Willmon and the head hunter

Alex was late. Events always ran late, so she was usually running late from one to another. For someone who was habitually on time, to the point of being too early, this drove her nuts. She had go straight from the Office event on to the Dinner to set up. Since Terry had David as an attaché Alex had cut out before them leaving them the car and driver. The last cab in front of the house took off so Alex started walking. She needed the fresh air and a walk while looking for a cab was good for replaying the evening. Today had easily been a Hundred Grand day. She patted her briefcase stuffed with: business cards, sign in sheets, left over nametags and supplies, and of course the checks. Since Alex hadn’t been back to the hotel she was still carrying all of them with her. She found herself suddenly nervous at not seeing any cabs, wandering the streets with that kind of money. She looked back up the hill towards the house she left. It was already too far and a waste of time to go back. She walked on another two blocks: aware of shadows, her impractical shoes, and the lack of traffic. Alex saw lights in the distance. The car had the recognizable peak on top and she hailed it with all her might. As it slowed she realized it was a patrol car.
“Are you in distress Miss?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get to the Crown downtown and I thought you were a cab. So I guess I’m distressed that you are not a cab.” Alex smiled realizing most cops didn’t have a sense of humor about much and who could blame them. You’d be unpleasant too if you protected and served and all you got was stereotyped with doughnuts and flagged down as a cab “Sorry. Could you direct me to the cab stand?”
“You’re not from around here are you?”
“No” She felt suddenly defensive “but I am familiar with the area.”
“Well outside of downtown and the Capitol building area there aren’t a lot of cabs.” The patrolman looked her over. “Lobbyist?”
“Fundraiser”
“Well, you’d better let me take you. This neighborhood is fine but you’ll cross through a development and a construction site before you hit downtown. While this is not technically my job those politicians do mind losing fundraisers…Now if you’d been a lobbyists, I would have just called you a cab” he had a nice understated laugh. Something between a chuckle and a gruff rumble.
Alex smiled as his laugh softened him “I appreciate it, but you’re not going to make me ride in the back are you?”
The patrolman reached across the front and popped open the door. Alex slid in kicking aside several diet coke cans “Thanks again.”
“Did you just leave the Lt. Governors house?”
“No, but one of those other grand homes on the hill. I wanted to split out early and had to leave the driver for my boss.”
“Lucky for you I was patrolling.”
“So you’re on the Lieutenant Governors home patrol I take it.”
“Anyone out on this beat makes a point to make it up in that area. The commissioner lives up there too.” He looked over at Alex “Job security. And if I were to find anything out of the ordinary…I’d have something. You know, they’d owe me, personally. I’d get that promotion I’ve been after.”
“So its not what you know, or who you know, but who you can stop from doing to whom?”
“And then it who you know.”
“You’re not going to tell them there was a fundraiser wandering their neighborhood are you?”
“No. They’d just ask why I didn’t bring you up to see them. Especially if I told them how attractive you are.”
Alex blushed a bit “I bet they’d be more interested in my track record. A pretty smile will only get you so far.”
“It got me to give you a lift.”
“Yes but you’d as much for any suspicious character.” He laughed that comforting disarming chuckle. Alex looked over at him “I’m Alex” He reached out his right hand as he kept his eyes on the car ahead of him “Officer Hightower”.
“I’ll just pass on all the jokes and comments that you’ve probably heard before.”
“Thank you. Since you’re willing to do that then I’ll admit to being 6’ 12’’.”
“Wow. That’s what you admit to?”
“Actually my drivers license says I’m 6’ 10’’ he turned the corner and she could see the hotel “Safe and sound delivery”
As Officer Hightower pulled into the hotel round a bout. Alex wondered how to repay him. “How much do I owe you?”
He laughed. “Darn it. I forgot to run the meter”
“If you wait right here I could grab you a Diet Coke.” She said kicking the cans around as she stepped out.
“Well, since I’m on duty I’ll take it”
Alex grabbed her bag and went up to the front desk. “I need a diet Coke for the Gentleman outside”
“The vending machine is down the hall.”
“I really don’t think I ought to make the cop wait”
The attendant looked up and glanced at the cop car outside “I’ll call the bar and get you one”
“You call the bar and I’ll go get it. Unopened” she called back and held up one finger to Hightower begging for a moment as she passed the doors. Alex went up to the bar and saw Willmon beckoning to her. “Let me just run this out to my driver” turning to the bar tender “I need that unopened coke”
He eyed her suspiciously “Front desk said it was for a cop”
“Yes, my driver for this evening is an officer of the law. Say you’re from around here right. You probably know Hightower.” The bartender blanched and Willmon almost choked on his drink a look of amusement passing before he regained control.
Alex ran the coke out to the car. “Well if your as good a fundraiser as you are a car hop I’ll see you at the next swearing in”
Alex laughed “Only if your as good at protecting as you are at serving” he laughed with her. “I’ll see you around Alex” he called after her.
Back at the bar the bartender served her and Willmon and retreated to the far side of the bar where he could still scowl at Alex but was well out of her reach.
“Now then what was so funny?” Alex asked Willmon.
“Aside from you fetching for a cop…tossing that name around could get you in trouble”
“Really” Alex leaned in “What. Is he a bad cop? Tough cop? Dirty cop? He just gave me a ride to the hotel”
Willmon could not contain his mirth this time.
“Stop it! Stop it and tell me!” Alex thwacked Willmon on the back as his laughter cracked into a gasping guffaw.
