Halfway to the Truth (6 page)

Reese walked up to Doug’s door and knocked on it, while peering around through his window so he could see it was her.

He signaled for her to enter.

She opened the door and closed it behind her after going inside.

“Take a seat and tell me what you know?” he asserted pointing to a well-worn chair.

“I had dinner with Nikolaus last night. He agreed to escort me to the docks.”

“Bet you’re pretty proud of yourself?”

“Yes I am. Shouldn’t I be?”

“Honey, I wouldn’t begin to know what goes on in that man’s head, but I’m sure you’ll find out. It was too easy for him to accept you and your story, don’t you think?”

“Look Doug,” she said agitated, “maybe you know his father well, but I’m not so sure you know Nikolaus. I found him to be polite and sincere…”

Doug leaned toward her and cut her off saying, “And charismatic and magnetic no doubt. Look, I get it. He’s a handsome guy and he’s got money. That’s a combination that most women can’t resist. But I’m telling you for the last time, don’t trust him. The rest is up to you.”

He paused and leaned back in his chair. “So, when is your big day?”

“Friday morning. I’m meeting him at eleven o’clock. He even agreed to let a photographer go along with me.”

“Impressive. I didn’t expect that. I’ll send Bobby with you. He took those long-range photos, so he’ll know what to look for. And just in case,” he added, “we’ll equip him with a hidden camera as well. Probably wouldn’t be a good idea to put it on you. That way you at least have deniability.”

“Good!” he said with conviction, slapping his hand on the desk. “You did a wonderful job on this Reese. Sorry if I was so rough on you. You’ll learn that my bark is worse than my bite. I’m only riding you because I don’t know how tough you really are. And in this business, you have to be tough — especially if you’re going to be an investigative reporter.”

“I accept your apology and appreciate your concern for me as well. I’ll admit I’m learning on-the-fly, but I can do this. Just give me your support.”

“You got it honey. Now go write up the questions you want to ask those dockworkers. We’re going to print your story, so make them good. Ask yourself, what would I want to know about these men? Why do they do what they do?” He saw the look on her face and shut up.

She got up and left his office heading back to her desk.

“Hi Reese!” shouted Shelley waving from across the room as she approached her. “Hope you don’t think I’ve been ignoring you? You okay? Apartment alright for you?”

“Yes, it’s all good. Thank you for asking. We’ve both been busy so it’s my fault too we haven’t had time together. Want to do lunch later? We’ll catch up.”

“Sure! I’ll meet you at your desk around noon.”

“Sounds good Shelley. See you then.”

Reese and Shelley went in opposite directions.

“Mr. Drakos, your son is here to see you. May I show him in?”

Viktor was standing in front of a large picture window looking through binoculars when he was intruded upon. Looking over his shoulder he said, “Yes, send him in.”

He returned to his binoculars looking out to the wetlands behind his home. He observed an egret hone in on its prey and swiftly snatch it in its hard, sharp beak. He watched as the fresh kill moved down the long, slender throat of the bird.

“Good morning father.” Nikolaus took up a seat across the room. “Seeing anything interesting?” he said, looking at his manicured nails.

Viktor maintained his gaze on the bird as he spoke. “You ever realize how much nature mimics real life Nikolaus? Out there, there’s the hunter and the hunted. The victor and the victim.”

“Are you talking wildlife or business?” he quipped.

“There’s no difference. And you would do well to remember that,” he said, turning around and laying the field glasses on top of a marble sofa table.

The manservant returned with a tray that held a coffee pot, two cups, and napkins.

Viktor sat directly across from his son, as the tray was placed on the table between them. “Would you like some coffee?” he asked picking up the copper and wood handled Greek coffee pot.

“No thanks, I’ve kind of lost the taste for frothy Greek coffee. But don’t let me stop you from enjoying a cup.”

Viktor poured a dark, frothy mixture from the container into one of the cups. He picked it up and sat back into his seat. “Kind of early for a visit. What’s on your mind?” He took a drink while maintaining eye contact with his son.

“I thought you would want to know there’s a new reporter in town. Appears Doug Williams hired her as an investigative reporter. I had her checked out. She came from a small town on the other side of the state. She’s pretty green from what I hear, so I’m not sure why Mr. Williams would have made her an investigator.”

Viktor kept sipping from his cup as he listened to his son.

“Anyway, she’s been assigned to do a piece on dockworkers and she’s solicited my help.”

Viktor leaned toward the table and put his empty cup back on the tray. He then leaned back and crossed one leg over the other before saying, “I’m surprised it took Doug this long to gain an interest in what’s going on down in our shipyard. You know she’s really after what goes on in the red zone?”

“Uh-huh! I saw through that right away. She was trying too hard to get in touch with me. I told her I’d escort her around and even suggested she bring a photographer.”

Viktor didn’t blink an eye as he asked, “When is all this taking place?”

“I scheduled it for Friday morning.”

“Excellent! The goods in that warehouse will be loaded onto containers and be onboard the Athenos Thursday. When the ship leaves Friday, you both can watch as it pulls away from the dock.”

