The Chemist

Chapter 23

April 28, 3:30 p.m. Midtown, New York City

The man entered the intimidating environs of Brooke Sato's office. She was admonishing a poor sap on the other end of a call.

"I don't care if his investors are skittish on the deal," she said, her steely cold voice making her stance very clear. "His investor group already signed the Memorandum of Agreement." After a muddled response came a pause. Brooke eyed the impressive looking Katana mounted on the opposite wall next to her door. A memento from her original home. "Then he should have thought of that before".

After a short pause, she said, "You tell him that if he's changed his mind, it's not my problem that he was brain dead when he signed the MOA, it's his!"

Brooke's office had a good sized conference table with a wireless Polycom VoiceStation in the center. The Katana mounted high over the doorway was encased in glass. Its hand-carved ebony handle and gold mount secured the sleek water stone sharpened silver, curved blade, its black sheath mounted above it.

Brooke collected various Japanese artifacts like the Katana. She saw herself as the family's cultural standard bearer, the one who would further her family's heritage. A Sansei, she made it a point to delve into her own family history, as well as the culture at large. Brooke had also earned and maintained a black belt in Judo and donated money to several cultural museums. Her grandparents were laid to rest at the HeartMountain internment facility in Wyoming during the Second World War. Like many others, they were arrested for 'un-American' activities, a moniker for espionage. Her grandfather was exonerated posthumously years later. Her grandmother, also exonerated, carried the shame with her the rest of her life, dying of cancer well before they got the official 'apology'.

Farai Mubenga was a dark complexioned, expertly dressed man sporting a multicolored Madiba shirt and expensive looking shoes, with short black wiry hair and a full faced salt and pepper beard. Despite his leisurely appearance, without a noticeable swagger, put forth an air of getting down to business.

"So Mr. Mubenga, I understand that you would like to discuss a potential transaction to acquire various American energy assets, correct?"

He spoke in a moderately thick South African accent. "Yes, Ms. Sato, but please call me Farai. I have come before you because your reputation precedes itself."

She opened a manila-hued, pristine file folder prepared with his company's background information. "I hope your flight from Johannesburg was uneventful. I'm impressed you graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Hilton College of Michaelhouse, then business at Harvard."

"You studied at Stanford, I understand."

"Yes. It seems we both have stellar pedigrees," she said as the small talk drew to a close. "Your proposal intrigues me. Please walk me through it."

He explained. It involved the acquisition of several entities in the US through a handful of shell corporations to effectively mask his, as well as that of his domestic company's true identity from American investors. After he concluded his summary, she commented, "That is viable and something we would be more than happy to arrange for you, Farai. You do know our collateral requirement?"

"Of course," he acknowledged with a slight nod.

"Good. Based on the projected transaction value, you'll need to deposit $14.5 million into escrow."

"I possess such assets to cover that," he said with the slightest bit of irritation.

"Fine. When the funds are ready, let me know."

"I do not have the cash to contribute but rather something of more intrinsic value."

"Hummh," she inflected, reacting to Farai's riddle challenge like a tiger looking to move in for a kill. She reclined in her chair and shot him a coy look, milking the dry humor in the moment. "Because you insist on couching this asset in mystery, let me have a crack at it."

Farai grinned and leaned back in his chair.

She hypothesized as the fingers of both hands met, forming a steeple in front of her face that she flexed back and forth, middle finger touching her chin, while leaning back and swiveling in her chair. "Let me see...you hail from South Africa...have an asset that has more intrinsic value than money...something more durable, too. Well, that could only mean one thing." She paused for dramatic effect as if expecting a drumroll. "Diamonds!"

Farai gave a more gallant grin this time. "Correct."

They both chuckled for a moment, then Brooke took to her stone cold tone, bringing her fingers together in a pyramid and placed her elbows on her desk. "I can work with that."

"Good. In fact, I brought them here. He then pulled out a small, tan, suede bag with a pull string on it from his briefcase side pocket and tossed it nonchalantly on Brooke's desk. He then emptied the contents in front of her. Sparkling diamonds never looked so good, clattering on her glass top desk before her like petite hail stones.

Eyes widened and mouth agape for a noticeable nanosecond, she stiffened in a moment's time, leaning forward in attention. She said, "You do realize I'll need to have these examined."

"Of course, but I would like to give them to you now, for safekeeping."

She cleared her throat "However unorthodox this request is, I believe we can honor that, so long as you authorize this bank to be the official custodian of these assets. Will you consent to this?"

"Of course," he said.

"I will need you to sign our broker agreement," she said, fully engaged in Farai's unique way of doing business. "Do you have a few minutes?" Without waiting for his answer, she held up her index finger as she pressed the intercom call button. "Ellie, Mr. MuBenga would like to sign our brokerage agreement today. Please prepare one, now."

"Will do," Ellie responded.

"Brooke, I am sorry, but I just remembered that I am to meet the ambassador at the consulate for tea. Is it possible I may come back at some other time?"

"No." Brooke said as she lurched forward, raising her arm with palm out as if to say 'halt'. Then she relaxed and took a quick breath. "I'll expedite this personally, if you'll excuse me." Then she stood up and walked swiftly from her office.

The man known as Farai proceeded to take out another item from his brief case. This time it was a tiny zip drive. He knew Brooke Sato always brought her laptop and cell phone along with her everywhere she went, and today was no exception as they both lay on her desk. He plugged the drive into one of the ports as the laptop hard drive buzzed while he downloaded the installed app. He removed an even smaller drive from the briefcase and did the same with her cell phone. It was done in moments.

When Brooke returned with the custodian and broker agreements, he signed both of them in short order after quickly reviewing them. They shook hands and Farai left the office, the diamonds still sprawled out on her desk. She pushed the call button again and said, "Ellie, Mr. MuBenga wishes to make a deposit with us."

Farai walked out of the building after his meeting and approached the teal van across the street. He knocked on the door four times before it opened for him. Joanne was waiting to greet him. Agent Devon Wilson dropped the fake beard on the floor along with his well-rehearsed South African accent.

"Well?" Joanne asked.

He nodded to her confirming a completed assignment. "All I gotta say is, Brooke Sato's gonna' shit a brick when it happens, if I say so myself."

Copyright © 2016 by Alan Field. All Rights Reserved.