Monkey Games
By Vince Coyner
Chapter 3. Laura
Her name was Laura Stenton. She was 42 years old. Fifteen years before she had been the youngest agent ever kicked out of the Mossad for insubordination. She was railroaded by a colonel who was himself later ushered out due to “failures of judgment” and “failure to supervise”. Although upon review a tribunal decided that her refusal to turn over the requested names of informants was in fact allowable, the fact that she refused so vehemently and with such vituperative insolence made her a persona-non-grata in the tightly knit organization. Surprised more than she was angry about getting the boot, she contemplated what was next as she sat on the balcony of her Tel Aviv apartment. She knew she could return to New York, where she grew up and attended NYU, but there didn’t seem to be much left there for her. She never seriously considered staying in Israel, having moved there and served in the Mossad simply because she felt that was the organization where she would have the greatest opportunities as a woman in the world of security, something that had fascinated her since she was a child.
Her father had been a precinct captain in the NYPD and her uncle was an FBI agent working out of the New York office. To her the two were the dynamic duo. They were like superheros. Her father cut his teeth hunting down high-end burglars. He knew everything there was to know about security systems and safes. He always said that the only way one could defeat your opponents was to know more about their craft than they did. And he did. Their house was filled with antique safe doors, modern high tech locking mechanisms and a variety of tools of the trade, from old-fashioned stethoscopes to mirror assisted cameras for looking at tumblers through holes drilled into doors.
If one can trace their life’s fascination to a singular event, for Laura it was a morning when she was 15. It was one of those ubiquitous Bring Your Daughter to Work days in the 1970’s. She didn’t really have any idea of what her dad did, but she had some notion that it would involve a desk and a lot of paperwork. Much to her surprise, they never even made it to the precinct. Instead, her father met her uncle at a branch of Second National New York Bank. The façade, which looked like it would have fit perfectly in ancient Greece or Rome, was the only thing ancient about the bank. As a clearinghouse for cash transfers for a wide variety of transatlantic companies, its main vault was easily one of the most secure in the world at the time. While the bank had all of the latest security features available such as cameras, timed locks and movement sensors, the crux of its security was a rather simple notion, that bank robbers, in order to succeed, had to escape. Essentially, there were a number of mechanisms that the bank had installed which were not intended to keep robbers out, but rather keep them in until the police arrived. All three were simultaneously triggered by any one of a number of events such as the concussion that might be felt from a blast intended to blow open a door, the opening of a safety deposit box during the bank’s scheduled closing hours or 1 lb. of pressure on a false floor that was in place during those same hours. Between the false floor and the steel floor was a pocket of air. When more than 1 lb. of pressure was applied to the false floor the pocket would expand, triggering sensors located along the base of the vaults. Any of the three events would trigger the mechanisms intended to keep robbers from escaping. The first mechanism was an odorless sleeping gas, which would flood into the bank and the vault from 50 valves located throughout the bank. In less than 15 seconds the entire 84,000 cubic ft. of space would be filled with the clear, ordorless gas. Sleep was almost instantaneous, and the person would be asleep for no less than 30 minutes. The second mechanism that would fall into place would in reality rise into place. Spaced at five inch intervals in a square pattern ten feet beyond the walls of the vault were 24-ft tall stainless steel beams which would rise at a rate of 9 inches per second until they reached the ceiling, where they would set into harnesses which would keep them in place. The beams were three inches in diameter and forged of tempered steel. Even a heavy-duty blowtorch would take fifteen minutes to cut through them. The final mechanism for keeping the crooks from escaping was easily the most low-tech of the three, marbles. When any of the alarms was triggered, 400,000 ½- inch diameter ball bearings would flood out and cover the marble floor, both in the vault and without. That number was carefully calculated to cover approximately 95% of the floorspace within the vault and the surrounding floor. Just enough coverage so that it would be simultaneously too unstable to stand on and too ubiquitous to step over.
