Chapter 14: Under the Spotlight

"Explain to me again why this is a good idea," I said as Jeryl patted my hand and Jim shook his head. Our guest actually had the grace to laugh.

"It's news," Jim said.

"We're proud of you, and want others to know what you've accomplished," Jeryl said.

I looked at the reporter who had laughed and waited for his response. He smiled a genuine smile and thought for a minute. "You're a role model that America and the world needs. Your story is an example that could help thousands or millions of kids across the country and around the world," Morley Safer said.

I sighed. I wanted to change the world. I just never thought I would have to be made up and interviewed to do it. "Okay, but I want to be able to give you honest answers and not have them edited out into a fluff piece."

"It's '60 Minutes'. We don't really do fluff pieces," Safer said with a straight face. I knew that wouldn't be the case four decades down the road, but kept that to myself.

"So, why don't you give me a little more background on what you've accomplished and we'll figure out what the interview is later."

I nodded and motioned him into the shop and office. Everyone else left us alone. I began to explain about building my car and why it was different. Morley, as he insisted I call him, was very easy to talk to. He followed openings in my story with intelligent questions and took notes. Over an hour later, he asked if I would show him around the shop. We ended the day with a drive in my car. I even went so far as to let him drive it. He was impressed.

"Okay, Paul. I think there is a real story here that deserves to be told. I'd like to write up my notes tonight and then come back out with a local camera crew. We'll follow you around a bit and shoot some of your life. We'll finish with an interview."

"Here?"

"Yes, or in a local station. You won't need to come to New York, if that's a concern."

I shrugged. "Not a concern, but I'm pretty busy. We'd have to work that into my schedule. Due to school, it might have to wait until spring break."

Safer laughed again. "I don't want to wait that long. I'd like to get this in the can and slotted to air by then."

I wished him a safe drive and told him to call before coming out so I would be sure to be here. Sunday night, he did call to say he would see me at school on Monday.

He was as good as his word and had a camera man and two assistant producers with him when I pulled into the school parking lot the next morning. It was a little unnerving to realize a camera was watching me park, but I did it without embarrassing myself. Morley waved the cameraman away as he greeted me.

"Are you ready for an exciting day?"

"I guess. Is it too late to change my mind?"

He laughed and clapped my shoulder. "You'll do fine. I've cleared things with the school. Today we'll shoot background material of you and your school. I'll ask you to talk a little about the pool and some of your other donations. We'll talk to some of your teachers and friends as well. Tomorrow will be out at your farm. It will be casual and relaxed. I'm still working on the interview time. I think we'll do that in the local studio, but I haven't gotten it scheduled yet."

"Okay, you're the boss."

I no sooner said it than Jim and Lisa got over their shyness and decided to find out what I had done now. Thankfully the cameraman did not catch their initial reaction on tape.

Jeryl squeezed my hand as the show cut to commercial. We were at Jim's house in Bloomington. Jyl and her parents were there along with Mom, Jim and Kelly. Jim and Lisa had also joined us for the Sunday evening airing of "60 minutes". They had finished filming it almost six weeks ago. The buzz in town was just starting to die down. I knew it would reach a different level of drama this week.

The ticking of the stop watch brought my attention back to the TV.

Dan Rather's voice greeted us. "Some people claim that America's youth are not being prepared by our education system to be ready to lead our country into the future. With continued criticism of the Department of Education and the quality of education in America, we decided to look at an example in rural America that would challenge those critics. Here is Morley Safer with an interesting glimpse into our next generation."

The scene cut to a sweeping panorama of our fields covered with snow before pulling back to show my shop in the foreground. Morley began his voice over. "The heartland of America, where Friday night football matters as much as the price of corn or soybeans; where families have struggled to make a better life for their children for generations; where new ideas are being born as easily as crops rising in the spring. This is a new generation of innovation, and it's coming from a garage on a humble farm that most of us would drive past without giving a second look."

The camera cut to my office.

"This is the office of a modest inventor. He has been at it for two and one-half years and has filed or been granted forty-two patents as of this filming. He is seventeen years old. His name is Paul Taylor, and he wants nothing less than to change the world."

I groaned and Jeryl and Mom both shushed me.

Morley went on with background on my car and then included some of my footage from the first car show we did. Then it cut to the interview footage.

"And that show led to a deal with Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors?" Morley asked.

"That's right. We now have agreements with most auto manufacturers in the U.S., Europe and Japan."

"And you did this just after you turned sixteen years old?"

I smiled at the camera. "My step-sister actually had to take the car to get its certificate of road worthiness, since it was ready a week before my birthday."

The camera tightened on me.

"Why? Why put so much effort into this idea of a better, safer car?"

"In 1979, in the U.S. alone, over fifty-one thousand people died in auto accidents. Isn't that reason enough? I had ideas to apply the new microprocessors being built by Motorola and Intel to make cars safer. If I could prevent even a portion of those fifty-one thousand deaths, didn't I have an obligation to? I know how my mother would answer that question."

"But many of your inventions are not just about safety items. Your car gets pretty impressive gas mileage as well."

"It does. I thought Americans would appreciate that as well. The price of gas doubled on average between 1979 and 1980. It's only going higher."

"Why?"

"Globally, our appetite for energy doubles every seven years. If demand for internal combustion engines keeps pace with that, we'll see four dollar a gallon gas before the end of the century."

