The Cypher (4 page)

Thomas looked at the mansion as they waited for the gates to open. Bolswaithe was sweeping the entrance but he turned and waved goodbye as if he knew Thomas was watching.

“Goodnight, Thomas.” the gargoyle intercom said as he passed underneath it, and Thomas closed the car window without answering.

A Doctor’s Visit

About an hour and a half later, the ringer buzzed followed by two loud knocks on the front door. “Please get that, and if they’re salesmen, turn them away” Morgan yelled from upstairs.

Thomas left the book he was reading and peeked through the side window. A man dressed in a long winter coat and a flashy paisley cravat on his neck was standing on the porch. He had a sparse pointy goatee and sported a narrow moustache — the long ends were pulled to the sides and pointed slightly upward. He wore a black top hat, held a cane, and a golden monocle covered his right eye. The man leaned toward the window and Thomas retreated. He was not going to open the door for such a strange-looking man.

After a few moments, a business card was slipped under the door. The logo on the card displayed the same Egyptian eye that Thomas saw on the mansion’s stained-glass window.

“Who is it?” Morgan yelled from upstairs.

“A man called Franco?” Thomas answered. “I think he’s from the mansion. His card says ‘Guardians Inc.’”

Morgan was already wearing his pajama pants, so he only got halfway down the stairs. “Let him in Tom. He’s the boss of the company. The head librarian told me that he likes to make house calls sometimes. Offer him a glass of water. Tell him I’ll be right down.” Morgan climbed up the stairs again.

“He looks really weird, Gramps,” Thomas whispered.

Morgan leaned over the railing with clenched teeth. “Open the door,” he said.

“Okay,” Thomas answered adding a little “jeez” under his breath.

Thomas hesitantly unlocked the bolt and opened the front door, but he purposely left the screen door locked.

Doctor Franco was staring at the street. As he turned to face Thomas, fresh snow fell from his shoulders and top hat.

“You must be Thomas,” Doctor Franco said with a smile. “Is your grandfather home?”

Thomas unlocked the screen door. “Yes. Please come in.”

“Wonderful, I’m Doctor Franco,” he said as he reached for Thomas’s hand and shook it vigorously.

“Grandpa will be down here in a moment. Would you like some…”

The doctor took off his heavy coat and handed it to Thomas. The fabric was cold and powdery snow covered the crevices, and Thomas was sure that snow was hard to come by in the middle of summer in California. Weirder still was the fact that under the heavy winter coat the doctor was wearing a tuxedo.

“A glacier wedding,” the doctor said as he handed Thomas his cane. “Water is fine.” With a swift movement, he removed his hat and collapsed it into a neat little disk before placing it on top of the coat Thomas was holding. “You have a lovely house,” he said. “I’ll wait in the living room…” and he took off as if he knew his way around the house.

Thomas shook his head and dropped the coat on a chair in the kitchen. He tightly held the cane, examining it. It was made of black wood and an intertwined metal serpent ran the length of the cane ending with a serpent’s head at the top.

“The Rod of Asclepius,” he heard Dr. Franco say from the living room. “God of Medicine.”

The mind-reading trick at the mansion annoyed Thomas, and this guy was no different. He placed the cane over the coat and served two glasses of water as slowly as he could. He finished when he heard his grandpa enter the living room and exchange pleasantries with the Doctor.

“I’ll be in my room,” Thomas said after leaving the water on the living room table, trying to make a quick escape.

“No, no, no,” Doctor Franco said. “Don’t go, Thomas. You’ll want to hear this.”

Thomas gritted his teeth and reluctantly sat down beside Grandpa. What did these people want? They were so weird. There was something about this man that he didn’t like, the way he removed his leather gloves, fast, but with the utmost care, pulling them finger by finger, and the way he wiggled in the seat accommodating himself on the cushion.

The doctor twirled his right moustache with two fingers before looking back at grandpa.

He seemed to be a bag of nervous ticks, and Thomas just couldn’t believe he was completely sane.

The doctor flashed Thomas a quizzical look.

“I guess this is about the job?” Morgan asked.

