Chapter 31 — Weighing My Options

_January 7, 1984, Chicago, Illinois_

{psc} "Hi," Teri said when I walked up to her.

"Hi."

"Would you like to have lunch? I know this is probably not the best timing, but I leave for Champaign tomorrow."

My first inclination was to say 'no', but I reconsidered and decided that no real harm could come from having lunch. Whatever Teri's motivation, she would be at UofI until June, except for breaks. In my mind, that made lunch with her 'safe', similar to having CeCi as my companion the previous night for dinner and a movie.

"Sure," I replied. "I'll need to call home to let Bianca know so she doesn't worry because she's expecting me home. I can use the payphone here before we leave."

I walked over to the payphone, dropped in a quarter, and dialed the house. Bianca answered, and I let her know I was going to be late because I had something to do. I suggested that we could do the shopping when I arrived home, and she agreed. I thanked her, then hung up and walked back to Teri.

"All set. Where did you want to go?"

"The diner just off campus where we went that one time is fine; it's not too cold to walk, and that way, you don't have to drive."

"That works for me," I replied.

I pulled on my gloves, put on my wool cap, and we left the building. The temperature was in the upper twenties, which wasn't bad compared to the previous year when it had been downright frigid. It took about five minutes to walk to the diner, and we were seated in a booth about two minutes later. The hostess gave us menus, and the waitress asked for our drink order almost right away.

"How are you holding up?" Teri asked once the waitress left.

"I think the best way to answer that is that I'm not curled up in a little ball crying, but I'm also struggling. It's worse when I'm not working, and I've been somewhat withdrawn. That's actually not as much of a problem as it might seem, given I was mostly a loner growing up, except for having a single close friend. How was your first semester at UofI?"

"I avoided the 'Freshman Fifteen', but otherwise pretty typical for a first semester, I think. Straight A's, practicing violin, taking lessons, and playing in the symphony."

"How is Troy?"

"The same, basically, though he's done a bit more partying than I have. He's dating a girl from Florida and a girl from California."

"Blondes, right?" I asked.

Teri laughed softly, "Right the first time."

The waitress set our drinks on the table and asked if we were ready to order. I knew the menu by heart, so I was ready, and Teri said she was as well. We both ordered, and the waitress left to put our orders in with the kitchen.

"Things at work are OK?" Teri asked.

"Yes. I was promoted to Head of Research a few weeks after you left for UofI."

"Congratulations. That's your third promotion in two years, right?"

"Yes."

"How are your investments doing?"

"I'm happy. I finished second to Noel Spurgeon, the founder of the firm, in total returns."

"That's good, right?"

"Very good. That number is somewhat meaningless except in terms of the competition. Total real returns are lower because new capital flows in all year. I won't bore you with the details of the calculations; suffice it to say it was a very successful year at work."

"From our past conversations, I think it's OK to ask what might be sensitive questions — did you write the obituary?"

"No. That was written by Keiko's grandfather."

"May I ask about a Shinto wedding but a Buddhist funeral?"

"You may, and I'm OK with talking about it, just not as the focus of our conversation. Japanese are, as the saying goes, born Shinto but die Buddhist. The two religions are intertwined in a way so as to be inseparable in Japan, despite efforts to do so in the past. Shinto has taboos around death, and as such, funerals are conducted by Buddhist priests. Cremation is the norm and is, in fact, mandated by law in Japan."

"How do those ceremonies line up with our disagreement about religion?"

"First, Buddhism isn't theistic and is really more philosophy than religion. As for Shinto, Keiko and I agreed to honor the traditional rituals, though neither of us believed in the deistic aspects. We honored the spirits of our ancestors in the same way we, as Americans, honor George Washington or Thomas Jefferson or Martin Luther King Junior. That was sufficient to respect her family's traditions without binding us to any specific beliefs about gods or spirits or an afterlife."

"I suppose I see the difference, but I don't think that's a productive conversation to have at this point."

"It's probably best we set that particular topic aside. There is one thing I don't believe you know — Bianca is six months pregnant and is due in early April."

"Was Keiko aware of that?" Teri asked.

"Yes. We had her blessing. Chemo and a potential bone marrow transplant would have almost certainly rendered Keiko permanently unable to conceive, so she agreed Bianca and I could have a baby together, so long as Bianca was pregnant before Keiko and I married, which she was. Bianca and I are going to have a baby girl we'll name Sofía Angélica, and her surname will be Kane-Pérez."

