CodeY

by Lamar Rutherford

  Chapter 7

  Devon’s near-death experience gave Keece even more motivation to get the tutoring program started for the children. Sophie was eager as well, not only because of her extra concern after Devon’s incident, but the program would also give her the opportunity to continue her research, which she thought she was going to have to give up to care for the children full-time, now that Radi was gone.

  Ava was also eager. It was an easy transfer for her, and she knew Cole would be happier if he could get back to his practice. All of them were willing to contribute funds for tutoring.

  Fortunately, Keece was able to access her funds after meeting with her investment advisor, so she could buy the new home she wanted that would also work as their training facility. Crazy how Radi had been able to keep the illusion going for so long without her finding out. What investment management company thinks a client won’t ask more specific questions about their largest fund for over eight years? Radi must have done a really good job posing as me! At least the money was there and had appreciated well. It was a relief to have it back. Now she could comfortably send the children to any school of their choice, even if they did not get scholarships.

  Keece called Cole to give him an update. “Okay, the program’s a go. I’ve got a lead on a good head tutor, and I think I’ve found a house with enough room for everything we’ll need. It already has a pool and enough space for a track. It’s in Rancho Santé Fe so I can even keep a couple of horses there.”

  Cole laughed, “Thank goodness you’re getting something out of this!”

  Keece chuckled in agreement, “The house is really much bigger than I prefer, but the theater will be good for training videos and a couple of the bedrooms can be turned into classrooms. Devon’s already got his eye on one of them to turn into the “tech enclave.” We just have to make sure we can set it up in a way that our residence and the tutoring areas feel separate.”

  “How is Devon?” asked Cole cautiously. He had heard about Devon’s near overdose from Sophie.

  “Better,” replied Keece in a serious tone, “He’s recovering, but I think the whole experience really shook him up. He’s been working hard to get back in Rane’s good graces, but she is still very angry with him. She and I had a good talk last night about forgiveness, and how people make mistakes, that he wasn’t trying to hurt her personally. Hopefully that will help.”

  Cole, “He’s a lucky dude. Thank goodness, he texted Rane and you had the sense to have her rush over. I just hope none of my kids end up in a situation like that, but ya never know.”

  “So true. Hopefully this tutoring program will help! If nothing else, they’ll have less time to get into trouble!” chuckled Keece.

  “By-the-way,” she added, “I think you’ll like this guy I'm talking to about being the head tutor. He’s a former Navy Seal and successful business guy. I think he’d be perfect for the job. Of course, now I have to convince him the job is right for him.”

  Cole laughed, “If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

  Keece’s next call was to Drew Johnson.

  “Keece, I appreciate the call and the opportunity, but I don’t think it’s the right job for me,” was Drew’s first response.

  Keece replied empathetically, “I understand Drew. I totally appreciate that you’d like to have a broader impact than only working with ten kids. I do think you could have more impact than you might think by working with these kids, but I get where you’re coming from. Do you have another opportunity already lined up?”

  “Not yet. I’m in talks with the Assistant Dean at UCSD’s Rady School of Management. I’ve also had a preliminary conversation with USD’s business school, but I like the Rady opportunity better.”

  “Oh, Spencer Hayes at Rady!” replied Keece enthusiastically. “He’s a good friend. He’s done wonderful things with that program. I guest lecture for them sometimes.”

  “Really? That’s great,” responded Drew enthusiastically. “I’m impressed with their track record.”

  “Well I don’t want to take you away from such a great opportunity, but maybe you’d be willing to help me out in the interim,” said Keece, using her best charming voice.

  “What did you have in mind?” asked Drew, his curiosity piqued.

  “Would you be willing to assess the children? Essentially test their abilities, and then help me hire the right tutors for them?” she asked hopefully. “It should only take a couple of weeks.”

  Drew sighed, she was persuasive, and he could easily spare a couple of weeks, “Sure. Happy to help.”

  “Oh great! Thank you!” said Keece, genuinely excited. “I’ve got a rough list started for some of the types of tests I think would be helpful, but I’m sure you can improve on it. I’ll send that over. Cole and his kids arrive this weekend, so how about if we start Monday?”

  They talked further to settle compensation and a few other details. As much as he did not think the opportunity was what he wanted, Drew did appreciate Keece’s work style. He was impressed with how direct and efficient she was at getting her plan started. She was definitely not one to agonize over decisions. Qualities he valued.

  Keece was eager to see how the children performed on the tests, and what Drew thought of them. She had her opinions on each. She obviously knew her own children well. She had also spent a fair amount of time with Radi and Sophie’s children. She had not seen Cole and Ava’s for many years, but she had certainly heard lots of tales about their escapades and talents. It would be interesting to get an outsider’s point of view, and also see the range of their talents with the broad set of tests she knew Drew would run them through.

  Chapter 8

  After her meeting with Cole, Keece had a new spring in her step. All her misgivings about Pele had melted away. Yes, he had pursued her for “scientific” reasons, but Cole had convinced her that Pele’s love was real.

