Jeff finds himself in Silicon Valley where he is asked to investigate claims by a gregarious Frenchman that his neural network electronic technology actually works. He meets up again with the enchanting Nancy, the FBI agent he had worked with in Atlanta where they fell in love while he was still married, and again in Washington DC Kathy puts romance back into Jeff’s life as he finds himself hounded by financially-desperate Europeans so determined to push their questionable technology―men so desperate that they will stop at nothing, even Jeff’s murder. The excitement will make the reader gasp, tragedy will make the reader cry, romance will make the reader sigh.
Chapter 16 of Silicon Gulch … Jeff is risen from the dead!
Wednesday, 8:00 PM: Dinner for Four
They go to a French restaurant to meet Gerard and Mikl. Ted tells Jeff about a woman he knew a long time ago, Jeff tells him about Kathy―Ted is shocked! Jeff goes inside and hides in a corner until
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- Chris Lamela
Author contact: chris@chrislamela.com, 707-566-8790 PST
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Wednesday,
8:00 PM: Dinner for Four
Jeff lay on the bed, the room slowly coming to rest. He lay, running
Donna's words over and over in his head but he couldn't make any sense of them.
Suddenly all the neat chaos of this
week seemed to be pressing against his back, crushing him into the bed. He
gasped under the tremendous load, the words like syrup being squeezed from his
brain, tricking out his ears, he was certain he felt a sticky wetness by his
face, the effluent of Donna's words, images of the naked Paula, naked Lin,
Nancy's cryptic words all pouring from him making a crazy-colored pool of ooze
on the bed spread around his head. He was sure that pool had to be there.
"Jeff, we've gotta go. We need to be at the restaurant in a half
hour. I want a little extra time to make sure I can find the place."
Jeff rolled over on his back turning to look at the rainbow-colored pool
on the bedspread, excrement from his brain.
He was surprised there was nothing.
Just a bed spread.
Ted was standing over Jeff, "Jeff, we've got to go. Are you
alright? Are you sick or something?"
"I'm sick of women."
"You?" Ted laughed, "You?
Sick of women?" he laughed out
loud.
Ted's laughter is exactly what the doctor ordered. Jeff sat up, "Yeah,
I guess it does sound kind of crazy coming from me huh?"
"You got that right, the man with a woman in every pocket sick of
women? That'll be the day," Ted held Jeff's sport coat out to him,
"come on, man, you can sit in the front seat and tell me all about it.
This I have to hear!"
Jeff grabbed his phone from the charger, soon they were driving away
from the freeway on city streets heading toward Saratoga Avenue. Jeff glanced
out at the non-descript houses that lined the four-lane street, stopping at an
occasional light.
"So about these women troubles," Ted glanced to Jeff.
"Man, I wouldn't know even where to start. You remember, we talked
about this in DC. You remember, all that non-scary man business." He shook
his head. They crossed El Camino Real. He thought for a second about how
everything here seemed to have a Spanish name.
Jeff shook his head, "So this non-scary body found all sorts of
women being attracted to it. I mean there are times when I feel like a magnet
walking around with all these women just falling against me. Clink, there's
one! Clink, here comes another one!"
"Are you complaining?"
"Well no. Yes. The problem has been that even with all these women
I'm still not getting laid!"
Ted glanced at Jeff as he drove, "You're married, right? Do you…I
mean do you have sex with her?"
"Not in months."
"Does she see other men?"
Jeff paused to think, "No. At least not that she tells me. My kids
don't say anything. But she is a very attractive woman, you'd think…no, not
that I know of."
"What about you? Do you share any of this with her?"
Jeff laughed out loud, "Seems I don't have to. Can you believe that
she and Nancy―oh jesus, I didn't mean―"
"Dude, everybody knows about you and Nancy!" Ted glanced to
Jeff with a big smile.
"Really?"
"Yes. And don't worry about it, she can get so intense sometimes,
that's the only thing that can knock those rough corners off sometimes right?
Plus everybody likes you, so don't worry. It's okay."
"Thanks man. Anyway, seems my wife and Nancy have been talking. Can
you believe this? Tonight my wife said that Nancy is a nice woman but that
she's not the right type for me!"
"Man, it sounds like your wife is cool. It's like she's looking out
after you."
Jeff looked out the car window vacantly, "Yeah, it does."
"But I hear other things in those words." Jeff looked to Ted
expectantly, "You mean you can't hear it?"
"Hear what?"
"Do you want your marriage?"
Jeff shook his head slowly, "I'm not sure. I've met someone. I'm
just not sure about my wife."
"Well let me help you out here, she has moved on."
Jeff turned to Ted as they neared Stevens Creek Boulevard, looked
forward. "You're right. She has." He shook is head in deep thought.
