Chapter 4

Joseph slowed his Mercedes as he entered the parking area then stopped. Something was different- black signs with namesprintedon themhad been placed along thelot's wall that now boasted a row of low hedges. He peered closely, wondering who had taken the initiative to spruce up the employee lot and assign parking spaces…and where he would find his spot.

He started at the far end, where he expected to be placed, a generous walk away from the building. Head Chef...Kitchen Supervisor… Maintenance Supervisor…Head of Purchasing…Head of Grounds…Head Butler…he read, creeping forward…Chief of Protocol…Sec. to His RH… Sec. to Her RH… …Head of Housekeeping… Coming to the end of the row, he hit the brakes and stared. His name was on the spot closest to the employee entrance….right next to Miss Parker's fire engine red Mini with the black and gold racing stripes.

He pulled in the space and looked again, just to be sure. Head of Security. After a moment, he got out of his car.

"Good morning, sir!" a nearby squad of maintenance workers called out. Joseph spun around, looking behind him, to see to whom they were speaking. Was the king out for a stroll in the car park? There was no one there. He turned back to find the men watching him, waiting. A man, apparently their foreman, stepped forward, hat in hand.

"Good morning, Mr. Coraza. A fine day, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is," he said, recovering from his surprise. The foreman stepped aside so that he could see newly poured sidewalk through what used to be a path of ever-present mud or dust. "This is looking very impressive."

"Thank you, sir." The foreman beamed. "How are you feeling, sir?"

"Much better, thank you." And he did. The wounds were still painful, but less sharp than before and mild painkillers were adequate. He'd stayed home an extra couple of days at his doctor's insistence, so was ready to get back to work.

He frowned, wondering if he'd missed something before his trip with the king to Ravenstein. Security was routinely notified of any construction work, be it large or small, and he could not recall anything being scheduled for the area behind the palace. The parking lot was a makeshift onesince the old, pavedemployee lot was now the site ofthe palace's new cooling and heating works.

"I didn't realize changes were being planned."

"They weren't, sir. That is, not until three days ago when Miss Parker decided it was necessary."

"Miss Parker? But, she's in charge of housekeeping."

"Yes, sir, that she is," the foreman agreed, nodding his head in complete agreement. His answer did nothing to clear up Joseph's confusion. Miss Parker, it seemed, also worked in mysterious ways.

"At any rate, it's a great improvement," Joseph added as he turned to walk towards a door ten meters beyond the hall entrance, which led directly into the security area. "Your men are doing fine work."

"Thank you, sir! They are at that!" the man replied proudly. Behind him, Joseph heard the scrape of shovels as work resumed.

Freshly laid gravel crunched underfoot in the lot. No more mire on rainy days, he thought, coming to the top of the short steps that led down half a flight to the lower-level room serving as the Security Center.

Despite the embarrassment he'd suffered four days ago, before what must have been half of his and Miss Parker's staff, he was glad to be back at work. Sitting about idle was not easy for Joseph; he preferred to be busy.

Soundlessly, the door swung open and he stepped inside…and blinked at the glare coming off the shiny, white floor.

"Wrong room," he muttered, wondering how he'd made such a mistake. He headed out the way he'd come in.

"Hey, boss!" Shades yelled. "Welcome back!"

He stopped, halfway out the door, and looked across the room to where Shades stood. The younger man grinned.

"You're looking a whole lot better," Shades said. He waved a hand broadly, taking in the whole room. "Big difference, huh?"

Joseph let the door fall shut behind him and surveyed the expanse of white, spotless flooring. "Yes…yes, it is."

Then, his gaze swept around the room itself. To his right, a new pair of wooden cabinets stood where the older, bent metal shelving had leaned tiredly against the wall.

In the center of the room was a large worktable with a dozen padded chairs neatly around it. A sleek, new computer table had replaced the peeling laminate desk, with its uneven legs and stuck drawers.

Across the room was…nothing.

"My bed's gone." Joseph went to stand where the bales of toilet paper had been. On the wall hung a huge corkboard next to an even larger dry-erase board.

"No, it's not," Shades laughed. "Come see what else is new."

A bit dazed, Joseph followed the younger man into the hallway. Shades grinned and flung open the first door on the left then stepped aside. "Our new storage room."

Empty shelves lined the walls- no cans of wax or polish, no jugs of disinfectant, no boxes of extra mop heads.

"I guess I'd better get busy and order equipment to put in here," Joseph said, the corner of his mouth starting to lift.

"Other rooms are almost empty, too. A shower's being installed in the utility closet and all fixtures in the john hasbeen replaced. We don't have to keep a coffee can under the sink to catch the leaks anymore. Also, there's a set of weights and other equipment in the room at the end of the hall. We didn't unpack them- thought it best to wait until the carpet's been installed."

"Carpet?"

"Yeah. There's enough room we can put down mats and do some hand to hand training, too."

"This is…incredible."

"Wait till you see this!" With a flourish, Shades opened the first door to their right and waved his hand grandly for Joseph to enter. "Your office."

Unable to hide his amazement, Joseph stood, hands on hips, in the middle of the room and stared. Along the wall to his right was a desk, his laptop plugged in and ready for use. In front of him was a low dresser topped by a lamp, phone, and clock radio. To his left was a single bed, the thick blanket stretched tight enough to bounce a coin on, and a floor to ceiling bookcase at its foot. Under his feet lay a multicolored woven rug.

"How did this happen?"

"Miss Parker."

Joseph looked sharply at the younger man. "Miss Parker? Last I recall she was ready to hang me."

"Well, apparently not." Shades leaned his hip against Joseph's desk and crossed his arms."The morning after you left, Miss Parker breezed in here with a squad of workers and within twenty-four hours had the room emptied, cleaned, and painted. The next day, the floors were stripped then polished and sealed. By last night, she had the furniture in place and the new phone lines in- we have five now."

Joseph whistled and shook his head in admiration. Miss Parker was certainly someone he wanted to have on his side, and perhaps now- by some miracle- he did. One could, at the very least,hope.

As he turned to leave, he noticed something in the shadowed corner, next to his dresser, behind the wastebasket. Curious, he crossed the room and picked it up.

It was a thick, sturdy cane….from Miss Parker.

Short, I know, but I wanted to get this story going again. I have a couple more scenes to write, then the rest is pretty much already on paper. It should go faster, then.