The Staircase of Dragon Jerico
Chapter Nineteen
“WHY SO MOROSE?” Gene asked his friend as he launched a long shot that bounced around the rim and out. “Things are going well. You’re spending most of your time down at Cloudhaven, which is where you want to be anyway.”
“It’s… Ms. Scott,” Preston moaned. “I can’t make anything work.”
“What needs to work that isn’t?”
“We agreed to keep our relationship professional, but I’m always messing up.”
“Like?”
“Friday, I tossed her a Rubik’s cube and challenged her to a contest.”
“Don’t tell me she beat you!”
“No. But we started laughing and teasing each other and then both became aware of what we were doing and put the cubes down and went back to work. It was embarrassing.”
“To whom? I don’t understand what the big deal is. Office romances are a common occurrence. You’re both single and unattached. If you want to see each other, do it,” Gene said.
“I can’t. Not while she reports to me. Maybe if she was in a different area of the company, I could justify it. But dating my personal assistant is such a cliché of the boss taking advantage of his employee. I was suspicious of her possibly wanting a relationship because of my money, but she has to be just as suspicious of me wanting to be with her. It’s just too complicated.”
“Move her to a different part of the company and then start dating.”
“I want her as my assistant! She manages the business better than I do. Why do you think I’ve been able to be down at Cloudhaven the past three weeks, since the board approved the project? She’s a wizard with the project planning software. She knows exactly how to respond to Duval. She handles all the daily work in the office. She even approved hiring a new assistant for Duval! She has her finger on the pulse of every department in the company. I just nod and tell her to make it happen.”
“Hmm. You are in danger of a 9 to 5 situation.”
“What’s that?”
“The old-school satirical movie, 9 to 5. The secretaries kidnap and restrain the boss and take over running the company without him. It turns out more profitable. Great Dolly Parton song.”
“I don’t think she’d…”
“Of course not. She loves you.”
“What? She couldn’t…”
“I don’t mean she’s in love with you, but she loves who you are and how creative you are. She’s just helping to clear you for action where you’re needed. I could use an assistant like that,” Gene said. “I’m not trying to keep a complex company alive as you are, though. My biggest task is keeping the scientists from murdering each other.”
“I don’t envy you that one. But it doesn’t help me with my real problem. I would like Ms. Scott to like me the way Maizie likes Jerry. We just can’t be both,” Preston said.
“You could be the one to resign,” Gene mused.
“I could what? I don’t see how that would help anything.” He eyed the hoop and launched the ball. It swished. “G-Pop would kill me,” he muttered.
“JeriCorp Board of Directors monthly meeting,” the heading of the email read. Erin read the memo carefully. Usually, she would be the one to put out the meeting notice. Next week it would be a month since the meeting approving Cloudhaven. She read on: “Order of business: Leadership review. All senior leadership to be reviewed and voted for confidence. This includes Preston Carver, Chairman and CEO; Royce Duval, President and COO; Leroy Masters, CFO; Naomi Dirksen, Vice Chair and General Counsel.”
The meeting announcement was signed by Naomi Dirksen, the Vice Chair of the Board. Dirksen, Masters, Duval, and Carver were members of the board by virtue of their positions as corporate officers. Mrs. Carver and Mr. Jerico held ownership positions, but were inactive most of the time. Three men from area businesses rounded out the number: Reinholdt, Vaughn, and Hathaway.
It was just a normal board meeting, but for some reason, it bothered Erin that the announcement came from Dirksen and not from her. Erin forwarded the announcement to Carver, Carver, and Jerico, then decided to pay a visit to Ms. Dirksen. Erin did go through the main offices several times a week, so she wasn’t a stranger to Ms. Dirksen’s secretary, who waved her in.
“Good morning, Miss Scott,” Dirksen said politely.
“And to you, Ms. Dirksen. I wanted to check in with you to see why the board meeting announcement came from your office today instead of Mr. Carver’s. It’s a little unusual.”
“You know, it should be your boss who is knocking on my door.”
“He’s working remotely at Cloudhaven, getting the infrastructure started.”
“Yes, we might want to make some changes to that. The feeling on the board is that the tone of the development should be more upscale. It’s such a beautiful piece of property but the design appears to be rather middle class, if you don’t mind my saying.”
“I do. The board approved the project and it’s underway. It seems a little sneaky to call for a review of officers and an unspoken agenda for changing a plan that is well underway.”
