Lost in translation

Mohammed Fakir was in his thirties, dark haired, stocky and short. He was strong, though, and spoke good English. He was preparing for his meeting with his new boss Coldham Fintan Noose III. He liked him, whom he called Mr. Fin. The tall, blond American was not very fussy and didn’t put on any airs. As a boss he was fair too.

 

Mohammed knocked on the door and entered when he was invited into Mr. Fin’s sanctum. Mohammed realized immediately something was wrong with his boss. Mr. Fin had a tan, but he seemed white underneath it. After some small talk they went on to discuss the roster. “Aaban would like to change shifts with me next week only.” Mr. Fin didn’t react. “Ehm.” Mohammed cleared his throat. Mr. Fin looked embarrassed and apologized for being absent minded. He agreed to the change, if Mohammed wanted to do so. This was another thing Mohammed liked about his boss. Mr. Fin left a lot of freedom to his security team. As long as the building site was protected he didn’t meddle too much. The same went for the work schedule. Mr. Fin created the roster, gave it to Mohammed, who checked with his colleagues if it was okay and came back to Mr. Fin to discuss changes and preferences.

They moved on to other business. “Zunnoon is getting married and we want to buy him a gift. Would you like to contribute?” Mr. Fin was miles away in his thoughts. Mohammed coughed to get his attention. His boss was sorry. Normally Mr. Fin was totally focused and sharp minded, so Mohammed wondered what had ruffled his feathers. Mr. Fin said: “I must apologize. Do you think we can take a short break? It's nearly lunch time. Do you know a good Chinese?" Mohammed didn’t know exactly what lunch and a good Chinese had to do with each other. He hadn’t encountered any Chinese before, so he had to research who was suitable and come back to Fin. At least he had a clue where to start. He was befriended with the head of security of the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka and thought his friend would be able to help him.

His friend gave him the phone number of a suitable person. It took Mohammed some time to convince Mr. Lim Zhuang Da to come urgently to Fin’s office. Mohammed proudly presented the Chinese to Mr. Fin, who burst out laughing. Mohammed wondered what was so funny. Mr. Fin said: “Pardon me.” He still giggled. Calming down he continued: “Well, thank you for your effort, Mohammed.” Mr. Fin surprised Mohammed and Mr. Lim by switching to Mandarin. Then he switched back to English, so that both could understand him: “Mohammed, I’m impressed you could organize a meeting with Mr. Lim so quickly and without a lot of prior notice. I will remember that. Mr. Lim, would you be able to recommend a restaurant serving excellent Egg Fu Yung?” Mr. Fin’s lips were twitching. Mohammed suddenly realized Mr. Fin had asked for a good Chinese restaurant, not a person. Mr. Fin had been diplomatic and thank goodness not caused Mohammed to lose face in front of Mr. Lim and taken it with humor. All understood the implications, though, and soon were laughing about it. “Of course. The Red Dragon is famous for it.” Mr. Lim replied, when they had caught their breath again. Mr. Fin invited Mr. Lim and Mohammed for lunch, who agreed to join him.

Lunch and having something to laugh about seemed to have restored Mr. Fin’s equilibrium. He was focused again on work.

©2017

Meeting the board

In this story Casey Noose is twenty one month old. Casey was at her father's work place, because her mother got suddenly sick and couldn't take care of Casey. Mrs. Graziano was a member of the board of directors, who wanted to meet the person, who solved the fraud and burglary case bugging the company. They arrived unannounced and found not only Fin Noose in his office, but also his daughter. Mrs. Graziano is in her late thirties.

I missed my Mama and cried. Daddy was there, but I still wanted Mama. She didn’t come. It was a big disappointment. Daddy tried hard to calm me. I felt inconsolable. The strangers in the room didn’t make the situation easier for me. I don’t like people I’ve never seen in my whole life. Watching them interact with my Daddy, who explained things to them I didn’t understand, I liked an old lady and wanted to go to her.

