Unnamed Story Ch.1

Chapter 1

         Billy Callaway stepped into the office fifteen minutes late, a new personal record. His usual best was twenty. It was for this and several other reasons that Billy was not particularly popular with the management of The Freeway Daily, the city of Freeway’s most popular, if not most successful newspaper.
         The Daily focused mostly on the information that was glossed over by the more acclaimed papers, preferring to look at all of the angles, not just the ones that made the subject look good. Needless to say, The Daily was not popular with the suits and elected officials of the city. Dennis Gordon, the chief editor, was proud of the reputation his paper had earned. He believed that the press’s job was to inform the people of the truth, not molly-coddle them with the same old news with a new label. Billy liked that about Gordon, and always thought highly about him for it. Even though he was a rough and demanding man, Billy thought that he would make a good public figure with his priorities in line.
         Billy weaved his way through the cubicles, returning the greetings from his fellow employees while trying not to drop the mess of paper he held in his arms. He had been working hard on a piece and had arranged a meeting with Gordon and of course, he had overslept. After a hurried shower, no breakfast, and a scurried compilation of his work, Billy had hopped into his Alero and sped to the office.
         He reached Gordon’s office door, and his secretary, Janice Walker, was there as usual.
         “Late again, Bill?” she said with a coy smile. Her bright face and flirtatious manner were some of the main reasons Billy still put up with dealing with Gordon, aside from his tremendous respect for the man.
         “Uh, yeah… you know how it is….” he replied. “Those who are late are those who work hardest.”
         Janice laughed. “Or just those who like their sleep” she said. She pushed a button on her intercom, buzzing Gordon. “Mr. Gordon, one William Callaway here to see you. Should I let him in?” An angry tone was all the response that came from the intercom, and Janice gave Billy a look that said both “I’m sorry” and “Your fault”. Billy took a deep breath, gave himself a mental nod, and stepped into the office.
         Dennis Gordon was sitting in his lavish swivel chair, facing out through the glass wall to the city. Billy closed the door, careful not to let it slam behind him. When Gordon was like this, it was usually a good idea not to do anything to further upset him. He stood in place and waited for Gordon to speak. Gordon began slowly swiveling his char back and forth, suggesting deep thought. When he finally spoke, he did so in a voice that suggested not anger, but impatience.
         “Billy,” he said, “how long have you been contributing to this paper?”
         Billy, caught off guard, could only respond “…well, uh… about a year now, right?”
         Gordon continued “And over this year, have I given you anything but opportunity and a considerable pay for freelance?”
         “Well, no sir,” was all Billy could say. He thought he knew where this was going. Gordon finally turned around, revealing the grizzled press veteran’s irritated face set in a frown.
         “Then please, please, explain to me why when you arrange a meeting with me for nine p.m. sharp, you get here at quarter after?” he said.
         Billy set his papers down on the desk and began the speech he had thought up on the drive in. “Well Mr. Gordon, I was up all night working on the Malovexin story, and I kinda fell asleep while typing, so this morning I…”
         “Billy,” Gordon interjected, “I don’t need an explanation. I hired you because I like your work, and more importantly, I like you. You’re a good kid with a good head on his shoulders, but you gotta get your shit together. This isn’t school. This is a professional paper with standards and expectations, and as an employee, I expect you to meet them, and that includes getting here when I expect you to get her. Got it?”
         Billy looked at Gordon, and a surge of emotion welled within him. This was a speech he had not expected. It was not angry or scalding, instead more fatherly. He suddenly felt bad about all the times he had done this to Gordon, and resolved to follow the advice he had just been given.
         “Yes sir,” he said. “I’m sorry. I’ll do my best not to let you down again.”
         “Ok then,” Gordon said, and the air in the room noticeably relaxed. “So you said you were working on the Malovexin story? Didn’t Harber wrap that up last week?”
         “Well, the cover story, yes,” Billy said, while pulling out several of the papers he needed. “But I went deeper, did some research, and I might have uncovered something about this guy.” “Like what?” “Well, he seems to be just another profitable foreign businessman looking to invest in Freeway’s growth, but there’s something about the way his deal with the Mayor was proposed that just caught me as strange. See what I’m getting at?”
         Gordon seemed to consider it for a moment. “And what exactly do you suspect him off? Fraud, corporate espionage, murder, what?”
         “well, nothing like that, sir,” said Billy. “But I looked into his past business deals, and there’s hardly anything on record that could have garnered him that much capital. A few construction deals and a patent issue, but nothing else.”
         “So what, you got something against this guy?” asked Gordon.
         “No, but I just thought it was worth looking into.” Billy replied. Gordon looked through some of the papers, sighed, and waved Billy on. “Well, you do what you gotta do. Just make it good, whatever it is. You know I don’t print conspiracy theories.”
         Billy smiled and gathered up his papers. “Don’t worry sir, I’ll fact check everything. I’ll be in tomorrow when I’ve finished this up.”
         Gordon nodded. “Alright, Billy. See ya then. And remember what I said.” Billy nodded, and walked out of the office.