“All senior executives are being reviewed, including me,” Dirksen responded. “It happens every year. The board members feel there is a crisis of leadership. The presentation of the proposal is a case in point. Mr. Duval has indicated that what you presented was not what he would have presented, nor what Carver should have presented, rather than sending an assistant to handle a board meeting. I am vice chair of the board and have conducted ten times the number of meetings Preston has. Now, we’ve agreed to a $500,000,000 project and no one is convinced we have the leadership to pull it off.”
“So, you want to become Chairman of the Board?”
“No. Not at all. Royce Duval will be the leading contender for the position. He is the face of JeriCorp. Everyone follows where he leads.”
“He leads where Mr. Carver tells him to. What has Mr. Duval led the company to?” Erin asked.
“The most recent is his foresight in planning a golf course for Cloudhaven. It’s hard to believe there wasn’t one in the initial prospectus. Then there is the way he closed the Mackenzie Project and cut the company losses. Over the past several years, Duval has led us to good partnerships and profitable projects. He’s a natural to lead the board.”
“It’s ridiculous,” Erin spat. “It’s hard to believe Duval can so effectively pull the wool over the eyes of the board. All the things you mention were spearheaded by Preston Carver and executed by Royce Duval except the golf course. Even that was Shannon Duval’s idea, not Mr. Duval. Duval is an empty suit. A smile with perfect white teeth. He has never made a decision on behalf of the company.”
“I understand your loyalty to your boss. Don’t become too attached to him. Rumor has it that he wants to become the chef at the lodge at Cloudhaven. He doesn’t even want the responsibility of the company. He just sees the development as an opportunity to feed his real passion.”
“I would put his leadership up against any ten people in the company. He merely depends on a loyal staff. It appears that trust is misplaced.”
“Your words may be put to the test, Miss Scott. Wednesday at two. Let him defend his claim. We can’t risk the company on a hermit.”
Erin was furious. She heard much the same story from Mr. Masters. She didn’t need to stop to talk to Duval. The senior executives of JeriCorp were launching a coup against their owner and CEO. She calmly dialed Carver’s number and was pleased to find him in range of a cell tower.
“Mr. Carver, the board wants to replace you as chairman and CEO. You need to come into the office and prepare your campaign to retain your position,” she said.
“Oh. That again. Perhaps it would be better. I’m not much of a CEO and am really in my element out here on the site.”
“They want to change that, too. You know it’s Duval. He wants it ‘upgraded’ to something fancier. We can’t have Duval with that authority! The man mounted his horse and rode off in all directions.”
“Very funny, Ms. Scott. Take care of it. You’re much better at it than I am. I give you my authority to set a strategy for the board meeting. I’m almost finished with the street grading and paving plan. I’ll try to get back to town next week.”
“Yes, sir.”
Their conversation did nothing to ease her upset. Erin sat facing the windows with a 5x5x5 cube and tried to determine what to do about the challenge to Mr. Carver’s position. She was absolutely certain that if Duval held the reins, the Cloudhaven development would crash and burn.
The other three senior executives were firmly committed to having Royce Duval promoted to chairman and CEO. There were nine members of the board. Three were the senior executives and three were family members. That meant Duval must have at least one of the three outside board members committed to him. He wouldn’t dare launch such an attack without at least four of the nine members and the hope of convincing another.
She called up the bios of the three outside board members and compiled a quick dossier on each. She made her decision and set an appointment for the next morning.
“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Vaughn,” Erin said when she was greeted by the CEO of Vaughn Home Furnishings. She had interviewed with him when she was looking for a job. Mr. Vaughn was an older member—perhaps the oldest—of the board of directors. He was of Mr. Jerico’s generation and had been almost silent during the presentation. His only comment had been, “Jerico has his hand in the project? I’m in.”
“How can I help you today, Miss Scott?” Vaughn asked.
“I’m sure you have received notice of the board meeting to be held next week,” Erin began. Vaughn nodded. “I have uncovered a kind of conspiracy among the senior executives to make a wholesale change in the leadership of the company and the direction of the Cloudhaven project.”
“I think that is obvious.”
“I’ve spoken to Ms. Dirksen and Mr. Masters. They seem to be driving an effort to install Royce Duval as Chairman and CEO.”
“Royce is a good man. Flashy, but generally solid. He’d drive the company wherever the board pointed him,” Vaughn nodded.
