Chapter 38: First Day of Winter

December 5, 1996, Chicago, Illinois

“Steve, I have Kristin Cicilioni for you,” Kimmy said, showing a very pretty dark-haired woman into my office.

“Thanks, Kimmy. Good afternoon, Ms. Cicilioni.”

I extended my hand and we shook.

“Good afternoon! You can call me Kristin.”

“And you can call me Steve. Are you OK with Japanese style chairs?”

“I’ve been doing yoga for eight years, so I’m pretty sure I can sit down and get up again!”

“Tea?” Kimmy asked.

“For me, yes. Kristin?”

“7-Up or Sprite, please.”

“Coming right up! Green, Steve?”

“Yes, please.”

She left and Kristin and I sat down.

“Anthony tells me you want to escape DMR,” I said. “I saw your résumé, and to be honest, we don’t do anything in the AS/400 or S/390 space, nor with any of their predecessors.”

“He told me, but he also said you knew just about everyone in the business.”

I chuckled, “That’s not quite true, but I do know quite a few people. And I think I have a possible solution for you. I’m curious, do you have a family?”

“I’m divorced; we have one daughter who’s five. He couldn’t handle the traveling I was doing.”

“And your grandparents cared for her while you were away, right?”

“Good guess!”

“I’m sure Anthony told you that his wife’s sister is our Chairman, and her grandfather, who was friends with your grandfather, was one of our two investors when we started.”

“Yes. He was a bit light on the details, but I understand you were pretty close to Connie’s grandfather.”

“I was. He was a great man. How tied are you to living in Ohio?”

Kristin laughed, “I spent most of my time the last couple of years in Oregon. When I couldn’t go home, my grandmother and daughter would fly out and stay a week at a time, which DMR would pay for. They billed the State of Oregon for those trips, and that appears to be part of the problems with the ongoing audit.”

“Ah, now the picture becomes clearer. You didn’t do anything wrong, but you were involved, so you want to get out before it becomes public.”

“Exactly. Anthony said you were a complete straight-shooter.”

“I have a couple of thoughts, and I believe someone I know can help you, but I have a very important question - can you pass a background check?”

“Sure. I had to for Oregon.”

“No, I mean a REAL one, not a standard employment one. As in, for a security clearance.”

“Never been arrested; never did drugs.”

“No involvement at all with the ‘other’ side of the family?”

Kristin laughed, “I figured you knew about that! No.”

Kimmy brought my tea and Kristin’s Sprite, and after checking if we needed anything, she went back to her desk.

“No tax issues?” I asked. “Any parking tickets? Anti-American statements?”

“I’m the typical All-American girl. College was fun, but I stuck to legal stuff, and I was an upstanding citizen once I graduated. I pay my taxes, vote, and so on.”

“Your ex?”

“Not a bad guy and I don’t think he’ll say anything bad about me other than I was away far too much.”

“OK. What do you think about living in the DC area? Maryland or Northern Virginia?”

“What the hell? Why not the OTHER coast! Who’s the job with?”

“One of two possible places. I’ll need you to speak to a Navy Commander I know. She’s already seen your résumé and if she can’t hire you at the Naval Research Laboratory where she’s assigned, she has friends who can, at Fort Meade.”

“Fort Meade? The NSA?”

“More likely the Defense Information Systems Agency. They host and maintain mainframe computers.”

“What kind of research does your friend do?”

“Surface Warfare, including Tactical Electronic Warfare and RADAR. I don’t know more than that because it’s all highly classified.”

“How do you know her?”

“I have quite a few friends in the Navy. This one I met about twelve years ago, when she or her dad flew me back and forth between Cincinnati and Chicago after a friend of mine was in a bad accident. She went to the Academy, served on surface ships, and when she had her baby, took an assignment at NRL. She’s also working on her doctorate.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Call her. Her name is Commander Aimee Shaughnessy. I’ll give you her contact details. She’ll arrange for an interview.”

“I don’t have to join the military, do I?”

“No. The vast majority of people who work for NRL and DISA are civilian contractors. But you’ll need a squeaky clean past.”

“Underage drinking while in college?”

“Did you get ticketed? I know it wasn’t even a misdemeanor in Ohio back then.”

“Never. Some kids in the dorm got busted, but nobody got in any real trouble. The cops ended up dropping everything because of a bad warrant. Some idiot kid, an Italian no less, had a bunch of pot. He was stupid; the RA noticed. I mean, the RA couldn’t help noticing the clouds of smoke! The RA turned him in, which he had to do, and a dean helped the cops get a general warrant to search the building.”

“Which got tossed by the courts, and all the evidence excluded.”

“Except the pot, because that was listed specifically. But I had no trouble at all. Is this one of those ones where they delve into your sex life?”

“Some. If you’re straight and don’t have any problematic fetishes and don’t cheat, it won’t be a problem.”

“But they do talk to your friends and family, right?”

“Yes. Honestly, if you have lived a normal life, I doubt you’ll have trouble. You can ask Commander Shaughnessy when you call her. If being involved with me before she got married didn’t prevent her from getting a security clearance, I think you’ll be safe!”

