Chapter 38: Spycraft

April 18, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On the way to work on Monday morning, Jack and I heard on the radio that a bomb had gone off at the US Embassy in Beirut.

"What's that going to do?" Jack asked.

"Stocks will sell off at the open, gold will be limit up, and oil prices will spike. What happens after that depends on how Reagan responds. I'm going to guess more troops from the US, France, Italy, and Britain, but not a full-scale invasion. But you never know."

"So what's your move?"

"Stand pat," I replied. "I don't think this will fundamentally shift anything. The wildcard is whether or not this is the beginning of something or an isolated incident."

"And if it's the beginning of something?"

"Then tourism and travel will take a hit if it expands outside the Middle East."

"What are the odds of that?"

"Small, really. But we need to wait to see who claims responsibility and who actually did it."

"Changing subjects, do you get third-round tickets?"

"No. And forget about the Cup, too, if they get that far."

"WHEN! Not 'if', WHEN! No negative waves, Moriarty!"

"You're obviously quoting something."

"It's a line from the movie Kelly's Heroes. You absolutely have to see it."

"I've seen part of it on TV and want to see the whole thing. I need to see if the video store has it."

We arrived at the office, and the first thing I did was check for all the news I could find on the bombing in Beirut, but details were still sketchy. I updated my threat model, nudging the risk level in the Middle East up, which increased my target price for oil. I didn't increase the global threat level because, so far, this seemed to be an isolated incident resulting from US involvement in the Lebanese Civil War.

I turned in my report, then called to make an appointment with Noel Spurgeon. Julie checked and said I could come up right away. I went up to 33, wondering how Noel Spurgeon would respond to my request, suspecting he'd laugh about it, and I put the odds of approval at 80/20 in my favor.

"Go right in," Julie said.

"What's up, Kane?" he asked when I walked in.

"Anna and I had a falling out, so I need to change my guest for Saint Martin."

"You or her?" he asked.

"She was unhappy because I went to Kansas to help my friend from High School."

"A kid your age shouldn't be limited to one girl, and any girl who doesn't understand isn't worth your time."

He was twice my age and certainly didn't feel he should be limited to one girl despite being married, but I wasn't going to say that.

"Speaking of more than one girl," I said, "could I take more than one with me to Saint Martin?"

Noel Spurgeon laughed, "I think I could see my way clear to approve something like that. Who?"

I decided there was no harm in shooting for the moon.

"Well, if I could, the girls who live in my house except Kristy Benton because I don't think Jack Clinton would understand."

"Why do I think that number is more than two?" Noel Spurgeon asked.

"Because it is. There are five."

He laughed again, "I think I'd trade Anna for five college girls! What the hell, Kane? Why not? Knock yourself out."

"Thank you."

"Let Julie know their names. You're going to need the second week of your Sensitive Leave to recover! Get out of here!"

"Thanks again."

I left his office and went to Julie's desk.

"I need to change the plans for Saint Martin," I said. "Same days, but I'll be taking five guests with me. Mr. Spurgeon just approved it."

"Want a sixth?" she asked with a smile.

"An interesting offer," I said with a smile. "But I have to decline."

"Send me their names and copies of their passports or driver's licenses, and I'll make the arrangements."

"Thank you very much."

I returned to my desk and finished out my morning. I ate lunch at my desk, went to the gym, and then spent the afternoon following up on the Beirut Embassy bombing. At the end of the day, I left the office and headed to Violet's house for dinner and then class.

When I arrived, I said 'hi' to Bev, held Heather for a moment, then Violet and I left to have dinner at the diner so we could have some privacy.

"How are you adjusting to having a baby in the house?" I asked after we left the house.

"Where do I work, Jonathan?" Violet asked.

"Never mind!" I chuckled. "That was a dumb question! Your last day at the daycare is a week from today, right?"

"Yes. I'll miss the kids, but I need something that challenges me more."

"Words I would never speak with regard to caring for a bunch of babies and toddlers!"

"Boys are challenged in SO many ways!" Violet declared. "And they're challenging, too!"

"I'm not going to argue with that!"

"They do have their uses! We need police, firemen, and soldiers! Not to mention hockey players!"

"I sense a pattern there," I chuckled.

"How many girls are there on the Black Hawks?"

"Zero, obviously, and women aren't allowed in combat, but there are female firefighters and police officers."

"But most of them are guys because it's often hard physical work."

"Yeah, lifting those doughnut boxes is brutal!"

Violet laughed, "You know that a big guy is more menacing than a smaller woman."

"Unless she has a gun; guns are the great equalizer. Keiko with a gun would be FAR more worrying than Jack with his bare hands."

"But isn't the point that they shouldn't need to use their guns?"

"Tell the cops who patrol the projects about that one. They're out-manned and out-gunned by the gangbangers. Do you really believe those stereotypes?"

