Trifecta (58 page)

T
he law office of Steinbrenner and Steinbrenner
was located in Century City, in one of Los Angeles's giant office high-rises.  Sabrina
and Eve sat down in the plush reception office, decorated with thick carpets and
luxurious sofas, all in a pastel motif that blended into an overall effect of muted
elegance. 

Sabrina and Eve had dressed identically because there had
been a puzzling call from Ivar Cousin.  He had given Eve instructions for them to
try to look as much alike as possible, hence they wore identical light blue suits.

Sabrina did not enjoy the type of attention they received
when they dressed alike.  People craned to look and tended to speculate aloud, as
if Eve and Sabrina had lost their hearing ability, with comments like, 'My God,
now cute,' or astonishingly, 'They must be identical twins.'

The meeting was already late and Sabrina thought the Steinbrenners
were using the usual tactics of doctors and lawyers, delaying to show how busy,
and hence, how important they were.  It was a little annoying when all they wanted
to do was get the bank account and identity papers for Eve. 

The office door opened and three gigantic men, looking
like Sumo wrestlers without the enormous bellies, walked in and looked around suspiciously.
 Apparently they decided it was safe and went back outside again to report.  Then
nine Japanese men entered the room.  Five of them were very large, the bodyguards
Sabrina assumed, and the other four, including Sato Hashimoto, were small. 

Sabrina thought Hashimoto looked like a smiling oriental
shark, with his thin face and jaw full of bad teeth, except his teeth were inferior. 
He shook their hands and Sabrina could see him eyeing them appraisingly.  He asked
which was which. 

"I'm Sabrina,"  Eve said, following the plan
they had made to switch identities.

"Ah, so this is Eve!" Taking Sabrina's hand once
again, he kissed the back of it.  She tried to hide her revulsion and avoided an
inclination to wipe the moisture away. 

The three small Japanese men had nestled on a couch, while
the giants deferentially continued to stand. 

Alexander appeared in the doorway to the inner office,
balanced on his crutches.  He asked Sato Hashimoto to come in for a moment.  Sato,
one small staff member and one bodyguard left.

They were gone approximately twenty minutes.  Sabrina was
uncomfortable at the polite but obvious sideways scrutiny of the Japanese men, who
occasionally put their hands over their mouths and tittered.  The giggles were surprisingly
effeminate, high and foolish sounding.  They seemed embarrassed.  She supposed it
was something sexual, having to do with she and Eve, and could hardly wait to ask. 

Eve looked at her and whispered, "They are curious
about pubic hair.  Whether it is blond like the rest of our hair."

Sabrina only had time to comment, "I don't believe
it,"  because Alexander had come back.  He ushered them down long beige halls. 
As they walked along, Eve whispered, "Sparse or thick, straight or curly, course
or soft."

So much for where the Japanese male minds were occupied. 
And those had been the little ones.  Sabrina wondered what the Hulks were thinking
about.  Rape and Pillage?

The two women were giggling and Alexander gave them a condescending
look, as though they should be grateful to be in the august presence of lawyers
and foreign gentlemen who handled hundreds of millions of dollars routinely.  The
look suggested they should behave with proper decorum.  Sabrina stifled her immediate
hostility.

They entered a large conference room dominated by an enormous
oval table.  Stephan was already seated in his wheel chair with piles of documents
in front of him.

It was all very ostentatious.  The bodyguards were seated
on one end of the table, lined up like giant penguins in their identical black suits. 
Eve and Sabrina sat next to each other across from Sato Hashimoto and his staff. 
A receptionist came in and poured coffee or tea and water for everyone.  Alexander
stood at what could have been termed the head of the table.

"Mr.  Hashimoto and I have come to what could be termed
a preliminary agreement concerning the employment of Eve Miller."  He looked
around the table.  "We hope to conclude this meeting with signed contracts."

He looked at Sato Hashimoto, who nodded in agreement. 
"First, I think we should introduce everyone."

"Fine."

The Japanese names, with many syllables went right through
Sabrina's head, but she knew that Eve would remember Hashimoto's controller, computer
expert, and the corporate physician. 

