We have another visitor, but he’ll be staying in the guesthouse. You’ll meet him at lunch. Right now, maybe we could have a short meeting and catch up on your progress on the bullion storage facility.”
Mister T picked up the heavy bag, turned, and looked out at the vanishing helicopter, the engine still audible even at that distance. He shook his head from side to side and wondered why humans and their vehicles had to make so much infernal noise.
Entering the lounge and closing the door, John escorted Sylvia to a seat and took one directly across from her.
“Now, please do tell me the good news.”
Sylvia rummaged around in that giant purse and pulled out a small tablet computer. She booted it up and displayed the first page of her report. She narrated her report and paged through the computerized version at the same time.
“I met with the bank officers. They made no comment when I made the offer, but I could tell from the expressions on their faces that my offer was quite tempting. Let’s face it, they know that they had this expensive storage facility on their hands, and there certainly isn’t a large market out there for such facilities. They’ve only had one other inquiry as far as I can tell. It was a rather tepid offer from a Russian industrialist. Rumor has it that he is probably a member of the Russian mafia, so I expect that they’ll want to jump on your offer.
“They tried to play it cagey, but I could read their body language and facial expressions. They may be good bankers, but they’d go bust at poker.
“Our offer is fair, and they know it. They just want to have a little time to make it look like they’re not too anxious. You know how we Brits are.
“They’ll be happy to get that property off their books, and they will get a significant boost to their bottom line in the process.”
“Wonderful! That’s great news! Congratulations on the excellent manner in which you are handling your first assignment!”
Leaning forward, John looked at Sylvia intently and said, “You came highly recommended, and I now understand why. I trust that my offer of 150,000 pounds salary plus expenses was acceptable to start?”
“Perfectly adequate for me, and I think that we’ll work well together. I function best working for an organization that leaves me independent to make decisions. I make assessments based on what’s going on at the time and can’t be bothered with reporting every little detail to some higher up.”
John nodded and shook her hand to seal the agreement.
With that, she turned off the tablet and replaced it into the mysterious depths of her large bag.
John led her away to the guest wing and at about that time, the door to the veranda opened, and Jim entered. He wandered into the bar area where he poured himself a small glass of white wine and stood gazing out at the ocean, thinking about all that had happened in such a short period. He thought, When I am around John Scott, my life suddenly moves from creeping along to Maxx’s warp speed!
Continuing his thoughts, Jim mused, I’ve tossed my career in Washington, DC, out the window, and signed on with John Scott. I became privy to a plot to bring down the government of the United States. I piloted a tiny craft propelled by a gravity drive system. Now, here I am, sipping wine and calmly waiting for lunch. Who else could have had such an unusual day?
A little voice was suggesting that he not speak too soon. The day was far from over.
Several minutes later, Sylvia, now dressed in a bright tangerine sundress, made her way from the guest wing into the bar area. Her sandals made no sound as she entered the room and looked around for John and Julia. She was smiling brightly and was already in a relaxed frame of mind after concluding their brief business meeting.
Just then, she saw a tall figure standing at the other side of the room. He was facing the windows and looking out toward the water. It must be the other guest. There was something rather vaguely familiar about him. Then he slowly turned in her direction.
John and Julia were just emerging from the master suite when Sylvia approached the bar. John, seeing Jim already at the bar, was rather dismayed that he had come up from the guest house a bit early. He had hoped to make the surprise introduction himself. But, not to worry, he was completely confident that the two would rush into each other’s arms and weep with joy at their unexpected reunion. He gave Julia’s hand a squeeze in anticipation of the romantic scene that was about to unfold.
Sylvia suddenly stopped in her tracks, her smile faded, and her eyes became narrow slits. Fortunately, John couldn’t see her expression for it was frightening to behold. She recovered her composure almost immediately, strode across the room, and stood directly in front of the stunned Jim. He looked as if he’d just seen a ghost and he almost dropped the wine glass onto the hardwood floor.
She looked up at him, “Hello, Jim. What a surprise to see you.” She swore softly under her breath. Jim had experienced enough of her British oaths to know that he should beware of the coming storm.
John and Julia walked into the room, and Sylvia spoke to him, ignoring Jim, “Mr. Scott, if this is some joke, then I don’t appreciate it. I came here in good faith to complete a business deal, and it looks like you’ve been playing a trick on me. I don’t like surprises and I don’t like tricks.”
John exhibited a “deer in the headlights” look.
She turned back to Jim, “Or, was this your less-than-brilliant idea, Mr. Oxford graduate?”
Jim was still speechless and mumbled something incomprehensible. Probably a prayer for deliverance.
John recovered and gave her his most innocent and contrite look. “Sylvia, this is a complete surprise to me, too. I needed an expert in the London financial scene and hired an executive consultant firm to find the best, and the brightest, and that just happened to be you.
“You know very well that I have a need for a bullion storage facility in London. That’s why I hired Tisdale and Fletcher to do an executive search for the right person to head up my London operations. They looked at quite a few candidates, but you were the most qualified and had the best experience. Naturally, I accepted their recommendation and authorized the job offer. At that time, I had no idea that you and Jim had known each other at Oxford. Later, I kind of put two and two together and realized that you were the Sylvia that he had known in England.
