by Jonathan Ferrini<\/p>\n
I\u2019m a \u201cSlacker\u201d and a \u201cGen Z basement dweller\u201d according to my father who included these insults on a note with my personal possessions placed in our front yard for me to find upon returning from work.<\/p>\n
My dad is a hardnosed career civil servant managing properties owned by the State of Hawaii. I disappointed him when I dropped out of college.<\/p>\n
School is difficult for me although I kept this secret from my family whose only child was expected to become an academic superstar. I\u2019m a visual learner. Show me how to complete a task and I will repeat the task quickly and more efficiently. Show me an instruction manual and I\u2019ll have the assembly committed to memory within seconds. Ask me to read or write, however, and I struggle.<\/p>\n
Mom is my \u201cemotional buoy\u201d and empathized with my learning \u201cdisability\u201d. Mom\u2019s pleading for patience and understanding was met by dad\u2019s standard refrain,<\/p>\n
\u201cBullshit!<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needs to try harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
I share rent with a group of friends who prefer to surf instead of work.<\/p>\n
I work nights as a \u201cBarback\u201d at \u201cThe Grass Skirt\u201d which is a Tiki style dive bar and strip club. I want to become a bartender and watching the drinks mixed fascinates me. I\u2019m able to commit the mixology to memory and created a visual reorganization of the bar to increase productivity. I feign a slow learning curve so I don\u2019t embarrass the bartender and get fired.<\/p>\n
It was Wednesday \u201cHump Day Happy Hour\u201d and I was breaking up a \u201ccat fight\u201d between two drunken strippers over a stolen wallet lifted by \u201cFawn\u201d whose fingers can extricate a dollar placed between two cinder blocks and glued.<\/p>\n
Getting in the middle of these ladies is like walking into a \u201ccage match\u201d fight.<\/p>\n
I wrestled the wallet away and the identification inside said it belonged to a Honolulu businessman who operated \u201cKo\u2019s Commercial Realty Company\u201d. Sam Ko was an \u201cold school\u201d Honolulu businessman with many important business contacts on Oahu.<\/p>\n
I watched him stumbling out of our joint and saw a potential career opportunity or a reward in returning the wallet to him. I tipped each of the strippers twenty bucks to forget the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found your wallet, Mr. Ko!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your name, kid?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJonny Soo, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know a \u2018Soo\u2019 who is an escrow officer in town who\u2019s married to the property manager for the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my mom and dad, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you working in this joint?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaying my bills until I find a challenging career opportunity. I would like to speak with you about a career in commercial real estate sales, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking one look at you, kid, I wouldn\u2019t give you the time of day but you come from good parents and returned my wallet. Come by my office tomorrow morning at nine sharp.\u201d<\/p>\n
I showed up at Ko\u2019s office wearing the only suit I owned. The office was on Bishop Street in downtown Honolulu which is where all of the skyscrapers and the \u201cgo-getters\u201d of Honolulu maintain their offices.<\/p>\n
I saw about a dozen young guys like myself feverishly pitching real estate over the telephone. I was impressed by their expensive watches and bespoke suits.<\/p>\n
Ko didn\u2019t waste time on an interview or pleasantries and reached for the phone,<\/p>\n
\u201cLeilani, come to my desk and meet a new prospect.\u201d<\/p>\n
A tall Asian beauty wearing Italian fashion and just enough pearl and gold to make an impression of class and sophistication sauntered over to meet us. She looked to be about thirty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Leilani. She\u2019s my top salesperson. She\u2019ll train you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I followed Lelani to her private office as did every guy\u2019s eye in the office.<\/p>\n
\u201cSit, Jonny.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re my personal assistant until you get your real estate sales license which includes picking up my laundry, washing my sportscar, and anything else I demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny problems with this job description?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about learning real estate?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe sell and lease commercial buildings.<\/p>\n
\u201cIntroduce yourself to building owners and get the owners business card.<\/p>\n
\u201cBring me a minimum of twenty business cards each day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if you complete a deal?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep one hundred percent of the commission.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I\u2019m working for free?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you consider unlimited income potential \u2018free\u2019, yeah.<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at those jerks out on the salesfloor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re all making \u2018bank\u2019 as you young Turks like to say.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis gig has a ninety-day probationary period for you to impress me and obtain your sales license.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went from working as a waitress on the graveyard shift inside a Waikiki coffeeshop to a high six figure queen living in an oceanfront condo with a wardrobe and shoe collection which would fill a boutique.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do I start?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWalk down to the port and along the beautiful shoreline where every tourist trap curio store, restaurant, warehouse, and any other commercial building is located.<\/p>\n
\u201cVacant and ugly buildings spell \u2018opportunity\u2019 so try and get the owners business card.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet out of here but first fetch me a \u201cKona Iced Coffee\u201d at the joint next door.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell the owner it\u2019s for Leilani who says, \u2018Aloha\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere won\u2019t be any charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
I met my quota of twenty business cards a day. I\u2019d leave work at five weekdays and rush to my evening gig at the Grass Skirt.<\/p>\n
It was a Monday morning with grey clouds and a sweet rain misting the streets. The clouds parted and revealed the beautiful blue sky over Honolulu Harbor which was home to noisy commercial fishing vessels and cruise ships.<\/p>\n
I spied an old eight story building across from the harbor. All but one of the windows were dirty and appeared vacant except the corner office which had new window shades and the best view of the harbor. I surmised it was likely the owner\u2019s office. I came upon a tarnished bronze plaque attached.<\/p>\n
Royal Hawaiian Import & Export Building<\/p>\n
Established 1925<\/p>\n
\n
I read a beat-up \u201cDirectory\u201d with about a dozen names which hadn\u2019t been updated in decades. There was an unmanned desk for a security guard.<\/p>\n
I headed for the old elevator which moved slowly to the top floor.<\/p>\n
I exited the elevator on the eighth floor.<\/p>\n
It was a small floor with few offices and each door was unlocked. The offices had been vacant for decades but views from the old dirty windows offered a magnificent view of the harbor and Diamond Head.<\/p>\n
I came to a corner office which had the best view from the building. The walnut door was marked,<\/p>\n
SUITE 888<\/p>\n
PRIVATE<\/p>\n
\n
