How I Spent My Summer Vacation… Harvard style

Imposter Syndrome or not, I finished my undergrad business degree in May and then jumped whole hog into pursuing a masters degree. At Harvard. This was a HUGE leap for me. From the misfit kid in high school surrounded by really smart friends, who felt like a total outsider, to graduating Summa Cum Laud with my bachelors, to beginning the journey with the oldest and one of the most prestigious schools in the country. What?! Take it one step at a time, baby. And have no expectations.

When I graduated with my bachelors degree in Business, I thought, why don’t I now pursue what I’m REALLY interested in with my alma mater, Southern New Hampshire University. An MFA in Creative Writing. Surely that’s the easy path. Nope! They didn’t want me, so I shot for the moon and took it one step at a time at Harvard. Step one – Pass the Critical Reading and Writing Exam. Done. Step two – Take two pre-requisite courses and earn at least a B in each of them. Well, folks, I’m halfway there. I will learn soon if I achieved that B in my Advanced Fiction Writing – Writing Suspense Fiction course that I took at Harvard Summer School As it stands, I have an 86% on my second draft, and I am anxiously awaiting my grade on my final draft. I have to make a B in this course and a Proseminar course in order to qualify for admission into the ALM (Masters of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies with a concentration in Creative Writing & Literature.) That’s a mouthful, but c’mon… it’s Harvard, y’all!

For those interested, here is my third draft of my Suspense Fiction piece.

Fraud

Kate Saunders enlarged the document, trying to get a clearer look at the dates. She couldn’t quite pull the images into focus. Her tired eyes had literally seen better days. She removed her thick glasses, rubbed her eyes and tried once again to focus. Kate gave up and called to her cube mate.

“Hey, Steph, come see if you can read this,” Kate called over the cubicle.

Stephanie, a slim blond analyst appeared in her cube and leaned in over Kate’s shoulder.

            “Nope, not a digit. Looks like a bad job of PDF doctoring,” Stephanie said.

Kate took a deep breath and sighed.

            “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Kate picked up her phone and dialed Jimmy’s extension.

            “Hey, Jimmy. Sorry to bother you. On your expense report, do you happen to have a better copy of your hotel receipt?”

            “Yeah, I saw that too, Miss Kate. Weird, huh? Couldn’t read it. That’s the only copy they gave me.”

            “No problem, I just…”

The call ended.

Annoyed, Kate dialed Jimmy’s extension again but the call went straight to voicemail.

Now forced to talk with Jimmy face-to-face, Kate smoothed her steel-grey hair, repositioned the number two pencil perched behind her ear and meandered through the sea of cubicles that comprised the New Orleans Finance Department of AERO Engineering, Inc. The company specialized in designing software in support of various branches of the Department of Defense, Jimmy was a Program Manager who oversaw several contracts.

Kate reached Jimmy’s office, leaned into his doorway and knocked on the doorframe. She observed him with his meaty paws pounding out an email.

“Hey Jimmy, I think we got disconnected.”

James Arsenault, a man whose guffawed laugh pulled you in like the unwanted hug from a creepy uncle, looked up from his computer screen, Kate saw a flash of annoyance hit his eyes. He corrected his expression, grinned and leaned back in his chair.

            “Welllll, Miss Kate!” Jimmy said. You enter the room and I just…” Jimmy closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose as if taking in the bouquet of a fine wine. “…well, I just feel… smarter.” Jimmy’s deep southern drawl hung in the air like a bad smell. Kate laughed, but was immediately annoyed at herself that she allowed it.      

“Well, Jimmy, that’s why they pay me, to make folks smarter, and to keep us all out of prison.” Kate forced her own drawl and a sparkle that danced across her deep brown eyes.

“Hey, listen, Jimmy… we got disconnected. I really need to get a clearer receipt for that Fort Walton Beach hotel.”

            “That’s a shame, Kate, that’s all they gave me. Like I told you.” Jimmy deliberately paused and stared at her before continuing, “Now, you run along and count those beans that you folks are so fond of. But while you’re at it, go on and approve that expense report. I’m sure you’ll find it’s just fine the way it is.” His tone was light and playful but his narrowed eyes said otherwise.

