Beyond the Mirror
Copyright© 2012/2014
Chapter 10
Laura happened to be walking down the hallway when she heard a knock on the door, so she walked over and opened it, then smiled at the older couple standing there.
“Yes, can I help you?” she asked.
“Sandy?” asked the grey-haired man who stood beside an older lady with beautiful silver hair.
“Nope! I’m Laura, and I’m living here for now, but just until I get my own place. Did you want Sandy? She’s just inside, talking to Tom, and you’re lucky to catch them; they just got back from Victoria.”
“Hi, Mom and Dad,” Tom interrupted as he entered the hallway. “This is Laura Preston, my lawyer, and Sandy’s roommate. Come on in and meet Sandy. Sorry about the muddle; we just got back ourselves, and we only heard your message that you were coming a moment ago.”
“I told Jack that we should have gone to the motel and given you a call before dropping in on you,” Tom’s mom stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug, then kissed his cheek.
Then things got muddled. While Tom was shaking his dad’s hand and trading a ‘man-hug’ with him, Sandy was introducing herself to his mom, then quickly showing her the way to the bathroom. At the same time, Laura was hurrying back to the kitchen to double the amount of soup and the number of sandwiches she’d been making, which left Tom and his father alone.
“Okay, Dad, just what’s up? I mean...”
“It’s okay,” Jack couldn’t hide his smile as he spoke in a soft drawl. “I knew you’d expect me to have more than one reason to come see you, but mostly, this visit is for your mother. She hasn’t seen you in over two years, not since you came home for Christmas during your last year of university. Hell, you’ve gotten engaged since then, and I’ve only seen you for about five minutes myself, so we both decided we wanted to meet your lady, not to mention having a visit with you both.”
“Well, unfortunately, I’ve been a bit busy, Dad,” Tom frowned slightly. “It seems to me that everything I’m involved with when I’m anywhere near civilization happens at ninety miles an hour. The only time I get to slow down and look at the scenery is when I’m up on my claim, and even then, I’ve been rushed most of the time.”
“Yeah, I can see that, but from what I can make out, you’ve done quite well.”
“Yes, and no,” Tom snorted. “A lot of what’s happened can be attributed to old Serge. He virtually adopted me once he’d heard that I’d discovered gold on a lease that he’d thought was a washout. He told me he’d panned all over that area and couldn’t find anything other than a bit of black sand and a few flakes of gold. He seemed to be blown away that I’d gone in there and found a worthwhile claim in just a few days. I think he was so happy that someone was willing to work that old lease that he got overly generous. On top of that, he seemed to be impressed that I didn’t give up when I got snowed in, yet managed to survive on what nature provided. Then he appeared to be overjoyed when I told him that I’d stayed for a full year and still wanted to work the claim even though I knew it was going to be tough sledding. I can’t think of any other reason for him to sell me the lease. For the life of me, though, I can’t understand his reasons for making me his primary heir.”
“Well, he did investigate you, you know, but I only heard about it after you rocked the Provincial Parks branch back on its heels and got our people involved. We discovered that he’d sent a request through to the firm about your status in the family, and one of the file clerks sent him a copy of your company file. I’d fire that stupid twit, except he was a temp, so he doesn’t work for the company any longer,” Jack snorted. “Oh, while I’m thinking of it, I’d like to thank you for selling that stock to us, because it gave us just enough voting stock to save the company from a hostile takeover bid.”
“Who had the balls to hit Dunn-Redding with a hostile takeover attempt?”
“BP - the sneaky bastards want control of our leases in the Rockies, which reminds me, you have control of another area they want. Your lease covers all minerals, including fossil fuels, so I imagine you’ll be contacted by them.”
“I’ve already had a couple of run-ins with some people trying to sneak in the back door and gain control by offering financing. I’ve been considering legal action against them because they were pumping Lister for information and since his method of finding out the things they wanted was illegal, they’re on shaky ground too. Now after talking to you, I think I’ll have my office manager send copies of their original letters and my answers down to Frank Jamison,” Tom grinned viciously, then turned toward the kitchen. “Laura, could you come in here for a moment, please?”
