Dead Fit - 16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

On Thursday morning, Ana’s mood was back to normal. She was one of those resilient types who could recover from just about anything. All she needed was a little time. This was another quality I wish I possessed. Instead, I tended to brood over matters, analyzing issues over and over. Case in point, the issue of how I was going to find out the truth about Todd.

It was tough trying to concentrate on my desk work, so I was grateful that my morning was completed booked with training sessions. At least when I was with clients at the weight stations, my mind didn't have an opportunity to drift.

Shortly before noon, I went up to the reception desk to see if Ana had plans for lunch. She was naturally intuitive and I thought this talent could come in handy helping me investigate Todd.

Gary walked by the reception desk. In a monotone voice, he said to Ana, “I’m out the rest of the day at a conference in Santa Monica. I'll be back in the morning.” He didn’t even bother acknowledging me.

“Sure, Gary, have a good afternoon,” Ana replied.

Once the front doors closed behind Gary, Ana turned to me and said, “That’s the most he’s said to me since the little incident the other day.”

I looked at my watch. It was just before noon.

“Do you have plans for lunch,” I asked Ana.

“No, why? You want to grab a bite to eat?”

"Yea, but first I need a favor from you. A big favor.”

“Anything for you,” Ana said. I hoped she meant it.

I told Ana a watered-down version of my telephone conversation with Derek. I had only promised Derek that I wouldn't talk to Brian about the conversation. I never promised him I wouldn't talk to anyone else about it.

I cut to the chase with Ana, “You're good with figuring people out. I need you to talk to Todd and see if you get any bad vibes from him, like maybe he's a criminal or a sludge or something."

"What am I supposed to talk to him about? If he's gay, there isn't much on me that'll interest him."

She was right. It was difficult to see how these two would end up in the same circle of friends. Neither their personal nor their professional lives seemed to intersect.

An idea came to me. Their paths would cross if she was a prospective client. “Ana, maybe we can pretend that you're a widow. Your husband kicked over and left you with a bunch of money. And now you're coming to Todd because you've heard he's a great investment advisor. That'll give you a chance to ask him questions and see if he's the type of guy that would defraud his investors. Hell, he might even try to defraud you. If that happens, you can report it to the police. That'll help them with their investigation. He could be behind bars by the end of the week."

"You want me to lie to Todd?"

"No, it's more like acting," I reassured.

Ana's eyes brightened. “Oh my God, I love theater. I always wanted to be in a play. I've got to really get into the role, though, if you want me to be believable. How did my husband die?”

“What?”

“How did he die? I mean, was it old age? 'Cuz if he died of old age, I wouldn't be nearly as upset than if he died in a car accident.”

“Yes, Ana, he died of old age.”

“How long were we married? I'm not quite 30, yet, so we couldn't have been married for too long. Unless we're from Alabama, which then we could have been married for like 20 years.”

“Ana, stop it. People in Alabama don't get married when they're ten years old.”

“Okay, then it's settled. We were married eight years. But why did he marry me? Old rich, white men don't go around marrying Mexican women. Everyone knows that.”

“I never said your husband was white,” I said.

“What? Are you trying to say that I could never get a white man just because I'm Mexican?”

Ana was trying to be playful, but I wasn't in the mood. I was interested in finding some answers. “Ana, stop it. I'm trying to be serious. You're going to tell Todd that your husband recently died of natural causes and you’ve received money from his life insurance policy.”

“I'm just trying to have a little fun with you, Jaysen. Geez, you fall in love and your personality goes to hell.”

“I'm not in love,” I said defensively. “I know I'm a little grumpy, but I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't think it was important.”

Ana could tell I meant business and she changed her demeanor. “So I'll tell him that I ended up receiving half a million from my husband's life insurance and I want to invest it in something that will make money. Are we going to do this in-person or over the telephone?”

“If we do this in-person, I can't participate. He already knows me, so you'll have to go solo. If we do this over the telephone, then maybe I can listen in and help you if you get stuck. What do you think?”

