UNDERCOVER The Secret of Luck (9 page)

“John, are you going to tell me at all about what is happening right now?” asked Rod. Rod noticed that color was coming back to his friend’s face. Rod moved away from John and went to the windows. He opened some of the windows and pulled the curtains away. Fresh air from outside filled the room. John began to feel better and that made Rod feel better too.

“It was some kind of nightmare. I have been having these recurring nightmares. Every night it’s the same thing. I find myself in a dungeon. I don’t know how I got there, and I keep trying to escape through these crawlies. I don’t know if that is the right name, but that is what I call them. The only thing that can stop them from hurting me is light. Fortunately for me, there is light everywhere, but I need to search for it.” said John, hoping to not sound crazy.

“Since when did you start having these nightmares, John?” asked Rod, trying to understand the situation.

“They started almost six months ago, Rod. In the beginning, it was just about a guy waking up in a dark dungeon. Over the days, the nightmares kept getting greater and more dangerous. Now, it has become almost impossible for me to not wake up screaming. Most of the time, I am alone in my apartment, and nobody would notice it. Today, I don’t know what happened, Rod.” said John.

“You have been having these nightmares for over six months, and you didn’t tell me. Guess that makes me someone you don’t even care about. Perfect, John. That is just perfect.” said Rod, shaking his head and expressing his disappointment.

“Go easy on me, Rod. I did not want to worry you. That is all. Besides, I haven’t told anyone about this. Not even Mom.” said John.

“I am glad that I decided to show up at your office today. God only knows how long you would have continued to suffer like this. Look, I know this shrink. You should talk to her. Take some things off your mind.” said Rod, pulling out a visiting card from his wallet and placing it on the table.

John looked down on the card and at that table. Just over six months ago, that table would have been a hot bed of activity. Any given day, the table would be filled with coffee cups, client documents, pictures, videos, and so many other things. Now, it was just collecting dust. John took the card and slipped it into his pocket. Then he remembered something.

“Rod, I almost forgot. What is the time right now?”

“Twenty –five past eight.”

“Mom had asked me to come over for dinner. She said that she had some important things to discuss. I should have been there by now.” John picked up his jacket from the sofa and collected his accessories from the table.

“Are you just blowing me off, John? You can just ask me to go if you don’t want me to be here.” John heard hurt in Rod’s voice.

“Rod, I am not lying to you. Mom really called me up this morning to come and see her. I am not blowing you off. In fact, I will speak to the shrink and see what she has to say about this tomorrow. I will book an appointment on the drive home, okay?” said John.

Rod seemed pleased to hear that.

“At least you have agreed to speak to the shrink. I will take that as a positive move. I don’t want my best friend to end up in a nut house. Okay, I will leave now. Convey my regards to your parents, John.” said Rod. He got up and let himself out of the office.

Once Rod had left the office, John washed his face. He looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were a little red, and he could see that his hair was a little messed up. It was only now that he realized it had been three days since he had shaved. He looked at the clothes he was wearing. They were okay, but not up to his normal standards. Even if his mother did not already know that something wasn’t right, she would know the moment she looked at him. He adjusted his clothes, combed his hair, and made himself look a little more presentable. John locked his office up and reached the elevator. He pressed the button to the lobby and pulled out his phone. Next he pulled out the card that Rod gave him and dialed the number to the shrink’s office.

“Hello. You have reached the office of Dr. Venkman. How may I help you?” said the voice on the other end.

“Hi. My name is John Russo. I am looking for an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning. Is there a slot available?”

“Mr. Russo, you are in luck. I just had a cancellation, and I can fit you in for the eleven am slot. Would that be okay?”

“That sounds good. Thank you.” said John, hanging up.

John had reached the lobby floor by now. He looked at the lobby reception and found that the lobby worker was dozing off. John did not do anything about it and walked past the visitor chairs and the fountain in the center. Once he was outside, he hailed a taxi cab. There was one waiting on the curb, and a few minutes later, he was on his way to his parent’s house.