“I thought that too,” said Nikolaus. “I gave orders to Dimitris to make sure the warehouse was clean.”

Viktor leaned again toward the table and picked up the coffee pot. “Sure you don’t want some?” he asked not waiting for an answer and drained the remaining contents it into his cup. “I know you’ve only been down at the docks a short while, but Dimitris tells me you’ve picked up on the operation quickly. Perhaps you’ll make a Greek businessman after all.” He gave a slight toast with his cup toward his son.

Viktor then changed the subject. “So, when am I going to meet this reporter?”

“Why?” asked Nikolaus with some irritation in his voice.

“Because I don’t want her snooping around and maybe I can turn the tables on my friend Doug at the same time.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure just yet. You let me know when you can bring her over here for dinner. But don’t take too long. We need to take care of this matter sooner than later.”

Nikolaus was noticeably upset with his father’s request. “Why do you have to get involved with this? Just let me take care of it! Or, do you not trust me?”

“I trust you Nikolaus, but as long as this is
my
company I’m in charge. I also suspect this new reporter is nice looking or you would have come to me sooner. I know you, and the way you are around women. I think she’s become a challenge to you and that could be a distraction. Mistakes get made when there are distractions, especially the kind that end up in bed. How you lead your life is your business, but
your
business and Drakos Shipping don’t mix. Understand?”

“Sure father, I understand!” he said with testiness as he arose. “There will come a day when you will really need me. You better hope I’m in a better mood than you put me in right now.” He departed the room.

Reese and Bobby arrived at the security gate exactly at 11
A.M
. The guard made a call to the main office and they waited for an escort to pick them up. It took about ten minutes before they saw a silver SUV come from behind a row of warehouses. Reese recognized the face of the man sitting in the passenger seat as Nikolaus.

The SUV pulled up next to the guardhouse and the two men got out.

“Beautiful day isn’t it Miss Summers?” greeted Nikolaus taking her hand. “I’d like you to meet my foreman, Dimitris. He’ll be taking us around the dock area today.”

“This is Bobby,” she introduced, “my photographer.”

Everyone shook hands and then they entered the vehicle.

“Where would you like to start?” asked Nikolaus.

“Let’s start at the office,” said Reese. “You can give me a rundown on the size of your company. You know, like the number of employees and ships you have and the types of products you move around the world. Then, we’ll go interview some of your dockworkers. How does that sound to you?”

“Sounds like a plan,” he agreed and indicated to Dimitris to head over to the office building.

They arrived at a two-story, cinder-block building painted in a faded gray color. An equally faded six-foot wide, light-green colored band was painted around the building starting at a point just above Reese’s head. Positioned in the top center of the building was a third floor consisting of a thirty by twenty-foot, glass enclosed room which almost had a 360 degree view of the shipyard.

Entering from a rear parking lot, they climbed up two sets of metal stairs to the third floor with Nikolaus leading the way and Dimitris trailing their guests. At the top, Nikolaus opened a steel door and invited them inside.

“This is the heart of everything,” he said, pointing out a set of windows. From here we can see most of the entire shipyard. We have over three thousand feet of waterfront which can accommodate two large vessels at one time.”

Bobby began to take pictures as Reese and Nikolaus went over to the windows facing the main dock.

“As you can see we have two large cranes that load the containers onto our ships. Over there, they’re currently loading the Nemesis. My father named it that after purchasing it from a competitor.
In Greek mythology, Nemesis is the personification of just revenge.”

“Fitting,” interjected Reese showing a wry smile.

Nikolaus continued, “In some versions of the story, Nemesis was the mother of Helena, the beauty who became the cause of the Trojan War. I’m sure a beauty not unlike yourself Reese.”

She grabbed his arm and turned him toward her. “How many times have you used that line?” she asked with a chuckle.

“Just this once. This isn’t the kind of place I bring a woman.” His eyes sparkled.

“And isn’t that the Athenos over there,” she said, pointing.

“Yes, she’s getting ready to go down the river into the ocean. She’s headed for ports in Africa. I think the Ivory Coast is her first stop.”

As if his words were a signal, several tugboats suddenly sounded their horns in unison warning that they were about to get the big ship underway.

“It’s amazing to me they can float with all those containers on them. How many can you put on one ship?” she asked excitedly.

Whether by intention or oblivious to the fact she was still holding Nikolaus’ arm, he felt the gentle pressure she exerted as she asked her question. His emotions were stirred by her touch making it difficult for him to focus on his train of thought.

“Capacity is measured in twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs. Our ships aren’t the biggest in the industry, but we typically can put almost eight thousand containers on a ship.”

“Wow! I never would have imagined,” Reese stated.

Bobby had moved to the windows and continued shooting photos of the pier crane loading containers and the departing Athenos. He tried to get in as much of the surrounding area as he could, including the warehouses below.

“The containers are different colors,” she noted. “Is there any significance to that?”

“Not really,” Nikolaus answered, “those are just representative of the many different companies that use our services.”

