“Mrs. Finney. She was in here yesterday, wanting to know if there was something we could do about her strange neighbor.”
“Yeah, I remember her,” Stephen said. “She seemed really concerned. Maybe she can rest a little easier now.”
“Wow. That’s strange, isn’t it? She’s in here one day, and then this happens that night.” Patty’s face showed real concern.
Stephen thought for a moment, searching for a response that would throw off suspicion.
“Well, not really,” Vincent replied. “It was only a matter of time. Out of all the complaints we and the cops get, imagine how many are founded. It happens, maybe not usually of this scale. But it happens.”
“Yeah, I guess. It’s just weird—and sad.”
“Patty, why don’t you contact her?” Stephen put his arm around her to comfort her. “Find out if there’s anything she needs. Offer to put her and her daughter up in a hotel somewhere for a few nights to get away. Better yet, see if we have a vacancy in one of the luxury apartments downtown. Food, entertainment—whatever we can do to help. That little girl won’t understand what’s going on and doesn’t need to either.”
“Thanks, babe. I’ll see what she needs.” Patty took off.
Stephen turned back toward Vincent to find him smiling.
“What?”
“Just so we are clear, you truly are the right person to be running this company. A big part of what this company does is charity. You have the right heart for it. That is the kind of thing Waltz would have done.”
Stephen smiled. “Thanks. But I sometimes still wonder if I’ll live up to Waltz’s name.”
“Speaking of which, I’ve got the paperwork done.” Vincent reached into his briefcase and pulled out several pieces of paper. “This is officially your company. Here is all your account information and such.”
“Thank you.” Stephen looked at the paper. It was an emotional moment.
“I’ll give you some space. I need to start on some things in my office anyway. Lunch?”
“Yeah, Vincent. Give me a shout then.”
Vincent nodded and walked off. Stephen followed suit and went to work in his office.
“Stored Warehousing, what are you?”
Stephen began using his real estate business to pull county tax records, deeds, company information, anything he could find on Stored Warehousing. Within a couple hours, he had found that Stored Warehousing was owned by a local investment firm.
He picked up the phone and called Vincent. “Hey, I need you to call Rivers Property Investors, LLC, and get me a contact name. I’m looking at a property. We’ve got several companies in the area that use warehouses. It just makes sense to look at it. And thanks!”
Stephen hung up the phone, before Vincent could get a full word in edgewise. His mind was set on a task as he continued to gather what research he could until lunch rolled around. Before long, Vincent stood in his doorway.
“Well, are you ready?”
Stephen peeked out from behind his monitor. “Yeah, I believe I am.” He grabbed some papers, a folder, and his backpack he seldom used. “Let’s go.”
They walked across the street to Henry’s Grill. Both ordered a burger, fries, and a soda. Stephen pulled out his folder and began going through the papers inside.
“Is that research on Rivers Property?”
Stephen didn’t look up. He continued sorting through the papers. “Yeah. I want to have my ducks in a row.”
“Why the interest in warehousing? You have got plenty of other businesses you are trying to get a handle on. This might not be the best time to start a new business.”
“It’s the perfect time to start this business.”
“Okay. Why?”
Stephen set the papers aside. “What?” He closed his file. “Do I need a reason?” Stephen felt agitated.
“I don’t doubt your abilities. I told you that earlier today. My function with Waltz was largely to question and advise. When the CEOs of the different businesses hear about it, they will likely question it too.”
“So, you’re trying to make sure I’m prepared and that I’ve thought this through.”
“In a word, yes.”
Stephen simply looked at Vincent. Although intrigued by Vincent in general, not being able to read his mind often annoyed him. He opened the folder and placed it in front of Vincent.
“We have at least four different companies in this area that are paying for warehouse space—a lot of it. Additionally, we could use some of the space to work out of and stage material for remodels we have coming up for various properties. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to move the maintenance crew for our property company there either. They certainly could use the space.”
“It sounds as though you’ve thought this out.”
“I have. It came to me last night when I was up late. I’m certain there will be other benefits too.”
“And you already have a space picked out.”
Stephen smiled. “I do. This is the warehouse we’re going to acquire. It’s the only one Rivers Properties owns. It’s older, which means it likely needs some work. And I see they have only about half of it leased.”
“You got their records already?”
The waiter brought their food. Stephen grabbed a fry and chomped down on it.
“Ow! Hot! Hot!” He took a gulp of his soda. “I’ll give that a minute.”
“Yeah, you really should. They are always hot. Yet, you always burn your mouth.” Vincent laughed.
“I’m always hungry,” Stephen said before getting back to the subject. “I was able to find out that they are interested in selling. I approached them as a party interested in getting into warehousing and asked if they had any properties they might be interested in parting with. They brought this one up. The guy was a chatterbox. I’m looking at it later today.”
Vincent swallowed his bite of burger. “Really? That was quick.”
“I try not to waste time.”
“Would you like me to come with you?”
“Nah. I think I’ve got this.” Stephen picked up his burger. “On second thought, there might be some legal issues to discuss. Come get me around three o’clock.”
