Trader Jack -The Story of Jack Miner (The Story of Jack Miner Series) (24 page)

I bolted into Ruff's office while he was having a meeting with Maffie.

'Why don't you guys knock before you enter?' exclaimed Ruff.

'Because we can see you through the glass walls,' I said. 'Would you mind if I go to New York tonight? I'll be back next week.'

'What if coffee takes off?'

'I'll get on a plane straight away and be back the next morning.'

'What do you think Maffie?'

'Nothing's happening in the market at the moment. The Brazilian weather forecast is mild for the next fortnight. I can handle his fund for him.'

'How come you want to go to New York again? You were there in the spring, ' said Ruff, suspiciously.

'Pearl is going there on business. She asked me to go along with her.'

'I thought that you had broken up with her Jack,' said Maffie, surprised.

'It's on with her again,' I grinned.

'Does your girl know what we do here?' asked Ruff with a stern face.

'No! Promise Ruff. Only general stuff. Told her that we manage hedge funds, but I've never gone into detail. She doesn't know anything about our trading.'

'It had better stay that way Jack. Especially now. We have very special information,' said Maffie.

'Promise you Maff, my lips are sealed.'

'OK. You can go to New York. But you're going to do some research for us,' said Ruff. 'Danny Dovetail is a broker who I can trust. Have dinner with him and ask him everything he knows about those Russian hedge fund managers.'

'Good idea, Ruff,' said Maffie. 'Jack should get more information in New York. We want to know who their brokers are. Where they are based, where they hang out. Everything! Do it as subtly as possible.'

'How do I introduce the subject?'

'Just say that we are thinking of getting out of the market, but we want to make sure what's going on.'

'OK.'

'If we need you here quickly, you'll be on the next plane, right!'

'Sure Maffie, I promise.'

*   *   *

With Pearl, air travel was nothing less than business class. Compared to my economy flights to Rio and New York, the trip was heaven. Champagne, seafood and easy on the legs. We arrived at the Peninsula Hotel on Fifth Avenue at 10pm, New York time. The place was so luxurious that I felt embarrassed to be there.

'Is this on expenses, Pearl?' I asked.

'No, of course not. You're paying, Jack.'

My mouth dropped: 'What! Our room costs almost $800 a night!'

'You can afford it Jack,' said Pearl grinning. 'Get used to it.'

'What!'

'Just joking, Jack, just joking. Of course it's on expenses. My client is paying.'

'Who is your client?'

'What are you doing in the markets?'

'Touché!'

A light meal was served in our room, which had awesome views of Manhattan. We had showers separately and that night Pearl wasn't interested in making love. Pity, it was a king sized bed and would have been great for sex. It was the wrong time of the month, she said. My luck! Pearl rushed off early in the morning and I tried out the fitness facilities on the rooftop. There was a gym and pool and I swam a few lengths. With Pearl busy, it was a good opportunity to meet with Danny. To keep it as discrete as possible, I suggested that we have a drink after the market closed and go for a walk in Battery Park.

To kill time, I dropped in at Tiffany's. One of the girls helped me choose some diamond studs for Pearl. Stan and Leila had encouraged me to visit the Museum of Modern Art. I was more interested in sport than culture, but I was learning fast and especially liked Kandinsky and the strange paintings of Dalí. I thought about the vast majority of artists who struggled and died in poverty, long before their works were sold for millions. No justice in this world. Those guys had serious talent whereas traders like me merely had to take bets on the market and make loads of money.

Danny was waiting in a café in the Winter Garden of the World Financial Centre.

'How ya doing Jack? What brings you to New York?'

'My girlfriend's here on business. Asked me to join her.'

'Where you staying?'

'Peninsula.'

'Wow! That must cost an arm and a leg.'

'She has a big expense account for branding and marketing. That sort of stuff. She has to impress people.'

'Are you going to do any work? Take another course?'

'Thought I would make use of my time and meet with you. Find out what's happening in the market.'

'Coffee's down again, Jack. It's looking bad for you guys. Maybe you should get out.'

'Maybe. Are those hedge funds still selling?'

'Big time. They wait for the market to rally and then dump the stuff.'

We left the café and walked past the yachts in North Cove harbour, alongside the waterfront, towards Battery Park.

'Who are these Russian hedge fund managers?'

