Chapter #45The Last Days of a Good Man, Part 1 by: Nostrum   Jessica’s claim was too heartfelt to be a simple code. You’ve seen your replacement, and hers, to know what she meant by “dead inside”. Tessa has replaced Stanley Hoover, which means you’ll have to deal with a soulless automaton rather than a foe your boss (and one of your suitors) fears.
“I... We’ll talk about that. Keep an eye on your dad, alright? And try to unlock his phone whenever you can.”
“I think that’s for the best,” you hear her respond in a very dour tone. “We’ll keep in touch.”
As she hangs, Cassie immediately hounds you. “So? What happened?”
“Your mom made the switch.”
“What switch?" she asks faster than the answer can arrive. “You mean the Leah kind of switch, right?”
“Exactly.”
“And you’re worried because?”
You didn’t even notice you were projecting your concern. “Jess doesn’t seem very happy for it. I told her to figure a way to unlock Hoover’s phone so you can do the cloning.”
“That should help us keep tracks on whatever Mom’s planning with this guy.”
“We didn’t discuss that appropriately,” you tell her, stopping her in her tracks. “What do you think Tessa’s plotting?”
“To be honest?” She shrugs after plopping to the couch. “No idea. I mean, it’s obvious she needs a changeling for whatever she’s plotting--”
“Changeling?”
“Yeah! Like in old fairy tales. The faeries took a human child, then left one of their own. In this case, she’s taking the real one and leaving a substitute.”
“Why would she need one?”
“Beats me.” She tilts her head, wincing. “You seem to be more in tune with what Mom thinks, though. Whaddya think she needs a substitute for?”
You close your eyes and think. Judging by what she does, and Stanley Hoover’s integrity, you can only figure a few possibilities. “She needs him to ruin Prop 15, for sure.”
“Maybe I made the wrong question. You replaced that old hag, didn’t you?”
“Not really. She’s still out there – I just got her mind tucked in for my job.”
“You’re still wearing her?” She shakes her head, groaning. “Whatever. Why would you make a clone of Stanley Hoover?”
“I dunno... She obviously wants someone to replace him. He wants the real deal out of commission. Someone she...” You lean forward, your jaw unhinged. “...someone she can manipulate.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is, ‘eureka’.”
“No, wait!” You grab her arms while looking deep into Cassie’s eyes. “Think about it. She claims Hoover’s incorruptible, and from what I’ve seen at work, it seems to be true. And Tessa’s into karmic justice and all that jazz, no?”
“Uh-huh. C’mon, bestie. Tell me.”
“She’s gonna try to break him. Show that she could replace him with an obedient drone at any time.” You snap your fingers. “She’s gonna use the purple pen for that.”
“Wait - you know what it’s for?”
“Yeah! It’s kind of a hypnotic suggestion. You gotta be brief, but if you’re creative, you can do whatever you want with them. They won’t question it. So, have the Hoover-drone be hypnotized by her, and then--”
“--she’d have a fucking alderman in her pocket, free of charge!” Cassie covers her mouth, but she can’t hide her shock. “Fuck! Mom’s going places!”
“And because Hoover’s adamant against shady companies, suddenly trusting Tessa would give her even more legitimacy. Showing all that to him would be the ultimate humiliation.”
“Maybe, but only if she knows he’ll never escape.” She moves away, grabbing her laptop. “I’ll tell you if it’s that once your babe links his phone. I’ll keep you on the loop.”
“Wouldn’t be easier to ask your mom about it?” Despite your breakthrough, something still worries you. “Why’re you doing this behind your mom’s back?”
“Bestie, you still got a lot to learn.” She shows you a folder tucked deep inside her laptop, full of notes and pictures inside, all very carefully organized. “You always need something to blackmail with.”
“What are those?”
“Links. Compromising pictures, with enough metadata to prove they’re the real deal. Documents. If Mom crosses me? I have enough data to sink her.”
“But wouldn’t that get you in trouble?”
“I learned to cover my tracks long before I met you, bestie.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
“Because I know you won’t betray me.” You’re appalled and horrified she trusts you so much. “Bestie, you and I get each other. Fuck that – you, your babe and I get each other. Mom has treated you as an asset, as a possession. You treat me as someone.”
“She said I guided you into usefulness.”
