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References... E1,
E2, E3,... Excerpts from Selected E-Mail
Messages
(as communicated in chronological order) E1 Exerpt from Novel Elements The plot for the
novel (or screen play?) begins with an event that
occurred in 1987… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVV31pXLK68 …and will feature
an anti-hero circumventing post-1986 laws in the
U.S. pertaining to… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=257wV-AbKaE E4 Excerpt from More notes from yesterday's session [some of original content can be found in in E6]
Garrett Anthony, lead character Information-processing
expert
in financial services company Money problems –
question: gambling [?] or
real-estate investments hit by recession? Biggest worry: FSI
acquired and likely to RIF many employees, including
Garrett. Home in Palos Verdes Estates (hill with two-lane roads suitable for accident) Home in Palos
Verdes Estates (hill with two-lane roads suitable
for accident) Jennifer Anthony, wife
of seven years no children Womanizer, drinking problems? Wilford “Wiley”
Ferguson money launderer by computer question: Why did Wiley visit Los Angeles in person? Still pending. question: Why did Wiley visit Los Angeles
in person? Ursula
well
educated real estate expert for laundering money? generally unseen by clients Geoffrey Hutton -- Low-level insurance investiator for LOL in London Sir Paul Renfrew -- Geoffrey's boss in London Reginald [last name?] -- Geoffrey's
counterpart in Los Angeles [LA]
Conversation in car
Mention of
fertility issue, worrisome mother-in-law, financial
pressures?
Backstory for
relationship: school chums? Garrett owes Wiley
for something? Reference to
earlier meetings, hinting at explanations for
business ‘model’ Business cards recruiting stratagem Offices in San Francisco and Los
Angeles question: Does Garrett indicate agreement to
join Wiley’s firm? Mention assignment: front man for new
opportunity? -- Russian oligarchs? Wiley pays tab for
lunch, of course.
Plane (type not made explicit –
not relevant until much later in story) Departing Los Angeles (LAX) for
San Francisco (SFO) Wiley homeward bound Garrett outbound from LA for
meeting next day with
colleagues in SF Reservation for overnight in
hotel in San Francisco Wiley’s original early departure
2:00 PM; bag was
checked Garrett’s original later
departure 4:00 PM
Wiley receives cell-phone call from
oligarchs? must return call? Call does
not go through immediately. Wiley is concerned
that he may need to stay another day but can’t
because of bag with extremely valuable contents has
already been check. Wiley tries call again, in vain. Garrett offers
to swap boarding passes and take earlier
flight, Swap secretly, with baggage claim-checks Garrett prepares to dash to
gate with carry-on bag. Garrett asks if
Wiley’s flight will be met (by Ursula) at SFO?
No, Wiley’s car is in ‘long-term parking’ at
SFO. Wiley calls out to
Garrett to look for brown leather bag. Portentous Note:
Garrett and we do not know if Wiley actually catches
the later flight.
SkyCal
Crash Site… Particulars of Crash:
pitch-trim-runaway (“PTR”) + transonic uncontrolled
flight into terrain (TUFT) + fire + 159 fatalities
Wiley receives
cell-phone call from an oligarch
from his limousine, connection
breaks in LAX tunnel… “Those guys are
bringing me another ‘deposit’ to the (LAX) airport –
hey, right now! Wiley must
return call, “gotta
tell ‘im I’ll be gone before he gets here!” Call does not go
through immediately. Wiley is concerned
that he may need to stay another day but
can’t because of bag that is already checked. Wiley tries call
again, in vain. Garrett offers to swap
boarding passes and to take
the earlier flight comments that “such changes
are known to be forbidden by airlines, but…” swapping cell
phones is same as swapping boarding envelopes secretly, with
baggage claim-checks Garrett prepares to
dash to gate with his own
carry-on bag. Garrett asks if
Wiley’s flight will be met (by Ursula) at SFO?
No, Wiley’s car is in ‘short-term parking’.
Wiley calls out to
Garrett to look for brown leather bag. Note:
Garrett and readers do not know if Wiley actually
catches the later flight. ‘Safe Arrival’ call
– after Garrett meets Wiley in SFO at 6:00 PM Garrett will not
call wife because Wiley has Garrett’s phone with
number in it. Tries, perhaps, but
gets wrong numbers?
“See Agent”
annunciating sign: Inquiry about
“Wiley” – not on manifest – “oh, that’s Garrett
Anthony’s nick name”. “Come with me.”
Room full of other worried people.
