Life's a Beach Then You Die

by Falafel Jones

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I was with Corky longer than I thought I’d be, but I still had plenty of time to get to my meeting with Clive Howard, the Security Chief at A. V. Designs.

  When I drove up to the gate at A. V. Designs, a uniformed guard stepped out of his booth and smiled, “Good afternoon sir, how may I help you?”

  “I’ve got a 4:00 with the Chief of Corporate Security. My name is Max Fried.”

  “Do you have some ID sir?”

  This was my third chance to show off my new P. I. license, so I did. After seeing it, the guard seemed even less impressed than Detective Torres. He stepped back into the booth and made a phone call. Then he came out of the booth holding a small digital camera. He bent down next to my window and aimed the camera at me. “This is for your ID,” he said and then pressed a button.

  He went back into the booth and after a bit, came out with a laminated photo ID bearing my name, today’s date and the word “VISITOR” in huge red letters. “This is your temporary ID sir. As indicated on the card, it is good for today only. You must wear this ID the entire time you’re on the campus and you must return it when you leave.” He looked at me as if to see if his instructions registered and I nodded.

  “Building Two sir. Just follow this road to the left. Park in any space marked ‘Visitors’”. He handed me a paper tag to hang from my rear view mirror. Printed on the front was today’s date, a number and the word “VISITOR”. I looked at the back of the tag and saw five inches of fine, hardly readable print having something to do with the rights of A. V. Designs pertaining to my vehicle should I overstay my welcome. “Have a good day sir.”

  “Thanks.” I drove on to the left, parked my car and walked to Building Two. I felt like I was on a college campus. It was a big place, with several buildings and nice landscaping. Little pockets of trees and plants dotted sprawling lawns. I saw some palm trees, some ferns, hibiscus and some plants with trumpet shaped flowers I couldn’t name. I’d guess they probably employed more landscapers than other companies had staff. All of this green cost a lot of money.

  I passed the employee parking lot for Building Two and noticed a blue four door Taurus in a space marked reserved for “Security Chief”. I looked at the license plate and recognized it as the plate number Karl had seen in front of my house. I entered the building and found a semicircular reception desk just in front of a bank of elevators. As I walked in the door, a man in a dark business suit stood up behind the counter and asked, “How may I help you sir?” It sounded more like a command than a question.

  I showed my new photo ID and he slapped a green sticker on my chest that read “BLDG 2” in big black letters. I guessed that instead of hiring people smart enough to know what day it was, they just changed the sticker color daily.

  He made a note in a book and then directed me to the fifth floor. When I exited the elevator, it opened into a reception area. An attractive young, blonde woman sat at a desk facing the elevator door. She had shoulder length hair put up in some kind of a knot. When I exited the elevator, she stood up. She was wearing a dark blue, business suit with a skirt. Under her collarless suit jacket was a white scoop neck shell. “Mr. Fried?”

  I nodded and she gestured to an alcove next to the elevator with a small sofa and two chairs grouped around a small coffee table. Someone had fanned magazines artfully across the table so that the titles were visible. A coffee maker with Styrofoam cups sat on a small table nearby.

  “The Chief is on a call right now. If you’ll please be seated, he should be done shortly and I’ll send you right in.” She smiled so sweetly I felt compelled to comply. I didn’t want her to think I was a jerk. Besides, I could see the lit light on her telephone console. She sat back down and turned to a computer screen on her desk.

  “Sure. Thanks.” I started towards the sofa, stopped and turned back towards the young receptionist. “Hey, I noticed you have quite a fleet of company cars. Are they assigned to staff or do you have something like a motor pool where folks just sign one out when they need one?”

  She looked up at me in surprise. I don’t think she had expected conversation and I’m sure she thought my question was odd.

  “Uh, yes. Staff can request one when needed but we assign executives their own vehicles. Are you here about vehicle leasing? The Chief doesn’t handle that. Maybe you want to speak with the Director of Resource Management?”

  “Perhaps another time.” I don’t know why, but I winked at her. “I’ve also got some Security business with the Chief today.”

  She smiled and nodded knowingly. I guess if you wink when you say “Security”, it means something. I didn’t know what but I decided to press on for more information. Maybe she’d take my questions as idle chatter to kill time while waiting. “Has the Chief been working here long?”

