The Lifeguard

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction. If you are offended by graphic descriptions of homosexual acts, go somewhere else.

Copyright c 2002 by Orrin C. Rush. All rights reserved.

Neither this story nor any parts of it may be distributed electronically or in any other manner without the express, written consent of the author.

This is a work of fiction, any resemblance of the characters to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence and not intended. They are all products of the author's imagination.

THE LIFEGUARD

Chapter 61

"This is patently ridiculous," Karl said after he'd read the suit. "They haven't got a shred of evidence that this even happened, but it's going to be splashed all over the news."

"I don't care," I told him. "Like everything else, it'll blow over pretty fast."

"It's just WRONG that you're made out to be the dirty rat when she and that asshole are the ones who caused all the trouble," Eric said.

"I think we can kill this thing before it ever comes to trial," Karl said. "It'd be even easier if the D.A. brings charges against them, which he very well might do."

"It's your baby, Karl," I told him. "Just let me know what you need and it's yours. My Security guys are at your disposal."

It was time to get back to work. Dean had scheduled his presentation to all the local agencies on our Silicon Valley project, and there were the last minute adjustments to make.

He wanted Eric and me to see the scale model they'd built before it was packed up and shipped north for the meeting. The thing was huge and detailed right down to fire hydrants. An enormous amount of work had gone into its preparation.

Tiny little model houses were placed in various densities, apartment complexes were by themselves, and the shopping center, which we'd bought, was shown expanded to its full potential. A second, proposed shopping mall was at the other end of the tract.

The final total was 53,847 single family homes and 6,200 apartment units, housing, eventually, approximately 155,000 people, literally a city in itself.

Another truckload of supporting documents stood ready to go.

"I'm almost positive we've covered all the bases," Dean told me. "We're as ready as we'll ever be."

"What's Henry think of the whole thing?" I asked.

"He and his people have led us just about all the way. He considers this to be his masterpiece in Housing. He's going to be there, too, giving his pitch along with me."

"My big question is: Are we going to make any money on this?"

"I believe we will," he grinned. "With current costs, and if we sell finished lots, we should net around $3 billion, and that doesn't include the apartments. As soon as we have an indication from the City, we need to talk about that - whether we want to do any building ourselves."

Eric hadn't had a lot of questions. He appeared to be thinking. "I really want to hear a lot more about doing the building ourselves," he said. "We have an Architect in the family now."

The presentation that Dean and Henry made was well received. There was a shortage of housing at every price level in the area, and this was the first major project to come along that offered homes in all price ranges. The City volunteered to put the approval process on a "fast track".

"One down, one to go," I told Eric as we watched the sunset.

"You mean the girls?"

"Yep, and you know what we do when they're both gone? We redecorate!"

"Why? I like this place just the way it is."

"Quite honestly, I'm tired of it. It's been over ten years since anything major has changed. I'd also like to see a little of YOUR influence around here," I told him.

"I'm not a decorator. Hell, I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Just think about it, what'd make you more comfortable, what you'd like to change. We could have a lot of fun."

"I'll think about it," he agreed. "By the way, we haven't used the hot tub in a long time, how about tonight, AND the 'Do Not Disturb" sign?"

His eyes were sparkling and I was more than interested.

He got a bottle of wine and glasses while I found big bath towels. "Want some smoke?" he asked.

"It's been a while," I said, "why not?"

Eric brought out his stash, using a bong instead of rolling a joint.

We slid in. Man it felt good.

Most of my enjoyment of Eric's body was visual. Since we'd gotten home from our honeymoon, we'd been tired or stressed to the max, so our lovemaking had been perfunctory. Satisfying, yes, but rushed.

I perched on the step in front of him, leaning in for a sweet, tender kiss. I moved back, looking into his eyes and traced his brow, his nose, his mouth and around his jawline with my fingers. I moved up to his ears, caressing them, making him purr.

