Final Turn: A story of adventure, intrigue and suspense. (3 page)

Roger and Jack arrived to find Bill Whithers, the chief software programmer, waiting outside Lindquist's door. The three stood at the open door and awaited an invitation to enter. It came in the form of Lindquist's hand offering chairs at the table. Roger closed the door behind them, as he knew was Lindquist's wish.

They sat to the round table in his office. The office had been renovated according to Lindquist's specifications. This had not been done for a modest man. The woodwork was rich and where there could be brass fittings or silver trimmings, there were. The furniture could have stood proudly in the study of a Prince's mansion. One painting was an original Modigliani, the others Roger did not recognize. The two corner walls were of glass, the drapes pulled open display the city spread out below. The other walls held diplomas, awards and citations, most were from his military career, a few since. The Canadian Information Processing Society had given Lindquist an Award of Merit for his contributions in organizing an international conference on data security. The local Chamber of Commerce had recognized his contribution to their Toastmaster's Club with a generous walnut and bronze plaque. His desk was clean except for two telephones, to one side stood a silver pen and pencil set on a stand with a matching silver calendar holder. To the other side was a small table with a computer terminal.

Lindquist sat at the table with his back to the window. Roger had learned that was a trick he used, perhaps an old fighter pilot's trick. He would place his quests at a disadvantage with the light in their eyes. His hair was full, brushed back neatly and flecked by grey triangles that stood out like silver tipped thorns of a bush. He wore a beautiful brown pinstriped suit with a firmly starched shirt. The stiff collar left a little white mark on his neck. Crisp white cuffs extended from the sleeves and contrasted with his tanned, precision, well-manicured hands. His face was handsome, fine double laugh lines bracketed his neutral mouth. His posture enhanced the appearance of his classically Norwegian frame. Before him lay several neatly stacked sheets of paper. A silver fountain pen lay exactly in the middle. His hands were on the edge of the table, fingers interwoven.

Lindquist looked Roger over through round spectacles that he wore only for reading. It seemed almost as if he considered it a small intrusion into his private life to let someone see him with glasses. He studied Roger's clothes, his tie and looked directly at Roger's hands. Roger was thankful that Sam had reminded him about the meeting and had inspected him as he left her place after stopping in for a quick coffee in the morning. With Lindquist’s face backlit by the window, Roger had to squint to look into his eyes. He saw that illuminating shine, a glint that was difficult to assess. The man did command respect. He had a look about him like there was not an unplanned thing in his life. He directed conversations in that way, the purpose never slipping from his attention. Roger knew that a good meeting with Lindquist was one that was to the point, brief and decisive. Lindquist maintained a formality in his relations with his staff. He had a way of putting people on edge; they soon knew there was a fine line between success and failure. Failure was often humiliating, yet it was not humiliation from Lindquist which one felt, it was a humiliation for oneself for not having met the challenge. It was genuine. It worked. He made people work for themselves, not for him or for the company. He caused people to aspire, to strive for success, to please themselves, to avoid the shame of having done less than their best. Roger knew that such leadership was rare and that it bred success. Success was not celebrated with Lindquist, yet it was immediately rewarded by a confidence which Lindquist could make people feel. It made people feel good, good enough to strive to please again. It was addictive. The company record reflected the results. Lindquist had been enormously successful in the military was seemed destined to repeat that in the business world.

Lindquist never looked at Jack that way. Roger could not recall Lindquist and Jack ever interacting eye to eye. Jack sat slightly cowered, avoiding Lindquist's eyes. It was not like Jack to cower. Away from Lindquist Jack was dominant, to be reckoned with. The old military ranking implications seemed to still be alive. Roger wondered how different Lindquist was in this civilian setting than in his former sphere where he had unquestioned control. He was certain it had not been an easy adjustment to make.

"Thank you for coming.  With the impending implementation of the Automated Yard Inventory and Control System, or AYICS as we have come to know it, it is important that we all have a proper and common understanding of what we are each to do. Our client; eStorage, is anxious to proceed. We must meet their schedule. They have shown extraordinary confidence in the technology and in this company. A successful project here will virtually guarantee us further business."  Lindquist began his meeting with a somewhat formal introduction.

