Double Doublecross (5 page)

‘Maybe things will improve,' he thought, settling down on the couch with his readymade dinner and a cup of coffee. He was blissfully oblivious and unaware of the rollercoaster ride that was in store for him in the next few weeks.

R
ick opened his eyes and glanced at his alarm clock. ‘Seven o'clock on a Monday morning. The music should switch on now,' he mused.

He reached over and turned off the alarm before it went off. He went into the kitchen and turned on the coffee percolator he had prepared the previous evening. The shower was warm enough for him to begin his morning ritual of ablutions. He brushed his teeth, showered, washed his hair and finally dressed for the day's business. This was the day when he and the Porsche would part company.

He went to his desk, pulled open the lower file drawer and retrieved the relevant documents ready for the sale. Rick had taken out an equity loan to buy the car, but he hadn't told Stan Turner about that little item. This gave him instant ownership of the car and another legal tax deduction in addition to his first mortgage on the house. He sat down to his bachelor breakfast of toast and coffee, thinking about Sara and the predicament she was in.

The Porsche was in the garage waiting for him. He put the papers on the front seat and gunned the engine for the last
time. Slowly he began the drive to the sports car dealership where he knew Hank Sanders would be waiting for him. This was a sad day for him and a doleful way to start the week. Pulling into the dealership, he saw Hank was waiting for him.

“Right on time, Rick,” he said. “Got your papers ready?”

“Yes, they're right here, and I still think the car is worth more than your offer,” he said climbing out of the driver's seat.

Hank ignored the remark and showed Rick to the office door.

“Go on in. I'll be with you in a minute. There's fresh coffee brewing so help yourself.”

‘How generous of you,' Rick thought facetiously. ‘I've had enough coffee this morning to float a battleship.'

Hank came in and sat opposite Rick and the deal was concluded. The check would be cut that afternoon, ready for Rick to pick up at his convenience. He called Stan and told him he would be a few minutes late and arranged for a ride back to his place to pick up his Lincoln.

Clouds were gathering again and the rain started to fall lightly at first then it increased to a heavy torrent. ‘Just like a monsoon,' Rick thought. He hated the rain but rejoiced at the thought of the snow in the Sierras and skiing in the Lake Tahoe area. Arriving at the office he went straight to his desk and sat down without saying a word.

“Aren't we the cheerful one this morning?” Pat James said as Rick slumped into his chair. “I know the weather is not to your liking, but try to say
good morning
or something.”

Rick looked up and stared at Pat. He mustn't let a little thing like this get him down. After all, it was only a piece of high tech metal.

“Good morning all,” he said addressing the office. “What's
on the agenda today, Pat? Something good, I hope. I know about the two couples who are flying up from Los Angeles tonight. Better schedule them for a look around the general area tomorrow. Let Stan and me know who has which couple. What else do we have for today?”

“There's your weekly status meeting with Stan and yours truly in about twenty minutes. Can't wait for that piece of excitement. Wouldn't miss it for the world,” Pat said with a smile. “Who's office, yours or Stan's?”

“Better make it mine. It's messy and makes me feel at home.”

“It's about time you settled down and got married. You need a normal life and someone to look after you. Decent meals and regular hours wouldn't do you any harm.”

Rick smiled. She treated him like a child, but at least somebody cared for him.

“Don't worry, Mom, I'll survive. What have you got on for today?”

“Some paperwork for Stan and pay some of the office bills. It should keep me busy for a while. What about donuts for the meeting? I'll just go out and get some,” she said and left without waiting for his answer.

Rick wasn't looking forward to the meeting. He was going to lay the cards on the table and discuss their financial position. The thought of it brought a lump to his throat. The poor economy had really hit hard on the business and the thought of breaking up the team disheartened him. He had to find a gentle way of approaching the subject. This was not the time of year that people wanted bad news. There were a few prospects. They had just completed a closing and Pat would complete two more today. Maybe they could last a little longer until the season picked up in the next few
months.