Everyone nodded politely when the introductions were finished. 
Evidently Hashimoto did not feel it was necessary to introduce the bodyguards. 

"Excuse me,"  Eve said.  "Eve and I were
led to believe the main reason for the meeting was so that certain documents would
be transferred to Eve Miller, at the request of Dr.  Ferd Steinbrenner." 

"That is coincidental, and will be conducted privately," 
Stephan said with a determined frown.

Eve and Sabrina stood up, picked up their purses, and prepared
to leave.

"What is the nature of the documents,"  Hashimoto
inquired.

"A private matter,"  Alexander said quickly,
appearing quite annoyed.

"If Eve Miller is to travel she must have papers of
identification,"  Eve said as they started walking to the door.  "There
is also the matter of a bank account set up by Stephan Steinbrenner at the bequest
of his father." 

Sabrina and Eve were at the door.

"Ms.  Miller seems to have a point.  If she cannot
travel, she could not possibly work for me.  I think that before any further discussion
can be made about her employment, the documents should be given to her."

"The documents will not be necessary to her unless
she travels to Japan,"  Stephan said.

"It seems you're holding Eve hostage,"  Eve said. 
"I'm not sure on a point of law, because we all know that the documentation
is illegal."

"Illegal?"  Hashimoto said.

"Yes.  It must be obvious that we are twin sisters,
but Eve Miller's birth was not certified.  She has no legal identity."

"Can this be possible?"  Hashimoto asked.  "Please,
won't you two ladies sit down so we can get to the bottom of this matter?"

Sabrina and Eve walked back to the table.

"We came here because of promises made by Stephan
Steinbrenner,"  Eve stated.

"That is not a concern here today, because there do
exist documents, and Eve is now on several computers proving her existence," 
Alexander said. 

"Illegally."

"I am getting very impatient with this whole discussion," 
Hashimoto complained.  "I heard with great skepticism about a person with a
computer within their brain.  I would like some proof to the allegations that Ms. 
Miller indeed has a computer as a component part of her brain, and that she has
some special abilities."

"I think we should first settle the matter of the
documentation Dr. Steinbrenner wanted me to have,"  Sabrina said.  She didn't
want Hashimoto to make the Steinbrenner brothers so angry that they would refuse
to give Eve the papers.  They could get angry as they felt inclined to, later.

"We would like to know if the documents will hold
up under close scrutiny, also,"  Eve said. 

"Good papers,"  Hashimoto said, nodding and siding
with the women.  He didn't want to be party to anything obviously illegal.  "Perhaps
my computer expert can look them over."

The computer expert, blinking rapidly, held out his hand
toward the pile of papers in front of Stephan, "May I?"

Stephan grudgingly handed over a birth certificate, drivers
license and several credit cards.  "You will see that everything was made up
very carefully.  We went to a lot of trouble and expense."

"And the bank account?"  Eve asked.

"Give those papers to my controller,"  Hashimoto
ordered.

"You're not representing the women in this matter," 
Alexander protested.

"No,"  Hashimoto said.  "But my controller
is an expert in banking documents.  I wish him to see the papers, so that everyone
is satisfied.  I must say, you are trying my patience."

Stephan pushed the papers across the desk.

There was quiet in the room for a few minutes.

"They look good,"  The computer expert said. 
He had thick glasses and also used a round monocle for the inspection.

Hashimoto reached out his hand as if to take a look, and
then he handed the papers, proving Eve to be a citizen of the United States, to
Sabrina.  She tried to hide her gleeful feeling as she put the papers in her purse,
right next to the large gun, but as she took the papers she looked directly into
Hashimoto's eyes and felt a flash of fear.  The eyes had heavy lids, which made
them look alien, but it was the lack of warmth or any human feeling within that
caused a shiver of apprehension. 

"Hey,"  Stephan protested.  "You can't do
that."

"You weren't going to keep them?"  Hashimoto
inquired as though innocently surprised, but he did not look innocent.  He knew
exactly what he was doing.

There was silence in the room and then Hashimoto's corporate
controller, who had been inspecting the bank documents, broke it, saying, "There's
a clause here that says to withdraw funds from the account, Eve Miller must get
written consent from Stephan Steinbrenner."

