Renegade Re

By Gary Lee Ward

Ozzie Grinn inherits the largest insurance company in the world. Everything runs smoothly for nearly three years, but then he suddenly discovers that in just a matter of weeks or possibly even days, he could lose the entire insurance empire his deceased father, H. Martin Grinn, III, worked a lifetime to build.

Racing against the clock to thwart the hostile takeover attempt, Ozzie and his wife, Sly, enlist the help of some of the sharpest minds in the worldfour people theyd trust with their lives. But the group quickly finds that its no simple task to stop the small reinsurance company, Monolith Re, from swallowing up Lions Grinn International.

While Ozzies team search frantically for answers in the U.S. and Europe, Ozzie and one of his closest friends are nearly gunned down and then kidnapped on a street in London.

Meanwhile, as ridiculous as it seems, the possibility looms larger by the hour that the largest, most prestigious insurance company in the world will be taken over by a tiny, renegade, reinsurer!

Ozzie and his wife are shocked beyond words when they finally learn whos behind the takeover attempt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 13, 2011
• ISBN: 9781450278553

Gary Lee Ward

Gary Lee Ward was born and grew up just outside the small town of Risco in the Missouri Bootheel. He attended Arkansas State University where he graduated with a major in Radio/TV Journalism and a minor in Newspaper. As a retired broadcaster for the Illinois Farm Bureau, he turned his attention toward writing novels. His first book, Two From Tennessee, was published in January 2006 and is fiction but based on his own real-life experiences growing up in the cotton fields of southeast Missouri. Renegade Re is also fiction, but here Gary created a story that takes place a world away from rural life. It’s a complex mystery of twists and turns that takes place mainly in London and Paris and centers around the hostile takeover attempt by a small U.S. company of an international conglomerate. Gary and his wife, Linda, now make their home in the Southwest Missouri Ozarks.

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Copyright © 2011 Gary Lee Ward

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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4502-7854-6 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-4502-7855-3 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 1/10/11

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Epilogue

Chapter 1

April in Paris!

How exciting!

How romantic!

How wonderful!

Right?

Wrong…at least for two people.

Tonight it was cold. The wind was howling. Rain was coming down in torrents. In a word, it was miserable. Negotiating the traffic clogged, rain slickened streets of Paris by car in this mess was a nightmare. Squinting through a fogged up windshield at the glare of oncoming headlights added to the misery. To top it off, the GPS was spouting wrong directions.

They had already circled the Arc de Triomphe three times and the Englishman, One-eyed Jack Woodshed, who was driving, was in a foul mood and had lost all patience. They called him One-eye or One-eyed Jack because he wore a black leather patch over his left eye. He could see perfectly well with either eye but thought the patch gave him a certain distinguished look, and he was sure it made him irresistible to the ladies.

Damn it Eamonn, One-eyed Jack exploded as he pulled a map from the glove compartment, I thought you said you knew where we’re going! Look at this map and see if you can find Rue Marbeuf.

I know bloody well where Rue Marbeuf is! Eamonn shot back, his Irish temper starting to flare. He grabbed the map and promptly tossed it out the window along with the tenth cigarette he’d smoked in the last hour.

What the hell did you do that for? One-eye snapped as he whipped the car onto the Avenue Des Champs Elysees, and then brought it to an abrupt stop alongside the curb.

I can’t stand maps, Eamonn snarled as he reached for another cigarette, "map spelled backwards is Pam and that reminds me of my second wife, Pamela—met her right here on the Champs easy-lay."

Elysees! Jack corrected.

Well, it’s obvious you’re one of the few who never met Pam, Eamonn stated flatly. Married three weeks, we were, before I found out about her past and—

Look Eamonn, Jack cut him off, as much as I’d love to hear that story, we’re late and Ozzie is relying heavily on us. Now do you know where Rue Marbeuf is or not?

I do! Eamonn grouched, his voice full of indignation. It’s just right down the way there no more than five blocks. When you pass Rue Pierre Charron, go one more block and hang a right. At that, Jack slammed the gearshift into first gear and launched the rented Mercedes out into the traffic as angry drivers’ tires screeched and horns blared in protest to the sudden move.