Another kiss while I palmed his pecs, grasping the hard flesh and tweaking his hard nubs with my fingertips.

His hands were running up and down my arms, then moved to my chest, kneading me with a lot of attention to my hard little nips.

Our hands moved downward along each other's sides. When he got to my butt, he pulled me into him, our arms going around each other, our lips meeting in a serious kiss that lasted and lasted, our tongues exploring and enjoying.

Eric pushed me away. "I'm overheated," he laughed and moved up to sit on the edge. I climbed up beside him. Both of our dicks, so far untouched, were standing tall.

"I just noticed how much your arms have grown," he said, turning to me and taking one of my biceps in each of his hands. "Flex," he asked.

I bent my arm and tightened up. "See, it affects me too," he said. I looked down to see his dick twitch and a drop of precum form on the tip. I leaned over to lick it off.

"Not like me," I chuckled, "I'd be shooting by now."

I had a drop myself that Eric leaned over to get. He didn't just take a lick, he went all the way to the bottom, gave a couple of strokes, then sat back up.

"Yes, I noticed," I told him. "You started doing that in Egypt. God it feels good."

"All of a sudden, I COULD," he said. "It surprised me, that last half inch just went on down. Feels good to me too."

We decided to head for the bedroom. It was a lot more comfortable.

Although we were both hard and dripping, we started over, using our tongues instead of fingers. When I got to his dick, I held it straight up and looked at it. It was beautiful. Smooth, that flaring corona, and so fucking long! At the moment, it was throbbing with his heartbeat.

I got into position and took just the head into my mouth. Slow sensual swipes with my tongue across the head and around the rim had him arching his back. Down a little, then more, gradually, until my lips were against his trimmed pubes. I stopped to swallow and let my tongue explore as long as I could, then started stimulating the whole length.

He couldn't take it for long and pulled me off, turning around and engulfing me. I didn't realize that that last half inch could make such a difference. I soon had to pull him off too.

We switched positions, and I really got into the joys of having him imbedded in my throat. He neared, I backed off for a few seconds then took him to the edge and held him there. He writhed and squirmed and gasped. Eventually, I took mercy on him and pushed him over. It was a wild ride but I managed to drink every drop.

I was already close myself, so I held Eric until he'd completely recovered before I'd let him reciprocate.

He evidently enjoyed his newfound ability to deep-throat me because he'd go to the bottom then let his throat muscles and tongue stimulate me. It was fanstastic! He got so carried away that he missed the warning signs and took me straight to the top. No complaints here!

"That was soooooooo good," was all he said.

The first snag in the Silicon Valley project developed rather fast. It appeared that the property to the West of the project was an Army Military Reservation. They didn't want neighbors and had registered an objection to the entire project.

"There are Military installations all over California," Henry said. "I've never run into a problem before. They're usually very cooperative."

After much discussion and shaking of heads wondering what the problem was, Dean agreed to trace down the objection and find out how we could "make them happy".

Dean was gone several days, and came back without any answers. "This is really strange," he said. "Nobody'll talk. All they'll say is 'because', no specific reason."

"Who'd you talk to?" Eric asked.

"The land next to us is controlled by the Army. The objection was filed by the Commander of an Army Research facility in Sunnyvale. Under 'Reason for Objection', he put 'National Security', and the man wouldn't see me."

"Can they do that?" Annie asked.

"According to the Planning Commission," Dean said, "if the Government objects on the basis of National Security, they can kill the whole project just like that," and he snapped his fingers.

"That's bullshit!" Annie roared. "In effect, that's seizure of our property."

The light started to dawn. I'd better explain to Dean.

"I think we may have a political problem," I told them all. "Let me give you a little background, Dean.

"First of all, I don't think we've discussed this before, but I'm gay and Eric is my partner. Second of all, because of this, the Senior Senator from North Carolina rather highly disapproves of me and will do anything he can think of to make my life difficult, or impossible, if he can.

