The Money Is Green (18 page)

“I do indeed remember him, Eugene,” he said as he shook their hands. “It’s nice to see you again, John.” He got off the barstool and nodded across the room. “Why don’t we move to that booth over there where we can be more comfortable and talk in private?”

“Sorry we’re late, but I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t followed. It might not look very good if I was spotted in your company.”

Wo bowed and smiled. “I completely understand.”

Once they were situated in a dark corner, Wo asked, “Would either of you like a drink?” He turned and signaled the bartender, who came around the bar and headed to where they were sitting.

Looking at his watch, Waters shook his head. “No, it’s only ten o’clock. That’s a bit early for me.”

John shook his head.

“It’s never too early for me,” Wo said, laughing. He nodded to the bartender, who nodded back and returned to the bar to get another shot.

“I don’t want to be rude, but I’ve got a busy schedule today and I leave for Washington D.C. in the morning. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to get down to business.” Waters looked Wo in the eyes. “I’ve got to get back to work to do my constituents business. Tell me more about your proposed business deal that involves getting guns into Mexico.”

Wo smiled thinly and spoke. “I think I have an opportunity again to make some serious cash for the both of us. We did this type of job a year ago and it turned out well. You remember the operation for the Marcos Cartel, Eugene?”

He nodded, smiling. “I do indeed. That was a great haul. We both made two million, if I recall.”

“Your memory is good, Eugene.” The bartender placed his shot in front of him and Wo tossed it back. He waited until the bartender was well out of earshot and continued, “This is also a Marcos job, but it’s going to be a little bigger and I think I’ve got an idea that would
make it easier to pull off than the last one. I’ve got a source that will supply us with eight thousand assault type rifles of various makes—AK-47s, Capitols, and Springfields. In addition, they’ll supply five thousand hand guns—Rugers and Colt 45s.” He paused to let the numbers set in.

Both Waters and John leaned back in their seats. “Eight thousand assault rifles.” He whistled softly. “That’s a lot of weaponry.”

“Hold on,” Wo said, putting up his hands. “Let me explain. My source can get the guns to us; our job will be to get them down to Juarez, where the Cartel will pay us six point five million over cost for our efforts.”

Waters started laughing. “Oh, is that all?” he said sarcastically. “We just need to cart a few railroad-sized cars full of guns across the Mexican border and we make a ton of money? I’m sure that’s never been thought of before.” His eyes narrowed. “Come on, Wo, that’s a fools errand. There’s no way we could get that amount of guns across the border that way.”

He stopped suddenly and stared at Wo. “But, I’ve got a better idea. My good friend, Madam Chen, is going to be supplying a huge amount of solar panels to a new solar farm project not far from Reno Nevada. Most of the panels will be coming by container ship, but she wants to get the first batches of panels here quickly. She’ll be transporting those panels directly from her factory in Shanghai and will need a number of transport planes to get them here.”

He watched as Wo leaned forward, listening intently.

He continued. “Madam Chen uses government transport planes to move her products all the time.”

“Why would she use government planes?” Wo asked.

“Because,” Waters answered, looking at him directly in the eye, “she can’t own regular jets, as it would look too ostentatious to the regular Chinese people. The higher ups in the government have to be careful not to flaunt their wealth, so they use government equipment. She helps herself to government jets. So, here’s the plan. We get Mei
involved. Once her planes unload the solar panels, they fly back to China empty. She ships her panels in large covered wooden boxes. When they unload the panels in Nevada, we fill the empty boxes up with the guns. She arranges for the jets to fly to an airport outside Juarez and we offload the guns to the Cartel. It can be done in a matter of hours.”

Waters started rubbing his chin, a grin on his face. “Since the plane’s a Chinese government plane, it won’t get the scrutiny of a private jet and it can get in and out of Mexico quickly. Plus, the airport and the warehouse in Nevada are off the beaten path. There aren’t a lot of people sniffing around out there. ”

“That’s genius, Eugene,” Wo said as he signaled to the bartender for another drink.

“Thank you. After we remove the guns, the plane gasses up and flies back to Shanghai to load up another batch of panels. All we need to do is come to an agreement amongst ourselves and get Mei onboard. This could be a huge moneymaker for all of us.”