“You can imagine my surprise. What a coincidence. Frankly, I thought that your history might make it easier for you to agree to go into business with me. I am an innocent man. There was never any intention to deceive you or bring you here under false pretenses. I am a romantic at heart, but such a plot would be far beyond my simple capabilities.”
Julia turned and walked over to the bar to hide her expression. It was almost all she could do to keep from laughing aloud. John Scott was learning a lesson in feminine psychology, and he was learning it the hard way.
Julia proceeded to pour herself a glass of the freshly prepared Bloody Mary from the pitcher on the bar while enjoying John’s squirming and his feeble attempt to explain the situation to Sylvia.
“Jim and I became friends some time ago after we worked together on a little project. I invited him to the island to offer him a business partnership. At the time that I invited him, I had no idea that you’d be here, too.”
Jim was suspicious but said nothing. He thought that he’d probably told John about Sylvia one night when they had more than a few glasses of scotch, but the evening was rather hazy, and he couldn’t be sure.
Sylvia continued to glare at both of them. Julia poured glasses of Bloody Marys, placed them on a tray, and carried them over to the combatants. Maybe a little cocktail would mellow them out and thaw the frosty atmosphere. Poor John, she silently thought. He must be sweating profusely. With a wicked smile on her face, she concluded her thought, Good! He deserves it!
She served Sylvia first, then Jim, and then John. She took the last one for herself and raised her glass for a toast. The others slowly joined her. “Here’s to us. To good friends all, and to the first d
ay of the rest of our lives. May they all be long and happy ones.”
Fortunately for all concerned, Mister T entered to announce lunch. He made a quick note of the tension in the room and decided that he’d need to continue to explore the powerful emotions that seemed to control human beings. No wonder Maxx was so fascinated with them.
Jim and Sylvia remained where they stood. Jim mumbled another unintelligible sentence and walked over to the bar. He sat the untouched Blood Mary down, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, poured himself a stiff shot, and downed it in one gulp.
Finally, having gathered himself sufficiently to speak coherently, Jim said, “Sylvia, I can assure you that I had no idea that you’d be here today. I’m as shocked as you are. John is a rich and powerful man, but I can’t believe he’d hatch such a plot. It just doesn’t fit his character.”
Sylvia didn’t speak and turned to gaze out the window at the vast watery expanses beyond the breakwater. Jim had the idea that she’d probably like to take him out there and drown him.
He walked slowly over and stood facing her. At last, she spoke. Her voice was soft but as cold as the polar ice cap.
“Jim, it’s been years. You never called me. You never wrote. Our relationship must have meant nothing to you. How could I have been so stupid? I thought that you loved me. You certainly acted that way in the beginning. After you came to Oxford, you just seemed to disappear into your studies, and I sometimes wondered if you’d have noticed if I fell over dead in front of you.
“After I graduated and took a job in London, you never bothered to contact me. I might as well have been on another planet. I couldn’t believe this had happened. If you had cared the slightest bit, you’d have tried to get me to stay with you. I was humiliated. It was excruciating. Later, my feelings became anger. I felt betrayed. You didn’t even have the courage or courtesy to say goodbye.”
Jim was incredulous. He had no idea that she was capable of such hostility. He responded in an almost pleading voice, “I had no idea that you felt that way. In fact, the closer the time came to your graduation, the more and more you seemed distant. I hardly ever saw you. You were always at some library or other with your fellow students. Our little flat became a dark and lonely place. In fact, I had visions that you’d fallen for someone in your study group. I was insanely jealous of you at the time.
“After many lonely days and lonelier nights, I just came to the conclusion that you’d moved on, and I’d just have to accept it.”
A tear formed in Sylvia’s eye and almost spilled down her cheek before she wiped it away. “I did care for you immensely, but life just got so complicated and stressful. I thought of contacting you, but I never worked up the courage. Later, I heard that you took an important job with the government in Washington. Surely, if you had any feelings left for me, you could have given me a call then just to let me know how you were doing. Back in London, you never seemed to be the shy one and certainly never hid your feelings. How did you expect me to feel?” There was an edge of bitterness in her voice.
Sylvia continued, “In fact, I’ve been to Washington, DC, on business several times. A very interesting place but it’s too political for me. Last year, I attended a party given by our ambassador to the States. It was at the embassy. I got there rather stylishly late and what did I see? There you were, chatting it up with some fat dignitary. You had an exotic Asian girl on your arm, and she constantly looked at you as if she was a tiger and you were her next meal.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes. I greeted a few people here and there and then excused myself claiming to have a raging migraine. All that time, I watched you out of the corner of my eye. You were smooth, urbane, sophisticated, and totally in control. That girl purred every time that you looked at her. I’ll never forget it. After that, I went back to my hotel room and sulked for the rest of the evening with only the company and consolation of the mini-bar.”
