Stephen closed up the back of the UHaul and began to drive it to the dealer and thought about his life. As difficult as the last 18 months had been, he was glad to finally be making a new start in a new town, with a new job. After his wife of 21 years passed away, he found himself with no ties to New York and decided to try somewhere with better weather. His background as a property maintenance supervisor gave him many quality options around the country, but his loyalty to his previous employer ultimately led him to deciding to move to and manage an 18 room apartment building that was just acquired in Los Angeles. He hoped the mild and sunny weather would be gentle on his body, which while still in incredible shape from the physical work at the NYC Compound, was beginning to feel older than it had in years.
The apartment building was in generally good shape, a 60s design with 4 units on the bottom and 5 on the top on each side, both facing a pool with deck chairs. Parking surrounded the building on 3 sides with a laundry room on the 1st floor tucked in the back, and his apartment tucked into the back on the other side. The views of the parking lot weren't great but at least it was free, and he could use the pool to exercise.
He took a cab back to the apartment and walked into his place. He surveyed the sea of boxes and decided to get the TV hooked up first, so he could at least have some background noise while he sorted through the things he carried with him. As he was getting the TV on the stand, he heard a knock on the door. "Here we go" he thought to himself.
He opened the door to find Alan, the short, energetic lawyer in his late 60s who represented Mr Petersen, his NYC based employer.
Allen walked right past Stephen, putting a folded sheet of paper in Stephen's hand as he surveyed the apartment "Hey there Steve, hope you like your new place. Just had it painted for you a few weeks ago. Anyhow, I just put that letter under the tenants' doors so they'll know who you are and how to get in touch with you. That letter is from Mr. Petersen so hopefully you will understand the full situation soon. Just sign this document right here, and I'll be all done." Stephen walked toward the kitchen counter where Allen was standing and took the pen, signing the back of a long legal document he assumed was an employment and privacy agreement. He'd worked for Mr. Petersen for decades and his loyalty to Mr. Petersen had been returned in many ways, the largest of which he was about to learn. Mr. P was a prominent Wall Street tycoon, who was fond of making money for himself but also rewarded his loyal and long-time employees with their own pieces of investment deals. This was enough for Stephen to leave with a few million dollars in his 401k to supplement his Social Security and military pension from his service in 20s and 30s.
Allen shook his hand and without a word walked right out of the front door.
Stephen folded open the paper, welcoming him, giving them his phone number, and instructing the tenants to call him with any maintenance questions instead of the service they had been using in the past.
Stephen then noticed that Allen had left a large manila envelope on the kitchen counter, with Stephen's name on it. Stephen opened it, finding a blank copy of the long document he had just signed along with a letter from Mr. Petersen.
"Stephen, we've had some great times together, and I'm really sad to see you leave the team. It's hard to find people you can trust here with all of the tabloids and TMZs of the world waving money in people's faces, and yet you always did an admirable job of being truthful and loyal to me, and for that I'm deeply grateful. The document you signed includes our standard confidentiality agreement, but also you should look over the addendum. As a reward for your hard work and loyalty, you're now the proud owner of this small apartment building. The rental income should provide you with a nice pension of sorts, along with a lot of flexibility on how you want to run your business. Now we are partners here, so you call me if you ever need anything major, and you know I will have your back just as you've had mine for decades.
Sincerely,
MHP
P. S. - Check the locked closet, I think you'll find it familiar and hopefully enjoyable :) "
Stephen couldn't believe that Mr. P had given him this apartment building, that he knew had to be worth at least 5 million dollars. He did know a lot of the secrets of his wall street employer, and could understand how this was probably a smart investment of sorts for Mr. Petersen but even for somebody who liked to make generous gestures this was pretty grand.
The reference in his PS is that early on his career, Stephen's background in electrical engineering had them install some of the earliest security cameras with recording technology. Mr. P's voyeuristic streak was only enhanced by this new tool and continued to be refined and upgraded over the years to more and more state of the art options. The project was his and Stephen's secret, and Stephen often would be responsible for trimming and sending video files of whatever sexual happenings were going on around the properties that Mr. P owned.
Stephen opened the closet and inside saw a large PTS3000 Security camera control system. He turned on the array and could see a baffling variety of cameras around the exterior of the building, as well as some that were seemingly inside of the apartment units themselves. 'Smoke detectors' Stephen mused out loud, as that was one of the best locations for hiding these small pan/tilt/zoom cameras that Mr. P was fond of, and also a setup that required regular service and where a flashing light on the ceiling wouldn't be noticed.
A small slip of paper fell from the envelope. When he looked at it it was his own username and password to get into the system from his laptop. Stephen added the new key to his substantial work key ring, looking at the large ring that held keys to each of the units, the laundry, the pool supplies, and the storage areas in the back. He dropped it in the top kitchen drawer near the door, and headed back to his task of unpacking for the day.
Several hours later, he looked around the place and smiled. He remembered the word his mentor always used about him: meticulous. The apartment looked as if somebody had lived there for months, with paintings on the wall, cardboard boxes broken down and stacked by the front door, and every piece of clothing and every book in its new place. It's the only way Stephen could possibly feel comfortable in his new space. The only thing that wasn't as it should be was his refrigerator, which was completely empty. He used his phone to find a local pizza delivery, and ordered one and a drink for dinner.