"We understand."  Roger said even though Lindquist didn't seem to be expecting any comments at this point.

That had caused a slightly discontinuity in Lindquist's presentation. He continued, "..it is important that everything be installed and made operational as soon as possible. The field hardware; card readers, bar code readers, telecommunications systems and vehicle controls are all now being installed and should be completed by the end of this week. The AYICS must be fully functional by the end of the month."

The introduction done with, Lindquist looked straight at Roger as he ran through the rest of what he had to say. He wanted no hick-ups, no scrambling at the last minute to get things done, no delays, no finger pointing and especially no excuses. He wanted to be kept informed of all significant events and stressed that the client should be kept up-to-date at all times. It was only that last matter that was Roger's responsibility as Director of Sales. The rest was up to Jack. Roger was mildly curious why he was the target of all of Lindquist's remarks. Roger looked to Jack who sat stolidly listening.

"By late tomorrow we will have our schedule prepared and will send it up for your approval. I think it is important that everything be checked out to Jack's satisfaction before going on-line with the system. With that done I will contact the client and ensure they agree." Roger told Lindquist and looked to Jack for his comments.

Jack was looking at a small calendar on his notebook. "Yes, that’ll be OK."

Lindquist waited, looking at his hands on table. He had an expression one might have while waiting for the thunder after the flash. Jack looked up and saw that they were all waiting for him to say more.

"Yes, we should be able get everything operational by month's end. I sat through the design review meetings with Bill and the client and it seems everything is ready for the installation and final testing. Roger should arrange with the company to obtain a test card for the magnetic card readers. I will arrange that it is used a number of times to generate some records. Someone will go through the gates several times with the card. A vehicle will be taken out for a drive using the card in the ignition to generate some records in the vehicle. These will be collected and feed into the main system. We will need to begin this as soon as the installation of the hardware is complete. If problems show up with these records, we’ll begin to look for the cause right away. De-bugging this system could be complex. Bill and his staff must remain available to assist. We should all remember that not only is Bill's new software being tested here but also there is quite an array of hardware. Some of it newly designed. The hardware comes from several different manufactures who will all blame someone else when there is a problem." Jack could talk when he needed to. Lindquist sat with a pleased expression still looking at his hands.

Jack looked at Roger and Bill. All three knew well enough the difficulty in isolating problems that surfaced when there was a mixture of hardware and software and more significantly, a mixture of suppliers.

"That is critical." Bill spoke for the first time with Lindquist now watching him attentively. "The sooner we get some real data read in through those card readers the better. There are a lot of potential sources for faults, the readers themselves, the communications systems and of course our own software, much as I hate to admit it. I think that our software checked out to perfection in our simulations but this is the real shakedown. Simulations are simulations; they just can't address every conceivable situation. If we have a problem the sooner we isolate it the better. We may have to deal with other suppliers to get things resolved."

Roger added, "I will be going over to eStorage this afternoon to pick up the test card. I'll look around a bit and see how ready they are. This might be the time to talk over the acceptance tests with them again to make sure there are no misunderstandings." Lindquist seemed to settle back into his seat, satisfied that his key staff were working together on the project. His expression made it clear to Roger that he really didn't want to hear lot more. Lindquist pushed he back slightly from the table as one might after eating one's fill. Roger closed his notebook, and rose from the table. Jack and Bill followed suit. As Roger was about to open the door Jack spoke, more to the group than to anyone in particular.

"You should all remember that I am scheduled to take my vacation by the end of the month. My arrangements for Hong Kong have all been made and can't be changed. There is no reason that things can't all be sorted out by then. All my time from now to then will go into this project."

Bill gave an expression of resignation. He knew full well that Jack was a valuable man to have around at a time like this. He also knew that if things went awry in Jack's absence, he would be the man on the spot. Roger looked to Lindquist for a sign. Lindquist had already gone around, seated himself behind his desk, and was looking through his calendar on the computer. Certainly Jack had cleared this all with him. Without further words, the three of them left the office leaving the door open behind them.

