Chapter Nineteen
The morning came too soon. Paige was grateful that she had bought a good concealer because she could count on a few fingers the number of hours of sound sleep she’d gotten. She straightened her hair and put it up with the chignon pin. In her ivory pant suit with the copper bracelet and matching sandals, she knew she looked professional and tried to feel it. As she entered the dining room, Sterling waved to her.
He mentioned nothing about their midnight encounter at breakfast, which was a bit of a relief, and began reviewing their plan of attack over scrambled eggs. “The key is to gain the client’s confidence while revealing as little about your intentions as possible,” he said.
“Wait.” Paige tried to reconcile what he was saying with how she normally interacted with her clients. “I thought people were more apt to share information with you after you told them something about yourself.”
“A common misconception.” He laid down his fork. “Most people are self-centered and don’t care a bit about your business. All they want is for someone to listen to them and meet their needs. If they know you’ll listen and think you have the resources they want, you’re in. It’s not complicated. At that point you can find out almost anything you want about a target.”
“Oh, like you did with me,” she said, wondering if that’s all she was, a target.
“Yes, in a way.” It was like he was talking about how to tie your shoe or bake a cake, not about people’s lives. “That’s a great example, actually. You needed help with your booth, and I was there. What did you know about me then?”
“Nothing,” she said.
“Exactly and you let me sleep under your roof that same night. Think about it. It works.” He picked up his fork and took another bite without even realizing her discomfort.
Was that all he had done? Obviously, the technique worked because Blanche had done the same thing, but somehow it seemed underhanded to her. Like you weren’t really starting a relationship, only using people. Still, maybe that’s what business was all about. She sat up in her seat, wondering if every principle Sterling taught would be as hard to swallow.
After an extended breakfast where Sterling nearly drowned her with his harsh philosophies of how to manipulate situations to his benefit, Paige was reeling. “Why can’t you simply be honest and come to a deal where both parties equally profit from the transaction?”
“That’s not reality.” His face grew stern. “Someone always wins, and if you’re smart, it’s you.”
“Everything isn’t a competition. Sometimes people can help each other out and both be better for it.” She folded her arms. “Like what you and Elaine are doing with me, right?”
Before he could answer, a bellhop interrupted them to say that their limo had arrived. As they headed up the Tollway, Sterling didn’t speak again. He spent his time reviewing his notes and checking his tablet. She stared at him in his business suit, feeling like she didn’t belong. What seemed heartless to her, may just be typical professional behavior. As they exited and approached an old industrial area, she determined she would give Sterling’s advice a try. At least for one day.
The driver pulled up to a corrugated square building that looked to be constructed about the same year as her farmhouse. It must have been a junkyard or lumber mill at one time because the back acres were surrounded by a massive chain link fence with plastic strips concealing what was inside. All she could see through the padlocked gate were a few backhoes and mountains of what looked like black wood chips or mulch for a garden.
“Ready?” Sterling was at the front door. She hurried to his side, butterflies doing backflips in her stomach.
Standing at the dented metal door made her leery. Maybe the paperwork she'd read had been fixed because if you were to judge a book by its cover, Earth Tech looked anything but prosperous. “And you’re sure we’re at the right address?”
He pointed to a small silver sign with a holographic globe and the letters TECH across it. “Yes, ma’am.”
As he lifted his fist to knock, she could tell he was nervous too and was reminded how important this deal was to him. She stood a little taller and straightened her jacket as the door opened to a young man who looked about her age. Paige immediately thought he could have been Austin’s brother. He was a bit taller and had a wider smile with full lips, but that same intensity that her friend had was definitely there. Without him even speaking, she could see the clear honesty in his eyes.
His name came to mind. “Kiyo?” She had read all about him. He was top in his class at Texas Tech and an innovator in process design.
“You’ve got me at a disadvantage.” He took her hand.
“This is Paige Lindon,” Sterling said. “And I’m the one who spoke with you over the phone.”
Kiyo seemed reluctant to release her hand and turned to Sterling, giving him a half bow. “Welcome. I think you’ll be impressed.” He motioned for Sterling to go ahead. “If you’ll continue to the doors at the back of the office area—” then he faced Paige and smiled, “I can’t wait to get started.”
