by Stuart Safft
“Jesus! I feel just like I’m dreaming and should be waking up any moment now. A nightmare, actually.”
“Anyway, on my next trip to Europe, a package was waiting for me when I checked into my hotel in Stockholm. And sure enough, inside it were all the new identity papers for both of us. I left a ‘thank you’ voice mail message for Vasily.”
“With all you’ve done, and the lies — OK, mostly lies of omission — that you’ve dumped on me these past several months, how can I believe anything you say?”
“Steve, hang on. I’m almost done. My idea is to rent or buy, for cash, a nice house or villa in some remote village within the EU. You’d join me, and we’d live there under our false names. We’d use cash for all of our spending and we’d stay out of the spotlight as much as possible.”
“That’s fine for you, Ellen. Your Belgian citizenship makes it relatively easy for you to enter the EU and then fall off the radar screen. They won’t be looking for you to depart by a certain date. But as an American, I have to leave the EU after a certain period. They track that from when I showed my American passport to Passport Control when I arrived in Europe.”
“Yes, it will be more difficult, but still relatively easy, for you. You’re here now as Steve Sanders. You can travel around the EU, initially as Steve Sanders, by plane. Anyone who wants to track your whereabouts can. Then, after a couple of months, you start traveling only by train and bus and, when you’re pretty sure you’re not being followed, you switch to your new identity. Sure, they’ll add Steve Sanders to their huge list of visitors who overstayed their allowed time, but they’ll have a heck of a time trying to search the entire EU for you. And, believe me, they have a lot more serious things to spend their time on.”
“Ellen, I can’t even think straight right now. You’ve dumped quite a load on me.”
“I know. And I’m so, so sorry. Let’s go around the corner to a cozy little bistro there and have a quiet dinner and not even talk about this stuff.”
“OK, I’ll try. But I’m not sure I’ll be able to talk, much less think, about anything else.”
So they walked around the corner, settled into a booth near the rear of the small restaurant and had a pleasant dinner consisting of a small salad, beef bourguignon with vegetables and potatoes, a baguette, of course, and a fruit tart for dessert. The food was very tasty, but it was thanks only to the bottle of Bordeaux that Steve was able to relax his mind for a few moments, letting him enjoy the relief of finding Ellen alive and the pleasure of being with her.
Back in the hotel room, they hugged each other tightly, kissing without pause, practically taking Steve’s breath away. Ellen had always been intense in their love-making, and now she was even more eager, impatient with every button and zipper as they pulled each other’s clothes off. Still pressed together, they took a few tumbling steps over to the bed. There, Ellen was like someone half-starved, insistent on more, quickly more, still more. Without a word, Ellen made it clear that she’d not had enough. It turned into the longest love-making session Steve could remember. Afterwards, both fully spent, they quickly fell fast asleep.
The next morning, Steve awoke to find Ellen wrapped in a blanket, sitting in the small chair she had moved to in front of the window. “Good morning, El. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, like a baby. And you?”
“So so. El, can we continue where we left off last night?”
“What? Sure! It was delightful! I’d love to,” said Ellen as she stood up and started walking toward the bed.
“No. No, I mean ‘yes,’ last night was great. But that’s not what I meant. I mean can we continue the crazy conversation from where we left off before going to dinner?”
“Oh! Sure,” said Ellen as she returned to her chair, her cheeks bright pink with embarrassment and a touch of anger, not used to offering and being rejected.
“One question’s been driving me nuts: How’d you manage to leave the house that morning without anyone in the neighborhood noticing you leaving or a strange vehicle driving through?”
“Well, that was easy. Vasily arranged for one of his colleagues in Detroit to help me. This guy watched our street for a few days and noticed the type and color of the car driven by the newspaper deliveryman every morning. He then obtained a similar car, painted it the same color and picked me up in it that morning. Seeing that car drive through the neighborhood every morning, no one gave it any notice or even remembered seeing it.”
“Jeez, sweet and simple. So now what?” asked Steve.
