Chapter 1

Li and Kim Lee landed in San Diego at 11 a.m. from New York. The charter flight his grandparents paid for made the trip enjoyable. On the way home, they stopped at an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru and arrived home around noon on Sunday. They ate lunch, breathing a sigh of relief to finally get home. Li said the trip was enjoyable but too long. Next time we visit, let’s do a weekend, and Mom agreed.

After lunch, they spent almost two hours unloading the 4Runner and organizing their closets to accommodate their new wardrobes. When finished, they met in the den. Mom said that, being away for a week, she worried about what would be waiting for her at work. Li said I’ll think about you while lying by the pool. They laughed, and Mom said, “Your ass is coming to work with me tomorrow.” Li asked if Mommy would protect him from the randy women at work.

Mom laughed and said he was on his own. But I doubt you’ll have any issues, since they’re professionals. Li said, “Yeah, famous last words,” Do professionals attack me in their offices, labs, and closets instead of the hallway and they laughed again. Mom asked if he’d heard from Andrew Finkleman, and Li said no, but he expects a call from him tomorrow. The press at The Angel Ball for cancer research surely got our picture. That and he’s lining up interviews for a few films.

Mom said it will be a busy week catching up after being gone. We’ll leave work early tomorrow, get the mail, drop off our dry cleaning, and go to the market. Li asked if she played back the phone messages. Mom said no, got the phone, and played the messages. They laughed when they heard one from Katherine Jackson inviting them to lunch. Li said she’d better call her back, or they will be knocking on our door. But be sure to ask about the dress code, and they laughed again.

She called Katherine and said they were in New York visiting Li’s grandparents and had just gotten home. Katherine asked if they could do lunch next Sunday, and Kim said yes. But I’ll call if Li’s schedule makes him unavailable, and they said goodbye. Li asked Mom if he should autograph three pairs of used boxers for the Jacksons, and she laughed hard. Li said he could put them in a Ziplock to keep them fresh, and Mom begged him to stop.

Mom ordered Chinese takeout for dinner and left to pick it up. Li went to the hidden lab and got his computer from the armory. He disconnected the old computer and hooked up his new one. Mom arrived home with dinner, so he went to the kitchen. While they ate, Mom said they would leave for work at 6 a.m. tomorrow and get breakfast on the way. That way, they can avoid any issues, and Li agreed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed. Li listened to the last two Japanese language sections and fell asleep.

Li was in the basement, early Monday morning, attacking a gauntlet of heavy bags with his martial arts skills. It felt good hitting something after a week off, and he left the bags swing wildly and headed to the shower. Li saw his tattoos and medallion illuminated and pulsing as he dried off. He dressed, grabbed a Sharpie, and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived, and they took off for work. On the way, they stopped at Carl’s Jr. drive-thru for breakfast.

They got to the lab without any issues and ate breakfast. Then Li went to the mail chute, got the projects, mail, and crap, and returned to the lab. Mom saw the pile and said shit. There were 10 projects, and Li took two and started running experiments. When he finished, Li switched to analyzing data and entering it into the computer. Mom ordered lunch delivered, and they took a break when it arrived. While eating, they went through the mail and found a letter from the International Science Foundation.

Mom opened it and said the conference in Spain is in two weeks. Li asked about the ambassadorship, and Mom said there’s nothing yet. Let’s hope they haven’t set up anything for me yet, and Li agreed. They finished four projects by 4 p.m. and called it a day. On the way home, Mom stopped by the post office first. They got the mail and went to the dry cleaners. The market was the last stop, and Li noticed they had a tail. The tail followed them home and parked at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Li didn’t tell Mom, so she wouldn’t worry, and they unloaded the groceries. Once everything was put away, Mom started dinner, and Li went to the garage. He hopped the neighbor’s fence and looked down the street. There were two men in a black SUV, and he suspected they were FBI. Returning home, they ate dinner, and Mom told Li she would need him again on Wednesday. Li said, “Sure, anything to help Mommy,” and they laughed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li bypassed reading and crashed.

At midnight, Li woke dressed in black, wore gloves, and “Ghost Walked” behind the SUV. Li read their minds, and, as he suspected, they were FBI agents. They were Agents Fred Plum and Rich Tucker, and they were to observe and report all the Lees’ activity. Their boss, San Diego FBI Special Agent in Charge David Reese, ordered the 24-hour surveillance.

Li tapped the medallion once he got into the back seat of the SUV and told them to ignore him and protect Kim Lee. In their reports, they would state that Li accompanies Kim Lee everywhere she goes. Li gave them a Hotmail address to send all the information on the case and why they were surveilling the Lees. He added that every time they see him, their balls would feel like someone had kicked them. Li left the agents, returned home, and fell asleep.

During breakfast, Li told Mom to act like a lady and resist kicking anyone in the balls at work today. She laughed and said, “That’s your job.” Mom left for work, and Li bypassed golf and hopped the back fence. He drove the electric motorcycle to the pole barn and checked everything. Then he remembered the water meter and the fiber internet box by the street, but inside his fence. Li drove the F250 to Home Depot, rented a ditch witch, purchased 30 1” sticks of PVC schedule pipe with connectors, primer, glue, and 200 feet of string.

He returned to the pole barn and dug a trench from the boxes to the rear of the pole barn. Li laid the water pipe, installed a pull string in the pipe for the fiber cable, and glued the sections. Then he covered up the trench, leaving both ends open for connections, and returned the ditch witch to Home Depot. Li picked up parts to connect to the water meter and secure the end until he could do the plumbing in his apartment. Returning to the pole barn, he connected to the water meter and stubbed the other end with a faucet.

Li covered the hole at the meter, turned on the water, and checked the faucet. Once the air in the line cleared, the pressure was excellent. Now all he had to do was get fiber cable and connectors, and he could finish the apartment. Waste still needed to be done, but a small septic system would work fine. Li locked up the pole barn and rode the motorcycle home. He covered it with a camo tarp, hopped the fence, stripped, and dove into the pool.

He swam a few laps to cool off, then lay on the lounge to dry off. Once dry, he went to the kitchen, ate a late lunch, and thought of everything that needed to be done on the pole barn. Li wished he could hire someone to do it, but no one could know about it, and it wasn’t worth the risk. After lunch, he showered and checked his email first, then his Hotmail account. The agents Plum and Tucker sent him the operation file. The operation was called “Lee Mein,” and Li laughed at the name.

There was no definition of the reason for the operation, just a national security tag, and to observe and report. Li knew the cockroach in the White House was responsible, and he had an idea who it was, but had no way to prove it. Li switched gears and did the homework for his online college courses. He finished, and sensing Mom was near, he dressed and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived with Mexican takeout, and they sat down to eat.

During dinner, Mom said someone tried the same shit again, passing off work to me. She went to the production manager, Ava Sanchez, and reported the problem. I was only to have five projects, not ten. She asked me to finish them, and she would handle the problem. Li told her,” You know the security footage will show who put them in the mail chute.” Mom said you’re right, and look at it tomorrow morning. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed.

Li woke up at midnight, dressed in dark clothes, and “Ghost Walked” behind the SUV at the end of the street. It was a new set of agents: Mike Barnes and Todd Hyde. They had just been transferred from DC and were to report directly to Assistant Director Bob Cole. Li tapped the mediation once and got into the back seat of the SUV. He gave them the same instructions, including the pain in their balls. Li returned home and fell asleep.

Early Wednesday morning, Li was in the basement practicing martial arts on the heavy bag. He finished, went to his room, showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived, and they ate breakfast, then drove to Scripps Research Institute. They made it to Mom’s lab without any trouble, and Li pulled up the security footage. Mom said shit, that’s Drs Jay Groves and Gary Cline. Li copied it to a USB stick and said, “Let’s wait and see what Ava Sanchez does.”

Li asked Mom what she did with the projects that weren’t hers. She said nothing yet, but planned to do them because Ava asked her to. Li said that’s bullshit, grabbed the projects and took them to Drs Jay Groves and Gary Cline. Li threw the projects on their desks and said, “Do your own damn jobs.” Try dumping your work on Dr. Lee again, and I’ll shove them up your ass, and he left them shocked. When Li returned, Mom asked what he did, and she laughed when he told her.

They got to work with Mom on an experiment and with Li on analyzing and entering the data. Production Manager Ava Sanchez called Kim and asked her to come to her office. Li said it was showtime, and they went to Ava’s office. Ava told Li he wasn’t needed, and he said, “Too bad, because it concerns me.” Ava told Kim we can’t have people throwing things and threatening researchers. Li said he didn’t throw anything or threaten anyone. I just returned their work and told them to do their own damn jobs.

Ava told Li that it wasn’t his job, and he said, “Let’s go to the CEO’s office and discuss it.” But you’re right, it isn’t my job, but it is yours. So, either you do yours or someone else will. Kim said I agreed to help out, but I don’t work for you. So, in the future, ask first and tell those assholes, Jay and Gary, that Li is a man of his word. They left Ava shocked and laughed on the way back to the lab.

Production manager Ava Sanchez went to see Harold Brock, the CEO, and knocked on his office door. Harold waved Ava in and asked what the problem was. Ava told him, and he laughed, saying that sounds like Li. Harold told Ava the reason she’s here is that George Whittingham allowed the same shit. He told her to manage the researchers, or he’ll find someone who can. Oh, one more thing, tell whoever pissed Li off that he’s a man of his word. Ava left, shocked, and returned to her office.

Kim and Li finished their work, cleaned the lab, and then headed home. Andrew Finkleman called and asked Li how they got invited to The Angels Ball for cancer research in New York. Li told Andrew that his grandparents, James and Joan King, go every year and they invited them. Andrew said, “Holy shit, you’re related to James and Joan King.” No wonder you got a ton of press coverage at the event. We’ve been buried with calls asking about you.