Waiting for Wiley,
Garrett uses company credit card for restaurant and
bar in SFO concourse. Garrett’s immediate motivations
upon learning of the fate of the flight with Wiley
on board… …are noble – tinctured by guilt –
which will intensify his later transformation to
felonious acts. …he has already had his dinner
and drinks at SFO, paid by his company’s credit card
(for Geoffrey)… …he is now seated in
‘notification’ room… …crying people all around, no
privacy, steps outside into hallway and thinks… First priority, call Jennifer… …pulls Wiley’s phone from jacket
pocket, stares at it… …then remembers something. Realization
#1 for readers: The swap included cell phones. …tries what he can remember of
Jennifer’s number, gets “not connected” in his ear.
Second
priority, contact Wiley’s family… …but why? Realization
#2 for readers: Nobody in the world knows about
swap. Third priority, call Ursula… …for she will soon become
inconvenienced when Wiley does not show up, …finds Ursula’s number on Wiley’s
phone, places call, gets routed to voice mail… …stammers in placing message,
disconnects, looks at watch… …it is after 7:00 PM. Realization
#3 for readers, It is evening already. Fourth priority, call hotel to
confirm ‘late arrival’ reservation… …leather bag in hand and carry-on
over shoulder, leaves concourse… …arrives at street level. Realization
#4 for readers, Garrett is in mental shock. …waits in line for cab, trying in
vain to remember name of hotel to tell taxi driver… …Wiley’s cell phone rings in
Garrett’s jacket pocket…Ursula. …awkwardly cheerful conversation
commences… Hi, Garrett. Welcome to
SFO. How was your luncheon at LAX? Hey, why are you talking on
Wiley’s phone? These plot elements address
several issues. For example… …we assure that neither a call to
– nor an appearance at – the hotel takes place
(sorry, Geffrey) …“Ursula, we must talk.”
Garrett takes cab directly to meet Ursula (there you
are, Geffrey) …Ursula may or may not see news of unrelated crash on TV before Garrett shows up at Ursula’s residence. Garrett gapes into the bag, as he
opens it with the key handed to him by Ursula. Bundles of paper currency, all
right. Rubles! Maybe this is the first hint
readers get that Russian oligarchs are involved in
Wiley’s business. Laundering, in this case, is
derived from real estate – ‘flipping’ of commercial
properties in Silicon Valley? Garrett and Ursula have operated
as a lucrative but precarious cyber-criminal team,
with… …Ursula managing the
administration and… …Garrett impersonating Wiley on
phone and via encrypted computer applications. Their romance has fault-lines,
including… …Ursula repeatedly expresses
desire to rejoin her family in Warsaw, …Garrett has longings to become a
responsible father for his son, Garrett Jr. Garrett and Ursula have gotten
rich ‘enough’ and prepare to shut down business. As business becomes untenable… …Ursula gets restless, and
declares her intention to ‘retire’ in Warsaw. …Garrett feels increasingly
guilty for his criminal life, and… …makes secret trip in disguise to
Palos Verdes, …sees Jennifer and Jr. through
binoculars cavorting with Ethan! Garrett secretly finds out about
Ethan’s abusive actions and hatches plot… …that gets a gob of the Russian’s
cash into Ethan’s hands, …that reveals to the Russian… …that Ethan has absconded with
their cash and… …that he has ‘stolen’ all of the
Russian’s ‘deposits’… …that discloses Ethan’s identity
and personal location in Culver City. The Russian ‘client’ and one of
his thugs… …confront Ethan, make merciless
demands, and… …do horrible things to his knees
and so forth. Ethan commits suicide or gets
murdered. Garrett and Ursula split the
‘deposits’ of all their clients, then… …Ursula leaves for Warsaw, and… …Garrett secretly reunites with
Jennifer and Jr. in Palos Verdes, …Jennifer joyfully agrees to run
away with Garrett to Idaho. …Garrett remains in hiding before
departure, and then… There’s a knock at the door…Geoffrey! Garrett asks
Ursula if Wiley has a family in the Bay Area who
will be inquiring about him. Ursula replies… …that she has seen
“Wilford Ferguson” printed on his passport, but… …that she figured
out some time ago it was not his real name, and… ...that nobody who
ever called Wiley had identified themselves as a
relative.