When Laura and her father arrived at the bank he told her to stick close as there were lots of people around. There had been an attempted bank robbery earlier that morning. When she walked in, Laura thought this looked pretty strange for a bank. There was a big cage on the far end of the room with four men dressed in black sitting against the wall. The four had not yet been handcuffed or taken into custody. Everyone else in the bank was standing around looking at the quartet and looking up at the ceiling. This had been the first time these security measures had been implemented, having been installed only recently. The architect and designer of the measures had been considered a little “eccentric” but his track record was unmatched. He designed a unique combination of low and high tech mechanisms for each location that took advantage of the specific characteristics of the facility. Typically no one but the bank president and vice president were told about all of the devices installed in order to minimize the amount of security information that might end up in the hands of potential thieves.
The men had done their research however. The four lowered themselves into the bank from above with a rope ladder, which they in turn expected to utilize for their escape, obviating the need to get through the bars they knew would encircle the safe. In addition, they carried gas masks to keep from being affected by the sleeping gas. Fatefully however, they were unaware of the last and least sophisticated security measure. After cracking the vault door by setting the tumblers via a hole bored into its face, they stepped inside knowing the pressure on the floor would cause the gas to fill the air and the bars to set into place. Knowing they had 10 minutes until the police arrived, everyone started their stopwatches. The lone guard on shift was of no concern as he was on their payroll. He had been with the private security agency for a year and had provided the thieves with a great deal of the bank’s security data. What he did not know about was the 50,000 ball bearing marbles that would come cascading into the safe 30 seconds after they stepped on the floor. There was literally a wave of steel flowing towards them. It took every one of them off their feet and slammed them into the wall or out the door. Once on the ground they were pummeled by the bearings for almost a full minute. Frantically trying to stand, the four looked more like Keystone Kops than bank robbers. Not only were they unable to get to their feet, they had a difficult time moving on their hands and knees as well. This was a disaster and all four of them knew it from the second the steel marbles started pelting them. As close as they were to success, they all knew the robbery game was up and the new game was called escape. Their biggest concern now was getting back to the rope ladder and getting out of there. The problem was that every one of them felt like they had been taken out back and beaten with a pillowcase full of oranges, i.e. they wouldn’t kill you, but they certainly make you feel like you were dead. Unfortunately for the four would-be robbers, it took them six minutes to make it back to the ladder, and they could only achieve that by basically crawling on their hands and knees. When they finally made it over to the hole it became clear that the four minutes they had left before the police arrived would not come in very handy.
Above the bank was an accountant’s office, which they had broken into soon after closing time the night before. It had taken them almost 4 hours to cut their way through its floor and the steel reinforced bank ceiling. The plan called for the five to escape via the parking garage located below an adjoining building. The fifth thief, Jimmy, was supposed to be above in the accountant’s office, keeping the rope ladder secure so those below could climb out. The problem was that once the bearings started flying and his partners seemed unable to get back to the rope, Jimmy took off at the sound of approaching sirens, which had nothing to do with the bank but rather someone who had run a red light. When the four finally made it over to where the ladder had been hanging, it no longer was. Using one another for support, they finally were able to get to their collective feet. For a moment the four stood staring up at the hole in the ceiling and then looking down at the rope ladder which was crumpled in a pile at their feet. They could see freedom perched a mere twenty feet above them and there was no way they could reach it. Unfortunately for his partners below, when Jimmy leaned into the hole to yell “I’m sorry guys” before he made his successful escape, he accidentally knocked loose the anchor that held the rope ladder in place. After watching the ladder fall to the floor below, he looked around like a child turning to see if his mother saw him break a piece of her favorite china. Rather timidly this time, he yelled “Ah... I’m REALLY sorry guys. Good luck!” and he left via the planned route in the garage next door and took off in the 1974 Dodge Dart they had stolen the day before. After a stream of obscenities aimed at Jimmy and his mother as they stared up at that hole above them, the four resigned themselves to the fact that they weren’t going anywhere and leaned against the vault to wait for the police. They were still leaning there when the police finally arrived, late, ten minutes later.
