Chapter 14: Thermite

October 5, 2001, Chicago, Illinois

🎤 Steve

On Friday morning, I interviewed Harper Atkinson, a candidate for the Assistant CTO role. She was a better fit for NIKA than the previous candidate, though I did give Julia some good-natured ribbing about only considering female candidates. I did have one concern, though, and that was her reason for leaving her current role.

“What makes you want to leave your current position?” I asked.

Harper smiled, “The opportunity. Your recruiter contacted me and had to talk me into interviewing.”

“You’ve been in your current position as director of technical services for five years, right?”

“Yes, and there really isn’t a chance for advancement.”

“Unless you know something I don’t, Julia is likely to be here ten years, if not longer. If advancement is your reason for coming to NIKA, you’ll be frustrated and disappointed.”

“My recruiter made the point that NIKA has a history of training people and then finding them roles where they could advance, including outside the company if necessary. That’s what happened with the internal candidate who was supposed to take this role, correct?”

“That’s true. Obviously, there are no guarantees, but the recruiter described the situation accurately.”

“So, in effect, I’m doing what you would do, only doing it myself.”

“And how long would you be interested in staying in the position here?”

“I suppose that depends on how challenging and interesting the work is.”

I had one other minor concern with her background.

“Have you lived any place except the Memphis area?”

“Other than college? No.”

“And Chicago is someplace you’d want to live?”

“My husband is originally from Shorewood, which is near Joliet. My in-laws live in Plainfield.”

“May I ask what he does?”

“He’s a CPA and an Enrolled Agent with the IRS.”

“If you do come to work for us, I can put him in touch with a name partner at McCarthy/Jenkins, a law firm with a large tax practice.”

“That would be very helpful.”

I finished the interview and Kimmy escorted Harper to see Stephanie, her final interview. I went to Julia’s office to give her my feedback.

“My only concerns were her reason for leaving and the fact that she’s lived in Memphis her entire life.”

“You’re not exercising your veto?”

“No. If you’re comfortable with her answers to those questions, then I don’t have any objections.”

“Thanks. I’ll wait to hear what Stephanie has to say, then make my decision.”

“You’re welcome.”

I went back to my office to work until lunch. After I ate my lunch, I went to Eve’s office and shut the door.

“What’s up?” she asked as I plopped down on the small sofa.

“I had an interesting encounter yesterday that’s been bugging me.”

“So I should put on my ‘firm security’ and ‘personal bodyguard’ hats, not my ‘office manager’ hat?”

“You’re a hell of a lot better looking than DeVasher!”

“That’s a pretty low bar!”

“True.”

“What happened?”

I explained the encounter with the cops the previous day.

“That sounds like one of the stings the Trib has been describing the past few months.”

“It does, but why me?”

“You’re saying it doesn’t feel random?”

“I’d say that’s what has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Not to mention they were AWFULLY friendly and forthcoming for cops who just had their sting operation blown wide open.”

“You said the female cop was angry.”

“Appeared angry.”

“Setup?”

“I’m wondering, but then I’m wondering who’s behind it and why they’re doing it.”

“That bitch from Northwestern obviously has it in for you. And didn’t Clark tell us that she’d tried to frame his doctor friend?”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘frame’ so much as defamation of character, but yes.”

“Anyone else? Scuderi?”

“The Outfit would never use cops. They’d send an actual underage girl and make sure they had pictures or videos. And that raises the question - why prostitution? I have no history in that regard.”

“What exactly did the female cop say?”

“That she was easy but not cheap.”

“What if that was just to give them a way out if the actual setup failed? Also, did you see any badges?”

“Now that you mention it, no, I didn’t. But if I understand correctly, female vice cops don’t always carry their badges and the two plainclothes guys would have kept theirs hidden. And given they weren’t arresting me, and I clearly had made them for cops, there was no need to show them and totally blow their cover.”

“Maybe,” Eve allowed. “But if it was a setup, not a sting, then they’d either be off-duty or just pretending to be cops.”

“They had the ‘feel’ of cops, and as I said, the whole thing was blown by the female cop’s eyes.”

“How many people know about your past proclivity for girls under eighteen?”

