Elinor - Chapter 4

 

Elinor

By Karen Singer

 

 

Chapter 4

 

Stan pointed toward the open doorway.  “Your room.”  He pointed at the open doorway directly across from it.  “My room, so I can be close and keep an eye on you all the time.”

“What?” I mockingly joked.  “You don’t sleep with me too?”

“Not with you I don’t!  At least, not if I don’t have to.  Don’t make me have to.”

I said nothing and walked into my room…rooms, because I soon realized there were a few of them.  I looked around my entire living room full of comfortable furniture, including two couches across from each other.  A bit of walking soon led me to a small office off the living room.  I was surprised to see a desk with no computer there.  Not even an ancient one.  I found a small kitchenette tucked away in another area, and then my bedroom.  I went inside.  The entire bedroom appeared to be larger than my upstairs apartment over top of my store.  Like the rest of the suite, it was decorated with a definite feminine flair.  I found the bathroom and marveled at how huge the thing was.

There was an entire wall of the bedroom that consisted of alternating doors and mirrors with the two side mirrors angled inwards.  I was shocked to discover that all three full-length mirrors were mounted on still more doors.  I opened one and found a walk-in closet filled with clothes.  A few doors later, I realized that every door led to a separate walk-in closet.  The old Elinor had a lot of clothes!

I was surprised when someone knocked on my outer door.  I hurried to open it and found a woman standing there in a maid’s uniform.

“Elinor?” the woman asked hesitantly.

“So they tell me,” I replied.

“I’m Nichole, one of the maids here in the house.  I usually take care of your room and…well, all the rooms upstairs here.”

“Oh.  Okay,” I replied.

“Mr. Stan called me and asked me to help you…um…find something you can wear to dinner tonight.  But…look.  I like my job and I’ll do almost anything for you, but something like this isn’t really my place.”

I shook my head.  “Nothing I’ve done all day is my place,” I told her.  “But somehow, I seem to be stuck with it all, and most of it is weirder than anything I’ve ever imagined.  So, if you can help me with anything at all, I’d really appreciate it.”

Nichole nodded.  I stepped back and she followed me into the suite.  “Just so you know,” she said, “when you leave your room every day, just leave your door open.  That tells me I can get in here and clean.  If you have any clothes you need cleaned, just leave them in a pile next to your door.  I’ll have them taken care of and brought back to you later.  Everything else, towels, sheets and stuff, just leave them wherever they are.  That’s my job to handle.  Okay?”

“Sure,” I told her.  “But just so you know, I don’t know how long I’m going to last here.  Probably not long.  Stan across the hall there can’t wait to shoot me, and he hasn’t figured out yet why Mr. Germo hasn’t done it himself already.  But, here I am, and it’s the weirdest place on earth.”

“I don’t know anything about that,” Nichole told me.  “Mr. Stan just asked me to try and help you tonight.”

“Yeah, I get it.  Thanks.  And trust me, I’ll thank Stan myself later.”

In the bedroom, Nichole opened several closet doors, obviously being familiar with what was in them.  Then she turned to look at me.  “Where do we start?” she said as she shook her head.  “What was Mr. Germo thinking?”

“Don’t ask me,” I replied.  “I just want to stay alive.”  The look Nichole gave me told me that she thought I was joking.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

I sat in my personal living room and gripped the arms of the padded chair tightly.  I couldn’t seem to let go.  Not that I even realized I was gripping so tightly.  The knot in my stomach was simply that bad.  The dress that covered my body was long and surprisingly comfortable…for it being a dress.  It was all red background with large white flowers.  The sleeves were short and the neckline was some kind of wide elastic thing that just barely covered the bra straps that Nichole had insisted I should wear and stuff with panties from my new drawers.  The white belt around my waist was pulled so tight I could barely breathe, but between me and Nichole, we had managed to actually buckle the thing.  I was also wearing a necklace and a bracelet, and makeup that Nichole had helped me with, although she had flat out told me that if I ever needed any again, she wouldn’t help at all.  It wasn’t her job.  On my feet, I wore…nothing.  My feet were bare since none of the old Elinor’s shoes would fit.  With Nichole’s help, it was the best we could manage.

When my new cellphone suddenly rang, I grabbed it from the nearby end table.  “Hello?” I said tentatively.

“Elinor,” the voice came back.  “The Bolton’s just arrived.  They’ll be there shortly.”

The knot in my stomach grew worse.  “Okay,” I replied.  “Thanks.  Um…do I…I mean did the previous me call you every night with what’s going on tomorrow?”

“Sometimes us here at the gate, but usually you work with Gonzalez,” the voice replied.  “But you usually call later than this.”

“Good,” I told him.  Then I’ll call…someone…later.”  I wanted to add that I would call if I was still alive, which I wasn’t expecting to be.  Especially not with the way I was currently dressed.  I ended the call.

Now what?  I was guessing that I should let Germo know that his friends had arrived.  I found Germo’s number in the cellphone and my call was soon answered.  “Mr. Germo,” I said.  “The Bolten family just arrived.  They should be here shortly.”

“Excellent!” Germo replied.  “Thank you Elinor.  See you soon.”  With that, he ended the call.

I kept the phone in my lap for a moment.  It sounded like calling Germo as I had just done had been the right thing to do.  Now I just needed to find the courage to go down to dinner…or go across the hall and simply ask Stan to finally shoot me, which I was starting to think would be the better option.

I took a big breath, then forced myself to my feet.  I grabbed the date planner and my cellphone and forced my feet to take me to the door.  I opened it and went a few feet further to the door directly across the hall.  I knocked.  The door was opened quickly, and I was surprised to see that Stan was now wearing a very nice suit.  Much nicer than the suit he had worn all day.  “Nice suit,” I told him.

“Thanks,” Stan replied with a smile.  “Mr. Germo has them custom made for us once in a while.”

“I’m just glad you’ll be joining us for dinner,” I told him.

Stan shook his head.  “Not the way you expect.  Mateo and I will be around, but not at dinner.  That’s not our job.”

“No.  Your job is to shoot me if I step out of line.”

“Exactly.  Among other things.”

“By the way.  Thanks for sending Nichole.”

“I thought you might need her.  It seems she was of some help.”

“More than you know, even though…”  I stuck out my bare foot from under the long dress.  “No shoes.  Nichole finally suggested I go barefoot.”

“You’ll do,” Stan said.  “But next time, you might want to shave your legs first.  The hair on them looks strange.”

“Stranger than me?”

“It doesn’t help,” Stan replied as he turned and headed further into his suite.  “I take it Bolten is here?”

“Yeah.  They should be arriving at the house soon, or they’re already here.  Which I guess means we, or at least I need to get down there.”

“No rush,” Stan told him.  “The Boltens are very close friends.  Actually family.  Rosita, that’s Mrs. Bolten, was Mrs. Germo’s sister.

“I haven’t met Mrs. Germo yet,” I told him.

“And you won’t.  She died a few years ago.  A riding accident.”

“Any other family I should know about?” I asked.

“Just Michael and John.  Mr. Germo’s two sons.  But they’re not around.  “Michael lives in Mexico with his family and John handles business further down in New Mexico, near the border.  If you’re still around, you’ll meet them eventually.”  He grabbed a bottle and poured himself a drink, then held the bottle out toward me.  “Drink?  Mr. Germo asked me to delay you a minute or two so he could warn our guests about you.”

“Sure,” I replied.  “At this point, I need all the courage I can get.”

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

With bare feet, I held the stairway railing firmly as I managed to make my way downstairs with Stan at my side.  I looked down at the steps so I wouldn’t fall, but I was having trouble seeing those steps because my long skirt was in the way.  Halfway down the stairs I saw Mr. Germo seated with what must have been the Bolten family, a man, a woman, and a teenage girl.  I wanted to turn and go back up to my room, but with Stan still at my side I forced myself to continue on.

“Oooohhhh…” I heard the girl suddenly say as she caught sight of me and stood up.

