by AJ Newman
“I don’t know, but I plan to get to the bottom of it. Hon, I need you to stay at my place and back out of the New Wave situation. I want you safe.”
Cindy reached under her skirt and drew a small 9 mm auto from a thigh holster. “Dad, someone has to have your back. I’m in until we get to the bottom of this.”
I was a bit speechless. “Do you always carry a pistol?”
“Yes, you taught Alex and me how to shoot, and you were a running ad for the NRA while we were growing up. We both have concealed carry permits and are quite good with pistols or rifles. The beer can doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
“Does Jane carry?”
Cindy wasn’t surprised by the question, and I thought that was a bit odd. “I don’t know, Dad, but I’ll find out.”
I shut up and began thinking of ways to encourage her to go back to her Mom’s for the summer.
Chapter 14
Mike’s home - Dauphine Island
“I shit you not!”
“John, are you sure you’re not a bit paranoid from last summer’s excitement? Missing men, swarming bees, Russians, floating bodies, robot sweeper, and a missing girlfriend must all be coincidences. You haven’t been dropping acid or smoking that wacky weed, have you?”
“That’s not funny. I need you to have my back when we go back to New Wave the day after tomorrow. Remember, the old man told me the Russians were tinkering with the reaction vessels and running some kind of operation on the third shift. We don’t have a clue what they actually do on the other side of the building. At a minimum, that’s a big issue even if the bastard is Mother Teresa.”
“Ya got me there. Are you sure the man didn’t see either of your faces?”
“Yes, and I called Alice, and she told the man she didn’t know us and gave him a bogus description. She even told the man my Porsche belonged to a retired cop from Tillmans Corner. I think we’re clear. I am sure he is the asshole who beat my dog.”
Mike shook his head side to side. “Now tell me about this student, Jane, who we’re hiring. You banging her?”
“I hope you know me better than that, or are you judging me by your own low standards?”
“I was actually busting your balls since you always accuse me of sleeping with Beth.”
“Jane is ex-military, has a young boy, and is barely making enough money for graduate school and food. I think we could use her at J&M longer term.”
Mike choked and then cleared his throat. “Beth would crap a cinder block. As we discussed a few months ago, we’re ready to expand operations and could use some lab techs and hands-on people. Let’s see how she does at New Wave first.”
“That’s fair.”
I left Mike’s place and drove back home. Cindy was in the shower, so I made a pitcher of margaritas and took a dip in the pool. I lost track of time and soon fell asleep in the diminishing sunlight. I was cutting some damned good ZZZZs when suddenly I had stabbing pain on the side of my head and heard a familiar voice. “You two-timing piece of shit. Replacing me with two sluts. I ought to kill your sorry ass.”
My eyes opened just in time to see Jane scuffling with my ex-girlfriend. Cindy was in a bit of shock but kicked Meagan’s feet out from under her. Jane took over, twisting Meagan’s arm behind her back and pushing her down the steps to the deck. One of Bubba’s officers had just driven into the parking lot with his family. Cindy called him over to my house, and the officer took charge of Meagan. A short while later, a cruiser came to haul Meagan’s ass off to jail.
I sat up with blood trickling down onto my ear. “What happened?”
Cindy huffed. “Apparently, that woman mistook us for two of your new girlfriends.”
“Bubba didn’t run her off.”
Jane took charge. “Cindy, please get a first aid kit while I keep the pressure on his wound.”
Jane had a pretty blue skirt and a flowered blouse. She also had makeup on. She caught me trying to stare at her. “I clean up pretty good when I want to. I just don’t have much of a reason to anymore.”
“I have to admit you look terrific without makeup and much different with it.”
“Different good or different bad?”
I was screwed now because either answer set me up to get my balls busted or her feelings hurt. Cindy saved me. Well, sorta saved me. She passed the first aid kit to Jane. “Dad, I thought you didn’t sleep with your students.”
Jane turned to Cindy. “That bitch doesn’t go to our school. I think that was one of your dad’s old girlfriends. By the way, John, what did you do to piss her off that much?”
“Honestly, nothing. Meagan wanted a long-term relationship, and I didn’t. Doc caught her hand in the till, and she left me after vandalizing the place. The sheriff told me he ran her off the island.” They stared at me.
“I didn’t hurt her or screw around on her. I’m just not ready for a serious relationship.”
Jane stopped the bleeding and patched me up. “Who’s Doc? I call you Doc, and that could get confusing.”
“Doc and his girlfriend Tally manage my restaurant, Long John’s.”
Jane was surprised. “I didn’t know you owned Long Johns. I come down here every now and then to swim and soak up some rays. Jere and I like the beach behind the old school grounds.”
“Well, it’s mine along with a half dozen other businesses in lower Mobile and the island.”
The wheels spun in Jane’s head. “What’s your connection to Mike and Beth? Sorry, I’m a bit nosy.”
“Not a problem, I’ll fill you in over dinner, but the short story is Mike and I have been buddies since we served together in the Middle East. Let me get dressed while you ladies and Jere order some drinks. Jere, Doc makes a mean root beer float for boys who eat all their supper. I’ll be right over.”
