15

Search for Answers

Jackie woke up just before the faithful alarm clock announced it was time to begin another day. Her thoughts returned to their dreams and the discussion with Jerry the previous night.

Jerry was still asleep when the alarm rang. He rolled out of bed and into the shower. He could feel the rising tension of both his dreams and the large acquisitions he had to decide on within a week or two. In fact, that was the subject of his meeting that morning with his boss. Since he wanted to talk with Dave about his decision to purchase the Optiscan stock before his ten o’clock meeting, he had to make sure he got the 7:20. Like Jackie, Jerry’s thoughts were fully taken up with what this all would mean. He was glad he had settled the matter of the IPO, but he knew if the deal unfolded the way it had in his dream, it would increase the tension on what the third dream meant to him.

He got dressed and went down for a hurried breakfast. “I’ll call Dave as soon as I get into the office and tell him to purchase the Optiscan for us,” Jerry said.

“Fine. I’m glad we talked it over last night. I’ll see if I can locate other couples that may have stayed in our room at the inn,” Jackie replied.

Jerry finished his coffee and kissed the kids and Jackie goodbye. He made sure to put the information about Optiscan and the material for the meeting in his briefcase. He arrived at the station about 7:10 a.m., and the train pulled in on time. As he settled into the seat, he desperately tried to concentrate on the upcoming meeting with his boss. However, thoughts about the market crash and the potential consequences occupied his mind.

When he arrived at the office, he called Dave, who was expecting his call.

“Well, what do you think of Optiscan?” Dave asked.

“It looks as good as you said,” Jerry answered.

Dave said, “I think I may be able to get you an additional two thousand shares, for a total of twelve thousand, at fifteen dollars per share. I think you should take them all given the outstanding potential of the company.” This was an exact replay of the February dream, and Jerry told Dave to go ahead and buy all twelve thousand shares for his account.

“Let me know the exact amount, and I will transfer the funds from the bank to you,” Jerry said.

“I think you’ve made another great decision. I’ll call you as soon as I have confirmation of the purchase. This deal should make you a millionaire,” Dave responded.

After they hung up, Jerry put the material on Optiscan back in his briefcase and began getting ready for his ten o’clock meeting.

As it turned out, the proposed acquisition was a large shopping center in Florida. The current owner was a member of the Saudi royal family. How ironic, Jerry thought. He was about to enter into a business agreement with someone who would be a part of the crisis that would cause the stock market to crash in about sixteen months. As he reviewed the proposal, Jerry couldn’t help but wonder if they should go ahead with it. Because it appeared to be a good deal for Jerry’s firm, he couldn’t figure out how to tell his boss they shouldn’t buy it. How could he tell his boss that they shouldn’t buy it because he’d dreamed that the stock market was going to crash?

Jerry picked up the charts and financial statements and headed for Mr. Hagman’s office. Barry Hagman was a very successful man who made sure others knew of his achievements. Everything he did was first class. His office was no exception. As you approached the area surrounding his office, the first thing that greeted you were two junior secretaries. For most people that was as far as they got. You had to either be very important or have been summoned by Mr. Hagman to reach the second plateau: Miss Finch, his private secretary. In the waiting area was a series of tables and leather furniture as well as an eighteenth-century grandfather clock. Just by the way the outer office was appointed, you knew you were in the middle of success. Jerry was the number-two man in the firm, and he went directly to Miss Finch’s desk.

“Hello, how are you this morning, Miss Finch?” Jerry asked.

“Fine, Mr. French. Would you like some coffee?”

“No, thanks. I’m trying to cut down a bit. However, I would like a glass of orange juice,” Jerry said. Miss Finch picked up the intercom and asked the steward in charge of the executive dining room to bring a glass of juice.

Almost immediately, the steward appeared with a tall glass of orange juice and a linen napkin. Jerry thanked him, and just as the grandfather clock struck ten, Mr. Hagman opened his door.

“Come in, Jerry.” He turned to Miss Finch and asked her to have the steward bring fresh coffee, juice, sweet rolls, and fruit into his office.