“Yeah, just a second, I was just making a light dinner, so I’d better lower the heat under the soup first,” she answered, but a few seconds later she stepped to the doorway and looked in.
“Dad and I were talking about buyouts and takeovers, so I mentioned those letters I had you look at when we first met. Do you recall the ones I’m talking about?”
“Oh, yes, I do. Actually, I did some checking on those and the strange thing was that the two companies were both subsidiaries of the same foreign firm, but the name escapes me right now. I have it in my files at the office though.”
“Would that controlling firm have been BP or Bulldog Petroleum, by any chance?” Jack asked.
“Yes! Yes, that’s it! Bulldog Petroleum was the name,” Laura nodded enthusiastically.
“Ah ha!” Jack snorted and Tom nodded his head.
“At the time, I thought those letters were rather strange. Then, at Serge’s funeral, Tom met an overdressed idiot who said he was a representative of one of their affiliated companies,” she grinned then. “The look on the guy’s face changed as they talked though, almost as if he was a rabbit that suddenly realized it was face to face with a starving wolf. I’d still like to know what Tom said to him.”
“I thought I told you that I warned him I didn’t fight clean like Dad does. I think he realized that I don’t mind going for the jugular, and now that I’ve gotten more info from Dad, he’s going to find out just what I meant,” Tom paused thoughtfully and glanced at the clock, then sighed. “Dang it all, it’s Sunday, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, why?” Laura asked.
“Oh, I was going to have you call Charlie’s dad, but Frank won’t be in the office, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything before tomorrow anyway. Tomorrow morning though, you and I are going to call him and declare war on a little pipsqueak who should know better than to disturb a sleeping wolf,” Tom grinned viciously, then turned to his dad. “Want to come see us light a fuse under a large pile of legally explosive accusations, Dad?”
“I’d like that very much, but I don’t understand what you intend to do.”
“Well, so far between the BC Law Society and the RCMP, they’ve found a total of more than thirty people who were involved with that shyster lawyer, Lister. As far as I can see, the bunch of them were being paid much more money than that little pipsqueak lawyer would have been able to afford. Now that I know BP wants control of my lease, I’d be willing to bet they were funding him. Right now, I’d like to have Lister’s financial records checked over thoroughly by a forensic accountant to find where his funding came from. If we can prove that BP provided his funding, we can try to check back to the next level, and we might get to the big boys, then put a hurt on the whole shebang.”
“That’s a damn good idea. I don’t know what good it will do, but I can get our lawyers and researchers checking things over from our end too,” Jack grinned, then raised his voice slightly. “Kelly, where are you?”
“Right here,” she answered, walking out of Sandy’s bedroom. “Sandy was just showing me her nugget jewellery that Tom designed and had made up for her. Do you know he had a bit of ore from his mine made into the engagement ring he gave her for Christmas? It looks like the gold of the ring and the diamond in the center grow right out of the quartz? Tom even had a necklace and earrings made from gold nuggets shaped like teardrops as a Valentine’s Day gift. They’re beautiful.”
“Well, he’s more than just a jewellery designer, dear. He just heard about the attempted hostile takeover of our company last week and added it to happenings around here, then told me he’s going to put a hurt on those bastards from BP. I hope you don’t mind postponing our holiday for a few days, because I’d like to watch the fireworks.”
“We might have to go to Victoria,” Tom warned.
“Fine, we can use our plane and get there in a hurry. Then our womenfolk can go buy out the city while we raise hell with BP,” Jack grinned.
“I can’t really leave right now,” Sandy protested. “I’m an accountant with a tax business and it’s coming up on tax time, so the office will be a madhouse.”
“Oh surely you can take a day or two off,” Kelly smiled at her. “I want to get the chance to know you.”
“I just got back from two days away from the office,” Sandy frowned. “I can’t really...”
“Hire some more help,” Tom winked at her. “I’ll cover the expense, and I think you’ll enjoy being along, because we’re going after your ex and his associates again. Besides, as his ex, you might have been a witness to some of the initial involvement of Lister and BP’s minions.”
