Storiesonline.net
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                               Ed Biggers
                            by Lazlo Zalezac

Copyright© 2004 by Lazlo Zalezac


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Description: Ed Biggers, bully and cowboy, meets John Carter and changes into a much better man. This is a story about becoming the best person that you can be. 

Codes: MF MM slow ScFi rom sch cons mag bi het group interr safe
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Part 1: Epiphany

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Chapter 1


... come forth to define himself as a man, yet he knows not what it means to be a man.

What he knows is useless. Big boys don't cry. Big boys don't sit around dreaming nonsense. A man is strong and does not allow others to push him around. A man will fight for what is his. A man does what he must. Add those trivial statements together and you get nothing useful for defining yourself as a man.

Is a man defined by the cock between his legs? He does not know, but does not believe so. He works to mold himself into the image of his father, big, strong, callous, and loud. That is his only model on which to base his idea of a man. Yet the father defined himself in the same fashion, following in the footsteps of his father. Generations of men, none of whom knew what it meant to be a man. Unless he learns, generations of men to follow will not know what it means to be a man.

Ed watched as a man pulled up to the house across the street in a jeep. Hoping this guy was better than the wimp that lived there before, he watched as two trips were all that were required to unpack the jeep. A backpack, a bag of groceries, a walking stick, a couple of lawn chairs, and a computer were all that the new neighbor had with him. Talking to himself, he said, "He travels light."

For days, he checked the house across the street. He was waiting to see the moving van arrive, but the only thing that arrived was a beat up truck carrying a used desk in the back. Manuel and his son unloaded the desk and carried it into the house.

The stranger had gone into the house and remained inside. It bothered Ed more than he could express in words. In his mind, the stranger should have come out and established himself as a presence in the neighborhood. This kind of behavior suggested his neighbor was just another wimp. Of course, Ed enjoyed teaching wimps what a real man was like, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Maria, the neighbor across the way, came out to watch her son play soccer in the front yard. Ed, not yet ready to go down to the bar, picked up a beer and went across the street to talk to her. Stepping across the road, he shouted, "Hello, Maria."

Looking at him with dread, Maria answered, "Hello, Ed."

Taking a big sip of the beer from the bottle, he asked, "So what about the new neighbor?"

Maria shrugged and answered, "I don't know. I see him sitting out back on a lawn chair occasionally. Keeps to himself."

Ed shook his head in derision. Finally, he said, "It just isn't right."

Pleased to have a quiet neighbor, Maria wasn't about to complain. She had hoped that Ed would have moved out rather than the previous occupant of the house next door. Ed was a loud braggart that chased off every nice person in the area. She shrugged and said, "It's the quiet ones that will surprise you."

Ed took another sip of his beer and looked over at the house in time to see the man exit from it. The man, using a walking stick, strolled slowly down the street, greeting the other neighbors as he went. Getting a better view of the guy reinforced his judgement that the man as a wimp. He said, "He looks like a hippie with that long hair and beard."

Maria watched Ed as he stared at the man walking down the street. She cringed when he took a last sip of his beer and followed the guy down the street with his typical swagger With a negligent gesture, he threw the empty beer bottle in the front yard of the house next door. As she picked up the bottle, she muttered, "One day that man is going to meet his match."

Ed entered the bar and saw his new neighbor sit down at the counter. Stepping behind him, he put a hand on the man's shoulder. Much to his surprise, the man didn't cringe, but turned to look at him with a steadiness that was most unexpected. Ed said, "Howdy neighbor."

The stranger replied, "Hello."

"You moved in across the street from my place," said Ed, irritated that the man didn't know this fact. He felt like this was supposed to be something that the other guy should already know.

"Oh. Let me introduce myself. I'm John Carter." John extended his hand.

Ed grabbed the hand and squeezed as hard as he could. John just squeezed back. Ed said, "I'm Ed Biggers."

"Nice to meet you Ed."

"Nice to finally meet you. Let me buy you a drink," replied Ed. It was time to get a measure of the man. He offered the drink as a challenge to see what the man would order.

"That would be very nice of you. I'll have a coke."

Ed stared at John, fully expecting him to order a beer at least. He asked, "Coke? What are you? Are you some kind of wimp?"

"No. I just don't drink alcohol," replied John.

There was a sternness in his voice that Ed found unsettling. It made him wonder if he was going to have to beat the guy and pour the drink into him. Deciding it was time to put the man in his place, Ed shouted out to the bar, "Hey, folks. We got us a wimp. He doesn't drink like a real man. He doesn't even drink a woman's drink. He actually wants a coke without the rum!"

Ed knew he had scored a point over the man when the majority of people in the bar burst out laughing at the announcement. Turning to Shirley, he said, "Hey Shirley, set us up with a couple of whiskeys with beer chasers."

"Don't forget my coke. Plain with no rum."

Shirley set a whiskey with a beer in front of Ed and a plain coke in front of John. Angered, Ed looked at Shirley feeling like she was undermining his efforts to put this guy in his place. He told her, "I said a couple. I'm buying the wimp here a man's drink."

Shirley shot back, "Ed, don't do this."

Ed repeated himself, "I said a couple. Now hop to it little lady before I loose my temper."

She relented and set the drinks in front of John. John picked up the shot glass with the whiskey in it. He sniffed it, nodded, and then set it down. With a smile on his face, John calmly stated, "I heard that some men drink in the hope that it will make their pecker bigger. I don't know if that's your reason for drinking. Since I'm already hung like a horse, I don't drink in the hope that it will shrink down to the size a woman can handle."

Furious at the implication that he had a small cock, Ed glared at John. This was a very real challenge and he was going to put that hippie in his place. Cocking his arm back, he was shocked when his balls suddenly felt like they were in an iron gripe. As he bent over, paralyzed in pain, he saw that the man had hold of his balls. Slowly, he collapsed to the floor as the desire to vomit washed over him.

He never realized when John left, all that he knew was the pain in his balls was slowly disappearing. With great effort, he stood up and leaned on the bar. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he picked up the shot of whiskey and shot it back. He followed that with the second shot and then both beers. The look Shirley gave him only angered him. He spat out, "Don't say a word."

As he opened the door to leave, a number of people laughed. Glaring, he turned and looked over the room seeking the source of the laughter. The room got very quiet as no one wanted to become his next target. A very angry Ed left the bar and made his way home, swearing the whole trip that he would get revenge.

Ed woke the next morning feeling like hell from drinking too much the night before. Leaving the bedroom in his boxers, he glanced out the window at the house across the street and said, "You'll pay for that, you bastard."

Scratching his stomach, he entered the kitchen to grab a beer. After opening it, he took a sip from the bottle. The pounding in his head slowly eased and he returned to the bedroom. He slowly dressed, taking a sip of the beer between each item of clothes. As he was putting on his boots, he heard terrified screams coming from outside. Grimacing at the noise, he decided to check it out as he swore to himself, "Damn kids."

Walking out of the house, it was impossible to miss Maria's kid screaming. Heading in his direction, Ed stopped when he saw hundreds of rattlesnakes on the ground. Heart thumping, he stared at them in fear. He looked up in time to see John walk in amongst the snakes calmly and deliberately. The desire to shout out a warning died on his lips as snake after snake struck the man. Amazed at what he was seeing, he looked at John, noticing for the first time the huge red scar that ran down his back and the scars on his legs. This was the bravest thing that he had ever seen in his life.

He came out of his trace when John set the boy down next to Maria and turned to him saying, "Ed, would you please drive me to the hospital?"

The effect of those words staggered him as hard as a solid blow to the chin. This was the guy that he had tried to fight the night before and now he was trusting him to take him to the hospital. As he turned to get his truck, he shouted, "Sure, I'll get my truck."

Running back to his house, he realized that this guy was probably going to die before they got to the hospital. He fished in his pockets for his keys as he ran. Jumping in the truck, he started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. He opened the passenger- side door once he reached the entry to Maria's front yard. Hobbling, John slowly made his way to the truck.

Ed looked at all of the bites on John's legs. There was no way this guy could survive so many bites, but he sat there calmly in the truck. The ropes tied above and below the bites caused the section of the leg between the knots to swell. It was hard driving while watching the man, seated next to him, cut himself with the knife. The wounds oozed yellow and red. The yellow was the venom.

When John wrapped the rope about his legs to force the poisons out of the cuts, Ed nearly swerved off the road. John didn't even flinch at what appeared to be a very painful procedure. Awed by what he was seeing, Ed said, "You're the bravest man I've ever seen. I know, I've seen quite few when I was in the army."

"That's nice of you to say. I feel more stupid than brave. I could have done this without a single bite, but I left my walking stick in the house."

Ed pressed the accelerator down a little more. The truck edged up to eighty miles an hour. Ed drove silently for a minute as he thought about how he had treated John the night before and then said, "I'm sorry about last night."

"Same here. I hope that we can become good friends." John was silent for a minute. Ed took his silence as a sign that he didn't really accept the apology. It was with relief that he heard John asked, "Can I ask you to do a favor?"

"Sure."

"Don't tell anyone what you see or hear in the hospital."

Wondering what he would hear, he answered, "Is that it? No problem, I won't say a word about it. Let's just hope the hospital is just as quiet about it."

John laughed and then said, "I've dealt with hospitals before. They are usually pretty good when they know that you desire a little privacy about such things."

When they reached the hospital, Ed stopped the truck right in front of the emergency entrance. After John stepped out and was in the care of a nurse, Ed parked the truck in the visitors section of the parking lot. He made his way to the emergency room trying to figure out what kind of guy he had just driven here.

Ed arrived just in time to follow John into the examination area. The doctor closed the curtain leaving John, Ed, herself, and the nurse crowded together in close quarters. Ed watched as the woman doctor examined the cuts on John's legs. She smiled and nodded, "Good job. It looks like you cut in the direction of the fangs and deep enough to get to where the toxin was deposited. Single cuts rather than X cuts. You did a very good job. Of course, I expected that of you after reading your record."

"Thanks."

She examined the tourniquet trying to place where she had seen that before. It took her a minute to remember a story about the Chinese miners working on the railroad and looked up surprised, "Chinese rope?"

"Yes."

"I doubt you really need the anti-toxin, but with that number of bites it's better to be safe than sorry."

Ed watched the exchange fascinated by the calm manner in which they discussed the treatment John had given himself. While he had worried about John dying before getting to the hospital, the doctor was doubting the need for the anti-toxin. He stared at John, disbelieving what he was hearing.

She reached behind her and removed a syringe from a tray carried by the nurse in the examination area. She injected John without major comment or warning. John asked, "Aren't you supposed to warn me that this is going to sting a little?"

"You've had more than enough of these to know what is going on!"

"True. I was just wondering if you had failed bedside manner in medical school."

Ed laughed at the joke, perhaps a little harder than appropriate, but he was still overwhelmed by all that he had seen. Nonplussed, the doctor stood there for a moment and consulted the folder containing his medical records. She asked, "Would you mind standing up for a minute and allowing me to examine you?"

"No problem."

"Could you please drop your towel so I can see all of you."

"No problem." Dropping the towel, John stood there completely naked. The only thing left was a medallion hanging around his neck. Sitting slightly off to the side, Ed realized there were scars he hadn't seen before. He caught himself looking at the guys cock and felt a little embarrassed at examining another man's body.

The doctor proceeded to point out scars and recite the situations in which they were created. As she recited each situation, she paused for an acknowledging nod from John. Ed stared wide-eyed as he heard the causes of each scar. That horrible scar and burn had been the result of running twice into a burning building to rescue two kids. He had died as a result of the gunshot taken while protecting a total stranger.

Ed's attention returned to the conversation when he heard John say, "Darn, I was hoping for that. The least you could do for me is dress up in a sexy doctor outfit."

The nurse started laughing so hard that tears were coming from her eyes. Ed didn't understand what was so funny. The doctor explained, "Some people here think I'm an ice bitch."

John looked at her very seriously and shook his head. He said, "No, I don't think so. You aren't an ice bitch. You are a consummate professional at work. At home, I bet you are a very focused and considerate lover. I would bet that you are a natural submissive."

Ed looked at her speculatively for a moment and then discounted the possibility that a doctor would be interested in an old cowboy like himself. She was an attractive woman and any man would be happy to have a woman that looked like her.

Ed perked up when John asked, "Will I be confined to bed?"

"Only if you start to feel sick. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if there were any kids in here that might appreciate having a story read to them," explained John. He looked over at the doctor in hope that he would be able to do that.

Ed couldn't believe what he was hearing. This guy was hurt, yet he was still thinking of others. How could he ever have believed this guy was a wimp? Ed knew that if he were in that position, he'd be bragging about how brave he had been and how much pain he had to endure. To quietly ask if he could read stories to kids was incredible.

John, in response to the permission granted by the doctor, laughed. "Great. I'll need a hospital gown and robe. I would hate to have to walk around like this or in my towel."

The nurse reached around and handed him the requested items. As John put them on, the doctor asked, "So how did you get so many bites?"

"A child found himself in a little difficulty. I did what little I could."

A child found himself in a little difficulty? That was a lame description of what had actually happened. Ed felt like he had to clarify things a bit. He said, "Bullshit. This kid had walked into an area of rattlesnakes sunning themselves. There must have been a hundred of them. He was terrified and screaming. John came running out the house just dressed in that towel. Then he just walked in as calmly as can be, picked the kid up, and walked back out. You'd have thought he was just taking a stroll through a park. Bravest damn thing I've ever seen. Everyone else, myself included, was just standing there too afraid to move."

The doctor wrote that down into the medical record. She nodded at Ed and replied, "Sounds like John according to what I've read in here about him."

Turning to John, Ed felt like he had to apologize once again. He said, "I have to apologize for last night. I hope you can forgive me. I'll buy you a coke anytime you want."

This was the second time that Ed had apologized to him. John smiled and extended his hand in a warm handshake. He said, "I'll be proud to call you a friend."

The doctor looked up at Ed. She asked, "what was that about?"

Ed looked up at the ceiling for a minute and then replied, "I met him the first time last night and offered to buy him a drink. When he requested a coke, I'm afraid that I didn't react very nicely. I called him a wimp. When he made a smart-ass comment, I lost my temper and went to hit him. Let's just say, he won quite handily. I'll admit I was trying to think of some way of getting back at him, but damn he's no wimp. He's a better man than I am. I was a real jerk last night and I'm man enough to admit it."

The nurse looked at Ed with more than a little interest. She had never heard a man give such an honest appraisal about himself in public like this. It turned her on and she moved a little closer to Ed so that her hip touched his.

Ed had never felt so uncomfortable in front of others and decided it was time for him to get out of there. Turning to John, he said, "Look, you're gonna be in here until tomorrow morning. I'll head out now and be back to pick you up in the morning. If you don't mind, I'll pick up some clothes for you to wear home."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that. My clothes are in the backpack. You can't miss it."

The nurse led Ed out of the examination area. Once out of hearing of the others, she said, "I'm Kelly. I have to tell you that no man has ever impressed me as much as you."

Shocked, Ed looked down at her and asked, "What?"

Smiling at this handsome man, Kelly said, "You're so honest. I've never met a man that would admit so honestly that he had done something wrong. Don't tell anyone, but that turns me on."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Never had a woman that was so beautiful ever said anything like that to him. Swallowing with difficulty, Ed said, "Look. I've got to be honest with you. I've always been a bully and until today I had no idea what a real man was like. John in there is a real man."

Licking her lips, Kelly walked out of the hospital beside Ed. As they approached his truck, she summoned her courage and said, "I have to tell you something and you might freak. I want to have two husbands and a wife. Today I realized that I want Dr. Hayes as my wife. If it doesn't bother you that I'm interested in that, I'd like to see you again."

Ed stood there for a minute considering what she had just said. The idea of having two wives wasn't that bad. He wondered what it would be like to have a husband, but set aside the idea for later thought. For now, he was interested in knowing this spunky lady a little better. With a shaky voice, he replied, "I'd like that. Would Friday night be okay?"

Looking through her purse for something to write on, she said, "I'll give you my number. Call me and I'll give you directions to my apartment."

He watched as she wrote down her name and number. Realizing that he had never told her his name, he said, "My name is Ed Biggers."

She slipped a piece of paper in his hand as she hugged him. Stepping back, she winked and said, "Call me, Ed Biggers."

Watching her walk back to the hospital, Ed stood there for several minutes thinking about the events of the morning. He slowly got into the truck and drove away from the hospital. Normally, he would have sped home, but this time he drove at a leisurely pace thinking furiously. He had never met anyone as brave as John. The guy was a hero and yet didn't boast or brag at all. His whole concept of manliness was turned upside down.

Reaching home, he parked the truck. There was the knife in the front seat that John had used to cut open his wounds. He didn't know who the knife belonged to, but thought that Maria would know. Picking up the knife, he headed over to Maria's house to check on Juan. As he walked up to the front door, he realized that he had never called upon her before. Rapping on the door sharply, he waited for Maria to answer. He wasn't sure what to say to her.

Maria opened the door and looked startled to see Ed standing there. She said, "Hello, Ed."

"Hello, Maria. How's Juan?"

Surprised that Ed even knew the name of her son, she replied, "He's fine. How is the guy next door?"

Ed answered, "John is doing very well. They wanted to watch him overnight so I'll pick him up from the hospital tomorrow morning."

Not entirely trusting Ed, Maria didn't like the idea of him going to pick him up. She said, "I can get him tomorrow."

Looking off to the horizon, Ed answered, "No. I'll do that."

With increasing nervousness, Maria said, "I heard that you had a fight with him last night."

Laughing, Ed answered, "Yes, I did. He won it quite easily. Don't worry about me taking revenge on him. He's a far better man than I."

Maria looked at Ed, puzzled by his statement. She had never heard Ed say anything nice about anyone in her life. She shifted nervously and said, "Oh."

Ed held up the knife, only then realizing that it was still bloody. He asked, "Do you know who this belongs to? John was using it to cut the bites to remove the poison."

Making a cross, Maria looked at the knife and the blood on it. She answered, "It belongs to Jorge. I'll take it to him."

Ed handed the knife to her, handle first. With a hesitance that was rooted in not trusting him and not wanting to touch the bloody knife, there was an uncomfortable delay before she took it from him. Turning to leave, he stopped and said, "Do you know that he's reading stories to the kids in the hospital right now?"

"Who? Jorge?"

Realizing that he hadn't been very specific about who was doing the reading, he clarified it by saying, "No. John. I drove him there terrified that he was going to die. He gets there and right after that he's reading to the kids. Can you imagine that?"

Watching Ed carefully, Maria was unable to hide her confusion concerning his behavior. Ed didn't seem to notice and just walked off to the house next door. The front door was still wide open. In this town, that wasn't a problem unless a snake crawled into the house. Crime was almost unheard of around here. Everyone knew everyone and everything that went on in town.

The water was still running in the shower. He went in and shut off the water. The quiet in the house seemed unnatural. It took him several minutes to realize that there wasn't the normal hum of an air conditioner running in the background. He stepped into the bare living room. He went into a bedroom expecting to find John's stuff in there. The bedrooms were empty. He went into the dining room, finding the desk with the computer on it. The sleeping bag and back pack were on the floor next to the desk. Speaking out loud to himself, he said, "This guy must be poor as dirt."

He knelt over the backpack and pulled out a fresh change of clothes. When he reached for the underwear, he felt a little weird about it. As he headed towards the door, he realized that he had forgotten to get some shoes for the guy to wear. He stopped and looked around some more before he spotted the hiking boots next to the desk. When he went to the desk, he looked at the papers spread across it. He couldn't even read the titles on some of the papers and said, "Shit, this guy must be smart as hell."

He grabbed the boots and headed out of the house. When he entered his house, he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. As he twisted the top off it, he realized what he was doing. Looking at the clock, he swore, "It's not even eleven in the morning and I'm drinking my second beer of the day. What is wrong with me?"

He poured the beer out of the bottle and looked around for something else to drink. There wasn't anything else to drink in the entire house except for the water from the tap. Letting the tap run for a minute, he filled a glass with the clear liquid and drank it down. It wasn't as bad as he remembered it, but he'd get tired of drinking in soon. He settled in a chair and called his boss.

His boss answered the phone, "Livestock Auctions."

Ed replied, "Hello, Nevada. This is Ed."

His boss answered, "Oh, Ed. I heard about this morning. You done at the hospital?"

"Yes, sir." It didn't take long for news about an event like this morning to spread out over the whole county. That was one aspect of living in the country that most city folk didn't realize.

There was a moment of silence. Nevada asked, "Anything wrong?"

"No, sir," replied Ed. He looked out the window at the house across the street. The guy that lived there surely knew something that he didn't.

"We've got an auction tonight. You'll be here to help with the cattle, won't you."

Distracted, Ed answered, "I'm leaving for there now."

The drive to work passed quickly. He made his normal stop to pick up something to drink and left after purchasing a six pack of soft drinks. A look of disbelief spread across the face of the clerk as he rang up the purchase. He had never seen Ed buy anything except beer.

Ed pulled into the auction yard and parked his truck in his normal spot. Going over to the corral, he caught his horse and saddled it. Settling into the saddle, he went to work pushing cows around the lot. The work was easy and he went through the motions automatically. Nevada had to call him twice to get his attention. Riding the horse over to where his boss stood next to his pickup truck, he asked, "Nevada, what can I do for you?"

Nevada looked around the lot, noticing the amount of work Ed had already done. He replied, "I didn't hear you come in."

Ed reached into the truck and pulled out a Coke out of his foam cooler. Worked the tab to open the can, he took a sip as Nevada stared in disbelief. Ed said, "Oh, I've been here for a while. What's up?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

Ed climbed off his horse and tied it to the fence post as he answered, "I'm feeling fine."

Nevada looked at Ed for a minute without saying a word. His eyes flicked to the can of soda and then at Ed. This was the first time since Ed had started working here that he hadn't come screeching into the lot with tires spinning. He had never seen Ed drink a can of soda. Even on the day that Ed had interviewed, he hadn't been half as respectful as he was today. He said, "I'll take your word for it. How long will it take you to finish up cutting the cattle into the pens?"

Looking over the yard, Ed answered, "About an hour, maybe less."

"You sure?"

Nodding to indicate his confidence, Ed answered, "Yes, sir."

Nevada said, "When you get done, you might as well get some food in you. We have a lot of work to do tonight."

"Sure thing," replied Ed as he mounted up. Turning his horse, he went back to work. Nevada watched as Ed deftly cut out four head of cattle and drove them into a holding pen. There were times when he had wanted to fire Ed so much that he could taste it. The problem was that Ed was the most reliable of the men that worked for him. It was a fact that Ed angered everyone at the lot, but he did show up. Shaking his head, Nevada went back into the office to prepare the papers for the auction.

It was about an hour later that Ed filled the last pen. He rode his horse over the to corral and took the time to unsaddle it and brush it down. Putting out some feed for the horse, he went over to his truck. He opened another Coke and drank it down. It tasted a lot different than beer, but it wasn't half bad despite the fact that it was too sweet.

Driving off to a diner of a truck stop down the way, Ed took his time getting there. Entering the diner, he seated himself at a table near the back. The waitress was rather surprised since Ed usually sat at the counter and flirted outrageously with the waitresses. Most of them detested the man since he was a small tipper and never said anything halfway nice other than to comment on how much they would enjoy going to bed with him. The waitress asked, "What will it be today?"

Ed looked up at her and answered, "I'll have the stew tonight and a glass of iced tea."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Sweet or unsweet?"

"Sweet, please," replied Ed.

Standing there, the waitress waited for his normal come on line. When he didn't say anything, she went off to submit his order. She decided that he must be feeling ill today. Turning to the other waitresses, she shrugged her shoulders and made a face that conveyed her surprise at his behavior.

Ed turned and looked outside lost in thought. John walked through a hundred snakes for a kid he didn't even know. That was a brave enough, but then he heard all about the other things the guy had done. It was impossible that anyone could be so brave that he would regularly risk his life for total strangers, but he had seen the evidence.

The waitress set a glass of iced tea in front of him. He glanced over at her and said, "Thank you."

She stared at him for a minute and then went back to her station. The other waitresses joined her there and talked among themselves. When the stew was ready, one of the other waitresses carried it to the table. She set it in front of Ed and waited for a comment. Ed looked at the stew and said, "Looks good. Thank you."

After unwrapping the silverware, he started eating the stew. Taking a sip of the iced tea, he noticed that the waitress was still standing there. He asked, "Is everything okay?"

Frowning, she asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

Leaning back in his seat, Ed was quiet for a moment. It seemed like everyone that he knew was asking him that question today. He nodded and replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

The waitress shook her head and left the table. Returning to the stew, Ed ate it savoring the flavor. This was the first time in years he had eaten anything without the taste of beer in his mouth. Shaking his head, he wondered what had happened to him this morning. He took another sip of the iced tea. Lost in thought, he didn't notice when they refilled the glass. He did overhear a waitress remark to another, "He might be acting nice, but he still doesn't know how to tip."

That comment made him consider how he treated people. Back in the hospital, John had been kind and considerate of everyone. He looked around watching how the other people in the restaurant treated the waitresses. When the table next to his left the restaurant, he saw that they had left a tip of several dollars. Watching the waitress pick up the tip, he noticed the smile on her face.

He left a two dollar tip on a six dollar tab and returned to work. The evening passed quickly as he herded cattle into the bidding pen and then returned them to the holding pen. Tomorrow, people would come around and collect their purchases. It would be a long day without much real work.

That evening he returned home and after sitting in the house alone for an hour, he realized that he didn't have much of a life outside of drinking. He headed down to the bar where, he sat in the corner drinking a Coke and watching what people were doing.

Shirley came over to the table when he had finished his Coke. Afraid that she was going to get stiffed for the drinks last night, she said, "You owe me six bucks for the drinks last night."

Looking up at her, he realized that she looked a little frightened of him. He sighed and took a sip of his Coke as he wondered how many people were afraid of him. Being completely sober, he realized that he was seeing the world in a brutally honest fashion tonight. He pulled out a ten and handed it to her. He said, "This should cover it and the coke tonight. I also owe you an apology for the trouble I caused. I am sorry."

Shirley didn't know what to say. When he stood to leave, she watched him with confusion and then looked around the room wondering if she was the only one that had heard him apologize. Everyone else was busy talking with each other and no one else had noticed. As he headed to the door, she called out, "Let me get you your change."

He smiled as he thought about the lesson learned in the diner and answered, "Keep it."

Shirley looked at the ten dollar bill, realizing that Ed had just left her a three dollar tip. He had never left more than a quarter. When she looked up again, he was gone.



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Chapter 2


Morning came bright and early. Ed slowly staggered out to the kitchen and reached in the refrigerator. He pulled out a beer and twisted the cap off the bottle. About to take a sip, he realized what he had just done. Pouring it out in the sink, he decided that today he was going to clean all of the beer out of the fridge. There were still a couple of cases in the pantry as well. He wondered who would appreciate them.

It was a bit more work than he was used to doing in the morning, but he brewed a pot of coffee. Staring blankly at the coffee pot, it seemed to take forever for the coffee to brew. He poured a cup and went to the table. Sitting down, he stared at the house across the street thinking about the man that lived there.

Despite the fact that he had gotten out of bed early, it still took him more than an hour to wake. Before long, it was time for him to head over to the hospital. He smiled at the thought of seeing Kelly. She was everything that he had ever wanted in a woman. He wasn't sure about the marriage thing, but he decided that he would keep an open mind.

When he entered the hospital, he saw Kelly at the nurses station. He went over there and said, "Hello Kelly."

Turning, she looked at him as though he was a total stranger. She had hoped for a telephone call last night and when he hadn't called, she had give up on him. She said, "Oh, it's you."

Surprised by the cool response, he slumped down and then said, "I'm looking forward to Friday. I hope it is still on."

His dejected look surprised her. She said, "I thought you were going to call last night."

"I worked late last night. We had an auction and I was there until ten. I didn't want to wake you," replied Ed. He had put her number on the dining room table to call her tonight.

Kelly seemed to bloom like a flower exposed to the sun for the first time. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I had thought that you had blown me off."

"Never. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met," replied Ed without moderating his words or thoughts. He was totally captivated by her. He added, "You're even more beautiful today than yesterday."

Laughing, she ran a hand through her hair as she answered, "Oh come on now."

Leaning on the counter, he looked at her and said, "I haven't had a drink since yesterday morning. It's the first time in years that I've gone a full day without a drink. I'm seeing things a lot more clearly today. When I say that you look better today, I really mean it."

The revelation shocked Kelly. She looked at him and noticed that he didn't look like he was going through alcohol withdrawal. She asked, "Did you have a drinking problem?"

He shrugged and answered, "I don't know. It wasn't like I ever craved it. I reached for a beer like it was a soda. I don't feel bad from not drinking."

Unsure of herself, she smiled and said, "That's good."

Ed could see that she was uncertain about him. He said, "I told you yesterday that I wasn't a very nice person. After watching what John did yesterday, well... I decided that it was time for me to take a little firmer control over my life. I'd like to be the best person that I can be for you."

This was tough for him and she could see that. In a way, his honesty was refreshing. She said, "Will you call tonight?"

A smile burst over his face as he answered, "You bet."

Dr. Hayes was coming down the hall towards them and Kelly turned to watch her. She whispered to Ed, "I'm going to have her as a wife."

The doctor was a very attractive woman in a Nordic sort of way. Tall, blond, and light skinned, she really was very stunning. Ed wondered how he could ever get a woman like that interested in an old cowboy like him. He was about to reply, but the doctor had stopped at the station.

Dr. Hayes looked at Ed and said, "You can take him home. All of those cuts are completely healed. I've never seen anything like it."

"Those cuts were deep. I saw him make them himself."

She shook her head and replied, "I know, but they're all healed."

In shock, Ed stood there thinking about John. Some of those cuts had been a half an inch deep. He followed Kelly to John's room, his mind divided between the swaying of her hips and his curiosity about John.

Kelly leaned over to Ed and said, "He's an interesting one. He was reading to the kids and playing games with them all day yesterday. I've never seen the kids so happy. This morning, we had a patient pass away and John talked to him about what it was like to die. The patient thanked him and then just slipped away without complaint. It was really amazing."

This was just strange and Ed didn't know how he felt about strange. When they reached the room, he went in. John was seated on the edge of his bed looking out the window at the view it allowed. He turned with a smile and glanced at the pair of them standing at the door. He said, "Hello Ed. Hello Kelly. My, don't you make a nice couple."

Blushing very slightly, Ed smiled and handed the clothes over to John. He said, "I brought your clothes."

John grabbed the clothes and started getting dressed. The fact that he didn't seem to care if Ed and Kelly watched, made Ed a little uncomfortable. It wasn't until he remembered that both of them had seen him naked yesterday that he relaxed. He glanced at Kelly in time to catch her call me gesture as she returned to the nurses station. Nodding his agreement, he watched as her face lit up.

John said, "I wouldn't let her get away if I were you. She's a good caring person. You should see her work with the patients around here."

Ed nodded his agreement. Looking at John's ankles, he realized the doctor was correct. All of the bites had healed, leaving behind little scars. It was miraculous. He replied, "I see that you've healed up already."

"It's a gift from the Goddess. I heal very quickly," replied John as he pulled on his socks. He reached over for the hiking boots as he added, "To tell the truth, I would prefer not to have to use that gift so often. I spend a lot of time in hospitals."

Ed didn't really know what to say. He had seen all of the scars and knew the truth of that statement, but talking about the Goddess was a little strange. Deciding that a non-committal answer was probably the best, he said, "I can see where it would be a hassle."

"My last injury cost me my girlfriend," John said with a sigh. He missed Betsy more than anything. He added, "She saw me get shot on television and broke up with me because she didn't want to be a young widow."

The admission shocked Ed. He hadn't thought about how all of those injuries would affect others. He asked, "She broke up with you because you were shot?"

Fully dressed, John stood up and stretched, working out his stiffened muscles. He nodded and answered, "She felt that after I was shot, that I should have stopped trying to rescue people. I can understand her sentiment, but I wasn't even aware that I had been injured."

"Amazing," replied Ed. He couldn't imagine getting shot and not realizing that he had a hole in his body.

John looked over at Ed and said, "Please don't tell other people about my past. I don't really like to talk about it. It was just that seeing you and Kelly standing together reminded me of Betsy. She's a nurse, too."

"No problem." Ed realized that John really missed his girlfriend and wondered how long ago they had broken up. It was also at that time, that he realized he didn't really want to talk about his date with Kelly. That was odd, not too long ago he would have been boasting to everyone that a nurse had come on to him. He shook his head as though trying to clear it. He asked, "So are you ready to go?"

John looked around and realized that he didn't have any other possessions with him. He nodded as he said, "Yes, I am."

After checking out, John followed Ed to the truck. When they reached the truck, Ed said, "I'm going to have to drop you off. I've got to get to work. We had an auction last night and the buyers will be there to pick up their cattle."

John was tempted to go there and watch, but realized that would be imposing. He asked, "I take it you're a real cowboy."

Adjusting his hat, Ed laughed and answered, "I guess so. I ride a horse and push cows around. Most days I'm at the auction house, but I do get some time out on the range. It doesn't make me a Clint Eastwood, though."

John laughed at the reference and asked, "Do you like it?"

The question really confused Ed. It was the first time anyone had ever asked if he liked his job. Jobs were just something that you did to pay the bills. He answered, "I never thought about it. It's a job."

John watched the scenery go past. He said, "There is so much beauty in this landscape. It must be nice to ride on the range surrounded by it."

Ed sighed and answered, "I guess that is what I like about my job the most. There are times when the sight just takes my breath away."

Nodding his understanding, John said, "I was reading about Ansel Adams once. He had described the feelings he had while watching nature all alone in the wilderness. As I read, I couldn't believe how well he captured the same feelings I get when I'm hiking. There's a connection that gets established between a person and the environment that is sensual. Reading what he had written, I realized that there was nothing wrong about the emotions I felt when in a natural surroundings. I realized that men could love nature like a woman."

Ed knew exactly what John was talking about. There were times when he was nearly moved to tears when he was on the range. Something about the majesty and power that nature had that made a man feel small in the grand scheme of things. Once after a rain, it was like the whole desert had bloomed. The smell of cactus flowers on the breeze tickled the nose even as the wind caressed the body. The sun warmed the body while the sounds of the desert teased the ears. The worn weathered leather of the saddle had that special feel under the hand that lent a sense of durability. He had been glad that he was alone that day, he couldn't have taken having anyone see him feeling so moved. Ed said, "I know what you mean. There are times out there that it just gets overwhelming."

John smiled and said, "There are times when it's good to be alone out there. Then there are times when it's nice to share it with someone special. Betsy would occasionally go hiking with me. I've always enjoyed sharing sunsets with people. It seems to me like it leads to a special quietness and closeness."

During the course of this conversation, Ed realized that he had shared more feelings with John than he had ever shared with anyone. The thought made him wonder what it would be like to share a sunset with Kelly. Maybe that's what they would do Friday on their date, drive out into the desert and watch the sunset together. It would be a very different experience than his normal date where he would take the woman to a bar and try to get her drunk. He noticed his surroundings and remarked, "I can't believe we're home. I'll let you out here and head on to work."

John answered, "That would be great. Thanks for the ride. I enjoyed it a lot."

Ed dropped John off at the house and watched him go in. Turning the truck around, he drove to work thinking about the conversation they had on the drive to the house. John confused him, in very subtle ways. Here was a guy that could run into a burning building, get shot, and bit by rattlesnakes. In his book, that guy couldn't be a wimp. On the other hand, he talked about his feelings with an openness that was unlike any man that Ed had ever met.

He stopped at the convenience store and picked up a six-pack of Cokes. Of course, he had gone to the beer section first and caught himself grabbing a six-pack of beer. He put the beer back and went with the Cokes. He was about to go to the counter when he noticed the pre-packaged sandwiches. Picking up one, he decided that he would have a little picnic for lunch today.

Work was boring, as he pushed cattle into the loading chutes. Once again, Nevada had not been aware that Ed was working until he came out of the office. He watched Ed deal with the customers, recognizing that there was something very different about Ed than normal. It took him a long time to put his finger on it, but he realized that Ed was quiet and not his usual loud bragging self.

When it was time for Ed to take his lunch break, Nevada was surprised to see Ed ride his horse over to the truck and remove a sandwich and Coke. Ed rode off into the desert behind the auction house. He found a nice high spot and dismounted from the horse. The view from there was nice. There were better places to look at the desert, but they were too far from where he worked.

Eating the sandwich and drinking his Coke, Ed thought about his life. There were a lot of people that feared him, but very few that respected him. A screech in the sky drew his attention and he watched a hawk drift overhead before plummeting to earth. Somewhere out of sight, a rabbit had just given up its life so that the hawk could live.

It was about that time, that Ed came to a very profound realization about John. John knew who and what he was. It wasn't necessary for him to boast to get other people to tell him that he was good, he knew he was good and that was all that mattered to him. Ed wondered why he needed people to tell him that he was good. Was it because he didn't know who and what he was? That was a sobering thought.

He finished his sandwich while watching the desert. The desert was huge, quiet, and didn't advertise itself. It just was and, in being, it overwhelmed mere mortals. For a long time, Ed sat there appreciating the view; then it was time to return to work.

He worked the afternoon, staying a little late when one customer showed up late to pick up his cattle. Ed didn't complain or make a comment, just went about the business of loading the cattle into the trailer. When that was done, he put up his horse, taking care to make sure that it was properly cooled down and combed out.

He was heading to his truck when Nevada called out, "Hey, Ed. Hold on a minute."

Ed turned and walked over to Nevada saying, "Sure thing. What do you need?"

Nevada watched as Ed came over to him. Normally, he'd be chasing Ed to the truck. He said, "Ed, I'm worried about you."

With a surprised look on his face, Ed asked, "Why? I'm feeling fine, sir."

"You just don't seem to acting like yourself lately." Nevada was wondering if Ed was ill. He'd seen Ed work with an incredible fever and boast about it. This quiet version of Ed was not normal.

Ed replied, "Don't worry. I'll be here tomorrow."

Unsatisfied with the denial that anything was wrong, Nevada said, "I'd appreciate it if you would get checked up by a doctor."

A worried expression crossed Ed's face at the idea of being sent to a doctor. He replied, "I really don't need to see a doctor, Nevada. I'm in better health than ever."

Afraid that Ed would drop dead on the job, Nevada insisted. He said, "I'd feel a lot better if you would visit a doctor. I might have to keep you off the lot until I get the results of a physical."

Rather than argue, Ed decided to comply with Nevada's wishes. He shrugged and said, "Okay. I'll talk to Dr. Hayes tomorrow. That'll give me a chance to see Kelly."

The easy compliance was just as shocking as anything Ed had done lately. Nevada frowned and said, "Good. I'll see you after your physical."

Just about to leave, Ed paused and said, "I have a date tomorrow. Is it alright if I leave a little early? I'd like to wash the smell of cow off before I pick her up."

"You have a date?" asked Nevada, the incredulity in his voice very clear.

Looking off to the horizon, a small smile came over his face. He answered, "Yes, I do. It's our first date and I'd really like to impress her."

Nevada shook his head in wonder. Ever since had taken that guy to the hospital, Ed hadn't been himself. He didn't know what to think about it. Confused, he just said, "Well, have a good time. Leave when you need to go."

Ed held out his hand for a handshake. Slowly, Nevada took his hand and shook it. Ed said, "Thank you, Nevada."

Ed went to his trunk and drove off leaving a confused Nevada standing there watching him. On the drive home, Ed noticed a truck by the side of the road with a flat tire. Not having anything better to do, he pulled over to help. Jorge Mendosa was jacking up the truck. He flinched when Ed pulled over.

Ed got out of the truck and strolled over to Jorge. Kneeling down, he looked at the spare tire hanging under the truck bed. It looked pretty bad. He asked, "Do you think that spare will hold up?"

There wasn't much confidence in his voice when Jorge answered, "I can only hope so."

Nodding Ed said, "Well, why don't you finish jacking up the car and I'll check out the tire. If we're lucky, it'll be good enough. If not, I'll run you over to the tire store and we'll see what they can do for you."

Speechless, Jorge replied, "Sounds like a plan."

Removing the tire from under the truck, Ed lifted it and then dropped it. It fell with a dull thud and no bounce. He shook his head and turned to Jorge saying, "This tire is shot!"

"I was afraid of that," replied the small Hispanic man. He felt the money in his pocket and knew that he didn't have enough money to pay for a new tire.

Ed threw the tire in the back of the truck and waited for Jorge to finish pulling the old tire off the truck. When Jorge finished, he helped carry the tire over to his truck and threw it in the back with the other. Jorge followed behind very embarrassed and concerned that Ed would laugh at him when he didn't have enough money for one tire much less two.

Ed climbed into the truck and waited for Jorge. Climbing in, Jorge apologized, "I'm afraid that I may not have enough money for new tires."

"Don't worry about it," replied Ed. He added, "I'll take you over to the tire store. They may have some retreads that won't cost you much. They'll be good for ten thousand miles or so, but by then you'll have the money to get some new ones."

"Gracias," replied Jorge. Ed was being very gracious about this and it was very surprising.

Ed drove over to a tire store and pulled up in front of it. The tires from the truck were pretty standard and they shouldn't have any difficulty getting them replaced. Entering the store he looked around and noticed a salesman getting pushed out of the way by one of the others. He went over to the one that had been pushed out by the more aggressive salesmen and said, "I need a couple of retreads. What kind of deal can you make us?"

"Fifteen each," replied the salesmen.

Jorge looked at the ground for a minute. He had about twenty five dollars with him. At least he could get one tire. He looked at Ed in shock when Ed said, "That's too much. How about ten each?"

The salesman looked at Ed for a minute and realized that bargaining any higher would be useless. He said, "Okay, it'll still cost two bucks each to mount them."

Glancing at Jorge and the relieved look on his face, he answered, "Do it. The old ones are in the back of my truck."

As the salesman walked away, Ed leaned over and asked, "Have you got enough to cover it?"

Jorge pulled out two tens and a five from his pocket. He said, "Yes, I do."

Ed smiled and asked, "Need a little so that you aren't left with nothing?"

Very surprised by the suggestion, Jorge politely declined. He answered, "No, I am fine."

Deciding that if Jorge didn't want a loan, then it wouldn't be good to push the issue. Ed watched as the tires were mounted on the rims. It was hard to ignore that Jorge kept looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Ed winked at him and said, "They'll be done in no time. You'll be heading home to your family anytime now."

"Thank you very much," replied Jorge. Bewildered by the situation, he stood to the side watching Ed. If anyone had told him that he would be here with Ed, he would have considered them insane. Now he was here and had no idea what to say or do.

While Jorge paid for the tires, Ed carried them to the back of his truck. Jorge was left with fifty cents after taxes. He threw the tires into the back of the truck and watched Jorge accept his change.

The trip back to the other truck didn't take long. Jorge was quiet the entire trip wondering how he was going to pay for Ed's help in the long run. He was afraid that he would be held up to ridicule. It was impossible for Ed not to notice the tension in Jorge. He said, "I have a couple of cases of beer that I'm throwing away. Are you interested in them?"

"No, thank you," replied Jorge.

"Suit yourself," replied Ed. He pulled up behind the truck and parked it there. Getting out of the truck, he helped Jorge carry the tire over to the truck. Together, the two men quickly replaced the tire. Ed walked around the truck checking out the other tires. He called over to Jorge, "It looks like this one is about to go. Let's put the other tire on here and use that one as a spare."

"I can do that myself. No need for you to waste your time anymore."

With a sigh, Ed said, "I have nothing better to do, Jorge. Nothing better."

Together the tire was quickly changed. Jorge stood beside his truck, the new spare in the back. Shuffling his feet nervously, he said, "Thank you very much for all of your help."

Ed slapped his back, lightly rather than the normal hard pound, and said, "Think nothing about it. I rather enjoyed it."

Jorge drove away very confused. He didn't know what to say about the events of the afternoon. It was so uncharacteristic of Ed to actually help someone out. He knew that from personal experience.

Ed returned to his truck and drove home. Pausing outside the door of his house, he watched the sun set thinking about the date the next evening. The sky turned a thousand colors as the sun slipped below the horizon. It was one of the best sunsets he had ever watched and he realized that he really had wanted to share it with someone.

After calling Kelly and getting directions to her house, he made his way to town. He could see that John was busy at work in the house and didn't want to disturb him. In town, he stopped at the restaurant and ate dinner. Siting alone, he ate his meatloaf and drank iced tea. People steered clear of him out of habit, but he didn't notice. He was lost in thought. Who and what was he? He wasn't a hero like John Carter. He wasn't needed like Kelly. That left the question unanswered.

The waitress refilled his tea surprised by his lack of interest in what was going on around him. The time went slowly and Ed realized that he was just sitting there drinking the iced tea. He looked at the bill and paid it leaving a good size tip. As he left, the waitress called after him, "Ed, you forgot your change."

Looking over his shoulder, he answered, "Keep it."

The waitress watched him as he walked down the street to the bar. Others watched him leave the restaurant. Discussions broke out about him as he passed. It was obvious to everyone that he had changed since the morning that he took John Carter to the hospital. A small town was not the place to act differently, even if the difference was positive. Ed was now the subject of conversation among all of the towns people. It took less than four hours for the story about Ed helping Jorge to make its away through the rumor mill. The bar was quiet when Ed entered.

Looking around the room, Ed stopped at the bar. He said, "Shirley, I'll take a coke tonight."

Staring at Ed, Shirley filled a glass with Coke. She set it in front of him and said, "Here you go."

"Thank you, Shirley." Ed went to the corner table and sat down. Sipping his Coke, he tried to decide what to do on the date the next night. He hadn't taken a girl out on a date since high school. His date was with Linda and he had taken her to the prom. At the time, that was a big deal. He remembered that they had both gotten pretty drunk and he had slept with her that night. She was angry with him the next day and left town shortly after that. She felt that he had taken advantage of her drunken state. He shook his head realizing that she had been right.

He didn't notice when Shirley placed a full glass in front of him. Somehow, the bar wasn't nearly as much fun when he wasn't drinking. He took another sip of Coke and looked around the room. He had spent too many hours at the pool table, shooting pool and drinking beer. Dissatisfied, walked over to the bar and asked, "Shirley, how much do I owe you?"

She said, "Two dollars."

He pulled out three and set them on the bar. As he returned home, he noticed that many of the neighbors seemed to head indoors when they spotted him coming. That was a far different response than when he had watched John walk down the street. The realization hurt far more than he would ever have admitted to himself in the past. Today, he faced the truth that most people didn't like him.

Arriving home, he pulled one of his books on mineralogy out of the bookcase and started to read. When ever he was down, he returned to reading those books. He liked the dry factual way in which rocks were discussed. Before he knew it, he had spent three hours reading and it was well past his normal bedtime.

The next evening, he pulled up in front of an apartment complex. He was worried about finding her place, but he spotted her standing by the mailboxes. She looked good wearing jeans and a shirt. Driving next to her, he stopped and rolled down the window. He called, "Hey, Kelly."

She turned and saw him. A smile spread across her face as she approached the truck. She answered, "Hey, Ed. I see you found the place. You're a little early."

"Sorry about that. I left early expecting to get lost," said Ed. Laughing, he added, "It would have taken me forever because I wouldn't allow myself to ask directions."

Kelly laughed and shook her head. She answered, "I was going to get dressed up a bit. You want to wait?"

"Actually, I'd love for you to wear what you have on," replied Ed.

Surprised at his answer, she wondered what he had in mind. In a way, she didn't feel very pretty dressed like this. She had planned to really dress up to impress him. She asked, "Why? Don't you want to see my legs?"

"Of course I do, but I have plans where jeans are more appropriate," answered Ed.

Frowning, Kelly had an idea of what a date in jeans meant and she wasn't pleased with the idea. She asked, "Are you taking me to a honky-tonk?"

"No, I want to take you someplace where we can talk and get to know each other," answered Ed.

Doubtful, she said, "Well, let me put this stuff up and I'll be right back."

Ed said, "Sure thing."

He waited in the truck patiently for her return. He checked the back of the truck to make sure that everything was still there. Satisfied that all was okay, he looked around the apartment complex. After about fifteen minutes, she returned. Not quite trusting Ed, she had taken the time to tell a neighbor what she was doing.

Ed was outside the truck holding the passenger door open for her. Impressed by his manners, she climbed into the passenger side. After closing the door, he got into the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. An uneasy silence descended on the pair. Ed finally spoke up by saying, "The other morning when I took John home from the hospital, he was telling me about sharing sunsets with his previous girlfriend."

Kelly looked at him with a question in her eye. She said, "John is an interesting man."

"Yes, he is," answered Ed. He continued, "Well, I thought about that and realized that I would like to share a sunset with you. The sunsets out here are often pretty spectacular. I thought that it might give us a little time to get to know each other."

Kelly looked over at Ed like she was seeing a completely different kind of man. She said, "That sounds pretty romantic."

Her words filled him with relief. He had been afraid that the idea was rather corny and she would expect him to spend a bit more than that on her. He added, "I also brought some wood to make a fire and some swordfish steaks for dinner. I have some corn on the cob and salad as well. I'm afraid that I didn't bring any wine. I've given up drinking so I brought iced tea. I hope that's okay with you."

Impressed with the effort that he had taken in setting this up, she found herself saying, "It's wonderful."

Ed drove to one of the better places to watch the sunset and parked the truck. He went around and opened the door for her. Climbing out of the truck, she looked around. The view of the desert was breath-taking. She said, "It's very pretty here."

"It's one of my favorite places," he replied. Reaching into the back of the truck, he pulled out a blanket and a box. He noticed her looking at the box and said, "I'm afraid that I don't have a picnic basket. I've never done this before, so I'm kind of making it up as I go."

Following him, they went to a nice flat area of ground. He set the box down and spread the blanket next to it. He made a gesture and said, "Have a seat. I'll go get the rest of the stuff."

She watched as he made two more trips. On the first trip he brought some firewood over and on the second, he brought over a small grill. Digging a rather large jug from the box, he poured two glasses of iced tea for them. Handing her one, he said, "Here's to what I hope is a long relationship."

She clinked her glass against his. She added, "It's off to a good start. You really put some effort into this, didn't you?"

He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I really wanted a chance to get to know you."

They lay there on the blanket watching the sunset. By the time the sun had disappeared below the horizon, he had an arm around her. He started the fire and they talked while it burned down to coals. When the coals were red hot, he shoveled some into the grill and put a couple of ears of corn wrapped in foil in the coals. A little later, he put on the swordfish steaks. While the food cooked, they talked about their individual pasts and feeling each other out for common interests. The meal was surprisingly good.

The evening passed quickly and they lay back on the blanket watching the stars overhead. When it was about time to leave, Ed said, "Kelly, John was right about sharing a sunset with another person. I'd like to thank you for making this a very special evening."

Kelly didn't know what attracted her to this old cowboy, but he had worked some kind of magic upon her. Maybe it was the fact that he actually listened to her when she told him about her childhood. It could have been his calm acceptance of her plans for a group marriage. What ever it was, she was hooked on him. She answered, "I enjoyed this evening a lot."

Ed was walking on heaven. It was the first time in his life that he had actually connected with a woman and she was a very pretty woman. He really wanted to see her again and was afraid of moving too fast. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, let me pack this stuff up so that we can leave. It's getting late and you're supposed to work tomorrow, right?"

Kelly didn't want the date to end, but Ed was right. Tomorrow, she had a full day at work. She would have Sunday and Monday off. She sighed and answered, "Right. All day tomorrow."

He nodded and started to pack up the picnic site. When she went to help, he said, "No, just take it easy and enjoy the sky."

She was pleased to be treated so well. It didn't take him long to pick up everything and put out the fire. She did fold the blanket when his back was turned. He came over to her and guided her by the arm to the truck, once again opening the door for her.

After a quiet drive, he reached her place. In front of her apartment, he asked, "Could I walk you to your door?"

She smiled and answered, "Yes, you may."

Taking her by the arm, he went to the door of her apartment. Once there, he fidgeted as nervous as a school boy on his first date. He finally asked, "Could I take you out again, Sunday?"

She smiled and stepped close to him. Planting a kiss on his lips, she answered, "I would be most pleased to go out with you Sunday."

Ed didn't remember the drive home that night. The only thing on his mind was the kiss.



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Chapter 3


Ed was smitten by Kelly. He had never met anyone that beautiful who actually took an interest in him. The morning after their first date, he called the flower shop in the hospital to deliver a dozen roses to her at work. He worked around the house, keeping busy in the hope that it would make the time pass quicker. It didn't work, but it did leave him with a very clean house.

He sat down to read his mineralogy books. That helped make the time pass a little quicker. He was about to go crazy when the telephone rang. After staring at it for several seconds, he reached over and picked up the receiver. He said, "Hello."

Kelly gushed, "Thank you so much for the flowers! All of the other nurses were so jealous of me."

Laughing Ed replied, "I'm so glad that you liked them."

"Liked them? I loved them."

Ed didn't know what to say, so he changed the subject. He asked, "Are we still on tomorrow?"

Kelly answered, "I was thinking that you might come to my place and I would cook us dinner. Do you like steak?"

Relieved, Ed answered, "I love steak."

Kelly said, "Great. Oops, I've got to run. A patient is calling. See you tomorrow around 6, okay?"

"Sure."

"Bye."

"Bye," answered Ed even as she hung up the phone. He stood there for a moment trying to decide what to do. Happy that she had called, it only made him miss her more.

Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he decided that it was time for him to get cleaned up and try to look a little nicer for her. First stop, the barbershop for a haircut and a shave. Second stop, a clothing store to get a nice pair of pants and a shirt. Grabbing the keys, he headed out of the house. John was outside so he waved to him.

The haircut didn't require much time. The barber kept trying to get Ed to talk, but Ed just sat there thinking about his upcoming date. Finally, the barber asked, "So, what are you doing in here a week early?"

Ed answered, "I have a date tomorrow and I want to look nice."

A few of the other men in the shop just looked at each other. Stories had been going around about Ed and his sudden change. No one really believed them. The barber said, "She must be real pretty for you to want to impress her like that."

Ed, with a slight smile, said, "She's the most beautiful woman in the world."

One of the clients asked, "So what is she doing going out with you?"

Much to everyone's surprise, Ed didn't brag about how women couldn't keep their hands off him. Instead, he answered, "I have no idea."

The conversation died at that point. The barber trimmed the hair without further attempts to initiate conversation. It was a standard western style short haircut. The barber probably gave a dozen of them a day.

Ed sat back and relaxed when it was time for the shave. There was nothing like a straight razor shave and this guy did one of the best in the entire area. The ritual always began with the hot towel to open the pores and relax the hair follicles. He could hear the barber create the shaving cream by stirring the soap with the brush. The hot shaving cream on the face, spread using the soft brush, felt great. As he sat there, the barber stropped the razor. The whick whick sound as the razor was pulled across the leather gave it a seriousness that a disposable blade never conveyed. The slow scraping as the whiskers were removed seemed to turn it into a ritual rather than a morning chore. Once the whiskers were gone, a damp towel was used to wipe up the traces of shaving cream. The astringent capped the entire ritual.

When it was over, Ed said, "I wish you were open on Sundays. I'd really like to show up on my date with my face this smooth."

The barber answered, "You could do it yourself."

Ed laughed and slapped his knee. He said, "I wouldn't show up with a smooth face. I'd show up bleeding from a thousand cuts."

The barber laughed and said, "That'll be fifteen bucks."

Ed pulled out a twenty and handed it to the barber. He said, "Keep the change."

Leaving the barbershop feeling like a million bucks, he stopped by the bar for a drink. He stepped up to a stool at the bar and waited for Shirley to come over. She noticed him and asked, "Beer?"

He answered, "No. I'll take a Coke."

Shirley shrugged and poured a Coke. Setting the glass in front of him, she took the time to wipe down the counter while glancing in his direction. Ed sat there and slowly drank his coke. He wondered what kind of clothes he should get for his date. He hadn't bought anything other than blue jeans for as long as he could remember.

Finally, she could take it no more. She asked, "What's on your mind?"

Without any hesitation, Ed answered, "I was wondering where I could get some dress pants."

"Dress pants?" Shirley asked. She paused for a moment and then said, "I guess Cattleman's in Phoenix would be the best place."

Ed finished his drink in one gulp, pulled out a five, and slapped the five on the counter as he said, "Thanks, you're a lifesaver."

A very shocked Shirley watched Ed bolt out the door. Talking to Ed was confusing, but she realized that he had answered her question in the most direct fashion. She had asked him what he was thinking about and he had told her.

Dressing in front of his mirror was a new experience for Ed. He had slipped on his dress pants after making sure that all of the tags had been removed. The dress shirt had not been in a package with all of the pins, but hung on a hanger at the store. He put on the bolo tie and then the western style coat. The coat felt strange and then he found one last tag. He cut it off and stepped back to look in the mirror. He shook his head in disbelief, unable to imagine that it was him looking back at himself in the mirror.

Ed sat down on the edge of his bed and though about what it meant to be a man. After a lifetime of bragging and boasting about himself, he realized that was the cheap way to look manly and it didn't fool anyone. You had to be a man in order to consider yourself a man. It didn't require fighting everyone over any little thing to be strong, you only had to know that you could defend yourself when required.

John had not acted tough and brave in the bar, he was tough and brave. When pushed, he had defended himself fully confident in his ability to do so. Even if John had not won, he would have still been stronger than a guy that gave in easily to pressures to act against themselves. The fight had been over before it even started, John wasn't out to prove anything.

Ed realized that he had been surrendering himself to what others wanted him to do just by having someone challenge him to do things. How many times had he done something because someone told him that he couldn't do it? How many times did he actually boast about it after he had done it? That wasn't manly, that was foolish.

The question that John had asked him about his job and if he enjoyed it came back to haunt him. He didn't even know if he liked it or not. Drifting through life, he hadn't been directing it. It was time for him to take charge of his life and that meant treating Kelly like a queen. He may not know everything that he wanted in his life, but he did know that he wanted her.

Grabbing the box of chocolates from the dresser, he left the house. Stepping outside, he noticed Maria and her son, Juan, in the front yard. He waved to them and got in the truck. Maria stared at Ed like he was a visitor from another planet. In the entire time she had known him, she had never seen him in anything except blue jeans.

Ed arrived at Kelly's on time and parked in one of the few spots marked visitors. The complex wasn't that big, but it took him a few minutes to find her apartment. Feeling nervous, he knocked on the door. Kelly shouted out, "Come in."

He entered the apartment calling out, "It's me."

From the kitchen, Kelly answered, "Great. Make yourself comfortable. I'm working on the beans."

"No problem." He looked around the apartment. The furniture all matched, with a nice navy blue fabric. The coffee table had a scattering of magazines on it with a remote control for the cable television. The walls were covered with paintings of flowers and landscapes. It was a nice feminine looking apartment.

A sound behind him caused him to turn in time to see Kelly enter the room. She was wearing a very nice green floral dress that showed off her shape very nicely. It took him a minute to catch his breath. He said, "You look beautiful."

Kelly looked him over and smiled at his clothes. In one of those mysteries that only women understand, she could tell that everything he was wearing was new. She said, "Wow, you like handsome tonight."

"Thank you." Ed stood up a little straighter as he answered. He held out the box of chocolates as he said, "These are for you."

Accepting the box from him, she glanced down at it. Surprised, she looked up and said, "Godiva Chocolates. I'm impressed."

When he had gone to Cattleman's, Ed had no a clue what kind of chocolates to buy for her. He had stopped and asked four different women what kind of chocolates would impress them. Without exception, every woman had answered the same. At the time, he had felt embarrassed about asking for advice. Seeing the look on Kelly's face made him happy that he had not allowed his male pride to interfere with identifying the perfect gift.

She set the box of chocolates down on the coffee table and gestured to a chair. "Please have a seat."

Settling onto the sofa, Ed felt a little uneasy. Since he didn't know what to talk about so he chose a safe subject. He remarked, "You have a very nice place."

She looked around the apartment and said, "Well, I don't really spend enough time here to decorate it as I would really like. It's comfortable enough."

Ed said, "Well, I didn't really decorate my house. I inherited most of the furniture and just kept it. I guess the house doesn't really say much about me."

The idea that someone could live in a house and not decorate it to suit their taste was totally foreign to Kelly. Wondering if it was a male trait or just unique to Ed, she asked, "You didn't decorate at all?"

Frowning Ed said, "You know. Until just recently, I didn't think too much about those kinds of things. I didn't really wonder what I wanted or how I wanted to live. The other day, I started thinking about that and realized that I should direct my life a little more."

This was a fascinating insight into his mind for Kelly. She asked, "So what are you doing about it?"

Shyly, Ed looked at her and answered, "I found a woman I like a lot. I thought I would start with that."

Once she realized who he was talking about, she laughed merrily. That was the best line she had ever heard in her life. She teased, "Doesn't she have any say about the matter?"

"You have everything to say about the matter. I'm going to be the best man you've ever met. So good that you won't want to let me go. I'm going to be there for you and help you. I'm going to listen to what you say." Ed realized that he was beginning to babble and shut up, blushing furiously.

The seriousness of his answer gave Kelly a moments pause. She said, "you remember what I said about marriage. I'm very serious about having two husbands and a wife."

Ed had forgotten that for the moment and her reminder made him think. About to reply that he would be all the man she needed, he thought better of it. Instead, he asked, "Would you like to tell me more about that? I'd like to understand how it would work."

Relieved that he didn't start acting all possessive, Kelly smiled and answered, "How about we talk about that over dinner? I find that when you have a chance to chew on food after being asked a question, that you have a chance to reply with a little more tact."

"That's a great idea." Ed felt relieved to postpone the discussion a little while. He added, "I've found lately that when I'm faced with a new idea that I like to think about it some before making up my mind. I hope that's okay with you."

The evening progressed smoothly from that point on. The ice had been broken and they started talking without grasping for topics. Ed was amazed that an attractive and intelligent woman like Kelly would find him interesting. Kelly was intrigued by the quiet and thoughtful Ed.

When it came time to cook the steaks, Kelly showed Ed the grill on the little patio and let him perform the manly art of preparing the steaks. While he was at the grill, she was in the kitchen preparing the beans and salad to go with the steaks. After the first date with Ed, she had realized that he had chosen the swordfish steaks last time out of deference to what he though she might like. She had chosen the steaks for the same reason.

Ed brought in the steaks, his cooked to medium well and hers cooked to a nice medium. Kelly brought in the rest of the food. They sat at the table and stared at each other for a minute before Kelly burst out laughing and said, "Let's eat this before it gets cold."

Cutting off a small piece of steak, Ed tasted it and found that it was perfect. He looked over the table to see how she liked hers. She smiled at him and winked while chewing. Relaxing he tasted the beans, making a sound of approval. When he had swallowed, he said, "So tell me about this marriage idea of yours."

Kelly finished her bite of steak and answered, "Well, I lived in a commune with my parents when I was a little kid. There were all kinds of adults and children there. One of the things that I noticed was that when someone was feeling a little down, there was always someone there that felt good. They would cheer each other up and the overall quality of life there was pretty nice."

Ed listened thoughtfully and replied, "I can see how that would be."

Kelly smiled as she ate a bite of salad. Waving her fork around, she continued, "I thought about it for a long time and decided that a marriage needed at least four adults in it. I've worked in a hospital for a long time and I've noticed that whenever four people are visiting someone ill, that at least one of them is up even if all the others are down. One person will handle things and the others will support them. I took that number very seriously."

He didn't know if four was some magic number, but if she said that she had observed that then he would believe her. Gesturing for her to continue, he cut off another bite of steak. This was good quality beef, better than he would normally buy for himself.

"I then asked myself what balance of men and women there would need to be for things to be smooth. After a lot of thought I decided that two men and two women gave things a nice balance. I didn't think that three men would want to share one woman or that three women would enjoy getting only a third of a man's attention."

Ed hadn't thought about it that way, but he could see the logic behind her words. He said, "I can see that. I'm not sure that I could handle three women, to be quite honest."

Taking another bite of his steak, he thought about it some more. Kelly could see the real attention that he was giving the manner. Rather than press the issue, she took another forkful of beans. This topic had chased off more than one potential boyfriend.

After several minutes of silence, thoughtful on Ed's part and nervous on Kelly's part, Ed said, "What about competitiveness among the men for the women?"

Kelly was quiet for a moment, fearing that this is when she would loose Ed. She answered, "I think everyone has to make love to everyone else. That would eliminate that problem."

Shocked, Ed asked, "Are you saying that the men have to have sex with each other?"

Kelly feared that Ed was about to storm out of the house. That had happened so many times to her, but she knew that this was the kind of marriage that she wanted. She answered, "Yes."

Ed was about to leave, but paused to look at Kelly. The fear of rejection on her face made him think about his actions a little more carefully. He took a sip of the iced tea and thought for a moment. Finally, he said, "This is important to you, isn't it?"

The tension was too much for Kelly. She burst out crying, her shoulders shaking, and tears running down her cheeks. This was beyond anything that Ed had ever encountered. Moving next to her, he put an arm around her. She turned and clasp him very tightly, afraid to let go.

His mind working furiously, Ed knelt beside her. Just this afternoon, he had come to the decision that real strength was being true to oneself despite what others wished you to do. He had to respect Kelly for her strong stand on what she wanted. Adrift in life, he wasn't sure what he wanted or needed in a relationship. She was presenting an alternative that he would never have considered.

When Kelly finally quit crying, she stood and left the room calling out, "Let me fix my face."

The expression didn't make much sense to Ed, but he returned to his seat. He thought about his possible course of actions. He could leave, he could string her along, or he could be honest. The later choice seemed the only option that he could live with afterwards. He sipped his tea thinking furiously.

Kelly returned to the room, eyes slightly red but the makeup fresh. Embarrassed by her outburst, she smiled at him meekly. She seated herself at the table and looked over at Ed. Apologetically, she said, "I'm sorry for crying."

Holding up a hand to quiet her, Ed said, "You don't have to apologize. You are pursuing what you want. I imagine that you have been rejected many times, but you have the strength to state honestly up front exactly what you expect."

Relief spread through Kelly as she realized that he understood. Lower lip trembling, she said, "Thank you."

Chewing his bottom lip nervously, Ed said, "I can't answer you right now about what you want to do. I have never thought about it before as something for me. To tell the truth, less than a week ago I would have cracked the skull of anyone that even hinted that I would have sex with man."

Holding her breath, Kelly wondered where this was going. Afraid to say a word, she waited to hear what he had to say next. She feared that this was a polite way of blowing her off. Knowing that what he was going to say next was the hardest thing that he had ever said, Ed took a sip of iced tea. Taking a deep breath, Ed said, "I always thought that people respected me for being a real man. I fought, drank, and loudly exposed my manly opinions. A few days ago, I realized that people didn't respect me, they were terrified of me. I came to understand that I was a bully and a bigot."

Kelly leaned forward, fascinated by his words and the heartfelt emotion behind them. Never had she heard a man talk about himself in that fashion. She prompted, "That must have been tough."

Shaking his head in denial, he said, "It was devastating. I saw neighbors running into their houses as I walked down the street. The other day, I helped a man change a tire on his truck. The entire time, he cringed like he expected me to hit him. To tell the truth, I didn't like the man that could invoke that much fear in everyone around him. It is hard to admit that you don't like yourself and what you've become."

Fascinated, Kelly gazed on the man across from her. She couldn't imagine what he had been going through the past week. Ed continued, "I came to realize that I was letting people push me around. They could get me to do the stupidest things, just by suggesting that I couldn't. This afternoon, I came to the conclusion that I didn't know what I wanted or even what I believed was right or wrong."

Needing a pause, Ed took another helping of beans. He was trying to decide how to say what he felt would be an honest answer. Glancing at Kelly, the look on her face gave him the courage to say his piece. He explained, "I don't know how I feel about your concept of a marriage. I really have to think about it and something that different is going to take a lot of thinking. I won't dismiss it out of hand."

Kelly burst out in a great smile. She exclaimed, "That is all I want from you. I just want you to consider it seriously!"

Tension that he didn't know he had slowly drained from Ed. He sat back and smiled at Kelly relieved that he was free to pursue the relationship further. The discussion over the rest of the meal was much less intense, but much more intimate.

When the meal was over, they went into the living room to drink coffee. Ed sat on the sofa with Kelly curled up beside him holding her head against his chest. It was quiet and intimate, as they each just enjoyed the sensation of holding and being held. The previous tension had exhausted them. Kelly fell asleep first. Ed looked over at her sleeping, feeling good that he could have a woman relax so much in his presence that she could actually sleep. Ten minutes later, he nodded off.

They woke after an hour, Ed's arm had fallen asleep. He was looking down at her when she woke. Embarrassed, Kelly said, "How long was I asleep?"

Laughing, Ed answered, "I have no idea. I fell asleep about the same time that you did."

"Aren't we a pair?"

A smile crossed Ed's face as a thought crossed his mind. He joked, "The first time we sleep together and nothing happened."

Laughing at the ridiculousness of their situation, Kelly was more than willing to head off to the bedroom. A thrill ran through her body as Ed leaned down and kissed her forehead in a loving gesture. She replied, "I hope our performance is better the second time."

Ed replied, "Well, I have to head home now. I've got to get to work early tomorrow. We have another auction Wednesday. I have to get the place ready for it."

Slightly disappointed, Kelly sat up and let him rise. He held her hand as she stood, the gesture meaning a lot to her. He bent down and kissed her. The kiss was gentle and hesitant, conveying a promise that a serious commitment was possible. Used to bedding women that were just this side of throwing up drunk, Ed wasn't confident that he knew how to please a woman. Kelly melted into his arms, amazed that such a rough and tumble looking guy could be so gentle.

As he drove home, he reviewed the date in him mind and was pleased with how it had gone. She had thrown him a few curves with her talk about men having sex with men, but he would think about it and come to his own decision. It didn't matter what he decided, he had been honest with her. That was the important thing.

Not ready to sleep, he stopped in front of the bar to get a Coke. The evening had been tough, both in terms of the normal tension of dating a woman and the emotional exchanges of the entire evening. Entering the bar, the entire place got quiet at seeing Ed dressed up. Acting like he didn't notice, he considered what it meant. Stepping up to the bar, he smiled at Shirley and said, "I'll have a Coke."

Looking him over with more interest than in the past, Shirley poured him a Coke. Setting it in front of him, she asked, "What's with the clothes?"

Ed was about to answer when one of the other regulars came up behind him. Slapping a hand on his shoulder, the man challenged, "Looks like Ed is turning into a wimp. Give him a real drink."

Ed reached over and pulled the man's hand from his shoulder. In a flat tone of voice, he said, "Richard, I'm drinking exactly what I want to be drinking."

"Ed, you're a fucking wimp."

Shaking his head, Ed was not up to this tonight. He turned to face Richard, looking him straight in the eye, Ed said, "I grew up. I don't have to prove anything to you. We both know that I can drink you under the table and wipe up the floor with you. Drop it, Richard."

With a push, Richard retorted, "Fuck you, Ed. You've become a wimp."

Taking a sip of his Coke, Ed realized that he was now in the position that John had been in the other day. He wondered how John would handle it. It would be so easy for this to turn into a pissing contest. That was the last thing that he wanted tonight.

Richard decided that he didn't like being ignored by Ed and made the same mistake that Ed had made against John. Richard telegraphed his intentions by pulling his fist back, Ed responded by going for first contact even if it wasn't overpowering. Even a moderate smack direct to the nose was worth more as a first strike that a powerful punch as a second. Ed's fist made a resounding crack as it connected with Richard's nose.

The blow was so fast that Richard didn't even see it coming. Frozen in shock, Richard moved his hand to his nose as blood gushed forth freely. The movement was very slow and careful as through he was terrified of provoking any reaction from Ed. The only thought going through his mind was that Ed was going to kick the shit out of him. His nose hurt so bad that he was seeing double.

Turning to Shirley, Ed said, "Can you get two towels? Fill one with ice, but give me the other first."

Shirley did as she was asked, surprised that Ed was performing first aid for Richard. After she handed him the dry towel, he used it to wipe up the blood on Richard's face and to check the damage to his nose. It didn't look broken, but he wasn't a doctor. When the towel filled with ice was ready, Ed pressed the ice pack against the bridge of his nose with a gentle touch. The flow of blood was already slowing down, but the nose would look puffy for a day or two. He said, "Keep your head back. It doesn't look like it's broken. If it doesn't stop bleeding, I'll take you to the hospital."

Shirley watched the proceedings in amazement. There wasn't the normal crowing over a victory that was Ed's normal behavior. She had patched together too many of Ed's past victims while he celebrated with shot of whiskey and beer. When Richard went to a table to sit back with the ice pack on his face, Shirley asked Ed, "What just happened?"

Shrugging off the incident as though it was no big deal, Ed replied, "Just a slight difference of opinion. It'll be alright now. Thanks for providing the towels, I'll pick up the cleaning bill."

"No need. All of my towels go to the same place to get cleaned. It doesn't matter why or how they get dirty," answered Shirley. There was something different about Ed lately and this particular episode demonstrated it most clearly. In the past, he would have added a few punches just to make sure there wasn't any doubt about who won. Even worse, he would have left his victim on the ground to be cared for by someone else. In her opinion, he had demonstrated a strength of character that she didn't know existed.

He drained the last of his Coke, ready to head home and get some rest. Setting his empty glass on the counter, Ed asked, "How much do I owe you?"

Smiling, Shirley answered, "Consider that one on the house."

"Thanks." Ed looked puzzled as he stood up, not quite understanding why she would give him a drink on the house. Walking over to where Richard sat, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I don't think it is broken."

Ed looked at Richard closely. The nose didn't look broken, but it was still bleeding a little. He asked, "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"No, I'm fine," replied Richard looking at Ed with a funny expression. It was as though he didn't recognize the person standing in front of him. In fact, he didn't. In the past, Ed would have left him flat on the ground with cracked ribs.

Ed straightened from his examination and turned to walk away. He paused and looked back saying, "Sorry about bloodying your nose. Take it easy and let it heal. I'm sure it will be fine."

As Shirley watched Ed leave, she decided that she actually might like this version of Ed. She had no idea what had caused the change, but Ed was a very different person than he used to be. The other people in the bar looked at each other, just as confused. There were two major topics of conversation in town now, John Carter and Ed Biggers. No one was quite sure what to make of either man.

Returning home, Ed undressed. After looking at his jacket, he became upset at finding blood on the sleeve. He didn't blame Richard, but himself. There had to be a better way of dealing with the situation than he had taken. He hadn't wanted to resort to violence, but once Richard had cocked his arm the choices seemed very limited.

As he undressed, he thought about his conversation with Kelly. He didn't know what to make of the ideas she had proposed. In a way, he was glad that he hadn't slept with her as that would have suggested a commitment that he hadn't yet decided to make. No matter how he looked at the situation, there was one uncontested fact - she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen.



-------

Chapter 4


The wind was a little gusty that night and the dust in the air caused the cattle to act nervous. It made Ed's work a lot more difficult as the cattle were unwilling to head into the bidding pen. His horse was having to work double time to keep the cattle headed in a straight line and in the proper direction. It was at times like this that it would be nice to have a well trained cow dog, but they didn't have one. Ed yanked on the rein to change the direction of his horse to cut off a cow that decided to head east rather than north.

When the last cow had been pushed into the pen, he sat back as the bidding began. He looked up to see who was bidding tonight. To his surprise, Kelly was in the stands waving at him. He laughed at the situation and rode over to her. When he reached her, she called out, "Hello Ed."

Laughing, Ed called out to her, "Did you know that you just bid on those cows over there?"

At the look of astonished embarrassment, she put a hand over her mouth. He listened for a minute and then said, "Don't worry, you've just been outbid."

"Thank God." Kelly laughed in relief, happy that she didn't have to find a home for them in her little apartment. For a minute there, she had visions of sharing her little bedroom with four full grown cows. The image wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was funny.

Ed moved closer and picked her up. It took a little maneuvering to get her seated on the saddle behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, a little frightened to be on such a huge animal. He nudged his horse over to the fence near the bidding pen and stopped next to it. He helped her get onto the fence. He said, "You can watch from here. They won't interpret any gestures you make here as a bid."

She leaned towards him and said, "thanks, I appreciate that."

"Time for me to get back to work, I'll be right back."

Ed rode over to the bidding pen. With easy commands on the rein he moved the cows out and back to their holding pen. He waited for the other guy to get his cattle into the bidding pen before he started directing the next lot in that direction. Kelly was seated on the fence post right next to where he would wait until the bidding for the current lot was finished. It would give him a quick chance to talk to her.

Another gust of wind threatened to scatter the four cows. He worked them back into order and down the chute towards the bidding pen. He stopped next to Kelly and asked, "So what brought you down here?"

She giggled and answered, "I wanted to see you work. You've seen me at work, so I thought I'd come down here."

He shook his head and replied, "I'm afraid there's not much to see."

Kelly laughed and said, "Well, I almost bought four cows. That was exciting."

He laughed and then noticed that the bidding pen was empty. The other guy working today had moved his cattle out. While waiting for the gate to be opened, he said, "I've got to get them in the pen now. I'll be back soon."

When the gate opened, he directed the cows into the bidding pen. He waited for the bidding to end. It wasn't going to take long. Bidding always went a little quicker when the cattle were nervous like today. He didn't know why, but they never fetched as good of a price on those days. The auctions usually lasted longer, but that was because it took longer to get the damn beasts moved.

He had made about four trips that way, when on the fifth, he was surprised to find Nevada sitting on the fence next to Kelly. He stopped beside them both and said, "Nevada, I'd like you to meet Kelly. She's my girlfriend. Kelly, this is Nevada. He's my boss."

He glanced at Nevada for a second and then added, "And I'm Ed. And I'm probably in trouble."

As Kelly looked like she was afraid that she was the cause of his problems, Nevada laughed. He said, "No. I only came over here to meet the woman that tamed Ed."

Kelly looked at Nevada confused at the credit for taming Ed. She answered, "I didn't tame him. He's been this way as long as I've known him."

Nevada looked at Ed and could see the look of affection that he was giving Kelly. This wasn't the Ed he knew. There was a spark between the pair that Nevada, an old cowhand himself, couldn't miss.

Ed glanced ahead and then said, "Whoops, got to work."

He directed the cattle into the bidding pen. They balked at moving forward and he had to use his rope on the ass of one of the cows to get it moving. It wasn't a hard blow, just a touch to make the cow think there was one behind it. That pushed the rest of them in and the gate closed behind them. He really hated nights like this. It was twice as much work as usual. He didn't know if having Kelly here helped or not, but it was nice to see her.

Nevada and Kelly talked through most of the auction. For the most part, Nevada explained how the auction worked and what the bidders were looking for when they bid on cattle. Kelly asked questions and made comments about the process. Many of her comments Nevada found humorous. There was, however, a long discussion about Ed and the changes in his behavior over the past week.

When the auction was over, Ed rode over to where Nevada and Kelly were seated. As he directed the horse to a stop, he said, "So Nevada, are you done telling this young lady what a miserable beast I am?"

Shaking his head in disbelief that Ed would joke about himself in that fashion, Nevada answered, "I lied and I lied, but she still wasn't interested in me."

Ed sat back in the saddle and laughed aloud. Kelly grinned, not realizing that she was witnessing a first between the two men. Nevada climbed off the fence and said, "I've got to go look at the receipts and see how we did tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, Ed."

"Prepare to be disappointed, Nevada. Bidding was bad tonight, the cattle were too nervous," replied Ed. He shook his head, "I don't know why bidding is so bad on nights like tonight."

Stopping in his tracks, Nevada turned and looked at Ed. He realized that Ed actually paid a bit more attention to things than he had credited him. Maybe Ed wasn't just a dumb cowhand after all. He asked, "Would you like to speculate why?"

Kelly watched as Ed thought about it. She could see that he was considering several ideas and rejecting most of them. He finally answered, "It might be the pauses between lots is just a little longer and breaks up the bidding rhythm, but that's only a guess."

"What would you do about that?"

Ed shrugged and suggested, "Add a second bidding pen."

Nevada stood there looking at Ed with a thoughtful expression. It was actually one of the best suggestions that anyone had made on how to improve his business in a long time. He said, "I'll think about it. Now, take that lady of yours and get out of here."

Taking the advice to heart, Ed helped Kelly onto the back of his horse and rode over to the corral. When they reached it, he helped her to the ground. She climbed on the fence post while he rode the horse into the corral. Once there, he dismounted. She sat a little uncertainly, surprised at the warm sensation between her legs that even that short ride on the horse had generated. She cooed, "Today is the first time I've ever been on a horse. I think I like it."

Ed understood exactly what she meant. No cowboy was stupid enough to get between a woman and her horse. There were a lot of women in this part of the country that had their first orgasm riding a horse. With a wink at Kelly, Ed said, "Good, but I suggest you stay off them. I'd hate for you to end up bowlegged like me."

She laughed, wondering if he knew the effect that the horse had on her. She said, "Well, you really know how to handle that horse."

He patted the horse along its neck and said, "We've been working together for about four years. She's got about another two years in her before I retire her to pasture."

There was real affection in his voice, but he'd never admit to feeling that way about the horse. She watched as he ran a hand along the legs of the horse. Kelly said, "That's a nice looking horse."

"She's not bad." Bending down, he released the chinch straps that held the saddle on the horse. Standing, he lifted the saddle off and put it in its place. It only took him a minute to remove the other gear from the horse. Grabbing the curry comb and brush, he went to work on the horse. He talked the entire time to Kelly, but in a tone of voice intended to sooth the horse.

She watched and listened to how he talked. His intent might have been to calm the horse, but it had the opposite effect on her. Her body was reacting to him in a very sexual manner. By the time that he was done, her nipples were tenting her shirt through her bra and her cunt was soaking wet. Unaware of the effect he had on Kelly, Ed released the horse and put out its oats. Once that was done, he turned to Kelly and asked, "Would you like to get something to eat at the restaurant up the street?"

Preferring to go someplace where Ed could take care of a more urgent need of hers, she was about to suggest an alternative. It was about time for them to take the relationship to the next level, but she didn't want to make the first move. Instead, she agreed, "Sure, that sounds good."

He took her to her car and suggested, "Why don't you follow me there? It's just up the street."

"That sounds like a plan."

Ed went over to his truck and waited to make sure that she had started her car. He led the way to the restaurant where he normally ate during and after work. Watching in the mirror, he made sure that she was able to stay right behind him. He worried, as he drove, that he was moving too fast for her, but it sure was hard to resist her.

He pulled into the parking lot and got out of his truck. Stepping over to her car, he opened the door for her. Unfamiliar with the place, she stepped out and looked around what was basically a truck stop. He took her by the hand and they walked into the restaurant. Rather than waiting to be seated, they went directly to a table to wait for the waitress to come over with the menus.

The waitress arrived at the table and looked at Ed and then Kelly. She stepped back and looked at Kelly a second time. The attention being given her was immediately noticed by Kelly. Smiling the waitress said, "So you must be the reason Ed quit flirting with us."

Ed blushed and looked away while Kelly beamed at him. She asked, "When did he stop flirting with you?"

The waitress was sure she wouldn't be happy to be Ed's girlfriend. He had been a pretty obnoxious customer and didn't have a very good reputation in the area. She answered, "Oh, about ten days ago or so. Hard to say, really."

Kelly looked at Ed wondering if there was a connection between when they met and some of the changes in his behavior. She decided that it was because of her, the times matched well. She smiled and said, "That's about the time I met him."

The waitress took their orders and returned to her station. The parting look was clearly one of pity. In a very quiet tone, Ed said, "I think that the waitress feels sorry for you. She thinks you got a pretty rotten deal in taking up with me."

Frowning at his poor self image, Kelly asked, "You don't mean that."

Ed looked over at the waitress and said, "Why don't you ask her yourself when I'm gone."

Without warning, he stood and headed to the bathroom. He took his time, knowing that the waitress would serve their iced teas while he was gone. In the restroom, he rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands clear up to the elbows. After washing his face, he dried off and left the restroom. The waitress was just leaving the table as he arrived.

Kelly waited until he had seated himself before saying, "You were right. She did everything except tell me to run like hell in the opposite direction."

"I've been telling you the truth. I haven't been a very nice person in the past." He glanced in the direction of the waitress, sad that she was another example of a person that didn't like him. On second thought, it wasn't just her, it was the rest of the restaurant staff as well. He added, "A lot of people don't like me."

Kelly looked at him, the sadness in his voice expressing real regret, as her heart went out to him. Looking around at the waitresses, she realized that he had always been honest with her. She said, "You've been honest with me about everything."

Reaching out, he took her hand and said, "I would really like to make love to you, but I have to work a few things out in my mind first. I don't want to mislead you and hurt you in that fashion. You want something that I don't know if I can deliver. I haven't rejected it, but I'm seriously considering all of the ramifications."

The consideration he was showing her contrasted so sharply with what the waitress had said about him, she didn't know what to think. If he was the man the waitress had described, then he would have promised her anything and then dumped her after sleeping with her. She was about to answer that he could sleep with her anyway, when the waitress arrived with their food.

Ed looked at the waitress and said, "It all looks very good to eat."

With a questioning look on her face, she answered, "Thanks. The good cook is on duty tonight."

"Really? I always find the food here pretty good. While I might not say it, I do find the service here excellent as well." Ed bent down to eat his Chicken Fried Steak.

The waitress was left standing there. Kelly smiled at her and turned to her salad. When the waitress left, Kelly giggled and said, "You really blew her mind. She didn't know what to think, particularly after some of the things she said about you."

Ed answered, "That wasn't my intent. I know that she won't trust me for a long time, if ever. I have to earn her respect now. That's a lot harder to do after you've lost it once."

Kelly glanced in the direction of the waitress and asked, "Are they worth it?"

"The real question is if I am worth it." Ed looked around the restaurant wondering how many of the people in here knew him and, of them, how many didn't like him.

That was a take on his position that she hadn't considered. To know that others disliked you must be very tough on the self image. The upshot of this discussion was that she wanted to sleep with him even more. She held his hands and said, "Don't worry, things will get better. I'll see to that."

Flustered, Ed wanted to change the subject. He was about to tell her that she had better start eating before her food got cold, but she was having a salad. He looked down at his plate and said, "I better eat this before it gets cold."

Releasing his hand, she said, "Yes, you had better eat it before it gets cold. I want you to have all of the energy you can for later."

Ed slowly ate his meal as Kelly picked at her salad. She was trying to figure out how to get him in bed with her. First, that ride on the horse had started her juices flowing. Then, the way that he had taken care of the horse had really turned her on. After that, his honesty totally lowered all of her barriers. Finally, his understanding about how others viewed him had totally convinced her that he was worthy of being her first husband.

For his part, Ed was thinking furiously about whether he could be the kind of man that she wanted as a husband. He didn't know what they called a man that slept with both men and women. He knew what a faggot was and he couldn't think of himself that way. Still, to have two wives was pretty incredible. He realized that he had never asked about Dr. Hayes and if she had talked to her.

He quickly finished his meal and looked up to see that Kelly was watching him. There was a hunger in her eyes that he couldn't define. In a way, it frightened him. He had never been looked at with that kind of intensity. The waitress, noticing that they were finished, came over to clear the table and ask if they wanted desert. "Would either of you like some desert?"

Kelly answered with a smile in her eyes, "Yes, but not here. We'll get arrested for performing indecent acts in public."

The answer had come while Ed was taking a sip of iced tea and he almost choked on it. Even the waitress noticed the shock on his face. Without missing a beat, the waitress asked, "Should I bring the bill?"

Ed was still coughing as Kelly answered, "Quickly, please."

"Is he okay?"

About that time, Ed took a deep breath and started to recover. Kelly said, "I'll tell you tomorrow. Personally, I expect he'll be great."

Even though the waitress blushed, it was nothing compared to the blush that washed over Ed. Both women looked at him and laughed. The effect was to increase his blush to a brighter red. The waitress left to total the bill, hardly able to contain her laughter. She liked the woman, but still felt sorry for her. It was nice to see him blush, she had suspected that he was a blowhard.

Ed paid for the dinner and left with Kelly. He had no idea if she was serious or not, but she said that she would follow him home. He drove slowly, unsure of himself and what was going to happen when they arrived at his place. For a change, the drive home was too short.

He parked and waited for Kelly to pull up to the driveway. The light was on at John's place and Ed wished that he had ten minutes to talk to John before she came over. When she parked, he opened the door for her. They went into the house. On entry, she looked around at the house assessing the contents. She said, "You know. This house does fit you in a way."

He stepped back and looked at her. "Why do you say that?"

She looked around at the room with a critical eye. There were a few things that she would change if he let her, but it wasn't that bad of a room. She said, "A lot of the furniture is old and needs to be replaced by something a lot better. However, some of the furniture is very nice and will last another lifetime or two. Sturdy and well built. Reminds me of you, that's all."

Looking around the room, he wasn't sure what needed to be changed and what should be kept the same. Of course, that described how he viewed himself too. He laughed, "So you've now seen my home."

Kelly asked, "Where's your bathroom?"

He led her to the bathroom and turned to return to the living room. As he walked back to the living room, he heard the shower come on. Kelly said, "Aren't you going to come in here to wash my back?"

In mid-step he froze and slowly turned around. She had removed her shirt and stood there looking at him. That same hungry look had returned to her eyes. When she dropped her bra, he slowly stepped forward transfixed by her eyes. She bent down, still looking at him, and lowered her jeans. Straightening, she stepped out of the jeans. Standing before him in her panties, he still stared in her eyes. She smiled and teased, "There's more to look at than my eyes."

Once his eyes flicked down her body, Ed knew that he was lost. The only word that came to his mind was perfection and she defined the word. His body reacted in the manner of men down through the ages, his cock swelled nearly crippling him with the pressure in his pants. The pain was so intense that he had to undo his pants to free his cock from the confines.

Sitting upon the toilet lid, he struggled to remove his boots and then his socks. Kelly watched with amusement as his fingers turned to jelly. There was nothing romantic about the way that Ed thrashed about trying to get undressed. As he finally wrenched his pants off, he burst out laughing as Kelly joined in. He said, "Well, if that ain't smooth, I don't know what is."

Kelly giggled, pleased to see that he was able to keep his sense of humor. Now that he had broken the tension, he was able to remove his shirt and boxers without much difficulty. Kelly looked at his erection, pleased that he found her attractive. She lowered her panties to her knees and then let them fall to the floor. With a beckoning motion, she stepped into the shower. The water was warm and perfect for a shower.

Ed followed her into the shower, entranced by her beauty. Picking up the soap, he slowly lathered her body. He covered every inch of her skin. Sighing, she felt a thrill throughout her body as he ran his hands along her limbs and felt every muscle under her skin. The strong hands caressed her body even as they washed her. The sensations were almost too much for her, as the care and slow speed tickled every nerve of her body. When he ran his hands between her legs, washing her gently, she almost collapsed as her legs threatened to give out from under her. When he washed her hands, he slowly soaped each and every finger individually. She had never experienced anything so sensuous.

The feel of her smooth body under his hands was the most incredible sensation of his life. Ed nearly came when his hands caressed her breasts; cupping them in his hands he could feel her nipples digging into the palms of his hands. When his hands ran between her legs, he exploded right then. She never knew as the running water masked what little come made it to her legs. He knelt and washed her legs, taking his time. Each leg, from top to bottom was washed with considerable care. His erection never wilted.

When he had finished washing her, she turned and started to wash him. She wasn't nearly as patient as he had been. She wanted him and didn't want to wait. Her hands managed to cover most of his body, but she spent a considerable amount of time washing his cock and balls. As her hands ran over his cock, she imagined it inside her. She was pleased that he didn't come from her touch, wanting to make sure that he was ready for her.

After rinsing him, she led him from the shower by the hand. When they reached the living room, she looked to him and asked, "Where's the bedroom?"

Picking her up in his arms, he carried her into the bedroom and set her on the bed with a gentleness that he had never shown a woman. As he kissed her, he lay down next to her. He had never before been to bed with a woman that wasn't drunk out of her mind. Unsure of himself, he chose to take his time paying attention to as much of her body as he could.

Kissing her from head to toe, he returned to that mysterious region between a woman's legs. Never having kissed a woman there, he was somewhat lost and let her reaction to his actions guide him. He must have done it right because she came. Her legs locked around his head as she made little animal noises. The shaking of her body fascinated him and made him feel powerful that he could give such pleasure to a woman.

His body screamed for release. Unable to resist the demands of his body any longer, he moved between her legs and slowly entered her. His first orgasm in the shower was long forgotten by a body that had never known such intense intimacy with a woman. She wrapped herself around him, urging him on with words and touch. He quickly reached a fast hard rhythm, unable to hold back his desire for her. He didn't know how long he was atop her before his come burst forth. It didn't matter, she was ready for it, an orgasm washing over her well before he came.

Ed lay next to her, basking in the glorious afterglow of a full body orgasm. He ran his hands over her body, feeling it shiver under his touch. He whispered, "You are so beautiful. I love you."

The words shocked both of them in equal measure. He had no idea that he was going to say that and she had not expected it at all. Once uttered, he knew it was true beyond a shadow of a doubt. He did love her.

She wrapped herself around him and held him very tight. Years of doubt, fear, and worry evaporated under the influence of those three words. She looked into his eyes wondering if he was the one that would accept her conditions of marriage. She cooed, "I'm so lucky to have found you at long last."

It wasn't the declaration of love that one might have expected, but it was what Ed needed to hear. She could feel him relax under her touch. Kelly knew could fall for this man, maybe even to the point of giving up her plans for a group marriage. That idea scared her much more than she was willing to admit.

He held her tightly and fell asleep, content with his situation, all doubts gone for the moment. She didn't fall asleep so quickly, but spent a few minutes watching him sleep. She smiled at the idea that in some ways he was a normal man that fell asleep after completing the act. Of course, he had just worked a long day and it was late.

She was dimly aware of him kissing her in the morning and saying something to her. While she slept, Ed wrote a note explaining that he had to work today and that he would call her later. The note was signed 'Love Ed.' When she woke and read the note, her eyes became moist.

For Ed, the workday passed quickly. The day after an auction was pretty easy. He basically sat around until someone showed up to collect their purchases and helped them load the cattle into the trailer. The work was not demanding and most of it was done on foot. Slow rebellious cattle weren't a problem today.

He did take the time to go in the office and order flowers for Kelly. Ed, seated in the chair next to Nevada, quietly explained what he wanted the card to read. The woman at the hospital flower shop knew Kelly and giggled the entire time he placed the order. Nevada watched him with a grin that went from ear to ear.

When he hung up the phone, Nevada said, "You really like that lady, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. She's one of the best things that's ever entered my life," replied Ed with a quietness in his voice. The tone of his voice gave a thoughtfulness to his answer that contrasted with the simplicity of his words.

Deciding to take a chance, Nevada asked, "Is she responsible for the new quiet Ed?"

It would be nice to give her responsibility for the changes that he had undergone, but the reality was that he had changed first and that had allowed the relationship. Ed answered, "No. I saw something that I didn't believe existed and it made me think about who and what I was. I met her about the same time."

Raising an eyebrow, Nevada took a sip of his coffee. He wondered what Ed could have seen that would affect him so much. "UFO?"

The laughter that came from Ed was genuine. Hardly able to contain himself, he answered, "Hell no. If I had seen one of those, I'd have immediately gotten drunk. Everyone would have heard about it."

Nevada could easily imagine that. It still left the question as to what Ed had seen unanswered. He asked, "So what did you see?"

Ed asked, "What's the bravest thing you've ever done?"

Nevada was thoughtful and couldn't really come up with something brave. Finally, he said, "Well, I helped get a bull off a rider in a rodeo once."

Just about anyone that worked a Rodeo a couple of times, had done that. Ed said, "I saw a real honest to God hero."

When Nevada merely lifted an eyebrow, Ed added, "This guy basically walked naked through a hundred rattlers to rescue a kid. Afterwards, he just shrugged it off. I found out that he had run into burning buildings to rescue people trapped inside, was shot stepping in front of a bullet meant for someone else, and... Shit, there are just too many things this guy did that are brave."

"That impressed you?" He recalled that Ed had taken some guy to the hospital last week for snakebites. He hadn't gotten the whole story, but from what Ed said it sounded to him like the guy was prone to exaggeration.

"A little."

"And he told you all about his heroic deeds?" Nevada wondered what kind of blowhard Ed had decided to believe.

"He didn't say a word. It was all in his medical record," replied Ed. He added, "The doctor read it out loud as she examined the scars on his body."

"And all that impressed you?"

Ed laughed and said, "What impressed me was that he was embarrassed by the attention. He's modest, quiet, helpful, considerate, and smart. He's everything that I'm not."

Nevada was quiet for a moment and considered everything that Ed had said. If what Ed had seen was true, then he had found a very good role model. He liked Ed a lot more this way than his former boastful and loud self. He finally said, "I like the new Ed a lot more than the old Ed. Kelly's a lucky lady to have found you at the time she did."

Ed stood and replied, "No. She's not lucky. I'm the lucky one. Two weeks ago, she'd have slapped me."

Nevada, eyes narrowing as he studied Ed while he left the office, wondered if the change was permanent. He had been getting rather good feedback about Ed from the customers. If the change was for the better and it lasted, he'd give him a raise. His comment about the bidding pen the previous night had a ring of rightness about it.

Ed wandered out to the yard to take care of the work there. A few buyers arrived at the same time and Ed took care of them all in short order. Finally, there were a few pens containing the cattle bought by the same buyer. He only had to wait for that customer to arrive and once done could leave for home. In the mean time, he leaned against the fence looking at the desert spread out in front of him. He nodded as he remembered what John had said about the scenery here. The desert did have the ability to inspire awe in a person that was open to it.



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Chapter 5


As Kelly looked over the menu at Maria's Cantina, Ed looked around the room at the other people around the tables. A few would look over at him and Kelly before talking quietly with each other. Proud that he was seated with the most beautiful woman in the room, he knew that the majority of conversations were not very flattering about him.

A very nervous Rosa came to the table with a tray. She was a very buxom Hispanic woman and hated the stares that her chest usually attracted. Ed was the worst, almost always commenting on her build. She set a shot of tequila and a beer in front of Ed and turned to Kelly ignoring Ed completely. She asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Kelly looked at Ed with a question. He understood that she wanted wine with her meal and winked at her. Despite telling her several times that it didn't bother him if she had something to drink, she felt like her taking a drink tempted him to fall off the wagon. She answered, "I would like a glass of red wine."

Looking at the beer and shot, Ed said, "I'm sorry, Rosa, but I would prefer iced tea with my meal."

Rosa stepped back as if Ed had threatened her. Not quite believing his request, she asked, "You don't want your regular drink?"

Wondering how long it would take for him to loose his reputation as a heavy drinker, Ed replied, "I quit drinking. I'll just take an iced tea. Thank you for the thought."

Uncertain what to do, Rosa put the beer and shot on the tray. As she returned to the bar, she set the beer on the table of another customer saying, "On the house."

In the back, she drank back the shot in a single swallow. Maria watched with dismay, since her sister almost never drank. Concerned, she asked, "What happened?"

"Ed sent it back."

Maria jeered, "He's never sent a drink back."

Shaking her head, Rosa replied, "You serve him. He scares me."

Maria, well aware of her sister's feelings towards Ed, asked, "What did he order?"

Rosa said, "A red wine for the woman and a glass of iced tea for him."

Maria gave the order to the bartender. After a minute, she loaded the tray with a glass of wine and a glass of iced tea. She carried it over to the table and set the wine in front of the woman and the iced tea in front of Ed. Ignoring Ed, she examined Kelly wondering what her story was. What ever it was, it had to be bad for her to take up with Ed. Watching Maria, Ed could read the thoughts going through her mind. He said, "Maria, I'd like you to meet Kelly. She's my lady friend. Kelly, this is Maria. She owns the restaurant."

Surprised by the introduction, Maria found herself turning to Kelly saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Smiling at the other woman, Kelly replied, "This is a very nice place you have. You must be very proud of it."

Warming to the woman, Maria smiled and answered, "I am, but it's a lot of work."

"I bet."

Maria liked the woman and just couldn't imagine what she saw in Ed. Afraid to become involved with a woman that had taken up with Ed, she changed the subject by asking, "What would you like to eat?"

Kelly winked at her and said, "What do you recommend for a young woman wanting to watch her figure?"

At least the woman had the normal concerns of all women. Smiling, Maria answered, "How about a taco salad that's light on the meat, cheese, and dressing?"

"Sounds perfect."

Maria turned to Ed and, in a less than friendly manner, asked, "How about you?"

"I think I'll have the Enchilada dinner," answered Ed. He added, "You do them just right, Maria. I think they're the best in the state."

Maria stepped back and looked at Ed as though he grown a horn in the middle of his forehead. She answered, "Thanks, I'll put the order in right now."

Maria had just stepped away from the table when Harry Burton stumbled into her. He looked up, swaying drunkenly, and stared, first at Ed and then at Kelly. For almost a full minute he stared at Kelly. Finally, he shouted, "Hey, Ed. Who's the whore?"

After a collective gasp, the entire restaurant turned quiet as a cemetery. A very angry Ed turned to look over at Harry. Skin flushing at the less than nice characterization of her, Kelly glanced at Ed seeing his eyes narrowed with anger and muscles along his jaw tight with tension. All eyes turned to Ed, waiting to see his reaction.

Harry wobbled, finding it difficult to stand. His skin was a pasty white and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Hands over his stomach, Harry was swallowing heavily as though trying to keep from getting sick. One thought went through Ed's mind, 'Harry is going to vomit.'

Jumping up, Ed raced over the Harry and threw a hand over his mouth. With his other hand, he grabbed Harry by his belt and lifted him butt up in the air. As he carried Harry out the fire exit, he heard someone shout, "Oh my God. He's going to kill Harry."

Carrying Harry over to the trashcan, they reached it just in time. With the noises familiar to everyone, Harry lost the contents of his stomach in a heaving retch. The anger drained out of Ed at the sight of the man being sick. Having years of experience getting sick after drinking, Ed rubbed him on the back and said, "Easy, Harry. Just relax. Don't force it and don't fight it."

When Harry tried to stand, Ed held him over the barrel with a light touch on his back. He said, "You've got some more coming up, Harry."

Groaning in misery, Harry threw up again. Ed stayed with him, making sure he was okay. When Harry finally stood up, Ed looked at him and could see that he was seriously ill. He was a very pale white and his whole body soaked with perspiration, possibly suffering from alcohol poisoning. Tottering like an infant, Harry bent over and threw up in the barrel again.

The Sheriff came around the corner. The dark scene, lit by a single dull light bulb, didn't allow too many details to be seen. From where he stood, it looked like Ed was stuffing Harry in the trash can. The Sheriff shouted, "Let him go, Ed."

Ed shouted back, "You better get an ambulance here."

Based on the report called in, the Sheriff was convinced that Ed meant to kill Harry and pulled his gun. He approached cautiously, knowing that Ed could fight as dirty as anyone he had ever encountered. When Ed helped Harry stand up, he lost his shot since Harry was between him and Ed. The Sheriff stared in surprise when Harry, hanging onto Ed, said, "Ed, I don't feel very good. Thanks for being here."

Ed helping him stand, answered, "Don't worry, Harry. I'm here to help you. The Sheriff is here and he's called an ambulance."

The moment of control was over as Harry bent over and vomited again. By this time, the Sheriff realized that Ed wasn't hurting Harry. Holstering his weapon, he came over to help. Just a glance was sufficient to see that Harry was really sick. At least an ambulance was already on its way, a precaution taken as a result of the call received at the Sheriff's station. Working together, the two men helped Harry stand up. With the wail of the ambulance in the background, Ed took a close look at Harry noticing a black drool from his lips. In a tone of real concern, Ed said, "Sheriff, he's really sick. I think he's throwing up blood."

The Sheriff looked at Harry and could see that he was in dire need of medical attention. He ordered, "Let's carry him to the front. The ambulance will be here in a few minutes."

Carrying Harry around to the front of the restaurant, they reached the parking lot as the ambulance pulled up. There was a sudden loosening of Harry's bowels and a terrible stench filled the air. The ambulance crew quickly took charge of the situation. It didn't take them long to get him onto a gurney and into the ambulance. It was a relief when they pulled out of the parking lot. Neither man had realized the tension they were feeling.

As the Sheriff watched the ambulance drive off, he asked, "Ed, did you hit him?"

Ed shook his head and replied, "No, I didn't. I took him outside because I didn't want his throwing up to spoil my date's evening."

"Are you sure you didn't hit him?"

"I didn't hit him. Of course, you have no reason to believe me." Ed straightened up and looked at his hands. There was vomit on them acquired when they had carried Harry around the building. He said, "Do you mind if I get cleaned up and let Kelly know that I'm going to the station with you? You might want to wash your hands as well."

The Sheriff didn't know what to say. Ed wasn't his favorite person in town, he'd had more than one run in with Ed. His past record suggested that he had beaten Harry. The problem was that he had seen Ed helping Harry. Harry talking to him and thanking him. Deciding that he would wait until he had more information, he said, "Sure. Let's get cleaned up."

The two men went into the restroom of the restaurant walking past a scared Maria. The Sheriff washed his hands while Ed looked at the sleeves of his coat. Frowning, he took his coat off. After checking the pockets, he threw it in the trashcan in disgust. Turning to the Sheriff, he said, "First time I wore it, I got blood on it. The second time, vomit. I guess I'm not cut out to dress nice. At least the shirt is clean."

The Sheriff said, "Tell me what happened out there."

As the Sheriff dried his hands, Ed stepped up to the sink and started washing his. He said, "Well, Harry said something very rude about my date. I just about lost my temper, but I looked at him and could tell that he was in bad shape. When I realized he was about to vomit, I put my hand over his mouth and carried him by the belt outside and over to the trashcan so he could vomit there."

"That doesn't sound like you."

Ed agreed with the assessment. He replied, "No, it doesn't."

The Sheriff said, "Let's go in and talk to your date."

Ed led the way to the table. The looks he received from everyone in the restaurant were very accusatory. When he reached the table, he sat down next to Kelly and pointed to a chair. He said, "Sheriff, I'd like you to meet Kelly. Kelly, this is the Sheriff."

Relieved to see Ed and worried about the presence of the Sheriff, Kelly didn't know what to think. She had wanted to follow him out the back door in an attempt to stop him from hurting Harry, but others had held her back. She had been left sitting there, scared and alone, wondering what she was supposed to do. Maria, after calling the Sheriff, had returned to the table and tried to comfort her. It had angered Kelly more than comforted her to hear the woman say that Ed was just a bad seed. The problem was that she had seen the anger flare up in his eyes.

The Sheriff looked at Kelly and said, "Nice to meet you."

Kelly looked at Ed, fearing for the worst, and replied, "Thank you. It's nice to meet you too. I just wish the circumstances were better."

The Sheriff took in the beverages sitting on the table. The lack of a beer bottle surprised him as much as everything else he had seen. Watching Ed take a sip of the iced tea was an additional shock; he didn't believe that Ed knew what iced tea was. The Sheriff sat down and signaled Maria over to the table. He asked, "Did they eat yet?"

Glaring at Ed, Maria answered, "No. I held off on putting in the order."

The Sheriff said, "Well, put in the order and add a couple of tacos to it. I'll take some iced tea, as well."

Startled by this turn of events, Maria glanced at Ed, the Sheriff, and finally at Kelly. She backed away from the table. Before she had taken three steps, Ed said, "Maria. Don't worry about what you said to Kelly. She's heard it before from me. I know you're just trying to spare another woman some pain."

Turning back to Kelly, he said, "Don't worry about Harry. The ambulance took him to the hospital. I think he's going to be okay."

"The ambulance?"

Hitting his head with the palm of his hand, Ed said, "Stupid me, I should have called you. You're a nurse and would have known what to do."

Kelly repeated her question, "The ambulance?"

Ed nodded as he answered, "He was really ill. We were lucky that Maria called the Sheriff and he called an ambulance."

The nurse in Kelly emerged and she asked, "What was the matter?"

Ed said, "He was throwing up blood."

With a glance in the Sheriff's direction, she asked, "Did you hit him?"

"No, I just carried him out to the trashcan where he could throw up. I didn't want to spoil our date."

"So what is going to happen now?"

Ed shrugged and said, "I imagine the Sheriff is going to take me to the jail until we hear from Harry that I didn't hit him. I don't know what will happen if Harry doesn't remember the events of tonight. I guess that is up to the Sheriff."

The Sheriff watched the exchange with interest. Kelly shook her head and said, "It's not going to go that easy. If he was throwing up blood, odds are that he'll die before he gets to the hospital."

The look on Ed's face was one of horror. He leaned forward and asked, "You can't be serious."

After a glance at the Sheriff, she answered, "Very. I bet if the Sheriff makes a call now, he'll get the news."

As the Sheriff stood up and left the table, Ed held his head in his hands and moaned. He said, "There's no way anyone is going to believe that I didn't kill him."

Putting her hand on his neck, she whispered, "You're a good man, Ed. They won't blame you if he had a medical problem."

Ed just shook his head while thinking about how he had done the right thing for a change. It didn't matter what others thought, he knew the truth and that was all that mattered. The thought gave him the strength to sit up straight. He said, "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

The Sheriff came back to the table and sat down heavily in his chair. He looked around the room and then at the pair. He asked, "Do you want the news now or after you eat?"

Prepared for the worst, Ed sat back and said, "I'll take it now, if that's alright with you."

"Well, your girlfriend was right. He died before he got to the hospital." The Sheriff looked at Ed, noting that he didn't protest his innocence. He asked, "What do you think about that?"

In a solemn tone of voice, Ed answered, "I feel sorry for Harry. What a horrible way to die. He spent the last minutes of life with someone that he detested bent over a trash barrel sick as hell. It's not fair, not fair at all."

Kelly nodded her agreement and said, "Sad. That is very sad."

That was not the reaction that the Sheriff had expected. Ed looked at the Sheriff and said, "I assume you'll be pressing murder charges."

When Ed had made that statement, Maria showed up with their food on a large tray. Hands trembling, she set the dishes on the table in front of them. The Sheriff answered, "No. They cleared you."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "How could they clear me?"

Standing off to the side, Maria listened with interest. She was convinced that Ed had killed Harry and was willing to testify to that in a court. The Sheriff answered, "The doctor said that if you had hit him, he would have died right then. I saw you taking care of him while he was throwing up. He talked to you and there wasn't any fear in his voice."

Kelly looked very relieved and looked at Ed in admiration. While everyone had been thinking he was killing Harry, Ed had been helping him. Ed nodded and said, "I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm mighty relieved."

The Sheriff said, "It was good that you took care of him."

"I'd appreciate it if we don't make a big deal out of that." As Ed looked at the food on the table, he thought about how Harry had died. In light of the events of the evening, his appetite had vanished. He asked, "So what killed him?"

"Stomach ulcer. All that booze he drank tonight ate through a vein or something."

Kelly shook her head and said, "Throwing up didn't help. It puts a lot of stress on the body."

Ed said, "Let's just try to find a way to put it so that his dignity is preserved. There's no need to mention the booze or throwing up. He died of a stomach ulcer."

The Sheriff said, "A lot of people are going to think you killed him."

"People will think what they want. I know the truth and I can live with it."

Maria backed away surprised by what she had heard the Sheriff say to Ed. Rather than killing Harry, he had been helping him. She hurried off to the kitchen where she could tell Rosa everything she had heard the Sheriff say. By morning, the story would be all over town.

Relieved that he didn't have to arrest Ed, the Sheriff started eating a taco watching the two of them eat. It was clear they were madly in love with each other. The real puzzle was Ed. A lot of stories were going around about Ed and the Sheriff didn't trust what he heard.

Working over the salad, Kelly ate in her normal manner. Appetite destroyed by the events outside, Ed picked at his food, eating about half of what was on the plate. It was good, but sat heavily in his stomach. Even worse, the meal was far less intimate than Ed had planned, He hadn't planned on having the Sheriff at the table with them.

Looking up at Kelly, he watched her eat. He loved the way that she would stir the lettuce around before picking out the leaf she was going to eat. The fork would descend rapidly, stabbing it, and then slowly raise with the leaf impaled on the tines. She caught him watching and with a smile raised the leaf to her mouth. Ed leaned forward and watched as she nibbled on the leaf of lettuce. It was almost anti-climatic when the lettuce disappeared into her mouth. He said, "You even eat pretty."

"Don't watch me eat. It makes me self-conscious." She put on a great act of being self-conscious, but she giggled the entire time appreciating the attention. Smiling at him, she added, "Watch the Sheriff."

The Sheriff had watched the interplay between the pair and started laughing. Sitting back, he said in a loud voice that carried across the entire room, "My God, Ed is in love."

Ed reached across the table with both hands and took her right hand in his. Even though she still held the fork, he leaned down and kissed the back of her hand. In a voice that conveyed true affection, Ed said, "My God, Ed is in love."

Kelly giggled and said, "My God, Ed is in love."

Almost sick from the sweet talk, the Sheriff shook his head in disbelief. He had not realized that this was a real date for Ed. He wouldn't have joined them if he had known, but the alternative would have been worse - spending the evening in the jail.

When everyone had eaten as much as they wanted, Kelly stood up and said, "Let me go to the powder room."

Ed replied, "I'll be waiting with bated breath."

When Kelly left, the Sheriff turned to Ed. It was his intention to finish the last bit of business and then leave. He asked, "So Ed, how are things with your new neighbor?"

Taken by surprise by the change in topic, Ed replied, "Fine."

"I heard he beat you in a fight."

"Yes, he did. Quite easily."

The easy manner in which Ed admitted defeat troubled the Sheriff. "You don't have a problem with that?"

Without delay, Ed said, "The better man won."

The Sheriff leaned forward and looked at Ed with a very serious expression. He said, "I don't believe you."

Ed leaned forward so that their faces were less than a foot apart. Looking the Sheriff in the eye, Ed whispered, "Check up on John Carter. You'll see that I'm right."

Surprised that Ed mistook the subject of his doubts, the Sheriff shook his head and said, "I meant that I didn't believe you don't have a problem with the fact that he won."

Ed sat back and laughed. He said, "Don't I feel foolish. Go talk to him and you'll know what I mean."

The Sheriff replied, "Ed, I've had you in my cell too many times. I have to warn you that once more and it may become long term. It was very close tonight. Leave John Carter alone."

"Sheriff, you and I go back a long way. Hell, you were arresting me when you were still a deputy and I was in high school. When I tell you that John Carter is a better man than I, believe it. I'm not going to hurt him."

Kelly came back to the table. As she sat down, she asked, "Were you talking about John Carter?"

The Sheriff nodded and answered, "Yes, we were."

"He's such an amazing man. I couldn't believe..."

Ed interrupted, "Kelly, John asked me not to talk about anything that came out at the hospital."

Faltering, Kelly said, "Okay."

Realizing that he wasn't going to get any more out of them, the Sheriff stood up and said, "I'm getting out of here."

Ed stood and extended his hand. Looking the Sheriff in the eye, he said, "I'd like to thank you for your considerate treatment of me tonight. By all rights, you should have had me in cuffs and in the jail."

Surprised by the gesture and the statement, the Sheriff shook Ed's hand. He replied, "Thanks, Ed."

Ed smiled, "You're a good man. Dinner is on me."

About to argue, the Sheriff decided just to drop it. Leaving the restaurant behind, he went to the hospital to double check on their report. He didn't know what to make of the change in Ed and felt like part of the answer was at the hospital.

When Maria came to the table, Ed took care of the bill. As he set a good tip on the table, it dawned on him that it had already become habit. For years, a quarter was his standard tip and now it was twenty percent. As they left the room holding hands, Maria stood by the door in her customary spot. Ed paused at the door and fished out his wallet. Taking a fifty from it, he handed it to Maria. At her blank look at the bill, he said, "Maria, maybe you can take up a collection for Harry's family. Here's a little starter for it. Don't let anyone know that the money is from me."

Eyes misting, Maria turned to Ed and asked, "You really did try to save him?"

Watching him with eyes filled with love, Kelly listened as he answered, "I had a chance to save someone tonight. I tried, but I failed."

Ed led Kelly out of the restaurant, pausing to look up at the stars overhead. It was a clear night and the stars shown brightly. She could tell that he was in a very quiet mood and stepped closer to him to provide a little comfort. He wrapped an arm around her pulling her closer. He asked, "Have I told you that I love you?"

"Only about a million times and that's just today." Kelly really loved Ed, but she had never told him that. Thinking about mentioning her conditions for marriage, she kept her thoughts to herself. This was not the time for that discussion, he needed support now. She kissed him and then said, "And you can tell me that a million times tomorrow."

"Greedy, greedy," chastised Ed with a chuckle. They walked to his house holding each other tightly. The night was warm, the stars bright, and the air calm. Tonight was the first time that Ed was sorry he lived so close to the center of town as he would have enjoyed walking with her like that forever.

Arriving at the house, Kelly kissed Ed goodbye. He watched as she drove down the street heading to her home. It would have been nice if she had been able to stay the night, but she had to work early tomorrow. The headlights of her car illuminated John Carter walking up the street. Ed moved to wait for John.

"Hello, John," called Ed as he waved to the man.

John looked up and called back, "Hi, Ed. I saw you walking home with your lady friend. You look like a cute couple. It reminded me of my time with Betsy."

Ed picked up the very slight tone of sadness in John's voice. When John was within normal conversational distance, Ed asked, "You miss her, don't you?"

"I miss her a lot," answered John. He looked up at the sky and then back at Ed. He said, "I'm sorry to be so down, it's just that we were together for such a long time."

"Have you tried to talk to her?"

John replied, "Not directly. I rent a room from Mrs. South in Austin. She's been talking to Betsy in an attempt to patch things up between us. I'm afraid that Betsy is still very mad at me and won't accept my calls."

Ed tried to imagine how he would feel if Kelly walked out of his life. He'd be devastated and could understand how John must be feeling. A couple of weeks ago he would have been telling John that he was a pussy whipped wimp. He said, "I'm sure that she'll calm down."

"You don't know my Betsy. She's a very passionate and strong- willed woman."

Not knowing what to say that would help, Ed simply said, "I must admit that I'm pretty much a novice at dating."

John responded with an easy laugh as he said, "I don't think there's a man alive that really understands dating."

Chuckling heartily, Ed replied, "That's reassuring to know. I was worried that I was doing it all wrong."

"From what I saw, you were doing all the right things." John smiled like he was sharing a well guarded secret.

Changing the subject, Ed asked, "So how's your work going?"

John leaned against his walking stick and answered, "It's going well. I'm happy that things have been quiet here. No gunshots, fires, or dying people to save. It gives me much more time to work."

Ed said, "Well, Harry died tonight. I tried to save him, but I couldn't. He had a bleeding ulcer that ruptured."

John asked, "Did you do the best that you knew how to do?"

"Yes."

"That's all that anyone can do," replied John. He added, "We are not Gods or Goddesses. We can only serve them."

Ed looked at John for a second wondering what John meant. He asked, "Gods and Goddesses?"

John answered, "Yes. I am in the service of the Goddess. She gave me the ability to heal quickly so that I can act as I need."

Ed wasn't sure what to make of this talk about Gods and Goddesses. There were only two religions in the area, Catholic and Baptist. While the Catholics had lots of saints and the Baptists didn't, they both had a single God. He asked, "Is this some kind of devil worship?"

John looked at Ed and laughed. He replied, "No. I serve the good. We have two major rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong."

"That doesn't sound like too restrictive of a religion." Ed thought about the Ten Commandments and all the various sins. How could two rules compare to all of the Christian restrictions?

John asked, "You ever say something really nasty to someone and hurt their feelings?"

There was no way that Ed could deny that. He answered, "Many times."

"That's not allowed under our the harm none rule. Theft, greed, lying, and many of those other things that are sins in Christianity are also wrong in our religion. However, it gives us a context in which to judge when a given act is a sin. It is very difficult to be good since the rules aren't absolute." John watched the expression on Ed's face as he thought about what had just been said.

After a while, Ed asked, "So what happened when you grabbed my balls? I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt. Wasn't that a sin under your rules?"

Embarrassed, John answered, "I'd say it was protecting the weak from the strong."

Ed recognized that there was a truth to that far beyond what John might even realize. He replied, "Yes, it had far greater consequences that I would have predicted."

John smiled at the mention of the word consequences. He said, "If it harms none, then do it. That is an expression that deals with means and consequences. It is so hard to predict consequences that most Druids tend to act only when the consequences are clear."

"Oh." Ed didn't know what to make of this discussion. He wasn't a philosopher and needed to think about ideas like this for a long time before making up his mind.

John added, "Don't worry, I'm not trying to convert you. Druids don't do that."

Ed asked, "Do you have any religious symbols, like a cross or pentagram?"

John's hand came up to brush the medallion as he answered, "Not quite. Only those that are in the service of a God or Goddess have something that was given to them by the God or Goddess."

Ed noticed how John brushed his hand against his chest and recalled the medallion that had hung around his neck at the hospital. Rather than pursuing the discussion further, Ed said, "Well, I won't keep you from your work anymore."

John smiled at Ed wondering what the guy thought of him. He said, "Thanks. I'll see you around."

Almost as an afterthought, Ed asked, "If it harms none, then do it?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good night," replied Ed. He went into the house as John headed over to his. Once inside, he thought about what John had said. If it harms none, then do it. At first glance, it seemed simple, but as John had said it was really quite complicated. It made the correctness of ones actions depend on the consequences of the action rather than the act itself.

Considering the activities of the evening, he now knew that if he had hit Harry then he would have killed him. The consequences would have been horrible. The consequences of doing nothing would have perhaps been worse than what he had done. Harry might have died in a pool of his own vomit in public, a pitiful spectacle. He had tried to save Harry, but hadn't managed it. The only consolation was that he had saved Harry's dignity to a certain extent.

His thoughts soon turned to the marriage that Kelly demanded. He wondered who would be hurt by such a marriage. That made him wonder how John would view sex between men. He tried to figure out where it could harm and when it couldn't. If it harmed none, then do it. What about harming society by undermining morals? Could an action that harmed none undermine society? That last question bothered him tremendously.



-------

Chapter 6


Kelly and Ed had discussed the kind of future Ed had in store for himself. Since he had never given it much thought, he had no clue and asked for her advice. Kelly suggested that he pick up a little college education. The idea of going to college had really thrown him for a loop and he decided that he should talk to John about the matter. John was in school and could possibly provide some insight into what he might study.

John was slowly walking up the street, chatting with neighbors. It amazed Ed at how quickly John had become widely respected in the neighborhood. Finally, John reached his house. Ed Biggers strolled over and greeted him, "Howdy neighbor."

"Hi, Ed. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine."

"That's good to hear."

Nervous about imposing on John, he asked, "You got a minute to talk?"

"Sure, I've got all week. I just finished the second draft and I'll wait a week before reading it over."

Ed laughed at the idea of this discussion lasting a week. Most likely, it would last two minutes with most of it spent listening to John laughing at him. He said, "Well, I promise it won't take a whole week."

John gestured and said, "Why don't we go out in my backyard and chat there? I have two lawn chairs, some iced tea, and a nice patio with a good view."

Ed looked uncomfortable for a minute. It took him a minute to identify the source of his discomfort before he realized that he had never been invited over to someone's house. He answered, "Sure, that would be good."

Ed followed John into the house. He watched as John took the pitcher of iced tea from the refrigerator and filled two glasses with ice. After taking a glass from John, he followed him outdoors.

After seating themselves in the chairs, John poured the iced tea. He set the pitcher on a cinder block situated between the chairs. Taking a sip of the tea, he sighed, "Oh, boy! That tastes real good on a hot day like today."

Ed laughed as he realized something for the first time. He said, "You know something. I didn't know that until a couple of weeks ago. I've quit drinking."

"Was it tough?"

Ed was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. He nodded slightly, "It was a little tougher than I thought it would be. It wasn't that I was an alcoholic. I guess drinking was more of a habit."

John nodded as he said, "I understand. I had the same problem when I quit drinking."

Ed looked very surprised to hear that. He had assumed that John had never had a tough day in his life. He asked, "You used to drink?"

"Oh yes. I quit drinking the night my brother wrapped his car around a telephone pole."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." That revelation surprised him. It was then he realized that he didn't really know much about John's past other than the heroic activities.

"No problem," replied John. "It took me a long time to come to grips with it. I guess the day I died was the major turning point with respect to my feelings about death and the death of my brother."

"I guess it would tend to change your perspective. Of course, I wouldn't know about that."

John was quiet for a while as he thought about his past. He sighed, "I guess I'm not so afraid of dying now. I don't know if that makes it easier for me to do the things that I've done. I really don't think about any of that. I just act."

Ed thought about what John had said. Was a man any less of a hero because he wasn't afraid of dying? He didn't think so. Finally, Ed said, "You acted in exactly the same manner before you died as you do now. That's how you got killed."

"I guess that's true."

They sat there for a while watching the stars come out. The dark Arizona sky made star gazing a wonderful pastime. Ed had never just sat and watched the stars with anyone other than Kelly. It was nice sharing moments like this with someone else. His thoughts were interrupted when John asked, "So how do you feel now that you aren't drinking?"

Ed laughed as he answered, "Pretty good. I've found that I have a lot more time than I ever had before."

"So what are you going to do to fill up that time? Visit that nurse from the hospital?"

Ed laughed, "Yeah, I've been doing a lot of that. Kelly's very nice. She makes me think about things."

"Like what, if I may ask?"

"Well, we've been talking about my future. It hasn't looked very good for a long time." There was a significant pause as Ed worried about how John would react. He added, "I've decided to go to school."

John had just finished putting down his iced tea glass, which was fortunate because if he had been holding it he would have dropped it. He had never heard anything so surprising in his life. He took a moment to compose himself before he said, "That's great. What are you planning on studying?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Getting asked the question surprised him. He had expected that John would suggest something to him.

John was taken by surprise again. He asked, "So what are you thinking?"

"I don't really know what there is out there. Many things, well, they just seem out of my reach. I couldn't be a lawyer or doctor, for example. I'm a little old to start down those paths."

Ed waited for a long time for a response, getting more nervous the longer John was quiet. John finally broke his silence when he said, "Ed, let me ask you one question."

"Go ahead."

"What do you like to do more than anything?"

That was a question that he had never considered and didn't understand what that had to do with going to school. He answered, "The only thing I've ever done is work cattle."

John shook his head, "No, I don't mean work you like. I mean, what do you really like to do?"

Ed's face wrinkled in confusion. He asked, "When?"

"Imagine that tomorrow you get to do anything you want. You can take the whole day off with no worries. What would you do?"

The fact was that he was faced with a lot of free time now and didn't know what to do with it. The weekends were almost torture now. He answered, "I don't know. What would you be doing?"

"I'd be out hiking. I hike almost four months of the year."

He liked riding out in the desert, but wondered how that would help. He said, "I didn't think about stuff like that. What has it to do with deciding what you are going to study?"

John smiled as he answered, "I wanted to understand rainbows, sunrises, and sunsets."

"So you studied physics. Yeah, it makes sense." It did make sense to Ed and he thought that John was fortunate to have been able to combine his interest and his work.

"What would you be doing?"

"I guess I would be riding around on my horse."

John was silent for a minute or two. This line of questioning wasn't going as well as he thought it should. It wasn't natural for an adult man not to have some kind of interest in something. A sudden inspiration hit him, "What are you doing while riding your horse?"

Ed looked around a little embarrassed as memories of his father hitting him for his worthless daydreams returned. As a result of his father, he had hidden his interest since then. "Promise you won't laugh?"

John made a boy scouts honor gesture and said, "I promise."

Ed made a sucking sound between his teeth. This was one of the hardest things to admit aloud. Finally, he said, "I'm looking at rocks."

"Rocks?" asked John.

"Yes," replied Ed, happy that John had not burst out laughing.

"Any special kind of rocks?"

Ed answered, "All kinds. There are examples of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous in the area."

"Are you more interested in the geology of the area or the mineralogy?"

"Actually, I like the mineralogy. You know, I look at things like the shape, composition, and color. The geology just helps me locate them. You don't think that's weird?"

John laughed and answered, "God no. That's wonderful!"

Ed looked shocked at the positive reaction. He asked, "You don't think it's childish?"

"Oh, Ed. You and I are going to have to go to Arizona State University. There's something there that you really need to see."

"What's there?" He wondered what he could see at the University that dealt with rocks. He still felt that rocks was a childish activity, his dad had beat that lesson into him well.

"Only one of the finest mineralogy departments in the country. It is going to blow your mind with the kinds of things they're doing there."

Ed sat up straighter and asked, "Really? What kinds of things?"

John smiled and answered, "You'll just have to see for yourself."

"You know, I never thought of actually studying rocks formally."

John answered, "Let me tell you something that I really believe. If you are passionate about a subject, someone will pay you to work in it. It doesn't matter what subject. I know of a guy who likes to review bad movies. He has a nationally syndicated column where he gets to review bad movies. Like I said, it doesn't matter what subject you are passionate about, someone will pay you for what you know."

"You're serious aren't you?" The idea that someone would pay him look at rocks sounded so ridiculous that he had to seriously consider it.

"You bet," replied John. He looked up at the sky for a minute and then stated, "I'll tell you what, let me make a call or two tomorrow and arrange a visit there. I'm not sure when the visit will be, but we'll drive up there together. If you want to take Kelly with you, that'll be alright too."

"John, you're an amazing person. I'm really glad I talked to you."

John shook his head, "I'm glad I was able to help. It's not going to be easy. You'll have to take a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with mineralogy."

"No problem." Ed realized that he would happily sit through a bunch of other stuff to have a chance learn more about rocks. He was very happy about this prospect.

The next evening, Ed came over to find out about going to the university with John. In response to his knock on the door, John answered. He took one look at Ed and frowned. Ed was rather taken aback by the less than friendly reaction. John noticed the change in Ed's demeanor and apologized, "Oh, Ed. I'm sorry. I'm expecting my girlfriend to drop in anytime now. I had thought you were her for a moment there."

Ed knew about the big blowup between the two. It was a good sign that she was coming out here. Ed laughed in relief. He said, "Hell, I'd be disappointed if a man was at the door when I was expecting a woman."

John smiled as he said, "Well, I'm sorry anyway. I set up a visit to the university for the day after tomorrow. If Kelly comes, that will make four."

Ed grinned at the thought of going there with Kelly. He nodded excitedly and said, "Okay, I'll talk to her tonight. We'll both take the day off."

"Great. I'm looking forward to it."

"So what are your plans for your girl?" Ed was curious about how John treated the woman in his life.

"Oh, I was going to Maria's for Dinner and then over to the bar to meet Shirley."

Ed looked around and then said, "I'm going to head across the street. Don't want to interfere with the grand reunion."

"You don't have to run off."

"Now you're just being polite," replied Ed with a laugh. As he turned and walked away, he shouted out, "Good night John. Have a nice evening."

"Thanks. Have a good night!"

Ed walked across the street and started to do a little work on the yard. About the time that John had opened his front door and checked the street for a second time, Ed had worked out a plan. Ed shook his head when John waved and went back in the house.

Ed wandered down the road, calling out to people as they ran into their houses in a move to avoid him. The few that turned around, listened to what he had to say nervous at his attention. After he delivered his invitation, he went on to the next neighbor. Everyone he talked to was left confused, staring at him walk away.

Ed entered the Bar and sidled up to the counter. Worried about what it meant, Shirley looked over at the smile on his face. She came over and asked, "Coke?"

Ed shook his head and answered, "No. I need to rent the place for the evening."

Very surprised at the request, Shirley asked, "What's the occasion?"

Ed answered, "John's girlfriend is coming to town tonight. I want to throw a little party for them. I've invited everyone that I've seen so far."

Shirley looked at Ed in wonder. He was actually putting together a party for another person. She asked, "What would you like to serve?"

Ed answered, "I figure you could serve soft drinks and ice tea. Anyone that wants a drink would still buy it from you. I was going to get Maria to cater it and some fresh pies from the restaurant next door."

Shirley liked John a lot and the idea of having a party appealed to her. She shrugged, "Okay, I can let you have it."

Ed asked, "How much?"

A usual night brought in about four hundred. There should still about two hundred in liquor sales, so two hundred seemed like a reasonable amount. She answered, "Two hundred plus the cost of beverages?"

Ed said, "Great. I'll be back."

"I'll be here," replied Shirley. She went to work cleaning the pitchers and getting the place ready for a crowd. She had doubts that anyone would show up, particularly if Ed invited them. Still, this was for John and for some reason she really liked the man. Besides, she was curious who the woman was and what she was like.

Ed went over to Maria's Cantina. She wouldn't be opening for another hour, but he was sure that she would be there. Knocking on the door of the restaurant, Ed waited for an answer. Maria opened the door and saw Ed standing there. Uncomfortable with the situation, Ed said, "Maria, I need to get some food catered."

If her business hadn't been teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, she would have shut the door right then. She didn't really trust Ed, despite the events earlier with Harry. In an untrusting tone of voice, she asked, "What do you need?"

Ed said, "How about a container of enchiladas, some tacos, frijoles, rice, tamales, and sopaipillas?"

This was a pretty good size order. She asked, "How many people?"

Ed replied, "About fifty people."

Maria thought about it and worked out the figures in her head. She thought about eight dollars a person, but lowered that to six. She said, "That'll run you about three hundred."

Ed shrugged and answered, "Fine, it's worth it."

His calm acceptance of the amount made her wonder what the occasion was that prompted him to do this. It was a fact that even Ed couldn't bully that many people into coming to a party. She asked, "What's the occasion?"

Ed smiled, "John's girlfriend is coming to town tonight. I want her to feel welcome."

At the mention of John's name, Maria smiled. For John, this would be no problem. She asked, "What are the details?"

Ed said, "I've rented Shirley's bar for the evening. I figure people will start arriving in about an hour and a half. Can you deliver that much by then?"

Knowing that John was the guest of honor, she answered, "For John, we can do it."

Ed had no idea of what John had done for Maria, but he didn't argue. Instead, he said, "Thanks a lot, Maria. I really appreciate it. I'll see you there."

Maria watched Ed walk off to the center of town. When he was out of sight, she went in and started to work on food. She shook her head as she thought about Ed actually setting up a party for someone else.

Ed headed to the restaurant in town. The sign on the door advertised fresh home-made pies. He often ate there and knew the pies were pretty good. A lot of people in town bought whole pies here and took them home for desert. He entered and went over to the cashier. The woman behind the counter looked at Ed and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Looking over the selection of pies, Ed asked, "How many pies can you spare tonight?"

The woman answered, "All of our pies are for sale."

Laughing, Ed replied, "If I buy all your pies, you won't have any left for your other customers."

The woman, surprised that Ed could be that considerate, thought about how many pies she could let go without creating a problem. She said, "Would eight be enough?"

Ed answered, "That would be perfect. Could you deliver them to the bar?"

"Sure, it will cost an extra five bucks delivery fee."

Ed pulled out a fifty and laid it on the counter. He said, "Eight pies at five dollars a pie and a five dollar delivery fee. This ought to cover it. Keep the change."

Very surprised at the tip, she said, "Thanks."

Ed turned to head over to the bar to check on the arrangements there. He paused and turned to the woman behind the counter. He asked, "Do you know John Carter?"

She was quiet for a moment and then answered, "Sure, he's been in here a couple of times. He's a nice guy."

Ed said, "His girlfriend is coming to town. The party at the bar is to make her feel at home. You can come to it."

"Thanks, I might stop by." She watched Ed leave wondering what had happened to him. It didn't matter, she would drop by just to say hello to John. Delivering the pies herself would allow her to say hello to John when he arrived at the party.

It was much later when Betsy entered the bar, followed closely by John. Once they were in the bar proper, everyone shouted hello. Both John and Betsy jumped at the sudden outburst and were immediately surrounded by a large crowd. Ed came up to them and with a grin on his face said, "Hello neighbor. Can I buy you two a drink?"

John smiled at the reference to their meeting. He replied, "Sure, we'll take two wimp drinks."

The whole bar laughed at that with Ed laughing the loudest. Puzzled by the reference, Betsy recognized that it was an inside joke. Ed came over to Betsy and extended his hand, "I'm Ed Biggers. I take it you are Betsy."

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you Ed." She smiled and nodded her head in greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I wondered what kind of angel could throw steady John into such a frenzy. He was racing around today like a mad bull in a red room. I bet he cleaned that house three times before you got here. I do know that he was looking out the door every five minutes to see if you had arrived."

Betsy laughed and turned to John, "Is that true?"

"I only cleaned it twice and it was every four minutes, not five."

She kissed him on the cheek and laughed, "Only twice? I'm shocked and dismayed."

The rest of the evening went by very quickly. Ed enjoyed watching John and Betsy interact with everyone in town. The amazing thing to him was how popular John was after being in town for only a month. He liked Betsy, she was so much like Kelly that it was hard to believe. Most important of all, it was good to see John happy.

After settling up with Shirley and Maria, he left the bar feeling very pleased with himself. The first to leave the party, he felt that it would give some of those that were intimidated by him a chance to mingle a little more. The past few weeks had demonstrated to him how he was viewed by most people. At least now, he had done a nice thing, not expecting a reward.

As he walked home, he whistled a tune to himself, not even knowing the name of the song. It was a nice evening and he enjoyed the walk. The street was nearly deserted as most of the people were at the bar.

The Sheriff's car was parked outside his house and the Sheriff was sitting on the hood. He watched Ed wander up the street waiting for him to return home. When Ed reached him, he said, "Hello, Ed."

Ed frowned as he wondered what the problem might be that would bring the Sheriff to his place. He answered, "Hello, Sheriff."

The Sheriff asked, "What's going on Ed?"

Ed answered, "There's a party for John up at the bar. I think there is some food left. You might want to stop by. Maria outdid herself."

Shaking his head, the Sheriff said, "I thought I told you to leave John alone."

Ed shook his head as he tried to imagine giving up the friendship that he had only now acquired. He answered, "Would you like to come in and have a glass of iced tea?"

The Sheriff stared at Ed and nodded his agreement. Standing up, he followed Ed into his house. Ed went to the refrigerator and fixed two glasses of iced tea. Standing behind him, the Sheriff noticed that there weren't any beers in the refrigerator. Ed turned and said, "I have a couple of cases of beer. You know anyone that would like them?"

The Sheriff laughed as he answered, "I'm not sure that it would look too good if I handed out beer to some of our better known drinkers."

"You're probably right," replied Ed. Opening the pantry, he pointed at the stack of cases there and asked, "How about you take these and use them for your department picnics?"

The Sheriff looked at the cases of beer and shook his head at the quantity. Rather than leave them here, he decided it would be better to take the beer off Ed's hands. He answered, "Sure, I'll do that."

Ed answered, "Great."

Leading the Sheriff to the living room, Ed seated himself in his comfort chair, offering the Sheriff a seat on the sofa. The Sheriff sat down sipping his iced tea. Once he was comfortable, the Sheriff asked, "Didn't I tell you to leave John alone?"

Ed looked at the Sheriff and said, "Until a couple of weeks ago, there was only one person in town that I respected. Then I met John and that number doubled. Since then, I've been looking around at the people around me and found that a lot more of them that deserve my respect. I now have one friend and I'm not giving him up because you want me to leave him alone."

Ed's statements surprised the Sheriff in many ways. He asked, "Who was the person that you respected?"

Laughing, Ed replied, "I know you won't believe this, but it was you."

"Me?" asked the Sheriff. He had been holding Ed back form killing others for as long as he could remember.

Ed answered, "You were the only one in town that consistently stood up to me and kept me from getting into more trouble."

Not sure if Ed was sucking up to him, the Sheriff let the subject drop. He said, "You say that you respect John. Why?"

Ed asked, "Did you check up on John?"

The Sheriff shook his head and said, "The hospital wouldn't release any information about him. Patient client privileges."

Surprised, Ed sat there for a moment. He had only taken the word of the people at the hospital about John. Thinking about it, he decided that there was one way to prove it. He picked up the telephone and called information for the Austin Police Department. When they gave him the option to put the call through, he accepted it. As he handed the phone over to the Sheriff, he said, "Ask them about John."

The Sheriff, shocked, took the phone from Ed. After a five minute discussion with an officer on the other end, a very pale Sheriff handed the phone back to Ed. He looked at Ed and said, "Is all that stuff true? Did he really do all those things?"

Ed shrugged and answered, "He doesn't talk about it. I do know that one of his rescues very nearly cost him his girlfriend. She came here today and I wanted to make sure that she had a good time."

The Sheriff thought about the things the officer had told him about John. He could understand how that might have an effect on Ed. It went far to explain some of the changes that Ed had undergone in the past few weeks. He said, "Okay, I believe that your intentions are not bad."

Ed said, "I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone what you learned tonight. John asked me not to tell anyone about his past. I've respected that as much as I can."

"Why is he here?"

"You mean, is he hiding out?" asked Ed. He laughed when he thought about the real reason. It was actually more impressive than much of what the Sheriff had learned. He said, "He's writing his dissertation to become a Doctor of Physics. He wanted a quiet place to work where he wouldn't be interrupted. I respect his need for quiet and time to work on it. I only talk to him when he's taking a break."

"You really like him, don't you?" asked the Sheriff. He had known Ed for a long time and could hardly believe what he was hearing. His experience told him that Ed had a need to dominate everyone around him. Ed was driven to be the Alpha male in a pack.

The subject was actually making Ed feel uncomfortable. He didn't like talking about his feelings, but the Sheriff really wanted to know. He answered, "Yes, I do. Knowing him has made me rethink my life and I'll tell the truth. I didn't like what I saw."

The Sheriff finished his iced tea and set the glass down. He stood up and said, "Ed, for the first time in a long time I really believe you. As long as you watch yourself, I'll leave you alone."

Ed stood and extended his hand. When the Sheriff accepted his hand in a handshake, Ed answered, "Thanks, Sheriff. You don't have to ignore me either."

After loading the beer into the back of the car with a lot of help from Ed, the Sheriff drove off shaking his head. If someone had told him a month ago that he would have had a conversation with Ed Biggers over an iced tea, he would have thrown them in the drunk tank. He wondered if it was time for him to retire. On second thought, there were still a few out here just like Ed. There was still work for him to do.

After the Sheriff left, Ed picked up the phone and called Kelly. When she answered, he said, "Hello, I'm searching for the most beautiful woman in the world. Is this she?"

Laughing, Kelly answered, "This is she, if the caller is a special cowboy."

There was a real connection between the two. He said, "Well, you're talking to a cowboy that's arranged a trip to the university to check out their programs. Would you like to go with me?"

"When?" asked Kelly happy that he was taking his future seriously.

He said, "The day after tomorrow. John's girlfriend is in town and she's coming along. I'd like it if you came with me."

Kelly thought about it and decided that she could take a day off from work. In her opinion, it was important for her to support him in his quest to improve himself. She said, "I'll call the hospital and see if I can get the day off."

Ed, not having thought about that, answered, "Okay. Let me know."

The two of them talked for another half an hour. It was the kind of small talk that lovers make when they don't want the conversation to end. Nothing serious was exchanged, just talk of their evening, the weather, and other topics.



-------

Chapter 7


Parking the truck with the trailer in the back of his house, Ed went around to the back of the trailer and opened the door. The horse, nervous from the ride, acted like it wanted to kick out. Ed started to talk to the horse in a gentle voice, as he led it out of the trailer. He seldom brought the horse home, but he decided that since he wouldn't be back at work for a couple of days it made sense to keep it at the house. Normally, he would just run out to the auction house and take care of it every day.

Ed didn't notice Kelly watching from around the side of the house. She watched as he talked to his horse. It was amazing that this rough looking man could be so gentle. After a few minutes, a fantasy of riding naked on the horse flashed through her mind. She knew what she wanted to do later tonight. The idea made her giggle.

Ed heard a noise from the driveway and looked up. A smile broke over his face as he looked at Kelly watching him. He tied the horse to the line in his back yard and let it settle down. As he walked over to Kelly, he called out, "Why Kelly, are you laughing at me?"

Kelly smiled as she sauntered over to him, hips swinging in a seductive manner. She answered, "Oh, I was laughing at the idea of what I wanted to do with you tonight."

"And what might that be?"

Kelly came over to him and whispered, "Taking a midnight ride on that horse with you while we are dressed in nothing."

The idea was so unexpected that Ed stared at her in shock. The whole idea of using a horse that way seemed so unnatural to him. A horse was just a part of working. Despite his reservations, he answered, "I'll take you up on that."

Kelly laughed and replied, "Okay."

The idea of riding a horse with Kelly naked actually excited him a little. He turned and looked at the horse with new eyes. This woman was turning his world upside down and he was enjoying it. He picked her up and swung her around laughing the entire time. He wanted to shout, "I'm going to ride naked with this woman." Instead, he whispered it to her.

She hugged him tightly and laughed at his exuberant behavior. There were times when she felt like a kid with him. Smiling down at him, she asked, "What will we do until then?"

With a smile, Ed set her down and suggested, "How about we get something to eat?"

She replied, "How about I cook you something to eat while you're taking care of your horse?"

"It's a deal."

As she went into the house, Ed turned to feed and water the horse. It was going to get a work out later that night. As he filled the tub with water, the horse contentedly ate its oats. Sunset was still a couple of hours away. Returning to the house he noticed a strange car in front of John's house. He wondered how Betsy was taking unexpected company. Tomorrow, they wouldn't get much time alone and he felt a little guilty about it.

After dark, Ed and Kelly rode off into the desert behind John's house. Once they had gotten a little distance from the houses, they stopped and got off the horse. Kelly stripped off her clothes quickly while she watched Ed struggle out of his. He said, "I don't get it. Every night I get undressed with no problems. When I'm with you I can't get out of my clothes."

"Must be all the blood leaving your brain," she replied. She laughed, posing suggestively in an attempt to distract him. Despite the fact that his fingers continued to work like thumbs, he finally got his jeans off. His briefs followed shortly after that. He stood up, naked; his erection pointing to the stars.

He took the saddle off the horse, leaving the blanket in place. Their clothes joined the saddle. Using the saddle as a step, they returned to sit atop the horse with Ed in front of Kelly. She put her arms around his stomach, one hand resting atop his cock. As they rode around the desert, she rubbed his cock. He warned her, "If you keep that up you are going to make me come."

The movement of the horse under her, the motion of her breasts against his back, and the sexiness of the situation brought her very close to an orgasm. Living one fantasy, she decided to tease him with another. She said, "Just think about Dr. Hayes. Imagine what it would be like to have that beautiful blond woman in bed with us. She has the most delicious looking breasts I've ever seen on a woman. If she was here with us, she could be riding your cock instead of my hand."

Ed groaned, in part from the story and in part from the hand rubbing his cock. No longer directing the horse, it slowed to an even walk heading back to the house. Kelly continued, "What would you think of fucking me while she's licking your balls? Doesn't that sound just so erotic. Two women in bed, both of them trying to pleasure you."

She gasped when she felt his cock pulse and come squirt out of the end. The second squirt ended up coating her hand. She giggled and said, "I guess you do find the idea attractive."

It took Ed a minute to realize where they were. His horse was standing in the middle of John's back yard. With a slight tug on the rein and a kick to the sides, the horse returned to the desert. He laughed as he said, "We almost ended up in the center of town. Now that would have been exciting."

Kelly burst out laughing at the idea of riding through town like Lady Godiva. She asked, "So how do you make love on the back of a horse?"

Ed replied, "I have no idea."

They tried several different ways to do it. The horse didn't appreciate all of the action on its back and started acting up. Much to Kelly's disappointment, they had to give up trying to make it one horseback. Ed stopped the horse next to his saddle and got off. He helped Kelly get off and then tied the horse to the saddle horn. Taking the blanket off the horse, he spread it on the ground.

Taking the hint, Kelly lay back on the blanket and spread her legs. Ed, looking down on her, was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. Lowering himself between her legs, he started to lick her cunt. The excitement of being outdoors, naked, and excited from the horse ride led to a very quick orgasm.

Ed, taking his time, positioned his cock at her passage and entered her. With both of them having come once, this was a terrific session. Lying on her back, Kelly could see millions of stars looking down upon her. Ed lasted long enough to give her another orgasm and she was close enough to an orgasm to come easily another time, but Ed couldn't keep going.

When they had finished, Ed said, "I don't think I'm ever going to be able to look at that horse in the same way."

Giggling, Kelly didn't care. She was well sated and wanted to lie next to her man for a while. That desire didn't last long, as the blanket was scratchy and irritated her skin. Ed rolling off her, brushed a foot against some cactus and that brought the romantic moment to end very quickly. For the next twenty minutes, they tried to remove thorns from his leg. The moon, bright enough to make love by, was horrible for removing thorns.

It took them some time to dress enough to return to the house to take care of the thorns. While Kelly was removing one of the last ones, Ed joked, "At least it wasn't my ass that landed on the cactus."

Kelly laughed and slapped his ass saying, "It could have been my ass and then we'd really be in trouble."

"Why?" asked Ed.

Giggling, she answered, "Because we'd have to take breaks to keep your cock from rising up and getting in the way."

Ed laughed at the image she suggested. He asked, "And what is the problem with that?"

"My ass would be full of thorns."

"And the problem?"

Kelly slapped his ass a little harder this time. This set of a little wrestling activity that soon led to them laying together on the bed, sleepy and very shortly after that sleeping. Ed spooning against Kelly had erotic dreams of Kelly and Dr. Hayes making love while he watched.

The next morning, Ed woke up early to take care of the horse. While he was in the back yard, Kelly woke and prepared some coffee. Once the coffee had finished brewing, she poured herself a cup and wandered through the house. She stopped in front of the window and looked over at John's house. Her mouth dropped open as she noticed the car parked in front and realized that it belonged to Dr. Hayes.

She stood there wondering if it was possible that Dr. Hayes had spent the night with John and his girlfriend. If so, getting her to join in the marriage was going to be a lot easier than she ever thought possible. While she was looking out the window, Ed returned to the house. He stopped at the entrance to the living room and looked at Kelly. She stood there, weight on one foot with the other leg stretched out to the side. One hand was on her hip, while the other held the cup of coffee. She was the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen.

Unable to resist her beauty, he walked up behind her and put his arms around her waist. It felt right, standing there holding her like that. It felt even better when she leaned her head back against his chest. She said, "Do you know who that car belongs to?"

"No clue."

Kelly smiled and answered, "Dr. Hayes. I think she spent the night with John and his girlfriend."

Running a hand up her body, Ed soon discovered that her nipples were hard as steel. While the thought excited him, he knew they had to eat and then get across the street. With a sigh, he said, "What would you like for breakfast?"

Without thinking, she answered, "You and Dr. Hayes."

He laughed and said, "Well, you are going to have to settle for eggs and toast."

It was about an hour after that when they went over to John's house. When John answered the door, he invited them both in. As they entered, Betsy came out of the bedroom.

John performed the introductions, "Betsy, I know you know Ed. This lady is Kelly. Kelly, this is Betsy."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

Kelly stood there for a second thinking about what she had seen from across the street. She asked, "What was Dr. Hayes doing here that kept her late enough to leave this morning?"

Ed could tell that Betsy was angry and was about to attack. The immediate explosion was staved off when John smiled and asked, "What were you using for a saddle horn last night when you rode by on the horse?"

Kelly looked very embarrassed for a moment. She was about to retort that it was none of his business and then realized that what they had done last night was none of hers. She could tell that her question had angered Betsy since her interest was probably easily mistaken for something that was not very nice. Of course, Dr. Hayes would be concerned about her reputation at the hospital. She decided to answer, "I was using Ed's cock if I remember correctly."

Without thinking Ed, excited about the fantastic sex he had last night, made a horrible mistake. Grinning, he said, "Yeah, she was telling me an exciting little story last night that involved Dr. Hayes."

Betsy was thoroughly pissed. They using her friend and lover as some sort of sex object. Not even bothering to hide her irritation, "Would you mind telling me that story, Kelly?"

Ed looked at the two women and knew that things were not going well. The men looked at each other in a helpless fashion as Kelly looked Betsy in the eye and said, "You need to understand something before I tell you the story. Ed and I were with Dr. Hayes when a rather amazing revelation came out. Now out of respect for her, I'm not going to tell you what we found out. I will say that it was what brought Ed and I together. Now, I would never do anything to hurt her."

Betsy replied, "I'd really be angry if anything were said that would hurt the reputation of such a fine doctor. She's a good woman."

Kelly looked at Ed for support. He nodded his head and said, "You can trust them. They'd never say anything."

Betsy decided to hear what they had to say before making up her mind. Hesitantly, Kelly looked around and then said, "We both want to make love to her."

In a flash of understanding, John understood. He had noticed Ed's interest when Beth's submissive side had been mentioned in the hospital, but he hadn't noticed Kelly's reaction. Frowning, Ed added, "You know that's just a dream. She wouldn't be interested in us. I'm just an old cowboy and you're a nurse that works for her."

Kelly's eyes lit up and it looked like fire was coming from them. With a passion that was almost scary, she said, "You're not just an old cowboy. You're going to be a mineralogist. We can have our dreams and if we work hard, they'll come true. I go to bed every night and dream about you making love to her and her making love to me. That dream ends with me making love to you and me making love to her."

Ed was starting to feel a little nervous, afraid that she was going to mention the group marriage and everyone sleeping with everyone else. He said, "Honey, we're gonna freak them out if you keep on."

Kelly turned on him. She replied, "I'm gonna have a wife and two husbands, damn it! And you and I both know that we want her for a wife."

The idea of such a marriage had always appealed to Betsy. She turned to John, "Can I have a wife and two husbands?"

Kelly decided that Betsy was having fun at her expense and stared at the other woman as if she wanted to kill her. John answered, "Sure. I've got no problem with that."

Not believing that John would make fun of them, Ed asked, "Are you guys serious or are you making fun of us?"

Betsy replied, "We're very serious about it. We've discussed it many times."

John nodded in support as he said, "You see, loving relationships have to be structured so that everyone involved feels comfortable with it. To try to force all relationships to fit a common template is wrong. The common marriage structure doesn't work for most people, but they fear to challenge the status quo. We aren't afraid to live differently. We've considered that kind of marriage and others as well."

Kelly calmed down and eyed Betsy with a little more understanding. She wondered for a moment if Dr. Hayes wasn't interested, then maybe Betsy and John might be interested in such a marriage. For his part, Ed was happy that John hadn't freaked out. It surprised him to realize that Kelly wasn't alone in considering that kind of marriage.

John suddenly said, "Jeez, I just noticed the time. We had better head out or we're going to be late."

The drive to the university went by quickly. John and Betsy sat up front while Ed and Kelly sat in the back. The two women talked to each other almost all the way there. Each found out that the other was a nurse and shared the same passion for helping people heal. Ed sat there feeling a little left out, but happy that the women had gotten over the tension of a little earlier. John was busy driving.

When they reached the university, the two women went to the student union building to talk some more. Ed and John went off in search for the office of the Department Chair of the Physics Department. After asking a few students for directions, they soon found the building, the proper floor, and finally the office. John went into the office to talk to the chairman while Ed sat in the outer office.

When a couple of students came in, Ed took the opportunity to talk to them about the school. At first they thought he was a graduate student because of his age. When they found out otherwise, they laughed at him. One of them said, "Old man, what are you doing going to college at your age?"

His first reaction was to get angry, but he quickly got control of himself. He said, "Well, I realized one day that there are things that I know and some things that I don't know. Some folks think they know everything and fail to recognize their own ignorance. Unlike some people, I decided to learn more about the things I don't know. As a result, I'm here to go to school and learn."

"Took you long enough to realize that," replied the other student. He shrugged his shoulders and added, "This is a good place to learn."

Smiling Ed nodded his head and replied, "Yes, I can see that I'll learn some things here. Of course, there's a lot to learn that isn't taught here. Which reminds me, I have a question for you."

The other student, still smirking at Ed, said, "Ask away old man."

Ed asked, "Where are you going to go to learn respect for others when you leave here?"

The two students frowned, looked at each other for a second, and then slowly left the room. From behind the desk, the secretary, who had watched the whole exchange, laughed and said, "Good one. Those are two of our better students. Smart as all get out, but arrogant as hell. It was nice to see you put them in their place for a change."

Ed talked to the secretary while John went on a tour of the facilities. Without knowing it, he had stumbled upon a storehouse of information about the university. She told him how various programs worked, what kind of course load he could expect, and what he needed to do in order to get in. He listened with care and asked questions about student life and other programs.

By the time that John returned and finished with the department chair, Ed knew exactly what he needed to know. He glanced down at the name plate on the desk and said, "Thanks, Helen. You've been a real help."

She smiled up at him and replied, "Any time."

John joined Ed and said, "We need to go over to the department chair of the Geology Program. They have a graduate student that is going to show us around the department there."

The two men went to the appropriate building and found the office with little trouble. Ed introduced himself to the department secretary. After about ten minutes a graduate student sauntered into the office. Unlike the students in the physics department, this student was dressed in boots, blue jeans, and a western style shirt. His face was well tanned from spending weeks outdoors doing field work. Ed liked him right away.

While John stayed in the office, the student took Ed into one of the labs where a number of rocks were set out on a five by two grid. His guided pointed to one of the rocks and asked, "What's this?"

Ed looked at it for a minute and answered, "That's Turquoise from Apache Canyon Mines. Nice specimen, too."

The student looked at Ed for a minute and pointed to another sample. He asked, "What's this?"

Ed laughed and answered, "That's rutile. It's from around garnet ridge. They've got some great stuff out there. That's a pretty mediocre sample if you ask me."

"Why do you say that?"

Looking closely at the sample, he pointed to a number of points and said, "See how the crystals are jagged here and here. That's a sign of impurities. This sample has a lot of them. Notice the fault there, that's pretty bad. "

The student went to the next sample and grilled Ed on it. After going through them all, the student called out to one of the men in the lab, "Hey, Professor. This guy got just got a hundred on your final and he hasn't taken your course yet."

The man turned and looked at Ed. He asked, "He got them all correct?"

"Yes, not only did he identify them correctly, he also told me where each one came from. Not only that, he told me about the faults of each sample. He really knows his stuff."

The professor came over with a sample in his hand. He held it out for Ed and asked, "Care to take a guess about this one?"

Ed looked at it and laughed. That looked like one of the specimens that he had collected a couple of years ago when he was up at Wood Chop Mesa. He had never been able to classify it. He answered, "I saw some of that up around Wood Chop Mesa a couple of years ago. I even have a sample much like that one at home. I'm tempted to classify it as Phillipsite. But as far as I know, Pillipsite isn't from around here. So I'm just not sure."

The professor looked at Ed for a minute and said, "That's exactly where I found it. I'd have to agree with you on the classification. I just need to verify it."

Ed answered, "Well, I'm glad to be able to lay that one to rest. It's been bugging me for years trying to figure out what it was. It didn't appear in my copy of Mineralogy of Arizona."

A silence descended on the room as people looked at each other. Ed looked around wondering what was the matter. Finally, the professor asked, "You travel a lot around the state?"

Ed smiled and answered, "Well, I used to ride the range a lot more in the past than now. I used to pick up this rock or that as I rode along. Now, I work mostly local."

"And you know your rocks?"

Ed shrugged and answered, "I enjoy knowing what rocks I've found."

The professor laughed and turned to his graduate student. He said, "Looks like I'm going to be able to replace you soon."

The student smiled and replied, "You aren't getting rid of me that easily. I've still got a ways to go."

The professor turned back to Ed and asked, "So are you thinking of joining us?"

"Yes, I think so. I like it here," answered Ed. Looking around the room at all of the samples gathered together, he realized it felt comfortable. He could be happy working in a place like this.

"Graduate student?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "I need to get a Bachelors degree first."

"You know that much about rocks and you haven't even formally studied them?" The look on the Professor's face was one of incredulity. He had graduate students that had studied this material for years and didn't seem to know as much about it as this guy.

Ed smiled and answered, "Like I said, I like to know what kind of rocks I have. I even like to know all about the rocks that I have. Their composition, color, hardness, thermal, electrical, and chemical properties. It's all important to me."

"What is your name?"

Ed said, "Oh sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Ed Biggers."

The professor smiled and said, "Give your name to the department secretary and tell her to fast track you for entry into our program. We'll have you out in the field before you know what's happening."

Ed smiled and shaking hands with the professor said, "Thanks. I won't let you down."

The tour ended after visiting a couple of other labs. The graduate student hadn't realized that Ed was here to join the undergraduate program. Rather than making jokes, he was impressed with how much the guy knew coming into the program. He felt sorry for who ever would be in class with this guy because he was going to blow the bell curve to hell.

When they entered the room, John was seated and talking to the department secretary about the university. The graduate student waited patiently for them to notice his presence. When the secretary looked at him, he said, "Professor Simms wants Ed Biggers fast tracked for entry into the undergraduate program."

The secretary looked at Ed with surprise. She asked, "Really?"

Ed said, "Professor Simms was really a nice guy. I'm not sure what fast tracked for entry means, but I hope its good."

"It means that you have automatic approval into the undergraduate program. You aren't competing for a seat, you've been given one."

Ed nodded as he thought about it. He asked, "Is that unusual?"

John laughed and said, "Ed, that's very rare."

Chuckling, the secretary pulled out some papers from a filing cabinet and handed them to Ed. She said, "Fill these out. In less than an hour, you'll be accepted into the Fall Program."

Ed sat down and filled out the papers while the graduate student, the secretary, and John talked. Listening to the discussion as he filled out the form, he was surprised to learn that he was the first student ever admitted in this fashion for this department. That meant they were expecting big things from him. It gave him pause to think about the pressure that would mean.

It took about twenty minutes to fill out the form. Once it was done, he handed them to the secretary and said, "Well, I hope to do you guys proud."

She smiled at him and shook her head. John slapped him on the back and said, "Let's go find those women of ours before they plan the next twenty years of our lives."

Ed laughed and retorted, "Too late for me. Kelly already has me married to her, it's just a matter of time."

The two men left the office laughing. The attempt to take a short cut across campus wasn't successful and they had to ask directions to the student union building. Once there, it took them several minutes to locate the women. They had their heads together and were talking up a storm. As the men sat down, John said, "So I imagine that you've got all of your womanly schemes figured out and about to apply them to us two poor guys."

Ed seconded when he said, "Us poor clueless guys."

Betsy laughed easily and said, "Admit it. We don't have to plan anymore, we've already got you wrapped around our little fingers."

Kelly giggled and said, "Speaking of little fingers, there's a certain digit that I want to explore some more. If you guys are done here, I'd like to head home."

As Ed blushed and Betsy laughed, John shook his head and answered, "Poor Ed. I better get him home."

It seemed like the trip home went much faster than the trip there. It was early afternoon when they arrived back at the house. Once there, John invited them out to the patio for a glass of iced tea. Sipping tea, they settled into their chairs. John broke the silence, "I'm thinking of buying this house."

Betsy's eyebrows rose as she asked, "Why?"

John answered, "Well, I need a place where I can use as a retreat. When events in Austin get too intense, I need a place to hide and recover."

Ed thought about John's situation here. He was pleased that his friend was thinking of staying in the area. He suggested, "This is a good place for that. You have many friends here. If you need protection, the whole town will help you."

Kelly added, "We have a pretty good hospital."

Ed watched as Betsy thought about the suggestions. Uncertainly, she asked, "What about us?"

John answered, "We are going to have to work out those details. I want to marry you and maybe one of these days you'll say yes. However, I can't stop things from happening when I'm around. Our marriage stands a better chance of surviving if I'm gone from time to time, than if I'm getting shot at every other week."

Betsy nodded, "You're right. However it wouldn't be much of a marriage."

Ed sat watching the exchange. He realized that what John proposed was extremely tough on a marriage. He wondered how he and Kelly would deal with such a situation. He suggested, "You know Betsy, you could move here and work at the hospital here. John could travel to the university a couple of times a week. This could serve as a central site where he lives and travels away as his urges dictate."

Kelly thinking about the possibility of John and Betsy as another husband and wife, added, "Not much happens in a town of two hundred people. He won't have to be a hero too often if he lived here."

Betsy listened carefully to each suggestion. It was tempting, but she wondered if she could help as many people here as in Austin. That's when it dawned on her that this was the crux of John's problem. The more people he was around, the more people there were that needed his help. She answered, "Let me think about it while I'm in the Middle East."

John nodded in understanding and sat there lost in thought.

Ed broke the silence that had descended upon the foursome, "Kelly, this is Betsy's last night here. I think they might appreciate a chance to be alone."

She replied, "Of course, how rude of us. You two enjoy yourselves tonight."

Betsy smiled and said, "Don't worry. We will."

John, still lost in thought, missed the exchange. The other couple noticed his the introspective look on his face, winked at Betsy, and left without disturbing him. Betsy was pleased they understood.



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Chapter 8


A noisy banging on the door slowly made its way into his consciousness. An elbow in the side from Kelly prompted him to get up and see what was making the noise. About the time that he reached the door, he realized that it was a person outside. Fearing the worst, he stopped by the little table in the hallway and removed a pistol from it. He treated it with respect since it was loaded, it was always loaded.

Ed relaxed when John called out, "Ed, it's me. John!"

Ed opened the door and mumbled, "Come in."

John stepped in and stopped just inside the door. Ed stepped back and John realized that he was naked. Then he noticed the pistol in Ed's hand. When Ed noticed that John was staring at the pistol in his head, he set the pistol in a drawer of a small table by the door. In an explanation of sorts, he mumbled, "Sorry, didn't know it was you."

"I'm so sorry to be here this early. I've got to leave town right now."

It took a moment for the statement to filter through Ed's sleepy mind, but when he had finished processing it he snapped awake. It sounded like John was in trouble. He asked, "What's the matter?"

John was about to answer when Kelly came out of the bedroom naked as well. As she was wiping the sleep from her eyes, she asked, "What's going on here?"

"I've got to leave right now to catch a plane to Dallas and then to Austin."

Impatient, Ed asked again, "What's the matter?"

"Betsy was killed in the Middle East," replied John with a heavy sadness that struck Ed like a baseball bat.

Kelly cried out, "Oh my God!"

Ed looked at John with concern. Anyone that knew them both would understand how much pain John had to be feeling at the loss of Betsy. Ed asked, "What can I do?"

"Take care of the house and see if you can get the rent extended for another month. I'll be back to buy it." Handing Ed the keys to the house, he looked around numbly and saw Kelly crying. He said, "take care of Kelly. She needs some comforting. I better go or I'll miss my plane."

Kelly came up to John and hugged him tightly with her naked body pressing against him. He did not notice the nakedness, only the caring that motivated the hug. She cried, "Take care of yourself. If there's anything we can do, let us know."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it."

For the first time in his life, Ed felt like hugging another man. He couldn't imagine the pain that John was feeling. Ed said, "really, if there's anything we can do let us know. We'll take care of it. Call collect if you want."

John turned to the door and opened it. He turned back to Ed, "a man can't have a better friend than you, Ed."

Ed stood there, naked, watching John walk out of the house. After setting the keys on the table, he went to Kelly and held her tightly. It wasn't clear to him who was comforting whom. All that he knew was that he wanted Kelly in his arms more than anything else in the world. They moved to the couch and sat down holding each other.

Two hours early, Ed came home from work that night. He had requested a week off so that he could attend the memorial service in Austin for Betsy and to take care of John's place. His boss had told him to go ahead although he couldn't understand why Ed felt so strongly about going to the funeral of the girlfriend of another guy. Ed wasn't sure if John would be coming back, but he hoped that he would. Life here would be empty without John around.

Ed went down to the bar to let everyone know what had happened last night. There were a lot of people that liked John and Ed felt it was only fair that they be informed. The best way to do that would be to tell Shirley and Maria. They could spread the word faster than anyone else in town. He owed it to John to get the town behind him and to support him in this time of need.

Walking down the street, he passed houses and talked to the people there. It was strange, but he couldn't quite place the time when people quit running into their houses when he walked down the street. He passed the news on to others and slowly made his way to the center of town.

Entering the bar, he walked over to the counter and sat down on a stool. Shirley came over to him with a coke and said, "Hey, what's the matter? You really look down."

Ed, licked his lips nervously, and then said, "I have some bad news that I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I don't know of a good way to say this. It's pretty bad."

Shirley looked irritated and snapped, "So tell me already."

"John's girlfriend died last night," replied Ed. He watched as the color faded from her face. Afraid that she was going to faint, he raced around the counter and held her. Throwing her arms around him, she broke down and cried. Still not used to women crying on his shoulder, Ed stood stiffly supporting her the best that he could.

After a few minutes, Shirley pulled back from Ed and apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry like that. That poor man, he must be heartbroken."

Ed nodded and said, "He was pretty much in shock last night when he came over. I'll let you know when the memorial service will be held. Maybe the town can collect some money to send flowers. Kelly and I are going to the service in Austin."

Shirley slumped down on a stool behind the bar and said, "I'll put up a jar."

Ed went back around to the customer side of the counter and sat down on a stool. This had been far tougher than he had thought. He took a sip of the coke and said, "Thanks. You'll spread the word?"

Shirley nodded and then suggested, "You might want to tell Maria. She'll want to know."

Nodding his agreement, Ed said, "I'm going there next."

As Shirley worked through her personal feelings about the news, she realized that Ed must be feeling pretty bad. He had arranged for the party to introduce her to the town, he had spent a day with her, and John was his best friend. She put a hand on his and said, "You must be feeling pretty bad yourself."

Looking down at the table to hide his face from her, Ed replied, "Well, I feel pretty selfish to tell the truth. I keep thinking that he's not going to come back. There's nothing keeping him here."

Shirley said, "Don't feel bad. He's your best friend and the thought of possibly losing him will hurt."

Ed looked up, eyes misty, as he said, "Thanks. I better go talk to Maria. Kelly will be coming home soon and we've got to make reservations yet."

Shirley nodded as she said, "Go. Don't worry about the coke."

Looking at Shirley for a minute, Ed said, "You know. I have to apologize to you for all of the grief I've given you over the years. You're a standup woman and deserve to have better people in your life than me. I'm really sorry for everything I've ever done to you."

Numbly, Shirley watched Ed leave the bar. Once he was gone, she broke down in tears and wouldn't have been able to explain why to anyone that might have asked. His parting words had touched her more than she thought possible.

Ed stopped by Maria's Cantina knowing that it wasn't open yet. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. It was several minutes before Maria opened the door. Looking at Ed, she asked, "What's up?"

"Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

She said, "Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

After a long sigh, Ed said, "I think that you might want to be sitting down for this."

She had never seen Ed in this frame of mind. She had seen him drunk, happy, worried, and a half dozen other emotions, but never sad. Stepping back, she let him in the restaurant. As they walked over to a table, Rosa joined her sister protectively. When everyone was seated, Ed said, "I have some bad news to tell you."

Looking at each other, the two sisters turned to look at Ed. Finally, Maria asked, "What is it?"

Nervous at the chances of having two crying women, Ed said, "John's girlfriend died last night."

As one, the two women made the sign of the cross. Maria cried out, "Oh, the poor girl. She was so pretty and young."

Rosa said, "Poor John, he must be crushed."

"I know that you two like John a lot and I thought I should let you know," said Ed. It was common knowledge that Maria worshipped the ground that John walked on.

Tears formed in Maria's eyes as she looked at her sister. Rosa held her tightly, giving her strength. Uncomfortable, Ed sat there not knowing what to do. At least if Maria had been crying on his shoulder, he would have been occupied. Rosa said, "Ed, would you mind leaving?"

Recognizing that he wasn't wanted, Ed stood. Before leaving, he said, "I asked Shirley to take up a collection to send some flowers on behalf of the town. May I ask you to do the same?"

Rosa nodded and turned to take care of her sister. Ed left the restaurant, feeling like a jerk. Rosa and Maria did not trust him and never would. That hurt, piled on top of the other hurts he was feeling, almost drove him back to the bar for a real drink. He stopped and looked around realizing that he was in front of the Sheriff's office. As an afterthought, he entered the office.

The Sheriff sitting behind his desk looked up when the door opened. Spinning to look at Ed, he said, "Now this is a sight I never thought I would see. Ed Biggers walking in here without handcuffs."

The mute shaking of Ed's head, immediately silenced the laughter of the Sheriff. Ed said, "I wanted to let you know that John is out of town. His girlfriend died last night and he's returned to Austin."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." The Sheriff wondered why Ed thought it was necessary to tell him that.

Ed bobbed his head and said, "Well, I'm going down to Austin for the service tomorrow and probably won't be back for three days. I'd appreciate it if you would watch his house. He asked me to do that, but I'm going there to see if I can help."

The Sheriff asked, "What about your house?"

Chuckling, Ed asked, "Knowing what the town thinks of me, who do you think would try to break into my house?"

Unable to imagine anyone in town foolish enough to break into Ed's place, the Sheriff laughed at that. Ed was honest if nothing else. He finally said, "I'll watch them both. Don't worry."

Ed said, "Thanks. I've asked Maria and Shirley to collect money to send some flowers to the service on behalf of the town."

"That's nice of you to think of that," replied the Sheriff. He sat back and looked at Ed for a minute. It was very obvious that Ed was very upset about this. In his opinion, it represented a landmark moment for Ed. It meant that Ed had come to care about the people around him and gained an empathy that had long been missing in his character. He realized that he would probably never have another occasion to arrest Ed.

Ed shrugged and said, "Hey, John is a friend of this town."

"True."

Turning to leave, Ed paused and said, "You know. This is the first time I've ever left here without having spent the night."

The Sheriff burst out laughing as Ed left the office. He wandered up the street towards his house. The whole trip through town had taken an hour, but he felt like he had worked an entire day in that time. He couldn't believe how exhausting it was to deal with emotions, his and others.

He poured himself a glass of tea and sat down to enjoy it. It would be an hour before Kelly would arrive. The plan was for her to swing by her place and pack her luggage before coming to his place. Pulling his boots off, he prepared to settle down for an hour of peace and quiet. Before he had a chance to do much, the telephone rang. Thinking it was John, he raced over to it.

When he answered, Kelly said, "Ed, we have a problem."

Unable to imagine what the problem could be, Ed asked, "What?"

There was a long pause on the other end. Kelly finally said, "Ed, can I bring Dr. Hayes over to your house too?"

"Sure," replied Ed. He asked, "So what's the problem?"

She answered, "I can't really tell you here. I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Okay." Standing in the living room, Ed was totally clueless as to what was going on. He could tell from Kelly's voice that she was very upset. It was a surprise when she said a quick goodbye and hung up without giving him a chance to say goodbye back.

He went over to the guest room and started fixing it up. It had been his room when he was a kid, but now it was empty. As he worked, he realized that it had never been used for a guest. He looked at the bed and wondered when was the last time he had changed the sheets on it. When he went to change the bed, he realized that it had been a long time and the sheets were in horrible shape, as was the mattress under it. He was at a loss what to do about it.

He was still in the guest room when the front door opened. Entering the living room, he expected to see Dr. Hayes in her normal statuesque stance. Instead, he found a woman that was crying uncontrollably. Kelly was struggling to guide her to a chair, but Dr. Hayes could hardly stand. Ed raced over to help. Looking over Kelly's head, he made an expression asking what was going on.

Shrugging her shoulders, Kelly said, "We need to get her into the bedroom."

Taking a deep breath, Ed bent down and picked up Dr. Hayes. He carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. As soon as he released her, she curled into a ball. Confused, he looked to Kelly. She signaled for him to leave the room.

Stepping out of the bedroom, he asked, "What's going on?"

Kelly whispered, "Do you remember the night she spent with John and Betsy?"

Aloud, he answered, "Sure. You and I were riding bareback that night."

"Shh!" Holding a finger in front of her mouth in a gesture for silence, she whispered, "She fell in love with Betsy that night."

Amazed at the idea of meeting someone for one night and falling hopelessly in love, Ed shook his head. Whispering, he asked, "So what happened?"

Pulling him into the kitchen, Kelly explained, "I told her this morning that Betsy had died. She got this real funny look on her face and then left. She told the Chief of Staff that she needed a week off, starting immediately. He told her okay. I saw her go out to her car at about ten this morning. When I came out to go home, she was still in her car. She was just sitting there staring off into space."

This was the most incredible thing that Ed had ever heard. Intrigued, he asked, "What happened next?"

"I went out over to it and talked to her. She told me that she loved Betsy and then started crying. She hasn't stopped since then. I called you and then carried her over to my car. Now we are here."

Ed asked, "Should we call a doctor or something?"

Looking at Ed like he had said something very stupid, she answered, "We can't. She could lose her position in the hospital."

"So what do we do?"

Looking towards the bedroom, Kelly considered the options. She said, "Can you sleep on the couch tonight? I'll go in there and take care of her."

"Sure, but what about traveling to Austin tomorrow?"

Kelly bit her lower lip and thought about it. She said, "Make reservations for all three of us. We'll take her with us if it is at all possible. She can't be left alone. Maybe seeing John will help."

"Okay, I'll do that," replied Ed as he wondered how John was coping. It didn't seem fair to burden him with a woman having a nervous breakdown.

After giving Ed a quick kiss, she left the room to return to Dr. Hayes. Ed realized that he didn't even know her first name. Tiptoeing into the room, he saw that Kelly had curled around Dr. Hayes and was holding her tightly. He leaned over and in a whisper asked, "What is her first name?"

Kelly didn't answer directly, she just held the doctor a little tighter, and said, "Beth, talk to me. Let me help you."

It was enough for him to know the answer to his question. He stepped out of the room and started making the reservations. The price for the airline tickets was outrageous. The three tickets ran his single credit card to its maximum line of credit. The next call was to the credit card company to get the credit limit raised so that he could make reservations at a hotel in Austin.

After making all of the arrangements, he moved around the house wondering what he should be doing. Standing outside the bedroom, he could hear Kelly talking to Beth, but the doctor wasn't answering. Confused, he went outside and sat on his front porch thinking about what he should be doing.

Maria from across the street came over and joined him on the front porch. They sat quietly for several minutes before she asked, "Is the blond lady okay?"

Ed shrugged his shoulder and answered, "I don't think so."

"She loved the two of them," said Maria with a secret smile. She looked at Ed out of the corner of her eye and added, "She loves him like you love Kelly, but she loved the girlfriend even more."

"How do you know that?" It was curious that she should know that. John talked about such things with him and he didn't know it. Did that mean that John didn't know it either?

With a twinkle in her eye, Maria replied, "I see things. I hear things. I heard much the night I saw you and your girl ride a horse under the moonlight."

Ed blushed a bright red. One had to wonder how many people were up and looking out their window at midnight. Glancing at Maria, he said, "I don't know what to do with her. She is in real pain."

"Let the women handle it," replied Maria. "There are times when a man should remain apart and this is one of those times. Stay close so that when they are ready, you are there."

The hope that he could fix things slowly evaporated, leaving behind a very frustrated and tired man. A sense of loss descended upon Ed. As a person used to forcing things, the realization that being a man meant letting things develop in directions that he may not desire was difficult. He said, "I shall take your advice, although it will be the hardest thing that I'll ever do."

Maria stood, hands moving nervously, and said, "I will bring over a tuna casserole. I know it is not much, but I don't think anyone feels like cooking. Make sure they eat, they will need their strength."

Touched beyond his ability to express it, Ed asked, "Why are you being so nice to me? Don't you hate me?"

The secret smile returned, Maria answered, "I never hated you, although I did fear you. Now that you are growing up, I no longer fear you."

A very confused Ed slumped in his seat and replied, "I don't understand."

With a smile, Maria returned to her house. As she worked in the kitchen, she thought about how lucky the women were today who could admit their desires and pursue them with diligence. Ed did not understand just how strong was the woman with whom he was in love. Perhaps one day, Maria would admit her desire aloud and begin to pursue it with the same diligence these women showed

Across the street, Ed returned to the house and removed the guest bed. Time and lack of use had ruined it. Wrestling with the mattress, he carried it to the backyard. The bedding followed. Lighting a match, he lit the pile of trash watching the black smoke rise to the sky as flames slowly spread across the mattress. The act felt good, at least he was doing something by destroying the ruined mattress.

When the mattress had been totally consumed by the fire, he returned to the house. Inside, he paced searching for something to do. It was with relief that the phone rang. The caller was John and he gave the details about the memorial service. On hearing that Betsy had been killed by terrorists, Ed felt an impotent rage against those involved. He did learn from John a way that might help them in controlling Beth, but the idea was so weird that he almost discounted it.

There was a knock upon the door as soon as the call had completed. Taking the casserole, Ed greeted Maria and invited her in. She entered and looked around the room. A sadness descended upon her as she took in the furnishings. Ed had not changed anything since his parents had died leaving him the house.

Ed asked, "Would you like to talk to Kelly?"

Unwilling to trust herself, Maria declined. She said, "She is busy with the doctor. I'll talk to her some other time when things are better. I shall come back after you return from your trip. For now, I think it is best that I leave while you eat."

After Maria left, Ed went into the bedroom where Beth was still curled up in a ball. Kelly looked up at him, confused at his presence. Rather than explain himself, he said, "Beth, assume standing position one."

She responded to the command, by standing and putting her arms behind her back. In an authoritative tone of voice, Ed said, "Go to the table and eat, slave."

Bewildered, Kelly looked at Ed wondering what he had done. When Beth had left the room, he leaned over and said, "John suggested that we would be able to break through her shell that way. We have to release her so that she can grieve, but we can use it to get her to take care of herself."

The couple went to the dining table and ate the tuna casserole. As a bachelor, Ed had never encountered tuna casserole. Eating it, he thanked his lucky stars that it wasn't a staple in his life. When Beth had finished the casserole, she sat there staring straight ahead. Ed said, "Slave, get prepared for bed and then get some sleep."

Stripping as she went to the bedroom, she lay down and went to sleep. Blushing, Ed turned to Kelly and said, "I didn't expect her to do that."

Kelly had watched Beth move as though she were a robot, amazed at the kind of control that Ed was able to exert over the doctor. She asked, "What did John say?"

"It wasn't what John said, it is what Maria said. She said that Beth loved John, but loved Betsy more. She is in mourning."

Kelly thought about it and asked, "How did Maria know?"

Since he didn't understand it himself, he felt free to answer, "I have no clue."

The pair of them moved to the couch. As Kelly curled up next to Ed, she cried, "I'm so afraid for her."

It seemed that he was getting used to comforting women as he put his arm around Kelly and said, "Now, now. Don't worry. She'll get through this okay."

Sniffling, Kelly said, "Did you see her body? She's so beautiful, but we can't touch her until she's herself. She'd never forgive us."

Rubbing her back, Ed sat there thinking about what he had seen. It was true that Beth was a beautiful woman. When he had looked at her he not seen her body, but the broken spirit within it. He answered, "Neither of us would want to hurt her. Don't worry about me doing something stupid."

Feeling guilty, she answered, "it is not you that I'm worry about."

He laughed and replied, "It should be."

Early the next morning, Ed fell off the couch and spent the next hour slowly waking up. Staggering into the bathroom, he took his morning piss and savored the feeling as the pressure in his bladder was slowly released. He took the opportunity to shave and brush his teeth. The bathroom was going to be very busy this morning with three people in the house.

He glanced at the clock when he exited, noticing that they had three hours before they had to leave. Knocking on the bedroom door, he called out, "Rise and shine. Time to get up sleepy heads."

He stumbled into the kitchen and prepared some coffee. As he considered the kind of day they would have, he decided they would leave for the airport early and pick up breakfast along the way. Returning to the bedroom door, he knocked again and called out, "Come on. Time to get up."

Kelly came out of the room and said, "She's awake, but she's not moving."

"Oh, shit," replied Ed as he considered the implications of what she said. Thinking furiously, he said, "I guess we are going to have to give her commands all day. Tell her to assume standing position one. Then tell her what to do, referring to her as slave the entire time."

Dubious that it would work, Kelly returned to the bedroom. She said, "Assume standing position one."

Beth stood up with her hands locked behind her back. The sight of the beautiful woman standing there so available and yet so distant took Kelly's breath away. She didn't know what to command. Thinking about the events of the past day, she realized that the woman hadn't been to the bathroom once. She said, "Slave, go into the bathroom and take care of your personal needs."

Beth waked past Ed to the bathroom. He blushed, not knowing where to look, but knowing where he wanted to look. Looking over at Kelly, he could see the dismay on her face as the full implications of the situation washed over her. It was going to be necessary to order Beth to do things one step at a time.

Ed said, "I made some coffee. I thought we would leave for the airport early and eat breakfast on the way there."

"Good thinking. It is going to take some time for us to get out of here. We have to stop by my apartment and then her place to get clothes." As she started to treat Beth more like a patient than a doctor or a friend, it began to become easier to deal with the situation. She turned Ed and said, "You'll have to take care of packing yourself and closing up the house. I'll get her ready to travel."

Reaching out a hand, he caressed her face with a gentle touch. This was not an easy situation for her and he wished that he could help more. Stepping into the now empty bedroom, he dressed in his normal attire. It was at that time that he realized he didn't have any clothes suitable for a funeral. He swore and shouted, "Kelly, I don't have anything to wear to a funeral."

She called back, "You can get something in Austin. It's a big city."

Ed realized that she was right. Grabbing his suitcase, he threw a couple of pants, shirts, socks, and underwear into it. Remembering his toiletries, he headed to the bathroom. The door was wide open and Beth was just standing there staring off into space. He asked, "Slave, did you piss?"

"No, master." The response was in a monotone, devoid of all emotion.

Swearing under his breath, he said, "Slave, piss in the toilet. If you need to shit, then do that as well. When you are done, take a shower."

"Yes, master."

Ed watched as she sat down and started to relieve herself. Embarrassed, he left the bathroom and sought out Kelly. He relayed the events in the bathroom to her. Her face fell, realizing that she was going to have to watch over Beth every second. She went to the bathroom to make sure that Beth did everything that was necessary.

Looking around the kitchen, Ed saw the dish that had held the tuna casserole last night. He picked it up and left the house to return it. Knocking on Maria's front door, he was surprised to see her all dressed up. He said, "I wanted to bring this back. We are leaving today."

Smiling, Maria said, "Thank you, Ed. I will be leaving today also."

Surprised, Ed asked, "Where are you going?"

"I am going to Austin."

For almost a minute, he looked at her in shock before recovering. He asked, "Would you like a ride to the airport?"

Maria smiled and replied, "No thanks. I already have one, but thank you for offering."

With a look of confusion, he stood there not knowing what to say. Finally, he said, "I need to get back to the house and take care of the women."

For then next twelve hours, all Ed did was take care of the women. Struggling to get them to the car, packed, through the airport, on the plane, and then off the plane. The trip was a nightmare for him, although it wasn't much better for Kelly. When Beth wasn't following an instruction, she was either staring off into space or crying.



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Chapter 9


It takes more than an hour to buy a suit, usually two days if the place has any volume at all. When it is necessary to get clothes for a funeral in a hurry, the only option is to purchase dress pants and a sports coat. Add a tie and a new shirt, then it is possible to show up at a funeral and look halfway descent. Wandering alone and lost in a shopping mall, Ed had no clue what he was doing or where to go. There were so many stores here carrying all different kinds of things that he was clueless. The stores closed at nine and wouldn't open until it was too late to buy anything in time for the funeral.

Frustrated, Ed spotted an elderly woman dressed in sweat pants, sweat shirt, and sneakers walking through the mall. He approached her and said, "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm hoping that you can help me."

Expecting this to be some kind of con, the woman asked, "What do you need?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ed answered, "I have a funeral to attend tomorrow morning and I need to buy appropriate clothes. Can you tell me where I should go and what I should ask for?"

The request was far from anything the woman had expected. She stepped back trying to figure out how he was going to rip her off with that kind of come-on line. She pointed to a department store and said, "Go in there and ask for directions to the men's department. They'll have a sales staff that will help you."

"Thank you," replied Ed overjoyed at having found a direction to head. Turning without waiting for a welcome, he headed towards the store. When he hit the entrance, he came to a screeching halt as a chaotic scene of women's perfumes, cosmetics, and clothes overwhelmed him. Open mouthed, he stared into the store.

A tugging upon his shirt sleeve caught his attention. The elderly woman stood next to him and asked, "Is this your first time in a mall?"

"Yes," replied Ed. He looked around and answered, "I've never seen anything like this."

Smiling, she said, "Follow me young man and I'll take you to where you need to go."

Obedient as a loyal hound dog, Ed followed the woman through the maze of counters, aisles, and displays. Every twist and turn opened up more sights than Ed had never seen in a single store. He kept saying, "This is amazing. It's so big."

It didn't take long before they were standing in front of the men's department. Rows of suit coats, pants, and displays of shirts overwhelmed him. Looking around for a salesman, he didn't spot one. The woman watched Ed, enjoying the reaction of the man as he tried to make sense of the scene in front of him. She said, "We'll have to get you some dress pants and a sports coat. If you want a suit, they'll have to go to a tailor to be adjusted and that will take too long."

"Tailor?" asked Ed. His face all scrunched up, he asked, "Aren't the clothes finished here?"

The old woman laughed and pulled him down an isle. Pulling out a pair of dark blue pants from the rack, she held them up to him. She asked, "Do you know what size you are?"

"Is it the same as jeans?"

"Yes, it is," replied the woman.

He thought about it for a second and said, "34, 34."

She flipped through the pants on the rack until she found a pair the right size. She handed it to him and said, "Go try it on."

He looked at her for a second and then asked, "Right here in the store?"

Laughing, she pointed to the corner and said, "There's a dressing room over there."

Ed went to where she pointed out and found a couple of rooms. Entering, he sat on the little chair and pulled off his boots and jeans. Putting on the pants, he found that they fit pretty well. Trying to put on his boots, he found that they didn't fit under the pants legs. He took them off and put his jeans and boots back on.

When he came out of the dressing room, the woman was waiting for him with a coat. She asked, "Well, let me see them."

He frowned and said, "They're too narrow at the bottoms."

"Turn around."

Puzzled, Ed turned around slowly. He asked, "What am I doing?"

Confused, the woman said, "I don't see why they should be too narrow around your bottom. You don't have a big butt."

Ed laughed aloud before he answered her unspoken question, "I mean at the bottom of the pants. I can't put my boots on."

Realizing the mistake she had made, she laughed and clapped her hands. She said, "I feel so foolish, but you really shouldn't wear boots to a funeral."

Thinking about it, Ed realized that he had no idea what was appropriate. He said, "I leave myself in your hands."

With nothing better to do that evening, the woman smile and replied, "Okay. We'll do what we can in the time we have. What is your budget?"

Ed thought about it for a minute trying to figure out how much the clothes should cost. After totaling it up in his head, he said, "Let's say four hundred."

Knowing now that he had money, she relaxed satisfied that he wouldn't be asking for a handout. She said, "We won't spend that much. It's a waste of money to buy things that you'll only use once."

Relaxing, Ed said, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Now get back in there and put on those pants. Don't put on your boots. I want to see how they fit."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Ed. He said, "By the way, I'm Ed Biggers. I really appreciate you helping me."

The woman replied, "I'm Marge Anderson. I'm pleased to meet you Ed."

In the changing room, Ed undressed again and put on the pants. He stepped out and stood in front of Marge. Looking over the pants very carefully, she pursed her lips and said, "We could do better on the fit, but the color is what you need."

Ed asked, "What's wrong with the fit?"

"The pockets stick out a bit," she relied. After making some humming noises, she held up sports coat. She said, "Try this on."

He tried it on, amazed at how well it fit. Going over to the mirror, he looked at himself rather pleased with the effect. The pockets weren't that noticeable and he'd only wear them once. He said, "I like it. What else do I need?"

She said, "Get dressed in your regular clothes. We'll pick out a nice simple shirt, tie, belt, and shoes."

Changing clothes in the dressing room, Ed paused to consider what he was doing. There had to be some way to thank this lady for all of her trouble. Fully dressed, he exited the changing room and followed her to the shirts. Holding up a light blue shirt, she asked, "Do you like the color?"

"It's fine. Shouldn't I be wearing a white shirt, though?"

Marge shook her head and said, "Not always. It would make you look like a waiter. I think you'll look better in a blue shirt."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed accepted her assessment not having any experience to argue. She went over to the tie rack and started looking through the ties. Just looking at the ties filled Ed with dread as he thought about having to tie them. Hands flicking through the ties, she rejected thirty before finding one that she liked. She held it up to the blue shirt and the sport coat comparing the colors. It went back on the rack as her fingers worked through another dozen. She looked at that one, held it up to the shirt and the sports coat. Smiling, she held it up for him to examine. She asked, "What do you think of this one?"

Slightly embarrassed at his ignorance in dressing up, he remembered the clip on tie that he had as a kid. Ed asked, "Do they have it in a clip on?"

Laughing, Marge replied, "I'm sure that a handsome young man like yourself will have no trouble finding a young lady that would be willing to tie it for you."

That was a possibility that he hadn't considered. It was more than likely that Kelly would know how to tie it for him. He blushed and said, "Maybe my girlfriend can do that."

The woman looked at him sharply, suspicions aroused. She asked, "Why isn't she helping you shop?"

The pity on Ed's face was hard to miss. He answered, "She's watching over a friend of ours that is very upset about the funeral tomorrow. She was very close to John's girlfriend and is basically inconsolable."

For a second she stared at him as the hairs rose on her neck. She wondered, discounted the possibility, and then asked, "What is John's last name?"

"John Carter."

The color slowly drained from her face as she looked at Ed. This was news that she had not heard. She asked, "Betsy died?"

The look on her face and the fact that she knew Betsy's name told Ed everything that he needed to know. This was not the way for a friend to find out. Leading her over to a chair, he let her sit down. Kneeling next to her, he said, "Yes, ma'am. I'm afraid so."

"Poor John. Betsy was so young and they really loved each other."

Ed said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you knew John or I would have found a better way to let you know."

Patting him on the arm, she replied, "Don't be sorry. There was no way for you to know that. John saved my life one time and I got to know them both."

Feeling awkward about the situation, Ed said, "He saved my life too."

Summoning a weak smile, Marge said, "Enough of this depressing talk. Let's pay for this stuff and get you over to the shoes."

A very bored young man stood behind the register, glancing frequently at his watch wishing for closing time. Setting his purchases on the counter, the man went through them one at a time with perfunctory motions. Ed stood there nearly boiling over as he watched the time approach closing and he still had to buy shoes. Even Marge was getting irritated at the lackadaisical manner in which the clerk was ringing up the purchases. Finally, she said, "Young man, you may have a lifetime ahead of you, but I sure as hell don't. Get the lead out."

The unexpected nature of her comment caused Ed to break out in a great big grin. He winked at her and watched as the young man started moving a little faster. Ed whipped his wallet out and handed over the cash as soon as a total showed up on the register. Rather than wait for the guy to make change, Ed swept his purchases into a bag and said, "Keep the change."

The two of them walked away joking about the kid behind the counter. The shoe department was not far and they managed to catch a salesman. Based on the recommendation to go with a basic black shoe, it didn't take them long to find a pair that fit Ed. Marge went over and looked at the some of the gifts for men while Ed paid. Leaning over, he quietly asked the man if it was possible to buy a gift for the woman without her knowing it. He suggested that Ed purchase a gift certificate from the store and at a nod from Ed added a fifty dollar gift certificate to the price of the shoes.

Marge led him back out of the store to where they had met. Handing her an envelope, Ed said, "Thank you so much Mrs. Anderson for all of the help. I really appreciate it."

Marge said, "Any friend of John's is a friend of mine."

Nodding, Ed said, "That makes you a very rich woman."

She smiled and said, "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ed asked, "You will?"

"I'm going to the funeral." After they had exchanged parting good wishes, Ed walked down the mall in search of the entrance he had used to get in the mall. Marge opened the envelope and saw the gift certificate. To no one in particular, she said, "Such a nice boy."

Sleeping alone in his hotel room, Ed woke to the incessant ringing of the telephone. Despite the fact that it was right next to his bed, it took him several additional rings to locate it. He picked it up and mumbled, "Hello."

The sexy voice on the other end said, "Time to get up, cowboy."

Ed mumbled back, "If the body is half as sexy as the voice, I think my girlfriend is going to get angry with me because I couldn't resist the temptation to do all kinds of nasty things to the owner of that body."

Laughing, Kelly said, "Get up and get over here. I've got coffee and breakfast for you."

After hanging up, Ed stumbled over to the bathroom and washed his face hoping that it would allow him to wake up faster. Out of habit, he dressed in his normal jeans and work shirt before heading to the room occupied by the women. Initially he had been upset that they couldn't get a connecting room, but after the long trip here and the night of shopping he was happy to crawl into bed for a good nights sleep.

Kelly answered his knock on the door and let him into the room. Both women were wearing nothing except their black undergarments. Under better circumstances, Ed would have screamed for joy and chased them both around the room. As it was, his cock was the only thing that reacted to the sight. He looked at Beth and could see that her condition had not improved; she was still sitting there staring off into space.

Kelly looked at him and frowned. She asked, "Didn't you get clothes last night?"

"Yes, I did. I thought I would get dressed after breakfast," replied Ed. He added, "I may need some help, though."

Exhausted from dealing with an emotional basket case, she did not want to hear either statement. She had hoped that Ed would take care of Beth once she had gotten her dressed. The last thing she wanted to hear was a demand for more of her time. She swore, "Damn, I need a little help here."

The reaction was a lot different than Ed had expected. He replied, "Kelly, I'll help all that I can. What can I do for you?"

Kelly answered, "You can take her off my hands for an hour while I get dressed."

In as affable of a manner as he could muster, Ed said, "No problem. We'll get her dressed and I'll watch over her while I'm dressing. I have to put on pants and shirt. I don't have to worry about makeup or anything. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, you're doing all you can," replied Kelly. The poor guy was way out of his league in dealing with emotional women. She knew it and he knew it, but he was doing the best that he could. There were times when she wanted to wrap herself around him and never let go. This was one of those times. She said, "I do appreciate everything you're doing."

Deciding that she needed a little support this morning, Ed went over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He loved her so much and this was so hard for her. No one should have to go through something like this alone. The hug released an emotional dam inside Kelly and she began to cry. That caused Beth to start crying as well. Looking over Kelly's shoulder, Ed said, "Slave, assume standing position one."

Beth stood and locked her arms behind her back with her legs parted. Ignoring the obvious erotic appeal of the nearly naked woman standing in such an accessible position, Ed focused on Kelly and her needs. Kelly leaned back and asked, "What did I do to deserve you?"

Ed joked, "It must have been something pretty bad."

The joke released as much tension as the hug. She laughed and stepped away as she wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks. She said, "We better eat breakfast before it gets too late."

Ed ordered, "Slave, sit on a chair at the table and eat your breakfast."

As Beth complied, Ed and Kelly went to the smallish table to eat their breakfast. One glance at the food on the table, it was clear which breakfast was intended for him. There were two plates of fresh fruit and one plate with eggs, bacon, and hash browns. After drinking two cups of coffee, Ed finally felt fully awake.