            “Well, unfortunately, I’m in a bit of a pickle,” Kate said. “I get what you’re saying but this report was flagged to go out to Ernst & Young for Sarbanes Oxley testing.” The company’s recent sale to a publicly-traded corporation had created these audit requirements.

            “I’m sure it will be just fine, people overlook things in audit all the time,” Jimmy said. He returned to hammering away at his keyboard, never looking up at Kate again.

            Discouraged and frustrated, Kate made her way to the kitchenette and refilled her Tinkerbell coffee cup. When she returned to her cubicle, she plopped in her chair and picked at the foam grip of her gel pen as she considered the next steps she needed to take. Jimmy’s expense report glared at her from the computer screen. She found the phone number on the receipt and phoned the Gateway Motel in Fort Walton Beach, FL. A woman answered the phone and after a brief exchange the clerk agreed to send Kate a copy of the receipt that matched the one on Jimmy’s report.

When it arrived in her email, Kate examined the receipt. The dates for the hotel stay were from the year prior, not for the recent stay on the expense report.

“Ugh…”

She called the hotel back only to discover that the last time Jimmy stayed there was more than a year ago.

            “Well, shit,” Kate said.

She logged into the American Express website and accessed his corporate account from there. She hoped to be able to validate the charge using his credit card statement instead. She scanned the records for the dates of his trip. No hotel charges and no pending charges. She frowned when she saw a charge for the Diamondback Lounge. Alcohol charges were a big no-no on the corporate card. Digging further, she found the lounge was in the lobby of the Gulf Sands Hotel in Fort Walton Beach. Bingo!

When Kate queried the hotel, the search returned a news article: Police Have No Leads in the Death of South Florida Woman. Curious, she read the article. It appealed to the novice sleuth in Kate, but it wouldn’t help her collect evidence against Jimmy’s fraud. She forced herself away from the intrigue of an unsolved murder, and rang the Gulf Sands Hotel and discovered that Jimmy did stay there during his last trip. However, the unhelpful desk clerk agreed to send the needed receipt, but refused to answer any of Kate’s follow-up questions.

When the receipt arrived in Kate’s email, she found that Jimmy paid $96 cash per night but collected $207 for his stay in Fort Walton Beach and used the altered receipt from the Gateway Motel to justify the cost and pocketed $101 difference. Frustrated with Jimmy’s shenanigans, Kate’s mind drifted to the murder in Florida. She finished reading the article, and gasped when she realized the photo in the article was from a surveillance video of the dead woman and a man who looked distinctly like Jimmy. Jimmy stayed in that hotel the night of the woman’s murder. Kate furrowed her brow and considered the possibility that Jimmy may have tried to cover up much more than defrauding the government.

            “Problem?” Jimmy stood inside her cubicle, too close behind her; she felt his hot breath on her neck.

 “Um, no… no problem. Just trying to figure something out,” Kate said.

He stared at her, and gestured at the news story on her screen.

“I see that,” he said before exiting the tight space.

Resentful and embarrassed, Kate was even more determined to prove Jimmy’s fraud. Kate smirked, glancing again at the photo of Jimmy and the woman in Florida. Fraud and perhaps things he wouldn’t want his wife to know.

Kate pulled Jimmy’s expense history. He traveled at least once a month to Fort Walton Beach, FL for meetings at the corporate offices. Kate’s own boss was located there. When Kate reviewed each of the expense reports, she found that Jimmy had used the same altered hotel receipt. For each day of his trip, he collected $207. He apparently become too lazy to actually change the dates on the PDF and simply blurred them out. The one thing Jimmy failed to alter was the invoice number. Kate now had eleven expense reports that used the same hotel receipt with the same invoice number, each should have been unique. No one on the approval chain caught that. Kate needed to prove that Jimmy stayed at the Gulf Sands Hotel for $96 and charged $207 shown on the Gateway Hotel receipt. If she could prove that, she could prove that Jimmy stole several thousand dollars.

