Chapter 18

Chad Williams had finished the last of several work related phone calls. He then called his driver to pick him up for the ride to the airport from his apartment building and leaned back in desk chair. The view of the New York skyline was amazing from where he was seated in his home office.

He did go downtown into his father’s building to work in his official office often but did much of his work at home. “A stockbroker can make many personal connections with evening cold calls,” or so his father had told him more than once. “That’s how I built this business,” he would follow up saying during many conversations about the future and the past of his now large concern. “A call from a quiet room to a man or woman’s home can often lead to a great relationship if unhurried by the pressure of office quotas and politics.”

Chad was now as content as any man could be or deserved to be, or so he thought at the moment. His marriage was the final, missing puzzle piece to a perfect life.

Chad’s driver arrived in twenty minutes after crawling through the endless traffic that always seemed to tie the city streets into tight knots and long delays. The city was always a decade behind the curve when it came to the mysterious and unknown solution to the city’s traffic problems.

Most professional drivers had plenty of time to stew over that issue and others while waiting in traffic. The price of the taxi badges was another issue on many of the drivers minds in the city, still waiting or wanting to receive one.

The city fathers were close to just throwing their hands up into the air and leaving the traffic engineers out in the cold after blaming them for the city’s traffic woes over and over again for decades. “Our local politicians are like all politicians since cities were created,” Chad’s driver thought as he sat still for what had seemed like hours, not minutes. He was nearly at his wits end.

Chad took the elevator down after the front desk had called and alerted him that his car was nearly there. The doorman had heard from the driver as he approached the building.

The driver, Jack, was great at his job and loved it most of the time. Tonight was an exception. He had problems at home and his patience was being tested there and on the streets.

Chad came out of the wide front glass doors of his tall building and saw Jack nearly in the driveway. Jack and the car were moving slowly forward. Chad had waved at Jack as he walked across the large lobby of his building and headed for the long black car, nearly in the curved driveway.

Jack had picked Chad up in the car often. Rain had been falling intermittently and the highly polished car was was covered in what appeared to be millions of sparkling water droplets shimmering under the many glowing street lights, above. There had been a few sprinkles in the last hour.

Chad held his brief case in his hand but his luggage had been brought down by Hector, the Puerto Rican porter, as always. The luggage was quickly placed in the large trunk and Chad gave Hector a fine tip. “Thank you sir,” Hector said as he walked away Chad looked back at him. “Thanks as always, Hector.”

This was going to be Chad’s one and only honeymoon and a vacation to remember. Africa and all her hidden secrets at his feet. “No work this month,” he had said to his father the day before the wedding in his father’s massive office. His father wasn’t happy but tried his best to remember his wedding and understand.

It had been a long time since his honeymoon some forty years ago. He had spent the last four decades creating an empire and at some personal cost. That time lost to family and friends would never be recovered but the rewards had made it all worth while, or so he felt. He felt the money was some consolation to all of his family.

They could now buy anything and go anywhere at the drop of a hat. His daughter seemed to understand the lack of a father figure less than the boys, who worked for him now. Cathy had little time with her father while growing up and almost felt that she didn’t have one. She was n,ot part of the business as of yet.

Chad wasn’t used to having time off but his father was able to shift most of the work load to others except for the “special projects.” There were dozens more brokers that could do most of the work in the large office. Chad’s father didn’t like it but it had to be done this one time, or until his other two children decided to marry.

The “special projects” were only handled by Chad and his father. Chad had seen little time off recently and was going to have a hard time adapting to that situation, no doubt. This business took all of your attention most of the time and he had a hard time relaxing and enjoying the normal aspects of life, just like his father. Being on his honeymoon would help with that. This was going to be Chad’s first vacation in years.

“What good was all the money if you couldn’t enjoy it,” he often stated to his father while working together on the “special projects” in that private room with the separate computer terminal. His father did all of the data entries.

“I’ll have plenty if time to rest when I’m dead Chad. Work is my mistress,” just ask your mother about that. She has finally stopped complaining after thirty-five years of marriage. Were on the verge of a final push that will set us up for life, you know that as well as I do.”

Chad had often heard his father and mother fight about his hectic work schedule, but she had finally realized that he would never change, so she had to. “You’ve been a great son and partner on this project. Now isn’t the time for cold feet, son.”

Chad wasn’t eager to move forward with this “special project” at first, but after it was all explained to him by his father’s personal attorney and some of the bankers involved he could see the merits of the plan. They were simply putting products already available on the market into bundles and selling them at a fair profit. Everything was above board and perfectly legal. There were some pitfalls but they were small compared to the possible returns.

“We are near the end of a long term strategic move, son.”

Todd Jacobson sat in his office and flipped his computer on. He tapped his desk as it booted up. He looked for the page with the heading for all of the email addresses and phone numbers for the proper legal authorities in the countries involved.

He had been giving the green light to call Interpol in London and Rwanda. He had been in contact with the Securities and Exchange Commission after several complaints to him and that office. They were now working together.

He would be asking the authorities in Kigali,Rwanda to help with putting Chad Williams and his wife, Suzan, under surveillance while they were in Africa, on safari. Todd supposed that it would be a difficult task. It wasn’t.

He now worked at 26 Federal Plaza, in New York City. He had finally made it to the F.B.I.

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I was up all night thinking about this scene. It has worked out nicely, I think. I have much more ready to post, but I don’t want to bore you.

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