There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 23

"It's the same in my book Doctor. Thank you very much."

As he rejoined the general, he tapped his hand. Dan looked down as Lucius nodded his head.

Dan said, "I'm going to kill that bastard."

"No you're not; he belongs to me, we agreed on that."

"I've changed my mind."

"Danny, you've got one arm in a sling, don't make me break your leg."

"Ladies and gentlemen, General Dan Morgan."

"We will discuss this later Lucius."

"This discussion is over."

********************

Margaret's request in her Last Will and Testament was to be cremated and her ashes spread in the Arboretum of the spacecraft. She knew she was too old to meet the parameters for the passengers, who would be flying into space, but she wanted to go with them. She also put in an addendum: "If that stubborn mule of mine ever decides to marry me, bury us in a joint plot in a place of his choosing."

Dan Morgan cried inconsolably. Lucius left the apartment to give his friend some time alone.

***************

114. Tightening the Screws

"Dad, we now owns 37% of Advanced Algorithms. Do you think that's enough for a takeover?"

"Are there any other large blocks of stock out there Patricia?"

"Yes there are three of them, but none of them add up to more than 26 %. Berkshire Hathaway owns 11%, American International owns 7%, and Morgan Stanley owns 8%."

"Patti let me call Warren, and see if he will sell me the 11%. If not, I'll see what it will cost me to have him vote his shares for me to take over the company."

"I love how you make it sound so easy dad."

"Patti, you could make that phone call. You are richer than he is. I am just better known than you are."

"Yes dad, but I don't have the balls to call him Warren."

"If you did, you would be my son, and not my daughter."

"Hysterical dad, absolutely hysterical, what are you going to do for your next trick?"

"With the price of fuel dropping down the way it is, I might buy an airline."

"Dad, you already own an airline."

"I know, but it's a tiny one, and it only serves Europe. I want to start one that will serve the Midwest. It will only go to airports that are underserved, and have high priced tickets. The big boys don't want to serve those airports, even though there moneymakers. You can make a fortune out there."

"You could lose your shirt too."

"I have a lot of shirts."

"Dad has anyone ever told you that you are impossible besides me?"

"Junior does all the time. When I tell them to look at his books and balance sheets, and I ask him how well he's doing because of what I've taught him, do you know what he says to me?"

"No dad, what does he say?"

"I love you dad."

"I love you too daddy, but you're still a pain in the ass."

"That is no way to talk to your aging father."

"Jemma and I would kill you if you died. So you better not think about it."

"You were at my last physical, so you know I'm healthy. I intend to stay that way. I want to see Patrick get married, and have another grandchild for me."

"Speaking of grandchildren, Anna will be getting married before the spacecraft leaves."

"Really, when did all this happen?"

"She met this boy while she was in graduate school, but she kept it a secret, because she was worried about me. I had to grow up before she would leave the nest. We had a heart-to-heart talk, and I told her I would be fine. I proved it by coming down here to be with Stephano for one month. I told her I was going to do it every other month just to prove to her that I was capable of leaving Glen Falls."

"What's the boy's name? What does he do?"

"This is not a joke dad. He was born during a hurricane so his parents named him Cloudy Day."

"That poor boy, can you imagine what happened when he went to school all these years?"

"He has an advantage over most men dad. He is 6'3" tall and weighs 200 pounds. Very few people make fun of his name."

"I can understand that, what does he do?"

"He's in his last year of college at the University of Virginia. He's going to be an engineer. Dycke is going to give him an internship at Schneider industries. I read Anna the riot act. I told her just because she is a billionaire, doesn't mean her husband is not going to work for a living."

"Good girl Patricia, very smart thinking. I want her to see one of my attorneys before she gets married. I want her money protected from him."

"I agreed dad, sometimes love will blind you. I don't want it to happen to her."

"Okay Patricia, I've got to call Warren before he goes out for his ice cream. I'll call you back later."

"Goodbye daddy."

*************

"Mister Buffett's office, how may I help you?"

"This is William Zabo for Mister Buffett."

"Yes Mister Zabo one moment."

