by David Horne
“You know what we’re doing here?”
“You’re building automotive maintenance bays.”
“Yes, ‘we’ are,” Perry agreed and corrected Alice. She needed to feel as if she belonged with the company for her to gain that confidence. “It’s one thing that you can count on, even with low sales.”
Perry moved closer to the construction. He had a contractor that knew what to do and had a timeline that made the area operational before winter set in. They still had the rest of summer to get through. Perry noticed a few of the construction workers stopped working when they saw Alice standing next to Perry. He turned and walked toward the open parking lot for the inventory. He didn’t want the workers distracted any more than needed because of Alice.
“People need oil changes,” she said.
“That’s right. You’ll see the majority of car lots have maintenance bays available too. The idea is to get a customer not just for one sale, but for life. If they like the place, they’ll keep coming back for more.”
“That makes sense.”
“And it takes the right salesperson to get them comfortable.”
Alice threw her long blonde hair over her shoulder. She’d dressed for the weather. It was sunny but still a little chilly, even at that time of the day. One thing about where they lived, close to the foothills, the air sometimes stayed cooler before the sun moved overhead to warm the rest of the day.
“I just feel like maybe this isn’t for me.” It was an honest statement, and Perry respected honesty. And as much as he wanted to agree with Alice about her feelings, he gave Rick until the end of the week to help get her feet wet.
It took strength to admit to something, and Perry had to admire that. “Maybe that’s true. But you can’t be sure of that just yet,” he added quickly before the self-doubt took over completely. “It took me a few weeks before I made my first sale.” It was a lie, but Perry felt building confidence sometimes meant to break a few rules. Integrity was internal. Words were cheap. “Once I got my first sale, it went easier.”
“I guess. Rick said I really only had one thing to do all day. If I make one sale a day, I’ll be golden.”
Perry nodded. “One sale a day would be fantastic.” If everyone did that, he’d have twenty salespeople and five times the inventory. “It’s a great idea, and I would love to see you do that. I think once you get your feet wet, you’ll get the bug and love it.”
Alice gave him a half-hearted smile. “It just feels like I’m wasting your time.”
“Do you want to do this?” he asked. It was an important and honest question. “I know you’re making minimum wage now, but when you start making sales, you’ll make so much more.”
“I’m used to making that. And I want to keep doing this.” She let it drop. They stared across the area at the parked cars. Jason Dudley had a small notepad out and scribbled something as he stood near one of the vehicles in the lot. Jason sold cars. He didn’t have a lot of experience, and he wasn’t afraid to take chances.
Before Perry used him as an example to follow, Marianne’s voice came over the intercom. “Alice, you have customers waiting at reception.”
Perry made a mental note to talk to Marianne about her intercom etiquette. But now it was about building Alice. He smiled at her. “Today’s the day.”
Chapter Four
Ducking through the side door that led to the finance offices, Perry greeted the two females who were in charge of the paperwork. Katherine Sparks was a retired military woman who raised three children on her combined income with her husband. He was long dead. The kids were grown. Katherine walked through the door the day after the business opened looking for a part-time job. She liked it so much she went to full time and was the go-to person for financial records. Pearl Fleming was still learning from Katherine. And while she was a work in progress, Katherine said the divorced single mother had what it took to do the job right.
They were both on the phones when he rounded the corner and moved down the little hallway behind them. Katherine waved to Perry.
“Morning, Johnnie.” Perry peeked into the small office near the finance office where Johnnie Pearson maintained the online inventory details. “I saw the interior pictures were missing on 122.” They referred to inventory by numbers over brand names. It was easier than explaining which model or make, or whatever they wanted to discuss.
Johnnie was in his twenties and more connected to the internet than real people. It was a perfect environment for him. He had a degree in web design, but the personal touches inside his office were reminiscent of someone who played video games more than he ever got outside. Perry encouraged people to take ownership of their surroundings. Johnnie was one of the few people that had an office. But it was necessary for privacy because it bred creativity.
“Um, yeah,” he replied. Perry noticed some online game in the background on the computer monitor. “I saw that last night. I took those photos first thing this morning and uploaded them.”
Perry nodded. “Do you know anything else we can do to get the internet traffic into the door?”
Johnnie looked puzzled for a moment. Perry didn’t hire people based on personality. Johnnie had a talent that was worthy of his hourly rate. Sometimes when he got started on ideas to grow the social presence of the company, it was impossible to turn it off. “We should get some interactive pictures of the showroom. I can make a VR tour of the place. Maybe we can get everyone to plug the business through their social media feeds.”
“I like that idea.” It wasn’t something Perry wanted to push because he wanted people to grow organically with the business. If they wanted to advertise the car lot on their private social media pages, that was fine. But he wasn’t interested in an autocratic environment that reflected a boss that pressured his staff. “Maybe we can think of something to actually bring people into the showroom instead of a virtual tour. I want our customers to experience what it’s like to drive a real car.” He gave Johnnie a moment to process the idea that people had to buy cars for them to experience it in real life. The young man still lived with his mother and Perry didn’t think he’d grow wings any time soon. His mother dropped by sometimes to make sure Johnnie had lunch.