The ladies started to leave. “Jere, could you fetch my phone off the deck?” I turned to Jane. “Jane, do you carry?”
Jane lifted her left leg and placed her foot on a chair. She pulled her skirt up to show a small automatic in a thigh holster.
“.380 Keltec. I’ve been armed since leaving the service.”
I mentally added-and have great legs.
Chapter 15
Long John’s – Dauphin Island
I was intentionally late for supper to allow Cindy to meet in private with Jane. That was damned hard to do on my part. First, I had to remember my daughter was grown and competent. Second, I had to suck it up and lose a bit of control over the situation. Both were hard to do, so staying away was my best solution.
“Sorry for being late. I guess I need to fill Jane in of my relationship with Mike and Beth.”
I told her about Mike and me and started with the war. Then I told her what little I knew about Beth. I didn’t go into detail about my other enterprises but did tell her I had my thumb in quite a few pies around the island. By the time I finished, I’d wondered why I didn’t know more about Beth. I also wondered why Jane wanted so much info on Mike.
“Cindy, I trust you gave Jane a copy of the information on our process at New Wave and covered our plan.”
“Yes, and Jane has a couple of great ideas to help us determine what’s happening when we’re not around. Jane, show Dad the cameras.”
“Professor, look …”
“Whoa! I’m John when we’re not around clients, and Doctor Logan in the presence of customers.”
“John, look up to the ceiling. What do you see?”
“A water stain and a moth are all I see. Doc had better do … Hold on a minute. Wait, that moth! Is it a drone?”
Jane tapped on the screen of her phone and handed the phone to me. I could see the four of us from above and hear every word we said. “Where did you get this?”
“I got it on a trial basis from a security group where a friend works. The little thing costs three hundred dollars but would be invaluable to keep twenty-four-hour surveillance on the process.”
Cindy handed her phone to me. I about broke out lau
ghing when I looked at the screen and heard the sound. I saw Bubba telling his deputies to order the most gigantic steaks and most expensive drinks in the restaurant. I caught Doc’s eye. “Hey Doc, you just ran out of filets and hide the top-shelf liquor now! Don’t ask questions.”
I looked at Cindy, then the phone and back to Cindy. “Dad, I just received my master’s degree in nanotechnology. I have resources and contacts also. I borrowed a half dozen micro robot surveillance drones from our military research project and have to write a report on their use in the real world.”
“You two are demonstrating why Mike and I place so much emphasis on using your talents and grooming you for bigger and better careers. Now, show me what else these bugs can do.”
Our meal arrived, and we changed to general chit-chat as we got to know Jane better. Tally was clearing our plates when Mike walked in, looking like a beach bum. We’d watched him drive up in his AC Cobra and get a drink at the bar on Cindy’s phone. Cindy handed her cellphone to Mike, and Jane asked, “Is that a real Cobra or a kit car?”
“It’s a real 427 Cobra, and when did you install security cameras?”
“I didn’t,” I said as a tiny drone landed next to Mike’s drink.
Mike gawked at the bug as Cindy made it buzz his face and then land. “What the hell? I’ve heard of small drones, but this is almost unbelievable. I can barely see the little bastard, but yet it’s sending a sharp picture of me to the phone.”
Cindy laughed. “Uncle Mike, you know nanotechnology and micro robots are cutting edge science. Anything you have read or know about, are usually years behind where we are in the lab. The question now is – does New Wave have the technology to detect our bugs or their transmissions?”
Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley
The next morning, Mike and I had a private meeting with Brunner to tell him to cooperate, or J&M would pull our equipment and tech support. Brunner was furious and threatened to throw us out, but Mike called his bluff by saying, “John, how long would it take to remove our equipment?”
I turned to face Brunner. “Sixty minutes to turn it into a pile of junk and one day to remove it. I have a crew waiting on my call.”
Brunner’s eyes grew, and he struck a more conciliatory tone. “Wait, don’t be hasty. We’ll work with you. I let my temper overrule my judgment.”
Mike leaned in toward Brunner. “Joseph, something is going on behind the scenes that I can’t put my finger on it yet. But I warn you, there had better not be anything illegal going on in this building.”
Brunner almost gagged. He was hiding something.
Mike and Beth left to visit with another customer. Dr. Brunner didn’t attempt to hide his disdain for the three of us who were to watch the operation until we resolved the process issue. Cindy even showed me footage of one of Brunner’s security guards, placing something under each of our vehicles. I texted Mike the following message: This is worse than we thought. The bastards planted devices under our cars. I attached footage of the man sliding the devices under the vehicles.
Mike answered the text. That’s why I pay you the big bucks. Do you need me?”
“No, but stand ready and come armed if I yell for help.”
“Do you have your LCP?”
“No, I have my new Glock in a paddle holster on my belt in back and two extra mags. All concealed very well by my lab coat.”
“Is the team armed?”
“Has a cat got an ass?”
“Okay, but let’s not have an OK Corral kind of day out there.”
“Won’t shoot unless shot at.”
“Do you really think it could be that bad?”
“Don’t know, but better to have a gun and not need it.”