"And you want to do something about that?"

"I do. I want to give people a way to make their gallon, or dollar, go further and preferably reduce our dependence on oil for our energy needs."

"Why single out oil?"

"Because there are better things for it to be used for and it's a finite resource. As far as I know, God isn't pumping any more into the earth for us to go out and discover."

The interview continued on, switching between topics and scenes as Morley built a story about my accomplishments as well as why I thought they were important.

"I understand that you attribute your accomplishments to 'hard work and thinking logically'. Would that be your message to your peers watching this?"

I grinned at the camera. "No, that sounds too dispassionate. It's true, but hardly motivating."

"What would you tell them?"

"Think for yourself. Take logical risks. Learn from your mistakes and setbacks, and don't be afraid of failing."

The interview ended with my words sub-titled on the screen and a still shot of me looking into the camera. Morley's voice over stated: "Since filming this interview, PT Innovations has launched a new partnership with Nike selling the Diamond Skin brand of sportswear Paul Taylor and his girlfriend Jeryl Salaway created last fall. Initial estimates are that it will be worth even more than his automotive patents."

The ticking stopwatch announced the cut to commercial and I heard a collective release of breath by those around me. Suddenly my back was being pummeled by congratulatory slaps and Jeryl was hugging me. Even Janet was smiling, I noticed.

"Man, being on '60 Minutes' was a trip," Jim said as we finished lunch the following day. School had been abuzz and many people who had not previously given me a second look congratulated me in the hallway. Even a couple of teachers had mentioned me in class. Even though people had noticed the film crew when they were at school filming, almost no one had the whole story that had been aired the night before.

"Now, maybe things can get back to normal," I said.

"Normal for you or normal for me?"

I laughed. Jim had a way of helping me keep things in perspective. "Man, I'm going to miss you next year."

"Well, maybe you can come down to make sure your scholarship is being used appropriately." Jim had not gotten accepted to MIT, but had made it into Tulane's School of Engineering in New Orleans. He was excited about the opportunity to head down to the Bayou State.

"That would be cool. I'll have to see what I can do." Lisa had been accepted at Bradley University in Peoria in their nursing program. While she suspected I was behind the scholarship trust that had offered to pay her way, she had not yet actually asked me about it. After the show last night, I was certain it would come up.

"So, no mention of the scholarships last night," Jim said softly.

"Nope. I never mentioned it to Morley."

"Who are you going to give them to next year, besides Jeryl?"

"What do you mean?"

Jim shrugged. "You gave three last year, three this year; I just figured you were going to keep giving three a year."

He was right, but I hadn't really thought about it. John, Ryan, Jordan last year. Jim, Lisa, Jyl this year. I muttered under my breath. "Maybe I won't miss you so much. You seem to create a lot of work for me, too."

"What?"

"I hadn't really thought about it beyond my cousins and friends, but you're right. I need to make the trust and scholarships permanent. That means either picking two people or setting up criteria to apply, select, and award them. That sounds like too much work."

Jim laughed. "I'm sure you'll do it well, even if it is a burden."

I thought about it off and on for the remainder of the school day, and decided to discuss it with Jeryl after school. We talked about it soon after I picked her up, kissed her hello, and headed for the shop.

"Well, Jyl guessed it was you as soon as she got the package from the trust, but didn't say anything to Mom and Dad. I know they were excited by the thought of a full ride through U of I for her and on to medical school. I think Mom suspects you but also thinks it might be grandmother."

"Well, if we announce scholarships, it's going to come out."

"That doesn't mean we should not do it."

"I agree. But what should the criteria be?"

"Well, everyone that has gotten one so far is going into a somewhat technical degree field. Could that be part of the criteria?"

"That's a good idea. Science, engineering or management would be a good starting point. Maybe foreign language as well, so Mom doesn't feel slighted."

"Right. And do you make it for the whole district or just Fieldcrest and Standard?"

"I like the idea of doing something local. Maybe, if no one applies or qualifies we open it up to the district."

Jeryl grabbed her notebook and began writing down our ideas. "Do you keep it at three a year?"

"Why not make it four, since we have some Nike money to put into it as well."

"Now, what's the application process? Need or merit?"

"Merit. Everyone that's gotten one so far has earned it through hard work in and out of school."

Jeryl finished writing and looked up at me with a glowing smile. "I think this is a great idea, Paul. I'll chat with Jim and take this off your plate of worries." She got up and stepped close to kiss me.

"This is that car that was on TV a couple of weeks ago."

Jeryl and I were walking to my car from the movie theater. We had just seen Porky's and were in good spirits. Four young guys were admiring my car.

"It is," I said as we got closer. The guys turned and I was suddenly troubled. They were our age, or a little older, and all looked in decent shape. The boy who had spoken had unruly red hair and a mean look in his eye. He was the obvious leader.

"That means you're that rich asshole who ruined my cousin's knee."

I thought furiously and pulled Jeryl closer and a little behind me. "I didn't ruin anyone's knee."

"Bullshit. He hurt it when you tackled him. He was going to get a scholarship and now can only go to community college." He got closer to me and I noticed the small flattened bottle sticking out of his jacket pocket.

"His own teammate is the one who landed on his knee."

"After you tackled him. How is it fair that you have millions of dollars, and he loses his scholarship because of you?"

He was close enough for me to smell the booze on his breath.