At the bottom of the stairs, Stan suddenly left me and I was forced to walk alone towards the people who were all staring at me, including the girl who I could see was laughing.

As I approached, I saw the woman stand up to face me.  As I got closer, the woman moved away from the seats and straight to me.  I was shocked when she gave me a hug.  “I guess it’s Elinor?” she asked.

“Evidently,” I replied.

“Well, I’m Rosita.  Enrique’s sister-in-law.  She pointed at her husband.  “That’s Ricardo, my husband, and this is Pamela, our daughter.”

“Um…hi,” I said to them all.  The girl had finally stopped laughing, but there was no doubt about the amused look on her face.

“Come, sit dear,” Rosita said as she pulled me toward the seats.

I noticed Germo motioning toward the place on the couch right next to him.  I sat nervously.

“Tell us a bit about you,” Rosita said.

“Well, my name is actually…”

“Pfft!” Germo suddenly spat, cutting me off.

I got the point and started again.  “Well, I guess, or rather I hope it’s okay to tell you that I’m a computer guy…or person.  I have…or I guess now I had a computer store in Albuquerque that I just opened last week.  Before that, I was a systems specialist in Chicago.”

“Chicago!” Rodrigo exclaimed.

Pamela’s head perked up.  “I’d love to see Chicago!  What’s it like?”

“Miserable,” I told her.  I didn’t add that if I were back there right now, I’d stay and never leave, despite my other reasons for wanting to be away from there.  “It’s cold and wet and windy.  All the time!  Worst weather on the planet.”

“Who cares?” Pamela replied.  “I just want to go.  It’s a big city.  Huge!  I can only imagine the shopping there.”

“Yeah well,” I said.  “There’s plenty of that.  And people, and cars, and…the whole place is a big, dirty, smelly mess.”

“Sounds like heaven,” Pamela replied.

“Mr. Germo,” a woman’s voice caught our attention.  “Dinner is ready.”

I looked to see another maid who had announced dinner.

“Thank you, Francine,” Germo told her.

Everyone automatically got up and started moving.  I followed behind them all.  In the dining room, I watched as they each seemed to head for seats that I was sure they usually sat in.  I noticed Germo automatically sat at the head of the table.  Then I noticed him nodding his head toward one of the seats that was right next to him and that I quickly realized was where everyone expected me to sit.

“I couldn’t believe it when Enrique told us the bad news about Elinor,” Rosita said to me.  “I mean, especially since it’s no secret that she pretty much runs everything around here.  And then when he told me that a replacement had already been found, I was absolutely floored.  But not nearly as surprised when he told us…or I guess I should say he warned us about you.”

I looked over at Germo.  “Thanks.  That was a good idea.”

He nodded then said.  “My decision was made because she seems to have certain…abilities.  Abilities that I need right away.”

“What do you mean?” Ricardo asked.

“Ah!” Germo said as a gleam came to his eyes.  “Not only does she seem to be able to handle my schedule, but this afternoon…”  He shook his head.  “She was rather amazing!  Stupid, but amazing none the less.”

“But even still Enrique,” Rosita said, jumping in before Germo could explain further.  “He’s a man!  And you want him to wear dresses and become Elinor?  That’s just absurd!”

I was starting to like Rosita…a lot!  Maybe she could talk some sense into this guy.

“Yes,” Germo admitted.  “Unfortunately, that’s true.  It seems our new Elinor is regrettably a man underneath.”

“Then why are you calling him Elinor?” Rosita asked.  “Why are you making him be…this?”

Yeah, I was really starting to like her.

“Because that’s what I want!  So that’s what I’m going to have!  Besides, the way the last Elinor died, there is still some confusion as to whether this…person is responsible for her death or not.  In one way, yes, he is absolutely responsible!  But there are evidently things that say her death was due to other reasons.  So because of the questions, and because of the apparent abilities he seems to have, I decided to use him where I need help the most.  Elinor.”

“But Enrique!” Rosita tried again.  “Forcing him to try and dress like a woman is crazy!”

Germo leaned forward and spoke a bit less forcefully.  “My dear Rosita.  Elinor has been my assistant for the last forty-one years.  My personal assistant has always been Elinor, and everyone expects my assistant to be Elinor.  In forty-one years, as you know, the last Elinor was the third one I’ve had.  The first one lasted twenty-four years before she died.  The second one not quite as long, and the last one, I fear just six years.  Now, I guess this one is technically Elinor the fourth.  But just Elinor is all anyone needs to know.  I certainly don’t intend on calling her anything else.  I am simply used to having a woman as my personal assistant, and that woman has always been Elinor.”

Rosita looked at him with disbelief.

“So as long as he remains useful, capable of handling the position of Elinor in my household,” Germo continued, “then he can stay.  Otherwise…” he shrugged his shoulders.

“You mean you’ll shoot him,” Pamela said.

“Pam!” Rosita admonished.

“What?” Pam replied.  “Mom, I’m not a baby!  Besides, I think the whole thing is hilarious.”

Yeah, I was thinking I liked Rosita, but I wasn’t too sure now about her daughter.

“What does he think about having to be Elinor?” Rosita asked.

Germo leaned forward again.  “Rosita, it doesn’t matter to me what he thinks.  All that matters is what he does!  And so far?”  He shrugged.  “She seems to be handling what few matters have come her way quite well.”

“So you’re moving someone from the outside, a complete unknown, into the most powerful position in your organization?” Ricardo asked.

Enrique nodded, then sighed.  “So it seems.”

“What happened earlier?” Ricardo asked.  “You said he has skills.  Abilities.”

“Ah!” Enrique replied, brightening.  “You should have seen her!  She was magnificent!  We had a meeting.  New buyers.  In fact, it was the Johnson group you and I talked about.  But Johnson decided to get uppity in a major unfortunate way.  You know how these things sometimes happen.  But Elinor suddenly stepped in and started giving orders like a drill sergeant!  You should have seen her!  Everyone soon dropped their guns while she let out some kind of made-up spiel about us being connected with the Columbian cartels and that we were networked from California to Florida.  Although she also made up something about Florida not being up and running yet which only seemed to sell the lie more firmly.  Let me tell you, she was magnificent!  Trust me, Johnson fell right in line after that and agreed to pretty much anything we wanted.”

“She…I mean he did that?” Rosita asked.

“Believe it or not, it is the gospel truth!” Enrique told them.

Rosita shook her head.  “I just don’t know what to make of it all.”  She turned to me.  “My dear, I simply don’t know what to tell you, other than you have my sympathy…and my well wishes.”

The conversation was interrupted as several maids began delivering the dinner dishes.  All during dinner, I expected to get asked questions I didn’t know how I could possibly answer, but the few questions they did ask me were simply light and polite.  Nothing personal.

As soon as we were finished eating though and it appeared we were all doing nothing but sitting and talking, Germo turned to me.  “Elinor,” he said.  “I know you’ve got work you need to tend to as usual before tomorrow.  I’ll call you when I’ve retired for the evening.  We’ll meet then in my room for a few minutes…as usual.”

As usual.  Germo had used that term as if it was important.  As usual.  Nothing about my life was usual.  I nodded and said, “Thanks,” glad for a chance to get out of there.  I got up from the table and addressed everyone else.  “Goodnight,” I wished them politely.  “It was nice meeting you all.”

“You too,” Rosita replied.  “I look forward to getting together with you soon and hearing more about you.”

I nodded.  “Thanks,” I replied.

“Me too!” Pamela said with a giggle.

I nodded towards her and made my way toward the stairs.  Stan joined me out of nowhere the moment I got out of the dining room.  “How was dinner?” he asked.

“Like the rest of my day, weird!  But also nice.  The food was certainly good.  I just don’t like the fact that I had to be there wearing a dress.”

Stan let out a small chuckle.  “My guess is that Elinor is, or has always been a woman, which means that everyone is going to expect Elinor to be a woman.  End of story.”