As the cab drove through the evening traffic of Primer city, a number of thoughts went through his mind. Why did his mother ask him to come to her place? Was she falling sick, or was his father falling sick? Are they planning to get him hooked up with another girl again? John’s parents had been trying to get him married for a while now. They wanted him to be just like them. John’s parents got married when they were in their early twenties, and they wanted the same for John. Then again, John had told them very clearly that he did not want to get married yet. His parents weren’t the type who wanted to force him into something that John would not enjoy. If so, his father would not have agreed or helped him with his decision to get out of his former business arrangements.

The cab was now driving through the Trident mall. John remembered buying that tablet gift for Sheila there four months ago. He looked back into the car and at the cab driver. Then, he decided to return to his thoughts. Should he tell his mother about the shrink visit he had scheduled for tomorrow? What if his mother was concerned about his dreams? What if she asked for more details but he did not have any details to give out? He decided not to tell her anything about the shrink visit. John thought that it had to do with the problems he was facing with his career. Or, like Rod said all those weeks ago, perhaps the boredom was really getting to him. Maybe he was losing his mind, just like Rod had guessed. Was he really losing his mind? John did not know. If Sheila was still around in the office, she would probably have an opinion. Unfortunately, she was not around. Running out of money forced John to let her go. Was John missing her being around in the office? Perhaps. Again, he did not have the answers to all these questions.

The cab stopped in front of his parent’s house. John paid the fare, added a generous tip as usual, and stepped out. John looked at the three story house that stood in front of him. In many ways, his parent’s house was similar to Sheila’s house, only bigger. John had spent his entire lifetime at this house, except for the first five years. During his young age, his father was still setting up the business. John did not remember much of those days. By the time he was old enough, he was already living in the house.

John walked through the gate and through the path. The sidewalk was decorated with a number of plants of various varieties. John’s mother took gardening rather seriously. She even managed to build her own little farm at the back of the house. It was something of an organic farm, and John had loved playing hide and seek in that garden. Memories kept flushing back to him, and they all disappeared by the time he reached the door. He noticed that the door was already open for him. As he stepped in, his Mom came running to greet her son and gave him a hug.

The table was already set for him. John rarely visited his parents, and that meant his Mom made sure that every time he came, he had a grand meal. Just like the old days when he would come visiting from the University. John seemed pleased at the sight, and forgot about his nightmare and worries. John ate heartily as his mother told him about what was happening in the garden. She kept talking about her favorite television shows and two fights that she had with his father since his last visit. John heard every word she said. John liked to listen whenever his mother talked. It was one of the things he learned from his ex-girlfriend. Women love it when the guy listens, be it a girl friend or a mother. Once the dinner was done, he washed and put away the plates and sat down in his usual seat in the living room.

“So, Mom. The dinner was great. As always. Thank you.” said John.

“Son, you know I love you a lot. You do know that, don’t you?” said his mother.

“Mom, what kind of a question is that?”

“No. You answer my question. Do you know that your father and I love you a lot?” asked his mother again.

“Of course, Mom. Now, get to the point. Where are you getting with this?” asked John, trying his best not to get angry or lose patience.

“I just found out that you have not had any work for the last six months. Is that true or not?” asked Mrs. Russo.

“Who told you about this? Was it Dad?”

“It wasn’t your father. Why would he tell me now, when he did not tell me for the last six months? He has something coming his way for hiding this from me all this time. You better believe me when I say this.”

“Dad was only doing what I asked him to do. I made him promise not to tell you anything. You have no right to become angry at him, Mom!” said John, losing a little bit of his composure.

“I have every right to be angry at him, and you as well. We will get back to the topic of your father later. Coming back to you then, you really haven’t worked at all for the last six months, have you?” asked his Mom again, not budging from that question.

John wanted to know who gave her that information.

“Was it Sheila? I know you and she are friends.” said John. There were several times when his mother would imply that John get engaged to Sheila. His mother thought that she was the best woman John would ever find, especially considering the line of work he was in.

“It wasn’t Sheila. She hasn’t called me in a while, nor has she visited.” replied his mother.

