A Question of Will (13 page)

Howe frowned. He sent the emails to the rather obscure addresses. He received two responses from each: one a message containing random jumbles of letters, and a second letting him know that the accounts had been locked and could never be accessed again. That meant he could never get his copies of the emails again if something happened to the originals.

He thought about the Starks, and where their priorities in life would be, and it was quite clear what the couple would consider the highest and lowest levels of importance. They considered one’s family to be the first priority, and always considered themselves last. Howe used a word processing program to paste the text of the emails together, first the one in his personal mailbox, then the one in his work address, and finally the one in his private email address used only with the Starks.

Decipher the text using the key
. Howe frowned. Typically, a key of this type meant a string of characters used to decode an encrypted message, but he didn’t have anything like that. Or did he? Howe removed the key from the trunk of the car and studied it more closely. He noted a random string of characters etched into the key, and smiled. Very clever. He brought up an Internet site that could encode and decode text using an encryption key. He pasted the encrypted message into the website and entered the key...and there was the official document.

He glanced at the brown-haired man. “Excuse me, sir. What is your name?”

“My name is Adam.”

“Adam...what?”

“Just Adam, sir.”

“Oh.” Odd. “Adam, is there a means by which I can print out copies of this bit of text?”

Adam nodded, and showed the lawyer how to connect to a printer he hadn’t previously noticed. Howe printed off several copies, in the event the original printout was damaged. While waiting, he turned back to Adam. “So, what is your connection to the Starks?”

“I manage the data center used to secure and store sensitive data.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

“Some of the data processed by the Starks’ companies is unusually sensitive, in particular those dealing with health and medical billing analysis. The company publishes sanitized and synthesized information — how many bone fractures occurred in Chicago in May, which zip codes show the most treatments for drug addiction, the actual number of hours spent performing an appendectomy across the country. That’s the type of information that’s useful in setting market prices, and letting different providers compete on cost, letting consumers shop around, and so on.”

“OK, makes sense.”

“To get that type of data, however, we need the raw, actual data. The data that says that Joe Smith, living at a specific address, with a specific birthday, had a very specific medical procedure performed at a specific location, by a certain specialist. That data cannot be seen by the public at large.”

“Why not?”

“The most obvious answer is that there are privacy concerns in having others know your medical history. Think of it this way, Mr. Howe. Could you think of certain medical prescriptions other attorneys might be interested in learning that you took? Something they might use to suggest to prospective clients — indirectly, of course — that you might not be the best choice for them?”

Howe thought about that. “I see your point.”

“That level of raw data is too raw for general use, even by our corporation. If the stakes were high enough, one of our analysts could be bribed to run reports seeking lists of medical procedures performed or prescriptions written for everyone who happened to have exactly the same characteristics that you have. A fishing expedition, if you will. They would be able to figure out that private information, or at least have a high degree of certainty that it applied to you. We store that very raw data in a top secret location, and use exceptionally robust security controls to make sure that only our systems can query that data, and even then the data must be of a certain level of generality. The servers here have been taught to recognize searches that are clearly trying to find data about a single individual. Those queries are denied unless specific protocols and procedures are followed that makes it clear that there is some appropriate use.”

“Such as?”

“Generally, lawsuits that need a very fine sliver of data to prove or disprove a legal point. There was a case not long ago trying to prove that a company was generating an excessive amount of a specific chemical, and that it was disproportionately impacting residents who lived nearby, by greatly increasing their risk of a certain illness. To prove that point, their attorneys needed to show that there was, in fact, a disproportionate level of that specific illness near the plant. Those searches would look like someone trying to find one person in most localities, because the disease was so rare in most zip codes you’d only find one person at most meeting the description. But we were able to override and let the system provide the information.”

“But that means there are still people within the company who could override the system and be subject to those bribes you mentioned earlier.”

“The only person who has that authority is the CEO of the company. Until a few days ago, that was Will Stark. I don’t think bribes would work on him.”

Howe frowned. “No, but perhaps threats might...”

Adam arched an eyebrow. “You think the attack on his home was because he refused to cooperate with an illicit search?”

“Possibly.” Howe decided he’d look at that angle later. “Since you manage secure data, it’s probably advisable that I leave a copy of this with you.” He handed Adam one of the printouts, which the man accepted. “No doubt there will be people who don’t see the outcome they want from this. I’d hate to think my original copy of the document and this copy might be stolen or destroyed. We already lost the copy stored at the Starks’ home. Is there a secure means of transferring a copy off-site electronically? So that I can print more copies if needed?”

Adam smiled. “Literally? No. Anything that can be transferred can always conceivably be stolen. But we can make a copy of the document which cannot be modified, and you can take that with you, along with the paper copies you’ve printed.”

Adam provided him food and refreshments for his journey back, along with a small portable storage device with the promised read-only copy of the will documentation. The supplies enabled him to make the journey home with minimal stops, and he pulled back into his own home at around three in the morning. Exhausted after the events of the day, he finally slept.

Howe woke only three hours later and went straight to his office, and was able to slip inside before members of the media arrived. He locked the electronic copy of the will in his desk, and the remaining printed copy in his wall safe, and went to take a shower and don a fresh set of clothing. Exiting the shower, he retrieved the copy of the will stored in his desk. Then he finally sat down and reread the will.

