Chapter 58

Back in Phoenix Consuela’s cell phone began ringing. While she answered it the other three historians continued to box up the different papers, which were to be taken to an archive vault in the basement of the history building at the University. “Hello.”

“I’m trying to reach Consuela Kennedy. Are you her?”

“Yes, I am,” she responded.

“Good. Doctor Kennedy, my name is Malcolm Leven, and I’m working with a Mister Daniel Cashman concerning a movie. Are you familiar with what I’m talking about?”

“Yes, Malcolm, I know about the plans for the movie and the men who are involved, including yourself. Also, I’ve two of my brightest students finishing up a rough story-line.”

“Good, but I didn’t think you were going to write the screenplay.”

“I’m not. They’re putting all the historical information together in a chronological timeline, along with all the historical evidence we have concerning that time and the specific incident. We thought it would give the actual screenwriter a jump-start on fleshing out the story.”

An excited Malcolm replied, “Oh, that it will! Now, the men we’re discussing would like to meet with you and a couple of potential screenwriters as soon as possible.”

“Where do we need to meet?”

“Robert requested you come to his ranch in Utah.”

“Malcolm, I’ll see how quickly I can get it arranged and get back to you. I haven’t checked with my students in several days, so I don’t know how things are coming. I’ll also have to be back here this weekend for a wedding. Can I reach you through this number?”

“You should. If I don’t answer leave me a voice mail. I usually check my mailbox every couple of hours.”

“Good. Oh, and what would be my destination?”

“If you’re flying commercial it would be Salt Lake City, but if you’re in a small plane like Dan’s then it would be Heber City, Utah.”

“Thanks. I’ll call you back as soon as I know something definite.” As soon as she finished Consuela called Sharon Running Deer, Mike’s younger sister. When Sharon answered Consuela said, “Sharon, this is Doctor Kennedy. How are you and Kyle coming on your timeline project?”

“We finished it last night. We’re planning on doing a little fine tuning and making some additional notes, but we’re basically through.”

“And, what’s your schedule for the next couple of days?”

“We both have a test with Doctor Healy on Friday.”

“Hold on a minute then.”

Consuela called out, “Charles, I need to see you a moment.”

Coming back inside their workroom he replied, “Sure, what do you need?”

“You’ve got a test Friday, and I need two of your students to go with me to Utah. They’ve been doing a project for me.”

“Who are we talking about, and does it relate to our project?”

“It’s Sharon Running Deer and her friend Kyle Adams. As for its relating to this, I’d have to say they’re not directly related, but there’s some crossover.”

“Then grade their efforts and I’ll substitute that for their test grade. They’re both very competent students.”

Consuela returned to an excited Sharon, who proclaimed, “Doctor Kennedy, I heard what he said. I think you’ll be very pleased with what we’ve laid out. This is something no one has done before.”

“That sounds exciting and I can’t wait to see it. Do you think the additional work could be done as we travel?”

Sharon replied, “If we can use our laptops on the plane I don’t see why not. We’d probably need to print the results when we get to our destination, but I seriously doubt if that would be a problem.”

“I can’t imagine it being one. Therefore I need you to gather your material, and pack for two days. I’ll call you back when I know how and when we’re going.”

“What kind of clothes should we pack, Doctor Kennedy?”

“Sharon, you’ll likely be meeting some important and influential people, and since first impressions mean a lot, I’d encourage both of you to wear clothes that are ‘dressy casual.’ At the same time, because we’ll be staying at a ranch, it would probably be a good idea to bring at least one pair of jeans plus a work shirt and a jacket.”

“That makes very good sense. Thanks for the advice, Doctor Kennedy. We won’t let you down.”

Charles stuck his head back in, and announced, “We’re going to go lock everything up and go to the faculty club for lunch. Are you going to join us there?”

“I don’t know, Charles. I may have to rush to get ready to fly out of here. If things change, I’ll call you.”

“Good enough, and have a safe flight.”

