Musings of a Postmodern Vampire

by P. J. Day

  Chapter Two

  Alan and I walked side by side in the wing of the hotel where Ted’s room was located.

  I quickly checked my chest where I made a cut with my razor. There was not even a hint of a laceration; however, there was a small cut on the bottom of my lip, nothing too bad, but I guess I did bite it while I slept. We arrived at Ted’s hotel room door. Alan was right behind me, looking over my shoulder as I inserted the card into the electronic slot. When the green light lit, I opened the door. We both walked into the room and the first thing I saw was Ted’s laptop by the window, which was off, but still plugged into the charger. The laptop’s charge light was orange, shining brightly in the dark room, giving the walls a sickly glow. Alan and I saw a giant lump on the bed; we presumed it was Ted, judging by the size of the bulge.

  “Ted?” I asked, as I gingerly walked toward the bed.

  “Here, let me turn the light on,” said Alan, making his way to the lamp with the simplistic decorative shade, resting next to the LCD television across from the bed.

  As soon as Alan flicked the switch at the base of the lamp, I grabbed the bed sheets that were all bunched together and pulled them right off.

  “Nope,” I said, surprised that the pile of pillows was not Ted.

  “Should we check the bathroom?” Alan nervously asked.

  We both walked into the bathroom and flipped the switch. I could smell Ted’s aftershave as it lay open next to the sink. The shower curtain was completely open. It looked as if it hadn’t been used since we arrived. Alan and I then made our way to the closet. Ted had placed two of his suits on the hangers; both nicer looking than the outfit he had on last night. There were no signs of his cell phone or wallet on any of the desks, dressers, or nightstands that were spread throughout the room. It was apparent that Ted most likely never made it back to his room last night. We both walked out into the hallway and closed the door. Alan grabbed the cell phone out of his jacket pocket and proceeded to dial.

  “Straight to voicemail,” Alan muttered at me, rolled his eyes in frustration and left a message. “Ted, this is Alan. Our meeting is in half an hour. We need you to call us back as soon as possible. I’m with Jack. We are leaving the hotel in 10 minutes.”

  Alan angrily pressed the power button on the top right-hand corner of his phone and placed it back into his jacket pocket. He rubbed his chin, looked extremely pensive, while avoiding eye contact with me.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a young woman pacing quickly toward us from the east wing of the hallway. It was Rebecca, wearing her best business suit. Her hair was flowing with volume; probably wearing contact lenses, she wasn’t wearing the glasses she had on the night before. She stopped a few feet in front of us and with a slight wheeze said, “Our ride... is here.” She bent over slightly and then looked up.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Alan seemed very flustered. The cool, calm, rational demeanor that he so clearly possessed over dinner, was now a victim of one of Ted’s notorious bouts of flakiness. He began pacing back and forth in the hallway like a caged puma.

  “Jack, do you have any idea where he might be?” he asked with evident restlessness.

  “Ted’s missing?” asked Rebecca.

  “I don’t know. The last time we saw each other was early this morning. I went up the elevator to my room and he went to the gift shop to buy some sleeping pills,” I said.

  Alan punched the wall with the bottom of his fist. I didn’t expect a reaction like this from such a well-respected academic.

  “You were supposed to be on top of him, Jack,” he said, as he looked me straight into my eyes, aggressively.

  I took a step back.

  “Alan, calm down. What the hell has gotten into you? It’s okay. We can manage without him for right now,” I said.

  Rebecca, preventing further escalation, stepped in between the both of us. She placed one hand on my chest, and pointed her other index finger at Alan.

  “Let’s take a deep breath, guys. We have five minutes to search for him downstairs; let’s make the most of what little time we have.”

  Alan abruptly turned around and headed toward the elevator. Rebecca chased after him and whispered something in his ear as I lagged behind. We all eventually ended up at the elevator. An awkward silence overtook the spirited camaraderie we’d all gained over dinner last night.

