Life Is Good: Cases of Matt and the General

By Harry Katzan Jr.

This is a collection of four adventures performed by Ashley, Matt, and the General, along with Anna – the retired college professor. The First Lady case is solved by Matt through inspiration and appropriate thinking. The book explores the Pandemic situation in the world with definitive information on the nature of the virus and what people in countries are doing about it. The book parallels the news service in this regard. The book goes international with a long look at foreign involvement and its relevance to the United States. Finally, Matt draws an incorrect assumption, that is remedied by the General and his military connections. The book involves remarkable air travel and the power of the President. Life in Washington, DC is involved, as is Zürich and all of its glamour. The underlying theme of the book is the power of the President and how things really get done. Other characters return including Amelia, as a double spy, and Sir Charles Bunday as a tough British officer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 19, 2020
• ISBN: 9781663213495

Harry Katzan Jr.

Harry Katzan, Jr. is a professor who has written several books and many papers on computers and service, in addition to some novels. He has been a advisor to the executive board of a major bank and a general consultant on various disciplines. He and his wife have lived in Switzerland where he was a banking consultant and a visiting professor. He is an avid runner and has completed 94 marathons including Boston 13 times and New York 14 times. He holds bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees.

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Copyright © 2020 Harry Katzan Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-1348-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1350-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1349-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020923139

iUniverse rev. date:   11/16/2020

CONTENTS

Foreword

The Team

PART I THE FIRST LADY

1 Life Is Good

2 Travel To Maui And To Washington, Dc

3 The Solution To The President’s Problem

PART II THE CORONAVIRUS

4 Ashley Appears Unexpectedly

5 The Coronavirus Project

6 Staffing The Team

7 Initiation Of Team Operations

8 The First Report And Amelia

9 The Team Finally Gets Going

10 Local Operations

11 Travel To London

12 The Meetings In London

13 Conversations

14 The Report And The Final Result

15 Matt And Ashley

PART III THE ORIGIN OF THE PANDEMIC

16 Meeting The President

17 The White House

18 Travel To The White House

19 The Meeting With The President

20 The Real Amelia

21 Putting The Project Back On Track

22 Preparation For The Meeting

23 Camp David

24 The Summit

25 Amelia Is Back In Town

26 Planning For The Zürich Trip

27 The Trip To Switzerland

28 Arrival At The Meeting In Zürich

29 Getting Started In Zürich

30 The Meeting In Zürich

31 Working Towards A Total Solution

32 Ongoing Planning

33 Amelia, Ashley, And Matt

34 A Possible Solution

35 The Solution

36 The Story Is Over

PART IV THE INFORMATION LEAK

37 The Smart Watch

38 The Smart Watch

39 Background To The Story

40 Call Dr. Matt

41 The Leak

42 Getting Started

43 The Day After The Night Before In The White House

44 The Next Day

45 The Team Draws A Conclusion

About The Book

About The Author

For

Margaret, as always

FOREWORD

Matt Miller and Ashley Wilson had been friends from the day they met in Dr. Marguerite Purgoine’s creative writing course. They commonly met at Starbucks to discuss life’s never-ending set of problems. Matt was an established mathematician and a prize winning golfer. Ashley had been a person seeking celebrity status. Dr. Purgoine, known personally as Anna for some unknown reason, was a distinguished professor and award-winning author. Matt’s grandfather, Les Miller, was a retired general in the U.S. Air Force, and subsequently the founder of an influential political polling company. He was referred to as the General, because of his collection of major accomplishments. The General was wealthy and liked to help people. This led to several keen adventures for Matt and the General.

For most people in the modern world, the Pandemic of 2020 is the worst thing that has ever happened to them. Words like shelter in place, facial mask, social distance, and wash our hands for 20 seconds are commonplace. Businesses, restaurants, bars, movie houses, sporting events are totally, if not partially, changed, and many people think our way of life in modern countries will never return.

COVID-19 is the name of the pandemic that took most people by surprise. History will say that it originated in China and spread from there to the rest of civilized society. The virus is highly contagious, and people were encouraged to maintain a social distance from other individuals when out in public and to stay indoors when possible. The wearing of facemasks was advised, and many people wore gloves and protective clothing. Medical supplies and first responders were in short supply, and the death rate was high for a sickness of its kind. There was no vaccine to prevent the virus, and no medicines to cure persons, once they were unlucky enough to attract it.