  “Gee, I wouldn’t know. I’ve only been here about six months myself. Besides, even if I knew, I probably shouldn’t say.” She winked at me and said, “Security.”

  “You know. I’m impressed. If I ever need a discreet receptionist, I’m going keep you in mind.”

  She laughed and looked down at her telephone console. I looked too. The previously lit light was dim. "The Chief will see you now. He has a busy schedule today but he’s all ready for you. This way please.”

  I followed her through a double door behind her desk to the inner office where a man sat behind a large, uncluttered desk with one piece of paper in his hand. He was tall, trim and fit and sat rigidly upright in his chair, as if at attention. He carried himself with a quiet strength like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with. The office was big and sparsely furnished with only a desk, a sideboard and two guest chairs in a room capable of holding much more. The result was that the room looked even bigger than it was.

  He had closely cropped white hair and wore a traditional, navy blue, two-button business suit, a white shirt and a blue and white striped tie. The man put down the paper and looked up as the receptionist left. After she closed the door behind her, he said, “Ah, Mr. Fried. I’m Clive Howard. How may I be of assistance?” He had a raspy but loud and clear voice. I could hear a trace of a slight foreign accent, possibly English or South African.

  Mr. Howard looked familiar. He sat there with his hands flat on his desk, palms down, making no effort to lift them to shake one of mine. He looked composed and alert, like he was accustomed to always being in control.

  I looked down at my new temporary photo ID. Then, I took it off and looked at it again. “You know, I don’t think this photo looks all that much like me. I thought I must be better looking than this.” I held it out to him. “Do you think this is an accurate likeness or do you do this simply to amuse yourselves?”

  He hesitated, then smirked and took the photo ID from my hand. He held it, looked at the photo and said, “Mr. Fried, I am afraid this is a very accurate likeness. Now, how can I help you?” He returned my ID. Holding it by the edges, I clipped it back onto my collar.

  “I’m a private investigator and I’m working a case that seems to have drawn the attention of A. V. Designs. Boy, you look familiar. Do I know you?”

  “What do you mean, “…drawn the attention of A. V. Designs”? I don’t think so. Having a familiar face has served me well in my work. Folks either don’t notice me or they think I’m someone they already know.”

  “A man in a blue four door Taurus sedan was surveilling my home. The plates trace back to A. V. Designs.” I took a small leap here. “The man looked a lot like you.”

  He laughed. “Well, Mr. Fried, there is no intrigue here. As one professional to another, I can tell you, yes, we have been watching you.”

  “Care to tell me why?”

  “We’re looking for something. We thought you might lead us to it.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that.”

  “Why do you think I can lead you to it?”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that either.”

>   “Thank you for being so forthcoming.”

  He laughed again. “I really am sorry, Mr. Fried. At A. V. Designs, we do a lot of leading edge design work in electronics. Knowledge and information are valuable commodities here. We must be very careful about what we tell whom and when we tell them. Please, take comfort we are following the law here. We’re conducting a confidential investigation necessary to protect the interests of our shareholders. If we were up to no good, I wouldn’t have been using a company car. I would not have met with you and I certainly would not have acknowledged we were watching you.”

  “Well, then, if you believe I might be of assistance to you in finding what you seek, why not enlist my services?

  “We might, Mr. Fried. While I cannot tell you what we seek, it is possible you will discover what it is on your own. Should you do so, we would appreciate it; I would appreciate it if you would contact me. If you knew on your own what it was, I would not need to reveal any confidential information and it might be fruitful for us to work together. That’s why I agreed to meet with you today. If I‘m correct, your investigation will eventually lead you to me again.” He paused for a beat and then said. “I have a tight schedule today and I need to be elsewhere for my next meeting. Would you excuse me? It’s been nice meeting you.”

  He rose but kept his hands palms down on his desk so that he was leaning forward over his desk.

  “Sure, thank you, Mr. Howard.” As I walked out, I realized he never asked me about the case I was working. I was disappointed I didn’t get to throw that confidentiality speech back at him, but maybe that’s why he didn’t ask. On the other hand, maybe he didn’t ask because he already knew.