Mr. White’s real name was Baxter McGill. Baxter McGill was born to New York aristocracy - a socialite mother, and a titan of Wall Street father. Baxter’s father - Henry McGill - was the President of Wolters McGill, once a stock brokerage firm on Wall Street and that was founded by Chester McGill, Baxter’s grandfather.

Wolters McGill had been sold - bought by a German bank looking for a ready made stock brokerage on Wall Street that could be rebranded.

Henry McGill had enjoyed his wealth and retirement - until the smoking and Whisky caught up with him and he suffered a stroke at age 67. By age 68 he had had two more strokes, and was dead.

Baxter’s mother, Maureen, had passed away a year ago - and his father’s wealth was placed into a trust fund for Baxter and his younger sister, Pippa.

Pippa had taken her parent’s palatial house in Jamaica Estates, Queens, and Baxter had taken the beach house on Long Island. And together they had the trust fund.

Baxter’s life had followed a long established blueprint for the children of New York’s moneid family. He was raised by an au pair, she was English, and then attended The Kimberly preparatory school. After the Kimberly, it was the Madison - and then after Madison it was Harvard. After Harvard was more Harvard, at the Harvard Business School, and then Baxter, following the blueprint, did what the children of rich Wall Street executives did, he went to work on Wall Street as an executive.

‘I knew your father - a very fine man’ - said Ambrose Pollard, the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the derivatives trading division of Peirce and Peirce, as he shook Baxter’s hand.

‘Thank you Mr. Pollard’ - said Baxter, smiling and sitting down.

‘Just Ambrose, please’ - said Ambrose, sitting down behind his vast desk on the 54th floor, with a view overlooking the Manhattan harbor, with the Statue of Liberty in the distance.

Ambrose Pollard stretched, he had a chubby, friendly face and wore tortoise shell glasses - ‘You want something to drink, Baxter?’

‘Some water, please’ - said Baxter, smiling at Ambrose.

Ambrose picked up the phone and pressed a button - ‘Yeah, can we get two waters. Yeah - thanks’

Ambrose smiled - ‘So you fancy walking in the old man’s shoes and making a name for yourself on Wall Street?’

‘Yes, Mr. - I mean, yes Ambrose’

‘Well - we got a spot for you here. Like I said, I knew your father, and it would be great to have your join us here at P&P’

The office door opened, and a statuesque woman wearing a tight fitting and short skirt walked in carrying a tray. The woman placed two crystal glasses filled with chunks of ice and a wedge of lime on the table - and then poured water from a blue bottle with Italian writing on it, filling both glasses.

‘Will there be anything else, Mr. Pollard’ - said the woman, smiling at Ambrose.

‘Not right now, Trica’ - said Ambrose, picking up a glass and smiling.

Trica smiled, and then turned and walked across the office, and left - closing the door behind her.

Ambrose sipped his water, and smiled at Baxter - ‘I know what you are think, Baxter’

‘You do?’ - said Baxter, picking up his glass, and taking a sip.

‘Oh yes I do’

‘What am I thinking?’

Ambrose grinned and they sat in silence for a moment - ‘You are thinking…does Trica have any underwear on under that short skirt, and is it shaved?’

There was silence for a moment - and then Ambrose burst into laughter. Baxter blushed a little - and then joined the laughing.

‘It’s okay - I think the same thing everytime I see her. I am betting no to the first, and yes to the second’

Baxter politely chuckled - and sipped his water.

‘If you ever find out, Baxter old sport - do let me know, won’t you!’

More chuckling - ‘Yes Mr. Pollard, I mean Ambrose - yes sir’

Ambrose smiled, and sipped some more water.

‘Well, how do you feel about it? You want to come and join the gang here at P&P and make a load of money?’

‘Yes, that would be wonderful - Ambrose’

And that was Baxter McGill’s interview for a job as Vice President in the derivatives trading division of Pierce and Peirce. Ambrose Pollard had gone to the Kimberly Preparatory School, and the Madison School - and then Harvard. And then after Harvard was more Harvard, and Ambrose Pollard had gone to the Harvard Business School.

Ambrose Pollard was a member of the same club as Henry McGill, and had a beach house on Long Island three miles along the coast from the McGill’s place.

It was a blueprint - and it never failed.