But, we’re getting ahead of the story. What is a pandemic and where did the term come from? To begin, where did the terminology start? An endemic is sickness that belongs to a particular people or country, and an outbreak is a greater-than-anticipated increase in the number of endemic cases. If an outbreak is not controlled, it is called an epidemic. Lastly, a pandemic is an epidemic that spreads over multiple countries or continents and affects a large number of people. The sequence is endemic > outbreak > epidemic > pandemic.

Government leaders are concerned with pandemics from several different points of view. The most important point of view is clearly how to identify it, cure it, and prevent it. The source is very important, as well as how it affects various groups of people. Eventually, leaders get around to whether it is natural or man-made, and if so, who did it.

This novel attempts to answer some of these questions in a common form of entertainment.

Matt and the General have other adventures, like the time they found the missing First Lady and later solving the information leak in the White House.

THE TEAM

The General – Les Miller. Former military General and Humanitarian. P-51 pilot and war hero.

Dr. Matthew (Matt) Miller – Professor of Mathematics. Grandson of the General.

Ashley Miller – College friend of Matt Miller. Former Duchess of Bordeaux. Married to Matt Miller. Receiver of the National Medal of Freedom.

Amelia Robinson – Citizen of the United States and mole working for the United States and Russia.

Dr. Marguerite Purgoine - Retired creative writing Professor and an associate of the team.

Charles (Buzz) Bunday – P-51 pilot. Army Air Force buddy of Les Miller. Member of the British Security Service. Knight of the United Kingdom.

William Bunday – Son of Sir Charles Bunday. Member of the British Security Service.

Gustav Snider – Member of the German Security Service.

Dr. Harper (Harp) Thomas – Professor of Mathematics at ETH.

Kimberly Jobsen Thomas – Consultant to a Swiss Bank. Married to Harper Thomas.

Dr. Michael (Davis) – Duke of Bordeaux. Professor of Astrophysics. Knight of the United Kingdom.

Kenneth L. Power – President of the United States.

Elizabeth Power – First Lady of the United States.

George Benson – Assistant to the President of the United States.

PART I

THE FIRST LADY

(Chapters 1 - 3)

1

LIFE IS GOOD

It was a beautiful fall day in New Jersey. The sky was a deep blue without a cloud and there was a nip of coolness in the air. There was a slight breeze, and the deciduous trees that were losing their leaves were moving in unison. It was a Monday, and it seemed that if something were going to happen, it would happen on Monday. Matthew Miller, known as Matt practically everywhere, was a professor of mathematics at a prestigious university. He had his PhD degree that he had earned in only two years. He was an acknowledged scholar, and it was genuinely thought that he knew everything there was to know about mathematics. He had an academic relationship with fellow mathematicians all over the world. On this particular Monday he had two classes, a graduate math class at 9:00 am and an undergrad math class at 10:00 am, followed by a meeting with his PhD candidate at 11:00 am. Then to top it off, he had a last minute departmental meeting at 1:00 pm. The General wanted to play a around of golf, so they scheduled it at 3:00 pm at the local Country Club of which Matt and his grandfather, known as the General, were members. Matt’s classes went well, as they always did. For each class, the students had to do a problem set due the next class. Each submission was evaluated by a teaching assistant and given a value of 1 through 5. Matt graded his own exams, since he was interested in how well his lectures were preparing the students for exams. Matt loved his classes, and his students liked him, usually because he had a gentleman’s attitude toward them. Matt was very supportive of his PhD candidate. Each semester, he had one grad course and one undergrad course and at least one PhD candidate to advise. As such, he was a math professor, and that was what he wanted to be. He was a full professor with tenure. Matt’s life was relatively simple. He prepared his lectures, played golf with the General, studied math to keep abreast of new things, and did things with his wife Ashley, who was a professor at a local community college. Matt and Ashley usually hung out together, including time at the local driving range. They normally did not play together on golf courses, since Matt and the General were expert players, and Matt had been an NCAA golf champion.

