William Redman CarterChapter 51
- 1 year ago
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Moving like an old man, William slowly made his way to the conference room in the office area of the house. He felt stiff and dull witted, but life went on and he had things to do despite his desire to run and hide from the world. This afternoon he had to perform the final interview of the candidates for new staff positions. The current staff members had already met with them and passed only those they thought would be a good fit. This eliminated candidates who were unsuitable for life inside the household before he had to interview them. Ed would participate in this interview with William and Lucy to make sure that the candidates would be loyal.
Furnishing the conference room had not been the highest priority task prior to the move into the new house, but the job had been finished before they needed it for this, their first, meeting. Stepping onto the plush carpeted floor, William took a moment to look around. He was pleased by its appearance. The better features of the room were not visible, but those that were visible were impressive.
Despite attention to esthetics, the room was designed for work. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with white board. There were magnetic holders for the markers placed every four feet along each wall. The far-end of the room had a drop down screen with a projection system built into the wall at the other end. Below the projector was a stone table on which food and other goods could be placed. Today, there were ceramic mugs and a carafe of coffee.
Occupying the center of the room was a huge conference table made of polished stone capable of seating twenty people. The table rather than being rectangular in shape was trapezoidal with the broad end open towards the projection screen. There was a seat at the narrow end of the table. This would give each person a clear view of the screen. The table was designed for work as well as talk. At each seat, there was a computer touch-screen monitor set into the surface of the table and a wireless keyboard and mouse. A small camera and microphone were arranged at the top of each monitor for use in teleconferencing.
There were two separate entrances to the room. One entrance allowed visitors to enter from a large tastefully decorated waiting room while the other allowed the staff to enter without having to deal with the visitors until they were called into the room.
Last to arrive, William walked to the seat at the foot of the table. Lucy was seated to his right and Ed was seated to left left. Barbara was seated next to Lucy and was closest to the door to the waiting room. Once he had taken his seat, William shifted around surprised at the comfort. Seeing that everyone was watching him, he said, "Let's get to it."
"Yes, boss," Barbara said. After studying the screen in front of her, she pressed a key on the keyboard and said, "Send in Cathy Burke."
On hearing the door open, William turned to watch the young woman enter the room. There was something familiar about her and the somewhat nervous manner in which she moved. It took him a second to recognize her as the Shawnee girl who attended the high school where he had met Greg Banner. Hoping his memory was correct, he said, "Hello, Cathy. How is your grandfather?"
"He's fine and sends his regards," the young woman answered rocking nervously from foot to foot. It was hard to believe that she was actually interviewing to work with Talks With Animals.
Raising an eyebrow, Lucy looked over at William and asked, "Do you know her?"
"Yes, I do. She was at the high school when I met Greg. She came to me and invited us to visit her tribe," William said feeling relieved that his memory had been correct. He also felt a little guilty that they had never followed up on that invitation.
"Oh," Lucy said. It always amazed her how many people William knew. She traveled with him and didn't seem to recall nearly as many people as he did.
Looking at Cathy, he asked, "Did you just graduate?"
"Yes," she answered amazed William had remembered her from one little meeting that hadn't lasted more than two minutes. It was reasonable that she would remember him; he was somebody important. It wasn't reasonable to expect him to remember her; she was a nobody.
Slightly distracted by the side discussion, Barbara said, "She has applied for the clerk position."
Lucy looked down at the folder with resumes. There was no resume for anyone named Cathy. She realized that the young woman probably had no work experience. It was interesting that Barbara thought to include her among the candidates. Curious, she asked, "Why are you here rather than heading off to college?"
"I'm not really interested in going to college. I want a basic job until I find a husband," Cathy answered.
"You can't be serious," Lucy said staring at Cathy horrified at the idea.
"I've very serious," Cathy answered without embarrassment. She had women react that way to her plans many times in the past. Looking at Lucy, she said, "Not everyone woman wants to be a business woman, scientist, or engineer. I want to raise a family."
Nodding his head, William asked, "Is there anyone in particular who you intend to marry?"
"No," Cathy said without embarrassment. She did not have a marriage prospect in mind and was willing to wait until the right man appeared in her life. There was a calm assurance that the right man would come in time.