****
After lunch, Stephen found Patty waiting for him in his office.
“Uh, you don’t look happy. You alright?” he asked her.
“I’m fine,” Patty replied. “Are you okay?”
Stephen couldn’t help but feel as though he shouldn’t answer but found it impossible not to. “Yeah, why do you ask?” He walked around to his desk and sat down.
“Well, you don’t usually skip out on our lunch dates.”
Immediately, Stephen wanted to run and hide. He had grown to love Patty a lot, even more since Waltz had passed. But he also knew how particular she could be about things not going as planned—or, as in this case, agreed upon.
“I— I’m sorry, Patty.”
“Oh, I know you are. If I didn’t know you had a lot on your plate now—”
Stephen interrupted. “It’s not that. I’m not going to blame it on being preoccupied with Waltz.” Although that would have been a true statement, he realized he had to move past that and accept responsibility. “I’ve been working on this business deal. I got a little excited about it. It would be my first big decision since taking over. You know? I just want it to go well. I was talking with Vincent about it at lunch. Here, look!”
Patty took the file and began looking through it.
“I should have said something. Honestly, I’ve got to do better at remembering. I want you to know you’re more important to me than that.”
“This is a good idea.” She sounded excited and seemed to ignore his previous comment.
“You think so?”
“Yeah, I think so. I mean, the property will probably end up being more of an investment than you think on the front end. But it’ll still be a good return. You’ve already got the parts in place to make this work. You’ll
just need to make sure you have the right people in place. And, you’ll need someone in charge of the warehouse business, someone familiar with logistics.”
“You know, sometimes I forget you have an MBA.”
Patty blushed.
“You sure you don’t miss it, trying to climb the corporate ladder?”
“I’m sure. I like working for this company. I can trust that I’m working for people who make every effort to do the right things and who truly care for people. Most corporations tend to forget about people when it comes down to it. Some are better than others, I suppose.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll just have to keep you working for me then.” Stephen smiled at Patty.
“Oh, don’t think that smile is getting you out of trouble.”
Stephen’s smile quickly faded. “Huh?”
“You do need to do a better job at remembering. And you will make sure I know how important I am to you. And don’t think you can buy me off, like you tried to do earlier this week when you took me shopping. That was nice and all. But if you want me to be happy, then make certain I’m not the last thing on your mind.”
Patty tossed the file back to Stephen and stormed out. Stephen sat there trying to figure out how the conversation had gone sideways so fast. It only took a second when he realized he’d never be able to. So, he went back to working on the warehouse. After all, he knew that this warehouse had something to do with the invisible man from the woman’s vision.
Chapter 12
Stephen and Vincent pulled up to the warehouse just before three o’clock. Looking around, Stephen recognized it as the place he’d seen in the image he’d caught. He listened for thoughts, trying to sense people nearby. All he could sense were some workers, a delivery driver, and the young man they were meeting, Jason.
“Are you sure you’re interested in this place? It looks really run down.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. At least it’s not raining. Try to enjoy the sun, Vincent.” Stephen chided, “You look kind of like a vampire.”
Vincent glanced in the mirror. “Hmm.”
Both got out of the car and went inside to meet with their contact. Once inside, they easily spotted him. A short red-haired man looked out of place as he clumsily thumbed through papers. When he noticed Stephen and Vincent walking toward him, he quickly got up to greet them.
“Hello. I’m Jason Smith.”
They all shook hands as Stephen introduced them. “I’m Stephen. We spoke on the phone. This is Vincent Abbott, my associate and legal adviser.”
Jason shook Vincent’s hand. Then, he simply stood there holding his papers with an awkward grin on his face.
“I’d like to get started,” Stephen insisted. “Can you show us around?”
“Oh, right!” Jason’s hands shook as he pulled at the papers again.
“Are you alright?” Vincent asked.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. This is my first deal flying solo, and this place kind of creeps me out. As you can see, it’s largely vacant. We used to own several warehouses but have sold all but this one. We’ve had a lot of interest, but we just haven’t been able to make a deal. Which is surprising.”
“How so?” Stephen asked as he walked and looked around, the other two in tow.
“Well, the others sold quicker. In fact, this was the first one we wanted to sell. And it’s quite a deal, at what we’re asking now.”
“Have you received any feedback from the other potential buyers?” Vincent inquired.
Stephen heard Vincent and Jason as he walked a distance away from them, looking for anything that might give him a clue as to Fallen’s involvement.
“No, not really. That’s strange too. We’ve even been set to close, but the potential buyers backed out at the last moment.”
Stephen began to feel another presence, different from the others he already felt. He searched through the thoughts. One man thought about a card game later. Another man mulled over his work. Jason’s mind was only halfway committed to his conversation with Vincent. Some of his thoughts lingered on an attractive woman he’d been with earlier. Of course, Stephen still couldn’t read Vincent. But then, he felt immense hatred. Someone was making plans to set off a bomb. He believed this might be the man who influenced Dan. Searching the man’s thoughts, he found images of the girls and Dan’s place. He’d manipulated Dan for years. However, his thoughts focused on something else, Dan having been caught.