The General is a retired Army Air Force 3-star general officer and had received a retired fourth star, so he had the rank of a 4-star general. A general is a general for life, so the General kept his ties to the active military world. Les Miller, the General, was a former P-51 pilot, as well as a B-29 and B-52 pilot, and had performed several honorable deeds, so he was usually known socially as the General. The General has bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees, and was the founder of a political polling company that had made him a very wealthy man, who chose to use his wealth to help people. Matt and the General have completed several goodwill projects together.

At 1:00 pm, the math department Chairman had an unscheduled departmental meeting, to which the Dean and the department’s secretary were also invited. The department Chairman started the meeting, Greetings everyone, and welcome to our guest Dean Fletcher. We are here to honor one of our colleagues, who is designated by the Board of Directors of the university as a Distinguished Scholar. Therefore, I would like to honor Matthew Miller with that award. He will receive a certificate, a staff assistant to assist in performing his research, a substantial raise in salary, and a reduced teaching load of one course.

The people in the room clapped, and each member of the faculty gave an elegant fountain pen to Dr. Miller. A professor in the back of the room wondered where all of those beautiful fountain pens came from and finally realized that the university maintained several sets for future awards. In the celebrated movie A Beautiful Mind, a roomful of guests gave pens to the celebrated mathematician John Nash for winning the Nobel Prize in which a larger number of fountain pens changed hands.

Matt replied, Thank you for the honor and the handsome set of fountain pens. I definitely feel humbled at this award. However, I do have one brief question. Am I expected to teach only one course?

That would normally be the case, replied the Chairman.

If I cannot teach one grad course and one undergrad course, I will deny the award, stated Matt.

The Chairman looked at the Dean, who smiled as if to say ‘I told you so’ or ‘It’s your problem’.

Then it is in my power to assign the normal load to Dr. Miller, said the chairman.

All of the members of the department clapped, and all shook Matt’s hand. A light lunch was served.

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Matt was completely dismayed by the entire state of affairs with the university, in particular, and the whole education system, in general. Teaching math is a distinct pleasure, Matt thought, and as the courses get harder, only the good students go on. So the courses are more enjoyable. I’m kind of proud of myself for sticking up to my rights in education during the ceremony.

Matt headed home, changed clothes, tossed his clubs into the back of the Taycan and headed to the Country Club. This Porsche Taycan is another problem, he thought. The car itself is perfect. The goals set by the Porsche Company are satisfied with flying colors. But owning one is quite another thing and is a complete pain in the neck. I’m totally sick and tired of people asking questions about it, and its electric motor, and the speed, and all of that. All Ashley and I really need is a good car - like a Toyota Avalon, so we can have a good time without all of those well meaning people asking ‘decent’ questions and saying ‘good luck with it’. I think I’m really having a bad day.

When Matt got to the Country Club, the General was in a jubilant mood and initiated the conversation with a big smile. Hi Matt, how has your day been so far?

Matt had a scowl on his face, so the General immediately knew that something was amiss.

It was good and bad, said Matt. My classes went well. They always do. I like the students. The PhD candidate has made good progress on his dissertation, since he finished his course work and passed his comprehensive exam. It’s what happened afterwards that has put me in a bad mood, and you know that I’m almost never in a bad mood.

Tell me about it, said the General. I’m sure we can fix anything that has gone wrong.

They gave me a distinguished professor award, said Matt. It’s one of those things that the Board of Directors does. The award includes a certificate, a raise in salary, an assistant, and a reduced workload to only one course per semester.

Doesn’t sound too bad to me, said the General.

I like my courses, one grad, one undergrad, and a PhD candidate to advise, so I said that if I could only teach one course, then I would deny the award. So the math department Chairman, who has changed, looked at the Dean who smiled, as if to say ‘It’s your problem’ or ‘I told you so’. So the Chairman graciously said he would work it out, and I could carry my usual course load. Everyone clapped, and each professor in the department gave me an elegant fountain pen and a handshake. It’s a tradition.

I knew about it, said the General. I knew that was how you would respond."

You knew about it? replied Matt.