I knocked but nobody answered although I heard somebody moving about inside.\u00a0 The elevator door opened and I was confronted by one hell of a big native Hawaiian security guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome with me, Brah.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody wants to meet you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked upward toward a video camera. A buzzer sounded and the door of suite 888 unlocked. He opened the door and excused himself,<\/p>\n
\u201cGood luck.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked into a small lobby. It was stark except for an old clock on the wall and a couple of wooden seats you\u2019d find in a courthouse. It smelled of cigarette smoke and the faded carpet was worn out.<\/p>\n
A mature Asian woman approached wearing an elegant red silk Qipao with a gold flower pattern and stiletto black high heel shoes tearing up the carpet like she\u2019d ripped hearts from lovers throughout her life.<\/p>\n
She was elegant despite the cigarette dangling from her mouth. I estimated she was in her sixties but the silk dress accentuated a shapely figure. She wore a set of pearl earrings with matching necklace, tennis bracelet, and a large jade ring on her long thin middle finger of the left hand. I guess it made \u201cgiving the finger\u201d elegance.<\/p>\n
\u201cTake a seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Miss Chin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s my business card, Miss Chin.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a trainee agent with Ko\u2019s Commercial Realty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know Ko?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a customer at The Grass Skirt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your association with the Grass Skirt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the Bar Back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Ko hire a lounge lizard like you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows my mom who is an escrow officer in town and my dad is a property manager for the state.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s becoming clear to me, now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe own this building and I resent you snooping around.\u201d<\/p>\n
A man\u2019s voice came through a speaker,<\/p>\n
\u201cQuit givin\u2019 the kid the \u2018third degree\u2019 and show him in.\u201d<\/p>\n
I heard a buzzer and the door behind Chin\u2019s desk unlocked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollow me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re about to meet your \u2018Maker\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n
I walked into a luxurious office which bore no relation whatsoever to the tired old concrete building and Chin\u2019s drab lobby. The office had a full bar and Tiffany lamps.<\/p>\n
The walls were walnut paneled, the carpet was blood red, thick, and the furniture was mahogany will gold accents. The walls were filled with paintings depicting maritime themes and photos of Navy men from the Vietnam war.<\/p>\n
A man older than Chin with a military demeanor and crewcut hairstyle sat behind a massive teak desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe own fifty-one percent of the Grass Skirt so I wanted to check you out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember being young, hungry, stupid, and willing to do anything to make a buck.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave a seat.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy name is Bart.<\/p>\n
\u201cChin\u2019s a feisty old broad but she\u2019s been married to me close to fifty years and this \u2018ol sailor still loves her like the first day I met her in a Hong Kong slum when my ship made port.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that a model submarine torpedo on your desk, Bart?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSimilar to a torpedo but its formal name is \u2018AUV\u2019 or \u2018Autonomous Underwater Vehicle\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey move underneath the water but don\u2019t carry munitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat purpose do these serve, Bart?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderwater exploration and much, much more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, you\u2019re in the AUV business?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur firm is called \u2018CBT\u2019 which is short for \u2018Confidential Business Transfers\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the asset management company for many cash generating business enterprises purchased with the proceeds generated from the AUV business named, \u2018Overseas Services Company\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cCBT locates, purchases, and manages business opportunities for OSC.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, CBT is like a property manager for OSC?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrecisely, Jonny.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou remind me of my boss, Mitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s the stepson of my former shipmate and founder of OSC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat big stupid lookin\u2019 guy in the photos is Mitch\u2019s stepdad, Drake, but beneath that ugly mug was one shrewd son of a bitch!<\/p>\n
\u201cHe created an empire and I was lucky enough to be brought along for the ride.<\/p>\n
\u201cMitch was a dumb ass college kid just like you and took over when his stepfather, Drake, died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy does OSC earn so much cash?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood question, Jonny.<\/p>\n
\u201cOSC maintains and launches AUV\u2019s for the Navy from an isolated atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n
\u201cOSC has AUV\u2019s crawling all over the Pacific seafloor snooping, mapping and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody does it better and since it requires a top security clearance from the Navy, OSC name\u2019s its own price because we have no competitors in the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n
\u201cOSC is a \u2018cash cow\u2019 which brings me to you, son.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you can help us find investments <\/strong>for the cash generated by OSC.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of investments, Bart?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe own most of the bars, strip clubs, pawn shops, check cashing joints, massage parlors, \u2018hard money\u2019 lenders, and bail bond companies on these islands.<\/p>\n \u201cAll legit business operations, got it?<\/p>\n \u201cWe prefer cash generating businesses near military installations because of those big payrolls paid out twice a month to the service men and women.<\/p>\n \u201cCash businesses are best for mitigating our tax liability purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy me, Bart?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to run all of the escrows through your mom\u2019s escrow company.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want an escrow officer who doesn\u2019t ask questions.<\/p>\n \u201cYour pop will be the first to know when the state wishes to sell surplus property which could be of interest to our client, OSC.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t involve my parents.<\/p>\n \u201cThey think I\u2019m a loser.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWork our system and when your parents see the money your making, they may want to get \u2018a piece of the action\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have methods of generating opportunities for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe own the largest beer, wine, and spirits distribution company in Hawaii.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen bars, liquor stores, and restaurants become delinquent on their accounts, we approach them with an offer to purchase a controlling share of their business in return for bringing their account current.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they don\u2019t sell, we cut them off from inventory which drives them out of business.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s how we got fifty-one percent of the Grass Skirt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow do I write up the offers?