Steve
Dewey and I took a car service to the Dublin airport to catch rides going in two different directions. We had surprisingly booked flights to our destinations with similar departure times.
At the airport, we were able to have some coffee and visit for a few minutes before we had to go through our luggage inspection. I only carried a small bag with a change of shirt, pants, socks, and undies. I really didn't plan on staying overnight, but I wanted to be prepared since I know how plans can suddenly change.
Landing and getting through customs at Hamburg was very orderly and remarkably fast. There was a tall man with a buzz haircut, holding a sign reading "Steve Sharp." When I went up to him, he stuck his hand out and said, "Welcome to Germany, Mr. Sharp. I'm Christoph Gundach, and I am representing our Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Your company officials were kind enough to let me have the honor to show you our city and your company buildings."
The man spoke very good English, although you could tell he was trying his best to enunciate each word correctly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Gundach, or would it be correct to say Herr Gundach."
The man smiled and said, "Please to call me Christoph."
I replied, "And I'm Steve, so let's go see the plant."
Christoph looked puzzled for a second, before saying, "Yes, we will see the factory. You have many words for the same thing. Let us go."
The Hamburg airport is fairly large but has several car parking lots convenient to the terminals. We reached Christoph's car, a late model Audi, in a few short minutes. While driving to the plant or factory, Christoph kept pointing out various local landmarks, but mostly other manufacturing facilities. If he was trying to sell me on the city, and I'm sure he was, he was doing a good job.
At the factory, I was surprised to see there wasn't a big S&S sign on the building. There were no markings at all. I wondered about that, but didn't want to say anything about it to a government official.
Inside, Christoph spoke German to the receptionist, who became very nervous at the mention of my name. She blushed brightly before using her phone to make a call.
Seconds later, Hans came through some double doors that revealed the factory behind him. Hans is always boisterous, displaying his friendly nature not by reaching out for a handshake, but by giving me a hug. "Welcome, welcome, Mr. Sharp. I am proud to show you what we have already done. Please come with me."
Christoph looked confused, but Hans told him in English, "Come with us, come see what we really do."
As soon as walked through the double doors, Hans noticed my bag and took it from me. He called a worker over and instructed him in German to take my bag somewhere.
Hans turned and pointed at a sign over the door. The top line was 'Ist es perfekt?' and the bottom line said 'Is it perfect?' Han's said, "These people did not have your signs anywhere. How can they know to always do perfect work if they have no signs? Did you see? No S&S sign out front. I have ordered a big sign that will have lights shining on it at night. My workers must be proud of who they work for."
I was nodding and smiling at Hans as he was waving his hands to accent what he was telling me.
Hans pointed toward the back of the huge manufacturing area, "You see, they use only a small area for the manufacturing of the carts. I am already expanding what we have, and with the equipment from Ireland, I will have this factory building more and better carts than anywhere else."
As we walked farther to the back, I saw one of our three-wheeled vehicles and asked, "Where did that come from? We don't make those here yet, do we?"
Hans grinned, "No, no, not yet. I wanted everyone to see our innovation and what they will soon be building here. I want to increase our production to take care of all of Europe. The only competition I will have will be from Italy, but this plant will very soon produce more."
Christoph asked Hans a question in German, then blushed and repeated the question in English. "How many more people will you hire for the expansion?"
Hans said, "Today we employ only seventy-two. By this time next month, we will have more than two hundred. I am hiring them now and will be training and culling by the end of next week. I will hire only people who want to make a perfect product. That is the S&S way."
Being around Hans and his enthusiasm was exciting.
At some large overhead doors I recognized a guy directing the unloading of some trucks. Jeff was waving and gesturing, while talking to a man next to him that I would guess to be his interpreter. Jeff would yell something and the guy next to him would yell something in German. It took a lot of yelling to unload equipment.
Jeff saw me and hollered, "Yo, Steve, just the man I want to talk to."
Jeff said something to the guy he was with, and then walked over to Hans, Christoph, and me. "Steve, it's good that you are here. The equipment from Ireland is in good shape, but there isn't enough for what this plant can do. Hans has already laid out what he thinks he can build, and he's still not using all of the space. He's going to be short equipment for at least two lines. He's slowed down the lines working now, since he's rejected almost every cart that had been built and was still on the premises."
