“I would like to thank Carol
for her help in editing and giving me some suggestions to help the story flow
better in places. Also for her help in the difference of words, spellings and
their meanings for things, as to what we say or mean across the pond.”
1.
Seaview had just returned to the institute in Santa Barbara from a routine cruise and Admiral Nelson was gathering together his paperwork to take back ashore. As he put the paperwork into his briefcase, there was a knock at his cabin door.
“Enter.”
“Admiral.”
“Lee, Chip, come in and sit down.”
“Sir,” they replied and sat opposite the admiral.
“Have the crew left for liberty?”
“Yes Sir, all we have aboard now is the security detail,” Lee advised him.
“Good, good. Now, in addition to your regular shore duties, I would like you both to do a complete stock take in the stores warehouse ashore. Angie has told me that she has had reports that when staff have gone to fetch parts, they are not there. Now, there either is a glitch in the computers or we have a thief or thieves at the Institute. As things have gone missing while we have been on this cruise, you two are the best people to do the audit. You can double check what’s on the computer to what is actually in the warehouse over a few days. Chip you can run a diagnostic check on the computer as well.”
“Everything Admiral?” Lee raised his eyebrows.
“Yes. The things that have gone missing are all smallish, often vital items, as well as run of the mill things that could easily be bought in town for a few dollars. You know, easy to pocket or slip in your bag. It shouldn't take you and Chip to long once you start.”
“You really think we have a thief Admiral? Most of the staff have been with you since the beginning of NIMR. Surely the security scanners would pick up any metallic items as the staff leave?” Chip replied raising an eyebrow.
“I know Chip, that's what upsets me. If someone is struggling, I would rather they come to me, than steal from me.”
“Well, we will start first thing tomorrow, that will give us a chance to check our mail and also have a word with Angie to get more details, Admiral.”
“That's fine Lee, sorry to put this on you both, but it needs to be nipped in the bud if there is a thief. Now let's get ashore, the sooner we start on our paperwork, the sooner we finish.”
“Yes Sir,” Lee and Chip replied in unison and left the admiral's cabin to get their duffles and covers before heading ashore along with the admiral.
As they left Seaview, they turned and saluted the colors before heading over the gangplank to the waiting staff car. The short drive up to the administration building did not take long and before they knew it they were back in their shore offices.
As Admiral Nelson entered his outer office, his secretary Angie was at her desk, busy typing away on her computer. She looked up as she heard the door open.
“Admiral, welcome back Sir.”
“Thank you Angie, how are you?”
“Fine Sir, thank you. I have put all your private and confidential mail on your desk, in the order received. There are a few registered deliveries among them as well. The rest of your mail is in your in-tray Admiral. Oh, and there is a fresh pot of coffee in your office as well,” she smiled at her boss.
“Angie, I don’t know what I would do without you keeping everything running smoothly here whilst I'm away,” he smiled at her and entered his office, closing the door behind him.
After hanging his jacket up and putting his cover on the shelf above the rail, he poured himself a coffee and then sat at his desk. He picked up the private and confidential mail and started to open it. As he worked through it, he came to a registered letter with a San Francisco postmark and a return address of a law firm there. He opened it up and started to read the letter.
Dear
Admiral Nelson,
I am writing to you and also to Miss Edith
Nelson, to inform you that we believe that you are the last living relatives of
Miss Aileen Murphy, late of San Francisco, California, USA, whom we were
retained by to deal with her last will and testament.
With this
in mind, I would be grateful if you would contact me at my office on the above
phone number, at your earliest convenience to discuss a possible inheritance.
Yours
sincerely,
Jak Jackson,
Attorney
at Law,
Jackson
and Smythe Law Firm.
The admiral re-read the letter and decided to phone Edith to see if she had received her copy of the letter, as she wouldn't be aware that Seaview was back a day earlier than scheduled. He dialed her number and waited for her to answer.
“Hello.”
“Hello Edith, how are you?”
“Harry, I’m fine, what are you doing calling me from Seaview? Not that I’m not pleased to hear from you.”
“I’m not on Seaview, I’m back at the Institute. We finished our cruise a day ahead of schedule. Edith, I have just opened my mail and have a registered letter from a law firm in San Francisco. They say they have written to you as well and I was wondering if you have received it?”
“Yes, I have Harry, I was going to call you tomorrow about it.”
“Have you spoken to this Jak Jackson yet?”
“Yes, I have, the letter came a couple of weeks ago. He said he could not tell me any more until you contacted him as well, as he needs to speak to us together.”
“Together?”
“Yes, he said we can do a conference call if
it’s easier to confirm any family details. It seems we had a cousin
about four times removed or something like that of Mom’s.”
“Okay, I will call him now Edith and will call you back after.”
“Okay Harry. If this person is a relation, it’s sad we never knew about her and that she died alone, but it’s exciting at the same time, as to what our inheritance maybe, don’t you think?”
“Yes Edith, speak to you in awhile,” with that he put the phone down and dialed the number of the lawyer.
“Jackson and Smythe Law Firm, how may I help you?” a female voice answered.
“I’d like to speak with Jak
Jackson please. My name is Admiral Harriman Nelson.”
