Dead Sure?: A Paranormal Mystery (2 page)

Chapter 2 Thursday July 12
th
, 2007

A New Job

The phone rang like the banging of a bad drummer. Jack just grumbled quietly to himself, blinking his green eyes to keep the sun out. He tried to roll over, bumping into Leslie. Leslie gave a small groan of her own and didn’t seem to notice the bump. Again the phone rang, this time more like the pounding of a sledge hammer. This time it caught Leslie’s attention and she gave Jack a hard shove towards the edge of the bed.

“You had better get that before my head splits open. Why did you let me drink so much, you goofball?”

Jack tried to grab the covers and prevent himself from being shoved out of the bed. The phone persisted with an insistent tone. Leslie gave him another harder shove this time adding her legs into the mix. Jack slid halfway off the bed before his reluctant body kicked in and he let his feet drop to the floor. Jack was a tall man, about six foot one. A couple of quick strides from his long legs and he was across the room picking up the phone on his computer desk. Anything to stop it’s insistent ringing.

“Hello, who is it?” Jack uttered as his head started to pound.
I’ll drink less tonight and my head won’t hurt tomorrow. Oh hell, who am I kidding?

“Hello, this is Mr. Ronald Beckman with the Yates Corporation…”

Before the man could finish his sentence Jack replied, “Not interested!” and hung up the phone. Jack was already moving back towards the bed thinking more sleep would fix this devil of a hangover, but before he could lie back down the phone was back at it.

“Damn it!” he swore before turning back around to answer it again.

Leslie began to wake up and noticed the clock reading eight am. “What the hell happened to the alarm, Jack? I am supposed to be to work by eight-thirty. You know I can’t be late, my boss is such a prick.” She jumped out of bed and ran towards the bathroom.

Jack barely gave her a nod of acknowledgment before picking the phone back up. He recognized the same voice on the other end again. “Look, mister, I told you I am not interested in buying anything.”

“Wait, I am not trying to sell you anything. I am calling with a job offer for a Jack Weston. Is that you?”

Jack was suddenly quite interested in talking. He had been out of work now for close to three months and was in need of a new source of income. “Yeah, this is Jack; sorry I hung up on you earlier. I am just tired of telemarketers. Who did you say you represent?” Jack’s head was throbbing, but he was doing his best to ignore it and sound pleasant.

“I represent the Yates Corporation out of Minneapolis. We’re a large construction firm and getting bigger. We need a new project manager.  You sent your resume to our New York office several months ago. Our founder, Steve Yates, is about to kick off a very ambitious project to build the tallest building in the Midwest, right here in Minneapolis, and he was very impressed with your credentials.” Mr. Beckman explained.

Oh crap, the Midwest, I like it here in New York. 
“You don’t have any work in the New York area, do you?”

Oh brother, this guy is going to take some persuading. I have got to get him hooked or the boss is going to blow a gasket. Nobody else with his qualifications is available right now.
“Listen, Jack, this project may be in the Midwest but it is very exciting. This building is going to be huge and it will utilize some very new and different design elements. It would be a hell of thing to have on your resume going forward. Mr. Yates is also prepared to pay handsomely for your services.”

I really can’t afford to be too picky with the repo man after my car, and that recent eviction notice. On the other hand it never hurts to push the envelope.
“So, Ronny, you say it’s going to be a very large project with a lot of exposure... Just how much money are we talking about?”

“I have been authorized to offer you two hundred thousand dollars a year, plus moving expenses.”

Jack sat silently on the other end of the phone for a moment; his head still pounding from last night’s drinking fest.
Shit, that’s a lot. My last job only paid one- fifty. Then again this guy sounds desperate; I bet I can do better. No, no, I shouldn’t be that greedy. Ah, throw caution to the wind.
“I want two hundred and fifty thousand a year plus a fifty k bonus annually if the project is tracking to the schedule.”

This time it was Mr. Beckman’s turn to be silent on the other end of the line.

The silence was a little unnerving for Jack. He began to wonder if he was too greedy and had blown the whole deal.
Well, I didn’t really want to move to Minneapolis anyway.

Finally after a long silence, Mr. Beckman spoke again. “That’s some pretty aggressive negotiating for someone who is currently unemployed, and who became unemployed under a rather dark cloud.  Are you sure you wouldn’t like to restate your offer?”

Who does this Beckman guy think he is? That sounded like a threat!  He is just daring me to keep going. The hell if I am going to back down.. So what if I go broke, as long as I can find money for booze and the ladies.
“No, you’re right; I would like to restate my offer. In addition to what I already said, there will be a twenty- five thousand dollar signing bonus payable upon acceptance. Do I make myself clear? There will be no further negotiation of the numbers.” Jack had always lived on the edge, but today he was surprising even himself with the way he was pushing this guy.

Leslie was standing in the bathroom doorway wearing nothing but a bath towel, her toothbrush hanging out of her mouth in wonder. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The money sounded good, but moving to the Midwest. She and Jack were just starting to hit it off. He was so good looking too, tall and handsome with big muscular shoulders, and his long, thick wavy hair.
Well, with the way he was talking to that guy he won’t get the job anyway. He is such a wild one. Could I ever keep him even if he stays? 
Glancing at the clock she quickly turned, closing the bathroom door with a renewed sense of purpose.