Jerry sat at the large conference table located in such a way that one could look out the windows onto Wall Street far below. All of this was in keeping with the success that the firm had enjoyed.

Everything in Mr. Hagman’s office was the best, from his huge desk to the exquisite oriental rugs on the floor. To the left of the office was a door that led into the executive dining room, and there was a huge bathroom, complete with a sauna, on the right side of the office. On the other side of the bathroom was a large bedroom with a projection TV and sound system.

Barry Hagman sat across from Jerry, and they were about to get started when the steward brought in the refreshments Mr. Hagman had ordered. “Jerry, what would you like for lunch?” he asked.

“Bring me a chicken Caesar salad and assorted cheeses,” Jerry answered.

“Bring me a steak,” Mr. Hagman said, and the steward left the room and closed the door.

The discussion lasted until lunch, and they retired to the dining room about noon. Mr. Hagman had asked the CFO, Ben Decker, to join them to discuss the financing options for the proposed acquisitions.

By the time Jerry and Mr. Hagman arrived in the dining room, Ben was waiting for them. He had ordered a salmon steak for his lunch and was enjoying a Scotch before his meal.

“Hi, Ben, glad to see you,” Mr. Hagman said. Jerry went over and shook Ben’s hand, and the three men sat down at the table. Mr. Hagman ordered a glass of wine, and Jerry had a whiskey. The steward arrived in a few minutes and served the noon meal. As usual, it was outstanding, for the steward’s only responsibility was to ensure that Mr. Hagman and his guests had only the very best meals possible each day. On occasion, the steward would also prepare dinner if there was a late meeting scheduled.

The men didn’t talk business during lunch, as Mr. Hagman believed this was a time to relax from the morning business and get ready for the remainder of the day. After lunch was finished, they returned to Mr. Hagman’s office and began reviewing the financing options for each acquisition. Ben favored using long-term debt because the interest rates were so low. He didn’t see the rate dropping much further, so there was no reason to start with short-term funding and later convert to permanent options.

They reviewed the purchase ranges for each property to ensure they were all in agreement with the parameters that Jerry would use to negotiate the final purchase of each property. They had set a tentative range when they evaluated the properties earlier. At this point, they were still interested in all the acquisitions on their list, and it was just a matter of fine-tuning the ranges. In reality, Jerry had the authority to exceed the ranges, but they were thought of as targets to help in the negotiations. The only property that they reviewed in detail was the shopping center in Florida. That was the largest dollar project and the most complex to analyze.

Ben kept notes on their discussion and told them he would have the summary ready for them early the next morning. Both Jerry and Mr. Hagman wanted to review it over the weekend, as the negotiations on the first few properties were to begin within ten days. Jerry hoped to have all the purchases finalized by the early part of January, with settlement in February.

They completed their meeting about four o’clock, and Jerry and Ben returned to their offices. Tiffany told Jerry that he’d had a call from Dave, who had asked Jerry to call him back as soon as possible. Jerry closed his door and returned Dave’s call. “Well, you are the owner of twelve thousand shares of Optiscan. The final price was fifteen dollars per share, as we expected,” Dave said. Again, every detail was precisely like Jerry’s dream. Dave indicated he would fax him the confirmation. Dave thanked Jerry and again told him that this was going to be a very profitable investment.

Jackie arrived home from school about four and placed a call to the inn. She asked to speak with the owner, but since he was unavailable, she asked that he return her call when he had the chance. She also mentioned that they had stayed at the inn and had enjoyed their weekend.

Jackie started dinner, and the kids changed into their play clothes so they could romp in the snow before it got dark. At about five o’clock Jackie saw that the light was waning and called to the kids from the back door. As they bounded in, she reminded them to take off their wet boots and clothes and put them in the laundry room. After they got their wet things off, Jackie told them to start any homework they had. Lisa didn’t have any, but David had a science project due in a few days. Jackie tried to make sure they didn’t let things go until the last minute.

