Final Notice, page 11
“Thanks. It’s easier and better for you to volunteer. If you don’t, I may be forced to demand it and that doesn’t sit well with me. Let me know what your guys come up with.”
“Will do. Anything else we can help you with?”
“Not right now. I may need to come back, but for the moment, I’m good. Thank you both very much.”
Shaking hands all round they said their goodbyes.
Zoe stopped by Maureen’s desk on her way out. “Bye, Maureen. You were right. Your boss is a really nice guy. Thanks for your help.”
***
CHAPTER 12 – GRETA JOHANSSON
Seattle, Washington. Greta Johansson was looking at her late husband’s collection of guns. There were six handguns. Some looked older and some new. She didn’t know much about any of them except that they could kill someone. As a former teacher, she’d wept many times upon hearing reports of school shootings like the big ones at Columbine, Red Lake, Virginia Tech, Oikos University, Sandy Hook, and Umpqua. She wept for each of the smaller ones, too. And she was angry. Angry at parents and a system that produced kids who carried out the carnage; angry at the NRA and their zeal to sell guns to anyone; and angrier still at politicians who did the NRA’s bidding. So now she was going to do a small part to help stop or at least slow down the deaths.
Greta received her Final Notice 5 days ago. She had called her only child, Monika, her daughter in San Francisco, a rising star in technology, and told her the news. Monika had flown up immediately and they’d spent the last day and a half together before Greta insisted that she leave. She preferred to die alone.
They discussed Greta’s will, but Monika was too busy with a huge project, was making big money, and did not want to be troubled with the disposal of Greta’s car, house and possessions. She did take away a few photos and pieces of her mother’s jewelry, but that was all she wanted. It was, given the situation, a nice visit. Nicer than many they’d had in the past. Calm and loving. And now Greta was going to wrap up the last loose ends.
At 78, she was still fit enough, had good eyesight with her glasses, and moved and acted like someone in a lot better health than she was. She packed the guns in a carryall bag, along with the ammunition, and was relieved when she found she could still lift it. Grabbing her purse with her other hand she headed for her car. It was the first time since her Notice that she drove, and she hoped nothing would happen on her short errands today. It also felt strange to think that this might be the last time she would drive.
Greta made the short trip to Olive Way in the Capitol Hill area and parked in the small area reserved for clients. She pushed open the heavy wood and brass door of King, Newton & White and entered the rich and impressive lobby, with its oak- paneled walls and lush furniture. The smartly dressed and coiffed receptionist greeted her by name and Greta was impressed, but then reflected that it had only been a few months earlier that she was here on a number of occasions after William’s death. He’d be rolling over in his grave if he knew what she was doing with his guns. Moments later Henry Newton emerged from one of the large oak doors and guided her to his office. Henry had been their lawyer for almost 40 years, but he still looked far younger than he was.
“Good afternoon Greta. How are you?” Henry asked, sincerely.
“Well, Henry, that’s the reason for my visit, but thanks for asking. Actually, I’m pretty sure that I will die very shortly so I wanted to get a few things in order. You may not agree with me, but I am committed to my, what you might call, unorthodox path. I want to change my will.”
Henry was a bit taken back by Greta’s aggressive posture. It seems that just a few months ago she was a babbling brook of tears. “Of course, what would you like to do?”
“I want to leave my house, car, and all my financial assets to charity. And I want you to decide which charities to leave them to. My conditions are that they are highly rated with respect to efficiency and that more than 90% of the funds will reach the intended beneficiaries. Secondly, that they benefit disadvantaged children’s education and well-being.
I want all my clothes, which William always joked about insofar as quantity, to be given as directly as possible to homeless women in Seattle. And I’d like all my other possessions and anything I leave behind, to be donated directly to families that need the items. And finally, I’d like any tax receipts for the donations sent to my daughter. Is that clear?”
Henry had been writing furiously and when Greta stopped, he looked up. “Yes, I think so, but why do you think you’ll be dying soon? You look very well.”
“Trust me. I know. And I mean days, not weeks or months. When can you give me a plan? I don’t need numbers. I know you’ll need to have the property appraised, but what charities would you recommend? I would feel ever-so-much better if I knew beforehand.”
Henry was clearly confused by this sudden sense of urgency but he managed to get out, “Is tomorrow OK?”
“Perhaps,” said Greta, getting up from her chair. “Now I have one more important task to do before it’s too late.” And it was the one she was most nervous about.
“I’ll see you out.”
“I’d rather you get to work on the charities. I can find my own way out.” And she left both the office and a very perplexed Henry.
Greta drove the short distance to 1519 12th Avenue and miraculously found a 15-minute-only parking spot, just down the street. Fifteen minutes should be plenty of time, she thought, and if it’s not, it probably won’t matter. Lifting the heavy carryall bag of guns and ammunition, she walked the few yards and climbed a few steps, entering the building and expecting to see more policemen than she did. There was an unmanned desk with a phone and sign that read, “Lift receiver to reach your party.” Greta lifted the receiver and an operator asked her whom she wished to see. Greta didn’t expect to be talking on the phone. She wanted a personal interaction now more than ever. She replied, “I want to see someone about gun control.” The operator asked her name, said that someone will be with her shortly, and suggested taking a seat.
