The Yoshinobu Mysteries: Volume 2

by John A. Broussard

“Mathematics is terribly important to me. You could even say its my first love. I loved Ruth, too. She loved only half of me. I guess because I could give her only half of my love.” He shook his head. “Half didn't work for her.”

  “You said in your letter how she felt like a computer widow.”

  “There were other things as well. She did feel unhappy about all the time I spent in front of the screen, but what really bothered her is how I sometimes get caught up in a math problem, and I keep thinking about it when I should be carrying on an intelligent conversation. Somehow I cant shake loose.”

  “I know what you mean. I sometimes get caught up in a case, and I dont even hear whats going on around me while Im researching it. Everyone in the office says Im like a zombie when I get immersed.”

  “Ruths not at all like that. Theres a slang expression which says it best. Shes an „aware person. Unfortunately, she demands that everyone else around her be aware, too.”

  “Do you still love her?”

  “Id be lying if I said no. Its different, now, though. I know Im not good for her, and I know shes not good for me. So Clayton–like I said–Clayton may be right, but only partly so. The right brain may be romantic, but its not complete mush. Ruth and I have managed to work out our differences in the course of the separation. There was no big court battle, no fight over Sarah. We both love our daughter and she loves the two of us. It took Sarah a while to figure out why Ruth and I couldnt stay together, but I think shes worked it all out pretty well by now.”

  “Tell me about Sarah.”

  “Now, there, theres a lot to tell.” Kens pride in his daughter was impossible to hide. “Dont get me started or youll regret it. As I told you over the phone, shes why I was coming to Hawaii anyway. I agreed with Ruth moving here with Sarah because I knew I could come over to stay and do all my work here, sooner or later. Ive been to Hawaii several times, and I think this a great place to live. Besides, as I said, all I need is a computer, a modem and a good connection to be able to work anywhere. Im not much on cities. Even San Jose has always been too much. From what Ive seen of Honolulu on previous trips, its Los Angeles without the smog. There must be some rural area on Oahu where I could be in the country.”

  “Is Ruth going to marry again?”

  “I dont know, though I rather think so. Shes caught up with the vice president of some big autoparts corporation there in Honolulu. I think its called Diamond Auto Parts, or some such thing. Ive met him only briefly, so I dont know anything about him first hand. When Ive talked to Ruth over the phone, it sounds as though hes everything I wasnt. Hes good to Sarah. Ive got Sarahs word for that, which is what really counts.”

  “Weve strayed.”

  “My, but youre cryptic. You make me think of some of the math problems I try to solve. What have we strayed from?”

  “Weve strayed from your work. What do you do? Just what is this company of yours? What was the great invention of Pats?”

  “Last question first. Ive known Pat now for six or seven years. I met him when we were working for a big outfit in the Valley. We were both getting fed up with being employees. The larger the company, the more the work becomes routine, but the pays so good it makes it hard to quit. Anyhow, one day Pat tells me about this idea of his and breaks out the drawings hed made. It has to do with magnetic bubbles. Dont ask me about them. I have only the sketchiest notion of what they are. If I tried to describe what I know, Id probably get it wrong. I do understand enough about the principles involved so the idea sounded good.

  “We did a lot of talking about his idea. I did enough research on it to see it was feasible, even though I didnt fully comprehend the mechanics of it. I didnt know the first thing about starting up a company, and Pat knew even less. Thats when I ran down Clayton Heinicke, who Id gone to high school with. Wed also both been at Berkeley at the same time. I was in the math department, and he was in business administration. We used to run into each other on campus every so often. We also kept in touch over the years after that. So, since Pat couldnt suggest anyone, Clayton seemed like a natural choice.”

  “What do math majors and BA majors have in common?”

  “Not much, ordinarily, but Clayton had become a business consultant to a software firm I first went to work with, right after I graduated from college. He knows about as much about software as I do about business management but, in a way, the two things have been complementary for us. He helped me to market some software programs I produced, and I worked out some simple statistical programs for him to use in his consulting work.”

