"305 Simoleons for the monthly bills is not as bad as I had feared" said Jeremy to himself. He'd just completed his morning run, noticed the pile of unpaid bills on the kitchen table, wrote out some cheques and then posted them off. Sure, it was a dent in their savings, savings they desperately needed to keep the boutique going and to put aside for a bigger house, but not too bad this month: The shop needed to make a more money...it was doing OK right now but it was still early days.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Geoffrey Landgraab out on his daily run. His route often took him down Foundry Cove and the two had a cordial, but very formal, relationship with each other. However, this time Geoffrey had stopped his run, done some push ups and then signalled for Jeremy to come over to him.
"Jeremy, nice to see you" said Geoffrey.
"Mr Landgraab"
"I don't know how you do it" said Geoffrey, smiling. "You have that washboard stomach and yet I, who run twice a day, still have this paunch!"
"Well...erm...maybe I've got an overactive metabolism, Mr Landgraab?" replied Jeremy, not knowing what an appropriate response to Geoffrey's point would be.
"That must be it...anyway, I wanted to have a little discussion with you. Are Dewey's still underpaying you?"
"They pay me just fine" replied Jeremy.
"But only fine...I've seen your work, I know how hard working and conscientious you are and I know J.J. Gotcha well enough to know he keeps his employees down. I've got an offer for you, young man: Come and work for me" said Geoffrey, standing tall and looking Jeremy straight in the eye.
"Work for....Landgraab Industries?" replied an incredulous Jeremy.
"You sound shocked" said Geoffrey.
"I am...I didn't think you'd want to directly hire a middle-management guy like me."
"Oh I know you well enough to know that you're the kind of man who's reliable, dependable and could put this company on a better footing."
Jeremy thought about this for a moment. There was a lot to ponder; on the one hand he was being charmed and flattered by Geoffrey. On the other he hadn't forgotten this was a man behind a lot of very shady dealings, whose wife and son were trying to stop his close friend Suzy from exposing those dealings and who had plans to demolish Foundry Cove and replace it was some industrial facility. He could turn Geoffrey down flat, here and now, or.... but before he could think of the alternative Geoffrey spoke again.
"Wouldn't you like to move out of here and into a bigger, better house, Jeremy? I mean, you and your girlfriend Hannah..."
"...it's Barbara"
"Oh yes, Barbara. Well she has this boutique to run; quite a trendy spot I'm led to believe, and that's not a cheap thing to run. Work for me and I'll double your salary... that will ease your financial woes a little bit more."
Jeremy thought; yes it certainly would. Would Barbara like the idea of him working for Landgraab though? Also, would Suzy?
Jeremy thought some more and his gaze shifted from Geoffrey to the mysterious tree that led to some strange glade. Geoffrey knew the truth about that tree and the glade. Geoffrey knows a lot of things and working for him might get to the truth, he thought.
"Well, I'll need to give your offer some thought, Mr Landgraab and talk it over with Barbara but I have some conditions: If you think they're reasonable then I'll strongly consider your offer."
"Name them" replied Geoffrey, calmly.
"First, I don't want anything to do with your wife's side of the business and we both know what that entails."
"I do. That's why I want you on board...to make Landgraab Industries a better company and not have people whispering behind my back that we're just a bunch of crooks." Geoffrey replied.
"That goes for Malcolm as well: I don't want to get mixed up in his troubles. I know he had the charges against him dropped recently but still..."
"I agree" said Geoffrey. "You see, that's another reason to hire you: You can be a good role model for him! Anything else?"
"Foundry Cove...I won't work on any project that seeks to demolish it" said Jeremy, firmly. Geoffrey took a sharp intake of breath.
"That's a more difficult one to arrange; the plans have been submitted to city hall" he said.
"Well, this is where I live. Where my friends live. I'll tell you what, if I did come to work for you I'd find you a better site." said Jeremy.
Geoffrey looked at the tree and sighed. "Well, there are important things about this area that is of particular interest but I'll promise you not to rush the project...so you can find this alternative"
"Then I'll think about your offer and get back to you" said Jeremy.
"Yes, I must be in the office within the hour...think about it, Jeremy, think about the move on up!" said Geoffrey before he started to run again.
"He offered you a job on the spot?" said Barbara when Jeremy told her. "Just now?"
"Yes...I said I'd think about it" Jeremy replied.
"You're going to say no, aren't you?"
"Why? Think about it...he's got this whole street marked for demolition: I can stop that if I work for his company. I can also find out about that tree, the glade, the mystery of the Triangle of Power and so much more and I could do that from working on the inside"
"You're taking this job to be a detective?" Barbara had a note of concern in her voice.
"Well, the money's VERY good so there's that: We want to save for that house and make the boutique a success"
"I don't want the money if it puts you at risk! That's what I'm worried about...Nancy and Malcolm; well, you know the rumours that they run a large criminal organisation." she said.
"I'll be careful; I'll just look in some documents, steer the development away from our homes and...maybe...help Geoffrey distance his company away form the criminal activities. I think he genuinely wants to make Landgraab Enterprises more legitimate." said Jeremy, giving Barbara a reassuring touch of her arm.
"I'm still not sure but...well, we could use the extra money. But promise me you won't do any James Bond stuff!" she said.
"I'll have a vodka martini, shaken, not stirred" he said. "Anyway, I've got to get to work now...I might have to hand in my two weeks' notice."