"Your life was always going to be complicated, wasn't it?"

"Actually, not until I came to Chicago. Back home in Ohio, it was pretty simple. It was when I moved here that things became interesting."

"That's a word for it. How is your friend Bev?"

"Don't ask," I said, shaking my head. "That totally spiraled out of control, and my hope is that it won't do any permanent harm to Heather."

"That's her daughter, right?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"It appears that Heather's biological father was a bit too free with his affections, including with Freshman girls at the High School where he taught."

"Under seventeen is illegal."

"Under sixteen in Ohio, but same difference, in the end. There's a warrant out for his arrest, and Bev and Heather are ostensibly with him."

"That's just…just wrong."

"Which part?" I asked.

"Seducing your students, especially underage ones! Was Bev underage?"

"That's not possible, given Glen Rodgers moved to Goshen to teach at the High School after she turned sixteen. Bev was seventeen when she got pregnant, which was after I had moved to Chicago."

"Are they on the lam?"

"It would appear they are," I replied. "I spoke to the FBI and a Sergeant from the Clermont County, Ohio Sheriff's Department."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

The waitress brought my double cheeseburger and Teri's French dip, then refilled our soft drinks.

"What happens when they're caught?"

"I'm not exactly sure about Bev, but Glen will be extradited to Ohio to face charges there."

"Isn't she a victim?"

"Not if she went willingly with him. She's nineteen and, as I said, was seventeen when she got pregnant, so she was over the age of consent in Ohio."

"She could be in serious trouble then. What will you do?"

"At this point, given everything that happened, Bev is on her own. I'm concerned about Heather, and at this point, I think she'd be much better off with her grandparents than with Bev."

"Given everything you've said, I have to agree."

When we finished eating, I left a tip, paid the check at the register, and we walked out of the restaurant.

"Did you walk here?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Let's walk to my car, and I'll drop you at home."

"Thanks."

Six minutes later, I pulled up in front of Teri's house.

"Thanks for having lunch," she said.

"You're welcome."

She opened her purse and handed me a 3x5 card.

"My phone number and address at UofI. Call if you want to talk. If it's OK, I'll call you when I'm home for Spring Break."

I accepted the card and said, "Sure."

"I'm really sorry for what happened with Keiko."

"Thanks."

She got out of the car, and once she was safely inside the house, I headed home. I didn't bother putting the car in the garage, as the weekly shopping needed to be done. I went into the house, greeted Bianca, used the bathroom, then went upstairs. I got my suits and shirts, headed downstairs, and then out to the car with Bianca.

"OK to ask what it was you had to do?" Bianca inquired as I pulled into the alley behind the house.

"Teri Maguire was waiting for me in the lobby of the building where my class was held and asked me to have lunch."

"Seriously?" Bianca asked.

"I know what you're thinking, and while I strongly suspect that is her motive, she was considerate, kind, and didn't even hint at anything like that."

"OK, but what other reason could she have?"

"Human decency?" I suggested. "Compassion?"

"Be careful."

"She gave me her number and address at school and said I could call if I wanted, and then asked if it was OK to call me when she's home on Spring Break."

"She changed tactics," Bianca observed.

"Or, she changed her behavior knowing that how she had behaved in the past was not appropriate because Keiko died."

"You really believe that?"

"I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. And if you think about it, it was a very smart move. Without doing anything to upset or offend me, she reminded me she's still interested. I'm not about to do anything foolish, and there is no way I'm going to rush into something.

"Beth's concern was that I might never have another relationship like that and that I'd wear my memory of Keiko as a straitjacket. I agree with her that I could do that, but I also pointed out that Keiko said effectively the same thing. I didn't promise Keiko I'd have another relationship like the one I had with her because I couldn't. But, if I was true to Keiko's memory, I would, so Beth's concern is basically self-contradictory."

"Your logic makes my head want to explode at times! I mean, yes, all of that is true, but to synthesize an answer like that? Only Jonathan!"

"The only thing I can do is be true to myself," I replied. "I learned a significant lesson from not being honest with myself about Bev. I want to share something that Mr. Chojnicki said to me."

"Is that her lawyer?"

