He contemplated packing it in and heading back home to San Francisco, but just then he looked up to see some activity across the way. A large newer-model Mercedes sedan was pulling into the parking lot. The driver, a slender middle-aged man with short wavy hair, got out and entered the building.

Jackpot! thought Jasper. It was the firm’s CEO. He recognized him from company investor presentations that he had attended in the past.

Suddenly, Jasper’s cell phone began to ring. He was so focused on observing the CEO that the phone almost fell out of his hand. His first inclination was to let the call go into voicemail and switch it to silent mode to avoid further disturbances. However, when he glanced down at the caller ID, he decided to answer it.

“Hi, Ange,” he said to his girlfriend as he continued to focus his attention across the street. “What’s up?”

“Where are you?” she bellowed back at him. “I dropped by your place with some breakfast, and the only one here is Katoomba.”

Another car pulled into the lot across the street and parked near the Mercedes. It was a nondescript Japanese sedan, probably a Toyota Camry.

Jasper replied hurriedly, “I’m in the Valley, doing some work. I’ll be back in a few hours…call you then. Gotta go.”

He hung up the phone and tossed it on the passenger seat.

Instantly, he recognized the man from the second car. It was the company’s CFO, whom he had met twice, including just the day before. He crouched down so that the man wouldn’t see him, despite the considerable distance between them.

A few more luxury European sedans drove up. The men got out, shook hands, and exchanged pleasantries with the CFO as the small group headed inside the building.

Jasper only recognized one of the men as someone he had passed in the lobby there, also the prior afternoon–a distinguished-looking man he recalled having seen at a technology company conference put on by one of the local brokerage firms. Jasper thought the man had Investment Banker written all over him.