"I think I'm going to show you what it's like. How are you going to like it when I bust up your knee?"

A couple of the other boys exchanged looks, but didn't try to stop their friend.

"Look," I tried to sound reasonable. "I didn't hurt your cousin, but maybe I can help him out."

"You think you can buy your way out of an ass kicking?" He sneered. "I'm going to mess you up, and then do your girlfriend, and then take your fancy car. How are you going to like that?" He poked me in the chest and I stepped back.

"Jeryl, run back inside." I didn't have to tell her to call the cops.

"She's going nowhere," the punk sneered and waved one of his buddies at her. The kid stepped forward and reached for her arm. I knocked it away.

"Run, Jeryl."

She ran as the bully swung at me. I stepped aside and pulled my hands up to protect my face as he stepped in and tried to get at my ribs. I blocked and twisted to minimize his contact.

"This isn't going to end well for you and your friends," I said. I still had not hit him. "Cops will be coming soon, now."

His friends exchanged glances but still stood behind him.

He tried to box me some more, but was not good enough or sober enough to land a real punch. "God damn you, stand and fight like a man," he yelled and grabbed my arms. I grabbed his jacket and slammed my head forward into his nose. Blood gushed out and he let go flailing his arms.

"Shit, shit, shit. Come on and grab this fucker," he cried. Two of the others stepped in and tried to grab me. I twisted away from one, but the other got hold of my arm. I turned into him and brought up my knee into his groin. He let go with a yell and dropped to the ground, but his accomplice jumped on my back. One arm went around my neck and he tried to hit me in the kidneys with his other hand.

I grabbed the choking arm and bent and twisted. He came off my back and I released him in mid-air just in time to take a fist to the face from the leader. Instinct took over and I counter punched. I caught his cheek with my left jab and then followed up with a right uppercut in his ribs. The breath went out of him and he dropped to the ground as I saw flashing red lights arrive on the scene. I stepped back as two cops bailed out of their car and told everyone to stand still. Jeryl came running to me despite their protests as our assailants tried to regain their feet. The one boy who had not been involved bent over and threw up. It seemed fitting, somehow.

The cops were nice enough to let me keep the ice pack on my left hand as they took me into an interview room, but were not pleased that I refused to talk to them without my lawyer. I had told Jeryl the same thing. Don't speak until an attorney was present. Now, I had the joy of sitting in a dingy grey room with a throbbing hand, some punk's blood on my shirt, and a pissed off detective.

"Look, kid, I just need to get your side of the story."

"I am invoking my Fifth Amendment protection of not incriminating myself and will not answer questions until my attorney is present."

"Why do you need a lawyer? You must have done something to provoke them if you need your lawyer."

"I am invoking my Fifth Amendment protection of not incriminating myself and will not answer questions until my attorney is present."

"God, damn smart-ass punk," He finally said with disgust before leaving me to wait in the room.

He might have been an honest cop. I hoped he was, but I knew the tricks policemen played. I knew I had money and would be a target for those kids and their families. I knew I was from another town. I knew it was my word against theirs. I was not about to open my mouth and dig a hole.

It must have been nearly an hour before to door opened again and Candace walked in with the officer.

"Paul, are you alright?" She asked.

I nodded.

She looked at the officer. "I'd like a few minutes to confer with my client."

The policeman seemed more impressed by Candace and her smart outfit than anything. He nodded and left us alone.

"Where's Jim?" I asked.

She gave me a look. "Jim is with Jeryl as they take her statement. I came in to check on you. Your and Jeryl's moms are outside waiting. Now, tell me what happened."

I went through the events of the evening. She took notes and asked several questions. She went back over the timeline of events again and then nodded. "Ok. I'll get the officer. When he asks you a question, pause before answering. If I have a problem with it, I'll stop you during that pause. This should be straightforward, but you never know when someone has an agenda. You were smart to wait for Jim and me."

"Thanks."

The officer came in and took my statement.

"So, you did not swing first?" He asked after I gave my account.

"No, sir. I knocked one guy's arm away when he grabbed for Jeryl, but even after that I tried to avoid any blows."

"So, I take it those boys tell a different story," Candace said.

"They say you jumped them while they were admiring your car because they touched it."

"All of them tell the same story?" I asked.

The cop seemed uncomfortable for a moment. "Three of them tell variations along those lines."

"And the fourth?" Candace asked.

"The fourth says he is fuzzy due to alcohol."

"So, four underage drinkers tell differing stories about how the fight started, while the two people who called authorities and tried to deescalate the situation tell identical stories and that makes them the aggressors? What does the parking lot surveillance say?"

I was surprised. Forty years in the future, I would assume the whole thing was caught on some security system. In 1982, I'd be surprised if there were cameras at all.

The police officer looked uncomfortable again.

"Come now, or I'll file papers to get those tapes myself. I know that theater put parking lot surveillance in last year after a rash of vandalism and theft outside their theaters. Surely you've looked at the tape by now."

The officer sighed. "I think we have enough from you. We'll let you know how the investigation turns out, but we will not be charging you with any crimes, Paul."

"And what about the other four?" Candace asked.

"Haven't they gotten enough? One kid has a busted up face and might need plastic surgery, the other will never have kids and the third is going to be in traction for at least three months."

Candace stared at him for a minute. "Whose sons are they?"