After the breakfast was over, Kelly ordered Beth to get dressed. She had to issue the commands to don one item of clothing at a time. Once that was done, she put the makeup on Beth as a much easier solution than ordering her through each step. Ed watched the kindness with which Kelly took care of the other woman. Few people could ever expect to be treated so nicely in her state of mind.

When Kelly was finished, Ed kissed her and then said, "Slave, follow me."

Beth followed him to his room without complaint or comment. Once in the room, Ed tried to figure out what to do with her. He ordered, "Slave, sit on the edge of the bed."

Following his directions exactly, she sat on the edge of the bed. Ed quickly removed his shirt and pants, putting on pants from the store. Once it was on, he realized that he had failed to remove the tags. He ordered, "Slave, come here and remove the labels from my pants."

With a delicate touch, she removed each label making sure that all traces of it were completely removed. Ed stood still, letting her work wondering if keeping her busy was a good form of therapy. When she had finished, he ordered, "Slave bring the shirt in the package to me."

Beth retrieved the shirt for him and stood next to him waiting for her next orders. Ed opened the shirt package and groaned when he found all of the pins holding the shirt in shape. He handed the shirt to Beth and ordered, "Slave, I want you to remove all of the pins from this shirt. Put each pin in the trashcan."

As he turned to watch, she went to the trashcan. Standing over it, she removed a pin and then set it in the trashcan before going on to remove the next pin. It pleased him that he was able to give her complex commands and occupy her in that fashion. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking while doing these meaningless tasks. As a medical doctor, she could hire five guys like him to take care of her yard.

While she was busy with the shirt, he went to the shoe box and removed the new shoes. Sitting on the edge of the bed where he could watch Beth, he put on his new shoes. He hoped that they wouldn't kill his feet before the end of the day. He reached into the bag and removed the belt. Threading it through the loops, he fastened it and then realized that he had missed the loop in the back. Fixing that minor problem, he fastened it a second time.

When he had finished putting on the belt, he glanced at Beth and saw that she was just standing by the trashcan. He ordered, "Bring me the shirt, slave."

She brought the shirt over to him. Taking it from her, he put it on. He had to undo his pants to tuck in the shirt. Once he was fully clothed, he ordered, "Slave, bring me the tie in the bag over there."

While she searched for the tie, he put on the sport coat. Once again, there were tags hanging off it. When Beth brought the tie over, he took the tie from her. He asked, "Slave, do you know how to tie a tie?"

A shudder went through Beth and then she answered, "Yes, master."

Handing her the tie, he ordered, "Slave, put the tie on me."

For a full minute, she looked animated as she adjusted his collar while tucking the tie under it. With deft movements, she tied it into a double Windsor and adjusted the knot so that it was centered in the collar. She buttoned the tiny buttons of the collar and then stepped back. Her face immediately went slack.

Ed ordered, "Slave, remove the labels from the sport coat."

As Beth went to work on that task, Ed considered what to do next. He decided that it was time to perform a little question and answer session. When Beth finished removing the tags, he went to the mirror in the room and looked at himself. He couldn't believe the image reflected back at him. He doubted that anyone could imagine that he was a cowboy dressed like this. A little fantasy image of being mistaken for a business man flashed through his mind causing him to chuckle.

He turned to face Beth and ordered, "Slave, sit on the chair and answer my questions truthfully and honestly."

While not realizing that his words had triggered something deep within her, she immediately complied. He asked, "What you think about being ordered around like this."

In a monotone, Beth replied, "It is better than crying or doing nothing."

That answer surprised him, but it did give him a chance to explore an idea that was slowly developing. He asked, "Can you handle complex commands?"

"I'd rather not think."

That answer caused Ed to think about what he could order that would allow them a little break from having to watch over her the whole day. The funeral was going to be tough enough for Kelly and him without having to baby sit Beth the entire time. He ordered, "Slave, do you know the shadow command?"

"No master."

Smiling, Ed said, "When Kelly or I give the command shadow, you are to stay beside the one that gave the command and do as they do. If they sit, you will sit. If they stand, you will stand. If they eat, you will eat. You are to act like their shadow. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master." The dull monotone of her voice struck him like daggers, wounding him with each word that she spoke.

He didn't know if that command would work as he hoped, but it might make it easier to navigate through the events of the day. Looking at the clock, he realized that it would be another fifteen minutes before Kelly would be ready to leave. To occupy the time, he decided to ask Beth a few more questions. He asked, "Is there anything that you do not want us to order you to do?"

"No sex."

Since he didn't feel like making love to a zombie, that wasn't an issue. He asked, "Is there anything else you do not want us to order you to do?"

"Nothing else master."

"Is there anything that you need us to do for you?"

For a minute, she didn't say a word and then very softly said, "Command me and take care of me so that I don't have to think."

It was a very quiet plea that he couldn't ignore. There was one question that he had to ask and he hoped that answer was a good one. "Can you be a physician and work?"

The silence lasted so long that Ed was afraid that he had lost her for good. Just as he was about to order her to straighten the room, she answered, "Yes, I can work at the hospital."

He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to quit working until she regained her emotional stability. Of course, that depended on whether Kelly thought that she could handle the stress of the job. At least there was a chance that things could settle down.

He watched as Beth sat in the chair staring into space. Having run out of questions to ask, he wondered how to occupy the next few minutes. Saved from a long dull time spent staring at each other by a knock on the door, he ordered, "Slave, answer the door and invite the person in."

Beth went to the door and opened it. A very surprised Kelly stood looking at her as Beth said, "Please come in."

Kelly entered the room and turned to look at Beth still standing by the door. Ed said, "Slave, close the door and return to the chair."

Looking at Ed with a little distrust, she asked, "What did you do while I was dressing?"

"We had a short talk. You and I can talk about it later, but for now we need to head to the funeral," replied Ed.

The large number of people present at the funeral was a huge shock to Ed and Kelly. It was unclear if Beth was even aware of how many people attended. The eulogy by John staggered Ed as it touched his soul in a way that no words had ever managed. He knew that he would be thinking about what John had said for weeks.

As they waited in line to give their condolences to John, a very well dressed elderly woman approached them. When she arrived, she said, "Well, who is this well dressed stranger?"

Smiling, Ed said, "How are you today, Mrs. Anderson?"

With a smile, she answered, "It's a sad day, but it is nice to see you all dressed up."

Watching from beside him, Kelly wondered who the woman was and how it was that Ed knew her. Feeling the look she was giving him, he knew it was time to perform introductions. He turned to Kelly and Beth and said, "Ladies, I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Anderson. She was so much help to me last night when I went shopping. Mrs. Anderson, I would like to introduce you to Kelly, my girlfriend, and Dr. Hayes, our friend."

Turning to Marge, Kelly smiled and said, "Ah, you are the heroine that rescued my dear Ed at the mall."

Marge laughed and answered, "You should have seen him standing in front of the department store, mouth wide open in shock and total confusion."

"Well, you did a very good job of dressing up my cowboy. He looks like a million dollars. I just might keep him."

As the two women talked, Ed watched Beth standing there with tears gently flowing down her cheeks. Hugging her in an attempt to comfort her, he was shocked when her whole body shuddered under his touch as though in revulsion. He didn't know what to do and backed away.

They finally reached the family and John. When John looked up at them, he saw Beth hardly recognizing her. Beth, eyes swollen and red from crying, was devastated and cried, "John, I loved her so much. How could this happen? I find happiness only to have it wrestled away."

John hugged her wishing he could help her with her grief more. "Beth, you know that she loved you too. Please come by the house so that we have a chance to talk."

"Of course."

As he introduced her to Betsy's parents, Ed was amazed that she was able to function in his presence. It gave him hope that she would be alright. John turned to see Ed and Kelly standing in front of him. He greeted them, "Oh, thank you for coming."

Ed shrugged his shoulders and said, "Hey, I figured you probably needed us. I know that Beth needed us."

Kelly added, "She's cried ever since I told her about Betsy. I've been staying with her through this difficult time. I'm really worried about her."

John nodded his agreement at their assessment of Beth. He said, "That's very nice of you. I know you'll take good care of her, but she appears to be very fragile at the moment."

Ed nodded as he said, "We will. Kelly's been staying the night in the hotel room with her. Beth doesn't want to be left alone."

He introduced Ed and Kelly to Betsy's parents. Turning back, he was shocked to see Shirley. Standing next to her was Maria. He said, "My goodness. I really didn't expect you to come."

Shirley wiped her eyes, "She was a very special woman. We only had a chance to talk twice, but you wouldn't believe how much she helped me. I had to come here for you and her both."

Maria looked away shyly, "I liked you both. I'm so sorry for your loss."

He hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you so much for coming. I hope you both make it to our house."

At the house, Ed spent most of his time watching over Beth. It gave Kelly a chance to talk with Shirley and Maria. She was a much more social animal than Ed, who was happy to sit in a corner watching Beth and the crowd of people mulling around. He did have a chance to meet Mrs. South, who he thought was a dear old lady. Of course, the circumstances were such that he wasn't able to learn much about her other than who she was.

Towards the end, John made his way over to Ed and sat down next to him. He glanced at Beth and shook his head at how she looked. It was painful to watch the doctor suffer so much. John said, "Thanks for taking care of her."

Shrugging as if it were nothing, Ed replied, "Most of it is Kelly, she's been a trooper through it all. I wish I knew what to do for her."

Smiling at the denial, John said, "You know. I was surprised to see you here, but I'm glad you came. I needed to see a friendly face."

Surprised at the statement, Ed said, "There were hundreds of friendly faces at the funeral. You have a lot of people that care about you."

John sighed and said, "Most of them are people that I've helped. They all seem to think of me as some kind of hero. I don't get a chance to just be a man around people."

"I'm sorry to say, but guilty as charged," replied Ed. It was a surprise to realize that John, a very good man, could be lonely.

Laughing at the fact that Ed would admit to a little hero worship only convinced him further that Ed was being forthright and honest with him. John said, "No, with you it's different. We do get a chance to talk about things occasionally. I feel like you are one of my few friends. You've kept my past to yourself rather than spread it around even if would be to my advantage."

Ed was overwhelmed.



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Chapter 10


Ed didn't want to admit it, but he was going to be very happy when John returned and started taking care of Beth. The care and feeding of Beth had become a full time job for Kelly and him. It took a bit of effort, but they were able to get her to work where she was very professional. While at the hospital, she distanced herself from her pain and avoided all emotional attachments. As a doctor, that was good. As a person, it was bad.

The past month had been very busy for Ed. Working full time at the auction yard, taking care of Beth, and preparing for school had not left much time for Kelly. The problem was that when he was free for Kelly, she was busy with work or with Beth. He had fixed up the guest room for Beth and Kelly now slept there with him in his room. They hadn't made love in weeks and both were feeling a very horny from the lack of sex.

The one time they had tried to show any sexual affection for each other, Beth had come into the room screaming that they couldn't do that. Her actions didn't make sense until she had shouted, panic stricken, that it would lead to love and that love hurt. The episode had left Kelly in tears and Ed had spent the evening trying to comfort her. He didn't know what to do about the situation.

Kelly and Beth were due back from the hospital in thirty minutes. At that point, the house would become a place of tension again. To him, it was amazing how much care Kelly showed Beth regardless of the time of day. Ed decided to take advantage of the quiet in the house and do nothing for a change.

The quiet of the house was destroyed thirty minutes later when Beth and Kelly came home from work. After directing Beth into her room, Kelly collapsed on the couch next to Ed. He put an arm around her as she leaned against him crying tears born of frustration and a slow death of hope. The hope that one day Beth would be her wife was dying a little bit at a time. Each day that Beth pushed away love was another day that love was denied Kelly. Ed could do little, but tell her how much he loved her.

Frustrated and tired, Kelly ordered, "Slave, go to sleep."

Standing, Kelly turned to Ed and said, "I'm going to take a nap. Would you mind?"

It was easy to see that Kelly was just as weary as he, but he wasn't physically tired. He answered, "I'll go down to the bar and talk to Shirley while you sleep. Why don't I pick up some food from Maria's Cantina when I come back?"

Smiling for the first time of the day, Kelly answered, "That would be great. I don't feel up to cooking and I'm tired of yours."

Laughing, Ed had to agree. He only knew how to cook a few dishes and they had eaten them almost every day. He said, "Okay, I'll be back in a little while."

Walking down the street, Ed greeted his neighbors in a friendly fashion. A few of his neighbors still fled at his approach, but that had stopped bothering him a long time ago. The trip to the bar took longer now that he was spending five to ten minutes chatting with each neighbor on the way there.

Entering the bar, he sat at the counter watching as Shirley handled the other regulars with quiet ease. She knew what everyone drank and provided it without having to ask, much to the delight of her customers. Instead, she was able to spend the few minutes talking with them about what was going on in their lives. It made the service special and her place seem like a second home. Ed realized that was what brought him back here even though he had never had that good of a relationship with Shirley back when he was drinking. As he watched her work, he realized that while she knew a lot of men, only a handful of them was single and they were usually not very nice. He wondered how she would ever meet someone nice to marry.

After serving everyone else, she finally made her way to his end of the bar. As she set the coke in front of him, she asked, "So how are things at your place? Beth still there?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Things are the same at home. How are things for yourself?"

Shrugging, Shirley wiped down the bar not really wanting to think about it. She replied, "Every day is the same as the one before. There is a certain consistency in that. I have come to appreciate that."

Taking a sip of the coke and appreciating the feeling of the cool liquid in his mouth, he swallowed. Ed said, "I know what you mean, but you must want a day off on occasion."

She hadn't had a day off since the funeral and that had cost her a fortune in lost revenue. Even though the idea of a day off was a great dream of hers, Shirley replied, "I'm a business woman and can't really afford a day off."

After another sip of his coke, Ed asked, "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"No. You've done more than your fair share," she replied. If she had known earlier that he could actually be this nice, she might have been interested in him long ago. Now that he was hooked up with Kelly and taking care of Beth, he was out of bounds. She couldn't believe that he was taking such good care of a woman that was basically a stranger.

"I've done nothing for you," replied Ed surprised at the suggestion that he had done something for her. He added, "In fact, I've made most of your life pretty miserable."

She smiled and said, "You've stopped making my life miserable. And after the little fight that you had with Richard, he's stopped making my life miserable. In fact, of late most people are drinking less and eating more. I make more off the snacks and stuff than the drinks, so business is good."

"I didn't have anything to do with that," replied Ed in surprise.

The discussion was interrupted when a sixteen year old kid walked into the bar. This was not the first time in the past month that he had come into the bar and Shirley was getting tired of it. All she needed was to loose her liquor license. She turned to the kid and said, "You're not allowed in here. I've told you that several times already."

Looking around until he spotted Ed, the killed pulled a gun and pointed it at Ed. He shouted, "You killed my father."

As Shirley backed away from the bar, Ed raised his hand and said, "Another coke please. Make that two."

The kid shouted, "Did you hear me? You killed my father."

Doing his best to look calm and cool, Ed was actually scared as hell. The worst thing that he could do was to make the kid even more scared than he was. Visions of lying on the floor dying came to his mind, his dream of growing old with Kelly defeated by a bullet fired by a dumb kid. He finished off the coke that he had been drinking and pushed the glass towards Shirley. Ed said, "You can set one of the cokes at the far end of the bar for the man with the gun."

Like a fan at a tennis match, Shirley's head was moving from side to side as she looked first at the kid and then at Ed and back at the kid again. She poured a coke and set it at the end of the bar keeping her distance from the kid afraid that he would shoot her. Hardly able to accept the incredible bravery Ed was demonstrating, she set a second one down in front of him. Ed said, "Thanks. I find that when I get nervous, I also get thirsty. I imagine the young man is just as thirsty as I am."

The kid looked at the coke and then back at Ed. He said, "I'm not falling for that trick."

Slowly turning to face the kid, Ed said, "It's not a trick. The drink is at your end of the bar. You have a gun and can fire three times before I could make it over there. So go ahead and take a sip of it if you want."

Signs of his nervousness were easily observable as the gun trembled in his hand and the sweat broke out on his forehead. He sidled over to the bar and carefully reached out for the coke. Ed picked up his and held it up as though making a toast. The kid didn't return the gesture but did drink about half of his coke. Ed asked, "Would you like some Nachos?"

"Why did you kill him?"

Ed shrugged and answered, "I'm not sure who it is that you think I killed?"

Angry, the kid spat back, "My father, Harry Burton."

"Oh," replied Ed knowing the whole time that the kid was Sammy Burton. His attempt to draw out the conversation was beginning to fail. Finally, he said, "Well, why don't you let everyone leave the bar. There's no need for them to have to witness my death."

"What?"

"It is the considerate thing to do," replied Ed. He turned to face the rest of the bar and shouted, "All those that want to see the kid shoot me, raise your hand."

Looking around the room, no one had their hand up. Ed turned to face the kid and asked, "Can I tell them that it is alright for them to leave?"

Somewhat confused by the request, the kid looked around the room. He saw fifteen faces staring at him, most etched with fear. He shouted, "Go on, get out of here."

When no one moved, Ed shouted, "You heard the man. Get out of here."

It took several minutes for the people to clear out of the room. Ed took another sip of his coke and noticed that Shirley was still standing behind the bar. When he looked at her, she shook her head. He said, "Get out of here."

She replied, "It's my place. I'm staying here."

Looking at the kid, Ed said, "If he starts shooting, he just might hit you. I don't think that he wants to spend the rest of his life knowing that he hurt an innocent bystander. So why don't you go outside. After the shooting is over, you can come back in. Okay?"

Giving Ed a dirty look, she came out from behind the bar and went out the front door. He could tell that she was hoping that it was possible for her to talk him out of shooting Ed. Watching the exchange, Sammy stepped away from the bar a little making sure that she didn't come up behind him. When the place was empty, Ed said, "Thank you. Now that everyone is gone, we can talk about how your father died."

"Why did you want everyone gone?"

Taking another sip of the coke, Ed sat there for a moment before he answered, "There are some things that should be said man to man and without an audience. This is one of those things."

Sammy stepped back a little, making sure that there was plenty of room between him and Ed. He asked, "So tell me your story."

"Well, I was on a date with my girlfriend. I wanted to take her to Maria's Cantina so that she could taste some of the best Mexican Food in the state. We had just gotten our drinks and were getting ready to have a nice little intimate chat." Ed winked at the kid and said, "I'm sure that a man like yourself knows what it's like to have an intimate chat with your girlfriend."

Having no real idea what it was like to talk with a girlfriend like that, Sammy put on a show of bravado. He said, "Sure."

"So your father stops by the table and looks at my girlfriend for a minute. Then he says..." Ed paused to capture the full attention of the kid. As Sammy stared at him, he continued, "Hey, Ed. Who's the whore?"

Cringing, Sammy recognized his father in the statement. Embittered by a cheating wife, his father had taken to calling all women whores. He countered, "My dad called all women whores. He didn't mean anything by it."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed stared at the kid for a moment wondering if he understood that his father did mean something by it. Rather than argue, he continued, "Well, I got furious. The problem was that I was with a real nice woman. In fact, until you came in here with the gun I had plans on marrying her. The last thing that I wanted to do was get in a fight."

"So you dragged him outside where you could beat the shit out of him without her seeing it."

"Now, let me tell you my story and then you can kill me. Don't put words in my mouth that aren't there," replied Ed with a little anger in his voice. He took a deep breath and calmed down before continuing. "I looked at your father and saw that he was very drunk. Do you believe that?"

Sammy replied, "Sure. He wouldn't have said that to you if he was sober. He wasn't stupid."

"Well, I know drunk having spent a large number of nights that way. The first stage is getting loud and obnoxious. The second stage is getting pale or greenish looking. The third stage is when you start to break out in a sweat. Your father was loud, pale, and sweating. He was also moving directly to stage four. Do you know what stage four is?"

The kid shook his head and answered, "No."

"Barfing," replied Ed. He took a sip of his coke and saw that Sammy was nodding. He continued. "That's right. Your father was about to barf right there in the middle of the restaurant."

"That's no reason to kill him!" shouted Sammy. He knew all of that from what people had said in the restaurant about his father.

Ed said, "Well, the last thing that I wanted was for him to barf right in front of my date. Nothing is worse than that on a date. I ran over to him and put my hand over his mouth. I picked him up by the back of the belt and carried him through the fire escape door. Now, I imagine that if you ask people about what happened that night, you probably have the story to that point."

Reaching for the coke with a trembling hand, Sammy said, "Yes. I heard that you picked him up and carried him out."

Ed watched as the kid took another drink of his coke. It was almost finished, as was his. After the kid had set his coke back down, Ed said, "I made it outside just in time. Your father started barfing in a trashcan. He was really sick. I've been throwing up drunk before, but your father was in real bad shape. I was really afraid that he was suffering from alcohol poisoning. Do you know what that is?"

Leaning forward, interested in the story, he shook his head. Ed said, "Well, if you drink enough alcohol, you can get more in your body than your body can handle. Even if you throw up, there's still more getting absorbed. It can kill you and lots of people die of it every year."

Not quite sure if he believed Ed since he hadn't ever heard of it, Sammy challenged, "Are you trying to tell me that he died of alcohol poisoning?"

"No," replied Ed. Sitting back in his chair, he continued his story. "I'm just telling you that I was afraid that he was suffering from it. He was very sick. Normally, you throw up a couple of times and that's it. Your father was throwing up continuously."

"About the time the Sheriff showed up, I noticed that your father wasn't throwing up food or liquor anymore. He was throwing up blood. I'll tell you the truth, I had no idea what was happening. The Sheriff had already called an ambulance. He and I carried your father around to the front and met the ambulance there. They took him to the hospital, but he died on route."

Not believing the story, Sammy sat back and asked, "Do you expect me to believe that you didn't beat my father to death?"

"I don't really care what you believe," answered Ed. Taking a deep breath, he said, "But I do want you to hear the rest of the story. After all, you are going to kill me when I'm done."

"Okay, finish your fiction."

Laughing, Ed shook his head. At least the kid was allowing him to tell his story. Ed said, "Well, when the sheriff heard that your father died, he found out some information. I'm sure that you've heard that the official cause of death was internal bleeding from an ulcer. Your father had the ulcer before that night, but all of the alcohol ate away what little lining remained in his stomach."

"It was a cover up. I'm telling you, it was a cover up."

"There was a cover up, but the cause of death wasn't what we covered up," replied Ed. This was the hard part of the story to tell. Ed said, "We covered up the fact that he was throwing up all over himself. Hell, he had shit all over himself before we got him to the ambulance. The Sheriff and I decided that we would just say that he died of the bleeding ulcer without giving any of the details of his last few minutes of life."

Ed looked down at the floor and sighed. He said, "We wanted to allow your father to keep a little of his dignity. The only people that really know the shape your father was in, are me, the Sheriff, the men in the ambulance, and the morgue. The reason that I wanted to tell you this in private is that I didn't want others to know what shape your father was really in."

Unwilling to believe Ed, Sammy raised the gun pointing it at him. Ed turned to face the bar and looked at his glass of coke. There was a single swallow left. Taking a deep breath, he picked it up and drank the rest of it. Ed turned to face the kid and said, "Thanks, for letting me tell you what happened that night. I wish it had a better ending, but it didn't."

"Do you have any last words?"

This was a question that Ed never thought he would be asked and didn't have any idea what he should say. He answered, "I'm sorry that your father died. It wasn't fair that he spent the last few minutes of consciousness in an alley bent over and vomiting into a trash can with a person that he absolutely hated."

Having nothing else to say, Ed sat there quietly waiting for the shot. Tears running from his eyes, Sammy cried at the mental image that Ed's story had created. Despite his verbal denials, the story was believable. So many little features of the story fit with what he knew about his father.

A loud knock on the door caused them both to jump, Sammy because he was scared that Ed was attacking him and Ed because he had been expecting to get shot. Recovering first, Ed called out, "Who is it?"

A deep voice replied, "This is the Sheriff."

Ed called back, "It's okay. Stay out there for a bit longer."

"Are you sure Ed?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Stay out there until I ask you to come in."

Looking at Ed, Sammy asked, "Why did you say he should stay out there a little longer?"

"Because you have some decisions to make and having the Sheriff in here will only complicate things," replied Ed. There was a slight hope that he would emerge from this alive. He said, "You have three choices. You can shoot me and got to prison for murder. From a purely personal perspective, I don't recommend that one."

With a laugh tinged with bitterness, Sammy replied, "I can understand that."

Smiling Ed continued, "Alternatively, you can try using me as a hostage. Of course, that never works. Odd are, they'll shoot you and I think from your perspective, you don't want that to happen."

The laughter died on the kid's lips at the thought of those consequences. Looking at Ed, he asked, "What's the third alternative?"

"We could work out a story that keeps you out of trouble and me alive," suggested Ed. "I think that in terms of consequences, that is the best solution."

"What kind of story?"

Ed suggested, "Well, how about we tell people that instead of that being a real gun that it is a starter pistol. That you came here to get the true story about your father's death from me, thinking that the starter pistol frighten me and would get me to tell you the truth. I imagine most people would understand your desire to make sure that your father wasn't murdered."

"I won't press any charges and I'm sure that we can talk Shirley into not pressing any charges. The Sheriff might be convinced that the only charge to bring against you is creating a public disturbance which is a misdemeanor punishable by a minor fine."

As the reality of the situation became clear to Sammy, he realized that he had very few options. He asked, "Why would you do that?"

Ed said, "Look, you still have a chance at having a good future ahead of you. I'd hate to see that get taken away from you now."

"Why would the Sheriff and Shirley agree to it?"

"Because the Sheriff is a stand up guy and Shirley would hate to see your future ruined because of me," replied Ed. He asked, "Should I call them in now?"

Not knowing what else to do, Sammy said, "Okay."

Leaning back as though he was about to call out for the Sheriff, he stopped and leaned forward. Calmly, he said, "You might want to set the gun down before the Sheriff comes in. He's liable to shoot first and ask questions later."

Making sure that it was within reach, Sammy set the gun on the bar in front of him. Ed shouted, "Hey, Sheriff. Could you and Shirley come in here for a moment? We would like to talk to you two alone."

The door slowly opened and the Sheriff entered with his gun drawn. Looking at the gun on the bar, he came into the room more holding the gun on the kid the whole time. Ed said, "Call Shirley in here. Trust me, it will be okay."

Not taking his eyes off the kid, the Sheriff called out, "Come in Shirley."

Slipping through the half open door, a very nervous Shirley entered the bar not knowing what she would find. She saw the gun on the bar, the kid sitting at his end, and Ed still very much alive. Breathing a sigh of relief, she moved behind the Sheriff.

As the tension in the room mounted, Ed decided it was time for someone to take charge. He said, "Sheriff, would you mind coming around here and sitting on the other side of me? Shirley, would you mind refilling our cokes?"

The Sheriff replied, "I can't do that. You'd be blocking my shot if he picks up the gun."

Laughing, Ed said, "That's the whole point, Sheriff. I think Sammy and I would both be a little more comfortable if no one is pointing a gun at anyone."

The Sheriff kept his gun out and made his way to the other side of Ed. A confused Shirley made her way behind the bar and filled four glasses of coke. She set one in front of the kid, one in front of Ed, another in front of the Sheriff, and took a big gulp out of the last one. Once everyone was settled, Ed said, "Great. Now, we have a problem and I would like us to all agree on a solution. In particular, Sammy here is in a bit of trouble and I would hate to see him suffer because he wanted to find out how his dad died."

The Sheriff looked at Ed for a moment and then asked, "Did you tell him what happened?"

Looking back at the Sheriff, Ed said, "I told him exactly what you saw, what we did, and what we decided. He went to this extreme effort to find out what happened, so I decided he deserved to know the truth."

With a look of disbelief, the Sheriff said, "Did he believe you?"

"No."

The Sheriff looked over at the kid and said, "When I arrived there, Ed was doing everything he could to help your father. Your father was real sick and we didn't know what to do. We carried him out to the parking lot to be there for when the ambulance arrived. We didn't want folks to know about your father's last minutes, it wasn't pretty."

Ed nodded, "We didn't want to hurt his dignity any more. I figured if some people continued to believe that I was involved in his death, it would be better than the truth."

"If I had known you would do what you did today, I would have told you the truth. I just wanted to spare you the mental image," said the Sheriff.

Not aware of any of the actual events of the night, Shirley looked at all three men with an expression of curiosity. Ed said, "Well, I proposed to Sammy that we tell folks the following. He came in the bar carrying a starter pistol in the desire to find out the truth about the night his father died. After everyone left, we discussed the matter to his satisfaction. I suggested that Shirley wouldn't press any charges against him, I wouldn't press any charges, and that you would charge him with creating a public disturbance. We can clear this up in a minute. He can leave here saving face without destroying his future. Do you have any alternatives in mind?"

A silence descended on the room as people thought about their part of the bargain. Shirley stared at Ed as she thought about what he was doing for the kid. She wondered if the kid knew how lucky he was. The Sheriff looked over at the kid thinking about how he had just lost his father. Ed was thinking about explaining his behavior to everyone else in town. Holding his breath, Sammy was just hoping not to go to jail.

The silence was broken by Shirley when she said, "No charges. I promise."

Looking at Ed and then at Shirley, the Sheriff said, "Since the gun was pointed at you, Ed, I won't make an issue out of it. I'll say it was a starter pistol although I can see from here that it isn't. I'll also settle for the simple charge of disturbing the peace. It's a simple misdemeanor."

Letting his breath out and relaxing in a slump, Sammy said, "Thank god."

Smiling, Ed said, "I'll agree to all of this on one condition."

Everyone turned to look at him, surprised by his imposition of a condition on a deal that he had proposed. Sammy asked, "What?"

Sighing, Ed said, "We tell everybody that I realized that it was a starter pistol as soon as I saw the gun."

Exchanging glances at each other, everyone said, "Okay."

Ed said, "Shirley, would you mind sliding the gun over to the Sheriff?"

Going to the end of the bar, Shirley put her hand on the gun and walked to the other end of the bar sliding it along the length of the counter. Picking up the gun, the Sheriff quickly unloaded it putting the bullets in his pocket. The tension in the room evaporated almost immediately.

Standing, Ed went over to Sammy and said, "Promise me that you'll go to college and do great things."

Looking at Ed with real respect, Sammy answered, "Yes, sir. I'll do that."

Patting him lightly on the back, Ed said, "Good."

The Sheriff went over to Sammy and said, "We'll go over to the station and call your mother to come pick you up. You're a minor and all records of this incident will get sealed when you turn eighteen. Don't brag about this, okay?"

"Sure, sir."

Pulling out a ten, Ed set it on the bar and said, "Thanks Shirley. Sorry to cause a problem for you."

After Ed left the bar, the Sheriff took Sammy over to his office. Shirley was left standing behind the bar looking at the ten, hardly able to believe what she had seen Ed do in there. She poured herself a shot of Tequila and drank it back. Taking a moment to compose herself, she went to the door and shouted, "It's all over. You can come in now."

Walking slowly, Ed started to head home. Before he hit his street, he remembered that he had promised to pickup some food from Maria's Cantina for dinner. He turned and headed over to get dinner.

Entering the Maria's Cantina, he was met by Maria at her customary post. She had heard that Ed was being held at gun point by a kid waving a.45 automatic. She said, "I heard that you were being held at gunpoint over at Shirley's place."

Forcing a laugh, he replied, "It was a starter pistol. No big deal - just reaping the results of my past sins."

Shaking her head, Maria couldn't believe the rumor mill had exaggerated the story to that point. She asked, "What can I do for you?"

Trying to figure out what to order, Ed was silent for a moment. The old standbys always worked. He finally said, "How about two diet salads and an enchilada dinner to go?"

Smiling Maria wrote down the order and took it to the kitchen. Returning, she asked, "So, how are thing going?"

"Nothing has changed," replied Ed. The current condition of Beth was a tightly guarded secret although a few people did know the truth. His neighbor, the other Maria, and Shirley were two people that had seen Beth at the funeral. They had discovered the truth very quickly, but had waged a major campaign to help hide the truth from others. He added, "They are still working on Beth's house, so I'm stuck with a girlfriend and a very prudish roommate. A male fantasy so close and yet so far."

Laughing, Maria said, "You men are all alike."

There wasn't too much for him to say on the topic. If he said too much, people would get suspicious. If he didn't hint at desires for Beth, people would get suspicious. He didn't like doing things like that, but it was necessary to protect Beth from even worse speculation. Ed sighed as he thought about how much his life had changed.

It was twenty minutes before his take out order was ready. He paid Maria and left the restaurant. Walking home, he held up the takeout order to stave off questions. His neighbors understood that he didn't want the food to get cold before he reached the house. In a way, it was fortunate that he had the food, otherwise it would have taken him hours to reach the house.

Entering the house, Kelly was awake and waiting for him. While he was in the bar, she had several phone calls letting her know what was happening to him at the bar. It only took a single glance to see that she was upset, angry, and frightened about the incident. She said, "Why didn't you call me when it was over? I've been sitting here worried out of my mind."

An exhausted Ed sat down on the couch and answered, "I didn't know that you knew. I thought you were taking a nap."

The fear for his life had to find expression. It came out as anger directed at him. She yelled, "I was sitting here imagining you lying on the floor of the bar bleeding to death and I'm stuck here unable to leave!"

Taking a deep breath, Ed said, "I had visions of lying on the floor bleeding to death. The only thought I had was how much I loved you and how horrible it would be to die without having spent a lifetime with you."



-------

Chapter 11


Now that the groceries were put away, Ed took a moment to sit on one of the folding chairs on the back patio while the tea was brewing. Looking out over the desert, he thanked God that John was returning home the next day. The day after that, they would move Beth into his house and life with Kelly could return to normal. He was so horny that he was now jacking off in the bathroom daily. It was a safe bet that Kelly was doing the same, but they didn't talk about that around Beth. She got upset at any and all signs of affection.

While Ed was very anxious to get Beth out of the house, his motives were only partially selfish. He knew that John would stand a better chance of getting through to her and healing her. There were very few things that he hadn't tried in his efforts to help her. Trying to talk to her was a failure. As soon as the topic even approached anything that she might be feeling, she would scream and curl up into a ball.

Returning to the kitchen, he removed the tea bags and poured the hot tea into a pitcher. Putting the pitcher in the refrigerator, all excuses for remaining here were exhausted. All of the windows were open to allow the house to air out overnight so that it would smell fresh when John arrived. There was fresh food in the refrigerator so that he wouldn't have to shop as soon as he returned home. The lease and other legal materials were left on the desk for him to settle at his convenience.

Ed left the house and went across the street. The two women were at the house. Ed had agreed to watch over Beth while Kelly took a break. The weeks of watching over Beth were taking its toll so she was going to go down to the bar to talk with Shirley as one sane woman to another. It was his hope that Shirley would not provide details to Kelly about his episode with Sammy, but he knew the chances of that were slim.

He called out as he entered the house, "Girl night out!"

Dressed in a simple pair of jeans, Kelly came out of the bedroom with a smile. Quickly kissing Ed, she slipped out the front door without a word. He watched her scurry down the street, anxious to get around normal people for a change. It would be hours before she would return. That left him taking care of Beth and leading her through her nighttime activities.

It took him a minute to locate Beth in the bathroom. Kelly had left her standing there, knowing that he would find her and take care of what needed to be done. She had apparently finished using the toilet and was now awaiting orders. He said, "Slave, what was the last order that you had?"

"To use the toilet, master."

"Slave, take a warm shower and dry yourself off when you are done." Leaving the room when she started to undress, he went into her room to look for her nightwear. He would set it inside the bathroom and order her to dress once she finished her shower. After setting the clothes in the bathroom, he waited outside for the shower to be turned off. That was life with Beth, issue a command and then wait for her to finish it. Then it was time to issue another command.

The evening passed slowly. Bathing, dressing, brushing teeth, setting hair, and taking care of a myriad of details that one normally did without thinking occupied the evening. Even simple things, such making sure that Beth consumed sufficient water to avoid dehydration, had to be watched. With experience, they had generated lists of commands to execute through the evening. The fact that she had not lost any weight was a testament to their efforts.

After all of the evening list had been executed, Ed ordered her to sit in a chair. She sat there staring off into space. He had about half an hour to work on his homework from school. He opened his calculus book and struggled through a single problem. He had spent every spare minute of time reviewing algebra and trig at the end of summer and that was really saving him in this course. This subject was the hardest of the ones that he was taking and he knew from the first week of school that he was going to need help to get through it.

Nevada had been very surprised by his request to work part-time. He now worked afternoons and evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. That allowed him to take three classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He took two classes in the mornings of the other three days early in the morning. The schedule was about to kill him and it had only been a two weeks. When John returned, that would give him back some of his time to spend on his studies, but he wondered if it would be enough.

A knock on the door interrupted his studies. Standing, he looked around to check out the house. Seeing Beth sitting there in her nightwear, he ordered, "Slave, get into bed."

When she had left the room, he answered the door. Much to his surprise, Shirley stood at the door with a very large smile on her face. Ed said, "Oh, hello. I thought you were talking to Kelly."

Smiling, Shirley replied, "Oh, she's watching the bar for a few minutes. I have a back to school present for you."

Very surprised at being given a present from anyone, much less Shirley, Ed stood there in shock. Emotions tightening his throat and hardly able to talk, he said, "Thank you."

"Can you help Manuel bring it in?"

Glancing out to the street, he could see Manuel standing beside his pickup truck. There was a huge desk standing in the back. He walked over to Manuel who greeted him with an indifferent nod. Manuel made his living helping people haul things in the back of his truck and usually worked with his son. Ed wondered where his son was today. The two men wrestled the desk out of the truck and into the house. The desk was incredibly heavy and the men were tired by the time they set the desk down. Manuel made a second trip to bring in the desk drawers.

With the desk sitting in the middle of the living room, Ed stood back and admired it. In a quiet voice, he said, "It's beautiful."

Shirley ran a hand over the surface of the desk. She said, "It's an old teacher's desk from the forties."

The solid oak desk had been refinished and who ever had done it, had done excellent work. The surface glowed with the kind of shine that only a master craftsman could evoke, bringing out the rich wood grain. He looked at Shirley and said, "I'm afraid to use it."

She laughed and said, "I have to get back before one of the drunks tries to pick up Kelly."

With a real tear in his eye, Ed turned to Shirley and said, "Thank you very much. I really love it."

To see such an emotional response from Ed was all of the thanks that Shirley needed. Looking around the house, she realized that there wasn't much room for the desk. She asked, "Where are you going to put it?"

Smiling, Ed gave a little follow me gesture and led her to the third bedroom of the house. Opening the door, he pointed inside the room. Shirley glanced in and did a double take as a very slight smell of earth tickled her nose. The entire room was lined with shelves, each shelf crammed with rock samples. There must have been over a thousand rocks, each neatly labeled. There were additional boxes of rock samples on the floor. Shirley entered the room and slowly turned around taking in all of the rocks on display. She had never imagined that Ed had such a collection. There were depths to him that she had never seen before and she felt honored that he had chosen to show this to her.

As though it was a temple, Ed whispered, "I collected all of these rocks while pushing cattle on the range. I'll remove a couple of shelves and put the desk in here. It will be a good place to study."

Shirley nodded as she bent down to look at an example of copper, the little crystalline needles of copper so intricate in shape and placement capturing her attention. Next to it was a sample of a rock that had similar crystalline needles, but was so much plainer that it was overwhelmed by the example of copper. She straightened up and said, "This is amazing. I've never seen anything like this."

The compliment meant more to Ed than he could express in words. He merely said, "I'm glad that you like it. Studying in here will remind me why I'm going through school."

Shirley backed out of the room and said, "Thanks for sharing this with me. I never knew that you had such an interest."

Smiling, Ed said, "Thank you for the desk."

Shirley left shortly after that with Manuel. Ed walked around the desk admiring it. Mentally, he went through a check list of things that he would have to buy to use it. He would need a chair, a desk lamp, and protector to save the surface of the desk.

His thoughts were interrupted by another knock on the door. Surprised at two visitors in the same day, he opened the door. Sammy and his mother stood at the door. A very large gift wrapped box was on the ground at Sammy's feet. Sammy, with a grunt, picked it up and extended it to Ed. "I want to thank you for what you did for me."

Accepting the heavy box with a shake of his head, he had to set it down. Ed said, "You didn't need to do anything. I was happy that things ended up as well as they did."

Mrs. Burton replied, "You did a really wonderful thing for Sammy. He could have gotten the electric chair if you hadn't been so calm. You kept him out of jail. We can't thank you enough."

Wanting to change the subject, Ed said, "Please come in. I can't wait to open the present."

Slightly uncomfortable, Linda Burton and her son entered the room. She looked at the desk sitting in the middle of the room and said, "Shirley really did find a nice desk for you."

Ed ran his fingers over the wood appreciating the smoothness of the wood. He answered, "Yes, she did. It's too nice to use."

Almost dancing in place, Sammy looked impatient for Ed to open the present they had brought over. Ed went over to the present and slowly removed the wrapping paper to expose a desk chair that matched the desk. He would have to assemble it, but the picture of the chair on the box showed that it was a perfect match for the desk. Smiling he turned to them and said, "Wow, this is outstanding. You must have arranged this with Shirley to get such a great match."

The pair lit up at the clear appreciation for their gift. Mrs. Burton, having learned a little of the story about the death of her husband, was thankful for the actions that Ed had taken for her husband. Their marriage had been a sham, but she still cared for him in her own way. To know that Ed had done what he could to salvage her late husband's reputation had touched her more than she could express. That he had saved her son from jail was more than she could ever repay. Softly, she said, "I'm glad you like it. We had better go now."

As the pair left the house, Ed stood there looking at the desk and chair touched very deeply. He wanted to share his happiness with someone, but Beth was not in a state to feel emotions. He opened the box and started to assemble the chair. It was very easy to put together. The chair matched the desk very closely.

Checking the clock, he saw that it was nearing ten and time for Beth to be ordered to sleep. He opened the door of the bedroom and said, "Slave, get to sleep."

Watching Beth roll over, he was amazed to see that she could sleep on command. The sight always amazed him. The woman was beautiful, even in this state, but so emotionally detached that it was hard to find her sexy. He wondered what she was waiting to have happen before she would snap out of it.

Closing the door, he went to the living room and admired the desk and chair. He would treasure these gifts for a long time.

Two hours later, Kelly came home to find him sitting on the couch still admiring the desk and chair. Smiling, she joined him on the couch and said, "You like them?"

"I love them. I couldn't believe my eyes when she brought the desk over," replied Ed with real emotion making his voice rough. He cleared his throat and asked, "You knew?"

Leaning her head on his shoulder, she answered, "Yes, I knew. Betsy had suggested that she use the money from the tip you left on the night of your famous party to buy you a present. I think that she was going to get you a briefcase until she saw what you did for Sammy. That touched her much more than you may realize."

Ed replied, "I was so scared that day. Sammy and his mother brought over the chair."

Kelly put her head against his chest and relaxed as he put an arm around her. She said, "You have no idea what you did for them, do you?"

"I did what I thought was right. He's still just a kid and didn't deserve to go to jail for the rest of his life. Besides, at his age, I would have done the same thing." Ed had tried very hard to put that day behind him. Most of the people had believed the story that he had known it was a starter pistol, but a few who had been there and seen the gun still looked at him funny. He didn't like being the center of attention like that and began to understand how John felt.

A weary Ed returned home after a long day at school and at work. They had an auction tonight and while he was busy, the work wasn't that bad. Tired, he entered the house expecting to see Kelly commanding Beth through her evening program. Instead, Kelly was sitting naked upon a blanket thrown over the desk. Her hips rested on the edge of the desk. Without any real word of greeting, she said, "Cowboy, get naked and come over here and fuck me."

Time with Kelly had given him a little more control over his fingers when presented by her naked body. He quickly undressed and joined her at the desk, walking towards her as if led by his erection. He bent over to kiss her, but she had other ideas. Grabbing him by his cock, she led him to her foregoing all foreplay. She wanted it and she wanted it now.

With his feet on the ground, his cock slipped into her ready and waiting passage with ease. Her legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him into her even deeper. For both of them, this was a moment too long in coming. Nature drove to them to a hard fast coupling complete with grunts and groans. Ed thrust into Kelly with the kind of need that comes from a month of closeness without the ability to express their desires. Lying on her back, her breasts moved in counter tempo to his thrusts, jiggling towards him when he thrust into her. He found the motion extremely erotic and he started to thrust even faster.

Looking down at her face, Ed could see that her desire for a quick release was as strong as his. Guiding his hand down to her cunt, he put a thumb just above the clit. His thrusts, pushed her clit enough to just touch his thumb. The effect couldn't have been better if he had planned it. The slight teasing sensation drove her rapidly to orgasm. She let loose with a scream, announcing her pleasure and satisfaction to the world.

With a grunt, Ed came pouring his seed into her. Eyes closed he rocked his hips into her releasing jet after jet of come. His whole body rocked and then froze as the last jet was released. His legs shook and threatened to give out on him. He leaned over her, covering her body with his. He whispered into her ear, "I love you, Kelly. I love you so much."

Wrapping her arms around him, Kelly whispered back, "I love you, Ed."

This was the first time she had declared her love for him aloud and it touched him deeply. Raising himself off her so that he could look her in the eye, he traced her jaw line with finger. The look on her face was that of fear; a fear driven by concerns that this man could talk her out of her marriage dream. Looking at her expression, Ed asked, "What are you afraid of, my love?"

Voice trembling, she answered, "I'm afraid that you won't accept me."

"Not accept you? I love you."

Kelly looked at him and said, "What about marriage?"

He thought that marriage proposals were supposed to be made by the man, but it didn't matter to him. He was madly in love with this woman. Smiling at her, Ed said, "Sure, I'll marry you."

"You will marry me? What about taking a husband and another wife?" Lips quivering, this was the moment of truth for her dream. What he said next would determine the rest of her life. She held her breath waiting for his answer.

Ed had not been thinking of that when he agreed to marry her. The question reminded him of his single area of doubt. He could see her fear of rejection as it built in Kelly and the sight hurt him. He whispered, "I will do what I can to accommodate a husband and wife. I make no promises."

It was not as much as she hoped, but it was more than she expected. Releasing her breath, she asked, "Really?"

"Yes, really. We still have to find a husband and wife that we both accept."

It didn't matter what Ed said at this point, the relief and love for Ed drove all other thoughts and ideas from her mind. She hugged him tightly and cried, her body shaking from emotions. She cried out to him, "Oh, God. My lovely man. I love you so much."

Her strong grip crushed him against her as her arms pulled on his neck. It was the most uncomfortable that he had ever been, but he didn't fight it. He knew that he had committed to much more than he had intended, but his love for her was so strong that he couldn't bear to see her hurting. When his cock finally slipped out of her, he noticed but she didn't.

After holding him tightly for a minute, she relaxed her grip. He stood and picked her up in his arms. Careful in how he held her, he carried her to the bedroom and set her upon the bed. He climbed in beside her. As she turned, he moved closer and until his cock was pressed against her ass and his chest flat against her back. Holding her in a spoon position, he whispered into her ear, "My love, you have my heart. Do not worry about your dreams. I will make all of them come true that I can. That is love."

As tears of happiness flowed down her cheeks, her breathing became deeper as her eyes slowly closed. She knew she was loved and didn't have to give up her idea for a perfect marriage. In her sleep, she dreamed of Beth, Ed, and herself searching for a husband.

The smell of fresh brewed coffee woke Ed. His body stirred, but his mind was still half asleep. Sitting up on the edge of the bed, he yawned and stretched. He staggered into the living room, stubbing his toe on the leg of the desk. Jumping on one foot and holding the toe in his hands, he swore, "Today, I move that out of here."

Kelly came out of the kitchen, naked as the day she was born, carrying two cups of coffee. His cock responded to her presence although his mind was hardly up to making love. Blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes, he looked at her and said, "You're so beautiful. Pretty just isn't enough of a word to describe you."

Smiling, Kelly handed him one cup of coffee and took a sip from the other. She said, "Drink up, cowboy. I have to go to work soon."

Ed maneuvered himself around the desk to sit on the couch. Kelly leaned against the desk and watched him struggle awake. It was about that time that he realized Beth wasn't in the house. He asked, "Where's Beth?"

Realizing that he only now had recognized that Beth was gone, Kelly explained, "Yesterday when John returned home, Beth saw him. She ran across the street and fell at his feet begging him to take her back. When I went over, he was helping her into the house. He told me that he would talk to us today."

Despite that his mind was still somewhat slow to register information, he realized that Beth's behavior had undergone another change. He asked, "Is she okay?"

Sighing, Kelly said, "I don't know. I'm so afraid that we've lost her. I want her for a wife so much, but during the entire time she was here she didn't even seem to know that I was even present."

The coffee was slowly cooling to where Ed could take good sips without burning he tongue. Drinking half the cup in a single swallow, he sat back and said, "She was in total denial of all affection. Maybe with John back, she'll wake up and see how much you care for her."

"I hope so," replied Kelly. She looked over at Ed and said, "It must have been tough for you to have her here. You never touched her the entire time, but it must have been so tempting for you. I was tempted. You must love her as well."

The past month had not been easy for Ed. It was hard to say what he felt for Beth, he didn't really know her. The woman was pretty, but there wasn't enough of her there to care about one way or the other. He had only met her twice before the death of Betsy and both of those times were in the hospital. He said, "I don't know how I feel about her. I don't really know her. The only thing that I know is that I love you."

"I love you very much." Kelly took his coffee cup from him and left the room. She came back after a minute with the cup filled with hot coffee. Handing it back to him, she said, "You have been magnificent ever since the death of Betsy. I have to get ready for work and get Beth to the hospital today."

Taking a sip from the coffee, Ed watched as Kelly went into the bedroom. Glancing at the clock, he was surprised to see that he had woken an hour late this morning. Ten minutes later, she emerged fully clothed. He felt embarrassed to be sitting there naked while she walked around dressed.

Bending over, Kelly kissed him and said, "Goodbye. I'll be home on time tonight. Why don't you get dressed and take John to breakfast. It will give you a little time to talk to him before you have to leave for school."

As Kelly went out the door, Ed took another sip of his coffee realizing that half of the reason for Kelly's mad dash for the door was that she wanted to see how Beth was doing now that John was back. He went into the bedroom and started to dress.

Kelly rushed into the house, shouting, "She's run away. Come on, we've got to find her."

Putting on his boots without socks, Ed dashed out of the bedroom trying to button his shirt as he ran. He asked, "What happened?"

Crying, Kelly fell to the ground and said, "When I went in, she screamed and ran out of the house."

"Oh God," replied Ed. He helped Kelly off the floor and onto the couch. He asked, "Which way did she go?"

"Into the desert."

Ed shook his head and went out to his truck. Pulling out of the driveway, he headed up the street where he could drive out onto the desert. Once there, he drove back towards the back of John's house. He spotted John about a half a mile into the desert. Flooring the truck, he drove over to John and stopped. John jumped in the back of the truck and shouted, "I'll watch for her tracks and tell you what direction to drive."

Rather than race forward, Ed set a pace that would allow him to react to anything that might happen. John started shouting, "To the right!"

Ed turned the wheel to the right and drove along. He did his best to avoid the cactus and other hazards in the desert.

John shouted, "Straight!"

A small figure in the distance resolved itself into Beth. She was running barefoot through the desert. Ed headed straight for her and caught up with her very quickly. It was amazing how far she had gone in such a short time. After stopping the truck, both men raced out to catch her. It took both of them to wrestle her to the ground. Breathing heavily, John said, "Let's get her into the back of the truck."

Still struggling to escape, the two men carried her back to the truck. While Ed held her, John jumped in the back of the truck. The two of them had a struggle to get her in the back with him. Once there, John had to wrestle with her to keep her there. Ed drove back to John's house as fast as it was safe, fearing to go too fast in case she jumped out.

At the house, they carried her in. John said, "Ed, can you stay out in the back at the door in case she tries to run?"

Still trying to make sense out of this new behavior, Ed answered, "Sure."

Ed sat down near the door and waited to see what happened. After thirty minutes, John came out to the back and motioned to the chairs. Accepting the invitation, Ed went over to the chair and sat down. After a minute, John returned with a two cups of coffee and joined Ed in the other chair. Handing one of the coffees to Ed, John said, "I'm sorry about that."

Sighing at the situation, Ed said, "Don't worry about it. What happened?"

"She's talking now," replied John. Looking in the direction of the house, he said, "I asked her why she ran. She said that there were only supposed to be three people in the house. Her, me, and Betsy."

Slumping down in his chair, Ed said, "Kelly is very upset."

Glancing sideways at Ed, John said, "Kelly has taken her to work. I got her dressed and sent her across the street to get Kelly. I saw them leave before I came back here."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "We did the best that we could. I don't know what we could have done for her."

"She is talking now," replied John. He said, "Last night she told me that you guys took very good care of her. She won't let me touch her though. She says she's waiting for Betsy."

"This must be tearing you up inside," said Ed. He didn't know how close John and Beth were, but to return home and have to deal with a woman that was waiting for your deceased girlfriend to return had to be tough.

"I have to apologize to you. When you told me that she was in pretty bad shape, I didn't believe that it was as bad as you had said." John was quiet for several seconds staring out into the desert. He added, "If I had known, I would have come back earlier to take care of her."

Ed looked at John and could tell that he was upset. Marshalling his thoughts, he said, "John, look at me."

John looked at him. Ed said, "You had things to do there. Kelly was more than happy to take care of Beth. As you know, she wants to marry Beth and this was a way for her to demonstrate her love for her. I didn't mind a minute of it."

Reaching out a hand and resting it on Ed's shoulder, John said, "You've been a real friend through all of this."

Glancing up at the sun, Ed said, "I've got to finish getting dressed and head to school. I'll be back around two this afternoon. Will you be around?"

Smiling at his friend, John said, "You bet."

At school, Ed turned in his Calculus homework. He had done all of the problems except for one. It wasn't that he didn't understand the problem, it was just that last night he had been distracted and the morning was wasted. He struggled to understand the new material covered that day and wondered if he was going to have to get a tutor. His English class flew by as the class discussed the reading assignment. Surprised at himself, Ed found that he had contributed to the discussion quite significantly. His favorite class of the day was the Geology class. Most of the material felt like a review to him and he was quite surprised to see a number of the others in his class struggling with it.

Returning home, he found that John was waiting for him by the driveway. After parking the truck, he waved John over to the house. John followed him into the house and stopped when he saw the desk. He said, "Wow. That's a nice desk."

As he caressed the wood on the desk, with pride evident in his voice Ed replied, "Shirley gave that to me as a present."

John had talked to Shirley while Ed was at school. When she had started telling him about the incident in the bar, he had stopped her and said that he didn't believe it was a starter pistol. She had confessed to him the truth about what had happened. It didn't surprise John as much as she had expected. John said, "You must have done something to impress her."

Looking over at John, Ed could see that he already knew the story. He shrugged and said, "There was a little incident in the bar, but I don't think that was it. I think she just likes me now that I'm sober."

John asked, "Where are you putting the desk?"

Opening the door to his rock room, Ed showed John in. John stopped and looked around the room with a critical eye. Smiling, he said, "I think you are studying the right subject at school."

Laughing, Ed replied, "You think so?"

While Ed knelt down to move a couple of boxes out of the way, John asked, "What's with the empty shelves?"

Ed replied, " I'm taking down those shelves. I moved the rocks off them yesterday morning so that I could move the desk in here."

John moved over to help Ed remove the shelves. It didn't take long for them to take them down. Before long, the men had wrestled the desk into the room. Sitting down in the desk chair, Ed pushing against the floor rolling it into the room and stopping at the desk. He looked around the room and asked, "What do you think of my study?"

"I think you have found your passion and it is here in this room."



-------

Chapter 12


Ed woke to an empty house. It wasn't that his relationship with Kelly was failing, it was that Beth's new living arrangement did not require her to stay there every night. Kelly was slowly getting some of her life back and needed the time away from Ed. This wasn't a problem for Ed as it gave him a couple of evenings a week to work on his homework.

The one major improvement that Kelly had made to the house was a coffee pot on a timer. Stumbling out of the bedroom, he appreciated that addition as it meant he didn't have to navigate the brewing process first thing in the morning. Today, it was hot and ready to drink. He poured himself a cup and went into the living room.

As he drank his coffee, he looked across the street and was surprised to see a huge RV parked there with John sitting in it. Deciding to investigate, he headed out the front door and waved to John.

John stepped out of the RV and crossed the street. He waved and called out, "Hi, Ed."

"Hello John. How's she doing today?"

"I don't know. She's still strange."

Ed pointed to the RV and asked, "So who's your visitor?"

John smiled as he answered, "Lily, she's another servant of the Goddess. She's a healer."

Ed looked at John with a funny expression. He had long ago made the connection between John's medallion and his service to the Goddess. He pointed to John's chest and asked, "You mean she has one of those?"

John nodded, not surprised that Ed had figured out about the medallion. Needing some coffee in a big way, John asked, "You wouldn't happen to have some coffee, would you?"

"Sure. Come on over."

It wasn't long before they were sitting in Ed's living room drinking coffee. John decided to bring up a topic that hadn't been discussed since the day they all went to the university. He asked, "How's Kelly taking all of this?"

"Not very well. She's been very upset about Beth."

"Does she still want Beth as a wife?"

Ed looked out the window for a minute thinking about it. Kelly had not talked about that subject for several weeks now. Each time she saw Beth, some small part of her died. Ed answered, "Well, she hasn't talked about it lately. As far as I know, she still wants Beth for her wife. I think she feels guilty right now. She's afraid that she'll take advantage of Beth's condition."

"I can understand that. I'm terrified that I'm abusing her in some fashion."

Understanding exactly what John was going through, Ed said, "Do you know how hard it is when I watch over her while you're gone? She's running around naked and all I can think of is doing it with her."

"Tell me about it."

Ed and Kelly had discussed this topic several times and she had offered to sleep with John. The fact was, she was hoping that John might want to be her second husband. He laughed as he said "You must have the worst case of blue balls in the world. Why don't you come over here and visit Kelly sometime?"

John shook his head and answered, "I'm not sure that's a good idea right now. Speaking of Kelly, any idea who she's identified as a second husband?"

Ed blushed realizing that he didn't want to tell John that he was Kelly's choice for a second husband. It felt very awkward talking about this with John, since John might understand that Kelly insisted that the two husbands have sex with each other. He couldn't look John in the eye as he answered, "You ask tough questions. I think you'll have to ask her."

John looked puzzled for a moment and then the light went off in his head. He was the prospective husband. To cover any possible case, he said, "Well, if it is the person that I think it is, then you two will have to move very slow. Can't really offer until Beth is better."

Ed was relieved since he really didn't know how to broach the subject with John. It was difficult for him to imagine John being interested in them, but Kelly thought differently. He answered, "That's our thinking."

John nodded and said "Wise move. I guess I had better get out to the RV and wait for Lily. I have no idea how long this is going to take."

Ed wondered how good this Lily person might be at helping Beth. Beth was in pretty bad shape emotionally. He asked, "Do you think that she is going to help?"

"If anyone can, Lily can. I met Lily over four years ago. I didn't call her, she came here. She didn't even know I was here until she pulled up in front of the house. Something called to her and she came."

"Wow." The way that John talked about the Gods and Goddesses bothered Ed at one time, but he had seen how John would be driven at times to leave to perform some service. In a few cases, John's activities had made the news. Once he had located a little girl that had been lost in the wilderness for three days. If this woman had been called to heal Beth, then it was a very good chance that Beth would be healed.

John returned to the RV while Ed prepared for his final exams. Two more finals and this semester would be over. The last final would be for his calculus course and that was the one that worried him the most. He had not had to resort to a tutor for that course, but had worked through the material in his own stubborn way. For every hour that he spent on other courses, he spent four on calculus.

With his last final over, Ed decided to treat himself to lunch in a small place off campus before heading home. The final exam had been much easier than he had thought it would be and he had breezed through it without a problem. All of his classes had been a little easier than he had anticipated.

As he walked over to the restaurant, he noticed a woman who looked just like Rosa walking down the street towards him. He wondered what to do if it was Rosa. Even now, Rosa didn't like him and tended to walk in a direction to avoid him whenever she saw him. The woman was about half a block away when a small guy stepped out in front of her. A look of real fear spread across her face as she recognized the man.

As he neared the pair, he could see that the man had a knife and was waving it in front of the woman. Looking around, all he could find as a weapon was a trashcan lid. He picked it up and approached the man from the rear. When he was close enough to identify that it was Rosa, he heard the man say, "Cunt, you're coming back to work for me."

Ed had no idea what he was talking about, but he didn't like the tone of voice or the fact that he was waving a knife around. In a loud voice, Ed said, "She already has a job."

The man spun around to say something, but Ed swung the trashcan lid on edge connecting solidly with the man's face. The man went down like a log. Since the man was still holding the knife, Ed smashed the heel of his boot on the hand leaving it a bloody mess.

As the man rolled around on the ground, Ed looked down at him and said, "You need to learn how to treat a lady nicely. She's a friend of mine and I won't tolerate her being treated that way."

Rosa stared at Ed and then at the man on the ground, not knowing what to do. Ed picked the man up off the ground. Blood was running from his nose and his hand was a bloody mess. Pointing across the street, Ed said, "There's a clinic over there. I suggest you go there at once and let them patch you up."

Angered, the man spat out, "I'm going to kill you."

In a very serious tone of voice, Ed said, "No you're not. You know that I could have killed you and didn't. You owe your life to me and that is a debt of honor. You will leave Rosa and me alone. Now get across the street and get some medical attention."

The man stared at Ed, shocked that he had made it a point of honor, and then headed across the street.

Turning to face Rosa, Ed said, "I think it would be best if we didn't discuss this with anyone."

Embarrassed at having part of her past exposed to Ed, Rosa mutely agreed, "Yes, thank you..."

Smiling down at Rosa, he said, "I was about to celebrate having taken my last final of the semester with a seafood lunch. I would be most honored if you would join me. Of course, I would understand if you need to return home."

Uncertain what she should do, she decided that the best thing would be to thank him by accepting his invitation. Now that he knew more about her past, she was afraid that he would spread it around town. Maybe by going with him to lunch she could find a way to keep him from talking about it. She answered, "Okay."

Deciding that it would be best not to touch Rosa and concern her more, Ed pointed down the street to the restaurant there. He said, "It's just over there."

Walking side by side, Rosa kept glancing at Ed out of the corner of her eye. Although he had just rescued her, she still didn't trust him. She kept waiting for him to say something or make a demand of her. How many times had she traded sex for things that she needed? She was just a reformed whore and her pimp had tried to bring her back into the business. Why did she have to come back here to visit Annie? She knew the answer to that question. Almost a year without the touch of another woman had driven her to seek out her former lover.

Noticing how quiet Rosa was, Ed decided to try to engage her in conversation. He said, "This past few months have been the toughest of my life. I never realized how difficult it was to go to college."

Rosa glanced at him and said, "If it is so tough, then why are you going?"

"Because I love every minute of it," replied Ed. He thought about the hours spent studying calculus and realized that even when it was most frustrating, he had been enthralled by the idea that he was learning something deeper about the world around him. He added, "It does tend to eat into the time that I can spend with my girlfriend, but she understands. I'm so lucky to have her in my life."

This was a very unexpected conversation to have with Ed. She asked, "You like your girlfriend?"

"I love my girlfriend. I've asked her to marry me and she's accepted," replied Ed. He didn't want to explain about the extra husband and wife that was part of the marriage package.

"I didn't know that things had developed to that level," replied Rosa. The idea of Ed in love was so foreign to her mental image of Ed that this was more surprising than anything. She asked, "So why did you invite me to lunch?"

The question made Ed laugh. He said, "I just finished my last final of the semester and felt like celebrating. I was on my way there and saw you. I just figured it would be nice sharing my joy with someone that I know."

Share his joy? She thought it was more like sharing her bed. She sighed and decided to accept the inevitable. Shoulders slumping, she said, "Okay. I guess I can understand that."

Realizing that she was dreading this, Ed stopped and turned to Rosa. He said, "Rosa, I know you don't like me. If you would prefer to go home, I would understand. There's no reason for you to be with someone that you don't like."

Biting back her tears, she answered, "You'll tell people back home what happened here."

Sorry that Rosa had such a low opinion of him, Ed replied, "Rosa, the only thing that happened here was some guy threatened you with a knife and I stopped him. I would rather not talk about that in town. People are already talking about me enough. All I want is to be left alone."

Hardly able to believe him, Rosa said, "You aren't going to ask me to sleep with you?"

Puzzled, Ed asked, "Why would I do that?"

"Because you found out that I used to be a whore, damn it!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she saw her future at home destroyed.

"And I used to be a bully and a bigot. We are both trying to leave our pasts behind. I figure that makes us birds of a feather. Rather than fight, I suggest we help each other," replied Ed.

In relief, Rosa grabbed Ed in a hug and cried. Never in her life had she expected such understanding from the man she had feared most. Even her pimp had not been able to make her feel as afraid as Ed. The pimp had bullied her for money, but Ed had bullied her for fun.

For his part, Ed decided it was time to carry a spare handkerchief. If he was going to have so many women crying on his shoulder, he needed something to dry those tears. When she finally pulled back, he said, "Now lets go celebrate my final and putting our pasts behind us. We're almost to the restaurant and I'm starving."

Smiling weakly, Rosa went with him. The restaurant was full and the service was slow, but the time was spent talking. Rosa listened as Ed talked about his rocks and how he had collected them over the years. It was incredible to her that this man had hidden that interest from everyone for so long and was now discussing it with her. It was about three quarters of the way through the meal that Rosa realized that he had not looked at her ample breasts once. He listened to her attentively, asking questions that made sense.

As the meal came to an end, Ed asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

For such a long time, Rosa had not thought about that question. The past few years had been spent hiding from her past, keeping a low profile at home. She answered, "Do you promise that you won't laugh?"

"Of course."

She said, "I would like to get married to a nice man that understands some of my needs and have children."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "Why is that something to laugh at? We all need love. Everyone needs someone that understands and supports their needs, wants, and desires. I think what you want is perfectly fine."

"Because woman are not supposed to want that today. My sister is so involved in the restaurant. Shirley works in that bar of hers every day."

Ed laughed and replied, "That is their desire, not yours. You don't have to live by anyone's expectations except for yours. When you find the right person, you will want to support them in achieving their desires and they will support you in achieving yours."

"Do you really believe that?"

Ed was quiet as he thought about Kelly and her desires. Committed to supporting Kelly's desires, he was willing to accept having a husband and two wives. He understood only too well about other peoples expectations and what the repercussions would be when it became public knowledge. Not wanting to discuss the topic yet, he said, "You might want to talk to Kelly about marriage. She has some ideas that are very different from everyone else."

Rosa could not imagine what kinds of thoughts about marriage Kelly could have, but they couldn't be as radical as what she needed. She required a husband who would understand her real need to share a bed with a woman on occasion. The problem was that was what had caused her to fall in with that low life pimp.

Ed watched Rosa think about what he had said. It was clear that there was something that she was keeping a great secret. Since the relationship between Beth and John was getting greater attention within town, he decided to take a chance and trust her. He asked, "Are you aware about the relationship between John and Beth?"

Rosa looked at him like he had said something stupid. The whole town was talking about Beth. She answered, "Of course."

Shaking his head, he said, "You may think you know, but you don't."

"What do you mean?"

Ed answered, "John, Beth, and Betsy were lovers. Beth is devastated about the death of Betsy. She and John haven't had sex since Betsy died."

Incredulous, Rosa said, "Then why is she always naked at his house?"

"She's waiting for Betsy to return. She loves John, but she loved Betsy more."

The conversation was touching upon her desires so directly that she felt like he was reading her mind. She asked, "You mean that the three of them were having sex together?"

"Yes."

"And you knew?"

"Yes."

Staring at Ed like he was a new species of bird, she asked, "And you didn't tell anyone?"

"That's right."

Thinking furiously, Rosa considered what that meant. Were there others that knew and didn't say a word? For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel like a freak. Hesitating to avoid showing too much interest, she asked, "Did you approve?"

"Yes, I did. All three of them found happiness in that arrangement. It didn't hurt anyone that they slept together. It was their choice to make and they made it."

This was a revelation to Rosa. Hardly believing that Ed was so accepting of that, it left her confused and not knowing what to say.

Noticing the look on her face, Ed said, "Do you know Maria, the lady that lives next to John Carter?"

Wondering where this was going, Rosa nodded her head.

Without waiting for more of a reply, he said, "You may want to talk to her. She was aware that John, Betsy, and Beth were involved with each other. She understood and hasn't mentioned it to anyone. If you have desires that you wonder about, she would be the person to talk with. She won't judge you harshly."

Filing away that piece of information for later use, Rosa answered, "I just might do that."

"Good."

With her first genuine smile at Ed, Rosa said, "I owe you an apology for my..."

Knowing what she was going to say next, Ed interrupted, "No, you don't. I have never given you any reason to like or trust me. Just the opposite in fact. I gave you a hard time because you were a pretty young lady. The only times you saw me was when I was making rude and crude suggestions. You have a good reason to dislike me."

"I suppose," she replied. After a moment of thought, she added, "I am so glad that we had this chance to get to know each other better."

Leaning back, Ed agreed. He was glad that they had this chance to talk. It was something that he didn't want to admit, but he had felt bad for a long time that Rosa viewed him as a monster. Smiling, he said, "Would you like me to walk you to your car?"

When the waitress brought the bill, Ed paid it leaving a generous tip. He noticed the look on Rosa's face and answered her unasked question. "I recently discovered that a quarter was not an appropriate tip. I never knew that waitresses made all of their money off tips."

Rosa smiled and said, "Maria had said that you were finally leaving real tips. I'm afraid that I didn't believe her."

The pair walked down the street that they had come until they reached Rosa's car. Thanking him, she got in and drove off. Ed watched, happy to have finally succeeded in changing a bad relationship into a friendly relationship. Walking to his car on campus, he paused to look around. The idea of spending the rest of his life on a campus like this was nice. Perhaps he could make that happen.

Returning home, he was surprised to see John and Rosa talking. Rather than intrude, he carried his books into the house and put them on his desk. He sat back in his chair and looked around his study. It slowly dawned on him that he didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day. That thought took him by surprise. He fixed himself a glass of iced tea and sat on the sofa. There was a general restlessness as he tried to identify what he should do for the rest of the day.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Answering, he found John standing there smiling at him. With a little gesture of his head, he invited John in and asked, "Would you like some iced tea?"

"Sure, that would be great. Living out of the RV is starting to get old."

Ed nodded his understanding and asked, "So how is she doing?"

Frowning, John said, "I have no idea. I haven't talked to Lily or Beth since Lily arrived. I'm getting worried."

The men sat on the sofa sipping their iced teas. It was a comfortable silence as each man thought about the situation. Ed said, "I noticed you were talking to Rosa."

Smiling John replied, "Yes. I don't know what you said to her, but it must have been something good. She hinted that she knew a little about Beth, Betsy, and myself. It was like she wanted to know if we were happy. I could tell that she was very interested in the idea."

Ed nodded and said, "I thought that myself. I hope you don't mind that I told her a little about the three of you."

The fact that the whole town didn't already know about it was a surprise to John. He had expected word to spread the morning of their tryst. It didn't bother him in the least. He answered, "No problem. I thought she already knew. I'm more impressed by her sudden change in heart about you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed said, "We just had a chance to talk, that's all."

Believing there was more to the story, John chose not to pursue it. He knew what it was like to be hounded by others wanting to get the full story about some event that was accidental. Instead, he said, "She's going over to talk to Maria. She said that you recommended it."

"Yes, I did," replied Ed. Although he had recommended it, he had not expected her to do it as soon as she returned home. He wondered what her need was that drove her to Maria's so quickly. Maybe she just needed to speak to another woman.

Another quiet settled in the room. The men thinking their thoughts, enjoyed the quiet company of the other. As the time passed, Ed broke the silence by saying, "I guess I can take in a couple of sunsets the next few nights. I've been so busy that I haven't had much of a chance to appreciate the world around me."

Nodding, John added, "Yes, it is important to keep that balance in your life. I always made time to hike."

"Maybe I'll get my horse and ride out in the desert for a couple of days."

Laughing, John asked, "What's wrong with walking?"

Smiling at John, Ed replied, "What's wrong with riding?"

In the past they had debated the issue of walking versus riding as a way to view nature. John's perspective was that it was better to feel the earth under him. Ed claimed that the height from the horse gave him a chance to view more of nature around him. There was no way that Ed would hike the kinds of distances that John enjoyed. The idea of riding a horse as far as Ed enjoyed was beyond John. Ten minutes on a horse and he couldn't walk the rest of the day. The difference in travel rates made it impossible for them to camp together. They accepted the differences, but could still share the common feelings that the outdoors generated within them.

The men resumed their quiet contemplation of the world. Ed refilled their glasses with more tea. Sitting back, he took a sip. John said, "Something big is going to happen soon. I don't know when and where, but it is going to be big."

"Is this to do with your service to the Goddess?"

Nodding, John answered, "Yes."

Ed said, "If Beth's not alright by then, you can count on Kelly and I to take care of her."

"I know that, Ed. I really appreciate all that you've done for her."

Shrugging, Ed replied, "Don't think anything about it."

Silence descended in the room again. John sipped his tea, enjoying the coolness. After about ten minutes, John said, "Well, I better get back out there and wait for Lily to get me."

Ed asked, "You want some company?"

John said, "You probably have some things to do around here. I always spent the day after my last final taking care of all those tasks that I put off through the whole semester."

Laughing, Ed said, "I hadn't thought about that."

"Yes. That means you'll be free tomorrow to ride out on the desert."

Now that John had mentioned it, there were a thousand little things around the house he had put off doing because he was so busy. He needed to change the oil in his truck, clean the house, and fill the pantry. He replied, "Just might be busy tomorrow too."

As John stood, he laughed and shook his head. He said, "Thanks for inviting me over. I had a great time."

"Same here. If you need some company, you know where to find it."

John and Ed parted at the door as John went to the RV and Ed went to the truck. After a trip to auto shop and the grocery store, Ed returned home. It didn't take him long to fill the pantry. There were four shelves. Soups went on one, canned vegetables on the second, canned fruits on the third, and dry goods on the fourth. His organization had surprised Kelly, she had stocked them in a random fashion and discovered him later moving the items around on the shelves.

Once that was done, Ed went out and started to work on his truck. Removing the bolt from the oil pan under the car, the oil drained into the oil bucket. The oil bucket was an old can that he had welded a screen about an inch from the top. It held a gallon and a half, more than enough for the oil in his truck. The bucket had a top that would allow him to carry it without spilling the oil. Some folks actually used their waste oil to reduce the amount of dust in their driveways, but he always took it down to the gas station when he was done.

Once the oil had drained out, he replaced the bolt in the oil pan after fishing it out of the screen on his oil bucket. After replacing the oil filter, he filled the truck with oil. Starting the engine he let it run for a little bit and checked to make sure there were no leaks. Satisfied that the job was well done, he cleaned up his tools and put the lid on his oil bucket.

As he was setting the oil bucket in the back of the truck, he noticed Rosa leaving Maria's house. He checked his watch and realized that she had been there for at least three hours. The two women must have had much more to talk about than he had realized.

She stopped at the end of the driveway and shouted, "Ed, I want to thank you. Why don't you and John stop by Maria's Cantina for dinner tonight? My treat."

About to decline, Ed looked at her and saw that she was positively glowing. Never had he seen her so happy. He called back, "Sure, John's in the RV, you might want to ask him if he's up to it."

John called out, "I'll be over there when Ed is ready."

Rosa skipped back to her car and drove to work. Even though she was an hour late and her sister would be furious, she didn't care. Finally after years of hiding, she had found something that she had been wanting for a long time, acceptance.

John sauntered over to where Ed watched her drive off. After watching the car turn the corner, he said, "Looks to me like Maria gave her some good advice. I've never seen her that happy."

"Well, Maria is a lot more perceptive than most people recognize." Ed thought back to his conversation with Maria where she had demonstrated that she saw and heard much more than she ever told. As a result of listening to people, he had discovered that many of the people around him were a lot deeper than he had expected.



-------

Chapter 13


Ed stepped out of the front door with two cups of coffee. One was his second cup and the other was for John. Instead of finding John sitting in the front door of the RV waiting for him, he saw a woman he didn't recognize. Looking down the street, he noticed Beth walking to the center of town. He set the coffee cups down.

Crossing the street, Ed knocked on the door. When John answered it, Ed asked, "I saw Beth heading down the street. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, we are getting ready to head west. Something big is going to happen."

Ed looked down the street at the receding figure of Beth. He asked, "So what's Beth doing?"

"She's gone to get some first aide supplies. She's coming with me."

Ed thought about it for half a second. Finals had finished yesterday and he didn't have to work for the rest of the week. He had nothing to do. He asked, "Can I help?"

John paused to consider his answer and realized that it was really Ed's decision to make. "Would you like to come with us?"

Ed smiled at the idea of helping someone. Realizing that Beth was coming, he knew that Kelly would want to come as well. He said, "You bet. I'll call Kelly. She'll want to come too."

John decided that a little help wouldn't hurt. He replied, "Okay. I can't promise that you'll be safe. We could be walking into a riot for all I know."

Ed shrugged as he said, "I'm not asking to be coddled."

John smiled and recommended, "Then you better get packed."

"I'll be right back." Ed turned and raced across the street. He picked up the coffee cups as he entered the house. Drinking first one and then the other, he dialed Kelly's number. When she answered, he said, "Kelly, I've got some news for you."

In a sleepy voice, she responded, "Can't it wait?"

Laughing, Ed replied, "Beth is up and around. I just saw her heading to town. John says she's okay now."

Excited Beth said, "I'm coming over."

"Hold on, there's more. John, Beth, and Lily are going west. He says there is something big going to happen there. He said that we could come and help. Are you interested?"

Kelly thought about it for a second and answered, "Beth is going?"

Knowing that the possibility of spending some quality time with Beth would capture her attention, he answered, "Yes, she's going."

"What should I pack?"

"I figure you'll need some pretty durable clothes. John doesn't know what is going to happen, but he expects it to be big."

Beth responded, "I'll be there in thirty."

Before he had a chance to say goodbye, she had hung up the phone. He made a bet with himself that she would be here in twenty minutes rather than thirty. Looking around the house, he finally located a tote bag to use as luggage. Packing two pairs of jeans, two shirts, some socks and briefs, he was ready to go.

As he walked around the house, he realized that he had better shut things off before leaving. In the kitchen, he unplugged the coffee pot and washed it so that it would be clean when he arrived back. The few dishes in the sink required washing. He was done in the kitchen in five minutes. In the bedroom, he made the bed and picked up his dirty clothes. If Kelly spent the night when they returned, then he wouldn't be embarrassed by his underwear lying on the floor.

Carrying his tote bag, he went out to the front of the house to wait for Kelly. The wait wasn't long. As she pulled her car into the driveway, he saw that she had a passenger with her. Beth got out of the car and came up to Ed with a smile on her face. She looked at Ed and said, "Hello, Ed. Nice to see you again."

"It's very nice to see you up and around again." He looked at her, hardly recognizing her this alive. He was used to seeing her walking around like a half-dead zombie. This vivacious alert woman standing in front of him was a shock. Even as he looked over Beth, Kelly bounded out of the car and threw herself on him. She kissed him over and over in her excitement.

Off balance by the attention, Ed finally grabbed Kelly and kissed her back. When they finally broke apart, Ed noticed the embarrassed look on Beth's face. She said, "I'm so sorry that I kept you two apart like I did. I'm afraid that I wasn't myself."

Eyes twinkling, Ed asked, "Are you talking about the colloidal eruptus incident?"

Beth, assuming that Ed didn't know the proper term, asked, "You mean coitus interruptus, don't you?"

Kelly laughed and answered, "That's a private joke between us. We spent more than a few days making word games on coitus interruptus and that was the one we liked the most."

Deciding it was a private joke that you had to be there to understand, Beth said, "Well, I'm really sorry about that."

"Don't worry. We understood," answered Ed. He pointed to the house across the street and said, "We should probably get over there."

The two women raced over to the car and pulled some bags out of the back. They divided the bags between them and rejoined Ed. Taking a couple of bags from each, he directed them across the street. John had just finished laying out plates with the food when Ed, Kelly, and Beth entered the house.

Once Beth had fetched Lily, they all sat down to eat. Silence descended upon the group as they each entertained private thoughts while eating. Throughout the meal, Kelly kept looking over her plate at Beth with a happy little smile on her face. She was ecstatic to see the doctor acting like herself. For his part, Ed was happy to see Kelly happy again.

After breakfast, John and Ed went into the kitchen to wash and dry the dishes. Each man was lost in his own thoughts; John wondering about what they faced and Ed wondering about Kelly and Beth. In the living room, the women were busy dividing the first aid supplies into two sets; one complete set for them and a small set for Lily.

The urge to leave grew until John could stand it no longer. He gathered everyone together and said, "We have to go now."

John and Ed sat in the front with John driving while Beth and Kelly sat in the back with Kelly holding Beth's hand. They pulled out of the driveway followed by Lily in her RV. Driven by an urge he could not explain, John drove without a map taking the roads that demanded his attention. He had no clue where he was heading so he couldn't plot a course. When they stopped for gasoline, Lily joined them and told him that she was being pulled in a different direction. The caravan split at a highway near the western end of Arizona.

They drove until they were outside of Los Angeles. It was getting dark and every one was tired. Weary, John pulled into a hotel and shut off the engine. He turned to Ed and asked, "What do you guys want to do about sleeping arrangements?"

Ed looked in the back at Kelly to see what she had to say. Shrugging her shoulders she indicated that she didn't care. John added, "I really don't want us to get spread out. I'd like to know that when things go south, that we are together."

Ed nodded at the wisdom of that. He suggested, "We either share a room or get connecting rooms."

Beth spoke up, "Let's share a room. I'm so tired I don't care."

"Okay." John got out of the car and went into the hotel lobby. He got a room with two double beds located in the back of the hotel and on the first floor. Grabbing their suitcases, the group filed into the room. Looking around at the tired people, Kelly said, "I hate to say this, but I'm hungry."

"Same here."

John suggested, "There's a chain restaurant across the parking lot. Let's go there and grab something. I'm exhausted and just want to get back here and sleep."

After dinner, every one returned to the hotel. John took a very quick shower and walked out of the bathroom naked. Too tired to care, he didn't even notice the looks from the others in the room. There wasn't an out of the way spot for him to use his sleeping bag so he lay down on one of the beds. After a few seconds, he fell asleep, leaving the other three standing around looking at each other.

With nowhere else to sit, the three of them climbed on other the bed. None of them were nearly as tired as John. They had been passengers while he had driven the entire day. The situation suddenly turned awkward. Finally, Ed asked, "So what did you two talk about all they way here?"

Smiling, Kelly responded, "Girl talk."

Winking at her, he replied in a falsetto voice, "Just imagine that I have long hair and breasts. Tell me all about it dearie."

His remark brought laughter to both of the women. It was the first time that he heard Beth laugh and he liked the sound. Kelly recovered first and said, "Can't do that. You'll still have a cock, cowboy."

As Ed blushed, Beth said, "You know, I don't really know you all that well. I'm sure that you don't know me as I really am."

For the next hour, the three of them talked about themselves and their desires. Kelly confessed her desire for a marriage with two husbands and a wife. Expecting Beth to react negatively, Ed was surprised when the two women started discussing the matter with great passion. Watching, he wondered if Beth was willing to accept him as a husband.

When the hour started getting late, Ed asked, "What do we do about the sleeping arrangements? I'm afraid that I didn't bring any nightwear."

Beth answered, "Well, we've all already seen each other naked. I don't think that will be a problem."

Blushing, Ed answered, "But you were off limits. I'm can't promise that I won't react to your presence now."

Amidst the laughter from Beth, Kelly said, "Cowboy, go take a shower. We'll get things straightened out while you're washing."

In the bathroom, Ed undressed and showered. His cock reacted to the thought of two naked women in the room with him, despite his knowledge that this was not a good time to have sex. He looked at the bar of soap, his erect cock, and the water flowing down the drain. Soaping his cock, he worked the soap into a lather as he stroked himself. He was trying for a quick ejaculation and the thought of sleeping in a room with two pretty woman provided sufficient fuel. In a minute, he was squirting come that arced through the air and landed on the floor of the shower. The soap burned the hole at the end of his cock. It was not a satisfactory orgasm, but it would at least take the edge off long enough to fall asleep.

After drying off and wrapping himself in his towel, he stepped out of the bathroom. The first sight that he saw was Kelly and Beth on the bed, naked and kissing. Months of desire on the part of Kelly drove her while the release from her inner demons gave Beth a desire to explore her ability to feel. With tented towel, Ed watched the most erotic sight of his life as the women took the time to thoroughly pleasure each other.

Knowing he was viewing a future that would become his when Kelly assembled her marriage, he began to seriously consider the rightness of it. Afraid to ruin the moment, he stood aside doing nothing but watching. Kelly called out, "Ed, come here. We have need of you."

Transfixed, Ed approached the bed. His eyes moved from blond to brunette and back again. The contrast between the two women was clear. Kelly, the shorter of the two, looked slightly overweight in comparison with Beth. Their measurements were the same, but more compact on Kelly. It was an illusion brought about by the difference in height. Beth looked to have smaller breasts than Kelly, but that again was an illusion.

Kelly drew him down to the bed and on his back. As Beth straddled him, Kelly whispered in his ear, "Let her enjoy herself. It has been so long for her."

Turning his head to face Kelly, he kissed her and replied, "I love you, Kelly."

Beth lowered herself upon his cock and started to ride him with an energy born from six months of abstinence. Under her, Ed stared up at her face, contorted in pleasure and focused inward. Her breasts bounced as she lifted and lowered herself upon his cock. His release in the shower, blunted the need for release although the eroticism of the moment drove him towards another orgasm.

As Kelly lowered her cunt to his lips, she blocked the view of Beth riding him. His attention was drawn to the juices forming on her nether lips. With the scent of a woman teasing his nose complemented by her taste on his tongue and the sensation of a woman riding his cock, Ed was convinced that he had died and gone to heaven. His eyes drank in the sight of Kelly looking down at him between her breasts as Beth's hands reached around and began to caress her. Under this multiple assault against all of his pleasure centers, he couldn't last long. He thanked God that he had come just minutes ago, otherwise he wouldn't have lasted as long as he did. It was long enough as both women reached orgasms before he.

After he collapsed on the bed, he felt Beth get up and head to the bathroom. He whispered to Kelly, "Do you want to help her wash?"

She whispered back, "I want to ride you for a minute."

An expression of frustration washed over Ed at the thought of what he was missing. He said, "I can't. I tried to be a gentleman and take care of it in the shower."

"My poor man," replied Kelly with a giggle. She sat up and said, "I think she may need her back washed."

Ed fell asleep while the pair were in the showers. When they came out, both were waterlogged and tired. Beth joined John in the one bed as Kelly joined Ed in the other. Beth waited until everyone was settled and then turned out the light.

Waking, Ed felt a hot cunt lowering itself on his cock. He looked up and saw Kelly settling down on him. With a smile, he said, "Good morning."

From beside him, Beth asked, "Are you hungry for a little pussy?"

Kelly answered for him, "He's always hungry for a little pussy."

While last night he had just jacked off in the shower before being in bed with the two women, this morning his urge was full force. Staring up at Beth while his tongue lapped her cunt and the sensation of Kelly riding his cock was too much for him to take. With a grunt, he came. His hips rising up to meet Kelly as she lowered herself upon him. Kelly continued to ride util she had an orgasm. Despite the fact that his cock was overly sensitive, Ed continued to lick Beth finally touching her clit in just the right way. She groaned in orgasm and collapsed off him.

With both women sated for the moment, Ed lay there panting while wondering what he had done to deserve such treatment. Never in his life had he dreamed that he would actually have sex with two women at the same time. Now it had happened to him twice.

Kelly lay on the bed next to him as Beth stood up. Beth climbed into bed with John and disappeared under the covers as Ed and Kelly watched. Within seconds, her efforts to wake John worked. They watched as he erupted almost as soon as she had started. He was recovering when Beth moved up to lie beside him. She teased, "I couldn't wait."

"That's okay," answered John. He put an arm around her as he rolled to his side in a spooning position. He looked at the other bed to see Ed and Kelly smiling over at him. He smiled and said, "Okay you guys, it's your turn."

Ed laughed and replied, "sorry, you're too late. You missed last night and this morning."

John glanced down at Beth and said, "No wonder you couldn't wait."

Beth blushed as she looked at Kelly and Ed. She answered, "Who said that I waited until now?"

"Oh."

They lay in bed for several more minutes before the urge to leave started growing in John. He said, "We need to get ready to go."

Hours later, John was driving in the inner city of Los Angeles. The trip had been boring until they had reached the destination. Pulling off the highway, John took a drive through an extremely rough neighborhood. This was an area that was frequently on the news because of gang troubles, drug use, and economic depression. Ed was uncomfortable and wondered what kind of situation they had gotten themselves. For the first time of the trip, he wished that he had brought a gun.

John stopped the car in front of a seedy looking hotel; a single story building that had been built in the fifties. Clearly, it had gone without a single repair since then. When John went inside to arrange a room, Ed looked at the people hanging around the parking lot. One room had a number of drug users within it, smoking crack and marihuana. A small Hispanic man stood outside, handing out drugs unconcerned about being seen.

Prostitutes, dressed in clothes that emphasized breasts and asses, walked around the entrance to the hotel. One was exiting from a room having just finished with a client and walked directly to the Hispanic man with drugs. The shorts she wore didn't cover her ass. Ed watched, wondering if her life would end any way except through violence.

When John returned with a key, they followed him to the room he had rented. Inside the room, a horrible smell hung in the air. The furniture was ripped and the bed was worn. There were no towels in the bathroom. The lock on the door didn't work properly. The ripped and torn curtains were hung crooked. Beth looked around, "We can't stay here."

While Kelly and Beth protested staying in the room, Ed preferred not to judge the situation knowing that John was being driven by his service to the Goddess. He didn't know if Kelly or Beth truly understood the nature of John's urges. He watched as John basically undressed to show off his scars. Anyone on the street would recognize the gunshot and knife wounds. With the proper attitude, John could easily gain the kind of respect that would keep them from being bothered.

John went outside and talked to the Hispanic man. Inside the room, the women were still protesting. Ed finally said, "This is his service to the Goddess. She won't allow anything to happen to him."

Kelly responded, "It's not him that I'm worried about."

Beth piped up, "We'll get gang raped."

When John returned, everyone crowded around him as though seeking the safety that he seemed to provide. He explained, "We won't be bothered. Now lets get this place cleaned up. We'll move a chair to the door and hook it under the door handle. Flip the bed up so that it covers the window. I have the sleeping bag here and we'll open it up and sleep on it."

"All four of us?" asked Beth with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah. It'll be fun."

The evening passed quickly with Beth taking advantage of three willing sex partners. Her recovery seemed to have triggered an insatiable sex drive in the woman. Ed could hardly believe that he was having sex with another man in the room. It was particularly hard to ignore John's huge cock. If John ever was short of cash, he could easily make a fortune in the porn business. Kelly was definitely attracted to it, but John politely deflected her interest.

The next morning, all hell broke loose as they were tossed awake by a very intense earthquake. It took them a few minutes to get dressed, but it wasn't long before the group started helping people. Much to Ed's surprise, John had gotten Juan, the Hispanic drug dealer, to help them. Juan supplied drugs to help out people that were injured. Despite his initial misgivings about the guy, he found him to be very resourceful and helpful. Any threats to the women were immediately stopped by Juan.

Juan was a tiger when the women were threatened, but gentle as a kitten in dealing with the women. Resourceful, the guy helped acquire supplies as needed, acted as translator for people that only spoke Spanish, and helped coordinate additional help. Ed wasn't sure why, but Juan treated John and himself like they were larger than life heroes. As far as Ed was concerned, they were very fortunate to have Juan helping them.

Ed worked through the day helping John pull people out of burning and collapsed buildings. It was an intense day of hard work, life threatening situations, and heart ache. For Ed, it was an emotionally exhausting day. The emotional toll had been much higher than he would have believed. He wondered if he would have nightmares from the sights that he had seen that day.

At one point, he had been through four apartments each filled with death and it suddenly became too much for him. As he knelt by one victim of the earthquake, he broke down and cried at the sight before him. A woman lay crushed by debris, all attractiveness banished by the damage heaped upon her body by fallen wood and brick. It wasn't fair that a young woman with so much life ahead of her should have it cut short in such a random fashion. It had taken a word by John to remind him that they were trying to save those that still lived from such a fate that allowed Ed to continue.

After the sun set, the group found themselves at an overpass that had collapsed onto the road below. When John wiggled through a hole in the rocks, Ed watched as he disappeared from view. Turning around, he was surprised to see a number of cars driving towards them. With a gesture to Juan, the two men stood together in front of Beth and Kelly to protect them from what ever might emerge from the cars.

When news reporters with television cameras boiled out of the caravan of trucks, Ed stared at them in shock. He glanced back at the women and asked, "What's going on?"

Beth looked at the crowd headed in their direction and shrugged. She answered, "I don't know, but you better get ready to answer questions."

Someone shouted out, "Are you the John Carter Rescue Squad?"

Ed had not heard that name, but Beth shouted back, "Yes, we are."

Finding a bright light shining in his eyes and a microphone shoved in his face, Ed looked around confused. A voice called out, "Are you John Carter?"

Answering automatically, he replied, "No. I'm Ed Biggers. John is in the underpass looking for survivors."

Another microphone appeared in front of his face. A second voice called out, "What did you do today?"

Automatically, Ed answered, "We just went from building to building helping people out. It's been a hard long day."

Another question was called out, "How many people did you rescue?"

The question gave Ed pause as he had no idea how many people they had pulled from collapsed buildings. He answered, "I have no idea. There were just so many that needed help."

Looking around at his companions, he saw that Juan was being interviewed in Spanish, Beth and Kelly were being interviewed by other reporters. It seemed to him that everyone was handling this attention much better than he. All he wanted to do was to leave. The interviewer who had been talking to Juan turned to Ed and said, "I understand that you ran into buildings and pulled people out as they collapsed. Is that true?"

"I guess so. Much of it is a blur at this point."

When John came out of the hole, the crowd of reporters swarmed over him. The other four were left alone for a moment. Turning to Kelly, Ed said, "I'd rather run into a burning building than face the press again."

She laughed and replied, "My cowboy just became a hero."

"No, just a heroes apprentice." Ed answered.

Laughing at the image his answer invoked, she was reminded of the famous cartoon of a mouse that was a sorcerers apprentice and all of the trouble he got into trying a spell. She had seen the personal bravery demonstrated by Ed and John all day. She grabbed his arm and said, "No. You were a full fledged hero today."

Feeling like anything except a hero, Ed answered, "I'm hungry, tired, and emotionally drained."

Beth came over to Ed and said, "You should be. You've worked a very hard day with only a single meal. I bet we've all lost about ten pounds today."

Several police officers arrived in three cruisers and helped to separate them from the press. One of them recognized Juan and started to question him in a very aggressive manner, all but accusing him of looting houses. Angered, Ed stepped in and said, "There are a hundred people that owe this man their lives today. He spent hundreds of dollars providing food, water, and medicine to the injured today. He's a hero and I demand that you treat him as such."

Staring at Ed, Juan couldn't believe that he had stood up to the cops for him. The officer relented and actually apologized to Juan, surprising the Hispanic man even more. The situation gave Juan pause. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he turned to the police officer and asked, "You try to help people every day, don't you?"

Stiffly, the officer replied, "Yes, that's why I do this job."

Juan was silent for a moment and then said, "I never thought of it that way before. It must be rewarding."

Watching the exchange, Ed could see the beginnings of a mutual respect developing. Smiling, he wondered what would happen to Juan in the future. Maybe today had given the man a new view on life.

With promises of being taken to a shelter where they would get a hot meal, they were ushered into the police cars, Ed and Juan in one and Kelly, Beth, and John in the other. In the sudden relative quiet of the car, Juan turned to Ed and asked, "Do you do this often?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No, but John does. He serves a Goddess that has him helping people all of the time. He gets a calling and goes to where he's needed. We came all the way from Arizona to be here."

Remembering how John had introduced himself the previous evening, Juan asked, "The scars. How did he get them?"

Quietly, Ed answered, "Doing what he did today. This wasn't the first time that he's charged into burning buildings or risked certain death to rescue people. He even died once."

Settling into his seat, Juan was very quiet. The police officer had listened to the exchange and asked, "What brought you here?"

"John. He felt something big was going to happen here. Having nothing better to do, I volunteered to come with him. Our girlfriends also came to help. We had no idea what was going to happen, just that it was going to be big."

The officer drove along quietly for a moment and then said, "Both of you guys are real heroes. We've been hearing reports about your activities all day. Half of us couldn't believe it."

Laughing, Ed answered, "You know something funny. I don't feel like a hero at all."

"You too?" asked Juan, relieved that he wasn't alone in how he was feeling. He added, "I feel good about the ones we saved, but horrible about the ones we couldn't. That poor guy that had his legs crushed nearly did me in."

Ed remembered the guy very clearly and answered, "I know who you mean."

Smiling, the officer said, "They cut that guy out a couple of hours ago. He's doing fine from what I understand."

Together, Ed and Juan replied, "Thank God."

When they arrived at the shelter, the officer opened the doors so they could get out. Stopping Juan, the officer extended a hand and said, "Juan, I hope that we can work on the same side from now on."

For a minute, Juan stood there looking at the officer and then took his hand. He replied, "I doubt with my record you will hire me, but I think a change in jobs is in store for me."

"I'm glad to hear that."

The two men joined John, Kelly, and Beth at the door of the shelter. The shelter was an elementary school with cots lined up inside the gymnasium. Inside, they all ran to the bathrooms to relieve their bladders and to wash some of the dirt and blood off their bodies.

Standing in front of a urinal meant for a little boy, Ed started laughing. At the puzzled looks from Juan and John, Ed said, "After all of the events of the day, it takes a kids urinal to make me feel like a big man."



-------

Chapter 14


With the coming of summer, life had settled into a nice routine for Ed. Mornings were spent in school, evenings were spent at work, and weekends were spent with Kelly. He was taking three courses the entire summer, a reduced load that left him with much more time to study and less material to study.

His sex life had taken on a greater role than ever. Kelly frequently spent the night with him. On many occasions, Beth joined them for the weekend. When John was gone, Beth would spend a night with him and a night with Kelly. That had been the case this week since John had disappeared on one of his mysterious trips. The relationship between Kelly and Beth was growing closer all the time.

The only problem was that John continued to avoid sex with Kelly. Frustrated, she couldn't understand why he politely rejected every advance that she made. Even Beth was working on John to get him to sleep with her friend, but still he refused. Ed knew that John must have a private reason that explained his behavior. While he didn't know what the reason was, he gave his friend the benefit of a doubt. Still, there were times when he wondered if John felt that Kelly wasn't good enough for him.

Returning from work late in the afternoon, Ed was surprised to see John's jeep following behind him on the street to his house. Pulling into the driveway, Ed wandered across the street to welcome his friend back. He paused when he saw John get out of the jeep wearing a cloak and carrying his walking stick. The cloak was new and made him look like some kind of mystic. The long hair, beard, cloak, and staff give the definite impression of a wizard. He froze in his tracks when a huge cougar jumped out of the car and sat next to John.

Seeing Ed's reaction to the cat, John headed over to him with the cat following. Surprised at the sight of the cat, Ed was unable to think of anything original to say. Instead, he just said, "I thought I saw a pussy cat. I did, I did!"

Laughing, John just shook his head. The cat looked at Ed like he was an idiot. Finally, getting his laughter under control, John said, "That's the best reaction I've gotten yet. I'd like to introduce you to Rover. Rover, this is Ed. He's my best friend."

With a great display of indifference, the cat came over to Ed and sniffed him. Not knowing what else to do, Ed knelt down next to the cat and looked it in the eye. It was a magnificent animal. He said, "I expect we'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on."

Returning back to John, the cat sat down and just watched Ed. Ed looked at the cat, the cloak, and John. He noticed the solid white beard and white stripes in John's hair. Thinking about what that meant, he asked, "Let me guess. A gift from the Gods and Goddesses?"

Nodding, John replied, "From the God."

Looking down at the cat, Ed said, "He's a magnificent animal."

"Well, I haven't figured out yet what I'm supposed to do with him." Looking down at the cat, it just sat there looking around at the surroundings.

Ed suggested, "How about taking him into the house and letting him stake out his own territory?"

Laughing, John gestured to the house and said, "Come on. Let's get some iced tea and watch the sunset. I have a feeling it is going to be spectacular tonight."

Together the two men went into the house. As John prepared two glasses of iced tea, Ed watched the cat scout out the house. He noticed the attention the cat was giving the bathroom. After a few minutes of watching, Ed asked, "Could you give me a big bowl?"

Shrugging, John handed him his large cooking pot. After filling it with water, Ed carried it out with him to the patio. John brought out the two glasses of iced tea and watched as Ed set the pot on the ground. Each man sat down in his customary chair as Rover came out of the house and drank from the pot. John said, "I think it's going to be three of us watching sunsets together from now on."

Laughing, Ed replied, "I don't mind. I rather enjoy the company."

The two men sat there watching the sun slowly set. The sky glowed with a deep red color tinged with gold and purple. The sight took their breath away, making each man feel small in the face of the glory that is nature. As the sky darkened, Ed asked, "Is that what the Goddess looks like?"

Surprised by the question, both John and the cat looked at Ed. John answered, "Yes. That is what the Goddess looks like."

The easy quiet that was normal between the two men returned as they took pleasure in the undemanding presence of the other. Each man thought his own thoughts. If Beth or Kelly had been present, there wouldn't be a moment of silence. The night sky slowly darkened and the stars emerged overhead. Ed said, "I could see serving the Goddess."

John looked at his friend in surprise and asked, "What brought that on?"

"I was just thinking about the sunset."

Taking a deep breath as he remembered his experience with the God, John said, "The God is more like a tornado, power concentrated beyond belief."

The silence descended once more. Ed thought about the Gods and Goddesses, wondering what it was like to serve them. From his personal experience, he knew that John's service to the Goddess served the good. In the year that he had had known John, the man had saved more lives than even legendary characters in the greatest of literature.

"What do you think your service to the God will entail?"

John answered, "I don't know. I feel an urge to go to the FBI building in Phoenix, but I have no idea what that means."

After a short silence, Ed said, "I think it will be a rewarding service."

Looking at Ed out of the corner of his eye, John asked, "Are you thinking about joining us?"

Shaking his head in the negative, Ed replied, "Not really. I was just thinking about what the service to the Gods and Goddesses must entail."

After a little more time had passed, Ed asked, "What do you say to dinner at Maria's Cantina?"

The idea appealed to John, but a glance down at Rover made him reconsider. He said, "I'm not sure how Maria will react to Rover."

Laughing, Ed replied, "I've got a feeling that Rover is going to be around for a long time. Might as well get folks around here used to him."

Together, the two men headed towards Maria's Cantina followed by Rover padding along beside them. More than one neighbor ran into the house at the sight of the cat emerging from the dark. After the third time that happened, Ed laughed and said, "I think they saw a pussy cat."

At the restaurant, Ed went in first to talk to Maria. When he entered, Maria said, "Hello, Ed. Are you here for dinner?"

Looking out the door at John, Ed said, "That depends. John has a cat with him and is afraid that you won't let him in with it."

"A cat?"

Smiling Ed said, "Yeah, it's a big cat, but it won't let John out of its sight."

Frowning, Maria asked, "He can't leave it at home?"

"No, it followed him here."

It was a slow evening and she needed the business. Deciding that if John could control the cat, then it would be alright, she said, "Okay."

Ed called out the door, "It's okay John."

When John entered with Rover, Maria made the sign of a cross several times. Afraid, she squeaked, "That's not a cat."

John performed the introductions, "Rover, Maria. Maria, Rover."

After making another cross, Maria took John and Ed to a table in the corner hoping that it was out of the way enough not to bother anyone. While Maria did everything she could to keep her distance from Rover, Rosa was just the opposite. She immediately fell in love with the cat and tried bringing out all kinds of treats for it. After a generous amount of raw hamburger she brought out a big bowl of ice cream.

John and Ed were basically ignored by Rosa as she pampered the cat. The food was good and the men enjoyed each others company, so the evening wasn't a total loss. Only a few of the customers even noticed the cat. The general reaction, after the initial surprise, was one of curiosity, but people were polite enough not to bother them while they were eating.

As they were leaving, John stopped to talk to Maria. Edging away to keep as much distance between her and the cat, she asked, "What can I do for you John?"

John looked around the restaurant and said, "I was just thinking about how you might get a little more business."

At that, Maria started paying more attention to John than to the cat. John said, "You might want to start a delivery service. When Ed suggested that we come eat here, I was about to say that we should call in for take out, except you don't have take out."

Maria turned thoughtful trying to figure all of the implications of introducing take out. After a minute, she said, "There are some details that I would have to work out."

Understanding her hesitancy, John said, "Well, you can probably get Manuel or his son to deliver for tips. You won't have to wash dishes or occupy table space, so that would be a cost savings."

"Thank you, John. I'll think about it." Maria was quiet as she considered the implications from a business perspective.

As they were about to leave, Rosa popped around the corner and said, "If you see Maria, remind her that I'm coming over tomorrow."

Both men turned to look at Rosa. She blushed, but looked back at them without guile. John answered, "Of course, Rosa."

Absentmindedly, Maria said, "Don't be late tomorrow, Rosa. I don't know what you and her do, but you're always late coming back from there."

"Yes, Maria," replied Rosa.

Watching the exchange, Ed realized that there was more going on here than met the eye. He didn't know what it was and it wouldn't take long to find out, but he chose to respect her privacy. Stepping outside, he waited for John while watching the stars.

It was a few minutes later when John stepped out of the restaurant with Rover beside him. The cat looked around for a few seconds and then headed over to a sandy spot. Squatting, the cat went to the bathroom. Ed said, "You're going to have to get a litter box."

Looking at the cougar, John asked, "What do you use for litter box for a cat that size?"

"How about one of those plastic pools for little kids?" replied Ed.

The cat stepped away and covered its pile with sand using its front paws. Looking at its behavior, it was clear that this was just a big cat. The cat returned to walk beside John. About half way home, the cat ran over to the side of the road and squatted. The two men stopped and waited. Ed said, "I think the cat has diarrhea."

Nodding his agreement, John said, "I was afraid of that. Too much ice cream."

The men waited for the cat to finish its business. Ed said, "I think you'll have to sleep with your back door open tonight. The cat will need to go outside a couple of times."

Watching the cat, John had to agree. He said, "I think you're right."

"We might want to let some of the neighbors know the cat is yours. I would hate for one of them to take a shot at him."

"I hadn't thought of that," replied John. About that time, the cat covered its pile and rejoined them.

As the three of them walked back towards the house, Ed went from door to door letting the neighbors know that they weren't to shoot the cat. Finally, he reached Maria's house. Knocking on the door, he remembered the message from Rosa.

Carlos, Maria's husband, answered the door and greeted him, "Hello, Ed."

Nodding, Ed said, "Hello Carlos. I came by to give you two messages. One for your wife and one for you."

Scratching his stomach, Carlos wondered what kind of message Ed could have for him. He was seldom home, working long hours in Phoenix. He ran his own lawn care business with a crew of about thirty people working for him. The entire day was usually spent going from one place to another to make sure that everyone was working. He asked, "What do you have to tell me?"

With a little gesture towards John's house, Ed said, "Your neighbor John has a cat. It's a full grown cougar. I came by just to let you know so that you won't shoot it thinking it's a wild animal."

Laughing, Carlos shook his head in wonder. He had only met John once or twice, but Maria was quite taken with him. He said, "So he got himself a cougar? I've seen weirder pets in the city. I won't shoot it."

The comment about weirder pets made Ed wonder. He asked, "What kinds of pets have you seen?"

Carlos answered, "Some of those rich folk are crazy. They've got lions, monkeys, ostriches, and other animals that don't belong around people. Hell, one bastard has a crocodile that attacked one of the men that works for me. My insurance rates went up on that one."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I guess one cougar doesn't quite measure up to a lion."

Carlos laughed and said, "I guess not. So what was the other message?"

The prompt reminded Ed of the second message. He answered, "Actually, it's from Rosa. She just wanted to remind Maria that she was going to come over tomorrow."

Carlos stepped back and asked, "Rosa? Isn't that Maria's sister from over at the restaurant?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes."

"I didn't know that Maria and Rosa were friends. Hold on." He turned and called into the house, "Maria, can you come out here?"

Wondering if he had just caused a problem, Ed suddenly felt uncomfortable. He didn't really know Carlos that well and wasn't privy to any details about their marriage. As far as he knew, everything was fine.

Maria came to the door and upon seeing Ed greeted him, "Hello Ed."

Carlos said, "Ed said that Rosa was coming over for a visit tomorrow."

Smiling at Ed, she answered, "Oh that's great news. I was hoping that she could make it."

The smile that Maria had given Ed reminded him of the day when she had told him that she knew about John, Beth, and Betsy. Carlos had noticed the smile also and asked, "Have you been seeing a lot of her?"

Looking at her husband, she winked and answered, "I would say so."

He shuffled his feet uncomfortably and said, "I'm glad you found a friend."

Uncomfortable with the tension, Ed said, "Well, I just wanted to tell you about the cat and pass on the message from Rosa."

Carlos surprised Ed by asking, "Do you mind if I walk across the street with you?"

"No problem. Would you care for some iced tea?"

Carlos smiled and answered, "I heard that you gave up beer. Sure, I'll have some iced tea."

The two men went across the street with Ed leading the way. He showed Carlos into the house. Carlos took a seat on the couch while Ed prepared two iced teas. From the kitchen, he called out, "Do you take sugar in yours?"

"Yeah, just a teaspoon," replied Carlos. Looking around the house, he was surprised that it was so neat. The stories going around about Ed had made him curious. Everyone said that he was a different person than before. He didn't know the truth, but he did want to make sure that his wife wouldn't have any problems from Ed.

Ed brought out the iced tea and handed the glass to Carlos. Sitting down in his favorite chair, he turned to face his visitor. He asked, "I assume you want to talk to me about something."

"Straight to the point," replied Carlos. He took a sip of the tea and nodded his approval. After another sip, he said, "I don't want to see my wife hurt by any wild rumors."

Sitting up straight, Ed asked, "Is someone spreading rumors about Maria?"

Taken aback by Ed's sudden interest, Carlos said, "No, I just want to make sure that you don't start any."

Relaxing, Ed sat back and said, "I wouldn't do that. She's a friend of mine."

This surprised Carlos more than anything that he had heard. In a tone that bordered on insulting, he asked, "Since when did you care?"

"Since the day John Carter rescued your son and I stood there like an asshole afraid to move."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Carlos was confused and began to suspect that all of the stories he had heard about Ed were true.

"It was an honest question. You deserved an honest answer," replied Ed as he wondered how long it would take for him to live down his past reputation as a bigot and a bully.

Carlos cleared his throat and said, "I'm really sorry. I just worry about Maria."

Concerned, Ed asked, "Is there a problem with Maria?"

A debate raged within Carlos as he struggled to decide if he should trust Ed. Watching him, Ed recognized the signs of inner turmoil and said, "Look. You don't have to tell me if it is something personal. I just wanted to know if I could help. If you really have a problem, you might want to talk to John. You can trust him."

Carlos realized that he could trust Ed, but didn't feel like he could tell the man about this problem. Finally, he said, "I'm sorry. I just can't discuss it."

"No problem," replied Ed. He glanced at the iced tea glass and asked, "Would you like some more iced tea?"

Surprised at the hospitality, Carlos answered, "Sure."

Taking the glass from Carlos, Ed went into the kitchen and refilled it. He came back and handed it to Carlos. Sitting in his chair, he said, "Life is funny. A year ago the idea that I could have a girlfriend would have shocked everyone. The fact that she is beautiful, intelligent, kind, and caring is beyond my belief."

"Sounds like love."

"Yes, it is." Ed took a long sip of his tea and looked over at Carlos. Finally, he said, "You and Maria seem to get along alright. At least, I don't hear any arguments coming from your house. You have a nice kid. You must be doing something right. Do you have any advice?"

Chuckling, Carlos said, "You have to learn to accommodate each other."

That sounded much simpler on the surface than the reality. Once he thought about it, Ed asked, "Would you care to elaborate?"

"Look, Maria and I have many things in common. Those areas aren't the problem. It is where we differ that we could have problems and we have a lot of differences." Carlos added, "Some of the things that she desires drives me crazy, but I let her have them because she truly desires them. Some of them I can't give to her, but I give her the freedom to get them elsewhere. She does the same for me."

"That sounds like good advice," replied Ed. He hadn't thought about it. If he accepted the style of marriage that Kelly wanted, that would give her a desire that she truly wanted. He might not be wild about the idea, but it was for her.

Abruptly, Carlos changed the subject by asking, "What do you know about Rosa?"

"I know quite a bit. She's a friend of mine."

Looking at Ed over the top of the iced tea glass, he took a sip, swallowed it, and asked, "What can you tell me about her?"

Not trusting the sudden interest in Rosa, Ed said, "I can't tell you anything. You can talk to Rosa and she will answer any questions that she feels like answering."

"Oh, come on. It'll be just between us men."

Frowning, Ed replied, "Carlos, I do not talk about my friends behind their back. I do not tell things that they have told me in private. I won't answer any questions that you may have about Rosa. If you want to know more about Rosa, I suggest that you ask her."

Sitting back, Carlos realized that Ed took confidences very seriously. Realizing that he was wrong not to trust Ed, he sat back in the chair and said, "Maria likes women."

Having had that suspicion, Ed nodded and asked, "Is that a problem?"

"Maybe you didn't understand me. Maria likes women."

"So do I. I assume you do too. So what is the problem?" Ed wanted Carlos to say what he thought the problem was.

Frustrated, Carlos said, "Are you daft? Maria likes women."

"I'm not daft," replied Ed. "I understand she likes women. I want to know what is the problem."

Believing that Ed didn't get what he was saying, Carlos leaned forward and said, "She likes women in a sexual way."

Leaning forward, Ed said, "I understood that. I still don't see the problem."

"You don't see a problem?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No. Does she like you in a sexual way?"

"Yes," replied Carlos. They had a very active sex life with her initiating sex many times. The only problem in bed was that he liked anal sex very much and she hated it.

"Then I don't see a problem," said Ed. He sat back and took a sip of his iced tea.

Floored beyond belief, Carlos stared at Ed hardly recognizing the man in front of him. He asked, "You really don't see a problem with that?"

Ed answered, "I don't see a problem with that. In fact, I see some benefits to that."

"Benefits?"

Ed said, "Yes, benefits. It is not many men that can wake up with two women in his bed."

Carlos scoffed, "What do you know?"

Laughing, Ed said, "My girlfriend likes women too."

Shocked by the revelation, Carlos dropped his glass of iced tea. He picked up the glass as Ed went into the kitchen to get a towel to soak up the liquid. Returning to the living room, he wiped up the spill. Once the spill was cleaned up, he went back into the kitchen and refilled the glass with iced tea. He brought it out and set it on the coffee table.

The entire time Ed had been clearing up the mess, Carlos had sat there stuttering. Ed sat down and said, "Sorry to have surprised you with that. I assumed you knew. I know that Maria is very well aware of that fact."

After processing what Ed had just said, Carlos finally said, "You don't have a problem with the fact that your girlfriend likes women?"

Ed said, "The only problem that I have is that I can't keep up with them. The male body just isn't built for repeat performances in the same way that the female body is."

Carlos started laughing and once he started he couldn't stop laughing. Slapping his knee, he finally managed to say, "Hard to believe that the one man that I was sure would drag us through the mud understands."

Smiling, Ed waited until Carlos quit laughing. He understood the relief the man must have felt even though it wasn't very complementary to him. When Carlos had calmed down a little, Ed said, "Let me make a telephone call."

Ed went into his study and dialed Maria's Cantina. Maria answered in her normal business like manner and said, "Maria's Cantina. This is Maria."

Ed replied, "Maria, this is Ed. Could I speak to Rosa?"

When Rosa picked up the phone, Ed said, "Rosa, this is Ed. Could I ask you to do me a favor?"

Surprised by the request, Rosa answered, "Sure, what do you need?"

Ed answered, "I have someone here that needs to talk to you. Could you come over?"

Uncertain, Rosa considered the request and decided that if Ed had bad intentions, he would have made that clear by now. She said, "Sure, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

Ed said, "Thanks."

Returning to the living room, he noticed that Carlos looked like he was ready to leave. Thinking quickly, he decided that the only way to keep him there was to show him his study. "Carlos, I'd like to show you something. I think you'll like it."

Following Ed, Carlos went into the study. He froze on entering it. Turning around with his mouth open, he looked at all of the rocks mounted on shelves. Entranced, he looked at the various specimens, spending the most time looking at the copper. Now that he had invited several people in to see his collection Ed was amazed that the copper sample always received more attention than the gold sample four inches away. Carlos looked up at Ed and said, "I heard that you were studying rocks, but I had no idea."

Smiling, Ed replied, "Not many people knew about this interest of mine. I know that my decision to go to college surprised a lot of people. Hell, it surprised me."

"This is amazing. It reminds me why I got into the lawn care service. I wanted to create gardens that were works of art. Occasionally, I get to do that, but most of my business is mowing lawns." Carlos wished that he could do more real landscaping, but people just didn't expect that from a Latino.

Surprised by the revelation, Ed asked, "Why aren't you doing more of that?"

Embarrassed, Carlos said, "Rich folks that can afford real landscaping don't go to a Latino."

Having grown up and lived in an area where most of the population was Hispanic, Ed hadn't thought about that. He sat down in his chair and said, "That sucks."

"Yes, it does."

Ed was silent for a moment and then said, "You need a beard."

"How is growing a beard going to help my business?"

Laughing, Ed said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that kind of beard. I meant that you needed someone to deal with your customers that they find acceptable while you get to do the part that you enjoy."

Carlos said, "Won't work. Can't bring in a partner to my business."

Ed leaned forward and said, "Look, you start a separate business with some guy that is into garden pools or something like that. Find someone you like that you think you can work with. Grow the real landscaping into a real business."

Impressed with the concept, Carlos stood there staring at Ed. The silence drug on as he considered the advice. Finally, he said, "I'll think about it."

At that time, there was a knock on the front door. Ed said, "Come with me. There is someone you need to meet."

Ed answered the door and invited Rosa into his house. When she had stepped inside, Ed said, "Rose, Carlos. Carlos, Rose. You two have some things to talk about. I'll be outside looking at the stars."

As Ed closed the door behind him, Rose and Carlos stared at each other. Outside, Ed wondered if he had introduced them in the proper order. Was it supposed to be that he was to introduce the woman first and then the man? He didn't know and wondered where one would look something like that up.

Lowering the tailgate on his truck, he sat down on it and watched the stars. They were spectacular that night. Fifteen minutes later, a very nervous Maria crossed the street. He said, "Hello Maria. How are you doing tonight?"

Looking around nervously, she asked, "Where's Carlos?"

Laughing, he replied, "He's in the house. While we were talking, I had company. They are in there talking away. I figured I would be in the way, so I came out here. Have a seat and watch the stars with me for a while."

Confused, Maria sat down and asked, "So who is he talking to?"

Ignoring her question, Ed asked, "Did you ever think of including Carlos? You know, invite him into your bed with her."

"What do you mean?"

Ed looked at Maria and said, "You know about John, Beth, and Betsy. You know about Kelly, Beth, and me. What's wrong with you, Rosa, and Carlos?"

"Nothing, I guess," replied Maria as she looked towards his house. She wondered if she actually had the nerve to do that. Carlos had always seemed upset about her desires as if her need was a comment on his manhood.

Nodding, Ed said, "Nothing wrong with that idea as far as I'm concerned. You might want to get them and take them over to your place. I imagine they are about at a point in their conversation where you might want to be involved."

Licking her lips nervously, Maria asked, "Why did you do this?"

Looking up at the stars and making out the Little Dipper, Ed answered, "I saw three people all struggling with the same problem. No one was talking to another, each of you was trying to solve the problem all alone. It wasn't working. You know that. I know that. Hell, they know that. The only way you three are going to be happy is to talk to each other. Now get your hubby and your girlfriend."

Shyly, like a virgin bride approaching her marital bed, Maria went to the front door and knocked. Ed watched as the three headed across the street, to talk honestly for a change. The stars were particularly bright that night and he was glad that he had come out to look at them.



-------

Chapter 15


A very angry Kelly stomped around her apartment shouting, "Why doesn't he want me?"

It was easy to understand her frustration, John had consistently rejected every offer to go to bed with her. Beth had invited her into their bed and he had made love to Beth, but refused to even touch her. Even Beth had been irritated by the outright rejection of her lover by John.

Knowing that any attempt to calm things down would fail, Ed sat mutely on the couch watching the tirade continue. He believed John wasn't going to sleep with her until he was ready to make a commitment to her. It was the same reason that he had waited to make love to her. He couldn't tell her that since it was John's reason and they should discuss it with each other.

Beth sat next to Ed on the couch, watching her lover vent her frustration. Having Ed here made it much more difficult to talk to Kelly. There were times when having a man around wasn't desired and this was one of those times. Still stomping around, Kelly shouted, "The man must hate me!"

Tired of it all, Ed said, "Be quiet for a moment and lets clear up some things."

Kelly and Beth both turned on Ed with eyes that shot daggers at him. The attention was not exactly the kind that he had desired, but he would accept it. In the midst of the quiet, Ed asked, "Kelly, is it agreed that you want you, Beth, John, and I to become wife, wife, husband and husband?"

Surprised that he was stating the obvious, Kelly answered, "Yes. That is what I want more than anything else in the world. The problem is that John hates me."

Ed turned to Beth and asked, "Is that kind of marriage what you want?"

Looking over at Kelly, Beth smiled and said, "Yes, I want that."

Looking from one woman to the other, Ed said, "I am willing to accept John as a husband to have both of you as wives."

Kelly and Beth looked at each other for a second concerned with how he worded it. Kelly asked, "You're willing?"

"Yes, I'm willing," replied Ed. He continued, "So three of the four principals involved all agree on what they would like. Now, has anyone asked John?"

A sudden silence descended on the room. It was not the comfortable kind of silence that existed during conversations between John and Ed. It was the uneasy kind that followed the realization that someone screwed up. Looking from Kelly to Beth, Ed said, "Now, I think someone needs to talk to John and see what his feelings are about this whole idea. Myself, I'm going home."

Leaving two stunned women behind, Ed went to his truck and drove towards his house. It was only after he pulled out of the apartment complex that he understood to what actions he had committed himself.

The drive home wasn't that long, but Ed didn't arrive home for several hours. As he was heading there, he noticed Manuel by the side of the road kicking his old truck. Pulling over, he called out, "What's the matter?"

"Senior Ed, my truck is dead. The transmission is shot," answered Manuel. Of all the people in town, Manuel never thought one way or the other about Ed. Ed was just another possible customer and that was all that mattered to Manuel. Although he was the hardest working man in the entire area, Manuel barely made a living. The family lived in the worst house in town, barely able to get by from month to month.

Seeing that Manuel was alone, Ed asked, "Where's your son?"

Grimacing, Manuel said, "He's in the other truck with the other half of the load. I took the old truck so that we would only have to make one trip."

After driving his the truck closer, Ed got out and said, "Well, let's get your load in the back of my truck. I can't help you with your truck, but we can at least deliver your load."

"Gracias Senior Ed," replied Manuel. He moved to the back of his truck and lowered the tailgate. The back of the truck was filled with auto parts from the junkyard. It was a heavy load, far too heavy for the old truck.

Together the two men transferred the load to Ed's truck. It took them about thirty minutes to move all of the parts. The physical work felt good to Ed and allowed him to burn off some of his frustration. Manuel was quiet, just working nonstop.

Ed asked, "So where is all of this stuff going?"

Manuel replied, "To the high school. The auto shop class is rebuilding a mustang."

"Sweet," remarked Ed. He had never had a mustang, but it was a very popular car when he was growing up.

The ride to the high school was quiet until Ed spotted Manuel's son driving towards him. Stopping the car, he rolled down the window and flagged him down. Stopping his truck so that he and Ed were side by side, Joe called out, "I see you have my father with you."

Ed answered, "Sure do. His truck broke down back there. We're taking the load over to the school."

The irritation on Joe's face was obvious to Ed. Joe glared at his father and said, "I told him that truck wouldn't make it."

Recognizing the tension between Joe and Manuel, Ed tried to change the subject. He said, "Why don't you follow us back to the school and help us unload?"

Frowning, Joe answered, "Okay. I'll see you there."

As Ed drove on to the school, Manuel said, "My son thinks he knows more than I do about this business. He thinks that we don't charge enough. He isn't very happy and will probably quit. That will mean the end of it."

Rather than admit that he agreed with the son, Ed asked, "How much are you getting paid for this job?"

Manuel replied, "Fifty dollars."

"How can you make any money charging that little?"

Surprised, Manuel looked at Ed and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I figure that it took you a half an hour or more to load the truck. For two of you, that's an hour of work. It will take another hour of work for you to unload it. The junkyard is about an hour and a half away. I figure that is a three hours spent one way for you and Joe. Round trip makes that six hours. So that's eight hours of work so far. You've got to pay for gas for two trucks, I figure that's about fifteen or twenty bucks. So let us say, twenty. That means you actually have thirty dollars for eight hours of work. You just made less than four dollars an hour."

Shocked, Manuel looked at Ed and said, "Four dollars an hour?"

Turning into the drive at the high school, Ed answered, "Yes. Of course, it's probably going to take you another hour for the two of you to take care of the truck. Then you have the repair bills. I would suggest that this job probably cost you money."

Manuel replied, "I charge what people are willing to pay."

Shaking his head, Ed countered, "You charge what you think people are willing to pay. They are actually willing to pay more."

Manuel said, "I'll lose business."

"You'll lose business that's costing you money. Besides, you are the only one in the county doing that. They don't have much choice except to do it themselves. They'll discover that you're a lot cheaper even if you are charging more."

After being quiet for a moment, Manuel asked, "So how much would you have changed?"

Smiling at Manuel, Ed said, "I would have taken a simple ten dollars an hour for each person and five dollars an hour for each vehicle. That comes to about a hundred and twenty. Of course, if I was really serious about it, I would determine how much it actually costs for the truck. I'd charge fifteen an hour for you and ten for your son. That way, when you are ready to expand the business you can actually hire someone."

"Hire someone?"

"Sure, I'd get someone to drive a second truck as soon as possible. That way, I could make a couple of dollars or so for each hour that they are working." Parking the truck next to the garage of the auto shop, Ed turned off the engine. He turned to Manuel and said, "You are one of the hardest working men in the county. You deserve to get paid for your work. So does your son."

Getting out of the truck to greet the instructor for the shop class, Ed said, "The transmission on Manuel's truck went out on the way here."

"That's a shame."

As Manuel got out of the truck, Ed asked, "How about having the shop class fix up the truck instead of paying for the hauling?"

Staring at Ed, Manuel was shocked that he would ask for a transmission job as payment. They ran hundreds of dollars. He was even more shocked when the instructor said, "Sure. No problem. The kids can always use more experience with trannies."

Joe pulled up behind Ed and got out to help unload the truck. Glaring at his father, the two men quickly went to work while Ed talked to the shop teacher. Glancing at them out of the corner of his eye, Ed could see the father and son talking to each other. The instructor went over to supervise the placement of the parts in the workshop.

Once the parts were unloaded, Ed went over to the three men and put a hand on Joe's shoulder. He said, "Joe, why don't you stay here and make the arrangements for getting the transmission repaired on the truck? Maybe you can get a friend to help you tow it here."

Uncomfortable at the attention from Ed, Joe replied, "Okay."

Smiling at his discomfort, Ed said, "I'm going to take your father over to Shirley's for something cool to drink."

Manuel replied, "I don't drink. You know, I drive for a living and can't afford it."

"Neither do I. I was thinking of a coke," said Ed. Noticing the shocked looks from the three men, he added, "Besides. It's early afternoon at Shirley's and she won't be busy. You should talk to her. She's a sharp business woman."

Leaving behind a shocked Joe, Ed and Manuel drove over to Shirley's. As he parked, Ed said, "I hope that you didn't mind me taking your payment in trade. I figure the transmission job is worth as much as you should have charged."

Manuel replied, "Mind? I don't mind. My son was overjoyed."

Entering the bar, Ed saw that they were the only ones there. Business wouldn't pick up until five that afternoon. For now, they would be able to talk to Shirley without interruption. Looking up in surprise to see customers, Shirley smiled when she saw Ed. She said, "Cokes?"

Turning to Manuel, Ed asked, "Is coke okay?"

"Sure."

Turning to Shirley, Ed said, "Three cokes. We came here to talk to you."

Looking at the two men, Shirley went to the bar and filled a pitcher with coke. She handed the pitcher to Ed. Filling three glasses with ice, she carried them to a table and sat down. Ed and Manuel joined her at the table. After the glasses were filled and distributed around the table, Shirley asked, "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

Ed said, "Manuel works too hard and makes too little. I think that he needs some business advice from a real business person. You and Maria are the best in the area."

Laughing, Shirley said, "You don't know that. You just like talking to me."

Ed laughed and shook his head. There were times when he worried about Shirley and the fact that she didn't get out enough. Still, she managed to keep her sense of humor even though she dealt with drunk cowboys half the day. He said, "No. I'm serious. You need to tell him about the local chamber of commerce, how to estimate his jobs, and how to tell if his business is doing good or not."

Turning thoughtful, Shirley looked at Manuel. She finally said, "You know. I never think about what you do as a business, but it is. I bet you don't think of it as a business, too."

Manuel said, "I just haul things."

Realizing what Ed wanted to accomplish, Shirley turned to Manuel and said, "You haul things for money. That is a business. You deserve to make a descent wage and a profit for your efforts."

Ed added, "You also have to pay Joe a descent wage. He's probably wanting to get married. For that, he wants to have his own house."

Looking from one to the other, Manuel looked like he wanted to bolt. Taking a sip of his coke just to have something to do, he finally replied, "Maybe my son has a point."

As Shirley and Manuel talked, Ed finished his coke. He stood and said, "I've got to use the rest room."

The pair ignored him as he stood and went to the bathroom. As he stood at the urinal relieving his bladder, he realized that he couldn't do any more to help Manuel. It was time for him to head home. Leaving the bathroom, he noticed that Joe had stopped in and joined his father at the table with Shirley. Rather than leave immediately, Ed made a detour to the bar to pick up an extra glass for Joe. Pulling a ten out of his pocket, he put it on the bar to pay for the drinks.

At the table, Ed set the glass in front of Joe and said, "Here you go. Have some coke."

"Thanks."

Turning to Shirley, he said, "I put the money for the coke on the bar. I'll see you later."

"Thanks," replied Shirley with a quick smile in his direction. She was still working on some of the business details with Manuel and hardly heard Ed.

Ed left the bar and drove home. After parking his truck and getting out, he was tackled by a very exuberant Rosa. As she planted kisses all over his face, Ed tried to figure out what was going on. Finally getting control of the situation, he held Rosa at arms length asking, "What's that about?"

"Only for being the best friend that a person can have," replied Rosa. Stepping back, she turned and headed down the driveway humming to herself in an outburst of happiness.

Confused, Ed asked, "What did I do?"

Rosa didn't answer as she skipped on down the street. Shaking his head, he noticed John across the street smiling at him. Throwing up his hands, he went across the street saying, "What did I do?"

"I don't know, but you've got lipstick on your cheek." John laughed at his friends confusion. Even Rover looked amused.

Wiping his cheeks to remove any trace of lipstick, Ed said, "I don't know what to say. It's been a strange day."

With a negligent wave of his hand, John said, "Come on back and have some iced tea."

With both men ensconced in the lawn chairs on the patio, Ed said, "You ever wonder about life?"

Laughing, John answered, "Just about every day."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No. I don't mean like that. It just seems to me that most days are alike. Things go along unchanging from one day to the next. Then one day, everything gets turned on its head and nothing really makes sense anymore."

The men sat there deep in thought, each pursing the question in their own way. As the iced tea was drank, one or the other would get up and refill the glass. As the tea had the biological consequences, one or the other would get up and use the bathroom. Time passed slowly, but unmeasured by either man. Finally, John said, "I don't think every day is like every other day. It is just that most differences between days don't matter much to us. We ignore them. Then one day, the difference is significant to us. We notice and ask why today was not like yesterday, when in fact it is just like yesterday."

Smiling Ed asked, "You mean today has been different because I actually noticed that it was different?"

"In a way, that's true," replied John. A pause, filled by both men taking a sip of their tea, followed that statement. John continued, "I would say that the difference meant something to you, so you noticed it."

Again a silence descended upon the men. It was the comfortable silence that Ed had come to enjoy so much. Rover, bored with sitting there, went for a short walk in the desert. The cat always kept John in sight. Next door, Carlos and Maria came out into the backyard and sat down. Both of them waved to John and Ed. They returned the wave in a friendly manner.

After a few minutes, Ed said, "Wait a minute. I've never seen Carlos home during the day."

"Come to think of it, neither have I." Looking over at the pair in their backyard, John tried to see if there was something the matter, but the couple looked happy.

Watching Rover moving around the desert and the neighbors next door, they sat quietly each thinking their own thoughts. Finally, Ed said, "How about a barbecue?"

"Pardon?" asked John surprised at the sudden change in topic.

"A barbecue," replied Ed. He added, " We'll invite Carlos and Maria over. They can bring a salad or something."

Smiling, John replied, "You know what, that sounds great."

Excited at the idea, Ed said, "I'll go to the store and get a couple of steaks. Maybe you can cook up something."

Considering what he could prepare, John said, "I'll make some camp beans. We've got a couple hours."

From that modest beginning, the idea for a barbecue snowballed. Before long, everyone in the neighborhood was invited over for a pot luck barbecue. John had whipped up a ton of beans. Maria came over with a big bowl of potato salad. Other neighbors came over with fresh baked bread, deserts, and salads. Someone had brought over a package of chicken. They joined the stack of steaks that Ed had bought. John made patties out of half the hamburger in his refrigerator that he was keeping to feed the cat.

One of the neighbors brought over a barbecue grill made from a fifty-five gallon barrel. While a fire was being built in the grill, the kids played tag in the back yard. Rover was playing with some of the little kids, letting them pet him and tickle his stomach. The yard quickly became populated with folding chairs as people brought over their own seats.

A little scrounging in the neighborhood turned up some sawhorses and boards to make some impromptu tables. Ed and Carlos manned the barbecue grill, cooking the meat to order. As fast as pieces of chicken, hamburgers, and steaks were cooked, they were eaten. Ed and Carlos were soon reprieved from their duties as cooks by a couple of the other men, thus giving them a chance to get something to eat.

Walking over to John with a medium rare steak, Ed smiled and said, "Here's your raw meat."

John looked over at Ed's plate and commented, "Yours looks like charcoal."

Both men burst out laughing and went to the table with the side dishes. After loading up their plates, they sat down to eat. Smiling at each other, they dug into their food. They had hardly gotten the first bite in their mouth when Kelly and Beth showed up. Still chewing his piece of steak, Ed held up a hand in greeting. Kelly came over to him and looked around at the crowd. After swallowing, Ed said, "Get a plate and load up on food. We have plenty here."

Very surprised to see the large number of people in the yard, Kelly asked, "Did you throw a party and forget to invite us?"

Realizing how it looked, John answered, "Well, it started small and just kept growing."

After looking around, Beth said, "Wow, it's like everyone in the neighborhood showed up."

Laughing, Ed said, "Yeah, it really grew from just John and I."

They didn't get a chance to say much more to each other. Maria showed up and led the two women away to meet her husband. After two hours of playing with the kids, Rover returned to John and then went into the house. John followed the cat and fed it the rest of the hamburger. Coming through the door, Ed watched the cat eat for a moment before refilling his glass of iced tea. The two men were about to leave when Carlos came in the house and closed the door behind him.

Surprised that Carlos had closed the door, John said, "Hello, Carlos. Having a good time?"

Looking over his shoulder at the crowd outside, Carlos said, "Oh, that's a nice party. I'm glad I was here to participate. It seems I miss too many of the things going on in the neighborhood."

Now that he was busier, Ed understood exactly what Carlos meant. He said, "We noticed that you were here and that started it."

"Well," replied Carlos. He paused as if too nervous to continue. He said, "I wanted to thank you both for what you've done for us."

Now it was John's turn to be confused. He looked at Ed, receiving a shrug, and then asked, "What did we do?"

Very nervous, Carlos answered, "Look, I found out about Beth and Betsy sleeping together. Now, I know that you are a pretty brave guy and no one thinks you are a wimp. So, I realized that if my wife slept with women occasionally that it wasn't any thing to do with me being a man."

Understanding flooded over John and Ed both. They looked at each other with a smile. John said, "Congratulations. Is it working out okay?"

With a very happy smile, Carlos replied, "Yes. I never knew that two women could be that exhausting."

Laughing, Ed suggested, "You have to be quite a man to keep up with two women. Lord knows I can't."

Carlos turned to Ed with a smile as he said, "I have to thank you for getting the three of us talking. If you hadn't forced the issue that night, I doubt we'd have ever sat down and talked."

When John started laughing, Ed looked at him in confusion. Hardly able to control his laughter, John said, "Now we know why Rosa was kissing you out there."

Blushing, Ed replied, "Oh my."

As Carlos turned to leave, he said, "The women are looking for some way to thank you each for all you've done."

Together, both men said, "No need."

Looking at each other, they both broke out laughing. Carlos opened the door and left the house chuckling. After getting themselves composed, both men returned outside. They watched Maria talking with Kelly and Beth, wondering what the discussion entailed. Odds were, they would never get all of the details under the cover of that great phrase of censorship, 'girl talk.'

Rover came out of the house and went from person looking for leftover meat. After seeing the cat take a couple of steak bones and halves of hamburgers, John stood up and announced, "Everyone, just one request. Please do not feed the cat ice cream."

Laughing at the memory of the walk home from Maria's Cantina, Ed seconded that by saying, "It makes the cat very sick."

When John returned to his seat, Ed wandered over to see Beth and Kelly. Intending to sneak up on her, his intent was torpedoed by Maria saying, "Speak of the devil, here he is."

As Kelly turned, Ed said, "I can't even sneak up on the girl talk. What's with that?"

The three women laughed as Kelly mock punched him on the arm and said, "No men allowed. That's a law of nature!"

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "I give up."

Sidling up to him, Beth said, "You seem to have gained some popularity in the neighborhood. It seems that people are talking about you."

Shrugging, Ed said, "I don't know why. I haven't done anything for the neighborhood. Now, John, he's a different story. I have no idea how many people he's helped around here."

Kelly said, "I don't understand it. Anytime something good happens, you and John are the first ones to point to someone else. Can't you ever take credit for anything you do?"

Shrugging away the need for credit, Ed said, "When I actually do something, I'll tell you."

"What about Los Angeles?"

"I was just following John," replied Ed. The reply was so automatic that he didn't even think about it.

Kelly and Beth just looked at each other and said, "Right."

Watching the exchange, Maria wondered what was the story about Los Angeles. She had known they went there during the earthquake, but they had never talked about it. Her ears perked up when Ed said, "Besides, you girls did all of the real life saving there. We just brought people to you."

Kelly shook her head and said, "Wasn't there something about you and John running into burning and falling buildings?"

Uncomfortable with the subject, Ed shrugged and said, "I guess we all agree. The real hero was Juan."

As the women laughed, Ed wandered off to talk to other people there. Looking back, he could tell that Maria was busy probing for information about the trip. He hoped that they didn't make too much of a deal out that day. The last thing he wanted was people treating him like some kind of hero.

Returning to his normal chair, Ed was in time to hear Jorge from a couple of houses over, ask John, "So you mean to tell me that you think a man should listen to his wife?"

John said, "Of course. If she doesn't tell you what she wants and desires, then there is no way for you to give it to her."

With a real look of puzzlement, Jorge asked, "So what? She's my wife."

In a very patient voice, John said, "That's true she's your wife. She's your companion, your support, and your lover. Don't you think that she deserves some respect and attention from you?"

"I respect her. I mean we both have our jobs in the marriage and we do them. What else is there?"

In a reverent voice, John replied, "There are your accomplishments to share. To know that when you do something great, she is there beside you praising you for your great deed. To know that when you are tired, she is there to rub your back and tell you that things will be better in the morning. She can give you so much more than her duties require and that extra is what makes it all worth while."

Totally captivated by the suggestion that there were more things that a wife could do than what her duties required, Jorge asked, "That extra?"

Ed leaned over and, in a quiet voice, suggested, "Waking up in the morning with her mouth on your cock. Coming home from work to find her naked in bed waiting for you. To make love to her while she's washing the dishes. There's so much happiness that a woman can provide to the right man that loves her."

Eyes wide, Jorge asked, "A wife sucking her husband? There are wives that really do that?"

While the approach that Ed had used to get Jorge's attention wasn't the way that John had in mind, it was effective. Jorge was clearly hooked on the idea of talking to his wife. John replied, "For a wife to do that, she must feel appreciated. It takes so little from a man to make a woman feel appreciated."

Extremely interested, Jorge leaned forward and asked, "How? How could I do that?"

As though sharing a great secret, John said, "You listen to her. You find out what she wants and give it to her. Make her feel special like you want her to make you feel."

Knowing exactly what Jorge wanted, Ed added, "You might remember that if you want her to do things down there, that you should be willing to do things down there on her."

Blushing, Jorge asked, "How do I learn how to do that?"

Leaning very close to Jorge, Ed answered, "You let her tell you what feels good. You should be willing to do the same for her. You need to learn to talk to each other."

Jorge asked, "How do I begin?"

Sitting back in his chair, like he really had to thinking about it, John said, "Pick an evening. Say a Monday evening and send the kids somewhere for a couple of hours. On the way home from work, pick up some flowers and maybe a bottle of wine. Take her to dinner and after dinner, come home. Open the wine and ask her what she wants. Listen to what she says. If you don't know how to give her something, ask her how you can do it."

"Why can't I do it tonight?"

As though sharing a secret, John said, "You need to think about it for a while so that the idea and approach becomes yours, not mine."



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Chapter 16


Ed shoveled the last of the concrete into the hole. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he looked over the fence posts that he had just installed. Each post was braced and embedded in concrete. An entire day had been spent digging holes, bracing the posts, mixing the concrete, and setting the fence posts. The concrete needed to dry overnight, but it would be next weekend before he could finish the fence. At least the concrete would be well cured.

Kelly had been begging for a privacy fence ever since the day of the party. He didn't know what motivated her, but apparently both women really wanted it. He had given in and agreed to install the fence. If he had known how much work it was going to be, he never would have agreed to do it. A little help would have been nice, but John was out of town and he didn't want to bother any of the neighbors.

It took him another half an hour to clean up the tools and put them away. While much of the advice given to him by his father had been bad, the advice about a man always taking care of his tools was sound. Each tool was cleaned and oiled to prevent rust. As he hung the tools in their proper places, the thought came to him that it was about time to get a rock saw. Maybe tomorrow after class he would stop in one of the many rock shops in town and buy one. Many rocks required cutting and polishing to show off the rock at its best.

Classes over for the day, Ed decided to shop for the rock saw. He had driven to a lapidary supply shop that he had seen advertised. It was a block down the street from where Ed had parked his truck to the rock shop. This was an artsy part of town and he had serious doubts that he would find the saw that he was looking for at this particular shop, but since he was here he decided that he might as well check it out. There were all kinds of stores along this street that attracted the rich and fashionable - at least four art galleries, two antique shops, coffee houses, boutiques, and jewelry stores. He even saw a couple of men walking down the street holding hands. Watching them for a minute, he finally muttered, "Well, at least they found each other. Everyone deserves a little love in their life."

When he reached the rock shop, his hopes for finding a saw fell even further. The window was lined with quartz crystals of various sizes mounted to be worn as new age pendants. Disgusted, he went into the shop anyway. It had advertised lapidary supplies and he still held a little hope that there would be something in here to interest him.

His hopes fell through the floor when he entered the store. A full cabinet of new age pendants and a supposed crystal wand faced the door. To his left and right were Geodes cut in half and polished. Some of the Geodes had been turned into bookends. Everything in the store had been turned to junk.

He was about to leave when a perky young lady appeared from below a counter and called to him. "Hey cowboy, you looking for a present for your girlfriend."

Examining the young woman, he was rather disgusted. Standing poised with her head to one side and a slightly vacuous look on her face, he immediately labeled her a new age airhead with less brains than an earthworm. In a voice of disdain, he replied, "No. I came looking for a rock saw."

Laughing, she dropped the airhead pose. Her entire attitude changed as she replied, "I've got one in the back. If you're interested in grinders and polishers I have those as well."

Surprised at that transformation, Ed followed her behind a small partition. He froze and looked around in wonder. Here was a real lapidary supply shop with diamond saws, grinders, and polishers. The walls were lined with mineral displays of exceptional quality. He walked along one wall and stopped in front of a sample. He asked, "Did you get this from Wood Chop Mesa?'

The woman turned around and looked at the sample Ed was pointing to. Surprised that he knew where the sample came from, she said, "Yes, I got that last summer. I haven't been able to identify it yet, though."

"It is Phillipsite," replied Ed. He looked at the sample and noted that it was a fairly good specimen.

She countered, "We don't have Pillipsite in this country."

He looked over at her and smiled at her excellent knowledge of rocks. He replied, "The better way to put that is that they didn't know we had Phillipsite in this country until about a year and a half ago. It was just recently classified."

In a flirtatious voice, she said, "We get so few people here that know their rocks. Where have you been hiding?"

"Up at the University," replied Ed unaware of the flirtation. Looking around at the equipment, he realized that he could easily blow his whole budget in one afternoon.

With a sigh, the woman said, "I graduated there. I loved their program and wanted to go further, but my grandfather died leaving me this place. I can't afford to run it and go to graduate school at the same time."

"You could hire someone to work part-time."

Shaking her head, she said, "I tried that. I could find a person that could deal with the junk in the front, but no one that knew two cents about the good stuff back here."

"Why not hire a geology student up at the University?" replied Ed.

She smiled as she answered, "Most of them wouldn't be caught dead in the front of the store."

Puzzled by the difference between the front and back, Ed asked, "What's with the front of the store?"

"My granddad opened this place a long time before it became a high rent area. When they started making improvements in the area, I started getting lots of new age customers wanting to buy crystals. They would come in, take a look at all of the real rocks and run out. I put up the partition, fixed up some crystals for them. They constitute the majority of my business so I keep it." She shrugged as if that explained everything. In a way it did, she had bowed to market pressures and was able to pursue her real interests.

"Smart. Take a bad situation and make it better. I like that." Ed wandered around to the rock saw and examined it. Shaking his head, he asked, "Is this the biggest that you have?"

She shook her head and answered, "Yes. I have a couple larger ones ordered if you don't mind waiting. I assume you want to prepare samples for display purposes."

"Right. I have a lot of larger samples that I'd like to trim a face and polish." Ed thought about it and said, "I'll come back in a couple of weeks and see if you have received them. I'll also ask around at the school to see if anyone there needs a job. Maybe you will find someone that will work out alright."

The woman said, "Thanks. I'll look forward to seeing you again. It's nice to have a real customer in here that knows his rocks."

Leaving the rock shop behind, Ed fell in step with a policeman walking his beat. He didn't think any thing about it until an episode started brewing in front of them. The cop swore, "Damn it. I hate this kind of stuff."

Looking at the situation, it was clear what was happening. A rather smallish and very effeminate male was getting harassed by a brown haired guy. The brown haired guy said, "Hey faggot, maybe if I hit you hard enough you'll become a real man."

Ed asked, "Officer, would you like a little help? Maybe we can get this handled without you having to do anything."

The cop looked at the cowboy standing next to him with distrust. Smiling Ed said, "When I ask what the little guy said, tell me that he said he hated me because I'm a cowboy."

Intrigued, the cop asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Ed said, "Oh, I just want to make a little point about senseless hating of others."

For some irrational reason, the cop decided to go along with Ed. He said, "Okay. I'll step in and arrest all of you if it gets out of hand."

"No problem," replied Ed. He quickened his pace until he was standing next to the small guy. He turned to face the officer and asked, "What did this little guy say about me?"

The cop replied, "He said he hated you because you were a cowboy."

The little guy looked at Ed and then at the cop in fear wondering what was going to happen. The bigot looked at Ed like he had a friend, but distrusted the presence of the cop. Ed said, "Well, I don't mind the little fellow, but I hate this guy because he's got brown hair."

The bigot asked, "What in the hell are you talking about?"

Pointing his finger in the direction of the bigot, Ed shouted, "You be quiet you brown haired person, you."

The guy backed up as Ed turned to the cop and said, "Now so long as everyone in a fight agrees to it, it's not against the law so long as there is a referee to make sure that no one gets seriously injured. Isn't that right?"

The cop crossed his arms and asked, "What have you got in mind?"

Ed said, "Well, I hate this brown haired guy, he hates this little fellow here, and the little fellow hates me. I figure that if I get to hit the brown haired guy and he gets to hit the little guy and the little guy gets to hit me, then we'll all be happy venting our hate. Now since the little guy doesn't hate the brown haired guy, he can't hit back. Since the brown haired guy doesn't hate me, he can't hit me back. Since I don't hate... what was it that he called the little guy? Oh, faggots. Since I don't hate faggots, I can't hit back. You can act as referee. First one that breaks the rules gets arrested."

The brown haired guy stood there shouting, "This is ridiculous. I don't even know who the hell you are. I've never done anything to you."

Having a little fun with the situation, Ed responded, "It doesn't matter. You have brown hair and I hate people with brown hair. I've always wanted a chance to beat the shit out of a guy with brown hair. This is my chance. Now, this fellow here, he hates cowboys. So now he has a chance to hit me to his hearts content. You get your chance to beat him hard enough to turn him into a man. We're all gonna be happy."

The cop answered, "That's a good idea. Since you came up with it, you get first shot at the brown haired guy."

The bigot backed up protesting, "Wait a minute, I haven't agreed to this."

Ed turned to the little guy and asked, "Does this sound fair to you?"

With the attention on him, the guy realized that nothing was going to happen. Even if it did, Ed would probably beat the bigot before he got hurt too bad. He answered, "Sure."

The bigot backpedaled and said, "You can't be serious. Are you really going to hit me because I'm brown haired?"

Ed looked puzzled and said, "Why not? It's as good a reason as his for wanting to hit me or for you wanting to hit him."

"I've never heard of anyone hating someone for having brown hair."

With a snort of derision, Ed said, "That's what I hate about guys with brown hair. They always think they're special because they have brown hair. I hate that."

The cop had to hold his hand over his mouth or he would have burst out laughing. Struggling to get control, he finally asked, "What will it be boys? Do you need a referee?"

The bigot shouted, "Look, it's stupid to hate someone because they have brown hair."

Ed said, "It's stupid to hate someone because he's a cowboy."

The little guy piped up, "It's stupid to hate someone because he's gay."

"It's not the same thing. I can't help that I was born with brown hair."

The little guy said, "I can't help that I was born liking men."

Ed stood there for a minute and said, "Does that mean that because I wasn't born a cowboy that's it okay to hate me?"

There was silence as the ridiculousness of the argument was realized by one of the participants. He looked at Ed and then at the little guy. With arms crossed against his chest and a smile on his face, the cop stood there waiting to see what happened. Finally, he said, "I hope that all three of you learned something today."

The brown haired guy shook his head and said, "I don't know, but the hell with it. So long as you don't try to hump me, I won't bother you."

The little guy replied, "Thanks."

After watching the bigot walk off, the cop turned to Ed and said, "That was priceless."

Extending his hand, Ed said, "I'm Ed Biggers."

"I'm Officer Harrigan," replied the cop. He shook the hand and said, "There for a minute I thought you were crazy."

The little guy extended his hand and said, "I'm Richard Woodman."

Trying hard to hide his amusement at the guys name, Dick Woodman, Ed took his hand and shook it. He said, "Pleased to meet you Richard."

Officer Harrigan said, "I better get back to my beat. Thanks, I really enjoyed that."

"You're welcome. I had a little fun with that too."

Richard said, "For a minute there, I was really scared."

Ed replied, "I wouldn't have let it go that far. Just wanted to make a point to a guy that had a rather limited view of the world."

"Are you gay?"

Shaking his head no, Ed answered, "I'm not gay. I recently discovered that everyone deserves love and that it should be the kind of love that is right for them. If that means you love a guy and he loves you, then what's the problem with that? It harms no one."

Richard looked at Ed and said, "Wow, that's enlightened. I never would have expected to hear something like that from a cowboy."

At the look from Ed, Richard clarified his statement, "I just mean that you look like a redneck. Usually, gays get a lot of grief from rednecks."

Amused, Ed said, "I knew what you meant. I wasn't offended."

Somewhat nervous, Richard said, "I really want to thank you for your help."

Stepping in the direction of his truck, Ed said, "Don't think anything about it. Have a nice day."

Richard watched as Ed walked down the street, pausing occasionally to look at the shoppers running into and out of the boutiques. As far as Ed was concerned, none of them held a candle to Kelly or Beth. The episode did raise questions about Kelly's desire for him to have sex with a man. Knowing that they wanted John in the marriage, made it even harder for him. He genuinely like John and didn't want to ruin that relationship.

Reaching his truck, he headed off to work stopping only to pick up a hamburger that he ate as he drove. He looked at the bags in the truck and realized that he had been doing that too much. Three times a week he ate fast food while racing to reach work on time. It wasn't making him fat, but it wasn't a good diet either. The fact was that he enjoyed eating and wolfing down a hamburger while driving wasn't a pleasurable dining experience.

Reaching work, he parked in his normal spot. As soon as he got out of the truck, one of the other men called over to him, "Nevada wants to see you."

Curious, Ed headed towards Nevada's office to see what he wanted. As far as Ed knew, he hadn't done anything wrong. He wondered if his schedule was a problem. Before he reached the door, Nevada stuck his head out and shouted, "Ed, can you come in here?"

Nodding, Ed said, "Coming."

Once inside the office, Nevada pointed to a chair and said, "Have a seat, Ed."

Sitting down in the offered chair, Ed said, "Is there a problem?"

Laughing, Nevada took a seat at his desk and leaned back in his chair. He said, "No, Ed. There isn't a problem."

"Okay, what can I do for you?"

Clearing his throat, Nevada shifted nervously and then said, "I'd like to change your job around here."

Ed didn't understand how he could change his job. They pushed cattle through the auction process and took care of them before and after the auction. There wasn't much that could change. Confused, Ed asked, "Change it how?"

"Well, I'd like you to take a little more of a managerial role. It'll mean longer hours, but also comes with a raise. You'll be making a lot more money." Nevada had been getting a lot of good reports from customers about Ed. The result had been a little more business and better prices received for the cattle. Ed's suggestion for doubling the number of bidding pens had lead to a better flow for bidding. The result was better prices with the auctions shorter and more profitable.

The idea of working longer hours bothered Ed. He was already stressed with how many hours he worked here, attended class, and studied. There just weren't that many more hours left to him. With real concern, he asked, "What exactly are we talking about here?"

Leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk, Nevada answered, "Well, I want you to take charge of the men outside. Schedule their hours, assign work tasks, and other activities like that. I also want you interacting with the customers more. When they come to drop off their cattle, I'd like you to greet them. When buyers come to pick up their cattle, I want you to take charge of it. It's a fulltime job."

The fact that it was full time bothered Ed. It was too much time spent at work and not enough at school. He was tempted to say no on the spot. Ed said, "I'm going to school and working full time would really hurt my studies."

Disappointed and a little perturbed at Ed's lack of enthusiasm, Nevada calmed himself and said, "Ed, you and I are not getting any younger. It's time for you to think about your future. Do you really see yourself pushing cattle twenty years from now? Or even riding fence, like old Fritz?"

Sitting back in his chair, Ed studied Nevada. The man meant to do well by him, he could tell that. The real question was in what direction his future lay. He could go back to that store and ask for a job in a minute, but that wouldn't pay much and he didn't think being a shop keeper was right for him. Finishing his degree, he could get a job with an oil company or a mining enterprise. There were other opportunities for work with that degree, but he wasn't fully aware of them yet. Ed leaned forward and said, "Nevada, you're absolutely right. It is time for me to think about the future."

"So you'll take the job?"

Staring Nevada in the eye, Ed replied, "If you were to ask me where I want to eat dinner tonight, I could answer you in a minute. But you are asking me to commit to a future. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to think about that for a while. We are talking about the rest of my life, after all."

"Offers like this don't come along every day," replied Nevada.

"Now I bet that you've been thinking about this for three, maybe four, months. Am I right?" asked Ed.

Smiling at the perceptiveness of Ed, Nevada said, "Right."

"Well, you've had plenty of time to think about this." Ed paused to give more weight to his words before he continued, "I'd like to take thirty days to think about it."

Chuckling, Nevada replied, "Okay. I like the new Ed, but there are times, like now, that I miss the old Ed. You'd have said yes on the spot, a year ago."

As Ed stood, he answered, "Life for me was a lot simpler then. All I did was drink and work. Now I'm looking at getting married. I'm going to school and working."

Convinced that Ed was making a mistake by studying rocks, Nevada hoped Ed would make the smart choice. His offer was a good one and could lead to him taking over the auction house one day. If he didn't, he was sure that Ed would end up doing nothing with a degree on rocks. In his opinion, it just wasn't a real job.

Ed went outside and saddled his horse. As he worked, he thought about the future wishing that John was around. He'd like to ask John his advice about the promotion. Was it fair to take a promotion if you had no intention of making it a career? What if that promotion interfered with pursuit of what you really wanted in life? Was studying rocks even a career? Even as he thought that, he remembered how John had explained that if you were passionate about something, someone would pay you to pursue your passion. That answered the long term decision of what to do, but did it answer the short term?

Thinking of John got him to thinking about Kelly and her ideas for marriage. He had already told her that he was willing to accept that kind of marriage. While he had not intended it, it meant that he had agreed to have sex with another man. He really didn't know how he felt about that now that he had come to think a bit more about things around him. At one time, he would have beaten the hell out of anyone that even suggested such a thing. Today, he was seriously considering it.

Richard, the gay guy in town wasn't attractive to him at all. He couldn't imagine having sex with that guy no matter how much money was involved. Of course, he couldn't imagine acting feminine in the way that Richard had. Was that feminine behavior a result of having sex with men or was it just how that guy behaved?

There were a few things that Ed knew for a fact. He liked women and he loved having sex with women. Even bad sex with a women was good. He loved Kelly and wanted to live with her for the rest of his life. He was willing to do anything to keep her. He had come to love Beth and wanted to live with her.

The afternoon passed slowly as Ed thought about his future and performed his job. The cattle had been cooperative today and moved easily into the large holding pens. The large pens made feeding and care of the cattle a lot easier. Of course, they always had to keep the bulls separated from all other cattle. There were three very good looking bulls going up for auction. One of them, a red Angus was a particularly good looking bull and would fetch an excellent price. Tomorrow they would have to cut the cattle out by owner and put them into the individual pens.

Ed stopped and watched the other men work. Nevada would occasionally come out and tell them what needed to be done next. This was something that hadn't noticed in the past. Back when he was drinking beer on the job, he had stopped after each task to relax with a beer and only went back to work when Nevada gave orders. Now, he went from one job to the next without break or needing to be told what to do. If the other guys had done half as much work as he, they would be done in a third of the time.

He stopped at the post where he kept the coke he was currently drinking. That had been another change in how he worked. Now, he took sips of his coke throughout the day. The realization made him wonder what other changes he had undergone without even thinking about it. Having finished the coke, he rode over to the trash can and threw it away. There were a half dozen beer cans for every coke can. Looking in the trash can, he knew the first change he would make if he were to take over the operation here in the yard.

The hours passed slowly, but they passed. Riding his horse to the coral, Ed unsaddled it and walked it around letting it cool down. After feeding and watering it, he left to get dinner at the truck stop before heading home. Beth and Kelly were scheduled to work late tonight, so he would be alone. It would give him a chance to catch up on his homework, particularly the physics. How John had ever managed to learn this stuff was beyond his understanding.

Entering the diner, the waitresses smiled at him as Cindy led him to a table. A glass of iced tea showed up almost as soon as he sat down. Looking at the waitress, he asked, "So how are things at home?"

Cindy answered, "The same. I'm still worried about my son. He's so wild."

"Get him a job that keeps him busy. If he needs motivation, have him work towards a car of his own."

Cindy smiled at Ed and said, "Sure, but who would hire a fifteen year old boy that's stronger than he is smart?"

Laughing at her characterization of her own son, Ed replied, "Manuel owns a hauling company and is probably looking for someone to help him load the trucks. The fact that your son can't drive won't be a problem. The hard work will do your son good."

Thinking about it, Cindy replied, "Might not be a bad idea. Maybe he'll be too tired after work to get into trouble."

Thinking about how Manuel worked, he was confident that he'd work any anger out of the kid in no time at all. He answered, "Manuel owns a hauling company and is one of the hardest working men I know. If there is anyone that can teach your son the value of a hard job done well, it would be Manuel."

Cindy thought about it for a minute and then realized that she knew Manuel. She said, "You know, he and his son..." She paused as she tried to remember the name. Once it came to mind, she continued, "Joe, just started coming here for lunch every day. I'll talk to them tomorrow."

The idea that Manuel and Joe had started eating out for lunch was a major surprise to Ed. As far as he knew, they had never eaten out in their entire lives. He guessed that it was a sign that they were starting to make money. Manuel must have taken the advice that Shirley had given him. It made him feel good to know that life was improving for Manuel. He hadn't seen him since the day he had helped him out by the side of the road. That reminded him that he needed to thank Shirley for helping out Manuel.

Cindy asked, "So what do you want to eat today?"

Handing the menu back to Cindy, Ed said, "I'll take a Chicken Fried Steak today with mashed potatoes and the vegetable of the day."

Just to double check, she asked, "Thousand Island on the salad?"

Winking at her, Ed said, "Yes, but one of these days I'm going to order Eye-Tallian just to fool you."

Laughing at his pretend hick pronunciation of Italian, Cindy went off to submit the order. One of the other waitresses, Linda, stopped by the table and asked, "So how's school going?"

Ed shook his head and answered, "This semester has been rough."

Looking around the table, Linda commented, "You didn't bring your books with you this time."

Her statement surprised Ed as he realized that he had forgotten his books in the truck. He said, "I had a few things on my mind today."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Let me guess, you're thinking about asking Kelly to marry you?"

"Too late for that. I already asked her."

Surprised that she hadn't heard the news and excited at being the first to hear the details, she asked, "She said yes?"

That made him think about it for a minute, he hadn't actually gone through some formal process of proposing. It was more of an agreement that they were going to get married as soon as John agreed. He answered, "Well, we are waiting for some special conditions to occur before we get married, but she's basically said yes."

The answer confused Linda, either Kelly had said yes or she had said no. She asked, "What kind of conditions?"

Realizing that he didn't know how to answer that question in a fashion that would make sense. Ed answered, "There are all kinds of marriages. We are exploring what kind of marriage we want."

"I never heard of such a thing," replied Linda. She looked at Ed like he was speaking Greek.

Not wanting to explain what Kelly wanted out of a marriage, Ed replied, "There are many different kinds of marriages. Conventional marriages, open marriages, and group marriages. Kelly wants to make sure that our marriage is the best one for us."

Distrusting the kinds of motivations of men in general, Linda said, "Let me guess. You want a harem and she doesn't?"

Laughing at the suggestion and his own experience of trying to keep up with two women, Ed knew better than to want a harem. Chuckling, he answered, "I'm more of conventional marriage kind of guy. She's the one with the ideas."

Taken aback by the admission, Linda asked, "So why aren't you pressing for a conventional marriage?"

"Because I love her and want her to be happy." He also had to admit that he liked how she talked about the group marriage. Four people earning a living and supporting each other was a lot better than the conventional options. He didn't know how many times it had been Beth rather than Kelly who was up when he was down.

"Wow," replied Linda. Remembering the Ed that used to try cheesy pick up lines and made crude remarks about women, she said, "I never would have thought of you as a romantic."

That was the third time today that someone had expressed surprise about him. Richard had been surprised that he was so open minded. Nevada had been surprised that he hadn't jumped at the promotion. Now, Linda was surprised to hear that he was a romantic. Shrugging, he answered, "When I love, I really love."



-------

Chapter 17


Walking into his backyard, Ed inspected the privacy fence satisfied with the job he had done. The posts were straight, there were no gaps in the pickets, and it was strong. The tops of the pickets were flat rather than pointed. There was no chance of impaling a kid that tried to climb over it. He had finished installing it the day before.

The noise of Kelly and Beth coming through the gate caught his attention. Turning he saw that they were struggling to carry in four folding lounge chairs. Coming to their aid, he took two of the chairs, one from each woman. Following Kelly, she walked to a spot near the back door of his house and looked around. Setting her chair down, she said, "This looks like a good spot. We should be able to get lots of the morning sun here."

As she set her chair down next to Kelly's, Beth replied, "Perfect. Not too far to the kitchen from here either."

Setting the other two chairs down, Ed wondered what the big deal was. If all they wanted to do was sit outside, they didn't need a privacy fence for that. Besides, the view from John's backyard was much better. The only view from his yard was the neighbor's house behind him and with the new fence the view was now limited to the neighbor's roof. He set the other two lawn chairs down and started unfolding them.

Turning around, Ed was shocked to see that both women were stripping. His cock immediately reacted to the sight by swelling. Stuttering, as he looked around to see if anyone could see them, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Beth answered, "We're getting some sun."

"Why did you think we wanted a privacy fence?" asked Kelly.

Watching them strip was a treat to the eye. Looking over at him, Kelly said, "If you're planning on staying out here, you have to get out of those clothes."

Uneasy, Ed started undressing. It felt very strange to be undressing in the middle of the day in his back yard. Watching the women as he undressed, he noticed that Beth and Kelly had nice tans that covered their whole body except for the outline of a bikini. He wondered where they had gotten tans, but then realized that both of them lived in apartment complexes with swimming pools. As his clothes came off, it was clear that he had never spent a minute sunbathing. His hands and face were tanned, but the rest of him was a bleached white. His erection was a slightly darker color, the head almost a deep purple color.

Kelly reached into her purse and pulled out a bottle of suntan lotion. Winking at Beth, she said, "I wonder where we can find a man to put this sun tan lotion on us?"

Licking her lips, Beth answered, "I don't know. There's this naked man here who looks like he wants to cover us with some kind of lotion."

Moving to kneel before him, Kelly slowly reached up and rubbed his cock. The action caused him to moan. Beth knelt beside Kelly and started to lick his balls. The sensation blew his mind. Kelly slowly took his erect cock in her mouth. Working her tongue around the sensitive head, she quickly drove him close to orgasm. Looking down at them, Kelly was looking up at him with his cock in her mouth and Beth was peeking around Kelly with a ball in her mouth. As his scrotal sack tightened, the pressure of her mouth around his ball reached a point close to being painful. The ball slipped out of her mouth as one of her fingers ran up to tickle his asshole. Kelly increased the sucking action on his cock.

As his legs trembled, Ed looked up into the bright blue Arizona sky feeling like the Gods and Goddesses were smiling upon him. Beth massaged his asshole with her finger while she licked his balls. Kelly was crating major sensations as she licked his cock and sucked on it with increased pressure. He groaned and said, "I'm coming."

Within seconds, sperm burst forth from his cock. Kelly backed off from his cock to capture as much of his come as possible. From next to her, Beth said, "You have to share it."

When Ed finally finished his orgasm, Kelly turned to Beth and kissed her. Staring down at them, he could see Kelly transfer some of his come to Beth. The sight was incredibly sexy. When the kiss had been completed, Kelly stood and kissed him. As he opened his mouth, her tongue entered it pushing some of his come into it. He froze, not knowing what to do and then swallowed it rather than spit it out. Even as he swallowed, he thought that it wasn't that bad of an experience.

In his ear, Beth whispered, "Oh God, she just fed you some of your come. That is the sexiest thing I've ever seen. Can I do it the next time I give you a blowjob?"

Breaking off the kiss, Kelly said, "You'll have to share it with me too."

Unable to resist the persuasive nature of the women, Ed answered, "If it gives you pleasure, I can deny you nothing."

Ed went to work putting sun block on the women. He took his time, making sure that every part of their bodies was covered with the thick cream. He made sure that their private parts were well covered. In fact, he required them to demonstrate that he had paid enough attention by having an orgasm.

When it was his turn to get covered, the women made sure that he was well covered everywhere. Much to his frustration, they left him with an erection, saying that they didn't want to have him think they were easy. After covering him, they went to their chairs and laid back getting some sun. Only when his erection started to wilt did he sit down in his chair.

After thirty minutes of lying in the sun, Kelly looked over at Ed and said "You better put some more sun block on your cock. I'd hate to see that get burned."

Beth laughed as she said, "It would be a pity if you couldn't use it for a week. I've gotten used to getting it regularly."

Ed groaned at the thought of a sunburned cock. He couldn't imagine anything more painful. He reached over and put on more sun block. They had been teasing him ever since they had applied the sun block earlier. He hoped that he would find an opportunity to get back at them. He chuckled to himself at the idea of dying his cock bright red and imagined the look of disappointment on their faces when he showed it to them.

Ed looked at the two women and he knew he was the luckiest guy in the world. They were very different in build and looks, but both of them were gorgeous. He thought about it for a second and decided he was one of two luckiest guys in the world. John could have all of this too. He asked, "So how are we going to ask John to join our little family?"

Kelly answered, "You're going to ask him."

"No I'm not."

Surprised at the flat refusal, Beth glared at him. "Why not? He's your best friend."

"Yes he is. Moreover, I want to keep him as a friend. If I ask him and he says no, then that could really hurt our friendship."

Kelly and Beth looked at each other with a smile. They understood they had stumbled into an area of male sexuality where they did not belong. Kelly asked, "So how would you go about it?"

He smiled as he asked, "So how did you go about it with me?"

In response, Kelly laughed and said, "If I remember correctly, I told you what I wanted and asked if you were interested in staying with me in light of my desires."

Beth asked, "When did you tell him that?"

"She told me that the day I met you at the hospital," replied Ed as he remembered that day. It had been a very pivotal day in his life. He added, "that was right after she told me that she was going to have you for a wife."

Beth shot a look at Kelly. This was the first that she had heard of Kelly's early interest in her. She asked, "Why did you say that?"

Kelly blushed at the memory. She answered, "When John suggested that you were a natural submissive, I looked at you for the first time as a woman rather than a doctor. I liked what I saw and knew at that moment that I wanted you."

Beth looked down at the ground as though she was afraid to look at Kelly. She said, "Ever since my recovery from my breakdown, I've not been a submissive. Are you disappointed?"

She answered, "No. That wasn't exactly what attracted me to you."

Ed had watched the exchange. Every time the subject of John arose, the two women always talked around it until it wasn't the subject anymore. Individually, both of them would admit that they really wanted John to join into the family. He asked, "So how are you going to broach the subject to John?"

Kelly sighed at being brought back to the original subject. She answered, "I don't know."

A voice coming from behind startled them. "You might try telling him directly."

Beth had jumped out of her chair at the sound of the voice. She spun around shouting, "John, don't sneak up on us like that!"

John smiled as he asked, "Feeling a little guilty, are we?"

Ed watched with glee as the women squirmed. He stood up and walked around to where John was standing. He winked at John and laughed at the looks on the women's faces. He said, "I'm going to go get some tea. I might take a walk around town, since there's no telling how long you'll be here. I'll be back after a while."

After picking up his clothes, he went into the house. He dressed in the kitchen where he could watch the actions in the backyard. It was impossible to hear what was being said, but he could tell by the dynamics that there was a bit of tension. Once dressed, he fixed himself a glass of iced tea and drank it while watching as Kelly and Beth talked with John. What ever John was saying, it had very different effects on the two women. At one point, Beth looked very uncomfortable while Kelly looked slightly angry.

When John left, the discussion between the two women grew much more animated. It wasn't clear what was being said, but it was clear that there was something that they disagreed on. Grabbing his near empty iced tea glass, Ed headed out the front door to follow John. He was just in time to see John go around to the back of his house. Ed followed him.

Ed came around the corner of the carrying his own glass of iced tea. He had only a single sip left in it. He swirled the glass taking pleasure in the sound of the ice cubes rattling in it. Ed calmly said, "Hello, John. I guess you shook up the women a bit."

"Did they tell you that?" asked John. He was curious about the reaction of the women to his position concerning the group marriage. He imagined that they were probably arguing now about the difference of opinion between Beth and Kelly about Ed.

"Nah, I watched from the house. I got dressed, waited a bit, and then came over here." Ed was hoping that John would let him know what they had discussed. He looked around for Rover and spotted the cat curled up in the shade taking a nap.

"Did you hear what we discussed?"

"No, but I could guess," replied Ed as looked off at the horizon. Without waiting for an invitation he sat down in the chair next to John. This was going to be a long discussion and it concerned a topic that he wanted to avoid. He didn't want to come out and say that he was okay with the idea of becoming lovers. The fact was, he wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of having sex with a man. Part of him was attracted to the idea and part of him was repulsed. He turned to John and said, "You told them that you wanted to hear it from me. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are," answered John. He added, "I know that you don't want to say it outright until you get some sign from me about how I feel about it. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are." Relief filled his voice as he didn't have to put into words what he wanted to hear from John. He glanced over at Rover wondering what the cat thought, but it just slept in the shade.

John looked at his right foot. He decided to approach the subject in rather indirect fashion. In a flat tone of voice, he said, "I've been raped twice in my life. The first time by a female and the second by a male."

"Oh Shit!" Ed stared at John unable to imagine what it must have been like to be raped.

"The thing about both times, they weren't about the sex. There was a violence and utter lack of regard about how I felt about it." John paused, "Now, you know how much I enjoy sex with women."

"Yes, I do." Ed had seen John with Beth. There was no doubt that John enjoyed women.

"Well, getting raped by a female didn't interfere with my ability to get pleasure out of sex with a woman."

"I can see that. They are totally different things." The topic of rape had always bothered Ed, in some fashion that was deeper than normal outrage, and he didn't know why. Perhaps one day, he would have to sit down and explore his feelings on that subject. For now, he wanted to understand what John had to say about it.

John turned the subject to the matter at hand. He stated, "Likewise, I don't think getting raped by a male will affect my ability to get pleasure out of sex with a man."

Ed considered what John had said. He refilled his glass from the pitcher of iced tea as a way of masking his hesitation. He had to ask, "So do you get pleasure out of sex with a man?"

"I don't know. I've never done it," replied John. He looked over at Ed wondering what the cowboy was thinking.

Ed suddenly laughed at the situation. Slapping his thigh with a loud clap, he said, "So here we are, two scared virgins. Neither of us wants to admit it. Damn, aren't we a pair?"

"Yes we are."

"Well, if I was to loose my cherry I can't think of a better man." The words had come out almost as soon as he had thought them. It was too late to take back what he had said. He grasped the arms of the chair in an iron grip. His hands would have shaken if he hadn't had them held so tight against the arms of the chair. He watched John out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for some sort of reaction.

"I agree. You'd be my pick."

Ed relaxed a little. At least he hadn't been called a faggot. The real problem was what if either one of them really hated it. What about the marriage that Kelly wanted if that happened? He took a deep breath and in a rush, said, "I don't think either of us would want to be a virgin if we were to..."

As Ed stopped in embarrassment, John completed it. "Yes, we had better do it with each other before I agree to what Kelly wants."

"Right, if either of us hated it that would really screw things up with her concept of the group marriage."

"Yep."

His voice conveyed fear rather than desire as he asked "When?"

John looked at Ed for a minute. He could see that the man was not exactly at ease with the idea. For that matter, he wasn't exactly at ease with the idea himself. He answered, "Look, neither one of us is really ready to do that now. I mean, we are both willing, but neither of us wants to do it."

"That's true," replied Ed. At least John understood what Ed felt. Perhaps the two men were closer in their feelings about this than he had thought.

"Why don't we wait until we want to do it? I know that Kelly is in a hurry to get things resolved, but it's better to wait until we know what we want than to rush in and ruin things."

On hearing that suggestion, Ed relaxed. Putting off the decision as to when they should try it was a major reprieve. Kelly and Beth would have to understand. He said, "I think you're right. It really would be much better to wait for a while. Do you think that we'll ever want to do it?"

"I don't know. I do know that the idea isn't as repulsive as it was before." Shrugging his shoulders, John tried to make little out of it.

"I know what you mean. I'm of two minds on the topic. A year ago I would have killed someone that even suggested the idea to me." Ed shook his head at how much his thoughts had changed. He was now considering doing things that were totally foreign to how he had been. John's words came back to him, if it harm none then do it.

John changed the subject by saying. "I'm going to Utah next week. I need someone to watch my back and you're the only one I trust. Why don't you come with me?"

Ed was surprised at John's request. He wondered what was involved in this trip that he felt he needed someone to watch his back. He remembered the trip to California only too well. He had seen too much death and destruction there. Still, if John needed his help, then he couldn't refuse. He nodded his agreement, "Sounds good to me. What's your business in Utah?"

"I'm going after a serial killer. He's a beast that preys on young women."

At the mention of serial killer, Ed glanced over at John wondering how he went after one. It sounded like an activity that could get a person killed. Ed said, "Sounds as if it could be dangerous. What do you need me to do?"

"I'll be working with the FBI, but I don't think I have much credibility with them. I'm afraid that when it comes time to move in on the guy, I'll be there all alone or with a single agent backing me up."

"Why would you think that?" asked Ed. He didn't have any experience with law enforcement except for numerous trips to the drunk tank courtesy of the sheriff.

"Well, I have no track record in law enforcement. They are likely to think that I'm some sort of hero-wanna-be," answered John. It was understandable why a law enforcement official would look down in disdain at an amateur detective. There were many people that had the idea that they could do better than a professional. He remembered the number of times that he had been trapped by some amateur scientist who wanted to explain some crackpot idea to him.

"Do you think that heroics will be required?" asked Ed as he envisioned tracking some nameless faceless killer through a dark construction site at night.

John answered, "It will be if things don't go well. This guy amputates the limbs off the victim. Once they heal, he cuts off their head. I'd hate to end up as one of his victims if I'm there all alone."

Ed had never heard of this killer. This guy sounded like a very sick man. Why would anyone amputate the limbs off a person? Letting the wounds heal before he cut off their head was definitely weird. Shaking his head in disgust, he said, "That is really sick."

"I agree. That's why he's got to be stopped."

Nodding, Ed said, "Speaking of stopping things, I better get across the street. The women are probably going crazy by now."

John smiled at the thought of what Ed was likely to find over there. He said, "you bet."

Ed started walking back to his house, but stopped when he hit the street. It wasn't even noon yet and he had two discussions already that were emotionally intense. He was ready for a break. Finishing his glass of tea, he dumped the ice cubes out and set the glass in the back of his truck. He headed down the street to the bar hoping that Shirley was open for the noontime crowd.

When he arrived, Shirley was just unlocking the door. With a look of surprise on her face, she asked, "What are you doing here so early?"

Laughing Ed answered, "I'm doing the manly thing and running away so that I won't have to share my feelings."

The comment was so outrageous that Shirley burst out laughing. With a gesture of her head, she invited him into the bar. Breaking into a wide smile, she said, "Sounds like the manly thing to me. You want to tell me about it?"

Winking at her, Ed replied, "Am I going to have to run away from here too?"

Walking behind the counter, Shirley laughed. In a very efficient fashion, she filled a glass with ice and coke. Setting it on the counter, she leaned over on it and said, "So what would you like to talk about?"

The last thing Ed wanted to talk about were the subjects of his last two discussions. As he struggled to find an appropriate topic, he remembered the news about Manuel. He answered, "I was at the truck stop having dinner the other night and heard that Manuel and Joe were stopping by there for lunch now."

Standing up straight, with more than a little pride in her voice Shirley replied, "Yes. They are actually making money now. They come in here every week and we go over the books."

Pleased to learn that Manuel was listening to Shirley, Ed said, "I knew you could help them out."

"Me?" asked Shirley. Shaking her head, she replied, "You were the one who told him how to do the pricing. Until you talked to him, he was lucky if he made a hundred dollars a month. I have no idea how they lived on that."

"So they are making a profit now?"

Laughing, Shirley said, "Are they ever. Those two men work harder than anyone I've ever met. They work all day long, spending twelve to fourteen hours hauling stuff."

The real question, as far as Ed was concerned was if they were actually reaping the rewards of their work. He asked, "Are they paying themselves a decent wage?"

Shirley sat down in the stool behind the counter and answered, "Yes they are. It took a little doing on my part, but they are paying themselves a pretty decent salary while saving money to improve their trucks."

"Improve their trucks?"

Smiling, Shirley said, "Yes, they are getting signs for their two trucks and are planing on buying a bigger truck."

"Wow, you've worked wonders. Did they join the chamber of commerce?" Ed was very impressed. He wondered if Manuel and his son were going to become the richest men in town. Of course, in this town that wouldn't be hard. The most anyone made was probably around thirty thousand a year and that was the mayor who was also principal of the school. It took him a minute to remember that Jim Johnson was very wealthy and worked as a lawyer in Phoenix where he commanded fees that were more than anyone else made in town.

"Yes, they did. They even found that they could get some contracts from some of the other businesses in town." Shirley poured herself a coke.

Happy that things were working out for Manuel and Joe, Ed asked, "So how is business in town?"

Raising an eyebrow at the sudden interest in business, Shirley said, "It must have been some discussion to chase you down here to talk business rather than your feelings."

She had hit the nail on the head. He shook his head and replied, "Can't hide the truth from you. Yeah, it was some discussion. So bad that I'm dreading the next one."

Shirley said, "I've been working in this bar for eight years. I've seen men throwing up drunk, happy, sad, and miserable. They talk about their problems. No matter how bad it is, I've never seen a man talk about his feelings. What is it with you guys?"

It was a good question and one that Ed didn't know exactly how to answer. He sat there quietly considering the question. Glancing over at Shirley he could tell that she was getting impatient for an answer. John would have waited patiently for him to come up with a well thought out response. Finally, he said, "I guess it is because we don't know how we feel about things."

"How could you not know?" asked Shirley incredulous that someone wouldn't know how they felt about something.

Ed said, "I only know four feelings that I can name. They are like, love, dislike, and hate. If I'm feeling something other than one of those four, I have no idea what it is."

Shirley shook her head in surprise at the answer. She asked, "How do you guys talk to each other?"

That question made Ed laugh as he had come to recognize a major difference between how close female friends talked and close male friends talked. He answered, "John and I are pretty good friends. We talk a lot and about a lot of different kinds of things. Most of the time, we don't say much. We sit there silently thinking our thoughts. Every once in a while one of us will say something. The other will reply. After that, we're quiet again."

Shirley had seen a lot of talk like that her in the bar. She never understood it as a sign of closeness between the men. She said, "I bet that drives Kelly and Beth out of their minds."

Laughing, Ed replied, "They usually drive the conversation. We aren't given a chance to talk to each other when they are around."

A couple of customers came into the bar and Shirley turned to take care of them. He watched as she worked, smiling at the customers as she set their beers in front of them. When they ordered Nachos, she went through the process of preparing their order. She took her time, piling on extra peppers because she knew how these particular customers liked them. He looked at the packages of chips, nuts, and jerky arranged along the back wall.

When Shirley returned to the counter, Ed asked, "All you have is salty things here for people to eat. You ever consider adding sandwiches?"

"Sandwiches?" The suggestion was very unexpected and she wasn't sure that she was following what he meant. She didn't have any of the required space or equipment to run a deli.

"Yes, sandwiches. You have guys coming in here for a beer at lunchtime, but they aren't getting much to eat. I bet half of them leave after that first drink and run by the convenience store up the road for their sandwiches."

Shrugging, Shirley said, "I don't have the resources to do that."

Ed looked around and said, "Sure you do. You have a restaurant right next door. They can make the sandwiches and deliver them to you."

Shirley looked at Ed in wonder. Finally, she asked, "Why would Sid do that?"

"More business for him."

"That's a very good idea. I wish I had thought of that," replied a very thoughtful Shirley. Ed could see the thoughts going through her head. Sitting quietly, he waited for her to think it through. As the time extended to several minutes, he felt like he was talking to a man and started grinning at the irony of the previous conversation.

Having come to a decision, Shirley looked up to see Ed smiling at her. She asked, "What?"

"I was just thinking about our conversation a few minutes ago. A little talk and long periods of silence."

The irony wasn't lost on Shirley and she started laughing. When she calmed down, she asked, "Could you watch the bar for me?"

Nodding his head, Ed replied, "Sure, I'd be happy. Gives me an excellent excuse for hiding out from an emotional discussion with Kelly."

Laughing, Shirley went out the front door. Ed moved behind the counter and tried to look important. It wasn't until he was behind the counter that he realized that a year ago she would never have trusted him behind the counter. This was an unexpected honor that was a sign of much greater trust than he had ever experienced.

Kelly and Beth walked in the bar. Expressions of surprise crossed their faces to see Ed behind the counter. Noticing their reactions, he asked, "Don't I make a cute barmaid?"

The two of them broke out laughing, in part, because of the joke and, in part, because they had been worried when he had disappeared. They settled in two chairs at the bar and ordered red wines. Trying to act professional, Ed managed to only spill a little of the wine as he poured them for the pair. Laughing at his own clumsiness as he wiped up the bar, he said, "Ladies, here are your drinks."

Together, Beth and Kelly replied, "Thank you."

Looking around, Kelly asked, "Where's Shirley?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "I'm standing right in front of you. Now how about some of that girl talk?"

Shaking her head, Beth replied, "That's not going to work. It'll take more than one wine for us confuse you with Shirley."

Chuckling, Ed said, "I had to try."

"So where is Shirley?"

Ed answered, "I think she's next door making arrangements for them to deliver sandwiches during the lunch hour."

Beth said, "Wow, that's a brilliant idea."

Taking a sip of his coke, Ed said, "That's what I thought. She's a smart business woman."

Shirley returned from next door. Entering, she smiled as she saw Kelly and Beth talking to Ed. She stepped behind the bar and said, "Ed, I see that they found you. You know, you can run, but you can't hide."

Laughing, Ed said, "I tried."

Turning to Beth and Kelly, Shirley said, "He came in here saying he was doing the manly thing and running away so that he wouldn't have to share his feelings with you two."

Kelly turned to Beth and said, "I told you so."

Ed came out from behind the bar and kissed both women on the cheek. Winking at Shirley, he said, "Well, I'll make good my escape one more time and leave you three to your girl talk."

Ed left the bar with three pairs of eyes staring at his back.



-------

Chapter 18


Closing John's notes on the serial killer, Ed felt sick to his stomach. The idea that a person existed who could perform such gruesome deeds made one doubt the existence of a God that could allow such perversion. The summaries of the horrendous actions were bad enough, but the pictures threatened to make him throw up. Forcing down the bile, Ed turned to John and said, "How can such a monster exist?"

Looking out the window of the car, John answered, "I don't know. All that I do know is that he can't be allowed to remain free."

An old black Cadillac drove past, headed towards the highway. John wrote down the time on a piece of paper; it was a little after eight. Agent Joe Fredricks tapped on the steering wheel impatiently. Although they had been there for only thirty minutes, he was tired of waiting. Two days of pointless inactivity had worn his patience. He turned back to face John and asked, "How much longer are we going to sit here?"

Noting the impatience, John answered, "I think today will be the last day. I believe that events are in motion."

Voice dripping with disgust, Joe replied, "How in the hell can you say that? I've been watching that same herd of cows for the past two days. Nothing's happening there."

Ed glanced in the back seat at John and could see the amusement on his face. In an attempt to lighten things, Ed said, "That one heifer over there is going to drop a calf anytime now."

"We're not here to arrest a calf," replied the agent as he turned to look at John. He said, "I'm going to call this off. Damned amateur detectives don't know what they're doing. How in the hell did you get in the FBI anyway?"

Wryly, John answered, "I'm a close personal friend of Director Mike Holden."

Joe Fredricks sat behind the wheel disgusted by a guy that used personal connections to get a position in the FBI. His orders had been very specific, he was to do what ever John Carter asked with no questions asked. Still, there were limits to his patience and John's insistence on sitting here for the past two days had passed them. He said, "If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm shutting you down."

Continuing to look out the window, John said, "We are waiting for the Amputation Murderer to take someone else."

"The only thing he can take out here is a cow."

Laughing, Ed said, "That would make him a butcher, not a murderer."

Joe turned to Ed and said, "You shut up. You're a civilian and have no business being here."

Tired of Joe's continuous snipes at Ed, John said, "He's here at my invitation. If you want to stretch your legs, get out and walk around. Just don't go near the road."

Getting out of the car, Joe was started by Rover sitting on the roof of the car. He had known the cat was there, but it had slipped his mind. Looking down at the agent, Rover yawned showing all of his teeth to the agent. A shiver went down the agent's spine. He was going to call Ann and find out what kind of game was going on here. Parked under a tree in the middle of a field with a hippie, a cowboy, and a cougar, there was no doubt he'd be the laughing stock of the FBI if nothing came of this.

Inside the car, Ed turned to John and said, "He's about to put an end to this."

With a sigh, John said, "I know. I'm just not going to tell him what I believe until I have a little more proof. The God knows that I'm right, but that man out there won't take that as a convincing argument."

Looking over at John, Ed asked, "This is your first service for the God?"

"Yes, it is," replied John. He added, "I'm a little nervous about it too."

The two men sat there looking out of the truck. Opening the ice chest, John pulled out three cokes. He handed two to Ed saying, "I imagine he'll want one when he gets back."

Slipping the second coke in the cup holder for the agent, Ed opened his and took a sip. An easy silence descended on the pair which lasted until Joe returned to the car. Slipping behind the wheel, Joe looked at the coke and opened it. Before taking a sip, he said, "Thanks. I needed this."

As the three men drank their cokes, an uneasy silence settled over the men. The source of the uneasiness was the FBI agent, as he kept tapping on the steering wheel. The time passed slowly, but the clock approached noon. John opened his door to let Rover in the car. Once the cat had settled in the back with him, John tapped Joe on the shoulder and said, "It is time. Drive down to the road and turn right. I'll tell you when to stop."

Joe looked around confused at the request, puzzled because nothing had happened. He turned to look at John and asked, "What do you mean it is time?"

With a smile, John said, "It is time for us to change our location. Drive down to the road and turn right."

Joe Fredricks drove down to the road and turned right. The dirt road was bumpy and he couldn't drive very fast. After a mile and a half, John said, "Stop right here. I need to take a leak."

As John got out of the car, Rover leapt out and ran across the road towards a herd of cattle. Ed watched as the cat assumed a low crouch and edge towards a calf. Tapping on the arm of Joe, Ed said, "Watch the cat."

As Joe turned to look at the cat, Rover wiggled his rear and then burst out of the grass taking down the calf. Joe shouted, "Jesus, did you see that?"

Before the herd had a chance to react, Rover was already dragging the calf to the dilapidated house. With a powerful leap, the cat jumped to the roof of the porch taking the calf with it. Rover pulled the calf up to the top of the roof.

Joe shook his head in amazement at the strength of the cat. Ed said, "Amazing isn't it?"

"Incredible. I've never seen a cougar make a kill before." The agent was truly impressed.

John opened the back door and stuck his head in the car. He said, "Stay here. I'll go up to the house to make reparations for the calf. Remember, if I say that it's a pretty pretty day, then you are to call in the back up."

Catching Ed's eye, John winked to let him know that not all was as it seemed. Ed understood and nodded back. Fuming at what appeared to be another waste of time, Joe said, "I don't have all day for you to dally around."

Smiling at the impatience of the agent, John replied, "Remember, it's a pretty pretty day."

Ed watched as John headed towards the dilapidated house. It was hard to ignore John, he cut quite a figure walking across the field with his walking stick and cloak. From the road, they watched as he took a seat on the porch. Leaning over the back of the seat, Ed went through the cooler making sure that it was stocked with a selection of drinks. Watching Ed, Joe shook his head wondering why he was bothering.

Ed said, "Turn on the receiver. He's wearing his wire."

Joe turned on the receiver and listened as John talked to Rover. Joe said, "The wire's working fine."

Shortly after that, a beat up black Cadillac pulled off the road onto the gravel driveway. They watched the car as it stopped by the house. John stood up and walked towards the car. They could see that the owner of the property was saying something, but they couldn't hear it.

Listening carefully they heard John shout, "Hey man. I'm here to pay damages!"

Again they couldn't hear what the other man was saying. Worried, Ed asked, "Can't we turn up the volume or something?"

"No. We won't be able to hear what the other guy is saying until they are closer together," answered Agent Joe Fredricks. He wasn't sure why Ed was so interested in the conversation.

"Well, I stopped to take a leak over there. My cat jumped out and got one of your calves. Those are your cows in the pasture, aren't they?"

Now that John was closer, they could hear the other guy answer. "Yes. You say your cat got one of my calves?"

When John approached close to the car, he said, "Yes. My cat killed one of your calves and dragged it up on top of your house."

"Jesus! That's your cat?" Ed smiled at the remark, it was not the first time he had heard that.

It was easy for Ed to imagine the look on John's face as he answered, "Yes it is."

"He killed a calf and took it up on my roof?"

John asked, "So how much are you going to charge me for the calf?"

The owner answered, "That's a prime calf. He's worth fifteen hundred."

Ed groaned as he said, "That's highway robbery."

"It'll probably cost me another five hundred to get it off the roof."

"He ought to be arrested for blackmail," said Ed very indignant at the clear abuse of the situation.

"Okay. I'll make out the check for an even two thousand. I'll just write it on the back of your car, if that's all right with you."

As Ed heard John's answer, he wanted to go over and beat the guy senseless. He turned to the FBI agent and said, "That guy is slime."

"No law against that."

"No. Let's go into the house and conclude our business there."

"Well, its such a pretty pretty day today. I'd much rather stay out here," said John.

Hearing that phrase, Ed turned to the FBI agent waiting him to make a call to the backup unit. When the other man didn't move, Ed leaned over to him and said, "He said it was a pretty pretty day. Call in the reinforcements."

Agent Fredricks turned to Ed and answered, "We're here because his cat ate a cow!"

Ed snarled as he said, " He gave the code phrase. Send in the others."

Agent Fredricks grunted and then answered, "If you're wrong, it's all your fault."

"Get them here, now! If you don't, I'm going up there myself!"

A very apathetic Joe Fredricks sent out a call to the backup that was parked two miles away. They had been sent there so that they wouldn't be noticed. Even if they were noticed, they wouldn't be connected with this location.

Ed listened to the conversation going on between John and the other man as he grabbed the small ice chest from the back. Watching Ed gather together the materials from the back, Joe said, "The back up will be here in five minutes."

Ed said, "We'll wait for them before going down there. We don't want to let that monster get away by rushing up there alone."

"What monster? All that I've heard is a guy upset about loosing his cow."

The van with the back up agents came rumbling down the road. Ed said, "Let's get ready to move."

As the van pulled into the driveway, Ed ran out to follow behind it. Frustrated, Joe followed behind Ed swearing to himself. Henry stared in horror when four FBI agents wearing vests emerged. Breathing heavily, Ed and Agent Fredricks ran up behind the van. Ed was hindered since he carried the small ice chest. On reaching the van, Ed set the ice chest down next to it.

When Henry started to run, John grabbed him by the arm saying, "Stay right here. I don't want you going anywhere."

One of the agents ran up to John and asked, "Where is she?"

John pointed at the car and answered, "I heard her in the back of the car."

Another agent turned to Henry and said, "We need the key to open up the back of the car."

Henry shouted in rage, "You can't do anything without a warrant. I know my rights."

At those words, Ed went over to the back of the car and listened carefully. He could hear some sounds coming from within the trunk. Knocking on the trunk, he shouted, "There are FBI agents here. Is anyone in here?"

The thuds that emerged from the back of the car were loud enough that they could be heard on the porch. John shouted, "Probable cause. You can search the car."

Frustrated, Ed looked around for some way to open the car trunk. After spotting the keys in the car, he grabbed them and used them to open the trunk. Inside, two young ladies were bound and gagged. They were sixteen or seventeen years of age at most. They stared up at Ed in terror, only relaxing when they saw Agent Fredricks with his FBI vest. Dismayed by the look of terror in their eyes, Ed pulled off the gags on both women and said, "We're here to help you."

The women didn't know what to say first. Their conversation was a confusing jumble of half uttered phrases, made even more confusing by the tears and sobs that burst loose uncontrollably. The sight of the two scared young women touched Ed so much it was as if someone had twisted a knife in his heart. He looked over at Henry with rage in his eyes.

The women were bound with nylon ropes that cut deeply into their flesh. Ed and Agent Fredricks tried to undo the knots that held the women bound. The tight ropes had cut off the circulation in the hands swelling them and turning them a horrible purple color. Any attempt to cut the ropes would cut the women as well. The two men struggled with the knots. It took a long time before they were able to get the women unbound.

As the feeling returned to their hands, the two women screamed in agony. Trying to help the young women, Ed was too busy to notice when Henry was handcuffed, read his rights, and taken away to the van. He did hear the man shout, "All I wanted to do was make them perfect. Get rid of those ugly arms and legs, like in the statues."

The words made Ed's blood boil in anger. He had seen the pictures of what the man had done to his past victims. Rather than give into his anger, he turned his attention to the two young women still screaming in pain.

Rover, hearing the screams, jumped down from the roof. Moving to join Ed, John walked over to the women to see if he could help them in some fashion. With the grace that all cats possess, Rover quickly joined him. The cat was as upset at the women's pain as the men. John knelt down to pet Rover while Rover rubbed his head against the women's legs and purred. The presence of the cat took their minds off the pain and calmed them significantly. Smiling in an open and friendly manner, John looked up at the girls and said, "Ladies, I would like to introduce you to Rover."

Almost as one, they replied, "Hello Rover."

John added, "Would you like to introduce yourselves to Rover?"

The taller girl ran a hand over the silky fur. "I'm Stacy Hutchinson."

The smaller girl squeaked out, "I'm Sarah Smith."

"I think Rover is happy to meet you." John turned to Agent Fredricks and commanded, "Give the girls your cell phone and let them call their families."