'I got some more information since I last spoke to you. The funds are called Veruschka and Borodino. I'm told that they manage as much as $10 billion.'

'Wow! They must have massive positions with that kind of money.'

'That's not all. Some US and Swiss hedge funds are following them and are also selling coffee short. They're betting that the price will fall below $2.'

'We're not far from there now. It's a crucial support level. If it cracks two bucks, the price could collapse.'

'That's why I think you guys should get out.'

'Where are the Russians based? Moscow?'

'Yes. But they also have offices here. Heard of the Russian Samovar?'

'The contraption that brews tea?'

'No. Name of a restaurant and piano bar,' laughed Danny. 'It's near Broadway. If I remember, it's on West 52nd Street. Not far from the Sheraton.'

'Does it have Russian music and dancing?'

'Yeah. Lots of Russians frequent the place. Vodka and beer to wash down herring, smoked fish, borscht and caviar.'

'Do those Borodino and Veruschka guys go there?'

'I'm told that it's their drinking hole. Their office is about a block away. I think it's on West 51st Street.'

'Would you know them if you saw them?'

'Yeah. Someone pointed them out to me at a hedge fund conference last month.'

'If they're such big players, don't you want them as clients?'

'My boss was going to pitch for them, but we decided against it.'

'Why?'

'We've been told that they've got unsavoury connections.'

'Who?'

'We hear that the Russian mafia might have a stake in the funds.'

I turned away from him, looked towards the waterfront and adjusted my dark glasses.

'Have you come across them in London?' asked Danny, observing me closely.

'No, I haven't,' I lied, feeling uneasy.

'Tell you what Jack, I don't live very far from the Russian Samovar. We can have a drink and bite there and go for a walk in Central Park. Who knows we might find out something.'

I wasn't terribly happy with the idea, but went along with it. Maffie and Ruff were expecting me to find out as much as possible about the Russians.

After leaving a message on Pearl's mobile, suggesting that we meet in Broadway and see a show, we arrived at the Russian Samovar. A pianist was playing Russian melodies and several people were sitting by the bar chatting in a language which I assumed to be Russian. We sat down near the bar and sampled some vodka, caviar and smoked fish.

'That's them,' whispered Danny, nudging me.

Two fairly big guys, who were dressed in smart suits, but looked like gangsters, entered. They sat by the bar near to us.

'Are you sure that they're hedge fund managers?' I asked. 'They look like thugs.'

'Yes. The guy with a scar on his forehead runs Borodino and the one who limps, Veruschka. Should we introduce ourselves?'

Before I could reply in the negative, another man came up to the bar and joined them. He was well over six foot with a large flat broken nose and a thick black beard. To say that I freaked was an understatement. If he wasn't the same killer who I had encountered on Charing Cross Bridge, he was a pretty good double.

'I have to meet my girlfriend,' I mumbled, after swiftly downing my vodka. I put on my dark glasses and carefully made my way past the bar, making sure that I didn't disturb the hedge fund gang. By the time I was outside, I was in such a panic that I was breathing rapidly. I had chest pains and was feeling dizzy. It was all the more scary as I had read an article about sudden death syndrome that morning. Guys my age could have a heart attack and die! The more I thought about the possibilities, the faster the breathing and the greater the pain. Danny followed me outside, rushed up to me and rubbed my back gently.

'Jack, what's wrong? Do you have asthma? Are you allergic to anything?'

'I don't think Vodka agrees with me,' I fibbed, making sure that my dark glasses were on and trying to stop breathing rapidly.

'Let's have something to drink, Jack,' said Danny, pulling me into a café. He sat me down, swiftly purchased two bottles of water and grabbed a paper bag.

'You're hyperventilating. Breathe into the bag. Yes, that's right. Hold it by the neck. Breathe into it. Say "sh . . . sh . . ." That's it. Good. Go on! "Sh . . . sh". Feeling better. Good.'

He anxiously watched me drink some water and sat with me as I leaned over the table and coughed.

'Thanks Danny. Thanks a lot,' I gasped, feeling relieved.

'No sweat. Did a course in First Aid. Sure you're OK?'

'Sure.'

'Do you know any of those guys?'

'Promise me two things Danny. One for my sake and one for yours. Don't tell anyone about this and don't have anything to do with them.'