“Okay, got it,” he agreed with a nod.
Before Perry closed the door to the little office, he said, “Go easy on the games when you’re at work. Thanks.” He closed the door and didn’t wait for a rebuttal. Johnnie had more brain than work to do sometimes. While he was earning his pay, it didn’t look good that he had enough time to play video games while the rest of the staff had to pretend to not play on their cell phones while they were waiting for the next sale to stroll into the place.
Perry went by the reception desk on his way out of the office. He texted Rick to let him know about his trip to the Chamber of Commerce. Perry scheduled a meeting with the advocates. He enrolled the car lot in the application process. But Perry wanted them not just to be part of the group, he wanted active membership. Business networking allowed him to build the brand and move away from the dated ideas associated with the used-car sales industry.
“I’ll be out for the rest of the day.” He glanced over the countertop to see a clean workspace. Either Rick got to her before Perry, or she took the initiative herself. He hoped it was the latter. To instill the idea, Perry planted the seed. “Your desk is nice and tidy. Looks good. Thank you.” He wandered out of the office and checked the time on the smartphone. He had fifteen minutes to get across town before the Chamber closed for lunch. He wanted to take someone to lunch. Face to face meetings and fronting a lunch bill was a cheap way to make friends on the commerce board.
Driving away, the car lot in his rearview mirror, Perry felt everything was beginning to work. While there was still a little grit in the gears, he had the confidence that things were starting to balance out. Rick was right when he wanted Perry to relax and not worry so much. But one of them had to keep an eye on the troops and make the backbone of the com
pany work. If Rick wanted to be the face of the business, that was fine with Perry.
Chapter Five
Lunch cost a little more than expected. Perry calculated they needed more than a few sales to make up the difference on the lavish lunch date.
While Perry intended to take only one or two of the board members to lunch, by the time he arrived at the Chamber of Commerce, they were in the middle of negotiating the lunch debate. He thought it was a good idea to offer to take them all out. They even picked the place. And because of their combined status, they arrived at the classy restaurant in town and didn’t need reservations because the restaurant owner was a member. Perry felt there was subterfuge in their evaluated tactics. They ordered the most expensive meals and even ordered alcoholic beverages. Since Perry footed the bill, it was a way of testing his mettle; and a hint of business cruelty.
Then Perry felt he had to commit business suicide because of the phone call.
“Slow down,” he told Marianne. “Now tell me again.”
Marianne stumbled over the description of something that happened at the car lot. Perry was already standing from his seat while the meal and conversation were in full course. He walked away from the table and plugged his ear while listening to her haggard explanation.
He pocketed the smartphone and returned to the table. “We’ve got a situation at the car lot,” he told the group. Several people had faces full of food, staring at him as if he was ducking out on a bill that was much more than he anticipated. He held up his hand and smiled. “I’ll take care of the bill, just stay and finish.”
And he turned around thinking of gluttony and how it reflected on their combined looks. Everyone would go home with dessert. Perry was sure of it. He settled the bill, offering to close out if they added more drinks to the tab.
***
Before he reached the car lot, the flashing light bar of the police cruiser forced him to the side of the road. He heard the scream of the siren as the car raced by him. Perry felt a flutter in his stomach because he knew the police raced to the car lot.
By the time Perry arrived at the dealership, there was no place to park the car, either in employee parking or the open spaces in front of the dealership.
Police, ambulances, and a few fire trucks occupied more than their share of the parking spaces. The thing about emergency vehicles is the entitlement of their status. No one questioned a cop or ambulance about parking choices. The flashing and rolling lights of the various cars were advertising that something sinister happened at the car lot. It wasn’t just about the emergency vehicles. It was the sheer number of the personnel that made Perry feel more than uneasy.
He parked on the side of the road, several hundred yards from the main entrance. He scuttled over the ditch and weaved through the inventory parking lot toward the side entrance. Along the route, more cars stopped. It wasn’t just emergency personnel; everyday people were arriving in droves. Casualty vampires showed up to gawk at the scene. Perry didn’t look to the road. A police officer had blocked the entry to the lot. He watched Perry move through the parked cars. Obliged to acknowledge the officer, Perry waved before he slipped inside the main building.
More officers littered the showroom. There were civilians among them. People were talking to the police. It was more than a nightmare. At least fire and smoke made sense. So far, Perry felt whatever happened in the short time he was away, had utterly undermined any legitimacy he hoped for the growth of the business. Companies recover from the fire.
He didn’t see any firefighters inside the building. Among the uniformed officers, a few official looking people wore smart business suits. Men and women casually looked at him as he made his way to the reception desk where Marianne sat with a face the same shade of white as the polo shirt she wore with the company brand name on the breast pocket.
“What’s going on?” Perry asked her. Before she answered another person approached and spoke; Marianne remained mute and wide-eyed.
