Thank God for Irish Women Ch. 11

Chapter 11

June 1, 2010

I reported to work at Precision Robotics at 7:30 am. After meeting the receptionist and showing my ID, I was given a temporary badge before walking to the Human Resources Office to begin the check-in process.

After completing the necessary paperwork to update my current government security clearance, I was sent to a lab about a mile away for mandatory drug testing. I returned to HR and completed the benefits paperwork. By noon, I was ready to join my boss Ron Stevens for lunch in the company cafeteria.

I found his office after getting directions. His door was open, but I knocked lightly on it anyway. He looked up. "Matt, it's great to see you! Come on in."

"It's good to be here." We shook hands.

"Did you get all the HR paperwork done?"

"I think so. Also went for the drug test."

"Good. Let's go down and grab a sandwich and I'll fill you in on your first project."

During lunch Ron told me about the development team I'd be on and described the objective of my first project. We must develop a miniature drone for the CIA that would have superior nighttime vision capability. What made this drone very interesting to me was its small size - about that of an iPad - and it was to be solar powered. The specs required that it be able to fly for at least 48 continuous hours and take and transmit high definition photos and video 24 hours a day to a base station. The drone must also be silent to humans at 30 meters or about 100 feet. He said the CIA's main objective was to look into windows and find the bad guys at night.

My job was to design the electronics and energy storage for the solar powered operation. The other three engineers on the team were specialists in optics, super-light engineered materials and avionics. We'd also have support from senior CIA engineers as needed. We had 60 days to demonstrate a working model. Two other robotics companies were competing with us for the contract.

Our team met for the first time with Ron that afternoon. Each of us introduced ourselves and described our backgrounds and gave other tidbits of information. Ron challenged us to be a true team, not just a group of highly skilled individuals working together.

The other three engineers consisted of two guys in their late 30's from Cal Tech and Stanford and a woman about 30 from MIT. All three seemed friendly, capable, and very professional with several successful projects under their belts. I was "the new guy."

Our team met all afternoon and laid out a plan and timeline for the development that would accomplish our goals. We agreed that we would work collaboratively every morning for two hours and then spend the rest of the day in the development lab. Each of us was assigned a lab assistant. Mine was Jeri Jenson, a 33-year-old engineering graduate from Texas A&M. She was married with one child and had worked for Precision six years.

I could sense that this was likely to be a 12-hour a day job for the next 60 days with few weekends off. I hoped I was wrong because I didn't want to break that to Emily.

Jeri and I were able to meet at 4:30 pm and discuss our part of the development plan. Fortunately, she had worked with solar power miniaturization applications before and knew immediately that this drone would push the known limits of solar energy creation and storage. In other words, we would have to invent something.

I called Emily just before I left the office.

"Hey sweetheart."

"Hi Matt. How was your day?" She didn't sound happy.

"Busy, to say the least. I'm leaving now. Were you able to find a car?"

"Let's talk when you get here."

"What's wrong?"

"Everything."

"I'll be right there."

When I walked into the hotel room, she threw herself into my arms and cried.

"What's the problem, Emily?" She stepped back and sniffed a couple of times to control her tears.

"Damn car salesmen! They treated me like dirt. I couldn't get them to take me seriously."

"Tell me what happened."

"I drove into the dealership and parked in the customer area. I walked around the lot to look at all the models and read their window stickers. After 20 minutes or so, I had to go into the showroom just to look for a salesman."

"I'm surprised no one met you in the lot. They normally are like vultures waiting for their next meal."

"I was expecting that. Anyway, when I walked into the showroom, I guess they thought I was there to meet someone or was just looking. They looked my way and leered like guys sometimes do, but no one offered to help. After a few minutes of browsing, I went to the receptionist and introduced myself and said I wanted to buy a car. She said, 'We all do; sweetie.' I could have slapped her into next week."

"She didn't offer to get a salesman for you?"

"She did but the one she called was in a meeting with another customer. She tried another one but he said he was busy. Then she got real snooty and said I'd have to come back later. There were at least four other salesmen just standing there."