“Then, who told you Mom? I need to know!” said John, almost shouting now.

“It was your bank account, John!” shouted back, his mother.

“I don’t understand Mom. My bank account? How can my bank account tell you about my job?” asked John, a little surprise in his voice.

“I know the manager at the bank where you have your account. I was wondering why you did not get me my gift last month. I thought you may have forgotten by accident. Then, another week passed, and there was no mention of a gift. That got me thinking.” said Mrs. Russo.

Chapter 4

John thought back in his mind. He had a habit of giving his Mother at least one gift every month. He never forgot about it. The problem was, John was running out of money to spend on luxuries. On a side note, he that thought his Mother was pretty smart about the way she had gone about figuring things out. He let his Mother finish what she was talking about.

“So yes, John, it got me thinking. Since I am still the guardian for your bank account, I was able to pull up your bank transactions for the last year. You have not earned a single cent for the last six months. Furthermore, you are almost at the brink of a zero balance on your account. So, tell me John, what is going on with you? Did you commit some crime? Did you do a grave mistake that has completely blocked you out of your business?”

“Mom, I have not committed any crime, nor have I done something that might block the clients from coming to me. My license is still intact.” said John, losing his cool and looking down at the dinner table.

Mrs. Russo waited patiently for her son to continue.

“About six months ago, I made a conscious decision to stop what I was doing. I wasn’t happy with the kind of cases I was handling, and decided against doing that type of repetitive work anymore. I thought that there was still room for the traditional way of doing detective business. Six months later, I see that those opportunities no longer exist. That is why there has been no money and why there is no gift. I am sorry I lied to you, Mom.” said John, sounding extremely sad.

“John. It is okay. I am not angry with you for not telling me.” she went closer to him and placed her hand on his head.

“Thanks, Mom. I really am sorry about lying. I won’t do that again.” said John, enjoying his Mother’s touch.

“I am glad that you told me about this so quickly, without dragging it into a long drawn out discussion. Now, this is what I really wanted to discuss with you.” said Mrs. Russo.

John sat upright. He thought the discussion was over. It took John a few seconds to realize that his Mother had a plan for him. He had a bad feeling about that.

“Do you remember Torn Mint? He was at the anniversary party last month.” his Mother stated.

“That bald guy who helped Dad a long time ago with some financing for the business? I remember him.” said John.

“He was here last week. A casual visit with his wife. He was talking about his business and how he was expanding it. He was getting into insurance fraud business and he is looking to hire some new talent. He asked me about you. He told me that your name had a good reputation in the investigative circles.” said his Mother, with a hint of pride about the last word of appreciation.

John wasn’t really sure where this was heading. He thought that he should protest, but he did not know the full extent of his Mother’s thought process. He waited for the inevitable showdown, the second one for the day in as many hours.

“He asked me about your certificates and a few references. I provided them to him. He called me up a day later and said that you would be an excellent agent for his new line of business. It’s a job offer John.” said his Mother.

John knew this was coming the moment she said there was a second topic of discussion. He thought about how he should react. Should he get angry at her for doing what any Mother would do? Should he be happy that his Mother had a new job for him? As far as John was concerned, this simply amounted to more things he did not want to worry about.

“Mom, I really don’t think that this job would be the right one for me.” he said, saying the first thing that came to his head.

“You are going and speaking with him. You are taking this job, because I cannot see my exceptionally talented son waste away his life and talents.” said Mrs. Russo.

“Mom, I really don’t think it’s a good idea.” repeated John.

“If you don’t want to take the job, then do this for me. I will ask your Father to lend you some money.”

“What!” exclaimed John.

“Yes, one way or the other, your bank account is going to be credited. Either you take up this job offer, or you take money from me, John. I cannot see you like this. You are my son, and I won’t let you be like this!” said his Mother, almost on the verge of crying. John could see a lot of things, but not this. He finally relented.

“Okay, Mom. Give me his contact number. I will fix up an appointment with him and see what he has to offer.”

