“Mom, I understand everyone’s concerned, but I don’t have time to discuss anything right now. I’m gonna catch up with Dad and won’t be talked out of it. Someone’s got to make him see the danger in what he’s doing. I’ve made up my mind; I’m on the 2:30 p.m. flight to San Francisco. That’s it, Mom.”
“Jer, listen to yourself,” Sarah implored. “You sound exactly like your father! How can you think I’d let you chase after him? You’re putting me in an awful position. There’s no possible way for me to condone this. If you leave it’ll be over my strongest objection.”
“Okay, fine. I understand how you feel, Mom,” he replied, seeing her exasperation from the strained look on her face. “But don’t you see that Dad and Uncle Jarrod could actually be at the point of killing each other? This is way out of hand. It’s my responsibility to stop it from escalating any further. I love you, Mom, but I’m going to San Francisco…with or without your help.”
Sarah knew she wasn’t going to convince her headstrong son to listen to reason. Her maternal instincts took over and she offered what she saw as a compromise. “Jer, I can’t begin to tell you how upset I am about this. But I can see your mind is made up…so I’m going with you,” she said firmly. “This isn’t open for discussion. I refuse to just send you on your way. I agree this is a family matter… we’ll deal with it together.”
“No way, Mom,” Jer protested. “I’m doing this alone and won’t have you mothering me. Now’s not the time…”
“Not the time?” Sarah interrupted, raising her voice to block his objection. “Now you listen to me, mister. We’re doing this together or not at all. If you try leaving without me, I promise you I’ll call the police. And trust me…I already have an officer on speed dial. I mean it, Jer. Don’t push it.”
As much as Jeremiah disagreed with his mother’s ultimatum, he was also a pragmatist. He could tell from Sarah’s pursed lips and crossed arms that she was resolved not to budge. He would have to accept her terms or leave over her adamant protest. He didn’t dare defy her further; it was this or nothing.
“Okay, Mom, okay…you win. I don’t want to argue. Please, just get yourself ready while I book another flight. There’s no time to spare. I figure with Dad’s head start, he’ll be arriving sometime later today. If we hurry, we can catch him before it’s too late.”
“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this,” Sarah muttered, fighting to regain her composure. “So help me, Jer, you’re going to listen to what I say. Capisce?” she said, stamping her foot for effect.
“Yes, Mom, I’ve got it. Now, please…get ready. We’ve got to take the next flight out.”
Jer didn’t have a clue what to expect from this unplanned trip to California. He hadn’t considered that Sarah would demand to come with him; having his mother in tow only added to the complexity of searching out two men who had hated each other for over four decades. But Jeremiah was confident in his ability to find a solution to finally resolve their animosity. While the path ahead was uncertain, the potential outcome filled him with great inspiration. It was worth risking failure to bring resolution to the bitter rivalry that had too long held his family captive. Jeremiah was excited by the prospect and couldn’t wait to get going.
It was near noon. The slight, bald-headed man in the silver sedan watched with curious interest as the smartly dressed woman and younger man loaded small suitcases into the back of the woman’s Cherokee. He took out his digital camera and snapped off a half dozen pictures of both. He next took a couple with his phone and sent a text to his client to verify contact with the subjects he was hired to tail. It didn’t appear as though he was going to be as bored on this assignment as he first thought. Looks like we’re going on an adventure.
He waited for the woman to drive past him before he started his car to follow. She looked upset and he figured there was no way she was aware of his presence, but good investigative technique dictated he wait until the subject was some distance away before he pursued. This had every appearance of an easy assignment.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Nassau
Alastair Holloway burned with rage from Richard Kilmer’s latest news. He was fuming as he paced about his stateroom on Jurassic, trying to formulate his next move. His first thought was to call Niles Penburton to demand an explanation. The existence of yet another hidden procedure was far beyond what the owner of Quantum Dimensions, Ltd. guaranteed when he brokered the deal.
Holloway first heard the speculation about a revolutionary antigravity technology when attending an oil symposium with Saudi Arabian sheiks in 2007. From the moment the subject was hinted at, he became obsessed with acquiring the technology before anyone else could capitalize on the discovery. There were a number of drilling applications that could benefit from this technology, principally the extraction of vast oil deposits that lay in deep underground caverns; at current prices, the cost of pumping these deposits was greater than the refined commodity. Apart from his personal interests for Triton Energy, however, the promise of an antigravity device was easily a multibillion-dollar discovery with limitless possibilities. Holloway wanted exclusive ownership of this technology, no matter what it took to get it.
Following months of investigation, Holloway finally located Dr. Niles Penburton, the aloof general partner of Stanford-based Quantum Dimensions. He made repeated overtures to meet the scientist but was continually rebuffed, Penburton politely explaining that his partnership was not interested in adding more limited partners and was not looking for venture capital. Holloway was undeterred, convinced Penburton was cautiously protecting the premature disclosure of a revolutionary breakthrough, and was being evasive to guard against tipping his hand.
Through unrelenting pressure, Holloway finally coerced Penburton into divulging the secret research emerging at Quantum labs. He was finally granted an audience upon offering to fully capitalize the development of the project. Venture capital aside, he convinced Dr. Penburton that no one could take this technology to market faster than the Triton Energy Group. Holloway committed to developing the manufacturing capacity that would introduce the antigravity device into every conceivable industry. His only request was that he be granted exclusive manufacturing and marketing rights; all royalties would remain the province of Quantum Dimensions.
It was at this point that Holloway made one of his astute investment observations. Through several negotiation discussions, he detected a passive hostility between Niles Penburton and Dr. Jarrod Conrad, the inventor behind the antigravity technology. He learned that Conrad was also the other general partner in Quantum Dimensions. Penburton had halfheartedly confided his desire to buy out Conrad’s interest, but he couldn’t imagine a scenario where this would be possible-the antigravity technology was Conrad’s discovery alone and the culmination of his life’s work.
Holloway set out to exploit this rancor to his advantage and offered to solve Penburton’s problem. He devised a plan to build the machine if Penburton could supply the engineering drawings, and to later break into Quantum Dimensions for Conrad’s proprietary equations needed to operate the device. In so doing, he would also create a scenario whereby the egocentric Dr. Conrad would be eliminated. All he required of Penburton was unrestricted access to Conrad’s lab, and as much personal information as possible. Other than these meager stipulations, Penburton would have no other responsibility or involvement. In exchange, Holloway promised complete anonymity from subsequent investigation.
Penburton initially expressed serious objection to such an extreme measure, but ultimately agreed to sell Dr. Conrad’s twenty-six percent partnership share to Holloway for $20 million if he fulfilled his promise. He could not conceive how Holloway could pull this off, but felt there was nothing to lose: If the plan worked, he’d be rid of irksome Dr. Conrad and would be wealthy before the new technology even went to market; if Holloway failed, he’d have plausible deniability in the matter-no one would be any wiser about his collaboration with Holloway. Penburton accepted half the money deposited into a Swiss bank account when the agreement was signed, the other half due when Conrad was no longer a general partner of Quantum Dimensions.