It gets established early-on for
readers that two separate divisions of Lloyds of
London (LOL) have financial stakes in the crash of
SK1461… …the big boys who directly insure
airliners and ships-at-sea… …this is where we initially find
Reginald, the on-site LOL investigator on the scene
in San Luis Obispo. …the little boys who indirectly
underwrite accidental-death policies for key
employees in commercial enterprises… …this is where we initially find
Geoffrey, a mid-level LOL claims-adjuster (whose
hobby is orchid gardening) in London. Since Garrett is on the manifest
for SK1461… …his burned body is
apparently/obviously one of the 39 that cannot be
forensically identified, but… …his paper luggage tag on the
large suitcase (with wheels?)… …merely ‘confirms’ his presence
in the plane but also… …connects investigators from both
LOL divisions together… …for routine – if reluctant –
dialogs by phone and e-mail exchanges… …Reginald is only interested in
the cockpit-voice recorder and the flight-data
recorder. …Geffrey is only interested in
notifying Garrett’s NOK (next of kin).In Chapter 12, say, the contents
of the suitcase (with wheels?) offer the
author/screenwriter several options… …nothing significant, no personal
effects, of course, from Garrett – why not,
Geoffrey? …large amounts of bundled paper
currencies… …dollars only or… …euros only or… …rubles only or… …combinations of the above. …Geoffrey calls Reginald and asks
him to climb down off his high horse and to go
interview Jennifer, and… …discretely
ask specific questions – while not mentioning
suitcase (with wheels?) and its contents…
“Garrett always travels
light. Especially for overnight trips to home
office in SF. Only a garment bag,
usually, No suitcase (with wheels?) was taken
in the car on that Thursday morning.” This
leaves open the possibility of the suitcase (with
wheels?) going missing at some point.
Meanwhile, the Russian and his hired courier do not
know about Garrett and the swap, so he surely
figures that Wiley was on the fatal flight.
Thus, won’t the Russian pose as an unhappy relative
of Wiley’s and file a claim for the suitcase (with
wheels?) with SkyCal. Geoffrey’s suspicions
begin right there. Monday 22 April 2019 Garrett has been summoned to SF
office of FSI… …important meeting Friday
morning 26 April 2019 9:00 AM, …purpose not given, but IFA is
facing ‘reductions in force’, and …Garrett fears the worst. Garrett books flight, SC 1461 LAX
– SFO departing 4:20PM Thursday 25
April 2019. Garrett makes reservation at
hotel in SF, saying “no need for ‘late arrival’
guarantee’.” Tuesday 23 April 2019 Wiley has been in LA for meetings
since Monday. Ursula calls Garrett at home to
set up a three-hour meeting with Wiley in LA for
Friday 26 April 2019. Garrett expresses regret and
tells Ursula… …that he will be leaving LA Thursday
afternoon for a morning meeting in SF on Friday. Ursula tells Garrett that she
will check with Wiley and call back. Wiley tells Ursula… …that he wouldn’t mind heading
‘home’ (in SF) earlier than Friday… …that they can meet at the
airport for lunch on Thursday… …that they might then take the
same flight to SFO… …that Wiley has his fancy car on
Wednesday at SFO long-term [?] parking, …that he therefore can drive
Garrett to downtown SF and also have dinner with
him. Ursula calls Garrett again and
Garrett… …agrees to the plan, saying that
he will leave his home early for luncheon Thursday
at LAX… …gives Ursula the name of his
favorite fast-food restaurant next to SkyCal’s
departure lounge. Ursula calls SkyCal and finds
that all LAX – SFO flights Thursday
afternoon are booked except SC1641. Ursula hurriedly books Wiley for
a seat on SC1641, which departs two hours earlier
than SC1461. Ursula calls Wiley, gets switched
to voice-mail and leaves message with restaurant
name and… …flight reservation: SC 1641 LAX
– SFO departing 2:20PM Thursday 25
April 2019. Thursday 25 April 2019 11:00 AM Jennifer drives Garrett to LAX,
conversation includes… …Garrett’s explanation for 11:00
AM trip to the airport for a 4:20 PM flight, …reason for luncheon [job
interview?] and who is Wiley [old college chum…?] Thursday 25 April 2019 11:00 AM
-- at the same time… Wiley is enroute to LAX in
limousine, looks at ticket on smart-phone
screen for first time… …sees that departure time for
SC1641 is 2:20 PM (‘not enough time for a
recruiting luncheon’)… …gets angry at Ursula, tells
driver [name?] to speed up but traffic is heavy, …calls Ursula [?] to express
anger [and develop relationship for readers]. Thursday 25 April 2019 11:45AM Wiley jumps out of limousine at
LAX with two bags… …one is a small carry-on satchel
and the other is… …heavy brown leather bag (‘damned
Ruskies don’t know anything about wheels’). Wiley rushes… …to ticket counter at street
level and… …checks the heavy bag using his
smart phone to capture ticket-tag number [?] …then to security for check-in,