Kate glanced at the time on her computer, 4:27.

“Crap!”

She was about to be late for the call with her boss, Janine, but she needed to head home before it got dark. Kate pulled up an instant message screen.

            “Sorry, Jan, I’m gonna have to call you from home in about an hour. Time got away from me.”

            “NP,” Jan replied.

Kate unplugged her laptop, hurriedly pushed it into her bag and glanced over her desk, made sure she hadn’t forgotten anything in her haste. She took the elevator for the quick trip from the second floor. Kate made her way along Poydras, turning right on O’Keefe toward Perdido. As she crossed the exit from the parking garage, the driver of a large pickup truck tooted his horn. Startled and annoyed, she glanced up at the driver. It was Jimmy. Kate didn’t know that Jimmy watched and waited for her.

“Well whatdaya know? It’s my favorite bean counter.” Jimmy grinned through his now open window. “Where’s your car?”

Kate felt her breath caught in her chest and her heart begin to pound.

“I live here in town; it’s cheaper to take the bus. I’m hoofing it to catch it.”

“Where ya going?”

“Freret and Jefferson Avenue?” Kate said.

“Why don’t you hop on in and I’ll drive you? I’m headed in that direction anyway.”

“Aw, thanks, Jimmy… I’m good. You have a great evening.” Kate began walking toward the bus stop.

“C’mon, hop in. We hardly ever get to talk.”

Reluctant, Kate climbed into the truck and they talked about New Orleans and its contrast to their respective home towns while they wound their way through the business district.

            “I didn’t see my expense report go through yet,” Jimmy said.

            “Not yet, I’m still reviewing it.”

            “What for?”

“I needed a better copy of that hotel receipt.”

“I told you that was the only copy they gave me.”

“Yes, I know. I called the hotel and they sent another copy.”

Jimmy’s silence was palpable. He took a slow deep breath and exhaled before continuing.

“I think the receipt I gave you was just fine. In the morning, just go ahead and push it on through.”

“But, Jimmy, I can’t do that. I have to make sure everything lines up. As it stands, that receipt won’t hold up under the next phase of audit with E&Y.”

Kate looked at Jimmy and saw the color rising in his face.

            “Do you have a problem doing your job?”

Kate blinked.

            “No, Jimmy. Quite the opposite, I’m trying to do my job. I’m almost finished. I had to get another receipt, but I’m getting it sorted out.”

Jimmy’s face turned red and he gripped the steering wheel. He cleared his throat.

            “I want that report finished and approved tomorrow. Do you understand me?”

Kate crossed her arms and stared out the windshield and wondered if she could jump out of the moving truck without severely injuring herself. A sprained ankle would be better than listening to this thieving asshole.

            “I have to get more information from Gulf Sands Hotel,” Kate said.

Jimmy turned on her.

            “What in THE hell are you talking about?” There was no hiding his anger now.

Kate was shaking, her own anger growing.

“I’m talking about the hotel where you stayed in Fort Walton Beach. They sent me the receipt.”

Jimmy understood the meaning behind Kate’s words. He pulled into the alley behind Kate’s house, threw the truck into park and turned on her once more.

“Now you listen, Kate. You will push that report along tomorrow and you will use the documentation I provided. I have been with this company for over twenty goddamn years, they love me here and you don’t want to fuck with me. Do you understand me?”

Kate simply glared at him.

“Do you understand me, Katherine?”

Jimmy never called her Katherine. Kate felt that his next words might be, “Or you’re grounded.”, but truly feared they would more likely be, “Or I’ll have you fired.”

            “I understand you perfectly, James. I also understand that you don’t have the authority to force me to do that.”

Kate cheeks glowed bright red and hot. She grabbed her bag and slid out of his truck. Jimmy called after her.

            “Just approve the damned report, Kate.”

She didn’t respond and she didn’t look back. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she walked up the sidewalk toward the house.

…

You have an expense report pending your approval.