While John and Rover took care of the women, Ed went to where he had dropped the ice chest. He brought it over to where everyone was gathered and set it down. While the girls were talking to their parents, John joined Ed at the cooler. They took out soft drinks and snacks, pausing to open the drinks and hand them to the women. The women smiled in relief and took a big sip at the first opportunity. The look of joy on their faces was reward enough. Ed fished out a couple of bags of potato chips and waited patiently for the girls to finish their call.

Feeling very protective of the girls, Ed was never more than ten feet away. While Rover helped divert their attention away from their situation, Ed made sure that they were made comfortable. When the ambulance arrived, he stood over the women making sure that they received best care and that the men were polite.

As the investigation activities heated up, John, Ed, Rover, and the women were left alone. John retrieved a couple of chairs from the porch and placed them in a shady spot for the women. While Rover lay over their feet and purred, John and Ed sat back and let the girls talk. They told each other how afraid they had been during the ordeal. They talked of the thoughts that had gone through their minds at the time. The fears experienced by the girls were hardly imaginable by Ed. He sat there shaking his head as he wondered what it must have been like being tied up in the trunk of the car.

When John left to talk to the other agents, Ed asked, "Sarah, what grade are you in?"

With a smile, Sarah answered, "I'm a junior."

Stacy answered, "I'm a senior."

Nodding, Ed asked, "Either of you planning on going to college?"

Stacy answered, "I'm planning on it, but I don't know what I'm going to major in."

Less certain, Sarah said, "I don't know yet."

Smiling at Sarah, Ed said, "I definitely recommend college. I'm going right now."

Stacy asked, "What are you studying?"

"Rocks."

"Rocks?" asked Sarah. The idea of studying rocks seemed weird to her.

"Yes, I study rocks and I love it," answered Ed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a sample of Amethyst. Handing it to Sarah, he said, "That is an Amethyst. It is one of the more common semi- precious gems."

For the next half an hour, Ed entertained the two women talking about rocks. It was a topic that came easily to him and it was one that people found interesting. The women were interested in hearing about gems that were used in jewelry and Ed played up that part of the discussion. By the time he had finished, the recent ordeal was a past memory.

John returned from his discussion with the other agents carrying a bottle of iced tea. As John took sip from the bottle, he grimaced at the taste. Turning to Ed, John said, "I just can't stand this bottled junk. Iced tea is supposed to be served in a glass, with real ice, enough sugar to taste it, and a lemon wedge if you want lemon. This stuff tastes old and stale."

Stacy grinned and asked, "Can't you cast a spell on it? You are a wizard aren't you?"

Ed burst out laughing at that characterization of John. He asked, "Why would you think that?"

Sarah answered, "Look at him. He's wearing a wizards cloak, he carries a staff, has a pure white beard, long hair with two white stripes, and has a cat as a familiar."

"I'm sure you've heard that saying that if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's it duck. Well, he looks like a wizard, walks like a wizard, and talks like a wizard." Stacy pointed at John and added, "Ergo, Wizard!"

John laughed and answered, "No. I'm not a wizard. I'm just a regular guy."

Having come up from behind in time to hear the conversation, Agent Fredricks interrupted, "He's the main character out of a science fiction book. One man armed with intelligence, intuition, and nerves of steel goes forth to conquer evil. He's the John Carter from the Edgar Rice Burroughs stories."

At that moment, the last vestige of hero worship seemed to fall from Ed. Looking at John, he saw his friend for what he was. He shook his head and said, "He's a regular guy that finds himself in irregular circumstances."

John turned to face Agent Fredricks. He asked, "What can we do for you?"

"I just wanted to let you know that the girl's parents will be arriving soon. I thought you might want a few minutes to prepare for their arrival. The house is sealed off to everyone but police. We've had a porto-potty delivered so you can use it if you want to use the rest room. There's a portable water stand over there where you can get a drink or wash your hands."

"Thank you, Agent Fredricks. I'll walk back to the house with you." John stood up and walked over to where the agent waited. They returned to the house together. Staying behind, Ed watched over the girls as they went to clean up. They took turns at the porto-potty. Ever since he had opened the trunk of the car, Ed felt like he was their protector. The irony of a bully becoming a protector wasn't lost on him.

After a little while John returned to where Ed was seated watching the two women move over to the water stand where they could clean up a little. Tired, John sat down next to Ed and said, "When their parents come and take them away, we can leave."

"Good, this place really gives me the creeps. There is something inherently evil about it." As time passed here, the feeling of discomfort had slowly infected Ed.

John nodded and said, "I know. I've been feeling ill the whole time that we've been here. I hope the place burns down to the ground. There is so much pain in this place."

Ed nodded as he replied, "No wonder you were able to find this place. It screams out to you."

John asked, "So how long did it take you to convince him to call the backup?"

Ed laughed as he answered, "About a minute. I had to tell him three times to call for the backup. How did you know that I had to convince him?"

"Why do you think that I wanted you to watch my back?"

As he considered the implications, Ed frowned as he realized that John would have been stuck dealing with Henry until Joe had finally realized something was wrong. He answered, "You didn't think they would believe you."

"Right." John pointed at two cars escorted by a half dozen police cars approaching the driveway. "I think the parents have arrived. Let's get them together with the kids and out of here. As soon as they are gone, we can leave."

As the cars came to a halt, Ed shouted, "Stacy! Sarah! Your parents are here."

The two young ladies ran from where they had been washing and flew to the arms of their mothers. In a touching scene, mothers and daughters broke down crying. The fathers stood there looking relieved, worried, upset, and angry. Feeling that his job was done, Ed hung back as John walked over to the group. John extended his right hand to one of the men and said, "You must be Mr. Hutchinson. I'm special agent John Carter from the FBI."

After the initial excitement of reuniting the girls with their parents had passed, Ed finally came over. He stood there uncomfortable as the families thanked him for taking care of the girls. To him, it felt like an age passed before the families left. The relief at the chance to leave was almost overwhelming.

Returning from dropping the keys for the car in the lobby so that Agent Fredricks could pick them up, Ed noticed John looking out the window. He said, "A penny for your thoughts."

"Oh, Ed. I didn't hear you come in." John turned to look as Ed joined him at the window.

"What were you thinking?" asked Ed.

John pointed down to the people below and said, "I was thinking of how many unhappy people there are down there on the street. You know, if they would just look up and see each other, for what is inside, they would find true happiness. They are all hung up on the externals and, as a result, they miss so much."

Ed stood there for a long time staring out the window, watching the people walk around in a hurry to go to their own destinations. The sight reminded him why he hated large cities so much. There was so much self-loathing and unhappiness that it sucked the energy right out of him. He said, "They worry so much about external appearances that they miss what is really important. They would be shocked at the people in our town. They'd never see what Jim sees in Sherry. He's a perfect figure of a man and she's two-ten if she's a pound."

John smiled, "What does Jim see in Sherry?"

"I don't know, but she must do something right. He's madly in love with her and they've been married for twenty years." The relationship between Jim and Sherry had always bothered Ed. For years he had wondered how Sherry had managed to get Jim to marry her. He had been convinced that she must have tricked him into it somehow, perhaps by claiming to be pregnant. Now, he recognized that they truly loved each other.

"Was she the same size when they got married?"

"She was bigger." She was a big woman, but had been bigger in the past.

John laughed and said, "I guess she's one of the few wives that actually lost weight after getting married. She's got a heart of gold."

"I know. I've thought about them a lot. I was very cruel to her in the past and I know that I hurt her very much. Yet, she's still nice to me. One of these days, I have to make amends." Ed felt bad about his treatment of Sherry. He had no idea how many times he had ridiculed her in public about her weight.

John nodded at the knowledge that there were many issues that Ed had yet to resolve concerning his past behavior. John decided to change the topic and asked, "So what are your thoughts about judging people by their external appearance?"

"They've changed a lot since... ," started Ed. He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

John went over to the door and opened it. It was a guy from room service delivering their dinner. He stared at one and then the other realizing he recognized the John and Ed. He said, "I know you. You guys caught that serial killer today."

John took the bill from the guy and charged it to the room. He added a generous tip, knowing that the majority of his pay came from tips. Ed watched John and realized John was not going to answer the implied question. Ed answered, "Yes. We can't talk about it now, though. We just want to eat and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a longer day."

Watching the guy as he worked up his nerve to say something, Ed hoped that he would leave. Just before going out the door, the guy said, "You guys are all right. You took a very nasty guy off the street."

John looked up and replied, "Thanks."

Alone at last, John and Ed turned to the food. Together, the men moved the tray to the bed where they took the plates off the tray and set them on the small table. Removing the cover from the plate in front of him, he grimaced at the sight of the food. Moving the plate in front of John, he said, "Here's your raw meat."

Smiling, John moved the other plate in front of Ed. He said, "Here's your charcoal!"

After eating a meal that was less than appetizing, the men sat back. Disgusted by the French-fires, Ed said, "Talk about judging by appearances, those fries really sucked."

John laughed as he commented, "I thought for a moment that my mouth lost the ability to make saliva for the rest of my life."

"Thank God for the iced tea."

Ed looked out the window from his chair. The change in perspective hid the street below from view. He cleared his throat. "We were talking about judging by external appearances earlier."

"Yes we were."

"Well, I was thinking about it. You know, you are an enigma to me. You care so much about how other people feel, that you will deny yourself pleasure."

John started to interrupt, but Ed held up a hand. He continued, "When Beth was going through her trouble, I talked with Kelly about having me watch Beth one night so that you could come over and spend some time with her. She stated that you wouldn't sleep with her until Beth was better. She was right. You told me that yourself."

John threw his hands up in a surrender gesture as he explained, "What can I say? She was in a fragile state at the time."

Ed understood that and nodded his agreement with the explanation. There was a point that he was trying to make. He said, "Well, after Beth was okay I kept wondering why you weren't taking Kelly up on any of her offers. Then one day it hit me. You weren't going to sleep with her until after you slept with me."

Recognizing that Ed understood his rejections of Kelly, John nodded. He asked, "Do you know why?"

"Yes, I do. You didn't want to get involved with Kelly until you knew that the involvement had a good chance of being permanent. You didn't want to sleep with her and then have to dump her if it became clear that you and I couldn't live up to her expectations." Although he only realized it now, Ed felt guilty because he had gone ahead and committed himself before knowing that he could keep that commitment.

John nodded and said "You do understand."

"I also understand something else. I think it came to me when I was talking with the girls this afternoon."

John looked puzzled and asked, "What?"

"You have never pressured me about anything. You ask questions and help lead me to conclusions that are right for me. You never judge, you just accept me for what I am. When I need to act, I can count on you to back me up. You help open doors that I would not be able to open myself. Today, you wanted me to watch your back. You know that you can count on me. When we were talking about you being a wizard, I argued that you were an ordinary guy. That's when I knew that I had accepted you for what you are. You are an ordinary guy that finds himself in extraordinary circumstances." Ed paused for effect, "Today, I realized that kind of acceptance and trust is love."

John smiled at Ed's revelation and said, "I agree. That is what love is supposed to be."

Ed nodded as he added, "Yes. It's not some wild emotional roller coaster ride."

John broke out into a great big grin. "I don't think that Beth and Kelly realize that yet. Spending time with each other is a gift from the heart. Demanding attention only cheapens the time spent together because it becomes an obligation or an act motivated by guilt."

Ed nodded as he followed his thoughts to their logical conclusion. "So I was thinking. If we love each other, what is the big deal about sex with each other?"

"I agree with you, Ed. What is the big deal?"

Having reached the point where he had drawn a blank, Ed asked, "So how do two men do it?"

John shrugged his shoulders as he answered, "I have no fucking idea."

Both men looked at the other and burst out laughing.



-------

Chapter 19


Laying awake in bed as the sun rose, Ed considered the activities of the previous evening and night. He closed his eyes, cutting out all external visual stimuli and thought about what he had done. The actual act of having sex with John was not as bad as he had feared that it would be. He had wondered how he would feel afterwards and now that he had done it, much to his surprise, he didn't feel any different about himself.

He heard John come out of the bathroom and get back into bed. It was still early, but Ed knew that it was time to get moving. Half of what drove him to start the day was his hunger. Dinner the previous night had been so bad, that he hadn't been able to eat the French Fries and that was probably half the food on his plate.

From his bed, John looked over at Ed knowing that Ed wouldn't wake for another half an hour. He wondered what his reaction would be this morning to the activities of last night. His thoughts were interrupted by Ed calling out, "Hey, sleepy head. Wake up."

John looked over at Ed in surprise. He said, "You're up early this morning."

"I'm hungry. Dinner was kind of small and all that exercise last night burned up the little bit that I ate."

John laughed at the memory of dinner last night. Relief swept through him that Ed made light reference to last nights activities. He replied, "It did at that."

"Why don't I shower first and then while I'm shaving you can shower. We can probably be done in time to get to the breakfast buffet before it gets cold and dried out," suggested Ed as he rolled out of bed. Looking down at Rover, he watched the cat yawn indifferent to the events of the past twelve hours.

John nodded as he said, "Yeah, I don't really need to shave."

"I know, you only do it once in a lifetime." Both men laughed at that.

After breakfast, Ed and John split up to go their separate ways. John went with Rover to get debriefed about the arrest. Ed decided to head out and shop for some presents for the women. The first stop would be a lingerie shop. He would then head over to a store that sold adult novelties. Finally, he thought he might look at some jewelry to give Beth and Kelly.

Retrieving the car from the parking garage, Ed drove around looking for a likely place to shop. After driving around for a while, he found a little shop along the road that advertised lingerie. Parking the car in the lot, he looked in the display window. He smiled as he saw the baby doll nightgowns, garters, and various gowns on display. Entering the shop, he was overwhelmed by the wide range of goods on sale. Much to his surprise, the back wall was stocked with adult toys. Scratch one stop off the list.

Ed moved around the shop looking at various outfits. One of the clerks came over to help him. It didn't take long to select two long nightgowns that were lacy around the top and slit nicely up the side. He chose a black one for Beth and a white one for Kelly. He decided to look at a few other outfits, just in case there was something else that he would like.

While his attention was on the corsets, two women came into the shop. One woman was in her late twenties and the other looked to be about sixteen. He glanced at them and was surprised when he caught the younger woman looking at him. Her face blushed a bright red and then she turned to the older woman. In a voice that carried through the whole store, the young woman said, "Aunt Molly, there's a man here."

The older woman looked at Ed and shrugged her shoulders as she smiled at him. She replied, "Laura, don't worry about him. Now come with me."

Molly went to the back wall and waited for the younger woman to follow her. Glancing frequently at Ed, Laura slowly made her way to stand beside her aunt. Ed returned to looking through the items of clothing. When he reached the last rack of clothes it was very difficult not to hear what Molly was telling Laura. Despite his best intentions, Ed found himself captivated by the discussion.

Taking down a vibrator, Molly said, "This is a vibrator. This particular model uses a battery. The one over there plugs into the wall and gives a much stronger vibration."

Staring wide eyed at the device, Laura asked, "Is that better?"

Smiling at the question, Molly answered, "It depends. I don't like the vibrations too strong, but that is just my preference. You might like it stronger. Now you can use this on yourself or have your boyfriend use it on you. You can even use it on your boyfriend. If you're going to let your boyfriend use it on you, I suggest that you use it on yourself first so that you know what feels best and can guide him."

Ed could barely believe his ears as the woman went on to explain how to use the vibrator. She was very factual and explicit about how it could be used on a woman or a man. Ed was shocked as he didn't know half of the stuff the woman was saying. After hearing the talk about the vibrator, he decided that he would buy two of them.

Molly went through every item on the wall. She described the uses of butt plugs, strap-ons, and various other masturbation devices. Much to Ed's delight, Laura asked questions as her aunt explained the various devices. The questions reflected exactly what Ed had wanted to ask. The bondage equipment was not as interesting to Ed, but he listened trying to understand the attraction that it might have for others.

Finally finishing with her presentation, Molly stepped back to where she stood next to Ed and said, "Now, why don't you pick out what you would like."

Half tempted to go to the wall and start picking up items, Ed waited for Laura to finish shopping. She kept staring at him and blushing rather than selecting items from the wall. Looking over at Molly, Ed said, "This is a very nice thing you are doing for her. I wish someone had done that for me when I was her age."

Looking at Ed with a smile, Molly answered, "I take sex education very seriously. She should know what she uses and how to use it safely. Would you like to serve as a model so that I can explain the male sex organs?"

Blushing a bright red, Ed said, "I think her boyfriend might be much better than this old cowboy."

Molly laughed at the suggestion and answered, "She doesn't have a boyfriend yet. Her first date is this weekend."

Surprised at the information, Ed asked, "So why are you doing this now?"

In a very serious tone of voice, Molly answered, "The time to learn about this stuff is before you have experience with it, not after. If you wait until after, you could end up with a pregnant teenage girl on your hands."

"I didn't think of that," replied Ed.

"So will you model for her?"

One glimpse at the young women convinced him that he had no right exposing himself to her. She reminded him too much of one of the girls from the day before. He added, "No, I'm sure that you can find a better model."

With an intensity that was rather scary, Molly looked at him very carefully as though sizing him up. He knew that she was considering an argument to convince him to model. The look on her face changed suddenly and a hand came up to her mouth. She squealed with excitement, "I know who you are. You were one of the guys that caught the serial killer yesterday."

Surprised at being recognized, Ed mutely nodded. He looked away for a second and then back at her. Feeling that he was supposed to say something, he had no idea what was appropriate. Finally he mumbled, "I was there, but I didn't do much."

Laura finished selecting the items she wanted. After handing them to Molly, she stood by Ed, looking at him carefully. Looking at the lingerie in his hands, he felt very embarrassed at her direct appraisal of him. He was carrying two nightgowns, two corsets, and two tops. She asked, "Why did you buy two of everything?"

Laura, Molly, and the clerk all looked at Ed waiting for an answer. Ed looked away for a second and then answered, "It is for my fiancées."

Molly looked at him with amusement and asked, "Two?"

"Two women and a man," replied Ed rather self-consciously. It was the first time that he had made that admission in public. He looked around to see what the others would say to that.

The reaction of the clerk was a negligent shrug of her shoulders. She had seen everything while working in the store. After seeing men come into the store and buy lingerie for themselves, hearing about a group marriage was nothing. She just continued to ring up the sale.

The reaction from Laura was simple. She merely said, "Cool."

Molly said, "Interesting. How did that come about?"

Shrugging, Ed answered, "My girlfriend wanted a wife and two husbands. I love her, the woman we want as a wife, and the other man. That's all it is, a matter of love."

The two women were looking at each other with amazement. It was hard to say if it was because the idea was a woman's or that Ed was so honest about his love. Molly said, "I'd like to met her."

"She's a very special woman that knows exactly what she wants," replied Ed. He added, "With time, I've come to really like the idea."

With Molly and Laura still watching him and whispering to each other, Ed went to the wall of adult toys. Very conscious of his audience, he selected two vibrators and two strap-ons. He wasn't sure the women would enjoy the strap-ons, but he thought they might. The opinion was based solely on Molly's description of how to use them. Molly had been rather explicit about how both men and women could receive pleasure from that particular item. The two women could use them on each other, John, or him.

Smiling, Molly said, "Very good choices. I'm sure that your ladies will enjoy them."

Red faced, Ed went over to the counter and paid for his purchases. As the clerk rang up the strap-ons, she said, "You'll need some lube to go with these."

Returning to the wall, Ed took two tubes of lube. At the register, the bored clerk rang up the rest of the purchases. Ed paid for the purchases, asking that the goods be put in two separate bags. The clerk looked at him and put everything in a single bag, able to tell that Ed was from out of town and there was no chance of repeat business.

Dissatisfied with the service, Ed was tempted to ask for his money back. Looking at the bored clerk and his audience, Ed decided a more appropriate parting shot was required. In a droll voice, he asked, "Where did you learn to count?"

The clerk looked up at him in surprise and said, "Why?"

Ed answered, "Because most people can count to ten because they have ten fingers. I guess you've been given the finger by your customers so many times that you can only count to one."

Picking up his bag, Ed left followed by Molly and Laura. The clerk reacted by giving him the finger. Molly called out, "That's one, do you remember two?"

Putting the bags in the car, Ed realized that Molly and Laura were standing behind him. He turned to see what they wanted. Molly asked, "Would you talk to us for a moment?"

Puzzled, Ed answered, "What do you want to know?"

Molly, displaying the first bit of awkwardness since he had encountered her, asked, "How can I get that kind of marriage?"

"I think the better question is how do I get the kind of marriage that is perfect for me?" Ed replied as he watched Molly fidget.

While he expected Molly to answer, it was Laura that said, "Yes. That is the question."

Smiling at Laura, Ed answered, "First you have to decide what kind of marriage you want. Then you pursue it by telling your prospective partners what your expectations are. There's only one thing to keep in mind. That's to keep the communications open and honest. You have to listen to the other person."

Skeptical, Molly said, "You make it sound so easy."

"Nothing in life is easy. You have to work to get what you want. Kelly was about at her wits end looking for the kind of marriage she wanted. Then one day, we met and we found love." Smiling to himself, Ed knew that he had found love and not from just one person, but three. He was a very rich man and knew it.

Molly said, "You sound like you really believe in love."

"Believe in love? I found love. It isn't an obsessive all consuming emotion or a great lust. Jealously and possessiveness have nothing to do with love. Love is a desire to help another person become all that they can be. I can tell that you love Laura. You are spending a tremendous amount of time to make sure that she has all of the tools and knowledge needed to have a good life. That is love." Knowing that Laura would have a question about that, he turned to face her.

Much as he predicted, Laura asked, "What about sex?"

"I love sex, even if I'm not very good at it. Sex without love can be good. Sex with love is great. It is wanting to please your partner and getting pleasure out of their pleasure. Sometimes that means you do your best to make sure that they orgasm. Sometimes that means allowing your partner to please you. Sometimes, it just works out that you both click and please each other."

A silence descended upon the three people. Finally, Laura asked, "What about happiness?"

The question really gave Ed pause. It was a tough question and one he didn't know how to answer. For so many years, he had not really thought about his happiness and now he did. Finally, he said, "You are responsible for your own happiness."

Realizing that they were just standing around a parking lot, Molly thanked Ed for his time and took Laura to their next destination. Ed went in his car and sat there for a moment. The quiet and isolation in the car, gave him a chance to think about the last question that he had been asked. What about happiness? Pursuing his passion for rocks had helped him to become a happier person, but was that the real secret to happiness? He felt that there was something more to it than that. The first time that he had really felt happiness was the day that he had thrown the party for John and Betsy. Did that mean that happiness came from doing things for other people? He didn't think so.

He started the car and went in search of a jewelry store. It was his intention to buy Kelly and Beth a pendant. Driving around town, he came across a little store that looked interesting. He pulled into the parking lot and entered the store.

It was an older jewelry store. The glass counters were scratched, the lights in the cabinets were not very bright, and the styles were out of date. The elderly man behind the counter was drinking a cup of coffee out of an old mug. His gray hair, wrinkled face, white mustache, short goatee, and half frame reading glasses gave him a kindly appearance. In a soft deep voice, he said, "Welcome to my store, young man. I'm Doug Marshall. Is there something that I can help you find?'

"Nice to meet you Mr. Marshall. I'm Ed Biggers." Smiling at the owner, Ed said, "I'm looking for some presents."

The old man asked, "May I learn a little about the recipients of these presents?"

"Well, I have two female friends that I would like to give a gift." Ed was silent for a minute and added, "There's also another guy that is part of our group. All four of us are very close and I would like something that represents that closeness."

Doug was quiet for several minutes while thinking, before he said, "Well, until you added the guy, I was going to suggest something like a friendship pendants. Instead, I would like to show you the puzzle rings. I think you would like that better."

Surprised, Ed asked, "Puzzle rings? What are those?"

Doug smiled at the question and answered, "They are rings that come apart into several pieces and putting them together is a puzzle. I think it represents friendship very well. Together, the pieces interlock and form a whole, but apart they are just funny looking bands."

He led Ed over to a glass case and removed several rings. Laying them out on a small piece of black velvet, he said, "These are puzzle rings with two, four, five, and six bands. Each of them is made of white gold."

Ed picked up the four band puzzle ring and examined it. It would be perfect, one band representing each one of them. Looking up at the proprietor, he asked, "How much is this?"

The old man answered, "Two-fifty."

That was a bit more than Ed had wanted to spend as presents. Looking at the simpler two band rings, he asked, "How much is this?"

"One-fifty."

It was a thousand dollars versus six hundred dollars, though even six hundred was more than he had intended to spend. He really liked them though. Throwing his budget to the wind, he asked, "Do you have four of these?"

The elderly man bent down and looked in the shelves under the display case for a minute. It took him quite a while to locate three of them. Standing up, he said, "I have these three and that one."

Relieved at having four of them alike, Ed said, "I'll take them."

Doug Marshall retrieved a ring case and put the fourth ring in it. As he worked, he said, "These are very nice rings. I'm glad someone purchased them as a friendship rings, although I had always envisioned them as wedding rings."

The idea of using them as wedding rings intrigued Ed. Now that he had had sex with John, it was a reasonable time for them to propose. The rings could be used as wedding rings. He said, "You know, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I will use them for that purpose."

The proprietor returned to his chair and took another sip of his coffee. Looking over at Ed, he said, "Do you want to explain that?"

Licking his lips, Ed answered, "As I said, we are very close. We want to make it closer."

The elderly man shook his head and said, "Things are sure different today."

"Do you mean that in a good way?" asked Ed.

"No, I don't," replied the proprietor. He frowned and said, "There are just some things that are wrong. Marriage is between a man and a woman."

Ed leaned against one of the display cases, getting a rather dirty look from the old man. Pretending that he didn't notice, Ed said, "You know, a year ago I agreed with you. Hell, I would have beat the hell out of someone who suggested such a thing to me."

Raising his eyebrows, Doug asked, "So what happened?"

"One day I picked a fight with a guy that looked and acted like a wimp. Long hair and beard, he looked like a hippie. He beat me, fair and square." Ed thought back to that night and how John had taken him down. Laughing he added, "I didn't know it at the time, but that guy is the greatest hero in this country. He even died once to take a bullet that was meant for someone else. He's run into burning buildings to rescue children, through gunfights to pull injured bystanders out of the battle zone, and through collapsing buildings to rescue earthquake victims. He even took down a serial killer."

"Sounds like a very brave man," replied Doug wondering where this discussion was headed.

"I watched him walk through a hundred rattlesnakes to rescue a child," said Ed. "He told me something that I had never thought about. We were talking about right and wrong when he told me that he lived by two very simple rules. If it harm none, then do it. One must protect the weak from the strong."

"What about the Ten Commandments?" asked Doug.

"Oh, I asked him about that. He said that his two rules were much more restrictive than the Ten Commandments," replied Ed. Observing the disbelief on the man's face, he added, "Take killing, for example. According to those two rules, one can only kill if that is the only way to protect the weak from the strong. Now the bible has the Commandment, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill, ' but then is full of episodes in which one person kills another. David slays Goliath. Those two rules provide a context that explains that paradox. David slew Goliath to save his weaker comrades in arms from a greater strength."

Doug nodded and said, "I'll accept that."

Ed went on by saying, "The Bible doesn't say anything about tearing someone up psychologically or even physically. In other words, according to the Bible it is okay to torture someone. So long as you don't kill them, then you haven't broken any of the commandments."

Taken aback by the example, Doug tried to remember some Biblical quote about that subject. The best counter example was the whipping of Jesus, but even that wasn't condemned. Doug said, "I'm not sure that buy that, but I can't come up with a counter example off the top of my head."

"His rule says that is not allowed because the only things that you are allowed to do must harm no one or protect a weaker person from a stronger person," explained Ed. Rather than explain any more, he waited for Doug to ask the right question.

"And that changed your opinion?"

Ed said, "In a way. You see, I now ask myself if something someone is doing actually harms anyone. When it came to the issue of group marriages, I found that I couldn't identify anyone that was harmed by it."

"I can help you with that. It offends me," replied Doug.

Smiling, Ed replied, "It offends you, but how does it harm you?"

Frowning, Doug thought about it. It was a simple question, but he couldn't answer it. He stared at Ed for a full minute without saying a word. Did the harm come from being offended? If so, then where was the source of the harm. Was it within him? Finally, he answered, "I'll reserve judgement on you."

Laughing Ed answered, "I'm not offended if you judge me harshly. You can think what you want about me. I only ask that you do not harm me as a result of your judgement. The real question that I have to live with is how I feel about myself and how I feel about others. I think you are a good man with a strong moral sense about an issue that is important to many people. The fact that you think I am wrong in my actions is cause for me to reconsider my actions. I will change my position as soon as you can tell me where I've harmed someone."

"Why do you say that?" That Ed would allow him to judge him harshly was not an offence was foreign to him.

Ed replied, "Have you ever done something right knowing that others ridiculed you the entire time?"

"I think that has happened to everyone," replied Doug.

"Yes, but you continue to do it because you know it is right. It doesn't matter to you if others think it is wrong," said Ed. He looked at Doug and could see the old man agreed with him. He added, "Yet, if someone were to convince you that you were doing wrong with a real argument, then you would stop in a second."

"Sure."

"That's my position. If someone can give me an argument that what I am doing is wrong, then I will stop it," replied Ed. Even as he said it, he felt that it was the right thing to say. It explained his position very accurately.

Doug was silent for a long time and then with a smile answered, "I guess things are different today."

A teenage girl came into the jewelry store. She was short with black hair trimmed in a pageboy. The lipstick was black and matched her dress. She wore black boots with high heels. There were a half dozen rings on her fingers and each wrist sported silver bracelets. She had a number of earrings in each ear and piercings over the eye, in her nose, and through her cheek. When she walked past, he could see the tattoo of some sort of Celtic design on her back, just above her butt. She strode over to the counter and asked, "Can you give me a some money? They have a sale and I want to get a new dress."

The old man went to the cash register and pulled out fifty dollars. The look on his face as he handed it to her conveyed disappointment and a lack of understanding of what made his granddaughter act and dress they way she did... In a voice that suggested this was not the first time such a request had been made, he asked, "Is that enough?"

"Yeah, thanks gramps." She turned to leave the store with hardly a glance at her grandfather.

The difference between this young lady and Laura was striking. Ed watched her as she started to leave. Before she was able to get to the door, he asked, "Tell me, Doug. Did you ever think of stocking those piercing things?"

The young woman turned and looked at Ed like he was an idiot. She said, "They are called studs."

Doug shook his head and replied, "No. The kids don't come in here."

Looking over at the granddaughter, Ed smiled and suggested, "Oh, they would if she were working here. I bet she could pay back that fifty dollars in a weeks time if she had a little counter for studs."

Doug looked at Ed in shock. Intrigued with the idea, the girl looked at Ed and then at her grandfather. She knew to the dollar how much she was spending getting various parts of her body pierced and to pay for the studs. She said, "That's not a bad idea."

Waiting a moment, Ed said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Marshall. I didn't mean to interfere in what are clearly family matters. I know that it's none of my business, but I just couldn't hold back the suggestion when I saw the two of you harming each other."

The girl turned in a fury and glared at Ed as she asked, "How was I harming him?"

Ed answered, "You have just taken some money from him that was for his dream vacation. It's gone as is all of the other money you've taken from him. You're using your family relationship to emotionally blackmail him into giving you that money. That harms him."

Doug was about to say that it was okay, but then he realized that Ed had also accused him of harming his granddaughter. He was doing right by the family and to hear otherwise, particularly from some strange guy in a group marriage, bothered him. Angrily, he asked, "And just how am I harming her?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed answered, "Oh, you were just robbing her of a chance to learn about money, responsibility, patience, and the value of her possessions. One day she is going to need to know those things and will have to learn them in much more painful circumstances. I just hope that the circumstances aren't so bad that they kill her."

Neither of the two spoke for a long time. In the meantime, Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet to get the credit card to pay for the rings. As he did so, he glanced from the man to the woman wondering which one would break the silence first. Much to his surprise, it was the grandfather that spoke first by saying, "Why did you make the particular suggestion that you made?"

"Simple, it is a win-win solution. You get an expanded customer base and get more money. She gets the experience of running a business, making more money herself than she is begging off you, and learns about money, responsibility, and patience. In addition, I think it would help bring the two of you closer together." Looking at the two of them together, he could see that each was considering what he said from their own perspective.

The young woman said, "Grandpa, the sale can wait. I think we need to talk about this idea."

Doug stared in disbelief at his granddaughter. It was hard to believe that she was actually considering working and earning a living rather than leeching off of him. He replied, "I think that would be a good idea. Let me ring this man up and we'll sit down to talk about it."

The purchase was quickly rung up and the credit card processed. With his four rings in a nice little bag, Ed went to leave. Doug called out, "If it harms none, then do it."

Ed turned back and winked. He replied, "Exactly."

At the car, he realized that he had the small ice chest with the soft drinks from the previous day in the back of the car. He opened the back and removed a can. Entering the store, he went to the young lady and said, "Here's something for you to drink while you two are talking."

She smiled at him and replied, "Thanks for everything."

"No problem."

On the way to the hotel, Ed stopped and bought some meat for Rover. When Ed returned to the hotel, he carried his purchases up to the room. It was only then that he discovered that he had only been charged five hundred for the rings instead of the six hundred that had been quoted to him. He picked up the phone and called the jeweler only to find that the man had discounted the price because of his suggestion. It was a pleasant surprise and he thanked the jeweler for the consideration.

John arrived almost as soon as Ed hung up the phone. After John fed the cat the hamburger, Ed said, "Come here. I have something to show you."

Curious, John came over to see what Ed had in his hand. He asked, "What's that?"

"It's puzzle rings made out of white gold," answered Ed.

John looked at the rings, took them apart and then put them together again. Looking up at Ed, he asked, "How many did you get?"

"Four," replied Ed. With a very large grin, he said, "I was thinking that they would make very interesting wedding rings."

Laughing at the cleverness of the idea, John looked up and said, "We could each propose to everyone else and then give half a ring to them when they say yes. The two halves go together to form a single ring. I love it. That's a great idea!"

After returning home the next day, that is exactly what they did.



-------

Chapter 20


Ed returned from school exhausted. His boss, Nevada, pressured him into taking the promotion that he had been offered. Working full time and going to school part-time was about to kill him. He wished that John was home, but he was off in Austin doing something that he was keeping very secret. He had an early class Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and two late classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

After wandering into the kitchen, he realized that he didn't have anything in the house ready to eat. He didn't feel like taking the half hour to cook and the time to clean up afterwards. Kelly and Beth were working tonight so he was on his own as far as dinner was concerned. It wasn't that he expected either one to cook for him, it was just that cooking for one was such a hassle.

Driven by his hunger, he headed over to Maria's Cantina. His plan was to get a couple of tacos and then head home to get some much needed sleep. The relationship with Maria and Rosa had improved significantly. He could probably get them to rush the order. At least this way, he'd be in bed in less than an hour.

Entering the restaurant, he was surprised to find people waiting for tables. He looked over at Maria and with a wink asked, "So who am I going to have to beat up to get a table?"

Maria laughed at the joke. There was a time when she wouldn't have laughed. She answered, "Oh, its not that bad, just a twenty minute wait."

While Maria laughed, a number of other patrons looked around nervously. Too many of them still viewed Ed as a bully and feared that they would be intimidated into leaving. Ed noticed, but decided not to make an issue of it. Instead, he said, "If you can't fit me in, I'll eat at the bar."

Maria was about to say that it would be alright, when a very loud sob arose from behind her. Turning, she saw Sherry, hands held over her eyes, crying as she ran off the to restroom. Staring at the retreating figure, Ed wondered what was the matter. As he turned to ask Maria, Jim came storming over to him. His face was flushed red, the vein in his forehead throbbed, and his hands were clutched into fists. Trembling in rage, Jim shouted, "If you ever say anything nasty about my wife again, I'll kill you."

Ed had no idea what he had done. There was a time when he never missed a chance to belittle her, but that was a long time in the past. It was then that he realized he had not seen Jim or Sherry for more than a year. He glanced at Maria as if to ask what had he done. There was no answer there, as she just shrugged her shoulders as puzzled as Ed.

Looking at Jim, he asked, "What did I say?"

Snarling, Jim retorted, "You know what you said, you bastard."

Deciding that he didn't really want to deal with the situation at the current time, Ed looked over at Maria and said, "I think it would be better if I leave."

Very surprised by Jim's behavior, she nodded her agreement. She had not heard Ed say anything to Jim or Sherry, but she wasn't going to step in front of Jim. Feeling sorry for Ed at what was basically an unfair accusation, she said, "I'm sorry, but I agree."

Stepping closer to Ed, Jim continued to vent his rage. He screamed, "You had better go."

Knowing that talking to Jim in that mood was not going to help the situation, Ed did the best that he could to prevent an escalation of the situation. With a curt nod of his head, Ed replied, "I'm leaving."

Jim followed Ed to the door. Even as Ed headed out of the restaurant, he shouted, "Get out of here!"

As the door closed behind Ed, he looked back at the restaurant in total dismay. Shoulders sagging as if the spirit had been sucked out of his body, he headed towards the bar hoping that he could at least get a sandwich there. As he walked, he thought about how he should have responded to Jim's bitter attack. In hindsight, he didn't see how he could have done anything different. The real problem was that he felt that he had deserved that kind of treatment from Jim for a long time. Jim and Sherry would hate him forever.

At the bar, Shirley took one look at Ed and knew that he was down. Before he reached the counter, she had a glass of coke ready for him. As he sat down, he asked, "Any chance of getting a sandwich?"

Shaking her head to reinforce her answer, she replied, "No. They're closed for the night. Why don't you go over to Maria's Cantina?"

"I got chased out of there," replied Ed. Taking a sip of his coke, he tried to decide what to do for dinner. He guessed that the only real option was the diner near where he worked. He should have stopped at one of the places on the way home from school.

At the news that Ed had been chased out of Maria's Cantina, Shirley looked at Ed in surprise. He had been so nice the past year that she couldn't imagine him causing a problem. In fact, the relationship between Ed with Maria had become pretty solid. Concerned, she asked, "What did you do?"

"I don't know. I was talking to Maria when out of the blue Jim climbed all over me. Rather than make more of a scene, I left." Ed shook his head, trying to figure out what happened at the restaurant.

"You have no idea what you did?" Knowing the history among Ed, Jim and Sherry, she could understand how that would blow up. One slip of the tongue about Sherry and Ed would have a very angry Jim in his face. Ed's comments about Sherry had chased Jim and Sherry out of her bar years ago.

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No, but it doesn't matter. I've deserved that from him for a long time. I just excused myself and left rather than make a scene. I'm only surprised that it took this long for him to express his hatred for me."

"You're being too hard on yourself, Ed. I know that in the past that you were a bully, but you've changed a lot." Shirley looked at Ed with compassion realizing that he felt very bad about past. She was also surprised that he had taken such a passive position with Jim.

"No, I'm not being too hard on myself. If you hurt someone too many times, you can expect never to be forgiven. I stepped way over the line with Jim and Sherry. They are quite right to hate me." Ed thought back to some of the things he had done to Sherry. There for a while, when ever he had seen her he had asked her if she was expecting triplets. The first time she had asked why and he had replied that he thought she was pregnant because of how fat she was. She had been indignant the first time. After that, every time he asked her the question she broke out in tears.

It hurt him to think of how many names he had called her over the years. If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. How many years had he been the strong that took advantage of the weak? How many times had he taken actions that harmed others? It had been too many times and now he had to pay for it.

Looking at Ed, Shirley knew there was nothing she would be able to say that would change his mind. In fact, she could understand it if Jim and Sherry never forgave Ed. His treatment of her had been very nasty over the years. Rather than deny the accuracy of his assessment, she said, "You may be right."

"There's no may about it. I am right." Ed finished his coke and paid for it. Shirley watched him leave the bar, sad that she couldn't do anything to help him. In the past year she had become rather fond of him, perhaps too fond. He had come up with the idea for the sandwiches and that had increased her lunch and dinner business significantly. He had helped Manuel improve his business.

Tired, hungry, and upset Ed left the bar for his house in order to get his truck. He was going to have to drive over to the diner for his dinner. It would be at least another hour and a half before he would get home to bed.

It was a half an hour later before Ed reached the diner. Entering, he was pleased to find that Linda was waiting tables that night. He sat down at one of her tables and waited for her to come over to take his order. While he waited, he thought about Jim and Sherry. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Linda. She said, "Hey, Ed what are you doing here tonight?"

"I got chased out of my usual place tonight," replied Ed.

Smiling at Ed, Linda asked, "Chased?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed replied, "Yes, chased. For years I harassed a woman because she was fat and married to a very successful handsome man. I said horrible things to her, usually about her weight. Now, I haven't seen her in more than year, I guess they have been avoiding me. Anyway, I was talking to someone else and her husband started yelling at me about how mean I've been to his wife. I just left rather than make a scene."

"Oh, wow, so what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know what to do. I was so mean to her, that I don't see how I can make amends," answered Ed.

Shrugging, she said, "You could start by apologizing."

The idea of apologizing had not occurred to Ed, particularly since he considered his past actions unforgivable. He said, "There's no way an apology will fix the damage that I've done."

"It can't hurt," replied Linda. She had been in a lot of situations in her past where she had bought an apology even for pretty horrific offences. On three separate occasions she had taken back a boyfriend that beat her, only accepting that he wouldn't change after the fourth time. The woman might never trust Ed, but maybe her husband wouldn't be hostile.

"I've said some pretty mean things to her, but I'll apologize. I don't expect it to do too much good, but I'll give it a try."

Linda asked, "What are you having tonight?"

"I'll try some of the stew. I think that you guys have some of the best stew around." Ed replied remembering the last time that he had stew here.

Linda looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "It's not so good today. Why don't you try the meatloaf? It's pretty good tonight."

Surprised Ed asked, "What's wrong with the stew?"

"It's been sitting there for a while," replied Linda. The stew had been made for lunch and they were going to throw it out soon.

Ed said, "Okay, I'll go with the meatloaf. Thanks for the recommendation."

Linda walked off with to submit the order to the cook. As she left, Ed thought about how she had steered him away from the stew. There was a time when she probably would have recommended it to him knowing that it wasn't very good. That had been one of the major changes in his life, he was getting much better treatment by others around him.

He thought about how to apologize to Sherry and Jim. After a lot of thought, he realized that he should wait to apologize to Jim until after he had apologized to Sherry. She was the injured party and it was her feelings that had to be healed first. Of course, he felt that was impossible.

Linda came back to the table with his meatloaf and a large glass of iced tea. Setting the food down on the table, she said, "Let me know how you like it."

The meatloaf tasted very good. In fact, it was the best that he ever had. It wasn't too dry or too greasy, but managed to maintain the appropriate amount of moisture. He looked up at Linda and said, "This is outstanding. Usually I have to drown meatloaf in catsup, but this is really very good."

Smiling at Ed, Linda said, "I'm glad you like it. The cook just changed his recipe and what ever he's doing now is really good."

"It is really outstanding. Give the cook my complements." Ed was really impressed. Although he occasionally had meatloaf, it was not a meal that he ordered often. This particular meatloaf could easily become an exception.

Linda replied, "I'll tell him you like it."

After Linda left, Ed started eating his meal. Of course, the sides were mashed potatoes with gravy and Broccoli. Someone, somewhere, was going to have to stop that trend of having Broccoli as side dish. While there are some individuals that like Broccoli, having it every time you ate out got old very quickly. Even boiled carrots would be better on occasion.

As he ate, Linda came and refilled his iced tea. He smiled and gestured to her since he had just taken a bite of his food. He wasn't sure if waitresses did that on purpose or not. There were good reasons to wait for the customers not to be able to talk when you came to the table. They wouldn't get drawn into a conversation and fail to take care of other customers. Thinking it over, that was a very good reason to make sure the customer wasn't able to engage them in conversation.

While he ate, he thought about his day. It had been a pretty bad day. Nevada wouldn't give up on getting him into a position with more responsibility and hours. As much as he was enjoying school, it was wearing him out. He replayed the scene at Maria's Cantina over and over in his mind trying to figure out what set off Jim. The guy was furious at him as though he had done something to them at that moment. He just couldn't figure out what he had done.

He finished his meal and pushed the plate away, satisfied with the meal. Taking a sip of his tea, he felt much better than when he had walked in here. Still tired, he wasn't hungry and was not quite so upset about the episode with Jim. He would talk to Maria about the incident and find out if there was some way that they could prevent such an incident in the future.

Seeing that Ed was done eating, Linda came over to the table to see if he wanted anything else. Looking at the plate, she noticed that he had left half of the Broccoli uneaten. She asked, "You didn't like the Broccoli?"

Shrugging Ed answered, "Every time I eat out, it is always Broccoli. I'm tired of it. I'd love to have spinach, brussel sprouts, green beans, or corn as a side dish."

Linda looked at Ed for a second. This was not the first time that she had heard customers complaining about Broccoli. She said, "Maybe you can talk to the manager and get the menu changed."

"I figure there's a good reason why all restaurants serve Broccoli as a side dish. I doubt that customer demand is the reason," replied Ed. He had discussed this issue once with John and they had speculated that it had to do with ease of storage and price. Of course, neither one had the facts to back up that conclusion.

Laughing, Linda answered, "You're probably right about this one."

"Linda, I wanted to thank you for the advice that you gave me earlier," said Ed.

"You're quite welcome, Ed." She was amazed that this guy actually listened to her. Most men would ignore what she recommended, feeling that they knew how to handle their situation. She added, "I would find it hard to believe that she wouldn't accept your apology if it was heartfelt. Knowing you, I think it would be heartfelt."

"Thanks, Linda. You're a lot more positive about this than I am," replied Ed. He looked at the check and pulled out more than enough to cover it and leave a good tip. Looking up at her, he added, "And thanks for the tip on the meatloaf. I really liked it."

Linda smiled and watched as Ed headed towards the exit. About halfway there, he made a detour towards the evening manager. He said, "Hey, the meatloaf here is really great. Let the cook know that I enjoyed it a lot and hope that he keeps the same recipe."

The manager smiled at Ed and replied, "Thanks. We've been getting a lot of good feedback about it."

"Well keep it up." Ed turned and left the restaurant. Still tired, he wanted to get home as quick as possible. The drive was uneventful until he was almost home. The sudden thumping that follows a blow out, forced him to the side of the road.

Getting out of the truck to look at the tire, he swore, "Just what I needed, a flat tire."

The tire was shot. He crawled under the truck and removed the spare tire. He lifted it and dropped it, satisfied with the bounce of a properly inflated tire. At least his spare was good. He went into the truck and flipped the seat forward to remove the jack and tire iron. The jack was the old fashioned kind that hooked under the bumper. He set up the jack and loosened the nuts on the tire. It was hard work in the dark and he wanted to kick himself for not having a flashlight in the truck.

It took him twenty minutes to change the tire in the dark. By the time he finished, he was so tired that the world seemed to spin on him. He looked at his watch and realized it was now almost midnight. The weather was warm and the sky was clear. Looking up at the night sky, he decided that it wasn't worth going home. He climbed into the back of his truck and went to sleep.

He was shaken awake shortly after sunrise by Juan Ortega, one of the deputies. Looking down at Ed, Juan asked, "Tie one on last night?"

Groggily, Ed answered, "No. I got too tired to drive home."

"You're kidding aren't you?" asked Juan. He didn't believe that story at all.

"No. I came home from school a little after nine. I went to Maria's Cantina to get dinner last night and got chased out by Jim. Tried to get a sandwich at Shirley's, but she didn't have any. Ended up going over to the truck stop to eat. On the way home, I had a flat tire. By the time I changed the tire, it was after midnight and I was completely bushed." Ed looked at Juan and added, "It was a bad night."

Juan said, "Sounds like it. Are you sure you didn't tie one on?"

Still struggling to fully wake up, Ed said, "I probably would have if I made it home. As you can see, I haven't got any booze here."

Juan looked around the back of the truck and saw the tire. There weren't any empty bottles lying around and Ed didn't seem hung over. Still, he needed to check it out. He asked, "I figure if you were drunk enough not to make it home around midnight, that you would still have a little alcohol in your system. Do you mind taking a Breathalyzer test?"

"No, I don't mind. You won't find anything though," replied Ed.

After Ed climbed out of the back of the truck, they went through the test with him blowing through the straw of the Breathalyzer. Juan looked at the result, surprised to see that there was zero alcohol in his system. Looking up at Ed, he said, "You're clean. Not a trace. I'm a little surprised."

Shrugging, Ed replied, "I'm not. I haven't had a drink in over a year."

Realizing that he had lost the bet with the Sheriff, Juan said, "Well, I heard about Jim last night and figured it was a good excuse to fall off the wagon."

"Taking a drink never crossed my mind at all last night," replied Ed. He thought about the fact that Juan had heard about Jim and asked, "Am I that big of a topic of conversation?"

Juan laughed at the question. There were two topics of conversation in town, Ed and John. It seemed that neither one could do anything without the whole town hearing about it within hours. He answered, "Of course, it's a small town. If you and Jim exchange words, then everyone knows."

Still puzzled, Ed asked, "Maybe you can tell me why Jim jumped all over my ass last night."

"I heard that you told another fat joke about his wife." Juan couldn't believe that Ed didn't know why Jim was so mad at him.

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I didn't make any fat jokes. I didn't even know they were there."

"You didn't?"

"No, I went in and saw the crowd there. I joked with Maria by asking who I had to beat up to get a table. She laughed and told me that it was a twenty minute wait. I was tired, so I said that if she couldn't fit me in, I'd eat at the bar. That's when Jim started yelling," replied Ed.

Juan thought about it and said, "Do you think that they might have thought that by fitting you in, you were saying that with her there that there wouldn't be enough room for you?"

"That's kind of stretching it, don't you think?" asked Ed surprised at the interpretation of the events last night. The problem was that it had a ring of truth about it. They were probably so sensitive to any comment, that even the slightest hint of a negative one was viewed as directed at her.

"Yeah, that is rather tame compared to some of your past comments," replied Juan. He had heard Ed say some pretty nasty things in the past.

Ed decided to change the subject and asked, "So what brought you out here this early in the morning?"

Smiling at Ed despite knowing that he wasn't going to like the answer, he said, "Well, we had a couple of calls about your truck being abandoned by the side of the road. I bet the Sheriff that you were passed out in it and came out here to win my bet."

For a moment, Ed was a little irked and then he burst out laughing. He said, "You can tell the Sheriff what you want. I imagine he'll believe you either way, but it's nice to know that he thought I wasn't."

Shaking his head, Juan said, "I can afford the donuts today."

"So what were the other explanations?"

Juan had wondered if Ed was going to ask that question. He answered, "Well, one person who called was afraid that Jim had murdered you out here. They were afraid to look in the truck in case you were dead."

Laughing at the image that it presented to him, Ed said, "Well, if anyone deserves to kill me it would be Sherry. I guess I would have to hope that you wouldn't press charges."

Juan said, "You don't mean that."

"Well, let's say that of all the people that I've harassed the worst was Sherry. She has a good reason to want to see me dead and I wouldn't blame her if she did," replied Ed. Even as he said it, he knew that she would never do that. She valued life too much, even the life of someone that tortured her for as long as he had. He added, "She would never do it, though. She's a good woman and Jim is a lucky man."

Juan stared at Ed for a full minute wondering what to make of his statement about Sherry. This was the last thing that he had ever expected to hear from Ed. He asked, "Do you really mean that?"

Silent for a moment, Ed finally answered, "Yes. I always figured that she had tricked Jim into marrying her. I mean, Jim could have had his choice of women and he came home with someone that would never be in a beauty pageant. I thought that she told him that she was pregnant or something."

Fascinated by the revelation, Juan asked, "So what changed your mind?"

"Oh, I discovered love," replied Ed. He looked up at the deputy and smiled at the effect that his words had. He added, "That's when I realized that there was really a love bond between Sherry and Jim. I now understand that he married her because he loved her and not because he was tricked."

"That's amazing. You really believed that she had tricked him into marrying her?"

"Oh yes. There was no doubt of that in my mind," replied Ed.

Juan asked, "So you teased her because you thought Jim was too good for her?"

Taking a brutally honest view of his past behavior, Ed said, "Not really. I always figured Jim was a fool for letting her trick him. I had no respect for either one of them."

"That has changed?"

"Yes. If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it any more," replied Ed. He had to think through his feelings on this matter. It was at that time, that he decided that he would go to school that day, but call into work and take the day off. He had to catch up on his homework, sleep, and work through his feelings about this matter. That was more than enough to occupy a whole day.

Seeing that Ed wasn't feeling very talkative, Juan said, "You can go now. I'll tell the truth to the Sheriff. You had a rough night, it got late and you pulled over for a nap."

Ed said, "Thanks, Officer Ortega. Have a nice day."

Juan smiled at Ed and replied, "The Sheriff was right. I like the new Ed a lot more than the old one."

Shaking his head, Ed asked, "I take it that this is going to become part of the regional gossip circuit."

"Well, what really happened sounds a lot better than what people think happened."

"It doesn't matter what people think. I know the truth and that is all that is important to me." Ed went to the driver side door and opened it.

As Ed climbed into the truck, Juan returned to his jeep. As he watched Ed drove off, he called in his report. From there, he would stop by the donut shop and buy some donuts for the office. For a change, he didn't mind losing a bet against the Sheriff.

Ed drove home to change clothes and get ready for school. Despite the fact that he hadn't gotten enough sleep, he knew that he could function until he returned from his last class. With a stop over at a real place to eat on the way home, he'd be back to the house by one. It was much better than trying to drive to work eating a hamburger and trying to get there by noon. After a short nap, he'd be ready to tackle his homework.

At the house, he changed his clothes and started a pot of coffee. It would be an hour before he needed to leave for school. There wasn't much for him to do before leaving for the University. He didn't need to leave until seven thirty to make it to his eight thirty class. Sitting back in his chair, he fell asleep. Perhaps it was the long hours of yesterday, the emotional tension, or the lack of sleep, but he didn't wake for five hours. He had missed his classes.

Going in the kitchen, his coffee pot was giving off the fumes of coffee that had been rendered into sludge. As much as he hated the taste, he actually liked the smell of burnt coffee. He washed the pot and put it back.

Calling Nevada, he told him that he was not coming in that day. When asked why, Ed had replied that he was not able to work. Nevada pressed the issue, but Ed stubbornly refused to lie or to make excuses. Finally, he had just said that the reason didn't matter but that he was unable to work that day.

Hungry, he headed down the street to Shirley's. It was nearly noon and he would be able to get a sandwich to eat there. More than hunger, he was driven by the need for a friendly face. It was with a little joy that he entered the bar and heard Shirley greet him, "Hi, Ed. Heard you had some problems last night after leaving here."

Smiling Ed said, "Flat tire in the middle of nowhere. I was too tired to drive after I fixed it. I understand explanations ranged from passed out drunk to killed by Jim."

Shirley laughed having heard the same reasons argued in the bar. The vast majority believed he had passed out; that they could expect a return of the old Ed. His easy going attitude this morning put those doubts out of her mind. She said, "Well, you up for an iced tea?"

"Yes and a sandwich. I feel like having an egg salad sandwich," answered Ed. It seemed like a reasonable tradeoff between a breakfast meal and a lunch.

"Interesting choice, let me call it in." Shirley went to the phone and called in the order. Without hanging up the phone, she called over to him, "They are a little busy and said that it will take a while for them to get someone free to deliver it."

Ed answered, "If they call, I'll go over and pick it up."

She returned to the phone and gave the message. Returning to the counter, she said, "This sandwich idea has worked out great. The only problem that I have is getting the deliveries over here."

"One of these days you are going to have to get someone to help you," he said. With a wink, he added, "It will even give you a night off so that you can date one of these drunken cowboys."

She shot him a dirty look, relented with a shrug of her shoulders, and then said, "I've given up there. I plan to retire an old maid. The only men that I'm interested in are all taken."

Ed nodded and said, "You're right. Jim and John are both taken. There just aren't that many men out there that are good enough for you."

At a loss of what to say, Shirley wiped down the bar. Ed had placed the bar pretty high when it came to men. They were two of the three that she actually felt deserved her. She couldn't admit to herself who was the third. After what felt like an uncomfortable amount of time, she said, "So what are you doing here in the middle of the afternoon. You're usually at work this time of day."

"I took a day off to catch up on sleep, homework, and errands." He had almost forgotten that he had to pick up a new tire today. It was going to be a very busy day.



-------

Chapter 21


Tuesdays and Thursdays were long days for Ed. Those were the days he worked from eight to six and then went to school from seven to nine. It was usually nearly ten before he arrived home. Thursdays were always the worst. This evening had been particularly tough since he had a major test in his geology class. The test material hadn't been difficult, but Ed strove for excellence and didn't want to settle for less than a perfect score.

Coming home, Ed drove carefully fighting to stay awake. He was half tempted to pull over and take a nap, but his hunger drove him on to the house. John was supposed to return today. To welcome him back, Beth and Kelly had taken the evening off from work. This had the added benefit that he wouldn't have a problem getting dinner. The past few Thursdays had been rough. Two weeks prior, he had the run in with Jim.

Entering the house, he was disappointed to find it empty. Tired from a long day, all he wanted to do was to eat before going to bed. Spotting the note that lay on the table by the door, he realized that his night wasn't going to be that simple. He picked it up and read it aloud, "Ed, we have gone to Maria's for dinner. Come there when you get home. Love Kelly."

Ed didn't want to go there, but he knew if he was going to get anything to eat that he must show up there. With a sigh, he dropped his books on the desk that Shirley had bought him as a back to school present. He had been overwhelmed by her generosity and valued the desk more than anything else in the house.

He went in the bathroom and looked at all of the feminine bath products cluttering every inch of the available shelf space. The disarray, all of it recent, told him that Kelly was going to spend the night tonight. Washing his face in the hope that it would help him stay awake, he considered his reflection in the mirror. His reflection looked two years older every Thursday night. He went to the door and stepped out of the house. Closing the door behind him, he set off down the street to Maria's restaurant.

Entering the restaurant, Ed stopped and looked around for his group. Sherry spotted Ed before he had a chance to spot her. She leaned to Jim and said, "Oh, God. Ed is here."

Jim answered, "Just remember what John said about Ed. He's changed and for the better."

The events of two weeks ago had been explained to them by Maria. The fact that Ed had left rather than create a scene had suggested that he had changed, but Sherry wasn't about to believe it. It was one thing to talk about Ed when he was a thousand miles away, but a completely different thing to be faced with him up close. Sherry whispered, "Another dinner out ruined."

Still looking for his party, Ed saw Jim and Sherry sitting at a corner table. His stomach clenched at the memories of what he had done to her in the past. He swore to himself, knowing that he would not be able to enjoy his meal now.

The time had come for him to address his guilt directly. It was best to do it in a public place where everyone could hear what he had to say. Walking to their table, he stopped a few paces away and then said, "Jim, I know that you have threatened to kill me if I should ever speak to your wife again. I hope that you will make an exception for me this one time."

He stepped back from the table. His stomach churned, twisted to the point where he felt like throwing up. In a voice loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear him he said, "Sherry, I have treated you horribly in the past and I am sorry. I was jealous of you and the relationship that you have with Jim. I will admit that I only saw you as a fat woman with no special qualities. I wondered how someone that looked like you could find a husband as handsome and successful as Jim while I was living an empty life. I see now that you are a woman of great quality, a woman that knows what it means to love. Jim is the one that should be envied for having found you."

As tears started to trickle down his cheeks, Ed swallowed and his voice quavered as he said, "I had thought that I was handsome and dashing. I see now that I was shallow and mean spirited. I look in the mirror and see the ugliness that was within me."

Making sure that all could hear him, he raised his voice as he said, "You are, and remain, a better person than I. I do not ask for your forgiveness, as what I have done is unforgivable. No one deserves to be treated the way that I have behaved towards you over the years. I am truly sorry."

Jim watched as Ed turned to face him. Jim could see there were tears running down the Ed's cheeks. He hardly heard Ed say, "I thank you for the opportunity to speak my peace."

Sherry broke out in tears. Never in a million years had she expected that Ed would make such a statement to her. It was unbelievable that he would make that statement in public. She wept as Ed turned and went to the table where John, Beth, and Kelly were seated. The other patrons in the restaurant talked quietly among themselves about what Ed had said. One might have thought the world was ending by the shock that his statement had on everyone there.

John shook Ed's hand when he sat down. "Ed, that was an amazingly courageous thing you have done."

Ed started shaking as an urge to run away swept over him. There was no way he could stay here and eat. The evening, starting bad, had turned even worse. He mumbled, "Would you mind getting me an order to go? I would like to return home now."

Beth looked to John who shook his head. She made her suggestion anyway, saying, "Ed, I'll come with you."

Ed shook his head and said, "No, I need to be alone for a while."

Standing up, he left the restaurant feeling like a defeated man. Rover followed him out. Rather than heading home, Ed went to John's house and sat in the backyard looking at the desert. Rover lay down beside him. Appreciating the nonjudgmental company, Ed petted Rover for a minute.

Sitting there, he wondered in hindsight how he could have been so mean in the past. It was as though the hurt of each insult that he had ever hurled at Sherry had rebounded upon him. He started to cry, as the true horror of the damage he had done in the past became clear. This wasn't the kind of sobbing that one might see at a funeral with wracking heaving sobs. This was a simple shedding of tears as he sat there looking out into space recognizing the smallness of his existence in the grand scheme of things.

In time he quieted down and relaxed under the stars. He didn't know if his apology had done any good, but he did feel better about himself. Perhaps in the process of saying he was sorry, he had lost some of the meanness that had remained within himself. He looked down at Rover and said, "Well, I'm still tired and hungry."

The cat looked over at him. The look on the cat's face seemed to say that it wasn't his fault that Ed was tired or hungry. Ed had his chance to eat and passed it up. If he was really that tired, he should shut his eyes and sleep. Life was simple for the cat; it had never learned to tell time.

As though he understood what the cat was thinking, Ed turned to look back at the desert. The moon was out and it lit the desert with that dull glow that allowed one to see, but not make out all of the details of what he saw. On nights like that, it was easy to mistake a cactus for a man or a stick for a snake.

John stepped around the corner with a covered plate full of taco's. It was the best food to eat cold that they served the restaurant. He had known that Ed was coming here and had told the two women to go to Ed's. Handing the plate of tacos to Ed, he pulled up a chair as he asked, "Do you feel better now?"

"I guess."

John smiled and then suggested, "Good. Now eat."

Ed removed the foil off the plate and spotted the taco's. He smiled as he said, "Some tea would go great with this."

John looked surprised at the revelation. He said, "Oh, I thought you had some tea here. Let me get some for you."

John went in the house and got two glasses of iced tea. He brought the pitcher out to the patio with him. He set the pitcher on the cinder block and handed one of the glasses to Ed. John smiled and said, "I wanted to thank you. Nobody in town is talking about John Carter's fusion battery anymore. Everyone is talking about Ed Bigger's public apology to Sherry."

That John had invented a fusion reactor had not been lost on Ed. The whole school was full of talk about that. Several times, he had been tempted to say that he was going to marry John, but held off. Ed laughed and said, "It wasn't my intention to take the spotlight off you. I can promise you that."

John nodded as he understood. He said, "It was a very nice thing you did. It meant so much to her. The fact that it was public made it mean even more."

Ed shrugged off any praise. His apology was something that was long overdue. He replied, "All of my mean comments to her were in public, the least I could do was apologize in public. She must really hate me for the things I have done."

John shrugged and said, "I don't know. I do know that you made the first peace offer. You would be surprised at the effect that your words may have on her."

Ed slowly ate a taco, lost in his thoughts. He wondered how he could ever make it up to Sherry for his past treatment of her. The apology, heartfelt as it was, still seemed to be too little for the harm that he had done. While John was a going to be a rich man, his future wasn't that bright. He couldn't set up a charity for her like John. All he could do from now on was treat her with respect and defend her when others did not.

There was only one taco left on the plate. His appetite satisfied, he looked up at John and said, "I will stop by Jim's office in Phoenix tomorrow before class to ask him about drawing up a contract for our group marriage."

John thought about telling Ed about the discussions in Austin, but decided that Ed may have a better reason to go there than just asking for his legal advice. He decided to broach the subject that had motivated them to eat out. With the smallest hint of pride, John said, "I became a millionaire today. Jim handled six leases on the patents for us. For twenty-five million dollars each, six corporations can use our patent with non-exclusive rights. He has close to forty other requests to handle."

Ed smiled at the news. Feeling real pride in John's accomplishment, he said, "Congratulations."

John laughed and said, "Well, you better tell Jim to get a move on setting up the legal structure for our group marriage. I want us to be able to share that money since I don't have anything to do with it."

Ed shrugged his shoulders denying the idea of taking any of John's money. He said, "I don't need any money. I'm happy the way I am."

"How about money so that you can attend school fulltime?"

Ed laughed at the suggestion. He answered, "I have enough money to go full time. I inherited the house, the truck, and insurance money from my parents when they passed away. My only expenses have been food, drink, utilities, and clothes. I've got enough money set aside to last a couple of years."

John shook his head in amazement. He asked, "So why aren't you going to school fulltime?"

"I think that a person should work."

John understood the ethic, but that didn't explain why he wasn't pursuing his goal more directly. He asked, "So why aren't you working at the school?"

Ed looked puzzled at the suggestion. He asked, "What do you mean?"

John answered, "You can get a student assistant job at the school. It will pay your tuition plus a little. If you feel that you have to work, why not work there. Shouldn't impact your savings too much."

Ed looked shocked at the idea that he could already be making money by going to school and studying what he wanted. He asked, "I can do that?"

"Sure. You have a 4.0 GPA. You shouldn't have a problem getting a position."

Ed looked thoughtful. He asked, "What kind of work could I get there?"

John answered, "Maybe a job classifying rocks. You'll never know until you ask."

Ed laughed at the suggestion that he could actually get paid to look at rocks. He answered, "By the Gods and Goddesses, I'll do it! That would beat pushing cattle around on the back of a horse."

John laughed and teased, "You're starting to talk like me."

Now that he had several things to do, Ed got serious. He said, "I'll take tomorrow off and stop by Jim's office. Then I'll go into the school and find out what I need to do."

John didn't want to bring it up, but he did it anyway. "So what are you going to tell Jim?"

"I will ask him to do this for you rather than for me. The fact of the matter is that I've really screwed up there. She's never going to forgive me."

A male voice came out of the dark around the corner. "You might be surprised, Ed."

The only who wasn't surprised was Rover who had been watching the man for the past minute. Ed turned so quickly that he almost twisted his back, "Who is it?"

"Jim."

Ed stood up to face Jim. Resigned to accept his fate, Ed said, "Go ahead and do what you want. I won't fight you."

Jim laughed at the suggestion. He said, "I just wanted to thank you for what you said to Sherry. Never in a million years did either of us think that you would do what you did tonight. She was genuinely touched."

Ed answered, "It was nothing compared to the damage that I've done a thousand times in the past."

Jim shook his head and said, "I wouldn't say that. You said several important things tonight. Things that she needed to hear from someone besides me."

Ed said, "If you ever need something, let me know and I will take care of it. I owe you both too much."

Jim looked uncomfortable and said, "Well, I had better get back. I wanted to say thank you for what you did. We will be over tomorrow night to talk about the contracts for the group marriage. Jack is flying in tomorrow afternoon."

Ed looked puzzled and asked, "Did John already ask you about the group marriage?"

Jim nodded and answered, "Yes, he did."

"Oh, I was going to stop by your office to ask you about that."

Jim replied, "Don't worry, We'll see you tomorrow night. I need to get back to Sherry now."

Jim stepped away even as he had spoken. Ed didn't have a chance to respond with even a good bye. He turned to look at John and asked, "What just happened?"

"What do you think?"

Ed, still standing, looked off into the distance. He shrugged and answered, "I don't know. I think I'm going to go home now."

The next morning, Ed left the house early and went straight to the school. The secretary was not in the office that early, so he went to breakfast at the student center. The breakfast wasn't as good as in town and it cost a little more, but it was a nice change to eat on campus watching the other students. After breakfast he went to class, relaxed for a change.

Once the class was over, he headed back to the department office. The secretary was there in her normal spot. Entering, he waved to her and said, "Hello."

Looking up from the papers she was filling out, she saw that it was Ed. With a smile, she said, "Hello, Ed. What can I do for you?"

Once asked the question, Ed realized that he didn't know what he needed. He answered, "John, mentioned that I could possibly get employment on campus. Do you know anything about that?"

Much to his surprise, she answered, "Oh sure, we have assistantships. Would you like one of those?"

"Is that a job?"

She laughed at the innocence of his question. Nodding her head, she answered, "Yes, you will help one of the professors on a project in exchange for tuition and a little spending money."

The idea that he would be working for one of his professors intimidated him. He asked, "Do you think any of them would be interested in having me as an assistant?"

Some of the students that came into her office demanded great favors and expected her to deliver. Only Ed came in and asked politely, always seeing if he could do it on his own rather than bother her. Ed was the best student in the department and it amused her that he was concerned about how his professors judged him. She said, "They'll fight over you. Don't worry. The only problem is that you need to be a full time student."

Ed answered, "I will start going fulltime again next semester, so I don't think that will be a problem next semester. Is there anything I can do until then?"

After thinking about it for a moment, she said, "Why don't you go into Professor Simms' office and ask him? I think he has a grant that could support you for the next couple of months."

"Do I need to make an appointment?"

Amazed at the continued politeness, she answered, "No. He's in his office and I'm sure that he'll be glad to see you."

Ed went over the office and knocked on the door. Professor Simms was pouring over a map on his desk and glanced up to see who was at his door. Spotting Ed, he immediately dropped what he was doing and said, "Come in, Ed. How are things going?"

Surprised at the friendly reception, Ed entered the office and answered, "Things are going pretty well."

"That's good. You're making good grades here, you should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you. I'm enjoying it a lot." Ed was surprised that his advisor knew his grades.

The professor looked at Ed for a minute and then said, "You didn't come here to talk about your grades, did you?"

"No," answered Ed. He didn't know how to ask for a job in this environment. He blurted out, "The secretary said that I should talk to you about working for you for the rest of the semester until I qualify for an assistantship."

Pleased to have Ed working for him, Professor Simms said, "Great. I'll get the paperwork filled out for you. When can you start?"

Surprised at how quickly things were moving, Ed answered, "I have to give my notice at Livestock Auctions. I guess that would be in two weeks."

"Great, better get over there and give your notice. I've got a ton of rocks that need to be classified here and the sooner you can start on them, the better."

Surprised to hear such enthusiasm from his professor, Ed answered, "Thanks. Do I need to do anything?"

"No, Monday morning the paper work will be waiting for you in your mailbox here." The professor was already thinking about the number of samples that had to be classified from his last field trip. There was enough there to keep Ed busy for three months.

"I don't have a mailbox."

Professor Simms laughed and said, "You will on Monday. It will be in the department office. Now go quit your job."

Ed nodded his head as he turned to leave. At the door, he turned back and said, "Thanks a lot. You won't be sorry."

"I know that."

Ed left the school and headed to work. Since his discussion with Jim the night before, he knew that he didn't have to stop by Jim's office today. The drive went quickly, perhaps because he happy about taking more control over his life. He tuned in a country station on his radio and listened to the music singing along with the songs.

He pulled into the parking lot and got out of his car. His normal routine would be to get to work immediately. Instead, he walked into the office and sat down in the chair in front of the desk used by Nevada. Nevada was talking on the telephone and looked up with a question on his face at Ed. Rather than interrupt, Ed waited for Nevada to finish his conversation.

When Nevada finally hung up the phone, he looked at Ed with a frown and asked, "What's so important?"

Ed took a deep breath and said, "Nevada, I have enjoyed working for you all these years and I really appreciate the way you've treated me. You have always been fair and square with me, even when I was jerk."

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Nevada was sure that he knew where this conversation was going. Holding up his hand to interrupt Ed, he asked, "You're giving your notice?"

Sadly, Ed nodded his head. He answered, "Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm taking a job at the university categorizing rocks."

Shaking his head, Nevada felt that Ed was making a big mistake. Rather than keep silent and watch as Ed ruined his life, he said, "Ed, I think this whole rock thing is a big waste of time. You are making a big mistake. Drop this dream and stay here."

Biting his lower lip, Ed listened to what Nevada had to say. When Nevada had finished his say, Ed said, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I know that you have my best interests at heart. You've been good to me and are doing the best you can to look out for me. I know that. It's just that this rock stuff, as you put it, is very important to me."

"Since when did this desire to work with rocks come over you?"

Laughing as he realized that it had come over him when he was eight, Ed answered, "When I was eight. It's only now that I realized that I could pursue formally."

"It's a kids dream. You aren't a kid anymore, you're a man. It's time for you to grasp reality and work for a living. You've got a good job here, much better than most people your age." Nevada was convinced more than ever that Ed was making a mistake.

Ed replied, "Nevada, tomorrow is Saturday. Why don't you come by my place and see my study? I think I will be able to change your mind about my decision."

Incredulous that Ed thought he could get him to change his mind, he accepted it as a challenge. He answered, "I tell you what. If you can convince me tomorrow that you are making the right decision, I won't hold you to two weeks notices. If you can't convince me, then you'll stay on, at least part time."

Smiling, Ed nodded his agreement. He said, "I'll agree to that. Is twenty hours a week, sufficient for you?"

Nevada, sensing that he had won, answered, "Twenty hours is fine. It'll be Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. That's before, during, and after the auctions."

Ed extended his hand and said, "It's a deal."

Feeling like he had won already, Nevada shook Ed's hand. He said, "Now, I'll let you get home and prepare for my visit tomorrow."

Rather than explain that he didn't need the time to prepare for his visit, Ed answered, "Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ed drove back home. As he drove, he thought about the fact that Jim and Sherry were coming over that night to discuss the group marriage. Laughing at the probable reaction of Sherry to the idea that Ed was going to marry another man, he wondered what she would say to him. Most likely, it wouldn't be something too mean.

He pulled into town and stopped at Shirley's. If they were going to entertain Jim and Sherry tonight, they should provide appropriate drinks and snacks. Shirley knew what everyone in town drank and he could get some advice from her. Entering the bar, Shirley looked over at him. He said, "Hello Shirley."

Surprised to see him at this time of day, she answered, "Hi, Ed. What's up?"

Settling on a barstool at the counter, Ed said, "We're entertaining Jim and Sherry tonight. I want to know what to serve them. You know, what do they like to drink?"

Shirley looked at Ed like he was from some other world. The whole town was talking about his apology to Sherry. Even though she had known that Ed had changed, the tone and nature of the apology had surprised even her. To learn that he was entertaining Jim and Sherry shocked her. She answered, "Jim likes Martinis and Sherry likes Margaritas."

That was not the kind of answer that he had expected. He had thought that Jim would have a favorite whiskey and Sherry would have a favorite beer or wine. Frowning, Ed asked, "I know what they are, but I have no idea how to make them."

Smiling, Shirley said, "Well, if you don't mind paying for a few drinks, I'll teach you how to make them."

"I bet you never thought you'd be my teacher," said Ed with a good-natured laugh. Winking at her, he added, "I'll do my best not to get a crush on my teacher."

Shirley laughed and gestured for him to come behind the counter. As Ed walked around the counter, she said, "We'll start with the Martini. Jim is, not surprisingly, rather old fashioned about some things. He likes a good dry Gin Martini garnished with a large olive."

Ed repeated, "Gin Martini."

Shirley pointed to a glass overhead and said, "Take down one of those glasses."

Reaching up to the glass rack overhead, he got down a Martini glass. He had always wondered why Shirley had them in the bar. Smiling at him, she said, "It's been a while since he was in here, so the glass is a little dusty. Why don't you wash it off?"

Ed washed the glass out carefully and then dried it thoroughly with a bar towel. The action amused Shirley as the first step was to fill the glass with ice. Once it was clean, she said, "The first step is to fill the glass with ice."

Following her instructions, Ed filled the glass with ice. Once that was done, Shirley said, "Next we get a shaker and fill it with ice. That is the metal cup over there with the lid."

Ed got the shaker and filled it with ice. Since she didn't usually use any kind of measurement device, she didn't have a jigger measure. Using the next best thing, she said, "Take down a shot glass and pour two shots of Gin into the shaker."

It took Ed a minute to locate the Gin bottle from amongst the rows of bottles behind the bar. Pouring two shots of Gin into the shaker, he set the bottle back where he had gotten it. Shirley said, "Now comes the tricky part. You need to add just a few drops of Dry Vermouth to the shaker."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "Just a few drops?"

"Yes, just a few drops. Too much Vermouth will ruin it." Shirley could understand why Ed asked that. After all, she had asked that question of every Martini drinker she had ever encountered. It seemed that real Martini drinkers could taste the absence of the Vermouth and would complain if there was too much.

Incredulous, he searched the rows of bottles for the Vermouth. He found one and went to pour it in. Shirley quickly said, "Not that one. That's Sweet Vermouth, you need Dry Vermouth."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed searched through the rows of bottles. He found another bottle labeled Vermouth and compared it to the first bottle. The Dry Vermouth was clear while the other was a dark color. He went to the shaker and poured in a couple of drops of Dry Vermouth. He returned the bottles to where they had been.

Watching the progress, Shirley said, "Jim likes his Martini swirled around rather than shaken or stirred with a spoon."

Ed picked up the shaker and swirled it around a few times. Looking over at Shirley for an indication when he should stop, the suggestion came rather quickly. She said, "That's enough. Now empty the ice out of the glass."

"Why did I put the ice in the glass if I just dump it out?"

Laughing, Shirley answered, "You were chilling the glass."

After dumping the ice out into the sink, he was about to pour the shaker into the glass. Shirley said, "Now you need to strain the contents of the shaker into the glass."

She handed him the strainer and watched as he used it to fill the Martini glass with the transparent drink. He smelled it and said, "It smells like Juniper Berries."

"That's because Gin is made from Juniper Berries. All that is left is to add an olive."

Ed dropped an olive into the drink and looked at the final product. It didn't look like that much. He looked over at Shirley and asked, "Is that it?"

"Yes, it is. Are you willing to taste it?"

Hesitantly, Ed took a very small sip. A look of disgust crossed his face as he said, "That's horrible."

Surprised at the reaction, Shirley picked up the glass and tasted it. It tasted like all Martini's that she had ever made, except that it appeared to be a little watered down. She said, "That's what it is supposed to taste like. Of course, you'll want to fix it a little faster so that it doesn't get so much water in it."

Incredulous that Jim would actually like this stuff, he said, "You're sure that Jim will like this?"

"Very sure," she answered.

Ed learned how to make the Frozen Margarita that Sherry preferred. As the lesson progressed, Ed realized that he had underestimated the difficulty of working behind the bar. He had assumed that it was just fixing shots of whiskey or tequila and opening bottles of beer. When the lesson was over, Ed said, "Wow, I didn't realize that tending a bar was so much work. How many different drinks are there?"

Shirley smiled and said, "Oh, there are thousands. I only have to know less than a hundred here. Before I opened this place, I worked in the city. There I had to know almost five hundred. When I didn't know one, I had to look it up."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No wonder you can't find someone to help you out here."

Shirley laughed at that being the problem. The real problem was finding someone local that wouldn't drink on the job. A lot of the men in the area wouldn't let their wives work in a bar, feeling like it represented a threat to their control over them.

That evening, Ed entertained Jim and Sherry like they were special guests of honor. Sherry never completely relaxed in his presence, but he had done the best that he could to make her feel welcome.



-------

Chapter 22


Within his office, Ed sat back in his chair drinking a cup of coffee reflecting on the discussions last night about the marriage contract. The amount of money that everyone was considering was twenty thousand dollars as the buy in fee. That amount would basically destroy his savings, but it did put the family on good financial grounds. Eighty thousand dollars could get a very nice house built, at least in that area of the country.

Kelly was busy in the kitchen making lunch. Today they were going to have Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. In the kitchen with Kelly, John was peeling the potatoes. Rover was under the dining room table, staying out of the way. In the living room, Beth was cleaning. Ed was supposed to be catching up on his studies, rather than dreaming about the marriage.

Beth, in response to a knock on the door, shouted, "I'll get it."

As soon as she called out, Ed remembered that he had invited Nevada over to visit his study. Rushing out of the study, he found Beth inviting Nevada into the house. At the same time, John came out of the kitchen to investigate, thinking that it might be Jim. Out of curiosity, Kelly stuck her head out of the kitchen. Surprised at finding four people all looking at him, Nevada said, "I'm Nevada Hays."

Turning to face everyone, Ed said, "Nevada, I'd like you to meet Dr. Beth Hayes. She's the lovely lady that let you in. You know Kelly looking around the corner at you. The other gentleman is Dr. John Carter."

As Nevada looked at each person as they were introduced, he hadn't realized that Ed would have so many visitors. When John was introduced, he remembered the news story about the energy source that had just been invented. Curious, he asked, "Are you the Dr. Carter with the energy thing?"

Since this was the first time that he had heard his invention referred to as the energy thing, John smiled as he answered, "Guilty as charged."

This was news to Nevada. He hadn't known that Ed knew anyone that was famous. Then he remembered the guy Ed had told him about. All of the information that he had about Ed suddenly connected and he realized John was the guy that had impressed him so much. He asked, "Have you known Ed for long?"

"Ever since I moved in across the street," answered John. He glanced at Ed, curious why his boss would be coming over today.

Realizing that he had not told anyone why Nevada was coming over, Ed said, "Nevada thinks I'm making a mistake giving up my job to pursue rocks. I invited him here to convince him otherwise."

Beth patted Nevada on the arm and said, "You're here to see his study, I bet."

Laughing, John headed back towards the kitchen saying, "I've still got potatoes to peel."

Kelly called out, "You're invited to eat. Lunch will be ready in an hour. I imagine you'll be convinced by then."

Rover came out from under the table to sniff at Nevada. Fortunately, Ed noticed before Nevada and was able to prevent a major surprise. He said, "The cougar is Rover. He's adopted John. Don't worry about him, he only attacks bad guys."

Nevada looked down and saw the cougar sniffing him. He froze, afraid to make a move. The cat, satisfied with his cursory examination of the intruder, returned to his place under the table. Nevada said, "That's a cougar!"

"Yes, it is," replied Ed. Turning to lead the way to his study, he stopped and went to the dining room table to grab a chair. Carrying the chair, he gestured with his head for Nevada to follow him. As he walked, he said, "I'll take you to my study now."

Entering the study, Nevada stopped and looked around. He had never seen so many different kinds of rocks. After setting the chair down, Ed said, "This is most of my collection. I have a number of other boxes that I had to pack up to make room for the desk and bookcase. The specimens that I have out represent some of the more impressive looking samples, although some of the ones that I have packed up are more geologically significant."

There was just too much to take in. Nevada bent down to look at a very pretty specimen with blue and white crystals. Ed, noticing his interest, said, "That is Kinoite and Apophyllite crystals growing on the same substrate. The blue crystals are Kinoite while the clear crystals are Apophyllite. I found that particular sample in Gila County a couple of years ago. There is a slight wax covering over that sample to keep the Apophyllite from breaking down."

Turning his attention to the next sample, he stared at a sample with white and brown crystals on it. Ed explained, "The white crystals are Fairbankite while the orangish brown crystals are Jarosite. I found that around Tombstone."

"You found all these rocks?" When Ed had said that he was interested in rocks, Nevada had no idea what that actually meant. This was phenomenal, never in his wildest imaginations could he picture Ed having amassed all of these rocks.

Nodding his head, Ed answered, "Yes, I did."

Nevada asked, "How much is this particular sample worth?"

The fact that Ed didn't really keep up with prices didn't stop him from estimating the value. He answered, "Somewhere between a hundred and two hundred dollars. Most of these samples probably run anywhere from thirty to two hundred dollars. The copper over there is quite valuable. The gold sample is not too bad, but the silver next to it is worth about five hundred. All of the samples in this room are amongst the best in the state."

"And you found all of them?" He tried to calculate an approximate value for all of the rocks on display. There were twenty shelves per wall and three walls. There were hundreds of samples here.

Smiling at Nevada, Ed answered, "Yes, I did."

"When did you find the time to get them all?"

Remembering back to his days pushing cattle on places all over Arizona, Ed answered, "Driving cattle doesn't take that much attention. I found these around the places we camped or as I drove the cattle."

This went beyond a little hobby or some kid's idea of a collection. This room was as good as any museum. Nevada walked around the room looking from one specimen to another. Sitting in his chair, a very amused Ed watched him examine each and every specimen. Finally, Nevada sat down in the chair that Ed had carried in for him. Looking over at Ed he shook his head and said, "Well, I'm convinced you're serious about this. I don't know what kind of jobs they have for people in this business, but I can see that you'll be one of the better ones in the country."

Nodding his head, Ed said, "When I decided to go to college, I talked to John. He told me that if you are truly passionate about something, there is someone that will pay you for it. I believed him then and now I know that it is true."

Nevada said, "Well, I'm not going to stand in your way. You've convinced me that you could make a living out of looking at rocks. In the worst case, you can find them and sell them."

That was not exactly what Ed had in mind to do for a living, but thinking about it he realized that wasn't entirely an unpleasant future. Ed said, "I don't know exactly what career I'll get out of this, but I'm sure that it will be a good one."

Surprised that he was agreeing with Ed, Nevada said, "I guess you'll start work Monday. I'm going to miss having you around the place."

"Thanks, I really appreciate all of the help you've given me. The opportunity that you offered was a good one. Believe me, I really had to think long and hard about the decisions that I've made." Ed smiled at Nevada and said, "Are you getting hungry? Lunch should be about ready."

Although he wasn't hungry, Nevada was interested in knowing more about John. He answered, "Sure, I'll join you for lunch."

Ed led him out of the office into the living room. The scene presented them was one of domestic tranquility. Beth was sitting on the couch reading a medical journal. Next to her, John was reading the latest issue of Physics Today. Next to John, Kelly was reading a magazine on home decorating. Ed said, "My, don't we all look comfortable?"

John looked at his watch and said, "Thirty minutes. It took you a little longer than I thought it would."

With a sly look at Beth, Kelly said, "Beth wins the bet. She said it would take thirty minutes."

John said, "That's because she has you working for her. She knows how much an employer will fight to keep a good worker."

Curious about the nature of the bet, Nevada asked, "So what was the bet?"

Smiling at Ed, Beth replied, "Who gets to spend the night with Ed."

Nevada looked at Ed, then at Kelly, and finally at Beth. It was difficult to believe that two beautiful women would be betting on which one of them got to sleep with Ed. With a little more respect, he looked at Ed wondering what was his secret. He said, "I thought that Kelly was your girlfriend."

Looking around the room at his fiancées, Ed shrugged his shoulders and said, "Things are a little more complicated than that. I'm engaged to all of them."

"All of them?" echoed Nevada incredulous. He looked around the room and asked, "Does that include John?"

Looking up from his journal, John answered, "Yes it does."

With an audible groan, Nevada looked at Ed wondering if he had joined some weird cult. Then he wondered if Ed was actually sleeping with John. Was Ed a closet faggot? To everyone in the room, the thoughts that were going through his head were clear. John said, "There's a lot about Ed that you don't know. He's taken a few days off from work, but I bet you don't know what he was doing."

Nevada, not knowing what Ed had done when he took days off from work, could only imagine what Ed was doing now that he knew about this group marriage thing. He snorted, "I've got a good idea, now."

Staring at John, Ed knew what he was going to talk about. He didn't want to be there during the discussion. Looking over at Kelly, he asked, "Would you like some help in the kitchen?"

When Kelly and Ed had left the room for the kitchen, John turned to face Nevada. He asked, "Do you remember the California quake?'

Nevada nodded his head as he stared at John. He said, "Yeah, sure. That was a pretty bad one."

Beth said, "You should have seen Ed and John running into buildings to pull trapped people out of them. It didn't matter if it was burning or not. If they thought there was a person inside, they charged in. There are probably five hundred people that owe Ed their lives."

Nodding, John said, "He was magnificent that day. That day formed a real solid bond between the four of us. We would pull them out and the women patched them up."

Puzzled, Nevada asked, "How come I didn't hear about that?"

"Ed doesn't like to talk about that day. He saw too much death and too many people on the verge of death," answered John. For a moment his thoughts turned inward and then he added, "It makes you reappraise what is important in your life. You see people dead and dying, you can't help but wonder if they had a happy fulfilling life."

Beth added, "You'd be surprised at the number of lonely people that we saw that day."

Nevada was surprised to hear them talk about rescuing people so causally. There wasn't any boasting in this discussion. None of them described their role in it, always what other people did. He said, "I'm impressed."

John said, "I guess you didn't know that he helped capture a serial killer."

Eyebrows raised and mouth open, Nevada shook his head. Recovering somewhat, he croaked, "Serial killer?"

John nodded and said, "I had tracked down a serial killer. Ed backed me up on making the arrest. He rescued two young ladies that were bound and gagged in the truck of a car."

Finding his voice, Nevada said, "You don't mean that guy in Utah?"

"Yes, I do."

That case was again in the news as the case was coming to trial. He had never heard of anyone so sick. He remembered a detail and said, "I thought that it was an FBI agent that caught him."

Smiling, John pulled his ID out of his pocket. Flipping it open, he showed his badge to Nevada as he said, "I am FBI."

"Oh," replied Nevada. He looked at Beth and asked, "What do you think about this?"

"If you want my opinion, they take too many chances," replied Beth, thinking back to the most recent death of John Carter.

John interrupted, "The thing is, that in Utah, Ed was faced with true evil for the first time in his life. The contrast between good and evil, well it makes you think about love and hate. You realize what it means to really love. Ed realized that love had nothing to do with sex. It was a desire to help someone become the best person that they can be. You've demonstrated a considerable fondness for Ed by trying to keep him from making what you believe is a mistake."

Nevada couldn't believe what he was hearing. How was it that Ed never said a word about that? There were depths here that he had never realized. The idea that he was fond of Ed was a little unsettling. Why was it that he had been trying to make sure that Ed wasn't making a mistake in his career choices? Was it that he actually cared about the guy? He decided these questions weren't going to be answered anytime soon. He changed the subject, "I guess you are telling me that you all care about each other?"

Laughing, Beth said, "I guess you didn't know about when they went after the white slavery gang."

Again, that was a national case that was hard to miss. He tried to remember some of the particulars about the case, but ended up pulling a blank. He said, "I heard about the case, but I didn't know that Ed was involved."

Beth said, "John was mortally wounded in the raid."

Looking over at a very alive John, Nevada said, "You mean he died?"

Beth answered, "Yes, he did. For three minutes on the operating table, John was clinically dead."

Surprised, Nevada looked at John who just shrugged back at him. Not knowing what to say, he just answered, "Oh."

John looked at Nevada and said, "I wouldn't be here if Ed hadn't run through a gunfight to provide first aid until Beth could reach me."

Beth said, "Yes. Ed also took care of the kidnap victims after John was airlifted to the hospital. It was almost an hour later that he mentioned that his leg was hurting."

Noticing the look on Nevada's face, John said, "He was shot when he raced to save me."

Thinking back, Nevada remembered that Ed had been limping for a while. When he had asked Ed about it, Ed had said that he hurt his leg but that it was getting better. There wasn't even the smallest hint that he had been shot. Nodding he said, "That was the reason he was limping?"

Beth answered, "Only when he was tired."

"He was working fulltime with a bullet hole in him?" asked Nevada.

"Yes, Ed has a rather strict work ethic. He has enough money to go through school without working, but he believes that he has to work," replied Beth.

John shook his head and countered by saying, "Ed has a very strong sense of right and wrong. He feels that he has to contribute to society. If work constitutes a greater contribution, then he'll work. But if there is a greater need, the first one to volunteer is Ed."

Beth said, "Ed and John are warriors for good."

"You four really care about each other," replied Nevada. He couldn't imagine having done some of the things they described.

While the discussion about Ed had been going on, Kelly had set the dinner table. It took her several trips to get all of the plates, silverware, and glasses out. She finally brought the food out. Once everything was settled, she called out, "Lunch is ready."

As everyone moved to the table, Rover crawled out from underneath it with a look of great indignation. Ed had come out of the kitchen in time to see Rover. He asked, "Rover, do you want out so that you can eat, too?"

The cat stretched and yawned before moving to the front door. Ed followed and let the cat out. Amazed at the almost human behavior of the cat, Nevada couldn't believe how these four people just accepted it.

The dinner was an amazing experience for Nevada. The conversation around the table, was fast, intelligent, and humorous. They teased each other with good natured jibes. There were numerous jokes about how John was giving away all his money. He had them rolling on the floor when he was telling about how Mrs. South was going to be put in charge of sex education as part of his national education effort. By the time Kelly brought out the peach cobbler for desert, Nevada felt like part of the group. When they retired to the living room, Nevada understood why Ed would accept to be part of a group marriage.

As he sipped his coffee, he said, "You guys have joked about John giving away all of his money. What did you mean by that?"

Looking up at Nevada, Ed said, "I'm sorry. I thought you knew. John has given up ninety-five percent of his income from his inventions to form a foundation to help people."

"Ninety-five percent?" He had no idea how much money that meant.

Noting his confusion, Ed clarified, "Yes, that will be several hundred billion dollars over the course of the next few years."

Standing, John winked at Kelly. With a mischievous grin, he said, "I need to check on Rover. He should be done feeding now."

Kelly answered, "You probably need some help."

"Help?" asked Beth. Laughing she retorted, "You just want to get out of doing the dishes."

"Hey, I cooked, you clean!" retorted Kelly. Together, John and she left the house.

Watching them leave, Ed said, "I'll clean. Why don't you talk a little with Nevada?"

Beth and Nevada chatted while Ed worked in the kitchen. Taking in all of the messy dishes and pans, he was astounded. Kelly was a good cook, but she left lots of dirty dishes behind. Despite the mess, he appreciated the chance to work around the house for a change. The difference in working hours would give him a chance to catch up on things. This was his first Saturday free in ages and the chance to spend it with his lovers made it even better.

Returning to the living room, he overheard Beth say, "Most of the people in town don't know the real Ed. He's a lot better of a person than they give him credit."

Nevada asked, "You don't think he'll have problems because of the group marriage thing?"

"Sure, we all will. I'm a medical doctor at the hospital. What do you think people are going to say when they find out that I'm marrying a woman? Kelly is just a nurse there, but she'll be forced out before I will. John works for the FBI. What do you think will happen to him? Despite all of the public pressures we will face, it won't change the fact that we love each other." Sitting straight up, Beth looked directly at Nevada. She added, "Ed will have the easiest time."

Nevada shrugged and made no real comment. Noncommittal, he said, "We'll see, I guess."

Ed sat down on the couch next to Beth. With a crooked smile, he said, "Are you trying to defend my honor again?"

"No, we all know you have none."

Ed laughed and put an arm around Beth. Settling in next to her, he said, "That's what I like about you. There's no way to get a swelled head around you."

Nevada shook his head and said, "Well, I better head home now. It's been an interesting afternoon. You can come by and pick up your final paycheck anytime this week."

Ed led Nevada to the door and watched him leave. As he watched Nevada drive off in his pickup truck, he could hear Beth moving around behind him. Closing the door, it was as though a chapter in his life was ending. A sadness settled over him as he watched his job as a cowboy drive away. He'd have to do something about his horse.

He turned to find Beth standing in front of him naked with arms outstretched. With a gentle smile, she said, "Come to me, my husband to be. Allow me to pleasure you."

Smiling at the invitation, Ed crossed the living room to stand in front of her. She knelt and helped him out of his boots. There were times when she hated that he always wore boots. It was so hard to get him out of them gracefully and it tended to ruin the mood she would try to set. She struggled a little with the boots today.

Once the boots were off, she removed his socks. Standing over her, he was looking down at her naked form. Her hair, short and blond, didn't hid the gentle swell of her breasts tipped by delicate looking pink nipples. His cock responded to the view she presented to him.

She stood and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. He stood watching her work, her eyes meeting his with love and tenderness. He wanted to help, to reach out and touch her, but every time he made a move, she would gently say, "Allow me the chance to pleasure you for a change."

As she removed his shirt, she bent down and kissed his nipples. It was like an electric shock coursed through his body. She stood and started to unbuckle his belt. The western style buckle made it easy. The button at the top of his jeans presented no problem, nor did the zipper. She knelt as she lowered his pants to the floor. With his pants on the floor, Ed stepped back out of them. Moving the pants aside, she move closer and grasped his boxers. As she lowered his boxers to the floor, she kissed his erecting cock.

With the both of them naked, Beth led Ed to the bedroom. With the slightest of pushes, she forced him lie back upon the bed as she climbed atop him. As he looked at her well trimmed pubic hair, she positioned herself to straddle his body. Bending over, she kissed him gently on the lips. As he responded, she kissed his neck and moved on to his chest planting little kisses. By this time, his cock was fully erect straining for attention.

She continued her slow exploration of his body, kissing parts that had never been kissed before. Her hands traced gentle patterns across his chest, pausing occasionally to pinch his nipples or to tease his skin with feather light tickling motions. As his senses headed towards overload, he realized that he had never had a woman make love to him before as the active partner. His past lovemaking with women had always involved him as the active partner.

When she reached his cock, rather than immediately swallowing it, she kissed it and rubbed her cheek against it. Light teasing kisses tickled his balls. Never had he experienced anything like that in the past. Legs trembling, his cock leaked pre-come, desiring to be embedded within her womanhood. Her hands now ran along the length of his legs. The touch of her hand was less gentle, but even more sensual. Ripples of energy ran from his toes to the top of his head, lingering fleetingly deep behind his cock.

When she finally took the head of his cock into her mouth, she slipped a hand between her own legs. As the tension increase in Ed, he lifted a leg slightly. She moved so that she straddled his upraised leg and started to slowly rub her sex against it. With her hands free, she used one to hold his cock at an angle that made it easier to pleasure him. Looking down at her, through eyes half open, he saw her looking up at him. Her pupils were dilated with sexual excitement and her lips formed a secret smile when her mouth left his shaft. This was the most amazing and erotic sight that the man could imagine.

Ed was about to explode from the sensations of her lips on his cock and her rubbing herself against him. His leg was covered with her juices as she drove herself towards orgasm. Trembling from excitement demanding to be let loose, Ed closed his eyes lost entirely in the sensations of touch.

Close, but not quite ready to come, she moved up and lowered herself upon his cock. The warmth of her wet passage covering his cock, forced open his eyes. Looking down at the point where they were joined, he could see her lips stretched to accommodate his cock. Breathing heavily, his hips thrust upward to meet her halfway. Settling fully upon his cock, she let her weight force his hips back to the bed. With small rocking motions, she ground her cunt against his body allowing the friction of skin to skin contact to take her to higher levels of excitement while controlling his need to ejaculate.

Time passed as she worked him, ever so slowly, towards release. By the time it came, she had experience two very small orgasms. For ten minutes, his toes had been curled as the body strained for just that little bit more that would drive him over that boundary. When it came, his entire body reacted to it. He was completely unaware of his ejaculation as a full body orgasm ripped through him. This wasn't the kind of orgasm where jet after jet of come shout out, but one where the come poured out nonstop until he was drained.

There was not the normal desire to come and pull out. She leaned over him, holding her body close to his. He reached up and held her in an embrace, not quite sure where he was or what time it was. Time, at some point, had lost its hold over him. He held her tightly, even as his shrinking cock slipped out of her. His come running out of her, was warm, but cooled quickly before drying to a crusty patch. It didn't matter to him, he was in the arms of a woman that he loved.

He fell asleep, knowing that he was loved and safe in the arms of his lovers. It was an amazing feeling. Sometime, while he slept Beth moved off him and slept beside him with a secret knowing smile upon her face. She too had discovered what it meant for a woman to make love to a man.

Ed woke after an hour and covered her with a sheet. Standing by the side of the bed, he looked down upon her. He didn't see a beautiful woman that was naked, but a loving human being that glowed with her love for him. The sight took his breath away and filled his heart with hope.

Leaving quietly so that he wouldn't disturb her sleep, he returned to his study and went to work on his homework. It only took him a minute to become lost in geological forces. Time passed quickly as the man totally immersed himself in the material. While others might read the same thing to fall asleep, it invigorated him.

He didn't hear anything happening around him. Sated with her activities earlier, Beth left and returned several times. A very amused Kelly came in and looked in on him, finding it hard to believe that he had slipped out of bed while Beth slept without trying for a repeat performance. They all returned to John's to plan dinner, leaving Ed lost in the other world that he occasionally visited. Of all members of the group, John understood Ed's loss of self in the material the best.

Looking up, Ed suddenly realized that he had covered material that wouldn't be taught in class for another two weeks. He also realized that his study had darkened as the sun was setting. After looking around the house, he headed over to John's confidant that everyone was over there. Much to his surprise, no one was home.

He returned home to have a glass of iced tea and think about his situation. The iced tea, cold and refreshing, helped wake him. He thought about the whole day with his future family. He had played, talked, entertained, loved, and worked. It was the kind of life that he wanted to continue.

Twenty thousand was not that much of an investment for a life like today. Of them all, Kelly had the least amount of money. He wondered how Kelly was going to afford it. Of course, there was nothing requiring her to put in that amount. Maybe he would match the amount that she put in just so that she could put in less without feeling cheap.

His thoughts were interrupted by Kelly's arrival. She breezed into the house and said, "You're done. Come on down to Maria's with us. You didn't have a chance to enjoy our dinner the other night, so we've decided to do it again."

Ed grabbed her hand and pulled her onto her lap. Squealing with delight, Kelly wrapped her hands around Ed and kissed him. Once she had settled down, Ed said, "Kelly, you and I are the poorest two entering into this marriage. I don't know about you, but twenty thousand is a bit of money and I'm worried that you and I will be put in a bad financial state."

Smiling at Ed because of his thoughtfulness. She knew what he was doing; he was putting himself in a position to allow her to afford entry into the family without taking out a loan. She answered, "Don't worry about me. I've got an idea or two on how to raise the money."

"I just don't want this to be hard on you," replied Ed.

Changing the subject, Kelly climbed out of his lap while grabbing a hand. She said, "Let's go to supper."



-------

Chapter 23


A terrified shriek broke through the night air waking Ed and Beth from a deep solid sleep. Heart racing, he grabbed his pants and pulled them on. Even as he raced to dress, he shouted, "Beth, get the gun and get in the bathroom. Don't come out until someone you knows calls out to you."

Rather than argue, Beth scrambled out of the bed, naked and raced to the table with the gun. Grabbing the gun, she went into the bathroom. After closing and locking the door behind her, she sat on the toilet with the gun pointed at the door. Her hands shook in fear.

Grabbing a shirt, he raced out the door in time to see a car spinning its tires as it slid half out of control on the dirt road. He watched the car reach the end of the street and spin out of control as it tried to make the turn at too high of a speed. Putting on his shirt, he ran across the street to John's house.

Before he hit the doorway, a number of shots rang out from within town. It sounded like a battlefield out there. Ed paused as he wondered if the bad guys had gotten away. Then his thoughts turned to concern for John. Stepping into the house, he turned on the lights and shouted, "John! Where are you?"

Relieved at finding that it was Ed in the house, John shouted, "I'm in the hall."

Ed came around the corner. Without thinking about the consequences of his actions, he turned on the hall lights. The sudden brightness blinded John and Rover for a minute causing them to shake their heads. Laying on the floor was a man that Ed did not recognize. He walked over to the man on the floor and asked, "Who's this?"

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, John examined the man. He answered, "I have no idea."

Kneeling next to the man on the ground, Ed examined him closely. To his surprise, Rover pushed him to the side to sniff the man. The cat turned and went to the back door. After sitting at the door for a minute looking out into the night, he let loose with a very loud yell. The suddenness of the noise shocked John and Ed as they immediately thought there were still more men outside. The yell was answered by two yells.

Curious, John walked to the back door and turned on the lights. There were two more cats sitting in the backyard. To the right was a bobcat and to the left was a much larger Black Panther. The two cats rose at the same time and moved over to the door. Rover pushed the door open to let them in. In surprise, John and Ed looked at each other trying to figure out what was going on.

Rover turned and left the house through the front door while John walked into the hallway to check on the person there. With nothing better to do, Ed joined him after watching the bobcat take up a position beside the back door. The panther moved through the house to sit at the front door. John looked at Ed, "I guess Rover called for re-enforcement's."

Ed asked, "So where did he go?"

John thought about it for a moment and then answered, "I bet he went across the street to watch your house in case anyone went over there."

"Smart cat."

There was a knock on the front door. A voice called out, "John, this is Juan Ortega. Are you alright in there?"

"I'm fine. I'll be right there. Don't come in yet."

Juan called back, "Don't worry, I see the panther. I'm not going to make a move."

John whispered, "Ed, tie this guy up. I don't feel comfortable with him here. I have no idea how to deal with our new bodyguards."

Ed went into the bedroom and returned with the rope that was packed in the backpack. Kneeling down, he tied up the man on the floor while John went to the front door. He couldn't hear what was said in the other room. Until he had company, he stood where he could kick the guy if he started to come around.

John followed by Juan and Robert entered the hallway where Ed was standing over the man. Pointing to the man on the floor, John said, "This bastard tried to assassinate me. He came into the bedroom and fired two shots. Fortunately, I don't use that bedroom. I sleep on the floor in the other room."

John pointed to the night vision glasses that hung around the guys neck. He went on explaining what had happened. "I shoved my walking stick with the light on in his face. It must have blinded him because he shot wildly in every direction. I then caught him in the groin with the walking stick. Rover bit his wrist and I hit him across the face with my walking stick. He hasn't moved since then."

Robert bent down to look at the guy on the floor. Barely nodding his head, he looked at the wall on the other end of the hallway. Satisfied with what he had seen, he looked in the bedroom where the first pair of shots had originated. Returning to the hallway, he knelt down by the guy again and as looked up at John said, "This guy is a professional. You're very lucky to be alive."

Juan swore, "Damn it, tell me how you decided that."

Robert pointed to the man and said, "He is dressed all in black with clothes that won't make a noise when he walks. He has night vision glasses that are Special Forces issue. The silencer on the pistol is professionally made. The two shots in the bed were where two people would normally sleep. He didn't fire more once he realized the bed was empty. The shots in the wall form a nice pattern at locations about where a man holding a flashlight would have been standing. The pattern in the center is where a man would stand if he held the flashlight in front of him. The pattern over to there is where a right-handed man would stand if he were police trained. The smaller pattern over there is where a left-handed man would stand if he were police trained."

John smiled at the simple factual manner in which Robert stated the evidence supporting his conclusions. He said, "Impressive."

Juan swore, "Damn. It makes sense to me."

Ed asked, "So what was going on with all of that shooting I heard when I ran over here?"

Juan answered, "The scream from here woke everyone in town. The Sheriff saw a car speeding away from here with its lights off. He went in pursuit and the idiot fired at him. Half the town fired back at the idiot. He crashed his car. We've got him in custody."

John smiled as he said, "I guess the town doesn't like its law enforcement types getting shot at. That would make me feel a lot better about being a cop in this area."

Robert looked at John as he considered that maybe the townsfolk didn't like to see one of their own get attacked. He said, "Some give one reason while others give another. It's hard to know what motivates people."

Rover came back in the room with Beth following him. She knelt by the man on the floor and examined his injuries. She looked up and said, "You did a good job on him. He has a broken jaw and a shattered wrist. He also appears to have a concussion."

John said, "I hit him in the nuts too."

In light of the new information, Beth added, "Probably has a crushed testicle. We need to get him to the hospital."

Juan replied, "An ambulance is on the way."

Beth nodded, "I'll call Kelly and let her know that she is to keep her distance from this patient. That will limit the hospital liability."

With a great deal of anger in his voice, John said, "If she hadn't taken that shift tonight, she'd be dead now. So would I."

Beth looked surprised at John's reaction. She said, "All the more reason to keep her away from him. I'll call the administration at the hospital to make sure of that."

Beth left and went to the telephone to make her call. Letting loose with a moan, the man on the floor started to regain consciousness. In response, Rover let out a little chirp and the other two cats joined him. They formed a circle around his head and bared their teeth. When he opened his eyes, the guy wet his pants on seeing the cats looking down at him.

Robert watched the cats and looked at John. This was the kind of thing his Grandfather told stories about. He said, "You must meet my Grandfather."

Ed stood over the man until the ambulance arrived to take the assassin away. Juan rode in the back of the ambulance. In the meantime, the Sheriff stopped at the house to take an official statement. Ed had to let him in so that the cats wouldn't attack him.

While the Sheriff was talking to John, the telephone rang. Since John was busy, Ed took the message that an agent from the FBI called requesting that John come in the morning and debrief them concerning the attack. The big question on everyone's mind was why John had been the target of what appeared to be a professional assassination.

When everything quieted down, John, Ed, and Beth sat down to talk about the events. Ed angrily said, "They tried to kill you."

John nodded his agreement and said, "Yes, they did."

Beth spat out, "We've got to do something about it."

John was silent for a minute as he considered what they were doing. He said, "We are doing something about it."

"What are we doing?" Beth was not happy at the thought of people trying to kill her husband to be.

John answered, "Our new house will be ready in a month. It will have state of the art security equipment."

Beth folded her arms and sat back starting angrily at John. She said, "Just wait until Kelly gets here. She's going to read you the riot act."

Curious about the how Kelly had reacted, Ed asked, "How did she take the news?"

"She took it real good. She wants him to leave the hospital in the best condition possible." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Kelly actually told her that she'd cut his dick off and shove it down his throat.

Angry that he hadn't been here to protect John, Ed considered what actions he could take. Ed made a decision that he was going to take whatever actions were necessary to protect his family. The question was, what action could he take? He thought about the medallions around John's neck. He made up his mind, he was going to give the Gods and Goddesses a call.

Kelly's arrival was much quieter than anyone had thought possible. She softly opened the door and entered the room without greeting. She sat on the floor next to John. Every one turned to look at her. Her voice was unnaturally loud as she asked, "What the fuck is going on?"

"We were waiting for you to talk about what we do next."

Kelly snarled, "Did you at least torture some information out of him?"

John's voice was calm as he answered, "No. He doesn't know anything other than who hired him and that person probably doesn't even know why the contract was arranged."

Kelly sank down, her anger exhausted. "So what now?"

John answered, "I'd like to get naked and make love with my future spouses."

Ed laughing aloud said, "That's the best idea I've heard all night."

After a night of wild coupling, John was the first to wake. He carefully untangled himself from the arms and legs of Beth, Kelly, and Ed. He was stiff and sore. The night's passion had drained him. He looked outside and couldn't believe how late it was. He looked out the front door and saw the crowd. He knew he needed to get out there and talk with people.

He went into the kitchen and started breakfast. Today was going to be busy for everyone. He had to go to Phoenix and brief them on what happened last night. Before heading off to school, Ed was going to the house to oversee some of the construction. Beth and Kelly had to work. Breakfast this morning was going to be big, consisting of eggs, sausage, toast, and fruit.

He was almost done with preparing breakfast when Ed and Beth came into the kitchen. Both headed straight for the coffeepot. Ed was his normal slow moving self, moving but not really thinking. His movements were slightly uncoordinated. Beth moved like a robot, each motion precise but no driving emotion behind them. Kelly didn't come out for a while.

After John set the table, a naked Beth and Ed seated themselves and started eating. John went into the living room to wake Kelly, but paused on finding that she was awake and dressed. Her shirt hung open without having buttons with which to close it. She smiled up at him as he enjoyed the occasional peaks that he had of her breasts. In his mind, it was sexier than if she were going topless.

They joined the others at the table. Breakfast started silently as they were more concerned with filling their stomachs and waking. Finally, Beth sat back and said, "That was incredible."

John said, "Thanks, but it was a normal breakfast."

Beth laughed and replied, "I wasn't talking about breakfast."

As John blushed, Kelly looked at the two men. She said, "Oh, yes. I really needed that."

Beth asked, "So which of you two studs did me last night?"

John and Ed shrugged their shoulders as they looked at each other. Kelly laughed and asked, "Do you mean that four people had amazing sex on the floor last night and have no idea who they fucked?"

The whole group burst out in laughter. The situation was funny and no one's feelings were hurt by the fact that they had been faceless to the others. Kelly asked, "So what is going to happen to Shadow and Tiger?"

John asked, "Who?"

"Shadow and Tiger."

John thought about it for a minute before he said, "They will stay or they will go. It is their choice, not mine. I hope that Rover chooses to stay. He was magnificent last night."

Ed nodded his agreement about Rover's actions. He said, "I like having them around, though. I feel much better."

John got up and started clearing the table. Beth and Kelly jumped up and said, "Don't do that. You made breakfast, we'll do the dishes. You have to get into the city and talk to the FBI."

After John and Tiger went out to his jeep to head for Phoenix, Ed left the house to get clothes for Kelly and Beth. Walking beside him like an escort, Shadow looked magnificent. When he opened the door, the cat raced inside and looked around before Ed had a chance to enter it.

In his house, Ed took the moment to change his clothes. Last night, he had put on a pair of pants and a shirt. He didn't mind wearing jeans without underwear, but preferred having something between his private parts and the zipper of his pants. The idea of getting caught in his zipper disturbed him more than he wanted to admit.

After he finished dressing, the cat sat by the bedroom door and watched as Ed went through the clothes in the closet. There were so many outfits hanging in his closet. His shirts had been pushed to one side of the rather large closet. It was frustrating because he had no idea which clothes belonged to which woman. He grabbed a handful of each and headed back across the street. Padding beside him, the cat moved silently.

In the house, he set the clothes down on the table. Beth and Kelly stood there starting at the pile. Kelly asked, "Did you bring enough?"

Ed answered, "I have no idea who these clothes belong to. They just showed up in my closet."

Laughing at the confused look on his face, Kelly replied, "I guess they did at that. Are you complaining?"

"Not at all. I just meant to say that I don't know who owns what." Ed didn't want to sound like he was complaining, but there were times when the intrusion of all the female products in his house drove him crazy. He'd never say that the bathroom bothered him the most.

Giggling, Beth and Kelly looked at each other with a wink. There were times when Ed was so transparent that it was easy having fun at his expense. Of course, he would be bothered by having his stuff moved around when he wasn't there. Winking at Kelly, Beth said, "Wait until we get married and move in with you. We have plans to stock every bathroom in the house with fancy soaps, shampoos, and douches."

The look that crossed Ed's face was priceless. Both women laughed and Kelly said, "We're teasing you. Now get busy, you've got a long day today."

Ed went out to his truck to visit the house and check the progress of the builder. Shadow leapt into the back of the truck without him noticing. It was a short drive to the new house, basically to the end of the street. Downtown was within walking distance of it, a fact that had made him very happy.

Approaching the house, Ed was impressed by the imposing presence. There were no windows at ground level, a security feature recommended by their security specialist and seconded by everyone except John. Almost fifty pickup trucks were parked around the house as various workmen were busy with their individual tasks. He parked next to the one BMW and got out. Shadow leaping out of the truck surprised him, not knowing that the cat was with him.

As he approached the front door, a slight oriental woman stepped out to greet him. He waved and said, "Hello, Ling."

Glancing down at the cat moving beside Ed, a raised eyebrow was her entire visual reaction to the cat. She had been in the Sheriff's office in the morning checking out the equipment and heard about the activities of the previous night. She said, "I heard about last night. Why won't John let me put in a security system there?"

Smiling at the question, Ed said, "You'll have to take that up with John."

Rather than pursue the matter further, the small oriental woman said, "The security installation here is almost complete. The security cameras are up and connected. The land line to the Sheriff's station is waiting for the telephone company. The wireless connection is already in place. They are upgrading all of the equipment at the Sheriff's office."

"It sounds to me like you have everything under control here," replied Ed. He looked around the area, taking in the security cameras mounted at the corners of the building. She had explained before putting in the cameras that the upper part that looked like a camera was actually a dummy. The base contained the actual camera and could be turned to view any area around the building.

She noticed his appraisal of the cameras and said, "Those are fake. The real ones are in the bases."

"You told me that before," replied Ed. Looking at the cameras hidden around the porch, he added, "I thought that was rather clever of you."

A blush rose over Ling in embarrassment at being reminded that she had already told them The fact of the matter was that these people confused her. Most of her clients either ignored what she recommended or let her run their lives. These people listened very carefully and asked probing questions that kept her on her toes. Even John, who resisted her request to wire his house, listened and weighed the options very carefully. His arguments were very balanced. He was correct in his argument that the two bedroom house would be almost impossible to secure. Locking it up tight at night would have been extremely uncomfortable since there wasn't any air-conditioning in the house.

She had often recommended the use of trained dogs as the cheapest form of security and his use of a cougar represented a threat that even a dog didn't present. Dogs would bite, but a cougar could literally shred a person apart. It would be preferable to face a pack of dogs than one of these large cats. They were fast, agile, and armed with teeth and claws. She glanced down at the panther, her surprise at seeing the cat had changed to curiosity about where it came from. She asked, "What's with the panther?"

Smiling, Ed responded, "Rover requested a little help last night. Shadow and a bobcat named Tiger showed up out of the desert. Tiger is watching over John, Rover is watching over the women, and I guess, Shadow is watching over me."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Are you saying that it is a wild animal?"

"Exactly."

"And you aren't worried?" asked Ling.

Laughing, Ed said, "John would say that they are in the service of the Gods and Goddesses. You can't get a better recommendation than that."

Not know what to make of that statement, Ling ignored it. The cat was definitely well behaved for a wild animal. Ling asked, "Do you want me to show you around?"

"No, I just wanted to check on the progress. Where's Donald?" asked Ed.

Ling answered, "He's in the house."

Ed went into the house followed by the cat. As he walked through the house, he looked at the work that had been completed since the last time that he had been there. The house was basically completed except for the final fixtures and interior décor. He heard Donald, the general contractor, talking near the garden in the atrium and headed that way.

Approaching the garden, Ed was amazed to see that they had finished the waterfall and stream. Now they were planting the vegetation through the area. The appearance of the garden was incredibly calming. The cat immediately slipped into the vegetation, disappearing from view. A scream from inside the garden suggested that Shadow had surprised someone working. A man came running out of the garden shouting, "Panther!"

Ed shouted, "The cat is with me. Don't worry, it won't hurt you."

The man stood well away from the garden refusing to enter until the cat was gone. Irritated, Donald strode over to Ed, shouting, "What's going on here?"

Turning to face an angry Donald, Ed was surprised by the sudden and ferocious appearance of Shadow between him and Donald. Emitting a low growl, ears flattened back, teeth bared, and crouched as though to launch himself at the man, the cat presented a terrifying vision of raw killing force. As Donald blanched, Ed stepped forward and said, "Easy Shadow. He's not going to hurt me. He's a friend."

Slowly, the cat relaxed and returned to the vegetation. Still terrified, Donald slowly tried to control his trembling hands. He said, "Is it safe?"

"Yes, it is safe. Shadow thought you were going to attack me." Ed glanced back at the vegetation, barely able to discern the area of darkness where the cat was crouched watching them. Ed said, "The garden is looking great."

Donald replied, "Yes. I'm very pleased with the contractor. He's doing good work. The rest of it is coming along well. The lighting fixtures, the switches, and electrical socket plates are all getting installed. The pool people are working on the pool heating system and the Jacuzzi is ready. The carpet layers are busy in the bedrooms."

Impressed, Ed nodded and said, "Sounds like you are almost finished."

The contractor shook his head and said, "There's still a lot to do yet. This is a huge house and will take a lot of work to finish."

"What do you mean?" asked Ed. His take in looking around was that it was almost done.

Donald laughed as he answered, "There are almost three hundred wall plugs. It is going to take a guy almost a whole day just to put the covers on them. The light fixtures alone will take a week. Then the decorator will come to take care of the library, dining, and living rooms. The Chef has been busy getting the kitchen outfitted."

Ed didn't realize just how much work there was in putting together a house this big. To him, it looked almost ready to move into it. Looking around, it was hard to believe that it would take another month to complete. He asked, "When can we start moving stuff into it?"

Donald answered, "In three weeks you can move some stuff in here, but it won't be ready to live in until a week after that. We still have the final building inspection to pass."

Giving into the advice of the more experienced man, Ed said, "Okay, I'll take your word on that. Tell the gardener that he can return to the garden as soon as I leave. I'll be taking Shadow with me."

After a few words of farewell, Ed turned and left the house followed closely by Shadow. As they walked, Ed looked down at the cat and said, "You scared the hell out of Donald."

The cat merely glanced up at Ed as though to say, "What did you expect me to do when a guy starts threatening you?"

Amused by the incident, Ed led the way to his truck. Since he had a long drive to the university, he didn't want the cat riding in the back. Holding open the door of the truck, the cat jumped in and moved to the passenger side. Before Ed settled behind the wheel, the cat explored every inch of the truck. Once the cat sat down, Ed headed to school.

The drive went by without incident, despite any worries that Ed had about the cat getting carsick. After parking the car in the lot, he picked up his bag with his school books from the floor of the truck. The cat was ready to get out of the truck and almost bowled Ed over in its mad dash out the door. The cat walked with Ed, occasionally walking away from Ed to check out something in the environment. Shadow had a much greater curiosity about its surroundings than Rover.

While Shadow may have been curious about its surroundings, the other people on campus were much more curious about the cat. Those who were well separated from the cat stared. Individuals that were not quite so distant snuck glances hoping not to attract attention from the cat. People that were closer to the cat tended to back away carefully. The cat basically looked at those that over reacted to its presence with disdain.

Entering the classroom, the cat created a minor commotion, as it went from student to student smelling them. Once satisfied that no one meant Ed any harm, it went to a corner in the front of the classroom and curled into a position where it could watch the door. Everything was okay until one of the students started sneezing. It turned out that the student was very allergic to cats. Feeling sorry for the student, Ed stood up and called Shadow over to him. He left the class, wondering what he would do for the rest of his classes if the cat continued to accompany him everywhere that he went.

He headed over to the lab where he worked as part of his assistantship. Sitting in the high chair, he reached into the box on the table and pulled out a sample. There were different crystals on this sample, but none of them were very good. The most common were the quartz crystals, but there were two others that he wasn't sure about. The cat placed both paws on table and examined what Ed was doing. With a look of disgust, the cat curled up under the table.

Ed concentrated on the rocks, classifying them one at a time. When he was unsure of a rock, he set it aside to ask for advice. There weren't many that gave him problems. As he worked, other students came and went unaware of the cat watching them from under the table. He was only required to work three hours, but he lost track of the time and worked five before Professor Simms called out to him, "Hey, Ed. Time to get out of here."

Without looking up, Ed answered, "I'm supposed to be here until two."

Laughing, Professor Simms said, "It's four."

Surprised at the news, Ed looked up at the clock in the lab and said, "I didn't realize that."

Muscles tight from sitting in the same position for too long, Ed stood up and stretched. The cat came out from under the table surprising Professor Simms. Backpedaling, he asked, "Is that your cat?"

Looking down at Shadow, Ed realized he didn't know exactly how to answer that question. After thinking about it, he said, "The cat is acting like a bodyguard for me. John was attacked last night by a professional assassin. Rover, his cougar, called and two other cats showed up. Now Rover is protecting Kelly and Beth. Tiger, a bobcat, is protecting John. Shadow is watching over me today."

Professor Simms didn't understand the marriage plans of Ed, but he did know that John, Kelly, and Beth were members of his pending group marriage. He even knew that John was the John Carter that invented the Fusion Cell and the Fusion Battery. There was a lot that he didn't understand about Ed's life. Why would one of them get attacked by a professional assassin? One big question was how did they get wild animals to serve as body guards. Knowing that he wouldn't get his questions answered today, he said, "Why don't we head out to parking lot?"

Ed and Professor Simms headed out to the parking lot. Along the way, Professor Simms asked, "Are you going to come on the next field trip?"

"The one in July?"

"Yes, I plan to cover a lot of territory, but the terrain is too rough for trucks," replied the professor.

"Sure, I'm up for it," replied Ed. He walked along seeing a bright future classifying rocks, pursuing a dream that had once been beaten out of him. He was entering a marriage with two beautiful women and one of the most incredible men he had ever met. The house that he was moving into was beyond anything he had ever dreamt.



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Part 2: Equilibrant

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Chapter 1


Decisions. Hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions are made each and every day by every person. Shall I sleep five minutes more or not? What shall I eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? What route shall I take to work? What lane should I be in now? Most of these are minor decisions, of little consequence in the grand scheme of things. That is, the majority of decisions can be made without concern for consequence, right or wrong. Cheerios or Cornflakes, today? Cheerios or Cornflakes, tomorrow?

Yet, even a decision with no consequence 999 times out of a 1000 can suddenly become major. Today, Cheerios. Oops, I choked on a Cheerio. Even then, it is impossible to know what would have happened had a different decision been taken. If not Cheerios, would I have choked on the Sugar Pops? We can not know.

So many decisions are made each day. Most decisions are made without sufficient information to know if the choice taken is the best one. A paucity of information is the norm and not the exception. Shall I be an engineer? On what basis of fact can such a decision be made. The current state of the field? The hoped for state of the field? It might be good for five years and then horrible thereafter. It might be bad for a few years and then wonderful for the rest of ones life. It is a guess and we make the best guess that we can.

With so many decisions, it is amazing how few choices that we make lead to negative consequences from which we can't recover. Perhaps one choice that we make out of a hundred thousand has long term consequences. Yet, the majority of choices made do not led to a negative consequence. If they did, most people would be crippled or dead by the time they reached twenty. By twenty, almost seven-five chances to make a life debilitating decision will have occurred. The kid that runs into the street, jumps off the roof, or eats food that doesn't smell quite right has made decisions with the potential for crippling consequences, but those negative consequences seldom materialize. Yet, sometimes they do.

Once, twice, three, or more times in our life, we will make the wrong choice when faced with a decision that changes our lives forever. It is inevitable that it will happen. Should a person abuse themselves emotionally for having made the wrong decision? Should one berate oneself for not being perfect or not knowing everything? One can, but perhaps that is compounding the bad decision with another.

Ed waited for John to put his hiking notebooks in the library to find out where John had encountered the Gods and Goddesses. The entry for the encounter with the Goddess described in great detail the path that John took to meet her. It did not identify any specific day that Ed could tell and he was tempted to go immediately after reading the entry. However, the entry for the encounter with the God explicitly mentioned Midsummer's Day. He knew then when he was to go meet the Gods and Goddesses.

He prepared the family for his absence by telling them that he was going on a rock hunting expedition as part of his school work. When asked how long he would be gone, he had answered that it depended on how long it took them to collect a reasonable quantity of samples. The fact was, he didn't know how long he would be gone.

He felt bad telling a lie to everyone, but he believed that wouldn't hurt the family. The wedding was two weeks away and he should have been there to help with the arrangements. He was sure that the women would understand what he did and why he did it when he returned home. The fear was that John would be hurt by what might have been a betrayal.

Ed had planned this trip with great attention to detail. To make his excuse more easily accepted, he had packed all of his rock collecting gear in the back of his pickup truck. Since he didn't want to leave the gear there, he had stopped by the university and unpacked it. The directions given in John's journal required a GPS to locate the campsite for Midsummer's Eve, so he had purchased one. The one surprise in executing his plans was that none of the cats would go with him.

It was with great deliberation and determination that he followed the route that John had described in his first journal. Rather then cover the entire route, he searched for the location of John's campsite the night before. Spending the night under the stars was nothing new for Ed. As he lay on his bedroll watching the stars, he was surprised to see a shooting star cross the night sky. It was very large and lit up as it split into two and merged back again into one.

Ed didn't mind camping, but he detested hiking. Cowboy boots weren't exactly made for long distance hiking and he couldn't stand the feel of lace-up hiking boots on his feet. When the sun rose on the morning of Midsummer's day, Ed gathered together his possessions and started down the trail described in the journal.

He knew he had reached the right place when the feel of the land suddenly changed. Looking around at his surroundings, he expected to see a man or a woman step into view at the edge of the woods. After taking a few steps forward, true to his expectations, a man stepped out from behind a tree. It was not the bear- like man that John had described in his journal. This man was exceptionally obese with breasts larger than most women and a small cock that was almost hidden by a roll of fat. His face had huge jowls, a double chin, hooked nose, and large flapping ears. The one feature that stood out from the rest was the lips. They bulged out obscenely, flapping as he moved.

The man gestured Ed to follow. Ed obeyed reluctantly, knowing what was going to happen next, he walked with steps that reflected his dread that he was going to be raped by this monster. The idea repelled him, but he would do it to protect John. His stomach twisted at the thought of touching the man, but he followed as close as possible.

They came to an empty clearing. The grotesque man came to a stop and turned to face Ed. Braced himself for an attack that didn't come, Ed eyed the man trying to make sense of the situation. The man said, "Ed Biggers, the God and the Goddess would not come. They have given John all of the protection that he requires."

The idea that John had all the protection that he required didn't jive with the situations that Ed had seen. He replied, "John has died twice. Fat lot of good their protection has served him. He needs me to help protect him. I demand to see one of them!"

His challenge was met by laughter that conveyed great derision. The man challenged, "You demand? A mere mortal demand of us?"

Ed stubbornly replied, "Yes. I demand."

Instead of responding, the man held up a golden medallion and tossed it a few feet away. Ed's eyes tracked the medallion, recognizing it for what it was. Laughing, the fat man said, "If you survive long enough to get it, I will give you a gift that can help John."

Thinking that he could out race the man, Ed dove for the medal thinking that he would get it with no problem. His progress was interrupted when the man grabbed him in midair. Using every trick he knew, Ed fought without restraint. Almost toying with him, the man ripped off Ed's clothes as if they were made of paper and threw Ed to the ground. Ed scrambled in the direction of the medallion concentrating entirely on reaching it. His efforts were halted when the fat man jumped on him.

Ed's cock had grown erect almost immediately, despite his attempt to will it down. Staring incredulously, Ed's eyes grew huge in wonder as the man slowly turned into a woman. As the tremendously fat woman lowered herself on him, he continued to struggle to reach the medallion. When she started to rock herself on his cock, he used her motion to help move him towards the medallion. Although the medallion was now only five feet away, his progress towards it could be measured in tenths of an inch.

When he moved too far forward, the fat lady would bend his cock back so hard that Ed was sure that it would break. Accepting the pain and keeping focused on his goal, he continued to inch towards the medallion. When she adjusted her position, he would start to move toward the medallion again. In an attempt to stop him, she leaned forward and jammed a breast in his mouth. He struggled to breathe around the monster breast. Even as he struggled to breathe, he continued to work his way towards the medallion.

Ed was shocked as the woman started to come. As she came, her cunt squeezed his cock. She squeezed so hard on his cock that Ed screamed out in pain. Even as he imagined his cock being cut off by her cunt muscles, Ed still worked to reach the medallion. She continued to ride him and Ed knew she would continue until he came. Unsure if that would be good or bad, the only thing that he knew was that he needed to reach the medallion.

As Ed continued to struggle to reach the medallion, she came several more times. Each time it felt like she was going to rip his cock out by the roots. Suddenly, he came and it was unlike anything that he had ever experienced. The contractions of his ejaculation were so close together and long that it felt like he was pissing in her rather than coming.

She lifted herself off his cock and moved so that her cunt was over his mouth. Taking advantage of her movement, Ed took the opportunity to move even closer to the medallion. His forward progress was halted when she lowered herself on his face. Huge globs of cum dripped out of her cunt. Closing his mouth and turning his head to the side, he attempted to escape having to swallow his own come.

She reached back and yanked his cock producing a scream that was cut off when her cunt forced its way onto his mouth. Cum drained into his mouth and he had to swallow or drown in it. He swallowed and then tried to breathe as more cum filled his mouth. Throughout, he continued to try to move his way towards the medallion. She came, her cum flooded his mouth as her legs locked around his head cutting off his breath and keeping him from moving. Not for the first time, he wondered if this was how he was going to die. Desperately, he swallowed and swallowed the never-ending stream of cum.

Finally, the flood abated and he could breath. His relief was short lived. The huge grotesquely fat woman started to rock back and forth on his face. Her cunt seemed like steel wool, scrapping layers of skin off his face. He used her motion to move forward again.

The situation seemed to become dire when the cunt started turning into a cock, forcing itself into his mouth. As it continued to grow, Ed bit into it with no effect. The creature above him had returned to being the fat disgusting man. Unable to prevent the assault, the man was now fucking his mouth with a monster cock. Ed used the motion to move closer to the medallion. Each thrust in, he slid along the ground in the direction he desired. He would scoot forward when the man withdrew. The medallion was now only two feet away from his outstretched hand.

The action continued until the man came. It was a massive explosion of cum that nearly drowned Ed. He coughed as cum entered his lungs and he retched as cum poured into his stomach. Unable to breathe with the head of monster cock filling his throat, Ed continued to struggle closer to the medallion. When the cock suddenly left his mouth, he scrambled in a mad dash towards the medallion.

He was within inches of reaching it when the man's hands grabbed him and spun him in the air. Landing on his hands and knees, Ed started to crawl towards the medallion. His progress was stopped when hands grabbed his hips. It felt like a fist was pressed against his asshole. He screamed when he was entered in one massive thrust that pushed the entire cock into his ass. Timing his forward movements with the thrusts into his ass, he struggled to hold his gain when the man pulled him back onto his cock.

Again, his forward progress could be measured in tenths of an inch. The man reached around and grabbed Ed's cock. With a tight grip that brought tears to Ed's eyes, the man started masturbating him in time with his thrusts. As Ed struggled to move forward, one thought continued to race through his mind, 'I must survive this to protect my family.'

The thrusts became harder and faster as the man approached his orgasm. The pain was intense. It felt like his insides were tearing from the brutality of the intrusion and his cock was going to be pulled off. Despite the pain, he continued to struggle.

When the man came, he finished with an extremely forceful thrust forward. Ed saw his chance and threw himself forward, flattening himself on the ground. The man followed him to the ground as he continued to press his cock into Ed's ass. Exhausted and in pain beyond endurance, Ed reached out and closed his hand around the medallion.

Everything stopped. As Ed raised himself to stand on wobbly legs, the man took the medallion from Ed's hand. With a care and gentleness that had not been present throughout the ordeal, the fat man placed it around his neck. He said, "I am the Two-sided One. You have done well, Ed Biggers. It is time for you to rest."

Ed woke and looked around the clearing. The normal feel of the outdoors had returned. His clothes were new and he felt healthy and energetic. After taking a reading on the GPS, he headed towards the highway. His progress was amazingly quick and it wasn't long before he reached the highway. Turning in the appropriate direction, he headed towards town where his truck was parked.

He stopped at the restaurant in town that he had read about in John's journal. The description of the owners was so flattering, that he wondered what they were like. Stepping into the restaurant, he paused to look in the mirror. At first, his normal face looked back at him, but at second glance he realized that his eyes were now gray. Ed approached the counter and sat down.

An elderly woman stood behind the counter and examined Ed for a minute. She asked, "Are you Ed?"

Ed nodded in surprise that she would know who he was. He asked, "Are you Martha?"

She smiled at Ed and answered, "Yes, I am. John called."

"Uh oh." Ed knew he had been caught in his lie and he felt guilty for having lied to John, but he knew that John would have stopped him from coming. Still not knowing how the Two-Sided One had blessed him, he didn't know how he could protect John. He was confident that he had been given a gift that would help protect John.

Martha laughed at the expression on his face. It was just like a little boy caught with his hand in a cookie jar. She added, "Right. He said to get something to eat, go to the next town and stop at the camping supply store, and then get home."

Wondering what kind of reception he was going to get when he reached home, Ed asked, "Was he mad?"

Martha answered, "He was polite."

"You're avoiding the question." Her voice, which had sounded sweet to his ear, had just adopted a slightly tinny sound. Rubbing his ear, he listened to her more carefully.

She smiled at him and then said, "Yes, I am. Now, what can I get for you?"

Her voice had returned to the sweet sound. Looking at the menu for a minute, Ed spotted something he didn't get to eat very often. It was the daily special and if he had figured the elapsed time correctly, they would be serving it. He said, "I'd love some meatloaf."

Martha frowned at Ed as she corrected him, "That was yesterday's special."

Ed realized that he had lost two days and recovered his composure. He said, "Oh, right. I'll have a burger, fries, and chocolate milk shake."

Martha laughed at his choice and how he was so much like John. She said, "The teenager special. Always a good choice."

She called the order to the back and turned to the counter to prepare the milkshake. While she was distracted, Ed lifted the medallion and looked at what was on it. The picture on the first side of the medallion looked like a cock. The writing above the picture said, 'To Find.' While under the picture were the words, 'A Truth.' Flipping the medallion over, he examined the picture of a vagina with writing above the picture. It said, 'A Lie.' The writing below the picture said, 'To Find.'

He mouthed the words to himself, 'To Find A Truth, A Lie To Find.' He thought about it a moment and realized that it could be in the stated in the other order, 'A Lie To Find, To Find A Truth.'

When Martha set the milkshake in front of Ed, he slid the medallion under his shirt, unwilling for some reason to allow anyone else to see it. He took a sip of the milkshake and smiled at the outstanding flavor. He looked up at Martha and asked, "Is this made with homemade ice cream?"

Martha shook her head and answered, "I'm afraid not. There's a small ice cream shop nearby. They make their own ice cream. We buy it from them."

"It's good. If I had known, I would have ordered a banana split instead of a burger and fries."

Martha, with a laugh, teased, "You're just a little boy at heart, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged," answered Ed as he realized that in many ways he was getting the years lost as a teenager back.

"John did a good job of picking a husband."

Ed looked surprised at her knowledge about his pending marriage and her easy acceptance of it. He replied, "Thanks."

Martha noticed his surprise and, in explanation, said, "We're coming to the wedding."

That explained much about her knowledge of the marriage. For a moment, he had forgotten that they were friends of Johns. "Oh. Sorry, John has invited so many people that I don't even know who's coming. He's got people coming in from all over the country."

Martha understood how it was that Ed might not know that they were invited. John made friends easily and he remembered them all. She smiled at him and said, "Well, we were probably just names on a list to you. It's quite understandable."

George brought out the burger and fries. They smelled good and Ed's stomach rumbled in response. Hearing the rumble, George laughed and said, "Can't use praise from you as a measure of quality. You're too hungry. Anything would taste good to you."

Holding the very large burger in both hands, Ed took a bite of it. In response to the delicious taste, he made appreciative noises and gestured with the burger. George smiled and headed into the kitchen. In record time, Ed finished the burger and fries while Martha watched with pleasure. When Ed finished the milkshake, he sat back and said, "I can understand why John likes this place so much, there's great food and great company in nice surroundings."

Martha smiled at the compliment and said, "Thank you. Now you had better get out of here. I'm sure that John's very worried about you."

"Thanks." Ed settled his bill and left the restaurant. Soon he was driving down the road headed towards the next town.

The Sheriff had been surprised when John had called him to ask a favor since John seemed the most self-sufficient man he had ever met. The call had arrived the same day as he had mailed his RSVP to the wedding invitation in which he had accepted that he would attend. He smiled at the news that one of the prospective grooms had run away and was thought to be in the area. After promising to look for Ed's truck, it took him less than half an hour to find it. Calling John back with the news, John had asked him to send Ed on his way home if he saw him.

Sitting in his car near the school, the Sheriff had spotted Ed driving down the road. Wondering what kind of man this Ed Biggers was, he pulled out of the parking lot and turned on his cherries. It didn't take Ed long to pull over and roll down his window. By the time the Sheriff reached the car, he had his identification out to hand to the Sheriff. Smiling, the Sheriff asked, "Ed Biggers?"

"Yes sir," replied Ed curious about what he had done wrong.

The Sheriff looked at Ed for a minute. The look on his face was one that he didn't see very often. Usually when he pulled someone over they knew they were guilty of something. This guy was truly bewildered. Then as a large smile broke across his face, he said, "John says to get your ass home."

Ed stared at the Sheriff in shock. He asked, "Huh?"

The Sheriff looked at Ed and said, "Look, follow me to the store. Go in and do your business. Then get out of here. John's called half the people in this town looking for you."

Ed shook his head as he realized that John had really spread the word about him. He said, "I guess it is nice to have someone worry about you, but this is approaching ridiculous."

The Sheriff replied, "I take it Martha already told you."

"Yes, sir."

Shaking his head at how many people John must have called in the area, the Sheriff said, "Okay, follow me and I'll take you to the store."

The Sheriff turned and headed to his car before Ed could even answer. Heading directly to the store, the Sheriff occasionally looked in his mirror to make sure that Ed was following. He pulled into the parking lot of the Sporting Goods Store and watched as Ed parked his car. He rolled down his window and called out, "Remember, after you are done here, go home. I'd hate to have to arrest you."

The look on Ed's face was priceless. He'd see him in ten days and explain his amusement then. Driving off, he headed to the office to let John know that the had sent him on his way home.

Catherine waited by the counter to meet the next servant of the Gods and Goddesses. It amazed her that the store was always empty when someone came out of the clearing. This was the first time that she actually had an idea who was coming. John had called and said that believed that his future husband had gone to the clearing. It had amused her when he had asked her to send him home.

A man entered the store and looked around. Once he spotted her, he asked, "Are you Catherine?"

Nodding, she looked at Ed carefully for a minute. This was an unusual servant in the sense that he looked like a cowboy. Usually they had hippie looking types, free spirits, and adventurers coming out of the clearing. Ed added, "John Carter told me to come here."

It was necessary to follow the forms despite the fact that she could sense the power emanating off him. She asked, "You've been to the woods?"

"Yes."

"May I see your Medallion?" The first question often prevented the need for the second question. Since he admitted to being in the woods, all that was necessary was for him to demonstrate that he had been to the clearing by showing his medallion.

Ed nodded his willingness to comply with her request and pulled it out from under his shirt. After glancing at it, she then walked off to an area in the back where she stored her most recent creations. This had been the oddest item that she had ever worked on, suggesting a mystical purpose that she didn't quite understand. She came back with a polished mahogany box. Opening it up, she held it out for him to look at and said, "This is a crystal ball."

Ed looked at it. Inside was a crystal ball mounted in a beautiful silver stand. The entire thing was a beautiful work of art. He uttered in an awed voice, "It's beautiful."

Catherine smiled to herself at the compliment. She always was complimented by the servants, but she had never come to accept it as a matter of expectation. She answered, "Thank you. It is yours."

"How much?" asked Ed wondering how he could ever afford such a beautiful looking piece of art.

"No charge, it is how I serve the God."

Ed looked at her with understanding. He didn't know what her ordeal had been, but he couldn't imagine that it was a great deal of fun. He looked at the crystal ball and, "You do the God great honor with the quality of your work."

Catherine smiled as she stated, "Thank you again. Now John called and said you were to get home."

Ed groaned, said his good byes, and took the box with the crystal ball to his truck. After the number of people that had told him to get home, he dreaded the long drive. It was late in the day and would be very late by the time he arrived at home. He hoped that he would be able to sneak into the house without causing a scene. Of course, odds were that John would know when to expect him.

John watched for Ed from the parapet on top of the family house, wondering if Ed was going to chicken out and stay the night in his house. He decided that it would depend on the degree to which Ed had been changed. It was his hope that the changes were simple, but he feared that Ed had approached the Gods and Goddesses in a less than friendly manner. There was no telling how they would make him pay for presumption.

He saw the pickup turn into the street and knew Ed would be home in a few minutes. In the hope of greeting Ed before he had a chance to sneak into the house, John headed to the stairwell. It took him a minute to get down the stairs. Racing to the front door, he opened it just as Ed pulled up. John waited for Ed looking to see what changes had occurred.

Sauntering in a relaxed manner that belied his nervousness, Ed asked, "Were you worried about me?"

John denied it by saying, "Not really."

John's reply had a sour taste that struck Ed with a taste of irritation. He grimaced as he said, "That's not true. You were really worried about me."

John looked at Ed in surprise that his worries had been so evident. He answered, "True. I wondered if you were going to live through it. I was convinced you were going there to challenge them."

The tone of John's words sounded sweet to his ears. At that moment, Ed realized that he could distinguish between lies and truth. He groaned, "I've just become a human lie detector."

Beth and Kelly entered the room. They examined Ed searching for any physical differences such as they had seen when John got his second medallion. Kelly noticed his eyes and said, "You're eyes are gray now."

Even without waiting for Ed to reply, Kelly asked, "Why did you do it?"

Even as Kelly was speaking, Beth asked, "What happened to you there?"

John answered, "He will not tell you what happened. He decided to do it the night they tried to assassinate me."

Ed nodded his head at John's perceptive conclusion. He said, "You're right John. As always."

John said with laugh, "Not as always. I'm wrong quite often."

John's words had the sweetness of truth and it made Ed wonder when he had been wrong. He asked, "So when were you wrong?"

John answered, "Oh, I expected Beth to go there."

Beth flushed and asked, "How did you know I was planning on doing that?"

Ed stared at Beth in wonder as her response was an admission that she had planned to do what he had done. He asked, "Why would you do it?"

Beth answered, "I lost a lover and went crazy. I'm not going to stand by and lose another one. I was planning to go this time, but you guys scheduled the wedding for this week. So I decided I would go this winter."

Shaking his head that his plans had failed, John said, "That's why I argued for the date that I did. I was planning to keep everyone busy. I have to admit that Ed surprised me. He's always covered my back and has done a great job at it."

Ed frowned at the suggestion that he had done a great job. He countered, "Right, one time you get shot and killed. Another time, you have to wrestle with a professional assassin in the middle of the night. Both times, I'm not there."

Beth added, "And I'm a doctor that could do nothing but patch you up."

With a hurt look on her face, Kelly asked, "Were you going to take me along with you?"

Beth sheepishly answered, "I thought about it, but decided not to do it."

"You bitch, don't you think I worry about him too?" Her feelings were hurt that Beth would do that without her.

Beth answered, "I know you worry about him too. I was afraid of what would happen to you there."

Ed emphatically said, "Neither of you will go there. You have no idea what it is like."

Knowing that neither he nor Ed would want to discuss what it was like, John felt a need to change the subject. He said, "Ed, you need some tender loving care tonight. Don't you?"

As far as Ed was concerned, the sex that followed was one of the best sessions that the four of them had together. He knew the reason for that. They had all come together to support him in what they thought might be a difficult transformation. It hadn't been that difficult, but it was so nice to know that they cared.

Ed woke, naked on the floor of the playroom, finding himself alone with Kelly. John and Beth were early risers. If given the chance, Kelly would sleep late, but once she was awake she was alert. Mornings for Ed were a struggle. Even though he could function, it was as though everything was a fog. His mental processes were slow and his coordination almost non-existent. Staring at Kelly for several minutes, an idea was slowly forming. If he left, she would be alone in sleeping on the floor. That wouldn't be very nice.

Shaking Kelly gently to wake her, he yawned with a barely suppressed roar. The yawn was more effective in waking her than his shaking. Kelly rolled over and looked at him cheerfully as she said, "Good morning."

He mumbled, "Morning. Any idea where we get coffee in this place?"

Laughing at the amazing morning Ed, Kelly grabbed his hand and led him out of the playroom. As they walked, she said, "We've been using the second kitchen for breakfast around here. There should be some coffee made already."

Stumbling behind Kelly, the idea that a fresh cup of coffee was just a few steps distant finally registered. He mumbled, "Good."

She poured him a cup of coffee and watched as he drank it. With each sip, he sat up straighter and moved better. After the first refill, he said, "I used to think that I was so slow in the mornings because I was hung over. After not drinking for so long, I know that isn't the reason."

Kelly realized that this was the first time in a long time that Ed had talked about his days drinking and the change that occurred since he quit drinking. It was interesting that his less than alert morning manner was one of the things that hadn't changed. She said, "I guess that just means that you aren't a morning person."



-------

Chapter 2


Ed stood at the entrance greeting everyone who came to the wedding. John stood next to him with Beth and Kelly by their sides. When Ed did not like the feel of one of the guests he would turn to John and, with exaggerated formality, introduce the guest to John. This was the clue to the security guards to watch that individual closely throughout the afternoon. Rover and Shadow sat behind John. If they growled at someone, the individual was discretely taken to a remote area for drinks and food. The idea was that after everyone arrived, those guests would be quietly escorted from the property.

The line of people at the entrance for the wedding had dwindled down to a few people that Ed knew and liked. He leaned over to John and said, "Can you cover me for a few minutes? There is something that I must do."

Smiling at Ed, John whispered, "I've left the line twice to piss and you've been here the entire time. Get out of here. Your bladder must be about to explode."

Not wishing to contradict John's mistaken interpretation of what he had in mind, Ed stepped back and headed towards the house. Shadow came running over to him and followed beside him. Somehow, the cats knew what he had in mind. As always, they knew when one of them was stepping into danger.

Ed entered the house through the front door. Glancing up, he saw Tiger on the stairs looking down at the doorway. Anyone that broke into the house would be surprised by the sudden appearance of the cat from above. The cat didn't react to his entrance, but it did make a chirping sound at Shadow. Ignoring the cats, Ed walked to his room and opened the door. Just inside the room, were ten stacks of folders on the table next to the door. He picked them up and continued walking through the house to the side door. Shadow followed, but kept its distance from the folders.

Ed walked directly to the tent where the individuals that had created a negative reaction in Rover were being entertained. These were men, misguided by a sense of macho, that rejected anything out of the normal as sinful or evil. He knew the men in this tent would be more than happy to beat him to a pulp in the hope of chasing him away.

When he entered the tent, a hush fell over the men gathered there. They all turned to stare at him. The large quantity of alcohol they had consumed allowed their real attitudes to surface without any pretence of politeness. Ed looked around at all of the people. His pale eyes seemed to bore into everyone in the room, making each of the men a little nervous. Without greeting, he said, "You think that I am doing something immoral and disgusting."

More than one man answered, "You bet your ass. Oh, wait. I forgot, your ass is full of cock."

Ed allowed the anger in the room to grow, waiting until it was ready to spill over into violence. Emitting a low growl, Shadow's ears slowly flattened as it bared its teeth. Once he judged the mood in the room to be at the right level, Ed said, "I have come here to teach you about evil. When you leave here, you will understand what it means to be immoral and disgusting. I do not want to do this, but it is in your best interests. Maybe, just maybe, you will also understand love before you leave here."

One of the men shouted, "Fuck you, Ed. You're a goddamned faggot."

Smiling, Ed looked around the room. Without meaning it, his look conveyed the sentiment that he was looking into their souls. It was an aspect of his gift and one of which he wasn't fully aware. It had the result that it intimidated everyone in the room. He asked, "Are you afraid of learning about true evil?"

Richard Green, a man with whom Ed already had several encounters since he quit drinking, belligerently shouted, "Hell no."

With a look that could have frozen water, Ed stared at Richard. The smile on his face suggested that Richard had made a major mistake, Ed said, "You should be. You're going to find that all those petty little things that you consider sick and disgusting are nothing."

There was a long history of antagonism between Richard and Ed. The fact was that Richard was only afraid of one man and that man was Ed. The last fight had been easily won by Ed, so easily that Richard was concerned what would happen if Ed actually got mad at him. Shooting back a shot of whiskey followed by a couple sips of his beer to bolster his courage, Richard answered, "Bring it on."

Handing him a folder, Ed said, "Open it if you dare."

As Richard slowly opened the folder, Ed passed out the remaining folders to the others in the room. There were more people than folders, but the men crowded around the folders to see what they contained. Once the folders were distributed, Ed said, "The first page is a headline from when John and I captured the Amputation Murderer. You will see that our role in that capture is completely described."

A number of people flipped over to the next page. Two men ran from the tent, throwing up outside. Stomachs weak from excessive alcohol and the grotesque pictures made it a sure bet that they would be sick. Those that remained slowly turned white. Ed said, "The second page shows what he did to his victims. That is Kimberly. She was an active, attractive, young woman. Woman? No, she was a girl. At the time of her death she was only fifteen years old. You will notice that she doesn't have any arms or legs and that the stumps indicate that they healed. Unfortunately, she couldn't live after her head was cut off."

He looked around the room noticing that many of the people were swallowing, trying to keep the contents of their stomach where it belonged. The picture clearly showed how her head had been hacked off. Continuing, he said, "You might wonder why that happened to her. Henry Buckman did it because he was sexually attracted to statues without arms, legs, or heads. He wanted to create the perfect female."

"If you turn to the next page, you will see a line of heads preserved in jars that he kept in his basement. Each head came from one of his victims. You will notice the large number of heads. Each one came from some young woman." Ed paused and looked around the room. Another man ran out of the tent to throw up. One of the security guards escorted the first two men back into the tent.

"The next page is a montage that shows many of his victims before he butchered them. They were all pretty young ladies. The page after that shows the two girls that John and I rescued from that fate. They are wonderful young ladies and now have a bright future ahead of them." Ed thought back to that afternoon when they were just two young scared girls afraid of being raped with no idea of what future had been avoided.

Ed waited until the men in the room were looking at him. With eyes that seemed to bore into their souls, he said, "That is one form of evil. It kills people in the most horrific fashion for its own pleasure."

"If you turn the page, you will see another newspaper article about John. He captured another serial killer that was known as the serious bandit. The page after that shows what this guy did to people. This picture came from a bank camera that captured the moment when he blew the brains out of a bank customer because he wanted to show people that he was serious about robbing the bank."

Looking at the men averting their eyes, he shouted, "Look at it. Look at the self-satisfied smile on that bastards face. Look at the horror on the faces of the other bank customers. Look at that blur created by the old woman's brains as they were blown across the room. She could have been your mother cashing her social security check! That woman did nothing wrong!"

Returning to a conversational tone, Ed said, "That is another kind of evil. It kills just to show that it can kill."

The room was silent as the men avoided looking at the picture. Ed waited and then said, "Turn over to the next page gentlemen. You will notice that this is a newspaper article that describes how John broke up a white slavery ring. You will notice that all four of us are mentioned there. John was shot and killed, but was revived on the operating table. I was wounded in the leg."

A number of eyebrows rose at that statement. Ed continued, "The next picture shows some of the victims of that slavery ring. What you see are the graves where their bodies were discovered. The bodies are just becoming visible as the dirt over them was being removed. Those four people were tortured to death by the man that bought them from the slavers."

The bleached white skin poking through the dirt sickened the men looking at the pictures. Stomachs turned as they stared at Ed. Several other men ran from the tent to throw up. All of them were coming to the realization that there were bigger problems in the world than this marriage of the Carter Clan.

Relentless in making his point, Ed continued his lecture in a voice that resonated through the room, demanding their attention. "The next page shows one victim that was saved before his captors could have him killed. You will notice that the boy is suffering from malnutrition, has open sores on his body, and lash marks on his back. His hands and wrists have been rubbed raw from the robes used to tie him to the bed. This nine year old boy was tied to a bed in what is called lock-box prostitution. Basically, clients can come in and do whatever they want to the kid if they have enough money. Clients bid to take various kinds of virginity from the kid. They lined up to fuck the kid over and over. He served as many as a hundred different clients in one day. People paid to whip him until he was rendered unconscious. A client was ready to pay to torture him to death. You might not believe it, but there was a man that was willing to pay to fuck the corpse."

Several more men went out to empty their stomachs outside the tent. Ed waited for them to return. This was his chance to teach a bunch of bigots what true evil looked like so that they would never confuse love with evil again. When the security guards brought all of them back, he continued the presentation of a catalog of true evil. "Turn the page and you will see a twelve year old girl that was one of their victims. The individual that bought this particular girl was particularly sick. He vaginally, orally, and anally raped her repeatedly, even inviting some friends to enjoy her body. She is confined to an institution now, unable to talk or react in anyway to anything around her."

"The next few pages list the names of victims taken by this ring. There are over seven hundred names there. You will notice that more than half of them has deceased penciled in next to their names. A quarter of them is institutionalized or undergoing aggressive therapy. Many of them have committed suicide rather than live with what was done to them." Even now, the thought of what those slavers had done to people angered him. He was fortunate that he had never been left alone with one of them.

The men in the room were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information they had been given. It had made most of them physically ill. However the greatest effect was on their sense of right and wrong. A lot of the things they considered wrong were quickly becoming insignificant and petty.

Eyes boring into each and every man in the tent, Ed said, "The people they kidnapped and enslaved were young boys, girls, teenagers, and adults. Regular people, like yourselves, your wives, or your kids. Someone would put in an order for a woman, eighteen years old, blond hair, c cup breasts, and a nice figure. These creeps would go out and find one. Then they'd kidnap her and sell her to the client. They did that over seven hundred times!"

Ed looked at the ashen faces in front of him, pleased to see that his words were having an effect. Straightening, Ed said, "The four of us, my family, have put our lives on the line to fight that kind of evil. There isn't one of us that wouldn't step in front of bullet meant for you, despite what you may think of us. We are warriors for the good. We live by two rules. If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong."

Holding his hands open and in front of him in a gesture of peace, Ed said, "In fighting such evil, we have found what it means to be good. What we are doing is not evil, disgusting, or obscene. We are four adults who, having faced real evil, have turned to each other for love and comfort."

Looking at the people in front of him, he said, "We know love and we know that it is accessible to all of those who are open to it. I feel sorry for those that aren't."

Nauseous, with the taste of vomit still in his mouth, Richard asked, "What do you think of us?"

Looking down at the floor, Ed said, "I feel sorry for you, because you have closed yourself off to love."

"What do you mean by that?"

Ed said, "Tonight, you will go home to wives that you barely know. You don't even know what your wives dream about when you are out drinking. You don't know how your kids are doing in school unless the report card is so bad that you have to slap them around a little. You don't even know what pleasure and happiness that you have rejected without thought. You'll find some cute thing, half drunk out of her mind, and fuck her. Odds are, that in the morning neither one of you will remember it. Such an empty shallow life that shall end one day. You will pass without having contributed anything to the greater good."

All of the men in the room could hear the truth in what Ed had said. It wasn't a very nice assessment of them. One of the men, Ed couldn't tell which one, asked, "So what would you recommend?"

"Talk to your wives. Talk to your children. Learn what they dream about and help them achieve it. One day they will talk to you and find out what you dream about. They will help you achieve your dreams. It's that simple."

Richard asked, "What if she wants to sleep with some other guy?"

Raising an eyebrow, Ed answered, "Help her. Perhaps his wife wants to sleep with you. You see, right now you don't know what you want, what they want, or what the person next to you wants. You might be surprised to find out that you all want the same things. If it harms none, then do it."

Pointing to the cat, Ed said, "The cats have decided that you represent a threat to the ceremony this afternoon. I'm afraid that we have to ask you to leave once you've had your fill of the food and drink we have provided. I suggest when you leave here, that you think about the things that I've talked about."

Ed headed towards the entrance of the tent, but paused before leaving. Turning back, he said, "One of the security guards will collect the folders and destroy them. My family and I are disturbed by the evil captured within it."

Leaving, Ed returned to the front where his family was getting ready to head back to the house. At the look from John, Ed shrugged his shoulders and said, "I had something important to do and it could not be put off."

John and Ed closed the fence to the property, effectively turning away anyone that had not arrived. As a group, the four of them headed to the house to prepare for the ceremony. The next hour passed in a haze for Ed. Nervous about committing formally to a marriage, his brain recorded the events but couldn't process them at the rate they occurred. He remembered that when he drank from the wine cup it was like a jolt of electricity passed through his body. When Beth took a sip, the earlier jolt seemed like a drop compared to a bucket of water.

The one thing that burned itself into his memory was the sight of the Gods and Goddesses around them. Even though his entry into their service was painful, the sight of them filled him with such devotion that he was nearly rendered to tears.

After the ceremony, they returned to the house. In the house, Kelly turned to the others and, with the joy that comes from achieving a life long dream, said, "That was so intense!"

Beth was glowing as she said, "My goodness, I had dreamed of a normal marriage ceremony with the white dress, the church, the rice, and all that stuff. I'll never regret having this one instead."

"We got to wear white!" Kelly twirled in her robe, reveling as it billowed out.

John laughed and said, "You wore white because you are not yet an initiate. I wore gray because I serve the Gods and the Goddesses. Ed wore black because he serves the Two-sided One. Those that serve the God wear Red while those that serve the Goddess wear Green. Initiates wear blue."

Ed asked, "You aren't the first one to wear gray?"

John answered, "Mary added gray to the colors to handle just this case."

Kelly gushed, "I love all of you so much that I can hardly stand it."

John, filled with happiness, said, "We shared our souls with each other today. That is the true wellspring of love."

Ed laughed as he said, "I feel as though I will never be alone again."

Beth, with tears of joy in her eyes, said, "We are truly one now."

"Now we must change clothes and mingle with our guests. If I may make a suggestion, Ed. You may want to talk with the others who wear the medallion. You are the only servant of the Two-sided One present today. The other is a seer and has avoided me since the first time we met. I believe that he has a prophecy that I am not to hear until the time is right."

After changing clothes and sharing a group hug, Ed went out to mingle with the other guests. One of the security guards approached Ed and said, "I don't know what you said to those guys, but they were all sober by the time they left."

Ed asked, "Were any of them angry?"

"Not a one," replied the guard. He walked along side Ed waiting for him to say something.

After a moment of silence, Ed nodded his head, smiled, and said, "Very good. You can return to your duties."

Without selecting a destination, he found himself heading to the area where the country western band was playing. Ed was shocked at how many people he knew that were gathered together in this area. There were local people that he expected to know, but there were also people from Austin and the university. He had to wonder when he had met all of these people.

Realizing that he was hungry, he took a moment to look around at the catering stations here. The variety of food was almost overwhelming. Since he almost always ate Mexican Food, American fare, and seafood, he decided to try the Chinese food for the first time. If it wasn't any good, he had lots of alternatives.

He watched as the caterer went about the process of cooking food in the wok, surprised that he was cooking each dish individually. Since this was his first time to order Chinese, he had no idea what the various dishes were. When he reached the front, he found the caterer had pictures of the various dishes. Although he had no idea what anything tasted like, at least he wasn't totally lost in selecting a dish.

The cook turned up the gas under a couple of woks and started cooking. Watching in amazement, Ed could hardly believe how quickly the cook created his dish. He watched, interested like a little kid seeing something completely new. It was almost a disappointment when he was handed his food.

Taking the plate of food and grabbing a fork and spoon, he turned to find a place to sit. Most of the people from town were listening to the music and eating. Maria, Carlos, and Rosa were seated at one of the tables. They weren't exactly obvious, but there were clear signs that they were a threesome. Smiling, he headed in their direction.

Ed carried his plate of Sweet and Sour Chicken with fried rice and egg roll over to the table and sat down next to Rosa. Glancing over at his dish with amusement, she said, "Maybe we should add Chinese to our menu since you seem to prefer it over the Mexican fare."

Looking down at her plate, he noticed that she had the Chinese also. Laughing at the observation, Ed replied, "I had to take the Chinese. You guys make the best Mexican food in the state and I'm not going to settle for second best."

Rosa laughed and waited for her sister to come over from the barbecue grill. When Maria arrived, she sat next to Ed and said, "Great wedding. This is quite a party."

"Thanks. John did most of the work setting it up," replied Ed. He felt guilty at having left so much of the work for John to perform.

Maria asked, "Who are all of these people?"

Ed looked around at the huge crowd. Pointing to a group of people at one of the other tables, he said, "Those folks over there are from the geology department. The group next to them is from Austin. I believe they are from the physics department there and used to work with John. The group over there is comprised of some people that John helped in Austin. I don't know much about them except for Marge. She helped me pick out clothes for Betsy's funeral. You know the people from here."

As the others at the table discussed the wedding, Ed ate the Chinese food. The Sweet and Sour Chicken was okay, but he really liked the rice. The egg roll wasn't bad, but after the first bite he tried it with the mustard. He had never experienced Chinese hot mustard. Biting into it, a look of surprise crossed his face as the mustard cleared his sinuses. Maria, Rosa's sister, looked over at Ed and laughed. She teased, "Never experience Chinese hot mustard?"

A very surprised Ed looked at the mustard and answered, "Wow, that really clears out the sinuses. I like it! I bet that would be great on ham sandwiches."

Surprised at how Ed was approaching the meal. Rosa asked, "Is this the first time you've had Chinese?"

"Yes, I think I like it. I definitely like the mustard," answered Ed. He looked over at Rosa and Maria, noticing that they were holding hands across the table.

Maria glanced over at Rosa and the other Maria with concern. It was with more than a little fear that she watched her sister bond with Maria. She feared the path her sister had chosen would end up hurting her again. Noticing the concern on Maria's face, Ed said, "Our marriage is shaking up people, but the changes that I see in town are very positive."

More than a little surprised at what Ed had just said, Maria turned to look at him. She said, "There are some things that people don't ever accommodate."

Smiling at her, Ed replied, "Some people are bigger targets than others. Believe me, no one is looking at anyone except our family. I assure you that I will protect others that make choices that are normally considered different."

For some reason, Maria believed Ed. She looked away and, in a very soft voice, said, "It is all so simple for you."

"Nothing is simple," replied Ed. Smiling at the idea that life was simple for him, he knew better. A cowboy entering into a group marriage had a simple life? He said, "There are just some things that are worth doing regardless of what others may say. Rosa and Maria are both very happy. I've never seen Carlos so happy in his entire life. Do you think that he's going to let anyone hurt Rosa? I don't think so. He's a strong man and can protect them very well."

"Perhaps you are right," replied Maria. She had always known that Rosa was attracted to women and men both, but understanding the forces driving her sister was beyond her. While she had come to accept them, it had surprised her to learn that Maria had similar urges. That revelation had made her wonder how many other people were in the same condition.

Excusing himself, Ed moved on to mingle with others at the reception. There were so many people here that he didn't know what to do. Recalling John's advice, he approached one of the other Druids. He reached the man and said, "Hello, I'm Ed Biggers."

The man looked at Ed for a second and then said, "I'm Al Turner. I serve the Goddess."

"I serve the Two-Sided One," replied Ed. It was clear that Al was not surprised, particularly since he had seen Ed wearing the black robes during the ceremony. The muted reaction of the man did concern Ed since he had expected a friendlier welcome.

"There are not many that serve the Two-Sided One. Of all the Gods and Goddesses, it is the scariest one," remarked Al. Servants of the Two-Sided One always made him uneasy. Harry, a prophet, usually sent everyone running when ever he appeared in public.

Ed looked at the horizon for a moment as he tried to figure out what Al had meant by that. Finally, he said, "I make you nervous."

Licking his lips, Al answered, "Yes, you do. I don't know what your talent is."

"I am a human lie detector," replied Ed. Looking directly at Al, Ed could see that this news disturbed him almost as much as not knowing his talent. Laughing, he said, "It's not that bad. I can't force people to tell the truth."

Al looked ashamed and then said, "Servants of the Goddess tend to deal with life and nature. Servants of the God tend to deal with powerful forces like armies and such. But the servants of the Two- Sided One always seem to know more than others."

Ed considered the implications of the information that he had just been given. Having been around John who served the God and the Goddess, he had not thought about the nature of the gifts given to the servants according to who they served. He also had not thought about how those gifts might affect others. Nodding his head, he answered, "Yes, I can see where that would make others nervous."

Despite the relaxed and friendly attitude of Ed, when he looked at someone it was as if he was seeing right through the person. Talking with Ed made Al nervous. "The servants of the Gods and Goddesses are good people. I'm sure that you wouldn't use what you know against anyone that is undeserving of such attention, but still..."

Nodding that he understood, Ed said, "It is human nature to expect the worst only because that is what you receive so much of the time."

Al looked around at the crowd and said, "Let me introduce you to a couple of Druids that are important."

Leading Ed over to the band playing Rock and Roll where a pair of Druids were moving in time to the music. One of them turned to watch as Ed and Al approached, the interest in the newest Druid clear in his eyes. As he approached, Ed examined the man carefully. The grizzled man looked to be in his late sixties, but generated an aura of strength in a compact high energy package. The woman turned to see what the man was watching. After glancing at Ed, she turned to watch him approach. Ed recognized her as the one that had performed the ceremony.

When they were within conversational distance, Al said, "I believe you've met Mary Darling. I don't know if you are aware that she's the head of the Druids that serve the Goddess. This is Jerry Smith, he's the head to the Druids that serve the God."

Looking from one to the other, Ed said, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Ed Biggers."

With a directness that was refreshing, Jerry said, "I saw earlier that you serve the Two-Sided One. Most Druids feel uncomfortable around you guys. It is a shame that Harry is not here. He's the head of the Druids that serve the Two-Sided One."

Mary opened with a different topic, as she said, "It was fun getting the four of you married to each other. Amazing that you could do that in front of so many people without protests."

Ed wasn't sure which one to respond to first. Finally, he said, "I guess I should track down Harry and report to work."

With amusement dripping from her voice, Mary said, "If you need him or he needs you, you'll be driven to seek him out. Until then, you can basically ignore him."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "So in what way is he over me?"

Laughing, Jerry answered, "Good question. We've asked ourselves that on more than one occasion."

Confused by the answer and the fact that it had a ring of truth to it, Ed asked, "So is anyone over you guys?"

Mary looked at Jerry and then answered, "Of course. John leads the followers of the Gods and Goddesses."

"John who?" asked Ed.

Jerry replied, "John Carter, you're husband."

Al watched the discussion with amusement. It was difficult to believe that Ed was married to the unofficial head of the Druids without even knowing it.

Ed asked, "Does John know that?"

Mary and Jerry looked at each other in surprise. Mary asked, "Did you tell him?

Surprised, Jerry shook his head and answered, "No, did you?"

"No," answered Mary. She burst out laughing at the idea that the de facto head of the Druids might not know that.

Watching with more than a little amusement, Ed shook his head. He asked, "Does that mean that I'm supposed to do what John says?"

While Mary and Jerry were talking to each other about John's possible ignorance about his importance, Al answered, "Not really. He's over those who serve the God and Goddess. You serve the Two-Sided One, so technically you're not under him."

Frowning, Ed asked, "So what kind of this organization is this where you can ignore your boss, the guy in charge doesn't know that he's in charge, and there isn't really a guy in charge of everyone?"

Hearing the question, Jerry smiled and answered, "It is a Druid organization."

"What does that mean?"

Mary answered, "We serve the Gods and Goddesses in our own individual way. When a group effort is needed, we each do our part. Our real bosses are the Gods and Goddesses, the human chain of command is more one of respect. Jerry and I have served for the longest time. John is the only Druid that serves two of the Gods and Goddesses."

The five of them stood there for a moment as Ed thought about what he had been told. Looking from Jerry to Mary, Ed asked, "So what do you guys think of people that serve the Two-Sided One?"

Grinning, Mary said, "Scary."

With a wink suggesting that he was only half serious, Jerry answered, "Spooky."

"I already answered that question," replied Al.

Shortly after that, Ed rejoined the rest of the people at the party. It was a pleasure to see so many people he now considered friends. However, not everyone that came to the party was a friend. Three assassins attempted to break into the party. A bear and Rover lead to the capture of two of the men. Tiger, the Bobcat, killed the third. Shadow had been hit with a tranquilizer dart. John and Ed were left to clean up the blood that had been spilled within the house.

The most difficult part of the day was returning to the party without acting like something bad had happened. He spent the rest of the party enjoying the food, the music, and the people. Even as the first guests left, Ed discreetly returned to the house and went to bed alone, but feeling loved.



-------

Chapter 3


A cloud of dust billowed out behind the truck as it pulled a horse trailer down the dirt road. Ed pulled up and parked next to the other cars. Getting out, he went around to the horse trailer and opened the back. With a little coaxing, he was able to get both horses out of the trailer and tied up to the side of the trailer. With practiced movements, he saddled his work horse and then put a pack on the second horse. The little Bobcat sat on the ground waiting patiently.

Seating himself on his workhorse, he grabbed the rope to the pack horse and, with a simple kick of his heels, rode towards the canyon where his classmates were camping. This was the first day of the geology field trip. This day was to be spent reaching the initial campsite. The trip required crossing terrain that was too rough for trucks. The horses and the cat would have no problem.

The previous day, Ed had told his professor that he would be late and would catch up with them at the campsite. Despite the odd look from his professor and the protest that it was an all day hike, Ed had assured the man that he would be there well before dark. It was only two in the afternoon and he was supposed to be in camp by five. If he remembered correctly, it was only a three hour ride to the campsite.

The last rain in the area had changed the landscape enough that his trip was actually a little faster. The banks of the gullies had collapsed in areas making it easy for the horses to cross. When he hit the broad gully, he knew that the trip was going to be even shorter as it originated near the canyon where his fellow students were camped. The ride would be direct and easy.

As he rode, he watched the ground keeping an eye out for interesting specimens. Places where water ran out of the canyons were littered with fragments of rocks that had been washed out of the canyon during the last rain. It wasn't all that likely he would find a good specimen in a wash like this, but the fragments would let him know what kinds of rocks he could expect further up. If the rain had been recent, he might find some good samples that were easily accessible. If not, he'd find weathered samples that he would have to remove to reach the better samples.

Looking down, he spotted a number of crystals that he initially assumed were quartz. When he noticed that one of the crystals had a bend in it, he realized that it was crystalline gypsum. The quantity that was scattered about suggested that a nice area of gypsum had been recently exposed. He paused and looked at the canyon ahead trying to figure out where the gypsum might have originated.

He continued on, watching the ground and then as the walls of the canyon rose around him, he fixed his gaze on the walls. This area was very rich in minerals, with over sixty different varieties of crystalline minerals. This canyon would probably have at least fifteen different kinds of minerals that he'd be interested in locating. He had only gone a half mile into the canyon before he found he gypsum deposit.

He dismounted from his horse and tied it to a very weak looking bush with half of its roots exposed. The cat sat down to watch. Going to his pack horse, Ed searched through the pack until he found his rock hammer. Slipping the hammer in his belt, he proceeded to climb to the deposit. Once there, he looked at it carefully. The outermost crystals showed the effects of weathering. With very gentle effort, he dug out the upper most level to expose the crystals underneath. These were pristine and very nice. It took him about thirty minutes to extract several very good samples. One he would add to his collection, one would be for his assignment, and one for the lab at the school.

He returned to the horses below and put the samples into small boxes that he had brought for that purpose. Once the samples were secure, he put the rock hammer back in the pack. The cat had wandered twenty feet away and Ed watched the cat moving slowly towards another small bush. With a quick pounce, the cat caught a mouse and swallowed it whole. Shaking his head, Ed resumed his ride to the campsite continuing to watch the walls of the canyon. He found several more sites that looked promising, but held only quartz that was pretty poor quality.

After riding for a bit, Ed spotted an area of lush plant life. He rode the horse over to it and looked around for a minute, trying to spot the water that had to be present. He climbed off his horse and dug in a likely looking spot. About a foot down, the soil became moist. After another foot, the hole slowly filled up with water. He took the opportunity to water the horses so that he wouldn't have to do it when he reached camp. He figured the camp was another fifteen or thirty minute ride from where he was.

It was approaching five thirty and Professor Simms was pacing around the campsite wondering if Ed was going to get there before dark. Although Ed was the best student that he ever had, the man was so busy that at times it drove him crazy. There were many occasions when Ed would call and then disappear. After a few days, he would return to campus tired and often wounded. Professor Simms, wondered what Ed did that was so dangerous.

Professor Simms looked down the canyon and couldn't believe his eyes. A cowboy on horseback leading a packhorse was making its way to the campsite. He watched incredulous as the man approached. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he recognized that it was Ed riding into camp and that the Bobcat was moving along beside the horse. Shaking his head at the sight, he walked towards Ed calling out, "I was beginning to get worried about you."

From atop his horse, Ed took off his cowboy hat and wiped his brow. After placing the hat back on his head, Ed replied, "I told you that I know this area. I would have been here earlier, but I found some nice samples of gypsum. I spent about forty minutes collecting the samples."

"You found some samples already?"

After moving over to a scrubby tree, Ed climbed down from his horse and tied it to the tree. He went to the packhorse and removed one of the boxes containing a sample that he had collected. Opening it, he showed it to his professor and said, "This is one of three samples that I extracted."

Professor Simms took the thumbnail sized sample from Ed and looked at it whistling. Impressed with the quality of the sample, he looked up at Ed and said, "Very nice. That's probably the best sample we'll get out of here on this trip."

As they talked, Ed removed the saddle from the horse. Setting it on the ground, he returned to the pack horse and removed the pack from the back. He grunted as he carried it to the saddle and set it on the ground. From within the pack, he removed two feedbags and filled them with oats. He slipped the feedbags on the horses. Smiling Ed replied, "So am I forgiven for being thirty minutes late?"

Smiling, Professor Simms said, "It all depends on how long it takes you to get settled. We're going to have a group meeting in half an hour and then start dinner."

Professor Simms handed back the sample which Ed put in the pack on the ground. Grabbing the saddlebag and bedroll off the saddle, Ed straightened up and said, "Where should I put my gear?"

His mentor shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Where ever you want."

Ed dropped the bedroll on the ground next to the saddle and set the saddlebag down next to it. Turning to face the professor, he said, "I'm all set up."

"Where's your tent?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed answered, "I don't have one. Maybe you've forgotten, but I've been doing this kind of traveling since I was sixteen. I've got enough supplies here to last two weeks."

Looking at the pack, the professor asked, "So what do you have in there?"

Ed glanced over and replied, "A couple changes of clothes, oats for the horses, some cookware, and food. Totals about a hundred and eighty pounds."

"Jesus!" replied the professor.

Ed dug in the pack and brought out a rather large package. Handing the package to the professor, he said, "There's ten steaks and ten baking potatoes in there for dinner tonight. I figure we are going to be out here for a week and might as well get off to a good start. I'm sure most of the students brought canned or instant food. We can use that to augment what I brought."

Holding the package, the professor said, "I don't know what to say."

Laughing, Ed replied, "I know that my gear looks crude, but I value my comfort a whole lot. I like to sleep comfortable and eat well when I'm on the trail. I don't see any reason for others to be less comfortable than me."

The two men went the thirty feet to where the tents were arranged in a circle around a fire pit. The other students were already gathered there feeling like they were on a great adventure. Ed looked around in amusement at his fellow students. They all had nylon one man tents and sleeping bags. There were a number of propane lanterns sitting around on the ground near the tents. Shaking his head, he knew that the lanterns would run out of fuel the first night and become useless weight after that.

Professor Simms went to the middle of the clearing and addressed the students. He explained a little of the geology of the canyon and what the students were to look for as they searched the walls of the canyon. He explained that they would spend a day here, then move on the third day. They would camp there for a day while searching the area for samples. They would then return traveling half a day and spending the rest of that day examining the area.

After giving the lecture, Professor Simms asked, "Are there any questions?"

Raising his hand, Ed asked, "What about weather?"

"I brought a weather radio along that gives twenty-four and forty- eight hour weather predictions. If they start to predict rain anywhere in the area, we pack up and head out of here."

Nodding at the wisdom of that approach, Ed said, "Good."

One of the students asked, "Why should we leave? We have tents and won't get wet."

Gesturing for Ed to answer, Professor Simms stepped back to hear what Ed would say. Looking at the professor with surprise, Ed answered, "This canyon serves the run-off for over two hundred square miles. The ground will absorb about the first quarter inch of rain and the rest will end up coming through here. Even a light rain can produce an eight-foot tall wall of water moving down this canyon at speeds of twenty miles an hour. You don't even want to imagine what a heavy rain will do. Anyone in this canyon during a rainstorm will be dead."

The student asked, "How do you know this?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "I once had the displeasure of riding out of a canyon like this in front of a wall of water. We lost one man, half the herd, and three horses. That's why I sleep next to my horse and saddle at night."

Holding up the package given him by Ed, the professor announced, "You may be happy to learn that Ed has graciously provided steaks and potatoes for dinner tonight."

As the students applauded and shouted their appreciation, Ed gave a mock bow. The group broke up to build a fire to prepare dinner. Ed returned to his gear and brought back a small grill that was about one foot by two foot in size. It was large enough to cook a couple of steaks and yet small enough to pack. Searching around the camp, he found a couple of large rocks one which to rest the ends of the grill.

He returned to the fire pit in time to see that they had piled the wood into a bonfire. Since the fire hadn't been started, he removed about two thirds of the wood. Another of the students who had been working hard to stack the wood for the fire asked, "Don't we need a big fire to cook the steaks?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No. We need coals. We will cook next to the fire, raking coals under the grill as we need them. The fire will provide light when it gets dark. If you don't light a lantern you'll be able to see just fine by the light of the fire."

The fire was started and Ed went about the business of getting the meal prepared. In terms of cooking outdoors, Ed was as good at that as John. It isn't possible to live most of your life on the range without learning how to cook good enough to survive. As Ed had said earlier, he didn't like to be uncomfortable when outdoors.

The small size of the grill didn't prevent him from cooking all of the steaks at once. After taking everyone's orders, he laid out the steaks putting them on in order of the degree of doneness. The potatoes were wrapped in aluminum foil and cooking in the coals. When the food was nearly done, Ed said, "All of you who brought canned fruit might want to open a can or two to share. Set them over to the side so that people can put some on their plates. Don't open too many because we can't handle leftovers."

One of the students asked, "What about your cat?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "This is the cat's natural habitat. He's been hunting down his own food the whole trip here. He's had about a dozen field mice and will probably take down a rabbit later."

The dinner was uneventful other than the fact that everyone enjoyed their food. The fire served as a focal point of attention as people sat around looking at the flames and talking about their excitement about the field trip. It was a comfortable evening as the students chatted, weary from their hike, satisfied by the food, and happy with their companions. For most of the students, this was the first chance that they had to actually get to know each other outside of the university environment.

Ed sat on the ground tailor fashion with Tiger lying next to him. The initial topic of conversation started with questions about Tiger and how the cat had come to travel with him. That led to a discussion of his family life and the fact that he had a husband and two wives. That topic was sufficient to keep people talking for more than an hour. The sun set and the group was lit by the warm light from the fire. As the stars came out, the conversation changed to the nature of the universe.

For the time being, Ed was able to relax among the students. Sitting there stroking the cat as the night passed, Ed was just another student around the fire. The group broke up early, a result of the combination of exercise and fresh air. Ed returned to the horses and took care of them. Removing the feed bag, he watered them and then hobbled them so that they could graze on the little greenery in the area. Returning to where he had set his saddle, he unrolled his bedroll. Resting his head on the saddle, he lay back staring at the stars overhead. He had to laugh when he thought of the last outdoor trip where he had met the Two-Sided One. This was definitely a more relaxed trip than that one had been.

Ed was about to drop off to sleep when he heard a noise approaching him. It wasn't Tiger since the cat was curled up beside him. It wasn't the horses since they were on the other side of him. Since the cat wasn't reacting, Ed wasn't worried. He sat up and turned around to see what was approaching, but was blinded by a flashlight. Shaking his head as the beam flashed across his face destroying his night vision. Holding a hand in front of his eyes, he said, "Turn off the light."

A woman's voice came back, "I need it to see where I'm going."

Unable to see her because of the light in his eyes, he recognized her by her voice. It was Terry, a slightly overweight woman that was fairly bright, but suffered from a horrible self-image. She was normally very shy and it was very out of character for her to search him out in the dark.

Frowning, Ed turned away so that he wouldn't be looking into the light. It was useless to argue with her. She couldn't see in the dark because she had the flashlight on and had destroyed her night vision. If she turned off the light now, she'd have to wait ten minutes for her night vision to return enough to be able to see in the dark.

She reached his bedroll. Sitting up to make room for her on it, he patted the end and waited for her to sit down next to him. She asked, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

It was really too late to object, so he answered, "Sure. What's on your mind?"

Waiting for her to answer, the silence stretched on as she searched for the words to use. Ed used the time to turn off the flashlight, hoping that his night vision would return in a few minutes. The sudden darkness seemed to help her gain her courage as she suddenly said, "You have two wives."

Nodding in the darkness, Ed added, "And a husband."

With a nervous tremor in her voice, she said, "You must be a good lover to satisfy two women."

Surprised by the topic of conversation, Ed replied, "I don't think that necessarily follows."

"Oh." There was a long moment of silence. It was a shame that his eyes hadn't become used to the dark because he really wanted to see the expression on her face. Finally, Terry said, "I was hoping that you could help me."

Confused, Ed asked, "What do you need?"

"I want to lose my virginity." It had been very difficult for her to say that.

Answering automatically, Ed said, "That shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Although unable to see the frown on her face, Ed felt its presence. She explained, "I don't think you understand. I want to lose it to good lover."

Shaking his head to signify his disagreement, he said, "You want to lose it to someone that you love and who loves you."

A little upset, she said, "Now you sound like my mother. She's telling me all of the time to wait until I love someone. Well, I'm fat and I'm not going to find someone who will love me."

Sufficient time had passed for Ed to regain his night vision. He leaned back and said, "I have a friend. Her name is Sherry. In addition to the fact that Terry rhymes with Sherry, you remind me of her in many ways. She's married to one of the most successful lawyers in the state. He's also the most handsome man I've ever met. You know the kind that I mean, perfect height, perfect build, white teeth that are straight, and appropriately graying hair. He's smart as a whip. He's even argued cases in front of the Supreme Court."

Confused, Terry looked at Ed and asked, "So what has he to do with what were talking about?"

"Him? Nothing," replied Ed. Able to make out the confused look on her face, he added, "No, it is his wife that is important."

"His wife?"

Smiling, Ed sat back and looked up at the sky for a second. He said, "She's a couple of inches taller than you and probably weighs seventy-five pounds more than you. She's lost a little weight since she got married. At one time, she probably outweighed you by a hundred pounds."

"So a good looking guy married her. He's probably one of those men that like fat women. That's not what I'm looking for." Terry was rather upset.

"No, he has no special attraction to fat women. She stole him from a Beauty Queen. You know the type, fake breasts, perfect hair, no body fat, and perfect makeup," replied Ed. Laughing at his memory of how Sherry told the story, Ed continued, "Yes, she stole him from a Beauty Queen that had Jim wrapped around her little finger. After five minutes of conversation, Sherry had him begging to date her."

Even in the darkened conditions it was easy to see the incredulous look on her face. She said, "What did she say to him?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "She asked him when he was going to start dating real women."

Snorting in disgust at the idea that Ed was making fun of her in some way, Terry said, "He was with a Beauty Queen. What more could he want?"

Ed replied, "He could want a real woman and he didn't have that from the Beauty Queen. The Beauty Queen had fake tits and a personality that could freeze water. She was totally self-involved with her looks, her wants, and her life. She didn't really like sex, but used it just enough to keep him interested. For her, Jim looked good escorting her around and he was wealthy enough to treat her to a good life style."

"That's cold," replied Terry as she thought about how the guy must have felt with that kind of woman.

"Sure was," replied Ed. Of course, Ed would have been one of the idiots standing around envying Jim for having found a Beauty Queen. It wasn't until he had known love, that he actually understood the treasure that Jim had found in Sherry. He said, "Yes, so when Sherry asked him why he wasn't dating a real woman, he asked the same question as you did. Sherry told him that a real woman would love him, help him, and work with him to make all of his dreams come true. If he dreamed of having sex with two woman, a real woman have sex with another woman to make that dream come true."

Laughing derisively, Terry said, "Yeah, I bet that got him interested."

"A little, but she said even more that interested him. She told him that a real woman would wake him up in the morning with a blowjob. She said, if her lover wanted to have anal sex with her, that she'd say okay and do it. She laid it all out for him. A real woman would do anything for her lover that he asked." Ed waited for the predictable reaction.

Outraged that a woman would make such statements, Terry said, "Of course he said okay."

Laughing, Ed replied, "Yes, he did. He asked her out right then. Do you know what she said?"

"It sounds like she was desperate, so I bet she said yes."

Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, "She said he wasn't man enough for her."

"What?" asked Terry, expressing her surprise at the answer.

"That's exactly how Jim reacted. He wanted to know why she said that. Would you like to speculate why?" asked Ed.

Terry shook her head. This story had her totally captivated. This woman had said that she would do anything her lover asked, including acts that Terry considered totally degrading. Then when a handsome man asked her to go out with him, she had turned him down.

Watching Terry closely, he let her think for a few minutes. He said, "She said that he wouldn't do everything that his lover asked of him."

"He wouldn't?"

"Well, initially he said that he would, but she nailed him to the wall with that."

Intrigued, Terry asked, "How did she do that?"

"She asked him if he would suck a cock if she asked him to do it."

Terry laughed at that as she imagined how the average guy would to react. She said, "Of course, I bet he said no."

"He didn't answer for a long time. Then he made a realization that changed his life."

"What?"

Ed said, "That if he truly loved a woman, he would do what she asked. He understood at that moment all of his past relationships were shallow."

Terry thought about that for a moment as she considered what that meant. Confused, she asked, "What does that mean?"

Ed answered, "It means that if you love someone, you will do whatever you can to help them become the best and happiest person that they can be. Not only that, you will gain great pleasure out of doing it. If someone loves you, they will do the same for you. You shouldn't settle for less than that."

"How about you?"

Stroking the cat for a moment, he looked over at Terry and asked, "How do you think that I ended up with two wives and a husband?"

Terry was quiet for a long time as she considered everything Ed had told her. Probably the most surprising thing was that a fat woman could actually get a handsome man away from a Beauty Queen. It also brought to mind her fantasies about a loving relationship. She had always imagined the man doing all kinds of romantic things for her, but she hadn't thought about her doing things for him. Could she do things like Ed had described for the man she loved? She really didn't know and that bothered her.

Ed asked, "Are you a real woman?"

"I don't know."

Laying a hand on her shoulder, Ed said, "Think about it. When you've decided, let me know and I will help you then."

It was several days later as Ed was cooking pancakes that Terry sidled up the Ed and whispered, "I can be a real woman."

With a wink, Ed said, "Maybe it is time that I take Dale with me when I go searching for rock samples."

Terry blushed and nodded while wondering how Ed knew that she had a slight crush on Dale. Embarrassed, she said, "Dale is nice."

Ed called out, "Hey, Dale. How about you come with me today?"

Looking over at Ed, Dale broke out in a big smile. This trip had not gone very well for him as he had only found a single sample and it wasn't even a very good one. Every night they had compared samples found over the course of the day and each night it was agreed that Ed had found the best. He answered, "Sure thing, Ed. I'd love to go with you."

Ed asked, "Do you know how to ride a horse?"

Licking his lips, Dale answered, "A little. I occasionally went on horseback rides as a kid."

Flipping over his pancakes, Ed replied, "I'll saddle up the pack horse for you, then. It is pretty gentle and will go where I tell it."

Pancakes finished, Ed slid them onto his plate and settled down to eat. Of all the students, Ed ate the best through the entire trip. It was with an amused smile that he watched the others eating cereals with powdered milk. The grimaces around the campfire suggested that the powdered milk make with warm water did not taste that good.

After finishing his meal, he washed his dishes, wiped out the cast iron skillet, and put everything back in the pack. Going over to the horses, he saddled the pack horse for Dale. He would ride bareback on his work horse. The thought made him grin when he remembered the last time he had ridden bareback with Kelly in the desert one late night.

The men mounted up and headed out. Tiger trotted along side the horses, looking happy at moving for a bit. They hadn't gone very far when Ed turned to Dale and said, "You're looking in the wrong places."

Puzzled Dale asked, "What do you mean? I'm looking at the walls of the canyon for deposits."

Ed asked, "So what kind of deposits are you looking for?"

"Anything."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "Look down at the ground and tell me what you see."

Dale looked down at the ground and said, "Well, I see a lot of pieces of rocks."

"Right. You are seeing debris that has washed off the walls of the canyon during the last rain fall. Now look at the debris as we ride along and tell me when you spot a mineral that is of interest."

They rode along for a while, when Dale said, "Hey, I see some quartz here on the ground."

Smiling, Ed said, "Okay. Let's get down off the horses and look at the quartz."

The two men dismounted and picked up some small quartz crystals. Dale said, "None of this stuff is worth collecting."

"That's right. The stuff worth collecting is located where this stuff came from. For now, we need to look at the matrix so that we know what kind of rock these crystals came from. When we walk up the canyon, we'll look for the point where there isn't anymore quartz on the ground. The site should be there."

Staring at Ed, Dale said, "That's amazing. How come they didn't tell us that in class?"

Smiling at the younger man, Ed answered, "They told us how to recognize the site when we find it. The real trick is finding the site and that is the purpose of this field trip."

The two men walked along leading their horses looking at the ground. Finally they reached a point where the crystals were no longer present. This was the same site that Ed had noticed coming into the canyon on the first day. Ed said, "Find the site. You know what to look for now."

Dale walked around the area looking up at the canyon walls. A smile crossed Ed's face when Dale finally spotted the location where the crystals had come from. Dale walked up to the site and looked at it carefully. Turning to Ed, he said, "All this stuff is fractured."

Walking over to where Dale was standing, Ed said, "That is weathered. The rock underneath is undisturbed. Now very carefully, remove some of the rocks around the site using your hammer. Be careful that you just don't smash it."

Watching Dale at work, Ed relaxed against the canyon wall. Dale worked slowly. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "There's some perfect samples in here."

Smiling at Dale, Ed said, "Take a couple of samples. One to turn in and one to keep for yourself."

Dale took two samples and said, "Your turn."

Ed went over and worked clearing out some more debris around the site. He reached in and broke out a crystal sample. It was a nice simple clean sample, with no fractures or visible faults. He took a second sample and turning to Dale said, "Now, those samples ought to be worth an A."

Dale asked, "Should we take more?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "If another student discovers this site, there will be some samples left for them to take."

After putting the crystals into sample boxes, the two men mounted up and looked for additional kinds of minerals along the floor of the canyon. They found another site with another type of mineral. This was a very rare type of mineral and although the samples weren't the best, they were good enough to get an A for the course.

Ed and Dale took a break, eating a little snack that Ed had in his saddlebag. Ed asked, "So do you have a girlfriend?"

Rather than admitting that it had been a year since his last date, Dale replied, "I'm in between women at the moment."

Looking at Dale with a look that suggested surprise, Ed asked, "How can that be? You're a reasonable looking guy?"

He didn't want to say what he thought about the girls his age, but the direct question required it. He answered, "The girls my age want to go to parties, expensive dates, and want presents. They tease you like hell trying to get stuff from you, but they don't put out. They are searching for guys that will be sugar daddies. I find most of them rather disgusting."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "Sounds like you need a real woman."

"They are real women," replied Dale. He wanted a woman that would put him first on occasion and wasn't interested in him for his money. The problem was, he was poor and didn't have money. As a result, the women weren't interested in him at all.

"No they aren't. A real woman isn't concerned about the appearance of her lover or the size of his wallet. She is interested in the man inside. She knows the secret to love."

Dale asked, "What's that?"

Ed smiled and replied, "She knows that love is working to help her lover become the best man that he can be and doing those things that will truly make him happy."

"Do what kinds of things?"

"Depends on what he wants. Would you like a woman that would bring another woman into bed with you? Want to watch two woman getting it on for your pleasure? How about a blowjob first thing in the morning? If it will make you happy, then a real woman will do it."

"Do you know any women like that?" asked Dale. That the idea of a woman doing all of those things appealed to Dale was very clear by the look on his face.

"Yes I do. The question is if you are a real man that deserves a real woman."

Indignant, Dale replied, "Of course I am."

Laughing at the indignation, Ed said, "A real man isn't concerned about the appearance of his lover, but is interested in the woman inside. He knows the secret to love. So would you do whatever she wants?"

"Sure," replied Dale confidant in his answer.

"So if she asked you to suck a cock, you would?" asked Ed looking directly at Dale.

Dale was silent for a long time as he realized that he had answered glibly and without thought. Reinforcing the point he had made, Ed added, "You see, love is a two way street. If you love a real woman, you have to work to make her the best person that she can be and do the things that will truly make her happy."

Finally, Dale answered, "I don't know if I could do that stuff."

Smiling Ed said, "Think about it and let me know. I happen to know a real woman that might be interested in meeting you. I won't introduce you until I am sure that you will be man enough to accept working to satisfy her needs."



-------

Chapter 4


Ed walked into the bar of the hotel. This was a working class hotel and had a bar that was appropriate for such an establishment. It reminded Ed of Shirley's back home. After looking at some of the characters seated at tables around the bar, he took a seat at the counter. The woman behind the counter looked at him with disinterest. After taking in his cowboy outfit, she asked, "Shot and a beer?"

"Coke," answered Ed.

Raising an eyebrow, she poured a coke and set it on the bar in front of Ed. In the two years she had been working here, this was the first time anyone had just ordered a coke. She asked, "You don't drink?"

"That's right. I learned that I was a mean bastard when I drank. Decided that I would rather be sober and a nice guy." Ed looked around the room and wondered how long it would be before someone would try to buy him a drink.

Noticing how he looked around the room, she said, "You might want to go over to the restaurant to get your cokes. These guys will eat you alive."

Laughing, Ed answered, "I'm not worried. The cat will take care of anyone that tries to eat me."

The barmaid looked over the counter and saw the Bobcat for the first time. Looking up at Ed with wide eyes, she said, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes, Tiger is a wild Bobcat. He followed me here," said Ed. Of course, he didn't mention that the cat was one of three that had been following him around ever since the time John had been attacked at the house. He had no idea how the cats decided which cat was to go with whom, but he was pleased that it was Tiger this trip. He had gotten rather fond of the cat.

"Followed you?" She was fascinated by the cat sitting next to Ed.

"Yes," replied Ed after taking a sip of the coke.

A man came over to where Ed was seated and asked, "What's that you're drinkin?"

"A coke. It is a carbonated beverage made by the Coca-Cola bottling company and is distributed around the country," replied Ed. Since he had expected this to happen, he was a little better prepared than the last time. Hopefully this time he wouldn't have to hurt the guy.

The man said, "Let me buy you a man's drink."

Ed said, "I think not. I'm afraid to drink."

"Afraid to drink?" asked the man. He was about to turn around and make a joke at Ed's expense. The fun was about to begin.

Before the man had a chance to say a word, Ed said, "You see. I don't think my cat is particularly fond of drunks."

Sensing an opportunity for even more fun, the man looked at Ed and sneered, "You're a regular little cat lover?"

Tiger jumped up on the bar and faced the man. Its ears were folded back and it showed its fangs. Shaking his head, Ed said, "I think you insulted my cat. You might want to apologize before it rips your throat out. I've seen it do that once before and it was very messy."

Staring at the cat, the man backed off a bit. He glanced at Ed, noticing the intense look on his face. It felt like Ed was looking through him, examining each and every secret. When his eyes flicked to the cat, he saw that it was shaking its rear end like it was about to pounce. Ed said, "His name is Tiger. I'd apologize very quickly if I were you."

"I'm sorry, Tiger. I didn't mean anything bad," said the man as he backed further away from the bar.

The cat slowly relaxed, but kept its eyes on the man. With the negligent attitude that only a cat can achieve, the cat licked a paw as the claws on it extended. Reaching over, Ed petted the cat and looked over at the man. He said, "It looks like he accepted your apology. Now, I believe you were saying something to me."