As her father explained the situation to Laura as the day progressed, she found herself amazed that in the high-tech world around her it was something as simple as marbles that had tripped these guys up, smiling to herself at the pun. She began to follow the news about bank robberies and constantly pepper her father about them, almost to the point where he wasn’t sure if she wanted to become a cop or a robber. Crime and law enforcement always made an odd pair. She was fascinated by the push and pull or tit for tat that banks and the robbers would go through. It was almost like a well-choreographed dance where the banks would introduce a new security tool and the robbers would eventually learn how to neutralize it or bypass it altogether. It was an arms race of money where everything one side does the other learns from and figures out how to take the competition to a higher level. Laura found it particularly fascinating when she would talk with her uncle, who handled interstate bank robberies all along the Northeast corridor. When her father and uncle were together she would have so many questions that they would actually give her money to go to the movies or shopping just so they could have some peace. Although at first they accused her of learning too well and becoming an extortionist herself, they soon discovered that her interest was genuine and would share with her many of the fascinating stories they would encounter.
Add her love of martial arts to her fascination with the choreography of security and she knew early on that at some point she would probably be following in her father or uncle’s footsteps, even though she was quick to pick up on the fact that there were not a lot of women working with them in the field.
Twelve years later, after leaving Tel-Aviv she found herself in London visiting a friend as she tried to figure out what was next. While there, she decided that she would apply for a Masters in Criminal Justice Policy at the London School of Economics. She loved the city and felt like the degree would give her the flexibility to work practically anywhere she might want. In addition, a degree from the LSE would give her entrée into circles that would no doubt be of assistance if she ever decided to start her own security consulting business. She couldn’t actually afford the tuition, but her 3.91 GPA in Finance and Ethics from NYU made the point moot, as she was able to attract enough scholarship money to cover all of her expenses, and then some. After graduation she moved back to New York and joined the FBI as an Assistant Director at the Securities Enforcement Desk in the same building her uncle had worked years before.
Five years later she had become the Director of the New York office. One day she received a phone call from one of her LSE instructors, Professor Lay. He was wondering if she would sit on a panel of experts during a symposium on white-collar crime that the LSE was running jointly with the Columbia Law School. She agreed and flew back to London the next month. It had been the first time she had been back to London since graduation. She found the sessions quite exhilarating and frankly far more exciting than what she had been doing for most of the last couple of years, which largely consisted of reviewing proposed policy changes and assisting on various federal and state prosecutions. After the symposium had wrapped up she was approached by a gentleman named Albert Pierson.
Albert worked for a company named Alexander Resources, which was one of the largest pharmaceutical and medical research companies in the world, with facilities on six continents. He attended the symposium at the suggestion of Professor Lay. He and Albert had served together in the Royal Marines many years before. Alexander Resources was looking for a security chief who was both supremely competent and able. Professor Lay suggested Albert attend the symposium as many of the smartest people in the field would be attending. “There is one person in particular you should meet” the professor told Albert. “She’s an American and was one of my best students.” He then went on to explain that her name was Laura Stenton and she would be on the panel.
Following the final panel discussion, Albert approached Laura, “Hello Ms. Stenton. I enjoyed your presentation tremendously.” “Thank you. Laura please.” She said, shaking his extended hand. “Hello, my name is Albert Pierson. Professor Lay suggested that I attend the symposium.” “Really? He was one of my favorite professors.” She replied. “Well, so what did you think” “I enjoyed it tremendously. Thank you.” He continued “Actually, I came here specifically to meet you.” “Really?” she said. “Yes, I work for a company called Alexander Resources, have you ever heard of it?” “Ah... no, I’ve been living under a rock for the last decade and I’ve not heard any news of the world.” She said sarcastically. “I’m sorry” he responded, “I didn’t want to be presumptuous.” “Don’t worry about it,” she said with a smile and a dismissive wave of her hand, “I’m just kidding. Yes, I’ve heard of Alexander Resources. If I’m not mistaken they are headquartered someplace near Fontainebleau.” “Yes, you are correct.” “What a lovely area. I visited both the chateau and the town a couple of times while I was studying in London.” They looked at one another for a moment and then she asked, “I’m sorry, why did you want to meet me?” “Actually, I think I’d like to offer you a job.” “Really?” She replied, slightly taken aback. While she was by no means wedded to the Bureau, this was out of left field. “Well, please go on.”
