The Voting Machine

Monarch Bay

I caressed Suzy's hair as she slept in my lap. The limo continued an easy glide through the OC cities of Westminster, Huntingdon Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine, passing exits lined with shopping malls and office buildings. This was the same limo ride I'd taken last year to attend the Passion Leadership Retreat for Senior Management. Roland and I had tagged along with top executives. We were supposed to be representatives of the common workers in the call center. It was a sort of internal PR stunt to show that all employees had a voice in the company, though nothing could be further from the truth. 

Gina had also been there in the meetings at the Laguna Ritz Carlton. The scene of the first evening flashed through my mind, meeting her in the luxurious hotel lobby seated next to a window overlooking the beach. She held a Kindle in her lap as we waited for the cruise that Marcus had organized.

"What you reading this time?" I wondered.

"A biography of Queen Cleopatra."

"Your role model?"

She laughed, knowing it wasn't a joke. "I am always fascinated by a woman who can make it in a man's world. She was born into the royal family but even then she didn't have it easy. He had to outsmart her father and her brothers for the throne. But she grabbed the crown and her subjects worshipped her. Even the Romans who came to conquer couldn't help but fall in love with her. She was that one-in-a-million bitch who turned the tables on all those men that try to keep women down."

"How did she do it? Was it charm?"

"Charm don't get you that far. She had a secret weapon, something no other ruler possessed back then."

"What was that?"

"She had a library, the biggest in the world. Her family had been building it for generations. A woman can never be stronger than men, but if she has more knowledge she might stand a fighting chance. All those books, all those ideas accumulated from minds in different times and places. The world belongs to a girl who can get most information in the least amount of time. She can share it as a gift or hoard it as a weapon."

"What kind of queen will you be?" I joked. "Will you share your wisdom with the world or keep it to yourself?"

"You know me, I came up the hard way. Can't trust people far as you can throw 'em. And I can't throw 'em very far. I'd keep that library to myself with the palace gates in lock down. Maybe a guest pass for the chosen few. I might let you in," she said with a wink, before we were summoned for an evening cruise.

***

Route 133 led through a small green valley to Laguna Beach, a perfect seaside town that seemed like paradise the first time you visit. European tourists strolled past art galleries and beautiful bronzed people played volleyball by the beach. We continued on PCH south until we arrived at a private gated road in Monarch Bay.

The estate was hidden behind two stone walls that blocked all public views. After a series of security check points, we entered a driveway that circled a fountain decorated with statues of gargoyles. The main house was perched on a sea cliff. It had the elaborate architecture of a French chateau, with steep roofs, high doors and a polished stone facade. In front, there was a courtyard with a rose garden and a reflection pool. Suzy was awake now. Alastair had one of the house servants bring a wheelchair for her so she wouldn't have to walk but she refused it.

A second pair of bodyguards escorted Larry to the main house while Dean and Alastair led me and Suzy to a guest house on the far side of the sea cliff past the main estate. The guest house was larger and fancier than any apartment I'd ever lived in. There were three bedrooms and a common kitchen/living room area. Alistair led us to a dining table where plates were filled with fresh salads and sandwiches next to bottles of still and sparkling water. Alastair showed Suzy a phone where she could press a button to summon an personal nurse any time.

"I can have her stay right here with you in the house if you want."

"That's not necessary. I am fine now."

"We are one hundred percent confident that we'll get your daughter back," he said. "But the trauma of what you've been through, that takes time. The best thing is to rest now. You think you can do that Mrs. McCarthy?"

"I can."

"I'll give you a few minutes alone," he said. "Dean and another man will be right outside. Temo, meet me in the courtyard when you're ready."

"The boss is here? He's willing to meet me face to face?"

"That's right. Face to face. He's putting everything on the line for you. That's how much he believes in you."

"Who is the boss?" Suzy asked when we were alone.

"Chet Castle. The CEO of Passion."

"And he's really going to save our daughter?"

"He wants to help us. He needs us. We need him. It's going to work, Suzy." I held her tight in my arms. I wondered if there was any chance she believed me. "I am so sorry I let you down."

"I am the one who should be sorry," she said. "I betrayed you. God is punishing me and I deserve it."

"You don't deserve any of this. This is what happens in a marriage. The world tests you. It tries to tear two people. We're going to make it. You've got to have faith in that."

I walked outside the house along the edge of the bluff. It was a steep drop to the salty rocks below, at least fifty feet. I watched the tide thrash against the jagged coastline. My eyes were searching every nook and cranny between the sea and the sky.

"What are you looking for, Temo?" Suzy was watching from the door way of the guest house.

"Nothing," I lied. Telling her the truth was too dangerous and she wouldn't have believed me anyway.