A Polish Adventure

I should definitively hire this guy!

We were rapidly shown into the Kroll Representative's office -- it helped to have lots of money. I told Mr. Trotsky to accompany us; he hesitated but I reminded him about his words to be involved in our moves. The office was austerely decorated in a kind of Scandinavian décor, low, elegant, and impressive. He introduced himself.

"Miss Parker, Count de Winter, I'm Hans Wittel, the local representative. What can we do for you?"

I presented Mr. Trotsky. "Mr. Wittel, this is Pavel Trotsky, the Head of Security for the Warmia Regional Governor, Mr. Smirsky. He has graciously lent Mr. Trotsky for our stay in Warsaw, and he has our complete trust."

Both Jenny and he looked at me, one trusting, the other surprised. But that was the way I wanted to play it.

"Mr. Wittel, you have heard about the plans of the federal government to take over certain foreign-controlled companies."

He nodded, waiting for further information.

"Our company is included in that list. You have heard about our investments in Elk? They are substantial and have the full support of the Regional and municipal authorities; they are also supported by Berlin and Brussels."

He nodded again.

"We all know what you have done in that area, Count de Winter. It's impressive, and you're probably too successful for some Polish old-fashioned patriots. A German Count proving what can be done, if business knowledge and money are applied aggressively. You're very popular there, but here they want you out. So, what do you want us to do?"

Now the real discussion started.

"Mr. Wittel, I assume that all the information I'll give you is confidential and will not be used without our expressive authorization?"

He agreed, and Jenny started to tell our story. The original investment, the rapid expansion, and the success we had in Elk. Now someone was trying to take it away from us. She looked at and I took over.

"Mr. Wittel, there are two possible options: one -- Law and Justice passes a new law expropriating our company. We'll fight that in Court. Two: They'll pass the law but offer us an exemption if we pay for that privilege. We've heard from several sources that this has happened already. If this happened, we'll need your services to find out where the money goes and who the final beneficiary is. We'll take it from there."

One could see in his eyes that he was running several scenarios through his head. All of them dangerous! On the other hand, he would ask for a lot of money and would have our goodwill -- something not to throw away.

He looked at Mr. Trotsky, but I told him that he was part of us and to be trusted.

"Count de Winter, this is a rather delicate question. We have successfully conducted international assets searches, even in unfriendly jurisdiction. What you seem to ask us is that you'll give us information on potential illegal payments and that we should identify the recipient and provide documental proof of acceptance of such illegal payment. Is that it?"

I agreed "Mr. Wittel, at this moment we discuss a hypothetical request. I'm asking if Kroll would accept such request if the hypothesis turns into reality? Remember that we have worked with Kroll before, and I suggest that you contact your headquarter to confirm our reputation."

He agreed in principle to discuss this internally and would come back the next morning. I knew that they would do it -- they would hesitate and then demand a gigantic fee. He asked us to come back, and we left.

.

Mr. Trotsky waited until we were back in the car and then asked "Count, why was I in that meeting? That was very much above my pay grade!"

Jenny regarded him for a moment.

"Mr. Trotsky, we are not the only ones, who have earned a good reputation. You come highly recommended, and what I've seen up to now you deserve that reputation. Let me offer you a way out: If you decide that you don't want to work for us, tell us now; there will be no hard feelings and you will handle only security. If you go on, whatever happens, you'll be protected."

He looked first at her, then at me, and then back at her. He closed his eyes for a moment, nodded to himself, and then committed himself.

"Miss Parker, Count de Winter, I'm in -- all the way."

We had lunch together and he told us some stories about his past. Military service, special ops, retirement, and the offer from Mr. Smirsky to work as his Head of Security. He was single, no firm girlfriend at this moment, and wanted one day to see the world. I saw the same thought in Jenny's eyes -- we would offer him a job whatever happened.

We went back to the hotel and spent our time talking to Maureen, looking at emails, and going for the nth time through our arguments. It was tiring and there was nothing we could do at this moment, so I called Catarina and asked what was happening in Warsaw's concert halls this night. She came up to show us the few options: the ballet Firebird by Stravinsky (but she said that the local ballet corps was not very good), and a semi-final round of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition at the National Philharmonic Hall. She recommended to go there as she had been to one of the previous rounds and smiled.