Lucy was astounded that any young woman would see her place in life as nothing more than a housewife and mother. Shaking her head, she asked, "Don't you want more out of life than cleaning a house?"
"I don't want a life spent cleaning a house," Cathy answered. Seeing the confused look on Lucy's face, she said, "I want a life in which I help my husband become a successful man. I want to raise my children and watch them grow up to stand strong and proud. Until I find the right man, I will work and save my money."
"Don't you think going to college would make a wise backup plan?" Lucy asked.
"Going to college would require that I take some student loans. I don't want to bring thousands of dollars worth of debt into a marriage. I'd rather have some savings that can be used to start a good life," Cathy answered. The Native American college would be free, but it would leave her with an obligation to work for several years in her chosen field.
Although Lucy was dismayed, William was pleased at how Cathy had considered the ramifications of alternatives to her primary goal. Looking over at Lucy, he said, "I like that she knows exactly what she want to do with her life. While you may disagree with what she wants, you have to admire that she is pursuing it."
"I guess," Lucy said frowning slightly. It was beyond her why anyone would settle for less than everything and that is how she viewed Cathy's choices. She looked over at Ed and asked, "What do you think?"
"I think she is telling the truth and that she has given the matter much more thought than you would credit her," Ed said. Looking at Cathy, he said, "I think that wanting to be a good wife and mother is a wonderful choice. I respect you for making it."
"Thank you," Cathy said nodding her head to him in a stately fashion. Few people, particularly young women, understood her desire; even fewer people respected it.
Seeing that she wasn't going to get any support from William or Ed, Lucy decided that she would make college a job benefit. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay. I say hire her."
"Same here," William said. Turning to face Cathy, he said, "Welcome aboard. The job of clerk is yours if you want it."
"I want it," Cathy said with a smile.
"Have a seat over here by my father," William said.
Barbara looked up from her notes and said, "The next candidate has applied for the position of librarian."
"Okay, bring her in," Lucy said still distracted by thoughts about the choices that Cathy had made.
"It is a he," Barbara said smiling at the mistake. She had made exactly the same mistake. She pressed a key on the keyboard and said, "Send in Rudy Moore."
William glanced down at the resume and frowned. Handing it over to his father, he asked, "Is this true?"
Ed looked over the resume for a second before he said, "I see nothing wrong with it. Why?"
"He's a librarian at the Hooke Library at Oxford," William said. It was one of the premier libraries in the world.
"So?" Ed asked.
"Why would someone with his credentials want to work in a small private library?" William asked.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Ed asked when a middle aged man entered the room. He looked at the man and noticed that he had the largest ears on a human being that he had ever seen. Even worse, they stuck straight out from his head.
Turning to the man, William asked, "You're a librarian at the Hooke Library at Oxford. What are you doing applying for a position in a small private library?"
The man chuckled and, in a heavy West Texas accent, answered, "Well, there are libraries and then there are libraries. Some are old and some are new. I'd rather start a library than maintain one, even one as prestigious as the Hooke Library. I've got a feeling that one day this small private library of yours is going to contain some of the most important documents of our time. I'd like to be part of that."
"We're in the middle of nowhere," Lucy said. She had been expecting an English accent and the West Texas accent had thrown her.
"To tell the truth, I'm just an old Texas boy who misses the desert. I know that I could probably be head librarian at some library in a medium-sized Texas town, but like I said -- this is exactly what I'm looking for career-wise," Rudy answered.
William leaned forward and asked, "What responsibilities did you have at the Hooke Library?"
"I started in research, but I'm now in acquisitions," Rudy answered looking at William. He wondered how much William knew about libraries. He said, "I was in charge of locating and purchasing rare books."
"Any management experience?" Lucy asked.
"I had a staff of three people," Rudy answered.
William looked over at Barbara and asked, "Did you show him our library?"
"Yes, I did," she answered.
Lucy asked, "What did you think of it?"
"You've got quite a few science fiction books," Rudy answered knowing that the first books of his that he unpacked were pulp westerns. He found it more than understandable that the first books they unpacked were science fiction. Of course, he had also seen the hundred boxes of books that were stacked along the wall. There was also a huge server filled with digital versions of newspapers, journals, magazines, and films. It might be a little private library, but it was also a thoroughly modern one.
William shrugged his shoulders at the observation and turned to Cathy. He asked, "Do you have any questions?"
