Chapter 36: Hoax Aftermath. A New Pam in Vegas

Mark

We were unsure about how to treat the threat of the dummy pipe bomb. Was it a warning that a real bomb might appear in some way? Was it a bad joke? What was the message? Was it one deranged mind or some kind of group effort? Was it random or targeted specifically at me?

Cindy insisted that we go out to dinner as we’d planned to do. We took the limousine with lead and following armored war wagons full of armed security. Cindy carried her Glock 30 in her shoulder holster. Melanie had her Glock in her clutch purse. Marcia rode in the limo as well with some heavier artillery. She even rode with her finger on the trigger of a Glock. We could go to war with a small country.

Dinner at the restaurant was a nonevent. We had an excellent meal, great service, and enjoyed chatting with the owner about his business and his wine cellar.

The next day Detective Reinhart arrived again, after calling ahead. He told us, “We have a sketchy photo of the guy we think planted the fake bomb. Take a look.” He pulled out an eight-by-ten glossy picture obviously taken by a security camera from afar. The picture was very grainy and lacked needed detail.

In the picture, we could see the back of the limousine apparently just after the man had stood up and glanced around. The car was in the street where we’d had dinner at our favorite steakhouse the night before.

None of us recognized the man, but I was sure we instantly memorized his face – what we could see of it in the grainy image. Reinhart told us this was the best photo, but the security footage had shown the man walking with a package, he’d turned to cut behind the car, knelt out of view for thirty seconds, and then rose to appear in our photo. Afterwards, he walked away, apparently with a smile.

I speculated that it was random hit. Find a limo, plant the fake, and then hope to hear about the reaction. Reinhart didn’t agree. We went to that restaurant every week or two, so were a sure thing if I was in town. He was sure we’d been targeted.

After Reinhart left, I heard Cindy approach Marcia and Lucas; “I want some fast training in explosives handling.”

Lucas nodded, “Good idea, actually, only we don’t want you thinking you can disarm some bomb maker’s dream device. I’ll set something up for tomorrow afternoon.”

“Make it Sunday so Elsa can join us. I want both of us to go.”

Lucas smiled, “After your urban survival class. Expect to go off site for three or four hours.” He paused and asked, “Might you be free all day Sunday? There were a few other things we wanted to go through with you and Elsa.”

Cindy responded, and they decided to start at eight a.m. on Sunday for ‘additional training.’

I turned to Cindy after Lucas left, “Are you over doing the training? You aren’t going to replace Lucas and the rest of his team, you know.”

Cindy tossed her head and said, “We’re not replacing, we’re a supplement to. Besides, we are very capable women as a result. Did Elsa tell you about the drunk at the strip joint the other night?”

“No,” I responded. “What happened?” I know I sounded agitated. Elsa told me about stripping, but not about any other ‘event.’

Cindy realized she ratted her sister, but went on, “Oh, just some drunk wanted at her after her onstage fun. She took the guys hand and dropped him to his knees, as in crunch. Whole thing too five seconds and barely anyone noticed her response to his wandering hands. It wasn’t a big deal, but she never would have known that move until a few months ago.”

I cooled slightly. “I don’t like any of you putting yourself in harms way, especially if you think you’re protecting me in some way. I’m a big boy.”

Cindy came to me and kissed me in her seductive way. “Mark, I know you worry about us, but we’re fine.” She stroked the front of my pants, “I like big boys. As for the martial arts, we could just be going to the gym and doing workouts, instead we’ve added some realism to our practice. Please be understanding that we like having a goal, farfetched though it may be.”

Melanie piped up, “I hate to tell you this, Mark, but KC and I have decided we’re going to be the second class to go through the training sessions. We start next week with Wan Suh and I’ve already taken a few handgun lessons with Deke.

I was sure I rolled my eyes.

I looked at Sheila. She shrugged and said, “I plan on remaining helpless. I’m planning on using the Stockholm Syndrome to advantage. I’m going to fuck my kidnappers to death and love every minute of it.”

I’m sure I rolled my eyes some more.

I talked to Brita early the next day. She was at work in her office in Copenhagen. I told her in more detail about the fake bomb, our speculations, and sent her a copy of the photo of the suspect that the detective had given us. Lucas had already been in touch with her security staff, and they had doubled up on her until we understood the nature of the threat and whether it reached across the Atlantic.

