Mike Finds Himself - 14. Crime Solving and Knee Touching

After asking Mike to assist the forensic accountant in his investigation of the losses, Mr. King excused himself saying, “I have made lunch reservations for the two of you at Catania Ristorante. Bob will fill you in on the details. Mike, I am thanking you in advance for any assistance you can give him.” This gesture impressed Mike as Catania was the most expensive restaurant in Springfield. He and Maggie had gone there for very special occasions, such as their twentieth anniversary.

Bob commented, “Mr. King certainly holds you in high esteem. I realize my presence and persistent questions will hinder you in your regular work. I apologize in advance. This afternoon I will be picking your brain concerning operations at King Manufacturing. Sensitive items will have to be discussed with hand written notes in the office or out of the office at lunch or other breaks. Let’s go and start our work over lunch.”

During their two hour lunch as much time was used discussing their personal lives as King Manufacturing. Mike’s ordering a lunch of salad and drinking only imported Italian sparkling water resulted in his telling about his healthy diet that had started almost a year earlier. When Bob show genuine interest Mike felt encouraged to tell of his detour on the road to self-destruction that began following his cousin’s death. Bob was very sympathetic when Mike related how he had admired his cousin as a teenager and considered him his best friend at the time of his death. He told how he had given up cigarettes, excessive drinking and a diet that was life threatening. He also explained his joining V&V Fitness Center and his almost daily workouts.

Bob commented, “That is one of the most impressive life stories I have ever heard. You are truly an amazing person to have accomplished so much in under a year. I hope I am not overstepping when I state, ‘Your persistence has certainly paid off. You certainly do have a handsome body’.”

Mike blushed as he thanked Bob. He then asked, “What is your secret for keeping yourself fit?”

Bob laughed, “It must be my genes. Both my parents are healthy. My dad is probably the most handsome 70 year old I have ever seen. However, I do realize that at a certain age our bodies start to change. I fear I am approaching that age and should begin a regular exercise program.”

Mike splurged at dessert having a dish of Blood Orange Gelato to accompany his espresso and after dinner drink, a small limoncello.

On their way back from lunch Mike stopped at Jim’s desk to apologize for missing their usual lunch date. “I just had an unexpected lunch with Bob Knight who will be working with me as the firm develops a new marketing plan.” As Bob introduced himself to Jim, Mike had the feeling that their friendly handshake was lingering. As they walked to their new office Bob commented, “Jim is certainly a good-looking young man. I hope my next assignment is a tax review so I can check out his department.”

When they arrived at their new office the crew from maintenance was waiting to start the move. The move was quickly completed. Within five minutes of the movers leaving, Joyce, from Information Systems, was at his door. She checked the computer connections for both his and Bob’s equipment.

They discussed operations of King Manufacturing without revealing the fraud hunt. As they reviewed organization charts, Mike expressed his opinion of every key employee. In a few cases, as Mike made comments about personalities and competence, he wrote comments like ‘Not true’, ‘don’t trust this guy’, ‘a real mental midget’ or ‘slow but trustworthy’. Bob asked many questions. Mike was impressed with his ability to comprehend the material discussed. Obviously, Bob was a quick learner.

At supper Mike told Maggie about the events of the day. “Mid-morning, Mr. King stopped by my office and handed me a note asking to meet at Starbucks at 10:30. I had no idea what to expect and convinced myself that I was being laid off.” He continued telling about the meeting and Bob Knight. “Maggie, you are now one of four people who know about this investigation. I may be working late the next couple of evenings. I believe Bob wants to do some snooping that he could not do during the day.”

That evening in bed as Mike reviewed the day, his thoughts of Bob turned from professional to erotic. He had learned from their discussion that Bob was single, having never married. His comments about Jim, ‘He is certainly a good-looking young man’ and ‘I hope my next assignment is a tax review so I can check out his department’ were interesting. Also, he thought it a little unusual that another man would say ‘you certainly do have a handsome body’. Maybe Bob was just friendly, or maybe there was more. Bob had mentioned he should get more exercise. Tomorrow he would invite Bob to join him at the fitness center for a trial workout.

