Cindy Powell uses detective work that she learned from her father as a young girl in her job as a real estate mogul Benson Easton's assistant. Benson needs to know every detail about an associate before doing business with them. It's Cindy who digs...
"Lean in, speak out, have a voice in your organization, and never use the word sorry." Trish Bertuzzi
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Before I went to sleep last night or this morning at 1:00 a.m., I texted Sam and asked if he could stop by the office at his convenience. I knew that I wouldn't get a response till he woke up today.
I arrived at the office five minutes early, which gave me time to set my things in my office, grab my notes, and get myself a cup of coffee before meeting with Benson.
Customarily, each day starts with Benson and I meeting to discuss the day's events. This morning, our meeting will be much longer. He desires to know all of my preliminary findings before instructing me further. I knock and immediately enter. I take my seat and patiently wait for Benson to acknowledge my presence.
He finishes writing, lays down his pen, and gives me his full attention.
"Cindy."
"Mr. Easton"
"Whenever you are ready."
I take a deep breath and begin to reveal my findings to Benson on the three companies that Easton Real Estate is looking to collaborate with on the Bailey Project.
The Bailey Project is a large plot of land in Borrego Springs close to the Borrego State Park. Benson is developing the land into single-family homes and luxury townhouses. The community will have business places like restaurants, a wine-tasting room, gift shops, a coffee shop, and a twenty-four-hour fitness club. It will contain a walking trail, a neighborhood fire pit, and a swimming pool. Faith, Benson's wife, worked closely with Benson when he hired Double Faced advertising to put together a full pamphlet of the community, commercial promotion, magazine, and newspaper ads.
They became close and fell in love. Their love only strengthened more when Faith's sister went missing for six months. During that time, Faith moved in with Benson and eventually moved her office here on the third floor of Benson's office building. They've been married for nearly seven years and have three exceptional children.
As I finish my report without interruption, I can see a mixture of emotions in Benson's eyes as he leans back in his chair. He is eerily silent for several minutes, mulling my words around in his creative mind. I sit and wait patiently. I'm accustomed to Benson's quirks when he's in decision mode.
He finally speaks and leans forward, placing his arms on his desk. I'm ready with my pen. "First of all, Bligh is out. The missing money is a huge red flag that there's something shady going on with the finances of Building by Bligh. I have no interest in dealing with them."
I nod and jot down that note.
Benson continues, "The missing foreman from Holland's Construction could be the guy who saw the writing on the wall regarding his behavior and skipped town. In the case of the murder at one of Big Dog Contractor's construction sites may be explained away as a random murder, or it might be related to the company somehow."