Hans interrupted, "I do not let a customer see poor workmanship. S&S tradition is to do perfect work. We make it perfect before it goes out the door. I have a dozen men working to make the carts we have built perfect, Mr. Sharp. I hope you agree with that."
I smiled, "That's why you're here, Hans. Thank you for making sure our product is right."
Jeff waved me aside and said softly, "You don't have to worry about having someone else get rid of slackers. Hans has been demotingsloppy workers on the spot. I don't think there are any of the supervisory staff left in management offices, either. Hans is promoting good workers off the lines to lead and supervise. I think you made a good decision to bring him over."
When we rejoined the group, Christoph said, "One thing we must do, Mr. Sharp, there are many complaints that men have been put out of work. The ministry has to answer these complaints and we will need to know the reasons why these men were put out of work."
Hans stepped in front of Christoph, "Any man that I let go was not putting our product together properly. I slowed down the lines so our product would be perfect, but the workers kept saying that others would fix it. That means handling a product twice, which is very expensive. Here at S&S, we do it right the first time. If you want to work here, you do it right. We have classes for every job and position on the line. If you don't know how to do it right, you go to class. If you won't go to class, I don't need you anymore. S&S has been fair with everyworker. If they were not performing in their job, I put them into a less demanding job. If they didn't perform there, I kept reducing their responsibilities until there was no other choice but to let them go with cause. We are observing every rule and directive your Ministry has given us. You and your ministry must review the complaints and see that we are doing everything we can to retain workers."
Christoph Gundach looked surprised, but only wrote in his notebook. Hans nodded at the man, then turned to lead us to an area where men were obviously repairing new carts straight off the line. Hans waved at them, "These men know where the problems are and are making sure that all of our products go out the door perfect. I know this is expensive, but it will be less than warranty work or us having a name for poor quality."
I asked, "What about all the product that's already sold and is out in the field?"
Hans said, "Jeff suggested that I use these same twelve men to go out to customers as soon as they are caught up here. It will hurt my budget to get vehicles and tools to do this fieldwork, but it should bring us goodwill and more sales. It will hurt my profit projections, but I'll make it up soon."
We walked to the office area, where I noticed there were several nice offices, but the lights in them were off. Hans said, "There were too many people telling too few what to do. When I saw how little everyone was doing, I interviewed each man and decided most should go. I saved a couple that were willing to work out in the factory. When I know they are sincere, I'll have them help with supervision. These are wasted offices. Carts aren't built up here, they are built down there."
I asked, "Where's Henry? I thought he was going to be here."
Hans said, "He was needed at home, but he sent two fine young men that both speak German. They are going through the books here to help me with a true picture of the cost of production. I want them to stay and train someone locally for me. If one would like to stay, I would like to keep him."
I made a mental note to talk to Tiny about a man staying.
Hans went into a nice office, but didn't go to the chair behind the big desk. Instead, Hans sat at a conference table, opening a folder with a stack of papers inside. "Here, this is what I've found in the records to date. The numbers Tiny had for the plant are nothing like I've found so far. I don't think anyone has been stealing property or money, but they are over reporting their production. The plant is very inefficient right now, but I will make it right. You'll see, this will very soon be your best factory."
I said to Hans, "I hope you don't get disgruntled about having to recreate an entire factory. I knew that the place wasn't doing well, but not to this degree. What can I do to make your job easier?"
Hans smiled and patted Jeff's shoulder, "Let this man make my lines perfect. I will teach my people the S&S way. We'll do it right the first time and probably speed up the lines in a very short time. Give me the equipment to make a good product, and I'll produce it for you."
Hans took out another group of papers and began pointing out numbers, "It's too expensive to ship motors from the U.S. to us here. Let me build a line to manufacture motors here. We can produce enough motors to supply Ireland and Italy from this location. Look at these projections of shipping costs, as well as incoming cost, for our motors. I can build them for less."
I looked at Jeff, "What would it take to create a motor line? What are there, four basic motors? Can you do that?"
With a smile, Jeff said, "A no brainer, Steve. Using local equipment, I can have a motor line built and operating in two weeks. The problem is going to be the material needed to build the motors."