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChin will teach you everything.<\/p>\n \u201cYou continue to work through Ko at his office and never make any mention of this operation.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll be kissing your ass with the commission income you\u2019ll be funneling through his office.<\/p>\n \u201cPlay your cards right and you\u2019ll buy Ko\u2019s office out from under him.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish you the best of luck now get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n I felt like the luckiest guy in the world but wondered if I had made a Faustian bargain as I sat before Miss Chin.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen do I start, Miss Chin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSign this Nondisclosure Agreement which has \u2018teeth\u2019 to assure you make no mention of our business operations.<\/p>\n \u201cThat menacing security guard you met is named \u2018Sonny\u2019 who handles all of our collections and enforcement matters.<\/p>\n \u201cMemorize my phone number I wrote down inside this Grass Skirt matchbook.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you see the number show up on the phone, pick up, day or night.<\/p>\n \u201cI have your first meeting scheduled.<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow, ten am sharp.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re meeting Wendell Wong at \u201cLuky Louie\u2019s Liquor\u201d at their store in Waikiki.<\/p>\n \u201cWendell is the grandson and trustee of Louie\u2019s estate.<\/p>\n \u201cHe spends more time in Vegas gambling away the profits than running his grandfather\u2019s liquor stores.<\/p>\n \u201cHe owes our liquor distributing business one hundred thousand dollars and is ninety days in arrears.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s come to my attention that he\u2019s leveraged all of the real estate and there is no more equity.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s behind in his mortgage payments and the bank may foreclosure soon.<\/p>\n \u201cI will text you our standard contract which provides for our clearing his debts in exchange for equity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are your terms, Chin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe take a fifty-one percent ownership in all of his liquor stores and real estate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t he find liquor inventory from another distributor?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNobody will touch his credit and won\u2019t interfere with our client.<\/p>\n \u201cThey know better!<\/p>\n \u201cHe must sign the contract with no changes whatsoever.<\/p>\n \u201cHe becomes a silent partner.<\/p>\n \u201cOur managers will take over the day-to-day operation.<\/p>\n \u201cYou deliver the signed contract to your mother\u2019s escrow company who will handle the sale.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you only want fifty-one percent equity, Chin?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re already growing wiser, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Pigs get slaughtered\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want control but prefer to remain lowkey.<\/p>\n \u201cNo change in name, nothing.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, get out and impress me tomorrow or we\u2019re through with you.\u201d<\/p>\n Luky Louie\u2019s Liquor was a legacy business with a longstanding history on Oahu. My grandfather made deliveries for Wendell\u2019s grandfather on a bicycle to tourists staying in Waikiki hotels.<\/p>\n Wendell\u2019s office was about the size of a closet. The walls were plastered with photos of his father and grandfather shaking hands with movie stars and politicians who frequented the stores. Wendell looked older than his age. He took one look at me and said,<\/p>\n \u201cThey send a kid to steel my business away from me!\u201d<\/p>\n I handed him the contract to sign.<\/p>\n \u201cFifty-one percent of the gross profits of six stores and the real estate!<\/p>\n \u201cThe amount necessary to pay off my liquor bill and mortgage payments is roughly half a million dollars but they\u2019ll receive an equity stake worth millions of dollars!<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been approached by another agent from your office who may have a partner at better terms.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s the agent, Wendell?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome good-looking lady named Leilani who said she has a potential joint venture partner who\u2019ll clear my debt and permit me to stay on as managing partner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t have an offer in writing, waiting is too risky because you\u2019ll be cut off from inventory and foreclosed upon any day.\u201d<\/p>\n Humiliation is a sour pill and very difficult to swallow for men who inherit a longstanding family business. Wendell took a deep breath, reached for a bottle of rum inside his desk drawer, and hesitated.<\/p>\n I heard heavy footsteps outside the office and found Sonny standing at the door with a menacing stare.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, it\u2019s going to be like that, kid?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook at your smiling grandfather in those photos.<\/p>\n \u201cHow would he feel seeing Luky Louie\u2019s close for good?\u201d<\/p>\n His hand quivered as he signed the contract.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce last thing, Wendell.<\/p>\n \u201cThat photo on the wall with the kid and bicycle was my grandpa.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m taking that photo!\u201d<\/p>\n I gently closed the office door and heard Wendell begin to sob.<\/p>\n \u201cThis can\u2019t be coincidence with you showing up, Sonny.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome of these business owners get tough but I get tougher.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonny stood six foot five and weighed over three hundred pounds making any adversary think twice.<\/p>\n When I reached my mom\u2019s office, she was surprised to see me.<\/p>\n She read the two-page contract saying,<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done business with Ko for years and he phoned me to say he\u2019d give you a chance.<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to this contract, Ko\u2019s firm is paid a ten percent commission of the buyout, son.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the amount?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWendell thought it was about five hundred thousand dollars.<\/p>\n \u201cMy client said you\u2019d coordinate the sale and close the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf five hundred thousand is correct, the commission is fifty thousand dollars less your split with Ko.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is your split?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZero!<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m on a probationary period and my supervisor Leilani earns the commission.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe contract says the buyer is a Limited Liability Company named \u2018Solve 4 Y\u2019 and is incorporated in Nevada.<\/p>\n \u201cWho\u2019s the principal of this LLC?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know but my contact is in Honolulu and I signed their Non-Disclosure Agreement so I can\u2019t say more to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive your contact my card and I\u2019m certain I\u2019ll be receiving everything I need from them.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations!<\/p>\n \u201cYour father will be very proud of you!\u201d<\/p>\n I received a late-night call from Chin.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulation\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cYou broke your fortune cookie!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou \u2018pop your cherry\u2019 but with a fortune cookie only good fortune spills out instead of boy juice!