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William walked out the front door of his house to await his visitor. His daytime bodyguard, Colt, walked behind him wondering why they had come outside. For all he knew, they had left the house just to stand around all day in the sunshine. His eyes automatically checked the surroundings for any threats. The two men headed over to the driveway with William leading the way. A minute later, a rental car pulled up in the driveway. Colt glared at it as if it were a direct threat. He relaxed when...
Used to being sent to answer the door despite the fact that no one had knocked, Ken headed towards the door as soon as William had told him to answer it. He shook his head in puzzlement the entire trip. Although he knew from experience that there would be a person at the door, he hadn't given up wondering how William did it. Colt looked from William to Ken wondering what was happening since he hadn't heard anyone knock. The door opened to reveal a very tired looking green robed Druid while...
William looked across the table at Patrick and asked, "So how are things going?" "They are going well. Once I got over the initial shock, I found that I can deal with the nudity," Patrick answered although he wasn't going to mention the unease he felt when talking with Lucy. "Good. After two years here you'll be able to handle most things that life throws at you. You'll need that when you become a Chief," William said choosing his words with great care. It was time to plant a seed...
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Cupping a match in his curled fingers to protect it from a light wind, William lit a cigarette. He shook his hand putting out the match and dropped the extinguished stick into a bucket. Holding up a hand, he said, "The screen door will slam in a minute." Despite the warning, Dale jumped when the screen door slammed shut making a noise like a rifle shot. He said, "I'm glad you warned me." "The cook takes out the trash every night about this time. It used to startle me every time I...
The months passed without much of anything too remarkable occurring. William spent most of his time working with the candidates running for office. Lucy worked on the program trying to find ways to represent the quality of the society graphically. Construction on the facility for holding the computers was progressing nicely. The young couple kept the staff very busy as well. With the ever increasing need for data, Victoria spent nearly every hour of the day searching for new sources of data...
Spreading margarine on the slice of toast with long smooth motions, William was getting ready to enjoy breakfast. Lucy watched him, waiting for him to cut his slice of toast along the diagonal. Rich enough to afford butter, it always amazed her that he actually enjoyed margarine more. William looked up from his toast and winked at her. Rock, the nighttime bodyguard, was watching him with narrowed eyes. The other three bodyguards were seated at the far end of the table eating their eggs....
William stared at Lucy in shock. Unable to believe what he thought he had heard her say, he asked, "Excuse me?" Pointing to the woman at the front of the conference room of the Carter House, Lucy said, "I asked her to remove her clothes." "I thought I misunderstood you," William said. He glanced over at Mary Gold. The woman had her head down and was hiding her mouth behind her hands. The twinkle in her eye suggested that she was trying not to laugh. The twenty-four year old woman...
The Catholic religious wedding ceremony for Cathy Black Thorn and David Light Wind started at noon. It was a traditional Catholic service and lasted for almost an hour before they exchanged their vows. The Catholic priest provided a nice service in which he blessed their marriage. To tell the truth, Lucy had found it rather boring. She also felt that the bride wasn't given the kind of attention that most women sought in the wedding ceremony. At two, the bride and groom met at their future...
"Is it working?" Lucy asked watching the array of monitors at William's desk. Shaking his head, William answered, "I don't know. We've only progressed ten years in the simulation. We've got another ninety to go." "It's been running for twenty hours," Lucy said looking over at the clock. They had started the program the previous day at noon and it was now just a little after eight in the morning. "That's right," William said woodenly. His eyes examined the curves of the...
William shook his head in amazement while going through the stack of papers Barbara had handed him. She had all of their expenditures typed up for the accountant complete with receipts. The confirmations for chartered jets were in a neat little stack. The agenda for the meetings had been typed up with copies for everyone. Looking up at Barbara, he said, "You are amazing. I don't know how you keep up with everything." Upon hearing more praise from William, Barbara squirmed in her chair. It...
William stepped out the front door of the hotel and froze. Rather than facing a run down street in San Diego, he was in a meadow. There in front of him was a contrived scene of life and death. To his right, a man was facing death as a giant wrecking ball swung towards him from behind. To his left, a different man faced an identical death. He shouted, "Duck." Both men stared at William as the wrecking balls swung through them. William stared in horror at the result. Two broken bodies lay on...
