Chapter Four Blog Date 052706

At 35,000 Feet Over Colorado 19April05 1100MDT

Anthony Carmondii, the plane's only passenger, took another drink of coffee from his paper cup. He glanced out the window of the private Citation 300 business jet at the snow-covered mountains below. In years past, he had often spent a Spring week in Aspen to sample the abundant apres' ski night life. But these last two years had just been too hectic at Cyberware to indulge in the fantasy life that had now made Aspen America's premier winter playground.

He checked his watch again. They were due to land in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City in another ninety minutes. Carmondii closed his eyes and recalled his conversation late yesterday afternoon with Aaron Ginsberg in a quiet corner of the men's grill at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links club house. They had been joined on the course by two other Equity Funding clients and there had been no opportunity for any significant business discussion during the round. It had been a subdued round for the foursome, with little of the normal banter usually present in weekend matches at the club. After settling the gentlemen's bets from the round over cocktails, the other two players had made diplomatic exits, leaving Ginsberg and Carmondii alone at the table.

"Anthony," said Ginsberg, "my sources tell me that you've been making some noise with the bond boys about an extension on that $300 million indenture that matures in June. And those same sources say that you deferred payment Friday on a sizable dividend to Melanie. Those aren't good signs for the payment you owe us on July 1st. Care to explain?"

Carmondii was not surprised that Ginsberg had been alerted to his inquiries of the investment banks regarding the refunding of the bond indenture. You sneeze in the same area code as one of those vulchers and you start getting calls from people you don't know about your vital signs. But by letting Carmondii know that he was already aware of the withholding of the dividend payment to Melanie, Ginsberg was making it clear that Equity Funding expected payment of the Cyberware debt on time.

"We're just checking out our options on that indenture, Aaron," Carmondii had replied. "And the withholding on that dividend for Melanie was her idea," he had lied. "She's trying to organize some not-for-profit thing out there and she didn't want the locals to think that she was going to be the sole source of funding. She thinks that a big balance in her investment account might put off some possible donors to the cause."

"You know, Anthony," Ginsberg had said in response, "we go back a long time, and we have made a lot of money together. The business at Equity Funding has always been fairly simple. We put money in up front, and then once the thing is up and running, we take a lot more money out on the back side. Our arrangement with you and Cyberware was designed the same way. I hope that you understand that while you and I have this very good history together, business is business, and July 1st is not all that far away. Eh?"

Carmondii had smiled, nodded, and said, "Aaron, I wouldn't have expected it any other way."

Later on Saturday evening, Carmondii had decided that he needed to meet with Melanie face-to-face to see if he could at least obtain a small reprieve from her on the special dividend schedule. He knew that she was probably going to get the lawyers involved next week if he didn't find some way to appease her. When he called to see if she would meet with him on Sunday, she was obviously angry about the dividend, but she also seemed otherwise upset and had no interest in an extended conversation. She told him that he could come to her place around three, but to call when he landed so that she would know he was on his way.

The Citation had been an extravagance that Carmondii had justified when airport security had become a full contact sport after 9-11. Cyberware co-owned the aircraft with two other corporations to obtain some additional efficiencies on the costs of ownership, but usage was heavily tilted toward Cyberware's Chief Exective Officer. Availability of the plane made unscheduled trips like this one nothing more than a call for a cab.

He must have drifted off to sleep because he was startled at a call from the pilot on the overhead speaker, "We've begun our descent, Mr Carmondii. We should be on the ground in about 15 minutes.