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Our Tangled Web: Episode Five
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Hillssboro Beach Stanley Worthington pushed his chair back from his desk, got up slowly, and  walked over to the huge window, where he stood looking out over the beach and the ocean. There was Xsomething calming about looking at water. He wouldn't want to live where he couldn't look out at the water. Yet, in the twelve years that he had lived in the Hillsboro Beach house, he had never been in the ocean. He had walked barefoot on the beach and gotten his feet wet a few times, but he had never gone in the water. He didn't want to live by the water in order to get in the water. Wherever he lived, he could have a pool, and he did go into the pool, though he did that less and less frequently. He needed to be able to look out over the water, without knowing or caring why it made him feel better. His home office was utilitarian, hardly the opulent showcase one might expect, given the  substantial fortune that was managed from it. Stanley certainly wasn't out to impress anyone. Few people ever saw this office anyway, making the need to impress unnecessary in any case. The Worthington empire was hardly an ordinary, multinational conglomerate. When people asked Stanley what he did after leaving the CIA, he often replied that he did "odd jobs." In a way, that was true, for he certainly followed no routine. He had a vast network of contacts. Somehow--the details of the mechanism was his secret-these contacts let him know about deals in which a lot of money was to be made. Quite frequently, a sizeable outlay might be required, even apart from the cost of performing the job, for his ventures usually entailed a significant display of gratitude, often in advance. The generous returns on his investments invariably more than compensated for the hidden expenses and whatever risk might be involved.Stanley Worthington sat back down and picked up a document on his desk. He wasn't reading it. He had already read enough to make him get up and look out the window. He was trying to decide what, if anything, what he had read meant to him. He closed the manila folder over the document and tossed it into the top basket on the left of his desk, to be filed. He put his elbows on his desk, placed his right hand over his left hand, and rested his chin on his hands. He was still holding that position when his son, Roger came in.
"Anything wrong?" asked Roger. "No. Just thinking." "I'm out of here. I should be back Friday. I may getting in fairly late though," said Roger. "Keep me posted," said Stanley. "Don't commit to anything until we talk it over." "Don't worry. Got to run. Bye." "Have a good trip," said Stanley. "Close the door, if you don't mind." Once the door was closed, Stanley picked up his telephone and called Benjamin's office. Each of his children had a house in the Hillsboro Beach compound. Each house had an office for the owner and another, smaller office for an assistant. All had the latest computing and communication equipment, but Benjamin's computer system was like no other. "Good morning, Father," said Benjamin. "Morning," snapped Stanley. "I just looked over the 10-K for Reynolds Publishing. I see that William Cochran is the second largest shareholder, with just over twenty-five percent of the stock. He has held that stock for forty years. Did you know that?" "No," said Benjamin. "I didn't know anything about it." "I know that this could be just a coincidence, but here we are going into a venture with Reynolds and Cochran. Seeing this gives me the feeling that there might be something about this relationship that we should know." "I can understand why you would feel that way," said Benjamin. "You've been involved with William for years. Why don't you simply ask him about it?" "Think about it, Ben. If there is something bad involved, William would probably lie about it, and if there isn't something bad, it doesn't matter. In either case, unless he unexpectedly confessed something, we wouldn’t know anymore than we know now. We will just keep our eyes open, and I'll keep digging. It could mean nothing. It just strikes me as a little odd. That stock is worth a fortune today, and it was worth a bundle forty years ago. Somehow, I always thought he had married into money. While we were talking recently, he said something about his fortieth anniversary coming up. That means he bought this stock before he got married. I know I tend to be overly suspicious, but I also know that I'm usually right. I'm really looking forward to making this Bock Cay thing work, and I don't want anything to ruin it for us. This could be the most important venture we ever undertake." "Having our own country is pretty overwhelming," said Benjamin. "I think the financial implications are so great that it is difficult to imagine them all." "Even if we didn't make a cent from Bock Cay, it could be the most important step we ever take," said Stanley. His tone was ominous. "What do you mean?" asked Benjamin, recognizing the change in his father's voice and knowing that he was speaking very seriously. "Things are bad and going to get a lot worse all over the world," said Stanley, "but especially in the USA. Having a country of our own could mean the difference between staying where we are financially and ruin, but more importantly it could even mean the difference between survival and extinction for our family. Probably less than three or four percent of Americans are remotely aware of what is going on. A tiny fraction of those have a vague idea of the fact that there are those who possess a lion's share of the entire wealth of this planet, and they have their own ideas of how things should be and the power to force their ideas on the rest of the world. We are part of a tiny fraction of that tiny fraction because we are on the fringes of the insiders. We are perhaps in the third tier on the pyramid of power and wealth. Because of our connections, we know quite a bit about the plans for planet earth, but even we don't know the details of the strategy for implementation of those plans. We have made a fortune capitalizing on what information we are privy to. We have not only escaped ruin in this so-called economic melt down, but we have gained substantially. Believe me when I say that this crisis was engineered. I can't say it was carefully engineered, because I don't think you can carefully engineer such a thing. You just set the charges and light the fuse and see what happens. We know, sort of, who is at the top of the pyramid, but as you so wisely said a long time ago, they can't always be sure what will happen when they make a major move. Really, I don't think they much care, as long as they aren't caught in their own quagmire. However, because of a lot of inbreeding, I think they are a few points below normal on the I.Q. scale, and they may just may end up with some disastrous unintended consequences that may be a depression that makes the Great Depression seem like boom times, a worldwide plague, or even, God forbid, a nuclear world war. Nothing and no one below the top of the pyramid is safe from these people, and they may stupidly wipe themselves out. Recently, a lot of people in high places are being either sacrificed or going down as collateral damage. We Worthingtons are small enough that we don't matter to the powers that be any more than any faceless, homeless person on skid row matters to them, meaning not at all. If they planned a false flag attack on the U.S.