"As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, all he'd have to do is drop the word, and, hiding behind the National Security issue, we'd be stopped cold. I have a pretty good idea he's behind this."

"He's a very powerful man..." Dean said.

"It's a petty thing to do, and won't stand scrutiny if we bring it to light. He's bowed to reason in the past when I've tangled with him, and he probably will again. If enough pressure is applied," I said.

"Is he the same one you tangled with three years ago?" Eric asked.

"Yep, he's the one," I said.

"This is getting even more ridiculous!" Annie spat out. "What can we do?"

"First of all, we need to find out if he's behind this," I said. "Then we have to figure out a way to get it dropped. Since Metalco is out of the Defense Contracting business except for one job, I'm out of touch with everybody in Washington, but I think Bill still has a lot of connections. I'd like to get him to help us."

Dean wasn't looking very optomistic so I told him "Nothing's impossible, keep your chin up, I'd say there's a good chance we'll get this straightened out. Won't happen tomorrow, but we'll get to work on it."

I asked Bill to come in, and we explained our problem. He agreed that it sounded like something the old fart would pull and told us he'd make a few phone calls and see what he could find out.

"I absolutely despise politics," I told Eric, "but it's time I did something about that old asshole."

"Isn't he up for re-election this year?"

"I think so, and if he is, I'm going to do everything I can to see he's defeated. He's been a thorn in my side for 20 years. I think that's enough."

"This oughta be fun," he said. "Don't forget that I'm as involved as you are, so count me in for a few bucks. How do you go about getting somebody 'unelected', anyway?"

"That old bastard is in his nineties, and I think he's been in the Senate for at least 50 years. I don't think he's had a serious challenger in the last thirty. We've gotta change that!"

"How?"

"I've heard about a lawyer in Washington who is mostly a lobbyist who can elect anybody if she has enough money. I intend to hire her. We can find out who she is easy enough. The one thing that we'll have to be very careful about is that everything is out in the open and totally legal or the whole thing could backfire."

"We may have to sit on the Silicon project until November, but that's a hell of a lot better than scrapping it," I continued.

"It wouldn't surprise me at all if York Hotels weren't one of his big supporters either," Eric said. "What you did to them may not have made the good Senator too happy either."

"I don't care if we get this thing dropped before the election, I want to go ahead and get rid of that old fucker, regardless of what it takes. Let's get our asses to work!"

It only took a few phone calls to get the name of Mayra Soames, but it was too late in the day to call her in Washington. It'd have to wait until Monday.

Saturday we ran a few errands. There never were many because Jacques took care of everything for us. Sunday we were lazy, going out to the pool right after breakfast. I swam a few laps with Eric, then got out while he continued. The Sunday paper wasn't interesting and I couldn't concentrate anyway.

I gave up on the paper and stretched out and closed my eyes. There were a lot of things bothering me that I hadn't taken the time to work out in my own mind. I wasn't proud of what I'd done to Georgia, and now I was contemplating getting involved in politics in a big way. Was that really any of my business?

I looked at the "Georgia" situation - what I'd done, what I could've done, and where things stood at the moment and the possible consequences. I went through this in my mind, trying to look at every angle.

When I'd beaten that to death, I thought about the Senator. There were many directions this whole effort could take, and just as many ways it could turn out.

I don't know how long I'd been buried in these thoughts. Eric had finished his laps and had settled on the chaise beside me a long time ago quietly.

"Sorry about that," I smiled at him.

"You looked so serious I didn't want to bother you," he said. "Figuring out how to bust the Senator?"

"Uh huh," I said. "I'm not going to do it."

"What?" he said, sitting up. "Why not?"

"Who the hell am I to buy an election? I'm getting too goddam big for my britches."

"If anybody has a reason to do it, you have," he shot back.

"That's just the point," I said. "I probably could pull it off, but in my mind, that's a hell of an abuse of power."