“I plan to find that secluded house we talked about and, using my new identity, either lease or buy it. You have more things to do. To start with, you need to call your office and arrange for an extended leave of absence. Then you need to start traveling all over Europe, by plane, using your real name. After a couple of months, you need to start traveling undetected by train and bus and then shift to your new identity.”
Ellen then gave Steve detailed suggestions as to how he should have all their U.S. assets liquidated and the funds wired to their accounts in Europe, and then how Steve should withdraw all this as cash.
“Is that how you collected the cash from the ransom?” asked Steve.
“No. I had to do it differently. The funds we’re talking about you collecting are perfectly legal, and there’s little downside in the unlikely event that they identify or find you. That’s not the case with the $5 million ransom.”
“So how’d you do it?”
“I called Vasily once more and asked for his help. He agreed to have the funds collected for us. I would only have to periodically meet one of his colleagues to get the money, most of which I then put in a safe deposit box. But for this help, Vasily did want to be compensated. He said I had to give him 5 percent of what his guys collected. He was apologetic, but explained that he had to pay his colleagues for doing this risky work. He also said that he needed to collect a fee in order to not look too soft to his mafia compatriots. I readily agreed. I asked him how they would be able to do this without getting identified or captured, but he refused to tell me, explaining by analogy how the magicians’ code of conduct prohibits them from explaining, other than to other magicians, how a trick was done.”
“OK. That’s clear. But one other question: How will I ever find you once you’ve ‘disappeared’?”
“My parents will know where I am. But you can’t call or e-mail or visit them in case they’re being watched or listened to.”
“Then how will I …?”
“Starting two months from now, they’ll have dinner every Tuesday evening at 7:00 in the bistro where we ate last evening. You can meet them there when you’re ready.”
“But if they’re being watched, won’t I be seen meeting with them?”
“I think the risk is very low, especially if you go into the bistro well before 7 and then stay there a little while after they leave. If they are being watched, it’s very doubtful that the police watching them would go into the small restaurant. They’d most likely wait outside to avoid being detected.”
“Boy, you’ve really thought this all out in every detail. I guess you could be, or, in fact, are, a master criminal after all.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. And I want to be sure we do it in a way that works. Now here are 20,000 euros. This should be more than enough for you to get by on for the next two months or so, especially since you can keep using your credit cards until you switch identities. I’ve been gathering up the ransom money that we had spread across a dozen or so banks. We’re in good financial shape for quite a while.”
“Super, Ellen. It’s so comforting to know that we’re wealthy crooks and fugitives!”
“Steve, please. Give this a chance.”
“OK, I’ll try. But ....”
“No ‘buts.’ Please, Steve. Let’s give it some
time. And let’s really try. And take this slip of paper and hang on to it. It’s the phone number of a new pre-paid cell phone I bought for cash. No one, except my parents and now you, has this number. You should use it to call me only in an emergency. I don’t expect there to be one, but just in case ....”
Then Ellen picked up the hotel phone and asked to be connected to room service. While waiting to be connected, Ellen put her hand over the mouthpiece and said to Steve, “Let’s get some room service breakfast before you have to leave.”
Room service arrived about 20 minutes later. After a breakfast of baguette with jam and Nutella, and strong, black coffee, Steve and Ellen had a very emotional good-bye. Steve left the hotel, returning to Ellen’s parents’ house. He knocked on the door and entered the house when Ellen’s father opened the door. Without saying a word about his visit with Ellen, in case the house was bugged, Steve packed up his small collection of clothing and toiletries, exchanged good-byes with Ellen’s parents and headed for the train station, knowing that Ellen would be leaving shortly to go somewhere, but he had no idea where.