After Charles closed the door, Consuela called Robert Gray Hawk. “Hawk,” he answered.

“Hawk, this is Consuela Kennedy.”

“Yes, Doctor Kennedy.”

“I was just called by the movie consultant Dan hired. He wants me to fly to Utah to discuss the screenplay. If possible, I would like to take the two students who did the research for this project.”

“Of course. How fast can the three of you get to Williams Gateway Airport?”

“Probably an hour to an hour and a half.”

“Then let me get a hold of our pilot and have him get things ready. What should I tell him is the destination?”

“Malcolm said if we didn’t fly commercial we’d be going to Heber City, Utah.”

“Then, I’ll pass that information plus your cell number to Bill, our pilot.”

“Thanks, Hawk, I’d appreciate it.”

Hawk hung up and immediately called Bill, explaining the situation to him and giving him Consuela’s cell number. At the same time Doctor Kennedy was advising Malcolm of the flight and time schedule. Bill, responding to Hawk, said, “No problem, Boss. Just have her meet me at Gateway Aviation. I should be there in roughly forty-five minutes. Do I need to stay in Utah until they’re ready to come back to Phoenix, or do you have other things for me to do?”

“Bill, I don’t have anything on the agenda at the moment, but if something comes up it wouldn’t take you that long to get here. Also, Sky Harbor is the closer airport, both to Utah and to the hospital. Either way, we’ll see you when you get back.”

Hawk and the three women had just arrived at the hospital parking lot when Consuela had first called. By the time Hawk’s conversation with Bill ended both Maria and Andy were getting anxious and emotionally distraught due to Jason’s unknown status, and this was making it more and more difficult for them to continue waiting in the car. Realizing he still had to reply back to Doctor Kennedy, Hawk sent Maria, Andy, and Brenda on to the emergency room to seek any additional information.

Consuela answered Hawk’s call on the third ring and was rather breathless. Concerned, he said, “This is Hawk. Are you all right?”

“Yes, but I left my cell phone downstairs while I was upstairs gathering my clothes.” Hawk smiled at the thought of how many times a day such things must happen.

“Consuela, I’ve talked to Bill Bryce, our pilot. He’ll be waiting for you at the plane, which will be parked in front of the main building of Gateway Aviation.”

“And that’s at the William’s Gateway Airport?”

“Yep. The entrance to the field is at East Ray and South Power Roads,”

“Thanks, Hawk. I think this will definitely speed up the process. We should get several hours of work done today, and I think we can wind this up by noon tomorrow. I’ll definitely be back here for the wedding.”

“That’s not a problem, and unless some emergency occurs Bill will be staying in Utah until you’re ready to return.” Hawk didn’t feel the woman’s mind needed to be divided at the moment so he kept quiet about Jason’s accident. Instead he wished her a pleasant and productive trip and ended the call. A few minutes later, he joined Andy, Maria and Brenda in the waiting room.

Though Nigel had left Dan was still in the Pub. While enjoying a second cup of tea and some simple biscuits which he thought were called crumpets Dan mentally reviewed all his open projects. During the process Dan was surprised when he realized just how few were still open. Well, he had a pretty good idea that situation would change once he reached Phoenix. Of course, this challenge of one major project after another was one of the consequences of being teamed up with John Grayson, or Hawk, as he was now known, but Dan never regretted it for a single moment. Instead, he was constantly amazed by the unique ideas his partner could initiate. The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Dan’s musings, and he answered, “This is Dan.”

“Daniel, this is Frederico. Can you come to the bank for a working lunch? I’m having some food brought in so we can discuss everything without any prying eyes or ears.”

“Sure, how soon do you want me to come?”

“The food will be ready in just a few minutes, so come as soon as you can.”