“Sorry” He said wheezing and wiping his eyes. He leaned back in and lowered his voice “From the look on that bartender’s face he knows Hightower for his busts. I bet he has been run in by him before.” Alex looked up scrutinizing the bartender who, aware of her gaze attempted to find the COLDEST beer by inserting himself down to his hips into the cooler headfirst. “But that’s not the best part” Willmon patted her knee looking conspiratorial at her “Let me first ask you how it happened that he was driving you?”
Alex explained briefly anxious for the rest of the story. “Of course. That’s Hightower’s hill. He’s almost their private security. He got into the academy and worked his ass off as a rookie. Solid Citizen type of cop. But when his Uncle was elected to U.S. Senate his days of real work ended abruptly. He’s asked for other assignments but they never came through. He transferred but that didn’t help. There is no Commissioner going to take that risk with Senator Eisenhower’s kid sisters youngest. Ever since then he’s been up on that hill. I suspect that he is trying to get some dirt on someone high enough in the system to be put back to work.”
“What. He’s gonna blackmail someone to get his cushy job taken away?”
“Yep. Straight as an arrow with an old school work ethic. So every bodies afraid of him because he’s everything a cop should be”
“Fascinating”
“Speaking of politics you met Phil Dunkin?”
“Yes, I have his card, but to be honest I don’t remember him”
”Apparently people make less of an impression on you than you do on them. I met you last year at the Mayors ball when you were working on the Treasurers campaign.”
Alex looked down at her drink. It was her Achilles Heel. In fundraising you needed to be able to remember everyone.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I know what you are thinking. Actually it’s more important that others remember you, not the other way around. That’s what Managers are for.” He paused to jingle his ice at the bartender who slunk over and refilled both their drinks “The important thing is that they remember you so when you call or visit you can get to them.” Alex nodded and the bartender slunk back to his corner glancing towards the doorway as if he were afraid Hightower would appear any minute.
“So Phil approached me after the luncheon and asked how about you. I told him I’d known you for a while, so I lied a little, and told him where we met. Anyway, he asked if I’d speak to you about working for the Mayors run for Governor.” He waited stirring his drink. Alex sat: stunned and flattered. Considering that she was working on the poorly organized campaign of a nobody with a one out of nine chance of even making it to the primary: she salivated at the thought of one of Pennsylvania’s most prominent Mayor. She was being head hunted.
“Okay, so we’re talking.”
Willmon laughed, “You’re tougher than you look. I guess you would have to be.”
“I’m flattered. Really. But what…I mean how could I help from here.” She said more to herself than to him.
“Not willing to move?”
“Not mid-campaign.”
“You really think he’ll win?” Willmon looked surprised
“At this level people care more about how much you raised and less about whether or not your candidate won”
He tapped his stirrer on the bar the bartender and Alex looked up attentively at the same time for different reasons. “Oh yeah, you are good” Willmon looked into Alex’s eyes “and you don’t even know it.” Willman began to laugh “You! A natural. Phil will absolutely LOVE you. I’m along for the ride. Please just bring me along for the ride!” He was becoming more and more animated and excited. Alex felt herself being carried away on his enthusiasm. She held up her glass to the nervous bartender. Maybe she could raise for him here. There were lots of businesses that wanted contracts in Pennsylvania. She could do some traveling and raise out there. She watched her busy life unfold as it could be. She thought about the possibilities. She’d have to take time off but now that Terry had a manager maybe she could renegotiate. Maybe.
“Well you’ve talked to me for him. What’s next?”
“You’ll take a meeting with Phil. He just wanted me to feel you out. I’d say your interested. Just give him a call.”
“Do you think…” Alex hesitated ‘I can do it’ was on her lips, but Willmon wasn’t her mentor or some father figure. He was someone who wanted this for his own reasons. “…I can get him to visit me or should I call him now. I leave tomorrow after the event”
Willmon looked at his watch. “It’s late. Better wait and call him in the morning.”Alex looked at the still empty bar “Yeah, I guess it’s late and I should take some rest”
Willmon finished his drink and tossed some money down on the bar “Well it’s your future. Just do let me know how it turns out” As they walked out of the bar he chuckled “Hell with my connections I’ll know. But call me anyway. I like working with you”
6 a.m. the phone rang. Hand to phone to ear… “This is your wake up call”
“Thank you” …to receiver Her body wanted to stay in bed but her mind was already playing out various conversations she might have with Phil. She reached for her cell phone and wallet on the nightstand. Still bleary eyed she put down the phone and headed for a quick shower.
At 6:45 she returned to the edge of the bed again with her cell phone and Phil’s card in her hand. The phone was ringing. “Hello. This is Alex. I apologize for the early call. Willmon said I should call you while we were both in town. I’m generally an early riser much to most peoples chagrin. No, I have to leave this afternoon, but you’re always welcome to visit me if you find yourself in my area.” Alex paused, “Sure we could meet for breakfast. I can easily be there in 20 min. provided I can get a cab. Great I’ll see you there” She scribbled down an address as she got off the phone. Then she picked up the hotel phone. Sitting in a hotel, holding the phone, trying to figure out what to say. Her pause answered by the buzz on the other end. Leaving early, leaving a note. Other hotels, other times, other excuses. What did she say then? She could make it back by 9 what were the chances she’d even be missed. Her finger hesitated in it’s steady pressure and she dialed the front desk “I need a cab” that was first “I’ll also need to leave a note incase Terry in room 1221 is looking for me. Just have it say I’ve gone out for breakfast and am reachable on my cell…Yes he has the number. Thank you”