Working for Albert started out intense, which I chalked up to the learning curve that comes with something new.
I’m a month in and it hasn’t let up.
One day I’m coordinating activities at Hilltop. The next, I’m transporting packages and such in and out of Middle Valley.
Now, however, I face a dilemma … but I know just who to consult – a guy who knows dirt just as well as I do.
“Bentley!” The affable greeting calms my nerves.
“Good to see you,” I say, pulling into a booth at the Riverside. Joe “Backhoe Joe” Harriman had agreed to meet, as long as I treated him to lunch.
We order quickly, already quite familiar with the menu, so I brought up my dilemma to Joe.
“It’s not public knowledge yet, but the new mayor, Wanda Moreno, has offered me the Director of Parks and Recreation position in her administration. And you know that I’ve been working for Albert at Hilltop. I’m reluctant to give up that job.”
“Well, for starters, congratulations,” Joe said. “I’d enjoy having you as my boss. But trying to do both jobs might be a bit too much, don’t think?”
It didn’t occur to me until this moment that if I don’t accept the position from Wanda, she might offer it to Joe.
If the job with the city were only to manage the grounds and facilities, Joe would be a really good fit. I make mental note to check in with Ms. Moreno. As defined now, the parks and recreation job will include tours and tourism, which I’m not sure would fit a backhoe driver.
As our food arrives, I opt for a subject change, and a little probing.
“Let me ask you, have you ever been to Hilltop?”
“No,’ Joe says, digging into his fries. “But Mom seems to think it’s a little strange.”
“Well, I’m not sure strange is the right word,” I say. “But it’s confusing.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s rare that any of the folks that live on campus there actually go into Middle Valley,” I tell him. “It’s like they’re in some sort of bubble. Now, I go in and out all the time, but that’s my job.”
I take a bite of my burger and contemplate how much to say. “In truth, I have been told to stay away from certain areas.”
“Like where,” he asks.
“There’s a building – a small structure, not far from the mansion. A couple times, I’ve tried to wander – you know, innocently – in there, but I never make it. Once when I got close to entering the building, I thought I heard someone speaking in a foreign language … a high-pitched, choppy, and unusual sound, though.”
“That’s strange,” he says. “Maybe it’s an animal.”
“I think it’s more than that,’ I say. “Because here’s the thing: I don’t want to be working in a place where weirdness is happening, know what I mean? I’m just not sure what I’m looking at here … I’m wondering if it would be safer to take Ms. Moreno’s job.”
“You think it’s shady?”
“I don’t know what to think, Joe,” I say. “I mean, the other thing is that there’s this strange, disguised entrance to a tunnel – I’m really not even sure it’s a tunnel – that appears to be largely unused, but yesterday I noticed an indentation in the ground that looked new leading up to it, as if a sharp edge or blade cut it.”
“I don’t know what to tell you dude,” he says.
I start to worry and decide to stop talking. He probably won’t sleep well for days, or he’ll go home, tell his mom what I said, and SHE won’t sleep well for days.