It took Treadwell a minute or two to get his temper in check after Betty was gone, then he picked up the phone and called Dammerman. “Betty Ladd was here wanting to know what happened to Cassy Levin, but then she left me with a little tip about one of our top people.”
“That Julia is her younger cousin?”
“How the hell did you know that?”
“I just found out. Butch is here in my office, and he’s been looking into what Julia’s been up to today. Turns out that Betty has been helping Julia for a long time. Even opened the door for her to get a job here.”
“Goddamnit, I want you to sit on Julia, and I mean sit on her hard,” Treadwell said, shouting. He very seldom raised his voice, but this day was turning into nothing but shit.
“We’re on it, Mr. T,” Dammerman said.
Treadwell slammed down the phone, and when he looked up, Heather Rockingham charged past Ashley’s desk and barged into his office.
Ashley got up, but Treadwell waved her back.
“Shut the door, if you would, Ash,” he said. When she did, he got up and went around his desk to embrace Heather. “What are you doing here?”
“To see you, of course,” she said. She wore a clingy, short, low-cut red dress that showed off her legs halfway up her thighs and a lot of her chest.
Treadwell thought she looked like a whore, but a desirable whore, and he tried to kiss her again. She held him back.
“Hold on, tiger,” she said. “Before you bend me over the desk, we have some business to discuss.”
“Business?”
“Cutting me in on the deal,” she said. “What did you think?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do, Reid.” She took an iPhone out of her purse. “This thing’s got a great recording app. I switched it on the moment I walked into your apartment.” She grinned. “I got your conversation with Clyde Dammerman, plus your text while I was sitting on the toilet.” She smiled again. “Do you know that you make a hell of a lot of noise during sex? I just love it!”
Treadwell didn’t know what to say. He went around behind his desk and sat down.
“You called it the greatest financial coup in history,” she said. “I want in.”