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The Purple Patch - Missouri Valley College

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tary, “I’ve got a Mr. Paul Jensen starting on the 16th. He’ll<br />

be in the file room, can you see to that please?”<br />

“Yes sir, right away,” came the reply.<br />

“You can also go home early if you’d like, I’m taking<br />

the rest of the afternoon off.”<br />

“Thank you, Mr. Roberts,” she said. “Enjoy your<br />

weekend.” Initially he didn’t have any plans for that particular<br />

weekend, but as he drove home, the wheels started<br />

to turn.<br />

Paul Jensen was not a family man, no serious commitments<br />

to anyone, no one to answer to. He was orphaned<br />

as an infant, having had no siblings to speak of<br />

either. In other words, if some accident were to befall him,<br />

he would not be missed. Roberts pondered that idea as he<br />

pulled into his driveway. But if he were to have an accident,<br />

it would have to look like an accident. How does one commit<br />

the perfect “accident?” One thing he wouldn’t have to<br />

worry about would be guilt, or his own conscience. Paul<br />

Jensen had already seen to that. Roberts went to bed that<br />

evening with the thought still fresh in his mind. He awoke<br />

on Saturday morning with a brilliant idea.<br />

He decided to have that year’s Christmas party<br />

catered, a buffet brunch with an open bar. And just in case<br />

one of his staff got too tipsy, he had made arrangements for<br />

them to be driven home. For the entire year, the office had<br />

operated in the black, and the generosity that Burt Stockton<br />

had instilled in him reflected in the bonus checks he<br />

handed out. As the rest of his staff left along with the caterers,<br />

no one noticed that he asked Paul Jensen to do him a<br />

favor before he went home.<br />

“You want me to go down first?” Jensen asked quizzically.<br />

“<strong>The</strong> one thing I don’t need, Paul, is some drunk<br />

49

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