Hampton Manor

“I’m sure you’re right and those fumes probably contributed too.”

“That’s true. Are you going to be okay to drive?”

“Yes. I’m feeling a lot better now. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Here, take these two extra bottles of water. I’ll follow you back to Old Brooking, just in case.”

“You can if you want to, but I’m okay now.”

“I’ll see you in the morning, then. Try to get some sleep. Your body has had a mild shock. It needs rest.”

“I will. Thanks again, Kane.”

“You’re very welcome, Marcia.”

The use of first names went unnoticed by both.

Kane followed her car until she turned off the highway. Satisfied that her driving was not impaired by her brief bout with dehydration, he headed back to his hotel.

When she arrived home, Marcia headed for the shower. Before she finished undressing, her phone rang. She could see that it was Adam calling. I hope he doesn’t want to see me again. I’m not ready to turn him down, yet. I hope he will lose interest after I say no a few times. She picked up the phone on the third ring.

“Marcia, how is it going with that loser, Masterson?”

“Very well, Adam. Elegant is quite a prize, especially the Neo-Weaves line. It’s incredible. I got to handle a few garments. I’ve never seen anything like it. Tomorrow we’ll be going over the operating figures for both companies.”

“Yes, Neo-Weaves is an incredible innovation. I can’t wait to see your projections for the combined companies. I knew I put the right person in charge. Look, I was wondering if you would like to get together for a drink later.”

“Not tonight, Adam. I had a spate of dehydration about an hour ago. Probably too much caffeine and being on my feet for over seven hours. I’m completely exhausted. I need to get some rest. I have to be back in New Haven at 8 a.m. tomorrow to start reviewing the operating data. There’s a lot of work ahead .”

Marcia was glad she had a legitimate excuse to turn him down. She hated to lie and didn’t want to hurt his feelings; he couldn’t help being what he was.

“Well maybe later in the week. I’m anxious to see you again.”

“We’ll see how the schedule goes. There’s a lot to this merger. I want to give it my best shot. I may be able to get back to the office at the end of the week to give you an update. I’ll see you then.”

That wasn’t the kind of response that Adam expected He had an uncomfortable feeling during their conversation. Maybe I’m assuming too much. After all, how much do I really know about her. Maybe she’s seeing someone. Just because she gave into my charms a couple of times, doesn’t mean that I’m the only one in her life. A woman with a body like that must have dozens of men after her. I better not make too many assumptions. I need to find out more about Marsha Bloom. He picked up the phone again, this time to call a private detective he used occasionally.

“Chuck, this is Adam Hampton. How have you been?”

Chuck Meredith operated a private detective agency in New Haven. Adam used his services to spy on Lauren when she filed for the divorce. Unfortunately, at the time, Chuck didn’t find out anything; the affair with Luke Martin was missed at the time.

“Great, Mister Hampton. It’s been a while. What can I do for you?”

“I have a surveillance job for you. It’s on one of my vice-presidents. Her name is Marcia Bloom. I want to know where she goes and who she sees. She works at Bretton Trading and lives at the Sedgwick Arms Suites in the Breighton subdivision.”

“If you want pictures, I’ll assign one of my top operatives.”

“Only if they’re relevant. Much of her time is spent in the office, but she has an assignment that will require field work out your way. I’m mostly interested in how and where she spends her time. She’ll be working with a man who’s staying at the Belmonte. His name is Kane Masterson.” Adam hesitated for a moment and then added, “This may last a few months. I have something important going down and I just don’t want to be blindsided.”

“I understand perfectly. We’ll be set up by 6 a.m. tomorrow. How do you want me to report? Usually we take a few days to get the logs printed and pictures developed. Then I contact my client and turn over copies of whatever we’ve uncovered.”

“This is a very private matter, Chuck. Call me at home or on my cell. Unless something unusual happens, every couple of days will do. I’ll leave that up to you.”

“What do you consider unusual, Mister Hampton?”

“If she sees anyone at her residence, find out who it is, pictures and all. Let me know immediately.”

“I understand perfectly Thanks for the assignment, Mister Hampton. I’ll be back to you.”

Chapter 17

Lauren and Daniel boarded the shuttle bus to the short term parking lot. Their return flight from Vegas was three hours late, but they didn’t care. Both were still reeling from the six day honeymoon that followed their spontaneous decision to elope. The bus dropped them off in the parking lot in front of Daniel’s Escalade.

“I’ll bet your glad to be back,” Daniel said as he loaded the suitcases into the trunk.

“Yes, I am. I can’t wait to spread the news that I’m Mrs. Lauren McKnight.”

“I’m sure most people will be happy for us. I don’t think it will be a big surprise to most people. I can only think of one person who may get his nose out of joint over this.”

“Well I certainly don’t care what he thinks. He knows we’ve been seeing each other”

“Lauren, do you mind if we stop by the office on the way home? I want to see if the new Wildcat programs were delivered.”

“I don’t mind at all. I’m anxious to show my ring to Judy and the rest of the staff.”

Daniel turned off the highway at the downtown exit. As they approached the McKnight stadium they were confronted by a noisy crowd of picketers carrying signs that read ‘WILDCATS UNFAIR TO WORKERS.’ The chant lowered several decibels when they recognized Daniel’s car. Several workers turned their heads aside; their signs lowering several inches as they did.

“What on earth’s going on?”

Daniel got out of the car and walked up to the first man he recognized. “Karl, what’s going on here?

“I’m not sure, Mister McKnight. Our local called us in this morning, gave us the signs and told us to get out here and picket. There are some guys out at the Arena too. I’m real sorry, but you’ll have to talk with the hall.”

Local 33 of the Sports & Entertainment Workers Union (SEWU) represented ninety three workers at Daniel’s sports stadiums including security, ticket takers, maintenance workers, groundskeepers, equipment handlers, electricians, food and beverage vendors and souvenir sellers plus concessionaires at dozens of other sports venues within a forty mile radius; four hundred twenty five workers in total. The football schedule at McKnight Stadium ran from late September to February. The stadium was then used for baseball from May to early September. The Blizzards skated at McKnight Arena from October to April. Some employees worked both locations, but most were exclusively at one or the other.

Daniel returned to his car and gave Lauren a quick update. The crowd of picketers opened a path to allow him to drive into the parking lot. Judy met them at the door.

“Mister McKnight, I’m so glad you’re here. I tried to reach you,” she said excitedly. “I couldn’t get through to your cell phone. This started about an hour ago, after we all got to work. I hope there won’t be a problem when we go home this afternoon.”

“I’m sorry about the phone. I left my charger behind and my batteries went dead. I wouldn’t be concerned, Judy. Right now I need to talk to Gil Parsons at the Union Hall. Try to locate him for me, please. I’ll be in my office.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll make the call right away. I’m glad your back. I hope you both had a nice trip.”