K. Janssen - Hampton Manor

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Hampton Manor is a multi-genre work about the lives of five townspeople in the quiet New England town of Old Brooking, Connecticut as they contend with the powerful Hampton family. The protagonist, Adam Hampton III, is an amalgamation of characters from fiction and real life. He stirs up the emotions of each of the main characters through a series of ruthless actions until one finally hires an assassin to kill both Adam and his father, and burn Hampton Manor to the ground.
AMAZON REVIEW: 5 STARS
"Another nail-biter from the author of Blood Money. It's one of those thrillers that make you glad you started reading while the night was young because you can't put it down. Page by page Hampton Manor brings you closer to a terrible secret that will give you goosebumps as you dive into the mystery of the Hampton family."
— Jack King, "Author of Suspense" (in from the cold)

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“Have you been to Old Brooking before, Mister Masterson?” She already knew the answer, but decided to ask anyway, to cover the fact that she had spent two hours searching into his background.

“Well actually I was raised here, but I left to go to college and after I graduated I settled in Wooster Square. I come back occasionally to visit with my mother.”

“Will you be staying at her house?’

“No! Your personnel people set me up at the Belmonte. I’ll be staying there. By the way, please call me Kane.”

“You’ll find that it’s still a very charming town, Mister Masterson. I hope your stay will be pleasant.” She spoke with a smile on her face, but the “Mister Masterson” told him that his dealings with Marcia Bloom would be on her terms.

“I certainly hope so.”

“Now let’s get down to business. We’ve got a lot to cover. Have you had a chance to review the organization charts Mister Hampton gave you?”

“Of course, I have them right here.” He opened his leather attaché case and removed a folder. “Which of the two do you want to cover first?”

“We’ll start with our flagship company, Hampton Sportswear. The plan is to fully assimilate Preston’s Elegant Sportswear brand, which means that Preston’s plants, marketing, finance and design departments must be examined to determine which sections can be cut and which will be transferred to Hampton. I understand that Elegant’s vice-president has decided not to make the move to Hampton and has already left the company. That will make our staffing decisions a lot easier. Are you with me so far?”

“Absolutely. I would recommend that we start with plant and equipment. Elegant has been modernizing their equipment and processes for the past three years. Their research and development budget has produced some solid results. They have the fastest most productive machines in the industry. They are also testing some revolutionary concepts that will turn garment making on its ear. I checked and the rights to this technology are fully transferable to Hampton.”

Hampton Sportswear and Elegant Sportswear were listed under the Industrial Classification, Textile Goods and while both are in the garment business, they supply entirely different markets.

Elegant Sportswear manufactures garments for the high end of the market. They produce all of their clothing at a plant complex in New Haven, Connecticut. They export forty percent of their goods to European and Asian Markets.

Hampton Sportswear caters to the broad consumer market, distributing mostly through discount stores. They import sixty percent of their clothes from Asian countries and export goods mainly to Mexico, Canada and South America.

Preston Industries had been founded in 1892 by Jonathon Preston. His initial venture into the textile industry began with the testing of revolutionary looms invented by friend. He rented an abandoned pottery factory in New Haven, installing two of the vertical reciprocating looms. For the first two years he only manufactured and sold cloth by the bolt. He experimented with new patterns and variations of designs that were the rage in Europe. His designs gained popularity with garment manufacturers, especially producers of sports clothes. Not being one to let an opportunity slip by, Jonathon expanded his operation and soon Preston Industries became a major player in the garment making business. Jonathon incorporated the business in 1917 under the Preston Industries banner. The name Elegant Sportswear was born three years later, out of necessity, when a small toiletry company and a leather goods manufacturer were added to the mix and the three companies became operating divisions. As a corporation Preston Industries survived several wars and the great depression. Shareholders that rode the tumultuous years and cycles of taste and style were richly rewarded. Since its inception, Preston had only seven unprofitable years. Dividends, which were first paid in1925, have been paid every year since then, although during the seven unprofitable years they were significantly reduced. The company’s stock suffered when conglomerates went out of favor and it lost its ranking as a growth stock just prior to the millennium, but it immediately took over first place on most analyst’s list of conservative dividend payers with its unmatched record of continuous payment for over eighty three years.

Marcia replied, “I think we should schedule trips to New Haven to visit both the facilities. We need to review the production figures, age, capacity and utilization for each piece of equipment at both. I’ll need the maintenance and repair records for the machinery at Elegant. It looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us for the next several months. Let’s visit the Elegant plant first thing tomorrow and Hampton the next day. I’ll make the arrangements. Let’s plan on meeting at 8 a.m. at the Communications Center.

“You may want to schedule two or three days for the Elegant visit. That plant has eight facilities, all told, each dedicated to the main lines they produce. The original pottery factory has expanded into surrounding shipbuilding, electronics and furniture plants. It will take one day just to do a walk through.”

“I’ll make that decision after I see the place,” she said, curtly.”

Kane just shrugged and made a note in his appointment book. They worked for the next two hours reviewing Elegant’s production data, finally breaking for lunch, which consisted of roast beef sandwiches and soft drinks brought in from a nearby deli and eaten they while they continued work. As the day went on, Kane thought that Marcia was softening a bit, Hopefully she’s getting more comfortable with me . It looks like this is going to be a little easier than I thought .

She corrected that mis-conception when, at 4:55, she closed up her notebook and abruptly announced, that their time was up. She was back to her rigid demeanor. “That’s it for today, but before we go I need to review the protocols for the next six months.” Marcia explained the rules that Adam had set up for Kane whenever he was in the building. He agreed to each as she went down the list.

Kane was not surprised by the rigid rules. He had to do the same himself on several occasions. He could handle it. After all, he still held the trump card. The best was yet to come. He pretended to be upset with the leash that they put him on. “Is it alright if I ride down with you? It’ll save security a trip to escort me,” he said, sarcastically.

“Sure, come along,” she answered, ignoring his tone. They rode the elevator to the lobby in silence and separated at the front door.

“I’ll see you at nine tomorrow,” he said.

She did not respond.

After he left the building, Marcia walked to the Security desk to remind them about the special instructions regarding Kane. “There are to be no exceptions.”

Chapter 12

Adam came right home from the office for a meeting in his den with Milton Cavell, originally the butler to Adam II and now to Adam III. Milton joined the Hampton family in 1980 when Adam II retired the then seventy-five year old butler, Howard Simpson. Howard had been with the family for over forty years.

Milton was a true gentlemen’s gentleman, having served the social elite of the seaside community for twenty years prior to moving to Hampton Manor. Adam II had enjoyed being pampered, especially when he entered the playboy phase of his life, however, once he was stricken his son preferred to have a shift of male nurses protect and look after his father, 24/7.

When he took over the Manor, Adam Hampton III quickly took an instant dislike to having a personal attendant, preferring to organize his own wardrobe and take showers rather than baths. As a consolation, he allowed Milton to hang up his clothes, look after his laundry and turn down his bed at night. He also put Milton in charge of hiring and supervising the domestic help inside and outside the Manor. His authority was not to be questioned.

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