Albert proceeded to explain to Laura that Alexander Resources was in need of a Security Chief to ensure the physical integrity of its facilities and the data that traveled around the world on a private network. The network had been hacked into three times in the last six months and vulnerabilities existed. He explained that her responsibilities would include visiting their 17 research and manufacturing facilities around the world and developing security plans for each. Each facility had to be secure from without so thieves could not steal either the product or proprietary information. In addition to security from without, it was also imperative that secure data not leave in the hands of employees either. The key to any medical / pharmaceutical company’s success is its control over its intellectual property and Alexander Resources needed a new Head of Security to rectify some recent problems.
They met the two days later for a long lunch where Albert answered the barrage of questions from Laura. She had weighed her options and decided that if their conversation went the way she wanted, she would take the job. After Albert finally answered all of her questions satisfactorily she agreed to take the job. She had to admit it had a great deal to offer. The first and perhaps most important issue was chain of command. She would report directly to Albert and Alexander Cooke, who owned the company. After spending five years in the Bureau and having been drummed out of the Mossad for what she was convinced were political reasons, she had had her fill of the posturing and putting political considerations before logic. Albert assured her that logic would rule the day and that she would have at her disposal all the resources and support she required. Second, her office would be in the Fontainebleau headquarters, although she would spend a great deal of time traveling. She liked the idea of being so close to Paris as it was a much easier jumping off point than New York for skiing in Switzerland, something she had fallen in love with when she lived in London. The salary would be very good as well. In a reverse on the notion of a golden parachute which many executives negotiate for when the join a company, she negotiated essentially the equivalent of a professional athlete’s signing bonus. Upon joining the company she would receive $500,000, equal to four times her current salary. Her new salary would be $750,000 per year with a severance package of 30% of salary for each year worked that would kick in after three years. Laura had not proffered financial terms and let Albert lay them out. She knew that in negotiations the upper hand is always with the one who lets their opponent put forth a proffer. Invariably one of two things will occur. They will put forth an offer that is so low that both parties recognize it as a negotiating tactic or they will put forth an offer that they believe is considerably more than what is appropriate in order to seal the arrangement without drawn out negotiations. It was a given that Albert knew exactly what Laura was earning at the Bureau so it would seem that this offer was the latter. Nonetheless, Laura also knew that she was one of the most qualified people in the world doing what she did and she could easily double or triple her salary by simply moving to the private sector in New York or Washington. “Well, Albert, “ she said after he made his offer. “ You and I both know that the offer you have just made is certainly fair, but not overwhelming. I could get those terms by simply picking up and moving shop across the street at home. Nonetheless, everything is not about money and from what I know of Alexander Resources you have an outstanding reputation for both treating your people well and for producing cutting edge research. While I’ve never had a tremendous interest in biological and medical research, I certainly can appreciate that it helps millions of people.” Laura stopped to give Albert the opportunity to say something. He didn’t. He just sat there, with a slight smile, just listening. “Well then, given the terms you’ve just laid out, and a caveat that we reconsider the terms in two years, you have a new employee.” Albert tilted his head slightly and looked up in a mock gesture as if he was evaluating Laura’s offer. Smiling, he said “Excellent. Then we have a deal” and shook her hand. Albert knew that everything Laura had said was true and that they were indeed lucky to get her.