Hans said, "I want our own casting plant, but we can purchase some components off the market. I'll work on those numbers and have them to you by day after tomorrow. I know having a working motor line will take over a month, but it will be a great savings for S&S."
"Jeff," I began, "Build the motor line when you're done with other lines. I know you were busy working on some other stuff with Gerry and Wes, but this is a priority for Hans. He has something to prove and we want his production for the three-wheeled carts."
"Two weeks, Steve," Jeff said. "That should do it unless Hans finds another building. All the raw materials are available nearby, and I can get anything quickly machined here. Your two number crunchers have helped with a couple of bids so far, and seem to have the touch with the locals. Let me use them to set up supplies for the factory here and it will be done."
I nodded and asked Hans, "Well, my friend, is that everything? I've authorized expanding your plant to four times its existing manufacturing capacity, and added a line for motors. I think that's enough to cut your teeth on in managing a plant."
Hans laughed, "Ho, ho, ho, you see, if I can get the big boss to go along with me, you know I can get my countrymen to build a perfect product. It will be done."
Jeff stood, so I stood with him. I asked everyone there, "What else?"
Jeff said, "Nothing from me, I know how to get hold of you."
Hans said, "You've answered all of my wish list, I'm done. I do have to get back to the floor because I need to encourage everyone to be perfect."
Jeff smiled at me and as he passed, "You sure made a home run on this move."
Christoph was following me as I grabbed my bag and watched Hans and Jeff take off in two different directions. Down in the lobby I waved goodbye to the receptionist and walked out of the plant. I told Christoph, "The place will look a lot better when we get a sign up on top of the building. People need to know who we are."
In the car, Christoph asked, "Can I show you a couple of areas that you might be interested in? I researched your company and know you manufacture other products. There are some nice waterfront buildings that would be perfect for a plant similar to what you have in Ireland."
I smiled, "How about saving those buildings for another time. I've just authorized to spend over four times what that factory cost to open. Hans says he will expand employment from seventy-two to over two hundred and that doesn't count the motor lines he's going to open. I think I've probably already reached my spending limit. Let me get this plant up and profitable, then we'll look at expansion."
The man was disappointed, but continued to drive. He asked, "So the airport?"
"Please, I'll call my friend in the Netherlands to see if I can join him there."
I used my cell phone and called Dewey. The call went to his voicemail, so I left a message for him to call me so we could get together. It took another thirty minutes to reach the airport where I had Christoph let me out at the terminal. I thanked him for the rides and his companionship before waving goodbye.
Dewey called me while I was still walking into the terminal. "What's up, Partner?"
I told him, "I'm done here in Hamburg, how about I meet you up there unless you'll be out of there today."
"Not a chance," Dewey scoffed, "I already have meetings scheduled for tomorrow morning. Tell you what, you might be interested in one of these deals, so come on up. I'll have someone from the hotel meet you at the airport. Call me back when you have your flight info. Talk to ya."
That didn't take long; now to see if I could get up to Amsterdam.
I was still standing at the side of the walkway when I noticed a guy get out of the passenger side of a car parked at the curb, but he didn't do anything but stand by the side of the car. He seemed to be staring at me until I turned to look in his direction. He quickly looked away and acted as if he was talking to someone in the car. When I turned toward the building and began walking, I could see his reflection in the window. The man began walking toward the building. That was strange.
As soon as I entered the terminal, I noticed a men's room near the door and headed for it. Just inside the entryway of the restroom, I paused to watch. The man entered and quickly looked around. I noticed he stared at the men's room door, then walked to a large column and leaned against it.
I wonder. I wish Chuck was around. Why would someone follow me? The guy was just an average looking guy with a decent suit. I was just in slacks, open shirt, and a sport coat, not the typical business attire.
Okay, I think someone is following me, so I'll find out. As long as I'm here I might as well use the bathroom. After washing my hands, I left the bathroom and ignored the guy leaning against the column. I did keep trying to see him in anything that mirrored behind me.
At the ticket counter, I inquired about Amsterdam. A young lady spoke to me in English and said a flight would be leaving within thirty minutes. I paid for the ticket and was directed to a security line. She told me that they would direct me to the gate.