Andrew said there’s some bad news. The movie promos are being released on Friday. So be prepared to get some more attention. Now, for the good news, I’ve arranged two interviews next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both are at 10 a.m., so I’ve booked a hotel room for you on Tuesday night. I’ll email you the itinerary by Friday, and he said goodbye. Li said Andrew seemed too happy, and Mom laughed and agreed. They stopped for Italian takeout and arrived home.

While they ate, Mom asked Li if he had any idea what the promos would be, and he said he had no clue. But if the digital billboards are any indication, it won’t be good. Mom said to wear a disguise when going out and avoid crowded places. Li said, “Thanks for the excellent advice, Mommy,” and they laughed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read two law textbooks and then fell asleep.

After breakfast, on Thursday morning, Mom left for work, and Li drove to the Torrey Pines Golf Course. He warmed up on the practice range, then went to the starting line and teed off. He was the first in the course, and he enjoyed playing at his own pace. It had been over a week since he last played the course, and it took a few holes to feel comfortable. By the 9^th hole, Li was using his full strength on his drives and regaining his form.

When he finished the 18^th hole, Li didn’t add up his score and headed to the pro shop to put his clubs in his locker. Leaving Li saw Drs Jay Groves and Gary Cline warming up on the practice range. So, he took out his phone and walked up to the elevated platform. While he was filming them, Gary said it was great to get paid to play golf three times a week. Jay says, “Yeah, and no one is wise to us, only working two days.” Li stopped the video recording and headed home.

Li stopped at the Burger King drive-thru on the way to lunch. Upon arrival, while eating, he anonymously sent the video to the Scripps CEO, Harold Brock. As the subject, he put “Researchers Hard at Work.” After lunch, Li looks online for fiber-optic cable and sees a Verizon outlet store. They are only open on Fridays and Saturdays, so he would visit them on Friday. Then he checks his anonymous Hotmail email and reads the FBI Agents’ reports. He laughed at their colorful way of saying nothing was happening or actionable.

Then he remembered his alias, John Conroe, and his mailbox at the postal center. Li got dressed, drove the F-150 to the store, picked up his mail, and returned home. He went through it and was surprised by the amount of junk mail. The only thing worth keeping was the auction newsletter. It listed the auctions for the next month, and one looked promising if he could attend it on Saturday. He threw the junk mail into the recycling bin and retrieved the drone from his basement hidden lab.

Li flew it to the Jacksons’ house. Kayla and Korra were sunbathing nude with their friends Cindi and Lori. There was an audio button on the controller, and he pushed it. Kayla was telling Cindi and Lori about their Sunday lunch with Kim and Li Lee. Cindi and Lori begged to be invited, but Korra told them their Mom wouldn’t let them. But we’ll give you a full report, and their friends called them selfish sluts. Everyone laughed, and Li continued his tour of the neighborhood and returned the drone home.

He returned the drone to the hidden lab and sensed Mom was nearby, so he watched through the front window. Mom entered the cul-de-sac, and the FBI SUV parked at the end of the street. Mom brought home Italian takeout, and they sat down to eat. She told Li that something happened at work today involving Ava and the researchers, Drs. Jay Groves and Gary Cline. They were called to the CEO’s office via the intercom at lunchtime.

Li told her he had seen and recorded doctors Jay Groves and Gary Cline at the Torrey Pines practice range. He told her what they said, and he sent it anonymously to Harold Brock. Mom said, “Holy shit, they’re in deep trouble along with Ava, for not knowing about their absence.” Li played the video he took, and they laughed. Mom said tomorrow should be interesting, and Li agreed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li bypassed reading and crashed.

Early Friday morning, Li was in the basement attacking the gauntlet of heavy bags with his martial arts skills. He envisioned the FBI agents watching the house, and he put them down hard. Returning to his room, Li showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived, and while they ate, she reminded him that the pool and the lawn needed attention. Li promised to think about it, and they laughed. Mom took off for work, and Li hopped the rear fence and rode the motorcycle to the pole barn.

Li drove the F250 to the Verizon company store and was surprised at what they had for sale. He filled a shopping cart and went to the checkout. $210 for what he got was a bargain, and he returned to the pole barn. He ran the fiber optic cable through the PVC pipe and made the connections at the street. Li used the manual he purchased and the diagram on the connection box. When done, he covered the hole and placed debris over both the water meter and the fiber-optic boxes.

He ran the line into the pole barn and up to his apartment. Li made the connection to a wall receptacle he purchased and was done for today. After locking up the pole barn, he rode the electric motorcycle home and put the camo cover over it. Hopping the fence, Li performed the pool maintenance and added chemicals. When he finished, Li went into the kitchen and made lunch.

While eating, he checked the “Audio Books (AB)” program he developed for Noah Bishop from Britain’s Special Branch. It was a secure communications program for their field agents to receive and send sensitive data. Li wasn’t surprised to see that Noah had requested a meeting. He responded that Sunday morning was available here or Tuesday afternoon in Burbank. They agreed to meet at the UC San Diego library at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Li finished lunch, then mowed the lawn with the riding mower. He thought about his meeting with Noah and the problems they had last time. He decided to wear a disguise and take the same precautions as before. Li finished the lawns, put the riding mower away, stripped, and drove into the pool. He swam some laps to cool off and lay on the pool lounge to dry off. Something bugged him about the drone footage yesterday, so he went inside, showered, dressed, and got the drone and controller from the hidden lab.

He brought it outside and launched the drone. As he circled the neighborhood, he identified the issue bugging him. The house two doors down, across the street from the Jacksons’ house, looked vacant. Li circled the drone and lowered it to look in the windows. The kitchen and living room were sparsely furnished when a van pulled into the driveway and into the garage. Li elevated the drone and watched three men and a woman bring equipment into the house.

Li said shit, they’re setting up a surveillance outpost. He watched them empty the van and close the garage. They didn’t look like the FBI, and he’d have to visit them tonight and find out who they were. Li brought the drone home and took it to the basement, hidden lab. He plugged the controller and the drone into the charger, then went upstairs. Sensing Mom was near, he watched out the living window as Mom arrived, followed by the FBI’s SUV, which parked at the end of the street.

Mom brought home Mexican takeout, and while they ate, she told Li about her day. She said Ava wasn’t there, and neither was Drs Jay Groves and Gary Cline. Mom said she heard rumors at lunch that Jay Groves and Gary Cline were fired yesterday. No one knew what happened to Ava Sanchez, but there was a man in her office looking through files and the computer. Li said it was probably an investigator or a forensic accountant checking her files to see if she was involved.

Mom said Ava’s dead meat if she knew about the researcher’s work schedule. It would be hard not to notice their lack of productivity when they work only two days a week. Li asked if Drs Groves and Cline followed her from El Paso. Mom said shit, they arrived when she did, so you must be right. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read another book about the Haung clan and fell asleep.

Then the dream started, and Li was sitting in a room. An old Chinese man with a long gray beard and hair instructed him on pressure points and strike points. Each point on the body was highlighted, along with what happened when it was hit or pressure was applied. The effects ranged from temporary to permanent, including death. Then he practiced on a dummy until the old Chinese man was satisfied, he knew the critical points. The dream ended, and Li woke up.

It was midnight, and he dressed in dark clothes, put on a ski mask, gloves, and got his lockpick. Li “Ghost Walked” to the house two doors down and went to the kitchen door. He looked inside, and everyone was asleep, and he picked the lock. Once in the living room, he tapped the medallion once and told everyone to go into a deep sleep. He read their minds, and they were contractors hired by Assistant Director of Homeland Security Derrick Morgan.

Their mission was to plant audio and video in the Lees’ home and monitor all their activity. Li loaded all their equipment into the van, then applied pressure to the point, inducing deep sleep and memory loss.to ensure they didn’t wake up. He loaded them into the van and drove to the pole barn. He noticed the FBI SUV wasn’t parked at the end of the street. Li unloaded the equipment and scanned it and the van for trackers. He found two and crushed them, then loaded an electric motorcycle in the back.

Li drove to a vacant industrial building and parked in the rear. He stripped them and applied pressure to the point for permanent memory loss. Li wiped down the areas he had touched, took their clothes, and rode the motorcycle back to the pole barn. He left the clothes, jogged home, and checked the street. The FBI SUV was still gone, and he wondered where they had gone. So, he returned to bed and fell asleep.

Saturday morning, Li met Mom in the kitchen, and she said,” Let’s go yard sale shopping. Li got a ball cap and sunglasses, and they dove to the convenience store. Mom purchased a newspaper, and they went to McDonald’s. While eating breakfast, they scanned the classifieds and found four-yard sales. After breakfast, they went to the first yard sale, and Mom bought two sweaters and a scarf. The second yard sale had a lot of interesting things, but nothing they needed.

At the third yard sale, Li bought three boxes of books from the lady. She said her late husband was a scientist and worked at Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor. The fourth yard sale was picked over, so they headed home. Li saw the FBI SUV at the end of their street again. Mom noticed it too and asked Li about it. He said they’ve been watching us since we got home from New York.

Arriving home, Mom called their lawyer, Olivia Keys, and asked her to research whether any surveillance warrants had been issued on them. Olivia asked why, and Mom said we’ve been under FBI surveillance for a week. Were going to Spain in a week and don’t want any trouble with our passports. Olivia said she would make some inquiries and call us back on Monday, and said goodbye.

While eating lunch, Mom said there better not be any issues with our passports. If there are, we’ll start suing every swing dick in the FBI. Li said, “You go after their dicks, and I’ll take care of their balls,” and they laughed. Then Mom called the police and reported an FBI vehicle parked on their street for a week, watching their house. She asked whether a patrol car could request a warrant authorizing its surveillance. They agreed to send a patrol car and would let them know the result.

The police sent two cruisers and had the two FBI agent out of their SUV and handcuffed in their cruisers. A police officer knocked on their door and told Mom that the FBI agents were performing an illegal surveillance without a warrant. He gave Mom the agent’s names and left. Mom called Olivia again and told her what happened, and gave her the agents’ names. Olivia said that’s great news and now I can go straight to a federal judge, so keep your phone handy on Monday, and said goodbye.