--which is a strong possibility these days--the only reason they wouldn't nuke Hillsboro Beach is that it offers no benefit for them. However they might nuke Miami or somewhere between Miami and Fort Lauderdale to get the most for their money, and that would be the end of us. We could be set up like a number of others have been for prosecution and ruin, just as a distraction to take people's minds off whatever little project they are in the process of foisting off on the citizens. In the past, there was a certain honor among thieves, but those days have passed and now, it's every man for himself. The best thing about having our own country is that we get out of this one, and , while nothing can eliminate the threat of the power elite, we would at least minimize it. Now you see why I am so hell-bent on getting this project to work. Like I said, there is probably nothing wrong with William holding so much Reynold's stock. Just file it away in your mind, and be on the alert for any other unusual things. "Will do," said Benjamin. "I wouldn't mention any of this to the the Cochrans or the Reynolds," said Stanley. "Although I imagine the Reynolds are pretty well informed and pretty damned smart, as well. What are you up to, Ben?" "When you called, I was talking with Alex Reynolds about the meeting the day after tomorrow. We can have it here, his place, or somewhere in between. Do you have any preference?" "Is William coming?" "No. Joshua Adams will be there. He's pretty sharp. You do remember that, instead of Simon, he will be representing the Cochrans, don't you?" "Yes, I remember. I've met him, but not enough to have formed an opinion of him. If you say he's sharp, he must be. Going down there might give us a chance to get a better look at the Reynolds. Will they put us up or would we have to find a place to stay?" "I don't know," said Benjamin. "Tell him we'll go there. Tell him we want to check them out a little more thoroughly." "Yeah, sure. Okay. Talk to you later." Little Torch Key "I've heard that the property taxes here in the Keys are outrageous," said Stanley, as he walked out onto the expansive, covered terrace of the Reynolds home on Little Torch Key. "You heard right," said John Reynolds. "We have the highest rates in Florida, and probably one of the highest in the nation. It is creating some serious problems, apart from having to pay the taxes. In Key West, for example, working people can't afford to live there or even within reasonable commuting distance. It is getting harder and harder to get law enforcement, teachers, et cetera, A number of them are commuting from Miami now, and that is over an hour and a half away. I don't know how the waiters and waitresses do it. High taxes are only half the problem. Home insurance payments are about equal to the taxes." "I would hate to think of tax and insurance being higher than it is where I live," said Stanley. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I get so damned mad, every time I think about it. Between tax and insurance, I'm shelling out nearly five hundred dollars a day. A day!" "I read the other day," said Frances, who was listening to their conversation, "that the smallest little bungalow on Key West is paying 25,000 dollars a year in tax and insurance, which is well above what it cost when it was new." "Think of some poor couple that bought a place down here for their retirement, and now, they can't afford to live in it," said Alex. "Since the tax rate is in no way related to any services provided by the county, it is purely plunder and nothing else. I think they may be trying to make the place more exclusive. They did something like that in Cedar Key on the West Coast of Florida. It was a sleepy little town before people from Gainesville moved in on it. When they got enough new people there to get their candidates elected, they raised the taxes so high that most of the locals had to move out. Now, it is a weekend getaway for the elite of Gainesville. At least, that is what I've heard. I haven't been there for years." "I don't suppose we will have insurance on our buildings down on Bock Cay Archipelago," said John. "I would think it would be even higher than here in the Keys." "You had better design our buildings to stand up to those hurricanes, young lady," said Stanley, turning to Frances. "We can't afford to replace them every few years." "There are two ways of approaching it," said Frances. "You could build things cheap enough that you can replace them when they blow away, or you can build them strong enough and expensive enough that you don’t have to replace them. You have to figure out which costs the most. In some cases, tiki huts might be perfectly suitable. I've been thinking about those too. There may be a way to make even a tiki hut hurricane resistant, or sort of hurricane-adaptable. Sometimes, I wonder if people ever really think about how they do things, or just keep doing them the same way they have always done them, without thinking." "I believe that most people don't think much at all, or if they do think, they only think in terms of being a follower, never a leader or an innovator," said Benjamin. "A great many people are reluctant to be seen as different, even when they know everyone else is wrong. They will prefer being wrong to being different." "I am afraid that you are accurately describing the majority of people," said John. "What a sad commentary that is on the human race." "If we don't get busy, people will be able to make a sad commentary on us," said Stanley. "Even worse, because, theoretically, we know better." “Well put,” said John. Everyone sat down around a large table, and went to work. Benjamin reported that he had established a Bahamian Corporation. He had insisted the address be a Bock Cay address, even though everyone had said a Nassau address would be preferable. Finally, he had gotten his way. He said that the acquisition of the property was essentially a done deal. "I negotiated the price down to ten million, three hundred thousand dollars," said Benjamin, "which is two million, two hundred thousand under the asking price. I put down a hundred and fifty thousand dollar refundable deposit. It took five thousand to accelerate the process, which I think is cheap. If all goes well, we should have the closing in around ten days." "I suppose there is nothing like title insurance in the Bahamas," said Joshua. "There is title insurance in the Bahamas," said Benjamin. "It costs about a quarter of a percent of the price of the property. There is, however, a ten percent sales tax on Bahamian real estate purchases." "Ten percent is pretty steep on a transaction of this size," said John. "Don't forget," said Ben, "that in the Bahamas, there is no income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, or sales tax other than on real property. They have to get their money somewhere. Oh, there is a property tax that approaches two percent on property of our caliber." Stanley started to say something, but stopped short after two words, "Well, then--." "Well, then, what?" asked Benjamin. "Nothing," said Stanley. "Forget it." "Not much more," said Benjamin. "I told them that we had our own architect, a specialist in hurricane-proof architecture. They tell me that there are some strict building codes in the Bahamas, and I said we would meet or exceed their standards for hurricane preparedness, and I hoped they wouldn't prevent us from making our buildings more hurricane proof to meet a lesser standard. I got some pretty strong promises along those lines. We do however have to have all our plans signed by a Bahamian architect. We need to find one and buy him outright. I am supposed to get a list of possible candidates. I said I wanted a young, progressive, open-minded architect, and preferably a very good one. Sorry, Frances." "Don't be sorry," said Frances. "Don't forget that I just graduated. I may have a lot of theory down pat, but I would be glad to have someone with experience to work with. A good, experienced architect can save me a lot of learning by doing. He may save us a lot of money in the long run. It's not that I don't feel competent or capable, but studying about eating isn't the same thing as eating. If you know what I mean." "We know exactly what you mean, young lady," said Stanley. "It does my heart good to see a young person that doesn't think they know everything already." "I guess that is it for me," said Benjamin. "Who wants to go next? Father?" "I don't mind," said Stanley, "but