by M. Alan Marr
“Yes?”
“The penthouse leases for $12,500 per month. Sale price is $3.5 million.”
“I’ll need it for one year.”
Rosalind is somewhat taken aback by Dev’s nonchalance upon hearing the price. He’s dressed casually, but has a very expensive-looking watch or bracelet peeking out from his sleeve. “Well, if that isn’t a problem, I’ll be happy to show it to you. Just let me get the keys.”
As they walk across the lobby to the elevators, Rosalind describes the unit. “The penthouse is equipped with four bedrooms, each with full baths. There are two additional half baths; one off the living room and one down the main hall. It has a beautiful gourmet kitchen, breakfast nook, dining room, and has fireplaces in the living room, library, and master bedroom. There is a beautiful large terrace accessible from the living room, kitchen, and master. Three reserved parking spots in the garage, and, of course, the unit is wired for cable and sound in every room.”
Dev doesn’t exactly know what being wired for sound means, but nods politely.
The elevator doors open into a private vestibule on the top floor. Two large crackled glass and steel doors await them.
“Of course, you have the option of decorating this area since it isn’t publicly accessible. The elevators are key-coded for the penthouse so no one else can get up here.” Rosalind unlocks the double entry doors to the palatial residence and begins the tour. “This is just a gorgeous penthouse,” she says. “Four thousand square feet, not including the terrace. Plenty of space. Lovely views. There is a nanny’s room off the kitchen, should you have the need. Do you have children?”
“Children? Not likely.”
“It also works very well as a housekeeper’s room. The master bedroom has an enormous walk-in closet with mahogany appointments. The other bedrooms have cedar closets. Prime location. Walking distance to MARTA.”
“Marta?”
“The Metro,” she says. “Here to the airport in forty minutes. Downtown in twenty.” Rosalind realizes the typical penthouse occupant probably won’t be using mass transit. “The house staff is on duty around the clock, and we have a car service on call twenty-four hours a day.”
Dev’s expression perks up. “Car service? Excellent. I find I’m somewhat of a terrible driver.”
“Atlanta traffic is brutal. Valet parking, of course. Laundry room is down the kitchen hallway with trash chute and freestanding washer and dryer. We also have an excellent dry cleaning service. They pick up every Tuesday and Friday. Where are you coming here from, Mr. Caelestis?”
“I’ve been traveling around the world,” Dev answers pleasantly and conceals a slight smile at his own orbital pun and continues looking around.
“I see. Well, you must be ready to settle down for a while.”
“For the next year anyway.”
“A penthouse is really the penultimate in privacy. And Midtown is a wonderful place to call home.”
“Very well,” Dev says pleasantly. “How soon can I move in?”
“I think you said a one-year lease?”
“Yes, just one year.” Dev adds, “Atlanta is . . . temporary.”
“What line of work are you in, Mr. Caelestis?”
“International consultation.”
“How nice,” she says without really meaning it. “We can fill out all the paperwork downstairs and run your credit score. The rest of your background check and credit history will take a few days. Of course, we’ll prorate the rest of this month’s rent, but I’d say, if everything checks out, you could move in as early as next week.”
Dev looks around the large, vacant space. “Yes, I think this will be perfect.”
“Wonderful!” the agent says. “I’m sure you will love it here. Tell me, do you need an interior designer?”
“Interior designer?”
“To decorate the place.”
“Uh . . . yes, actually, that would be very helpful.”
Rosalind pulls a business card from her portfolio on the way to the elevator. “I have a card from Donovan & Clarke. They do absolutely beautiful work and are local here in Midtown. I’m certain they would be delighted to decorate this unit.” Rosalind presses the elevator button.
“I’ll call on them,” Dev says, accepting the card. The elevator doors open and they walk in.
“Will you be staying in Atlanta until move-in?”
“Yes, at the W Hotel.”
“Just down the street. I like the W. Very trendy and popular.”