'Sure, Jack, don't worry. When you're ready sometime, maybe you'll tell me what's going on.'

My mobile rang. It was Pearl.

'Hi Jack. You're lucky. I've just finished work and I'm very close to Broadway. A show's a great idea.'

Danny gave her some directions and she was soon with us in the coffee shop.

She didn't seem to notice my distress. Didn't even kiss me hello.

'Jack's been a bit sick,' said Danny.

She looked at me casually. 'He seems OK now. Right Jack?'

'Pearl, this is Danny,' I whispered hoarsely.

'Didn't take you long to get here, Pearl,' said Danny.

'I was virtually around the corner. My client's offices are in West 51st Street. What do you do, Danny?'

'I'm a trader. Friend of Jack. A good friend,' he said, massaging my back.

'What do you trade?'

'All sorts of things. Your accent, Pearl, where do you come from?'

'America, of course. Washington D.C. My parents live in Annapolis.'

'Where were you born?'

'What's the difference? Ukraine. We came here when I was ten,' replied Pearl, irritated.

'Just interested. Must go Jack, will speak to you soon. Now take care!' said Danny, putting a hand on my shoulder.

We shook hands and off he went. That night we saw 'The Music Man'. It was a wonderful show with many trombones. Pity that I wasn't relaxed enough to enjoy it.

*   *   *

The next morning, I went for a run in Central Park. Running always helped me calm down. If I had had the chance to run the previous day, I probably wouldn't have hyperventilated and would have got rid of the tension. Anyway I felt strong and though I had briefly panicked, there was no way that I would have a heart attack, like Dad. He was a smoker and unfit. I was the opposite. Back at the hotel, I had a swim and felt a lot better. Pearl had a couple of days off. So later in the morning, we bought a suitcase and filled it with clothes chosen from Saks and Bergdorf Goodman.

The shopping spree made me forget myself and at the end of the day, after we unloaded the stuff in the room, I gave Pearl her earrings. To my surprise - because I didn't have much clue about these things - she liked them. She hugged and kissed me and then undressed herself and me. We were soon under the power shower with warm water crashing down on us. Afterwards we made love, with Pearl being much more tender than usual.

Later I bought iPods for both of us and we walked into Central Park, holding hands. It was the most romantic evening I had ever had with her. We ambled from the Zoo to Strawberry Fields, Yoko Ono's memorial to John Lennon. Afterwards we hired a boat, rowed to the centre of the lake and relaxed, enjoying the peaceful park and the Manhattan skyline.

My head was on Pearl's lap while we floated aimlessly. We were so wrapped up in each other that we hardly noticed other boats struggling to avoid us.

'That Danny guy, is he a coffee trader?' Pearl asked suddenly.

'Yes.'

'Where does he think the market's going? Up or down?'

'I have no idea, Pearl.'

'It's boring not knowing what you guys are doing. It must be exciting, but you keep me in the dark,' whispered Pearl, and kissing my ear.

'I'm not allowed to discuss my firm's dealings,' I said firmly.

'What's so important about your trading? Why the confidentiality? You're not a doctor.' No reply.

'OK. I'll bring you into my confidence and don't tell anyone about it. I have to know more about coffee because we're doing market research and branding for a new US and European coffee chain,' she said. 'They aim to beat Starbucks and Costa. To do that they need to have the best information on the market and qualities and have good supply sources.'

'That's an interesting job for you, Pearl. What's the name of the company?'

'We're still deciding on a suitable brand name.'

'And you want me to tell you about our deals?'

'There you go. Loyalty to your firm. If you don't perform, they'll hang you out to dry. How on earth can we have a good relationship if you don't trust me, Jack?'

'OK. Who was that big blond guy at your place a few weeks ago?'

'Are you stalking me, Jack?' she snapped, pushing me off her lap. 'He's just a good friend, if you really want to know. I help him with his image from time to time.'

'OK, OK. I know it sounds corny, but I really love you, Pearl.'

'So help me with my work.'

I felt that I was letting her down. A frost and price surge could happen at any time, but that would be on the wires almost immediately. The whole market would know about it. Would it really be a problem if my girlfriend knew a bit about my trading? Maybe she had some ideas. After all husbands tell their wives what's happening. Pearl and I were getting very close. Maybe we could go to Las Vegas and get married.