The Vampire (THE VAMPIRE Book 1) (10 page)

“It could be much more severe. Depending on the exact circumstances.” Cader continued to avoid eye contact, as did Augere.

Jail?
Jason wondered.
Damn. Well, they are lawyers. It makes sense they would prosecute. To the fullest extent. They have an obligation to protect their client
.

“I do not intend to violate this. So I am okay with it.”

Cader looked him directly in the eyes then.

“You do understand? No one. Not your closest family; not priest; not lover. Not any authority, doctor, lawyer or anyone of that nature outside of this arrangement. Absolutely no one. This matter is of the utmost seriousness. Many people look at this and think ‘this is not a problem. I totally understand.’ But then they don’t. They feel it is okay to share just a little private information. Which means they could end up putting themselves, and the person they told, in great danger. We need that to be very clear.”

Jason looked at both of them. And both were looking at him steadily now with the same impassive expressions.

“I will remain mindful of that. It is not my intention to violate anyone’s privacy.”

A long pause hung in the room. Cader looked at Augere. Augere glanced away with a heavy sigh. Then he nodded once. “All right,” Cader stated. “If you will sign where it is indicated and then date it, we will do the same.”

Jason signed, then Cader, then Augere. The paper was taken up by Cader before Jason could catch Augere’s full name.
Well
. Jason smiled to himself, nearly laughing.
His full name is safe. I still have no idea who I’m really working for
. Cader departed.
Is he the Boston branch of the family?
Jason wondered. Were there others nearby? No one had ever said if there was a Boston office; perhaps there was.

Augere had some errands for him then. He was to get the car’s oil changed. And to pick up some ink for his fountain pens from a shop on Bromfield Street. Those tasks would take maybe two to three hours at most. Jason nodded. Then business was concluded it seemed, probably until next week. Jason sighed heavily as he exited the library. As he made his way to the garage, he suddenly thought,
I didn’t ask him about the cable TV. Or if I am supposed to remain close to home, always, in case he calls? I meant to ask him the rules. Damn
.

Over the weekend Jason gave some serious thought as to how he should spend all of this free time. He needed to be productive; to be doing something meaningful. The new job meant a lot of freedom, but it seemed to come with its own form of limitations too. He restlessly roamed the large house still getting used to his new environment. He needed to redefine his own needs and priorities but his attention was often diverted by Augere. He witnessed a strange encounter late Sunday evening when entering the library to return a DVD and select another.

He had entered the library not expecting to find Augere present as the room looked dark as he approached. A single candle flickering on Augere’s desk made him pause at the doorway.

Augere sat at the desk with his head in his hands. He did not look up as Jason, suddenly worried, approached him.

“I called out to him,” Jason explained to Genier the following morning when Genier made his routine phone call to see how things were going. “But I guess he didn’t hear me. So I went a little further into the room and I called out his name again and he still didn’t look up. But then he just said ‘Go. Leave me alone.’ Well, I just stood there for a few moments, feeling unsure. I didn’t really want to leave him alone. I thought maybe something terrible had happened, some tragedy and I wanted to be of help to him. I didn’t know what I should do. But then I just left him. I didn’t feel good about doing that. And now I still don’t know if he is really okay…Do you think I should go and check on him now? I’m kind of worried because I haven’t seen him since—”

“This happened… on Sunday?…you said—oh…wait…that was May 23rd. Damn…I cannot believe I forgot.” Genier sighed heavily. “No. Don’t bother him. He will be okay, Jason. I’ll call him as soon as we conclude our call. Thank you for telling me though. How are things going for you, otherwise?”

“Well, okay I guess. I’m a little unsure of what is expected of me though. I rarely see him, and when I do it is so brief. He gave me a phone so he can contact me, but he never does. He sent me on a few errands—do you happen to know—am I expected to stay close to the house at all times? What kind of response time does he expect, if he does call? I’m hesitant to go too far away or for too long. Oh, and the cable—I bought a new TV, but there is no cable connection. None. It just seems really odd. Is there some reason he is against having TV? Or is it just cable?”

