“I trust you Nikolaus, but as long as this is my company I’m in charge. I also suspect this new reporter is nice looking or you would have come to me sooner. I know you, and the way you are around women. I think she’s become a challenge to you and that could be a distraction. Mistakes get made when there are distractions, especially the kind that end up in bed. How you lead your life is your business, but your business and Drakos Shipping don’t mix. Understand?”
“Sure father, I understand!” he said with testiness as he arose. “There will come a day when you will really need me. You better hope I’m in a better mood than you put me in right now.” He departed the room.
CHAPTER 12
Reese and Bobby arrived at the security gate exactly at 11 A.M. The guard made a call to the main office and they waited for an escort to pick them up. It took about ten minutes before they saw a silver SUV come from behind a row of warehouses. Reese recognized the face of the man sitting in the passenger seat as Nikolaus.
The SUV pulled up next to the guardhouse and the two men got out.
“Beautiful day isn’t it Miss Summers?” greeted Nikolaus taking her hand. “I’d like you to meet my foreman, Dimitris. He’ll be taking us around the dock area today.”
“This is Bobby,” she introduced, “my photographer.”
Everyone shook hands and then they entered the vehicle.
“Where would you like to start?” asked Nikolaus.
“Let’s start at the office,” said Reese. “You can give me a rundown on the size of your company. You know, like the number of employees and ships you have and the types of products you move around the world. Then, we’ll go interview some of your dockworkers. How does that sound to you?”
“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed and indicated to Dimitris to head over to the office building.
They arrived at a two-story, cinder-block building painted in a faded gray color. An equally faded six-foot wide, light-green colored band was painted around the building starting at a point just above Reese’s head. Positioned in the top center of the building was a third floor consisting of a thirty by twenty-foot, glass enclosed room which almost had a 360 degree view of the shipyard.
Entering from a rear parking lot, they climbed up two sets of metal stairs to the third floor with Nikolaus leading the way and Dimitris trailing their guests. At the top, Nikolaus opened a steel door and invited them inside.
“This is the heart of everything,” he said, pointing out a set of windows. From here we can see most of the entire shipyard. We have over three thousand feet of waterfront which can accommodate two large vessels at one time.”
Bobby began to take pictures as Reese and Nikolaus went over to the windows facing the main dock.
“As you can see we have two large cranes that load the containers onto our ships. Over there, they’re currently loading the Nemesis. My father named it that after purchasing it from a competitor. In Greek mythology, Nemesis is the personification of just revenge.”
“Fitting,” interjected Reese showing a wry smile.
Nikolaus continued, “In some versions of the story, Nemesis was the mother of Helena, the beauty who became the cause of the Trojan War. I’m sure a beauty not unlike yourself Reese.”
She grabbed his arm and turned him toward her. “How many times have you used that line?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Just this once. This isn’t the kind of place I bring a woman.” His eyes sparkled.
“And isn’t that the Athenos over there,” she said, pointing.
“Yes, she’s getting ready to go down the river into the ocean. She’s headed for ports in Africa. I think the Ivory Coast is her first stop.”
As if his words were a signal, several tugboats suddenly sounded their horns in unison warning that they were about to get the big ship underway.
“It’s amazing to me they can float with all those containers on them. How many can you put on one ship?” she asked excitedly.
Whether by intention or oblivious to the fact she was still holding Nikolaus’ arm, he felt the gentle pressure she exerted as she asked her question. His emotions were stirred by her touch making it difficult for him to focus on his train of thought.
“Capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs. Our ships aren’t the biggest in the industry, but we typically can put almost eight thousand containers on a ship.”
“Wow! I never would have imagined,” Reese stated.
Bobby had moved to the windows and continued shooting photos of the pier crane loading containers and the departing Athenos. He tried to get in as much of the surrounding area as he could, including the warehouses below.
“The containers are different colors,” she noted. “Is there any significance to that?”
“Not really,” Nikolaus answered, “those are just representative of the many different companies that use our services.”
“So what’s inside those containers?”
“Everything and anything. But we only do dry cargo like grains and coal and manufactured goods.”
He signaled to Dimitris, “Why don’t you get Miss Summers a copy of the Athenos’ manifest.”
Regaining her attention he added, “Then you can see for yourself.”
“This is all so fascinating,” she said, letting go of his arm. “Can we go down to the waterfront now so I can start interviewing the workers?” Her exuberance continued, “This is going to make a great story for our readers. I want to thank you for allowing us to come here today and showing us around.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Shall we go?” He escorted his guests back to the SUV and they drove off toward the waterfront.
Reese and Bobby spent the next two hours interviewing and photographing crane operators, dockworkers, and other longshoremen. Those not being interviewed were busy cat-calling and whistling at Reese grateful for the vision she gave them.
Nikolaus did not interfere in their fun, understanding all too well why they behaved as depraved Neanderthals.
