CHAPTER 2
PACEY'S OFFICE - THE FOLLOWING WEEK
Pacey stepped into the open space which was quieter than usual since, in the last days, many of his colleagues had been laid off. He walked across the room and glanced at Rich's office which, oddly, was empty. Without giving much thought to that, he kept on walking and reached his own office.
A few minutes later, his secretary stepped in.
"Mr. Witter, two men of the Security and Exchange Commission are here to see you."
Pacey gave her a confused look.
"I don't remember having an appointment with them. Look, I'm really busy right now, maybe you can schedule some time with them tomorrow? "
"I'm sorry Mr. Witter, but I don't think it's possible. They say they need to talk to you about an urgent matter and they won't leave until you meet them."
"Uhm...okay, then. Send them in."
The secretary nodded and left the room. The two men entered.
"Good morning, Mr. Witter. I'm Brian Campbell from the Security and Exchange Commission and this is my colleague Mark Martinez."
"Nice to meet you - Pacey replied while shaking their hands - Please sit."
"Thanks."
"Can I offer you something, a coffee or-"
"Mr. Witter, I'll go straight to the point. As you may know, our agency, the Security and Exchange Commission, is responsible for regulating the securities markets and protecting investors against fraud and market manipulation. One of our tasks is investigating suspicious trades that go against the market to determine if they were fair or not."
Saying so, Campbell took a brief pause, to study Pacey's reaction. Seeing, nothing in particular, he continued.
"I'm sure you're aware of the recent fall of Stepatech, the biotech company that developed what seemed to be the most promising flu vaccine that, instead, was unexpectedly rejected by the FDA last Wednesday."
"Yes, it was a real shock...", Pacey confirmed, feeling more nervous about where the conversation was going.
"You know, bidding on the FDA's approval was considered a sure shot, so much that Stepatech stock value has grown almost three times in the last hours preceding the announcement. No one expected it to fail and that's why many companies that invested in Stepatech are declaring bankruptcy right now. Instead, somehow, you and Rinaldi managed to sell most of your stocks when they were at their highest price, just before the vaccine was publicly rejected and Stepatech shares dropped to their minimum price since the company's creation."
"Yeah...we were lucky", Pacey made a nervous chuckle.
"I think you were more than lucky. You've been tipped off."
Pacey immediately got defensive.
"Tipped off? Wait a minute, this is a serious accusation, I really don't know what you're talking about-
"There's no need to try to deny it. We have evidence that your boss, Rich Rinaldi, bribed a member of the FDA commission to get exclusive intel on the future of the vaccine before it was released to the public so that he could decide the best way to handle his stock portfolio. And, considering your "lucky" trades of the past few days, it's pretty straightforward to assume that he shared this information with you."
Pacey smirked, shaking his head.
"This is absurd...", were the only words he managed to say.
" Mr. Witter, this is no joke. You both could face an accusation of insider trading, a crime punishable by up to 10 years of prison."
"10 years?", Pacey remarked shocked.
"Yes. I suppose I don't need to tell you that also all the money earned through the illicit trade will be confiscated from both you and your clients."
"Of course...", Pacey continued, more demoralized.
Noting his dismay, Agent Campbell tried the sympathetic card.
"Pacey, I know that you're very young and you probably had no full understanding of what you were getting into. You were probably just following your boss's instructions without second guessing them much and thinking that, that way, you would have made a huge deal, but ignorance of the law is not a justification. You will face a trial if you don't fully cooperate with us."
Hearing that, a gleam of hope glimpsed on Pacey's face.
"What do you want me to do?", he asked in a lower voice.
"Do you know where Mr. Rinaldi is right now? He hasn't come to the office this morning, he's not at home and he's unreachable on the phone. We suspect that he's planning to escape abroad to avoid his charge."
"That bastard - Pacey said under his breath - I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is. I swear, I have no intention to protect him, if I knew something I would tell you."
"Okay...- Agent Campbell nodded, feeling sincerity in Pacey's words - But if something comes to your mind, please let us know and it will definitely count toward improving your position."
"Will do."
"All right...- Agent Campbell shared a look with his colleague - I think we're done for now. I have to ask you not to move too far away from the city and stay reachable if you don't want to make things worse. We have your contacts and we'll get back to you shortly."
"Okay...Officer, am I under arrest?", Pacey asked, still confused by the whole situation.
"No. Not yet. But you'd better find a good lawyer soon."
Saying so, both the agents stood up and started reaching the door.
"See you soon, Mr. Witter."
Then, they got out.
Left alone in the room, Pacey couldn't help but sigh deeply, taking his head in his hands. Then, he picked up his phone and tried to call Rich. No answer. Furious, he threw the phone off the desk.
After a moment, the door opened again and the CEO of the company stepped in, together with a guard.
"I'm sorry, Witter, but, as you can imagine, I have to lay you off. The reputation of our company has already been compromised enough due to the accusation that you and Rich are facing, so..."
"Yeah...- Pacey smirked - of course..."
Pacey started to pick up some stuff from his desk.
"You'd better leave everything here and just go...", the CEO continued, trying to rush him while the guard menacingly stared at Pacey.
Pacey threw up his hands, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Fuck you", he whispered just before leaving the room.
PACEY'S HOUSE
Pacey was sitting on the couch of his house in Boston, with a depressed look on his face while holding a beer in his hand, when his phone started to ring.
Quickly, he looked at the name on the display and sighed, deeply torn about what to do. Then, he took another sip of the beer and decided to answer.
"Hello."
"Hi Pace, it's Dawson."
"Hi Dawson", he replied, starting to get more nervous about what he should have said to him.
"Listen, I wanted to thank you again for what you've done to me. This morning I ordered another camera and two other sets of lights and I could've never done it without the money you made me earn. I'm also recruiting a couple more people in the crew, and this is a huge help since I can fully concentrate on the storyboard and the direction. I've got a feeling this is going to turn out really great, so thanks."
Hearing those words, Pacey felt it was impossible to confess the latest news, even if his conscience was eating him alive.
"It's good to hear that, Dawson...", he replied with a monotone voice.
"Oh, also, the other day, I heard on the news about this biotech company that had this major crash on the stock market...I don't remember the name...how was it called..."
"Stepatech..."
"Yes! That one. If I'm not wrong, I recall it was the one where you invested my money...Wow, you were so good to cash in before this major crash, can you imagine if you didn't do it? Now I'd be completely broke, I don't know how I could go on with the movie...You've really outsmarted everyone, Pace."
Pacey started to feel a lump in his throat and sick in his stomach.
"I'm not that good, Dawson, not even close."
"Oh, come on, don't be modest now."
Pacey felt the lump in his throat almost suffocating him.
"I'm not, trust me. I'm not."
Dawson found that his replies were a little odd but didn't give it much thought about it. Then, he decided to switch the subject.
"Anyway, I called you because I wanted to invite you to my place on Friday night. I've finished working on the script and I also have a couple more surprises on the set that I'd like you to see. Also, Joey will be there. I wish my two main inspirations for the movie could see everything first...so what do you say? Can you make it?"
"Uhm...I don't know, Dawson, I..."
"You have to work late, I get it, don't worry, we'll make it another time."
"No, it's not that, it's... - Pacey was struggling, not feeling ready to see him yet. At the same time, he realized that if there was a chance to come clean to him, that could be it - You know what? Okay, I'll be there."
"Good! I'm glad to hear it - Dawson felt excited again - See you on Friday, Pace"
"Yeah...Bye, Dawson."
Pacey hung up, completely demoralized. Then, he picked up the beer from the table near the couch and drank another sip.