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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The parking lot was empty when Eddie rolled in at six-thirty. He unlocked the steel doors and turned off the alarm. The tiny light on his key chain allowed him just enough light to find the keyholes and the breaker box in the total darkness. He turned on the overhead lights. The table and chairs were dwarfed by the enormity of the place. He retrieved his computer and briefcase and set up office. The ringing of his phone shattered the silence and startled him. Eddie glanced at the screen.“ Hi Frank.”“ Are you there and do you need coffee?” Frank asked.“ Yes. Black if it’ s no problem,” Eddie said.“ See you in fifteen minutes,” Frank ended the call.
Eddie propped open the double steel doors and the inner glass doors at both ends of the building, hoping to rid the place of the lingering, coppery smell of fresh cement. Frank drove up the handicapped ramp, through the doors, past the table and lowered the kickstand on his Harley. He killed the engine and opened one of the saddle bags. He offered Eddie one of the two Starbucks coffee cups.“ The building looks absolutely hideous. I can’ t wait to paint over the perfect shade of yellow called,‘ Morning Sun.’ That sounded way too gay,” Frank laughed. The picture that flashed through Eddie’ s head was one of Frank singing“ Macho Man or YMCA” dressed in the leathers he now sported. Eddie started to laugh.“ Care for a banana nut muffin. I baked them fresh this morning,” he said, opening the other saddle bag and pulling out a cellophane wrapped muffin.“ Sure Otis. Thanks. Very thoughtful of you to put an expiration date on your baking,” Eddie said, taking the muffin and reading the print on the wrapper. Frank climbed off the motorcycle and looked around the expanse as if seeing it for the first time. The plan was to raise most of the floor.
After finishing their coffee and muffins, Eddie pulled a tape measure from his belt and a large piece of chalk from his briefcase. They began to lay out the floor plan as discussed. They wanted to get a feel of how the audience would feel moving through the haunted house. The spider web would be the turn at the end of the horseshoe shape that emerged. A hallway down the middle of the back to back exhibits would provide unobstructed access for the actors.“ What about handicapped access?” Frank asked.“ How many wheelchairs do you think are going to roll through a haunted house? And they have to navigate a tunnel.”“ Build a by-way around the tunnel. The guides will have access to a door that meets up with their group on the other side,” Frank was getting into the spirit.“ We may be the only haunted house with handicapped capabilities.”“ Excellent advertising point,” Frank said, as the sound of a delivery truck rumbled the building.
The flatbed trailer loaded with steel framing studs stopped near the entrance. Sixteen eight foot long pallets with stacks of banded steel were about to be dropped.“ We need them inside. Once he sets them down they won’ t get moved,” Eddie said.“ What are the options?” Eddie saw the size of the forklift and knew it would never get through the inner doors. He pointed out the area between the glass and the cinder block walls was clear but did they really want that place filled first. With other supplies ordered such as plywood and wallboard, they really wanted to be able to move the heavy pallets wherever they wanted.“ With two drills and sixty-four casters we could move them. Four wheels on each. I have an extension cord in my truck. Those are brand new pallets we would be able to move anything once they were emptied,” Eddie said. Frank agreed with the plan. They