"I'll bet you didn't take that well."

"Damn right! I told her I wanted to speak to the manager. She said he wasn't there. That's when I called her some names and said I was calling BMW Customer Service and report her and the dealership for unprofessional conduct."

"What names did you call her?"

She stared at me but didn't answer.

"Emily, what did you call her?"

"Oh, just bitch, cunt, asshole, and moron, all the standard stuff. Nothing really bad."

I couldn't control my laughter. She glared at me and then began laughing with me.

"Yeah, that was very professional of you."

"I couldn't help it, Matt. She pissed me off no end."

"What kind of clothing did you have on?"

"Just my skinny jeans and a halter-top."

"Which halter-top?"

I could sense she didn't want to tell me.

After a moment, she responded, "The one you didn't like."

"Why did you wear that?"

"Matt, I thought I could distract the salesman and negotiate a better deal."

"So you were planning to use your looks to get a discount?"

"I read on the Internet that it works. I was trying to save you some money."

"Emily, that's noble of you but there was a better way. They didn't take you seriously because you scared them. All the sales guys could see their jobs go up in smoke if they got into a car with you. They probably thought you were a high class escort or even worse."

She frowned. After thinking a moment she replied, "I guess you're right. I overdid it. Matt, I've never bought a car before. That's the first car dealership I've even visited."

"Tell you what, let's go there now. Dress professionally. Wear nice slacks and that lovely purple blouse you have. Maybe add a scarf and some fine jewelry. Even put on your big ring."

"Full glamour makeup?" she asked.

"Not tonight, but certainly tomorrow when you go to the other dealership. We'll drive there and explain to the manager what happened and apologize for the events this morning. I'm sure he or she would appreciate knowing what happened and can make sure it won't happen again. I'll tag along with you tomorrow night when you visit another dealer just in case you need support.

"Do I have to apologize?" she whined.

"What do you think?"

She looked down and nodded. "I suppose you're right. I shouldn't have called that bitch all those names." We both broke down and laughed again.

"Well, she won't soon forget you."

****

We arrived at the offending dealership about 8:00 pm. Emily recognized only one salesman who was there earlier. As soon as we walked into the showroom, a man came over and asked if he could help us. We asked for the new car sales manager and were taken immediately back to his office. I introduced Emily and myself to Carl Wilson, the manager.

We explained everything that happened that morning. Emily apologized for her attire and for calling the receptionist ugly names. To our surprise, Carl laughed. He explained that she was the wife of the owner and was just substituting that day. He apologized to Emily, and leaned over his desk and whispered, "She is a bitch."

He tried his best to sell Emily a car, but she didn't want to trust them to service it after the sale. Once burned, twice shy, as they say. The one good thing... his best and final offer was $600 less than Emily was prepared to pay earlier. At least, she now knew the bottom line another dealer would probably accept.

We returned to the hotel and had a late dinner. She was relaxed and asked about my day. Because of the nature of my work, I couldn't tell her any details but did talk about my teammates and how exciting it was for me to be there.

"Did you get the signed paperwork for the townhouse?" I asked.

"Yes. I left the deposit check, and everything is on track. The rep showed me the samples for the quartz tops, and I brought them home for you to see. We need to pick one in the next day or two. The hardwood floor man will be there next week to begin installation of the ones we picked last night."

"That's great. Was anything said about timing?"

"He reconfirmed that it will be finished by July 20 so we might be able to celebrate our birthdays there."

"I called my banker in Iowa, and they will finance the house for us. They're emailing the forms to me in the next day or two, but the manager there assured me it was no problem."

"He knows about your financial capability?"

"Oh yes. His bank handled my grandfather's accounts."

"Does he know I'm buying a car?"

"Yes, he's also sending a form for you to sign and return. That will add you to my checking account there. We also need to open a bank account here."

"Wow, thank you. I didn't expect that."

"We're now a team, Emily. But let's agree to talk about any significant purchases. I want us to make joint decisions on what we buy. Agree?"

"Agree." We kissed and prepared for bed.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

I was up early and left Emily sleeping when I left for the office. After our collaborative team meeting ended at 11:00, I called her.