“I’d say, excluding people I trust implicitly, that there is enough anecdotal evidence that someone could figure it out, though not in a way that would be prosecutable. An example would be Penny; a lot of people know she was in High School when we met, and I was in college, but not enough details. Now, it’s possible to add it up and work out that she and I were together when she was fifteen and I was twenty-one, but an investigation into that is going to turn up zilch. Bart and Alice will deny it and Penny will simply say she was seventeen. At that point, no prosecutor who cares about his public image is going to try for an indictment. Who does he or she even call to testify in front of a Grand Jury?”

“Samantha implied that her dad knew about your preferences.”

“Yes, that’s also true, but Noel was never my enemy. Well, there was the brief period when Samantha was pissed because of Lisa Glass lying about having sex with me, but Noel’s ire was ONLY because Samantha claimed to be the injured party. He had no problem with us sharing a bed at his house. And again, there’s nothing there. I say this, because with my history with Littleton, Margaret Lundgren, and now Janice Parker, someone would have raised my relationships with underage girls. Nobody has.”

“You have to be very careful going forward.”

“The rule is eighteen.”

And while there might be exceptions, they were going to be exceedingly rare if they occurred, and only in VERY controlled situations.

“Casting the net wider, who else? Carla Rizzi?”

“Same problem. Rachel would deny we were together. And she’d be believable. And I have a score of people who would testify to just how unstable Carla has been, going back to the phony paternity suit, one which she admitted was an attempted scam.”

“Littleton is dead, so we can count him out. Lisa Glass?”

“In maximum security in Texas? That would be a serious stretch. Alec has been to visit her, and according to him, she has no other visitors. And it’s not like she has a mobile phone or internet access!”

“Margaret Lundgren?”

I shook my head, “No. She shot her bolts and is living a quiet retirement in Florida. Any move against me would upset Jeri, and that’s the last thing Margaret would do right now, because Jeri is in control of the family fortune. The object of Margaret Lundgren’s ire shifted to Les, Noel’s ‘body man’, for turning state’s evidence. He did, of course, but it was Samantha who turned in her dad.”

“Talk about ruthless!” Eve laughed. “She and I discussed all of that. Just think, you could have been a kept man while she ran Spurgeon!”

“That’s not my idea of a well-lived life. Yes, Samantha and I make a great team, and we were great in bed, but both of us are in the places we belong.”

“I’m running out of names.”

“Except Janice Parker,” I said. “Especially after the Op-Ed she wrote.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Wait for the cop to call. That’s why I’m here talking to you.”

“What ostensible reason does he have? I mean, asking for your card?”

“That’s probably what tipped me off. I’d say they’d want to talk about how the sting went wrong or about my ability to read the female cop. Maybe they invite me to a poker game.”

“‘Municipal workers’?” Eve asked.

I chuckled, “Exactly, though, like Matt Damon’s character, I don’t need to base deal or chip signal to take them down!”

“Speaking of poker, the next corporate tournament will be on December 8th. Will you play?”

“I’d rather not, because I want to give someone else a chance to win. If you want to organize a side game and try and take me down, that’s fine.”

“Well, without you or Terry, the field will be wide open.”

“Exactly. Anyway, back to the so-called cops. I’ll just wait and see what happens. If they don’t call, I’ll chalk it up to typical police stupidity and think it really WAS a sting. If they do call, I’d say that’s a strong indication of SOME kind of setup.”

“Just let me know, Boss. I got your back.”

“Thanks, Eve.”

“Before you go, did you see that the guy who attacked the bus driver was a drug addict with a history of mental illness?”

“Yeah, that pretty much rules out terrorism. But I am worried about the report that a person in Florida was diagnosed with pulmonary anthrax. I know they’re saying it’s not terrorism, but I’m not so sure. My level of trust for the government is pretty low.”

“Ditto. I suppose all we can do is wait and see.”

“True.”

I left her office and went back to mine where I saw a news report saying that Russian news agencies had reported that a Siberia Airlines flight had crashed the previous day while on route to Novosibirsk, and that 78 had been killed. All flights had been grounded at Ben Gurion airport, from where the flight had departed, due to suspected terrorism.

I had just closed my browser when adium, my new IM client chimed.