“One moment Sir, I will see if Mr Jackson is free.”
After a few moments a male voice came on the line.
“Admiral Nelson, Jak Jackson speaking. Thank you for calling me, your sister explained that you were away at sea. Have you spoken to her yet about the letter?”
“Yes, I have just come off the phone from her.”
“Well, we believe that you and Miss Nelson are Miss Murphy's only living relations. I propose that as we are all in separate cities, that we have a teleconference to see what you know about your family history on your Mother's side. If that is acceptable to you, I can schedule the call tomorrow, say 11.00 am Pacific time, making it 8.00 Eastern. Would that be convenient to you both?”
“I’m sure that will be fine for both of us Mr Jackson, if it is a problem for my sister, I will get straight back to you. You can reach me on this number, Santa Barbara 555 1234. I will tell my secretary to put you straight through, if I am not on a call.”
“Thank you Admiral Nelson, until tomorrow. Good day.”
“Thank you Mr Jackson. Good day.”
The admiral ended the call and redialed his sister to make the arrangements for the teleconference.
At 11.00 am the next day, the admiral and Edith confirmed with Mr Jackson what they knew about their mother’s side of their family. Jackson confirmed that subject to a final check, that they were indeed the last living relatives of Aileen Murphy.
He explained that once he had verified their identification personally, he would be able to tell them what the inheritance was. For convenience, due to the time restraints before Seaview’s next cruise, the admiral arranged for Jackson to come to Santa Barbara, in order to check their official identification documents with them present, as legally required. It would also allow time for Edith to get a flight from New York.
2.
In the warehouse before the staff were due to start, Lee and Chip were doing a count of the stock for the third day running. Chip had checked the computers and found no glitches in the procurement system, so it had to be a thief.
“Well Chip,” Lee
asked, “how did you do, today? I came up short.”
“Me too, but I noticed that everything missing has been on ground level, and very random compared to the supply manifest.“
“They could be stealing to order Chip, though it doesn't make sense. As you say, all very random, I hadn’t realized that they are all on the bottom shelf though. Nothing shows on CCTV, during the day and the warehouse is locked overnight. The security log and computer show no-one has entered during the night.”
“Well, how long do we keep checking?”
“As long as it takes. This is a trust issue as well as financial losses. Perhaps we should do an overnighter Chip.”
“Well, it will be more comfortable than when we do ONI surveillance work, though I doubt we will find out anything Lee.”
“If we don’t Chip, at least we tried. Come on, let’s go and get some breakfast at the cafeteria.”
“Your best idea yet Lee.” With that they left and headed towards the admin building where the cafeteria was.
After breakfast, Lee and Chip went to the admiral’s office to brief him on their findings and their plan to do an overnight surveillance.
“Good Morning Angie and how are you this fine day?” a smiling Lee asked the admiral’s secretary.
“Angie,” Chip acknowledged.
“Good Morning to you both as well. Go straight in. The admiral is expecting you.”
“Thanks Angie, hope he is in a good mood.”
“He seems to be Lee,” Angie flashed a smile at them.
Lee knocked on the admiral’s door and they entered, closing the door behind them.
“Good Morning Admiral,” Lee and Chip said in unison.
“Good Morning Lee, Chip, take a seat.”
“Thank you Sir,” they replied as they sat down opposite him.
The admiral gave the day’s briefing before asking about the missing supplies. Lee and Chip told him what their results were and their plan, which he thought was a good idea.
“Well, that's about it gentleman. Oh yes, Edith is arriving today, as we have a meeting with a lawyer. It is nothing to do with the running of the Institute or Seaview, it is about a possible inheritance from a long lost relation who has passed away. I trust you will keep this information to yourselves.”
“Yes Sir,” came the joint reply.
“Edith is due here about 09.00, I have sent a car to pick her up from the airport. Our meeting is at 11.00, so unless it is urgent, Angie has orders not to disturb us.”
“Aye Sir.”
“Well that’s all for now. I suggest we all have lunch when Edith and I have finished our meeting. I will call you when we are free, if it’s earlier. Dismissed.”
Lee and Chip rose from their chairs, acknowledged the admiral and went to their offices.
3.
Edith arrived at the institute at 10.00 due to a delay on her flight. As she got out of the car, she took her hand bag and slung it over her shoulder and then took her case from the driver. She headed into the admin building and took the lift up to the top floor, where the Admiral, Lee and Chip had their offices. She always liked the view from the glass elevator as it looked over to the ocean and of course Seaview’s outdoor dock.
As the lift reached the top floor, the doors opened and she headed to the admiral's office.
“Good Morning Angie,”
“Good Morning Miss Nelson, I hope you had a good flight.”
“Yes, it was, as flights go, thank you Angie. I trust my brother is not overworking you, I know what he is like when he gets a bee in his bonnet.”
“No he doesn't. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else,” she replied with sincerity.
“I’m pleased to hear that Angie, I don’t think anyone else would put up with me and keep me constantly supplied with fresh coffee.”
Edith and Angie looked around to see the admiral standing in his doorway grinning.
“I thought I heard your voice Edith, it’s good to see you,” he walked over to his sister and kissed her on the cheek.
