The Shepherd of Ashburn Court Pt. 05

No retooling would be required as the connections were all standard. The valves weren't exorbitantly expensive and could be ordered from the manufacturer online. Dale immediately got on that. Ben worked out a rough agreement with Bill that Sturn Enterprise could be the exclusive licensed manufacture for the new hydraulic shock reduction component he'd designed for them. The final agreement would have to be done through Sturn's CEO, Jacob Sturn. It was finally time to see the man. Ben shook the hands of each member of the team. He'd never worked with a group of engineers directly before and he complimented Bill on his team. The man was rightly proud.

Bill drove Ben in the electric cart over to the large office tower standing apart from the factory. He'd made the call and the old man was ready.

The two men made their way to a large boardroom on the top floor and made themselves comfortable. The view from the room was spectacular and they were enjoying the sunset when they heard the door opening behind them. They stood and shook the hand of Jacob Sturn, a man in his sixties but currently looking like a man in his eighties.

"Is everything ok sir?" Bill asked, worried about strain showing on the man's face.

Jacob's sharp eyes jerked to Bill but saw only concern there so he nodded and smile. "Yes, thank you Bill."

He turned his eyes on Ben and a little bit of vitality seemed to return. "So this is the man who engineers miracles?"

Ben smiled as Bill slapped him on the shoulder. "The miracles just keep coming. The component he designed surpasses expectations and we just spent the day making adjustments to the refinery design using his new component plus some valves he designed years ago. With these new adjustments and components in place we can safely boost the output of the refinery by five times!"

Jacob's eyes snapped back to Bill. "What? Five times? Are you 100% sure of that?"

"Yes sir. The engineering is sound. We're ordering the valves. We need about a dozen of them and they only cost $1500 each. Ben's new hydraulic shock reduction component, we can manufacture those here so they'll only run us around $500 each and we need eight. Best of all Ben and I worked out a rough agreement to allow Sturn Enterprises to be the exclusive licensed manufacturer of these. The market will be enormous as they'll work for many industries."

Jacob was looking more and more pleased with his chief engineer. Life was returning to his eyes which at the beginning of the meeting were anything but lively.

"Jesus Bill, I had no idea you had the business chops to work out such a deal!" the old man grinned.

"Well, it's just the frame of a deal. Pending your approval and review of course!" Bill shrugged.

Jacob looked like a man who'd been thrown a lifeline. He was nodding and looking at Bill in a new light.

"I've done this before as I have a number of designs I've licensed manufacturers to provide. I have a licensing contract I can send you which you can have your legal team go through. Once that is signed I'll give Bill here the manufacturing specs for the component and he can get his team started."

Jacob looked back at Ben and there was steel in his eyes once more as the businessman resurfaced. "What are the fees for licensing going to be?"

Ben was ready for that question and flipped open his laptop. The contract was on the screen in seconds and the fees page just a few seconds later. "I use a pretty standard rate which I believe you will find fair." He spun the screen towards the CEO.

Jacob read through the page, then reread the text. His eyes returned to Ben. "This seems lower than I'd expect."

"As I mentioned to Bill, I don't need to get rich from this one design. I believe as Bill does, the market for these is very large. Keeping the price down will mean much higher volume which guarantees a steady stream of income. Stability and long term growth is more interesting to me. Bill impressed me. He got that immediately and saw how Sturn could not only utilize them for the company's own immediate benefit but as the licensed manufacturer you could increase the company's revenue stream and diversify your offering to protect the company against market fluctuations in oil futures.

Jacob was back to looking at Bill. Ben could see Bill having a brighter future at the company now.

"Send me the contract. I'll have my team look at it overnight and we can sign it tomorrow morning." Jacob said. He stood and they rose with him. Jacob shook Ben's hand and surprised him with the tightness of his grip. Ben thought it was a stupid game but he gave back what he got plus some and the CEO grinned broadly and nodded. Bill was obviously ready for the grip and Jacob smiled brightly as he turned and left the room.

Once he was gone Bill turned to Ben. "Man! You did me a solid with the boss!"