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThanks Chin but I\u2019m not happy\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s problem?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m stuck in a no commission probationary period with Ko.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometime you must give a little to get a lot, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want any interruptions in your dealings with Ko.<\/p>\n \u201cKo does business with our hard money lending company for his clients and we hold the mortgages on many of his investment properties.<\/p>\n \u201cI have documents proving mortgage fraud on many of his loan applications.<\/p>\n \u201cI can expose the fraud, report him to the state real estate department which may revoke his broker\u2019s license, and our mortgage on his properties permits foreclosure on any of his properties with fraudulent loan applications.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll make him aware of all of this when you present our \u2018take it or lose everything offer\u2019 to purchase a fifty-one percent interest in his real estate agency.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll keep him on as general manager but you\u2019ll be independent and, on a ninety percent, commission split with only a ten percent kick-back to Ko.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll be his boss.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t wait!\u201d<\/p>\n So started the avalanche of deals involving liquor stores, check cashing operations, coin laundries, restaurants, massage parlors, and commercial properties of every type.<\/p>\n I became very good at my job and felt invincible in ways my father wouldn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n As a reward to me, Chin decided to pull the pin on the grenade which would explode Ko\u2019s business and property interests. She asked me if I wanted to present the offer to purchase fifty-one percent of Ko\u2019s real estate agency.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI wouldn\u2019t miss the opportunity, Chin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKo is frightened like a trapped mouse and will comply with all of our demands.\u201d<\/p>\n When I walked into Ko\u2019s office, it became quiet, and all eyes followed me as I thrust open Ko\u2019s door and slammed it behind me.<\/p>\n I startled Ko and Leilani leapt up from his lap.<\/p>\n \u201cI will sign your contract but don\u2019t come around the office.<\/p>\n \u201cI must save face.<\/p>\n \u201cYour commission fees will be wired to your bank account and any papers will be delivered to you by private messenger.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKo, this joint is the last place I want to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n I summoned my new German sportscar from the valet. I felt a warm breath in my ear and the beautiful scent of French perfume Leilani preferred.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really turned me on the way you put Ko in his place, baby.<\/p>\n \u201cI know your buyer screwed me out of a deal with Wendell.<\/p>\n \u201cI can help you leverage your client into larger deals by teaming up with me.<\/p>\n \u201cWho is your buyer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe buyer\u2019s name is confidential.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have many influential contacts who own property and businesses which may be for sale not to mention deep pocket investors who may wish to joint venture with your buyer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKeep your nose out of my business!\u201d<\/p>\n My father was suspicious of mom\u2019s uptick in business and, in particular, the buyer named \u201cSolve 4 Y, LLC\u201d.<\/p>\n Mom\u2019s contact was a man named Morton Scheib whose only method of contact was a Las Vegas Post Office box. He didn\u2019t have an email, physical address or phone number but all of the documents were sent and received by express mail.\u00a0 Mom said she never had a conversation with Scheib who signed the documents and his signature was properly notarized in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n Mom planned a celebratory dinner for our family at a very expensive \u201csurf and turf\u201d restaurant named \u201cBrent\u2019s on the Beach\u201d.<\/p>\n My mother was a wonderful mom and wife. Although she was a dutiful worker at the escrow company, the house was always maintained and dinner on the table for dad at six as was his command. Mom was a \u201cworker bee\u201d showing up first in the office every morning and closing up every evening Monday through Friday excluding federal and state holidays for over twenty years.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been promoted to General Manager!<\/p>\n \u201cI now have the corner office, a pay increase, and profit sharing.<\/p>\n \u201cAren\u2019t you both proud of me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMom, I\u2019m so happy for you!\u201d<\/p>\n My father sat stoic staring out at the setting sun. Mom hung her head like a shamed dog on the first \u201cbest\u201d day of her life since my birth.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t be happy for mom, dad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hold a position of responsibility with the state and can\u2019t be involved with any financial irregularities associated with either of your business activities.<\/p>\n \u201cHave either of you investigated the buyer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, darling, the buyer is Solve 4 Y, LLC\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho is your contact with the buyer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMorton Scheib is the Managing Member, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHave either of you spoken with Morton Scheib?<\/p>\n \u201cAh, silence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMister Scheib\u2019s money wire transfers arrive from reputable banks on the mainland.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI had the State Inspector General check out the LLC and Scheib to protect my position and both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat did you find out, dad?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMister Scheib is licensed to practice law and accounting in Nevada but there is no known office address or personal residence for him except a Post Office box.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, Jonny, who is your shady client?<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Scheib?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy client must remain confidential pursuant to an NDA I signed, dad.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should have come to me, first!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t come to you for a glass of water, dad!<\/p>\n \u201cYou resent mom\u2019s success and it bothers you that I\u2019ve made four times your salary in less than one year without a college degree!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think that sportscar you pulled up in and the twenty-dollar tip you handed the valet would impress me, son?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe this will impress you, dad.<\/p>\n \u201cMom\u2019s promotion came about because I negotiated the purchase of a controlling interest in mom\u2019s escrow company and a condition of the purchase was that she be made General Manager!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJonny, you should have told your mother, honey.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t say anything mom and don\u2019t say your \u2018sorry\u2019 to dad for your success.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, dad, what\u2019s the Inspector General gonna\u2019 say about your son\u2019s purchase of your wife\u2019s escrow office, and furthermore, what\u2019s the \u2018IG\u2019 gonna\u2019 say about your son negotiating a controlling interest in Ko\u2019s real estate brokerage firm?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe IG informed me to keep my mind on my own business.\u201d<\/p>\n Dad was humiliated but I didn\u2019t feel sorry for him. I was tired of the stayed old Asian patriarchy he perpetrated.