GOLDEN GATE: An Alton Rhode Mystery (ALTON RHODE MYSTERIES Book 9) by Lawrence De Maria

Author:Lawrence De Maria [De Maria, Lawrence]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-03-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20 - GOLDEN GATE

Anna took my arm as we walked up the hill. She seemed slightly tipsy.

“You know what they say,” she said. “Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder.”

“That’s terrible,” I said, but filed the pun away for the future.

I wasn’t feeling bad myself. The night air was cool but refreshing.

Once in her condo, Anna excused herself and went into her bedroom. When she came out, she was barefoot and smoking a joint. Without her shoes, she barely came up to my shoulders. She had another joint in her other hand.

“Want one of these?”

I shook my head.

“Tell me about Golden Gate.”

I wanted to get as much information as I could before the gin, absinthe and grass took its toll, although I had to say she seemed to have it all together for such a small girl. I felt my age. Anna shrugged and sat on the couch, uncurled her legs and rested her bare feet on my lap.

“Do you mind?”

“As long as you don’t kick me again.” I said. “They’re fine.”

The sharp, sweet smell of marijuana soon permeated the room. She leaned back against a cushion and smiled slyly.

“Golden Gate,” I prompted, and tweaked a toe.

Anna looked slightly annoyed.

“Oh, well. Golden Gate is the name of a system we developed. A system where socially conscious or charitable organizations, non-profits and NGOs can inhabit a non-partisan crypto-based universe with corporate America.”

“What’s an NGO?”

“Non-Governmental Organization. Like the Red Cross, or the Wildlife Fund. We’re going to mine cryptocurrencies and then use the bitcoins created to compensate people who actively try to save the planet. They, in turn, can use their bitcoins to pay for environmentally safe goods. Say, you volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Or clean up a beach. We give you one of our bitcoins. You accumulate bitcoins, which you then could spend to buy groceries. A big grocery chain would jump at the opportunity to look like its helping people or the environment. Or, because speculators realize that bitcoins now have intrinsic worth, they bid their price up. So, even if you didn’t spend your bitcoins on groceries, or gas, or a vacation, whatever, you have a growing investment.”

She took a hit on her joint.

“Of course, until we recruit enough companies or socially committed organizations to accept cryptocurrencies, we will give people the option to turn their bitcoins into fiat currencies they can use to buy stuff. We may also allow them to convert their electronic coins into precious metals. It’s quite simple, really.”

“Anna, let’s get one thing straight. Nothing you are explaining is simple to a normal human. Try to speak some plain English. I’m a pretty smart guy, but if I’m going to figure out what the hell is going on, try to imagine that I’m an earthling.”

She laughed.

“Sorry.”

She took a puff on her weed and then held it out for me.

“Again, no thanks. I can’t understand you now.”

She let out the fragrant smoke.

“OK. I’ll dumb it down.”

“Thanks. I think.”

“Cryptocurrencies, bitcoins, or whatever you want to call them, only exist as electronics bytes in computers.

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