"No, but strength does matter for firemen, and I wouldn't lower the standards to make it easier for women to be firefighters. If they can meet the standards, great. If not, it's not discrimination. I mean, could a woman firefighter carry you or Jack out of a burning building by herself? Or handle one of those high-pressure hoses?"

"I suspect there are some who could, but I see your point. But they could also easily be paramedics or engineers who don't typically do those things. Stuart is a tank, but Tom is more wiry. Stuart runs into burning buildings; Tom says he's way too smart to do that!"

"But we need people willing to do that, right? Like soldiers who defend the country or doctors who work in an emergency room?"

"I hear Cook County Hospital is pretty bad, so that might be just as dangerous as being a fireman or police officer. As for soldiers, it's a mixed bag. I want to have an army and a navy to defend the country, but I don't like sending troops overseas to fight."

"Defending Europe during World War II?"

"Sure, but that's different from Viet Nam. My mom's friend's husband died there, and for what? We bailed and lost, no matter how Nixon and Ford wanted to spin it."

"You said you were a pacifist. What would you do if you were drafted?"

"Be a conscientious objector," I replied. "If that didn't work, then a non-combat role. You know they'd put me someplace like supply or accounting or similar, given my background. That said, if our country was being invaded, I would agree to fight because I'd be defending you, Bev, Heather, and all the other people who are special to me. But that's way different from going to Viet Nam or wherever we invade next."

"You think we'll invade somewhere?"

"History says we will, and Reagan isn't averse to using the military. We've invaded countries in the Caribbean and Central America so many times I can't count, and almost always on some pretext."

"Where?"

"If I had to bet, Grenada, or a significant increase of our military presence in Lebanon."

"Lebanon, because of the bombing today, but why Grenada?"

"Last month, President Reagan made a point about the runway there, Soviet nuclear weapons, and the local communist government. The President of Grenada, Maurice Bishop, has a huge target on his back. His government rules by decree and has close relations with Cuba. It's too tempting a target for Reagan not to act. It's just a matter of ginning up the necessary pretext."

"Wait! You think they'll fabricate evidence?"

"It's not as if they haven't invaded countries on flimsy grounds in the past, and you could ask Iran about the CIA and the Shah."

"How did you learn all of this?"

"A lot of it comes from research for our currency trading. I've learned about countries in Africa I never knew existed because our American history books ended around 1960, and for world history, we stopped before the US Civil War. World War I, World War II, and Korea were covered in American History. My last geography class was fifth grade, so around 1973, and it focused on Europe and North America."

"My school was similar, and I don't ever remember studying much about Africa."

"Did you take a foreign language?"

"Spanish for two years. You?"

"No, because it wasn't required to graduate, and I wasn't planning on going to college."

"My Spanish isn't very good, but it helps with the Hispanic moms and kids."

"They don't speak English?"

"Some don't, or they speak very little. I know enough to get by, but we have a girl who is fluent bilingually, if we need more. Bianca speaks Spanish, right?"

"Yes, though I've actually never heard her speak it. Keiko speaks Japanese, and I've only heard her speak a few times. Deanna speaks French, but I haven't heard her."

We walked into the diner, sat down, and ordered. We ate, went to class, and after I walked Violet to her house, I headed home. Keiko was waiting for me, and we went up to bed.

"How are Bev, Heather, and Violet?" Keiko asked.

"Good. Violet and I actually had dinner at the diner so we could have time together. Violet was concerned about Bev always being at the house and interfering with the amount of time Violet and I could spend together."

"Jealousy?"

"Not the way you mean. Violet likes Bev, and she doesn't have a problem with me being friends with Bev; she just wants time with me, similar to what we had in the past. It's just a matter of time together."

"OK. Are you in a good mood?"

"Yes."

"I know how you can help me be in a good mood!" Keiko said as she started undressing.

"Oh?" I asked with a grin.

"Making love always improves my mood, no matter how happy I am!"

"Mine, too!" I agreed.

I quickly undressed, and we climbed into bed. We made love twice, then fell asleep spooned together.

April 19, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

Keiko stayed in bed on Tuesday morning, promising she'd change the sheets when she eventually got up, and I went downstairs to have breakfast with Jack and Kristy. I was surprised to find Bianca and Deanna in the kitchen as well.

"Why are you two up early?" I asked.

"I have a program to work on," Bianca said. "So I'm going to the computer lab."

"You can't do it on our computers here?"

"No, it's for my assembly language class, and it has to be done on an IBM PC. You have one at work, but not here."

"Given the change at work, I'll likely buy one later this year so I can use the same exact software at home that I use at work. What about you, Deanna?"

"I was up all night drawing and painting. I have a portfolio due at the end of the semester and I was in my creative zone, so I didn't sleep. I'll nap during the day."