"There'd be celebrations in the streets if he got defeated, the gays and lesbians and the Arts community to name a couple, not to mention that he'd be off your back. It'd be a major blow to the Religious Right."

"I agree with all of that, but I wonder if I'm not being a bit presumptuous to take on the job, with your help, of course," I smiled at him. "Don't get the idea that I'm getting 'soft'. I'll do anything necessary to get that project up North approved. Hell, we don't even know if he's behind it yet."

Eric was silent for a few minutes. "One of the first things I recognized about you was the enormous power that you had but used so carefully. It wasn't your style to shove anything down anybody's throat, instead, you convinced them that you were right and they went along willingly. I respected you for that then and I respect and love you for it now."

"I also feel bad about what I did to Georgia, it could've been handled differently."

"How?"

"If we'd all faced reality, it would've been clear that if she was here, there would be problems. We could've sidestepped the whole issue by not inviting her and keeping her out. Sure that would have been cruel, but what did she contribute? She didn't spend five minutes with Tina, and she didn't show any interest whatsoever in the wedding. Her only purpose in being here was to spread hate and discontent. But, I'm afraid I overreacted."

"That's hindsight," he said. "Annie's got the right idea, keep her totally out of the picture.

"Actually, babe," he continued, "I think you're beating yourself up unnecessarily. Give yourself a little slack."

"I just don't want to do something else I'll regret."

He got up, pushed me over and sat next to me. "I know where you're coming from," he said. "Maybe it's time for me to step back and take a look too. Just remember one thing, I'm with you whatever, and I DO mean whatever."

I grinned at him, believing every word he'd said. "Together, we're invincible," I said. "I just don't want us to do anything that we regret later."

Bill wasn't having any luck. Nobody could or would point the finger. The powerful old Senator either had them scared or they actually didn't know.

Dean was frantic and Annie was furious. The feeling of helplessness was getting to both of them. Tina, luckily, was still on her honeymoon so was missing all the fun.

In the meantime, I still had the "Georgia" matter to deal with. At least, progress was being made there. Karl had called to inform me that the D.A. was going after both Georgia and Joe Billy for filing false charges against me. That would literally blow their lawsuit out of the water. With the Police on our side and no evidence to present, the suit would never make it to trial.

Late in the afternoon, Bill asked to get together with Eric and me. He came right to the point. "I know you hate it, but if you're going to be in the development business, you're going to have to start getting palsy-walsy with our elected officials. They can make or break you.

"It's not so much that you have to 'brown-nose' them as just recognize their existence, and maybe throw a few bucks their way when elections roll around. A few of them are actually pretty decent people."

Eric's eyes just about popped out when I said "I'll do it. It's a part of doing business and unfortunately a necessity."

"You will?" Eric asked.

"Yes, but at arms-length. We're going to need help from members of both parties, so I don't want to be identified as supporting either one, just individuals. We'll give financial support to those who help us. Hell, we won't be asking for any special favors that I can see, just help with snags like this one."

I turned to Bill. "Our Senator from San Francisco is on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Do you have contacts in her office?"

"Yes."

"Can you make an appointment for us to see her?"

"I'm pretty sure I can."

"Would you?" I asked.

The first of many hearings was held to listen to objections to our project. We all attended.

The Army's objection would, of course, determine whether or not the project went forward, so they had been asked to explain their position first.

It was clear from the start that the Planning Commission was in favor of the project. The Chairman, a feisty, rotund little guy made that clear.

An Officer represented the Army and was asked to explain their objection.

"It is the position of the U.S. Army that this project would be detrimental to National Security and should not go forward," he said stiffly.

"Why?" the feisty little Chairman asked.

"I'm afraid that's classified information, Sir."

"Who made this determination?" the Chairman asked.

"I'm afraid that's classified information, Sir."

"You're telling us that we can't do anything with this land, but you won't tell us why?" the Chairman asked in disbelief.

"With National Security at risk, I'm afraid so."