While waiting in the security line, I called Dewey with the flight information. He said, "Wow! You're really lucky today. I'll have someone meet you, and I'll meet you at the hotel when you get there. I'm starved, but I'll wait for you."
While I was on the phone, I did the curious visitor routine and looked around at all the people. My shadow was at the ticket counter. As I watched, he walked away from the counter and made a cell phone call. I know he was still watching me, but he ambled off a ways while he continued talking. As soon as I was through the security area, I watched the guy walk out of the terminal. Strange.
From Hamburg to Amsterdam is really within driving distance, just over two hundred miles, but an airplane is a lot faster. The aircraft was a small commuter turboprop about the size of our Super King Air 1900D. I think it took longer to taxi to the runway than it did to fly to Amsterdam. It took forever to taxi to the terminal in Amsterdam, but it still beat riding in a taxi for five hours. Trains run pretty often too, but since I made the quick connection, flying took the shortest time.
Once again, I found a man with a 'Steve Sharp' sign. He spoke German to me, and I think he switched to French. Each time he spoke and pointed to his big name tag that said 'Heiner, ' I said, "I'm Steve Sharp. I speak English."
The man blushed and rolled his eyes. He shrugged his shoulders, then pointed at my bag and gestured questioningly. I smiled at him and pointed at my bag and held up one finger, "Just this one."
He understood and motioned me to follow him. I noticed a guy watching us. Another suit, this time already outside the terminal area, and standing where limousines were waiting.
Heiner opened a Mercedes door for me and I climbed in. He went to the other side and entered the front passenger side of the car. The driver took off; chatting with Heiner in what I think was German.
Amidst heavy traffic, we reached a huge hotel in about thirty minutes. Heiner rushed around to open the rear door and waved toward the entrance. Since we really couldn't communicate, I walked into the lobby.
Wow! This place was fancy. I was gawking at the magnificence of the place when I noticed the same guy from the airport get out of a car and head for the entrance. Instead of hiding from the guy, I went to the desk.
"Hi, my name is Steve Sharp. Do you have a reservation for me?"
A very stiff looking guy smiled said, "Yes, Mr. Sharp. We are expecting you. If you will sign this, I'll give you your room card." The man snapped his finger, and a bellhop was instantly next to me.
After I signed the card, the man behind the desk smiled and handed the room card to the bellhop and said, "Take Mr. Sharp to his room, then bring him to our executive lounge."
I was trying to watch the guy that seemed to be following me, but the bellhop quickly had me on an elevator car on the way up to the eleventh floor. My room was a very lavish suite, instead of just a room. I put my bag on the couch and said to the bellhop, "Okay, let's go to the executive lounge.
When we got off the elevator, I didn't see the suit, but I wasn't able to look around very well. Upon entering a very elegant room, with a bar surrounded by small groups of heavy leather chairs with tables in front of them, I saw Dewey with a couple of men.
The bellboy was going to leave, but I leaned down and asked Dewey, "What do I tip this guy?"
Dewey said, "Normally a lot, but nothing this time, I've taken care of it."
I thanked the bellboy and he left.
As soon as I sat down, and before Dewey could begin introducing me, a waiter dressed in a tux sat a drink on the table. The way the man bowed to serve the drink, then turned to walk away, was startling. "What kind of place is this, Dewey?"
He laughed and said, "Taste that. You're going to love it."
I looked at Dewey and shifted my eyes toward the other two men and he waved his hand, "They'll still be there after you've tasted that scotch."
The small taste I took called for a bigger sip. Really, really good, I had to comment. "That is really smooth, Dewey."
"I thought so too," Dewey said. "Let me introduce you to Herman Klein and Grant Baldair."
We shook hands and I sat back down to have another sip of the excellent scotch.
Dewey said, "These two own this place, and want a partner or two. So far I've had a chance to review some of their books and I've called my accounting firm to do a thorough review. Herman, tell Steve why you want some partners."
The guy called Herman said, "Grant and I built this place five years ago and have surprised ourselves that we've already been able to make it profitable. We think we know what makes a good hospitality environment and want to build in other areas. We're looking at property in Hawaii, and we're really trying hard to get property on the Riviera."
Dewey commented, "They have hotels up in Anchorage where we have places. Their holding company is known for good operations. That's why I'm here. Go on, Herman, sorry to interrupt."
