Wiring an outlet with two white, one red, and a ground
With a 14/3 (white-black-red-ground) and 14/2 (white-black-ground) coming into this box, CoAstroGeek suspected that this might be a switched outlet. Exactly right. 

There is a switch in the room next door that we had no idea what it was for. once i switched it on, there was power to the outlet. the short of it is- the room used to be the garage and was converted into an office 40 years ago. there are two switches on the wall in the room next door; one for an exterior light and one for that outlet. must have been an overhead light or something.