  The only mystery was how he had become missing-in-action. She recently received a report from the military telling her they were closing his case. After so many years of missing-in-action with no new clues, they had given up and closed the file. Despite the military reporting him dead, Keece still had a hard time believing it. She had always believed he must have figured out a way to escape with the other woman, and that the military was simply covering up the truth because they didn’t want to admit he had escaped. Now that she knew Pele had never known the other woman, that theory went out the window. Could he really be dead? Or, if not, where could he be? Or was she simply fooling herself, because it was so hard for her to accept he was dead. It just didn’t make sense. After eight years and all the heartache, why could she still not shake the feeling that he was alive? Maybe there was some truth to the afterlife and she was simply feeling his presence.

  She talked it over with Cole.

  Keece, “I still have a hard time accepting Pele’s death.”

  Cole nodded in agreement, “I hate to admit this because it’s likely just false hope, but I’ve never believed it either. I’m not sure why, unless, of course, it’s because I so badly want to believe he’s alive.”

  Keece, emboldened by Cole’s doubts, asked, “Do you think we could try to find out more ourselves? I know the military has given up investigating, but maybe there’s a way to track down more on what happened to him. They must have some records.”

  Cole looked dejected, “I don’t know. Ava tried every angle and got nowhere.”

  Keece paused, giving up seemed impossible. Then her eyes lit up with an idea, “If anyone can find information in just about any system, it’s Devon. What if we put him on the case?”

  Cole contemplated this idea, “Maybe, but it seems risky. I know he’s doing better, but what if he relapses.”

  Keece answered, “I actually think this might help. A difficult project might be just-the-ticket, especially if Rane is helping.”

  Both Cole and Keece knew Devon would do anything for Raney.

  “You’re not gonna tell them about CodeY
are you?” Cole asked cautiously.

  “No, of course not. I’ll tell them Ava found some new evidence that showed he was set up and didn’t even know the woman he supposedly ran off with. I’ll also tell them that he didn’t steal my money. That he’d put it in a different account, for investment purposes, but never had the chance to tell me before he was arrested. They know I was so upset we barely spoke after he was arrested, and then he went MIA. I can tell them I discovered it when the investment manager reached out to me recently about taking him off the account. My children will suddenly be able to respect their father again.”

  Cole asked gently, “And you?”

  Keece nodded sadly, “And me. Except now I’m sorry I was angry with him all those years. I so wish I will have the chance to forgive him in person one day, even if that’s only in the afterlife.”

  As expected, the children were shocked and ecstatic to hear about their father. Devon and Rane agreed to do what they could to find any information on his disappearance. Keece positioned it as an investigation into his death, so as not to give the children false hope that he might be alive.

  Over the next few days, Drew reviewed and refined the testing for the children. He included testing their aptitudes for numbers, music, language, logic, visual and creative thinking. Their physical abilities and skills, their IQ, their emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, style of communicating with others, computer skills, and of course their scholastic knowledge.

  To keep the children from getting too nervous, Keece told them she needed them to help with testing for a game development she was working on. She said their parents had volunteered them as a favor to her. None of them seemed to question this. Once she got all the tutors hired and started the actual tutoring program, she would present it more as an opportunity for the children to develop their talents further. She hoped they would all participate willingly, but if not, she was sure the support from their parents and the encouragement from the tutors would help.

  The children were on summer break so they could spend full days in the testing. Pace and Kala, under protest, had flown back early from their summer in Argentina with Luca’s family. Keece was careful to explain to Drew about Pace’s autistic tendencies. Pace was so much better adjusted it was almost difficult to tell. Time on the farm, especially with the horses, really helped. Pace seemed to have a special bond with the animals, almost as if he felt like they understood each other. But Pace was still inclined to take things more literally than the average person. Keece remembered one time when Pace had been upset by one of his classmate’s teasing him. Keece had advised Pace he simply needed to develop a thicker skin. To which he replied, “Why would you want me to get fat, Mom?”

  Drew and Keece both got a good chuckle out of his literal interpretation when she recounted the story to Drew. Thank goodness Kala was usually around to explain things to Pace when common colloquial phrases did not make literal sense.

  Rane was even more upset than the twins because she had to miss a couple of weeks of soccer practice, but Keece insisted. Keece thought it was important to get a full assessment of each of them. She also felt it was good for all the children to attend, to give them time to bond with each other by going through the testing together.

  Monday morning, she and Drew came into the gym where the children were waiting for them.

  “Good morning, everyone. Thanks so much to all of you for helping me out with my testing.” They gathered together as Keece greeted them.

  Drew could tell a lot about each of them simply by observing them now. Pace and Kala were front and center listening eagerly. Pace, even Keece would admit, was a bit of a mama’s boy, eager to do what was right. Kala was right by his side, she was both ready to defend, and keep up with him.