"Can you show us any documents that support this determination?" the Chairman asked.

"I'm afraid that's classified information, Sir."

"You're not going to cooperate with us at all, are you?"

"I have my orders, Sir."

"Who gave you your orders?" the chairman asked.

"I cannot divulge that information, Sir, that's internal Army information."

"We're not getting anywhere," the Chairman said. "I suggest we adjourn this meeting."

The whole hearing lasted about 15 minutes. It was obvious to all that the Army was Stonewalling, hiding behind National Security and secrecy laws. The sad thing was that nobody could do anything about it.

It was always a possibility that the Army had a legitimate reason, but in view of the facts, nothing made sense. It wasn't a Top Secret base. There were only a few facilities on the whole sprawling property, the closest more than two miles from our property. Hell, the base wasn't even securely fenced! There was definitely something else going on here.

I didn't say much on the way home until I got tired of listening to all the pissing and moaning.

"OK folks," I interrupted. "It's time for a change of attitude. Let's quit feeling sorry for ourselves and start looking for a solution to this mess. We DO have a few billion dollars at stake!"

Eric checked out the Congressman who represented the district the project was in. He was a freshman, so wouldn't have the clout necessary to help us.

Through his connections, Bill was able to arrange our appointment with the Senator. Eric and I concentrated on our presentation. We wanted it to be complete but brief, just the facts.

If the Senator saw our point and decided to do anything about it, we'd probably be in Washington for several days, doing a lot of waiting, so Eric, who had never been to Washington, wanted to see the sights.

Rick and Tina returned from their honeymoon all smiles and sporting deep tans.

Tina's first reaction to our "problem" was outrage. When she heard the whole story, she was even madder, but calmed down when we told her what we were doing.

Construction of their house was just starting and would take several months to complete, so Tina moved into Ricks apartment for the time being and dove into work.

A lot of other things were happening too. Ron and Jason picked up our second Gulfstream, and were holding it for our trip to Washington for it's "maiden" flight. The General wanted to put it right into service, and a major battle broke out. I had to use my authority to settle that one.

Maurice called and wanted to see us as soon as possible in New York, and I had a Micron Board Meeting coming up.

Eric was busy with the Foundation, working to get his programs underway by the start of the next school year.

We both liked the new plane. The only difference from the other one was the interior. All the gadgets were the same. It wasn't as "cozy" we agreed, but appeared more spacious. On this flight, we were so concentrated on the meeting the next day that the idea of having sex never crossed our minds, at least mine.

We had the biggest suite at one of the Rush hotels, definitely a different one than I'd stayed at on my last visit. I pointed this out to Eric.

"That's so long ago and such a dead issue," he said, "I wouldn't mind if it were the same hotel and the same room."

"I would," I told him.

"Forget it," he insisted. "It served a purpose, and look what's developed since. I don't think there are two people more in love than we are."

I kissed him and dropped the subject.

We'd studied the Senator from every possible angle. She was a conservative Democrat, fiscally responsible, and fairly liberal on social issues. Coming from San Francisco, she pretty much had to be. I felt fairly confident that she'd be sympathetic to our case, but we wouldn't know for sure until our meeting.

We were formally ushered into her office by an aide. She knew who we were, me from Metalco and Eric from the press he'd received as the "Wall Street Whiz Kid".

When she asked "What can I do for you gentlemen," the time had arrived.

As planned, I outlined our problem. I was brief and to the point, handing her the project summary, two pages, a copy of the Army's objection, and a copy of a newspaper article from the San Jose Mercury describing the need for what we were doing. I did NOT mention the Senator from North Carolina.

"This is highly unusual," she said. "I don't think the Army has any business getting involved in Local land use. They must have a very compelling reason." She thought for a minute.

"You say they won't provide any reasons for their action?" she asked.

"It's a matter of public record," Eric said. "An Army representative appeared at a Planning Commission Hearing and cited National Security in answer to every question, including who gave him orders to appear there."

