The Trade (17 page)

"That could be a bigger deal,” Rick said.
"Does he even know you're alive?" Rick asked.

Jay reddened. The memory of the golf game
flushed his face. He went on reluctantly. "Actually yes. I played
golf with Angus at his club a couple of weeks ago. It was an
attaboy from him to me for a job well done on this system I
designed, you know?" Jay explained. "Anyway, Tonia, that's her
name, she played the back nine with us and then we had dinner and
then I drove her home.”

"Tonia? Tonia from the baseball game
Tonia?"

"Yeah.”

"Baseball Tonia is now married to the boss
Tonia? Doesn't that seem a little odd to you Jay? That the random
girl you meet at a random baseball game on your first day in New
York later turns out to be your, your,” Rick struggled for the
right word, "girlfriend? And the wife of the owner of your firm?
Doesn't this strike you as just a little strange?"

"Well it did at first, but it's not as big a
coincidence as it seems,” Jay explained. "You see I had one of the
company's season tickets for that game, box seat you know, and she
had another. She loves baseball, so it's not really that
unbelievable. Also, she's a runner and I'm a runner so we kind of
hit it off. We have a lot in common. She’s not in love with him
anymore. And she says he’s mean to her.”

“
And let me guess. You’re
kind?”

“
Yes as a matter of fact I
am kind. You know I am kind.”

Rick sat quietly for a minute. He shuffled
his feet back and forth in the dark and clucked his tongue a few
times. Jay recognized Rick's thinking twitches from college and
left him undisturbed. A few minutes later Rick spoke.

"Jay somehow, someway you've got yourself
into some big trouble. It's probably this Tonia but you've got to
be sure.”

"What do you mean sure?" Jay asked.

"Let me tell you,” Rick answered.

Rick and Jay worked out simple plans for how
Jay could slip a tail, how Jay could pick up the tailer after he’d
slipped him, and then how to follow that tail without them knowing
he was there. Jay listened intently for ten minutes.

"Uh Rick?" Jay asked.

"Yeah.”

"How do you know all this stuff? Where did
you..."

"Don't ask,” Rick cut him off sharply.

Tension started to creep back into the little
cave.

“
It seems like I’m up to my
ears in some intrigue I know nothing about. And now my best friend
is acting like some secret agent. What the hell is going
on?”

"I don’t know,” Rick said more gently. “But I
know I want to help you. Let’s hope it’s nothing. Just the CIA
keeping tabs on their prize recruit.”

"Alright,” Jay said meekly. He felt some of
the closeness and friendship between them slipping away. "Just tell
me one thing.”

"What?" Rick asked.

"Were you a good guy or a bad guy?"

Rick paused. He looked at his friend. Rick
harrumphed a small sound of resignation to himself. Rick motioned
Jay to his feet.

"It all depends on your point of view. Come
on,” Rick said. And with that he was over the rocks, out of the
cave and headed back to Jay's camp. Jay had to hustle to keep up.
As they neared the camp Rick slowed then stopped.

"Listen Jay. You're on your own now for a
while. A man like Angus MacKenzie has a lot of friends, good guys
and bad guys and guys you don't even want to know about guys. If I
was you, the first thing I'd do is break it off with Tonia. Maybe
the problem will just go away.”

"And if it doesn't?"

“
Then it’s got to be the
CIA. It can only be one or the other. Nothing else makes sense.
Even though you have a Ph.D. in computer science, and even though
you work at one of the biggest brokerage houses in the world, when
all is said and done you’re just a programmer from the Midwest. I
don’t know why anyone would care so much. So it’s gotta be either
the husband or the CIA.”

“
Thanks. I think,” Jay
said.

"Remember this phone number,” Rick said. He
gave it to Jay and a list of code words. "Call and leave a short
message. Let me know where you are but don't mention your name or
my name or anything specific. Use page 123 of our data structures
book from grad school if you need a specific word. Just give me its
line and position on the line. Don't be too clever. Simple is
easiest to remember when the pressure is on,” Rick counseled.

"You really think it’s this serious?" Jay
asked.

"It could be,” Rick answered.