Daddy and the lady understood, so I gave her a big smile as soon as I was in her arms. She was delighted. The woman reminded me of my Abuelita. She smelled even slightly like her, which reminded me that Grandma was coming to visit us for something called Christmas. Since I didn’t know when Christmas was I wanted to check and asked: “Abuelita?” The old lady frowned. “I am not your grandmother.” The woman said disgruntled. That was an odd answer to my question. “Mm, I don’t think Casey believes you’re her grandmother, Mrs. Graziano. She wants to know when her real one is coming.” My Daddy told Mrs. Graziano. To me he said: “You have to sleep two times and Granny is going to be with you.” I wondered if this included my naps or only the nights. It would have been nice, if it would be with the naps included. I doubted it, though. I was glad Mrs. Graziano wasn’t angry with me anymore and the focus changed to Daddy’s work and of course I was right that my Granny did arrive on the third day.

©2015

Promotion

Philip Maxwell felt utterly relaxed. He had been away for two weeks. His peace of mind was shattered within seconds.

The new Chief Security Officer Coldham Fintan Noose III had been attacked while Philip had been on vacation. He had been knocked unconscious and beaten up while on duty, stopping a burglary in its tracks. Fin, as the CSO wanted to be called, had asked Philip to come and visit him at his home, when he was finally able to reach him. Philip wondered what Fin wanted from him.

Philip felt a bit awkward, when he arrived with his beat up Honda CR-V at Fin's very posh neighborhood. He found the house easy and was welcomed by Frieda, Fin's wife. She was a surprise. Fin was light ash blonde and of European descent. He preferred to wear only black designer clothing. Philip thought it was an Italian brand. Frieda was Latina and wore a simple jeans and a colorful t-shirt. She looked very young. Philip liked Frieda immediately. She was warm, seemed down to earth and less stern than Fin. Frieda explained Fin was asleep. They heard screams. "Uhm, it seems Fin has a nightmare. I'll better wake him up." Before rushing off Frieda offered Philip to take a seat at the kitchen table. Philip hadn't been comfortable for long before he jumped up in fright. Something had touched him. Overcoming his shock Philip checked under the table and found a toddler, grinning broadly at him. The little girl looked very much like Frieda, so Philip assumed she was Frieda's daughter. Philip burst out laughing, amused he had been frightened by a small kid. Frieda returned at that moment and said smiling: "I see you have met Casey already." "How old is your daughter?" Philip asked. "17 months." "Casey is really cute." "Yes, and a lot of work too." Frieda replied with a smile. "By the way Fin is ready for you." Fin had come down to the living room, where Frieda brought Philip to. Fin was looking rough around the edges and not as well groomed as he usually did. Philip had a hard time not to stare at the cast on Fin's left leg or the fading bruise on Fin's cheek. He couldn't see any further injuries, but he noticed Fin was in pain. Fin didn't pause for small talk. He came straight to the point. "Where have you been on the night between 01.00 am and 02.00 am of the 19th of August?" Philip understood immediately what this was all about. He bristled and in his anger jumped up from the sofa. "Come on, you can't be serious!" Fin just looked calmly at Philip. Cooling down somewhat Philip replied: "I was in Portland. At first at a Dinosaur Jr. concert and then hanging out with some friends at a bar. I think we were there until two or so." "Alright." "That's it?!" "Yes, it was just pro forma. I know you're not the one, who broke into the company and attacked me." Philip was outraged. "Why are you asking then?" "Mr. Powell wanted an alibi." Philip blew through his nose. His uncle and CEO of the company he worked for, suspected naturally him being behind the break ins and fraud, since Philip's father was a criminal. Philip had enough and wanted to quit. He said as much to Fin. He also said resigned: "I guess you are going to investigate behind my back again if it's true what I'm saying." Fin had done some back ground checks when he heard from a "source" Philip’s father was a robber and serving a long prison sentence. Philip thought the source had been his uncle Stanford Powell. "No, but if you could provide me with the invoice of the hotel you have stayed at..." "Like hell I will!" "Look, if you do what I ask you for, I might can do you a favor too." "Really?" Philip asked sarcastic. "Really." Fin replied with a grin. "And what would that favor be?" "I'll have to get Mr. Powell first around to support my idea... If I'm successful it would definitely proof to everyone that you aren't guilty." Philip looked up startled. Someone had spread the rumour he was behind the crime and a few co-workers ostracized him. He suspected the situation was worse now thanks to the new burglary attempt. Philip wondered how Fin knew about it. The offer was tempting. "I'd like to see how you get my uncle around." Now it was Fin's turn to be surprised. "He's what?" "My uncle. My mother and he are siblings. He is seven years younger than Mom." "Okay." If Fin had come to his own conclusions why Stanford had been so adamant Philip was the thief and so totally unwilling to promote his nephew within the company he didn't show it. Philip promised to drop his evidence by.
Frieda knocked and told them dinner was ready. Philip didn't expect the invitation was extended to him and another reason he wanted to leave was his dislike for burritos and chili con carne. He believed Frieda was Mexican, where the majority of Hispanic immigrants to the US came from. Philip's experience with Latinos was limited, because they only made up around six per cent of Seattle's population. Since Frieda and Fin didn't take no for an answer, Philip agreed to have dinner with the couple. He offered to help Fin up, who told him it was okay. It seemed Fin had experience with crutches and didn't need support. The dinner was a pleasant surprise. The setting was simple, but elegant. Casey was already sitting in her high chair and couldn't wait for the meal to begin. She made urgent noises and stretched her arms out, when Frieda served Philip first. Fin told Casey soothing: "Guests come first, darling. Don't worry, it's your turn next." Casey quietened down as soon as she received her portion of the Khmer beef salad. It was delicious Philip admitted and not what he had expected. When he asked where the recipe came from, Frieda told him they had picked it up during their honey moon trip two years earlier. Turning to Fin Philip asked about the nightmare. Fin said short: "I don't want to talk about it." Frieda gave Fin a concerned look, but he ignored it. Philip cleared his throat and instead talked about the first part of his vacation he had spent at Salmon River, just a little over an hour outside Portland, with his grandfather. They both loved fishing. Fin admitted freely he was an urbanite and didn't care very much about fishing. He and Frieda liked water sports, especially scuba diving. After dinner Philip went home, wondering why he had agreed to hand over evidence he had been really in Oregon and how Fin was going to proof to the public Philip wasn't the bad guy and convince Uncle Stanford of it too.