Herman said, "That's about it really. We need some capital for our next big venture, and the way we usually do it is to sell partnerships in successful operations. We went to Dewey because we know he's very diversified as to the areas that he has properties in. We figured he might assist us getting into the Riviera and into Hawaii. We both have pieces in Las Vegas and Reno. Grant and I have a couple of buildings in New York, but I wouldn't wish that business climate on an enemy. It's very volatile."
Grant said, "I would rather stay in the states, including Hawaii, but we have done well here. The property we purchased originally was pretty shabby, so it made sense to tear it down and start over. We were lucky because others have followed us and exclusive hostelries have now surrounded us. We've become the centerpiece here in Amsterdam."
Dewey said, "Steve is more into nuts and bolts. He manufactures, but has invested with me in Hawaii and Alaska. I hope to get him involved here if your proposal is a good one."
Grant said, "You have the property in Hawaii that we could build on. You bought it when you purchased the airport. I don't think you realized you purchased all of that land, but you did. The former owner kept the land that was on the other side of the airport for his agricultural endeavors, but sold you the other property. You need to check that out for yourself, and if we can make a deal, your shares of the property there are worth about twice what we're asking for our partnership here. We could be building a huge resort there, while you enjoy the profits from this place."
Herman added, "I know you don't have property on the Riviera, but you're a partner in a consortium of resorts and casinos there. Maybe you can help us buy property to build a hotel. We'll even work with your consortium to add a casino, but that isn't our main interest. We do resorts and hotels."
I had sipped my scotch right down to the rocks. Dewey waved at our waiter and he brought four more. I said, "I can't keep drinking these if I don't eat. This is really good stuff, but I need food."
Dewey said, "We'll get something to eat in a minute. What do you think, Steve, want to hear more?"
"Sure, Dewey, I'll always listen. There's more to this than I can answer to in just a few minutes. If you two guys are straight with Dewey and me, we can probably do business." I turned to Dewey, "When are your people going to be here to look over the books?"
"They're here," Dewey said. "I planned on this and had them meet me here. They're working on the summaries right now. I should have some information back by tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I've called Sam Perkins in Hawaii and asked him to investigate the property there. We should hear something from him shortly."
I said, "You know that we need Chuck here to make this deal work. He's a third of the deal in Hawaii."
Dewey said, "That shouldn't be a problem. Unless he's doing some heavy investing elsewhere, he'll probably want to get involved in this. The way these guys are going to work it, is for them to keep what profits were made up to the point of sale. After that, the profits will be split equally among the partners. All of us will have to contribute for operations, but that is normal. Let's go eat and then I'll arrange a tour of the facilities."
Herman said, "How about going up to your suite and I'll send a good meal up. You two can talk about this a little more. We want this to work more than just here. You hold the key to our Hawaiian plans and the introduction to the Riviera group."
Dewey and I left the lounge and headed for the elevators. Dewey directed me to the bank of elevators on the left, saying, "These are only for the penthouse suites. The others will get you there, but these get you there faster.
While we walked to and entered the elevator, I kept checking, looking around to see if I could see the guy who had followed me before. No one was obvious; maybe I was wrong about being followed.
As soon as we were in what I thought was my suite, I noticed there were two rooms off the sitting area. I also noticed my bag was now sitting differently on the couch than I had left it. I'll have to check it out thoroughly.
We were just getting ready to sit down when a waiter knocked on the door. He and a helper wheeled two serving tables into the room and began setting the big table in the sitting area.
While they were setting the table, I asked Dewey, "Which room do I use?"
Dewey pointed to the door on the right so I took my bag into the room where I dumped it out on the bed. I went through my shaving and toiletry bag and through my clothes. After hanging up my extra slacks and shirt, I ran my fingers all around the bag. I couldn't find anything but I would almost bet there was something somewhere. I sure wish Chuck was around.
Back in the sitting room, Dewey was sitting at the table, dishing out food. We were having some form of meat served with a dark mushroom gravy. Don't know what it was supposed to be called, but I called it good eats.
We ate while drinking a good beer and talking about the hotel deal. I asked Dewey, "Do you know enough about these guys to trust them?"