She allowed Lisa to watch TV and had David begin his work in the kitchen so she could keep tabs on him. It was a cold day, and the night was expected to be in the low teens with a high wind. Jackie prepared some frozen beef stew that she had made several weeks earlier. She also decided to bake some brown-and-serve bread to go along with the stew. It was about six thirty when Jerry arrived home. Lisa and David greeted him at the door with big hugs.

Lisa said, “Don’t forget to clean your boots and put your wet clothes in the laundry room, Dad.”

“Yes, Mother,” Jerry jokingly said. He knew she tried to imitate her mother about keeping the floor clean. Jerry asked them how school went, and they told him all the details of their day.

Jackie was pleased with the progress David was making on his science project and told him he could put it away and get washed for dinner. They all sat down, and Jackie served her homemade beef stew. When they finished dinner, the kids carried their plates to the sink and went into the family room to get ready to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Jackie and Jerry remained in the kitchen as they cleaned up the dishes.

“I talked with Dave just before leaving the office. He purchased the twelve thousand shares at fifteen dollars, just like in the dream. Now we’ll have to wait until March to see if it all works out according to the dream.”

Jackie asked him when in March he was to sell the shares. Jerry told her it was at the very end of March and the final selling price was eighty-eight dollars per share.

“I called the inn this afternoon, but the owner was unavailable. I asked him to please call me when he had a chance,” said Jackie.

Not long after they finished the dishes the phone rang. Jackie was greeted by a friendly voice that identified the caller as Mr. Douglas, the owner of the Inn of Destiny. Jackie explained they had stayed there last February, and she wanted to talk with other guests who had stayed in room D. Although agreeable, Mr. Douglas replied that he couldn’t give out information about other guests. Jackie was a bit vague and only told him they’d had a unique time and wanted to share their experiences with others. Although she didn’t mention their dreams, it was as though Mr. Douglas knew what she wanted.

“Are you aware of the history surrounding the inn?” Mr. Douglas asked.

“No. What history?”

He continued, “When the inn was being built, we discovered it was on an old Indian burial ground. As the excavation began, some human remains were uncovered along with some Indian artifacts. Work stopped until the extent of the burial ground was determined, and a second site was chosen next to the burial ground. There has been a lot of speculation by some of the guests about the bad karma from disturbing the burial site.”

“Did anyone experience anything?” Jackie asked.

“Some of the early guests at the inn said they heard strange sounds like someone walking, and others claimed they saw a ghost that looked like an Indian chief with a headdress who was holding a tomahawk,” answered Mr. Douglas.

“That sounds scary,” remarked Jackie.

“We haven’t heard of anyone seeing anything like that lately,” he said. “I would like to help you, Mrs. French. The only thing I can suggest is that I will include a note from you in the newsletter we’re getting ready to prepare. This letter goes to all our former guests, and if you can email me a short message, I’ll see that it’s included. In that way, you may be able to get in contact with some other guests that stayed in room D.”

“Thank you, Mr. Douglas. I appreciate your suggestion. I’ll send you an email tomorrow morning,” Jackie said. She hung up and told Jerry what the owner had suggested.

They sat down and began to compose their note. They didn’t want to make it sound like they were a couple of nuts. At the same time, they wanted to encourage anyone who may have had a similar experience to get in touch with them. They worked on the message while the kids watched Rudolph, and by the time the show was over, Jackie and Jerry had all but completed the message. They got the kids ready for bed, and after they were settled, Jackie decided to send the email that night. She knew how busy the mornings were and wanted to make sure Mr. Douglas had it for the newsletter.

About two weeks passed before the newsletter from the inn came in the mail. Jackie quickly looked for her letter. It was on the front page. Mr. Douglas had added a note encouraging other guests in room D to contact Jackie French. When Jerry arrived home, she showed him the newsletter. They both hoped this would enable them to see if others had had a similar unnerving experience. It would surely enhance their acceptance of the third dream if they learned they weren’t the only guests to be given a glimpse into the future.