“Maybe for you, but not for me.  And Germo told Rosita something like that earlier.”

“As I said, end of story for you.  You just haven’t fully realized that yet.”

Once back in my suite, I found the number in my new cellphone for Gonzolez, whoever he was.  I called it and learned that he was the chief of security for the place.  I then went over tomorrow’s schedule with him.  After that, I did nothing more than sit and wait, knowing that eventually, probably quite late, Germo would be calling me for a meeting.

The call didn’t come until nearly eleven o’clock.  I left my suite and saw that the door to Stan’s room was open and Stan was inside.  Stan only nodded towards me.  I turned and headed back up the short hallway and into the central area at the top of the stairs.  Mateo was there waiting for me.  He escorted me to Germo’s suite, which like my suite was located along the entire front side of the house on that end.

Germo was sitting with a drink when I went inside.  “Ah, Elinor.  Did you enjoy dinner tonight?"

“It was better than I expected,” I admitted.  “The food was certainly good.”

“Good!” Germo replied and motioned toward a seat, then waited until I was sitting.  “I think Rosita may be more than a bit curious about you,”

“Yeah.  I could see that,” I answered.

“She had an excellent suggestion for you too.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.  She seems to think that we should hire a professional fashion consultant to help your image.”

“A fashion consultant?”

“Yes.  And I think it’s a good idea.  I’m going to need you to look into finding one tomorrow.  And as my dear sister-in-law suggested, I guess I should probably consult with her first, before she meets you.”

“Um…okay,” I replied as I opened the date planner I had brought with me and made a note.  I noticed that Germo seemed to be pleased to see me doing that.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions about things,” Germo told me.  “Some of them are easy for me to tell you, others are, well, I think you’re going to have to figure them out for yourself.  Things like that are part of your job.  But then, as I’ve noticed a number of times already, you seem to have an instinctive ability to figure things out.”

“Thanks.  I think,” I told him.  “I won’t lie to you.  I’d like nothing better than to go back to my store right now where I live and forget about all of this.”

“But that’s just it,” Germo said.  “You can’t go back.  Hasn’t Stan explained to you yet that you are dead?  The only question now is, how much more of you would you like to be dead, along with your old life?”

I stared at him for a moment, taking in yet another threat that was in reality on top of so many previous ones.  “As you just said,” I finally replied.  “Right now, I’m figuring out that I need to do everything possible just to stay alive.”

He nodded approvingly.  “And that’s the way it needs to be,” he told me.  “Now, what is on the schedule for tomorrow?”

I didn’t even need to look at the schedule.  There were very few things.  Things I had memorized from looking at it so many times.  “Not much,” I told my new boss.  “You have an appointment with someone named Tom at ten thirty tomorrow morning, but I don’t know who that is or where it will take place.”

“Thomas is my chief accountant for the hacienda and horse business.  And this time we’ll meet him at his office in Albuquerque.  He’s going to have to know about you anyway.  Especially since you’ve been…I mean the former you has been having an affair with him for the last few years.  An affair I approved of very much.”  He laughed.  “Your affair was almost as if I was fucking the man myself.”  He shook his head.  “Poor Thomas is going to be so upset.  I believe he really loved you.”

I was a bit horrified to hear that, but I continued.  “After that, you’ve got a meeting with someone named Gerard.”

Germo nodded.  “Good!  Gerard is my tailor.  Some of my suits are getting a bit tight.  Evidently, I don’t get as much exercise as I should.”

“The only other thing on the schedule says John.  Is that the John that Stan told me is your youngest son?”

“Yes.  John is coming up tomorrow afternoon for a visit.  He’ll have dinner with us and possibly stay a day or two.  He’s going to need to meet you too, and so will Michael.  But that will have to wait for another day.  If things continue to go well, I’ll take you down to Mexico to meet his family.”

“Mexico!  I don’t have a passport.”

“Don’t worry.  You won’t need one.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to know why I wouldn’t need a passport.  “Just so you know, I’ve already coordinated with Gonzalez about tomorrow.  He told me that your car will be ready tomorrow when you need it.”

“Good!” Germo exclaimed.  “So tomorrow you’ll of course accompany me to Albuquerque to meet Thomas, and then you can help me pick out some new suits.  Now, something else for your schedule tomorrow.  We need to bury my poor last Elinor.  Mateo arranged for it to be done late tomorrow afternoon.  Fortunately for you, I would prefer that you not be there.  Not for that.  Instead, after John gets here, you can have the day to handle whatever business you need to tend to.  Just don’t forget the fashion consultant, and also let Hector know you need riding lessons.  I’m hoping that in a day or two you’ll be able to accompany me when I ride.  That is very important.  I often get my best ideas while I’m on a horse.”

He nodded at me then.  “Goodnight Elinor.  I’ll see you tomorrow.  Oh, and wear something appropriate tomorrow.  Remember.  Everyone will be expecting Elinor to be a woman.  And like it or not, you are now Elinor.”

 

Elinor - Chapter 3

 

Elinor

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 3

 

I heard Stan’s cellphone ring.  I watched as he answered, then quickly put the phone away and stood up.  “Better grab your stuff.  Mr. Germo is back.”

I quickly grabbed the papers I had printed just a little while ago.

“I suggest you get your entire planner,” Stan told me.  “You’re probably going to need it.”

Trying to follow the advice, I grabbed the entire planner.  “Where’s his office?” I asked.

Stan pointed at a fancy door in the wall of the office we were in.  “Your office is his outer office.  Now let’s move.  We’ll meet him at the car when it arrives.  Hurry!”

Meet him at his car?  But I hurried to keep up with Stan who strode directly to the front entrance of the house, then out onto a shady porch.  In the distance, past fenced in fields of horses, I could see a black car coming down what must have been a very long road…or driveway.  The car stopped in front of the porch and Mr. Germo got out of the back seat and Mateo got out of the driver’s seat.  Another man got into the driver’s seat and drove the car away as Mr. Germo climbed the few steps up to the porch.

“How was lunch?” Stan asked the big boss.

“Ah!” Germo sighed as we walked into the house.  “Excellent as always.  Rodreguez always knows how to throw a good lunch.”  He turned toward me as we walked toward the front door.  “Elinor.  What’s next?”

“Sir?” I said, surprised by the question.

“What’s next on my schedule today?”

“Oh.  You’ve got a meeting with someone named Johnson at three o’clock, then at four with someone named Crisp.  Evidently, you’ve got a dinner date right here at eight o’clock when the Bolten family is supposed to be here.  After that, nothing until eight o’clock tomorrow morning.  Would you like tomorrow’s schedule?” I asked as we all walked into my office.

“No.  That’s for tomorrow,” Germo replied.

Mateo opened the door to Germo’s own office and we all went inside.  The office was easily twice the size of my large office and ten times as masculine.  There was a sharp odor about the room that I couldn’t place.  Germo went directly behind his desk and sat down while the rest of us stood in front of the desk.

I chanced asking, “Would you like to see a copy of your schedule for the rest of today?  I have one for tomorrow’s schedule as well.

Germo held out his hand, and I handed over two pieces of paper.  “The top one is the few things left for today.”

Germo took the time to study both pages briefly.  Then he looked up and held up the papers.  “I like this!” Germo declared.  “It’s all laid out neatly so I can understand it.  But it still doesn't excuse you from needing to be with me at all times.  You’ve got duties to handle.”  He sat back and shook his head.  “I guess I better make some time later after Ricardo and his family leave to have a little chat with you.  I should have a better idea by that time if I’m going to bother keeping you or not.  Make a note to meet with me later tonight.  We do that often enough anyway.”

Germo seemed to study me for a moment, then said, “I think the first problem before that however is that you’re going to need to be dressed properly for dinner, and as always, I need you there.”

“As always?” I asked.

“As always!” Germo insisted.  He looked to Mateo.  “Elinor said Johnson is coming in a little while, then Crisp.  Is everything set up for them?”

