Chapter 10: Los Angeles

The girls didn’t get back to their hotel room in Istanbul until 7 a.m. the next day. Linda walked in, turned her phone on and found seventeen messages and texts from Fred.

He sounds mad to me, whispered Mouse.

Ya think? asked Tink.

I guess we better call him, whispered Linda.

Go ahead. We’re sleepy, Ret said.

Mouse yawned, Goodnight, Linda.

See ya later. Have fun with Fred, whispered Tink.

Great, the going gets tough and the girls go to sleep, complained Linda.

Her complaint was met with exaggerated snores and giggles. Linda sighed and called Fred.

“Linda? Are you okay? Where are you?” Fred hollered.

“I just got back in my room. Meet me downstairs for breakfast?”

“Five minutes.”

Linda arrived at the dining room and requested a corner table for some privacy. Fred was right behind her.

“Okay, young lady talk. I’m listening and this better be damn good.”

“Fred, you know I have some special talent right?”

“That’s for golf. What about last night?”

“Listen to me. I’m trying to explain. Have you ever heard of the Mossad?”

“Sure, everyone has. The super secret Israeli Intelligence guys, right?”

“Yes. Fred, Mossad is my sponsor.”

Liar, whispered Tink.

Utter bullshit, said Ret.

Shhh. Just tell me if he buys it, Linda said.

“What? You really need to explain all this now.”

“My parents were part of a genetic experiment conducted by and for Mossad. Two years after I was born they were killed in a suspicious accident by a drunk driver. The Mossad has been keeping an eye on me ever since.”

This woman has no shame. Now she’s using Mom and Dad, whispered Mouse.

Go back to sleep y’all, whispered Linda.

Giggles, from multiple sources.

“Nothing ever happened ‘till I turned eighteen and got out on my own. A traumatic event occurred shortly afterwards and I got an ability that can’t be explained any other way. Mossad took notice and contacted me. Then you and the whole golf thing happened, too. Mossad offered to help me pursue the golf career if I did special favors for them from time to time. This trip and last night were part of these special favors.“

“This is on the level? You’re not shitting me to get out of trouble?”

“Fred, what I just told you could get you killed. This has to remain a secret.”

“Can you prove any of this?”

“You’ve seen me hit the golf ball right? Watch this.”

Linda lifted Fred’s fork off the table and moved it into his coffee cup.

“I can do that with golf balls. Nothing too big, but small items like that I can control. When I hit the ball my mind grabs it and controls the flight. It’s still me doing it so I don’t consider it as cheating, kinda.”

Right, small items like cows and people and small cars, giggled Tink.

“I’m sure everyone else would consider it cheating, but like I said from the beginning, I don’t care. This really explains a lot. The phone calls from Gomez, or whoever he is?”

“Mossad.”

“This whole thing was a mission of some kind?”

“I had to help an assault team get into a secured building. Then I left and came back here.”

“Wow. Okay. I’ll need to process this for a bit. Let’s finish breakfast. Are you done here in Istanbul?”

“Yes, we can head back to Cauthen now.”

“Good, I’m getting too old for all this excitement. I’ll change our flight reservations. Go ahead and pack. I’ll phone and let you know when to meet me in the lobby.”

That went well, Linda mused.

Only because he wanted to believe it. He’s been struggling to figure you out all month. This will probably help more than hurt, Ret whispered.

Back home in Cauthen, Linda used her laptop to send an encrypted message to Gomez with all the bank codes. It was a long message.

Linda’s phone rang. It was a call from Fred. “Get all your business here in Cauthen wrapped up. We’re moving to Los Angeles.”

“Already? I thought we had a few weeks still?”

“Some things I’ve been working on have all come together. We have a place to live arranged and membership at several exclusive country clubs where we can really get you into the golf mainstream. This opportunity is too good to pass up.”

“How much time do I have?”

“We’re leaving by plane at the end of this week.”

“Wow. Okay. I need to close some bank accounts and arrange to transfer my First Star account to LA. I can give my car to Janice...”

“Just get it all taken care of. I’ve got to go. A million things to do. Pack light, ship your new clothes by UPS. If we need anything else, we’ll buy it in LA.”

“Okay. Bye, Fred.”

Linda looked around her room, already planning what to take when she noticed an email message from Gomez on her laptop. The encrypted email was very short and to the point. ‘Get here immediately. Take an airplane. Don’t worry about passport stamps.’

Linda called Fred to inform him of her quick trip out of country. He wasn’t pleased, but now he understood the urgency, so he didn’t push it.

“For the sponsor?”

“Yes. Just a quick debriefing that has to be done in person. I should be back late tonight or early tomorrow.”

“Alright then. Be safe. Call me when you get back.”

