Noah was dumbfounded. What the hell? Why would Ruffing give a rat’s ass about some mucky dilapidated piece of junk real estate?
That evening, when Noah informed Liam that his boss wanted to get a bird’s-eye view of the land, Liam was astounded. “Really? But why?” Liam could no more figure out why Ruffing was interested than could Noah.
“Heck if I know, but what the hell?” Noah shrugged. “Get me the info. I’m meeting him tomorrow morning.”
Liam pulled up a schematic of the area on his laptop and e-mailed it to Noah. “I’ll print out a copy, too. Sometimes doing it ‘old-school’ isn’t a bad idea,” Noah said. He took the page from the printer and put it in his backpack. “Let’s go over your plans again.” He opened a blank document in his laptop, fingers poised above the keyboard. “Shoot.”
Liam read from his notes. They were on one of those yellow-ruled pads, the kind that have been around for decades. There was something about writing your thoughts and ideas on a piece of paper. Paper you could keep or throw out. And it was in your face rather than having to search for it in an electronic box. Yes, Liam was an old soul. He also had a rough sketch of his idea. Clearly, he had given it a lot of thought.
“I’ve broken it down into segments,” Liam said, continuing to explain his idea. He divided the agricultural development and the construction and reconstruction into two categories. The idea was to salvage the land and use it for farming. The buildings would serve as housing, classrooms, meditation rooms, and storage. The property would have to be cleared of the dead branches and overgrown grasses. The soil needed to be enriched, making it suitable for growing vegetables and fruits. Beekeeping was also on the list, which caused Noah to snort. “Bees? Seriously?”
Liam was not dissuaded. He maintained that not only would it be self-sustaining, it would also become a source of revenue. They would plant enough to feed the residents with a surplus they could sell at the farmers’ market. The entire enterprise would be managed by members of the association. The Haven. People seeking enlightenment could join and live there in exchange for performing daily tasks. They would follow a routine, taking classes, meditating, preparing meals, doing laundry and housekeeping.
“And where, pray tell, do we find these schlubs?” Noah had to admit that the concept was good. Providing financing would be the biggest hurdle. Finding people wouldn’t be as difficult as one might suspect. South Florida was a magnet for every type of antisocial, immoral, illegal, disenfranchised creature who walked the planet. It was warm and sunny most of the time. You could easily make yourself disappear with very little effort.
“Noah, have you seen how many people are showing up to my messaging meetings? There had to be over a hundred last week. If we got only ten percent of them, that would be ten. Ten people, Noah. Ten people can get a lot done.” Liam looked at his brother pleadingly.
Noah had a wicked look in his eyes. “Let’s not forget the prostitutes, homeless, drug and alcohol rehab people.”
Liam did a double take. “What? Prostitutes? Drug addicts?”
“Yes, little brother. Aren’t they just the right target for some spiritual enlightenment?” He was being half-sarcastic.
“I suppose, yes. But I was thinking more about people who were already on a spiritual path. Not a rehab facility.” Liam looked at his brother curiously.
“First off, we need money. Second, we need bodies. We can wean out any wack jobs and weirdos up front. Keep talking, little brother.”
Liam laid out the rest of his plan. There would be three levels of association among the general population. The newcomers would be called Tyros. After a six-month probationary period, they would move up to the status of Pledge. After a year, if they met all the requirements, they would be at the level called Luminaries. The next step was for Masters, but very few would ever get to that point. As they wrapped up their plan, they agreed that Liam would be the content manager, in charge of programs The Haven would mandate. Noah would handle the money. If Ruffing was interested in investing in the project, it would be natural for Noah to handle the finances.
Noah repeated everything back to Liam. “This sounds like it could possibly work, bro.” He snapped the laptop closed. “This calls for a brew.”
Liam still seemed a bit baffled at this sudden turn of events. But if he truly believed in manifesting one’s life, this was a very good example as to how it can happen.
*
The letters DJH were emblazoned on the side of the Airbus H155 helicopter. A mere $10.2 million of spinning steel, titanium, and leather. Noah spotted Ruffing talking to the pilot. He jogged over, feeling the movement of the air being displaced by the whirling blades. Ruffing handed him a set of headphones and motioned for him to climb aboard.
Noah had been brought up in a wealthy household, but he had never seen a display of this type of opulence before. As he stepped aboard, his jaw dropped when he saw the interior. No wonder the other 99.9 percent of the population are pissed off. Then he realized that, not that long ago, he had been a member of that segment of the population. It made him wonder if they had ever really been part of the moneyed elite. Maybe it was simply Mother’s delusion. If nothing else, she spent money as if we were. And where are we now?
Noah gave the pilot the backup flash drive that contained the coordinates of the property, and Ruffing hopped in. Within a few seconds, they were a thousand feet above the ground, heading west. A few minutes later, they were hovering over the parcel that Liam was hoping to see become The Haven.
*
Liam and Noah were accurate in their description and location of the land. It’s perfect, Ruffing thought to himself. He had been wanting to expand his business but didn’t have personnel he could trust; nor did he have the time. He had a lot of balls in the air, and should any of them drop, a lot of people would go to jail.
Noah not only brought him a huge opportunity, he also brought with him people Ruffing could trust—Noah and Liam Westlake. Little did they know that their spiritual enlightenment enterprise would serve as cover for a great deal of sin.
Chapter Nine
The Haven