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m moving into a high rent condo in Waikiki.<\/p>\n \u201cCongratulations, Mom.<\/p>\n \u201cI love you.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I had dad\u2019s love and support but these were never forthcoming from him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBe kind to your father, dear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEasy money becomes easy failure, son!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll pick up the tab, dad!<\/p>\n \u201cMy client owns this place.\u201d<\/p>\n Chin phoned me as I drove away.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Chin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt ain\u2019t Chin, kid.<\/p>\n \u201cYou alone?<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, Bart.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeilani has been stirring up trouble behind your back since we bought Wendell\u2019s liquor stores and real estate.<\/p>\n \u201cShe got the Las Vegas address for Morton Scheib from a purchase document passing through Ko\u2019s office and wrote him soliciting a meeting to discuss real estate opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cScheib notified Mitch who is furious.<\/p>\n \u201cShe might make the connection between CBT and OSC.<\/p>\n \u201cMy head is in a noose and so is yours unless you do exactly what I say!<\/p>\n \u201cTell Leilani a meeting with your client has been scheduled for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are we meeting?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t told, kid.<\/p>\n \u201cSonny will pick you both up at \u2018Samoan Steve\u2019s Sweet Shak and Coffee\u2019 at nine sharp and drive you to the meeting place.<\/p>\n \u201cKid, I took a verbal beating from Mitch and can\u2019t keep you out of trouble again.\u201d<\/p>\n I tossed and turned all night but eventually fell asleep. I dreamed I was back in college failing, again.<\/p>\n Leilani was early and dressed to impress wearing a tight-fitting silk dress cut just above the knee and haute couture stiletto heels suggesting a cocktail mixed with almost equal measures of business etiquette and an added shot of sexuality. Her woman\u2019s brief case was black snakeskin with gold hardware.<\/p>\n Sonny showed up at nine sharp. We arrived after the morning rush at Samoan Steve\u2019s and there were only a few patrons about the popular coffee and sweet spot. I acted as though I didn\u2019t know Sonny.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the security representative for the client who is a very private and wealthy individual who wants no notoriety.<\/p>\n \u201cHe demands that all cellular devices and laptops are powered off and in my possession for safekeeping until after we return from the meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I must, I will complete a thorough pat down of each of you before we depart.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonny gave Leilani a menacing stare causing her to remove two cellphones and her laptop. I gave Sonny my cellphone.<\/p>\n He drove us out to a secluded private ranch with a dirt landing strip. I presumed it was the home of Mitch when Sonny announced,<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re meeting a pilot named Kai.<\/p>\n \u201cHe will fly us out to Lanai for a brunch meeting with the buyer on his estate and bring us back.\u201d<\/p>\n A four-seater plane was ready to taxi and the pilot motioned for us to climb inside.<\/p>\n \u201cMy name is Kai.<\/p>\n \u201cEstimated fly time to Lanai is forty-five minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cLady and Sonny sit in back seats.<\/p>\n \u201cJonny sits next to me.<\/p>\n \u201cLady sits behind Jonny.\u201d<\/p>\n Kai was a seasoned pilot and had us up in the air within minutes climbing and leveling out towards Lanai.<\/p>\n I noticed Sonny was the last to power off his cellphone after checking a text message.<\/p>\n The elevation of the plane appeared to be uncomfortably low but didn\u2019t concern a pilot with Kai\u2019s skills.<\/p>\n The landing strip at Lanai came into view and we were approaching quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re going to pass the landing strip, Kai.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not cleared for landing, lady.<\/p>\n \u201cI show you something.\u201d<\/p>\n Lanai disappeared and we were somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. The plane descended and took a sudden bank to the right.<\/p>\n \u201cLook down into the water.<\/p>\n \u201cThat area has the largest concentration of shark species in the Pacific.<\/p>\n \u201cShow them, Sonny.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonny removed a small dead wild pig from a plastic bag as Kai reached over to open the door next to me. My seatbelt was the only thing keeping me inside the plane. Sonny threw the pig out of the plane which landed in the water not far below us with a splash.<\/p>\n Like a washing machine in agitation cycle, the water became chaotic as schools of sharks competed for the pig. It was a breathtaking sight.<\/p>\n Kai took a sharper bank to the right with the left wing at ninety degrees, descending further, and with lightning-fast speed, Sonny elbowed Leilani square in the face caving it into a bloody unrecognizable horror.<\/p>\n He grabbed her firmly by the neck, dragged her from the back seat, and threw her from the plane like a bag of trash along with all of our electronics.\u00a0 The plane was so low to the water, I could see the sharks jumping out of the water and seizing the body creating a feeding frenzy.<\/p>\n The carnage happened so fast, my brain couldn\u2019t make sense of the horror and I blacked out.<\/p>\n \u201cWake up, kid!\u201d<\/p>\n I regained consciousness with Sonny\u2019s arm around my neck which he could snap like a twig.<\/p>\n \u201cBig boss wants no more problems.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonny didn\u2019t say another word until we reached Samoan Steve\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cMy auntie is the caretaker of the deserted ranch.<\/p>\n \u201cShe raises Pit Bulls which roam about the gated property insuring nobody saw the plane board or land at the deserted airstrip.<\/p>\n \u201cThe plane flew low to avoid radar.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were no cellphone signals to track and Kai confirmed his plane didn\u2019t pick up any signals from the passenger\u2019s devices.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything which happened today was like it never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if Leilani mentioned meeting me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSamoan Steve is CBT\u2019s business partner.<\/p>\n \u201cI assure you Steve and his employees won\u2019t remember seeing the two of you.<\/p>\n \u201cSamoan Steve strictly enforces a one-hour parking restriction on his lot so Leilani\u2019s car was towed.<\/p>\n \u201cIf anybody questions you about a meeting with Leilani, simply say,<\/p>\n \u2018She never showed up so I split\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cChicks like Leilani disappear all the time.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s now a missing person crime statistic.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re now an accessory to murder.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep your mouth shut and your mind on business or what happened to Leilani can happen to you and your family.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want to become a crime statistic, Jonny.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about my phone with all my contacts, photos, and data?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom this moment forward, purchase and use \u2018burner phone\u2019s only for business.<\/p>\n \u201cAloha.\u201d<\/p>\n I returned home and found my mom had let herself in, tidied up, and prepared my favorite dinner of ribs, spring rolls, and noodles. She found the photo of grandfather I took from Wendell and suggested in a note I hang it on the wall across from my bed so I could see it before falling asleep and upon awakening. It was mom\u2019s way of asking me to honor my ancestors by staying motivated. Chin\u2019s reference to \u201cpigs get slaughtered\u201d had new meaning for me.