Linda caught a taxi from the George Town airport to Franklin Bank and Trust. She hadn’t bothered packing. Her return flight was scheduled for later that same evening, putting her back in Cauthen by Tuesday morning.

When Linda walked inside, she was met by Mr. Gomez, who ushered her into his office.

“My, you have caused quite the storm with that email you sent me.”

“What’s the bottom line? Is there a problem?”

“No problems. You sent us one hundred and fourteen account numbers. We processed all the transfers without a hitch. The amount of the transfers is something you have to address today. The accounts were all for exactly one hundred million dollars each. That puts an additional eleven point four billion dollars in your general funds account. Thirty-seven of the accounts we transferred were from banks here on Grand Cayman. Five of them were from this bank. The others came from everywhere, many of them from Swiss banks. That’s not a problem, however. We need to know how to handle your account now. You have become a very wealthy young lady, and no one knows your name.”

Linda was stunned. The girls were stunned. One hundred million exactly in each account?

The buyers must have been limited to one hundred million, Ret whispered. I must have found their auction bidding accounts, not their personal accounts.

“Umm, can I have some privacy and a notepad to write on for an hour or so? I really need to think about this.”

“Of course. This is understandably a bit of a shock, no? We have an office that is currently vacant that you can use. Follow me, and come get me when you are ready to continue.”

Linda sat down and began doodling on the pad while she thought. Any suggestions? Linda whispered.

We could buy an island down here and hire, say, twenty men to protect us, suggested Mouse.

Come on Mouse, be serious. How about we donate a lot of that money in Trust Funds to various charities we all like? Ret whispered.

I like that idea, whispered Tink. Let me think about good charities.

Linda said, Let’s make a big list, then we can add or subtract while we discuss them.

Tink said, Veterans stuff. Let’s help our Veterans.

Linda wrote Vets down on the list.

Red Cross, suggested Mouse.

Good idea, whispered Tink.

Let’s do something for orphans and foster kids, Linda whispered.

I think we have the start of a good plan here. We can always add to this, later on, said Ret.

Okay. I’ll get Gomez and we can set this stuff up, Linda added.

What about the Feds? Mouse asked.

Fuck them. They made their own mess, let them solve it, Tink said.

Linda got Gomez and returned to his office.

“Okay, Mr. Gomez, here is what we, err, I have come up with.”

“Please, call me Juan. I feel we know each other well enough to dispense with some formalities. Besides, I admire you very much.”

“Admire me?”

“Linda, I am not a stupid man. But I’m the only one controlling your account, and I’m the only one who sees what happens and can put everything together. You go to Istanbul and in Varna, many evil people die. We know about them here in Grand Cayman. We service many of their personal accounts. It’s business, yes? But that does not mean we approve of them. The people who died in a castle in Varna were vile, evil human beings. The thought of all those children being sold into slavery is appalling. I’m a father with three children of my own. They deserved to die. Then, two days later, you send me their bank account numbers and passwords and you have no idea how much money is in these accounts. I don’t know which government agency you work for, but I offer my full and unquestioned support. Any means under my power to assist you, I’ll do so.”

“I can’t confirm what you said, you do realize that, right? I do appreciate your offer and I accept. Any and all help I can get makes a difference.”

“Now, before my eyes get any wetter, let’s get my business settled so I can get back home. I’m in the process of moving to Los Angeles. They have better golf facilities, according to Fred.”

“Little Angel is coming to the City of Angels. Heaven help LA.”

Linda just smiled at him. “Okay, Juan, I need some more Trusts set up.”

“I’m not surprised. I already have the paperwork started for six more trusts, just in case.”

Linda laughed. “You know me too well, my friend. Alright then, down to business. The first fund will be to provide college educations for orphans and foster kids all over the USA. I want you to find a small failing college and buy it. Fund the school with an initial endowment of one billion dollars. Scholarships for the kids. I want excellent educators who care more about the kids than furthering their own careers. I want them to turn out graduates who are prepared to face life and get a decent job. I want social counselors at the school that can help the kids get over the trauma of being left alone in the world.”

Juan took careful notes. He nodded his head while saying, “We can do this. It’s a good cause too. I’ll be very happy to become a part of this.”

“The second fund is to donate money to existing Veteran support groups that are well respected and highly rated. Fund this trust with twenty million dollars. I’ll add more money later, if it’s necessary.”

“Any particular charities?”

“Just charities where most of the money goes to the Veterans, and not to overhead, paying the charity directors enormous salaries. I want the money to do some good. Check out ‘Wounded Warriors‘ and The USO. See if they qualify. If not, keep searching.”

“Noted.”

“The third Trust will donate money to homeless shelters and homes for abused women and children. Another billion dollars in that fund.”

