Page 43 of Erase Me
Not a great situation.Not good, at all.
Bottom line, I could be in over my head.Not that I had a choice.But that was the reality.
I cut in on Payam’s monologue.“You think I should talk to this man?”
“That might be all it takes,” my assistant explained.“If this fellow is destitute, he might part with the weapons for a few of their dollars.In any case, once you contact him, you can decide on the best course of action.But you shouldn’t delay.”
“Alright,” I exhaled sharply, frustration evident in my voice.Impulsiveness, sudden changes of plans, and last-minute scenarios weren’t my forte.“Do you have a location on him?”
“Not at the moment.”Payam paused, and for a moment I thought he was gone.
“Hey, are you there?Don’t get glitchy on me.”
“I’m here.Don’t get glitchy yourself.He seems to go back to the same spot every night.After closing time.”
“What do you mean, closing time?”I asked.
“A few of the restaurants along Del Mar and El Camino hand out food to the destitute through their kitchen doors when they’re about to close,” Payam explained.“I’m sending you the coordinates of where he sleeps.”
My phone buzzed, prompting me to open the location map Payam had sent.As I enlarged the map, my assistant chimed in, providing more information.
“It’s a rundown area the locals call the Surf Ghetto.”
Having previously examined the layout of San Clemente and its different neighborhoods, I recognized the section.
“No problem.I haven’t been down there, but I know about it.”
When I was researching the town, I’d even read an article about the Surf Ghetto.It was located at the north end and originally designated for small shops and light industry when San Clemente was planned in 1925.The Ghetto still retained many of its original cement block and corrugated steel buildings.These structures were initially designed for machine shops, sheet metal works, and auto and boat repair.
Many of the original buildings were still there, but the work performed in them had changed.From the 1960s on, the surfing community had gradually taken over the buildings.Aside from providing cheap places to live, the garage bays were transformed into shops for building, repairing, and selling surfboards.Even now, according to the article, the shops were busy with fiberglassing, carpentry, metalworking, and auto and furniture repair.
The section was proudly tough, blue-collar, and hardworking.
“But there are no street security cameras there,” Payam added.“So I won’t be much help to you.”
“I’ll be all right.”
“You’re the boss.Let me know if you need anything before you head over there.”
I ended the call with Payam and checked the clock on the wall before making the next call.As expected, a young woman’s voice answered.
“Judy?”
I already knew so much about her.A twenty-one-year-old brainiac on a mission to crack quantum code.She was doing her research at Caltech in Pasadena, California.The PhD whiz kid wasn’t about the party scene.Instead, she was knee-deep in quantum physics, unraveling the universe’s secrets.
While her peers were out socializing, Judy was all about particle puzzles and stargazing.After ten minutes of conversation, I could already tell that she was not a typical genius, though.She was approachable, down-to-earth, and up for mind-bending chats.
My previous research had told me that Judy was on the brink of something huge with her project.What she was involved with was not just about theories; she was cooking up technology that could shake things up in quantum physics.
But genius came at a cost, and Judy was hustling hard to fund her breakthrough.
And that was where my fictional persona clicked with her.I was now not just selling myself as a freelance editor for technical magazines, I’d told her I was also a skilled grant writer with key connections between the technical and the finance communities.
In taking my call, I knew she’d already read the email I sent her and vetted me for my credentials and for the successful projects I’d facilitated.
I liked her.But more importantly, she liked me and saw how I could help her.
The key point in our conversation was that I knew a tech millionaire who was rolling in dough and ready to back her project big time.She was thrilled at the prospect.We locked in this Thursday to meet, and I gave her the address.The stage was now set for her introduction to the investor.