<\/p>\n Mom wrote about a surplus state property dad mentioned might be a good acquisition for my client but he didn\u2019t want to be involved directly.<\/p>\n It seemed unusual that dad would tip me off to an acquisition for my \u201cshady\u201d client. Reading between the lines, it was dad\u2019s way to rid the property from the state\u2019s surplus inventory and put him back in good stead with his superiors after their rebuke of his investigation regarding my client.<\/p>\n The property was an abandoned port. I pulled up a satellite image and zoomed into and fully acquainted myself with its attributes which were perfectly clandestine. I brought it to the attention of Chin who demanded I meet with Bart at the office in the morning.<\/p>\n I was shackled with indecision. If I went to the police, I\u2019d be an accessory to murder. I loved my parents and I couldn\u2019t involve them in a murder investigation. Seeing their only son charged with murder would destroy them. I chose to say nothing and cried myself to sleep.<\/p>\n Bart was in the middle of a phone conversation and motioned for me to sit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe kid I\u2019ve been telling you about just walked into the office.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll put him on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Mitch, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand you\u2019ve presented a very interesting acquisition opportunity for OSC.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be in Honolulu tomorrow and want to see it for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have access instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur contacts within the Navy will get us access.<\/p>\n \u201cI look forward to meeting you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were talking to the big boss, kid, and you made a positive impression.\u201d<\/p>\n I paced about my condo nervous about meeting Mitch. I stared at the photo of my grandfather on the wall and asked him for strength and guidance.<\/p>\n Sonny drove us out to the property in a van. I sat next to Mitch who was pushing thirty. He was accompanied by a beautiful Japanese American woman a few years older than me. I got a vibe they might be more than employer and employee. Mitch introduced himself as President of OSC and Jade was introduced as his Administrative Assistant.<\/p>\n After a long drive up into the mountains to the crest and over, we descended quickly down to sea level and came upon a gate marked with an old rusted sign,<\/p>\n U.S. MILITARY INSTALLATION<\/p>\n NO TRESPASSING<\/p>\n The property consisted of a sizeable metal warehouse, large yard for trucks and cargo, and a dock for boats. I told Mitch and Jade what my mom described.<\/p>\n \u201cThis property hasn\u2019t been used since World War Two.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was utilized for munitions storage so it had to be hidden, secure, and camouflaged.<\/p>\n \u201cIf OCS needs privacy, security, and access to the water, this property has it all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt resembles our operation out on the Pacific atoll but affords us greater proximity to the mainland.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s perfect.<\/p>\n \u201cCan we buy this property, Jonny?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Sir.<\/p>\n \u201cThe state wants to lease it long term.<\/p>\n \u201cThe state will use a sealed bid process.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Sealed Bid\u2019, my ass, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201cOur client is the United States Navy and we\u2019ll get them to do our negotiating with the state.<\/p>\n \u201cThis property will enable OSC to move much of our operations closer to the mainland with time and cost savings.<\/p>\n \u201cYou remind me of myself when I was your age and got hired by my step dad who founded OSC.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake was a tough \u2018ol SOB but gave me a job which turned into running this business when he passed away.<\/p>\n \u201cEffective immediately, you\u2019ll work for OSC.<\/p>\n \u201cJade will provide you with another NDA for you to sign.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll report directly to her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll find unlimited opportunity working for OSC.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll work out the details with Jonny tonight, Mitch.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a late-night Luau at Brent\u2019s on the Beach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe own Brent\u2019s and they\u2019ll seat you with a magnificent view of the marina.<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to imagine each of the magnificent sailboats having sails made of cash, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you continue to impress me, one might be yours sooner than you can imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonny dropped Mitch and Jade at the CBT office before returning me home with enough time to prepare for dinner with Jade.<\/p>\n I was purposely early to impress Jade but she was already seated and drinking a \u201cPearl Diver\u201d cocktail.<\/p>\n Jade was edgy, street-smart, and wasted no time in getting the NDA signed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to eliminate Leilani who was a snoop interfering with our business affairs which are top secret.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you hadn\u2019t impressed Mitch, the same would have happened to you.<\/p>\n \u201cYour fate was debated right after you took off and, lucky for you, Sonny checked his text messages instructing him to let you live!\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWasn\u2019t Leilani\u2019s murder an overreaction?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLeilani was simply a convenient message from Mitch to everybody about consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKo is likely worried about his \u2018squeeze\u2019 Leilani disappearing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChin told him she likely ran off with a client and to mind his own business.<\/p>\n \u201cHe complied just like the state who shut down the IG\u2019s investigation of our LLC.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow did they stop the IG\u2019s investigation?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThose many business enterprises we own pay a lot of state sales and property tax, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201cBart and Chin know nothing about Leilani\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n \u201cMitch keeps everything on a \u2018need to know\u2019 basis.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you know about AUV\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOnly what Bart showed me from a model inside his office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI worked for OCS on their atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where they assembled, repaired, and launched AUV\u2019s all over the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n \u201cI was the only woman on the island.<\/p>\n \u201cI met Mitch when Drake sent him out to learn the business.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of job did you have out there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was a bookkeeper reporting to headquarters in Long Beach, California.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMitch prefers everything to do with OSC remain confidential which is important for his relationship with the Navy and other reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you mean by \u2018other reasons\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter your visit to OSC\u2019s operation on the atoll, the answer to your question will be crystal clear, and baby, your life is never gonna\u2019 be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n I returned home. Whenever I was agitated, I retrieved my high school Geometry textbook. I\u2019d thumb through the many geometric images which allowed me to focus.