“Okay, let's get started. This shouldn't take any longer than a few minutes. Let's start with you, Pat. What's cooking on your side of the street? Keep it short if you can.”

“There are two closings I'm working on. Then there are bills to be paid. I've looked at the books and we're getting low on funds. We might last for about a month max. We need some green stuff fast or I'll be working for nothing. We need about seventeen grand a month to cover salaries, utilities, office rent and general expenses. That's a bare bones existence estimate. What do you think, Stan?”

Rick looked at Stan. “How about it, Stan? Any ideas? Any prospects besides the two coming in tonight?”

“Not really. This is a poor time of the year for our business. We've always come through this period in the past due to the heavy midyear transactions. Things might pick up later but Pat's right. We need some sort of miracle to pull us out of this mess. This fall has been slow thanks to the goddamn poor economy. We just have to hang in there and keep our fingers and legs crossed. I guess I could take a second mortgage on the house, but that's crazy economics, and I don't think Helen would go for it.”

Rick sat there thinking quietly for a second or two.

“Okay, let's leave it at that. We can't do anything at the moment. I just wanted to warn you, Pat, that we may have to reduce your hours in the near future. There's one ray of hope. I've just sold the Porsche to save the house. I didn't want to mention it, but I had a house foreclosure warning served to me by the bank. I'm telling you this in confidence so please don't spread it around. I could loan the business a few thousand to keep us afloat for an extra month, possibly into mid-January. I'll keep the bank happy for a month or
two which will give me a chance to get things together. Well, is there any other business we have to cover?”

A motionless silence filled the room. Both Pat James and Stan knew how Rick treasured the sports car. They were aware this was a desperate action for him to take.

“Okay, then, you are all dismissed on the grounds there are donuts to be disposed of.”

Stan waited for Pat to leave the office, then he turned to Rick and said, “That was a nice gesture, pal, but don't you think that was a hasty decision to make? We are in this together, you know.”

“What other options do I have, Stan? Like you said, the car was expendable, and I could get quick cash for it. Anyway, who needs three cars? For that matter, why do
I
need two cars? Plus, I could always put the house on the market, but that would be the last resort.”

“Okay Rick, let's get on with business. We have to make plans as to where we are taking the two clients that are coming in tonight. When do we see them?”

“I'm not sure. Better talk to Pat about that. I still have to find someplace for Sara to live. I know there's nothing in the system, and I haven't heard anything on the grapevine. How about you, Stan? Have you heard anything?”

Stan looked hard at Rick and then erupted, “Holy shit, Rick! You asked me that just yesterday! You know there's nothing out there. I would have thought you had more crucial business circumstances to worry about. She's old enough to look after herself. For Pete's sake, wake up and get yourself a life! Let's get on with it!”

Stan stormed out of the office leaving Rick stunned and speechless. This wasn't like Stan. He had always kept his cool in all sticky situations, even when they had been under fire in
Desert Storm. Of course he thought Stan was right. There
were
other things more important to think about. However, he knew now he was more interested in Sara than he had previously thought. Come hell or high water, he wanted her permanently for himself.

He pulled himself up out of his comfortable leather office chair and made his way toward the front door. Stan was waiting for him and grabbed his arm just as he was about to leave the building.

“Sorry about the outburst, Rick. I guess the situation is getting to me. I had no right to say those things to you. Your private life has no bearing on our predicament. No hard feelings, pal?” he said holding out his hand. They shook hands and smiled at each other.

“I guess I asked for it. You're right. I have to get my priorities straightened out. I'll be back shortly. I'm just going to see Hank Sanders. He has some pennies for me.”

With that he left the office and made his way to the Lincoln in the parking lot. The sun was trying once again to break through the dark clouds. He looked eastward where dark clouds were covering the sky. There was obviously a storm raging over the Sierra Nevada mountain range meaning that Lake Tahoe was most likely getting hit with a snowstorm.