“He pretty much hates TV. But I will talk to him about getting cable. He will permit it but you will have to call them to get it set up; and it would have to come out of your personal expenses.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Understood. I will pay for it, or at least until I finally cut the cable cord for good.”

“As for the response time, if you are going to be at some distance away, just let him know that ahead of time. Normally I think five to ten minutes to return the call and thirty minutes is a fair response time to arrive. Are you having any other issues?”

“No, not problems. Except, well, he seems to—well, not avoid me, exactly. I guess I don’t know quite what I expected. It is not like I thought I would be an—a companion—really, but I thought I would see more of him, more regularly. He says very little to me. He is very distant. I was starting to think maybe he was regretting hiring me.”

“He normally displays great economy with words. He doesn’t do well with small talk; it makes him uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to ask him questions though; he expects it. Or you can always call and ask me; I am often a sort of mediator between him and others. I think he is just giving you some space and time to get adjusted. I realize there is a lot of down time, if you want to call it that. Now you can see why, in the screening process, we were focused on how people spend their leisure time. Boredom can push people to unpleasant extremes sometimes…actually he seems quite pleased with you.”

“He does? He said that?”

“Yes. When I spoke to him last week he said you were quiet and respectful of his home. He said you seem content. And that you are doing well.”

“I
am
content. I’m glad to hear he thinks I’m doing okay; maybe I just needed that encouragement.”

“Has he you given you any kind of schedule yet?”

“Schedule? No.”

“That’s odd. Because he told me then he was thinking of letting you have two hours off each Sunday, but only to go to church; and it has to be the church closest to home, regardless of the denomination, so you can be right back again.”

“What?…church…?” Jason had no interest in any church.

Genier burst into a friendly laugh.

“Are you saying it was a joke?…So he does have a sense of humor!”

“Oh, yes. A very dry and very wicked one.”

“He seems so serious all the time.”

“The seriousness is when he can be at his funniest. It takes him a while to feel comfortable with others; he is usually awkward with new people. Give it some time and give him some space. He has to adjust also.”

“I will. And thank you Mr. Genier. I really appreciate the comments and you calling me to see how things are going.”

“I will check in with you regularly. I talk to him nearly every day also. Feel free to call me if you need anything or if there are any problems or concerns. Our office is available to you.”

A weight lifted off Jason’s shoulders. His instincts about Genier had been right on. He was glad to have him as a resource. There was something calming and reassuring about him, in both his voice and his manner. Although, occasionally, Jason admitted, he still had some suspicions all was not as it seemed. He still kept expecting that “I knew it!” moment, when the façade would drop and the true situation would be revealed, their clandestine and nefarious plan finally exposed. Then he laughed at himself, at his imagination. He was still bothered by occasional dark thoughts that he tried to banish. It was just his nature to be suspicious at times. In his more paranoid moments, he considered the possibility that maybe the screening criteria had been specifically tailored to him; even the part about his brother’s occupation getting in the way and risking him getting disqualified. It could have been just a clever tactic—to make him think he had nearly missed out. But then, it was all quickly resolved. As if it had been planned that way all along. Wouldn’t he be relieved and grateful then he had somehow managed to get around that? Wouldn’t he then be flattered to be selected? To have somehow met all of those expectations? Wouldn’t he have been more willing then, to accept the position? What were the odds of all of it happening just as it had? Even meeting Augere… But then, he reminded himself, he had not accepted right away. He had resisted, even after getting the good news he had nearly called Genier several times even after he had accepted, to say he’d changed his mind. He really had deliberated a long time; he had definitely vacillated, just like they knew he would. He still felt an occasional chill about the whole thing. An instinctive pulling away from all of it, a vague need for self-preservation. But where had there been harm, really? And so he had decided finally. And it had felt like exactly like the right thing to do then. He was glad he was here now.