“Harry, good to see you too. Angie, you and I must catch up while I am here over dinner one night.”
“Look forward to it Miss Nelson.”
“It’s Edith when off duty don’t forget. Now, I could do with some of that fresh coffee, after what they call coffee on the flight.”
“Angie, when Mr Jackson arrives bring him straight through.”
“Yes Admiral.”
With that the admiral and Edith went into his office. The admiral poured two mugs of coffee, putting a dash of milk in Edith's and put it on the desk in front of her.
“Well Harry, you have never heard of this Aileen Murphy before then either?”
“No Edith, I think I once overheard Mom say to Dad that there was a scandal on her side, where someone was disowned by the family. But I was only a boy then, so never took much notice of what she said.”
“Knowing you Harry, you were probably playing with your chemistry set, Mom told me that you were always doing that or reading about naval history and marine life. Some things never change do they Harry!” she laughed as she looked at her big brother.
“But look where it led to Edith,” he replied, but not in a big headed way.
The admiral and Edith carried on chatting until there was a knock at the door and Angie entered.
“Admiral, Miss Nelson, Mr Jackson is here.”
The admiral nodded to Angie, who turned to the waiting man.
“Come through Mr Jackson.”
As Jackson entered the office the admiral rose to greet him.
“Mr Jackson, pleased to meet you,” and shook his hand, “This is my sister Edith.”
“Miss Nelson a pleasure to meet you,”
“Likewise Mr Jackson,” she replied, shaking his hand.
“Would you like some coffee before we begin, as I am sure you must have had an early start?”
“That would be most welcome Admiral, thank you.”
The admiral poured a cup for Jackson and refreshed his and Edith’s.
“I have to say what a wonderful establishment you have here, it seems to be everything that the press and media say about it, is correct, Admiral Nelson.”
“Thank you, we like to think of ourselves as a forerunner in marine research.”
“Well, Admiral, Miss Nelson, I better get on with the matter in hand. When Miss Murphy made her will with us, she said she thought she had some long lost cousins in the Santa Barbara or New England area, but her memory was beginning to fade. She was still compos mentis and was able to lay out her wishes when she made her will though. I have copies here for each of you.
Her wish was that upon her death, my firm was to try and trace her relations, as she wished to leave her entire estate to them. If we were unable to find them, then her estate was to go to military charities. Towards the end she kept saying that she was told by her mother that she was related to the New England Nelsons. Whenever you were on TV Admiral, she said that you were related. Of course everyone at the assisted living facility thought it was the ramblings of a very old lady, she had never mentioned it to me when I drew up her will.
However, my team of genealogists set to work on Aileen’s family tree, and after quite some time we finally found a lead that led us to her only living relations… yourselves. So she was not rambling.”
“I wonder why she never tried to contact us to see if we were related? After Edith and I lost our parents, we knew we had no other family as our parents told us we were the last of both the Nelsons and Murphy's.”
“Guess we will never know Harry,” Edith answered looking across to her brother.
“I have a copy of your mother’s family tree that our genealogist done for you here, so you can go through it at your leisure. Now, I expect you both would like to know what you have inherited?”
“Well, it’s sad that we never knew of her, it would have been nice to of met one of Mom's relations, though I have to say we are curious Mr Jackson, as to what we have inherited.”
“Well Miss Nelson, you and Admiral Nelson have been left her entire estate; property, businesses and any money that is left after any debts are paid off, and of course this year’s income taxes, though the cash in her will will more than cover all, including our own fees. You will have a very substantial inheritance.”
“What type of businesses?” the admiral asked.
“Well the main two are in the hills, not far from here, the other two are in the Napa Valley. You have inherited four vineyards and wineries. Aileen closed the processing part of all four about three years ago, when she went into the assisted living facility, as she did not want to produce wine that she could not personally taste for quality. When she had her stroke, she found that she no longer could taste and distinguish between the various wines like she used to.
After that they just harvested
the grapes to sell to other wineries, as it takes so long to establish the
vines, she did not want to lose them. She kept the teams who tend the vines and
got teams of pickers in to pick the grapes at harvest time. Aileen was a very
shrewd business woman, seems to run in the family.”
The admiral smiled, then asked, “But how did she obtain the vineyards and become so wealthy?”
“Her grandmother Bernadette inherited the business from a Miss Constantina De’Marco, who she was housekeeper to. Miss De'Marco accepted that Bernadette was a single mom, a scandal in those days, as she had been in the same situation and was disowned by her family as well; tragically though her daughter died in a measles outbreak as a toddler, so had no family to leave her business to.
Her family set her up with a small place with some land, here on the West coast, so she was not destitute and told that was all she was getting, her future was in her hands. They done it as they felt it would be wrong to punish the unborn baby. But they wanted nothing else to do with Constantina or their future grandchild. Bernadette’s family on the other hand wanted her to go away to have her baby, then have it adopted and return with no more said; or keep it and be disowned with nothing. She chose her baby.
Anyway, Constantina was impressed not only by Bernadette’s housekeeping skills, but her work ethic to support her daughter Colleen. Gradually as Colleen got older and needed less attention, Constantina got Bernadette to help out in the business by training her alongside her in all aspects of grape growing and wine making.