“What’s in here?” Stephen motioned to a door not far from him.
“Ah. That’s a part of the warehouse that was renovated into office space. It’s leased to a club or support group of some sort. The door locks from the other side.”
“I’ve seen enough.”
“You have?” Jason’s tone hinted at disappointment.
“I have. Vincent will draw up the paperwork. He can get with you later today to schedule the closing this week.”
“This week? Stephen, you haven’t talked to the bank yet. These things take time,” Vincent said.
“Why would we talk to the bank, Vincent? We’re paying cash.”
“Uh, gentlemen, we haven’t discussed price yet.”
“Well, the last offer you tentatively accepted was what—five hundred thousand?”
“Yes. But”—Jason put his paperwork away in the briefcase—“inflation and such.”
“What, do I seem too eager?” Stephen glared at Jason.
“Well, you’re wanting to do this in a hurry, and that means extra costs.” Jason smiled.
“Sir, that is not how we conduct business.” Vincent sounded irritated.
“I’ve got this, Vincent. It’s okay.” Stephen turned to Jason. “How much?”
“Seven hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Done. Vincent—”
Stephen was interrupted by Jason. “Plus a hundred thousand handling fee.”
Vincent tugged on his arm. “Stephen, we should leave.”
“No.” Stephen stepped toward Jason. “Jason is going to agree to the original five hundred grand I offered, which is fair.”
“What?” Jason became indignant. “Why would I do that?
“You would do that to keep your wife from finding out about the affair you’ve been having with your son’s babysitter.”
Jason’s face turned pale.
“I make it a habit to know about the people with whom I do business. I am fair. But I will not be cheated or taken advantage of, Mr. Smith. Do we have an understanding?”
“Yes sir.”
“Great. Vincent will send you the paperwork. I want to close by the end of the week. Vincent, is that doable?”
Vincent stood silent, a blank expression on his face.
Stephen became irritated. “Vincent? Is it doable?”
“Oh, yes. It will be a lot of work. But we can make it happen.”
“Good. It’s time to go.” He turned to Jason and shook his hand. “It’s been interesting meeting you.”
The two men walked back to the car. Stephen heard Jason’s thoughts, trying to rationalize what just happened and figure out how Stephen knew about the affair. When they got in the car, Vincent smiled at Stephen.
“You know, I had almost forgotten about the years you spent on your own. You, sir, are good at this.”
Stephen smiled back. “Thank you.”
“But,” Vincent continued, “how did you know about the babysitter?”
“I called his office this morning. They told me he was working from his house today. I looked him up, wanting to meet with him immediately. Guess who opened the front door.”
Vincent shrugged.
“The babysitter. Her blouse was on inside out, and he was in the shower. I asked her to have Jason call me.”
Stephen felt pleased with the meeting overall. He had confirmed something strange going on in the warehouse. And, he had helped his company to venture into a new business that he expected to be very profitable. But, he felt bad for not telling Vincent the truth. Vincent trusted him. He
also grew concerned that Vincent would eventually figure out that there was more to Stephen’s story.
****
Stephen patiently waited a few days until the weekend came. Although he had been determined to find out who was responsible for Waltz’s death, he knew the warehouse district sat silent, being that it remained closed Saturday evening through Sunday night. He planned to find out just what was hiding behind that closed door.
Good thing it’s not raining. Stephen walked around the corner to where his new motorcycle waited and slung his leg across the bike, seating himself comfortably on his cruiser. Looking up, he noticed how clear the sky appeared. He saw the stars and sat for a moment, enjoying the night air as he tried to relax.
Sirens in the distance wailed, growing louder and louder, eventually screaming by Stephen and disappearing in the distance.
“So much for relaxing.”
He put on his full-faced helmet and fastened the strap. Vroooom!His bike rumbled beneath him as he raced away from the curb and down the road, heading toward the warehouse. His mind raced nearly as fast as his bike with thoughts of what he would find. He’d faced many people in the past, conquering each, for good or bad. But this might end up being the first time he stood opposite someone else with powers. What would the stranger’s power be? Would he be powerful? Would he know Stephen was coming?
Stephen sped along, turning up and down roads, carefully navigating the streets. When he came within a couple of blocks of the warehouse, he pulled into an alley. That part of town remained mostly dead in the middle of night. He hurriedly walked toward the warehouse, staying constantly tuned in for the thoughts of anyone who might be nearby. The closer he got, the more he could sense that someone occupied the warehouse.
Before long, Stephen stood at the door he had entered with Vincent and Jason only a couple of days ago. The door was locked. He stepped back and looked for another way in. There were windows, some of which were already open. But all were too high for him to consider trying to reach. He walked around the building, hoping to see an open door or bay. Eventually, he came around to what he assumed was the door to the office space. He searched for thoughts, trying to determine if it would be safe to enter.
What happened with Dan?
Chronicles of Stephen BoxSet Page 14