Three days later Laura was in Washington telling her boss, Assistant Attorney General Jason Cartwright, that she was leaving. She hadn’t wanted to come down to tell him, but she knew she could not tell him over the phone. They had been dating until about a year ago. Their relationship began during a three-day Bureau training session at Abdereen Proving Ground a year after she joined the Bureau. The two had hit it off and soon she was driving down to Washington for the weekend or Jason was coming up to New York. After they had been together for about a year Jason was made Assistant Attorney General, making him her boss. Although Jason was sure that their breakup was somehow inexorably tied to his promotion, the truth was that three years into the relationship Laura realized that she no longer looked forward to their weekends. When she told Jason he suggested that she move to DC. She knew that was never going to happen. She wasn’t sure when she knew it for certain, but at some point she simply awoke to realize that it was over with Jason. She felt like she was in high school when she told him “It’s me, not you” but that was the truth and she knew there was nothing either of them could do about it.
On this Monday as they sat across from one another at the Old Ebbit Grill, on 15th street in Washington, directly across from the Treasury Department, she could not help but look out the windows almost continuously. Jason was not taking her news well. She knew that he had never fully gotten over their breakup, but she had hoped that by telling him face to face she could finally make him understand that he had done nothing wrong and that it was time to move on. Now he would really have to move on. Since their breakup he had made a couple of quick trips to New York to surprise her and they invariably ended up in bed. Both times she knew that she should have sent him to a hotel or better yet back to Washington, but when he was standing there in her doorway she lied to herself that he knew it was over and that this was OK because neither of them was involved with anyone else. Now, as the heretofore perpetual smile slowly disappeared from his face she could see that he was slowly getting the message that this was truly it. Paris was not New York and he could not just drive up to see her on an impulse. This was the last nail in their coffin. Staring out at the bright marble façade of the Treasury building she finally realized that there was probably not anything she could say that would make him feel better and that the thing that would actually allow him to move on was her doing exactly what she was telling him she was going to do, move four thousand miles away. The revelation buoyed her spirit and she turned to Jason and smiled. “Listen,” she said as she clasped his hands as they cupped his third Dewars and water of the night “I’m not leaving the planet, I’m just leaving the Bureau and New York. You know that if you need something I’m there for you. Just call. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s true. It’s important to know that you are going to be all right.” Jason looked up at her and smiled. “You know” he started, “I’ve been pretty broken up for most of the last year. Being without you has been tough. I can’t say that throwing myself into my work has helped much, because we talk so frequently, but this will probably change that. I hate to admit it, but this is probably exactly what I needed.” “Besides” he added, “now I’ll have a place to stay on my next visit to Paris” That was just something to say to segue into saying goodbye and they both knew it. Jason hated Europe in general and Paris in particular. He had been drug around the continent many times as a teenager by his parents and on the one trip he made on his own he was mugged while walking through Paris’s sometimes seedy Les Halles. He had vowed many times to Laura that he would never again cross the Atlantic and sometimes joked about giving up French fries. As he finished his drink the two of them knew the time had come. Although she would stay in New York for a month to allow her successor to have a smooth transition, they both knew that this would be her last trip to Washington for a long time.
Exactly one month after she told Jason she was leaving, she boarded a British Air flight at JFK headed for Heathrow. She spent a couple of days visiting friends in London before flying on to Paris. Within a week she had found an Apartment in the 8th Arrondissement, directly across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, which made for something of a commute to Fontainebleau. She didn’t mind the hour each way on the train because it was always the most relaxing part of her day. Watching the countryside whisk by gave her a feeling of calmness that she found in few other places. Besides, Albert had told her that she would spend far more time traveling than she would in the office. He was right of course, but she liked that as well because traveling was something she had loved since she was a teenager and her parents took her on a trip across the country. The trip was bittersweet, but she never lost the excitement for exploration it engendered.
Continue...