“In my opinion, that could be the problem. Mr. Duval is a salesman. He sells whatever people want to buy, not necessarily what he has to sell. I’ve worked with Mr. Carver for three months and have found that he is the true creative force behind the company. He has issues that prevent him from expressing himself freely in front of a group—even the board—but having Duval as his salesman has always been enough to drive his decisions. It’s a good fit for Duval as well.”
“I have to say, Preston is lucky to have you as well.”
“I’m just filling the blank spaces where he is unable to. This week, for example, we have been working together on the master plan for Cloudhaven’s infrastructure. You can’t imagine how complex the PERT chart is.”
“Oh, I can. I haven’t always been content to limit myself to furniture manufacturing. You’ll find half a dozen businesses in this town with the name of Vaughn attached to them. I’ve divested myself of control as I have no direct descendants to pass them on to. When I go, the only one of the original families left will be the Jericos, and they, of course, are now the Carvers. At the rate Preston is going, he might be the last of the family line.”
“I’m sure he’ll find his own happiness down the road. What I am most concerned with is changing leadership at this delicate time could jeopardize the design, the construction, and the timeline of Cloudhaven. I believe we need to keep Mr. Carver at the helm, at least until the plans are stabilized and the first phase is complete. Any change before that time will be detrimental to the company and the employees.”
“I see. You make a very good case, Miss Scott.” He paused and looked out his window as he nodded his head. “When Lawrence Jerico recruited me for the board of directors of JeriCorp, it was more than a business deal. We are the last remaining patriarchs of the city, if you will. Even the family names are fading into obscurity. But I agreed at that time to cast my vote with the family. So, I will give you my proxy to vote with Lawrence Jerico on all matters before the board next week. I will not be at the meeting, so I won’t need to face my fellow board members. Let me have my secretary draw up the proxy.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t be premature in your thanks. You still have one more board member to win over. I suggest Hathaway will be your most likely ally. He’s the same age as Carver—went to school together. He’s done well in electronics. Took over a company that was making vacuum tubes and then transistors. Now they make silicon components—almost all operated by robotics. Very profitable. If I were to guess, I’d say Reinholdt has already committed to the coup.”
“Thank you for the advice, sir. I’ll try to get a meeting with Mr. Hathaway before the board meets.”
Gene Hathaway was not available. She was told he was in California for a conference in Silicon Valley. She would have to focus on the family since Reinholdt refused to take a meeting with her. She needed to make sure the Jerico family would vote to retain Preston. He had a close relationship with his grandfather and unless something drastic had changed in the past month, she was confident Jerico and Mrs. Carver would vote with Preston.
She stopped at the diner and picked up two orders of the daily special, then went directly to the monumental structure of Jerico House.
It was an imposing building, now on the National Register of Historic Places. She thought it was the oldest structure in Jerico City, though another historic mansion was on the east side of town. Eight steps led up from the circular drive to the pillared portico and front doors. She wondered briefly if she should have gone around to a servants’ entry, but she was already standing at the door with the bell chiming deep inside the house. She was surprised to find Mr. Jerico opening the door.
“Ms. Scott! What a surprise. Come in.”
“I’ve come to bring Mr. Carver lunch, sir. If you could direct me to him, I’ll not bother you,” Erin said. She was becoming rather good at simply assuming the close when she wanted something. She didn’t ask permission to see Mr. Carver. She didn’t care if she was directed to his office or his bedroom. She spent her days with him in isolation. It wouldn’t make a difference to her where she met him today.
“Of course. Third floor, top of the stairs. The kitchen and dining room are just to the right when you reach the top of the stairs.”
“Thank you, sir.”
She headed the direction he pointed and came to an abrupt stop at the dragon staircase. She was on a mission, but this massive work of art required a moment to pay her respects. It was beautiful, sweeping around to the landing on the second floor. Once she had caught her breath, she headed up the stairs.
At the top, she saw the kitchen and dining room to her right and went directly to them. Mr. Carver had a more elaborate apartment here in Jerico House than he had at the office. She could see through another door that he was in an office at the back of the house. She immediately set about plating the food and giving it a brief boost in the microwave. Then she went to his door.
“Mr. Carver, lunch is served. Will you join me?”
“Maizie! What a surprise!”
He wore jeans and an open collared shirt with a gray college hoodie over it. The hood was pulled over his head, but he wasn’t wearing a mask or dark glasses.
“I wish I’d had an invitation, Jerry. I had to simply barge my way in past your grandfather,” Erin laughed.
