Minjy the Robot in Glitter City

Minjy the Robot Glitter City Cover OCT 5

Minjy’s Fourth Adventure

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photo-copying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

This book/e-book story is a work of fiction. All names, characters and incidents depicted in this book/e-book story are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and is not intended by the author.

Published by Steven Michael Krystal

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

E-mail: stevekrystal4@gmail.com

eBooks by Steven Michael Krystal

Minjy the Robot

Minjy the Robot Returns

Minjy the Robot – A Pirate’s Life

Minjy the Robot in Glitter City

Minjy the Robot and the Search for Wing Wong

About This Story

Minjy’s adventure unfolds in dazzling Glitter City, which is a stop along the way before going to see Miss Wong in St. Belle. To her surprise, Minjy is re-united with an old colleague, Iga, who unknowingly has become entrapped in a stolen art scheme.

There are few clues to go on to solve the theft. Things begin to unravel for the thief and finger pointing begins. As the investigator and detective try to solve the crime, Minjy once again meets a whole new cast of characters. Despite being caught up in all the intrigue, Minjy does her best to ensure that the innocent and goodness prevail.

Chapter 1

Mick’s smartphone rang.

“Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you for days. Mick, I’ve been worried sick about you!”

“Olivia, don’t worry, I’m fine. I’m in America.”

“In America? When did you leave London? What are you doing there?”

“I’m the laughing stock of Redbridge. Surely everyone knows that the painting was stolen on my watch. No one will hire me after that, and I can’t say that I blame them. Olivia, I’ve got to carry on and make a fresh start.”

Mick York worked as the night manager in a small, upscale, East London hotel. It was quaint and more like an inn and had been recently renovated. Just off the lobby was a sitting area with a comfortable couch and several plush chairs. There was a Victorian era fireplace which was the focal point of the room.

Above its mantel hung a small painting by a little known, Welsh artist named Stuart Hobbs.

It was a painting of a polo competition, and while the colors were rather drab, its details were considered just shy of masterpiece quality. Most people took little notice of the piece which depicted horsemen swinging their mallets. Yet knowledgeable art collectors knew otherwise - its value was easily worth upwards of fifty thousand pounds. Hobbs had gifted the painting to his nephew, Dan, who owned the hotel.

“Mick, exactly where are you?”

“I’m in Glitter City. It’s full of hotels and restaurants. I’m sure I’ll find work.”

“That’s crazy! You don’t know the first thing about America. You’ve lived in Redbridge your whole life. Mick, you’ve hardly ever ventured into London! How are you going to make your way in Glitter City?”

“The thought of those gents making off with that painting haunts me. I’ve let Dan Hobbs down. Olivia, that was a really valuable piece of art, and because of me he’s lost tens of thousands of pounds. Even worse, the painting was a gift from his Uncle Stuart. It had real sentimental value. I can’t get it off my mind!

“I did manage to get a glimpse of those blokes before the video surveillance went dead. They were texting on their phones. Someday I’ll find out who they were, and I’ll figure out how they got away with it. But for now I need a change – I hope you understand. Good-bye, Olivia.”

Mick’s thumb pressed down on the button and he glanced at the screen – ‘call ended’.

Chapter 2

“Power on.”

The device’s voice recognition function activated.

This feature was one of the many upgrades that were recently made to the ‘WaveTitan’ high security smartphone. The user simply spoke to the device and told it what to do. Voice recognition had entirely replaced the need for a keypad.

The phone also had the ability to encrypt and decrypt messages. This meant that the words of messages could be scrambled and unscrambled by the phone’s software. As an added layer of security, the phone also enabled the level of encryption to be modified. This allowed messages to be unique to the user’s requirements and even more secure. The phone’s manufacturer boasted that this type of technology was impossible to hack.

Another impressive feature was that the phone could jam signals and temporarily disable most kinds of electronic devices.

With everything that it could do, the WaveTitan proved to be the overwhelming choice for governments and the military - and unintentionally, professional thieves.

