Dealing to a Stranger

Trayce entered the number on her system, she typed some more, "Wow, that's really weird, never seen it do that before."

"What," Missy asked?

"The number shows never to have been issued, but the system skipped it for some reason. It's programmed to issue the next number in sequential order, must be a glitch. I see numbers issued before and after, but not that number." Trayce wrote the non-issued number on a note. "Sorry Missy, if you could get the address, I could search that way," she cleared her screen and pulled up the generic search screen. "Is the address local?"

Missy thought Ole Sam is covering his tracks pretty good, it scared her more, he was really serious about not existing. She reached down and took the Post It note Trayce had written the number down on, "Oh well I tried. I'll get the address and come back. Thanks Trayce," she fled Trayce's office with the non-treasure. She stopped only long enough to take a bathroom break before going back to her station. She made sure the three notes also disappeared along with the strange Mr. Stranger. She had a few more gold nuggets to share with Kim when they both got off tonight. Now she was fighting on Kim's side.

CHAPTER 16

Missy sipped some more white wine, "Kim, are you sure about this guy?"

Kim sipped at her glass as the two sat around her table at home, she looked down at the stack of pink copies and the notes they had just made on them after searching the net. She looked at the total again shaking her head. She looked at the envelope she had left unopened, just lying on her table while she had been at work, she kicked herself mentally. They had both just came from her computer after doing a currency search on the net, then filled their wine glasses for the third time. She kicked herself again, for leaving over 150 billion dollars just 'laying about'.

"Kim?"

"Sorry Missy, I was just thinking about something."

"The strange Mr. Stranger, shit, I'd think about a man if he just gave me five thousand dollars. But over 150 billion? What in the living hell are you going to do with 150 billion dollars Kim?" Missy mused, "Guess you could buy a small country or two. Kimmieland, make yourself the queen, if you build a casino, I get to run it."

Kim picked up the envelope, something moved inside, she looked at the front, just ... - - - ... and nothing else, just like the postcards she got from him. She opened the envelope, pulling out a pastel blue, sheet of paper, three plastic cards fell out of the folded sheet of paper. Kim read the letter as Missy picked up the cards.

Kim

Mr. Theurer is a very nice person , don't you agree? Hope you didn't have a stroke after his visit. I am moving as fast as I can to get back to you. Some of the things I have to do are very complicated and have to be done just right. When I come back , both of us will just walk away , together. I miss you as much as I know you miss me. Wherever I am , I know when you go to sleep , you hold me. I hope you noticed when I sleep , I hold you.

Back to business remember these numbers , they are the account's and the password access' numbers :

5462375956836626

62656836546

Don't freak out , they are simplicity personified. Just pick up a phone and look at the numbers for:

KimberlyLovesSam

SamLovesKim

Please don't write that in your notebook and destroy this letter when you are done reading it .

I also sent you a late Christmas present . The three credit cards all have 3 million dollars prepaid balance , each. When we leave together , they will stay behind and the money will end up eventually going to the card's company.. Have fun , spread the wealth , make people as happy with them as you have made me with you. I love you and will come for you as soon as I can.

...--- ...

Kim sighed.

"Well, aren't you going to tell me what he said," Missy asked?

Kim looked at the letter again, she carefully folded along the part about the account numbers and the coded access for them. She tore it from the letter and passed the two pieces to Missy.

"I need a potty break Missy, I think I'll have another glass of wine, you?"

Missy set down the credit cards and picked up the two parts of the letter, "Will I need one Kim?"

"Yeah," she drained hers, "cause I sure as hell need one after that." She left the table to go flush the part of the letter she still held in her hand. She'd do the other two pieces as soon as Missy finished reading them.

Kim came back.

Missy said, "Good Buddy Kim, could I borrow just a few bucks to pay off my Christmas, say a mil or two?"

Both women laughed as Kim filled the two empty glasses, "Sure ya don't want more Missy, say a bil or two?" They both roared with laughter. Kim said around snickers, "Good Buddy Missy, isn't your birthday next week?"