before I say anything, there is something we have to resolve. We made an agreement before we left down there about who was to be in on confidential matters. There are two people here right now that were not included in that agreement. We need to resolve that. Joshua is supposed to be replacing Simon as the Cochran representative. Isn't that right, Joshua?" "Yes, it is," said Joshua. "I will be representing the Cochran interests, although I can obviously be overridden by my employer at any time." "Then you will be included in the agreement," said Stanley. "My grandson, Phillip, wants to be a part of this thing. Isn't that right, Phillip?" "Yes," said Phillip. "Let's get it settled before we decide whether you can stay in this meeting or have to go," said Stanley. "Tell them about yourself, Phillip. Let's see where you might fit in, if you do." Phillip stood up. "I am Phillip Worthington. This is my father." He turned to Benjamin. "This is my grandfather," he said, indicating Stanley. “I just graduated from the Booth School of Business. I was third in my class. I would like to be a part of this endeavor if there is a place for me in it. I have several reasons for wanting that. First of all, I would rather work with my own family that I know and trust. I like what I have seen of the others in this group, and I’m sure that, in this environment, I could spend all my time concentrating on the job to be done, instead of having to watch my back all the time, as I would in some corporate position elsewhere. Of course, I could have a position in some other phase of the family business. However, I have been to the Bock Cay Archipelago, and I am hooked on it. I must have inherited my father's penchant for islands. Last, but not least, the nation is in a severe economic decline. Thousands of highly qualified people are losing their jobs. The job market for MBA's has never been worse, and it is a buyer's market, so to speak." He paused and looked around. "That is about it." "Although it may not be common knowledge, I saw that the Booth School of Business was ranked number one in the nation," said John. "Being third in your class in the top school in the nation is quite a feat." "Tell them about the extra courses you took and why," said Stanley. "I took an extra thirty-six credits in higher mathematics, over and above those required for my degree," said Phillip. "Why did you do that?" asked John, when he sensed Phillip wasn't going to say why. "I read a novel about the smartest man on earth, and he majored in mathematics. He said that he essentially never used the mathematics he learned after high school, but he would not have majored in anything else, because mathematics teaches you problem-solving like no other subject can. You have to look at things from every possible angle to see how to approach them to get the solution you seek. I have to say that seems to be true. Problem solving is about all that you do all the time in mathematics. It would be difficult to find anything that approaches it, although I suspect that physics, may be good too, although not as good." "What was the book that you read about the smartest man on earth?" asked John. "I might enjoy reading that." "The title is "The Place to Stand," said Phillip, "and I imagine you would enjoy it very much. It isn't in print, you have to get it from the Internet." "I'll find it," said John. "Well," said Stanley, "can we use Phillip on a permanent basis, or should he take a walk, while we discuss confidential matters?" "I appreciate Phillip's candor," said Joshua, "I would think that in a project of this magnitude there would be any number of positions that he could fill. If nothing of more interest to you comes up, Phillip, I’m sure that I could use some help in the near future. I don't expect to be able to dedicate all my time to this project, and I could use a second in command that would be on top of things and fill in for me when I can't be there. I don't know if that would interest you or not, but it is there if nothing better comes along." "Thank you," said Phillip. "I appreciate your offer." "In that case," said Stanley, "everyone here at this table has a need to know about the Par 3 Golf Course." "I'm up to speed on that," said Joshua. "Mr. Cochran filled me in." "Why don't you tell Phillip about it, Frances," said Stanley. "It was your idea, after all, and a very beautiful idea it was." Frances went over the plan to dig up the documents proving that the Bock Cay Archipelago wasn't a part of the Bahamas, but a separate, sovereign nation, ceded to Sir Francis Drake, in return for services rendered to the Crown. "Later, I asked myself, why not have the papers show that England pledged to protect the sovereign nation from aggressors. Since then, I have wondered if we couldn't include a few surrounding islands, that would naturally belong or appear to belong to someone else, and we could magnanimously offer to purchase them at a fair price, if one had previously been established or cede them over to the present titleholder. That would make it seem even less like some scam that we had set up to take a lot of land away from the Bahamas." "You just keep amazing me, young lady," exclaimed Stanley. "I love the way you think." "Wow," said Phillip. "You thought all that up, Frances? Somehow, I would never have suspected you would come up with an idea like that." "I suspect that, like you, Phillip, she has a thing for problem-solving," said Benjamin. "Perhaps architecture is good mental exercise too. The day before, we had been talking about how wonderful it would be to be able to buy the archipelago and actually own it, completely, free of all government regulation and control. We had said that the value of the project would increase enormously. However, we all agreed that it was impossible to start a sovereign nation anymore, and if it had been possible, someone would have done it. Apparently, impossible isn't a word that this young lady likes to accept. Isn't that right, Frances?" "More or less," said Frances. "It never really occurred to me that we would do it. At first, I was merely looking for a way to accomplish what everyone had said was impossible. When I hit on the idea, I thought it over, and I was quite concerned that it was dishonest. I mentioned it to my grandfather. He thought about it for a while. Then he told me it might be illegal from the Bahamian government's point of view, but there, legal doesn’t mean right and illegal doesn’t mean wrong. He mentioned that the claim that the Bahamian Government had on the archipelago was legal, but how moral or right was it? They just got our islands and most of the others as part of an agreement with England, who stole them by armed robbery from the Indians, by killing off most of them. It's not like the Bahamian government or the British bought them from anyone, in a fair and open transaction. You aren’t stealing something unless you take it from its rightful owner, without his freely granted permission. Rightful owner in this case is not the legal owner. That made sense to me." "I can see how it would," said Phillip, looking at her with increased admiration. Stanley took a mental note of the intensity of Phillip's apparent admiration of Frances. "Well, now that we all know what we are talking about when we talk about the Par 3 Golf Course, and it should be easy to see why we use a code name, let me tell you where it stands. I have two possible sources for the documents. Both of them seem very well qualified. They are both doing preliminary work on getting a scrap of a document from the same period so that they have some authentic paper and ink to work from. I thought we might let them both do a test document, like a letter from some famous person and let someone completely isolated from us be a collector who wants them authenticated, and have him send them to an expert. That way we can get a grade on the work of each of our candidates." "Very good thinking, Stanley," said Alex. “I like that idea.” "I also have three