Li said, “Wow, Mom’s a badass,” and they laughed. After lunch, Li hopped the rear fence and rode the electric motorcycle to the pole barn. He moved the equipment into the hidden storage room. Someone will be pissed about losing all this equipment, and he wondered whether Homeland Security had purchased it for the contractors. Li connected a laptop to his internet connection and tested it. He was shocked at how quickly it happened, and it must have been a main-line tap.

Then he considered setting up some of the equipment for his own use. There were servers, hard drives, and racks, so they were planning on an extended stay or had additional plans besides watching them. Li separated the equipment he would use and then headed home. He parked the motorcycle under the camo tarp, hopped the fence, and went to his room.

Assistant Director of Homeland Security Derrick Morgan was nervous as the contractors he sent to La Jolla to surveil the Lees missed their check-in. They picked up over 250k worth of equipment in LA and called to say they were heading to the observation house. Now, Derrick was worried that he personally approved the op off the books. He had to authorize the equipment, lease the house for a year, and give the contractors a 50k advance to get them to agree.

Derrick planned to use the house for their operations in the San Diego area and also for northern Mexico. That would legitimize his expenditures, and no one would know about the illegal operation. But with the contractors not responding, he was worried about the equipment he authorized. There was no way to hide or cover the loss. Derrick decided to fly to San Diego and visit the house. He prayed that the contractors were just hungover and not missing.

Mom called him to dinner, and while they ate, Li told her he was going to the UC San Diego bookstore tomorrow morning. He’s getting more e-books, and Mom asked if he was planning on testing out of more courses. Li said yes, but he needs to meet with a counselor and plan which courses. He wants to spend the least time on campus as possible, and Mom agreed it was a good choice. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read two books on negotiation and mediation and fell asleep.

Chapter 2

After breakfast on Sunday morning, Li went to UC San Diego wearing his Padres ballcap and sunglasses. He went to the bookstore and bought eight more e-books for courses he was interested in. He also got a hoodie sweatshirt and charged everything with his scholarship credit card. Then he went to the library and went to the second-floor study tables with a view of the entrance. Noah Bishop entered, and two young men followed into the library. One stayed at the entrance, and the other one followed him into the elevator. Li stood against the wall by the elevator doors, his hoodie over his head.

Noah exited first, then the young man, and Li put him into a deep sleep by pressure point. Noah looked shocked as Li carried the young man into the book racks and set him against a wall. Li told Noah there was another one waiting for him at the entrance. They stayed in the book racks, and Noah asked Li to develop a program that would encrypt data to be sent, with the receiver needing a key to unlock and read it. It needs to be able to send and receive at each site.

Li said he could do it, but it’s most vulnerable with the people using it. Noah said it was for their embassies and that only one person would be qualified to use the program. Noah asked if they were looking forward to their trip to Spain. Li laughed and said he figured you would know about it. But we were having trouble with the FBI and illegal surveillance. So, we may not go unless our attorney crushes a few swinging dicks and they laugh. Li looked at the sleeping young man and asked Noah CIA?

Noah said that was his guess, and they exited the library by the side entrance. Li told Noah he would notify him with the “AB” program when he completes the project, and they shook hands goodbye. Li drove home, and when he arrived, Mom told him to hurry to get ready for their lunch with the Jacksons. He told Mom he had to organize his sock drawer, so he asked her to express his regrets. Mom laughed and told him to get his ass in gear, and he reluctantly went to change.

Returning to the kitchen, he told Mom he wasn’t wearing a swimsuit under his shorts. So if he has to go swimming, he’ll go in the buff. Mom laughed and said there would be no nude swimming, and they went to the Jacksons. Katherine answered the door, invited them inside, and led them to the patio. Kayla and Korra were sitting at the table, and greetings were exchanged. Once lunch was served, the questions started about how he got the acting job.

Li said his first acting job was in New Mexico, and it was canceled before his part was shot. “The Reckoning at Willow Bend” was supposed to be a bit part for an injured actor. During filming, they changed the script, and my part became more involved. Katherine asked what type of clothes he was wearing in the promos. Li told them he hasn’t seen the promos, so he doesn’t know. Kayla said it’s the same as the billboard ads, and Li said, “Oh, they’re called skins.”

Indians and cowboys wore them in the 1800s, and they were made with deer skin. An Indian lady made them for me while I was on the set in New Mexico. The way they fit is unique, and I had to put them on, soak in the shower, and let the sun dry them while wearing them. They’re soft and comfortable to wear after they’re fitted. Katherine said they don’t hide much, and Li said they airbrushed that area to avoid showing too much detail. Otherwise, the censors would raise the movie rating.

They finished lunch, and Kayla and Korra invited Li to go swimming. He apologized, saying he wasn’t wearing his swimsuit. But if they wanted to flash the girls, he had no objection. Everyone at the table laughed, and Katherine changed the subject, asking Kim what they had planned for the week. She said, “Well, for me it’s work, and for Li, he has two movie interviews this week. Then we leave for Spain on Saturday for a week.” Korra asked what they were doing in Spain.

Kim said she’s a member of the International Science Foundation, which holds quarterly meetings worldwide. The last meeting was in the British Virgin Islands. It’s a week full of meetings, but we got to meet Prince William on the last trip. Li also got to play a round of golf with him. The bad part is the travel and the time changes. The lunch finally ended. They thanked Katherine, Kayla, and Korra for lunch, and Li told Katherine he was up for a threesome anytime, paused, then said, “At golf,” and everyone laughed.

On the way home, Li said, “Thank God it was over.” He asked Mom to avoid accepting any invitations for a while. It was like he was a steak, and Kayla and Korra hadn’t eaten in a month. Mom laughed and said she noticed their constant staring at you. Li said yes, and if you don’t want grandkids, you’d better keep me away from them. All during lunch, they were running their feet up my legs.

Arriving home, Li went to his room and looked at the boxes of books he had purchased the day before. He was surprised to find David Busby’s work journals at the bottom of each box. There was no way Lockheed Martin would have let these get out if they had known. The Journals were about the projects David worked on and the chemical compounds he developed. The rest of the books were reference books concerning chemical compounds and material structures.

Mom called him to dinner, interrupting his exploration, and Li put the books in the closet and went to the kitchen. While they ate, Mom said they were leaving at 6 a.m. and getting breakfast on the way to work. That way, we’ll avoid any issues from your promos or the turmoil at work, and Li agreed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read one of the scientists’ journals and fell asleep.

Li was in the basement early Monday morning, practicing martial arts on the heavy bags. He envisioned two attackers and killed them many times. Then he practiced the targeted strikes he learned in the dream and returned to his room. Li showered and noticed his tattoos and medallion were illuminated and pulsating as he dried off. He got dressed and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived and took off for work in the 4Runner. They stopped at a Carls Jr. drive-thru on the way for breakfast.

Upon arrival at the Scripps Research Institute, they went to Mom’s lab without issue. They ate breakfast, and Li got the projects and mail from the chute. Five projects were assigned, and they each took one. Both were involved, and they didn’t finish until noon. Mom said, “Let’s take a break,” and they went to the cafeteria for lunch. They entered, got their food, and found a table. While eating, Li said maybe this wasn’t a wise idea as everyone was staring at them.

One female lab tech asked Li for an autograph. He said, “Sure,” but no skin or panties, given the professional setting, and everyone laughed, including those at the nearby tables. Li autographed a napkin, and Katie left happy. They finished lunch without any further interruptions and returned to the lab. Li started analyzing the results and inputting the data into the computer. Mom started another project, and by the end of the day, they had completed three experiments.

On the way home, Olivia called and said your problem is solved. She met with a federal judge who called the US Attorney General, and they are investigating who authorized the illegal surveillance. The federal judge issued a restraining order against the FBI, and the red flag was removed from your file. So, you can travel without any issues. Mom thanked Olivia, and they said goodbye.

Mom stopped for Chinese takeout, and they noticed there wasn’t an FBI SUV following them home. While eating dinner, Mom asked when he was leaving for his interview in the morning. Li said to go around 4 a.m. to avoid rush hour, then he’ll get breakfast and try to check into the hotel early. Mom asked him to call after his interview, and they finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li packed for an overnight stay, including his audio/video bug detector, lock pick, disguise, and $500 in cash for an emergency, and crashed.

Li woke up at 3:30 a.m., showered, dressed, grabbed his laptop, and an overnight bag. He went to the F150, loaded his bags, and drove to Burbank. He stopped at Denny’s and ate breakfast. Then, he went to the Hilton hotel and sweet-talked the clerk into letting me check in early. They didn’t have any suites, but he got a business suite that was fine for an overnight stay. He swept the room for audio bugs and cameras. It was clean, so he headed to Warner Bros Studios.

He arrived at 9:45 and checked in with the receptionist. At 10 a.m., a man entered the lobby, and introductions were exchanged. He was Alan Cross, the director, and Li followed him to a conference room. Alan introduced Li to Jon Reed, the producer, and Cindy Bach, the scriptwriter. They asked him about his acting experience and education, and were blown away to learn he had two master’s degrees and a bachelor’s degree.

They asked about the sports he played, hobbies, and languages he spoke. Li blew them away again when he said Russian, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Mandarin. Then Cindy gave him a script sample and asked him to read the highlighted section. They also had him read it in Italian, Spanish, and Russian. It was the crime/murder/mystery movie that Andrew told him about. When he finished, Li tagged their phones and read their minds.

They were impressed but unsure about his lack of acting experience. Alan thanked him for interviewing and said they would contact his agent. Li thanked them for the interview and returned to the hotel. Upon arrival, he ordered room service and called Andrew Finkleman. Li told Andrew about the interview, and Andrew said not to worry, and he would call when they contacted him. He said to call after his interview tomorrow and said goodbye.

Li called Mom and told her he was settled in the hotel and about the interview. She asked him to call tomorrow after his interview, and they said goodbye. Room service arrived, and he ate, thinking about the program for Noah Bishop. Li came up with a plan and began programming. There would be one base computer able to send documents and messages to everyone. The remote stations could receive and send only to the base station.