"Yes, the one who handled the custody dispute and later the child support agreement with Glen. Mr. Chojnicki made the comment that if Bev had been with Glen before she turned sixteen, then she'd be treated as a victim, not an…accomplice, or whatever you would call her right now."

"But she was a virgin when you guys were together on her sixteenth birthday!"

"That is what she said, but I have no proof beyond her word. With all the virgins I've been with, proof in the form of blood is actually rare, which fits what I've been told."

"That's what I've heard, too. You think she lied?"

"Mr. Chojnicki suggested that possibility because it would get Bev off the hook. That's not possible, given when Glan moved to Goshen, but it did make me stop to think about Bev's honesty. In the past, I'd have simply rejected that idea, but when Mr. Chojnicki said it, my first thought was that it might be true. It took me a minute to remember the timing."

"The fact that you thought it was possible is telling."

"I know," I sighed.

"Not to be a bitch, but if she lied about being a virgin, that would explain her aggressiveness and going six times, or whatever, in a few hours."

"And me doing that?"

Bianca laughed, "Totally different! After our first time, I felt like my insides were scrambled, but two days later, I felt _empty_ every time I thought about you. May I ask a very personal, perhaps insensitive question?"

"Do I plan to have sex anytime soon?"

"That's the one."

"I can't say when; now is not the time. Besides, you are VERY pregnant!"

Bianca laughed, "Just wait for another two months! I'll look like I swallowed a watermelon whole! Think about those pictures of snakes that have eaten something recently!"

I laughed, "Nice image."

"I assume you're going to be with me when I have Sofía?"

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away. And don't worry about me! I'm an experienced professional!"

Bianca laughed again, "One time does not make you a pro!"

"Sez you!"

"I'm glad you can joke; I was worried."

"It's only been eleven days," I replied. "That's what I've been trying to tell all of you. "

"Sorry. It's just that we care so much."

"I know. I'm not upset, but I do need to work through this at my pace."

"Yes, you do. I'll try to be less smothering."

"Thanks."

_January 8, 1984, Chicago, Illinois_

On Sunday, I took the first concrete steps with regard to Keiko's things, taking the boxes of her clothes to her cousin's house and the photo albums and scrapbooks to her parents. I retained the wedding scrapbook she'd made, as I felt that was appropriate. When I returned home, I sat down with the envelopes from the wake, counted out the crisp bills, then wrote a check to the Leukemia Society of America for triple the amount. I addressed the envelope, added postage, then put it in my satchel so I could mail it from work in the morning.

I was about to leave my room when Deanna came to the door.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi."

"I have two paintings finished for you for work," she said. "The other two will probably be ready by the end of next month. I need to work around my coursework."

"That has to take priority. I assume you want me to come see them?"

"If you want, yes."

I followed her from my room up the pull-down steps to her studio, which, as always, looked like a bomb had gone off in a paint factory. Fortunately, she had drop cloths on the floors to protect them; otherwise, there would have been a thick layer of paint on the wood.

"The Spurgeon logo is purple and white, so I stuck with that motif, though the colors range through every hue of purple."

"Do these have names?" I asked.

Deanna laughed, "Yes, but none of them is 'orgasm'."

"That is still the best work you've done, not to take anything away from these two pieces."

"The one on the left is 'Bull Market', and the one on the right is 'Bear Market'."

I nodded and it was immediately obvious that the painting on the left was about upward movement and the one on the right, downward movement. I couldn't explain or describe why, but that was the impression they gave.

"Very cool. How do you convey so much emotion with abstract art?"

"I have no idea," Deanna said. "I just see the emotion in my mind and paint it. With «La petite mort», there were no images that were remotely human shapes, and yet it represented how I saw you, Ceci, and me together in my mind."

"It certainly worked. I love these two. Would you do something else for me?"

"Anything!"

"Two more, in addition to the two we already agreed you would do. The two additional ones would go in my private office and should convey something about me."

Deanna nodded, "I can do that, and I already have an idea for the first one."

"I know how this works, so I won't ask you to share."

"Thanks. I know this might not be a good time, but my drawing class needs a male model."

"How many people are in this class?"

"A dozen. You'd be paid for the sessions."

"Nude?" I asked.

"Not at first. The goal of the class is a portfolio of drawings in various poses and clothing, with one male and one female model."

"How would that work with my schedule?"

"You probably didn't look at the calendar, but this class is on Monday and Wednesday evenings. We need the models starting a week from tomorrow until the end of April."