Ana pondered that for a moment and then said, “I do better getting a read on people when I can see them face-to-face. But maybe we should warm up to him first by getting him to talk to me on the phone.”

“Alright, how about we start off by calling him. If you get a bad vibe from him, you won't even need to meet him in person. Gary’s gone for the rest of the day. We can borrow his office.”

We waited for Ana’s lunch relief to arrive, then made our way to Gary's office and shut the door behind us. I dug around Gary's desk drawers until I found a phone book. Todd's office number was listed in the financial advisor listings in the yellow pages. Unlike other financial advisors, Todd's listing was plain and simple – just his number was listed. There was no flashy advertisement like the others, which suggested to me that he didn't want to draw attention to his business. Perhaps a sign of someone who was doing something illegal.

Ana put Gary's phone on speaker mode and dialed Todd's number.

After two rings, a nasally-sounding receptionist answered, "Good afternoon, Todd Evans' Office."

“Yes, Todd Evans, please,” Ana said in a professional tone I wasn't used to hearing from her.

"May I tell him whose calling?"

"Ana Sanchez."

"And what is your call regarding?"

"I'm interested in his financial services. I have a large sum of money I'd like to invest," Ana said.

“Just one moment, please.” The receptionist put Ana on hold and we listened to a string quartet playing Pachelbel Canon in D. I hoped the receptionist would blow her nose before answering the next phone call.

While we waited, I whispered to Ana, "Try not to embellish. The story we made up sounds pretty real. Just don't over do it.”

"Have a little faith in me."

The music stopped and a male voice greeted us, "Todd Evans, how may I help you?"

“Yes, Mr. Evans, my name is Ana Sanchez. I recently inherited a large sum of money and I don't know the first thing about investments. I found your number in the yellow pages and I'm calling to see if you'd be willing to help me manage my money.”

"I'm sorry, Ms. Sanchez, but I'm not accepting any new clients at this time," Todd said. It came out in a way that sounded like his position could be negotiated.

"Oh, that's too bad. It would be really helpful if I could just find someone to give me some ideas on what I should do.” Ana let out a little sob and then said, “I'm just so clueless when it comes to money.”

I made a throat-cutting gesture with my index finger, hoping Ana would cut out the theatrics. She was taking this role play a little too far and I was afraid he was going to hang up on us.

Todd let out a sigh, “Well, I suppose I could meet with you for a little bit this afternoon. But like I said, I'm not accepting any new clients at this time. The best I could do is refer you to a colleague.”

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help. Is there any way we could set an appointment late this afternoon, say quarter after five?”

“Yes, that would be fine, Ms. Sanchez. But please try to make it as close to five as possible.”

Todd gave Ana his office address and disconnected.

When Ana turned off the speaker phone, the panic started in me. “Ana, neither of us knows the first thing about investments. What are you going to say to him when you get to his office?”

“Stop worrying,” she reassured me. “That's the best part of all this. I'm supposed to play dumb so that we can see if he'll try to rip me off. And since I don't know anything about finances, playing dumb will be real easy.”

“I guess you're right, Ana. And it's not like he can fraud you out of money – you don't have any. I just wish there were a way I can go in with you, but that'll blow our cover.”

“Well, what if I leave my phone on in my purse,” Ana suggested. “That way, you can at least hear our conversation.”

The panic in my head settled. This little plan may work after all. As a test, Ana ran back to the reception desk. She dialed my cell number and put her phone in her purse. While I stayed behind closed doors in Gary's office, Ana stood and spoke to one of our coworkers in a normal speaking voice. The conversation was a bit muffled, but I managed to catch every word they said.

Once our plan was hatched, we made our way to a nearby deli for salads. While we walked, Ana rehearsed her story. She spent a lot of energy ironing out the details of how she and her husband met. I was pretty sure Todd wasn't going to delve into specifics with Ana. But I didn't want to ruin her fun, so I patiently listened as she hashed out her story.