takes off shoes, and so forth, …to concourse level and searches
for the fast-food restaurant closest to SkyCal’s
departure lounge. Thursday 25 April 2019 12:45AM Wiley greets Garrett, then
complains… …that since their plane leaves
at 2:20, they won’t have enough time for their
luncheon meeting, …that they will just have to get
by with peanuts on the plane, but… Garrett signals ‘time out’ to
Wiley, then shakes his head, grins, and says there
is no problem… …that his own flight – showing
his smart-phone to Wiley – is at 4:20 PM… …that after Wiley leaves for his
2:20 departure, Garrett can just… …have a leisurely lunch, …catch his 4:20 departure, and
take the BART train to his hotel, …then can have the job interview
in SF Friday afternoon ‘after my meeting with IFS’, Thursday 25 April 2019 01:30 PM Wiley relaxes and suggests that
he can just go ahead and catch his 2:20 plane, then… …outside SFO baggage claim, he
can… …take the bus to long-term
parking to pick up his car, …drive back to SkyCal and wait
an hour or so for Garrett’s arrival. Wiley’s phone rings, and Garrett
overhears hasty conversation, which includes
something to the effect… …that a package needs to be
delivered in person to Wiley and… …that the courier is on the way
to the LAX airport right now. Garrett comments that Wiley
evidently needs to find an evening flight with
SkyCal or some other. Wiley tells Garrett that he has
already checked an important bag onto flight SC1641. Idea dawns on Wiley, who
proposes that he and Garrett can swap flights, which means merely swapping
smart-phones. Thursday 25 April 2019 2:00 PM Wiley takes a box of new business
card from his brief case and hands it to Garrett
with a smile. Garrett shoulder’s his carry-on
garment bag, grabs his briefcase, and dashes for the
jetway. Parting exchange: “Have a
good lunch, Wiley.” “Have a good flight,
Garrett.” Thursday 25 April 2019 3:00 PM Wiley takes delivery Samsonite
suitcase with wheels from courier. Wiley
tips the courier, rolls the suitcase from the curb
to the check-in counter at street level. Wiley checks in suitcase using Garrett’s
smart-phone [!] Clerk: ‘Have a good
flight, Mr. Anthony.’ Thursday 25 April 2019 3:30 PM Wiley starts to place call using
Garrett’s smart-phone to chastise Ursula, but stops… …looks at time, dashes with his
carry-on bag through security, takes off shoes for
second time
It gets established early-on for
readers that two separate divisions of Lloyds of
London (LOL) have financial stakes in the crash of
SC1641… …the big boys who directly insure
airliners and ships-at-sea… …this is where we initially find
Reginald, the on-site LOL investigator on the scene
in San Luis Obispo. …the little boys who indirectly
underwrite accidental-death policies for key
employees in commercial enterprises… …this is where we initially find
Geoffrey, a mid-level LOL claims-adjuster (orchid
gardening) in London. Since Garrett is on the manifest
for SC1641… …his burned body is
apparently/obviously one of the 39 that cannot be
forensically identified, but… …his paper luggage tag on the
large suitcase with wheels… …does ‘confirm’ his presence in
the plane and also… …connects investigators from both
LOL divisions together [Readers need to be told
how; see [*]
below]… …for routine – if reluctant or
antagonistic – dialogs by phone and e-mail
exchanges… …Reginald is initially interested
in the cockpit-voice recorder and the flight-data
recorder. …Geffrey is initially interested
in notifying Garrett’s NOK (next of kin). In Chapter 12, say, the contents
of the suitcase with wheels offer the
author/screenwriter several options… …nothing significant, no personal
effects, of course, from Garrett… …why not?, Geoffrey may wonder
later on. …large amounts of bundled paper
currencies… …dollars only or… …euros only or… …rubles only or… …combinations of the above [Was
this our selection?]. …Geoffrey calls Reginald and asks
him… …to climb down off his high horse
and to go interview Jennifer,… …to ask specific questions –
while not mentioning the suitcase with wheels and
its contents. Jennifer
does not bring up the suitcase with wheels when first given the bad news
about Garrett. In a follow-up interview,
Geoffrey arranges to have Reginald asks Jennifer
about there being any suitcase. (‘Why do you
ask?’) It’s merely a routine question – not
for identification of the passenger but for assuring
that items in the crash are returned to the
respective families of their rightful owners.
Jennifer does not know what Reginald is talking
about… “Garrett always travels
light. Especially for overnight trips to home
office in SF. Only a garment bag,
usually, No suitcase (with or without wheels) was taken in the car on that
Thursday morning.” This
leaves open the possibility of the suitcase with
wheels going missing at some point in a subplot, perhaps involving
some corrupt law enforcement character.