"That's strange," she said. "I was under the impression that the Military's policy was to cooperate in every way possible with the communities they're located in."

"Everybody's pretty frustrated," Eric admitted.

"I'll bet YOU are! You've got a huge investment here. This whole thing doesn't sound right to me. I'm more than willing to look into this for you, and find out what's REALLY going on. How long will you be in Washington?"

"We'll stay as long as it takes," I told her.

"I don't know how long this is going to take," she said. "Do you have cell phones so you won't be tied down waiting?" We patted our pockets.

"That's great. I may have some questions," she said.

We gave her our numbers and thanked her for helping. The meeting was over.

"Waiting, my favorite occupation," I groused.

"We got step one accomplished, anyway," Eric laughed. "I feel a helluva lot better already."

"Me too, what do you want to do while we wait?"

"Let's go up to New York and see what Maurice's problem is. I don't think anything's going to happen for a day or two, and we've got the cell phones anyway."

"Good idea," I told him. "We'll just leave everything here. We've got clothes at the penthouse."

We gathered up Jacques and called Maurice. He wanted to meet us at the penthouse the minute we arrived.

The usually enthusiastic Maurice was really subdued. The kiss on the cheek that we got was mechanical.

"We've got problems," he said.

"What's the matter?" Eric asked.

"Money," Maurice said morosely.

"Is business falling off?" I asked.

"Not at all," he said, "we've been full every night since we opened, that's what I can't understand. Our provisioners now require that we pay when they deliver. I think the only ones getting paid are the waiters and cooks. Mark tells me there's no money in the bank."

"That's hard to believe," Eric said.

"How many covers a night?" I asked.

"More than 600," Maurice said.

"How much do you pay your provisioners?"

"That runs around $10,000 a day," he said.

"We've got a hemorrhage on our hands," I said. "Mark handles all the money, right?"

"Not much actual money," Maurice said. "Just about everybody uses credit cards."

I looked at Eric. "If we haul ass, we can get down to the bank before it closes. Let's go." I turned to Maurice. "Just stay here, we'll be back in an hour or less. We'll straighten this out."

We got there before they closed and got in to see one of the Bank Officers. After much fuss, showing our ID's and other red tape, it was finally established that we were indeed signers on the account. Once that was done, we opened a new account and transferred incoming credit card receipts to that one. We also requested copies of all transaction records and checks be sent immediately to the penthouse by messenger. It took a lot of arguing, but eventually the bank agreed to have everything we wanted delivered the following day, for a fee, of course.

"The leak's been plugged," I told Maurice when we got back.

"Do you think it's Mark?" he asked.

"We'll know for sure tomorrow," Eric told him. "Don't let him even know we're in town."

"I feel so terrible," Maurice moaned.

"Don't worry about a thing," Eric told him. "Remember, you worry about the food, we'll worry about everything else."

"Boy, can I ever pick 'em," Eric groaned. "what a fucking mess!"

"It's only money," I chuckled. "We may have a hard time getting it back, but if he's as stupid as it looks, it won't be hard to find. I'm going to call home and have them send an auditor."

Jacques brought us a drink and we planned our attack for the next day.

Maurice was there to let us into Mark's office. "We served 612 last night, I kept track," he told us.

Both of us started searching for records. Eric found the checkbooks, but we couldn't find any canceled checks. Other than paid and unpaid invoices, that's about all we did find.

Eric started through the checkbook while I rummaged around.

"Come here!" he yelled. "This guy is a real dumb shit. It looks like about a week after they opened, he started writing checks for 'supplies' every other day. They're round amounts, usually $50,000, and don't say who they're payable to."

"It'll be interesting to see the canceled checks, or the copies from the Bank. I'm going to look for paid invoices." There were none.

"Here's a total," he said, "$1,280,000, and he's only been at it for two months!"

"Don't you think we ought to bring in the police?" I asked.

