Thanks for the moral support! Quite a few people have suggested that he's trying to set me up by claiming I'm a no show to the interview, so I don't think that's paranoia.

I'm having lunch with my friend today and should have a better update after that, but so far this guy still hasn't gotten in touch. I told him last week that I could meet this Thursday morning. As far as I'm concerned, that's off the table - I'm not going to give the appearance that I'm just sitting around waiting for his summons.

It's just the sheer insanity of this weird negotiation. Why do I have to talk to this guy at all? Why is he still part of this process? If the two owners and my friend want to hire me for a role outside of this guy's department, why does it matter what he thinks?