Lost & Found - Prologue. Prologue

Lost & Found

Prologue

Morgan St. John had been on the front page of business journals many times. They called him ‘The Biz Wiz’ besides other ridiculous names he wasn’t happy about. If you asked him, he would always say all he did was heed a simple fact that most CEOs still ignored, despite countless lectures he had given on the subject. Every company was different, but all of them had one thing in common: they were nothing without their employees. Those people had to believe in success first, and then the stock market would follow.

It was a simplified way to describe his methods, but it worked. Boards and their CFOs all over the world came to him to save their tanking businesses. Most of the time he had already lined up the next project or as Danny had called it, his next fix, while he was still wrapping up his last one. Danny knew that despite public belief it wasn’t the money that drove Morgan, but the challenge. That got his adrenaline pumping like nothing else.

He always supported him, even when Morgan would slip into bed in the early morning hours, too exhausted to do anything but wrap Danny in his arms and fall asleep. And this was only when Morgan could commute from their home. Usually, he worked in another city, or another country, or the other side of the world, and they didn’t see each other for months, except for their brief talks on Skype in the evenings, or when Danny would visit him.

Sometimes, though, even Morgan St. John couldn’t win; all he could do was sell the company’s profitable parts, and close down the rest. He was, after all, still a businessman, who strived to gain a profit and had a reputation to uphold.

After a particularly gruesome liquidation — in the end he had to dismiss hundreds of people — Morgan had been exhausted physically and mentally, and Danny had all but forced him to finally take some vacation time.

They decided to go on a cruise. Morgan loved sailing, and after some internet research, Danny had found the ‘Mandarin Queen’, a sleek 220.5ft yacht, which provided the comfort and service of a first class hotel. They had been looking forward to scuba diving, visiting charming little coastal villages, and bathing in the sun, but above all, to recharging their relationship batteries.

Three days before their departure, an old friend of Morgan’s had called with a new project, insisting that only Morgan could come up with a way to save the company. Of course, Morgan accepted. How could he laze around on some boat when the livelihood of people, of families, was at stake? That he could do when he was retired.

It had been their first real fight in years.

“You need this vacation. We need this vacation, Morgan.”

“How can I lie in the sun when I’m needed, with no care or concern at all?”

“There are others who can do the job. Bernhard only called you first, because you never say no. This time, Morgan, please! I’m begging you !”

“How flattering. I’ve already told him we’re about to go on a cruise, and he has to look for someone else, but Bernhard insists no one else can do the job.”

“You’re addicted to success, Morgan. To adrenalin, to feeling invincible. You can't go on burning the candle at both ends. Can’t you see this? And someday soon you're going to pay the price.”

“You’re exaggerating. This is an emergency. I can’t go on a vacation and leave them hanging. That would be irresponsible and selfish.”

“I am going on this cruise. You need to think about this, Morgan, about us. Although, with how you work, you’ll most likely fall into bed too tired to think.”

Two days later, he had watched Danny leave. Leaning against the kitchen counter, his second coffee in hand, he had expected to have one last argument or at least hear Daniel slamming the door shut. Only he didn’t. Danny had closed it gently, and somehow, in doing so, had made his point even stronger. Pulling the suitcase behind him, the duffle bag slung over his shoulder, Danny had approached the waiting cab. The driver came out, took his luggage, and put it in the trunk. Danny got into the car without looking back. The taillights flashed briefly before they faded into the distance, and then he was gone.

Morgan had persuaded himself that Danny would have a good time once he had calmed down. He even resolved to make it up to him. This project was important, but after finishing it, he would take some time off. Maybe buy the house Danny always talked about, with a big backyard. Maybe even get a dog.

Morgan’s world disintegrated in the middle of a crucial board meeting, when someone came in and interrupted his speech by handing him his phone with a grave expression on his face. “Sir, the Coast Guard for you. There’s been an accident.”

They’d found the ‘Mandarin Queen’ adrift with seven bodies. There had been a shooting. They had identified the yacht owner, his wife, the crew, and three of the guests. According to the passenger list, two persons were still missing. One of them was Danny. They needed him to confirm that Danny had boarded the yacht.

***

Morgan was on a plane three hours later. They had told him not to come, but he was a man of action; he had to do something.

The waiting had been killing him. Using the entire space of his hotel suite pacing up and down, he had clutched the phone in his hand, holding it in a death grip so he would feel it vibrate before it even started to ring. He’d checked the charging status, and the reception bars every minute, so he wouldn’t miss the good news. There had to be good news.

When the call finally came, Morgan almost dropped the phone. Swiping a sweaty finger over the screen repeatedly, he had become nearly insane when it didn’t work. It rang and rang.

Don’t stop!

He fumbled to dry his palm on his jeans, tried again, and finally it connected. “Hello?”

“Morgan St. John?”

“Did you find him?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. St. John. We found the missing life raft, but it was empty.”