The officer paled. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it does. Some petty local politician is going to try and sweep this under the rug to keep their poor parenting out of the press. Then, a year from now, they'll try and squeeze my client for money to keep this out of the paper. If you don't charge them, this will have no public record and my client will have no proof of his innocence in the matter."

"That won't happen."

"Which part? Charging them?"

The cop rubbed his hands over his face. "Jamison will never bring charges against a judge's son. He can't charge the others and let the son get away."

"Which one is it?"

"The one that stood aside, but he either needs to corroborate your client's story and stop saying he was too drunk to remember, or I've got to charge him with underage drinking."

"And if he corroborates? He did nothing wrong other than stand aside. Surely his own father would tell him the same thing."

"He begged us not to call his dad yet."

Candace stood. "Let me talk to him."

They were gone for fifteen minutes, during which time Jeryl and Jim joined me in the interview room. Jeryl ran to my arms immediately. "I was so frightened, Paul. You were wonderful though."

I kissed her just as our mothers came in. Jeryl blushed under Janet's frown.

Our mothers fussed over us and we had to tell the story yet again. We had just finished up when Candace and the officer returned. Candace was smiling.

"It seems the fourth boy sobered up enough to recall what really happened. They're taking his statement now. I believe we are free to go, correct Officer Timmons?"

The officer nodded. "I'm sorry about the way this played out. I'm glad you weren't hurt, Paul, but you might want to get that hand checked out."

We left as quickly as possible. Janet insisted Jeryl ride home with her while we went back to the parking lot to retrieve my car. Candace joined me in the ride home after letting me know her car was at the farm.

"You know this sort of thing is going to happen again," she said after making sure I was alright to drive.

"What do you mean?"

"People know you have money, Paul. We need to think about security for you and for Jeryl. If there was not video of the attack on you, it would be your word against theirs. They could sue you for millions. If you had asked me, I would have never let you do that show."

I managed to chuckle. "If I had known you felt that way, I would have definitely asked. It seems like nothing good has come from being on "60 Minutes" yet."

"Mom is totally freaked about the attack in Peru," Jeryl said as she dropped into my lap and wrapper her warms around me. "She doesn't want us to go out without another couple."

"But we can still go out?"

"Of course, silly." She kissed me.

"Well, that's a relief. Mom and Jim have been talking about security. I can't really get my head around it."

"Wow, something you can't get your head around." She kissed me again. "I'm pretty sure any idea you had of us going somewhere for spring break won't work out, though."

I scowled. "You know me too well. I was going to see if we could go skiing again."

I could feel her smile against my chest. "That would have been great, but no way is mother going to allow it now."

"Even if we got security for the trip?"

"I don't know. What kind of security is my mother going to believe in? Besides, she has hinted at taking us all up to grandmother's."

"What if your whole family went along?"

"Taos?"

I shook my head. "I was actually thinking of Park City, Utah."

"Why there?"

"They're supposed to have great spring skiing."

"What else?"

I laughed. "You know me too well. There is a pretty new ski area that opened last year. They're also selling lots. Given how nice Jim's place is, I was thinking about getting something for the future. Park City is forty minutes from the Salt Lake airport. It might be nice to be able to take a hop from San Francisco to Salt Lake in the morning and be on the slopes before lunch once we start at Stanford."

"That sounds cool. Why don't we talk to the parents and see?"

I hugged her. "How about we get the families together for dinner and discuss it?"

"I'll call and invite them over as soon as you check with your Mom," she said. "What's the worst they can say, no?"

Which is exactly what Janet did say.

"No. I'm not comfortable even if we all go. Paul, I know you would do anything to protect Jeryl, but I need time to think this over. Jerry, and the girls and I are all going up to Michigan to spend a little time with my mother. We'll discuss things and we can all get together after the break."

"Janet," Jerry said. "Don't you think Paul at least deserves to be part of the discussion?"

Janet seemed surprised at Jerry disagreeing with her.

Jeryl grabbed my hand and squeezed it before I could say anything. Jyl studiously moved food around her plate.

Finally, Jim jumped into the breach. "Look. Paul and I have been discussing security. I've got three firms that come highly recommended and have done this sort of work for multiple teenage clients before. What if we get them here to meet, then pick one, and use spring break as a test run to see how we feel about them?"

Janet seemed surprised. In both lives and many closer interactions over the past two years, I had never seen her look surprised. "I hadn't realized you were that serious about security."

"As Candace pointed out to both Paul and I, anyone who recognizes Paul may have an ulterior motive for interacting with him; positively or negatively. Having a professional security assessment performed is the minimum we can settle for. Hiring a firm to do that and provide greater protection as needed is the first step. I know that if Paul -- and by extension Jeryl -- are not comfortable with whoever we hire, they will be inclined to try and 'slip away' from people who are there for their protection. I don't want that to happen."

"And a week vacation with them in tow is how we can see if they are comfortable?"

"I can't think of a better method. We all get a nice vacation and we have a lot of situations to interact with and observe our security associates."

"And you want Jerry's and my input?"

"Of course we do," my mother said. "If something happened to Jeryl while she was with Paul, I would never forgive myself. I also don't want either of us to worry when they are out. For your peace of mind, you have to be part of the decision-making process."

Jerry reached over and took Janet's hand. "We'll be happy to help pick the security firm. What's the plan?"

Jim smiled. "I can have them up here Thursday afternoon. I thought we would have the adults interview them first and then let Paul and Jeryl talk with them."