He sat patiently and glanced at the screen every so often, waiting for the message icon to appear. After a few moments it did.

“Open message.”

The screen illuminated and the message read: The early bird catches the worm.

He paused to think.

“Decrypt message.”

The message changed and now read: Ready to go, advise time.

He smiled.

“Create message.”

A flashing icon appeared on the screen prompting him to speak.

“Okay to proceed tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., good luck.”

Upon completion of the message the device confirmed that it had been recognized word for word. He gave the encryption command and the original version changed instantly.

The message now read: A stitch in time saves nine.

“Send message.”

He felt a sense of satisfaction that the plan was finally set into motion. He sat back and continued to think.

“Isn’t technology wonderful?”

* * * *

Advances in technology were not, of course, limited to smartphones. Its effects on modern day cities were equally fascinating. Sprawling, high rise towers were the new normal in most of the world’s biggest cities. Leading the way was Glitter City with the newest, tallest skyscrapers that dotted its skyline. It was nothing short of dazzling. Most of the buildings were large hotels whose colorful neon lights were a visual spectacle, especially against the backdrop of the night sky.

Glitter City basked in sunshine and warm temperatures that allowed visitors to enjoy endless outdoor recreation. Yet most people could hardly wait for the sun to set, so the city lights could illuminate the horizon. For some magical reason, the awesome display of colors created an exciting atmosphere that was unique to this city.

Renovations to the San Elora Grand Hotel’s lower level were going well. It was always business as usual while upgrades were being made, especially for a forty storey complex of this kind. Crews worked around the clock to ensure that all of the work was completed as quickly as possible with no disruption to hotel operations. Although it was late in the evening, the pace of work was just as quick as during the day to get things done.

It was just before midnight when she received the text message. After reading it, she put her smartphone on the night table and paused to think.

“This is very short notice, but I have no choice,” she said to herself. “Very well then, tomorrow morning at nine will have to do. You can’t pick and choose when it comes to a job. I better get some sleep. Before you know it, it will be time to get up.”

* * * *

Morning had arrived in the blink of an eye. The San Elora Grand was buzzing with staff already hard at work. It was a sign of the times that practically every employee would glance at their phones while on the job. While some used them for work, most were either texting personal messages or checking social media.

It was shortly before 9:00 a.m. when the renovation crew was getting ready for their break. A few of them gave Iga friendly smiles as they walked by. She was in the housekeeping department and new at the job. Iga enjoyed the attention and did not hesitate to return a warm smile to them. Once they had left, the lower level became much quieter.

“This is great timing. It is 9:00 a.m. and things are going just as planned,” thought Iga.

She took out her phone and began texting.

There was hardly anyone around aside from a couple of cleaning staff, some delivery men, and a women texting on her phone. She was heading in Iga’s direction and paid little attention to where she was walking. She looked up just in time and avoided stumbling into Iga’s housekeeping cart. The woman and Iga exchanged polite smiles and a few words, and both continued texting.

“All is well. It’s 9:00 a.m. and things are on schedule,” said the woman to herself.

After a few moments she sent her text.

The delivery men were moving a dolly packed with all sorts of building materials. There were large mirrors that rested on both sides of the dolly which sandwiched pieces of drywall and glass. As the dolly moved down the corridor, the reflections in the mirrors were dizzying. It had reached the entrance to the ‘Sapphire Room’ and was positioned to block the view of the doors. One of delivery men appeared to be looking for someone or something. He stepped away from the dolly momentarily and glanced over to where Iga and the woman were standing.

Moments later he pushed the door and it opened. He unlatched the one next to it, and they moved the dolly inside and closed the doors behind them. They stopped in front of a large painting and removed it from the wall with the precision that could only be expected from professional thieves. The painting was covered with a large drop cloth. They leaned aside one of the mirrors on the dolly and positioned the painting behind it so that it was concealed. This was all done in a matter of seconds. They exited the room through a back door which led to a nearby loading dock.