"Hello William, what do you want to cheat out of me now?"

"Warren, I never try to cheat anything out of you, I only try to get the best deal I can."

"Is that why every time I hear you call; I back my chair up against the wall so you can't sneak up behind me?"

"No one has ever snuck up behind you Warren. You are almost as wealthy as I am. I have a favor to ask and I'm going to state it plainly. I own 37% of Advanced Algorithms. You own 11%. I will offer you a 10% premium over what you paid for it, or when I attempt to take over the company I want you to vote your stock with mine."

"What are you up to this time William?"

"Turn off your tape recorders and I'll tell you."

"Go ahead William they are off."

"The president of that company was supposed to be James Pierce. The real head of the company is our former vice president William Silver. The man who put my son in front of himself, because he thought there was an attempt on his life going on.

I want to ruin him. I want to bankrupt him. I want to do anything I can to him, except put a bullet in his head, for what you saw him do to my son."

"What do you intend to do with the company after you have control?"

"Honestly Warren, I hadn't thought that far in advance. I was going to do what ever I could to make sure vice president suffered. If it was to drive the stock price down, I was going to drive it down. If it were to sell off the parts to another company, I would do it. Do you have anything in mind?"

"What if I asked you to sell me your 37% of the company, and I will take care of your problem. You would not be implicated, and it would just be another purchase for Berkshire Hathaway?"

"Do you swear the vice president will suffer?"

"He will lay prostrate on his friend's lawn crying."

"There is something funny going on in that man's house Warren. He has armed guards patrolling the property with dogs 24/7. If the Corporation owns it, I would be very interested in finding out what he's hiding in there."

"I think I'll have a group of my people guarding the place from the outside so he can't steal anything, if it's company property."

"What a wonderful idea. I will have my people call yours and we will make a deal. There will be no squabbling over the price."

"I have never seen you so amenable William."

"You are getting revenge for what that bastard did to my son. I'm always amenable when someone does that for me. Just so your people don't have to do a search, Morgan Stanley owns 8%, and American International owns 7% of that company. I believe you have friends in both those concerns. It would put you over the 50% mark and there's nothing they can do to stop you from moving in on them."

"You had this all worked out didn't you William?"

"I never go hunting without a big gun. It might be nice to publicize that you're having the IRS, and the Justice Department go over their finances, because you believe they've committed a fraud against the government. It's why you bought the company."

"You are an evil man William. Positively evil; and brilliant, I'll take care of it over the weekend"

**************

It hit the Monday Morning financial news networks like a bolt out of the blue.

Berkshire Hathaway Swallows Up Advanced Algorithms

In a Hostile Takeover. Board of Directors Fired.

Mister Buffett said he found a great many irregularities in the way the company did business. He has invited the IRS and the Justice Department to take a close look at the books and the executives involved. In another shocking development, he said James Pierce; the CEO of Advanced Algorithms may have been getting government contracts funneled to him by the former Senator, nee Vice President of the United States, William Silver, who is currently living at his estate, outside San Diego. The estate is currently surrounded by the FBI. They are awaiting a court order to search the premises.

***************

"You have to get a fucking helicopter in here Jim. I can't be caught in here with all those girls in the basement. I'll be crucified."

"You, what about me; they'll hang me by the balls. We have to cross into Mexico immediately, and get down to Peru. Maybe your friend can hide us for a while."

"You work on the helicopter; I'll make a phone call."

"Don't use the phones; use your cell, or use Skype, but stay off the land lines."

"I'll use the computer."

************

In the ready room, they intercepted the message from San Diego.

"Get this to Mister Zabo now."

Steve didn't wait for the elevator; he ran down the three levels to get to William's office.

He said to William's secretary, "Tell Mister Zabo we have an important intercept."

"I'm sorry Mister Zabo is at the NEST."

"Would you contact him for me please?"

"One moment, I'll get him on the line."

"I step out of my office for one hour, and the sky is falling. What's going on Steve?"

"We received an intercept from San Diego. The vice president and Jim Pierce are going to skip across the border to Mexico by helicopter. Then they are going to jet down to Peru. Apparently the president of Peru owes him big time."

