Chapter 7

By Penny Reed Cardon

This is a Fanfic of Crystal Sprite’s story Texas Gal.
Chapters 1 – 50 of Crystal’s story can be found on Crystal’s Story Site.
http://www2.storysite.org/a_crystal01.html
Chapters 51 – 53 are found on Big Closet.
https://bigclosetr.us/topshelf/author/csprite
This Fanfic is a result of my warped imagination and I take full responsibility thereof.

It has been said that this is not a true fanfic because it is a continuation of Crystal’s story.
It is true that this is a continuation of her story, but according to my imagination.
It is not intended to depict how Crystal would continue the story.

Chapter Seven

Monday, July 17, 1972

Monday morning snuck up on me while I wasn’t looking. It was time for this Texas filly to get back in the saddle. Although, most saddles don’t come with seat belts, and most things you put a saddle on don’t have twin turbo-prop engines, but for another day mine did. I would have preferred to be saddling Emily and going for a nice ride, than going to war with Alliance, but we don't always get what we want. I knew that my time to relax at the ranch would have to wait for a little longer.

After a quick breakfast, Bob took off in the G1 with the two inspection teams. Covering five sites, with two teams, should be easy after the pace we set the week before. I gave Bob an hour to get Jerry and his team to their first site, before I took off with John, Bill and Susan.

Just before leaving my third inspection site, I called the office, in Jefferson City, to check in with Nancy. It seems there was one more plant added to today’s schedule, for a total of six plants. Still an easy task with two inspections teams. The surprising news was, that there were five plant owners in Canada that wanted to talk with me. Nancy didn’t know what to tell them, and was eagerly anticipating my call. I instructed Nancy to tell them that I’d be in contact with them by the end of the week.

By the end of the day, we had acquired two plants and were in partnership with four additional companies.

Tuesday was a travel day and there were still a lot of people to get home. Apparently, there had been quite a bit of juggling of the members of the inspection teams, for Monday. Jerry’s team had been a mix of personnel from across the country. For Monday, his team had two of his accountants and two of his engineers. Bob’s team, like Jerry’s, had been mixed, but for Monday’s inspections, it was made up of people from the Mid-West region, exclusively. So, with a lot of empty seats, we had two planes heading home.

Bob was first to lift off, he would stop in South Dakota for fuel, then head to Owosso to drop off his passengers. He would then head down to Jefferson City. I lifted off right after the G1 this time, I had Bill and John with me. Our route was from Portland to Salt Lake City to refuel and then on to Jefferson City. John was still thinking about his situation and thought a few days in JC, to look around, would add some much needed information or confusion, he wasn’t sure which.

Wednesday, July 19, 1972

The next morning, as I was greeting Nancy, she handed me two urgent phone messages.

"A Mr. Watson called for you three times yesterday. He says it is urgent that you call him as soon as you can. He left the number for the plant, with the extensions for his office and apartment. I don't understand, Miss Drake, does he live at the plant?"

"Yes Nancy. That’s the plant we talked about last Friday, that is so remote that they have an entire living complex for employees and their families."

"Families?"

"Yes, families," I replied, with a smile. "Now then, the other messages?"

"Oh yes, I'm sorry. A Mr. De Forest called, he also said that he needed to speak with you, urgently."

"Which Mr. De Forest?"

"This was Gregory De Forest. How many De Forests are there?"

"There are five that I know of. Anything else?"

"No ma'am, no more urgent messages. There is the usual assortment of other messages, they’re on your desk."

"Very good. Thank you Nancy."

As I crossed the convention center, that I called my office, and noted that things were slowly getting back to normal. There were several folders on my desk, along with a dozen phone messages. After fixing myself a cup of tea I dove in. Being that JC is two hours ahead of Oregon, I thought I'd give the folks out west time to wake up before I called. As was my usual routine, I started with the employee forms, then the phone messages, and lastly the plants offered for sale. There were only two offers in the folder, which was pleasantly surprising. I figured that after word got out about what we did last week the number of offers would skyrocket.

It was still only seven AM in Oregon, but I had Nancy place the call to Dave Watson.

It was only a few moments before my phone rang. "Yes Nancy?"

"I have Mr. Watson for you, Miss Drake."

"Thank you, Nancy."

"Good morning Dave," I said, after I heard the connection go through.

"Good morning Miss Drake."

"I take it from the urgency of your calls, you've had a visitor?" I asked, before Dave had a chance to tell me why he'd called so urgently.

"Yes we did, but how did you know?"

"We sort of expected Robert De Forest to make an appearance, didn't we? That's why Greg wanted everything finalized before any rumors could be leaked."

"Yes, I guess we did expect Robert to make an appearance. I just didn't expect him to be louder than his airplane. He did make a lot of threats, which is why I called."

"Really, Dave. What did he say?"