Constantina liked the ideas Bernadette had for the vineyard and implemented them, which made the business grow and become established. As Constantina grew frail, she entrusted Bernadette to run it for her. Eventually when Constantina died, Bernadette found she had been left everything. After inheriting the business, Bernadette had more ideas and the business grew into the multi-million dollar business that it is today. When Bernadette died it went to Aileen's mother Colleen, who also was a single mom, she refused to say who Aileen’s father was, other than calling him a gold digger and that he was no longer alive. She threw herself into expanding the business and brought the two vineyards in the Napa Valley. When Colleen died, she left everything to Aileen, who never married or had children, and she continued to expand the businesses. I can take you to see the Santa Barbara vineyards today if you would like to? As our firm are the custodians, I can do a final check on the properties before they are formally signed over to you both.”
Jackson looked from the admiral to Edith.
“Are you free Harry?”
“I have to meet Lee and Chip for lunch first. Mr Jackson would you care to join us before we visit the vineyards?”
“Thank you Admiral, that would be very nice.”
With
that the admiral got up and led them all to the cafeteria. Lee and Chip were already there, and quickly slid
some more chairs over and greeted the admiral’s party.
“I’d like you to meet Jak Jackson,” Nelson began the introductions, “He’s a lawyer handling some family business. This is Commander Lee Crane and Lieutenant Commander Chip Morton.”
“Pleased to meet you Mr
Jackson,” Lee said as he shook his hand as Chip did the same.
“Lee is the Captain of Seaview and Chip is her Executive Officer,” explained the admiral as they took their seats.
“Wow, that's some job you both have, it must be full of excitement, being on the most famous ship, in or outside of the navy.”
“Yes, it can be Mr
Jackson, Seaview is a great boat to work on, we are very lucky,” Lee replied
smiling.
“Lee, how is that shore problem coming along, are you and Chip near to resolving it?”
“We hope we may have an answer for you either tomorrow or the next day Sir.”
“That’s good Lee. Mr
Jackson, Edith, and I will be gone this afternoon, but you may call me on my
cell with any update.”
“Aye Sir.”
With that, they all enjoyed the culinary delights that were on the day’s menu, before parting ways.
4.
As the car came to a stop at the winery, the driver jumped out and opened the doors for its passengers.
“Well, it looks pretty well maintained Mr Jackson,” the admiral stated, as he cast his eyes around
the buildings.
“Yes, Miss Murphy kept all the properties well maintained, knowing that she wanted it to be passed down to family or go to charity. If you would like to follow me, I can introduce you to the chief groundsman and vine tender. They live in rent free properties on the grounds. Obviously we have retained the staff, again, as per Miss Murphy’s wishes until her will was sorted one way or another, and the new custodians take over.”
“As Harry said, everything looks in near perfect condition Mr Jackson,” Edith said as she looked around.
“Yes it is Miss Nelson, we send someone up here and to the Napa Valley every couple of months to check on them, since we took over the running of her affairs.”
With that Jackson took the admiral and Edith to meet the chief groundsman and vine tender, who then took them on a tour of the vineyards and winery.
After a couple of hours their tour was over at Murphy’s One and they headed to Murphy’s Two. There they met its chief groundsman and vine tender for it and had a tour of everything there.
On the way back to the institute they decided they would go to the Napa Valley vineyards the next day, using one of the institute’s helicopters before Jackson headed back to San Francisco.
“Well Miss Nelson, Admiral Nelson, what do you think of your inheritance, so far? I’m sure you could bring it back into producing your own wine.”
“Both Edith and I lead extremely busy lives to have time to become winemakers. Plus I am away a lot as well, we will have to have a talk about what to do with them. I am sure Edith will agree with me, that it would be a shame to let it go to a multi vineyard company, like so many are now.”
“Yes I do agree Harry, we can discuss ideas later,” Edith replied.
“Mr Jackson, you would be most welcome to join us for dinner tonight at the Institute, rather than go back to your hotel, unless you have other plans?”
“Well, after sampling your menu at lunchtime Admiral, dinner sounds just great, thank you.”
After dinner with Jackson, Edith went back with the admiral to his house on the institute grounds. It overlooked the ocean and you could hear the waves breaking down below from it. Lee and Chip’s houses were a little further down, but still overlooking the ocean and like the admiral’s, they had direct access to the institute’s private beach below.
The admiral poured two Scotch on the Rocks and handed one to Edith. He lit up a cigarette, much to Edith's annoyance and knew what she was about say.
“Thanks Harry. You know you still smoke far too much, what happened to giving it up? I thought Seaview now restricts smoking to just one area, as so few of the crew smoke.”
“Edith, I own Seaview. I can smoke where I like if I want to, but in fairness to the crew I restrict myself to my cabin.”
“That’s a start I suppose. You really should give it up though, be a better example to the crew, like Lee and Chip.”
“Humpf, you sound like the Doc. Now we really must talk about this inheritance of ours. What do you think we should do?”
“Nice change of subject Harry.”
“Humpf,” was the gruff response.