Returning to the sales office, Rosalind asks for Dev’s social security number. He produces the social security card printed in orbit and hands it to her. Rosalind enters the numbers in her computer to run Dev’s initial credit report and is delighted to see he has a perfect score.
“You have a stellar credit score, Mr. Caelestis, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Stellar, how appropriate, Dev thinks. Rosalind hands the social security card back and then sets out a stack of leasing paperwork and forms for him to fill out. Dev reads over each of the pages containing a lot of what the locals call legalese. Dev calls it a problem. While, technically, he has a former address in California, as established in his mission dossier, he didn’t expect the paperwork to be so thorough. The leasing agreement contains numerous spaces for previous addresses, work history, employment verification, annual salary, and even personal references— none of which he is at all prepared to provide.
Perhaps there is a way out of this. “You said this penthouse is also available for sale?”
“Yes, list price is $3.5 million.”
“As you said, it is beautiful. I’m leaning now toward purchasing it.”
“Wonderful!”
“How would I initiate that?”
“Do you have a realtor and attorney here in Atlanta?”
“No, but I do need to find representation here for some other business.”
“Since I’m your first point of contact, I’ll be your realtor. I can place the unit on a twenty-four-hour courtesy hold. That should give you time for the deposit and to find an attorney to handle the closing.”
“How long does the process take?”
“That depends. Financing usually takes the most time, particularly these days. Will you be taking out a bank loan?”
“A loan? No.”
“Well, a cash deal will certainly hurry things along. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should think you would be able to move in within two to three weeks, if the attorneys are quick about it.”
“What kind of deposit?”
“We’ll need a certified bank check. For this type of sale, we would need between seventy and one hundred thousand dollars.”
“I’ll have that for you today. I have an account at Bank of America. Is there a branch nearby?”
“There is. Just down the street, in fact.”
“If you can direct me, I’ll go now and have a check drafted.”
“When you exit the building, take a left. The bank is on the next block.”
“Very well, I’ll return shortly.”
“Wonderful. I’ll prepare the sales contracts while you’re out, then we can take the unit off the market immediately.”
Dev finds the Bank of America branch without trouble. Inside, he initially speaks to the guard at the door, who directs him to a teller. The teller is somewhat surprised to hear he needs a hundred thousand dollars drawn from his account. Dev’s identity is verified by his driver’s license and social security number. During the idle chitchat while the teller prepares the bank check, Dev mentions his pending move to the Gillespie. She assists him with the change of address, and orders a new ATM card and personal checks. For a fee, the order will be expedited, but since his residence will not be ready for several weeks, Dev will pick up the card and checks at the bank when they arrive.
Dev returns to the Gillespie sales office directly. Rosalind half-thought she’d never see him again, and is relieved beyond measure when he not only
shows up, but produces the hefty certified bank check. The next hour is spent going over the sales contracts and documents, many of which Dev has to initial and sign. As with the leasing paperwork, he reads through each page. He comments that the language seems written to indemnify the seller, rather than protect the buyer. No matter, a year from now the lawyers Dev has yet to hire will maintain generational custody of the penthouse, just as an old law firm in San Francisco has done with Dev’s ‘former’ address on Telegraph Hill.
All documents signed, Rosalind accepts the check. “The deposit will be held in escrow, of course,” Rosalind says. She looks over the documents and places them in a file folder along with the bank check, then types into her computer and hits the enter key with a flourish. “Your penthouse is officially off the market.”
“Excellent.”
“I must say, this is a complete surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever closed a deal so quickly.”
Dev shrugs slightly. “I fully intended on finding a residence today.”
“Well, congratulations, Mr. Caelestis, you’ve made a fine choice. Now it’s up to the lawyers to complete the transaction.”
“Very well,” Dev says as he stands up. “My counsel, will be in contact with further details.”
“Wonderful.” Rosalind gathers additional literature on the Gillespie, as well as a separate copy of the penthouse floor plan, and hands them to Dev. He places all of the materials in his leather bag.