Greta took a seat with a full view of the interior door, but also close to the outside door. She partially unzipped the bag, taking a final look at the contents. A few minutes later the interior door opened and a young man, who seemed far too young to be a policeman, even though he was dressed as one, approached her. “Mrs. Johansson?”
Greta rose from her seat and replied, “Yes.” She moved her right hand up from the bag … taking the officer’s outstretched hand.
Shaking her hand firmly, but gently, the officer said, “Hello, I’m Officer John Huston. How can I help you today?”
Greta reached down and lifted the bag onto a chair. “I want to make sure that these guns and ammunition are never used to kill children. I understand that you can have them melted down.”
Officer Huston smiled and said, “Yes we can.”
“How much will it cost for six?”
“Actually, if you have six, we’ll give you $600 in Amazon coupons. Amazon is helping to sponsor a gun buyback program.”
Greta laughed and said, “I was afraid it would cost a lot and that I might not carry through with my plan to destroy them. Can I give you an address to send the coupons, Officer … ?”
“Huston, Ma’am. Where would you like them sent? Greta gave him Henry Newton’s details and asked him to enclose a note that the coupons belonged to Mrs. Johansson’s estate as possessions.
“Thank you, Mrs. Johansson. Please have a seat and I’ll be right back with a receipt.”
She sat down and a feeling of relief … and tiredness ... swept over her. William’s guns would never hurt anyone now. When Officer Huston returned a few minutes later, she had dozed off and he had to gently roust her from a pleasant dream. As she left the East Precinct Police Station, Seattle’s liquid sunshine was misting down, refreshing her enough to make the short drive home. She placed the car keys in plain view on the entry hall table, along with the spare set. Greta hung up her coat, changed into her nightgown and robe, and made herself a simple, light dinner of spaghetti, with an easy clam sauce using canned clams. She poured herself a small glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, turned her cd player on and listened to a Maria Muldaur album while she enjoyed her meal. She washed and put away the dishes and went to bed … for the last time.
Note to reader: Zoe was right and sadly, neither she nor VitalTech would ever see the good side of the Final Notice, as displayed by Greta Johansson; nor would they know about other acts of generosity prompted by the Final Notice from dozens of other people, including: Waylon Dalton, Justine Henderson, Abdullah Farooq, Marcus Cruz, Thalia Cobb, Mathias Little, Eddie Randolph, Angela Walker, Lia Shelton, Hadassah Hartman, Joanna Shaffer, Jonathon Sanchez, and many others.
***
Midland, Texas. Zoe landed at Midland International Airport and was met by Sheriff Bruce “Bull” Johnson. Zoe had heard the nickname and pictured a short muscular guy with a big mustache and cowboy hat; and except for the fact that he was tall, lanky and clean-shaven, she would have been right. Sheriff Johnson had a deep booming voice, so perhaps that was the root of the nickname, but Zoe never found out. He gave her Billy Roy’s VT2 and iPhone and had her sign for them, explaining, too, that both the watch and phone were dead and password protected, so they would let Zoe and her team try to hack them. He asked if she needed the guns, but she declined. Over coffee at the airport coffee shop he told her that they had made a little progress in that they had found the private investigator, who told them about a woman in the house on Saturday who was vacuuming the carpet. She had told him that Hunter wasn’t home, and he added that she had an accent.
Given the inexact time of death, it’s not known what role, if any, she played. Hunter’s gardener told police that a cleaning person named Juanita was employed, but he didn’t know her last name or where she could be found, and no further leads on her whereabouts were uncovered.
Sheriff Johnson had also interviewed Billy Roy Hunter’s lawyer, Luther Holmes. Holmes stated that things were not good between Hunter and his wife and that his relationship with her son was even worse.
Importantly, Johnson added that they eventually found gunshot residue on Hunter, so it was pretty certain who the second shooter was, although the absence of prints on the gun was puzzling. Zoe told Johnson about her meeting with VitalTech and the scenario they had discussed, as well as sharing the exact time and day of death. Johnson was skeptical about the role of the watch, but he accepted the information and description of the events that Zoe laid out as reasonable. He had sincere doubts of the maid’s involvement, both from a motive and character appraisal of the many Latina women he’d seen in cleaning jobs. Their joint input was sufficient to at least put aside the case, if not formally close it. There were still some unanswered questions, but they were satisfied.
***
Pasadena, California. Vince had helped Trudi come to terms with her new iPad and the differences between it and a laptop. She was definitely hooked. They had decided on a locked AT&T version because of the price. Trudi could get her emails at home or on the road and be able to read them without a magnifying glass. She was also feeling good because she donated their old Toshiba laptop to a charity, after doing a complete machine reset and full data wipe.