When we returned from lunch, we took advantage of Gary being gone for the rest of the day. Ana ran home to grab a nicer outfit for her visit with Todd, while I covered for her at the front desk. Ana claimed being professionally dressed would help her play the role of a wealthy widow. What did I care? I was just glad she was willing to take part in my little investigation.

When she came back, Ana was a wearing a skirt and blouse. The skirt ended a few inches above her knee, and the buttons on her blouse were straining to hold her mammary glands in place. Ana looked more like she was in search of a hook-up, not a financial advisor.

Right at five, we left the gym in my Civic for Todd's office, located in the financial district of downtown Long Beach. His office was in a one-story brick building, with each tenant having its own store front and entrance. We drove by Todd's office so that Ana could be sure of its location. Just like his listing in the phone book, Todd's office front was nondescript. Two large windows surrounding each side of the front entrance were identically labeled in large stenciled letters, “Todd Evans, Private Wealth Management.” Gauging by the signs in the surrounding offices, this building was primarily for independent investment advisors and real estate agents.

We drove around the block and back to the front of Todd's office. I parked my Civic at a meter just a few doors away from the entrance of his office. Ana checked her make-up in the vanity mirror and applied a fresh layer of lipstick.

“Ana, remember, he's gay. He won't care what you look like.”

“I need to look professional, though, and lipstick always makes me feel powerful.”

I kissed Ana on the check and wished her luck. She dialed my mobile number and after I answered, she put her phone in the side pouch of her purse, leaving the zipper open so that her conversation with Todd would be heard as clear as possible. Ana got out of my car and walked to Todd’s office.

When she reached the door to his building, she turned to my car and gave me the thumbs up sign. Then she disappeared inside.

I could hear the front door close behind her. The receptionist greeted Ana, “Good evening, are you Ms. Sanchez?” The woman still sounded congested.

“Yes, I'm here to see Mr. Evans,” Ana said.

“He's been expecting you. Please have a seat. I'll let Mr. Evans know that you are here.”

I listened to some background noise as we waited for Todd. We didn't have to wait long. I heard him greet Ana, “Hello, Ms. Sanchez, it's nice to meet you.

“Please, call me Ana.”

“Okay, Ana, why don't you come with me to my office in the back.”

I listened to them walk to the back. The office was dead quiet. With her tight skirt, I could hear Ana's stockings rub against each other. I wondered if straight guys got turned on by those kinds of noises.

When they got to his office, Todd asked, “Why don't you start off by telling me what you're looking for?”

“Well, my husband died a little over a year ago and left me with a fairly large insurance payout. I've had the money sitting in my savings account and now I'm starting to think I should invest it in something that will pay a little more.”

“How much money are you looking to invest?”

“It started off at half a million, but it's grown a little since. Plus, I've added some of my own money. I can invest close to six hundred thousand.”

Todd let out a whistle, “That's a pretty good sum of money. Normally, I'd be happy to help you manage your investments. But, like I mentioned to you on the phone, I'm not looking to take on any new clients at this time...”

Ana cut him off, “I know what you said, but all I'm looking for is a good advisor who can manage my money without a lot of involvement from me. I'm the kind of person who just wants to put this money away, receive a statement once a year, and maybe add a little to it every few years. I'm not going to question every decision you make; I want to forget about the money and worry about it 30 years from now when I'm ready to retire.”

Geez, Ana was setting up an ideal situation for an advisor to take advantage of a client. If Todd was really defrauding his investors, Ana was the perfect client for him. The only way to make herself more of a target for fraud was to wear a sign saying, I'm dumb, please rip me off!

“I'm sorry, Ana, if I took you on I'd be doing a disservice to you and to my current investors. My philosophy is to provide top quality investment services. That's why I limit the number of clients I accept. Unfortunately, I'm just not taking any new clients now and probably won't for quite some time,” Todd said.

I heard him dig through some papers, then he continued speaking, “What I did for you, though, is come up with some people who can potentially help you. Here's a list of colleagues of mine who may be accepting new clients. They all have offices in Long Beach. Like I said, the amount of money you're looking to invest is large. As long as they are accepting new clients, you won't have a problem finding someone to help you with your investments. I also printed for you a list of websites you can visit to help you find quality financial advisors.”