  The elevator doors slowly opened. We walked in, no one saying a single word. The doors closed and I could see Alan’s face reflecting on the metal doors. His face was still as a stone, oblivious to my lack of reflection in the doors. His thin lips remained still. His eyes filled with focus and worry. Rebecca was slightly jittery, flipping her cell phone in her left hand front to back over and over again. I looked straight up at the chromed ceiling; I was invisible.

  I understood their reactions, but my rebellious side slightly reveled in their pain for keeping Ted and me in the dark for such a long time. Alan was beginning to annoy me with his antics. He was acting like a petulant child and I was on the verge of grabbing him by the neck and posting him against a wall somewhere. I wasn’t Ted’s babysitter, and Alan had to understand that this was still my account and that he had no right to think that he led this team.

  “Alan?” I asked, as we walked out of the elevator.

  “What?” he replied, scanning the hotel lobby for any signs of Ted.

  “You need to relax. Ted will show up. It isn’t the end of the world.”

  “How do you know, Jack? You’ve never met with these guys. Rebecca and I have had many meetings with Guangzhou. If we are going to infiltrate the meat of their operations, they need to be buttered to the fullest extent. We need Ted’s linguistic talent,” he said.

  “We don’t need Ted. Believe me, the three of us are more than sufficient. I can do this without Ted,” I said to Alan with a slightly pleading tone.

  I felt it was important to reiterate to Rebecca and Alan that I was more than capable of running the show. This was my account, for God’s sake!

  “He’s kind of right. The account is under Jack’s name,” Rebecca said, turning to Alan and saying aloud just what I was thinking. “Try to lift your foot a little off the gas pedal.”

  She patted Alan on his tense shoulder. He let Rebecca know he was in no mood for physical contact by immediately brushing her hand away.

  Rebecca continued unabated, “If we really are the team you say we are, then you need to trust Jack a little more. Now, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I’m going to check out the last spot Ted was seen last night.”

  She then lightly jogged to the gift shop in hopes of getting any information on Ted’s whereabouts. Alan grabbed his phone from his jacket and motioned toward the exit. A black S-Class Mercedes with tinted windows was waiting right outside the door. “Wait here... keep an eye out for Ted. I’ll be right back,” he said, speed-walking toward the hotel exit.

  I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of Ted. All I saw was a smattering of hotel guests, and a group of eight or ten tall men, most likely an international basketball team. A few of them had real thick mustaches. They were either Turkish or Greek, judging by their olive skin tones. One of them was wearing a walking boot. Ankle sprains must really suck; never had one, so I tried my best to empathize. I gave him a feigned wince as he walked by. He nodded back.

  Looking concerned, Rebecca walked out of the gift shop, her laptop bag over her right shoulder. She came up to me, slightly stammering, “No one working at the counter saw Ted last night. In fact, probably no one saw Ted anywhere last night. What’s the point of running around looking for him?”

  As soon as Rebecca paused in her resignation, Alan ran back toward us, phone in hand. With his face slightly flushed, he said, “We rescheduled for tomorrow night.”

  Rebecca, taken aback at the sudden change in plans, asked Alan, “Are you sure?”

  “I talked to Rald and I spoke to Ji. They are okay with us meeting tomorrow.”

  “Who’s Ji?”
I asked.

  “What? You didn’t read the envelope I left at your doorstep, did you?”

  “Sorry, no I didn’t. I was going to read its contents on the way to our meeting. I’m a fast reader.”

  Alan looked at Rebecca.

  “You see? This is what I’m talking about. Sales guys are always so unprepared.”

  Rebecca gritted her teeth and grimaced.

  “Alan, take it easy, please.”

  She pulled Alan aside and became inaudibly animated in her words. A lot of hand gestures and not a single word loud enough for me to overhear.