"That means she has met someone…yeah…this makes sense. The way she was
talking to me about Nancy. Like we are friends, like she's talking to a friend
saying that I should or shouldn't be seeing a particular woman. Nancy."
He turned to Ted, "Wow, Ted. You're right!"
Ted glanced at Jeff, the car started again. "And you'd be okay with
her and another man?"
"I'd have to be."
"That's not what I asked."
"Honestly, I don't know. It would depend."
They turned right onto Saratoga Avenue, immediately turning left into
the parking lot of the restaurant. Ted pulled around the back. The clock said
seven twenty-two. The car engine stopped.
"What would it depend on?" Ted turned to Jeff.
"What kind of man he is, does he like my kids, is he good to
her."
"How about if you had a relationship, too?"
Jeff nodded, "Yeah, that would definitely help."
Ted laughed softly, "You know, for being such a ladies man, I don't
know. It's like you're so stuck in the forest you can't see the trees. You are
surrounded by pussy, so surrounded that you are not looking for what's really
important to you."
"God Ted, you're right."
"What do you want out of life? You have a good job, sounds like
great kids, and it really sounds like you have a good friend in your wife, even
if you can't have her for a wife. So what do you want?"
"I want one woman. One. I want a stable, happy, sexy, you know,
lots of fun."
"Well stand in line, that's what we all want. But what do you want
that's really special?"
Jeff paused, looked to the ceiling, out the window, turning to Ted,
"Someone that I truly respect, that respects me. As equals. Someone who is
interested in me. Someone that I
could be truly interested in and care for, as a person aside from me. If I
could have that everything else would just flow from there."
"You said there is someone. You've met a woman?"
Jeff felt the dreaminess coming over him thinking of Kathy , "Yeah. She's really special. But we
hardly know each other. But then we do. You ever met someone and felt like you
knew her your whole life?"
Ted thought, "Yes, when I was in college. Mary. Mary Lindstrom. It
was like lightening striking. We were together for three years." Jeff
smiled at the name Mary Lindstrom. He had a Mrs. Lindstrom, his third grade
teacher that he was in love with recalling
his affectionate memory of fawning over her from the first row. Third grade was
his best school year up to then, he had since realized it was only to please
his teacher, Mrs. Lindstrom. He wasn't sure what her first name was, he only
ever knew his teachers as Mister or Misses so-an-so. She must be like retired
by now at least, but he found himself with a small sigh at the name.
"So what happened? What happened between you and Mary
Lindstrom?"
"We lived together for a year after college, but I got accepted
into the academy for my FBI training in Virginia, her job kept her on the west
coast. But it was strange, I never figured it out. She just like…I don't
know…suddenly quit calling. That was…I think…maybe twelve years ago. I remember
being really confused by her behavior but I was so involved in my job that I
couldn't go back to see what was going on." He shook his head slowly.
"You know…come to think of it, I think she lives in the Bay Area
somewhere. At least I think. East Bay somewhere. Her parents are from there.
Walnut Creek?"
Jeff shrugged not sure where Walnut Creek is, "Maybe you should
look her up."
Ted shook his head, "It's been a long time. Probably is fat, no
teeth with six kids by seven different men by now."
"Then maybe not."
"Yeah, maybe not. But who is the woman you're talking about, anyone
I know?" Ted's curious smile was not lost on Jeff.
"No, you don't―wait, yes you do!" Jeff shook his head,
"But you're going to think I'm insane! No, I shouldn't tell you. You will
definitely think I've popped a cork."
"Who!"
"Remember DC? You let her into my room that night after my wife
left."
"You don't mean the one who poisoned you!"
"She didn't poison me,
she almost poisoned me!"
Ted burst into laughter, "You're kidding me! What kind of man with
his pockets full of pussies would go back to a woman who almost poisoned him?
You are insane!" he laughed
until his eyes watered.
"Okay okay, enough. You're right to look at it like that. But we
ran into each other again on Monday night. It was like magic! I can't explain
it, but it is truly magic! I'm…"
"You're what?"
"I'm in love with her."
"Well there you go! In love with a woman who tried to poison
you!" Ted laughed again, "Oh, Jeff, you are a strange strange man.
You have women crawling out of the woodwork and you pick the one who tried to
kill you!" The car slowly became quiet, Ted's laughter slowing, wiping
tears from his eyes and cheeks with his hands. "You are too much. The
woman who poisoned you." He pounded the steering wheel. "But hey, why
am I surprised. If I wasn't shocked enough that night you showed up at what,
like two-thirty in the morning in DC saying you wanted to see her?" He
laughed again.
Jeff smiled to himself remembering the one hour he had with Kathy that
night. Her puffy eyes and red face standing at the door when he first arrived
to her room. Their saying the L word to
each other. That one hour of the most wonderful sex, the sweep thing she did with her hips. Looking into those chocolate
eyes. He sighed.
