Chapter 126: My New Attorney

Sunday, June 13, 1971

Catherine, Vickie, Nicky, and Adriana were all waiting for me in the lounge of the Observation Car when I boarded. I noticed that the girls were still in their swimsuits with t-shirts, so I didn’t bother to go change. I noticed Izzy was standing there, looking kind of lost, so I invited her to join us. I made a mental note to check on sleeping arrangements for her when we finished.

“Catherine, this is Miss Belinda Sue Miller, Esquire,” I said. “Izzy, this is my grandmother, Mrs. Catherine Wagner. Izzy was the attorney sent to represent me last night. I sort of fell in love with her at first sight, and talked her in to going with me to the State Dinner in two weeks. You know I’ve been looking for a personal legal counselor, and I have offered her the job. However, she hasn’t decided whether to accept the position yet. I was thinking that she could kind of sit in on our discussions and see if this might be something she would like to do. If that’s okay with you?”

“Welcome to the family, Izzy. I don’t know how much Michael has told you about our company, but we’ll be glad to answer any questions as we go, all right?” Catherine said warmly.

“Thank you, Mrs. Wagner,” Izzy replied politely. “I’m afraid Michael has not told me anything about your company, yet.”

“Oh, boy!” Adriana thought. “Here we go folks! Hang on to your hats!”

Vickie snorted as she tried not to laugh. Catherine just smiled.

Izzy just looked at her as I thought, “Izzy, I’d like you to meet my administrative assistants, the redhead is Vickie, and the other redhead is Adriana.”

Izzy smiled as she said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’m looking forward to ... ah-whah whatthefuck!”

Izzy had just realized I had slipped into speaking to her without speaking aloud.

“Ah ... ah ... I’m sorry. This is going to take some getting used to. I must be a lot more tired than I thought. Please excuse me,” she said apologetically, turning a bright pink at her outburst.

“That’s okay, Izzy. Most everyone has trouble learning how to deal with it at first,” Vickie said demurely.

“Izzy, we’re thankful that you were able to get Michael out last night, and that you have decided to travel with him for a few weeks. I won’t task you with keeping him out of trouble, but I am comforted to know that you’ll be close by if he does need you,” Catherine said.

Izzy raised her eyebrows, wondering if I was a troubled youth that couldn’t stay out of trouble.

“I don’t think that’s what Grandmother meant,” Nicky told her. Izzy had forgotten that we were connected and could hear her thoughts. “Michael has lots of plans, and many of them need someone he can talk to that understands the laws,” she explained. “Right?” she asked her grandmother, seeking confirmation.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” Catherine told Nicky. I could tell that Catherine was both amazed and pleased at how much Nicky had grown up since her parents were killed. “What we’re about to do, and presumably the reason Michael invited you to stay, is to go over some of the details of Michael’s company with him, and Vickie and Adriana. Nicky will one day have a vested interest in it also, as well as heading up the foundation.”

Nicky smiled at her grandmother. “Thanks!” she told her.

“Now, about the deal with the Russians... “ Catherine started to say.

“Russians?” Izzy interrupted. “Excuse me, did you say ‘Michael’s company’?”

“Yes, dear. Michael will become the President of Wagner Industries in another ten days or so,” Catherine said politely.

“Is this the Wagner in Fort Worth that manufactures ball bearings?” Izzy asked.

I looked to Catherine because I had no idea.

“Yes dear. It’s one of the companies Michael owns,” Catherine said patiently. “Among others.”

“Others?” Izzy repeated. “Just how many companies do you own?”

I did my teenaged shoulder shrug as I said, “I don’t really know. I’m kind of new to this. That’s why I need an attorney to keep me from doing anything stupid.”

Izzy looked questioningly to Catherine, while Nicky and Vickie giggled.

“You are so bad!” Adriana thought to me.

Then to Izzy she said, “As of the end of last year, Wagner Holdings, which is the trade name for all the Wagner companies and properties, had 3,264 companies or other profit centers, of which Wagner Bearing is one of them. That number has changed slightly as he just sold off Cherry Ridge, and Catherine is adding a commercial real estate development company in California.”

“Thank you, Adriana. Michael asked me how many companies he owned and I didn’t know the answer. I should have known that you would know,” Catherine said sincerely.

Adriana blushed at the compliment, thinking, “Thank you. If there’s ever anything like that you need, just let me know. I usually know where to dig it up.”

Izzy’s mind had kicked into high gear with all the thoughts and emotions that were bouncing around with what she had just heard. Given what I had learned yesterday, it was not difficult for me to follow. However, out of consideration for the others, I cut their link to her while her mind churned.

I found it interesting that she was not concerned with how rich I was, but was more enthralled with the idea of being the chief legal counselor to the president of a very large firm. I left her to her dreams and turned my attention back to Catherine as she continued down her list of items to bring me up to date.

“ ... transporting the components has gone smoothly and we expect to wrap up our end in two more weeks. That means the other half billion should hit our banks by the Fourth of July week.

“Did you say half-billion? As in dollars? American dollars?” Izzy was jolted from her reverie.

“Yeah. Michael talked Catherine into selling them the fuel process Wagner Industries developed. The Americans didn’t want it,” Adriana thought.