The reserved way in which Sterling walked forward left Paige wondering what was wrong. Maybe he saw something she didn’t. She vowed to be especially alert so as not to miss anything important and would heed Sterling’s instructions implicitly. That meant making Kiyo comfortable and letting him know she would listen to his every word. As Sterling went on ahead, she walked beside the young entrepreneur, studying him. He wore comfortable jeans and a tee shirt, and had a warm complexion. He sensed her staring and caught her eye. They matched fresh smiles. Though he had the intelligence of her friend back home, he had a confidence that she’d rarely seen before, and she liked it.
Kiyo lifted his hands. “So here’s the brains of the outfit.” The shabby lobby was crowded with dented desks stacked with papers, torn leather chairs and cracked plaster walls.
“Nice,” she said genuinely.
Despite the mess, Kiyo seemed proud of everything around him. She could understand that. It reminded her more or less of her own home, and she felt bad about her original reaction at the front door minutes before. Her mind flashed to the deputy’s response when he had first seen her house and the difference in Sterling’s reaction. Surely, Sterling would understand that a crowded office meant potential, which is what he was hoping for. Her gaze met Sterling’s scowl which deepened the lines on his forehead. Why couldn’t he tell that this was the sign of someone with more work than they could handle? Someone who was poised to grow.
There were no other employees in sight, and she began to wonder if Kiyo had hiring issues like hers. “So do you run most of this single-handedly?”
“No, the rest of the crew is in there.” Kiyo pointed to the stainless steel doors where Sterling waited. “Except for Steve who does the books. He’s with another interested party.”
Sterling’s face puckered. “The other party is here?”
“We’ve made our desire to partner with someone an open matter. You know, first come first served.” Kiyo bent closer to Paige. She could feel his excitement. “We currently have five large corporations in the wings ready to sign, but we can’t meet the demand.”
She laughed. “I hear you. I have the same problem.”
“You’re not a vulture like him?” Kiyo pointed to Sterling who obviously wasn’t amused by the comment.
“No, my uncle and I formulated a beauty bar using goat milk. He passed away, but I’ve been keeping it going.” She grew embarrassed once the words were out. She wasn’t supposed to share anything personal. “It’s nothing really.”
Kiyo touched her chin with the tip of his index finger and lifted her face to his. “If your skin is any indication, I’d say it is a real breakthrough.”
Paige couldn’t remember anyone being so free with a compliment, and the way he said it made her believe it was what he really thought. He hadn’t simply said it to flatter her, she could tell. Instead of shying away, she met his eyes. “Thank you.”
?
??Now what?” Sterling cleared his throat.
Kiyo rubbed his hands together. “We all change into bunny suits.”
Sterling raised one brow. “Sounds kinky.”
What was up with Sterling? Paige was almost embarrassed by him. “Bunny suits are worn to enter a clean room. At the university, I did some work with genomes and had to use one.”
The left corner of Kiyo’s mouth raised slightly. “Graduate work, Paige?”
“Yes, actually.” She wanted him to know her credentials and that she deserved to be there. “My undergrad’s in business, but my masters is in bio-chem.”
“You may be just what this company needs.” Kiyo chuckled under his breath.
Paige assumed that Sterling would be proud of her for gaining the client’s confidence like he had told her. Instead, Sterling had a surly look on his face, but as Kiyo opened the door to the changing area, both their expressions changed.
All surfaces were made of white vinyl which sparkled in the piercing halogen light. Shelves held plastic wrapped packages with labels below them, clearly marking the contents. It was so much like her college lab, she felt she had gone back in time.
“Any special instructions?” she asked.
Kiyo pointed to a bay of lockers. “You can put your belongings in there.”
Flashing a smile at both men, Paige said, “Great,” before heading to the lockers. She removed her bracelet and jacket, storing them in the locker and turned to retrieve her sterile overclothing. In the corner of her eye she saw Sterling had his shirt half unbuttoned.
She put her hand on his. “No. You only have to remove your watch, belt and jacket.”
Behind her, she could hear Kiyo’s muffled laughter. Sterling tried to laugh too, but it seemed forced. She felt sorry for him.