"Let's wait until we see the checks. Surely he wouldn't have been stupid enough to write them to himself."

We took the checkbook and the invoices, locked up, and went back to the penthouse. The package from the Bank was waiting.

Copies of the checks were there, showing both sides. They were made out to Acme Distributors and endorsed with a rubber stamp. A rather "original" name, I thought.

We agreed that this was about as far as we could go ourselves, and it was time to call the fraud unit. Eric made the call and we waited.

A couple of plainclothes cops showed up and went over the evidence we had. They wanted to talk to Maurice too, so he came over.

Maurice confirmed that they didn't have a supplier named Acme Distributors, and the cops were convinced.

"For this kind of money, this guy will skip the minute there's any indication you're onto him," one of the cops commented. "We'd better pull him in on suspicion of embezzlement as fast as we can. We'll also freeze this 'Acme' account until we figure it all out. Might as well salvage what we can."

Nobody knew where Mark lived, so the cops would be waiting when he showed up for work.

"Can you get along without him tonight?" I asked Maurice.

"Philippe knows how," he said, brightening. "You'll see. Come for dinner and bring Jacques."

We spent the next hour filling out paperwork, and the cops left.

The auditor from the West Coast arrived and we took her along too.

The auditor worked with the police to reconstruct what'd taken place, Eric started looking for a replacement for Mark, and I worked on operating procedures that would protect us in the future.

Control of the cash was critical. From then on, it would be handled from the West Coast. A bit complicated, but safer for all concerned.

Arrangements were made for payroll, and Maurice and I visited his 6 major provisioners. We filled out Credit applications, throwing my financial strength behind the restaurant. All of them agreed to give us 30 day terms after they checked me out.

The police had determined that Acme Distributing was just a transfer account, but were digging further to try to find the money. Chances weren't good of ever recovering much.

Maurice's spirits were rising, and he was taking a serious interest in the "Business" end of the restaurant. So was Philippe, who showed a lot more knowledge than anyone expected.

Mark was arraigned and bound over for trial, bail was set so high that it was probable he'd be held until the trial.

Eric and I were talking with the auditor when my cell phone beeped. It was the Senator's office. When she came on, she was serious. "We've really opened up a can of worms," she said. "This could turn into a major scandal, and I'm calling to ask you not to talk to the press."

"No problem," I told her.

"We're still not sure what's going on, but I assure you we're going to find out. Are you still in Washington?"

"No, we're in New York," I said.

"I don't think we'll have much until next week. How fast can you get back to Washington if I need you?"

"Probably around three hours," I told her.

"That'd be fine. Just keep your cell phone charged," she laughed.

"We're 'on-call'," I assured her.

"Just a minute," she said. "I'm making a speech in New York on Sunday. If I have any news, I'll call you and maybe we can get together."

"We'll be available," I assured her.

"Was that who I think it was?" Eric asked after I clicked off.

"Yep," I grinned. "She's digging, and not liking what she's finding. Says we've 'opened a can of worms', and asked us not to talk to the press. Also says that a major scandal may be brewing. We may be getting together with her here on Sunday."

I apologised to the auditor for talking around her, and explained that we had a problem that we were working on.

We were committed to stay in New York until at least Sunday, and I had the Micron Board Meeting on Friday. Eric had already set up interviews for a new Restaurant Manager, so he'd be busy.

I decided to go over to New Jersey and see how everything was going. Bob was happy to see me, and had lots for "Show and Tell."

Construction on the new plant was complete and departments were being relocated. He was doing it in such a way that virtually no downtime was being experienced. The "older" new plant and the "new" new plants, connected together, made up a really enormous facility. It was a bit overwhelming to me to know that we had 47 of these around the Country in the Milton division alone.

Bob wanted to know if we'd reached a decision yet on the old plant. "It hasn't come up lately," I told him. "The Shopping Center was my daughter Annie's idea, and with everything else she's working on, I don't know if she's still interested. My other daughter just married an Architect, so he may be interested. Let me find out."