"Well, when I heard his plane, yesterday, I headed for reception. I actually met him outside, hoping to just turn him around. First he demanded to see his brother. I tried to explain that Mr. And Mrs. De Forest were no longer living at the plant, and that they had moved to their island the previous Sunday. Then he said I was a damn liar, he knew they weren't at the island because Greg’s plane wasn't there. I tried to explain that the planes were assets of the company and that the new owner had already taken possession of them."

"I'll bet he didn't like hearing that."

"No ma'am, he surely didn't. He kept yelling that the company couldn't have been sold and where was his brother. He wouldn't listen to anything I said. He just pushed his way past me and headed for the plant and Mr. De Forest's office."

"What did he do once he knew Gregory wasn't there?"

"He kept demanding to know where his brother was. Again, I told him that Mr. Gregory had sold the company and moved to his island. It took a while but he eventually asked who bought the company. I hesitated a few moments before I told him that it was Piermont Paper. That really set him off. He screamed at me that Gregory would never sell to that little bitch. Oh, excuse me ma'am, those were his words, not mine."

"I understand completely. Please continue, what else did he say?"

"Well, he screamed a lot of profanity when referring to you and Piermont Paper. He said that there was no way the sale of the company could be final and he'd make sure it wouldn't be. Before he left, he ordered me to shut the plant down and that everyone was laid off until he said otherwise."

"Answer a question for me, Dave. Who do you work for?"

Even over the phone I could hear Dave's attitude pick up as he answered, "I work for Piermont Paper and Miss Darla Anne Drake."

Smiling I replied, "That's correct. In the business world it's always important to know who you work for and who your boss is. Can I assume you did not shut the plant down?"

"No ma'am, I did not. There is one other thing that worries me though. Robert De Forest said he would have his people here by the end of the week to take control of the plant."

"Did he now? Well, we'll just have to get some Piermont security on site before then. Can you arrange accommodations for, let’s say, between twelve to sixteen new people?"

"It may be a bit tight, but we'll make it happen, Miss Drake."

"You're a good man Dave. Keep the paper moving and we'll take care of everything else."

"Yes ma'am, we'll keep everything running. I can see that Mr. Gregory was right about you, you do care about your people."

"We try, Dave. We do try. You be sure to let Bob Warren or myself know if you have any more problems with Robert."

"I most certainly will, Miss Drake.”

"Goodbye Dave."

“Goodbye Miss Drake."

After Dave hung up, I asked Nancy to have Bob Warren and Ben Phillips step into my office.

It was several minutes before hearing a knock on my door, "Come in!" I called out.

"Good morning Ben," I said, as Ben entered.

"Good morning DD," Ben replied. Leaving the door open, he started the journey across my office. "Bob is just behind me. This sounds serous."

"Good morning Boss," Bob said, as he entered and closed the door.

"Morning Bob. Yes, Ben, very serious," I replied.

Once they were seated I began, "I know you have an appointment with me this afternoon Ben, which we'll keep, this is a different matter. I just got off the phone with Dave Watson, at the Hills Creek plant. He had an unwelcome visitor yesterday, who made numerous threats, several indicating he's planning an illegal occupation, commencing Friday."

"Robert?" Bob asked.

I nodded in reply, and then Bob continued, "We expected him to fly down as soon as he heard about the sale of the company. What sort of threats was he making?"

"There were quite a few, there's only one that I'm concerned about. He told Dave that he'd have his people there by the end of the week, to take control of the plant," I replied.

"That's Robert De Forest you're talking about?" Ben inquired.

"That's correct," Bob answered.

"You don't think he'd try to take over the plant by force, do you?" Ben asked.

"I don't intend on finding out," I replied. "That's why you're here, Ben. I need you to get with Jerry DeLuca and make arrangements for a force of sixteen armed guards to be at the Hills Creek plant by noon tomorrow, Jerry has the plant detail."

"Sixteen?" Bob asked.

"Four per shift," I replied.

"Noon tomorrow?" Ben exclaimed.

"Do you think four per shift is enough?" Bob inquired.

"Yes, Ben, noon tomorrow. I think four per shift should be satisfactory, if needed, those that are working the opposite schedule can be called for assistance," I thought aloud.

"Wait a second, sixteen armed guards, four per shift, opposite schedule, what are you two talking about?" Ben asked, with a sound of frustration in his voice.

Bob and I quickly explained to Ben the uniqueness of the Hills Creek plant, and why we felt it was urgent that Piermont security be on site as soon as humanely possible.

After our explanation, Ben agreed that the matter was urgent and excused himself, so he could get the ball rolling.

Bob stayed, and asked, "What about the plants at Glide, and Walden, Oregon? Do you think Robert will go after them?"

"I'm going to leave those two plants in your hands, Bob. As organized as you are, I'm sure you have phone numbers for both plants. Give them a call and speak with the chief of security at each plant. Inform them of the situation and if they feel the need for additional security guards, they're authorized to hire as many as they need."

"As many as they need? That's a pretty vague statement."