“Do you recommend one advisor over another,” Ana asked. I had to give her credit. Not only was she sharp, but she could think quickly on her feet. Ana was trying to bait Todd to see if he would push her to go to one advisor over another. If he did, it might be a sign that he was in cahoots with someone else.

“Actually, no, I think any of the advisors on this list are well qualified for your needs. They are all registered with the proper authorities and have completed courses for certification. I also encourage you to visit the NASD website where you can search for advisors.”

“And there's no way I can convince you to take my money,” Ana tried, one more time.

“No, I'm sorry; this is just the way I've been doing business for years. I'm not willing to take on a new client unless I think I can truly provide great investment services.”

I listened to Ana and Todd exchange pleasantries and bid one another farewell. As she walked back to the car, I replayed their conversation in my mind. Nothing he was said to Ana seemed suspicious. In a way, I was relieved. It just provided me with evidence that, perhaps, Brian's friend was not the criminal the Long Beach Police Department thought he was. But in another way, it made me concerned he was doing something more serious than defrauding investors. If he was involved in something more serious, could it jeopardize Brian’s and my safety? Was that the real reason Derek wanted me to stay away from them, because I could be physically harmed?

Ana got in the passenger side and we headed back to the gym to get her car. “What did you think of Todd?”

“Well, I didn't feel good about him,” Ana responded. “Not in the way you're probably thinking, though. It wasn't that I felt he was a criminal. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. I can't really say. But there was something about his eyes. They were lifeless, empty.”

“You mean like there was pain in his eyes,” I asked, trying to get some clarity out of what she said.

“No, not like that. It's not like pain where something just happened. But maybe something happened a while back and he never got over it. I don't know how to describe it, but I almost felt sorry for him, without having a specific reason to feel sorry for him. You know?”

“Not really, Ana, you’re speaking a language I don’t understand,” I said.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You heard him; he didn't have any interest in my money, no matter how easy of a target I tried to make myself. If he really was stealing money from people, don't you think he would have gladly taken me on as a client?”

“I see your point, Ana,” I said. She was right. If stealing money from widows was his crime, he certainly wasn't doing a good job at it.

When we got back to the gym, I parked my car next to Ana's and turned off my engine.

“Can we talk about the fiasco on Tuesday, Ana? I feel horrible about the whole situation.”

Ana shrugged, “Why? I don’t blame you and I’ve totally moved on.”

“I know, but it's unfair the way Gary’s treating you. Are you okay if I speak to Gary and tell him it was partly my fault for not being clear when I told him you were ready to teach group instruction classes?”

“It doesn’t matter now, Jaysen. Gary’s hardly said a word to me, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If he was going to fire me, he would have done it by now. Since I’m still around, I think things will cool down on their own. No point in getting you involved in this mess.”

“Will you at least consider talking to him and explaining your side of the story,” I pleaded.

“Let me think about it, Jaysen.” Then she smiled and added, “The last time I listened to you is how I got into this whole mess.”

Ana was teasing me about the situation and I knew it was her way of reassuring me she held no ill will towards me. I gave Ana a hug and said, “Thanks for your help, today.”

Before she got out of my car, Ana asked, “Since you gave me some advice and I listened to you, will you listen to some advice from me?”

“Of course.”

“Jaysen, I helped you today because I could tell you were upset by what your police officer friend told you. I know you like Brian a lot and you don't want Todd's funny business to get in the way of your relationship. But maybe the best thing you can do is let the police deal with Todd.”

“You're probably right,” I said. We wished each other a good night and I watched her get in her car and leave.

My heart told me Ana was probably right, but my head told me I needed to turn a few more stones before I was willing to leave it in the hands of the cops. This was my first relationship and I wanted to do everything within my control to make sure Todd wasn't going to screw it up.

Besides, I was just going to help the investigation along. When there was enough evidence to charge him, I'd turn it over to the police so they could deal with it. Just like Ana suggested.