The bartender set Wo’s drink in front of him, and Wo raised in it a toast. “I’m all in. Let’s get Mei in.”

“I’ll contact her right after I leave you and run this by her.” He turned to John. “Is there anything you want to add?”

“I would be concerned how to get the cash into Congressman Waters’s re-election account. We can’t just walk into a bank with a wheelbarrow full of money and deposit it.” He waved at the bartender. “Could you bring me a water?” He continued, “Are you going to try a couple of dry runs before you actually put real guns on the plane? This sounds like it could work, but there are a few bugs that need to be worked out.”

Waters nodded his head. “Absolutely we’d do dry runs. My thought is if we get Mei on board, she makes the stop in Mexico a regular part of her shipping. They put the panels on the plane in Shanghai, fly to Nevada, then fly to Mexico and then back. Four out
of five times, there would be nothing on the plane going from Nevada to Mexico, but once every fifth time…” He held his hands up.

“I’m liking it, Eugene,” Wo said. “But one question: Who fronts the money for the guns? That’s a lot of money to be put at risk.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered,” he answered. “If we can use Madam Chen’s government planes, the money will be there.” Eugene looked at Wo, then at John. “Okay then. I’ll make a call to Mei and see if we can make this happen. It should be a profitable experience!”

♦

The next morning, Congressman Waters and John were seated in the back seat of a white limousine, going over upcoming legislation as they drove to the San Francisco International Airport. The traffic was heavy, as it was still rush hour, and the limo only moved about fifteen miles an hour. John had highlighted certain parts of a proposed bill that Waters held in his hand as John explained it to him. Waters pushed his eyeglasses to the bridge of his nose. “This was supported by the Friends of the Earth, right? I can’t vote for anything they’re opposed to or we’ll never hear the end of it.”

John nodded. “Yes, they are definitely behind this. There is a provision in the bill that gives preference to energy-efficient use of cars like hybrids or electric cars, so they’re very happy about it.”

“Okay, that’s good. What’s the next bill?” he asked. Before John could answer, Waters’s phone rang. He checked the number and answered it in a deep-sounding voice, “Madam Chen, what a pleasure to speak to you. How are you doing?”

He heard Mei’s high-pitched voice answer sweetly, “I am doing well, Congressman Waters. I apologize for not returning your call yesterday. It was a crazy day at my Shanghai plant and I barely got to speak to anyone not associated with the operation.”

“I hope it was all good crazy for you, Mei,” he said, trying to sound sincere.

“Not exactly. A couple of my workers managed to get themselves killed in one of the aluminum vats and it created a lot of havoc.” She paused for a second. “But everything is back to normal, thank you for asking. What can I do for you?”

Waters cleared his throat. “I’ve come up with a way to fill your planes with cargo on their way back to China. Let me explain what I have in mind.” He went through it in as much detail as he could remember, explaining Mei’s role and her cut of the profits. When he finished, he added, “There’s so much buzz and excitement regarding getting the Copper Mountain solar farm off the ground, we thought it would be a perfect cover for this operation. You’re going to have to get the panels to Nevada, and Reno has a nice airport away from a lot of prying eyes. Your planes are going to be coming and going at such a rapid pace, there wouldn’t be much scrutiny paid to what’s leaving on them once your solar panels are unloaded there.” He paused for a second and then asked, “Well, that’s what we have in mind and we want to know if you want to participate.”

The phone was silent for a minute and Waters asked, “Hello? Are you still there, Mei?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, Congressman, I was just thinking about your proposal,” she answered. “I like your idea, but it seems to me that my government plane is the key to the success of this operation since they would be carrying all the solar panels to Nevada, don’t you think?”

“Yes,” he answered. I think I know where this is going, he thought. “The planes are a crucial part, without a doubt.”

“Then my planes will be carrying your cargo to Mexico, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Well then, shouldn’t my cut be bigger than everyone else’s? The only reason my planes are going to be in Nevada is to get the panels to the solar farm. I’m taking a big risk, and the success or failure will depend on me. If you want me in, I want fifty percent of the profits.”

