Chapter 69

Andrew leaned his head against the hall wall and resisted the temptation of banging it repeatedly.

“I thought Mhairi had crushed this. What can have happened already?”

Andrew would call his tone plaintive, others would go with whiny.

“It is even stranger than before Andrew. This time it is Rifkind the local MP.”

Andrew had told his mother that there had been some issues but that Mhairi had dealt with them, and had never got into the details.

“How the hell does the local MP know about me? Other than you telling me his name a couple of years ago at the election I have never heard of him or had any dealings with him. Do we let Mhairi deal with this?”

“This is the strange part. Brian called and gave me a heads up he wanted our number and would be calling. He called to check it was okay to give him the number. At first I was ready to tell him no, but they would have found it eventually, so I said yes. That was last night and he called late this afternoon. He was well prepared at least. He spoke very diplomatically and said he hoped that we could talk without lawyers. He wants to meet with you. I am not sure why.”

Andrew looked first at Leslie and then back at his mum.

“So he knows that Mhairi has been beating up the Education Department and he was low key and polite. Doesn’t change the fact that I want nothing to do with being the poster child for the Open University, the Education Department or this Government. I prefer my anonymity. When are we to return his call? Monday?”

“He gave me his private number and said we could call over the weekend. I did call Mhairi after his call and I have arranged for you and Dad to see her at 10.00 on Monday morning. You can call his office from there once we have had a chance to talk to her.”

Andrew did not talk to Julian about the future of the company on Saturday, he was not in the mood. On the Saturday night he was sitting studying and thought about Tanvi and Katie and how much he missed them. Mind you he was sitting studying on a Saturday night. Maybe he had a ways to go with balance. Sunday morning he was at the Pool and here Andrew thought of Ara and the third unreturned message. From too many choices and potential chaos to wide open savannah and nary an antelope in sight. A horribly tortured metaphor which pretty well summed up his mood.

Monday brought him back to the familiar confines of Drummond’s offices.

“You are going to be the top billing lawyer in the office if we keep meeting like this.”

Andrew joked with Mhairi.

“The Department of Education did get a hefty bill to remind them of the consequences of breaking the rules.”

They went through the upcoming call with Rifkind and wondered out loud as to the purpose.

“It is not the Open University marketing thing again I am sure. I sent them a large bill only ten days ago just for dealing with all that. They know that we will sue them if any of this comes out. The Open University, the Department, individuals. They also believe that if anything is publicised that Andrew will sound like the biggest Labour supporter in the country and will forcefully belittle everyone involved. The Open University and its senior staff, the Department of Education and its ministers and civil servants, and the government generally. There is no meat left on that bone.”

“So what is it then Mhairi? Rifkind said to Mum that he hoped we could keep the lawyers out of it. I called Brian on Sunday night and found out that Rifkind is a lawyer, at least so Brian says. Brian knows him slightly through political circles here in town. How Rifkind found out the connection between the families is unsettling on top of everything else.”

Time to stop speculating and deal with the man. Mhairi was first into battle.

“Mr. Rifkind, Mhairi Connelly from Drummond & Company. I represent Andrew McLeod. I believe you wish to get in contact with him.”

Pause.

“Andrew is still a minor. Mr. and Mrs. McLeod contacted me to ensure that any conversations were appropriate.”

Longer pause.

“You are a lawyer Mr. Rifkind. Andrew is merely ensuring that both sides in this exchange have legal representation.”

Short pause.

“Andrew will not attend any meeting without both myself and one of his parents present. He will say nothing unless I believe to be appropriate. And most pertinently he will not attend any such meeting without a detailed understanding of what the agenda is and who else will be there. Names, titles, departments.”

“Enough of this nonsense Mr. Rifkind. Good day.”

Click. Borderline slam. Andrew laughed.

“I could have done that without any help from you. I thought I was the one with the temper.”

Mhairi blushed.

“I am sorry Andrew, he was getting sanctimonious. I should not have lost my temper. He will call back shortly I am sure. Why don’t we grab a cup of coffee while I recover my equilibrium?”

Andrew thought it was hilarious. Mhairi got to say things to an authority figure that he only dreamed of. They were back in Mhairi’s office for less than 15 minutes when Rifkind called back.

“Get to the point Mr. Rifkind. I am perfectly capable of hanging up again. Let me repeat. Neither you nor anyone else from the Government will say a word to Andrew McLeod without me present and with our side being in full possession of the facts. You have lost the right to be trusted after the way his marketing contract was completely disregarded. Final time Mr. Rifkind, what is this all about?”