"What about me?" Jyl asked.

Janet gave her a look. "What about you?"

Jyl blushed. "Well, I mean Paul is my friend and Jeryl is my sister. Don't I get to be part of the process?"

"You can join Jeryl and me," I said. I was rewarded with a smile.

"Anyway, I think it is up to us as the parents to make sure whomever Jeryl and Paul pick that we are comfortable with them."

"But you want to let Paul and Jeryl choose?"

"Of course, with our input. They will be the ones spending most of the time with whoever we hire."

Jerry nodded. "It sounds reasonable."

Janet sighed heavily. It wasn't the decision she wanted, but it appeared she could live with it. "Ok. We can talk to the security experts and then decide about spring break."

Jeryl and I smiled at each other. I knew any trip we took would include her parents and not entail us having any alone time, but I was ready for a break.

Two days later, we were meeting with the security firms. Jim and Mom and Janet and Jerry were interviewing them in the dining room in the house. Jeryl and Jyl and I staked out the office in the shop. The first two firms fell flat for Jeryl and me. Jyl thought the second was alright, but nothing special.

"Jim told them about all of our requirements, right?" Jeryl asked.

"I assume so. Why?"

"Those two fail on stupidity grounds then. If they couldn't be bothered to send one of their female escorts down for me to meet, they don't deserve your money."

I chuckled as there was a soft knock on the office door. I stood to answer it and get our last interview done.

I was pleasantly surprised to see an attractive woman standing in the hall. She was about five-eight, but I thought part of that was her heels. She had reddish-brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail and blue eyes. Her eyebrows were naturally arched, giving her a serious air, but her lips twitched with a smirk, belying a sense of humor.

"You must be Paul Taylor," she said with an English accent as she extended her hand.

I shook it, surprised by the firm grip and motioned her into the office. She was dressed neatly in a pair of tight black pants with over the calf boots, an ivory turtleneck sweater and an off-white blazer. She was very well put together.

"I am," I finally managed to say as I motioned her to my usual chair and returned to my seat on the couch, next to Jeryl with Jyl at the far end. "This is my girlfriend Jeryl, and her sister Jyl. And you must be Alison Wilson."

"I am. It's a pleasure to meet you all." I had to admit her accent was enchanting.

"So, Ms. Wilson, what can you tell us about yourself?"

"Please, call me Alison," she said with a warm smile. "I am thirty years old and have been working in the security field in one role or another since graduating from Cambridge ten years ago. I started with a government agency but decided I preferred the civilian side of things after my second posting."

"Can you tell us more about that?" Jeryl asked. "Why leave government service?"

She smiled at Jeryl. "My boss was one of the 'old school' boys. He did not like the fact that I was as good as any of my male counterparts and younger to boot. I was relegated to office work while I preferred to be part of a field team."

"It must have been tough striking out on your own at twenty-four," Jyl said. "How did you do it?"

"I had a connection to Robert Plant. He hired me as personal security for his wife and daughter. I was with the Plant family for three years during which time I also consulted with a number of other firms for security assessments and personal protection of some female clients for short-term engagements when the Plant family didn't need me."

"That must have been interesting." Jeryl commented.

"It was. I gained a lot of experience that is directly relatable to your needs. Most fans of Led Zeppelin were not interested in Plant's family, but there were enough situations where the unexpected could happen that we had to be ready all the time."

"We?" I asked.

"I began building my company the second year I was with them. With the travel and what-not, I needed help ensuring the next destination on an itinerary was covered and scouted. Also, I prefer to have a second vehicle available when driving in case something happens."

I nodded. "Why did you leave?"

"The band ended their US tour in '77 and I felt they didn't need my services any longer. Maureen, Robert's wife tried to keep me on personally, but I felt I was ready to move on to other areas."

"Which were?"

"I moved into the corporate arena. We consulted on security practices and then were sub-contracted by Lloyds to run security assessments on some of their clients to validate the protections they had on insured properties."

I whistled softly. "That must have been a pretty lucrative contract. Why would you give that up?"

"Who said I did?" she said with a smile and an arched eyebrow. "We still have that contract, and it is what fueled the growth of my firm. I have a team dedicated to Lloyds' needs and am consulted when needs be."

"So why are you interested in helping us?" Jeryl asked. "It's hardly like you need the work."

Alison looked at the three of us carefully, and then focused her blue eyes on me. "I saw your bit on television. You are an impressive young man. You are going to upset a lot of people in the next few years. Frankly, you are going to need my help."

"But why do you want to offer it?" I responded.

"I believe you are going to change the world. I want to be a small part of it." She shrugged. "I started out young to make my way in the corporate world and repeatedly found myself underestimated and discounted. I wished frequently that someone who had faced some of the same prejudices had been able to give me advice. I see a lot of similarities between the path you have started and the one I've already trod." She shrugged again. "I think I can help you."

Jeryl and I exchanged a look. Jyl was fidgeting at the far end of the couch. Alison continued to focus on me.

"So, what would you recommend first?" I asked.

"Better walls around your office. Perimeter security on the building. Given your remoteness from help, live-in security or, if that was not practical, training for self-defense and escape and evasion."

It was my turn to arch an eyebrow. "Better walls?"

"You have an alarm on doors and windows, but I just need a carbide saw to cut through a wall and never trip those alarm circuits. I imagine most of your proprietary material is stored in the two safes built into the desk behind me. If I cut through the walls in the right space, I can extract the entire safes and open them at my leisure at a secure location."