people in England digging into history to find out if any similar thing happened," Stanley continued. "If it did, we'll try to find out all we can about it, but we have to be careful not to make any waves and not to be in any way, however remote, connected with the people doing the research. It would be nice to use similar wording and form. They are also looking for any hints of any obligations to Sir Francis Drake, since we have a Drake descendant among us, albeit far removed. I think it is a bit early to be looking for people to insert the documents into the national archives. I do have someone working on finding out what kind of archives the Bahamas actually have, how far they go back, how extensive they are, and so on. Naturally, none of these people have the slightest idea that they are doing this for me. Even the people they are doing it for, don't know that I am involved in any way. We can't be seen as connected with any of this stuff in any way whatsoever, or we will fail miserably and possibly end up in jail. Even if they discover that the documents are not real, they won't be able to connect them to us. We will have simply dug up some documents that someone else hid there sometime in the past. Probably long before we had anything to do with the archipelago." "You have been busy, Stanley," said John. "How about you, Alex?" asked Benjamin. "Any news for us?" "I had no assignment to undertake," said Alex. "This meeting should remedy that. However, I haven't been entirely idle, waiting for a task. I worked on some marketing strategies. Once we know a little better what we are going to do, I can start mentioning it in The Vantage Point. I would suggest a grand opening celebration. We might even have several grand openings. Each casino or hotel could have a grand opening, with the first being a resort grand opening too. That gives us a lot of free publicity each time. We just put out a press release and it gets printed. We can invite some big names, some for their wealth, some in politics, some gamblers, some merely for their celebrity. That would get us known quicker in the right places. I was also thinking that we might want to do some advance selling to the Bahamian Prime Minister and anyone else who can be of help when the time comes that we really need friends in high places. We might want to give them a house or apartment or something. I would imagine they already feel that the day may come when they might need a place of refuge. I could do some of the research that you need, Stanley." "Don't even think about it," said Stanley. "Don't look on the Internet for anything remotely related to the Par 3 Golf Course. Don't type the words into your computer or let anyone working for you type in suspicious words. The government has a couple of programs that most people are infected with, like one called Magic Lantern. I forget the names of the others. They are passed over by the anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. They keep track of every keystroke you make on your computer and can be accessed by the government on almost every computer that is connected to the Internet. If you have anything you want kept secret, don't keep it on a computer that will ever have Internet access, and keep it encrypted and hidden. Ben can give you some pointers on computer security." "We can talk about that later," said Benjamin. "As soon as we get our updates out of the way, we can go into planning and distribution of activities. You are new, Joshua. Have you anything to report for yourself or William?" "I have been in contact with Benjamin and Alex about what is happening," said Joshua. "I have also thought quite a bit about what has to be done, along the lines of organization, planning, and communication. I still haven't seen the Bock Cay Archipelago, and I need to go on the next trip there. I assume we will have a survey, at least a rough one, so that we can make a layout and possibly a model. I think it is imperative that we have a good manager or project engineer to pull things together. No offense, but among those present, I don't see anyone with both the ability and the time. I am assuming that most of you are not going to give up your jobs and other activities to concentrate on this." "You are right," said John. "I have thought about that myself. Running this project is going to require a strong manager, one we can trust implicitly too." "I have overseen the building of banks and a couple of shopping centers," said Joshua. "I can tell you that you should have someone who has a working knowledge of the various branches of the construction industry. If not, you can have some serious problems, as well as some expenses you could otherwise avoid." "Could you handle it, Joshua?" asked Benjamin. "I could," said Joshua, "but I got the impression that my work on this project was in addition to my other responsibilities. Running this project will be a full time job, and then some." "Let me call William and see about it," said Stanley, pulling out his cell phone. He called William. "Hello, William. Stanley. We are here at the Reynolds' place in the Keys. We need a strong full time manager for the project. None of us can work full time on this any more than you can. How about your man, Joshua? Do you think he's up to it?" He waited for an answer. There was none. "Are you there, William?" "I was thinking about it," said William. "He is perhaps the most valuable person I have working for me. I don't know if I can do without him." He sounded genuinely concerned. He was. He had already had some second thoughts about letting Joshua work in such close contact with the Reynolds. Now Stanley wanted to put him in even closer and more constant contact with them. "If we have to get someone outside," said Stanley, "we will have a hard time keeping them from knowing about the Par 3 Golf Course. Obviously, you trust Joshua, since you told him about it already. Why not let him do it, and if some emergency comes up, he can spare a little time to bail you out?" "All right," said William. "Put him on. Let me talk to him." "Here, Joshua," said Stanley, handing him the phone. "He wants to talk to you." "Hello, Mr. Cochran," said Joshua. "Joshua, can you, will you take this on full time and manage it?" "Yes, sir. If that is what you want me to do." "If some emergency comes up, I may have to borrow you for a brief time," said William. "I understand," said Joshua. "I'll keep that in mind." "Okay," said William. "Go to it. Keep me up to date at all times, the best you can." "Yes, sir, Mr. Cochran. I certainly will." "I'll be hearing from you soon then. Good luck, Joshua. Good bye." "Goodbye, Mr. Cochran," said Joshua. Handing the phone to Stanley, he said, "It looks like I'm elected." Stanley stood up. "Sit here, Joshua, at the head of the table. You are the boss, so to speak. We won't give you a hard time unless we feel we have to. Each of us is an expert in his field. We are all in this together, and we're at your disposal, as much as we can be." Joshua sat down at the head of the table, and in no time, things started becoming organized. Plans were made. Tasks were assigned. Deadlines were set. When the meeting broke up for dinner, John approached Joshua. "I think I speak for everyone, Joshua. I'm delighted that you took the job of managing this project. I am very impressed with the way you are handling it already." "Thank you, Mr. Reynolds," said Joshua. "Drop the 'Mr. Reynolds,'" said John. "Call me John. You are managing us. I understand that we are the investors and you are an employee, but as I see it, you are one of us. Call me 'John.'" "Call me 'Stanley,'" said Stanley, who had overheard the conversation as he walked by. "I'll try," said Joshua. "It's a fairly strong habit. Don't be upset if I slip up once in a while." "We'll remind you," said John. "Take your time.” Calling out to the Worthingtons that were leaving for their quarters, he said, “We are not sticklers for starting dinner on time." Turning back to Joshua, he asked, "Is your room