"I'm not sure I could make that commitment. When would you need to know?"

"Soon. The model we had dropped out. My professor called me today because I'd mentioned I might know someone."

"Do you know why they dropped out?"

"Officially? No. But the word going around is that he has AIDS."

"At least Keiko had a chance…"

"Yeah," Deanna agreed. "I know a number of guys who have AIDS."

"Just out of curiosity, who's the female model?"

"Sophie's younger sister, Alexa."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Nice. How old is she?"

"Eighteen. She's a communications major at Northwestern."

"Let me think about it. I know the clock is running."

"Thanks. See you at dinner?"

"Yes. It just dawned on me — I have a conflict with a hockey game on the 25th. Does that make a difference?"

"The professor can work around that."

"OK."

I left the attic and went downstairs to the Japanese room to read.

_January 9, 1984, Chicago, Illinois_

On Monday, I ate at my desk so I could take my lunch hour to go to the Cook County Clerk's office and get a copy of Keiko's death certificate. Unfortunately, that took long enough that I didn't have time to go to the Secretary of State's office to retitle her car and cancel her driver's license.

When I returned to the office, I saw a sign for the leasing and sales office for condos in the building and remembered what Bianca had suggested. I also thought about Jack and Kristy's situation and came up with an idea. The sales and leasing office was open until 7:00pm, so I decided I'd visit them at the end of the day.

When I was back at my desk, I used the intercom to ask Bianca to come to see me.

"I have an idea," I said.

"About?"

"When we discussed needing more space, you suggested a condo in the building. If we were to do that, Jack and Kristy could rent the house from me. I'm going upstairs to the leasing and sales office after work. You're welcome to come along, and I'll let Jack know we'll be leaving late."

"How would that work with the mortgage you have from Spurgeon?"

"According to the employee manual, I have to refinance the house with a bank because I can only have one low-interest loan. I have the income and capital to refinance all three properties, and I can use my bonus to pay down the principal. And I have about a million in carried interest as of December 31st to back the loan."

"That's just insane!"

"What's insane is about forty percent of that would go to federal and state taxes if I were to withdraw it."

"That's a change of tune!"

"I didn't say I wouldn't pay it! And anything that is long-term capital gains would be around twenty-five percent, which is not insane. Interest rates are unchanged, so all things being equal, if I use my bonus to pay down the principal, my overall mortgage payment would be about the same."

"You won't be over-leveraged?"

"No. The rents cover all my expenses including management fees and taxes. If major repairs are needed, I have enough reserves to cover them, and I'll recoup those expenses in equity increases over time. I'll arrange with Jack and Kristy to do the maintenance and upkeep on the house, so I won't need to pay Kasia to manage it until they're ready to buy, which I figure is around the time Kristy passes the bar."

"A nice solution. Your cash flow isn't negative, which is what matters. Will you receive a raise?"

"No, my salary was actually cut."

"WHAT?!" Bianca gasped in surprise.

I chuckled, "My compensation plan changed, so it's based on the management fee, not a fixed salary. My base income this year will be north of $200 grand."

"You got me fair and square!" Bianca said. "I was actually worried!"

"Sorry! Anyway, that number doesn't include my bonus or carried interest. And if you're curious about you, Mr. Spurgeon will have a compensation meeting with you this week where you'll find out your raise and bonus."

"Do we receive written reviews?"

"No. Nobody who is underperforming lasts very long. The only way things are written down for professional staff, which includes research, is if it's to document firing. Mr. Spurgeon expects me to speak to Murray Matheson if there are any problems, and so far, there are none."

"I'm still amazed at the amount of money thrown around here."

"And the clients keep far more than we do."

"You're going to make all your friends millionaires."

"That is the plan. See you at 5:00pm."

"OK. Before I forget, did you get a chance to look at the new global risk algorithm?"

"Yes. The regression testing shows that it fits the curve reasonably well, so I don't think we need to go back and adjust anything. A deviation of ten percent is really within my margin of error on that one. In the end, it's simply one piece of information in my overall report. The prose matters more, but the headline number is what everyone looks at as soon as the document hits their desk."

"Then I'll update the production model with the new algorithm. We're still tweaking the exchange rate algorithm, because it deviates too much against historical data. Steve isn't sure yet what's causing that. There's obviously something we're not properly accounting for, or some calculations need to be adjusted."

