Ambitious Payroll Manager

Wells4689_c02_1

05/31/2007

16

chapter

2

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The Ambitious Payroll Manager

JOHN TONSICK

hen Dena Brenner entered a room, people noticed. Her bright blue eyes

were framed with blonde, shoulder-length tresses. She wore stylish, expensive

clothes that flattered her slender figure. Never too much makeup and just the right

amount of jewelry, Dena looked much younger than the 37-year-old mother of three that

she was.

Only six years earlier, after finishing her associates degree, Dena went to work in the

payroll department of Sure Growth Seed Company, a family-owned business based in

Ohio. Three years later, Sure Growth was acquired by a much larger establishment,

International Agricultural Seed, commonly known as IAS. Dena quickly attracted the

attention of the new owners and was offered a position as corporate payroll manager,

requiring her to relocate to the West Coast. She worked at the company’s corporate

headquarters, the same building occupied by top management. It didn’t take long for her

to become a favorite of those in the executive suite. Thoughtful, cheery, and flirtatious,

Dena was responsive to every administrative whim. The company’s CEO held Dena in

particularly high regard. He took an active role in protecting her interests and advancing

her career. If you were to ask anyone at IAS, they would tell you with certainty that she was

on her way to bigger and better things.

Dena’s husband, Ron, stood in contrast to his polished and professional wife. Tall and

stocky, he was a quiet, plain-spoken man. He’d spent most of his adult life working lowlevel jobs in the dairy industry. Married for 15 years, Ron and Dena had three beautiful

daughters. As is usually the case with fraud, things aren’t always what they seem. As much as

Dena was loved by her superiors, she was viewed with mistrust by many of her peers and

subordinates. Instead of a charming problem-solver, they saw her as arrogant, cold, and

condescending. Even worse,...