alright, Joshua?” "Oh yes. It's beautiful. I love the tropics. I know I'm going to like the Bock Cay Archipelago." "We are all a bunch of island nuts," said John. "Alex, here, especially," he said as Alex walked up to them. "You are dong a great job so far, Joshua,' said Alex. "I could use someone with your drive and ability in Reynolds Publishing." "My mother used to work for Reynolds Publishing," said Joshua. "She was surprised when I told her that I was coming down here to Little Torch Key to spend a few days with the Reynolds." "Really," said John. "What did your mother do for us?" "She was a sort of administrative assistant, for the head of the company." "Adams. Is your mother Alice Adams?" asked John. "Yes," said Joshua. "Did you know her?" "Of course I knew her," said John. "I knew her very well. How is she?" "She's getting on in years," said Joshua. "Sometimes she forgets things, but most of the time, she's fine. I think it's getting worse slowly.” "Alex knew her too," said John. "He was so small he probably doesn't remember her. Your mother was wonderful to me. When I went to see my father, she was so sweet to me. I lost my mother when I was quite young, and I think I looked at your mother as a mother figure, even though she was probably close to my age. When I had to wait to get in to see my father, she would talk with me. She would ask about my school, my girlfriends, and all the things that I thought a mother would have asked about. You tell your mother that she must come with you sometime when you come down here. Maybe she would like to go to the Bock Cay Archipelago too." "I'll ask her," said Joshua. "She will be happy to know that you have such fond memories of her. I think she is very sweet, too, but I admit to being quite biased. I'd better run and get cleaned up for dinner. Even if you aren't sticklers for punctuality, I don't want to be the one holding things up. I'll see you shortly." "He seems very nice," said Alex, when he was left alone with his father on the terrace. "I think he will be great at running this show." "So far, I have to agree," said John, “but it is early. He just started.” "I was thinking," said Alex. "It would be nice to have a boat down at Bock Cay, and we seldom use ours lately. Perhaps we should offer to let it be taken down there. It would provide extra sleeping quarters and maybe avoid having to go down to Georgetown every evening." "Not a bad idea. How long would it take to get it there?" "I'd think about twenty-four hours nonstop," said Alex. "We can bring it up at dinner," said John. "We'd better be getting ready ourselves. Let me see if I can find your mother." He stuck his head in the office. There was no one there. He went upstairs to their bedroom. There he found her, getting dressed. "Anything important happening in the world?" he asked. "Depends on what you consider important," she said. "Madoff, the guy that ripped his clients off to the tune of fifty billion dollars is under house arrest, restricted to his seven million dollar apartment. Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment, doesn't it?" "Meanwhile, some guy who shoplifts a little food to take home to the kids is locked up for a couple of years," said John. "Didn't they have some black guy in prison in Georgia for thirty years or so for stealing a candy bar when he was young?" "I remember something like that," she said, "but I don't recall what was stolen, the sentence, or even the state. I do remember that he was black. That was some time ago. Let me see what I can find here." After a minute or two, she exclaimed. "Good Lord, it is a lot more common than I would have thought, and I'm no Pollyanna. Here's a man named Junior Allen, released after serving thirty-five years of a life sentence for stealing a TV. A man in Texas was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for stealing a candy bar., and I see several others put in prison for lesser terms for stealing candy bars. We should do some research on this. Maybe there would be a good article in it." "There are no end of injustices," said John. Oh, yes, the governor of Illinois isn't resigning, and it seems that they may have jumped the gun, as he may not have broken any law yet. He is supposed to have tried to sell Obama's senate seat, but he hasn't made a deal. Finally, Time has noticed that the global warming scare may be just that: a scare. It is online and not in print, as far as I know, but still, it is Time and it is flirting with the facts for a change" "Don't tell me that Time is balking at following the stupid line that the cooling is proof of warning." "Maybe they have a new person that is unfamiliar with the doublespeak technique," said Martha. "I'll watch for a retraction. Why is it that whenever anyone mentions Time magazine, I always think of Whitaker Chambers?" "Probably for the same reason that you think of music when someone mentions Beethoven," said John. "It is certainly strange for them to come out on the side of truth, when that truth is contrary to the normal brainwashing position." He opened the closet and looked around, deciding what to wear for dinner. "Let's hurry up and we can get in a little work before the festivities begin." "Sounds good to me," said Martha. ***
"Is this the vantage point from which you create your successful Vantage Point magazine?" asked Stanley as he stuck his head in the open door. "It's where we manage it, if you can call what we do managing," said John. "We do some of the writing and research here too. Not very impressive, is it?" "I am well aware that these days you can run an empire from a computer on the Internet," said Stanley. "I'm no guru like Benjamin is, but I have a tremendous respect for what these machines make possible. I know enough about them to wish I knew a lot more. Excuse me, if I am interrupting you in your work. I was just going downstairs and I saw you in here." "Not at all," said Martha. "We were checking the news. That can be so depressing that an interruption can be most welcome." "Believe me, I know that feeling," said Stanley. "We get all our news from the Internet too. If I ever look at television news, it's to see what isn't happening. From your comment, I take it there's not much good news today." "It depends on your point of view," said John. "Time Magazine may be questioning the validity of claims of global warming. To me that is good news, in that common sense might be overruling policy." "I take it you don't subscribe to the global warming idea," said Stanley. "What I don't subscribe to," said John, "is blaming civilization for global warming. There is no concrete evidence of global warming during my lifetime. The hottest year on record was 1934. The population is several times what it was then, and the number of automobiles is dozens of times what it was then. However, we haven't matched 1934’s temperature yet, three quarters of a century later. That doesn't exactly indicate alarming global warming. It doesn't imply global warming at all." "You have to give them credit for trying," said Stanley. "The United Nations wants to tax fossil fuel users, meaning the wealthier nations. No use trying to tax the poor ones, is there? They have to have some reason people will accept. If they just put on a U.N. income tax, people would be up in arms. This way, they are taxing the rich corporations and industrialists. Everyone will love that, not realizing for an instant that they are the ones paying the tax. Somehow people have a hard time realizing that companies that sell things to the public don't pay taxes, their customers pay them. The taxes are part of the cost of the product, and included in the selling price, just the same as the cost of raw materials. It is so simple a third grader should understand it, but it seems beyond the capacity of most people." "I tend to think that common sense is a misnomer," said Martha. "It is so uncommon these days." "Things are the way they are," said Stanley. "The events of the world and the events of our lives are results