That question HAD been raised by the investigators, but because, in the end, there was no ‘cheating’ involved, it had simply been noted as an anomaly in Aimee’s past, and it hadn’t prevented her from getting her security clearance.

“I get the idea you’ve had a very interesting life since you left Ohio.”

“You could say that!” I grinned. “Let me get Aimee’s number for you.”

I got up and went to my desk, copied down Aimee’s contact information and went back to the «zabuton».

“She’s expecting your call. You’re guaranteed an interview, but at that point, it’s up to you.”

“I really appreciate it! Any suggestions for what a single girl could do in Chicago for a night?”

I was SO tempted to make a very explicit suggestion, but the last thing I needed was something like that to get back to Connie or Anthony.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a single girl!”

Kristin laughed, “Cute. And yes, I had noticed.”

“I suppose it all depends on what you’re looking for. Bar? Food? Show? Jazz? Blues?”

“I hear the Blues scene here is pretty good.”

“Buddy Guy’s Legends would be your best choice. They don’t take reservations, but as long as you show up by 7:00pm, you’ll be able to get a table. There’s live music during dinner and the show usually starts around 9:30pm.”

“Where is the club?”

“700 S. Wabash. Where are you staying?”

“The Marriott on Adams.”

“It’s about seven blocks from there, roughly. Walking downtown is pretty safe, even after the show, but you’ll be able to get a cab if you want; just be aware that the line can be long.”

“Cool. Now all I need is a date!”

“That’s a bit more complicated,” I chuckled. “Most of my friends and employees are either married or dating seriously.”

“Does that include the Milford kid who wrote the computer dating program and had quite the reputation?”

I laughed and shook my head, “That’s ancient history at this point. Who told you?”

“I knew about that back when I was in High School. I think you had already left Ohio when it was run at my High School during my Senior year.”

“It was run by my former business partner, Krista King. She kept running our veterinary software business until we finally sold it. She handled things while I was in Sweden, too.”

“You seem cool enough so I have to ask - was the reputation accurate?”

“Accurate enough, I’m sure. But as I said, a long time ago. I’m married and have kids. But you know, I do know someone who likes Blues and might be interested in joining you. One of our software engineers. He might be a bit younger than you are though. He’s around twenty-five. If you’re interested, I can call him up.”

“Oh sure, why not,” she laughed.

I went to my desk and dialed Larry’s number. He was a bit surprised when I asked him to come up to my office, but I reassured him there was nothing wrong. He arrived about a minute later and I stepped out by Kimmy to talk to him.

“Hey, Boss. What’s up?”

“How’d you like to go to Buddy Guy’s Legends on me tonight?”

“Sure! What’s the occasion?”

“A friend from out of town needs someone to accompany her. That’s not going to cause any trouble, is it?”

He shook his head, “I actually just broke up with my girlfriend, so there’s nobody to complain.”

“Cool. Just let me know how much you spend. It’ll be ‘Dutch’. Let me introduce you.”

He slipped off his shoes and we walked into the office.

“Kristin, this is Larry. Larry, Kristin. I’m going to go back to my desk. You guys talk as long as you like and if you need anything, just ask Kimmy.”

“Thanks, Steve,” Kristin said.

“You’re welcome. Let me know if you have any trouble getting hold of Aimee.”

“Will do.”

“Thanks, Boss,” Larry said.

I went back to my desk and sat down.

Penny leaned close and whispered, “Matchmaker?”

“She wanted to go to a Blues club and didn’t want to go alone.”

“And you didn’t go yourself because she has big tits!” Penny smirked.

“While I have my preferences, I have NEVER rejected a girl because she has large breasts! You know my preference.”

“When you first told me that, I thought you were lying because ALL guys like girls with big tits!”

“Except you know that’s not true, Pretty Penny. Your husband has the same opinion I do.”

“Not my husband yet.”

“OK; your once and future husband. Got the details worked out?”

“Yes, if you’re game.”

“Me?”

“New Year’s Eve, at your party. That minister you guys used, Mark, is available.”

“I don’t see why not. Most of our mutual friends will be there. Invite whomever you want.”

Penny smirked, “Mary for sure!”

“Troublemaker!” I chuckled.

“If you’re just figuring that out now...”

“Oh, I know better. Let me double check with the bosses at home, but I’m sure it’ll be OK.”

“Let me know what Jesse and Birgit have to say,” she teased.

“I meant Kara and Jess, Penelope!”

“Right. Because your kids don’t run the house!”

“They only THINK they do. It’s much easier on all the adults’ sanity if we let those two think they’re in charge.”

“What sanity? We are talking YOU here.”

“Don’t you have work to do, Penelope?”

She smirked, leaned over and kissed my cheek, and turned back to her keyboard.

December 6, 1996, Chicago, Illinois

“Steve, I have a Willow Sutcliffe on the phone for you,” Kimmy said on Friday afternoon.

“Go ahead and put her through, please.”

“Hi, this is Steve.”

“Hi, this is Willow; I hope you remember me?”

“I do. How are you doing?”