  The lights outside lining the sidewalk began to turn on. Each one flickered faintly at first and then snapped into their luminous consistency. The fading sunlight was almost completely obscured by the skyline. This was my favorite time: the transition from day to night. Everyone was still running on all cylinders from a hard day’s work, yet looking forward to a smooth, relaxing evening. The energy at this hour is by far the most addictive. I appreciate humanity more when the sun sets; their carefree natures are on high display. I couldn’t wait to see Holly tonight. In an indirect way, it seemed that my best friend had come through for me once again, giving me a whole night to entertain Holly. I know the guy was safe. He was a big boy. He could take care of himself. He’d turn up. But when? I didn’t have the slightest clue where he had been all night, but I knew that he would return.

  “Jack, you okay?” asked Rebecca.

  Rebecca caught me daydreaming. I was staring off into the Hong Kong skyline. Alan stood behind her, both his hands holding his laptop bag in front of his crotch area. He had a knotted look on his face.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I have this tendency to wander off sometimes,” I said.

  “Jack, listen,” Alan forcefully said, as he approached me. “Tonight, we look for Ted. We don’t go out on the town. You will not go to bed until we find him. If you find him, call me or Rebecca immediately. We all need to have a little chat. This behavior is inexcusable and puts our company in a terrible position; do you understand?”

  Rebecca stood right next to Alan, and immediately mimicked his demeanor.

  “He’s right. We need Ted. Alan and I will look for him. You should, too. We’ll call the police stations around here and you check with hotel security. Let us know if you find him, please.”

  I gave both Alan and Rebecca a plastic smile. I put my hands in my pockets and fiddled with the loose change. I guess I was trying to run all the tension that seemed to begin at my shoulders, that these two had somehow gifted me, through the tiny pieces of metal, which danced at the end of my fingertips.

  “Sure, whatever you say. He’ll turn up. I’ll keep you posted,” I said. They both made an about face and started heading toward the hotel exit.

  “Alan?” I asked loudly. He turned around and looked agitated. There was a sudden primal urge to express myself inappropriately. I felt like saying fuck you; I didn’t. “Good luck,” I lightly bellowed, winking with a smirk. He and Rebecca then kept walking side by side, yammering about who knows what.

  I took a deep breath and turned my head side to side, trying to eliminate all the tension that had overtaken my entire neck. I realized my attire was too business friendly and I feared I would look too stuffy for my date tonight. I quickly began walking to my room to change my outfit when suddenly, I felt the inside pocket of my jacket vibrating. I grabbed my phone and pulled it out. The caller id said private. I answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Jack,” said the voice with a mild German accent.

  “Rald?”

  “Alan told me that Ted is missing. Can you tell me what happened?”

  I was completely taken by surprise that Rald gave me a call, especially since all of my attempts at communication went unanswered. I felt it was an appropriate time to express some of my grievances.

  “Mr. Gerber, I’m at a loss right now. First, you never answered any of my emails, and second, you kept Ted and I in the dark on this whole situation.”

  Rald paused for a few seconds before he addressed my current state of dissatisfaction.

  “Jack, I’m sorry. I really am.”

  “I take immense pride in the work I do for Schnell. In fact, so does Ted, and—”

  “I know,” said Rald, cutting me off mid-sentence. He continued, “Jack, please don’t take it personally. This situation is very sensitive. We are looking at possible EU sanctions on current trade agreements with China... Jack?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you handling this call on a Bluetooth device?”

  “No, why?”

  “Look, at this time I can’t talk to you too much about what we think may be happening. I’m sorry I have not responded to your emails. We should have given you a laptop... a loaner. We can’t have sensitive communication on unsecured devices right now. I will talk to you about everything that is going on when you get back, I promise.”

  “Fine.”

  “In the meantime, please find Ted. We need him. Work closely with Alan and Rebecca.”

  “Okay, will do.”

  “We are depending on you, Jack. Stay on your toes.”

  “Rald, Ted and I are not happy about our treatment.”

  Rald responded in a very paternalistic tone, “Jack, please do not take this situation personally. I promise you, we will talk about this when we can. Right now, it is not the time to discuss such an extremely sensitive situation.”