“So what’s inside those containers?”

“Everything and anything. But we only do dry cargo like grains and coal and manufactured goods.”

He signaled to Dimitris, “Why don’t you get Miss Summers a copy of the Athenos’ manifest.”

Regaining her attention he added, “Then you can see for yourself.”

“This is all so fascinating,” she said, letting go of his arm. “Can we go down to the waterfront now so I can start interviewing the workers?” Her exuberance continued, “This is going to make a great story for our readers. I want to thank you for allowing us to come here today and showing us around.”

“The pleasure is all mine. Shall we go?” He escorted his guests back to the SUV and they drove off toward the waterfront.

Reese and Bobby spent the next two hours interviewing and photographing crane operators, dockworkers, and other longshoremen. Those not being interviewed were busy cat-calling and whistling at Reese grateful for the vision she gave them.

Nikolaus did not interfere in their fun, understanding all too well why they behaved as depraved Neanderthals.

Reese had carefully planned her route of movement so the interviews would take them near to the red zone warehouse. As they got closer, she could make out the building number as F-43. The structure itself was made of steel and aluminum with large sliding doors on each end through which cargo could be moved in and out. One door was slightly ajar, but they could not see inside.

When the last of her interviews were completed, she walked closer to the warehouse and positioned herself somewhat distant from Bobby so he could take her picture with the structure in the background. As he clicked off a shot, he felt Dimitris’ hand on his shoulder.

“I think you have enough photos for today,” Dimitris strongly suggested.

Reese started to object, but Nikolaus walked next to her to keep the situation from escalating.

About that same time, a forklift abruptly exited the warehouse turning in their direction. The driver was carrying barrels on a pallet and did not immediately see them.

Nikolaus quickly grabbed Reese and pulled her a few feet away, the two almost falling in the process. He caught her in his arms and held her tight. He could feel her heart pumping from the near collision and heard her breathing heavy trying to restore the air that was scared out of her.

Bobby ran over to them. “Are you alright Reese?” he pleaded. “That was close!”

She broke free of Nikolaus’ grip and straightened herself up. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she replied looking at the driver who had stopped about fifty feet away.

The driver returned her look and put his hands together as if praying and begging for forgiveness at the same time.

Nikolaus yelled at him to be more careful and then waved him on.

“Are you sure you’re okay Reese?” Nikolaus asked sympathetically.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she insisted. “What’s
in
that warehouse anyway?”

We usually keep some barrels of chemicals in there. But we had a small fire the other day and needed to clear them out so we can clean up the mess in there.”

“Can we go look?”

“That’s not a good idea,” he said. “There may be residual chemical traces that I wouldn’t want you getting exposed to. Let’s get back in the SUV.”

He took the lead guiding his guests back into the vehicle. As they departed the warehouse Nikolaus commented, “Well except for that last incident, I hope you enjoyed your visit with us. Do you think you have enough material for your story?”

“Yes, more than I need. Thank you again for your cooperation and letting us come here. I think you’ll be pleased with the article we will publish.”

“Good!” Nikolaus responded. “And it was a pleasure showing you around.”

Dimitris drove the news people straight back to the security gate.

After the vehicle stopped, Nikolaus came around to Reese’s side of the SUV and helped her out. He shook hands with Bobby and then pulled Reese aside commenting, “I hope you won’t print what happened with the forklift in your story. It was just an unfortunate accident.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t mention a word of it. Thank you for keeping me safe back there.”

“As I said, the pleasure is all mine. May I ask you for a return favor now?”

“You mean dinner? Sure. Just tell me when and where.”

“I don’t usually take my dates to my father’s house, but because you seem to have such a big interest in the shipping community, how about you meet him? You might find him to be very interesting.”

“More interesting than you?” she remarked.

“Depends on what your viewpoint is I guess.” He showed that appealing smile to her. “How about it? I’ll set it up for next week and give you a call.”

“Alright,” she said. “I think I might enjoy meeting the man that sired you!”

As they walked through the security gate back to their car, Nikolaus gave them a departing wave.

He then turned to Dimitris. “Take me back to the office and then bring Greenfield to me.”

It wasn’t long before Dimitris rounded up Greenfield and returned with him to Nikolaus’ office.

“Leave us!” he commanded Dimitris.

After he left, Nikolaus approached the forklift driver. “I told you I only wanted to scare her a little. You came awfully close to running us both down!”

“I’m sorry (cough) sir. The left tire was low on pressure (cough) and I had a hard time controlling turns (cough).”

“Next time I pay you to do a job, you better do it right. Do you understand?”

“Yes Mr. Drakos (cough). I’ll be more careful in the (cough) future.”

“Now get out of here,” he said, indicating the door. “Not a word of this to anyone. And get that cough checked out.”

The forklift operator bowed several times as he backed out the door.

Nikolaus then turned and walked over to the windows and looked out at the now vacant space where the Athenos was recently moored. “Dinner with Dad. How lucky can one man be!” he said to himself while shaking his head in disgust.