Waters did some mental calculations. Fifty percent of six million is still three million for Wo and myself to split. And that’s for the first
attempt. If we’re successful and make more than a few runs, the profits would be enormous. “Mei, I think what you’re asking is not unreasonable. Let me check with my other partner and get back to you. Assuming he agrees, we would like to get this operation going fairly soon.” He gave John a thumbs up and smiled. “Do you think you could make your planes available for us to do a dry run in the next few weeks so we can test out this idea?”

“Of course, I can make it happen,” she answered. “I believe we’re already scheduling panel shipments to Reno as we speak. Get back to me after you’ve cleared my percentage with your partner and I’ll make arrangements for you on my end.” She paused and then added, “Oh, Congressman. The girl you met in Bali, Amy. She asked me to ask you when you might meet up again. I guess you made a real impression on her.”

Waters smile and rubbed his thighs subconsciously. “Well, you pass on to Miss Amy that I would love to see her again really soon. As soon as I get a break from this session in congress, I’ll figure out where to hook up with her. I’ll talk to you soon, Madam Chen.”

He hung up. Oh my, that Amy was just too luscious. For such a young woman, she sure knows a lot about pleasing a man. He closed his eyes and envisioned her naked body and his hands running over it.

“Is everything okay, Congressman?” John asked.

Waters opened his eyes and saw John staring at him with a puzzled look. Waters rubbed his hands together. “Everything is just fine, John, just fine. I think we’re on our way to some big, exciting deals!”

T
WENTY
-F
OUR

C
lassical music played softly from the Bose stereo system sitting on the large bookcase on the far wall of the living room in the president’s suite of the International Hyatt Hotel. Mei used the suite as her base of operation whenever she stayed in Hong Kong. There were two additional rooms other than the master suite, and she had converted one of those into an office. She lounged on a flower-printed couch, dressed in a silk bathrobe, her hair put in a bun behind her head. She sipped champagne slowly from a crystal goblet, watching Brian Thompson, who was sitting in a matching chair across from her.

Dressed casually in a pair of light brown slacks, Polo golf shirt, and a pair of brown loafers, he stirred the ice in his glass of Kentucky bourbon with a glass stirrer. “These deaths that occurred yesterday at your factory are what bother me about Soltech’s operation, Mei,” he began in a serious tone. “I don’t need this kind of negative publicity in the United States when I’m attempting to get the US government to lease me huge swaths of their land.” He stopped swirling and took a sip. He held two fingers with a very little space between them. “I’m this close to getting the BLM to sign the lease for the Antelope Valley
project in the western Mojave Desert. Do you realize that it’s twenty-one hundred acres they’re going to let me lease?”

Setting her glass on the coffee table between them, Mei rolled her eyes. “I also know that that’s a one-point-four-billion dollar project,” she said, her frustration showing, “and if you don’t give Soltech Copper Mountain, we will have no chance for Antelope. I want both! Don’t forget I’m an investor in Inter-Power and I have a say in how its business is run.”

Brian put up his hands defensively. “Calm down, Mei. I know what your investment in Inter-Power is; you tell me of it often enough. Let me remind you that that ownership is silent and that’s because you wanted it that way. You don’t want that fact to become public knowledge, as it would put you and your husband in an awkward spot. Here you are getting subsidies to build your solar panels only to turn around and make a huge profit as an owner of a solar farm using those subsidized panels.” He shook a finger in her face and shook his head. “That would not look good, Mei.”

She held her chin up and replied petulantly, “The Communist government is for me to worry about, not you, and my husband has no say in my dealings. I would prefer if you keep him out of our conversations!”

Bowing his head, he replied, “As you wish. It still does not change the fact that Soltech has had issues with its production and quality control, and even though Earth-Sun has to drop out of the bidding, I still can’t award the bid to you as low bidder. To be honest, you have always worked on the fringes of ethics and I can’t afford a public relations mistake if something ever comes out about your business dealings.”

“What are you talking about?” Mei screamed as she stood up, her fists balled at her side. “I have had nothing to do with Andrew’s death and everything Soltech has done has been aboveboard. I promoted Jason Ballard to make sure everything we do would withstand any
kind of scrutiny. On this project we have the best at the best price and the best product. Copper Mountain should be Soltech’s project!”