“BP? Now that you mention those initials, I do remember hearing them sometime,” Sandy looked at Tom with a light frown. “I think it was just after Sheridan and I got married, then moved here. That would be while I was still establishing my business - yes, it had to be then because I was still working out of his office. There was a guy from BP who came in and was talking to Sheridan about an old prospector with a weird name and his mineral lease. Come to think of it, old Serge’s last name was something strange, like Potatoskin or something like that, wasn’t it?”
“BINGO! That would be Potemchin, which was Serge’s last name,” Tom said loudly. “Now we have a concrete reason to look for ties from Lister to BP! Say, you don’t happen to remember that BP rep’s name, do you?”
“Sure I do, it was Leonard Thomas, and I even have a copy of his signature,” Sandy nodded. “He didn’t like me being in Sheridan’s office since I could overhear their discussions, so he negotiated the original lease on my office. In fact, he even cosigned that lease.”
“So BP’s representative left evidence behind,” Jack laughed. “On top of that, we have a witness to BP’s involvement in questionable activities, which means you can go after them in court.”
“That would have happened long before I was involved, Dad,” Tom frowned.
“It doesn’t matter, you bought the company from the man they were harassing in order to get control of his lease. Since you now hold that lease and were also targeted by Lister, as well as by BP’s subsidiaries, we even have a direct line of progression. The only thing we’d really need to wrap it all up and tie it in a knot would be proof of them going after Serge while he was still alive.”
“Mom might be able to help you with that,” Laura smiled. “She was the person who handled all of Serge’s correspondence for years and years. She keeps a complete record of every transaction that passes through her office, so if there was anything like that, she’d probably have it. I could call her if you’d like?”
“No, let’s wait for now. I have to call her later, anyway,” Tom said softly. “Right now, I need a coffee.”
“Well, I have lunch almost ready to put on the table,” Laura smiled at him. “You called me just as I was going to dish out the soup and pour the coffee.”
“Well, actually, we need to find a motel for the night and...” Jack began, but was interrupted.
“Nonsense, we’ve got room for you to stay here, and we certainly don’t mind having you around,” Sandy declared. “All we have to do is put clean sheets and pillows on the beds in the spare bedroom. You and Kelly will have to put up with sleeping in single beds for the night, though.”
“That will be just fine, Sandy, just as long as it’s not causing you any problems,” Kelly smiled. “I’d like to spend a night in the same house as my youngest son for a change, but right now, I’d like to declare a moratorium on business discussions while we eat.”
“Well, if you want to learn anything about Tom and me, that won’t work,” Sandy laughed. “Our lives are so thoroughly intertwined with our businesses that we wouldn’t be able to tell you very much about ourselves.”
“Sandy’s right. I met her because I needed an accountant to work out my taxes.”
“And as a customer, he immediately became a pain in the butt,” Sandy laughed. “Every time he comes back into town, my life gets turned upside down and inside out. Which reminds me, I’d better phone Sid, my helper at the office, and see if he knows of another retired accountant that I can call in for a few days.”
“Uh, Sandy, why don’t you just arrange for more help until next fall, since you want to come out to the claim this spring? That way, you can work with the new person during rush season and make certain everything will work out in the long run,” Tom suggested.
“And I still need to phone both Charlie and Mom to let them both know I might have to go to Victoria tomorrow,” Laura sighed. “At least our office isn’t all that busy yet, so Charlie can handle the load on his own.”
“Well, you’ll be getting a new customer on Thursday or Friday,” Tom grinned and winked at Sandy. “My other bookkeeper will be in town talking to my accountant.”
“Oh, you and Sandy both mentioned that, so I’ll warn Charlie of that too.”
“Your other bookkeeper?” Jack asked.
“Oh, come on, Dad, you did hear about my second company, didn’t you? I have controlling interest in White Out Wilderness Services now. Old Serge owned White Out and left me the majority of the shares, probably because he knew I was having problems getting in and out of the area where my mine is located.”
“What? Is that why you seemed interested when I mentioned having a helicopter that I’d like to get rid of?”
“As I told you then, it depends on the machine. We do need another chopper, but we need one that we can use to haul either people and cargo, or maybe a bit of both.”