Dewey said, "They've been around a long time. They have several very large properties. They usually only deal in high end stuff, so they don't build that many. Can you imagine what this place cost to build? Just the upkeep on a place like this is enormous. Their deal is probably a good one, but the deal that we can make, possibly using the property in Hawaii to fund the whole thing, is even better. There will be some additional funds needed to build out the resort, but it might be something that we get to have without a tremendous cash outlay."
I reminded Dewey, "We'll need Chuck in with us on this deal if we're going to use his part in Hawaii."
Dewey nodded, "Yeah, we need to call him and see if he can come here. He is important to make this work."
I used my cell to call Chuck's cell phone. He answered, "Johnson."
"Hey, Chuck, this is Steve. I'm with Dewey in Amsterdam, hoping to make a deal."
Chuck waited a second, then asked, "And how does this affect me?"
I told him, "It's going to be tied into one of the properties in Hawaii that you are a part of."
Chuck asked, "Can't you just make the deal? Do I really need to be there?"
I answered, "You should be here to hear all of the details and you'll be needed to signoff on the offers and trades."
"You know I'm in England, right?"
With a smile in my voice, I said, "Come on, Buddy, fly up to Amsterdam tonight and meet with these people tomorrow. There're all kinds of reasons why we want to do this deal, but we need you."
Chuck said, "You know I just okayed a bunch of money for the island in Costa Rica. That's going to be money out of pocket without any opportunity to make anything in return. I don't know, Steve."
I pleaded, "I need you on this, Chuck. Fly in here real quick, stay the night, and meet with these people tomorrow morning. I'll have you back to England tomorrow afternoon. You can get a taxi to wherever they are sightseeing."
"Hang on a second." Chuck was obviously talking with someone.
Chuck started, "Ah, okay, I'll come up on the next flight available, but Lisa says she wants to come with me. I'll explain later. Can you get a room for me?"
I laughed, "We'll get a bigger suite that has three bedrooms instead of two, just come. Call me when you have flight times so someone can meet you."
After hanging up, I said to Dewey, "He's bringing Lisa along. Those two have been almost inseparable lately. Everywhere Chuck goes, Lisa goes too."
Less than an hour later, Chuck called from Heathrow airport telling us he would be arriving in Amsterdam in forty-five minutes. That was fast.
Dewey said, "Say, how about taking Chuck and Lisa out on the town tonight. This is Amsterdam, one of the wildest places on Earth."
"I don't know about Chuck, but I'm not interested in what Amsterdam is popular for. What is it, pot and legal sex, or is that prostitution? None of the three of us have a need for any of that."
Dewey laughed, "No, we don't need any of that, but it would be neat to see what's out there. It would be a shame if we missed the show that the windows have in the tourist district."
"I'll ask Chuck, but he might say no. How about we go pick up Chuck and Lisa at the airport. Get the hotel to give us a car and driver, and we'll go meet them."
Dewey made the call and also made arrangements for another room for Chuck and Lisa. I wanted to use the opportunity to see if someone was watching me, and also if someone might be watching Chuck.
We were driving up to the airport when my cell phone rang. It was Chuck, "Can you find the private terminal? We're flying in a private aircraft and are parked at the private terminal."
When I asked the driver if he knew where that was, thank goodness, the man understood English. He drove around to the end of the terminals and drove through a gate into an area where there were soldiers waiting to check vehicles. They checked our identification and directed the driver on where to go.
As soon as I stepped out of the car, Chuck and Lisa came walking from the terminal building. Chuck was only carrying a small bag. Chuck shook Dewey's and my hand, while Lisa gave us both a hug. Dewey sat up front while Chuck, Lisa, and I sat in the back.
Chuck said, "We got lucky. The State Department let us catch a ride on one of their diplomatic aircraft. We can probably all ride back with them tomorrow. They said the airplane would be returning to England about two or three."
Dewey said, "If we run over, we can still ride commercial."
Chuck said, "I'd rather ride the State Department aircraft, it makes it easier."
I didn't know what that meant, but Chuck was a special case sometimes. I noticed that Chuck checked out the back window a couple of times, but seemed to be relaxed on the way to the hotel.
I suggested, "How about the four of us take a trip out to the tourist district. This is the place where they have lots of offers in the windows of stores. It's supposed to be wild out there."