Sweating, the man answered, "It was nothing. Drinking a coke is perfectly fine."

Smiling in a friendly fashion, Ed said, "Would you like to pull up a chair and join me in a coke?"

The man slowly shook his head and answered, "I'll just go back and join my friends."

"Okay," replied Ed as he watched the man return to his friends across the bar. Turning to look at the barmaid, he said, "That went pretty well. The last time that happened, I almost broke a guy's nose before he backed off."

Tiger jumped off the bar and returned to the spot near Ed's feet. As if nothing had happened, the cat curled up and rested. The barmaid looked over the counter at the bar. Surprised at the behavior of the cat, she said, "Wow, that was amazing."

Looking at her, Ed asked, "Is this your place?"

"Nah, it belongs to the owner of the hotel. I just work here," replied the woman. She looked around the bar with disinterest. She wanted to leave because the pay was very low, but in a small town like this there weren't many jobs she could take.

Shaking his head at what that implied, Ed said, "I bet the tips here are pretty bad."

"Tell me about it. These guys don't know how to tip worth a damn," she replied as she shot a look across the room. The tips in most of the places around town were usually pretty bad. She added, "Most of them think that a quarter is a good tip."

In a voice loud enough to carry through the room, Ed said, "You know. A quarter is an insulting tip. Any one that leaves a quarter as a tip must not know that a minimum tip should be a dollar or fifteen percent, which ever is greater. If the service is good, it should be twenty percent. After a quarter tip, I'd quit serving the bastard."

Winking at the barmaid, he returned to a normal speaking voice as he said, "That should help a little. How much do I owe you?"

Laughing at the nerve of this guy, she said, "A coke is a dollar, but this one is on the house."

"Here's two dollars. I'm on an expense account," replied Ed. He pulled out two dollars and left it on the bar. As he started to leave the bar, he paused and said, "As I'm leaving, say in an excited voice that I just left you a dollar tip on a dollar tab. Remind them what it means to get a good tip."

She smiled at him as he left the bar. As he left the bar, he could hear her make a statement about his tip. After the run in earlier, he imagined that she would be getting good tips all evening.

Padding along side Ed, Tiger ignored the commotion that his presence created among other people in the hotel lobby. It was about dinner time and Ed headed over to the restaurant to eat. He had hoped to eat in a booth, but this particular place didn't have any booths. Following the waitress, he was led to a table near the corner.

The table gave him a good view of the entire restaurant. With the cat under the table, it didn't create too much of a stir. He looked around the room taking in the variety of people seated at the tables. There were a couple of elderly couples, some that looked like they still loved each other and others that looked like they barely tolerated each other.

Glancing over the menu, Ed considered trying the trout, but changed his mind and went with an elk steak. In a way, it made sense that a small town in Montana would have game on the menu. Waiting for the waitress to arrive at the table, he looked over at the man seated at the table next to his. The man was large, built like a bear with a short very bushy beard. He didn't give the appearance of an obese man, but of a very large framed man. His large fingers punched buttons on a calculator as he went over figures on the page in front of him.

After a long delay, the waitress finally came over to the table and asked, "So what will you have?"

Smiling at the waitress, Ed replied, "I'll have the Elk steak medium well, thousand island dressing on the salad, brussel sprouts, baked potato with butter no sour cream, and an iced tea."

Surprised at the completeness of the order, the waitress quickly wrote down the whole order. She asked, "Anything else?"

Tiger nudged his foot, reminding him that there were two at the table. Embarrassed at having forgotten about the cat, Ed said, "I'll have two elk steaks raw on a plate with no sides."

Shocked, the waitress stared at Ed wondering what could motivate someone to make such an order. For a moment, she wondered if he was a food inspector. Observing the look on her face, he said, "My cat is under the table and the meat is for him."

Almost tripping over herself backing up when she spotted the cat, the waitress stared at the animal. Terrified of the animal, the waitress could hardly control herself. Stuttering, she said, "That's a Bobcat!"

"Yes, Tiger is a Bobcat," replied Ed. He looked under the table at the cat and would have sworn the cat winked at him. It rolled over onto its back and wiggled as though scratching its back on the floor.

Still staring at the cat, the waitress smiled and said, "Isn't that cute?"

Having a lot of experience with the cats, Ed wasn't surprised that it knew how to turn on the charm. He said, "You can pet it, if you would like."

Even as he said the words, the cat rolled over and slowly came out from under the table. The waitress knelt down to pet the cat. Her fear of the cat was quickly dispelled by the cat's apparent begging for attention. Looking up at Ed with a smile on her face, she said, "He's just adorable."

Smiling to himself, he wondered how she would have reacted to Rover. If any cat could beg attention or make social comment, then it was Rover. He had observed in the past, that in a crowd of people a cat will select the one person that doesn't really like cats to torment the entire time with attention. These big cats weren't any different. The person that wanted to pretend like the cat wasn't there was liable to find a hundred and sixty pound cougar lying across their feet. Ed smiled, "Yes, he can be quite adorable."

After a lot more attention to the cat than to Ed, the waitress finally left the table to submit the order. The cat returned to its position under the table. Ed settled back to watch people, a past time that he had only recently adopted. An oath from the table next to him caused him to look at the man at the table. The man threw himself back in his chair, threw a pencil at the table, and, in an angry tone of voice, said, "I just can't find it."

Looking at the papers on the table, it felt like a hot knife had been thrust into his brain. For the first time, he discovered that his truth sense was sensitive to the written word. He couldn't even read what was on the papers, but it was clearly false. This was something that he had to respond against or he would suffer from a headache for the rest of the night. He cleared his throat and said, "I can help you."

The man looked at Ed and said, "I'm sorry, but these are private files."

Shuddering at the rejection, Ed stood up and went to the table. Picking up the pencil from where it had landed, he grabbed the least offensive page and put an X next to the row that screamed out that the entry was a lie. As he set the page aside, he said, "That's the only entry that is a lie on that page."

He picked up another page and without even looking at what was on it started making X marks at several points. He dropped the page in front of the man and said, "Those entries are lies."

The large man stared at the entries that Ed had marked as lies. Those were exactly the entries that he had suspected, but had been unable to prove were wrong. Ed picked up another stack of papers and started marking entries. The man stared at the Ed and the speed with which he was marking the entries. His mouth dropped open, when Ed picked up the third stack of papers and pulled out ten forms. He put an X at the top of the form and, as he set them in front of the large man, he said, "These forms are totally fraudulent."

The man looked at the ten tax fillings of employees that worked at the company in surprise. He looked up and asked, "What do you mean they are totally fraudulent?"

Ed looked at the form more closely and realized what they were. He answered, "The people don't exist."

A smile broke over the face of the large man as he looked at the forms in front of him. After mentally adding up the wages declared on the falsified forms, he realized that the amount of money was significant and this guy was cheating big time. The tips that his office had received were correct. He looked up at the cowboy standing in front of him, realizing this guy had just given him his case if what he had marked was accurate. Extending a hand, he said, "My name is Stan Bentley."

Taking his hand, Ed replied, "Nice to meet you Stan. I'm Ed Biggers."

Stan said, "It's going to take me a little time to put this all together, but you've really helped out here."

Rubbing his temples as the headache slowly abated, Ed replied, "Glad to be of service. To tell the truth, I found the lies on those papers so offensive, that I had to act."

The delivery of his food to his table interrupted the discussion. Slipping the plate with the two raw steaks under the table for Tiger, Ed then settled back in his chair and started eating. The Elk steak had a slightly different flavor from venison and from beef. He would be hard pressed to describe the flavor to someone else.

The lack of Broccoli and thick French Fries was a special treat. He wondered how long it had been since he was able to select the side vegetables at a restaurant and couldn't remember. Checking under the table, he saw that Tiger was ripping into the Elk steaks with great delight.

When he finished his meal, Ed looked over at Stan. The large man was sitting back with a huge smile on his face. The items that Ed had checked formed a clear pattern of tax fraud. By having ten dummy employees in his company, each of whom earned very little money and hence paid very little taxes, he was able to double his income with almost no taxes paid on it. He was also able to write off the money paid to them by the company. This lowered the taxes paid by the company as well.

Stan noticed the attention and said, "You cracked this case wide open. I'll be able to track back and see how long he has been doing this. He's probably escaped paying taxes on a million dollars."

Nodding, Ed said, "I assume you work for the IRS."

"You assume correctly," replied Stan. He was waiting for Ed to back off like most folks when they discovered that he was an IRS agent.

Instead of reacting negatively, Ed thought about it quietly for a minute and said, "My family is having some problems with organized crime. My husband is an FBI agent and is working with the FBI to help close down several crime families. The IRS is working with him on this case, but I'd like to contribute a little more directly."

There were so many things in Ed's statement that rocked Stan, that it was hard to know where to begin asking questions. Stan asked, "You're family is having problems with organized crime?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes. After John help shut down the white slavery ring, some of the former customers appear to have contracted with several organized crime families to have him assassinated."

Once again, the amount of information given him was almost too much to process. Suspecting that he knew who John was, he sought clarification by asking, "John Who?"

"John Carter," replied Ed. He added, "You might have heard of him."

"Oh, yes. He invented the fusion battery, right?"

"Yes, he did that too. Ever since then, we've had to go to the IRS to have our taxes calculated. After years of filling out the 1040-EZ, I now have to file quarterly," replied Ed. He added, "I don't mind paying the taxes, but I hate all of those forms."

Sitting back, Stan realized that he was talking to a celebrity of a sort. John Carter was well known in government agencies. Now that he thought about it, this guy Ed had been a part of a number of those stories. After seeing how Ed had gone through the papers like a dervish, he could understand how they had gained the reputation. He said, "I seem to recall that you've been involved in a couple of episodes with the FBI."

Nodding without enthusiasm, Ed answered, "Yes, but my role was very minor. However, I'd like to take a bigger role in taking down organized crime members."

Sitting back, Stan realized that Ed could be a real asset to the Treasury Department. In five minutes, he had identified how this guy had been embezzling money from his company and cheating on his taxes. He was thinking about how many of the major organized crime figures were taken out for taxes rather than major crimes. Stan said, "Are you asking what I think you're asking?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes, but it would have to be on the same terms that John has with the FBI."

"What terms are those?"

Leaning forward with his piercing eyes locked on Stan, Ed replied, "I pick the cases, contribute how I can, and then leave when I feel my role is over."

The intensity of Ed's gaze froze Stan in his seat. It took Stan a moment to collect himself, but he finally said, "You'll need to prove yourself before I will make the recommendation."

That seemed fair to Ed although he wasn't sure how he could prove himself. He could feel the hand of the Two-Sided one pushing him forward. Unable to resist, he replied, "No problem. I have to collect some samples here from a couple of the mines and then my work here is done. I can spare a day to help you out."

A couple of days later, Tiger followed Ed as Ed followed Stan into the Billings Office of the IRS. As they walked down the isle between desks, Ed would occasionally stop and pull out a file from an inbox. Stan watched him with concern as other agents started to protest. Ed was having difficulty even holding the files, his truth sense started to give him a head ache. Suddenly, it was Ed leading Stan followed by Tiger through the office. A number of other agents followed after with the purpose of protesting this random grabbing of files, but kept their distance after glimpsing the Bobcat.

On reaching a conference room, Ed entered and sat down at the first chair he encountered. The stress that he was feeling showed in his posture and face. A palpable tension filled the room as he paused. He held up a hand and said, "I need something to write with."

Stan put a pen in Ed's hand. Without comment, Ed bent over and opened the first folder. He raced through the pages of forms, marking lines with an X when his truth sense screamed lie. It took him two minutes to go through the entire folder. Handing the folder to one of the other agents, he said, "Each line with an X is a lie."

He went through the each of the folders with the same speed. In less than fifteen minutes he had marked each page and handed the folders to an IRS agent. Once he was done, he sat there rubbing his temples as the headache created by looking at the lies on the page started to abate. Now that the lies were exposed, the discomfort the files caused disappeared. Taking a deep breath, Ed sat back and said, "Well, that's it. If you look through those files, you'll see that these are people that intentionally tried to cheat. Most of the other files on the desks may have errors, but they are honest errors rather than attempts to defraud the government. If you'll take my advice, you'll be gentle with the folks out there."

Stan opened the file that was in his hand. This file belonged to a very wealthy individual and if he were hiding money, then it was going to be a large amount of money. Other agents were staring at the files Ed had marked. To the untrained eye, what Ed had marked was meaningless. To these individuals, what Ed had done was pinpoint where the fraud had occurred and exactly how they had done it. In less than half an hour, Ed had cleared out more than a three months of work.

Nodding, Stan said, "If you will excuse me, I'll go and talk to the people that can make the arrangements for you to join our team. I'm sure that your conditions will be met."

Watching Stan leave the conference room, Ed turned to the other agents and said, "Sorry about the unorthodox way in which I grabbed your work, it's just that I was driven to it. By the way, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ed Biggers."

One of the agents looked up from his file and said, "No problem. You just saved me a bunch of work. I've been putting this off because I knew it was going to take me a lot of time to work through it."

The rest of the agents cleared the conference room, noses buried in the files that Ed had handed to them. Alone for the moment, Ed thought about what this would mean. It could give him access to the financial records of organized crime figures. He was curious what John would say about it and then realized that the Two-Sided One had promised him a gift that would help protect John. He looked up at the sky and said, "You're a sly one."

It was almost an hour before Stan returned to the room. He looked over at Ed and said, "You have some friends in very high places."

Surprised, Ed asked, "Who?"

"Several Deputy Directors of the FBI, the Director of the FBI, a couple of Senators, and, some folks I don't even know who they are. Anyway, it only took fifteen minutes for the request to reach its way to the top of the IRS. You're now a Special Agent of the IRS under the terms you had stated. You'll answer to Deana Ahlberg. She's the Chief for the Criminal Investigation section of the IRS."

"Diana Ahlberg?" asked Ed not quite sure that he understood the name correctly.

"No, it's Deana Ahlberg."

"Okay, I'll remember that," replied Ed.

Stan said, "You'll need to stay here. She wants to talk to you, so she's going to call at the top of the hour."

The two men sat around the conference table talking about how being an IRS agent tended to chase other people away. This was nothing new for Ed since his gift from the Two-Sided One tended to make people nervous. The lack of response about the negatives of the job raised Stan's curiosity. He asked, "So what is really driving you to do this?"

Looking directly at Stan, Ed answered, "I am a Druid. This is part of my service to the Two-Sided One."

"Who's this Two-Sided One?" asked Stan wondering if he was in the presence of a religious nut.

"He's one of the Gods and Goddesses," replied Ed. He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, actually he is both a God and a Goddess. That is why he's called the Two-Sided One."

This particular subject was making Stan wonder what kind of guy with whom he was dealing. The telephone rang and Stan answered using the speaker phone functionality. He answered, "IRS, Stan Bentley speaking."

From the other end, a woman's voice replied, "This is Chief Deana Ahlberg. Stan, will do you something for me?"

Surprised at the request, Stan replied, "Yes, ma'am."

Deana ordered, "Ed, show the symbol of your service to Stan."

Reluctantly, Ed reached under his shirt and pulled out the Medallion. While Stan stared at the Medallion in confusion, Ed returned it to its normal place under his shirt. Deana asked, "Describe what he showed you."

Stan said, "It was a gold medallion on a chain."

After a moment of silence, in a voice that conveyed awe, she said, "So it is true. He is a Druid."

That statement shocked Stan more than anything he had heard. He had been wondering about Ed being a Druid in terms of being a religious fanatic. Hearing the head of the investigative branch of the IRS speak of it in awe, made him reassess his opinion.

Ed replied, "Yes, I am a Druid. I take it you've heard of us."

"I just got off the phone after a nice long conversation with the director of the FBI. Mike Holden didn't know that you had become a Druid, but he said that if you had the Medallion, I should give you a free hand," said Deana.

Hearing a sour tone in her voice, Ed said, "That's not the first time you've heard of the Druids."

There was an uneasy pause in the conversation as Deana realized that Ed had caught her telling a lie. Stan had told her that Ed considered himself to be a human lie detector, but she hadn't believed him. Clearing her throat, she replied, "I'd rather not discuss that. It is not relevant."

Again her voice had turned sour. Ed countered, "Quit lying to me. It is relevant and you know it. Which Druid affected you so?"

There was a long moment of silence, during which Stan gestured wildly for Ed to drop the subject. Finally, Deana said, "Sean was a childhood friend of my son. Such a lovely young man, so full of promise. He became a Druid and was murdered in a gangland slaying."

Ed answered, "John Carter and I are going after his killers. So are twenty other Druids."

Embarrassed to admit that she was motivated by personal reasons, Deana said, "I know. That is why I agreed to your terms. Stan will get the paperwork filled out and a badge issued for you. I expect the next time that we talk you will have captured the bastards. You can expect complete support from the Phoenix office."

"Thank you," answered Ed.

With a very short goodbye, Deana hung up the phone. Stan turned to look at Ed in wonder. If anyone had told him that someone could treat the head of the IRS in that fashion, he would have called them a liar. Slightly intimidated, he asked, "Do you always treat people like that?"

"Like how?" asked Ed in surprise. He hadn't realized he was treating her special in any particular fashion.

"You called her a liar."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed replied, "Well, she was lying to me."

They went through the process of creating the appropriate ID for Ed. Tiger, unlike how Rover had behaved, was not interested in the process at all. Looking down at the cat, Ed asked, "So do you want one too?"

In answer, the cat left the room. Laughing, Ed turned around and watched as Stan created the ID card and found a badge. Ed slipped them into his pocket and looked around for a moment. He asked, "Are we done?"

"Yes, we are."

Heading towards the door, Ed said, "I better go, I've got a two and a half day drive ahead of me."

Stan watched as Ed turned and left with the cat following behind him. When Ed left the building, one of the other agents came up to Stan and asked, "Who was that guy?"

The entire time Stan had been dealing with Ed, the man kept surprising him. His first impression was that he was dealing with some kind of hick cowboy. From that, his impression of the man had changed from cowboy to psychic to religious fanatic to just confusion. Stan replied, "I don't know."



-------

Chapter 5


Night had settled over the desert bringing forth an awe inspiring quantity of stars in the sky. Despite the lack of a moon, the sky was so clear and the number of stars so large that it was possible to make out the surroundings in the dark. Ed and John sat in the chairs on the parapet looking up at the night sky. Ed broke the silence when he said, "They are a lazy bunch and creatures of habit. That can be used against them."

Taking a long sip of iced tea, John thought about what Ed had said. It was true, they were lazy and they were creatures of habit. John replied, "They aren't stupid."

"No, they aren't," replied Ed. After refilling his iced tea glass, he took a piece of cheese from the plate and nibbled on it. Marguerite had started delivering little plates of snacks up here for them to munch on while talking. That reminded him that he should thank her for that kindness.

After ten minutes, John said, "They've bribed so many people that a raid on them just isn't feasible."

Ed countered, "It is if the raiders don't know what is happening until the raid begins."

"That's an interesting idea," said John as he thought about what that would mean for them. He sat there thinking about how such a series of raids could be pulled off.

A shooting star flashed across the night sky, shining bright for the single second of its life. Simultaneously, both men said, "Did you see that?"

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. Taking sips from their iced teas and eating some more of the snacks, the men returned to their companionable silence. After half an hour, John said, "I'll have to get some of the other Druids to look into various cities."

"How many cities do you want to target?" asked Ed.

"One for each Druid participating in this endeavor," answered John with a smile.

Whistling at the size of the project, Ed said, "After shutting down twenty cities I think that we would convince any criminal organization in the country that it is not a good idea to fuck with Druids."

A female voice drifted up to them saying, "What's wrong with fucking Druids? I do it all the time."

Bursting out in laugher at the timeliness of her arrival, Ed called out, "Come on up here Kelly."

A very naked Kelly came up the stairs and posed for the two men. Standing like some kind of Hollywood Movie Starlet, she did her best to look sexy. With a smile on her face, she asked, "Do you like my outfit?"

Grinning at her, Ed said, "I don't know, it looks a little too hot for this kind of weather."

With a wink at Ed, John said, "And not hot enough for the cold."

Pouting, Kelly said, "You guys are no fun at all."

Both men chimed in together, "But the model is outstanding."

Ed and John stood up and bracketing Kelly as they each put an arm around her. In an easy walk, they led her downstairs and on to Ed's room. When they reached the room, they led her to the bed where she lay down in the center. She spread her arms wide across the bed and spread her legs slightly. That was her way of letting them know that she wanted to be the center of attention.

John and Ed undressed and lay down on the bed, one on each side of her. While Ed started kissing her lips and neck, John turned his attention to her left foot. Two pairs of hands explored her body, touching her in exciting unpredictable patterns. Together each man slowly worked his way to the center of her body keeping to one side of the body each. They covered every inch of their side of her body with kisses until there was only one place untouched by their lips. Spreading her legs to allow easier access to her pussy, she wiggled her hips hoping to get one of the men to touch her there.

Without communicating, both men resumed their journey along their side of her body with John kissing his way to her lips and Ed kissing his way down her leg. Whimpering in frustration, Kelly begged, "Please, just a little kiss on my clit."

The pair ignored her pleas, preferring to raise her level of excitement to a much higher level before resorting to that part of her body. Reaching her foot, Ed started sucking on her toes. Kelly found the sensation incredibly erotic and started to moan. John had worked his way down her arm and was now sucking on her fingers. She didn't know which felt better. All she could do was moan in pleasure.

After a few minutes of attention to the toes and fingers, the men began kissing their way along their side of her body. About the time that Ed reached her knee, John had reached her elbow. Rotating her leg so that he could get to the inside of the knee, he kissed her there while John kissed the inside of her elbow. The result sent waves of pleasure directly to her brain.

Kelly started writhing on the bed as her desires were slowly stoked by her two husbands. There was no competition between the men, just both of them working to give her pleasure. As much as the physical pleasure they were providing excited her, it was the emotional connection she felt among the three of them that had the greatest effect.

After almost an hour of continuous kisses, they finally reached her pussy. With great care, the men tugged on her swollen lips using them to stimulate her clitoris. Within seconds she had begun floating in a sea of comfortable pleasure, as every nerve in her body was sensitized to the least little touch.

Rolling onto his back, John pulled Kelly on top of him. Knowing that this was what she wanted, Ed waited for her to climbed on top of John's cock before entering her backside. Together the two men thrust into her in complete harmony. The effect on Kelly was mind blowing. She loved double penetration more than any other sex act involving two men, with the possible exception of watching two men having sex with each other.

Since Ed had her tight asshole, he came first. When he pulled out of Kelly, she came in a long slow orgasm, the kind that once achieved seems to last forever. John came shortly after that.

Climbing off John, Kelly kissed each man with tenderness. The three snuggled together with Kelly spooning Ed and John spooning Kelly. Ed fell asleep almost immediately.

Ed woke alone in the bed. After dressing, he staggered out to the kitchen where Marguerite handed him a cup of Greek coffee before he even had a chance to ask for it. His early morning slowness was well known amongst the staff. Staggering over to the table, he sat down and drank the coffee, enjoying the strong flavor. The Greek coffee woke him completely before he even finished the cup.

A plate of scrambled eggs smothered in salsa was set in front of him. Looking up at Marguerite, he said, "Thanks."

"No problem," she replied. After shaking her head, she said, "You're the only one I got to cook for this morning. John had cereal and the women headed out to work saying they'd get a bagel on the way. Sometimes I wonder why you guys pay me to work here."

Shrugging to indicate that he didn't understand the problem, Ed said, "Well, you still have the rest of the staff to feed, don't you?"

Marguerite glared at Ed and said, "You don't get it, do you?"

"Probably not, but I'm usually pretty slow first thing in the morning," replied Ed. With considerable confusion, Ed looked up at Marguerite wondering what the problem might be.

"I am a chef. My passion is cooking great meals to be appreciated. You are not giving me a chance to do that." Marguerite felt guilty giving vent to her anger.

The discussion was interrupted by the entry of Bill in the dining room. Bill sat down at the table and said, "While you were gone, you received a bit of mail and messages. You received an invitation in the mail. It appears that you've been invited to the wedding of Dale Taylor and Terry Markison. There is also an invitation for the first Manuel and Son Hauling barbecue. The local IRS office called and wants to know when you'll come into the office. They would like you to visit as soon as possible. The university called to find out when you would be in with the samples. They expected you yesterday and wondered if you had encountered any problems."

Glancing over at Marguerite, Ed said, "I'll attend the wedding on one condition, that we allow Marguerite to cater the food. I'll pick up the cost of the food. I'll talk to John and see if we can host it here."

Turning to look at a very shocked Marguerite, Ed said, "I'll expect that you'll prepare a regular feast for the couple."

Marguerite said, "I'll need to talk to them and see what they like."

Ed replied, "Good. I will attend the barbecue. I'm glad to see that Manuel and Joe are doing such a good business that they can afford to have a barbecue."

Nodding as he took notes, Bill asked, "What about the IRS and the University?"

Shoveling the last of his eggs into his mouth, Ed said, "I'll go to the university after breakfast. I'll try to meet John there and then we'll head over to the FBI. I'll stop in at the IRS before going up to the FBI. They're in the same building."

Nodding at the information, Bill looked at the notes for John's schedule to make sure that they could meet that way. He said, "John said that he would be at the school until one."

Ed nodded and asked, "What about Kelly and Beth? When will they be home?'

Bill replied, "They should be home by seven."

Turning to Marguerite, Ed said, "Would you like to make a nice dinner tonight for all of us? I promise I'll have John home by seven."

Frowning, Marguerite asked, "Any special kind of dinner?"

"Anything you want," replied Ed.

Marguerite said, "In all of the time I've been working here, I haven't cooked anything for all four of you except for a couple breakfasts. I have no real idea what you guys like to eat."

"Anything will probably be fine, Marguerite. Don't worry so much." Ed turned to Bill and said, "Can you get in touch with Terry and Dale to make arrangements for us to cater their wedding? Let them know that it is my wedding present for them."

Nodding, Bill said, "I'll see what I can do. Is there anything else?"

Silence fell as Ed thought about what he had just asked them to do. He realized that he was making a number of assumptions that others might not appreciate. He said, "Cancel all that. Contact Terry and Dale to have dinner with us tonight. If they accept, contact Jim and Sherry and ask them if they wouldn't mind having dinner here tonight. I will ask Terry what we can do for their wedding. That way, John, Kelly, and Beth will be here and they can make suggestions as well."

With a roll of his eyes, Bill replied, "That'll be fine. Anything else?"

"No, I think that will do it. Let Marguerite know how many to expect for dinner in time for it to be ready," replied Ed.

Marguerite shook her head. This was not the kind of treatment that she expected when she had agreed to come to work here. With a sigh, she said, "Okay."

The sound of her voice was so discordant, that Ed could barely tolerate hearing it. He spun around to face Marguerite and said, "You're not happy, so don't bother to deny it. Now, tell me what is the matter."

Surprised by the intensity of his reaction, Marguerite was half tempted to lie. Instead, she said, "I expected to be given more direction in what to prepare."

Sitting back, Ed looked at Marguerite as though sizing her up. Finally, he said, "Marguerite, I'm a cowboy. John is just a kid from a middle class neighborhood that likes to hike. Kelly was raised by hippie parents and is a nurse. Beth is a medical doctor. Of all of us, Beth is the only one that is likely to know the names of half of the dishes that you know how to cook. So if you are looking for direction, you are at the wrong place."

With tears in her eyes, Marguerite was nearly ready to quit. As she was about to say words to that effect, Ed raised up a hand to prevent her. He said, "We hired you because we want to learn about the kind of food that you know how to cook. We are not complicated people. If there is something that you cook that we don't like, then we will settle for a sandwich. We won't blame you if we don't like some strange French dish. None of us will yell at you because you chose something that we don't like."

Taking a moment of silence, Ed said, "You have the perfect job. You can cook what you want. You can feed the staff hundred dollar lunches or dinners as you learn new dishes. Experiment with new dishes. I'll admit that there will be times when we'll ask you for something simple like fried chicken."

Stuttering, Marguerite said, "But the cost."

Waving a hand that dismissed the objection, Ed said, "At the family meeting last month it was pointed out that we were spending more to feed the three cats than we were spending to feed ourselves. We were wondering when you were going to start spending money on us."

Puzzled, Marguerite asked, "Are you serious?"

"Very serious. We want you to cook to your hearts content. Pursue your passion with single minded intensity. We want everyone that works and lives here to be the best person that they can be."

Licking his lips, Bill asked, "Does that go for me too?"

Turning to face Bill, Ed said, "Yes it does. Is something missing in your job?"

Embarrassed, Bill answered, "I sit in my office most of the day with nothing to do."

"Would you like to manage the household books?" asked Ed.

Very surprised at the offer, Bill said, "I think that is a lot of responsibility."

Ed answered, "Well, if you haven't noticed we tend to be very busy. None of us have the time to take care of the household expenses. John will turn the books over to you by the end of the week."

Stunned, Bill looked to Marguerite to see if she had anything to say. She was in just a great a state of shock at being told she was to cook gourmet meals for everyone in the house, even the people who worked in it. Looking at the two of them, Ed said, "Well, if that is all then I'll be heading out to school."

Leaving two stunned employees behind, Ed went to the garage where his truck was parked. The samples were still in the back of the truck where he had put them before returning home from Montana. Shadow stood up in the back of the truck and jumped down onto the ground. Together they went to the university.

At the university, Ed pulled his truck up to the delivery area for the building. Going inside, he found Professor Simms. Together, the two men unloaded the rocks from the back of the truck. There were two boxes containing samples taken from two different mines at multiple locations within each mine. The idea was to perform a comparative study of the impurities in the samples. Professor Simms was very excited about the idea and Ed was going to do most of the lab work.

As they were unloading the rocks, Professor Simms asked, "You are graduating at the end of the year?"

"Yes, I am," replied Ed looking forward to getting his degree, but dreading the day when he stopped coming up here. He added, "I'm thinking about continuing my education."

"Conventional wisdom would have you go to another institution for your Masters," replied Professor Simms. He felt like he had to give the advice that would be in Ed's best interest despite the fact that he didn't want to loose him.

Looking over at Professor Simms, Ed replied, "Conventional wisdom doesn't take into account the fact that I can't really move across the country to go to a different school."

Professor Simms asked, "So you are looking to stay here?"

"Yes, I am," replied Ed. He added, "I'm expecting to be called away more frequently this year. I hope that it doesn't hurt my GPA."

"Why would you be called away?"

Ed answered, "I became an IRS agent while I was in Montana. That's why I was delayed in returning with the samples."

He stared at Ed with more than a little surprise. Somehow, this cowboy had come into the school and aced every course he was taking. As a past-time, he had helped crack a white slavery ring and now he had joined the IRS. It was a miracle that this guy ever had a chance to study. He asked, "You became an IRS while in Montana?"

"Oh yeah, I noticed an irregularity in some forms that an agent was working on so now I'm now a special agent and report to the head of the criminal investigation branch on the same terms that John reports to the FBI. John and I are working a case together."

Professor Simms asked, "Does that mean that you won't need an assistantship?"

Frowning Ed said, "Well, my work with the IRS is volunteer. So I guess I could still use the assistantship."

"Volunteer?"

Ed shrugged, "Well, it is part of my service to the Gods and Goddesses. I don't really feel like I can make money at it."

Shaking his head, Professor Simms lead the way to the store room where the rocks would be kept until Ed could begin the analysis. Shadow padded along behind them, moving silently from shadow to shadow keeping out of sight. Professor Simms asked, "So you will be coming here for your Masters Degree and under a graduate assistantship?"

"If you'll have me, I'll be here," replied Ed. He had hoped that he would be able to continue going to school here. All he wanted was to continue learning more about rocks.

That Ed would even worry about staying was beyond Professor Simms. He was the best student that he had ever had. There was no doubt in his mind that Ed would contribute significantly to the field. A person with that much passion couldn't help but contribute. He said, "Don't worry about it, you'll always have a position here."

Relieved, Ed replied, "Thanks. I'll start getting the paperwork together to apply to graduate school."

As the two men put up samples, they continued to talk about the future research directions that Ed could pursue. Sitting in a corner of the room, Shadow watched the activity with boredom. It didn't take too long for them to get everything put up. When they had finished, Ed said, "I have to get over to the physics department. I'm meeting John there and we're going on to the Federal Building. I'll be back to move my truck in a fifteen minutes."

Professor Simms replied, "I'll walk over in that direction with you."

As the two men headed out of the building, Shadow suddenly stopped and growled. Used to that behavior from the cats, Ed immediately looked around to see what was the problem. Shadow started stalking a student as he went around a corner. Concerned, Ed said, "Follow behind me. Something is up."

The two men followed the cat around the corner where they almost fell into a stairwell that Ed had never noticed before. At the base of the stairwell was a young woman, her shirt was torn off her exposing her bare breasts. Her skirt was lifted up and the panties had been cut off. She was bound with duct tape around her hands and mouth. She was looking up at Ed in horror. The rape this morning had been horrible, but now she thought she was about to be gang raped.

Bending over her, the man they had followed around the corner was waving a knife in front of her eyes. It was a very lethal looking knife and terrified the young woman. Ed was in time to hear him say, "Spread those legs missy or I'll gut you like the slut you are."

With a wiggle of his behind, Shadow prepared to pounce on the man. Without making noise, Ed walked down the stairwell to stand behind the man. With a swift kick at the hand holding the knife Ed successfully kicked it out the rapists hand. It landed near the young ladies head. As the man reached for it, Ed stepped on the knife. In a threatening tone of voice, Ed said, "You have three choices. You can surrender. You can fight me. You can run and let Shadow take care of you."

With impeccable timing, the cat uttered a low threatening growl. The sound was sufficient to send chills down the spine of the rapist. Ed smiled at the man as rapist looked up at him. He said, "I suggest making up your mind soon. The cat looks like he's real hungry."

Afraid more for the rapist than for Ed, himself, or the cat, Professor Simms went off to call the campus police and report what he had observed. More shocking than the situation was the calm collected manner in which Ed had reacted. By now, the victim realized that she was being saved. Her eyes sought out Ed's, but he watched the rapist for any movement that could threaten either of them.

The man in the stairwell, looked up at Ed and tried to judge his chances. A second low growl came from the other side. Without taking his eyes off the man, Ed said, "Hello Rover. Hungry?"

The man shook looked past Ed and saw a cougar and a panther staring down at him. The look on Ed's face suggested that there was no pity to be found there if he tried to fight his way out of the situation. Surrendering, the man said, "Okay, I give up."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "Take off your shirt and cover the young lady. When that is done, sit on the stairs there. I must warn you not to run, though."

The man did as he was told. When he reached the stairs, he sat down. Shadow came down and rested two paws on the man's shoulders. The slight pressure of his claws on his skin and the hot moist breath on his neck was more terrifying than anything that the rapist had ever experienced. Frozen in place, the rapist was too scared to move.

After adjusting the skirt so that she was covered, Ed bent down and cut away the duct tape from around the woman's wrists. Once that was done, he said, "I'll let you compose yourself."

Finally catching up to Rover, John spotted Shadow. He called out, "Ed, is everything okay?"

Ed called up, "Just caught a bad guy. Nothing to worry about."

The woman had finally freed her mouth and put on the shirt. She threw her arms around Ed as she cried. Weeping out of control, she could say nothing.

Looking down at Shadow, John said, "Looks like Shadow is having a little fun with the bad guy. Did you feed him today?"

Smiling up at John, Ed winked. It was basically impossible for him to talk with the woman hanging on him. There was a strangled cry from behind him as the rapist listened to John. The smell of urine and feces filled the air bringing a little laughter to Ed. Letting her cry herself out, Ed just stayed there. Still sobbing, the young woman cried, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The campus police showed up with Professor Simms. They stopped to examine the situation that was unfolding before them. Very scared, the rapist was sitting on the steps in a puddle of urine. With a face of disgust at the smell of feces, Shadow had its paws on the guys shoulders. The cat held its head as far back as possible. Rover was crouched on the other side of the stairwell. Still crying, the victim was hugging Ed. Standing next to the cougar, John had his arms crossed and was watching the scene with an amused smile on his face.

The first policeman there asked, "What's going on here?"

Looking over at the policeman, John said, "Shadow."

The Black Panther moved with a quickness that belied its size. Within a few seconds it was seated beside John, as was Rover. John said, "You can take the man into custody now."

After significant effort, Ed finally extracted himself sufficiently to talk. He said, "He had this young lady tied up here and was attempting to rape her."

The young woman shouted, "Attempted? The bastard raped me all morning."

The police moved down the steps quickly and cuffed the rapist. As the police came to get information from everyone involved, John whipped out his FBI badges for himself and Rover while Ed opened his IRS identification. On seeing the identification, the police quickly became very polite. Ed said, "I want a police woman here in five minutes to take care of this young lady. I'm sure that there is a rape crisis councilor on campus. Please get her over here as well. Until then, I'm going to ask that no one bother this young woman."

John called down to the woman, "Miss, would you care for some coffee, tea, or coke?"

Looking up in surprise at John, the woman was shocked by his appearance. He was sitting on the railing that ran around the stairwell with two very large cats flanking him. His brown cloak and staff coupled with this white beard and partially white hair made him look like a wizard. She answered, "A diet coke would be wonderful."

By this time, policemen were crowding the area. John looked up at one of the policeman and said, "You heard her. She'd like a diet coke."

Grumbling, the policeman looked to his confederates. There was no support coming from them. With little enthusiasm, he went in search of a coke machine. In the mean time, the other police had the rapist in cuffs and were wondering what to do with him. As a result of the stench produced, no one wanted to put him in their car.

The young woman finally regained control and sat back, giving Ed freedom to move. She said, "I'm sorry to be such a bother."

Chuckling, Ed replied, "What bother? I love to play white knight riding in to rescue the damsel in distress. You just made my day."

From above, John said, "He's telling you the truth. He loves to rescue young ladies."

After sneezing, the young woman said, "I recognize you, you were in my history class. I was allergic to your cat."

Ed examined the woman with greater attention, finally recognizing her. He nodded and said, "Yes, I remember. Shadow had to stay in the classroom across the hall during that class."

The young woman sneezed again. Looking up, Ed watched the cats move away so that they wouldn't trigger her allergies any more. He smiled up at John, who untangled himself from the rail. The area was well hidden by bushes and it made Ed wonder how John had managed to position himself on the rail. It didn't really matter, he was still wondering how he had made it down the stairs so fast. He said, "The cats are going away. You won't be sneezing so much."

The young woman replied, "Thanks."

Once the police woman and the rape crisis councilor arrived, John and Ed separated from the woman. They told the police what they had seen and done. John was not able to contribute very much information. The rapist was still cuffed and waiting for a Phoenix policeman to come and take him into custody. Apparently, they had decided that the city police could deal with transporting the smelly prisoner. Professor Simms was left talking to the police explaining what he had seen.

The pair agreed to meet at a restaurant across from the Federal Building for lunch. Ed planned to update John on the discussions with the staff over lunch and let him know about his plans for dinner. From there, they would go to work on planning their raid after Ed had checked in with the Phoenix branch of the IRS.



-------

Chapter 6


Following Shadow, Ed walked into the IRS office and stopped at the receptionist. She looked at Ed and then glanced down at the cat. Smiling at Ed, she asked, "Who are you here to see?"

"The person in charge," replied Ed in a very casual manner.

Very calmly, she picked up the phone and called security. Looking at Ed with a smile, she said, "Let me let him know you are here."

The sour tone of her voice let Ed know that she was lying to him. He reached in his back pocket as the woman said, "This is Jean. There's a man here with a very large cat to see you."

There was a moment of silence as her features took on an increasingly puzzled look. She looked up at Ed and saw the IRS identification. Trying not to allow her expression to look too stupid, she leaned forward and examined the badge. After reading the name, she answered, "Ed Biggers."

After another moment of silence, she replied, "Black."

Amused, Ed watched as she repeated, "Shadow, okay. Well, I see that he's one of ours. Sorry to call."

She hung up the phone and looked up at Ed apologetically. She said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were one of our agents. I thought that you disgruntled taxpayer."

Smiling broadly, Ed replied, "No problem."

She said, "Did you know there's another man with a large cat around here?"

"Yes, I know. John Carter. He's upstairs waiting for me," answered Ed.

"So you know him?" asked the secretary.

"He's my husband."

The woman sat there staring at Ed as if he had just told her that he was from Mars. A door to the offices opened and their tax consultant, Frankie Paulovich, stepped through the door. Seeing Ed, he came over with his hand extended. In a very friendly tone of voice, he said, "Ed, what are you doing here?"

Holding up his identification, Ed replied, "I'm here to find my new office."

Watching the exchange with wide eyes, the secretary got on the phone to call the boss and let him know that Ed was here. Frankie said, "I just finished preparing your quarterly return."

As she listened to the conversation between Frankie and Ed, she realized who John Carter and Ed Biggers were. Half of the agents in the office consulted on their tax returns. It was rare to find someone that gave away ninety-five percent of their income to charity.

In response to a direct call from Deana Ahlberg that Ed Biggers was going to be working out his office, Gary Smales was very curious as to what to expect. He came out of the office area to meet Ed and didn't realize that the cowboy with the cat was Ed until a gesture from the secretary tipped him off. Seeing his boss in the lobby, Frankie turned to him and said, "Mr. Smales, this is Ed Biggers."

Extending a hand, Ed said, "Pleased to meet you Mr. Smales."

Examining the man standing in front of him, Gary asked, "What are your plans?"

Ed said, "Well, I'm working on a joint case with the FBI. I'll be needing access to a large number of tax returns over the next nine months."

Gary asked, "What is the case?"

"You don't have clearance for it," replied Ed.

"What are you talking about? I'm your boss," said Gary more than a little irritated at the implication that an underling would not share details about the case he was working.

Shrugging, Ed replied, "Sorry, but that isn't exactly correct. I report directly to Deana Alhberg and she knows the details of the case. According to the agreement I have with her, I'm supposed to be given access to any information that I may require through this office."

Disturbed by Ed's statements, Gary decided that it was time to validate them. He said, "Please stay here while I make a couple of calls."

Frankie asked, "Can I show him around the office?"

As Gary left the lobby, he replied, "Sure. Show him the cubicle that we've set aside for him."

As was the case in Billings, Montana, walking through the office was painful for Ed. Stopping at one of the cubicles, he grabbed a pencil and a folder that was particularly offensive to him. The agent in the cubicle took great offense at his actions, but Ed flipped open the folder without responding. As he flipped through the pages, he marked each line with an X that screamed lie to him. He handed the folder back and said, "I marked every line with an X that contains false information. The other folders on your desk may have errors, but they aren't fraudulent."

Going to the next cubicle, Ed went through three folders on the desk. In a matter of five minutes, he had marked the fraudulent lines in all three. He handed back the folders and went to the next cubicle. It took him almost an hour to get through all of the cubicles in the room. After the first three cubicles, he was being followed by a crowd of agents watching him work.

When he had finished, he stood rubbing his temples to get rid of the headache. Incredulous at what he had just seen, one of the agents asked, "You're an accountant?"

"No, I'm a mineralogist," replied Ed. He added, "It is just that lies give me a splitting headache and I have to expose them, particularly criminal lies."

Staring at a folder that had come from his desk, Frankie said, "I can't believe it. This shows a clear pattern of fraud. I'm going to be able to nail this guy for a million at least."

Ed said, "Nail the ones that knew they were lying to the wall. Send them to prison, they are cheating this country. Don't destroy the folks that made honest mistakes. If you can, give them the opportunity to settle at the owed amount."

One of the agents said, "It doesn't matter, they still broke the law."

Shrugging, Ed said, "You can play that game. Of course, the other agents will probably collect more than you. They'll get through more cases in less time and with less cost. They can go after the bigger fish while you're screwing over grandmother."

Frankie smiled at Ed and shook his head. He had just performed the same calculation mentally and realized that Ed had made a good point. He said, "Let me show you your cubicle."

Ed followed Frankie to a simple cubicle near the back. It was the furthest cubicle from a window, the coffee pot, and the entrance. In short, it was the new guy cubicle. Standing there looking at it, Ed didn't like the cubicle at all. It would require him to walk past all of those other cubicles and the folders filled with lies. He would never be able to do that with any kind of regularity. Turning to Frankie, Ed said, "Take me to Gary's office. I need to get upstairs. We are expecting a number of investigators to show up shortly."

Somewhat reluctantly, Frankie took Ed to the office of Gary Smales. It wasn't a good idea to disturb Gary in his office unless it was to announce a major break in a big case. He knocked on the door and flinched when he heard the gruff, "Come in."

Opening the door, Ed walked in and looked around the room. It was a very simple office piled high with folders. Shadow entered behind Ed and sat down next to Ed. Looking down at the cat, Ed said, "Did you have a chance to talk with Deana?"

"Yes," replied Gary. Frowning, he said, "You were correct. You take the cases you want, work on them to your satisfaction, and then leave it to us to clean up after you. I'm not sure of the wisdom of that."

Frankie piped up, "Uh, Gary. He just went through the office and identified the fraudulent lines in over fifteen big cases. He did that in just thirty minutes. I'll be more than happy to follow behind and clean up his messes."

Staring at Franking with daggers in his eyes, Gary said, "We will see. I have my orders."

Shadow slipped out of the room as Ed turned. At the door he paused and said, "I will be working up in the FBI offices. I'll call down and let you know what files I need."

Ed left as Gary stared at his back. This was not the way that Gary liked to work. He demanded total involvement in all of the big cases within his jurisdiction and watched over his agents with a critical eye. He had particular standards that he expected from them, despite the fact that they were government employees. Gary didn't realize it, but his agents were going to close a record number of cases over the next month and collect more than the office had ever brought in.

Rover and Ed went up the elevator to the FBI office. When he entered, Ann was waiting at the door for him. He looked at her and flipped open his IRS identification. Direct to the point, he said, "I'm working on a joint case with John. We will need an office large enough for two desks."

Ann Moore, the head of the Phoenix FBI office, looked at Ed's identification with a critical eye. She had known Ed for a long time, but this was the first time that he had ever shown her official federal identification. She asked, "When did you get that?"

"Just recently," answered Ed. Looking around the lobby, he asked, "So have the others arrived yet?"

With the irritation in her voice giving a hint at her anger, she said, "Yes, they are in the conference room. What are you working on?"

"It's a joint case between the FBI and IRS."

That was exactly what John had told her, but she wanted more details. This was her office and she had a right to know what was going on in it. She asked, "So what is this case?"

"You're not cleared for it," replied Ed. Only two people at the present time knew exactly what was going to be the consequences of this case and those two were John and Ed. When they had enough of a plan, they would meet their bosses and explain what they were doing.

Ann glared at Ed as he walked off to the conference room. Shadow joined Rover outside the conference room, taking a position to guard the door. After a minute of staring at the door after it closed behind him, she stormed off to her office to call Mike Holden, the Director of the FBI. Those two men had crossed a very important line and she wasn't going to let them get away with it.

Inside the conference room, John was standing at the front of the room facing twenty curious Druids. Just the number of Druids in the room was amazing. The fact that they were working together signified the massiveness of the operation. Once he had the attention of everyone in the room, John said, "Sean was killed by a member of an organized crime family after giving them the warning that they were to leave us alone. I find it inexcusable to ignore our warning like this. Today, Ed and I are announcing Operation Druids Revenge."

Looking around the room, John was relieved to see that everyone was nodding. Ed went up to the front of the room and said, "We are going to shut down organized crime in twenty cities. We can't trust local law enforcement, the corruption is just too extensive. We need eyes and ears that we can trust."

Again, everyone in the room was nodding their heads. Satisfied, John said, "We want you to each head to a major city and observe the criminal operations there. We aren't looking for specific crimes, but major patterns of behavior. We want to know what days they collect money. We want to know when they meet to distribute the money. These guys are creatures of habit and we want to know their habits."

This time, some of the men shook their heads. John pointed to one of them and asked, "What is the problem?"

"That's going to take some time to accomplish. We won't be able to move against them for quite a while."

"Correct. Our goal is not to put a couple of guys in jail. That won't send a message to them. Our goal is to totally shut them down for good." John's voice had taken on the resonance of a man on a mission.

The Druid asked, "You are really serious about this?"

Answering for John, Ed said, "You bet. We want to take out every aspect of the business from drugs to prostitution. We want to catch the money men that are financing their activities. When we are done, the only organized crime that we'll hear about are two losers who get caught stealing candy from kids."

A number of the Druids laughed. John asked, "What do you think?"

The Druids looked at each other for a moment. Jerry, the head of the servants of the God, said, "How do you expect to pull this off?"

Glancing over at Ed, John said, "I don't know. I won't know until we get the intelligence data from you guys."

All of the Druids in the room nodded their heads. Jerry looked around the room and said, "We are all from different major cities in here. I suggest we go to our home turf. Since we are all in law enforcement, we can also look into local records for other things that might suggest trends."

Nodding, John said, "Look at previous places where crimes have taken place and the sites where the arrests were made. These creeps will basically stay in the same area."

There was a long moment of silence as people looked around the room. John looked from one Druid to the next, seeing that each one nodded in his direction. At that point, John said, "If there are no more questions, lets get to work."

The Druids left the room in their standard disorderly fashion, each moving as an individual but without any collisions. Ann standing outside tried to question them, but they all held up identification that placed them in law enforcement including federal marshals, secret service, state troopers, and local police. It shocked her more than she could express.

When the room cleared out, the cats entered to join John and Ed. Ann followed them into the conference room. Shortly after that, she was joined by Gary from the IRS office. They turned to face Ed and John. Ann was the first to speak, "I talked to Mike Holden and he said that you had carte blanche. Still, I think you should tell us what is going on."

John looked at Ed and then said, "All I can tell you is that a Druid was killed."

This was not the answer that she had expected. She asked, "Do you mean that all of the people that just left are Druids?"

Nodding at the correctness of her statement, John said, "Yes and they are all working on the case."

She paled at the implications. She had seen what John could do and guessed that the others were just as effective. Gary had no idea what this talk about Druids meant, but he was smart enough to recognize the reaction of Ann. He looked to her and then back at Ed. He asked, "So what is the big deal?"

Ed answered, "You don't fuck with a Druid."

Still angry at not being told what was going on, Ann wasn't sure that she wanted to know. These guys could be absolutely scary when they put their minds to a task. Ann stood up and said, "Gary, come with me and I'll explain some things to you."

Overwhelmed by the house, Terry and Dale had shown up on time. Their impression of Ed was of a cowboy. Pulling up to the house, they immediately started wondering just how rich he was. Of course, the house belonged to the family and wouldn't have been anywhere near that large if John hadn't kicked in so much money. The young couple didn't know that.

Knocking hesitantly on the door, no one heard the light tapping that passed as a knock. Fortunately, Ling was monitoring the outside of the house at the time and came down to let them in. When she opened the door, the young couple looked at her in surprise expecting to see Ed. Dale asked, "We are here to see Ed Biggers."

Stepping back, Ling said, "Please come in. The family is expecting you. Ed will be here in just a second."

Coming from the back of the house, Ed called out, "Hello. So glad you could make it."

The young couple, nervous in such rich surroundings, answered, "Hello, Ed."

Ed noticed their discomfort and said, "Don't worry, we're just normal people. My husband made a rather important discovery and got rich all of a sudden. Believe me, the Ed you knew on the field trip is the real Ed."

Ling backed out and returned to the security center upstairs. Ed led them to the living room. The young couple looked at the couches and chairs spread around the room allowing many individual conversational areas to co-exist within the room. The pictures on the wall were all signed prints of well known western-style artists.

As the couple sat uncomfortably on the couch, they reached out to each other and held hands. Relaxing in a leather chair, Ed noticed the mutual signs of bonding and said, "I received your wedding invitation while I was in Montana. Congratulations, you two. I'm so glad that you hit it off together."

Blushing at the memory of the night when she had offered herself to Ed, Terry said, "Thank you for introducing us."

Shrugging, Ed said, "You both were interested in the same things."

Dale said, "I really appreciate the help you gave me on the field trip."

At that Ed broke out in a great grin and said, "That was such a splendid trip. I haven't had so much fun in ages. For one week, no classes, no work, and no emergencies. Reminded me of my days driving cattle without all of the work of watching over cows."

"You really are a cowboy, aren't you?" asked Terry.

"Yes, ma'am. I've been riding a horse as long as I can remember. Worked in the business since I was sixteen. I finally quit because I realized that not only did I enjoy rocks more, but with the right training, I could make a living at it."

Looking around the room, Dale said, "It doesn't look like you need to make a living."

Surprised at the comment, Ed said, "Well, I have an assistantship at the university and that is my entire income. Everything that I buy comes out of that money."

The discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Beth and Kelly. Ed performed the introductions. Beth said, "So where do you know Ed from?"

Dale said, "We are studying geology at the university and are in class with him. We didn't really get to know him until the field trip."

Smiling in Ed's direction, Beth asked, "Was that the real one or the one he lied about?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "You guys are never going to let me live that down."

Teasing him, Kelly said, "Oh, you run away from home for a week telling us that you are collecting rocks and do something completely different."

"Guilty as charged."

Terry said, "I don't understand."

Kelly turned to Terry and said, "He told us he was going on a field trip about two weeks before we got married. It turns out that he went to challenge the Gods and Goddesses. Now he can't lie."

Winking at Terry, Ed said, "And my lovely wives now know that when I say they are lovely, they know I'm telling the truth."

Dale asked, "What do you say when they aren't?"

"Hasn't happened yet," replied Ed. His wives smiled at him at the compliment and knew that he meant it.

Changing the subject, Beth asked, "Did anything interesting happen today?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed replied, "Not really. It was more or less typical. Worked most of the day."

The news around the campus was that Ed had performed a heroic rescue of a woman that was being raped. Puzzled at the statement, Kim said, "I heard that you captured a rapist today."

"Who did you hear that from?" asked Ed surprised that anyone had heard about that.

"Professor Simms. He was very impressed how you went in there and took charge of the situation." Actually, that was all the professor could talk about all afternoon.

In a teasing voice, Beth asked, "Was the victim a pretty young lady?"

Laughing at the question, Kelly replied, "Of course. Ed only rescues damsels in distress and they are always young and pretty."

Laughing, Ed said, "You'll have to ask John if that is true."

Not understanding the light-hearted manner in which they discussed the events of the day, Dale asked, "This isn't the first time that you've rescued someone?"

John came in the room just in time to hear the question. He replied, "No, it wasn't. He's always rescuing the fair damsels."

Dismissing everything with a wave of his hand, Ed said, "Actually it was Shadow that did the rescue. All I did was comfort the victim."

Kelly asked, "So what happened to the rapist?"

To the puzzlement of everyone, John and Ed started laughing. Finally, John said, "Last I saw was the police arguing over who had to take him to the station. He had a rather smelly accident when Shadow decided to act as guard and no one wanted the stink in their car."

Kelly shook her head and said, "You guys are so mean sometimes."

With a serious tone in his voice that surprised no one except Dale and Terry, Ed said, "I don't have much use for someone like that. If I had really wanted to be mean, I would have let Shadow take care of the situation."

Leading Jim and Sherry into the room, Bill said, "Everyone has arrived."

A very amused Ed watched Terry as she looked over at Sherry and Jim. Terry glanced over at Ed realizing that the story he had told her while they were camping was true. She stood and went over to Sherry. Without introducing herself, she said, "It is such a pleasure to meet you."

Sherry didn't know what to say and looked around. Ed stood and performed the introductions. After the introductions were over, Sherry leaned over to Terry and asked, "What did I do?"

Terry whispered to Sherry, "Ed told me about you. He said that a real woman can get any man she wants and shouldn't settle for less than a real man."

Bursting out laughing, Sherry said, "That's the nicest compliment that Ed has ever given me."

After winking at her, he gave her a quick salute. Dale had heard the story about how Sherry had gotten Jim. Looking over at Jim, there was a time when he wouldn't have understood how Sherry could have ever gotten a good-looking man like Jim to marry her. Now he understood and that enabled him to respect Jim even more than if he had showed up with a model.

Sherry came over and gave Ed a great big kiss. She said, "I can't believe you are using me as a role model."

"Who would be better?" asked Ed.

Jim answered, "No one."

That evening there was quite a crowd around the dinner table. The Carter Clan was all home at the same time for a change. Jim and Sherry were a little late, but made it in time for dinner. Marguerite had gone all out with the meal. She had prepared Cornish Hens with Mincemeat Stuffing on a bed of long grain and wild rice with asparagus as a side.

As they ate, an easy conversation flowed around the table. Sherry and Terry sat together and chatted quietly when they weren't participating in the dominant conversation around the table. At one point, Terry said, "This is a wonderful dish."

Seeing this as an opportunity to get permission to give his wedding present, Ed said, "I would like to allow our cook, Marguerite, to cater your reception dinner as a wedding present."

Dale sat back in surprise at the offer. He said, "We are having almost a hundred guests."

Ed called out, "Marguerite, can you come out here?"

Marguerite came out from the kitchen and said, "You bellowed."

Amidst laughter around the table, Ed asked, "Could you handle cooking for a hundred and fifty guests at a wedding?"

Marguerite replied, "Sure, no problem if there are good cooking facilities to use nearby."

Ed said, "Perhaps you could work out a menu with Terry and Dale?"

"No problem. I just need enough of a lead to purchase the groceries," replied Marguerite. She wasn't about to tell Ed that she had spent the whole day selecting a dozen dishes for the wedding, including the one that she served tonight.

Ed replied, "Great."

Marguerite said, "Now, if you'll excuse me I am in the middle of preparing desert."

"Okay," replied Ed although he didn't have to answer as Marguerite was already in the kitchen. He turned to face Terry and Dale. He asked, "Where were you planning on having the service?"

Terry answered, "In Casa Grande. That is where my family lives."

Thinking about it for a moment, John said, "Okay, we'll have Bill locate a kitchen for Marguerite. Shouldn't be difficult to rent a place for three days. One to clean it, one for the preparation work, and the day of the wedding."

Kelly suggested, "In the worst case, we can perhaps use a church kitchen and contribute some cooking equipment to them."

John laughed and said, "I can definitely use the tax deduction. That might be a better plan than renting a place."

Beth said, "I'll chip in for a third of the food."

Thinking about it, Kelly said, "Same here."

Slapping the table, John said, "So it's settled. John, Kelly, and Beth will cover the cost of the food. I'll upgrade the kitchen in a church for Marguerite to use in preparing the food."

Dale asked, "Why are you doing all of this for us? You hardly know us. Ed is the only one that knows us."

Ed was feeling very proud of his family for kicking in so much and so readily to this effort. He was overwhelmed when Kelly said, "Because Ed likes you and wants this to be a special occasion."

Using a fact that Ed had mentioned during the conversation over lunch earlier that day, John added, "Besides, Marguerite has been looking for a good cooking challenge. It's nice to provide her with one on occasion."

Terry asked, "Would you mind if we invited Sherry and Jim?"

Laughing, Ed said, "You might notice that I asked Marguerite if she could cook for a hundred and fifty guests. It is your wedding, you should be able to invite whoever you want. I would hope that your guest list can swell a little so that we won't be left with too many leftovers."



-------

Chapter 7


The middle of May in Arizona can be quite nice weather wise. It is also when the University bestows the degrees upon the graduating students. Inside the auditorium, Ed sat in the crowd of students wearing a maroon gown and cap. It was hot under the gown and he fidgeted restlessly. He was here because Kelly had wanted to see him attend the ceremony. John was seated somewhere with the faculty. Kelly and Beth were up in the stands. He had no idea where the cats were and wondered how John had managed to keep them from acting as bodyguards.

While the bigwigs at the front of the room made their speeches, he kept contradicting them in his mind. At least he didn't think out loud or else he probably would have angered everyone around him. It was just that the majority of the speech dealt with going forth to meet with the world for the first time. He knew his attitude was unfair as most of the graduating students had come here from home, spent their days at school, and were only now facing the arduous task of supporting themselves. However, he had been supporting himself since he was sixteen. In a way, he wished he could get up there and say that they needed to work hard, live simply, and learn to play cheap.

Out of boredom, he kept taking off the cap and examining it. It was an odd kind of thing that reminded him of a beanie with flat piece of cardboard glued on top. He checked the program again in the hope of finding an explanation for the weird shaped hat, but there wasn't one. There was a long description of the meaning of the various colors that appeared on the hoods, but he had already read that three times.

The guy sitting next to him nudged him and whispered, "Stand up."

Looking around, Ed saw that all of the other honor students were standing. He rose to join them, deciding that he should probably pay attention from now on. He sat down when the other honor students sat. He listened a little more carefully. They asked for all of the people with 4.0 GPAs to stand. Not thinking much about it, Ed stood and realized that he was one of three students standing. There was a large round of applause and then he was able to sit down again.

The guy sitting next to him whispered, "Hey, nice going. I was happy with a 2.8."

"Thanks," replied Ed. He looked at the guy wondering how someone could actually spend four years in college and graduate happy with a 2.8 GPA.

He sat back and listened to what the Provost of the University was saying. As he listened to the Provost describe the Outstanding Student Of The Graduating Class, he was not impressed. Everything they were saying about this guy, he had done and didn't think anything special about it. When the Provost started talking about graduating in three years and with a perfect GPA, it began to dawn on him that they were maybe talking about him.

He heard the guy next to him swear, "Shit, that guy must be superman."

When Ed heard his name called he stood up in time to hear the Provost ask him to approach the podium. Ed made his way there, happy that they had placed him on an isle seat. That's when he realized that it wasn't an accident that he had been held up in the procession and given this chair. When he reached the podium, the Provost shock his hand and slipped an envelope in it stating that it was a full scholarship for graduate school.

Standing next to the Provost, Ed felt ill at ease being in front of so many people. He had no problem finding Kelly and Beth in the audience as the two women were jumping up and down screaming out his name. They were actually part of a large group of people waving at him. He gave them a quick wave to let them know that he had seen them.

The flashes from several photographers nearly blinded him. He looked out and could see himself on the screen that was part of the basket ball scoreboard that hung down over center court. Looking up at it, he was happy to see that he didn't look as uncomfortable as he felt. It was with relief when the Provost told him he could return to his seat. Although he did his best to walk in a dignified pace, he kept feeling like he was running. He knew his face must have been blushing a bright red, it felt hot enough.

He sat down in his seat and breathed a great sigh of relief. The guy sitting next to him asked, "You really did all that stuff?"

"Yeah, I didn't think much about it at the time," replied Ed. The fact of the matter was that he had been having so much fun that he hadn't seen it as work. He looked around and saw that a large number of students were looking in his direction.

He decided that rather than look back, it would be better to listen to what was being said on the podium. Several more students were brought up to the front podium to receive honors of various types. Ed clapped as hard as anyone for the achievements of the other students.

The Chief of the Campus Police took the podium and said, "Earlier this year, a monster was preying upon our students. One of our students was being attacked by this monster and another student apprehended the monster. This particular student took on the knife wielding suspect placing his own life at risk. He subdued the suspect and rendered aid to the victim."

Pausing for a moment, the Chief continued, "There was a five thousand dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. The delivery of the reward was held up because the student has credentials that identified him as a criminal investigator for a government agency. However, we discovered that he is an unpaid volunteer and is therefore eligible for the reward."

When Ed groaned, the guy sitting next to him stared at him. He whispered, "Don't tell me that you're the guy."

"I'm afraid so," replied Ed.

The Chief announced, "Would Ed Biggers please come to the podium?"

Ed made the long trip to the podium for the second time. As he walked up there, he was trying to decide what to do with the money. When he reached the podium, the Chief of Police said, "It gives me great pleasure to give this reward to you."

After shaking hands with Ed, the Chief of Police handed him an oversize check. Again, Ed was nearly blinded by the flashes of cameras. Ed looked at the check and handed it back to the Chief of Police saying, "I'd like to donate this money to the student crisis center for use in counseling the victims of violent crimes."

With a look of great surprise, the Chief of Police returned to the microphone and said, "Mr. Biggers has something to say."

Ed stepped up to the microphone and said, "I appreciate the reward money and recognition, but I don't really feel like I deserve it. The people that deserve our respect are the victims that survived horrible treatment at the hands of the suspect. I wish there was more that I could do to help them. For now, I'd like to donate this money to the student crisis center for use in counseling the victims of violent crimes."

The applause was tremendous and Ed returned to his seat. On the way, he spotted John and saw the wink given him. Shaking his head, he collapsed in his chair and whispered to the guy next to him, "One more trip up there and I'm leaving."

Chuckling at the statement, the guy said, "Are you telling me that there's more?"

"I hope not," replied Ed.

It seemed like it had lasted forever, but the event finally ended. Ed slipped out and headed to the spot where he had agreed to meet the rest of his family. The trip to their meeting point took a lot longer than Ed had anticipated. Several times, he was stopped by people congratulating him on his achievements. It was embarrassing being the center of attention just because he had been himself.

He reached the meeting spot to be greeted by two extremely cheerful women, an amused John, and three sulky cats. After accepting hugs from Kelly and Beth and a handshake from John, Ed bent down and said to the cats, "I sure missed you guys."

That appeared to improve the mood of the cats significantly. Smiling, John said, "Let's drop off the gowns and get over to the restaurant. I'm hungry."

The group headed over to the area where they were collecting the gowns. There was already a pretty long line. The guy that had been sitting next to Ed called over, "Hey, come over here."

Ed called back, "I don't believe in cutting in line. Thanks for the offer."

Waving happily, the guy turned back and waited his turn. Ed, accompanied by Shadow, joined the end of the line and removed the robe. Once the initial surprise and comments about the cat had passed, a number of the students in line commented on how amazed they were that he had given the reward money away. Doing his best to change the topic, Ed asked people what their plans for the future were. As the new topic raged around him, the line moved forward quickly. He dropped his robe off in the box and had his name checked off the list.

The group met up and headed to the restaurant. They were stopped by a young woman and her family. It took Ed a moment to recognize her as the woman he had saved. She introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Kim Green. These are my parents."

The man extended a hand to Ed and said, "I'm John and this my wife Grace."

Shaking his hand, Ed said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. This is my husband, John, and my wives, Kelly and Beth. The cougar is Rover, the panther is Shadow, the feisty cat over there is Tiger."

John Green looked at the Carter Clan with surprise. Under the gown, Ed had worn his normal jeans and work shirt. It was clear that he was a cowboy. John stood there with his walking stick and cloak. His long white beard and white patches in his long hair gave him the appearance of a wizard. Kelly was wearing off the rack clothes that were fairly conservative. Beth was wearing a designer dress that was conservative as well. The idea of a group marriage disturbed him significantly, but he managed to hide what he thought about the group marriage pretty well.

After a quick glance at Beth and Kelly, John said, "Would you and your family like to join us for a celebratory dinner over at the seafood place?"

Kelly said, "Please join us. We have a whole room rented and there are still some empty places. You'll have a good time."

The father felt a little uneasy, but agreed to go with them to the restaurant. The group headed out with John talking to the father. Beth and Kelly flanked Kim and talked to her about her experience. The caring that drove them to the medical field emerged as they talked with the young woman. Ed was left talking to the mother who expressed significant interest in the cats.

John Green asked, "So what government law enforcement agency does Ed do volunteer work for?"

Glancing back at Ed, John answered, "He works for the IRS in the criminal investigation branch."

"Really? I'm a CPA," replied John Green. He thought that he had known all of the IRS agents in the area. He added, "I thought I knew everyone in the Phoenix office."

John replied, "He's working on a joint case with the FBI at the moment so he isn't really ever in the Phoenix office. We've been working out of my office."

"You work for the FBI?" asked John Green surprised that the FBI would accept an agent in a group marriage.

"Like Ed, I volunteer my time. I work part time here in the physics department."

"Oh," replied John Green. He decided that even though John was a FBI agent, he was also a nut. He asked, "So how do you support your family?"

"Royalties from my inventions," replied John. He watched as Tiger ran off after a squirrel. The squirrel easily made it up the tree before the cat ever reached it. It looked like the cat was more interested in discharging a little energy than eating.

Grace was totally captivated by Ed as he told stories about being a cowboy. He was describing what it was like to be out on the range watching the sunset from the back of the horse. Kelly came up to him and hugged his arm. She said, "Are you trying to seduce another woman?"

Laughing, Ed replied, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Kelly turned to Grace and said, "Your daughter is positively lovely. She seems to have gotten through her ordeal very well. Of course, when Ed rescues someone he makes sure that they are treated very well and that their needs are the first to be meet."

Grace asked, "He's done that before?"

Sighing, Kelly replied, "John and Ed always seem to be in the thick of things. It seems to me that if they don't rescue someone twice a year, they aren't happy. They kid each other about it. It seems that John is always rescuing men and Ed gets the damsels in distress."

"You don't sound all that pleased about that."

Kelly shrugged, "They get injured sometimes. John has died twice. It's a little difficult dealing with the fact that your husbands are out in harms way."

Embarrassed at being the subject of conversation, Ed dropped back to talk to Kim. He asked her how things were going and what her plans for the future were. She said, "Well, when you rescued me, you told me something that has stayed with me. It changed my life significantly."

"What did I say?"

"You said that you enjoy being a white knight rescuing damsels in distress. Now I must admit that was a schoolgirl fantasy of mine, but the entire situation made me realize that I didn't really like being a damsel in distress," replied Kim. The fairy tales didn't talk about the misery, fear, and anguish that went with being in distress. She said, "When I was dating, I always was waiting for the guy to rescue me somehow. I realized that I don't want to be in a position where I need to be rescued."

Ed said, "That's wise."

Smiling, Kim said, "Well, it has made me look at the men around me a little differently. I discovered that I like smart guys a bit more than the big tough looking types that I always felt could rescue me."

"I'm sure that a lot of smart guys are glad to hear that," replied Ed.

Blushing, Kim said, "Well, I wanted to thank you for saving me."

"I was just happy to be there. Of course, Shadow was the one that let me know that something was wrong."

They reached the restaurant and entered. The place was crowded, but their party was taken to a private dining room. Ed hadn't known who was invited to the lunch and was quite surprised by the number of people present. Shirley came over and hugged him. She said, "I'm so proud of you. You really did it."

"Thanks, Shirley," replied Ed. He added, "Every time that I sit down at my beautiful desk to do my homework I think about you."

Looking at Ed, she remembered how shocked she had been when he announced that he was going to start college. Of course, she couldn't imagine that Ed would have changed so much since then. She kissed him on the cheek and said, "We'll be looking for great things from you in the future."

Kim and her family sat at a table with Rosa, Maria, and Carlos. Kim was shocked when Rosa said, "The last time I was in this part of town, I was attacked. Ed rescued me that day."

Maria patted her hand and said, "Don't worry, my dear Rosa. No one will bother you with us around."

Rosa smiled and said, "I'm not worried. Ed made it a point of honor so that my attacker will never bother me again."

Kim looked at Rosa and said, "He rescued me."

Carlos smiled and said, "Welcome to the club. Ed has helped just about everyone in here. Manuel and Joe over there were barely able to eat. He turned their business around almost overnight. Manuel is now active in the community, Joe is getting married, and their business employs twenty people. Ed brought the three of us together."

Joking and pointing at Carlos, Maria said, "And he's still trying to decide if that was a good thing or not."

Laughing, Carlos replied, "Ah, I love you both."

At the front of the room, Ed was talking with Manuel. The elderly Hispanic man had struggled to identify an appropriate graduation gift to give Ed. It was a tough job identifying something that would be meaningful to Ed, particularly since he was so self sufficient. He had settled on a new saddle and was now presenting it to Ed by showing him a picture of the saddle. Ed was extremely pleased by the gift, a fact that made Manuel very happy.

John was talking to Nevada who was rather surprised by how well Ed had done in school. Nevada said, "When he said that he wanted to study rocks, I thought he was crazy. Who thought you could make a living out of rocks."

John replied, "Ed just turned down a six figure salary from an oil company."

Nevada turned to stare at Ed and asked, "He turned it down?"

"Yes," replied John. He understood how Nevada would take that news.

Nevada said, "I better go talk to that boy."

John laughed as Nevada headed directly to Ed. In a way, he felt sorry for Ed because Nevada was going to try his best to convince Ed to take the job.

A very happy Shirley made her way over to the table where Rosa was seated. She leaned on the table and said, "Rosa, it's so nice to see you out with your family."

Rosa smiled and pointed over to the other table as she said, "I see that you managed to gather your family together for a change."

Maria said, "It must be a rare occasion since you all keep such strange hours."

Shirley smiled and said, "Well, running the bar keeps me out most of the time. Mary and Edward are busy going to school. Mary is pre-med now. Edward is getting a degree in business. Sidney is busy at the FBI."

John Green asked, "Are Mary and Edward your children?"

"No, they are my wife and husband. So is Sidney," replied Shirley. She winked at Rosa and then pointed back to her table. She said, "Sidney is the one with the Seeing Eye dog. Mary is the lovely young lady with the burns on her face. Edward is the handsome man talking to Sidney."

Grace said, "It sounds like there are a lot of group marriages where you guys live."

Recognizing that the Greens were uncomfortable with the topic, Carlos said, "No, there are just a lot of people who have learned how to love without embarrassment or shame. So many people hide their feelings, their dreams, and their problems. Once those things come out in the open, miracles can happen."

Maria said, "Love is wanting to help people become the best person that they can be. If you look around this room, you will see lots of very happy people that are striving to achieve excellence in their lives. John and Ed taught all of us that."

Ed came over to the table and greeted everyone, "Hello. Due to the number of people here, they are setting up a buffet for us. It should be ready in about fifteen minutes. I hope that you aren't starving."

Rosa laughed and said, "You guys are the kind that make the books of a business like this look good. Of course, you also drive the help crazy."

Ed leaned over and kissed Rosa. Standing he asked, "Are you saying that from personal experience?"

"Of course. You know you are just a rascal at heart, sowing chaos where ever you go."

Ed turned to Carlos and asked, "However do you put up with her?"

Laughing, Carlos answered, "I spend as much time at work as possible."

Ed realized that he hadn't talked to Carlos in quite a while. He asked, "So how is the landscaping business going?"

Smiling, Carlos said, "It is going very well. We have contracts now all over the state. Your idea of teaming up with a pool man was absolutely brilliant. I'm so much happier now that I can do what I really love."

"Great. I'm so glad to hear that," replied Ed. He added, "According to my old boss, I may have to come looking for a job one of these days."

Shirley smiled and said, "I take it that Nevada found out that you turned down the job with the oil company to go to graduate school."

"Oh yes. He didn't believe that I could make a living looking at rocks, then he doesn't believe that I can do better than an oil company. The poor guy is over there wondering what this world has come to."

Maria asked, "Grace, what do you do?"

Smugly, Grace said, "I do volunteer work at the Fusion Foundation Offices In Phoenix."

"Oh, I didn't realize that you knew the Carter Clan from there," replied Maria.

Looking blank, Grace answered, "I've never met John Carter. They don't make it to the Phoenix offices until after everyone else has gone. I understand that he's pretty reclusive. They don't even have a picture of him at the Fusion Foundation Offices."

Smiling at Ed, Shirley shook her head at the idea that Grace had just been talking to John without knowing who he was. She said, "I think you'll get a chance to meet him one of these days. I do know that they tend to be even busier than our group."

Grace asked, "How do you know them?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "We both met him the first time he came into her bar for a coke."

"I've got to go back to my family now." Laughing, Shirley said, "Ed, you are a very bad boy!"

Laughing at her parting comment, Ed watched Shirley walk back to her table. John Green sat back in his chair and started thinking about what he had learned Ed and his family. There were enough odd comments that he was left wondering if the John moving around the room was the John Carter. John Green asked, "What was she saying about you being a bad boy?"

Winking at Ed, Maria replied, "Oh, she was saying that he was a bad boy because he hasn't told you that you've already met the entire Carter Clan."

Ed noticed that Terry and Dale had just entered the restaurant. He said, "Excuse me, but there are a couple of classmates of mine."

As Maria explained how they had met John Carter and the rest of his family, Ed went over to Terry and Dale. With a warm greeting, he said, "So, the big day is in a month. Getting nervous?"

Terry shook her head while Dale nodded his. Ed laughed at the difference in reaction between the couple. Terry said, "Well, he is a little nervous."

Ed put an arm on Dale's shoulder and guided the couple over to one of the tables. As they went there, Ed said, "Don't be nervous. This is the best decision you've ever made. There is nothing better than the love of a real woman in your life."

Smiling, Dale replied, "I know that. I've never been so happy."

"That's good," replied Ed. He winked at Terry and said, "Wait until you get married. Then you can start swinging."

The young couple burst out laughing at the joke. They both knew there was more than a little truth in it. Terry replied, "We'll be knocking on your door."

Kissing her on the cheek, Ed said, "Bring it on."

They reached the table and the couple sat down. This appeared to be the geology table as they were seated with Professor Simms and his wife. The discussion immediately turned to what jobs the young couple were taking. Terry had taken a government job while Dale had taken a job with an oil company. They were looking forward to a good income for the next few years.

When they announced that the buffet was ready, Ed joined his family at the other table. They chatted while people lined up to get food, preferring to wait at the table rather than in the line. There was more than enough food for the number of people present. Beth asked, "So how do you feel?"

Smiling, Ed replied, "Well, the ceremony was a little embarrassing in a couple of places. However, I do feel good about having finished something that I started."

Knowing that Ed had really debated about attending, Kelly asked, "So are you glad you came?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes, I am. I didn't expect the scholarship and accepting it was rather more exposure than I'm used to, but I enjoyed it."

John replied, "That's good. I did it for all three of my degrees. I feel like it helps bring closure to all of your efforts."

Nodding her agreement, Beth said, "It is important to celebrate the successes that you've worked hard to achieve."

Thinking about it, Ed realized that this was the first thing that he had ever worked to achieve. As a cowboy, he had just gone along doing what he was told without an eye to the future. Starting school was his first step in taking control of his future and the fact that he had finished it was a major achievement. It was at about that point, that Ed realized that most of the students that had just graduated had approached school just like he had approached being a cowboy. It was a job rather than a passionate pursuit that was worth doing for its own right.

Kelly jiggled his elbow and said, "Earth to Ed."

Realizing that he had been lost in his head for a while, Ed said, "Sorry, I was just thinking there for a minute."

Beth asked, "What were you thinking about?"

Bursting out laughing, John said, "They will never learn how to talk to a man."

Kelly retorted, "You call that talking? You guys sit there for an hour and say three sentences."

"Conversing. You know. I say something and then you say something back. We do that over and over until everything is said." She added, "Those two will never learn how to talk to us. You ask them something and they stare off into space for an hour. What kind of conversation is that?"

Kelly said, "At least I have you, Beth."

Sitting there watching the two women chatter, Ed shook his head. One comment and they had lost all track of the original question. He burst out laughing and was soon joined by John. Frustrated, Kelly asked, "What's so funny?"

"John just got you guys talking with just a single sentence giving me a chance to finish my thoughts." He looked from Kelly to Beth and then added, "You just think that we don't know how to talk to you."

Flustered, the women got up and went to get food. The two men looked at each other and burst out laughing even though they both knew they were going to pay for it later. Now that the line had disappeared, they went to get some food. Ann, the head of the FBI office was in line in front of Beth and Kelly. She turned to them and said, "You look like me after talking to them for five minutes. I have no idea how you live with them."

Ed was there just in time to hear the comment and said, "They put up with us because we love and adore them."

Kelly melted and said, "That's true."



-------

Chapter 8


Assuming a defensive posture, Ling stepped in front of John and Ed. Edgy, Rover and Shadow were both whipping their tails signaling their agitation. There was something wrong in the area, but there wasn't any sign of what it might be. All they knew was that the problem was inside the convenience store.

John had felt drawn to the store, but Ling would not allow him to enter. His service was conflicting with Ling's insistence on keeping him safe. Finally, he could take in no more and said, "We go in together."

Glaring at John, Ling opened the door and entered the store. The cats shot through the opening like a bullet almost knocking her off her feet. With much greater caution, John and Ed entered the store. There was no one in sight.

Ed stopped and looked around the store. It was an older convenience store with the checkout counter, crowded with cigarette racks, next to the door. To the left ran narrow isles stocked with chips, snack foods, and the necessities of modern life that one often found missing at the last minute. Along the back ran the coolers with soft drinks, milk, and other products that required storage in a cold environment.

Making a sign to be quiet, Ling pointed to a door at the back of the store where the cats were gathered. The cats looked very agitated as though there were something inside that they didn't like. Driven by an urge to act, John had to restrain himself from charging into the back room, allowing Ling to do her job.

Disliking the prospect of moving into a room that they had no idea what was inside, Ling came over to them and said, "I don't like this. I recommend that we call the police and let them handle it."

Unable to resist his urge any longer, John walked over to the door and opened it. As he stepped in, he shouted, "Hello. I want to pay for this quart of milk."

The cats slipped into the room and gathered in front of a door marked 'office.' Very irritated, Ling pushed John out of the way and ran into the room. Ed followed them and examined the room. The majority of the space was occupied by storage and was dimly lit by a single forty watt light bulb. To the immediate left was a heavy metal lined door that was the entrance into the cooler. To the immediate right was an unlit unisex bath room with the door open. Next to the bath room was a closed wooden door that had a little sign pronouncing that it was the office.

Moving into the storage area, Ed immediately noticing a young woman tied up and laying on the floor in the corner. The expression around her eyes was one of terror. Ed knelt down and removed a Swiss army knife from his pocket. Holding a finger in front of his lips to let her know that she was to remain quiet, he cut the ropes that were binding her legs. Moving carefully, he moved behind her and cut the ropes around her wrists. Rather than removing the gag, he allowed her to do that giving her a little sense of empowerment in freeing herself.

With a little hand gesture, he signaled for her to follow him out of the storage area. The noise caught John's attention and he turned to watch Ed lead the girl out of the storage room. He followed them to find out what the girl knew about what to expect in the office. She finished removing the gag when they reached the inside of the convenience store proper and took a deep breath.

Whispering, John asked, "How many bad guys are there?"

Walking over to the cooler, Ed retrieved a coke for the girl to drink. Handing it to her, she took three big sips before answering the question. Even so, her voice came out as a croak as she said, "One. He has a gun."

Nodding, John asked, "What does he look like?"

She answered, "The guy is old, maybe mid-twenties with short hair that is shaved around the back."

Amused that the girl thought that someone younger than him was old, Ed asked, "What does the store employee look like?"

"He's real old. At least forty and bald."

"Thanks for the information," replied John as he returned to the storage area.

Unsure what to do with the young woman, Ed suggested, "Let me get you into our car. You'll be safe there."

The girl looked at Ed and said, "I'd rather not get in a car with a stranger."

Understanding her sentiment, Ed suggested, "You can wait outside or stay in here while I call in the police."

She looked outside and said, "I'd rather stay in here."

Frowning, Ed asked, "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

Looking at her, Ed could hardly believe that she was fourteen. She looked like she was eighteen or older. Of course, that explained why she thought someone in their mid-twenties was old. He said, "When I'm done with the police, call your parents. You'll want your mother or father here when the police start asking you questions."

Ed went over to the phone and dialed the police. It was difficult telling the police where they were since they had just been driving through the area when John had insisted that they stop. The police said that they would be there in about ten minutes as it was well outside of town. Almost as an afterthought, Ed mentioned that a FBI agent and private detective were in the process of apprehending the suspect.

After hanging up, he handed the phone to the young girl to call her parents. It was a very emotional call. When she hung up, Ed said, "I think it would be best if we wait outside for your parents. Our wives are outside in the van and they can watch over you. One of them is a doctor and the other is a nurse."

Following her out the front door, Ed waved to the van where Beth and Kelly were waiting for them to finish their business. The pair of them and Tiger left the car and came over to Ed. Ed said, "This young lady was tied up in the back of the store. Ling is going to subdue the suspect. John is serving as backup to Ling and the cats. The police and her parents are on the way here."

Kelly asked, "What are you going to do?"

Ed answered, "I'm going to guard this door so that if he gets past John, then I can stop him."

Entering the store, Ed stopped so that he was effectively blocking the exit. He had hardly finished positioning himself when a man burst through the door from the back room. He flew out head first with Ling holding his arm between his legs. When she lifted up on his arm, the pressure on the guy's balls forced him to a stop and to raise on his tiptoes. She said, "You are going to lie down on the floor spread eagle."

She slowly forced him down to the floor by putting pressure on his back. When he was flat on the floor, she kicked his legs apart and put his hands out to the side. Rover came over and laid on the guys back, pinning him there.

Coming out from the back room with the owner of the store, John stopped by the man on the floor and said, "If you move that cat will rip you to shreds before you can get one foot."

Ed went over to the owner and looked over him. There was a nasty cut on his forehead that looked like he had been hit by the pistol. As he led him outside where Kelly and Beth were watching the girl, he said, "We have a doctor outside. She'll look at the cut on your forehead."

Holding a hand over his forehead, the owner replied, "Thank you. I'm not feeling very well."

That statement worried Ed as he considered what that meant about the nature of the injury. It was most likely a concussion and it made him feel better that Beth was here to take care of him. He handed the man off to Beth and Kelly and said, "This is the owner. He's been hit in the head and is complaining that he doesn't feel well."

Beth immediately went to examine the man while Kelly, after checking with the girl, went over to help. Since things here were well in hand, he started to return to the store. Pausing to look over at the girl they had rescued, he saw that she was busy petting Tiger. It always amazed him how the cats could help calm victims by giving them something to take their minds off the most recent events. He went over to her and knelt down. He asked, "Are you feeling okay now?"

Smiling up from Tiger, she answered, "Much better. Beth and Kelly took very good care of me. They introduced me to Tiger. He's such a wonderful cat."

Happy to hear that she was feeling better, Ed stood up and said, "He'll take care of you for now. He's a great watch cat."

As she turned her attention back to the cat, Ed returned to the store. The man was lying very still on the floor, afraid to move. Standing with arms crossed, Ling watched the man for any trace of movement. Leaning on the counter, John looked bored and asked, "When are the police getting here?"

Checking his watch, Ed answered, "Another five minutes."

There was a muffled croak from the man on the floor. The attempt to protest his treatment had been cut off by a very slight pressure of claws on his back. Amused, John and Ed looked at the man on the floor. John said, "I think the perpetrator of this crime feels that five minutes is too long."

There was a squealing of tires from a car driving too fast entering the parking lot. Ed stood at the open door to see what was happening. A very frantic looking woman leapt out of the car as soon as it stopped. As Tiger got out of the way, the woman raced over to the girl nearly blinded by tears. Ed called into the store, "The girl's mother has just arrived."

Beth called over to Ed, "Can you see if there are any bandages in there?"

Ed returned to the store and looked around for bandages. There were Band-Aids, but no bandages. He picked out a selection of things that might help and other medical supplies that might be of use. Returning outside, Ed said, "I couldn't find a bandage, but here is a box of various size Band-Aids. I also brought some antiseptic and aspirin. Is there anything else I should look for?"

Beth looked at what he had brought and said, "No, I can make do with this stuff."

Hoping to make sure that everything was okay, Ed went over to the mother and daughter. When the mother finally stopped hugging her daughter, Ed said, "The doctor and nurse gave your daughter a cursory examination and found nothing wrong. She was scared but unhurt."

The mother said, "Oh, thank you so much for taking care of my little girl."

As a police car raced down the street, Ed checked his watch. They were going to be late for the wedding. Glancing over at Beth and Kelly, he realized that they wouldn't complain since they were totally involved in treating the owner of the store. He turned to the woman and said, "The police are coming. They will want to talk to your daughter. Let her tell her story, but don't let them grill her about details that she is unsure about."

Having an assigned task seemed to calm the mother significantly. She replied, "Okay, I can do that."

Turning to the girl, Ed said, "Answer their questions exactly. Don't embellish your answers. The truth is exciting enough. Okay?"

Nodding seriously, the girl answered, "Sure."

Satisfied that both of them were ready to deal with the police, Ed stepped forward to fill them in on the basic details. He pulled out his ID and held it up for them as they stepped out of the car. Eyes glancing over the badge, the officer said, "Are you the guy that called us?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes, I am."

"Okay, can you tell me what's going on here?"

Ed answered, "Of course. It looks like a man entered the store and forced the owner to tie up a fourteen year old girl. After that, he took the owner into the office. You'll have to talk to the owner to find out what happened in there. My group was on their way to a wedding. We stopped at the store and realized that something was not right. John and Ling took the cats into the back of the store to deal with the perpetrator. I located the girl in the store room, untied her, and took her out of harms way. I then called you."

The officer asked, "You have the perpetrator under control?"

Laughing, Ed answered, "Yes, but he would probably prefer to sit in the back of a patrol car as soon as possible."

"What's so funny?"

Still laughing, Ed said, "You'll see when you get inside the store."

Following Ed into the store, the policeman froze when he saw the man on the floor with the cougar sitting on his back. After looking at the man's face, the policeman started to laugh and said, "Now I understand."

At a gesture from John, the cat moved off the man and sat down next to him. The policeman asked, "Has he been read his rights?"

John answered, "No. He also hasn't said anything. We were detaining him until the appropriate authorities arrived."

The policeman cuffed the individual and read him his rights as he led him to the police car. John, Ed, and Ling were alone in the store for the first time. The two men relaxed for the first time since this whole thing began. However, a very angry Ling turned to face John. With a barely contained fury in her voice, she said, "If you ever step in front of me again when I'm doing my job, I'll quit."

Surprised, John straightened up and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It's just that I was being driven by an urge to save the owner."

Holding her hands on her hips, Ling said, "The job of a bodyguard is to protect the client, not for the client to protect the bodyguard. You should not have come in the store."

Chastised, John said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to undermine your job."

This explosion on the part of Ling surprised Ed, although he should have predicted it. As a security specialist, Ling took her responsibilities very seriously. The cats didn't seem to like her tone, but didn't react in an excessive fashion. Ed said, "Ling, John had three bodyguards. Rover, Shadow, and you. Two of those bodyguards were gifts of the God that he serves. The God drives John to this behavior, but has provided for his protection."

Turning on Ed, Ling said, "That doesn't change the fact that he should have allowed me to do my job."

John said, "You opened the door and took the guy out. Not me. You did your job."

"After you pushed me out of the way when we went in the back room."

Quietly, Ed said, "May I suggest that after we get home that we find a way for us to work together on cases like this? I don't think that we'll have much luck right now."

At the realization that Ed was right, Ling relaxed and said, "That's a good suggestion."

John nodded his approval and said, "I think we had better give the information to the police so that we can at least make the reception."

Satisfied that things would eventually get resolved, the three of them went outside. There was an ambulance there and they were loading the owner of the store onto it. Several other police cars were parked around the store in a very haphazard fashion. Three policemen came over to them to get their statements.

Ling received the least respect from the police. Apparently, the FBI and IRS identifications meant more to them than Ling's private detective license. The treatment of her immediately improved when John mentioned that Ling was his bodyguard and security specialist.

As the interviews were winding up, the mother of the girl came over to Ed and said, "Thank you for saving my daughter."

Ed answered, "You're quite welcome. I hope that you all go out and celebrate your good fortune as a family."

After several rounds of good byes and thanks, the woman left with the girl. Ed watched them leave and then returned his attention to the interviewer. Since his role in the action was relatively minor, his interview was much shorter than the interviews of John and Ling.

Joining Beth and Kelly, Ed said, "We're running a little late. We might be able to make up a little time on the way there."

Looking at Ed like he was an idiot, Kelly said, "Face the truth. We are going to miss the wedding."

Shrugging, Ed said, "We allowed an extra hour to make it there. We've lost a little over an hour. We won't be too late."

Deciding that it wasn't worth getting upset, Beth said, "Ed, it's just that traveling with John tends to include a stop or two like this. We all know that, but sometimes it gets a little tiring."

It was another ten minutes before the interviews of John and Ling were completed. The group went to the van and Ling drove them away. The rest of the drive was uneventful, but they arrived ten minutes after the wedding started. They were met outside by Bob, the handyman from the house. He was waiting for the van so that they could move it to the back of the church to load with food.

As the family raced to the church, Ling said, "Sorry we're late. John forced me to stop at a convenience store that was getting robbed."

Shaking his head, Bob said, "I'll try to explain that to Marguerite, but she isn't going to be too happy about that."

Nodding that she understood, Ling said, "I'll help you load up the van."

"No. I need you to run to the burger joint and get twenty happy meals, half of them with burgers and half with chicken nuggets," replied Bob.

Surprised, Ling asked, "With a gourmet cook in charge, they are getting happy meals?"

Laughing, Bob answered, "Marguerite insisted. She said that for a lot of kids, happy meals are gourmet food."

Entering the church as quietly as possible, they were just in time to hear the exchanging of the vows. Rather than disturb people by taking seats, they stood along the back. Anyone that might have looked back would have been surprised to see a cougar, a panther, and a bobcat standing beside John, Ed, Kelly, and Beth. They were fortunate that all eyes were on the bride and groom.

One of the surprising things they discovered on entering the church was the tantalizing odor of food that wafted through the air. Marguerite must have outdone herself to produce that wonderful smell. It was easy to see that it was making everyone in the church hungry. People were licking their lips and rubbing their stomachs.

Standing in front of the Pastor, Terry looked great as a bride and Dale, dressed in a nice looking Tuxedo, did not appear to be too nervous. Watching them, Ed smiled as he thought about how different their wedding ceremony had been. Despite the differences, Ed recognized that the couple was just as tightly bound together as the Carter Clan. As they walked up the isle, there was that same glow of love that had accompanied their wedding. Glancing at Kelly and Beth, he could see that they felt it also.

Terry and Dale walked past where they stood against the wall. It was clear by the smiles on their faces that they were happy that the Carter Clan had shown up. For a moment, Ed wondered what they had thought at the beginning of the ceremony when his family wasn't in the crowd. Had they feared that they had insulted the Carter Clan somehow? After realizing that he should have called their secretary to allow him to tell them what was the delay, Ed decided that it was necessary to explain their absence. Hopefully, they would understand.

They went outside to participate in the ritual of throwing rice, except in this instance it was bird seed. Looking at the small bag of birdseed in his hand, Ed asked, "I thought it was supposed to be rice that we threw."

Even Beth looked at the packet with surprise. It was Kelly that said, "Rice can swell in the stomachs of birds. So people have started throwing birdseeds."

Laughing, John said, "I'd be more worried about Tiger eating the birds."

Although Ed found the comment funny, Kelly and Beth just looked upset. Seeing their reaction, Ed decided it was another difference in attitude that could be attributed to gender. He winked at John and turned his attention to other wedding guests as they filed out of the church. Although the wedding should have been the subject of conversation, all conversation turned to comments about the three cats sitting on the lawn behind the Carter Clan.

Once people got over the cats, the topic turned to food. Ed listened, pleased as people wondered what kind of food was going to be served at the reception. Everyone acknowledged that this was not going to be a standard chicken and roast beef wedding dinner. Even Ed didn't know the menu despite the fact that he was paying for a third of it.

They were joined by Sherry and Jim who had attended the wedding. Smiling at Ed, Sherry said, "Oh, the smell in that church was heavenly. What was she cooking?"

Shrugging, Ed replied, "I have no idea. It sure smelled good."

The appearance of the bride and groom reminded everyone to open the packet to throw the seeds. As the newlyweds walked past them to the limousine, Ed tossed the seeds at them with childlike pleasure. He was chuckling as he lofted the seeds in a high arc to fall upon them like rain. He was actually disappointed when he discovered that he was out of seeds.

Beth noticed and kidded, "Ed, you're having too much fun."

Teasing, Ed turned to Beth and said, "Can I have some more seeds, mommy?"

The whole group broke out laughing at that. They recovered in time to wave bye to the newlyweds. They would see the couple at the reception hall. It would be at least a half an hour before Marguerite delivered the food. Until then, they expected to see a lot of hungry people.

The reception hall was within walking distance. The group walked over to it at an easy pace talking about the events that had taken place on the trip there. Other guests followed the same route and many of them overheard them talking about breaking up the robbery attempt. There was the good natured teasing about how Ed had rescued the damsel while John was stuck with the old man.

They reached the reception hall and were surprised by the display inside the entrance to the hall proper. On a table were a series of plates showing the dishes that were being served for the dinner. Next to each plate was a stack of colored paper that indicated their selection. Bob was dressed in a nice black suit and was repeating to each person as they entered, "Select the dish you would like for dinner and take the colored paper corresponding to that dish so the waiters know where to deliver it."

Delighted, Ed looked over the table taking in all of the dishes that Marguerite had prepared. There was the Cornish Hen stuffed with Mincemeat, a venison dish, a nice tuna steak, a lasagna dish, a vegetarian salad with sautéed mushrooms, and two happy meals. It took him less than a second to select the venison dish. As others went through and picked their dish, Ed watched their reactions taking pleasure in the delighted reactions of the people in line.

The family went to a table in the corner where the cats would be out of the way. They were surprised to discover that there was assigned seating. Spreading out to look for their table, it was Kelly that found it right beside the table for the bride and groom and their family. It was very much a table of honor and it embarrassed Ed to be placed there. Ed asked, "Do you think we can swap tables with someone?"

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "They decided that this table was for us because that is what they wanted."

"Maybe by having us up here, we eliminate some family disputes," added Jim. He remembered his wedding and how many family members wanted seats of honor. The worst thing was that it was his family that was the worst, claiming that they were superior to her family.

Sherry said, "Amen to that. Ours was a regular battlefield over who sat where."

With a puzzled look on his face, Ed said, "Oh, I don't family so that wouldn't have ever been an issue."

Beth replied, "Our reception was rather unique in that people were able to move around and visit as they wished. In a way, that was perfect for a wedding with so many guests."

Seating themselves at the table to wait for the bride and groom, the cats went to a corner where they would be out of the way. A number of children came over to the table and asked if they could pet the cats. Before answering, John looked over at the cats. All three of them returned his look and bobbed their heads. Satisfied, John answered, "Yes, just don't hurt or tease them."

Ed watched the children closely making sure that none of them were too rough with the cats. Even a few adults went over to pet the cats. Once again, Ed was amazed at the ability of the cats to deal with people.

When the bride and groom entered the room, everyone cheered and then went to their tables. When everyone had seated themselves, a very happy Terry said, "Everyone. Usually the bride is the center of attention at a wedding. Today, I think it was the food that had everyone's attention. Even I was getting hungry smelling the food."

Everyone laughed at the statement. Once the laughter died down, she said, "I'm pleased to say that dinner is served!"

There was a lot of clapping in response to the announcement. A number of waiters came out from the back carrying plates of food. They moved to the individuals that had the appropriate color paper on their place setting and with great flourish set the plates in front of the hungry people. Despite the fact that there were almost a hundred and fifty people seated around the room, it only took them ten minutes to get everyone served.

A number of young kids bought out baskets of fresh baked bread and set them on each of the tables. They came back with pitchers of iced tea, cokes, and water. Tables that had been empty now were piled with food.

The front table was served first as befitted the newlyweds. Ed watched as the dishes were set in front of people. He took pleasure in how people really appreciated the food. Bob came to the table and said, "Marguerite did a good job in balancing the number and kinds of dishes. We have a couple of slips left for each dish so nobody had to miss out on their choice."

Relieved at the news, Ed replied, "Thanks for telling me Bob. I was worried about that."

Chuckling, Bob replied, "You should have seen the relief on Marguerite's face. She positively glowed when I told her that."

John asked, "Who were the kids that brought out the bread and drinks?"

"They were the choir. The church volunteered their use in thanks for the new kitchen," replied Bob.

Shaking his head, John said, "If I had thought of that, I would have made another contribution to the church."

Shaking his head in wonder, Bob returned to help Marguerite in the kitchen. There were times when the generosity of these people overwhelmed him. Even though today's activities were entirely within their contract, each of them knew that they would get a bonus for making this a nice event. Yet, no matter how generous they were, the interesting thing was that he had never seen them ripped off by anyone.

The dinner passed quickly and quietly, as the only conversation was the occasional comment about how good the food was. Even at their table, everyone ate their meal in silence enjoying the flavor of the food. The bride and groom were the first to finish as they were the first served.

Terry came over to their table and said, "I'm so glad that you could make it. We were worried that something happened."

Terry was leaning over facing Ed. Her breasts, shown in maximum glory by the wedding dress, drew his eyes. He barely heard Kelly say, "Ed found a damsel in distress to rescue leaving John with the old guy again."

When Terry laughed, Ed had the grace to blush. Teasing Ed, John complained, "Yeah, we go into the dark room and the only thing he sees is the damsel in distress. He forgets all about me."

Defending himself, Ed said, "What can I say? I like damsels."

Terry moved on to another table and visited with everyone in the room. Dale made the same trip but in the opposite direction. This was a nice touch as it meant that every table was visited twice and it gave everyone time to talk with both the bride and the groom alone.

The choir came out pushing a couple of carts filled with all kinds of deserts. They went from table to table allowing each person to select their own desert. Ed eyed the wedding cake in the other corner of the room and wondered who made it. It was a gorgeous cake and looked like it had been made by a master pastry chef.

After dessert, Dale stood up and said, "Before we go on to the normal wedding speeches by the best man, the father of the bride, and others, I would like to make a small announcement. In particular, I would like to thank Ed Biggers for having introduced Terry and myself. Now, Terry and I knew each other from class, but it was Ed that pointed out that we would make a great couple. By today's activities, I'm sure that everyone will agree that he isn't a bad match maker. Ed would you stand up, please?"

There was a round of applause as Ed stood and waved to everyone. He quickly sat down hoping to minimize the limelight. As he sat down, Bob brought Marguerite into the room. Dale said, "I would also like to thank him and the rest of the Carter Clan for their wonderful wedding present which we have just finished consuming. Today's dinner was prepared by their personal chef, Marguerite, and they covered the entire cost of the food. Could we give the whole Carter Clan a big hand?"

The applause was hardly forced, as it had begun before Dale had even finished talking. When the applause finally died down, Dale continued, "I would also like to recognize the wonderful chef, Marguerite, who prepared this wonderful feast. She also prepared the wedding cake. And I'll tell you the truth, it looks too good to eat."

Turning to Marguerite, he gestured in her direction as he said, "Marguerite, we thank you for this wonderful meal that you prepared with such love and caring. We applaud you."

This was followed by a tremendous round of applause. A very pleased Ed was clapping as hard as anyone. The present that he had wanted to give to the newlyweds had been better than he had dreamed. He looked at his family, thinking about how they had supported him in this and made it a wonder. Not for the first time, he thought to himself that it was great to be loved.



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Chapter 9


Swimming in the pool was one of the few pleasures that Ed actually scheduled to make sure that he had the chance to pursue. Every Wednesday, he left the school early and would not allow Bill to schedule a meeting for him. He would enter the pool area and swim by himself, taking pleasure in the feel of the cool water flowing around his naked body.

This was his moment of peace. He enjoyed the chance to be alone with his thoughts knowing that John, Kelly, and Beth were at work. The staff would be busy with their normal duties. Even the cat that normally followed him everywhere would be hiding in the garden.

Having finished his laps, he was floating in a relaxed fashion when his revelry was interrupted by a naked Ling slipping into the pool. She slowly swam across the pool with her breasts peaking out above the water. The extremely erotic sight was impossible for Ed to ignore and he wondered how often the staff took advantage of the pool when they were alone in the house.

Rather than just stare at Ling, Ed climbed out of the pool to relax on one of the poolside chairs. There was a plate of snacks and a glass of iced tea on the table next to the chair that Marguerite had provided. Picking up the glass, he took a sip of the iced tea and watched Ling swim. As he watched, he realized that this was the first time that he had seen any of the staff naked. He wondered if she would prefer if he left the pool area, particularly since his cock was beginning to respond to her presence. He asked, "Ling, would you like me to leave?"

As she swam languidly across the pool, she replied, "No, that's okay."

Reaching over to the plate of snacks, Ed took a couple of chunks of cheese and ham on toothpicks. While eating the snacks, he thought about the activities of the next few weeks. Tomorrow, they were going to send out the orders for the various agents to follow in taking down organized crime. It would be about ten days before they would execute those orders.

The attack on the house the other night had put the entire family and staff on edge. Ling had performed very well during all of the previous attacks, but even she was getting tired of it. This situation would only last two more weeks and there wouldn't be a ready source of organized criminals seeking to eradicate them. At least that was the hope.

Ling sat down in the chair next to Ed and glanced at his cock. It was semi-erect and the idea of it inside her almost took her breath away. She said, "You are thinking about the attacks on the house?"

Nodding, Ed replied, "Yes, I am."

"I am worried," replied Ling. The last attack had incorporated a lot of very heavy armament including missiles. She said, "It will only take one mistake on our part and we will lose."

Ed replied, "We only have to resist two more weeks."

"Why do you say that?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "I can't tell you."

The secrecy of John and Ed had just about driven Ling crazy. She was getting tired of it and said, "You can't tell me why you think it will be over in two weeks?"

"You aren't the only one who's frustrated. You should see the office heads of the IRS and FBI. They are ready to kill us," replied Ed with a laugh. Ann Moore and Gary Smales were bothering them every time they went into the office wanting details about what they were working on.

Shaking her head, Ling stood up and said, "I'm going back to work. Talking to you or John drives me crazy."

Ed watched her leave, enjoying the sight of her ass swaying as she walked. He glanced down at his cock relieved that he had been able to concentrate on work rather than let it react to her fully. The entire episode confused him as he tried to understand her behavior. Why had she come in here naked? That was very unusual behavior for her.

Deciding that it would be nice to relax in the Jacuzzi, he went over to it. Before he could enter, Bob came in the room. Ed looked at Bob and asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," replied Bob as he looked around nervously. He knew better than the lie to Ed, but he didn't feel like it was his place to comment on some of the undercurrents in the household.

Ed climbed in the Jacuzzi as he considered the sour tone in Bob's voice. Leaning back in the tub, Ed closed his eyes letting the jets massage his back. Without looking at Bob, he said, "You don't think it is your place to discuss the matter."

"That is correct."

Taking a deep breath, Ed said, "And you would not like to be forced to expose the secret by clever questioning on my part."

"Ys, that's right," replied Bob. He was upset that Marguerite had sent him in here to find out how Ed had reacted to Ling.

Ed replied, "I only have one question. Will this problem put my family at risk of harm?"

This was a question that Bob felt comfortable providing a reply without violating the trust of his coworkers. He said, "I do not think so."

Satisfied that Bob had answered truthfully, Ed sighed and allowed the water to relax his body. He said, "I won't question you any more."

Bob left the room and went directly to Marguerite to let her know that Ling had raised Ed's suspicions. Ed wondered what was going on, but decided that there was time to investigate before anything too dramatic happened.

After a nice long soak, Ed got out of the Jacuzzi and dried off. It was getting late and he needed to be in Phoenix for a meeting of the Fusion Foundation. The meeting was supposed to cover the forest fire fighting capabilities that were part of the emergency response branch of the foundation. Ed would be the only member of the family attending that meeting. John was putting finishing touches on the plans for the raid, Beth was working at the hospital, and Kelly was participating in a triage seminar for Fusion Foundation volunteer nurses.

Heading to his room, he cut through the garden. He paused to watch the fish swimming through the meandering stream and realized that he had not been taking much time for himself or his family. He and John would sit on the parapet and watch the sunset, but the amount of time they spent up there had been shrinking. All of them were so busy that he was seldom able to spend an evening with both Kelly and Beth.

He went into his room and dressed in his typical clothes. Grabbing his hat, he headed out of the room ready to face a long meeting. Shadow appeared beside him as he walked along. Glancing down at Shadow, he asked, "Getting tired of being out of the house all of the time?"

The cat didn't respond, but continued pacing him. Smiling, Ed went into the garage and held the door of his truck for the cat. This was still his old truck, although John was making suggestions that he get a fusion powered truck. With the cat covering the entire passenger side, Ed pulled out of the garage.

The headquarters for the Fusion Foundation in Phoenix occupied an unpretentious building in the downtown business district. He was a little early for the meeting and many of the staff members and volunteers were still present. On entering the building, the receptionist greeted him, "May I help you?"

Shadow went on ahead knowing where he was going. Shaking his head, Ed replied, "No thanks. I know my way to where I'm going."

As Ed went to go down the hall, the receptionist stepped out from behind the desk and said, "Excuse me, but you can't enter."

"I can't?" replied Ed in surprise. He looked at the woman and asked, "Could you explain why I can't go in?"

Looking very prime and proper, the woman explained, "You have to be escorted by someone that works here."

Amused, Ed asked, "How about you call Grace Green?"

The receptionist returned to the desk and made a call. After several rings, she turned to Ed and said, "Grace Green does not appear to be here at the moment. Are you sure your business is with her?"

"Oh, I just wanted her to walk with me to my office and catch up on news about her daughter," replied Ed.

The receptionist said, "I know everyone that has an office here and you do not have an office, sir."

As far as she knew, she was telling the truth. Getting tired of playing games, Ed said, "Well, I guess we'll just have to call Ellen."

"Which Ellen sir?"

"Ellen Faber," replied Ed.

Raising an eyebrow at Ed, the woman sat back and said, "May I tell her who is here?"

Smiling Ed replied, "Ed Biggers."

Without batting an eye, the receptionist called the office of Ellen Faber. Ed listened as she said, "There's some guy out here insisting on talking to Ellen."

There was a moment of silence and then she said, "He says his name is Ed Biggers."

Amused, Ed watched the expression on her face change from one of superiority to confusion to embarrassment. Her eyes glanced up in his direction and then returned to the desk. She answered, "Yes, ma'am. I'll send him there."

Hanging up the phone, the receptionist said, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know who you were, sir."

"No problem," replied Ed. This was just another little delay in what promised to be a long day. At least it had filled five minutes that would have been spent waiting for the others to arrive.

He headed down the hall to the elevators and found the cat waiting there for him. It actually looked irritated at the delay. When the elevator arrived, the pair of them entered and pressed the button to the top floor. The ride up was uneventful.

When the elevator opened he headed towards his office. His office, what a joke. There had been a major argument about whether each of the board members should have their own office. None of the Carter Clan saw the need, but the staff had gone ahead and set aside an office for each of them. The offices took up almost an entire floor. The conference room took up the remainder of the floor. Ellen was the only one that had an office up here, but she normally worked out of the office on the lower level.

Ellen was waiting for him outside his office. She said, "Mr. Biggers, I'm sorry about the delay downstairs, the receptionist has never seen you before."

Irritated at being called Mr. Biggers, Ed said, "No big deal. This is the first time I've been here during business hours. Maybe I ought to come in and meet people so that they can put a face to the name. I'll suggest that to John tonight."

Ellen said, "Everyone is here except for Mr. Smith. He said that he would wait until after business hours because of his bear."

Ed didn't make the connection that Mr. Smith was Sid until she mentioned the bear. Ellen really didn't know how to deal with Druids. He hadn't met one that was interested in titles of any kind. Ed said, "Sid is a Druid. Like myself, he'd prefer to be called by his first name."

"Mr. Biggers, men in your position deserve a certain level of respect," replied Ellen, totally unaware that she was saying exactly the wrong thing to Ed. She wanted to impress him with her professionalism, but it was backfiring. The effect was to make her look petty and small. Her fawning made her as if she was overwhelmed by important people and wanted to derive importance by being in their presence.

With a bluntness that shocked Ellen, Ed said, "I agree and in my opinion you would show the proper respect by calling me Ed. Making me feel uncomfortable does not show me the proper respect."

Standing in front of him, Ellen stammered for a full minute trying to figure out how to respond. She said, "Okay, Ed."

With a short nod of his head, he replied, "That's much better."

She said, "They are serving dinner in the conference room."

"Thank you," replied Ed. He went into the room and greeted the people already present. Ellen stayed outside collecting herself. Ed's comments had the tone of a rebuke and she didn't know what to do to correct the situation. She sat in the chair at the desk in front of her office.

She was still sitting at her secretary's desk when Sid arrived with his bear. After taking one look at her, he asked, "What's the matter Ellen?"

She looked up and realized that she had been crying. She tried to pull herself together and answered, "Nothing."

Sid replied, "A nothing that brings tears to the eyes sounds like a something to me. Tell me about it."

Without understanding why, she said, "Someone rebuked me because I wouldn't call him by his first name."

Sid asked, "Did that person ask that you call them by their first name?"

"Yes, he did," replied Ellen. She looked up at Sid to see his reaction.

"Is the person a VIP?"

Ellen responded, "Yes, very much so."

Sid recognized the touch of Ed in this. Rather than comfort her, he recognized that Ed had provided a lesson. Sitting down in the chair opposite her, Sid said, "Important, successful, and confident people are very well aware of who and what they are. They don't need pretentious fawning people to bolster their egos. They have their own definition of success and know they have met it."

Staring at Sid wide-eyed, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sid continued, "Ed and John are Druids. They know their worth and prefer to be treated like human beings. Do you know where they spend their free time?"

Shaking her head, Ellen replied, "I have no idea."

"There is a little bar in the town they live in. They spend their time drinking cokes and talking to the local people. Everyone in the town knows him and John. They'll take twenty minutes to find out how someone's kid is doing in school. They are regular people despite the fact that John can buy entire countries."

This revelation was the most surprising thing that she had ever heard. It was her understanding that they lived in a mansion and basically stayed out of public view. Her thoughts were interrupted by a roar from the cat and a loud bellow from the bear. The two animals ran into one of the offices. Laughing, Sid said, "I better get in there now that they know I'm here."

In the conference room, there was a large buffet with Romaine lettuce with various toppings to create a Caesar Salad. Ed had made a large salad topped with strips of sliced beef that was very good. Noticing Sid enter the room, he waved in a greeting which was returned as Sid made his way to the buffet.

After Sid had finished making his salad and seated himself at the table, Ellen entered and made herself a small salad without any toppings except for croutons. She was very reserved as she seated herself at the table.

Looking around the room, Ed said, "I'd like to call this meeting to order."

At the nods around the table, he continued, "Sid, last meeting you agreed to get information from the forestry service about the needs that we can satisfy with our equipment and people."

For the next half hour, Sid explained the full fire fighting needs of the forestry department. Ed followed the discussion carefully and made detailed notes. The bottom line was that they recommended two different options. The first option put most of the money into airplanes that could drop large loads over the fire. The second option put most of the money into helicopters that dropped smaller loads, but allowed greater precision. When Sid was finished, Ed sought to clarify the situation and asked, "So you have two separate proposals?"

"Yes, either option would augment our capabilities significantly."

Ed asked, "Are there any questions?"

Jack Anderson, the Carter Clan accountant, asked, "Cost wise, what is the major distinction between them?"

Sid smiled and said, "Spoken just like an accountant. The immediate costs are identical. The long terms costs favor the planes more than helicopters. You will see in the packet, the short term and long term costs broken out in detail."

Jack opened the packet and examined it. His eyes took in the details of the costs. Looking up at Ed, he said, "He's right. It does favor planes over helicopters."

Shaking his head, Ed asked, "Which option satisfies the need more fully?"

Sid said, "They are effectively the same. The tactics employed to quench the fires differ, but the overall strategy is the same."

Ed asked, "Well, we have a large fleet of transport planes. Derrick, you were going to look into the possibility of making the transports duel use."

Colonel Derrick Barnett, head of the Fusion Foundation fleet, replied, "I looked into it and it can't be done without significantly impacting the ability of the planes to transport freight. That would mean no bulldozers, fire trucks, or crew trucks."

Nodding, Ed said, "That was a long shot anyway. Are there any suggestions?"

Derrick replied, "I favor the planes. I view it this way. If the long term costs are lower for the planes, then we can afford to increase the fleet in the future."

Jack shook his head and said, "That's not going to be the way that it works. We'll review the budget annually and put the money where it is required. The fact that you're saving money doesn't show up."

The people around the table looked thoughtful as they considered the two options. Frustrated, Ed was angry that they weren't able to do more than what Sid had laid out. He vented his frustrations, "There has to be more that we can do."

Jack replied, "You only have so much money to spend on this particular problem. We could put it up to the full board to rearrange the priorities, but you'll be cutting other things that are just as important."

Sid leaned forward and said, "You may think what we are doing is nothing, but it almost doubles the resources that are currently fielded against fires. The fact that you are doing this is going to save thousands of acres."

The pleasant tone in the voice let Ed know that he was telling the truth. Leaning back in his chair, he asked, "Would anyone mind if we identify which of the two options presented each person supports?"

There was no objection, so Ed said, "If you support option one, then raise one finger. If you support option two, the raise two fingers."

Excluding his preference, it was three to three. Ed asked, "Would someone that supports option one please give a simple argument as to why they think that option is best?"

Jack replied, "Lower long term costs."

"Okay, how about a simple argument for the second option."

Ellen, feeling very nervous, raised a hand to get Ed's attention. Ed noticed and asked, "You have an argument?"

Looking around the table, she said, "Well, I don't have a vote, but I favored the second option for a very simple reason."

Ed asked, "What is it?"

She said, "The helicopters can be duel use while the airplanes can't."

Ed leaned back and thought about it. They already had a number of helicopters in the fleet. A smile spread over Derrick's face as he considered what that meant. Even Sid was given pause by that suggestion. Everyone looked around the table to see what others thought of the reason. Finally, Sid said, "Perhaps if the Colonel and I are given a little extra time to review what assets we already have that can be utilized, then I think we might be able to come up with a hybrid solution that is better than either option that I presented earlier."

Looking thoughtful, Derrick said, "I agree with Sid. I don't think we've found the best solution for the money that we have."

Looking around the room, Ed could see that a lot of people were nodding their heads. He said, "Does anyone disagree with giving them another month to identify a better solution?"

Expecting at least one nay, Ed was surprised when no one said a word. After waiting a full minute, Ed said, "Okay. I believe it is unanimous that we give it another month. Are there any other announcements? New business?"

Everyone was silent. Smiling in happiness that they had spent less than two hours in this meeting, Ed announced, "Meeting adjourned."

As everyone filed out, Ed, Ellen and Sid stayed in the room. When the room was nearly empty, Sid said, "Ellen, would you mind leaving us alone for about five minutes? We have Druid business."

Looking from one man to the other, Ellen slowly left the room feeling like she had been dismissed. When she was gone, Sid got up and closed the door. He asked, "Druids Revenge. Is it going to happen?"

Ed nodded and said, "Sooner than you can imagine."

As he reached for the door, Sid said, "Sean was a friend of mine. I miss him a lot."

Although Ed had not known Sean, it appeared that the guy had friends everywhere and many of the Druids were absolutely infuriated by his death. Ed said, "I didn't know him, but I feel for your loss."

Opening the door, Sid said, "Thanks."

After Sid left, Ed stayed in the conference room thinking about how many people Sean must have helped to have such a large circle of friends. One of the consequences of serving the Two- Sided One was that it tended to scare people away. It was understandable. How many people would feel comfortable knowing that the person they were talking to could detect each and every lie they said? He understood but it didn't diminish the distance that it tended to put between them and others.

Ellen came into the conference room and looked at Ed sitting in the chair. It was apparent to her that something was bothering him. She asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Looking up at Ellen, Ed replied, "Not really. Just thinking about fallen comrades and friends left behind."

Not knowing what brought that on, she simply answered, "Oh."

Realizing that he had made her uncomfortable, he decided that it was time to change the subject. This whole evening he had been pretty rough on her and it was time to mend some fences. He said, "That was a very good argument that you put forth. I think that we've got a chance to really make a difference there and a good deal of the credit goes to you."

Flushing brightly at the compliment, she replied, "Well, it just made sense to me."

Laughing, Ed replied, "That's the whole secret. It doesn't take a complex insight to come up with the solution that everyone recognizes as the correct one. It takes a simple insight that everyone else has missed. In hindsight, everyone wonders why they didn't think of it."

"Thank you," replied Ellen. She said, "I'm sorry about earlier. I guess Sid was telling you what we talked about."

"Not at all, we were discussing a friend of his that was murdered a year ago," replied Ed.

Startled, she looked at Ed and said, "I didn't know that he lost a friend."

"Yes, he did."

So many of her assumptions about these people were wrong. She said, "I had a little talk with Sid about what you said to me."

Noticing that she had finally started using first names, Ed smiled and asked, "So what did you discover?"

Licking her lips nervously, she replied, "He told me that you and John are just regular people."

Laughing, Ed said, "And you believed him?"

Not sure what to make of his question, she replied, "Yes, I did."

"Good because he told you the truth," replied Ed. Gesturing to a chair for her to sit in, Ed sat back and said, "You might want to remember that I'm basically a cowboy at heart. Even though I didn't think much of the job while I was doing it, I am happy on the back of horse riding the range."

Ellen sat down amazed that this important guy was telling her this. She said, "You really enjoy that job?"

"Well, I don't think much of the cows. However, I do love riding the range, but you can't make a living doing that. Now, I ride when I'm out hunting rocks. That's the best of all my worlds," replied Ed.

Shaking her head, she said, "I can't believe that you aren't a business man. You seem to run meetings very naturally."

"That's only because I hate meetings," replied Ed. His whole goal in running a meeting was to get it over as fast as possible. In contrast, Beth was incredibly patient asking each individual for their input. Her meetings lasted for ever, but at least stayed on topic. Kelly let meetings wander in topic all over the place. It was his opinion that if anyone felt strongly about a topic they would voice their opinion. If there was a conflict, then those involved would be assigned the task of resolving the conflict outside the meeting.

Laughing, she replied, "Some people live for meetings."

Still a little hungry, Ed went over to the buffet and fixed himself another salad. It seemed a crime to let so much food go to waste. Watching Ed, Ellen was amazed at his attitude. Ed asked, "Still hungry?"

She replied, "No. I don't eat a big dinner. My big meal of the day is lunch."

Shrugging, Ed finished fixing the salad and carried it to the table. After spearing a little of the lettuce on his fork, he asked, "I was wondering if you feel like we should introduce ourselves to the staff?"

Surprised, she asked, "Why?"

After swallowing the last bite of food he had taken, Ed replied, "Well, the receptionist didn't know who I was and I wonder if that is good. It's just that in case of an emergency, we should be able to get in here and fulfill our responsibilities."

Wonder what responsibilities it was that he was suggesting, she asked, "We have a full staff here."

He ate a little more of his salad as he thought about it. It was clear that she didn't know about John's gift from the Goddess. John would know when something major was going to happen and they'd show up here prepared to stay during the entire emergency. Smiling to himself, Ed replied, "You don't understand. When something really major happens, we will be here before it begins. People will be mobilized before anything happens."

"I really don't understand."

Ed replied, "That's okay. You aren't expected to understand. It's just that when we show up here unexpected, then you can bet that something big is going to happen."

Watching her think that over, Ed finished eating his salad. After a lot of thought, she asked, "Does this have anything to do with being Druids?"

"Everything," replied Ed.

Silent, she stayed behind when Ed left with Shadow. She watched him go thinking that it was a shame he was married. She could use a little masculine attention at the moment.



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Chapter 10


There was a huge meeting scheduled in the large conference room at the federal building and Ed was one of the featured speakers. It was two days after the big raid based on the detailed plans that Ed and John had created to take down the criminal organizations in twenty cities. It was time for them to debrief everyone on the actions of the previous day. The crowd would include FBI, IRS, and ATF.

Ed woke up dreading the day as he knew that he would be in a spotlight for a good percentage of the meeting. It was his role to explain how they had used tax laws to arrest most of the members of criminal organization. Rolling out of bed, he dressed and headed out of the room in his normal morning fog. He followed the smell of coffee to the dining room where Marguerite had set up a coffee urn.

After drinking a cup, the fog started to evaporate and he became aware that John was seated at the table watching him with amusement. After refilling his cup, he looked at John and asked, "What?"

Smiling, John replied, "You are just such a wreck in the morning."

As he worked on his second cup, Ed asked, "Any chance of getting out of this thing today?"

"None," replied John knowing exactly what Ed was talking about. He wasn't looking forward to the briefing. After seeing the grimace on Ed's face, John added, "If we are to teach them how to do these kinds of operations, then we have to talk to them."

Groaning at the implications, Ed finished his cup of coffee. He could feel the caffeine coursing through his system waking him with its usual effectiveness. At least he had set it up so that someone else would explain the tax laws under which the raids were authorized.

Marguerite showed up with a plate of French Toast and slid it in front of Ed. Confused, he looked up and asked, "How come I'm the only one you cook breakfast for every morning?"

Marguerite was no longer wearing the chain mail bra and no panties, although she still tended to dress with shorter skirts that normal. Spreading her legs and putting a hand on her hips, she said, "Because the others are awake enough in the morning that they come in and make their crappy breakfast before I have a chance to chase them out of the kitchen."

Ed glanced over at John and noticed the bowl of cereal in front of him. Looking up at Marguerite, he said, "Sometimes, I like cereal too."

Shaking her head, she stomped off to the kitchen swearing, "These people are barbarians. You just can't teach them anything."

After taking a bite of the French Toast, Ed said, "She does make a good French Toast."

Winking at Ed, John said, "One of these days I'll have to try out her breakfast foods."

Marguerite called out, "I heard that. Tomorrow morning, you eat the food I cook."

Slowly eating his breakfast, Ed thought about how complicated life had been ever since the Medieval Dinner that they had thrown. The staff had made a demand that they be allowed to have sex with members of his family. That had really surprised him, but explained a number of recent events including Ling's nude swim a couple of weeks ago. The raids had been successful, but they hadn't seen or heard from Ann since that day. He wondered if they had insulted her somehow. Today he had the meeting and just about everyone who was everyone would be there. Most likely that included the press.

Interrupting his thoughts, John said, "We had better hurry. It would be horrible to be late to this meeting."

Bluntly, Ed said, "After this is over, I'm going to find someone that likes to ride and go out for a week hunting rocks."

Nodding thoughtfully, John said, "What about, oh what's her name from the rock store?"

Looking up from the last bit of French Toast, Ed said, "Who? Kim?"

"Yes, Kim."

"She's a woman. I don't know how I would handle being out with a woman alone for a week."

Shrugging, John replied, "It's okay with me if things develop, just so long as you are honest about it. I'm sure the wives feel the same way."

Entering the room, Beth asked, "About what?"

John replied, "Ed said that he wanted to find a fellow horse lover and go hunting rocks for a week. I suggested that he take Kim, but he's afraid that it will be uncomfortable spending a week alone with a woman outdoors."

As Beth poured herself a cup of coffee, she tried to remember who Kim was. It took her a bit of effort to recall the cheerful young lady that ran the rock store. Turning to face them, she said, "Oh, she's cute. I don't see any problem with that. I doubt that Kelly would have a problem with you going out on the range with her."

Shaking his head, Ed finished his breakfast. He sat back and said, "I don't feel comfortable with it. I'll find someone else."

Beth said, "Don't be silly."

The discussion was interrupted when John said, "We had better head out. The meeting starts early."

As Ed followed John out of the house, they ran into Kelly entering the dining room. With quick kisses, they left followed by Rover. It was a rare day lately when only one cat went with them. Not trusting Ed to drive first thing in the morning, John drove them to the Federal Building. Ed stared out at the landscape as it slowly changed from wild desert to suburban setting.

Ed remarked, "It seems that the city is getting closer to us every year."

Laughing, John replied, "I wouldn't be surprised if we aren't living in downtown in a decade."

"I definitely need to get out of town. I've been spending too much time in the city. The city really depresses me," said Ed. He looked at a suburban house with the green lawn with disgust. He asked, "What kind of idiot would by a house in a desert area and plant grass?"

Glancing over at Ed, John said, "Some people think that a lawn is an important statement about them."

Grunting, Ed said, "Right. You grow grass in a desert so that you have to water it all of the time. Then it grows so you have to cut it every week. What a stupid way to spend half a day."

Recognizing that Ed was just feeling a little more grumpy than usual, John decided to put a good spin on it. He said, "Just think about Carlos. If it wasn't for these guys, he wouldn't have a business."

"I guess you're right," replied Ed. Still thinking about it, they finally reached the Federal Building. Pulling into the parking lot, they sat in the jeep for a minute. Neither man was in a hurry to get out, but the clock was ticking. Horrified by the implications, Ed stared at the news trucks parked in front of the building. Turning to John, he asked, "Is there a back door to this place that we can use?"

Laughing, John replied, "No. We have to face them some time or another. Might as well be today."

"Let's get through this and get home." Ed had only been awake for two hours, but he was already feeling exhausted.

The two men, followed by Rover, headed to the entrance. The crowd of reporters was so large that neither one of them was able to get to the building. Finally, John said, "I heard a bunch of them were thinking about going in the back way."

About half of the reporters within earshot looked around quickly and then headed to the back of the building. They went into the building amidst the confusion. Ed looked over at John and said, "Thanks, I would never have been able to say that."

They were met by Gary Smales and a very large woman. She was both tall and broad, but not fat. He introduced the woman, "Ed, this is your boss, Deana Ahlberg."

She extended a hand as she said, "Thank you for avenging Sean's death."

Taking her hand, Ed replied, "I was more than happy to do it."

Mike Holden came over and shook John's hand. With a very large grin, he said, "Great job, John. When I finally saw the packet that you put together, I have to tell you that I was really impressed."

Deana turned to Mike and said, "Hello, Mike. Our two special birds really stirred things up."

Mike laughed and said, "A pleasure to see you again Deana. Yes, they did create a little bit of news. I spent most of that day briefing the president. Most of it was spent wondering why you weren't there too."

Laughing, Deana said, "I called in sick. I wanted to watch it all by myself."

"Well, your boss was more than happy to take credit for what was going on even though he had no idea what was happening," replied Mike. Turning to John and Ed, he asked, "Are we invited out to your place for dinner?"

Smiling, John said, "Of course you are, you both are. In fact, we were expecting you to stay at the house last night, but Bill said you turned down our invitation."

"I figured you guys needed a day off and didn't want to burden you with entertaining us."

Suppressing a groan, Ed realized that tonight was going to be spent entertaining. He looked out the window of the building hoping to see the desert, but all that he was able to see was a mass of news reporters. He needed to get out into the desert and soon.

Gary said, "We had better go inside."

Ed followed everyone into the conference room. Rover walked beside Ed, almost as if he shared Ed's desire to be anywhere except for there. The room was filled with row after row of seats like in a theatre. Almost every seat had someone in it. Looking around, Ed didn't think he had ever seen so many suits and ties in one place.

He looked for a seat in the back, but John waved him to the front. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized they were going to be sitting on the stage. On the way there, he stopped to talk to Frankie Paulovich to make sure that he was ready to talk about the tax laws that were the basis for the arrests.

Everyone was waiting for him to get to the stage and to his chair. Sitting next to John, he leaned over and whispered, "Is this really necessary?"

Chuckling, John replied, "The sooner we get started, the sooner we can get done."

Snorting in derision, Ed said, "They are going to keep us here all day. It doesn't matter when we get started. The earlier we start the longer people will talk."

Mike went to the podium and turned on the projector. Immediately, the agenda came up on the screen. Groaning, Ed saw that it was going to last at least three hours. Mike opened the proceedings when he said, "Today, we are here to learn about the greatest law enforcement victory in history. Never before were so many criminals that were associated with so many crimes arrested in a single day. The raids two days ago were masterminded by John Carter of the FBI and Ed Biggers of the IRS. Let's give them a big hand."

There was a very loud round of applause from the people in the audience. Ed looked around, embarrassed by the attention, and noticed that Ann was not present. He didn't listen as Mike continued talking about the number of arrests made, the amount of money confiscated, and the quantity of drugs taken off the streets. He was surprised to find that arrests were still taking place as evidence identified the involvement of other individuals.

Mike spoke for almost thirty minutes identifying the various individuals that had performed above and beyond the call of duty. In the feedback that they had received while tracking the raid, no one had mentioned any gunfire. Apparently, the last few raids encountered serious resistance.

After Mike, Deana took the podium where she outlined the number of tax fraud cases that had been developed. The amount of money that would be collected was phenomenal. It was well known that the underground economy was the same size as the legitimate economy. With the ability of criminals to hold small businesses at their mercy, it was expected that many of those companies would be able to report as much as ten thousand a year more income.

Eyes glazing over, Ed looked at his watch. Almost an hour had passed, but it had felt like an eternity. It was hard to believe that he would have to be here for two more hours. He fidgeted in his chair as it felt like his legs were about to fall asleep. Looking across the audience, he could see that most of them were enthralled with what she was saying.

Finally, John was asked to take the podium. There was a huge applause that lasted at least five minutes. John said, "I'm pleased to be here. I guess there are some questions about how we put together the operation that should be resolved."

Without waiting for any feedback, John started outlining how they had taken known information about the individuals and correlated that with types of criminal activities. This allowed them to time the raids with times when they were performing criminal acts such as counting undeclared money.

Since he knew exactly how they had constructed the plan, Ed didn't pay attention. John was scheduled to talk for an hour. There was an exit near his seat and sitting there, he decided that this would be a good time to slip out of the room. Making as little noise as possible, he slipped to the door and went out. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes and thought about getting in front of all of those people. John made it look so easy, but he was terrified of standing up in front of large audiences like this.

He went into the men's restroom and washed his face at the sink. It was his hope that he could calm down sufficiently to get through the speech. His stomach churned and his palms were cold and clammy. It only got worse when he thought about getting up there at the podium.

The door of the restroom opened and he turned to see who had come in. To his surprise, it was Gary Smales, the head of the Phoenix office. Gary took one look at Ed and shook his head. He said, "You look like shit."

Groaning, Ed replied, "Thanks a lot. I needed to hear that."

Laughing, Gary said, "Yes you did. Now listen to me. I know that we got off on the wrong foot the first day you came into my office. However, thanks to you we are clearing cases in record time. Our collections are up at record levels and that's without imposing penalties on most of the people. Now you did that."

Not wanting to take credit for the work the other agents had performed, Ed said, "I had very little to do with that."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Gary said, "Now you have helped bring down a huge number of criminals. I know you don't like to take credit, but it is important to the people out there to know how you did it. Don't talk about yourself, but about the job. Rather than say, I examined the tax forms and selected items that were suspicious, you should say that it is necessary to examine tax forms for suspicious items. That way, you aren't talking about yourself."

Glancing at Ed, Gary added, "You did the work. Nobody knows more about what you did than you. No one in that room can contradict you."

It struck Ed as ironic that the one person that had given him the hardest time over the past year was giving him the advice that would allow him to get up at the podium. He looked over at Gary and said, "Thanks for the advice. Is there any chance that you'll give the talk for me?"

Laughing, Gary answered, "Not a chance in hell. Now lets get out there and let you say your piece. John should be finishing any time now."

Ed followed Gary out of the bathroom. It wasn't long before he took his place at the podium and started talking. Somehow, once he started it wasn't so bad. He spoke for fifteen minutes and then turned the floor over to Frankie to give the background on the tax laws that were invoked.

Sitting in the chair next to John, Ed breathed a great sigh of relief. John nudged him and whispered, "I was afraid that you weren't going to make it back in time."

In a whisper, Ed answered, "If I had my way, I wouldn't have come back."

The reply made John chuckle. He whispered back, "Well, I'll let you speak first next time. When I leave the room you can worry if I'm coming back."

The two men got quiet and listened to Frankie talk to the crowd. He appeared to handle the pressure of talking to a crowed room very well. Ed wondered if he should sign up for some sort of public speaking lessons. This was his first time to have to address a large crowd, but he suspected that it wouldn't be the last.

After Frankie had finished, Mike returned to the podium. He smiled at the people gathered there and checked his watch. Somehow, he had to fill almost thirty minutes of time. Thinking quickly, he said, "I'm sure that many of you have questions that you would like to put to John Carter and Ed Biggers. I would like to invite you to ask your questions now."

An agent in the middle of the room, stood up and asked, "I would like to know how both men feel about their role in this effort?"

John and Ed both went to the podium. With a gesture, John suggested to Ed that he go first. As Ed stepped to the microphone, John made a move like he was about to leave. Ed grabbed John, just so that he couldn't get away. Staring intently at the microphone, Ed answered, "I am pleased that it was successful and I'm proud that I had a part in it however small it was."

Stepping back, he pushed John to the microphone. Smiling, John took his place and answered, "Ed is too modest. He played a major role in planning this operation. He worked evenings and weekends while going to school full time to make it happen. Personally, I'm pleased to have played a part in this. I'm proud of all the people that were involved."

Another agent stood up and asked, "What motivated you to tackle an operation this large?"

Not waiting for John to step forward, Ed took the microphone and answered, "There were multiple attempts on John's life as a result of a previous case. When an individual was dispatched to inform that providing assassins against John would result in severe consequences, that individual was brutally tortured and killed. There have been more attempts on his life since then."

John stepped up to the microphone and said, "Everything that Ed said is true, but he is telling only half of the story. The rest of the story is that a lot of people risk their lives for others everyday. Those people have to be protected as well. If I was the only victim of the organized crime families, then I wouldn't have acted. However, they prey upon people and exploit their weaknesses for profit. That is wrong."

John stepped back and nodded at Ed, letting him know that avoiding mentioning the Druids was a good thing. Although the operation was called Druids Revenge, most of the audience was unaware of how many of their brethren were Druids. For now, that was the best policy.

Another individual stood up and asked, "A lot of evidence has been collected indicating crooked police officers were protecting criminal organizations. What about them?"

John answered, "They will be dealt with. They have sworn a holy oath to protect and to serve. By taking money and looking the other way while criminals were making victims in their jurisdiction they have violated that oath."

Stepping forward, Ed added, "Crooked police officers are only part of the problem. We also have a large number of elected individuals that worked on behalf these organizations. In addition, there are judges, district attorneys, and others in the judicial branch that are crooked as well."

Another individual said, "You seem quite vehement about this."

Stepping forward, John said, "If you are in service to your country, either as an elected representative or government employee, and accept a bribe to do what is not in the best interest of the country, then you have committed treason. In my opinion, it is that simple."

When Ed didn't step forward to say anything, another individual stood and asked, "Does that go for Political Action Committees?"

Glancing over at Ed, John stepped forward and said, "If an elected representative accepts a bribe to act in a manner that he knows is counter to the best interests of this country, then he has committed treason. PACs make distinguishing that a very difficult problem."

A FBI agent that Ed recognized from the White Slavery Ring case stood up and said, "You've taken on serial killers, white slavers, and organized crime. What's next?"

The answer was short and to the point when John said, "I have no idea."

Mike stepped to the podium and said, "Excuse me, but we have a special telephone call for John and Ed."

The voice of the President echoed through the conference room from the overhead speakers as he said, "Our country owes John Carter and Ed Biggers a huge debt of gratitude for severely crippling what has been a plague on the American People for too long of a time. People have been hurt, small businesses destroyed, and confidence in law enforcement undermined by organized crime."

"Personally, I would like to thank John Carter and Ed Biggers for what they have done. It restores my faith in the American People to learn that you two men worked so hard to make a real difference. I was staggered to learn that you did all of that work without pay. You are an example of what a person can do to make life better for everyone if they only put their energies in that direction. You are both American Heroes."

"I would like to take this opportunity to invite both of you and your families to the White House."

The two men looked at each other for a second as they exchanged the looks that both used when being forced into something they didn't want to do. With the pause in the President's speech, John replied in the microphone, "Mr. President, this is John Carter. My family and I appreciate the invitation you have extended. I would like to comment that there are a lot of American Heroes that go unnoticed only because their work is on a much more local scale. I would say, in fact, that America is a country of heroes. Americans put their lives on the line everyday for others. Soldiers, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, Doctors, Nurses, and Teachers work every day to make this a better country. If I am to be praised, I feel that it is only fitting that these other people are praised to a greater degree. I am but one man, they are a multitude."

John stepped back and gestured to Ed. Ed said, "Mr. President, this is Ed Biggers. I feel exactly the same as John. The only difference between us and a cop on the beat is the level of support we received. It is embarrassing to take credit when so many did the real work. While it is true that we directed the harvest, it is important to recognize that we did not do the actual planting, weeding, or reaping."

There was an awkward moment of silence and then the President said, "I had heard that you are a modest men. Your statements today prove that point beyond any shadow of a doubt as far as I'm concerned. Once again gentlemen, I applaud your efforts on behalf of the American People as both their representative and as a human being."

John and Ed both said, "Thank you, Mr. President."

The President said, "It is I that thanks you. Goodbye."

After the two men gave their good byes, the call was disconnected. Mike turned and looked at both of them for a second realizing only then that they had effectively ignored the invitation to the White House. In a way, he was glad that neither of them had political aspirations as they could turn the world upside down in four years.

Taking control of the podium, Mike asked, "Are there any last words that you would like to share with us?"

With great energy, John stepped forward and said, "Ed and I have received much praise. I would like to praise those individuals that participated. I can't name everyone, just going through the list would take all day. Each and everyone of you in this room is a hero. I hope that you leave here walking tall and proud of your contributions to the public good."

With much less energy, Ed took his place at the microphone and looked around the room. For almost a minute he didn't say anything as he took in the faces of those present. He said, "God Bless America."

His statement was received with a thunderous round of applause. It had touched upon a sentiment that few of the people in the audience seldom admitted. For all of them, this was a job, but it was a job in the service of their country. They were all patriots at heart and to have a chance to acknowledge that was rare indeed.

The meeting broke up and everyone headed in different directions. Mike and Deana made sure that Ed and John did not leave. Mike smiled and said, "Time to face the press. They'll be brought in here in a few minutes. You can wait outside the side entrance until we've got everything set up in here."

The two men went into the hallway outside the door through which Ed had escaped earlier. Once there, Ed said, "I was thinking that I should take a public speaking course."

Thinking it was a good idea, John replied, "I should probably do that as well."

They spent a grueling half hour in front of the press. While the initial questions dealt with the raids, the majority of questions were aimed at John as the press attempted to find out more about the person. It was hard fending off the personal questions. There were too many times where they had said, "I'm sorry, but we are not answering questions of a personal nature. If you have a question about the raid, we'll be glad to answer them."

The men finally escaped and made their way to the car. When pursued by the press to the car, Rover turned and bared his fangs. That was sufficient to deter even the most diehard of the reporters. The drive back to the house was relatively quiet as both men were exhausted. Coming back, Ed drove the jeep.

When they pulled into the garage, Ed asked, "Did you find out when Mike and Deana are coming tonight?"

John replied, "Yes, they'll be here about six and will spend the night."

They entered the house and were met by Bill. Rover immediately disappeared, apparently feeling that his duties for the day were done. Bill led John and Ed into the dining room where a late lunch had been laid out. Ling, Bob, and Marguerite were already seated around the table waiting for them. After they filled their plates, Bill said, "We wanted to go over the events for tonight so that there won't be any mistakes."

"Okay," replied John. Both men were exhausted, but it was only now that John was showing it.

Marguerite asked, "How many for dinner?"

"The family, Mike, and Deana. I guess that makes six," replied Ed.

Bill interrupted, "Beth and Kelly have invited one other. So that would be seven."

Curious as to who the seventh might be, Ed let it pass. He said, "Mike and Deana will be staying the night."

Ling nodded and said, "I will prepare their rooms."

Expecting to get an argument out of the two men, Bill took a deep breath and said, "Dr. Hayes said that you two were to take a swim, get a massage, and a nap before the guests arrive."

Raising an eyebrow, John asked, "Dr. Hayes?"

"Yes, she said that it was doctor's orders," replied Bill.

Ed followed Beth's orders to the letter. After a nice long swim, Bob came to his room with the massage table and gave him a nice relaxing hour long massage. Then he went to bed to take a nap. It was a very refreshed Ed that went to face the arrival of the guests.



-------

Chapter 11


While the morning spent at the Federal Building talking about the raid had been tough, the afternoon spent swimming, getting a massage, and napping had re-energized him significantly. The time for the guests to arrive had come so he went to the living room to welcome their guests. He knew it was a wasted effort because Ling would warn Bill before they ever made it to the door, but he felt like it was a nice touch for at least one of the family to be there to greet visitors.

Beth entered the room and grabbed him by the arm. She said, "You have to come with me for a minute."

Concerned, he followed her to her room. Once there, Beth got down on her knees and unbuckled his pants. Very surprised, he watched as she lowered his zipper. She pulled his pants down around his knees. Predictably, his cock responded to the suggestion of what was to come next. It didn't matter how many times he had sex with Beth or Kelly, just the merest hint was enough to get him excited.

As she slipped her mouth over his partially rigid cock, his erection swelled to its full size. Concentrating her oral administration on the sensitive head of his cock, her efforts were having immediate effect. When her hand started massaging his balls with a soft gentle touch, it became too much to resist. With a suddenness that surprised both of them, Ed came, his come bursting forth into her mouth. She struggled to keep up with the flow, but it was too much and spilled out her mouth. When he calmed down, she used a finger to wipe the come into her mouth.

Legs shaking, Ed said, "Wow."

Smiling up at him with his slowly softening cock still in her mouth, Beth was pleased that after being married for so long, she could bring him off so quickly. It always amazed her at how much power she held over the men in the family. Letting his soft cock escape from her mouth, she said, "Now you are ready to entertain."

He knelt down and lifted her to where he could kiss her. Holding her head between both hands, he kissed her with a tenderness and love that touched every part of her soul. He leaned back, traces of his come on his lips, and said, "I love you so much."

His words brought tears of happiness to her eyes. If there was one thing of which she was sure, that was the love Ed, John, and Kelly had for her. It amazed her that while others might search in the hope of having a single person love them, she had been fortunate to find three. As a successful woman, she had been afraid that most people would have been more interested in her success than in her.

After Ed dressed and they washed themselves, the pair returned to the living room. Mike and Deana were already waiting for them with drinks in hand. Ed greeted both of them, shaking hands with Mike and hugging Deana. The hug surprised her, as she was used to most people shaking hands with her.

Mike asked, "Do you guys still have the swimming pool?"

Surprised at the question, Ed replied, "Sure."

Shooting a look that could kill at Mike, Deana asked, "Is it true that you have to be naked to swim in it?"

The question caused Beth to burst out in laughter. Giggling, she said, "I don't know if anyone has ever swam in it with a bathing suit."

Blushing brightly, Deana said, "I guess that leaves me out."

Surprised by her statement, Ed asked, "Why? I hope there's not a problem."

Chastising Ed, Beth said, "There are a lot of reasons. Being naked in front of other people could be against her religious beliefs or moral values. She doesn't have to explain that to us."

"Oh, I didn't think of that," replied Ed. After living for so long under the rule that if it harms none then do it, he had to remind himself that others lived by other sets of rules. He said, "I apologize, Deana. Beth is right, it isn't my place to question your values."

The reasons given were not the reasons why Deana had considered for not swimming. She was embarrassed to have her fat body on display. Taken aback by their concern for her, she said, "I just don't feel comfortable naked in front of other people."

John and Kelly entered the room in time to hear her statement. With a smile, John said, "It must be rough having a body that drives men wild."

"It's more like disgusts men," replied Deana with more than a little anger. Her whole life had been spent as the butt end of fat jokes. She wasn't about to put herself in a situation where she would spend an evening getting stared at.

Sitting down on one of the chairs in the room, John said, "I'll bet in terms of body ugliness, I have you beat hands down."

Looking over at the attractive man sitting across from her, she was half tempted to take the bet. When Mike started chuckling, she looked at him curiously. He put up his hands in protest and said, "I wouldn't take that bet."

Pouting, Kelly said, "I like his body."

Laughing, John said, "You have to accept that some people that see this body of mine are pretty disgusted by it."

Despite the teasing tone that Mike had taken earlier, the fact was that he had been looking forward to taking a swim all day. He said, "Well, I've wanted to take a swim all day. Is it possible to spend a little time in the pool before dinner?"

The entire group moved to the swimming pool. Deana followed with great hesitancy, afraid of becoming a public spectacle. Mike, on entering the pool room, immediately began to get out of his clothes. It was almost a race between him and Kelly as to who would get undressed first. Beth took her time as did John. Deana stared at John, unable to believe the number of scars all over his body. Ed went over to the mini-refrigerator and fixed himself an iced tea. He called over to Deana, "Would you like something to drink?"

Moving very slowly, she unbuttoned the blouse and let it fall to the ground. Her stomach was filled with butterflies. This was one of the hardest things she had ever done. She answered, "A good shot of scotch, please."

Going over to the intercom, Ed pressed the button and said, "Marguerite. One of our guests would like some scotch. Can you have some delivered to the pool room?"

From the speaker, Marguerite's voice replied, "Sure thing."

Ed turned to Deana and said, "Marguerite is bringing a scotch."

After having removed her pants, she looked at Ed in surprise and said, "I was joking."

Winking at her, he said, "You were only half joking. I decided to follow the half that wasn't joking."

Standing in front of Ed wearing only her heavy duty bra and plain panties, she shook in fear. Despite her fears, Ed just smiled and took a sip of his iced tea. Setting the glass down, Ed started to undress. When Marguerite came in the room, Ed said, "Your drink is here."

She turned and saw Marguerite with a tray containing a bottle of scotch, a bucket of ice, and a couple of glasses. It was nice to see that there was another full figured woman in the household. She examined Marguerite, acknowledging that the other woman was still skinnier than her, but at least she wasn't fashion model thin. As Marguerite set the tray down on a little table, she said, "Don't worry about them. They may talk like a bunch of sex maniacs, but they are very good at controlling themselves."

With great puzzlement, Deana asked, "What do you mean?"

"I walked around here naked for more than a week and they kept their hands to themselves. So don't worry about them. Get in that pool and have some fun," replied the chef. She understood better than most the hesitancy that a large woman would have in getting undressed in front of others.

Deana finally removed her bra, releasing her overly large breasts. They responded to gravity with predictable consequences, sagging halfway to her belly button. She glanced around to see the reactions, but everyone was busy with other things. It shocked her that they could ignore her ugly body as she undressed. After drinking a glass of scotch, she removed her panties and went over to the pool.

Floating on his back and moving with a languid back stroke, Ed said, "Come in, the water is great."

Slowly moving into the water, Deana was surprised at the temperature. It wasn't too cold or too warm, but very comfortable. She lowered herself by bending her knees until only her head was above water. It was much nicer knowing that the water distorted her body. She slowly moved around the pool and watched as Mike and Beth started a water fight. It took less than a minute for the splashing to spread across the entire pool. Even Deana was participating, forgetting her nudity as she was caught up in the fun.

After a while, the splashing calmed down. Moving over to Deana, Mike said, "They know how to play, don't they?"

Still laughing from splashing and getting splashed, Deana said, "I haven't felt this young in years."

"I know what you mean. The first time I came here it was like a fifty years were stripped away," replied Mike. He added, "I like coming out here and forgetting all about Washington and the politics out there. This whole group has changed my life in very positive ways. It will be good for you to get to know them better."

A smile broke over Deana's face as she watched Ed and John sneaking up behind Mike. It was easy to see that Mike was about to get dunked by the pair of them. She slowly backed away so that she wouldn't get splashed too much. She was surprised to see him backing away from her with a similar grin. When the two men pounced, she started to burst out laughing only to find that Beth and Kelly had been sneaking up behind her. She sputtered as she surfaced from her dunking. The two victims of the prank simultaneously pointed fingers at each other accusing, "You knew they were going to do that!"

Amid general and widespread laugher, they made their way out of the pool. As they lounged around the pool in the chairs, Ed asked, "So was this your first experience skinny dipping?"

Recognizing that the question was targeted at her, Deana replied, "I thought in my case it was called fatty dipping."

While others laughed at the joke, Deana could hardly keep herself from falling out of her chair. She was doubled over laughing at herself. For the first time in a long time she had made a joke about herself. It was as if an emotional damn had burst inside her. It wasn't long before the laughter turned to tears. Concerned, Beth and Kelly went over to her to make sure that she was okay.

Deana cried for at least ten minutes before she calmed down sufficiently to talk. Apologetically, she looked up at all of the concerned faces. She whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Very worried about his guest, Ed said, "There's nothing to be sorry about. Is there anything that I can do?"

Looking over at Ed, she could see nothing but concern on his face. It was amazing to her that there wasn't the least hint of disgust in her appearance exhibited by any of the people around her. Even Mike was watching her with concern. She whispered to Beth, "I'm sorry. It's just that no one has ever been this accepting of my appearance, not even my ex-husband when our marriage was good."

Beth hugged her gently and replied, "You have nothing to be ashamed about. Anyone that thinks you are anything less than pretty has a problem, not you."

Kelly said, "Oh no! Our third guest should be here about now. We should get dressed and go out to greet our last guest."

"Too late," said Bill as he entered the pool room followed by a young woman. He had explained what she was likely to see, but she had insisted on going in anyway.

Ed stared in shock at her and glanced over at Kelly and Beth. Both women were giggling at the success of their surprise. Kim looked around the room at all of the naked people and giggled. She hadn't believed the man who answered the door as to what she would see. She watched Ed with amusement while he quickly dressed himself. Others were getting dressed at a more natural speed.

Ed said, "Oh, Kim I'm sorry. What you doing here?"

Beth slapped Ed on the back and said, "Silly, this is our guest."

Blushing furiously, Ed mumbled, "I'm sorry I didn't realize."

The group moved from the pool room to the dining room. Beth and Kelly walked with Kim chatting about what she had witnessed in the pool room. Kim was very curious why these two women had come to her shop this afternoon and invited her to dinner. It wasn't until they mentioned that Ed Biggers was going to be there that she accepted their invitation.

Kim asked, "So how do you know Ed?"

Beth answered, "He's our husband."

"Oh," replied Kim unsure what to make of that information. She asked, "So who are the other people?"

Kelly answered, "The one with the white beard is John. He's our other husband."

Beth said, "The older gentleman is Mike Holden, he's the director of the FBI. The other woman is Deana Ahlberg. She's head of the criminal investigations branch of the IRS. They are staying the night here."

Stopping in total surprise, Kim asked, "What are they doing here?"

Making light of the situation, Kelly said, "Oh, John and Ed broke some huge case this week. I'm sure you've seen it on the television."

Kim had seen the news and heard Ed's name, but had decided that it was a different Ed Biggers. Although it wasn't a common name, surely there had to be more than one in this country. From what she knew of Ed, he was a student at the University and highly regarded within rock collecting circles.

She was still very curious why she had been invited to this dinner. From the way she had been invited, she thought it was a party for Ed and that two of his friends were trying to set him up with someone they knew he was interested in. She had spent the whole afternoon trying to look her best for this evening. Now she found out that he had two wives. She looked at them wondering if they expected her to join in their marriage.

Following them to the dining room, Kelly steered her to a chair next to Ed. Beth and Kelly sat across from Ed and Kim, smiling at the pair. John was seated at the head of the table with Mike and Deana flanking him. Deana was seated next to Ed and turned to him while looking at the young lady next to him. She asked, "Who's your friend?"

Ed apologized, "Please excuse my rudeness. Everyone, this is Kim. She owns the lapidary shop that I frequent. Kim, this Mike Holden, Deana Ahlberg, and John Carter. I assume that you already know Beth and Kelly."

Kim nodded as she processed the names. After a few seconds, it dawned on her who John Carter was. She looked around the table realizing that the three people at the head of the table were amongst the most powerful people in the country. Licking her lips nervously, she said, "I understand you are head of the FBI and you are the head of the IRS."

Laughing, Mike replied, "Tonight, we are just friends of the Carter Clan. We just enjoyed a great swim and now we are going to have a good meal."

Nodding, John said, "We usually make it a point not to talk about business at the dinner table. We get so few chances to be together that it ruins the atmosphere."

As Beth and Kelly nodded their agreement, Ed said, "We tend to be pretty busy that we only get to eat dinner together once a week."

Beth said, "With Ed wanting to go out for a week sometime soon, it may be the last chance for us to spend some time together for quite a while."

Looking at Ed, Kim asked, "Where are you planning on going?"

Glaring at Beth and Kelly, Ed answered, "I was planning on going rock hunting, but now I'm planning on going to jail."

At the head of the table, John burst out laughing. He hadn't known the wives were going to invite Kim over, but understood why they did it. Apparently, Ed understood as well. Kelly leaned across the table and said, "Kim, this morning Ed was talking about who he could take rock hunting with him. He said that he was going to find someone that liked riding, camping, and hunting rocks. When John suggested you, Ed said that he didn't feel comfortable with the idea. We invited you over so that he could ask you to go out hunting rocks for a few days."

Puzzled, Kim said, "Aren't you concerned about him being out with a woman?"

Beth asked, "Should we be concerned?"

"I would be if I were you," replied Kim with much more honesty than she would have given herself credit for in the past. She had an on again off again crush on Ed ever since the first time that he had come in her store. She didn't know if she could be good out alone with him for an extended period of time.

Frowning, Deana said, "I hate to agree with her, but she's real cute."

John turned to Deana and said, "Deana, our marriage is based on honesty and trust. If Ed and Kim were to do something, we know that he would be honest about his intentions with us and with her. Isn't that correct, Ed?"

"Yes, it is," replied Ed. He looked over at Kim and said, "That is why I was against us going out there together, despite what my wives and husbands may think."

Shaking her head, Kim said, "I'm afraid I don't understand."

Unhappy at having to explain himself, Ed said, "I afraid the problem is simple. I'm attracted to you and I like you. If we were to go out for a week alone, I doubt that I would be able to restrain myself if the opportunity were to arise. However, I don't think that you would appreciate knowing that you would never have a long term future with me."

Kelly said, "Ed, sometimes you are so blind."

Shocked, Ed said, "What?"

Kelly answered, "Look. You need a long term rock hunting buddy. John hates to ride horses. Beth and I dislike camping. Kim is a perfect rock hunting partner for you. She knows as much about rocks as you do. You've told us that many times. For her part, Kim might like to know that when she wants to go out hunting rocks, that you will go with her."

Beth added, "And if there is a mutually satisfactory sex thrown in, then all the better."

Not quite believing what she was hearing, Kim looked at the two women. She could see that they were serious, but this was beyond anything that she had ever considered. She looked at Mike and Deana hoping that maybe one of them might have a suggestion. Mike looked amused and Deana looked as confused as her. Feeling that she was supposed to say something, she found that she had nothing to say.

Fortunately for Kim, Marguerite and Bob came out of the kitchen with a tureen of soup containing a full bodied leek and potato soup. She went from setting to setting ladling out a portion of soup for each guest. Bob set two baskets of fresh bread on the table.

While Marguerite was still serving the soup, Ling came down from the security center and said, "Robert White Feather is coming down the drive."

Nodding in acknowledgement of the message, John said, "Let him in, Ling. Bob, could you bring out another setting for Robert?"

Kim asked Ed, "Who is Robert White Feature?"

"He's the deputy of the local sheriff's office," replied Ed. He added, "He usually only comes over when there is trouble. I wonder what it is this time."

Ling returned with Robert White Feature. His black hair and black eyes with Indian features showed his heritage. He glanced around the table recognizing Mike and Deana from the news coverage this afternoon. He nodded to them and said, "Shirley has just thrown a television news crew out of her bar. They were asking a lot of questions about you guys."

John said, "We'll have Jim send our public relations person over to deal with them. How about joining us for dinner?"

Robert looked at the empty place setting at the end of the table and answered, "If it's not an imposition."

Mike slapped the table and pointed at Robert. He said, "I know who you are!"

Looking at Mike in surprise, Robert asked, "How would the director of the FBI know who I am?"

Mike answered, "Sydney Fitzpatrick told me all about you. He said that you were the best crime scene investigator that he's ever encountered. It is a real pleasure to meet you."

Unfazed by the source, Robert said, "That blind man sees better than most. I think he will enter a polyandrous marriage one day soon."

Smiling at the announcement of another polyandrous marriage, Deana said, "Yes, we have noticed a huge increase in such marriages of late. I would like to meet the tax accountant that came up with that particular contract. He's a brilliant man."

Ed smiled and said, "He's our accountant."

Intimidated by sitting at the table with an IRS agent, Kim asked, "Is it good?"

Nodding, Mike answered, "Yes, it is good. You see, when someone finds a way to use the law so that many people can be happy without being criminal everyone can win. This whole group marriage contract has implemented the concept of a marriage without raising the ire of the religious folks. On the surface, it is an economic union rather than a religious union. It also simplifies a tax situation that has been a long standing issue in Washington."

Ed raised his hand and said, "No talking shop!"

Laughing, Deana replied, "We were talking politics, not shop."

Robert shook his head and turned to look at Kim. Ed noticed the look and performed the appropriate introductions. Robert asked, "What brings you to this table?"

Smiling weakly, Kim said, "I think Ed's wives are trying to set me up as his mistress."

Without breaking a smile, Robert replied, "You could do worse than hooking up with the Carter Clan. Everyone that they reach out to ends up a better person."

That statement shocked Kim more than anything said the entire evening. Angrily, she asked, "So you think that I should sell myself to them?"

Shaking his head slowly, Robert said, "They wouldn't buy you or even try to buy you. They don't believe in harming anyone. If anyone at this table is suggesting a relationship between you and Ed, then it is because they think that both of you will be better for it."

Turning to Kelly, she said, "Why did you do this?"

Kelly looked over at Beth for help. Licking her lips, Beth said, "There is a hole in Ed's soul. He needs a rock hunting partner. It should be someone that he likes and can grow to love. When your name came up, we thought you would be perfect."

Kelly added, "I guess we thought that you wouldn't be able to resist the chance to have a part of Ed for yourself. I guess that is our love for this guy showing through."

On that note, everyone turned to the business of eating. The soup was delicious even though it had cooled to a temperature below which it should have been eaten. As they ate, Ed thought about what Kelly and Beth had said.

When the soup was finished, Marguerite came out with the main course. It was lamb chops served on a fresh bed of mixed greens. In the center of the plate was a mound of pureed turnips in mashed potatoes. It was another Marguerite masterpiece.

Everyone concentrated on the food, occasionally pausing to say how delicious the meal was. Deana looked over at Kelly and Beth and asked, "How can you stay so thin eating like this?"

Beth said, "We always leave a couple bites of on the plate. Those last few bites are always the difference between gaining weight and maintaining our weight."

Kelly added, "If you leave three bites on every meal, then you'll loose about twenty pounds over the year. You won't really have to starve yourself or follow some crazy diet to loose weight. Just take your normal servings and leave a couple of bites on the plate."

Kim at the end of the table was listening to the conversation with interest. She had never heard of that kind of diet and wondered why. In a way, it made perfect sense.

As good as the meal was, it was finally finished. Everyone sat back in their chairs satisfied. Robert looked across the table at John and said, "Grandfather has again expressed an interest in meeting you."

Smiling, John replied, "I plan to go for a long walk when Ed returns from hunting rocks. I will be in the area of the reservation and may see him then."

Nodding, Robert answered, "I shall let him know."

John said, "I shall bring tobacco in case we meet."

"It is a wise man that is prepared for what may come."

After a pause, John said, "I shall remember that."

Robert said, "I hate to eat and run, but I should return to my duties."

With a wave of the hand, John gestured his goodbye. Robert left the room and headed out. Curious, Mike asked, "What was that about?"

The interesting question was who would answer the question. John and Ed looked at each other. Finally, John said, "I told him that I would be meeting his grandfather the next time I went for a walk and that I would come with the gifts that would make it a formal visit."

Kim had been quiet for a long time. She looked across the table and said, "Okay. I'll go rock hunting with you."

Her statement sent a shock wave across the table. Beth and Kelly squealed in happiness at the announcement. Ed spilled his iced tea and spent the next minute mopping it up. The most interesting response was from Deana. She said, "You've got to be kidding!"

Emphatic, Kim said, "No, I'm not kidding."

Even Mike was curious why she would accept what Beth and Kelly had offered. He asked, "Why?"

"Because I have the same hole in my soul. I sell quartz crystals to new age idiots that don't know the first thing about minerals. I live for the chance to go out and hunt rocks, but I hate to go alone," replied Kim realizing that she had many holes in her life, but that she had a chance to fill one or two of them.

Ed stood up from the table and offered her his hand. She took it and he led her away from the table. He didn't know where to take her, so he decided that the atrium garden would be the best spot. As they walked the path, Ed said, "We live according to very few basic rules in this household. The first and most important one is that if it harm none, then do it."

Kim answered, "That doesn't sound very restrictive."

Laughing, Ed said, "Well, it is a lot more restrictive than any other set of rules that I've ever encountered. For now, there is one thing that I have to be sure about. That is, will such an arrangement cause you harm in any way?"

"Like what?"

Ed answered, "Could it cost you your business by taking five days away from it? Would you end up hating yourself because of the how I am with my wives and husband? I can think of lots of other ways in which you could be harmed."

"Oh, I see," she replied. When they stopped to watch the fish in the artificial stream, she said, "No. I won't be harmed. I close my business quite frequently when I can't take the airheads any more."

Ed led her around another bend, running into Tiger. The cat came up to them and checked out Kim. Ed added, "I'm afraid that one of the cats will come with us when we go out. It will probably be Tiger or Shadow."

Kim said, "That's okay. I like cats."

Ed led her around the garden enjoying the atmosphere. After the trip, he returned her to the dining room. Beth took her by the hand and said, "The men usually go up to the parapet and watch the sunset. We stay out of their way, mostly because it bugs us how they talk to each other."

Concerned that they were the type of men that talked crude about women or enumerated their latest conquests to each other, Kim asked, "How do they talk to each other? Are they crude or something?"

Kelly replied, "No. They hardly say a word, but get irritated if you talk too much. Sometimes when we're bored, we sit on the stairs and listen to them."

"Don't they mind?" asked Kim.

"No, usually they'll call out to us and make the odd little joke," replied Beth.

Upstairs, John said, "She sure surprised me."

Nodding, Ed said, "Me too."

Mike said, "Must have been what Robert said."

The three men fell quiet and watched the sun set. This was not a particularly spectacular sunset, encompassing only yellow, red, and blue. Still, the quietness of the coming of night calmed the soul. As the stars started to appear, the men started drinking their iced teas. The night settled easily with the men comfortable in each other's presence.

After a while, Mike said, "I missed this."

Smiling, Ed said, "This is one of the few times of day that I look forward to more than anything else."

"Yes, the peace and quiet of this time of day touches the soul," added John. A smile broke over his face and he said, "Speaking of peace and quiet, how's the audience on the stairs enjoying the sunset."

There was a lot of giggling from the stairs. Kelly called up, "Much better than the conversation. You guys are so boring!"



-------

Chapter 12


With a smile, Ed handed over the carton of cigarettes and shook hands with Chief Daniels to seal the deal. The Chief said, "We keep one of every three samples and you travel with two of our people."

Nodding, Ed said, "We appreciate being able to go on your lands."

The Chief had a long history of dealing with Ed, going back to when Ed was a bigot and a bully. Despite his reputation, Ed had always treated him fairly. He smiled and said, "The last time you were here, we made several thousand dollars off the rocks you brought back."

Ed said, "I make no promises about what we'll find."

A young man dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans came over to the Chief. He looked at Ed and then glanced down at Tiger. He said, "I hear that John Carter is going to take a walk after you return home."

Looking at the man, Ed was surprised by his knowledge about what was going on. John's trip to visit William Redman was associated with a separate tribe. Ed said, "Yes."

"The animal spirits are active of late. Medicine men from many tribes are waiting to see what comes from this walk of his." The young man looked out at the horizon as though seeing something beyond the sight of normal men. He added, "It takes power to attract spirits such as the Bobcat that is with you."

Ed answered, "He serves the Gods and Goddesses. The cats are a gift from them."

The young man said, "You carry with you a talisman of great power."

"I serve the Gods and Goddesses," replied Ed.

"May I see it?"

Ed brought the medallion out from his shirt and showed it to the man. The man read the words 'To Find A Truth' on one side and on the other side, 'A Lie To Find.' Surprised, he looked at Ed and said, "You serve truth."

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes, I do."

The young man turned to the Chief and said, "You do not need to have him watched. He will be honest with you."

At the look on the Chief's face, Ed interrupted, "Sometimes, there is more than one reason for doing something. I might suggest that the Grandmothers of the tribe selected a couple to go with us for reasons that have nothing to do with our visit."

Surprised at the insight, Chief Daniels said, "You see more than you let on."

Watching as Tiger started stalking a jackrabbit, Ed said, "It comes of serving truth."

When Tiger burst forth to catch the rabbit, the younger man said, "This John Carter. Is he a good man?"

A disgruntled Tiger returned having missed the rabbit. Looking down at the cat, Ed replied, "He is a better man than me, but he is still a man."

"You are modest."

"I am honest," replied Ed. The cat wandered around bored and ready to be moving.

The Chief, after observing the cat, said, "They will meet you at the base of the Butte tomorrow morning. They left this morning. You can drive most of the way, but will have to ride your horses or hike the rest of the way."

After the appropriate farewells, Ed, Kim, and the cat returned to the two trucks. On the way, Kim asked, "I don't understand what went on there. Could you explain?"

Sighing, Ed said, "I'll explain when we have a little more privacy."

Looking around, Kim realized that Ed was probably correct. A number of people were looking at them with interests that ranged from curiosity to outright dislike. She got into her truck and waited for him to reach his.

They drove off, with her following him toward the area that Ed wanted to search. He had been to many sites within this reservation, but never this particular area. This particular tribe tended to have much more control over the reservation and it was rare that they let people wander around looking for rocks. Ed had come here several times in the past and always shared his finds with the tribe. It was one of the reasons why they allowed him on their land.

They reached the end of a dirt road, forced to a stop by a large gully that cut across it. Pulling off the road, they parked their trucks side by side. Both of them went to the trailers they were towing and led the horses out. It took some time to saddle them and load the pack horses. Kim's movements were natural, as though she had years of experience doing this. He asked, "It looks like you have a bit of experience with horses."

"I was a barrel rider in high school," replied Kim. It was a common enough activity for teenage girls growing up in the country. Almost all of them had a horse growing up. She had actually gone on to compete, but had never really succeeded. The fact was, she was happy riding the horse, but not going around the barrels.

They mounted up and headed towards the butte. Kim rode along beside Ed with Tiger leading the way. When the horses had settled to a nice pace and the ride had become easier, Kim asked, "So what was all of that with the Chief and the other guy?"

Ed replied, "The Chief doesn't like whites roaming around the reservation on their own. They've had too much trouble in the past. I agreed that we would give a third of our finds to the tribe. Since we are white, he wants someone to accompany us. I agreed to allow a couple to come with us."

Kim asked, "Why a couple?"

Laughing, Ed said, "Occasionally you have a couple that is having problems and the old women of the tribe will find something like this for them to do. It forces them to confront each other in the openness of the desert where nothing can hide."

As understanding washed over her, Kim said, "Ah, so that is why you talked about the Grandmothers to the young Indian. So who was the young Indian?"

Smiling, Ed said, "He is the tribe's Medicine Man and is very important. He has a different kind of power within the tribe."

They rode on as Tiger disappeared within the scrub grass. From atop the horses, they could tell that he was stalking something, but could not see what had interested the cat. Rather than disturb the hunt, they rode on. Kim asked, "What was all of that talk about animal spirits and you serving truth?"

"John and I are Druids. We are in the service of the Gods and Goddesses. John serves the God and the Goddess. I serve the Two- Sided One. His service is to help people that are in danger and to fight the strong that prey upon the weak. My service is to the truth," replied Ed. He paused to look for Tiger and saw that cat bounding through the scrub. He continued, "The Medicine Man is involved with the animal spirits. To him, Tiger, Rover, and Shadow are signs of great power. When John goes on his walk, he is expected to meet with Robert White Feather's grandfather. He is a Medicine Man of a different tribe. It would appear that this meeting involves much more than I knew about since the Medicine Men of many different tribes are awaiting the outcome."

Kim asked, "So what about the medallion?"

Amused at her curiosity, Ed replied, "It was a gift from the Two- Sided One that I serve. It was put around my neck by him and can only by a God or a Goddess. It is a medallion of great power. The Medicine Man recognized it for what it was."

"Wow, that's amazing," replied Kim. She looked at Ed and thought about all that she knew about him. She asked, "Does your service have anything to do with the raid against the criminal organizations?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Everything to do with it. Our service demanded that we do something, but the scale and scope wasn't fixed. After the attempts on John's life, a Druid was dispatched to warn them away from accepting any contracts against any Druid. They tortured and killed the Druid. At that point, we decided that they all had to go. It took us a year to put it all together."

"A year?" asked Kim. She couldn't imagine planning anything out that long in advance.

Laughing, Ed replied, "Yes, a year. This is my first vacation since that effort started and I'm going to enjoy it."

As they rode, Kim asked all kinds of questions about the family and the type of relations that they had with each other. She had been shocked at how easily his wives had accepted that he might have a girlfriend on the side. It was a matter of curiosity that drove her to ask everything she could about Kelly and Beth. As surprising as Ed's willingness to answer the questions, the answers confused her more.

After a while, they settled down to a nice relaxing ride. Tiger returned with quail feathers around his mouth. Smiling at the cat, Ed was amazed at how easily the cats took care of themselves in the field. He knew that the cat would probably want to nap and digest his food. He said, "Kim, let's rest the horses here for about thirty minutes. The cat has just eaten and will want to rest for a bit."

They stopped and climbed off their horses. Watching Kim get off her horse, he appreciated the sight of her heart shaped ass packaged in tight fitting blue jeans. She caught him watching and shook her head while wearing a crooked smile. Dismounting, Ed tied the horse to a scrub brush and walked around the horses stretching his back.

Looking around, he said, "It is grand out here, isn't it?"

She looked up at the sky and said, "The desert is the only place I ever see a sky that particular blue."

"I know what you mean. It is so large out here that it makes you feel insignificant. Yet the sky seems to shrink in town, blocked out by the buildings," replied Ed. Frowning, he said, "Maybe that is why I dislike towns so much, it tends to distort our sense of our place in the universe."

"You've got the soul of a poet," remarked Kim.

"I don't know about that. I do know that I love it out here and that seeing it from horseback seems to open up the land around me that just doesn't happen when I walk," replied Ed.

It bothered her that Kelly and Beth were correct about Ed. His charm and manner was hard to resist. She could understand how it was that they expected something to happen on this trip. She also knew that Ed loved his wives with his whole heart and wondered if there was room in it for her as well. Perhaps she hoped for more from this trip than was reasonable.

When Tiger started pacing around, they mounted up and headed towards the Butte. The Butte would be a good site to look at for a day or two, but there were other, more interesting, geological structures in the area. The ride was pleasant as the two companions joked back and forth.

It was a couple of hours before sunset when they reached the Butte. Ed stood up in his stirrups and looked around for a good camping spot. A little way around the Butte was a small hill. Pointing to it, he said, "We'll camp there tonight. Our fire should be visible for quite a distance and the couple will know where to meet us in the morning."

Looking at where Ed had pointed, she replied, "Good idea."

They rode over to the spot that Ed had pointed out. Reaching it, they noticed signs of an earlier fire. Frowning, Ed said, "They should have buried that."

The first business at hand was taking care of the horses. Unsaddling them, watering and feeding them took thirty minutes. When it came time to set up camp, Ed was pleased to see that she camped without a tent in the same way that he did. It was then time to collect material to burn for a fire. Out here, that meant lots of branches from scrub brush and dried cactus. When he judged that he had enough for the night, he sat down and took a big drink of water. He noticed Kim doing the same thing.

They sat there for a while and then Ed said, "I'll start dinner if you want to relax a bit."

Laughing, Kim replied, "How about I start dinner and you start to work on the toilet?"

"Pardon?" asked Ed. He had never really worried about setting up a camp toilet, usually going a little way out of camp to piss and squatting over a hole when he needed to shit.

Shaking her head, she led him to her pack and removed a number of posts, a toilet seat, and a square of canvas. He looked at them and asked, "What am I supposed to do with this stuff?"

Amazed that he had never seen anything like this, she decided to show him. She inserted four of the posts into holes in the bottom of the toilet seat. It sat there like a simple chair. She set two of the posts in the pockets of the canvas. Walking a slight distance from the camp, she pushed the ends of the post into the ground. Realizing that she had just erected a simple privacy curtain, Ed carried the chair over to the site. She said, "You can dig the pit while I start the fire."

Ed returned to his pack and removed a folding shovel from it. Going back to the toilet, he dug a shallow trench. When someone used the chair, they could move the chair a little ways down the trench and cover the waste with dirt. It would be sanitary and easy to use. He left the shovel stuck in the ground next to the chair.

In camp, Kim had just finished lighting the fire. Walking over to it, Ed stopped at his pack and removed the grill along with some food and cooking equipment. Kim looked at his supplies and said, "I usually travel with aluminum pots and pans. They're lighter."

Laughing Ed said, "Never could cook with that stuff. I like the taste of food cooked in cast iron."

"You and most men," replied Kim. She remembered back to the evening that she had spent on the stairs listening to the men talk. Kelly and Beth had been right that their conversations tended to be very boring. At least he could hold a conversation with her out here.

Kneeling down by the fire, he said, "I brought a two steaks to cook over the fire. We have a can of fruit and some corn on the cob. For desert, I have some biscuit mix and pie filling for a field cobbler."

She laughed and said, "I can tell who is going to be doing the cooking out here. I brought mostly canned food so that I wouldn't have to cook much."

"I like to eat well when I'm out here."

They waited for the coals to burn down. Once they had a good bed of coals, Ed started cooking. They sat on their bedrolls around the fire as the food slowly cooked. After the ride, it was nice to just sit. Kim continued to ask questions about the family relations.

Thirty minutes before sunset, the food was finished cooking. Ed put the steaks on two plates and fished out an ear of corn for each of them. With his can opener, Kim opened the canned fruit and divided the contents onto the two plates. They sat back and ate as the sun set. For a change, Kim was quiet and just enjoyed watching the sky above them darken while the western horizon glowed with hundreds of colors.

Once the dinner had been finished, Ed unburied the Dutch Oven and served up two large helpings of desert. Kim looked at the mound of food on her plate and groaned. Ed asked, "What's the matter?"

"I was just saying goodbye to this figure that I've worked so hard to achieve."

Chuckling at her vanity, Ed replied, "Tomorrow, you'll work it all off."

Laughing at how much work she expected to do, she had to agree. Tomorrow they would be climbing over rocks and digging in the surface of the Butte. The cobbler was outstanding and they both finished it without further discussion. Sighing, Kim laid back and said, "Why is it that food always tastes better outdoors?"

"The appetite is much stronger out here," replied Ed. He looked over at her as she reclined. The outline of her breasts was clear as the fabric of her shirt pulled taut over them. He licked his lips and lay back in an attempt to distance himself from the effect her body had on him.

After a half an hour of letting the food settle, Ed sat up and started cleaning up the camp. He washed the Dutch Over and plates using the sand. Kim watched him work amazed at how he used the sand to clean the plates. He noticed and said, "You'd be surprised at how clean this gets them."

Once they were done, he poured a small amount of water on each and then dried them off. Everything was spotless. He packed everything except the grill back in his pack. In the morning they'd have eggs and toast. Standing up, he looked around the darkened landscape eventually spotting a camp fire about a two hour ride away. Pointing, he said, "I think our chaperones are over there."

She looked in the direction that he had identified and saw the very faint flicker of a fire, but the small plume of smoke reaching into the sky was far easier to spot. Nodding, she said, "I wonder what they'll be like."

"Don't worry, they'll probably argue most of the time they are with us," replied Ed.

"They'll argue with us?"

Laughing, Ed replied, "No, with each other. That is a reason they were chosen."

Making a face as if she had swallowed something that tasted bad, Kim said, "That's all that I need."

Ed lay back on his bedroll and stared up at the sky. Before he knew it, he was asleep as the work load of the past year caught up to him. Shocked, Kim stared at him as he slept. Her plans had not exactly included love making that night, but at least a little attention from him. Frustrated, she undressed and, lying on her back, brought herself to an orgasm using her fingers.

Ed woke in the morning, surprised to see that the sun had risen quite a while ago. For a change, he wasn't all that groggy and looked around taking in his surroundings. He spotted Kim squatting by the fire preparing coffee. She had changed her clothes, the pants weren't quite so tight and she was wearing a tee-shirt. The coffee was starting to perk and the aroma was only now spreading on the air. He said, "Good Morning."

She looked over her shoulder at him. The look she gave him wasn't inviting. She said, "You fell asleep last night."

The undercurrent of hostility in her greeting surprised Ed. He replied, "I'm sorry. I guess a year of overtime finally caught up with me."

She said, "I didn't sleep all that well last night, so pardon me if I'm a little grumpy today."

"Did I snore?" asked Ed hoping that he wasn't the reason for her lack of sleep.

"No, you didn't snore," answered Kim. She felt like adding that he didn't try to sleep with her. She bit her tongue instead of saying more.

Ed stood up and stretched while examining his environment. The horses had grazed through the night on the scrub grass. It was enough to keep them alive, but he'd feed them some oats later. He looked down and said, "I can't believe that I fell asleep with my boots on."

"I can't believe that you fell asleep," said Kim.

Ed went to his pack and called over to her, "Would you mind turning your back while I change?"

Kim purposely turned so that she could watch him change. After glancing at her, he decided to change anyway. Not quite sure why she was angry with him, he shrugged it off as being tired. He took off his shirt and put on a clean one. After emptying his pockets, he took his boots, pants, and briefs off. Once he had replaced his briefs and pants, he asked, "Did you enjoy the show?"

She didn't answer, having caught sight of the bullet wound in his leg. She asked, "How did you get shot?"

"Trying to get to John during a gunfight," replied Ed. He looked out and noticed that a couple of horses were headed their way. He said, "It looks like our chaperones are on their way."

Kim grumbled, "Like we need chaperones."

Ed didn't quite catch what she said, but understood the sentiment behind it. He realized that he had camped overnight with a very attractive young woman and had fallen asleep without paying the least attention to her. It reminded him of the second date with Kelly where they had fallen asleep on the couch. He started laughing at the memory.

Kim asked, "What's so funny?"

Smiling at her, he said, "You're in good company. The second date with Kelly ended up with us sound asleep on her couch. You might say that the first time her and I slept together there wasn't any sex."

Shaking her head, she said, "How can you be interested in a woman and not stay awake long enough to see if she'll sleep with you?"

Ed answered, "If I'm interested in a woman, I want to get to know her before I make love with her."

That was an argument that Kim could not contest. She looked at the horizon and saw that their chaperones were much closer. They'd be there within an hour. Ed put on his boots and walked over to the coffee pot. Kneeling down, he poured two cups offering one to Kim. She accepted it and blew across the hot liquid in a futile attempt to cool it down. He took a small sip letting it burn his mouth, but helping him to wake up.

Setting the cup down, he went to his pack and retrieved a bag of bacon and four eggs. He carried it over in his cast iron skillet. Kim watched and said, "Wow, you really travel heavy."

Laughing, Ed replied, "Why do you think I have a pack horse? It can carry over two hundred pounds of gear."

"So what else do you have in there?"

"Mostly food and water for the horses. Then some food and water for us, cooking gear, and my rock hunting gear," answered Ed. Thinking twice, he added, "And some clothes for me."

While Ed prepared breakfast, Kim went out to the toilet. Her head was above the top of the canvas. She watched him creating their breakfast.

At the fire, Ed unwrapped the bacon and used his knife to cut four slices of bacon off the side. With care, he laid the bacon out in the skillet and put the skillet on the grill. The bacon didn't take long to cook. He poured off most of the grease into the coals causing a sudden flare up as it caught fire. Cracking the eggs, he scrambled them in the remainder of the bacon grease.

Kim came back cleaning her hands with a baby wipe. Once back at the fire, she dropped the soiled sheet in the fire watching as it dried and then caught fire. She noticed him watching her and said, "Hey, they're perfect for camping. Pre-moistened, antibacterial, and easily disposable."

Ed laughed and said, "And here I thought a couple of tablespoons of water and drying my hands on my pants was good."

She frowned as she asked, "You didn't?"

He laughed and held up his box of baby wipes. If he hadn't handed her a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, she would have hit him. He set the skillet next to the fire to cool down a little. They ate in relative quiet enjoying the noises of the desert in the morning.

When Tiger returned to camp, he headed directly to the skillet and licked it clean enjoying the bacon grease. When Ed noticed, he was half tempted to scold the cat. Instead he waited until the cat was finished. After pouring a little water in the skillet, he set it over the fire to heat. He went to his backpack and pulled out a paper napkin. When the water reached a boil in the skillet, he poured it out a little ways from camp. With a flourish, he then wiped out the skillet with the napkin. The skillet was returned to his pack and the paper thrown in the fire.

Kim went over and brought the horses back to camp. She went to her pack and pulled out a container of water. It didn't take her long to water the horses. Ed saddled their horses while she took care of their other needs. When they were done, they tied the horses to scrub brush and waited for their chaperones.

They could hear the couple bickering when they were a mile away. Ed and Kim looked at each other in disgust. This was going to be a long trip unless they managed to do something to end the arguing. Ed said, "I'll take him and you take her. We'll look at some different spots. Try to find out what is the matter with them."

The couple rode up on separate horses. She was carrying the lead for the pack horse. Both of them were overweight, suffering from a problem that was common among most of the tribes. Odds were good that they would both be suffering from diabetes by the time they were forty.

Ed knelt down at the fire and waited for them to approach. Kim, after the experience the other day, followed his lead and knelt next to him. When she looked at him, he winked and pointed to the saddlebag by the fire. Handing it to him, she watched as he set it on the ground next to him. The couple waited on their horses and then finally dismounted. They finally got quiet, their argument forgotten in light of the treatment they were receiving. Ed whispered, "I'll get him away from camp."

Picking up the saddle bag, Ed stood up and approached them. He stopped about ten feet away and said, "Chief Daniels sent you?"

The man said, "Yes."

"I am Ed Biggers and this is Kim Nolan," said Ed.

"I am Harry and this is Susan," replied Harry with a slur in his voice. He looked over at Ed as he swayed on his feet, trying to keep his eyes on the man.

It didn't take a doctor to recognize that Harry was already very drunk and on the verge of passing out. Handing a cartoon of cigarettes to Harry, Ed said, "You'll ride with me today. Susan will ride with Kim."

Winking at Kim, he went to his horse and mounted up. He grabbed the rope for the pack horse and rode off towards the Butte. The action even took Tiger by surprise and he had to run to catch up to Ed. With a little difficulty staying in his saddle, Harry rode after him. When they were a good distance away from camp, Ed slowed down and waited for Harry to catch up with him. Angry, Harry asked, "What's your hurry white man?"

Ed answered, "I was tired of hearing you two argue."

Harry shot him a dirty look, but Ed ignored it. He rode on to his destination and started looking at the ground around the Butte. His plan was to hunt rocks until Harry passed out. When he finally located a site that looked interesting, he climbed off the horse and went to the rock face. Tiger, shooting him a dirty look, sat down and watched Harry.

All afternoon, Ed worked around the Butte extracting various samples of minerals. He made sure to get three of each. One for him, one for Kim, and one for the tribe. Watching Harry out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the man taking swigs out of a bottle.

As Ed worked, Harry began a continuous tirade of insults. First it was basic insults about how he was a prissy jerk that liked digging in the dirt after rocks. The insults increased in seriousness as he started calling Ed a thief and how his presence had forced a good honest couple out into the desert to make sure that he didn't steal things.

When the man started making statements that if he had his way, he'd just kill Ed to send a message to other thieves that would make their way on the reservation. On several occasions, he stood and waved his knife around in the air while making the threat. This action prompted Tiger to respond with a low growl. The lack of response from Ed was adding fuel to the man's tirade. He wanted to get some reaction out of the cowboy, preferably fear, but he would have settled for anger.

At one point, the man threw an empty bottle at Ed. It smashed into a hundred pieces less than a yard away from him. Despite his disgust at the man, Ed was neither afraid of nor angry with him. The man was being driven in by an inner demon that was leading him to self destruction. It wasn't the man that Ed disliked, but knew he had to destroy that inner demon. The medallion on his chest felt warm, directing Ed to act.

It wasn't until the time had come for them to return to camp, that Harry finally passed out. Working quickly, Ed removed all of the knives off Harry and then bound his wrists and feet. Struggling under the weight of the fat man, he wrestled him over the saddle of the pinto Harry had been riding. Mounting his horse, he took the leads to the pinto and the rope to the pack horse and headed back to camp. Tiger followed behind, occasionally taking a swat at Harry's boots as they bounced teasingly just about his head.

In camp, Ed threw Harry to the ground and spent the next hour constructing a shelter from the tarp that was part of his bedroll. The shelter would keep the sun off Harry while he went through withdrawal. Once the shelter was done, he stripped Harry and staked him face down on the ground under the tarp. At least this way, when he threw up he wouldn't drown in his own vomit.

Ed went through the Harry's possessions and found several bottles of whiskey. He poured the contents out on the sand. Susan had left the pack horse in camp and Harry went through it. There were several more bottles of whiskey and he poured them out in the sand as well.

After taking care of the booze, Ed then concentrated on taking care of the horses. Once that was done, he went through the business of gathering materials for the fire. Tiger went out into the desert to search for game.

Everything was ready when Kim and Susan returned to camp. There was a nice pot of beans cooking over the fire, some cornbread in the Dutch oven, and corned beef hash cooking in the skillet. Susan looked over at Harry and asked, "What happened to him?"

In the kind of matter of fact voice that allowed no arguments, Ed answered, "He passed out and is now going through detox with me."

Frowning, Susan asked, "What does that mean?"

With the full power of his truth sense active, Ed asked, "Are you a drunk?"

The intensity of his look forced both women back. Susan answered, "No."

Her words were true, but there was a hint that it was only a matter of time. Ed said, "You'll have to take care of him. He's going to be seeing things, vomiting, shitting all over himself, and begging for something to drink. For the next three days, he's going to be lying there in his own shit and vomit until he comes out of it."

Afraid of Ed and fearful that he was going to get her husband killed, Susan said, "You can't do that to him."

Rather than answering immediately, Ed walked over to her and faced her. In a voice that rang with authority, he said, "I am a Druid. We live by a rule that says if it harms none, then do it. Harry broke that rule today by passing out drunk. Having a drunk member of a group in the desert can get all of us hurt or killed."

Susan stepped back and said, "He didn't mean anything by it."

Ed stepped forward with his eyes drilling into hers. He said, "If it harms none, then do it is all about consequences and not intent. He broke the rule."

Stunned into submission, Susan answered, "Yes, sir."

Ed said, "Now, I have prepared a good meal. Let's eat. By the time we get done, he should be coming around."

Kim sat down next to Ed while Susan went off to look at Harry. She whispered, "She was saying earlier that he hits her when he gets drunk."

Ed asked, "Did you see her drink anything?"

Kim shook her head to indicate a no. Dinner was a tasty, but Harry had come awake and demanded something to drink. He was screaming threats at Ed nonstop. Susan went to the pack horse to get something for him to drink and froze when she saw all of the empty bottles. She looked at Ed and said, "This is going to kill him."

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "No it won't. It will save him."

Susan went to sit by her husband, putting up with insult after insult as he tried to get her to give him a drink. Although she explained several times that Ed had poured out every bottle, he continued to blame her for his current misery. When she went to remove the bonds holding him there, she found herself facing Tiger. She backed off and left Harry tied to the ground.

After dinner, Kim came to him and asked, "Is this your idea of a vacation?"



-------

Chapter 13


The next few days were spent keeping Harry alive and getting rid of the toxins in his system. For a full day, Harry suffered from hallucinations claiming on several occasions that he was surrounded by rattlesnakes or other dangerous animals. Susan spent a lot of time by her husband, reacting in fear each time he made a claim about a snake thinking it was true. It wore her down spiritually and emotionally. She wanted to ease his pain but there was nothing she could do.

Ed and Kim took turns hunting rocks, more than a little displeased by having their first expedition ruined in this fashion. They had not planned on spending all of their time at the Butte. In fact, they had planned to spend only a single day there. The Butte would produce some interesting samples from the perspective of the information that it gave about the formation of the Butte, but nothing spectacular or interesting for the average person. The Chief would be very disappointed.

Although he didn't say anything, Ed was concerned about the water supply. He had packed more than enough water, but Harry had brought very little. He was stuck rationing water to all of the horses and the last day they would probably run out. He also needed to save some to wash Harry down once he quit throwing up. That alone would have consumed any extra water that he had brought.

While Susan had come and begged several times for Ed to relent and find Harry something to drink, Ed was steadfast in his refusal. Kim wavered several times, afraid more that Harry was going to die than the fact that he was in pain. Ed reassurances helped her accept the situation, but didn't satisfy the root of her fear.

After the third day, Ed cut Harry loose. Harry cursed Ed for five minutes and attempted to take a swing at him. After throwing up just about everything they had feed him, he was weak as a baby. Ed just stepped back as Harry fell over.

Naked, covered with shit and vomit, Harry looked as miserable as he felt. The first order to business was to clean him up. Ed and Susan gave him as good of a field bath as they could. Once he was clean, Ed sent Susan off to bring over some fresh clothes for her husband. Ed bent down and asked, "Harry, do you think you are a good person?"

Still angry about being tied up for three days, Harry barked, "Yes."

The words rang sour. Harry knew there were times when he wasn't a good person. Fishing the medallion out from under his shirt, Ed commanded, "Touch it."

Refusing, Harry said, "I'm going to sue you for everything you own."

Ed commanded a second time, "Touch it."

Hesitantly, Harry touched the medallion and immediately burst out into a scream. His body thrashed about as though he were being beaten. The terror and pain in his scream was sufficient to bring Kim, Susan, and Tiger running over to him in fear that Harry was about to die. In agony, Harry tried, but couldn't remove his finger from the medallion. Every harm that he had committed while drunk was being replayed back with him as the victim. After thirty minutes, he slumped to the ground exhausted and unconscious.

In the sudden silence that followed, Kim asked, "What happened?"

After looking at Kim and then at Susan, Ed answered, "He just experienced all of the harm that he's caused people while drunk. Each beating he gave you, he will experience as you experienced it. Each time that he pushed, hit, or verbally injured someone, he will experience it. There is more left for him to experience, but he will have to recover before he can take another dose."

Four more sessions followed over the course of that day. Between each session, Harry took an hour to recover. The final session was only fifteen minutes, but it included the final day of insults and threats. By nightfall, Harry fell asleep after eating and had his first night of deep restful sleep. Ed watched over him for most of the night. In the morning, Kim came to him and asked, "What is going to happen now?"

Shrugging, Ed answered, "We will see how Harry is doing today. If he is good, I'm going to send him out for water."

A very different Harry came to Ed in the morning. He had lost close to twenty pounds as a result of his ordeal. His words were not slurred when he spoke and he could actually stand upright without swaying. The biggest change was one of attitude. Looking at Ed, he said, "I'm sorry to have ruined your trip."

Indifferent to the apology, Ed asked, "Will our sacrifices go to waste?"

Remembering the effect of touching the medallion, a shiver ran through his body. There was no way that he was going to risk going through that again. He answered, "No, they won't."

There was a conviction to the words that Ed could hear. He knew that his truth sense could not foresee future behavior other than the current intent to act. He might mean that he would never take another drink, but he could be pushed off the wagon within a week. Satisfied that his intent to stay straight was strong, Ed said, "We are running low on water. Do you know where we can refill our water containers?"

Looking around, Harry answered, "Yes, there's a seep about two miles from here."

Pleased to learn that they would be able to solve their water problem, Ed said, "Good. Why don't you go refill a couple of water containers and bring them back here?"

Nodding his willingness, Harry asked, "Anything else?"

Watching Kim working at the campsite, Ed had an idea. He smiled and said, "Yes, when you get back move your campsite about a mile away. You and your wife have some issues to work out before you return home."

When Harry considered all that Ed had done over the past few days, he realized that he was dealing with a power like that of the medicine men in his tribe. There was an other world-ness about Ed that allowed him to live above the daily events. Despite living above it, he was closely tied to it. He squatted down next to Ed and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Ed Biggers," he replied.

That wasn't what Harry had wanted to know. He recognized power when he saw it and Ed possessed it. He said, "Maybe I should have asked, what are you."

"I'm a man. If you want to know more, you might talk to a medicine man," said Ed in answer to the implied question. He knew the medicine man could put it into words that Harry would be able to understand.

Accepting that he would have to be satisfied with that answer, Harry stood and went about the business of getting some water. Ed watched him take care of his horse. This time, he actually took care of it. It was a good sign as it indicated that some of the meanness had been removed.

Susan came over to where Ed watched Harry. She stood next to him for a minute as though waiting to be recognized. Standing to face her, Ed asked, "What can I do for you?"

"You can tell me what you did to him yesterday," said Susan. She had watched Harry touch the medallion and writhe in pain on the ground. When he had come out of it, he was much gentler than she had ever seen. It was amazing, he had even talked to her and listened for a change without shouting. The only time that had happened had been when they were first dating.

Tiger came over to Ed and sat down at his feet. Looking down at the cat, Ed said, "I held a mirror to his soul for him to see what he had become."

"Why was he screaming?" asked Susan.

Pulling out his medallion, Ed asked, "Would you like to see your soul and the harm that you've caused others?"

Starting to reach out to touch it, she realized that this mirror didn't reflect light. It reflected the spirit that one broadcast to the world. Was she that good that she could take her reflection with any less horror than Harry? As a shudder ran through her, she pulled her hand back. Realizing that she was afraid to know the truth, she answered, "I don't think so."

Smiling at her honesty, Ed nodded and said, "Harry may appear a little weaker now, but he is actually much stronger of spirit. Tonight, you will camp with him away from us. It is time for you both to work out some details about your relationship."

Concerned for what that might mean, she asked, "Do you have any advice?"

"Be honest. Nothing is gained by hiding the truth."

Turning, Ed walked over to where Kim was cleaning the camp site. As he approached, he said, "Well, I got us one night alone."

Smiling up at him, she asked, "Are you going to stay awake this time?"

In light of the fact that he had been staying up most of the nights and all of the days, Ed knew that was one promise that he couldn't make. With real sadness in his voice, Ed answered, "I doubt it."

Shaking her head as she realized that he probably wouldn't be able to stay awake, she replied, "I didn't think so."

Looking over at Susan to see what she was doing, Ed asked, "You want to go get some rocks?"

Kim replied, "Together this time?"

"Yes, I think that our Chaperone might want to stay here," answered Ed with a smile. He was relieved to see that she smiled back. They both knew that they would have to make the offer. It was with some surprise that she expressed a desire to go with them.

Together, the three of the rode out to the Butte followed by Tiger. With increasing frequency, the cat disappeared to hunt. He was having to settle for birds and mice rather than rabbits as he had spent too long in this area. Reluctantly, Ed was considering giving the cat the canned ham that he was saving for dinner tonight. As if reading his mind, Kim said, "Maybe you can give him half of the ham tonight."

"Oh, we have plenty to eat. I still have enough beans for all of us. There's plenty of bacon, but it isn't good for the cat. We've got canned vegetables, fruits, and soup left. I've even got noodles and some spaghetti sauce," said Ed, fully aware that he had been looking forward to the ham. However, he wouldn't stand by and watch while Tiger went hungry while he ate food that the cat could eat knowing that he had alternatives.