The activities being performed by the occupants of the house would never be the subject of a Norman Rockwell type of picture. The scene just wasn't cute enough. Lucy, seated at her desk, was busy writing up her solution to the math problem that William had given her. At his desk, William was busy changing his program for predicting economic and social trends. Over at the dining room table, Jan was writing on a pad of paper; capturing another chapter of her book. At the other end of the...
The gymnasium of the activity center was empty except for a long table at which the tribal elders of all the local tribes were seated. All eyes were watching the door at the far end of the room for their visitor. The tension in the room was high. Most of them expected their visitor to argue with them about their conservative stance and they were not looking forward to it. They were sure that they would lose this argument with this particular visitor. Looking around the room, Robert White...
Talking quietly with each other, Lucy and William waited in the theater for Eddie to arrive. The theater room had four rows of ten seats each facing a large screen. Each chair was large and comfortable with a holder for a soda built into the armrest. Beth had ordered the chairs from a real theater supply company. Like a real movie theater, the floor slanted down towards the front of the room. At the entrance to the room, there was a snack bar complete with a typical theater-style popcorn...
Greetings had been exchanged and the guests shown their rooms in the Carter home. The next order of business was to relax. William stripped off his clothes and headed towards the pool. He jumped in feet first, reveling in the feel of cool water against his bare skin. Lucy and Ann, naked as well, slipped into the pool right behind him. Before they had even moved a dozen feet from the edge, Betsy charged into the poolroom throwing off her clothes even as she ran. Without pause, she jumped into...
William and Ed returned to the hotel refreshed from their little swim at the Mayor's house. William felt confident that another candidate had been found with a good chance of winning. They entered the suite laughing about the mayor's reaction on discovering them swimming in the pool. The laughter turned to surprise when William spotted his mother relaxing in the living room of the suite. She was seated next to Lucy. He said, "Momma Kelly! What are you doing here?" Seeing that William...
Lucy watched the screen through red eyes that saw the world through a blur. She hadn't sleep for the past thirty hours. The programmers were asleep on the floor having exhausted the last of their stamina under the nearly constant pressure from Lucy. Even if she hadn't been so tired, it would have been hard to interpret the results. There were a hundred curves all overlaid one upon another. After running twenty four hours, the model had projected ahead only twelve years. Considering the...
Amused by what he was doing, Derrick led the little horse using the reigns. Lucy was seated on its back holding onto the saddle horn with white knuckles. She was nervous; feeling like the horse was huge and ready to run away at any moment. She looked over at William and, voice tight with tension, said, "I've never ridden a horse before." "You don't say. I would never have guessed," William replied with a grin from atop the horse that Derrick had given him. It was a nice quarter-horse...
"Your mother and I watched your meeting with the White Buffalo on the news. That's how we knew to go to the ranch," said Lucy. "Pardon?" William was not aware that there had been a television camera at the ranch. "Someone filmed the whole thing with their video camera. It was on the television within half an hour of it happening." "So what did you think?" "Strange. It was like you weren't there. Your face was blank. Your voice was strange with an odd echoing quality to it. When...
Following behind Rock and Natalie, Lucy and William entered their home with a sigh of relief. They had both been very busy since their graduation. The summer had started with locating, hiring, and delivering Dante to Harry for the purpose of creating a statue of the elderly Druid. That had been followed by their wedding with a week of parties, their honeymoon, visits to a number of tribal councils, and a few visits to Homeless Hotels around the country. Exhausted, they planned to stay at home...
Ling and Betsy stopped the car at the front gate leading to William's place. Over the past year, the front of the property had changed to where it looked more like the entrance to a military base than a ranch. There was a little guard shack that sat beside a closed metal barrier. Ling's trained eye recognized the retractable barrier was capable of stopping a charging dump truck. Worried about the kind of reception they would receive, Betsy asked, "Are you sure that he'll see us?" "It...
Wearing nothing but a loincloth and a small leather bag around his neck, William walked to the edge of the stream. Once there, he paused and looked down at the ground. At the border between water and land was a stone that caught his attention. Kneeling, he picked it up. The stone was the diameter of a quarter with a thickness of a quarter of an inch. The edges were worn smooth. There was nothing remarkable about the stone except for one feature -- the center of the stone had been worn away...