Thinking for a moment, I added, "Perhaps, but as the plant chief of security, I expect them to act responsible. Where Hills Creek is a unique situation, Glide and Walden have population centers nearby. So, availability of security personnel, as well as possible threats, could both be higher. At those two plants, I wouldn't expect to see a security staff of more than twelve to fifteen, but if the security chiefs feels they need more than that, right now, that's okay. Just let them know that they'll be expected to justify their actions at a later date."

"That makes sense for now. I'll get in touch with them and explain the situation and urgency," Bob agreed, then got up and left.

Later that afternoon, Ben and I were discussing the progress he'd made in staffing our headquarters operations, along with the progress he made in getting our own security people at the Hills Creek plant. Out of nowhere came a roar and a thunder, like the screaming sounds of a big war bird, rudely shattering the peaceful laziness of the fields that surround our office building. We looked outside as the roar of engines faded, only for them to return once more. As the disturbance, once again, came past my office windows, I immediately recognized what was causing such commotion on a quiet afternoon. It had been accurately described to me, five days earlier.

Looking at Ben, I smiled and said, "It looks like we'll be receiving visitors very soon, I would imagine rather angry visitors. Would you care to stay for the circus?"

Ben had a look of surprise, "You’re expecting someone?"

"I was expecting an angry phone call, but I guess he's more upset than I thought he'd be." I explained, as I reached for the phone.

"Hello Bob, DD. Did you see the plane?"

"I most certainly did. Do you think it's who I think it is?"

"I'm sure of it. I'm not sure which subject he wants to discuss, but I'm sure he's agitated. Would you like to come over?"

"I wouldn't miss it. Should I bring anyone with me?"

"Ben is in my office currently, he's staying. You might want to bring Bill along, in case we need some numbers."

"I agree. We'll see you in about ten minutes."

I ended the call with Bob and dialed again.

"Good afternoon, Piermont Paper Products, how may I direct your call?" a young lady answered, who's voice I recognized.

"Melissa, this is Miss Drake."

"Yes Miss Drake, what can I do for you?"

"In about ten to fifteen minutes you're going to have a very angry gentleman come in, demanding to see me. I know who it is, but to be on the safe side I think you should call security and have two of their, rather large, gentlemen standing by. I'd also like them to accompany our guest to my office."

"I understand completely, Miss Drake. I'll call security right now and I'll call you when your angry guest arrives."

Hanging up the phone, I turned back to Ben. "Now all we have to do is wait for the show. While we wait, back to business. You were saying you coaxed some more temporaries from Brandon?"

"Indeed. You did say 'whatever it takes' and what it took was setting up shipping as a separate department. You remember Mark Johnson; he was the only one that wanted to transfer from Brandon. I've set him up as the department supervisor. With the promise of a managerial promotion, I talked five of the folks that used to handle the shipping arrangements to come down as regional managers."

"Regional managers?"

"Yes, one manager for each of our five regions, Northeast, Southeast, Mid-West, Northwest, and Southwest. They arrived last Thursday. We've set up the shipping department, in part of the unused space on the second floor. Then we hired forty new people. Some of them were rehires, from the MoPaper shipping department. A few were general accounts, with only a few years’ experience. The rest of them are fresh out of the local community college. I hated having to throw them in green like that, but there weren't many other options."

"So we've got forty new people, being trained, by the six we had. No chance of getting anymore from Brandon?"

"I had Matt talk with them. More of them indicated they would come down for three months, to train all the new people, if we paid them double time for the entire three months."

"I hope you told them they just weren't that indispensable."

"Well, I told Matt they were out of their minds. I'm not exactly sure what Matt passed on, but knowing Matt as we do, I'm sure he was a bit more colorful."

There was a knock on my office door. "Come in." I called out, before answering Ben; "Yes indeed, we know that Matt can use some colorful language when he feels it’s appropriate."

"Are we interrupting something?" Bob asked, as he and Bill entered, joining Ben and I in my casual area.

"Not at all," I replied. "We were just discussing the unreasonable request by some former employees and how tactfully Matt would have answered their request, for three months of double time."

"Oh my, they should have sold tickets for that show," Bill commented, with a chuckle.

Other comments were held as the phone rang.

I picked up the handset, "Hello."

"Miss Drake, this is Melissa, in reception. The gentleman you described is here. He has three young gentlemen with him."

"I'll bet I know who they are. Are the two gentlemen from security standing by?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Very well. Have security escort our four guests up. Then call security and have two additional men sent up. All four of them are to wait in my outer office. I don't know if they'll be needed, but I'd like them close by."

"Very good, ma'am. I'll send them right up."

"Our guests have arrived," I said, as I hung up. "It seems there are four, not just one. Let's see, to give the proper presentation I suppose I should be at my desk. Ben would you move a couple more chairs over from the conference table. Where the three of you sit is up to you."