"Don't sell yourself short. Nothing I said wasn't the absolute truth. I think you are just what Mr. Sturn needs for his company to succeed and grow." Ben sat down again and modified a copy of the contract to reflect the relationship between himself and Sturn Enterprises naming the parties including Jacob and Bill, and the component they would be manufacturing including his patent submission ID. He emailed the contract to both Jacob Sturn and Bill. "OK, that does it. We get a signature on this tomorrow morning and by lunch you are making the components. And by the afternoon I'm on my way home!"

"Can I bring you home tonight for a home cooked meal? My lady insists." Bill grinned showing the text from his wife.

"I'd like that!" Ben said.

They made their way back down to the electric cart and made a quick stop by the lab. Once Bill explained what had transpired to his team there were even more smiles, handshakes, and pats on the back. The future of the team looked promising too.

As Bill drove Ben to his home they talked about how unhappy Jacob had been when the meeting began.

"I know he loves his son, as any father should, but Ray's a grown man now and he has some serious issues that are not getting addressed. He's hurt people. He needs to take responsibility for himself but I think he knows his dad will just keep protecting him."

"Maybe this time the trouble is larger than Jacob can deal with. You mentioned he was arrested." Ben said.

"Maybe so. I actually hope that's the case."

Bill took Ben to a lovely two story home in the suburbs of Austin. As they pulled into the driveway a boy and girl charged out of the front door and rushed up to the car. Ben smiled seeing the kids. "Twins?" he asked as they exited the truck.

The man nodded. "This is my son David and my daughter Emma. Kids, this is Ben." he introduced the 10 year olds clinging to his legs. "Up there on the porch is my lovely wife Melissa."

Ben nodded to the kids and waved at the woman and they all moved inside.

"Supper is in ten minutes. Go get cleaned up! Ben you can use the bathroom in the hall if you'd like to freshen up." Melissa said. She was a good foot shorter than her husband but sturdy of body. The smile on her face seemed a permanent fixture.

Ben washed his hands and face in the little bathroom and met the family in the dining room.

"What would you like to drink with your meal, Ben?" Bill asked.

"Water please." he said.

"Sure. We have beer if you'd like one." Bill offered.

"I don't drink anymore." Ben explained.

"Ah! Sorry." Bill said and nodded. He filled Ben's glass from the water cooler in the corner.

Melissa entered the room carrying a large platter of fried chicken. On the table already were steaming bowls of mash potatoes, corn, greens, and biscuits and gravy.

The family sat down and said grace. Melissa did the honors and mentioned Ben's presence as their special guest which made him smile.

The kids were super excited to have a guest and Ben enjoyed getting them to smile and giggle. The food was excellent and Ben told them stories about the deep winter snows they sometimes got back home.

Finally dinner was over and the kids were off like a shot to get in some last minute playing before bed.

Ben, Bill, and Melissa retired to the seats out on wide front porch and enjoyed the cooler air of the evening.

"Mel honey, Ben did me a real favor today. He talked me up to the boss and old Jacob is looking at me like he's just discovered treasure in his backyard." Bill exclaimed and Melissa turned her brilliant smile on their guest.

"Like I told your husband, nothing I said was less than the absolute truth. Your husband runs a tight ship, has a great and loyal team, and knows his stuff. He can easily rise to the challenge. It looked like Mr. Sturn was ready for some help too." Ben said.

"What happened?" Melissa asked.

"It's his son again. This time he was arrested in Las Vegas for beating up a prostitute." Bill growled.

"That man frightens me. I never liked going to your company parties when he was working there." Melissa shuddered. "Maybe this time he'll go to jail!"

"Not if his dad keeps bailing him out and hiring big time lawyers to win the cases on technicalities." Bill griped.

"Let's talk about something nicer. You're really good with kids, Ben! Do you have any of your own?" Melissa asked.

Ben smiled and realized that question no longer hurt like it used to. "No, but I'm living with a woman who has a 1 years old who calls me 'dada'. That feels... good!"

Melissa and Bill were all smiles. They chatted about homey stuff and Ben admitted to being a home renovation junky. Bill too and they swapped stories. It was a very pleasant end to the day. Bill drove Ben back to his hotel and promised to meet him for breakfast the next day.

Ben called Tina and caught up. Apparently Daphne and the twins hosted the Beaumont's that evening and Trish joined them. Ben worried about the stories Trish might share with Ashley. Tina finished with news that Ashley's husband had finally called her and would be arriving the following evening but more likely the day after.

