Seer Read Free

like a long ride,” he observed.
    “Sixty-two miles,” I said. “It’s referred to as a metric century.”
    “Oh,” he replied. “I see. I think I’ll leave that to you young folks.”
    At forty-four, I was hardly young, but I supposed compared to Ed, I was.
    “What can I do for you, Ed?” I hadn’t had any work with him for a couple of years, so he couldn’t be calling about any current or recent projects.
    “I need you.”
    I laughed. “That’s what they all say, Ed.” It was nice to hear. I loved when a satisfied client called me back. It told me more about how well I had done for him than words of thanks at the end of a project. Of course, I liked those, too, especially when said in the hearing of other, potential clients.
    “I am buying another technology firm,” he said, “and putting together a due diligence team. I want you on it.”
    Due diligence was the process whereby a team of people verified that a particular company was actually doing the things they said they were doing. The team would check the company’s books and bank statements, talk to existing clients, and interview key employees. If it was a technology company, the team would also review the related technology to verify it was up to snuff. Depending upon the complexity of the tech, this could be easy or a lot of work.
    “How much time are you expecting from me?” I asked cautiously. I had a number of important clients already. As I was self-employed, I was always on the prowl for more work, and I hated turning anyone away. But I made it a rule to never over-promise. Under-promise and over-deliver was the motto amongst true professionals.
    “There’s the initial meeting, and then you’d have to fly out for a week,” he explained. “After that, probably another one hundred and fifty or two hundred hours spread out over six to eight weeks.”
    “You want a thorough analysis,” I observed. “How big is the team?”
    “Small,” he said. “I’ve got my business people to look at that side of things. I just need you to evaluate the technology.” He paused. “I want you, Sidney.”
    “You didn’t answer my question, Ed.”
    “I’ll give you one of my best programmers,” he said. “You don’t have to look at product viability or the books. But I want to know what I’m getting into with the software.” He paused. “It’s a software as a service company.”
    “Are you buying the tech or the customer list?”
    “Both. The tech has to work. I need to know if the code is any good. I need to know if the people are any good. I would prefer to keep the team intact, but if they’re already halfway out the door, or if they’re poor at their jobs, we’ll pull it in house.” He paused. “I’ll want you involved long term, but we can worry about that later.”
    I thought fast. Ed had been a good client. Unlike many clients, Ed always paid my invoices promptly and never argued about them. He’d given me good work and treated me with a great deal of respect. As a woman in a man’s world, that meant something to me.
    “How soon?”
    “Can you make a meeting tomorrow at two?”
    I pulled up my calendar. “I presume for the remainder of the afternoon?”
    “Possibly a working dinner as well,” he said.
    “I’d have to move a few things, but they can be moved. And the trip?”
    “Monday.”
    “Ed …”
    “I know.” He paused. “I screwed up, Sidney.”
    “Tell me.”
    “I had a project manager here who was supposed to call you. He didn’t, and it was intentional.”
    “Don’t tell me. Kirk McGuire.” Three years ago, Kirk had made a fool of himself in front of Ed, and I knew he blamed me.
    “Good guess,” Ed replied.
    “Does he still have a job?”
    “I haven’t decided.” He paused. “I told him if you turn me down, he’s out.”
    “Ed…” That wasn’t fair to me.
    “You could patch things up with him by saying ‘yes’.”
    “He’s going to resent me anyway.”
    “All the better reason