It was about then that Iga and the woman appeared to be done texting and went their separate ways.

Chapter 3

The San Elora Grand’s offices were on the lobby level of the hotel. The owner, William ‘Bill’ Smith, was the first one to arrive in the office most mornings. He was a veteran of the hospitality industry and liked to think of himself as one of the early pioneers of Glitter City. Bill, as he liked to be called, was brilliant and shrewd, but considered himself to be a plain guy.

He opened the San Elora Grand just over five years ago. Bill was also the owner of the popular Glitzy Resort Hotel and Casino. He knew every aspect of the business and his success could be attributed to his management expertise. It was a good thing for that, because running a hotel was not always a money making proposition. Bill, like most business owners, had his share of ups and downs.

Bill was constantly on his smartphone. His staff would joke that his phone rang more often than his slot machines. He appreciated the well intentioned humor. It was just after 9:00 a.m. when Bill was reading a text on his phone. He sat back and smiled.

His concentration was interrupted by a buzz from his desk phone and was followed by the voice of his executive secretary.

“Excuse me, Bill,” she said. “The insurance company is on line four.”

He lifted the handset and began to speak.

“Good morning, this is Bill speaking.”

“Good morning, Bill. This is Nigel from Longfellow Insurance and I’m returning your call. How may I help you?”

“Thanks for calling me back, Nigel. Is there any update on when our claim will be paid?”

“Yes - for the art theft from your hotel. As a matter of fact there is. I see that a funds transfer was made and should be in your bank account by ten o’clock this morning. The amount was two million dollars. This is the settlement that you agreed to. Once you receive the money the file will be closed.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Very good, and I’m sorry that it took so long to settle the claim. Your patience is appreciated, and hopefully you won’t have any more problems. Thank you for choosing Longfellow Insurance and have a good day.”

“And you as well, Nigel. Thanks.”

Bill hung up the telephone. He sat back and smiled. Then he called his accounting department to check if the money had been received.

“Good morning, Frank. Did we get the money from the insurance company?”

“Yes, Mr. Smith, it came in a few minutes ago.”

“How much was it?”

“The amount was two million dollars.”

“Good. Frank, do you remember the time when I asked you to transfer some money into Washington Smith’s account?”

“Yes I do, sir.”

“Good. Go ahead and transfer the entire two million dollars into the same account.”

“Yes, Mr. Smith, it’ll be done at once.”

No sooner had he hung up the phone when there was another call for him. The hotel’s security manager, Tina Eastbrook, was desperately trying to reach him. She had been waiting patiently on the line as Bill did not want to be interrupted while speaking with Frank. Tina finally got through and told Bill that another one of the hotel’s paintings had been stolen.

Tina rushed to examine video surveillance from the Sapphire Room. This upscale conference venue played host to many of the country’s largest corporations. They would routinely book the exclusive room for executive meetings. In addition to its award winning food and excellent service, the Sapphire Room was adorned with several paintings by renowned artists.

Tina told Bill that their security department could not figure out how the valuable painting had been stolen. Their surveillance system was state of the art and could record the smallest detail from different camera angles. The video, however, offered no clues.

The hotel had experienced their first art robbery just over two years ago. It was still unsolved by the police. This morning’s video from inside the Sapphire Room presented a challenging similarity. The cameras stopped working during the theft. The ones that were positioned outside the room all functioned properly, yet they revealed no unusual activity before or after the robbery.

The size of the stolen painting measured four feet in height and eight feet in width. The security department was baffled that such a large painting could vanish without a trace. Other smaller paintings that were in the room were left untouched.

The video from outside the Sapphire Room showed various angles of the same things. They included images of some hotel staff and the moving dolly of building materials. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

The police and an investigator from the insurance company were quick to arrive on the scene. They were determined to figure out what happened and immediately met with Tina. They had plenty of questions for her, yet she had few, if any, answers.

End of sample.