It would be two days before Kate would return to the office in New Orleans to deal with the nagging expense report reminder. She rented a car and drove east along Interstate 10 to the Florida Panhandle. The small city of Fort Walton Beach was situated on the Gulf of Mexico and near several military bases. Kate scheduled a meeting with her boss, Janine Davis, Director of Internal Audit, at 2 p.m. This gave her enough time to speak with a clerk at the Gulf Sands Hotel.

Kate found the hotel, parked and stepped out of the car. The breeze off the Gulf carried with it a subtle saltiness that clung to the back of her throat. Although it was October, the air was still very warm and humid, the coils of her hair tightened in the humidity and a sheen of perspiration bloomed across her cheeks and forehead. She stepped into the lobby and the cold blast of air conditioning hit her full in the face and caused a subtle shiver to waft through her.

At the front desk she saw a tall, gangly young man, probably mid-twenties, with limp dark hair, too long to be stylish, but too short to be cool. He had a large nose, full lips and sleepy hazel eyes. Kate approached the desk.

“Yes ma’am? Welcome to the Gulf Sands Hotel. Will you be checking in?”

Kate replied, “I will, but I think I’m a bit early.”

“Check-in is 3 p.m., but what’s your name? I’ll see if your room is ready.”

“Kate, um… Katherine… Saunders?”

The young man clicked a few keys on his keyboard.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, your room isn’t quite ready yet.”

“That’s alright,” Kate said. “I really wanted to ask you a few questions if you have a couple minutes to speak to me.”

“Of course – unless you’re a reporter.”

“No, nothing like that,” Kate said. “I work for AERO Engineering.” Kate pulled out her lanyard with her work badge and showed it to the young man. It bore no authority, but Kate bet he didn’t know that.

“Yes, ma’am?” he asked.

“I’m conducting an audit and I hope you can help me,” Kate said. “What’s your name?”

“Zander, well… Alexander, but you know, people call me Zander.”

Kate let an easy smile play across her lips.

“Hey, Zander. We have an employee who stays here frequently and I need some documents to help us close out some reports. Can you help me with that?”

            “I can try,” Zander said.

            “That’s terrific, I’d really appreciate it if you could,” Kate continued. “Our employee James Arsenault…”

            “Jimbo! Of course! I know Jimbo. He told me he spells it Jimbeaux, because he’s Cajun. Great guy. He’s gonna help me get in with your company once I get my MBA.”

            “Oh wow! You’re an accounting guy too?” Kate asked

            “Yeah! I have just another few months before I graduate.”

            “Well, Zander, you’re in luck. I work for the accounting department of AERO. Maybe I can help you too.” She handed him a business card.

            Kate knew she needed to play the situation very carefully. Once Jimmy had his hooks in someone, there was no dissuading them that Jimmy was actually a jerk.

            “So, how often does Jimmy stay here?” Kate asked.

Zander paused to think about the question.

            “Well, I’ve been here almost two years, for the past year or so, he has been here just about every month or so.” Zander said.

Kate chewed her lip and carefully considered her next move.

            Kate leaned in toward the desk, “Okay, Zander, you’re a smart guy and I’m not gonna bullshit you. I really need your help with this. Since you’re an accountant too, I know you understand the predicament that I’m in. I really need to get my hands on the receipts for Jimmy’s stay here over the past year or so. Can you help me with that?”

Zander shifted from one foot to another, glanced uncomfortably at a surveillance camera and considered Kate’s request.

Zander lowered his voice and leaned in toward her.

            “I’ll help you with this, but it’s gonna take me a little bit of time.”

Kate exhaled.  “Thank you SO much, Zander. That’s no problem all. I have a meeting, is it okay if I pick the receipts up when I come back to check in?”

            “That would be great,” Zander said. Then he leaned in closer and lowered his voice, “You know that I saw him with that dead woman, right?”

…

            Kate met with her boss and presented the evidence she collected. As she suspected, the missing piece were the receipts that Zander promised to provide. It gutted Kate to learn that Jimmy would most likely get away with his fraud regardless of the supporting evidence. Go along and get along.