“OK, I guess. The family I’m with is nice, but my mom is trying to make me come back to North Dakota. She doesn’t know where I am, but the social worker told me she filed some kind of lawsuit. I don’t want to go back.”

“How can I help?” I asked.

“The social worker said I could get my own attorney and the lady from Project Lydia said I should, if I could afford it, because the Public Guardian’s office is overloaded and won’t do a good job. She thought you might be able to help because you know a lot of lawyers.”

“I do. Do your foster parents know you called me?”

“Yes.”

“And they want you to stay with them?”

“Yes. They said they would love to have me stay until I’m eighteen, and longer if I want.”

“Good. Let me have your number, I’ll make a phone call or two and call you back. And I’ll pay for the attorney.”

“Why?”

“I like to finish what I’ve started,” I replied.

She gave me the number, I read it back to her, and once she confirmed I had it written down correctly, we said ‘goodbye’ and hung up. I immediately dialed Gwen Meyer’s number and was happy to find she hadn’t left the office.

“Hi, Steve! What’s up?”

“I have a challenge for you,” I said.

“I’m not sure ANYTHING you could ask me for wouldn’t be a challenge!” Gwen said with a soft laugh.

“Yeah, well,” I chuckled. “Anyway, there’s a young woman I know who is fourteen or fifteen. She’s in foster care and doesn’t want to go home. She’s originally from North Dakota, and while I don’t have all the details, as far as I can tell she was abused by a male relative and very likely was pregnant. She ran away to Chicago, I rescued her from a pimp who was trying to lure her in Union Station, and handed her over to Bethany.”

“Good move, since you can get in real trouble for being involved with a runaway in any way.”

“Bethany told me about that. I’ll spare you my political rant for the moment. If I pay your retainer, will you speak with her and see if you can help?”

“What about the Public Guardian’s office?”

“Overloaded, apparently.”

“Typical. Who’s seeking her return?”

“Her mom. Willow, that’s the girl’s name, was basically put into protective custody with Project Lydia before being sent to a foster family downstate. My friends pulled enough strings to keep her from automatically being sent home.”

“Was the abusive family member in the same house?”

“I have no idea, honestly. Bethany counseled her, so she could tell you. If you’ll take the case, at least to figure out if you can help, I’ll have the young woman get in touch with you. I’m sure her foster parents will sign whatever she needs for you to talk to Bethany.”

“I’ll actually need her social worker’s signature on that, too. Sure, I’ll speak to them. You know it’s tough to defeat a parent seeking restoration of custody, right?”

“Even if the abuser is in the home?”

“A lot will depend on the circumstances. This won’t be like Marcia’s case where she was permitted to choose. This one will depend on case law and a bunch of other things which can be very complicated. Just so we’re clear, the results could be anything from staying with the foster family to going into foster care in North Dakota to being returned to her mom.”

“Which is what will happen if we don’t intervene. I’ll have a retainer agreement and a check couriered to you first thing on Monday. You can use my current retainer as security.”

“Let me have the details, please.”

I gave her Willow’s name and telephone number, and as much detail as I could about the day in June when I’d rescued Willow in Union Station. When she had everything in her notes, I thanked her and we hung up. I immediately dialed the number Willow had given me.

“Hi, it’s Steve,” I said when she answered. “I have a name and phone number for you.”

“That fast? Wow!”

“I have lots of friends who can help. Do you have a pencil and paper?”

She didn’t but got them, and I gave her Gwen’s name and phone number.

“Please make sure your foster parents know you’re calling Gwen, but if you call her today, she’ll get started. She’ll want to talk to your foster parents, Doctor Bethany, and your social worker.”

“Thank you so much! Is there any way I can see you?”

“Get this sorted out, and if your foster parents, social worker, and Doctor Bethany agree, then yes, I’d be happy to see you again.”

“Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome. Call me if you need anything at all.”

“I will.”

We said ‘goodbye’ and I hung up.

“You are such a softie!” Penny said, shaking her head.

“You NEVER said that when we were dating!” I countered.

“And here I thought you had given up on being silly!” she replied with a smirk.

“Now that you and Terry have reconciled AND you’ve been behaving, a bit of teasing is OK.”

“You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to be able to go back in time and just smack some sense into my younger self!”

“Oh, I do. I’ve been there myself, many times. Sometimes I go back and read my journals and just shake my head. I know Bart is cool about everything because he and I talked a few days ago. How’s your mom doing?”

“Don’t ask,” she sighed. “Bart basically told her to butt out and shut up. It wasn’t in so many words, but he reminded her of what happened with your mom.”

“Andy?”

“Mostly,” Penny said. “I could have shut her up with the DNA test, but...”

“Terry did the right thing, Penny. Let that sleeping dog lie. Bart will keep your mom in line.”

“He’s thinking about taking a job in Virginia. I guess your friend Josh recommended him when he saw they had an opening for a theology professor.”

“Bart’s Lutheran; will that fly at Georgetown?”

“He’d be teaching classes similar to what he does now - comparative religion and Church history.”

“Is this to let you have the house?”

“Right the first time! You know it’s meant to be mine, eventually, and Bart thinks it’s time for him to leave UofC. He’s not really happy there.”