  Rane, also good at following directions was directly behind them, Devon slightly behind her. Devon, often the sulking rebel, was never far from Rane these days, especially after his recent experience. Physically he had fully recovered from his drug overdose, but emotionally he continued to struggle. Still reeling from his father’s sudden death and giving up his former circle of drug-oriented hipster friends, he was searching for his new footing. Rane had made him promise to give up both the drugs and his enabling companions, or, she threatened, she would not save him the next time. Eventually, he was sure to find his way. Keece hoped the tutoring would help.

  Devon’s sister, Shanta, stood quietly, her dark hair tied back in a simple ponytail, dark eyes staring questioningly as if analyzing every piece of information. She was already the spitting image of her mom, Sophie, the research scientist. Her brother, Sanji, stood slightly in front of her, clearly her polar opposite. Always flamboyant, he wore his black hair, shaved on one side, long and red, with gold lightning bolts on the other. All the children had been told to wear some version of athletic wear. Sanji had managed to make even this look flashy with a bright red tight shirt, black shorts, and matching red and gold flames on his sneakers. He wiggled and fidgeted, so excited he could hardly stand still.

  Zander, Cole’s oldest son, stood with his baby sister Calice, the youngest in the group, directly in front of him, his hands protectively on her slight shoulders. Zander had an almost smug look on his face. Calice looked like she would prefer to hide behind him. She kept looking up. Keece followed her gaze and, seeing what Calice was watching, could not fully conceal her own smile.

  “Where are Jadyn and Jaya, Zander?” asked Keece innocently.

  Zander shrugged, “I’m sure they’re hanging around here somewhere.”

  Keece laughed, shaking her head. Drew looked at her questioningly. Keece pointed up, and there, hanging from a rope, hung Jadyn and Jaya. Keece could not help but laugh seeing Drew’s shocked face. It was not only that they were hanging from the ceiling. It was the way they were hanging. Jadyn’s legs were wrapped around the rope. He was upside down with Jaya hanging below him, dangling freely, connected only by one arm each.

  “Sorry. It’s a common occurrence with those two,” she explained to Drew. “Come on down, you two,” Keece demanded.

  With a quick swing and snap Jadyn flipped Jaya up to his back. She wrapped her arms around his waist, her legs around his neck, and then he monkeyed down with her riding easily upside down on his backside.

  Keece watched Drew’s face as they maneuvered down. She could tell he was impressed. The acrobatics of these two were world-class, this was only a small sample of their talents. She looked forward to seeing Drew’s reaction to the test results for all the children, most of the others with equally impressive talents in other areas.

  As the week progressed, they worked through all the different testing. Drew and Keece met nightly to discuss the results.

  “One concern I have is that I’m not sure we’re really pushing them to their full capabilities,” Drew expressed. “Did you see Sanji in the mixed martial arts test?”

  Keece giggled, “I’ve never seen so many dance moves in martial arts. It’s a good thing it wasn't set to music!”

  Drew laughed. “Dance moves! I think he did three kicks and a flip for every kick he actually needed to do! Flamboyant is definitely an understatement for that one! But if he were in a true stressful fight situation, would he deliver effectively? I have no idea. I’m not sure he knows how to act under real stress. This seems to be simply a fun routine to him.”

  “I know. He is definitely flashy,” both Keece and Drew giggled again.

  Keece continued, “It’s such a striking contrast to his sister. Poor Shanta will do the absolute minimum, in the hope that she will not be noticed and can return to her tablet studying as quickly as possible!” exclaimed Keece.

  “And then there’s Zander!” continued Drew

  “Oh God, Zander,” Keece was shaking her head and smiling. “He can be a one-man show himself, but more of a standup comic than any kind of martial artist. In fact, I think he’d prefer not to move at all! Unless maybe it was to the kitchen!”

  Zander, a little on the
pudgy side, never let a meal go unnoticed. He loved food, especially high-quality fare, although that did not stop him from partaking in junk food if that was the only option.

  “He is a brilliant entertainer! He’s kept the whole group amused. If he wasn’t so lazy and manipulative, he would be unbelievable!” Drew commented, sounding exasperated.

  Keece, still smiling and shaking her head, “Well I do think his talents could be used for more than just entertaining. He would make an incredible salesman. And have you seen him shoot? He not only knows every type of weapon; he knows how to use them.”

  Drew agreed, “I know. Incredible accuracy and knowledge. I also think, maybe because he is lazy and manipulative, he has an ability to think like the opposition better than most. We’ll have to test this more, but I suspect he has a knack for it.”

  Keece had to agree that Drew might be onto something.

  “Speaking of understanding your opposition,” continued Drew, “Rane and Kala’s abilities with this is extraordinary. In any sport, whether soccer, tennis, volleyball, even ping pong, they both have an uncanny ability to see and remember their opponent’s weaknesses and strengths, and to use them to their advantage. They watch attentively in the first rounds of play, and then they seem to know exactly where and how their opponent is going to play, whether hitting or moving, and they anticipate it. It’s astounding. Totally different than Pace, who is so coordinated and strong, he just muscles his way through things and doesn’t bother to anticipate.”