"Uh oh," William said as he pulled into the driveway. Rock, Colt, Natalie, and Nicole were standing in the driveway with their arms crossed and a frown on their faces. They didn't look too happy to see him. "I forgot about them." He turned off the motor and stepped out of the car. Looking at the four body guards, he asked, "How did you enjoy your vacation?" "You dumped us in the middle of nowhere," Colt said. "Sorry about that," William said. He glanced over at the front door to...
"Do you think I should open a publishing house?" William asked. "No," Linda answered putting the manuscript on the table. She had just finished reading it and had been very impressed. She knew Happy Harry, but not many of the other homeless. She had noticed that the manuscript had Forest Shadow crying like a baby by the time she had finished it. "Okay, so who do we take the manuscript to?" "Al Maloney would probably be the best person. His publishing house has handled a lot of best...
John Carter, William's older brother, squatted down by the campfire and picked up the coffee pot. While pouring a cup, he asked, "So what do you think of Betsy's legal problems?" Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, "I don't know what to think. I keep hoping that the father will drop the charges. It would be a disaster for the prison system if she were to go to jail. The thought of that sends shivers down my spine." John laughed and asked, "What do you think the chances are of...
The last test, marked with an A+, joined the rest of the tests stacked on the left hand corner of William's desk. Looking over at Lucy, he said, "That's the last one." "So how were the grades?" Lucy asked looking up from her work. "Not bad," William answered patting the stack of test papers. The first eight weeks of teaching had been hard on William. He didn't have any real experience of dealing with high school students. Getting his early education at the Druid College had not...
William rushed into the hotel and looked around the lobby. The elevator door opened and Lucy stepped out looking around the lobby. They met halfway with a hug that was just on the tasteful side of being publicly acceptable. William said, "I've missed you." "I missed you," Lucy said burying her face into his chest and enjoying his scent. It felt good to feel his arms around her. "I'm so glad that you could make it here," William said running a hand across her back. It felt so right...
It was the day after Thanksgiving and William sat in his hunting stand watching the area in front of him for an older buck to appear. Several does and a young buck had passed in front of him a little after sunrise, but they were young animals that would strengthen the herd. He was waiting for an older deer to come through. There was a nip of cold in the air that was usual for that time of year. He could actually see his breath. Frost had covered the few grasses that grew along the banks of...
The squick of a white board marker flying across the white board filled the air. William looked up and watched Lucy work through the equations on the board; her hand moving at almost a blur. She stepped back for a second and then dived in for another round of simplifications. Her hips swung from side to side as she worked her magic on the mathematics. With her entire body participating, her long hair started swaying in a most seductive manner. William was entranced. Frowning, Lucy stepped...
Lucy stepped out of the truck and went around to the back to get her suitcase. Before she had a chance to pick it up, Ken had grabbed it while looking at her as if she should have known he'd carry it. The van with Linda and Ed pulled up beside the car. Looking around the parking lot in front of the country hotel, William said, "We'll get checked in and then I need to get on down the road." "Are you sure that you don't want me to come?" "Lucy, I'd love for you to come, but you...
"So you're going to become Dr. Carter?" Eddie asked while watching his brother pack up his books. William looked over at his little brother. The boy was turning into a good looking young man. His short black hair, piercing grey eyes, and subdued Native American features gave him an exotic look. William knew that it wouldn't be long before the girls started following his brother around town. Pulling the roll of tape over the top of the box, he answered, "Yes, if I ever manage to get out...
"Son, you know I have to tell the truth," Ed said looking William in the eye. He had finally caught up with William before his son had entered his office. "Yes, I know that," William said with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked away from his father breaking eye contact. "You know that it isn't always an easy thing for me to do, don't you?" "Yes, I know that." Shaking his head, Ed said, "You can't hide away from the world forever. Your little brother has asked you...
Ken removed his clothes and placed them on the patio table. The past four weeks had wrought major changes in his physique. He had lost fifteen pounds, with even more fat having been turned into muscle. His shirts were too large around the waist and too small at the shoulders. He glanced over at his wife to see how she was reacting to stripping outdoors. Lisa's body was a soft red color, flushed as a result of embarrassment. After a month of morning exercises with William, Ling, and Tim...