Turning to Kiyo, she tried to alleviate the tension in the room. “He’s at a little of a disadvantage in that we’ve done this before. He hasn’t.”
As they continued donning double gloves, hair caps, their full suits with hoods, goggles and boots, Paige stayed closer to Sterling, and he seemed to grow more comfortable. By the time they were done, the only difference between the three of them was their height. They looked like crepe paper snowmen. At last they were ready to enter the clean room.
The doors opened, and the first thing Paige noticed was the bright green table. “What’s up with that color?”
Kiyo was at her side. “Most electronic components are black, silver or white. In order to not lose the smaller parts, we found this was the best color.”
“Clever.” She surveyed the five non-descript workers, each focused on the different computer parts with tweezers. There were different canisters before them holding tiny chips and circuits. “What are they doing?”
Kiyo lifted the largest container carefully. “These are still functioning parts that will be used to refurbish the least damaged computers we take in. The other components are separated by the precious and semiprecious metals we’ll reduce out of them.”
Sterling perked up. “Precious metals?”
“Yes,” Kiyo said. “We get aluminum, mercury, silver, platinum and gold.”
“Gold?” Paige had never heard of such a thing.
Kiyo turned to her. “The pins in many CPU’s are gold. We liquefy them with an acid process that allows us to utilize the metal.”
“I’d love to see that.” Her chemistry training was kicking in. “Hydrochloric acid?”
His smile was the only part of him exposed by the suit. “Right, mixed with . . .”
She wracked her brain to fill in the blank. “Nitro- something.”
“Nitric Acid. Very good.” Kiyo set a hand on her shoulder. “If you like this, you’ll love the next room.” He guided Paige to the door, and she hoped that Sterling was enjoying this as much as she was.
The minute the swinging doors opened, she smelled what was going on. “Batteries!”
Kiyo took center stage between two workers smashing lithium batteries and dropping the pieces in a large vat. “We neutralize the acid with a base mixture and can sell the lithium back to manufacturers. We have processes in place to harvest almost every byproduct from most electronics. You may have noticed the plastic in the backyard, which we shave into pellets for various commercial purposes as well.”
Sterling had been very quiet. Paige turned to him. “What do you think?”
He addressed Kiyo seriously. “So, this neutralizing solution is made with a base like Paige’s soap? Do you use lye as well?”
Both Paige and Kiyo started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
Paige looked to Kiyo. “Should you tell him or should I?”
“Go right ahead.”
If Kiyo was testing her, she’d pass. “Lye and battery acid can be used to create a bomb. Add cold medicine and you get Meth. No, he’d have to use a much milder base than I use for my soap.” She sniffed the vat. “Could it really be . . . it’s so simple. Any additives?”
Kiyo shook his head with the enthusiasm of a schoolboy.
“Soda,” Paige said. “But how?”
“It was a challenge.” Kiyo pointed to a monitor behind the vat. “We adjust alkaline levels automatically to be the most time and cost effective, and, of course, the greenest.”
Paige could see the liquid in the vat roiling and bubbling as an employee dropped a fresh batch of battery parts in the mixture. Sterling stepped up beside her.
“What kind of soda pop do you use?” he said seriously.
She almost burst out giggling, but Sterling’s exposed frown stopped her. “It’s sodium bicarbonate. You know, baking soda,” she said.
Kiyo tapped the arm of the worker who was taking his next load of batteries to be crushed. “Why don’t you take Mr. Keller back to the office and show him our latest reports? He might also be pleased to see our current projections.” Looking at Paige, Kiyo said, “I’m sure your beautiful associate can give you a complete rundown of the remainder of our tour.”
“Thank you.” Sterling left without another word.
Paige was beginning to feel a little guilty about having such a wonderful time, but then she wondered if this was part of Sterling’s plan so that he could check out their numbers without interference.
All concern shot out the window with Kiyo’s next question. “Do you care to see the two other battery rooms?”
“Zinc and Nickel, right?” she answered.
“You’ve done your homework.” His grin was framed by his hood, and she couldn’t remember feeling so connected intellectually to someone in a long time. He spoke her language.
As he led her down the hall, she asked, “Are you still planning to show me that liquefied gold?”
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll show you everything.”
***