The Kiss That Saved The World

That Man at GFT Solutions

Claire-Marie Wilcox was the daughter of William and Mary Wilcox, old money, Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana. Their wealth and influence in the Southern United States were unmatched. Their daughter was a brilliant student, accomplished athlete, and the debutante of the year when she completed finishing school in Charleston.

Claire-Marie's Mother, Mary, was seated in the office of the President of GFT Solutions, Mr. Barnett Lay. Mr. Lay was a long story of brilliant engineering mixed with a deeply disturbed personality. No one liked Mr. Lay, but essential people called upon him because of his amazing ability to solve difficult problems. And Mary Wilcox had a challenging problem. Her daughter was missing.

“I never trusted that man,” stated Mrs. Wilcox.

“Which man?”

“That Armstrong boy. He doesn't come from a proper family. He has a criminal past, and now my daughter is missing. I'm afraid he might have killed her."

“Hang on, now. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s look at the basic facts. The first is that we are not a detective agency. We are an engineering firm.”

Mrs. Wilcox scowled and lifted her purse from the desk. She drew out a single playing card, the Jack of Spades. She flipped the card onto Mr. Lay's desk. "I was afraid you would take that attitude. Everyone told me that you are annoying, but you are also the best at solving problems.”

The stern look on her face indicated to Barnett that this woman was used to getting her way. She continued, “The FBI can’t find her, the CIA can’t find her, and the Michigan authorities can’t find her. That playing card says you have to find her.”

“Where did you get this?” asked Barnett Lay, turning the card over to study it.

“That’s my affair.”

Barnett knew he was in a corner. Two years ago, at a confidential meeting with several world leaders to prepare them for further bio attacks similar to the Cornstalk Killers (which GFT Solutions had thwarted). After the meeting, he had handed out playing cards to several high-level officials. "Use this card to let me know you need our discreet services," he had told each of them. Mrs. Wilcox had just dealt him the card Barnett had given the President of France.

After a moment of turning the card over in his hand, Barnett placed the card on his desk and said, “Very well, let’s find your daughter.”

Mrs. Wilcox smiled and settled back into her chair. She provided the details about her daughter, the young man in question, and her daughter's routine. She described how she used to call her daughter every day. How "that Armstrong boy" had suddenly appeared in her daughter's life. The scandalous whirlwind affair they had and how the two had eventually married. Until their disappearance, they both worked at a Michigan biotechnology company. Claire-Marie was making significant breakthroughs in research. Then, suddenly, they had both disappeared.

“I remember the news reports,” said Barnett. “The company, State Police, FBI, and even the CIA couldn’t find a trace. There was no ransom demand, no bodies found, and no clues.”

“I have been frantic since this occurred," said Mrs. Wilcox. The lines of stress were visible on her face.

“Well, the good news is that murder or k********g are extremely unlikely," said Barnett to keep Mrs. Wilcox calm.

“But, why can’t the authorities find them?” she demanded.

“Police investigations use crude, outdated methods that are not very efficient. Our company uses new technologies and methods of engineering. That includes how to investigate a situation properly. The fact that they disappeared without a trace contains information we can use to narrow down what happened and who is involved." Barnett had to make sure he didn’t mention his partner in the business. In the next room was the world's smartest mathematician, or so he claimed. His name was Harris Harrison. Harrison had unlocked a set of technologies 100 years ahead of their time. It was a secret Barnett Lay had to guard carefully.

After further assurances, Barnett escorted Mrs. Wilcox out of the office and watched her use the elevator to leave the building. Then he turned to a dark-haired, middle-aged woman sitting at the reception desk. "Okay, Wendy, work your magic."

Wendy had finished raising a family and wanted to go back to work. She had spent motherhood diving deep into the publications and television shows about the rich and famous. Her ideal job was to do as little work as possible while being able to gossip all day. Being Barnett Lay's assistant was the perfect fit. Barnett's anxiety attacks were frequent enough; she had to drive him to work. She greeted visitors and occasionally made coffee. That was the extent of her duties. The rest of the time, each day involved reading romantic novels and gossiping with the mathematician's assistant, Alisha.

She had a superpower. Wendy could look at a wealthy client and tell you who made their clothes and what they had cost. She could recite a long list of rumors about any famous person in the world.

“You do realize who that was, don’t you?” began Wendy.

“Do tell.”

“Mrs. Wilcox is married to the Assistant Secretary of State for the United States. She’s on the Board of several corporations and is the queen bee of New Orleans society."

“And the daughter?”

“Claire-Marie has been in People magazine at least a dozen times. She is gorgeous, smart, and famous. She’s considered the best biotech engineer in the world. But, did you know her mother disowned her when she got married?”

"She seems to have forgotten to mention that. What do you know about Claire-Marie's husband?"

"I don't know," said Wendy, "not much is known about him."

“Interesting.” Barnett paused in the foyer and thought about this information.” He looked at what was true. At this point, it seemed everything Mrs. Wilcox had said was true. However, there were large chunks of truth still missing. It was going to be tricky.

He would have to think carefully about how to proceed. He didn't want the authorities in his face, but he also didn't want to fail. He knew that no matter what he did, there would be damage and possible casualties. If that was unavoidable, there was only one path to follow. He leaned into the mathematician's office and asked, "Hey Harrison. Would you like to violate a crime scene with me?"

"Sounds like fun," replied Harris Harrison. The self-proclaimed brightest mathematician in human history and grand annoyance to anyone he meets.