Chapter 10

Chuck

I lay in bed wide-awake, with Lisa snuggled on my shoulder. I wanted to look at the clock to see what time it was as I felt rested and thought we should get up and get going.

Yesterday was strange. First the mess at Mac's with those screw-ups from the State Department, along with their partners from the CIA. When Brutus and I caught them, they were like sheep or lambs, or something with no substance.

We then discovered people were following us, and later found out someone was also tailing Steve and Dewey. I'll bet that bunch likes that we're close together. We're a lot easier to watch this way.

Last night, Lisa said that she really wanted to do some more sightseeing in England, especially around London. The weather was miserable yesterday, and the folks were so worn out from traveling that they really didn't get a chance to do more than a drive by of Buckingham Palace. They were headed to a museum to stay dry when Steve called. I'm willing to get wet to see some stuff that I've never seen before.

I reached over to caress Lisa's cheek. Her eyes opened with a smile. She leaned to me for a soft kiss and said, "Is all the business taken care of now? Can we go back to London?"

"It's all over but the signing, so I think we can be out of here this morning. It shouldn't be too tough to catch up with the rest of the folks when we get there. I don't want to wait for the State Department plane either. I want to leave this morning."

Lisa asked, "What time is it?"

"I have no idea, but it must be fairly late as I woke up rested."

Lisa turned and rose to look at the clock, "It's only ten to six. I feel rested too. Let's get showered and eat an early breakfast. We can push Steve and Dewey to get out of here."

Lisa was out of bed, heading to the bathroom, as I swung out of bed. I hopped after her, but stopped to take a leak. Lisa was getting up from the potty as I hopped in. She got into the big shower while I took my turn.

We did the quick shower routine, washing each other's hair real fast and scrubbing each other's back. As we washed, Lisa said, "It's so strange for there only to be two of us in the shower. I miss the girls, all of them. It seems like we have become more of a group than we were."

I answered, "Yeah, I miss them too, but I think that when everything settles out, the Fab Five are going to live in their own home. They are too much of a unit and enjoy each other without a lot of outside influence."

When we were out of the shower and drying, Lisa said, "I don't think so. I think they'll stay. The rest of us just have to give them some alone time together. They really do love you, Chuck. They're like the sisters. They are a unit. Can you think of a time when the Asian sisters, or your Fab Five, are really very far apart?"

"You're right about that. When we were confronted with danger, Brandy and Tiani were ultra-protective of the other three. Frieda was pretty aggressive, but those five stuck together like honey on fingers."

Lisa said, "Don't worry about it. It will work out. Tina, Maria, and the sisters know to leave them alone with they are into their closed mode. Watch, when they are feeling that way, the five of them pile up, with Brandy in the center. Tiani often lays on top of Brandy now. She used to lie on Frieda, but she can't now. Those five are really close."

"I still think it's strange the way that they always seem to want to be with me, but don't want to really make a commitment."

We were just about ready to go to the elevators, when Lisa said, "It's not that strange. The girls are really bisexual; they need a man, a safe man, and you are the one they chose. It may be a strange relationship, but I think you're stuck with them for a long time. They may go be by themselves sometimes, especially with the babies coming, but they'll be back. They've been planning on how and where the babies will be at the house. That's why they asked for the big room between the hall and your bedroom. We'll have to go through the nursery to get to the bedroom complex. They only have some sitting room stuff in there until the babies come. They have all kinds of decorations and busy stuff for the babies."

We were going down in the elevator, when I said, "I wish they had said something, as I would prefer the nursery to be off of the bedroom, instead between me and the outside world."

Lisa said, "They did it that way so that if they have nannies, they wouldn't be traipsing through the bedroom to get at the kids."

"They screwed up; they brought the nannies into our bed and made them sisters and lovers. I wonder if they will still be the nannies."

"They probably will still be the boss nannies," Lisa said, as the elevator door opened to the lobby.

Lisa and I quickly moved out to the side of the door to look around. A man sat up over by the desk on our right, and another man to our left that had been leaning against a pillar, stood up straight lifting his arm as if to look at his watch, but covered his mouth as he said something to someone. The guy standing nodded at us, so I guess he's okay. The other guy was still sitting, but also did the talk into the sleeve routine.

We walked to the restaurant to see if it was open yet. It was and surprise, surprise, Steve and Dewey were already sitting with coffee in front of them. Lisa and I sat down as I asked, "Have you guys been up long?"

Dewey said, "Naw, we just came down. Sam Perkins called from Hawaii about five to give us the appraisal numbers. He's faxing a copy of two appraisals for us to use as we negotiate. I've already called Herman Klein and Grant Baldair so we can get this done." Dewey picked up some papers, "The number crunchers gave me this as soon as we walked in. They will probably go to bed now, as they know I always want the numbers first thing in the morning. This place checks out so far, and the guys we're going in with are good guys."