Unique encryption keys would be assigned to each station and wouldn’t work at any other station. If it were the program, it would be erased at both stations. The program would be protected from hackers and copy-proof. Li planned to install tracking bots to track potential hackers and copy attempts. He made great headway on the program, saved his work, and ordered room service for dinner.

While eating, he logged into his cloud account and checked on the phone tags of Alan Cross, the director, and Jon Reed, the producer. They planned to offer him the part and make a low-ball contract offer. Li laughed and planned to reject anything under scale for the part. Then he checked the phone tags of Kayla and Korra Jackson. They were actively texting their friends Cindi and Lori about him. Cindi and Lori were pissed they didn’t get an autograph or a selfie with Li. He laughed, logged off the cloud, and went to bed.

Assistant Director of Homeland Security Derrick Morgan landed in San Diego, rented a SUV, and drove to the stakeout house. It was dark inside, so he broke a window and went inside. No one was there, and no equipment. There were signs of someone being there, but no personal effects. Derrick checked the garage, and it was empty. He returned to the airport, wondering what had happened to the contractors and the equipment.

There were no flights until tomorrow morning, so he got dinner at a Burger King drive-thru and rented a motel room for the night. He picked up a San Diego Times on the way to his room and ate dinner while reading it. There was an article about four men and a woman found nude in a van behind a vacant warehouse. The authorities said they had total memory loss and couldn’t remember anything, including their names. They suspected the group had taken drugs and accidentally overdosed. Derrick wondered if they were his contractor crew, finished dinner, and fell asleep.

Li woke up early Wednesday morning and went to the hotel gym. He did a light workout on the weight machine and returned to his room. He showered, dressed, packed, and checked out of the hotel. He went to Denny’s for breakfast, then went to Warner Bros. Studio. He arrived 30 minutes early and checked in with the receptionist. At 10 a.m., a man entered the lobby, and introductions were exchanged. He was Kirk Howle, the director, and Li followed him to a conference room.

Kirk introduced Li to Devin Moss, the producer, and Lynne West, the scriptwriter. They asked him about his acting experience and education, and were blown away to learn he had two master’s degrees and a bachelor’s degree. Then they asked about the sports he played, hobbies, and languages he spoke. Li blew them away again when he said Russian, Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Mandarin. Then Lynne handed Li a sample script and asked him to read it.

They also requested him to read it in Russian and Italian, and he read their minds and tagged their phones when finished. It was a sports fixing movie about a basketball team shaving points and fixing games. Kirk thanked Li for coming in, and they would call his agent. Li thanked them for the interview and left. On the way home, he called Andrew Finkleman and told him about the interview, and didn’t play basketball. Andrew said not to worry, they can provide training if they want you for the part.

Andrew said he would call when he heard something and said goodbye. Li stopped at an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru for lunch and went home. While he ate, Li called Mom and told her he was home and about the interview. She asked about his chances of getting the part, and Li said it’s questionable. The movie is about basketball, and he hasn’t played the game. Andrew said training would be provided if they want me for the part, so who knows. Mom said she would be home early and said goodbye.

After lunch, Li went to the pool, stripped, and swam laps for thirty minutes. When he was done, he got out and dried off on the poolside lounge. Once dry, he went inside, showered, and continued programming the project for Noah Bishop. He was in a zone and finished the program as he sensed Mom was nearby. He saved his work, dressed, and went to the kitchen. While eating dinner, Mom said Ava was still missing, along with Drs Groves and Cline.

Li said that’s too bad about Ava, but she didn’t have the right personality for the job. She isn’t assertive enough, and Mom agreed. Mom said she won’t need him for the rest of the week unless there is a last-minute project. Li asked when they leave for Spain, and Mom said early Saturday morning. It’s over a fourteen-hour flight and then the time change. They are 8 hours ahead of us. After dinner, they said goodnight and went to their rooms. Li read another law textbook and fell asleep.

After breakfast on Thursday morning, Mom headed to work, and Li went to the Torrey Pines Golf Course. He warmed up on the practice range, then went to the starting line. He teed off using full power and enjoyed being the first on the course. He was in a zone, and before he realized it, Li was on the 18th green putting and sank a 20-foot putt. He didn’t keep score, and Li took his clubs to the F150. He planned on playing some golf in Spain while Mom attended the meetings.

Li stopped at Carl’s Jr. drive-thru for lunch and continued on home. While eating lunch, Andrew Finkleman called to say he had received a contract proposal for the crime/murder/mystery movie. Its working title is “Murder at the Lake.” The offer isn’t good, so it will take some time to negotiate a reasonable fee. Li told Andrew to take his time, and he would be in Spain for the next week.

Andrew asked what he was doing in Spain, and Li said the King of Spain had asked him to contribute his genes to the royal family tree. It’s a dirty job, but he gets a title, and Andrew roared with laughter. Li told him they were attending the International Science Federation conference. Andrew said he would call when there’s progress on the contract or news on the other interview, and said goodbye.

Li went to the rear fence, hopped it, and rode the electric motorcycle to the pole barn. He checked the new water line, then hooked up the battery tenders on the tractor, F250, and the SUV. He locked up the pole barn, returned home, parked the motorcycle under the camo tarp, and hopped the fence. Li hooked up the battery minders to the Range Rover and the Harley. Then went to the pool, stripped, dove in, and swam laps for thirty minutes.

While drying off on the poolside lounge, Li thought about what to bring to Spain. The audio bug and video detector were a must, along with a lockpick set. He wondered if Spain would be a good place to deliver the encoding program to Noah Bishop. Li thought he would notify him via the AB app and see where the best place to meet was. It will be an interesting trip, and he wondered what agencies would be following him.

Was Mossad still pissed at him for beating up two of their agents in the British Virgin Islands? The CIA would surely keep an eye on him, and that reminded Li to bring his alias, John Conroe, ID, disguises, and some cash. Then he wondered if the movie promos and ads had been released internationally. He headed to the shower, then called Andrew Finkleman. Li asked him if he knew if the promos had been released internationally.

Andrew said he didn’t know but would make a call. He warned Li that if they were to be prepared for a lot of attention. Europe is more liberal than the US, so the film and photos may not be airbrushed. Li said shit, and Andrew laughed, hanging up. Sensing Mom was nearby, he dressed and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived with Mexican takeout, and while they ate, she said I’m taking tomorrow off. I’ve completed all the projects and placed the order for supplies.

There is too much to do before we leave on Saturday to go in tomorrow. Li told her about the contract offer for the crime/murder/mystery movie. Its working title is “Murder at the Lake.” But the offer isn’t good, so it will take some time to negotiate a reasonable fee, or he’ll pass. The other news isn’t so good. Andrew is checking, but if the promos and ads were released in Europe, they may not be airbrushed. They are more liberal, so prepare yourself and pick up some Sharpies while you’re running errands tomorrow.

Mom said, “Oh my god, you’ve got to be kidding.” Li said,” No, I need some Sharpies,” and Mom laughed. She said about the promos and ads, and Li said no, according to Andrew. But I’ll know for sure tomorrow. If they are, maybe you should get some magazines with the movie ad for the Jacksons. Mom laughed hard, and when she recovered, she said, “You’re incorrigible.” They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed.

Li was in the basement early Friday morning, practicing martial arts on the heavy bags. It would be his last workout for a week, and he made it worthwhile. Drenched in sweat, he went to his room, showered, dressed, and headed to the kitchen. Mom arrived, and they ate breakfast, then she took off to run errands. Li yelled not to forget his Sharpies, oh, and personal protection, and she flipped him off, laughing.

He checked his anti-cloning app on his phone and the security on his laptop. Li was sure there would be attempts to get his data on their trip. Then he sent Noah Bishop a message through the “Audio Books” app telling him the project was done. But there were distribution issues they needed to discuss. Then he disconnected his computer and took it to the hidden lab in the basement. Li put it in the armory and then returned to his room.

Li hooked up his old computer and checked the security measures. He designed a trap that hackers could not resist, and they would unknowingly open a Pandora’s box. He had already caught the FBI hacking into his computer and wondered who else would try during their trip. Then he began packing the items he knew he needed and put his golf club in the travel bag. Li knew Mom would help him select the clothes he needed, and he changed into his swimsuit.

Mom arrived home with lunch while Li was swimming laps and told him to get his ass out of the pool. He got out of the pool, and Mom said that swimwear is obscene. She threw him a towel and told Li to get cleaned up for lunch. He cleaned up and returned to the kitchen. While they ate lunch, she said, “After lunch, I’ll help you select your wardrobe for the trip.” There may be special events, so you’ll need to bring three suits and a tux.

Li asked to see the items she purchased for him, and Mom laughed. She said everything’s in the 4Runner, but not what you asked for, giggling. He said shit, he’ll have to run to the CVS. Do you think a female clerk could help him with the condom selection? Mom laughed hard, and when she recovered, she said, “You won’t need them.” Li said ok, but you’d better hope you don’t get a visitor in a year calling you ‘grandma’ in Spanish.

That ended lunch, and when Mom recovered, they went to his room. Mom selected the suits, shirts, ties, and the tux for him to bring, then went to her room to pack. Li finished packing and checked the “AB” app. Noah sent a message that they will meet in Madrid, Spain, early next week. Then Li checked his emails and spent 30 minutes deleting the junk. He checked the Hotmail account for the FBI agents’ reports, and they were at a stand-down ordered by the director.

Li downloaded the e-books he purchased from the UC San Diego bookstore for some reading material for the trip. Then he did the homework for his online college courses, and when he finished, Mom called that dinner was ready. While eating, Mom said we are leaving at 4:45 a.m. to avoid any issues with security short-staffing. She reminded Li to bring reading material for the long flight. He asked if he could borrow some of her romance novels, and Mom laughed and said NO. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read a book on negotiation, then fell asleep.

Saturday at 4:45 a.m. Li met Mom in the kitchen and loaded their bags in the 4Runner. After locking up the house and setting the alarm, they headed to the airport. Li found a luggage cart, and they went to the ticket counter. They checked their bags, got boarding passes, and went through security without an issue. With almost an hour before their flight, they went to McDonald’s in the terminal and got breakfast.