Dan honored his banker’s request, paid for his and Nigel’s teas, and left the pub. He was parked near the bank within ten minutes. Once more, as soon as he entered the building he was ushered straight into Frederico’s office. The banker instantly acknowledged him, and said, “Come, come. Enjoy some of this excellent seafood bisque, and these grouper fingers are almost worth dying for.” Dan pulled up a chair, and, after a few bites, he agreed with his banker’s assessment.

While they ate Frederico reviewed the conversation with the heads of the various banks and their overall plans, including the joint venture on the island and their plans for security.

Dan listened quietly before saying, “I think all your plans are sound, though I do want to meet with the head of your security team and link him up with the head of mine. Also, if you need help with getting the authorities in Mexico City to go along with either the guards or the island enterprise please let me know, as I also have some influence with the President’s staff.”

“Your security team? I didn’t know you had a security team.”

“I haven’t needed their services before now, but I’ve had them available for a couple of years.”

“Are they any good?”

“From what I was told the Queen called them her Hallmark team.”

“I’m not sure I understand the reference.”

“The motto of the Hallmark Greeting Card Company is, ‘when you care enough to send the very best.’“

“Ah!” Frederico exclaimed with full understanding of what was implied by Dan’s statement. “In that case they probably know each other and would be willing to work together. Though I’ll have to insist, since we’re accepting responsibility of this deposit as soon as it’s off the boat and under our control, the leader of our team will have the right to say yea or nay, as well as to lead the overall operation.”

“I’ve no argument with that,” answered Dan.

“So, where do we go from here,” asked Frederico.

“You need to locate a solid, defensible warehouse, but let both our teams check it out before signing any paperwork. Then, after our meeting and the securing of the warehouse, I’ll turn the consignment papers and copies of the bill of lading over to you. That will enable you to immediately take charge of the cargo upon arrival, and since it was sent from one Mexican port to another, there should be no delay from customs.”

Mark Chambers, the aide for Senator McCray entered the small family restaurant in Georgetown and peered through the shadows looking for Laddy Armstrong, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff. Not seeing him at any of the tables Mark started to turn to the front door, planning to wait at one of the tables outside for Laddy to arrive. Before he could actually execute the turn, the hostess appeared, and asked, “Are you Mark?”

“Yes.”

“Then, please follow me. Your party is waiting in a private room.”

She led him back toward the kitchen. They passed though an open door way, but turned left at the pair of swinging doors that separated the kitchen from the rest of the restaurant. Proceeding down the hallway they passed the restrooms and what was likely a closet. Finally, at the end, there was a nondescript door on the right that looked to be another closet. She pointed to the door and then proceeded back to the front of the restaurant. Mark opened the door and was surprised to see an elegant private room large enough for twenty-five or thirty people. At this moment, though, there was only one person in the room: the man he was there to see, Laddy Armstrong.

Mark joined Laddy at the table. As soon as he did a waiter began to set food before them, and Mark discovered the executive had already ordered for him. “Eat some of this delicious fettuccine carbonara,” instructed Laddy. “It’s the finest in this country.”

Mark carefully rolled some of the noodles around his fork and placed it on his tongue. The flavors immediately burst forth, overwhelming his taste buds. “It’s outstanding,” Mark agreed. “Thanks for introducing me to it, as I’ve never been much of a pasta person.”

“Then, son, you haven’t been eating at the right places. There’s truly a plethora of such places and dishes in the Georgetown area, and, like this place, most have special out of the way rooms for the quiet meetings where the participants want both anonymity and fine cuisine. As the aide to an important Senator you need to find such places that meet your tastes, as well as the preferences of your boss. When you discover the ones that fit your needs tip well and try to develop a relationship with the staff. It could save your ass one day.”

“That sounds like the voice of experience,” replied Mark.

“Definitely. Someone tried to bug a room we were going to use, and one of the restaurant’s staff picked up on it, and brought it to my attention. It was in the early days after the election when we were trying to find an excuse to go to war with Iraq. If that conversation had gotten out on tape it would have destroyed this administration.”

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Mike Lowe aka The Scot

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