Coffee by gren blackall Page A

hand me a letter
signed by a high level SEC executive guaranteeing immunity for
Warren and me. If you are not there, or you have no letter, I’ll
have security take me back to a plane.”
    “I
already said that. And by the way, I am the high level SEC
executive guaranteeing your immunity.”
    “Good
then. I am just clarifying.” A US Government agency? Who’s
to say they could be trusted. She wished she’d recorded the
call on tape. “Second, I am documenting this call in writing
as part of my personal notes, with all the details. Third, as soon
as we hang up, I’m calling the SEC offices in Washington to
verify your position.” She gritted her teeth waiting for his
answer.
    “Remember,
you’re not getting my guarantee until you sign our agreement
on commitment and confidentially. Any notes you write better be
kept in a safe place if you want to comply. As for calling my
office, go ahead. I’m not there tonight, but you can get
through to a receptionist. You’ll find a public number through
202 information. Have the operator find me and my title in the
directory. Keep in mind though, you won’t get through to
anyone who knows about this deal, and it wouldn’t be wise to
start asking questions to administrative assistants. All
investigations are under tight security.”
    “You’ll
have a letter when I arrive?”
    “You
are a persistent young lady. Yes.”
    “Well
then, assuming all goes well, I’ll be there tonight.”
    “I’m
happy to hear that, Harriet. I’m looking forward to meeting
you. And when this is all over, you might even consider a permanent
position at the agency. We need people like you. Hey, I gotta
jump. Have a pleasant trip!” He hung up.
    Etty
continued holding the phone, trying to fathom it all. A pleasant
trip? A strange ending to a strange call. The SEC. Jail. Ruined
careers. She made the call to the SEC and verified at least there
was a George Leeson in investigations. The operator didn’t
know if he had a Texan accent, but Etty felt reassured.
    The
drive to Concord would take an hour and a half, so she had to leave
by 8:30pm. That gave her barely enough time to close up some things
at the office, make a few calls, drive home and pack, and get going.
Looking out the small window, she saw new snow starting to
accumulate on the paths in the courtyard.

    

    “Knut?
Hi, this is Etty.”
    “Hey
there! You finally crawled out from under your rock, ey? You
getting ready for the big date tonight?”
    “Knut,
I’m sorry, I can’t go.”
    “What?
Ah, com’on Etty! You can’t bail on me. I’ve been
counting on this. If you give me some piddly ass excuse, I’ll
never forgive you.”
    “No,
Knut, this is big. I have an interview in Dallas. I have to go
tonight.”
    “Tonight?
Dallas? What’s this all about? On Friday night?”
    “Yea,
I know it’s kind of sudden, but it’s an interesting
opportunity and they wanted to talk to me right away.”
    “I
guess! What company?”
    “World
Investment Corp.”
    “Never
heard of them. I can’t believe this. ”
    “I’ll
tell you all about it when I get back. Really, I’m sorry.
Don’t take it personally, we’ll reschedule. I promise,
but right now, I have to run.”
    “Why
didn’t you mention you were interviewing? Why the sudden
desire to get a job?”
    “Knut,
trust me. I’m late. I gotta get ready. You know how these
head hunters work - they find their quarry and jump. It’s
part of the game. I’ll call you Monday or Tuesday. We’ll
set another date.”
    Knut
stewed. “I should have known it was just a fantasy. I’ll
go away now and set up for another exciting night with Mantis.”
    “Knut,
don’t do this. I’m serious.”
    “I’m
holding you to next week. But don’t wait to call me Monday, I
want to hear from you after the interview - call collect. I’ll
be here in the lab most of the time.” After a pause, “Be
careful. It’s snowing. You driving to the airport?”
    “Yea,
Concord. I’ve