Reese had carefully planned her route of movement so the interviews would take them near to the red zone warehouse. As they got closer, she could make out the building number as F-43. The structure itself was made of steel and aluminum with large sliding doors on each end through which cargo could be moved in and out. One door was slightly ajar, but they could not see inside.
When the last of her interviews were completed, she walked closer to the warehouse and positioned herself somewhat distant from Bobby so he could take her picture with the structure in the background. As he clicked off a shot, he felt Dimitris’ hand on his shoulder.
“I think you have enough photos for today,” Dimitris strongly suggested.
Reese started to object, but Nikolaus walked next to her to keep the situation from escalating.
About that same time, a forklift abruptly exited the warehouse turning in their direction. The driver was carrying barrels on a pallet and did not immediately see them.
Nikolaus quickly grabbed Reese and pulled her a few feet away, the two almost falling in the process. He caught her in his arms and held her tight. He could feel her heart pumping from the near collision and heard her breathing heavy trying to restore the air that was scared out of her.
Bobby ran over to them. “Are you alright Reese?” he pleaded. “That was close!”
She broke free of Nikolaus’ grip and straightened herself up. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she replied looking at the driver who had stopped about fifty feet away.
The driver returned her look and put his hands together as if praying and begging for forgiveness at the same time.
Nikolaus yelled at him to be more careful and then waved him on.
“Are you sure you’re okay Reese?” Nikolaus asked sympathetically.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she insisted. “What’s in that warehouse anyway?”
We usually keep some barrels of chemicals in there. But we had a small fire the other day and needed to clear them out so we c
an clean up the mess in there.”
“Can we go look?”
“That’s not a good idea,” he said. “There may be residual chemical traces that I wouldn’t want you getting exposed to. Let’s get back in the SUV.”
He took the lead guiding his guests back into the vehicle. As they departed the warehouse Nikolaus commented, “Well except for that last incident, I hope you enjoyed your visit with us. Do you think you have enough material for your story?”
“Yes, more than I need. Thank you again for your cooperation and letting us come here. I think you’ll be pleased with the article we will publish.”
“Good!” Nikolaus responded. “And it was a pleasure showing you around.”
Dimitris drove the news people straight back to the security gate.
After the vehicle stopped, Nikolaus came around to Reese’s side of the SUV and helped her out. He shook hands with Bobby and then pulled Reese aside commenting, “I hope you won’t print what happened with the forklift in your story. It was just an unfortunate accident.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t mention a word of it. Thank you for keeping me safe back there.”
“As I said, the pleasure is all mine. May I ask you for a return favor now?”
“You mean dinner? Sure. Just tell me when and where.”
“I don’t usually take my dates to my father’s house, but because you seem to have such a big interest in the shipping community, how about you meet him? You might find him to be very interesting.”
“More interesting than you?” she remarked.
“Depends on what your viewpoint is I guess.” He showed that appealing smile to her. “How about it? I’ll set it up for next week and give you a call.”
“Alright,” she said. “I think I might enjoy meeting the man that sired you!”
As they walked through the security gate back to their car, Nikolaus gave them a departing wave.
He then turned to Dimitris. “Take me back to the office and then bring Greenfield to me.”
It wasn’t long before Dimitris rounded up Greenfield and returned with him to Nikolaus’ office.
“Leave us!” he commanded Dimitris.
After he left, Nikolaus approached the forklift driver. “I told you I only wanted to scare her a little. You came awfully close to running us both down!”
“I’m sorry (cough) sir. The left tire was low on pressure (cough) and I had a hard time controlling turns (cough).”
“Next time I pay you to do a job, you better do it right. Do you understand?”
“Yes Mr. Drakos (cough). I’ll be more careful in the (cough) future.”
“Now get out of here,” he said, indicating the door. “Not a word of this to anyone. And get that cough checked out.”
The forklift operator bowed several times as he backed out the door.
Nikolaus then turned and walked over to the windows and looked out at the now vacant space where the Athenos was recently moored. “Dinner with Dad. How lucky can one man be!” he said to himself while shaking his head in disgust.
CHAPTER 13
Back at her desk, Reese’s phone rang. It was Doug and he wanted to see her right away. He sounded upset. She guessed Bobby went straight to his office and told him about the forklift incident.
When she got there, Doug, Shelley, and Bobby were waiting.
“Are you alright?” Doug asked escorting her to a chair. “Bobby told us you were almost knocked down by a forklift. He doesn’t think it was just an accident.”
“Yes, I’m fine,” she assured everyone. “Bobby never said a word to me on the way back here about what he thought,” she said, giving him a cold stare. “I think the whole thing is being blown out of proportion.”
“But Reese,” Bobby defended, “if it hadn’t been for Nick Drakos pulling you out of the way, I think you would have been hit.”
“Maybe,” she said, “but I wasn’t! And, if you thought it was anything but an accident, why didn’t you discuss it with me?”
“Okay, the two of you calm down and tell us what happened,” he said, returning to his chair and sitting down. “You first Bobby.”