Meanwhile, the Russian does not know about Garrett
and the swap, but he… …sees what could well be the
suitcase with wheels in news footage of the crash
scene, …surely – if hopefully --
figures that Wiley was on the fatal flight, …directs his ‘courier’, say, to
pose as a grieving relative of Wiley’s and then
files a claim with SkyCal. [*] Wiley is not on the manifest for
SC1641. Geoffrey’s suspicions begin right there,
don’t you think? [Meanwhile, Mike, I have forgotten
the sequence of details about the Russian
confronting Ursula.] E13 Excerpt from Alternateive Ending Version 2.0 After a year of high-pressure
operation of a villainous enterprise, Ursula and
Garrett (impersonating Wiley), decide that it’s time to quit and
to get the hell away from several worrisome
threateners… Garrett’s ‘frame-up’ plan… …locks part of Russian’s deposit
inside the brown leather bag… …arranges to deliver the bag into
Ethan’s possession as ‘blackmail payoff’… …notifies the Russian of Ethan’s… …theft and hiding place, …likely personal locations, and
schedule… …tips off law enforcement
person(s) that the Russian may ‘harm’ Ethan… …law enforcement puts heavy
surveillance on the Russian… …Russian kills Ethan, takes
leather bag – and gets caught by cops. Garrett and Ursula… …abscond with all ‘clean’ funds
from company bank accounts… …split the immense treasure and
close down the business… Ursula leaves for Warsaw with her
riches. Garrett hatches secret plan then… …happily reunites with Jennifer
and Jr. in Palos Verdes. …tells his secret plan to
Jennifer – only the part about running away to
Idaho. …takes nap in bedroom
‘hiding-place’ upstairs. Doorbell rings…Geoffrey Geoffrey reveals to Jennifer that
he knows Garrett is alive, asks to see him… Jennifer acts shocked and angry,
asks Geoffrey to leave, but… Garrett comes down the stairs and
shakes hands with Geoffrey… You must be Geoffrey. You got my message. How was your trip? Any trouble finding the place? Oh, of course not, you’ve been
here before, haven’t you. Garrett hands Geoffrey a thick
envelope. Geoffrey bids Garrett, Jennifer,
and Jr. a cordial goodbye. Denouement: Conversation between
Garrett and Jennifer… …never mind Idaho, no more
hiding, impersonations, looking over shoulder. …staying in Palos Verdes merely
requires a few terse explanations as needed. …what about Prudential? No
problem, paid them back with interest from SF. Many options for the sequel can
be formulated, including Geoffrey… …meets Reginald in LA for
celebratory dinner and plentiful drinks… …inebriated, drives rental car in
rain on wrong side of the road, collision… …with truck and dies. …THE END Excerpt for next book in series
begins with… …inebriated drive rental car in
rain on wrong side of the road… …head-on collision with truck and
Geoffrey seems to die …awakes from coma in Georgia
Street Receiving Hospital in LA…
…locks part of the Russian’s dirty deposit inside
the brown leather bag… …arranges to deliver the bag into
Ethan’s possession as ‘blackmail payoff’… …Garrett
notifies the Russian of Ethan’s… …theft and hiding place, …likely personal locations, and
schedule… …Garrett
tips off law enforcement person(s) that the Russian
may ‘harm’ Ethan… …law enforcement puts heavy
surveillance on the Russian and Ethan… …Russian kills Ethan, takes
leather bag – and gets caught by cops. Garrett and Ursula… …abscond with all ‘clean’ funds
from company bank accounts… …split the immense treasure and
close down the business… Ursula leaves for Warsaw with her
riches. Garrett [not Ursula, this time] hatches
secret plan then… …happily reunites with Jennifer
and Jr. in Palos Verdes. …tells his secret plan to
Jennifer – only the part about running away to
Idaho. …takes nap in bedroom
‘hiding-place’ upstairs. Doorbell rings…Geoffrey Geoffrey reveals to Jennifer that
he knows Garrett is alive, asks to see him… Jennifer pretends to be shocked
and angry, asks Geoffrey to leave, but… Garrett comes down the stairs and
shakes hands with Geoffrey… You must be Geoffrey. You got my message. How was your trip? Any trouble finding the place? Oh, of course not, you’ve been
here before, haven’t you. Garrett hands Geoffrey a thick
envelope. Geoffrey bids Garrett, Jennifer,
and Jr. a cordial goodbye. Denouement: Conversation between
Garrett and Jennifer… …never mind Idaho, no more
hiding, impersonations, looking over shoulder. …staying in Palos Verdes merely
requires a few terse explanations as needed. …what about Prudential? No
problem, paid them back with interest from SF. Many options for the sequel can
be formulated, including Geoffrey… …meets Reginald in LA for
celebratory dinner and plentiful drinks… …inebriated, drives rental car in
rain on wrong side of the road, collision… …with truck and dies. …THE END Excerpt for next book in series
begins with… …inebriated drive rental car in
rain on wrong side of the road… …head-on collision with truck and
Geoffrey seems to die …awakes from coma in Georgia
Street Receiving Hospital in LA… Thursday 25 April 2019 8:30 PM a
half-hour after crash of SC1461 Early news reports are looping
onto television screens and being heard on radio
stations... …Flight SkyCal Flight SC
1461departed LAX at Thursday 25 April 2019 4:20 PM …with 172 passengers on board