Ted finally regained his composure, "Well my friend, our hearts are
our guides huh? And who am I to say with me and Mary." He paused for a
second, "But look, we've got to get you into the restaurant, I will walk
around with you, pull the car up front, wait until they all go in. I'll be
standing by the front door while you guys eat."
"What about your dinner?"
"Yeah, good idea. You guys could be there for a while, huh? You go
in, there's that burger joint across the street. I'll be back in five
minutes." He paused, Jeff could see him remembering his botched watch
duties when they were in DC, "No, better not, let's just take a quick
drive, you'll be in place in five minutes." They drove across the street, Ted got food
from the drive-through, they drove back across the street to the restaurant.
Soon Jeff was walking through the door of Le Papillion. It was almost
frightfully dark inside even with the last of the evening's sunshine sneaking
around the dark draperies. A tuxedoed man walked up. Jeff explained the
reservation. A minute later he was sitting in the farthest corner from the
table Nancy will take when she arrives. The restaurant was so small that the farthest corner wasn't more than thirty
feet from Nancy's table. Jeff was nervous that he might still be seen.
He leaned into the candle, barely able to read his watch saying eighteen
minutes to eight o'clock. Picking up the menu he leaned it into the light but
still could not read it in the darkness. He picked up the glass candle-holder
setting it between him and the menu, now he can read it, deciding what he will
order when time came to save himself the embarrassment of not being able to
read the menu in the darkness later when he gets to Nancy's table. He
ceremoniously slid the candle back to the middle of the table.
The front door opened, an older couple came in. The waiter greeted them,
sitting them in the opposite corner. He surveyed the restaurant, only one other
table was occupied by a couple that he could barely distinguish in the light,
so quiet Jeff could not hear a word even at this close distance.
Nancy appeared at the door without looking around for Jeff, quickly
being led to her table. Only then did she look up to find Jeff. Without
signaling to him she carefully chose her seat so that the backs of her guests
would be toward Jeff. Very clever, Nancy!
There were only three chairs at the round table meant for four.
A few minutes later the door opened again, Jeff could hear the
Frenchman's loud voice before he could be seen. Jeff slid the candle toward
him, set up his menu in front of him looking at his watch that said precisely
eight o'clock. He smiled to himself how he had gotten that so right in his
little monologue to Arnie and Nancy about these guys' behaviors, how Mikl with
his Swiss-ness would demand to be on
time.
Now to see if his other descriptions will be as accurate, to see if they
can rattle them as easily as Jeff predicted.
He watched, they were seated with their backs to him. The restaurant was
very quiet so it was easy to hear their voices, especially the Frenchman.
The waiter walked up inquiring if they had made a choice of wines. As
Jeff predicted the Frenchman got into a protracted and demanding discussion
about the wines scoffing at the selection, finally picking something from the
list, "I see we have no choice, so this will have to do." Jeff smiled
that he had called this so perfectly.
When the waiter arrived with the bottle the Frenchman took the little
pre-taste to the extreme level of wine-snob that always amused Jeff. Of course
he was going to take the bottle, but he simply had to go through the whole swirl, hold the light, hold to the
nose, take the littlest baby sip, swirl it again in his mouth, only to give a
ghastly little pert frown saying the wine was passable. When the waiter turned
he declared in a loud whisper, "I would have sent it back if I was with
other company." Jeff wasn't sure if other
company meant friends―assuming, of course that he actually has friends―or other company of other
wine snobs.
Jeff listened to the perfunctory chatter surprised at how quickly Nancy
dug into the personality profiles that Jeff had presented to her and Arnie. She
asked where Mikl was from, he responded with a strong arrogant declaration,
"Why Zurich, of course!" When she asked Gerard he responded in his
usual casual manner that he was from Mont Pellier, "On the Cote de
Azure." Jeff smiled at the way coat-de-zur
rolled off his tongue. For an instant he remembered what a pretty place
that was, remembered touring the southern coast of France with is second wife.
He remembered laying on the beach seeing a lithe bare-breasted woman wind
surfing near the beach, making a point to remember to take up wind surfing some
time with the thought, that is definitely
the sport for me!
Nancy sipped her wine relaxed, turning to them both. "So I am
curious. You both speak French, yet I never see you speak French even when you
are away from people."
"I speak Swiss French. A sophisticated tongue." Mikl cast a
condescending glance toward Gerard, "this man speaks peasant French."
"He speaks French that is not even French! It is worse than
Quebecois, those stupid Canadians pretend like they are actually speaking
French? It might as well be Swahili!"
"So that is why we speak in English!" Mikl said with disdain.
Both men turned away from each other in mutual disgust.
Go Nancy!