The next morning, Mike introduced Bob to various people in production, sales and Information services. These were key players in developing the fake market plan and also individuals who might be involved in the losses. When Bob suggested they have lunch delivered, Mike replied, “Good idea. We can eat here at our office work table. I usually have lunch with Jim. If it’s OK with you if I will invite him to join us.”

“Excellent suggestion. Having a distraction from our project will help clear my head. He certainly appears to be an interesting distraction.” Earlier when they had passed Jim in the hall, Mike noticed Bob’s perking up when he saw the young man. Bob’s agreement to include Jim at lunch was no surprise.

The conversation of the three was easy and light. When Jim mentioned that he and his roommate ran every morning Bob commented, “You two are certainly health conscious with Jim’s running, Mike’s fitness routine and the healthy diet of both of you. Just looking at the two of you shows that your exercise and diet routines have paid off. I should get off my ass and take better care of my body.”

Mike suggested, “Tomorrow after work you could accompany me to the fitness center. If interested, bring shorts, a tee shirt, sneakers and a towel to the office. We will work out and sweat together.”

With a twinkle in his eye Bob replied, “I’ll take you up on it. Working out and sweating together sounds like fun. Thanks.”

That afternoon, Mike did his usual work as Bob visited some of the people he had met that morning. Mid-afternoon, Jim stuck his head in the door. Seeing that Bob was not there, the young man whispered, “My gaydar tells me he is definitely one of us.” Just as Jim completed his comment, Bob arrived. The two smiled at each other as Jim quickly came up for a reason for his visit, “I was just telling Mike that Target has a new peach fiber bar. Finally one that does not taste like cardboard.” Jim exited and returned a minute later with peach fiber bars for Mike and Bob. When Jim left, Bob closed the door. As they ate their afternoon snack Bob wrote a message, “I would like to do some snooping in the factory after everyone has left for the day. If you are available, we could leave at regular quitting time and have something fast to eat. Then we would return and check out some areas in the factory.”

Mike called Maggie and told her he would not be home for supper.

About an hour after everyone had left for the day, Mike and Bob returned from their quick burrito supper at Chipotle. Mr. King had arranged for Bob and Mike to have access codes to enter protected areas. Mike entered the code on the keypad next to the factory door entrance. While they assumed no one was around, the two were cautious and quiet when they entered. They hadn’t gone far when they heard laughing. They quietly crept toward the sound. Peering around a piece of equipment they saw Phil from the shipping department and Joyce of Information Services - the same Joyce who had visited Mike’s office the previous day to check his computer connections after the move. She was kneeling in front of Phil whose pants were down around his knees. As the blow job continued, Bob took out his phone and took photos of the activity. He whispered to Mike, “I am not a pervert, will explain why later.” Joyce then stood and laid on her back on a table. Phil pulled her pants off exposing the lady parts. As he shoved in, she cried out, “Fuck me, fuck hard!” Bob took more photos. He then motioned that they should retreat.

In the hall near the office both expressed their amazement at what they had seen. Bob then explained, “That was an interesting combination. And I don’t just mean the fucking scene. Phil in the shipping department has the opportunity to arrange for merchandise to be loaded onto trucks. But he cannot do it without shipping documents. If he did, there would be an immediate inventory shortage that could be traced to him. However, if someone could manipulate the paperwork, there would be appropriate documentation for shipping, yet there would be no indication in the inventory records that the merchandise was sent. Then, someone who had access to inventory records could make the item disappear. There would be no record of a sale, no record of a shipment and no record that the item ever existed. To do this, you would need the cooperation of someone in shipping and someone in record keeping. Where are all the records kept? In the system. Who has access to the system? Joyce in Information Systems Department. There is a possibility those two are in collusion, Phil physically moving the merchandise and Joyce massaging the records. If this is the case, when they are confronted, each will likely deny knowing the other. My photos prove otherwise. That’s why I took them, not for my personal porn collection. Fraud is very difficult to detect when there is collusion by people in different departments.”

“We have had a very informative and entertaining evening. I need to sleep on this. Tomorrow, I will review computer applications related to shipping and examine surveillance tapes in the shipping area. It was fun watching live porn as part of our investigation - even if it did include little dick Phil and ugly Joyce.”

At supper Mike told Maggie about the discovery of possible collusion without going in to graphic detail. He just told her the two were making out and kissing.