Shaking her head, she said, "You're a good guy, Ed. So what am I going to do tonight while you're sleeping?"

"I can sleep naked tonight so that you can take advantage of my unconscious body," joked Ed.

"Deal," replied Kim with a smile. While the night might be lost, there was always morning.

"I'm kidding," said Ed wondering what he had just done.

"Can't go back on it now," said Kim as ideas started running through her mind. She added, "You said you'd sleep naked, so you have to sleep naked."

The two of them worked side by side through the day collecting rocks. In terms of interesting samples, it wasn't that good of a day. However, they did find a large cache of quartz crystals that would help the Tribe and she could sell in her store to the new age crystal folks. She held up one of the crystals and said, "I can sell a hundred of these for twenty bucks each. If I put a nice mount on it, I can get fifty each. How many of these do we have?"

Ed looked over the pile and said, "Maybe forty or fifty after we give the tribe their share. You can have the rest. They will help you pay for this week."

Surprised at his generosity, Kim asked, "Don't you want some of them?"

Laughing, Ed said, "I don't make my living doing this. This is my vacation and I'm here to collect. What am I supposed to do with twenty-five quartz crystals?"

"Well if you insist," said Kim. She knelt down and started to pack up the samples. There were a lot of good samples here.

Ed asked, "Do you want to search the area for more?"

Shaking her head, Kim replied, "No. We should probably get back to camp and fix dinner. I imagine Harry is back by now."

Susan said, "Aren't you afraid that he'll head home to get something to drink?"

Amazed that she could even ask that question, Ed answered, "No. He'll get water and go back to camp. Odds are, he'll set up a separate camp before we get back. You and he are going to spend a night under the stars with each other. It's up to you to decide what happens next."

She asked, "And what will you do?"

"I'll get to sleep early," replied Ed. Even as he answered, he wondered if he would manage to stay awake until dinner.

With a lecherous grin, Kim added, "While keeping a certain promise made earlier."

Surprised at the expression on her face, Ed stared at Kim. This was the first time he had ever seen a woman make a lecherous grin. He hadn't even known that women were capable of such a look. With a shrug of his shoulders, he said, "What the lady wants, she'll get."

Giggling, Kim walked along beside him as they headed to the horses. Both were carrying several stacks of sample boxes loaded with the quartz crystals. It didn't take long to stow them in the packs. Returning to the site where they had been digging, they collected their tools and packed them away as well.

Reaching camp, they were surprised to find Harry preparing dinner. Susan immediately joined him as they put together dinner. Tiger finally showed up to camp about half an hour later. Ed went to his pack and pulled out the canned ham. Opening it, he set it on a plate for the cat to eat. Tiger bounded over and immediately consumed the ham. Once the ham was finished, the cat rubbed his head against Ed's leg.

After taking care of the horses, Kim and Ed used the baby wipes to wash their hands and faces. There were trips to the toilet and other activities that were normal around camp. Finding someone else doing the cooking, Ed was at a loss for anything to do. The lack of activity had an unexpected consequence for Ed. He was having a very hard time staying awake.

Almost asleep, he was jolted awake when Kim whispered in his ear, "You can't sleep yet. You're still dressed."

He sat up and cleared his head. Looking around, he realized that Kim was behind him. He turned to reply when she handed him a cup of coffee. He accepted the coffee and drank half of it in two swallows. The caffeine had the desired effect and he slowly regained enough energy to stay awake until dinner.

Dinner was a simple affair and Ed ate without savoring it. He was impressed with the Indian Flat Bread. They drank the last of the water that Ed had carried out. As a change of pace, he and Kim added Tang to their water. After the first sip, Ed said, "Smart idea bringing Tang."

Kim said, "I always take some with me when I in the field. It is a necessity as far as I'm concerned. Too many days of drinking just water and I need some flavor."

Curious, Ed asked, "What about iced tea mix?"

Nose wrinkling, she said, "Tepid iced tea? Give me a break."

Caught off guard by her answer, Ed broke out laughing. Still chuckling, he said, "A lady after my own heart."

As Harry and Susan cleaned up, Ed looked at the amount of water that Harry had brought back. He brought back a lot more than was necessary. Seeing Ed examining the water, Harry came over and said, "I thought you and the lady would like to wash up before heading back to see the Chief. He's going to meet us where you parked your truck."

"What about you and your wife?" asked Ed.

"Don't worry about us, we are going to camp where I got the water." Harry looked down at the ground as he spoke. He felt bad that this trip had been spent watching over him.

Ed said, "I guess you are going to leave soon to get there before the sun sets."

"Susan is packing now. We'll be gone in ten minutes."

Watching Harry return to help Susan, Ed could hardly believe the change that had come over Harry. The couple finished packing and rode off together without saying goodbye. They felt they had imposed too much already to burden Ed and Kim any more.

Kim came over and said, "Let's wash up. You go first."

Stripping, Ed washed himself while Kim watched. As far as male bodies went, Ed wasn't a buff body builder or ruggedly handsome in a Clint Eastwood fashion. Still, Kim found herself attracted to him. Watching him, she realized that what attracted her most was the real care that he had shown Harry despite the rough conditions. He had sat by the guy during the night, cleaning the vomit out of his mouth and talking him through the rough times.

When Ed finished washing, he lay on his bed roll and watched Kim strip. When she removed her tee-shirt, he could see two sets of tan lines. Her arms and neck were very dark showing the outlines of tee-shirts. There was a lighter tan showing the outlines of a conservative two-piece bathing suit. Her muscular legs showed a line corresponding to a knee high skirt.

It was the areas that weren't tanned that drew his attention. She had nicely shaped breasts that looked like a large A or small B cup. She had a very small patch of pubic hair that was carrot shaped.

His cock started to erect, but the nights without sleep and hard work over the day took its toll. Before she had even finished washing, he was asleep. Naked and still wet from her bathing, she stood over Ed looking down at him. Shaking her head, she said, "That's the last time I wax my legs and pussy for this guy."

It wasn't even nine and she wasn't tired. Horny, she lay back and took care of herself for the second time this trip. As her finger rubbed her clit, she imagined what she would do to him in the morning. She considered giving him a blowjob to wake him and then having him take charge of pleasuring her. The fingers of her free hand traced the route that she imagined him kissing. When her fantasy reached the point where he was mounting her, she came with little panting sounds.

The noise of her orgasm did not wake Ed. It was dawn before Ed woke. Standing, he checked out the camp making sure that a snake, attracted by the warmth, had not entered camp during the night. His eyes settled on Kim lying on her bedroll. Enough of her body showed from under the blanket that he could tell that she was naked. She looked so inviting that he wanted to wake her with an orgasm. While he knew what he wanted to do, he chose not to do it. The fact is that a woman can wake a man by giving him a blowjob without expecting a problem. However, a man who attempts a sexual act with a woman without her being fully conscious, awake, and consenting could expect dire consequences.

Going over to the fire pit, he started a small fire for brewing coffee. Once the fire was burning, he filled the coffee pot with water and added the grounds in the catch basket. When enough coals had formed, he set the coffee pot on the grill. It would start perking in a few minutes. He turned to look back at Kim. She shifted a little and her breasts became fully exposed to his gaze. In the daylight, they were even more magnificent than when he had fallen asleep. The sight caused his cock to start to harden. Feeling uncomfortable, he returned his attention to the coffee amused that it was just beginning to perk. The old saying that a watched pot never boils came to him. How long had he been gazing at her for the coffee to begin perking? It didn't matter as the smell of coffee began to permeate the air.

He went to his pack to get two cups for coffee, one for himself and one to help wake Kim. While at the pack, he heard Kim stirring. He looked over at her and saw that only one breast was bare, but her right leg was exposed almost up to the hip. She was still asleep, but getting closer to wakening. His cock twitched as it came close to full erection.

Pouring two cups of coffee, he returned to his bedroll setting one of the cups on the ground near Kim hoping that the smell would wake her. He sat there watching her slowly wake. She stretched and opened her eyes, noticing the smell of coffee almost immediately. Turning on her side so that she faced Ed, she saw the cup on the ground next to her. She sat up and picked up the cup. The blanket that had been covering her settled on her lap; exposing her breasts to his view. After taking a sip, she said, "You are supposed to be asleep yet."

"I thought you wanted me awake," said Ed. Trying hard not to stare at her chest, his cock throbbed in time with his heart, pumping blood into it until it was fully erect.

Winking at him after she glanced at his cock, she said, "I wanted to wake you this morning with a blowjob."

"That would have been most pleasant," replied Ed. He thought about how he had wanted to wake her. He said, "I must confess that I had a similar idea for waking you."

Surprised at the idea and disappointed that he hadn't done it, she asked, "Why didn't you?"

"I wasn't sure how you would have reacted waking up with me all over you," answered Ed.

Quiet as she thought about it, she realized that his concern was actually a very insightful one. She probably would have been upset until she realized who it was and might have remained angry even after she did realize that it was him. She said, "I might have been upset. Now that I'm awake, what are you doing over there and not here?"

Ed went over to her bedroll and sat down next to her. Kissing her lips, he enjoyed the soft fullness of her lips. She pressed against him opening her mouth inviting him to explore her mouth with his tongue. Accepting the invitation, he ran his tongue over her lips tickling her with the lightness of its touch and teasing her with his delay in probing deeper.

She responded to his slowness, by taking control. Thrusting her tongue into his mouth, she wrapped her arms around his neck. His right hand explored her back, tracing lines up and down her spine with an extremely light touch. His finger stopped just at the top of her crack on the bottom of its trip and at the base of the skull on the trip up. The effect on Kim was as if an electric shark was traveling up and down her spine.

She adjusted her position so that she was sitting on his crossed legs, her cunt rubbing against his cock, while her legs were wrapped around his torso. The slightest movement of her hips rubbed her clit against the length of his large cock. Ed turned his attention to kissing her neck while his right hand continued to excite her. With his left hand, he slowly massaged her breast.

The days of frustration soon had her on edge. This was what she had expected to happen every day from the beginning. She adjusted her position so that her cunt was directly over his cock. As she slowly lowered herself on his cock, she fully understood just how big it was. She screamed, "Oh, God! That's so big."

It took her a long time to lower herself fully on his cock. At that point, her clit was rubbing against his body and her cunt was filled more than it ever had. Even her largest dildo was smaller than him. Rocking her hips sent a delicious shiver through her body as his cock rubbed parts of her that had never been touched. Her eyes closed, and she leaned back a little forcing her hips forward thus pressing her clit against his body even harder. She slowly moved her pelvis, bringing a greater pleasure to her body.

Ed took advantage of this position to lean forward and kiss her wonderful breasts, paying attention to her nipples. He supported her in this position with his arms while she placed her hands on the bedroll, palm down to support herself.

For Ed, the sensation was amazing. It excited him without driving him to a quick orgasm. He felt like he could last like this for hours. Flexing his buttocks provided a very slight thrusting motion into her. She sighed at the pleasure, building to a nice gentle orgasm. When she came, it felt like she was milking him with her internal muscles.

Ed maintained control and lasted through her orgasm without coming. She continued to rock slowly on his cock as he provided small thrusts into her. The effect on her was a continuous building to a larger more intense orgasm. Her entire body shock as this orgasm washed over her. She squealed in pleasure at the discovery that she was multi-orgasmic.

For Ed, this position did not provide the kind of stimulation that was enough to bring him to orgasm. It was sufficient to keep him excited and erect. His neck was getting tired as he struggled to maintain connection with her nipple, his legs were falling asleep, and his need for more stimulation was driving him to change the position. He held off until she experienced another orgasm, this one more intense then either of the previous two she had experienced.

Lifting her, he lay her on her back as he straightened his legs behind him. The contortions had left him in the standard missionary position. Now he started to thrust into her with greater power. He adjusted his position so that his cock was making more forceful contact with the entrance to her passage. He picked up the pace, letting his body take control as his mind went into another world.

Kim was lost in the sensation of raw sex, her body driving her responses. She had no conscious control of her actions. With the increased stimulation, she came again and again, the delay between orgasms shortening until they were almost continuous. Ed was now hammering into her, the sensations driving him to orgasm. The closer he got, the harder he thrust. When he came, his toes curled, his back arched, his head drew back, and he emitted a loud growl. His thrusts stopped as he locked into position buried as deep into her as nature allowed.

Kim, trembling from the physical sensations, lay under him breathing heavily as the orgasms finally ended. Ed's body slowly unlocked from its orgasmic posture and he slowly collapsed upon her. With great regret, he pulled out form her and lay beside her with half his body on the dirt. Eyes closed, he said, "That was amazing. I've never done it that way before."

Barely summoning the energy to roll over to face him, she traced little circles around his nipple. She said, "That was so much better than I could ever have imagined."

He reached out with an arm and put it around her, pulling her closer to him. She responded by bending her leg and laying it across his body maintaining intimate contact. Much to her surprise, Ed did not pull away from her like the other men in her life had.

They lay like that for more than half an hour before nature called to both of them. After kissing him on the lips, she said, "Thank you so much for that."

Smiling, he replied, "Thank you."

They went about the business of responding to nature, washing again, and then dressing. It was a comfortable time for them, unmarred by any of the awkward silences that often follows the first time with a new partner. Breakfast was cooked and eaten. The camp was packed up and returned to a natural state. The horses fed and watered. With everything done, it was now a matter of waiting for Harry and Susan to show up.

As they sat upon the saddles, Ed asked, "Would you be willing to do this again?"

Rather than answer immediately, Kim thought about it. All of the negatives had come from having to deal with Harry. Throughout the trip, Ed had been wonderful, taking care that everyone was as comfortable as possible under the unusual conditions. Would she like to do this again? She decided that she would so long as they didn't have a chaperone. She answered, "Yes, but maybe we could go someplace where we can be alone through the trip."

Her comment made Ed laugh. The last thing he wanted was another experience like this one. He said, "Have no fear, I will let you select the site next time."

She asked, "So when would you like to go again?"

That was a question that Ed was completely at a loss to answer. He didn't know what his schedule would be for the next few months. He answered, "How about when one of us is ready to go, we call the other?"

Surprised, Kim asked, "You don't want to plan the next trip?"

Ed answered, "That is very hard for me to do. Between school, my charity work, and my service to the Gods and Goddesses, I have a very difficult time scheduling anything."

The mention of charity work puzzled her for a minute and then she realized that he must have meant the IRS. She said, "I can see where the IRS would take up a great deal of time."

He said, "It is not just the IRS. I'm also on the Board of Directors of the Fusion Foundation."

After watching him spend so much time treating Harry, it had been easy to forget that he was involved with one of the wealthiest men in the country. That thought reminded her of his wives. It saddened her that she would never have him to herself. She sighed as she asked, "What will your wives think of what we did this morning?"

Looking at Kim, he could tell that there was a little anxiousness in her question. He answered, "Well, first they'll want all the details. Then I'll show them what we did. After that, they'll probably invite you over to thank you personally."

Looking at him as if he was crazy, she asked, "Thank me? How?"

"That probably depends on if you are into women at all," replied Ed. With a chuckle, he added, "If you aren't, I'm sure they'll dream up some appropriate way to thank you."

With a very stern expression, she said, "I am definitely not into women. The whole idea disgusts me."

Shrugging, Ed said, "Don't worry. They won't try to seduce you. If it harm none then do it. Forcing you to do something that you don't want will hurt you, so they won't do it."

Kim was left wondering what kind of family this was that held such a rule in high regard.



-------

Chapter 14


Sunset, that special time when day turns to night, was the time when John and Ed spent talking on the parapet of the house. John said, "I was going to take my walk when you came back, but I have a feeling that something really big is going to happen soon."

"How big?"

John answered, "Big enough to activate the Fusion Foundation Emergency Relief organization."

The men sat quietly for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. Quietly, Ed said, "I can handle it. You go on your walk."

Shaking his head, John said, "This will be our first activation. I think one of us should be here and one on site."

"I can handle it."

"No, I'll go. It is my service and I must see it through," replied John.

It made sense and Ed knew John well enough to know that he would want to be as close to the action as possible. It was spring and there were so many things that happen. Avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes could happen at any time. Ed asked, "When will we activate?"

John answered, "Tomorrow. We'll put the East Coast on alert tomorrow and prepare to move out."

Ed said, "How many groups?"

John answered, "All of them."

The idea of putting the entire East Coast on alert was overwhelming. That would activate a fleet of thirty transport planes. Eight of the planes carried medium sized earth moving equipment and transportation. Eight contained portable shelters, medical facilities, and toilets. Those sixteen planes were always loaded and ready to move out at a moments notice. Ten planes would be loaded food and water, sufficient to feed over ten thousand people for a week. Four planes would be loaded with medical supplies.

It would also activate four planes capable of carrying one thousand trained Fusion Foundation personnel. These were specialists, trained in various aspects of rescue and on staff full time. This included doctors, nurses, earth movers, cooks, and others that were multiply trained. Everyone was crossed trained to fulfill any task that might arise.

If John considered putting the entire East Coast on alert, then this meant that it was a big emergency. Ed asked, "Will you be moving out before anything happens?"

Shaking his head in the negative, John replied, "As much as I would like to do that, it would not be a fair assessment of our capabilities."

Surprised at the answer, Ed said, "That could cost lives."

Nodding his agreement at the assessment, John said, "I know, but we have to respond in a real fashion. To do otherwise, could cause significant loss of life in the long run."

"John, I know you better than that. That isn't a sufficient reason for you to delay. You would find another way to solve that particular problem."

Cross at being questioned, John replied, "I have no idea what or where the emergency will be. I can't act earlier than when the problem is identified."

This revelation caused Ed to examine John carefully. He asked, "Do you think you are losing your abilities?"

"Yes," replied John. Ever since the raid on the organized crime, it was as though his abilities had been muted. Previously, he would have sufficient knowledge to respond in the most appropriate fashion. Now, it seemed like it was always a general feeling.

Ed asked, "Did you ever think that it is because of your preparations that your role has changed from active participant to supervisor?"

John had considered that interpretation many times and believed it was a correct interpretation of the change. In a way, it bothered him as much as the alternative. He said, "Yes. I realize that is a likely reason."

The next morning, Ed and John headed to the headquarters of the Fusion Foundation in John's jeep. Tiger and Rover were in the back, with Tiger on the floor and Rover filling the seat. The trip flew by quickly and it wasn't long before they were in the parking lot.

As they headed into the building, Ed recalled the time when he had difficulties getting in because none of the staff recognized him. He said, "We might have problems getting in."

Surprised, John asked, "Why?"

"When I came here, no one recognized me and wanted proof that I belonged here," answered Ed.

This was a surprise to John who had never thought about problems entering the foundation. The receptionist that had once tried to delay Ed was on duty. As they approached the front door, she paled when she saw Ed and the two cats. Since his last visit, she had learned that Ed and John Carter always traveled with a cat. She realized that the man with him must be John Carter. She picked up the telephone and called Ellen before they had even finished entering the building. When the two men went to the counter, she said, "Ellen is on her way down here to greet you."

John smiled at that woman and said, "Thank you. I'm John Carter. May I ask your name?"

His introduction confirmed her suspicion. Blushing brightly, she said, "I am Karen Carson."

Mentally, Ed kicked himself at not having asked her name the last time he was here. He said, "It is nice to see you again, Karen."

She smiled at him and said, "It is good to see you, Mr. Biggers."

"Please call me, Ed," he replied. As he replied, Ellen came rushing into the room.

John turned to Ellen and said, "It's nice to see you again, Ellen."

Remembering her lesson from Ed and Sid, Ellen replied, "It's nice to see you, John. If I may ask, is there a special reason that you are here?"

Pleased that she went straight to the matter at hand, John replied, "Put the East Coast on alert. Start up the command center on the fourth floor."

All of the blood drained from the faces of Ellen and Karen, as the full implications of what John had said. Ellen shook her head and said, "Nothing has happened."

After glancing at John, Ed said, "It will."

A shiver ran through Ellen before she turned and led the way into the office area. Word had already spread through the entire office complex that John Carter was in the building. People were lined up, standing quietly, in the hallways to see the great man. The cats, unused to such a situation, moved closer to the men as though uneasy although not frightened.

Seeing the people lined up, Ellen said, "Everyone, we need to go to the command center. Once there, put the entire East Coast on alert."

As everyone turned to head to their business, Ed spotted Kim Green, the woman that he had found at the University being raped. He called out, "Hey, Kim! I didn't know that you had come to work here."

Kim turned and looked at Ed, surprised that he had addressed her since she now knew just how important of a person that he was. Seeing that both Ed and John were looking at her, she said, "Hello, Ed. Hello, John. I'm surprised you remember me."

"Of course we remember you. Is your mother still a volunteer here?" asked Ed.

Kim nodded and answered, "Yes, she'll be in later."

John asked, "What is your job here?"

"I'm a translator for Spanish and French," replied Kim. She wasn't sure how important of a position it was, but she enjoyed the work. Most of the translation was spent working with Spanish due to the large Hispanic population on the West Coast. She was also going to get trained in Chinese in several months.

John said, "Could you take me to the airport? I was going to get a cab, but I'd rather travel with a friendly face."

Surprised to be asked to take him, she readily agreed, "Sure. Let me get my purse."

John left with Tiger, the smaller cat seemed to take to air travel much better than Rover. It would also create less of a distraction than the Cougar. He would fly to Atlanta and land at the Fusion Foundation facility located at the airport there.

Ed did not watch them go. Instead, he went up to the floor where the Command Center was located. The room was laid out with desks along two sides of the room. There were computer consoles on each desk. At the front of the room was a number large screens that would allow them to project various pieces of information about the current situation. Each desk had a person seated at it. As the computers booted, the people put on telephone headsets. The headsets were wireless so that they could leave their desk without putting people on hold.

Ed took his seat at the desk reserved for the incident commander at the back of the room and surveyed the action. Rover walked around the room checking it out. Satisfied, he went into the break room and curled up on the floor in a corner where he wouldn't be bothered.

At the front of the room, the displays came alive as Ed turned on the Incident Commander console. The center display on the wall showed a map of the world. There were four spots lit in yellow that corresponded to existing problems that were already under control. One was a volcano in Hawaii, another was a flood in Peru, another was a very minor earthquake in Romania, and the fourth was an epidemic of a flu variety in Southeast Asia.

Another screen showed the various Fusion Foundation Centers and their status. All of the status indicators were initially green, but as time went by, centers on the East Coast had their status indicators changed to yellow, one at a time. The yellow indicated that they were on alert. The phones started lighting up as centers called in to identify what actions they should be taking.

At that point, Ed pressed the speaker and said, "Everyone, I need your attention. We need to get all planes fully stocked and ready for take off on the East Coast. We are not yet aware of the destination, but we do know that it will be a long flight. I want a full complement of personnel ready for boarding. Please act as though the emergency was occurring, we want to see the time required for our people to get ready."

He flicked off the speaker and turned to Ellen seated at the desk next to his. He said, "Ellen, I would like to get complete information on how long it takes each center to get ready to leave."

"Yes, sir," replied Ellen. After entering the request into the console, she turned to face Ed. She added, "Are you sure that we will need all of these resources?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "John is positive that something big is going to occur within the next five hours."

"Has he ever been wrong?"

Ed thought back to the earthquake in California and answered, "No."

Ellen asked, "By the way, where is John?"

Laughing at the question, Ed said, "He's on his way to the center in Atlanta."

"Why would he be going to Atlanta?" asked Ellen.

"He's going to the emergency with them," answered Ed. He added, "Since we are only on alert, I would like everyone to review the emergency procedures for natural disasters. That should take about three hours."

Following his own advice, Ed reviewed the activities that he would be performing in the event of various natural disasters. As they waited, volunteers came through the room delivering coffee and snacks. Three people waited in the relief room waiting to be called in to take the place of anyone that needed a break. Everything looked good.

It was in the middle of the afternoon when an area of the map on the wall indicated that an earthquake had occurred in Turkey. Everyone in the room leaned forward and looked at the display waiting for the magnitude to be displayed. When 7.2 flashed on the display, everyone went to work.

For the next two hours, planes and people were dispatched to Turkey to provide emergency relief. The staff at each center was busy filing flight plans and making arrangements with governments to fly over their airspace. Passports of personnel were double checked. The planes were in the air within ninety minutes of the earthquake.

The news started broadcasting pictures from ground zero, showing total devastation in many of the poor sections of the country. Casualty estimates ranged up to a thousand with tens of thousands of injuries. The fact that the earthquake had struck at night meant that the majority of people were inside their homes asleep when it hit.

Typical office hours ended and the second shift came in to take over. The handoff from one person to the next was seamless. Glancing at the clock, Ed realized that six hours had passed since the earthquake. It would be another ten hours before the planes would be landing. He turned to Ellen and said, "Go to the relief room and get a good eight hours of sleep. There isn't going to be much action between now and then. I'll go there in a couple of hours and get some sleep myself."

Ellen, surprisingly tired, nodded as she said, "Good idea."

Watching her leave the room, Ed noticed how in the recent events she had demonstrated total professionalism. A man came and took her place at the deputy commander position. He turned to Ed and said, "I'm Paul Nagel."

Ed replied, "Hello Paul, I'm Ed."

Turning to the console, Paul went through the process of catching up on the status of all the activities for which the deputy commander was responsible. Watching him work, Ed considered how well the systems were supporting them. He turned to watch the center display on the wall. There was one very large red spot on it that showed the current emergency occurring in central Turkey. One display was still blank and would remain that way until communications started arriving from the site.

As he sat there, Grace Green stopped by his desk looking fresh and alert. He greeted her, "Hello, Grace. I thought you were off."

Smiling broadly, she said, "I'm supposed to go off duty, but I'm afraid that I'm feeling a little hyped up."

Thinking quickly, Ed said, "Maybe you could run an errand for me."

"I'd love to help."

Smiling at the attractive woman, Ed said, "This isn't a very glamorous job, but I need someone to get one of those children's wading pools, fifty pounds of kitty litter, and twenty pounds of raw hamburger."

Confused by the request, she asked, "What would you need that for?"

Turning to Paul, Ed said, "I'll be back in three minutes."

He moved around the desk and led Grace to the break room. He pointed to Rover sleeping in the corner and said, "Rover is going to be here throughout the emergency, so I need to make sure that he has a liter box and food."

The instant Grace saw Rover, she remembered that the cat had been at the graduation celebration. She also remembered that Rover had been one of the two cats that had been at her daughter's rescue from the rapist. Smiling, she said, "I had forgotten that he was here. Where's Shadow and Tiger?"

Smiling at the fact that she remembered the names of all the cats, Ed replied, "Tiger is going with John to Turkey and Shadow is watching over our wives."

Grace said, "I'll be back with everything you need in about an hour."

"Thanks, Grace," replied Ed as he handed her a hundred dollar bill. Rover stood up and joined Grace as she walked to the elevator. Ed watched the cat suspecting that there was more to his action than met the eye. He said, "If Rover wants to go with you, let him. He's a very good bodyguard."

Looking down at the cat walking beside her, she said, "Okay, if you're sure."

Ed answered, "I'm sure."

When she went down the elevator with the cat, Ed returned to his console. He sat back and looked at the picture of the globe. The locations of the planes along their planned flight paths were shown on the map of the world on the view screen. He settled in for a long night.

It was a little more than an hour before Grace returned from running the errands for Ed. A little shaken, she stopped by his desk and said, "I took care of Rover. I think he saved my life by scaring off a bunch of kids."

"Really? I'm glad that he was able to help," said Ed. At least he had been correct in telling her to take Rover along. He asked, "Where is he?"

"He's in the break room eating," replied Grace. She had bought steak instead of hamburger after the kids had jumped her. Even though she knew better, she had ended up in a poor neighborhood store to get the hamburger and kitty litter. On the way into the store, a number of kids about eighteen to twenty years old started to harass her. When one of them pulled out a knife, Rover appeared out of nowhere and took the kid to the ground by leaping on his back. The gang ran away, pulling the one who had been knocked to the ground away. She had gone in, made her purchases, and left as quick as she could.

Ed asked, "So you want to tell me about your experience?"

"Some kids tried to mug me. Rover took one of them to the ground and chased off the rest. He was magnificent. While I was scared, it would appear that I wasn't in any real danger," said Grace.

Ed asked, "Did anyone get hurt?"

"There wasn't any blood," answered Grace.

Glad that he wouldn't have to call the Phoenix police and explain how Rover had injured someone that attacked Grace, Ed said, "Okay. It seems to me like you've had a very exciting day. Why don't you head home and get some rest?"

More than happy to comply, Grace said, "That's exactly what I had in mind. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks for everything, Grace," said Ed.

In the morning, Ed stared at the display showing the devastation caused by the earthquake. Fusion Foundation personnel had set up the medical tents within thirty minutes of their arrival. The light equipment was in action clearing away debris within an hour. By four hours, everything was in place to provide the highest quality emergency response possible. They were feeding almost a thousand people an hour and handing out bottles of water throughout the region.

News reporters had shown up and were covering the story of the arrival of the Fusion Foundation on the scene. The robin egg blue coveralls with the bright yellow backpacks gave the people a clear identity that was clearly different from a military group. The backpacks contained first aid kits, food, water, and tools useful for clearing away debris.

The central display had been changed from a map of the world to a map of the region in which the people were working. Another display showed the supplies remaining and the rate of consumption. Ed turned to Ellen and said, "Have logistics locate sources of bottled water in Europe. Get several suppliers distributed across Europe, we don't want to overwhelm any single producer. Order the water for immediate delivery to the closest large airport. Use a simple money transfer to pay for it. Task planes to pick up the purchases."

Ellen turned to her console and entered the orders. He watched the news channel and saw that John was going to address the press corps within ten minutes. It was not a surprise when the phone rang. Answering it, Ed said, "Hello John."

John asked, "How did you know it was me?"

"It's the first call I've gotten since this whole thing started and I just saw that you're about to give a press conference in ten minutes," answered Ed.

The sound of John's laughter filled his ear piece. John said, "Well, I wanted to let you know about the water situation."

As he punched the keyboard, the status of the water order showed up on his screen. Ed said, "Okay, we've ordered about fifteen thousand bottles of water. Flight plans have been filed for your planes and they'll be receiving their tasking orders in about ten minutes."

Surprised by the news, John asked, "You knew that we were going to need more water?"

Ed laughed and answered, "Of course. We can tell you to the vial exactly how much medicine you have and the rate of consumption."

John said, "Okay, be that way. I guess I can report that water supplies will be assured for the next few days."

"Have you run into any problems?" asked Ed.

"One major problem. We don't speak the language, but one of the locals found a bunch of kids taking English in high school and we are using them as translators."

Writing himself a note, Ed replied, "I'll include a recommendation that we find several schools or colleges in each country and support an English program so that we have a cadre of volunteers that can translate for us."

"Good thinking. Anyway, I better go satisfy the news hounds," said John.

"I'll talk to you later," said Ed. The conversation was disconnected and Ed turned his attention to the television. After a few minutes, John appeared dressed in the blue coveralls carrying his walking stick and wearing his cloak. Tiger was only visible for a few seconds as he followed John to the news podium.

It was four days later that John returned to Phoenix, satisfied that the situation in Turkey was under control. Ed had stayed in the command console eighteen hours a day for the entire time. When John came into the command center, he took one look at Ed and said, "Time to get home."

Nodding his head, Ed said, "Okay, let me turn this over to Ellen."

Even before he had finished speaking, Ellen was standing beside him. She said, "I'll take over now. Get out of here."

Ed rose and went to the front of the room. Turning to all of the desks, he said, "Everyone, I would like to thank you for the excellent jobs all of you have done. This was an outstanding success. There remains some work to be done, but the immediate crisis is over. Everyone will be returning home within a few days now that the infrastructure of the country has been restored to a point where they can rebuild."

Standing next to Ed, John smiled at how his husband had taken the time to thank everyone. John said, "When I started the Fusion Foundation, I hoped that it would make a difference. I never in my wildest imagination, thought that it would attract so many talented and dedicated people. This has been an overwhelming success and the fact is that I had very little to do with it. You are the ones that made it work. Thank you."

The two men, followed by the cats, left the building to return home. On the way, John said, "I don't know if I like you with a beard."

The act of going home helped rejuvenate Ed. With cheer in his voice, Ed said, "I came up with a whole list of changes that need to be incorporated in operational scenarios. One of them was a personal hygiene kit for every person in the command center. We had showers and towels, but no toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, or shaving cream."

Laughing at the major gap in capability, John said, "I never said we were perfect."

They finally arrived home and parked in the garage. Entering the house, the two cats immediately disappeared, happy to able to move around freely. The men were met by Bill, who looked at them and asked, "Do you want your messages?"

Ed answered, "Might as well get them out of the way."

John just shrugged. Taking that as permission, Bill said, "I'll start with John. You've had another message from the President. He wants to know if you'll visit the White House. I told him it would be unlikely anytime in the near future as per your standing orders. Several universities have called and wanted to know if you would address the graduates in the graduation ceremonies. One of them is the University of Texas and they were the only one that I gave any hope of that happening. Ann from the FBI called to find out when you expected to return to her office. Let's see, tax forms for the quarter are in your inbox."

Puzzled, John asked, "Isn't it kind of late to be inviting me to be a speaker for graduation?"

Bill answered, "It is for a year from now."

"Oh, I didn't realize," said John as the answer provided him with a better context. He thought about the requests and said, "Let Ann know that I'll call her in a couple of days. Remind her that I just returned from an earthquake in Turkey. Let UT know that I will do my best to give the graduation speech."

"Okay," said Bill. There was one last bit of business to take care of before he was done with John. Taking a deep breath, he said, "There is an envelope from a member of the staff waiting for you."

Glancing at Ed and the grin on his face, he felt uncomfortable. This would he his first invitation to sleep with a member of the staff. Blushing a bright red, John said, "I'll look at it after I've rested."

Turning to Ed, Bill shook his head at the reaction of John to the news. He said, "Your professor called to let you know that your samples have arrived. I let him know that you were dealing with the earthquake in Turkey, so he isn't expecting to hear from you any time soon. A representative from a mining company wants to hire you as a consultant for three days. I have the information for you to call him back."

Surprised at the news that someone wanted to hire him as a consultant, Ed asked, "Are you sure about that?"

Bill answered, "That is what the gentleman stated. I told him that you would call him within a week."

"Neat, I wonder what I can do for him."

Bill continued on covering the list by saying, "The IRS called and wanted to know when you would be by the office."

Ed shook his head and replied, "I don't know yet."

Shrugging, Bill said, "You also had a call from Kim Nolan. She just wanted you to know that she had seen you on television."

Hearing that his rock hunting buddy had called brought a smile to his face. Once again he was too tired to give her his immediate attention. He said, "I'll return her call when I wake up."

Raising an eyebrow, Bill said, "You also have an envelope from a member of the staff awaiting your response."

This was the third invitation that he had received. The first two were from Ling and he had found her a giving lover. She had displayed a reservation that suggested she had really been interested in having someone else as a lover. He said, "I'll take care of that when I'm rested."

Bill looked at his list and said, "You have another invitation from Rosa, Maria, and Carlos to visit for dinner. They said that they understood that you were a busy man, but they hoped that you could come over one evening this month."

Frowning, Ed asked, "What does my calendar look like over the next two weeks?"

Bill answered, "I rescheduled all of your appointments for this week once I found that you were working at the Fusion Foundation. As a result, you have the next three evenings free."

Thinking about it, he realized that he wouldn't be in shape to do anything this evening. In fact, he would probably be too tired to accommodate the staff member tomorrow. He worked out the schedule in his mind and said, "Okay. Ask Maria if tomorrow night would be okay. Set aside the night after that for my time with the staff member. I'll spend tomorrow around the house, but go into Phoenix the next day to visit the IRS and work at the university."

Taking a deep breath, Bill said, "You have tax forms in your inbox. And that's the last item for you."

Shaking his head, Ed wondered how six days away from the house had led to so many messages. If he didn't know better, one could decide that he was important. He sighed, "I'll look at it later. Right now, I'm going to shave and take a nap."

The two men had barely entered the family area of the house when their wives screamed and came running to them excited to see their husbands again. After a round of hugs and kisses, the women let the men head to their bedrooms.



-------

Chapter 15


Ed, surrounded by plants, sat on one of the benches in the atrium. Watching Bob transplant flowers along the path was one of the few chances that he had to talk to the man. Bob looked over at Ed and said, "I love this job."

This was the truest thing that anyone had said to Ed in several days. The crystalline pure tone that he heard was extremely sweet to his ears. Ed asked, "Why?"

Bob answered, "I used to work as a gardener full time. After that I was an auto mechanic and then a carpenter. The problem was that by the end of the week I was ready to stomp on the flowers, wreck the car, or burn the house. I got bored of doing the same thing over and over."

It was surprising, but Ed could understand. There were times when the cattle were acting up that he was half tempted to let them stampede just to see what would happen. He said, "I can understand that."

Joking, Bob said, "I image there was a time or two that you wondered what would happen if you let the cattle run off a cliff."

"You got that right."

Turning thoughtful, Bob said, "This job is different. Sometimes I'm a gardener, mechanic, or handy man. Every day is different and I don't get bored. There are good days and bad days, but I'm in control of what I work on. It's the best that I can imagine."

Ed said, "You're a smart man. Why didn't you consider college?"

"I have dyslexia. I can't read and my whole life has been spent accommodating that." Bob was rather embarrassed to admit his problem. He had become a master at hiding his limitations from others.

This was something that came as a surprise to Ed. He had talked with Bob many times and never had a clue. It was normal procedure for him to give Bob a written list of tasks and it had never occurred to him that Bob couldn't read the list. He asked, "So how do you read the list that I give you?"

Smiling, Bob replied, "Usually you tell me the work on the list and I remember that. If there is a problem, I take it to Bill."

"Wow, I had no idea," said Ed. Bob was a very smart guy and it was hard to believe that he couldn't read. Ed said, "You're a very smart guy."

Bob said, "Thanks for saying that. It's like suffering from color blindness. It doesn't have anything to do with your intelligence."

"I didn't mean to imply that it had anything to do with each other. I just meant that you might have aspired to more and were held back by it."

Thinking about it, Bob said, "Well, I was always kept in the slow classes and that wasn't much fun. I was teased and called stupid. In terms of learning about things from books, it was never pleasant so I didn't ever dream of being educated in that way. Then they put me in a trade school. I learned plumbing, auto repair, wood working, and gardening. I found that I liked that more. So I guess you can say that I'm happy with how things turned out."

"Interesting," said Ed. Every word had a ring truth to it. Curious, Ed asked, "Is there anything you would like to learn that you haven't had a chance to try before?"

The question surprised Bob as he had never thought about it. After a thinking about it for a little while, he said, "I don't know. Maybe I'd like to learn how to work with metal. You know casting, machining, and finishing."

Thinking about it, Ed asked, "How about jewelry making?"

"Yes, that would be nice," replied Bob.

Ed said, "Well, I can probably arrange that. Kim knows lots of jewelers and could probably arrange for you to apprentice with one of them for a while."

"Really?" asked Bob. This was one of the things that he didn't understand about this family. They were so concerned that people continue to grow and learn. Once they found that someone had an interest in something, they would move mountains to give them a chance to explore it.

"Really."

Smiling, Bob turned back to the plants and said, "Did I ever tell you that I love this job?"

Laughing at the comment, Ed stood and answered, "I'll leave you to it."

Walking away from the atrium, Ed decided that it would be nice to visit town. It had been almost a month since he had made it to Shirley's. Thinking was as good as acting and he headed to the door to walk into town. Although the house was at the end of the street, it was still a short walk into town. As he passed by his old house, he stopped and looked at it. Joe was renting it now, so he couldn't enter. John's house, across the street from his, stood empty and looked lonely. Tiger looked impatient to continue, so he continued on down the street.

Strolling down the street brought back sweet memories of those days when he was just beginning on this path. The memories made him melancholy. Those were the heady days when he discovered love for the first time. He smiled as he remembered the first time he made love with Kelly and how he had felt like a virgin. The months of watching over Beth when she was ill were not all that pleasant of a memory. Still, he had done the right thing, not because he was forced to do it, but because he wanted to do it.

It was mind boggling how much his life had changed. In those days, he was lucky to earn twenty thousand in a year. A couple of weeks ago, he had earned that with one consulting job. He hadn't even finished his degree and was able to earn that much money. It made him wonder what would be his future.

He continued on into town. On reaching town, he encountered many people that he hadn't seen in several months. Stopping to talk to each of them for several minutes, it took him an hour to reach Shirley's. It felt good to talk to friends that he not seen in a while.

As he was about to enter the bar, Richard stopped him at the door. Richard Green had been one of the men that had given Ed a lot of problems in the early days. Now, the man seemed to hold Ed up as a role model. Richard said, "You might not want to go in there. There are some news people looking to get a story about you and John."

"Who else is in there?"

Richard answered, "Shirley, Manuel, Joe, and a couple of other people."

Ed said, "I can't let the press keep me out of my favorite place. So, how about I buy you a coke and we ignore them?"

Shaking his head and laughing, Richard couldn't believe how Ed reacted to something that would have had him running for cover. Deciding that it might be fun to see what would happen, Richard said, "Count me in."

The two men entered the bar. When Ed looked around, he discovered that Shirley wasn't behind the counter, but was seated at the table in the corner eating a sandwich with Manuel and Joe. A group of people, that he didn't recognize, was at the far end of the room. It was a good assumption that they were the news people that Robert had warned him about.

Behind the counter serving up drinks was Linda Burton, the widow of Harry Burton. She saw them come in and asked, "Cokes?"

Ed answered, "Sure, that would be great."

Linda poured two glasses of coke and set them on the bar. With a smile and a wink at Robert, she said, "Two wimps for the men."

Much to Ed's surprise, Robert laughed easily at the statement. Noticing the look on Ed's face, he said, "I know. I gave up drinking the afternoon of your wedding. That little lecture of yours was a real eye opener."

Shirley was waving for them to join her at the table. They followed Tiger over to the table and pulled up an extra chair. As Tiger curled up in a corner, the two men seated themselves. Once settled, Ed said, "Howdy folks. Long time no see."

Leaning back in her chair, Shirley said, "I had thought you had forgotten all about us."

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No, I haven't forgotten any of you. Somehow, I think somebody removed a couple of hours out of the day."

Smiling, Manuel said, "Senior, I think you need to learn how to get paid for all of your work. You are losing money at the rates you are charging. Shirley will be happy to explain to you how to charge more money for everything you do. You have to treat this work like a business."

By the time Manuel had finished talking, Joe and Shirley were laughing so hard that they could hardly remain seated. Robert looked confused as he didn't understand that was effectively what Ed had told Manuel one day. Ed was chuckling at the joke. Shaking his head, Ed said, "Okay, I deserved that."

Laughing, Manuel said, "I used to be the hardest working man in the county, but I think you have just beat me."

"I don't understand," said Robert.

Joe explained, "One day when we had made a haul and our truck broke down, Ed came by and helped my dad out. They put the load in Ed's truck and Ed helped us deliver it. On the way there, Ed gave my dad some business advice and then brought him over here to talk to Shirley. That was the day that our hauling business became a real business."

Manuel added, "The advice I just gave Ed was about the same advice he gave me."

The sudden change in Manuel's hauling business had been the talk of the town. A lot of other people had seen this and had taken chances on opening their own businesses. Robert had never known how it was that things had turned around for Manuel and his son. He looked over at Ed and said, "I never heard that story."

Ed shrugged his shoulders as though to minimize his role. Changing the subject, Ed asked, "So when did Linda start working here?"

Surprising Ed with the source, Robert said, "I brought her here on a date about a month ago. Shirley and her got into a conversation while I was in the bathroom. I came out and Shirley had hired her."

Shirley added, "Well, she needed a job and really seemed interested in working here. It's been nice having her work here. I actually get to spend a little time with my family now."

"That's great. I bet they like that too," commented Ed. He had wondered how things were working out with her here at the bar all of the time.

Shirley actually blushed at the comment. Noticing that Ed had observed her blush, she said, "We are talking about having a baby."

"Wow, that would be great! I can image you as a mother," said Ed. With a wink, he added, "Cleaning up after a baby will be a snap after cleaning up after a bunch of drunks."

Laughing Shirley replied, "That doesn't happen as much now that you and John have changed the town."

An easy banter settled over the table as people talked about their hopes and dreams. It was a major surprise when Robert said, "I guess you didn't know that I proposed to Linda."

Pleased to know that things were working out for Robert and for Linda, Ed said, "You're both lucky to have found each other. She's a good woman."

There were things that everyone at the table knew. Neither of them had been nice people at one time. He had been a bully and a drunk. Linda had been the town slut, cheating on her husband on almost a daily basis. They were both working hard to put the past behind them. Quietly, Robert said, "We both have a bit of a past, but we've moved beyond it. I know that you helped me see the light. I don't know what you did for her, but she talks about you like you're a hero."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I didn't do that much, but what I did was important to her."

Looking at Ed in disbelief, Shirley shook her head. She knew exactly what Ed had done for Linda; he had saved her child from a life in prison. She leaned over and whispered in Robert's ear for a minute. As he listened, Robert glanced at Ed with puzzlement on his face. After she was finished, Robert said, "I will talk to them about that."

Frowning, Ed said, "Let the past lie as it is. Everyone has a mistake or two that they've made in the past and, if we are lucky, we can get over them. It is how we live today that is important."

The discussion was interrupted when the news reporter came over to the table. He asked, "Are you Ed Biggers?"

Turning slowly to face the man, Ed answered, "Yes, I am."

"I would like to ask you some questions." The reporter had been trying to get this close to a member of the Carter Clan for a month. Now that he had Ed here, he was going to do his best to tape a conversation with the man.

Putting on the most pleasant face that he could manage, Ed said, "Well, if you need directions or recommendations on good places to eat, I'll be glad to help you. However, I am talking with my friends and I won't answer any questions beyond that."

This was not the answer that the reporter wanted. He pressed his point and said, "I would like to interview you."

Frowning, Ed said, "I'm sure that you are aware that we have a public relations person working on the staff of Jim Johnson. You can schedule an interview through her. Do you need directions on how to reach their offices?"

The reporter, his frustration at being denied once again, answered, "I have contacted them many times about arranging an interview and the answer is always the same."

Knowing the answer, Ed asked, "And what is that answer?"

"You know damn well that the answer is no," replied the reporter.

Manuel quipped, "Senior, if you know the answer then why do you ask the question? That sounds pretty stupid to me."

The entire table laughed as the reporter flushed a bright red. He spat out, "You are a celebrity and have a responsibility to the press. The people want to know about you."

Confused, Ed looked around the table at the people there. He asked, "Do any of you believe that I am a celebrity?"

Everyone around the table smiled and shook their heads no. Robert said, "The vote is unanimous, Ed is not a celebrity. We know him best and we would know if he was a celebrity."

Ed said, "You heard them. Now if you don't mind, we would like to continue our conversation in peace."

The reporter stomped away. Ed shook his head and asked, "How long have they been camped out here?"

Shirley answered, "Off and on for a couple of months, ever since that raid on organized crime."

"Stupid," said Ed. He couldn't believe the nerve of these guys or that they would try to ambush him here. He asked, "So what have they been doing here?"

Manuel answered, "They've been asking everyone that comes in here questions about you, John, Kelly, and Beth. They've been trying to dig up dirt on you guys. They don't want to accept that you are a nice guy. They want to hear about scandals and such."

Laughing at the idea that it would be difficult to dig up dirt on him, he said, "I'm sure that everyone said that I was a bully and a bigot. That wasn't enough for them?"

Laughing, Shirley replied, "Nope. You've admitted that in the past. They don't want to believe that you've changed."

There were things about their lifestyle that could be considered scandalous, but the fact that the family didn't care would undermine the feeding frenzy. Ed hoped that they wouldn't find Kim, his rock hunting buddy. Poor Kim wouldn't know how to handle the pressure that the press could put on someone. He would have to warn the family about this. Trying to make light of the situation, he said, "Maybe they'll discover that I have two wives and a husband."

The entire table laughed at that. After a while, Ed paid for the drinks and returned home. The reporter followed him, but halted when Tiger turned and approached them. As Ed and Tiger reached the house, the reporter and his camera crew started to head down the driveway. They had hardly traveled ten feet before Ling came out to meet them. Ed turned to watch the activity, but it was rather anti-climatic when after just a few words with Ling, the reporter and his crew turned around and left.

When Ed and Tiger entered the house, the cat ran into the kitchen. Noticing the cat's behavior, Ed followed Tiger into the kitchen. Marguerite was feeding the cat another five pounds of food. She looked up at Ed with a concerned expression on her face and said, "This is the third time today that I've feed that cat. Shadow ate this morning and Kelly called to tell me that they feed him at lunch time thinking I hadn't feed him. The cats are acting strange."

Ed had noticed that Tiger was sleeping a lot more than usual, moving only when he went somewhere. He said, "I agree. There is something strange about Tiger today."

"I wish John was here."

Ed agreed with that sentiment and wished that John was home. He was still on his desert hike and wouldn't be home for another day or two. The cats' behavior made him wonder if John was alright, but he expected an entirely different behavior from them if John were hurt. They'd be trying to lead them to John, rather than eating and sleeping all day.

It was still early afternoon, so Ed was shocked when Shadow came running into the kitchen and pawed at the meat locker. Marguerite looked at Ed and asked, "What should I do?"

"Feed him," replied Ed. The only explanation was that the cats were storing up energy for some major ordeal. If they needed it, he wouldn't deny them.

A very irritated Kelly entered the kitchen and said, "That cat was impossible today. I had to come home early because he was so surly."

"We were just talking about that," said Ed. He pointed to Tiger, who had just finished eating, and added, "Tiger did nothing today but eat and sleep"

"Do you think John is okay?" asked Kelly worried about her husband.

"I think he's okay. If he were in trouble, the cats would be leading us to him."

Worried, Kelly said, "You are probably right."

"Where's Beth?"

"She's in her room."

Together, the two of them went to Beth's bedroom. Knocking on the door, it was a full minute before Beth answered the door. She had been crying and it showed. Ed put his arms around her and she slipped into his embrace with practiced ease. Together the three of them went into the bedroom and lay on the bed. Pressing his body tightly against Beth, Ed held her from behind while Beth held Kelly.

At first the holding was innocent, but with time, hands began to wander. Ed slowly achieved an erection that, despite the tight confines of his pants, made itself known to Beth. After a while of this light playing around, Beth laughed and said, "Let's get naked."

Thrashing around on the bed as the three of them attempted to undress while on the bed, it quickly became apparent that it wasn't working. Standing up, they quickly undressed and returned to the bed. Ed's erection stood up straight, making its presence known. Beth ran a hand around the base of his cock causing it to throb. Happy at the power her touch had over him, an idea came to her of something she hadn't done in a long time.

Winking at Kelly, Beth pushed Ed onto his back. While she took his cock into her mouth, Kelly climbed over Ed to where he could kiss and lick her pussy. When he was as hard as ever, Beth climbed on his cock and rode him, setting the pace to what had the best effect on her. As she lifted herself, she played with Kelly's breasts and whispered into her ear, "I want him to come in me and then I want you to eat me out, feeding my come to him."

The idea was enough to send Kelly over the edge. She came as a surprised Ed wondered what he had done right to bring her to orgasm so quickly. As she came, she screamed out, "Oh, yes. Do it."

Knowing that she was going to get to feed his come back to him, Beth quickly came to a nice satisfying orgasm. Ed thrust up into her at a pace that quickly brought him to orgasm, satisfied as his come filled her cunt. The idea that it was going to be fed back to him brought her to another orgasm.

Once she had come, she climbed off him and lay on the bed so that her hips were beside his head. Kelly climbed down Ed to rub her cunt against his cock. She leaned over to suck the juices out of Beth. The sight returned Ed to a fully erect state in record time. Kelly eased herself onto his cock and continued to eat Beth's cunt. When a gob of come slipped out, Kelly licked it up and moved to kiss Ed.

It took him a minute to realize what Beth and Kelly wanted. He accepted the kiss and the gob of come that slid into his mouth. Swallowing, he wondered what was the turn on of this for the women. Of all the things they did, this was the one that they really enjoyed. As Kelly rocked on his cock, she returned to eating out Beth.

Another gob of come slipped out of her slit. Licking it up, Kelly fed it to Ed, shivering as another orgasm threatened to over come her. It would be a race between the two women to see which one came first. This was something that amazed Ed. Either woman could come with minimal effort when the other was doing this.

Another gob of come slid out and Kelly fed that to Ed. Beth came pushing out a large amount of come. Kelly dived on it like it was gold and sucked it up. While kissing Ed, the come slid into his mouth. Almost biting his lip, Kelly came with a rush. She sat up on his cock and really rode him to another orgasm. This time, he came as well.

Winking at Beth, Kelly climbed up to straddle Ed's face. She lowered her dripping cunt onto his mouth. Beth came with an immediate shout as her fingers moved with fevered intensity in her cunt. Ed accepted the globs of come flooding out of Kelly as she rubbed her cunt against his mouth. With one last orgasm, Kelly came forcing out a huge wad of come into his mouth.

Suddenly, Ed found himself bracketed by the pair of lovely women, each of whom sighed with satisfaction. Curious, Ed asked, "Why do you like that so much?"

"Like what?" asked Kelly.

"Feeding me my own come."

Beth asked, "Does it bother you?"

Smiling, Ed licked his lips as traces of come dried on them. He answered, "It's not that I'm upset, but I'm just curious."

Sighing, Kelly's traced his nipple with her finger. She said, "I think that it is the sense of power that I feel when I'm doing it."

Thinking about it quietly, Beth said, "I don't know. I feel like I possess you in a very intimate way."

Kelly said, "There is that, too."

Giggling, Beth added, "Plus it is a power rush that's enough to bring me to orgasm every time."

Giving up on every really understanding it, Ed took pleasure in the idea that he could please them so much with such a simple act. He drew both of the women closer to him, holding them close and taking pleasure in knowing that he could pleasure them.

Before long he fell asleep, the effort of producing two orgasms in such a short time had sapped his strength. Smiling down at him, Beth and Kelly stood up and dressed. They snuck out of the room feeling fresh and energized. Their concerns for John temporarily forgotten.

It was an hour later that Ed woke and dressed. He left the room and headed to the dining room to see what was going on with dinner. It would be another hour before diner would be ready.

It was approaching sunset when Ling came into the dining room. They had just finished eating dinner and were talking about the recent events in the news. Ling said, "The cats are acting funny and now they want out."

Concerned, Ed asked, "Acting funny in what way?

Seeking the proper words, Ling just couldn't find how to describe their behavior. She answered, "I would like to say edgy, but that isn't right. I guess the word I would have to use is impatient."

"That's the word that I would have used to describe Shadow at the hospital. It's like he's waiting for something," said Kelly.

Trying to puzzle out what this meant, Ed said, "I'll let them out, Ling. Would you mind monitoring them while they are outside?"

Shrugging, Ling said, "No problem."

Going to the front door, both cats were waiting for him to let them out. He petted them both, but they didn't really respond. Opening the door, both cats ran out into the front yard and then headed towards the side of the house where they started pacing. Watching them, Ed wondered what was going on. The sun had set and it was difficult to see the cats in the darkening world.

Returning inside the house, the family retired to the informal living room to watch the news. As they watched the reports of forest fires in California, it was with more than a little pride that Ed saw the blue coveralls and yellow backpacks of Fusion Foundation workers at the edges of the fire. They had not yet taken delivery of all the helicopters that had been ordered, but the few they had were in use. When the reporter said that the fire was being contained in record time, Ed smiled. John would be happy to learn that his charity had such a positive impact on the people of California.

An alarm sounding caused every one to jump. After months of silence, it was a shame to hear the sound. Heading to the clinic, Beth and Kelly raced together holding hands to support each other. Ed went directly to the security center running into Bob and Bill on their way there. When he arrived, Ed asked, "What's happening?"

Still working the monitors, Ling said, "The cats crossed the property boundaries and went into the desert. I can't find what they are looking for, but there must be a threat out there somewhere."

"Where are the cats?"

Afraid to look at Ed, Ling said, "I don't know. I can't find them."

With a tightness in his stomach, Ed asked, "Is it possible they are dead?"

Understanding how important and integral to the family the cats were, Ling answered, "I can't find a heat signature for a cat. They are either dead or they are gone."

For most of the night, they waited to see what would come out of the desert. They took two hour shifts so that fresh eyes would be watching the area around the house at any time. Kelly and Beth slept in the clinic. It was a long pensive night for Ed.

At first light, Ed and Ling went into the desert attempting to track the cats. After an hour, Ed returned to the house with Ling. At least, she was satisfied that there didn't appear to be any real threats against the house. The cats were still missing, though, and that worried Ed. With the large area to cover, he was going to need a horse. By ten in the morning, he had gone to where he had his horse stabled and brought it back to the house. After a quick breakfast, Ed saddled up and went out to search for the cats.

He started an ever widening search for the cats, looking for tracks in the desert that would indicate that one of them had been through the area. It was hard work, searching the desert for signs of the cats. It was the end of June and the weather was hot. Sweating, tired, and worried, Ed would not give up the search even though it was becoming increasingly obvious to him that the cats were gone.

The sound of a horn honking three times back at the house was the signal that the cats had come home or there was news about them. Tiredly, Ed turned the horse and rose back to the house. Only after taking care of the horse, did Ed go inside to hear the news. John had returned and the cats had left. Of everyone, Ed was the saddest.



-------

Chapter 16


The summer sessions at school had ended and the fall session had not yet started. There were no major IRS cases that needed his attention and John was working on a small FBI case. The wives were hard at work with a new training program at the hospital that was sponsored by the Fusion Foundation. The net result was that Ed had almost ten days free with nothing major driving him.

Picking up the phone, he dialed the number for Kim's lapidary shop. As the phone rang, he quickly counted the rings. At the fourth ring, he began to worry that she wasn't there. When she answered before the fifth ring, Ed said, "This is the rock police. It has come to our attention that you have been keeping underage rocks against their will."

It took her a minute to process what he said and then she realized who was talking. Laughing, she said, "I swear that none of my rocks are less than a million years old."

Ed said, "Well, I'm off for ten days and was wondering if you might be interested in hunting some rocks."

There was a long moment of silence and then she replied, "I can go from Sunday to Thursday. I can't afford to keep the store closed for more than that at this time of year. The week before the university opens and the first three weeks are peak business time for me."

"Why?"

There was a moment of silence and then Kim answered, "A lot of the college kids come into town and shop during that time period. Many of them are flush with cash for the first time in their lives and they tend to go a little wild spending it."

That answer actually made sense to Ed. He said, "Sunday to Thursday is fine with me. How do you want to do this?"

After a minor pause, she said, "Hold on. I have to ring up a customer."

Ed waited on the phone for her to return. It was almost five minutes before she came back on the line. She said, "I'm back. I was thinking that we could go someplace close where we could take the trucks."

Thinking it over, Ed said, "That sounds fine to me."

Hesitantly, she said, "How about I come to your place Saturday night and we leave early Sunday morning?"

"That would be great," answered Ed. This was the first time that she had offered to come to his place since their outing together. He understood her hesitancy was rooted in her disgust at the idea of having sex with another woman. Perhaps she was willing to accept the presence of Kelly and Beth without expressing her revulsion at the idea.

They talked a little more before Ed hung up. He went out to the garage and found Bob working on the family van. Watching him work, Ed asked, "What are you doing?"

Pulling his head out from under the hood, Bob answered, "All of the little maintenance tasks that all cars require. Refilling the wiper fluid, lubing the bearings, and rotating the tires."

That sounded like a boring job to Ed, but he didn't comment since Bill looked happy at his job. He asked, "Will you be able to check out my truck? I'm taking it out into the desert Sunday."

Bob had been considering doing some extensive work on the truck when Ed was not going to be using it for a while. He said, "That's in three days. That doesn't give me much time."

Surprised, Ed said, "My truck isn't in that bad of a shape."

"I was planning to replace the gasoline engine with a fusion motor," said Bob.

Ed had never really thought about that. He asked, "How long will that take?"

"It depends on how busy they are at the gas station. He can do it in as little as four hours, but he usually has a waiting list that is a couple of days long. After he's done with it, I want to replace the dashboard so that it has some of the additional electronic capabilities that are standard now. That'll take me about a day." Bob knew he was really signing up for some over time to get it done in a day.

Looking at the truck, Ed considered the fact that it was almost eighteen years old. He asked, "Why would we bother with a truck this old?"

Embarrassed, Bob replied, "I thought that you might not want to get rid of it. You've had it for a long time. However, the engine is about to blow out on you. It might go out in a thousand miles or fifteen thousand miles."

Thinking about it, he still had the money from the last consulting job. He said, "Let me go get my checkbook and we'll head out to go truck shopping."

Bob said, "Uh, I should remind you that automobiles are household expense items. You need to check with Bill."

"Oh, right," replied Ed. He had forgotten that and now he felt guilty about wanting to get a high quality truck with extras.

Going into the house, Ed headed for the office where he expected to find Bill hard at work. Bill was at the desk talking on the telephone to his mother. Watching him from the door of the office, Ed noticed the worried expression on Bill's face and let the man talk. Noticing Ed outside of the office, Bill excused himself and cut the conversation short.

Ed came in and said, "I just learned that my truck was on its last legs. I guess I need to replace it."

Face brightening, Bill pulled out the household account book and flipped through the pages. He looked up at Ed and said, "Well, your transportation account is a hundred thousand a year. You've spent a little less than two thousand in the past four years, most of that by Bill performing normal maintenance on it. That gives you a balance of three hundred and ninety-seven thousand."

"Pardon?"

Bill explained, "Of course, that is to cover all forms of personal transportation. You can use that money to buy automobiles and pay air fare."

"Oh," replied Ed. It sounded like a lot of money to him. In fact, it seemed like too much. He said, "What if I don't use it?"

"It will just accumulate until you die and will be included in the money for your heirs. You are paying taxes on it as a benefit under the terms of the family incorporation."

"So how do I spend it?" asked Ed.

After fishing around in a file cabinet for a minute, Bill handed him a debit card with a picture of a car and an airplane on it. He said, "You have to be sure to use this for transportation costs only. If you use it for something else, I'll have to deduct it from your discretionary fund."

Sitting down in a chair in a fashion that reminded Bill of an old man, Ed asked, "How much is in my discretionary fund?"

Flipping through a couple of pages of the accounts book, Bill frowned and said, "Um, you've never spent anything out of the discretionary fund. You have a balance of four hundred thousand."

Ed asked, "What is that money for?"

Shaking his head, Bill replied, "Things like presents, clothes, decorations, furniture, and other normal expenses that a person has."

Sitting back in the chair, Ed asked, "What other funds do I have?"

Bill went to the books and started reading out the figures, "You have two hundred thousand in your recreation home account, eight hundred thousand in your entertainment account, and zero in your charity account."

Puzzled at hearing that one account was drained, Ed asked, "Why zero in my charity account?"

Surprised at the question, Bill answered, "You told me to donate all of it to the Fusion Foundation."

"Do the others know about these accounts?" asked Ed realizing that he was two hundred thousand short of two million dollars.

Bill laughed and replied, "Of course they do."

Ed asked, "What do the others do with theirs?"

Closing the account book, Bill sat back and answered, "Let's see. Beth has a vacation home in Denver that she stays in when she visits her parents. That was paid out of her recreation home account. She pays for the Christmas party at the hospital, a dinner at the regional emergency medial doctors meeting, and a dinner for the literary society using her entertainment account. She supports the scout groups for the entire county as her charity account. She buys a car every other year and uses the rest on air travel. In terms of her discretionary fund, she sends flowers to about a hundred people a year, presents for all of the people that work for her, and other stuff for herself."

"She does all of that?"

"Yes," replied Bill. "Kelly has a vacation home in Santa Fe, which she lets her parents stay in for half a year. She pays for a dinner at the regional nurses meeting and a fancy luncheon at each Fusion Foundation nurse training session. She supports a books for children program out of her charity account. She buys a car every other year and flies to Santa Fe twice a year. She uses her discretionary fund like Beth."

Shaking his head as through trying to clear it, he asked, "What about John?"

After clearing his throat, Bill answered, "He hasn't used his recreation home account and I doubt he ever will. He pays for the meals at the local chamber of commerce and a visit to a recreation lodge every year for all of the heads of the Fusion Foundation Centers so that he can meet with each one in a relaxed atmosphere. He spends most of his travel money on chartered jets. He uses his discretionary account to send presents to about eight hundred people every year. Of course, he spends a lot more than that, but it is out of his own money."

Thinking about it, Ed realized that he had tremendous spending power at his discretion and would be able to do something really special for the family. He asked, "So if I wanted to buy a vacation home for everyone to use and charter a plane for all of us, then I would put a pretty good dent in that money."

Shaking his head, Bill said, "No, that would fall under the family accounts. I'll admit that they are almost unspent. I'm sure that if you presented that idea at the next family meeting, that everyone would all for it."

Frowning, Ed said, "So you are saying that I have to spend all of that money on me?"

"That's the short answer," replied Bill. It was a little more complicated than that, but those complications could be mentioned when he started spending the money. He said, "If I may make a suggestion..."

"Go ahead," said Ed, wondering what Bill might mention.

"I would like to suggest that you stop contributing to the Fusion Foundation and select a different charity to support. The Fusion Foundation has a lot of money and your contribution doesn't add much to their efforts," said Bill.

After thinking about it long enough that the silence had become uncomfortable, Ed said, "Could I impose on you for about four hours of your time this afternoon to discuss this?"

Laughing and shaking his head, Bill said, "I've worked here ever since you guys got married. You have never requested my time. You are owed about two years worth of my time. Four hours is nothing. When you are ready, come in and talk to me."

Ed left the office confused and with four new debit cards representing almost two million dollars worth of spending power. He entered the garage as Bill returned from test driving the van. Satisfied that all was right with it, he stepped around to Ed and asked, "Ready?"

Nodding his readiness, Ed answered, "Why don't you drive me to a truck dealership? I want to keep the old truck. Maybe the original engine can be repaired."

Chuckling, Bob said, "We might as well take the van."

Rather than stopping at one of the local dealerships, Bob drove him to the dealerships in Phoenix. They stopped at a dealer and got out. Bob said, "You don't want to get the high end truck they sell here. It is mostly for show. The best truck is that line over there. It has power for hauling heavy loads, a large bed, and is comfortable enough."

Surprised that Bob knew about the various lines of trucks, he was glad that he had brought him along. As a salesman headed towards them, Bob whispered, "Let me deal with him. As soon as he finds out who you are, he's going to try to get the most money out of you as possible."

Ed nodded his agreement. When the salesman reached them, Bob said, "I'm looking to buy a truck for my friend here."

"So what do you want?"

Bob pointed to the truck that he had described to Ed. The salesman immediately said, "Now, this isn't the top of the line truck. I'm sure that you might prefer that to this one."

Walking around the truck, Ed looked at it and realized that it was the same size as his old truck. The bed looked a little bigger and deeper. He realized that the designers had not had to include a gas tank under the bed. The salesman opened the hood and said, "It has a long life fusion engine which is a variant of the Carter engine. It also has a Fusion Battery to power all the electronics of the truck."

Ed noticed the small size of the engine compartment and the fact that the spare tire was stored there. He went into the cab and sat at the drivers seat. The key for the engine was in the typical position. The steering wheel was in the right place as was the accelerator and the brake. The rest of the dashboard was a confusing mess of dials, displays, and controls. Bewildered he looked at it all.

Bob entered the passenger side of the truck. Sitting down, he said, "Since everything in the truck is electronic, they've managed to miniaturize a lot of high value items. This is the radio and CD player. This is the temperature control. All you have to do is set the temperature that you want and the cab will remain that temperature all of the time. You will notice that there is no off position. There is a GPS controlled navigation aid and a hands free cell phone."

Looking at all of the gadgets in the truck, Ed was a little overwhelmed. He asked, "Can I get one without all of that stuff?"

Laughing, Bill answered, "That is the standard configuration on all of the cars now. You can get them with windshield display system that will overlay the route you need to take on the street. There are also collision alert systems and other advanced features that I don't think you want."

That was an understatement. Ed preferred simplicity in his life believing that it led to fewer errors. He said, "Yes. This truck seems fine to me."

The salesman replaced Bob in the passenger side and said, "Let's take it out for a test drive."

The truck drove more like a car than a truck, but the feel was okay. It handled well enough although it was hard to tell how it would be on rough terrain. When they returned, Ed told Bob, "It's good enough."

Bob began to negotiate the price with the salesman. When they reached a price that Bob thought was fair, he said, "Write up a quote. We are going to go to another dealer and look at a different model."

The salesman was stunned at the announcement. Bob and Ed returned to the van. At a different car lot, Bob parked the van. Turning to Ed, he said, "I know that you're partial to trucks, but I want you to see this vehicle. It is a miniaturized version of a military vehicle that is designed for everything you want. It can tow an incredible load, handle really rough terrain, and because of its size it can be used in everyday life."

Not sure that he believed Bob, Ed followed him over to the vehicle. When he saw it, he had to walk around it several times to confirm what his eyes were telling him. It was slightly smaller than his old truck, but it looked solidly built. The back was enclosed, but could open up into a small truck bed. The rear came with a heavy duty trailer hitch mounted on it. There was even a wench mounted on the front. After looking it over, he asked, "What is it called?"

Bob said, "It is called the Hugger."

Ed got into the cab and liked the way it was laid out. The controls made a lot more sense to him. He turned to Bob and said, "I like it."

Bob smiled and went to talk to a salesman. He would let Ed drive it and see how he liked the way that it handled. The salesman joined Ed in the Hugger and pointed to the open field behind the lot. He said, "Drive across there to the road on the other side."

Looking at the salesman, Ed smiled and took off across the field. It felt solid and hugged the ground while remaining comfortable. He purposely went over a few bumps and dips to see how well it handled. He was sold before they hit the road. On the road it handled extremely well. He pulled into the lot. The salesman got out and talked with Bob about the price.

When Bob returned to Ed, he asked, "Which one do you want?"

Ed said, "This one."

"I thought you would say that," replied Bob. He could tell that Ed was really impressed with the Hugger.

The three men went into the office. When asked how it was to be paid for, Ed whipped out his debit card checking to make sure that it was the one with the car and plane on it. The salesman said, "This is forty thousand dollars. Are you sure that you want to pay it with a debit card?"

Ed could hardly believe his ears. This was a forty thousand dollar vehicle? He turned to Bob and asked, "How much was the truck?"

"Thirty thousand."

This was ten thousand more and he wondered if the difference was worth it. He was about to change his mind until Bill said, "Just think about the differences in the test drives."

That decided Ed. He lay the card down on the desk and said, "Process it."

Ten minutes later, Ed drove out in his new Hugger followed by Bob in the van. On the drive home, Ed learned more about his purchase. He couldn't wait to show it off to the family. He could imagine the amused look that John would give him, but it was his first new car in eighteen years. It was amazing how much acceleration that it had on the open road.

Rather than heading straight home, he stopped in town at Shirley's. Entering, he was pleased to see Shirley behind the bar. Sitting down at the counter, he said, "Give me a wimp."

Shirley slid a coke over to him and said, "You look happy today. Did something good happen?"

Grinning like a kid with his first bike, Ed answered, "I bought a new truck today. Would you like to see it?"

"Sure," answered Shirley as she slipped out from behind the bar.

Together, they went outside to look at the new truck. Pointing to it, Ed said, "There it is."

"Neat, it's a Hugger," said Shirley. Glancing over at him, she said, "That's what I thought you would buy one of these days."

"Really?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. There were times when Ed was so much like a kid that it almost hurt to watch him. This was one of those times when she just wanted to pull him to her breasts and hold him there.

Shaking his head, he said, "It sure was expensive."

It was clear from the tone of voice that he was awed by how much he had spent on it. She could hardly believe her ears. Beth and Kelly had spent twice that on their cars and they replaced them every other year. She said, "I'm sure that you got a good price for it. They run between forty and fifty thousand. My car cost thirty thousand and it isn't even half the vehicle that one is."

Ed realized that he hadn't kept up with the price of cars. Eighteen years ago, his truck had cost ten thousand dollars and it didn't even have an air conditioner. He said, "I guess buying a car every eighteen years one could suffer from sticker shock."

Shirley laughed at his innocence and pulled him into the bar. She said, "Who did you take with you to the dealer?"

"Bob," replied Ed wondering how she had known that he had taken someone with him.

She said, "You owe him big time."

Nodding, Ed realized that it was true. He would have blundered through the whole business, buying the first truck not even understanding the options that were available to him. He said, "You are absolutely right."

As he sat down at the bar, Shirley said, "I'm happy for you. You've needed a new truck for ages. Congratulations."

"Thanks Shirley," said Ed. As he looked across the bar, he said, "You know, you're the first one that I've showed it to."

This admission complemented Shirley far more than Ed would ever realize. To think that she was the first person that he showed it to meant that he really thought of her as someone special in his life. Afraid of showing her feelings, she decided that it was best to send him on his way. "The coke is on me. Go on and show off your car to others."

Returning to the house, Ed showed off his new Hugger to the staff despite being afraid that they would feel like he was boasting. Ed knew that there was a fine line between sharing ones joy and boasting. It was funny, but he was surprised to learn that his car was still the cheapest in the garage. Everyone of the staff had more expensive cars than him.

Going into the office with Bill, he decided that it was time to establish how he was going to spend some of the wealth that he now realized was his. It wasn't as though he wanted to go on a spending spree, but having heard how the others were using their money he had come to realize how he had not been meeting some responsibilities that came with such wealth.

Seated at the desk across from Ed, Bill opened a notepad and said, "I suggest that we start with your entertainment account. This should be used to thank peers and those that work under you."

Puzzled, Ed said, "I'm just a college student. I don't have anyone that works for me."

At this, Bill burst out laughing. He managed Ed's schedule and knew better than that. After calming down, he said, "Right. You are on the board of the Fusion Foundation, work for the IRS, and have working relations with the FBI. On top of that you are a full- time student at the University."

Hearing it put like, Ed realized that he had a lot of peers. He said, "Okay, so what do you recommend?"

Bill said, "You can pay for a Christmas party for the IRS and host a meal for the members of the board when you have your annual meeting. I might suggest one or more entertainment activities at the University."

Sighing at the amount of work that it would mean for him, he signaled his agreement with the suggestions. Ed said, "The Christmas party and meal sound good. How about a back to school party on the first Friday and a weekly pizza party every Friday after that?"

Nodding Bill said, "Perfect. I'll schedule those activities."

It sounded to him that it was going to be a lot of work for him. It meant going in every Friday and picking up pizzas every week. He had no clue how to go about arranging a back to school party. He asked, "Can you suggest how I do all of this stuff?"

Shaking his head, Bill answered, "You don't understand, do you?"

"I guess not."

Bill explained, "That is my job. You tell me what you need set up and I handle all of the details. I spend forty hours a week doing that."

How can it be that one is giving something, when someone else does all of the work? It didn't seem right to him. He shook his head, still not grasping what Bill was trying to tell him. He said, "Explain this to me one more time. I come up with some idea and you do all the work while I get the credit."

Realizing the true nature of Ed's problem, Bill searched for an analogy. Finally, he said, "Look. You want to give flowers to a girl. Do you grow the flowers, cut them, arrange them, and deliver them yourself? Or, do you go to the florist and buy them, allowing them to do the growing, cutting, and arranging?"

Understanding crashed upon Ed. He said, "I see what you mean. I go to the florist and usually have them delivered. So you are saying that you are my florist."

Nodding, Bill said, "Exactly. I am also your agent. Rather than talking to the florist, you talk to me and I talk to her."

"The weekly parties?"

Bill said, "I will probably arrange an account with a pizza place and have them delivered to the department secretary. She will schedule a room for it to be held in and at that point, it is a matter of advertising to everyone that it will be occurring. I will take care of that as well. You have a choice of doing this anonymously or taking credit for it. I might suggest doing it anonymously. That way you won't have to attend every time and act as host."

The idea appealed to Ed even more now that he didn't have to run all over the place every week to get pizzas and attend. He said, "Let's do it that way."

"What about the back to school party?"

"Ah, that is a good question. How big of a party do you want? Would you prefer on campus or off-campus?" asked Bill.

"I suppose that a good sized party would be good and off-campus sounds interesting if there is a good location."

Sitting back, Bill said, "This is rather short notice, but it shouldn't be that difficult. I can try to rent the Desert Botanical Gardens. I will have it catered with a buffet. People will be able to eat and wander the garden. I can possibly arrange to have guides to describe various features of the gardens. I might have to shift by a day or two to accommodate the Gardens schedule, if that is all right with you."

The entire idea appealed to Ed so much that he was happy that he would be invited. He said, "Great. Let's do that."

The men went on discuss the next topic concerning his money. Bill explained how Ed could come up with a birthday list and he would remind Ed in time to make arrangements for appropriate gifts. To simplify things, he would provide several catalogs so that Ed could pick out presents from the catalog. The idea pleased Ed tremendously.

At the end of almost five hours, Ed came to the conclusion that he had not been very smart about a lot of things. There was still one question that bothered him and he decided that Bill might be able to clarify it. He asked, "Is this a normal thing that people do that I've missed somehow?"

Looking at Ed like he had come from the moon, Bill answered, "You may not realize it, but you are a very influential person. The decisions you make and the work that you do have significant consequences on thousands of people. That kind of influence places obligations on you that you must meet. I know you think of yourself as a simple student, but others see you as a very important person. With the least bit of effort, you could join the board of directors of half a dozen of the fortune five hundred companies."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. You might want to talk to John about that. I'm sure that he could place you on several boards in a week," replied Bill. He shook his head as he added, "With your truth sense, you could prevent a lot of very bad business decisions. I bet a number of very weak corporations that have products that could really help the world would begin to flourish under your advice."

Ed walked out of the office realizing that he had not been holding up to the full scope of his responsibilities. The money that was his to control was not really for his benefit, but to use as a tool to effect positive change. Reliable transportation and the ability to go somewhere on a moment's notice was just an integral part of his tool box. Gifts were to maintain relations and entertainment money was to meet and influence people.



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Chapter 17


With eyes closed, Ed floated in the pool on his back with arms and legs spread out, enjoying the sensation of the weightlessness that the water provided. Kelly and Beth were seated by the pool, drinking a fruit beverage that they called a Smoothie. Earlier, Ed had tasted it and thought it a rather bland drink, preferring his iced tea with just enough sugar to taste the sweetness. Languidly, he moved his arms forcing his body to move through the water at a very slow speed. The water moved over his body massaging it like a gentle hand. He smiled at the whispering touch of the water over his cock and balls. There was no way to get that same sensation by wearing a swim suit.

A slight disturbance at the door did not attract his attention to a degree sufficient to open his eyes and see the cause. Kim stood at the door watching Ed in the pool amazed at the total sense of relaxation that he emanated. She glanced over at Beth and Kelly, taking in their naked bodies and how they held hands. A shiver of disgust ran through her body at the demonstration of intimacy between the two women.

When Kelly waved her over to join them, she reluctantly moved in their direction. She sat down in a chair that was far enough away from them that she could hide her disgust and close enough that she wasn't being rude. The last thing she wanted was to chase away Ed because she couldn't get along with those two Lesbians. Even the thought of that word bothered her.

In a friendly voice, Kelly said, "Make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink? We're having Strawberry Smoothies and Ed is having iced tea. We have all kinds of soft drinks in the mini-refrigerator."

Tensing at the suggestion to make herself comfortable, Kim interpreted it as an invitation to get naked so that the Lesbians could drool over her body. Instead of becoming more relaxed, she sat up straighter with a body language that conveyed her displeasure. She answered, "No thank you. I'm fine."

Kelly and Beth exchanged frowns at the behavior of their guest. Ed, hearing the conversation, opened his eyes and saw that Kim had arrived. Swimming to the edge of the pool, he said, "Hello Kim. Are you sure that you wouldn't like something to drink?"

Having committed herself to a course of action, she felt it would create a problem to change now. In a warmer voice, she answered, "Yes, I'm sure. Thank you anyway."

Smiling at her, Ed said, "Would you like to take a swim?"

"I'd rather not get undressed in front of those two Lesbians," she replied. Even as the words left her mouth, she knew that she had made a major mistake. She realized that she had just delivered a horrible insult to all three of them.

Fully expecting an angry response, she was shocked by the sad tone of voice in which Beth replied, "Oh, you poor woman. I feel so sorry for you."

With an extremely sad expression on her face, Kelly said, "It's such a shame that a young woman like yourself has such a limited concept of love. I truly hope that you understand some day."

In total agreement with his wives, Ed added, "Maybe one day you will meet someone that can teach you the truth about what it means to love."

She felt like she understood the relationship here very well. These women were willing to let her have sex with their husband because they didn't want to be bothered to take care of a man. Kim turned to him and, with anger that was all out of proportion to what was called for, asked, "How can you defend these dykes? You must be so horny being married to women that won't sleep with a man!"

Her question prompted laughter on the part of all three. He replied, "My God, I'm in here recovering from getting double teamed by them. I couldn't get it up now if my life depended on it."

Kelly asked, "What made you think that we don't have sex with our husbands?"

Laughing so hard that she could hardly stay in the chair, Beth said, "My goodness, you really don't understand."

Puzzled by that reaction, Kim asked, "You do have sex with each other, right?"

"Of course," replied Kelly as if there couldn't be any other answer that made sense.

"Almost every day," answered Beth while sharing a caring look at her wife. She added, "I also have sex with John and Ed every day that they are here."

"Lesbians don't have sex with men!" countered Kim as though she had proven some point. Again an anger rose within her that she didn't understand.

Ed said, "Well, I guess that means that they aren't Lesbians."

Furious that Ed didn't understand the perversion that sat in the same room with him, Kim screamed, "Real women don't have sex with women. Only Lesbians have sex with women. Only Lesbians force young girls to have sex with women!"

Her outburst had opened doors that had long been locked. Memories of a vile aunt that had abused her when she was much younger flooded back. Months of beatings had been followed by a year of serving as a pussy slave to her aunt and her aunt's circle of perverted friends. She knew from personal experience that there was nothing loving about sex between women.

It was her Grandfather that had rescued her from that life of hell. He had healed her and, more importantly, protected her from the predation of her aunt. She knew that men loved women and treated them with respect. Sex between a man and a woman was glorious and loving. Sex between women was hateful. Women tortured each other sexually and only a Lesbian would enjoy that kind of thing.

Kelly and Beth looked at each other, neither knowing how to comfort the woman. Any sign of affection would be interpreted as a violence against her. The two of them looked at Ed. For the first time, they had an insight into the kind of obstacles he had faced in rescuing those damsels in distress. Even if it was John that rescued them, it was Ed that comforted and healed them.

Ed stayed in the pool, realizing that exposing her to any intimate embrace would make her feel vulnerable in front of his wives. She would cling to him expecting him to chase away the women and that was the worst thing that he could do for her. All he could do was watch her with concern as the tears ran down her face. Facing inner the demons that had been planted in her when she was young was something that she had to do for herself.

It felt like an eternity had passed before she recovered enough to look around. She saw the trembling lips and tears in the eyes of Beth and Kelly as they shared her pain. They were holding hands tightly, sharing their sadness and their strength to overcome. If she hadn't known that they had sex with each other, she would have been happy at their support. In her confused state, she saw their actions as guilt.

The only noise in the room came from the water lapping against the edge of the pool as the implications of what Kim had said sunk in. In a voice that was so soft that it wouldn't normally be heard, Ed said, "Only monsters force children to have sex. Only monsters take pleasure out of ripping the innocence out of the innocent. There are monsters of both genders. There are no monsters in this house that will harm you. You are safe here."

She stared at him wondering how he could say that when he lived with two Lesbians. She had looked to him to chase away the women, but he had allowed them to stay. On their rock hunting expedition, she had watched him care for a drunk and change the man. If he could do that for a total stranger, why couldn't he do it for her? She felt betrayed by him. If she could have stood, she would have run out of the room.

In a voice perhaps more quiet than Ed's, Kelly said, "Believe him, Kim. He and John are the greatest monster hunters in the world."

Beth said, "They have hunted down serial killers, rapists, white slavers, and other criminals. Thousands of people have been saved by them."

To hear himself described as a monster hunter amused Ed. Mental images of him as a vampire hunter armed with cross and stake threatened to make him laugh, but the situation was too serious for that. He said, "You think I have betrayed you because I haven't chased the wicked Lesbians from the room."

The fact that he echoed her thoughts grabbed her attention. He continued, "I haven't chased them away because they aren't monsters. They would never hurt you. I know that you don't believe me when I tell you that, but it is the truth. You also won't believe me when I say that lesbians are real women that have found it easier to love other women than to love men. They aren't evil, just human beings looking for someone to love who can love them back."

With a bitterness that was cutting, Kim said, "I'm sorry, but you don't know what you are talking about."

Wishing that John was here, Ed slowly climbed out of the pool. The total relaxation of his swim was replaced by a pensiveness that was almost painful. His naked body dripped water on the floor of the pool room. He walked over to where the towels were kept and dried himself and then wrapped the towel around his waste to cover his privates. As he did that, Beth left the room. It was several minutes later that she returned wearing a bathrobe and handed another one to Kelly. Kelly slipped the robe on and then walked to the other side of the pool. While they were arranging the chairs so that they were directly across the pool from Kim, Ed got on the telephone and requested that Bob come to the pool room.

Kim watched the activity with confusion and then looked to Ed for clarification. Holding up a hand to prevent discussion, Ed went around the pool to engage in a whispered conversation with Beth and Kelly. She was startled when another man entered the room and took a chair at the far end of the pool.

Walking around the pool to Kim, Ed said, "There are some things that I do not talk about because I find them extremely painful. I know that you don't trust Kelly and Beth so I have asked them to sit on the other side of the pool from you while they tell you some things that I have seen. I have asked Bob to sit at the end of the pool to act as a moderator. I will leave you with them, but I will be close enough so that if you call out I can return. Listen to what they have to say."

Trembling at the idea of being left alone with the two women, Kim said, "Please stay here."

Holding out his medallion, he said, "Touch this and you will know the truth of what I say."

Although she had not noticed the medallion around his neck until that moment, she remembered what had happened when Harry had touched it. Trembling with fear, she reached out and touched the medallion. As she did, he said, "You are safe here. They will tell you the truth and you can believe what they say."

A warm feeling of total safety flooded through her. It reminded her of the safety that she felt in the arms of her Grandfather. She felt the power of the medallion as it emphasized the truth of his words. She nodded and said, "I will do this."

Ed left the room, looking back at her once before leaving the room. Outside his energy left him as he sagged against the wall and slid down to sit upon the floor. He could hear everything that was said inside, the distance between the participants in the discussion forced them to speak in loud voices. He listened as Beth said, "Ed has rescued many damsels in distress. In fact, he has saved so many young women that we kid him about it."

Interrupting, Kelly said, "I think we should tell his story from his first rescue and proceed in chronological order."

Sitting outside, he couldn't see the expressions and gestures that accompanied the discussion. It surprised him that they started with the earthquake in California since he hadn't viewed himself as rescuing any damsels. However, listening to them tell the story, he had calmed down the kids rescued from the fire, the women traumatized by the destruction around him, and had served as a model for other men to emulate. They did give much of credit for that to John, but he felt that they had overstated his role.

He could hear the gasps from Kim as she learned about the amputation murderer and the white slavers. They didn't spare any details about the nature of the monsters they had caught nor what they had done to their victims. The discussion painted a very clear picture of good versus evil with Ed and John serving the good.

The time passed slowly until the pair reached the story of the victim that had been held in the convenience store. They included that he had taken care of the mother as well as the daughter. They told how he had detailed to the mother and daughter how they were to act with the police, giving them a sense of control over the situation.

The picture that they painted was of a man that knew evil when he saw it and that it was not possible to mislead him. He was shocked when they described his service to the Gods and Goddesses. They told how he had been blessed with the ability to always know the truth when presented with statements. The real surprise is when they said that he didn't necessarily know how people felt about him and that it was the one blind spot that he had.

At the end, Kim knew they told the truth, but still couldn't accept it in a way that would help her conquer her demons. She said, "I hear what you say and know you believe that it is true, but I am having a hard time accepting it."

Kelly said, "Bob, could you call Ling and ask her to bring my scrapbook? I give her permission to use the security override."

Kim watched nervously as Bob went to the phone and made a call. Once he was finished on the phone, he stood next to the door for Ling to arrive.

Ling arrived after a minute and looked down at Ed. There was no rational situation that she could identify that would explain his position in the hall. She asked, "What is going on?"

Ed answered, "They are helping someone heal."

Entering the door, she looked at Kelly. In a very business oriented tone of voice, she asked, "Do I have your permission to use the security override?"

Negligently, Kelly replied, "Yes, you do. The scrapbook is in the draw of my desk upstairs in the study."

Ling went to the room and entered the security override code. The next time that Kelly would go in the room, it would tell her that someone had unlocked her door without her being present. She found the scrapbook and returned to the pool room. Not allowing her in the room, Bob took the scrapbook from her and carried it over to Kim. Almost all of the episodes that the wives had described were documented in the scrapbook. There were citations from public officials and letters of thanks from the people he had saved.

While she perused the scrapbook, Bob went through the business of attending to the comfort of the people around him. He distributed smoothies to Beth and Kelly, a diet coke to Kim, and an iced tea to Ed. He ordered a little snack tray for Kim and a larger one for the wives.

After almost an hour of reading the articles in the scrapbook, Kim looked across the pool at the pair of woman talking quietly to each other. There were some things that bothered her in the articles she had read. When they noticed her looking at them, they turned their attention to her. She said, "Many of the things here include you two as active participants."

Kelly answered, "Yes, we were there as medical support. It was John and Ed that did the rescuing."

In a very soft voice that barely carried across the pool, Beth said, "We don't like to talk about our role in these things."

Kim shouted, "Ed."

Ed stood up and entered the room. The short amount of time, confirmed that he had been close and would have come in if anything bad had happened. She said, "Could you take me to my room?"

Ed nodded as he answered, "Sure."

Waiting for her to stand up, he was puzzled when she continued to sit. It dawned on him after a moment that she couldn't stand. He bent down and helped her out of the chair. When she started to collapse, he picked her up and carried her to her room. As he walked, she buried her head against him.

At the room, he had to wait for her to use her palm on the scanner to open the door to the guest room. She carried her inside and set her on her bed. Sitting on the bed, he gently stroked her hair. As she relaxed, he said, "We will leave in the morning. You won't have to ever come back here if you don't want to."

Relieved, she said, "Thank you."

"You are welcome," replied Ed. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"If I had known, I might have done something different. I don't know what, but I would have tried to allow you to interact with them in a less exposed environment" Ed didn't really know what he could have done, but the nakedness in the pool room was probably a major problem.

"Don't be that way. I knew that you guys were going to be naked and I thought I could handle it. I had no idea that I couldn't handle it, so how could you know?" Kim had buried the memories of her mistreatment by her aunt. While the idea of Lesbians had bothered her, she hadn't known that she would react in the fashion that she had.

Ed said, "I'm going now. The door is secure against unauthorized access. It takes the security person and a member of the household to override it. That will also set off a general alarm in all of our rooms."

Weakly, she said, "Thanks, good night."

Ed left and returned to the pool room hoping to find his wives. Entering, he found the room empty. The glasses and plates had been cleaned up suggesting that everyone had assumed that the room was not going to be used. Undoubtedly, his wives had assumed that he would spend the night with Kim. He dropped his towel and stepped into the Jacuzzi, turning on the massage jets.

After half an hour, he heard Kelly walk by the door. She happened to glance in and spot him. Entering the pool room, she sat down on a chair next to the Jacuzzi. With a sigh, she said, "I have no idea what really happened to that poor girl, but it must have been horrible."

Sighing, Ed replied, "I could find out, but I won't invade her privacy that way."

"I know," said Kelly. This evening had severely drained her emotionally. She asked, "What do Beth and I do when we are around her?"

"The only thing you can and should do is be yourselves. Don't crowd her or make her feel trapped that she can't flee."

"She must really fear us," said Kelly. She had seen how Kim had not been able to stand on her own.

"I don't know if that is true or not," replied Ed. The human mind is a mysterious thing. The month with Beth had proved that to him. She had taken the death of Betsy and twisted it into guilt that she hadn't been a good enough slave. Believing that if she could be a good slave that it would bring Betsy back, the woman had nearly gone over the edge for good.

Kelly didn't reply, knowing that there wasn't a reply to such a statement. Instead she said, "I think it would be best if she didn't come back here."

"Why do you say that?"

Kelly said, "Beth is in her room crying. This time, the anger was involuntary, just like a fevered patient that hits the nurse in the midst of a delirium. The next time, such anger will not be so easily excused."

He understood her reasoning, but countered, "Let the patient recover and then if the anger explodes there will not be a reason to excuse it."

Sighing, she said, "You're right. It is just so tough. I've never been the subject of unreasoning anger and fear."

Looking across the pool, Ed answered, "Men see that occasionally. Women that have been raped or abused by someone they trusted often end up hating all men with unreasonable fear. We leave them alone, perhaps wrongly. I understand your feelings."

"Do you see it often?"

"Every time that I rescue a woman that has been in trouble, there is a moment where they look at me in that fashion," answered Ed.

Getting out of the chair, Kelly leaned down and kissed Ed. She said, "I love you, Ed Biggers. Just keep going out there and rescuing those damsels in distress."

Without giving Ed a chance to respond, she ran from the room. Watching her leave, Ed wondered what he had done. For the next few days he would be with Kim and perhaps in that time, some healing could begin.

Ed woke in the morning, his normal groggy self. Dressing in his jeans and shirt, he went to the dining room in search of a cup of coffee. It wasn't until he was in the middle of his second cup that he noticed Kim and Marguerite was in the room with him. Smiling weakly, he said, "Good morning."

Slightly embarrassed by her behavior the previous evening, Kim answered, "Yes, it is a good morning."

Taking another drink of his coffee, Ed said, "I'm afraid that I'm not awake yet and haven't had a chance to look outside."

Giggling, Marguerite said, "You have to ignore Ed until after he's finished his second cup of coffee. Before then, he says goofy things."

Leaning over to Marguerite, Kim said, "I know."

Marguerite joked, "Other than that, he's pretty harmless. Good in bed, but harmless."

Kim laughed and left the dining room. As she left, she said, "You can let Beth and Kelly know that it is safe to come in for breakfast. I'm going to walk a bit before we leave."

Marguerite did not have a chance to tell Kim that Beth and Kelly had already eaten. Turning her attention to Ed, she brought out his breakfast. Setting the Spanish omelet in front of him, she stepped back and smiled as he looked at the food. He finished his second cup and started to work on his third while he ate.

Kim had decided to walk along the parapet looking over the desert. As she climbed the stairs, she heard female voices talking. She froze, not wanting to attract their attention. As had been the case that first night here, she could hear everything the two women said.

The first thing she could clearly make out was Beth saying, "I felt so sorry for her last night that all I wanted to do was to hold her and comfort her. If I had done that, she would have thought I was trying to rape her. All I could do was sit there and watch her suffer."

Hearing that, Kim was shocked that these women felt sorry for her. It didn't fit with what she knew about Lesbians.

Kelly said, "I talked to Ed last night. He told me that whenever he helps a rape victim, she looks at him the same way that Kim looked at us. I have no idea how he can help someone after being looked at that way. All I wanted to do was cry. She must hurt so much."

This conversation confused Kim more than anything that she had heard last night. How could someone look at Ed like he was a horrible? She had never seen him do anything harmful.

Beth said, "I have worked so hard to learn how to heal wounds of the flesh. How does one heal wounds of the spirit?"

Kelly answered with a question, "How did Lily Green heal you?"

Beth answered, "I don't know. I was so out of my mind with grief about Betsy's death, that I couldn't think straight. Lily is a servant of the Goddess and that is her gift. There are times when I envy the Druids for their abilities."

Kelly said, "It is easy to envy them for their abilities, but I feel sorry for them because of the price they pay. One look at John's body is enough to know that they pay a high price."

Kim listened, confused about the talk of Druids. She did not understand the part about Beth being healed. She missed some of the discussion while trying to puzzle out what they had been talking about. Her attention returned when she heard Kelly say, "No matter how much she may hate us, I am glad that she is going with Ed."

Beth said, "Yes, I worry about his out there alone too. He needs her, but probably not as much as she needs him."

Kelly said, "Let's admit it. We need her more. We need her to go out there with him."

Beth said, "I sleep better knowing that he isn't out there alone. I wish we could find someone for John. He goes out for so long that if he got hurt, we'd never know until after he died."

Kim had totally mistaken their motives in connecting her with Ed. She hadn't realized they viewed her as a person to help him in case of trouble. Was letting her sleep with him the price they were willing to pay for that ease of mind? That was an awful high price to pay.

She was about to leave when she heard Kelly say, "One day Ed will help her heal and then maybe we can be friends."

"What do we do until then?"

Laughing, Kelly said, "Ed suggested that we be ourselves. That we never crowd her or make her feel trapped."

"Are you sure that he was a cowboy?" asked Beth.

Laughing, Kelly answered, "Yes, I'm sure he was a cowboy. I watched him work cows one night."

Kim went downstairs and returned to her room. She packed her clothes to be ready to leave when Ed was ready to go. She headed downstairs to wait for him. The only rooms she had really experienced were the dining room and pool room. She went to the dining room. Marguerite was sitting there drinking a cup of tea. Looking at Kim, she frowned and asked, "Are you okay?"

Kim asked, "What do you know about Druids?"

Marguerite answered, "I'm afraid I don't know that much. John and Ed are Druids. They are in the service of the Gods and Goddesses. They live by two rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. All that live in this house must follow those rules as well."

"Are Druids good?"

Leaning forward and speaking in a low voice so that no one would overhear her, Marguerite said, "I think that John and Ed are saints. All of the Druids that I have met are special. They will step in front of a bullet meant for an innocent in a second."

"What about Beth and Kelly?" asked Kim.

Marguerite leaned back and said, "They are the most amazing women I've ever met. They are caring, giving, loving, and generous to a fault. They don't have to work, but every day they go into the hospital to help heal people. Actually, I think everyone in the family is a saint."

John entered the dining room. He had returned from his trip late last night and would be here for two days before returning to his mission. Sitting down at the table, he looked at the pair of women and said, "I see we have a guest. Nice to have you back here Kim. I hope your visit has been pleasant."

Realizing that John did not know about the unpleasantness of the previous evening, Kim answered, "I'm afraid that I haven't been a very good guest. You may want to talk to your wives."

Raising an eyebrow at the admission, John asked, "Was anyone harmed as a result?"

"I believe I have hurt their feelings. Some old wounds of mine were reopened, but the harm was done to me years ago," replied Kim.

Marguerite watched the exchange hiding a smile behind her hands. She knew that John would handle the situation. Her feeling was confirmed when John said, "That is the problem with harm that has been inflicted upon people, particularly when they were young. It isn't that people mean to do any harm, but that the harm emerges unbidden and uncontrolled with a desire to spread the effect to others. It might be something as simple as a smell or a complex confluence of circumstances that serves as a trigger. The trick in halting such a propagation of harm is to understand its true roots and heal them."

Kim nodded fascinated by what John was saying. Rapt, she listened as he continued, "My family is healthy enough to recognize that situation and not to allow it to harm them. So I would say to you that they are not harmed. For yourself, you now know it exists inside you. It is important that you work hard to heal it so that it can't emerge to harm others that are less healthy than my family."

She asked, "What shall I do until I am healed?"

No one had noticed that Ed had entered the room behind them. He startled everyone when he said, "You will go hunting rocks with me."

John laughed and shook his head at the simple answer that Ed had given. He said, "Yes, that is a good idea. Life must go on."



-------

Chapter 18


Ed watched as John drove off to meet with the Two-Sided One. By the afternoon, John would reach the town. By nightfall, he would reach the campsite where he would spend the night. Tomorrow at noon, he would enter the meadow where the Gods and Goddesses met with their servants. Of all the Druids that Ed knew, he was the only one that had even an inkling of what John was about to undergo.

It was an hour after John left that an overwhelming urge to go to Colorado came over Ed. The nature of the urge was a call to service rather than a call to rescue John. It was impossible to express in words the difference, but Ed knew.

As he packed his clothes to follow, Ed realized the true nature of that call. John was to enter a service to all three Gods and Goddesses. If John was currently the nominal head of the Druids because he served the God and the Goddess, then he would become the actual head of the Druids when he began his service to the Two-Sided One.

Using the intercom, he called Bill and asked him to locate the wives. He requested that they come to the library for an impromptu family meeting. It was a pretty sure bet that they would want to attend what ever was going to happen when John came out of the woods. With his clothes packed, he was about to head out when he realized that they were going into snow covered mountains.

He went through his winter clothes. He had a flannel shirt, a sweater, an insulated vest, and a long coat. The clothes that he had were for forties and above. Up there, the temperatures were probably in the twenties. He decided that he'd have to buy a down filled coat. That would help keep him warm.

He went down to the library to wait for his wives. It wasn't a very long wait before Kelly arrived. On entering the room, she looked at him with puzzlement. She asked, "Why are we having a family meeting when John has just left?"

She had just finished asking the question when Beth came in and asked, "Why are we having a family meeting when John has just left?"

Smiling at how his wives echoed the same sentiment, Ed said, "Calm down ladies. What I have to discuss with you is important and concerns John."

Beth immediately asked, "Is John in trouble?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "John is not in trouble. In fact, I have just come to understand that John is about to receive a singular honor sometime in the next couple of days. I just thought that you might want to be there to share in the event with him."

Kelly asked, "What honor?"

Taking a deep breath, Ed said, "John is going to become the first person to serve all three of the Gods and Goddesses tomorrow."

"We kind of understood that. I still don't know what honor you are talking about."

Even now the full implications of what was happening was only dawning on Ed. He said, "John is going to become the first true leader of all the Druids in recorded history. This is the same as being the first Pope or the first Dalai Lama. He is going into the history books as the first recognized leader of the Druids in modern times."

Both women got very quiet as the implications sunk in. With wide eyes, the pair looked at each other and shared a look that signified the shared understanding. They hadn't realized just how important of an event this was going to be. There was no way they could miss this event. Kelly asked, "So what's the plan?"

Ed answered, "We get packed and go. I need to stop at a store and get some heavy winter clothes, though. It is about twenty degrees colder where we are going than here."

Everyone in the family knew that Ed liked hot weather. When it was ninety degrees outside, he reveled in the outdoors and would spend as much time out there as possible. Even the temperature in his new truck was always set to the low eighties. He avoided going outdoors when the temperature dropped below fifty unless he was dressed in heavy coats. The layers and thickness of coats that he wore when it was forty was the same Beth wore when she would go skiing. Beth teased, "Are you worried about being cold?"

Ed glared and said, "There's going to be snow there. I hate snow."

The women laughed at Ed's reaction. Kelly said, "We'll go get packed and meet you in the living room when we are done."

The wives left for their rooms talking to each other about the trip. Together they decided that there was no way they were going in Ed's truck. He kept it too hot and they would broil by the time they arrived in Colorado. The shock of going from his truck to outdoors would destroy them.

Ed went into the living room and watched the weather reports. He frowned when he heard that a major snowstorm was developing where they were going. If they didn't get where they needed to be by tonight, they probably wouldn't get there at all. Almost all of the Druids would be camping there, but that wasn't a good solution for Kelly and Beth. He called Bob and asked him to make sleeping arrangements for the wives. He would be more than happy to sleep inside the Sporting Goods Store, if that was all that was available.

After about ten minutes, Bob came into the living room. Shuffling his feet, he said, "The best I could do was a jail cell at the Sheriff's office. Everyone else that we know in the area has family visiting for the holidays."

Grinning, Ed said, "That's great. I've always wanted to visit two hot babes locked up in jail!"

As Bill laughed, the wives came into the living room. They looked at the expression on the men's faces recognizing that a joke had just been made at their expense. Kelly, always the more confrontational of the two women, asked, "What's up?"

Leering suggestively at them, Ed said, "Bill just worked out the details of your sleeping arrangements."

The last trip where they all traveled together had ended up with them sleeping in the seediest hotel in all of Los Angeles. Beth said, "So long as it is safer than that hotel in LA, I don't care."

The comment made both men burst out in laughter. The two women looked at each other in puzzlement. Finally, hardly able to get the words out, Bill said, "You're going to jail."

The grimaces on the faces of Beth and Kelly, provoked another round of laughter. Still chuckling, Ed said, "I'm gonna visit a couple of hot prison babes and make all kinds of sick sexual demands on them."

That cheered the wives significantly. Suddenly, it was his turn to worry when Kelly said, "We're going to make you keep your word on that, big boy!"

On the way to Colorado, the group stopped at a factory coat outlet so that Ed could buy a new coat. They found a salesman that took them from rack to rack leading to ever warmer coats. Finally, he led them to the arctic coat rack. Ed's face lit up when he saw the arctic coverall that came with came with arctic pants. It was warm enough that he actually broke out in a sweat trying it on. The teasing was unmerciful, but Ed just grinned back and said, "Wait until I get you in jail, my little lovelies."

They went back to Kelly's car and drove away with Ed's coat packed in a bag in the trunk. Ed sat in the back of the car feeling a little cold, but it was much better than being outside.

Beth had joined him in the back of the car. For a long time, Ed sat there with an arm around Beth enjoying the comfort of having her next to him. To him, having her sitting there pressed against him was fulfilling. For Beth, the closeness and undemanding nature of his attention to her had the effect of exciting her sexually. Her desire wasn't to be pleasured by him, but to give him pleasure.

As they traveled down the highway, she fished his cock out of his pants and sucked it into her mouth. When he started to reciprocate the attention, she pushed him away and said, "No, just enjoy."

With slow languid movements, she ran her tongue around his cock bringing it full erection. Rather than swallowing his cock and bobbing up and down on it at a fast and furious pace, she took a different approach than normal. Working his cock with her hand, she gave him more of a handjob than a blowjob. Her mouth locked around the head of his cock, her tongue working on that most sensitive region.

As the scenery passed by and cars passed their car, Ed could hardly believe what was happening. He had never had sex in such a public environment. While watching a car containing four adults pass them, Beth hit the magic combination of sensations that drove him over the edge. He fought desperately to keep his face from showing that he was coming. The couple in the back of the car that was passing glanced over at the car unaware of what was going on in the backseat.

Kelly, grinning from ear to ear, was having difficulty driving while watching the action. She had to slow down to safely maintain control over the car. This led to more cars passing by while Ed had received his blowjob. It took tremendous will power to keep a hand from going between her legs.

Swallowing his come, Beth slowly straightened up and tucked his cock back in his pants. She snuggled against him and whispered, "Thanks for letting me do that."

Amazed that she would be thanking him for letting her give him a blowjob, Ed could only say, "Thank you."

Within minutes she was asleep, feeling warm and comfortable in his arms. Kelly looked at the scene in the mirror and wished that she was back there with both of them. The look of bliss on Beth's face was priceless. At that moment, she was overwhelmed by love for her husband and wife.

They stopped for an early dinner when they crossed the Colorado state line. Getting out of the car, they stretched and allowed their muscles to recover from sitting too long in the same position. After a minute outside the controlled climate of the car, Ed ran into the restaurant to get out of the cold. With grins, Beth and Kelly watched him run.

They entered the restaurant, cheeks glowing a lovely pink from the cold, and found Ed rubbing his hands together to warm them. Even as they were being led to a table, Ed was asking for a cup of hot coffee. The women laughed and hugged each other. Truckers watched Ed lead the two women to their table with envy while wives elbowed their husbands.

As the three of them relaxed around a table looking over the menu, a couple seated a few tables over from them were starting to argue. Ed ignored the discussion until there was a loud slap and the sound of a women screaming and hitting the floor. While others were still turning to see what the problem was, Ed had climbed out of his chair. The man brought his foot back to kick the woman as he shouted, "You're my wife, bitch, and you'll do what you're told."

Ed hooked his foot around the man's ankle. When the man went to finish the kick, he found himself spinning out of control and landing on the floor at Ed's feet. As was often the case when a third party intervened in a domestic quarrel, both the husband and wife turned on Ed.

Others in the restaurant started to gather as it was clear that the trouble was about to boil over into extreme violence. As the medallion on his chest blazed with a hot heat, Ed stood up straight. In a voice that exploded over the entire room, Ed shouted, "Everyone freeze."

Everyone in the restaurant froze in shock. In the same tone of voice, with a look of extreme anger on his face, Ed pointed a finger at the husband frozen in place. In a commanding tone, Ed said, "I shall not tolerate the strong harming those that are weaker."

His voice reverberating through the room and eyes boring into the husbands soul, Ed said, "You shall never touch another human with violence again. Each time that you try to strike out first in violence, your strength will leave you!"

Even as the man attempted to act against Ed, it was as though all of the strength was sucked from the man. He collapsed to the floor staring in shock at Ed. Pale, voice trembling, the man uttered, "How..."

Commanding, Ed said, "I will leave you the strength to defend yourself."

Turning to the wife, his voice commanding, he said, "You shall never allow yourself to be a victim again! Tap into your strength when threatened and you shall find that you can resist the greatest threat and emerge unharmed. You are a person and deserve to be treated with honor, dignity, respect, and love."

Turning to face the rest of the room, he found the eyes of truckers, families, and individuals traveling alone along the highway fixed upon him. Drawing himself up, it seemed like he grew as tall as the room. In the same commanding voice, he ordered, "I charge each of you to never cause harm to another and to protect the weak from the strong."

A collective gasp went through the restaurant as the power of his words seemed to rip through their souls. People backed away from him and returned to their chairs. No one knew the degree to which they had been changed, but none doubted that they had been changed by this. Furtive glances in his direction did not show fear, but awe. Families used to overbearing husbands would be shocked when the men returned home. Wives that had long taken a backseat in their relationships would demand more freedom and self expression. Husbands that would have resisted would become supportive.

The couple that had triggered this situation, returned to their chairs, and began to talk. When the wife said things that would have triggered a violent reaction in her husband, he would sag as his strength seemed to leave him. A waitress brought over a cloth filled with ice for the woman to hold over where she had been hit.

Ed, resuming a more natural appearance, returned to the table and picked up the menu. Kelly and Beth stared at him in amazement at the power over an entire room he had commanded. Smiling, Ed looked up from the menu and asked, "What would you ladies like to eat?"

Kelly was the first to break the silence and answer, "I think I'll go with a salad."

"I'm not sure yet," answered Beth as she returned her attention back to the menu.

Ed was torn between the Chicken Fried Steak, the Chili, and the stew. Finally, he settled on the stew. Looking up from the menu, he expected a waitress to show up anytime. Instead, an elderly woman came over to the table and sat down without asking for permission. She was dressed in a very conservative black dress. Smiling, she said, "Hello, Ed Biggers."

When the wives turned to look at her, she said, "Hello, Kelly Carter and Beth Hayes."

For a long time, Ed didn't recognize Mary Darling, the head of those who served the Goddess. She was the keeper of rituals, performing marriage rites, death rites, and other ceremonies as required. It was she who had performed the marriage ceremony when their family had wed. Beth and Kelly both broke out in big grins finally recognizing her.

Suddenly it dawned on him that this was Mary Darling. Every time he had seen her in the past, she had been wearing tight fitting leather clothes with silver armbands. He said, "Hello, Mary Darling. What happened to the black leather look?"

She laughed and answered, "It looks okay on a woman in her thirties or even forties. I pushed it into my fifties, but now that I'm in my sixties I find that I need to dress a little more conservatively."

It was very hard to believe that Mary was in her sixties, she looked like she was only forty. Teasing, Kelly asked, "Does that mean I have to give up my leather bondage wear when I get a little older?"

Mary laughed at the joke and answered, "John Carter sure picked a great family. Speaking of which, I take it by his absence that he is busy elsewhere."

"He has gone to meet the Two-Sided One," answered Ed, his voice low so that it wouldn't carry beyond the table.

Joyful, Mary leaned back in her chair while bringing her hands together in a resounding clap, and shouted, "At last!"

Eyes turned to stare at the commotion originating at the table. The waitress that had been administering aid to the battered wife, came to the table. She approached hesitantly, as though afraid to intrude, and asked, "May I take your order?"

Recognizing the nervousness of the waitress, they placed their orders being as polite as possible. It was with almost visible relief that the waitress left the table. Commenting on it, Mary said, "By the way, that was a most impressive demonstration you put on here. I was already on my way to help before I saw you take control of the situation. I must say that even I was impressed."

Kelly, knowing how Ed hated to be on the receiving end of praise, winked at him and said, "If you think that was impressive, you should see him in bed."

Laughing heartily, Mary asked, "Are you sure you aren't a Druid?"

They chatted while waiting for the food to arrive. It was the kind of easy conversation that takes place among friends. Mary had liked the Carter Clan the first time that she met them. The women had taken to her immediately.

When the food arrived, the conversation died as people attacked their meals. Tasting the stew, Ed was happy with his choice. He hadn't realized that he had skipped lunch or that he was this hungry. He focused entirely on eating, consuming almost four rolls and three cups of coffee. He never noticed the waitress coming to the table refilling his cup or bringing a second basket of rolls. When he wiped the last of the stew from the bowl with the last bit of roll, he sat back, appetite sated. He looked embarrassed when he realized that all three women were watching him with amused looks on their faces. Shrugging, he said, "That was good."

"Really? We couldn't tell that," replied Beth.

The conversation flowed around the table for another few minutes. Then, simultaneously both Ed and Mary felt the urge to get on their way. Giving voice to the urge first, Mary said, "I have to go."

Smiling, Ed said, "We have to go as well."

While the women went to the restroom, Ed paid for the meal. He was surprised to see people step out of his way, not connecting their behavior to his actions earlier. At the register, he caught the eye of the cook behind the slot and said, "You make a great stew."

The cook smiled and answered, "Thanks."

After paying for the meal, Ed went to the men's room and relieved the pressure brought about by so many cups of coffee. As he washed his hands, another man came to the sink to wash his. Ed said, "It's a great day to be alive."

The guy looked at him with a suspicious expression and answered, "I guess so."

Drying his hands, Ed left the restroom finding that Kelly and Beth were waiting for him. After a mad dash to the car, Ed found himself in the back with Kelly. She curled up on the seat with her head on his lap and fell asleep. Ed entertained himself by stroking her brown hair and watching the landscape pass.

It was several hours later before they reached town. Ed had taken over driving since he was the only one that knew the area. His eyes were on the sky as much as the road. It was clear that a major storm was brewing. The clouds were thickening with each hour that passed.

It was with some relief that he reached the town. After pulling into the parking lot of the Sporting Goods Store, Ed led the women into the store. They were met by Catherine, who smiled at the presence of the women. She said, "It's good that you've come. You can't imagine how relieved I was when Mary told me what was happening."

Beth replied, "When Ed told us what was going on, we couldn't stay behind."

"Relieved?" asked Ed.

Catherine said, "Yes, I've spent the last six months getting set up to feed and shelter hundreds of people. I was afraid that I was going to get swamped with hundreds of new Druids."

Ed was more interested in learning about the other servants of the Two-Sided One. He asked, "Who else is here that serves the Two- Sided One?"

She smiled at him and said, "You'll meet them soon."

A very young woman with wild hair, no makeup, and mismatched clothes came over to Ed. Her head moved from side to side with a soothing almost hypnotic motion as she looked at him. She held out a hand and said, "You are Ed Biggers. I am Annette Baker, another servant of the Two-Sided One."

Taking her hand, he said, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

With a blank expression on her face, she looked at the walls of the building. It was as though she were studying every brick. Finally, she said, "More are coming. I see at least thirty cars within half an hour of here. Several are hiking here."

Beth and Kelly edged away from the strange woman. The woman turned to them and said, "Don't be afraid of me. I have far sight. I see things that are distant. I can see almost nothing close up."

That explained the lack of makeup, wild hair, and mismatched clothes. Kelly said, "Oh, I'm sorry."

Her eyes seemed to look beyond them as Annette answered, "Don't be. I used to be blind. That I can see is a truly miraculous gift of the Two-Sided One."

This was a truly amazing gift and an extremely powerful one. If he understood the gift correctly, she could see what was happening behind locked doors. Chuckling he said, "I bet there are a thousand teenage boys that wish they could do that."

With a giggle that made her seem a lot younger and more normal, she said, "You are so right. I must admit that I do enjoy that part of it quite a bit myself."

When Kelly realized what Ed had said and how Annette had answered, she burst out laughing. Beth followed a moment later when she realized what Annette had said. With a joking voice, she said, "You might want to check out the jail a little later. Ed had promised to take advantage of a couple of hot babes that will be spending the night there."

Puzzled that Ed would take advantage of prisoners, Annette asked, "Why would they want him to do that?"

Beth answered, "Because it will be us."

As understanding broke over Annette, she again giggled. With a grin, she said, "You might want to be careful what you suggest. I just might take you up on your offer and watch."

The group talked for a few minutes before Ed said, "Ladies, we might want to check in at the Sheriffs and then go to diner. I don't know if you remember George and Martha, but they have a small restaurant in the next town over."

The group walked up the road to the town center and then to the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff was sitting in his chair listening to the weather reports. When they entered, he looked up at them and said, "Hello, Kelly, Beth, and Ed."

Putting on his best Clint Eastwood voice, Ed joked, "Howdy Sheriff. This town is too small for the two of us. We're here to take over the jail from you."

Chuckling, the Sheriff said, "I'm sorry that I couldn't find better accommodations for you. I'm still looking around, but for the next day or so, you'll have to stay here. In fact, you might have company if the storm is half as bad as predicted. They are setting up the school in case any travelers get stranded."

Raising an eyebrow, Kelly asked, "Is it going to be that bad?"

Beth said, "Someone ought to warn the others."

Looking at them with a crooked smile on his face, the Sheriff said, "Who do you think warned me? Things are always different with the Plutonian Circus is in town. I imagine that they'll be digging us out."

Beth and Kelly went over to look at the cells. All of them were empty, but they provided only minimal comfort. After joining them, the Sheriff said, "I got a bunch of extra blankets for you. You can hang them up on the bars and they will give you some privacy if we have to take in some extra people. For now, the whole back of the office is yours. You can close the doors, but I don't recommend locking yourself in the cells."

"Maybe I can get the keys to the cells. We are planning to re-enact a prison babe movie," said Ed. Even as Ed started to talk, Beth and Kelly were frantically gesturing him to be quiet.

Noticing the frantic arm waves of the two women, the Sheriff laughed and said, "I used to play that with my late wife all the time. I suspect my Deputy and his wife have been in here after hours on an occasion or two. Lots of fun has been had in those cells."

Ed stayed in the jail with his wives for the next few days as a huge storm swept through the area. The Sheriff was busy responding to calls. Most of the time, he was too late as a Druid would already be there taking care of the problem. The Sheriff was overheard many times saying that it was absolutely amazing how the Druids seemed to know where they were needed.

When the storm ended, groups of Druids were everywhere. Even Ed was out removing snow from in front of houses of the elderly. During their breaks, the groups would return to the field behind the Sporting Goods Store where a winter town had been build. From sunrise to sunset, food was always cooking and anyone that came by was invited to eat. Sometimes, a Druid would leave with hot food to deliver to someone that was trapped in their house.

Finally the morning came when all of the Druids felt an urge to go the field behind the Sporting Goods Store. Ed didn't have to collect Beth or Kelly as they had spent the day cooking at the campsite. When he arrived at the field, he put on one of the black robes and joined the others wearing the black robes. Thirty minutes later, John stepped out the back door.

Mary Darling stepped forward and called out, "We who serve the Goddess greet you, John Carter."

Jerry Smith stepped forward and called out, "We who serve the God greet you, John Carter."

Harry stepped forward and announced, "We who serve the Two- sided One greet you, John Carter."

The three of them stated together, "We recognize you and name you the Grand Druid."

John looked in shock at all of the Druids as they performed a half bow toward him. Ed looked up at John as he made a half bow, seeing in him the power of the Gods and Goddesses. John automatically returned the half bow. John said, "I thank you for this honor, although I do not feel that I deserve it."

One by one, Druids came to him with greetings and introductions of themselves. Many of them, he already knew and they exchanged personal statements. Those he didn't know briefly described their skills and told him where they lived. All of the continents were represented. Even Ed waited patiently in line to introduce himself. When it was his turn, he said, "Hello, I am Ed Biggers. I like rocks and wimp drinks. I'm a Gemini and..."

John burst out laughing and hugged his husband. Chuckling, he said, "Get out of here."

Ed went back to where he had been. The last person to talk to John was Harry, the leader of the black robes. When he rejoined his group, Harry shouted, "Let's Eat!"

There was a leisurely rush to the barbecue pit where several roasts, chickens, and racks of ribs were cooking. Next to the pit was a fire pit with a large kettle of beans. On a table were huge bowls containing coleslaw and potato salad. There were also several loaves of fresh baked bread. It took John a little while to make his way over to his family. They waited patiently for the line to get smaller before getting their meal.

Kelly, Beth, and Ed were smiling at John. He asked, "What are you smiling about?"

"Your hair and beard," started Beth. Kelly finished, "are completely white now."

Ed wondered aloud, "I wonder if your pubic hair is white also."

John grinned as he answered, "Nope. I think you are going to like some of the other changes down there though."

Ed immediately thought of John's cock in his ass. If it had grown even more, then he was not going to like the changes. He exclaimed, "Oh, no!"

Kelly and Beth both answered, "Oh, yeah!"

Curious, John asked, "So when did you guys come here?"

Kelly answered, "Ed, like all the others, was drawn to this place. The urge came upon him right after you left. We came with him."

Ed nodded and said, "Yes. So we got in her car and came here. We were only about three hours behind you."

"I wonder why it didn't come on you while I was there?"

Beth answered, "Because you would have known something was up."

Ed concurred, "I think this was a trial that you had to go through without knowing the stakes."

John replied, "I guess that makes sense."

"Sure it does."

"So what am I supposed to do as Grand Druid?"

Kelly laughed and said, "Make love to your wives and husband as often as possible."

Beth commented, "Be your own lovable self."

Ed added, "Sit on your ass and make us do all the work!"

Kelly and Beth both hit Ed on the shoulder. John laughed and said, "For now, I think that the less I do the better."



-------

Chapter 19


The log cabin stood alone on the shore of a small lake. A dirt road, wide enough for a single vehicle, wound its way through the woods connecting the cabin to a highway almost three miles away. From the porch of the cabin, the surface of the calm lake reflected the trees surrounding it, making the lake look even smaller.

In the morning and evening, the fish would break the surface eating insects that skimmed across the lake. Occasionally, a deer would come out to the lake's edge to drink of the water. Waterfowl swam in the lake, leaving v-shaped wakes behind them. At night, raccoons and other animals would come to the edge of the water.

The trees were home to squirrels in addition to birds of all kinds. Robins, bluebirds, woodpeckers, and blue jays flew around the cabin as though it wasn't there. Mornings were the loudest time of the day as every bird seemed to raise its voice to welcome the sun. Nights were not much quieter as owls, raccoons, and other nocturnal animals moved about. The quietest time of day was at sunset and that was the time that Ed always made sure to take a break from his work.

The afternoon quiet was disturbed by small splashes of water and thumps that carried a long distance. Ed took a drink of his iced tea and listened to the noise trying to place it. It took an incredibly long time to realize that it was the sound of someone paddling a canoe. It wasn't strange that he would have such a hard time placing the noise. It was one sound that he would never hear in the desert.

As the night insects came out, the bug-zapper started making the zit sound that signaled the death of another flying bug. Ed looked up when the front of the canoe came into sight. Going into the house, he put on his pants and shirt before returning to porch to watch them.

Leaning against a post holding up the porch roof, he examined the occupants of the canoe. It was a young couple, a man and woman, just into their early twenties. It was his guess that they were college students, probably juniors becoming seniors. The woman knelt at the front of the canoe, paddling with a smooth easy stroke. She was muscular with her hair tied back with a ribbon and wore a sports shirt. The man, now steering the canoe to the shore, was equally muscular and wore a loose knit shirt that seemed popular with young men.

Taking his time, Ed walked to the shore to greet the couple. The couple seeing him up close for the first time, decided that he wasn't the person they were seeking. Rather than be rude and turn around to leave, they paddled up to the shore. Ed reached down and helped pull the canoe on the bank. His strength surprised the young couple. Ed said, "Hello."

"Hello," answered the young man as the woman climbed out of the canoe. She was followed by the man. They shifted uneasily, not knowing what to say. They had been expecting a person their age and were hoping to party. Finally, the man said, "We heard there was a college student up here and thought we'd come by to hang out with him."

"You heard correctly and I know that he would enjoy the company," said Ed as he smiled at the pair.

The young couple brightened considerably at hearing his answer. They were sure that his son would be more than happy to leave and spend some time with them. The woman said, "Oh, that's good news. We were worried that we had gotten the wrong information."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No. I would say that the information was correct, but that it probably didn't mean what you thought it did. Would you care to join me for an iced tea?"

The girl answered, "Hey, we are twenty one and can have beer."

Ed shook his head and answered, "Sorry, but I don't have any beer."

The guy said, "When we go to the store the next time, we'll pick up some."

Smiling at the well intentioned offer, Ed said, "Thanks for the offer, but I don't drink. By the way, I'm Ed Biggers."

The young man said, "I'm Greg Dow and she is Diana Dilborne. We're students up at the University of Wisconsin."

Ed led them up to the cabin. The couple sat down on the edge of the porch while Ed fixed some iced tea for them. Returning to porch, Ed sat down next to them and said, "So what are your majors?"

Greg said, "I'm a Business major."

Diana answered, "I'm majoring in Psychology."

Not sure if he was impressed by an undergraduate major in business, he was impressed by the psychology major. He said, "I'm finishing my degree in Mineralogy. I'm staying up here to write my dissertation."

In a gesture of embarrassment, Diana covered her mouth with a hand and said, "Oh, I didn't realize that you're the college student we heard about. I'm sorry, we were just expecting someone younger."

Laughing Ed replied, "That's okay. I get that all of the time at the University. Half of the students there think I'm on the faculty. I'm afraid that most of my classmates wish I was. They keep complaining about me blowing the curve."

Greg was about to make a comment when the telephone rang, surprising everyone. Ed went over to the table by the chair he had been in before they arrived. He touched the speakerphone and said, "Hello."

John said, "Hey, Ed. How's it going?"

"Pretty good. I'm working on the first draft of the conclusion," answered Ed. He winked at the young couple.

"That's great. Let me get to the reason I called you. I've tracked down another pair of monsters and they are in your area."

He thought about what John had just said, knowing that it would take a couple of days to track them down. Even though he would definitely go, he had to know what was involved and asked, "What are the details?"

In a business like voice, John answered, "It's a young couple, early to mid twenties, and quite attractive. They lure college students off to an isolated location and then torture them to death. I expect them to strike in a week's time."

Ed happened to glance at the young couple and could see their faces pale. Ed answered, "Okay. Where do you want to meet?"

"I'll come to you in two days. I'm leaving this afternoon, but I have some business at the FBI office there," answered John.

Ed nodded and said, "Great. Give my regards to the wives."

John replied, "They can't wait for you to get back. They keep talking about getting even for the prison babes incident. They are planning a night of decadence that makes me blush."

Laughing at the inside joke, Ed said, "Just tell them that I'll sleep with every coed between here and home. I'll get there too tired for any decadence."

A pair of voices came out of the speaker, as Beth and Kelly shouted, "Don't you dare do that Ed Biggers!"

Ed laughed and said, "I'll see to you both later."

John shouted, "Help me, they are planning on practicing on me!"

"Don't let me stop them."

The call ended shortly after that with lots of giggling in the background. Ed turned with a smile on his face and said, "Sorry, that was my husband and wives."

"Cool," said Diana, surprised that this old guy was in a group marriage.

In a joking voice, he asked, "You guys aren't the kind that would lure a poor little college kid out to the boonies and torture them to death, are you?"

Gary answered, "No, but that sure did sound like the couple we met in town. They want to get together with us in a couple of days."

The truth in his statement was clear enough for Ed. He turned back to the phone and hit the speakerphone. Dialing the number to the house, he reached Cathy. He was still surprised when he reached Cathy on the phone. She had replaced Bill who had moved to Florida to take care of his dying mother and his father who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease. Cathy answered, "The Carter residence."

"Cathy, this is Ed. Get John and get him now. I know he's probably fooling around with the wives, but I need to talk to him right now."

Cathy replied, "Okay, Ed. Hold on."

Ed said, "No. Have him call me."

Hanging up the phone, Ed said, "I would like to recommend that you kids stay here for the next couple of days."

Diana asked, "Do you think we are the killers or something?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No. I think you are the targeted victims."

Gary looked at Ed with narrowed eyes and asked, "Why do you think that?"

"You said it yourself. They sounded like the couple that you met. They want to get together with you in a couple of days. John says the couple is going to strike in a couple of days. Do the arithmetic yourselves," answered Ed.

The young couple looked at each other, trying hard to communicate with their eyes. They wondered what they had gotten themselves into. Was this guy playing with a full deck? Was this some sort of con to get them to stay? Gary looked back at the canoe wondering if they could reach it before this guy went crazy on them.

The telephone rang. Stabbing it with a finger, Ed said, "Hello, John."

Somewhat irritated, John said, "What is it that couldn't wait?"

Ed said, "I believe that I have the next targeted victims here. They're afraid that I'm crazy. Why don't you describe the man to the best of your ability? I'll ask them to describe the woman."

There was a long moment of silence at the other end of the line. The young couple looked at Ed and listened to the discussion. Finally, John said, "We believe that the man is about 5'8" and weighs an athletic 175. Reports say that he is handsome with well groomed brown hair and clean shaven. He usually wears blue jeans and tee-shirts from whatever university is local. I can't tell you much more than that."

Diana was pale by the time that John had finished. She said, "The woman is a couple of inches shorter than the guy. She has large breasts that she shows off by wearing a shirt that is too tight. She is tanned with her hair in a long ponytail. The first impression is that she is cheerleader or something."

There was a moment of silence and then John said, "Okay. I'll call the FBI office and get them to dispatch a couple of agents to your place. They should be there in one hour. I'll arrive tomorrow morning. Keep them safe, Ed."

Ed looked at the young couple and could see that they were terrified. He said, "Hold on John."

Turning to Diana, he asked, "Where are your parents?"

"They're in Detroit," she replied.

Ed nodded and said, "John, I'm going to suggest that we fly her father or mother here so that they can provide moral support."

John replied, "Good idea."

Ed said, "Thanks. We'll be waiting."

Ed hung up and turned to Diana. He said, "I should have asked you before making the suggestion. Would you like your mother or father here? Or would you prefer his mother or father?"

The young couple looked at each other. Finally, she said, "I think I would rather have his father. He's a cop."

Animated, Ed gestured to the phone. He said, "Give him a call."

Gary dialed the number to his father. Watching Ed, he waited for his father to answer. It took a few minutes before his call was transferred to his father. His father sounded irritated at being disturbed at work by his son and answered the phone in a gruff voice, "Hello, Gary. What do you need?"

Gary flinched at the tone of his father's voice. "Dad, there's some guy here that says he believes that we are the next victims of a serial killer."

"I don't have time for this son. Do you need more money?"

Ed spoke, "Officer Dow, I'm Ed Biggers. I'm a special agent for the IRS. I work with John Carter, a special agent for the FBI. I suggest that you get in touch with the local FBI office and verify our identity. You will only need to mention our names. I will hold until after you have done that."

"What were those names again?"

"Ed Biggers and John Carter," answered Ed. He looked at Gary with a wink and pressed the mute button. Looking at Gary, he said, "Have you ever heard your father impressed before?"

"Not really," replied Gary.

After about five minutes, a much more respectful Officer Dow said, "Mr. Biggers. Please forgive me for my rudeness. I had no idea."

Ed said, "I'm going to give you my home number. I want you to ask for Cathy. She will make arrangements for a charter jet to get you here. Your son and his girlfriend need your presence."

"Yes, sir."

"Good, I'll see you when you get here," replied Ed. He winked at Gary and asked, "Do you have anything you want to say to Gary or Diana?"

Officer Dow replied, "Son, you listen Mr. Biggers and do exactly what he says. Do you understand me?"

Gary answered, "Yes, Dad."

Ed gave him the information required to get in touch with Cathy. After they disconnected, Ed turned to Gary and Diana. He asked, "Feeling a little safer?"

Gary shook his head in wonder. After living a whole lifetime with his father, he had never heard him call anyone sir with the kind of respect that he had heard today. He said, "I thought you said that you are a college student."

"I am," answered Ed. He smiled and said, "I do other things too."

With fake relief, Gary said, "Thank God we didn't bring any pot."

Hearing the lie, Ed laughed and said, "I would make sure to dump the pot that you didn't bring with you before the FBI agents get here. They are a little more likely to enforce certain laws that I am. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Gary went to the canoe and fished around in his pack. With a flip of his hand, a couple of joints flew into the lake. Curious, Diana watched Ed and asked, "How did you know?"

"I'm a human lie detector," answered Ed. He picked up the phone and called the house.

Cathy answered the phone with her standard, "Carter Residence."

"Cathy, this is Ed."

"Please don't make me get John again," said Cathy. She was still new to the job and didn't like to interrupt her employers.

Laughing, Ed said, "Don't worry. An officer Dow will be calling soon. Make arrangements for a charter jet to bring him here. Use my transportation account to pay for it."

Cathy answered, "Okay. Anything else?"

Winking at Diana, Ed said, "Oh, why don't you go interrupt John after I hang up."

"No thanks," replied Cathy as she hung up.

Diana was giggling at the exchange. Gary came over to her and put an arm around her protectively. Ed said, "Good help is so hard to find."

Gary asked, "Who are you, really?"

The answer was cut off as a small pontoon plane landed on the lake. After slowing down, it taxied to the shore by Ed's cabin. Ed walked over to the plane followed by the young couple. The pilot got of the plane as it coasted towards him. Grabbing a rope, he thew it to Ed. He grabbed the tie rope and tied the end to one of the trees by the edge of the lake. The plane came to rest on the shore.

The pilot came over to Ed and asked, "Are you Ed Biggers?"

"Yes, I am," answered Ed.

The pilot waved to his passengers. Two men came out of the plane and approached Ed. One of them said, "I'm Special Agent Kip Caler and this is my partner, Special Agent Wayne Widdis. It's an honor to work with you Mr. Biggers."

Nodding, Ed said, "Nice to meet you, but please call me Ed. These two young folks are Gary Dow and Diana Dilborne. I'd appreciate it if you'd show them your ID."

Both agents flipped out their badges for the young couple to examine. The couple was suitably impressed, never having encountered a real FBI agent. Kip said, "We have six more agents on their way here."

Frowning, Ed said, "That's too many. Send them back. John will be here tomorrow and he'll decide what kind of operation is required. Gary's father is going to be here to take care of them. He's a cop, so I don't expect he'll get in the way. I would like to make sure that they aren't disturbed until the father arrives."

"Yes, sir," replied Agent Caler. He fished out a cell phone and swore when he couldn't get a signal.

Ed said, "There's a phone on the porch. There wasn't a handset, so you'll have to use the speakerphone."

While Kip was on the phone, the pilot unloaded the plane and then took off after making sure that there wasn't any further need for his services. Wayne stood there and asked, "So John Carter is coming too. Wow, I never thought I would get a chance to work with both of you."

Embarrassed at the attention, Ed said, "I'll start a fire so that we can have dinner. I have steaks and fresh fish. I have a couple of fishing poles if anyone wants to drop a line in the water."

Gary looked over at Diana and said, "Would you like to fish?"

She shook her head and said, "No, I'll help him cook dinner. Why don't you go ahead and fish?"

Relieved, Gary said, "Great."

Wayne said, "I'm not sure that this is proper procedure."

Smiling at the agent, Ed said, "Until John comes, I believe that I'm the agent in charge."

"Yes, sir," replied Wayne.

"So go fishing with the guy. I figure you can stand guard with a hand on your gun or on a fishing pole. The later sounds a bit more fun," said Ed. Giggling, Diana watched the agent as he listened to Ed.

"You're right."

While Gary and Wayne were getting fishing poles, Kip was finishing his calls on the phone. Following Ed, Diana went into the kitchen and looked around. Ed opened up the freezer and pulled out four steaks and four fish filets. None of them were completely frozen yet since he had stocked it only that afternoon.

Diana searched the refrigerator finding the makings for a salad. As she looked through the shelves, Ed said, "I'll go out and start a fire in the grill."

Intent on finding the makings for side dishes for five people, she didn't answer. Knowing how people who were entirely focused on a task behaved, Ed went on out to start a fire. Disturbed by the normal at home atmosphere that Ed was generating, Kip joined him by the grill and said, "I don't know what to say. You ordered Wayne to go fishing?"

"Seemed like the best way to let him do what he wanted."

Shaking his head, Kip said, "I heard that working with you guys could drive someone crazy, but that you get results."

Ed laughed and lit the fire. At the sound of some excitement by the shore, Ed went over to investigate. Gary held up a nice four pound largemouth bass and said, "That's a real beauty."

Ed looked at the fish for a second. While here, he had caught several that looked like it, but he hadn't known what kind of fish it was. He asked, "What kind of fish is that?"

Wayne and Gary looked at Ed in shock. Finally Gary said, "It's a largemouth bass."

"A largemouth bass," repeated Ed as he tried to memorize the name with the kind of fish. With a frown, he asked, "Is it edible?"

"Yes, it is. Don't tell me that you've never fished before," said Wayne.

Scratching the side of his face, Ed said, "Well, I've caught one of those just about everyday that I've been here. I had no idea what it was or if it was edible. Fishing isn't much of an activity out in the desert. The only fish you'll find there are fossils."

Gary said, "You're kidding."

Shrugging off the disbelief, Ed said, "There are some rivers and even lakes, but I've never gone fishing there. I tend to spend all of my time in the desert areas on horseback, so I don't carry a fishing pole."

Ed returned to the cabin after watching the men filet the fish. Carrying the filets back to the kitchen, he realized that they had enough fish for everyone to have fish. He put the steaks back in the freezer. Diana carefully wrapped individual portions of fish in aluminum foil with a dab of butter, salt, pepper, and a slice of lemon. He carried the packets out to the grill and started cooking them.

It wasn't long before dinner was ready and they sat at the table. Diana had prepared rice and salad as a side dish. It wasn't a great meal considering that Ed had gotten used to Marguerite's cooking, but it was helped by the fact that they were, more or less, outdoors and their appetites were hearty. After the meal was over, Ed said, "You did a great job on throwing together a meal at the last minute, Diana. You're going to make some young man very happy."

The young woman positively glowed at the comment and Gary's chest puffed out in pride for his girlfriend. Kip and Wayne both made appreciative comments, further reinforcing the compliment. Ed cleared the table, insisting that Diana get out of the kitchen since she had done all of the work preparing the meal. While in the kitchen, he worked out the sleeping arrangements in his head. He would put the couple in the master bedroom, the two agents in the room with the room with the twin beds and he would take the couch in the living room.

Returning to the living room, Ed sat on one of the chairs and listened to the discussion that was going on around the room. The agents were telling about their days in college giving everyone a common topic of conversation.

When the telephone rang, Ed answered it. From the far end, Kim's voice rang clear, "This is the rock police. It has come to our attention that you have been molesting rocks. We must ask that you cease and desist."

Smiling, Ed replied, "No I haven't. I'll admit to having fondled some underage dirt."

Kim laughed and said, "Your wives called me a little earlier and said that you and John were going monster hunting again"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. We've got a line on two of them," answered Ed.

In a sultry voice, Kim said, "Take care of yourself, I'm looking forward to an expedition with you when you're done with your dissertation."

Glancing at the others in the room, Ed said, "What have you got in mind?"

With more animation and excitement in her voice, Kim said, "I was talking to some of the local mine owners. They offered to let us into their mines without charging us. At first, they were going to charge me five hundred, but I talked them into doing it for free."

Ed asked, "Did you tell them that I would be there?"

"Sure, I hope that wasn't a problem," replied Kim. It had been strange, but they had required payment until they found out that Ed was going to be with her. Almost immediately they stopped demanding and it had become much easier to strike a good deal.

Laughing, Ed said, "I usually charge them a five thousand a day consulting fee to go into their mines. I bet they were very happy to know we'd be there for free."

Embarrassed, Kim said, "Oh, I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it. It'll be great fun," replied Ed. It also gave him an idea. He added, "Who knows, maybe we can call this a training session for you and we can do some consulting together in the future. Might help bring in a little extra money for you."

The offer was incredible and she knew it. Rather than respond to the financial side of the offer, she asked, "Does that mean that I'll get more time alone with your cock?"

"Yes," answered Ed, blushing slightly as he noticed the glances in his direction from the others in the room. He added, "But, you'll have to put up with the rest of me as well."

"Darn, just when I thought everything was going my way you have to give me bad news," retorted Kim. She giggled and said, "Well, I just wanted to say hello and to ask you to take care of yourself."

The call ended shortly after that. Diana had listened with a sour look on her face after the sexual suggestions. When the call was finished, she asked, "Who was that?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "That is my rock hunting companion."

"She sounded a little friendly, too friendly if you ask me."

Ed said, "Yes, she is friendly. She was also hand picked by my wives to be a companion for me on my rock hunts."

Sounding like a Spanish Inquisitor, Diana asked, "Do your wives know that you sleep with her?"

"Of course, they set it up knowing that would happen," replied Ed.

All of the other men sat in the room thinking about the kind of freedom that Ed was given in his marriage. Each of them was envious, although they tried to look just as offended as Diana. Diana replied, "And why would they do that?"

The answer that Diana could understand wasn't the full story, but it was close enough to the truth. Ed said, "So that they would know that I wasn't out in the desert alone. To know that there was someone with me that cared enough to make sure that I would return alive in case I was injured."

The discussion went on for several hours. Ed did not expect to convince Diana that his relationship with Kim was anything other than horrible. His expectations were fully met and she went to bed convinced that he was not good husband material.

The agents went to bed shortly after that leaving Ed alone in the living room. He looked around the cabin happy that he had rented it fully furnished. Stripping, he went to bed covering himself with a single blanket.



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Chapter 20


Sometimes after seeing the same person every day, one tends to forget the effect that they may have on other people. Ed was so used to seeing John as husband, friend, and colleague that he had stopped seeing him as others might view him. When John arrived at the cabin in the woods with Officer Dow in tow, Ed was reminded just how impressive of a figure John cut.

When John walked from the car to the front door of the cabin, Ed watched him step with a strong stride towards him. The serious look on his face and the fire in his eyes conveyed a frightening raw power. Tall with long white hair and beard, he wore the brown robe of his Druid rank, his cloak, and walking stick. Surrounded by trees, he looked like some kind of legendary figure come to life.

Officer Donald Dow, known to his friends as Danny, was a short stocky man with large strong looking hands. Despite being a strong man, he followed behind John looking small and insignificant. His dress uniform, decorated with symbols of power and authority, was not sufficient to draw any of the commanding authority that John possessed in his direction.

The two FBI agents stared at John with an awe that had become commonplace among agents within the FBI. If they had been intimidated by Ed, they were overwhelmed by John. His appearance, strange as it was, was taken as further proof that the stories circulating within the FBI were true. Seeing him, it was possible to believe that he had once traveled with a cougar.

Kim and Gary, had no idea what to make of John. They stared open mouthed at him. Gary, who had feared his father for most of his life, could not imagine how John had managed to make him look insignificant. The couple huddled together and moved over to Gary's father at the first opportunity, led by Diana with Gary slightly resisting.

Ed stepped forward and hugged John. Ed smiled as he said, "It is good to see you. It's hard to believe that it has been a month since I came out here."

A delighted smile broke over his face as John replied, "We've missed you at home. Those two women of ours are about to wear me out."

The comment brought an easy laugh to Ed as the two men walked to the cabin. Sitting down in the chairs on the porch, they each had an iced tea. The rest of the group gathered around them like baby chicks around a hen. John looked at the young couple and said, "What do you think of their story?"

Ed took a sip of his tea and looked over that them. They were still holding each other tightly and pressing close to the policeman. Ed said, "They tell the truth for the details they know. The real question is if the details they know support the answer we've decided to accept as truth."

Nodding his agreement, John said, "It feels right to me. So what do you suggest we do?"

Ed looked out over the lake and asked, "Is there sufficient evidence to convict them now?"

John looked thoughtful for a minute as he thought about the evidence. Although he thought the evidence was pretty substantial, trying to get a conviction in court could be a tricky thing. Turning to the senior FBI agent, he asked, "Kip, in your opinion is there enough evidence to assure a conviction if we pick them up now?"

The agent, startled at being asked a question by such a capable agent, recovered his composure to provide an answer. He said, "I'm not sure that the evidence is strong enough to assure a conviction. It is a pretty good circumstantial case though."

Wanting to know at what point they could arrest the couple during an attempt to take another victim would provide an airtight case in court, John asked, "At what point in their normal sequence of activities would we have sufficient evidence to convict them?"

As though he was apologizing for not knowing more, Kip answered, "We don't know the exact order of the activities, but we suspect that they use a drug to make the victims look drunk. That allows them to carry the victims away without looking suspicious."

Sitting up straight, Ed asked, "Would the presence of such a drug in a drink be sufficient evidence to tie them much more directly to the previous cases?"

Stiffly, Officer Dow answered, "Yes, it would."

John and Ed looked at each other and then at the people gathered in front of them. The two FBI agents reminded John of little boys happy to have a chance to tag along with the their big brothers. There was a sense of hero worship in their attitudes. Officer Dow was standing stiff like he was on dress parade. The young couple was standing close together, holding each other in mutual support. Gary kept glancing at his father as though he knew that the least little mistake would result in a tirade.

Disturbed by what he saw, John changed the subject. He said, "You've picked a nice place to work on your dissertation. Very different from the place where I did mine."

Smiling, as he knew exactly where John had picked to work on his dissertation, Ed answered, "Well, I thought that I would be far enough from the action to finish it. I've got the first draft completed. Finished it this morning while I was waiting for you."

"Then I take it your work is going well," replied John. He knew how the passion could drive someone to work with the kind of dedication that was required to write a dissertation in a month. He had been driven in the same fashion when he had worked on his.

"I am happy enough with it as a first draft. I'll let it sit for a week and then read it over," said Ed. He had watched John work on his dissertation and learned some tricks from him.

As the pair talked, the others were waiting impatiently to find what was going to happen next. Finally, Kip could take it no more and asked, "So what are we going to do about the case?"

"We will think," replied Ed. The earlier change in subject, suggested to him that John had come to the same conclusions as he had about the group gathered here. This was a very poor team that would probably freeze up the moment things started to happen.

John looked out at the lake and said, "I suggest we fish while we think."

Wayne asked, "What about us?"

Recognizing that the others needed to bond in some form or fashion, Ed said, "The five of you should spend some time getting to know each other."

Nodding his agreement, John added, "Yes. Why don't you go in the house and talk?"

The two men suddenly stood from their chairs. While John refilled the iced tea glasses, Ed fetched the fishing equipment. Within a few minutes the men were walking to the shore. John pointed to a place and said, "Let's go over there. There are some cattails growing along the shore and we should be able to pull out a couple of big ones from there."

Ed watched John cast his line a couple of times and how he worked the rod in a smooth retrieval with occasional pauses when he would jerk the pole. John made careful casts along the front of the cattails. Ed powered his line out towards the middle of the lake swinging the pole like it was a baseball bat. He caught the amused look from John and said, "Hey, I'm still learning how to do this."

John smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't even conceive that someone could cast a lure that way."

Between the two men, Ed was the first to catch a fish. He reeled it in and brought it to shore. He was about to bend down, when John said, "Let me get that."

John knelt down and wet his hands. He carefully lifted the fish by grasping its lower jaw. With a simple twist, he removed the hook from the fishes mouth. He held it up for Ed to look at. The fish was at least three pounds. Ed said, "That's a big mouth bass."

"Largemouth Bass," corrected John. Looking at the fish and the beautiful coloration that the Goddess had given it, it was almost a shame to eat such a work of natural beauty.

Not embarrassed at having gotten the name wrong, Ed said, "I've been throwing them back, but I just found out last night that they are edible."

Smiling, John understood that Ed had probably never fished before. He said, "Bring me the stringer."

Opening the tackle box that he had purchased as a package complete with lures and fishing gear, Ed asked, "Which of these is the stringer?"

Looking over at the tackle box, John said, "It's the chain with those metal things hanging off it."

Ed handed the stringer to John and watched as John attached it to the fish. The one end had a snap that John affixed to a stick that he forced in the ground. The fish, on the stringer, went back into the water. John looked up and said, "It will stay alive this way, at least for a while. If we want to release it later we can."

The men returned to fishing. John caught three fish and Ed caught one more. Together, the catch was enough to feed everyone at the cabin. As they fished, they talked about how to catch the serial killers. The best plan depended upon the young couple participating in the capture. One problem was that neither man thought the young couple was brave enough for that. The bigger problem was that the team was dysfunctional.

In the cabin, the conversation centered around John Carter and Ed Biggers. Officer Dow asked, "Agents Caler and Widdis, everyone I talked to about those two out there could hardly contain their admiration for them. What do you know about them?"

Kip described some of the cases that John and Ed had solved. It wasn't until they started talking about Druid Revenge campaign that Officer Dow realized exactly with whom he was dealing. He had participated in some of the raids held that day and could hardly believe the kind of people that he had managed to capture. He had even received a citation for his participation in capturing one of the men that had resisted with gunfire. He held up a hand and said, "My God! I had no idea."

Wayne, shaking his head, said, "When I heard that they were a little odd, I didn't believe it. Now that I've met them, I don't know what to think."

Earlier in the morning, Ed had turned his back on everyone and worked on his dissertation. He didn't provide the level of hospitality that Diana expected and he snapped at people when they tried to interrupt his work. Diana had been the most frequent recipient of his ire. She was angry that he would require them to stay there, but wouldn't treat them as guests. Diana said, "Well, I think they are rude."

Puzzled, Gary said, "He was totally different before the call yesterday. He was friendly and relaxed. After the call, he became... I don't know the proper word... unfeeling."

Knowing the seriousness of the situation, Officer Dow didn't snap at his son. Instead, he explained, "I work with a bunch of detectives at the station. When they are hot on a case, they are practically unbearable. The rest of the time, they are easy going and friendly. Those two remind me of them."

Interpreting their behavior as arrogance, Diana said, "I don't like them."

Officer Dow was silent as he sat there thinking about what he had heard the men discuss and realized that his son was going to be asked to go into a dangerous situation. After a while, he looked at Gary and frowned. Gary noticed and, in a defensive tone of voice, asked, "What did I do this time?"

"Nothing. You've done nothing wrong," replied the man. For the moment, he didn't feel like a cop, but like a father; a father about to send his son out to face danger and afraid that his son wasn't up to it. Examining his son, he saw a young man that was physically strong, but he wondered if he had the moral strength to do what needed to be done. Then he realized that his son had never been in a position to prove his moral strength.

Irritated at what he perceived as years of being judged inadequate by his father, Gary said, "You're looking at me like I've done something wrong. I've done nothing wrong, damn it!"

Looking at the floor, Donald Dow said, "I'm sure that you know that, in the past, I've often considered you weak. That was wrong of me and I'm sorry."

Shocked, Gary looked at his father. For the first time in his life, the anger that he held towards his father was caught off balance. He asked, "What?"

"I've dealt with a lot of nasty people and good people, all of whom showed their strengths and weaknesses. The cop in me looked at their demonstration of strength and interpreted your lack of involvement in big events as a symptom of weakness. I just realized that you've never had the opportunity to show your true strength by facing something bigger and uglier than you." Donald Dow was silent as he tried to figure out the next thing to say.

Looking at Diana with a worried expression, Gary had a feeling that he knew what was coming next. Diana nervously licked her lips as the intensity of his gaze upon her increased. Although nothing had been said, she felt an increased tension in the room. Gary turned to his father and asked, "What are you saying?"

Donald answered, "I don't know what they are going to ask the two of you to do, but I will respect your decision no matter what you decide. As a father, I fear for you and hope you say no, but as a cop I hope you say yes."

Listening with the ear of a psychologist, Diana realized that the father hoped that his son would say yes despite what he said. The problem was that she couldn't figure out what he hoped Gary would agree to do. She looked at the two FBI agents as they looked out the door of the cabin. Suddenly she understood what was being discussed. She said, "They are going to ask us to be bait."

Almost for the first time since his arrival, Wayne was thinking like a FBI agent. Until now, he had been waiting for John to layout the plan to him and then to be assigned a role in the operation. He said, "They haven't asked that of you, yet. They may not ask that of you at all. I would if I were in charge of the case."

Gary said, "I will do it if asked, but I won't allow them to include Diana. They can't ask a woman to do that."

Diana didn't know how she felt about being protected to the degree where she wasn't even asked. She asked, "How bad could it be?"

All eyes turned to look at Kip as if wanting an answer from him. Kip knew the answer better than most, having arrived too late to save another person that had faced a circumstance with many of the same characteristics. After a minute of silence, Kip said, "Tell her Wayne."

Wayne looked at them and said, "I'll give you the broad spectrum of possible outcomes. The best is that everything goes like clockwork. The worst is that they'll get away while taking you with them. Somewhere between those two extremes is getting shot in a shootout with them."

Diana scrunched up her face and said, "I would think that getting shot is the worst."

Leaning forward to make his point, Wayne said, "If they get away and take you with them, they will torture you for a week before you die. Getting shot is better than that."

Snapping at the FBI agent, Donald said, "Stop that. You're scaring them. Hell, you're scaring me."

While Wayne had been explaining the options, Kip had gone to the open door of the cabin and watched the two men fishing. Without turning, he said, "Good, be scared. I once had an informant that got caught. They tortured him for two days. I found him about the time he died. These creeps that John and Ed are chasing are even worse."

What Wayne had said about what they would be asked to do scared Diana and angered Gary. He saw it as another man hinting to him that he wasn't strong enough to do what needed to be done. Rather than accusing, he was trying to talk him out of it by giving him a good excuse to back out. Gary, with more fire in him than even he knew existed, said, "I said that I would do it if asked. I don't want her there."

Sighing, Donald said, "Son, it's not your decision to make. It is hers."

Knowing the truth of the situation, Wayne said, "It has to be both of you or nothing."

"Both?" asked Diana realizing that she was the weak link in the chain. If she said no, then the creeps might get away.

This was the time for his son to be brave. Of that, Donald was positive. He said, "Gary, real strength isn't always acting for yourself. Sometimes it is letting someone that you love act. Hell, standing up to bad isn't too hard. I do that every day. It's far harder to let someone else do it. If I could, I'd wade in there and take out those folks myself, but it isn't my place this time. I'll stand behind you and help you out if the situation allows. The hardest part is going to be letting her participate. You want to protect her, but you can't. She has to do that for herself. You can help her, but you can't protect her."

Turning to face Diana, Donald said, "Young lady, I don't really know you. This is the first time we've met. If I'm right, you're going to be asked the toughest question of your life today. I can't advise you what to do, it's not my place. Perhaps you may want to talk to your parents or someone whose wisdom you appreciate. Do not take their advice lightly or discount the requests that are made of you."

Having said his peace, Donald stood and left the cabin. Such honesty of emotion was more than he had expressed in years and now he felt drained. Walking to the water's edge, he looked out over the lake appreciating the calm waters. Standing next to the canoe, he looked down at it and smiled as he dreamed about paddling around the lake. He nearly jumped into the water when Ed said, "Go ahead. It'll do you some good to be out on the lake."

"I'm in my dress blues."

Standing next to him, Ed looked out over the lake. In a quiet voice he said, "The surface is so calm, but the depths are in constant movement. I suggest you take your dress blues off and bring a little life to the surface of the lake. Perhaps, doing so might remove some of turbulence in you and replace it with a little calm."

Surprised, Donald turned to look at Ed and asked, "What will I wear?"

"Why wear anything?" asked Ed.

"What about Diana?"

"It harms no one if you paddle around naked in a canoe. If she has a problem with it, then it is her problem. If your son has a problem, then it is his problem. Their problems are not your problems," answered Ed.

Compromising, Donald stripped down to his shorts and got into the canoe. With a couple of solid strokes of his oar, he backed it away from the shore. With another one, he turned the canoe and headed off into the lake. Smiling, Ed picked up the clothes and folded them. He carried them to the porch and set them down. At least they wouldn't get dirty or wet.

John showed up carrying the fish filets. Together they went into the house. As John put the filets in the refrigerator, Ed looked around at the people in the room. None of them looked very happy. Holding hands so tightly that the tendons were showing, Diana and Gary were sitting on the couch deep in thought, but not talking to each other. It was clear to him that people needed to relax. He said, "John and I are going to go swimming in the lake. We would like to invite you go join us. Those with suits may wear them. Those without may go without."

Drying his hands after handling the fish, John came out of the kitchen. After a single glance around the room, he said, "While my husband has extended an invitation, I must contradict him. I insist that everyone go swimming. The water is clear and perhaps a little time spent in it will clear some of those dark thoughts from your minds."

Everyone, particularly Diana, looked at John in shock. No one said a word in protest, but more significant was that fact that no one even moved towards the door. They had no intention of going swimming. John and Ed stood there for a minute and waited for a response. The two men exchanged glances and then smiled.

"Okay, we tried the easy way," said Ed. With a suddenness that surprised the two FBI agents, they found themselves pulled out of their seats and thrown over a shoulder. Ed carried Wayne while John carried Kip. The two agents shouted and complained all of the way to the lake. Preventing them from reacting with real force was the fear that if they did, they could get in serious trouble with their bosses. Their shouts were abruptly cut off when they hit the water.

Heading back to the cabin, John and Ed were laughing at the shocked reactions of the FBI agents as they found themselves in the water. Inside, Ed grabbed Gary while John grabbed Diana. Diana fought back, kicking and hitting John on his back. Accompanied by screams, the two men carried their captives out of the cabin and to the shore. It wasn't long before Gary and Diana were both sputtering as they tried to recover from being dumped in the lake. She was furious at the men.

Standing on the shore, John and Ed removed their clothes. John had his back to those in the water. When his robe came off, all of the scars on his back were suddenly visible. When his pants came off, additional scars, particularly the horrible looking burns, were revealed. In comparison, the few scars that Ed had were hardly noticeable as he undressed... 

Everyone stared at the two men as they stripped. Each person suffered from a radical mixture of feelings that prevented them from responding or objecting. To a person, their previous actions suggested considerable nerve and disrespect. There was also the revulsion at the scars. There were the various feelings that seeing the oversized cocks instilled in the observers. Finally, there was envy in the lack of inhibitions and simple joy the men took.

Standing in waist deep water, the agents were looking down at their clothes in shock. Slowly they waded to the shore and started removing their wet clothes. Suit coats, ties, and leather shoes came off first. The shoulder holsters were removed and the agents looked at their guns removing them from the holsters. Standing in wet socks was not pleasant, so they were the next to go. Then the shirts and finally the pants joined the pile of clothes on the shore. Standing on the shore in their underwear, the agents gave in and returned to the water.

Kim and Gary waded to the shore. With great hesitancy, Kim removed her shorts and shoes, leaving her top and panties. She wished that she had worn a bra since the tee-shirt was showing her breasts as if she wasn't wearing anything. Gary stripped down to his underwear. They returned to the lake, moving quickly in the hope of not attracting attention to their young bodies. Once in the water, Gary asked, "Where's my dad?"

Ed pointed to the canoe a distance down the lake and said, "He's paddling around in his underwear."

Gary screamed, "He's what?"

"He's in the canoe paddling around the lake wearing nothing except his underwear," answered Ed as he moved close to John.

With a wink at each other, both men splashed the two FBI agents. They then turned on the young couple and hit them both with monster splashes. A water war of four against two had been declared. At times, all four splashed either John or Ed. At other times, it was two on one. It took about ten minutes for John and Ed to surrender. By that time, everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. The seriousness of the situation was put behind them for a bit of time.

With nice smooth strokes, Donald pulled up to them. As the canoe glided towards them, he was laughing at the horseplay in the water. His laughter served as a trigger. Everyone turned towards him at the same time and let loose with a barrage of splashes. In seconds, he was drenched. Still laughing, he drove the canoe onto the shore and returned to jump in the water.

As the men swam around, occasionally breaking into races or trying to dunk each other, Diana and Gary had drifted off to the side to watch. With an arm around his girlfriend, Gary said, "I've never seen my dad play before."

She replied, "I've never seen old people play like that before."

With a frown, Gary said, "I feel old. My dad is acting younger than me and I feel old."

"Have you ever seen old people play like that?" asked Diana without hearing what Gary had said.

"I bet if my mother was here, they'd have thrown her in the water and she'd be playing," said Gary. Would his mother have stripped down to a bra and panties? The idea was almost enough to make him sick.

"It was John and Ed that made this happen. It's like they know somehow that it is necessary to play in life, that it makes it easier to face danger." She was totally into her own thoughts, trying to analyze the two men. She watched as Ed formed a support by lacing his fingers and then bent down in the water. John put a foot in the support. Working together, Ed stood up and John kicked off with the effect that John flew out of the water. John laughed as he created a huge splash. They traded roles. Thinking out loud, she said, "When they are working on something, nothing else matters. When they are playing, they are totally into it. Such attention to the now is what makes them seem rude. If you aren't are a part of their now, then you don't exist for them."

Gary had turned to listen to Diana, amazed at the insights she was voicing. He smiled as he saw that the same kind of focus on the now held true for her. Waiting for her to return from the world within her head, he watched John and Ed at play. It made him wonder why he was just standing there doing nothing. Moving with as much stealth as the water allowed, he positioned himself behind his father. As he prepared to splash him, he said, "Hey, Dad!"

His father turned by stepping around, only to see a small wall of water miss him by inches. The response was immediate and thorough. Using both hands, he splashed his son as fast as possible. Gary returned the splashes. The battle was incredibly fierce and only ended when both of the combatants were out of breath and weary. Arms around each other, they waded out of the lake. It was only then that they discovered they were the last ones to leave the water.

Ed, still naked, stood next to Diana and said, "You have just witnessed a major healing occur. Doesn't it make you feel good to see it?"

"Yes, it does," she replied. Her eyes dropped down to take another look at his cock. Shaking her head, she couldn't believe how large it was.

"I heard your monologue in the water," said Ed. She looked up at him with a startled expression on her face. He smiled down at her and said, "Most of your observations were correct. You have the same kind of focus when you put your mind to something. It comes naturally to you, unlike others who may never achieve that kind of ability. Develop it and you will be surprised what you can accomplish."

Understanding broke over her and she turned towards him. Adopting what was a confrontational posture by spreading her legs with her hands on her hips, she stared at him. Awed, she said, "Everything today was on purpose. You two did everything for a reason."

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes. Those two FBI agents worshipped us. Gary and his father had a number of harmful issues between them. You were the weakest link. That's not a very good team to go after a pair of monsters."

"I'm still the weakest link," said Diana feeling like she was stating something obvious.

"Not anymore," replied Ed.

Eyebrows lifting, she asked, "Who's the weakest link now?"

Smiling at the question, Ed answered, "The monsters. We have a significant advantage over them. They are used to hunting, but not being hunted. They don't even know they are being hunted and that gives us the element of surprise."

"What changed?"

Taking her hand, Ed answered, "You needed to discover your real skill so that you could control the situation that will be placed upon you. You have discovered that skill and employed it. Now that you know you can understand what is happening, you won't be so afraid."

Grinning, she asked, "So what happens now?"

Ed glanced at the wet and weary group on shore and said, "Every has wet clothes that now feel pretty uncomfortable. I think everyone will be undressed and drying off soon. Then we will be able to plan without egos in the way."

"Why do you say that?" asked Diana curious why they would be able to talk honestly once everyone was undressed.

Ed answered, "Nudity is the great equalizer. The richest man and the poorest man become indistinguishable when they are naked."

His prediction proved true. Wet underwear and clothes that weren't dried forced people to remove what little they wore. Diana felt very uncomfortable being the only female in the room, but after a few minutes the lack of a direct sexual response from the men seemed to put her at ease. She did notice that most of the cocks in the room had swelled a bit.

The discussion about what would occur the next day was intense and focused. Everyone participated, giving their opinions about the plan and tailoring it so that all soon felt comfortable with it. Gary listened to his father's advice and the father listened to his son's observations. For the first time in their relationship, there was an equality present. No one had a chance to really notice that they were naked.



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Chapter 21


Gary and Diana were to meet a young couple by the name of Leon and Dora in an upscale restaurant located in the only large town within half a days drive of where Ed was staying. In fact, it was only about thirty minutes from the cabin. This particular part of the country was a very popular vacation spot that attracted young couples nationwide and locals living within six hours. The downtown area was full of art shops, souvenir stands, clothing stores and restaurants. There was a water park and other tourist attractions that kept the families busy while the young professionals were busy shopping, eating, and drinking.

The evidence was highly suggestive that Leon and Dora were the serial killers John had been tracking. It wasn't even sure if these were their real names, but something they had told Gary and Diana when they first met. Odds were good that these were false identities used to cover their tracks.

Entering the restaurant, Gary and Diana blended easily with the rest of the young crowd. The host at the door greeted them with a contrived formality. Gary said, "We are expecting to meet Leon and Dora here. Do you know if they've arrived?"

The host answered, "You can look around and see if they are here."

Diana looked around the room and then said, "I don't see them."

"Would you like to wait for them at the bar or at a table?" asked the man.

"A table, I think." Gary looked over at the crowded bar.

"I have a corner table if that would be good." After a nod from Gary, the host picked up two menus before leading them to a table near the corner of the room.

Donald was pleased to see that Gary and Diana were keeping within their role without identifying him as Gary's father or as a cop. He seated them with a wink and then handed them the menus. While the place wasn't exactly busy at that time of day, the table next to theirs was occupied by a young couple. There were actually very few empty tables since the lunch hour was just ending.

It wasn't too much later that the couple they were expecting entered the restaurant and spotted Gary and Diana in the corner. The young couple pointed to them and followed the host to the table. After handing them a pair of menus Donald went back to his station.

The conversation around the table started a little slow, but after a while it started to flow as Gary and Diana got over their initial fear of the situation. Before long, the four were exchanging stories about college life. The only interruption in the conversation occurred when the waitress came to the table and they were forced to take the time out to order their meals.

After five minutes, the waitress returned to the table carrying a tray of glasses and a pitcher of beer. She passed the glasses around the table and filled each glass with beer before leaving the pitcher on the table. With the kind of fake smile that comes easily to a waitress in an upscale place, she told them their food would be ready soon.

About the time they finished the first round of beers, the couple from the table next to theirs left. The flow of conversation continued. Despite what they had heard about Dora and Leon, it was very hard to believe that these were the serial killers by how they behaved. Leon was charming and attentive while Dora was attractive and flirtatious.

Everyone at the table turned when the host led a man to the table next to theirs. This was the last kind of person that one would expect to see in this kind of establishment. He was a tall slender man wearing cowboy boots, blue jeans, western style shirt, and cowboy hat. A huge belt buckle with a face of cut agate completed the look of a cowboy too far from the range. Sitting down heavily, the man turned to the foursome at the table next to his and said, "Howdy folks. Is the food any good?"

The disdain with which Dora looked at cowboy was unmistakable. She turned her back on him and said, "What they allow in these places."

Looking insulted, the cowboy said, "Just trying to be neighborly. Don't have to get your panties in a bind."

The foursome at the table gave each other looks suggesting that this old timer was definitely in the wrong place. Ed examined the menu, looking over at Dora occasionally as if checking out her well developed chest held back by a tee-shirt that was much too tight. His view was momentarily blocked when the waitress showed to deliver the food to the table.

Ed had felt sick from the moment he entered the restaurant. Sitting next to the foursome was like sitting in an orchestra pit while they tuning up their instruments but with every sound magnified a thousand-fold. The lies told as Gary and Diana played their part was like chalk scratching a blackboard. That was nothing compared to the falsity of Dora and Leon. Their nice facade over a black interior ripped into Ed's brain like a chainsaw.

When the waitress left, Dora leaned forward and put a hand on Gary. Diana looked at the woman wondering what she was doing. During that moment of distraction, Leon refilled the glasses with beer. Ed saw the truth of what was going on. It was hard to miss as it struck him like the sound of a cannon fired in his ear. He watched Leon slip a pill into Gary's glass. He understood now that they would get him drugged and help Diana carrying him out to the parking lot where they would nab her.

This was the event for which they had been waiting. Leaning back in his chair, Ed gestured a waitress over and said, "I want a different table."

The waitress stood there confused by his actions, not knowing this was the cue for Diana to leave the table. While Ed made increasingly loud demands at waitress, Diana leaned forward and said, "I have to go to the little girls room."

With the argument behind her and Diana wanting to leave the table, things looked out of control from Dora's perspective. She wished that stupid cowboy would just leave so that she could concentrate on taking their next victim. After shooting a dark look at Ed, she decided that if things didn't get back in control soon that she would call it off. She asked, "Would you like me to go with you?"

Smiling, Diana answered, "No, please eat. I'll be right back."

As Diana passed by Ed on her way to the ladies room, she looked at him with concern. Ed looked very ill. He was pale, sweating, and his hands were trembling. The host came over to the table where Ed was seated. He took up a position right behind Dora. Dismissing the waitress, Donald looked at Ed and realized that he looked very ill. He asked, "What's the problem here?"

Feeling sick to his stomach, Ed was having difficulty playing his role. Thinking that the sooner things were over, the sooner he would recover, he said, "I want another table."

Responding to the call to arms by Ed, Kip and Wayne entered the restaurant the first time he asked for a new table. Now they walked over to the table and stood in a position that blocked exit from the corner of the room. They had just reached their position when Donald asked, "Why?"

As planned Ed was supposed to stand up behind Leon and make sure the man couldn't get up. Unfortunately, Ed couldn't stand and he knew that he had to make the truth known so that the lies would not affect him so strongly. In a voice loud enough to be heard around the restaurant, he answered, "Because those two are serial killers and just drugged the drinks of that guy over there."

Everyone was surprised at Ed's announcement. It was a major deviation from the script. At the shocked looks on the faces of Dora and Leon, Ed smiled as the discordant sounds started to fade and he felt that he could function again. He said, "Those two men are FBI and they are here to arrest you."

Dora tried to get out of her chair, but Don's hand on her shoulder held her in place. Surprising everyone, Leon spun out of the chair with a knife in his hand. Before Ed even had a chance to react, a long slice appeared across his chest. The sudden action and surprise that it generated almost allowed the couple to escape. Leon pushed Donald into Kip and dashed towards the door. This freed Dora to stand up and flee.

Wounded, Ed threw himself on Dora before she had a chance to take two steps. A knife seemed to appear in her hand from nowhere. Screaming like a wild woman, she tried to stab Ed while he wrestled with her. Gary, realizing the danger Ed was in, jumped on her and wrestled the knife away from her. Despite his prompt action, he was too late to prevent her from cutting Ed along his back. Once the knife was gone, she started scratching and biting. Her strength was incredible. Struggling frantically, Ed finally was able to flip her onto her stomach where he could grab her arms and gain control.

When Kip staggered backwards as a result of Donald falling into him, Leon made it past the two FBI agents and raced to the front door. Once blood had been shed, other customers in the restaurant started screaming and stood in an effort to flee what appeared to be a dangerous development. Wayne had drawn his pistol but was unable to shoot because of the crowd of people.

When Leon opened the door to leave the restaurant, there was a loud crack as John hit him across the stomach with his walking stick. That was the end for Leon as he doubled up and fell to the ground. In seconds, Wayne was present to snap the handcuffs on him.

In the main room, Kip put the handcuffs on Dora so that Ed could roll off her. As soon as the pressure of Ed was off her back, she started struggling to escape. She was giving forth spooky animal- like screams that sent chills up and down the spines of everyone in the restaurant.

As the nausea induced by such a concentration of lies slowly passed, Ed climbed off the floor and stood. Blood trickled down his chest and back as he rocked from side to side feeling faint. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe how hard that woman had fought. His face had been scratched and he had bite marks on his arm.

Gary and Donald went to Ed and led him to a chair. His breathing calmed and the din in his ears faded when the FBI agents took Dora and Leon to the car. After taking a sip of his water, he sat back only then beginning to feel cuts. Donald had taken two cloth napkins and was using them to press on the knife wounds on the front and back of Ed. The wounds didn't appear to be deep, but they bleed freely when pressure wasn't applied.

When Ed was more composed, he winked at Gary and Donald as he said, "John is really in trouble now. I'd hate to be him."

Looking over to see what was the matter with John, neither man could see any problem. Worried that he was missing something, Donald said, "He looks okay."

Grinning at the blood on his hands, Ed said, "The wives are going to skin him alive for letting me get hurt."

Father and son grinned with identical smiles at the joke. John walked over and looked at Ed. Shaking his head at all of the blood, he said, "I'm really in trouble now."

Gary laughed and said, "That's what Ed just said."

Now that the action was over, Diana came out of the restroom. She felt guilty at having left the scene. However, she had done as Gary requested and took comfort that she hadn't been in the way. When she saw Ed, she paled and nearly fainted. Surprising her, Ed smiled and winked at her as though nothing was wrong. She came over to the table to see if she could help. Ed looked at her and said, "You did everything exactly right. You did what we had planned."

The local police entered the restaurant and started taking statements from the other customers. They had been told that a major arrest was going to be made in the restaurant, but that they should wait at the end of the street with the other FBI agents until called in to establish control. The additional FBI agents took charge of the crime scene. The glasses of beer were collected as evidence. They would be analyzed to identify what had been put in the drinks. The purse that belonged to Dora was bagged and taken away.

Standing next to Ed, John tried to figure out why Ed had deviated from the script. Unable to come up with a reasonable explanation, he asked, "What happened?"

Shaking his head in disgust at his own weakness, Ed said, "The plan was perfect except I shouldn't have been the one at the next table. I didn't think that my truth sense would practically cripple me like that. I held on until he slipped the pills in the drink and then I just had to expose the truth."

Hitting his head with his palm, John said, "I should have know that. You must have been in horrible pain. I'm so sorry."

Ed shook his head and replied, "Hey, I helped plan this mess. I should have been the host and Donald should have been the customer."

Diana, surprised to see the men talking so calmly with Ed bleeding, said, "Speaking of pain, why aren't you taking him to the hospital?"

John answered, "The ambulance is outside. They'll be here in a minute and will take him to the hospital where they will sew him up as good as new."

Winking at Diana, Ed said, "They'll haul me off to the hospital where some pretty nurse will not tolerate my poor attempts to seduce her. As a result, they'll get out their favorite rusty needle and sew me up. Then after tetanus shot, and possibly a full rabies treatment, they'll release me. Unless I really angered the nurse. In that case, they'll probably lock me up for psychiatric observation."

Diana was dismayed to see them take the injury that lightly. She asked, "Doesn't it hurt?"

"Only when I'm asked about it and I can get a little sympathy from a cute young lady," replied Ed with a wink to indicate that he wasn't serious.

Kip came over to Ed and looked at where Donald was still pressing the two cloth napkins against the wound. Shaking his head, he asked, "You were cut twice and still caught her?"

Ed said, "There was no way I was going to let her get out of here."

"Damn, that's impressive," replied Kip.

The EMS personnel finally arrived to take care of the cuts. After a quick look, they replaced the blood soaked cloth napkins with sterile pads and taped them in place. Ed walked out to the ambulance with them, knowing that John would have to stay behind to finish the investigation. To his surprise, Donald, Diana, and Gary followed behind the ambulance in their car.

At the hospital, they had to wait for the dermatologist to arrive. Surprised that they had called in a dermatologist, Ed asked, "Why can't you stitch me up?"

Shrugging, the nurse said, "We get a lot of rich folks up here and they don't like scars. It's standard practice to call in the dermatologist to sew people up. We'd use a plastic surgeon, but we don't have one anywhere around here."

Donald and Gary stood there watching while Diana went to get some coffee for everyone. Ed looked over at Gary and said, "Gary, you did a good job getting the knife from her. She'd have probably buried it in me if you hadn't been there."

"Yes, he did," said Donald as he patted his son on the shoulder. Pulling him close, he said, "I'm very proud you son. You handled yourself like a pro in a very nasty situation."

Gary looked at his father, pleased to hear praise from him. He answered, "Thanks, Dad. That means a lot coming from you."

The dermatologist arrived, shuffling into the room looking over his glasses at the people gathered there. He was a short man about as round as he was tall. A year short of seventy, he had retired to this area for the summers and in Florida for the winters.

He paused to examine the cuts and then went to wash his hands. After he returned to the patient, the nurse held out a tray with two syringes filled with a local anesthetic. Shaking his head, he poked the needle into several places around the wounds. When one syringe was empty, he grabbed the other. As he worked, he asked, "So how did you get cut?"

Ed answered, "It doesn't really matter."

The nurse went over to a cabinet and prepared the needle with suture. The dermatologist looked at the cuts for a minute and then said, "Yes, it does. This was done by a knife. Cut like that has to be reported to the police."

Donald answered, "The police already know about it. He was cut while capturing one of two serial killers."

"Oh, that's what that mess was that I drove by on my way here. Restaurant with the parking lot full of police cars, FBI agents, and news reporters," said the doctor as he went to work. After making a half dozen strange faces, he said, "I take it you were one of the good guys."

Laughing at the odd little man, Ed replied, "Yes, I was."

Gruffly, the doctor said, "Don't laugh while I'm sewing. I'm trying to make the stitches as close together as possible. You probably won't have much of a scar."

Diana returned with the coffee as Ed answered, "It isn't the first and probably won't be the last."

While taking the coffee from Diana, Ed was surprised when the doctor said, "I'll look at the other scars. Might be able to get rid of them. What kind are they?"

"Bullet wounds. I wouldn't bother if I were you," replied Ed.

The doctor tied off the last stitch on the cut in the back. He moved around to the front and examined that cut more carefully. This one was longer than the one in back but not as deep. He picked up another needle and started sewing. Looking over his work, he said, "If you get stabbed and shot that often, I'd suggest a different line of work."

When Ed tried to take a sip of the coffee, the doctor said, "Stop that. You sit there nice and still while I work or I'll sew your liver to your backbone. I assure that is not pleasant sensation."

The doctor worked on the wound some more and then asked, "What did you say your name was?"

"Ed Biggers," replied Ed looking down at the doctor.

"Oh, are you the one that's married to Dr. Hayes, John Carter, and that nurse... Oh what's her name... Kelly?"

Very surprised to be recognized out here in the middle of nowhere, Ed answered, "Yes, I'm that Ed Biggers."

"Hmm," said the doctor. He looked up and said, "I was in California visiting that Disney Place with my daughter and grandson during the big quake there. I spent a horrible day in a LA hospital patching up the walking wounded. You guys did nice work there. That Dr. Hayes, she's good one."

The nurse looked at Ed in surprise. In the entire time she had known the doctor, he had never had much praise about other doctors. Ed answered, "Yes, she is."

The doctor continued stitching as he said, "Might be wrong about you needing a different line of work. The world needs more people like you four."

"Thanks, we just do what little we can," replied Ed. He looked over at Diana to see that she was staring at the doctor.

The doctor said, "Well, I heard that you saved over five hundred people that day. In my book that's not a little thing. Spending most of my career treating zits and removing skin growths of various kinds, I can't say that I've saved that many people in my whole career."

"Most of the people weren't in that bad of a shape," said Ed.

The doctor hit the medallion and looked it over. When he tried to remove it, it slipped out of his fingers. After several attempts, he moved it so that it hung down Ed's back. Unperturbed, he said, "To Find A Truth, A Lie To Find. Interesting little medallion you have there."

"It was a gift from the Two-Sided One," said Ed.

"Who's that?"

"One of the Gods and Goddesses of the Druids," answered Ed. "It is a symbol of my service to them."

Almost finished with sewing, the doctor said, "Your husband, John Carter, isn't he the Chief Druid?"

"Grand Druid. Yes, he is," replied Ed.

"Interesting man, he is. Inventor of the Fusion Battery, founder of the Fusion Foundation, part-time FBI agent, and Grand Druid," said the doctor as he tied off the last stitch. Standing up straight, he added, "You've got an interesting family."

Puzzled, Ed said, "You know a lot about my family."

"Even an old geezer like me has to have role models," replied the doctor.

Gary was intrigued by the doctor and his manner. It was direct, yet distant reminding him in a way of John Carter. He asked, "Is John Carter your role model?"

"Hell no! John Carter is a saint. Saints make lousy role models. They tend to get burnt at the stake, crucified, or die some other horrible death. No, you go to saints for advice," replied the old man. Turning, he examined Gary for a minute. He said, "No, young man. You want a real person as a role model. Someone that is strong at times and weak at times. Someone that when the need arises, pulls themselves up and does the best that they can with what they have. You don't want a role model that is successful at all times, they don't teach you how to act when you are unsuccessful."

"So who is your role model?" asked Gary amazed that the doctor had dismissed John out of hand.

Smiling, the doctor answered, "Dr. Beth Hayes is my role model. She's a normal person, yet in one day she and a single nurse treated over five hundred people. Now that's an accomplishment. Occasionally, she'll lose a patient. I'm sure Ed will tell you that she goes home and cries about it. I know I do. I cry like a baby when I loose a Melanoma patient that waited too long before coming in to see me. She gets up the next day and goes back in to fight the battle."

The doctor walked up to Gary and put his hand on his shoulder in a grandfatherly way. Smiling, he said, "Ed can have John Carter as a role model, he's a different kind of saint. You, you aren't a saint. Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing. You have the potential to be great. I can see by looking at you that you discovered that about yourself just recently. Pick yourself a good role model. It shouldn't the best person in your chosen field, because that isn't all that great of a life. Pick someone successful who is happy outside of that success."

The doctor turned and left the room saying over his shoulder, "Nurse, give him a tetanus shot and bandage him up so that he can't stress those stitches. If I know him, he'll run in a burning building to rescue someone and ruin all of my work. Come to think of it, I probably should have stitched his legs together and..."

A very amused Ed watched the doctor walk down the hall mumbling to himself about the kinds of things he should have done to keep Ed stationary. The nurse bandaged Ed without saying a word. The fact was, she was stunned at everything she had heard. This guy she was bandaging was the husband to John Carter? This guy was a saint also? While trying to answer those questions, she was cruising on mental auto-pilot. Ed asked, "Is he always like that?"

The question roused her out of her distracted mental state. She answered, "No. Usually he tells folks that they are fools for having hurt themselves."

Smiling, Ed said, "I like him even though he didn't tell me his name. Can I get his card?"

"Sure, ask at the desk when you check out. What are you going to do with it?"

"I might invite him to Beth's birthday party. He would enjoy that," replied Ed.

With card in hand, the group returned to the restaurant to meet up with John. When they arrived, the scene had quieted down significantly. It was long past lunch time and most customers were long gone although there were still a number of official cars parked in front. Entering the restaurant, Ed looked around for John. He was sitting at a table drinking iced tea while talking to Kip and Wayne about the case.

John looked up and smiled at Ed seeing him walk in with his bloody shirt. The tone of his voice conveyed affection as he said, "Well, if it isn't the wounded one."

Wryly, Ed replied, "That was fun. Know any war zones where I can go to work on my dissertation?"

His comment brought a laugh to the table. Moving stiffly, Ed sat down at the table next to John and said, "I'm under doctor's orders not to charge into any burning buildings until the stitches are removed. He threatened to sew my legs together if I did."

John commented, "Don't tell Beth. She'll do it to both of us."

The group sat around the table talking and drinking iced teas. Finally, John said, "Special Agent Kip Caler, I turn this investigation over to you. We're going to find us a nice quiet place to eat and chat for a bit. I figure that Gary, Diana, and Donald are all as hungry as I am."

"What about me?" asked Ed in a mock hurt tone.

"I'm not feeding you. I'm in trouble with the wives because of you," replied John with a smile and a wink at Diana.

"I could try to lie and get you in even more trouble," joked Ed knowing that it was an empty threat. He couldn't lie without experiencing pain.

"The operative word there is try," said John knowing what a hollow threat it was.

John and Ed drove in one car, followed by Donald, Gary, and Diana in a second car, to a surf and turf restaurant down the street. Entering, the five of them were taken to a table and proceeded to order a huge meal. As late as it was, they would probably eat a light late night snack rather then a full supper.

Gary had been quiet ever since leaving the hospital. The advice of the doctor kept running through his head. He realized that he was being given a chance of a lifetime and he felt as if he was letting it slip though his fingers. John noticed his silence and said, "Gary, you've been quiet ever since this afternoon. Are you all right?"

"Actually, I feel better than I have for a long time," answered Gary as he realized the truth of his statement. He had mended the relation with his father, protected his girlfriend, and helped take out a serial killer. That was a lot of things for a single day.

"So what is the matter?" asked John.

"I just feel like I'm missing an opportunity of some sort, but I don't know what it is," answered Gary. The doctor had said that one should ask saints for advice, but he couldn't think of a single thing to ask about.

After a minute, John said, "Until the opportunity has made itself clear, you haven't missed it. Maybe you just need a little quiet and a real chance to think about it. Since Ed is not busy for the next five days, I think I'll stay around for a few days. Why don't we get together to talk in a day or two?"

Donald said, "I'm going to stay another day. This is a nice area and I'd like to take advantage of this visit."

Gary asked, "Dad, would you like to go fishing in the morning?"

"I'd love that son, but what about Diana?"

Diana answered, "I've got him all summer. Besides, I would like to talk to John and Ed about their views on marriage."

At that, Gary and Donald both reacted and looked at Diana. Donald, with a big grin on his face, asked, "Did I hear the 'M' word?"

Diana, realizing how it sounded, said, "You heard it, but I didn't mean to imply that I was about to put my hooks into Gary."

Gary suggested, "She's already got the hook in me, she's just waiting to reel me in."

Diana said, "No, I was just curious about their group marriage. For most of their stay here, I've been looking down at them because I didn't feel like they were committed to their wives. I don't believe that now and I want to understand."

Looking over at Diana, Donald realized that he was curious as well. Years spent as a cop had shown him a lot of ugly marriages. He had seen it all - couples that fought, families that were dysfunctional, and lots of lonely people. How four people could live together and be so happy with each other was an interesting question. He said, "I'd like to hear how it works as well."

As if the answer was obvious, Ed said, "We love each other."

Donald said, "So do a lot of other people, but they still have problems."

Shaking his head, John said, "No. They don't love each other. They think they do, but they don't."

Puzzled by that assertion, Diana asked, "How can you say that?"

"Love isn't an ownership kind of thing. It is wanting to help the other person to be the best that they can be. When two people love each other, each works to help the other grow," answered John.

Donald asked, "What happens when they don't grow as you want them?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "That is where most people blow it and it stops being true love. They think they know best what growth means for the other person, but that is an ownership kind of thing. You don't own or control the other person. Loving means allowing them to grow in their own individual manner."

Nodding his agreement, John said, "That's right. You help them grow by supporting them in what they do. You don't dictate or nag, you make suggestions. You don't say 'I told you so' when they err, but help them pick up the pieces."

Ed added, "You don't sacrifice yourself for them to grow as that undermines their ability to help you grow."

Donald crossed his hands across his chest and said, "There an awful lot of selfish people out there that can't give of themselves that way."

Sitting back in his chair, John looked directly at Donald and said, "That is very true. They are incapable of true love and will be until someone heals them of that selfishness."

Diana asked, "Ed has a rock hunting friend that he sleeps with. That sounds kind of selfish to me."

With an intensity that was shocking, John leaned forward and said, "Don't ever limit the ability of another person to love. Love is a limitless resource. If you start putting limits on them, then you start limiting the love they can show you."

"Oh," replied Diana as she thought about it. Finally, she said, "Love might be limitless, but time is finite. The more people you get involved with, the less time that you have to spend with each."

"True, but you are starting to make demands upon them that are selfish and rooted in ownership. If you like opera and he doesn't, why should you require him to go with you to the opera, particularly when you know someone that loves the opera as much as you? Everyone wins that way. You win because you get to go to the opera, your friend wins because they get to go to the opera, and the one you love wins because he can spend the time in growth activities. When you remove demands upon the other, you are also removing demands upon yourself. You can grow," countered Ed.

John said, "Ed came here to write his dissertation because at home he would be busy helping all of us in various activities. We wanted him to come here so that he could focus on it and complete it. That is supporting him."

"You took him away from that the past two days," said Gary.

Smiling, John said, "I called him on this case because I needed his help. I knew that he would support me if he could. I didn't demand it of him, but asked."

Laughing at the suggestion that he wouldn't help, Ed said, "I would have been mad at him if he hadn't called me."

Gary and Diana eyed each other speculatively, each wondering what the other thought about this. Noticing the exchange, John said, "A couple should talk to each other about what kind of marriage they want and what they want from the marriage. It is important to be honest."

In agreement with that, Ed said, "We discussed our marriage for a year before we got married. We worked out money, lifestyle, and responding to temptation. We took into account that we are human beings and prone to error. Our marriage is based upon an explicit acceptance that we will be tempted and will succumb to temptation. You can't be more honest than that."



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Chapter 22


The staff meeting had lasted almost an hour as new policy for nudity within the house was established. The reason was the result of problems with the newer staff members. When Bill had left for Florida, they had taken the opportunity to hire several new people to work in the house. Greg was hired to be handyman and to man the security center. Cathy had worked for Jim Johnson handling public relations for John Carter. She had moved to work in the house for the family to replace Bill.

They had also hired Sarah, the granddaughter of William Redman. She was a confirmed nudist that shed her clothes every opportunity that she had. The previous day, she had answered the door completely naked when Jim had stopped by the house to have some papers signed by John. If the story was true, he was anything but disturbed by the sight of a naked woman answering the door. John felt that it was important that they provide a less controversial initial appearance to visitors and had requested that she wear clothes.

For his part, Ed found the meeting rather amusing. John's lack of enthusiasm for sleeping with the staff was again a point of contention. Sarah and Cathy had insatiable sexual appetites and wanted to include John and Ed within their circle of conquests despite the rule that it was a job benefit that took effect after a year of service.

Amused at the outcome, Ed was even happier when the meeting came to an end. As the meeting concluded, all of the staff, with the exception of Ling, got up and left to return to their duties. Meekly clearing her throat, Ling attracted the attention of Kelly. Kelly asked, "What's the matter honey?"

For a moment, Ling looked at John and Ed before she started to cry. Sobbing, she asked, "Can I talk to you and Beth privately?"

John and Ed looked at each other with concern and then stood to leave the room. John leaned down so that his head was between Kelly and Beth. After John had whispered something to the women, the two men left the room. As they walked out, Ed said, "I had no idea that would happen when he hired Cathy and Sarah."

"Neither did I."

Ed took a couple of steps and then said, "If any of them upset Ling, we're letting them go."

John nodded in agreement as he said, "You bet."

The men reached the pool room and quickly stripped. As they climbed into the pool, they could feel the tension leaving their bodies. They swam for a while enjoying the feel of the cool water. Cathy entered the room and cleared her throat their attention. She announced, "There is an Ann Moore here to see you."

John answered, "I'll be right out."

Winking at John, Ed laughed as he teased, "Sorry that you have to work buddy, I'll be here swimming and thinking of you."

Cathy interrupted, "She wants to talk to both of you."

John laughed as he teased back. "I'll be sitting in that meeting watching you and knowing that you would rather be here."

The men climbed out of the pool and went to the cabinet containing the towels where they dried themselves. As they were dressing, Cathy asked, "Where should I take her? The library is currently being used."

"We'll meet her in the formal dining room. Have Marguerite fix coffee and some sort of snack, please."

"Okay, John." She left to perform her tasks.

John and Ed finished dressing, curious as to what could bring Ann here. She hadn't been here since the big raid and neither man knew what had happened that afternoon to her. John asked, "Do you think this is business or personal?"

"I've got no idea."

They entered the formal dining room to find Marguerite setting out a carafe of coffee and a plate of her special chocolate chip cookies. Sharing a special look, Marguerite nudged Ann when they entered. Ann quickly turned around and said, "Congratulations boys, you caught another serial killer. I just got back from the guys house. We found more than a dozen bodies in the yard. He was using the temporary agency to pick his next victim."

This was the serial killer that Ed had identified when they were interviewing the new staff members. One of the people they had interviewed had caused that same sense of revulsion that he had felt when John and he had captured the two serial killers while he was working on his dissertation. This guy was even worse those than two. Ed shuddered as he said, "That guy was pure evil."

John added, "I'm so glad that we didn't hire him."

After looking at both of them, Ann said, "Well, he's not going anywhere for a long time. Thanks a lot. I feel good when I help lock someone like that away."

John said, "So do I."

Ann was quiet for a moment as she looked to the door of the kitchen. Providing moral support, Marguerite peeked out and nodded to her. Ann said, "My husband and I would like to invite you two and your wives over for dinner."

"Sure, we can come whenever you want so long as Beth and Kelly are free from work," John answered. He turned and looked toward the back of the house. He added, "They should be done soon. Would you like to make the arrangements with them directly?"

"No, that's okay. I will call and ask Cathy. Just let her know that you've accepted the invitation"

Ed nodded and then said, "Sure, no problem. However, the first thing they are going to ask us is what kind of clothes they should wear."

Ann looked over at the door again where Marguerite smiled at her. Summoning her courage, she said, "None would be best."

John did his best not to look flustered as he said, "Okay. We'll let them know that."

Ann stood up and said, "Well, I had better get back to the office."

She abruptly turned around and left the house. After watching her go, the two men stared at each other. John asked, "Has the whole world gone crazy today?"

"I think so."

John reached over and poured himself a cup of coffee. Idly, John grabbed one of the cookies and took a bite out of it. Puzzled at the shortness of the visit, he asked, "She was here for five minutes?"

Marguerite answered, "No. She's been here since the meeting was over."

"Why didn't someone get us earlier?"

She answered, "She was talking to me."

"Oh, I didn't know that you knew her."

Marguerite smiled as she thought back to that evening she had spent with Ann where Ann had earned to play. She answered, "We are very good friends."

John nodded and said, "Good. She can use a good friend like you."

Ed poured himself some coffee and took a sip as he considered the events at the end of the meeting. Curious about the problem that his wives were sorting out with Ling, he asked, "Are the new people causing any problems?"

Marguerite surprised at the change in subject answered, "No. Why?"

When Ed heard the truth in her words, he knew the problem wasn't a result of the new staff members. Shrugging his shoulders to make light of his question, he answered, "Just curious."

When she left the room, Ed looked at John and said, "Well, I think we know where Ann disappeared to that evening."

John looked at Ed as the pieces fell into place. Surprised, he asked, "Really?"

"Really."

"Wow, I would never have thought Ann was like that."

Ed added, "I don't think the staff are the reason why Ling is upset."

John asked, "She was telling the truth that she wasn't aware of any problems from the new staff?"

"Yes."

"Drat. This must really be serious."

Cathy entered the room. Ed noticed her entrance and said, "Ann has invited us to dinner one night. She will call you and arrange a night when everyone is free."

"Okay, I've got everyone's schedules."

"Good."

Cathy looked at them for a second. She said, "Kelly and Beth would like to talk to you in the library. They look quite upset."

John and Ed ran out of the room to the library where they found Kelly and Beth sitting at the table with tears in their eyes. Concerned, John asked, "What's the matter?"

Sniffling as her nose threatened to run from crying, Beth answered, "Ling wants to leave."

John's jaw dropped to the ground and asked, "What? Why?"

Kelly answered, "She's fallen in love with a married man."

Confused by that announcement, Ed asked, "Why would that make her want to leave?"

Angry that someone might hurt Ling, John asked, "Who is it? How dare he play with her feelings like that!"

Beth answered, "She didn't say, but we know who it is."

Kelly burst out in tears as she cried, "There's got to be something we can do."

Beth hugged Kelly and comforted her by saying, "I know. I don't want her to go either. I love her too."

John and Ed went over to the women and put their arms around them in a group hug. This was very serious, Ed had really come to like Ling more than any other staff member. In fact, if asked he would have to admit that he had come to love her. Ed said, "None of us want her to go."

Kelly pulled out of the group hug. She left the room for a couple of minutes and returned with a box of tissues. She gave a couple to Beth and took some herself. She turned to John and requested, "Could you go get Jim?"

"Sure, I'll call him right now."

"No, go get him personally."

John shrugged as he answered, "Okay, I'll go shortly."

"Please, John. Could you go now?"

John nodded and stated his agreement, "sure Kelly. Anything you want."

After John left the room, Kelly turned to Ed and Beth. She said, "You know that the married man she loves is John."

"Oh," said Ed as he considered the implications of that. He asked, "Does she love all of us?"

"Yes, but she's definitely head over heels in love with John," answered Kelly.

Beth asked, "I've come to love Ling in a very special way. She's an amazing lover, so giving. How do you two feel about Ling?"

"The same way," answered Kelly.

"Same here," answered Ed. He couldn't put his finger on when the change in relationship had occurred. Maybe it was one of the times when she came to his room to massage his shoulders after a hard day, even if he hadn't asked her to do that. It could have also been the time when she had watched over Kelly when she had the flu. The feelings towards her had changed so slowly that it was hard for him to say.

Kelly asked, "What about John?"

"John loves her. He loves everyone who is not evil," answered Ed. He had decided long ago that John was one of those people that had a nearly infinite capacity to love.

"I say we marry her," said Beth.

There was a long moment of silence before Kelly said, "That was why I sent John away. He would believe that we are doing this to assuage his guilt."

Thinking about how John would react, Ed said, "He will anyway."

Laughing, Kelly said, "Not if we put it to him as though it were a done deal."

Beth nodded and said, "That's true."

"Are we agreed?" asked Kelly.

Beth immediately nodded her head in agreement. For Ed, the question was much more difficult to answer. The family charter said that they all had to agree and this violated the charter. Finally, he said, "If John agrees to it, then I say okay."

John returned with Jim in tow. During the trip to the house, Jim had asked repeatedly why he had been summoned. John was unable to tell him anything except that there was a problem with Ling. Of course, Jim thought John was being his normal secretive self. Entering the room, they found Beth, Kelly, and Ed talking quietly with smiles on their faces.

Turning to face Jim, Ed asked, "We need a ruling on a point of order. Can a majority of stock holders in the family hold a vote in the absence of another stock holder and have their decision stand?"

Jim thought about it for a second. He answered, "If they own a majority of the stock, what they decide goes."

Kelly looked at John and said, "While you were out, we held a vote and the motion passed."

John sat down and looked around the room. He had a queasy feeling in his stomach, almost as if he had been cheated on. He looked around the room before asking, "So what did you decide?"

"We decided to sell shares for the Carter clan to Ling."

John stared at them in shock. "Why?"

