“I agree with that, and there’s a secret office, off my original office.I talked it over with Sally, and we remembered that the two rooms I showed you, and the other secret office were used during prohibition.Like I told you, in the office, I found paperwork, and some extremely, and I mean extremely old bottles of alcohol.I’m talking probably over a hundred years old.”
“Are they labeled?”
“Why?What difference does it make?”
“I know you only drink socially, but if they have labels, what about selling them, and pocketing the money to make your place more secure.Something like keeping the prohibition portion away from the actual bar.You know, a security wall, or doors.Only the criminals we’re trying to set up has access to those rooms, but they won’t be able to access the rest of the bar.You’re going to want to keep the two activities separate from one another.Or at least I would.”
“I never thought of something like that, but yeah, I know people to reach out to about the alcohol.To answer your earlier question, yes, there are labels on them, as well as dust.”He grinned as he held his thumb and fingers apart as wide as they would go.
“Let’s go see what DC sent us.”Paul nodded and they walked back to the bar.Before they got to the boxes, Warren showed him the private office, and Paul whistled at the bottles on the shelves.
“I’m not telling you what to do, but if I were you, I’d reach out to your contact now.It might take them a few days to get here.In the meantime, do you have any experience at being an electrician?”
“I can hold my own.Why?”
“This office is going to need new wiring for all the monitors, and you might want to get a new door, steel, so that no light from those monitors will leak through the cracks.You’re also going to want to get some new plugs in here.At least ones from this century.”He looked at Warren with a grin.
As Warren made calls, he pointed out to Paul what was trash and needed to be hauled out to the dumpster out back.
“What time do you open?”
“I don’t.I’m closed for the next three weeks for renovations.”He used air quotes, and turned when the ringing phone in his hand was answered.
Around ten that night, Paul sat up from his lying position on the floor and looked at Warren on the other side of the room.After cleaning everything out, they had gone to the local hardware store for electrical supplies, and stopped into the diner for lunch, telling both Sally and Petra of their plans.Petra said she’d see him at home when he got there, knowing he might be late.
“I think we’re done.I’m not telling you how to run your business, but I would call a licensed electrician in to inspect our work, and to beef up your panel.”
“Yeah, I thought the same thing.Last time I stepped out, I called a buddy of mine.He’ll be here around ten in the morning.”
“Perfect.Do you want me to come back to help install the cameras and monitors?”
“Please, I think we can get things done faster with the two of us.”
“I’ll bring a ladder so we can get into the trees, we’re going to want them at least ten maybe twelve feet in the air.”
“Why?”
“Eye level would be spotted too quickly.Face it, how often do you look up when you walk?”
“You don’t, you look down, or out.”
“Exactly, and we can get some across the road to get different angles.”
“How many cameras are we talking about here?”
“My shipment had two dozen per box, along with body cameras, button camera, and even cameras in some eye glasses.”
“Wow, all the spook stuff.”
“Yep.”
They cleaned up, and made sure the boxes, all of them, were stored in one of the secret rooms, and Paul helped Warren clean up.They parted ways at the end of the parking lot, each going in a different direction.Paul slowed as he reached the pull off point, and nodded that he liked the location.He would check it out better in tomorrow’s daylight.When he arrived home, there was a note from Petra that she had made a plate of food for him and left it in the microwave.He turned it on, and smiled when he smelled the leftover lasagna cooking.
He ate, reflecting on his day, and the accomplishments he made with Warren, and by the time he climbed the stairs to the bedroom, exhaustion was setting in.He had a quick shower, and when he climbed into bed, he gathered Petra in his arms and sighed deeply.
“Good day?”She asked drowsily.
“Great day, I’m sorry I’m so late.”