of the way things really are, not results of the way people think they are or the way people are told they are. If you don't change the way things really are, you won't have any effect on those events. Intelligent people will be aware of that and plan accordingly. Ignorant and stupid people spend their lives oblivious of what is going on, or why it is going on, or both. One day, their lives end without having really begun. You come to expect that from most people, but sometimes--maybe quite often--you will see people in high places that you know to be intelligent doing things that seem downright stupid. When that happens, you need to check your premises. Smart people don’t get to high places by doing stupid things. They are probably doing something very smart, but they are working toward a very different goal than the one you assumed they had in mind. These people are in high positions because they know the way the world really is, and they use it to their advantage." "I have a feeling that you have just imparted some serious wisdom to us," said John. "I’ll stash that away." Stanley merely smiled. "Alex suggested that it might be handy to have a boat down at Bock Cay," said John. "Until we get more sleeping quarters there, it means traveling back and forth to Georgetown, or possibly some closer key. We haven't been using our boat much lately, and we wouldn't miss it much, and it would provide some extra quarters, plus providing a way to go back and forth to the store without a plane." "That's a good idea," said Stanley. "We have a couple in the family too. How many can you sleep on yours?" "Ten with two to a room," said John. "If push comes to shove, we can sleep several more." "Look," said Stanley. "I've got this wave-piercing baby that sleeps twenty-eight. I Imagine yours is a conventional yacht. This boat is like nothing you've ever seen. I named her the Silver Sovereign. It's a futuristic thing, 479 feet long and pretty narrow. The best thing though is that it can go a max of fifty knots an hour and cruises at forty" “Wow,” said John. “That is more than double the cruising speed of ours” "Four hundred and seventy-nine feet," exclaimed Martha. "It is almost a cruise ship." "It is pretty big," said Stanley. "I would never have bought something so big, but I love it, now that I have it. I took it as part of a debt payment from someone who was almost destroyed in the economic meltdown. It came to me on fairly decent terms. With all the hurricanes they have going through that region, it might be nice to have something that can outrun them. If there is a storm coming up, it would be good to be able to take off at forty or fifty miles an hour in front of a storm that is moving at ten or twelve miles an hour. While it only normally handles twenty-eight or less guests, you could squeeze a lot of people on it in an emergency. Furthermore, it goes through huge waves with no problem, that's why they call it a wave-piercer. I call her the Silver Sovereign." "I never heard of anything like it," said John. "I'd love to see it. What kind of a range does it have?" "Around three thousand miles at forty knots per hour," said Stanley. "Quite a bit better than that at twenty knots. I guess you can look at it as being more for traveling than for simple cruising, although it isn't exactly uncomfortable. I suppose if Joshua is going to manage this, we should let him make the decision. We don't need to pull our rank on him unless it has to be done." "I agree wholeheartedly," said John. "One second and we'll go down with you." He closed a few windows on his computer. "Are you ready, too, Martha?" he asked. "I guess I am," said Martha, standing up. Downstairs, they found about half of the group waiting for them on the terrace. "Ben and I have been here for some time," said Alex. "We have been bringing each other up do date on what we have been doing in the last thirty years. Right, Ben?" "A summary, I guess you might say," said Benjamin. "Not enough to write a biography." "Ruth and Mark got back from Key West," said Alex. "I came down as they got in. They are upstairs getting ready for dinner." "My goodness," said Stanley. "I assume that will be Congressman Mark Richardson, the libertarian." "None other," said John. "Here comes Joshua. We can talk to him about sending a boat down to Bock Cay." He motioned to Joshua, and the three of them talked a few minutes about the idea of a boat. "Sounds very good to me," said Joshua. "I would love to see your boat, Stanley. When could you have it down there?" "Tell you what,” said Stanley, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. "Let me call and see if they can get the crew together and get her on the way down here this evening or late tonight. If it's agreeable with everyone, we can take her down tomorrow. Everyone can get to know her and we can fly back. We are all coming back to South Florida, so the plane doesn't have to go much out of the way. You really need to see the archipelago, Joshua. We can work on the way down, at least part of the time, just as we would have here. My son-in-law is in Florida for a few days. He said that he would love to see it. Maybe he can come down on the boat. Maybe one or two others." While Stanley was busy talking, the others quickly decided that if Stanley could arrange it, they were ready to travel to Bock Cay the next day. Genevieve and Clark, who had been visiting friends earlier, came down and were introduced around. Stanley handed the phone to John, saying, "Jerry Hall, the captain is ready to bring her down. Can you tell him how to get here and where he might moor the boat?" "Sure," said John, taking the phone. "Joshua," said Stanley, "you might want to contact William and see if he or some of his family are interested enough in flying down here to go with us tomorrow morning." "Will do,” said Joshua. “Today is his birthday. I can wish him a happy birthday while I'm at it," "Tell him everyone here sends their greetings too," said Stanley. Joshua took out his cell phone and walked over to a corner of the terrace for a little privacy. "Hello, Mr. Cochran," he said, when William answered in New York. "Stanley Worthington is having his boat sent down to the Reynolds' place. It's a very fast boat with a lot of room. There are a number of us going down to Bock Cay tomorrow. Mr. Worthington thought you might want to go, or some of your family might want to go. We are leaving tomorrow morning, so that means pretty much dropping everything and coming down tonight or early in the morning. I also want to wish you a happy birthday, and everyone here sends their best wishes for many happy returns." "Thank you, Joshua, very much. To tell the truth, except for my wife, my family thinks it is beneath them to spend time on the Bock Cay project. They would go if I ordered them to, but not of their own free will. Of course, they don't know the implications of the Par 3 Golf Course. But, I'm not about to tell them that." "How about you, Mr. Cochran? Would you like to come?" asked Joshua. He explained a little about the boat. "At forty miles an hour, it will take less than eight hours, and we will be discussing the project on the way, so it will be a working cruise, you might say. We’ll fly back on the Worthington’s plane." He knew now that the job he had representing the Cochran interests in the Bock Cay project had been offered to the three Cochran brothers, and they had turned it down. When the archipelago became an independent nation, and its importance grew astronomically, they would hate themselves. It made him smile to think of it. "Let me think about it a little while," said William. "I'll call you back." "Very well," said Joshua. "By the way, the boat is at the Worthington's in Hillsboro Beach. It will leave from there. If you decided to go and could get there before they leave, you could probably come down on the boat and sleep there. I imagine it is quite comfortable. I'm sure Mr. Worthington would arrange for someone to pick you up at a nearby airport and take you to the boat or you could take a taxi." "Thanks for thinking of me, Joshua. I'll get back to you shortly." The migration to the dining table had begun, and people were being seated. He went to join them.  "This is a beautiful table," said Benjamin, "Rachel would love it. What kind of wood is it?""We don't know for certain," said Martha. "I bought it at an estate sale. The auctioneer said he thought it was teak, but he wasn't sure. Two other people have guessed the same thing, so it is quite possible that is what it is." "By the way," said Stanley, "my son-in-law David Gardner and my wife Janet are coming down with the boat. My daughter Geraldine is coming with her husband." "Mr. Cochran may come too," said Joshua. "He will let me know shortly. I told him that if he wanted to come, he might hurry down to Fort Lauderdale or Pompano and someone might be able to pick him up, or he could take a taxi to your place and come down on the boat. It depends on when they are leaving. I hope that was all right." "Of course it was all right. They will leave when I tell them to leave," said Stanley. "He needs to make his mind up soon though." "Genevieve and I would like to go too, if possible," said Clark. "We are dying to see it, after seeing all the photos and hearing so many wonderful things about it." "How many can you take on your boat, Stanley?" asked John. "We can take a lot more than we'll have. No problem there," said Stanley. "The problem comes with sleeping, but the trip should take less than eight hours, and there is room on Bock Cay. You know Bock better, Ben. What quarters have we there?" "Three bedrooms," said Benjamin. "Three couples can sleep in the house on Bock Cay. The Silver Sovereign can sleep up to twenty-eight guests, and if some young people are willing to rough it, we could sleep several more. That means that, altogether, we can comfortably sleep thirty-four and, if need be, maybe forty or so. I count sixteen at this table. Three more coming make nineteen and if William comes twenty, so I don't see any problem. We can eat and sleep on board. Space is no problem." "Excellent," said John. "You and Clark are going with us tomorrow, Ginny." He wasn't too happy that Clark was going, but he wanted Genevieve to go, and he couldn't very well take her and not take her husband. ***
Sutton Place At the Cochran's home, on Sutton Place, William joined everyone on the terrace. It was their weekly family get-together, and they were having cocktails before dinner. He watched them mingling and chatting. They are surely exchanging shoptalk, he thought. Were they having fun, really enjoying themselves? He wondered. They were no different at a family gathering than they would have been at a business party with clients. Each of his sons had gotten a big laugh out of his doing business with the Reynolds. How would they feel if he told them that everything the Cochran family had was thanks to the generosity of John Reynolds. How many people would give away half of an inheritance that big to someone they hardly knew, just because it seemed the thing to do. He thought John Reynolds might be the only one on earth, but conceded that there might be another one here and there among the six billion people on earth. Joshua had called to wish him a happy birthday. Not a single member of his family had mentioned his birthday, thus far. Furthermore, he didn’t think Joshua had done it merely to butter him up. Once in a while he had felt a twinge of guilt for cheating Joshua out of his due. He originally brought him aboard to keep an eye on him, but, although he never showed it, he had actually grown quite fond of the young man. Hannah called out that dinner was served, and people began moving into the dining room. Simon and Gwen, standing against the railing looking out across the water, lingered behind, enjoying the view. Gwen reached out and touched a huge red rose growing in a planter and looked at it admiringly. "It's a joy forever," said Simon walking over to her, "or it will be as long as you remember it." "I certainly remember that line from Keats," said Gwen. "A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness," said Simon. He lowered his voice and added, "I remember saying that once. So far, I've found it to be true." Gwen looked at him, with unmistakable tenderness, before she caught herself and looked away across the water. "We had better go in," said Simon assuming a cavalier attitude. "You have no idea how hungry I am." She looked at him, wondering if he meant more than he had said. When everyone was seated, Hannah took her glass of wine and raised it. "Happy Birthday, William," she said. "I love you." Everyone chimed in with their birthday greetings. William could tell that they were genuinely surprised to hear that it was his birthday. Nevertheless, he felt better. He nodded and said, "Thank you." "You should have told us, Mother," said Sofia. "We could have brought a present." "I don't need anything," said William. "I have everything I need." He looked at Hannah and noticed that she was beaming. He thought she was taking his simple words personally, as a complement, and he was touched. "Hannah, how would you like to go to the Bock Cay Archipelago with me?" Hannah was obviously surprised, but quickly composed herself and said, "I'd love to. When are we going?" It had been years since he had asked her to go with him on a business trip. She was flustered and happy. "Probably right after dinner. Let me call and see." "Right after dinner,” said Hannah, sounding a bit stunned. “I need to pack a suitcase." "You can just throw some things together," said William. "It's an island. It’s practically a desert Island. You don't need anything formal." "I'll do my best," she said, determined not to lose this welcome opportunity. William called Joshua, and the trip was arranged. He called and made arrangements to have the plane ready for a flight to the Pompano Beach airport. "We leave after dinner," he said. "How long are we staying?" asked Hannah. "I didn't ask," said William. "Probably just a couple of days. Take a few extra things though, just in case." "I haven't seen you so impulsive, Father," said Aaron. "Is anything wrong?" "Nothing is wrong," said William. "Birthdays make you more aware that your time is running out, and you need to get busy and enjoy life." ***
Little Torch Key That night, when everyone had gone to their rooms, relatively early, so they could get up early for their trip, in the Newcomb’s room, Genevieve was undressing. Clark said, “I think I’ll take a quick shower.” He went into the shower and took off his shirt and shoes He turned on the shower and took his cell phone out and made a call. “Hello, Trixie. It’s me,” he whispered into the phone. “I can’t talk right now, but I had to tell you that I won’t be able to even call you for a few days. I’m going on a trip to see those islands I told you about. But I’ll be thinking about you.” He listened a while, and then said, “Me too, Sweetie. Got to go. Wish me luck in getting hold of something for you and me. Bye.” He put the cell phone in his pocket, finished undressing and got into the shower. The next morning, everyone was up early. The Silver Sovere  ign, as the boat was called, was moored off Little Torch Key. Half a dozen people were on the dock looking at the huge silver boat and commenting on it. Other boats in the area were going out of their way to pass near it and get a good look at it. Stanley went to the end of the dock and called the Captain to tell him that the water was deep enough for him to come up to the Reynolds’s dock, but to take care, just in case.The roar of the Silver Sovereign’s engines was heard as it began to move toward the dock. As it pulled alongside the dock, several crew-members jumped out and slipped tethers around some pilings, securing the craft close to the dock. Two other crew members secured the gangplank to the dock.  