  I had so many things on my mind that I desperately wanted to express to Rald; however, I did not want to give into Alan’s predisposed idea that Ted and I were possible loose cannons that had the potential of making things worse. I bit my lip, took a deep breath and said, “Goodbye, sir.”

  “Keep up the good work,” Rald said, as he hung the phone.

  I idly stood in the middle of the hotel lobby, staring at my cell phone, reorganizing my thoughts. Should I call Holly and tell her that tonight wouldn’t be a good night? I had to think fast. If I were Ted, where would I be at this very moment? Sightseeing? Jail? On a flight back to L.A.? Dead? The last thought... completely unlikely, I kept telling myself.

  I noticed a security guard by the men’s restroom. An older gentleman, around 50 years of age. He had pepper spray on his tool belt, no handgun. His flashlight was almost as long as his entire thigh; he was quite short.

  “Excuse me, sir?” I asked.

  He stopped where he was going and faced me. He was silent.

  “My colleague has been missing since early this morning. He’s not in his room. Can you help me?”

  The security guard gave me a worried look. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. He pointed to a door next to the front desk. “Speak to my boss. See that door? That is where the head of security works. He knows everyone at Hong Kong P.D. They should help you.”

  “Thank you.”

  I began to walk toward the door when out of nowhere, I heard a flutter in my right ear. I stopped and turned my head to what I thought was the source of the slight buzz. I stared directly at the cafe in the lobby.

  “Psst...”

  I heard it again. I carefully stared at each person’s face that was in the general area of the cafe. Probably around 18 faces. None of them looking at me, except one. Sunglasses, a red beret, a leather jacket, and a familiar pair of slacks with liquor-stained spots was being worn by, what my instincts perceived to be, the culprit. I quickly made my way to the cafe. As I approached the table where the costumed misterioso sat, I took a quick glance at my surroundings, making sure no one was giving me an inquisitive eye or two. I sat down at the table, leaned in, and quietly asked, “Ted?”

  “Shh... keep it down, man,” he said, motioning his right hand at me.

  “What the fuck are you pulling, dude?”

  Ted sighed and shook his head. He then leaned in a couple of inches from my face. I could see the reflection of everyone walking behind us in the lobby on his sunglasses. He opened his lips and hesitated a little be
fore saying a word. Probably predicting an unpleasant reaction from me after saying what he was going to say.

  “I’m not doing this anymore. I’m quitting,” said Ted. He took a sip from his latte, his hand slightly trembling.

  I was about to scream, but I caught myself.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “It’s too late. I already booked a flight. I’m leaving tomorrow night. I’m sorry,” he said, sincerely apologetic.

  I sat back in my chair, crossed my arms, and gave Ted a stern look. I shook my head from left to right like an angry mother who’d just found out her teenaged son had knocked up the trashiest girl on the block.

  “I am taking a job with my cousin’s kayaking company up in Carmel. He’s going to make me a partner,” he said.

  “So, you’re going to take a pay cut... for what? Why?”

  Ted pointed to his blueberry muffin whose top was completely grazed off.

  “You want some?”

  “No... no...” I said, stuttering. “Why are you leaving, Ted? I don’t get you. You have a job many guys your age would kill for.”

  Ted leaned in closer again, his left arm partly smashing the muffin.

  “I don’t want to keep contributing to the downfall of America,” he said in a whisper.

  “Wait a minute.” I slightly chuckled. “Since when you are you so altruistic about your position in life? This is unlike you, man.”

  “I know... I know. I’m not going to lie, part of me wants to take it easy. You know me, I like to fuck around a lot, take the easy road. I’m afraid I’m done; this is it. No turning back.”

  “Are you sure about this? I just got off the phone with Rald. He assured me your job isn’t in jeopardy. Your job will never be in jeopardy, despite your goof-ups. You’re an asset, Ted.”

  Ted grabbed the copy of the USA Today that he had resting on his lap. He opened it up and pointed to an article on the bottom left-hand corner of the page. “See that there?”

  The article read, 40,000 manufacturing plants have moved from the U.S. to China since 2003.