"Given you're both here, I have something to share. Deanna, you know Anna broke things off, and I promised to ask about Saint Martin. Well, I have approval for all the girls who live here who aren't in a committed relationship to go with me."

"No fair!" Kristy said playfully.

"Sucks to be you," Bianca teased, then asked, "Does that include Juliette and CeCi?"

"It does."

"Awesome!" Deanna exclaimed. "I'm SO glad I suggested that! Does Keiko know?"

"I told her last night. Please let CeCi know, and Bianca, please let Juliette know. I'll need a copy of each of your driver's licenses or the details page of your passports for the person at Spurgeon who's coördinating. If you don't have a passport, you should apply for one, but you can go to Saint Martin with just your driver's license."

"Where will we stay?" Deanna asked.

"Mr. Spurgeon has a house there with five bedrooms and a large swimming pool surrounded by a high brick wall. We'll have run of the house, and it'll be completely stocked with food and drinks. We'll have to cook for ourselves, but otherwise, the caretaker and maid service take care of everything."

"Must be nice to be loaded!" Deanna declared.

"If you stay on this bus, you'll have access to that kind of thing for the rest of your life!" Bianca declared.

"Maybe I won't be a starving artist after all!"

"But you'll still pretend to be," I said with a smile, "because that fits the persona you're cultivating."

I quickly made my breakfast, which was Rice Krispies and sliced banana in milk, plus orange juice and coffee. Once I'd eaten, I kissed Bianca and Deanna goodbye, and Jack and I left to head to the office.

"I'm jealous!" Jack declared.

"You do realize that all you have to do is ask Kristy, and she'll invite Allyson to play!"

Jack smirked, "You say that like it hasn't happened since the time she 'accidentally' came into the bedroom at Allyson's house!"

"Given we've only lived together for a few weeks, I wasn't privy to your relationship beyond what I saw on Friday nights and at our parties!"

"You have a date with Beth tonight, right?"

"Yes."

"OK. I'll take the L home. On another point, the Hawks are looking good."

"They are, but there's still a way to go."

"Think positively! No negative waves! And speaking of that, we should rent the movie this weekend."

"I don't have plans for Saturday night."

"Neither do we. Who are you bringing on Friday?"

"Kasey," I replied. "I asked Izzy, but she has a date with a guy she's seen a few times."

"Which one is Kasey?"

"Tall, thin, with dark hair. She was hanging out with Josie at the housewarming."

"Ah, OK. I can't keep your harem straight without a scorecard!"

"You chose to get serious with Kristy, so you only have yourself to blame!"

"I made the right choice, even without the occasional threesomes with Allyson. Before I forget, did you hear about Shelly?"

"Keiko told me last night. I was totally surprised, but if that's what Shelly wants, I'm happy for her."

"I wondered if maybe she's pregnant."

"It's possible, but I highly doubt it, given she was on the Pill. Honestly, he's exactly what she needs. She recognized that and dropped the proper hints. Perry, not being an idiot, asked the sexy strawberry blonde to marry him."

"All the girls you hang out with are hot!"

"Says the guy engaged to a hot girl who occasionally brings her friend to bed with them!"

"Yeah, yeah," Jack chuckled. "I have no room to complain."

We arrived at the Hancock Center, I parked and we parted ways as Jack had to take the freight elevator while I went up the stairs to take the passenger elevator. I greeted Rich, made coffee, then sat down to work on my morning analyst report.

There was still limited information on the bombing, but the death toll was set at over sixty, and a group called 'Islamic Jihad' was claiming responsibility. The Lebanese government had requested additional peacekeeping troops from the coalition, which included the US, Italy, France, and the UK, and I expected that to be granted but also to be limited. I finished my report and put it on Mr. Matheson's desk, then reviewed the overnight trades, focusing on currency and precious metals trading in London and Hong Kong. Just after 10:00am, Murray Matheson called me into his office.

"Thoughts on the Nexis system?" he asked.

"I'd say, at this point, it's worth every penny we're paying," I replied. "Being able to retrieve back issues and articles is huge, and you know what pain it is to find things, even with the printed indices we have in the library. Every analyst should have it, and every analyst should have Bloomberg, though I know that's a problem due to limited availability."

"Anything you'd change?"

"I'd suggest we get a single Dow Jones terminal so we have access to the Wall Street Journal. It could go in the library and be shared. I wouldn't choose it over Nexis given the cost and the offerings, but that one feature is worth it."

"What gear would you suggest for Thiele's new analyst?"

"Match what I have," I replied. "Though we might not be able to get the Bloomberg terminal, as I said."

"OK. I'll speak to Noel about it. Any thoughts on when you'll recommend the precious metals play?"

"Soon," I replied. "I'd say no more than a month. I'm keeping a close eye on the prices and spreads. It's looking more and more like the previous circumstances."