"Rick?"

"What?"

"I'm not sure I can just break it off with
Tonia."

"Why?" Rick asked, even though he already
knew the answer.

"Because I love her,” Jay said.

“
I know you do. And that’s
what’s going to make this hurt the most. There’s a chance that
she’s a plant. That they’re using her to get a hold on you. Maybe
to set you up to do something that you wouldn’t do by yourself. I
don’t know. But Jay, if I was going to try to get to you, to
manipulate you, that’s how I’d do it. With a sweet and lovely girl
who watches baseball and runs with you and loves you because you’re
kind. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Rick took Jay's hand and shook it. He held it
firmly and looked Jay dead in the eyes.

"She'll love you to death man. You’ve gotta
find out if it’s real. I don’t know how you can do that, but you’ve
got to find out," Rick asked.

He didn't wait for an answer. He took off
down the trail. Suddenly Jay felt as alone as he ever had. A man,
an island, completely unto himself, yet under a microscope. He fell
back into his tent. Memories of playing golf and hanging out at the
Reds games with Rick came to him. Visions of Tonia on the beach at
sunrise brought tears to the corners of his eyes. Jay stumbled the
last few steps to sleep feeling very sorry for himself. His only
friend had told him to dump the love of his life.

"For what?" Jay mumbled in weary tones.
"Because her husband might be jealous? What if it's the CIA just
checking up on me?" he asked himself as he drifted the last inch
asleep.

His face was hot and wet with his tears. He'd
never been so confused in his entire life. "It's not supposed to be
like this,” Jay said in his dreams. "What the hell happened?"

"He's alone?" she asked.

"Yes,” Bob Williams answered.

"You're sure?"

"No.”

"Why not?"

"Because I'm here getting supplies for an
overnight job instead of watching him. And the reason I am here
getting resupplied is because you said he was just taking a day
hike,” Bob Williams snipped.

"Oh,” she answered. Alone, at night, in the
woods with a strange agent was not time to pick a fight, she
decided.

“
Sorry,” she
apologized.

"Forget it,” he said. Bob Williams turned
into a shadow and whispered down the trail to reacquire Jay.

She watched him disappear and wondered about
the asset at the end of the trail. “Asset,” she thought to herself.
He’s just a kid, and we’ve got him wound up six different ways.

Chapter

"How was vacation?" Bill Beck asked Jay
Calloway.

"Wonderful. Couldn't be better,” Jay
answered. Already the lying and choosing of every word was getting
to Jay. He was sure that Bill could see how different he was. How
guarded.

"So are you finally going to tell us where
you went or what?" Bill asked.

"Mountain climbing.”

"No shit?" Bill feigned surprise.

"No shit.”

"Cool. Like Mt. Everest mountain
climbing?"

"No nothing like that. Just a 6,000 foot peak
in Tennessee and a 6,000 foot peak in North Carolina. Though I’d
like to try some higher mountains. I might have to start climbing
the stairs in this building to train. Maybe you’ll have to find a
way to get me access to the stairs. Wanna train for Everest with
me?”

“
No,” Bill answered. “But
you don’t need special access for the stairs. Your security card
opens into the stairs and back onto any floor we own. They say it’s
something about fire code or something.” The two men chit chatted
for a few more minutes and then Jay was ready to get back to work.
Anxious, actually, to bury himself in the work and hope that this
would all just go away.

"So did anything exciting happen while I was
away?" Jay asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know. The PT109
trading system could have failed miserably and cost the firm
millions by now. His office could be filled with boxes with a nice
pink slip on top.

"No nothing too exciting,” Bill answered.
"But I do have some news that might interest you.”

"What?" Jay asked.

"Why don't we step into my office?" Bill
said. Jay started to get an ominous feeling about this.

Bill usually does all of his business out
in the open, why is he calling me into his office
, Jay
wondered. They went in and sat down.

"Hal will be joining us in about ten minutes.
So before he gets here, let me explain what's happened,” Bill said.
Jay's stomach started to toss, his throat dried up. I've done
something wrong, Jay thought.

"Were we reorganized or something?" Jay
asked.