Steve was smiling, "Nice to get involved with the big guys, isn't it? You made some good deals in Hawaii and now one of the good deals is going to be an even better deal."

Lisa was looking at me strangely, but then she doesn't really have any idea how much I've been able to accumulate. She doesn't really know how much I got from the pseudo wrestler, only that it was a lot. She doesn't care about money, so why mess with her mind. The money messes with my mind all the time. There's just so damn much of it.

We were finishing a light breakfast when the hotel owners showed up with another man they introduced as their attorney. We moved to a private room and were served more coffee. Dewey got right down to business with the two.

"I've had two independent appraisals of the Hawaiian property, and I'm sure you have a couple yourself. From what you're asking for the forty percent partnership of this hotel, you're going to be a few million short. How about we work a deal for the Hawaiian development to be five equal shares, but you two have to stand at least the difference in value of construction?"

Herman smiled, "We thought you might suggest something like that and have a document ready." He pulled a sheaf of papers from his big folder and began showing Dewey the portions they would pay, and at what point we would need to be contributing toward the development.

Dewey studied the papers for a while and was passing them to Steve, who read them before passing them to me. I read them, but they didn't mean that much to me. Lisa was leaning over, reading with me and gasped a couple of times when amounts were mentioned. These guys all dealt in seven figure numbers like most people handled change in their pockets.

When we were all done reading, Dewey looked at Steve, nodded before they both looked at me. All I could do is shrug my shoulders and smile. Dewey said, "Looks like we have a deal. We'll sign now, and you can go visit Sam Perkins in Hawaii to make sure the deeds are properly filed." Dewey used his cell phone and apparently woke Sam. He told Sam the details of the transaction so he could follow up on it.

Dewey, Steve, and I signed several places on the documents, then shook hands with the two partners to seal the deal. We all sat back to sip some coffee. Steve said, "Sue called last night and wants to just go back to Ireland, possibly do some sightseeing there, then get back on the water."

They must have seen the disappointment on Lisa's and my face as I said, "Darn, I really wanted to see more while we were here."

Steve said, "Then go ahead and go back to London. Let me call Sue to tell her."

I heard Steve say, "Good morning, Love, how are you today." In a second, he said, "That nice, huh? Well good, Chuck and Lisa want to come back to join you guys. Dewey and I have one more place to visit and then we can possibly meet you there too. Okay, I'll have Chuck call you when he gets in."

Steve turned to Lisa and me and said, "Sue says it's a beautiful day and she wants to stay a little longer, maybe today and tomorrow, and head back to Ireland in two days. Dewey and I should be done today and we should be able to join you this evening."

Lisa smiled at me and said, "Good, let's get our bag and get out of here."

I smiled and said, "I think if I ask, we can get a ride on the State Department airplane."

Lisa and I got up with me shaking hands all around again. I said, "Nice to do business with you guys. I should see you in Hawaii later this year. This should be a successful venture." They agreed with me and smiled.

As we walked out of the room, I approached the guy near the pillar with the lighter. We exchanged words and I told him my intentions. He raised his sleeve and said, "The primary is on the way back to London. Should he ride commercial or do you want to ferry him?"

The man listened for a second, then said, "Get your bags and we'll get you to the airport. They'll have the plane ready by the time you get there. You're getting the big shot treatment, all right. You must be somebody special."

Lisa and I just smiled.

The trip to the airport and flight to London was uneventful. We went to the hotel the families were staying in to find that the big suite was still being used. We stashed our bag and called Sue. She told us to meet the group at the Tower of London.

We met the huge group outside the famous castle. They had already made arrangements for a tour. Since our group was so big, we were in a private touring group. The guide droned on and on about William the Conqueror, Richard the Third, and loads of other interesting history. The Crown Jewels were a welcome relief from his droning. Too bad the guide didn't have a more pleasant voice. The tour lasted from nine all the way until noon.

Our bus driver/guide led us for a walk from there to Leadenhall Market, a 19^th century shopping arcade. On the way, we stopped for lunch at a pub, and afterward went across town to Portobello Road. I was surprised to see that it was the scene of a major antiques market, including jewelry and knick knacks as well as furniture, filling shops and stalls for a couple of blocks. The rest of the day was spent watching the women look over just about every piece of merchandise in the street. While we were still at the market, Steve and Dewey joined us.