Eamonn was now grinning, quite satisfied with himself, as he watched crowds of people scurrying along under their umbrellas looking in the storefront windows along the Champs Elysees. It had been years since he’d worked with Jack and he loved him like a brother. Now it was fun to spar with him again. It was going to be just like old times.

Eamonn White was still a young man having only turned 40. Although he was not tall, maybe 5’9", he carried himself with authority. He was slight of build, which belied his physical strength. He had been working in the States as an undercover agent for the FBI when Jack contacted him and asked for his help. It had sounded so urgent; he asked for and was granted emergency leave even though he was on the verge of nailing two U.S. Senators who were reportedly into hard-core porn scams with the Mafia. Eamonn didn’t sweat the details; he was more concerned with the big picture. Although Ozzie had never met him, after studying the detailed dossier on him that Jack had provided, he was sure that White’s quick wit and sharp mind would prove to be invaluable in the coming weeks.

As Jack maneuvered the Mercedes through the heavy traffic, his mind raced. He was trying to anticipate Ozzie’s questions and have the answers formulated in his mind for quick retrieval. He had only been given sketchy information over the phone, but he knew that Ozzie would be expecting him to have at least a starting point of action. Like Eamonn, Jack had a lightning fast mind and could solve complicated problems nearly as quickly as the most modern computers. Unlike Eamonn, he had an eye for and kept a firm grasp of the minutest detail, not even the slightest nuance got by him. This was just the quality Ozzie knew would be required in the weeks ahead, and that’s why he chose Jack.

Since they were almost 30 minutes late, Jack parked the car in the private garage while Eamonn took the elevator to the top floor of the Didier Building to announce their arrival. Once a grand hotel, the Didier Building was now a rather shabby looking apartment complex. Ozzie’s wife, Sly, had scouted it out and found it would suit their purposes just fine. It had the privacy they would require, and no one would question, let alone care, who came and went. Ordinarily it would have made more sense to work out of London, but until they knew exactly whom they were dealing with, Ozzie and Sly felt their group should keep a low profile. When Sly had asked to rent the entire 12th floor, the apartment manager hardly batted an eye. He just accepted her credit card and handed her the keys to all the rooms.

Since he was never good at remembering names, Eamonn tried word association. Eamonn White here to see Mr. Smiley, he said to Ozzie’s secretary who had opened the door after looking at his face through the peephole. She had recognized him from the picture Ozzie had given her earlier that day. Her name was Judy and she had been Ozzie’s executive secretary for nearly ten years. She was super efficient and had a bubbly, most pleasing personality.

Oh, you must mean Mr. Ozzie Grinn, she said with a broad smile, he’s been expecting you Mr. White. Is Mr. Woodshed with you?

Yes, he’s parking the car and should be up directly.

She tapped on the door to Ozzie’s office, then opened it and walked in ahead of Eamonn. Mr. White is here to see you, sir. Mr. Woodshed is with him but is parking his car and will be here momentarily. I’ll bring in coffee straight away, sir, she said, anticipating Ozzie’s request.

Thanks Judy, Ozzie responded as she left the room. Hello, nice to meet you. Welcome to Paris, he said as he rose from his chair, walked around in front of his desk and shook hands with Eamonn.

Just over six feet tall, Ozzie bore a striking resemblance to Clark Gable in looks as well as personality. He took a lot of ribbing about that and his last name. Most people could hardly keep a straight face when he said his name was Ozzie Grinn. But he was always easy going and seemed to take it all in stride even back in his college days when his fraternity brothers called him Rhett Butler. They would raise the pitch of their voices to sound like Scarlett O’Hara and say, Oh, Rhett! Now in his mid fifties his hair had started to gray and he’d put on a little weight, but he still retained that mischievous Clark Gable smile. There was something about that smile and the look in his steel gray eyes that made it hard to know what he was really thinking. When he talked, he had a habit of twisting his mustache with his left hand while wearing a foxy grin and holding his head at a slight angle to the person he was addressing.