The flight took off on time, and they transferred to another plane at LAX. From there, they stopped in New York for fuel and additional passengers, then continued on to Madrid, Spain. It’s over a fourteen-hour flight and then the time change. Spain is 8 hours ahead of us in San Diego. They arrived at 3 a.m. Madrid time, cleared customs, and took a taxi to the hotel.

They checked into the hotel at 4:30 and went to their suite. Mom said, “Let’s take a nap and get up at noon.” Li agreed, and they carried their bags to their rooms. He got out the audio bug and video detector and swept the living room, kitchen, his room, and bath. He would have to check Mom’s room when she was gone, and he crashed. When the alarm went off, they got up, showered, and ordered room service for lunch. While eating, Mom said, “This sucks, not having an extra day to adjust. We left on Friday last time, and had the weekend to get used to the time change.”

They finished lunch, and Li said, “Let’s get out and see the city.” Mom said she’s staying in and resting, and Li said, “Come on, Grandma, the exercise will do you good.” Mom laughed, punched Li in the shoulder, and said, “I’ll get you chasing him out of the room.” They walked around the hotel, checking out the stores, and then Li saw a digital billboard advertising his movie, “The Reckoning at Willow Bend.” He pointed it out to Mom and asked what she thought. She said, “Oh my god, she couldn’t believe they would exhibit such filth.”

Li said there’s a bookstore, and maybe they have some magazines for the Jacksons. Mom laughed and said they weren’t buying any magazines. Li said, “Just think you’d have friends for life and be invited to pool parties every weekend.” They laughed and continued window shopping. Returning to the hotel, they looked at the brochures and picked a short city tour. Li asked the concierge about nearby golf courses, and the concierge said, “I’ll make arrangements for you at the Villa de Madrid golf course.”

Li gave him a $100 tip and thanked him for his help. They took the city tour, and it lasted about two hours. They saw the Royal Palace, El Retiro Park, Plaza Mayor, Puerta de Alcalá, El Rastro Market, and the Templo de Debod. Mom said they had more time, and it would be fun to shop at El Rastro Market and visit a few museums. Li said it sounded like a load of fun, and they laughed before returning to their suite.

Mom said she was going to lie down for an hour before dinner. Li said he was going to check out the hotel and locate the gym and pool. Leaving the room, Li noticed a man at the end of the hall. So, he bypassed the elevator and entered the stairwell. Li stood against the wall by the door and waited. A minute later, the man entered the stairwell, and Li knocked him out. He read the man’s mind, and he was Carl Swann, a CIA agent. His job was to observe and report on the places Li Lee visited and the people he had contact with.

Li tapped his medallion once and told Carl to ignore Li Lee and report that he observed no unusual activity. Then Li carried him to the stairs and gave Carl a shove. He fell down the stairs and hit the wall with a thud. Returning to the hallway, Li took the elevator to the lobby and checked out the gym and pool. The gym was well-equipped, and the pool was almost Olympic-sized, perfect for swimming laps. Then he visited the hotel stores and bought a new swimsuit that his Mom would like. It was a Speedo, but smaller than his, as worn by competitive swimmers.

He then went to the bookstore across the street and purchased five magazines that had his movie “The Reckoning at Willow Bend” advertised. There was a drugstore a few doors away, and he bought a two-pack of black and multicolored Sharpies. Returning to the suite, he put his purchases away, checked the time, and yelled, “Wake up, Grandma, it’s dinner time.” Mom opened the bedroom door and threw a pillow at him, laughing.

She ordered room service, then asked if he had found the gym. Li said yes, and the pool was good for swimming laps. Then I went to the bookstore and offered to sign the magazines for 25 Euros. They sold out in thirty minutes, and Mom laughed and called me a liar. Room service arrived, and they ate dinner while discussing tomorrow. Mom said he needed to wear a suit for the conference opening. Li said yes, Mommy, and they laughed, finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li stashed his goodies and cash under the dresser and fell asleep.

Chapter 3

Li woke up early Monday morning, put on sweats, and went to the gym. He did a light workout on the weight machine, then returned to the suite. Li showered, dressed, and went to the living room. Mom met him, and they went to the lobby. There were several people with the International Science Foundation, and a shuttle bus took them to the convention center. Kim and Li signed in and got their IDs on a lanyard. Upon entering the conference hall, they found a breakfast bar and helped themselves.

It was fun eating standing up, and Mom said we’re eating beforehand tomorrow. Li said speak for yourself. I plan on playing a round of golf. Mom laughed and said,” Let’s wait and see what’s planned first.” At 8:45, everyone entered the conference auditorium and took their seats. The International Science Foundation President, Colin York, welcomed everyone to the conference in Spain.

He gave everyone an update on the projects the International Science Foundation was working on, including the ambassadorships and the researcher exchange program. They were working through some minor issues, but hopefully by the next conference in Japan, everything will be finalized. Colin announced the working groups and told attendees that everyone would attend each one during the conference. He said a schedule is at the exits and ended his speech.

Li pretended to be asleep, and Mom elbowed him in the ribs, telling him to get a move on. Li told her she had interrupted a good dream, and Mom laughed, saying we have a work group to attend. Their group was about how to avoid cross-contamination of samples. They listened to the presentation, already knowing everything being taught and practiced it in their lab.

At lunch break, Li said he learned a lot about serializing surfaces, slides, and equipment. We should be doing that, and they laughed. Mom said some of the people here come from third-world countries that don’t have the resources we have. Or they’re short-staffed and under pressure to produce results. That causes you to take shortcuts, and they’re reinforcing basic lab protocol.

The afternoon section featured new lab equipment, and Li said the microscope with the display on the 13-inch monitor was nice. Mom agreed and said she would get some information on it before they leave. The conference broke up at 4 p.m., and they headed back to the hotel. Mom wanted to check out the hotel shops, so Li said he was going to the suite. He swept the suite with the detector and found two audio bugs in the living room. Both their rooms were clear, so he put the detector away.

Li put the audio bugs under his dresser and went looking for the receiver. It was in the linen closet, and Li shut it off and put it with the bugs. He wondered who put them in their room and looked online for nanny cams in Madrid, Spain. There was a store two miles from the hotel, so he took a taxi and purchased three. Two were alarm clocks for the bedrooms, and one was a wall clock for the kitchen. Li returned and was installed in the suite before Mom returned.

Mom arrived with two bags and said they had some nice clothes in the stores. After putting her purchases away, Mom ordered room service, and Li told her about finding audio bugs in the suite. She was pissed until he told her about the nanny cams he purchased. He said we’ll turn them on when we leave and turn them off when we return. We’ll know who put them in tomorrow when they come and check the receiver. Room service arrived, they ate dinner, and when finished, said goodnight and went to bed.

Early Tuesday morning, Li put on his swimsuit and robe, then went to the hotel gym/pool. He swam laps for 45 minutes, then returned to the suite, showered, dressed, and ordered room service. Li knocked on Mom’s door and said,” Get your ass up, or your breakfast will be cold.” Mom laughed and said she was already up and getting dressed. Room service arrived, and while they ate, Mom asked Li what he planned for the day.

He said, “Play golf this morning, then maybe go to one of the museums,” and Mom laughed. She told him to be careful, avoid crowds, and wear his disguise even at the golf course. We don’t want anyone to know where we’re staying, or it will cause problems. Li promised to ditch any horny women before returning to the hotel, and they laughed. Mom left for the conference, and Li put on his ball cap and sunglasses and took a taxi to the Villa de Madrid golf course.

Li checked in at the pro shop and was given a week’s guest pass by the clerk. He got a course guide and went to the practice range. When warmed up, Li went to the starting line and teed off. He followed the course guide, enjoyed the new course challenge, and had difficulty with long grass on the fairways. The greens were faster than he was used to, and he finally figured out how to hit his approach shot to avoid long putts. But that was when he over half way and Li added up his scorecard after finishing the 18^th hole.

He was happy to shoot a three-over-par and returned to the pro shop. He bought a polo shirt, a hoodie, and a visor with the golf club’s name on it. Leaving the pro shop, he called a taxi and noticed a man in a car watching him. Li returned to the pro shop, asked for a locker, put his clubs in it, and left through the side door. He “Ghost Walked” behind the car and knocked the man out. Reading his mind, he was CIA agent Tim Whitman. Li applied pressure to the point of memory loss and counted to five, then released.

It would only cause him to lose his memory for the last twelve hours. Li grabbed his laptop and go bag, then met his taxi and returned to the hotel. Arriving at the suite, Li hacked into the laptop, copied the files to his cloud account, and then formatted the hard drive. Then he checked his “AB” app, and Noah Bishop left a message to meet in the hotel’s third-floor stairwell at 1 p.m. Li acknowledged that he would be there and put his laptop in his shoulder bag.

He exited the suite, checked the hallway, and went down the stairs to the third floor. Noah arrived ten minutes later and asked Li what the delivery problem was for the program. He told Noah that, due to the program’s complexity, all stations must download it from a CD. It’s good for one download, then it erases itself, so it can’t be copied or hacked. The base program is the same to ensure it doesn’t fall into the enemy’s hands. Noah said,” Let’s go to the embassy, and you lie down in the back seat.”

They exited the hotel by the rear entrance and went to the British Embassy. Noah brought Li through a private entrance and then went to the Special Services (MI6) area. Noah said he would need 50 copies, and Li asked for 51 CDs. While copying the program, Li explained how it worked to Noah. He was amazed and looked forward to deploying to their embassies and outposts. Li gave him the temporary password for the master and a different one for the others.

He explained that once the program was installed, if two failed passwords were entered, the program would erase. Also, the documents can only be sent and received by the master unit. Noah thanked Li for his excellent work and said that a deposit had been made to his Norwegian bank account. They exited through the private entrance, and Noah dropped Li off two blocks from the hotel. They shook hands, and Noah said he would be in touch and left.