"OK. You need to be able to justify that — no fudge factors to make it work. That said, the trend line is more important than the data points."

"The problem is that we're seeing too great a variance in the projected values to yield a reliable trend line. I think we're close; we just haven't cracked it yet. Obviously, it won't be perfect, and it will depend on the assumptions input by the analyst because there is no way for us to predict external events. We can tell you what might happen for a specific type of event, but we can't predict those events."

"If it could, you computer geeks would put the rest of us out of jobs! Would you send Tony in, please?"

"Will do."

Bianca left, and I made a quick call to Jack to let him know I was going to be late and he said he'd take the L home. I hung up just as Tony came into the office.

"Have a seat and tell me more about this rumored computer from Apple."

"What we have is sketchy, but it appears that it's going to have a completely new interface. It's reported to be similar to the Lisa computer, only smaller and far less expensive. It would have what they call a 'graphical user interface' rather than the command line interface of our IBM PC/XT computers or the Apple computers."

"Target price?"

"Around $2500. I heard from a friend at CBS that Apple bought a minute of Super Bowl commercial time for the new computer."

"How reliable is that source?"

"Very. Before that, I've mostly seen articles and speculation in technology magazines. The main source is John C. Dvorak, a technology analyst. But the ad buy for the Super Bowl means something big is coming."

"Any chance your friend at CBS could get a look at the commercial?"

"No. He wasn't even supposed to know the client. Supposedly, the ad was only seen by a few top people at CBS."

"That seems to me to be enough to overweight Apple stock."

"I agree. It'll go into tomorrow's analyst notes."

"Good. I'll add more Apple shares tomorrow once the analyst note is published."

"What are your plays so far?"

"I'm long Staar Surgical, Sterling Extruder, and Allied Products based on the equities analysis John and Bill provided; I'm short Union Carbide for the same reason. Sadly, there are no big currency plays in the offing, but I'm short gold and silver with December puts. It's going to be a tough year in the US stock market."

"Which is why you have John and Bill looking at the Nikkei now."

"We need to find growth somewhere, and the Nikkei is our meal ticket."

"What's your take on the estimates for the Dow and S&P?"

"Slightly better than what John and Bill are forecasting, but not enough to make much difference. I think the S&P will eke out gains due to technology stocks, but the DOW is very likely to be in negative territory for the year. The Fed is going to tighten, which will hurt the markets and hurt Reagan's re-election chances. But with inflation rearing its ugly head, the Fed doesn't have much choice. On the plus side, that means the money I have to park in various treasury instruments will earn a return better than the S&P and Dow."

"Anything more you need from me?"

"Not at the moment. Keep up the good work!"

He left, and I spent most of the afternoon evaluating currencies, exchange rates, and precious metals, reinforcing what I'd said to Tony — there simply were no big currency plays. I was still looking for a big score but didn't see anything, and that confirmed the analysis my team had done in forecasting the Dow and S&P for '84.

At 5:00pm, Bianca and I took the elevator down to the lobby and walked to the entrance of the residential space, which had a street address of 175 East Delaware Place. We rode the elevator up to the floor where the sales and leasing office for the condos in the Hancock Building was located and were met by a woman I estimated to be in her early thirties.

"Good afternoon! I'm Anhelina Bondarenko. How may I help you?"

"Jonathan Kane," I said, handing her one of my stockbroker business cards. "This is my friend Bianca Pérez. I'm interested in leasing or purchasing a condo."

"There are a number available for lease, and two just came on the market. How much space are you looking for?"

"Quite a bit, actually," I replied. "We'd need at least four bedrooms as we have housemates who would continue to live with us."

"Do you currently rent or own?"

"Own."

"One of the two condos that are available for sale has six bedrooms in a townhouse configuration — that is, it spans two floors. There is also a four-bedroom model for lease. The others are one or two bedrooms."

"Is it possible to see those two?"

"Yes, of course. May I get some information first, please?"

She asked basic questions about me, including my current address, and filled out a form. She raised an eyebrow when I said I was pre-qualified for a mortgage in any amount but didn't ask further questions. Once the form was completed, she called a young man named Andriy to show us the two condos.