  Ken broke into one of his engaging laughs. “If Clayton were here now, hed sure be shaking his head. He would never let me say a program is „simple. Im supposed to say its „user friendly. Even if Clayton doesnt think much of me as a salesman, he knows me well enough to trust my judgment, so he was all set to go, almost from the moment I described the invention to him. As I told you, he likes to make money. Well, the three of us figured we needed to invest a total of forty thousand dollars to set the wheels in motion, and then we could borrow additional cash to get the invention to the marketing stage. A lot of the work was going to be patent searching. We wanted to make darn sure Pats invention wouldnt be duplicating something buried in the bowels of the patent office.”

  “Saul came in then?”

  “Yes. Clayton knew him and recommended him. After Saul talked it over with the three of us, he decided to buy into the partnership rather than to work for a fee. The rest of us were pleased, because legal fees can eat up income awfully fast, as you undoubtedly know. So Saul came in with ten thousand dollars. His contribution made up the forty thousand we needed and it cut down on the money we would have had to borrow since he was going to do all the legal work.

  “He then drew up the contract and we all signed it. It was a big gamble for Pat, because he was going to quit and work full time on the device. I quit, too, but it wasnt much of a problem for me because I had all those royalties. Clayton continued to act as a business consultant for various other firms. Saul, of course, kept up his regular private practice. Wed made allowances for the separate employment in the contract.”

  “Did you help with the invention?”

  “Not really. I anticipated it. I know little about hardware, but I knew enough about the implications of Pats invention to be able to design the software to go with it. You see, his invention–and its a reality finally––provides a fantastic amount of memory and compresses data besides. I mean, it really compresses data, which makes it possible, with a little tinkering, to put complex programs on the standard home and business computers, and to do it with comparative ease. A constant problem, right from the first experimental computers, was how software always pushed the capacity of the hardware it was designed for. The job of the programmer, from the beginning, has been threefold.” Ken interrupted himself. “Am I sounding like a teacher, Laura?”

  She smiled. “Yes, but Im far enough removed from law school so I can stand up under a lecture or two. Fire away!”

  “OK. First, the programmer has to design a program–say a spreadsheet, or a word processor, or a game. Second, he has to adapt his design to the available hardware. Third, he has to find all sorts of shortcuts to save space, because space has always been precious. There never seems to be enough for the computer programmers, especially the mathematicians.”

  “I see. Pats invention takes care of the third part of the job.”

  “Right.” Kens eyes lit up. “For all practical purposes, space is no longer a problem, at least not for all the standard kind of math programs Ive worked with. So, when we decided to form this corporation, I designedthe software for some hardware which didnt exist. It sounds difficult, but it isnt. Believe me, it was childs play compared to some of the rigmarole I had to work through in the past. I didnt have to keep dreaming up shortcuts, and there was no sudden worry one more step would call for another megabyte or so and then not leave room for other parts of whatever I was working on. In a way,
it was boring after the first few programs. But its all done, finally. I have a bushel basket full of programs ready to hit the market as part of a package to go along with the hardware.”

  “Now what?”

  “Sauls putting the finishing touches on the legal aspects. We go public with details of the invention in about a month. Thats Sauls estimate. Whatever my other feelings about Saul, Im convinced he knows his law. As soon as he has the legal matters sewn up, well start selling stock. I have the feeling Saul and Clayton will want to sell the business, since the value of the invention–plus all this software ready to market immediately–will bring the big companies to our door, bidding like crazy against each other. On the other hand, Im sure Pat doesnt want to sell. So far as Im concerned, I really dont need to.”

  “How will the four of you decide what to do about selling?”

  “All decisions are majority decisions, making those decisions pretty simple. But enough of my present and past. Lets hear something about yours. What Ive heard about you so far sounds awfully good, so Id like to hear a lot more.”