Roger drove the two miles past the edge of the city limits at the speed limit. He wanted to get over to Sam's early; she had invited him for supper and with any luck that would run late, maybe all the way to morning. First, he had a stop to make and it was to be an afternoon spent with the wind. The sun blazed from a crystal sky and threw the shadows of power poles across the road. They were so black and thick Roger expected to feel bumps as he drove over them. It looked hot outside, but he knew how the wind carried away the warmth of the sun.

He parked outside a large steel gate and got out and pulled the collar on his coat up to protect himself from the brisk, fresh wind. A sign above the small metal building beside the gate read; "eStorage INC." He walked up to the guardhouse and tapped on the window. Inside two young men were talking, but neither acknowledged his knock. He repeated the knock. One of them turned his way with a look of intolerance and slid the window open a fraction.

"Yeah?"

"I am with EDS. We are the company supplying the computer security and data logging system. I was told by your office downtown that you would have a magnetic card for me. A test ID card for the card readers and the vehicle ignitions. I’m here to pick it up." He had to shout to be heard through the wind and hoped that he not spurted too much all at once.

The man turned away without a word and spoke to his partner. They talked for a bit and Roger was about to interrupt again when the partner got up and came to the window. "You got to come ‘round the office. Come in through the small gate and follow me."

Roger walked behind the man. He was large, probably mid-twenties and looked a rugged six foot three. He wore a bush shirt with a quilted vest even though the weather was generally warm, albeit windy. His large, partially laced work boots clumped their way to a large metal trailer that apparently housed the office. Inside he seated himself behind a desk and offered Roger a chair. He started up a computer terminal and with awkward, stubby fingers typed in some information. The man looked incongruous seated at a computer. His hands were too large, scarred and his face was severely weathered. He didn't look like anyone Roger had ever seen at a computer keyboard. The man surveyed the results on the screen and asked, "What's your name?"

"Blackstone, Roger Blackstone." The man typed in the name with one finger and waited.

"Yeah, here it is. I got to see some ID and get you to sign for it." They did seem to have security in mind, which was a good sign. Roger had hoped that the people here at the site would be enthusiastic about the system. He had done what he could to get the people at head office to accept it. Yet, this is where it was used and would undergo the acid test. Acceptance here would make it more successful everywhere and make sales a lot easier.

With all that done the man took a sealed plastic bag from a desk drawer and handed it to Roger. Inside was the plastic key card, much like a credit card. "You wanna see how it works?"

"That would be a good idea." Roger allowed. The man introduced himself as Kevin.

They walked out into the compound. Roger had to gulp his first breath as the wind drew the air from his mouth. There were several rows of small trucks and one row of large trucks with enclosed boxes. There was some earth working equipment and landscaping equipment. Trailers, a lot of campers, boats and other units filled the large storage area fenced by an eight-foot chain link barrier. Along the top of the fence ran a coil of razor wire.

"Let's try this one", Kevin said heading for one of the large trucks in the back row.

"Who rents these things?” Roger asked curiously.

"Y’mean the large trucks? Lots’a people. Actually mostly companies. Lots’a companies move their own staff these days. Better’n hiring a moving company. Moving companies rent trucks from us when they get busy. So we get it both sides you see. Everyone wants to keep their costs down. Keep the overhead down. Accountants, you know." Roger knew.

"Here we are. Just take a look at this unit. This one has a winch installed inside. Pulls heavy containerized loads up a ramp and into the box in the back. You rent one of those containers over there. Take it home and pack it full. You come back to rent the truck to haul it somewhere. The ramp itself is on a set of rollers under the box. Let out and back in with a motor. Here's the switch here. One man can do it all. Some companies use these vans for moving employees' belongings when they’re transferred or hauling things to remote sites. Oil companies mostly. Pack the stuff in a standard container, pull it in and go. Works great!  Good moneymaker. Let's go inside and try the card."

Kevin walked to the cab and opened the door. Roger walked around the front of the large truck and waited for Kevin to unlock his side. The wind helped him open the heavy door but was no friend getting it closed again.

"Give me your card and we'll try it. The card goes in here, in this thing." He pointed to a small box with a slot in the top of it that you could slide a card through. It reminded Roger of one of those machines they use to read a credit card, except this one was smaller. "This little box has stored in it the numbers of all the cards there are. If you can believe that." Roger thought it was indeed remarkable but possible.