“Well, neither of us have the time to run four wineries Harry and we are fortunate that we have money. Perhaps we could turn it into some sort of charity venture in Aileen’s memory, especially as she was going to leave her estate to military charities if no relations were found.”
“I must say I was thinking along the same lines myself Edith, let's put our thinking caps on and see what we come up with. Between the two of us I’m sure we can come up with something we both agree on.”
With that the admiral and Edith started to work out what they could do with four wineries and vineyards.
5.
As the last of the parts store staff closed up and left the warehouse, Lee and Chip dressed in black jeans and sweater watched from Lee’s top floor office.
“That's the last of the staff gone now Lee. Once it is dark we can go in, hopefully the thief will appear early tonight and we can go back to our beds. We pull enough all-nighters on Seaview or ONI missions.”
“Let's hope so Chip.”
They kept watch from their window on the parts store until it was dark, then headed down to a backdoor that only the command staff had a pass for. Lee entered his security bypass code, the only place it registered that he had entered there would be on the admiral’s computer. As far as security knew the stores were closed and empty of personnel. As they entered the warehouse Chip and Lee switched their flashlights on and shone them around, then began a walk around.
“Well at least no one is in here now, so if anyone comes in they are either command staff or they have a way of overriding the security system. Just seems way over the top though for what they are stealing.”
“I agree Chip, look there are a couple of chairs over there, why don’t we put one at each end of the warehouse, we may as well be comfortable, could be a long night.”
“Okay Lee.”
Time went by and Lee looked at his watch. It was 01.30. He was used to being holed up waiting during ONI missions, at least he had a chair to sit on this time. He switched his flashlight on and shone it towards Chip.
“Not asleep there are you Morton?”
“No more than you Crane, I reckon we have wasted a good night's sleep by both being here. We should have taken a night each.”
“If you say so...what was that?” Lee said as he heard a noise coming from near Chip. He shone his flashlight around the room and back towards Chip, just as a huge rat ran up Chip’s arm where he was resting it on a shelf, making him jump up, sending the rat on its first and probably last flying lesson.
“Ugh, rats, why did it have to be a rat, I hate rats,” Chip grimaced and let out a big yawn as he sat back down.
“Guess that was what the shuffling was Chip. We will get maintenance to get the pest control people in, as where there is one rat there are more and we don’t want them getting anywhere else or on Seaview,” Lee stretched out, “Only another four hours to go, then we can crash out for a couple of hours before morning briefing.”
Another half hour passed and all of a sudden they heard the clinking of
metal and saw movement by the far wall. They got up and each went down their
side of the shelf aisle. As they headed around to where they saw the movement,
they could just make out a smallish figure in the dark that seemed to be
kneeling next to the bottom shelf taking something from the tray.
They crouched down and crept towards the thief and lunged toward it. There was a scream and hiss, then another, as well as a lot of cursing and hissing.
“It’s a cat!” Lee shouted, “and it’s got me!”
“Me too!”
As they fought with their thief, they finally managed between them to get it under control, by grabbing some of the cleaning cloths on the shelves and wrapping them around it.
Lee felt his way to the light switch, turned it on and turned around to face their struggling thief, whom Chip, his face badly scratched and bleeding, was holding tight.
“Well,” Lee said, “who would’ve thought it. She certainly is a pretty girl isn't she? With those claws, she’d be good in ONI. What have you got to say for yourself girl, mmm?”
“You’re being nice to her?” Chip asked, raising an eyebrow, “there’s blood all over you too, you know.”
“Yeah, well, she can’t help her instincts.”
He looked into the beautiful big blue eyes, there was a loud hiss and if looks could kill, Lee would be dead.
“Okay kitty, you calm down. I understand that
you might have been after the rat, but why steal things like tubing or bolts?”
“Cats like to steal sometimes Lee or move things around, they do it for attention. If we find where she has been sleeping we will probably find most of the missing bits.”
“Well,” Lee said, “she certainly got our attention. Let's get back to my place, I have that travel dog cage that I bought for when Mom visits with Snoop, or if I dog sit for anyone when I’m home. The cat can go in that with a blanket and newspaper. I can rig a small litter box out of a foil baking dish and get some sand from the beach. Let's put her into one of those plastic crates to take her home. Then you may as well save time and clean up at mine, as you look quite a mess, then crash out in the guest room till morning Chip.”
“So do you and what d'ya mean till morning, it is morning!” came the grumpy reply.
As Lee’s alarm clock went off at 06.30 he could hear the one in Chip’s room as well, he sat up, turned it off and hit the shower. After, he went downstairs to put some fresh coffee on; then took some more milk and water along with some chicken to his four legged guest, who was being very vocal about being in the cage.
“I can’t believe that one cat can make such a racket all night, doesn't it ever sleep?” came from a even grumpier Chip as he entered the kitchen.
“Good Morning to you too Chip, take it you didn’t sleep too well either?”
“What do you think, with old blue eyes there screeching all night at the top of its voice?”
“Well, at least our mystery is solved. Though I think the admiral might find it hard to believe. If we look around near the stores this morning, I reckon we will find where she has been hiding. I wonder where she has come from as she looks like a pedigree Persian.”
