A business thriller

Finally, Martin Webb was able to get the attention of the shareholders again. They sat erect with hushed, excited faces beaming at him. 
 
Webb:&nbsp; After I conclude this meeting, please get a ballot on the tables by the three exit doors. You will be voting "yes" or "no" for the move to Mexico. There is also space for any available comments you might have. When you finish, place your ballot in the box slot. You will be notified by mail about the results. Thank you everyone for coming today. (Audience stands and claps wildly, then goes to tables for ballots, and then leaves the meeting room.) Johnson:&nbsp; Whew! That went a lot better than I thought it would. 
 
Phillips:&nbsp; Yes, I was really surprised! I thought we might be here for hours. 
 
Cy:&nbsp; I wasn't surprised at all. 
 
Webb:&nbsp; Really? Why was that? 
 
Cy:&nbsp; Did you notice how their attitude changed when you mentioned the shareholders could make a lot of money? Greed made them forget about the DEA, the arrests, and closing the building. They didn't ask about the employees or even care if they had jobs. 
 
Webb:&nbsp; I am going to give the employees the choice of moving with all expenses paid or give them a good severance pay packet. 
 
Cy:&nbsp; That's great! (Linda and Natalie approach the stage.) 
 
Natalie:&nbsp; I think you gentlemen made a lot of people happy today. 
 
Linda:&nbsp; Yes, we could hear several shareholders talking about what they were going to do with their new wealth. 
 
Webb:&nbsp; I did warn them that it might take a while to get a return on their money, but they all had "stars in their eyes" about getting rich. 
 
Cy:&nbsp; Well, I'm going to take these young ladies to the Art Institute now. 
 
Webb:&nbsp; All right, Dr. Krueger. I'll be in touch with you. Stay at the corporate apartment as long as you want. 
 
Cy:&nbsp; Thank you, but it might be time for me to go home. You have the numbers for both places, right? (They are all walking toward the tables.) 
 
Webb:&nbsp; Yes, goodbye. (Cy offers his arm to the women and they leave.) 
 
While Cy, Linda and Natalie are touring the Art Institute, Steve is flying home. His plane was delayed a short time, but was finally in the air at 2:30. He dozes off, only to awaken as the plane is landing in St. Louis. Once on the ground, he calls Mr. Jameson. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Mr. Jameson. It's Steve&#133; I have a lay-over in St. Louis&#133; What is happening there? Come to your house? Sure, I remember where you live&#133; The plane is due in at 6:30 Pacific time. I'll come over right away&#133; Good-bye. (He closes the cell phone.) Something is terribly wrong&#133; 
 
Steve grabs his suitcase from the carousel and hurries through the automatic doors. After paying the long term parking fee, he drives down the freeway to Mr. Jameson's home. In 45 minutes he is parking in front of a large white colonial house. Four pillars seem to stand guard on either side of the entry door. The front lawn is immaculate with perfectly manicured grass. Steve rings the doorbell. Mr. Jameson opens the door. 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; Steve! How good to see you! Come in. Let's go in the den. (He leads the way, then motions for Steve to sit in one of the leather chairs.) How about a drink? I'm having a glass of wine. (He hands a glass to Steve.) You're probably starved; here's a plate of hors d'oevures. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Thank you. I had time to get a sandwich in St. Louis, but this looks good. (Takes cheese from tray.) 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; It sounded like you really had quite an adventure in Chicago! 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Yes, I'll tell you more details later, but tell me what's happening here? 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; (He sits down.) For the first time in&#133; I don't know how many years, I'm out of a job. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; How can that be? You own the company.

Twists and Turns (1)

1. When we counted all of the &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;, there were fifty-two votes. 
 
2. Let's go to the airport baggage claim and get our luggage from the &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;. 
 
3 I was &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133; that the child was repeatedly hitting his father in the face. 4. The gardener was an expert at keeping the owner's lawn well &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;. 
 
5 John had worked at the company for 42 years and received a generous &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133; paycheck when he retired. 
 
6. The table leg was very weak until I added wood for &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;. 
 
7. Eric was tired of people crossing his land and posted a "No &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133; sign. 
 
8. After being so cruel to his dogs, the man was jailed for his &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133; behavior. 
 
9. Joan loves to clean her house and it is &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;. 
 
10. When the eleven year old twins would not stop arguing, their mother decided to &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133; the disagreement. 
 
11. The fog came up so suddenly, it completely &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133; the highway making driving very difficult. 
 