I moved to my desk chair, sitting back and smoothing out my skirt. I then gently rested my hands on the arms of the overstuffed, executive, desk chair. Bill and Ben moved one chair each, from the conference table, placing them in front of my desk. Then Bob and Bill took a standing position behind and to either side of me, as they had done many months ago in a meeting with South Core. Ben not knowing exactly what was going on, decided to stand with his colleagues, just to Bill's right.

Suddenly the door burst open as a very angry man rushed into the office, screaming, "JUST WHAT THE IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, STEALING MY COMPANY? YOU CONNIVING LITTLE BITCH!" By the time he was finished screaming, he had crossed the office and was standing less than a foot from my desk, with his fists on his hips, in a typically Superman stance.

"I'm sorry Miss Drake, he got away from us in the executive suites’ lobby," Mr. Fisher apologized.

Mr. Fisher was followed by Mr. O'Reilly and the three other gentlemen.

"That's quiet all right, Mr. Fisher. Would you and Mr. O'Reilly wait in the outer office please?"

"Yes ma'am, it'll be a pleasure. Just yell if you need us."

I heard the door close, and asked "Gentlemen, would you please be seated?" The three younger gentlemen moved to the chairs, but with the older gentleman not moving, decided to stay standing.

From the moment he burst through the door, I hadn't broken eye contact. If he thought I was in anyway intimidated by his stance and evil glare, he was sadly mistaken.

"Well, well, Mr. Robert De Forest. Welcome to Jefferson City. May I assume that these young men are your nephews?"

Bobby remained silent and standing. Eventually I asked, "Won't you please be seated so we can discuss things in a civilized manor?"

When Robert still didn't move, I leaned my head towards Bob slightly, but without breaking eye contact with Robert, "Mr. Warren, I don't remember ordering a statue to adorn my office."

The three young men chuckled briefly.

"Very well, Robert, you may remain standing if that is your wish, it won't change anything. Let's see, oh yes, you made an outlandish accusation, inferring that I took possession of something that didn't belong to me. I consider your accusation slanderous, as I've never stolen anything in my life. Having made that point quite clear, to what company are you referring?" The ball was now in his court.

It was a solid five minutes before Bobby spoke or moved. "YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT COMPANY I'M TALKING ABOUT. DE FOREST PAPER, YOU DUMB BITCH!"

"Very good, now we're getting somewhere. If I'm guilty of any wrong doing, and as you claim, I've stolen De Forest Paper. Just who did I steal it from?" I asked.

"FROM ME AND MY NEPHEWS, YOU STUPID BITCH!" Bobby venomously cried out.

"I see, I stole De Forest Paper from you and your nephews. May I ask, which of your names was listed on the titles for the real property, or on the business license, issued by the state of Oregon?" I calmly asked.

"THEY WERE IN HIS WILL! THEY'D HAVE GOTTEN IT ALL, WHEN GREG DIED!" Bobby yelled.

"Oh, they are in their father's will, and you've come to see that their father's will is executed properly, on their behalf of course. It's customary for a lawyer to execute the will of the deceased. I must say, I'm sorry to hear of Gregory De Forests' sudden demise? My condolences, he was an extraordinary gentleman. I'm shocked to hear of his passing. He was very much alive when we flew both him and his lovely wife to their island, last Sunday. They were both looking forward to a quiet retirement."

"NO! HE'S NOT DEAD, you dumb bitch!" Robert cried out.

Continuing to ignore his references to a female dog, I calmly continued, "Gregory has not passed away, that is good to know. So, let me see if I understand correctly, you're not here to execute Gregory's will, obviously, because he is still alive. Yet you are accusing me of stealing from your nephews, something that was not theirs. So, please tell me," I started, as I stood up, pushing my chair back and having my three VP's step forward so the four of us were standing side by side. "Why are you here?"

Robert looked a little nervous, but was still very vocal, "To stop you from consummating the deal with my brother, so my nephews can inherit what is rightfully theirs."

Finally breaking eye contact with Robert, I looked towards the three young men as I spoke with some emphasis "Gentlemen, you can have whatever you want in this life, by setting some goals, and working towards them, not by clinging onto someone else's coat tails. Because, not one of you showed enough interest in working with your father to build a better future, the three paper plants, the warehouse in Eugene, and all the other assets of De Forest Paper, are now part of Piermont Paper Products."

"WE’LL SUE! WE’LL TAKE YOU TO COURT! WE’LL TIE YOU UP IN SO MUCH LEGAL RED TAPE THAT IT WILL BE YEARS BEFORE YOU'LL BE ABLE CLOSE THE DEAL AND ASSUME CONTROL!" Robert sputtered.

While Robert was yelling, I calmly sat back down.

"Excuse me, Mr. De Forest," Bob couldn't help but jump in. "The deeds have been signed, the transfer of title for all assets have been recorded in the appropriate county recorders offices, and the Fifteen-Million-dollar cashier’s check has been signed and delivered.”