Philip dropped off the invoice he had received for his stay in Portland the next day.

Three days later Stanford Powell's Personal Assistant arranged an appointment with Philip. Stanford was pretending to be busy, when Philip entered. "Take a seat." Stanford said, not looking up from his papers. He let his nephew stew for a few minutes before he paid any attention to him. "You are lucky you have such a staunch supporter in Mr. Noose. He's 100% sure you are innocent and since he is the authority in his field I trust him." Philip gave his uncle a baleful glare. Their relationship was difficult. Philip had found out by coincidence that Stanford had only given him a fulltime job in return of Philip's mother cleaning Stanford's house for free for years. It had made Philip resentful, because Stanford could have easily afforded a cleaning lady if he had wanted to. Philip’s mother Deana had a hard enough life in the first place and Philip thought they all were family, so Stanford should have supported him and Deana without making demands. Returning to the present he didn't reply. Stanford sighed. "Mr. Noose suggested the company should look for an additional security guard. For the moment it's only when one of the other team members is sick or on holiday. You will of course receive full training if you agree to take on the position and it includes night shifts. The position might turns into something more permanent, if it proves to make sense. Would you be interested in being our reserve security guard?" Philip wanted to refuse out of rebellion, but decided to take on the job. First it would rankle Stanford, Philip had finally managed to escape the warehouse - if only partly; second it was a challenge and third it definitely proved Philip had nothing to do with the break ins. The Chief Security Officer wouldn't invite the suspected perpetrator to join his team. So much was for sure.

Fin had been right. People, who had eyed Philip before with suspicion, were suddenly back to treating Philip as usual.

For Philip it meant spending a lot of time with Fin, Aurelio and Adrain from the security team.
Philip found out soon why Fin had been selected to replace Michael Kuraite, the former CSO. He was younger than all team members, but seemed to have quite a lot of experience in security matters. He was better than the others and saw things they overlooked. Philip realized Fin could get easily into the mind-set of a criminal and wasn't surprised when Fin solved who was really responsible for the theft and fraud. It was a bigger shock that nearly all the management had to be replaced and Fin's announcement he was going to leave the company. He chose his successor, which caused a few tongue wagging. It had always been assumed the new CSO would be Ty Hansen, Michael Kuraite's and later Fin's deputy. Instead Fin selected Sammy Metz, another security guard. It meant Philip was offered a permanent position on the security team, which he accepted. Sammy proved to be a worthy successor - it was no wonder having been handpicked and intensely trained by Fin before he left. Philip liked his new job. It was sometimes boring, but could be also demanding and exciting. Philip had never thought he had a talent for it and surprised himself and his uncle. They never were very close, but they started to trust and respect each other. When Sammy retired he suggested to Stanford to promote Philip. He had groomed the CEO's nephew any way and was glad when the CEO agreed to make Philip Chief Security Officer. At first Philip was worried if he would be able to fulfil the demands of the job. Slowly he grew into the position and if he needed help he knew he could always contact Sammy or Fin, with whom he had stayed in contact over all those years.