Jim reached out and touched her wrist. “We were both young and caught up in our own little worlds. I certainly was. Here I was, at one of the most prestigious schools in the world and I felt that I just had to prove myself. I studied until I thought my eyes would drop out of my head. It was tough, but there was also a culture shock. I was in a country foreign to me and in a school that I’d never even dreamed of attending, and I had a beautiful girlfriend that I felt I didn’t deserve. I wanted to make you proud of me. Somewhere along the way, I think that we both got lost.”
Just then, Mister T entered and tapped softly on the doorframe. “The boss asked me to tell you that they’re waiting for you in the dining room.” He turned and muttered to himself, “At least there isn’t any blood flowing, and there apparently isn’t any broken furniture.”
Jim and Sylvia entered the dining room and took their seats across from each other.
The conversation during lunch was somewhat tense at first, but ever so gradually, the tempo picked up and a bit of cheerfulness could be detected. However, Sylvia spent most of her time talking to Julia, and Jim spent most of his time talking to John.
The icy chill was still in the air between Jim and Sylvia.
John Scott was somewhat restrained, but inwardly, ever so slowly, felt that things were going to work out. “Just be optimistic and don’t rock the boat,” he thought to himself.
Jim watched Sylvia furtively and was totally impressed by this poised young woman who looked as if she could be running a multimillion dollar corporation with ease. At Oxford, she had been carefree and spontaneous. He wondered if those qualities were still there, hidden somewhere deep down inside of her.
From across the table, Sylvia glanced at Jim when she thought that he wasn’t looking. He was still as handsome as ever and now memories of their times together came flooding back to her.
Julia watched them all with great interest, but especially John. “Oh John,” she whispered, “you are such a brilliant man in many ways. Unfortunately, understanding women is not one of them.”
Mister T, from the serving area, observed the biologicals consuming their meals. He analyzed their body language that indicated a lot of tensions. He noted the tiny gestures that revealed stress. Interestingly, he also detected slight changes in the tones of their voices that further confirmed a nervous state.
“Humans are truly fascinating and unique. Their emotions seem to be the primary forces ruling their lives. How interesting. I’ll have to consult with Maxxine as to how to deal with unexpected volatile situations like this that might arise in the future.”
****
Erik Stoellar was not a patient person by any measure. He had ordered the newly sworn-in president of the United States, Henry Wilkinson, to nominate Carla Montrose as the next vice president. However, he knew of her extreme unpopularity among her peers and fully expected that they would reject her. But, as usual, he had a more devious means of handling the situation.
First, they would present a candidate that was even surer of rejection than Carla Montrose. The sacrificial lamb happened to be Ernest Metcalf, a doddering old representative from Chicago, who had been elected for more terms than anyone could remember. After all these years, he had come to believe that he was entitled to his congressional status and acted accordingly. He was hardly qualified to be a representative, much less the vice president. Besides that, he could hardly wheeze his way down the halls due to his advanced COPD that resulted from years of smoking. However, the old crook was more than flattered and so delusional that he even began to make plans for decorating his new office at the White House.
To no one’s surprise, other than Metcalf’s, his name was soundly rejected. Then, the proverbial shot was heard round the world: Wilkinson countered by offering Carla Montrose as vice president. That presented an almost impossible dilemma. In these high stakes games; Congress hardly ever rejected a second candidate even if it happened to be Carla. Besides, she had enough unsavory information in her files to blackmail most of them. What could they do? There was only one answer. Do nothing! The nominatio
n ended in a deadlock, just as Stoellar had expected. The Senate narrowly approved by a vote of 51 to 49. The House opposed by a narrow margin.
Montrose always produced a bit of mixed feelings for Stoellar. On one hand, she fascinated him with her never-ending schemes and plots. On the other hand, she was his trained puppet, but sometimes, her aggressive and abrasive personality was almost too much for him to tolerate.
She had made so many enemies among her peers that Stoellar sometimes wondered at his wisdom of allowing her to achieve her ambition to be president. Surely, he could have mentored someone else who would have, at least, been reasonably civil to her colleagues.
Usually, he had no problem getting publicity through the left wing media for his minions, but Carla had offended so many of them that she got very few glowing articles lauding her political skills. The few she did get were all within her small home congressional district.
Stoellar thought to himself, The only people who loved her were the voters in her home state. She was a master of manipulation and charmed them effortlessly. Why couldn’t the bitch use some of that charm on her fellow congressmen?
Stoellar clenched his jaw; unfortunately, he needed her for now. She would serve her purpose, but he vowed to get rid of her sooner or later. Preferably sooner rather than later.
Even though it was mid-afternoon on Sunday, Stoellar picked up his private cell phone and made a selection from the address book. It was a line directly to the president of the United States. No one else in the world had that number and when it rang, the president knew who was calling and would always take the call in complete privacy.
This president was clearly uncomfortable in his new position. He had never expected or wanted the highest office in the land. He thought that he would be spending his career in Washington, DC, following Stoellar’s orders for this project or that project. Nothing controversial. He could garner votes and influence others easily. So far, his life as a politician had been a comfortable journey through the halls of Washington, DC, where he had found it easy to take the politically expedient solution to whatever issues arose.
The Krakow Klub Page 18