Ozzie was the President and CEO of Lion’s Grinn International, a conglomerate comprised of small and medium sized property and casualty insurance companies throughout North America and Europe. He had inherited the faltering company from his deceased father, H. Martin Grinn, III. Even though Martin had been an astute businessman, when he fell into ill health he let his board of directors make some bad risk management decisions that cost the company dearly. Now in just three years since his father’s death, Ozzie and Sly had turned the company around. In a bold move, they changed the name of the company from H. M. Grinn Worldwide to Lion’s Grinn International. Since he’d always been kidded about his unusual last name, Ozzie decided that rather than let it be a detriment he’d make it an asset.

He hired the world famous advertising agency, Carson & Kimes of New York, to develop a worldwide media blitz promoting a smiling lion image he envisioned as the company’s new logo. The agency used both a real lion and a cartoon lion character in printed ads and TV commercials and it worked like a charm. Not only was the lion memorable, but it depicted the insurance company as strong and protective. Sales of the company’s insurance policies shot up an astounding 60 percent only six months after the saturation advertising campaign began. The Lion’s Grinn International sales force was ecstatic and the company’s profits soared.

After Ozzie had introduced himself to Eamonn and they’d exchanged pleasantries, Eamonn, who was always direct, said, I must say, you certainly have a sly grin!

Knowing full well that Eamonn wasn’t referring to his wife, Ozzie decided to have some fun, Oh, you’ve met my wife! he said.

Puzzled by that, Eamonn raised an eyebrow, looked directly into Ozzie’s eyes and said, Not that I know of. What’s that got to do with anything?

My wife, Sly. When you said I have a sly grin—

Pardon me sir, Judy interrupted on the speaker phone, Mr. Woodshed and Mr. Parmesani are here.

Thanks Judy, Ozzie said, please show them in.

Hi Ozzie, sorry to be late, Jack said as he entered the room, look who I ran into in the parking garage.

Antonio stepped forward and shook Ozzie’s hand, then kissed him on one cheek then the other as was the Italian custom of greeting friends. Antonio Parmesani had retired from the Italian Army two years earlier and was now an antique silver dealer in Milan. He was a handsome man, 52 years old, with a full head of black wavy hair graying at the temples. He worked out daily and it showed by his trim, muscular body. Ozzie had known him for nearly twenty years and knew that his Army experience as an intelligence officer and logistics expert would most certainly be a vital asset to the team he had assembled. When Ozzie had explained the gravity of the situation and asked for his help, Parmesani agreed without hesitation. Good to see you again, he said to Ozzie after the embrace.

Wonderful to see you, Antonio, Ozzie said. How’s Marie?

Just as feisty as ever and she sends her love to you and Sly. Also she wanted me to thank you and Sly again for finding that rare 1892 silver napkin ring for us. It’s an exquisite piece and has become a most valued addition to our collection.

We were very happy to do it and so glad that you like it, Ozzie said as he turned to the others. You know Jack, of course, but you haven’t met Eamonn White.

Nice to meet you Eamonn, Antonio Parmesani, he said as he briskly shook Eamonn’s hand.

Likewise, Eamonn said with a broad smile that showed off his perfect teeth.

Just then there was another tap on the door to Ozzie’s office and Judy ushered in a petite young woman dressed in a nicely tailored black business suit. She was about five feet, two inches tall and very attractive. Her curvaceous body, expressive brown eyes and shy smile instantly got the attention of Jack and Eamonn. She set her expensive, dark maroon leather briefcase on the floor as she looked around the large room.

Melinda! Ozzie greeted her as he quickly stepped toward her and shook her hand. Good to see you again. I trust you had good flights?

Melinda Draw, FCAS (Fellow Casualty Actuarial Society), MAAA (Member American Academy of Actuaries) had headed up her own property and casualty consulting firm for the past five years. Ozzie had used her firm exclusively for the past three years and had been very pleased with the results to say the least. It had saved his company several million dollars. Draw Consultants had proven time and again to make sound actuarial judgements and he had come to put full trust in their decisions. When Melinda came to him just three weeks ago and provided solid, irrefutable evidence that Lion’s Grinn International was on the verge of being destroyed, he knew he must act at once.