"Wow," Jyl said. "Could you really pull the safes?"

"Certainly. The two safes were purchased well after initial construction of this building, so they are not permanently set in the foundation. I would assume long lug bolts were set into the existing floor. A torch would sever those easily without damaging the safes. Then you just need enough muscle to get them into a vehicle and away from the site. A professional team would be here less than five minutes and get away well before police could respond."

Neither of the other two interviews had mentioned the walls as a weakness. Once Alison explained, it was obvious.

"Okay," Jeryl said. "What would protection look like if Paul and I were going out on a date?"

"That would depend on the type of date. We would need to establish some parameters first and keep an eye on risks. Dinner and a movie might be an escort trailing at a distance. Going to a concert or sporting event might entail a pair of operators posing as another couple or being nearby. I don't believe security by rote is ever effective over the long term. It has to be situational." I nodded, but she continued. "One thing for certain, you need to retire your car except for special occasions."

"What? I love Paul's car," Jeryl said.

"Then you should never have let him show it on national television. It's too distinctive and recognizable. It either needs to be used on a very limited basis, or he needs to have the automakers begin turning them out by the dozens."

"Shit," I muttered. "Okay, what about a longer trip with more of the families involved?"

She looked at me again. "It is always situational. Is there a credible kidnapping for ransom threat against you? Are you transporting sensitive materials in addition to traveling with family? Is it something that other people know you are doing? Are you planning on playing tourist as a group or individually? Every factor of the trip impacts how much security you would need."

Her answers were again more honest and insightful than the other two firms. They had provided numbers of personnel rather than questions. Alison's approach made a lot more sense to me.

"Okay, I understand all that. Suppose Jeryl and I are traveling to visit one of my research teams at a Canadian university, say in Montreal. No one outside our families knows of the trip or the purpose, as far as we know. We don't have any known threats against us."

She nodded. "In that case, I would assign a team of two. One male, one female, so each of you could be accompanied at all times. They would both be fluent in French given your destination. One would arrive in Montreal at least the day before to secure the accommodations and transportation and verify routes to and from the airport and your meeting location. One would travel with you from your homes to the airport. At least one operator would be with you while you were out of the hotel. If you were to be out for an extended period of time, both would be with you in case the two of you needed to split up or visit the restroom."

"Hypothetically, what if we were approached by an agent of the FBI while on the trip?" Jeryl asked. We had not told Jyl or Jeryl's family about our run-ins with the FBI over the summer.

"The operator would verify their credentials and observe their interactions with you from a safe distance."

"What if these two lovebirds wanted some private time?" Jyl asked with a grin.

Alison looked at us with her arched eyebrow again. "Then I would expect them to tell my associates that they wanted some private time. We would make sure they were in a safe location and give them the semblance of privacy."

Jyl wagged her eyebrows at us and smirked. The other two people had said they would be governed by our parent's directives in that matter.

"And what answer did you give our parents to that question?" I asked.

Alison smiled. "I told them we would not leave you two alone."

"Which answer is true?"

"Both. You are not alone if we are in the next room and control access to your room. You are not alone if we are fifty feet away but have approaches to you under observation. Given the lack of a known, credible threat to you, we can be in the vicinity and still protect you."

"Alison, how big is your organization?"

"Thirty-one people, counting myself."

"And how many of those people would we see around here?"

"Over time?" I nodded. "The majority of them, including myself. I believe in rotating assignments to keep people fresh. I have twelve excellent female operatives in addition to myself. Given the ratio of men to women in your family, over a twelve-month period, you would definitely see all of us. The head of my Lloyds team would probably be the only male associate I have that would never rotate through your detail, but even he may want a change of scenery."

"So you would work with us personally as well?" Jeryl asked.

"Of course. It is my firm and I work directly with all of my clients. Even if you had no big trips planned for an extended period and did not need escorts, I would visit you as requested and at least once a quarter to ensure our arrangements are meeting your needs."

"Okay, what happens when Jeryl and I leave for school?"

"Are you going early, or do we have a full year to prepare?"

"Assume a full year."

"I would find a full-time agent to be established on campus in some capacity. They would be in some of your classes or labs, probably auditing the class only to give them more flexibility. They would check the physical security of accommodations and most likely make sure you were attending your self-defense courses and keeping an eye on your surroundings. For a long-term engagement in specific area, I would recommend buying two houses, one as a residence and the other as a safe-house in case something happened."

"Self-defense course?" Jeryl asked.

"Yes. You need to be able to protect yourself from casual assault and small-time criminals. I would also prefer if you both were trained in some more rigorous methods, but we could assess those over the next year. We would also equip you both with various trackers and panic button devices."

"Trackers?" Jyl asked.

Alison held up her wrist and looked at her watch. She then extended her arm toward us. "This watch is my tracker. If I push this stud and then pull the stem out, it sends out an alert and my team would respond to my abduction."

"You have a team here?"

She nodded. "I never travel alone, even if I appear alone."

"Wow."

I had heard enough. I sensed that Jeryl has as well. "Well, Ms. Wilson you are very impressive. Do you have any questions for us?"

She looked at us all for a minute and then directly at me. "I do, but I would prefer to ask them in private, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Why don't you start with Jyl? Jeryl and I will grab a soda while you talk." Jeryl and I exited to the break room.