I'd noticed as we drove through that the area had become much more commercial in the last three years.

We talked about how the non-Union shop was working out. "I don't think Milton people have ever been happier," he said. "Production is up and turnover is almost nonexistant. It seems to me that the general feeling is they're happy to be a part of Metalco, but want to retain their 'Milton' identity."

He also mentioned that the Milton Managers were anxious to get together again, but with some of their Metalco counterparts.

The Micron Board meeting was routine until Greg introduced the main item on the agenda. Announcement of the new "SPY System."

After a lot of Market Research, it had been determined that it would be to Micron's advantage to announce the system and give a firm release date. This would generate interest, and then, details of the system would be parceled out until the system itself was released to the market.

December first had been set as the target release date. I had a question about that. "Are you absolutely sure you can meet that date?" I asked.

"Beta testing is progressing on schedule," Jerry responded. "We feel extremely confident that the finished product will be ready to go to production by November first, maybe before. We do NOT want to be like our competitors who have announced a new product release date, then pushed it back several times."

There was a lot of discussion with a lot of speculation about what Micron's stock would do. It was agreed that it'd go up, but how much was the question. The announcement was approved, pretty much a foregone conclusion.

"Better get your ass in gear," I told Eric. "Micron's going to release Spence's system December first, and we're only giving Lundborg Rush a month to get the stuff on the shelves."

He thought a minute. "We should be OK," he said, "IF everything goes according to schedule, it'll be a snap, but if the new equipment doesn't get here, we'll be running around the clock. At least, now we have something to shoot for and can plan accordingly."

"I have a couple of things for you, too," Eric said. "First, since it doesn't look like we'll be going back to Washington until later, Jacques took the shuttle down and picked up our stuff today.

"Second, we got lucky. Maurice has fallen in love with the Auditor, Sheila, who's checking out the books. He wants to keep her on as Manager. Not only has she been working all day in the office, but she's been coming in at night to help out, and in a few days, has just about taken over. She has the Accounting background and Maurice says he can teach her the ins and outs of the Restaurant business.

"I talked to her, and she jumped at the opportunity. She's single, no kids, and would like to give it a 30 day trial. Would that be OK with you?"

"Did you call Accounting to see if they could spare her?" I asked.

"Sure did. They said it could be arranged."

"Then, I think it's a great idea."

We spent a large part of Saturday with Sheila and Maurice.

It was late afternoon before we heard from the Senator. She would be staying at the Plaza, but didn't have a place to meet. I suggested she come to the penthouse.

She arrived at 10:00 AM sharp. Eric met her at the door and ushered her into the den.

She came directly to the point. "What I've found out so far is rather disturbing," she said. "I have a four star General at the Pentagon that I work very closely with. When I asked him about this base, he didn't even know it existed, so had to look it up and call me back.

"It's not even a 'base', merely a piece of land that the Army's had for a long, long time, and doesn't want to give up. The only structures on the property are a couple of empty warehouses, and the last time it was used for anything was a National Guard camp three years ago when their regular place was flooded. The property, I'd hardly call it a 'base', is under the command of the Army's Research Facility in Sunnyvale, and only because it's the closest active Army base around."

She paused to think. "I can't, for the life of me, see how a housing development could be a threat to something that doesn't exist. Neither can the General. Something is very wrong here, but we're going to get to the bottom of it.

"The General isn't satisfied with the answers he's getting from Sunnyvale, mostly run-around, so he's making a trip out there next week. We should have some answers by then, and I don't see any point in your waiting around. I'll let you know when there's any news."

"We'd appreciate that," I told her. "We can be back here on 24 hours notice."

to be continued.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I appreciate hearing your comments on the story, my writing, and anything you would like to offer - good or not so good. Send me a message at orrinrush@yahoo.com Plot suggestions particularly appreciated