  Chapter 6

  “Theres not much to tell. Most of my life has been pretty routine, so much so it was pretty easy to get the lions share on a single, typewritten page. Ive since decided what wasnt routine in my life is too embarrassing to mention.”

  Ken laughed, and Laura was again captivated by the laugh. He then turned somber. “There are a few shadowy tidbits in my life, too. Those are tidbits Id just as soon leave in the shadows.”

  “ I was born in Wanakai on the windward side of Elima,” Laura said, resuming her narrative. “I stayed on the Island through high school. Maybe thats one of my embarrassments: how I behaved in high school. I didnt have the compunctions you did. When I look back at those days I figure Im lucky to have survived. College was much better. I went to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Thats over on Oahu. I made the mistake of majoring in psychology. There were lots of dull courses and few good ones. While the work wasnt especially interesting, it was hard enough to keep me busy and mostly out of mischief. Somewhere in my senior year I got caught up with Earth Day and decided to become an environmental lawyer.”

  “From what Ive heard of law school, you were probably kept more than busy.” It was Lauras turn to laugh. “ And really out of mischief. My hiatus in law school may be why I went wild again when I got back here to Elima. You should have heard some of the lectures Leilani has been giving me since I became part of the firm. As I told you before, I joined the firm only about a year ago, but Leilani has known me a lot longer. In fact, shes known me since I was a baby. I used to spend a lot of time at her house with her kids, so shes an expert at bawling me out.”

  “But you arent doing environmental law here.”

  “Theres no way an environmental lawyer could make a living on Elima, at least not now, though theres a lot of the environment needing protection. When I went into eco- law, it never occurred to me I probably wouldnt want to live where the openings in the field are available. Since then, Ive found out Id have to go to work for some conservation group, which would mean moving to Washington DC or some other big city on the mainland. I just wouldnt be able to take that. Like you, I cant stand Honolulu, much less New York or Los Angeles. As it turns out, this job is really great. Maybe, someday, Ill be able to persuade Qual to add a small environmental division to the firm and put me in charge.” She smiled at the thought.

  “Are the other attorneys sympathetic to your views?”

  “Qual definitely is. Sid and Kay arent unsympathetic. Theyre more apolitical than anything else. All three are fun to work with. I doubt youd ever find a nicer crowd. Leilani is a real mother hen, as youve seen. And wait until you meet Craig, Quals roommate. Hes a great guy.”

  “I havent even met Qual yet, but Im looking forward to seeing him since you like him so much.”

  “Even though this isnt the kind of law Im most interested in, its still fascinating. Id hate to leave.”

  “Dont. If youre ever tempted, ask yourself how many hours you put in working for a living, and think how miserable youd feel if you were doing something you didnt like. Most of the people in this country and maybe in the world work at something they don't like to do. They spend half of their waking hours or more going to work they dont like, doing work they dont like, and coming home from work they dont like.”

  “You sketch out a mighty dark picture. Maybe something might come along which would make me want to change jobs.”

  “If it does, it isnt worth it.”

  *** From the corner of her eye Laura caught sight of the hovering waitress. Laura looked at her watch and reacted sharply. “Do you know what time it is, Ken? The restaurant closed a half hour ago.”

  Almost simultaneously they both said, “Time flies when youre in good company.” They laughed at the coincidence of their thoughts. Either of the two tips they left would have been more than enough to compensate for the waitresss half hour of patience.

  They walked to Lauras car. The light haze drifting in during the afternoon had dispersed. The fragrance of the plumeria trees in the parking lot filled the air, and the moon-less sky was crystal clear. In spite of the street lights, they could make out the Milky Way. Laura pointed to the southern cross which was standing almost upright on the southern horizon. They stopped and surveyed the heavens.

  “Im staying at the Prince Ka…something,” Ken said when they reached the car. “The Prince Kalanianaole.”