Kelly came over to him and held his hand. "Sometimes you are a fool. Don't you know that the married man she fell in love with was you?"

John slowly sank to the floor as the enormity of what she had said sunk in. He looked around the room from his position on the floor. Everyone that he looked at nodded his or her agreement. He realized that he was the cad that had played with her feelings. He numbly nodded while saying, "I vote with the majority."

Having gotten the decision that she had predicted without argument, Beth said, "I guess one of us should go tell her."

Deciding that she meant he should be the one that went to tell her, he took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll go."

Beth shook her head as she countered. "No, I'll go. It needs to be one of the women in the family."

Jim stood there looking around wondering what he was supposed to do. Beth left and Kelly turned to Jim. "Jim, are there papers that have to be signed or anything?"

Jim answered, "No. She just has to buy the stocks. I can record the sale."

Beth turned to John and said "John, you can take Jim back to the office now."

Ed told Jim, "I'm sorry you got dragged out here. Kelly decided that it was necessary to get John out of the house so that we could talk."

Jim smiled, as he understood the dynamics of this family. He said, "I understand."

Beth said, "I also saw that you had submitted the extended family contracts. Any time you and Sherry want to come over is fine with us."

At the news that Sherry would accept having an extended family relationship with any group that included him, Ed stared at Beth in a stated of shock. Numb, he asked, "Huh?"

Beth smiled and answered, "Yes, they requested to be extended family members."

Staring at Jim in disbelief, Ed asked, "Does Sherry know?"

"It was her idea. I think she's interested in sleeping with you, Ed."

Ed was thunderstruck by the revelation that Sherry would want that. After slowly walking over to John, he sank down to the floor beside his husband. He wondered how she could have forgiven him enough for that. Then he decided that Jim was just being nice, that Sherry was interested in John.

Beth looked at the two men sitting on the floor. Neither one of them would be in any state of mind to function any time soon. She turned to Jim and said, "I think I had better drive you back to the office."

John and Ed sat on the floor for quite a while. Finally, John turned to Ed and declared, "Everyone went crazy today."

"Yeah. We still have almost the whole day to go yet."

"What time is it?"

Ed looked at the clock and said, "The clock says ten thirty."

John felt a strong urge to leave the house and go to the bar. He nodded. "If we walk slow, we can reach the bar in time for the lunch crowd."

Ed laughed as he joked, "I'll buy you one of them sissy drinks!"

The men went on down the street. Although it was now approaching noon, many people were walking around the downtown area. The day was looking up. They entered the bar and found a seat at the counter. Shirley looked over at them and smiled. John held up two fingers. "Wimp drinks over here."

She laughed as she replied, "Cokes coming right up."

Looking at Shirley, Ed couldn't help but notice the happy expression on her face. He said, "You're positively glowing. What's up?"

She leaned over and set the cokes on the counter. In a quiet voice, she answered him, "My boyfriends and girlfriend are coming to town."

John looked at her in surprise while Ed asked, "Can you give me a hint who they are?"

She whispered, "One was burned, one is blind, and one argued with John."

John sat back in shock. "You don't mean?"

She nodded with a smile. "Exactly."

Ed looked at Shirley puzzled by the news that she was going for a group marriage. As far as he knew, she had the highest standards in men and wasn't going to settle for anything less than the best. He said, "I never thought you were the type to go for a group marriage."

Looking at Ed with a gleam in her eye, she said, "Hey, if the bigoted and bully Ed Biggers can do it, then so can pretty and caring Shirley."

"That's formerly bigoted and bully Ed Biggers, if you don't mind," replied Ed with a laugh.

Shirley smiled at his retort and then said, "Actually, watching you gave me the nerve to try it."

Ed looked at her in shock. He asked, "I gave you the nerve to try it?"

Shirley laughed at the expression on his face. It was with a great deal of pleasure that she said, "Yes. Imagine that, Ed Biggers is a role model."

Pretending to be horrified at the thought, John cried out, "Oh no, the world is stopping!"

Ed was deep in thought, shocked that he had influenced anyone. It was the nicest complement that he had ever been given. Looking at Shirley with a humble expression, he replied, "Thank you for the compliment. I'm overwhelmed."

John realized that Ed's tone was serious and that he had been deeply touched by her statements. He said. "Ed, you did a very brave thing by forming such an unconventional relationship in front of a town that has known you your whole life. Your previous reputation and your transformation into a nice guy at the same time that you entered our lifestyle have fueled a lot of thought. I'm not surprised that many people have looked at you and seen the beneficial changes that entered your life. I'm sure some people wonder if they couldn't have the same benefits in their own lives. Let's face it, you are a role model of a man that has made a change for the better."

Shirley added, "You bet."

Feeling overwhelmed, Ed said, "You give me too much importance."

Shirley laughed as she said, "Now you sound just like John!"

Mary came into the bar and stepped behind the counter to stand beside Shirley. Happy to see her, John said, "Hello Mary. I heard you got yourself two boyfriends and a girlfriend."

Mary grinned and answered, "Yes. You heard right. Little ugly me has got it all."

The four of them chatted about the pros and cons of the kind of family structure of the Carter Clan. Their conversation was interrupted by one of the troublemakers in town. This particular individual had given Ed a lot of trouble about his so-called conversion to a faggot, despite the fact that Ed had two wives. He bullied his way to the bar and said, "With a face that ugly behind the counter, this bar is going to lose lots of customers."

Shirley's face turned white with fury and she almost climbed over the counter to get at the man. Ed almost took off the guys head, but he was stopped with a glance from John. Mary used to such comments replied, "I may be ugly on the outside, but you are a putrid mass of ugliness on the inside. I'd rather be me."

The man was about to say something back, but John stepped in front of him. Staring the man directly in the eye, he said, "Sir, you are at a crossroad in your life. You have three choices, continue to say what you were going to say, go over to the table and sit there, or apologize to the lady. Depending on the choice you take, you have different futures. I want you to visualize your future, thirty years from now, based on what choice you make today."

"You're going to tell me that if I insult the lady you are going to kill me, right?"

John shook his head as he continued to stare into the man's eyes. Gaze level and calm, he answered, "No matter what choice you make, Ed and I will do nothing. You are selecting your future. What kind of woman will go for a man that repeatedly insults women because they don't measure up to his criteria of beauty? What kind of woman will go for a man that takes a cheap shot and then walks away? What kind of woman will go for a man that apologizes when he makes a stupid mistake and learns from the lesson? Then ask yourself, which kind of woman do you want in your life."

The man stood there staring at John. He was about to talk back to him, but the words John had uttered echoed in his mind. Looking around, he saw the three futures looming large in front of him. Only one of them was bright. He turned to Mary and apologized, "I'm sorry. That was an incredibly mean thing for me to say. You are right, there is an ugliness in me."

Shocked at the transformation in the man's behavior, Mary said, "I understand. Thank you for your nice words."

He shook his head and requested, "If you will excuse me, I have some thinking to do."

Mary replied, "Thank you."

The man left the bar. Shirley turned to John and said in a an awe filled voice, "It was like you hit him with a baseball bat. I've never seen anything like it."

John shrugged as if to deny that he had done anything out of the ordinary while he answered, "Most people are blind to some flaw inside them. It takes just the right words to wake them up. If they see it, then there is hope they can change it."

Mary laughed and said, "He should know that you never win when you argue with John Carter."

Recalling the first time they met, Ed said, "You never win when you fight with John either."

Mary said, "By the way, Sidney said that was a great call on the serial killer the other day. He called me this morning and said they nailed him."

John stated, "Ed really didn't like that guy. Said the evil just dripped off him."

Ed finished his drink and nudged John. "Hey, if you never want to loose an argument, we had better head home. I bet our three wives are about to go crazy on us!"

Shirley asked, "Three wives? Who's the third?"

"Ling. Beth, Kelly, and I decided to make her the offer today while John was out."

Mary looked puzzled and asked, "You did it while John was out? Why on earth would you do that?"

Ed smirked and said, "Yeah, she's in love with the big guy and he was blind to it. We had to intercede on her behalf."

John shrugged as he explained, "I'm the first to admit that there are a lot of things that I'm pretty stupid about."

Shirley said with a smile, "The only time you are unaware of how people feel is when you are the subject. Women love you and you act as if they were your sisters. Men admire you and you shake their hand while complementing them on their superior qualities. You have no idea how you affect people."

John shook his head in denial as he said, "You're exaggerating."

Mary burst out laughing at the idea that she was exaggerating. Shirley said, "You are too modest. I know at least a dozen women that would sleep with you in a second. Ed has almost as big a following."

Now it was Ed's turn to react in denial despite the fact that his truth sense told him that she was telling the truth as she knew it. Flustered, he blurted out, "You're exaggerating."

"I know of at least ten women here in town that would sleep with you in a minute. Some of them are even married. There are going to be a lot of women that will be very jealous of Ling."

John and Ed looked at each other. Both knew what the other was thinking; they didn't believe what the women had said. However, Ed's truth sense told him that she believed what she was saying and that bothered him. John said, "Well, we better get back to the house."

They entered the house quietly hoping to avoid notice. When Cathy came around the corner, their hopes were immediately dashed. As if she were scolding little boys, she said, "Shirley said you'd be here about now. Your wives want you in the informal living room."

John and Ed looked at each other as if they were two boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They hurried to the living room. They entered to find Kelly, Beth, and Ling talking while pausing occasionally to sip their iced tea. Kelly looked up and said, "Oh, there you are. We were waiting for you."

John replied, "I had an urge to go to the bar."

"So what happened at the bar?"

"Well, we ran into Mary there. I didn't even know she was in the area."

"Which Mary?"

"The one with the burn on her face." Ed answered with her most distinguishing characteristic. He added, "She, Shirley, Sidney Fitzpatrick, and Edward are an item now."

Ling said, "I know all about that."

Curious, John asked, "How do you know about that?"

"Until today, I was a member of a woman's club that used to meet at the bar. Shirley quit a couple of weeks ago because she decided that she was happy with her current situation."

Feelings hurt by the fact that there was a woman's club in town that she hadn't been invited to be a member, Kelly asked, "Why didn't Beth or I know about a woman's club?"

Ling blushed as she thought about the club. This was a club of women that wanted to sleep with Ed or John. Embarrassed, she said, "I'd rather not say."

Beth asked, "So what else happened at the bar?"

Ed answered, "Some guy insulted Mary. John set him straight. It was actually an amazing thing to watch."

John shrugged his shoulders. "I just asked him what kind of woman would want a man that did what he did."

Beth made a groan as she said, "That's a very cutting thing to say to someone."

Kelly asked, "So did anything else happen there?"

John thought for a minute, "Oh, we let Shirley know about Ling."

"What did she say about that?" Ling knew the answer to her question, but asked it anyway.

John answered, "She started exaggerating about the number of women that would love to sleep with Ed and me. She said that a lot of women will be very jealous of Ling."

Ed added, "It was strange. She was telling the truth as she knew it, but we both know that neither one of us is as popular as she stated."

Beth and Kelly smiled knowingly at each other. They knew the truth and still had a hard time believing that John and Ed were so oblivious about the effect they had on people. They just strolled through life being nice to everyone. Ling burst out laughing so hard that she had to hold her side. She had just imagined John married to the entire town.



-------

Chapter 23


Lying in bed after making love to Kelly, Ed held her in his arm. She rested her head on his chest and had one leg covering his legs. With his free arm, he traced little lines up and down her forearms. This was happiness, the close sharing after making love with one that you loved.

Continuing to trace a path up and down her arm with his free hand, he lay there thinking about how his life had changed. He had been such a miserable bastard that took pleasure from tormenting the people around him and called that strength. Confronted with true strength, he had discovered that in reality he was weak. It was hard to be strong and he felt that only time would tell if he had been successful in becoming strong.

Kelly stirred and asked, "What are you thinking?"

In a whisper, Ed answered, "I was thinking how much I loved being your companion, friend, lover, and husband."

Not wanting to be serious, Kelly asked, "And how much is that?"

Chuckling, Ed answered, "More than I know how to put into words."

Touched more than she wanted to let on, Kelly replied, "That is so sweet."

Sighing, Ed said, "I remember the day I met you. I was really amazed that a beautiful woman like you would actually want me to call her. You really threw me for a loop when you brought up the group marriage. I was so lucky that you caught me at the time you did, otherwise I would have missed all of this."

Kelly decided that now was a very good time to be quiet. Listening to Ed and John talk, she had learned their rhythm. Absently, she traced the scar on his chest with a finger. She wished she knew the full story behind it, but that would never come from Ed.

After a long moment of silence, Ed said, "The first time that I slept with you I was so scared. I had never had sex where the woman wasn't drunk to the point where she was about to pass out. For that matter, I had never had sex unless I was drunk."

This was something Kelly had never realized. She moved a little and then said, "You did a great job."

"It was the first time I ever went down on a woman," said Ed. After a laugh that was more like a short bark, he added, "I had no idea what I was doing."

Kelly moved to look at him in the face in wonder. She said, "Really? I couldn't tell at all."

"Really."

As she settled back on his chest, she said, "Wow."

He could understand her wonder. In a very real way, he had been very inexperienced with women until after that day. It was the first time he had made love rather than fuck. When he had seen the two women making love to each other, it had blown his mind. How many men could make love with two such beautiful women at the same time? Many may dream about it, but few could do it. She had offered him that and more.

And the cost for him to receive her love, the love of Beth, and the love of John? All he had to do was love them back. There wasn't a man alive that could turn down such an exchange. He said, "There was no way that I thought Beth could love me. As far as I was concerned, that was the most unlikely thing that could have happened to me."

Kelly sat up and looked at Ed curious how he could have doubted that Beth would fall in love with him. The month in which he had cared for her would have captured the heart of any woman. She said, "You looked after her for a month when she was ill. Your treatment of her was one of respect, caring, and love. You never took advantage of her weakened state. How could she help but fall in love with you?"

Smiling at Kelly, he answered, "You take care of patients all the time. Do they all fall in love with you?"

Laughing as she realized that he had a point, she teased, "Yes, they do."

He shook his head at her answer as she lay down beside him and looked up at the ceiling. With a low rumbling sound, his stomach announced its hunger. Kelly burst out laughing and said, "Sounds like Rover is back."

"I'm afraid that I'm very hungry," said Ed.

"Let's get dressed and get something to eat," said Kelly. Even as she made the suggestion, she stood and went to where she had dropped her clothes. He took a moment to examine her body as she bent over to pick up her clothes from the floor. Even though he had finished making love with her just a little while ago, the sight of her ass and cunt was enough to excite him again. She was half dressed before Ed even stood up from the bed.

As Ed dressed, he watched Kelly as she moved around. She took her time buttoning her shirt knowing that Ed and John both enjoyed the view of her breasts hidden by an unbuttoned shirt. Finished dressing, both of them left her room with him tickling her as they stepped through the door.

She screamed, "I'm going to get you Ed Biggers!"

"You have to catch me first!" shouted Ed, as he ran towards the dining room. Flexing her hands like she was tickling him back, Kelly was hot on his heels.

As he ran by the poolroom, Beth shouted out, "Catch him Kelly!"

When he stopped in the dining room, Kelly almost ran over him. She grabbed him and started tickling. Within minutes they were wrestling on the floor, each tickling the other and laughing. Marguerite came out of the kitchen and watched the two of them rolling around the floor. Putting her hands on her hip, Marguerite said, "Children, stop that fighting!"

Still laughing, Ed and Kelly broke apart and lay on the floor looking up at Marguerite. She was looking down on them like a mother telling her teenage daughter that she had to clean her room. When she noticed the pair glance at each other with smiles on their face, she realized that she was the next target. She backed up shouting, "Don't you dare!"

As they started to stand while making tickling motions, she backed into the kitchen. They stopped at the door and waited for her to relax. Ed asked, "What's for lunch?"

Marguerite stood there looking at the two of them trying to decide if this was a trick. It took her a minute to realize that they were serious before she answered, "What would you like?"

Kelly answered, "I'd like a soup and a sandwich."

Shrugging, Ed said, "That doesn't sound bad. I'll take the same."

"Soup?" asked Marguerite knowing that soup from scratch would take more than the fifteen minutes that they would wait. Seeing the mischievous look on Ed's face, she asked, "That canned stuff, right?"

Ed smiled and nodded his head, knowing that she would be upset. He said, "Yes, maybe that vegetable soup with the alphabet noodles in it."

Of all the soups that he could have asked for, that was the one that drove her craziest. It was for little kids and not adults. She shook her head as she went to the pantry to get the cans of soup and, in disgust, said, "Barbarians. I work for Barbarians."

Laughing Ed and Kelly went to the dining table and waited. It wasn't long before John and Beth joined them. Curious, Beth asked, "What are your plans after you defend your dissertation?"

Excited about the opportunity that was being provided to him, he said, "Well, I applied for and received a research affiliate position at the university. I've got some major research projects that I want to pursue and will use that position to do the work."

Smiling at his excitement, John wanted to remind him that there were other things in life that were also important. He said, "Make sure that you balance that with other areas of life."

Raising an eyebrow and understanding what John was suggesting, Ed replied, "Don't worry, that is a part time activity. I've got the IRS, the Fusion Foundation, and my consulting to fill the rest of my work day."

Frowning at his focus on work, Kelly said, "I don't think that is what he meant."

Laughing at her concerns, Ed said, "I know that, Kelly. I was going to add that I wasn't going to work evenings or weekends any more. I plan to spend a lot more time with you and my friends."

"That's good. I must admit that I've let my life get a little too hectic. I should follow my own advice and cut back some on my work," replied John. He was so busy that he spent most evenings out rather than at home with his wife and husband. That was something he was desperate to change.

Sighing, Kelly said, "That would be great. I'd love to have you guys around the house more. I've really missed sitting on the steps and listening to you talk."

Looking at Kelly with a puzzled expression, Beth asked, "You like listening to them?"

"Yes, I do. After a while, I finally figured it out and now when I hear them talking like that it calms me down. Nothing is rushed when they talk. They think and say a little. It makes me feel safe," replied Kelly.

Surprised, Ed and John looked at each other wondering when Kelly had changed. There was one thing bothering Ed and he was having a difficult time identifying it. Suddenly, he realized that he felt a hole in his life. Ed said, "I hate to say this, but I think something is missing in our home, but I can't put my finger on it."

Licking her lips out of nervousness, Beth said, "I agree."

Sitting back in his chair, John looked around the table and said, "I think that I know what is missing."

Not feeling a hole in her life, Kelly asked, "What? I haven't noticed anything missing."

With a great deal of hesitation and nervousness, Beth said, "I want a baby. I'm approaching forty and if I don't do it soon, then I won't ever have one."

"That's what is missing in this house. The pitter pat of little feet," said Ed. As soon as Beth had mentioned a baby, he knew that the missing part had been identified.

John asked, "So which of us would you like to be the father?"

Thinking about who would be the better sire for the baby, Beth didn't really know. John and Ed were both outstanding human beings. She suggested, "We could let nature make the choice as to whose sperm reaches the egg first. Personally, I want you both to be the father to the child."

Surprised that Beth could even think that either man wouldn't be a father to the child, Kelly said, "You know that both men will take care of the child and raise it with their values."

Beth said, "I didn't mean that they wouldn't be good parents. I just meant that I couldn't choose between them."

John and Ed looked at each other for a second and then Ed said, "We know that you love us both, Beth. We will take care of any child in this house with the love and care that all children deserve. I'll teach the child how to ride, hunt rocks, and appreciate the desert."

Winking at Ed, John said, "I'll teach the child how hike, appreciate nature, and drive their mothers crazy."

"Oh no you won't!" cried Beth. She had pictures of John, Ed, and kids running around the house, wrecking havoc with water balloon fights and who knew what other kinds of games.

Laughing Kelly said, "Water balloons lobbed across the atrium. Paper airplanes flying through the air. Practical jokes with whoopee-cushions. Yes, life will definitely get interesting around here."

"Maybe I don't want a baby," said Beth as she put the back of her hand to her forehead like an actress in a silent film overacting to convey her misery.

The entire table broke up in laughter. When things had calmed down a little, Ed asked, "So when were you thinking about getting pregnant?"

Since Beth had only wanted a child, but had never thought to ask about having one, she didn't really know. Thinking it through, she said, "Well, I would like to get off the pill for at least two months before attempting to get pregnant. I have the medical conference in three months, so I guess I would like to start when I get back from there."

Making the same gesture in putting the back of his hand to his forehead, Ed asked, "So does that mean we have to abstain for three whole months?"

"Like that is ever going to happen. I get horny after a day without," replied Beth. She had gotten used to having at least one of her husbands visit her everyday. She added, "From now on, you guys are going to be wearing rubbers when you are with me!"

Faking a puzzled expression, John asked, "What have rain shoes got to do with having sex? Is this a new fetish?"

It took Ed a moment to figure out what John meant and then he burst out laughing. After a glance at John, he knew that in a couple of days they would both be showing up at her bedroom wearing nothing but rain shoes. The look he got from Kelly suggested that she was thinking the same thing. Now that would be funny.

Giggling at the mental image that flashed through her mind, Beth said, "If all three of you show up in rain shoes, I'm going to have Bob impregnate me."

"She's no fun at all," said Kelly with a pout.

"She's a real grump," said John while holding his hands up in the air.

"She said all three. I guess that means that two of us can show up wearing rain shoes," suggested Ed.

Marguerite brought out lunch for everyone. With care, she set down a plate of submarine sandwiches on homemade bread filled with thin sliced roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Without the same degree of care, she came back with a large tureen of soup and put it one the table. Staring at Ed, she said, "I hope it gives you gas."

The entire table cracked up as Ed asked, "I bet this is your best dish. I hope that it wasn't too difficult to make"

"Barbarian!" screamed Marguerite as she stomped out of the room.

Ed chuckled and picked up a sandwich off the plate. He took a bite as the others grabbed sandwiches and set them on their plates. After swallowing, he said, "You've got to admit that she makes a real good sandwich."

As everyone around the table nodded their heads in agreement, Ed ladled some soup into his soup bowl. In a loud voice, he said, "I bet she left the can in the soup."

From the kitchen, there was a screech followed by a shout from Marguerite, "I heard that!"

Amidst giggles around the table, the family ate their lunch enjoying the soup and the sandwiches. John looked up and said, "One of these days you're going to go too far and she's going to quit on us."

With a look that suggested Ed was hiding some great secret, he said, "I know it won't go that far."

Kelly and Beth looked at Ed wondering what he had up his sleeve. He wouldn't have been able to say that if there was any doubt. That secretive smile had pricked their curiosity and they had to wonder how long it would be before they knew what he had planned. That was the problem with John and Ed, they would make these incredible plans that would completely overwhelm a person with the thought that went into it and yet keep it completely secret until it was time to unleash it on the person.

Raising an eyebrow in recognition of the look on Ed's face, John said, "Okay, I believe you."

Ed remained at the table after everyone else left to pursue their own interests. Marguerite came out and sat at the table with him drinking a cup of iced coffee. Shaking her head in real puzzlement, she said, "I don't get you guys. You can have any dish in the world and you like canned soup."

"It's memories of growing up," answered Ed. He thought about some of the dishes that she cooked. Clearly they were better than the instant stuff he preferred, but he couldn't help his preferences. He said, "You know that desert everyone else likes so much... The Chocolate Mouse."

Irritated, Marguerite interrupted, "Chocolate Mousse."

"Yeah, that's the one," said Ed. One of these days he was going to get the name right. He said, "Well, I know this is going to hurt your feelings, but I like the instant pudding better. I like it when it has that thick rubbery layer on the top. That's how my mother made it and what I grew up with."

Marguerite laughed, as she knew exactly what Ed meant about the instant pudding. His comment brought back many memories of her mother's cooking. She said, "Yeah, my mother makes it the same way. That's why I became a Chef!"

"Oh, I guess you didn't like it."

"She makes a big bowl of it when ever I come home. I guess she considers it comfort food," said Marguerite as she reflected back fondly on her visits home. Sure the food was bad most of the time, but it was homemade bad. She asked, "So what would you like for dinner?"

Quiet for a moment as he considered the dishes that he really liked, he answered, "How about those stuffed pork chops? I really like those."

Looking at Ed, Marguerite said, "If I recall, the last time I served those you asked me if it was a meat sandwich."

Ed just winked at her with a great big smile on his face. She shook her head and asked, "What would you like for desert?"

That was the whole reason he had stayed behind. He had wanted to request a specific desert and answered, "That pineapple upside down cake you make is really outstanding. I stayed here to request that you make it."

Marguerite laughed at the request. When she had told him the name of the cake, he had accused her that she made that up to cover up a mistake. She had been upset until she realized that he had eaten three pieces. She said, "I'll make it for you and serve it if you don't make any comments about my cooking tonight."

Looking hurt, Ed asked, "What's the fun in that? You look so cute stamping your foot like you do."

Tossing her head towards the door, she said, "Go on. Get out of here and let me cook. I've got some pork chops to stuff."

The following evening, Beth came home from work tired from another hard day. There had been an automobile accident and the injuries had been extensive. She had spent most of the afternoon in surgery. Hours of standing in surgery tended to be hard on the legs and the back. Sitting in the car, she looked over at Kelly and said, "Rough one."

"Sure was," replied Kelly. She said, "How about we get Cathy and Linda to give us massages tonight?"

Smiling at the idea of a relaxing evening of massages, jacuzzi, and dinner, Beth answered, "Sounds good to me."

As they got out of the car, Bob came over to hold the door open for them and said, "Hello ladies."

As he walked away, his footsteps sounded strange - squeaky rather than solid. Seeking the source of the strangeness, Kelly looked down and realized that he was wearing rubber overshoes. She smiled to herself and realized the boys had been busy today.

Entering the house, they stopped in front of the office so that Cathy could give them their messages. Glancing down, Kelly noticed that she was wearing rubber overshoes as well. She grinned as Beth listened bored to her messages. When it was Kelly's turn to get her messages, she winked Cathy while glancing down at her shoes. Cathy smiled and went through the messages keeping as straight a face as possible. Beth waited oblivious to the shoes.

After Kelly made the request for Cathy and Linda to stop by their rooms to give them a massage, the two women headed off. They passed into the private area of the house. John and Ed walked by on their way to the poolroom. Both were wearing rubber overshoes. Kelly was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Unable to restrain herself anymore, she said, "I've got to go."

Beth watched Kelly running off to her room deciding that her wife had a sudden need to go to the bathroom or something. Shaking her head, she went to her room. After a while, Linda came with the portable massage table. As Beth lay down on it, she happened to look down at the shoes Linda was wearing. She screamed, "Rubber overshoes?"

Still naked, Beth climbed off the massage table and opened the door. Everyone, including Kelly, was lined up in front of her door wearing rubber overshoes. Looking at the row of smiles, she couldn't be mad. Unable to help herself, she started laughing.

It took her a long time to recover, but eventually she did. Putting her hands on her hips, she asked, "How could you get that many rubber overshoes in one day? Particularly in Arizona?"

Everyone pointed at Ed as he stood there smiling. He answered, "I called all over the country until I found a store that had a bunch of them. They put them on a plane and flew them here."

Shaking her head, Beth said, "You are crazy."

"Hey, I resemble that remark," replied Ed with a grin.

She came over to him and gave him a kiss of thanks. It was amazing that anyone would go to that much trouble just to provide a laugh. After the events of the afternoon, she had needed a good laugh. This reminded her once again that it was good to be loved. Stepping back, she said, "You went to so much trouble to set all of this up. How can I ever get you back?"

With a wink, Ed said, "You'll think of a way, I'm sure."

"I'm going to get my massage and then I'll meet you at the dinner table," said Beth as she returned to the room.

As Linda worked her over, Beth was trying to identify some way to get back at Ed for the practical joke. She still couldn't believe that he went to all of that trouble. Even thinking about it, she had to laugh. Linda said, "You're thinking about the overshoes, aren't you?"

Beth answered, "Yes, I am. Those guys are something else."

As Linda massaged the right leg, she said, "They know how to have fun. Not many people know how to have fun anymore."

"They are crazy," replied Beth. She said, "Who ever heard of calling all over the country to buy rubber overshoes and then have them flown in by airplane?"

Moving up the body, Linda worked on the buttocks as she said, "Yeah, they are crazy, crazy in love with you."

With a sigh, Beth answered, "Yes, I know that. I'm one of the luckiest women in the world."

Still working to relieve some of the tension in the lower back, Linda asked, "Only one of the luckiest?"

Purring as the tension slowly left her body, Beth said, "Yes. I share that honor with Kelly and Ling."

Outside, Ed turned to Bob and said, "I'm sure that you've noticed the Nissen hut on the property next to ours."

Confused, Bob said, "You mean that metal building?"

"Yes," answered Ed. With a smile, he said, "I ordered some equipment to put in that building. Could you go over there and make sure that everything that I requested is there?"

Worried about doing inventory work when he couldn't read, Bob shrugged, "I guess so."

"Great, I'd appreciate it if you could get to it now," said Ed.

Dinner went normally until it was time for dessert. Marguerite came out of the kitchen with a tray of individual servings of Chocolate Mousse and a single serving of instant pudding. The pudding had a thick skin across the top. She smiled as she served the deserts, noticing that Kelly eyed the pudding with desire. Ed beamed when she set the pudding in front of him and said, "Perfect. You are the greatest cook in the world."

Marguerite replied, "If you ever tell anyone that I served instant pudding at the end of a gourmet meal, I will quit."

Smiling at Marguerite, Ed replied, "I guess we'll have to hire your mother to make desserts for me."

Marguerite returned to the kitchen laughing at the thought of her mother cooking for Ed. She called back, "You deserve her cooking!"

Pouting, Kelly asked, "How did you get her to make that?"

Ed answered, "I had a long talk with her the other day about how some food, even if it isn't very good, reminds us of our mother's cooking. I specifically mentioned the pudding."

"Can I have a taste?" asked Kelly.

Sliding the bowl over to Kelly, she took a spoonful of the pudding with a little of the skin. With an almost dreamy look on her face, she said, "That's heavenly."

Marguerite shouted from the kitchen, "I heard that!"

Kelly laughed as she slid the bowl back to Ed. He ate the bowl of pudding with tremendous pleasure. It really did remind him of the last time his mother made pudding for him. He must have been about fifteen years old then, as his parents had died right after he had turned sixteen. It seemed like a lifetime ago and he had trouble remembering what she looked like. A tear ran down his cheek as he thought about his mother for the first time in ages.

Sitting across from him, Ling noticed the tear and, with concern in her voice, asked, "Are you okay, Ed?"

The image of his mother in a sundress taking in the laundry flashed into his mind. He must have been eight or nine at the time. She was a handsome woman starting to look old before her time as a hard life with his father took its toll on her looks. He had forgotten the beatings and screams that destroyed the silence in the night.

When his parents had died, he had tried to live up to the standard set by his father. He had never realized the toll it had taken on his mother. Behaving as his father had, Ed had tried to be the man his father had been. John had shown him the ugliness of his behavior. It was only now that he realized how wrong his father's behavior had been.

Ed cleared his throat and said, "Yes, I am. Just remembering my mother for the first time in a long time. I can now put behind me all thoughts about trying to achieve my father's approval."

Looking down the length of the table, John, in a quiet voice, said, "I think that your life has become balanced. The last missing piece has been to understand your past."

Nodding, Ed said, "Yes. I've come to see some things about my early years that explain much about me now."

"I thought so. Now that you understand your past, you are comfortable in the present, and can move into the future with confidence." John looked across at Ed with a gentle smile, seeing the strength in his husband. Ed had grown into a real presence that couldn't be ignored. It was a presence like the desert or a mountain; all encompassing, solid, and timeless that made you look and wonder how such a thing could exist. Ed wasn't somber or distant, but funny, playful, giving, and loving.

Beth looked across the table at Ed and said, "Tomorrow you have a great leap into the future with the defense of your dissertation. Are you ready for it?"

Sighing, Ed said, "I'm very nervous, but there isn't anything else that I can do to prepare."

The entrance of a very excited Bob interrupted the discussion. On entering the dining room, Bob shouted, "I can't believe you guys did that! I just can't believe it."

The three wives looked at Bob curious what their husbands had done. John said, "I got the building put up and Ed bought the equipment."

Bob turned to the women and said, "They bought me an entire jewelry making shop. All of the equipment is already set up inside that metal building. It's amazing."

Kelly asked, "Why didn't you tell us you were going to do that?"

Ed smiled as he answered, "We figured you three could commission some jewelry from him."



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Part 3: Accretion

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Chapter 1


Infant, toddler, child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric reflect the changes in the physical body over the course of a full lifetime. More important than changes in the body, are the different roles a person plays in the theatre of life. A small sample of roles can a person can hold includes friend, employee, boss, lover, spouse, leader, follower, parent, grandparent, consumer, producer, and provider. A life isn't being lived unless a huge number of roles are being played.

As the number of roles taken by a person in the course of a day increases, it is regretful how we tend to forget a role or two. A woman that is a cook, mother, maid, wife, chauffeur, laundress, PTA member, employee, lover, companion, and supporter can easily forget to be lover, companion, and supporter to her husband. The man that is a father, gardener, employee, provider, handyman, husband, lover, companion, and supporter can easily forget to be lover, companion, and supporter to his wife.

The darkest hours of the night, when all are asleep and the house is quiet, is when a person is haunted by the roles forgotten in the course of the day. Why didn't we make love today? Why didn't I complement her on the promotion? How was it that we didn't have the time to walk on the beach together? When did she stop supporting me? Sleep is disturbed by such questions and the body wakes as tired as when it lay down to rest.

The importance of roles can change slowly over the course of time. Meaningful roles can become displaced by more mundane roles. When did vacuuming the carpet become more important than fucking on the floor? When did being a good employee working overtime for a miniscule raise become more important than supporting the child at the baseball game? When did doing this thing become more important than doing that thing?

It is only after the consequences of having relegated those meaningful roles to the background are reaped that it becomes obvious that one has screwed up their life. The child runs away from home, the spouse has an affair, and the house becomes a dry sterile environment that kills the spirit. Loneliness becomes the watchword of the day. Men and women, in the throes of depression, cry to heaven, "Oh Lord, let me be loved."

Infant, toddler, child, youth, adolescent, adult, and elder. Looking back to previous stages of our physical growth, we think of how much better things were back then. They weren't, it was just that we didn't see the true consequences of our actions at the time. We didn't recognize the missed opportunities until long after they passed.

Upon stepping out of the auditorium, Ed was greeted by hearty cheers from his family, friends, staff, and classmates. The crowd shouted, "Congratulations, Dr. Ed Biggers."

Smiling broadly, Ed replied, "Thank you. I appreciate the help that each and everyone of you provided me."

Beth and Kelly grabbed him, one to an arm, while Ling stood behind, pushing him down the hall to a double size classroom. Around the room were several tables filled with food created by Marguerite. One table was filled with presents, brought by everyone in attendance. Ed looked around and saw the banner taped against the wall. In very large block letters it said, "CONGRATULATIONS DR. ED BIGGERS."

This had been a surprise for him. It was nice to know that everyone was more confident in him than he had been. For the past three hours, he had sweated and paced nervously thinking thoughts of everything that could go wrong. The presentation and defense of his dissertation had gone well. In fact, it so easy and over so fast that he could hardly believe it. The questions that he had been asked were much simpler than he expected. The end had been anti- climatic; a simple good job from the committee members.

Having been through this process himself, John knew what Ed had felt before and after. He said, "See, you were worried for nothing."

Ed replied, "I guess so. It went pretty smoothly."

"It always does when you know your stuff," said John.

A very impressed Shirley came over to him. Afraid to kiss him, she hugged him as she said, "Wow, I remember when you headed off to college. I didn't believe that you would make it this far, but you did it. I'm so proud of you."

A line had formed behind Shirley as others came over to say something to him personally. Sherry came up to him and kissed him with a passion that curled his toes. She said, "I can't believe the bully turned to a scholar. The whole town is proud of you."

His old neighbor, Maria kissed him on the cheek. Smiling at him shyly, she said, "You've become the man I always thought you could be."

Her wife, Rosa, grabbed Ed and hugged him tightly. Tears rolled down her cheeks in happiness as she said, "Congratulations, Ed."

Richard Green came over and said, "Great going, cowboy!"

Seeing Richard and Ed together, John Green came over and said, "Hey, I didn't know that you knew each other."

Surprised to see his cousin, Richard said, "Hey, John. How's my favorite cousin?"

"Just fine," replied John. There had been a time when the two men didn't get along at all. That was back when Richard was a loud, abusive, and crude drunk. Past differences had become forgotten by the time that Richard married Linda. John's daughter, Kim, came running over and threw her arms around Richard in a friendly hug. She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to congratulate Ed on going from cowboy Ed to Dr. Biggers," replied Richard.

Distracted by the presence of Richard, John and Kim Green congratulated Ed and went off with the cousin. When Grace arrived, she joined them as they discussed how each of them knew Ed. Ed had no idea that Richard was related to John, although the common last name should have clued him in.

Jim, Sherry's husband and their lawyer, came over to congratulate Ed. Winking, he said, "You're now a doctor. Folks will have to start calling you Doc Biggers."

Laughing at the mental image that Doc Biggers invoked, Ed replied, "That sounds like the name of a sex toy company."

In response to the joke, Jim and Sherry burst out laughing. With a saucy wiggle of her hip, Sherry said, "I'll just have to try that Doc Biggers Sex Toy."

Ed blushed when a half dozen women in the room piped up, "Me too."

With a broad smile that showed her white teeth, Cathy came over and put an arm around Jim and Sherry. Ever since Sarah, the granddaughter of William Redman, had greeted Jim at the door, Cathy had taken every opportunity to tease her former boss. Turning to Sherry, she asked, "So tell me, what did Jim say when he came home after Sarah led him around the house naked?"

While Jim blushed at the reminder, Sherry giggled and said, "If I remember correctly, it was something to the effect that he had wished it was Cathy."

Laughing, Ed said, "I'm sure that can be arranged."

Sarah came over to them and saw the laughter. Knowing Cathy, she was sure that the woman was teasing Jim again. She said, "Are you pestering this poor man again? I tell you, he was a perfect gentleman. I was very disappointed."

The comment invoked a great deal of laughter. Sarah and Cathy double teamed Ed while congratulating him. There were times when the staff was just too much to handle. After that, the four of them disappeared to eat and talk leaving Ed behind to meet the next in line.

Dale and Terry Taylor were next to congratulate him. After shaking hands with Dale and hugging Terry, Dale leaned over and whispered, "We have a present that we'd like to give you in private sometime."

Curious about the nature of the present, Ed asked, "Can you give me a hint?"

"No," said Dale. Terry said, "We did get permission from your wives."

The couple pushed each other in a good natured manner as Ed realized that the present probably was something sexual in nature. He blushed and said, "Tell me when you want to give it to me and I'll be there."

Terry blushed and said, "We'll let you know."

The happy couple went over to Marguerite, to thank her again for the feast that she had prepared. Marguerite had come to like the couple very much and on her days off sometimes visited with Terry. Ed, watching the four of them together, thought that it was interesting how knowing one person led to knowing another and then another.

Nevada Hayes came over to Ed and shook his head. He said, "Ed, I have to say that when you started this stuff, I was afraid that you were making a big mistake. Now that you've finished, I have to admit that I was wrong."

"Nevada, I knew that you had my best interests at heart. I appreciate that. A man can't have a better friend than that." Ed looked at his former boss and realized that he was beginning to look old. The face had wrinkles that hadn't been there when he worked for the man. The back was bent a little rather than ramrod straight. He asked, "So how are you doing?"

The old man looked around at all of the younger people in the room. With a sigh, he said, "I'm getting ready to retire. Just looking for the right person to take over the business."

The initial line had disappeared as the initial excitement wore off and hungry people went to graze the food on the tables. Ed put his arm around Nevada and asked, "This person, does he need to be a cowboy or would you prefer a business man?"

Thoughtfully, Nevada looked at Ed and said, "I hadn't thought about it."

While scratching the back of his neck, Ed said, "When I was writing my dissertation, I met a kid that was majoring in business. I was just thinking that if you kept ownership of the business but let this kid run it, you'd have a nice little retirement check coming in every month."

The two men discussed the possibility while walking over to a table. As they loaded up their plates, an agreement was reached for Nevada to interview Gary Dow. Nevada promised that he would go over and talk to Cathy to make the arrangements. Satisfied, with the arrangement, Ed started to eat.

After the first bite of food, he realized how hungry he was. In the morning, he had been so nervous that he couldn't eat much of a breakfast. Lunch had been worse and he had skipped that altogether. He spent the next fifteen minutes eating.

He was finishing a taco when Kim entered the room. She came over to Ed and, after kissing him, said, "Hello, Ed. Congratulations."

Happy that she could make it, Ed smiled at her. Kelly and Beth waved and stepped out of the room know that Kim was not comfortable around them. He kissed her back and said, "I'm so happy that you came."

She looked around at the people in the room and asked, "Where are Kelly and Beth?"

Disturbed by her continued avoidance of his wives, Ed answered, "They stepped out when you came in."

Kim was silent for a moment and then said, "I'll be right back."

"Okay," replied Ed. He spoke to her back since she had already turned and was heading out the door. Watching her leave, he wondered where she was going and what she planned on doing when she got there.

In the hallway, Kelly and Beth were hugging each other. The continued unease of Kim around them had begun to hurt. It was a shock to both of them when Kim left the party and approached them. Hesitantly, she said, "Ladies, can I talk to you?"

Slowly, Kelly turned to face Kim with a tenseness in her stomach that was impossible to ignore. Too much of this and she worried that she would develop an ulcer. She answered, "Yes, you can."

Looking around to see if anyone was watching, Kim said, "Okay, I'm willing to sleep with you."

Looking in disbelief that Kim would even make the suggestion, Beth asked, "Pardon?"

With a little more control than she thought possible, Kelly said, "That's nice. I'm not willing to sleep with you."

Very surprised at the answer, Kim asked, "Why not?"

"It would be rape," answered Kelly as she looked at the woman. Although Kim was putting on a brave faÁade, it was easy to see that she was terrified. Kelly added, "We don't rape."

Stuttering, Kim said, "IÖ IÖ I thought that was what you wanted."

Beth and Kelly went to Kim and put their arms around her as they led her back into the room. Beth said, "Listen to me. We only want you to be happy. We want Ed to be happy. You don't have to love us or have sex with us."

Kelly added, "We would be happy if you could at least like us."

Confused, Kim stumbled along between them. When she looked up, she was facing Ed with tears in her eyes. She whispered, "They don't want to sleep with me."

"Of course, they don't," said Ed. At the hurt look in her eyes, he explained, "They only sleep with people when there is a mutual affection and desire. You don't have an affection or a desire for them, so they will leave you alone regardless of what you offer them. The only thing they've ever wanted for you is to be happy."

Looking over her head, Ed winked at Kelly who went with Beth over to table to snack on something. His wives were discussing the sad state of Kim. Sherry noticed that they were upset and went over to help them. She listened and then looked over at Kim with a frown. When she headed over to Ed, the wives tried to stop her, but she shook them off.

Sherry, a large woman, strode over to Ed and said, "Ed, I care about you a whole lot, but I'm going to take this young lady somewhere else for a few minutes and I'll drop you where you stand if you try to stop me."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Ed. He had no idea what had been going on and decided that he didn't want to know.

With a grip that was just short of painful, Sherry pulled Kim out of the room. Kim followed behind trying to figure out who this woman was. As Sherry pulled her along, she passed by Jim and said, "Come here."

Jim followed them out into the hallway just as confused as Kim. Sherry came to an abrupt halt and turned around looking at Kim. She said, "Darling, you have some problems and I suggest you get them taken care of. I don't care what happened in your past, but you've got some lessons to learn about love. Until you learn, I forbid you to see Ed."

Kim stepped back and said, "Who are you that you think you can forbid me to do anything?"

Stepping forward, Sherry said, "I'm a friend of the Carter Clan. I'm a big fat broad that can be mean as hell when I see my friends getting hurt."

Snarling, Kim said, "You can't keep me from Ed."

Angry, Sherry replied, "You don't deserve Ed because of the way you treat his wives."

Exasperated at the lack of understanding of anyone around her, Kim said, "Look, I offered to sleep with them. What's wrong with that?"

Understanding came cascading down on Jim. This was the woman with whom Ed went rock hunting. He had heard some of the background on her. The lawyer in him came out as he said, "Have you ever given a guy a pity fuck?"

"No, I'd never do that," answered Kim offended at the idea.

"How do you think a guy would feel if you were to walk up to him and offer him a pity fuck, basically calling it that?" asked Jim.

"The guy would be crushed," answered Kim. She would never do anything to hurt a man like that.

Sherry, looking daggers at Kim, said, "Yet, you offer Kelly and Beth a pity fuck!"

Her face blanched as she realized that was what she had done. She said, "How do I convince them that I'll do what they want?"

"You dumb bitch," said Sherry. She drew herself up to her full height and, pronouncing each word individually, said, "All they want you to do is to be happy and to treat them with a little respect. Is that too hard for you to understand?"

Being called a bitch was as effective as a slap in waking up the mental processes of Kim. As she listened to the statement about what they wanted, Kim actually heard the message and it fully registered for the first time. She asked, "They don't want to sleep with me?"

"No!" said Sherry frustrated at Kim's denseness.

"Why not?" asked Kim. The revelation hurt in a funny sort of way. It was difficult to admit to herself that someone wouldn't want to sleep with her, even if it was a Lesbian.

In a very serious tone of voice, Jim answered, "Because they don't love you."

Sherry said, "I can tell you from experience that if they love you and you love them, it would be the greatest thing you'll ever experience."

Kim pulled back from Sherry as if she were hit with a bolt of lightening. She looked at her and said, "Don't tell me you are one too?"

Sherry said, "Jim, tell Kim what my favorite sexual adventure is."

With a smile on his face, Jim said, "She loves to have two men at once, particularly if they'll do anything that she asks."

That was a sexual adventure that Kim could understand. The idea brought warm feelings in her private parts. She smiled and said, "Umm, that must be magnificent."

Sherry said, "Jim, what is your favorite sexual adventure?"

Excited, Jim answered, "I like to watch you having sex with a woman while I'm taking turns with the two of you."

Kim looked at Jim like he was the lowest form of life that she had ever encountered. Sickened, she said, "You bastard."

Snapping her fingers to get the attention of Kim, Sherry said, "I love my husband and I'll do that for him any time, day or night. That, my dear, is love. It is a giving of pleasure to another with your entire heart and soul. Believe me when I say that if you ever feel the desire to give another pleasure without limits, you will find that it is the most incredible experience of your life. You will want to do things that right now would disgust you."

Tears welling up in her eyes, Kim said, "I don't understand."

While Jim felt sympathy for Kim, an anger welled up from deep within Sherry. Spitefully, she said, "I know you don't understand that and for that reason, none of us want to sleep with you. For that same reasonÖ."

Desperate, Jim tried to stop Sherry lashing out at the other woman with a verbal tirade. Everyone froze when John said, "And it harms none, then do it."

Sherry turned to face John, ashamed to look at him in the eye. John stepped over to her and said, "Sherry, it is time for you to let it go. I know about your years of pain caused by immature men chasing after pretty women that were totally selfish. Those days are over and you won the grand prize. Don't propagate that pain to anyone else."

Sherry answered, "Yes, John. You're right. It's justÖ"

"Sherry, would you belittle a woman with a broken jaw for not giving a blowjob?"

"No," answered Sherry as her face turned bright red in shame.

John said, "Don't belittle Kim because a part of her has been broken, perhaps beyond repair. My wives understand and hope that she can find a little happiness with Ed. Don't take their gift away from them. Ed has his relationship with her and is satisfied with what he gets out of it. Don't take his satisfaction from him."

"I'm sorry, John." Sherry realized that her anger was misplaced. Years of watching skinny good looking women steal men away while being totally selfish had hurt her more than she could admit. If the women had treated the men well, she could have understood, but they didn't and that she couldn't abide. She turned to Kim and said, "I'm sorry, Kim."

Before Kim had a chance to respond, Sherry pulled Jim into the room leaving John and Kim looking at each other. In a matter of fact tone of voice, John said, "I've been raped three times in my life. Once by a woman, once by a man, and once by a hermaphrodite. That does not mean that I've given up on women, men, or hermaphrodites."

Kim brought her hand to her mouth in sympathy. John continued, "From what I can tell, you've been raped repeatedly by a woman or group of women. I am not saying that you should have sex with a woman, but I am saying that you shouldn't give up on women."

"What do you mean?" asked Kim unsure what was meant by giving up on women.

"Do you have any women that you consider friends?"

"No," replied Kim realizing exactly what he meant. She had gone into a male dominated field so that she wouldn't have to work with women. Years had been spent avoiding any and all activities that required her to become close with a woman. She even viewed the women customers in her store with disdain.

John said, "You have two women in there that want to be your friend. They don't ask anything of you except that you be a friend back."

Lip quivering, Kim said, "I don't know if I can do that."

"You can," answered John.

John returned to the room where the party was being held. From across the room, Ed raised an eyebrow as a question and John gave a thumbs up as an answer.

Sammy was telling Ed about his time in college and that he would be graduating in May. The young man that had attempted to kill Ed had kept his promise to go to school and make something of himself. Graduating with a 3.46 GPA in teaching with a concentration in English, he already had an appointment to a teaching position in the Phoenix School District. He was planning to get married to the girl that he had been seeing for three years. They were rushing to get married before the school year started so they could take a long honeymoon.

As he listened, Ed realized the young man wasn't boasting. He was desperately trying to convince Ed that he had done good things with the chance that Ed had given him. It was time for him to let the young man off the hook. He said, "Sammy, you've done well by me and your mother. I'm glad to see you are successfully pursuing a great calling. Teaching the young is one of the most important things we can do. If you remember the times of confusion when you were their age, you will be a good teacher."

The praise had the desired affect on Sammy. The young man relaxed and smiled at Ed before getting a more serious expression on his face. He said, "Thank you for everything you did for me."

Smiling, Ed said, "Sammy, I have to be honest with you. I did it for myself as much as I did it for you. I couldn't have lived with myself knowing that I had a hand in destroying your future."

When Sammy left, Beth and Kelly came over to Ed. He looked at them and asked, "So what really happened?"

Kelly said, "She told us that she would sleep with us. We told her no thank you."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I was afraid of that. Sherry came over here and dragged her away. I imagine she read her the real woman riot act."

Having seen what happened, Kelly said, "John took care of that. Before you get to that, you had better open your presents. I think some people may want to leave soon."

A very elated Ed spent the next hour opening presents. More than one person remarked that he acted more like a kid on Christmas than a Ph.D. on his graduation. Many of the presents were of the typical graduation present type, pens, daybooks, and a brief case. Other gifts were associated with his chosen profession, rock hammers, chisels, safety glasses, and a hard hat. There was also the usual assortment of gift certificates.

The specific kind of the present wasn't important to him; it was the thought behind it. He appreciated every gift he received. The idea that so many people had been rooting for him was humbling. The knowledge that so many would actually take precious time out of their day to spend with him celebrating this event touched him more than he could ever put into words.

After getting though all of the presents, he went around the room and talked with people. In his travels, he didn't see Kim and wondered if she had left. He felt very sorry for her, particularly since she had made an effort to come here despite her intense distrust of his wives. It was odd, she could talk to them over the phone, but she couldn't stay in the same room with them.

A very distraught Sherry came to Ed and hugged him with tears running down her cheek. She said, "I'm so sorry, Ed. I didn't mean to hurt her."

Gently touching her face and wiping the trace of tear away, Ed replied, "Don't worry Sherry. You meant to help. I'm sure that with time she will come to understand."

Smiling weakly, she said, "You can tell a fat joke if you want."

Laughing Ed said, "Come by the house and we'll work off some of that guilt in a session with the Doc Biggers Sex Toy."

Laughing and feeling much better, she said, "I'll take you up on that."

Watching her leave with Jim, he wondered how many of the scars she carried were his fault. Others came and said their good-byes before they left. Ed stood by the food eating between visits from well-wishers that stopped by before leaving the party. He hadn't enjoyed himself this much in a long time.

While Ed spent his time talking to different people in the room, Kim was in the hallway talking to Kelly. Her lower lip quivered and tears welled up in her eyes as Kim said, "I haven't been fair to you and Beth. I'm sorry for that."

Seeing how upset Kim was, Kelly led her to a deserted classroom. She sat down in one of the chairs while motioning Kim to do the same. All Kelly wanted to do was hug the other woman and comfort her, but she knew it would chase the other woman away. Kelly said, "Someone must have really hurt you in the past."

Kim shifted uneasily as she thought about her aunt and the tortures that she had been subjected to at her hands. In a voice that was barely audible, she said, "My auntÖ"

Kelly started when a stately Native American woman entered the room. Smiling at Kelly, the woman said, "Hello, Kelly."

It took Kelly a moment to remember the woman and then recognition flooded over her. She squealed in happiness, "Lily! You're here!"

Lily smiled and said, "I take it John is somewhere around here. It will be good to see him again."

Excited to see the healer, Kelly said, "He's in a room down the hall. Ed completed his doctorate today and we are having a party for him."

Putting a hand on Kim's shoulder, Lily said, "Kelly, go join the party. I shall visit your house when I am done with my patient."

Kelly turned to Kim and said, "Do what Lily says. She's a healer."

Confused, Kim complained, "I don't know who she is."

Impatient to begin, Lily led Kim out of the room as she answered, "I am a Druid who serves the Goddess."

Among the last to leave the party was Professor Simms. This had been a special occasion for him. As an instructor nearing the end of his career, it was a wonderful feeling to have a student that exceeded the teacher. He had worried about what Ed was going to do once he graduated, but Ed had taken care of that matter.

A research affiliate position had been created as a result of a donation from a consortium of mines. In a competitive application, Ed had won hands down with an extremely impressive resume and research plan that had appealed to the consortium. He was now a research affiliate, a position that gave him access to university resources and an office on campus. However, his primary income would be from his consulting activities which had become quite extensive.

Satisfied that Ed would be a powerful presence in the world of mineralogy for years to come, Professor Simms never regretted having taken a chance on the lanky cowboy that had impressed him that first day. Walking over to Ed, he said, "Well, Dr. Biggers. This is a great day for the field of mineralogy. You're going to make great contributions to our understanding of crystal formation."

"Thank you, Professor Simms. I've really enjoyed this entire experience," answered Ed.

"Well, I wanted to congratulate you one more time. Your dissertation broke new ground and I hope you continue your work in that area."

Ed and his former professor spent a nice time talking about the research that Ed was going to pursue. Sitting off to the side, John watched with pleasure as his husband talked with passion about his research plans. It was nice to see Ed so alive. Beth came over to John and put her arm around him. Together they watched Ed. Beth said, "He's like a kid that's been given a new toy."

"That's the way life is supposed to be," answered John.

A very happy Kelly came running into the room shouting, "Lily is here!"



-------

Chapter 2


After putting on the red tee-shirt, Ed picked up the gun and checked to make sure that it was properly loaded and ready for action. Satisfied, he walked over to where John, Beth, Kelly, and Ling were planning their strategy. He listened with interest as Ling and John argued a strategy for attacking.

Ling said, "They are going to come at us in a group. If we spread out, we can ambush them."

Shaking his head, John said, "They are going to come at us from every direction. If we divide into two groups and stick close to the walls, we'll be able to pick them off one at a time."

After a minute of argument, they decided on a simple strategy. Ed and Kelly would move forward sticking close to the wall on the right. John and Beth would move forward sticking close to the wall on the left. Ling would stay back and guard the rear.

Sherry blew the whistle to let them know that it was time to move out. After a slight delay, John and Beth moved over to the left wall. When they were in position, Ed and Kelly moved over to the right wall. Moving from door to door they advanced down the room keeping an eye out for the enemy.

When they had made their way half way down the length of the room, they were ambushed from five assailants hidden in the plants. Within seconds they were drenched as Marguerite, Cathy, Sarah, Bob, and Dave opened fire with the water guns. The return fire was lame as both of them were laughing too hard to aim. Sherry shouted out, "Kelly and Ed are out of the game."

The five heads disappeared back into the plants leaving Ed and Kelly soaked. About thirty seconds later, laughter and shouts burst loose from the other side of the room as John and Beth were soaked. Sherry shouted out, "John and Beth are out of the game!"

Ling had realized that the other side had used the plants in the middle of the atrium for cover. She decided to go through the center of the atrium and attack the others from within it. She made her way cautiously up through the center. She had reached about the halfway point when the others jumped out and soaked her. Laughing, Sherry shouted out, "Ling is out of the game!"

Totally soaked, John, Ed, Beth, Kelly, and Ling met up at the place where they had done their original planning. Sherry came over and said, "Well guys, you didn't do so well. Everyone of you has to strip. You got Dave on his pants so he's going bottomless and Marguerite's tee-shirt was soaked so she's topless."

As the team stripped, Ed said, "We have to get them all this time or we loose."

Ling said, "They had the advantage that time. Now it is our turn and we'll get them all."

Kelly said, "They only have to last ten minutes. If they use each other as barriers, they might be able to last that long."

Beth asked, "So what do we do?"

John answered, "We'll use their own strategy against them."

Sherry blew the whistle to let them know that round two was about to begin. The group moved out and entered the plants. They moved quickly to the center of the atrium and waited for the other team to show. Nothing was happening on the side they were watching, so they moved over to the other side.

Dave moved along the wall as though he were trying to sneak past them. Kelly looked around and whispered, "He's alone. Let's get him."

All of them raised up and fired at Dave. Within seconds he was totally drenched. However, from along the edge of the plants, Marguerite, Cathy, Sarah, and Bob stood up and fired back. It didn't take a military specialist to be able to call a winner on this engagement. Sherry shouted, "Dave, John, Ed, Beth, Kelly, and Ling are out of it. The blue team wins!"

Marguerite, Dave, Cathy, Sarah, and Bob were jumping up and down in excitement, happy to have beaten the other team. Sherry and Jim came down from where they had been officiating and joined the winning team. Jim said, "Winning team gets to dictate the terms for the next two hours and then the judges for the next hour!"

Marguerite and Bob pulled Ed behind them to Marguerite's bedroom. As a large woman, Marguerite's body had well defined curves. It was not that she was fat, but that she was large boned that was well padded. Her ass, covered by her shorts, swayed in a feminine fashion that looked inviting. Her breasts swung from side to side as she walked, a demonstration of the sexual charms of a large breasted woman.

Reacting like any man following a half naked woman to her bedroom, Ed found himself sporting an erection. Bob asked, "Are you ready for this Marguerite?"

Tugging on Ed to speed him up, she replied, "I've been ready for this ever since Sherry suggested the game! I'm so wet between the legs that I'm amazed that Sherry didn't decide that I had been hit with water there."

When they reached her bedroom, Marguerite, as she removed her shorts, said, "Get on that bed on your back."

Smiling, Ed did as he was ordered - accepting that it was the rules of the game. He had to do anything she or any of the others of her team ordered for two hours. Watching Marguerite lower herself onto Ed's cock, Bob stripped as fast as he could. She accepted the large cock in her cunt with practiced ease, enjoying the fullness that it provided.

Naked, Bob found the lube and worked some into her ass and on his cock. This had been a dream of hers for a long time. She wanted Ed's monster cock in her cunt and his smaller cock in her ass. At long last, that fantasy was about to come true. After massaging her asshole and relaxing the muscles, he lined himself to enter her. Her ass looked so fine and soft, that he wanted her more than anyone in the world. As he pushed his cock into her, she began to scream her excitement, "Yes, Finally!"

Lying on his back with Marguerite impaled on his cock, he reached up and fondled her breasts. They were well shaped and heavy, pulled down by gravity, with palm sized areola and big nipples. Ed twisted her nipples, knowing how much she liked to have them handled with authority.

For Marguerite this was a dream come true. As she rocked back and forth on his cock, Bob was fucking her ass in time with her movements. The double penetration excited every part of her body. She started panting and grunting, "Oh, oh, oh!"

The closer she came to achieving an orgasm, the louder her screams became. The louder she screamed the faster Bob slammed into her ass. The faster he slammed into her, the more she thrashed about on top of Ed. It wasn't long before Ed was ready to come. Marguerite came first, her cunt fluttering around Ed's cock and her asshole tightening around Bob's cock. The sensations brought Ed to orgasm.

When Bob came, he shouted, "I love you, Marguerite."

Marguerite collapsed on top of Ed as Bob pulled out of her. Sitting back, he watched the come trickle out of her asshole. As Marguerite recovered, she wondered if she had heard Bob correctly and if she had, had he shouted it out in a moment of passion without meaning it. As she moved up to kiss Ed, his cock slipped out of her. Bob watched the come trickle out of her cunt. The sight of come trickling out of her ass and cunt excited him more than he thought possible.

Marguerite rolled off Ed and looked up at Bob. The expression on his face melted her heart. Turning her head to Ed, she said, "Ed, you can go now and see if anyone else would like to command you for a little while."

Looking at the chemistry between Marguerite and Bob, Ed understood immediately what Marguerite wanted. He kissed her gently and then said, "Thanks so much for inviting me here."

Nodding at him, Bob said, "Thank you, Ed. You made a couple of dreams come true today."

"Believe me when I say that it was my pleasure," replied Ed. Getting out of the bed, he left the room moving quietly. Smiling, he thought about the connection that had just blossomed between Marguerite and Bob.

Ed wandered down to the atrium and found Beth waiting there as well. He said, "They finished with you already?"

Confused, Beth replied, "Dave took me to his room, screwed me and then told me that he was done."

Understanding her confusion at the lack of real interest in the family that Dave continually exhibited, Ed asked, "Did he hurt you or say anything?"

Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, "He didn't really say much. I don't think that he wants to sleep with us, but does it because the others do."

Frowning, Ed said, "That's possible, but highly unlikely."

"Why is that unlikely?"

Winking at her with a wry smile, he answered, "Who wouldn't want to sleep with one of the three most beautiful women in the world?"

Laughing at the all too obvious flattery, Beth answered, "You just believe that because it is true."

"You're modest too," retorted Ed. This was not the first time they had this conversation and he hoped that it wouldn't be the last. He enjoyed the light-hearted teasing with Beth. It was always good to see her relaxed like this. The job of a doctor in an emergency room was a high pressure position that required dedication. It often brought her down when patients came in that couldn't be saved.

Smiling at Ed, Beth said, "If Cathy knew that we were here, she'd be pulling us back into her room to have her way with us. That women is insatiable."

Since this was the first time that the new staff had a chance to sleep with the family, Ed wondered how she could know that. He asked, "How do you know?"

Beth looked at him like he was crazy. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "Didn't you know that we've been sleeping with her and Sarah ever since they started working here?"

Surprised, Ed asked, "What about the benefit program that's supposed to kick in now?"

Looking at Ed like he was slow, she answered, "Didn't you realize that faÁade was only for the sake of John?"

Staring at Beth, he said, "What?"

"You didn't know?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No, I didn't."

"No wonder Cathy was so upset when Marguerite hauled you away. She's been looking to get your ass in her bed since the day she started. Same with Sarah," said Beth as she tried to suppress a giggle. She had thought that Ed had been sleeping with Cathy and Sarah ever since they started.

Ed shook his head in disbelief before he asked, "Why on earth would they want to sleep with me?"

"Cathy is insatiable. Sarah is rather taken by you."

Laughing at the part about Cathy, Ed still couldn't understand why Sarah would want to sleep with him. He stood next to Beth shaking his head.

With a sly look out of the corner of her eye, Beth said, "So today's the day."

Confused by the change in subject, Ed asked, "The day for what?"

"Sherry."

Staring blankly at Beth, Ed wondered what she was talking about. He still didn't believe that Sherry would be interested in sleeping with him. He asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Why do you think she suggested this game? She want's you to have spent some seed so that you'll last a little longer when she gets hold of you," replied Beth. She didn't understand how John and Ed could be so blind to the effect they had on women. Most men treated women with respect, but their eyes still gave away their desires. How many of her patients had spent half of the examine studying her breasts? John and Ed could talk to a woman for hours without once looking at her in the least lecherous manner. They actually listened and understood what was important to the woman. It went beyond respect, it was love.

Shaking his head, Ed didn't understand at all. He was about to reply when Sherry and Jim showed up. Taking a good long look at his cock, Sherry said, "They've got ten more minutes and then I expect to see the others here."

Smiling over at Sherry, he put an arm around her and said, "Don't worry. John will be down here for you."

With a hurt look on her face, Sherry was about to say something when Beth interjected, "It's not that he doesn't want to, it's just that he doesn't get it."

Shaking his head, Ed explained, "Sherry, Beth has this wild idea that you want to sleep with me. Now I know that after all the pain that I've given you in the past that is the last thing that you would want to do. I'd appreciate it if you would explain that to her because she just doesn't believe me."

Jim and Sherry broke out laughing so hard that they had to support each other to keep from falling down. Tears were rolling down Sherry's face from laughing so hard. It was hard for Beth to stand there with a straight face. Ed thought, 'It wasn't that funny.'

When John, Kelly, and Ling came down to meet them, Jim and Sherry were still breaking up into laughter. When one of them would get control, the other would raise an eyebrow and it would set them off again. John said, "I don't know what's so funny, but your hour has started. Your wish is our command!"

It took a minute, but Jim finally got control long enough to say, "We want to have a little fun in that swimming pool of yours."

The request took everyone by surprise, most of all Ed. It was his understanding that Sherry was ready to have a little fun with John. The others were surprised because they knew that today was the day that Sherry was going to get Ed in bed. The first to recover was Kelly. She said, "Great. Let's go."

It didn't take long for them to walk the twenty feet to the pool room. For Jim and Sherry, undressing didn't take much longer. Not waiting for anyone else, Jim and Sherry to jumped in the pool. The rest of the family joined them in the pool. It was a nice relaxing time, with everyone talking and playing in the pool. Jim and Sherry would occasionally break out into laughter much to Ed's confusion.

When the hour was up, Jim and Sherry swam over to Ed. Noticing them coming towards him, Ed prepared to be splashed. Jim sidled up and asked, "Would you like to come up to our room for a few minutes?"

Pleased to be asked to join them in a private discussion, Ed said, "Sure."

He followed the pair to their room. He took the opportunity to examine Sherry as she walked in front of him. She was a large woman with a roll of fat around her waist, a large butt, and thick legs. Her back was broad, clearly a layer of fat.

In the room, Sherry turned around to face Ed. Her stomach bulged out and she had two humongous breasts that hung down due to gravity, but they retained their shape. She looked at Ed and said, "We would like it if you would make love to us. Will you?"

The request bowled Ed over. He had no idea that this offer was coming and had never considered making love to Sherry considering his past actions towards her. This was a moment of truth in which he could demonstrate that he had accepted her as she was. Knowing this, there was only one answer that was possible. Stepping up to her, he kissed her lips and said, "I would be most honored."

Hesitantly she put a hand on his chest, pushing him away with a light touch. She said, "You may not want to do it after I tell you what I would like."

Lifting an eyebrow, Ed asked, "It can't be that bad. I know you."

For the first time since they had left the pool room, Jim spoke. "Ed, she wants you to give me a blowjob. Then she wants you to make love to her and when I recover for me to take you in the ass."

Worried at the chance that he would reject this, Sherry said, "I know it is a lot to ask for the first time, but I have to see it."

Ed understood the reasons for her request, it was the final proof to her that he had changed. It was necessary for her to know that he had become everything that he had professed. Without hesitation, Ed proceeded to give Jim a blowjob. As he worked over the cock, Sherry masturbated with her hands moving fast and furious over her pussy.

When Jim came in his mouth, Ed turned and kissed Sherry sharing the mouthful of come with her. The result was a groan of pleasure from the woman as the reality of the situation came crashing down upon her. She wanted him and wanted him now. She begged, "Fuck me, fuck me now."

Ed had never made love to such a fat woman, thinking that must be disgusting. The sensations he felt when he mounted Sherry were surprising. When he thrust into her there wasn't the pain of pelvic bone hitting pelvic bone. Her whole body moved under him soft and yielding. Her breasts, arms, and legs enveloped him in comfort. The entire time he was atop her, she screamed words of encouragement and praise, "Yes, that's it. Perfect. Harder. Oh, that's great. Give it to me just like that. God, you're so big."

She was the first woman that Ed had been in bed with that talked throughout sex. Sure, most of the women moaned, made animal noises, or shouted out their pleasure, but none had ever kept up a constant stream of encouraging words. He found the experience exciting with the effect that he strove to greater effort.

When she came and hugged him tightly, he was surprised to discover that Jim was pounding away in his ass. Never had he been entered from behind without being fully aware of it. It was then that he realized that he had been so into fucking Sherry that he was not aware of anything else. He felt Jim come in his ass.

Sherry resumed driving him on with a continuous stream of shouts. "More, harder, faster. Squeeze my nipples, yeah just like that. Oh this is great. Come in me, fill me with your come!"

With a great final thrust into her, he exploded. It was very intense, curling his toes with muscles locked forcing his cock deep inside. Spasms shook his body as he shot his come deep inside her. She came a final time from feeling the force of his pleasure.

When everything was over, she lay in bed sandwiched between the two men with tears running down her cheeks. The man that had tortured her with cruel words for years had done all that she had asked and the deep wound inside healed. For Ed, this was a healing process as well. He knew that she had really and truly forgiven him.

Ed spent the rest of the afternoon in bed with Jim and Sherry. Without anyone putting pressure on anyone else, they relaxed and enjoyed themselves. When dinner time came, they dressed and went to the dining room.

Entering the dining room, everyone's eyes were upon Ed and Sherry. Disappearing into the background, a very happy and satisfied Jim watched as people kidded Ed and Sherry. Sherry winked at Ling, Beth, and Kelly when she said, "Sorry, girls. I ruined him for skinny women. You better start gaining weight gals."

As everyone laughed, they sat at the dinner table for a family dinner. Looking around at his family, Ed asked, "By the way, how did we lose so soundly today? We almost always win."

At the far end of the table, Jim waved and said, "We were directing them from above."

John slapped the table and said, "I knew it. We couldn't have been that bad today."

Kelly, Beth, and Ling laughed. Looking over at them, Ed said, "You knew!"

Kelly answered, "Of course we knew."

Morning came early for Ed and it was one of those mornings where he felt he was being driven by the Two-Sided One to act. He woke without his normal morning fuzzy mindedness and had an energy that made it difficult to dress. Leaving his room, he stopped by the kitchen to get a slice of toast. Eating it as he walked to the garage, it was with an incredible impatience that he waited for the garage door.

Driving out of the garage, he drove through town not knowing where he was headed. He turned as he felt it was necessary, ending up in front of a house in a very rich neighborhood. There were several cars already in the driveway so he parked at the street. Walking up to the house, he knocked on the door.

Fred Hopkins, a FBI agent in the Phoenix Office, answered the door. Both men were surprised to see the other. Fred asked, "Ed, what are you doing here? Did Ann or John send you?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "I was sent here by an urge that I can't explain. What's going on?"

"Kidnapping. We have a ransom note," replied Fred as he led Ed through the house to the family. Several police officers were standing around the house and watched as Ed passed through.

Ed looked around the house, feeling uncomfortable and stopped at the table where a note was in a plastic bag. After a single glance at the note, Ed said, "The note is a fake. There was no kidnapping."

Fred, having seen Ed at work, froze and looked at the cops. To the nearest cop, he said, "This guy is never wrong. Quite working on the assumption that this was a kidnapping."

The urge to work came over Ed and he directed, "Let's go talk to the family."

Following Fred into the kitchen, he found a tired looking man drinking coffee holding the hand of a woman crying into a napkin. Looking at the man, Ed said, "Tell me exactly what happened."

The man said, "I woke up this morning hearing my wife screaming. I went to her and learned that my daughter was missing. There was a ransom note on the bed. I called the police and they came here. They called in the FBI."

Ed looked at the woman and said, "Tell me what happened."

She replied, "I woke up this morning and found my baby was gone. I started screaming and my husband came into the room. That was when we discovered the ransom note."

Sitting down in a chair directly across from the man, Ed said, "Ma'am, tell me what you did last night."

Looking at Ed, she said, "Last night, I went to bed like normal. I checked on her before going to bed and everything was fine."

The like normal bothered him and Ed asked, "Did you hear anything during the night?"

The woman answered, "No, I was out like a light. I took my sleeping pill like I always do."

That was the truth. Looking at the man, Ed asked, "Did anything happen last night?"

"Nothing, out of the unusual."

"Did you hear anything?" Ed was feeling uneasy. The man was lying.

"No," answered the man as he struggled to stifle a yawn.

The man was lying again and was tired. It suggested that he didn't get much sleep during the night. Ed asked, "Did you kill her?"

Angry, the man stood up and said, "What are you trying to say? Are you trying to suggest that she wasn't kidnapped? There was a ransom note!"

Grim faced, Ed stared at the man and said, "Answer the question, did you kill her?"

The man spat out, "No! I didn't."

There were no doubts left in Ed's mind, the man was lying. He asked, "What is the relationship between you and the missing girl?"

"She's my step-daughter."

Disgusted, Ed said, "Let me guess. You were in the habit of visiting her in her bedroom late at night after your wife went to sleep after taking a sleeping pill. Last night something happened and you killed her."

The man moved around the table to strike Ed, but Ed was faster and had the man in an arm-lock before he could strike. Looking past the man, Ed said, "Fred, cuff him. I'm going to have to grill this guy until we locate the body."

The woman was crying uncontrollably and bordered on hysteria. He left the room and went to get one of the police officers. The same officer that Fred had talked to earlier saw him and asked, "What do you need?"

Ed answered, "I need a female police officer to take care of the woman. The husband killed her daughter."

The officer nodded and went to the phone. Returning to the kitchen, Ed looked at the man sitting in the chair. He asked, "Is her body within a mile of here?"

"I told you. I didn't kill her," growled the man.

Ed leaned forward and said, "Listen to me. I know you did it."

The man replied, "I want a lawyer."

Ed sat in a chair and said, "You haven't been charged yet."

"I still demand a lawyer," replied the man.

The wife said, "Leave my husband alone. My baby's been stolen from me. You've got to find her."

"Give him a phone and let him call his lawyer," said Ed to Fred. He added, "I'm going to look at his car."

Grabbing one of the policemen, Ed went out to the garage. There were two cars parked there. One of them was clean and the other was very dusty. He looked at the dusty car and said, "This car was out in the desert west of town relatively recently."

The officer asked, "How do you know it was west of town?"

Smiling because he had an in-depth knowledge of the geology of the area, Ed said, "I recognize the soil. If you can send an officer out there and check for buzzards, we might find the body. Otherwise, we'll have to take a helicopter out and look for tire tracks off some of the main roads."

The officer looked around the garage and pointed to a shovel. He said, "The shovel has been used in the same area."

Nodding, Ed said, "Still might be buzzards. Time to get the lab boys out here."

Entering the house, Ed had a long discussion with Special Agent Fred Hopkins. They went through the case as Ed had been able to put it together. It was frustrating to know that the person did it, but not to get the truth out of him. Ed went through the house with one of the policemen. When he got to the bedroom, he looked at the cop standing there and realized that he looked familiar. It took several minutes to recall the name of the man. Smiling, he said, "Officer Harrigan."

The cop turned and looked at Ed without recognizing him. He said, "I'm Officer Harrigan."

As a result of the lack of response, Ed knew that the officer didn't recognize him. He asked, "Have you found any brown haired people that I can beat up?"

The comment immediately reminded the man where he had met Ed. He burst out laughing and said, "So sorry I didn't recognize you. I tell the story all of the time in the station. I don't think a single person believes that it actually happened."

Ed laughed until he looked in the room. He could see the lies in the room and they gave him a headache. With an edge of anger in his voice, he said, "Those aren't the sheets that she was sleeping on last night. The walls have been washed."

As he returned to the kitchen, Fred said, "His lawyer is here."

Ed went into the kitchen where the man was talking with the lawyer. Ed took one look at the lawyer and a huge smile grew on his face. As the lawyer turned to look at him, he said, "Hi, Jim."

It was several hours later that the body was discovered and sufficient evidence had been collected to charge the man with murder. Jim had found a lawyer to take his place, declaring that he had a conflict of interest.



-------

Chapter 3


Every Friday afternoon at the university, the geology department pizza party was held as a result of an anonymous donation to the department. Only a handful of people knew that Ed was the benefactor. Ed made it a point to work on Friday's so that he could attend the party. It was something that he enjoyed, not because he was paying for it, but because this was a time when people let their hair down and discussed their studies. Ed lived to talk about rocks.

This was the first pizza party of the school year and there a number of new students were in attendance. Ed enjoyed talking to the new students and made sure that every year he attended the first pizza party. It was his chance to discover their hopes and dreams for the future before they became totally involved in the program.

One of the new graduate students was Kim. She had decided that she should pick up her MS before it was too late for her to return to school. She came over to Ed right after he had taken a bite out of his slice of pizza and said, "Hello, Ed."

He turned and saw her for the first time since his graduation party. Checking her out, he saw that she had lost a little weight, but not much. Rushing to eat his bite of pizza, he waved his hand in the universal gesture of wait while I finish chewing and then I'll talk to you. Once he had swallowed his bite of pizza, he said, "It's so good to see you again. I thought you had dumped me."

Frowning at the idea that Ed had even considered that, Kim answered, "I've been in therapy working through a number of issues. After Lily finished treating me, I chose to follow up with another therapist. I didn't want to see you until I knew that I could deal with facing your wives."

Setting the slice of pizza back on its plate, Ed asked, "And now?"

"Now, I know I can."

There was a surety and honesty in her voice that he had never heard before. Curious as to how she could say that with such confidence, he asked, "How do you know that?"

She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I've spent every night this week in a Lesbian bar."

This was an extremely surprising revelation. Ed wondered if this meant she was sleeping with women. However, that wasn't something he could ask outright. He asked, "What does that mean?"

Smiling, she said, "Last night I danced with a woman all evening and even hugged her without feeling ill. I know that I can deal with women now, even women that love other women."

There was no doubt in Ed's mind that Lily was a miracle worker. Smiling at her, he said, "So does that mean I have an assistant for my consulting?"

"You bet," replied Kim. She hugged him, almost knocking his slice of pizza off the plate in the process, and said, "I was hoping the offer was still on the table."

"What about your business?" asked Ed setting down the plate.

At his concern for her business, Kim smiled and said, "I hired two people to cover the store for me. One to work the front and one to work the back of the store."

This was good news for Ed since he had consulting work that had piled up recently. He would be able to use her assistance on a number of them. Most of his time was spent collecting ore samples. With a helper, he could cut the time spent at each location in half. He asked, "That's good news. I think you'll find that your work as my assistant will more than cover the cost of employees at the store. When would you like to start?"

Smiling, Kim said, "Actually, the woman that I have working the front counter is some sort of local new age guru. She helped me expand my line of products and sales have tripled. She's paying for all of us at the store."

The news that she had actually hired a woman was incredible. He had sent several women over to interview for that job, but she had sent each away with the weakest kinds of excuses, even telling one very capable candidate that the position had been filled when it hadn't. Rather than make a big deal out of it, he replied, "That's great."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Aren't you going to make a comment about me hiring a woman?"

"No," replied Ed. Eyeing the pizza with hunger, he added, "I know Lily is one of the best at what she does."

"She's a Druid, just like you are," said Kim. There was something otherworldly about the Druids, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Ed and John had that quality, and then she had recognized it in Lily.

"Yes, she is," replied Ed.

Having hoped for more of a discussion about that topic, she realized that he wasn't going to accommodate her. She wanted to learn more about the Druids and asked, "So how does one become a Druid?"

"If you are called, you will know," replied Ed. There was no way that he would send someone to the Gods or Goddesses without knowing for a fact that they were called.

Frustrated, she changed the subject. "So, what are your plans today?"

This had been a busy day for Ed and was going to remain busy until late. This morning, he had walked through the IRS office marking up suspect tax forms. That was followed by three hours in his lab analyzing mineral specimens from several mines around the world. He was performing a detailed analysis of the matrix in which crystals grew and wanted to compare the chemical and structural compositions from various locations around the world. Then it was this pizza party. After that, he was supposed to go to the Fusion Foundation for another meeting concerning their fire fighting efforts. After dinner, it was a photo shoot. He answered, "Busy day today. Tomorrow is not going to be so busy."

Shyly, Kim asked, "Could I visit you tomorrow?"

Hesitating just a second, Ed considered what might happen if she came to the house. It wasn't clear to him how she would interact with Kelly, Beth, and Ling. He answered, "I'm sure that Kelly, Beth, and Ling would enjoy seeing you."

"Ling?"

Ed hadn't realized it until now, but Kim did not know about the marriage with Ling. He answered, "Our new wife."

Expecting some hint of jealousy, Ed was surprised when she said, "Cool. Three men and two women, I bet you guys must get quite a workout."

Ed laughed and said, "We are looking for another husband."

Shaking her head, she accepted their lifestyle but knew she could never live within that kind of marriage. Although she enjoyed her time with Ed, she didn't love him in the way that the rest of the family loved him. When she married, she wanted the man for herself.

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Professor Simms. Smiling at Ed and at Kim, he said, "I see that you know each other. My past and present students together."

Kim replied, "Ed and I have known each other for a long time. We are rock hunting buddies."

Professor Simms knew that there wasn't a better recommendation than that and said, "I have great expectations for you."

While the professor and student talked, Ed finished his slice of pizza. Looking over the remaining pizzas, he was depressed to see that all of the pepperoni pizzas were gone. He settled for a slice of a plain cheese pizza. Eating it, he looked around at all of the people talking animatedly about rocks and smiled happily to himself.

Checking his watch, he realized that he had to leave to reach the Fusion Foundation on time. After saying good bye to Kim and Professor Simms, he grabbed another slice of pizza and headed out to his meeting. As he stepped out of the building, he realized that he had been eating a lot of meals on the run lately. It reminded him of when he was working full time and trying to go to school full time.

Arriving home late from the Fusion Foundation meeting, he entered the dining room finding everyone in the middle of the main course. As he sat at the table, Marguerite came out of the kitchen and, with hands on her hips, glared at him. Upset, she said, "You missed the appetizer and the soup courses."

With a negligent wave of his hand, Ed replied, "I'll pick up with the main dish."

Marguerite stomped out of the room and returned with a plate of Shrimp Scampi. Smelling the dish, Ed said, "It smells good."

Correcting him, she said, "It smells great."

Laughing, Ed replied, "Really, I didn't notice."

Taking a piece of bread, Ed dipped it into the buttery sauce. He tasted it and, winking at Ling, said, "Hmm, it tastes familiar. What is this dish supposed to be?"

"Barbarians! I work for Barbarians!" cried Marguerite as she headed into the kitchen.

Everyone around the table laughed at the exchange. Even Marguerite knew that Ed liked to pretend that he didn't like the food just to get a rise out of her. Ed said, "Busy day."

John asked, "We're not supposed to discuss business at the dinner table, but I'm very curious about the Fusion Foundation and what you decided."

"Five new planes," answered Ed. They had initially purchased high load lift helicopters and now were expanding the fleet to include planes for dropping water and fire retardant chemicals on the fire. Two plane crashes in the Forestry Department motivated the decision.

"Good," answered John. He had hoped that is what they would decide, but he wasn't going to voice his preference. It seemed like the entire summer was spent fighting fires and the effect on the equipment was significant.

Kelly asked, "Anything interesting happen to you today?"

Smiling, Ed said, "Yes, as a matter of fact. You won't believe who I ran into today."

"Who?" asked Ling.

"Kim," replied Ed as he looked around the room to see the reactions that various people had to the news.

Kelly replied with a very polite, "Oh."

"It appears that she has been hanging out at lesbian bars recently," said Ed.

"Oh?" asked Beth. The idea of Kim hanging out at a Lesbian bar was very interesting. She glanced at Kelly to see how she took the news.

Ignoring the real news, Kelly focused on the rest of his statement. She asked, "Lesbian Bars? There are Lesbian Bars in Phoenix?"

Shrugging, Ed said, "I guess so. I've never heard of one, but then it is highly unlikely that a lesbian would invite me to that kind of place."

Puzzled, Ling asked, "Why would she hang out at a lesbian bar?"

"She says that she did it to get over her fear of lesbians. She even danced with one all night and hugged her at the end of the night," answered Ed.

Less willing to accept that Kim had changed, Kelly said, "I guess we will see."

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes, I guess we shall. I invited her over tomorrow."

Beth and Kelly exchanged a look as Ling watched with a curious expression. Of the three, Ling had never really dealt with Kim and didn't understand her fear of women that enjoyed women in a sexual fashion.

Ed ate his Shrimp Scampi while the women talked about Kim. Much of what Kelly said was not very complementary, but Beth was much more understanding. Ling's response to the matter of being afraid of lesbians was that it was stupid. Her position reflected her attitude towards fear in general. If a person is afraid of something, you face that fear until it is gone.

When the main course was finished, Marguerite brought out a salad. Ed looked at the salad and noted that it was a garden salad rather than a lettuce salad. As soon as she had set down the last plate, Ed smiled at Marguerite and asked, "What kind of rabbit food is this?"

Marguerite answered, "It is a garden salad."

Afraid of what was coming, Kelly and Beth shook their heads in the hope that Ed would notice and stay silent. Ed said, "All you have to do to make a salad is cut a head of lettuce into quarter slices, throw a slice on a plate, and pour half a bottle of Thousand Island Dressing on it. This looks like you were out weeding the garden."

Upset, Marguerite stood there staring at Ed with her hands clenched into fists. She was about to blow and John's laughter wasn't helping. Ed waited until she was really worked up and said, "By the way, I entered you in the International Private Chef Culinary Contest."

Mouth open, Marguerite stared at Ed in shock. The rest of the family expressed their surprise that Ed would think of doing that. The entry fee was twenty thousand dollars and only the best private chefs in the world competed in the weeklong event. Whispering, she asked, "Are you serious?"

Nodding his head, Ed answered, "Very serious. Submitted the paperwork a month ago and got the acknowledgment today."

She faced five days of preparing three meals a day with blind judging of the meals based on presentation of the dish, nutritional value, and taste. As her face turned white, she said, "I only have two months to get ready for it."

Nodding, Ed said, "Yes, that sounds about right. I gave the details to Cathy to give to you after dinner."

As the magnitude of the gesture solidified in her mind, she suddenly threw herself at Ed and kissed him while hugging him tightly. The excitement she felt was clear to everyone around the table. When she finally released Ed, he said, "The rules say that you can have an assistant. You might consider taking Bob."

Flustered, Marguerite didn't know what to do next. Finally, she said, "I better get in there and work on sauces for the soufflé."

As she ran towards the kitchen, she stopped to return to Ed and hug him one more. So excited that she could hardly focus, she ran back to the kitchen shouting, "Thank you. Thank you."

At the table, Kelly said, "That was a nice thing you did for Marguerite. You just made her day."

"Her day? I think you just made her year!" suggested Beth.

Looking across the table at Ed, Ling felt an overwhelming love for the man. He would tease and tease until you were frustrated, but to let you know that it was just teasing he would give you something that was a dream. Marguerite was a very lucky woman to work in this household. She said, "I think it was wonderful."

Shrugging, Ed asked, "She's earned it. Now Beth, what's the idea behind this photo session you set up?"

The change in topic would have been jarring to most people, but it was expected in this crowd. Excessive praise was always deflected with a change in topic. Beth answered, "I was thinking the other day about Ling and how her addition to the family has changed things a bit."

Ling looked surprised and was afraid that she had changed things in a negative way. She asked, "Changed things how?"

Beth answered, "The original marriage contract allowed for a very dynamic family with members leaving and entering the marriage over time. However, it was static for so long I think that we forgot that things could change."

Nodding her understanding, Ling said, "I can see that."

Puzzled, John asked, "I don't understand what that has to do with the photo session."

Beth said, " This family could live long after we are all gone. I was thinking that we have no photographic record of the marriage group. I'd like to decorate a wall with our pictures and the date at which we entered into the marriage."

Smiling at the idea, Ling said, "You mean like a gallery like you see in a castle that has generations of the leading members of the family?"

The idea that the family could last beyond his lifetime really appealed to Ed. It seemed to him that leaving a photographic record of themselves for later generations was a right thing to do. Nodding thoughtfully, he said, "I like the idea."

Although she had not advertised it, Kelly had been generating a history of the family since the very first day it began. She had collected all kinds of pictures of the family members in very situations. The idea of having official portraits would be nice to include in her documents. She said, "That would be great."

Beth said, "I thought that each of us should have a picture taken in a way the identifies us and our interests. We should also have a formal portrait."

"How would that work?" asked John.

Excited, Beth answered, "The photographer explained to me that we could have a full portrait taken and a little inset picture that shows us as we pursue our interest."

John pictured it in his mind and then said, "You mean we would have a picture of Ed's head and shoulders with an inset picture of him looking at rock. I like it. So how do you see each of us posing for the inset?"

Beth answered, "Ed looking at rocks, of course. You in your cloak while you are holding your walking stick. Kelly wearing her nurses uniform. Ling wearing her fighting outfit. And I guess me as a doctor."

Looking over at Kelly, Ed countered, "I'd like to see her in the role of instructor of nursing."

In a quiet voice, Kelly said, "I have some pictures that I've taken that I think are perfect for each of us. I have one of John using his walking stick and wearing his cloak hiking out of the desert with Rover. I have one of Ed at that dig we went on with him where he is working on removing a rock. I have one of Beth in the emergency room at the hospital where she is about to put the paddles on a patient in cardiac arrest. I even have one of Ling in a martial arts contest where she's throwing an opponent."

Marguerite came out of the kitchen with individual Chocolate Soufflés and set them in front of each person. The Soufflés were outstanding as always. As they ate, they continued to discuss the photos. Everyone agreed that the photos that Kelly described would be perfect, it was just a question of whether the photographer would agree to use them.

Exasperated that it was even a subject of discussion, Ling argued, "We are paying him so he'll do it."

Shaking his head, John said, "No. Beth undoubtedly got the best portrait photographer that she could find. You don't tell artists how to do their job."

Observing the look of disappointment on Kelly's face, Ed said, "However, we can show him the pictures and let him decide."

Brightening, Kelly said, "I will get them for him after dinner."

Shrugging her shoulder, Ling said, "Just tell him to use them."

Ed ate his Chocolate Soufflé, enjoying each bite. To complement the soufflé, Marguerite had prepared white chocolate, dark chocolate, and raspberry sauces. After trying each one, Ed didn't know which he preferred. They were all excellent.

When dinner was over, everyone sat around drinking coffee waiting for the photographer to finish setting up his equipment. As he sipped his coffee and ate the little piece of chocolate mint that Marguerite brought with the coffee, he wondered if he was dressed appropriately for a portrait. He asked, "Since this is for posterity, what are we supposed to wear?"

Beth looked at Ed and realized this was a problem. Unlike many rich people, they didn't worry much about impressing people with clothes. There had been more than one occasion where Ed had shown up at a formal occasion dressed in blue jeans. His attitude was that if they wanted his presence at some occasion that required him to dress in an arbitrary uniform just to show that he could, then they could live with how he dressed or have the occasion without him. She answered, "You and John should wear your robes. They are your most formal clothes and probably will be timeless. Us wives have plenty of clothes to choose from."

Nodding his head, Ed said, "Sounds good enough to me. Should John and I get ready so that when the photographer is ready you guys will have time to get dressed?"

They didn't have time to answer before Cathy came in the dining room and announced, "The photographer says that he is ready to take the pictures."

John and Ed left to get their robes. The wives continued to drink their coffees knowing that each picture was going to take a long time to set up. They had plenty of the time to prepare for their pictures.

Following John into the darken living room, Ed saw the backdrop, lights, and camera set up in an extremely complex fashion. There were lights aimed at the chair from all different directions. The photographer turned to look at the two men and raised an eyebrow at their robes. He said, "Hello, I'm Ben Waters."

Nodding at the man, John said, "Hello, Ben. I'm John Carter."

Ed echoed, "Hi, Ben. I'm Ed Biggers."

Pointing at the chair, Ben said, "Mr. Carter, would you like to be first?"

As John moved to the chair, he said, "It's Dr. Carter, but please call me John. We are an informal group here."

Ben moved over to John and started positioning him for the picture. He noticed the medallion around John's neck and asked, "Do you want to wear that in or out?"

With a quick glance to Ed, John reached in and pulled the medallion out from under his robe. Ben picked up a Polaroid and took a picture. Waving it in the air, he waited for the picture to develop. Watching him, Ed said, "You're taking Polaroid pictures? I thought we were getting real portraits."

Laughing Ben held up the Polaroid for Ed to examine and said, "See how the light reflected off the medallion? That means that I will have to be very careful in how I pose him. See that faint light spot behind him. That means I will have to adjust the lights so that it goes away."

Frowning, Ed asked, "So how long is this going to take?"

Adjusting one of the lights, Ben answered, "As long as it takes."

"Five minutes?" asked Ed.

"More like an hour before I'm satisfied. Then we'll have to get the expression right," answered Ben. He made very subtle changes to the lights, flashing them several times while staring at the area behind John. Satisfied, he positioned John to face a little to the side and took another instant picture.

Deciding that standing there for an hour would not be much fun, Ed asked, "Why does it take so long? Last time I had my picture taken was when I was a kid, but it took only five minutes."

Frowning at Ed, Ben said, "If you want a picture in five minutes, go to the shop in a mall and you'll get an image that bears a slight physical resemblance to you in five minutes. I'm trying to capture the inner essence of the person and that takes a bit longer."

Thinking about it, Ed knew that Ben must know what he was talking about, as that was what made him the best. It also made him wonder what the photographer would capture about him. He watched as Ben worked and the care he took about each and every detail. It was easy to see that this was another man that cared about excellence. That was a character trait that he could understand.

Finally, Ben took another instant picture and looked at the results. Smiling to himself, he moved over to the other camera. With a few adjustments, he positioned John within the viewfinder and then stood up. He said, "I want you to think about your duties as Grand Druid."

Magically, a deep thoughtful look came over John's face. His eyes narrowed, brow wrinkled, and lips tightened just a little. It was almost a dark brooding expression that suggested great wisdom and responsibility. Ben snapped the picture and stepped back extremely pleased with the image he knew he had captured.

He said, "You can get up now, John. I'll take Ed's portrait now."

Ed sat at the chair in his black robe. Hesitating, he reached in and pulled out his medallion. Once Ed was in the chair, Ben snapped an instant picture. Looking at it, he shook his head. With the dark background and the black robe, Ed looked like a floating head on a gold ice cream cone created by the medallion. Going behind Ed, he selected a slightly lighter background that would provide just enough contrast so that Ed's robe would show up, but not enough to wash out the flesh tones.

As Ben worked, John and Ed talked about tomorrow's visit by Kim. While Ed was pensive about the likely outcome, John was very positive that it was going to be a good visit. Ed said, "I don't really care if she comes here. I just miss going out to hunt rocks with her. It's nice to have someone there with whom to share a great find."

John thought about sharing and looked up at the clock. Shaking his head at the time, he said, "We might miss sunset tonight."

Looking over at the clock, Ed realized John was probably correct. That whole week they had missed sunset for one reason or another. Perhaps they could make it to the roof tomorrow. He asked, "What's your schedule like tomorrow?"

Sitting back on the couch, John answered, "It's pretty light. Tomorrow morning, I've got to meet with William Redman to work out the final details for the Native American College. After that, I'll meet with Jim to go through some additional legal details so that I get proper tax credits for the funds I'm using to set up the college. Probably have a teleconference with Jack to make sure that the money is transferred to the correct accounts. After that, I'm free for the whole day. How about yourself?"

Frowning, Ed answered, "I have a paper to finish before the conference deadline. I am going to work on that the whole weekend. Sometime during the day Kim is coming by. I'm hoping that it is early in the day, but we didn't establish a time. I'm supposed to visit Cathy tomorrow night, but I'm thinking of rescheduling."

Ben had been working the entire time on setting up the lights and camera. Finally he was ready and moved to adjust Ed's position one last time. Stepping back to the camera, he said, "Think about riding on the range."

Ed's face adopted a far away look as if he were scanning the desert horizon with the slight touch of awe that comes with realizing one's place in the universe. After a moment of delay to allow the look to fully develop, Ben snapped the picture. He smiled at Ed and stepped back. With a nod of his head, he said, "Perfect. Taking a second picture would be a waste of film."

Ben had taken thousands of pictures in his time and he was amazed at how photogenic these two men were. Most people masked their emotions and inner selves so that it took attempt after attempt to capture that spirit. With both of these guys, a single attempt was all that was necessary.

Standing up, Ed looked around the room. Beth, Kelly, and Ling came into the room. Beth and Kelly were wearing the Medieval Garb from the party. Ling was wearing a Victorian Lace Dress. All three of them looked stunning. Ben turned and stared at the women, surprised by their choice of dress. Seeing the look on his face, Kelly said, "They make us feel like Princesses."

Pointing to her Victorian attire, Ling said, "Of all the people here, I'm the most conservative."

Waving goodbye, John and Ed went upstairs to watch the stars. They had missed the sunset, but there would be stars all night.



-------

Chapter 4


Typing with his typical two-finger hunt and peck, Ed slowly put together his paper for the conference. It would take all day just to type it out, but he didn't want to intrude on Cathy to type it for him. As a result, he typed his own work at the rate of about ten words per minute. Since it took him so long to type something out, he often wrote it out in long hand and then copied it into the computer. He was a slow but sure typist, getting the contents right before he committed it to the computer. It had worked for his dissertation and it continued to work for him.

A knock on the door downstairs interrupted his concentration. Going downstairs, he answered the door expecting to find Kim. Instead, it was Ling. He said, "Hello, Ling."

"Hi, Ed," replied Ling. She looked at him and said, "I'm bored, would you like to play?"

Sighing, Ed said, "I'm sorry, I've got a paper to finish this weekend and it is going to take all of my time to finish typing it."

"I can type it for you," said Ling. This was a chance to kill some time and to put her excellent typing skills to use.

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I don't want to burden you with this."

Frustrated, Ling said, "I want to do it. I'm bored and this will give me something to do."

Giving in to her insistent pressure, Ed reluctantly agreed. Upstairs as he sat in a chair where he could watch her work, he was amazed at how fast she could type. She blew through the entire paper in less than two hours. When she was done, she sat back with a smile and said, "You can print it up now and proofread it. I don't think I introduced too many errors, but some of the technical terms I'm not sure that I spelled correctly."

Ed realized that even if he had to go through the paper and make corrections, she had saved him almost a full day of effort. Thankful for her help, he said, "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

Happy to have helped, Ling said, "I've been so bored since I got married."

This news surprised Ed. He asked, "Why?"

Embarrassed, Ling said, "I lost my job when I married into the family. I haven't been able to get a position that doesn't require me to be gone for months at a time. So while everyone else is going all over the place doing things, I'm here at home."

Understanding how she might feel about that, Ed said, "Oh, I didn't realize that. Is there anything else you would like to be doing?"

This was a question that Ling had asked herself hundreds of times over the past few months. She enjoyed her work, particularly since it came easily to her. She worked on occasion as a bodyguard, but most of her work was in setting up large site surveillance systems. There was something about making it impossible to penetrate a security barrier that was an incredible challenge and one at which she was good. Quietly, she answered, "I don't know."

The couple talked for a while before Ed said, "You said that you wanted to play when you came here. Did you have anything special in mind?"

Tilting her head, Ling answered, "Anything except sex."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "Why no sex?"

"I'm competing tomorrow and it isn't good to have sex a day before a competition." Ling was signed up for a statewide martial arts competition. With all of her spare time, she had started working out and getting back into fighting prime. Once in shape, she resumed her training.

"Tomorrow is Sunday," said Ed.

With an irritated look, Ling said, "The men's prelims are today and the final matches for the men are in the afternoon tomorrow. They put the women on in the morning before the final matches because we seem to draw an early crowd. It seems there are a lot of people that like to watch women fighting."

"So you are competing in what?"

"The state championship in martial-arts," replied Ling.

Glancing at all the work that she had saved him, he realized that he now had free time to watch the competition. He said, "Can we come?"

Embarrassed at her answer and feeling a little guilty for not having told everyone, Ling said, "I haven't competed in a long time, so I'd rather see how I do without having an audience."

Silently thinking about her answer, he knew that she didn't want to fail in front of the family. It was sad that she felt that way, but it was understandable in a funny sort of way. Seeking a compromise solution, Ed asked, "May I at least go and help you in some way?"

"What do you mean?" she asked,

"I could be in your corner, fetching water and helping between fights," answered Ed. Dropping into a stage whisper, he added, "And I could cheer on those rare occasions when you do something right."

Knowing that she wasn't going to be able to talk him out of coming, she said, "Only if you promise you won't tell anyone else."

Smiling at being able to support her, Ed said, "I promise."

"On that note, let's go swimming," suggested Ling. She wanted to move after sitting so long.

The two of them went down to the swimming pool and stripped. The water was the perfect temperature for swimming. Starting slowly, they began to swim laps speeding up with each lap until they were racing. Ling quickly lapped Ed and then stopped at the end waiting for him to make his way to her. Panting, he said, "You're in great shape. I hadn't noticed how tight your body has become."

"I've been working out," replied Ling proud of the way her body had become more defined as a result of her workouts and training.

After a morning of first-aid training, Kelly and Beth rushed into the poolroom ready for a nice relaxing swim. Seeing Ed and Ling in the pool, Kelly laughed and shouted, "I declare a chicken war!"

After both women stripped, they jumped in the pool. Climbing on Kelly's shoulders, Beth prepared to face off against Ed and Ling. With a wink, Ling climbed on Ed and shouted, "Charge!"

It didn't take a minute for Ed and Ling to depose Beth and Kelly. Ling slid off Ed's back into the water and came up shaking her hair. Water sprayed as she laughed. As the three women broke out into a splashing war, Ed moved over to the side of the pool watching his wives with great pleasure. It was amazing how much fun they had together.

Ed was startled when someone jumped into the water in front of him creating a huge splash. When the person rose to the surface and stood, he was surprised to see a totally naked Kim. She smiled at him and then let loose with a splash catching him in the face. Laughing, she said, "I told you I was coming here today. When Cathy told me you were here, I decided to join you. I hope you don't mind."

Still sputtering, Ed said, "I don't mind. You had just better be ready for retaliation."

Kim swam for the other end of the pool before Ed had a chance to splash her. Chasing after her, she effectively kept the other three women between them as a ploy to prevent him from splashing. Dumbfounded, Kelly and Beth watched Kim as she moved around the pool naked and appearing unconcerned with being seen by the two Lesbians. Ling said, "That is Kim."

Kelly said, "It looks like her, but doesn't act like her."

"You can say that again," remarked Beth. She stared at the naked woman as she pranced around in the water keeping just out of the reach of Ed.

When Ed finally caught Kim, he threw her up in the air causing her to land with a splash. Kim came to the surface sputtering while trying hard not to laugh. She swam over to Kelly, Beth, and Ling with a smile on her face. She stopped and said, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist splashing Ed."

Surprised to see Kim facing her naked and without shrinking away, Kelly said, "No problem. He said you were coming over."

Looking over her shoulder at Ed, Kim said, "He's worried that I'm going to say some nasty things. Actually, I would like to apologize for my actions in the past. As Lily pointed out to me, I was far sicker than I imagined. I know it is not an excuse, but I want you to know that I'm sorry."

After looking at Beth, Kelly said, "We understood that you weren't acting from a rational basis."

Taking a deep breath, Beth said, "How are you feeling now?"

Hesitantly, Kim said, "I've come to understand a number of things about my past. Much of what had happened to me was not very pretty. Lily helped me understand that it was not a normal set of experiences and that I have to grow beyond it."

Nodding in definitive approval, Ling said, "Good for her. Face your fears and conquer them."

The combative approach is not what Lily had suggested, but rather than argue she said, "I guess so."

Moving directly to the heart of the matter, Ling asked, "Are you afraid of us now?"

"Not really," answered Kim. Her brow wrinkled as she thought about how she felt at the moment. Finally, she said, "I'm not concerned that you will try to rape me. I know better than that now. There are still some people that I must admit that I fear, but most them have done something to me in the past."

Feisty Ling could not understand remaining a victim and said, "So when are you going to take them down?"

"When I'm strong enough to go through the experience, I'm prosecuting them for rape," replied Kim.

"Good," answered Ling. She added, "If you need someone to stand by you, I'll be glad to help."

Surprised by the offer, Kim looked at the little women and discounted her help. With a weak smile, she said, "I'll remember that."

While the women were talking, Ed moved up behind Kim. Winking at the others, he picked her up and swung her around. She squealed and flayed about shouting, "Rescue me from the bad man!"

The three wives unleashed a massive splash campaign at Ed. He was immediately overwhelmed by the superior numbers and retreated to the far end of the pool. The four women laughed as he climbed out. Standing next to the pool, he said, "Four against one. That's no fair. Little Eddy is not going to play any more."

As the women laughed, he jumped in the pool in a cannon ball and splashed them all. The move had taken them all by surprise. Standing up, he laughed at their reaction as they decided to surrender to superior trickiness. Everyone climbed out of the pool and sat down in chairs around the pool.

Marguerite came in with snacks and drinks. As she set little plates of food down, she said, "John is home. He'll be down in a minute."

Picking up one of the little appetizers, Ed said, "Are you sure this isn't cat food?"

Giving him a love tap on the side of his head, Marguerite said, "Yours is, theirs isn't."

Surprised, Kim looked at Marguerite wondering how the woman could get away with treating Ed in that fashion. It was difficult to miss the look that Kim gave Marguerite. Kelly said, "Don't mind them. They've had a food war ever since she started working for us, but he eats everything she serves him."

Laughing, Ling added, "He also signed her up for some cooking contest. Since then, he's been eating better than all the rest of us."

With a simultaneousness that was almost frightening, Ed and Marguerite said, "Don't believe a word they say."

The comment brought laughter to everyone in the room. As everyone relaxed in the chairs, eating the snacks provided by Marguerite, the conversation flowed around the room. The conversation turned to include John when he arrived with questions about his morning and afternoon activities.

Ed watched Kim as she talked with his wives. To his surprise, she was relaxed and didn't create any awkward moments. Lily had done her job well, but it was clear that she would never accept sex with other women and that meant she could never join the family. It was a shame, but limitation of her that he understood.

After the snacks had been eaten, Kim went over to her clothes and dressed. She turned and said, ìI have to get back to the store. I just wanted to stop by and say hello to everyone. I also wanted to thank you for your understanding in the past.î

Everyone made the appropriate comments and watched her leave. As soon as it was clear that she was gone, Kelly said, ìShe seems much better now.î

John nodded his agreement and said, ìLily really is a miracle worker.î

With more than a little sadness, Ed said, ìYes, Lily worked a miracle. It's a shame that Kim will never feel comfortable in having sex with women.î

Beth looked over at Ed knowing that he was disappointed and said, ìShe would never accept our kind of marriage.î

A little saddened, Ed said, ìI know.î

Ling, dressed in a clean Gi with a red belt, entered the fighting area, an eight meter by eight meter area covered by mats. In support, Ed gave her a thumbs-up gesture. He watched as her opponent, wearing a clean Gi with a white belt, entered the fighting area. It was the eighth match of the morning and Ed hadn't really been able to follow the action too much as he was helping Ling warm up.

Turning to the person sitting next to him, Ed asked, ìIs it fair for a red belt to fight a white belt?î

The person answered, ìThe belts are not indicating rank, but position on the mat. The person to the right of the referee always wears red.î

ìOh, î answered Ed.

The referee and assistant referee had taken up positions facing each other and on opposite sides of the fighters. As the person sitting next to him had said, Ling was positioned to the right of the referee.

After a series of bows, the referee shouted, ìShobu Ippon Hajime!î

The woman facing Ling started bouncing on her toes and adopted an aggressive pose moving towards Ling. There was a flurry of activity that Ed couldn't follow and the referee shouted, ìYame! Return to your starting positions.î

Turning to the person next to him, he asked, ìWhat happened?î

ìVery good move, î said the man. Turning to Ed, he replied, ìThe woman in red scored an Ippon.î

Ed turned in time to hear the referee say, ìMatch to Ling by Ippon. Solid blow to solar plexis.î

Standing, an excited Ed shouted, ìWay to go Ling!î

When he sat down, he realized that he had been the only one to say anything. She looked at him and waved as she left the mat. Making her way over to him, she said, ìThat went pretty fast.î

The guy sitting next to Ed said, ìI can't believe they had you seeded last. That was a good solid win.î

Looking at the guy, Ling said, ìThanks. This is my first competition after ten years, so I probably should have been seeded last.î

ìWell, you're in first place now.î

Ed sat there confused and asked, ìI'm afraid that I don't understand anything that's going on.î

Smiling at Ed, Ling said, ìThis particular competition is a seeded elimination match. The last seed fights the first seed while the second from the last seed fights the second seed, and so on. After the first round of matches, the process continues based on the seeding of the remaining fighters. This continues until there are only two fighters left.î

Ed was silent for a moment and said, ìThat means that the lower people don't have much of a chance.î

The guy sitting next to Ed said, ìThat's the whole point. You want the best fighters to last until the end. You don't want them eliminating each other at the very beginning.î

ìOh, I guess that makes sense, î replied Ed. He thought about it for a minute and then asked, ìSo what happens next?î

Ling said, ìI'll participate in the fourth match.î

The guy next to Ling said, ìIt should be a good match. I watched her fight and she probably should have been seeded fourth to begin with.î

Raising an eyebrow, Ling looked at the young man and asked, ìYou have a good eye for fighters?î

Smiling, the guy said, ìLet me introduce myself. I'm Sonny Timewell.î

ìI'm Ed Biggers and this is Ling Carter, î said Ed.

Waiting for recognition from either of the two, Sonny was very surprised at the lack of reaction. He was a nationally ranked fighter and a member of the Olympic Team. He could understand Ed not recognizing who he was, but a fighter of the quality of Ling should know who he was.

Ling said, ìI'm pleased to meet you.î

Ed knelt down and started massaging her shoulders helping to work any tension out of her muscles. Closing her eyes, Ling visualized herself in the next bout. Sonny watched as Ling became completely relaxed.

When it was time for her next bout, Ling changed to the white belt and took her place on the mat. While she was doing that, Ed turned to Sonny and asked, ìSo, do you do this stuff?î

Surprised by the way the question was worded, Sonny answered, ìYes, I'm nationally ranked.î

ìI take it that means you are good at this?î asked Ed.

Laughing, Sonny shook his head and pointed to the mat. At least this guy wasn't pretending to know more than he did. He said, ìThe bout is going to start any second now.î

After Ed turned to watch the mats, the referee shouted, ìShobu Ippon Hajime!î

Ling moved forward and appeared to stagger. Her opponent lashed out only to be surprised to find that Ling was not there. Ling took her opponent down, but Ed couldn't see what she had done. The action appeared to occur in slow motion as her opponent fell backwards with Ling lowering her to the ground. After a slight pause, the referee shouted, ìYame! Return to your starting positions!î

As Ling helped her opponent to stand, Ed turned to Sonny and said, ìWhat happened?î

ìIt looks like Ling won again with a very impressive Ippon.î Sonny watched as the winner was announced. He hadn't ever seen that move used in competition before and was very impressed. This young lady was clearly in a class of her own.

Ed turned in time to hear the referee say, ìMatch to Ling by Ippon. Take down followed by blow to the throat.î

Jumping up as he clapped his hands, Ed shouted, ìWay to go Ling!î

Laughing at Ed's cheers, he said, ìI take it this is the first one of these you've ever been to.î

ìYeah, how can you tell?î replied Ed He came forward and helped Ling over to where he sat.

She smiled at Ed and kissed him. With a wink, she said, ìI have the only cheering section in the whole place.î

She sat down as Ed rubbed her back. Sonny said, ìThat was a very impressive win.î

Eyes closed, Ling answered, ìThanks.î

Sonny looked at the competition line-up and said, ìYour next opponent likes to kick.î

ìSo do I, î replied Ling.

As Ed rubbed her back, he asked, ìSonny, what do you do for a living?î

Sonny watched the action on the mat, as the next bout was getting ready to start. He answered, ìI'm a policeman on the Phoenix Police Department.î

Interested, Ed asked, ìDo you know my friend, Officer Harrigan?î

The mention of Officer Harrigan triggered a memory in Sonny and he turned to look at Ed. Cautious, he said, ìYes, I do. He tells this story about an individual that stopped another man from harassing a gay guy by picking a three-way fight. This guy also solved a murder case where a guy raped and killed his stepdaughter.î

Shaking his head, Ed replied, ìYeah that was pretty ugly. He had been raping that poor girl for a year.î

ìSo you're that Ed Biggers. I've heard of you and John Carter, î replied Sonny.

Watching the match, Ed asked, ìHow come their matches seem to last a lot longer than the matches Ling is in?î

Ling giggled at the question and listened as Sonny answered, ìBecause Ling is so much better than her opponents.î

ìSo what does that word, Lipton, mean that they say when she wins?î

Sonny laughed and said, ìYou mean, Ippon. It means that she has administered a blow that if performed full force would have killed or rendered her opponent unable to defend herself. It is an automatic win.î

Ling opened her eyes and looked at the scoreboard. She changed her white belt for a red belt and, after giving Ed a wink, said, ìTime for me to show my stuff.î

Sonny leaned forward and said, ìThis should be good.î

Ed watched as the bout began with both women throwing a kick. Although all four judges raised their flags, the referee didn't stop the fight. After a slight pause where Ling expected to hear the fight stopped, she turned into a dervish throwing kicks at her opponent from everywhere on the mat. The referee shouted, ìYame! Return to your starting positions!î

Ed listened to the referee shout, ìMatch to Ling by Ippon. Win by a combination of successive and effective kicks to exposed areas of the body.î

Standing up, a very excited Ed hollered and clapped for Ling. She came over to the side with a frown on her face. Ed picked her up and swung her around as he said, ìWay to go, Ling! I can't wait to tell the family how you did.î

After he set Ling down, she said, ìThe referee should have stopped the fight after the first kick.î

Smiling at her, Sonny said, ìI'm sure that he didn't believe that you did that intentionally.î

Not mollified, Ling said, ìHe still should have called Waza Ari.î

Confused by the exchange, Ed asked, ìWhat is a Waza Ari?î

Ling said, ìIt is an Ippon that the referee judges to be executed with poor skill.î

Concerned that his wife may have been slighted, Ed said, ìI'd like a word with that referee.î

ìNo you don't. You can lose her next match for her that way, î replied Sonny.

Ling looked over at the clock and said, ìI've got four minutes before the next match. I need to get relaxed.î

Smiling at her with a wry smile, Ed said, ìSo I take it that isn't enough time for a quick blowjob.î

The question caused Ling to burst out laughing. She retorted, ìFour minutes is more than enough time for you.î

Holding his hands over his heart in an exaggerated manner, Ed replied, ìI've been wounded.î

Laughing, Ling lightly tapped him in the stomach. Amazed, Sonny watched as the easy teasing relaxed her faster than the massages that Ed had given her earlier. She said, ìYou are crazy, you know that.î

Ed said, ìI'll take you and Sonny out for lunch after the next round.î

ìCan I order the most expensive dish on the menu?î teased Ling. She knew that Ed could buy just about any restaurant in town with his savings from his consulting jobs.

Sonny said, ìI've got bouts this afternoon so I can't really leave here for long.î

Ed smiled and said, ìThat's okay. I've got reservations just down the street. We'll be in and out in time for you to make your bout.î

Ling said, ìEd Biggers, are you trying to set me up with him?î

Putting on his best cowboy drawl, Ed answered, ìWell, ma'am. This here's a dangerous sport and you need a feller in your corner so that if you get in trouble he can call the cavalry.î

Unable to believe Ed, Ling burst out laughing. She hugged him and said, ìYou win.î

Laughing, Ed said, ìI think Sonny here was supposed to say, Ippon.î

Shaking his head in disbelief, Sonny just said, ìI think it is time you get ready for your match. You've got a minute left before it starts.î

Ling checked the board and put on the red belt. She kissed Ed and asked, ìSonny, any advice on this one?î

ìSure, win, î replied Sonny. At the look of surprise on her face, he added, ìDon't play around with this one.î

Ling went out to the floor and waited for her opponent. Ed turned to Sonny and asked, ìSince she doesn't have a trainer, is there any chance that she can train with you?î

The idea that Ling hadn't had a trainer for this competition amazed Sonny. First he had learned that she hadn't competed in ten years and then discovered that she hadn't had a trainer. She was about to become state champion in the women's division. Awed, he answered, ìSure. That would be great.î

They returned to watching the match just at the time the referee shouted, ìShobu Ippon Hajime!î

Executing a double jump kick, Ling caught her opponent under the chin on the second kick. The referee called out, ìYame! Return to your starting positions!î

Turning to Sonny, Ed said, ìNow that one, I know what happened.î

It was with a smile that he listened to the referee shout, ìMatch to Ling by Ippon. Win by kick to chin of opponent.î

Without restraint, Ed jumped up and started clapping as he shouted, ìThat's the way to do it Ling.î

After the formalities on the mat were finished, Ling ran to Ed and jumped up on him. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, she said, ìThat was outstanding. I'm so glad that someone was here to see that.î

Kissing her as he bounced her up and down, Ed exclaimed, ìNext time the whole family comes.î

Sonny stood up and said, ìCongratulations. I take it you will be here for the medals ceremony later?î

ìYou bet!î replied Ed. He said, ìAfter Ling changes clothes, we'll go to the restaurant.î

As Ling ran off to the changing room with her bag, Sonny said, ìYou sure are supportive of her.î

Looking at Sonny, Ed said, ìI love her. I want her to be the best that she can be in all that she does.î



-------

Chapter 5


Marguerite and Bob were laughing and dancing the twist when the waiter came in the kitchen. For a full minute, he stared open mouthed at the pair amazed that on the first day of the cooking contest they were dancing fifteen minutes before he was to deliver the meal to the judges. The first three chefs had been working furiously to get everything done on time. She was dancing, the kitchen was clean, and there were two servings of lunch on the table for them. Once that classic song was over, another song came on the radio.

Working in time to the music, Marguerite went to refrigerator and removed a large pot containing Borsch. After putting the pot on the counter, she filled two tureens with the soup using a pitcher. Her choice of utensils surprised the waiter. While she carried one tureen over to one of the two rolling tables destined for the judges, Bob did the same for the other table.

The theme for this meal was a Ladies Garden Club luncheon and Marguerite had adhered to the theme very closely. She explained to the waiter how the soup was to be served to the judges. The soup was to be ladled into the bowl and the judges were to be asked if they wanted sour cream put on the top. Fresh flowers that helped the dish remain true to the luncheon scheme surrounded the bowls.

Once the Judges had satisfied themselves with the soup, the plates with the turkey wraps were to be served. She showed him how to set the turkey wrap upright supported by the cucumber stand in the center of the plate. The waiter was to insert the flower into the open end of the wrap so that it would look like a vase with a single flower. Below the wrap was a garden salad with black olives with small pieces of an olive inserted into it to form antennae, a slice of carrot had been trimmed to look like a caterpillar, and a radish was trimmed to look like a butterfly. To one side of the plate was a mushroom with the stalk made of slices of cherry tomatoes intermixed with small slices of goat cheese. Forming the head of the mushroom was a slice of a larger tomato, cut from one of the sides so that it was rounded on the top. Across the top of the plate were slices of bell pepper cut so that they looked like peapods. Inserted in the bell pepper slices were small Brussel Sprouts to serve as peas. Along the right side of the plate was a small pile of fruit pieces.

The dessert was homemade peach ice cream topped with sprigs of mint and an orchid. She had struggled to come up with a desert choice, almost going with a chocolate desert with a flower motif. However, in thinking it over, she decided that everyone would do that. In her opinion, nothing proclaimed summer days like peach ice cream.

The beverage was a strawberry smoothie. She had debated between the smoothie, iced tea, and iced coffee. It was only after she considered the drinks that other Chefs would provide that she went with the smoothie. Now that the meal was done, she was quite pleased.

The waiter looked at the plates with wide eyes. As a student at the Culinary Institute, he was shocked at the quality and imagination that went into this presentation. This was his third delivery and the presentation went far beyond anything he had seen so far. Every item on the table looked and smelled delicious. He said, "This is the best presentation that I've seen, yet."

"Oh, thank you," replied Marguerite. She listened to the music for a moment and then said, "Well, the song is about over and it is time for you to deliver the meal."

The waiter went to the door and called in the two people that were to take the tables to the judges room. As they grabbed the tables, he said, "Be careful with them."

Ed's morning had been a very different kind of day. He had eaten breakfast in the dining room for observers. There were thirty contestants and ten judges. Each meal ten Chefs prepared food for the judges while the other twenty prepared meals for the observers. He didn't know who had prepared the meal he ate, but it was good.

After breakfast, Ed took a taxi over to the New York office of the IRS. Sitting in the back of the smelly cab and watching the city go by, he felt a spiritual draining. While others might see the city as dynamic, he saw stagnation. Homeless people shuffling along the street, prostitutes parading their bodies, drunks staggering across the street, and filth on the sidewalks tore at his soul. There were too many people crowded together in too small of an area.

The cab pulled up in front of the Federal Building and Ed got out of the cab. Paying the cabby, he was astounded at how much the drive cost. Entering the building, he quickly found the IRS offices. When he showed his badge to the receptionist, her eyes got big as she said, "Special Agent Dr. Biggers, we've been expecting you."

Looking down at the nameplate, he said, "Lisa, please call me Ed."

The receptionist looked flustered and said, "Let me call Mr. Hutchinson and let him know that you've arrived."

Within a few minutes, Mr. Hutchinson entered the reception area and looked around for Ed. He didn't quite know what to expect, but it wasn't a cowboy complete with hat and boots. Walking over to Ed, he asked, "Dr. Biggers?"

Smiling at the uncomfortable expression on the other man's face, Ed said, "Please call me Ed. I'm a rather causal sort of guy."

Chad Hutchinson replied, "You can call me Chad. We were very surprised when we heard that you were coming by here. Is there anything you can do for you?"

Ed asked, "How many agents are assigned in this office?"

"Hundreds, why?"

The thought of going through an office area with the case files for a hundreds of agents made Ed sick to his stomach. He said, "Can you find a small conference room well away from their offices that I can use? I would like one agent at a time to come to the office with their case files. I can handle about six agents an hour without ill consequences. If you'll also provide me with some pencils, I would appreciate it."

Chad looked at Ed in puzzlement and said, "I don't know why you are asking this, but I'll do what you ask."

Following Chad down a hall to a small conference room, Ed took in his surroundings. He had no idea how anyone could work here day in and day out. The conference room was not that small and Ed took a seat on the side facing the door.

It was about ten minutes before the first agent showed up with a stack of files. He set them on the table and looked at Ed. Ed quickly started moving files one at a time from the tall pile to form a pile to the right. Finally, he hit a file that brought a wave a nausea and opened it. Grabbing one of the pencils, he went down the forms marking the falsified entries. When he finished that one, he closed it and set it to the left. He went through the stack finishing the entire pile in less than five minutes.

The agent had watched, fascinated at what Ed was doing. Ed sat back and said, "Those files are either correct or the errors on them were honest errors. Don't persecute them, just find the error and settle for the amount in error."

The agent looked at Ed in surprise and asked, "What about the penalties?"

"Drop them for an expedient settlement. These are honest people that made a mistake," replied Ed.

"Okay, I'll have to clear it with the boss."

Smiling at the agent, Ed said, "Don't worry about him. Now this other stack is a different matter entirely. These people have purposefully lied on their tax forms. I've marked each line that isn't correct with an 'X' so that you'll be able to track down how they did it. Now please take these files away. I find them offensive."

Ed sat back to relax a few minutes before the next agent came in the room. He repeated the process that he had followed with the first agent. Again it took him less than five minutes to go through all of the files. This agent just stared at Ed the entire time, not believing what he was seeing.

When he was done with that agent, Chad came into the room and asked, "What exactly are you doing? I looked over what you did on the cases that you examined and I don't understand how you could do that so quickly."

Ed stared at Chad, an act that brought chills to the agent. Ed replied, "I see and hear lies with complete accuracy. It is a gift from my Gods and Goddesses. I am using that gift to stop people that are harming others through deceit. Stealing from the American people harms us all. Harming innocents that have made honest mistakes is wrong as well. Don't hurt the honest, have them pay what they owe and let them go."

Voice shaking, Chad replied, "Okay."

Winking at him, Ed said, "If you have any concerns or doubts, I suggest you call Stan Bentley in the Billings Montana office and Gary Smales in the Phoenix office. They will give you the peace of mind to sleep tonight."

"I'll bring in the next agent."

Then next two hours dragged by as agent after agent filled into the office. He wondered how many of these he could tolerate in one day. Getting thirsty, he requested the last agent to have Chad come in the office. Ed waited staring out the window behind him and slowly turned when the door to the conference room opened. A much more respectful Chad came in and sat down across from Ed. After a hesitation of a second, Chad said, "I talked to the people you told me to call. They were very informative calls."

Changing the subject, Ed asked, "Is it possible for you to arrange someone to run some errands for me?"

Deciding that Ed was a special visitor, there was no reason his request couldn't be satisfied. Chad said, "I'll tell my secretary to come here."

Ed thought about it for a moment and replied, "I wouldn't want to disrupt your ability to do your job. Maybe there's a temp service around from which you can get someone over here. I'll pay the wages since they'll be taking care of my personal needs as well. I'll need them fulltime, night and day."

Chad stood up and said, "I'll take care of it."

"Good. Could you also ask the next agent to bring a Coke? I'm dying of thirst here," said Ed.

Chad went to follow up on the request. An extra five minutes passed before the next agent entered the room. He set the stack of files on the table. From the top of the pile, he removed a can of Coke and handed it to Ed. Setting the can aside, Ed pulled a single folder out of the pile and opened it. This had to be the worst of all the files that he had seen. Pencil flying over the page, he marked almost every line on every page of the file.

He threw it over to the agent and said, "Rake this person over the coals. I don't know who they are or much they owe, but considering the amounts on each line they are robbing the American public."

Ed found only one more file that needed his attention. He went through it in less than a second. The only two lines that caught his attention were two child deductions that were bogus. He put it on top of the other file and said, "That bottom file is really bad."

The agent opened it and looked at the name. He looked up at Ed and said, "This is one of the richest people in Manhattan."

Ed said, "Bring in some of his back filings and I'll go through them. When we are done with him, he's going to be a very changed man."

"Why are you so angry?"

"Here is a man that has more money than he could possibly use and yet he chooses to cheat the hand that has made all that possible. That money can do so much good for people, but he chooses to pamper himself at their expense," replied Ed.

"That's the nature of the rich," replied the agent.

Laughing, Ed said, "My husband is worth almost half a billion dollars and that is after giving away ninety-five percent of his money to charity. He has an accountant that does his taxes and they are then checked by a team of IRS agents. Any deduction that engenders any debate is dropped. Not all rich are greedy."

"Oh, that's right. Your husband is John Carter," said the agent. He couldn't imagine someone giving away ninety-five percent of his income to charities. He asked, "How rich are you?"

Smiling at the question, Ed answered, "I'm the richest man alive. I have three wives and a husband that love me. I can't imagine a greater wealth than that."

The answer puzzled the agent and then he said, "I meant how much money do you have?"

Ed answered, "I really don't know. I earned a hundred thousand last year with my consulting work. Outside of the moneys from the family that are used in the performance of my duties to the household, that is what I live on."

The agent left with the folder. Rather than another agent, a very large black women entered the room. She settled into a chair that protested the sudden weight. A frown grew on her face as she looked at Ed catching his raised eyebrow when the chair groaned its protest. Finally, she said, "Well, if it ain't Howdy Dowdy."

Chuckling, Ed said, "Not quite. I'm Ed Biggers, but you can call me Ed. I take it you are from the temporary agency."

"Yes, I am," replied the woman. She looked over Ed as though she smelled something bad and said, "I'm not sure that I want to work for you."

Her words rang true and Ed sat back to examine her. In a calm voice, he asked, "And why might that be?"

"I don't work for racists," said the women as he looked at him. She didn't trust cowboys, poor whites, and rich whites on general principles. She would work for rich whites, but only if the money was good.

"Neither do I," replied Ed. He added, "Nor do I allow racists to work for me."

That got a reaction out of the woman. With a barely restrained anger, she leaned forward and asked, "Are you saying I'm a racist?"

Ed leaned forward so that there was barely a foot separating their heads and answered, "I follow two rules in my life. If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. It is a sacred duty for me to live that way. I wonder if you can say the same."

The woman sat back and said, "I am one of the weak and I've been protecting myself from the strong my whole life. And you need to understand that I'm not too willing to trust the strong."

Her words rang of truth, she really did see herself as one of the weak who had to protect herself from the strong. He replied, "Now that we understand each other, what is your name?"

"Shuana Johnson," she replied.

Pulling a card from his pocket, Ed said, "Okay Shuana, take this card and call Cathy at my house. Tell her to arrange a room for you at my hotel and to get a food ticket for you. Next, I want you to buy an iced tea maker, a bag of ice, tea bags, and cooler for the ice. Finally, I want you to arrange a private limousine for the next six days starting this afternoon."

Shuana shifted nervously in her chair. The chair complained at the mistreatment. She asked, "How am I supposed to pay for all this stuff?"

Reaching into his back pocket, Ed pulled out three hundred dollars and his transportation debit card. As he handed them to her, he joked, "I can trust you not to run off to Hawaii with these, can't I?"

Looking at the card and cash, Shauna absently replied, "Sure."

There was a ring of truth in her words. He said, "Okay, get going. If you have a chance, stop and get me some sort of snack tray. I like to munch a little while I work."

Shauna stood up by leaning on the table and walked out of the room. As she left, another agent came in the room. Ed returned to his work. In the middle of the afternoon, Shauna came in and brewed some iced tea. She kept his glass filled and brought in a bunch of Chinese appetizers. Ed tried them and found them quite tasty although a little greasy.

The afternoon dragged on before it was time to leave. Exhausted with a terrible headache, Ed laid his head on the table. Even Shauna could tell that he was exhausted by the effort of the day. She came over to him and said, "Boss, time for us to get out of here. You look tired and should get some rest."

Somewhat shakily, Ed stood and went to the door. Shauna went to help steady him, but he said, "Just need to work out some of the stiffness. I dislike doing this so much."

She had seen him react to the folders and asked, "What's it like when you see those folders?"

"It's like listening to chalk squeaking across a blackboard, but a thousand times louder. I hear it until all the lies are exposed," replied Ed.

"The limousine is waiting downstairs," said Shauna as she led the way to the elevator. Pushing the down button, she looked over at Ed. Much to her surprise, she was worried about him.

When they reached the car, Ed got in the back with Shauna and immediately fell asleep. This was her first time in a limousine and the experience was very exciting. The driver asked for the destination and she told him the name of the hotel. Reaching the hotel, she shook him awake and they went in.

It took just a few minutes to check her into the room. The meal ticket for the competition was waiting for her at the counter and the clerk handed it over to her. With a sigh, he said, "You are one lucky lady to get one of these. I heard that a ticket went up for auction and sold for fifty thousand dollars."

Shauna looked at Ed in shock. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I'm given five of them for sponsoring one of the contestants. I gave two away to charities to use for fundraising. I'm keeping one in case another member of the family shows up."

Shauna was shocked to learn that she had been given a meal ticket worth fifty thousand dollars. She asked, "How can this ticket be worth that much money?"

Ed said, "I would like to think that it is because this promises to have the best meals cooked in the world for a solid week by the greatest private Chefs in the world. However, I fear that the real reason is that thirty of the richest people are represented here. Lots of near rich want to rub elbows with them."

Shauna asked, "Are you that rich?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No, I'm just an ex-cowboy that hunts rocks for a living. My husband is the rich one. Now, I'll let you get settled in your room and we'll meet down at the dining hall at six thirty."

Shaking her head, she said, "Okay. I'll be down there. Should I get something better to wear?"

"Why? I'm going dressed just like this," answered Ed.

Raising an eyebrow, she said, "If you say so."

Ed watched her walk away shaking her head. It was clear that he had thrown her a few curves over the course of the day. He went to his room and called down to Marguerite. When Bob answered, Ed asked, "So how are things going down there?"

Bob laughed as he answered, "Marguerite is dancing up a storm down here. I never knew that cooking was that physical."

He knew exactly what Bob meant about Marguerite dancing while she cooked. Just about every time that he went into the kitchen she was moving in time to the music. He said, "I'll let you get back to dancing. Have fun."

Bob answered, "I haven't had this much fun in ages."

After the call, Ed took a shower trying to get the tension of the day out of his system. As he washed, he wished that another member of the family was here to help him relieve some of the tension that he was feeling. He stepped out of the shower, dried himself, and dressed. It had been a long day and he wondered how long he could take working like he had today.

Pacing in front of the entrance to the dining hall, he was surprised to see Shauna arrive in a formal dress. She hadn't believed that he would show up in blue jeans, work shirt, boots, and cowboy hat. When she saw him, her mouth dropped open at his attire. He hadn't lied. She said, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't show up underdressed."

Shrugging, Ed said, "That's fine with me. I don't care what you wear, just so long as you are comfortable."

The pair went to the door of the dining hall. The man at the door requested to look at their tickets. Both Ed and Shauna presented their tickets. Looking Ed over, the man said, "You might want to consider more formal attire, sir. Friday is strictly black tie."

Ed looked at the man and asked, "What exactly is the point of formal dress?"

"To look better?" replied the man.

Ed asked, "Are you suggesting that I'm ugly?"

"No, sir. It's just that people tend to look more sophisticated in formal dress." The man at the door looked around in the hope of getting assistance.

Attempting to look like Laurel from Laurel and Hardy, Ed asked, "So I guess you're saying that I look like a country hick?"

Shaking his head, the man said, "I don't know what to say. Those are the rules. Formal attire is required Friday. Business casual for the other days."

The discussion was interrupted by laughter from a gentleman standing behind them. He said, "You remind me of my uncle. He didn't like to wear pretentious clothes either."

Ed replied, "I hope that puts me in good company."

"It does," replied the man.

"Good, would you like to join us at our table?" asked Ed.

"That would be nice," answered the man. He extended his hand and said, "My name is John."

Ed took his hand in a nice firm handshake and said, "My name is Ed and my assistant here is Shauna."

John looked at Shauna with a question in his eye, but chose not to pursue it. The three of them went to a table and sat down. Shauna had figured out the identity of John and was amazed that Ed talked to him just like another person. They ordered different dishes from the computer based menu that kept track of the quantities of each meal that was left. Each meal was presented with a picture and a description of the dish. The only information missing was the name of the Chef that had prepared the meal.

It didn't take long for the food to be brought to their table. Over the meal, the group talked. After a while, John asked, "What kind of charities do you support?"

Ed said, "I'm directly supporting a number of local charities at home. Mostly amateur arts like bands, plays, and other such things. I sit on the Board of the Fusion Foundation and I donate my time to the IRS. Occasionally, I do a little work with the FBI."

With a very surprised look on his face, John said, "The Fusion Foundation. Which activity are you most closely associated with?"

In a very offhand manner, Ed replied, "I'm in charge of the Emergency Response Section, but it basically runs itself now. I only have to sit through a couple of boring meetings a month."

While Ed remained ignorant of the identify of his dinner companion, his dinner companion had figured out who Ed was. More importantly Shauna had figured out who Ed was as well. She had participated in one of the Fusion Foundation Block Parties where they used the food that was reaching its expected shelf life to help build better community relations. She had thought it was a brilliant activity. She also used the local health clinic that was sponsored by the Fusion Foundation.

John said, "That means you are part of the Carter Family."

Surprised, Ed said, "Oh, you know about us."

Unable to believe that Ed was surprised at being recognized, John asked, "When you aren't doing charity work, what are you doing?"

"Hunting rocks and pursuing my research," answered Ed. He wasn't going to discuss his time spent with his family.

The discussion was interrupted with the arrival of Marguerite and Bob. They were finished for the night and came by to say hello to Ed. Sitting down at the table, Marguerite gave Ed a big kiss and said, "This was the best day of my life. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I heard you put in a full day of dancing," answered Ed.

John and Shauna watched not quite sure if they were following the conversation. Marguerite laughed as she replied, "You should have seen the waiter when he came in to deliver our lunch to the judges. We were dancing the Twist and he just stood there and stared."

Everyone at the table burst out at the image that invoked. Ed turned and performed the introductions, introducing Bob as Marguerite's dance partner. Ed asked, "When do we learn the standings?"

Marguerite answered, "They are going to post the rankings for each meal at nine. That's when they will tell us what we are preparing tomorrow. I was judged on lunch today."

Nodding, Ed said, "I'm sorry that I missed lunch. I spent the day at the IRS."

"Oh, you must be exhausted," said Marguerite.

Bob asked, "Do you need a massage tonight?"

Shaking his head at the nice gesture, Ed said, "No, you should probably get some rest tonight."

Puzzled by the exchange, John asked, "Is it normal for the assistant Chef to give massages in your household?"

Bob replied, "I'm not the assistant Chef. We don't have one. I'm just helping Marguerite with cleaning up and fetching stuff. I'm the handyman around the house. I take care of the cars, the garden, and repair things that break around the house."

John turned to Marguerite and said, "You don't have an assistant?"

"No, I don't really need one."

Laughing, Ed said, "She says that she works for Barbarians and that I'm the worst of the lot."

John asked, "What do you mean?"

Marguerite grinned at Ed and said, "Last time I served stuffed pork chops, he told me that if he were making a stuffing sandwich he would have used bread. He confided that meat was far to messy on the fingers to be substituted for bread."

John broke up laughing and said, "Definitely reminds me of my uncle."

Another Chef joined them at the table. He sat down heavily and said, "That was a rough one. I heard that one of the contestants was dancing when they came to deliver her food to the judges."

Marguerite giggled at the announcement. John looked in her direction and shook his head. The Chef looked over at Marguerite and said, "Don't tell me that you were the one they were talking about."

Marguerite made motions like she was dancing the Twist in her chair and replied, "Guilty as charged."

As the dishes were presented with their scores, Marguerite broke out in a large smile. Ed sat back and said, "Congratulations, Marguerite. A first in presentation and a first in nutritional value and a third in flavor."

The other Chef groaned as John said, "You got a first in flavor, a second in presentation, and a fourth in nutritional value. Not bad."

Ed turned to the other Chef and said, "Congratulations. That's a great start."

Marguerite looked up at the assignments for the next day and groaned. She said, "Breakfast for a children's sleep over."

Perking up, Ed said, "Just consider this a chance to practice for when Beth has her baby."

Marguerite and Bob looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders. Finally, Bob said, "Sounds good to us."

She looked over the rest of the meal themes and said, "Wow, tomorrow is going to be fun. Buffet luncheon and seafood dinner. I say that we start the day with a little Rolling Stones, move on to something a little more new age for lunch, and finish up with some good old fashion rock and roll for dinner."

Incredulous at what he was hearing, the other Chef looked at Marguerite and asked, "You are planning the music you listen to rather than the meals you are going to prepare?"

She replied, "Of course, you have to have your priorities straight. First you relax, then you plan, and then you enjoy yourself as you execute your plan."

Ed said, "She cooks for herself as a means to achieve excellence in her life. She is pursuing her passion and we are just the happy victims of that effort."

"Victims?" cried Marguerite. She said, "Just see if I ever make instant pudding for you again."

With disdain in his voice, the other Chef asked, "Instant Pudding?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Yes, instant pudding just like my mother used to make, thick skin on the top and all."

"Sounds perfectly horrendous," replied the Chef as he mentally placed Ed in the category of the nouveau riche.

John looked over at his chef and shook his head. This was the kind of thing that used to drive his uncle up the wall. He was shocked when Ed replied, "I know what I am and I'm not out to impress anyone. I know what I like and enjoy them tremendously. I define myself and do not let others influence that definition."

John turned to his chef and said, "Henri, listen to what they say and you might become a much better chef."

"After dancing all day with Bob, it is time for us to try some dirty dancing. Come on lover." Marguerite stood up and held out her hand for Bob. Laughing, he let her lead him out of the room.

Watching them leave, Ed laughed and shook his head. He turned back to John and said, "One of these days, they're going to get married."



-------

Chapter 6


Ed looked at the stack of folders standing in front of him and felt like retching. Summoning up every last reserve of his will power, Ed dove into the stack marking the ones that contained definite lies. There were five folders and they were horrible. Line after line of lies drove nails into his brain. Finishing them, he set them aside and looked at the agent. He asked, "How come you haven't closed any of these cases?"

"I just got them," replied the agent looking over at Shauna nervously.

Ed could hear the lie and asked, "How many high dollar cases do you close every year?"

"Three or four," answered the agent. He looked at Ed with definite fear.

"How many high dollar cases do you identify every year?" asked Ed in a friendly manner.

"Three or four. It's a definite lack of luck in the draw."

The lies were driving nails into his head. Ed said, "Thank you. Take care of those cases that I marked."

The agent picked up the stack of files and left the room. As soon as he was gone, he dropped his head to the desk. Shauna stepped out of the room and went to the office of Chad Hutchingson. Within minutes she had brought him back to the conference room. Ed was laying face down on the conference table and struggled to look up when they returned. With the last of his energy, he said, "That last agent was a crook. I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't blackmailing some very rich people. Put every investigator you can on him."

Passing out, Ed slumped back to the table. Following the instructions that Ed had given her in case he should become ill in the course of the work today, Shauna picked up the telephone and called the Carter home. When Cathy answered, Shauna said, "Ed has passed out. He told me to call and ask for John in case this happened."

Cathy said, "John has been expecting your call. Hold on."

Holding the phone to her ear, Shauna leaned over and checked on Ed. He was still out cold. John answered the phone and said, "Hello, Shauna. What was Ed doing when he passed out?"

Shauna answered, "He's been going through all of these IRS files here. Must have been hundreds of them. Each one seemed to take more out of him. Finally, he just collapsed."

There was silence at the other end of the line for almost a full minute. Afraid that they had been cut off, Shauna was about to call out hello when John said, "Inside his shirt is a medallion. Don't try to remove it, just pull it outside his shirt."

Feeling very ill at ease, Shauna followed the directions. When she touched the medallion, it was as though a bolt of electricity shot through her body. She told John, "Okay, I've got it out."

John said, "Put it in the palm of his hand and close the hand around it. Then tell me what happens."

After setting the phone down, Shauna did as John had asked. When Ed suddenly shook in a spasm, she picked up the phone and said, "I think he's going into convulsions."

John said, "Did he jump like he was hit with an electric shock?"

"Exactly."

Relieved, John said, "Just wait a little while."

Ed jumped several more times before he finally sat up. He held on to the medallion. Excited and relieved to see him sitting up, Shauna told John, "He's up."

Confident that all would be well, John said, "When he's ready to talk hand the phone to him. I want to talk to him."

It took Ed several more minutes before he was fully alert. He picked up the phone and said, "Hello. John."

"Ed, you have to learn that you can't solve all of New York's problems in a week."

The comment made Ed laugh. He replied, "Sure thing. I don't think they can all be solved in a lifetime."

John said, "I think you've done enough for the office there."

Ed answered, "I'm going to spend another week here. I've completed almost fourth fifths of the agents. I'll pace myself a little better next week."

"I knew you would say that. Would you like some company? Ling wants to visit you."

"I'd love that," replied Ed.

John said, "That's good because she flew out there this morning. She's waiting in the hotel for you."

Ed exclaimed, "That's great. Marguerite is in the top ten and today is the last day of competition where only the top ten are cooking. Ling will be able to attend and support Marguerite."

Laughing, John said, "She knows and she brought formal wear for her and you."

"A tux?" asked Ed.

"Your robe," answered John. He added, "Harry died this week. You are now head of the servants of the Two-Sided One."

The news was met with silence as Ed considered the implications. He was now a recognized leader within the Druid organization. Ed said, "I'm sorry to hear about Harry, I actually liked the guy."

John said, "I'll let you get out of there. Get back to the hotel and let Ling work a little magic on you."

Ed said, "I'm leaving right after you hang up."

"Bye," said John as he hung up.

Laughing at the direct actions of John, he set the handset back on the phone. He looked up to see Chad staring at him and Shauna looking at him in concern. Ed said, "I am staying here next week to finish the case files. I'll only work two hours a day if that is okay with you. The strain on me has been worse that I imagined."

"You've done almost four months worth of work for a hundred and fifty agents in one week. I can imagine that the strain would be a bit rough on you," said Chad. The speed at which Ed had gone through the files had been awesome. Agents were following up on the folders that he had marked and were already identifying gross inconsistencies in the records.

Nodding, Ed said, "It doesn't take me long to identify the lie, but it can take some time proving the lie. Your agents have a lot of work ahead of them. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to the hotel and see my wife."

Opening the door to the hotel room, Ed was immediately met by a naked Ling. Smiling at her husband, she said, "I talked to John and Beth. Dr. Hayes has prescribed a treatment specifically for recharging your energy levels."

Grinning, Ed said, "I hope the first step is a great big toe-curling kiss from my wife."

After giving him a hot passionate kiss, Ling proceeded to strip his clothes off him. Not for the first time, she wished he would stop wearing cowboy boots. They were so hard to get off and there was no way to do it sexily. From Ed's perspective, having a woman help him get his boots off was sexy. After he was undressed, Ling said, "Come into the bathroom, I've run a bath for you."

Following her into the bathroom, Ed saw that the tub was filled with hot water and bubbles. She put him in the tub and then got in behind him. With a great deal of care, she massaged his back thereby working the tension out of his body. As she rubbed his neck, he sighed in pleasure. Slowly she worked her way around to his chest, washing him with a massaging motion. As he relaxed, Ed began to feel sleepy. As she was washing his arms, he sagged against her and fell asleep.

Ling finished washing him before waking him. He stood as she rinsed him off. Feeling weak as a kitten, he followed her to the bed. In minutes, he was in the land of sweet dreams. Looking down at her sleeping husband, Ling realized just how much she loved him. She understood that he didn't have the infinite energy of John, but would work on something with all of the energy that he had. This was the first time that she really realized why John respected Ed so much.

She went into the living room of the suite to wait for Ed to wake. A knock on the door surprised her. Putting on a bathrobe, she answered the door finding Shauna standing at the door staring at her, surprised to learn that Ed was married to an oriental woman. Shauna whispered, "Is he okay?"

Smiling, Ling said, "You must be Shauna."

"Yes, I am," answered Shauna. Looking over the small oriental woman, she not surprised that Ed would be married to such an attractive woman. She said, "You are his wife?"

Ling said, "Yes, I'm one of his wives. Would you like to come in?"

Shauna came in the room and accepted a seat on the couch. With a smile, Ling brought over a soft drink for her and then sat down on the other end of the couch. She said, "Ed has been quite complementary about you. He's very happy with how you've watched over him."

The conversation seemed surreal to Shauna, she hadn't been doing much except running little errands while he was working. She had kept his iced tea filled and snacks at hand. The only thing that she had done that was even close to exceptional was helping him get back to the hotel every night. She said, "I haven't done that much."

Ling replied, "You have done everything he asked without disturbing him. You took care of him when he was weak."

"Is he okay?"

Smiling at the continued concern, Ling said, "He's sleeping like a baby."

"That's a relief," said Shauna.

"You care for him," said Ling.

As the week had progressed, Ed had treated her like a perfect lady. The dinners were an unexpected benefit as well as the hotel room that he had provided for her. Shauna said, "Yes, ma'am, he's been a wonderful person to work for. I've never been treated so well on a job. In the dining room, he has always treated me like an equal and not an employee. Never once has he mentioned race or my figure."

Smiling at the kind of things that she mentioned, Ling said, "He would never say anything about your appearance other than to appreciate it. Have you been to bed with him yet?"

"Pardon?" asked Shauna amazed that this woman could even suggest such a thing. She hadn't had a man hit on her in years. Why would a man married to such a lovely woman want to sleep with her? It was ridiculous.

Tilting her head to the side, Ling repeated, "I asked if you had been to bed with him yet."

"Look at me and answer that question for yourself. If you hadn't noticed I'm a big woman," replied Shauna. With a grimace on her face, she added, "You don't have anything to be jealous about."

Laughing at the concerns of the woman, Ling said, "First, I'm not jealous. Second, just because you're big doesn't mean that he wouldn't sleep with you if you asked him. Third, you're a nice woman and he appreciates that."

"You're one crazy woman. I never heard of such a thing," replied Shauna. In her mind, she had thought that this was one crazy bitch, but had refrained from putting it that way.

Gracious, Ling asked, "Do you have a proper outfit for tonight?"

"I didn't think I would be going tonight once I learned that you were here," she replied.

"Why on earth would my being here keep you from attending the dinner tonight?" asked Ling surprised at the suggestion. She wondered about Shauna and her strange sense of place. It was as if she felt inferior to everyone.

"I'll go pick up something to wear," replied Shauna.

Ling asked, "Do you need some money to buy something special?"

Puzzled at the care that Ling was showing her, Shauna asked, "Why are you doing this for me?"

Not understanding the question, Ling asked, "Doing what?"

"Being so nice to me."

Floored at how difficult it was for this woman to accept descent treatment, Ling said, "You are a human being that is deserving of respect. To treat you in any way that is less than that would be wrong. You must understand, our family lives by two main rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong."

These words echoed exactly what Ed had said to her that first day. She hadn't believed him then, but now it was clear that was exactly how Ed lived. Assessing Ling, she said, "Okay. I can accept that."

With an abruptness that surprised Shauna, Ling stood up and walked across the room. Grabbing her purse, she came back and rifled through it. After a minute, she pulled out a debit card that had a picture of gifts on it and said, "Here, take this and buy yourself something that will make you look like a million dollars. Of course, don't spend quite that much on it. Maybe keep it under ten thousand."

Shauna looked at the card like it was rattlesnake, afraid to touch it. Taking her hand, Ling dropped the card in it and said, "Go shopping."

"Yes, ma'am," Shauna replied. She left and went to her room where she cried a full ten minutes before going shopping.

Walking to the door to the dining room, Ed was dressed in his black Druid robe, Ling wore an emerald green evening dress, and Shauna showed up in white evening dress. The man at the door frowned as Ed approached, afraid that this was going to be a problem. He looked around for someone to help him.

When Ed arrived at the door, he said, "I am a Druid and this is the formal attire of my office."

John had been edging over to see how this would play out. When he heard Ed say that he was a Druid, he took a deep breath in surprise. The stories that he had heard about the Druids were fantastic and almost unbelievable if proof didn't exist. The Druid organization was a powerful force that was able to influence events far more than a mere politician. He recalled the Druid's Revenge operation in which twenty two of them had brought down criminal organizations that had resisted law enforcement for decades. Moving over to the door, he leaned over to whisper in the man's ear, "Treat him like he was a Cardinal in the Catholic Church."

Other people in the area, wealthy and influential, were aware of the Druids. When a group of people gave solid advice and solved problems of significant social consequence, the powerful listened with great attention. Several of them approached and asked, "You are a Druid?"

Looking over at the crowd of people that his announcement had drawn, Ed decided it was time to give them proof. He reached inside his gown and pulled out the medallion. He said, "I am a Druid and I serve the Two-Sided One."

The result was electric as people suddenly looked at Ed in a completely different manner. Many of them that had viewed him as Nouveau Riche immediately changed their opinions. His actions and lack of concern for their opinions suddenly made sense. He was a holy man serving his Gods and Goddesses directly.

Of everyone in the room, Shauna was the most surprised by the effect that Ed had on the people there. Everyone in the room was suddenly treating him like royalty. She glanced at Ling and could see her glowing at the reaction that Ed had engendered. This wasn't the first time that she had been surprised by Ed, but she expected that this would be the last. Tomorrow, her temporary services would end and she would return to her life in dull surroundings being treated like a fat black woman of no real value.

The crowd moved into the dining room and selected their dishes. As had been the case all week, John joined them at the table. This evening he was joined by his wife Beatrice. After the introductions were exchanged, John said, "I didn't realize that you were a Druid."

After looking around the room, Ed answered, "I was not aware that the Druids were so well known."

Laughing at the observation, John said, "There are powerful people in this room. When a group gives good advice, perform miracles, and serve a greater good, these people will listen. To do otherwise would jeopardize their wealth. Believe me, they know about the Druids, particularly after that Druids Revenge Operation."

"Oh, I didn't know that John and I had exposed the Druids that much to public attention," replied Ed.

Looking at Ed, some of the details about that operation returned to John and he realized that Ed had been one of the two architects of that whole operation. John answered, "I wouldn't worry about that. Not many people in the public sector have put together the Druids with the actions they've taken. I was very impressed with your role in the Druids Revenge Operation."

Now that the topic had turned to him directly, Ed immediately sought to change the topic. He said, "You know how it is, they killed one of us. Anyway, how have you enjoyed the competition?"

Taken aback by the sudden shift in topic, John answered, "It's been very enjoyable. Poor Henri was shocked by Marguerite's children's sleepover breakfast. He couldn't believe how imaginative she was in the presentation."

Ling asked, "What did she do?"

"She made clown pancakes using powdered sugar to turn them white. She used different kinds of jellies to draw the faces on the pancake. There was also a little clown hat made with pineapple slices and a quarter of a banana sticking up through the hole of the pineapple with a cherry stuck on the top of the banana. She put a little whipped cream around the pineapple to form a lacy little top. The pictures of it were incredible," answered Ed.

Shauna said, "It was amazing. She won first for presentation and second for taste. The nutritionists gave her an eighth claiming that it had too much sugar."

John said, "She went simple with food that kids would recognize and like."

Mentally picturing the dish, Ling said, "Beth is going to be so happy to find that out. I bet that becomes a standard Sunday morning breakfast once she has a baby."

Smiling, Ed nodded his agreement. He said, "I really can't wait to have kids in the house."

"Kids?" asked Ling. She wondered who he was hoping would be the mothers. She wasn't quite ready to have a child yet, particularly since she had started competing.

"Yes, kids," replied Ed. Noticing the look on her face, he added, "I think Kelly is really starting to get into the idea of having a child."

The meals were delivered and everyone started to eat. The theme tonight was seafood and Ed had selected Marguerite's meal without knowing that she was the Chef. There were five broiled scallops on individual shells as an appetizer. The arrangement was exquisite and everyone at the table was jealous. Ling, using her fast hands, used her fork to spear one of his scallops and had it in her mouth before Ed even had a chance to complain. He looked over at her appetizer, disappointed to find that it was a standard Shrimp Cocktail and complained, "Hey, that's no fair."

Laughing Ling said, "You didn't know when you got me into a training program that it would come back to haunt you."

"I'll get my revenge!" exclaimed Ed.

Shauna was looking at her dish and said, "I have never eaten so well in my entire life. Even though I'm eating all this food, I've actually lost weight this week."

Knowing what she meant, John leaned forward and said, "Most of these Chef's work for people that are rather vain about their appearance. They like to eat great meals, but don't want to loose their figures. That's one of the major differences between a commercial Chef and a private Chef."

"Really?" asked Shauna. This week had given her so many ideas on how to change her diet, that she was astounded to learn that these meals were healthy. She had decided that it was time to stop frying all of her meats in oil.

The soup course was served next. Ed had a clear Russian Fish Soup with Lime and Dill and it was outstanding. The soup had a slice of lime floating on surface and a fish fillet laying on the bottom of the bowl. The fish fillet had been trimmed into the shape of a nice little fish. The overall effect gave the appearance of a fish underneath a lily pad in clear water. The description of this course identified this particular soup as the favorite of Ivan The Terrible. Ed had picked this dish thinking that if Ivan The Terrible actually liked something that it must be pretty special. Everyone at the table tasted it and thought it was the best of the soups served at the table.

Still unaware that he was eating the meal prepared by Marguerite, Ed was getting depressed. This meal was going to send the person way up to the top of the list. After tasting the soup, a very discouraged Ed said, "I guess I'm going to ask Marguerite to learn how to cook this soup."

Ling asked, "So how is Marguerite in the standings so far?"

Ed answered, "They reset all of the standings after the top ten were selected. She didn't do too well yesterday and was at sixth after leading through the first three days."

Concerned for Marguerite, she asked, "What happened yesterday?"

This was one minor issue where Ed and Shauna disagreed. Shauna said, "She did this lovely dish with baked quail inside a birdcage made of fried onions. It was very cute."

Ed added, "The nutritionist panned it because she thought that the fried onions added too many calories from fat to the meal. The presentation was not well received because people didn't know what to do with the bird cage. She scored pretty well on the flavor, though. Breakfast and Lunch were pretty much a wash I would say."

Upset on behalf of Marguerite, Ling said, "She must have been crushed."

Laughing at how Marguerite had reacted, Ed said, "She was jumping up and down out of joy for having finished in sixth. Apparently, she's one of the few Chefs that has made it that far in their first competition."

"My Chef, Henri, has competed ten times and the best he has ever done is third," said John. Looking over at Ling, he added, "Marguerite has done an amazing job so far and she should be overjoyed."

Looking down at his dish, Ed said, "I don't see how she can beat this."

As the next dish was served, Ed stared at the salad. It was a simple Spicy Fish Salad in which the lettuce had been arranged to look like a clam shell enclosing the small chunks of fish, peapods, and onions. It looked good, but Ed wasn't that thrilled with the fact that the fish was actually raw, prepared by soaking in a lime juice. Ling was wild about the salad, so they swapped hers for his. He ended up with a simple Caesar Salad with grilled shrimp.

Shauna was raving about her salad. It was described as Merluzzo in Insalata and was actually Cod mixed with Potatoes. It really appealed to her and was the kind of dish that she would like to start preparing. She said, "This is amazing. I never thought that a little fish, a little potato, and a few herbs could create such an explosion of flavor."

Examining her and how she treated her food today, Ed asked, "Am I correct in observing that you've changed how you view food?"

As Shauna looked around, she realized that her interest in food had been a very destructive type of interest in the past. Rather than appreciating the food she ate, she ate to fill some inner void. That behavior had turned a young thin girl into a fat woman. Now as she ate very good food, she realized that food was wasted if not appreciated. Using it as a filler was a waste since it all that it did was add fat without filling the need. She looked over at Ed and said, "I think so. I'm not sure how I've changed, but I sense that it is a good change."

Looking over at the large woman, Ling realized that she hadn't known her before the woman had spent almost five days with Ed. The discussion with her earlier had pointed out that she hadn't expected respect or proper treatment. She wondered how much the woman had changed over the five days. She asked, "Shauna, how have you found the past week?"

The question took Shauna by surprise. She looked at Ling for a moment before answering the question. Most of that time was spent trying to decide how she viewed her own experiences. Finally, she said, "I have never seen anyone work to the point of collapse before. Not just once, but almost five days in a row. I am overwhelmed to see such dedication to anything other than self. It makes me wonder how much of my time has been spent worrying about myself rather than the larger picture."

"Ed worked to the point of collapse?" asked John surprised to hear that fact. He wondered what kind of task Ed had undertaken that could cause that.

Shauna said, "The guy at the IRS said that he did four months worth of work by a hundred and fifty agents in five days. There is a lot to be said for selfless dedication such as that."

Correcting her, Ed said, "You have to understand that this is an unusual circumstance. I don't normally work like that. I think there is a lot to be said for selfishness too, if it is directed in a positive manner."

"Selfishness is good?" asked Shauna. Even John had sat up when Ed said that.

"There can be no growth if you don't take the time to learn. The selfless will never get that time as there are thousands of people out there that will take advantage of them. They will use guilt to get you to do what they want done even though they could do it themselves. No, you have to be a little selfish in order to become the best person that you can be," answered Ed.

Smiling at the message Ed had just conveyed, Ling added, "Ed has a very strong work ethic. He put himself through the University working as a cowboy and then as a student assistant. He didn't have to do it that way, but it was the way that meant the most to him. There were times when it all got too much for him, so he would disappear into the desert for a couple of days to collect rocks. Always, he came back much happier and much stronger than when he left. It was the fact that he put his health and mental state over the demands of others that allowed him to accomplish what he has done."

Attempting to direct the conversation from himself, Ed asked, "John, do you have a hide away where you go to relax and shut off the demands of the rest of the world?"

John had never considered taking care of himself and his needs as a form of selfishness, but in hearing Ed put it that way it was clear that he was selfish to a significant degree. He also realized that everyone in this room was the same, it just differed in degree. He answered, "Yes, I do. I also make sure that I schedule time for my interests."

"Exactly. You see, most people consider selfishness to be consistent. You are either selfish all of the time or you are not. Either way, you are out of balance. It is a matter of balance. You have to take care of yourself in order to help others," said Ed.

The conversation came to an abrupt stop when the main course was brought to the table. From tables throughout the room, exclamations of awe exploded cutting off all conversations. Until the main course was brought to their table, it was unclear what was the cause.

Ed stared at the masterpiece that was set in front of him. A layer of rice had been spread over the plate to form what appeared to be a sandy bottom of the sea. Embedded within the rice were steamers in their shell, open showing the little morsels of meat inside. Elsewhere on the plate was a small piece of fish cut into the shape of a flounder. Two broiled shrimp decorated another area of rice. There were very small crab cakes that were formed into the shape of crabs. Along the bottom of the plate was a layer of mixed sprouts that gave the impression of seaweed. Steamed Cauliflower was stuck in the rice reaching up like coral to the surface.

In a much louder voice than intended, Shauna exclaimed, "Damn man, that looks too good eat."

Her comment returned a sense of normality to the room. Despite blushing in embarrassment, Shauna didn't hide herself by bending over and pretending to inspect her dish. Laughing, Ed said, "You took the words right out of my mouth."

Despite appearances, the plate did not contain that much food and was just enough to satisfy the appetite without being overfilling. As Ed finished scrapping the last of the rice off the plate, he asked, "Who do you think the Chef is that did this?"

Smiling over at Ed, Ling said, "Who else, except Marguerite would go this far in presentation?"

Nodding his head in agreement, Ed answered, "I think you're right."

The rest of the meal was a continuation of a masterpiece. Ed was overwhelmed by the work that Marguerite must have put into preparing fifty servings of this meal. When the meal was over, the Chefs came out to hear the scoring of the final day of competition and the overall scores. While most of the Chefs looked exhausted, Marguerite was still bouncing in excitement.

Despite the failure in presentation of the previous evening, Marguerite won a first for presentation, a fourth for taste, and a sixth for nutrition. She came in fourth overall, a result that excited her. Henri who had come in second did not look nearly as happy as Marguerite.

When the pair of Chefs came to the table, Marguerite cooed, "You did great Henri."

Shaking his head, Henri replied, "I really wanted first."

One of the judges came over to the table to talk to Marguerite. He said, "That was a very impressive performance, Marguerite. I must tell you that there was one flaw in all of your meals that hurt you significantly."

Puzzled, Marguerite asked, "What?"

"The choice of wines were all just a bit off."

It had never occurred to Ed that their lifestyle could actually hold someone back from succeeding in their chosen endeavor. Looking down at the table, Ed said, "I'm sorry Marguerite."

The judge asked, "Why are you sorry?"

"We don't have wine with our meals. John and I never drink. Beth and Kelly only have a glass of wine on evenings when they don't work the next day. Ling has stopped drinking since she started competing," answered Ed.

Ling replied, "There's nothing preventing her from visiting wineries."

Amazed that they would arrange for their Chef to visit wineries so that she can compete better next time, Shauna said, "You guys must really be proud of her for this."

Surprised at the idea of being proud of her for a simple contest, Ed said, "She is being the best that she can be every day. That is the source of our pride in her and it has nothing to do with today's results. We are celebrating her success with her. We will do everything in our power to help her in pursuing excellence to an even greater degree."

Ling said, "By the way, Shauna, are you available for the next week? I'm afraid that the food won't be this good, but I bet Marguerite will be more than happy to take us on a tour of some of the finer places to eat in New York."

"Sure," answered Shauna wondering who could resist an offer like that.



-------

Chapter 7


Ed woke up on the floor of the playroom with Beth, Kelly, and Ling. Beth was spooned against him while Kelly and Ling were sleeping together. The hand moving on his cock suggested that Beth was not asleep. He moaned as his cock erected under her gentle administrations.

As a result his moans, she knew that she was having a real effect on Ed. Beth increased the pressure of her grip on his cock. He shifted giving her easier access to it. The noise woke Kelly. Pouting, she came over and said, "No fair! You had him last night."

Beth giggled and said, "So did you!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot."

The conversation didn't stop Beth from slowly jacking Ed off. Kelly lay down in front of Ed and sucked the tip of his cock into her mouth. After just a moment of that, she moved down and sucked one of his balls in her mouth. Ed lifted a leg giving her easier access to his balls. The duel sensations were bringing him quickly to climax.

Before he could come, Ling lay down on the floor in front of him and slipped her mouth over the head of his cock. Having three women share his cock at one time was almost beyond belief. He knew that he was large, but it didn't seem possible that there was enough room for a hand on the shaft, a mouth on the head, and a mouth sucking his ball. As his balls pulled up tight to his body, the one in Kelly's mouth popped loose. That was too much for Ed. He shot his load of come into the mouth of Ling with a loud animal grunt of pleasure.

An hour later, a very exhausted Ed limped out of the playroom with a rubber still hanging from his cock. Looking down, he saw it and wondered when they had put it on him. Only a couple of more weeks and then Beth would be trying to get pregnant. He went into the bathroom of his bedroom and threw the used rubber into the toilet. Flushing it, he watched the rubber get swallowed into oblivion.

He took a long hot shower to rinse off the fluids of sex and to relax muscles over used. Ever since John had gone to the funeral of his former landlord, Mrs. South, he had been trying to satisfy three women. As he lathered himself, taking care not to further irritate his raw cock, he realized that they needed another husband. Kelly had been correct back when they were dating, it was important to have a balance in gender in a group marriage.

After his shower, he sat down in his comfort chair to consider recent events and tried to make sense of what was happening around him. Things had been strange in the house since the day that John left for the funeral. That morning had started normally, but then the wives met with other women in town and started drinking to the point where they were sick. Last night and this morning was the first time they had spent much time with him, but almost all of that time had been spent having sex. Ed was not the kind of guy that would complain about having three beautiful women making love to him, if such a guy possibly existed. However, three times last night and three times this morning was tough on a man his age. He had left the playroom no wiser as to what had been bothering the wives.

Since the day they had gotten drunk, the wives had been secretive and had successfully avoided all his attempts to find out what was the matter. In response to direct questions, they had told him that it was not something for him to worry about and that they would solve the problem. There was a ring of truth to their words, so he had relented.

The exercise of the night and morning had drained his energy reserves. His stomach growled, proclaiming his hunger. He dressed and went to the dining room to get something to eat. Expecting him, Marguerite set a pair of fried eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him along with a cup of coffee. He looked at the meal and, with a smile on his face, said, "You could have arranged this in the shape of a face."

Marguerite, with a sly smile, retorted, "I only go to such extremes for people that notice."

Laughing at her, Ed said, "You only do that for people you like!"

"Or at least people that are likable," said Marguerite as she ruffled his hair.

He watched as she returned to the kitchen; she was laughing and dancing as she walked. The fact that she was dancing into the kitchen was a little odd, since she usually only did that when she was preparing a major meal. The wives were at work that afternoon and evening, so he, Ling, and the staff would be the only ones around the house.

Eating his breakfast, he wondered what man he knew could be a candidate for marriage. There weren't very many people who already lived according to the rules of the house, even though the character of the town had changed with the arrival of John. People had learned how to love, but few of them worked actively for the greater good of the community. He knew that would come in time, but they would need a husband soon.

The only person that really came to mind was Robert White Feather. Everyone in the family respected and liked him. He had a sense of higher duty and applied that in everything that he did. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of including Robert White Feather. He would mention the idea to John and see what John had to say.

Finished eating, he was about to carry his plates into the kitchen when Bob came into the room from the kitchen. Marguerite and Bob spent a lot of time together and Ed wondered when they would just admit to each other that they loved one another. Bob stopped and said, "You really made Marguerite happy by entering her in that competition."

"It is her passion. She has a right to pursue it," replied Ed. A look of disappointment crossed Bob's face at the idea that Ed had done it for reasons that had nothing to do with Marguerite herself. Ed winked and said, "Besides, it was great watching her work her kitchen magic on a crowd of people. She is the best."

Realizing this was how the two treated each other, Bob said, "Neither one of you can admit you like each other."

Ed replied, "I'm not the only one that has that problem."

Not understanding what Ed had implied, Bob shook his head and carried the plates into the kitchen. With nothing left to do, Ed went into the family room to watch the news. He turned it on in time to hear a public service announcement that was John's eulogy for Mrs. South. Shaking his head, Ed was so proud of the sentiments that John had expressed. Every time he watched it, it brought a tear to his eyes.

Flipping the channel to the news, Ed listened as a high profile arrest was made by the IRS in New York. An agent was being arrested for blackmail, having used his position to get individuals that owed taxes to pay him off to bury their case files. He had received well over a million dollars over the past five years. It was another example of one criminal making a living off another, but John and he considered the misuse of a public servant position for personal financial gain to be a form a treason. He was rather surprised when he was given credit for having broken the case.

The telephone rang and Ed went over to answer it. Picking it up, Cathy said, "There's a Deana Ahlberg on the telephone."

Smiling at the timing of the call and the news story, Ed said, "Thanks, I'll take it here."

Cathy put the call through and Ed said, "Hello, Deana. What's up that isn't on the news?"

The sound of her laughter came over the phone as she answered, "That was a nice catch in New York. We're going to prosecute the guy to the full extent of the law. I think it is time that we present a picture of the IRS that moderates it treatment of the public at large."

"Sounds good to me," answered Ed. One of the problems with being associated with the IRS was that agents had a very bad public image. Here in Phoenix where they had been addressing errors as human failings, the general publication relations had improved. More than one news story on television had talked about the courteous treatment received at the office.

She added, "We are about to make some additional arrests of individuals that really lied on their tax forms. I hope you don't mind if we give credit to the primary investigating agent."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I'm glad you are doing it. They did the work and they deserve the credit," answered Ed. He wasn't concerned about credit for having done his duty to the Two-Sided One. When you knew the truth, it didn't matter what others knew or thought.

She laughed at the idea that the agents had done all of the work. He had cleared the desks of two hundred agents in two weeks. The backlog of cases had been significantly reduced. She said, "Okay. I'll let you get back to what you were doing."

After hanging up, Ed sat back in the chair. There had been something bothering him for several days and he couldn't put his finger on it. He knew it was something quite big and related to his service, but had no clue as to the nature of the problem. Knowledge of what he was to do would have to wait until the circumstances were right for him to learn of it.

His thoughts were disturbed when Cathy came into the living room and cleared her throat. Once she knew she had his attention, she said, "Your presence is requested in the library at your earliest convenience."

"Do we have a problem?" he asked realizing that it wasn't an emergency, but was concerned by the unusual summons. Normally, family business was conducted in the library and a summons meant that something important had happened. He wondered if this was connected to the strange behavior of his wives. Perhaps they were ready to explain what had been bothering him.

Although she had a clue as to what was going on, she didn't understand all of it. Rather than speculate, Cathy answered, "I'm not sure how to describe it."

Perplexed by her answer, Ed turned off the television and went to the library. Ling, arms folded across her chest and legs slightly spread, was waiting for him outside the library. Greeting him with a stolid expression, she said, "Go on in."

Turning to keep an eye on Ling, he sidled into the library trying to decide why she seemed so distant. She moved to block the door, effectively preventing him from leaving without having to deal with her. Turning to view the rest of the room, Ed was amazed to find nearly every woman in town with whom he frequently talked.

More than a dozen women were seated around the conference table. Kelly and Beth were sitting at the last seats along the conference table, leaving a spot for him at the head of the table. Uneasy, Ed edged towards the head of the table as he said, "Hello, ladies. It's nice to see all of you."

With a wry smile, Kelly said, "Have a seat Ed."

Moving slowly, trying to get an indication of what was going on from the faces in the room, Ed reached the chair and sat down. None of the women would meet his eyes, each would look down at the table when he looked at her. Wondering if he had done something wrong, Ed asked, "What's up?"

There was a long moment of silence before Kelly answered, "A lot of people are upset with us."

This came as a major surprise to Ed. He had no idea what they could have done that would anger anyone. Curious, puzzled, and confused, Ed said, "Huh?"

The look on his face caused most of the women in the room to giggle. It was clear that Ed had no idea what was going on around him or the effect that he had on people. Kelly said, "The problem started when we married Ling."

He couldn't figure out what they had done by marrying Ling, other than the fact that they didn't have a huge public ceremony. Of course, that had been at her insistence and no one had mentioned anything that suggested that this had upset them. No one had hinted that adding another person to the marriage was even an issue. Having decided that his first response was still appropriate, Ed repeated it. "Huh?"

Displaying irritation that her husband was being strung along like this, Ling said, "Would someone please explain this to him?"

The whole room was silent as the women looked at each other, waiting for someone to say something. Finally, Ed looked up at Ling and asked, "Ling, what's going on?"

"I will be blunt about it if no one else volunteers to tell him," said Ling. She looked around the room at all of the women. Most of them were blushing or squirming nervously. Giving up, she looked at Ed and said, "All these women want to fuck you."

Although her words had the ring of truth, the idea was so ludicrous to Ed that he burst out laughing so hard that he thought he was going to hurt himself. It took him almost two minutes to regain any control. Wiping tears from his eyes, he looked up to see everyone looking at him with hurt expressions on their faces. He apologized, "I'm sorry. The idea that you ladies would want to sleep with me is funny. So what is really the problem?"

Beth finally said, "Ed, they are serious. It's not a joke."

Her voice was sweet with the sound of truth and the implications stunned him. Mouth open, he looked from one woman to the next realizing that she wanted to make love with him. Almost all of them were married or in a committed relationship. Shirley had her group marriage, Rosa and Maria were married to Carlos, and Linda was engaged to Robert. There were a number of other women that were married to the men that had protested the marriage. The only unattached woman was Maria from the restaurant. Numb, Ed asked, "How does this involve Ling?"

Shirley said, "Until you guys married Ling, we assumed that you and John were off limits. Then we discovered that you were a little more accessible than we thought."

Somewhat more direct, Rosa asked, "We've been sending you signals for months, but you just ignored them. How come you never propositioned any of us?"

"Let me get this straight. You are talking about the Ed Biggers that you've known all of your lives, right?" asked Ed.

"This is not going like I thought it would." Kelly muttered to herself in a voice that was just loud enough for Ed to hear.

Exasperated, Linda said, "We are talking about the Ed Biggers that kept my late husband from looking like a fool the day he died. The Ed Biggers that saved my son from a lifetime in jail for murder. The guy that respects us, treats us like real human beings, and appreciates the differences that we make in his life. That is the Ed Biggers we are talking about and the one that is in this room."

Confused by the talk of her son having to go to jail for life, Kelly said, "Your son wouldn't have gone to prison for carrying a starter pistol into a bar."

Shirley, uncomfortable, looked away as Linda replied, "It was a real gun and he went into the bar fully intending to kill Ed. Ed cooked up the idea that it was a starter pistol. Shirley and the Sheriff went along with it."

Narrowing her eyes, Kelly stared at Ed. She was more than a little upset at the revelation. Beth had not even been aware of the episode as she had been ill at the time. Shirley tried to look small. The effect on the other women was electric. All of them looked at Ed with awe as most of them had seen him immediately after the event. He had walked down the street treating it like some kind of prank and had never let it be known how serious the situation had really been. Even more significantly, he had never let anyone know what he had done for the boy.

Acting as though what he had done was a very little thing, Ed answered, "He was young and we had kept information from him that he should have known. I took my share of the responsibility for his actions."

Maria, wife of Rosa and long time neighbor, stated her position in a clear distinct manner, "I would have slept with you that night if I had known."

Maria, owner of Maria's Restaurant, said, "I was there the night that Harry died and I still don't know the truth of what happened."

Having his past exploits the subject of conversation made Ed uncomfortable. He always had an impression that people viewed him as something greater than what he was because he had been in the wrong place at the right time. Interrupting, Ed asked, "Can I please leave the room?"

The question caused Beth to crack up laughing as it was so characteristic of Ed and John to flee when their actions became the subject of conversation. At the first sign of praise, they would look for any excuse to leave the room. Amidst chuckles, she said, "No. You have to stay here and listen to this."

"Why?"

Answering with her typical directness, Ling said, "You need to know why they want you."

Uncomfortable at being the center of attention, Ed was willing to do anything to get out of there. He said, "I have a great idea, I'll do whatever my wives think is appropriate. Can I go now?"

"No," replied Ling, her voice flat.

Looking over at Ling to gauge his chances of slipping around her, Ed saw there was no way that she was going to let him get through that door. Surrendering to the inevitable, Ed said, "Okay."

Knowing that she had everyone's attention, Linda said, "I talked to the Sheriff about what happened that night. Harry was so drunk that he was throwing up in a trashcan. Ed had carried him out there so that he wouldn't throw up in front of his date. The Sheriff said that when he arrived on the scene, Ed was helping Harry. Harry was actually thanking Ed for helping him."

All eyes turned to Ed. He made a weak little gesture of protest. Their reactions made it clear that they didn't believe his protest.

"Ed asked the Sheriff to call an ambulance and the two of them took care of Harry until the ambulance showed up. I won't give all of the graphic details, but Ed really did try to help Harry. Harry died on the way to the hospital because of a bleeding ulcer. They never said anything about him throwing up or Ö" She stopped talking in order to maintain a little dignity for her late husband. It was one thing for a man to throw up, but quite another for a grown man to shit his britches. She had seen the coroner's report and knew exactly the shape that her husband had been in when he arrived at the hospital.

There was a long moment of silence and then Rosa said, "Ed saved my life one day. I was in Phoenix when a man from my past stopped me. Ed stopped him from cutting me with a knife. He also introduced me to my wife and husband."

Eyes narrowed once again, Kelly turned to examine Ed. With a definite chill in her voice, she said, "Exactly when did this knife incident happen?"

Waving his hand in a go away gesture, Ed answered, "It was a long time ago and it wasn't that serious."

"He brought Rosa and I together without being obvious about what he suspected. It was the best thing that anyone has ever done for me. My husband is such a happier man. I'm a happier woman. Ed risked a lot to do that, and at a time he was particularly vulnerable," said Maria as she held the hand of Rosa with great affection.

Juanita Ortega, a shy young woman, meekly raised her hand as though to get permission to speak. Touched by the woman's shyness, Beth said, "Please, Juanita. Do you have something you want to say?"

Head down so that she was talking to the table, Juanita said, "No one has been helped more than me by Professor Biggers."

The fact that she had started by using his honorific salutation was the greatest means of showing respect to someone. Ed was overwhelmed by all of the signs of respect that she showed him. Not meeting his eyes, using the honorific salutation, and talking softly was how young women conveyed respect within the Hispanic community. Ed listened as she said, "My parents forbade me from marrying Joe because he was so poor. Joe and his father were fighting over the business. If we had married then, we would have no family. My parents would have disowned me and Joe would have had to leave home which would destroy his father's business."

It was a strain to hear Juanita speak. Holding her head low and speaking barely above a whisper made it necessary for everyone to be quiet. She continued, "When Ed saved their business, Joe was no longer seen as worthless by my parents. Manuel and Joe work together as a family should. We could get married with everyone's blessing."

There is nothing more important in the Hispanic community than family. It was okay to fight and bicker, but to become outcast was a horrible fate. Ed had really done a lot to mend two families and everyone in the room recognized that significance of what he had done. Maria said, "Oh that is so sweet."

Juanita looked up and said, "That's not all. He and John have taught all of the men of our town how to love a woman and to cherish her. My life with Joe is even better than I ever dreamed. We do things for each other that I would never have dreamed could happen in a happy marriage."

At that, all of the women in the room broke into a wide smile. They knew exactly what Juanita meant. Life in their town had changed a lot for women. The men in town had come to view their wives as partners and equals who were to be consulted. The women had stopped being nags, trying to mold their men into some idealized image. Every married woman in the room said, "That's the truth."

Looking over at Ed, Juanita said, "My mother-in-law wanted to come over today, but felt that she was too old to be of interest to Ed. The same for my mother."

Slumping back in his chair, Ed stared at Juanita trying to imagine what kind of conversation had occurred in her home. He didn't really know her mother, having met her once at the wedding. In a very quiet voice, Ed said, "You may tell them that one is never too old to love and be loved."

The statement brought total silence to the room as each woman looked at the others. Nothing that he could possibly have said could affect them more than that. He had just freed them from the foul specter of growing old that haunts many women young, middle aged, and elderly. Even Beth was affected and said, "Ed, do you even know what it means to a woman to hear that?"

"I just stated a truth," answered Ed. As he looked over the room, he was amazed at the looks the women were giving him. The only word he could find to describe it was adoration. He wondered how he had managed to invoke such an emotion in women. It was unnerving and he wanted to flee. Licking his lips, he said, "If you will excuse me a minute, I will be back."

Watching him from the door, Ling nodded and stepped aside knowing that he would leave. Ed stood and left the room with quiet steady strides, moving slow enough that it didn't look like he was fleeing. Outside, he slumped against the wall and shook his head wondering if they actually saw him or some image of him that was colored by the simple things he did.

After a few minutes, Ling stepped out of the library and knelt by him. In a very soft voice, she said, "They love you for the man you've become. You love them. I know that because you have helped each women in that room become the best person that she can be."

"I never expected anything back," replied Ed troubled by what was being offered him.

Rubbing his hair, she said, "They don't know how to love you back."

"They have given me their friendship, is that not enough of a gift for any man to receive from anyone?" asked Ed. How many hours had he sat at the bar talking with Shirley just for the pleasure of her company? Many hours had been spent with her doing nothing but sharing friendship. The same was true for the two Marias and Rosa. Every woman in the library was a friend and he had done nothing more than help friends find a life that was more in tune with their desires. Sure he loved them, but loving isn't a sexual thing.

"Their need to love you back is very strong. Everyone in this family knows that love is expressed by helping another to become the best that they can be. How can these women show you their love if none can help you become a better person?" asked Ling. She knew that he valued friendship much more than sex.

Sitting on the floor, Ed wished that John was here so that he could discuss the matter with him. One evening watching the sunset and the stars turn overhead would allow the two men to resolve these issues. The fact was, John wasn't here and he couldn't turn to him to resolve this.

There was only one answer possible. If it harm none, then do it. Seven little words on which he based all his behavior. Simple words about actions and consequences that dictated what one was allowed to do rather than what one couldn't do. Who would be harmed? The husbands of the women would be harmed unless they had agreed. His wives had arranged this, so he knew where they stood.

He could hear the women in the library talking, but couldn't make out the words. Their sentences sounded clipped, shortened as if saying too much would make them even more vulnerable. There was an undercurrent of fear of rejection in their voices. The tension and worry that the sound conveyed suggested a need to be very careful.

Ed stood and returned to the library where he took his seat. Looking around the room, he could see nervousness written across the women's faces. Licking his lips, Ed said, "To say that I am overwhelmed by your offer would be an understatement. I love and care for each of you around this table. You can not imagine how touched I am that you love and care for me as well. However, I can only do as you ask if I know that none will be harmed by it. I need to know that your husbands know and approve of this."

When he had started talking, the women had held their breaths. By the time he ended, they all released their breaths in one sigh of relief. Every woman in here had discussed this with their partners. By their behavior, he knew the answer.

Kelly said, "That was already taken care of before they came here."

Seeing the smiles in the room, Ed could help but smile himself. He said, "I can see that."

An uneasy quiet settled on the room as everyone wondered what should happen next. Ed gave voice to the uncertainty when he asked, "What now?"

Animated at the idea that this was something she was comfortable doing, Beth leaned forward and said, "Well, now we have to arrange how to go about doing this. I suggest that we arrange a time for each woman to come over."

Ed listened to the discussion that followed. It was amazing how business-like the women were about scheduling his time. They discussed what to do in case one of them couldn't make it to the scheduled appointment. After a while, he just phased out of the conversation and looked at the books along the wall.

The conversation came to an end and Ed listened to the resolution in amazement. For fifteen weeks he would entertain a visitor from town. She would to spend a Wednesday evening with him, returning home at midnight. Cathy would reschedule the arrangements for situations in which Ed or the woman was unavailable that particular night.

Now that the meeting was over, Beth said, "I'm happy to announce that lunch is being served in the dining room. Let us adjourn to there now."

The women stood and headed towards the dining room. Ed remained behind sitting in his chair being watched by Ling. There was a look of concern on her face as she wondered how he felt about this whole situation.

The announcement had explained Marguerite's behavior this morning. She had been busy preparing a grand meal. Considering the topic of conversation, Ed wondered what the theme would be. As an idea flashed through his mind, he started chuckling.

Puzzled, Ling asked, "What's so funny?"

Still chuckling, Ed answered, "I was just thinking of Marguerite and what kind of theme she would put together for lunch. I had this vision of meals arranged in the form of cocks and wide open pussies."

The image struck Ling as very funny and she burst out laughing turning her oriental complexion a bright red. She said, "I don't think she'd dare do that."

A sudden thought occurred to Ed that this was something that Marguerite would do. The look on his face was suddenly mirrored by Ling as they both raced out of the library. They reached the dining room in time to see that Marguerite had served a simple salad without any extra fancy arrangements. While Ling giggled, Ed breathed a sigh of relief. It was short lived as Marguerite whispered in his ear, "Wait until desert!"

There wasn't any of the earlier tension in the room as the women talked while they ate. Occasionally, Ed would catch a woman watching him out of the corner of her eye. His imagination could only identify a one reason why they were looking at him like that. Now that they knew they would be making love to him, he was sure they were wondering if he was any good in bed. His wives often said that both men were different in bed, but neither one was better than the other. It was like the difference between a chocolate milkshake and a strawberry milkshake. Some days one was in the mood for one rather than the other.

Thinking about that reminded him that John was probably going to get the same treatment. Looking around the table, Ed said, "Ladies, I don't know about what your plans are for John. However, I suggest that you do something a little different for him than you did for me."

All of the individual conversations around the table stopped and silence held over the room. Raising an eyebrow, Kelly asked, "What would you suggest?"

Thinking about it, Ed said, "You might organize it so that it doesn't start with everyone staring at him. Maybe start with the food, then the stories, and then what it is that you want."

His suggestion sparked considerable debate among the women present. He didn't listen to most of it, choosing to concentrate on enjoying his food. As he ate, he focused on his plans for the next few weeks. There were so many things that he wanted to do and so little time. Something big was about to happen and he had no clue what it might be.

When it was time for desert, Ed watched the door of the kitchen wondering what Marguerite had in mind. The look on his face when he saw her come out of the kitchen carrying chocolate covered bananas caused every woman in the room to laugh. With a smile in his direction, she said, "Somehow, this reminded me of you."

In a very dry voice, Ed replied, "Really? You could have gotten bigger bananas."

This sparked another round of laughter. The women found eating their desert considerable fun as each woman tried to get Ed to blush by what she was doing with the banana. For Ed, this had been the most embarrassing aspect of the entire morning.



-------

Chapter 8


The entire week had been hectic for Ed. Ed and John had gone out to the site where John was going to start the Druid College. The thick woods and highly diverse animal life of North Carolina was a jarring change from the open desert. The trees seemed to swallow the sky, making it look much smaller. The distance one could see was measured in feet rather than miles. Knowing that when the college opened, they would have to live there for a while, he wondered if he could ever get used to living around the woods.

While John had gone on to Washington D.C., Ed had returned home. Once home, he had put in two full days at the IRS office finishing a case against several corporate executives that had been misusing corporate assets. The fraud committed by these executives was huge. There was a possibility that hundreds of millions of dollars would be lost by investors if the perpetrators weren't exposed before long. The arrests were going to make the national news.

On John's return from the capitol, the family had dinner with Robert White Feather. This was a ruse so that they could determine whether he would be a good candidate for a husband. The entire family had been excited about the prospect and felt a little let down when they learned that Robert had other plans.

Two days after the dinner, Beth had flown out to her conference in Los Angeles. The trip itself wasn't significant, but it had become a symbol for a major change that was going to take place in the house soon. She was going to try to have a child after she returned from the trip. Everyone was excited about the prospect of having children in the house.

Relaxing on the couch in the informal living room, Ed considered his schedule for the next few days. His thoughts were disturbed when John went to the mini-refrigerator to refill his iced tea. Watching John for a minute, he noticed the small mannerisms that suggested John was bothered by something. There was that little edge to his behavior that showed he was trying to hide it. Curious, Ed asked, "What's the matter?"

John frowned and answered, "I don't like that Beth went to Los Angeles for that medical conference."

Ed examined John carefully trying to decide what motivated this. He couldn't help wonder if it was a sign from the Gods and Goddesses. He had been having the feeling that something big was going to happen soon and couldn't place his finger on it. Concerned, he asked, "Why?"

John shook his head and answered, "I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen there."

"So let's go there and join her," suggested Ling. It was in her nature to favor direct action to a problem. Solving the problem or overwhelming the problem with excessive force was the same to her.

John walked to the intercom and pressed the button connecting him to the office. When Cathy answered, he said, "Cathy, arrange a jet to take us to LA."

Cathy acknowledged the request and went to work. John turned to face the others in the room and asked, "Who wants to go?"

Ling answered, "I'll go. Ed should stay here so that someone will be home when Kelly gets off work."

Ed argued, "Hold it, I'll watch his back for him."

Ling asked, "Who has the black belt? Whose job has been bodyguard? I should be the one that goes."

Their discussion was suddenly halted when John dropped to his knees screaming, "No!"

Ed initially thought that John might be upset with them for arguing, but John had never reacted like that in the past. Then he realized that something else was the matter. John cried, "It's not fair. She was going to be a mother!"

The statement ripped through Ed like a knife thrust into the stomach. He and Ling quickly moved to John's side to help him to the couch. Once John was seated, Ed asked, "John, what happened?"

"She's dead. Beth is dead." John replied. The words fell like stones on the floor.

Still unable to process everything, Ed knew that now was the time for the family to gather. He raced over to the intercom and buzzed the garage. After a quick greeting from Bob, Ed directed, "Bob, get one of the cars and go to the hospital. We need you to pick up Kelly and drive her home. Just tell her that her presence at the house is needed."

Ed returned to sit by Ling as the full import of John's message began to sink in. Beth was dead. The knowledge that he would no longer be able to share his life with her ripped a huge hole in his heart. Tears ran down his face. He looked up to see tears streaming down Ling's face and knew he was not alone in this.

Thirty minutes after John had collapsed the telephone rang. Ed stood up and answered it. Cathy explained that there was a long distance call from Los Angeles. This was the moment that Ed realized that none of the staff knew what had happened. He told her that he would take the call.

A man's voice on the other end of the line asked, "Am I speaking to the husband of Dr. Beth Hayes?"

"Yes, you are talking to one of her husbands," answered Ed.

There was a long moment of silence as the man considered the answer. Finally, he said, "I'm Officer Mike Tougas from the Los Angeles Police Department."

"Officer Tougas, I'm Ed Biggers. I have to assume that you have some news concerning Beth."

"A half an hour ago, Beth was struck and killed by a car."

Ed was silent for a moment wondering how one was supposed to react to such news. What does one say when told that their wife is dead? Not knowing what else to say, he asked, "Could you leave me a number where you may be reached?"

Officer Tougas, expecting some exclamation of grief, answered in a suspicious tone of voice, "Why?"

"My family will fly out there. I need to inform the staff and then we will leave. Once I arrive, I expect to meet with you. I have to determine to my satisfaction if her death was the result of malfeasance or an accident."

"You suspect foul play?"

Thinking of all the attempts on their lives that had occurred in the past, Ed had to answer, "It is a possibility, particularly when you consider the history of our family."

Mike told Ed the number while Ed copied it down on a piece of paper. After a few minutes of conversation, he hung up the phone and turned to face Ling and John with a wounded expression on his face. Shuffling over to the couch, he sat down beside Ling and held her tightly. Beth was the first person that Ed had lost since his parents and he didn't know how to deal with the grief. The reaction to his parents' death had been one of anger and he had gone out into the desert to drink himself unconscious. That wasn't an option for this death.

Holding onto Ling, he started crying, giving voice to his grief. Seeing Ed in such pain, Ling started to cry as well. Although she was the newest member of the family, everyone knew that it started with Ed and Kelly. Beth was the third to agree to the marriage and John was the forth.

By the time Kelly returned home, Ed and Ling had gotten themselves under a little better control, but Kelly could tell as soon as she entered the house that something was wrong. She moved to the informal living room as a sense of dread settled upon her. She froze when she saw the looks on the faces of her husbands and wife. She asked, "What is it?"

The three of them got off the couch and moved to Kelly. John and Ed put an arm around her as Ling moved in to hug her. John said, "I'm sorry Kelly. Beth was killed in LA about an hour ago."

Kelly's legs collapsed out from under her, but she didn't fall to the floor. Catching her, the two men carried her over to the couch and set her down. Ling looked at John accusingly and asked, "How can you accept this so calmly?"

With a sigh, John said, "It is simple, I have died and know that it is not a bad thing. I am sad because I will not get to share my love with her and she with me."

Kelly replied, "I feel so guilty because I'm thinking about myself."

John said, "Don't feel that way. She is fine now. We are the ones left behind to continue without them. It is natural that we think of our loss."

What John had said allowed Ed to come to grips with his feelings. He was about to comment when Cathy came into the room and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Beth's father is on the telephone and he wants to talk to you."

Once Cathy left, John turned on the speakerphone. "Hello, Dr. Hayes. You're on the speakerphone here and the whole family is gathered."

"I'm so sorry. We were at lunch and a car lost control. I couldn't do anything," he said. His voice broke as the sound of him crying came across the telephone. He sobbed, "Oh, God, I'm so sorry."

Feeling for the man, John said, "We understand there was nothing you could do. You've done nothing that requires an apology. Where are you?"

"I'm in the hospital in LA."

"Are you alright?" John gave Ed a look that conveyed he was to make all of the necessary arrangements with Cathy. Standing, Ed went to the door waiting to hear the rest of the message.

"I've got a broken leg and a fractured disk."

John asked, "Where's Mrs. Hayes?"

"She's at home. I called her and let her know."

Ed nodded at John and went to find Cathy. He knew she had become suspicious about all of the calls that were suddenly being made. Slipping into the office, Ed said, "Cathy, please get the staff together in the library."

It didn't take Cathy long to get the message to everyone. Marguerite and Bob had been in the kitchen wondering why he had been sent to get Kelly. Clueless that a major tragedy had befallen the family, Linda was in the laundry washing clothes while Dave was in the security room. Sighing, he said, "Cathy, come with me to the library."

In the library, the entire staff had gathered and each staff member was looking around uneasily. As Ed looked over them all, he realized that he had not interacted with Dave once during the past three months. Making a mental note to follow up on that later, Ed said, "Please sit down everyone."

He waited until everyone had sat down and then, in a very solemn voice, said, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news and I know of no nice way to say this, but Beth has passed away."

Marguerite burst out in tears as Bob put an arm around her to comfort her. Linda made a wailing sound of grief that sent chills down everyone's spine. Paling, Cathy cried as her suspicions were confirmed. Shaking his head as though to deny what he had heard, Dave sat there frowning at the news.

Still numb from the news, but dealing with the situation much better, Ed waited five minutes for the staff to process the news. There was just too much to do and too little time to properly handle this with individual attention. Clearing his throat to get their attention, he said, "The family is flying to LA about an hour. Cathy, I need you to arrange for a plane to take Beth's mother to LA. Dave, you will have to be especially diligent on security. Linda, I would appreciate it if you would assist Cathy over the next few days. Marguerite, I want you to take care that everyone gets rest and eats. Bob, I want you to take charge of the household."

Ed hoped that giving people things to do would enable them to focus on things other than their grief. When they sat there staring at him, he remembered the words of John. He said, "John has died twice and knows that death is not a horrible thing. We who live on will feel the emptiness in our hearts as we miss their presence. Do not feel guilty because your thoughts are about yourself rather than about her."

He returned to the office with Cathy and watched as she made the arrangements for the plane to take Beth's mother to LA. When she hung up, Ed handed her a piece a paper as he said, "Here's the number of the officer that called us. Call him and find out what hospital Beth's father is in. Then, I want you to arrange a suite for the five of us close to the hospital. We'll need a limousine while we are there. Finally, let the officer know that I expect to meet with him this evening or tomorrow morning."

Ed stood and returned to the informal living room where the rest of the family was gathered. Despite knowing better, he kept expecting to see Beth sitting there. All eyes turned to him waiting to hear what he had to say. Quietly, he said, "We should pack and get ready to leave for the airport. A jet has been arranged for Beth's mother and, despite the longer distance, she will most likely arrive about the same time as us. Cathy is arranging for a suite at a hotel near the hospital. I will talk to the officer that called."

Now that everyone had something to do, they each went to work. Ling walked a moment with Ed and then said, "I should have gone there with her."

"No, you shouldn't have," replied Ed as he realized that he should have known she would feel guilty about not having been there to protect Beth. They walked a few more steps and then he said, "It was her time. If it hadn't been her time, then the Gods and Goddesses would have warned John or I. Believe me when I say that we would have all been there to protect her from harm."

Ling said, "If I was Ö."

Interrupting, Ed said, "You could have done nothing more than the Gods and Goddesses."

"You're right," said Ling. She stopped and pulled his head down to where she could kiss him. After giving him a gentle kiss, she said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," replied Ed. He watched as she went to her room. From her movements, he could tell that she was feeling much better. The problem was that he wasn't feeling better. That same feeling of something major happening soon hung over him.

After Ling left, he went to the wall where Beth had hung the portraits taken several months ago. The order of pictures on the wall started with Kelly and progressed to him, Beth, John, and then finally Ling. Beth had put little brass plaques under each picture with the birth date and the date they had joined the marriage. It was only now that he realized she had put a dash to after the birth date.

The entire staff stood in a line by the door of the house to say good bye and to express their condolences. It touched Ed more than he was able to convey with mere words. Each staff member gave every member of the family a hug.

At the LA airport, the family waited for Mrs. Hayes to arrive. It wasn't a long wait, but a nervous one. The expectation was that Mrs. Hayes would step off the plane distraught about the death of her daughter. Instead, she had been in a good mood feeling like a queen flying around the country in a private jet.

Some of the ideas that had been suggested while flying to LA were presented to Mrs. Hayes. The family had decided that they were going to get a private nurse for Dr. Hayes while here. As soon as he could move, they would bring him to the house where he would stay in the clinic room that Beth had set up. In the mean time, they would build a separate house for them to live in and provide a staff member to take care of it.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the hotel. John picked up the keys to the penthouse suite and they were immediately shown to their penthouse suite. The penthouse was huge, with four bedrooms, large living room, spa, dining room, an office, and a built-in bar. John shouted, "Okay, everyone. Pick a room. I'm claiming the office."