Jason shook off the paranoid thoughts. He liked Mr. Genier. And he liked Mr. Augere too. He wanted to get to know Augere even better; he wished for the two of them to feel comfortable with each other. He wanted this arrangement to work out, wanted to have a pleasant working agreement for both of them.

With so much free time on his hands, and little else to distract him, he turned his attention to further speculations about Augere. Damn. He had forgotten to ask Genier what Augere’s full name was. Maybe he could do more research online. “Or, I could just ask him.” He laughed.

There were records of modern day Augers—pronounced oh-zhay. But the spelling and pronunciation of “oh-zhair” with the extra “e” was rather rare, nearly nonexistent… Somehow the descendant, the present day Augere, had connected, or perhaps reconnected, with the Genier family, who had served his ancestors as far back as the 1850s, at least. The lineage couldn’t be traced exactly, not through succeeding Augeres for some reason, but the sense of loyalty still seemed intact: the present day Augere could have sought out the Genier family, and maybe traveled all the way to New Orleans to resume a business tie with them. But then—Augere had a slight southern accent too. So maybe he hadn’t gone that far to seek them after all. He hoped to be able to trace the lineage of the Augere’s as well as he had been able to find details about so many generations of Geniers. He found it interesting the two families had maintained business interests for so many decades; more than a century, actually. It was a rather unique situation.

At times his feelings about his new role changed with his mood. It seemed like he really wasn’t needed here. He made a lot of money for doing nothing. There had to be a catch somewhere. Other days, he laughed at those fears and at his insecurities.
Of course this feels weird—you have never had freedom like this before. You’ve only known enslavement of one kind or another. Enjoy what you have in front of you. Don’t question all of it so much
.

At the next Thursday morning meeting, Augere brought up the subject stating it was okay “to obtain the services of the cable if you must.”

Jason thanked him. “Do you want the library wired also? Or, I guess I should say, do you mind if I do so?”

Augere seemed ambivalent, but he reluctantly agreed to it.

That was the only business of the day and Jason was dismissed. But he lingered.

“I was wondering, Mr. Augere—about that two hours off on Sundays? I did find an Armenian church in the neighborhood. I won’t be able to understand a thing that is going on; it appears the service is to be fully conducted in Armenian. But I don’t really care so I guess it doesn’t matter. Do you think that would be okay, if I attend? To get those two hours off?”

Augere would not make eye contact, but he appeared to be struggling to suppress a laugh. After a moment he managed to softly utter “Genier” as he shook his head. Then with a serious, newly composed expression he looked up and said quietly, “I need to give this matter some more thought.”

Jason was enjoying this—it was totally worth it—just to see the hint of humor and amusement in the violet blue eyes.

Jason nodded with an expression of exaggerated solemnity and made a small bow, “Very well, sir.” And then he left the library.

Chapter 5

June

Sloth. Jason felt like he was becoming the very definition of the word. He was sleeping and eating too much. He needed focus; activity; he needed a project of some kind.

June, and much warmer weather, finally arrived. After surveying the patio—which Augere called the courtyard—at great length one day, and seeing all of its possibilities, Jason got the okay from Augere to do some landscaping. Actually, that meant he got to pick out some things and have them installed as long as Augere had final approval.

They now had several lounge chairs; a table with an umbrella and several more chairs; a small shed discreetly hidden behind several newly placed ornamental trees; several large container gardens for both flowers and vegetables; a small fountain, which added the soothing sounds of water running over smooth stones to the peaceful oasis, and next to that a small pond, landscaped with lots of greenery, where several fish now took up residence.

And they had a free standing fire pit for cooler evenings. Jason began to spend long afternoons and a few late evenings out there, enjoying a beverage and reading by tiki torches or candlelight. The late summer nights with their delicate soft breezes enticed Jason out more and more frequently, but Augere never joined him, much to Jason’s dismay. Conversation, such as there was, remained brief and infrequent.
We will never begin to feel more comfortable in each other’s presence at this rate
.