8 Days Later

The Birthday Bunny struck for the first, but not the last time. Kim ignored the beeping from her purse as Missy tried to call her for the umpteenth time today, another message went into the phone's filling mailbox. She waited, sitting on a bench outside the front doors of Sam's Town. The waiting was the hardest part, she could hardly sit still. She had even asked a passing couple if they had a cigarette, choking on it as the man offered her one and then lit it for her. She had felt lightheaded, so she stomped it out after the couple had walked inside, she'd never smoked before. She was happy that her presents had been delivered on time, just like they happily had promised her. She saw Missy's car pull into the employee lot, right on time for their planned birthday lunch.

She watched as Missy almost ran to her. Kim rose as she neared her, Missy almost knocked the both of them over the bench as she jumped at Kim giving her a big hug. Missy kissed her cheek.

"Thanks Kimberly, God Bless You. Bernie almost had a moose when they dropped off the new tractor early this morning, we both almost shit ourselves when the bank guy came and said the mortgage was paid in full." She hugged and kissed Kim's cheek again, "I don't know how to thank you."

"I do Missy," Kim looked around seriously, "But, I have to ask you something very important first Missy."

"Anything Kim, what's a matter," now Missy also looked around even though she had no idea what she was looking for?

"Come on," she grabbed Missy's hand and pulled her away from the building, still looking around conspiratorially. She led Missy out into the parking lot, glancing around. They stopped out in the back part, in front of some cars, Kim leaned over and whispered quietly in Missy's ear, "So do you want the red one or the black one? Hope Bernie likes black that's all they had in stock."

Missy started to ask her what the hell she was talking about when she noticed the three new vehicles with the car lot's stickers still plastered on the windows. A red 420 SLE Mercedes convertible, its' Buddy, a black one, and a black, Mercedes, king cab, pick-up truck.

"Tell Bernie that he is either going to have to rough it with a short bed or take his back and wait on a special order for the full sized bed. Either way, they're all paid for, take your pick Missy."

Missy just gawked at Kim's smiling face.

"Well, cat got your tongue, they're both the same except for the color, which one Miss Believing?"

"This is just too much Kim," she finally said to Kim.

"OK Missy, guess I'll just roll down the windows and leave the keys in the ignition and try to make some car thief happy."

"Black!"

"See," she admonished Missy, "that wasn't so hard now, was it?" She reached in a pocket and pulled out three big remotes. She looked at one of the devices, pushed a button, the truck flashed its lights and tooted its horn. She pushed the remote device again, the truck told the both of them it was now locked. She grabbed Missy's hand and dropped the remote in her palm. "Tell Bernie not to bitch if you get something on his birthday also." Kim tried another remote. "Should have asked them to label the dang things," she said when the red car's lights and horn went off, she relocked the car. "That one's mine, always wanted a little red, 50,000 dollar convertible," she slipped the remote in her jeans' pocket. "I knew you would pick the black one," she pushed the unlock button, then a bigger button. The remote flipped up a flat little bar with a sinuous groove carved down its' length.

"Care to go for a test drive Madam," she snickered handing the still stunned Missy the remote. "That's what the guy said to me when I went on the lot, sum bitch almost had a cow when I picked and then paid for all three with a credit card."

The wind was cold, the heater was on full blast, the radio/CD, Blaupunk, surround sound system blared loudly and they had the top down, as they flew low, down a country road doing 90. Kim let her go a couple more minutes and about 4 more miles, she lowered the volume. "Missy dammit I'm freezing my boobs off, if you kill me, you better hope you die also or Sam will kill you for trashing his girlfriend. Slow down, pull over and put the damn top up before my boobs break off!"

Missy did, laughing happily.

They waited for the power roof to unfold and close, "The dealership guy said you can open the top and close it at 50, but he said you should really try to slow to around 40." She popped open the glovebox and pulled out a stack of paperwork. "Here's the title, the insurance is good for a year on both, here is the car's manual, hmmm wonder what this is," she said holding a thick envelope? Kim opened the envelope and dumped it in Missy's lap. A thick bundle wrapped in a rubber band and two bank books fell out.

Kim picked up the two bank books, "These are college funds for your kids Charlotte and Melvin, should get them through Harvard with money left over." Kim dropped them back in Missy's lap and picked up the bundle, "I was going to just wire transfer this into your account, but I ended up getting these after I talked to a banker. One hundred $5000 dollar cashier's checks, watch'em their blank. They are also untraceable if you cash them correctly, if you take your time the IRS will never know you have them unless they do an intense audit of all the different bank's records. I got them from 18 different banks. Happy Birthday Missy."

