice day,” and then began jogging away from him.

He watched her slender form for a moment and then glanced around to assure that no one had been watching. Satisfied that they were alone, he disappeared back into the woods for the short walk to his car. He looked down to see that dirt and leaves were sticking to his three-hundred-dollar shoes. Better stay with the walkways from now on, he thought, shaking his head.

***

Saturday, June 7

6:30 p.m.

Jessica climbed out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. The nervousness of the afternoon was gone, and she was feeling the elation of the successful meeting and the rise in her income it would generate.

“Have I told you how good you look lately,” her husband Ken said from the doorway.

“Yeah but tell me again. I like it.”

“You are looking hot babe.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t forget we have a dinner reservation for 8:00.”

“No problem. I need thirty minutes to get ready and about ten for a call and then I’m good to go.”

He smiled and replied, “Okay.” He put a hand on her butt and added, “I guess the rest of what I’m thinking about will have to wait until later.”

She smiled back at him. “I like the way you think. I’ll look forward to later.”

“Perfect,” Ken offered smiling. “I’ll watch the beginning of the ball game while I wait for you.”

“Good. Have fun.”

Ken left the room as Jessica studied herself in the mirror. She smiled, thinking that she really did look pretty good.

Jessica put on a black, V-neck evening dress and enhanced its elegance with a string of pearls and matching earrings. She checked the hallway to make sure Ken was nowhere to be seen. Satisfied, she closed the bedroom door and placed a call on her cell phone.

“Yes,” came the singular response of a male voice.

“I have it.”

“Understood,” the male voice replied, and he was gone.

Jessica took a deep breath. There was so much that Ken didn’t know. Secrets that she had to protect. What if he found out what she was doing? Ken lived at the ethical center of the universe. He would walk away from any deal that was even remotely tainted, even at great personal cost. Ironically, that was one of the traits that made him so attractive to her. She wondered how they had taken divergent paths; how she had allowed herself to go down a rabbit hole of temptation all alone; one that she could never tell him about because he would simply never understand. It would be the end for them as a couple. So, she had accumulated large sums of money and deposited it into eight secret accounts. The deposits were growing at a pace that could never be explained to Ken or to the Securities and Exchange Commission if they came knocking.

Jessica loved the thrill, but she hated the secrecy. It was all so bipolar. She was either euphoric over the latest money-making thrill ride or fearful that it could all come undone, and she would lose her career, her marriage, and her reputation. She took a deep breath and checked her appearance in the mirror once more. She told herself that it was time to go to dinner with her husband and let go of the secrets that haunted her for a while.