The Reluctant Assistant - Book One

Tradition Part 17

"Junior!" Jackson barked over the intercom.

"Mr. Dealer?" This was going to be his first trial alone with Jackson. He was so nervous he could hardly breathe, but he'd studied all the files, written down all the instructions until he felt confident he wouldn't get fired.

"Where's Cook?" he asked, surprised that Raymond hadn't been in the whole day.

"Eh, well he has taken the week off, sir. He mentioned it a while ago." This was going well so far, Glenn thought, letting out a slow breath.

"Hmm, he must have forgotten to mention it to me." Jackson pondered for a second. Cook always seemed to disappear every year around this time. He never asked for any personal days, but he always took a week once a year. Jackson had asked him why once, and he'd said it was a family reunion. 

"Find him for me Junior!" Jackson said on a whim. Maybe he could brighten up the reunion for Cook and they could spend some time away together.

Glenn froze. What was he supposed to do now? It's only his first day alone and he had to start making difficult choices. This time however, no matter which side he chose, he was really fired.

"Excuse me?" he asked, wanting to make sure that he'd heard Jackson correctly.

"Find Cook for me! I want to know exactly where he is!" Jackson sat watching as Glenn stood stuck to the spot, a moral dilemma going on in his head.

"Eh-em, that's impossible sir. He asked not to be disturbed." Glenn knew that he really didn't want to get involved in this. 

"Junior, find me Cook and get the driver to take me there. It can't be that hard, can it?" he was about to loose his cool with Glenn. By now Raymond would have had a full file with the person's full personal history and blood type. "Now Junior!" he snapped, watching Glenn leave the office flustered.

"M... Mr. Dealer?" Glenn stood uncertainly before Jackson. He had spent the last few minutes debating on whether he should give Raymond's current location. He had said it was only for extreme emergencies.

"I assume you have good news for me?" he turned to look at Glenn

"Mr. Dealer, sir. Unfortunately, I'm unable to provide you with that information at the moment." he was taking deep breaths, so that he didn't start hyperventilating. He'd just lied to Jackson Dealer, who could have his head on a stake in seconds, but on the other side, there was Raymond, who was the real threat. Everybody at the company liked him because he's always so friendly, calm and quiet, and generally a nice guy to be around, but at the same time everybody knew that if you crossed him, your days were numbered. In the short time Glenn had been working with Raymond, he realized Raymond had much more control and influence over the inner happenings of the company, than he would lead on. 

"Junior, you're not telling me what I want to hear!" Jackson snapped at him. He sounded like Cook in robot mode. "Remember, Cook isn't here to protect you," he threatened, letting his death sentence hang in the air.

Glenn was processing his options very fast. He knew that Jackson would make good on his promise, but he'd also promised Raymond to keep it secret. Save my job or save the nice guy who will probably give me my job back...

"I'm sorry sir, he can't be reached." Glenn didn't want to look into Jackson's eyes, instead he fixed them on a framed note that Jackson was holding in his hand.

"I'm going to kill you myself, Junior!" he roared. "Tell me where he is now or I'll make you drive me there yourself." Jackson threatened, knowing that Glenn would fear Raymond more than him. Figures, he thought to himself, he holds the title while Raymond holds all the power. Realizing this, he felt the urge to see Raymond grow stronger. "I won't be able to protect you then. You know what he's like when he's unhappy with staff." Jackson prodded, knowing that Glenn wouldn't want to face Raymond in an angry state.