"Kim...," Missy shook her head. "How can I, we even try to make this up to you, I am overwhelmed."

"Just think of it as buying your silence for Sam,"

"I would've done that for free, since you met Mr. Wonderful, your different. You were a pretty wonderful friend since the 1^st grade, now you different. You've changed so much more since you met that guy. You are a brand new Kimberly, if there is anything, give you one of the kids, heck even Bernie when he pisses me off, anything I have is yours."

Kim smiled at her best friend for well over 20 years, "Nah Missy, keep the husband, I'm pretty sure I'm getting one myself, as for the kids, they would be crying all the time about missing their wonderful Mommy. But, there is one tiny, little thing you could help me with."

"Just name it Kim."

On their way back to work, at a leisurely pace, well under the speed of sound now, she did.

Tuesday the 5^th of February (22 Days Later)

Kim was so happy, the amulet had flashed that morning the brightest it had for awhile, he was closer. And that was the day the Birthday Bunny first started showering the employees of Sam's Town with its' gifts. Every employee, regardless of their job at the casino, born from the first of January till the 5^th of February received a new car or truck. Two full and one almost full car hauling tractor-trailers pulled into Sam's Town's parking lot and started delivering brand new, fully paid for cars and trucks. Any employee not wishing to keep their older cars were paid well or had their loans paid off. The old cars were donated to needy families. A few people even tried to find out from the dealerships who the person was that had given them the gifts, so they could thank that person. The dealerships knew better than to tell anybody, speak out and your dealership wouldn't get another order from the Birthday Bunny.

They didn't, and had a very good year in sales, a very, very good year. They were very happy and the local charities were also happy that they could give so many needy families good used cars. All the gift cars were happily fixed, or fixed and painted and brought into as good of working order that the dealership's mechanics could provide, it was going to be a very happy year for a lot of people.

The Birthday Bunny and her Helper Elf just acted surprised each time someone told them about their new car.

CHAPTER 17

Tuesday the 4^th of June

This card was from Istanbul, Turkey. She had already called FedEx and arranged for the pick-up telling them the letter would be under her door mat and could the courier drop-off about 6 more airbills and overnight letters. She already figured Sam waited till he was leaving a place before sending the postcards. The card was from half a world away, but this morning's flashes were the brightest ones so far, he was close, very close.

Kim took her lunch break with Missy, they took a far table in the employee's cafeteria where they could talk without being overheard.

"If I were you Kim, I'd make him take you to all these places when you guys take off."

"Just might do that Missy. I called his accountant yesterday and asked him some stuff. He said that it was OK to destroy the copies he gave me. That I should wait a few days call the bank to ensure the deposits were cleared, he did that himself to insure the deposits went through with no problems, after that the records were superfluous. Had to look that word up, means redundant, not needed. It scares me to have records of all those transfers around the place. He said Sam asked him to destroy his copies after ensuring the transfers went through properly. He told me to go ahead and do the same. I took everything out into the parking lot and burned it. I sort of dropped a hint about the funds seeming strange. He said that he had seen a lot of documents about companies being sold and the word out on the street was that Mr. Stranger is planning on an early retirement."

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you guys up to now?"

"I quit trying to do the exchange rates last month, counting today's, I'd guess well over 160 maybe 165."

"How in the hell can you just be so casual over having 160 billion dollars. They would have to have 3 or 4 people with ropes tied to me just to keep my feet on the ground."

"I look at it a different way, all I'll have to do is spend 19,020 dollars and 20 cents every second, of every day, for just a year and I could spend it all. I would Missy, every penny just to have him in my arms again. That old saying about distance making the heart grow fonder is just so much total bullshit, I yearn for him Missy. I know he is close, I know he is afraid to even contact me till he is ready to run away with me, and I know I have to wait till that day. But dammit, it isn't easy. I don't want the money, I want Sam. I don't care if we live under a bridge, in a box, just as long as it's WE."

Missy smiled around a forkful of her salad, "Well, just give me the money when he gets here. I'll have the limo driver stop every once in awhile and sprinkle a few dollars or coins over the side of the bridge, might even spring for a new box for you guys every few years."