The four-bedroom unit had a lake view which was tremendous, but I quickly realized it would not be suitable, given we'd need a room for the baby, along with rooms for Bianca and Juliette, Deanna, and CeCi. The six-bedroom unit, on the other hand, would give us a spare room if Deanna continued with her combination studio/bedroom.

We left the four-bedroom unit and went to the six-bedroom unit. The view was of the city, which, I decided, I actually preferred to the view of Lake Michigan. It had been remodeled in 1981, and it had gorgeous hardwood floors. To my surprise, it had more square footage than my current house, even including the basement. All the appliances had been replaced when the condo had been remodeled, and were stainless, my preferred finish. There were six and a half bathrooms — one for each bedroom plus a powder room off the entrance.

"Can we have a minute?" I asked Andriy.

"Yes, of course. I'll step out into the elevator lobby and wait for you there."

"What do you think?" I asked Bianca once Andriy was out the door.

"It's fantastic. It's much more convenient for all of us except Juliette, but she can easily take the bus or L to Loyola. But can you afford it?"

"With the Spurgeon low-interest mortgage, absolutely. The reason this has likely been on the market for nearly a year is that interest rates are so high. A regular, thirty-year fixed-rate mortgage would be difficult for even me to afford unless I wanted to be 'house poor' like some of the traders. The real estate loans for the investment properties are balloons, so I only pay interest, and the rents cover those. I plan to pay down the principal with my bonus, as we discussed.

"In the long term, this would be a good investment because once interest rates come down, it'll appreciate quickly. That said, if I decide to do this, it would be to live here for the long term. There's plenty of space, even if everyone stays. Even with a nursery, we still have an extra room. And, in the worst-case scenario, my carried interest would repay the mortgage to Spurgeon, leaving us with a place to live with no mortgage debt."

"I'd want to contribute more, which I can do given my salary."

"And you should build some equity, too. If we do this, I'll work out with Nelson how to make that happen."

"The only downside I see is losing the basement movie theatre and the hot tub."

"That is a downside, along with losing the fire pit. One mitigation of losing the hot tub is that the master bathroom has a whirlpool tub, which, while not the same, is nice. As for the TV, the great room is large enough to easily have both a TV theatre area, a couch area, a pool table, and a dining room table, and still have space left over. The other downside is the one I mentioned — no backyard, but also no yard with flowers. That said, there's plenty of sun for plants inside."

"There are other benefits," Bianca said. "No lawn mowing, snow shoveling, or other yard work. Did you see the laundry room is bigger than ours with all kinds of extra storage? And the huge walk-in closets and walk-in pantry in the kitchen area?"

"Yes. It has a lot going for it, including an open floor plan, but I'm still concerned about the lack of a backyard. I need to think more about it. I doubt there's any real risk of the condo selling in the next week, and I also suspect that I can get it at below market."

"That makes sense."

"I'm also concerned about making a significant decision like this right now."

"Not to overstate the obvious, but you've been making decisions at work, and those are, in many ways, bigger."

"Dollar-wise? Absolutely. But this is more about…quality of life, I guess you would call it. I can sit down and dispassionately analyze currency markets, precious metals markets, and equities because, in the end, there is nothing emotional about them. The same is true for investment properties, such as where we live now. That was always a short-term solution. This would be long-term and would change how we live fairly significantly.

"My vision for the future was a large house on several acres with plenty of open space and possibly even a swimming pool. And the house would have a hot tub and maybe even a sauna. There would be a large brick grill, and all our friends would hang out outside eating burgers and brats and drinking beer. This condo is more suited to cocktail parties than a place for college students and young professionals to hang out and kick back."

"That's a point I hadn't considered."

"As I said, I want to think about it. Let's go see Anhelina."

We left the condo, and Andriy escorted us back to the sales and leasing office.

"What do you think?" Anhelina asked.

"I'm interested, but I need a bit of time to think about it because it's a significant lifestyle change."

"I believe the sellers are motivated," she said.

I nodded, "OK. Give me until the end of the week, and I'll get back to you with an answer."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kane!"

"You're welcome."

Bianca and I left the office and headed home, where Deanna and CeCi had prepared dinner. I hadn't said anything to Jack about why I was going to be late and had asked Bianca not to share, as I wanted to think everything through before I broached the idea to the others. After dinner, I relaxed in the Japanese room and went to bed earlier than I had before Keiko's passing because it still took a bit of extra time to fall asleep.