"Hi Matt."

"Hey sweetheart. What's going on?"

"I'm at the BMW dealership and we've just agreed on the price of my new car."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm working with Molly, a delightful lady, and she gave me a very good deal."

"What did you buy?"

"A platinum gray 535i. And it has everything."

"Can't wait to see it. Get their bank wire instructions and I'll have the money sent to them this afternoon."

"Will do. Can we pick it up late tonight," she asked.

"Sure, if they can prep it that soon.

"Molly says they can."

"Okay, set a time and we'll do it. I'll call the insurance company to have it covered. Email me the VIN number, wire instructions and the final amount due."

"I wrote a $5,000 check as a down payment. Hope that's all right."

"That's fine, sweetheart."

After we hung up, the rest of the day went quickly. I was in the lab researching various ideas I had. Jeri was a big help and had several creative ideas. I had high value for her knowledge and contacts in the industry. I thought we would make a great working team. Jeri was aware of new energy storage technology that was under development in the nuclear industry and asked whether I was interested in reviewing it.

"I'd love to," I replied.

"I have a friend who's brilliant and has been working on this jointly with our company for the last year. Her name is Dr. Linda Sue Massey."

Several profanities instantly came to mind but, fortunately, I didn't say any of them.

Jeri continued, "You must know her." My expression had given it away.

"Yes. We were at Georgia Tech together."

"I'm sure she'll be glad to see you again."

"I hope so." My thoughts raced. Why me? Why now? Emily can't find out. Of all the people in that industry, why did it have to be her? What am I going to do?

Jeri said, "I'll call her this afternoon and maybe we can arrange a meeting this week."

"Okay. But, don't give her my name. I want to surprise her."

"Oh, that'll be fun."

I wasn't sure who would have that fun, but I didn't say anything.

****

Arriving at the hotel, I found Emily dressed and waiting on me. We kissed and hugged as usual. She was like a giggly little girl at Christmas.

"I'm surprised you went to the dealer without me."

"When I got up this morning, I felt as though I wanted to get back on that horse and ride it again. I was determined I would be successful and not have to depend on you."

"I'm proud of you."

She smiled. "I dressed like we talked... full makeup and everything. I think I looked good."

"I'm sure you did."

"When I got there, I was a bit nervous. Molly met me at the door and was so nice. We went to her office and got to know each other for a few minutes. I told her I was recently engaged and that my fiancé was giving me a new car. Oh, she almost died when she saw my ring.

"Anyway, we started talking cars and I was initially focused on buying a 328i which is their smaller and less expensive model. I looked at them, and she pointed out the tight back seat spacing. She asked me whether I planned to have children and would need to put a car seat in the back. I told her that I did so she got a car seat and let me try to put it in. It was tough to do. I couldn't imagine trying to hold a baby and wrestle with a car seat in the cramped back of that car. It concerned me."

"We haven't talked about babies yet. I'm glad you're thinking that way."

"Sure I want babies. I was very sad that I didn't have a brother or sister when growing up. Mom was always working, and I had to be alone or with an after-school sitter, and that was no fun. All my friends had brothers and sisters except for Patrick."

"How many do you want?"

"Oh, I don't know. How about ten?"

I pretended to faint... falling to the floor, holding my heart. She pretended to resuscitate me.

I groaned and replied, "I don't think so. Why not think along the lines of two or three before we decide for more?"

"That'd be a good start," she said with a smile.

"Of course, we could trade that smaller car in when the baby comes and get a larger one."

"That's what I should have said. But before I knew it, we were looking at the 535i and it was sweet. I drove two of them with different options and interior colors. I fell in love with the one I bought. It has an awesome sound system and tons of power."

"I'm happy for you. When do we pick it up?"

"At 8:00 tonight. She called shortly before you arrived and confirmed it was ready. They'd received your bank transfer and the fax confirming the insurance coverage."

"Let's get something quick to eat and we'll go on over."

She grinned. "This is the first new car that either I or my mother has ever had. We never could afford one until she remarried, and then my stepdad didn't want to spend the money.

