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Professor Schmaltzenberger's Equation - Chapter 7
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StarMountainKid
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07 September 2012
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What?!” Otto exclaimed on the phone, not sure he had heard Dr. Reinhold correctly.
“You heard me right, Otto. He wants to make a toy out of it.” Dr. Reinhold repeated.
“A toy?! That’s absurd! Is he crazy?”
“Probably,” Dr. Reinhold replied, “but he’s willing to pay big time. That’s what we’re after, isn’t it, the money, I mean?”
Yes, of course, but…A toy time machine!…This is not what I expected, Reinhold. This could get us in a lot of trouble!”
“I don’t think so, Otto, calm down. Mr. Freemont has all these lawyers. Besides, we’d not be responsible for any future litigation. That will be in the contract.”
Otto was silent for a moment, then he asked cautiously, “How much money do you think there’ll be, then?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll get something up front, then a percentage of sales. It’ll be a considerable amount, that’s for certain.”
Otto was silent, again. “When will we know?” he finally asked.
“I have another meeting with Mr. Freemont scheduled for next week. He has to consult with his engineers first, he said. He’s very enthusiastic about the idea. I think it’s a done deal.”
“What about the Professor? We’ll have to tell him something.”
“I thought I’d let you take care of that, Otto,” Dr. Reinhold said. “I mean, that’s all you’ve been doing for the last ten years, taking care of the Professor, right?”
“I suppose so,” Otto agreed. But he’ll expect some sort of accounting. After all, he gave us the equation.”
“Just tell him my contacts in the scientific community are still evaluating. That should satisfy him for now. Listen, I’ve go to go, Otto. I’ll have more information after the meeting. Just keep the Professor calm and don’t worry. I have a good feeling about all this.”
After Dr. Reinhold had hung up the phone with Otto, he sat back in his chair and thought. Plans had to be made before the next meeting with Mr. Freemont. Something had to be done with the Otto and the Professor Schmaltzenberger problem. An accident of some sort, perhaps. Or, maybe blackmail. Otto has had a dubious past, which Dr. Reinhold had meticulously researched. Or, he could tell the Professor about Otto keeping him in captivity all these years and profiting from his discoveries. Otto would be a dangerous man when cornered; perhaps the threat of the Professor going to the police would induce him to take violent action.
In any case, whatever the conclusion would be, it would have to occur this week, before the meeting with Mr. Freemont. Dr. Reinhold wanted a free hand in the negotiations. He knew that whatever the final terms, Otto would be suspicious of his piece of the pie.
After some further thought, Dr. Reinhold finally decided the safest way would be to take Otto out of the picture first. Perhaps a clandestine meeting with Otto in some out of the way location. A simple, anonymous gun shot would do the trick. There are many unsolved murders committed without any evidence left behind, especially in certain neighborhoods. A robbery gone wrong, for instance. With Otto’s past history, he being in a dubious part of town would not appear unusual.
That would be it, then. A smile appeared on Dr. Reinhold’s cunning face. All he would have to do is make a phone call, and the Otto problem would be resolved. Professor Schmaltzenberger would be next. That may require a more elaborate arrangement, Dr. Reinhold thought, but with the Professor’s muddled state of mind, he was sure he would think of something. Then it would all be his alone. All the money he had always dreamed of. And all from a toy time machine! Who would have thought of that?!
“You heard me right, Otto. He wants to make a toy out of it.” Dr. Reinhold repeated.
“A toy?! That’s absurd! Is he crazy?”
“Probably,” Dr. Reinhold replied, “but he’s willing to pay big time. That’s what we’re after, isn’t it, the money, I mean?”
Yes, of course, but…A toy time machine!…This is not what I expected, Reinhold. This could get us in a lot of trouble!”
“I don’t think so, Otto, calm down. Mr. Freemont has all these lawyers. Besides, we’d not be responsible for any future litigation. That will be in the contract.”
Otto was silent for a moment, then he asked cautiously, “How much money do you think there’ll be, then?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll get something up front, then a percentage of sales. It’ll be a considerable amount, that’s for certain.”
Otto was silent, again. “When will we know?” he finally asked.
“I have another meeting with Mr. Freemont scheduled for next week. He has to consult with his engineers first, he said. He’s very enthusiastic about the idea. I think it’s a done deal.”
“What about the Professor? We’ll have to tell him something.”
“I thought I’d let you take care of that, Otto,” Dr. Reinhold said. “I mean, that’s all you’ve been doing for the last ten years, taking care of the Professor, right?”
“I suppose so,” Otto agreed. But he’ll expect some sort of accounting. After all, he gave us the equation.”
“Just tell him my contacts in the scientific community are still evaluating. That should satisfy him for now. Listen, I’ve go to go, Otto. I’ll have more information after the meeting. Just keep the Professor calm and don’t worry. I have a good feeling about all this.”
After Dr. Reinhold had hung up the phone with Otto, he sat back in his chair and thought. Plans had to be made before the next meeting with Mr. Freemont. Something had to be done with the Otto and the Professor Schmaltzenberger problem. An accident of some sort, perhaps. Or, maybe blackmail. Otto has had a dubious past, which Dr. Reinhold had meticulously researched. Or, he could tell the Professor about Otto keeping him in captivity all these years and profiting from his discoveries. Otto would be a dangerous man when cornered; perhaps the threat of the Professor going to the police would induce him to take violent action.
In any case, whatever the conclusion would be, it would have to occur this week, before the meeting with Mr. Freemont. Dr. Reinhold wanted a free hand in the negotiations. He knew that whatever the final terms, Otto would be suspicious of his piece of the pie.
After some further thought, Dr. Reinhold finally decided the safest way would be to take Otto out of the picture first. Perhaps a clandestine meeting with Otto in some out of the way location. A simple, anonymous gun shot would do the trick. There are many unsolved murders committed without any evidence left behind, especially in certain neighborhoods. A robbery gone wrong, for instance. With Otto’s past history, he being in a dubious part of town would not appear unusual.
That would be it, then. A smile appeared on Dr. Reinhold’s cunning face. All he would have to do is make a phone call, and the Otto problem would be resolved. Professor Schmaltzenberger would be next. That may require a more elaborate arrangement, Dr. Reinhold thought, but with the Professor’s muddled state of mind, he was sure he would think of something. Then it would all be his alone. All the money he had always dreamed of. And all from a toy time machine! Who would have thought of that?!