“I’m sure he put up no resistance. Now if you’d met Mother at the door, she’d have carried you up the stairs.”
The two went into the dining room and sat at the table where Erin had put the plates and flatware. The day’s special was Yankee pot roast with assorted root vegetables.
“I’m afraid I’m here on business,” Erin said.
“I know. Let’s just enjoy being Maizie and Jerry through lunch. Then we can deal with today’s crisis.”
“It is nice to see you in your other habitat,” she said, gesturing at the third-floor apartment.
“The two apartments on the second floor don’t have kitchens. That’s where Mother and Grandfather live. Matilda cooks most of the meals in the first-floor kitchen and serves in the breakfast nook or the dining room. Living up here is almost like being independent.”
“I suppose there is still a stigma attached to a man living at home with his mother and grandfather,” Erin smiled.
“Oh, don’t you know it! Unlike you, I’ve never had to go out looking for a home to buy. The nearest I came was the apartment I shared with Gene Hathaway in college. It’s one of the reasons I like the apartment in the office. At least I’m not living with Mommy.”
“You know, you don’t have to stay away. It is still your home. I don’t infringe on it.”
“No, I don’t avoid the office because you are there. In fact, I miss you, though I suppose I shouldn’t say that. I mean it professionally.”
“I miss you, too, Jerry.” She left off the ‘professional’ part of the sentence.
“Having you in the office has liberated me to take care of important issues on the job site. You know, I’m educated and trained as an architect and city planner. After all the initial plans were drawn up, my real job was out on the jobsite. I find I can communicate to the crews without much problem. It’s very different than communicating in the office or in public.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
They finished their meal and stood at the sink together to clean up the dishes, still joking about where he was comfortable. He hardly ever stumbled or stuttered when he was talking to Erin. She’d noticed that was true in the office as well as when they were talking informally as Maizie and Jerry. But ultimately, it was time to go into Preston’s home office and have the meeting Erin came to have.
“I need you to be at the meeting Wednesday to vote to preserve your position. I’m not sure, but I suspect Ms. Dirksen is organizing the senior execs. She talks a good line about having Royce in the true leadership position, but I think she fancies herself as the power behind the throne. Typical of a corporate lawyer. She has the three senior execs and one other board member in her camp. Mr. Reinholdt declined to take a meeting with me, saying I had nothing to say that would change his mind. Mr. Hathaway has been in California, but will be back for the meeting. I’ll have to convince him on the spot.”
“So, the opposition, as you style them, has four confirmed votes and is counting on one of the other of us five joining them,” Preston said.
“That’s the way I see it. We need your family to vote as a bloc in order to put the pressure on Hathaway. You need to be seen as the leader of the company.”
“I’m not the leader,” Preston said. “I’m a manager. I know what needs to be done and I can direct resources to do it. Duval, for all I dislike him, is a leader. He can just point to an objective and people will follow him to it. There’s a difference.”
“A strong business is more dependent on a good manager than a good leader,” Erin said. “A leader will lead people right off a cliff if he isn’t a good manager. Knowing what actually needs to be done and directing resources is more valuable than chasing squirrels.”
“Even with my mother, grandfather, and me, you have only three votes,” Preston said.
“I have Vaughn’s proxy to vote with Mr. Jerico,” Erin said. “And I believe a word from you is all it would take to convince Mr. Hathaway.”
“You have been busy!”
He reached for a cube on his desk and in a minute had it solved. He tossed it to her and she immediately started resetting it.
“I won’t come to the meeting,” he said eventually. He held up his hand before she could protest. “I think we need to approach it as if it were already decided in our favor. My favor, I guess. I’m the only one who is at risk here. And they can’t take away my membership on the board. It is likely that I could mount a proxy fight at the annual meeting and oust all of them.”
“Would you do that?”
“No. You know what kind of public presence a proxy fight would require. And I don’t believe either Mother or G-Pop would head it up. What I will do is grant you my proxy. I believe we can go downstairs and you can persuade Mother and G-Pop to give you theirs. With Vaughn, that would give you the same number of votes as the coup. You would need to be more convincing to Hathaway than Dirksen is.”
“You’ll talk to him?”
“If he’ll take my call. Let’s talk to Jerico and Mother. None of us like to be at the board meetings. They’ll give you their proxies. If the board wants to keep me as chairman, fine. But I’m not going to fight them for it.”
“You’re going to let me fight them for it.”
He grinned at her.
“You are much better equipped for this kind of fight than I am.”
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