“Explains grumpy cat then Lee, look at our faces and hands, Doc will roll up laughing, as will the staff, when they find out it was due to a cat and not ONI work. Good job we are always up to date on our Tetanus jabs.”
“Well, we will survive. We better get a vet to check her out and make sure she is okay. All well and good if she is, then we can take her to the animal shelter. Mind you, I think some of the staff here would probably adopt her if she can be socialized. We will cross that bridge though when we get to it. She has enough food and drink and I’ve put fresh newspaper in the cage, I will come back later to check her.”
With that they went and had coffee before Chip left to get changed into uniform, then met back at Lee’s to head up to their offices, before their meeting with the Admiral.
6.
The admiral arrived at his office, then sorted out what he required Angie to do for the day. He then called Lee and Chip to say he was ready for their morning briefing. They arrived in a few minutes and entered the admiral’s office.
As they entered, the admiral saw the scratches on their faces, then their hands and laughed.
“What happened to you two, did your dates not like their flowers?”
“No Sir,” Lee replied “we got these er, injuries when we caught the thief last night.”
“Really, you have caught the thief, he must of put up a good fight then. Is he in the brig?”
“You could say that Admiral! But it was a girl.” Chip answered, trying to keep a straight face, but not succeeding.
“A girl? Well,
when are either of you going to tell me what happened?”
Lee started to tell the admiral what happened overnight and how the thief was now in the ‘brig’ at Lee’s.
“Well gentleman, I was not expecting that,” Nelson said still laughing at the story, “I can trust you to get everything sorted regarding the prisoner in your custody, Lee?”
“Of course Admiral. Despite being grumpy, she
is a lovely looking Persian cat, just needs a wash and brush and some socialization skills if she’s feral, and
never had an owner. We’ll have the animal shelter check for any microchip and
reports of lost cats that meet her description.”
“I’m just glad there is no real thief. Now, Edith and I are taking an Institute helicopter and flying with Mr Jackson to the Napa Valley at 10.00. We inherited four vineyards and wineries, two here in the Santa Barbara hills and two in the Napa Valley, along with a substantial sum. We went to the Santa Barbara ones yesterday and are going to the Napa Valley ones today. So I will be on my cell again, if needed.”
“Yes Sir, so are you and Edith going to go into the wine making business then Sir?”
“We are looking at making it a charitable venture. When we have sorted it out and the details, I will let you know more. I would like you to keep this to yourselves gentlemen.”
“Aye Sir,” came in unison from Lee and Chip
With that Lee and Chip left the admiral’s office to go about their regular shore duties.
Edith arrived at the admiral’s office at 0900 to go over the idea that they had agreed on for the vineyards and wineries, if the Napa Valley ones were at the same high standard the Santa Barbara ones were. Jak Jackson arrived at 09.45, after a quick coffee, the admiral led them to the helipad, where NIMR’s H1 was waiting for them ready to go.
The tour of the Napa Valley vineyards and wineries followed the same pattern as before, using the helicopter saved them a lot of time travelling between the two vineyards.
Before long they had finished their tour of the properties and headed back to the institute. Before Jackson left, the Admiral made provisional arrangements for he and Edith to go to San Francisco to finalize the transfer of Aileen’s estate to them once he had finalized the will with the courts.
A few days passed and the admiral was once again having his morning briefing with Lee and Chip.
“Well, I’m pleased your prisoner has proven herself adoptable. Who adopted her after all?”
“Bill Jones from the garage and his wife. When he told her about our thief, she asked to come and meet er...Frankie as she is now called, as they used to own a Persian. They decided to see if she took to them, and she did, no hissing or scratching at all. And as she knows how to use a litter box she probably had owners at one time. It was almost like a different cat, I always made sure I wore leather gloves when cleaning the cage out or feeding her, you could see her watching for her chance to pounce on me. Still at least we know she has gone to a good home, as Bill’s wife put her in the cat carrier, she was purring, so she must be happy.”
“They say cats choose their owners Lee and the way you two caught her probably didn’t give her a reason to like you. Do you know why they called her Frankie?”
“Yes Sir, they heard me say to Lee that I had come to say goodbye to Old Blues Eyes, that’s what I called her after her screeching all night and the name stuck. So Bill's wife decided to go with the theme and she became Frankie after Old Blues Eyes himself”, Chip explained.
The admiral laughed at the thought of his two top officers going soft over a cat, despite their tough exterior, they could be very soft at times.
“Now, do either of you have any plans for dinner tomorrow night?”
“No Sir.”
“Good, I would like you to come to mine for dinner tomorrow, Edith is cooking. We have something to discuss with you. Say 19.00, it is a casual meal, so please come dressed comfortably.”
“Thank you Sir,” the two officers replied.
“Now, Edith and I are flying to San Francisco to sign the documents for our inheritance to be transferred over to us at 10.00. After the meeting we will have lunch and dinner with some old friends and then catch the 21.00 flight back. Again I will be on my cell if anything urgent comes up. Dismissed.”
“Aye Sir.”
