This was going to be Chad’s one and only honeymoon and a vacation to remember forever. “Africa and all her hidden mysteries at their feet.”

He thought about what he had said to his father a few days ago “as he climbed into the car while Hector placed Chad’s luggage into the trunk of the limousine.

“No work after Friday of this week Dad,” he had said to his father in the office days before the wedding, to remind him. His dad wasn’t happy but tried to understand. Work was life to Chad’s father.

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. The time lost to family and friends would never be recovered but the money and the perks of this lavish lifestyle was some consolation to all of them. They could now buy anything and go anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat.

Cathy, Chad’s younger sibling and only sister, seemed to understand the lack of a father figure less than the boys. She had little time with her father and almost felt that she didn’t have one.

Chad wasn’t used to the time off but his father was able to shift some of his firm’s workload to others in the office, except for the “special accounts project.” Those accounts were only handled by Chad and his father.

There were dozens of other brokers that could do most of the other work. He didn’t like it but it had to be done this one time or until his other two children married. He liked Chad looking over all of the brokers shoulders and reminding them to be accurate and diligent.

This business took Chad’s full attention most of the time. That was one of the reasons he had remained single for so long. This honeymoon would be Chad’s first vacation in years.

“What good was having all this money if you couldn’t take the time to enjoy it?” he often stated to his father in that private room with the separate computer terminal used for the “special projects.” It was one of the few times they were ever together at work these days, or so it seemed.

His father did all of the computer entries in that dark, gloomy, room in the sub basement of the building on Wall Street. No one in the company ever knew about this “inner sanctum” or ever entered it except for Chad and his father.

Chad wasn’t really sure what these special projects were all about but his father had showed him the password to access them in case of an emergency or his death. “These are very important Chad, these accounts are the core of our personal wealth and long term security. They must be kept private at all times. At all times Chad, do you understand me?” “Yes father,” Chad answered not really understanding what was at stake.

Chad had been helping his father down here for years, but still had no idea what this was really all about. “Your mother doesn’t even know about these accounts and hopefully never will.”

Chad had started working down here years ago just after receiving his license.

He was still just leaning the ropes then and his father had put Chad down here part of most days entering figures with little context. Account numbers and totals were all Chad ever saw. He did the work as instructed. He understood it to simply be, “part of the leaning process that everyone had gone through.” That was what his father had told him at the time, anyway.

He had no idea he was doing anything illegal.

He still wasn’t sure but his suspicions were growing, slowly at first and as he grew older, he thought more about it as he worked. Then after more thinking about his farther and his family and their deep connections to the elite of New York society that made up the bulk of his father’s clients, he shelved those thoughts.

“I must just be out of the loop for security reasons,” he told himself.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So here we have a little more to think about. I have more coming in a few days.

I want to welcome all of you that have joined me on this adventure. I know little more than you do as I’m writing this as we go.

Perhaps it looks like that. I have a broad idea of what’s coming but I must hone it down each day before you see it.

Where would the fun be if you just saw it all at once?

If you want to do that, buy one of my many books on Amazon. Or Audible if you like to listen rather than read.

No judgment here about either choice.

If you like detective novels, give “Atlanta,” “Judgment Day,” “Mrs. Vee,” or “The Bad Seed” a try.

As always, thanks for joining all of us here at cowboyproductions52.com