CHAPTER 25
The next 10 weeks were one big blur for Steve. Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Paris, Brussels again, Budapest, Amsterdam, London, Geneva, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Oslo, Vienna. For the first seven weeks, the travel was all by plane and included mostly EU-member countries, but also Switzerland. Steve traveled using his own passport and credit cards. He also used his credit cards to buy some basic clothing and a suitcase; the contents of the carry-on bag he had brought to Ellen’s parents’ house would not have lasted him very long. Early on, he called the managing partner of his law firm and had no problem describing his depressed state and continued anxiety about Ellen and getting approval for a three-month leave of absence.
Towards the end of week six, Steve went to the public phone booths at the train station in Salamanca, Spain, northwest of Madrid, and called his firm again and spoke with the managing partner.
“Hello, Mark. This is Steve.”
“Hi, Steve. Good to hear from you. Any news about Ellen?”
“No. Nothing new.”
“Well, let’s hope that ‘no news is good news.’ I bet you’re calling to say that you’re ready to get back to work. Right?”
“Not exactly, Mark.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, in fact, I’m calling to let you know that I’ll be resigning from the firm.”
“Whoa. Hold on a minute, Steve. This seems rather sudden. Are you sure you don’t want to take some more time to think it over?”
“I’m sure,” interrupted Steve. “I still can’t come to grips with Ellen’s disappearance. And the last thing I want is to be back in Ohio with all the memories. It’ll only intensify my feelings.”
“But what will you do? Where will you go?”
“I don’t know. For now, I think I’ll just keep traveling the world, trying to find something. Or run away from something. Or perhaps both. I’ve arranged for my old cell phone to be kept and answered by Bill Perkins, who you know has handled our wills and estate planning for several years. I bought a new cell phone here in Europe and Bill has the number. He’ll be able to get hold of me if there’s any news about Ellen or if there’s anything else important that I need to know about. I’ve also forwarded all of our mail to Bill while I’m traveling.”
“Jeez, Steve. It sounds like you’ve thought this all out and have already made detailed arrangements. What can I say? We’re very sorry to see you leave, but I won’t try to talk you out of it. You’re a big boy and have always been very level-headed and logical.”
“Thanks, Mark. As things settle down and the firm is ready to distribute my partnership equity to me, you can do all that through Bill. He’s had our blanket powers of attorney for a couple of years now and can act on our behalf in any financial transactions.”
“OK, Steve. We’ll do that. The very best to you. We’ll miss you here. If you ever get ready to come back, don’t hesitate to call me. I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out. Also let me know if you need anything. Anything at all.”
“OK, and thanks for everything. I’ve really enjoyed working with you and the others. Please give them my regards and say good-bye for me.”
“I sure will. Stay in touch, Steve. And Godspeed.”
“I will, Mark. And the best to you as well. Good-bye.”
“Bye.”
And that was that. Steve was glad that he had been able to get through that call as well as he had, but he was shaken by the realization that, for him, there now was no turning back. He would be sleeping in the bed that he had made for himself, or rather that Ellen had made for the two of them.
The final few weeks of his travel marathon saw Steve traveling to smaller cities and resort/tourist towns, avoiding the UK and Ireland to stay within the intra-EU borderless countries, traveling by train and occasionally bus and paying cash for everything. Checking into second- and third-rate hotels at each stop, he began using his new false identity.
Ellen also was busy during this period. Meeting once with each of three colleagues of Vasily Maklakov, she retrieved most of the $5 million of ransom money, less the 5 percent that they retained as their and Vasily’s fee. She kept a portion of the cash and stashed the rest in three safe deposit boxes, one each in Brussels, Rome and Marseilles. Through layers of trusts and shell corporations, she purchased for cash an old but beautiful villa in a small, rural Italian town.
At the end of his 10 weeks of traveling, Steve returned to Brussels, checked into a third-rate hotel under his assumed name and waited until Tuesday evening. He then went to that same bistro a little after 6 o’clock and took a table near the rear of the restaurant. Sure enough, as Steve was finishing his second glass of wine, right at 7, Steve saw Ellen’s parents arriving. They joined Steve at his table, spoke for a few minutes and then ordered dinner. It was a small, relatively quick meal. The food was tasty, but more important, Steve was given the address of the villa Ellen had purchased and at which Ellen would be waiting for him so that they could start their new life together. Steve was shocked at how totally normal this was all beginning to sound and feel to him. Following thanks and a good-bye, Ellen’s parents left. Steve stayed in the restaurant for another half hour, then was off again to the train station, this time for a trip to what would become his new home, and new life.