plus 5 crew members …crashed in farmers field five
miles north of San Luis Obispo, California at about
5:10 PM …at some point, on-site televised
announcements begin reporting no survivors Thursday 25 April 2019 8:45 PM
some hours after crash of SC1461 Crash-site news from San
Luis Obispo: …sunset lighting on hilly farm
land …large recognizable Rudder and
tail fragments of flight SC1461 …county fire department with
hoses pouring water onto the base of the smoke cloud …strong lighting from television
klieg lights are already playing on the scene …abundant smoke flows back and
forth in the evening breeze …flames are still visible above
the smoldering ashes in the middle distance …not far off are the black,
mangle shapes of burned corpses …nearby are shoeless, grotesque
victims from the tail section, still strapped in
their seats …close up we see a damaged
suitcase that has wheels and is rather large Thursday night 25 April 2019 and
Friday morning 26 April 2019 Rescue efforts have concluded,
identification of victims has begun, along with an
immediate search for… …two forensic items: cockpit
voice recorder (CFR) and flight data recorder (FDR). News reports expand with… …there are no survivors from the
179 souls on board, followed by… …emotional survivor interviews …elementary tutorial about ‘black
boxes’ (CFR and FDR), can takes days to locate. Investigators begin at dawn to
collect the grotesque debris and build their
databases. Friday morning 26 April 2019 Readers meet Reginald Abbott
[description includes British accent], accident
investigator for Lloyds of London, which is the
liability insurer of SkyCal. Reginald just drove through the
night 4 hours from his home in Pasadena,
California. Someone… …tells Reginald that although the
CFR and the FDR are both located in in the tail,
they have not been found, …hands him a clipboard with
passenger manifest. Friday noon 26 April 2019 Reginald’s smart-phone rings…Geoffrey E16 Excerpt from Crash Investigation -- Version 1.1 That first evening, after… …the opening of the brown leather
bag followed by… …the transformative
“hook-switch” ploy (THSP), …Ursula tells Garrett that he must
leave SF immediately. …Garrett looks quizzical, of
course, and asks Ursula why… …Ursula explains… …Garrett would be known in
SF as his head office is there; he would have to move
about discreetly (until he grew a beard or something. …Garrett asks where should he go… …Ursula answers…Las Vegas Note: We might well simplify
Garrett’s back-story by eliminating his gambling
addiction! While growing his
beard in Las Vegas, Garrett is sighted on the Strip –
but not confronted – by Ethan [!] The unspoken
identification by Ethan can take place almost as soon
as Garrett arrives in Las Vegas, inasmuch as… …investigations of
the crash are still in the earliest stages, …passenger manifest
is not yet published, …Jennifer has not yet
appeared in a television interview, but when she does… …Ethan begins his
planning for romantic reunion with (insurance rich)
Jennifer… …does not remember
the exact date of Las Vegas sighting of Garrett,
until… …later on, he checks
a newspaper article and begins planning his blackmail
caper! Meanwhile… …Garrett is
struggling to get comfortable in his over-the-phone
rôle as Wiley. …Ursula uses her
comprehensive resources to create… …an in-person rôle
for Garrett – Philip (who wears a beard) – as
a subordinate to Wiley. …credit card and
driver license with picture identification (after the
beard has grown in, of course). …to be used in
traveling and in incidental meetings… …with Wiley’s
previous in-person contacts …with Las Vegas
casino ‘associates’ in money laundering. E17 Excerpt from More Thoughts about Wiley Saturday 27 April 2019
(2 days after crash) Ursula’s phone rings –
Wiley’s ex-wife, identified by first name, is
calling from Daly City, California… …asks if Wiley is still
in Los Angeles (he was supposed to return Friday 26
April). …says that Wiley’s
visitation with the kids was scheduled for today
Saturday 27 April Ursula quickly
concocts a simple story… …Wiley had another
business meeting that got called for Monday 29 April
in LA …offers greetings to
the Ferguson kids [names, ages are known to Ursula?] Before ending the
call, Wiley’s ex-wife comments that… …Wiley better not be
late with the alimony check again this month. When future calls come
in, Ursula – and Garrett – will have a story for all
inquisitors… …Wiley has disappeared,
having possibly absconded with a client’s money or… …Wiley seems to have
simply run off to points unknown or… …Mr. Ferguson is no
longer with us. He has not provided forwarding
information. Note: We have
Garrett playing the rôle of Wiley for telephone calls
and e-mail replies, but – oops,
watch out for calls from Wiley’s ex-wife – hey, or
anybody else who knows Wiley! It is not
practical to expect Ursula to screen all incoming
calls. Now, for in-person
meetings, according to Crash Investigation – Version
1.1, Garrett’s persona is Philip, who ostensibly works
for Wiley. Why not the same for phone calls and
e-mail messages? Shall we simplify these matters
by letting Wiley vanished from the enterprise
completely? I vote yes.