“Actually, you don’t have to worry about that. I have already spoken to him and told him that you would be seeing him tomorrow afternoon. He is coming to see you at your office.”

“Why is he coming to my office? I thought I was the one who wanted a job. Would not protocol suggest that I go to his office for the job interview?”

“He is very impressed with you, John. He badly wants you to join his organization.” said his Mother.

John wasn’t surprised with this. He remembered what Sheila had said about him being pretty good at what he did. He also remembered his early morning appointment with the shrink. He figured that it would be over by afternoon and he could take care of the job interview in the afternoon.

“You know Mom, I think I will just go through with it. I am not making any promises though. If I don’t like the job, I am not taking it.” said John, assertively.

“If you don’t take that job, I will have your Father transfer some money into your account. Either way, you are going to listen to what I tell you to do. And, don’t start arguing now!” said his Mother.

“Okay, Mom. I will do as you say. I will let you know tomorrow evening what happened with Mr. Mint.” said John.

“Good. It’s settled then. If you want to stay, your room is ready. If you have to leave, then you better leave now, for it is getting late.” said his Mom.

“I think I will leave, Mom. I have an appointment tomorrow with...a business partner. Bye, Mom.” said John, getting up to leave.

John was back at his apartment an hour later. Maybe it was the feeling of relaxation that came from talking to his Mother. Or perhaps he was feeling better that he was no longer lying to his parents. John had a sound sleep until it was disrupted by the recurring nightmare. The nightmare was less scary this time. The dungeon had more light, and the crawlies could not touch him. For the first time in so many weeks, he had a fairly good quality of sleep.

John got up feeling slightly better than other mornings. He called up the shrink’s office to confirm that his appointment was still on. The appointment was still on, as planned, at eleven in the morning. John decided against going to the office. He spent an hour watching television, left his apartment by ten, and was at the doctor’s place by ten-thirty.

The shrink’s office was smaller than he had expected. He noticed that the waiting room was big enough to hold, at most, three people. The waiting room was decorated with a couple of ceramic sculptures which were placed on either side of the waiting chairs. There was a single office desk and behind that sat a lovely young lady in black. John assumed that she was the one who answered his call. She seemed to be busy with her desk computer and did no more than smile at John as he entered the office. There were three abstract paintings adorning the three walls of the waiting room. Each of the paintings did not make any sense to John. It looked like someone had splashed random colors, put them in nice frames, and sold them for a fortune. Some people are gullible for anything that looks weird and expensive John thought to himself.

The doctor’s door opened and a young woman stepped outside. Her eyes had traces of tears that had just been wiped off her face. She looked around the waiting room, found the door to the restroom, and went into it. John felt that she had probably wanted to fix her makeup before heading out of the doctor’s office. The lady behind the reception desk looked at him, smiled, and asked him to go in. John got up, returned the smile, and entered the doctor’s office.

The shrink was older than John with short hair. She was tall, almost as tall as John, and sat on a chair which did not have an accompanying desk. The whole room was just one big cubicle. It had bright light, but John could not make out any bulbs or other light sources. There were no windows and there was no furniture. At one corner of the room, were a couple of bean bags, and that was about it.

“Hello, John. Make yourself comfortable.” said the doctor.

John removed his jacket, and decided to just sit on the floor, opting against using the bean bag. Seeing him sit down on the floor, the shrink also decided to get off her chair and landed on the floor. The floor had carpeting, and John felt rather comfortable.

“Thank you, doctor. I have never spoken to a shrink before. So, I am at your disposal.” said John, stating the purpose in a rather vague fashion.

“No one comes to this office. Not unless something is bothering them. I am assuming that you were asked to come here by a friend?”

“Yes. My friend Rod gave me your card. Does he come here?” asked John, trying to build a conversation.

“Did he tell you that he came here?” she asked.

“He never said to me if he came here.” replied John.

“Then, I don’t know if he has come here.” replied the doctor, with a hint of a smile.

“Ah! The infamous doctor patient privacy thing. I like the way you side stepped that question. As a guy who also works with clients intimately, I appreciate your professionalism, doctor.” said John.