"What do you think, honey," I asked as I poured a Diet Coke for her.

"I think Alison is the only one I'd feel comfortable with."

"Me, too. She seems a little intense, though."

Jeryl laughed. "She seems just like you when you are focused on something. If there were the least family resemblance, I would think she was your older sister."

I was shocked. "Really? I have that kind of intensity?"

Jeryl nodded. "But it is one of the things I love about you," she added as she leaned in for a kiss.

"Ahem," Jim said as we kissed. Jeryl pulled back just as her mother followed Jim though the door.

"Hi, Mom. What did you think of them?"

"I'm not sure," Janet said. "Where's Jyl?"

I explained just as Jyl came out and Jeryl headed back to chat with Alison. Janet was surprised that Alison had requested to ask us her questions individually. "She did not seem to have that requirement when she asked us several questions inside. What did she ask you Jyl?"

Jyl blushed. "She asked if I could keep a secret first. When I said yes, she asked me to treat her questions as a secret. I promised I would."

Janet's lips pressed together while Jim chuckled. "She could hardly know we would walk out here, Janet. She probably just didn't want Jyl to tell Jeryl and Paul what she was asking about. She is a smart lady."

That seemed to defuse Janet's ire. I offered the two adults and Jyl a soda and had just finished pouring them into glasses when it was my turn. I headed back to my office after giving Jeryl a quick peck on the cheek.

Alison was still seated with her legs crossed demurely.

"So what did you want to ask me, Alison?"

"Are you serious about changing the energy habits of the world?" Her gaze was intent on me.

"Yes." I kept my eyes locked on hers.

"Are you serious about your feelings for Jeryl?"

"Yes."

"How serious?"

"One day, she'll be my wife, if I have anything to say about it. I would marry her tomorrow, but that would create more problems with her family than either of us want right now."

"Are you intimate with her?"

"Yes."

She seemed surprised at my quick answer. "You answered that without nearly the hesitation she had."

It was my turn to smile. "It makes no sense to hire you and lie to you about my relationship while expecting you to protect us both. If I am going to hire you, you'll know soon enough."

She nodded. "Do you believe you need professional security?"

"Immediately? No. Sooner or later? Yes."

"Explain."

"I have no reason to believe there is an imminent threat. But, I do know that there are a lot of nuts in the world. If I had not done that '60 Minutes' story, I would probably be years away from needing security professionals in my life. But since I did, I can see a need and understand the possibilities. If a couple of firms knew what was in those safes, they would probably try to remove them just as you described. If I want to protect not just my family and loved ones from physical harm, but also from the loss of future profits, then yes, I need some help with regard to security now."

"Can you give me an example?"

"Did you personally sign the non-disclosure or did a lawyer from your firm before you came out here?"

"I signed it personally, of course."

"Then I'll tell you that there is a design in the left-hand safe for a light-weight battery that will most likely revolutionize mobile electronics in the next five years. It could be worth more than all of my prior patents combined."

Her eyes got a little wider.

"Of course, I'll be taking all of the documents out of that safe tonight after your observations," I added with a smile.

She smiled back. "You are an interesting young man, Mr. Taylor."

"And you are an interesting young lady, Ms. Wilson. Do you have any other questions for me?"

She stood. "I do. Could you give me a full tour of your shop?"

"That, I can definitely do," I said as I stood.

"Paul, can you take a break for a minute and come inside?" Jeryl called from the doorway of the break room.

I slid out from under the Range Rover I had up on a hoist and waved at her. It had been less than a week since meeting and hiring Alison Wilson's company to handle security and I knew she was inside discussing the safes with Jeryl and Jim.

I cleaned my hands on a shop towel as I walked inside. The three of them were sitting around the table with some blueprints spread out before them.

"What's up?" I asked.

Jeryl smiled at me. "We need your input. Reinforcing the walls to be more substantial is essentially going to require us to pull down the whole front of the building."

I nodded and looked at the top set of plans. "Makes sense."

"But doing that will have us out of this end of the building for several weeks and out of the shop entirely for some period of time as well."

I noticed the legend and looked a little closer. "Yep. The main power and our other utilities run through that wall. If you pull it down to make it more substantial, we'll be shut down for a month would be my guess."

Jim nodded. "So, how do you feel about that?"

"I hate it. Do we have alternatives, though? If we are taking Alison's recommendations seriously, we need to have safer storage of our working papers and documents."

"Well, there is a possibility," Jim said. "But I don't think you're going to like it."

"What's that?"

"We expand." He flipped to the next set of drawings. On this set, they had the original shed but had pushed the north end out with a twelve-foot extension. "We extend to the north and create two offices. We can build the extension with security in mind and keep sensitive materials in those offices."

I sat down and looked at the drawings. "So only the offices are shut down during the renovations?" Jim nodded. On the plans, they had shortened the hallway leading from the break room past the restrooms and placed two offices perpendicular to my current office, but extending twelve feet further to the north.

"Why don't you think I'll like it?" I asked.

"Neither office will get as much light as you enjoy now, especially in winter."

"Okay, but this will give us a concrete walled area to permanently mount safes in each office, right?"

"Yes," Alison said. "It will also allow us to construct sturdier interior walls in this area, and put in a back-up generator for the security systems."

"Any other alternatives?" I asked.

No one spoke. "What's it going to cost?"