Li circled several blocks to be sure he wasn’t followed, then entered the hotel through the rear entrance. He climbed the stairs three floors, then took the elevator to his floor and entered the suite. Li swept the suite and found two more audio bugs. He checked the nanny cams, and a maid, or a woman dressed as a maid, placed them in the suite. Li removed the bugs, and the receiver put them under his dresser with the others.

Then he copied the nanny cam footage, went to the front desk, and asked to speak to the manager. The manager came out and introduced himself as Mateo Fernandez, and Li asked to speak to him in private. When they got to his office, Li showed Mateo the female maid placing audio bugs in their suite. He promised to fire the maid and put a restricted access to their room. No one could enter without their or his approval. Li thanked him, returned to the suite, and ordered a late lunch.

He read e-books while eating lunch, then watched the local news. They reported that an American was found in a hotel stairway and was recovering at the hospital. Authorities determined the man tripped or slipped descending the stairs, causing a concussion and several broken bones. There was no mention of CIA agent Tim Whitman at the golf course, so that was good news.

Meanwhile, CIA Section Chief Hugh Cline was pissed. His agents had failed to follow Li Lee, and one fell in the hotel stairway and was in the hospital. The other agent couldn’t remember anything and went to the hospital for a blood test and physical. The test came back normal, and now their maid was fired from the Lee’s hotel. Washington and Langley were on his ass for an update, and he had nothing to report. A simple surveillance op turned into a nightmare for him, and he was worried about losing his job.

Mom arrived from her seminar and said today was worse than yesterday. She ordered room service for dinner and said we were invited to the Royal Palace tomorrow night to meet King Felipe and Queen Letizia. It’s a reception and dinner honoring the International Science Foundation, and it is a black-tie event. Li said,” Great,” and he hopes there’s no ass-kissing involved, and they laughed.

Room service arrived, and while they ate, Li told Mom about finding two more audio bugs after reviewing the nanny cams. He said he visited the manager, and now their suite has restricted access. The manager promised to fire the maid planting the bugs, and only the manager can let people into the suite while they are gone. Mom said that’s good, and they finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed. Li, tired from all the activity, crashed.

Li went to the hotel gym early Wednesday morning and did a light workout on the weight machine. Returning to the suite, Li showered, dressed, and ordered room service. Room service arrived, and Mom came out shortly afterward. Li bowed and said,” Your breakfast is ready, your hind ass.” Mom laughed and said, “You mean Your Highness?” and Li said no, causing more laughter. While they ate, Mom told Li that they needed to leave at 5:30 for the Royal Palace. So be ready, so we’re not late.

He said, “Yes, Mommy, I’ll be ready and waiting with bells on,” and they laughed. She asked what he was doing today, and Li said to hang around here and avoid attention. I have a feeling tonight will be a media event, and hopefully it won’t ruin the rest of the trip. Mom said she hadn’t thought about that and hoped it wouldn’t cause a nightmare for them. She left for the conference, and Li put on his disguise and then went to the lobby. He took a taxi to the Villa de Madrid golf course, got his clubs out of the locker, and returned to the hotel.

Li wasn’t going to take a chance with his exposure tonight and thought it was safer to keep the clubs in their suite. He put his disguise back on, went to the lobby, took a taxi to El Rastro Market, and looked at the shops and vendors’ goods. He bought a leather coat and stopped at a café for lunch. Leaving the café, Li noticed he had a tail looking at the reflection in the store window. It was a Hispanic man, so he ruled out the CIA, ducked into an alley, and hid behind a dumpster.

When the man entered the alleyway, Li knocked him out, then added a kick to the balls. He read the man’s mind, and the man’s name was Jose Garcia, an agent in Spain’s CNI (Centro Nacional de Inteligencia). It was Spain’s international and domestic intelligence agency, and his mission was to surveil Li Lee and document whom he met. Li tapped his medallion and told Jose that he got mugged while picking up a hot chick.

He gave Jose some kicks and punches to the body and face, then took his wallet, keys, and cellphone and left the alley. Li disposed of the items in a storm drain after removing the cash from his wallet. He took a taxi back to the hotel, showered, and lounged in a robe until 5 p.m. Then he went to his room, got dressed in his tux, and went to the living room. Mom arrived, rushed to her room, changed, and returned to the living room. She tied his bow tie, and they went to the lobby.

There was a group of SUVs waiting, and they got into one and went to the Royal Palace. The press well documented their entry, and the reception line wasn’t too long. Mom went first, and she was announced as the Nobel Prize in Science recipient. Then he was announced as a movie star and a college student. Li bowed to King Felipe, and it’s a great honor to your highness in Spanish. Then he bowed to Queen Letizia and said the same thing.

The queen had a smile on her face, so Li knew she was aware of his movie promos and ads. They went to a large dining room, and everyone was seated. There was a brief speech by King Felipe welcoming the International Science Foundation to Spain, and he and Queen Letizia supported their work around the world. Dinner was served, and thankfully, the event ended an hour later. Mom had the driver drop them off at the rear of the hotel, and they went to their suite.

They changed into comfortable clothes and discussed the evening. Mom said you were right about the press, and we can hope it doesn’t cause us any problems. Li said famous last words and they laughed. He said I’m going to stay close to the hotel tomorrow and see what the response to our attendance at the Royal Palace caused. They said goodnight, went to their rooms, and Li fell asleep immediately.

Li went to the hotel gym/pool early Thursday morning and swam laps for almost an hour. On his way back to the suite, he picked up a local newspaper at the reception desk. Li ordered room service, showered, dressed, and went to the living room. When room service arrived, Li put the newspaper on the dining table. Mom arrived and saw the headline “Movie star Li Lee visits the Royal Palace” with the International Science Foundation.

Mom said shit, and Li said my sentiments exactly. Mom said she will speak with Colin York and see if we can leave on Friday instead of Saturday. Friday is a short day anyway, and we can avoid any unwanted attention. After breakfast, Mom went to the conference, and Li took a cab to the Villa de Madrid golf course. He was taking a chance, but it was better than staying in the suite all day. He checked in at the pro shop and warmed up on the practice range.

Li was the first one to tee off, and he had the golf course to himself. The second time playing the course was better, but the greens gave him some trouble. The groundskeepers moved the holes, which caused him to adjust his approach shots again. He finished the 18^th hole and added up his score. Li was surprised he shot a four under par. He called a taxi, and when they left, the press vans were going the opposite way to the golf course.

He had the taxi drop him off two blocks from the hotel, and he entered through the rear entrance. There were press vans in front, so someone told them he was staying there. He put his golf clubs in the travel bag and thought about lunch. Li put on his John Conroe disguise and went to the hotel restaurant. He enjoyed lunch undisturbed and returned to the suite. Then Andrew Finkleman called and said you’re on all the entertainment channels and the news.

Andrew asked why he was at the Royal Palace last night, and Li said it was to honor the International Science Foundation. By the way, thanks for warning me about the promos and ads released here. Andrew laughed and said he called the producer and director, and they just returned his call. They said the movie premiere is in two weeks from Saturday. Now the producer is playing hardball over the contract for “Murder at the Lake” and asked Li what he wants to do.

Li asked about the sports movie, and Andrew said he got a phone call saying they were interested, but no contract has been offered yet. Li told Andrew to tell the producer for the Murder at the Lake that we’ll pass on their offer. Andrew asked if he was sure, and Li said yes. If they really want me, that will get them to make a better offer. Andrew said he should hire him to negotiate. He would let him know what happened, and they said goodbye.

He removed his disguise and packed, hoping they could leave early Friday morning. Mom arrived home with dinner, and they sat and ate. She said Colin York gave her permission to leave asap. He said we did a lot to promote the International Science Foundation last night and understood why we wanted to leave early. So, I changed our flight, and we depart at 3 a.m. Friday morning. That means we need to leave at 1:30 to make our flight.

Li said that leaving that early would help us avoid the media, and Mom agreed. She said they were camped out in front of the hotel when she arrived. So, she had the taxi drop her off at the rear entrance. Mom told Li to pack tonight so we can leave right away, and he said I’m already packed. He told Mom to be sure to pack the nanny cam alarm clock. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li packed his and got the kitchen clock, and then crashed.

Their wake-up call came at 1 a.m., and they arrived at the airport around two. They checked their bags, got boarding passes, and breezed through security. The flight departed on time, and it was the reverse of their trip here. They slept on the flight and arrived in San Diego at 7 a.m. Friday morning. Mom got the 4Runner, and Li got their luggage on a cart and took it to the curb. Mom stopped at Carl’s Jr. drive-thru for breakfast and arrived home at 8:30 a.m.

After eating breakfast, they unloaded the 4Runner and unpacked. Mom had Li bring his dirty clothes and dry cleaning to the laundry. She told him she was going to the post office and the dry cleaners, then would be home. When she left, Li went to the hidden lab in the basement and got his computer from the armory. Returning to his room, he disconnected the old computer and connected the good one. Li checked his cloud account, and the CIA and Homeland Security tried to hack into his computer.

He was about to check the hacker’s files when he sensed Mom was close by, so he logged off and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived with a pile of mail and said,” Let’s go to the market.” She emptied the refrigerator of the expired food, and they headed out. The trip to the market also included Cosco and gas. By the time they returned and put the groceries away, it was lunchtime. They ate, then Mom said she was tired and went to her room to lie down.

Li hopped the rear fence and rode the electric motorcycle to the pole barn. He checked the power, water, and internet, and it was ok. Li checked the fence, gate, and meter boxes, and there weren’t any issues. So, he locked up the pole barn, rode the motorcycle home, and put it under the camo cover. He hopped the fence, changed into his swimsuit, and dove into the pool. Li swam laps, thinking about the trip and all the unwanted attention they received.

He got out and dried on the poolside lounge, then went to his room and showered and dressed. Li went to the basement hidden lab, got the drone and controller, and then went outside. He launched the drone and checked the Jacksons’ house first. No one was home, so he checked the surveillance house, and it was vacant too. Reversing course, he saw a mother and daughter sunbathing nude by their pool. Their house was next door to the Jacksons, and they must have just come outside because they weren’t there before.