Etheldred: So bored!
NIKASteve: It’s Friday, 1720 your time! You should be getting ready for a night out.
Etheldred: Volleyball match tomorrow.
NIKASteve: Curfew?
Etheldred: 2200. Sucks. And they do random drug tests before each match.
NIKASteve: Wish I could help!
Etheldred: Beam yourself here, we fool around for a few hours, then beam back!
NIKASteve: So, just like Kirk?
Etheldred: 🤣 Or Riker! No transporter?
NIKASteve: Closest I have access to is a jet, and by the time I got there, I’d have to turn around and come home.
Etheldred: Bummer! What are you doing Thanksgiving weekend?
NIKASteve: What do you want me to do?
Etheldred: You are NOT that dense!
NIKASteve: Don’t be so sure!
Etheldred: Boys! I was thinking about coming to Chicago and then cumming with you!
NIKASteve: You think you’re ready for that?
Etheldred: You’ve been mindfucking me since the wedding! It’s about time to do the OTHER kind of fucking!
NIKASteve: What’s in it for me? 😛
Etheldred: First off, I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to be in ME! And if you have to ask THAT question, I’d have been better off with the guy who thought buying me a beer entitled him to play with my kitty!
NIKASteve: How old ARE you?
Etheldred: How old do you want me to be? Pigtails and shave?
NIKASteve: Please tell me you don’t have ‘Daddy’ issues.
Etheldred: Our dad was actually pretty cool. A bit of a prude, but pretty cool.
NIKASteve: Fairly common for dads.
Etheldred: Thanksgiving weekend?
NIKASteve: I’ll be in town. I can’t promise a guest room, though.
Etheldred: I actually have a friend here at OSU who I can crash with in Chicago. Her parents live in Rolling Ghettos.
NIKASteve: Wow! That’s a true Chicagoism!
Etheldred: She’s lived there her entire life!
NIKASteve: Make your plans and let me know.
Etheldred: Will do! Eat your Wheaties!
NIKASteve: Get plenty of sleep!
Etheldred: To the death?
NIKASteve: My wives, kids, friends, and employees might object to that!
Etheldred: Then within an inch of each other’s lives. Last one conscious wins!
NIKASteve: Challenge: Accepted!
Etheldred: I’ll let you know in a few days.
NIKASteve: Remember the rules - a recent clean STI test.
Etheldred: Got it! See you!
NIKASteve: L8r!

I closed adium, made a final check of my email, said ‘goodbye’ to Penny and Kimmy, went downstairs, said ‘goodbye’ to Lucas, and left the building. I walked around to my car, got in, tossed my bag in the passenger seat, then headed home.

“Hi, Steve!” Winter called out when I came into the house.

“Hi, Winter! What’s for dinner?”

“You didn’t check the meal plan?”

I chuckled, “No. Whatever it is, it smells good!”

“Pulled pork. I have wraps for you, and homemade rolls for everyone else. Sides are homemade coleslaw, broccoli, and steamed carrots. Tossed salad to start, of course.”

“Thanks! Where is everyone?”

“Jess is napping, Kara had a late session with a student who’s struggling.”

“Already?” I asked.

“Failed the first two quizzes and the first three-chapter exam.”

“Ouch.”

“Anyway, Birgit is across the street, the other girls are next door, no doubt plotting against us with Amber, and the boys are with Jesse in his new bunker!”

I chuckled, “I haven’t seen any fortifications just yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me!”

“Suzanne is out with her friends, and Leigh is joining them. Will Hope be here?”

“No. She’s usually only here on Saturdays and then for Philosophy Club.”

“Do you need anything?”

“No. I’ll go downstairs to change so I don’t disturb Jess, then just relax until she gets up or the kids come home.”

I headed downstairs, changed into comfortable clothes, and tossed my work clothes into the hamper I kept in the laundry room, then went back upstairs. I’d just reached the top of the stairs when the doorbell rang.

“Got it!” I called to Winter.

I went to the front door and opened it to find three cute girls dressed in cheerleader uniforms, with a mom, likely one of theirs, standing on the sidewalk near the street.

“Hi!” all three girls chimed together.

“Hi!” I replied.

“I’m Kelly and we’re selling candy bars to raise money for our cheer team!” the tallest girl, who had black hair and brown eyes, exclaimed.

“I’m Kayla, and whichever cheer team sells the most in Illinois gets a pizza party from the company!” the shortest girl, with blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, exclaimed.