“Yes, Morgan. I rushed back to town once Mrs. Pianova told me about your application and interview. I’ve reviewed it thoroughly, but I’m afraid that the librarian job is not for you.” The Doctor rubbed his hands mischievously and pointed at Thomas. “It’s for him!” he exclaimed. “If you want it, of course.”

Morgan and Thomas exchanged a look of surprise. “Is this some kind of joke?” Morgan said with an edge.

“Whoa! Wait. I haven’t said you’re not hired, Morgan. You are hired, but not as assistant librarian.” He moved his hands so much as he talked that he seemed to be explaining the words with gestures.

“You see, I’m in the habit of making background checks for all my future employees. For example, Morgan, you were in the Marines and received the Purple Heart, then worked in a factory and finished your C.P.A. exam, which allowed you to work in accounting for many companies until your happy retirement. You also suffer from diabetes, mild arthritis, and have a piece of shrapnel lodged in your hip, hence, the Purple Heart and your slight limp. You are seventy two years old, with a firm but also fair character and the constitution of a strong ox.”

Thomas’s mouth was agape. He was astounded at this information. He knew about the medal, but his grandfather had never said anything about a piece of shrapnel in his hip.

The Doctor continued, “You are the perfect candidate for the job of Overseer in Accounting. You will keep all the other employees in check and honest.”

“Uhm…Doctor Franco,” Morgan began, but the Doctor interrupted while enumerating with his right hand.

“Great salary, benefits, three weeks paid vacation a year, and flexible hours. With this job you can secure your and Thomas’s future.” He finished very quickly and extended a hand that Morgan gripped out of reflex.

Thomas wondered how the Doctor had learned so much about his grandfather in less than two hours. Doctor Franco had just told grandpa word-for-word the dream job he had joked about getting weeks before. In that same conversation, Thomas told his grandfather that he would look for a job in a burger joint to pay for his Tae Kwon Do classes.

The doctor turned to Thomas. “And you, Thomas,” he said, “you’re almost sixteen-years-old, intelligent, perceptive, already one grade away from earning your black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and, most importantly, you solved the Atheliol. That alone makes you a perfect candidate for the Assistant Librarian job.”

“What’s an Atheliol?” Morgan asked.

“The puzzle I told you about,” Thomas said.

“Incredibly complex,” the Doctor added. “Most people abandon it after a couple of months, but Thomas solved it in almost record time.”

“And that’s enough qualification?” Morgan shrugged.

“Way more than enough.”

The job as Assistant Librarian was something Thomas had never contemplated. It was supposed to be for his grandfather. It was probably better than flipping burgers and maybe even paid more, though.

“The position I’m offering you, Thomas, could very well be the most incredible job of your life. You’ll learn so much that your previous everyday activities will seem ordinary. The pay is also better than most other jobs for a teenager.” Again, Doctor Franco seemed to read his thoughts.

“We need to think about this,” Morgan said. He glanced at Thomas and knew that face – the furrowed brow, tight lips. Thomas was contemplating and having doubts.

“Of course! Please do,” Franco paused. “The jobs are not contingent upon you both accepting at the same time, but,” he lifted a finger, “it’s so difficult to find qualified candidates for these positions that I’d prefer that you started the same day, meaning tomorrow.”

As soon as the Doctor finished, there was a knock at the door.

The Doctor smiled. “Could you open the door, Thomas? That’s my assistant with some paperwork you’ll need to fill out.” The Doctor motioned with his hands toward the door and Thomas stood up grudgingly.

When he opened the door, an incredibly beautiful blond girl stood there carrying a leather briefcase. Her eyes were the most intense green Thomas had ever seen, and she was just a little taller than him. She was dressed in an elegant black dress and wore a beautiful necklace and bracelet to match, her shiny blond hair reached all the way over her shoulders. He was dumbstruck for a second too long.

“May I?” she asked with a smile.

Thomas recognized her voice and realized that she was the girl who’d answered his first phone call. “Yeah, sure. Come on in,” he blurted.

