《The Software Detective》24. Meet the Walters
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I stopped the car directly in front of the butler. "You can leave the keys in the car; the valet service will take your car to the parking garage." The butler said, waving at a younger man dressed in a suit and tie. He ran over to where I was standing, and I gave him the keys. "You must be the programmer that Master Bret told us would come to his place. My name is Bennet, I am the head butler in this house. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Watching my car drive off "Hey Bennet, my name is called Tom. Bret had said the Walters was a wealthy client, but I wasn't expecting all of this. I mean, the ride to the castle alone was beautiful."
"Ah yes, you must mean the topiaries. Yes, the Ukrainian sculptor Kuzma Bondar is renowned for his amazing work. If you want to find his work, just look for the cow eating a chicken at a dinner table." Bennet said. "I'll explain the Walter family history as we head to Master August, the current head of the Walter family." He ushered me into the castle.
The foyer of the house was enormous. There were two staircases that lead to the second floor. We walked past the staircase and went down the long hallway with knights standing guard on either side. "The Walters is a family amassed their wealth from the sale and production of oil. The originally started with the sale of oil and production of many types of plastics." Leaving the hallway was now in a large room with two doors on either side and to in front of us. Bennet went to the door in front of us. On the left, it opened up to an indoor garden.
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As we walked through the beautiful garden, there were fresh flowers all around us. Bennet continued as we walked towards the exit. "About a century ago, the former head of the family and great grandfather of the current master decided that all the gasoline and plastic they were producing was harming the environment, so he started funding research into alternatives to energy created from fossil fuels. His son found that nuclear was the best solution and to this day they are working towards making a future that is nuclear."
Bennet opened the door to the outside garden. The area was filled with trees, fountains and more topiary. "I have served in the Walter family for many years, and I have to say this is the most interesting bunch that I have had the pleasure of working with."
"Interesting? What do you mean?" I said.
"Well Tom, I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I will let you see for yourself." Bennet said. In the distance, a large building became more visible. "The reason Master August has summoned you here today is because an intruder murdered his wife, Nelka. Master August was away on business, while Nelka and a few of the nighttime butlers on shift were the only people in the castle. An intruder broke into the house. This was the first time this had happened. With the castle so secluded in the woods, we don't receive many guests, so we never planned for this to happen." Once we were in front of the large building, Bennet opened the door, letting me walk through first. He then guided me to the elevator at the end of the hall.
"Nelka was as fiery as her red hair. According to the burglar, she attacked him from all angles will look stunning in the moonlight. Pardon my French, but essentially, she handed his ass to him." Bennet pressed the button to the elevator, and we walked in. After he press the button for the floor, the doors closed. "The only thing that saved him was he threw his knife, and it lodged itself into her stomach. By this time the night crew finally arrived to find a bleeding out Nelka and a beaten criminal with wet pants."
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The doors opened, greeting us with another hallway. This time, there were multiple doors on either side of the hallway and a single door at the end of the hallway. "The night crew working that night were all fired and were replaced with combat trained security guards." Now at the end of the hallway, Bennet put his hand on the door. "Before we meet Master August, I want to mention that his three daughters are home. I would recommend staying away from them because those bitches are crazy."
"Uh, thanks for the heads up?" Tom said.
"My pleasure." Bennet said, opening the door. Sitting in the middle of the room around papers on the floor and large white boards with math equations covering them, was a man eating a cereal from a bowl.
The man had large spikey black and grey hair that looked as if he stuck a fork in an electric socket. The man swiveled around on his stool. His cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk. Taking a big swallow, his cheeks returned to normal and a huge smile came across his face. "Ah, you must be the programmer told me about!" the man got off his stool and walked over to us.
Using one hand to hold the cereal bowl, he wiped his right hand on his pants and extended it for a handshake. "I'm August Walters. It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"
"Hi, my name is Tom. I heard the story about your wife from Bennet. I will do my best to make sure your home is secure." I said, shaking his hand.
As we pulled our hands back from the handshake, he took a spoonful of cereal. "Oh, perfect. Now there is no time to delay. If you're anything like Bret, you must be a busy man." He said with his mouth full.
"Master August, we discussed this before its impolite to speak with your mouthful." Bennet said, annoyed.
August swallowed. "Oh right sorry, cereal is such a delicate food. Let it soak too long, and the result is death by mushy food. But enough of that, let me show you around the place you have to set up the system.
The butler nudged me. "We're just getting started." We both followed August to the end of the hallway towards the elevator.
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