“FIFTEEN MILLION, ONLY FIFTEEN MILLION? THAT COMPANY WAS WORTH MORE THAN EIGHTY MILLION!”

After Bobby stopped yelling, I calmly replied, “Fifteen Million was the amount that Gregory requested. He did say, that if anyone else had wanted to purchase the company, he would have asked for Forty Million. If my memory is correct, Gregory said, that there was a standing offer from Alliance Paper, for the purchase of De Forest Paper, to the tune of Six Million dollars. Now, I have to ask myself, who would be considered the bigger thief?”

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS. I'LL HAVE MY BROTHER DECLARED INCOMPETENT AND THE SALE OF THE COMPANY REVOKED!"

"I'm sure Gregory and everyone who worked for him, would fight against any such declaration," I calmly replied.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS, YOU CONNIVING LITTLE BITCH! IF IT TAKES FOREVER, I'LL GET YOU!" Robert screamed, his face turned red as he waved his arm wildly, then he turned and headed for the door.

"Mr. De Forest, please stay for a few minutes, we have another matter of business that needs to be discussed," Bill called out.

Robert stopped just short of the door, turned and look back, "WHAT?"

I softly asked, "Bill, now?"

"Why not now?" Bill replied, with a little smile.

Bob echoed Bill's sentiment, with a smile of his own, "Yeah, why not now?"

"WELL?" Robert screamed, obviously more than ready to be gone.

"You're right, why not,” I ultimately agreed. “Robert, I'm sure you are aware that when your father passed away, Gregory being the eldest, inherited not only the paper plants in Oregon, but also an estate in Spokane, Washington."

"Yeah, Greg said I could live there, so what?"

"What you may not know is that some time ago, for tax reasons, Gregory incorporated the De Forest Estate within De Forest Paper."

"Are you saying - no - he didn't - he couldn't - not -you don't mean?"

Bob interrupted Robert's ramblings, "A change of title for the estate has been recorded and is now on file."

"Are you telling me I have to abandon my family’s home?" Robert cried out.

Calmly I continued, "That isn't what we’re saying at all. Piermont has no need for, or desire to keep and maintain, an estate in Spokane. We will therefore be looking at liquidating the property in the near future. With you being the current occupant we will naturally give you first right of refusal."

"Right of refusal? ARE YOU TELLING ME I HAVE TO BUY BACK MY FAMILY’S ESTATE? I'm going to KILL that brother of mine when I get my hands on him. HOW MUCH?"

"The appraised value is $650,000." Bill quoted from memory.

Then I started to explain, "If we were to sell that on the open market we'd be asking $725,000. However, being that you're such a kind hearted fellow, who prides himself on being honest in all his business dealings and is kind towards his fellow man; we'll let you have it for-"

Robert snidely interrupted me, "AN EVEN MILLION - RIGHT?"

I waited a moment before I replied, "I have no doubt that if our roles were reversed, and you had acquired my family's home, you would take great pleasure in trying to extort an extravagantly over inflated sum. However, it pleases me no end, knowing that we are nothing alike. I was going to say that we'd sell you the estate for the bargain price of $500,000."

"$500,000 for an estate that was paid off and debt free decades ago. You're out if your #@%&*%# mind," Robert exploded once again.

"There is the option of renting the property for say – two thousand dollars a month, at least until we find another buyer. We really aren't interested in becoming a landlord," Bill added.

"Me, pay rent to you? You're as crazy as that stupid bitch you work for. I'm not paying you one red cent. The place is mine and we're staying right where we are!"

I leaned over and touched the button for the intercom to my outer office, "You may come in now, Mr. Fisher. Our guests are ready to leave."

The three young men were surprised when four, rather large, security guards entered.

"We'll give you a month to consider our offer, Mr. De Forest," Bob stated. “After that time we will put the estate up for sale."

"Don't forget, rent is due on the first of the month," Bill added, as the four De Forests were escorted out.

Ben went around and sat in one of the four chairs that currently faced my desk, sighed and asked, "Gee, I think I've been missing out. Do you three always have so much fun?"

"Not always," I replied, with a giggle.

"Today was better than most," Bob added, with a grin, as he also sat down.

"From his attitude, I'd say we haven't seen the last of Robert De Forest," Ben said.

"From the sound of it, I'd say we're going to have our hands full dealing with him," Bill said, after he also took a seat.

"I'm sure you're correct, and we haven’t seen his reaction to the upcoming article in Log Views, about our activities last week. I’m sure once everything comes to light, we’ll have the pleasure of another visit from Mr. De Forest. Until then, I think we've had our excitement for today, so let's get back to some boring business. Being that you're all here, how are the plans shaping up for next week?"

"I'll have everything finalized before I leave tonight," Bob started. "John and I will be taking the G1 to Brandon tonight. I'll spend two days with my family, before flying to Asheville, Saturday evening. Sunday morning, Ron and some of his people will fill the back of our G1 and we'll head for Portland. I've arranged to charter the G1 from Ruthland Air and they'll be leaving Brandon Sunday morning as well, with half of the seats filled. They'll stop in Owosso to pick up some of Gerard's people, before continuing on to Portland. We chartered the plane with the pilots this time and they'll be returning to Ruthland Monday morning."