I’d actually seen her around the neighborhood a few times over the years, but didn’t know her, and she wasn’t someone my kids hung out with.

“I’m Kristy, and whoever sells the most in the country gets a trip to Disney!” the third girl, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a killer smile exclaimed.

I was so glad the kids had avoided anything like this so far. The parents of the hockey team had chosen to just kick in the money ourselves rather than force our kids to fundraise, because they simply didn’t have the time. The team did run 50/50 raffles, which were legal in the city, but that was done by the parents at the games.

“Do you have any idea what the winning amount would be?”

“Last year, one team in New York sold over two thousand boxes!” the blonde girl exclaimed.

I chuckled, “That might be a bit beyond my means.”

I strongly suspected that New York team had sent their candy with one of their parents who worked for a Wall Street firm. I’d seen cases of fundraising candy bars at Spurgeon, and suspected that was how the winners managed to sell two thousand boxes of candy bars.

The tall one, who I guessed was seventeen giggled, “If you did THAT, the cheer team would be VERY grateful!”

She’d kept her voice low enough that the mom on the sidewalk couldn’t have heard, but the other girls giggled.

“Whoever buys the most from us might get invited to the pizza party,” the brown-haired girl offered with a wink and a flip of her hair.

“And we’d be VERY grateful!” the blonde declared.

“How about I buy twelve caramel bars,” I offered, knowing those were the favorites of my wives and daughters.

“Thanks!” all three of them exclaimed.

I fished my wallet from my pocket, peeled off the bills, and handed them to the tall girl, and then the blonde handed me twelve candy bars.

“If you want to buy more,” the blonde, Kayla, said, “I live six houses down on this side of the street. Just come knock on my door!”

I chuckled, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Twelve is the most so far,” the tall girl said. “We’ll remember for the pizza party!”

“OK,” I chuckled. “Good luck, girls!”

I waved to the mom on the sidewalk who waved back, and I watched as the peppy cheerleaders in their short skirts bounced down the steps before going back inside and depositing the candy bars on the kitchen counter.

“Sucker!” Winter teased.

“No, but that was offered!” I replied.

She laughed, “Who?”

“Girls from the High School cheer team. They’ve got the flirty sales bit down pat. Allegedly they’ll invite me to the pizza party if they win.”

Winter laughed again, “And let me guess, all of them will be virgins and bi-curious!”

I laughed hard, “Which is the ‘plot’ to several porn flicks and stories on rec.arts.erotica or alt.sex.stories, including the ‘mainstream’ Debbie Does Dallas! But I’d wager it was exactly what I said - marketing. For the candy bars.”

“Yeah, but think about how much fun it would be if they actually meant it!”

“I prefer NOT to follow in Noel Spurgeon’s footsteps, thank you very much!”

“That’s probably not a good life plan!”

“What’s that?” Jessica asked, coming into the kitchen.

“Deflowering the entire Kenwood Academy cheer squad!”

Jessica laughed softly, “For anyone but you, Tiger, I’d say ‘in your dreams’! But with you, I could just see the opportunity presenting itself!”

“They’re selling candy bars as a fundraiser and were awfully flirty!” I chuckled. “But I’d say that’s just their marketing plan. It worked, too.”

I pointed to the counter.

“Ooh! Caramel bars! I love you, Tiger!”

“Two each for you and Kara, one each for the girls, and one each for Winter, Suzanne, Natalie, Leigh, and Hope.”

“Ooh!” Winter squealed. “Thanks!”

“Hmm, maybe I will walk down the street and get more if this is the reception!”

“And find out if you can recreate Debbie Does Dallas?” Winter teased.

“Touchdown for Tiger!” Jessica teased.

“In a less prudish environment, I might actually be tempted! I’d just eat three or four of those candy bars and let the mania take over!”

“How many girls do you think are on the team?”

“No clue, but I’d guess ten to fifteen.”

“So at the pizza party, there would be cherry pop?!”

Winter and I both laughed.

“You’re bad, Jess!”

“So are you, Tiger! And you can’t tell me you didn’t at least THINK about it.”

“Obviously, given I was telling Winter my impression when you walked in. And despite not being on the propranolol, I’m completely «lagom». I told you what Elyse said.”

“That she likes you with your ‘edge’? Yes, and she has a point, so long as you are in control, not your mania.”