Izzy had learned her lesson after the last outburst, so she just sat there staring from Vickie to Adriana, to Catherine, and then back to me. Her mouth was literally hanging open.

“That means the money for your foundation should be available by the end of the third quarter. We have some accounting hoops to jump through, though. Did you realize that setting it up this way will require you to pay taxes on it?” Catherine asked.

“I bet Amy doesn’t know that,” Nicky said. “Can I ask her to join us for a moment?”

“That’s just amazing,” Izzy said as we all became quiet, waiting on Amy. “I mean how you can just talk to them anytime you want. Do you have a range on that thing?”

“This time, it’s not me. It’s Vickie. She’s a natural empath that we stumbled across totally by accident,” I explained.

“Yeah, but I didn’t understand what it was. I thought something was wrong with me. But Michael explained what was going on, and taught me how to use my gift. I’m nowhere near as powerful as Michael. I can’t paralyze people or anything like he can. At least not yet,” Vickie said with a laugh.

“Paralyze people?” Izzy repeated.

“Yeah. I’m not sure how he does it, but it doesn’t seem to hurt them. It just stops them from hurting us. Like the spies that attacked us on the train last week or the kidnappers Friday night,” Vickie continued to explain.

“You were attacked? On this train?” Izzy asked.

Placing her hands on the arms of the upholstered chair, she started to rise, saying, “I think maybe I should just go.”

At that moment, the Observation Car lurched and Izzy fell back down into her seat, looking all around the car for the cause of the crash, for that’s what it had seemed like to her.

“I’m afraid you’re a bit late, dear. It looks like we’re starting to move,” Catherine told her with a grin.

I laughed. Even Catherine was getting in on teasing Izzy. She knew that we were just being shunted into position behind the freight. And that they may have to do this to us a couple of more times, or that we could sit for hours, before we finally started rolling for Amarillo.

“Please don’t go, Izzy. We hardly know you. I’m Adriana, and I was born without a nerve in my larynx that caused me to be unable to speak. So this is the main way I communicate,” she explained. “It’s so much easier than sign language or writing everything down.”

Izzy didn’t say anything, but she didn’t get up to leave either.

Amy came bouncing into the lounge and plopped down on the presidential blue carpeting beside our chairs. “What’s going on?” she asked. “Why do you need me?”

“Catherine was just telling us the funds for the foundation will be here in the next few months, so we have to really step up our planning. She also said that we will have to pay taxes on it,” I told her.

“Uh, excuse me, but that’s not entirely accurate. It depends on what kind of private trust or foundation you’re setting up. Generally, there are no taxes on the core fund, but there is a small tax on the earnings the fund produces. Three percent, in most cases. But you have to be very careful where you place the funds. There are lots of limitations,” Izzy explained.

“Wow! You really know these things? Are you going to help us?” Amy asked.

We all turned to look at her.

“I don’t really know. This is all so sudden, and I already have a fairly good paying job with one of the larger law firms in Houston,” she replied.

I let it go for now as we continued to discuss the foundation for a while, before moving on.

Catherine continued going through her list of topics to discuss, and I noticed that both Vickie and Adriana were making notes. I also thought it interesting that Catherine was now discussing plans for one of the largest privately held companies in the world with five teenagers.

When she talked about future expansions, both Nicky and Adriana had a couple of ideas, but it was Vickie that reminded us about my commitment to the Indian Reservation. We got off on casinos for a moment, and then moved on to light manufacturing. Finally Vickie brought up the school I had alluded to with Rose and Eve.

“I wish there was a way to start a college there. I mean, Eve said that they had to leave their families and their culture and go far away if they want anything more than a high school diploma,” Vickie explained.

“You know, starting a college is just the sort of thing a foundation is used for,” Izzy offered.

That got everyone talking, as the idea of an institute of higher learning took off. I told them of my ideas to couple R&D with production in the coming field of computers. Adding a college that specialized in computer design and development would only complement production. Then there was software. After explaining what software was, the girls started firing out idea after idea.

Finally, Catherine called a halt to the discussion, suggesting that we talk about it later. Nicky and Amy excused themselves, talking excitedly as they left the car. Then Catherine continued with her agenda.

“Do you have any cash left from what I sent you Friday,” she asked me.

“About half of it is left. I gave Tommy three thousand dollars. Two for the trip, and a thousand as a signing bonus,” I explained. “I also tipped the driver for all he did. He put in a lot of extra hours both nights.”

“How much?” Adriana asked.

“A hundred,” I replied. She didn’t say anything. She just noted it on her pad.

“Well, this Tuesday is payday. We pay on the first and the fifteenth of the month,” Catherine explained to Vickie and Adriana. “I took the liberty of opening accounts for both of you girls at Uncle Harry’s Bank. You’ll need to stop by and sign the papers when we’re in New York next week. In the meantime, here’s your pay stubs. It came to $937.50 after taxes. I also took the liberty of bringing half of it to you in cash,” Catherine said as she handed each of them an envelope containing half the nine hundred odd dollars. “I thought you might like to have some cash with you.”

“Holy smokes! This is more than my mom makes!” Adriana exclaimed.