White Cell
Page 32
Jim looked startled, like a deer caught in a car’s headlights. “I guess,” he said.
“You don’t have to decide now,” said Mintz. “I just want you to think about it.”
“I like that idea, boss!” exclaimed Ben, looking at Jim. Jim laughed and then looked at Mintz.
“There is something else,” began Mintz. “Though it may be a little premature to tell you.”
“What?” asked Jim.
Everyone was silent for a moment. “I should also tell you that your father left you well provided for,” Mintz told Jim.
“What do you mean?” asked Jim.
“You father’s estate owns a sizeable portion of NAT stock. And the estate will revert to you when you are 35 years old.” Jim did not know what to say.
“How sizeable?” asked Cindy.
“At the current stock price of $86, the estate is worth about $10.8 million.”
“Holy shit!” said Ben and Cindy together.
Jim closed his eyes. When he had composed himself, he opened his eyes and looked at Mintz. “Do I call you Mr. Mintz or Uncle …?” asked Jim, smiling.
“Sheldon?” asked Mintz. “We’ll see.”
Then Mintz changed the subject again. “Penny asked how I knew her name,” said Mintz. “And that brings me to my confession.”
“I thought only Catholics had confessions,” said Desjardins, sounding puzzled, confused by the use of the English word “confession”.
Mintz laughed. “No, no,” he said. “It’s just an expression. My confession is this: I have been following Jim’s life ever since he was adopted by the Kincaids. I have known about every school, every job and every friend.” He looked at Jim and his face implored understanding. “I have been spying on you for a long time, Jim. In a way I was your guardian. I was just watching out for you. Recently I had to step up the surveillance.”
“So it was you who was having me followed?” asked Jim.
“Yes,” said Mintz. “It was me.”
“Was it because of you that I got the job at NAT?” asked Jim.
“Yes and no,” said Mintz. “While it is true that I gave my staff instructions to hire you, they told me later that you would have been hired anyway. You earned the job on your own, Jim.”
“And me?” asked Ben.
“I had no influence on either your hiring or Miss Lyndon’s.” Mintz paused and looked carefully at Ben, Cindy and Penny.
“What’s the matter?” asked Cindy.
“Well,” said Mintz. “I have seen reports on all of you and I have seen pictures of you all with Jim but I have the feeling I have seen you recently.” He shook his head. “But it can’t be. I am rarely in Ottawa. The last time I was in Ottawa was …”
“Almost three weeks ago?” asked Penny.
“At the airport,” Ben said to himself.
“The airport,” mumbled Cindy.
“Three weeks ago was the kidnapping at the airport!” exclaimed Jim. “I was there!”
“And me too!” shouted Penny, Ben and Cindy all together.
“As was I,” said Mintz.
“As were we,” said the two inspectors.
“And so was Verde,” said Jim.
“My God,” said Mintz, looking up at the sky and seeing that the sun was still partially blocked by a cloud. “We were all in that airport at the same time. It must have been Providence.”
The cloud that blocked the sun was pushed aside by a breeze and the sun came out again. Everyone warmed up and Penny looked over at Jim, glowing in the sunlight. Jim looked back and smiled. He reached his hand under the table, found hers, and held it. Providence can be a good thing, thought Jim.
Knocking on the table with his knuckles, Ben broke the special moment between Jim and Penny. Jim dropped Penny’s hand and looked at Ben. Everyone else around the table also looked at Ben.
“What?” asked Jim.
“Just a question,” said Ben. “Has all of this excitement cured you of hacking?”
Jim thought of ignoring the question because it was not a question he really wanted to answer in front of everyone. He looked around the table and saw that they were all looking at him. He looked again at the two inspectors and realized he had to give an answer.
He thought back to something a Greek friend of his had told him once. In Greece, nodding one’s head meant the opposite of what it meant in Canada; nodding one’s head in Greece meant “no”.
Everyone was still looking at Jim for his answer to the question of whether he had been cured of hacking. Jim looked back to Ben and nodded his head seriously. He then leaned across the table and whispered in Ben’s ear so quietly that no one else could hear.
“Not really,” Jim whispered. “White Cell has a lot of work to do yet.”
###
About the Author
If you have enjoyed this book, find out more B. Regan Asher on the author’s web site at http://breganasher.com. On the web site you will also find out more about his other books like Il Vendetta:
Il Vendetta
When a buyer was murdered in rural Pennsylvania, the secret world of Star Stores began to unravel. With almost a trillion dollars in sales, the company had completely concealed its clandestine operations. But now suppliers in China were starting to fight back. And, in the US, one lone man would choose to speak out. It was then a race against time to go public before the retailer could stop him.
The author behind B Regan Asher loves writing has been doing so on and off for over 30 years. He has also spent over 15 years working in the retail supply chain working with major North American retailers, creating software solutions for the supply chain, and travelling to China to source and develop new products. With extensive experience in supply chain management and software, the author has incorporated his personal background and philosophy into each book. Each novel is different, but based on the author's personal experience in the retail supply chain and the software development environments.
The author lives with his wife and two children in Ontario, Canada and welcomes comments and inquiries from interested parties through his web site's contact form.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - The Appointment
Chapter 2 - In the Air
Chapter 3 The Airport
Chapter 4 - The Aftermath
Chapter 5 - NAT
Chapter 6 - The Job Fair
Chapter 7 - Jim’s Apartment
Chapter 8 - Solving the Credit Crunch
Chapter 9 - Making Contact
Chapter 10 - NAT Again
Chapter 11 - The Car
Chapter 12 - Toronto
Chapter 13 - Back to Normal
Chapter 14 - The Offer
Chapter 15 - The Date
Chapter 16 - The Acceptance
Chapter 17 - The Summary
Chapter 18 - The List
Chapter 19 - Date #2
Chapter 20 - Breakfast with Ben
Chapter 21 - Desjardins
Chapter 22 - The RCMP
Chapter 23 - Working at the RCMP
Chapter 24 - The plan
Chapter 25 - The Operation
Chapter 26 - Providence