Strategic Moves Read Online Free

phone with her hand. “Somebody called Adele Lansdown.”
    Stone took the phone from her. “Good morning, Adele.”
    “Have you heard?” she asked.
    “Yes, Herbie was just here. He’s on his way to the Gunns’ place to see Stephanie.”
    “Stop him, if you can,” she said. “There’s a mob scene over there.”
    “Hold on, please. Joan, see if you can get Herbie on his cell. Tell him to go straight home, not to the Gunns’, and to try Stephanie on her cell and tell her the same thing.” He went back to Adele. “My secretary is trying to reach Herbie. Do you know anything about what’s led up to this?”
    “Not a thing. Jack is the most upright man I have ever met.”
    “Do you have money invested with him?”
    “Yes, most of my liquid assets.”
    “Can you get it out?”
    “I can’t do that; it would look awful if Jack’s sister-in-law appeared to have no faith in him.”
    “Have you talked to Christine?”
    “Just for a moment. She has no idea what’s happening, except some people showed up at their house at breakfast time and took Jack away.”
    “Is there anything I can do for you?”
    “Do I need a lawyer, Stone?”
    “Are you in business with Jack, except as an investor?”
    “No, I’m not.”
    “Then just sit tight and get somebody to screen your phone calls. Don’t talk to anybody from the press.”
    “Not even to support Jack?”
    “Not even for that, until you know more. Call me if you need any help.”
    “All right. Thanks, Stone.” She hung up.
    “Do you know anybody who invests with Gunn?” Joan asked.
    “That was his sister-in-law; she does, but nobody else that I know of. Did you reach Herbie?”
    “Yes, I caught him in a cab. He’s going home, and he’s trying to reach Stephanie.”
    The phone rang again and Joan answered. “It’s Mike Freeman at Strategic Services,” she said.
    “Hello, Mike.”
    “Morning, Stone. Have you heard about this Jack Gunn thing?”
    “Yes, just a few minutes ago.”
    “We’re having a board meeting in half an hour. I’d like for you to be here.”
    “I’m on my way. What’s the agenda?”
    “Strategic Services has got more than ten million dollars invested with Gunn. That’s the agenda.”
     
     
    Stone was in a cab when his cell phone vibrated. “Hello?”
    “It’s Bill Eggers.”
    “Good morning, Bill.”
    “I assume you’ve seen the papers, about Jack Gunn.”
    “Yes. I met him last night at his daughter’s wedding reception.”
    “I just had a call from his corporate counsel, Leighton Craft. He wants us to represent Gunn, and I’d like you to help me handle it.”
    “We’ve got a conflict, Bill. Strategic Services has a big investment with him; I’m on the way to a board meeting there right now.”
    “It may not be a conflict. Leighton says that Gunn has done nothing wrong and is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney. I’m meeting with them this afternoon, and I’d like you to be there.”
    “All right, but I’ll have to tell Mike Freeman about it.”
    “Go ahead and do that. I’ll see you at three o’clock here.”
    Stone hung up. Yesterday he had never heard of Jack Gunn, and now he was up to his ass in the man’s problems.

FIVE
    Stone arrived at Strategic Services, and the receptionist sent him in to Mike Freeman straightaway. Mike had moved into Jim Hackett’s old office.
    “Sit down, Stone,” Freeman said. “I’m going to place a conference call to London, Tel Aviv, and Hong Kong in just a minute, but I wanted to talk to you first. What do you know about the Jack Gunn arrest?”
    “Just what I’ve read in the papers,” Stone said. “I attended his daughter’s wedding last night—his new son-in-law is a client of mine. I’d never met Gunn before.”
    “Jim Hackett was a good friend of Gunn’s; it was Jim who invested the firm’s money with him.”
    “You said ten million. What part of your cash reserves does that represent?”
    “Only a small part; we’re sitting on over half a