“This is my assistant, Tasha,” the Doctor said as they stood up to greet her. “Tasha, Morgan and Thomas Byrne.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Tasha said extending a hand which Thomas held for just another second too long.

Thomas could still feel the softness of her hand in his, and he hid it by his leg. Suddenly, he felt that it was him, not them, who was out of place.

He felt awkward, like the Sunday morning in Fullton a couple of years ago when he let out a loud burp only to turn around and find that behind him were his neighbors all prepped-up and ready to go to church.

They all sat down. Tasha pulled out two thick binders and placed them in front of Thomas and Morgan.

“Non-disclosure agreements,” Doctor Franco told them. “Guardians Inc. is a very lucrative company with interests at the forefront of technology throughout the world. We are very protective of our holdings and we like to keep our secrets from falling into the wrong hands.”

“This is a large contract,” Morgan said leafing through the binder. “I don’t sign things without reading them.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to. Keep them, read them, and if you approve, sign them. You can return the paperwork when you get your first paycheck in two weeks,” the Doctor offered. “But I still would like both of you to begin working tomorrow, and if you don’t like what you’ve read or anything about your new job, don’t sign them and you still get to keep the first check. We’ll call it a two-week testing run. Win-win for all.”

“You have a very aggressive hiring policy.” Morgan placed the binder back on the table and crossed his arms.

“I know what I need,” the Doctor said, “and I like what I see. I mean it when I say that you’re both perfect for the jobs, and I need both positions filled as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Thomas tried to keep his eyes away from Tasha, but he was just so taken by her beauty. His eyes constantly fluttered from the binder to her face, and she didn’t make an effort to avert her gaze when their eyes met. She was wearing makeup that emphasized her high cheekbones and glittery, green eyes, but Thomas figured that she was around his same age or maybe two years older at the most.

There might be hope for him.

Morgan placed a hand on Thomas’s arm. “You don’t have to accept if you don’t want to.”

“And you can quit anytime, Thomas. No strings attached,” the Doctor added. “I just ask that you give it a try.”

Thomas doubted that he would like to be an Assistant Librarian and the mansion and Doctor Franco just gave him the creeps. It was all just so out of place, so strangely perfect – an amazing mansion two blocks away from home with not one, but two perfect jobs, and a boss who had come out from a wedding to their house, to hire them in person. It was just a little too perfect.

He was just about to say, “No, thank you,” when he caught a glimpse of Tasha. She was biting her lower lip and interlocked her hands on her lap as if praying for him to accept.

“It’s a great place to work,” Tasha said with a jolt and immediately sat back down on the sofa. “You’ll love it.” She was too pretty, prettier than any other girl he’d ever seen. He’d always had a thing for blond girls, but Tasha was different, her skin glowed and he could swear her green eyes sparkled.

She was perfect.

Morgan gave him a soft nudge with his elbow and a little, almost imperceptible wink of the eye.

“It’s okay,” Thomas said. “I’ll try it.” He was delighted to see that Tasha smiled.

“Excellent!” The Doctor stood up with a jolt. “Since you’re out of school, Thomas, we’ll assign your schedules tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in the mansion. You’ll have a morning shift Morgan, but I’m afraid that Thomas will probably get an afternoon shift. If that’s the case, we’ll let him do his homework in the library so you can have a couple of hours between shifts to eat lunch together.”

Thomas retrieved the Doctor’s cane, coat, and hat. Tasha gave them a courteous goodnight smile as she left the house, the Doctor staying with them a little longer.

Thomas lingered at the door and watched Tasha walk down the driveway. Bolswaithe was leaning on a dark iridescent-blue limo parked in front of the house. A little metallic Guardians Inc. logo was plastered on the passenger door.

Doctor Franco shook Morgan’s hand and leaned toward Thomas. “I don’t need to read minds to know why you took the job Thomas, and I assure you that it’s way better than flipping burgers.” He gave him a mischievous wink as he shook his hand. “You won’t regret it. Have a good night my friends!” He tipped his hat and walked out the front door. As he entered the limo, a reddish neon light lit up under the chassis.