“Exactly. Mom sees us only in how much we benefit her. But you? You care about me. You care about your girl. And you’ve proven to be cunning. As long as Mom’s on our side? She’s got nothing to worry about. But in the end? I’ll always be on your side.”
You feel recomforted, but this shady side to Cassie was something unexpected. Jessica has used hard questions to dismantle you. Now it’s your time to pay it forward. “And what about me? You got a file like that with my stuff?”
“Why would I need to?” she claims without hesitation, setting her laptop aside and cuddling with you. “You’ll never betray me. I know. I’m a good judge of character, after all.”
You’re unsure if that should give you relief or fear. You can trust Cassie for now. But what is the price of her loyalty? What, if anything, could make her betray you?
--
Back at work, you split your time between one-upping Darlene and keeping an eye on Hoover. Gossip spreads fast (thanks in no part to Genny), speaking of how “the boss” seems down for some reason.
To distract yourself, you decide to prove to him that you’re worthwhile – at least, to his replacement. You knock on the door, noticing his reaction. “Mr. Hoover?”
“Yes?” he replies, but he sounds distant.
“I was wondering if I could consult you on something.” You hand him a folder you prepared yesterday during night, alongside Darlene’s knowledge. “I know Williams usually handles these, but I wanted to see if this could help us with our operations.”
He carefully examines your proposal. As you said, your immediate superior – Gustave Williams – handles and assigns deals between companies and warehouses, establishing contracts for which you act as an intermediator. This is Hoover Consulting’s specialty – to help small companies deal with the intimidating work of storage and distribution logistics.
You recall Williams mentioned a very promising company in need of that assistance – Hartzmann Supplies, specializing in calligraphy and writing supplies. You know very well that’s a front for Tessa’s operations, not because she told you, but because you saw the black and brown pens as part of their catalog, billed as deluxe calligraphy pens.
You also know Hartzmann Supplies is a very recent company, founded barely a month ago yet seeking to expand rapidly using Tyneside’s ports for international accessibility. Such an enterprise would be a risk, given their limited scope and strict online sales model – a traditional logistics model would be unwise.
Stanley Hoover seems to agree. “It’s a company with a limited scope and a small business model. Why would they want access to warehouses?”
“I thought the same. I believe their intention is to work as a middleman distributor – which means they’ll be aiming to cycle through merchandise rather quickly. What if we proposed a container storage and small storage model? Keep their merchandise in a single warehouse, still in their containers, twice a week transport to the other location using--?”
“But wouldn’t it be better to transfer directly to office?”
“I was suggesting using the small storage as office space. Two spaces, half of one repurposed as office space. If we suggest Middleton’s, the small warehouses near the Postal Service and FedEx offices, they could simply walk and send the packages themselves, saving some money.”
He rubs his lips, his nod slow and methodical. “What makes you so invested into this company, Miss O’Leary?”
“I saw their catalog,” you mislead him. “We could establish a deal where they supply us with pens and notepads at a reduced cost for a couple years in exchange for binding them into a logistics contract with us. Williams can handle the contract and logistics.”
“I see...” He eyes the folder once more, unaware that you made this move behind your superior – and behind Darlene, who won’t expect this cutthroat move. “I’ll take it into consideration. Good job, Miss O’Leary.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hoover. If you excuse me...”
--
Tuesday comes with a very unexpected surprise. You’ve been called to Mr. Hoover’s office, and before you stands the folder you gave him. His expression is as dull as yesterday’s. “Miss O’Leary,” he starts, his tone so neutral it’s unreadable. “I studied your proposal.”
“And?”
“I like it.” He hands the folder to you. “I want you to handle it.”
Really? You question. Just like that? “But sir, I mentioned Williams--”
“You seem to know about this company more than Williams and I. I would like for you to handle this negotiation yourself – Williams can always supervise you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“You see in that company something I don’t. I don’t question my employees’ instincts. I expect that you lead it into a successful, burgeoning company, Miss O’Leary.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mr. Hoover. If you’ll excuse me.”
You step away, ready to make the calls to Geoffrey Hartzmann, the owner and contact of the company. You check the contact number, but before you can even dial, you feel the buzz of your phone.
You check it. It’s two messages. One’s from Cassie. [bsty, u know sumthin bout harzmann supplies?]
The other, however, is from Tessa. It’s a small note, followed by a kiss emoji.
[Like my gift, darling?]  You have the following choice: 1. Continue |
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