"Miss Parker, you would see a young Spanish guy who plays wonderfully and on top of this, is absolutely beautiful! Tall, slender, black hair to his shoulders, sentimental eyes, and when his fingers dance on the keys ...... Miss Parker, I fell in love!"

Jenny laughed. "This is tempting! Could you get tickets?"

Catarina picked up her phone, dialed and spoke rapidly to someone about getting two tickets. She didn't know that we spoke Polish and to listen to her comments who we were, why it was important for her job to get those tickets, and how wonderful the Count was! Polite, handsome, elegant, her dream come true ......

She hung up and was proud: she had the tickets! Jenny thanked her and grinning at me, asked whether she wanted to accompany us? Catarina blushed all over and almost said yes, but at the last moment she remembered that she had to work at night. She sighed and left reluctantly, and I turned to Jenny.

"What was this about? You're playing a dangerous game, Miss Parker!"

She laughed "I knew that she had to work at night, so it was just a little game."

I was disappointed. "Jenny, you don't play with the sentiments of a person. You don't dangle an invitation in front of her, and then you take it away. Jenny, I'm disappointed with you!"

Her laughter died. "You are right, my love. I was wrong to play with her sentiments."

I let it go, but was a bit saddened. I knew that Maureen was the playful woman, but Jenny had always been the serious one (except when we were on our own, when she would compete with Maureen on any subject, silly or not). She came into my arms.

"James, please forgive me. It will not happen again, and I'll make it up to her!"

We finished our work and Jenny decided to go down to the Lobby; she thought that she had seen a shop with traditional Polish dresses. A kiss, an invitation to accompany her, but which I declined, and she vanished. It took her longer to return than I had thought, but she was smiling happily.

"James darling, we'll have company tonight. I spoke to the Manager and asked her if she would let Catarina take the night off and accompany us; she agreed, and I told Catarina to get two more tickets."

Two tickets? Who else?

"James, you are responsible for our security; tell me, how will we get to the concert? Take a taxi? Walk?"

I groaned and hit my head -- how could I have forgotten this? I told her that I'd call Mr. Trotsky immediately and arrange a car.

She smiled victoriously. "You, my dear, are late. I called Mr. Trotsky and invited him also to the concert. It seems that he likes classical music and was trying to get a ticket for this concert, but was not successful. He's very happy! And darling, he's quite a handsome man and single. Perhaps Catarina might be interested?"

Women could not be stopped when they saw a possibility for romance! Why not?

We got ready for the concert and after being told what to use (informal formal: Blazer but no tie), Jenny was again a vision to behold. A little classical black cocktail dress reaching her knees, her long black hair tied in a ponytail, a bit of blush and a pastel lipstick, was all she needed to bewitch the (male) world and anger the female part. She looked at me and turned around slowly, showing off her perfect body and her brilliant smile. Her décolleté showed her firm breasts, presenting her opal jewelry, matching her fiery blue eyes. Her little dark blue purse completed the picture of a beautiful woman -- and she was mine. She came close, brushed her lips over mine, adjusted my blazer, looked up and down to check whether I was presentable, and nodded.

"Acceptable, my dear, quite acceptable."

Catarina was waiting in the Lobby, standing beside Pavel Trotsky. They were a handsome couple: Catarina in another little black cocktail dress, similar to the one Jenny wore, but there was no comparison. Catarina was pretty, Jenny exuded beauty and presence. She was attractive: her blond hair falling to her shoulders, a little choker around her neck, a thin golden belt showed off her narrow waist, and black sandals completed the picture of a good-looking woman starting to bloom.

Who surprised me was Mr. Trotsky -- he dressed up very well! Tall, a bit of grey in his dark hair, slender, and moving with an easy grace. He also had chosen a dark blue blazer and light tan slacks. They looked well standing there waiting for us.

He started.

"Miss Parker, thank you for the invitation. I'm grateful -- I tried to get a ticket but did not succeed. What a wonderful surprise!"

Catarina added. "Thank you, Miss Parker, for talking to my manager. I'll adore the evening! And if I may say so, Miss Parker, you are so beautiful!" She hesitated and added "Count, you're handsome also!"

We laughed, and she blushed but said "I mean it, Miss Parker, Count de Winter!"