"Where's Betsy?" "She's grounded," Eddie answered. He shrugged his shoulders and, looking over at his mother, said, "All she did was have a little swim." "Naked, in a public aquarium, and with sharks," Ling said filling in a few details that Eddie tended to forget. Putting an arm around his little brother, William pulled Eddie against his side and said, "At least she didn't get threatened with a spanking." "True," Eddie said. He was tired and wished that he had been able to...
Seated at his desk, William listened to the sound of a twelve-string guitar emanating from the guest room. He liked the music Greg Banner created. Lucy loved the music and could listen to it all day. Turning to Ken, he snapped his fingers to get the man's attention. Once he was sure that Ken was looking at him, he said, "Doug is here." Ken reached the intercom in time to hear the signal from the guard. Pushing the button, Ken said, "Let Doug in." "Sure," came the answer. It sounded...
William looked up at the stars overhead. The sight of the summer sky was always special to him, particularly on nights without a moon. The stars seemed so low that you could reach out and touch them. Turning to the dark shape seated next to him, he said, "I love looking at the stars out here." "I do too," Eddie said with a smile. In the dark, his white teeth seemed to stand out. William pulled out his pack of cigarettes and took one out. He handed the pack to his brother and said,...
"Vera." "What?" she answered without even looking away from her computer screen. Her fingers did not slow down in the least bit. William frowned at the tone of voice that she used in answering him. It seemed to him as if she was upset about something. Dismissing his concerns, he said, "I need you to research the sex industry." "Excuse me," Vera said drawing out each word twice as long as would be normal. She saved the file she was working on before turning to face William. The...
"You're going to be heading off to college soon," William said looking across the fire at Eddie. He added another small log to the fire and sat back to watch it catch. "I've got another two years of high school," Eddie said poking a stick into the fire and watching the end start to burn. He pulled the stick out of the fire. The weak flame flickered and died. The small glowing bud at the end of the stick slowly faded. "Enjoy them while you can," William said. Everyone was telling...
The students trickled out of the classroom in ones and twos as they finished their final exams. William sat on the floor across from the door watching them leave. Some looked confident, others angry, and a few as if they didn't care how they did in the class. Those who looked blurry-eyed or were sloppily dressed had spent the previous evening cramming in the hopes of learning the material at the last minute. When Lucy stepped out of the class, she rolled her eyes and smiled. Closing the...
Chuckling to himself, William shook his head as elements of the near future resolved themselves in his mind. Ken, seated at the dining room table, looked over at him wondering what he had found so humorous. He was about to ask when William said, "It is time for one of my mothers to make an appearance." Lisa, in the kitchen with Tim, wondered why he hadn't asked her to prepare one of the guestrooms. She came out of the kitchen and looked at William with concern. This was the first that...
The underground bunker for housing the computers had been completed. A work crew sent by Dan Biggerstaff was busy wiring the room to support the network that would tie the computers together. It was a massive job considering that they were linking ten thousand computers together. It was made even more difficult due to the fact that they were physically located on four separate floors. The room was cold. The air conditioner was set up to cool ten thousand machines, but there were only empty...
Head in William's lap, Lucy was busy reading a math book. His hand was busy stroking her arm in an absent minded manner while he was reading his book. Lucy put her book down and said, "She's got a crush on you." Frowning at the sudden introduction of a new topic, William asked, "Who? What?" "I said she has a crush on you." "Oh, that's nice," William said wondering who had the crush on him. He turned the page and continued reading. "You don't know who I'm talking about, do...
Nancy Darnell, Mistress of Ceremonies for the Druids, stood at head of the platform. She had finished explaining the significance of the ceremony that was to take place and now she was waiting for the bride and groom. This was her first wedding ceremony in which none of the individuals involved were a Druid. Oliver had volunteered to perform the ceremony, but she had insisted that she be allowed the honor. It was, after all, her service. A very serene Lucy walked to the platform from the...
Jack sat in his new office unable to believe the difference that twenty four hours made in his life. His office was larger than the room he was renting. The furnishings were much more luxurious. Barbara Gray had told him that it had been the bedroom and exercise room, but they had converted it to his office. He would have been quite happy if they had left the bed in the room, but he wasn't going to tell them that. He got up and made his way to the break room to get a soft drink. That was...