E18 Excerpt from Alternate Ending -- Version 2.1.1
Ursula’s ‘frame-up’ plan in cahoots with Philip
(Garrett’s persona’): …locks part of the Russian’s dirty
deposit inside the brown leather bag… … …poses as Philip’s secretary
– who ‘thinks’ that Philip has a gambling debt… …flies to Los Angeles to meet
Ethan in person and pay off Philip’s debt, …takes taxicab to meet Ethan at
his apartment in Inglewood, …hands over the locked bag
(without the key) to Ethan, and… …dashes away quickly in waiting
taxicab. …Philip (Garrett’s persona’)
notifies the Russian of Ethan’s… …theft {*} and … …Ursula dials 911 on throw-away
cell-phone in taxicab on way to LAX… …tearfully tips off law enforcement person(s)
in Los Angeles… …that the Russian (by name) is
threatening to ‘harm’ Ethan. …Law enforcement puts heavy
surveillance on the Russian and Ethan… …Russian kills Ethan, takes brown
leather bag – and gets caught by cops. Inasmuch
as Ursula and Garrett are shutting down the
enterprise, here’s another – simple – idea: Let’s have
them load up the brown leather bag with a selection of
incriminating business documents – both authentic and
fake. (Readers don’t need to be given any details.)
{*}
The bogus ‘theft’ by Ethan needs to
be rationalized for the Russian and explained
simply to readers. One concept would tie it back
to the crash debris… Review: Authorities have
unresolved mystery about the large Suitcase with
Wheels (SCW)… …its tag number is
linked via smart-phone scan to Garrett, and… …Garrett is listed on
the manifest for SC 1461, but… …Garrett’s body is
not identifiable in crash debris, and… …Garrett’s NOK, his
widow Jennifer, does not file a claim… …Geoffrey
calls or visits Jennifer in June 2019 to
inquire about the bag and… Suitcase with
Wheels (SCW) – Version 1.0 E19 Escerpt from
Suitcase with Wheels -- Version 1.0
Reference: ‘Crash Scenes’ – Version 2.1 Thursday 25 April 2019 3:00 PM Wiley takes delivery of Wiley tips the courier, rolls the
suitcase from the curb to the check-in counter at
street level. Wiley checks in suitcase using
Garrett’s smart-phone. Clerk: ‘Have a good
flight, Mr. Anthony.’ Reference: Logical Opportunities in 'Crash
Scene' – Version 1.3 Since Garrett is on the manifest
for SC1641… …his burned body is
apparently/obviously one of the 39 that cannot be
forensically identified, but… …his paper luggage tag on the large
suitcase with wheels… …does ‘confirm’ his presence in the
plane and also eventually… …connects investigators from both
LOL divisions together… Reference: Crash Investigation – Version
1.2: Thursday 25 April 2019 8:45 PM some
hours after crash of SC1461 Crash-site news from San Luis
Obispo, ‘looped’ by
networks on several channels: …sunset lighting on hilly farm land …large recognizable Rudder and tail
fragments of flight SC1461 …county fire department with hoses
pouring water onto the base of the smoke cloud …strong lighting from television
klieg lights are already playing on the scene …abundant smoke flows back and
forth in the evening breeze …flames are still visible above the
smoldering ashes in the middle distance …not far off are the black, mangle
shapes of burned corpses, and
scattered luggage …nearby are shoeless, grotesque
victims (from the tail section), still strapped in
their seats …close up we see a undamaged Samsonite suitcase
that has wheels Reference: Crash Investigation
-- Version 1.1 That first evening, after… …the opening of the brown leather
bag followed by… …the transformative
“hook-switch” ploy (THSP), …Ursula tells Garrett that he must
leave SF immediately. …Garrett looks quizzical, of
course, and asks Ursula why… …Ursula explains… …Garrett would be known in
SF as his head office is there; he would have to move
about discreetly (until he grew a beard or something. …Garrett asks where should he go… …Ursula answers…Las Vegas Russian (alongside his thuggish
courier) watches repeating news about crash and … …remarks that Wiley might have been
on flight SC1461, …calls Wiley… …Russian’s caller identification
(“Boris”) is unknown to Garrett… …Garrett shows screen to Ursula,
who tells him not to answer it. Reference: (in situ) Saturday 27 April 2019
(2 days after crash)
Ursula’s phone rings –
Wiley’s ex-wife, identified by first name, is
calling from Daly City, California… …asks if Wiley is still
in Los Angeles (he was supposed to return Friday 26
April). …says that Wiley’s
visitation with the kids was scheduled for today
Saturday 27 April Ursula quickly
concocts a simple story… …Wiley had another
business meeting that got called for Monday 29 April
in LA …offers greetings to
the Ferguson kids [names, ages are known to Ursula?] Before ending the
call, Wiley’s ex-wife comments that… …Wiley better not be