Steve did not get an answer. William was already calling his friend, the assistant attorney general, to tell him what was going on, and see if he could stop it. Every second counted, and he knew it.

"Jeff, William Zabo, the vice president is going to try to hop the border in a helicopter, and jet down to Peru. Can you stop him?"

"I'll talk to you later William."

The Assistant Attorney General, called the Director of the FBI, who called the Special Agent in Charge of the operation around James Pierce's mansion. He told him to use all the force necessary to keep those two men on the property and disable any helicopter that tried to land or take off.

The SAIC said, "I'm sorry Mister Director the helicopter took off a minute ago."

"Do not wait for the search warrant; consider the house a crime scene. Arrest the guards, and anyone who tries to stop you from gaining entrance to the house. Use extreme caution; you don't know what those two bastards did in there. Keep in touch with me every 15 minutes; I want to know what's in there that made those two jokers run."

************

"We missed that bastard by a minute, one lousy minute."

"William, I don't think the Feds would've opened fire on the helicopter, even though they were authorized to do so. They're squeamish that way. They're not like my team and me; we would've made toast out of it. They have to think about lawyers, and politicians reaming their asses off."

"It all depends on what they find in the house. If it were loaded with cocaine, or other drugs they would come out fine. You're right they had to follow the rules."

"Speaking of rules William, the truck driver comes out of detox next week, and goes before the judge to seek bond. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lawyer. I don't want us to get involved with a lawyer directly. The lawyer should be someone local, who gets a check from some aging drunken cowboy."

"Do you know anyone like that, because I don't?"

"I haven't got a clue. We have 290 agents that work for us. One of them has to know what cowboy fits that description."

"Why are you still sitting here; it sounds like you have work to do."

"You always leave me the hard stuff. I should have it done by the end of the day."

"I'll tell Jemma to set and extra plate for dinner."

"In that case, I definitely will have it done by the end of the day."

"Thank God you're my friend Lucius; otherwise I'd have to kill you."

"I would kill myself first before I hurt you my friend."

"Go to work, I hate eating cold food."

*************

The Special Agent in Charge told the guard closest to the driveway that they were about to pull the gate open and arrest all of them. They were to gather by the driveway, lay down their weapons, keep the dogs on a tight leash, and lay on the ground. Any man or dog disobeying these orders would be shot.

These men were superbly trained, and very well paid to perform the duty of protecting the perimeter of the estate. They were also not stupid. They watched their boss run for the hills, and knew their last payday had run away with him. They followed the FBI's orders, and became extremely helpful in searching both the grounds, and the area very close to the house. None of them had ever been inside, but they knew how to open the ramp that let the golf carts go in and out of the basement.

As the ramp appeared, the lights in the basement turned. No sound was heard. A phalanx of six FBI agents, with their weapons drawn walked down the ramp slowly looking for any traps, or wires that could set off an explosion; there were none. As they entered the main area, and saw the jail cells, with the tiny girls in them, the lead agent said, "Those men are not human. No human being could do this to a child."

He said to the little girls, "You will be free soon. We are with the FBI. We have to take pictures of you as you are so we can present them in court to put the animals that did this to you in jail for the rest of their lives. We will do this as quickly as possible, and get you out of there.

"Joseph, Angel, get every camera we have, and get it down here. The quicker we take these pictures, the quicker these girls will be free. Call for ambulances, doctors, and counselors. They are going to need all the help they can get."

The Special Agent in Charge approached the first cell, and sat down on the floor. The little girl in the cell backed away from him. He was a big man, and she was afraid of him.

"Little one, my name is Fred Deering. I have worked for the FBI for 24 years. I have never seen anything like this before. I can't imagine how terrified you must have been of the two men who did these terrible things to you. I promise you all your pain and suffering is over now. No matter where you go from this point on, you are going to have my card with you. If anyone ever places a hand on you, and you don't like it, you are to call me. Wherever I am, and whatever I'm doing, I will stop, and I will come to your aid. I will help you with your situation, until you are able to smile again. I will not leave your side. If it takes a day, or if it takes a year, I will not leave you until you have a smile on your pretty face. I will be your friend forever. Is that okay with you?"