Mr. Beckman was fit to be tied.  This cocky young bastard was going to be a real pain. “Obviously you don’t want this job very badly. But, I will let Mr. Yates know your terms and he will take it from there.” And with that Mr. Beckman hung up the phone, still fuming at the young man’s arrogance.
Mr. Yates can be arrogant himself at times, but then again he has a right to be. He founded one of the largest construction firms in the Midwest. Money practically drips off of him and every project he works on turns out golden. If you’re going to be cocky, at least have something to back it up. This “Jack” guy is just an unemployed hack if you ask me. Yet, Mr. Yates was serious about getting somebody with the right skills for the job, and Jack does have an impressive resume.

Jack sat back down on the bed. His headache was launching yet another assault on him. He leaned forward cradling his head in his hands and wondered what the hell he was doing.

“Leslie, hurry up you’re going to be late for work.”
He didn’t really care if she was late for work. He just wanted to get her the hell out and get some peace and quiet, and forget about this crazy morning.
I really need to refocus my job search on something reasonable.

“Yeah, thanks for the encouragement, Jack. You could offer me a ride or something,” Leslie grumbled sarcastically.             

“You know it’s easier to take the bus from here. But I’ll help out and find you some aspirin.” He got up and walked off into the kitchen. Distractedly Jack began to rummage through the cupboards,
what was I looking for again? Oh yeah, aspirin.

*    *    *

This is not going to be good. Mr. Yates will probably blow a gasket when I call with this news.
Ron picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Yates. 

A voice as smooth as glass answered on the other end. “Ron, how did it go? I trust everything has been taken care of according to plan.”

Hesitantly, Ron described the situation. Ron concluded, “I’m sure we can do much better than this guy.”

Sternly Mr. Yates continued, “Ron, you have to!...”   And then there was just laughter. It was actually a rather mirthful laughter. “This guy has really got a set of balls. Tell him he has a deal, but he needs to be here and on the job no later than Wednesday, July 18th. And Ron, don’t fuck it up!”

Ron heard a definitive click ending the conversation.
Well, that went better than I thought. This Jack guy really is one lucky son of a bitch.

*    *    *

Leslie had finally cleared out and was off to work. Jack was sitting on his couch debating whether buying some breakfast might make him feel better.
Aside from the lack of cash this being unemployed thing is all right. I can relax and recuperate from my partying. Well should it be McDonald’s or that greasy diner down the block?
Unexpectedly the phone rang.
That had better not be Leslie telling me she missed the bus.
“Hello.”

“Hello, Jack, this is Mr. Beckman again. I have spoken with Mr. Yates and he has accepted your offer.  However, you do need to be here and on the job by this coming Wednesday.  How does that sound?”
This guy had better be happy and say yes or I’ll kill him!

Jack just stood there in silent shock. He had never actually expected this. Sounding less than cool, Jack blurted out, “Sounds good, real good, aaah, no problem, I will be there.”

“Excellent, I will email you the offer letter. Just sign it and fax it back. I’ll see you Wednesday.” Ron hung up the phone feeling somewhat less than triumphant.
Well, at least the position is filled.

Jack’s head was spinning. There was so much to do. Where should he begin?   He decided to pack some clothes, the computer, and some other miscellaneous personal things. When he got his first check the rest of the stuff could be loaded up on a truck and shipped out.
Wednesday is coming up quick, I had better get moving.
He chuckled quietly to himself. This was turning out to be a heck of an interesting day. Forgetting about breakfast, he set to work packing.

*    *    *

Several hours later everything he needed for the short term was in some boxes and a suitcase. It was time to start loading up the car. Entering the elevator, he pushed parking level one and began to set the boxes down when his cell phone started singing
,
“you are the one I want ooya”.
What ring tone is this? Oh, I bet Leslie was playing with my phone again.
Jack flipped the phone open and said hello.

“Jack, I miss you, do you miss me?” came Leslie’s bubbly voice.

Jack was about to utter “not really” when an idea struck him. “Hey Leslie, why don’t you come over for lunch?  I have some good news.”

“Okay, I’ll be there around eleven-thirty.”

“Great, see you then.”
This is perfect, she can hang out down by the car and keep an eye on my stuff while I load it up.
Just as the elevator arrived at parking level one, Jack pressed the close door button and headed back up to his apartment.  It was already eleven; he wouldn’t have to wait long for her to show up.

*    *    *

Leslie arrived promptly at eleven-thirty. She immediately noticed the small pile of boxes in the living room. Jack quickly explained about the job and the quick move that needed to take place. She was happy for Jack but was concerned about any kind of long distance relationship, especially with a guy like Jack.

“Jack you’re not really going to take the job? Are you?” Leslie said in a rhetorical tone, the wind gushing out of her sails.
Things were just starting to go so well. We were just starting to really click. Who am I kidding, be a realist, you can’t tame the wild ones.

“There’s not much I can do about it. I have to play the hand fate deals me,” he replied, thinking of his New York party life wistfully.

“My ass, Fate didn’t deal the hand, your,” she started to respond in a tone slightly quieter than a shout before completing the sentence with a mumbled, “drinking and partying set the stage.”

Jack
stared
back at her for a long moment chewing on what to say next. “
You’re
probably not wrong about that.”

*    *    *

It wasn’t long before she was down in the parking garage standing beside Jack’s prize possession, his lime green Dodge Charger. Jack had gone back up to get more boxes. All too quickly he was down again with another load. It wouldn’t be long and he would be gone, probably for good. She had kind of known all along that the relationship wouldn’t last, but this was sooner than she expected. Jack was just so wild and unpredictable.

This time Jack arrived at the car carrying several suitcases, with a duffel bag hanging off each shoulder. He lumbered along like a hulking monster. As he got closer Leslie noticed a strange look in his eyes.