****

Molly greeted us at the door and said everything was ready. The manager came over and congratulated Emily on her new car. That pleased her and made her feel important. Molly took us to meet the service manager and see the customer waiting room where she would come for service. It was very nice, with Wi-Fi, free sodas, juices, and coffee.

Finally, Molly covered all the features of the car with Emily. That took at least 45 minutes. I sat in the waiting room, read emails and surfed the web during that time. It was Emily's turn to be in charge, and she didn't need my help.

Emily followed me to the hotel and was bubbling over with excitement when we met in the parking lot.

"Matt, thank you, thank you, thank you. This car is amazing. I can't believe I have one." I could see tears flowing down her cheeks; but, these were happy tears, a big difference.

Unfortunately, her happiness didn't last long.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

The morning was fine. Our team session showed progress in the design, and Jeri had confirmed that Linda Sue would be in our office on Friday. She was under contract with Precision for related work so the formalities of her assisting us were already in place. We were hoping she could give us additional insight on energy storage in lightweight applications.

The afternoon went fast, and I was very busy. Thursday evening changed our lives.

It began with a call from FBI Agent Norris to Emily during the late afternoon. He asked if he could meet with her that evening at our hotel. She asked whether I was also allowed to participate, and he assured her that would be fine.

She called me at the design center and recounted their conversation. I returned to the hotel immediately after work and picked up dinner on the way. As we ate, we wondered out loud why this was happening. Maybe there had been a break in the case.

Agent Norris came to the lobby and called our room before walking up. As expected, Agent Jackson was with him but also a third person, Agent David Hennessey. We all shook hands and sat at the table. I noticed that Agent Hennessey kept gazing at Emily, but I was growing accustomed to men doing that.

Agent Norris kicked it off. "Emily, as you know, the local police along with the DEA and Agent Jackson searched your apartment while you were away." He handed her a paper. "This is the warrant that was issued prior to the search. Agent Jackson gave a copy of it to your landlord, and he was present during the search."

"I understand," replied Emily. "Why was the DEA involved?"

"The investigation took an unexpected twist when an informant told one of our agents that the marijuana Bobby was selling on campus came from Mexico. The DEA has been watching the Tijuana Cartel, also known as the Arellano Felix Organization, since their internal war began last year. They thought that the Mexicans would try to extend their reach into California and set up distribution networks here using locals they could recruit on college campuses. The DEA did see some of that down at UCLA and at Cal Tech so they thought Patrick and his buddy were probably part of that same ongoing effort.

"When the marijuana from Bobby and Patrick was determined to have been grown in the Mendocino area, the DEA backed off and turned it over to us. We know for a fact that international currency movement was taking place, and Patrick seemed to be in the middle of it. We don't as yet know all the participants and who owns the accounts offshore."

I asked, "So that means the only authority now investigating this is the FBI?"

Agent Norris replied, "Essentially, that's correct. We have support from other agencies, but we're running the investigation."

Agent Jackson said, "During the search, Emily, we found and took an old Apple laptop. We also gave a receipt for that to the landlord. Was that your laptop?"

"Oh, I didn't even notice it was gone. It wasn't working, and I put it in the closet planning to dispose of it someday."

Agent Norris added, "We had trouble getting into it as the motherboard was damaged. Fortunately, most of the memory was still intact and we were able to recover some critical information this week." Emily and I glanced at each other. I could tell she was concerned.

"The night your mother died, were you aware that she sent a text message to your phone near the time of her accident?" asked Agent Norris.

"No, I never got it."

Agent Hennessey said, "Emily, I was a close friend of your mother's in the late 1980's and for most of the 1990's before I transferred to the Los Angeles office. I recruited her to work undercover for the FBI and the Irish Government on a joint effort to curtail money flowing to the Irish Republican Army for their terrorist activities. You never knew this, but she placed herself in many dangerous situations because of her love of Ireland and her adopted country. She was a real patriot in every sense of the word and did a superb job in tracking down money that was destined for guns and bombs to kill innocent people."