Barbara had the boutique to run as well but the idea of Jeremy taking a risk in accepting Landgraab's job offer played on her mind. It wasn't just a risk resigning a stable job to take up another with a company that had a bad reputation, it was that if he was caught snooping around he might face a legal...or even physical...threat to himself.
But she couldn't dwell on these issues for long as already the customers were streaming in and she was there on her own to deal with them.
She flitted from one customer to another, answering questions and guiding decisions. Suits seemed to be the in-demand item for the male customers and she had to diffuse tensions between two women customers who were eyeing up exactly the same outfit but which each of them claimed "they saw it first". However, there was a familiar face in the shop.
"Miss Dubois! Anything new in stock for me to try?" said the trendy teenager who had entered.
"Gillian Hills; we just can't keep you away! Yes, we do actually and when I get the chance I'll show you" replied Barbara.
"Hey, thanks for helping me model some of your outfits last week...I sent the photos to one agency and they were impressed. I've got an interview on Saturday with them."
"Oh that's good news...well, the modelling you did helped publicise the shop so it was mutually beneficial."
But at that moment yet another person had entered the shop and it was, again, a familiar face but not someone Barbara had formally met but someone she had seen coming and going from the house of her neighbour, John Action. This had to be his girlfriend, the mysterious Katherine, who hardly anyone in their little neighbourhood group had actually met. Barbara noticed she had a sharp, flipped bob hairstyle that fell over one eye, high cheekbones that showed off her immaculate make up and her movements were graceful and smooth.
"Hello, welcome to Pack's Clothing. My name's Barbara and I'm the manager...well, actually the owner...am I right in thinking you're Katherine, Action's girlfriend?"
Katherine smiled and nodded graciously. "Yes I am; are you a friend of his?" she said.
"I live right next door to Action" said Barbara.
"Wow, that sounds like a wild, happening scene. Can I come?" said Gillian, who was standing right next to them.
"No, Gillian, I live next door to a man called John Action" Barbara replied.
"Oh, silly me! But if you do hear about any really wild parties, you let me know: I'm 18 in 4 months" said Gillian, giggling and running off to look at some more clothes.
"Ah, John's mentioned you and your boyfriend, Jeremy lots of times. He speaks very highly of him." said Katherine.
"Well, I'm biased but I think highly of Jeremy as well. And we all feel safer when John's around. Anyway, if I can help you find something to wear just let me know...I'm happy to help and we must all meet up for coffee some time."
"We must! I almost feel like a resident of the Cove!" said Katherine, with a chuckle.
Barbara was rushed off her feet serving Katherine, Gillian and a whole slew of other customers that the shift ended without all the mannequins being re-stocked. Her feet were aching so instead of spending another couple of hours putting new outfits on them, she headed straight home. Jeremy had got in from work ahead of her.
"Phew, what a day!" said Barbara, taking off her shoes and giving her toes a flex.
"Busy was it?" asked Jeremy.
"I should say so! Oh, and I met Action's girlfriend, she was in the shop. She's absolutely lovely."
"I've only ever seen her from afar" said Jeremy before taking a deep breath. "I've given this job offer some more thought."
Barbara sighed and sat down. "I thought you would" she said. "Can I just say, first off, that whatever you decide I will support you only you know that I think you might be taking a risk and I don't want to see you get hurt"
"I really appreciate those words" he replied, reaching out across the table and holding her hand. "However, I have to look at more than just the financial situation. Pretty soon Foundry Cove will be bulldozed and we'll all have to find somewhere new to live but I can stop that from happening if I go work for Geoffrey. I know...we know...there's something sinister going on in Sim City and that the Landgraabs are involved. I can't avoid the truth, Barbara, and I don't want to either. There are men, just like me, serving in Vietnam and taking huge risks so we can be free...I want to get to the truth in the same spirit as them by not cowering."
Barbara smiled and squeezed his hand. "Promise me you'll be careful." she said softly. Jeremy smiled and nodded.
Barbara yawned. "What a long, tiring day it's been; I'm heading to bed. Are you coming?" she asked.
"Shortly. There's one last thing I think I need to do" Jeremy replied.
As she went to bed he went next door to see Suzy and Neil.
He explained to them what he intended to do and how he was going to use the new job to gather information about the Landgraabs and what their plans were for this neighbourhood. Suzy was surprised at this information, Neil sounded a note of caution.
"This is the Landgraabs we're talking about here. I know, from personal experience with their Arts Foundation, that they promise to give but they take much, much more from you." he said.
"I know, and that's why I think I have an advantage: I know right from the start that they're not to be trusted so I will keep my guard up." replied Jeremy.
"I don't know, I'm not sure you should do this. I think you should talk him out of this, Suzy" said Neil.
Suzy, however, just nodded. "I can see many advantages to this plan" she said. "Information is key and my card is marked by that family. They trust you, Jeremy."
"They'll keep you on a short leash" said Neil.
"I know...at first. But we have to stop the redevelopment and find out about that tree and why it leads where it does!" said Jeremy. "I'm willing to play my part in protecting our community and getting to the truth."
"Well, you seem determined" said Neil. "You're a brave man" he said, getting up and shaking Jeremy by the hand.
"We must meet up when you're free and discuss what to do next" said Suzy. "I feel like we're on the verge of finding the truth!"