"It verifies your card, lets you turn the ignition. Don't need a key. Just turn this knob here and she starts. Maybe. Let's see." Kevin passed the card through the slot, a couple of lights blinked. He waited for the humming of the glow plugs to stop, turned the ignition knob and the giant lumbering diesel engine turned over with agonized labor and then caught with a rude cough. Kevin gave a satisfied look towards Roger. He turned the engine off again.

"That's O.K. Your card works great. Thought it would. Those fellows in the office who set this up know what they are doing." Roger didn't tell him that 'those fellows' were mostly fellows in Roger's office; Jack and Bill and their staff.

"I hear that once the truck is running, a little computer in that box will keep track of the miles and it has a little clock in it to keep track how long the motor is running and all that kind of stuff. You know about that?" Kevin said and looked at Roger with hope that he would say something. Apparently he had just run out to the edge of his own knowledge.

"Yes I do", Roger said and he explained in simple terms a little about how the system worked. It was indeed a bold step by eStorage to implement such an advanced system and leave it in the hands of relatively untrained staff.

"They told us that once a week we're supposed to take that hand held unit over in the office and plug it in here." Kevin pointed to a small cable connector on the side of the card reader.

"It is supposed to suck all the data out of this box and store it inside itself. Then we are to go into the office and plug the hand unit into another box hooked up to the computer, turn the computer on and run a program. That sucks all the data out of the hand unit and sends it to the main computer downtown. God knows what they do with it all there. Someone told me they have the computer make up bills for customers and tell people exactly how much each of these units has been used, by who and when. You know about that?" Roger felt a sense of pride that such a fundamental understanding of the workings of this system had made it to all levels of the client's staff. He had only made presentations to people in the head office; none of the field operating staff had been there. Still, someone from the office had taken the time to train them. That was good. Roger explained a bit more about how the information from the computer box was handled and how the card reader on the gate was hooked to the computer via a telephone line and transmitted its data right away with no need to store it. It all seemed to make sense to Kevin.

"When is this all supposed to be workin’? Right now we’re just using our manual logs to keep track of things. When will it be hooked up?" He spoke with a slow, deliberate pace. Kevin seemed concerned.

"We have to perform some acceptance tests on all the computer systems, the card readers, the telephones lines and all that stuff. That should take about a week." Roger thought that would be a good answer.

"Oh yeah? When exactly will it be working? Do you know that yet?" Kevin was not about to be swayed from his question.

"We have agreed with your company that it will all be done by the end of the month." That was what Lindquist had told them and he had talked with the President of eStorage.

"The end of this month. Exactly on the end of the month?" Kevin persisted.

"That's it. We're working hard to make it happen and I see no reason why it won't" Roger wondered if the implementation of this system had any effect on the jobs of the people out here. He had heard nothing about justifying this system based upon reduced staff costs. Yet, that was not something everyone talked about. He looked at Kevin and saw more an expression of interest than concern. There had been no animosity towards him, not from Kevin. Roger was sure he would have sensed that. Still, if there were to be layoffs, Kevin might be inclined to direct his feelings towards his own management. Roger hesitated to ask in case he would only raise a false concern.

"Your people will be coming in to take out vehicles to check out the system? I mean using that card?" Kevin wanted to know.

"I think all we will do is open the gate with it a few times to generate some records. Later we'll ask you to take one of vehicles for a drive so we can check the data being recorded inside the vehicle. I understand these test cards are all identical. So it doesn't matter which one gets used." Roger responded.

"That's great. Just let us know. We do have to know who comes and goes here." Kevin seemed to want to get that point in.

"We sure will. Thank you for your time. I really have to go now."

Roger looked at his watch. "I'm sure we'll be running into each other again. You should know the fellow who is in charge on the installation; Jack Fischer. If you have any problems let him know. You can call me whenever you like too." Roger handed Kevin a couple of business cards, his own and Jack’s. With that and a handshake, Roger struggled with the door and stepped back into the wind. Pocketing the card, he made his exit and drove off to Sam's house. He made a mental note to pass the card on to Jack in the morning. He was already thinking of supper, another meal he didn't have to cook.