This is a sequential story you will need to read the previous Parts before this Part will make sense. I broke this story up into Parts to accommodate L's request to make into parts.
This is my very first story I've ever written. I'm an Engineer so I tend to be techno/detailed, hope it does not distract from the story too much. Some of the items in the story are real, some embellished, and some fantasy, I'll let you try to figure them out. If you seek lurid sex then this story is not for you - I allude to sex but I leave the details to your imagination - often less is more. Enjoy OB.
The Mission
:
Due to declining Quarterly Operations reports with higher losses than all other plant we decided to focus on the Reno factory. The TEAM would start on the production floor as an internal corporate ISO-9001 audit and see where it takes us.
I want the TEAM to get close to the real workers, the ones who get low pay for longer hours. The ones that know all the in's and out's of the products. Listen to them and in front of them create appropriate CARs (Corrective Action Reports) to help them.
Give them a reason to trust you in making their life simpler. Once they see we are real and are make changes for their (and company) benefit they will open up. I hope they will trust you enough to tell us where the skeletons are located.
Rick and I will distract the Exec's while you girls go for it. We will meet each day at the hotel conference room about 1700 hours to discuss our findings, decompress, have dinner, and plan for tomorrow. I will sweep the conference room each day for bugs '
before
' we talk.
I talked to Brandy every evening. Often I Skype™ Brandy into our evening Debriefs. We worked Saturdays until noon, then we would all met at the pool for lunch-n-sun.
Yup, this lecher could view the harem.
When I Skype Brandy I usually could see Sara hovering behind Brandy,
she is so cute thinking we don't know
. Some nights Sara would ask me to read her a bedtime story over Skype.
My gosh, is this what having a daughter would have been like or am I just older and can see quality time staring at me?
Oh ghod I feel so lonely
.
I talk to my wife every few days for about 30 minutes but it's not the same. Usually she tells me about her work, the dogs, and what needs fixing - my honey-do list just keeps growing.
My son is only good for her emergency help as she has worn out her welcome with him. I cannot remember that last time my wife grabbed me and planted a big kiss on me.
When life sucks badly I think of Brandy and Sara - that puts a smile back in my soul. What does this mean? I need to get a grip, I am married.
After three days in Reno, Micky called me over the secure digital intercom ear-bud as she found something BIG. It looks like the GM and CFO have deleted a bunch of folders the day before we arrived. It's obvious something was intended to be hidden. Micky said since only one file has been updated on the server there is a very good chance she can recover all the deleted folders and files.
Micky how confident are you? +98%.
YOU DA LADY
, but only recover directly onto your USB stick - leave no trails. We will examine at the Debrief.
Later that day Micky found an atomic bomb - the VP of ENG had copied files from the secure Engineering drive and placed them on his unsecure office computer and maybe a USB stick (in clear violation of company and government directives). These files contained sensitive product data and drawings of our DoD customers product.
WTF
? I ordered Micky to trace those copied files to where ever it leads you! This is for my eyes only since I still held a DoD clearance.
I immediately put a call into Clyde to let him know we need covert security. I will not risk any of the team and I'm now packing until we leave here. The next morning we had four operators shadowing us with one posing as Sarah's assistant,
lucky guy
. I wanted one inside the plant just in case shit hits the fan. They all sported intercom ear-buds too.
I placed a call to Rabbin to give him a heads up, we will need FBI/DoD support. Rabbin would be our conduit to these alpha-bits.
The following day Connie discovered a Lean scrap issue - missing 55 gallon drums of scrap metals and no paperwork as to shipping destination. Also the metals are not being separated into the proper drums as they should - we see palladium shavings/salting in all barrels partially full barrels on the floor.
Connie you sure it is not oxidized aluminum? She snapped me 'I know my metals', I wisely shut up. But I still told her to get a confidential chemical analysis to confirm with pictures of the drums/locations. She huffed at me over the intercom, like I told her the obvious.
Lacy said she has found monthly orders for 10x the amount of palladium than we need going back 19mo, but the supplier stock number is for copper not palladium.
The PO's (Purchase Orders) call for palladium not copper. The receiving documents state we have received palladium but the stock number on the receiver is for copper and a few for brass.
I asked who gets the Lean scrap metal barrels; Lacy said the same supplier ID of the raw stock purchases is the same as the scrap receiver.
Rick was listening and jumped in stating he found skimming taking place with losses entered in different ledgers. Some entry's are listed as scrap losses not payments.
I told all to copy all to their USB's - keep cool and draw no attention. We will talk tonight.
At the week-end Debrief Summary we found a number of records issues, double purchases from certain suppliers, payments listed at losses. The trail was so complicated I let Rick sort it out and gather the evidence - he is the forensics guru.
What we did see was willful Exec negligence that was profitable - we suspected kickback's from the colluding suppliers. We will need Rabin to request the FBI to get confirmation from the Exec personal bank account(s). It appears the Reno Exec's were each profiting nearly $100K per month plus their normal salary.
We documented it all and went to the next company.
I had a suspicion there is way more to this story than just one rogue company GM & CFO. But now, due to my crack TEAM we knew where to look.
At the Norfolk plant we only needed a week to confirm the same findings of skimming and supplier fraud.
The Waco company was the same as the Bremerton company - all complicit in using the same rouge suppliers.
Were all Brandy's GMs & CFO's in collusion - in a conspiracy to defraud and embezzle her?
Then we flew overseas to the last two companies, we now had visible security with us. Thailand can be a rough place and the government is about as trustworthy as Mexico - not. We looked and looked but found nothing, everything was proper and in good shape
- honest Thai's. I sighed relief!!
I enjoyed myself in Thailand as I use to speak the language in my early Navy days - but if you don't use it you loose it, I had lost it decades ago, "sawadee krup". But like a bike it is easy to get back on when you know how.