Lisa surprised me, "Yeah, I'd really like to see all of that. Can you imagine that they have pot stores and real opium dens? That must be really something to see."
Chuck arched his eyebrows and said, "So you want to look at the naked women in the windows? You know I'm not going to let you play with any of them, don't you? I'm not letting any foreign substances enter my Lisa, especially away from the family."
Lisa said, "I know, I know, I can't play with the toys, but it would be fun to look and see what they are really like. I just want to see if they are more than real ankle biters. I've brought my camera and can get pictures for the other girls."
Dewey said, "If everything works out the way I think it will, all of you can come over and spend a week here, checking out the tourist district anytime you want."
At the hotel, I directed Chuck and Lisa to the desk so they could check in. Dewey and I hung back, but I spent my time checking people coming into the lobby and checking on others standing around. I spotted the same suit from earlier sitting in a chair just off the lounge. His location gave him a view of the elevators and the front door.
While I was chatting with Dewey, another suit came through the door, who walked and acted like the first one. The new one actually nodded to the one sitting down. I watched as the guy was eyeing Chuck and Lisa, but walked toward another area of the lobby after he spotted them. Perhaps we shouldn't go out on the town.
When Chuck was led away from the desk by a bellhop, Dewey and I followed them to the elevators. We got in together and again went to the eleventh floor. We entered a suite next to ours to find it was the same as ours, except only Chuck and Lisa were going to use the two bedrooms. Chuck was fumbling for Euros, but the bellhop waved him off.
Dewey said, "This is a high end joint. The staff receives lots of gratuities, but they are all from the customer through the hotel; no hard feelings that way."
I suggested to Chuck, "If you want to freshen up before we go out, do it now. Dewey and I have the suite next door. We'll go wait for you."
Lisa said, "We're ready. We'll need a shower when we get back anyway, so why not just go now. We're going to need food pretty soon, though."
Dewey said, "Come down to the fancy lounge downstairs. They serve food in there and you'll love the furniture and atmosphere. It is really plush."
I said, "Not to mention the special scotch we were served there earlier."
In the lounge, Dewey asked the elegant waiter for his suggestions on some food for Chuck and Lisa. The waiter asked the two, "Do you enjoy fresh seafood, such as lobster or snails?"
Lisa said, "I love lobster, but haven't had snails before."
Chuck said, "Snails are pretty good, especially the giant ones."
The waiter said, "Let me bring you a sampling that should hold you over until you have a late supper."
When Dewey asked for the special scotch, the waiter looked at the rest of us, and we all agreed to have some.
The scotch was just as good as it had been. Lisa's eyes lit up at the taste. Chuck was drooling over how good it was. The waiter brought two plates of lobsters out of the shell and giant snails, also out of their shells, and prepared in garlic and butter. They looked and smelled delicious to me as I watched my two friends devour the delicacies."
Chuck leaned over to talk to Lisa privately. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a questioning look. Chuck turned to Dewey and me, and said, "We were followed here by someone and if I'm not mistaken, someone is following you two. It may be the State Department, but I need to find out. Let me make a call."
Chuck used his cell phone and had a quiet conversation. He was nodding by the time he was through. When Chuck hung up, he motioned for the waiter, "Do you have a lighter that I could borrow or have?"
The waiter reached into his pocket and brought out three lighters. He smiled, "Pick one."
Chuck thanked him and told the rest of us, "Stay here a minute. I'll be right back."
Lisa stiffened, but Chuck patted her hand and told her, "I'll be fine. I'll be right back."'
I watched Chuck walk out into the lobby and walk directly toward a man. Chuck had the lighter in his hand, lighting it a couple of times as he approached. The man nodded at Chuck, and hooked his thumb in his belt.
The two had a conversation, and Chuck motioned with his head, toward the other guy that was sitting in the chair who had followed me. Chuck was nodding as he turned and came back into the lounge.
"Everything's good to go. Let's go see what's out there for us to see," Chuck said, smiling at all of us.
When we walked out of the hotel, I noticed the guy that had been following me before was now up ahead of us and the guy that Chuck had talked to was following us.