Lee and Chip took their leave and headed to Lee's office, his secretary didn’t start till nine, so they got the coffee going and shut the door.
“I wonder what the Admiral and Edith want to talk to us about Lee, do you think it’s something to do with this inheritance? Perhaps he's changed his mind and is going to retire and become a Oenologist* instead.”
“A what Chip? Have you swallowed a dictionary!” Lee looked at Chip quizzically.
“Haven’t you ever done one of the wine tours Lee? It’s the study and science of making wine.”
“Yes, I have, but I can’t say I remember that term being used. Trust you to retain that snippet of information, it’s no wonder you are so good on quiz nights.”
“Well, I don't like to boast,” he smirked at Lee.
“Well whatever it’s called, I can’t see the Admiral retiring to grow grapes, if it was a whiskey distillery I might of said maybe, but not wine. And Edith is always travelling, so I can’t see her giving up her work. We will just have to wait until tomorrow to find out.”
7.
The next evening Lee and Chip walked to the admiral's house arriving 18.55, not to early and not late and rang the doorbell.
As the admiral opened the door a waft of curry reached them.
“Something smells good Admiral,”
“It’s a authentic Thai Green Curry Chip, it’s a recipe Edith learned to cook while living out there. I’m sure you will enjoy it.”
“I’m sure I will Sir,” Chip replied as they entered the admiral's house.
“We brought this for you Admiral and these for Edith,” Lee said as he handed over a bottle of fifteen year old Scottish Single Malt Whisky and Chip held a big box of hand-made chocolates up.
“Thank you, Edith will appreciate the chocolates.”
“She certainly will Harry,” Edith appeared from the dining room, and kissed both Lee and Chip on the cheek.
“Lee, Chip, it’s so good to have a casual meal with you for a change. Hope you like Thai Green Curry, followed by a trio of traditional Thai desserts. It will be another ten minutes, would you like an aperitif?”
“Please Edith, the meal sounds lovely and a trio of desserts, at least Chip doesn't have to try and choose just one.”
“Oh I’ve made extra, as I know how much Chip likes his food, especially dessert,” Edith smiled and Chip went red as he laughed with them.
The conversation was kept casual during the meal until after dessert. Edith brought a pot of freshly brewed coffee, and she poured everyone a cup, then took her seat.
“Well, I expect you both are wondering what Edith and I wish to discuss with you. As I told you Edith and I have come into an inheritance, which has been confirmed and has now been legally transferred to us. The inheritance includes four vineyards and wineries that Edith and I have visited. Two are here in Santa Barbara and two are in the Napa Valley. The processing parts have been closed for about three years, but the vines have been tended to all the time and the grapes picked and sold off to other wineries.
Now Edith and I have decided that we are not going to keep them. We are going to start a charitable trust for the rehabilitation of wounded veterans having a difficult time adjusting back into civilian life and employment.
Our relation stipulated in her will that if no relations were found then everything should go to military charities. So, we are going to set the vineyards up to offer training and employment to ex service personnel wounded while in service.
What we propose is that we get the wineries up and running again and hopefully to use this year’s grapes to start producing our own wine again. That gives us a few months to get everything shipshape.
We are also going to set up a new separate charity for the profits to go into, in order to help other veterans and their families who are in need. This charity will also be able to do fundraising and receive public or commercial donations.
The money that was left to us, will cover the expenses of both for many years to come.”
“Admiral, Edith, that sounds wonderful, what a generous thing to do.”
“There's more Lee,” Edith said smiling.
“Harry and I would like you and Chip to be on the board of trustees, along with some of our other trusted friends and colleagues, as well as ourselves, if you are willing to accept. We couldn’t think of two better people to be part of the board. You don’t have to give an answer right now, you can think about it.”
Lee looked at Chip, who nodded and smiled at him.
“I think I can say for both of us, it would be a honor to accept the posts Edith, Admiral.”
“Lee’s right, it would be a real honor.” Chip added.
“That’s great, isn't it Harry!”
“It certainly is Edith. We still have to ask
the others who we wish to be trustees along with you both”.
“What state are the production buildings and bottling plants in Admiral?” Lee asked.
“Well, from what we can tell, very good. They just need cleaning up and the electrics checked, plus a few roof repairs. Other than that they are in remarkable condition and been looked after very well, considering. I am going to get a survey done on the buildings though, to make sure that they haven’t been affected by any earthquakes. Then we will apply to the buildings council for planning permission to build some apartments for the rehabilitation workers and some family houses and apartments for permanent staff, on some barren land that are part of the estates.”
“Admiral, I’m sure once you get the go ahead for everything, you will have a lot of volunteers from Seaview between cruises and the Institute to do a lot of the work. We certainly have the skills required.”
“Yes Chip, I’m sure of that as well. Once everything is set in motion, it will be a race against time to produce wine this year. I will have to hire some experts as permanent trainers and as time goes on we hopefully will have our own experts.”
“Do you have a name for the trust?”
“Yes, Lee, it’s ‘The Aileen Murphy Memorial Wineries Trust, For The Rehabilitation Of Service Personnel.’ The Santa Barbara vineyards and wineries will have a different name to the Napa Valley ones.