Other than Brunner’s team spying on us and us spying on them, nothing much happened that morning. I wanted to explore the entire building, so I had Cindy and Jane release several of the drones and had one of them monitor the video feed the whole day. Cindy had the first watch, and Jane and I began flow mapping the process from the warehouse to the finished product.
I wanted to document what was actually happening on days, compare it to the second shift, and look for inefficiencies in the operation. I’d had extensive training in Lean and Six Sigma and put it to use. I was pleased and disappointed at the same time about the results of five hours of inspecting the operation.
Cindy performed most of the work while I pretended to be observing the operation, but watched the people and everything visible. I saw Ken several times and honestly missed a couple of his signals. Then I noticed he kept pointing the end of his broom in the direction of a fire door on the north side of the building. It was closed and locked with a padlock and chain.
I signaled that I saw the door, and then Ken walked over to it, and now pointed his broom to the floor. I couldn’t see anything from forty feet away and waited until Ken left the area before going over to the door.
I didn’t see anything at first. The floor was concrete with black forklift tire marks and dust. I was about to give up when I mentally slapped my head. It wasn’t the floor he pointed out, it was the tire marks from heavy forklift traffic in and out of the chamber next door. Brunner had lied again. I took a quick picture of the tire tracks when an insect buzzed my ear. I swatted at it and left the area happy with my findings.
Except for a few noted improvements, the operation was precisely as Mike’s people had implemented months ago. I was beginning to believe there was nothing wrong with the process, so I gathered Cindy and Jane, said our goodbyes, and left for the day.
“Jane, why don’t you join us at Long John’s for supper?”
“I’m sorry, but I have to pick Jere up, fix supper, and then spend some quality time with my son.”
Chapter 16
Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley
Several days passed, and the process continued to operate at over 110% of efficiency with an acceptable purity of FXA1. Brunner actually smiled around us. We’d been watching the process but hadn’t done anything to make any improvements.
However, what we did accomplish was to find some rather shady and dishonest business practices. Mike set up a meeting with Brunner for early the next morning.
“John, I sent Beth to Germany to sell our newest equipment to Rupp Pharmaceutical. They finally want our help, and Beth was getting a bit on my nerves. Yes, she’s my girlfriend, and mixing business and the bedroom has backfired on me. She’s jealous of Cindy and Jane.”
I snickered and poked him on the arm. “I won’t tell you, I told you so. Don’t beat yourself up too much. Just try to get back to a business relationship with Beth, if possible.”
“Let’s meet with Brunner and ream his ass out over this bullshit, causing me to lose money.”
“Mike, calm down. Don’t go in there pissed at Beth and ruin our relationship with Brunner.”
“Crap. You handle Brunner, and I’ll give support,” said Mike
“Joseph, our agreement pays J&M an incentive each month based on our process and your operation exceeding our budget by five percent. We’ve demonstrated our process can hit ten to fifteen percent above goal, but the rest of the operation is out of control.
“You have three times the sanitation and warehouse labor per plan. Electrical and water service runs into the next building, but our joint operation pays the bills. We also suspect that labor paid for in this half of the building actually performs work next door. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I’m shocked. I knew we had too much labor but nothing about electrical and water being used next door. I only know about the labor used over here. I’ll have to check with my partner in next door’s business to see what happened. I assure you, I didn’t know about it.”
Brunner lied. He always lowered his head a bit then looked up to his left when he lied. He looked like his head was on a spring. “We’d like to see the operation next door. We hear they run a third shift that has some interaction with your crew over here.”
“I’m not aware of what they do next door. They’re a different group under the same overall corporation. I’ll have to check with my boss … err … partner on visiting his operation.”
I held back on telling him we knew about the questionable work performed in his operation on the third shift.
Jane was uncharacteristically late to work the next morning and had Jere with her. Her eyes were red, and tear tracks ran down her cheeks. Cindy fetched me and took me out to Jane’s car. “Jane, what’s wrong? You look troubled.” I hate it when women cry.
“This isn’t working. My neighbor can’t take care of Jere anymore, and I can’t find a sitter I can afford. Just the apartment takes most of my pay.”
I made the timeout sign and took my phone out of my pocket. “Hey, Ann. …Yes, it’s me. … I’m great. Do you have room for a wonderful nine-year-old boy? …You do! … Terrific. … Now, a favor. Could you send one of your girls to pick up Jere? He’s my assistant’s son, and she has sitter problems. … Yes, I think it will be long term.”
Jane had a puzzled look on her face. “How do you know a daycare owner? Is it a good place and well managed? Where is it?”
“Believe it or not, I own half of the business, and it’s on the island by my house. I own a couple of other businesses, and most of the workers have small children. One of my managers begged me to start a daycare for them. My lawyer handled the legal crap, and I found training for the ladies who work there. The manager had previous experience and impeccable credentials. Other people on the island found out about the business, and we grew much larger. We also specialize in keeping tourists kids so the adults can go have some adult fun from time to time. We charge them double our rate, and they’re happy to get the service. I keep the rates much lower for the people who work for my managers and me. My direct reports aren’t charged. We break even on the cost of keeping the employee’s kids, but make a tidy profit keeping the outsider’s kids.”