“Yes sir,” Mateo replied.  “Since…Elinor here wouldn’t know about that yet, I made sure everything was set while you were having lunch.”

Germo turned to me.  “In the future, things like that are part of your job to arrange.  I’ll let it slide since this is your first day, but from now on, you need to handle the details.  Besides, you’re the schedule keeper here, not me.  But at those meetings, I need you to take careful notes, understand?”

“Uh…yes sir,” I replied.

Germo turned to Mateo.  “Stable three as usual?”

“Yes sir,” Mateo confirmed.

“Good.  I hate when we have to change things sometimes.”  He turned again and seemed to look me over for a moment, then cursed.  “Shit!  As for dinner tonight, I’m afraid you’ll just have to do the best you can.  Ricardo is simply too important a friend and he’s going to find out anyway.  Not to mention Rosita, his wife, and probably his daughter as well.”

“Sir?” I asked.

Germo consulted one of the papers that I had just handed him.  “According to this paper you gave me, after Crisp leaves, which shouldn’t last more than half an hour, nothing is happening until dinner tonight at eight.  I hate to lose you for that much time, but I’m going to need you to go into your closet and find something suitable to wear for dinner.  I know it’s probably going to seem strange, especially for everyone else, but that’s the way it’s going to have to be.”

“Closet?” I asked.  “I have a closet?”

“You have this entire hacienda at your disposal Elinor.  Get used to it!  Now leave me.  Go back to your office.  Let me know when Johnson arrives.”

I filed out of Germo’s office with Stan into my own.  Only Mateo stayed behind.  Stan closed the office door.  “I have a closet?” I asked as I sat at my desk, and Stan took his own chair in the corner.

“You have an entire suite here in the house,” Stan told him.  A large one.  “You have several closets.”

“Oh.”  Then something occurred to me.  “He said something suitable to wear for dinner, but the last Elinor was a woman.”

“And the ones that came before her,” Stan told me.

“Which would mean,” I started as I thought about that.  “Are there any men’s clothes in those closets?”

“Nope!  Nothing even close.  And I seriously doubt that Mr. Germo will allow you at dinner, anytime, ever, wearing something that isn’t suitable for the occasion.”

“But…”

“Elinor, Mr. Germo expects everyone to dress formally for dinner.  And unless I’m completely misreading whatever crazy thing he has suddenly got locked into his head, then I’m pretty sure he’s going to expect to see you in a dress.  Including makeup and…whatever else you need to go with it.”

“But…”

“Or…” Stan replied as he pulled out his gun.  “I can just shoot you now.”

“Maybe that would be best,” I said as I sank dejectedly into my chair.

Stan stood up again and approached the desk.  I couldn’t take my eyes off the gun in his hand.  But as Stan stood in front of me, he lowered the gun as he raised his other hand and held his open palm out.  “Give!” he ordered.

I was confused.  “Give what?”

“Your cellphone, wallet, keys, and anything else in your pockets.  Empty your pockets completely.  Right now!  Give!”  He immediately raised his gun again and pointed it at my head.  I swallowed, then started emptying my pockets, putting everything I had onto the desk.  Stan picked it all up and put it into his own pockets, then he put his gun away.  From one of his other pockets, he pulled out a cellphone.  “Here,” he said, setting the cellphone in front of me.  I didn’t want to give this to you until there was a chance you would be staying.  I won’t lie to you, I’m rather surprised you’re still alive.  It’s not like Mr. Germo at all.  But here you are…still.  So here’s your cellphone…Elinor.  Trust me, you’re going to need it.  Now that you’ve got it, I suggest you call Mr. Germo and tell him you have it.”

I picked up the cellphone.  Like with the computer, there was no password required.  Call Mr. Germo.  I looked up at Stan.  “Why can’t I just knock on his door and tell him personally?  His office is right there.”

“Call!” Stan told me.  “Trust me.”

I started looking through the cellphone and easily found the list of numbers.  Mr. Germo’s was the primary number that popped up.  I pushed the buttons and called.

“Elinor?” Germo’s voice came back.

“I just needed to tell you I have this cellphone now,” I told him.

“Good!” Germo replied, then ended the call.

I was surprised by how abrupt he had been.  I set the phone down on the desk and tried to consider things, but I was still so confused by everything that I couldn’t make sense of any of it.  And then my mind seemed to focus on something else that I realized was going to be a problem.  Probably a major problem.  Mr. Germo expected me to wear a dress to dinner tonight, including all the fixings with it.  What exactly did that mean?  As with everything else today, I simply couldn’t conceive of it.

“A while later, my new cellphone suddenly rang.  I hesitantly picked it up.  “Hello?” I said.

The voice on the other end replied, “Elinor?”

“Um…yes.  That would be me I guess,” I told him.  “It seems I’m the new Elinor.”

“Um…this is the front gate.  Mr. Johnson and his pals just arrived.  They’re on their way.”

“Thanks,” I replied.  “A thought struck me.  “You know that Crisp is due next, then later tonight, the Bolten family is coming.”

“Yes, you gave us the schedule,” the man replied.

“Okay, thanks.  Just checking,” I replied before hanging up.  Evidently, making sure the gate knew who to expect was also one of my duties.  One I better not forget.

Stan was already on his feet.  “Better tell the boss.”

I picked up the phone to call him.

“This time, tell him personally,” Stan suggested.

Not sure what the difference was, I got up from my desk and went around to Germo’s door.  I was about to knock when Stan said, “Just open it and go in.  You’re his assistant.”

I opened the door.  I saw Germo at his desk smoking a cigar.  Mateo was sitting in the corner with a cigar of his own.  “Mr. Johnson is here,” I told them.

“Excellent,” Germo said as he got up from his seat with his cigar.  “Let’s go make some money.”

Germo and Mateo led the way out of the office, followed by Stan and myself, but I suddenly turned and ran back to my desk to get the date planner and a pencil.  Something told me I dared not go anywhere without it.  I had to run to catch up with the others.

We went out through the front door just after a black car went past the house.  The four of us walked after the car for quite some distance.  We went past two horse stables and all the way to a third one before turning to go inside.  Before turning in, I noticed a fourth stable beyond this one.  We went past a number of horse stalls before finding our guests in an empty one.

Inside, I saw a table set up with a couple of large bricks of…drugs!  I made sure to keep my mouth shut while the drugs were tested.

“As you can see,” Germo told his guests, “the quality is the best.  We only sell the best.”

“Humph!” one of the guests grunted.  “This little amount means nothing.  You could switch to something less after a delivery or two.”

“But don’t you always test each one?” Germo countered.  “Most of our clients do.”

“Always!” the man agreed.

“Then what’s your problem?”

“My problem?”  The man laughed.  “You!”  He suddenly pulled out a gun and pointed it menacingly at Germo.  In seconds every man held a gun and was pointing it somewhere, except me.  “I’m not buying anything from you!” the man said menacingly.  “Instead, you’re either going to supply me with everything I need and take a small cut of my operation, or we’re going to wipe you off the map completely.  And you already know the reputation of my organization.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Germo said back, completely unfrightened by the man or the situation.  “I’ll blow you to kingdom come right here and now.”

I didn’t know what to do as they argued and sent threats back and forth.  A vague idea suddenly hit me.  I knew it might get me killed, but I was about to get killed anyway.

“Ahem!” I said loudly.  When nobody listened, I yelled as sternly as I could.  “Cut the crap and listen up!”

They all turned to look at me, the only one there without a gun.  I boldly stepped forward, aware that I could get shot at any moment.  I addressed the man who seemed to be in charge of the other side.  Johnson, I guessed.  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m…”

“I said shut it!” I cut him off boldly.  “Shut it, and listen.  You’ve got to be some kind of idiot trying to take over this organization.”