“I’m here until 6:00 pm.” Rosalind stands and hands Dev a business card. “My office and cell phone numbers are on the card. Call me anytime.” She shakes Dev’s hand. “I’m so happy you stopped in, Mr. Caelestis.”
“Thank you, ma’am, so am I.” Dev turns to leave and then hesitates. “You’ve been so helpful, I wonder if you might have any advice on legal counsel here?”
“A lot of the high-end clients seem to use Williams, Goldberg, and Bloom. Also, Stanton-Kellner. Both firms are in Midtown.”
“Again, my thanks.”
Dev departs the Gillespie building and heads straight to the hotel. The same woman who checked him in this morning is still working at the front desk. She sees Dev return and heading to the elevators. Dev hesitates, then diverts to the desk.
“Mr. Caelestis, is everything all right with your suite?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Does the hotel has a car service available?”
“Not in house, but I can order one for you right away.”
“Yes, please.”
“When would you like to go?”
“As soon as possible.”
“I’ll call your room as soon as they get here.”
Dev returns to his suite, where he uses his interlink device to access the hotel Wi-Fi network. His device, not impeded by passwords or coding, initiates a search of the law firms mentioned by the realtor. The Law Offices of Williams, Goldberg, and Bloom have an excellent reputation for quality and successful legal arguments. The three senior partners primarily serve wealthy clients in the Atlanta area, as well as clients in Southern California from a satellite office in Los Angeles. Dev picks up the phone in his room and has to read the instructions before dialing the number.
“Williams, Goldberg, and Bloom, may I help you?”
“Good morning, I’ve just arrived in Midtown and need to retain council to handle my personal affairs.” Dev listens to the person on the other end of the phone. “No, I’m a new client . . .” His expression turns into a frown. “I really can’t wait,” Dev says. “If no one there can see me today, I’ll take my business affairs to Stanton-Kellner . . . Yes, I will hold.”
After a minute or so, the receptionist returns and tells Dev that Mr. Williams can fit him in this afternoon at 4:30. “That will be fine.” He listens to the phone. “My first name is Dev . . . Yes, D-E-V. Middle name is Camelopardalis, spelled C-A-M-E-L-O-P-A-R-D-A-L-I-S. Last name, Caelestis: C-A-E-L-E-S-T-I-S.” Dev listens. “A mouthful of what?”
The person on the phone apologizes for the apparent slight. Dev hangs up the phone. Moments later the phone rings. He answers, “This is Dev . . . Oh, excellent, thank you. I’ll be down directly.”
At 3:00 pm, the W bellmen wheel in four valet carts laden down with garment bags, boxes, and shopping bags from high-profile stores at the mall, including several boxes from the Apple store—basically, Exquisite Atlanta magazine come to life. The personal shopper at Neiman Marcus and the eager sales staffs at the other stores were instrumental in helping Dev pick out a full wardrobe of clothes. He will eventually learn they all work on commission.
Next order of business, the electronics. Dev’s brand-new MacBook Pro laptop is connected by cable and syncing to his new iPhone 6 Plus. The salesperson at the Apple store helped Dev set up his new Atlanta phone number and iCloud account, took him through the basics of iTunes, and set up his new e-mail account: [email protected].