Baxter joined the club - the same club as his father and Ambrose Pollard were members of - and he would smoke cigars and sip whisky with the other members of the club. The other members of the club might have followed a slight variation of the blueprint, but it was essentially the same and it couldn’t deviate from the blueprint too radically. The blueprint would allow you to attend one of about a half dozen preparatory schools, one of three high schools, and one of two universities. For the universities, it was either Yale or Harvard. People who hadn’t followed this blueprint were considered outsiders - and suspect. The outsiders were an unknown quantity - and as such they couldn’t be trusted. Only by attending certain schools and coming from certain families were you considered an insider. There were no blacks, or jews, or Catholics in the club - there were no women in the club. Just a group of rich white men who all went to the same schools and all worked on the same street.

Derivatives trading was basically gambling - but gambling with borrowed money and on outcomes derived from other outcomes. Here is an example of a derivative trade.

The price of Company A’s shares is $100 per share. A derivative trader will say that in 1 month the value of the shares will be $150 per share. The derivatives trader will borrow $100 to buy one share of Company A, and will then write what is called a futures contract to sell that share of Company A for $150. A buyer will agree to this contract, and agrees to buy the share of Company A in one month for $150.

A month passes - and the share price of Company A has gone from $100 to $160. The futures contract is now due - and the derivatives trader sells his share in Company A for $150. The buyer gets a share of Company A for a discount, and the derivatives trader repays the $100 they borrowed and makes a $50 profit.

This is a simplified version of the process - but in essence a derivative’s trader is making bets on future outcomes. And this is what Baxter McGill did on Wall Street, and he did it very well.

The apartment where Baxter McGill lived was on Park Avenue. It was a three bedroom apartment, in an art deco building with a doorman and a covered entrance. Baxter was 36, and lived with Cheryl - his fiance.

It had been a month since Mr. White had met Mr. Black, and Mr. White had been busy. He had remortgaged his parents' beach house, and liquidated his stocks. He had taken a personal loan secured by the Park Avenue apartment, and had just returned from a meeting with Jack, his father’s lawyer and the trustee of his and his sister’s trust fund.

Baxter had told Jack that he was going to open his own business - his own trading company - and needed a loan from the trust as start-up capital. How very exciting - Jack had said. Just like your grandfather - Jack had said. Jack had asked how much he would be borrowing, and for how long.

The remortgaging of the beach house had brought in $3 million. The stocks and bonds had netted $2 million. He had the personal loan for $4 million secured against the apartment - and $800,000 cash. Total he had $9.8 million, and he needed another $5.2 million.

‘About five million’ - said Baxter, sipping his whisky rocks at the club, his face calm and relaxed.

Jack smiled, and puffed on his cigar.

‘Your father told me, Baxter - that your grandfather founded Wolter McGill with £100’

Baxter smiled - ‘Well, times have certainly changed, Jack’

Jack puffed his cigar - and smiled - ‘They certainly have, Baxter. Once upon a time, $5,000,000 was more money than in the whole of New York. Now, well - it is just $5,000,000!’

Baxter sipped his whisky.

‘When do you need this money?’

Baxter smiled - ‘Well, as soon as possible. I will need to rent space and purchase equipment. Computers, etcetera. And the licensing. The list is almost endless….’

Jack smiled, and puffed his cigar - ‘Your father would be proud, Baxter’

‘And it’s just a loan, Jack. As soon as I am up and running the trust will be paid back in full. I know my parents set up the fund for their grandchildren…’

‘I know Baxter - I will have my office draw up the papers and then you can swing by and sign them - and then we will issue the funds’

Baxter sipped his whisky rocks, and smiled at Jack as Jack puffed his cigar and a waiter brought them over fresh drinks.

Baxter took off his coat in the lobby of the apartment. A middle aged woman wearing a household help uniform walked out into the lobby.

‘Miss Cheryl is at her class’ - said the woman, a Latin American woman.

‘Thank you Manuela’ - said baxter.

‘You want some food, Mr. Baxter?’ - said Manuela.

Baxter smiled - ‘No thank you Manuela, I ate at the club’

‘Okay - if you want something, you just let me know’ - said Manuela, turning and leaving the entrance lobby.

Baxter left the lobby and went straight to the room. He took a key fob out of his pocket, and unlocked the door. He stepped in the room and closed and locked the door behind him. He flicked the light switch, and his museum appeared from the darkness. His mini Mr. Amazing museum. He wandered amongst the display cabinets and admired his collection. He stared at the figurines, and the cups and glasses - all with Mr. Amazing’s smiling face on them. On the walls were framed posters of Mr. Amazing. One was a framed poster from a public service campaign Mr. Amazing was involved in - reminding kids that “Only suckers do drugs!”