Beth's mother looked shocked at the suggestion that John be relegated to the study when everyone else had bedrooms. She said, "That's okay, I'll sleep on the couch."

As everyone else tried to convince Mrs. Hayes that John normally slept on the floor, Ed picked the smallest room for himself. Without drawing attention to himself, he entered the room closing the door behind him and settled down on the bed for a minute. Beth was the giving one in the family, always tender and compassionate. He already missed her a lot.

He opened the gym bag that contained all of his clothes, four shirts, two pairs of jeans, underwear, and socks with a plastic bag containing his razor, brush, toothpaste, and shaving cream. At the bottom of the gym bag was his robe. It was his standard traveling outfit.

It was time to join the others. Ed came out of his room and saw Juan, the Hispanic man that had helped them the day of the earthquake. Going over to the man, he shook hands, and asked, "Juan, how are you doing?"

Before Juan had a chance to answer, Kelly entered the room and rushed over to Juan. After giving him a big hug, she said, "Oh, Juan. You look so sharp."

Juan burst out in a smile. He was amazed that these wonderful people remembered him from one day that had happened years ago. Juan answered them, "I am doing well. I'm so sad to see you again under these circumstances."

Kelly hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much."

Juan blushed. "I have come from the hospital. Dr. Hayes is doing well. The staff told me that doctors make the worst patients and he's no exception."

Juan fidgeted for a moment and then pulled an envelope out of his suit pocket. He handed it to Mrs. Hayes as he said, "I have written an obituary for Beth. I would like your permission to print it in my newspaper. I've made a deal with the larger newspapers to run it also, if you approve."

Mrs. Hayes sat down on a couch and read the contents of the envelope. As she read, tears started to stream down her cheeks. When she finished reading it, she looked up at Juan. With a catch in her throat, she said, "It's so beautiful. You have my permission. You are a very talented and kind young man."

Juan frowned as he replied, "I do my best. It is hard to do less than that once your life has been touched by an angel."

John put an arm around Juan. "Juan, it is so great to see you. I hope that you will join us for dinner tonight."

Juan shook his head, "John, I won't join you for dinner tonight. You have traveled far today and will be tired. I don't want to intrude. I just wanted a chance to welcome you back to Los Angeles."

Ed recognized how difficult this was for Juan. During the activities of the earthquake, Juan had worked very closely with Beth and Kelly. It was funny, but the drug dealer had worked hard to earn their respect never realizing that just by doing what he could he had already earned it. Ed said, "Your consideration is really appreciated, but you wouldn't be intruding."

The telephone rang again. John answered it while Juan said his good-byes to everyone. After Juan left, John said, "Mrs. Dawn Ericson is on her way up to say hello to you."

The name meant absolutely nothing to Ed. He looked at Kelly and saw the same blank look. John added, "She said you had rescued her from slavery."

It still took Ed a moment to remember that she had been one of the adult women that had been rescued during the white slavery bust. He was amazed that she wanted to talk to him or Kelly when it was really John that had rescued her.

John opened the door and waited for the elevator to arrive. Ed knew that she had arrived when John said, "Hello, I'm John Carter. You must be Mrs. Dawn Ericson."

Dawn stepped into the room and spotted Kelly first. With a happy expression, she ran to Kelly and hugged her tightly. "Oh, it's so good to see you."

She turned and saw Ed watching her with Kelly. With a great big smile, she ran to him as she said, "Ed, you are still as handsome as ever."

Kelly smiled at the thought that this was another damsel in distress that Ed had rescued. She said, "Keep saying things like that to him and he's liable to believe you."

With a sudden look of anguish on her face, Dawn stepped away. "I'm so sorry about Beth. When I heard, I knew you would be coming here. I called every hotel looking for you. I just had to give you my condolences."

Mrs. Hayes asked, "How did you know my daughter?"

Dawn answered, "Several years ago I was abducted. They were going to turn me into a sex slave and sell me to some sick pervert. When I was rescued, Ed came into the room and untied all of us. Kelly came in and checked us out to make sure that we were uninjured. Beth was working feverishly to tend to the wounded. She was amazing and I'll never forget any of them for their heroic action."

"I never knew that."

Ed said, "John was seriously wounded in that raid. Beth had him stabilized, but she couldn't do much in the middle of nowhere. John died in the hospital. He was dead for four minutes before he came back to life."

Kelly added, "Ed was shot in the leg, Beth patched it up very nicely."

"I didn't know he had died saving us," Dawn said with a surprised expression. She looked at John. "You really are some kind of hero."

Nobody had noticed that Ling had been standing there hearing all of this. Dawn noticed Ling for the first time. She turned to her and said, "Hello, I'm Dawn."

John said, "Please excuse my manners. Dawn, this is our newest wife Ling. Ling, this is Dawn. I guess you heard her story already."

Dawn smiled at Ling. With a warm smile, she said, "You are one lucky woman to get these three. I'm so sorry about your loss."

Ling answered, "I know I'm the luckiest woman in the world."

Dawn turned around. She said, "Well, I had better get going. Please, call me if you need anything. I'm a great baby-sitter if you need one."

The offer of baby-sitting tore through Ed like a knife. For three months, all the family had talked about had been Beth having a baby. He looked at the others and saw that her words had the same effect on them. John was the first to recover.

John laughed and replied, "Thank you very much for your offer. Take care of yourself."

Dawn breezed out of the room and to the elevator. John closed the door after her and turned to his family. He suggested, "We had better get out of here now, before someone else shows up."

The trip to the hospital was tough. It was not surprising to learn that Dr. Hayes was not a very good patient. They had arranged for a private nurse, a very scary looking private nurse, to take care of him. To say that Dr. Hayes wasn't happy would be an understatement. The tension in the room sapped Ed's strength.

Ed returned from the hospital exhausted. Retiring to his room, he wondered how it was that he seemed to be having the most difficult time dealing with Beth's death. His room was the smallest of the suite, containing a regular bed, a dresser, and a bathroom. Undoubtedly it was intended for a staff member or child of a party.

Sitting on the bed, he thought about past times spent with Beth. It wasn't the great moments of passion or wild times spent in bed that affected him the most. It was the memories of their quiet times spent together that hurt the most. He had no idea how many evenings he had spent cuddling with her in bed. They had gone on picnics in the desert. There times when he had been working on something and she would come in to the room, put her hands on his shoulders, knead them for a moment, and then move on without disturbing him. There were the times when each sat on the couch, legs touching, as they read the journals of their respective careers.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Opening it, he found Kelly waiting for him. He said, "Hello, Kelly. Come in."

She came in and stood next to him waiting until he closed the door. Once the door was closed, she threw her arms around him and whispered, "I need to be held."

Ed put his arms around her, cradling her gently against his chest as her body molded itself against him. They stood like that for a long time before she said, "I never thought about one of us dying when I started the family. I don't think I could have gone through this alone."

"I know what you mean," replied Ed with a sigh. Smiling over her head, he said, "I don't think I've ever needed someone so much right now. Thank you for coming here."

After a few more minutes of the extended hug, they moved to his small bed to lie down upon it. Spooning, Ed held his arms around Kelly as he smelled her hair. They stayed quietly, taking comfort in the presence of each other. Neither one of them said a word as they lay there. If Mrs. Hayes had not been here, Ed was sure that all four of them would have been together in one room, holding each other.

In response to a knock on the door, Ed called out, "Come in."

Mrs. Hayes came into the room and looked around embarrassed when she saw them on the bed. Hesitantly, she asked, "Am I disturbing you?"

Snuggling against Ed, Kelly answered, "Ed is giving me a little comfort."

Correcting her, Ed said, "We are comforting each other."

As Kelly sat up, she asked, "Is there anything that we can do for you?"

Ed sat up beside Kelly and looked at the elderly woman. It amazed him at how well she was handling this crisis. Her solidness reminded him that the elderly had so much more experience in life than the young.

Still uncomfortable, Mrs. Hayes said, "I just wanted to let you know that we were considering what to do for dinner."

Smiling, Kelly stood and put an arm around the elderly woman with a tenderness that touched Ed very deeply. Mrs. Hayes, giving into her need for loving contact, allowed herself to be guided from the room by Kelly. They went into the living room leaving Ed behind. Eyes misting, it took him a moment to collect himself.

The feeling that something was wrong had grown on their arrival to LA. Ed knew that he was going to have to stay here until he could identify the problem. All he knew was that it wasn't yet time for him to act. However, it was time for him to join the others.

When Ed reached the living room, the group was discussing what to do for dinner. All discussion came to a halt when Ed said, "I'll abide by the wishes of everyone else, but the fact of the matter is that I don't want to go out tonight."

His statement echoed the sentiment of everyone in the room. It was decided that they would settle for room service. Ed picked up the menu and looked at it before he said, "I hate to say this, but I think we are talking broccoli, thick cut French Fries, and then some sort of meat dish. I've been spoiled by Marguerite."

"You're not spoiled by her cooking. The fact of the matter is that these meals are horrible." John picked up the phone and dialed room service. After a minute of conversation, John hung up. Turning to everyone else, he said, "The Chef will be up here in a minute."

Smiling, Ed said, "Good solution, my husband."

The result of a long discussion with the Chef was the arrangement of dinners that wouldn't have broccoli and thick cut French Fries. Tonight, they requested Spaghetti and meatballs suggesting that they would even settle for a jar of store bought sauce. Having settled dinner, the family sat around the living room talking quietly waiting for the food to arrive. The Chef had promised to deliver it within an hour.

Dinner was common enough fare, but they enjoyed eating the spaghetti. After a comment from Kelly about the proper way to eat the noodles, Ed slipped the end of a noodle in his mouth and sucked it in as sauce splattered everywhere. Winking, John did the same thing making twice the noise. Kelly, laughing, finally said, "Boys! That's enough."

Watching the two men acting like children playing with their food, Mrs. Hayes asked, "How do you young ladies manage to live with those two?"

Smiling over at Ed, Ling said, "With great difficulty. It is hard to put up with their antics, but somehow they make everything alright."

Mrs. Hayes asked, "So what are your plans?"

Ed said, "I shall stay out here until Dr. Hayes is healthy enough to come home."

Frowning at the unexpected plan of Ed's, John asked, "Why?"

With a hand brushing across his chest where his medallion hung, Ed answered, "I don't know yet, but I need to stay here."

Ling, along with John, caught the gesture and knew what it implied. Without hesitation, Ling said, "I will stay here as well. You and Kelly can return home to take care of things at that end."

Mrs. Hayes, unaware of the subtext under which the discussion was taking place, said, "You children don't need to do that. I'm sure that I can manage alone."

Seated beside the woman, Kelly said, "I know we don't need to do it, but we want to do it."

Appreciating the support from his wives, Ed said, "You are family."



-------

Chapter 9


Officer Mike Tougas sat in the restaurant of the hotel sipping a cup of coffee waiting for Ed to arrive from his suite upstairs. After the discussion on the phone, he had investigated the family of Beth Hayes. When he discovered the number of times that the family had been attacked in the past, many of his suspicions about them had been dispelled although he didn't know the reasons behind the attacks.

It was only after digging a little deeper that he learned that this family was the John Carter Rescue Squad that had been here during the last big earthquake. On the advice of his fellow officers he had returned to the scene of the accident and satisfied himself that it was an accident. The taste of hot coffee couldn't hide the bitter taste in his mouth that he had gotten on learning that he was to baby sit this guy.

Taking a sip of his hot coffee, he was startled when a cowboy sat down at the table with him. He asked, "May I help you?"

Ed replied, "Yes, you can Officer Tougas. I want to know every detail about my wife's death. I want to see the scene of the accident, the car, any and all information about the person behind the wheel of the car, and the autopsy report on the driver."

"Excuse me?"

Without batting an eye, Ed said, "I have just gotten off the phone with the chief of police. You have been assigned to me until I say otherwise."

Officer Tougas sat back in his chair with both eyebrows raised as he examined Ed. He was about to say something when a man, built like a football lineman wearing a dark suit, approached the table. He was carrying a thin briefcase that looked extremely small in his huge hands. "Excuse me, Dr. Biggers. I'm Norman Asmaro from the LA office of the FBI. I've been instructed to give you as much support as you may require in your investigation."

Grateful for the additional support, Ed said, "Thanks, please have a seat."

A small woman with bird like features moved into the restaurant. She was carrying a briefcase in her right hand and held it like it was almost too heavy for her. Her head darted to and fro seeking out her prey. Spotting Ed, she moved directly to the table and stopped. "Dr. Biggers?"

"Yes."

"I'm Venessa Schally from the LA office of the IRS. I've been asked to give you any assistance that you may require."

Pointing to the empty chair at the table, Ed said, "Please have a seat."

Once she had seated herself at the table, Ed performed the introductions, "Officer Mike Tougas of the LAPD. Norman Asmaro of the FBI. Venessa Schally of the IRS. I'm Ed Biggers, but I would prefer it if everyone were to call me Ed. I am an informal person. Has everyone had breakfast?"

At the nods around the table, Ed called the waitress over and took care of the bill. Once that was done, he stood up and said, "Let's go to the site of the incident first."

A very numb Mike Tougas stood up looking around at the others. Suddenly this didn't seem to be a babysitting job anymore. He asked, "Whose car will we be taking?"

"Mine," answered Ed as he headed for the limousine. The rest of the family had already headed over to the hospital to take care Dr. Hayes. He had promised to take care of the investigation by two so that they could return to the hotel for a late lunch.

In the car, Ed asked Venessa, "Did you bring the tax records of the driver?"

As she handed him a folder, she answered, "Yes, I did."

Ed glanced through it very quickly. There wasn't a sign of any kind of lie anywhere on the form. Satisfied, he handed it back to her. Turning to Norman, he asked, "Did you bring any background information on the driver?"

The agent opened his briefcase and handed a folder to Ed. As he read the report, he talked out loud. "A corporal in the army during the Korean Conflict. Received a Purple Heart for a wound suffered in action. The past twenty years have been spent as Manager of an Auto Parts chain. Just retired a year ago. There's nothing suspicious in here."

The agent accepted the folder back and said, "We also did a background check on his children. They're all model citizens without any hints of financial problems."

Nodding in satisfaction that nothing untoward had arisen yet, Ed said, "With luck, we'll be done in a couple of hours."

The limousine reached the site of the incident. Ed stepped out and looked around for a second before spotting the yellow police tape around the splintered remains of a table. Reaching the area, Ed knelt down and examined the area looking for anything that might suggest a lie. Officer Tougas approached and said, "This is where it happened. The driver lost control over there, drove up onto the sidewalk, and then into the table. The car was stopped by that huge planter over there."

After walking around and examining the path taken by the car, Ed asked, "Why aren't there any skid marks?"

"He never applied the brakes."

Returning to the limousine, Ed said, "Let's see the car."

At the impound lot, Ed examined the car with considerable attention to detail. He could find nothing wrong with the car that hadn't been caused by the accident. His truth sense told him that the car had not been employed intentionally to kill Beth. That didn't mean that the driver didn't intentionally run into her, just that the car had not been modified to cause the accident.

Standing behind Ed, the other three people were watching him work with interest. Officer Tougas asked Norman, "What's he doing?"

Norman answered, "I don't know. They told me to expect anything from this guy. His husband and him are famous within the FBI for the cases they've cracked."

Venessa whispered, "They are famous for breaking big cases in the IRS. I've heard they are very difficult to work with because they do things in a strange way."

Overhearing the conversation, Ed grinned to himself. John and he weren't difficult to work with, they just concentrated on their work. Sometimes, that concentration and attention to detail wasn't understood by those around them. Turning to the entourage, he said, "Let's get over to the coroner's office."

At the coroner's office, Ed talked with the man that had performed the autopsy. The man was convinced that the driver had suffered a brain aneurysm and lost consciousness. He had died on the way to the hospital. Once again, Ed's truth sense verified that the man believed what he was saying. Following up, he asked, "Was it a sudden development or had it been developing for some time?"

The coroner replied, "It had been developing for some time. There was extensive bulging indicating that it had been weak for quite a while."

"Did you perform a blood analysis?"

"Sent a sample to the lab yesterday. We won't get the results back for several days."

"Thank you for your time."

The coroner cleared his throat and asked, "Can I release the body now? The widow wants to make final arrangements."

"Yes, you can. Is she here?"

Officer Tougas answered, "Yes. They had said that they would be releasing the body today and she's here."

"I would like to speak to her," said Ed. For now, he just wanted to give his condolences to the widow. He had come to the conclusion that Beth's death was an accident. The man had been driving and he had a stroke thereby losing consciousness. The car swerved and killed Beth. It was just a stupid senseless death.

Officer Tougas looked to Norman and Vanessa for guidance. When they shrugged their shoulders, he said, "I suppose it won't hurt."

Ed followed Officer Tougas to a waiting room where a woman in her mid-sixties was seated. Mike said, "Ed, this is Mrs. Ray Nicklaus. Mrs. Nicklaus, this is Dr. Ed Biggers."

The woman turned pale and stood. Noticing her discomfort, Ed stepped forward and took her hand in both of his. "I am so sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances. I would like to offer the condolences of myself and my family on your loss."

With confusion apparent on her face, the woman asked, "Are you the coroner?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No, I'm not. In cases where a FBI agent or their spouse is killed after death threats have been made against them, it is necessary to investigate the circumstances very carefully. I have given instructions that your husband's body is to be released. I am sorry for the delay."

Mrs. Nicklaus frowned and said, "I didn't know that she was married to an FBI agent. Her family must really be upset."

After removing a card from his wallet, he handed it to her and said, "If I or any of my family can be of service to you, please call us."

Hands trembling, she accepted the card. Glancing down at it, she saw that it was the family card of the Carter Clan. The name of every member of the family was on it with his name in bold. She saw the name of the woman her husband had killed under his. Her hand flew to her mouth as she said, "Oh my goodness. It was your wife that was killed."

"Yes. I'm satisfied that her death was an accident and a very tragic one at that. Yesterday, you and I have lost loved ones." Ed had taken her hand in both of his and patted it gently letting her know that there was no anger on his part. Nodding to her, he said, "If we can be of service to you, please call us."

"Yes, Dr. Biggers."

After saying goodbye to the woman, Ed led his entourage out of the coroner's office. Once in the hall, he turned to the threesome and asked, "Is there a quiet place where we can talk?"

Officer Tougas led them to a small interrogation room. Once inside, they seated themselves around the table. Ed looked at the smallish room with the mirror across the back wall. He had been on the other side of the mirror on an occasion or two. Ed broke the silence when he said, "I'm satisfied that Beth's death was an accident."

Norman Asmaro asked, "How can you be so sure of that after such a cursory investigation?"

Ed turned to stare directly at Norman, his gray eyes conveying an intensity that made the man catch his breath. Ed said, "I found no lies hiding a different kind of truth. All is as it appears to be."

"Okay." The man's voice shook when he answered.

Venessa had watched the exchange and would have sworn that she saw a bolt of light flash from Ed to Norman. She shivered and asked, "Does that mean we are done?"

"No."

Shocked, Mike Tougas asked, "Why not?"

Licking his lips as he remembered the sight that he had seen from his window last night. Just remembering it was enough to sicken him. He answered, "There is another case that has to be solved first. After we leave here, I'm going to take all three of you to a building that just reeks of evil. I don't know what is going on in there, but I want to find out everything that I can about everyone in that building."

Special Agent Norman Asmaro, looking around the table, said, "You don't know what is going on inside and yet you say it reeks of evil."

"Exactly."

Special Agent Venessa Schally sat back with a concerned look on her face. After a minute of silence, she said, "We can't go investigate a business because someone says that the building is evil."

In a very soft voice, Ed answered, "You can when an individual who has helped capture four serial killers, brought down a white slavery ring, and took out organized crime says that there is a problem inside the building."

The reminder of his credentials silenced all discussion around the table. The news struck Officer Tougas like a slap across the face. His quick check on the guy hadn't hinted anything about that.

Sitting in the back of the limousine, Ed watched the surroundings as the driver traced a spiral path starting from the hotel at which he was staying. The problem was that Ed didn't know exactly where the building that he had seen was located. Seeing it from his hotel room didn't give him an address. Ed saw the driver glance at him in the mirror with a questioning look in his eye. It was clear to Ed that the driver thought he was crazy.

When the limousine turned a corner, Ed saw the building. Waves of blackness rolled off the exterior striking him full force with the maliciousness of pure evil. His stomach heaved and his eyes blurred. Reaching for the door handle, he shouted, "Stop the car!"

The driver put on the brakes as Ed opened the door and tumbled out of the still moving car onto the street. Crawling to the side of the road, he started vomiting in response to the evil that he had just seen. As the others gathered around him, he pointed in the direction of the building and shouted, "There! That building!"

Looking in the direction that Ed was pointing, Venessa asked, "What? The old folks home?"

He reached into his shirt and brought out his medallion. Forcing himself to look at the sign in front of the building, Ed struggled to answer, "Yes. Now get me out of here before I pass out."

In disbelief, the driver and the law enforcement agents stood staring at Ed. It wasn't until Ed passed out holding onto his medallion that they realized he was serious. Believing this was a medical problem, they decided to take him to the hospital. The three almost tripped over themselves trying to get Ed into the car. Vanessa knelt on the floor of the limousine where Ed lay unconscious trying to determine what was wrong with him.

When the limousine pulled into the emergency entrance of the hospital, they were met by John Carter. He had been waiting for them in the drive to the emergency ward and stepped in front of the car as it pulled up forcing the driver to stop the car. Taking his time, John opened the door and climbed in the limousine. Without introduction other than holding up his badge, he said, "Take us to the nearest park."

Opening his eyes, Ed found a grotesquely fat man sitting across from him in the middle of a meadow. His lower lip hung down obscenely and flapped as he moved. In a voice that bordered on feminine, the Two-Sided One said, "I see that you have found the abomination."

"How can such a place exist?"

Slowly turning into a fat woman, the Two-Sided One answered, "There are many people in the world. Not all of them are good."

Ed lay back and looked up at the sky feeling his strength return. "Am I strong enough for this?"

Laughing at his uncertainty, the woman slapped her thigh causing the rolls of fat to jiggle. She answered, "Yes, you are strong enough for this."

Feeling recovered, Ed sat up and looked at the Two-Sided One. Afraid, he said, "I couldn't even look at it without getting sick. I don't know if I can do this."

A hint of anger flashed across the face of the woman as she turned back into a man. He asked, "Are you refusing this service?"

"No! I could never refuse such a service. I will die, if necessary, to rid the world of such a thing. It is just that I fear I will die before I can rid the world of that," answered Ed, indignant that his commitment would be questioned.

Stomach rolling as he laughed, the Two-Sided One answered, "You don't even know the nature of the abomination. Don't consider yourself dead, yet."

The observation gave Ed hope. "Thank you."

Reaching between his legs, the fat man started to fondle his cock with a negligent gesture. For five minutes he looked at Ed, eyes sad and lip quivering. Finally, he said, "We are sorry about your wife. It was her time."

Ed asked, "Could you have saved her?"

"Yes, but the alternative would have been far worse for her and for the rest of your family," replied the Two-Sided One. Adjusting his belly to give easier access to his cock, he watched as tears welled up in Ed's eyes.

After a minute, Ed said, "Thank you."

The fat man shifted. As the fat man stood, the fat sagged down towards the ground, his cock swelled, and his balls hung down between his thighs. His balls swung as he waddled out of the meadow. As he disappeared into the trees, he called out, "Get some mirrored sunglasses."

Ed jolted awake and sat up with a suddenness that surprised everyone gathered around him. Looking around, he spotted John's concerned face. Taking a deep breath, Ed looked to the others there and said, "I want to know everything there is to know about that nursing home. Who owns it, what else they own, and how long it has been open. Everything and I want it quick."

Raising an eyebrow at the lack of acknowledgement of his presence, John asked, "Are you okay?"

Putting his medallion back under his shirt, Ed looked up at John as he answered, "Yes, I am now. Thanks to the Two-Sided One."

Understanding that Ed had visited the Two-Sided One, John relaxed and knew that Ed would be okay. Holding out a hand, he helped Ed stand. Ed looked around the park, watching the little kids at play on the swings, slides, and teeter-totter. Mothers were seated on benches watching their children or reading books. The normality of the scene helped restore his sense of balance. His service to the Gods and Goddesses were for the sake of these kids. It was necessary to rid the world of evil that would prey upon them.

Mike, after everything that had happened, was angry. He had assumed that Ed's behavior was a result of some illness rather than something brought on by what he had seen. He asked, "What in the hell is going on here?"

Vanessa and Norman seconded the question. To Ed, it was clear that they were frustrated by his inability to communicate what had happened. He said, "I'm sure that you think I pointed out to the building in the throes of some sort of delirium. It was the other way around. I was rendered ill by the building."

Mike shook his head ready to walk away from the whole thing. He asked, "And we are supposed to believe someone that jumps out of moving car?"

After glancing over at John, who nodded back at him, Ed said, "I can see and hear lies. That building that we saw today is one huge lie and I don't know the truth that it being hidden, but I know that building hides a lie."

Mike, fed up with everything, said, "I don't believe you."

It only took a ten minutes for Ed to convince Mike, Vanessa, and Norman that it was impossible for them to lie to him. He took each one off to a side and questioned them telling them to lie or tell the truth in response to his questions. Simple responses of true and false to their answers exposed the lies and verified the truth. Each person knew that he could probe them for their innermost secrets. By the time he was done, none of the three would ever question that gift again.

As they returned to the limousine, John said, "Ling will not let you out of her sight if she hears about this."

With a snort of laughter, Ed said, "After this experience, that doesn't sound all that bad to me."

The entourage was getting frustrated by the discussions between Ed and John. They could interpret the words, but couldn't follow the meaning. In the limousine, Ed took charge of the group. "We are going to go to my hotel and lay out a strategy for the investigation. This needs to be considered extremely sensitive and no one is to know what you are working on. If you need information, get nine other things that are totally unrelated. If your supervisor asks you what you are working on, then tell them to talk to me."

Mike sat back and said, "I'm not a detective. I drive a police car on patrol giving out tickets, clearing up accidents, breaking up domestic disturbances and occasionally making an arrest. You got the wrong guy."

Smiling broadly, John said, "After working with Ed, you will be a detective."

Mike looked to Norman and Venessa for support. They both sat there looking out the window of the limousine wondering what was happening to them. Of the three, Norman was the most nervous of working with Ed. Ed had proven to him that he knew about a single homosexual affair that he had while in college. He turned to Ed and asked, "Do we have a choice?"

Surprised at the question, Ed answered, "Yes, you do. I can get someone to replace you with a single call. I will ask that you don't tell anyone about anything you've seen and heard today."

Quietly, John said, "Everyone that has ever worked with Ed has had a major boost in their career. Things do not make sense now, but when everything is over and all of the details are known, then you will be happy that you choose to work with him."

The driver dropped Ed, Mike, Norman, and Venessa at the hotel. Ed watched as the limousine drove off with John to return him to the hospital. Even as limousine pulled away, Ed knew that Ling would be showing up soon. Turning to Norman, he asked, "You train in martial arts?"

"Yes."

"Good, my wife will need a sparing partner while we are here," remarked Ed.

At the front desk, Ed made arrangements for a room to be converted into a conference room with multiple telephones and Internet connectivity. As the details for the conversion were being worked out, Ling showed up in the lobby and headed directly for Ed. John had told her about his episode in front of the nursing home and that she was to support Ed during this investigation. In a way, she was excited to participate in one of their actions knowing that it was going to be a major effort.

Noticing her arrival, Ed turned to her and said, "I want you to handle security for the room that we use as an office. Change the locks, install security cameras, and what ever else you feel will be of value."

Smiling at the chance to do the one thing that she was the best at, Ling replied, "Sure thing."

Norman looked at the diminutive Ling and asked, "Who is she?"

"My wife, our security specialist, and your new sparing partner."

With a quick glance at the large man, a disdainful Ling muttered, "He's too slow."

Catching the flash of anger that flew across the agent's face, Ed knew that the first match between the two would be interesting. Looking at the people gathered around him, Ed knew that this was going to be an interesting adventure. The next few hours were spent getting things organized.

Stepping into the hospital room, Ed looked down at Dr. Hayes examining his color and overall condition. The man looked much better than he had the day before. Dr. Hayes, glaring at Ed, spat, "Can't a man get any peace and quiet without one of you showing up?"

"How are you feeling?" asked Ed with concern evident in his voice. The private nurse was seated in the corner watching the exchange.

"Horrible."

Shaking his head at the blatant lie, Ed said, "Quit lying to me."

Dr. Hayes sagged in the bed. "I'm bored out of my mind. I'm stuck here unable to move and with nothing to do but watch that miserable television."

Sitting down in one of the visitor chairs, Ed asked, "So what are you going to do about it?"

"What in the hell can I do?" groused the elderly doctor.

Glancing over at the nurse, Ed said, "When John is in the hospital, he reads to children."

Dr. Hayes was silent as he thought about it. He remembered the discussion about John reading to burn victims. John, Kelly, and Ling had given him free reign to complain. Looking at Ed, he knew that Ed wasn't going to be like that. In response to the suggestion, he said, "I can't move, so how can I go there and read to them?"

"You're a smarter man than that," retorted Ed. The nurse shifted in her seat, watching the discussion with interest. For almost the whole day, she had sat there watching this group of people deal with the grumpy patient.

"Okay, I'll read to kids," replied the old man. Frowning as though it was going to be an imposition, he added, "They'll have to bring them to me."

From the tone of voice, Ed knew that wasn't an option that would bring satisfaction to the elderly man. He suggested, "You have a lot of specialty knowledge. There are lots of families with loved ones that are ill. Perhaps they could use some help in coming to grips with the illness."

"That sounds better." The doctor lay in bed quiet as he thought about the suggestion. He looked over at Ed and asked, "Why are you guys here?"

"You have been injured and we are here to take care of you."

"I don't need your help!"

"Quit lying to me."

"Bah! You're impossible," spat out the old man. Talking to Ed stripped away all of his dignity.

Turning away from the doctor, Ed looked over at the nurse. She was very large with a mole on her face from which black hairs sprouted. It was a cliché, but she reminded him of the comedies where they brought in the ugly nurse to take care of the patient. Smiling at her, Ed said, "I'm afraid that we haven't been introduced. I'm Ed."

"I'm Maggie Hopler."

"Pleased to meet you, Maggie. Has he been much of a problem?"

Dr. Hayes exploded, "Don't talk to her! She has all the gentleness of a badger."

"Quit lying to me," commanded Ed. Looking at the man squirming in the bed, he added, "You're upset that she has to help you crap and that you can't take care of yourself. Don't blame her for the fact that you've been injured."

Acting as though the doctor hadn't said a word, Maggie answered, "He's no different than any other doctor that finds himself as a patient."

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the doctor squirm. The reports that he had gotten on entering the hospital had been very disturbing. The doctor had been badgering the nurses on every opportunity and complaining about the meals. Ed said, "Don't worry. That shall change soon."

"What are you saying?" asked Dr. Hayes, concerned at what Ed had just implied.

"Be quiet, I wasn't talking to you," retorted Ed. Turning back to Maggie, he said, "I understand that his wife took care of his sponge bath this afternoon."

"Yes, she did and he was much better for quite a while. I think it was the treatment of his cock that made the difference."

The doctor blushed in embarrassment. Noticing the reaction of the doctor, Ed said, "From now on, you get to choose who gives him his sponge bath."

"You mean if he's good, his wife gets to bathe him?"

Looking over at the doctor, Ed smiled broadly, as the full implications of the conversation became clear to the elderly man. With a short nod, he answered, "Exactly."

"That's not fair!"

"It is very fair. If you go around trampling on people's feelings, you shall be deprived of a very nice experience."

"Don't make her my judge!"

"She's the best judge here. You have to learn to treat others with respect for the attention they provide you." Ed stood and left the room. His exit was accompanied by the yells of the doctor.



-------

Chapter 10


Mike sat at one end of the conference table absently fiddling with the stack of papers in front of him. Bewildered, he said, "I was transferred to the detective squad the other day. I reported in and the captain told me that he didn't want to know anything about the case I was working on. Not a single detective will talk to me. Even the ones I know won't talk to me. It is weird going into the building and being treated as though I wasn't even there."

"I went into the IRS office and all anyone wanted to know was what Ed was like. No one even asked about the case. My supervisor said that I had unlimited access to the records and that she didn't want to know anything about it." Venessa looked around the table and shook her head as she recalled the previous day at the office. She was one of the newest people to join the office and had been sent over to serve as errand girl for the famous Dr. Biggers. She not been ready for anything like what had happened. Finally, she said, "I suddenly felt like I was a Martian."

"I went to the office and was met in the parking lot by my supervisor. He told me that I had four agents to support me in the investigation. Until this case was finished, I was not to return to the office. The agents will act as go-betweens to get any files that I may require. I've been working out of my house while this office has been getting established."

Mike looked over at Norman and said, "Damn, I thought my treatment was weird."

Smiling at the realization that her treatment hadn't been any different than that experienced by the other two in the room, Venessa asked, "So did you have your sparring match with Ling?"

Still sore from his match with Ling, Norman grunted and answered, "She threw me all over the mat. I never even had a chance to touch her. I've never seen anything like it."

Satisfied with the quality of the images produced by the cameras and the audio from the microphones, Ling flipped off the speaker. She turned to Ed with a smile on her face indicating her pleasure in a job well done. After returning from Arizona the previous day, she had spent the evening installing the security apparatus in the room under their suite. She boasted, "The room is now secure."

Eyebrow raised, Ed asked, "You don't think you went a little overboard?"

"Not really. I installed electronic locks that only five people can open, a backup power supply, and a couple of cameras. Any more than that would be overkill." Ling watched the three agents talk in the room below.

With a tilt of his head towards the door, Ed said, "Let's go join them before they decide that we are making them uncomfortable on purpose."

The two went downstairs to the room that had been turned into an office. Ling opened the door and allowed Ed to enter first. Entering the room, Ed looked at the conference table and then examined the room trying to locate the cameras that she had installed. He couldn't spot them and knew that even if he asked her, she wouldn't tell him where every camera was located.

After seating himself at the head of the table, Ed asked, "So what did you find?"

Everyone looked around the room, each wanting someone else to start. Finally, Venessa answered, "According to the tax records, it is a nursing home that is part of a chain that includes twenty-seven other homes. They haven't turned a profit in six years although the amount of money flowing through them is tremendous. I predict they post a dollar profit this year. I don't understand why we haven't audited them before now."

"Who owns the chain?"

She frowned at the question and answered, "I don't know. I've traced through three holding companies so far and still don't have a clue."

Ed thought about what she had said and glanced at the folder containing the tax records of the company. Even across the table, he could tell that it contained predominately lies. Reaching out, he said, "Hand me the tax filings."

Opening it, he went through with a pencil marking each line that was a lie. For the first time in his service, several of the lines detailing income confused him. After finishing marking up the forms, he went back and circled those entries. Looking up at Venessa with a puzzled expression, he said, "There's something weird about the income reported here. The figures are correct, but they are also a lie. I've never encountered anything like it before. Concentrate on that for the time being."

Turning to Norman, Ed asked, "What did you find out?"

Norman glanced over at Mike and then said, "Mike gave me some basic information about the people that have been going into the building on a regular basis. Maybe he should go first."

Ed said, "Okay, MikeÖ"

Feeling that he was a player in a game that was far beyond his ability, he said, "I went under cover for two days and squatted on the street panhandling. I took down the license plate numbers of the cars driven by the people that go in and out of the building. During two days and nights, only six people went in and out of that building."

"Six people?" asked Ed incredulous at the ridiculous number. A nursing home with only a staff of two people on duty did not make sense. He said, "Are you sure? There should be twenty or thirty people a day going in there."

Mike answered, "I'm positive. Even the mailman didn't go into the building."

"So how did you establish the identities of the people that went into the building?"

Unsure if he had done the right things, Mike answered, "I used the license plates to identify the owners of the car and then used the drivers license information to verify that they were the people I saw. The boyfriend dropped off one of the women, so I stopped them for failure to come to a complete halt at a stop sign. Since I suspected drugs, it was natural that I examine the drivers license of both of them."

"Clever," replied Ed. With that kind of ruse, they wouldn't get suspicious that the place where they were working was under investigation. Turning back to Norman, he said, "So what did you find out about these people?"

"None of them are citizens. All of them are recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union. I've been going into the immigration records trying to figure out how they obtained their work visas, but I haven't made much progress on that front," answered Norman unsure if his lack of progress would be met with approval.

Turning away from the table, Ed made a gesture to Ling and thought about the information that he had been given. She stood up and went over to the mini-refrigerator in the room. She poured two glasses of iced tea and came back to the table, setting one of them at Ed's place.

Ed frowned as a picture of what was going on inside that building started to form in his mind. This was going to be ugly. Turning back to the table, Ed asked, "I suspect the Russian Mob has a hand in this. How about you?"

"Yes, that is what I thought."

Ed said, "We need to examine the other homes within this chain. Work out what would be required to accomplish that without raising suspicions, but don't execute the plan yet. I have some resources that can be brought to bear on this case that you would never be able to access. We can meet in a three days."

Venessa, wanting to make sure that she knew what she was supposed to do, said, "I'll continue to follow the money trail. I'll try to identify the people who own it and how they get the money."

As Venessa laid out her plans, Ed drank a couple sips of his iced tea listening carefully to everything she said. When she finished, Ed pushed the button on the speakerphone and called Cathy at the house. When she answered, Ed said, "Cathy, please get in contact with Stan Bentley and have him call me here in the work room."

Recognizing the tone of voice Ed used when working, Cathy answered, "Okay, Ed."

"I'll be waiting," replied Ed as he hung up. Without much of a pause, he turned to Venessa and said, "I'm going to get you some help. I want things traced up and down the corporate links. That's going to be too much work for you to do alone."

"Yes, sir."

Smiling, Ed said, "Call me Ed."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Ling sprang out of her chair ready to respond to anything. She moved towards the door with cautious steps. Ed felt the emanations of power from outside the door and said, "Ling, let him in."

Without looking at Ed, she acknowledged his request with a nod of her head. Darting forward, she unlocked the door and stepped back to see what would happen. When nothing happened, she moved forward again and this time opened the door. Stepping back, she took a defense posture waiting for the door to slowly swing open.

When the door had swung open, it revealed a young oriental man twenty-five years of age standing in the hallway. He looked over at the defensive posture of Ling and smiled at her. With a crooked grin and a wink of his eye, he pointed at her and said, "Delicious."

Her posture became even more aggressive, but Ed noticed a slight trembling in her hands. Ling said, "Do you know this man?"

"No, but he's safe," answered Ed.

Her eyes fixed on the young man, Ling asked, "How do you know?"

"Show her," commanded Ed as examined the young man. The young man was more interested in Ling's body than anything else in the room.

Smiling, the young man slowly reached to his neck and pulled out a gold medallion. As soon as Ling saw the medallion, she immediately relaxed her stance. With a residual tension in her body that seemed out of character, she returned to her chair. As she moved, she said, "Come in and shut the door behind you."

The young man did as he was told and looked around the room with the natural assurance of a true servant of the God. With an exaggerated nod to Ling, he introduced himself, "I am Jimmy Lee. May I ask the name of that most delectable morsel that bade me enter."

Smiling at the nerve of the young man and the very slight blush that came over Ling, Ed answered, "The lady is Ling and she is my wife."

Sitting down at the end of the table opposite of Ed, the young man laughed without embarrassment as he said, "All the best ones are already taken."

Irritated at his open admiration of her, Ling replied, "And the worst ones won't give you the time of day."

Ed returned to his serious work tone and said, "Jimmy Lee. The lady to my immediate left is Venessa Schally of the IRS. To her left is Officer Mike Tougas of the LAPD. To my immediate right is Norman Asmaro from the FBI. I am Ed Biggers."

The tone of voice told Jimmy that it was time to get to work. He hadn't known who he was going to meet here, but he had no idea that it would be the head of the Servants of the Two-Sided One. He gave Ed his full attention and introduced himself, "I'm Special Investigator Jimmy Lee from the San Francisco Office of the INS. This is my first service Ö"

Sharply, Ed interrupted, "We can discuss that later."

"Yes, sir," replied Jimmy very respectfully.

The sudden appearance of an INS agent didn't feel right to Mike. He frowned and asked, "Ed, how did you know that we needed someone from INS?"

Looking over at Mike, Ed answered, "I didn't."

Jimmy answered, "I came here on my own because I'm needed."

Cutting the conversation short, Ed said, "Jimmy, you need to work with Norman to find out some information about a number of Russian Immigrants. No one is to know that you are working on this case or whom you are investigating until we are ready to wrap it up. Is that clear?"

"Yes it is." Jimmy sat back in his chair to listen to the discussion.

The telephone rang and Ed pushed the button on the speakerphone. He smiled when he heard Stan say, "Hello. This is Stan Bentley."

In a conversational tone of voice, Ed answered, "Hello, Stan. This is Ed."

"What can I do for you?"

Ed answered, "We are working on a very tough case and I need an IRS agent or two that are far from the action to investigate some things for me."

There was a moment of silence before Stan asked, "You're not going to give me any details, are you?"

"Nope," answered Ed watching the faces of the people in the room when he said that. Half of them had whispered the answer as he spoke.

"And you aren't going to let them tell me what they are working on, are you?" asked Stan with real frustration in his voice.

"Correct."

"Do you mind if I'm one of the agents?"

Ed laughed and answered, "I was hoping that would be the case. A Venessa Schally will be coming to your office to work with you. She has all of the information that you need to pursue this case."

"Thanks, Ed. I appreciate the chance to work with you," said Stan.

After a few minutes of conversation in which a few of the details were hammered out, Ed hung up the phone. Satisifed, he said, "I guess everyone knows what they are supposed to do, so let's get to it."

Clearing his throat nervously, Mike interrupted, "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing."

Surprised by the his own ommision, Ed said, "Sorry. I suggest that you go to a city in this state where there isn't a nursing home affiliated with this one. I want you to find out who inspects these places and how they are inspected."

Standing suddenly, Ed pointed to the bedroom and said, "Jimmy, you'll be staying there for the duration of this case. Do you have any problems with that?"

Eyes flicking from Ling to Venessa, Jimmy winked at Ling and said, "No problem at all. I hope I won't be alone here."

Ling stood up and walked to the door. After opening it, she turned to face Jimmy with a look of disgust on her face. While making a gesture of jerking off, she spat, "Don't worry, you'll be here with five finger Mary."

She left the room after slamming the door behind her. Ed had watched Ling and knew that she was angry, but not at Jimmy. She was angry with herself and he was puzzled as to the reason why.

Norman, rubbing his sore shoulder, said, "Whoa! She's pissed at you, Jimmy. You better be pretty good with the martial arts because she's going to wipe the floor with you."

Deciding that he needed to deal with Ling, Ed said, "Jimmy, I'll see you for supper and we'll talk about your service."

"Okay," answered Jimmy wondering what had happened. He had been as surprised by Ling as everyone else in the room.

Closing the door behind him, Ed entered the suite listening to Ling rant in Chinese. He grimaced as she only did that when she was really angry. After pouring himself an iced tea from the ever present pitcher, he sat on the sofa listening to Ling. She was in her room and from the way her voice occassionaly faded, he infered that she was pacing around the room. Slowly drinking his iced tea, he waited for her to calm down and come out from her room.

It was thirty minutes before Ling came out of her bedroom. She froze when she saw Ed and cried, "Why didn't you stop him?"

With silent thanks that Mrs. Hayes was at the hospital with her husband, Ed answered her question with a question, "Stop him from what?"

"Flirting with me!" cried Ling.

Softly, Ed said, "You aren't angry at him for flirting with you, but at yourself for being interested in him."

Moving to one of the chairs, Ling collapsed in it and cried. As he moved to comfort her, she sobbed, "Stay away from me. I'm so bad."

Returning to the couch to give her the space she wanted, Ed asked, "In what way are you bad?"

"My wife just died and I'm supposed to be in mourning! Instead, I'm looking to sleep with some stranger. That's horrible!" sobbed Ling with her shoulders heaving.

Ed leaned back in the chair wishing that Beth were here to talk to Ling and help her through this crisis, but Beth was dead and that was the problem. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Ling, listen to me."

"Don't try to make me feel better. I'm a horrible person."

"I'm not going to try to convince you that you aren't a horrible person."

For the first time since coming out of the room, she looked directly at him. Eyes narrowed, she asked, "You aren't?"

"No."

In a whisper, she asked, "So you think I'm horrible?"

Smiling at her, Ed answered, "I didn't say that. I just said that I wasn't going to try to convince you that you weren't a horrible person. I can tell you all day that you are a wonderful caring person that has just suffered a traumatic loss, but you won't believe me. So why should I bother?"

Sniffling, eyes read and puffy, Ling repeated, "So how come I want to fuck him so much?"

"Our marriage is a little different than most. We lost a wife, but we are still left with husbands and wives. Our loss doesn't leave us as alone as most people find themselves when their spouse dies," answered Ed. Since Beth's death, they had all slept with each other, providing and finding comfort in each other's arms.

What Ed had said didn't sit well with Ling. It almost sounded like people were interchangable within the marriage. She asked, "Are you saying that her death isn't such a big deal because we have other husbands and wives?"

There were times when he wished that he could put into words the things that he wanted to say in much better form, but he wasn't John. Instead, he was Ed and needed to think about things for a long time before saying them. Frustrated at his inability to put into words his true feelings on the matter, Ed asked, "Do you feel abandoned?"

"No."

"That's right, you don't. Most times when someone loses a spouse, there is the sense of abandonment. We don't have that. We haven't been abandoned, but we have suffered a tremendous loss." Ed sat back a little more pleased with how that come out. He went over to the bathroom and returned with some tissues for Ling.

She accepted the tissues, wiped the tears from her eyes and blew her nose. In a less confrontational tone of voice, she asked, "Are you saying that her death isn't such a big deal because we have other husbands and wives?"

"No. What I am saying is that because we have other husbands and wives, we don't feel abandoned. Our capacity to love another adult in an intimate and sexual manner has not been crippled. We don't feel that sense of distrust that comes with abandonment. Since you still trust us to love you and to be loved by you, you are still open to others." Sitting back on the couch, Ed smiled at having gotten out his thoughts in a somewhat coherant manner.

His words had helped Ling, but she was still upset at herself. She said, "I feel like I've betrayed Beth."

Leaning forward, with tears in his eyes, Ed whispered, "I feel that I'm betraying her every time I laugh at a joke or forget for a moment that she is gone."

"Thank you. I'm glad that you didn't try to convince me that I'm not a horrible person," said Ling weakly hoping to get the conversation to a less intense level. She knew that she needed time to consider everything that Ed had said. She looked over at Ed with tenderness, remembering that it was her feelings for John that brought her into the family. Ed was always there for her and she had come to love him just as much.

Getting control of his emotions, Ed said, "I can't imagine what John is feeling as a result of the Linda Redman situation."

Ling sat back in the chair at that reminder. Linda Redman, granddaughter of William Redman, had offered herself to John as a gift from the tribe for all of the things he had done for them. John was going to visit the tribe to clarify the situation with the elders. She said, "He's going to end up bringing her to the house to live with us before he sleeps with her."

Ed nodded his agreement and said, "That was what Beth had suggested."

Never having understood why Beth had insisted on that course of action, Ling asked, "Why do you think she suggested that?"

The explicit question made Ed think about Beth's behavior the past few months. It was Beth who had insisted on the portraits of all the family members. She had insisted on giving Sarah Redman a chance to enter the family. The sudden desire to have a child even seemed suspicious suddently to him. He said, "I wonder if she suspected that she didn't have long to live."

Ling paled at the thought wondering if it was possible. Had Beth tried to find a woman to take her place as wife? The thought was sobering. She looked up at Ed with wide eyes and said, "She must have known."

"I think so."

Feeling a need for reassurance, Ling suggested, "Why don't I go downstairs and take care of the security for Jimmy? When I'm done, I'll come back up here so that we can spend a little private time together before Mrs. Hayes comes home."

A very naked Ling stood bent over, legs spread wide, with her arms resting on the surface of the dresser. Ed stood behind her slowly guiding his cock into her hot wet cunt. She thrust back against his cock trying to impale herself on it and shouted, "Fuck me hard and fast!"

Ed guiding his cock into her passage a little faster, watched her face in the mirror. Eyes closed, she bit her lower lip. When his hand brushed against her clit, her eyes sprang open, catching his in the mirror. With a wild look in her eyes, she shouted, "Come on and fuck me hard! Now!"

Ed, less gentle in his approach, shoved his cock into her, filling her with the entire length and breadth of his manhood in one smooth thrust. He started thrusting slowly, but increased his pace when Ling started making her little shouts of pleasure. Amongst the screams, she shouted, "Harder! Faster!"

Picking up the pace, Ed was soon hammering into her. Grasping her hips, he lifted her feet off the floor so that she was supported by her arms on the dresser top and his hold on her hips. She wrapped her legs around his, trying to draw him even deeper into her. The pace was frantic and answered some deep need within her. She screamed her first orgasm as her cunt rippled and tightened against his cock.

Ed was getting close to coming, but slowed down to allow himself to last a little longer. The change in pace triggered another orgasm in Ling even before she had come down from her previous orgasm. Her bucking in orgasm almost made Ed loose his grip on her. He stopped for a moment and adjusted his grip. Once he had a good hold of her, he started thrusting with his original fast pace. She screamed long and hard, the sound echoeing off the walls.

Watching her face in the mirror, it looked like she was in agony rather than ecstacy. Her whole body was flushed with excitement. Adjusting her arms, she reached over to one of her nipples and squeezed it. Ed reached between her legs and rubbed her clit. She screamed again as an orgasm washed over her.

This was too much for Ed. As her cunt rippled around his cock, his come burst forth as he emitted a low long growl. The contractions of her cunt around his cock drained his cock. Feeling weak, he slowly set her down on the floor as she continued to spasm and shout. Legs shaking, he stood behind her with eyes closed as he slowly came from that otherworld that orgasm took him.

Ling shifted and his cock fell out of her. This was followed by a huge wad of come that dripped out of her cunt and ran down a leg. With her hand over her pussy, she ran into the bathroom to wash as Ed slowly staggered along behind her. She started the shower and stepped in as soon as the temperature had reached a reasonable value.

Entering the shower, Ed knelt down behind her and then turned her to face him. As the water from the shower washed down her back, she looked down at him. His head was level of her pussy and he had extended his tongue to lick it. As a grin spread across her face, she said, "Oh, yeah. Eat it out of me."

Slipping his tongue into her passage, Ed ate the come out of Ling's cunt. His thumb softly stroked her clit returning her quickly to a high level of excitement. She grabbed his head and screamed as an orgasm took her by surprise. As she thrashed in the throes of passion, he stood so that he could hold her more easily. His strong arms supported her as she gave herself over to her orgasm.

When Ling came down from her orgasm, she clasp her arms around Ed in a spine crushing hug. Holding her head against his chest, she cried, "Thank you so much, Ed."

They finished their shower and dressed. Returning to the living room, they were faced with a very embarrassed Mrs. Hayes pacing with nervous energy. Blushing, she said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

Confused by her statement, Ed asked, "Know what?"

"I heard the screaming and I thought Ling was in trouble," replied the elderly woman. She couldn't look at either one of them without turning away and blushing. Hearing the screams from the bedroom, she had charged in to help Ling only to find that they were making love.

Ling blushed a bright red. The volume of her screams when she came was often the subject of jokes around the house, but it still embarrassed her. Everyone assured her that they loved how she expressed her pleasure with such enthusiasm. She could never understand it though. Looking down at the floor, she explained, "I have a tendency to be a little loud."

Uncomfortable with the situation, Ed decided that the best action that he could take was to go over to the hospital and check on Dr. Hayes. He interrupted the discussion, "I'm going over to the hospital."

At the hospital a worried Dr. Hayes, frowning at Ed, asked, "Are you happy with the report that you got on me today?"

"Very happy. The staff said that you were polite and helped a number of families with very ill relatives," answered Ed. He had heard very good things about the doctor from the staff. He asked, "Are you happier?"

"I guess. I can't stand being stuck here in bed, though," grumped the elderly doctor. He looked over at Ed and said, "You know that I still don't like you."

"I know that," answered Ed surprised by the change in subject. He asked, "You wouldn't happen to know why, would you?"

Dr. Hayes said, "You and John have sex together. I wanted a better man than that as a husband to my Beth."

"Oh, I see. It is okay for you to do that, but not for the husbands of your daughter."

Angry, the doctor retorted, "I only did it once."

"And you enjoyed it. In the dark, you couldn't tell that it was a man sucking your cock and when you returned the favor, you found that it wasn't that horrible."

As the doctor started to argue, Ed interrupted, "Don't try lying to me."

The doctor slumped in the bed as his anger drained from him. He admitted, "Okay, you see through me."

Ed said, "What you really hate about John and I is that we do what you've wanted for a long time."

The doctor looked away and said, "You aren't exactly the type that I would associate with having sex with another man. When did you discover that you had that desire?"

"It was a condition of the marriage. I never had that desire before I met Kelly and Beth."

The admission shocked Dr. Hayes. He turned to stare at Ed, incredulous that he would dare make that a condition for marrying Beth. Outraged, he asked, "How dare you impose that condition on the marriage? If I wasn't stuck in this bed, I'd go over there and thrash you."

Smiling at the doctor, Ed said, "I didn't put the condition on the marriage. Kelly and Beth did."

Seeing the look on the doctor's face, Ed said, "That was the condition underwhich I could have Kelly and Beth as wives."

"I didn't know that," replied the doctor as he looked at Ed with new eyes. Uncertain, he said, "You must have loved her very much."

"I loved her very much," replied Ed with a gentleness in his voice that conveyed the depth of his feelings.

The discussion was interrupted by a telephone call. The doctor answered the phone and then with a worried look, handed the phone to Ed. Ed answered, "Hello."

Ling's excited voice answered, "Ed, I've tried calling the house. No one has answered the phone."

That was extremely odd as someone should have been around to answer the phone. He suggested, "Maybe you can try their cell phones."

Exasperated, Ling replied, "I've done that. I'm worried."



-------

Chapter 11


On landing at the airport, she had called the house and hadn't been able to reach anyone. She then called the police and found that Bob had been taken to the hospital, but the dispatcher didn't have any details concerning the events of that night. Calling the hospital, she had learned that Marguerite and Kelly were there as well, but not available to take her call. Convinced that everyone had been injured, she had been elated to learn that John was at the FBI office.

Ling stormed into the Federal Building looking for John. They had just lost Beth and now someone was trying to kill another member of the family while she had been away. When she entered the FBI offices, she told the receptionist, "Take me to John, right now."

The receptionist knew that John was in a meeting with Ann and didn't want to disturb them. She replied, "I'm afraid that I can't disturb them. If you'll wait, I'll let him know that he has a visitor."

Impatient, Ling raised her voice, "Take me to him now!"

Two agents, on their way to get some coffee, heard the commotion in the lobby and went in to see if they could help. The taller agent asked, "Is there a problem here?"

Irritated at Ling's insistence, the receptionist answered, "She's making a scene."

The agent made the mistake by grabbing Ling by the arm. Ling had worked half the night to arrange a flight home, spent two hours on the plane, and worried the entire night about her family. She wasn't in the mood to be jerked around. Over reacting, she threw the agent to the ground and put her foot on his crotch. The other agent moved in to subdue her and found himself bent over with his arm twisted behind his back. In a voice that was loud enough to carry down the hall, Ling shouted, "Take me to John right now or I'll twist your arm right off."

Within seconds, John raced into the room shouting, "Stop it, Ling. I'm okay."

She let go of the agent and walked over to John. Hours of worry and frustration boiled over. She slapped him across his face, the sound reverberating through the office. Anger fueled by worry drove her as she asked, "How dare you not call us? We've been worried sick."

John rubbed his face in shock. "Ah, I didn't have a chance."

She held up a cell phone and asked, "Don't you have one of these?"

"No, I don't." They had tried to get him a cell phone earlier, but he could never keep it charged and never thought to use it.

"You had better get one today! Ed and I were going crazy. No one was at home. We called the police office and they said that there had been an assassination attempt on you. The dispatcher didn't know if you were okay. She only knew that an ambulance had been called to take one of the men to the hospital."

"Ling, calm down." He turned to the other agents and helped the one off the floor. The other one was standing sheepishly rubbing his shoulder. John said, "I have to apologize. She was worried about me."

The agent that had been on the ground shook his hands in front of his body. He knew that he had grabbed her and triggered her reaction. "No problem. Let's just not mention it to anyone. Please."

Taking a deep breath, John said, "Okay. I'll get her out of here as soon as possible."

"Thanks, John. Your wife is a tiger."

John laughed as he said, "You should see her when she gets mad."

Ling snarled at John and then asked, "Are you done here?"

Ling and John left the Federal Building after a very brief conversation with Ann. On the drive to the house, John told Ling about the events of the previous night. Dave, the security person who had replaced Ling when she married into the family, had let the intruders in the house. The men had taken the women in the house one at a time and tied them to the chairs in the dining room as bait for him. When they went to take Bob, Bob had fought like a madman getting knocked unconscious during the fight.

Even though the house was quiet when they reached it, Ling was happy to see Cathy was at her post. It tore her apart to see Cathy that tired and she was pleased when John sent her to bed. It still bothered her that no one had answered the phone when she had tried to call the house.

Ling went through the security office identifying the sabotage that Dave had performed. He had set the telephone switchboard in the house to route all long distance calls to the security office. That explained why she hadn't been able to get in contact with anyone in the house. Dave had removed all the security tapes before the attack so there wasn't any record of what actually happened in the house.

Looking over at John sleeping in a chair in the security room, Ling realized that he had been awake all night. She shook him awake and sent him to bed. She went back to checking the security systems that she had installed.

Ed had paced the room from the moment when Ling had flown out until had she called. Once he had found out the details, he was furious with himself that he hadn't taken just a few minutes to talk to Dave before leaving on this trip. One conversation and all of this could have been avoided. The villains, whoever they were, had taken advantage of Beth's death to attack John when he didn't have the full support of the family available. It was only after she let him know that everything was under control back at the house that he actually relaxed.

After talking to Ling, Ed hung up the phone and turned to look at Mrs. Hayes. She had sat on the couch waiting with him all night for news from the house. Although she was sitting ramrod straight in the chair looking very proper, she looked as tired as he felt. With a weak frown, he said, "Someone tried to assassinate John last night."

Putting her hand in front of mouth in horror at the thought that someone would want to do that, she asked, "Oh my, is he all right?"

Shaking his head in the affirmative, Ed said, "John took care of them, but Bob, our handyman, was injured."

"That's terrible," replied the elderly woman.

With a sigh of weariness, Ed answered, "Yes, it is. There's a lot of evil in this world."

Mrs. Hayes watched as Ed walked to the window and looked down at the city below. By his posture, she could tell that the sight bothered him. She asked, "What's the matter?"

"I don't like cities. The only improvement that I've seen in city life is air quality. Since John invented the fusion battery, the air is cleaner. The people are still miserable and there is no reason for it," said Ed. With low-cost and highly portable power available, it was possible to live anywhere a person might want, yet people still clung to cities as though there was some benefit to being packed together like sardines in a can.

Mrs. Hayes answered, "You just don't know what the city has to offer. There are all kinds of stores, restaurants, and things to do. Cities are vibrant and alive."

Smiling at her assessment of the city, Ed replied, "I guess I like my little town. I know everyone and everyone knows me. When I walk down the street, people stop and talk to me. The stores may not be set up for hundreds of shoppers, but the owners take the time to know me. They even stock stuff they think I'll like. Maybe the variety isn't the same as in the city, but the quality is just as good."

She laughed and said, "I guess there are differences in people that can never be resolved. I like watching the variety of people in the city."

Several days later, leaning against the limousine as he waited for Ling's arrival, Ed thought about the past ten days. The investigation had progressed nicely and the scope was now national in scale. The case was very ugly. Even listening to the details as the agents brought in the reports made Ed sick to his stomach. He couldn't wait for the case to end. His plans for the day were simple, pick up Ling and start the arrests.

The case wasn't the only thing on his mind. Ed was curious to hear about this mystery man that had moved into the house. No one had provided him with any details about how it had come to be that they had a fulltime guest. The only thing that anyone said was that he would like the guy when he met him.

When the plane landed, he watched as a very vibrant Ling climbed out and headed towards him. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. After a very passionate hello kiss, she cooed, "It's so good to see you."

He lifted her up and swung her around as he replied, "I've missed you so much. How's John and Kelly?"

Ling giggled as she said, "Oh, John is still one of the two sexiest men in the world and no one can lick a woman like a Kelly."

Laughing at the answer, Ed said, "And to think that I was stuck in this horrible city horny as hell."

When they climbed into the limousine, Ling settled on his lap and promised, "I'll take care of that little problem."

"Little? I'm crushed!"

Giggling, Ling answered, "I said that the problem was small, not the parts involved."

Laughing and relaxing for the first time since she had left, Ed asked, "So tell me about the visitor that's moved into the house."

Wiggling on his lap, Ling said, "John said you would be curious about Leroy."

"Of course, when John calls and says he found someone that might make a good husband I have to pay attention," replied Ed as he ran a finger over one of Ling's shirt covered nipples. The lack of protest made his movements a little bolder, pinching it a little before returning to rub it. He asked, "So how did you find this guy?"

As her nipple stiffened under his touch, Ling said, "John, Kelly, and I were going into Phoenix for a charity event when a drunk driver passed us going at least one fifty. He would have clipped our car, but we drove off the road."

"Wow, sounds like the jerk wanted to get himself killed," replied Ed knowing that Ling was the one driving the car. She always drove when she was in a car.

"Yeah, he got his wish too. After we got back on the road, we get a little further up the road and there's a car with the whole side smashed in. We stop but there is nobody in it. About a hundred yards further down the road is a second car. Now that one was in really bad shape. It was one of the old gasoline powered cars and the smell of fuel was everywhere. When we get to it, there's a guy with a broken arm trying to get the person out of the other car."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "You could tell that his arm was broken?"

"Big time. The bone was sticking out through his shirt," answered Ling.

Grimacing at the image that invoked, Ed said, "So what was he doing?"

"The door on the car was locked. Leroy was trying to kick the window out so that he could open the door to release the woman that was trapped inside." She laughed for a second. "You should have seen him. He couldn't use his arm and each time he kicked at the window he lost his balance. He wasn't going to give up no matter what."

Ed nodded impressed and asked, "So what did he do when you guys showed up?"

"He was very concerned about the woman in the car, particularly since she was bleeding. He wouldn't let us treat him until she was pulled out," answered Ling. She shook her head as she observed, "Since most cars use the Fusion Battery for power now, most people think that an old gasoline car blows up after a wreck."

"Only in the movies," said Ed. This guy sounded like a hero and he could understand why John took him into the house. He asked, "So everything ended up okay?"

"He's so much like John, that you wouldn't believe it. He was more concerned about the woman getting treated at the hospital than him," answered Ling.

"It sounds like you like him."

Nodding, Ling replied, "Yes, I do. He's a real nice guy. I mean, he's polite to everyone, even the staff. He's also kind."

"Hmm. What does he do for a living?" asked Ed wanting to find out more about Leroy.

"He's a college student working on his doctorate in animal physiology, or something like that. He explained it to me one evening over dinner. He wants to understand how individuals within the same species that live in cold and in hot environments differ based on the environment in which they live."

With a mischievous grin, Ed tickled Ling as he said, "You have to watch out for those doctoral students, they are a tricky lot. I know, 'cause I used to be one."

Reacting to the tickles, Ling playfully slapped his hand and said, "You stop that. First you get me all worked up by playing with my nipple and then you abuse me by tickling me."

Ed laughed and stopped tickling her. Putting his arms around her, he asked, "How does he accept the rules of the house?"

"He fit right in. I don't think anyone has explicitly told him the rules to tell the truth," answered Ling uncertain of her answer. She had never thought to ask if anyone had explained the rules. She said, "He didn't have a problem with nudity in the house. He never said a word about it. He hasn't hit on anyone or made any untoward advances."

Impressed, Ed looked out the window for a moment. It sounded to him like the guy was pretty nice. Seeing where they were, Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of mirrored sunglasses. Ling noticed and asked, "What's with the sunglasses?"

Smiling at her, he answered, "I waited for you to get back to make the busts. We're on our way there now."

Torn between her happiness that he had waited for her and her disappointment that he wasn't going to ravish her, she said, "You got me all wet down there to take me to a bust?"

"I'm sorry, you're just so beautiful that I couldn't keep my hands off you."

Thrilled by the unexpected complement, Ling said, "I'll forgive you this time."

The limousine stopped by the side of the street. Spotting Mike, Norman, Venessa, and Jimmy waiting for him by a building, Ed said, "We're here. Let's get this taken care of so that you can have a little fun."

Ling glanced over at the people waiting for them and got quiet. Hesitating, she asked, "Is Jimmy Lee going to be here for a day or two?"

Smiling at her, he answered with a wink, "I promised Jimmy Lee that you would have a sparring match this evening. I imagine that it is going to take all night for you two to decide who has the most stamina."

Playfully, she grabbed his cheeks and said, "You're so bad."

"You don't want to do that?" asked Ed with a smirk on his face.

"I want," answered Ling as she looked over at the man leaning against the building.

"Let's get to it. They are probably worried that we're going to miss the raid. It's scheduled to start in fifteen minutes," suggested Ed.

Ling slowly climbed off his lap and took a moment to prepare herself. Opening her purse, she took out a little compact and checked that her makeup wasn't smudged. While she was checking herself in the mirror, Ed leaned over and traced each nipple with a finger. Wearing a crooked mischievous smile, he said, "Your headlights are showing!"

Falling over in laughter, Ling couldn't control herself. It took her five minutes to get control of herself. Finally, they left the car and went to join the others by the side of the building. Unlike the first time that Ling and Jimmy Lee met, there wasn't any teasing on his part. He was watching the building like Tiger used to watch rabbits. The entire group was tense. Ed asked, "What's up?"

Mike answered, "The night crew was picked up after leaving here this morning. The information we got out of them is really ugly."

As she shivered with an inner chill that contrasted with the hot weather, Venessa said, "I'm not going in."

Without taking his eyes from the building, Jimmy Lee said, "Don't make her go in. We've got five cops at the back exit in case they run. There are about twenty nurses in hazmat suits waiting for us to clear the building. None of them know what is going on."

Surprised to hear that nurses were being dressed in hazardous material suits, Ling asked, "Hazmat suits? You expect to find chemicals in there?"

Norman, his voice strained, answered, "No. We expect to find people in there."

This sounded a lot worse than Ed had imagined. He asked, "What's the plan?"

Norman said, "Mike, Jimmy, and I are going to go in there and grab them. We are going to be wearing protective masks and bulletproof vests. If anyone other than us comes out the front door, then you two take care of them. Don't bother being nice to them, they will be the bad guys."

Mike came over with a radio and headset so that they could communicate with each other. As he put it on Ling, he said, "This is a reserved channel. All of the radios are live so anything anyone says will be broadcast."

While Mike fitted Ling with the radio, Norman handed Ed a bulletproof vest and a jacket to put over it. When Ed finished with the vest, it was his turn to be fitted with the radio. Looking over at Ling, he noticed the troubled look on her face. He asked, "What's the matter?"

"I don't like wearing these things."

Once everyone was ready, the group waited three minutes and then headed for the door to the building. Even looking through the sunglasses at the building, the evil radiating off it was horrible and made Ed sick to his stomach. When they reached the door, Jimmy used keys taken from the pair arrested earlier to open it. Holding the door open for the other two men with his voice muffled by the mask he was wearing, he shouted, "Law Enforcement. We have a warrant to search the premises!"

From the open door, a stench billowed out that threatened to make Ed and Ling throw up. It forced them to step back several paces even as the three men ran into the building. Everything was quiet until Mike shouted, "Freeze!"

The volume of his shout through the radio was almost enough to hurt their ears. The shout was followed by the sound of gunfire. The radio suddenly became a jumbled mess of shouts, cries, and gunfire. Ling patted her vest, thankful that she had it.

The front door burst open and a man ran out firing behind him. On leaving the building, he turned the gun towards Ling. Ed watched, as she became a whirling dervish with arms and legs whipping out at the man. It took her less than a second to render him unconscious. Standing over him, she glared at the motionless mess on the ground and spat, "Try to shoot us!"

The radio was still a confused stream of shouts. Ling had returned to stand near the door in case anyone else came out. Suddenly, everything calmed down as Mike's voice came over the radio reading rights to someone. Once that was done, Jimmy shouted, "All clear, get the nurses in here. Now."

Ed turned and saw a number of people in full body hazmat suits leave a building next door and head their way. The county health commissioner was with them, looking wildly around at the scene. He stopped next to Ed and asked, "What is happening here? I'm asked to bring twenty hazmat suits to the police station for training and then we end up here."

Ed turned to the man and said, "Five of your health inspectors have just been arrested for taking bribes. An assistant coroner has also been arrested for covering up the deaths at this facility. The owner and all of the employees of this place have been arrested as well."

The man stepped back and said, "I've had nothing but good reports about this place."

Norman and Mike came out of the building. Ripping off their masks, both men raced to the side of the building. On reaching it, they bent over and retched. Jimmy Lee came out of the building pushing a woman that was bleeding from her shoulder and leg. Without any tenderness, he threw her to the ground next to the man that Ling had caught. He stood over the pair with his pistol drawn and hands shaking. Ed shouted, "Jimmy Lee. You have fulfilled your service to the God!"

Jimmy lowered the gun and returned it to his holster. Ripping off his mask, he looked up at Ed with tears in his eyes. Angry, he shouted, "You have no idea what it is like in there!"

At a commotion near the door, Ed saw that several of the nurses had come out of the building and joined the men in throwing up. Looking at the effect that the building had on people who had gone in, he told the commissioner, "Maybe you should go in there."

The man went to the building and opened the door reeling back as the stench billowed out through the door. Closing the door, he said, "I have to get a mask. That's the worst thing I have ever smelled in my life."

The sounds of sirens from all over the city filled the air as ambulances, police cars, and others poured in to the crime scene. Several police officers came over to take custody of the pair on the ground. Ling went over and said, "The unconscious one hasn't had his rights read to him."

Mike came over to the police officers and, with a furious expression on his face, said, "Leave them there until everyone else has been cleared from the building."

The officer looked up from the wounded woman and said, "They're wounded. The city will get sued if we don't get them to a hospital."

Angry that he hadn't shot to kill, Mike shouted, "Leave them there. There are over a hundred people in that building that are in worse medical condition."

Norman and Venessa came over to where Ed and Ling were standing. The health commissioner had disappeared, presumably to find a mask to wear. Jimmy Lee and Mike joined them after turning custody of the criminals over to the police officers. Ed looked at their faces and said, "I knew it was going to be bad. I don't know how bad it really is."

Looking away, Norman said, "There are at least a hundred elderly people in that building. They are tied naked on wooden planks. Most of them are covered in feces and vomit. We caught the woman in one of the rooms washing off the patients with a hose."

Voice quivering, Mike said, "They've been starved. Every one of them looks like a skeleton. I didn't even realize they were alive until I saw one blink."

At the sound of a cell phone ringing, Norman reached into a pocket and pulled out his phone. He stepped away and talked for several minutes. The rest of the group stood around, each lost in their own thoughts.

Jimmy Lee didn't say a word about his experience in the building, but continued to look back at the pair on the ground periodically. When Norman returned to the group, Jimmy asked, "Any news on the other raids?"

"They all went off without a problem. It's the same story everywhere," answered Norman with a shiver. One place like this was bad enough, but learning that there were places like this all over the country made one wonder.

Ed asked, "Everyone was taken?"

"All two hundred and thirty two people were arrested here in the states. There isn't any news from the Russians."

Looking up at the news helicopters circling over the nursing home, Ed said, "It's going to be on the news any minute now. If they didn't get the Russian leaders by now, then they won't get them."

The front lawn of the nursing home had turned into a zoo. Ambulances were parked everywhere, tents had been set up to treat the victims, and police officers had established a perimeter. The county health commissioner showed up looking very pale with signs that he had thrown up. He came to Ed and said, "There are a hundred and nineteen people in there."

At the announcement, Venessa looked up and said, "There are supposed to be a hundred and fifty-eight."

Shaking his head at the implications of the discrepancy, Ed said, "We'll have to let the detectives follow up on that."

Jimmy Lee asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Norman is the federal agent in charge. Mike is the LAPD detective in charge of this particular raid. So I guess the two leaders should face the press," answered Ed with a grin.

For the first time since entering the building, Jimmy Lee broke out in a smile in response to the looks on the faces of Mike and Norman. He asked, "Can I leave?"

"Not yet," answered Ed.

The group went over to where the press had gathered. On the way, Venessa handed out the statements she had prepared about the scope and purpose of the raid. Ed stepped up to the podium and removed his sunglasses. Looking over the crowd of reporters, Ed said, "A great evil has been removed from across this country this afternoon. We can not tell the details of this case until justice has been served. We can say that this was international in scope."

Pausing for effect, Ed looked across the reporters and into the cameras. In a very somber tone of voice he continued, "Over two hundred people have conspired to exploit the elderly for financial gain. Under the guise of being a nursing home, they took individuals with no family or friends. The conditions under which they were kept were horrendous and we shall not go into details about their treatment in order to preserve the dignity of the victims."

Ed stepped back and let Norman take the podium. Norman outlined the national level of effort that had been undertaken. The number of government agencies that had been involved was significant, spanning the FBI, IRS, INS, the state department, and local law enforcement agencies.

When Norman had finished, Mike stood up and outlined the operation that had been undertaken at the local level. He described how arrests had been timed to take place simultaneously so that no warning could be given to others. The initial reports were that all suspects had been captured.

After a period of question and answer, the group split up with Jimmy Lee, Ed, and Ling heading to the limousine. Inside the car, Ed turned to Jimmy and asked, "So this was your first service to the God. What do you think?"

Jimmy stared out the window at the crowd gathered around the building. In a very quiet voice, he said, "I didn't know what to expect. I'm happy to have been a part of bringing down something this evil, but I don't want to talk about it."

"Yes, it is a nice feeling to know that you've made a difference," answered Ed. Glancing over at Ling and the tension in her body, he asked, "Are you happy that I didn't dive in front of any bullets?"

"You were still too close to the action, but at least you let me take care of the bad guy," answered Ling with a smile.

Ed said, "Drop me off at the hospital. Why don't you two work off some of that energy?"

Strolling into the hospital, Ed looked around at the main lobby. No matter what they did to make a hospital look friendly, they were still depressing places. People, worrying about their loved ones sat in small groups, frowns and quiet voices filled with fear were the status quo. The woman over there was worried about breast cancer, the elderly man over there was worried about his gall bladder, and the guy coughing might have lung cancer. There were the traumatic injuries, sloppiness with a saw, a car out of control, and falls. Hospitals were places where the wall between life and death was very thin. People were always uncomfortable wherever that wall was thin.

After chatting a little with the nurses at the nurse's station, he made his way to the room of Dr. Hayes. Entering, Mrs. Hayes said, "Ed, did you see the news?"

"What news?"

Agitated, the elderly woman answered, "About those people in the nursing home. We just turned on the news. All of the nurses are talking about it. It's so terrible."

Dr. Hayes commented, "I have no idea how those animals could do that to human beings."

Wondering if something had happened after he had left, Ed asked, "What happened?"

He looked over at the television set, just as they started replaying the new conference that he had held. Ed said, "I know about the news conference, did something else happen after it that I need to know?"

A stunned Dr. Hayes stared at Ed. His suspicions about Ed crumbled into dust. An awestruck Mrs. Hayes sat watching Ed. Finally, Dr. Hayes said, "I guess that explains your mysterious disappearances the past few days. I thought you were cheating on your family. I'm sorry about that."

Maggie Hopler, looking at the television and then at Ed, slowly moved out of the room to talk to the other nurses. She knew the news would spread through the hospital within minutes.

Shrugging off the accusation, Ed said, "No problem. I was just working on a case."



-------

Chapter 12


"The straps are too tight!" growled the elderly man.

"They have to be tight," replied Ed absently echoing his standard answer to the often-repeated complaint.

The ambulance bounced as it hit a minor pothole in the highway. The old man shouted, "Tell that driver to be careful. I'm in pain back here!"

"He's being as careful as he can be," replied Ed as he looked up from his journal. The drive had been remarkably smooth.

"Damn it, why are you making me ride halfway across the country in the back of this thing?" asked the doctor for the thousandth time of the trip. The ambulance hit another bump and the doctor shouted, "Learn how to drive you gorilla!"

"I could have put you in a nursing home, but I closed down the one that was closest to the hospital," replied Ed with a smile. He knew that was worth a half an hour rant and that he would be able to read for that entire time.

"You miserable bastard. I know you would have put me in there in half a minute. You've always hated me!"

Looking out the window, Ed saw that Ling had pulled the car up to the side of the ambulance. He waved out the window at Mrs. Beth. The elderly woman waved back with a smile on her face. Ling slowly pulled behind the ambulance waiting for it to pull over. Checking his watch, Ed realized he had sat in the ambulance for half an hour longer than he was required. The doctor was still ranting about what a miserable and mean man he was, but Ed didn't pay attention to that. In another half an hour, it would be time for another dose of painkiller.

Irritated at being ignored, Dr. Hayes stared at Ed for a minute and then shouted, "My name is Napoleon!"

The lie sounded like an out of tune violin scratching right next to his ear. With a shudder, Ed answered, "Stop that!"

"My name is Napoleon! My name is Napoleon!"

Understanding that it was the pain talking, Ed moved up to the front of the ambulance and told the driver, "Pull over. It's time for a shift change."

The driver continued on until the next exit before pulling off the highway and into a truck stop. Ed got out of the ambulance and stretched, letting his muscles relax. Arms raised over his head, he twisted from side to side working out the kinks in his back.

Ling followed the ambulance and parked next to it. Maggie stepped out of the car and said, "I bet he needs his pain killers."

"Just start giving them to him and don't stop until I tell you," remarked Ed.

The nurse laughed and shook her head. She had already had two shifts in the back with the doctor and couldn't believe how Ed had managed to last almost an hour longer than his shift. The easy shift was hers since it occurred right after he took the painkillers.

Ling got out of the car with Mrs. Hayes. The elderly woman took one look at Ed and said, "I'm so sorry. He's really a nice guy when he's not in pain."

With a wry smile, Ed said, "Really? I hadn't noticed."

At first she thought he was serious, but then realized he was teasing her. She came over to him and took his arm saying, "You guys are too good."

Patting her hand, Ed said, "Not really. I did threaten him with a nursing home at one point."

Laughing, she cried, "You didn't?"

Ling interrupted, "I need to get a bite to eat and use the powder room. Can we take a thirty minute break?"

Mrs. Hayes added, "That sounds like a good idea to me."

Ed opened the back of the ambulance and called in, "We're going to take a break. I'll watch him if you want to get something to eat."

Maggie answered, "Just bring a sandwich for me and something for him. I'll use the restroom before we go."

The driver joined them as they went into the restaurant. The break was long overdue and everyone felt much better after eating. Ed carried two sandwiches out to the ambulance, one for Dr. Hayes and the other for Maggie. Maggie took the opportunity to stretch and use the restroom. After delivering them, he joined Ling and Mrs. Hayes in the car. The caravan pulled away.

As the ambulance pulled around to the back of the house, John opened the back door. Once the driver backed the ambulance to the door, Ed exited and, as he hugged John happy to see him, said, "We are home at last!"

"Happy to be here? Or are you happy to be out of the ambulance?" asked John with a smile on his face. The two men hugged like long lost friends.

The trip from Los Angeles to the Carter Clan home had definitely pushed Dr. Hayes to his limits. He was ready to burst by the time he was rolled into the infirmary. Doctor Leonard from the hospital nodded to Kelly. She jabbed a needle in Dr. Hayes' ass and within a few seconds, he was asleep.

Kelly sat back and smiled at the rest of the family. She asked Ed, "How did you ever survive the trip?"

Shaking his head, Ed joked, "I threatened him with physical harm."

John, knowing that Ed wouldn't do that, laughed as he said, "Right."

Happy to have Ed home again, Kelly wrapped herself around him and kissed him. Ed's hands came up and caressed her intimately. Mrs. Hayes looked a little embarrassed, but she didn't look away. She had seen the same kind of behavior between Ed and Ling. It took some time, but Kelly finally released Ed.

Looking around the room, John said, "Hey Kelly. Why don't you take Ed and welcome our husband home properly?"

Kelly pulled Ed away, bumping his hip with hers as she exaggerated the swing of her hips. As they walked towards her room, she whispered in his ear, "I missed my cowboy."

"This cowboy missed his nurse," said Ed as he pulled her closer.

When they reached Kelly's room, she opened the door and let Ed in. Before the door had even closed she was undressing. Ed turned to look at her about the time that her shirt hit the floor. Smiling, he started working on his shirt while looking at her breasts. For the first time in a long time, his fingers didn't work well as he fumbled to get the buttons undone.

Shirt off, Ed sat down on the floor to remove his boots. They didn't cooperate. In the mean time, Kelly had managed to get her pants off and was lowering her panties. She had turned to face away so that as she bent down she was presenting her ass and cunt to his view. He fumbled with his boots finally getting one of them off. By then, Kelly was naked and watching him with a grin.

She started giggling as he struggled with the other boot finally breaking out into a full-fledged laugh when the boot finally came off with a loud plop. Almost losing his balance, he stood and undid his belt. Walking with a sexy sway of her hips, Kelly came over to Ed. Kneeling in front of him, she undid the snap and lowered the zipper of his pants.

His cock, erect, peeked over the top of his briefs. Laughing, Kelly said, "Looks like someone is happy to see me."

Once his shorts were off, Kelly sucked his cock into her mouth. Her tongue worked furiously around the sensitive head. Ed lowered his hands and held her head. With a gentle upward pressure, he signaled that he wanted her to stand. She stood and led him to her bedroom.

The action was fast and furious as she threw him onto the bed and climbed atop him. Without any foreplay, she lowered herself on his cock and started riding it. As she moved up and down, she also incorporated a forward and backward motion in her movements. The effect was to rub her clit against him on the down and forward movements.

Ed's hands roamed over her body, settling on her breasts. Kneading them roughly, he pinched her nipples hard enough to make her squeak. A shudder of pleasure went through Kelly. There were times when she liked it rough and could never get that from John. Ed was always in better tune with her needs for roughness and would give her that treatment when she wanted it.

Ed sat up and hugged her tight to his chest. With a smooth motion, he rolled her over so that she was on her back. Grabbing her calves, he lifted her legs high in the air and slipped her ankles on his shoulders. Leaning forward he started slamming his cock into her hot ready cunt. Kelly was in heaven, finally getting the fucking for which she had longed.

Ed enjoyed these sessions with Kelly when she wanted him to take his pleasure from her without concern for her pleasure. The pressure was off him because she could come easily this way. As he slammed into her, she started making the animal-like noises that signaled an approaching orgasm. The slapping sound as he fucked her, drove her to greater heights.

With sweat dripping off his nose, Ed started grunting with the physical effort he was putting into this. Kelly looked up at the intense look on his face. It triggered a mind-shattering orgasm for Kelly. Her animal noises climbed in volume. Ed was bottoming out in her passage, sending little spasms of pleasure through her body.

The strong rhythm broke down as Ed started to come. The breaking of his rhythm provoked another orgasm in Kelly as her body reacted to the unexpected change. He stopped thrusting as he held his cock as firmly embedded within her as deeply as he could. With a few final grunts, the last of his come shot into her.

His needs sated, he slowly pulled out of her and sat back on his heels. To his surprise, Kelly sat up and sucked his cock, cleaning it with her mouth. She made humming sounds as she worked it over, the vibrations sending little after waves that extended the afterglow of his orgasm.

When she was satisfied that Ed was clean, Kelly lay back on the bed. Ed lay down beside her, happy to hold her in his arms. Kelly asked, "How is it that you know when I want to be treated a little roughly in bed?"

Laughing at the question, Ed said, "You go straight to the action without foreplay."

"Oh," answered Kelly as she thought about it.

They lay there for a little while when Ed noticed that Kelly had started breathing with the regularity of sleep. He watched her sleep, marveling at the peaceful satisfied look on her face. Waiting until he was sure that he could move without waking her, he left the bedroom and dressed.

As Ed approached the poolroom, he heard John say, "I have no idea. I wouldn't worry though."

A voice that he didn't recognize asked, "You wouldn't?"

He entered the poolroom when John said, "Nope. I wouldn't. Ed's a good guy."

"Why thank you, John," said Ed. He smiled as he stripped and jumped into the pool. Coming up, he shook his head sending a spray of water around the pool. He took a moment to examine Leroy out of the corner of his eye. No one had told him that Leroy was black. He turned to Leroy and introduced himself, "You must be Leroy. I'm Ed."

"Right. Nice to meet you, Ed," replied Leroy nervously.

Ed laughed as he took in the man's expression, wondering what John and Kelly had been telling Leroy about him. He said, "You're scared to death of meeting me. I bet you're afraid you'll end up on the street when I say I don't like you. Right?"

"Right," answered Leroy with a little resignation. He added, "I hope you'll let me call a cab first, though."

Both of the men in the pool laughed at his answer. Ed splashed John and made a mock mean face. Ed growled before he said, "That's for making me out to be some sort of ogre. So, how do you like it here in our home?"

"I like it a lot. It's very peaceful. Everyone is calm and tranquil. I almost feel like I'm in a monastery."

John laughed and retorted, "A monastery with naked people walking around and having sex all of the time."

"Sounds like a bordello to me," Ed joked. He remembered what Ling had said about Leroy being a perfect gentleman and that he had not made any attempts to bed any of the women in the house. He added, "I heard that you haven't been in bed with anyone since you got here. You must be horny as hell by now."

"A little." Leroy was actually extremely horny, having to go to his room and jack off several times a day. Watching Sarah walk around naked was driving him crazy.

Ed laughed as he suggested, "I'd say a lot. I'm sure that Cathy or Sarah would be interested. You might ask them."

Leroy was rather taken aback by the statement. "Does that mean I can stay?"

Looking at Leroy, Ed decided it was time to find out if the guy would be a problem. He asked, "You wouldn't want to hurt us, would you?"

A puzzled look flashed across Leroy's face. "Of course not."

Ed shrugged and asked, "You aren't in financial difficulty such that you'd sell us out, are you?"

Indignant, Leroy bluntly answered, "No I wouldn't sell you out."

"So you can't imagine a scenario in which you'd do us any harm."

"Right."

His truth sense told him that the man was genuine. A good-natured laugh rolled out of Ed as he splashed John. John sputtered, "What was that for?"

"You've got yourself a hiking partner."

John splashed him back. Ed sputtered, "What was that for?"

"Having too much fun at Leroy's expense." John's lopsided grin confused Leroy, but made Ed laugh.

Turning to face Leroy, Ed said, "You can stay."

John swam to the edge of the pool and lifted himself out to sit on the side of the pool with his feet dangling in the cool water. He explained, "Ed is a human lie detector. You can't hide the truth from him."

After proving his truth sense to Leroy, Ed climbed out of the pool and sat next to John. Ed asked, "Out of curiosity, may I ask you a very personal question?"

Leroy shrugged his shoulders. "Ask, I might choose not to answer."

Ed laughed at the answer. He asked, "Have you ever had sex with a man?"

"No, I haven't," replied Leroy, adding, "I've never really thought about it."

"Fair enough," replied Ed. He stood up and walked over to the towel cabinet. He was almost there when he turned to John and asked, "Do you want a towel?"

Standing up, John answered, "Sure."

The towel flew across the room. John deftly caught it. Both men dried off and threw the towels into a bin next to the cabinet. John's only went halfway in. Ed laughed as he said, "I should have bet you on that one!"

John chuckled. "Not with you standing right next to it and me all the way over here."

"Let's go into the living room and relax." John said as he picked up his robe. Ed followed suit and picked up his clothes. They carried them into the living room. Leroy followed along, unsure if he had been invited.

On reaching the living room, the men sat down. John and Ed sat on the couch and Leroy in a chair across the room. Realizing that both of them were naked, Ed said, "Mrs. Hayes is rather reserved. I don't know how she's going to take living here with us naked half the time."

Leroy suggested, "Maybe you should get dressed then."

John shook his head in disagreement. He countered, "This is our home and that's how we do things here. I hope that it won't upset them, but I don't want to change how I live for them."

Surprised by John's attitude, Ed asked, "Isn't that a selfish attitude?"

"Perhaps. I don't know how long they are going to stay here. When they move into the new house, they'll be over here frequently. I don't think it is reasonable to have to see who is here or who might come over, to be able to relax in my own home."

"Actually that is fair, but have you talked to her about it?" asked Leroy feeling that she should have a chance to decide for herself if she should be exposed to that. He had been very shocked when Sarah showed up naked the first time.

"Okay, we'll get dressed and call her over here to have a little chat," replied John. He realized that he sounded a little short when he put it like that. He relaxed and added, "I didn't mean to sound so awful."

Ed smiled at the lack of balance exhibited by John. He suggested "And when we are done, maybe the three of us can go upstairs and watch the sunset?"

"You bet."

Leroy was surprised to be included in the invitation. He piped up, "Great."

John asked, "Ed would you like to get Mrs. Hayes while I arrange for a nice cheese and fruit tray for us to snack on while we are entertaining her?"

Ed nodded and started getting dressed. John went to the intercom and dialed Marguerite. Ed finished dressing and left to get Mrs. Hayes. Wandering down the hall, he went to her door and knocked on it. When she answered, Ed said, "John and I would like to invite you down to the informal living room for a little chat."

Surprised by the invitation, Mrs. Hayes said, "Okay. Is anything the matter?"

"No, nothing is the matter. We just wanted to make sure that you weren't surprised by anything that goes on in the house," answered Ed.

Recalling the naked woman that was now watching over her sleeping husband, Mrs. Hayes decided that would be a very good idea. She said, "Lead on."

Ed returned to the informal living room with Mrs. Hayes following behind him. With a smile, John greeted her, "Mrs. Hayes I would like to introduce you to Leroy. Leroy, this is Mrs. Hayes."

Mrs. Hayes nodded and said, "Nice to meet you Leroy."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

Noting the cast on his arm, she added, "It looks like you've been injured recently."

"Yes ma'am. I was in a car accident the other day. John helped me out and has been kind enough to offer me a place to stay until I can make arrangements for a new car."

Mrs. Hayes smiled at the relaxed nature of the young man and suggested, "Well, you might want to visit my husband. He was run over by a car about six weeks ago. Maybe you can teach him how to be a better patient than he has been."

Leroy laughed as he replied, "I'm not sure that I can. I've been like this for three days and I would kill for a chance to go swimming in the pool next door."

John said, "Don't worry, it will get better once they decide the wound has healed. They'll put you in a new cast and you'll be able to take a shower, at least."

"I've just about had it with sponge baths."

The comment brought a blush to the cheeks of Mrs. Hayes. John noticed and was about to tease her when Marguerite came into the room with the tray of snacks and the pitcher of iced tea. John poured iced tea for everyone while they piled small plates with cheeses and fruits. After a few minutes of activity, everyone was seated again.

John broke the silence. "Mrs. Hayes, a small problem has come to my attention about which I need to talk to you."

Ling and Kelly drifted into the room, Kelly was refreshed from her short nap. From the look on John's face, they knew that something important was being discussed and seated themselves so that they could participate. Leroy looked around nervously and suggested, "Maybe I should leave."

After a quick glance at John, Ed said, "No, you should probably stay. You need to hear this as well."

"This is our home and I know that our rules may seem a little strange to you. We live according to one major rule. If it harms none, then do it."

Leroy asked, "What does that mean?"

"Good question. It really means that if someone is doing something and it harms no one, then you have no right to complain about it. If they are doing some task very ineffectively, all you can do is offer advice. You can't demand that they do it your way." John explained.

Kelly added, "In a way, it is much more restrictive than the ten commandments. It means that you can't be critical of other people. It means that you really have to think about the consequences of your actions. Will your action ultimately lead to someone getting hurt? After living that way for a period of time, you find that you become a much more deliberate person."

Mrs. Hayes said, "No problem. I can live with that rule."

Ling countered, "It's much harder to practice than you would think."

"You bet. If someone comes out dressed up like a clown, you can't really comment." Leroy realized the full complexity of that rule. Despite the fact that he had more or less lived according to that rule his whole life, hearing it put that succinctly brought home the point of the full consequences.

"The second rule is that a person's room is sacred and only they can allow people to enter."

Mrs. Hayes asserted, "Now that is a rule I can live with."

Kelly smiled as she realized that Mrs. Hayes didn't appreciate the full scope of the statement. She clarified, "That means if you want Sarah to clean your room, you have to let her in and wait until she leaves."

"No problem."

"The third rule is that the front of the house is clothing mandatory while the back of the house is clothing optional."

As Ed had predicted, this was when Mrs. Hayes reacted. Covering her mouth with a hand, she said, "Oh my."

Kelly added, "That rule applies to guests as well. You can walk around naked in the back of the house as much as you want. No one will say a word."

Remembering her reaction to Sarah, John said, "Now Sarah is a confirmed nudist. She walks around naked as much as she can. Basically, all of us are naked in the pool room and in the informal living room."

Kelly said, "Us girls usually go to the top of the building to sunbathe in the morning. It's our time for girl talk and guys aren't allowed. You're free to join us, Mrs. Hayes."

Ed said, "We usually go to the top of the building and watch the sunset."

Looking around the room nervously, Mrs. Hayes said, "I'm afraid that I'm very uncomfortable with people walking around naked."

"I'd say that you are offended by it," replied Ed in a voice that possessed the calm assurance that he understood more than others did.

Unhappy, she admitted, "Yes, it offends me."

"I am very sorry to hear that. Perhaps with time you will get used to it. However, we can not change our lifestyle for one person. I am sure that you can understand that."

Resigned to the situation, she said, "I understand. It doesn't mean that I have to like it, but I'll deal with it."

Ed realized that she would try to deal with it, but that it would be hard for her. He suggested, "You might want to avoid the poolroom when the men are around the house."

Later, John, Ed, and Leroy sat on the roof watching the sunset. John rattled his ice tea class. Dissatisfied with the quantity of ice remaining, he added two more ice cubes from the ice bucket. With another rattle, he then refilled it with tea. Sitting back he sighed, "Ed, you have no idea how much I missed our time out here."

"I know. I missed them too."

"By the way, congratulations on breaking that case in LA. You made the national news."

Groaning at the news coverage, Ed replied, "Those news reporters are a bunch of jackals. I had to hide out in the hotel for two days before they gave up. Are you working on anything interesting?"

"I wouldn't call it interesting, I'd call it ugly."

Leroy looked over at John. He had no idea what John was doing when he wasn't around. "So what is it?"

"Looks like a bunch of adults got together and formed some kind of club. A couple will have a child. Before the child is three, they are sent off to live with another couple as a sex toy. The kids stay with a couple for about six months and then they are sent on to another couple. The kids never know who their parents are."

"They are swapping children?" asked Leroy. He couldn't believe parents would do that to their own children.

"Even worse. These kids are being kept in basements. They never interact with anyone other than in a sexual situation. They are not being educated or given any life skills. Once they get too old to be of interest to these pedophiles, they get dumped on the street."

Ed asked, "How do you know this?"

"A couple was caught giving away a photograph. When the cops investigated the incident, they found out that the kid in the photograph wasn't theirs. Things got messy and they made no progress on it. I got involved and consequently, we've identified about seven other kids that have been through the process. We've got police artist sketches of the perpetrators. We should be able to wrap it up in a week or two."

"I'm impressed. What's the key you are using to track down the other members?"

"Their private telephone books and telephone records."

Leroy was shocked and said, "How could anyone do that to their own kids? I just can't imagine it."

"I don't know. I look at the twisted morality of this country and I wonder at times. A film in which more than a dozen people get chopped up by a man with a chainsaw is rated R. They show limbs falling off, blood gushing from slit throats, and cannibalism without social outcry. Yet, if they show a cumshot in a film, then it is rated X. They want to put two people who love each other in jail because they are of the same gender. They get sentences that are almost the same as for murder. Two men loving each other can spend more time in jail than a guy that holds up a convenience store with a gun."

"Amen to that brother," replied Leroy.

Ed laughed as he said, "I think we have someone here that shares our opinion."

The men sat quiet watching the stars overhead. Even though it was a full moon, it was a small moon that allowed the stars to shine brightly. Leaning back in his chair, rattling his iced tea glass, Ed said, "I understand that you like to hike."

Leroy loved to hike, spending as much time as possible in the wilderness. He answered, "I love it. I just finished hiking the Big Bend National Park before heading up this way."

John commented, "Every time I've tried to make it there, I've had to detour. The first time I was going to go there, I was shot and killed."

Leroy joked, "Remind me not to go there with you."

Laughing, Ed said, "Sorry, John. I thought you had a hiking partner."



-------

Chapter 13


The house was still under construction, but enough of it had been completed to see how it was laid out. Ed walked from where the living room would be to the kitchen and dining room. Trying to construct a mental image as he examined the layout, he decided that he liked it a lot. It would be a very nice house once it was finished. He turned to Mrs. Hayes who was still in the living room and said, "I like it."

With a little smile in his direction, Mrs. Hayes said, "Of all the plans the architect showed us, I liked this one the best."

Walking around the perimeter, Ed realized that there were four bedrooms. He commented, "Four bedrooms."

"John said that we needed a study each, a bedroom, and a playroom that could be used for guests," she replied as an answer to the unasked question. She didn't quite understand why he insisted that she have a study of her own, but had gone along with the suggestion.

"I bet you can't wait for it to be finished."

That was an understatement. She had been trying to come to grips with the openness of the Carter Clan. Even after three weeks, she couldn't go near the pool when the men were there. She said, "It's not that I don't appreciate everything you have done for us, but I'm just a little too conservative for your lifestyle."

The comment about being too conservative reminded Ed of Linda Redman. While her cousin, Sarah, was a full-fledged nudist, Linda was just the opposite. After a major gift giving ceremony to the Carter Clan by her tribe, John had proposed that she live with them to determine if she was willing to accept marriage. The young lady was still a virgin and was just as conservative as Mrs. Hayes. He asked, "What do you think of Linda?"

Mrs. Hayes, Linda, and Leroy had become very good friends. Linda shared her same unease around naked people. Always a gentleman, Leroy had always made it a point to be dressed around both women. She answered, "I like her. She's a very sweet girl."

A horn honked outside the house disrupting their conversation. Ed said, "They're here for you."

Walking to the door with brisk strides, Mrs. Hayes said, "Thank you, Ed. We'll be home after you are gone, I guess."

"Alright," replied Ed. He stayed behind to take one more look at the house. It was going to be a nice place when it was finished. As he heard the sound of the car pulling away with the characteristic whine of a fusion powered car, he went out the back door and headed to the house.

Entering the house, he stopped by the office. Cathy came to the door and said, "Kim called. She's going out to the mine to perform a preliminary survey. She wishes you could go with her."

Ed nodded that he understood the message. He answered, "Let her know that I plan to be back in four days, but it could be a little longer."

Taking down the note, Cathy said, "The Antarctic Group wants to know if you'll be able to go down there for ten days. They said they need their answer Monday."

Frowning at the idea of being in the cold for ten solid days, Ed knew that he couldn't pass up the opportunity to explore a totally virgin area for minerals. He answered, "I guess I'll go. It is an opportunity even if it is too cold."

Cathy smiled as she said, "I had told them that you were likely to go."

"Really?"

"If there is anything that you can't resist, it is the call of the wild rock," giggled Cathy.

"Any other messages?" asked Ed, finding it hard to believe that thirty minutes out of the house had resulted in two messages for him. He wondered how many messages there would be when he returned from Colorado.

"None," answered Cathy.

"Thanks, Cathy. I don't know what I would do without you," said Ed.

Cathy smiled at him and winked as she said, "You might want to check on the good doctor before you go. It appears that all of his naked nurses are causing him some discomfort."

Ed laughed and replied, "Let the tension build a little more."

As Cathy giggled at the suggestion, John arrived. He looked at Ed and said, "Can you talk to Kelly? She insists on wearing shorts and sandals."

Nodding, Ed immediately went to find Kelly. After knocking on the door to her bedroom, she let him into her living room. Without greetings, she returned to her bedroom to finish packing clothes for her trip. Ed followed her and watched what she was putting in the backpack John had lent her. Commenting on her selection of clothes, Ed said, "I'd wear jeans if I were you."

Angry, she replied, "I'm not you. I might listen to your advice if you were to go with me. Since you and John are being assholes by not coming, I'll wear what I want."

"This is a private journey that you are going on and you have to do it alone," Ed replied as he picked up a pair of tennis shoes and threw them in the backpack.

She started to remove them, but saw the look on his face and left them there. She spat, "You don't know that!"

"I'm in their service already. Accept that John and I know a few things about becoming Druids," replied Ed. They had this conversation many times over the past few days, but she refused to accept the inevitable. Disturbed by her behavior, he left her room and went to his. He grabbed his saddlebags in which he had packed his clothes for the trip and, as he stepped out the door, picked up his bedroll.

Ed put his stuff in the back of John's jeep and stood around waiting for John and Kelly to arrive. As an after thought, he picked up his bag with his rock hunting equipment. Once that was in the back of the Jeep, he leaned against it considering the events of the past two months. It seemed impossible that so many things could happen in such a short period of time. Beth died, Bob had been injured in an attack on John, Leroy came to live with them, Linda came to live with them, and he had broken a horrible crime ring.

The next month promised to be just as busy with two consulting jobs, a trip to Denver, and a conference presentation in Albuquerque. While this trip wasn't exactly a vacation, he didn't have anything to do except drop off Kelly and then wait for her to return. His private musings were interrupted by the arrival of John and Kelly.

John pulled into the parking lot of the Sporting Goods Store. After a glance at Kelly and receiving a glare for his troubles, he went inside. Ed said, "Kelly, I know you don't want some advice, but I'm going to give it to you anyway."

Sighing, Kelly said, "I want your advice, I really do. More than that, I want you two to go with me."

Sorry that he couldn't give her the answer she wanted, Ed looked down at his lap. With regret obvious in his voice, he said, "Kelly, you will understand in time, but we can't go with you. When you challenged the Goddess, you set this in motion."

"Well, she wasn't doing her job. She let Beth die and those bastards attacked us in our own home. Where was she then?" retorted Kelly.

Remembering when he had challenged the Gods and Goddesses, Ed cringed. Challenging the Gods and Goddesses was not a good idea. If he hadn't worked so hard to retrieve the medallion, the Two-Sided One would have let him die.

John returned to the car and handed three MREs and three large bottles of water to Kelly. The MREs were full military style packages including toilet paper. He said, "Here are three MREs. I noticed that you didn't pack anything to eat. Follow the instructions, they are pretty simple and taste pretty good."

Kelly shrugged as she examined the foil wrapped packages. She hadn't thought to bring food or water. She stashed the items in her backpack and sat there holding the pack on her lap. As John pulled out of the parking lot he asked, "Do you remember how to use the GPS?"

They had drilled her on using the GPS for the past week and she knew that she could use it in her sleep. She answered, "Yes, I remember."

As John pulled over to the side of the road, he said, "We're here."

Suddenly afraid, she asked, "What can I expect?"

John said, "Imagine making love to the force that creates a tornado or an earthquake. Even the gentlest breeze requires so much force to create it on the scale that it exists. The Gods and Goddesses seldom deal with an individual. When they do, their raw strength is overwhelming. When they make love to us, it feels like rape only because it is so forceful."

His words scared her even more, but she chose not to say anything. With a moment of hesitation, she stepped out of the car. After looking back at them, she walked into the woods. Ed watched her go with tears in his eyes and said, "There she goes."

John smiled and said, "Don't worry about her."

"I can't help it."

"Neither can I."

The two men laughed as John turned the jeep around and headed back into town. As they drove by the sheriff's office, Ed noticed a number of people standing around outside. With a mischievous look on John's face, he pulled up in front of the office. The men got out of the car. As Ed held the door open for John, John stepped inside and shouted, "I confess. You don't have to beat any more, Sheriff. I'll tell you anything you want!"

Ed looked at the faces of the people that had been standing in front of the office expecting to see shocked looks. A grin spread over his face when he saw that the Sheriff was one of the people in the crowd. The Sheriff had hidden behind one of the other people when he spotted John heading towards his office. The crowd laughed as one of the men said, "Looks like you have a visitor, Sheriff."

The Sheriff laughed as he answered, "It's just John Carter. Any of you want to help me lock him up?"

Everyone in the crowd shook their heads. John stuck his head out of the office and said, "He's not here."

The Sheriff extracted himself from the people in the crowd and said, "Nice to see you, John. I enjoyed hearing your confession."

Laughing, John replied, "At least it wasn't wasted."

"So what are you doing here?" asked the Sheriff wondering if the whole Plutonian Circus was going to show up this time.

"Just came by to say hello and let you know that Ed and I will be here for a couple of days," replied John.

Winking at the Sheriff, Ed added, "He just came by to harass you is more like it."

"I'd believe that. So are you staying over at the Sporting Goods Store?"

Shaking his head, John said, "I'm spending a couple of days at Doc Wilkins' place."

Ed said, "I'm going up the mountain a bit to look at the rocks there."

The Sheriff looked over at Ed for a minute and then said, "Why don't you let me take you up to one of the diamond mines? I'm sure they would be happy to show you around."

John looked over at Ed and said, "I'll take the car and come up to pick you up in two days."

The Sheriff answered, "Don't worry about it. I'll bring him back."

Surprised at the offer, Ed said, "Sounds good to me."

Retrieving his saddlebag, rock gear, and bedroll from the Jeep, Ed went over to the Sheriff and said, "Any time you are ready to go."

John waved and then headed off to the hospital to meet with the childhood friend of his late brother. Ed watched him go, not surprised that he would leave so quickly. He viewed this trip as a mini-vacation with the opportunity to visit old friends.

The Sheriff said, "Let's head out. I think you'll like this operation. It's one of the few diamond mines in the US."

As Ed got into the Sheriff's car, he asked, "How far is it from here?"

The Sheriff replied, "It's about a three hour drive. It's along the Wyoming border."

"That's a long trip to make just to drop me off," said Ed.

The Sheriff grinned and said, "I'm not dropping you off. I'm taking a vacation."

Surprised, Ed asked, "You were planning on going up there anyway?"

"No, it's just with John in town, I know that nothing interesting is going to happen around here that my deputies can't handle," replied the Sheriff. Reaching over to the dash, he picked up the radio handset and said, "Deputy Ramsey, I'm taking three days off."

From the radio, the deputy responded, "Okay, boss."

"By the way, John Carter is in town," said the Sheriff into the microphone.

The deputy answered, "No wonder you're taking a couple of days off."

The Sheriff asked, "Could you get in touch with Sammy Grayson and have him call his cousin up at the diamond mine? Let him know that I'm heading up that way."

The Deputy laughed and said, "Sure thing."

The Sheriff smiled and ended the discussion. Turning to Ed he said, "I carry a couple of changes of clothes in the back just in case I get trapped somewhere for a day or two."

Turning on the radio to a country western station, the Sheriff sang along as he drove out of town. Watching the man, Ed realized that the Sheriff had been around Druids for a long time. The effect on people was often subtle, but recognizable as an ability to focus on the now and enjoy what ever was happening. Neither one said much through the entire drive.

When they reached the mine, they were met by a security guard at the gate. The Sheriff talked to the guard for a minute and then they were waved through. Parking in front of the office which was little more than a trailer, the two men got out and stretched. A man came out of the office and approached them. Hand extended, he said, "I'm Matt Carlen, owner of this operation. What brings you here?"

The Sheriff took the man's hand and said, "I'm Sheriff Dan Grayson and this is Ed Biggers."

The manager immediately turned to face Ed and asked, "You are the Ed Biggers?"

Surprised at being recognized, Ed answered, "I'm an Ed Biggers."

"The Ed Biggers from Arizona?"

"That's me," replied Ed wondering how this guy knew of him. The Sheriff shook his head, amazed at how these guys would show up and people would bend over backwards to help them.

Matt said, "Well, come on into the office. We'll talk a bit and then I'll show you our operation here."

The two men followed Matt into the trailer where two desks were set up. There was a woman behind the other desk and she just glanced up at the pair before returning to her work. Matt pulled up a couple of chairs and asked, "So what do you know about our mine here?"

Ed answered, "Well, this is a Kimberlite mine. Kimberlite is a most interesting igneous rock. It is only occasionally diamond bearing. Some of the characteristic minerals found in Kimberlite are olivine, pyrope garnet, enstatite, diopside, ilmenite, phlogopite, perovskite, magnetite, and spinel. Kimberlite intrusives originate at depths of 150 to 200 kilometers or more and are often injected into the crust in an explosive manner, carrying diamonds from depth."

Amazed, Matt sat back and said, "You really know your rocks."

Shrugging, Ed replied, "I only remember that from my undergraduate studies. I never imagined that I would actually make it up here to see it for myself."

Matt pulled out a map of the area and pointed to it as he said, "This is a very small site and privately owned. The bigger mines are a couple of miles from here and are owned by the major mining companies."

Ed nodded as he looked at the map. This particular mine was somewhat distant from the other mines. He was actually surprised that they actually owned this mine. He asked, "So how did you end up owning this place?"

Matt leaned forward and answered, "We owned this place before the diamonds were discovered. For years we had cursed that area because it was usually the first to flood in a rain storm."

"That makes sense. Usually Kimberlite erodes pretty easily and forms a depression that fills up with dirt. Makes it pretty easy to miss," commented Ed.

The Sheriff listened to the discussion fascinated. He had hoped that they might get a chance to walk around the place because he knew a distant cousin of the owner. Instead, they were getting the royal treatment.

Matt said, "That's right. When I heard that diamonds were found not far from here and had seen where they had been found, I decided to check out our back forty. Sure enough, it had Kimberlite underneath all that dirt."

Ed looked at the geological data that had been added to the map. The depths of a couple of the other mines were penciled in next the sites. Ed looked over the map for a few minutes. Finally, he asked, "I notice that you don't have a depth marked on this map for your mine."

Matt shook his head and said, "Most of the mines around here are pretty low yield and have closed because it is not cost effective to go after the diamonds. We can't afford to do full surveys and all that. Instead, we just keep digging and pulling out what we can. My brother and I do the digging. His wife handles the books and my son is the security guard at the gate."

This was pretty much what Ed had suspected. Ed asked, "So you were called away to meet us?"

Laughing, Matt answered, "No. I got a call from my cousin Sammy that the Sheriff was on his way up here. The fact is that it rained yesterday and the area is wet. Can't take our Bobcat in there to do any digging until it dries out a bit."

Ed asked, "Do you mind if we walk around the place and check it out?"

"Mind?" asked a surprised Matt. He said, "I'd be overjoyed if you look around. Any suggestions about how to do things smarter would be much appreciated. I've heard how much you charge for a full survey. I'm afraid that I can't afford that."

Smiling at the man's honesty, he knew that the man was hoping Ed would point out features that he had missed. Deciding that the exchange might be worthwhile, Ed said, "I can give you a surface level survey if you can give me a copy of a detailed map of your land here. I didn't bring the kind of equipment to do a detailed survey, but I'll check things out. Do you mind if I look for a few specimens while I'm here?"

"No, I don't mind," answered Matt pleased that Ed was going to perform a simple survey. He added, "You can keep what you find as payment for the survey."

Looking across the pit the two brothers had dug into the ground, Ed wasn't surprised that they couldn't work after it rained. He started walking away from the pit in a northerly direction examining the soil underfoot and the elevation. When he reached a point where he suspected the northern edge of the deposit was located, he took a GPS reading and marked it on the map. He then drew error lines representing the best estimate of the likely error in his survey. This was a rough survey of the surface, a more accurate survey would require he take core samples.

As the three men walked around, Ed noticed a minor outcropping of the Kimberlite and pointed it out to the Sheriff. With a wink, he said, "Dan, why don't you try digging over there for a few minutes and tell me what you find?"

The Sheriff, not sure if Ed was playing a joke on him, went to where Ed had pointed. Looking back at Ed, he pointed to the ground. At a nod from Ed, he dug for a few minutes. Suddenly, he exposed a pocket in the ground and, very excited, shouted, "I found something!"

Ed and Matt went over and looked over his shoulder. There was a small cavity with a number of yellow crystals in them. Most of the crystals were very small, almost like powder. However, there were three good-sized crystals in there as well. Matt said, "Well done. That's about what we get in a full days work around here."

Ed knelt down and fished around in the hole pulling out the diamonds. Each stone went into a small sample box that he had removed from his shirt pocket. There were several more such boxes in his saddlebag. Ed put the box back in a pocket and took a GPS reading, adding it to the map. The Sheriff, in his excitement, was ready to dig to China, but Ed told him to stop.

The men walked around the property as Ed marked an estimated boundary for the mine. Matt watched in amazement as Ed found place after place that yielded diamonds of various sizes. The Sheriff was like a child running from site to site and digging for diamonds. Each time he found one, he would give a shout.

At the end of the second day, Ed was walking along the northwestern edge of the mine when he stopped and squatted down to examine a small depression in the ground. The ground was covered with dirt and no sign of Kimberlite was visible. Looking up at Matt, he said, "Get the Bobcat over here."

Matt returned after ten minutes with the Bobcat. When Matt got out, Ed sat down on the drivers' seat. With great care, Ed started moving dirt from all around the depression before removing the dirt from depression. He took his time, making sure to remove only a thin layer of dirt at a time. After each layer, he got out and examined the ground. Matt came over to watch as Ed worked. When the Kimberlite first peaked through the ground, Ed finished removing that layer of dirt, piling it in a different location from the rest of the dirt he had moved.

When Ed got out of the Bobcat this time, he said to Matt, "You and your brother will probably want to search through that pile of dirt there for diamonds. With the wearing down of the Kimberlite, the diamonds tend to settle on the border between dirt and Kimberlite."

Matt looked over at the pile of dirt and nodded his head. He had known that, but was pleased that Ed had put the dirt in a separate file from the rest. He answered, "We always do that."

There was now a ring of Kimberlite with a small soil center. Ed went over to the shovel and returned with it to dig out the soil. It wasn't long before he broke through a significant size hole in the center of the depression. Reaching into it all the way to his elbow, he fished around for a second. Smiling, he pulled his hand out and said, "Look at what we found here."

As the other two men crowded around, Ed opened his hand showing the diamonds. Matt whistled and then said, "That must be ten carats and those other four must be five carats each."

Ed nodded and said, "You bet."

The Sheriff stood there transfixed looking at the stones. Ed removed the sample box and threw them in it to join the others. He went back to the hole and reached in again. Once more he pulled out a couple of good-sized stones. Showing them to the others, he said, "There's a lot of dust in there that you'll want to clear out when you get a chance."

Matt looked at the diamonds in Ed's hand with envy. He couldn't believe that in just two days, Ed had found almost as many large stones as they normally found in a month. Regretting his statement that Ed could keep anything he found, Matt said, "Sure thing."

Ed smiled and added the stones to the sample box. Relaxing, he said, "Let's get over to your office and have some coffee. It's been a hard day of work."

Matt sat behind the desk amazed that Ed had pulled so many stones out of the ground in a day and a half. He almost regretted his words that Ed could keep all that he found as payment for the survey, but knew that it was worth it to get Ed's expert advice. That Ed was an expert was clear to Matt, the guy had found what was easily sixty thousand dollars worth of rough stone.

Ed pulled out four sample boxes and dumped them on the table. Looking at the stones, Matt revised his estimate upwards another twenty thousand. Spreading the stones over the surface of the desk, Ed said, "Matt, why don't you divide them up into four piles of equal value?"

Puzzled, Matt did as he was asked. He couldn't help touching the large stone with almost a caress, but added it to a small pile. After moving a few stones from one pile to another, he was satisfied that each pile was worth about the same amount of money. Finished, he said, "There you go."

As he handed a sample box to the Sheriff, Ed said, "Dan, pick a pile and put it in the sample box."

As Dan's hand moved to the pile with the large stone, he noticed the look in Ed's eye and changed his mind. He chose one of the other piles with a good assortment of different size stones. Most of them were small, but there was one large stone in the mix. He was pleased to see approval in Ed's look at him. When he finished putting the stones in the box, he said, "Okay."

Watching the reaction of the Sheriff, Ed said, "Those are yours. That's about twenty thousand dollars worth of uncut yellow diamonds. They'll be worth about twice that when you get them cut."

Looking into the box, Dan said, "Wow."

Ed picked up a pile that contained three medium size stones and a number of smaller stones. Slipping them into a sample box, he said, "Matt, the rest of the stones are yours."

"I said that you could keep all that you found," replied Matt feeling like it was a point of honor to keep his word.

Ed countered, ""I saw three of us out there digging. If you add the owner of this place, you get four people involved. One for me, one for Dan, one for you, and one for the mine."

Matt picked up the large diamond and looked at it with care. He picked up the stones and put them into a small box from his desk. Shaking his head at the generosity of Ed, he said, "That's awful decent of you. I don't know many men that could walk away from forty thousand dollars worth of diamonds."

Pulling out the map that he had been marking, Ed spread it on the table. Once he had Matt's attention, he explained, "These points represent the outermost limits of the surface of the mine. I've put error bars of about twenty-five feet on the boundary. Without doing core samples, I can't be much more accurate than that. I also marked where we found stones with the approximate dollar value at each site. From the density of what we found, I would say that you'll be able to pull out about half a million a year out of this place as you are currently working."

Matt nodded as that was about what he had estimated. "Yes, that sounds about right."

Ed pointed to the center of the map and said, "This is your current dig. I'm going to suggest that you change your operation a little. I suggest that you start digging down in a spiral towards the center of your existing site You should start the spiral about fifty yards away from where you are currently digging. After each circuit, move the start twenty five feet back."

Matt asked, "Why?"

Ed said, "Right now you've built yourself a good sized swimming pool. You need to flatten out the area where the water collects and leave some above the water level so that you can work even after a rain. The larger surface area will allow the water to dry quicker."

Nodding his head at the logic of what Ed had said, he countered, "We were digging where we thought the greatest concentration of diamonds would be."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "The distribution of stones should be fairly constant over the whole mine. If you do as I suggest, you'll probably be able to work five days a week rather then the three that you currently put in if we take into account the days that you don't work after a rain storm."

Matt asked, "Are you saying that we should be able to increase our production by about fifty percent?"

"Yes," answered Ed with a smile. A happy smile formed on Matt's face, as he understood what the advice meant. Matt was going to be very busy for the next few years.

As Ed and the Sheriff drove back to town, Dan said, "That was pretty amazing what you did back there for those people."

Surprised, Ed asked, "What did I do?"

Dan answered, "Well, if someone were to offer me a fifty percent raise in earnings and hand forty thousand dollars over to me, I would consider that pretty amazing."

Ed laughed and said, "Well, I had a good time. I never thought I'd be out collecting diamonds."

The Sheriff laughed and shook his head. He had so much fun this trip that he was tempted to give half his stones to Ed. He hadn't thought about camping out under the stars, but Ed was a great camp mate and a good cook. He said, "I figured I would get to see some diamonds. I had no idea that I would be coming home with any."

When they reached town, Ed asked, "Could you drop me off at George and Martha's restaurant? It's close to noon and John should be there."

"Sure thing," replied the Sheriff. He had no idea how these guys operated, but he accepted Ed at his word.

After dropping Ed outside the restaurant, the Sheriff headed back into town. Ed went into the restaurant knowing that today would be the first day that Kelly could possibly return from the woods. Yesterday was midsummer's day and if she stayed in one day, then she would be out today. As he entered, John called out, "Hey Ed, over here."

Joining John at the counter, Ed said, "You should have come with me."

Looking over at Ed, John commented, "You are dirty as hell. What were you doing? Mud wrestling?"

Ed laughed and answered, "Diamond hunting."

As the men chatted, Martha came out and set a plate of chicken fried steak in front of John. She looked at Ed and said, "Hello Ed. Are you up to a teenager special?"

Ed smiled at the memory of the last time he had been here. He said, "Not this time. Give me what he's having."

Martha nodded her head and shouted, "George, another chicken fried!"

Leaning on the counter, she asked, "And what will you have to drink?"

"Chocolate milkshake," replied Ed remembering how good the milkshake had been the last time he was here.

"Good choice," replied Martha as she turned to make the shake.

Although the two men expected it, they were disappointed that Kelly hadn't come out of the woods that day. Perhaps tomorrow they would have better luck.



-------

Chapter 14


As Kelly stumbled into the restaurant, Ed examined her hardly believing what his eyes were telling him. Her hair was wild and she acted like she was drunk. Looking at her, it appeared that she in a state of shock and unaware of her surroundings. She even walked past the table where he was sitting before standing next to a chair at the counter. Martha immediately greeted her, "Hello Kelly."

It took Kelly a moment to remember that she had been at her wedding and several more moments to remember her name. She smiled at the elderly woman and answered, "Martha, it is so nice to see you again."

Martha said, "John has been in here every day for the past two days wondering if you had come. He'll be around in a few minutes. He's off visiting his friends in the area."

"Thank you," replied Kelly. She realized that she was hungry. She sat down in the chair and asked, "Could I have a hamburger, fries, and a shake?"

Martha smiled at Kelly observing her general confusion and answered, "No, you have to go to a café for that."

"Oh, okay." She sat there confused wondering why she had asked for food here. She looked up to see Martha laughing and then realized the joke. She laughed and said, "Gosh, I feel like a blond!"

"You look a little dazed. By the way, did you get a boob job?"

Looking down at her chest, her breasts looked huge. She remembered how Ed's cock had grown in size when he had gotten his medallion. She wondered what other changes had occurred. She said, "I guess you might say that."

John entered the restaurant and saw Kelly sitting at the counter while Ed sat at a table. Coming over to Ed he asked, "What's the matter?"

Whispering, Ed answered, "I don't know. She walked right by me."

The two men walked over to where Kelly was seated and waited for her to notice them. Finally, John put a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she turned with a surprised look on her face, seeing them for the first time. John and Ed took a seat on side of her. Trying to sound lecherous, Ed said, "I like the new look."

John said, "It looks like a D cup to me."

Kelly looked at her husbands and smiled at where they were looking. She teased, "Can't wait to get your hands on them?"

"Either my hands or my lips. I'm not particular," answered John. He laughed at the blush that spread over her face.

When Martha brought the food, Kelly began to absently eat her lunch. Concerned for her, Ed watched her carefully while John turned to Martha and explained, "I'm afraid that she's a little out of it yet."

Seeing that Kelly wasn't even following the conversation, Ed suggested, "I think we had better take her home and let her recover there."

Martha looked worried and asked, "Is it drugs or something?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "She became a Druid today. It can be a very traumatic experience and has physical changes."

"Oh, it is the result of some magic ritual?"

John answered, "She met the Goddess."

When Kelly finished her meal, she sat there staring off into space. Helping Kelly to her feet, they guided her out of the restaurant and to the Jeep. As Ed held the door open, John helped her into to the seat. Once seated, she came out of her mental wanderings. She turned to John and looked at him with tears in her eyes. She cried, "I saw her as she has become because of us."

After a short whispered conversation between John and Kelly, John got in the driver's seat and drove to the Sporting Goods Shop. Ed waited outside as Kelly met with Cathy, the woman that owned the store. After five minutes, Kelly returned to the car and got in the back seat. Turning to talk to her, Ed saw that she had already fallen asleep.

The drive back to the house was quiet as neither John nor Ed said a word. From the green robe clenched in her hands, Ed knew that she served the Goddess. Of course, that had been expected. Looking over her, it was strange to see such large breasts enclosed within her tee shirt. She had gone from a small B cup to a full D cup. The effect on the tee shirt was to stretch it so that every detail of her breasts was outlined through the material.

Both men were tired by the time they arrived at the house. Ed got out and opened the door expecting to carry her into the house. John used the open door to reach Kelly and pick her up. Once John had her out of the car, Ed closed it and raced across the garage to open the door to the house.

Linda met them at the door and after taking one look at Kelly, said, "Bring her into my room. I'll watch over her until she wakes. Everyone else is busy and you two look tired." John carried Kelly upstairs to Linda's room. It took Linda a moment to open the door and step out of the way. Grunting, John barely managed to get her to the bed before his strength left him. He set her down a little less gently than he had intended. John returned to the front room and waited for Linda. When she came out of her room she said, "She has changed."

"Yes, that often happens after dealing with the Gods and Goddesses. What she is doing now is a little different from anything that we've seen before."

Ed came up the stairs and stood outside the room. He cautioned, "Watch her carefully. She's liable to be very horny when she wakes up. If you need to, get Leroy to take care of that if you can't find any of us."

Linda shyly asked, "Speaking of horny, when are we going to get together John?"

"Soon," replied John. Seeing the look of disappointment on her face, he added, "For now, just enjoy yourself and relax. We have all the time in the world."

John left with Ed after taking one more look at Kelly. Ed was exhausted and wanted to reach his room, wash, and then relax in the pool. Of course, he had to mount his samples first. In his room, he carried his specimens up to his study. After examining them, he selected a small stone to add to his collection. It was a nice little stone that represent this trip in many ways. He chose an even smaller stone to mount for the collection at the school. Tired, he still took the time to label the rocks with the type of rock, the location they came from, and the date found. He put his sample on a shelf with the kind of pleasure that only a collector knows.

After an hour nap, Ed headed to the kitchen to see about getting a little something to eat. He was pleased to see Marguerite dancing around the kitchen for the first time since Beth had died. Of course, he had been in LA for most of that time and knew that she had probably danced while cooking long before now.

After seeing Marguerite, he noticed Bob sitting at the table watching her with a smile. Bob looked good despite his injuries. It was going to be another month before he would be able to resume even light duties, but Ed wasn't worried about that. Knowing that Bob was okay was the most important thing. Ambling over to the table, Ed sat down and asked, "How are you feeling Bob?"

Still wearing the neck brace, Bob answered, "Much better. I'm really glad to be home."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I'm really sorry. The day we left for LA, I knew I should have talked to him. If I had, then this whole mess could have been avoided."

Raising an eyebrow, Bob asked, "Are you apologizing for not being perfect?"

"Yes, I guess so," replied Ed with a laugh. He couldn't believe how Bob wouldn't blame him for his negligence.

Bob tried to shake his head, but the neck brace kept him from moving his head. Giving up, he said, "They took advantage of the situation. The family was split up because Beth had died and her father had been injured."

The injuries had not been good for Bob. He had lost considerable weight and he was still pale. He had spent most of his time in bed up in Marguerite's room with her taking care of him. Looking over at Marguerite, he asked, "Marguerite, what kind of patient was Bob?"

She came over to the table and slipped a plate with half a sandwich in front of Ed. Smiling, she said, "He's a pretty good patient, but he's developed a thing for women in nurses uniforms."

Bob laughed at the joke. For the past month, she had been wearing a sexy nurse outfit whenever she was up in her room. He said, "There's only one nurse that turns me on."

Ed took a bite from the sandwich and made the appropriate appreciative noises. Marguerite smiled at his obvious enjoyment of the sandwich. She said, "It might be the nurses uniform that I wear."

After swallowing the bite of sandwich, Ed asked, "So when are you getting married?"

With a frown, Bob said, "I've got one more surgery to undergo and that will require about two months of recuperation. We'll set a date for the wedding once I've recovered."

Taking a sip of iced tea, realizing he didn't remember Marguerite bringing it, he replied, "Sounds wise to me."

Frowning, Marguerite said, "I don't think so. I want him to marry me so that I can sit there like a proper wife by his side."

Knowing there was more than a little truth in what he was about to say, Ed joked, "And he wants to wait until he's healthy enough to have a proper wedding night."

Smiling at Ed, Bob said, "Exactly."

Knowing that he had stumbled into an area of contention, Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out the sample box with his diamonds in it. Moving the stones around with his little finger, he selected one of the middle-sized stones and removed it. Placing it on the table, he said, "I visited a diamond mine over the past few days. This is one of the diamonds that I found."

Bob turned and bent over to look at it. With an appreciative look, he said, "That's a good sized diamond."

Marguerite said, "That's amazing."

Looking over at Marguerite, Ed said, "I figure once Bob finds someone to cut the stone, you'll get three nice diamonds out of it. If he makes a nice setting for them, I would say that you would have a very nice wedding ring."

Bob's mouth fell open at the statement. Marguerite looked at Ed with tear filled eyes. Every time she thought he had given them the ultimate gift, he surprised her by going one better. Excited, she hugged him around the neck and cooed, "You sweet man."

Bob stared at the stone, his imagination working overtime trying to visualize a proper setting for the stones. In an awed voice, he realized that with those stones and a platinum setting he would have a wedding ring worth about thirty thousand dollars. Looking over at Ed he said, "That's an amazing gift."

Shaking his head, Ed knew better. He had found the stone and it cost him nothing. The value of the stone didn't matter; it was the happiness that it brought to the people it touched. He had been happy to find it, the Sheriff had been happy digging it out, Bob would be happy making the ring, and Marguerite would be happy wearing the result. He said, "It's a happy stone and I'm glad to see that it has made you happy as well."

Marguerite went to sit next to Bob. The two of them looked over the stone. Even though a raw diamond is nothing special to look at, the couple was ecstatic over the present. As they talked, Ed finished his sandwich enjoying the tenderness the two showed each other.

Sarah and Leroy came into the kitchen. Seeing Ed at the table, they joined him. Looking at the stone on the table, Sarah asked, "Do you want me to throw that away for you?"

Marguerite nearly took her head off as she responded, "Over my dead body. That's a diamond that Ed just gave us for a wedding ring."

Leroy looked over at Ed with wonder. He still had not made up his mind how he felt about the cowboy. Most of the time, Ed made him nervous with his steel gray eyes and intense look that seemed to peer into the soul. Finally, he said, "That's a very nice present."

Sarah smiled at Ed and said, "You're always doing nice kinds of things for us. Haven't you realized that we're hired help?"

Looking at Sarah, Ed realized that he hadn't done anything for her or Cathy in a long time. Shrugging, he answered, "You're part of the household."

Shaking his head, Leroy said, "Bob, I'm ready to clean out the atrium. Care to oversee?"

Bob picked up the stone and said, "I'll be over there in a minute."

Bob left the kitchen, going to his room to put the stone in a safe place. Ed watched him leave with a smile. Turning to Leroy, he asked, "You've been working around the house?"

Leroy shrugged and said, "You're a little understaffed around here. From what I understand, you lost your security person and Bob has been injured. I'm doing what little I can."

"I think that we have to remedy that situation. I'll talk to John and see when we can go interview people," said Ed. Looking over at Marguerite, Ed asked, "Would you like an assistant cook?"

Smiling, Marguerite answered, "I already have one. His name is Bob."

Ed laughed and left the kitchen. Stopping by the office, he told Cathy to arrange for Marguerite to compete in the cooking competition again this year. He hoped that he would be able to attend the competition this time.

Satisfied with how his day was going, he went to the informal living room where he found John watching television. Sitting down next to John, he said, "We need to hire more staff."

Frowning, John answered, "I know. You want to go to the agency tomorrow?"

"I guess so," replied Ed. He didn't really like hiring new people. They could easily change the whole dynamics of the house. Right now, the staff consisted of Bob, Marguerite, Cathy, and Sarah. They definitely needed two more men to balance the gender among the staff.

A very upset Kelly came into the room followed by Ling and Leroy. Her eyes were red from crying. Looking at John, she blurted, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it."

Concerned, John asked, "Do what?"

Kelly sat down on the couch and cried, "I raped her. She was sound asleep and I raped her."

"Whoa, hold on there for a minute and explain what happened," said Ed. He could tell that she was telling the truth as she knew it.

Kelly sobbed, "I woke up in bed, horny out of my mind. She was asleep next to me and I proceeded to eat her. She never had a chance to say no."

John was very upset, as this was a major wrong and one that he said he would prosecute if it ever happened in the household. He was about to say something when Ed interrupted, "We warned her that would happen. I even told her to get Leroy in case you woke up in dire need and she couldn't find us."

John calmed down a little and asked, "So how did she take it?"

"Oh, she was very understanding. She even said that she enjoyed it, but I think she was just being nice to me," said Kelly.

Ed thought about it for a minute. Linda was a very strong willed woman. If she had been upset, she would have made it very clear to everyone. He said, "I'd take her at her word."

Nodding, John had to agree. He would talk to Linda after a while and hear her side of the story. They heard a noise in the poolroom and the entire group went to see what was going on inside. Linda had just entered the water, wearing a one-piece bathing suit that covered her entire body.

Ed said, "I think it is time to give Linda a chance to see us in all our ugly glory."

John looked over at Ed and wondered what he had in mind. Ling smiled and grabbed Kelly by the hand. As they entered the poolroom, Ling commented on the new bust size of Kelly. At the pool edge, the two women stripped and jumped into the pool. They immediately started talking to Linda, not really giving her a chance to leave.

The three men waited for a few minutes and then entered the poolroom. When they walked into the poolroom, Linda looked at them with wide eyes knowing they were going to strip. John looked over at Kelly and said, "Well, Kelly. You're looking a lot more alert than earlier."

With a wink at Leroy, Ed started undressing. John followed his lead until it was just Leroy standing there. Ed whispered, "Time to get undressed."

Uncomfortable, Leroy answered, "She isn't comfortable around naked men."

"I know, but it is time for her to grow a little," replied Ed. In a way, the timing was good. If, as he suspected was the case, Linda had enjoyed the experience with Kelly, she would be more receptive to them being naked. Leroy started to undress.

When all three were naked, they jumped into the pool. For a moment, it looked like Linda was ready to flee, but she looked away rather than stare at the private parts of the men. She noticed Kelly and Ling sneaking up on Ed and watched as they moved so that he was between them. When Kelly went to splash Ed, he turned so that she would only get his back. Linda laughed as Ling splashed Ed full in the face.

An all out water war was waged for the next ten minutes. By the end, Linda had forgotten that the men were naked. As they left the pool to enjoy a little conversation, Linda took the opportunity to examine the cocks of the three men. She was amazed at how large John and Ed were compared to Leroy.

The next morning, the family sat on one side of the table waiting for candidates for the positions to arrive. They were used to having to wait for hours before having a chance to interview anyone that passed the staff's approval and used the time to talk about their plans for the near future.

The man stepped into the room, back straight in perfect posture. A little less than six foot tall, the man had short-cropped gray hair with male pattern baldness. Physically, he appeared to be in excellent shape. Turning he strode over to the chair and sat down at a gesture from John. A long moment of silence settled over the room, a silence that didn't appear to bother the man at all. John asked, "Do you know who we are?"

"No, sir," said the man with a direct clipped voice as he handed over his resume.

Looking over the resume, Ed read that the man was fifty years of age and had just retired from the army after thirty years of service. He had been a sergeant in the Military Police and was seeking a security position. Examining the man, he wondered if he would be that stiff and formal around the house. Ed said, "Would you mind relaxing? We are looking for a security person who will live in our house. I want to make sure that you will fit into the household."

The man relaxed a little and replied, "Yes, sir."

Shifting nervously, Leroy asked, "The household is multiracial. Do you have any problem with that?"

"No, I was in the army for thirty years. At one time or another my life depended on people of every color and religion. You can't afford to be a bigot and I'm too old to change that point of view," replied the man.

There was truth in his words and Ed liked what he heard so far. He said, "Did the rest of the staff explain the kind of lifestyle that we lead?"

The man nodded crisply and said, "Yes, they told me that you have a group marriage, that the staff tends to sleep around with each other and you, and that most everyone tends not to wear clothes around the house. I'm not sure that I believed them, but it is your life."

John leaned forward and said, "We live our life according to two rules. If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. Do have any problem with that?"

"No, sir," said the man.

Ed caught the man's eye and held it for a full minute. The man didn't blink or seem put off by the scrutiny. Ed asked, "Is there any condition in which you could see yourself harming us?"

The man was silent for a moment and then said, "If you break the law, I'll make sure that you pay for it. I won't cover up a crime no matter how rich you are. I fought for this country and I won't dishonor that service for anyone."

Ed sat back in his chair and looked at the man for a full minute. He looked over at John and then Leroy. John was smiling and reached into his pocket. Ed did the same. At the same time, they pulled out their badges and laid them on the table. Leroy had never seen the badges and looked at them with incredibility. The sergeant merely raised an eyebrow and then said, "Okay, that answers that question."

Ling asked, "How are your martial arts skills?"

Stiff, the man replied, "I've never studied them formally. However, I have trained men to kill with their bare hands as a drill sergeant."

Ling shrugged and said, "Fair enough."

Kelly asked, "Are you married?"

"Widowed," replied the man with the first real emotion that he had showed in the entire interview.

Everyone looked to Linda to see what question she would ask. She looked back and said, "I can't think of anything to ask."

John looked over to Ed who nodded back. He then looked at Leroy who shrugged his shoulders and nodded. Kelly, Ling, and Linda were nodding. Turning to the man, John said, "Welcome to the staff, George Mason."

"You mean I'm hired?"

Ed said, "Yes. If you go out to the rest of the staff, we'll continue the interview process for an assistant handyman."

"What do you mean?" asked George puzzled by the notion that he would participate in the interviews.

John answered, "Now that you are a member of the staff, you have a voice in who works with you."

Ed said, "Go on out there and talk a bit with the rest of the staff. Take a half an hour or so to get to know them a little better and then resume interviewing people."

"Yes, sir."

Ed said, "Drop the sir and ma'am. I'm Ed, that's John, Leroy, Kelly, Ling, and Linda."

As the man left the room, he turned back and looked at them puzzled. This was not the kind of interview he had expected. When the door closed behind him, John and Ed started laughing. Linda, looking puzzled, asked, "What's so funny?"

"It's going to be fun watching him fit into the family," answered John.

It was almost two hours later that another man was shown into the room. The man immediately set his resume on the table. Ed looked at the man and then glanced down at the resume. The guy was in his mid-twenties, short hair, and stood ramrod straight. He looked like another military type. Ed asked, "It says in your resume that you were dishonorably discharged. Would you explain why?"

The man frowned as if he had been asked the question one time too many. He answered, "I'm bisexual and was caught having sex with a man."

Ed asked, "Any more to it than that?"

The man scoffed and said, "There's no need for more than that."

There was a truth to that answer that Ed couldn't deny. His truth sense wasn't even needed for that answer. Kelly asked, "So what have you been doing since then?"

"Working at what ever job I can get," replied the man.

The entire group sat there silently. Linda squirmed uncomfortably while Leroy looked everywhere except at the man. John asked, "Did you get any sense of our lifestyle from the staff?"

"Yes, I suppose I did," replied the young man. He frowned and said, "I figure they were having a little fun at my expense. It sounds too good to be true."

Ed asked, "Can you think of any circumstances in which you would violate our trust in you?"

"What do you mean?" asked the guy.

"I mean, will you sell us out to a tabloid, let someone that means us ill into the house, or perform any other action that might harm us," clarified John.

"I'll die for you if I'm hired," answered the young man.

John looked around at the others in the family. Everyone nodded his or her agreement. John said, "Welcome to the staff, Walt Brown."

Floored by the suddenness of the announcement, Walt sat back in his chair and said, "Really?"

Ed nodded and answered, "Really."

Ling said, "Why don't you join the rest of the staff in the room next door?"

Walt stood up and went to the door. He paused and looked at them for a moment as though trying to etch their faces in his memory for all time. When the door closed behind him, Linda asked, "Why him?"

"I think it is significant that a former sergeant passed him through the first interview. It suggests to me that there is a little respect there, despite the dishonorable discharge," answered John.

Ed said, "Let's go home and get them settled into their new quarters."

At the house, Ed led George and Walt to their rooms. George entered his room and looked around with a surprised look on his face. He asked, "Which room is mine?"

Ed laughed and answered, "The whole thing is yours. You'll have a twenty thousand dollar budget to decorate it."

"You're kidding aren't you?" asked George.

As Ed shook his head, Walt asked, "Are we sharing this room?"

"No, your room is exactly the same as this one," replied Ed.

This was far beyond anything that George had considered when he retired. He had expected to live out the rest of his life in a small apartment and working as a security guard in a mall. Instead, he had a huge salary, a large apartment, and a wonderful sounding job. There had to be a catch somewhere. George said, "I don't know what to say."

Ed said, "Well, you can go to your home and get your stuff. I guess you'll be starting tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll be back by dark with all of my stuff."

Walt stood off to the side and waited for Ed to finish with George. Ed said, "Good, when you get back I'm sure that Cathy will be happy to show you around the house. Tomorrow morning Ling will show you the security center. Take your time getting used to the place."

Ed turned and left the room followed by a very confused Walt. Ed showed Walt his room and said, "This is it. Just like the other room."

Walt said, "I'll settle for something less."

Laughing, Ed said, "The smaller rooms are for guests. They don't have a kitchen or a study."

"Oh, you guys really take care of the people that work for you," said Walt as he looked around his new room.

"Why do you say that?"

"The other members of the staff talk of you with a tone that borders on reverence. Then I come in here and see the quarters that you're giving me. It is just a little overwhelming."

Looking around, Ed said, "Well, this is your room. You deserve a place that is yours if you live here."

Shaking his head, Walt couldn't believe his luck. For the past year, he had been looking for a job, held back by a tarnished military record. His current residence was a small hotel room that he rented by the week and all of his possessions fit in his duffel bag. He didn't even have a car. Walt said, "This is more than I ever expected."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it," replied Ed with a laugh.



-------

Chapter 15


Ed stopped at the hotel where Kim had reserved a room for him. Even as he checked in, he wondered why she had insisted on staying at a hotel. Normally, they just slept under the stars. This whole trip seemed to be a little different than any of the others. After dropping off his clothes, he went on to the mine to meet up with her.

It was a nice fifteen-minute drive to the mine. The wide-open landscape helped settle his nerves. Pulling up to the mine, he looked at the rough scar cut into the mountain. This was a poorly run operation. He grimaced as he thought about how they were destroying the area with their mine.

As he got out of the car, Kim hurried over to him and stopped a few paces away. As a young man came over, she extended a hand and said, "Welcome, Dr. Biggers."

Surprised by the unexpected formal greeting, Ed looked at the fear written on her face. He glanced at the young man and recognized the slightly jealous look the man was giving him. Ed took her hand and said, "Hello, Kim. How's the survey going?"

Relaxing a little, Kim answered, "I've finished the preliminary survey. This place is a mess."

Nodding his head, Ed said, "I could tell just by looking at that horrible scar over there. Let me guess, mining by dynamite."

"Yes," replied Kim. She glanced over that young man with her.

Ed noticed and asked, "And who might you be?"

"Matt Henderson," replied the young man as he forcefully extended his hand.

Shaking the hand, Ed asked, "I take it you are Kim's boyfriend."

Suspicious of the interest Ed was giving him, Matt replied, "That's right."

Nodding as he figured out the dynamics of the situation, Ed chose what would be a simpler topic. He asked, "Are you a geologist?"

Matt said, "No. I run a restaurant in Phoenix."

"Oh," replied Ed. The discussion fell flat at that point.

Walking over to the mine, Ed looked at the chaos that was there. Large chunks of rock were spread all over the ground. He could see where heavy equipment was used to move the boulders to a rock crusher. Looking away in disgust, he said, "I don't need to see anymore. Let's go to the hotel and examine your preliminary survey."

Kim nodded and led her boyfriend off to her car. Ed returned to his car and drove back to the hotel. As he drove, he thought about what he had just witnessed. It appeared that his relationship with Kim was going to experience some major changes. It would have been nice to have a little warning, but it explained her insistence on staying in a hotel room.

At the hotel, Ed went into the lobby and sat down to wait for Kim and her boyfriend to arrive. His feelings weren't exactly hurt, but he had wished that she had given him a little warning. It was actually past time for Kim to get a real boyfriend and he was happy that she had found someone. A hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. Looking up, he saw Kim and Matt standing in front of him. Collecting himself, he said, "Let's go over this in the dining room."

The waitress led them to a very large table in the corner of the restaurant. Ed ordered iced teas for everyone. While the waitress was getting the iced tea, Kim spread out the survey map on which she had marked various aspects of the mine. Looking over the map, Ed saw that the mine was at the highest yield spot. Looking up at Kim, he said, "They're working at the best spot already."

Nodding, Kim said, "I know. They claim that their yields are low."

Looking over the data, Ed shook his head at the numbers. The ore was relatively low-grade, but they should have been able to make a profit off it. Ed said, "The problem requires a mining specialist rather than a geologist or mineralogist."

Surprised at his statement, Kim asked, "Are you serious?"

Laughing, Ed said, "You saw that mess they consider to be a mine. Half of the rocks they are throwing into the grinders aren't ore."

Amazed, Kim said, "You saw all of that from that one look around?"

"Of course. You've seen well-run operations. Believe me, that one isn't one," answered Ed.

"So what are you suggesting?" asked Kim.

Ed answered, "We bill them for the time put in so far, recommend that they hire a mining specialist, and get out."

Matt looked at Ed and asked, "Are you crazy? You can get a lot more money out of them."

Staring Matt in the eye, Ed answered, "I have integrity."

Matt replied, "You'll never get rich that way."

Kim sat back biting her lower lip. Her boyfriend had embarrassed her and she worried about how Ed might react. Reaching into his pocket, Ed pulled out his IRS identification and laid it on the table. He said, "Before you say anything else, I suggest you look at that."

Matt picked up the holder and flipped it open. His face paled as he looked at the IRS identification. Looking up at Ed, he said, "Are you trying to scare me?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No, just warning you that you should be careful what you say and do in my presence."

Slipping the identification into his pocket, Ed continued the discussion by concentrating on the problem at hand. "We can't help them with the real problem. Would you like to perform the final presentation or would you like me to do it?"

Kim thought about it for a moment and then said, "You had probably do it. They'll believe you."

Nodding, Ed said, "Okay. Call them and let them know that I'll be there in the morning around nine."

Kim stepped away from the table to make the call. While she was gone, Ed continued to look over the survey, double-checking to make sure that he hadn't missed anything. Matt watched him work with a frown on his face. Satisfied that he hadn't missed anything, Ed folded the map and set it aside. Sitting back he looked at Matt. After a few minutes, Ed asked, "What are your plans now that Kim has the next few days off?"

Matt snapped, "That's not really any of your business."

"I'm just trying to make conversation," replied Ed.

They sat quietly until Kim returned to the table. The conversation was forced and only touched upon superficial topics. Matt was surly the entire time, Kim was tense, and Ed was disgusted by it all. When Matt went to the bathroom, Kim apologized, "I'm sorry, Ed. He isn't normally like this. I don't know what is the matter."

Ed shrugged it off and replied, "I think he's a little jealous."

Matt overheard his comment on returning to the table and said, "I'm not jealous of you. You're nothing. I'm a millionaire and I earned it myself."

Kim tried to let Matt know that he should be quiet by waving at him. Even as he continued to speak, she interjected, "Matt, Ed is rather wealthy."

Making a dismissive gesture with his hand, Matt said, "Bah! He's a hick. Look at him. He's dressed in old blue jeans, worn work shirt, cowboy boots, and an old hat."

Shaking his head, Ed burst out laughing at the characterization of him. The guy really believed what he said. Hitting his thigh with an open palm, Ed said, "That's a good one."

Matt sneered, "Look at yourself in the mirror."

Ed leaned forward and looked Matt directly in the eye. When Matt immediately looked away, Ed said, "I came out here expecting to be digging in the dirt. I'm not going to wear a suit and tie to do that. However, that's not really an excuse for the reason why I wear what I wear. I like blue jeans, work shirts, boots, and my cowboy hat. I dress for me."

"Well, you look and act like a hick. Sitting here drinking iced tea; give me a break. Show some class and drink wine."

Kim interrupted and said, "Matt, you don't really know who he is."

Taking a sip of his iced tea, Ed wondered what to do about the evening. The situation was truly uncomfortable and he didn't want to spend the rest of evening around Matt. Still, this was a work meal. He asked, "Are you guys up for dinner?"

Trying to salvage the situation, Kim smiled and said, "Yes, that would be lovely."

Matt grunted and absently opened the menu. After a quick glance down the menu, he said, "There's nothing good to eat here."

Looking over the menu, Ed couldn't decide between the steak and the chicken. The major problem was that both of them were served with broccoli. Maybe he could get the chef to make a substitution. Looking over at Matt, Ed asked, "Who's the chef at your place?"

Matt said, "Not that you'd know who he is, but his name is Jim Ritter."

Laughing at the memory of the medieval party that they had several years ago, Ed said, "I know Jim. He is into that whole medieval theme stuff."

Shaking his head, Matt said, "I don't think so."

Ed nodded and said, "Yes. We had a party a couple of years ago and he was one of the guests."

"He's the best chef in the state," replied Matt. He added, "That isn't the kind of thing that the best chef in the state does."

"Oh," said Ed nodding his head. He decided this guy was just a pretentious asshole and let the subject drop.

Kim said, "Actually, Ed's Chef, Marguerite, is the fourth best private cook in the world."

Matt looked at Kim as though she had just said that she loved to kiss frogs. Dismissing her statement, he said, "Oh, come on."

Ed corrected him. "It's true. She came in fourth in the international private chef culinary competition that was held in New York this year."

Matt said, "Now you're lying to me."

"Believe as you wish. I'm sure if you talk to Jim, he'll tell you that Marguerite is a great chef," replied Ed.

Deciding to prove his point, Matt pulled out a cell phone and dialed his restaurant in Phoenix. After a minute, he was talking to Jim. As the conversation progressed, Matt paled and looked over at Ed. Ed reached out a hand and Matt put the phone in it. Holding the phone to his ear, he said, "Hello Jim. This is Ed."

Jim gushed, "Hi Ed. You know, we still talk about that night at your house. You guys really know how to throw a party."

Laughing, Ed replied, "Thanks. We might do that again sometime."

"Hey, tell Marguerite that I send her my congratulations on her amazing performance in New York."

Still laughing, Ed said, "I'll tell her. She and Bob may be getting married soon. We're going to send her on an around the world trip to the twenty best restaurants in the world."

"Wow, that's a nice present."

Ed said, "She's going to be gone for about three months."

There was a silence at the other end of the phone and then Jim said, "I could lend you my assistant chef for that time if Marguerite will spend a little time training him."

Ed said, "That would be nice, Jim. I'll mention it to the rest of the family."

Jim said, "I've got orders backing up. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye."

As Ed handed the phone back to Matt, he said, "Jim offered to lend us his assistant chef while Marguerite is on her honeymoon."

Smiling at Ed, Kim said, "I'm sure he'll enjoy that."

"I hope he knows how to dance. Marguerite always dances in the kitchen when she's cooking."

Confused with the sudden turn of events, Matt tried to follow the conversation. Jim had said that Ed's chef was the best in the country. He looked over at Ed and wondered how this cowboy ended up with such a good chef. It was beyond him to understand that they had allowed her to become a great chef by following her passion for cooking. Matt asked, "How can you afford a chef like that?"

Ed said, "Oh, she's part of our household staff. The reason I was so late today was that we hired two new staff members this morning."

The waitress came to the table and asked, "So what can I get for you this evening?"

Kim said, "I'll have the Caesar Salad."

Matt glanced down at the menu and said, "I'll try your prime rib."

Ed asked, "Have you got any vegetables other than broccoli?"

The waitress looked around for a second and then said, "I think we have some mixed vegetables."

Smiling at the chance to avoid the dreaded restaurant broccoli, Ed said, "I'll go with the steak cooked medium well, mixed vegetables, and baked potato with extra butter and no sour cream."

As Ed was ordering, Matt was still thinking about the fact that Ed was actually wealthy. He knew there had to be some way to tap into that wealth. He asked, "So how much are you worth?"

The question made Ed wonder if he should know. It was hard to say how much the stock in the family was worth. He brought in about two hundred thousand a year consulting and another hundred thousand for his associate scientist position. Add the rent for his house and the other properties he had purchased with his earnings, it corresponded to about half a million a year. Ed answered, "I would guess that I bring in about half a million a year. Of course, that doesn't include the family accounts that I have. I have no idea exactly how much I have."

This shocked Matt more than he could ever put into words. How could someone that was rich not know how much money they had? He knew down to the dollar exactly how much money he had in the bank and how much his business was worth. This guy brought in half a million a year. He had to get his hands on some of that money. He asked, "Would you like to invest in my restaurant?"

"No," answered Ed.

A young Indian man came to the table and stood there waiting to be recognized. Ed noticed and tried to remember the man's name. After a minute, it came to him. Ed said, "Well met, Awa Tsireh."

The young man nodded pleased that Ed had remembered his name and actually pronounced it correctly. He replied, "Well met, Ed Biggers."

"Would you like to join us? There is always room at my table for a member of your tribe," said Ed.

Nodding the young man sat next to Ed and slid a package of cigarettes over to him. Ed noticed and accepted the pack. Opening it, he offered the young man a cigarette. The young man accepted the cigarette. Both men lit their cigarettes, Ed was careful not to inhale. Awa Tsireh said, "I heard you were here."

"I am honored that you would choose to visit me," replied Ed. He took a puff without inhaling it and exhaled the smoke to the ceiling.

The young man took a puff of his cigarette and exhaled. Looking at Ed, he said, "Tell John that I have taken his advice."

"I shall let John know that."

"Many warriors are going to law school at Harvard. Soon, we shall be able to fight the modern way."

Sitting quietly for a moment, Ed thought about what the young man had said. Nodding, he replied, "That is wise. Your tribe shall soon be strong in the way of modern war."

Awa Tsireh nodded and then stood. Without saying a word he walked out of the restaurant. Ed watched him go and pocketed the pack of cigarettes. Matt had watched the entire exchange and asked, "What was that about?"

"That was a formal visit, in which Awa Tsireh informed my family that he and other members of his tribe are going to law school," answered Ed as he patted the pack of cigarettes. John had given the young man very good advice and he was glad that the young men in the tribe were following it.

"Why would he tell your family that?"

Ed looked at Matt knowing that the man would never understand. Answering the best that he could, he said, "He was thanking an elder for the advice he had been given. He's a polite young man and a credit to his tribe."

Ed stubbed out the cigarette and took a sip of tea to get the taste out of his mouth. As he drank, another man came to the table. Ed could feel the medallion worn by the other man and turned to face him. The man nodded and said, "I am Calvin Kerr."

Although he didn't know the man, he did know of him by reputation. In the mining industry, he was viewed as one of the best mining engineers. Gesturing to the empty chair, Ed replied, "I am Ed Biggers."

As Calvin sat down in the chair, he said, "I am on the board of a very large mining company. We are interested in a mine that you are consulting on."

Holding up a hand, Ed said, "I give my report tomorrow to the owners."

"Good, I will be there."

Ed asked, "You have seen the mine?"

The look of disgust that crossed Calvin's face was answer enough. He answered, "Yes, I have seen it."

Ed laughed and said, "That was my reaction when I saw it."

Calvin relaxed in his chair, his eyes flicking over to the others at the table. He said, "I'm surprised that we haven't run into each other before now. You are very well known in many circles."

Ed nodded and replied, "As are you."

"You are too kind. My service has only been a year while you are the head of the servants of the Two-Sided One," remarked Calvin.

Ed looked over at his dining companion and said, "Calvin, I would like to introduce you to Kim and Matt. Kim is my assistant and Matt is her boyfriend."

Calvin looked over at the pair and said, "I am pleased to meet you Kim, but I'm afraid that I don't like your boyfriend. He prays on the weak."

Matt sputtered and blustered before he was able to say a coherent sentence. "How dare you say that!"

"I say that because it is true."

"You don't even know who I am."

Calvin leaned across the table and said, "I don't care who you are. You are basically an evil little man."

Matt turned to Ed and said, "Tell this man to go away."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

Ed said, "I will not tell him to leave. He is a Druid and he speaks the truth."

Kim, hearing that the man was a Druid, remembered some of the things she had seen Ed and Lily do. If this man was reacting in such a negative manner to her boyfriend, she needed to reconsider her relationship with him. Kim said, "Don't argue with him, Matt. He's a Druid."

Matt turned on Ed and said, "He doesn't know anything."

Ed sat back and said, "Druids live by two rules. If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. You have already counseled me to rob my client of money. That violates the first rule."

"He said something nasty about me. Doesn't that violate the first rule?"

Ed shook his head and replied, "He exposed you for what you are in public, which is following the second rule."

Matt, acting like he had caught Ed in a lie, said, "If you felt that way and didn't say anything, then you violated the second rule."

Exasperated, Kim said, "Matt, shut up. You're only making it worse."

"You shut up, bitch," snarled Matt.

Ed said, "I was biding my time. Kim is a very close friend of mine. To come out and expose you openly would hurt her. Calvin does not have that problem and called you on it directly."

Kim knew about Ed and how he had to tell the truth. She had hoped to have a real relationship and had stuck to Matt despite the fact that he was obnoxious at times. Admitting the truth to herself, she said, "Matt, I think it would be best if you would leave now."

Matt moved as though he were going to hit her. Both Ed and Calvin grabbed him before he had a chance. As Calvin held Matt, Ed pulled out his medallion and put it into Matt's hand. The man screamed and sagged against Calvin. When Ed removed the medallion from his hand, he looked deep into Matt's eyes and said, "That is a small portion of the harm you have caused others. If I learn that you have harmed others, then I shall return and we will do that over and over until you have experienced every piece of harm that you have done."

Eyes wide, Matt stumbled away from the table and headed out of the restaurant. Ed and Calvin returned to the table and sat down noticing that most of the people in the restaurant were staring at them. Holding her face in her hands, Kim was crying. Ed went to put an arm around her, but she shrugged it off. Looking up at him, she exclaimed, "I'm never going to find a man half as good as you that believes in monogamy."

Calvin leaned forward and lifted her chin so that he was looking into her eyes. In a very gentle voice, he said, "I believe in monogamy."

The waitress brought the food over to the table and stood there confused. There were still three people at the table, but the substitution seemed to throw her. Ed said, "Steak here and the salad goes there."

She set down the plates and looked at the prime rib. She asked, "What about the prime rib?"

Calvin asked, "Is it rare?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'll take it. I could use some iced tea over here," replied Calvin. He rubbed his hands as the waitress set the food in front of him. Looking around the table with a smile on his face, he said, "Oh this looks good."

Ed looked at his plate and groaned when he saw the side dish. The mixed vegetable was a mix of broccoli and cauliflower. Glancing over at Kim, he saw that she was picking at her salad as though her appetite had been destroyed. He didn't know what to say to her.

Noticing the look that Ed had given Kim, Calvin said, "You know, I don't know what I like better, this wonderful prime rib or the chance to gaze upon the most lovely Kim. Fortunately, I can graze and gaze at the same time. Oh what a lucky man I am."

Kim chuckled and looked at Calvin. She said, "That's funny."

Throughout the rest of the evening, Calvin continued to say nice little things to Kim. Ed watched as Kim relaxed and fell under the spell of the Druid. He realized that it was a good match, much better than Kim and Matt. Calvin would take care of her and satisfy a need that he would never be able to meet.

At the end of the evening, he stood and patted Kim on the back as he said, "Good night, Kim. I'll see you in the morning."

He shook hands with Calvin and went to the waitress. He put the dinner and the rest of the charges for the evening on his room knowing that the two would be there for an hour or more as Kim and Calvin remained behind talking over coffee.

Arriving home the next day, Ed went to his room and sat on his chair thinking about the events of the past few days. Kim was smitten by Calvin and it appeared to Ed that Calvin felt the same way about Kim. It would be a day or two, but she would be calling him to let him down.

He smiled and removed his boots. He was half tempted to undress completely, but decided that he would do that when he decided to swim. Confident that someone would be home, he left his room to see what was going on with everyone else.

In the living room, Kelly was watching the news. When Ed sat down beside her, she looked at his face and asked, "What's the matter?"

With a sigh, Ed answered, "Kim has a new boyfriend. I think he's the one."

"So you lost your rock hunting buddy?" Kelly put her hand on the back of his neck and gently rubbed it. She knew how important that relationship was to Ed.

"Maybe, I don't know yet. Her boyfriend is a Druid."

"Druid?" asked Kelly surprised. She ruffled his hair in a very uncharacteristic gesture.

"Yes, a Druid by the name of Calvin Kerr. He serves the Goddess," replied Ed.

"Lucky lady. I happen to know for a fact that Druids are great lovers." She moved off the couch and sat between his legs. Undoing his belt and opening his pants, she pulled his pants down to his feet. His underwear quickly followed. Lowering her mouth to his cock, she sucked it in with a slurping sound. His cock swelled to its full size as she worked over the head. He moaned as one hand worked over his shaft and the other cradled his balls. She sat up and said, "I bet I can make you come in one minute."

"No way," replied Ed.

Without argument, Kelly sucked in his cock. All of a sudden, she deep throated him as she hummed. There was only one thing that drove Ed to immediate orgasm and that was having someone take him all the way down to the root. Kelly only did that about once a year, but when she did it was explosive.

Kelly pulled up to where only the head of his cock was in her mouth and then dove down on the cock swallowing the entire thing. Ed shivered as he felt his balls pull tight against his body. After she had repeated the deep throat action two more times, Ed moaned as he filled her throat with his come. She eased off the cock and captured some of his come in her mouth. Smiling, she opened her mouth and showed him her prize. Expecting her to share it with him, he was amazed when she swallowed it.

Looking up from Kelly, he was surprised to see Linda standing at the door with a hand between her legs. Noticing that he had seen her, her hand immediately flew to her mouth. Blushing as she realized where that hand had just been, she ran off. Ed was still coming down from his orgasm and couldn't move.

A very proud Kelly rejoined him on the couch and asked, "Do you feel a little better now?"

"Yes, but I think we gave Linda a heart attack," replied Ed with a wink.

"She saw?"

"I think that she saw, she came, and then she ran away," Ed joked.

Kelly burst out laughing and said, "Well done. We have a bunch of horny people running around the house at the moment."

"Who?"

"Linda, Dr. Hayes, and Mrs. Hayes."

Ed smiled at the news. They were trying to get all three of them to loosen up and become a little less afraid of their own desires. He asked, "So anything new in the house?"

Smiling like she had a great secret, she whispered, "I'm pregnant."



-------

Chapter 16


John had been working a case in which children were being swapped in a sex ring. The preliminary information they had was that the children were actually children of the members of the sex ring, kept in ignorance and serving only as sex toys. When the kids became too old for the pedophiles, they would get dumped in a large city to fend for themselves.

As John, Ed, and Leroy moved into position behind a van in front of a middle class suburban house, Ed looked around and noticed a large number of cats were gathering in the area. Looking up, he spotted crows sitting on the rooftops of several houses in the neighborhood. He knew that the Gods and Goddesses were providing bodyguards for John.

The three men crouched waiting for the proper time to move. The house seemed to announce the evil within and it was making Ed sick to his stomach. He knew that it would only get worse when they entered. All three men were wearing headsets with microphones. John checked his watch and waited until eleven o'clock. At that time, he whispered into the microphone, "Go!"

They stood up and walked around the van. Ed watched the two agents that were already at the front door as one of them shouted, "FBI, we have a warrant."

The other man kicked the door. As it burst open, the men ran inside with weapons at the ready. Only a step behind, John and Ed followed them with Leroy bringing up the rear. The room they had entered looked like any room in a middle class neighborhood. The couch and chairs faced a color television. It was a picture of complete normality, but the effect on Ed was almost overwhelming. It hid a lie of disgusting proportions.

The center of a fabric-covered wall was false. With his truth sense working overtime he pointed to the spot. John stopped at the same spot when he noticed a cat sitting there. It was a cat from outside. Ed, still feeling ill, waited with John while the FBI searched the rest of the house. There were so many lies to expose in this house.

The agents came streaming into the living room. One turned angrily to John and spat, "There's no one here and nothing to suggest that anything wrong is going on."

John pressed the center panel of the fabric covering the wall. Much to the other agent's surprise, the panel swung open giving access to stairs down to a basement. Ed stood looking at the stairs for a moment dreading what he was going to see down there. John said, "If I'm not mistaken, it is down there."

The FBI agents ran down the stairs. As a shot rang out, Leroy stepped in front of John in an attempt to protect him. Ed noticed the protective move that Leroy had executed; it was the first honest thing he had seen since entering the house and it made him smile. An answering volley followed the shot. After silence fell over the house, John softly spoke into his microphone. "We need the nurses now. Call in an ambulance."

Ed, stomach churning, followed John and Leroy down the stairs. The sight that greeted him was sickening. The room was filthy and smelled of urine, semen, and shit. In a corner of the room was a bed with cameras surrounding it. Pictures of children engaged in various sexual acts were hung up on the wall. Some of the pictures showed kids with kids, but the majority of pictures were of adults abusing the kids. One very large picture showed a man with his cock in the ass of a four-year-old boy. The boy's face was twisted in pain while the man in the picture was grinning excitedly.

John and Ed stared in horror as a naked little girl about eight years old begged one of the FBI agents to leave the man alone. "I'll give you a real good blowjob if you are nice to my uncle. Would you rather fuck me? I've got a real tight ass, you can fuck it if you want."

There was a naked boy about the same age making similar statements to one of the other agents. Leroy looked at the wounded man on the floor with handcuffs holding his arms behind his back. He was naked, his cock slick from recent sexual activities. Apparently, they had interrupted him while he was having sex with one of the kids. Next to him was a handcuffed woman. She was protesting the treatment of her husband. Looking up at the people in the room, she suggested, "Go on, fuck the kids. I know you want to. Just let us go."

Ed looked at the entire scene still feeling sick to his stomach. This whole room reeked of lies. He started when John pointed to some notebooks he had found behind a secret panel. "Agent Mauz, the notebooks here should contain all of the records that you will need to bring down the rest of the ring."

The agent went over to the shelves and glanced in it. Putting gloves on his hands, he picked up the notebook on the top of the stack. He opened it whistling as he read the contents. In awe, he said, "This logbook contains everything they've done. It looks like there are at least two hundred members in this gang and at least three hundred kids being abused."

Agent Mauz picked up one of the photo albums and shook his head. Inside there was a picture of each kid and a description of the types of sex they had been trained to perform. He looked up at John. "This is a catalog of kids."

Ed shook his head at the audacity of these people. Angry, he went to the women and knelt down. "Are there any other hidden panels here?"

She spat at Ed and answered, "No."

The dissonance in her voice said that she was lying, but he had expected that. He asked, "Is it along this wall?"

"No."

Ed looked around the room and saw another wall that screamed lie to him. He pointed at the wall and said, "Gentleman, there's another secret panel here on this wall."

One of the agents looked around the wall and found a seam. He hit the wall and the panel opened. The door lead to another room with cells. Stepping inside, Ed could see that most of them were empty, but there were two with a child in each one. These kids were even younger than the two in the first room. Both kids were naked and filthy. Each cell had a simple pot for them to use as a toilet. The stench in the room was overwhelming and Ed backed out.

The nurses from social services came into the room and took charge of the children. One of the children in the cell was hungry. She looked at the nurse and asked, "I'm hungry. Are you the one I'm supposed to fuck for supper?"

The nurse stared at the girl in shock at the revelation that these kids had to perform sex in order to get something to eat. Leroy heard the news with disgust and walked away. This perversion of all that he held dear sickened him. His dad had often preached about evil, but he doubted even his father had seen such evil as this. He swallowed trying to keep the bile from rising.

Even as the nurses were dealing with the kids, the kids in the main room were continuing to offer their sexual services. The little girl was lying back on the bed fingering her underdeveloped vagina and trying to look sexy. A nurse was trying to get her off the bed and into some clothes. Once the little girl understood that the nurse wanted her to get dressed, she exclaimed, "Oh, I get it. You want me to wear a costume while I eat your cunt."

Disgusted by what he was seeing, Ed knew he had to expose the rest of the lies in this house. He returned to the woman. "Are there any other hidden panels?"

She glared at Ed, as she answered, "No!"

The lie ripped though Ed. Disgusted, he turned to Agent Mauz and said, "You will have to take this house apart board by board. There are still more secret panels hidden around here."

Agent Mauz looked at John and Ed in awe. He said, "You guys are as good as I was told you were."

"It's a shame that we have to deal with monsters like these two," replied John. He added, "Thank God we have men like yourself working hard to protect us from them."

Somehow, Agent Mauz found himself thanking John for his praise, "Thank you."

John asked, "Can you take it from here?"

"Yes, we can."

"Good," replied John. He added, "I'm going to the hotel to take a shower and try to wash this filth off me. We'll be at the Federal Building later this afternoon."

"Alright."

The man shouted at the agents, "Leave us alone. We aren't doing anything wrong. These kids like being treated like this. They want us to fuck them. Listen to them begging for it."

Ed listened to the rants of the man with disgust. The horrible thing was that this man actually believed the nonsense he was spouting. His words rang true and it made Ed wonder what kind of sick past could lead a person to pervert right and wrong to such a degree.

One of the agents looked like he wanted to kick the face of the pedophile. He moved as though he was going to kick a soccer ball. Another agent pulled him back shouting, "Don't do it. He'll walk if you do that!"

Agent Mauz turned to John and Ed. "These kids only know one way to please adults and that is with sex. They're going to require years of treatment."

"They need to be fed. They are used to getting food in exchange for sex. Feed them constantly. Make sure there is always food available for them. Don't worry if they get a stomachache, they need that more than any thing else right now." John sighed as he looked at the kids in the room. They were all dressed. The nurses had used his tactic to get them dressed.

A very disheartened Ed walked up the stairs followed by John and Leroy. The nurse that had fled the room below was sitting on the couch crying. Leroy put his hands on her shoulder and rubbed her shoulders and back. As he massaged her shoulders, he sang an old hymn. That and his touch eased her tension. She looked at Leroy, "How can such animals exist?"

"You insult animals by comparing those monsters to them. The kids need some food. See if you can find something here to feed them. You don't have to go back down there."

The nurse hugged Leroy and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Ed had watched the interaction between Leroy and the nurse with satisfaction. It was clear to him that Leroy was proper husband material. In the midst of such ugliness, he had reacted with proper outrage to the evil and the proper support to the injured. As the men walked out of the house, Leroy stopped and threw up onto the rosebushes. He wasn't embarrassed by his action. He turned to the other two and said, "I have never seen such evil in my life."

John frowned and answered, "I have. It never gets any easier to deal with it. I leave feeling dirty just by having stood next to them."

Ed nodded his agreement. Right now he felt like he had waded through a shit filled sewer. He said, "It's always hard when the victims are innocent children."

Leroy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, "They aren't innocent children anymore. Those sick bastards in there have twisted them. Let's get the hell out of here."

The men returned to the hotel where each of them showered, trying to wash the filth from their bodies and spirits. The raid had been much harder on Leroy than John or Ed since it was his first experience with unbridled evil. It had been tough on Ed because his last case had dealt with the very old and now the very young. The two cases pointed out how unscrupulous people easily exploited both ends of life.

Sitting around the hotel room, the three men discussed the events of the morning. They ate a poor lunch; the typical steak complete with broccoli and thick cut french-fries. Ed and John had laughed at Leroy's reaction to the thick cut french-fries.

After lunch, the topic of the raid was raised when Leroy asked, "How can such evil exist?"

Ed answered, "It has to do with the number of people. Even if a small fraction of the population, say one out of hundred thousand, is completely without morals, it can lead to a large number of evil people. When you take into account the number of people in this country, then that gives you over three thousand evil people. We just took two of them today. Tomorrow, when we complete the raids, we'll get another two hundred or so."

John nodded and said, "There are very few exceptionally good people, perhaps about the same number."

Remembering the lectures of his father on good and evil, Leroy thought about what John and Ed had said. Leroy said, "My father said that we had to be ever vigilant against evil or else we would be corrupted."

"That's true. If it harms none, then do it. It's very easy to violate that rule and with each violation, it becomes easier to violate. But that just makes you a bad person, not the kind of evil person that we saw today," replied John.

Nodding his agreement, Ed said, "These people violate the rules by preying upon the weak and they do it intentionally."

"So you distinguish between bad and evil people?"

Nodding his head, Ed said, "There is a difference between someone who kills in a solitary crime of passion and a serial killer. They both kill, but one does it in violation of the first rule while the second does it in violation of both rules."

The men sat around the room, each lost in his thoughts. The morning had been rough and it forced Leroy to reconsider what he understood love to mean. As Ed watched Leroy, he knew that within a day Leroy would accept the conditions of marriage within the family.

It was later in the afternoon when John left to visit the FBI office, Leroy went in his room to take a nap, and Ed took a walk to clear his head. Walking down the street, Ed came across a park. Noticing a bench, he went over and sat down next to a young mother. There were swings, slides, and teeter-totters filled with kids. Ed smiled as kids squatted to play in the dirt and as others ran screaming. Little girls jumped rope, singing songs that had been handed down from older sister to younger sister for centuries. There were games of hopscotch and jacks being played along the sidewalks.

The mother, feeling uncomfortable about the strange man sitting next to her, asked, "Which one is yours?"

"None, but my wife is expecting a child," answered Ed with a pleasant smile. A child took a little spill and ran to his mother beginning to cry only within sight of his mom. He watched as the mother comforted the child with a hug and just a little attention. It was funny, but the child didn't seem that hurt until she reached the mother. Suddenly the little scrape became a very serious injury. Ed smiled at the scene.

The woman looked suspiciously at Ed and asked, "So what are you doing here?"

Not recognizing the source of her suspicions, Ed answered, "We arrested a pedophile this morning. The kids we found had been twisted and warped by the treatment they had been given. I came here to see kids as they are supposed to be."

A look of horror spread across the woman's face as she looked at Ed. He was watching a young child go down the slide for the first time, conquering his fear and finally sliding down to the waiting arms of his mother. His eyes misted at the sight, truly touched by the ability of the young to seek out challenges and conquer them. He wondered when adults lost that ability. The woman asked, "You really arrested a pedophile this morning?"

In a very soft voice, Ed answered, "Yes. Tomorrow we get the rest of them. You'll hear about it on the news tomorrow night."

Croaking, the woman asked, "The rest of them?"

Turning to look at her, Ed answered, "Yes, but don't worry. As long as I draw breath I shall fight to protect the weak from the strong."

A number of kids suddenly formed a game of tag. As they chased each other around the playground, there were screams of laughter and joy in movement. Ed smiled as one kid tagged another and ran off taunting the first. The woman said, "You make it sound like a crusade."

"It is," replied Ed. Still watching the children play, he said, "I can't wait for our child to be born. We're going to play hide and seek, Hunt the Bug-Eyed Monsters, study dinosaurs, watch the stars through a telescope, and dig for rocks together."

The woman, having a child, smiled and said, "There's changing the diapers, cleaning up after them, cries in the middle of the night, and sitting by their bed when they're sick. It isn't all fun and games."

Ed added, "And throwing up on your shoulder when you burp them after a feeding. I know that it isn't all fun and games."

The woman laughed and said, "Sounds like you know what to expect. Don't be surprised when it is a little tougher than it sounds."

Nodding, Ed heard the truth in her words. He stood and said, "Thank you. I should return to my hotel. Tomorrow is going to be an ugly day."

The woman watched Ed walk off wondering if he had been telling her the truth about pedophiles. Too late to act on it, she realized that she should have gotten his name to report to the police.

Returning to the hotel, Ed found a naked Leroy sitting on a chair in the living room of their suite. A strange look was on Leroy's face. Ed sat down in a chair and asked, "What's the matter?"

"I had a strange dream," answered Leroy.

"Oh? Want to tell me about it?"

Ed hadn't realized that Leroy could blush as brightly as he then demonstrated. He also noticed the twitch of the black man's cock. Flustered, Leroy answered, "I dreamed I was giving you a blowjob."

"So how was I?" asked Ed with a wink.

Leroy got even more flustered as he replied, "It was just so real to me."

Sitting down on the chair to remove his boots, Ed asked, "So how was it?"

"You seemed to enjoy it."

Pulling off his socks, Ed said, "I know that we've talked about it a couple of times in the past, but you really don't seem comfortable with the idea of sex between men."

The black man stood and started to pace around the room. His feelings on the matter were conflicted. Leroy finally blurted out, "I just don't know if I'll like myself after doing something like that."

Ed stood up and pulled down his pants. His briefs were next to go. After a good stretch, he sat down on the chair and said, "I know exactly what you mean. You keep thinking that afterward you'll look in the mirror and say to yourself that you're a faggot."

Surprised to hear Ed say exactly what he thought, Leroy turned to face him. He said, "Yeah, something like that."

"Will I have any respect for myself afterward? How could anyone respect me?" Ed waited a minute for his questions to register. He then added, "Yet at the same time, you wonder what it would be like to actually suck a cock."

"Exactly," replied Leroy.

Sitting back in the chair, Ed watched the black man pace the room with nervous energy. As Leroy came back to the chair and sat down, Ed said, "The most horrible realization is when you understand that you actually love a guy. You haven't had sex with him, but you know you love him."

Leroy slumped in the chair and looked up at Ed. Mute, he nodded his head.

Ed continued, "I think it is harder admitting that you love a man than it is to have sex with one."

Leroy looked over Ed and knew that Ed had captured his feelings exactly. His dream had showed him how simple it would be to have sex with a man. Leroy asked, "Do you mind if I try with you? I mean, if I start to do it and find that I can'tÖ"

The laughter rolled easily from Ed as he considered the request. He said, "Sure. If you find that you can't do it, I suppose I can always finish it by hand."

Leroy laughed at the image of Ed jacking off in the middle of the living room. Shaking his head, he said, "I was just imagining you sitting there jacking off."

Ed went over to the table and poured himself an iced tea. Returning to his chair, he took a sip of the beverage. Leroy watched him, wondering when Ed was going to suggest that he start. Not realizing that Leroy wanted him to say that it was time to start, Ed was more than willing to let things stay as they were. Ed sighed, "This is great. Sitting here relaxing with a nice ice cold tea and good company."

Sitting in the chair across from Ed, Leroy was anything but relaxed. Glancing down at Ed's cock, he was trying to build up his courage. Wondering if Ed was making him wait purposely, Leroy asked, "So aren't you going to tell me when to start?"

Surprised, Ed answered, "Hey, it's when you want to do it. That's your call, not mine."

"Sorry," replied Leroy. These guys were so low-pressure that it was impossible to believe they were for real. He added, "I guess I thought you would say now and it was up to me to put up or shut up."

"I wouldn't do that to you. No, when you're ready you'll let me know. If you find that you can't go through with it, just stop," replied Ed as he took a sip of his iced tea. To him this kind approach was the only way to go about it.

"Okay," said Leroy. He took a deep breath and was about to say that he was ready, but his nerve failed him.

Picking up the hotel television guide, Ed started checking out the channels available on the television. There was only a single news channel available and he didn't particularly like that one. He set the television guide back on the table. Sighing, he said, "There's nothing any good on the television."

Lost in his thoughts, Leroy didn't answer. Without intending it, his eyes were focused on Ed's cock as he relived his dream. The dream had been very detailed and explicit. He took a deep breath and moved across the room to kneel in front of a very surprised Ed. Reaching out, he touched the cock and slowly lowered his head. Before his head touched the cock, he paused to look at it.

Despite the lack of warning, Ed found himself getting turned on. His cock erected, engorging with blood in time to his heartbeat. It didn't take long for it to become fully erect. The hardest thing for Ed was to resist was the desire to grasp Leroy by the head and lower him onto his cock.

Leroy, after his pause, lowered his head and took the cock into his mouth. For a long minute, he stayed motionless with the head of the cock in his mouth. With a sudden shiver, he started moving his head up and down the shaft as his hand worked the base of the cock.

Enjoying the sensations, Ed started moving his hips in time to the sucking action of Leroy. Experienced enough in receiving blowjobs, Leroy timed his movements to coincide with the movements of the hips. He started to get into it, realizing that he had a different kind of power over the other man. Heart racing in his chest, he licked and sucked for all he was worth.

Knowing that this was the first time that Leroy had given head, Ed allowed himself to move quickly towards orgasm. Before coming, he told Leroy, "I'm going to come soon."

Leroy didn't stop or slow down. Ed started making grunting noises, hoping that would let him know that he was about to come. Giving Leroy one more chance, Ed said, "I'm going to come."

Ignoring the warning, Leroy sucked even harder on the cock in his mouth. He sped up the movements of his hand, hoping to bring Ed off even quicker. His reward was a mouthful of come. Surprised, he froze as more come flooded into his mouth. With nothing better to do, he pulled his mouth off the cock as another jet of come arced out and splattered his lips. Not knowing what else to do with the mouthful of come, he swallowed it.

Bending down, Leroy sucked Ed's cock into his mouth again. The come now dribbled out of the cock. Leroy cleaned the head of the cock and swallowed. When the come stopped flowing, he looked up at Ed and said, "I can do this."

"You do it very well," replied Ed with a smile on his face. He asked, "How do you feel?"

"Fine, I'm a little horny though," replied Leroy hoping that Ed would return the favor.

Ed was about to respond when the door of the room opened and John entered. Leroy, kneeling on the floor in front of Ed, wiped cum off his lips. John smiled, "Darn, I'm too late to watch."

Ed laughed and replied, "Too bad!"

Leroy looked around embarrassed at being caught kneeling in front of Ed with come on his lips. John walked over and put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I hope it wasn't too bad."

Still embarrassed, Leroy replied, "No it wasn't bad at all."

Ed grinned and said, "Good, because I enjoyed it a lot."

As his stomach growled, John said, "If you guys wouldn't mind, I'm rather hungry. Let's go out and eat somewhere."

Ed looked down at Leroy and saw that he was hoping for blowjob in return. Winking at Leroy, he mouthed, "later."

When Leroy nodded, Ed jumped up and answered, "Sounds great to me."

Moving slowly, Leroy stood up. His cock was at half-mast having wilted partially on John's arrival. Looking down at his cock, unable to hide his disappointment, he answered, "Okay."

As Leroy headed to his room to change, John called after him. "When we get back, we'll take care of your needs."

Leroy smiled. "Sure thing."

Once everyone was dressed, the three men gathered in the living room to discuss what kind of food they wanted. Ed suggested that they get some seafood and everyone agreed that it would make a good change from the lousy lunch they had eaten earlier. As they left the room, John said, "By the way, we are likely to have a police escort there."

When asked about the events, John explained that he had been at the site of a hostage situation. He suspected that the detective in charge had put the two patrolmen on duty to make sure that John didn't experience any problems during his stay. After a short discussion, the three men decided to invite their escort to dinner.

When they stepped out of the hotel, John went out to the curb and looked for the police car. It was parked fifty feet down the street. With a jerk of his head, he indicated that the others were to come with him. He walked up to the police car and tapped on the window. The two cops inside looked at each other. Finally the driver rolled down the window, "What can I do for you?"

John smiled as he answered, "Well, we were thinking about eating seafood tonight. Since you are following me, it just might be easier for everyone if you joined us."

The two cops looked at each other, knowing they had been made. The sergeant had told them to watch over John and to keep trouble away from him. The driver finally said, "Okay, get in the back."

The three men squeezed into the back of the squad car. As John settled himself in the center, he said, "Take us to the best seafood restaurant in town. Price is no object, but quality of food is."

The partners discussed it quickly and then the driver pulled away from the curb. At a traffic light, a woman stared at the men in the back with single-minded intensity. Every one in the car noticed the attention. Leroy got a smile on his face and winked at John as he held up his hands as though he were cuffed. The woman's eyes got very big. When the light changed, the cars were quickly separated. Leroy laughed and said, "I just made her day. She's going to go home and tell everyone that she saw three criminals getting hauled away."

There was a general laughter in the car. John asked the officer, "Hey, I know it is a crime to impersonate an officer of the law, but is it a crime to impersonate a criminal?"

The officers in the front of the car chuckled. Ed asked, "If it is a crime to impersonate a criminal, then by impersonating a criminal you become a criminal at which time it ceases to be a crime and you cease being a criminal."

"I've always said you should be a lawyer," teased John knowing Ed generally didn't like lawyers. They tended to offend his truth sense.

The driver asked, "Who are you? I've never seen so many of the brass step all over themselves for someone before."

John answered, "I'm John Carter. The gentleman on the right is Leroy and the other is Ed."

The passenger introduced himself, "I'm Harry Albertson and my partner is Jay Brown."

Jay explained, "I've known Inspector Kosta ever since I joined the force. He never says anything nice about anyone. Today, he stated that you were a better detective than he could ever hope to be. So who are you?"

Know how John felt about praise, Ed answered, "John's just a regular guy that shows up in the right place at the right time and does the right thing."

Looking out the window, Leroy swore, "Damn, some guy back there is stealing a Rolls Royce."

Harry jumped to attention and said, "Must be that car theft ring we've been trying to crack. I'll call it in."

The officers started to react, when John commanded, "Hold on, don't call it in. There's a car lot up there. Pull in there. Harry, I want you to use Ed's cell-phone to call the duty sergeant and fill him in on the details about the car theft. Include the fact that they aren't to put anything on the air. If this is an organized car theft ring, they'll be monitoring the police radios."

"Sounds good."

"Here's what we'll do. We get two cars at the car lot. We'll take turns following the rolls until he gets to his final destination. We'll set up a three-way conference call and use it to get backup. We'll have to hurry."

The driver pulled into the car lot. The cops got out and opened the back door so that the passengers could get out. The five men ran into the building, grabbed the manager, and explained the situation to him. In three minutes, they were back on the street in two cars racing to catch up to the rolls. The driver of the stolen car was cool and didn't speed or break any traffic laws.

Jay was driving the car with Ed in the passenger seat while John and Leroy were in the car driven by Harry. The two took turns following the rolls, keeping in contact via the three-way conference call. The sergeant listened as they relayed details about the location of the car.

When the rolls finally pulled into a darkened warehouse, the car with John and Leroy was following. Ed waited in the other car a block away wondering what was happening. Listening to the cell- phone, he learned that John was going to spend the night watching the warehouse and would call in if anything happened. He worried until he noticed a number of stray dogs headed in John's direction. He muttered, "May the Gods and Goddesses watch over you John Carter."

Jay asked, "What was that?"



-------

Chapter 17


The seafood restaurant was not very crowded that night and the four men had a nice table in the corner where they could talk without being overheard. It was a nice restaurant with the obligatory plaster swordfish hung on the wall. The tables were real wood stained a dark brown. Unlike a lot of places, this one had actual cloth napkins and the silverware was set out in proper place settings.

The two cops felt a little out of place there. They were dressed in their normal uniform complete with nightsticks and guns. Ed and Leroy were the only ones in the restaurant that were not wearing suit coats, although neither one of them seemed to notice. Looking over the menu, Jay said, "This place is kind of expensive."

His partner nodded his head in agreement. He reached for his wallet to see how much money he had, when Ed stopped him. "Put your wallet away. It's our treat."

The two cops exchanged glances, unsure what to do. Hoping to let the men know that they were really free to order what they wanted, Leroy asked, "Do you guys feel like the lobster tonight?"

Harry glanced at the menu and noticed that the price for the lobster was listed as Market Price. Even the low end item on the menu was expensive. Not for the first time, he wished that they had suggested a different place to eat. Mumbling, he said, "It all looks good."

Ed leaned across the table and said, "I'm authorized to spend a lot for dinner tonight. You guys order what you want. There's no way that we can spend half as much as my budget allows in this place."

The two cops relaxed assuming that Ed was on some sort of FBI expense account. Jay said, "It must be nice working for the FBI."

Smiling, Ed answered, "I work for the IRS. John is the one that works for the FBI."

Leroy smiled and said, "I'm just a civilian observer."

Harry looked over the menu and decided on the fisherman's platter. It had a nice assortment of seafood and wasn't the most expensive item on the menu. He announced, "I'm going with the Fisherman's Platter."

Ed looked over that item in the menu and decided that sounded pretty good. He said, "Actually, that sounds pretty good. I think I'll have that too."

Jay shrugged and said, "Count me in."

Shaking his head, Leroy said, "I know it's going to sound like a black stereotype, but I'm going with the fried catfish."

Ed laughed and replied, "A man after my own heart. You order what you want and you enjoy what you get! Who cares what others may think."

The waiter came over to the table and started the spiel about the specials of the day. Ed held up a hand and said, "We know what we want."

Making a face like he had bitten into a lemon, the waiter replied, "Very well, sir. What do you want?"

After the men placed their orders, Ed asked, "Could you bring us a pitcher of iced tea?"

"A pitcher?"

"Yes, a pitcher. It's that or you get to run back and forth all evening," replied Ed. He watched the expression on the face of the waiter, recognizing that the man thought this party belonged at a burger joint instead of a fine restaurant.

"What ever you say, sir."

Looking over at the two policemen, Ed joked, "I bet he goes in the back and tells everyone that a couple of country bumpkins have come to town."

With a wicked grin on his face, Leroy suggested, "Why don't you make his day? Flash your IRS badge at him and ask if he declares all of his tips."

While everyone laughed, Jay leaned back and said, "That's mean."

A large group of men in suits entered the dining room and were seated at three tables that had been moved together to accommodate the large party. One of the men kept looking over at Ed. Finally, he came over to the table and asked, "Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be Ed Biggers?"

Looking up at the man, Ed answered, "Yes, I am."

The man immediately extended a hand and said, "I'm Jim Morrison, the Attorney General for the State of Colorado."

At the announcement of the man's identity, Jay and Harry stood up. They expected the man to give his normal denial of having been with the Doors, but he didn't. The two looked at each other wondering why the Attorney General would come over to their table.

Accepting the man's hand in a firm handshake, Ed asked, "It's pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to thank you for your role in Operation Druids Revenge. We just successfully prosecuted another mob figure today," replied Jim. He pointed over to the table and said, "The prosecutor and others associated with the case are over at my table."

The two cops looked at each other and then at Ed, realizing only now the identity of the man they were supposed to be protecting. Puzzled, Ed said, "We didn't target anyone in Colorado."

Jim said, "The Las Vegas crowd had some operations going on here. In the follow up investigations we shut a number of them down here."

As understanding burst over him, Ed replied, "That's great. I'll let John know that his operation grabbed more than we had planned."

Jim looked over at the policemen and said, "I see you are here with two of Denver's finest."

Slapping his head with the palm of his hand, Ed said, "I'm sorry, I should have introduced our party. The two officers are Harry Albertson and Jay Brown. They are escorting us around the city while we are here. This gentleman is Leroy Jones, he's a member of our family and providing backup on another case."

The waiter showed up with their salads and after setting them on a nearby table, waited politely behind Jim. The waiter knew that Jim was the Attorney General since his office had arranged for the tables earlier. He wondered what such an important man was doing over here with these cops and two lowlifes.

Jim shook the hands of everyone there. He turned to the cops and said, "Take really good care of these two, they are perhaps the most important people you'll ever meet."

As the waiter looked at Ed and Leroy trying to figure out who they were, the two cops answered together, "Yes, sir."

Jim looked over at Ed and said, "If you or John ever need anything in Colorado, just call my office."

Ed said, "I'm sure John will be sad that he missed you. He's on stake-out right now eating an MRE."

"You guys are on another case?" asked Jim.

Nodding, Ed said, "Two of them. You'll hear all about them tomorrow night on the news."

Realizing that Ed wouldn't say another word about what they were working on, Jim said, "Well, I'll let you gentlemen get back to your meal. It's been a real honor to meet you."

Turning, he noticed the waiter standing behind him and said, "Put their bill on our tab."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed said, "Thank you very much."

Jim returned to the table as the waiter set the salads on the table. The two cops sat down exchanging looks. It was clear that John and Ed were a lot more important than they had realized. Jay said, "Maybe we should get an undercover agent to take John's place."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No, John is fine."

Harry said, "It's an awful dangerous place to be."

Laughing, Ed replied, "I guess you didn't notice all the stray dogs and cats moving into the area where John is sitting. There are probably a hundred rats there as well. He's a lot better protected than any undercover policeman."

Leroy thought back to the raid this morning and only now realized that there had been a large number of cats, birds, and dogs in the area. The cats had even followed them into the house. Looking over at Ed, he asked, "Is that why there were so many animals at the raid this morning?"

"Yes," replied Ed with a knowing nod.

The initial report of the restaurant incident had suggested that a large number of birds had surrounded John when he approached the armed man. Jay said, "That explains what happened this afternoon. John was surrounded by all kinds of birds."

Not fully knowledgeable about the events at the restaurant, Ed was not comfortable addressing that episode directly. Choosing a more general answer, Ed said, "John is the Grand Druid. He is very well protected. I imagine that he isn't very comfortable tonight, but he wants to do it."

Leroy silently processed that news. In the time spent at the house, he had noticed that people didn't generally talk about the things they did unless it was a normal kind of activity. Even when they had rescued that woman trapped in the car, they had treated it as an everyday event. In a way, he now understood. He didn't really want to talk about the raid this morning, as it was horribly painful. Finally, he said, "So how long have you guys been policemen?"

The discussion centered on the two cops and their lives in the patrol car. The men ate their salads as the discussion progressed, finishing them in time for their dinners to be delivered. The pitcher of iced tea was emptied and then refilled. The dinner progressed in a relaxed fashion. The waiter treated them with much more respect, having overheard discussions about Ed at the other table.

As the men finished their meal with Soufflés, Ed asked, "So how do you guys want to handle the night?"

Jay looked up and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I assume that you'll be going off duty as soon as you drop us off at the hotel," answered Ed. He added, "I also assume that you'll want to be present at the arrests tomorrow if anything happens there."

Harry nodded his head and replied, "That's true."

Ed said, "How about I promise that we won't leave the hotel until you come in the morning?"

Jay looked over at Harry before he answered, "Okay. We'll double check with the Sargent and clear it with him."

"Sounds good to me," said Ed. Finished with his desert, Ed looked around the room deciding how to end the evening. After a few minutes, he said, "I'm going to suggest that we head back to the hotel. I have a promise to keep with Leroy and it is getting late."

Leroy grinned and looked down at his desert. He said, "I'm done with my meal."

The two cops had finished their desert long before Ed and had spent most of the time listening to Ed and Leroy talk. They were both ready to head home and get some rest. After Ed stopped at the other table and extended his thanks for covering the meal, the group left.

In the morning, Ed had arranged for a limousine to carry them around the city. After driving to the warehouse district, they had waited for news that arrests were being made at the warehouse where the stolen car had been stashed. Once the news had arrived, they approached the location where John had spent the night. In front of John, two men were sprawled out on the sidewalk moaning softly. Ed and Leroy got out of the limousine and joined John on the sidewalk. Looking at John with the leaves in his beard, dirt on his face, and bags under his eyes, Ed commented, "Well, it looks like you had a rough night."

John looked at Ed and Leroy as Leroy blushed under the examination. He teased, "It looks to me like you got less sleep than I did. Anything I should know about?"

"Nah. Nothing outside the usual debauchery, you'd have been bored," replied Ed with a wink. Leroy just stood there looking embarrassed.

One of the men on the ground attempted to get up. A quick rap with the walking stick put him back on the ground. A police car arrived. Harry and Jay got out and looked at the men on the ground. Harry asked, "Any problems?"

"Nope. I just captured two Cronians."

All of the men laughed at the joke. John had said that he was going to act like a crazy man afraid of being captured by the Cronians, stating that Cronians were human-like aliens that differed from people by not having nipples. Leroy asked, "Did you check out their nipples?"

Inspector Kosta, the detective that had assigned the two patrolmen to watch over John and Ed, walked up. Looking down at the two men on the ground, he shook his head realizing that in two days John had been successful in resolving a hostage situation and breaking a car theft ring that had been in operation for months. He said, "Well, congratulations. They caught the whole gang. There was another stolen car in the truck."

John shrugged as though he had done nothing and replied, "I'm glad to hear that. We had better get over to FBI headquarters. Inspector Kosta, you're welcome to join us if you'd like."

At FBI headquarters, Inspector Kosta listened in shock as the reports from the field arrived. He had figured that any case the John Carter was involved in would be big, but he had no idea how expansive this case was. As report after report of an arrest arrived, the true scope of the operation became clear.

John sat back with a smile on his face as he thought about the number of monsters that were going to jail. They arrested almost three hundred adults and liberated just as many children from sexual slavery.

Ed and Leroy worked with several of the other agents in organizing the reports. As messages came in from the field, Ed sorted them according to location and handed them to Leroy. Leroy hung the reports on the wall by location. As they worked, a picture of what was happening around the country slowly developed.

When the last report came in, Inspector Kosta said, "Very impressive. I don't know how you do it. You captured a car theft ring and child swapping ring all in the same day."

Agent Mauz added, "This operation today was entirely due to you, John."

John yawned as he shook his head. The lack of sleep the night before was catching up to him. "No, I had lots of help."

Ed looked up at the clock and realized how little sleep John had over the past two days. He suggested, "I'd say it's about time we head home, wouldn't you?"

"Sure. Let's go. I turn this operation over to you Agent Mauz." John turned to face at Inspector Kosta. With a wink, he said, "I'll give you one hint, never do your own paperwork."

The laughter that came from Inspector Kosta was genuine. "Yes, that'll give you about 38 hours a week more to work on cases."

Ed drove the jeep into the driveway as the garage door opened and pulled into John's normal space. Turning off the jeep, he sat back in his seat and rubbed his eyes. He and Leroy had taken turns driving home while John slept in the back seat. Getting out, Leroy stretched and yawned while Ed looked in the back of the jeep at the sleeping form of John. Ed reached back and shook John awake. "We're home, John."

Yawning, John sat up and stretched his arms, as much as was possible within the tight confines of the jeep. He looked around at the garage with surprise. He protested, "Oh, we're home. Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

Leroy laughed at the suggestion and answered, "We weren't brave enough to return home with a tired John. Ling would skin us alive."

The men got out of the jeep and headed into the house. Cathy met them at the door with a notepad of items to discuss. Turning to John, she said, "John, you've had another invitation to the White House. I turned it down as per your standing order. You have a date tomorrow night with one of the wives in town. She'll be here around seven for dinner. The University called and wanted to know if you still intended to take a semester off from your lectures. I told them that your intentions had not changed. I've put your tax forms in your inbox. You need to look over them, but Jack and the IRS agent have both okayed it."

John mumbled, "Thanks, Cathy."

She turned to Ed and recited, "Your tax forms are in your inbox. A check arrived from the New York Diamond Exchange. They gave you a nice bonus. I deposited it in your account. A box of samples arrived from Antarctica. I put it on the table in front of your workshop. You have a date tomorrow night with Rosa. She'll be here for dinner around seven. A rather persistent student has called several times a day wanting to know if you'll be his advisor for his dissertation. I told him that you would be available to talk to him tomorrow at three."