Both the iPhone and laptop are receiving independent software updates from Dev’s own brand of personal electronic devices, which sits next to them quietly transmitting highly compressed programs that will rewrite much of their resident operating systems. The off-world device is uploading protocols into the iPhone that will provide Dev with remote access to his ship’s command and control systems. The laptop is being fitted with a cosmological program that will monitor Earth’s planetary system and track orbital objects and astral phenomena. The program initially loads with information culled from his (incomplete) orbital scans. Earth has an inordinate amount of hardware in orbit, all of which can pose a threat to outbound vehicles and communication signals. Signals that can be disrupted or even intercepted. This cosmos program will track everything up there, based on their dynamic mathematical positions and speeds when the scan was taken. Conspicuously missing, is the relay buoy Dev was supposed to drop in orbit before he entered the atmosphere. He didn’t. That critical piece of hardware is still sitting in its launch position in Dev’s ship, now under fifty feet of Alabama lake water. This presents a serious problem, but one crisis at a time. While the programming loads, Dev unpacks all his new clothes and is amazed at the number of tags, tissue, plastic, clips, and pins folded into almost everything he bought. The unpacking process will take longer than he currently has available before his next meeting, so he abandons that idea and instead places everything in the closet. The hanging clothes are easy; the rest will take some effort to unpack and arrange.
Dev showers and then tries to decide what to wear for his meeting with the lawyer. So many combinations and selections to choose from now, he doesn’t quite know what goes with what yet. He decides the easiest choice is one of his new Armani suits with a white shirt, bold purple tie, and a pair of Bruno Magli boots. This, Dev now understands, is business attire, and he does have business to attend to.
The off-world electronic device finishes uploading the programs in the iPhone and laptop. It will take a little more time for the internal hardware to sort out all the new data, but that will proceed on its own. Dev secures his off-world device in the room safe, along with his military-issue chronometer. His credit card, ID, and Donovan’s and Rosalind’s business cards go into his new wallet. Mont Blanc pen into shirt pocket, silver Breitling watch on his left wrist, iPhone in pocket, US Passport into breast pocket. Looking at himself in the mirror, Dev is satisfied with the picture he presents. At least he looks the part of an Earth resident. He gathers the documents brought with him and puts them into his new Louis Vuitton messenger bag and leaves his suite.
Chapter 5
Gold Star
Dev walks out of the hotel and heads to the law firm just a few blocks away. The afternoon air is pleasant, although somewhat polluted by comparison to the world he just came from. His new iPhone signals a few non-iPhone tones, indicating the new programming is complete. He now has a secure link to his ship whenever and wherever he needs it.
Dev arrives at the three-story standalone building belonging to the law
firm of Williams, Goldberg, and Bloom and is shown into a small glassed-in conference room on the first floor. He does not sit. Attorney Bill Williams arrives on the first floor a few minutes later, carrying a legal pad. Williams sees Dev through the glass and instantly notices he is very well put together and stands with a confident sense of being. A legal secretary hands Williams a note, which he glances at and then looks back toward Dev, who is now staring squarely at him. Williams can tell this is a man who does not like to be kept waiting. He quickly hands the note back to the secretary and enters the conference room without further delay.
“Mr. Caelestis? My name is Williams, managing partner.”
Dev shakes the attorney’s hand. “Dev Caelestis.”
Williams notices Dev has a very firm handshake. “How can I help you, sir?”
“I just arrived in Atlanta, and need legal counsel to represent my interests.”
“I see,” Williams says. “Please, do sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you,” Dev says and then opens his messenger bag. He pulls out the Swiss documents and puts them on the table before he sits. Williams sees the wax-sealed bundle and pauses in the middle of sitting himself.
“You have a Swiss account.”
“I do,” Dev says plainly. “I have accounts here and in London, as well as considerable personal wealth in a family account in Zurich.”
“Offshore wealth is something we have experience with here at the firm.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“I must ask, sir, for legality purposes, what the source of your wealth is?”
“Gold,” Dev replies, while handing over additional paperwork to the lawyer. “These documents establish my family lineage, including my late grandfather’s Last Will and Testament, executed in San Francisco in 1925.” He also hands Williams the wills and death certificates of his parents, who, though very much alive, don’t exist on this world.
The meeting, which was hastily scheduled, has now taken on a life of its own. Williams is joined by the firm’s junior partner, Neil Bloom, and a legal secretary to take notes. A tray of sandwiches is eventually brought in, and the firm’s new favorite client experiences a corned beef sandwich for the first time. Dev particularly likes the spicy mustard.