Yes, thank goodness, Melinda responded with a smile. It was smooth all the way from St. Louis, although I did have a couple hours delay in leaving San Francisco after what was thought to be a security breach actually turned out to be a false alarm. She glanced around the room, Is Sly here?

Yes, she’s out running errands but should be back any minute. She’s very anxious to hear your report, Ozzie said as he turned to the others who’d been quietly standing by. Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet Melinda Draw.

Just as those introductions were complete, Sly entered the room and greeted Melinda and was introduced to Eamonn. She already knew Jack and Antonio.

Sly was a pretty, small-framed woman with blonde hair, blue eyes and a natural deep tan complexion. One year younger than Ozzie, she’d met him in college at Duke University. Some of her girlfriends egged her on into going out with him because of his last name. Hey, if you marry him your name will change from Sly Williams to Sly Grinn! Wouldn’t that be a scream? they teased and laughed. Sly laughed, too. She was sure there was not one chance in a million she’d even go out with him, much less marry him. After all, he was the popular, handsome devil she saw driving a convertible sports car around campus with a different girl by his side almost every night. No way would she go out with a guy like that! Although she’d never met him, she was sure he was arrogant and conceited. But on a lark, she invited him to a dance her sorority was sponsoring and he accepted.

She was surprised to find him neither arrogant nor conceited, well, maybe a little she laughed as she confided in her sorority sisters after their first date. But on their second and subsequent dates she found that that Rhett Butler cockiness he seemed to display so casually was mostly an act to cover his insecurity. A lifetime of being teased about his last name and living in the shadow of his rich and powerful father made him afraid to show his true feelings to anyone.

After dating for only three months, he proposed to her and they were married two months later. In just a year after they’d both graduated, they launched, so to speak, their new business, Blue Sea Luxury Yachts. With his degree in Engineering, and her double major in Business and Interior Design, they made the perfect team for such a pursuit, and with their love for sailing, building sailing vessels just seemed like a natural thing to do. They leased an old waterfront warehouse near their home in Charleston, South Carolina, hired six professional craftsmen and opened for business. Their first major client was L.L. Darling, an eccentric millionaire. The sleek 90-foot yacht they built for him was a beauty to behold, and they were extremely proud of it. Ozzie had personally hand rubbed every inch of the mahogany woodwork throughout the ship until it glistened while Sly used her grandmother’s old Singer sewing machine to painstakingly design LLD monograms for sheets, pillowcases, drapes, and even shower curtains.

Mr. Darling was so totally impressed with the quality of workmanship and how quickly the project was completed, he gave them a $100,000 bonus! Blue Sea Luxury Yachts had made a big splash, as it were, and word quickly spread. Soon, orders poured in from the rich and famous around the world anxious to have their own personalized floating multi-million dollar palaces. For the first time in his life, Ozzie was a huge success in his own right, and for the first time H. Martin Grinn, III told his son he was extremely proud of him. In the ensuing years, they became close friends as well as just being father and son. But when Martin told Ozzie he’d like for him to take over the reigns of his beloved sprawling insurance empire upon his death, Ozzie was petrified. He’d never had the desire or inclination to deal with responsibility. His attitude was always easy come, easy go. Nevertheless, at Sly’s insistence he agreed to his father’s wishes. And now after three years of learning about the insurance industry and becoming involved in his father’s company, Ozzie was ready to fight to save it from what appeared to be a hostile takeover attempt.

It was almost 9:00 p.m. when Ozzie directed the group to a long conference table in the corner of the room. Rain was pelting the nearby bank of windows and occasional flashes of lightning highlighted the huge drops. They had all been seated except Melinda and all eyes were on her.

I’ll come right to the point, Melinda said as she opened her briefcase and pulled out six bound copies of a 45-page booklet she’d prepared for the meeting, without trying to sound too melodramatic, Lion’s Grinn International is in dire jeopardy. She kept one copy for herself and passed the others around the table. This booklet, she said, contains documents that show beyond a shadow of a doubt the intentions of ‘Monolith Re’. It’s become a renegade reinsurer that has to be stopped! It has to be stopped now! And we have just one small window of opportunity to do it!