_January 11, 1984, Chicago, Illinois_

"Research, Kane," I said when I answered my phone around 10:00am on Tuesday morning.

"Jonathan, it's Nelson."

"Good morning."

"Has Bev been in touch with you?"

"Not since last week. I take it you're calling because she didn't show up for work?"

"Yes. Personnel has tried to call her several times, but her machine picked up."

"I doubt she's coming back," I said. "There is an arrest warrant out for Glen."

"Hang on! She was over the age of consent when she conceived, right?"

"Yes, but they're charging him for allegedly having sex with two Freshman girls."

"God damn!" Nelson exclaimed.

"Tell me about it! The last I heard from Bev was her calling me to read me off for telling her parents where she was, then hanging up on me when I asked her about Glen. I let the FBI into her apartment, but there wasn't a shred of evidence where they might have gone."

"I sure as hell hope they had a warrant."

"They did, but Bev assigned me full power of attorney when she was in St. Louis, and her attorney in Cincinnati confirmed those documents, which also included being assigned as Heather's guardian if something happened to Bev."

"You're going to need an expert in family law if that happens. There's a lawyer in Hyde Park who we use for things like that named Gwen Meyer. She's a specialist in family law, and come to think of it, you should speak to her about the baby you're having with Bianca just to make sure all your bases are covered. I have your will ready to be signed, along with the other documents you asked me to prepare. If you want to come by today, we can take care of that."

"I'll do that at lunch," I replied.

That would mean postponing the DMV, but I had thirty days to complete the change in title.

"I'll give you Gwen Meyer's information then. And Jonathan, if you hear from Bev, make sure you insist she turn herself in and do not help her in any way. If you send her money, you could be charged with a crime. You're not required to, but if she contacts you, I advise you to contact the FBI or whichever agency obtained the warrants as soon as possible."

"OK. See you at about 11:40am."

"Sounds good.

I hung up and got back to work, convinced that the last thing Bev would do would be to contact me. During the morning, about half the research team had their compensation conversations with Noel Spurgeon, and I didn't detect any unhappiness. I'd let the worst performers go during the reorganization, and the current team was producing the best research and analysis in the history of the firm.

I had a productive morning, but it did nothing to allay my concerns about the potential lack of gains in the stock market or 'big wins' in the currency markets. I could easily make the hurdle by buying treasuries, but making the hurdle wasn't enough. Anyone could invest in a treasury fund with lower management fees, and I had to beat those, in addition to beating Wall Street.

Just before I left to meet Nelson, I made some adjustments to my portfolio to unload some stocks which had in my mind peaked, and moved to money into technology and pharmaceutical firms. Even if those dropped in the short term, they'd recover faster than, say, a consumer goods company like Proctor & Gamble. There were some energy plays as well, though if there was an economic downturn, they'd be hit fairly hard and lag after any economic recovery.

At Hart-Lincoln, I was shown to Nelson's office, and we reviewed the documents. Everything appeared correct to me, so he called for a notary to join us.

"Hi, Mr. Kane," Kayleigh O'Connell said when she came into the room. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

I signed each document, and Kayleigh signed and stamped each one with her seal, then recorded it in her log book. When we finished, she took the documents with her, then returned five minutes later with a binder that held my copies.

"I'll file the originals, Mr. Boyd," she said.

"Thank you, Kayleigh."

She left, and Nelson handed me a business card.

"Gwen Meyer is one of the best in the city," he said. "She's used to dealing with situations such as yours and Bianca's where the parents aren't married. She'll also be able to advise you far better than I'm able to about how to handle the situation with Bev.

"I do have to apologize," I said.

"No need. You had no way of knowing about it."

"Even so, I feel responsible because I vouched for her."

"Nobody here will hold that against you. She did excellent work for eight months. I meant to ask — do you have a copy of Keiko's death certificate for me?"

"Yes," I said.

I reached into my satchel and pulled out a folder which I handed to Nelson.

"I'll take care of the title for your house and the corporation documents. Have you been to the DMV?"

"I had hoped to do it yesterday or today, but more pressing matters arose. I'll do it tomorrow."

"Let me know if there are any problems. I assume Bob Black will be doing your tax return?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll see you on Super Bowl Sunday!"

We shook hands, and I left the office. When I reached the door to the lobby, Kayleigh was there.

"My home number hasn't changed," she said. "When you feel ready, I hope you'll call."