“I’ll do what I…”

“Shut your mouth and keep it shut you idiot!” I yelled.  “Now, as I was saying.  You’ve got to be some kind of idiot not to know that we’ve been in business, not for just a few years, but for generations.  Generations gentlemen.  Do you know what that means?  That means that in all those years we’ve built up a network of outlets that runs through the entire southern United States from California to Florida.  “Uh…sorry, Florida will be online soon, another few months at the most.  Then we’ll have even more outlets to get our product directly from Columbia.  That’s right.  I said Co-lum-bia gentlemen.  Do you know what that means?  It means that we’re backed by some of the biggest cartels in the business.  Are you and your organization ready to go against the Columbia cartels and try to mess up one of their most lucrative distribution networks in the United States?  That’s pure suicide!  But if you want to try it…”  I squinted his eyes a bit.  “Be my guest.  See how long you, not to mention your entire families, survive.  And if you think you’re some kind of badass, you know how brutal the Columbian cartels are.”  I could see that my words had some kind of major impact on our guests.

“The Columbia cartels?” Johnson asked uncertainly.

“Generations!” Germo told him confidently.

Johnson put his gun away and so did his men.

“Now,” Germo said.  “Are you interest in dealing for us, or do we pass on the word to all the other distributers in the country to boycott you so you can’t buy from any of them?”

“Can you deliver by the ton if we need it?  Once a month?” Johnson asked.  “We need a lot.”

“We can handle it,” Germo told him confidently.

“Then we can do business,” Johnson replied.  “Whatever rate you need.  We just need a lot, and the amount will probably vary from month to month.  We’re trying to build our business too, like you’ve evidently done already.”

“Just get in touch with Elinor, my personal assistant there, and give her the details.  The rest is easy.  Supplying is what we’ve handled for generations.  We just leave the final distribution to everyone else.”

Johnson nodded.  “Let’s go,” he told his men.  He looked to me, a questioning look on his face.  “Elinor?”

“Just use the name,” I told him.  “Someone will answer.”

Johnson nodded.  “I’ll be in touch with how much.  We can haggle the price when I do.”

I watched Johnson and his men walk out and get into their car.  A moment later, they were gone.

Germo turned to me.  “What was that?”

“Sorry,” I told him.  “I was just trying to help.  I’d rather not get shot today.”

Germo nodded.  “I suspected as much.”  He pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it.  “I guess our next guest will be here in a little while.  We might as well wait for them here.  Elinor, what was his name again?”

“Uh…Crisp sir,” I told him.

Germo held up his cigar in acknowledgement and walked away with Mateo lighting a cigar of his own.  I watched as Germo and Mateo walked slowly toward the back of the stable while Stan stayed with me.

“Pretty damn gutsy,” Stan told me.

“I just figured that one way or another I was about to get killed, so I had nothing to lose.  I made up a bunch of stuff that I hope sounded good.”

Stan laughed.  “Like I said, pretty damn gutsy.  Stupid as all get out, but gutsy.”

“Are all his meetings like this?” I asked.

“Some.  It wasn’t really anything we couldn’t handle.  Things like that happen once in a while.  You get used to it.”

I shook my head.  “I doubt it.”

Stan laughed.

A little while later, Crisp showed up with his men, all of them riding motorcycles.  There was no big confrontation, and I was surprised to see they didn’t even bother testing the drugs on the table.  Instead, he and Germo haggled a bit and I tried to take careful notes as to the prices and amounts.  Ten minutes later, Crisp was gone.

“Since I’m here,” Germo said, “I think I’ll go for a ride.”

“Excellent idea,” Mateo agreed.

“Don’t forget about dinner tonight with Bolten!” I reminded him quickly.

“Thanks Elinor.  I won’t forget.  Promise.  Do you want to ride with us?  For that matter, do you ride?”

“No thanks,” I told him.  “I’ve never been on a horse in my life.”

Germo shook his head.  “I can’t have an assistant who can’t ride a horse.  That’s a requirement.  Talk to Hector.  Tell him you need riding lessons.  Immediately!”

Great.  Now I needed to learn how to ride a horse!  I was from Chicago.  Could life get any more strange?

“Don’t forget to dress for dinner tonight Elinor!” Germo called as he and Mateo walked away smoking their cigars.

“Is he serious?” I asked Stan.

“As a heart attack,” Stan replied.

“It’s not a heart attack I’m afraid of,” I returned.  “It’s bullets.”

Stan laughed.  “Come on,” he said.  “I guess, like it or not, I better show you where you live now.”

“What was wrong with where I lived before?”

Stan laughed.  “You’re dead now, and knowing Mateo, you’re getting deader by the minute.  So how the hell can you live there?”

“Dead?  Getting deader?” I asked, but Stan didn’t answer.  He just kept walking back toward the main house.

 

Elinor - Chapter 2

 

Elinor

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 2

 

My entire head was in pain.  My wrists were in pain, my ankles were in pain, my back was in pain, and even my ass was in pain from sitting so long on that hard chair.  But my head was by far the worst.  First I had been hit over the head by the big guy’s gun, then later I had been punched a few times in the face.  I figured I had good reason for my head to hurt so much.  I also figured I had good reason for my brain to not be able to understand what had happened, including what was happening now.  I simply couldn’t make sense of anything that had gone on.  My bottom line though, was that I was amazed I was still alive.  I had been convinced I was going to die, and I still didn’t even know why.

Now I was following the big guy to…I had no idea where, but it seemed to be a long walk.  I saw a lot of fences, many of them with horses on the other side.  We passed a number of horse stables and other buildings.  The big guy finally led me into what looked like the main house.  Make that mansion.  As I followed through the house, my head swiveled around looking at everything.  It all appeared to be…rich!  Absolute wealth!

I was led into a large, beautifully decorated room with a desk in it and a nice seating area for relaxing with guests.

“That’s your desk,” the big guy told me.

“My desk?”

“That’s what I said.  Mr. Germo said he needs you to get his schedule straight for the rest of the day by the time he gets back.  I suggest you get busy.”

“But I don’t know anything about…”

“Your desk is right there!” the big guy stopped me as he pointed again.

“But…”

The big guy just shrugged then headed for a chair in the corner where he sat.  I looked at him there.  He appeared to be comfortable in the chair.  There was a small table next to it with a couple of books and a lamp.  The man picked up a book and began reading, ignoring me.

“That was Mr. Germo?” I asked, attempting to make sense of something.

The guy looked up from his book.  “That was him,” he confirmed.  “Enrique Germo.”

“And who are you?”

“Stan.  I’m your personal bodyguard…or assassin.  Whichever.  Depending on whether you step out of line or not.  If you do?”  He shrugged.  “I’ll kill you.  Even though I already know that Mr. Germo would rather do that himself.  Still, I wouldn’t mind ending your life in the least.  It gives me…purpose.”

I was aghast.  “And I’m supposed to just figure out his schedule for the day?”

“Something like that.”

“How?”

Stan shrugged.  “Your desk is over there.  It’s not my business.  My business is to take care of you, one way or another.”

I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but it sounded ominous.  “I’m Rowan,” I told him.”

“Not anymore,” Stan replied, his head down in his book.  “I suggest you get to work.  Mr. Germo is only going to be an hour or two at the most.”

I moved close to the desk and looked around the room.  It was obviously a woman’s office.  There were a few plants in the room and lots of decorations.  The desk was huge with an expensive executive chair behind it.  I sat in the chair and looked around.  The computer on the desk wasn’t just old, it was ancient.  My eyes fell on something else.  “A rolodex?” I said out loud.  “Give me a break!”

“What would you use?” Stan asked, his head still down in his book.

I didn’t bother answering.  I was about to turn to the computer to see if I could even get into it since I had no idea what password the previous woman had used, when my eyes fell on the book in the middle of the desk.  I opened it and confirmed my worst suspicions.  It was a date planner.  Searching through it, the entire thing seemed to be full of many penciled in entries.  I also noted a number of places where things had been erased then written over with something else.  Schedule changes.

