“And she believed it?”
“She really opened up to me. A lot of freshmen need someone to talk to. Leaving home for the first time … this is all new to most of them. Of course, the possibility that she could renew the scholarship for another year was very helpful too... I also fed her ideas that she could use for the WHO group.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Cal Peet told me to. Like I said, he wanted to learn as much about you as possible so that he could help you, which would benefit everyone. We just gave a little money to them and a few ideas … we just wanted to see what the group was thinking.”
“Fuck, Margaret! You can’t be sure Cal wants to help us.” Dave said. “If Cal hadn’t given them any money they probably would have disbanded by now. That group is just trouble for us.”
“Let me guess,” Todd said, shaking his head, “Cal is funding the WAG group too?”
“Oh yes,” Margaret replied, “after the WHO group became stronger, the WAG group was started. When I reported this to Cal, naturally he wanted to keep track of what they were doing. We offered several members scholarships. Again, we told them they were randomly selected by an unknown benefactor and that to keep the scholarship they had to have meetings with me. I became friends with them. We also pay for their meetings so we can get a good feel for what is going on…”
“So that explains where they get the money to rent banquet rooms and have gourmet meals at their meetings,” Todd mused.
Margaret nodded.
“Aimee, Lina, and Arturo are on scholarships paid for by Cal Peet. Their group is supported by Cal Peet,” I thought aloud, “and I bet they have no idea he supports the WHO group also.”
“Neither group knows he supports the other. It’s not their business. He just wants to know what everyone is doing and where their heads are.”
“Margaret, how can you be so clueless?” Dave asked bitterly. “Cal is a businessman, one with a ruthless reputation. Believe me, he has an agenda.”
“I think he just wants to help,” Margaret said, “that’s what he told me.”
“How could you belie…” Dave shook his head. “Never mind … what does he want now?”
“Cal would like to invite you to his estate for the weekend. That’s what he paid Jerry to do—invite you for the weekend.” She gave Jerry a sour look as he pouted in the corner. “Cal will arrange to have you picked up by his driver. You will be wined, dined, and enjoy his luxurious home for several nights. He wants to show you what he can do for you.”
Todd shook his head. “Man, I would love to go to Cal’s place and see what this is all about, but with Jerry fired,” he glanced over at Jerry who met his gaze with a scowl, “I just don’t know who I would get to run Slice of the Pie. By the way Jerry, in case you didn’t hear, you’re fired.”
“It sucks working here anyway,” Jerry muttered.
“And don’t be looking for a reference,” Todd added.
Dave snorted. “Todd, you’re killing me man. We should be calling the police and have them deal with this jerk. But I guess if they start digging it would make life even harder for us. Best we can do is go home and sleep on this.”
“So what should I tell Cal?” Margaret asked expectantly. All of a sudden, there was a loud knock on the door.
“Hey, Todd, can I go now? Everyone is gone and I cleaned all the tables,” Jenna was standing in the doorway. She started picking at her nails. “Well, can I?”
Dave looked at me. “Beverly, let’s go. Todd, you ready?”
Todd stood up. “Yeah, I’ve had it for the night. Jenna, kick these people out of here,” he motioned towards Jerry and Margaret. “And lock up please,” he added, tossing her the keys to the pizzeria.
Margaret stared at us in disbelief. “But what do I tell Cal Peet?” she asked, frustrated.
As Todd, Dave and I started to leave, Dave sneered. “Tell him to go fuck himself!”
30
Walking into the apartment complex I was tired and emotionally drained. I knew the chance to kick back, have a cold drink and relax would give me a second wind. I glanced furtively at Dave and Todd. I sure hoped they had some energy. Despite all that had happened, I was hoping for a little fun tonight too. Just the thought of it made me incredibly horny.
Ugh. Mrs. Oakley, our landlady, was standing near the elevator. Great, this was all we needed. Of all nights, why did she have to be here on this one? I was sure she would ask about the rent and put a damper on our whole evening. Dave and I were a few days late with the payment as our government checks hadn’t come yet.
“Dave, Dave, I’ve been waiting for you,” she whimpered sweetly.
“What is it this time Regina, 111 or 206 having trouble again?” Dave said pleasantly.
“This time it’s 836. There is something wrong with the plumbing. No one can figure it out. If you could take a look now it would be great.”