Except for the Worthingtons, all of whom were familiar with the Silver Sovereign, none of the others could take their eyes off the stunning yacht. They gaped in amazement at the arching arms that attached the outriggers to the main hull, at the tremendous length of that main hull. “It is like an alien ship in a science fiction movie,” said Geraldine. “It is the most beautiful boat, I’ve ever seen.” “It is also an engineering marvel,” gasped Frances. "Who designed such a marvelous craft?" "The Craig Loomes Design Group, in New Zealand, designed her," said Stanley. "They built a smaller twenty-three meter model that beat the old circumnavigation record by two weeks. They have a fantastic record of doing greater and greater things. I don't know how they are going to top this baby. I have it in my PIM to check their website every six months to see if they can possibly do any better. Sure, they can make smaller ones to appeal to a broader market, but if they make a major step up in design, I can't wait to see it." "Maybe we could have an article about them in the Vantage Point," said John. "I would like to meet a person who could come up with the idea for something like this." “Ordinarily, I’m not attracted by high-tech toys and I’m almost old-fashioned in my tastes,” said William, “but this boat is overwhelming, and we haven’t even been aboard yet. I’m speechless.” John turned to Stanley and said, “Now I understand why you can’t part with it, Stanley, even if it is much more than you would ever need, as far as transportation goes. This isn’t just transportation from place to place. The very sight of this beauty transports you to something bordering on ecstasy. Tell me it won’t wear off, Stanley. Tell me I won’t become accustomed to this awe.” “Of course it isn’t like it was the first time, John, but I still feel a wave of emotion when I approach the Silver Sovereign. Whether it will wear off, I can’t say. I’ve only had her a year. It’s not wearing off yet.” At eight-thirty, the Silver Sovereign eased off from the dock, and the people, having put their luggage in their staterooms, were on deck, seated at a large oval table, drinking mimosas and/or coffee and waiting for their breakfast. The boat accelerated slowly up to forty knots or forty-six miles an hour. As the water was calm, the ride was smooth enough. "We should be there by four this afternoon," said Benjamin. "That gives us almost a full day for our meeting, although I don't know if we will need all that time. I don't think we are far enough advanced to know what to do yet. What do you think, Joshua?" "We are still in a concept-forming stage," said Joshua. "However, I have a long list of things that I think we can discuss. I had quite a list before I came here, and I added a bit to it last night. As soon as we finish breakfast, we can take a brief break and then meet somewhere. We could use this table or some other." "If we use this table, we'll have lunch on another deck, or we can go to the other deck for the meeting," said Benjamin. "This lower deck might be more stable and better for eating if the water gets a little rough. At this speed, you can really feel it when it hits a significant wave. According to the captain, the weather report is very favorable, but you never know. I suggest we meet on the upper deck so they can set up for lunch here." "Fine," said Joshua. "Just so we meet. “I think I speak for everyone,” said Mark Richardson, “when I say I can’t wait for a tour of this boat, if that is at all possible.” There was a chorus of agreement. “Okay,” said Stanley, “Right after breakfast, we’ll give you a guided tour. Then we will end up here and get down to business. I know how you feel. The first time I came on board, I had to see every nook and cranny before I could sit down.” After breakfast, they took a fifteen-minute break, before beginning the tour of the Silver Sovereign. A little over half an hour later they were on the upper deck, ready to go to work.. Joshua, with Phillip, who had agreed to be his assistant, beside him, started on his list. As they went down the list, Phillip kept the minutes of the meeting. They considered recording the meeting, but Joshua decided against it and Stanley echoed his decision. The minutes weren't a record of everything said, merely what was taken up and what was decided about it; who was responsible for what and by when. They were going to break for an hour and a half for lunch, but after an hour they encountered some rolling waves that jarred the boat as it cut through them, so they resumed their meeting until three-thirty, after which they just sat and enjoyed some light tropical cocktails and watched the water and the islands go by. At ten minutes before four, the boat slowed considerably and the captain came down. "Can someone that knows the island come to the bridge with me?" he asked. "I think there is a boat docked there, if we have the right island. Are you expecting someone to be there?" "Hardly," said Stanley, jumping up. He and the other men followed the captain to the bridge. "That's Bock Cay, alright," said Benjamin. "No. We are definitely not expecting anyone." "It may be nothing more than someone in trouble or looking for someone to ask something," said Stanley. "Then again, they may be cleaning out the buildings. Alert the crew, Jerry. Tell them to be prepared for anything." He picked up a pair of binoculars and scanned the boat and the shore. "There's no sign of anyone. All the more reason to be prepared for anything. If we interrupt a robbery, they may not want to leave witnesses." "I'll take the wheel, Bart," said the captain to the man who was steering the Silver Sovereign. "Go tell the men to arm themselves and get ready for anything that might happen." Turning to the group of men watching anxiously, he asked, "How deep is the water off the dock? We need eleven feet” “I think it is all right up to the dock,” said Benjamin, “but, for God’s sake, don’t take my word for it.” “We’ll go in dead slow,” said the captain. “Our sonar will tell us if we have to stop and back up.” The boat glided very slowly toward the dock. When it got close, it turned slowly around and backed into the dock. Two men hung bumpers along the rear of the boat and the boat stopped a few feet from the rear deck. The men put a ramp to the dock in place and scrambled onto the dock and secured it. Anchors were sent out from various points on the boat and tightened like guy wires to hold the boat in place. “Everyone below,” said the Captain. “Half of the crew will go with me and check things out. The other half will stay here and guard the boat. If anything goes wrong, stay below. We may have to leave in a big hurry, although I doubt it seriously.” Everyone went below. They sat around in the lounge. It was sumptuous and comfortable, but they couldn’t help being a bit tense. "The odds are that this is something very innocent,” said Stanley. “Nevertheless, this should teach us something. The Bahamas stretch over hundreds of miles with hundreds of islands. They have more police in Broward County than there are men in all the combined branches of the Bahamian military. We will have to post some full time security here. Some well-armed men with all the help they can get from technology. Put that on your list, Joshua.” "It's already there," said Joshua. "I even figure that as we grow, we'll need our own small coast guard and police force." “Dead right, Joshua,” said Stanley. “For now the Silver Sovereign’s crew will do quite well. They are all combat veterans and several were in Special Forces. They are well armed and they know what to do and how to do it.” “This is a lot more excitement than I have had in a long time,” said Hannah. “In fact, it may be more than I have ever had.” William put his arm around her. “Don’t worry, Hannah. Stanley is right. Almost certainly, it is something quite innocent, and if it is not, the crew will straighten things out or straighten some people out. We are only staying below as a precaution” He felt almost as confident as his speech implied--almost. To be continued.
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