12. When Jim and Judy decided to get married. they both had &#133;&#133;&#133;&#133;&#133; for many months.

Cloze activity 10.

1. Why does the attitude of the shareholders change? 
 
2. If you were given a choice between all expenses paid to move or a severance paycheck, which would you choose? 
 
3. What is your impression of Mr. Jameson's home? 4. How did Mr. Jameson lose his job? 
 
5. Why does Steve decide to sell his company shares to Mr. Jameson? 
 
6. How does Bruce react when Mr. Jameson entered the office together with Steve? 
 
7. Why is Bruce worried about his brother? 
 
8. How does Heather manage to escape the hospital? 
 
9. Why does the bus driver think Heather is being followed? 
 
10. Who does Heather want to punish and why?

Questions 12.

ballots&nbsp;&#151; formal paper for casting votes 
 
severance pay&nbsp;&#151; money given to employee as compensation for the end of job based on length of service. 
 
carousel&nbsp;&#151; a round conveyor belt, especially used at airports for passengers to retrieve their luggage immaculate&nbsp;&#151; clean with no blemish or faults 
 
manicured&nbsp;&#151; cut and groomed with great care 
 
reinforcement&nbsp;&#151; something or someone added for strength and support 
 
trespassing&nbsp;&#151; enter someone's property unlawfully 
 
deleterious&nbsp;&#151; having a harmful or damaging effect on somebody or something 
 
appalled&nbsp;&#151; shocked by something dreadful 
 
mediate&nbsp;&#151; to attempt to settle a dispute between people 
 
engulfed&nbsp;&#151; to overwhelm, surround or cover up completely 
 
"stars in their eyes"&nbsp;&#151; to be extremely happy, to the extent that the person can only focus on the origin of the happiness.

Vocabulary 10.

St. Mary's Mental Institute had originally been started by four nuns in the early 1800's. They observed patients thrown in pits full of snakes or beaten to chase "demons" from their bodies. Being appalled by the treatment, they asked for permission to intercede and improve the conditions. The county was delighted to have this "albatross" removed from its financial responsibility. Originally, the building was far away from the city, but gradually it became engulfed on all sides by various businesses and houses. It was from this institution that Heather escaped. Heather:&nbsp; (muttering to herself as she hides behind trees then races away from the building) People are so dumb&#133; that nurse talking to her boyfriend&#133; not even noticing me go out the door&#133; It'll take her awhile to notice her purse is missing&#133; I thought there might be an alarm&#133; (She hurries down the street and spots a city bus idling at the bus stop. She runs and gets on it.) 
 
Driver:&nbsp; Good evening! That will be two dollars. 
 
Heather:&nbsp; (looking in purse) O.K. Just a minute. (She rummages in the purse. Grinning she hands him a five dollar bill.) 
 
Driver:&nbsp; Sorry, I'm not allowed to handle money. Do you have anything smaller? You need to put the money in this box. 
 
Heather:&nbsp; I don't know. (She looks again and is starting to panic) No, I don't. (She is anxiously looking backwards) Can we just go? (She puts money in the lock box.) 
 
Driver:&nbsp; That's too bad; I hate to see you waste your money. You seem scared, is someone following you? (He closes the door and she sits down.) 
 
Heather:&nbsp; Yes, I think so. (She looks around at the empty bus.) 
 
Driver:&nbsp; Well, don't you worry, you're safe now. (He starts engine and pulls away from curb.) So, you must work at the Institute. 
 
Heather:&nbsp; Yes. Today was my last day. I'm flying to San Francisco tomorrow for a new job. 
 
Driver:&nbsp; Is that right? My wife and I went there on vacation five years ago, beautiful weather. 
 
Heather:&nbsp; How nice! (She rummages through bag again.) 
 
Driver:&nbsp; So what time does your plane leave? 
 
Heather:&nbsp; I'm not sure; sometime in the afternoon. My husband takes care of all those arrangements. 
 
Driver:&nbsp; My Doris does that in our family. She plans our vacations, books the hotel&#133; 
 
Heather:&nbsp; Excuse me, but I have a problem. I've lost the paper my husband gave me with how to get to the airport. He was supposed to pick me up, but the car battery was dead. Could you help me? Should I take a cab or another bus? 
 
At the next bus stop the driver writes down directions for Heather to follow to get to O'Hare Airport. She transfers to another bus, then departs and signals a cab. Once inside, she smirks thinking how easy it is to outwit people. After telling the driver where to go, she opens the wallet and reads the driver's license, looks at the credit cards, and counts the cash. 
 