©2014 

Enemies

Everything was planned meticulous and then this!

Normally Aurelio Stansfield would have had the night shift. He was sick and didn't work.

Carmine de Anda - not his real name - had chosen the night specifically, because he knew Aurelio Stansfield pretty well and thought when all the electricity, CCTV and telephone lines were cut, Aurelio would call the police by cell phone, but stay put in the security office, giving him and a friend enough time to plunder the warehouse.

Carmine was about to join his accomplice, when he noticed a shadowy figure heading towards the storage units of the warehouse. It was Carmine's arch enemy Coldham Fintan Noose III, the new head of security.

Carmine had to stop Coldham at all costs. Coldham had proofed to be a worthy enemy and crossed some of Carmine's schemes. Besides Coldham would be able to identify his accomplice and Carmine couldn't afford that. It would be only a question of time before his friend was talking and Carmine's own identity would be known.

Carmine held an iron bar already in his hands. He was originally planning to use it to help lift a few items they wanted to steal. It was the perfect weapon. Carmine edged silently closer to Coldham. He went unnoticed and managed to crash the bar over Coldham's head, who crumpled immediately to the floor like a felled tree. Carmine thought that wasn't enough. He wanted to do as much damage as possible, fuelled by his thirst for revenge and to keep Coldham as long as possible away from his job. Carmine smashed the iron bar down on Coldham's left leg. It made a crunching sound. A kick to the Chief Security Officer was even more satisfying. Carmine heard police car sirens, so he stopped, otherwise he would have had a bit more fun. He stepped over Coldham's prone body and helped Leander Miller, the Sourcing Manager of the company, grab a few designer pieces. The two retreated in the nick of time through the back, while the police force entered the building through the main entrance.

Carmine de Anda visited Coldham in hospital. It would have been odd, if he hadn't done so in his capacity at the company. Of course he pretended to be concerned about a valuable employee of Foreman Scandinavia Import and outraged what had happened to Mr. Noose. Inwardly he was gloating, but not for long. Coldham might had a concussion, a broken leg and ribs, but his spirit was undiminished. The attack seemed to have no negative psychological impact. Even though the CSO was kept in hospital for a week and the broken bones kept him at home for a month, he wasn't deterred to work and manage his security team, who rallied around him, from his sick bed. Carmine had hoped with Coldham incaptivated he could break in and steal the more valuable furniture they couldn't take during the failed attempt. Unfortunately security had been beefed up and Carmine didn't dare to repeat the feat.
He was glad Coldham didn't suspect him and trailed another innocent guy, whom Carmine's lover and he had set up.
Carmine decided to wait another few months before he was leaving the company and start his new life with his lover in the Caribbean.

©2014

Dinner

"Did your boss say what we should wear?" Ines Hansen asked her husband Ty. "He said nothing about that. Just that the dinner was going to be a casual affair and nothing too fancy." Ty worked as a security guard at an import company and had a new boss, who had invited all his employees to dinner at his home.
Ty and Ines were in their mid-forties. Ty over towered most people with his 6 ft. 5 in. heavy frame. He loved to eat, especially steak and potatoes. Ines didn't mind Ty's stomach was bulging.
Ines took more care what she looked like and spent a lot of time at the fitness center and used Botox to smooth out her wrinkles. She was reaching up to her husband's chin, had colored red hair and blue eyes.
She was also slightly more ambitious than Ty and had been upset when she heard Michael Kuraite, the head of security had been fired for being unable to solve the thieving happening under his watch at the company, but Ty, who was second in command, had been overlooked for the promotion and instead some unknown young guy had been given the position.
"I wish we could refuse. Did you tell Mr. Noose David is coeleriac?" "Yes, I did. He knew about it and promised to make sure there weren't any gluten in the meal." Having no choice Ines started getting ready to go out.