That night, as Mike drifted off to sleep, he considered Bob’s comments about Jim - Jim’s gaydar observation and little dick Phil fucking ugly Joyce.

Except for lunch with Jim and Bob in his office, Mike had little contact with Bob as he did his regular work and Bob poured over computer activity and shipping area surveillance tapes. Suddenly, Bob handed Mike a note, “Something interesting.” He got up and shut the door to their office. He then placed his mouth in Mike’s ear and whispered, “Watch this surveillance tape showing activity on the shipping loading dock taken at 10:00 last Friday morning. Watch the two workers talking. Then, note that one walks away as the other tosses his coffee cup into the trash. It hits the left side of the trash can and lands on the floor. The guy picks it up and drops it in the can. Note the morning shadow the can gives. I assume you are wondering why I care. There is nothing unusual. But, let’s watch the same surveillance camera at 3:00 in the afternoon.”

Bob then found the 3:00 tape and played it. On the tape Phil was seen walking onto the shipping platform. Then there was about five seconds of static with nothing visible, then Phil was no longer on the shipping platform, however the same two men from the morning were shown, talking, tossing, missing, picking up and dropping the cup. Although it was an afternoon tape the shadow of the trash can was the same as in the morning. Bob whispered, “It appears the tape has been altered with morning activity put in to replace whatever Phil did after arrival on the loading dock. I assume a vehicle arrived that Phil did not want to appear on tape. He probably loaded stolen merchandise in broad daylight.”

Mike had a brilliant idea. That morning he had purchased a pack of cigarettes. “I need a break. Care to join me for a cigarette. No smoking in the office. We’ll have to go out to the loading dock.” As he said this he winked and did a thumbs down. Bob looked at him like he had lost it and then smiled as he realized what Mike was doing.

Bob smiled, “Sure, a cigarette and the cold January air is just what I need to get me going.”

Out on the loading dock, the two lit their cigarettes and pretended to be smoking as Mike explained, “You need your own surveillance cam to record the activity. I have one you can borrow.” Then he told a slight lie: “A few months ago we had strange activity in our yard. I purchased a surveillance cam. To our relief the culprit was a raccoon. I could go home now, get the cam and we could install it as soon as the warehouse guys go home. Then we can go to the gym.”

Bob replied, “Great idea, thanks.”

Mike was concerned that if he went home in the middle of the afternoon, he might find Maggie and Dale having a fucking good time. When he called Maggie from his car, he was relieved when she told him she was at her office and would meet a client soon. Mike told her he had to run home and pick up some paperwork. He also told her, “We discovered some more incriminating evidence. I will probably be late coming home. Tell you about it later.”

At 5:15, Mike and Bob installed the cam on the loading dock, and by 5:30, they were in the locker room at V&V Fitness.

To Mike’s dismay, Bob put on his workout shorts over the maroon boxer briefs he was wearing. While Mike did not hide his body as he got naked and then put on his workout clothes, he did not flaunt it. Hopefully, he would be able to check out Bob in the showers after the workout.

Bob suggested that he do the same workout as Mike. Mike’s first piece of equipment was usually the ‘assisted chin dip’ followed by a leg machine. Mike did his first machine while Bob stretched. Then Bob used that machine as Mike moved on to a leg machine. They each did fifteen reps on twelve different machines. After the sixth machine they used adjacent elliptical machines (similar to a tread mill but easier on the knees) for 30 minutes. Following winding down stretches, the two sweaty men were ready for the showers. In the locker room as they undressed, Mike suggested they visit the sauna prior to showers.

The two entered the sauna and sat on a lower bench along the back wall. There were two men sitting next to each other on the upper bench against the side wall who were discussing a recent golf match. Mike asked Bob how he felt after the workout. As Bob replied, Mike gently moved his knee against Bob’s. His friend did not pull away. Mike kept his knee against Bob’s. He then felt Bob giving pressure back. The men on the upper bench got up and left the sauna. As they continued their mutual knee pressure, Mike placed his hand on his own upper leg. He then massaged Bob’s upper leg gently with his little finger. Just as Bob moved his hand toward Mike’s they were interrupted as the door opened. As an older gentleman entered, Bob said, “Let’s shower. Then I’ll order a pizza and have it delivered for dinner at my place. OK?” As he said this, he squeezed Mike’s hand.

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