"Gee thanks Good Buddy Missy, I knew I could count on your sympathy and support."

"No problem Mrs. Daddy Warbucks, hey wasn't that the one Little Orphan Annie was in? How's about you guys adopting a little, 32 year old girl, we could have one hell of a shopping spree for a year, take turns with studmuffin."

Kim threw her napkin at Missy.

Wednesday the 3^rd of July (29 days later)

The Ford Dealership happily dropped her off at her townhouse after she had given them her old car. She hoped nobody at work would wonder why the Birthday Bunny gave her a Mercedes and not being a staff member, all staff got Mercedes. At least she could drive her new car openly to work now. There was a flower delivery van in front of her door. She hurried to the delivery man, "Where you looking for Kim Collett?"

"Yes Ma'am, I left the flowers on your doorstep," he climbed in his FTD van and drove off as she went to her door. A huge vase filled to overflowing with long stemmed, red roses and one, single, yellow one topping the middle of the arrangement. A big, silver balloon, shaped like a star, floated above the vase proclaiming to her to have 'A Happy Birthday'. She found the card, all it said was 'soon' and the coded dots and dashes.

She re-filled the vase and added the powder to keep the flowers fresher longer. She waited on Missy, Bernie and their kids. Missy had taken the day off, and it was Kim's regular day off, Missy had promised her a wonderful birthday, it was going to be very hard topping the simple 4 lettered word printed on the flower's card, 'SOON'.

Between getting sloppy birthday kisses from the twins and answering their questions if she really was as old as dirt like their mommy told them, she told the two parents about the vase of flowers and the card. Bernie seemed to just know that she had met a very nice man, that traveled a lot and was very, very, very rich. Kim handed up the card to Missy after having to show it to the kids. Missy showed Bernie.

"Why'd he put a distress signal on the card Kim?"

Melvin had distracted her with a question of what it was like without there being dirt around.

"Sorry Bernie, what did you say?"

Bernie held up the card, "The dots and dashes, they're old Morse code for S O S, used to be old naval code for Ship On Shoals. Now, it's a universal code for distress. I used to work on the river, on a barge tug. We always kept our radio tuned to the emergency channel. If they could still talk they called for a Mayday, if they couldn't they tried to transmit an S O S to call for help."

Missy quickly cut in, "Must be Steve's initials, Steve Sampson. His middle one must be an O, right Kim?"

Kim saw Missy's wink, it was lost on the two five year olds, and Bernie was driving. "Yeah, that must be it Bernie, his middle name is Osborn."

"Creepy, but make sure and thank him again for all the wonderful gifts. Next time he's in town I want to meet this Mr. Perfect."

"Maybe you can take some notes from him on being a gentleman," Missy huffed trying to derail the conversation.

"Sorry, no can do Babe, I'm Cajon, we don't have that word in our dictionary."

"Boy don't I know that," Missy noogied him in the arm, "all you have is two words as far as I can figure out, sex and food."

Bernie laughed loudly, "You mean there are more words than two?" The twins had no idea what was going on, but Daddy, Mommy and 'Auntie Kim' laughed, they did too, joining the group. It was a happy birthday for everyone.

CHAPTER 18

Monday the 12^th of August

Kim stopped at a pay phone with a roll of quarters, she called Mr. Theurer. They said a few pleasantries and then she asked, "Mr. Theurer, I didn't receive your monthly letter last week, is everything alright?"

"Yes Miss Collett, I guess I should have notified you, I thought Mr. Stranger would have by now, I just saw him a few days ago. He talked quit highly about you. He gave me a substantial bonus and said he just had a few more loose ends to tie up and he was retiring for good. He thanked me for my services and then made sure that all my records were destroyed."

"Isn't that unusual Mr. Theurer?"

"Why not at all Miss Collett, it happens quit regularly with clients that no longer wish to be bother with the hassle of managing expansive portfolios. They just shut everything down, lump it all together, even at a very modest interest rate you are looking at many hundreds of millions per year in interest. The same thing happened with another couple of my clients just a few months ago. Very nice couple, both doctors, quite a striking couple, they did more or less the very same thing Mr. Stranger did. And, it can also be a safety precaution, knowledge of the sum we have dealt with is very tempting to the wrong sort of people Miss Collett. Care should be exercised less this knowledge become known."