<\/p>\n I came upon the Hexagon which is a magnificent six-sided image replicated inside beehives. Included within the footnotes to the image, it was mentioned the Hexagon lends itself to efficient packing. I closed my eyes and imagined the Hexagon lying flat. I placed each of the six sides together over and over in my mind until I fell asleep.<\/p>\n I met Jade at the deserted airfield for the flight to OSC in the Pacific.\u00a0 I feared the worse.<\/p>\n \u201cStrap yourself in tight, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bumpy ride but Kai knows the trade winds like the back of his hand.\u201d<\/p>\n After flying through the Pacific for two hours in a propeller plane, I felt nauseous, and was happy the long thin island came into view.<\/p>\n We were on the ground quickly and a jeep approached us.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the foreman who\u2019ll show you around.<\/p>\n \u201cHe worked for Mitch\u2019s stepdad, Drake.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is Jonny, Griz.<\/p>\n \u201cI want you to show him the operation while I tend to matters in the office.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis kid reminds me of Mitch.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLet me have a word privately with you, Griz.<\/p>\n \u201cJonny has been cleared by Mitch to see everything!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverything?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t know it yet but he may be running the new Honolulu facility when it\u2019s ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Griz shook my hand with a firm grip.<\/p>\n \u201cFollow me, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n We walked towards a metal warehouse and some office trailers on the otherwise deserted island. The sun was intense and the wind whipped across the island which was flat and devoid of any trees.<\/p>\n \u201cThe island has no name; just coordinates on a map.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re somewhere between Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines.<\/p>\n \u201cI was Drake’s \u2018right hand man\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake saved my life in Vietnam during an underwater demolition accident.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been loyal to that salty \u2018ol SOB ever since.<\/p>\n \u201cSince Mitch took over for Drake, I report to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do we do here, Griz?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe repair and maintain AUV\u2019s which we send out to sea.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can send them anywhere as long as they have battery life.<\/p>\n \u201cWe send them to survey the ocean floor as far away as the West coast.<\/p>\n \u201cOSC has a small and tight knit crew.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the foreman.<\/p>\n \u201cThe crew has no reason to speak to you and vice versa.\u201d<\/p>\n We entered the locked warehouse.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where we service and repair the AUV\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cOur client is the Navy which uses them for intelligence gathering, mine countermeasures, and anti-submarine warfare.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re powered by rechargeable batteries which are serviced here.<\/p>\n \u201cThey operate for about 16 hours on pre-programmed missions.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re about 19\u2019 in length, 21\u201d in diameter, and weigh 1700 pounds.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir sophisticated sonar and computer systems transmit images of the ocean floor which are beamed up to a satellite and back to the Navy.<\/p>\n \u201cOpening the AUV\u2019s requires a top security clearance and a key issued by the manufacturer.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake earned his top security clearance from decades of loyal service as a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy who issued my key.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m required to always wear the key on a chain around my neck like a dog tag to prevent loss or theft.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Navy ordered the fleet that any AUV found is to be held under tight security until a member of OSC with a key arrives to retrieve it.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new AUV\u2019s arrive by military transport plane.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me open one up for you, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n Griz removed the key and unlocked a panel underneath the sleek new AUV.\u00a0 The interior of the AUV\u2019s were packed with state of the art, sonar, computer systems, battery packs, recording, and transmitting devices.<\/p>\n \u201cThe guts of these fish are America\u2019s best underwater surveillance technology.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho thought up this business?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDrake loved adventure honed as an underwater demolition expert during Vietnam.<\/p>\n \u201cWith retirement racing towards him, he devised a method of making big money by trafficking Fentanyl manufactured in Asia and smuggled out through \u201cThe Golden Triangle\u201d; the border of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar.<\/p>\n \u201cThe packaged Fentanyl is sealed in airtight, chemically coated plastic bricks, masking the scent of the Fentanyl to deter drug sniffing canines.<\/p>\n \u201cWe pack the Fentanyl within the nooks and crannies of the AUV\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause OCS has the only access to the interior of the AUV\u2019s, and the responsibility of launching them, OCS can direct the destination of the AUV\u2019s to any port on the West Coast, Alaska, and Hawaii.<\/p>\n \u201cThe drug trafficking made Drake a millionaire.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake was a risk taker who resented retirement.<\/p>\n \u201cHe needed to live on the \u2018edge\u2019 like he did as a demolition expert.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me show you the procedure.<\/p>\n \u201cI begin by removing the components one by one.<\/p>\n \u201cHandle them with care.\u201d<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take long for Griz to remove the components which I placed carefully within the order he handed them to me.<\/p>\n \u201cGet that black bag marked,<\/p>\n Top Secret.<\/p>\n Security Clearance Required.<\/p>\n \u201cOpen it open up carefully with this packing knife and empty the contents on to the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0Bricks of Fentanyl wrapped in black plastic fell to the floor. He threw me a roll of duct tape saying,<\/p>\n \u201cYour job is to tape the bricks to the bottom of each component.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the first of each month, you\u2019ll hear our pilot, Kai, do a late-night fly over.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll throw the bags marked \u2018Top Secret\u2019 from the plane.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s your job to immediately fetch the bags, take them to the warehouse, place them in the gated store room, and lock it.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways wear surgical gloves and a face mask to protect you.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you imagine Lincoln\u2019s head on a penny covered with Fentanyl, that small amount is enough to kill you.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s our money maker!<\/p>\n \u201cI see you stacked the components in reverse order.<\/p>\n \u201cPut it back together, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n I was quick and precise because it was all visual and lent itself to my learning abilities.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a natural, kid\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do you pack with bricks?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause that\u2019s the way they come to us.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can build an expensive wall with these bricks, kid.