Huddled in her corner, with her raggedy blanket pulled around her, she cried out, "He hurt me, and if I cried he wouldn't give me food. He took me from a store, where my mom and I were shopping. He put something over my mouth and I could not stay awake. When I did I was here."

"How old were you when he took you from your mom?"

"I was eight years old."

"What is your name?"

"Cathy, Catherine Burgess."

"Cathy, you will be happy to know your mommy and daddy are still looking for you. They never gave up hope that they would find you. I will have them meet you at the hospital. Sometimes it's a little overwhelming for the first few days, with everything that's going to happen to you, but it will all be good. It will all be to help you.

There is one thing I need you to do now. I know this is going to sound strange, but it is very important. I need you to touch my hand."

"Why, why do I have to touch your hand?"

"Everyone who has touched you in the last two and half years has hurt you. I need you to touch me so you know the people who are here now are going to help you. They are not here to hurt you. I am one of those people, and there are many more on the way. You have to relearn to trust people, and I'm going to be first. Please touch my hand."

Fred stuck his hand through the bars and waited for Cathy to move. She sat in the back of her cell, clutching her blanket, as if she was glued to the wall.

Fred didn't talk, and Cathy didn't move. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into moments. Fred's arm began to get tired. It was a case of the irresistible force, meeting the immovable object. One of them was going to win sooner or later.

Finally, Fred said, "Touch my arm Cathy; it's going to break soon."

There was a hint of a smile on her face as she moved away from the wall, and move towards him. She touched his arm tentatively, and then touched it again. This time she did not move her hand from it. She was trembling with fear, but she continued moving forward. When she reached the bars that separated them she asked, "Would you hold me?"

"It would be my pleasure."

With only the bars separating them, Fred wrapped his arms around this tiny, frail creature, and tried to spread his warmth into her body.

Cathy turned her face into his chest and began to sob. It had been so long since someone touched her with kindness in their hearts; she had forgotten what it felt like.

Joseph, Angel, and three other agents ran into the basement and began taking 'Still' and 'Motion' pictures of the little girls, and their jail cell habitats. They took pictures of, and catalogued everything that was in the basement. It sickened even the most seasoned agent to think these objects were used on such little girls.

"Had the human race sunk so low that we defile babies?"

(Looking at the atrocities that are happening daily, in the Middle East, Eurasia, and Africa, unfortunately the answer is yes.)

The agents did not interrogate the young girls. They were all under age and a parent was needed. However, the girls volunteered information about the killings of girls, who became too old to satisfy their Master.

It became very evident to everyone who listened that there was only one pervert involved, and that was Jim Pierce. William Silver never touched any of these under age children. If that was the case, why did he run?

Sirens wailed as fire rescue units arrived on the scene. Fred told Angel to advise everyone that only females were allowed to touch these girls. They were victims of multiple years of rape, sodomy, and abuse. They would all need the tender touch of the female to get them on to the gurneys and to the hospital for treatment. Then they would start calling the parents to advise them their children were alive.

After that, a worldwide alert would go out for the capture and extradition to the United States of the two criminals: James Pierce, and William Silver. The charges included "Murder, Kidnapping, Child Endangerment, and Sexual Assault on a Minor..."

************

While walking around a presidential retreat east of Lima, in the heart of cocaine country, William handed Jim the English newspaper showing what they were charged with back in the states.

"I can never go back there, because of you and your penchant for little girls. I'll never get my revenge on that bastard Zabo now."

"I don't understand it William, I really don't. First, our money disappeared, and then without a whisper of warning, Berkshire takes over the company. It's the first time Buffett has been involved in a hostile takeover; it's not his style."

"Well it's all over the financial news. He amassed 53% of the company by buying little bits here and there, and not having the stock price jitter even a little bit. That is his style. He is a master at it. The brutal part is he's having the government check the books before his people move in. If that's not the smartest move I've ever heard of, I don't know what is."