CHAPTER 26
About two months after Steve had met with Ellen’s parents, his recently purchased cell phone rang for the first time. “Hello?” he said cautiously.
“Hi, Steve. This is Bill Perkins calling you from the U.S.”
“Hello, Bill,” said Steve as his whole body relaxed. “How are you? Is everything all right.”
“Yes, all is fine here. I hope this call didn’t startle you. How are you doing?”
“Well, you sure couldn’t call it ‘fine.’ But I’m keeping busy with a lot of traveling, and the passage of time at least helps to numb me to everything.”
“Yes, I can imagine. But we have to keep a positive outlook. There’s still a chance that everything will turn out OK.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself, but it gets harder and harder to believe it. In any event, what’s going on? Why’d you call?”
“Two things, Steve. First, the firm is finally ready to pay out your equity participation and I wanted to know what you want me to do with the proceeds.”
“Hmm. I haven’t really given it much thought. Why don’t you invest it in short-term, liquid funds until I get back to you with a more permanent decision.”
“OK. Will do.”
“You said there were two things, Mark. What’s number two?”
“Yesterday, the post office forwarded two letters to me. They’re identical letters from Ellen’s employer, one sent to Ellen and one to you. Want me to read you the gist of th
e letter?”
“Yes, please. Go ahead.”
“OK. It’s on Tycon Technologies letterhead, and signed by a Ms. Harding, who apparently is their HR VP.”
“Yes. I know who she is.”
“OK. As I said, one letter, which came by certified mail by the way, is addressed to Ellen, and the second is a copy to you as her Designated Beneficiary.”
“And?”
“It says, ‘Dear Ellen, I regret to inform you that your continued unapproved absence from work requires us to send you this letter. While we have maintained your active-employee status ever since your disappearance, the extended period of your absence now leaves us no choice but to declare that said extended absence constitutes your resignation from the firm. Therefore, effective immediately, you are no longer an employee of Tycon Technologies, Inc. and/or any of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies.’ ”
“Jeez, that’s very sensitive and understanding of them.”
“Don’t take it personally, Steve. With all the state and federal regulations regarding employee benefits, they really had no choice. They’re not allowed to provide these types of benefits to non-employees and, at some point, a so-called no-show has to be deemed to have resigned his or her employment.”
“Point well taken. So what does all this mean?”
“The letter goes on for two more full pages describing the impact on each of Ellen’s benefits. In a nutshell, all of Ellen’s benefits stop either immediately or after 30 days — medical, life and disability insurance, savings and deferred compensation plans, further vesting in all unvested stock options and restricted stock grants, and, of course, Ellen’s salary and car allowance. It also reminds Ellen and you that per the terms of the various plans, anything that has already vested is Ellen’s to keep, but any already vested but not yet exercised stock options will expire if they’re not exercised within 90 days of the date of this letter.”
“OK, so what should we do about all this, Bill?”
“Fortunately, it’s not as complicated as it might sound. A lot of these things have been set up to operate through one of the estate planning trusts we set up for Ellen. And, as you are one of the trustees, you can decide what to do with these assets. For the others, we can use the power of attorney Ellen signed that gives you the authority to make the decisions needed. Or, if it’s easier for you while you’re away, I can do all this with the powers of attorney I have from both you and Ellen. There are only two things that require relatively short-term decisions or actions: We must be sure to exercise all of Ellen’s vested stock options within the 90-day window. And you need to decide whether you want to sign up for Ellen to continue to be provided medical insurance, with her paying the entire premium, for the next 18 months — Tycon is legally required to offer this to her.”