Li did a double-take, looking at the woman, and it was federal judge Abigale Stanton. Her daughter was about the same age as Kayla and Kora, and wondered if they attended the same school. He returned the drone home and put it back in the hidden lab. Sensing that Mom was awake, Li returned to his room and waited for the dinner call. It came fifteen minutes later, and he went to the kitchen.

While they ate, Mom said, “How about we go yard-sale shopping tomorrow morning?” Li agreed if there wasn’t a trip to the mall included. She laughed and said, “No, we’ll avoid the mall until your popularity settles down.” Li told her what Andrew said about the movie contract and the “The Reckoning at Willow Bend” movie premiere in two weeks. Mom said she isn’t looking forward to another formal event.

Li said he could always ask Kayla and Korra, and Mom laughed, saying that would create a shit storm. He said make up your mind because they need time to find dresses. The positive side to that is they will probably be offered acting or modeling jobs, so they won’t be an issue for me here. Mom said that’s a devious plan, and they laughed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read another law textbook and then fell asleep.

Early Saturday morning, Li was in the basement attacking the gauntlet of heavy bags with his martial arts skills. It felt good to hit something after the week’s layoff, and he returned to his room soaked in sweat. Li showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen, and met Mom. They went to the convenience store, bought a newspaper, and went to McDonald’s for breakfast. They ate while looking for yard sales in the classified section. There were three, and they headed to the first one.

It was mostly furniture, and Li thought some would be perfect for his apartment in the pole barn. Mom said we don’t need any furniture, so we went to the second yard sale. Mom bought two pairs of earrings and a necklace. The third yard sale had a lot of things, but nothing they needed, so we headed home. Mom surprised Li and stopped at the Jacksons’ house. She said I’ll ask Katherine first before offering Kayla and Korra to be your escorts to the premiere.

Mom rang the doorbell, and Katherine answered. She asked if Kayla and Korra were home, and Katherine said no, they’re out with friends. She invited them inside, and Mom told her the reason for their visit. Katherine said,” Oh, thank god you asked me in private.” She asked what was entailed and how they were getting to the premiere. Li told her they would take a limo, leave around 5 p.m., and get home after midnight. She asked about supervision, and Li said he would be with them, along with his agent.

Mom said Li’s agent is Andrew Finkleman with WME, one of the top acting agents in the business. Li lucked out meeting him at a charity event. But with Li and Andrew watching out for Kayla and Korra, nothing will happen to them. Katherine asked about the dress, and Li said it’s a black-tie event. She asked Kim why she didn’t want to go, and Kim said she was tired of attending events. We just returned from Spain and met the King and Queen in the Royal Palace.

Katherine asked to think it over, and Li said it’s not a problem if you don’t want them to attend. I’ll go alone, and I won’t tell Kayla and Korra about the offer. Since Mom didn’t want to go, I thought the girls would enjoy it. But I’ve got to warn you, they may receive offers for acting or modeling. I’ll give Andrew a heads up that they are coming, so he can prepare them on what to say. If they do get offers, he will call you to discuss them. But don’t worry, offers don’t mean shit until there’s a contract.

They left, and Mom felt sorry for Katherine’s predicament. She’s damned if she agreed or not, and they laughed. Arriving home, they ate lunch, then Mom went to her office to sort through the mail. Li went to his room and listened to the Farsi language program. He completed four CDs before Mom called him to dinner. He put the program back in his closet and went to the kitchen. While they ate, Mom said there were no plans for tomorrow.

She’s going to relax and rest up for Monday. Mom said she has a feeling there will be plenty of work waiting for them on Monday. Li asked if she had a mouse in her pocket, and Mom laughed and told Li,” You’re coming to work on Monday with me.” There is a chance that the samples will arrive for the Melinda Gates project. If they do, I’ll need your help. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed. Li was still adjusting to the time change and crashed.

After breakfast, on Sunday morning, Li grabbed some cash, hopped over the rear fence, and rode the electric motorcycle to the pole barn. He hooked up the flatbed trailer to the F250 and drove to the yard sale with the furniture. Li was surprised that most of the furniture was still there. He made an offer on the sofa bed, recliner, coffee table, and kitchen table and chairs. The lady wanted twice that, so he turned to leave, and she said, “Wait.”

Li told her she wanted too much, and he could buy new furniture for a couple of hundred more. She finally agreed to his price, and Li paid the lady, then loaded the furniture and returned to the pole barn. It was fun getting it into the second-story apartment, but he got it done. Li locked up the pole barn, rode the motorcycle home, and covered it with the camo tarp. He hopped the fence, went to the garage, and drove the F150 to the convenience store. Li bought a Sunday newspaper and returned home.

Entering the kitchen, Mom had lunch ready, and while they ate, she saw the newspaper. She said, “Good, I wanted to see if they covered our visit to Spain’s Royal Palace.” There was an article and a photo of them entering the palace in the entertainment section. Li laughed and passed the section to Mom. He said I’ll bet the producer of ‘The Reckoning at Willow Bend’ had something to do with it. Mom agreed and said it was a good article.

Then the doorbell rang, and Li looked out the peephole. He saw it was Katherine, opened the door, and yelled, “Are we having a pool party this afternoon?” Mom saw Katherine, and they laughed. She said I’ve decided to allow Kayla and Korra to attend the premiere. Katherine asked Kim what type of dresses the girls should wear. Kim said something elegant and alluring but not too revealing. Li said yes and make sure the girls were covered, and everyone laughed again.

Li told Katherine to tell Kayla and Korra to keep it a secret from everyone. It will ruin the surprise if one of their friends puts it on social media. Also, coach them not to say where they live or go to school. Their name, age, and grade in school should be the only personal information revealed unless you want the paparazzi photographing your every move.

I’ve done that and have successfully kept them away. Katherine said she would make sure they didn’t reveal too much information, then returned home. Mom wondered when Katherine would tell Kayla and Korra. Li said the screams should let us know, and they laughed.

After lunch, Li went to his room to listen to the last four Farsi-language CDs. Mom called him to dinner, put the program away, and went to the kitchen. He didn’t realize how late it was, and they sat and ate dinner. Mom reminded Li that they were leaving at 6 a.m. tomorrow to avoid any issues at work. We’ll get breakfast on the way and eat in the lab. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to bed. Li read a book on negotiation/mediation and fell asleep.

Chapter 4

Li was in the basement, attacking the heavy bags with his martial arts skills early Monday morning. When finished, he showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived, and they headed to work. On the way, Mom stopped at Carl’s Jr. drive-thru for breakfast. Upon arrival at Scripps Research Institute, they made it to the lab without any issues.

After breakfast, Li went to the mail chute and got the projects and mail. There were seven, so they each took one and got to work. When Li finished his project, he started analyzing and inputting the data into the computer. Mom finished her project and started on another. Then Kim received a call that a package at the guard station needed a signature. She said shit and went to get it, then returned.

Mom said it was samples for the MGF (Melinda Gates Foundation) project. She ordered lunch delivered, and they worked on the projects assigned by Scripps for the rest of the day. They finished four projects by 5 p.m., Mom started writing the reports, and Li cleaned the lab. When they were done, Mom put the samples in the safe, and they headed home. On the way, Mom stopped for Chinese takeout, and they arrived home.

While eating dinner, she said I’ll need your help on the three remaining projects for Scripps while I work on the MGF project. Li said he guessed he could sacrifice his golf game tomorrow to help Mommy, and they laughed. But you’ll have to give a few of your romance novels to read during breaks. Mom said no way, laughing, and said you can bring your own books to read. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read another book on the Huang clan and fell asleep.

Then the dream started, and he was dressed like a ninja. Arriving at the enemy’s compound, Li stripped, grabbed his sword and dagger, then circled the medallion clockwise. He disappeared with his weapons and entered the compound. Li went to the Zong’s (clan leaders) bedroom, killed the guards, entered the bedroom, and killed the Zong while he was sleeping. He exited the compound, circled the medallion counterclockwise, dressed, and disappeared into the night. The dream ended, and he fell into a deep sleep.

After breakfast on Tuesday morning, they drove to Scripps and went through security. At the hallway entrance to Mom’s lab, Li noticed a ceiling tile out of place. He saw some debris on the floor and went through the door. There was more debris at the lab entrance, and they entered the lab. Li checked the video surveillance system, and a janitor was the culprit of the attempted break-in. The solid wall at the lab entrance kept the janitor from gaining access to the lab.

Mom asked what they should do, and Li said it was a security breach and they didn’t know who was involved. But now they know there’s a concrete wall protecting the lab, so they will bring the right tools next time. So, he’ll get supplies at lunch time to spend the night and catch the perpetrator. Mom agreed and said she would also call MGF security consultants to fix the problem.

Li started working on Scripps projects on one side of the lab, and Mom worked on MGF’s project on the other side. They worked separately to avoid cross-contamination of their experiments. He finished two projects by lunch, then ordered a Lyft ride home. Li got his laptop, gloves, ski mask, and drove the F150 to Walmart. He picked up a sleeping bag, a camping cot, a mid-sized duffel bag, and snacks. On the way back to work, he stopped at the In-N-Out Burger drive-thru for lunch. He ordered a Double-Double burger combo with an extra burger for dinner.

The security guard didn’t pay him any attention as he carried the items into the building. Li put everything in his office and then went to the lab. He ate lunch, then started on the third project. When he finished, Li analyzed the three experiments and then logged the data into the computer. The last thing he did was write the reports for Mom to review and sign. Mom finished her work for the day and put everything in the safe. They cleaned the lab, and Mom asked if he was sure he wanted to stay overnight.

Li said yes, he would be fine, and Mom left to go home. He went to his office across the hall and set up the cot and sleeping bag. He checked the mini fridge, and there was bottles of water and the extra hamburger from In-N-Out. Li got out his laptop and read course e-books from the UC San Diego bookstore while eating dinner. When he finished dinner, Li lay down on the sleeping bag and fell asleep.