“I’m not sure what he has would be something you’d be interested in having anyway,” Kelly laughed. “When Jack was negotiating the purchase of his plane, as well as the lease on the hangar out at the Calgary airport, he made a deal to take all three aircraft that the other company owned. We took over the Beechcraft KingAir, and JJ bought the old DeHavilland Beaver. Then JJ spent the fall and winter getting his pilot’s license, so he can fly it now. Unfortunately, part of the deal included a damaged Chinook helicopter, but Jack doesn’t want to bother repairing it since we don’t need it and neither does the company. It’s sitting in a hangar, taking up space and costing money, but we can’t use it. In fact, we don’t even have a pilot who is licensed to fly it.”
“I didn’t realise just how big that damn thing was,” Jack sighed. “Not only that, but I didn’t know that legally you need a crew of two in order to fly the dang thing. You need to have a pilot and a copilot to handle all the controls. Then if you’re going to land anywhere that might be a bit of a tight squeeze, you need to have an observer at the rear as well. That Chinook is a bloody monster.”
“I can match you as far as size is concerned, Dad,” Tom chuckled. “White Out owns a Sikorsky SkyCrane, but unlike your wrecked chopper, ours gets used a lot. It was on lease for the last few summers to BC Hydro, who use it to do maintenance on some of their remote power lines and for work on their big towers. They can build the tower in one place, then the SkyCrane can pick it up, haul it to the final site, and set it in its permanent position. As well as that, if there is a forest fire nearby, we have a belly tank for the machine, so it can haul water and fire retardants to dump on the blaze.”
“Sounds to me as if you really could use that dang Chinook we’ve got,” Jack said tentatively.
“Maybe, but since it needs a two- or three-man crew, that ties up manpower,” Tom frowned. “I’d have to ask the pilots at White Out to look it over and give me an opinion. I’ll be honest, I started out thinking of buying something more like a Sikorsky S76 - until I found out the price they want for one of those babies. Instead, we’re probably looking at picking up a used Bell of some sort or other that’s in need of some work, then have the mechanics rebuild it over the winter. Of course, they might not have much time if they get involved in another series of winter rescues like they often do.”
“Oh my, I love to see that look on your face, Jack.” Kelly was laughing quietly. “It turns out the son you expected to come begging for a job after university has just one-upped you again, and he might even be turning down your bargain basement helicopter.”
“Oh, I haven’t turned down the deal because although Dad and I haven’t discussed it, a company rep has already offered to sell it to me for a great price. Unfortunately, I understand the Chinook needs to be repaired before it can be used, and while I do have some mechanics on staff who could do that, I’m not sure it’s worth what the rep wanted for it. I just don’t know if my mechanics have the time to do the rebuild or if the company would have much use for it after it was rebuilt,” Tom shrugged.
“You could use it to ferry material to your claim,” Sandy offered.
“Sure, except it requires two pilots, and for me to fly it, I’d need to have a commercial copter license,” Tom laughed sardonically. “Rotary pilot’s licenses don’t come free in your morning cornflakes box either.”
“No, but since you own several planes and a couple of choppers, you could work toward getting a license. If you wanted to, you could work the claim in the summer and learn to fly in the winter, at least until you had your pilot’s license. I’ll bet you could get your fixed-wing license inside of a year and your rotary license in another year or two,” Sandy grinned at him. “In case you’re wondering, I was talking to Harry Guildford, and he’s quite happy that you own White Out now, but thinks you should get your pilot’s license and pick up another float plane. Then he feels you should build a hangar out on the lease, that way we’d have a plane available in case of an emergency.”
“You know, my life used to be so much simpler when I was just a lonely prospector and didn’t have a woman helping me run my life,” Tom sighed and winked at his mom. “When I bought that lease from Serge, my life grew much more complicated, and since that led to me meeting Sandy ... Well, to put it mildly, she’s added to the complications.”
“That happens when you get involved with both business and women, Son,” Jack drawled.
“Well, I’ll add another complication. I have lunch ready and on the table,” Laura laughed.
They all filed into the table and sat down, then Laura said grace, which was something Tom and Sandy had learned to accept, even though neither of them was religious. Tom knew that it took his mom and dad by surprise, but he winked at them and they didn’t comment. After that, once they’d started serving themselves, Tom looked around and sighed softly.
“Laura, is there any reason we need to be in Victoria to go after BP?”