Heather:&nbsp; (to herself) Hey, "Patricia", let's do a little shopping at the airport. Master Card, Visa, Macy's&#133; and $85 &#133; not too bad&#133; but I'll need to get more. I'll use the cash machine at the airport. First, I need to get a ticket. 
 
Natalie is going to be very sorry that she didn't help me. And Steve&#133; He's to blame for all this trouble. Both of them are going to regret making me suffer! They need to be punished, and then everything will be perfect. (She smiles and looks out the cab window.)

Twists and Turns (4)

Bruce:&nbsp; (Sneering.) So it was a big secret, huh? You'd be surprised about all the secrets I know! (Two security men arrive.) Wait a minute, can we talk about this? (Pleading.) Can we make some kind of a deal? I'll do anything! 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; No, take him to the parking lot. Make sure you watch him drive away. (To Bruce.) If I ever see you on this property again, you'll be arrested for trespassing. Bruce:&nbsp; You'll both regret this! You better watch your backs from now on. 
 
Security:&nbsp; Mr. Jameson, I'll be glad to be a witness that this man threatened both of you; do you want to press charges? 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; (Disgusted.) Just get him out of here. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Wait a moment; I'll press charges against him. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Steve, you wouldn't do that! 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; I changed my mind; I'm bringing charges against him also. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; It won't work. You have to prove I was really going to injure you. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Maybe, maybe not. But I could make sure the police department is real familiar with your name. Someone might even investigate how a man suddenly goes from broke to having thousands of dollars. The IRS might be real curious, too. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; All right. What do you want? 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; (To security men.) Would you please wait outside in the hall? (They go out.) 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Where did you get the money? 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; I told you; I had investments in another company. (He sits down.) 
 
Steve:&nbsp; What is the name of the company? 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; (Squirming.) I forgot. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; You forgot? That's a poor excuse. 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; Maybe he did forget. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; (Very angry and shouting.) You think I'm stupid, don't you! I didn't forget the name of the company; it was Omega! 
 
Steve:&nbsp; (Shocked.) Omega. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Yes, my brother lives in Chicago He said he had an opportunity to make some big money at Omega and just needed $100. He promised to split the profits 50-50 with me. I thought it was just another of his "fly-by-night" ideas, but he started sending me $1000 every week, and then it was $5,000 and more a week. The money just kept pouring in. 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; Didn't you ever wonder if it was illegal? 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Yes, I did, but I really wanted the money! I was tired of being a "nobody." That's when I got the idea to buy shares in this company and become the boss. Then I'd get respect from everyone or they'd be fired! 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; You can't buy people's respect; you have to earn it. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; I know; but it seemed like such a perfect plan and now&#133; 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Now? 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; I'm worried about my brother. None of his friends have seen him. He seems to have disappeared. (Bruce rests his head between his hands in anguish, deeply worried.) 
 
Steve:&nbsp; What are you going to do? (Sympathetically.) 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; I think I should go to Chicago and try to find him. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; And do you need money to do that? 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Yes. (Sheepishly.) 
 
Steve:&nbsp; How about selling Mr. Jameson some of your shares? 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Maybe. (Pauses, considering what to do.) 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Maybe? 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Yes, I'll sell him some of the shares. (Gives a big sigh.) 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; I'll contact a broker to find out what a fair price is. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Thank you. I'll get out of your office now. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Bruce, I hope your brother is all right. 
 
Bruce:&nbsp; Thanks. If you have pen and paper, I'll sign over the shares to you, now. Then you can give me a check tomorrow. 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; I'll leave it with the security guards at the desk. Goodbye and good luck. (Bruce leaves.) 
 
Steve:&nbsp; I kind of feel sorry for the guy. He is actually worried about his brother. I didn't think Bruce had feelings for anyone except himself. 
 
Mr. Jameson:&nbsp; People can really be surprising at times. 
 
Steve's phone rings. 
 
Steve:&nbsp; Excuse me a minute. Hello. Cy! Hey good to hear from you! How was the meeting? (long pause) So it went really well, good! Who called? St. Mary's Institute&#133;warn me? (groans) How in the world did she escape? &#133; (listening to Cy.) You need to keep an eye on Natalie for me! Don't let her go anywhere alone&#133;Not even to the airport! Give me her flight number and I'll meet her when she arrives. I'm really worried about Heather's deleterious actions!

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