“Mr. Conway?” the woman said, strolling across the showroom floor. The would-be customers, who were suddenly tangled in the fray, looked at Perry as if he’d entrapped them and they weren’t buying a car that day.
“Yes?” he snapped, looking from Marianne to the woman approaching them.
“I’m Detective Haley Macdonald,” the woman said. She was a foot shorter than Perry and heavier. She had curly brown hair that wasn’t very long. She didn’t offer a hand to shake. “Can we go somewhere to speak in private?”
Perry looked up to the tiny office at the top of the stairs. The bay window had bodies standing in front of the desk. Two tall men in dark uniforms stood with their backs to the window overlooking the showroom floor. Rick was in the office. Perry saw Rick’s shoulder between the uniformed officers. He sat at the desk. Perry just hoped the composure was calm and he wasn’t trying to make jokes.
Perry was usually a man who thought well on his feet. He wasn’t someone who buckled under pressure. Even when it was something that caught him by surprise, he recovered quickly and usually without a prompt or fluctuation in his demeanor. This time was different.
Perry felt displaced. He had a hundred scenarios in his head but nothing made sense. Whatever happened after he left the place, he felt in the pit of his sour stomach. The business venture was at an end.
“Um, yeah,” Perry said. It was more to himself than the detective. He needed to get a handle on his unchecked feelings. “This way,” he breathed and gestured in the direction of the finance offices.
Chapter Six
Once through the security door, Perry looked to two frightened faces. The women stood close together. Both had faces that matched the color and emotional state as the receptionist.
“Katherine, Pearl, can you give us a few minutes please,” he asked. He held open the door for the detective. “Why don’t you two go see if Marianne is okay?”
Before the detective followed Perry through the door into the back room, she snapped her fingers to get the attention of a solitary uniformed police officer who guarded the main entrance. “You can go stand with the officer.” Her command was loud across the showroom. “No one is allowed to discuss anything without an officer present.”
She closed the door to the small hallway behind the finance counter. She didn’t give any indication she had a polite awareness. Perry felt whatever Detective Haley Macdonald had going on under that countenance; it didn’t involve humor or politeness. He wasn’t going to point out before he went into the backroom; two potential witnesses had enough time alone to discuss anything with police presence.
“What time did you leave here today, Mr. Conway?” she started. Macdonald didn’t take notes. She stood looking up at Perry with a stony face in a department store dark suit. It was the kind of business suit women bought when they went to job interviews.
“I think it was close to noon,” Perry answered, but he needed to know what was going on before the questions got too thick.
“And you went where exactly?” she continued. It didn’t seem the detective wanted to get into details of why she brought the entire city police and fire department to the used car lot.
“I went to have lunch with the Chamber of Commerce.”
She didn’t ask another question immediately. To Perry, it felt as if his answer was above reproach. There were too many legitimate witnesses to corroborate his whereabouts.
“I need to know what’s going on.”
“What time did you arrive here this morning?” she asked. It wasn’t a balanced set of questions. He was already off-kilter with the show. The detective used the confusion to her advantage.
Perry took a breath. If she didn't give him details, he needed to get tough. “What is this all about?” he demanded. While there was a moment, he felt terrible for the attitude. He felt the situation justified the concern.
She didn’t answer. She wasn’t taking notes. Something told Perry that whatever he said was being recorded. It didn’t matter that she didn�
��t carry a pen or notepad. The detective wanted answers, and it didn’t matter if Perry felt vulnerable.
Instead of pursuing the line of questioning that made him shrink deeper into himself, the detective sighed. “There was a body found on the property today.”
“Oh my, God,” he said. “Who?”
“We’re still trying to determine that.”
“Where?” he asked.
“There’s a 2017 Ford on the property in the back lot.”
“On the west side of the building?” Perry asked.
Detective Macdonald frowned. “Yes,” she said. “Is that significant?”
“It’s a lot that’s reserved for vehicles from auction. We hold the cars there until they’ve been processed and detailed.”
“Interesting.” Macdonald seemed to drop her shoulders a little with Perry’s information. “So if you have the information on the vehicle, I can get it?”
“Of course.” He wanted to go to the office and pull up the inventory sheets. Once he realized he had access to the computers at the finance office, Perry turned around to access a computer terminal. After a minute of searching, he found the vehicle in question and made a printout of the owner list. “It’s from the auction house. We picked it up last weekend.”
Macdonald accepted the printout when Perry pulled the sheet of paper from the copier and handed it to her.
“I know there wasn’t a body in the car when we got it from the auction house.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I drove it back from the auction myself.” His eyebrows furrowed when he asked. “Where was the body found?”
“In the trunk of the car,” she answered. Perry knew she studied him for a reaction.
But Perry shook his head. “It wasn’t there.”
“How can you be so sure?” There was a flare of attitude that bothered Perry more than a dead body on the car lot. She looked at him with disdain. It wasn’t good enough that he had an immediate alibi for his whereabouts after he left the car lot. It wasn’t the right answer when he admitted driving the car from the auction. And Perry knew his response wasn’t going make her feel any better about his answer.