From there the guide showed us through a maze of what he said were 17^th century streets while on the way to a pub he raved about, called The George and the Vulture. We had some pretty good roast beef with some local brew that was actually served chilled. For dessert, the girls all wanted "spotted dick" to find out what it was. It is a light-colored sponge layer of cake less than a half inch thick, studded with raisins, rolled tightly into a cylinder about the size and shape of an erect penis, and soaked in treacle syrup, hence the name, "spotted dick." There was a notation on the menu which said that to satisfy the bluenoses, it is sometimes called "spotted dog," but the other name is older and funnier.

The bus magically appeared to drive us back to the hotel. Once there, we met in the big suite to get the kids ready for bed and for the adults to enjoy some liquid libation.

Steve asked, "So, what about tomorrow?"

Sue asked the guide, "What can we see tomorrow if the weather is nice again."

The guide suggested, "How about we get a really early start to see Canterbury and the famous white cliffs of Dover on the way to the Chunnel? We can stay a night in Paris after some sightseeing, then come back to London to see some more. We won't give these rooms up so we can guarantee we still have them. What do you think, does that sound like a good idea?"

Brandy and Tiani were excited about the plan. Sue and her group liked the idea as well.

We spent the next day on the bus seeing Canterbury Cathedral, sort of the Vatican to the Church of England, and then swung by the coast for a look at the cliffs before heading to Ashford, the last place we could catch the Eurostar to Paris before it went underground (and underwater). The cathedral is a mix of architectural styles, mostly Gothic, with a really impressive chapel where King Henry II's former friend, Archbishop Thomas Á Becket, was chopped down by Henry's knights. The cliffs were a little weird, because we drove, then walked, across a green pasture until, all of a sudden, the grass stopped and air began. The cliffs are white chalk, not stone, more than 300 feet high.

We left the bus we rented in England to take the train through the Channel Tunnel to Paris. The time savings was important.

Paris was kind of neat. It's easy to see a lot of the big sites there, as they are all close together. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and then walked from there past Les Invalides, built as a veterans hospital around a church that now serves to house Napoleon's tomb, and across the Pont Alexandre III, an incredibly ornate bridge named after the Russian tsar who freed the serfs, past the Grand and Petit Palaces, fancy baroque looking buildings left over from a world's fair more than a hundred years ago, to the Champs Elysees. We walked along this famous tree-lined boulevard to the Place de la Concorde, which to our surprise has a big ferris wheel set up in it. All the kids wanted to ride this, so we did as the sun began to set. Looking east, we saw the Louvre palace, with its famous art collections, and looking north we saw the church of La Madeleine (Mary Magdalene) looking like a Roman temple and a big white domed church on a hill, looking like a wedding cake, which someone said was called Sacre Coeur, "Sacred Heart". When the day was done, we agreed to spend another day seeing a little of the Musee du Louvre or Louvre Museum, but first our guide hustled us all into a rented French bus and ran us up the hill to Sacre Coeur. From its front steps, as night fell, we saw the lights of Paris turn on, including the lights of the Eiffel Tower, which for five minutes after the top of the hour did a sparkling light show from thousands of LED lights supplementing its usual amber glow.

We spent the entire day going through the Louvre as a group. It would take weeks to see everything, but we took two separate tours to see as much as we could. The place was so fascinating, the kids even stayed quiet and in the group. Everybody's favorite was the "Winged Victory of Samothrace", a marble statue from ancient Greece mounted on a stairway landing, stone angel wings outspread and feet standing on what looked like the prow of a stone ship. Except for being headless, this statue was much more mind-blowing than the Mona Lisa, which we couldn't even get close to because of the crowds. See it at: The Louvre Website .

When we got up the next morning, the general consensus was to head back to London, check out the Royal Naval Museum, then stay the night there before heading back to Ireland.

We now not only had the guide leading us, but we had at least two guys in suits following us everywhere we went. This must have been duty from hell for them, since we weren't very organized and didn't follow any conventional paths. I did notice that one of the guys accompanying us in the museum listened to every word the lecture guides said. It was interesting.

We spent the day lazily going back through the Channel Tunnel then spending the rest of the day getting some needed rest and planning what we wished to do.

The next day, we went to the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth, south of London, which includes some big old, sailing ships that are kept in pristine condition. The HMS Victory has three rows of cannons on each side, an amazing ship. The HMS Warrior was huge, black, very long ship that was very intimidating. and in a special building, under a constant spray of water to keep it from drying out is the HMS Mary Rose. The ship sank in 1545 but was found and salvaged started in 1971. Now the ship is restored as much as possible but the salvaged parts are very delicate from having been under water for so many years.

As the day progressed, our bus driver guide encouraged us to begin the trek back to Ireland as it would be late by the time we made it back to Mac's.

It did take a long time. The drive to Wales for the ferry was a long one, especially with a detour along the way to see Stonehenge, the mysterious ancient circle of stones, the ferry ride took a while, and the train back to Mac's was a long way. It was way past midnight, early in the morning, by the time we arrived by bus from the train station. All the adults had to lead or carry the kids up to bed. The moms just put them straight to bed without baths since it was so late.