Baxter had had the walls painted eggshell white, and the floor was antique oak - like a museum, he would say - smiling - to the few lucky people he would let into the mini museum.

To the side was a black leather sofa, and a huge flatscreen TV. Baxter sat down on the sofa, and turned the TV on. Baxter lent forward, and opened a draw on the TV stand, and took out a DVD. He slid the disc into the DVD player, and then sat back and waited.

A documentary was playing - called Amazing Adventures with Mr. Amazing. Baxter sat and stared at the screen, his face unmoving as the movie played - his eyes fixed on the screen. The documentary was a film made many years ago, where a film crew joined Mr. Amazing on some of his missions. The first mission shown was Mr. Amazing building an orphanage in Africa - and digging a well. Baxter stared at Mr. Amazing as he spoke to the film crew - talking about how these were the most important missions he works on, where he can make a difference to the lives of children. Nuns were shown smiling and watching Mr. Amazing as he worked. A single tear rolled down Baxter McGill’s face.

Like many people, Baxter McGill adored Mr. Amazing. Baxter McGill had grown up with Mr. Amazing on the news in newspapers and on cereal boxes. As a child, Baxter would dream of Mr. Amazing coming to his school - like he did at so many other schools, to tell the kids about road safety, the dangers of drugs, and to never get in a car with a stranger.

There was a knock at the door - Baxter jumped.

‘Baxter, are you in there?’

It was Cheryl, his fiance.

‘Yes sweety!’

Baxter quickly turned off the TV, and ejected the disc and placed it carefully back in its box. He wiped his eyes, and then stood - and walked to the door and unlocked it.

Cheryl was wearing work-out clothing - and had been at a high impact cardio class.

‘What are you doing with the door locked - watching a porno?’ - smiled Cheryl, leaning forward and kissing Baxter.

‘No, I was just doing an inventory - and I didn’t want to be disturbed’ - said Baxter, flustered.

‘Jeez Baxter - I think I would prefer you to be watching porn that obsessing over that Mr. Amazing stuff’

‘It’s an investment - Cheryl’ - said Baxter, now embarrassed. He squeezed out of the door and locked it.

‘Did you eat?’ - said Cheryl as she walked to the kitchen.

‘Yes, I met Jack at the club and we ate there’

‘How is Jack?’

‘He is fine. He is very good’

Cheryl picked up a purple plum from the fruit bowl, and took it to the sink and washed it - ‘You remember the Marazzi’s?’

‘The Marazzi’s…’ - said Baxter, vaguely.

‘Giancarlo and Cinzia - they live in Soho’

‘Giancarlo and Cinzia…’ - said Baxter, still vaguely.

‘He’s a writer - and she is an interior designer’

Baxter had given up, he just smiled.

‘We met them on Labor day in Southampton - well, anyways, she messaged me and said they would love to have us for dinner’ - Cheryl took a bite on the purple plum.

‘Okay’

Cheryl took another bite of the plum.

‘When?’

‘Giancarlo is away on a book tour at the moment - promoting his new book. It’s some men’s health and wellbeing book - Cinzia said she would send a copy over for you’

‘Cool’

Cheryl took another bite of the plum - ‘What are you doing now?’

‘I was going to - I was going to carry on with my inventory’

Cheryl rolled her eyes.

‘I am just going to say Baxter - if you paid me, and my fucking pussy, even a fraction of the attention you give to that collections of junk I would be a very happy fucking woman’

Baxter stared a Cheryl, looking embarrassed.

‘I have a 36 year old fiance who cannot get a fucking erection, who locks himself in a fucking room to stare a lunch boxes and cups and fucking ceral boxes…’

Baxter didn’t know what to say, he just stared at Cheryl.

‘Maybe I should dress up as Mr. Amazing - would you like that? Would that get your dick hard and get you interested in fucking me, Baxter?’

‘Keep your voice down Cheryl - Manuela can hear!’

Cheryl took a final bite of the plum, and then threw the stone in the garbage. And walked out of the kitchen. Baxter stood there for a moment, and waited until he heard the bedroom door slam and then he quietly walked to the room, and unlocked the door to the mini museum and slipped inside. He turned the lights on, and then locked the door behind him. He went to the sofa and turned on the TV and inserted the Amazing Adventures with Mr. Amazing DVD and pressed play.