"Do I really have to go?" Deante McDonnell asked his mother Emily in a whiney tone. She nodded. "It's very important for your father to be in the good books of the new boss." "But what has it to do with me? Can't I simply stay at home? I promise I behave." "No, Deante, Mr. Noose wants to meet the whole family." "But there is nobody my age..." "You heard your mother. Get dressed appropriately and be ready in ten minutes. We don't want to be too late." Deante's father Adrain Bennis ordered, his tone allowing no further protests. Adrain was muscly and strong. He was African American like his wife and son. Emily and Deante were fine boned and light skinned, but not very tall. Deante was thirteen and drove his parents mad, when he proved to be stubborn and wanted to do things his way. Deante believed he was mature and could take care of himself. He wasn't a baby!
Deante knew his parents well enough they weren't going to budge on this one, so before they were shouting at him and threatening to take away privileges, he decided to fight another time.


"But, Dad, I promised Kendall to meet with her at the mall tonight!" Tamika Metz protested. She had been looking forward to the outing. "I know, honey, and I'm really sorry. If you go tonight with us to the dinner, you can go to that party of yours." Tamika thought about it. The high school senior was long legged, blond and had a honey colored teint. Normally her parents didn't allow her to go out during the week, so this was a real sweetener. "Alright." She considered the two or three hours the party was going to last wouldn't kill her. Tamika was also pleased to hear David and Samantha Hansen were invited as well. She wouldn't be too bored then.

Jeana Stansfield was looking forward to the dinner. She liked Adrain Bennis and his family. Ines Hansen was a bit too superficial in her opinion.
Jeana was curious about her husband Aurelio's new boss. She had heard he was her age and seemed to be interested in healthy cooking, which she was too. Jeana's mother had diabetes and her father high blood pressure. Jeana wasn't interested in going the same way, so the dark haired and brown eyed petite beauty, wanted to change her lifestyle. Aurelio, who was bulky and a former college football player, had other ideas. For him salad was rabbit food and refused to eat even a tiny leaf. Jeana thought Mr. Noose was a fresh change of wind and maybe he could influence Aurelio to consider picking up healthier eating habits. Jeana was stupid enough to bring up her concerns and Aurelio should take an example on his new boss. Aurelio reacted hurt and counterattacked. They soon were having a blazing row, causing them to be late and they forgot the chocolates, a gift for their hosts. Both were disappointed, because they had wanted to make a good impression.

When they finally arrived all the others were already there. Jeana was surprised about their hosts. She thought Fin, as Mr. Noose wanted to be called, was good looking, but his wife was plain. Fin was tall and blond with blue grey eyes. She had expected Frieda would have also model looks. She was roughly Jeana's height, black haired and had dark brown eyes.

Ines was wondering how Fin and Frieda could afford a three bed room house with views over Mount Rainier near Washington Park, here in Seattle. The rent and house prices in the area were sky high. Ines assumed the rent was either as high or more as Fin was earning in a year. Maybe Frieda had a high earning job as well. Ines was going to find out.

Deante thought he was going to be bored. As always the older teenagers wanted nothing to do with him. Somehow Deante managed to get seated near Fin. "What would you like to drink?" Frieda asked. The teenagers wanted all Cola. Fin brought in the casserole he had made. Deante was impressed. His father could make fried eggs, but that was it as far as his repertoire went. His mother Emily claimed she could cook, but her meals were always dreadful, either too salty, burned or raw. The family had agreed to have take aways or go out eating. Deante was wondering how Fin managed to cook by himself. Deante felt a bit awestruck and shy in Fin's presence, so he didn't dare asking yet.
Fin gave everyone a generous portion of the lemon chicken bake. There was also a side salad. The guests seemed satisfied. It was moreish and Deante liked that there were a lot of vegetables in it. Deante noticed an immediate difference. Normally his meals made him full and lethargic. Now he wasn't hungry and felt energized. They talked about Deante's favorite subject at school. Fin told him about his own. The guests found out Fin had been a rebellious teenager and had been sent to a military boarding school. He regaled them with a few of his adventures there. Deante liked the idea of sneaking out during the night, going to a party and never getting caught.
The theme changed to fitness and what regimes the adults followed. Fin, for example was running five times a week and trained every day in Tai Chi, while Frieda went to yoga classes and swam regularly. Deante's father and Aurelio were into weight lifting. Sammy had a black belt in Judo. The other women went to the gym regularly.
When Fin's team heard he was practising Tai Chi they thought he was a sissy. Being influenced by their father David and Samantha believed the same. Fin rose in Jeana's and Deante's esteem. Ines had never spent any thought men would be interested in Tai Chi. The rest didn't care.

