Chapter 5 NOW IT BEGINS...
ELIAS WOKE UP the next day completely broke. He had just spent his last money at the overnight motel. After brushing and dressing up in the same clothes as last night, he took a walk to the bank, crossing his fingers that his advance payment had been made.
"How may I help you?" The cashier said without looking up from her screen.
"I want to check my balance," He replied.
She took another second before asking for his account number, which he provided. After another long minute, her back stiffened and her eyes slowly rose to look at him.
"Well?" Elias asked.
"I'm sorry, sir," she said, standing up and reaching for a phone. "I have to alert the manager."
"The manager? For what?"
She had already pressed a button and was speaking into the phone. They were already attracting glances from surrounding people. In a few seconds, a short pudgy man waddled down the stairs. He took one look at Elias and another look at the cashier's screen before he gave Elias a toothy grin and said, "Hello sir, if you will be king enough to come with me."
"What is going on?" Elias asked, unmoving.
"Please sir, just come with me."
Elias was already at his wits end, but he followed the manager up the stairs and into a beautifully decorated office. "Please, take a seat."
The frown was still on Elias's as he sat down.
"Can I pour your a drink?" The manager asked.
"What is this all about?" Elias snapped.
"Oh, this is how we treat our big customers," The manager said. "You received a huge sum of $200,000 last night. That puts you in the upper echelon of our customers..."
Elias breathed. The relief he felt did not show on his face as he smiled.
"But i have to confirm something... to make sure this is not a case of fraud, or mistaken transfer," the manager said. "Were you expecting this money?"
Elias nodded.
"From who?"
"The Bellamy medical research Center," Elias answered. The manager nodded and smiled wider. "You are correct." Ue typed into his desktop before looking at Elias and saying, "The money has been cleared for withdrawal." He handed a gold to Elias as he stood up. "Congratulations, sir."
Elias nodded once and accepted the card. He fingered the texture of the card, enjoying the premium feel. "Thank you." He accepted the handshake and then walked out of the bank, ignoring the eyes that followed him through the lobby. The gossip had already begun to spread.
As Elias stood outside, under the morning sun, he wondered what to do. Yesterday, he was a new ex-convict with nothing to his name, betrayed by his wife and poor, and today, he is $200,000 richer with a contract with the biggest medical center in the country. He smiled at himself and went to get what to eat.
THE RESUMPTION DATE came in a flash, and Elias was ready.
Dressed in an oxblood colored Italian three piece suit, a pair of black brogue shoes, a dangling gold clock watch from his pocket and a perfume that announced his arrival before he came, as soon as he opened the door to the lobby, heads turned and the hall quietened for half a second.
"There you are," Harper's voice made him turn around sharply. He noted the way her eyes widened in surprise, because she disguised the look. "You are getting quite late, you have a board meeting this morning. Come."
Elias fell into a step beside her.
"I see you used the advance well, Doctor Barton," she said, hiding a smile.
"I did," Elias nodded. "This meeting... what is it about?"
"The board members always vet a person before he is employed here," Harper explained as they got into an elevator. "But since my father used his veto power to overrule that in your case, this meeting is more like an introduction."
Elias nodded.
"Just play it cool," Harper said. "They're mostly all bark without any bite."
"You seemed very against your father’s decision a few days ago," Elias said. "What changed?"
She gave him a grim smile and said, "i thought about what you said. Most of the new young doctors we emply here even after all their certificates would not have been able to save my father like you did... Thank you."
Their eyes met and locked for some seconds, then the elevator stopped. "We are here. Come." She took his hand and led him down the hallway.
The door opened to reveal a large room. There were twelve people in there, including Doctor Marcus, who had been saying something but stopped mid-sentence. His eyes darkened with anger at Elias's interruption. "And there is our newest member, Elias Barton."
There was a range of mixed emotions. Some people smiled, welcoming, some other's faces reflected the same look on Marcus's, while others were indifferent.
"Doctor Elias Barton," A man said, standing up. "You are welcome. We heard what you did for the chairman. I would love to know what technique you used and -"
"Doctor?" Marcus snarled. "He has not shown us any certificate that signifies that he is a doctor..."
"Doctor Marcus..." Harper cautioned. "I would advise you to stop now..."
Marcus looked at Harper. "I think we should all know." He said. He pointed a finger at Elias and finished with, "That he is an ex-convict from Fathom's Gate."
The silence that clouded the room was enough to suffocate a person as all pale faces turned to look at Elias.