"That will give us thirty-three management personnel, for the ten operating plants. That’s a little thin, isn't it?" I asked.

"That's just the first load. The Ruthland G1 will be making a second trip on Thursday, with another full load of management, bringing the total up to fifty-two," Bob elaborated.

"That takes care of management, what are the plans for accounting?" I inquired.

"Bob will have his hands full getting his management people moved and settled, for the first two weeks. So we won't do anything with accounting until those people are in place," Bill explained. "Two weeks from Sunday, Bob will come back for another plane load. Fourteen accountants will fill the back and I'll sit up front, with Bob. We'll put three accountants, in four plants, for a month, to train the current staff and evaluate their performance. Then we'll move them to the next four and so on."

"Why the two-week delay, is it for the lack of aircraft, or the lack of pilots?" I asked.

"Well, I'd have to say both," Bob replied.

"There's only the one G1 and you and Bob are the only one's licensed to fly her," Bill added.

"As I mentioned before, the small planes are great for hopping around within a region, but they're not as good for flying cross country," Bob added.

"I see. Well, that just goes towards substantiating the decision I announced last Friday. All of Piermont's VP's need their pilot’s license," I stated.

"All VP's?" Ben asked, with a smile.

"Well, I'm not so sure about Matt. I guess we'll leave that up to him. So let’s say, most of our VP's will be learning to fly both single and multi-engine aircraft. Bob, how many do you think that Constellation of Bobby's, would seat?"

"You want Bobby's airplane?" Bill asked, with an amused chuckle.

"Not necessarily that exact one, I was just thinking about that style of aircraft. I don't know how much more difficulty there would be in handling four engines, versus two," I replied. "Anyway, if a lack of transportation is becoming a problem, I should think about additional transportation."

"It's only a problem when we acquire so many new plants at one time. The rest of the time, the planes we have are quite sufficient," Bob stated.

"I still think another larger plane is something to consider, if the right deal comes along. Of course, there will be John's plane, once he decides on one. So, how are we handling the accountants we'll need for the partnership plants?"

"We got lucky there," Bill started. "We had Matt talk with the general accountants we furloughed in Brandon, not those involved with shipping. For a one-year commitment, and just a little more money we got thirteen accountants that are willing to take on that challenge."

"That is good news. When will they be going out west?" I asked.

"In three weeks, maybe a few days sooner," Ben said.

"That date is special because?" I asked.

"Because, I can't be in two places at once," Bill replied, with a smile. "Once we've got the training accountants working in the first four plants, I'll have the time to work with the accountants in the partnership plants. We're assuming that each one will have a different accounting system, that we'll have to learn, before we can create the forms that will interface with our systems."

"Will one accountant in each plant be sufficient to handle the job? When we were talking with the owners, we indicated there would be two accountants," I reminded everyone.

"Two would be ideal, we just don't have that many we can spare," Bill replied.

"Ben, are there more accountants available in the local work force?" I asked.

"We've rehired all of the MoPaper accountants, from their original headquarters staff. There are those that were laid off from the various plants over the years, I don't know how many might be available. Of course it is late June there should be a group of recent college graduates coming on the market, across the country," Ben replied.

"It sounds like you know where to find some accountants? We need them here as soon as possible. We've got three weeks to get them trained," I said.

"Right DD," Ben acknowledged.

"How are we coming on our nationwide price for newsprint?" was my next question.

"Lynn March is working with the team that's putting those numbers together. I've been keeping tabs on them and we should have that by close of business on Friday, perhaps in time for our Friday executive staff meeting. We'll also know which plants will be running in the red and by how much," Bill proudly stated.

"That's excellent, Bill. Excellent. Pass on my compliments to the entire accounting staff."

"Will do, DD."

"I think that covers everything, except purchasing. How does Tom usually integrate the purchasing departments, of newly acquired plants?" I asked.

"Well, we're having a problem with purchasing," Bob started. "It seems that Tom lost virtually all of his department, in the headquarters move."

"The entire department?" I asked.

"All but one," Bob confirmed. "The two of them have been working like crazy, keeping the raw materials flowing."

"We've found that four of our new-hires have a little purchasing background," Ben said. "So they've been moved into purchasing, but it will take some time before they're up to speed."

"How many did we lose?" I asked.

"When we started out with just the Brandon plant, there was just Tom. He was handling everything okay on his own. Tom continued on his own, with the exception of Danbury, until we bought Owosso. One of their purchasing agents transferred to Brandon, between Tom and Ralph they kept everything moving. With the addition of Appalachian, came a third purchasing agent and a full time secretary to the department. It's worked out to be one purchasing agent for every eight to ten operating plants."