“Next I want to donate one billion to the International Red Cross and another billion to Doctors Without Borders. This is a straight donation, and not a Trust”

“The next Trust is for one billion dollars. Use it to pay back student loans.”

“I see. For the college graduates then.”

“No, Juan. For the students who had to quit school and are still saddled with loan debt. Not the ones who got kicked out or partied so much their grades stunk. This is only for students who had to quit to go back to work and support a family or because of a tragedy. They have the debt and never got the degree through no fault of their own. Help them.”

“I never thought of their problem before. This will be a good thing.”

“The next donation will be one billion dollars for the care and maintenance of orphans and foster kids in the USA. It is not to be used in any other way. No governmental control, no business control. Just the fund. I may continue to do this donation on a yearly basis. Depends on if it makes a difference in kids lives or not. And Juan? Do the same thing for the Caribbean. Same amount of money, too. Along those lines, I’d like a proposal to seek out foster and social welfare types who are abusing the system and the children under their care. Then bust their asses.”

“That’s it for now, Juan. The rest of the money can remain in the general fund. I need to give more thought to any additional changes.”

“Bueno. Good. That leaves over four billion in reserve with the general fund, just in case something inexpensive comes up,” Juan added with a smile. “This is very good what you’re planning here, Linda. You’ll help many, many people. I’m proud to call you my friend. You’re still a very wealthy young lady, too.”

“I almost forgot. Where I’m living right now, the owner of the house is Carla Thomas. I want her mortgage paid off. The two girls living upstairs with me, Janice Ford and Kathy Smith. I want them to have full ride scholarships with a monthly stipend of two thousand dollars each. They’re both going to be sophomores in the fall. Finally, the little boy across the street named Jack something, sorry I don’t remember the last name, but I want him to have a full ride scholarship when he’s ready for college, too. He’s only five years old right now. His parents are Jack Sr. and Marilyn.”

“I’ll take care of it all. I’ll have the confirming documents delivered to you in Cauthen by Thursday.”

“Perfect. Now if you can get me a cashier’s check for one million dollars, I’ll be on my way. I still need to make a short stop at First Star Bank.”

Linda got her check and walked down the street to First Star. Juan must have called his friend Senor Sanchez because he was waiting for her just inside the door.

Senor Sanchez shook her hand and said, “Senorita, it is so good to see you again. Please come into my office and tell me how I may be of service.”

Linda followed Senor Sanchez and sat down in his office. She handed him the cashiers check. “I want to fund a full scholarship for Mr. Gomez’s three children and I want to pay off the mortgage on his house.”

Sanchez got a tear in his eye. “Senorita, I have become very cynical in this business. Mi Amigo, Juan, has told me what a good person you are. Now I believe him. I will take care of this and express mail the documents to your home.”

“Thank you Senor Sanchez. Gracias.”

Back in Cauthen Tuesday morning, Linda called Fred to let him know she was back, then crawled into bed and slept six straight hours.

The next few days were hectic for Linda. She was kept busy sorting her possessions, packing away what she wanted to keep into UPS boxes, giving away the things she didn’t want and closing accounts. She made sure her new First Star Bank account was ready and working in Los Angeles. She even had time to stop by the Wilson Hotel and say goodbye to Tommy.

The documents she requested from Juan arrived Thursday morning and she packed them all away for safekeeping ‘till later that evening. She went car shopping and bought another Rav4, same year as her car but a pearl white color instead of her blue one. She wrapped her flat screen TV up in festive paper for Little Jackie.

Just before bedtime Linda gave some sealed envelopes to Carla, Kathy and Janice with instructions to open the envelopes Friday. Carla’s envelope contained her paid-off mortgage statement and a letter thanking her for all her help. There were instructions to give the TV to Jackie, and the pots, pans, linens and other household items were being left behind for the next tenant. She gave Kathy and Janice an envelope with their scholarship information and the keys to her blue Rav4 for Janice, and the keys for the pearl white Rav4 for Kathy. Jackie’s scholarship paperwork was mailed directly to his parents.

On Friday, Fred and Linda flew to Los Angeles to start the next leg of her adventure.

At LAX they were met by a limousine that delivered them to a mini-mansion on the edge of Beverly Hills. Linda was impressed with the house Fred leased for them. Five thousand square feet of luxury, with four bedrooms upstairs and a large pool in the backyard. The house came with professional staff and a full basement. Maria the cook and her husband Franco the gardener / handyman lived in an apartment just off the kitchen. Bettina the housekeeper was a German immigrant and kept the house spotless. The basement was to become Linda’s personal torture chamber. Equipped with an extensive exercise room and a golf room, it was state of the art. The golf room was wall-to-wall mirrors, video equipment and computers to analyze and play back every move she made. The ceiling was twelve feet high just so she could swing her golf clubs safely.