Ben told Tina that he expected to be home the following evening. This made Tina very happy. Ben hung up with a big grin on his face. It would be good to be home.

Ben woke up feeling exhausted. He couldn't recall his dreams but he felt a lingering anxiety. He really wanted to just go home but he still had some business to attend to. He got ready and packed his stuff back into his suitcase. Taking his suitcase and briefcase he went down to the restaurant and met Bill.

The man picked up on Ben's mood immediately so they had a quick breakfast and headed in to the lab. The test had completed and the results were perfect. No issues with any of the loads they threw at it. The test bench was shut down and the prototype was removed from the assembly. Ben and Bill did an inspection and there was no sign of wear or damage. Ben packed up the unit in his bubble wrap and put it in the duffle bag which he strapped to the suitcase.

Bill had asked if they'd be able to keep the prototype but Ben was clear that it would be returning with him.

Next they headed over to the office tower to meet with the boss. They went up to the boardroom once more and met Jacob and two of his in-house council. There were only two amendments they wanted in the contract. The corporation named in the license was to be Sturn Manufacturing and only Bill Freeny was to be specifically named. The new corporate entity Sturn Manufacturing had be set up overnight and Bill was being given the title of its CEO. The new business had purchased the building and equipment from Sturn Enterprises and was not legally tied to the parent company. Bill was stunned and delighted. Ben was curious but knew better to than to ask. He smelled a lawsuit somewhere in the background. A lawsuit the new corporation was being set up to avoid financial entanglement with. Maybe the trouble in Houston office?

"What do you need to start selling these units?" Jacob asked.

"We'll want to get some made and install them in the new refinery so we can demonstrate a real live scenario and see the performance improvements. We have the test bench result and they're excellent but they're also dry facts. Seeing the product in actual use is far more impressive. Once we have that we market them online and at as many appropriate tradeshows as we can get to. We will also spread the word on the online engineering forums to generate the word of mouth. There will be global demand for these so we'd better look into the logistics and distribution channels." Bill rattled off the top of his head. Jacob had a huge grin on his face and Bill stopped to smile back.

Signatures were made and hands were shaken. Ben was given his copies of the document and he placed them in his briefcase. He pulled out a memory stick and a manila file folder containing printed schematics for the component. Bill reviewed the paper work and confirmed the contents of the memory stick on his tablet.

They were done. Jacob let him know that the corporate jet was fueled and ready to take him home. They shook hands once more and Bill walked him down to the lobby and into the electric cart. He drove Ben back to the airstrip and unloaded his luggage. Bill gave Ben a surprise hug as he was so overwhelmed with the changes that the past few days had made to his life. Ben smiled and patted his back. He liked Bill but he was aching to go home.

Ben climbed back into the jet. He strapped in and a short time later they were shooting down the runway for the journey back home. He tilted the seat back and rested his eyes. The pilot's gentle prods to his shoulder woke him at his destination. He thanked the man, exited with his bags and made his way back to his truck.

The drive home was short and Ben was happy to turn into his street. He saw new car in the driveway of the Beaumont's driveway so he assumed the husband finally made it. Hopefully he was getting that credit card fixed so he could get the services on. Ben pulled into his own driveway and pulled into the garage. He closed the garage door and went in the side door with his bags. Tina squeaked in surprise when he entered the kitchen from the garage.

"Ben! You scared me!" she yelled frantically.

Ben watched the young woman and thought her reaction was just a little extreme for the fright. He put his bags down and opened his arms. Tina was against his body in a second, clinging to him and crying.

He got a little frightened. "Tina, what's wrong? Is Christopher ok?"

She slowly got control of herself and nodded.

"Talk to me. What happened?"

"Ash- Ashley was having lunch with me. Madison and Savannah were here too with Miriam. The boys were playing together. They were so sweet. Then we heard some loud honking. It went on and on. I went to the door and saw it was Ashley's husband. He had arrived early and was standing in his driveway leaning on the horn of his car. Ashley was so frightened but she picked up Joshua and took the two girls with her. Everyone was so scared. They got outside and the man started to yell at them. He said such awful things as they walked home. I stepped outside and he called me a 'fucking chink' and told me to mind my own business."