When she returned to the hotel to check in, Zander was no longer on duty, but he left an envelope full of printed receipts for Kate. She retired to her room, and began reviewing the receipts. As she suspected, the receipts supported her suspicions that Jimmy had padded his expense reports and pocketed the difference between what he paid in cash and what the company reimbursed. Kate considered her options. None were good. She made two final phone calls. Her first call was to the Department of Defense’s fraud, waste and abuse hotline to report Jimmy’s fraud. If the company wouldn’t do anything about Jimmy’s fraud against the government, the DoD certainly would. For good measure, she called the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office to tip them that Jimmy was the man in the newspaper photo with the murdered woman.

…

 When she returned to New Orleans, Kate dropped off her rental car, and took her favorite bus route home; it afforded her a leisurely walk along Freret Street. She peered into the shops, and took in the spicy scents of red beans and smoked ham hocks simmering and frying seafood. She felt edgy, but the distraction of sights and smells helped level her mood. Kate rounded the corner at Freret and Jefferson, the rich smell of coffee wafted from the Starbucks nestled there. People sat in the courtyard outside enjoying the early evening air. Kate locked eyes with a man sitting near the wrought-iron fence that defined the courtyard space there. Jimmy.

“Well, my favorite bean counter on her way home.”

Kate flushed, her chest tightened and head swam.

“Jimmy. Wha… what are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Jimmy, I really can’t talk right now. I’m late and my sister is expecting me.”

Kate continued walking down Jefferson Street.

Jimmy left his coffee cup on the table and made his way to the sidewalk, falling in beside Kate.

“Then how about I give you a lift?”, Jimmy said once he caught up with her.

“I’m good, but I appreciate the offer.”

Jimmy grabbed her arm and swung Kate to a stop.

            “Why am I getting calls from cops in Florida, Kate?”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Jimmy.” Kate pulled her arm free and began retracing her steps back to Starbucks. Back to people. Back to witnesses.

            Jimmy caught up to her, towered over her, “What the hell is going on, Kate?”

            “Jimmy, you know good and well why the cops want to talk to you.”

            “You mean the receipts? Everybody does that.”

Kate was shaking. She wasn’t certain if it was from fear or rage. She began shouting, drawing the attention of the patrons sitting in the courtyard of the coffee shop.

            “Everybody does NOT do that and I’m not talking about the damned receipts. I’m talking about the dead woman in the hotel in Florida.”

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. His large hands moved closer to her throat.

            “What the HELL are you talking about, Kate?”

            “Jimmy, stop it! You’re hurting me!” Kate’s voice strained and raspy. She tried to pry his hands off her but he was far too strong. Her mind raced and she reached for the only thing she had at her disposal, the pencil behind her ear. She pulled it out and jammed it as hard as she could into his shoulder. Jimmy yowled in pain. He froze, his face white. Fear and pain replaced his mask of anger. He pushed her away, bewildered. Kate stumbled past him and stepped into Starbucks and called the police.

…

Nearly two weeks elapsed since Jimmy was arrested for the murder of the woman in Florida. Kate tried to reach Zander Cofield at the Gulf Sands Hotel several times.

Finally, she reached him.

            “Hey, Zander, this is Kate Saunders of AERO Engineering.”

            “Hi, Ms. Saunders, it’s good to hear from you.”

            “Listen, I just wanted to thank you for your help with that situation, you really saved my bacon.”

            “You’re very welcome, Ms. Saunders. Just when you think you know someone. It’s hard to believe that he killed that poor woman,” Zander said.

“Absolutely unbelievable,” Kate shivered. “I want to be sure that we stay in touch, my email address…”

Zander’s thoughts trailed off while Kate Saunders continued to talk with him.

Thanks for being a pig, Jimbeaux. Framing you for the murder of that woman was easier and more delightful than killing her was.

He knew that James Arsenault never intended to help him land a job, however Zander Cofield was curious what kind of relationship he would build with Katherine Saunders.