Jenny looked at them and then at me. "May I suggest something? I'm Australian and James has been there for years. We'll go out for a social event and I believe that we can avoid these formalities for the evening. So please call me Mary Ann and this is James."

They looked at us, then at each other and Catarina was the first to answer. "Thank you, Mary Ann, James. This will make the evening even more pleasant."

Mr. Trotsky swallowed "Count de Winter, I ... " I stopped him. "You heard what the lady requested. I've learned during the years that it's better than to obey her than to argue with her!"

He swallowed once more, took a deep breath, regarded Jenny for a moment, took a deep breath once more, and obeyed. "Mary Ann, James, Catarina, I'm Pavel and it's a pleasure to be with you."

I took Jenny's arm and we left. The Mercedes was waiting for us and Pavel hesitated, not knowing how we would sit. Was he just the driver? I opened the back door for Jenny and then sat beside Pavel. He copied me, opening the door for Catarina, and then we went off for the National Philharmonic Hall. He told us that it was modeled on the Paris Opera, was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt shortly after. It was an impressive building (perhaps the reconstruction was too much influenced by Russian heaviness), but it was assumed to have excellent acoustics. We were lucky - this competition was held only every five years, and we would listen to the third stage of the competition.

The main hall was imposing -- nothing small or intimate there. We had a drink and slowly Pavel opened up; he had still problems, however, to call me James -- after all, I was his employer and had to be treated with all respect! Jenny told them how I had arrived in Sydney and had the same problems, but also that I was cured of the habit very fast! Catarina enjoyed the evening and Jenny whispered to me.

"You see, she likes him!"

Inside the decoration was friendlier: the walls were painted in a light beige color, the seats were dark red, and the seating was unusual: a long horseshoe balustrade separating the lower from the upper seats. There were six contestants that night and works to be performed that night included Sonatas, the Preludes, and the full set of Mazurkas.

Catarina was waiting for her Spaniard, but he was the last to play. There was a lady from China (very good), a young man from Hungary (alright), another lady this time from Singapore (fantastic), an American (I didn't like him), a Russian (acceptable) and then Catarina's dreamboat arrived.

He was a Beatle of classical music: tall, slender, dark blue tuxedo with a dark red cummerbund, long hair falling into his eyes, and dreamy eyes. A magical performer before he even started! He played a Prelude, then a Mazurka, and at the end, he bewitched us with the Nocturne 9, No. 2, perhaps Chopin's most popular work. It was a spectacle -- eyes closed, hair falling into his face, wide sweeps of his arms at the end on a cadenza -- this was show business! Jenny and Catarina had their eyes closed, drowning in the music, and even Pavel was away for a moment. All the artists were wonderful (perhaps not the American), but in my opinion, the Spanish guy was the best. The applause was loud and demanding for a bis, but regulations didn't let this happen. One more bow, another sweep of his hair off his eyes, and the concert ended on a happy note.

Catarina turned to Jenny "Miss.... Mary Ann, wasn't he wonderful? His fingers were dancing, his eyes were dreaming, and he's so beautiful! I'll dream about him!"

Jenny agreed, but touching me, whispered "My dreams will always be about you -- just wait when we're back in the hotel and you'll see what my hair can do on you, and how my fingers will dance all over you!"

We left, and Pavel wanted to get back to the hotel, but I stopped him. "Let's go and have dinner somewhere. Something easy, not sophisticated - just good food."

They hesitated, but Jenny insisted, and Catarina led us to a small restaurant close to the hotel. She knew the owners and we were rapidly seated in a little alcove with windows looking out over the square to the Royal Palace. Jenny was decisive.

"I like you, but if someone insists on another duck dish, I'll leave and get Room Service!"

Catarina laughed "Mary Ann, we have a superb Braised Duck Breast on our menu!"

I leaned over and in a stage whisper that could be heard several tables away, warned her.

"Catarina, she has a fourth Dan in Martial Arts. Be careful!"

She grinned. "Mary Ann, I tremble with fear. Please don't hurt me!"

Well, they had other dishes too and we came back to the hotel satisfied and content with the concert, the food, and the company. Pavel would get us at nine o'clock to drive to Kroll, and Catarina promised to order a traditional breakfast, and have it delivered at a quarter past eight. They were smiling, and I saw Pavel whispering to Catarina; she glanced at him, thought for a moment, and nodded. Something would happen that night.