“Thank you, detective. Now. Why don’t you tell me what is bothering you?” asked the shrink.

John felt a lot more relaxed. Thanks to that little titbit about her professionalism, he was very comfortable with her now. He decided to tell her about the dream.

“There is this dream I have been having, doctor. Every day, the dream starts in the same way. I wake up in a dungeon. I don’t know how I got there, or what I am doing there. The dungeon does not have an entry door, and it is completely dark.”

“Do you know what kind of dungeon it is? Is there any light?”

“It’s completely dark. I would say it keeps getting darker with each passing night.” answered John.

“What are you wearing in this dream?” asked the doctor.

“My work clothes. The suit, with my tie and weapons holder. Oddly enough, the gun is gone from the weapons holder, and so is my cell phone. I end up walking along the walls of the dungeon until I find some matchbox. Every night, and in every dream, I find a box of matches. When I strike and light a match stick, it burns until I find a lantern and light it. It all seems very surreal, and then I find a tunnel with a light at the end of it.” said John.

“A tunnel with a light at the end of it. Keep going, John. What happens next?” asked the doctor, showing genuine interest in his story.

“Then these crawlies start attacking me. Sometimes I manage to escape them through the tunnel. Sometimes I get rescued by a man on a white horse. Sometimes I get killed. So many endings, doctor. I usually wake up screaming, and I am sweating like a crazy person.” said John.

The doctor thought intently about what he had said. She sat there quietly, thinking the story over and over again. Then, she spoke.

“You are wearing your work clothes in the dream. That would have to mean something. How is your job going on, detective? Be honest, now.” asked the doctor.

“In one word doctor - Abysmal.” said John.

“I think that’s the problem. The fact your dreams are getting worse with each passing night shows that you are doing something very wrong. You are trying to escape something, but sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t. You are in two minds about what to do. Make a choice soon, and get out of it, John. Perhaps this job is not what you want to do. Or maybe, you want to do it, but you refuse to accept that this job is dead in the water.” said the doctor.

John thought hard about what she said. In many ways, what she was saying seemed obvious. He never really looked at it that way.

“You know, doctor, I have to agree with you. I really should do something about this. I should make a choice. I cannot take these nightmares anymore.” said John, concurring with the doctor.

“You want to talk more about this, John? Unless you believe that you have figured out what to do about your nightmares?” asked the shrink.

“You know. Doctor. I think I know the solution now. I may have the solution by tomorrow morning, and perhaps I will finally get a really good night’s sleep.” said John, getting up from the floor. The doctor mirrored his actions and stood up too.

“I am glad I could help you, detective. If you have any more questions, you have my office number. I will walk you to the exit.” said the doctor.

John left the doctor’s office and reached the building parking. He looked at the time. It was lunch time. John had lunch at a hotel which looked like a cross between a pizza center and a family restaurant. With his lunch done, he drove to his office and waited for his future employer to show up. He turned to his television and turned to his favorite monster show. An hour must have passed when his office door opened and Torn Mint walked in. John walked up to him, shook hands, and then showed him to a seat.

“John, how are you?” asked Mint, sounding every bit like the senior manager he was.

“I am good, Mr. Mint. Thank you for coming here. If you had told me, I would have been happy to see you at your own office.” said John.

“That’s not necessary. I will get to the point right away. John. Our business is expanding to include fraud investigation, mostly about income tax returns and investments. Your Mother was kind enough to provide me with your educational and work background. I made a few phone calls to some friends who had used your services in the past. I have to say, I am very impressed.” said Mr. Mint, explaining things in a strictly business manner.

“Thank you, Mr. Mint. I am glad you think that way.” said John. John thought that this interview would have been uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the meeting with the shrink. Maybe it was the happy thought that this interview would make his Mother happy. Perhaps John was looking forward to a good night’s sleep where he wouldn’t be chased down by creepy crawlies. John was also pleased that if he ended up taking the job, he wouldn’t have to borrow money from his parents. All these thoughts crossed his mind. John was so far happy that this discussion about employment was happening.