Chapter 69
Simon arrived and accepted the information from Leon.
“How did the meetings go?”
“They’re suitably grateful to have their income restored. Many of them seemed tentative though. It will take time for things to get back to normal.”
“We may not have time. The organization’s need for information is pressing.”
“If you lean on them, they might clam up even more.”
“Perhaps.”
“One thing I did get is that the Fair Employment Investigations are not the only round in the government’s chamber. Health and Safety inspections are coming to give them another excuse to look over target establishments.”
“Those can be handled. We understand the politicians need audit reports and action lists to justify their bureaucracy to the voters.”
“With the people on your payroll shaping the reports to our advantage.”
“Yes. However, there is another factor. Someone of your street smarts and experience should already know that we are not the only ones with government officials on the payroll.”
“True enough. How do you intend to handle the competition?”
“There are several methods. Outbidding them is one option but can be an expensive proposition. Plus, someone else could always top our offer. How do you know if someone will remain bought and paid for? I prefer to use leverage myself.”
“Do you need my help to persuade them?”
“Not at this moment. However, remain ready for my call if necessary.”
***
Trenchard sped through his next couple of assignments on autopilot, still wondering about his place in the organization. If, in fact, there were other thieves doing the same tasks, he was just one employee of many. This made him feel insecure and expendable. Besides, how many jobs could he pull before something went wrong? Sam knew the law of averages would catch up. No matter how well he prepared, someday a guard would be in the wrong place, or a target would return home unexpectedly.
He decided to plan for the future. First, he would hold back a small portion of each job in cash to fund his nest egg for retirement. This was risky, but cash was hard to trace. How would the organization know how much cash was in each safe? This would supplement his cut from each job and build up over time. If questioned about the amount of the take, Sam could always argue that the target could easily have grabbed some of the cash the previous day for an unexpected expense.
The second step was even more risky. Trenchard began to keep copies of the electronic information before turning the originals over to Simon. While this was damaging information if the cops raided him, Sam figured he had no choice but to have some sort of leverage going forward. He was tired of having his strings pulled by someone else.
Finally, he resolved to be a model employee whenever he contacted Simon. No rocking the boat or whining complaints from him. He would play the good soldier that every corporation wants to see.