I thought for a moment before replying, "So the department was five people, in addition to Tom and a secretary. Now we have Tom, one experienced purchasing agent, four trainees, and no secretary. Taking into account the new plants and the partnership plants, we need three to four additional purchasing agents and probably two secretaries?"

"That's what I figure, but Tom hasn't told me what he needs yet," Ben replied.

"So we need seventeen additional accountants, four purchasing agents, and at least two secretaries. Does that complete our headquarters staffing needs?" I asked.

"That's pretty much it. Other than shipping wants three or four more, plus the additional security personnel you want, here and at the other plants," Ben replied.

I looked at Ben for a few moments, before asking, "Ben, how many people did you lose in the move?"

Ben smiled, and replied, "Only three."

"Only three? But you handle the staffing for the whole company. How is it that you only lost three?"

"After we purchased Appalachian I realized, I couldn't handle all the employment and personnel needs of the company, by myself," Ben admitted. "So I set up a Director of Personnel, in each region and a Personnel Manager, in each plant. Obviously, the plants report to the regional managers, who in turn report to one of my two assistants’. When we moved, I left one of my assistant's as the Northeast Regional Director, and the other assistant as the Brandon Personnel Manager. They're still sharing the same secretary. Eventually, I'm going to look for an assistant or two and a secretary, but they can wait until later. For right now, I been using the JC plant Personnel Manager to help with interviews and Ellen has been filling in as my secretary."

"So that's why she's been taking so long in getting my stuff done. She's too busy doing your stuff," Bob jokingly complained.

Ben started to apologize, but Bob quickly cut him off, "I'm just kidding. Ellen has been doing a great job for me, and knowing that she's been working for you as well, means I'm even more impressed with her abilities."

"Gentlemen, thank you for the update. Normally, I stop in for a couple of weeks, stir up the hornets’ nest and run back to school, leaving you to clean up the mess. It's good to see how organized you all are and how you manage to tackle all the problems I created. Of course, I've known all along that all of you are exceptional at your jobs; because of how Piermont has grown. I thank you all for your hard work, and it's because of how organized you are, that I've made a decision."

"What's that, you're going to take off for the next two months, while we get everyone integrated into the company?" Bob asked, with a smile.

Returning Bob's smile, I replied, "As tempting as that sounds, not this time. However, the enthusiasm and dedication that you've shown have helped me with a decision that I've been struggling with."

"And what decision is that?" Ben asked, before anyone else had the chance.

I paused a moment before answering, "I think this is something I should announce in our executive staff meeting this Friday. But I will say this; I'm going to need two accountants and two engineers, downstairs in the lobby, Sunday morning at 7:30. They'll need to be prepared for a three-day trip - maybe four days."

"Sunday? But, I'll be using the G1, getting the management teams in place," Bob said, it almost sounded like a question.

"Yes, you'll be using the G1. My small inspection team, will leave from here, Sunday morning, in the King Air," I stated.

Bob chuckled, "I'd forgotten about the King Air. It's a little small for cross country, isn't it?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to go that distance in anything smaller, but it did very well and was comfortable coming back from Portland, yesterday. It does have a lavatory, if the passengers need it. As for me, well, I'll just pull over at the nearest gas station."

"Speaking of Friday's meeting, I was talking with our rep at the phone company and I've arranged for a speaker phone to be installed tomorrow, here and in Matt's office in Brandon."

"Speaker phone?"

"On your conference table. We just call in, on the office buildings eight-hundred number, and have the switchboard patch us into the new extension."

"Interesting, is there a limit on how many incoming calls can be connected to that extension?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Oh, I was just thinking. If you and Matt call in -"

"We'll have John with us," Bob interrupted.

"Even better. I'll have Bill, Ben, and Tom here; you, Matt, and John call in from Brandon. Then we have Ron, Gerard, and Jerry, call in from their respective offices, and we can have full attendance at every meeting."

"I hadn't thought that far ahead and I'm not sure if that will work, but I'll have the answers before I leave today.

We discussed a few other issues before calling our impromptu meeting to a close. As was typical, Bob stayed after everyone else had left.

"What's on your mind Bob?"

"It's Canada, isn't it?" he said, leaning back in his chair.

"I can see there's no keeping any secrets from you. How did you figure it out?"

"I talked with Nancy early this morning. She mentioned there were five plant owners in Canada, asking to have you contact them and ask me what I thought."

"And what do you think?"

"I told Nancy it would be up to you."

"Expanding into Canada is a logical move. We have all the resources we need to organize and run an operation across the border."

"I would like to wait until the situation with Alliance is settled," Bob commented.

"It's because of Alliance that these plants are in trouble, but I agree with you completely. It would be preferable to hold off on any other expansion plans; until things have settled and stabilized."

"I guess we don't always get to have things the way we want."

"You have to admit, we have had our share of easy takeovers."

"Just do me a favor, boss?"

Giggling, I asked, "What would that be?"