Everyone around the table stared at the booklet in front of them without opening it. Melinda continued, If you’re wondering why we’re meeting here instead of the States, it’s because Monolith Re’s main thrust seems to be here in Europe. I suggested to Ozzie that our efforts be concentrated here, and he agreed. She looked at Ozzie and smiled. He nodded toward her and returned her smile.

She then continued. I could stand here and tell you of my firm’s findings, but I think it’s important that you see the facts and figures for yourself. So in essence, what I’ve done is brought the bottom line to the front page. I’d like you all to read page one, then I’ll try to answer any questions you have.

At that, everyone opened their booklet and started reading. After a minute or so, Ozzie was the first to react. He was stunned even though he’d already seen Melinda’s preliminary report. Those sorry bastards! he exclaimed as he finished the first page and thumbed through the next several.

Oh, my god! Sly said with a gasp as she quickly drew her hand to her mouth.

Bloody hell! One-eyed Jack blurted.

Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! Antonio said quietly as he shook his head.

Eamonn was the last to respond, but finally exploded with the earthy language he often used when he was excited or upset, Holy shit! he literally shouted.

Chapter 2

While Ozzie’s meeting was going well into the night in Paris, it was now only around 3:30 in the afternoon in Albany, New York. Clinton Stoddard had a very pleased look on his face as he briskly walked into J.J.’s office and dropped a fax on his desk.

We now know the names of all the players, Stoddard stated matter-of-factly.

Clinton Stoddard was the CEO of Valinni Industries and had known J.J. forever.

Ozzie didn’t waste any time did he? J.J. said as he studied the names on the single sheet of paper. How soon can we get a profile on each of them?

I’ve got our best people working on it and they say we’ll have a detailed report complete with pictures by midnight tonight…or at the latest by 6:00 in the morning.

Good, J.J. said. All we have to do is stay at least one step ahead of Ozzie and his team.

J.J. Valinni was the owner and president of Valinni Industries, a manufacturing company specializing in highway resurfacing equipment. He had inherited the business from his somewhat infamous father, Ross Valinni. Ross liked to live on the edge and his name was often linked to organized crime, but he was never indicted or even arrested for the slightest misdemeanor. Although he was questioned many times by the police and FBI, he vehemently denied any wrongdoing even though he was often awarded contracts to the city and state of New York under questionable circumstances.

J.J. had his doubts that all his father’s business dealings were on the up and up, but he remained devoted to Ross and loved him very much. Therefore, whenever Ross made a request of his only son, J.J. tried his best to comply. Just before he died, Ross said there was one last thing, a personal thing, he’d like J.J. to do for him. J.J. was now in the process of accomplishing that goal for his father.

I don’t know why J.J., but I’m starting to get nervous as hell. How long do you think it’s going to take to wrap up this whole thing? Clinton Stoddard asked with a concerned frown as he sat down in a chair across the desk from his partner and lifelong friend.

As long as it takes, Clint, you know that. We’re almost there.

All the same, I just wish it were over, Clinton sighed. This is a hell of time to be screwing around with this insurance industry thing while the whole damned economy is in complete chaos. I had hoped we wouldn’t have to expend so much time and energy on Monolith Re.

"Yes, I know. Three years is a long time. Who would have ever guessed when we started this project that the entire U.S. economic system, as well as the rest of the world’s, would go to hell in a hand basket and spiral out of control? Lehman Brothers going belly up, the multi-billion dollar government bailout of AIG— GM and Chrysler asking for and receiving government handouts, and other major players teetering on bankruptcy—what a damn mess! We’ll be lucky as hell if our business survives. I’m sorry I ever got you involved in the Monolith Re project," J.J. apologized as he shook his head in disgust.

Hell, J.J., I didn’t mean to lay a guilt trip on you. This project is what your father desperately wanted and his last request has got to be honored. I told you I was with you for the long haul and I meant it. I guess I’m just tired.

"Thanks Clint. You’ll never know how much Margo and