What Doesn't Kill Us--A McKenzie Novel by David Housewright (most read books txt) 📗

fifteen cents. At the same time, solar power cost more than a dollar per kilowatt hour and everyone laughed. I would have, too. Today, this morning to be precise, fossil fuels were priced at between five and seventeen cents, wind was six cents, and solar—solar was four cents per kilowatt hour. You don’t need to fight the environmentalists in court every single day to produce it or build pipelines to ship it, either.”

“Solar is cheaper than coal?” Reinfeld asked.

“Coal is dead. They just haven’t buried it yet. For one thing, you can’t go just by its kilowatt price. There’s an additional three-point-four cents in adverse health impacts according to the National Academies of Science and another two-point-two cents in climate change–related damages.”

“I’m impressed.”

“You’re not going to say something insulting like I’m too pretty to be this smart or I’m too smart to be this pretty?”

“I would never say that.”

“Because I’ve heard it before. Consider it a deal breaker.”

“I’m still trying to make up for my first dumb line.”

“So far so good.”

“Should I be honest?”

“Better now than later.”

“I researched your name while you went to the restroom. You have a very impressive curriculum vitae.”

Heavenly made a dramatic sigh and took another sip of her Vieux Carré.

“I should be insulted, but I’m not,” she said. “I suppose a man in your position needs to be careful.”

“Didn’t you Google me?”

“No, I spent most of my time trying to find out why my date stood me up.”

“At the risk of taking another step backward, anyone who stands you up is a damn fool.”

“I’m glad somebody thinks so.”

“May I buy you another Vieux Carré?” Reinfeld asked.

Heavenly paused before answering as if to carefully consider her words.

“Time and experience has taught me to maintain a low risk profile,” she said.

“Meaning?”

Heavenly held up her still half-full glass.

“I’ll just keep sipping this one for now,” she said. “Safer.”

Reinfeld smiled as if he admired her caution.

“I tend to be more high risk,” he said. “More opportunistic.”

“You can afford to be,” Heavenly said. “So tell me, Justus Reinfeld, who was named after his grandfather, what should I invest in?”

Reinfeld paused for a moment like a Texas Hold’em player before he goes all in.

“KTech Industries,” he said.

“I’m not familiar.”

“Based here in the Cities, specializes in artificial intelligence designs…”

Heavenly snapped her fingers.

“What’s-his-name, umm … King Charles.”

“Charles King, yes.”

“That’s really not my field, but they’re up-and-coming, aren’t they?”

“Very much so. You say solar power is the future. Believe me, AI is a few steps in front of it.”

“How much are you putting into KTech?”

Reinfeld grinned.

“What?” Heavenly asked.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“You’d be surprised.”

“I’m going to buy it.”

“I didn’t know it was for sale.”

“It’s not.”

Heavenly grinned back at him.

“You’re a pirate,” she said.

“I like that, thank you. It sounds so much more appealing than corporate raider. People hear that term and they think of Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street.”

“Who claimed greed was good.”

“I’d much rather be Errol Flynn in Captain Blood.”

“Wouldn’t we all, but, Justus”—Heavenly leaned close and lowered her voice as if she was now part of a grand conspiracy—“isn’t that dangerous? A hostile takeover? Charles King is the face of KTech in the same way that Steve Jobs was the face of Apple. After the board fired him in ’85 the company nearly tanked. Twelve years later, they had to bring him back in order to save it.”

“Yes, but how has it done in the decade since Jobs passed?” Reinfeld asked. “Pretty good, I’d say, since it’s one of the ten most profitable companies in the world. I believe KTech could do exceptionally well even without Charles; I’m betting on it. It might be a moot point, anyway. Rumor has it that he’s very ill.”

“How do you know?”

“Let’s just say a little birdie told me and let it go at that. When word gets out about Charles, I’ll probably be hailed as a white knight by the other shareholders.”

“You’ll make sure word gets out, too, won’t you?”

“After I take over the company.”

“What’s keeping you then?” Heavenly made a production out of glancing at her jeweled wristwatch. “The markets won’t close for another six minutes.”

“There have been a couple of glitches. For one, word about what I was attempting got out prematurely.” Reinfeld tapped his chest. “My fault. I was careless. Fortunately, that seems to have been taken care of.”

“How?”

“The man who guessed my plans was shot. He’s in a coma.”

Heavenly backed away, an expression on her face that could be interpreted as a mixture of both surprise and delight.

“You had a man”—Heavenly lowered her voice and leaned in again—“you had a man shot? Oh, now you are Captain Blood.”

“Except, I didn’t do it,” Reinfeld said.

“Don’t think that’s a step backward. You had a man shot. Wow.”

“I honestly didn’t do it, Heavenly. I called him; I threatened him. I’m not proud of that. Later, I sent a man to discuss the issue with him and his wife; threaten them again or buy them off was my intention. Only I didn’t shoot him. I didn’t have him shot.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I’m sure. I thought about it. I mean, that was the first thing that came to mind, killing the asshole. But no, no, no—what kind of a man do you think I am?”

“I think you’re like most of the men I’ve known,” Heavenly said. “You meet a pretty girl and—what was it you said? Your brain turns to mush?”

She spun back to the bar and turned her cell phone right side up. She leaned forward and spoke into it.

“Do you need anything more?” Heavenly asked.

“No, that’ll do,” a male voice replied. “I’m satisfied.”

“All right. See you in a minute.”

“What?” Reinfeld was speaking loudly enough that the bartender and half the patrons in the joint turned toward him. “What the hell?”

Heavenly slipped off the stool and gathered up her cell and handbag.

“For the record,” she said, “if you had been responsible for hurting my friend, I would have obliterated you. You and your business. I would have made it my mission in life.”

“Who