There followed a three minute pause. Andrew and his dad were on tenterhooks.

“I see. I am not sure what all the rigmarole at the beginning was in aid of. If you had told me that at the start none of that unpleasantness would have been necessary. We will call you back from the conference room in two minutes. My office phone is not a speakerphone. Yes Mr. Rifkind, Andrew and his father have been here throughout the morning and have listened to my side of our conversations. Indeed Mr. Rifkind. Two minutes.”

They talked as they walked through.

“The junior Minister who deals with the Open University is someone called Baroness Young. When we scotched all their plans she had the head of the Computer Science Department down to her office with the Vice-Chancellor. She wanted to hear for herself what you had done with the knowledge you had learned. Everyone is pissed at you for refusing to go along with all the publicity but the Computer Science Department has been extolled. The Administration is pleased that their political overseers are happy. A Professor Young is the toast of the campus. Rifkind was reading this all off of notes he had been given. Anyway, this Baroness Young took it upon herself to mention the success of small scale innovation and boosting productivity, control and security. She told her equivalent at the Department of Industry. He wants to meet you. He is a Minister of State, Sir Adam Butler. What caught his attention was the cheap price, Rifkind will give you more details. They are requesting that you go to London and talk to some people including Butler about it.”

Andrew sat in silence, partially stunned but his mind was also whirring. He thought back to all these senior lawyers and directors of firms and businesses that he and Julian and had bailed out. No clue and a couple of teenagers had fixed things and unlocked value for them. That was more than a year ago but there were still lots of businesses struggling to catch up. His dad and Mhairi could see he was thinking and sat and waited.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Mhairi put her elbow on the table with her hand up.

“While my arm is like this it is okay to keep talking. If at any point I put my arm flat then please stop talking immediately. I will take over. Okay?

Andrew nodded. Did it go better than he thought? He didn’t know. Rifkind started off all false jolly but quickly calmed down. Butler wanted to meet to talk about their software. Andrew asked him who would be there. Rifkind didn’t know. Mhairi told him to pass on her details to the Department of Industry. Once they sent the agenda and invitees then they would schedule the meeting. Rifkind was startled when Andrew told him that there would be up to seven of them and to pass that along. It was cordial and polite but nothing more than that. Afterwards they sat and Mhairi and his dad looked at Andrew.

“Seven of us?”

“Dad, I have no clue why a government minister, a junior one but a minister none the same, wants to meet with a kid about computer software. What I was thinking about before the call was back to the start of all this. Brian useless at VisiCalc; Julian’s dad and his firm botching the install of their new computers; Kyle Turner and ComputerCom overselling systems and needing help to get them up and running properly. It was two teenagers who fixed it. What’s the nice work for nerd that someone once told me, oh yeah, enthusiasts? Two enthusiasts who fixed it. Companies made big purchases and screwed up the details. That is where the teenagers, Julian and I, came in. Once Leslie started helping us focus on the business part of the company then things took off. I think we’ve produced 70 versions of the software for ComputerCom. Normally nothing more than different graphics or logo, all at £20 a go. That is the secret. We are selling what the grown-ups want to hear. Control. Security. As to the seven people, it is the three of us, Leslie and her dad, and Julian and his dad, if they want to come. Having Brian and Mr. Strong there will add credibility to the story. At the end of the day, it is an interesting story, almost an anecdote you tell at a dinner party, I don’t see how the government learns from this, no idea. But I guess we get a trip to London out of it.”

The McLeod family trip to London was an interesting time. His mum, Scott and Rowan went off to shop at Harrods on the first day leaving Andrew and his dad to meet up with the Campbells and the Strongs, together with Mhairi Connelly at Westminster Abbey. From there it was a one minute walk to the Department of Industry. Rifkind was there and he did the introductions. Too many names and faces. Adam Butler was the guy in charge, the Minister of State for Industry. He was a smooth politician and managed to not annoy Andrew so that helped. After 10 minutes of pleasantries and dancing round the subject Butler came to the point

“We asked you here today because it is the kind of story that, if it is not going to be told broadly, we at least can understand and learn from. Janet mentioned you one day while we were waiting to be called into cabinet. We were passing the time in the waiting room and she told me the story of the schoolboy doing an Open University degree. Not only that but making a successful business out of it. She was disappointed that we were not going to be able to publicise this success but we both understand that it is not your wish. Thus this meeting. Why were you successful and are their lessons that can be learned?”

Andrew was impressed with Butler. He was at least saying all the right things and in a manner designed not to offend or annoy him. Everyone was looking at Andrew to start.