Essentially, all of the family’s assets were held in a legal Trust, with control of the Trust being invested in a Trustee with the power to change the investment portfolio or spend available cash as desired. The Starks had stated publicly that they wanted to give a large portion of their accumulated wealth away to worthy endeavors over the course of their lives and beyond, with small amounts retained for future generations of Starks.

Due to the influence such a position would hold, there was a desire to keep that role within the family. Therefore, the Trustee position came with a documented line of succession with a level of complexity worthy of a constitution. In its simplest form, the role of Trustee had been held by Will Stark (which he’d legally shared with Hope as a co-Trustee), and was to pass to Hope in full upon his death, and to Josh upon the deaths of his parents. Each acting Trustee had the authority to modify the line of succession as they saw fit, which meant that Josh, upon taking the role, could name a future spouse or children as his successors. Each Trustee would control hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of cash and other assets, with the ability to influence those decisions from beyond the grave by their choice of successor, and as such each Trustee would wield enormous influence.

This familial line of succession concept had flaws, as monarchs throughout the history of humanity had discovered. The Trust and estate documents made some effort to recognize and address those flaws, but it didn’t address everything. For example, the documents didn’t provide guidance about what to do in the scenario that both Will and Hope died before Josh was old enough to assume control. That possibility was no longer of concern, though the thought that a six-year-old boy would be in charge of controlling billions of dollars was frightening.

And though it addressed the circumstance of having no named successors remaining on the death of the current Trustee, the documents were still confusing to Howe in terms of what to do in such a circumstance. That was unfortunate, because he was in that circumstance today. The parts that he understood unnerved him. The parts that he
didn’t
understand frightened him.

The estate documents stated that there would be two Advisors to any non-family Trustee forced to take the role in the event all family and named successors died before finding and naming replacements. One of those Advisors would be the family’s current estate attorney. Him. He’d be responsible for guiding the decisions of the new Trustee, and could veto any he felt went against the documented points of guidance established by Will and Hope.

The second Advisor would operate in secret, and would only become involved in circumstances where the Trustee or primary Advisor had become challenged in their ability to make decisions unencumbered by personal circumstances.

In other words, the third person could freeze the checking account of the Trust if the Trustee or Advisor was being compelled to act by outside forces.

The thought that such an event might occur was troubling to Millard Howe. Just as troubling was the fact that he had no idea who was supposed to fill the role of this hidden Advisor. His documentation simply stated that this hidden Advisor would make themselves known to the Trustee in a fashion that only the Trustee would understand.

He sighed. He rather wished that the will had simply stated that all assets be sold and given to designated charities. The Starks wanted their fortune to be disbursed over time, and recognized that they could not define the best means do so in a static document. They needed people they could count on to give that money away in a manner that would meet their approval. Howe leafed through other documents, and found the list of guiding principles for investing and granting funds. When word got out that they’d provide cash grants to people who met their criteria, they’d be flooded with requests. Thankfully, the Trust provided for ample salaries for Trustee and Advisors to ensure that they’d be able to dedicate themselves fully to the role.

There was nothing left to do but contact the new Trustee. Howe had always gotten the impression that the Starks were uncomfortable about making the request to fill the role personally. They said that they feared their top choice would call himself unworthy and turn them down. Though they talked about getting over the fear and speaking to the man, the lawyer believed that he was going to be the one to break the news, and only after the Starks were gone. Suddenly, walking through a mist-filled tunnel with no sound or light seemed like a minor part of this job.

There was no time like the present. It was time to call the Trustee and give him the news. Good or bad news, Howe wasn’t sure. But it would be a shock. He found the man’s number and dialed.

“Pleasanton Police Department. This is Officer Baker.”

“Officer Baker, my name is Millard Howe. I’m the legal counsel managing the estate of Will and Hope Stark.”

There was a pause. “Hello, Mr. Howe. What can I do for you?”

“Mr. Baker, I am currently reading through the will the Starks prepared and filed with my assistance.”

“I see. I’ve heard on the news that there’s a lot of speculation and a lot of greed on that front. I don’t envy you the job. Are you calling to request police protection while the estate is settled?”

“No, Mr. Baker. I’m calling to tell you that you are part of the settlement.”

This time, there was a much longer pause. “I’m what?”

“I had understood that Mr. Stark had already spoken to you or was planning to do so, but it sounds as if he was unable to complete that step before...well, before it was necessary for me to do my job.”

“What are you trying to say, Mr. Howe? I don’t want anything from the Starks, other than to bring them back to us.”

The Starks made an excellent choice, Howe thought. The best man for the job is the one who doesn’t want it.

“I fully agree with your sentiment, Mr. Baker, but alas I lack the ability to make that particular dream a reality. However, you are named in the estate and I wanted to speak with you in person about what it says. Can we set up a time to meet as soon as possible?”

The officer sighed. “I’m off duty tomorrow. Can we meet first thing in the morning?”

“I’ll make sure my calendar is cleared.”

Two days later, Millard Howe did not depart to retrieve the estate documents as previously announced to the media. Rather, he held a brief press conference explaining the goals of the Trust as stipulated by the Starks, outlined the role of the new Trustee, and introduced a still-stunned Michael Baker as the man chosen by the Starks to fill that role. Howe identified the guiding principles the Starks had written for the use of the assets in the estate, and indicated that those who believed that they met those criteria could file a written request for funds.