Chapter Ten – The Accident
Sly jumped slightly as the intercom on her desk buzzed. She had been so engrossed in the folder lying in front of her that she had zoned out on everything else.
Her perfectly manicured fingernail reached for the intercom button. "Yes, J.R?" she said.
"Have you gotten hold of him?" he asked impatiently. J.R was referring to the mysterious caller that had pestered him with irregular intervals since the explosions on the Ravensmith oilfield incident.
"No, sir, I've had no such luck. However, you have several incoming calls from the press about the so called accident," she offered.
"I don't want to talk to them. I don't want to talk to anyone. Take all my incoming calls for me. I'll be busy for a while and I don't want to be disturbed," he finished shortly.
His secretary frowned. "I'll do that J.R," she assured and was about to end the connection when he suddenly spoke up again.
"Have you heard anything from my brother?" he asked, a little softer this time.
She glanced over at Phyllis who shook her head slightly. "No, he hasn't called the office, should I try and reach him for you?" she asked curiously.
"No, that's all right," he replied.
Phyllis gave her fellow secretary a dry smile. "Well, he's his usual charming self," she said dryly.
Sly rolled her eyes and sighed. "You know, Phyllis, there is something going on but I can't put my finger on it," Sly replied thoughtfully.
OOOOO
Angrily J.R hastily got up from his chair and walked over to the small collection of whiskey, liquor and scotch that he usually kept at the back of the room. He grabbed one of the finest bottles of whiskey and poured himself a glass. He raised the expensive glass and studied the golden content for a while, contemplating his next move. He had his suspicions when it came to the mysterious caller, maybe it was time to act.
Emptying the glass in one single motion he put it down with a thud and strode over to his desk. He opened the upper desk drawer and rummaged through various documents and other papers until he found what he was looking for. A faint half-devilish smile threatened to break his otherwise serious façade as he retrieved a business card. J.R sat down in his chair and reached for the phone to dial a number.
"Hello?" a suspicious voice said at the other end.
"Hello; give me Mr. McKenzie, please," J.R said politely.
"I'm afraid that, Mr. McKenzie is a very busy man…" the voice began.
J.R chuckled but when he spoke again, his voice was as cold as ice. "He knows who I am," he said forcefully.
"Hello, Mr. Ewing, what can I do for you?" a new voice asked slightly amused.
"McKenzie, stop threatening me and my family, you won't get away with it!" J.R replied angrily.
"Mr. Ewing, I really have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds like someone is playing with you," McKenzie drawled.
"Don't give me that crap. I know it was you and I know you blew that field!" J.R said icily.
"If you're so sure about that, why don't you go to the police?" his former business associate asked calmly. "Oh, that's right, you can't. They'll find out about your shady oversea business," McKenzie replied mockingly.
"What do you want, McKenzie?" J.R demanded, in no mood for games.
"You know what I want, J.R, just make sure I get it," he answered.
J.R stared at the phone as the call terminated, and then slammed it down in its holder. He took a deep breath, in order to keep himself calm, before pushing the intercom.
"Sly. Call Mr. Haines for me," he said, not waiting to get a reply.
OOOOO
Pam sighed and got in behind the wheel of her Porsche. She was still a bit bewildered about her brother's request. Now wasn't a good time to pull money from her accounts and especially not if anyone found out they would be helping Cliff with something that could potentially threaten Ewing Oil. Everything was so good between her and Bobby now and she didn't want anything to change that. When he had gotten hurt in that explosion she had come to realize what a fool she had been. She had had a wonderful husband waiting for her all the time while she couldn't make up her mind about the important things in her life. He could have died out there without knowing how much she really loved him and Christopher. A sudden feeling of unease crept over her as she thought back on the envelope but she forced herself to think happy thoughts. She refused to let anything more happen to Bobby. Pam started the engine and pulled the automatic gear heading for Southfork, not aware of the black sedan following her from a distance.
OOOOO
"Hello, Mr. Krebbs," Sly greeted a bit surprised as Ray stormed into the office.
"Hello, Sly, Phyllis," he acknowledged with a forced politeness. "Where is J.R?" he demanded.
"He's in his office, but he didn't want to be disturbed," Sly cautioned as he started for his brother's office.
"Well, if it's better for you. I'll pretend I never heard you say that," Ray muttered and stomped into J.R's office.
J.R glanced up from the stack of papers lying on his desk with a cunning smile on his face. "Well, I wondered what the commotion was all about," he said slyly.
Ray glared at him and reached deep into his pocket to retrieve a black envelope. He threw it nonchalantly on J.R's desk.
His half-brother frowned, pretending to look innocent. "Ray, what's this?" he asked.
"Don't give me that, J.R, you know damn well what it is," Ray snapped.
"Okay," he mumbled as he unfolded the letter to read the message. "I know your routine, take care of your family for it has betrayed me", he finished and put it down.
Ray crossed his arms over his chest and waited expectantly for his half-brother to say something.
J.R made a face and appeared uninterested. "Ray, someone is obviously holding a grudge against you, but I don't see how I fit into all this?" he said.
"Whose toes have you stepped on now J.R? I know you've made some shady deals in the past but this time you seem to have outdone yourself. Frankly, I don't care if he wants to get even with you but when it comes to involving the entire family…," Ray said in a low and dangerous voice.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Stepping into my office, accusing me of illegal business! I remember when you where just a ranch hand and called me, Sir," J.R replied through clenched teeth.
Ignoring the harsh remark, Ray glared accusingly at J.R. "I had a talk with Pam a couple of days ago. About a man handing her and Sue Ellen a black envelope, identical to this one," he said and pointed at the one sitting on top of J.R's desk.
J.R leaned back comfortably in his chair, his expression devoid of any emotions.
"Listen, J.R, I don't care as long as the rest of us aren't dragged along. Does Bobby know about this?" Ray pressed.
"If Pam hasn't told him, I don't see how he possibly could. And I assure you, I know as much as you do about this," he said confidently
"I bet you do, J.R," Ray said sarcastically and turned on his heels to exit the office.
OOOOO
Phyllis and Sly glanced up as Ray quickly walked passed them, and headed for the elevators.
Kendall walked up to them, turning around to stare at the elevator Ray had just entered.
"What's going on?" she asked softly.
OOOOO
/To be continued