Mac had the adults down in his big playroom, as I called it, to have a couple of drinks. The people talked about all the sights they had seen.

Brutus got me off to the side and told me, "I've had at least two groups watching the house, but they have come to the door to advise me each day. You must have impressed them." Brutus looked around, then said, "I noticed that there was a car following the bus when you drove up. Did you have company the whole time you were out?"

I said, "We did. I picked up the first guy when the State Department took us out to Wales to meet the ferry. We've had company all over London, through the Chunnel to Paris, and while we were there. I guess they intend to watch us."

"They make me nervous," Brutus said. "If they didn't come to tell me they were there, I would have gone out and eliminated them. The arsenal they had in those cars was scary. Wonder what that little gun is used for?"

Shaking my head I said, "You don't want to know. Those are for killing, not for protection."

When we went to bed, the ladies were feeling frisky and wanted attention. I did my best, and they did their best with each other and me. It was nearly three before I drifted off to sleep.

The day began with the men gathering in the garden atrium, having Bloody Marys. We talked about Dewey's new venture in Amsterdam, and also about a deal Mac had for Sue. Brutus asked if we were going to do some sightseeing in Ireland.

Brutus suggested we go to the General Post Office first. This site, along with some other sites associated with the 1916 uprising showed some of Ireland's struggle for independence and would teach us some important history.

Mac said that we could go see County Meath and that would include Newgrange, a prehistoric passage tomb of world renown. While we were out that way, we could see some real castles and abbeys.

That was what we did. While we were at County Meath, one of our shadows came to me, exchanged passwords, and asked, "Would it be possible for you to give us a little idea of what your itinerary is going to be? It would help us plan."

I nodded and he gave me a card and a cell phone, saying, "Use this cell phone and call the number on the card. That way the phone is secure and you can give us a clue where you're going."

Lisa saw me talking to the guy and came up behind him to make sure of what was going on. I could see the other shadow get nervous when she approached us from his back. When she felt every thing was okay, she came to my side and put her arm around my waist.

Later, back at Mac's mini castle, Sue, Steve, and Mac went into deep conversation. Lisa and I spent a few minutes with the kids playing some music in their big playroom, but we were soon ready for bed.

In the garden atrium the next morning, Steve said, "Sue and I are going to look at something with Mac. He thinks we can help Ireland if Sue begins production over here. Sue is really going to have to study the local market to know what to manufacture to make a go of it. If you guys want to come along, you're welcome."

I told Steve, "I think I'll stick around here today and just relax. The family probably needs a breather. Some regular food would be nice too. Restaurant food is nice, but home cooking is a lot more satisfying."

Lisa and I spent the morning playing with the kids. They were having a great time showing each other what they could do. The ladies were also making plans for our trip to Italy.

That night, Steve told me that Sue agreed to begin making plans to use a former clothing manufacturing building to produce garments for the area. She said it would take a while to get the building into shape and to purchase new machinery. She also had to find someone to ramrod the place over here as well as finding fabric suppliers. Steve told Dewey and me, "Sue is really biting off a big chunk. I hope it works for her and for Mac. Sue has already started with the folks back home to find some shift leaders and seamstress teachers. She knows what it takes, and I'm sure she'll get it done."

Dewey suggested, "Have her send the people she's going to use over here to visit and to begin working with local people to hire and train the personnel they will need. If they get an early start, they'll be ahead. Who are you going to use to remodel the factory space?"

Steve said, "We can use our own people, including Terrell, to direct, but local labor for the work. This is a big deal to Mac, as he says Ireland is in need of employment for many people. He says this will be a major contribution."

Lisa, the Asian sisters, and I went out for a walk to get some exercise. We walked all around Mac's property, looking at his stables, checking out the beautiful horses he owned. As we walked the outer perimeter of the land, we noticed the observers following us. Lisa noticed as well, but didn't give any indication that it upset her. As we were walking back to the huge home, Lisa said, "I'll be glad to be back out on the water. All this extra protection is making me paranoid. If we're in that much danger, they need to advise us. If they're just being proactive to ward off suspected problems, they are sure making a nuisance of themselves."

That evening, we all gathered in the big library lounge to plan our trip to Italy. Mac and his wife were planning on joining Chandra, Michael, Lucille, Margaret, Serene, and the kids on the adventure. The trip was going to take our sailboat nine to ten days, depending on wind, while the big yacht could make it in five to six days. It was decided that the Irish Bell would leave a day after we did, and proceed at their normal cruising speed, arriving in Italy ahead of us and confirm transportation for our sightseeing.