<\/p>\n \u201cServicing, repairing, and packing AUV\u2019s with Fentanyl is going to be your job at the new Honolulu port property.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does OSC make on each of these deliveries?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA kilo is approximately 2.2 lbs. of Fentanyl and sold for about two million dollars.<\/p>\n \u201cDrake concluded if he increased the 1700 lb. weight of the AUV by only 10%, or, 170 lbs, each AUV can transport 77 kilos of Fentanyl.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow much money is 77 kilos worth?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cIn today\u2019s dollars, 77 kilos are sold for over a hundred million.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWho are the buyers?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know and don\u2019t want to know.<\/p>\n \u201cOCS is strictly in the parcel delivery business and our motto is \u2018No Questions Asked\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cOSC\u2019s fee for the transport is just over a million dollars multiplied by the number of AUV\u2019s packed with Fentanyl.<\/p>\n \u201cOur trafficking fees are discretely wired from shady Asian banks to unmarked OSC accounts in equally shady European banks.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, you\u2019re stuck kid.<\/p>\n \u201cDrug trafficking and money laundering are a few of the charges they\u2019ll stick you with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you do with all of the money you make, Griz?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNothin\u2019 but keep my nose to the grind stone.<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t got no family so the money just piles up inside overseas unmarked accounts.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cNone of the those salty \u2018ol retired Navy crew members are aware of the drug trafficking.<\/p>\n \u201cThey simply toil away out here servicing the AUV\u2019s and will get a slice of my money and the balance goes to veteran\u2019s charities when I die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy not cut a retirement deal with Mitch and get off this island?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m keepin\u2019 Drake\u2019s dream alive because he saved my life in the Navy and I enjoy the thrill of it all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s your plan if OSC\u2019s trafficking is discovered?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have my service pistol from the Navy with me all the time.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll place it to my head and fire.\u201d<\/p>\n I feared the cartels more than the authorities. I was an accessory to murder and Fentanyl trafficking.\u00a0 Mitch wanted somebody with \u201cskin in the game\u201d and I was that \u201csomebody\u201d.<\/p>\n After my meeting with Griz and chow with the crew who could have been cast from some old-World War two movie, Jade walked me to the point of the island where we sat staring up at the stars and drinking beer.<\/p>\n \u201cGriz told me you are a \u2018quick learn\u2019 and a \u2018natural\u2019 with the unpacking and packing of the AUV\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cHe likes you and so does Mitch.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll have a new job when the Honolulu property is leased.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhose has the responsibility of intercepting and opening the AUV\u2019s on the West Coast?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDrake had an illegitimate son who fulfilled this role and this guy contends he became an equal partner with Mitch when Drake died.<\/p>\n \u201cMitch doesn\u2019t want a partner and it won\u2019t end well for the illegitimate son.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m keeping out of it because as I told you, Mitch keeps everything on a \u2018need to know\u2019 bases.<\/p>\n \u201cMitch kept me unaware of the trafficking but after some snooping and detective work, I obtained the usernames and passcodes giving me access to the CCTV inside the warehouse and real time images from the AUV\u2019s bouncing off the satellite and back to the Navy.<\/p>\n \u201cTo kill the boredom on this island, I watched my computer screen display the underwater images.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ocean floor resembled an underwater Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw sunken battleships, planes, antiquities, and even a Ford F150.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whales swam alongside the AUV\u2019s and the dolphins raced the AUV\u2019s, leaping across them, as if to say,<\/p>\n \u2018If you\u2019re not careful, we\u2019ll tell your secret!\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cI have a romantic thing with Mitch which is the only reason I think I\u2019m still alive but I\u2019m hanging on by my fingernails.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened to Leilani can happen to you and me!<\/p>\n \u201cOCS is just one spoke in a billion-dollar drug distribution business.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a brilliant business model when you think about it.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat better \u2018cover\u2019 to a smuggling operation than the Navy who pays OSC to launch, repair, and gather the AUV\u2019s carrying Fentanyl.<\/p>\n \u201cMake no mistake, Jonny.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, me, Bart, Chin, and your parents are all expendable pawns.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like my life is over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJonny, I felt the same way.<\/p>\n \u201cEither we\u2019ll get filthy rich together, or we will die together.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoy target practice to calm my nerves.<\/p>\n \u201cPlace these beer cans anywhere you like.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThis 9mm Glock pistol is named \u2018Pearl\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n Jade loaded a clip into \u201cPearl\u201d and quickly obliterated each beer can.<\/p>\n \u201cTake that Mitch!<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what you get for not returning my love!<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll marry me or die, prick!\u201d<\/p>\n I might be the replacement for Drake\u2019s illegitimate son and it was too risky to have my fate within Jade\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n I recalled the images from my Geometry textbook. Replacing the bricks with Hexagons lending themselves to more efficient packing would increase the Fentanyl payload of each AUV including the transportation fees paid to OCS.<\/p>\n This geometric insight presented to Mitch might make me indispensable to OSC and keep me alive. I decided to \u201cGo Big\u201d with my proposal provided Mitch agreed to insulate my parents from any culpability from my illegal activities.<\/p>\n I eagerly awaited the acquisition of the Honolulu port facility.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n This story is a sequel to \u201cMemoir of an Overseas Contractor\u201d which is included within my partial collection of short stories, \u201cHearts Without Sleeves. Twenty-Three Stories\u201d at Amazon. <\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Jonathan Ferrini I\u2019m a \u201cSlacker\u201d and a \u201cGen Z basement dweller\u201d according to my father who included these insults on a note with my personal possessions placed in our front yard for me to find upon returning from work. My dad is a hardnosed career civil servant managing properties owned by the State of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1730,77],"tags":[1728,1123,1758],"class_list":["post-15539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-egophobia-83","category-english","tag-egophobia-83","tag-english","tag-jonathan-ferrini"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6DakB-42D","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15540,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15539\/revisions\/15540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}