I found today’s date and noted a number of things listed.  I guessed they were all things that were supposed to be on Germo’s schedule for the day.  I didn’t see anything about the woman going to a computer store to talk about getting a new computer system that was obviously needed.  I wondered if the woman had a separate schedule book just for herself.

Okay.  So now I had a list of things that Mr. Germo was supposed to be doing today, including the times.  Now what?

“I found his schedule for the day,” I told Stan whose head was still in his book.

“Good.  He’ll want you to fill him in as soon as he gets back,” Stan replied, still not bothering to look up.

I looked down at the entries.  The writing was neat.  Feminine.  But still a bit difficult to read since it contained more than a few abbreviations I would have to decipher.  I looked up again to Stan.  “The woman who died, I guess the one who’s desk this is…”

“It’s your desk now,” Stan replied, his head still in the book.

“Her name was Elinor?”

“Yup.”

“How did she handle things with…Mr. Germo I guess?”

Stan finally looked up from his book.  “First thing every morning, she usually sat down with him in his office and laid out his itinerary for the day.  Then whenever Mr. Germo went anywhere or did anything, she usually went with him.  A lot of her job was to just keep him on track and handle any of the details he asked her to.”

“And I’m supposed to do all that?”

Stan shrugged.  “That’s the job.  Unless you’d rather die.  Which will be easy enough to arrange.  Of course, then we’d have to find a new Elinor to take your place.”

“Elinor,” I repeated the name.  “My name is Rowan by the way.  Rowan…”

“I told you, not anymore!” Stan cut me off quickly.  “Whoever you used to be is dead already.  The only question now is, do you want your body to be just as dead as whoever you used to be?  You’re Elinor now.  I suggest you get used to it, or just let me shoot you and be done with it.  You’re choice.”

“None of this is making any sense!” I complained.

Stan put his book on the table and got up.  As he approached the desk he pulled his gun out.  He stopped in front of the desk and aimed it at my head.  “Bye Elinor,” he said.

“No!  Wait!” I said quickly.  Stan stopped, but the gun was still pointed at my head.  “I’ll be Elinor.  Okay?  I just….  Please don’t kill me.”

Stan shrugged, then put his gun away and headed back to his chair.

“I just don’t know anything about anything here,” I told him.  “I don’t even know how I got into this position in the first place.”

“Elinor died,” Stan said as he picked up his book again.

“And now I’m Elinor,” I said, looking for confirmation.

“For now,” Stan said as he opened the book.

“For now?”

“For now,” Stan confirmed.  “I’m guessing it’s all going to depend on whether or not you can convince Mr. Germo that you’re worth keeping alive.  He has a, shall we say fondness, for killing people.  I still don’t know why he didn’t simply kill you earlier.  I’m guessing he was just desperate.  Most likely, very desperate.”

“Yeah,” I replied.  “He must have been.”

“Indeed,” Stan replied as he began reading again.

I looked down at the date planner in front of me, then at the ancient computer on the desk.  Did that thing actually work?  The keyboard was off to the side of the desk.  I reached out and hit the spacebar.  Amazingly, I could hear the computer starting to come to life.  It took a moment, but the screen finally lit up.  Huh!  Not even a password.  I pulled the keyboard and mouse over in front of me, then began trying to look through what I could on the computer.  There was a lot more stuff in there than I expected.  None of which I knew anything at all about.  Something told me though that I better figure it all out as soon as possible if I wanted to continue living.

One thing had been made perfectly clear to me though, if I wanted to live, I had to keep Mr. Germo happy and prove I was worth keeping around.  But what about my store?  My brand-new computer store?  I’d just have to see.  For now, my main focus needed to be on staying alive.

Could I call the police?  The FBI?  The girl scouts?  Something told me that with Stan sitting right there in the room with me, that I’d never be able to manage it.  And Stan looked like he spent a lot of time sitting in that chair.  Stan was supposed to be my personal bodyguard…or killer.  But why?

“Stan?” I said.

“Yeah?” Stan replied, sounding very bored.

“Why do I need a bodyguard?  Other than to shoot me if I mess up.”

Stan looked up at me.  “Look.  For now, you’re Mr. Germo’s personal assistant.  That makes you the second biggest boss in this place.  You literally run everything around here, not to mention most of Mr. Germo’s business.  I’m here to make sure you stay alive, unless I shoot you, or Mateo shoots you, or Mr. Germo himself, which is the most likely thing that’s going to happen.”

Once again, the threat of extinction had been laid out to me.  I turned my attention back to the date planner, and the computer.  Maybe it would make things easier for me, and possibly for Mr. Germo too, if I typed out the events for the day in a more readable format.  Two minutes later, I began typing.

I was surprised when Stan suddenly walked over to my desk and picked up the phone on it.  Stan pushed a button, then waited a moment before he said, “Matilda?  Elinor and I are going to need a small snack brought to her office.  Oh, and I believe Elinor may have a splitting headache.  Can you bring her some tea as well?  I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.  Thanks,” he finished before putting the phone back.  He returned to his chair.

“Matilda?” I asked.

“The cook.  I just asked her to bring lunch for us here.  I’m sure the previous Elinor has some aspirin for your headache somewhere in that desk.”

I worked on the schedule list for Mr. Germo.  Fifteen minutes later, an elderly woman walked in with a large tray full of food in her hands.  She stopped just after entering the doorway and stared in disbelief at me.  She turned to Stan.  “Who’s he?  Where’s Elinor?”

Stan pointed at me.  “Elinor!” he said firmly.

Matilda just stood there staring at me in disbelief.  Then she started eliciting a string of Spanish to herself that I had no clue about.

“Matilda!” Stan said firmly.

“Si Stan,” Matilda replied.  She set the large tray on one of the tables in the room, then left, still talking to herself in Spanish.

“You done there yet?” Stan asked.

“I’ve just got to figure out if I can print this,” I replied, now looking at the ancient printer.

“Get done.  I’m getting lunch.  When you’re finished, I suggest you get yourself something to eat.  Mr. Germo is having lunch with his friend.  If you’ve got to go anywhere with him later, you may not get another chance to eat until tonight.”

It sounded like good advice to me, if not more than a bit weird since I still didn’t have a clue about anything.  I hit the print button and was amazed when the old printer started feeding paper.  In moments, I had two copies of Mr. Germo’s schedule for the rest of the day.  One copy for Mr. Germo, the other for myself.

With the papers ready to go, I walked over to the food tray.  There was nothing there that I wanted to eat, but I figured that food was probably good advice.  I grabbed a few things and brought them back to my desk.  The only thing to drink on the tray though was a cup of tea in a fancy teacup.  With little choice, I brought that to my desk as well.

As I ate, I looked through Mr. Germo’s schedule for tomorrow.  A few minutes later, I was typing that schedule into the computer, already planning for not only this afternoon, but for tomorrow too.

My only chance to live meant that I had to keep Mr. Germo happy.  So far, the only way I had to do that was to make sense of everything they thought I needed to do.  None of which made any sense to me.

Stay alive.  It was the name of the game.  And evidently, my name…my new name, was supposed to be…Elinor.

What kind of weird place was this?

 

 

 

Elinor - Prolog and Chapter 1

 

Elinor

By Karen Singer

 

Prologue

 

He looked at his daughter and said, “I know you don’t realize it, but not only has almost nobody ever heard of her, but she’s been such a recluse that very few people in the world have seen her in many, many years.  Despite that, she’s become one of the most powerful people in the world.  The fact that she asked you to come is a great honor.  So just answer all her questions as well as you can.  And remember…be polite!”

“Daddy!  You know I’m always polite.”

He looked at her skeptically.

“Okay, most of the time.  So what’s her name again?”

“You don’t need to know her name.  In fact, it’s better if you don’t know.  Just remember that her decisions affect literally billions of people in the world, even though nobody knows it.  Your answers could very well affect what she does in the future.”

“Me?”

“Yes dear.  You!  Now, are you ready?”

“Sure.  I guess.  Why not?”