As soon as we entered the apartment, the phone rang. Maureen was upset. "Where were you? I called already three times and you did not attend! And our cellular phone was turned off! James, I was afraid that something had happened!"

I explained that we had gone to a concert and then had dinner, and only now had come back. She didn't like it, but in the end accepted that occasionally -- for example in a concert -- the cell phone could be turned off. Then she wanted to talk to Jenny, and she was torn between talking to her beloved sister and returning to our amorous intentions. She decided on a compromise and their conversation was only for 10 minutes, a major miracle. But I had learned that women have an infinite capacity to fill silence with words .....

Jenny hugged me. "My love, I feel so happy after the concert, can we make love? Gentle, dreamy love? I'll let your fingers dance on my body!"

And that was what we did. There was no rush: slow and loving undressing the other, a short shower (we had heard that last year was a severe drought in Eastern Europe and decided to save water), and she let me walk my lips down and up her beautiful body. We exchanged caresses and at the end when I finally slipped into her, it did not take long to come to a wonderful finish to the evening.

The breakfast was splendid; Catarina had prepared everything for us. Pavel was standing beside Catarina's desk and they were smiling at each other.

Jenny whispered "Didn't I tell you that they like each other?"

She got up when we approached and thanked us once again for the wonderful evening. Pavel was looking down on her and his behavior had somehow changed from professional interest to personal awareness. I wonder what had happened last night?

We left, and he drove us to the Kroll offices. Pavel was told for us to wait for a moment, and then we were led by the secretary to Mr. Wittel's meeting room, where he was waiting for us. After the usual courtesies, he came to the point.

"Count de Winter, I have checked with headquarters and I'm authorized to work with you. Let me summarize what I understand you want from us: you will meet tomorrow the Prime Minister, who intends to take over your company. You don't know how this will be done, but you will lose control, most of your assets, and probably a significant amount of money. You suspect that there will be an offer that by handing over money, this could either be avoided or at least the loss could be controlled. If this were going to happen, you will take the information and want Kroll to investigate and see who the final recipient is. Based on that information you will take the steps that you will decide as necessary. Is this what you want to do?

Well, he didn't waste any time coming to the point.

"Mr. Wittel, this describes perfectly our plan. If the offer were made, we'll ask for two days' time to evaluate and decide. Is this sufficient?"

He shook his head. "Normally no; these investigations take a lot of time. In this specific case, however, we have done similar work for two other foreign companies and have some data that we could use. It all depends on whether the same people will talk to you. Be careful with the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff; he is venomous, hates foreigners, and enjoys his position to get what he wants, and at whatever cost. The Prime Minister always covers for him, and we know that both are in the same boat. And Miss Parker, be extra careful: there have been incidents with women where normally he should be fired and put into jail -- but he always escapes justice."

We agreed on his fees (which were significantly higher than I had expected) and assured once more that whatever had been discussed was very confidential.

This was Step 1 of our Battle Plan. Now came Step 2.

I had called the Australian Embassy and asked for a meeting; fortunately, the Ambassador was in town and agreed to receive us. The Embassy was an ugly concrete building with Russian charm; we were admitted immediately to his office and I saw a career diplomat; still a bit young (after all, Poland was of minor importance to Canberra) but still the ranking Australian authority and supposed to support and protect its citizens. He took his time to receive us and was apparently not well briefed, because he wondered what he could do for a German Count. This annoyed Jenny quite a bit.

"Mr. Ambassador, we are here not to ask for help for a German Count, but for an Australian company. You might have heard about the Schloss de Winter company?"

He shook his head, which made Jenny even angrier.

"Mr. Ambassador, that company is of Australian origin, funded by Australian money, and headed by me, an Australian citizen. The Polish government threatens to expropriate it on very shaky legal grounds, and I had hoped to get support and information from the Embassy. Let me also tell you that our company in Australia is one of the biggest logistic providers in Australia and all over the world we employ thousands of staff. But considering that you or your staff didn't feel necessary to brief you, there is no need for us to continue here. By the way, my father is the Minister of Business development in Canberra, and I'll brief him on our visit here. Thank you for your time, James, let's go!"