Craig sat in his office behind his desk staring at his laptop screen. He had so many e-mails to attend to despite the paperwork on his desk, yet he struggled to get his mind focused. His life was on a balance of family matters and work. He knew he needed the job to sustain his family, but he needed his family more than anything else. His family was in danger and the world around him spun out of control. He had walked into a trap when he accepted the job at the Ore refineries. Of course, he did not know what his fate would be in Saldanha. How could anyone?
Craig thought about Ferris who he had spoken to earlier. He did not sound well and his condition was deteriorating. Craig knew he had to stop whatever caused it to happen and frustratingly he did not know how and where to start. He was concerned about his children and wife, Sarah. The group of troublemakers at the kid's school and then there was Sarah alone at home during the day. The brick that had flown through the window over the weekend did not make things easier. At least the alarm system had been installed with panic buttons, but Craig knew that sometimes those things did not mean much. Usually, the crime had already been committed before the armed response unit arrived.
Craig knew he had to start somewhere. He could always get another job somewhere else if he got fired from this one, but his main priority was his personal life. He picked up his office phone receiver and dialled a number he had gotten from his cell phone.
'E.D.S High, Denise speaking how may I help you,' the lady spoke on the other end.
'Good morning Denise, may I please speak to Mr McCoy?' Craig asked in a manner as polite as possible.
'Just a moment please,' Denise said. Craig could hear noises on the line as she transferred the call.
'Good morning Lenard speaking.'
'Good morning Lenard. It is Craig Edison here, the father of Em – '
'Oh yes Mr Edison, how can I help you this morning?' Lenard interrupted.
'Lenard, I know you are a busy man, so I'll get straight to the point,' Craig said. 'I think there's something happening at school. I thought I wanted to inform you about it just in case you were not aware.'
'Yes,' Lenard said stretching out the yes to sound like a question.
'According to my children, there's a group of young fellas who are involved in Satanism. Are you aware of this?'
'Satanism? That's a terrible assumption, Mr Edison,' Lenard defended.
'Apparently, there's a group who most of the kids in your school claim to be part of a satanic cult. Have you not heard of such stories going around?'
'Not one to be honest,' Lenard said sounding offensive. 'I can assure you that at E.D.S High we will not tolerate such practices or behaviours. We strive to deliver the highest quality of education with our most capable and devoted teachers.'
'I don't mean to be offensive Lenard, but maybe it is a good time to start investigating this. I want you to handle this matter delicately and please do not mention my kids' names in any way. It seems they are already targets of this group, especially Patrick. He found his schoolbag with a large pentagram drawn on it. In my opinion, this should not go unnoticed or unpunished.'
'That is terrible news, but thank you for bringing this to my attention Mr Edison.'
'Craig please, you can call me Craig.'
'Craig, I'll do my best to get to the bottom of this matter. Please be assured that I'll handle it as discreetly as possible. If there are such scholars in my school, then they will simply be expelled,' Lenard said apolitically.
'One more thing Lenard, my sons told me about the teacher who went missing from school. Did you find out anything about him?'
'Unfortunately not, but the police assured us that they are doing their best to get this matter resolved. It sure is a tragic story and we hope to have closure to this case very soon.'
Craig knew that the case was lost with the local police department. They could not even find the docket of the person they found on the R27. Anyway, it seemed like Mr Lenard did not really know what was happening in his school or maybe he did not really care.
'Thank you for your time, Lenard,' Craig said.
'It is only my pleasure Craig. Please phone us anytime if there are problems so that we can look into the matters,' Lenard said.
'Will do. Thank you for your time,' Craig said and hung up the phone. He leaned back in his office chair staring at the ceiling. He did not get a sense of security from the headmaster of E.D.S High. Why did he sound so relaxed about the whole situation? To look into the matter would not solve anything you fuck head –
'Hello, handsome...Craig,' Pamela interrupted standing in the doorway.
'Hi Pam,' Craig said adjusting himself on his seat. He placed his hands on his desk and looked at her. He could not get over her incredible body and wondered what she was doing in a world like this. She could have been a supermodel and made lots of money but yet she chose to be a secretary.
'You look a bit stressed,' Pamela said walking towards Craig's desk. She had a pack of papers in her hand which she placed in front of him.
Craig could feel her eyes upon him as he stared at the new pile of papers on his desk. 'I'm fine. What's this?'
'Rodger wanted you to go through these. He said it's the design for the new conveyor system. He wanted your input on the documents.'
'It's a thick pile of documents. By when does he want it?' Craig asked paging through it.
'He didn't say. Anyway, we should go out for a drink sometime if you want,' Pamela said touching one of the guest chairs in front of Craig's desk.
Craig looked up and noticed something he had not seen before. There was something in Pamela's eyes, an inviting come-to-me look. He could smell her soft feminine perfume and could not help his eyes pulling down towards her breasts. He looked up into her eyes again, annoyed with himself for being so weak, 'why not?' He smiled.
'How about after work? I feel a bit stressed myself,' Pamela asked.
Craig was caught off guard. He must have had an expression of surprise on his face because she was giggling.
'What? Tonight?'
'Yeah, why not?' Pamela smiled.
'Sure, it sounds great,' Craig said without thinking.
'See you later,' Pamela said with a smile. She turned around and walked towards the door.
Craig watched Pamela as she left his office. He noticed the way her pants cut through her buttocks. He felt guilty for agreeing to have a drink with her. He knew it was how things started with his previous affair which almost cost him dearly. He thought about Sarah at home. She was a good wife who took care of their children. A better wife he will never be able to find. No other wife would have forgiven her husband the way Sarah had forgiven him for the affair he had. What excuse can he use? What could he tell her? Would he lie and tell her that he was going to work late? That was not a good idea because he would most definitely have a drink with Pamela and Sarah would smell it on him. He cannot join Pamela in a pub without having a drink. What would she think of him? Craig knew that he could not afford any such dangerous activities while things were falling apart. He also knew that alcohol and beautiful girls never mixed well in the past, especially not if they were young and willing.
Craig picked up his office phone and dialled.
'Hi honey,' Sarah answered.
'Hello sweetie, how are things at home?' Craig asked. He felt his heart racing as if Sarah was going to read his mind over the phone. He knew that one simple mistake would cost him much more than just his wife.
'Things are quiet around here. What do you feel like eating tonight?' Sarah asked which cut through Craig's heart.
'Anything really. You know you are the best cook in the world, anyway.'
Sarah chuckled, 'Flattery will get you nowhere, it's the devil's work.'
Craig thought about this for a moment and did not agree with that statement. A little flattery from Pamela a short while ago and he was willing to put his marriage at risk.
'Honey, I'm falling a little behind with my work so I'll see you guys a little later tonight okay,' Craig lied.
'Sure honey. Don't be too late,' Sarah said.
'I'll try my best not to. Don't wait up for me,' Craig said. He disconnected the call and felt a rush of guilt running through his mind and heart. He hated himself for his weakness. He had serious matters at hand, yet he had time to meet his boss' secretary without anyone's knowledge except for Pamela.