Once in the district, we ambled along, ogling the windows. This was an equal opportunity sideshow, as there were scantily clad women, as well as young men, in the windows. Several times, there were women with no tops on, and once, one with no bottom and her legs spread, showing it all. There was a guy without shorts on once, but he was flaccid and not very long. I don't think I could get it up in a window either.
We walked by shops that advertised in English, French, and German, that they sold legal marijuana. There was a coffee shop that would sell you coffee, as well as a joint. We had some good coffee, but no pot. After a while, the windows became monotonous. Once you've seen a bunch of tits and scantily clad women for an hour, they just aren't interesting any longer. None were up to my standards, and knowing what Dewey and Chuck had at home, what was displayed wasn't nearly as good as they had.
On the way back to the hotel, I did watch that our leader and tail were still there. When we went into the hotel, Chuck used his lighter and approached the guy again. They had a conversation before he came back to us. Chuck said, "Let's go up to our rooms. I think Lisa and I will get something else to eat and go to bed. How about it, you guys ready to call it a night?"
Dewey and I nodded. When we stepped out of the elevator, Chuck stopped us and motioned for us to get close. He said, "Everywhere we go is probably bugged. You can be sure your room is bugged, so don't talk about anything you don't want others to know about. If this business deal is on the up and up, talk about it. The ears are feds of some form. They're watching me, and because of me, they're watching you. If we were to make a slimy deal, they wouldn't treat us well. Knowing you two, I'm sure everything is on the up and up. They are watching us to keep us out of trouble. That's how I got the ride from the State Department. Go to bed and get a good night's sleep. We are being protected."
Lisa gave Dewey and me a smile and a hug as they headed for their room.
Inside our room, Dewey said, "Do you think what he said is true?"
I said, "If Chuck said it the way he did, it's true. Now I'm glad we called him to get in on this with us. I don't think we'll have any trouble with this one at all."
When I pulled my cell phone out, I saw that I had a voice mail message from Sam Perkins. Sam told me to call him as soon as possible, regardless of the time.
"Hey, Sam, what's up?"
Sam said, "I don't know how I missed this, but you guys own about two hundred acres on the water side of the airport. We knew you had a right of way to get to the water, but not that you owned a bunch of land."
"Is the land idle?" I asked.
"Right this second, no. It's in pineapples, but the farmer is going to retire and was trying to contact the owner to pay his share price of the crop. That land is worth a fortune. Before you do something, let me know what it is so I can get a good appraisal on it. I've contacted an appraiser and he should have an estimate for me by tomorrow. He said he would have to do some more study before he could come up with a solid number. What do you have cooking?"
I briefly told Sam what the deal was, and he whistled in appreciation of a big deal about ready to come down. He said, "Well, call me for the estimate before you close to make sure you're getting a good deal. That would be a perfect place for a resort with a decent golf course."
I hung up and told Dewey of the conversation. Dewey said, "See, we've got Chuck in on this deal and it's going to go through the roof. Come on; let's go to bed so we're fresh in the morning. Now I'm excited."
I went into the room and called Sue. "Hi, Honey, how was your day?"
Sue said, "We're having a great time. What's with you pulling Chuck from us? He was really enjoying himself. Lisa was taking more pictures than you can imagine. What do you have going on?"
I told her, "Dewey has a deal here in Amsterdam that has a lot to do with one of our deals in Hawaii. Chuck's involved in Hawaii, so he needed to be a part of the whole thing. Anyway, we should be done tomorrow and be headed back. Should I have Chuck and Lisa catch up with you?"
There was a long pause, Sue then said, "You know, I think I'd rather be sailing toward the Med instead of wandering around in London. It's cold and dreary here. I'd rather be cold out on the water."
I said, "Your dad was thinking about coming to meet you here by the end of the week. Are you sure you want to go?"
Sue said, "He always says that, but doesn't show. I'll be surprised if he shows for Italy. If we're ready to go, we'll set sail. If he wanted to come, he would be here."
"Then I should plan on going back to Ireland?"
Sue said softly, "Yes, we'll see you there tomorrow evening, probably not very late. But you know what, we did promise to see a little of Ireland before we left. We'll go sightseeing tomorrow in Ireland before we decide to leave. Meanwhile, I'll call Dad to see if he'll get on his horse and come."
"Night, Babe," I said.
"Night, Honey."