"Now listen here,"  Stephan said.  "My father's
in the hospital.  I have to take care of his interests."

"Where?"  Hashimoto asked, ignoring Stephan.

"Right here,"  the controller said, pointing.

"All we have to do is mark that out and have Stephan
Steinbrenner initial it."

"Now you wait a minute,"  Stephan said furiously. 
If he could have risen in protest from his wheelchair he would have done so.

"Did you know about this clause, Ms.  Miller?" 
Hashimoto asked Sabrina.

Sabrina shook her head.

"What are your plans for the money?"  Hashimoto
asked.

"To live on and to buy a car,"  Sabrina said
very softly, hoping she sounded stupid.

"What kind?"

"A small Mercedes."

"Why not a Japanese car? We make some of the finest
cars in the world.  A beautiful Lexus for instance?"

"A Lexus would look stupid in red,"  Eve commented. 
She had her heart set on a small red sports car.

"You're right,"  Hashimoto said with a smile
that never got near his eyes.

"We're getting way off track here,"  Stephan
protested.

"Yes.  We have to get that clause out of the transfer
account,"  Hashimoto said calmly.

Sabrina wondered why Hashimoto was acting in their behalf
and practically steam-rolling over the Steinbrenner brothers, with whom he had begun
negotiations.  If he wanted Eve to work for him he would be able to pay her less
if he thought her destitute.  It would not help in his negotiations later with the
Steinbrenner brothers when they asked for their finders fee either.  It seemed like
he was trying to help her and Eve, but Sabrina still thought he was not to be trusted. 
He seemed implacable as a lava flow.  Hashimoto must have something awful, even
sinister, planned for Eve.

Hashimoto took a thick marker pen out of his briefcase
and blackened the offending clause himself.  "Now, if you would be so kind
as to initial this, perhaps we can get on with the meeting?"

Stephan initialed the document and it passed its way down
the table to Sabrina, who tucked it into her purse.

"Now that that is settled, I need proof that Ms. 
Eve Miller's brain does consist, partially, of a computer,"  Hashimoto said.

"My father believes that the computer...  Eve Miller,
is the most intelligent person alive today.  She is also abnormally strong and has
the ability to heal herself.  We also believe, from what he says, that she does
not feel pain."

"You believe.  You think.  You have heard," 
Hashimoto said very contemptuously.  "I want hard evidence that I have not
come here, all this way from Japan and my business, on some...wild goose chase."

"She can remember anything she reads and can recite
it back verbatim."

"You are making allegations, but there is no proof. 
Before we go any further, I want my doctor here to perform a CAT scan on Eve Miller's
brain."

The doctor in the group nodded and spoke some words to
Hashimoto in Japanese, very quietly. 

"That would be satisfactory,"  Alexander said. 
"We want you to know you have a genuine genius.  My brother and I have been
in on our father's experiments from the very beginning.  We are totally convinced
that Ms.  Miller contains a computer."

"Excuse me for interrupting,"  Eve said, "but
what you say is not true, Alexander.  There never was a computer.  I'm sure your
father will tell Mr.  Hashimoto, when he's feeling better.  If you look at Eve," 
Eve said turning to Sabrina, "you can see that she has never had any kind of
surgery.  I'm sure your doctor could ascertain that for himself, right now."

There was an explosion of angry sounding Japanese and then
the doctor turned to Sabrina.  "Would you object to a superficial examination?"

"Not at all." 

"Wait a minute,"  Alexander protested.  "The
computer was implanted, and then it was made to look like Sabrina Miller."

Hashimoto looked at Alexander as though he had utterly
lost his mind.  "Do you object?"

"No.  But your doctor won't find anything because
the form you see now is not the form the computer was implanted into."

"Some sort of magical metamorphosis?"  Hashimoto
inquired politely.

Sabrina knew that Alexander did not want to admit that
he had obtained a baby for an experiment.  Hashimoto already knew he had provided
Eve with illegal documentation. 

The doctor got up and walked over to where Sabrina was
sitting.  "I will be looking for evidence of surgery."