The Red Ghost Protocol

Chapter 3. Key Player

Clayton watched a happy family stroll through the museum across from the cafe he sat in. It was a humid day in St. Louis and the daily throng of tourist had lined up to see the Arch. Clayton had never been inside the famous structure, but from the way it looked and was described he didn't plan to anytime soon. Clayton was not a fan of heights in the least bit. He could remember a time when he was younger and visited Six Flags Great America with his family. He rode the Superman once and spent the rest of the day crying. His brother's would tease him about the moment till this day.

Clayton came away from his thoughts and refocused on the laptop in front of him. He stared intently at a man's LinkedIn profile and cracked his knuckles. The man's name was Alfred Obeng. He was the very charismatic and astute CEO of the "It's giving me tasty" chain of restaurants. The restaurant chain was a powerhouse throughout the midwest which served to cater to the African diaspora. If you could take all the wonderful dishes of the African continent and conveniently house them under one roof, Alfred Obeng's establishment would be that place. Clayton read Alfred's about me section and looked over a few pictures of the man. Mostly vacation and business pictures. Clayton closed his laptop and decided to shoot a quick message to Anya. "Just checking in mama. Hope Fido's not giving you too much trouble." Clayton hit the send button and checked his watch. It was just after twelve and he decided he'd better hit the road if he wanted to beat traffic.

                                                                                               *
Clayton drove into the St. Louis Loop, a bustling section of the city littered with several chains of small mom and pop stores. Like the Arch, it was another major hub of tourism and a prime spot for someone like Alfred Obeng to wreak its financial benefits. Clayton parked on a side street and stepped out of the S Class. There was a long line in front of the building, an architectural cluster of red brick, 2x4 columns, and gray marble finishings. The building looked more like warehouse in development, but the aesthetics of the site did not deter the patrons from clamouring in. Upon entering the restaurant, Clayton was visibly surprised by how good the inside of the building looked compared to the rough exterior.

Despite how packed the room was, there was enough space in the venue for Clayton to not be on top of people. Clayton appreciated this because among many things he was very claustrophobic. Along the walls of the room were several large paintings of African imagery and jazz musicians. Clayton took in the ambience of the room he was in. A strong mix of heavy cologne, incense, and African spices. It was all alluring and pulled Clayton to the center of the floor like an invisible rope. He studied a group standing a few feet from him. A mixture of upper class white folks and elite African business moguls. In a far corner he spotted Alfred dining at a small table. Clayton walked up to the man and offered him a firm handshake. "You made it." Alfred said in a heavy Ghanaian accent.

Clayton studied the man for a minute. He wasn't a small guy in the least bit clocking in at 6'4 and 300 and something plus pounds. He was about ten shades darker than Clayton's lighter complexion and looked to be in his early fifties. Alfred was dressed in a 4X, blue plaid button up shirt with custom made white slacks and matching white boat shoes. His ensemble made him look like he'd just stepped off a yacht.

"I hope I'm not interrupting your lunch." Clayton announced sarcastically.

Alfred took a sip of water and motioned for Clayton to sit. "A meeting with a Forbes top ten emerging CEO is always a welcomed interruption in my mind." Alfred stared at Clayton with curious intent.

"Well I want to thank you again for taking the time to meet with me today Mr. Obeng. I'm sure after that wonderful introduction I should assume you're pretty familiar with my business."

Alfred smiled and nodded his head. "You don't get to turn fifty living under a rock Mr. Angelo. Of course I am familiar with Tech Care Industries. What you and your father have done to revolutionize the homecare industry is next to none. Three campus sized retirement homes spread across the midwest each with onsite testing labs and educational facilities aimed at the elder population. A sprawling Eutopia where seniors can embrace the technological advancements and robustness of our modern world. Beats the hell out of dying in a cold nursing home bed." Alfred gave a hearty laugh.

"When I agreed to this meeting I thought I would be the one singing your praises today, not the other way around. And last I heard you haven't done too bad for yourself either. You're projected to grow what...three times this year?" As Alfred took another sip of water, Clayton opened his laptop and began typing frantically. After a quick once-over at what he had typed out, Clayton smiled and turned the laptop toward Alfred.

"What if I told you I could help your business grow ten times over its projection. There's no stronger palette for West African cuisine than the senior community. I can make your restaurant a staple at Tech Care Industries. And why stop at local? With your expertise on the international market I'm sure we can expand globally with no problem."

The look on Alfred's face seemed hopeful, but he didn't seem entirely convinced. "The idea is really intriguing. Look, why don't you send me your proposal and I'll get in contact with you by the end of the week?" Alfred motioned for a nearby waiter who quickly appeared to clear the table.

Clayton closed the laptop in front of him with an eager grin on his face. "I look forward to it Mr. Obeng."

                                                                                                   *

Traffic was light when Clayton hit the road back to Chicago the next morning. He turned on the radio and instantly regretted it with all the talk of the tumbling stock market and high inflation. He found himself thinking about Alfred Obeng and their meeting yesterday. He knew how important getting his business would be for the growth of Tech Care. The two were so similar in how they came up in the business world that it was a no brainer for them to do business somewhere down the line. The vision of Alfred disappeared from Clayton's mind suddenly and was replaced by his wife Rebecca. Lucids thoughts would stream in and out of his consciousness with the consistency of a lush waterfall. His first vision was of his kiss with her on their wedding day.

Then he remembered their first dance at the wedding reception. Her arms wrapped around his neck and her intense, light brown eyes locked on him like they never wanted to let go. Those eyes became pale and focused, fixated on something in the distance. They were in his car now. Clayton was behind the wheel and waving frantically at his wife's face, but she was stuck in trance that he couldn't break her from. He touched her skin and felt an instant chill in his body. His wife was dead.

Clayton was brought back to reality when his body was jerked forward and he saw his black Benz slam into another vehicle. From that point on everything around him began to spin, almost as if everything was happening in slow motion.