Nancy went on to say that she was surprised that they were on time. This
lit up Mikl who proclaimed that the Swiss are always on time! Even with their backs to him, Jeff could see the
casual back-handed sweep of Gerard's right hand declaring that the Swiss were way too fussy about such things,
followed by Mikl's terser response that he was surprised that French trains
managed to be within the hour to which Gerard nearly spit a response,
"Well, the water pressure in the French water system always goes to zero
at precisely eight o'clock every morning because every person in Switzerland
has just flushed their toilets when the entire country got up from their
morning shit!"
Even in the dim light with Mikl turned away from him Jeff could see Mikl
fuming, he could read Nancy's smile that she was definitely getting the leg up!
Mikl started to respond when Nancy raised her right hand to interrupt,
"So Gerard, we understand that you are the main decision maker in
Neurotek."
"Oh, yes, it is my company! The
technology is mine. I invented everything that is Neurotek's core assets!"
"That would be fine," Mikl interrupted turning to Nancy,
"if the world ran only on ideas. But we know," with a curt voice,
"that the world runs on money.
And we know that if it wasn't for my―" casting a frigid glance at his
companion, "my money, we
wouldn't even be here."
It was working!
"So
Gerard, tell me about your background. Where did you go to school?"
"I did not waste my time on school." Nancy's raised eyebrows
were clear even in the dim light. "I was a tank gunner in the French
army."
Nancy's expression turned quizzical, "And a tank gunner led you to
silicon neural networks how?"
"By my enormous curiosity!
Sitting in the tank turret made me realize that you shouldn't have people
aiming weapons. We are very bad at that. There is so much to take into account.
Distance, charge of the ammunition, windage, the target's movement, my
movement. It's impossible! So I started doing research, met some people,
learned how to use the electronics design tools."
"Why put it into silicon? Why not use software?"
He scoffed, "The computers are too slow!" Jeff thought about
how his newest laptop was a ninety-megahertz Intel computer, it seemed to be
plenty fast but he suddenly realized that he didn't know enough about neural
networks to be a good judge. Note to
self, study up on this!
"And do you have any patents?"
"Yes, I have three patents, filed in France."
"Are they valid protection in the United States?"
"Of course! We are working on various license deals that will bring
much revenue to us."
"Can you disclose who those deals are with?"
"No, not yet."
She turned to Mikl, "So you must be very happy with this. You must
be pleased by the company's prospects."
"This company," casting another dark glance at the Frenchman,
"is a…what do you call them…big holes that suddenly appear in the
ground?"
"Sinkhole, we call them sinkholes where the ground just sucks up
everything around it, houses, cars, animals, people."
"Yes! A huge sinkhole. This company consumes cash at the rate of
two million a month. It has consumed nineteen million dollars counting the
money from the DOD. Maybe even more that I don't know about."
Jeff could not believe what he was hearing! Eleven million dollars in
investment from Mikl! This man who is usually so contained was spilling all his
acrimonious baggage at Nancy's feet!
"Two million a month! How many people are you?"
"We are twenty three people," Gerard interjected.
Mikl glanced a Gerard, "We are only six, even if you count me in."
"How can six people burn through two million dollars a month? That
would usually take something like," she looked to the ceiling in thought,
"nearly two hundred people!"
"Yes, but we have extraordinarily high costs!" Gerard's voice
had a defensive timbre.
Mikl turned to Gerard, "Yes, we have extraordinary high costs, don't
we!"
"These costs are not unusual for a company at this stage!"
"How would you know, you've
never run a company!"
"You think because you have some degree―"
"Some degree? I have a
doctorate from the University of Zurich. You have a high school
education!"
Jeff saw Gerard turn his head to Nancy as though she was supposed to
help him in this some how, "Do you see how this is? Do you see?"
"So I'm confused," Nancy spoke, about to spray more gasoline
onto the fire, "who is running
this company."
Both voices spoke together, "I
am!"
"You!" Gerard spoke loudly, "You would be nothing without
my technology!"
"What technology! You've never even showed me it works! You would
still be sitting in some tank turret if it weren't for my investments.
Investments I might add that I am done
making!"
Suddenly Jeff saw Nancy raise her
left forefinger.
The signal!
Jeff stood up motioning to the waiter that he would be joining their
table, the waiter ran up to the table with another chair.
"What is this?" the Frenchman demanded.
"Oh, I hope you don't mind, I asked someone to join us. Here, let's
make some room," Nancy casually sliding her chair to her right, a fourth
chair put into place.
Jeff could feel heat from the bodies of the two men at the table, like
he was approaching a bon fire.
Good, now let's really get this
fire burning!
He walked around the table, sitting in the chair turning to the two
faces that stared aghast as though they were looking at a ghost.
They looked like someone had risen from the dead.
NOW READ THE NEXT EXCITING CHAPTER OF
SILICON GULCH!
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