Edith has decided to take a few months sabbatical and stay here to get the project up and running. It will be a tight schedule, but I am sure we can do it, we both have good teams of workers,” the admiral said proudly.
“Just let us know what you need from us Sir, Edith and we will do it.”
“Thank you, Lee. I knew we could count on you and Chip. I will let you know when the institute’s lawyers have drawn up everything that's needed for everyone to sign. Oh, one other thing, we will pay for you to get independent legal advice, as that is a requirement, in order for you to accept, so you know what your responsibilities are and where you stand legally as a trustee. It’s just to safeguard everyone. Just choose your lawyer, get a quote and we will make sure you have the funds.”
“Thank you Admiral.”
“Would either of you like anything else to eat or drink?” Edith asked as she went to get up.
“No thank you Edith,” they both replied.
“But let us help you clear up,” Chip offered before Lee could say the same thing.
Edith smiled at them, “No, thank you, you are our guests, it won’t take long to put in the dishwasher. But I do have some curry and dessert left over, so I will make up a doggy bag for each of you.”
“That sounds lovely Edith, thank you, sure was a nice meal,” and Chip patted his stomach.
“Thank you Chip, I know you and Lee tend to have takeout, or go out to eat when you are home, rather than cook.”
“Well, you will have to let us return the favor while you are staying with the Admiral. We might not show it very much, but Chip and I can rustle up a decent meal, when we want to, can’t we Chip?”
“We sure can Lee.”
“I look forward to it gentlemen, can’t be worse than Harry’s,” she winked at them as they tried not to laugh.
With that Lee and Chip left the admiral’s house, taking their doggy bags and walked back to their houses.
8.
Over the following months, Seaview went out on various cruises. When the admiral was not on board or she was in dock and he wasn't doing institute work, he was helping Edith with the trust plans.
The building work was approved and the housing was built. Lee and Chip were right that there were many volunteers to help do the many jobs that needed doing, saving time and money.
Eight weeks before the rough date of the grape harvest, the wineries welcomed their first group of employees. The idea was to get them up to speed using the equipment and to start learning about wine production and they were showed the correct way to pick grapes.
Come the time of the harvest, the employees were ready to start the process from picking to barreling and bottling. While they had to wait for the barrels to mature, they were going to make soft drinks and grape juice, in order to provide work and use all the facilities.
As it would be three years minimum before a wine would be ready from their first harvest, the admiral and Edith added a creamery to make cheese, (by buying milk from dairies) and a bakery in order to make bread and cakes into their plans, giving another choice of training. They also opened a visitor center to help get the winery re-established and bring in money. With the exception of the experts, all were ex-service personnel in the jobs.
At the official opening everyone was there and dying to know the new name of the two Santa Barbara wineries. The admiral took to the stage to give his speech.
“Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. Welcome to the new Aileen Murphy Rehabilitation Centre of Wine Excellence, Santa Barbara, part of The Aileen Murphy Memorial Wineries Trust For The Rehabilitation Of Service Personnel.
Edith and I have had much pleasure setting up these centers for our wonderful service men and women, in order for them to be able to learn new skills and adapt to civilian jobs again, after being injured in the line of duty.
Along with this we have set up a seperate charity for the profits from the wineries to go into, to help other veterans and their families who may need assistance, perhaps in readjusting to civilian life. The charity will also be able to do seperate fundraising as well as receive donations.
We thank our fellow trustee members for their continued support and advice. We also thank the many volunteers who gave up so much of their time in order to get both places here and in the Napa Valley shipshape.
Now, we have decided to give the Santa Barbara and Napa Valley wineries different names. Though part of the same trust, they can have their own identity, so if a visitor visits here then goes to our Napa Valley ones they will have a completely different experience from the Santa Barbara ones. We will announce the name of our Napa Valley wineries when we have the official opening there tomorrow. But I will now hand over to my sister, Edith Nelson to announce the new name of this vineyard and winery.” The admiral stepped aside so Edith could take to the lectern.
“Thank-you Harriman. My brother and I really wondered if we could pull this off and like him, I would like to thank everyone that gave their time to help in getting everything up and running. Without them we would not of managed to do it all in time for the grape harvest.
Now I
have great pleasure in revealing the new logo and name of the Santa Barbara
Winery and Vineyard, which every bottle of wine made here will have on its
label. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Seaview Wines.”**
As Edith unveiled the new welcome board, there was a picture of the vineyards overlooking the ocean with a silhouette of Seaview sitting majestically on the horizon.
After the speeches the admiral and Edith went over to Lee, Chip and Seaview’s crew.
“Great choice for the name Admiral, Edith, we will look forward to trying the first batch, which I am sure will be excellent.” Lee said.
“Hear hear,” came from the crew.
“Thank you everyone. When Edith and I were thinking of a new name we were up here and was looking out over towards the Institute and saw Seaview coming in. We decided there and then that that was the perfect name and image for the Santa Barbara wine.”
With that everyone headed towards the BBQ, and dancing to celebrate the opening of Seaview Wines**of Santa Barbara, California.
*Oenologist, source Wikipedia.
**These Seaview Wines not to be confused with a wine of the same name from Australia.