Remember, just be…polite.”

“Dad, don’t worry.”

He nodded towards the man guarding the door.  The guard opened the door and let the woman walk through, then he closed the door behind her.

The last place she expected to find herself was in a bedroom.  Further examination showed her that the woman she had come to meet was by far the last person she ever expected to find.

“Come,” the voice said so softly, she could barely hear it.  She saw the woman wave her hand, motioning her over.

The woman wasn’t just old, she was very old.  And she was holding an oxygen mask against her face to help her breathe.  She was sitting in a cushioned chair with blankets covering her body.  Another chair was directly in front of her.  A small table with a collection of drinks was next to the empty chair.

“Sit, my dear,” the woman said, motioning toward the chair opposite her.

She sat, unable to take her eyes off the elderly woman.  This old lady controlled the lives of billions?

The old woman motioned toward the small table next to the chair.  “Forgive my breathing,” the old woman said before taking a breath.  “I’m due for one of my treatments.”  She took a breath.  “And it’s always much worse until I get it.”  She motioned toward the table.  “There’s hot tea there for you…”  She took another breath.  “Or tequila, or a very good red or white wine.”  She breathed.  “Whatever you wish.”

The younger woman watched as the old woman continued to struggle to breathe.  “I’m good,” she said, waving off the offered drinks.  “What can I do for you?”

“I understand that you know more about someone than anyone else.”  She immediately held the oxygen mask tightly against her face and breathed again.

The young woman was surprised and unsure how to answer.  “I know a lot about a lot of people.”

The old woman waved her comment aside.  “I only want to know about one.”

“Who?”

The old woman leaned forward to answer.  She removed the oxygen mask from her face and said, “Elinor.”

The young woman was shocked.  “Elinor!”

The old woman leaned back in her chair again and pressed the mask to her face.  “Tell me about her.”

“Elinor,” the young woman repeated.

“Tell me everything,” the old woman requested.

They young woman shook her head.  “Where do I start?”

“The beginning.  All of it.”

“Yeah but…still,” she replied as she tried to figure out what to say.  And then the starting point made itself clear.  She focused her eyes on the old woman in front of her and said, “The first time Elinor ever killed a man, the man had laughed at her and called her a bitch.  Elinor raised her gun and shot him dead.  I understand that was the first time she had ever fired a gun, but she fired it and killed him without hesitation.  And then she said, I’m not woman enough for him to call me a bitch yet.  But I’m getting there.  And that of course, is the one thing that very few people know about Elinor.  She may look like a woman, and she even acts like a woman, but she’s not a woman.  Not at all.  In fact, she never wanted to be a woman.  She still doesn’t want to be a woman.  But she’s simply stuck having to be one with no way out.  She’s…trapped.  And then of course, I’m sure you know that what she became after that was really something, because it was an absolute bitch.”

The old woman’s eyes were almost maniacal now as she again pulled the mask from in front of her face and leaned forward.  “Tell me…everything!”

 

 

Chapter 1

 

I moved around the shelves of my Albuquerque computer store adjusting any little thing that looked out of place.  There wasn’t anything, but I had little else to do, and my store had only been open for a week now.  So far, since opening the store, I had sold a grand total of three computers, and a small assortment of peripheral items to go with them.  Not much business for an entire week’s work.  But the store was still new, and despite the advertisements I paid for, the store was unknown.  Hopefully, things would get better soon.  Hopefully!

The door suddenly opened and I looked up to see a woman enter along with a large man.  “Can I help you?” I asked hopefully.

“You’re new,” the woman said.

“Just opened last week,” I told her proudly, looking the woman over.  I placed her as probably in her early fifties.  Was it my imagination, or did it look like something was bothering her?  “I’m Rowan,” I told her.  “The owner of this store.  What can I do for you?”

“I’m Elinor, Mr. Germo’s personal assistant,” she replied.  “I’ve finally convinced Mr. Germo that our current computer is outdated and needs replacing.  I’m looking for someone who can make recommendations on everything, an entire new setup.  We need multiple computers, someone to install them and maintain it all, including security.  And just so you know up front, security is of utmost importance to us.”

“Oh,” I said happily, realizing that this sounded like a business account.  “I can certainly do all that.  I’m kind of a specialist with systems of all kinds.”

“So why should we hire you instead of just going to one of the big brand stores?”

I shrugged.  “I can do it all.  And I guarantee my work.  I can also offer better personal service than those other places.”

The woman seemed to take that in.  “Fine!” she declared.  “Mr. Germo likes personal service.  But be warned, he will hold you accountable for all of it.”

“Ready and willing,” I told her happily, already seeing the dollar signs this could bring in.  “Can I show you some information on a couple of systems I prefer dealing with?”

“Fine,” she said again.

Was it my imagination, or did her face look a bit paler than it had a moment ago?  Possibly distressed.  Definitely my imagination.  “I’ll be right back,” I told her.  I hurried to my office in the back room and started searching through the advertising brochures I had in there.  I stopped though when there was a large crash from out front.  I hurried back out to where the customer was.  When I got there, I stopped and stared in horror.  “What happened?” I asked the man.

The man didn’t answer, instead he seemed to be staring in disbelief.  One of the display shelves had somehow fallen over and had landed on top of the woman.  She appeared to be unconscious.  I ran to her to find out if she was hurt, but I was quickly stopped by the man when he suddenly pulled a gun on me.  “No!” he growled, acting like he was ready to shoot me.

I watched as the man knelt down to check on the unconscious woman.  A moment later, he placed two fingers on the side of her neck feeling for a pulse.  “Shit!” he cursed softly.

“Is she…is she…dead?” I asked.

There was seething anger on his face as he pointed the gun at me again.  I could see that the man really wanted to kill me, but something seemed to be holding him back.  I was simply scared for my life.  The man finally stood up, still pointing the gun at me.  He reached out and grabbed me by my arm and pulled hard, then pushed me toward the door.  “Out!” he ordered.

I didn’t understand what was happening.  “What do you mean?  We have to call the police.  Or an ambulance at least.”

“Out!” he ordered again, but his order was immediately followed by him swinging the gun at my head.  I suddenly felt a horrendous pain and saw stars.  A moment later, I blacked out as I fell to the floor.

 

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

 

The pain in my skull was sharp and horrible.  It was finally enough to bring me out of my unconscious state to…blackness and confusion.  Oww!  It took me a moment to put everything together enough to fully realize I was in the trunk of a car, and the car was moving.  What?  What was going on?  In desperation, I pounded on the wall of the trunk that I realized had to be the back of the rear seat, but it didn’t seem to do much.  I kicked at the trunk lid over top of me, but no matter how much I kicked it didn’t seem to do anything either.  Try as I might, I could find no way to either open the trunk or push through into the back seat.  The car just kept moving.  What was happening?

I remembered that woman coming into the shop with the big man.  I had gone to get some information to show her, and somehow one of his shelves had fallen over on top of her.  How?  That should have been impossible!  But the fallen shelf had killed her.  And now, suddenly, I was here in the trunk of this car, travelling to who-knows-where.  Why?

Nothing made any sense!

With little choice, I stopped kicking and just laid there, holding my aching head.

The car seemed to keep going and going and going.  A long time.  I felt every time the car turned or stopped.  Finally, it seemed to stop again, and I felt the faint vibration from the engine cease.  I was guessing we were there, wherever there was.  I heard a car door open and then heard the door close again.  A moment later, the trunk opened and bright light blinded me.  I saw the big man there.  “Out!” he ordered, just before he reached in and grabbed me by my shirt.  With one gigantic pull, my entire body was pulled from the trunk of the car.  The man turned me around and grabbed me by the back of my neck and the back of my shirt.  “March!” he ordered as he literally pushed me toward a junky looking concrete building.

Something caught my attention though as I was being forced toward the building.  I looked into the car.  There, in the back seat, the woman who had died in my shop appeared to be just sitting there.  Was she indeed dead?  She wasn’t moving.