The Dean invited me, answered the General. I know him from our military days. I turned down the invite, because I thought something like that would happen. You’re not the only one that can figure things out.

Well, I’ll be, said Matt. I think I’m going to enjoy our round of golf.

Matt was right. He and the General both played their best round in a couple of years.

Afterwards, the General invited Matt and Ashley to have dinner with Mme. Purgoine, the prize winning author and retired professor of creative writing, and himself at the Green Room, the prize winning restaurant that he owned.

Matt accepted without asking Ashley, since he knew she always enjoyed a fine dinner in a classy restaurant. Matt recognized that the General was more enthusiastic about the dinner than normal, so he knew something was up, and it wasn’t about the distinguished professor award.

Ashley returned from the college at which she was a professor, and was very pleased about the dinner. She even wore an appropriate dress and spiked heel shoes, even though she knew a dress and heels was less popular in the modern world. Matt was proud that Ashley knew how to dress for an occasion. Most modern women dressed in trousers and flats in some ridiculous new fashion.

At the dinner seated in the best table in the house, the General told about Matt’s award, and the ladies were proud of their favorite person. Then, the general announced his surprise, I checked into your schedules and know that we now have time to do something interesting. I hereby propose that the four of us take a short vacation at the best hotel in Maui. We’ll take the Gulfstream 650 that has ben retrofitted with high performance fan jet engines and long distance fuel tanks. I checked on the airport situation, and we can land at the military base. The two pilots, who were both F-22 Raptor pilots, are available. Rank has its privileges, but it took some twisting to get landing rights at the base. The General looked up, and, he saw three of the biggest smiles that he had ever seen.

Matt asked about golf, and the General said that Maui had the best courses in Hawaii. Ashley asked about transportation, and the General said that he had arranged for a limo from a rental agency owned by a fellow officer. Mme. Purgoine, who went by the nickname Anna for some unknown reason, asked about shopping and entertainment, and the General said that the hotel had an entertainment package that consisted of a shopping spree, a luau, and an airplane flight over the site of the World War II attack by the Japanese, and a choice of 14 golf courses. He added that in all of Hawaii there were 75 courses.

All that Matt could say was, General, you are the best planner that anyone could want.

The general and his entourage agreed that it was the best dinner ever.

During the dinner, a couple at another table stared at the four friends incessantly. The lady was heard to say, Those people are so friendly and are having such a good time, I wonder why. Her husband responded, They’re Americans, and America is the world’s best place to live.

2

TRAVEL TO MAUI AND

TO WASHINGTON, DC

The General finalized the arrangements to use the Gulfstream 650 that he had mentioned. He contacted the pilot team that consisted of the two former F-22 Raptor pilots, and they were pleased with the extended range afforded by the new engines and additional fuel tanks. The 650 had a range of 7000 miles at 600 miles per hour at 51,000 feet. The distance to Maui is roughly 4,500 miles, well within the capacity of the aircraft. For experienced pilots, a nine-hour flight is certainly within the human endurance limit. However, he wondered about Matt, Ashley, and Anna. Matt recommended a non-stop flight, so the General decided to go ahead and make it a direct flight. The pilots were pleased with landing at a military airfield, and the car rental would be a breeze. The General was looking forward to using a Cadillac Escalade. The General’s only open item were the golf clubs. Matt said he didn’t want to lug his expensive set of clubs in and out of an aircraft. The General called his military buddy, who was the car dealer, and he had a solution that entailed having two sets made. He said, Just give me your measurement and club weights, and I’ll have them in the Escalade when you get here. Matt knew his specifications, but the General had to go to the golf pro at the Country Club to be measured. Actually, the club pro used the General’s everyday clubs and did the rest.

From previous experience, the General knew the west shore of Maui in the Kannapali area was the best for their needs. He choose a luxurious hotel with extensive facilities near a golf course. The hotel had a weekly luau, which is a wonderful eating experience.

Each of the guests asked about what to pack, and each got the same reply. "Travel light. Wear street clothes and extras for the first night. Otherwise, you can buy anything you need or want at my expense. This trip is my reward to you for helping to make our lives enjoyable and fulfilling.

The