late with the alimony check again this month. Reference: (in situ) Saturday 11 May 2019 Funeral for Garrett in Palos Verdes
is attended by Ethan [!] Ethan begins his efforts for a
romantic relationship with (insurance-rich) Jennifer. Reference: (in situ) 15 June 2019 While growing his beard in Las
Vegas, Garrett is sighted on the Strip – but not
confronted – by Ethan The surprising identification in
Las Vegas of Garrett by Ethan cannot take place until
some elapsed time after the funeral. Ethan… …is not too smart, greedy as hell,
and addicted to gambling, …is down on his luck and deep in
debt to unseemly lenders, …thinks Jennifer’s insurance is OK,
but maybe there’s more scratch to be had, …spends money on alcohol, …gets abusive to Jennifer, who is
pregnant with Garrett’s child, …speculates that Garrett has
somehow faked his own death… …to hide big gambling winnings from
Jennifer or… …to escape debts and unpaid taxes …to start a new life with a rich
woman or something …has suspicions that Jennifer is
colluding with Garrett in an insurance fraud, so… …does not tell Jennifer
about the Las Vegas sighting and… …decides on a secret stratagem to
blackmail Garrett. Reference: (in situ) From May 2019 through,
say, November 2019 Boris (‘the
Russian’) periodically calls Ursula – and Philip
(Garrett’s persona)… …insisting that he
knows… …that Wiley was
killed that plan, …that the suitcase he
gave Wiley survived the crash, …that SkyCal won’t
honor his claim for the suitcase, …asking Ursula, as
Wiley’s employer, to file a claim for the suitcase,
then later… …accusing Ursula for
filing the claim and keeping the money for herself. Ursula responds to
Boris with appropriate denials and agreements,
meanwhile… …filing the claim on
behalf of Wiley’s NOK (his children), …which gets settled
by LOL with Wiley’s ex-wife. …getting the
Samsonite suitcase from Wiley’s ex-wife as ‘souvenir’,
then… …enduring
(ostensibly) long bureaucratic delays until… Mike, see Alternative Ending – Version
2.1.1, which is excerpted below. Reference: Alternative Ending -- Version
2.1.1: [date
to be determined] June 2019: Review: Investigators have an unsolved mystery about
the Samsonite suitcase
with wheels (SCW)… …its tag number is linked via
smart-phone scan to Garrett, and… …Garrett is listed on the manifest
for crashed flight SC1461, but… …Garrett’s body is not
identifiable in crash debris, and… …Garrett’s smartphone with its SIM
card were destroyed in the fire; moreover… …Garrett’s NOK (his widow
Jennifer) does not file a claim… …Geoffrey asks Reginald to visit Jennifer to inquire about the SCW and… This is new,
Mike. …Someone
is visiting Jennifer when Reginald shows up – Ethan [!] Reginald rings the doorbell at the
Anthony residence in Palos Verdes… …Ethan answers the door and… …asks Reginald why he is there,
commenting… …that after all, the LOL settlement
has been paid. …Reginald says that he merely has a
few routine questions for Mrs Anthony… …Was Garrett carrying any luggage?
No, only briefcase and carry-on garment bag. …So he did not check a suitcase
onto the flight? No, already answered. …Did your husband own a Samsonite
suitcase? Yes, but it’s up in the attic. …May I see it please? It’s just
routine, ma’am. Ethan interjects: Why? …Reginald answers that inspectors
found a suitcase and want to find the owner. …Ethan suddenly realizes that
something valuable must be in that suitcase… …sees an opportunity to file a new
claim with SkyCal, and… …tells Jennifer not to show
Reginald the suitcase in the attic, then… …asks Reginald to leave at once. Reginald reports back to Geoffrey
what took place. Geoffrey tells Reginald that that
gives him another idea and to forget the matter for
now. Reference: Alternative Ending --
Version 2.1.1 Ursula creates ‘frame-up’ plan in cahoots
with Philip (Garrett’s persona’):
…locks part of the Russian’s dirty
deposit inside the Samsonite
suitcase… …poses as Philip’s secretary
– who ‘thinks’ that Philip has a gambling debt… …flies to Los Angeles to meet Ethan
in person and pay off Philip’s debt, …takes taxicab to meet Ethan at his
apartment in Inglewood, …hands over the locked Samsonite suitcase to
Ethan, and… …dashes away quickly in the waiting
taxicab. …Philip (Garrett’s persona)
notifies Boris the Russian of Ethan’s… …theft (by phony claim) and
the address of his apartment in Inglewood… …Ursula in taxicab dials 911 on
throw-away cell-phone on way to LAX… …tearfully tips off law enforcement
person(s) in Los Angeles… …that a Russian (Boris whatever) is
threatening to ‘harm’ Ethan. …Law enforcement puts heavy
surveillance on the Boris and Ethan… …Boris kills Ethan, takes Samsonite suitcase –
and gets caught by cops.
End . |