I started to give her an update on what her ‘sisters’ were up to, but she laughed and told me that she already knew more than I did. Elsa had called her from Las Vegas, and KC and Cindy had a speakerphone call with her the day before. She’d had a text about the advanced training just a few hours earlier. She told me the girls had told her that I would call her in the a.m. our time to give her an update on our security threat.

I was left wondering if I was at all in control of my extended family. They certainly weren’t plotting against me, but they seemed to be two steps ahead of me. As I thought about it, I liked that situation. I didn’t mind leading and making things happen, but I liked it when other people took the initiative and led. I think I did that in my work, specifically encouraged people to take the initiative, to take risks, and to make great business things happen. I was not a man who fired people for taking risks that didn’t work out.

I ended the call with some romantic talk with Brita, and then turned to my desk. Melanie was there with a smile on her face. She said, “I love to hear you tell one of my sisters than you love her. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but that was sweet. I love her too, and I get haloed in the love that you give her.”

I didn’t know what to say so I just looked at her with a nice expression.

Melanie finally said, “Have you heard of the X Prize Foundation?”

I nodded, “Sure. That’s Elon Musk and Peter Diamandis and a bunch of other people who put up some big money to make even bigger things happen – private space travel, oil spill clean up, medical sensors, genomics, and other things. Why?”

Mel smiled, “I want you to do the same thing.”

“WHAT?”

“I want you to put up ten million dollars for anybody or any organization that comes up with a real provable cure to some major world issue – cancer, Alzheimer’s, war, Ebola, refugee crises, or something else. You spent that much on the hospital. With the Worthington Prize, you’d award it to someone you don’t know, maybe even someone from a different country who solves whatever problem you pick.”

“And this is a good idea because?”

“Because you are one of the richest men in the world and have a good heart. You are not the ogre that some make you out to be. You can be a great philanthropist.”

I thought a moment and tasked Melanie. “I’m interested, but I want you to study the ten-to-the-ninth plus program at Singularity University. Do you know about that?”

I know about the unique university, but not that program.”

“It’s a program that tasks the students to solve an interdisciplinary problem in way that has a positive impact on over a billion people. I like that idea. Think about it. Chew that around. If you want we can call Peter Diamandis and talk to him about it. He’s very approachable I’m told.”

Melanie nodded thoughtfully and left my office. I wondered how she was finding time to come up with these great ideas and still do her work. She still sat right outside my office door and played gatekeeper and secretary for me. She could also be my own little paper mill before meetings.

On a hunch, I did a little detective work by following Melanie. She picked up a couple of things on her desk, and then waved at Sheila in her office and walked past the executive conference room into what I thought was one of the empty offices in the executive office area. In it was a young girl with a computer, printer, and a desk full of work.

Melanie picked up some things off the printer and chatted with the girl, who seemed quite content with whatever was being said. I snuck up closer and leaned against the door jam until the unknown girl saw me. She jumped with a start, not expecting anyone to be there. She stood up at attention suddenly almost like a jack-in-the-box, and kept looking between Melanie and me.

The girl was small, young, trim, and busty, nicely dressed, wore heels, and had long black hair that had a high luster to it that made her look especially appealing. There was also something about her that let me know that she was highly competent in what she was doing. I guessed that she was Hispanic.

Melanie turned and nonchalantly said, “Hi Mark. Need something?”

“I need to know who this is and what you’ve done with my office.”

“This is Isabella Mendoza. She’s my assistant. She very good at writing and is trilingual. This is her third week.”

“Oh, her third week; and this came about how?”

“I talked to Sheila about wanting time to pursue special projects for you, and she suggested I get HR to send us someone. Isabella was their recommendation. She’s very competent.”

Isabella had stood at attention from the time she spotted me. She was nearly trembling in her shoes she appeared so nervous at meeting me. She was also blushing at Mel’s kind words about her.

I turned to her, “Isabella, it is nice to meet you. Welcome to MY office.” I gave Melanie an evil eye, but she laughed it off. There was some of that great initiative I’d just been thinking of a short time earlier.

I asked her, “What do you like to be called – Isabella, Miss Mendoza, or something else?”

She broke into a grin, “I prefer Izzy. That’s what my friends call me. I hope we can be friends.” I was always a sucker for megawatt smiles from pretty girls.