Showdown

The scene was set. We had several protagonists, several antagonists, stolen warheads, and a boatload of crude. For the deal to reach fruition, the Chinese must deliver the warheads to Iran, collect the oil, sell the oil, and distribute the proceeds.

Billy Ray in the company of Cloud McFarland connected with Chang Wen-biao and Feng Jian-mei in Monte Carlo. My co-author, Dick, and I spent a week in that unusual city for the sake of research. We visited the French Riveria and the walled city of St. Paul de Vance as well. All of these places found their way into the book. A dinner at the Hotel de Paris accounted for another chapter. The real dinner was memorable because of the $2K bill for four people. Back in the Gulf of Mexico, Dick and I shared a deep-sea fishing excursion on the boat of a friend, and that trip accounted for two chapters. It is so much easier to write about something one has seen or done.

Not really understanding the nature of the Chinese, the Iranians substituted heavy crude for light. While the difference was only $500K or so, the renegades were offended. They panicked and began killing people. One act triggered another. Jian-mei was ordered to take out Billy Ray, but found that she could not do so. Meanwhile back in Macau, her mother attempted to kill Big Chang. He turned the tables and killed her. The next day, the renegades killed Big Chang. Jian-mei learned of her mother's death and that Big Chang was her father. She went into a rage, killed her half-brother, and lost her mental equilibrium. Billy Ray picked up the pieces.

The timeline for these events was a challenge because they occurred during a matter of a few days.

More later......ES