“Well, not really, I guess?” she looked at him questioningly. “I mean Charlie and I would be able to take a deposition from Sandy, then fax that and a copy of her original lease to Frank, that way he’d have all of her pertinent information. Mom could go through her files, then fax in copies of anything she has as well. Almost everything else we have could be handled by a conference call, and since we’re an affiliated office, there wouldn’t be any conflict of interest or anything of that sort. Why, don’t you want to go to Victoria?”
“I’m feeling torn over the idea,” he snorted quietly. “I’d love to be in on the chase to try to shaft those twits that sent me those letters, but I don’t think I’d be any help. Unfortunately, all of us are just so busy right now that I’m not sure we can afford to spend a lot of time chasing crooks. You and Charlie are still getting your office set up and working smoothly. Sandy is entering the busiest time of her year, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m swamped with things I need to do before spring. To be honest, if we don’t have to be there, I’d much rather let Frank handle the whole deal.
“To start with, Dad got me thinking about the SkyCrane and how that machine gets so busy in the summer months. We absolutely have to use the SkyCrane or some other huge chopper just to haul our new wind generator to the mine site. That means I need to arrange to work around the prior lease dates that White Out has already negotiated with BC Hydro and the Provincial Fire Services in order to get flight time. Actually, we’ll probably need to make two flights with our big chopper, one for the generator and one for all the other equipment we’ll be bringing in along with it. Then I’ve been considering the idea of leasing one of the big shipping containers for six months or a year just to carry everything else safely. However, White Out may already have a deal on renting or leasing those, I don’t know? I haven’t even had the time to sit down and go over all the equipment available through White Out and I need to do that before long. On top of that, the lease on the airport and the hangars that White Out has at their present location is up in the air, so we have to find a solution to that or we’ll be in real trouble come June.
“Then there’s Dad’s deal, or rather the deal with Dunn-Redding concerning the Chinook, which I understand isn’t even airworthy right now. I was thinking that I’d like to see if there is any way we could use the SkyCrane to lift that dead Chinook and haul it to White Out’s shops so it could be worked on. Unfortunately, that means I’d need to tie up at least three people for several days just to move it. Then I’d be a damn fool to fly it out here without a long-term lease on a hangar because the guys would need time to rebuild it. Everything ties together into one great big knot, which means that as a majority stockholder, I need to take time to unravel the mess.”
“Wow, I’m sorry we showed up right now and added to your problems,” his dad said quietly. “It might be an idea for us to get out of your hair.”
“No, Dad. That wasn’t my point. In fact, if you weren’t planning to head for a warmer climate and a holiday with Mom, I’d try to draft the pair of you to help out,” Tom shrugged.
“Well, I spent over ten years as the head bookkeeper for Dunn-Redding, so although I might be a little rusty, I can still add up a balance sheet,” Tom’s mom smiled at him. “I wouldn’t mind giving my future daughter-in-law a hand for a week or two, just as long as she’s willing to double-check my work. Besides, that way we can all get caught up on each other’s lives and get to know each other better. After all, Hawaii isn’t going to disappear in the next few weeks, so we can easily fly there a week or two later than we’d planned.
“You’re sure you don’t mind?” his dad asked her.
“Yes, I’m sure, Jack. So what do you say, Tom? Do you think you can work with your father without fighting?”
“Actually, the shoe is on the other foot, Mom. This time we’re talking about my businesses, so Dad has to work with me, and I’m the one with the final word on any decision,” Tom grinned as he winked at her and his dad.
Jack stared at him in surprise for a few seconds, then smiled weakly. “I think that’s going to take some serious adjustment on my part,” he commented quietly. “But, I’m willing to give it a try.”
“Just don’t get upset with me when I think you’ve stepped out of line, and I have to correct you, okay?” Tom said quietly.
“Well, I can’t promise it won’t happen, but I’ll do my best,” Jack laughed uneasily.
The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent either getting acquainted or reacquainted, as the case might be, but Tom and Jack did have a few minor arguments. After the second time their voices got a little loud, Sandy chased them off to the basement where Tom had set up a temporary office for himself. Tom had installed sound-reducing insulation when he built the office because he played his guitar there as well, so the two men could raise their voices without disturbing anyone else.