Jeryl pulled out two estimates. "Both are within ten percent of each other. I'd suggest going with the higher bid since I think the other skimped in a couple of areas on labor costs. Alison will bring in people to do the safe installation and the new alarm system."

I shrugged. "I don't see that we have a choice." I flipped the drawing to an exterior elevation plan. "We have plenty of setback between the building and the road. I think we should do it."

"Excellent," Alison said as she began collecting the plans. "Jim, if you can handle the contractor, I'll have one of my men oversee them to ensure things are done to the right specification. Now can we discuss your spring break?"

"Ah, the real reason you wanted me in here." I smiled and leaned back in my chair.

"Yes. I have made arrangements to accompany you along with three of my operatives, but need to define your itinerary a bit better to make sure our bases are covered." She pulled out her notebook and opened it. The page she was on was filled with a tight script.

"Now, you will fly out of Chicago on Saturday. Luggage will go the day before except for small carry-on bags."

"What?" Jeryl asked.

"It eliminates standing around baggage claim on arrival. One of my people will be there the two days before and pick up the luggage for delivery. We've got a block of rooms at the Park City Marriott. It is a new hotel located central to downtown. Besides skiing, what activities are you planning?"

"I'll want to be looking at some property while we're there. I imagine several of us will want to look at things."

Allison nodded. "We'll arrange two afternoons for that and have a real estate agent lined up. Any parameters we should know beforehand?"

"I'm interested in property on the new resort that opened, Deer Valley. I want to look at two or three adjoining lot parcels if possible. The sites should be suitable for construction of fair-sized ski-in residences."

Alison took notes. "Very well. Anything else?"

"I have one research grant at the University of Utah that I would like to stop by and visit if there is time. Professor Brighton is the primary researcher."

"I'll get his contact information for you, Alison," Jeryl said.

"That visit should only take a half-day."

"Very well. Anything else?"

"I'd like to check out the sights in Salt Lake City. I don't know what all there is to see or do."

"Temple Square," Jim said. "You can't actually go into the temple, but I think you can hear the tabernacle choir on Sunday morning, or when they practice one evening during the week."

"That might be neat," Jeryl said.

"I'll find out what evening practice is and if we can attend. I'll make dinner arrangements in Salt Lake for that night and try to arrange your visit with the research team for the same day."

"Okay, thank you. Other than that, I'd just like to ski and relax. Jim, is there anything you and Mom might want to do?"

"We'll see when we get there," he said. "From a security perspective, I don't think we adults will need as much watching as you and Jeryl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jeryl asked.

Jim blushed. "We adults want to know you two are safe. We don't expect Alison's team to watch over us."

Alison nodded. "We have no known threats, and are taking a bigger team than warranted, but I want an opportunity for you to see some of my operatives and what is involved. We're going to pretend that we have a credible threat against you so you fully understand what an obvious protective detail feels like. This is like a training exercise for you and them. I'll be along to oversee things and make sure there are no personality conflicts."

"I hope you can ski," Jeryl said.

Alison smiled her cold smile and arched an eyebrow. "I'm certain we'll be able to keep up."

"So, what is Professor Brighton working on for you?" Alison asked as we waited in the lobby of his research building. Jeryl had ducked into the restroom after our ride down I-80 from Park City to the University of Utah. Sanford, our driver was on his way in after parking the car.

"He's doing some work in the materials science. It's leveraging some of the carbon fiber work one of the other researchers is pursuing."

"And your goal?"

"Stronger, lightweight materials, including a new type of shatter-proof glass for use in auto windows."

"Impressive."

"If his research plays out."

Jeryl joined us about the same time Sanford entered the building. A few minutes later Professor Brighton came out and ushered us up to his office and lab area. Soon, he and I were deep in discussions that I knew no one else in the room was following. Three hours later, Jeryl looked relieved as we headed back down to the lobby.

Alison and Sanford were impressively stoic but tensed as a man in a suit and overcoat approached us in the lobby. Sanford intercepted him while he was still ten feet away. The two men spoke for a moment before they stepped closer.

"Hello, Paul. I'm Special Agent Belton with the FBI. I take it you had a good meeting with Professor Brighton."

Alison gave me a sharp look while Jeryl stepped closer. Sanford gave Alison the briefest of nods.

"I did. What interest is it of the FBI?" I asked.

"We've been told that his line of research may have national security implications. We just want to make sure everything is alright."

"Special Agent Belton, I have repeatedly said that I would be happy to meet with the FBI or any other government agency if they simply request a meeting. Running into agents every time I visit one of the researchers I am funding is getting to be a little ridiculous. I intend to discuss this with my congressman and senator upon my return home. I am tired of whatever game your agency seems to be playing. If you cannot avail yourself of my offer to schedule a meeting and have a frank discussion, I see no reason to answer any of your agencies questions while I'm on a working vacation. Good Day."

I took Jeryl's arm and moved past him. Alison stayed between the two of us and the agent as Sanford hurried to the door and jogged to get our car.

As we pulled away from the building, Alison turned from the front seat to look at me. "Your question during the interview was not hypothetical."

I gave her a tight smile.

"Why is the FBI interested in you?"

"I wish I knew."

"How many encounters have you had with them?"

I told her.

"I'll make some calls when we get back to the hotel. I may be able to learn a little more."

"I hope you can. This is getting more than a little ridiculous."