‘Wonderful,' Rick thought. This meant the ski season would be in full swing soon, and he decided to check on the weather forecast at his earliest opportunity.

Skiing was one of his favorite sports, and although an expensive pastime, he was determined not to sacrifice this pleasure for the sake of a few dollars. The only problem with the snow was that the I-80 freeway might be closed to traffic if things got too bad. This didn't bother him too much. The California Highway Patrol was always quick to
clear the highway, it being the main commercial artery to the east from San Francisco and Sacramento.

‘Maybe I'll give Alec a call tonight and arrange something in a day or so,' he thought. Alec Collins was a dentist and his closest friend next to Stan, and was always eager to hit the slopes early in the season. The only problem was, Alec was always free at weekends, whereas Rick was usually busy at that time. However, as business was slack, he might be able to get some ski time in.

He made his way through the heavy Monday morning traffic to the used car lot where Hank Sanders was busy with a customer.

“I'll be with you in a minute, Rick,” he bellowed. “Don't go away. I've got something for you.”

Rick looked around the lot with envy. Slightly used Jaguars, Porsches, BMW's, Mercedes-Benzes and Corvettes were everywhere. What he wouldn't give to be shopping for one of these magnificent machines instead of putting his on the block.

Eventually Hank walked over to him.

“I've got your check. I know your car and everything is in order. Let me know when you want one of these, and I'll get a deal for you.”

“Thanks, Hank, but I think I'll look around for a bit. Maybe I'll see you later for a game of golf after the weather gets better.”

With that, he took the check and looked at it. Thirty thousand dollars looked good, but he knew that it was all spoken for. He made his way to the local branch of his bank to make a deposit and pay off two months of mortgage to keep them quiet. ‘Twenty-four thousand left,' he thought, ‘now I'll give a check to Stan for seventeen thousand to keep
us in the black for a while. That'll surprise him, and I'll have seven thousand to enjoy.'

Rick spotted a restaurant and realized that it was just about lunchtime. He pulled in, parked, and walked in. Rick made his way to a secluded corner and picked up a menu, ran down the items and decided on a club sandwich and a cup of coffee.

His thoughts once again went to Sara and her situation. ‘Very odd,' he thought, ‘the idea of suddenly giving up an apartment at a time like Christmas and New Year doesn't make sense.' He decided to check things out with Bill Janson who was the Casa Diablo complex manager and see what he could find out about her.

He finished his sandwich and coffee and started on his drive back to the office where he would make the call. At that moment he thought he caught sight of Sara in the passenger seat of a passing car, but he couldn't be sure of it. If it was her, who was the blonde headed guy driving?

No, it couldn't be Sara. She had business appointments—so she had said. Dismissing it from his mind, he arrived back at the building and went straight to his office and wrote out a check for Stan to deposit.

“There you are, Stan. Bank it. It should keep the wolves off our backs for a while.”

Stan looked at the check and gazed at the figure.

“Where did you get this? I thought you owed big money on the Porsche? It's a hell of a chunk of change.”

“No sweat, Stan. What are friends for? I didn't tell you the whole story. Now bank it. I have to make a call or two.”

Rick dialed the number of the Casa Diablo manager's desk. He knew that Bill Janson would be there at this time of day.

“Janson here,” said a gruff voice. “What can I do for you?”

“Hey Bill. It's me, Rick Jacobs. How are things with you?”

“Hello, Rick. Long time no see or hear. How can I help you?”

Rick decided to play things down. He didn't want to arouse any suspicion about his inquiry regarding Sara. The information he wanted had to be business related.

“I understand that you have a vacancy coming up in the near future, and I may have a tenant for you that could move in immediately,” he lied. “I'd like first dibs on it if that's okay with you.”

“You've got to be kidding, Rick. Everything here is rented rock solid for an eternity. Where did you hear that piece of news?”