The man opened the door and pushed me inside.  In the middle of the room was a metal chair that I noticed was bolted to the concrete floor.  I was pushed into it, and the man quickly grabbed my arms and pulled them around behind the chair.  Faster than I could believe, I felt the man putting something on my wrists, binding my arms behind the chair.  “No!  No!” I shouted as I struggled, but my struggling and pleas did no good.  After that, the man knelt down in front of me and tied my ankles to the front legs of the chair.  “Stop!  Please!” I pleaded.  But again, the man didn’t seem to care.  “Why?” I asked.  But I got no answer at all.

And then the man walked out, leaving me there.  Totally confused, I had no choice but to sit there and wait a very, very long time.

The spot where the man had hit me with the gun still hurt horribly, but now my entire body seemed to hurt from being tied to the chair for so long.  I was scared out of my wits, and I didn’t know what to do about it.  I no longer even cared about anyone telling me why, I simply wanted to be set free so I could go home.  And I’d walk whatever distance we had come if I had to.

The door opening caught my full attention, and I saw three men come in, then close the door behind them.  One of those men was the man who had hit me with his gun.  As the men got closer, I noticed that all three of them had guns.

“This is the man?” one of them asked as he looked me over.

“That’s him, Mr. Germo” the big man confirmed.

“Now what exactly happened Stan?”

“I’m not totally sure,” the big man replied.  “He had said he could handle the whole computer business and then went off to the back room to get some stuff for her to look at.  Elinor wandered over to look at some of the stuff on one of the shelves, when she suddenly reached out and grabbed it like…  Mr. Germo, something suddenly just seemed to hit her.  Something physically inside, I think.  I was worried just before we walked into the store that there might be something bothering her, but I didn’t know what.  And when I asked earlier if she was okay, she just said yes, she was fine.  But when whatever it was suddenly hit her in the store, she grabbed the shelf and pulled hard enough that the whole thing came crashing down on top of her.”

“And she died,” Germo said.

“I’m sorry,” Stan told him.  “But sir, I’m not sure how that shelf fell like it did.  It looked like it was plenty stable enough.  I wouldn’t have thought it would fall like that.”

“I don’t care.  But you are right, no matter what, it shouldn’t have fallen.  And it especially shouldn’t have fallen on her!”

“True,” Stan agreed.

The third man there asked, “Do you think she may have had a heart attack or something?”

“I think it may have been something like that.  But still, no matter how hard she grabbed that shelf, it shouldn’t have fallen on her like it did.”

The third man nodded.  “No.  It shouldn’t have.”

“Either way, Mateo,” Germo told him, “someone has to pay.”

“I agree,” Mateo, the third man told him.

“Absolutely!” Stan agreed.  “And it was his shop.”

“Which makes him responsible,” Germo finished.

“You’re talking about the woman who died,” I said.  “But it wasn’t…”  Faster than I thought possible, the man’s fist lashed out, and I received a jaw dropping punch to the side of my head.  It took me a moment to get my wits even halfway back again.

“If I want you to say something, I’ll ask!” Germo told me sternly.

I was still reeling from the punch.

“Your shelf fell on top of my personal assistant,” he said.  “That shouldn’t have happened!”

I shook my head.  “I don’t know how it happened.  It shouldn’t have been able to fall.”

“Which is exactly right!” he told me.  “It shouldn’t have been able to fall!  But it did, right on top of her.  And now she’s dead.  And the only person I can blame, is you!”

“But…”  And then his fist lashed out again and it seemed like my entire head exploded in pain.

“What do you do?” he asked before I could fully make sense of the question.

“I was just…looking for stuff to show her….”

This time he slapped my face.  “No!  What do you do?  What kind of work?”

“I’m…I’m a computer guy.  I just opened a store where I sell computers.  I’m a systems specialist.”

“I have no idea what that is, and I don’t care,” he told me.

I wondered why he had asked.

“Where do you come from?”

“Chicago,” I told him.

“Chicago!  What the hell are you doing down here?”

“Chicago is cold.  And miserable.  And just plain awful!  I wanted better weather and someplace not as packed with people.”

“So you chose Albuquerque?”

“Yes,” I admitted.

“Where it’s boiling hot and miserable?”

“At least it doesn’t rain or snow ninety percent of the time,” I countered.

“No.  It rarely rains at all.  So tell me mister computer guy, what the hell is a…”  He looked over at Mateo.  “What did he say he did?”

“A system something,” Mateo replied.

“Systems specialist,” I supplied.

“Yeah.  What the hell is that?” he asked.

“I look at computer systems.  The entire setup from start to finish, including the business that’s using them.  I make sure the systems match the business’s needs, and that it all works the way it’s supposed to.  And then I also try to figure out how to improve it all.”

“You look at the way things are supposed to work?” Germo asked, thinking about that.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“And you make things work better, including the business?”

“That’s the general idea,” I told him.

“Just computers?  Or other things too?”

“I mostly know computer systems, but I guess I’ve always been pretty good at realizing how everything works.  It’s kind of a job requirement so I know how to configure the computers.”

“I see,” Germo said.  He suddenly pulled his gun from the waist of his pants and pointed it at my head.  “Too bad mister computer guy, but someone has to be punished for Elinor’s death.  And lucky you, you’re it.”

To my horror, I could literally see the man’s finger squeezing the trigger on his gun…when a cellphone rang and everyone turned toward Mateo, including Germo who had been about to shoot me.

“Yeah?” Mateo said into the cellphone.  He listened a moment then looked up at Germo.  “It’s Ramerez boss.  You’re supposed to be there for lunch right now, but you’re not.”

“Shit!” Germo cursed loudly.  “Why did it have to be Elinor?”

“Don’t know boss.  What do you want me to tell Ramerez?”

“Tell him I’ll be there as fast as I can.  I’ve got business to attend to and everything’s out of whack today.”

“Damn!” Germo swore again while Mateo talked on the phone.  “Elinor practically runs this place.  Why did she have to die?”

“She’s going to be difficult to replace,” Stan noted.

Despite my situation, I couldn’t help but snort a soft chuckle.  “Big man,” I muttered.  “Can’t even keep your own schedule straight.”

“What did you say?” Germo yelled as he pointed his gun right at my head again.

“Nothing!” I replied quickly, once again frightened out of my wits.

“You know so much about schedules?”

“No,” Rowan replied.

“Then why should you criticize me?” he asked threateningly as he pressed the barrel of his gun hard against my forehead.

“I’m sorry,” I pleaded, suddenly close to crying since I knew I was about to die.

“My life is busy.  It’s one thing after another.  Don’t criticize what you don’t know!”

“No,” I agreed.

“Shit!” Germo cursed as he looked over at Mateo and Stan.  “Why the hell am I arguing with this piece of shit.  I only came out here to kill him.”

“That was the plan boss,” Mateo agreed.

“Shit!” Germo said again, then turned his gun back toward my head.  “Tell me mister schedule system expert.  How would you fix all my business problems?”

I was surprised by the question, but I’d do anything to stay alive a moment longer.  “I…don’t know anything about your business, but I guess I’d try to put everything together as much as possible so that a computer program can keep track of it all.”

“A computer program!”

“Yes.  That’s what they do.  That’s what computers are best at.”

“And you can do that?”

“Uh…yeah,” I agreed, hoping for any chance to stay alive.  “I’m guessing it’s why that woman came to me in the first place.”

Germo stood there with his gun pointed at my head for a few moments while he considered things.  “Elinor came to you!” he said, thinking about that.  Then suddenly he pulled the gun away and turned to Stan.  “Stan, take Elinor here to her office.  I’ve got to go to lunch with Ramerez.  When I get back, we’ll see if she can at least keep my schedule straight for the rest of the day.”

Stan looked at him like he was crazy.  “Elinor?”

“That’s what I said Stan.  Elinor.  Come on Mateo.  I’m late for lunch.”