One of the men’s heated discussions was over the old Chinook helicopter, and in the long run, Jack had to phone and ask a few questions of a mechanic who’d seen it. That’s when they found that what Jack had bought wasn’t a standard military CH-47D Chinook design; instead, it was a Model 234UT - the civilian version of the Chinook. Unfortunately, it had been damaged by hitting a power line and hadn’t been flown in almost three years. As far as Tom was concerned, it sounded as if it was a write-off.
“Sorry, Dad, I don’t think I’m very interested,” Tom shook his head. “It would have to be a complete rebuild, and that would be darn costly. It might take my mechanics months to rebuild something like that, and who knows how much it would cost. Not only that, but I imagine there will be a lot of parts needed, and those don’t come cheap.”
“Crap, I didn’t realize it was wrecked all that badly. It sounds like I might as well sell it for scrap,” Jack growled, then sighed. “But since I bought it as part of a package deal, I don’t suppose I’ll really lose all that much.”
“Why don’t I give my head man at White Out a call?” Tom suggested. “Maybe he’ll know of someone who might be interested in buying it for parts, which would at least get it out of your hair.”
“Sure, go for it,” Jack threw his hands in the air. “The dang thing is so bloody big that you can’t just haul it around on a semi-trailer either. Even if you took off the blades, the darn thing is still massive. Just the main body must be fifty feet long, twenty feet high, and twelve or fifteen feet wide. That’s bigger than some houses.”
Tom just shook his head as he dialled Jim Burke’s home phone.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jim, it’s Tom Dunn. I’m sitting here with my dad, and he has a chopper he wants to get rid of. The problem is it’s dead, and it’s big. He has the civilian version of a CH-47D Chinook, but it was damaged while landing, and after the accident, it’s sat for three years. He wants to know if you have any idea who might buy it from him for scrap prices.”
“Well, that’s a pretty big chopper and offhand, I don’t know of anyone who would even tackle it, especially since it’s sat for so long. We could use another chopper if it was a smaller machine, or even that one, if it was cheap enough and easy to repair, but not if it’s a major repair job. Hang on for a minute though, both Ron and Travis are here and they may know someone who might be interested in picking up a parts machine.”
Tom looked over at his dad. “It sounds like I called at a good time, his two main mechanics are visiting him, so he’s asking them what they think.”
“Tom, I’ve got you on the speakerphone here, so the guys can ask a few questions, is that okay with you?”
“Sure Jim, no problem, I’ll do the same here, that way Dad can join in.” Tom reached over and switched on the speakerphone. “Hi guys and here’s my dad, Jack.”
“Hello fellows.” Jack added.
“Hi, Tom and Jack, Ron here. Can you give us an idea just what was wrong with the machine when they shut it down?”
“I understand the pilot clipped a high-voltage powerline as he was landing, which shorted out his instruments and killed the engine, so he dropped about twenty or thirty feet,” Jack answered. “I haven’t seen it myself, but from a photo I saw, all the rotor blades are gone and I noticed there was some damage to the outer skin of the copter. As far as the mechanical parts of the machine are concerned, I understand that they could turn over the engines by hand, but they didn’t try to get them to run because I understand the rotor hubs didn’t want to spin.”
“This is Travis, Mr. Dunn. Do you know if anyone has done a full tear down of the power shafts, bearings, or any other parts of the power train?”
“I wouldn’t know about that, but it looked like it was all in one piece when I saw that photo, except for the missing rotor blades and the torn-up body parts. If the mechanical portion had been torn apart, then it must have been put back together.”
“Well, if it was taken apart, then put back together without being repaired, I’m quite certain the work wasn’t being done by a certified mechanic. Before I could really say anything more about how salvageable that chopper is, or what it might be worth, I’d have to look it over myself, “ Travis said firmly, and the other two men on that end of the call agreed.
“Well, Dad, what will you charge me to fly me and my mechanics back to see it, sometime soon though, like tomorrow or the next day?”
“It’ll only cost you for the fuel we use, but you sit right seat in the KingAir, then we’ll set you up for some lessons so you can learn to fly.”
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