  “Thats it, though Ill never be able to pronounce it.”

  Laura stopped at her car and leaned back against it. “Ken?”

  “Yes?”

  “You dont have to go to the hotel. You can stay at my apartment.” As she said the

  words, she scanned his face which she could see only dimly by the yellow light of a street lamp shining halfway up the block. She was unable to read anything in the eyes she could barely make out.

  As the pause lengthened, Laura felt something akin to panic.

  Ken finally spoke.“I want to. I know its stupid of me, but it wouldnt feel right.” He smiled, and Laura again liked the smile she sensed rather than saw. “I know Im old fashioned,” he added.

  “I guess I uncovered some of my shadowy past just now,” Laura said.

  Kens smile faded. “I wish the shadows in my past were as innocuous.”

  *** “You have to admit hes nice, now dont you?” Laura asked, before Leilani could broach the subject on the following Monday morning.

  Grudgingly, Leilani said, “He is polite. Ill give him that. He looks neat and clean, but you dont really know anything about him. You dont know any of his relatives.”

  Laura smiled at the stress Leilani placed on kin, but she knew Leilanis attitude was typical of the small, intimate island on which both of them had been born and raised. Families did give you information about the person you developed an interest in, even long before the interest developed. Sometimes it could be important information.

  “Youve had two more phone calls,” Leilani said, handing her the messages. “Those people on the East Coast can never figure out when its noon there, its still way before business hours here. The phone started ringing and ringing the minute I switched it on at seven-thirty. The answering machine is stacked with messages. There goes the phone again, and Ill bet its for you.” After answering it, Leilani held the receiver out to Laura, with an “I told you so” look on her face.

  Laura went off to take the call in her office, saying as much to herself as to Leilani, “I guess it was a mistake putting the office phone number in my letter.”

  Qual, having just come in, caught the tag end of the conversation. He grinned at Leilani. “Do you remember when she had only two boyfriends? How many phone lines do you think we should add now?”

  Leilani sniffed and turned on her computer.

  The day was a busy one for the whole office. Qual had had to stay overnight in Honolulu, having missed the last plane back to Napua, and he was now trying to catch u
p on unfinished business hed left behind in his office; Sid had a lengthy court trial in process; and Kay was doing her best to deal with two distraught clients, both having shown up unexpectedly and simultaneously almost before office hours. In addition, she had to cope with an overflowing in-basket. It was after nine before Kay had time for a break. “Have you got a minute, Laura?” she asked the dark head of hair bent over a court transcript.

  Laura looked up and smiled. “Sure thing. Come on in. I need a break from this.” She pushed the papers to the back edge of the desk and sat back.

  Kay said nothing.

  Lauras smile broadened. “Youre dying to find out what hes like. Now, admit it!”

  Kay smiled in return. “You win. I confess. Im dying to find out what hes like.”

  “He seems too good to be true.”

  Kays face darkened.

  Laura held up her hand, palm outwards. “I know what youre going to say. „If he seems too good to be true, he probably is too good to be true.”

  Kay nodded.

  “Well theres one word buried in there, and thats „probably. Maybe the odds are against me, but when I think of the men Ive been involved with whom I knew were definitelynot too good to be true, I know its worth a little gamble this time.”

  “It might be a big gamble.”

  “Because I already like him too much. Right?”

  Kay nodded.

  Laura gave a thoughtful and slow shake to her head. “Hes so much better than the others Ive known and those Im hearing from. I got a call just a few minutes ago from someone in Des Moines. He spent most of the call describing his souped-up Chevrolet Corvette.”

  The phone rang in Lauras office. “I hope it isnt him again, or someone with a new Ferrari.”

  As Laura answered, Kay got up to leave and saw the expression on Lauras face change dramatically. Laura beckoned to her to stay. Kay sat back down and tried to piece together the conversation from the half she could hear. “I thought you were going to visit your daughter.