Ben stiffened when he heard what the man called her. He kissed her forehead and gave her a squeeze.

"We have not heard from them and I am worried." Tina began to cry again.

"Did Miriam hear what he said as well?" he asked and Tina nodded. "Ok, good. She went home?" Another nod.

"I'm going to go welcome our new neighbor and I'll see if I can see any signs that she's ok or not." Ben said calmly and Tina gripped him tighter. "I'm just going to say hello... after I put on a dry shirt."

Tina finally nodded and stepped back. She took his suitcase and led him down the hall. Ben slipped off his shirt and put on a black t-shirt. He walked to the front door and put on his leather jacket and black boots. With a nod to Tina he stepped outside.

The spring air felt good on his face as he walked over the Beaumont's house. Ben walked up the drive and looked at the sleek black BMW sedan. The windows were tinted almost black and the rims gleamed silver even in the dim illumination of twilight.

He stood at the door and listened. Nothing but silence. Could be good, could be bad. Only one way to find out. Ben rubbed his temple then pressed the doorbell. Twenty seconds later, nothing so he pressed the doorbell again. He counted another twenty seconds and pressed the doorbell for a third time. Finally the sound of heavy footsteps approaching the door.

The inner door yanked open. The hall light was off so the figure in the doorway was heavily shadowed and only his edges were backlit. He was silent for a second then Ben heard a deep gravelly voice.

"Who the FUCK are you?"

"I'm Ben Shepherd, your neighbor Mr. Beaumont."

There was a long pause. "What the FUCK did you just call me?" the voice went quiet and sinister.

"Mr. Beaumont?"

"The CUNT'S name is Beaumont! I ain't no fucking Beaumont!" the man spat through the screen door in his anger.

Ben smelled foul breath and whisky and suddenly he wasn't at the door anymore. He was standing in the backyard of a house with a pool, a barbeque, and a picnic table looking up at a big man in the shadows. Ben saw the man's knuckles were bruised and cut. Then he saw the woman on the ground behind the picnic table.

"ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF?" a voice yelled in his face and the reek of whisky washed over him. Ben blinked and looked at the bleary eyes behind the screen.

"What?" he tried to focus.

"I said who the FUCK told you I was a Beaumont! Did the bitch tell you that?" the man sprayed.

Ben felt a pressure in his head building. The big old man with the bruised fists smelling of whisky overlayed the man behind the screen every time he yelled.

"Who are you?" Ben managed to say.

"I'm Elija Ray Sturn, motherfucker! That's who the FUCK I am!" the man growled and pounded his fist on the door jamb. Ben's eyes caught the redness of his knuckles. Split. Bruised. Bloody. The picnic table. The woman lying dead or dying behind it.

Shifting ever so slowly to the left he looked behind the shadowed man. There... on the floor just poking into the doorway was a hand. Fingers twitching desperately.

Ben's punch went through the screen and into the soft center of the large man. He hooked his fingers behind the large, ornate belt buckle and pulled with all his might as he screamed his rage at the old man for killing the sweet old woman.

Glass and metal shattered and screeched as the man crashed face first through the storm door. Ben released the man on his way down to the driveway surface. Chin, nose, teeth, and forehead hit the asphalt first and teeth shattered but Ben was already stepping past, into the house, rushing to drop to his knees by the bloody and broken body of- Ashley Beaumont? Ben was confused. This wasn't Margaret Cosburn. It- it was Ashley and she was alive!

Ben blinked and looked up at the sofa. He saw two bruised teen girls clinging to each other, eyes wide with terror. He was afraid to touch Ashley. He could hear Joshua crying in the other room.

There was the sudden sound of an engine roaring to life and Ben raced to the door to see the sedan careen backwards down the driveway. It clipped a post at the end of the driveway and shattering a tail light. Then the car surged forward and raced away down the street. Ben went back inside and stood over the injured woman. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed 911.

"911, what is the nature of your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance at 13 Ashburn Court. Send the police too. The bastard beat her pretty bad. She's breathing but she's unconscious. There are two teen girls who look pretty bruised too but they are conscious."

"OK sir the ambulance and police are on the way. Please stay on the line. Can I get your name?"