She began to surf progressive organizations, being careful not to accept notifications or sign up for newsletters, as Vince had suggested. Giving out your details to even one, he warned, will result in an onslaught of emails begging for money, as many organizations share their donor lists. Like Vince, she found the Daily Kos an interesting site, and although it was obviously biased to the left, she fact-checked the stories that seemed far-fetched and found them to be accurate.
But apart from her new pastime, she increasingly found that the happy little California bubble she lived in was just that: a bubble with a very real and different world on the outside. She also found that her Berkeley protest roots were alive and well, and she began re-connecting with her music of the past, creating more strident songs of protest.
Trudi had been an accomplished folk-blues-Americana singer/songwriter during her college years and early in her marriage. But she scaled back on playing out when Dave was born. After he grew up and went off to college, she returned to songwriting, joining a song circle in a local art gallery, and enjoying the safe haven that it offered. She also serenaded Vince from time to time, knowing he liked her music.
***
CHAPTER 13 – VIJAY’S DILEMMA
Quincy, Massachusetts. The VitalTech team was assembled to discuss and agree on the beta test parameters. At the conference room table were Drew, Maria, Liz, Patsy, plus Wade Thomas, COO, Don Casey, VP Marketing, and Ganesh Desai, CFO.
Vijay formally kicked off the meeting. “I’ve asked you all to participate in this discussion about the ultimate design of the VT2 beta test. This is an extremely exciting and important step of the VT2 launch. We are pleased, overall, with the outcome of the alpha test; but as most of you know, there has been a dark side as well, and it relates to the Final Notice feature.
“One of the unexpected consequences of the Final Notice is that a number of people, specifically those with guns, have killed people, knowing they will die within a week. I have spoken with the FBI and Liz, who has consulted with our outside counsel, and they assure me that we cannot be held accountable; but that doesn’t make me feel any better. So, I want you all to consider this issue as we discuss the beta test parameters and keep an open mind with respect to the Final Notice, including scrapping it altogether or changing it to a ‘Contact your doctor ASAP’ alert.” A small murmur spread through the room.
Don Casey asked, “What does KKL think about that?” Don knew that KKL shared his enthusiasm for the feature and feeling that it represented a major unique selling proposition.
“I mentioned it to them, and we’ll be meeting this afternoon to discuss it and check on the IPO progress,” replied Vijay. “I’d like you, Liz, Maria and Ganesh to attend. It’s at two. So, let’s get the discussion underway by having Drew and Patsy present the findings of the alpha test.”
Drew and Patsy presented the alpha test results to date, with Drew elaborating on the shooting complications. His additional research determined that of the 100 participants, 61 had access to guns, and of those 61, six received Final Notices. Of those, there was one suicide and three crimes committed, resulting in nine people being killed. Drew concluded, “Taking these crimes into account, we will be designing the beta test fifty/fifty – those with access to guns and those without.”
Ganesh asked, “Do we believe that this 50% outcome – three crimes out of six with guns – would hold for the entire future population of users?”
Patsy responded, “Jesus, I hope not. Everyone in this test will die if they wear it long enough. If 50% kill one or more people … that would be a big problem. But a hundred is a small sample and it’s skewed toward an older user base. The beta test is planned to have a much wider age range. What the study gives us is the knowledge, and therefore the ability, to call attention to the potential issue. Doctors can be made aware of the dangers and be on the look-out for behavior that could result in an incident.”
Liz chimed in, “That might help with the beta test, but in a full roll out, doctors won’t necessarily be involved.”
Patsy parried back, “That’s true. But here’s a thought. Just as we’ve used doctors as the source for our alpha users ... and will do so again with the beta testers ... perhaps we could link the unlocking of the Final Notice to some kind of registration and acknowledgement from a user’s doctor.”
Don quickly jumped in. “That would over-complicate the sales and marketing process and potentially hurt sales. It may not even be legal. But for the beta test, it’s OK.”
Liz again spoke: “I don’t think it would have legal implications in that sense, but certainly we’d have to take any additional requirement into account for sales and marketing activities to ensure clarity and full disclosure for the users.”
Vijay interjected, “The FBI would like to receive both our alpha list and beta list, along with the information as to the user’s gun access. As the alpha test is coming to a close, I spoke with Liz and she agreed it’s OK, especially since the FBI would most likely be successful in forcing us to share it. So, I did it voluntarily. How should we handle the request for the beta list, Liz?
“Where will we get the gun info?”
Drew answered, “I checked with the doctors who were involved with the VT2’s in the alpha test to identify the 61 users with guns. We were thinking of including a short questionnaire for users in the beta test that would state gun ownership status and also provide a doctor’s assessment of the user’s physical and mental health.”
Liz voiced concern. “I’m not sure about the questionnaire. Let me run that by our outside guys as well as the question about releasing the list.”