"No nothing like that,” Bill dismissed.

Bill's voice changed from a friendly timbre
to a management tone.

"Jay you've attracted a lot of attention here
at MacKenzie Lazarus. I knew you'd do well from the minute I met
you. But the immediacy and the scale of your successes have
surprised even me. You've quickly proven yourself. At MacKenzie
Lazarus we tend to promote from within, in fact we promote almost
exclusively from within.”

Jay noted the word "promote.”

Maybe I'm not going to get fired
, Jay
realized.
Maybe it's something good.

"You remember Hal from CTSG don't you?" Bill
asked.

"Yeah the uptight suit you had to chill out
right?"

"Right,” Bill chuckled. Bill liked the way
Jay categorized people. "Hal has asked for permission to talk to
you about joining his group. As much as I want to keep you here and
get us all promoted and, more importantly, get us all insanely big
bonuses, I think it's only fair that you have the chance to make up
your own mind.”

"Bill, I don't want to change jobs,
especially not into that guy's group."

"You've been welcomed and become respected
here. We're very pleased with your work. But if Hal wants to talk
to you, maybe you should have a listen. You understand what I'm
saying?"

"No,” Jay responded. Sometimes he had to be
hit over the head in the corporate game to know when it was being
played. He listened as Bill laid it out in terms that even Jay the
mountain climbing hayseed from the sticks of deepest, darkest Ohio
could understand. Jay decided to listen to Bill's advice.

Jay and Bill made small talk for a few
minutes until Hal appeared. Hal looked even more tense than the
last time Jay had seen him.

He looks like he's ready to burst into
flames at any minute
, Jay thought.

"Hi Bill, Jay,” Hal started.

"Hal.”

"Hal.”

Hands were shaken all round. Polite chit chat
ensued. After a minute or two of pleasantries Hal cleared his
throat.

"Well I know you fellows are extremely busy
over here so let me get straight to the point. Jay I've been
impressed with the work you've done here at MacLaz. You've fixed
some old shit and built some new good shit. You've done things on
time and under budget.”

"Hal. Whoa. You're giving me too much
credit,” Jay interrupted. "Bill here handled all the budgets and
personnel and facilitating and everything. I was just part of the
team.”

Hal wasn't used to anyone spreading the
credit around. The New York corporate culture tended to encourage
self-promotion, not team-building.

"Okay, yeah right,” Hal said. "Anyway. I'd
like you to consider coming over to CTSG and heading up a
development team for a new project. We're going to be updating an
international currency trading system. I figure it'll take 6-8
months for the first pass and then we'll have other projects to
work on so you won't be out of a job.”

"Hal, why would I want to move? I don't mean
to be rude but I've got a great gig here and a good team and
everything. Thanks but I think I'll pass.”

Hal looked confused. He looked back and forth
from Jay to Bill. "Did you tell him about the money?" Hal asked
Bill.

"No.”

"Oh. Then I understand,” Hal said to Bill.
Hal smiled a smarmy knowing smile. Bill kept his eyes on Jay,
waiting for a reaction. "Jay here's why you might consider moving.
We'll double your salary, give you an extra week of vacation and
give you a $50,000 signing bonus. Also, you can bring any members
of your team you want with you. We'll give them a 20% raise and 10%
bonus as enticement.”

Jay's eyes got huge. He'd heard about green
mail here on Wall St. but this was absurd. He'd be making almost
two hundred thousand a year. In his first year. And a 50k bonus. To
do an internal transfer!

With the bonus I could buy some land back
home, or help out Dad's business or something
, Jay thought. His
mind was racing. He tried to concentrate on his Carnegie
Negotiating Techniques.
Never say yes to the first offer
, he
reminded himself. Hal was waiting. Bill was enjoying Jay's
reaction.

"That's a pretty nice offer,” Jay started.
"Why don't you let me think about it okay?"

"Think about it?" Hal asked incredulously.
"What's to think about?"

"I just want to review my goals and check my
options alright?” Jay answered. "I really have to consider whether
our styles will mesh,” Jay said. “I’m not that easy to get along
with as you may have noticed…” Jay said.