A/N: This is a rather short chapter that concludes the scene where Jess ran out of Greg's motel room. I wish to dedicate this to Haylee, who says she lives in the bush in Australia who is not only a good writer, but made me a fine book cover for a book of short stories.
The idea did not arrive suddenly; it seeped slowly into Greg's consciousness. But It was ideal, so perfect a reason that he immediately seized and clung on to it. He had found the answer to his and Jess’s question. Greg felt the blood pound in his ears as he said loudly, ‘I am doing this because I was shafted big time by the Bailey’s and I know somebody or some people are trying to shaft Jess.' Greg clenched his fist and almost shouted, ‘and that, I will not let happen!’
Greg tingled all over with resolution. He now knew why he was doing this and it was as much for himself as it was for Jess. In a strange way he felt it would right the wrong done to him by his ex-wife and her family.
The buzzing of his cell phone disrupted his introspection and he rushed over to the table by the door to ferret for the instrument among the jumble where he emptied his pockets on coming into the room. Greg picked up his phone hoping for a call from Jess; only to scowl when he saw it was a confusing text from Bill Elbury. ‘X4gt WnFshr B’
Greg pondered this gibberish with dismay, muttering through his teeth. ‘Why the hell doesn’t he phone?’
Greg was ‘old school’ and had not brought the text-abbreviated lexicon into his regular communications. He preferred to make a call, to speak to somebody rather than send these soulless text messages. His initial annoyance dissipated in a wry smile a few seconds later when Bill’s message finally became clear to him ‘ Don’t forget Wayne Fisher, Bill.’
Greg now had something positive to occupy his mind. He pulled his small, black address book from his briefcase to find Wayne’s number and tap it into his keypad. He smiled sardonically when Wayne’s familiar southern drawl answered his call.
‘Wayne Fisher.’
‘Wayne it’s Greg, Greg Mitchell.’
They exchanged banter and pleasantries for several minutes before becoming serious when Greg outlined his plan. Greg asked for Wayne’s help and advice in setting up a bio-diesel plant in Bamptonville. He was completely open about giving Wayne a full account of his intentions. He mocked Wayne for his manner of speech, but he fully respected the southerner as an astute and competent businessman; more than that, he was an acquaintance that enjoyed Greg’s respect. Greg heard a whistling in his earpiece as Wayne exhaled and asked.
‘Let me get this right. You want me to help you set up a bio-diesel plant for you to give to a kid you bumped in your car so he can run it and put himself through College?’ Put like that it sounded odd to Greg, even more so when he heard Wayne’s next question.
‘.. am I to understand you’ve not met this kid before you bumped him, so you don’t know anything about him, his family or even if he wants to do this kind of work?’
Greg gulped and began to feel a little silly as he replied. ‘Well Yeah! I suppose that’s what it amounts to.’ Greg heard the whistling sound in his ear again, louder this time before Wayne replied.
‘My God, what’s happened to you man? Are you sick or something? Where’s the steel-hearted entrepreneur we all know and detest so much? You sound almost human.’
Greg shuffled his feet in discomfort, some of his hardness returned.
‘OK, OK, enough of the psychoanalysis. Can you help me or do I have to get heavy with you.’ Wayne laughed.
‘That’s more like the Greg we know and love to hate. Listen. Can this kid really do this thing or will you have to be there doing it for him? It’s a lot of work at first.’
‘I’ll be there for a while to see it gets set up and running so he can take it on.’
‘You mean you’re prepared to stay there for up to a year or more.’
‘If that’s what it takes. Nebraska’s mostly flat, but there are some very nice parts to it with lots of history.’ There was a silence. Greg thought he’d lost the connection.
‘Are you still there Wayne?’
‘Yeh, I’m here. Tell me this Greg, and I ask this question as a friend and business partner. Deep down and personal, what’s this kid to you?’
There it was again, the same old question Jess had asked . The same question he had asked of himself. Greg knew the answer now and he felt a glow inside when he thought of it, but decided not to share it with Wayne. Not just yet.
‘He’s deserving.’
‘Deserving? What’s deserving? Is that it?’
‘That’s it, can you help us?’
Wayne sounded peeved when he replied .
‘Sure I can help you. It’s business when all’s said and done. We do more business selling plants and equipment than we do brewing bio-diesel these days. In fact that’s a small part of our business now. We’re getting big on green energy production. I’ve been meaning to talk to you for some time about your position in the company.’
‘What position? I don’t have one. I’m an investor, end of story.’
‘That’s right, but you’re an investor with too much hold on how we can grow. You might want to spread your wings with us and be a little more’n a silent investor…. I don’t want to rub salt into any raw wounds, but I heard about you and Victoria splitting, so now you’re not recruiting mail men for Royal Mail anymore, we could maybe use you- and your money- in our business.’
The idea instantly appealed to Greg. His business brain told him not to rush into anything.
‘I’m not sure. We’d need to talk. I’d need to know what you’re offering and do some research.’
‘That’s understood. But I can tell you’re not against the idea.’ Wayne waited for a reply, but Greg knew that salesman’s trick and kept quiet. He heard Wayne sigh before he continued. ‘ … Look, I have to go to Chicago soon. I can bring it forward to this week, get my business done there by Friday afternoon, then come right on to see you. I checked flight schedules after I talked with your accountant, Bill Elbury the other day. I could be in Lincoln by 4.00 in the afternoon. If you can pick me up at the airport, we can talk on the drive over.’
Greg warmed immediately to this suggestion, not least of all because it meant he would have somebody here for him over the weekend.
“Sounds good to me Wayne, what do I need to get done. Before you get here that is?’’
‘Get me a room where you’re staying for Friday and Saturday night. Then get some premises we can look over- they’ll need to have power and water supply with good drains. Can you still remember what we need to make gallon test batches of bio-diesel from clean oil.’
‘I think so, I seem to remember buying lots of big soft drink bottles and emptying the soda down drains.’
‘That’s it, don’t forget the thermometers, you pick-up the hardware. I’ll send the chemicals. Give me your address.’
‘What’s the point Wayne? I mean making gallon batches out of clean oil. It’s waste oil we want to convert?’
‘Just say I want to see if you and your kid have any aptitude and staying power. I don’t want to waste my time putting in a plant that won’t be used. You can turn this stuff to jelly easily and then it’s no good. Get the premises and meet me at Lincoln airport, Friday afternoon. Now give me that address and expect an overnight package from UPS.’
Greg rang off and rubbed his hands together gleefully. Something positive was happening; he also knew deep in himself why he was doing it. Greg knew of nobody with more expertise in this field than Wayne Fisher and he was coming here. He could get all the stuff Wayne needed to make test batches of bio-diesel in Larksville tomorrow. But right now he needed a shower and was hungry. He’d not eaten since his meal at Ma Tooley’s and that seemed like yesterday.
After a quick shower and change, he picked up his wallet, car keys and phone from the table, grabbed his jacket from the chair where he’d thrown it and made for the door. He stopped in his tracks as he saw again in his mind the fear and surprise on Jess’s face when he’d mentioned Felix Gleitner. Jess had said the man hung around the Truck Stop. Greg nodded sagely and said to himself.
‘They sell food at the Truck Stop. Maybe it’s time I checked out this Felix character?’