He woke up sensing danger and checked the time. It was almost 1 a.m., so he put on his gloves and ski mask and waited by his door. When the fake janitor got to the lab door with his equipment, Ly attacked him from behind and beat him severely. Then he put him into a deep sleep by pressure point and read his mind. He was a PI named Ben James, hired by Cargill CEO Elliott Shipley to get the genetically altered corn seeds and formula.

Li put the equipment in his office, took off Ben’s shirt and ball cap, and put them on. Then he removed his keys, wallet, and cell phone. After putting Ben in the janitor’s cart, he rolled it to the rear of the building and threw him into the dumpster. Li found the PI’s van and drove it to the pole barn. He scanned it with the tracking detector, and it was clean. So, he locked up, jogged home, went to bed, and crashed. Unknown to Li, the dumpster was picked up at 4 a.m., and the contents incinerated. It was due to the toxic chemicals that the lab used and failed experiments.

Early Wednesday morning, Li was in the basement practicing martial arts on the heavy bags. When finished, he showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen. Mom was shocked to see him and asked how he got home. While they ate breakfast, Li said he flew home like Superman at the speed of a bullet, and they laughed. Mom asked again, and he told her about catching the fake janitor beating him and throwing him in the dumpster. Then he lied, saying he drove the janitor’s car to the strip mall four blocks away and jogged home.

Mom said she wouldn’t need his help today, but might need it Thursday or Friday. Li said he needs to pick up some things in his office so he’ll be by after lunch. Mom left for work, and he went to Torrey Pine Golf Course. After warming up, he teed off and enjoyed playing the round at his own pace. By the time he finished on the 18^th green, the place was busy. Li put his clubs in the locker and headed home.

On the way, Li stopped at Carls Jr. drive-thru and got lunch. Upon arriving home, he ate lunch, then hopped the fence and rode the motorcycle to the pole barn. Li emptied the van into the hidden storage room, then loaded an electric motorcycle in the rear and dumped it two miles away. He wiped down the areas he touched, left the keys in the ignition, and rode the motorcycle back to the pole barn. Li took the PI’s laptop, locked up the pole barn, and rode the electric motorcycle home.

After parking it under the camo tarp, he stripped, drove into the pool, and swam laps. When he was cooled off, Li got out and dried off on the pool lounge. Then he showered and hacked into the PI Ben James’ laptop. He copied the hard drive to his cloud, reformatted the computer, and turned it off. Li logged onto his cloud account and searched Ben’s emails first. He found the email Cargill CEO Elliott Shipley had sent to Ben detailing the operation.

Then he checked Ben’s files and found he had one Elliott Shipley. Li guessed he dug up dirt on Elliott to ensure payment. He needed access to Elliott’s computer, so he looked at Ben’s last email to Elliott. He added his worm and re-sent it. Li went back to the file on Elliott, and he was into men, women, and sometimes both at the same time. What Li saw was sick and couldn’t wait to send the information to Elliott’s wife.

Sensing Mom was nearby, he logged off the cloud, dressed, and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived with Mexican takeout, and while they ate, she asked why he didn’t come by the lab today. Li lied, saying that after golf and lunch, he had napped and woke up too late to go. But you were in my dreams, working hard, and they laughed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their bedrooms. Li, tired from last night, went to bed and fell asleep.

Cargil CEO Elliott Shipley was pissed beyond belief. His Vice President of Research, Skip Bowman, failed miserably in getting the genetically altered corn seed and formula. Then he lost his operating funds, and his wife took him to the cleaners in the divorce. So, he hired Ben James, a PI the company had used before. Ben wasn’t worried about getting his hands dirty. Ben emailed that he accessed Scripps and located the lab. He was going in on Tuesday night and then had no further contact. Ben missed his check-in and didn’t answer his phone or emails.

He received a duplicate email, which further confused him. Elliott called his friend at the CIA and got the name of a team that could possibly help. But his friend warned Elliott that they were an intrusion-and-extraction team and that it would get messy. His friend gave him one more option and said this guy works in Europe but might come to the US for the right price. Elliott thanked his friend, knowing he was screwed if he chose either one and drank until he passed out.

After breakfast on Thursday morning, Li followed Mom to work. He gathered the equipment in his office, put it in the duffel bag, and left the sleeping bag and cot for future use. Then he went to Mom’s lab and helped her analyze the results of her experiments. Li put the data input on a USB drive and put it in the safe. Mom thanked him for the help and said I should finish early tomorrow. She said I’ll call Melinda tomorrow and set up a meeting asap. I want to get this project out of the lab immediately.

Li agreed it would be a good idea and recommended calling Melinda this afternoon to schedule a meeting for Friday or Saturday. It would give her more notice, and Mom said that’s a good idea. Li told her he would see her at home and left carrying the duffel bag. The security guard asked what was inside the duffel bag, and Li said body parts from the last person who questioned him. They laughed, and he successfully threw the guard off his game.

On the way home, Li stopped at Carl’s Jr. drive-thru for lunch. Upon arrival, he ate and thought about what to do about Cargil’s CEO, Elliott Shipley. Li decided to make his life miserable to take his mind off them for a while. When he finished lunch, Li went to his computer and logged into his cloud account. He had Elliott’s computer files and went to the emails first. Li found Elliott’s wife’s email and anonymously sent the photos from PI Ben James’s computer to Elliott’s wife, Carol.

Then he searched Elliott’s computer files and found his Cayman Islands bank account. He checked the balance and thought it was too high. Li changed the password, and the login then transferred all but $10,000 to the deceased Professor Martin Blake’s account. That should keep Elliott busy for a while and logged off the cloud. He went to the pool, dove in, and swam laps for forty minutes, thinking about the movie premiere and projects pending.

While drying on the poolside lounge, Andrew Finkleman called. He laughed and said you were right. The producer of the film Murder at the Lake sent another contract offer, and this one’s good. We’ve got some minor changes to make, but it should be done early next week. Now, the sports movie producer wants you to work with a trainer to check your aptitude for basketball. You’ll be paid a daily rate plus room and board for three days of training at UCLA starting on Monday. The itinerary should be in your email now.

Li said, “Alright,” and asked for three tickets to the premiere instead of two. Andrew asked why, and Li told him Mom doesn’t want to come, so he’s bringing two friends who are twins and gorgeous 16-year-old girls. Andrew said,” You dog,” laughing. He said that would create a shit storm and asked if they were in the business. Li said no, and they will need your help keeping the wolves and perverts away.

Their Mom is a federal judge, and I recommended you for an agent if valid offers for movies or modeling come in. Andrew asked Li if he was involved with the girls, and he said no. His mom and their mom are against, and he supports their decision. With his busy schedule, there’s no time, and there’s also the issue of their mom being a federal judge. Andrew laughed and told him that was a wise choice. He would make arrangements, have a female associate available to help them, and said goodbye.

Li went upstairs, showered, and sensing Mom was near, dressed and went to the kitchen. While eating dinner, Li told her about his conversation with Andrew Finkleman regarding the twins. She said, “Good, they will have an escort at the premiere.” Then he told her about the new contract offer for Murder at the Lake and his basketball training scheduled for next week. Mom asked where he was staying, and Li said probably in the female dorms, and they laughed.

He said the itinerary was sent to his email, and he hasn’t seen it yet. But if it’s on campus in the dorms, he’ll rent a hotel room off campus. There’s no way he’ll stay with a bunch of jocks and have issues. Mom said that’s a wise move, and be sure not to have a confrontation in public view. Any fight will be your fault, and Li said he understood. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read a law textbook, then fell asleep.

Li was in the basement early Friday morning, attacking the heavy bags using his martial arts skills. When finished, he returned to his room, showered, dressed, and went to the kitchen. While eating breakfast, Mom asked what he had planned for today. Li told her he play a round of golf because he won’t be able to play for a while. Then he’ll relax by the pool and read some of your romance novels. She laughed, told him to stay away from her books, and headed to work.

He headed to the Torrey Pines Golf Course and warmed up on the practice range. Li noticed people arriving, so he rushed to the starting line and teed off. He didn’t want to have to follow anyone around the course. Li was in a zone, and before he knew it, he was putting for a birdie on the 18^th green. He put his club in the locker and escaped unnoticed. On the way home, he stopped at Burger King drive-thru for lunch.

Arriving home, he ate lunch, then took one of the laptops he acquired, hopped the rear fence, and rode the electric motorcycle to the pole barn. He connected the laptop to Wi-Fi, installed his firewall and antivirus from his cloud account, and updated the software. It would give him internet access to work if necessary. Then he drove the F250 to Home Depot and bought a small refrigerator, a kitchen sink cabinet with sink, and an electric hot water heater.

Returning to the pole barn, he left the hot water heater in the hidden storage room and took the rest up to his apartment. He had a lot of work to do installing a septic system, a shower, a toilet, and hooking up a working kitchen. After locking up the pole barn, he rode home, parked the motorcycle under the tarp, and hooped the fence. Li stripped, dove into the pool, and swam some laps to cool off. He lay on the lounge to dry off, then went inside and showered.

After his shower, Li listened to Korean-language CDs. He finished the fourth one when he sensed Mom was nearby. So, he put the binder in the closet, dressed, and went to the kitchen. Mom arrived with Italian takeout, and while they ate, she said the research project for MGF was done. She called Melinda, and they have a lunch date tomorrow at 1 p.m. Li said that it’s great to get it out of the lab, and Mom agreed. They finished dinner, said goodnight, and went to their rooms. Li read a book on negotiation/ mediation and fell asleep.

During breakfast, Li recommended they take two vehicles to the luncheon. He said that with all the problems they’ve had with the project, it would be best to leave it in the second vehicle. Then once they confirmed all was ok, he would get it and return to their meeting. Mom asked if it was necessary, and Li said it was better safe than sorry. We’ll arrive early and park the Range Rover in the parking lot with the research project. Then leave and return in the 4Runner at 1 p.m.