“Alright, I’ll tell you. We were working our way toward the red zone warehouse all afternoon. When we got there, Reese positioned herself near the building and I took a snapshot of her with it in the background. The sliding doors were open just a little bit but you couldn’t see anything inside. The guy who was driving us around told me I’d taken enough photos for the day. Reese was going to come over and talk to him when Nikolaus intervened. Then this forklift comes zooming out through those doors and nearly takes her out. But Drakos managed to drag her out of the way. The operator stopped about fifty feet away from Reese, but never came back to see if she was alright, apologize, or anything. Nick yelled at him and sent him on his way. The whole affair smelled like a setup to me.”
Doug turned to Reese. “Is that the way it happened?”
“Yes, everything he said is true except about it being a setup. How could it be? They didn’t know we were going to be there at that exact point in time.”
“Mr. Williams,” Bobby said, “Drakos told us they had been storing chemicals in the building and that there was a fire. He said they were cleaning up the mess made from it and didn’t think it was wise for us to go inside.”
“That part true as well?” Doug asked Reese.
She nodded that it was.
“Continue,” he told Bobby.
“You know as well as I do that, if you’re storing hazardous materials, the law requires you to post signs so people know what’s in there. That building didn’t have any markings on it. And there were two fifty-five gallon drums on the front of the forklift, neither of which had any markings as well.”
“I didn’t notice that,” said Reese. “But then again, I was kind of preoccupied with surprise.”
“I’m a photographer,” Bobby said, “and I pay attention to things like that.”
“Okay, all that is well and good,” she said, “but it still doesn’t make it being done on purpose.”
“Then why didn’t that driver come back to make sure you weren’t hurt?”
“At least he stopped!” she countered. “He looked right at me and could see that I was fine. And when Nikolaus yelled at him and sent him on his way, that also was a sign to him I was okay. Look Bobby, I thank you for your concern, but it was an unfortunate mishap – nothing more.”
“Alright people let’s close the book on this,” Doug proposed. “No one was hurt, but did you get your story?” he inquired looking at Reese.
“Yes, I’ll type up my article this weekend and have it in your hands on Monday. I think you’ll be pleased with it.”
“Bobby, you going to have those photos by then as well?”
“Yes sir. I think I even got footage of the forklift incident and maybe a picture of the driver on my hidden camera. You can look that over and maybe you’ll see the same thing I did,” he said, looking in Reese’s direction.
Reese wasn’t sure why Bobby was so adamant about that incident being a setup. If it was, Nikolaus could have been hurt as well. He doesn’t strike her as the kind of guy that would take chances with himself. She decided to remain professional and put it behind her.
“Bobby, I know you were concerned about me and I really appreciate that a lot. We obviously have a difference of opinion on the matter, but I hope there’s no hard feelings?”
She got up and went to shake his hand adding, “You did a great job for me and I appreciate that as well. It made my job a lot easier.”
“Enough of this,” Doug finalized. Now everybody get out of here and go do whatever it is you do on weekends. I’m letting you go early. Just make sure I get your material in time to make a final edit so we can run the story in Tuesday’s edition.” He shooed them from his office.
Outside, Shelley, who hadn’t said a word the whole time, grabbed Reese’s arm and pulled her in the direction of her office. “We gotta talk g
irl.”
When safely behind her own office door, they both sat down. Shelley was the first to speak.
“What the hell was all that about?”
“I don’t know. Bobby just saw everything different than me. But we never did find out what is going on inside that warehouse. Maybe there’s nothing to know?”
“I’m not sure I agree with that. Anything referred to as a red zone has to have something dangerous behind it,” Shelley offered.
“I still have this Greenfield fellow that Scratch told me about to track down. He may have been the operator of that forklift, and if Bobby did get some pictures, they may help me.”
“You didn’t mention that to Doug. Why not?” she persisted.
“He knows about Greenfield and with the way Bobby was carrying on, I didn’t want to make matters worse.”
“I’m sensing that you’re protecting Nikolaus a little bit,” said Shelley. “You wouldn’t be starting to like that guy now would you?”
“Hey, he did me right by letting us go there in the first place,” she said indignantly, “and I feel he went out of his way to protect me. I can’t believe he’s in on some dark secret. The man invited me to meet his father for crying out loud.”
“Whoa! Did you just say Drakos junior wants to take you to meet Drakos senior?”
“Yes, that exactly what I said. Anything wrong with that? It’s just dinner Shelley,” Reese tensely responded.
“Fine!” Shelley imparted raising her hands in front of her. “Who am I to tell you who you can see and who you can’t? I didn’t mean anything by it. Just be careful, that’s all. I like you as a friend and I don’t want to see you get hurt. Let me change the subject. My sister has asked me to come out and visit her next weekend. How about you go along with me. We can stay at her house; she has plenty of room. You can introduce me to this Chief Daniels.”
“I don’t know if the timing is right,” said Reese. “I’m just getting started here.”
“Come on, it’ll be fun. After today, you deserve a short break and it’s only two days. What do you say?” she pleaded.
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