"After this trip to Canada, no more this year? With the fifteen new plants, and the seventeen companies we're in partnership with, I'm going to be so busy between now and Halloween, that I won't see my family from next Saturday until Thanksgiving."

"Well, we'll have to do something about that, family time is important. I'm not sure what exactly, but we'll work something out."

"There's also moving my family from Brandon to JC, which needs to happen in the next couple of months.”

“I hadn’t forgotten about that. When the time is right, we’ll send some people from the plant over, to help your wife pack up the house. We’ll also make a truck available for the move,” I told him.

“That will be great, I hadn’t thought of that. There is one more thing I wanted to discuss; the other King Air, seeing how you brought up the subject. With both of us in the Northwest, for a few days, we should take the time to stop over in Eugene and pick up the other King Air. It would be more efficient, when I'm transporting just a few people, from place to place."

"I haven't gotten with Nancy to plan an itinerary yet, so arranging some time shouldn't be a problem. Why don't we plan on the trip to Eugene first thing Monday morning, then you'll have the option of using which ever plane is the most appropriate for each trip."

After Bob left, I thought I'd review our five-year business plan. After all, we reached all of the goals of our first five-year plan, in one and a half years. We were now two and a half years into our second five-year plan, and I was sure we'd achieved at least half of the goals we set. So I figured it was time for me to do my job and review exactly where we stood as a company. Of course, going to war with Alliance, wasn't one of our goals. However, because of the price war, we were propelled into making acquisitions above and beyond what we would have expected for our normal growth rate.

As the day was drawing to a close, Bob and John came to pay me a visit, before heading for the airport. Bob's news was not all good, the arrangements for temporary managers at the new plants, was going better than expected. However, the news from the phone company was not as good. Having four calls coming in to the speaker phone in my office, was not possible, with the equipment we were currently using. There was some newer equipment available, that would allow what we wanted and Bob had made the arrangement for the upgrade.

You could tell that John was shocked, when I asked for two engineers to accompany me, on a little trip up into Canada. Of course, he was loaded with questions, leaving from where, when, what plane I was taking, how many were going, how long will they be gone, how many companies will we be evaluating, and on and on?

Between Bob and me, we answered most of John's questions. The only ones we couldn't answer, had to do with timing, and the return date and time; Nancy and I would work out the itinerary, Thursday morning.

"Well, it looks like I have a problem," John complained.

"What would that be?" Bob asked.

"Well, the way I see it, once the announcement is made Friday morning, about expanding into Canada, most of the engineers in the company, will want to be part of the inspection team."

"You could organize a lottery, a dollar a ticket," I suggested, with a chuckle.

"Yes, but what would I do with the money?" John asked.

"We could add it to the company party fund. That way, everyone would benefit," Bob suggested.

"I was joking," I said.

"We know," Bob and John replied together.

Smiling, I continued, "I know you'll provide me with two competent engineers, John."

"Us," John stated.

"Us?" I asked.

"Well, you don't think I'm going to let you take two of my engineers into Canada, without me coming along, do you?" John answered.

"As President of Piermont Paper, technically, they are my engineers. However, if you want to come along to supervise your engineers, you're more than welcome to join the party."

"You know, boss, once Bill finds out where you are taking his accountants, he's going to insist that he goes along," Bob said.

"I guess it's a good thing the King Air can accommodate six, in relative comfort."

"Yes, it’s a good thing," Bob agreed. "Well, we better be off. My wife and kids are going to be waiting at the airport. I'll see you Monday morning, in Portland."

"And I'll see you Sunday morning," John added, as the two of them were heading for the door.

Thursday, July 20, 1972

I'd just fixed myself a cup of tea and gotten comfortable, when Nancy called. "I have Mr. Wells on the line for you Miss Drake."

"Thank you, Nancy."

"Good morning Mr. Wells, how are you on this beautiful sunny morning?"

Mr. Wells chuckled softly before answering, "It may be sunny in your part of the world, but it's raining profusely in mine."

"I'm sorry to hear that. By the way, I wanted to thank you for your recommendations. I did engage the services of one of the firms you recommend. Now then, what can I do for you this morning?"

"I thought that was supposed to be my question, what I can do for you, Miss Drake? I’m glad that one of my associates on the west coast was able to help you."

"Of course, you're right about confusing the question. Now then, what can you do for me this morning?"

"I have a name for you, Miss Drake."

"A name? You know who South Core's spy is?" I asked, excitedly.

"Well, it's possibly their spy. All I can tell you for sure is that this individual worked for South Core for many years; right up until two months before starting to working for you. It was a little hard to verify, the actual work history had been very effectively obscured, but the more we dug into it, the more the strings of the deception unraveled. A friend of mine that works with the IRS, was able to clear things up, he can be extremely helpful from time to time."

"Yes, friends in high places are definitely good to have. So who do I need to keep an eye on?"

* * * To Be Continued * * *

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