Ines asked about Frieda's job. Frieda explained she was a house maker. She also said she still breast fed Casey and it was more convenient to stay at home. Most of the guests came to the conclusion Fin was from a well off family, based on what Fin had told them about his upbringing, and that he was supported by his parents. Otherwise his lifestyle wasn't possible. Some of them were a bit jealous and thought about how hard they had to work to achieve where they were.

In the end the guests also met Casey. She was wailing loudly for a few minutes before Fin went to check on her.
Parenting wasn't easy and the Bennis' and Hansens believed to let the baby cry until it stopped by her/himself. The Metzs had a different approach. They had always reacted to Tamika's crying. In each parents' opinion the Nooses were treating the issue wrongly. They reacted too slow or too fast.

Fin and his daughter were back in time for dessert. At first Casey was a bit shy. Casey took a bite from Ty's passion fruit and orange jelly and smiled broadly. After playing peek a boo with Tamika for a while she got cranky and Frieda brought her back to bed.

Deante had been struggling with his own shyness, but overcame it and asked Fin to teach him to cook. Fin agreed. He was only surprised Deante wanted to start the next day. It wasn't an issue for him. Emily gave her permission.

The evening came to an end and everyone left, but before there was some added drama. Sammy had a bit too much to drink and thought he should test if Tai Chi was really good to defend oneself from an attack. Fin blocked a Te-waza - a hand technique in Judo to force an opponent to the ground - from Sammy. For a moment everyone thought there was going to be a fight between Sammy and his boss. Instead Fin threatened to make sure Sammy was fired and that he would drag him before court if Sammy ever tried to attack him again. It brought an abrupt end to a pleasant meal. Tamika was mortified. Josefina did the right thing and apologized immediately.  Fin accepted and seemed calm about the whole affair. Josefina and Tamika bundled Sammy into their car and left.
The
 others didn't know exactly what to do or to say. Ty, being Sammy's best friend, looked for an excuse. "I think Sammy had simply too much to drink. He didn't mean it..." Seeing Fin's eyes flickering dangerously, Ty trailed off. "Can we change the subject?" Fin's voice was surprisingly gentle. Ines thanked Fin and Frieda for the dinner and complimented the flavors of the casserole. Emily and Jeana agreed and shuffled with their feet. The atmosphere was tense. Deante suddenly didn't want to have cooking classes from Fin. He feared him a bit and wouldn't dare messing around. Finally after the silence was too awkward the guests said good bye and left.

©2014

Just confirming

This story picks up where "Just checking" left. If you want to what was stolen and who was Mr. Noose's client, please read "The Heirloom".

When Patsy Loesing had checked out her new driver, she found some inconsistencies and further investigations revealed he owned a security company. Mrs. Patsy assumed the driver had been engaged by her son Kenneth to protect the family from a threat, like a kidnapping or assassination.
She wanted it confirmed, but didn't dare broaching the subject directly. Kenneth had returned from a vacation with his family, so she thought talking about him now.
Kenneth was sitting at the breakfast table with his wife Anna and his older sons Wylie and Johnny. When the kids were gone and Anna busy with filling the dishwasher, Mrs. Patsy took her chances. Filling her cup with coffee, Mrs. Patsy asked: "Are we in danger, Kenny?" Kenneth looked up and frowned. "Not more than usual." Mrs. Patsy interpreted Kenneth's comment as confirmation that there was a threat to the family and Mr. Noose, the driver, was there to look out for them.
It came as no surprise when the driver left shortly afterwards. It was a relief to know the issue had gone away.

Mrs. Patsy never found out the driver wasn't there to protect the family. He was a cat burglar and on his own mission. When he had stolen, what he was looking for, he left.

©2013