The Dolos Conspiracy

by Frank Perry

acknowledgements were gratifying, but the purpose of the meeting was simply to bring buyer and seller together and try to get to a deal, plain and simple.

  The floor was given to Jules who looked directly at the Saudis, always aware of the value direct cognitive connection had in these forums. He opened his briefcase and distributed several bound copies of his presentation. It was also displayed on theater-sized screen beyond the end of the table. Marie had provided the Power Point® to the Hawk people. He looked at Osborne, “You’ve been given my presentation in advance. Do you want me to go over it?”

  Osborne suggested that it would be good to go through it rapidly and stop if questions were asked. Several minutes later, it had gone well with some perfunctory questions asked mostly by the Hawk staff, apparently intended to enlighten the Saudis. It was clear to Jules that they understood it all very well and simply confirmed the decisions they’d already made. At the conclusion, there were no more questions, and they adjourned to another reception room for light refreshments before the foreign travelers departed to the airport. After the Saudis had gone, Jules and the Hawk partner sat together for a private talk. Jules listened. “Dr. Redinger, we want to thank you so much for coming here. Our client is genuinely impressed and intends to make an offer to acquire your entire Institute and all of its IP, including the lead scientists, which I assume includes you.” Jules nodded but didn’t speak as the man continued to probe. “Have you thought about a number? How much you would be looking to sell for?”

  Jules showed a little smile. He had learned that it was always best to let the buyer make an offer first. “You know Jim, I don’t know. We’ve thought a great deal about that very question and haven’t arrived at anything yet. We really don’t have any experience selling. But, we feel that the market will ultimately be fair. It just takes one offer to get the ball rolling, and I think everyone interested will start coming at us. I could be wrong, but I think there are lots of suitors just waiting for the blood in the water.”

  James (Jim) Osborne was from an original Wall Street power family and knew how the game was played. “You know, Jules, if this becomes a Chinese auction, my client may not want to play. They certainly don’t want to stimulate an avalanche of offers. If they make an offer, they want it treated with sincerity and get an honest response. If you want to play it, I will recommend to them that they look elsewhere.”

  Jules face was serious. “Look Jim, what do you want me to say? I don’t know how to value this thing. It’s big; really big, but there really isn’t a tangible way to put a price on it. If your client wants to make an offer, then make it. I can’t tell you in advance if it’s going to be accepted. I have partners in this, and we all need to agree … money talks.”

  Jim stood and offered his hand, which Jules accepted. The investment banker gave no indication of his thoughts on valuation. “Have a safe trip home, Jules. I’m sure you will hear from us soon.”

  For the first time today, Jules felt slightly off balance, but it didn’t last long. The Saudi’s hadn’t jumped with an offer for GHI, but they hadn’t abandoned it either. Hell, this was worth billions, and even the Saudis would need to call home before committing this much money. He said goodbye and left, confident that a solid offer would be forthcoming.

  Visitor

  John was in his own apartment. After his years in the military and school, he wasn’t sure about his feelings toward Kelly. He liked her; that was certain. And, they were more than friends. He wasn’t interested in dating anyone else. He didn’t look at the online dating sites and hadn’t had time to make any new friends in the area to match him up.

  He dropped her at her apartment around six o’clock. He didn’t mention dinner, and she didn’t either. It was a dreary wet night, driving alone to his place in the dark. He hated the mid-Atlantic weather: never really full winter, yet too cold and damp to do anything outside. Spring would be nice for a few weeks until it got oppressively humid and hot. He stopped for Chinese takeout at his usual spot, planning to call her later.

  His apartment was a two-bedroom, two-bath unit on the third floor of an old triple-decker building. The second bedroom served as an office with a bed if anyone visited, which hadn’t happened yet. He liked the quiet enclave with nobody on a floor above him. The building was narrow, built along an equally narrow ridge of a small hill in a populated area. He had the entire width of the building with windows in both bedrooms and in the smallish open room at the other side that served as kitchen, dining and living room. It was a little bigger than he needed living alone, but it was comfortable and affordable.

  He ate on the couch, watching the evening news. It never seemed to change. Terrorists were rampaging through the Middle East after the US disrupted the balance of power. Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, and Iran were now breeding grounds for ISIS and other evil extremists who had mastered the art of attracting misguided youths from around the world through social media. The US Secretary of State was somewhere in Europe in a meeting or some sort to end the troubles, as he had been for all of his tenure in office. Nothing changed.

  John’s anger grew as he watched, as it did every time, thinking about the absurd way Americans have always tried to superimpose their values on Bedouins. He’d seen the blood of Americans, too much blood, of young Marines and soldiers that politicians had thrown away on un-winnable campaigns for their own political agendas. He’d experienced the loneliness in a hole on some foreign hilltop, surrounded by people wanting to kill him. He’d been so scared that nightmares were frequent even now. He still had contact with some of his buddies from the service: some had damaged bodies, some would never be emotionally stable, and some were okay after returning from Afghanistan. They were his family now. He was often visited by the ghosts of friends who died while he tried to stuff their guts back in or who were trying to feel their legs that were blown off by a roadside bomb. Veterans were the only people he could really share his memories with: only they could put it into the right context. Kelly didn’t know what he had done as a corpsman – he could never talk to her about it. He pressed the remote button and changed the channel.

  His phone rang on the counter near his wallet and keys. Kelly didn’t usually call him in the evening before he called her. The number registered a number in area code 207. “Hello.”

  “John, is that you?”

  Her voice was immediately recognizable. “Mary? Hey, how are you?”

  She was silent for a moment. “I want to come see you.”

  “Mary, what’s wrong?”

  He couldn’t tell if she was crying or just mad as hell; maybe both. “Dad … he said some really awful things to me. I hate him. I don’t ever want to go back to the island or to school. John, am I messed up? I mean, it’s weird growing up the way I did. I don’t think I’m normal. I just don’t know what to do next.”

  He owed her a debt of gratitude and wasn’t going to ignore her, but she was only a kid. “Look, Mary, I want to help you, but I’m not sure how? You should probably go back to your school and settle into the routine there, think about your options when you graduate. It’s not the island.”

  “I am back at school. That’s not it. John, I need some time to get my life organized. Can I come stay with you? I don’t know anyone else to ask.”

  His head throbbed. He could get into a lot of trouble taking her in, but she sounded desperate and young people, younger than he, could make some horrendous decisions when emotions were out of control. “Ah, look, Mary … sure, you can come here. Got a car?”

  “No, but I can catch the bus or train to Baltimore. Isn’t that where you live?”

  “Yeah. Close enough. I can come get you when you come in.”

  “Oh, John, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

  “Okay, now let me know what your schedule is, and I’ll get you. And, Mary, I’ll need to tell your folks about this.”

  She was silent for a min
ute. “Okay, but just tell them that I’m already there or at least on my way. I don’t want them thinking that they can stop me.”

  He didn’t want to lie to Gort; but on balance, a small lie would make it easier on them all. He would also make it clear that she would not be alone with him. “Okay, Mary. When do you want to come?”

  “I’m checking online right now. I can leave tonight and be there early in the morning.”

  Great. Late to work two days in a row. “That’s fine. Just keep me current with your schedule.”

  She was giddy. “Call you soon!”

  The line went dead and he looked at his iPhone momentarily, unsure what to do. So, he pressed “1.”

  She answered. “Hi, I didn’t think you’d call this early.”

  “I have a problem. Can we talk?”

  As he drove back over to Kelly’s apartment, he thought about how to explain his connection with Mary. There were obvious parts to be omitted, but in the end, he just told her the whole story – the long version. It surprised him that she grasped it immediately