Smiling despite the fact that he had at least two days worth of work ahead of him, Ed replied, "Thanks, Cathy. You're a lifesaver."

She turned to Leroy and recited, "Your thesis advisor called while you were out. I told him you'd be available tomorrow at three."

Leroy hugged Cathy. "I think you're the greatest."

Cathy smiled and returned to her office. The three men looked at each other as if to ask what they should do next. John suggested, "Nothing to do until tomorrow afternoon. How about a swim?"

Leroy answered, "Sounds perfect to me."

The three men entered the poolroom laughing about crazy John. It took them a minute to realize that the room wasn't empty. Mrs. Hayes, Ling, Kelly, and Linda were lounging on the chairs beside the pool. Dr. Hayes was in his wheelchair next to his wife. There wasn't a stitch of clothes on any one of them. Kelly asked, "What's so funny?"

Leroy took a quick glance in Linda's direction and then answered, "We were laughing about crazy John."

A confused look crossed Ling's face. She had never heard anyone refer to John in that fashion. "What about John?"

"Not John, crazy John!" asserted Ed who couldn't believe that John had actually pulled off the crazy act.

Laughing, John got a crazy look on his face. "I can see by all of the nipples in the room that these are all earthlings. You two, I'm not sure about. Do you have nipples? I have nipples, very good nipples. I bet you're from Cro. Are you Cronians?"

Ed and Leroy laughed as they took off their shirts. Ed pointing to the nipples on his chest answered, "We have nipples."

John frowned and looked crazy for a minute. Making a wild face, he asked, "Are you sure those are nipples? They might be painted on. I'm not going back in space."

While Ed and Leroy laughed, they slipped off their shoes and pants. John took off his cloak and robes. Still puzzled, Kelly asked, "So what is all this talk about Cronians?"

Leroy answered, "We found some car thieves in Denver. John went over to them acting like crazy John and watched them until the police arrived. The car thieves were quite confused by all of the talk about Cronians too."

Dr. Hayes smiled at the image. "Very nice. I bet they thought you were mad as a hatter."

"Yes they did. They even asked me if I was an undercover cop. I told them I was FBI. They didn't believe that either."

Linda still looked puzzled. "Why would you watch them until the police arrived?"

As the men finished undressing, Ed explained about the car theft ring they had broken up that night. By the time Ed finished telling the story, all three men were naked and standing by the pool. John quipped, "Last one in is aÖ"

As soon as John started talking, Ed grabbed Leroy and jumped into the water. With a little difficulty, Leroy kept his cast out of the water. Seeing the other two men in the water, John added lamely, "great guy."

Everyone laughed as he finally got in the water. Ed and John took a couple of laps, while Leroy walked around. He couldn't wait until he would be able to swim and splash water like everyone else. He looked over at Dr. Hayes and realized that he was actually very lucky in comparison.

When the men exited the pool, Ed took a moment to look over Dr. Hayes, Mrs. Hayes, and Linda. Despite their age, the elderly couple still appeared to be in good shape. Admittedly, Dr. Hayes had lost some weight and muscle tone as a result of his injury, but with a little work and a reasonable diet he was going to recover as a very healthy man. Mrs. Hayes reminded him of Beth, and looking at her, he knew that Beth would have aged gracefully. The thought depressed him.

Looking over at Linda, he was surprised by how curvy her body was. The clothes that she normally wore hid her body. Even the one-piece bathing suit, complete with ruffles, was designed to hide the real shape of her body. It confused him why she would want to hide that body.

Ed had been lost in his thoughts, when Linda finally exclaimed, "Hey, aren't you guys going to say anything?"

Leroy asked, "About what?"

"About the fact that I'm naked."

Looking at everyone in the room, Ed laughed and said, "So is everyone else."

"I told you they wouldn't say anything. They'd treat you like you were fully clothed."

Mrs. Hayes snorted, "I can't believe they didn't make any remarks about this old wrinkled body."

In a very serious tone of voice, John replied, "I only see beautiful people in this room. Mrs. Hayes is glowing with a newfound confidence. Dr. Hayes looks happier than I've ever seen him, accepting a lifestyle that he's probably always wanted. I see a young woman that has found her passion and is about to unleash it on an unsuspecting world. Leroy sees himself as a human being that can embrace all that life has to offer him. Kelly has that glow that a woman achieves only in the creation of a new life. Ling is a force of nature and is following her path to happiness."

Dr. Hayes commented, "You're quite perceptive."

"He's much more perceptive than you would credit him for. He's worked hard to bring everyone to this point. He's offered me a chance to explore my personal boundaries without pressure. He's kept from sleeping with Linda until she's found herself. You don't think it was an accident that Bob and Sarah were always naked when it was their turn to watch over you?" offered Leroy. He knew he wasn't fully aware of all that John was doing to help people become all that they could be.

John stood up and walked over to where his clothes were laying on the floor. He picked up his robe and slipped it over his head. He turned to Leroy and corrected him, "The only thing I do is love the people around me. It's that simple."

Linda watched John leave the room and asked, "Where's he going?"

Debating whether he should answer, Ed looked at the smiles on the faces of his wives and decided that it would be best if he said nothing. Changing the subject, Ed said, "Leroy made a pretty big step towards joining the family while we were in Denver."

"Oh really?" asked Ling with a speculative look in her eye. She ran her tongue over her lips as she examined Leroy. After a quick glance at Ed, she said, "Leroy, could you help me with something in my room?"

The question caught Leroy by surprise as he had been talking to Dr. Hayes and hadn't heard what Ed had said. Not knowing what she wanted with him, he volunteered anyway, "Sure."

As Ling and Leroy headed out of the room, Linda asked, "What does she need him to do?"

Laughing at the naivete of the question, Kelly answered, "She has an itch that needs to be scratched."

"She doesn't have to leave to have him scratch her back," remarked Mrs. Hayes.

Laughing, Ed replied, "That's not what she's getting scratched."

"Oh," replied a very embarrassed Mrs. Hayes when she realized what Ed meant.

It was almost a minute later when Linda, eyes wide, said, "Oh!"

The delay caused almost everyone to burst out laughing. Dr. Hayes, winking at Ed, said, "Mrs. Hayes, I have an itch that needs scratching as well."

"Oh, you're a sex fiend all of a sudden," the elderly woman replied. As she went to push the wheelchair out of the room, she said, "Imagine, I find that I'm married to a dirty old man after forty-three years of marriage."

Ed laughed and watched her push the wheelchair out of the room. Now that only Kelly, Linda, and he were left in the room, Ed was about to ask about the pregnancy. Looking over at Kelly, he realized that she wanted to say something.

Kelly was looking at Ed hoping that he would get the hint that he should leave. When he just sat there looking at her, she realized he was waiting for her to say something. Frustrated, she said, "Ed, don't you have to check on how the new staff is fitting into the household?"

Tapping his temple with a fingertip as he realized that Kelly wanted to talk to Linda before her date with John, Ed said, "Sorry, I didn't think about it. I'll be back after a while."

After dressing, Ed left the room to the women and went to locate the two new men they had hired. Cutting through the garden, he found Bob sitting on a bench. Sitting down next to Bob, Ed asked, "How's it going?"

Bob, turning his whole body to face Ed, answered, "Pretty good. Walt is over by the waterfall cleaning the filters right now. I imagine they are pretty messy as I haven't been able to take care of them weekly."

"Do you like working with him?" asked Ed curious how the man was taking to his new responsibilities.

"Oh, yeah. He's a good hard worker. I can't wait to get this brace off my neck and get back to work myself. It'll be fun having someone with whom to share the duties," replied Bob.

Walt came out from behind the waterfall carrying a plastic bag. He looked at the mess on his hands and asked, "Where can I wash up?"

Bob answered, "I usually rinse my hands off in the pond after changing the filters. Then I trim some of the dead leaves off the plants."

Bending down to wash his hands in the pond, Walt answered, "Smart. Do you want to check my work?"

"Do I need to?"

"No, but I'd feel better if you did. It's the first time I've done anything like that," replied Walt. There had been a lot of firsts since he started working at the house.

Stiffly, Bob stood up and walked behind the waterfall. Ed watched him go and asked, "So, how do you like it here?"

Smiling, Walt said, "Lots of new things to learn, but I like the work. It's a little of this and a little of that. Nothing too hard, but most of it just takes time."

"Settling in okay?"

"I went out and bought some furniture the other day. It's really nice to be able to go in my room and relax after working all day," replied Walt. He had bought a television, a stereo, a chair, and a small desk. Sarah had visited him several times in his room and he had enjoyed the sessions with her tremendously.

"Good. So are you going to stay?"

"You'll have to fire me to get rid of me," replied Walt. Laughing, he added, "And I might stay here and work for free."

Bob returned from behind the waterfall and said, "Looks good to me."

"Great, I'll get to work on the plants now," replied Walt. He went along the path pulling off the dead leaves and putting them into the plastic bag.

Ed didn't even try to hide his smile as he watched the man working among the plants. This young man definitely was happy here and Bob liked him. Standing up, he said, "Bob, you take it easy until you're fully healed."

"Sure thing," replied Bob with a smile.

Ed wandered off to the front of the house to check on Marguerite and see how she was doing. On the way, he ran into Cathy and stopped her. She looked at him wondering what he could want from her. He asked, "So how are the two new guys working out?"

With a very wide grin, she answered, "Well, George is great in bed. I haven't had a chance to try Walt since Sarah has been keeping him busy."

Shaking his head, Ed asked, "Are they fitting in?"

"George fills me just fine and I haven't heard any complaints from Sarah," replied Cathy with a wink.

Laughing at the unintended joke, Ed said, "You know what I mean."

"No problems at all. They both seem happy," replied Cathy.

Nodding, Ed knew that the ladies were doing their best to make the new men happy. Looking up at the sky, Ed thought to himself, "The Gods and Goddesses love randy women."



-------

Chapter 18


The library was one of the most impressive rooms of the entire house. The architect had designed the room to be one of the largest in the house, even larger than the poolroom. Floor to ceiling shelves lined the room with other shelves that were half height arranged at right angles to the wall. The conference table was capable of seating twenty people along its length. A large globe occupied a corner of the room.

Most of the books on the shelves represented the interests of the occupants of the house. Physics, Geology, Mineralogy, Medicine, Nursing, Martial Arts, and Security filled the greater part of the library. There were technical journals on racks near one end of the room. There were also books that were of a more general interest in the library as well, including an extensive section on history, art, and literature.

Remembering an article in one of the journals, Ed wandered into the library intent on finding it. After looking through several journals, his search was interrupted by the sounds of an argument from the conference table.

"No, he had to know. At that time, there was a known infiltrator in their organization," shouted Walt.

"The times article quoted him as saying that he suspected it and included the possibility in his plans!" shouted George.

Ed looked around the bookcase and saw Walt and George seated at the conference table surrounded by books gesturing angrily at each other. It looked to him like the men were very angry with each other.

In a louder voice, Walt retorted, "He had to say that. If he said that he knew, then he would have compromised his sources."

This was the first argument that Ed had heard in the house and he was concerned that it might escalate to violence. Walking over to where the two men were seated, he asked, "Is everything okay here?"

Both men stared at Ed with puzzled expressions on their faces. Walt asked, "Why wouldn't it okay?"

"You were shouting at each other angrily," answered Ed surprised at their puzzlement. They had been gesturing wildly and shouting at each other.

The two men started laughing at the idea that they might be angry with each other. Walt answered, "We were arguing about whether Colonel Harris knew the battle plans of the enemy."

George added, "It's a rather interesting question and one that we are trying to find supporting evidence for one way or the other. The historical record is a little sketchy on that point."

Frowning, Ed asked, "So why the loud volume?"

"That's just how we work," answered Walt.

"So you are working on something?"

George answered, "There isn't too much to do when we aren't working around the house, so we've started collecting material for a book on military history. Right now, we are working on military engagements in the first half of the fifties."

Nodding, Ed decided that if the two men were passionate about the subject and their passion came out as volume, then he could live with it. He suggested, "Why don't you call up some of the people involved?"

Walt asked, "Why would they talk to us?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed answered, "Well, most of them are retired. Why wouldn't they want to fill some time discussing their military careers?"

Walt and George looked at each other with surprised expressions on their faces. They had not even considered that as an option. George said, "That would be original sources and make our book a little different."

Walt nodded thoughtfully and said, "We could even visit a couple of VA hospitals and get interviews there. I'm sure some of them would be happy to tell us about their experiences."

As the men began to get excited about the idea, Ed walked away satisfied that nothing was wrong between the men. They were arguing with the passion that comes from having a common deep interest in the same subject. He understood that feeling all too well. Returning to the journals, he returned to searching for the article that he had read earlier. It took him about twenty minutes to find it and when he left the little alcove, he noticed that Walt and George were gone.

Taking the journal with him, he returned to his room and the office upstairs where he could read the article in peace and quiet. When he had finished half of the article, the phone rang. Picking it up, he answered, "Hello."

"Hi, Ed. This is Kim."

"How are you doing? I haven't heard from you in a long time."

There was a long pause and then she said, "I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know that Calvin proposed to me last night."

Ed sat back and said, "Congratulations, Kim. I hope you said yes."

"I did."

"I'm so happy for you. Calvin is a really nice guy and I'm sure that you'll be happy with him."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I'm really sorry about that mess with Matt. I never did thank you for not making more of scene with him."

"Kim, you're a good friend and I truly love you. I only want the best for you. I think you found someone really great."

"Thanks, Ed."

"I hope that I get an invitation to the wedding."

"Of course."

There was a pause as Ed considered his real concern. Finally, he asked, "Will you continue to be my assistant?"

"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea. I am a one man woman at heart and I found my man."

"I know you are. I can keep the relationship purely professional, but if you don't feel comfortable with it then don't worry about it. I'll accept what ever you want to do."

"Calvin hinted that he would love it if we could work together," said Kim with a nervous tone in her voice.

"I can see where that would be a great team. With your survey experience and his mining expertise, you two could really provide a great service to mine owners."

"That's kind of what we were thinking."

"I don't want you to feel obliged to me in any way. Do what you think is best, okay?"

He could almost hear the smile in her voice as she replied, "I knew you would understand. Do you want me to help train a replacement?"

Laughing, he said, "First I have to find a replacement. That won't be easy."

The two chatted for a little while and then hung up. Ed sat back remembering all of the times they had gone hunting rocks in the past. There had been the excitement they shared when they made a rare find. Making love after the sun went down and waking up to make love in the morning. He was going to miss her, but she had a right to have the best life available to her.

Picking up the journal to finish the article, he stared at the page for several minutes before throwing the journal onto the desk. He got up and left his room feeling a need to get out and do something.

Strolling down the dusty street, Ed noticed Maria was out in her yard harvesting the pears off the prickly pear cactus growing in her front yard. Ed headed over to her side of the street and leaned against the fence looking at her. Concentrating on her work she didn't notice him. He waited until she wasn't touching the cactus to announce his presence. "Hello Maria."

Surprised, she looked up and exclaimed, "Ed! It's nice to see you."

Smiling, he pointed at the cactus and asked, "Making some Prickly Pear Jelly?"

"Of course, I do that every year."

"Would you teach Marguerite how to make it?"

Maria laughed as she asked, "Where do you think I'm cooking up this batch?"

"Don't I feel foolish."

"Don't feel that way. A lot of the women are getting together to make the jelly and you guys have the biggest kitchen around. We used to make it at Maria's Restaurant."

Ed shook his head. There were so many things that went on in this little town that he didn't know about, that there were times he wondered if he actually lived there. He said, "I had no idea."

Maria looked at the surprise on his face and said, "Don't feel so bad. The women in this town have always lead a somewhat separate life from the men."

"I guess so. I just didn't realize that it was so extensive."

Maria looked over at Ed for a minute and then said, "Rosa came home really happy last week."

Always interested in hearing about Rosa, Ed asked, "Oh, did something good happen to her?"

"Yes, someone made her very happy."

Frowning at the idea that Rosa might have found someone other than Maria and her husband, Ed asked, "Who?"

Maria giggled at his reaction. Seeing that he was worried, she said, "You know."

"No, I don't."

"You silly man. It was you. Don't you remember that she spent the night with you last week?"

Ed remembered that evening very well. In a way, he was almost jealous of Carlos, as she was almost insatiable in bed. He had never met a woman that enjoyed anal sex as much as Rosa. Embarrassed at being so dense, Ed answered, "Oh, I didn't think I made her that happy."

"She was positively glowing when she came home."

"Oh, I had a wonderful time with her. I was sad to see her go home."

"My turn is next week," replied Maria with a wink. She had felt Ed should have gotten both her and Rosa the same night. After all, Ed had introduced them and made their marriage possible. She had changed her mind upon seeing Rosa after the night with Ed and decided that she wanted him all to herself for one night.

"I'm looking forward to it," replied Ed. The fact was that he didn't know the schedule and Cathy would inform him a day or two ahead who would be coming over. He had set aside that evening every week just for that purpose.

Maria smiled, "So where were you headed?"

"Down to the bar. I felt like having a wimp drink."

"Run along. I'm sure that Shirley would enjoy seeing you. I've got to finish picking so that I can show up at your place on time," said Maria. She glanced down at the bulge in his pants wondering if Rosa had exaggerated the size of his cock. At least she would know next week if Rosa had been exaggerating.

Ed wandered on down the street and into town. The Sheriff was heading to his car and waved to Ed. Returning the wave, Ed crossed the street. It was hot this time of year and very few people were outdoors. The heat didn't really both Ed; he was used to it. So long as you drank plenty of fluids and didn't over-exert yourself, the heat wasn't much of a problem.

Entering the bar, he was momentarily blinded by the dim lighting after the brightness of outdoors. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked around the bar to see who was there. It was mid- afternoon and basically deserted. Sitting at the corner table, Shirley was going over her books. Looking up and seeing Ed, she said, "Help your self to a coke."

"Okay," he replied as he went behind the counter. After picking up a glass and filling it with ice, he used the fountainhead to fill it with coke. Even as he did it, he realized that he had become much more comfortable behind the bar. He called over to her, "Do you want anything?"

"Sure, I'll take a coke."

He fixed another coke and carried it over to her table. She had all of her business papers spread over the table. Being careful not to set the glass on any of the papers, Ed sat down at the next table. He didn't want to disturb her work. She looked over at him and asked, "What? Am I not good enough to sit with?"

"I didn't want to disturb you or spill anything on your papers."

Shirley picked up the glass and moved over to his table. Sitting down, she said, "I can use the break. Besides, my wife is coming over to help me with the paperwork."

Mary was one of Ed's favorite people. She had a special bravery in facing the world with a severe burn scar across her face that he found attractive. Smiling, he asked, "How is Mary?"

"Oh, she's two months pregnant," replied Shirley with a smile as she thought about how happy Mary was about becoming a mother. Poor Mary had thought that she would never find a husband and have a child. She ended up with two husbands, a wife, and a child.

"Really? Congratulations are in order. I bet you guys are excited about the prospect of little feet running through the house."

"You bet. We are fixing up the backroom here as a nursery so that Mary and I can work the bar and take care of the kid. I'm looking forward to it."

"What about Linda? She still works here, doesn't she?"

"Yes, she works Sunday nights and all day Monday. That's my time off to spend with the family. Mary is going to school and works a couple of nights a week so that I get some quality time with the men," answered Shirley with a smile.

"That's great. You look really happy."

"Yes, I am."

Ed was silent for a moment and then said, "I was worried about you. Around here, there were only two men that were good enough for you, John and Jim. I'm so happy that you found your family."

Shirley still couldn't believe that Ed didn't include himself. Licking her lips, she replied, "After you changed, you became the third. Now, half of the men in this town are good men and would make any woman happy. I haven't had a bar fight in here in ages."

"I guess that is good for profits," replied Ed.

Shirley replied, "It's funny. I don't sell as much beer to each customer, but I've got about twice the number of customers. Your idea with the sandwiches really helped the most. It doubled the lunch crowd."

Ed didn't remember suggesting sandwiches to her, but her voice said that she was telling the truth. He said, "I thought that was your idea."

Shirley laughed and shook her head. Of course, it made sense that Ed wouldn't remember making the suggestion. It was just like the business with Manuel. He always gave her credit for turning the hauling business around when he had laid out how to price each job. She said, "I guess we remember that day differently."

"I guess so."

Sitting there silent for a minute, Ed was thinking about how the town had changed over the past few years. He said, "Our little town has changed so much. Did you know the woman that owns the flower shop opened a lingerie store?"

Shirley smiled and answered, "Yes, I did. She even has sex toys in the back."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Yes, I was one of her first customers. Bought a strap-on dildo," she said with a smile.

Ed blushed at her announcement. It wasn't that he was a prude, but he wasn't used to his friends being that open and honest about their sex lives. He remembered that day, years ago, when he had watched and listened to a woman explaining all about sex toys to her niece in the lingerie shop. It reminded him that some day, someone would have to do that for his kids. Rather shy, he said, "Those can be a lot of fun."

"Yes, they can. Do you want me to bring it Wednesday?"

This was the first time that Ed had heard who was his date this week. Blushing, he answered, "No that's okay."

Shirley laughed and patted him on the arm. In a teasing voice, she said, "Is big Ed afraid of little Shirley coming at him with a strap- on?"

Looking at Shirley like he had never met her, he suddenly burst out laughing. In a minute he was laughing so hard that he could hardly stop. Years ago she would never have teased him like this. It was wonderful that she felt she could say and do things like that now. Wiping his eyes, he answered, "If little Shirley wants to come at me with a strap-on, I say go for it."

"I just might take you up on that."

Taking a sip of his coke, he looked around the bar and noticed that Shirley had made some improvements in the place. The old jukebox had been upgraded, the wood floor had been refinished, and the walls painted. She had replaced the tables and put some pictures on the walls. The changes had been so gradual that it was easy to miss. He commented, "The place really looks good."

Shirley smiled at the compliment and replied, "Without things getting broken all the time, I felt it was time to improve the look of the place."

"This little town really has changed."

"The average income in this town and outlying area has increased by fifty percent over the past four years."

Ed raised an eyebrow wondering if it was the expenditures of his household that was responsible. He asked, "Why is that?"

"Believe it or not, it's because the people are taking more risks."

"Huh?"

"Well, with so many group marriages in the area, one or more people in the marriage can take a risk to try something new rather than worry about getting by. We've had a lot of businesses open in the area and most of them have succeeded. People are driving fifty miles to come to our town to shop, eat dinner, and have drinks. As these businesses grow, we hire people to do the work and so they get more money. It feeds on itself."

"I wondered if it was because of the amount of money that we spend in the area."

Shirley smiled and shook her head. She answered, "Not really. You guys probably spend the same amount of money in town as most of the residents. You still buy off the rack clothes and wear them until they need to be replaced. Marguerite gets most of her food delivered from Phoenix, except for the canned stuff. I guess the biggest impact you've had are the donations for public use facilities like the library, the police station improvements, and all that."

"I guess the town does have the lowest tax rate in the area," commented Ed. He was supporting the drama club and high school band with his charity moneys.

"I believe this town has changed in a lot of positive ways since John came to town. You know that I don't live here in town. I live in a suburb of Phoenix so I can make comparisons. I can tell that things become calmer and more peaceful the closer I come to town. It's funny, but the people here are very healthy. The women are feminine, the men are romantic, and everyone is hard working."

"I've noticed that myself," replied Ed.

"Healthy people are productive. Carlos is on the verge of becoming a millionaire because his landscaping company is doing so well. Manuel and Joe are both millionaires. Maria is a millionaire. The amazing thing is that none of them have moved out of their houses, they are satisfied with their lives."

The news about Carlos, Manuel, Joe, and Maria was a surprise to Ed. He hadn't realized that their businesses were doing that well. He wondered why Joe was still renting the house from him. With a great deal of interest, he said, "I didn't realize that."

"Oh, yes. The chamber of commerce sponsors the block party music program," replied Shirley with a little pride. It had been her idea and the chamber of commerce had immediately agreed that it was a good idea.

Ed smiled as he thought about the music program. It was one of the best things that had happened in the area. The entire town turned out for that every Sunday night at sunset when the temperature dropped to a comfortable level. Since the town didn't really have a park, they just shut down the main street to traffic. People would show up with lawn chairs and listen to the music. Young and old would dance in the street. The high school clubs would sell popcorn, cotton candy, and soft drinks to raise money for various activities. The entire Carter household attended them with great regularity. He said, "I love that program."

"I know. I see you out there dancing with Kelly and Ling all the time. It really has brought about a great sense of community. Healthy people are very productive people and can bring about incredible changes for the better." Shirley looked at Ed considering how much he had changed. Once a bully, he had become a nice and caring man. In her opinion, Ed was a perfect role model for the entire town.

"I agree with you on that. I'd still be pushing cows and getting into bar fights if I hadn't met John. He's an amazing man," commented Ed.

Taking a full drink of his coke, Ed finished it and set the empty glass on the table. He had been feeling a little down about losing his rock-hunting buddy, but the discussion with Shirley had cheered him up significantly. It was funny, but that was another effect of the town. People helped people that were feeling a little down.

Winking at Shirley, he said, "I guess I'll see you tonight at sunset."

"You bet."

"Well, I better head back to the house before they start to worry about me."

Shirley knew that both John and Ed occasionally snuck out of the house to walk around town talking to people. The wives often came into town, but their visits tended to be associated with social events. She teased, "Wouldn't want them to think that one of the women in town kidnapped you and had her way with you."

Laughing, Ed shook his head. As he was about to leave, he asked, "I'm sure that when Kelly, Ling, and Linda find out about Mary, they'll want to hold one of those baby bath things."

"Baby bath things?" asked Shirley confused by his statement.

"Yeah, you know one of those parties that women throw for women that are expecting a baby."

Realizing that he meant a baby shower, Shirley burst out laughing. Chuckling, she said, "You mean a baby shower?"

"I guess. I knew it had something to do with washing."

Shirley was left laughing all alone in the bar as Ed left. Talking to herself, she said, "You just have to love the guy."

Taking his time, Ed wandered back towards the house. It was a hot day, but he wasn't alone in making the journey home. A number of women from town were driving or walking up the street to his house. He joined a group of them and talked about how excited he was about them making one of his favorite jellies. Reaching the house, he held the door open for them and led them to the kitchen where the smell of fresh baked bread was almost overwhelming. A number of women were already there and Marguerite was scurrying around trying to learn as much as she could.

He left them to their work, knowing that they would be having homemade bread with jelly as a snack tonight. An idea had come to him while talking with Shirley and he decided to check the idea with Cathy. She was seated at her desk, working over the family accounts. Sitting down, he watched as she finished her current calculation. She looked up and asked, "What can I do for you?"

"Do I have enough money to throw a Halloween Party for the town?"

A surprised look came over her face as she considered the request. She asked, "Wouldn't you rather have it come from the whole family than just from yourself?"

The question gave Ed a moment of pause as he considered the suggestion. He asked, "Don't we already sponsor the Christmas Eve Pageant?"

"Sure, but that isn't a reason why the family couldn't include Halloween."

"Okay, I guess I'll bring it up at the next family meeting."

Cathy looked at Ed for a minute and then suggested, "Maybe rather than an entire party, it might be better to support a haunted house. The town already does Halloween in a big way."

"That's a good idea," replied Ed. He knew that in recent years, the town closed off the main street and businesses would hand out gift certificates, candy, and small toys to the trick-or-treaters. The high school already had a party for the older kids. "Thanks, I'll bring that up at the family meeting."

Cathy said, "By the way. I have a question that has bothered me for a long time."

"Ask away."

Looking around nervously, she said, "You, John, and Kelly are Druids. You serve the Gods and the Goddesses. How come you support so many functions associated with Christian holidays?"

It was a good question and one that Ed had never been asked before. Smiling, he said, "It's a matter of supporting the spiritual growth of people. It doesn't matter to us what God or Gods and Goddesses people worship. The key thing is that they have faith in a higher authority."

Being a fallen away Catholic, Cathy said, "The priest in town is very much against many of the things that are happening in town. He's against the same gender sexual activities and the group marriages."

The telephone rang and Cathy turned to answer it. She spoke for a minute and then transferred the call to the informal living room. Once that she had taken care of the call, she turned back to Ed to hear his answer.

While she had been on the telephone, Ed had been considering his answer. Finally, he said, "He is supporting twenty centuries of belief. There's no reason for us to try to change his mind about right and wrong."

"Aren't you worried about being targeted by the Church?"

Smiling, Ed said, "I serve the Gods and Goddesses. I must be true to them. The priest serves Jehovah and Jesus. He must be true to him. If there is to be a conflict between them, we each will do what we must."

Leaving behind a very thoughtful Cathy, he wandered to the informal living room. Sitting on the couch, a very happy Kelly was watching a nature show on the television. Sitting down next to her, he rubbed her belly and said, "You look happy."

"I am very happy. I think that being pregnant agrees with me."

Looking over at the contented expression on her face, he said, "Did you know that Mary is pregnant too?"

Kelly laughed and said, "I know. Shirley called to let me know that you were going to suggest that we hold a baby bath for her."

His face flushed in embarrassment as he replied, "Hey, I knew it had something to do with bathing."

Kelly tickled him as she said, "Sometimes you are so cute."

Ed struggled to avoid her tickling and, in defense, started to tickle back. The tickle war lasted only a few minutes, but they were both grinning by the end.



-------

Chapter 19


Wearing an outfit that looked a lot like a space suite, Ed walked around trying to get used to the feel of the strange outfit. Removing the control from a pocket, he turned down the temperature a couple of degrees. Replacing the control to the pocket, he stood there and for a minute waiting for the suit to cool down. He looked over at the man standing next to him and said, "This is pretty nice."

The man answered, "It uses a fusion well to generate heat for the suit. With the built in radio and camera, you never need to be alone out here."

"Very smart. I almost didn't come down here because I didn't want to be cold," replied Ed.

"There are other features to the suit that you need to know about before we let you loose in the mountains," said the man with a knowing smile.

"Explain away," replied Ed bouncing on his toes amazed at the light weight of the suit.

"The suit has a number of built in pockets. The one on your right knee contains an emergency tent while the one on your left knee contains a space blanket."

Feeling the pocket on his right knee, Ed said, "There's nothing in this pocket."

"Yes, there is. Open the pocket and remove the tent."

Following the instructions, Ed opened the pocket and pulled out a small folded piece of vinyl. Examining it, he couldn't see how this would be a tent. The man said, "Set the folded tent on the ground and then unfold it twice."

Ed did as he was instructed. He noticed that there were six slots in the nylon with cotton strings sticking out. Looking up, he asked, "What are the slots for?"

The man said, "You'll fill those with water and let the water freeze. You'll have instant tent pegs."

"Where will I get water out here?"

"Fill the pocket on your chest with snow. It will melt in about three minutes and use the tube to pour the water into the slots."

Ed did as instructed. Sure enough, it was only three minutes later that he had about three gallons of water in the belly pouch. Waddling from side to side like a pregnant woman, he knelt down and filled the slots with water. In the cold Antarctic temperatures, the water froze very quickly. He looked at the pockets realizing that they had formed extremely fat ice tent stakes with a cotton thread through the center. Shaking his head, he said, "That's amazing."

The man said, "Someone really worked on that design. Even though it is ice, it is much stronger than you would think. The cotton thread gives it strength. Now, take out two of the tent pegs and push them into the snow just outside the width of the tent."

Ed did as he was told. The pegs went into the snow with ease. There was no way they would hold the tent in place. He voiced his doubts, "That'll never hold."

"Don't worry about that, tie the tent to the stakes with the cotton."

Ed did as he was told. Even though there was a considerable wind, the tent was still flat. Unrolling the tent, he put in the stakes at the other end. Looking at the result, he didn't see how it would stay up in a hard wind. "Okay, now I'm done with that."

"Melt some more water and fill the ribs. They'll act as support for the tent."

As Ed worked, he asked, "Who came up with the idea for this tent anyway?"

The man watched Ed work on the tent making sure that he did everything properly. He answered, "A woman in Colorado by the name of Catherine Sullivan invented it. She owns some kind of store in a little town."

Shaking his head, Ed realized that he was talking about the Catherine that owned the Sporting Goods Store. Another Druid invention to help the world. As the water in the ribs froze, the man said, "Put some more snow in your pouch. You're going to melt it and then pour the water over the tent stakes. It will form a nice solid plug that won't pull out in the wind."

Ed did as he was told. So far, he had spent about ten minutes setting up the tent. It seemed a bit long to him, but he wasn't going to comment. After just a few minutes, the man said, "Put the stakes in front and back of the tent and pull it tight."

Doing as he was told, he ended up with a very simple tent that was just big enough for him to lie down. Looking at the tent, Ed asked, "What keeps the ribs from breaking?"

"Oh, they can break, but the entire rib area is honeycombed with cotton fibers. They'll hold it up even if you smash it with a hammer."

Ed said, "I'll have to tell Catherine that she did a nice job on the design next time I see her."

"Oh, you know Catherine?"

"Yes, I do. I've visited her shop many times in the past. I would have bought all this stuff there if I had known about it," replied Ed. This tent was one of the most amazing things he had ever seen.

The man nodded and said, "Well, remember that tent is to be used only in an emergency. If you are in an area without snow, you can dig a hole, pull the cotton from the slots, and then pour the water into the hole. You're suit will keep you safe in just about any condition you encounter out there."

"Sure, I understand that," replied Ed. He looked around at the horizon, realizing this was a desert of a different kind.

"You've been checked out on the helicopter?"

"Yes."

The man reached into his pocket and handed Ed another tent as he said, "Here's a replacement for your tent. Your pack contains enough MREs for fifteen days. I'll see you in ten."

After putting the tent in his pocket, Ed looked up in time to see the man take down the tent. He asked, "Anything else I need to know?"

The man shook his head and answered, "The only thing you really need to remember is that if you get into trouble, press the red button on the control. Someone will be there to rescue you. Now get going, you've got ten days to hunt rocks out there."

Smiling, Ed went over to the helicopter and started it up. Fusion technology had changed the entire face of exploration. With portable power, it was possible to go into the most remote regions in relative comfort. Even Antarctica was not nearly as dangerous as before. Getting in the helicopter, he checked the GPS and then headed towards the mountains.

Flying south from McMurdo camp, Ed looked over at the mountains. They weren't that far from the camp. The most surprising thing that Ed discovered was that he was flying over bare ground. He had not realized that parts of the interior of Antarctica were not covered with snow. Turning to fly towards the mountain that he wanted to explore, Ed watched the land crawl underneath him. He had a four-hour flight to the base of the mountain and took a simple pleasure in piloting the helicopter.

Landing at the base of the mountain, Ed looked around at his surroundings. It was strange to think that he could be the very first person to walk this part of the planet. The lack of recent water erosion made the landscape looked odd to the eye. He picked the first few places to look and headed over to them.

After working for several hours, Ed realized that he was suddenly tired. Looking up at the sky, he realized the sun was not going to set. For a moment, he was disoriented by the lack of visual reference as to the passage of time. He checked his watch and realized that he had been working for six hours straight without a break and that it was well after midnight.

Sitting down, he pulled an MRE from his backpack and heated the meal. Opening the helmet was a shock to his system, as he hadn't realized just how cold it was outside. Alone, with no one within two hundred miles, he enjoyed the view as he ate. After eating, he closed the helmet and got out his camera. Kelly had begged him to take lots of pictures and he knew that if he returned without some great pictures, that she would be upset.

After taking a couple pictures of the view he had enjoyed while eating, he set the camera on the ground and stepped back a dozen paces down the slope of the mountain. Lifting an arm like he was waving to someone, he waited until the timer made the beep that let him know the picture had been taken. Returning to the camera, he cleaned up the site.

He lay down on the ground and went to sleep under the light of the sun. Inside his suit, it was as if he were sleeping on the couch back at the house. The cold air did not penetrate his suit.

When he woke, he went to work on a likely looking region of the mountain. After several hours of poking around, he found a nice outcropping of Titanite. He was only able to get three nice looking specimens from where he was digging. Carefully, he packed the samples in his sample boxes. Using a pencil, he wrote the GPS co- ordinates on the sample boxes.

After looking around to see if he could find larger specimens, he decided it was time to move on to another part of the mountain. Before leaving, he did take a couple of pictures of his dig site, just to record where he had worked. Walking slowly and examining the rock face, he spotted a place that looked promising.

Kneeling down, he started to break away a little of the surface layer of rock. Inside, there was a rock with lots of very small quartz crystals embedded within it. He removed three little samples and packed them away. Looking over the area, he decided that he was going to have to move a good distance from there to find samples of significant difference. Again, he took pictures of the location he had worked.

For the next six days, he would work in an area for a while and then moved on to another area after collecting a few samples. On the sixth day, he hit a site with a very interesting collection of minerals in near proximity, including Olivine, Teanite, and Ilmenite. Looking over the minerals collected to date, Ed was disappointed not to have identified anything new.

He looked around the area and found a site with some minerals that he couldn't identify. Taking three samples, he carefully packed them in sample cases. Geologically, this part of the mountain had several major strata of rocks. He took photographs of the entire area recognizing that there was a lot to learn.

As he worked, he was surprised to hear a voice in his head. Looking around, he didnít see anyone. It took him a minute to answer, "Hello?"

The woman's voice returned, "Is this Ed Biggers?"

"Yes, it is."

"Did you know that you are expected back today?"

Surprised, Ed looked around trying to figure out if ten days had passed. He was sure that he had only been out for six days. He answered, "No, I didn't. I'm supposed to be out here for ten days."

The voice laughed and said, "You've been out for ten days."

Confused, Ed asked, "How did that happen?"

"A lot of people have that problem when the sun is up all of the time. It distorts the sense of time," replied the woman.

Shrugging, Ed answered, "Okay, I'll pack up and head back. I'll be there in about five hours."

"We'll be waiting for you."

Ed packed up his equipment and headed back towards the helicopter. As he shuffled along, he wondered how he had let the time pass like it had. He spotted an interesting rock formation and headed over to it. There was an interesting blue crystal visible within the rock. He extracted it with some of the matrix and put it an in sample case, wishing he had time to collect a couple of more samples, but there weren't any immediately available.

The flight back to camp was just as exhilarating as the flight out had been. He found it hard to believe that Ed, the cowboy, had actually made it to Antarctica. He was going to look up Nevada and tell him about it. While making a couple of tight banking turns in the helicopter, he shouted out, "Yee Haw!"

The voice returned, "Ah, Dr. Biggers, you can turn off your microphone."

"Oh, sorry about that." Embarrassed at having been overheard; Ed straightened up and flew back to the camp without any additional aerobatics.

Landing at the camp, Ed got out and went into the building they called Hotel California. It was a dorm for visitors and wasn't really a hotel. According to the literature, the place was typically deserted for the summer even though the traffic into the station was at the highest. With the invention of the suit, most people went to the area they were doing their work and stayed there for days at a time. The rest of the base was full of people working in different buildings. After closing the door behind him, the man that had briefed him met him at the door. Removing his helmet, Ed said, "Hello."

Grinning at Ed, the man said, "So that's what you look like."

Ed asked, "By the way, what is your name?"

"Oh, I'm Evan Hever. I'm the handyman around here. Since the invention of the suit you're wearing, my wife and I are the only ones that spend the whole summer here," replied the man.

"I guess I owe your wife an apology. I didnít mean to scream in her ear," said Ed.

Laughing, Evan said, "Oh, we both heard you. Tierra had you on the speaker."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed said, "I guess I'm still a cowboy at heart."

"The first thing you need to do is get out of that suit and take a shower. You've been living in that for ten days and it is probably pretty ripe by now."

Following the other man to a room, Ed went in and stripped out of the suit. Getting into the shower, he took a long hot shower taking the opportunity to shave while in the shower. Now that he was indoors, he felt very tired. He dried off and dressed in his normal clothes. Stepping out, he found that Evan was still waiting for him. He followed the man to a dining hall where a hot meal was waiting.

An attractive woman was seated at the table and looked up when he entered. He assumed this was the woman with whom he had talked on the radio. With an amused smile on her face, she said, "You scared the hell out of us with that yee haw, Dr. Biggers."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize my radio was on. And please call me Ed."

"That's okay," she replied before shoveling a spoonful of stew into her mouth. There were several stacks of papers on the table in front of her. She looked at one of the papers and said, "Your plane will be here in about six hours. Do you need to take a nap before it gets here?"

He nodded and said, "I guess I should get a little nap. My sense of time is all fouled up."

"Have something to eat first," said Evan as he pointed to a place setting with stew. Evan sat down across from his wife and started to eat his stew.

Sitting down at the place where Evan had pointed, Ed tasted the stew. Although it wasn't anywhere as good as the stew Marguerite made, it still filled an empty stomach while being easy on the taste buds. He said, "Good stew."

No one talked while eating, but as soon as they were done, Evan asked, "So how is it that you know Catherine Sullivan?"

Surprised at the question, Ed answered, "I've been to her shop a number of times."

Evan commented, "Her shop is in a town that's so small it only just shows up on a map."

"It is an important town for many people and her shop does have a wide reputation," countered Ed. He asked, "How is it that you know her?"

Tierra answered, "She's been here twice. Once to perfect the suit and once the tent."

Looking very surprised, Ed said, "I saw her midsummer's day and she didn't mention anything about that."

Looking over at Ed with puzzlement for a moment, Tierra said, "Excuse me for a minute, I need to check something."

Ed and Evan chatted about what it was like to live at the south end of the world. Evan had been down there for three seasons. He and his wife had earned the Antarctic Service Medal with a silver clasp. Although Ed had not heard about the Antarctic Service Medal before, he understood the nature of the accomplishment.

Ed expressed his disappointment in not getting a picture with penguins. Evan explained that the nearest rookery was on Cape Royds and that it wouldn't take long to get there by helicopter, but that they would really be cutting it close on returning in time for his plane. He did say that Penguins occasionally wandered over to the station, but that was a very infrequent event. In his time here, he had only seen about a dozen penguins.

Tierra returned from her errand and sat down next to her husband. Looking over at Ed, she said, "I just did an internet search on you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I got almost four thousand hits on your name. At first I thought that I was getting hits on different people named Ed Biggers, but it turned out that they were all about you."

"Is that a lot?" asked Ed.

Raising an eyebrow, Evan answered, "Yes, that is a lot. I think it is a record here. You have to be a government leader to get more hits than that."

Shrugging, Ed replied, "People make a big deal out of some of the things John and I have done."

Tierra looked at Ed for a moment and realized that was all that he would say on the matter. The couple had made some observations about the many people that came through their building. Some of them were nice and many of them arrogant. The nice ones knew exactly who and what they were. They didn't need to advertise themselves. The arrogant ones were typically quite convinced that they were important members of the scientific community and never let an opportunity pass in which they didn't let everyone know about it. Finally, she said, "Some things are worth making a big deal out of. You've done a number of exceptional things from what I was able to see."

"I don't think I've done anything exceptional. I just contribute when and where I can," replied Ed.

Evan said, "If you are going to get some rest, I suggest that you head to your room. I'll be by about an hour before the plane arrives to wake you. That should give you enough time to get ready to leave."

"Good idea. It's been a pleasure talking to you. I think you guys lead a very interesting life."

Evan and Tierra looked at each other. Evan could tell that she wanted to tell him a little of what she had learned about Ed. Evan said, "I'll be by to wake you."

Ed left the dining room and went to his room. It was a short walk, but felt too far to him. On reaching his room, he got into bed and feel asleep within seconds. It seemed to him like only a few minutes passed before Evan was knocking on his door. Struggling, he woke up and opened the door. He said, "Come in."

Evan came in the room and looked around noticing that Ed was already packed, not aware that Ed had never unpacked. The samples remained in his pack along with his clothes. Ed asked, "Do you need the MREs that I didn't eat back?"

Evan shook his head in amusement and answered, "No, keep them as a souvenir of your visit here."

"Okay," replied Ed. He looked around and fished out his camera to take a picture of his room.

"Here, I'll take a picture of you in the room," offered Evan.

It didn't take long to take a picture of Ed standing in the middle of the room. After that, he followed Evan to the radio room where Tierra was seated. He took a picture of the three of them together. Unfortunately, it was soon time for him to leave.

Putting on his arctic gear that he had brought with him, the two men headed over to the runway to meet the plane. As they drove there, Ed noticed a number of penguins standing not far from where they were driving. He tapped Evan on the shoulder and said, "Penguins!"

Surprised to see so many penguins at the base, Evan stopped the car and looked at the birds. Ed handed him the camera and got out of the car. Evan knew what Ed wanted and waited for Ed to get in a position where the penguins were behind him. It was well known that penguins were not afraid of people, but it still amazed Evan to see the penguins flock around Ed. He took the time to snap picture after picture of the man surrounded by the formally attired birds.

Getting back into the jeep, Ed commented, "Those are amazing birds. Are they normally that friendly?"

"Well, usually they keep their distance from people. I've never seen them seek out a person like that before," answered Evan with more than a little awe in his voice. He had visited some of the web sites about Ed while he had been taking his nap. Evan understood that Ed was some sort of high figure in that Druid Cult that had been making the news lately. It had surprised him to see Catherine Sullivan's name on that same list.

Ed replied, "Thank the Gods and Goddesses that I got a chance to see them."

Evan looked over at Ed in wonder. It was easy to speculate that the Gods and Goddesses had brought the penguins here just for Ed. There had been almost two dozen of them, an unheard of number of penguins for this close to the base camp. It tripled the number of penguins that he had seen around the base since coming to work here. He remarked, "It is very rare for so many of them to be here."

Laughing with childlike enthusiasm, Ed replied, "They really are great looking birds. I can't believe that I actually got to see them that close."

Evan handed the camera back shaking his head. They had kids here that didn't show that much pleasure out of such a simple thing. Despite some of the things he had read about Ed, it was clear to him that Ed retained an innocence that was rare. Evan said, "Well, you got some great pictures of you with the penguins."

"Kelly is going to be so happy. She really wanted me to bring back some pictures of them," replied Ed very happy that he was able to do this little thing for Kelly. He really had been disappointed to learn that it was highly unlikely that he would see some penguins.

They reached the runway after a few minutes of driving. It was almost too much for Ed as he began to feel the cold. The plane arrived shortly afterwards and Ed boarded after the two passengers disembarked. Turning back, he looked over the landscape and sighed. His adventure to the southern continent had come to an end.

A tired Ed woke when the commercial plane landed in Miami. Even though he could afford a first-class seat, the foundation had only paid for a regular fare. The flight had been miserable. His knees had been pressed against the seat in front of him the entire trip. The seat didn't recline enough to sleep comfortably. There wasn't enough room in the seat for him to move his arms. He had been sandwiched between two overweight people, one of whom snored. The seat had been little more than a thin pad over a hard surface and his ass hurt from sitting on it for so long. He still had the flight to Arizona, but that would be on a private plane after a two-day layover here.

Stepping through the doors leading out of customs, Ed was surprised to see the smiling face of Bill, the first secretary that had worked for them. Walking over to the man, he hugged him and said, "Bill, it is great to see you. You look like Florida agrees with you."

Bill had learned from Cathy that Ed had flown second class on the flight here. He teased, "What are you doing flying second class?"

Shaking his head in disgust, Ed answered, "I didn't know better."

Bill said, "You have to stay at my house while you are here."

"I'd love to stay at your place." The idea appealed to Ed. It would be nice to catch up and find out what was going on with Bill since he had left the house to care for his mother and father. His mother had suffered from cancer and died shortly after Bill returned home. His father suffered from Alzheimer's disease and was living in a facility that Bill had started.

Bill led the way through the airport to the parking area. It was a huge airport and Ed walked through it amazed at the number of people moving through it. He watched a woman running through the airport struggling with her luggage and two young kids struggling to keep up with her. Before he even had a chance to offer his help, she stopped at a counter and plunked down her passports.

He commented to Bill, "It's strange that the airlines are now the largest consumers of petroleum. I wonder what can be done to rectify that situation."

Smiling, Bill suggested, "Talk to John and see what he has to say."

Walking along beside Bill, Ed considered the airline industry. Even though the price of jet fuel had dropped significantly due to the changes in the petroleum industry, the cost of airline tickets had not dropped. The quality of service hadn't seemed to improve either. The planes were still crowded and the seats were still too small. Ed said, "I think it is time that someone starts consulting in the airline industry. It needs a major revamping."

Knowing Ed and John, Bill was convinced that the airline industry was about to get turned upside down and inside out. As they reached his car, Bill said, "I think the airline industry is about to undergo some major changes. When you guys turn your attention to something, things change."

Smiling at the comment, Ed said, "We just make recommendations that some people improve upon."

It was a nice middleclass neighborhood where Bill had established his home, a simple three-bedroom ranch with a swimming pool in the backyard. The money that he had saved while working at the Carter household had allowed him to purchase the house with cash. When they entered the house, an attractive woman met them and handed them tall glasses of iced tea. Bill said, "Ed, I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Liz. Liz, this is Ed Biggers."

"I'm pleased to met you, Liz," said Ed not having heard that Bill had gotten engaged.

"I've heard so much about you and your family. I'm so happy to finally be able to meet one of you," replied Liz looking over the cowboy with interest. She had heard so much about the Carter Clan that she felt like she knew all of them.

Bill said, "I imagine that you are suffering from claustrophobia after flying. Would you like to sit out by the pool?"

Smiling at the idea of actually being able to stretch out in a lawn chair and drink his iced tea, Ed answered, "I'd love it."

Bill showed Ed the bedroom he would be using for the night. Ed dropped his backpack on the floor next to the bed and followed Bill to the backyard. Stepping out of the house, Ed paused to take in the garden. It was very nice and green providing lots of shade over the area where the chairs were located, but sunny over the pool. A small brown lizard scurried through the bushes by his feet. He said, "This is great. I bet you spend a lot of time out here."

After sitting in one of the chairs next to his girlfriend, Bill smiled and answered, "Yes, we really enjoy it."

Sitting in a chair, Ed stretched his long legs out and took a sip of the tea. With a satisfied sigh, he said, "This is heavenly. Iced tea, warmth, and shade."

"I thought you would enjoy this a lot more than a hotel," replied Bill.

After taking another sip of his iced tea, Ed answered, "One of the hardest things about staying in a hotel is the food."

Laughing, Bill remembered that Ed and John had made it a rule that broccoli was only to be served once a month and thick french- fries were never to be served in the house. He joked, "That's okay. We're having broccoli and thick cut french-fries with our steaks tonight."

Unable to control himself, Ed groaned and then realized Bill was joking. He said, "I hope you will let me take you out to dinner tonight."

Liz looked to Bill who nodded. She replied, "That would be lovely."

Bill asked, "Would you like to take a swim?"

Not owning a swimsuit, Ed answered, "Sure, but I didn't bring a swimsuit with me."

Bill laughed as he and Liz undressed. He said, "You don't need one here."

After stripping, Ed jumped into the pool and enjoyed the cool water. Bill and Liz joined him with Liz being surprised at the blasé attitude Ed took about her nudity. Everyone else that had joined them naked in the pool tended to stare at her large breasts and shaved pubic area. As if he was reading her thoughts, Bill said, "It's nice to see that you still have the same sedate reaction to naked women."



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Chapter 20


The circadian cycle is not twenty-four hours, but varies from person to person. Some people have a much longer cycle than other people do. For them, fitting into the normal daily schedule can be difficult and for those unfortunate ones, mornings can be the roughest part of the day. For Ed, mornings had always been rough. After the time in Antarctica, he had slipped into an exaggeration of his natural cycle and returning to the normal daily schedule was tough.

Still half asleep, he wandered out of his room wondering for a moment where he was. Following his nose, he found the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. Standing there, he drank it down as quickly as he could tolerate the hot beverage. The fog slowly lifted from his brain, but not sufficient to make him aware of his surroundings. He refilled the cup and drank some more of the coffee, feeling the caffeine take effect.

Turning, he was greeted by the smiling figures of Bill and his girlfriend, Liz. Bill said, "Your morning habits haven't changed a bit."

"Huh?"

Liz giggled while watching the naked man swaying in front of them trying desperately to wake. Bill had warned her, but she hadn't believed that Ed would be that slow to wake in the morning. As he drank his coffee, she asked Bill, "Do you think he knows that he's naked?"

Bill answered, "No, but he won't be embarrassed about it when he does wake up."

After yawning while stretching, Ed uttered, "Morning."

Together, Bill and Liz replied, "Good Morning."

Looking into the coffee cup, Ed realized that it was empty again. He went back to the coffeepot and refilled his cup. Getting closer to being alert, he took his time with this cup. As he sipped, he asked, "Where am I?"

Chuckling, Bill answered, "You're in Miami."

Details of the flight into Miami returned to Ed and the misery that he had experienced the day before. He took another sip of his coffee and said, "Sorry, I'm not usually this bad in the morning."

"Yes, you are," replied Bill.

"Okay, maybe I am," admitted Ed. Looking down at his naked body, he added, "Oh, my. I'm not dressed."

Liz giggled as she checked out the size of his package. When Bill had told her that Ed and John were both very well endowed, she hadn't believed him. Now that she saw it, she was interested in seeing it much closer. Bill had suggested that they offer Ed a chance to spend some time with the two of them and she decided that she was going to take Bill up on that suggestion. She asked, "What are the plans for today?"

Bill answered, "I was going to suggest that we take Ed to see the shelter this morning and take it easy the rest of the day."

"Sounds good to me," said Ed. The next morning he was flying back to Arizona. Until then, he was more than happy to visit with Bill and Liz. Bill had been a friend while working at the house and Liz was an attractive woman.

Liz said, "I hope you like French Toast."

"I love French Toast. I hope you make it with real store bought bread," said Ed.

While Liz looked puzzled, Bill laughed at the comment. He explained, "Marguerite always does everything with homemade bread. Ed's tastes tend to run a little plainer than her cooking."

Smiling, Ed said, "She still gets mad when I ask for the canned Alphabet Soup."

"I think the maddest that I've ever seen her is the day when you asked for Creamed Chipped Beef," added Bill with a smile. The highly trained Chef had never seen the recipe for that dish and spent almost a whole day looking for it. When she found out that it was sometimes called Shit On A Shingle she exploded.

"Yeah, she refused to cook anything that could ever be referred to as Shit because she knew that I would tease her about that for years," said Ed as he chuckled. It had been years since he had any of that.

Liz, looking at Ed and realizing there was some truth in his desire, asked, "Would you like that for lunch?"

"You bet. There are just some things you can't get a gourmet cook to prepare," answered Ed.

Ed returned to his bedroom while Liz prepared breakfast. Once there, he dressed in preparation for a trip to visit the Alzheimer's Shelter that Bill had started. That Bill was proud of the facility was a good sign. He returned to the living room in time to hear Liz call out, "It's ready."

He followed the sound of the voice to the dining room. It was nothing more than an extension of the kitchen, but it was a nice comfortable area. The kitchen table was solid oak with a simple checkered blue and white tablecloth. There were three settings with a plate of French Toast in the middle with a bottle of artificial maple syrup. Ed smiled at the spread and said, "This looks great."

They talked as ate. Ed asked, "So Liz, how did you meet this rascal?"

Smiling at Bill with adoration in her eyes, Liz answered, "My father has Alzheimer's and I put him in the shelter during the days when I was at work. After I while, I started leaving him there overnight knowing that he would be well taken care of. I just needed an occasional night off. Now, he lives there all the time."

Bob said, "The major problem for families of Alzheimer's patients is getting time for themselves. The patient needs twenty-four hour a day care. They'll get up in the middle of the night and wander off if you aren't watching them."

"It is really a tragic disease," agreed Ed.

Liz said, "I think you'll agree that this is one of the nicest places in the country. It's clean and well staffed. Every patient has a radio transmitter around their ankle so that if they do wander off, they can be found. The stage four and five patients have televisions, a fishing pond, and dances. The stage six patients need a lot of care and we have one caregiver per four patients. The stage seven patients are basically intensive care patients requiring full time care."

Bill said, "We augment the staff with family members. We ask that each family provide two evenings or one day of service each week. It actually does a couple of things, it assures family members that their loved ones are being taken care of to a satisfactory degree. It also saves us some money on staff."

It sounded to Ed like they had really thought out the program in great detail. He said, "It sounds good to me."

When they had finished breakfast, Ed went to the shelter with Bill. Liz stayed behind to do a little housecleaning. On the drive over, Ed said, "I like Liz. I think you found a keeper there."

Smiling, Bill said, "After living in your house for a couple of years, I had an idea what to look for in a woman."

"So what are the rules of your household?" asked Ed wondering if he had adopted the same rules of the Carter Clan.

"If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong," answered Bill with a smile.

"Those are good rules, aren't they?" replied Ed, pleased to hear that Bill had left the house with a little of John's wisdom.

It wasn't long before they reached the shelter, since Bill had selected his house in a neighborhood that was less than five minutes from it. Ed had expected a building that looked like a nursing home. Instead, the front looked like a house with a well- manicured lawn. Entering the facility, the front room was large with a wide screen television and very comfortable looking chairs. Several patients were seated in the chairs watching a television.

As they went further into the facility, Ed noticed by the strange bulges in the clothes that many of the patients were wearing pampers. Many of these patients weren't that old, but it was easy to see that they couldn't remember much. A woman in her early fifties was crying by a door to the outside patio. Bill went over to her and asked, "Mrs. Harris, what's the matter?"

"I can't remember how to get out."

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Bill asked, "Would you like some hot chocolate? Maybe taking a minute or two away from here, you'll remember."

As the woman thought about it, Bill signaled a woman wearing a bright yellow tee shirt. In huge black writing across the front and back, was the name of the woman. Bill said, "Let Judy take you to get some hot chocolate."

As Judy led the elderly woman away, Bill came over to Ed and said, "When a patient gets upset, we don't argue with them. We try to redirect their attention. It seems to help. If a patient is argumentative all day, we make sure that the doctor gives them a thorough examination that afternoon. Often times, they are actually ill and that triggers bad behavior. It's a whole lot better to give them antibiotics rather than behavior affecting drugs."

Ed looked around and said, "I notice that all of the staff and volunteers have yellow shirts with their name on it."

Nodding, Bill said, "Yes. If all the staff dresses in the same distinctive manner and has their name on their clothes, the patient doesn't have to remember their name. Even the delusional patients are able to identify staff."

A couple of pagers went off and one of the staff members shouted, "I'll get it."

A puzzled Ed watched as she headed outdoors. Turning to Bill, he asked, "What happened?"

Bill said, "One of the patients is trying to leave the grounds. She'll intercept them and bring them back. Usually, we only have to chase a particular patient down four or five times before they forget how to get outside. We have a puzzle at each door that they have to solve. The puzzles get progressively harder the farther they get from the building. When their cognitive abilities degrade to the point where they can't get out, we know that it's time to consider moving them into the next ward."

Impressed, Ed said, "That sounds pretty good."

"It's not perfect, but it does prevent us from have to lock everyone up or having to chase everyone down," replied Bill. He looked around at the room and said, "We do everything we can to allow them to keep their dignity, but this disease strips it away from them so fast it is incredible. There are some medications that can slow down the progress, but doesn't cure it or halt it." Bill looked sad for several minutes as he reflected on the nature of the disease. His father had moved into the late stages and could no longer walk or feed himself.

Ed and Bill walked around the facility. In the wing reserved for stage six patients, everyone wore simple gowns because they couldn't dress themselves. There were more staff members in this area than in the other area. These patients needed to be cared for with continual diligence. As patients wet themselves, a staff member would show up and lead them away to change.

The air still smelled clean in this room despite the fact that all of the patients had problems with incontinence. Ed said, "You take very good care of the people here."

"We try. We try very hard, but it is so difficult," replied Bill.

Ed went over to one of the staff members and introduced himself. The staff member said, "Hello, I'm Karen."

Ed asked, "How long have you worked here?"

With a sigh, the woman said, "I don't work here. My mother is in here so I come twice a week to help out."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize," replied Ed with a slight feeling of discomfort.

"She's progressed to stage seven. I only go back there to check up on her. It breaks my heart to see her that way," she explained.

Looking around, Ed said, "This is a nice place."

"Before we found this place our lives were hell. Someone had to be in the house at all times. When she would get upset, the whole house would turn into chaos. My husband and I didn't have a minute alone to act like husband and wife. Our kids were embarrassed to have company over," said the woman.

Ed could hear the truth in her voice and knew that Bill had created a very special place here. If people gave more time here than was requested, it meant that the care was first class. He asked, "What about now?"

She replied, "I come here twice a week. The evenings are ours again. The kids can have company. I can cook real meals and we can eat in peace. I can sleep at night knowing that my mother is being given the best care possible. This place is a godsend."

Smiling, Ed said, "Thank you for your comments."

Bill and Ed left the shelter and returned to the house. On the way, Ed said, "I think you've worked a miracle here."

Sitting up straighter, Bill replied, "I'm glad you think so. Your opinion counts a lot to me."

Ed asked, "How is it doing financially?"

Shrugging, Bill replied, "It is non-profit, but the income does pay for the salaries of the fulltime staff, medical personal, and maintenance of the place. The volunteer time spent there by family members really does ease the cost."

"Non-profit?" asked Ed.

"How can you pursue a profit after seeing those people? I couldn't do it," replied Bill. He sighed and said, "Profiting out of that misery has to be the ugliest thing a person can do."

Secretly Ed agreed, but he also knew that people needed to make a decent wage in order to do that kind of work. He asked, "Do you pay yourself well?"

"Well enough. I have a check that pays the bills, gives me some money in the savings account, and a retirement plan. I'm not trying to get rich, but I don't allow myself to live in poverty." Bill was proud that he paid himself only as much as the highest paid staff member that worked for him. Others would have given themselves a much greater paycheck at the expense of additional staff.

They reached the house and found Liz sitting naked under the umbrella at the table by pool. Ed took the opportunity to examine her body. She was a redhead complete with lots of freckles, large breasts that still resisted gravity, a shapely figure, and a shaved pubic area. Her pale skin was sensitive to the sun, so she kept to the shade except when in the pool. The overall effect was quite pleasing to the eye.

Bill started to strip and Ed followed suit. Bill sat across the table from Liz leaving Ed sitting between them. A pitcher of lemon aide, a couple of glasses, and an ice bucket were on the table. As he sat down, Liz handed him a glass of ice-cold lemonade. The sweet and sour taste was a nice change from his normal iced tea.

Once everyone was settled, Liz asked, "So what did you think of the place?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "I am very impressed with what Bill has done here. I've seen the worst and now I've seen the best."

Shaking his head at the comment about having seen the worst, Bill said, "When you brought down that nursing home company, it had a big effect here. We had a nursing home that was owned by the company located not too far from here. Some of our people provided care for the victims and I was sick when I learned what had happened in there. Of course, the press descended upon every nursing home facility in the area to investigate how they did business. We came out as the best in the area."

"I hope that it didn't cause you any problems," said Ed.

Liz shook her head, "No it had the opposite effect. After the facility was shown on television with interviews of the families of patients, corporate donations went way up."

Ed took another sip of the lemonade and commented, "This lemonade is outstanding. I don't remember the last time that I've had a glass of lemonade. We almost always have iced tea."

Bill said, "Marguerite used to make lemonade for the staff. You guys never expressed any interest in it."

That comment made Ed think about how the family probably never had insight into how the staff lived. Curious, he asked, "Actually, we've tried very hard to stay out of peoples lives. So what was it like living and working in our house?"

A little uncomfortable, Bill answered, "Well, for a long time we never really knew when we were doing a good job or not. In the entire time I worked for you, you never complained about anything that I did."

"Did you do anything wrong?" asked Ed somewhat puzzled about never criticizing their work. He didn't like working for people that followed behind him checking everything that he did, particularly when he did it right.

"Not really," answered Bill.

Smiling at Bill, Ed said, "See, there you go. There was no reason for us to criticize you. Did we ever praise you for things that were outstanding?"

"Yes, you did. You gave us bonuses when you felt like we had performed services beyond expectation," replied Bill. He was silent for a minute and then said, "I guess that most of us expected negative feedback rather than positive feedback. It was as if we kept waiting for the other boot to fall only to have you praise us when we did that little extra. After a while though, I realized that you wouldn't manage us through negative feedback. I think that was the day that I understood why I liked my job so much."

Ed replied, "I'm glad to hear that you liked your job."

"I loved my job. I was really sad when I had to leave, but even then you guys did amazing things to help me," said Bill.

"We were sorry to see you go, particularly under the circumstances," replied Ed. The night when Bill came up to the roof and told them that his mother was dying and his father had Alzheimer's had been a very bad night indeed. Kelly and Beth had flown down to help take care of his mother and father. He had come down and interviewed a few nurses hoping to find some honest people to help Bill in that difficult time. It had been a hectic two days.

Winking at Ed, Bill said, "I will admit that I've missed some of the fringe benefits."

Trying to look offended, Liz asked, "The one about getting to sleep with the family?"

"Yes," answered Bill with a grin.

Looking from Liz to Bill, Ed wasn't positive what was being suggested, but liked what was being hinted. Joking he replied, "A year service first."

Pouting, Liz asked, "Can't you make an exception for me?"

Seeing the smile Bill was giving him, he winked as he said, "There may be rules of this house that I might not be aware of. Rules that would prevent me from making an exception."

Liz said, "Well, we have a rule that if a guest has a big cock, the woman of the house can ask him to insert it into her."

"Oh, I see," said Ed as if he had just discovered an interesting fact. Looking over at Bill, he asked, "What happens to the man of the house?"

Liz answered, "He's stuck with inserting his cock in her back door since the front will already be filled."

"And is the man of the house happy with that arrangement?"

"He is," answered Bill.

Looking at Ed coyly, Liz asked, "And what does the guest with the big cock think of that particular rule?"

Even as his cock was reacting to the proposal, Ed joked, "It sounds like a complicated rule, but if it is a rule of the house then I need to follow it."

Watching his cock slowly erect, Liz said, "It looks like your little head understands the rule well enough."

Seeing the effect on Ed, Bill said, "Would you mind if we went inside for a while?"

When Ed stood, his cock was at half-mast. Liz, looking at it, was impressed by the sheer size. Excited she walked into the house with her arm around Bill, whispering, "That is a real monster cock."

Ed followed behind appreciating the sight of her ass swaying from side to side as she walked. It wasn't that he was an ass man, it was just that he appreciated all parts of a woman's body and her ass was particularly well defined.

When they reached the master bedroom, Liz turned with a suddenness that surprised Ed and wrapper herself around him. Kissing him, her hands roamed over his body coming to a stop on his cock. Ed gave himself over to the sensations and returned the touches.

Liz backed to the bed and lay down upon it. Ed started kissing her working his way down to her neck and then her breasts. Sucking on her stiff nipples, she started moaning as the sensations overwhelmed her. Between her legs, Bill was busy licking her cunt. When he turned his attention to her clit, her nipples hardened even more. Ed bit down on her nipples gently, triggering an orgasm within the redhead.

Looking up between her legs, Bill joked, "That didn't take long."

In a very dreamy voice, Liz only said, "Um."

Bill went back to work on her cunt, fucking it with his tongue. It wasn't long before she was thrashing around on the bed. Ed took the opportunity to pinch both nipples between thumb and fingers. She grabbed his head and pulled it tight to her chest as she reached a second orgasm.

Head held between her breasts, Ed lay there trapped. When her orgasm passed, she relaxed her hold on his head. The next thing he knew, she had pushed him onto his back. Wasting no time, she climbed atop him and lowered herself on his cock. As she did that, Bill lubricated his cock and prepared a large wad of lubricant to lube her backend. Once she was fully impaled on his cock, Bill worked his cock into her ass. Both men could feel the presence of the other's cock. Liz had never felt so filled.

Ed started thrusting up into her while Bill began to fuck his girlfriend with long slow strokes. Liz was in heaven as the duel sensations worked their magic on her. She loved anal sex and could orgasm from that alone. She loved the female superior position and never failed to come from that. Together, they started a chain of small orgasms that slowly increased in strength.

With each orgasm, Liz emitted a sound that reminded Ed of a squeaky chair. Her noises came closer together, each louder than the one before. The sensation of Bill's cock rubbing his through the thin layer of her body that separated them was driving Ed wild. When Bill came, it triggered a huge orgasm in Liz. Her orgasm triggered an orgasm for Ed. As his come shot into her rigid body, Bill was making little deep thrusting motions in her ass as his come flooded her nether passage.

When everyone finished his or her orgasms, Liz collapsed on Ed as Bill collapsed on Liz. Buried under two bodies, Ed wrapped his arms around the couple above him. They lay like that for five minutes before Bill extracted his cock from her ass and settled on the bed next to Ed. Liz slowly climbed off Ed and settled on his other side.

They lay there until the telephone rang. Bill got up and left the room to answer the phone. After a few minutes he returned to the room to ask, "That was the district attorney of Miami. He wants to know if you can come by his office later to receive a commendation from the state of Florida for your role in closing that nursing home."

Ed was silent for a minute as he considered the request. Finally, he asked, "How did they know that I was here?"

Bill shrugged as he answered, "I don't know. Does the local office of the IRS know that you are here?"

"Sure. Oh, I guess that makes sense. I'm sure that the DA has reason to visit the IRS office and could find out there that I was in town."

Liz said, "Aren't you excited? I'd be over there in a minute to get a commendation."

Seeing the expression on Ed's face, Bill said, "He doesn't like recognition for his actions. I'll tell them thanks, but no thanks."

The relief that Ed felt was visible to Bill and Liz. He said, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

When Bill left the room to convey the message to the DA, Liz turned to Ed and asked, "Why don't you like to get credit for the contributions that you make?"

Ed turned over on his side and propped his upper body on his elbow with his head supported on his palm. After examining her for a minute, he asked, "Do you like to brag about what you do at the shelter?"

"No," replied Liz.

"Why?"

She thought about it for a while and then answered, "I guess it is because I don't like getting recognition when the patients are undergoing such a major tragedy."

"Exactly."

She smiled at him and said, "Okay, I understand now."

He said, "You love Bill a lot."

"Yes, I do. He's a great guy and is doing great things for a lot of people. My life was horrible until I encountered him," answered Liz. She was silent for a while and then said, "I was thirty years old and single. My father was in really bad shape and getting worse every day. I was trying to work, take care of her, and keep a house. I had hired someone to watch my father during the day and it seemed like half of my income was going to pay her. If I forgot to get milk on the way home from work, I had to go without because I couldn't leave him alone in the house and he was too difficult to control for me to take him with me. No dates. No time alone. My life was nothing except a continuing battle with him."

Ed hugged her as she continued, "Then I found about the shelter. When I started dropping her off at the shelter, my life immediately improved. All of a sudden, I could actually go on a date, but I had no one to date. Bill was running a support group for families and that is when I met him. It was the best thing that ever happened to me."

As Ed continued to hug her, he was reminded of the time spent with Beth when she had her period of illness. Ed said, "That's an incredibly brave thing that you did."

"I didn't feel brave, I felt miserable."

"Yes, I understand that. I've been through something like that."

Liz was quiet for a moment and then said, "When I started to date Bill, he told me straight out that he would only marry a real woman. I was shocked when I discovered what that meant. At first, I thought it was because he wanted to be married and still be able to fuck around. But the time I spent with him convinced me that it wasn't selfishness on his part. He really wanted a partner that would support him and that he would support his partner. I came to realize that he was right, I wanted a real man too."

Thinking about it, Ed realized that this was the first time in which he had heard that the idea had come from a man and that a woman accepted it. Her reaction was typical. In discussing his marriage with other women, they would almost always accuse him of wanting to be able to screw around on his wives. They were almost always shocked to find that it was not his idea to have that kind of marriage. He commented, "It's unusual that a man is able to suggest that to a woman and have her accept it."

Looking at Ed with surprise, she said, "He told me about this overweight woman that married a very successful lawyer."

Ed laughed and said, "So he told you about Sherry and Jim. That explains a lot."

Shaking her head, Liz said, "Oh, I didn't believe him then."

"Really?"

"Yes. It was the night that he asked me if he could take me in the ass that I realized what he meant. You see, I had never had anal sex before. I told him that he could do that only if I could fuck his ass with a strap-on," she answered with a laugh. Shaking her head, she continued, "I was shocked when he asked if I really wanted to do that. I said sure, thinking that he was trying to get out of it. Then he told me that we could buy a strap-on anytime I wanted. I realized at that time I could ask him to do anything and he would do it for me."

"Sounds like love to me," said Ed with a smile.

"Yes, I agree now. I wouldn't have agreed before that night," answered Liz. She said, "Since then, I've explored my boundaries at my own pace and pleasure. I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have found a real man."



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Chapter 21


Belly swollen with child, Kelly lay on the couch feeling very pregnant and elephantine. Unlike a lot of women in her condition, she didn't feel ugly. The men and women in her family paid so much attention to her body that it was almost frightening. How could one feel ugly with so many worshipping her? She didn't know. All that she did know was that they did what ever they could to make her comfortable and happy.

Ed was on the floor next to her slowly rubbing some skin cream on her bulging stomach, enjoying the feel of the child moving inside. It was with total awe that he watched her body change as a new life grew within it. This was the miracle that he served, innocent life created by the Goddess, given strength by the God, and that little spark that made human different from animal from the Two-Sided One.

Leroy was at the end of the couch, with her feet on his lap rubbing them with body cream. The firm caress of his hand on her feet was so sexy that she felt with just a little effort she could come. Dr. Hayes, on his crutches, hobbled into the informal living room and looked at the scene. Smiling he said, "Now don't you look comfortable Queen Kelly."

She laughed and said, "If I had known that I would get this kind of treatment, I would have gotten pregnant years ago."

Smiling up at her, Ed said, "I can't wait for the water balloons and paper airplanes."

Dr. Hayes said, "You've got a long way to go before that becomes part of your everyday life."

Smiling, Ed said, "This child is going to be special."

Years of working in the hospital had taught Kelly a few lessons about new parents and infants. She replied, "All children are special."

Having finished rubbing the body lotion onto her stomach, Ed put up the bottle and rested his hand on her stomach. Ed jumped and Kelly gasped as the infant within kicked where he was resting his hand. When Ed returned to massaging her stomach, the aggression stopped. He laughed and said, "This little one really likes massages."

Dr. Hayes made his way over to one of the chairs and sat down. It wasn't long before John entered the room with a smiling Linda. As Linda sat down on a chair, she said, "Kelly, you are glowing."

Smiling over at the younger woman, Kelly answered, "I'm excited about tomorrow. We're getting married."

Paling, Leroy said, "Oh my gosh, my parents will be arriving soon. I better get dressed."

As he ran out of the room, Linda took his place and continued the foot massage. She smiled as she ran a finger down the middle of the foot, provoking an immediate response from Kelly. As Kelly pulled her leg back and struggled to get up to respond, she exclaimed, "Wait until you're pregnant. I'll get you back for that!"

Linda giggled and said, "Don't worry. You'll be too busy chasing the little one around to bother with me."

As everyone laughed, Kelly settled back on the couch and tried to scrunch up her face at Linda. The result prompted another laugh from Linda. After a few minutes, Kelly said, "I have to get up."

Ed stood and helped her sit up. Once she was sitting, she held out a hand to be helped up. Grasping her hand, Ed helped her to her feet. Once she was standing, she said, "One of the downsides of all this is that I have to go potty twenty times a day."

Almost simultaneously, Ed and John said, "Shhhhhhhhhh."

Their response created a minor ripple of laughter. Whenever she said that she had to go to the bathroom, it was almost an automatic reply on their part intended to make the need a little stronger. If Leroy had been there, he would have joined in as well. As she waddled away a little faster than her original need had demanded, she said, "I'm going to get you guys one of these days."

Surprised at the juvenile behavior of the two men, Dr. Hayes commented, "You two are incorrigible."

As Ed joined John on the couch, he smiled at the doctor and said, "That's why she married us."

"Clearly it wasn't for your good looks," retorted the doctor.

Ling entered the room and said, "I think one of you should go to the airport with Leroy. He appears to be very nervous about his parents showing up."

Standing, Ed said, "I'll go."

Looking over at his husband and seeing a cowboy standing there as others might see him, John wondered what the effect would be on the parents of Leroy. John asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," answered Ed, looking forward to meeting the parents of his future husband. He headed directly to his room to get dressed. Five minutes later, he was headed to the garage.

Greeting Ed when he entered the garage, Walt waited by the van to drive Leroy to the airport. Ed said, "That's okay Walt. I'll drive him."

Shaking his head, Walt said, "No, I'll drive. You need me to come along to deal with the luggage."

Surprised, Ed asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes. If you talk nice to me, I'll even take you with me," quipped Walt with a grin.

Ed was about to argue and then realized that Walt was kidding. Looking at him out of the corner of his eye, he asked, "Are you sure that you haven't been working here for years?"

"Quite sure," replied Walt. He added, "Bob was kind enough to fill me in on all of the tricks of dealing with you guys."

"Remind me to fire Bob," Ed joked.

Leroy finally showed up in the garage wearing a grin. One look at Leroy told enough of the story to Ed. He said, "Let me guess, Ling?"

"Linda," replied Leroy knowing exactly what the question meant.

"That explains everything," said Ed. Linda had been practicing her oral sex skills every chance she had. There was no doubt that she had gotten better at that than anyone in the household.

The three men climbed into the van and Walt drove towards the airport. Leroy was looking out the window nervous about the reaction of his parents to the rest of the Carter Clan. Noting the pensive posture of Leroy, Ed asked, "What are you worried about?"

"My Dad," answered Leroy. He turned to face Ed and added, "My Dad is a Deacon at the church and is very conservative. I don't know how he's going to react to a group marriage, particularly when he learns that you guys aren't black."

"Oh," replied Ed, as the implications of what Leroy had said became clear to him. Was he about to experience some reverse racism? He grinned and said, "Don't worry. He won't be as upset about that as the fact that you've been having sex with men."

"Oh, God," groaned Leroy. He hadn't even thought about that aspect of the group marriage.

"Relax, you've been around us for a while and know that we don't have many problems with even the most ardent objectors."

Thinking about his father, Leroy replied, "You don't know my father."

"I'm looking forward to meeting him," said Ed with a grin.

At the airport terminal where the passengers disembarked, Leroy paced waiting for the doors of the gate to open. Leaning against a post, Ed watched Leroy with concern. He had never seen Leroy this nervous about anything. Sitting on one of the chairs, Walt waited patiently knowing that no matter what happened, he could just claim to be the hired help. Ed glanced up at the clock and saw that it was five minutes before the plane was due. He called over to Leroy, "Leroy, have a seat and take it easy. All worry does is make it likely that you will react to things that aren't intended."

"You don't know my father."

Pushing his hat back on his head, Ed asked, "Does he serve the good?"

"Yes, he does," replied Leroy confused by the question. His father was a deacon in the church and a righteous man.

"So do we," replied Ed. Looking directly at Leroy, Ed added, "That gives your father and us something in common. Those who serve good will not fight each other for long."

For the next few minutes, Leroy looked thoughtful as he considered the implications of that. By the time that he had come to a conclusion, the plane had landed and pulled up to the gate. Within minutes, the doors had been opened and the first class passengers had disembarked. Among the first passengers to get off the plane was a black couple in their late fifties. The man, an older version of Leroy, wore a conservative gray suit and walked with perfect posture. The woman beside him wore a simple dress, conservative in cut and yet with a nice floral pattern.

As Leroy moved to intercept them, Ed told Walt, "Wait for them to finish greeting each other and then go ask for their baggage claim checks."

Walt moved over to the threesome as the father shook hands with Leroy as he grasped the younger man's arm. It was a firm authoritative handshake. After a moment, Leroy and his mother hugged each other in a heartfelt greeting. Walt waited for them to separate before he said, "Mr. Jones, if you could hand me your baggage claim checks, I'll pick up your luggage and bring it to the car."

The elderly man turned to Walt and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm the driver, sir," replied Walt.

Handing over the claim checks, Deacon Jones said, "There are two bags, both of them are brown."

"Thank you, sir," replied Walt as he accepted the tickets and left towards that baggage claim area.

Ed was about to head over to them when he noticed a news story on the television. They were broadcasting live from Mexico the consequences of an earthquake of magnitude 6.2. Frowning, Ed wondered if the Fusion Foundation had been activated. Turning from the television, Ed joined Leroy by his parents. Extending a hand, Ed said, "Hello, I'm Ed Biggers."

Leroy's father looked at Ed with a critical eye and accepted his hand. In a deep rolling voice, he replied, "I'm Deacon Leroy Jones and this is my wife, Cleo."

"Pleased to meet both of you. Would you like to head to the car?" asked Ed.

Leroy said, "That's a good idea. Let's get home so that my parents can get settled into the house."

Adjusting the hat on his head, Ed interjected, "I hate to say this, but we need to make another stop in town before going to the house."

As the four of them headed to the parking garage, Leroy asked, "Why do we need to stop?"

With a long sigh, Ed answered, "There was an earthquake in Mexico just a few minutes ago."

Knowing the involvement of the Carter Clan in the Fusion Foundation, Leroy understood the answer. His father, walking beside him, was still puzzled as to who Ed was and what his relationship to Leroy was. Feeling like he deserved to know what was going on, he asked, "So how do you know Leroy?"

"I'm a member of the family that he's marrying tomorrow," answered Ed distracted by his thoughts about what was happening in Mexico.

Leroy cringed as his father stared at Ed. Concerned, Deacon Jones said, "You're white."

The comment made Ed smile. He answered, "I've been working on a tan, but it hasn't taken. When I get these clothes off, I'm as pale as they come."

Although the deacon tensed up, Cleo laughed at the joke appreciating the ease with which the man accepted the racial comment. Despite the look from her husband, she said, "That's funny."

"Thank you, ma'am," replied Ed tipping his hat. When they reached the door to the parking lot, he added, "It's a little warm outside. I hope you don't mind the heat."

Deacon Jones replied, "We live in the south and are used to the heat."

"Good enough for me," replied Ed. He led the way to the car as Leroy hung back to talk to his mother and father. Their conversation was held in quiet voices so that Ed couldn't hear what was being said. When they reached the van, Ed held the doors open for Leroy and his parents.

Inside the van, the temperature was cool representing a compromise between the temperature that Ed liked and that liked by everyone else. Deacon Jones commented, "At least you don't keep it freezing in the car like most people."

Leroy replied, "Ed doesn't like it too cold. This is a compromise between the temperature that he likes and what everyone else likes."

"Ed sounds like he carries a bit of weight within the family," remarked the deacon.

Joking, Ed said, "Well, if I ate too much of Marguerite's cooking, I'd be carrying a whole lot more weight. I try to keep it down."

The deacon just looked at Ed and shook his head. The back door of the van opened as Walt loaded the luggage into the back. He closed the door and after going around the van got into the driver's seat. As he settled into his seat, he said, "Next stop, home of the Carter Clan."

Ed corrected him, "Next stop, Fusion Foundation."

Walt looked at him in surprise and pulled out of the parking lot. The Fusion Foundation headquarters were not that far from the airport. As they drove by the hanger, Ed noticed that the planes normally parked there were gone. Nodding, he said, "The planes are gone, that's a good sign."

The Deacon asked, "Why are we going by the Fusion Foundation?"

Hoping to score points with his father, Leroy was about to explain, but Ed beat him to the punch. Ed answered, "I do some volunteer work there. A major earthquake occurred in Mexico and I need to check to make sure that I'm not needed."

Pleased to hear that this guy actually volunteered his time to a good cause, Deacon Jones said, "The Fusion Foundation is quite a nice group. There is a medical center near where we live and they do great work."

Nodding, Ed said, "That's the area that Kelly does her volunteer work. I'm in the emergency response area."

Leroy still trying to impress his father said, "Ed is in charge down there."

Ed said, "Don't overstate my role. I just visit occasionally."

Frustrated by the modesty that Ed demonstrated, Leroy sat back in his seat. Walt pulled into the parking lot of the Fusion Foundation building and said, "We're here folks."

Ed said, "Why don't you guys come in and I'll show you around?"

After a few minutes of discussion, Leroy was able to convince his parents to go into the building with Ed. Inside, the receptionist stood up and greeted Ed, "Dr. Biggers, we weren't expecting you."

Smiling, Ed said, "Hello, Karen. I heard about the earthquake and thought I would stop by to see how things were going."

Karen replied, "Everyone is in the command center."

Ed took a minute to introduce everyone to Karen. She was very polite and gave them all VIP badges. Deacon Jones looked at the badge in surprise as she put the chain around his neck. Ed said, "This is the reception area of the headquarters for the Fusion Foundation. Karen Carson is the receptionist here. If you have any troubles, just ask for her and she'll take care of you."

The group followed Ed as he went down the hall. Stopping at the end of the hall, Ed turned around and said, "This is the heart and soul of the operation. Usually, this area is full of people taking care of the daily operations. The earthquake has sent everyone upstairs."

Cleo said, "You sound like you really know your way around here."

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "Not really. I donít know that many of the people that work here. Like I said, I just visit here occasionally."

Puzzled by the statement and the reception that he had been given at the front door, Deacon Jones said, "The receptionist seemed to know you."

"She's a friendly lady," replied Ed as he led everyone to the elevator. Pressing the up button, he waited for the elevator. Leroy went over to him and whispered, "Can't you let my parents know what you do around here?"

Puzzled, Ed said, "I thought I've been answering all of their questions."

Leroy turned away in frustration only to see his mother and father whispering to each other. He could only guess what they were saying to each other. When the elevator came, Ed held the door open for everyone to enter. Cleo was the only one that said thank you.

When the door opened on the emergency command center, Ed led the party out of the elevator. A sudden silence descended on the room. Ellen Faber stood up and said, "Hello, Dr. Biggers. Would you like to take command?"

Waving a hand, Ed replied, "No, I just heard about the earthquake in Mexico and came by to see what was going on."

Ellen returned to her desk and threw up the world situation map. Ed looked at the map in shock at the number of situations that were being handled at the moment. She said, "We have the earthquake in Mexico. As you can see, our planes are about fifteen minutes away from landing. There is a group still evacuating people from the volcanic eruption in Ecuador. We have six forest fires in California."

Impressed, Ed said, "I had no idea that much was going on."

Ellen looked at Ed with more than a little pride in her accomplishments. She said, "We have four command centers operational at the moment. We are coordinating activities for three of them from here."

Looking around at everyone at their desks, Ed could see that they were taking their responsibilities very seriously. On the monitor, people dressed in the blue overalls with yellow backpacks were helping others onto trucks to evacuate the area of the volcano. On the other monitor, the news channel was showing a refugee center where people were being transported.

Ed said, "You are doing a great job. Do you mind if I take a moment to thank everyone?"

Ellen said, "No problem. I'm sure that everyone would appreciate it."

Ed went to the front of the room and said, "Everyone, I'd like your attention for just a moment. I'd like to thank you for the wonderful job you are doing here. I'm very impressed with the number of operations that you are managing. I see from the monitor that the planes are about to land in Mexico and I won't detain you for another minute. Thank you for the great job."

Amid a few cheers, Ed left the room taking Leroy and his parents with him. In the elevator, Deacon Jones said, "Why did you give the speech?"

Holding his head to the side, Ed answered, "To thank them for all of their hard work."

"I know the purpose of the speech, but why was it you that delivered it?"

Understanding the question, Ed said, "I'm on the Board of Directors in charge of the Emergency Response Units."

A sudden silence descended over the people in the elevator as they realized how important Ed was in the Fusion Foundation. Deacon Jones said, "That is quite a responsibility."

Smiling, Ed said, "We have some very good people working here. All of them are very committed to making the Fusion Foundation the best operation in existence. I'm very proud of the work they do here."

Deacon Jones didn't make a comment, but examined Ed with a much more considered look. Leroy grinned in relief that Ed had been able to impress his parents. Ed took them up to the top floor and showed them around the offices. After taking them to the conference room, he returned to the main area where all of the offices for board members were located. Embarrassed, he said, "I don't know why they insisted that we have offices here since we seldom use them. Anyway, this is my office. You can see that it is completely empty except for the desk and chair. I've never even used it."

Cleo said, "It's an impressive office."

Winking, Ed said, "I'll show you my office at home sometime."

As the car pulled up in front of the Carter house, Deacon Jones said, "I thought we were staying at your house."

Leroy laughed and said, "This is our house."

Cleo said, "It looks big enough to be a hotel."

Ed said, "I'll admit that it is rather large, but it is comfortable."

Walt pulled the car into the garage and said, "I'll bring in the luggage and deliver it to outside your room."

Cleo asked, "Outside our room?"

Walt answered, "Yes, ma'am. Once the room is keyed to your palm print no one can enter without your express permission. A person's room is sacred here."

After exchanging looks, Leroy's parents followed Ed into the house. At the door, Cathy was waiting for Ed. She said, "Hello, Ed. Just a couple of messages for you. The boss lady from the IRS called and wants to know if you would be interested in pursuing some commercial fraud cases in conjunction with the SEC."

Nodding, Ed answered, "Sure. That sounds interesting. Is John going to be involved?"

"I don't know," replied Cathy. Checking over the list, she said, "The University wants you to come in sometime next week. They said they need someone to teach Mineralogy at the undergraduate level for a semester."

Ed thought about it for a minute and realized that Professor Simms was taking his sabbatical. He said, "I'll consider the teaching job, but let me talk to John first. Regardless of the decision, I will be in my office there next week. Let them know that."

"Okay. Final item, the Antarctic Group has requested that you give a talk about your experience there. They are looking at two months from now at the quarterly meeting."

Smiling, Ed said, "Sure, I'll be there. I've only got one item to classify and I believe that it is a new mineral. I've been calling it Carterite for the time being."

Cathy turned to Leroy and said, "Leroy, your adviser called and wanted to meet with you next week about the progress on establishing your research project. It appears that your quarterly report is due in three weeks."

Nodding, Leroy answered, "I know that and have a draft ready. I'll e-mail it to him this afternoon. In the meantime, let him know that I'll be there on Monday like normal."

Smiling, Cathy turned to his parents and said, "Deacon Jones, Mrs. Jones. I'm Cathy and run the office here. If you need anything, you can let me know and I'll take care of it. The office number is 1111."

Deacon Jones, asked, "What kinds of things?"

"Anything. If you need something from the store, just call and I'll send Walt to pick it up for you. I can handle travel arrangements, dinner reservations, or anything else. Just call me and I will do what I can," replied Cathy.

"Are you part of the marriage?" asked Cleo.

"No, I'm just on the staff here." Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, she said, "George is on his way down here to take you to your room. He'll get you settled in and then will show you around the house."

Cleo asked, "How many people work here?"

Using his fingers to count, Leroy answered, "There's Cathy, Bob, Marguerite, Sarah, Walt, and George. So that's six."

Cathy added, "If you include the lawyer, the CPA, and the IRS agent, then that gives you nine, but none of them live here."

Deacon Jones asked, "So how many people are in this group marriage thing?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "At the present, John, Kelly, Ling, and myself are the only members of the family. This afternoon, Linda and Leroy buy shares in the marriage and become official members of the family. Tomorrow, we have the wedding which binds us spiritually."

"Buy shares?" asked Deacon Jones wondering if this was one of those cults that robbed people of their wealth on entering the group.

Knowing exactly what the elderly man was thinking, Ed answered, "Yes. You are invited to attend."

Voice chilly, Deacon Jones decided that it was his role to protect his son from the influence of a cult and replied, "Yes, I shall be there."

Jim sat at the head of the conference table in the library. A stack of papers was piled in front of him. John and Ed sat on each side of Jim with Kelly and Ling seated next to them. Separated from them by two empty chairs, sat Leroy and Linda. Cathy was seated next to Leroy. There was a small pile of papers in front of each of them. Seated around the room, away from the conference table were Dr. Hayes, Mrs. Hayes, Deacon Jones, Cleo Jones, Sarah Redman, and Robert White Feather. Jim cleared his throat and said, "Let's bring this meeting to order."

As everyone settled down, Jim looked around the room. He said, "We are gathered here to establish two new members, Linda Redman and Leroy Jones, into the Carter Clan. Is the family in full agreement about selling shares to the candidates?"

Looking around the table, John answered, "The family is in full agreement that we would like Linda Redman and Leroy Jones to be members of the family and, hence, authorize the sales of shares to them."

Jim nodded and said, "Okay. Does anyone have anything to say about this?"

Raising his hand off the table, Ed said, "Before Linda and Leroy buy their shares, I would like to sell four shares of my stock and give the money to them as a wedding present."

Kelly and Ling smiled at Ed knowing that his gesture had just made it possible for the two to actually afford purchasing the stocks. Looking at Ed, Jim said, "Okay. Each share is worth twenty thousand dollars. I'll cut two checks for forty thousand each payable to Linda and Leroy. That will leave you with four hundred and twenty three shares. You are still the largest shareholder."

At the amount of money that had been mentioned as the value of four shares, Deacon Jones stared at Ed in shock. The guy had just given away eighty thousand dollars. Leroy and Linda stared at the rest of the family, shocked to learn how much a share was worth. Every time they had asked about the cost, everyone said that they didn't need to worry about it. Frowning at the amount of money being discussed, Linda said, "There's no way that I can afford twenty thousand dollars a share."

Grinning, Ed said, "You can now. You've got forty thousand dollars to spend."

At his comment, Linda looked at Ed with tears in her eyes realizing that he had just made it possible for her and Leroy to join the family. Lips quivering, she said, "Thank you, Ed.

Mind still reeling at the amount each share was worth said, Leroy said, "Thank you very much."

"You are welcome," replied Ed. The rest of the family had known that he was going to do that as a way to allow the two poor people to afford entry. Each of them had a different wedding present for the pair. Bob had been very busy making jewelry over the past few weeks.

Looking at Leroy and then at Linda, Jim asked, "I assume that you will want to buy two shares each?"

Leroy answered, "Yes."

Jim said, "If you will read and sign the family contract, then I will make the transferal of shares to you."

Linda and Leroy read the contract carefully and then signed them. Cathy carried the contracts over to Jim who examined the signatures to make sure that everything had been properly completed. He filled out a couple of papers and handed them back to Cathy. She carried the papers back to Leroy and Linda. Jim said, "Congratulations, you both now own two shares in the Carter Clan."

Holding a stack of debit cards in front of her, Cathy said, "Now that you've joined the family, I have your debit cards for you to use. Since the year is half over, the amounts deposited in your accounts are half your annual amount. This card is for transportation, it has a picture of a car and plane on it. You have fifty thousand dollars in your account. This is your entertainment account, it has a picture of a meal on it. You have a hundred thousand dollars in that account. This is your incidentals account, it has a picture of clothes on it. You have fifty thousand dollars in that account. You also have a charity account with another fifty thousand in it. If you give me the names of the charities, I'll deal with making the contributions for you. There is another account that is for property investments. You have twenty-five thousand in that account."

Leroy and Linda stared at the cards in front of them in shock. They had gone from living on pennies to having almost three hundred thousand dollars to spend. Leroy said, "We don't make enough to cover this."

Kelly said, "What you earn on your job is your money to do with as you please. This money is to be spent on family business and to support yourself in becoming the best that you can be."

Jim looked around the room was about to adjourn the meeting when he caught a look from John. He asked, "Is there any other point of business?"

John nodded and said, "Yes, I want to donate another twenty million to the family. Of that, I want ten million set up as an account for the children. When a child is born, I want a million established in a trust fund for that child that they can access at eighteen. The other ten million is to be added to the general fund."

Nodding, Jim said, "Okay. I'll take care of that. Does anyone have anything else?"

After looking around, Jim said, "I declare this meeting over."



-------

Chapter 22


A very excited Ling entered the dining room and sat at the table. Noticing her excitement, John asked, "What's up Ling?"

"I'm pregnant!"

Everyone at the table met the news with joy. Even Ed, in his typical morning state, perked up and cheered the news. Ling had been sleeping with him exclusively since she had chosen to have a child. This meant that he was going to be a father and in his excitement he said, "That is great news."

Kelly smiled and said, "You've been nice to me while I've been pregnant so I won't tickle you, but watch out for Linda. She's a mischievous one."

Giggling, Linda replied, "But I can run so much faster than you."

"Just wait until you look and feel like an elephant," teased Kelly.

Ed said, "We have to celebrate somehow. Any suggestions?"

When no one suggested anything, Kelly said, "How about we go to Maria's?"

Giggling, Linda said, "When that baby is born, it is going to come out speaking Spanish considering how much Mexican Food you've been eating."

"I've just been hungry for that kind of food for a while, that's all."

The discussion raged around the table before it was decided that they would all go out to Marie's to celebrate that Ling was having a baby. Ling was more than happy to go anywhere in celebration. Ed retreated back to his normal morning condition and couldn't follow the discussion.

Cathy had made reservations for twelve at six in the evening. Bob had agreed to drive Kelly, Dr. Hayes, and Mrs. Hayes there while everyone else walked to the restaurant. As the group walked to the restaurant, others joined the party. Maria, Rosa, and Carlos joined in when they heard the good news. Joe and his wife, Juanita, joined the party as well. By the time they reached the restaurant, there were another dozen people joining the party. The number of people that had shown up overwhelmed Maria.

Entering the restaurant, Ed said, "Take us to Kelly."

Maria looked over at them in surprise and said, "She hasn't gotten here yet."

Confused, Ed said, "She left at the same time we did, but she was in a car. She should have been here ten minutes ago."

Concerned, Maria replied, "I'm sorry, but she didn't come here."

Ed went over to John and said, "Kelly didn't make it here."

Looking around to see if there was something going on, John replied, "She should be here. We saw the van drive by us as we were walking here."

A ringing in Ed's pocket nearly made him jump. He fished the phone out of his pocket and answered, "Hello?"

Bob was on the other end and said, "Hello, Ed. We are on our way to the hospital. Kelly's water broke when we pulled up in the parking lot."

Extremely excited, Ed replied, "We'll be there in a flash!"

Hanging up without saying goodbye, Ed turned to everyone and shouted, "Kelly's on the way to the hospital. She's having her baby!"

Amidst tremendous confusion, the Carter Clan ran out of the restaurant heading back to the house to pick up their cars. Ling easily outpaced everyone since she had been working out for the past year. Leroy and Sarah were not far behind her. Puffing like old men, Ed and John were a distant last since they very seldom ran. As Ling drove back, she stopped to pick up Sarah. Leroy went ahead to get his car. The women waved to John and Ed as they drove by.

Ed came to a stop and started walking, his chest puffing from the effort. Cowboy boots were not meant for running. John stopped and looked back at his husband, waiting for Ed to catch up. Still breathing heavily, Ed said, "I didn't know that I was in bad shape."

Shaking his head, John said, "I can walk for days without slowing down."

Ed stopped even with John and said, "I think the last time I ran was when was I was in the army. I was twenty then and didn't like running."

"I swim everyday, but that doesn't seem to have helped."

Horn honking, Leroy pulled over to pick up the two men. As they climbed into the car, he said, "You two are moving slow. What's that matter?"

Ed said, "We don't run. I guess we are going to have to start jogging."

Shaking his head, John replied, "I hate jogging."

The drive to the hospital took some time. During the drive, the men were silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Kelly had kept the gender of the baby a great secret and there were more than a few bets as to whether it was a boy or a girl. Ed didn't care one way or the other as to the gender of the child. He was more worried about the health of the baby. He said, "It wasn't due for another week."

Laughing at the insistence for strict timing, Leroy said, "Babies don't know how to read a calendar. They are born when they are ready to be born."

John and Ed exchanged looks and watched the surroundings pass outside the car. It wasn't long after that they that arrived at the hospital. John and Ed got out while Leroy parked the car. Inside the hospital Dr. and Mrs. Hayes met them with smiles. The doctor said, "That must have been the easiest delivery in history."

Ed asked, "What happened?"

Dr. Hayes looked at the men gathered around him and answered, "Her water broke when she got out of the van at the restaurant. She got back in the van and we headed here. I was monitoring her condition. She had a couple of contractions and dilated very fast. We got here, four contractions later she gave birth to a nine pound baby girl."

"Alright, can we see her?" John asked

Mrs. Hayes asked, "Which her?"

An excited Ed answered, "Either, both, whatever."

Laughing at Ed, Leroy said, "Let's see the mother and then the daughter."

The elderly couple led them to a hospital room. Kelly was lying in the bed with the baby in her arms. Ling and Linda were on the other side of the bed looking at the baby. She grinned when her husbands entered the room and said, "Sorry to ruin dinner plans. You can blame little Beth here."

There was a gasp from Dr. and Mrs. Hayes as they realized the honor done for their daughter. This family surprised them every time they turned around. Ed leaned over and examined the infant. She had perfect little hands that grasped his finger when he touched her palm. Smiling up at Kelly, Ed said, "Look, she's holding my finger."

Dr. Hayes was about to comment that it was a reflex action, but Kelly held a finger to her lips cutting him off. She watched as Ed looked over the baby with wonder written on his face. John, impatient to see the baby, finally said, "My turn."

"Oh, sorry. It's just such a miracle," replied Ed as he backed out of the way. He went over to Ling and hugged her tightly. In a soft whisper, he said, "In nine months that will be you lying there with your child."

Ling hugged him back and joked, "By that time, you'll be broke in as a father. You'll know how to change a diaper, feed the baby, and burp her."

John was bent over looking at the baby as Kelly watched him. He was touching the baby and saying, "You're a special one, little Beth."

Ed asked, "How are you feeling Kelly?"

She smiled at Ed and said, "They say that this is the easiest birth they've ever seen here at the hospital. I'm feeling fine and ready to go, but they want me to stay here for a day just to make sure there aren't any complications."

Teasing, Linda said, "I better be careful, she's going to be able to catch me now."

The nurse came into the room and said, "You folks are going to have to leave now. She needs her rest."

As they filed out of the room, they each kissed Kelly and then little Beth. Gathering in the hall, Mrs. Hayes cried, "It's so nice of you guys to name your baby after Beth."

Wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, Dr. Hayes said, "Most unexpected."

Winking at Ling, Ed said, "We all knew that the name was going to be Elizabeth if it was a girl and everyone except John knew that it was going to be John if it was a boy."

John turned around in surprise and exclaimed, "What?"

Smiling at John, Linda answered, "If it had been a boy, the name was going to be John."

Bob who had been waiting by the door joined the discussion in the hall. With a wry smile, he said, "She didn't like my suggestion of Go as a name, but I think that Go Carter has a nice ring to it."

As everyone groaned, Bob held up his hands as though he was about to get hit. Even Linda, who usually enjoyed bad jokes, had to say, "That's horrible. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Rather than reply to the charge, he said, "Dr. and Mrs. Hayes, may I drive you back to the house. Visiting hours start at eight in the morning and I'll be happy to bring you back here for them in the morning."

Home from the hospital, Kelly came into the informal living room finding Ed seated on the sofa with little Beth in an infant sling. The baby, sleeping peacefully, grasped one of Ed's fingers as he read one of his journals aloud in a calm deep voice. She watched him as he read the article and finally commented, "That baby can't understand a word you are saying."

Smiling up at Kelly, he said, "She is happy when I read to her. She holds my finger."

Shaking her head, she said, "I've told you a hundred times that it is a reflex action."

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I know better. She likes holding my finger," replied Ed, smug as Beth strengthened her grip on his finger. Looking down at the sleeping infant, he said, "She wants me to read to her some more."

Kelly shook her head and left the living room as Ed returned to reading the journal to her daughter. Since she had come home, it seemed as if the only time she saw little Beth was at feeding time. Not that she minded, since she was still tired from giving birth. How many mothers had so much free time on their hands after giving birth?

Ling came into the room and watched Ed reading to Beth. She had to wonder what kind of person would read an article about plate tectonics to a four-day-old infant. When he struggled to turn the page, she said, "Have you seen Kelly?"

"You just missed her."

Smiling at her husband as he returned to reading, she slipped out of the room. It was her intention to give her wife a nice massage. John came into the room and sat down across from Ed. He smiled and said, "She prefers physics."

Looking over at John, Ed asked, "Don't tell me. My time is up?"

"Yes it is."

Ed slowly stood up and removed little Beth from the infant sling. Handing Beth to John with care, he said, "Here she is."

Removing the infant sling, he set it on the chair next to John. John, cradling Beth in his arms, replied, "Thanks Ed. I'll see you later."

Picking up the journal, Ed dropped it off in his room. After that he went in search for Ling thinking that she could use a belly rub. After searching for her, he finally gave up and went into the kitchen where Marguerite was cooking some sort of soup. Teasing, he asked, "What kind of witches brew are you making now?"

Turning to look at him, Marguerite said, "One of your favorite brews. Wisconsin Beer Cheese soup."

Making a face and holding his hands around his throat like he was choking, Ed said, "Ack!"

Unperturbed, Marguerite said, "If I remember correctly, the last time I made it you ate two helpings."

"Bah! I couldn't believe it was so bad after the first helping. I had to eat another just to verify it."

Marguerite laughed and retorted, "You've never eaten more than one bite of anything you don't like."

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Ed asked, "Have you got anything for me to snack on?"

Without missing a beat, she opened the refrigerator and removed a plate of raw vegetables from it. Setting them down on the table in front of him, she said, "Here you go."

Taking a carrot off the plate, he said, "Do you just keep a plate of this stuff around all of the time?"

She looked at him as if he asked her if she had flour in the kitchen. Shaking her head, she said, "You guys ask for snacks at least seven times a day. There are three things that I keep ready at all times. Snacks, iced tea, and smoothies."

Linda entered the kitchen with Leroy and sat down at the table. Grabbing a piece of celery she started munching on it. Leroy joined them at the table and said, "We were looking for a snack."

Winking at Leroy, Ed said, "I bet some iced tea would go great with this."

Within a minute, Marguerite had set a pitcher of iced tea on the table with three glasses filled with ice. Ed filled the three glasses and handed them out. Taking a sip of his, he settled back in his chair happy with the world. Linda said, "You look like you just finished watching the baby."

"Yes, she was holding my finger again. She prefers my little finger because it fits in her hand better."

His insistence that little Beth liked to hold his finger was well known. Linda and Leroy smiled at each other rather than challenge him on that point. As the snacks slowly disappeared off the plate, the conversation flowed around the table in the easy manner of people that knew each other very well. When the snacks were finished, Linda asked, "Would you like to visit my room for a little while, Ed?"

"Sure," replied Ed. He didn't get enough chances to be with Linda. She tended to spend more time with Leroy and John than him.

When Ed entered Linda's room, a modern chair that seemed out of place from the rest of the furniture surprised him. The chair had a sloped back and a sloped seat that formed a v shape. There was a third sloped portion that the legs would rest on. She caught him looking at it and said, "I bought that chair for a very special reason."

"What reason?"

Turning to face away from him, she looked over her shoulder and answered, "Strip and I'll show you."

Curious, Ed undressed taking his time. Once he was naked, she said, "Sit down in the chair."

Sitting down in the chair, Ed found himself leaning back with his half hard erection pointing up in the air. Moving with a grace that was natural to the woman, Linda removed her clothes teasing Ed with her body as she undressed. The effect on Ed was electric and his cock stood up straight fully hardened.

Moving to straddle the chair, Linda slowly lowered herself upon his cock. The slow movements teased his cock providing enough stimulation to keep him erect, but not enough to further excite him. Once she was impaled on his cock, she leaned back resting her back on his legs. It was a very comfortable position and one that Ed knew he could keep for hours. Closing her eyes, she started contracting the muscles in her cunt producing a milking sensation on his cock. Ed remembered the first time he had been in a position similar to this and flexed his buttocks giving a very small thrust into Linda.

She moaned in pleasure, but did not increase the stimulation on his cock. After about ten minutes, she was panting as she approached an orgasm. Relaxed in the chair, Ed ran his hands over her breasts playing with her nipples. His actions drove her over the edge and she came.

Leaning forward, her right nipple brushed against his lips. Taking the hint, he started sucking on her nipple while running his tongue over it. He ran his hands over her back, tracing a line up and down her spine. Coming again, she made her little panting noises. Her cunt muscles contracted around his cock leading him closer to orgasm.

The pace of lovemaking was slow and leisurely. The chair prevented him from straining himself to support her. She could lean back giving him access to her front or lean forward allowing him to suck on her breasts and rub her back.

After about thirty minutes, she started bouncing on his cock, while flexing her cunt muscles. The two sensations were about to drive him crazy as she came again. When he was almost about to come, she leaned back against his legs and started rocking her hips. Now he was groaning as his body was close to orgasm, but not close enough to come.

She continued to change her style of movements while riding him. It was never enough to cause him to come in a normal orgasm. After a while, he did start to come, but it was the strangest orgasm of his life. Rather than huge jets of come, it trickled out of him as his entire body flushed and reacted to it. Once it started, it didn't end even after Linda climbed off him an hour later. His body was drenched in sweat as was hers.

Lying in the chair, he stared up at Linda in amazement still feeling little aftershocks of orgasm. No one would ever believe that he had just had an orgasm that lasted more than an hour. He said, "That was incredible."

Legs wobbling, Linda swayed before she sat on the floor next to Ed. As her hand wandered over to his cock, she answered, "I spent almost a month doing nothing but reading sex manuals on how to give a man the ultimate orgasm. I found a story on how to give a man an hour-long orgasm. I bought this chair just to do that for you. "

"For me?" asked Ed surprised that she had gone to that much trouble.

Smiling at his surprise, she said, "You don't even know what you did for me, do you?"

"I didn't do anything special."

"You made it possible for Leroy and I to join the family. There was no way that we could have come up with the money for even one share," replied Linda as her hand slowly stroked his cock returning it to a state of constant flow.

As Ed shuddered under her administrations, he moaned, "Oh. That feels so good."

A wicked smile came over her face as she saw the effect that her hand was having on Ed. She hadn't realized that once he had started coming like this that he could continue for as long as he was stimulated. Bending down, she flicked her tongue over the head of his cock savoring the taste. She could taste herself and his come, a mixture of flavors that she had learned to love.

The flow of come from the end of his cock was slow and steady. His body shook as waves of pleasure washed over him from head to toe. This was the most unbelievable experience of his life. She continued her actions until her back could not take another minute in the uncomfortable position. Stiff and sore, she stood and stretched looking down on the nearly unconscious Ed seated in the chair. His cock still seeped come.

Ed woke in the chair feeling weak and drained. Stiff from being in the same position for too long, he slowly stood and looked around for Linda. She came from her study upstairs with a glass of iced tea and handed it to him as she said, "You need to drink something."

Grateful to have something to drink, Ed accepted the glass and drained half of it. The liquid flooding into his body refreshed him more than the nap. She took such good care of him without making demands. Looking up at the smiling face of Linda, he said, "I love you."

His words brought a glow of happiness to her face as they did every time she heard them from a member of the family. They never missed an opportunity to reinforce their feelings for each other. If you were up, they told you they loved you. If you were down, they told you they loved you. Always the words were conveyed with an intensity of emotion that made you believe that it was true and not just a habit of repetition. As she sat on the floor beside him, she asked, "How was it that I was so lucky to find you and the rest of the family?"

Ed reached out and brushed his hand against the side of her face in a tender gesture. With true humility in his voice, he answered, "Everyone in this family asks themselves that question every day. I don't think anyone of us has ever come up with a satisfactory answer to that question."

"Let's get washed up and join everyone else."

The shower was a simple affair where they washed each other without it turning into a sexual episode. For his part, there was no way that Ed could have achieved an erection. For her part, she reveled in his gentle touch as he took care in washing her body. That satisfied more than the hot and heavy breathing that she would have experienced if he had concentrated on giving her sexual attention.

In the informal living room, Kelly was seated on the couch breast feeding little Beth. A look of bliss was etched into her face as the baby suckled life nourishing milk from her breasts. Watching the sight, Ed commented, "As much as she likes holding my finger, she loves her mother's breasts even more."

Rolling her eyes, Kelly just looked at Ed with a smug smile. No matter how much they told him that it was a reflex action on the part of the baby, he would not believe it. She decided that it wasn't worth arguing about. Changing the subject, she said, "You look wiped out."

"It's her fault," replied Ed with a gesture towards Linda.

Holding onto his arm with both of her hands, Linda answered, "He just had an orgasm that lasted two hours."

"Is that possible?" asked Kelly with great surprise.

"It's possible, but I think I was unconscious for the last half hour."

The baby finished nursing. With a confident gesture, she put the baby over her shoulder and patted her back. After less than a minute of patting, the baby belched and then calmed down. Kelly removed the baby from her shoulder and held her in the crook of her arm. Looking over at Ed, she asked, "Would you like to hold her for a minute while I get cleaned up?"

Bursting into a smile, Ed answered, "Sure."

After sitting down, Kelly handed him little Beth. To her surprise, little Beth reached out with a hand searching for Ed's finger. Finding it, her hand closed around it and the baby relaxed. Ed looked up at Kelly and said, "She likes holding my finger."

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it."

Linda sat next to Ed on the couch and snuggled against him. She said, "I guess Damsels just naturally turn to you, even if they aren't in distress."

Amazed at what she had just seen, Kelly left the room. As she stepped out, Cathy came over to Kelly and said, "There's a Colonel Grey from the army here to see Ed."

Kelly replied, "He's in the informal living room with little Beth and Linda. I guess you can bring the visitor here to see him."

Cathy returned to the office. Several minutes later, George brought Colonel Grey to the informal living room. The military man, dressed in his formal uniform, entered the room and found Ed and Linda sitting naked on the couch. A simple glance at Ed was sufficient for him to recognize the scars from knife wounds and gun shots. Every military officer recognized those signs of war. Ed was still holding the infant in his arm as the infant held his finger. Looking up at the man, Ed said, "Hello?"

The man, uncomfortable with the scene, turned towards the door so that he wasn't directly facing the couple. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Are you Ed Biggers?"

"Yes, I am."

The entry of Kelly into the room surprised the Colonel. Still naked, she extended a hand to the Colonel and said, "I see you found your way here."

The military man looked around uncomfortable with so many naked people in one room. He stuttered, "Yes, George brought me here to see Ed."

"So what do you need to see me about?"

"I was ordered to come here. The Joint Chief of Staff requests that you perform a service for your country."

Smiling down at little Beth, Ed asked, "What do you need?"

"It is classified."

Ed looked up at his wives and said, "I guess I had better take him someplace a little more private so that he can tell me what he wants."

Kelly sat down next to him and accepted little Beth from him. Little Beth wouldn't release his finger until he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Chuckling gently, she said, "I stand corrected. She does enjoy holding your finger."

Ed led the Colonel from the informal living room and took him to his study. Sitting at the chair of his desk, he pointed to the other chair. In a very business-like voice, he asked, "So, what do you need?"

The Colonel, still uncomfortable with dealing with a naked man, said, "We have captured a terrorist and need to question him. Unfortunately, he has been mixing truth and lie with equal ease."

"So why me?"

"You have a reputation in certain government circles as a human lie detector. We need to get the truth out of this guy before the rest of his team can carry out their plan."

"When do we need to leave?"

"Now. I'm supposed to take you to Luke Air Force Base where a jet is waiting for you."

Surprised, Ed said, "That's a long drive."

The Colonel replied, "My helicopter is parked at the baseball field of the high school."

"Oh," replied Ed. He thought about it and said, "Let me make a call."

Turning to the phone, Ed picked it up and called the security office. George immediately picked up the phone. After a short exchange, Ed turned to the Colonel and said, "Have your helicopter land in our back yard. They can land without getting shot down. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

At the news that his helicopter could land without getting shot down, he asked, "How would you have shot down our helicopter?"

"Industrial lasers," replied Ed as he stood. Without further comment, he left the room to dress and pack for the trip. The Colonel looked around the huge study, seeing the collection of rocks mounted on shelves that lined three walls. Over the desk was a picture of a blue crystal with a caption written underneath it. Leaning forward, he read the caption out loud, "Carterite?"

With a negligent tone in his voice, Ed said, "Yes, I found that in Antarctica and it appears to be a new mineral. I just have to verify that and we will name it Carterite."

The sudden comment behind him startled him. Turning, he examined Ed standing behind him fully dressed and stared in amazement at the man standing in front of him. Dressed in blue jeans, western style shirt, cowboy boots, and cowboy hat, Ed looked like a cowboy. The clothes were worn in all of the right spots to indicate that he had spent more than a few hours on horseback. He had not been warned what he would find at the Carter household, only that he should expect to be surprised.

Ed said, "We have to go down to the safe to pick up something before we go."

Picking up his saddlebags that contained several changes of clothing, Ed went to the door. The Colonel followed behind, surprised at the direct and business-like approach that this cowboy took once they had reached the office. As they went downstairs, Ed headed towards a room at the back of the house. Putting his palm on the reader, a voice came on over the intercom, "Is that you Ed?"

"Yes, George. Unlock the door."

Once the speaker had buzzed, Ed entered his code onto the keypad. The door finally opened letting them into a very bare room. Entering the room, Ed put his palm on the reader and a massive steel door slowly swung open. The Colonel had only seen such an elaborate safe in high security areas. Ed said, "Only two people can open this safe."

The Colonel asked, "Why do you need a security system like this?"

Picking up a black box from a shelf in the room, Ed answered, "When John and I work on major operations against criminal organizations, we like to know that the information is safe. All of our security measures are designed to protect us from criminals. They've even come at us with missiles."

The dry manner in which Ed related their need for security surprised the Colonel even more than the reasons why they had such extensive security arrangements. Holding up the box, Ed said, "This is the first time I've had a need to use this."

"What is it?

"A psychological weapon."

The answer didn't make sense to the Colonel, but he didn't make a comment. When Ed left the walk-in safe, he shut the door behind him. Ushering his guest out of the front room, Ed closed the door behind him. Turning, he found a very naked Ling standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and her legs spread. In a confrontational tone of voice, she said, "Are you planning on going somewhere dangerous without me?"

The Colonel stood there looking at the petite woman in shock. The woman projected a sense of power and strength that was all out of proportion to her size. Ed replied, "I'm going somewhere, but it is not dangerous. The person they want me to talk to is already in custody."

"Okay, you can go," she replied.

Ed reached over and patted her stomach as he said, "You have someone more important to protect right now."

Realizing that she had not thought of the life growing inside her in that fashion, she relented and said, "Take care of yourself. If you come back with a scar, you will have to face the wrath of Ling."

With a fake look of terror on his face, Ed said, "Not the wrath of Ling! Anything but that."

Relenting, she grinned and said, "Get out of here."

As the two men went to the back door, the Colonel, in a condescending tone of voice, said, "She's a feisty little lady."

"Feisty? She's downright dangerous. I feel sorry for anyone that gets into a fight with her. She's a nationally ranked martial artist. If she wasn't pregnant, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't become national champion in the upcoming competition," remarked Ed.

The Colonel slowed down and looked over his shoulder as Ling headed towards the front of the house. It wasn't until he saw her in motion that he recognized the kind of grace and ease of motion that was characteristic of the very best in martial arts. Impressed, the Colonel said, "Oh."

The helicopter was waiting for them in the backyard of the house. George was standing by the door, watching the helicopter sitting in the middle of the sandy backyard. When Ed stepped out the backdoor, George said, "I'll return to the security center now."



-------

Chapter 23


The conference room was filled with lots of important acting people that irritated Ed by their superior attitudes that screamed, "I know secrets that you don't know." In response to half of the questions that he asked, the answer was always the same. The answer was classified and he didn't need to know. Ed was half tempted to teach them what would happen if he really wanted to know the answers to his questions. They wouldn't even introduce themselves to him.

One of the men asked, "So they tell me that you are a human lie detector."

"I can recognize the truth from a lie," replied Ed.

"Prove it," said another man.

Going from man to man, Ed asked, "Have you ever acted against the interests of this country in exchange for money?"

After asking each man the question, Ed turned to the one man in the room that had lied. He asked, "Was the amount of money that you've accept more than a million?"

The man answered, "No!"

Ed looked at him and asked, "More than five million."

"No!"

After a few more questions, Ed established that it was for a million and a half. He then asked, "Was it a government that bribed you?"

There was a reaction to that question throughout the room. Many of the people in the room were well aware of the kinds of operations headed by this man in the past. The man replied, "No. I've never taken a bribe."

The first part of the question was the truth, but the second part of the question was false. Ed asked, "Was it money from a terrorist organization?"

"No!"

"A drug organization?"

"No!"

The money had come from a drug organization. The men in the room shuffled in their chairs uneasy at what they were observing. Ed continued to grill the man for the next half an hour. By the end, he sat back and said, "This gentleman has accepted over a million and a half dollars in bribes from the Colombian Kali Cartel to warn them about raids against their assets. He has deposited the moneys in a Cayman Islands bank."

One of the men stepped out of the room for a minute and returned with two armed guards. They led the man that he had questioned out of the room under a cloud of suspicion. There had been no way that Ed could have known that the man had been involved in a series of ineffectual raids against the Kali Cartel over the past two years.

After things returned to normal, the man that had challenged Ed to prove his abilities said, "That was a most impressive demonstration."

"Now, can you tell me about the man that I'm to interrogate?"

"That's classified."

"Then everyone here is wasting their time. I'm out of here," replied Ed as he stood to leave. He was about to tell Colonel Grey to return him to his house.

Ed's reaction was not what the men in the room had anticipated. One of the men shouted, "Okay, we'll tell you everything you think you need to know."

Ed sat down and asked, "Who is the individual that I'm supposed to interview?"

Colonel Grey answered, "His name is Hamid Huessan. He is an Iranian extremist that believes that the United States is a land controlled by Satan."

"What religious sect?"

"He's Shiite Moslem and belongs to a terrorist organization that has declared Jihad against the US."

"Do you have a hint as to what kind of action was being planned?"

Sighing, the Colonel looked around the room before he answered, "We arrested him because he was a known terrorist and is a highly wanted man in connection to other terrorist acts against the United States. When we grabbed him, he had receipts for the materials for a car bomb, but we have been unable to locate that material."

Ed asked, "So you have no idea where and when they plan to strike."

The Colonel answered, "That is correct."

Looking at the men seated around the room, Ed didn't doubt that some of them knew things of which Colonel Grey was unaware. Turning to each man in turn, he asked, "Is that the full story?"

One by one, the men answered yes. When one of them lied, Ed asked, "So what is it that you know that hasn't been mentioned yet?"

"Damn it," swore the man Ed had singled out. He looked around the table and said, "We have some intelligence that suggests a major attack over the holiday seasons."

Waving his hands in a circular fashion like he was directing a driver backing up a large truck, Ed said, "The rest of it."

"We believe it will be on the West Coast."

Ed said, "Thank you."

He resumed going around the room asking each man if he had been given the full story. There were no further lies, although a few volunteered additional details knowing that trying to hide them would be useless. When they had finished, Ed said, "I will need a couple of things to expedite the interrogation."

"What?"

Licking his lips, Ed rubbed a hand over where the medallion rested on his chest. The warm comforting feeling that permeated him let him know that his requests were consistent with his service. He answered, "I will need two Korans of historic value that would be easily recognized by a Shiite fundamentalist and a translator."

"The man does speak English."

"Doesn't matter. I want a translator."

Colonel Grey answered, "It will take us a day to do that."

"Then it will take a day. I'll meet the suspect when everything is ready."

"By the time you finish questioning him, the holidays will be long gone," exclaimed the man in frustration.

Looking at the man in distaste, Ed said, "I imagine it will be sunset tomorrow when I finish questioning him."

"That guy lies like a snake."

Ed stood as he said, "And I knew nothing about that man earlier, but I found out details about him that no one in this room knew in less than an hour."

Colonel Grey stood and said, "I'll take you to your quarters."

As they went to a barracks, Ed looked around. It reminded him of his time spent in the Army. The Colonel said, "I saw that you were in the Army for two years as an enlisted man."

"Yes, I was," replied Ed as he watched a group of soldiers walking to a barracks. They walked in time with each other unconsciously. He asked, "Are you going to take me to the officer's club for dinner?"

"Yes."

"Good. I've always wondered what the inside of an officer's club looked like," replied Ed with a smile. He had been curious about that when he was an enlisted man and had sworn that he would get inside one at some point in his life. At least now he would have a chance.

That evening, Ed walked into the officer's club with the Colonel. He was disappointed to see that it was little more than a fancy restaurant with a bar and dining room. An attractive hostess led them to a table. As they walked, Ed examined the men sitting at the tables. There were several Colonels, a few Captains, and a number of Lieutenants.

He examined the menu and decided that it wasn't much better than in average restaurant. Looking through the items available, he asked, "Do they serve most of these meals with Broccoli?"

"Yes, they do," answered the man with a puzzled expression.

"I hate restaurant Broccoli," replied Ed.

The Colonel laughed and said, "You're in luck. Tonight is Mongolian Barbecue night."

Ed asked, "What is that?"

"We go over to that buffet over there and load up a bowl with sliced meats, fresh vegetables, and various sauces. They cook it for us."

Remembering the Chinese food that he had at the wedding, he thought it might be a nice adventure. There was only one question to ask, "Do they have Broccoli?"

"Yes, but you don't have to get any," replied the Colonel with a smile. This guy confused him. Coming here, he had slept through most of the flight with a total lack of interest. Then he sits through that meeting without letting the intelligence asses get the better of him. The only thing that had thrown him was the Mongolian Barbecue. He added, "Let's go up there and prepare a bowl."

Ed followed the Colonel to the buffet. There were thin slices of beef, chicken, pork, and shrimp. Following behind the officer, Ed watched what he put in his bowl and followed suit. He hadn't much experience with some of the vegetables that were available. Looking at the bean sprouts and bamboo sprouts, he decided to skip those.

Reaching the sauces, he read the directions twice on the various recommended mixes. The young captain in line behind him started to grumble, but stopped as soon as he saw the look on the face of the Colonel. Ed fixed one of the sauces and looked at his bowl. He followed the lead of the Colonel and set the bowl on the counter.

The cook grabbed the two bowls and put them on a large circular grill. Ed watched fascinated as the cook slowly walked around the grill, breaking up each pile of food and mixing them to cook evenly. He turned to the Colonel and said, "That's amazing. I've never seen anything like this. The closest thing I've ever seen like this was a Chinese chef cook using a deep half sphere pot."

He turned to look at the young captain behind him and said, "This is the neatest thing I've ever seen. I'm going to have to bring our cook here to see this."

The young captain nodded as he answered, "Your cook?"

"Oh yes. I bet she would love to see this." Ed was very excited and watched with the enthusiasm of a young child. He turned to the Colonel and said, "I can't wait until little Beth gets old enough to see this."

The Colonel asked, "Was that the baby you were watching at home?"

"Yes, my wife Kelly had her a week ago. My wife Ling is expecting in eight months. I have no doubts that Linda will want to be next."

The young captain asked, "How many wives do you have?"

"I have three wives and two husbands," answered Ed as he watched the cook sweep the ingredients off grill and into the bowl in one simple movement. The cook set the bowl up on the counter and the Colonel picked it up. Ed watched as his food was swept into the bowl. Accepting the bowl from the cook, he said, "Wow, you are really good at that."

He returned to the table where the Colonel was already eating his bowl of food. Ed sat down and tasted his dish. Sitting back surprised, he said, "This is pretty good. I like it much better than the sweet and sour chicken that I had."

The Colonel shook his head and ate. As Ed ate, he tried to figure out what would make it taste even better. After a few minutes, he decided that some broccoli wouldn't be bad added to this dish. When he had finished his bowl, he looked up and asked, "Can we go up there again?"

The Colonel laughed and answered, "Sure."

Ed beat the officer to the buffet and started loading up his plate. When he skipped the bean sprouts, the Colonel suggested, "You might want to try a few of those this time. They taste a lot better than they look."

Deciding to take a chance, Ed put good portion of them in his bowl. He even put a couple of pieces of broccoli in the bowl this time. It was with the same enthusiasm that he watched the cook prepare this meal. The Colonel said, "There's a tip jar there."

Ed dug into his wallet and pull out a fifty. He dropped it into the tip jar and accepted his bowl. The Colonel looked at the fifty and then over at Ed. Shaking his head, he accepted his bowl of food. Returning to the table, he asked, "Do you realize that you gave him a fifty dollar tip?"

"Sure, I really enjoyed that."

It was mid-afternoon when the Colonel came to get Ed to interrogate the prisoner. Ed carried his saddlebag over his shoulder and the black box in his hands. Leading him to an isolated building surrounded by barbwire and guards, they entered through a sequence of gates. Inside, Ed was met by several of the men that had participated in the briefing the previous day. With them was an Arabic man wearing a turban and robes. His beard was almost as long as John's and was a salt-and-pepper gray. He looked at Ed and then turned away in disgust.

At the reaction of the old man to Ed, the others in the room looked at Ed wondering how he was going to react. Ed smiled as he set down the black box. Opening the saddlebag, her removed the black robe of his office and put it on. He fished out the medallion so that it was visible. In a commanding voice, he said, "Touch my medallion."

The old man turned and looked at Ed. His eyes narrowed and he spate, "Infidel. You will defile these books."

Looking the old man in the eye, he said, "Touch my medallion."

"I shall not touch it!" shouted the old man. He recognized the Druid medallion for what it was. At one time, they were known as Magi and opinion differed as to the role of Magi in the Islamic world.

Ed challenged, "Is your faith in Allah so weak that you believe he will not protect you?"

The old man reached out to rip the medallion from Ed's chest. Instead, the man reacted as if a bolt of lightening had struck his body. As everyone stared in disbelief, the man's hair turned a solid white. Eyes wide, he stared at Ed and exclaimed, "I saw Allah. He spoke to me that it was time for peace."

Nodding at the truth of what the man had said, Ed commented, "Your beard has turned white."

The man picked up two books as he said, "The jewel encrusted Koran was owned by a descendant of Muhammad over three hundred years ago. This book has been handed down from Ayatollah to Ayatollah for over a hundred years. I know that you will honor them."

Ed gave the man a half bow as he accepted the books. With respect, he said, "I shall care for these books. I ask your permission to allow the prisoner to place his hand upon the one with jewels."

"The man you are questioning will never harm the Koran. You have my permission."

"Thank you," replied Ed.

Colonel Grey led Ed into the interrogation room. Looking around the room, it was too bright. Ed said, "Before we begin, can we turn down the lights in here?"

The Colonel answered, "No."

"Then remove two thirds of the bulbs in here," replied Ed as he looked at row after row of fluorescent light bulbs.

"I don't understand."

"Don't worry, you will."

They waited while a man came in to prepare the room lights in the manner Ed demanded. The Colonel had observed many interrogations in the past and already this one had deviated from anything that he had ever seen. He wondered what would happen when the prisoner was brought into the room.

Seated at the head of a metal office table, Ed arranged the items on the table with great care. At the far end of the table was a very old copy of the Koran in Arabic. The book was at least three hundred years old, leather bound with jewels encrusted on the cover. Next to him was a copy of the Koran that was a hundred years old and his crystal ball. After he moved his medallion outside his robe where it was visible to everyone, he turned to the Colonel. The Colonel had watched Ed arrange the room with surprise at the focus displayed by the man.

Ed turned to the Colonel and said, "Bring him in with the translator."

A middle aged Arabic man was brought into the room with chains on his legs. His arms were bound to a leather belt around his stomach. A young soldier, with an MP armband on the sleeve of his shirt, led him to the chair at the end of the table. A young man from army intelligence entered the room behind them and took a seat at the center of the table. As the prisoner looked at the copy of the Koran with reverence, Ed said, "Release his right hand."

After a glance at the Colonel, who nodded his head, the young soldier released the right hand of the prisoner. The prisoner stared at Ed with horror on his face. His eyes took in the robe and the medallion. The crystal ball confirmed his worst fears as he realized that he was dealing with a sorcerer. Ed smiled at the discomfort exhibited by the prisoner and said, "Put your hand on the Koran."

As the translator gave the instructions to the prisoner, Ed picked up the other copy of the Koran and set it directly in front of him. With careful motions, Ed put the crystal ball with the stand on the Koran. The prisoner watched every move that Ed made even as he put his right hand on the Koran. Looking up at the prisoner, Ed asked, "What is your name?"

"Hamid Huessan." As the man answered, the crystal ball glowed with a pale green color.

"Are you part of a plot to harm Americans?"

"No."

In response to the obvious lie, Ed increased the pressure on the side of the base that would cause the globe to glow a bright red. The prisoner jumped at the change in color. Looking at the prisoner, Ed asked, "Did you honestly think that Allah The Merciful doesn't want the truth to be known?"

Hamid paled at the implication. He had just lied while touching the holy book. He spate back, "Allah knows that I serve him."

The globe swirled a mixture of green and red. The reaction of the globe surprised even Ed as he had gone to push the green when the book under his hand shocked him into pushing the red button as well. Ed said, "You believe that, but it appears that it is not the whole truth."

Holding his breath, Hamid stared at Ed. His right hand trembled on the Koran as the gems glowed on the cover. He asked, "How can you know this?"

Looking at the prisoner, Ed said, "Look at the book on which your hand is resting."

Hamid pulled his hand off the Koran and looked at the book. With trembling fingers, he opened the book and read the inscription inside. His eyes grew large when he saw that a direct descendant of the Muhammad had owned the book. He looked at Ed and said, "Ask your questions."

In half an hour, Ed had managed to get every detail about the planned operation to explode a car bomb in an upcoming Thanksgiving Parade. Throughout the questioning process, the crystal ball continued to glow with a pale green light. Even more surprising, each time the prisoner told the truth, the gems on the cover of the Koran shone even brighter.

Colonel Grey watched in amazement as Ed managed to get every piece of information they had requested. In addition, Ed had identified all of the members of the organization regardless of their involvement in this particular plot. When they had finished, Ed turned to the prisoner and said, "Thank you. You may return to your cell knowing that you have served good today."

With one last caress of the Koran, the prisoner stood and accepted the shackle on his right hand. As they lead him away, he turned and said, "For the first time in a long time, I felt the presence of Allah in the room with us. The more I told the truth, the stronger of a presence I felt. Thank you."

"It is my service," replied Ed with a simple nod of his head.

After the prisoner had been led from the room, a number of people came into the room talking in excited voices among themselves. Colonel Grey said, "That was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen."

With great care, Ed packed the crystal ball and stand into the black box. Turning to face the crowd, he said, "Every word that he said while the light was green was the truth."

"We will close down their entire operation as a result of the information that he gave us."

Nodding, Ed handed the two Koran's to the Arabic man standing to the side. As he set them in the man's hands, Ed said, "These books contain great power. Make sure they have honored places."

The man bowed and said, "You tell me nothing that I do not already know. Are you sure that you are not an Islamic Holy man?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I serve the Gods and Goddesses. Those that serve them value the words of all Gods, including those of Allah. I am humbled that he made himself known here today and in my presence."

The books still resonated with the power of Allah. Reverently, the man held the books to his chest and said, "You are welcome in my Mosque."

"Thank you."

The man left taking the books with him. The others in the room looked at Ed with awe as they had heard the interaction between the religious men. Ed stood and stretched. Looking at the men in the room, he asked, "Is there anything else that I can do for you?"

"Not at the moment," replied Colonel Grey after looking at the other men in the room.

"Good. Then I would like to return home. I have a baby girl at home that misses me."

One of the men stepped forward with a new set of identification. Handing them to Ed, he said, "The Director of the CIA wanted you have to the ID necessary to get access to our files in the event that you should turn your attention to crimes of an international nature. You'll answer to him directly."

Very surprised at the action, Ed said, "Oh, okay."

The Colonel led Ed away from the room and took him back to the room outside. Ed removed his robe and then placed it in his saddlebag. Packed and ready to go, Ed waited with saddlebag slung over a shoulder and the black box in his hands. Colonel Grey said, "I'm surprised at the amount of information you were able to get out of him in such a short time. I expected you to be here for a month."

"I serve the truth."

"How did you get the gems on the Koran to glow?" asked the Colonel.

"I didn't. That was the work of Allah," answered Ed in such a matter of fact voice that the Colonel had no way to respond. It went far to explain the comments of the Ayatollah who had brought the books.

The Colonel led the way through the building to the exit. As they walked, he was lost in his thoughts about what he had seen. At the door, he asked, "You are really a human lie detector?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "Just try lying to me."

The Colonel realized that Ed possessed a gift with far reaching consequences. His interview with the terrorist had merely scratched the surface of what he could do. He was the perfect spy, able to distinguish between lie and truth was a phenomenal ability.

Ed spent another night at the base, too tired after the interrogation to travel home. As he settled into his bed, he realized that events had taken place in the room that were not expected. The man that saw Allah, the spark that caused him to signal a lie and a truth at the same time, and the glowing of the stones on the Koran were totally unexpected. He recalled the instructions given to Deacon Jones to go to a church and meet the son of his God. There were things at work here that he didn't understand.

The trip home was long and quiet. Trying to break the silence, the Colonel asked, "So what did you think of the Officer's Club?"

"I had always imagined an Officer's Club as being a little grander than it was."

The Colonel laughed as he replied, "It depends on where you go. Some bases have nicer clubs than others."

Ed was still thinking about the role that Allah had played in the interrogation. Surprising the Colonel, Ed said, "I would expect to see some major changes in the Middle East in a couple of years. You might tell your superiors to watch for the emergence of new religious leaders that are much more moderate."

Surprised, the Colonel asked, "Why do you say that?"

"The Gods and Goddesses are working for peace among the followers of all Gods and Goddesses."

It was with great relief that the helicopter dropped him off at the school ballpark for the short walk home. He walked along the road quietly and soon came to Shirley's. Deciding that he wouldn't mind stopping in for a little conversation and a drink to take the edge off his thirst, he crossed the street and entered the bar. Edward, one of Shirley's husbands, was behind the bar.

As Ed sat at the bar, he said, "Hello Edward. What's up?"

Handing a coke to Ed, Edward answered, "The baby is sick, so I'm watching the bar while the wives are taking care of him. John is such a small baby that it's hard to watch him suffer like that."

After taking a sip of the cold drink, Ed sighed and said, "So how's parenthood?"

Shaking his head, Edward answered, "I don't know how two parent families do it. There are four of us taking care of one little child. It's not that I'm complaining because it isn't that tough when it is shared amongst four people, but it's hard to believe that a couple could do it without getting worn out."

Laughing, Ed said, "I know what you mean. It's a whole lot easier to spend the day with the child when you've had a full nights sleep."

Nodding, Edward said, "Still, I love having the kid around. He's so much fun."

"I got called away for a day and I couldn't wait to come back. I guess you heard that Ling is expecting a baby. Eight months from now we'll have another baby in the house."

"You sound excited about it."

"I am very excited about it," replied Ed. He didn't know how to put into words the feeling that came over him when he thought about having children. It was a mixture of awe, happiness, and love. He knew that his wives could have named the emotion with great ease. Shaking his head, he said, "I feel so good when I think about our house filling up with children, that I don't even know how to describe it."

"I know what you mean," replied Edward as he sat down on the barstool behind the counter.

"It seems that I've done nothing great compared to watching over Beth."

Edward asked, "Ed, you've done just about everything there is to do. You've been a cowboy, hero, explorer, religious leader, scientist, professor, investigator, husband, parent, and I don't know what else you've done. Is there anything left for you to do that you haven't done?"



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Part 4: Adjournment

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Chapter 1


... to live a full life.

How to measure a full life? Is it the number of days that the body has walked upon the planet? If one day is the same as the next, should they not be counted as one day of life, rather than two? If one year is the same as the previous year, should they not be counted as one year?

When a man lies dying, his whole life flashes before his eyes. It is not the day to day life that is replayed, but only the moments that are different. The tears that run down the face of a dying man is not from the loss of life. It is the sadness that comes from the realization that after eighty years of walking around on this planet that he had only lived a hundred days. There is the regret that twenty nine thousand days were not lived. Twenty nine thousand days wasted pursuing the mundane rather than the passion!

The elderly look back to their days as children with fondness. Those were the days when each day was an adventure. There was growth, there was change, and life was vibrant. Later in life, adults live through the lives of their children, tasting of it second hand. In old age, life becomes filled with the aches and pains of a body slowly losing vitality. The days that are lived become trips to hospitals, funerals of old friends, and the entry into a nursing home.

The childlike behavior of the elderly can be viewed as an attempt to reach back into the well of wonder and newness that defined living for a child when all things were possible. The adult behavior exhibited by those from their mid-twenties to late fifties can be viewed as a quelling of life's experiences. Adults don't run or play with little toy cars or leave work to have an adventure. Adults perform their adult responsibilities, responsibilities that are entirely artificial. Adults may dream, but to pursue those dreams is irresponsible. The growth of assets is achieved at the expense of living.

The furniture that was new when they were twenty becomes out of style when they are forty. The furniture bought at forty becomes out of style at sixty. The old dusty houses of the elderly are not a comment on not caring about their environment, but recognition that changing the furniture is not living a life.

Many of the elderly give up, realizing that they have lost their chance to live. Fragile bones preclude skiing down a steep slope. Erections are difficult to achieve and the potential for orgies is greatly diminished. Sitting on their front porch, they watch as the world passes by, becoming embittered that they are not part of it. The episodes of anger when disturbed by children that run and scream, making noise of joy, is not anger at the children, but anger at the fact that they can't run and scream. The days of joy have passed for them.

Twenty nine thousand days wasted when they could have been lived.

Awake, Ed sat at the table eating his breakfast watching Marguerite. He asked, "What's going on?"

"I know nothing," she replied smugly.

Her words rang true, she knew nothing about what was going on. He asked, "So where is everyone?"

"I don't know," she replied with a wry smile knowing this was driving him crazy.

The entire household had disappeared right after breakfast, leaving him sitting alone at the table. They had taken advantage of the fact that he was slow first thing in the morning to leave before he realized that something was going on with them. Looking at Marguerite, he said, "Let me guess. They are planning something, but left you out of the plans so that you wouldn't be able to leak the secret."

"That's right, buddy," replied Marguerite enjoying the moment tremendously. Her role in the plan was to be the secret keeper. With Ed, that meant she had to know nothing about what was happening.

"Where's Beth?" asked Ed feeling that he could at least spend the morning with the baby.

"Kelly took Beth with her when she went out," replied Marguerite. The reason wasn't that they were afraid that Ed would find anything from the six month old little girl, but that Kelly wanted her close so that she could feed her.

"Cathy?"

"Out."

"Who do I ask about my schedule today?"

"As far as Cathy would let me know, you have nothing scheduled today," replied Marguerite with a smile.

"Did she tell you that?"

"Yes, she told me that you had nothing scheduled today."

"So I guess that means I could go out into the desert for the day."

Marguerite's smile faltered as she replied, "Ah, I don't think that is in the plan."

Ed smiled at her discomfort and said, "Maybe I should call someone and find out if I can do that."

Frowning, Marguerite said, "That would spoil things."

"Oh, so there is something to spoil."

Frustrated, Marguerite said, "You are horrible. How is anyone supposed to surprise you if you can question them to the point of discovering everything?"

Thoughtfully, Ed said, "I don't even know why they would want to surprise me about anything."

"You don't?" asked a very surprised Marguerite.

"No clue," replied Ed. He hadn't had a major accomplishment in the past few months that would warrant a celebration. He asked, "So you want to tell me what it's all about?"

"No!"

"Okay, I'm going for a swim. At noon, I'm going to go to Shirley's for a coke," said Ed. It was funny, but he actually felt lonely. Mornings were usually spent with Ling, rubbing body lotion onto her swelling belly. Then he would go to work at the University for several hours. After that he would swing by the IRS, the Fusion Foundation, or his investment company for an hour or two. Coming home, he would spend the late afternoon with Beth reading to her while she held his finger. His typical schedule for the end of the day included dinner with the family, sunset with the men, and the evening with one of the wives.

Marguerite smiled and replied, "That sounds like a good thing to do."

With a sad long face, Ed asked, "Would you like to join me in the pool?"

"No. You may have a day off, but I have work to do."

Ed walked back to the poolroom, pausing for a moment to examine the new glass door that now blocked entrance to the poolroom. The door, with nice frosted designs etched into the glass, had been installed as part of baby proofing their house. That had not been the only change, a number of plants had been removed from the atrium when it was discovered that they could be poisonous when eaten by young children.

Once inside the poolroom, he undressed, placing his clothes in a neat pile on one of the chairs. Sitting on the edge of the pool with his feet dangling in the water, he considered what kind of celebration his family could possibly be organizing. Deciding that he would never be able to figure it out, he slid into the pool and stretched out on his back. With slow kicks of his legs he traveled the length of the pool, stopping just before his head hit the edge. Turning around, he swam twenty-five vigorous laps using the breaststroke and ten laps using the Australian Crawl. Breathless, he stood in the pool to catch his breath for a minute before swimming at a slower pace to allow the muscles to relax properly.

Exiting the pool, he went over to the Jacuzzi and sat down to let the jets of hot water massage his body. With his head tilted back, he wondered what he could do for the rest of the morning. The bar was closed until lunchtime and Maria's Restaurant wouldn't open until evening. Climbing out of the hot tub, he dried off and dressed.

Swinging by the kitchen, he told Marguerite, "I'm going for a walk."

She asked, "Where are you going?"

"I thought I'd head into town."

Marguerite laughed and asked, "Would you like to try my lemonade?"

Ed hadn't drunk any lemonade since returning from Bill's house on the way back from Antarctica. He said, "Sure, I'll give it a try."

After hearing all kinds of noises coming from the kitchen, Marguerite returned with a glass of lemonade complete with half a lemon floating in it. There was actual pulp and seeds in the glass. Taking a sip, he was surprised by how sweet it was. Looking up at Marguerite, he said, "This is the best lemonade that I've ever had. How did you make it?"

"The juice of two lemons in a shaker with lots of sugar and crushed ice. Shake it until your hands can't hold the shaker anymore and pour it into a glass. Add half a lemon and serve immediately."

"Wow, this is outstanding," said Ed as he took another sip. It was cold and refreshing in a way that iced tea wasn't.

"You guys drink too much iced tea. I'm trying to expand your repertoire of drinks."

"Why?"

"You need a little vitamin C occasionally. You drink coffee and tea. At least the women drink smoothies." For years she had put glasses of various juices out for breakfast only to have them totally ignored by the men. John had a tendency to eat and run, drinking only a single cup of coffee. Ed drank cup after cup of coffee struggling to wake up. Leroy drank a cup of coffee to wake and then drank a second one while talking to everyone else.

"I drink cokes," said Ed as though that meant something.

"Coke might as well be the same as tea. It has sugar and caffeine." Marguerite was about to add that he wasn't getting any younger and needed to take care of himself, but she bit the comment back. Deciding on a different tact, she said, "You want to set a good example for the kids, don't you?"

"Of course I do," replied Ed shocked that she might even consider that he wouldn't.

Marguerite said, "Well, that means drinking fruit juices with breakfast and milk with lunch and dinner."

"Oh," replied Ed. He hadn't had a glass of milk in years and could hardly remember how it tasted. As he tried to remember the last time he had drank any, he realized that it was when he was in the army.

He took another sip of the lemonade realizing that the days where he sat around drinking iced tea was about to come to an end. Perhaps the time the men together spent watching sunsets would be the only time of the day when they could revert to drinking iced tea. As he thought about it, he realized that he could have chocolate milk and milk shakes. He asked, "Do you have any good milk drinks?"

The question surprised Marguerite as she thought about it. She remembered a Peachy Apricot Milk drink that another chef had served in cooking class when she had just entered the Culinary Institute. Smiling, she said, "I think I have some experiments to perform."

Watching her dance her way into the kitchen, Ed knew that she would busy for the next couple of hours coming up with milk drinks. He finished the lemonade and wandered out of the house. Noticing Maria outside her house, he walked in her direction. When she saw him and ran into the house to avoid him, he was absolutely floored. It reminded him of his days as a bully. Looking around the street, he noticed that other neighbors ran into their houses when they saw him coming.

When he reached downtown, all of the stores had signs on them proclaiming that they were closed. It was a plot to keep him from finding out what was going on and he couldn't believe how well it was working. The family must have thought this through very thoroughly to be able to keep it from him. It dawned on him that there was one place that would always be open. Smiling, he walked across the street to the Sheriff's office.

Entering the Sheriff's office, he saw the Sheriff sitting at his desk. Sauntering over, he said, "Hello, Sheriff."

"Hello, Ed. How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine. Can you tell me what is going on?"

The Sheriff came out from around the desk and smiled at Ed. He said, "Let me show you something Ed."

The Sheriff led Ed over to one the cells and pointed inside. He said, "John said that if you were to come by that I was supposed to show you that envelop."

The Sheriff's words were the truth. Still Ed was suspicious and said, "Would you get it for me?"

Shaking his head, the Sheriff answered, "Nope. John said that if you wanted to know what was going on, that you would get it."

The Deputy came in and looked at Ed. Shaking his head, he said, "I've been real curious as to what that note says."

Everyone was telling him the truth. He asked the Sheriff, "Are you going to lock me inside?"

"Nope," replied the Sheriff. He turned and left the room.

Ed went into the cell to get the letter with the Deputy. As Ed bent down to get the envelope, the deputy stepped back and closed the cell door. When Ed turned around, the deputy closed the door separating the cells from the Sheriff's office. Angry with himself for having fallen for the trick, he opened the envelope and removed the letter inside. He read it aloud, "Gotcha!"

After testing the door and confirming that it was locked, he sat on the bed and thought about the extreme measures they had taken to hide whatever they were doing. They had succeeded beyond what he thought was possible. He sat back and waited to be released, somewhat amused at the situation.

A couple of hours later, the door opened and John walked into the room. Leaning against the doorframe, he said, "I hear that someone was disturbing the peace."

Ed looked over at John and said, "Yes, you disturbed my peace. Now get me out here and tell me what is going on."

John went to the jail cell and unlocked it. Laughing, he said, "Come on, I'll buy you a couple of wimps over at Shirley's."

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?" asked Ed frustrated by the lack of information about what was happening around him.

John said, "Come on, I'll buy you a couple of wimps over at Shirley's."

"You're not going to tell me are you?" He could tell that John wasn't telling the truth about buying him a drink.

Smiling at Ed, John walked out of the room and dropped the keys on the Sheriff's desk. Turning, he waited for Ed to come shuffling out of the cell room. When Ed caught up with him, John asked, "Did you have a nice morning?"

"Bah!"

When they left the building, Ed stared at the street in amazement. The whole town was standing in the street shouting, "Surprise!"

He took a look around the street. There were tables with food and drinks. One table had a huge pile of presents on it. A fifty-five gallon drum that had been turned into a barbecue grill was over by one of the tables piled high with steaks. A huge sign hung across the street that read, "Happy 40th Birthday, Ed Biggers."

John said, "Speech!"

Hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand, Ed shouted, "I forgot that it was my birthday."

His announcement was greeted with laughter, as no one believed that he could possibly forget his birthday, particularly his fortieth. A number of people shouted, "The first thing to go when you get old is your memory!"

Laughing at the good-natured jibe, Ed said, "I am completely surprised. My family went so far as to throw me in jail to keep me from finding out about this party."

Nudging John in the ribs, he whispered, "I'll get even with you for that."

To the crowd, he said, "I love this town! Where else in American can a man have the entire town turn out for his birthday? Thank you so much for coming. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

Amid cheers, Ed entered the crowd getting handshakes from the men and kisses from the women. John shouted, "Time to have lunch!"

As people moved around, Ed took his time heading to the food. Kelly came up to him bouncing on her toes with a great big smile on her face. Giggling, she asked, "Did you enjoy your time in jail?"

Leering at her like a lecher, Ed replied, "I missed the prison babes."

Kelly laughed at the memories of the games they had played while sleeping in the jail in Colorado on the occasion when John became the Grand Druid. She replied, "We couldn't find any other way to keep the secret from you."

Ed asked, "Where's Beth?"

"She's with Leroy, over there," she answered as she pointed across the crowd.

Hugging her, he said, "I love you."

Kelly glowed with happiness, but retorted, "Now that you're a dirty old man, I'm going to have to watch out for you."

"Let me tell you a little secret. I've been a dirty old man ever since I met you."

Kelly laughed and led him away to a crowd of his neighbors. Maria, Rosa, and Carlos were waiting to talk to him. Carlos greeted him with a handshake and said, "It's all down hill from here."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Ed joked as he looked at the older man. His neighbor looked younger today than he did several years ago.

Carlos laughed and said, "I have two wives to keep me young."

Putting her hands on her hips in a posture of mock anger, Rosa teased, "Then why are you always saying that you're too old to handle both of us?"

Backing away feigning fear, Ed said, "I'm not going to get in the middle of this!"

There was a general round of laughter as Rosa and Maria bracketed him and said, "Are you sure that you don't want to be in the middle? We're really good at double teaming men."

"Too late. I've been triple teamed and know my limitations," retorted Ed. He leaned over and whispered in Maria's ear, "You might want to ask Linda how to give a man a two hour long orgasm."

Maria looked at Ed with wide eyes. At his nod, she looked around for a second and made straight for Linda. Ed laughed and put a hand on the shoulder of Carlos as he said, "You have become a very lucky man. You're in for a real treat now."

Carlos looked at Ed and then over at Maria talking excitedly with Linda. Concerned, he asked, "What did you tell her?"

"I'm not going to tell you, but when she shows you what she is learning from Linda I'm sure that you'll erect a statue of me in the center of town."

"Or burn you in effigy."

As Ed turned to leave, he replied, "We'll see."

He headed towards other pockets of people that he knew. Joe Ortega caught up with him and said, "Ed, I need to talk to you for a minute."

"Ah, Joe. It's good to see you. How's business?"

"Business is great. We now have trucks working in Phoenix and most of this region of the state," replied Joe with pride. He added, "It's great seeing Dad walk through town with pride. For years he thought very little of himself and now he is a community leader."

"I'm so happy for him," replied Ed. The change in the Ortega lifestyle had been radical. For years, Manuel Ortega had been the poorest man in town. Now, he was one of the richest.

"I have some bad news for you," said Joe hesitantly.

"Is everything all right with you and Juanita?" asked Ed with concern. He didn't want to hear that they were having marriage problems or that his evening spent with the wife had created any discord in their marriage.

"Oh, things are fine between us. We're even thinking about having a child."

"That's great. As a new father, I can tell you that having a child is wonderful," remarked Ed in relief.

"We're moving out of your house in a month. They've just about finished building our dream house."

Extending his hand, Ed said, "Congratulations. I bet you'll be happy to move into a new house."

"You're not upset?"

"Upset? Why would I be upset that you've done well enough for yourself to move out of that little house? Just the other day I was looking at my old house wondering why you were still living there. Since you're going to have a family, you'll really need the room," replied Ed surprised that Joe would be worried about his reaction to the news that Joe was moving up in the world.

Shifting from foot to foot, Joe said, "You've been so good to our family. I was just afraid that you would take it that we didn't want you around anymore."

Putting an arm around the young man's shoulders, Ed said, "Joe, I've never wanted anything more for you than success. I'm so happy that you and your father took that business to the level that you have. I hope that you guys become nationwide one day."

"Nationwide?"

"Sure, I'd be thinking about franchising the operation if I were you," remarked Ed as he imagined the Manuel and Son trucks running all over the country.

Joe stared at Ed with his mouth open and said, "I think I need to talk to my father."

"Are you going to have a house warming party?" asked Ed.

"Of course, we'll be sending you an invitation."

Trying to think about what kind of gift to get Joe and Juanita, Ed asked, "Can you tell me a little about your house?"

"Sure. It's actually two houses. The front house is larger for Juanita and I. It has four bedrooms and a huge kitchen. The back house is for my parents. Dad is looking to retire in a couple of years."

The news that Manuel was thinking about retiring was news to Ed. He asked, "Do you have a pool?"

Joe shook his head and answered, "No. It just seemed to be a bit too much money. We'll do that later."

"I take it that you and your father haven't given yourself a raise since your business started growing," remarked Ed.

"We're putting everything into growing the business. We are taking a long term perspective on it, rather than short term."

"Smart," replied Ed, deciding that he would give them a swimming pool or a Jacuzzi as a wedding present.

Joe looked over at his father who was standing in line to get some food. He said, "Let me go talk to my father."

"Okay." Ed watched as Joe raced to his father and pulled him from the food line. The old man looked irritated for a minute and then got very excited. The two men walked off talking to each other with a great deal of animation. Manuel was waving his arms as he talked, reminding Ed of a parody of an Italian conversation.

Shirley startled him when she said, "So what did you tell them to do?"

"Nothing, really. I just asked when they were going to franchise their hauling business."

Shaking her head, she replied, "Nothing, really?"

"Yeah."

Just a couple of weeks ago, Ed had mentioned to Maria that she should open another restaurant in Phoenix since she made the best food in the state. Maria was seriously considering the suggestion. She said, "You aren't going to be satisfied until everyone in town is richer than you."

Laughing at the comment, Ed replied, "Nobody is richer than me. I have two husbands, three wives, and a baby that love me."

"Your husbands and wives must love to hear you talk about them like that," replied Shirley.

Changing the subject, Ed said, "I can't believe that the whole town turned out for my birthday. Isn't it amazing?"

"Not at all. It seems that everyone has learned how to play in this town. By the way, are you doing the Haunted House this Halloween?"

The Haunted House had become one of Ed's favorite projects. He had hired a guy that made holograms to help make it very scary. The kids were going to love it. He answered, "You bet. I've arranged for all of the orphanages in the county to come visit this year. We have a couple of retirement centers coming in to play witches, too. They make great witches."

Shirley laughed as she imagined the green makeup on little old ladies turning them from sweet old grannies into horrible looking witches. The natural wrinkles would give the image a legitimacy that no amount of makeup could provide. Sidney, her blind husband, played a mummy last year with quite an impact as the bandages covered his eyes, but he could still find the kids in the darkened room. She said, "Sidney enjoys that so much. He really gets into being the monster in the dark."

"It's going to be incredible this year and I think Sidney will enjoy the role we've got for him this year."

"I'm glad to hear that. He's been bugging me if I've heard anything about it," remarked Shirley. The only one in the family that didn't participate in the Haunted House was Mary. It was a shame, but she felt that the scars from her burns made her freak enough and that showing them in the haunted house would be painful. Ed understood her feelings, always making an offer so that she wouldn't feel left out, but never pressing the issue.

This year, he planned to have people working in the background running the holograms and active displays. Smiling at Shirley, Ed added, "I even have a job for Mary this year in the Haunted House and I think she'll take it this time."

"You know how she feels about this."

"I know exactly how she feels about this. That's why I'm confident that she'll enjoy doing it this time," replied Ed with a knowing smile.

Ed moved through the crowd, talking to one person after another - finding out what they were doing, making suggestions on things they might consider, and learning more about his neighbors. The character of the town had changed a lot from the day when he had challenged John in the bar.

A third of the families in town consisted of more than two adults. Half of the other families had open marriages. There were still those that held to a conventional marriage, but their marriages tended to be based on more open dialog than ever existed before. Last year, there hadn't been a single divorce in town. Half of the graduating class from high school was headed to college. Others were stepping into family businesses or had other concrete plans.

As Ed waited in line to get some food, he noticed that people talked to each other. There weren't any pushing, arguing, or nasty comments about the wait. No one tried to cut in line. If a friend came along, a person would move to the end of the line to be with them rather than squeeze the friend at the front of the line. He commented to Wanda, the owner of the flower shop, "You've got to love this town. Have you ever seen people this pleasant in a line before?"

Wanda smiled at Ed and answered, "No. I never thought this town would be more accepting of a Lesbian than a big city."

Ed smiled at her and whispered, "After watching my wives together, I know I don't stand a snowball's chance in hell of changing the mind of a confirmed Lesbian. I think most of the men in town know that now, too."

She laughed and replied, "I think you're right. I haven't heard anyone say that one night with a real man would change my mind in ages."

Leroy came over with Beth and said, "She wants you."

Beth was repeating continuously, "Eh, Eh."

It took just a minute for him to put on the baby sling and get Beth installed in it. She settled down and fell asleep immediately. Her hand was closed around Ed's finger. Wanda looked at the sight and said, "She definitely knows what she likes."

Ed whispered, "It doesn't get any better than this."



-------

Chapter 2


Sitting on the floor, Ed was playing with the blocks as Beth crawled towards him. She was able to move around the room with ease and fast enough that it was difficult to catch her when she wanted to evade a pursuer. Without much of an effort she sat up to concentrate on the blocks that Ed had stacked one atop the other. With great deliberation, she knocked the bottom block out of the stack and watched it fall down. Looking up at Ed, she said, "Good."

Ed rebuilt the stack and watched as Beth studied the stack. Reaching out, she knocked out a middle block. Again the entire pile fell, as the top blocks brought down the bottom blocks as they traveled back to the floor. A frown crossed her face as she said, "Bad."

Ed was about to rebuild the stack, when Beth started grabbing the blocks. Watching her as she recreated the tower, he was struck by the concentrated effort that she made to reproduce his tower to the same number of blocks. Once it was done, she looked at it for a long time before knocking the top block off the tower. The tower remained standing as the knocked block fell harmlessly to the side. A smile crossed her face and she said, "Good."

She replaced the block and then knocked off the top two blocks. Again, the rest of the tower remained standing as the two blocks landed to the side. Looking up at Ed, she said, "Good."

Staring at her open mouthed in amazement at what she had done, Ed said, "That was very interesting Beth."

John looked up from the couch where he was reading a journal article and asked, "What was interesting?"

Ed answered, "Beth brought down a tower of blocks by knocking the bottom block out. She then tried knocking the middle block out, but the whole tower fell. Then she rebuilt the tower and knocked off the top block leaving the tower standing. She rebuilt the tower again and then knocked the top two blocks off."

"That is interesting." John wasn't surprised that Beth was knocking the structure down and rebuilding it. He had read that a lot of children did that, but she was doing it a little earlier than most children did.

"It's even better. She commented good and bad if the behavior was what she expected."

Sitting up a little straighter at the new information, John asked, "Really?"

"Yes, really," replied Ed. Ed added, "Her expectations were pretty good."

"It would have been interesting to see what she would have thought of frictionless blocks," replied John. He considered the demonstration of gravity that she had performed a couple of days before. Noticing that Ed had rolled his eyes, he added, "She's a physicist."

"I think it is too early to say that. She said that my rocks were pretty," replied Ed.

"She just built an arch! She's either a physicist or an architect. Besides, your rocks are pretty even if you aren't a mineralogist," commented John.

The men were still discussing the future occupation of their daughter, when Beth said, "Mama Ling."

Both men looked up at Ling standing at the entrance to the informal living room. Her swollen belly looked like it was about to burst any moment. A grimace crossed her face as she bent over. Anyone could see that she was having a contraction and a major one at that. Ed pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial. One the second ring, Dr. Hayes answered, "Hello."

Excited, nervous, and happy at the same time, Ed exclaimed, "Ling is having a contraction!"

"Calm down. Has her water broke?"

Ed looked over at Ling as John was helping her into the room. He asked, "Has your water broke?"

"Yes."

Seeing the excitement of the adults in the room, Beth started to get fearful. As Ed relayed the message to the doctor, he reached down and picked up Beth. She immediately calmed down in his arms.

Dr. Hayes said, "Get her to the van and stop by to pick me up. I'll ride with her to the hospital. You and everyone else can follow in your own cars because I don't want the van crowded in case I have to deliver a baby."

Ed hung up the phone and said, "John, get her to the van and pick up Doc Hayes. I'll get everyone else and we'll meet you at the hospital."

John picked up Ling and carried her out of the room despite the fact that she could still walk. At least he didn't run, although he did walk a little faster than necessary.

Looking down at Beth, Ed smiled and said, "You are about to become a big sister! I think that you'll love being a big sister."

After a minute of looking at Ed, Beth said, "Mama Ling."

"She's okay. She's having a baby and we need to take her to the place where people have babies," replied Ed.

Ed picked up the phone in the room and called Cathy. When she answered, he said, "Cathy, let everyone know that Ling is on her way to the hospital to have a baby."

This was going to take a little time since Kelly was in her bedroom, Leroy was at the University, and Linda was at the library. Chuckling at how difficult it was to get the whole family in one place, Cathy answered, "Okay, I'll send out the word."

Within minutes, Kelly showed up in the informal living room. She looked at Beth snuggled comfortably in Ed's arms and listened as he explained to the baby that she was about to become a big sister. She interrupted, "You two ready to go to the hospital?"

"Yes, we were just talking about how Ling was going to have a baby," replied Ed.

Shaking her head, Kelly felt that Beth was too young to understand exactly what that meant. She went over and accepted Beth from Ed. The first action that Beth performed was to grasp the medallion that hung around Kelly's neck. Noticing the action, Kelly said, "She just loves my medallion."

Puzzled, Ed said, "She totally ignores mine."

"That's because she's always holding your finger," replied Kelly with a smile. She had come to believe that Beth really looked forward to being with each of her parents. She dealt with each of them in very individual ways. If she was feeling finicky, no one could calm her down faster than Linda. It was interesting how fascinated Beth had been with Ling's belly. It was as if she could feel the life growing within Ling. Beth would race around the room, crawling as Leroy chased her and then they would reverse roles. Of all the relationships, the one between Beth and John was the most complex and hardest to describe.

Getting out of the chair, Ed put an arm on Kelly's back to guide her to the car. On the way out of the house, he stopped and picked up the baby bag with spare diapers, a change of clothes, and a book. After that, it was a matter of buckling the baby into the baby seat of the car. It always amazed Ed at how much longer it took to get somewhere with Beth along.

At the hospital, Ed and Kelly went to the waiting room. Dr. and Mrs. Hayes were already in the room, sitting on two of the chairs talking to each other. When they entered, Mrs. Hayes said, "Give Beth to me so that I can be a grandmother for a few minutes."

Laughing in acknowledgement that getting time with Beth was difficult at best, Kelly handed the baby over to the elderly woman. Mrs. Hayes bounced Beth on her knee remarking, "She's such a well behaved baby."

Puzzled by the comment, Ed asked, "Why wouldn't she be well behaved?"

"Some babies are fussy."

"When she's fussy, we give her to Linda and she calms right down," answered Ed as though that explained everything. Of course, having six parents meant that each could deal with the child in their own fashion. Linda calmed her down and Leroy cheered her up.

It wasn't long before Linda and Leroy showed up in the waiting room. After a quick hello, Linda headed off into the hospital to be the Lamaze coach for Ling. Leroy came over to Dr. and Mrs. Hayes to see how they were doing. Leroy had basically taken care of the elderly couple ever since they had arrived. However, little Beth had different ideas about what Leroy was supposed to do and exclaimed, "Daddy Leroy!"

When Beth started to struggle, Mrs. Hayes set her on the floor. Within seconds, Beth was racing around the room, crawling as fast as she could. Leroy was on his hands and knees chasing her. Even though she was outpacing him, he called, "I'm going to get you!"

After about four circuits around the waiting room, Beth was tired and hungry. She returned to Kelly and slowly stood up using Kelly's leg as a support. With a wink at Leroy, Kelly picked her up. Once Beth had reached her lap, she started pulling at the buttons of the shirt. Getting the hint, Kelly undid her blouse to feed her. As Beth went to suckle, her hand closed around the medallion.

Ed noticed the gesture and thought about it. Most people missed the medallion, not seeing it unless it was pointed out to them. Beth was always aware of the medallion as though it was a bright presence that couldn't be ignored.

Mrs. Hayes watched the domestic scene with interest. When she was a mother, most women used a bottle to feed their children, often times without ever breast feeding the child once. When she was a mother, a woman with money never bared her breast to feed a child, especially in public. She commented, "In my day women didn't breastfeed their babies. I think we missed something special."

After years of hearing her mother talk about breast feeding her, Kelly replied, "My parents were free spirits and I was breast feed. I guess that was kind of exceptional at the time."

Listening to the conversation, Leroy had a totally different perspective. He had seen lots of women breast feeding their children when he was growing up. He said, "My parents weren't rich and lived in the country. Breast feeding was very common."

For Ed, the conversation was about a topic that he had never given any thought. It was an interesting discussion, as he had never thought about how people raised their children in such fundamentally different ways. He had always thought that everyone fed babies milk out of a bottle. He couldn't remember ever seeing anyone breastfeeding a baby before. By the time the discussion ended, Beth had finished feeding.

Another family came into the room just after Kelly had finished buttoning her blouse. There were two women and two men. It wasn't difficult to identify the relationships among the group. The two men were brothers, about two years different in age, and differed only in behavior. The younger brother was very nervous while the older brother was calm. The elderly woman was the mother of the young men. The younger woman was married to the calm brother.

The people were not well dressed. The brothers wore tee shirts with the names of bands on them and looked like they did manual work; at least when they worked. The older brother had a pack of cigarettes rolled in the sleeve of his tee shirt. The wife wore shorts and a halter-top; her hair was cut short and styled in spikes. The mother was dressed in tight fitting jeans and a frilly blouse.

The younger woman came over to Kelly and, smiling at Kelly, bent down to look at Beth. She tickled Beth and said, "Goo, Goo, Gah, Gah."

With a look of puzzlement on her face, Beth said, "Huh?"

It was at that moment when Kelly realized no one in the family ever used baby talk with Beth. The thought of talking nonsense to the baby had never occurred to any of them. The woman was puzzled by the baby's odd response. She said, "Is she deaf or something?"

Looking over at the woman, Kelly explained, "She doesn't understand what you said. Could you maybe restate what you were saying?"

Without really thinking about it, Leroy added, "I didn't understand it either."

Confused by his statement, the woman said, "It isn't supposed to mean anything, it is baby talk."

Everyone sat there for a moment not knowing exactly what to say. Finally, Leroy asked, "Beth, do you like baby talk?"

"No."

As she shrugged her shoulders as an apology, Kelly looked up at the woman and said, "I'm sorry. She doesn't like baby talk."

The woman scoffed, "You can't be serious. She can't understand that much."

As her fingers rubbed the medallion around Kelly's neck, Beth answered, "Can."

Looking at the woman, Ed asked, "Why would you make nonsense sounds to a baby so that they spend their time trying to learn a nonsense language?"

Staring at the baby, the woman returned to sit beside her brother and parents. She answered, "You are supposed to talk to a baby like that."

Leroy said, "She's not used to baby talk. We tend to talk to her like an adult and she is used to that."

The younger man sat in his chair, bouncing his right leg up and down out of nervousness, feeling that his sister-in-law was rather bossy. Hoping to change the subject, he said, "My wife is having a baby today."

Smiling at the young man, Ed said, "So is our wife."

The group just stared at Ed as if he had said something completely unexpected. After considering his words for a minute, the older woman asked, "Whose wife?"

Gesturing to the whole group, Leroy said, "Our wife."

"Oh." It was a very flat response that indicated disapproval. She looked over each of them with distrust. A black man, a cowboy, a woman with a baby, and two old folks. It was a strange group and she suspected they were members of some sort of strange cult.

Wearing his robe and carrying his walking staff, John strode into the room exuding his normal sense of confidence. It only confirmed the other woman's opinion of them. Seeing the family gathered there, he said, "Ling is doing fine and Linda is doing her coaching job. About the time Ling screamed, they chased me out of there."

"So that's why she wouldn't let me be the coach. She didn't want one of the men to see her screaming," said Leroy knowing how proud Ling was about her toughness.

"I guess so," answered Ed not understanding why Ling would not want John or Leroy present.

Going over to Beth, John leaned down and asked, "Do you want me to read to you?"

"Yes," replied Beth with a nod.

Going to the baby bag, John removed the book that had been packed inside it. He sat down next to Kelly and accepted Beth from her. Beth settled on his lap while making a cooing sound. Opening the book, he started reading the chapter on inertia. Watching from across the room, Ed asked, "What happened to the geology book I had packed?"

John didn't answer as he continued reading, but a smile did cross his face. Leroy said, "I think someone changed books on you."

The younger woman across the room asked, "Are you telling me that you actually read that stuff to your baby?"

Ed looked over at the woman and answered, "Of course. Why not?"

"Don't you think that the material is a little advanced?" asked the woman. She looked at her mother in-law with a look that demonstrated her concerns about the ability of this family to raise their children. Whispering to the elder woman, "Social Services?"

"We've been reading this stuff to her since she was born and she has never complained about it," answered Leroy. Shrugging, he added, "I read my biology books to her. John reads physics. Ed reads his geology books. Kelly reads her nursing books to her. She lets us know which one she wants to read to her and we read to her."

Ed said, "She likes holding my finger. When she wants me to read something over, she squeezes it."

Surprised that Beth did that for Ed, Leroy said, "She kicks my leg when she wants me to read something over."

Looking over at the other two men, John said, "She knocks her head against my chest."

Kelly looked at the three men and Beth, hearing this for the first time. She asked, "Are you telling me that she understands this stuff?"

Smiling over at her, Ed said, "She was trying to figure out inertia earlier, but friction got in the way. It was really rather amazing."

The older woman was convinced that these people were making it all up. Chastising them, she said, "You guys are crazy."

Beth answered, "No."

The father to be, who had never understood any of that material, asked, "You guys really read all that stuff to your baby?"

Nodding in the affirmative, Ed said, "Yes. Every day that we are home, we each read something to her."

"And she understands it?"

Shaking her head, Kelly answered, "These guys seem to think so, although it is hard to say. There are times when I think she does."

Changing the subject, Ed said, "We've been here almost an hour. What's the problem?"

Laughing at his impatience, Kelly said, "A lot of women take eighteen or more hours to give birth."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Ed sat quiet thinking about what he had learned. Finally, he turned to Leroy and asked, "That doesn't sound like a reasonable strategy for species survival."

Dr. Hayes said, "It isn't a reasonable strategy. In fact, giving birth was..."

Ed felt a need to prevent the doctor from saying it was the leading cause of death among women at one time. Rather than allow him to complete the statement and worry Beth, Ed interrupted, "Yes, I know that."

Beth had been watching Dr. Hayes as he started giving the facts. When Ed had cut him off, Beth looked over at Ed with puzzlement. She didn't quite understand what he had done. Looking back at Dr. Hayes and holding her hands out to be picked up, she said, "Daddy Doc."

Recognizing that Beth wanted to go to her grandfather, John set her down on the floor. She crawled over to Dr. Hayes and stopped when she reached him. She stood up using his leg for support. It was clear that in a while she would be climbing up in laps on her own. Taking great care not to stress his back, he bent down and picked her up to set her on his lap. Once there, she looked up at him as she said, "Mama Ling."

"Ling is okay. She's having a baby," replied the doctor realizing that Beth was worried about Ling. Smiling down at her, he added, "You are going to be a big sister, soon."

The woman sitting with the other family had been watching the exchange with a strange expression on her face. It was impossible for her to believe that this child could actually follow the conversation. Conventional wisdom said children that young couldn't possibly understand such complex sentences. If anyone had told her that she would observe a baby acting like that, then she would have called him or her a liar. She asked, "Are you happy to become a big sister?"

The question was impossible for Beth to answer. After looking at the women, Beth turned to her grandfather for clarification and asked, "Huh?"

Mrs. Hayes understood the problem and answered, "She has no idea what it means to be a big sister. If you ask her after she meets the baby, then she'll be able to answer you."

Leroy explained, "She's never really seen kids before in that context."

"You people are strange," replied the woman as she tried to determine what game the Carter Clan was playing.

John laughed at the comment while Ed and Leroy exchanged winks. As he settled back in his chair, he said, "We've been accused of that more than once.

One of the doctors entered the room and saw the Carter Clan sitting there. Going over to Dr. Hayes and the baby, he greeted them, "Hello, Dr. Hayes. Hi, Kelly."

As a smile spread over her face, Kelly replied, "Hello Doctor Daugherty, how are you doing?"

Bending down to look at Beth, he answered, "Things haven't been the same since you left. How's the clinic going?"

Dr. Hayes answered, "It's going very well. I love being a country doctor and Kelly is a great nurse."

Beth reached up and stroked the stethoscope around the doctor's neck. After a minute, she said, "Doctor."

Doctor Daugherty laughed and answered, "That's right. I'm a doctor just like your grandfather."

"Good," cooed Beth.

Shaking his head, he remarked, "That is amazing. I was on my way to see Ling and thought I would stop by and say hello to the rest of the family. Where's the lovely Linda?"

Leroy answered, "She's the Lamaze coach and is with Ling right now making sure that she breathing properly."

"Ah, I doubt she needs a coach. I've never met anyone as physically fit or as mentally disciplined as Ling. After meeting her, I recommend the martial arts for young women for the physical benefits," remarked the doctor.

Proud of his wife, Ed said, "She's undefeated so far. By this time next year, I expect her to be national champion."

Winking at Dr. Hayes at the evident pride the family had for their wife, the doctor replied, "I have no doubts about that. Let me go check on her."

Everyone in the room watched the doctor leave. The elderly woman asked, "Did I understand correctly? You are a doctor?"

Nodding in the direction of the woman, Dr. Hayes replied, "Yes, I am."

The conversation was cut short when Kelly looked up and exclaimed, "Here comes Linda!"

Excited, Linda came into the room and shouted, "It's a boy! Nine pounds, eight ounces!"

Everyone responded with excitement. Leroy asked, "When can we see them?"

"They are moving her to a room now. The nurse will come out to show us to her room once she's ready to see us."

Beth continued to look confused, not quite sure what to make of the excitement. She looked up at her grandfather and asked, "Good?"

"Very good," replied the elderly doctor with a smile. He asked, "Are you ready to see your little brother?"

"Yes."

Kelly picked up Beth so that the doctor could stand and use his cane to walk to the room when the nurse came to get them. The rest of the family stood, with most of them stretching to get movement back in their muscles after the long wait. John picked up the baby bag and put the book he had been reading in the bag. They had hardly gotten ready when a nurse showed up to take them to the room. The family walked behind Dr. Hayes as he hobbled down the hall using his cane for a support.

It was a normal hospital room with the standard uncomfortable bed. The head of the bed had been raised so that Ling was sitting up. Her hair was messed up, her face was blotchy, and her makeup was ruined from the effort to give birth. This was not a Hollywood birth. The baby was nestled in her left arm. As the family entered the room, with a tone of pride Ling said, "I want everyone to meet John Carter, Junior."

Surprised, John said, "I'm really honored that you chose to name him after me."

When it was time for Kelly to see little John, Beth stretched her arms and said, "Mama Ling."

At a nod from Ling, Kelly set Beth next to Ling. Beth ran a hand over Ling's stomach puzzled by the change. As Ling laughed at her confusion, Beth looked up at her relieved. Ling said, "Come over here and meet your brother."

Beth crawled across Ling, moving gently, and stopped when she finally caught sight of little John. Her hand reached out, hesitating for a moment, and then touched the infant. Moving closer, she examined him with great interest and curiosity. She looked over at Ling and said, "Small."

Smiling at Beth, Ling nodded as she said, "Yes, he's still very small. You have to help him."

Touching him with a gentleness that was quite striking, Beth ran a hand along his arm. After a minute, she said, "Good."

Kelly picked up Beth and said, "Ling and little John need to rest now."

Without complaining, Beth settled into Kelly's arms. She watched as Ed stood over little John with a smile on his face. Reaching down, he stroked Ling's face in a gentle caress. As Ling smiled, he said, "He's very handsome."

Reaching down, he took little John's hand in his. The little hand almost disappeared in his large hands. The shape of his eyes was the same as his mother's giving his face an oriental cast to it. The hair was black and rather sparse on top. The skin was reddish and would change color over the next few days. When little John opened his eyes, they were the same color gray as his. Ed smiled and said, "His eyes are like both of ours."

Laughing, Ling said, "Maybe he has my temper."

"I'm afraid to reply to that," Ed joked as the rest of the family laughed.

When the family returned to the waiting room, the woman asked, "So, little girl. Do you like being a big sister?"

"Yes," replied Beth. She was silent for a moment as she considered her answer. Finally, looking at the other woman with an unnerving directness, she said, "John is small."

The family looked at each other in surprise as the woman stared at Beth. Finally, the woman said, "She spoke a whole sentence."

Mrs. Hayes answered, "Of course. She's smart, just like her mothers and fathers."

"Aren't you a little old to be married to these young people?" asked the woman.

The question was such a surprise that everyone laughed. Dr. Hayes said, "We are the parent-in-laws. Little Beth is our granddaughter and was named after our daughter."

"So it is your daughter that is having the baby?"

A moment of silence fell on the room as everyone considered their loss. It was Leroy that answered, "No. She was killed when a car ran over her. The car injured her father and we took them in while he was healing. We are lucky that they've decided to stay in the area. He and Kelly have opened a health clinic in the town that serves anyone regardless of economics. Mrs. Hayes is a jewel that lends a perspective on things that we often need."

This didn't sound like the actions of a cult. Usually, cults tried to keep families away from them rather than embrace them. The woman asked, "What kind of cult are you?"

"We are a family, not a cult. We love each other very much," replied Leroy rather irritated at the label.

"Oh come on, you have a group marriage. You have to be some sort of cult. What religion are you?"

Mrs. Hayes answered, "My husband and I are protestant. Our daughter was protestant. Leroy is a Southern Baptist and his father is a deacon in the church. Linda is Catholic. Ling is a Buddhist. Kelly, John, and Ed are Druids."

Confused by the large number of religions represented, the woman asked, "So what religion will you bring up the children?"

"It will be their choice. We will expose them to all of the religions and allow them to choose the one that calls them," answered Leroy. This had been an area of discussion for a long time. They had been careful not to discussion religion in front of Beth.

Grabbing the medallion around Kelly's neck, Beth said, "Lady."



-------

Chapter 3


When Ed entered the library, Leroy closed the book he had been reading with reverence and sat back in the chair of the library looking over at Ed with a thoughtful expression on his face. The material in the book was very inspiring and made him wonder what he was doing with his life. Noticing the expression on Ed's face, he said, "I've been reading the biography of Beth."

"There is a biography about Beth?" asked Ed unaware that one existed.

Looking at the book in front of him, Leroy nodded as he said, "Yes. Kelly and Linda wrote a biography about Beth."

"I wonder why I didn't hear about it," replied Ed. He thought he had been spending more time around the family and thought that if two of his wives were involved in such a major project that he would have known.

Shaking his head, Leroy replied, "They just kind of did it and put a couple of copies here in the library. I was in here when Linda brought them in, otherwise I wouldn't have known about it."

Remembering the words of the doctor that had treated him when the College Killers had cut him, Ed said, "I'll ask her about them. There's a doctor that followed the career of Beth quite closely and I bet he would love a copy."

"I bet he would be pleased," remarked Leroy.

He looked for a minute at Leroy while he considered his words, an action that made the other man uncomfortable. He didn't know of a good way to express the reason why he had come in the room, but it wasn't because of the book. Giving up on finding a good way to say it, he said, "I had an urge to come in here to talk to you for a reason that appears to be inspired by the Gods and Goddess. I don't think it had anything to do with the biography. It has a feeling of a strong hate component."

"Are you saying that you think I hate someone?"

"No, I think that you know about something that is happening that has a hate component to it," replied Ed. He wished that he knew better the source of his urge because that would allow him to better explain what he felt.

Leroy was trying to think of anything that might help Ed, but was drawing a blank. Finally, he said, "I don't know anything about something like that, but my father is having problems back home. To be honest, he hasn't told me much about them."

Ed smiled as he felt the rightness of the statement. He asked, "How about we visit your family for a week or so?"

Leroy considered the status of his research and decided that he could take a week away from it. The field mice were in the early stages of dealing with the onset of colder weather. In the worst case, it would be nice to visit his parents. He replied, "That sounds good to me."

An hour later, the two men were headed to the airport. Ed was excited about being on the trail of another set of bad guys while Leroy was worried about whether he could help in anyway that would be significant. The jet was ready for them when they arrived at the airport and there wasn't any delay before they were in the air. The flight was uneventful, but it only got them part of the way to their destination. There was still a two-hour drive to his parents' house.

After renting a compact car when they had arrived at the airport, Leroy drove the two hours to his parent's house in a small town outside of Atlanta. The drive was uneventful until they were within a block of their destination. A car was parked in the middle of the street, preventing them from driving to the house. Concerned, Leroy turned to Ed and said, "Maybe we should park here and walk the rest of the way."

Tilting his head to his side of the car, Ed said, "We might ask the guy with the shotgun to move the car."

There was a rap on the car window and Ed lowered the window. This would allow him to talk to the man with the gun. The man looked well over six feet tall and was very muscular. A rough estimate by Ed put his weight at a two hundred and twenty pounds with all of it muscular. Ed suspected that he had once played college football by his general build and continued working in a very physical field. In a pleasant voice, Ed said, "Hello. Could you move the car?"

In a strong Georgian accent, the man asked, "What's your business here?"

"We're here to visit his parents." Ed gestured to Leroy sitting in the driver's seat with a negligent wave of his hand.

The man bent down and saw Leroy. For the first time since the car had pulled up, he relaxed his stance and said, "Hello, Leroy. Didn't know you were coming. We'd have welcomed you a little better than this."

Leroy asked, "Hello, Henry. What's going on?"

Shaking his head, Henry answered, "Let me move the car so that you can get down the street. It's a little dangerous to be out here at the moment."

As Henry was about to leave, Ed grabbed the hand that had been resting on the car door. Henry looked down at Ed for a minute trying to decide what to do about this man that dared to grab him like that. With a serious expression, Ed said, "I'm expecting some other people to show up here over the next day or so."

"Will they be white?"

"Probably."

Henry said, "We're not letting anyone in except people that live in the area."

"I'm expecting Druids. You should let them in."

Not knowing anything about Druids, Henry's suspicions returned. It made him wonder if Leroy was here against his will. No one in the neighborhood knew who was responsible for the recent troubles. For all he knew, these Druids could be behind it all. He asked, "How will I know these guys?"

"If you ask them if they are Druids, they will answer yes. To be sure, ask to see their medallion. If they have one, then you'll know they can be trusted," replied Ed as he fished his medallion out from under his shirt.

The black man looked at the medallion with doubt. Leroy said, "Henry, you can trust these guys. If you doubt me, you can ask my father. I know he'll vouch for them."

Grunting at the mention of the Deacon, Henry said, "So if they admit to being a Druid and have one of those medallions, I should let them through?"

"Yes," answered Ed.

Henry waved to someone in the house across the street. A young black man came out of the house and went over to the car. Under the watchful eye of Henry, the guy moved it out of the way. Once the car was out of the way, Henry patted the top of the car and said, "Move on out."

Leroy drove down the road to his father's house considerably slower than he had ever driven down that street. Along the route, three houses had been burned down to the ground. Curious, Ed looked at the houses and finally requested, "Leroy, pull over here. I want to take a look at the houses."

Leroy stopped the car and the two men got out. Ed walked to within ten feet of the house and squatted to examine the ruins. His eyes roamed over the burnt supports taking in features that suggested how the fire had started. Shaking his head, he said, "It looks like somebody threw a Molotov Cocktail in it."

The comment caused Leroy's stomach to perform a flip. Just to make sure that he understood the situation, he asked, "You mean someone burned them out?"

"Might be worse than that. Someone may have been killed in the fire," replied Ed as he examined the structure. Like most of the houses here, this was probably a two-story building with the bedrooms upstairs. The wood framed house would have gone up in flames in minutes. If this happened at night, Ed doubted that anyone would have escaped.

Paling, Leroy said, "Let's get to my Dad's place. He'll tell us everything he knows about what is going on."

Looking closer at the house, Ed realized that there was no sign of furniture. He said, "I just noticed something strange about this. There's no furniture in the house. It was empty when this happened."

Looking around, Leroy noticed a number of neighbors moving out onto their porches. Almost all of them had guns, even the old women had small caliber rifles. He said, "Ed, we've attracted some attention."

Ed stood up and turned to look at the houses lining the street. There were a lot of scared people watching them and he hoped that none of them had an itchy trigger finger. He yelled, "Can anyone tell me what happened here?"

Looking around at the faces of his old neighbors, Leroy knew that if the shooting started that Ed would be the first target. Moving carefully, he positioned himself to shield Ed as much as he could. He shouted, "I'm Leroy Jones, Junior. Can anyone tell us about what happened here?"

One of the old women came across the street walking with the slowness of old age. Grey hair, bent back, and swollen joints gave testimony to a hard life. Her thick glasses suggested that she couldn't have made out their identity from across the street. About half of the way across the street, she asked, "Is that you Leroy?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied Leroy as he moved towards the old woman. He recognized her from his youth. With a smile, he asked, "How are you doing, Mrs. Whitt?"

"Are you still stealing strawberries?" asked the woman with a smile.

"No ma'am, I learned my lesson a long time ago." She had caught him stealing her strawberries when he was about nine years old. Dragging him by his ear, she had taken him straight to his dad. He had gotten a major whipping from his dad that time.

Now that she was closer, she could see Ed. Looking from Leroy to Ed, she asked, "You takin' up with a white boy?"

"Yes ma'am. I've got two husbands and three wives. He's one of my husbands," answered Leroy not sure how the old woman would react to that news.

"I'm not sure if I like that, boy." She frowned in the direction of Ed. It was clear that she didn't approve of the cowboy.

Watching the exchange, Ed knew that it was time to get the topic back on track. He said, "Deacon Jones mentioned to Leroy that there was some trouble here. I've come to help."

She looked at him and asked, "Why would you do that?"

"He's family."

That answer actually impressed the old woman as she came from a generation where family was very important. She asked, "You came alone?"

"Others shall be coming, ma'am," answered Ed. He pointed back to the house and asked, "Can you tell me what happened over there?"

"The old man that lived there died. His son had an estate sale and was going to sell the house. My grandson was going to buy it, but someone burned it down before the sale. The house down the street was for sale, but after someone made an offer it was burned down," replied the old woman. She pointed to the other burned house and said, "Then that one burned in the middle of the night. A family died in that fire. There was another fire on the block over. The people inside were hurt, but they lived."

Quiet for a moment, Ed asked, "Any letters or threats?"

"No. Folks are scared that their house is going to be next."

Ed looked around and said, "That's real odd. It's hard to say what the motive is, but something is definitely wrong."

After a little more polite conversation, Ed and Leroy returned to the car and drove the half block to the deacon's house. Getting out of the car, Deacon Jones and his wife, Cleo, came out of the house to greet their son and son-in-law. Smiling, Deacon Jones asked, "So why are you here?"

Leroy pointed over to Ed and said, "He had a feeling that something was wrong over here and suggested that we come out to lend a hand."

Looking around, Ed added, "More Druids are coming."

At that, Deacon Jones reached to his chest and caressed the small wooden cross that hung around his neck. It was a present from Jesus Christ, given to him in a small church in New Mexico. The Goddess had sent him there, to meet with his savior on Easter Morning at sunrise. There, he had been charged with the sacred duty to help bring about peace among the various religions. Deacon Jones replied, "I'm glad to hear that."

The group went into the house to talk about recent events. The deacon went through the activities of the past two months and answered Ed's questions with care not to speculate. After they had talked for about two hours, the Deacon said, "Let me go talk to the neighbors and spread the word that you are here. I'd hate for something to happen to you."

Laughing, Ed said, "That would be a good idea. I think I'll wear my robes while I'm here so that people will know that I'm supposed to be here."

Ed put on his robe and went outside to sit on the porch as the deacon went through the neighborhood. Several neighbors came over to talk to Leroy to find out how the young man was doing in college. There were a number of comments about his unusual marriage arrangements, but Leroy was able to handle them with ease. More difficult to handle were the racist comments about being married to a bunch of whites.

Without responding to the blatant racial slurs against whites, Ed just sat there and watched the street. When the newspaper came, Ed opened it and read the newspaper very carefully. One item in the news caught his attention. Frowning, he read the article about a number of housing developments that were going up in the area and how the man in charge was a financial wizard. The article struck him as a lie, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Looking up from the newspaper, Ed said, "Leroy, tomorrow I'm going to the IRS. I think I have an idea and need to verify it."

The next morning, Ed sat at the table drinking his coffee struggling to wake up. Leroy was joking with his parents about Ed's normal early morning behavior. Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. When Cleo went to answer the door, she was surprised to find that a very large white man stood at the door. The man was built like Henry and carried a small bag in his hand. In a deep voice, he said, "I heard that a Druid was here."

Rather afraid of the man, Cleo replied, "Ed Biggers is here if that is who you mean."

With a deep rolling laugh, he said, "Ed is here. That's very good. Do you want to let him know that Ted Harper is here?"

Knowing that Ed was still waking up, Cleo was at a loss about what she should do. Taking a chance, she said, "Would you come with me?"

At his nod, she led him to the table where Ed was still nursing his second cup of coffee. Looking down at Ed, Ted noticed the black robe. Knowing that the man was a Druid, Ed asked, "Who are you?"

Ted answered, "I'm Ted Harper."

With a practiced maneuver, Ted whipped out his badge and added, "I'm a Federal Marshall. I understand there are some bad guys in the area."

Looking over at Ed, Leroy answered, "It appears so. Ed is going to the IRS office to follow up on an idea that he had about who might be behind this."

As Ed poured himself another cup of coffee, he said, "More Druids are coming. I'll brief everyone on the matter when I get back from the IRS."

Ted had figured that two Druids were enough to handle most problems. The news that other Druids were expected to come here was bad. It was bad enough that it made the smile on his face disappear. He was silent for a long time before he asked, "How big do you think this is?"

"Big. The things going on here is just the tip of the iceberg," answered Ed. So far, the only motive that he had been able to identify was money, but that didn't explain the sense of pure hatred that he was also feeling.

Turning to face the deacon, Ted asked, "Which entry into the area has the smallest person?"

Deacon Jones answered, "There is a Terry down the way. He's not too big, but he's also kind of old."

"How about I sit over there with him and watch the road? I don't think that Henry fellow needs any help," replied the big man with a smile. His comment brought a smile to a number of people around the table.

Ed commented, "Wear your robe when you are working around here. It will let the people know that you belong."

"Good thinking," replied Ted.

As Ed and Leroy went to leave for the IRS, Jerry Smith wandered up to the house. Spotting Ed, he moved to intercept him before he reached the car. When he was close enough, he said, "Hello Ed. I didn't expect to see you here."

Ed stared at Jerry amazed at how old the man looked. It was easy to forget that Jerry had served the God longer than any other servant of the God. He answered, "Hello Jerry. I see you are wearing your robe."

Jerry laughed at the comment and said, "That mountain guarding the road suggested that I wear it."

Ed asked, "Would you mind providing back up for him until I return?"

With a wink, he said, "No problem."

Ed nodded, "Good. I don't want these folks getting into trouble for trying to defend their homes."

Jerry turned and headed towards the roadblock that Henry was guarding. Watching him leave, Ed hoped that Henry would take care of him if anything happened. It was an unfair characterization, but Ed was worried about the elderly man. It was beginning to get late when Ed and Leroy got into the car. As they drove out, they stopped to warn Henry that Jerry was coming to work with him.

The trip to the Atlanta IRS office was as uncomfortable for Ed as all trips to the offices in large cities. His surprise visit generated significant excitement on the part of the agents of the office. The agents first wanted him to examine all of their cases. Unable to even make a dent in the number of cases that were in their offices, he asked them to bring the twenty largest dollar cases to him. Of the twenty, sixteen were clear cases of fraud and left his hands with many of the entries marked with an 'x'.

Once that was done, Ed went and viewed the records that interested him. After an hour of looking though the records, he sat back confused. The records showed that the man he suspected reported his personal income accurately and also the income for his companies. The amounts were staggering. His declared expenditures were lies, but not the kind of lies that he expected. The figures were way lower than he could possibly justify as reasonable expenditures. It made him wonder why the man was paying more taxes than necessary. Of course, that wasn't against the law.

Disturbed by a lie that didn't seem to yield a truth, Ed found an IRS agent entering the office. Stopping him, Ed asked, "I need someone to do a background check on someone. Are you available?"

Having been out of the office most of the day, the man asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Ed Biggers."

"Yes, sir. I'm available for you," replied the man snapping to attention. He added, "I'm Bill Turner."

Ed nodded and said, "I need to have a local businessman investigated. I need to know everything about how he made his money. I want to know what developments he built, what were they before he took on the project, and how much they made. You are going to have to go to the library and search through at least three years of newspapers. I'd be satisfied with photocopies of all articles. I would like to know this by tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes, sir," replied Bill. He waited for a minute and then asked, "Who is this businessman?"

"Devin Renzy."

"Oh my, he's a big one."

"You don't have a problem investigating him, do you?"

"Not at all. I've been convinced that he's been doing something dishonest, but I haven't been able to show anything. As far as I can tell, he understates his expenses." Bill shook his head as he thought about the number of hours that he had spent on those tax forms.

The men returned to the house of Deacon Jones. The visit in town had lasted much longer than Ed had expected. On their arrival, the Druids that had come in response to inner calls gathered at the house. Ed looked around at the number of Druids present. Ted Harper, Jerry Smith, Annette Baker, and Victor Markovich sat around the table waiting for Ed. Also present were Harry and Deacon Jones.

Annette, the Druid with far-seeing abilities, had come by helicopter. Having a helicopter land on the street in front of the house of Deacon Jones had surprised everyone and caused a near panic among the neighbors. When they had seen the young woman step out wearing her robe and head towards the house, they had decided she was basically harmless.

This was the first time that Ed had met Victor Markovich, a Druid that consulted for the ATF. Physically small in stature, he exuded an energy that manifested itself as an inability to sit still. Half the time, he was bouncing a leg and twiddling his thumbs. Despite his energy, when he concentrated on something his mind was totally focused.

Sitting down at the head of the table, Ed looked around at the people gathered there. After Leroy had taken his place at the table, Ed said, "I have a suspect, but nothing firm yet. This is a very successful businessman that under reports his expenses when filing his taxes. There is no way that he should be that successful, yet he is. I suspect foul play and I believe that he is behind what is going on here."

Leaning forward with a very intense look on his face, Victor asked, "Do you have any proof?"

"No, I don't," replied Ed.

Clearing his throat, Ted said, "I can do a criminal background check on this individual."

Ed replied, "Good."

Annette started making her weaving action and then said, "A car full of men is headed this way. They have guns in the trunk and it looks like Malotov Cocktails in the car with them. They should reach here in about ten minutes."

Henry stared at the woman wondering how she knew all of that. Ed asked, "What direction are they coming from?"

Pointing in the direction in which Henry had the roadblock, she said, "From there."

The Druids in Red Robes leaned forward and started discussing tactics for taking out the men. The goal was to capture them without gunfire. They didn't have much time to make their plans, but one was quickly agreed upon. Everyone except Deacon Jones stood up and left the house.

The car blocking the street was moved into a driveway with Victor behind the wheel. Annette stood at the door weaving as she watched the car approach. It was her job to signal when Victor was to pull out of the driveway. Ed, Ted, Jerry, and Henry waited behind a parked car. They too were watching Annette who would signal when they were to make their move.

Two minutes after everyone had gotten into position, a gray car pulled into the street. Annette raised her hand and Victor backed out of the driveway without looking behind him. The gray car had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car. One of the men leaned out of the window and shouted, "Watch where you're going!"

Seconds later, Annette dropped her hand and the men emerged from hiding. It wasn't long before they had the car surrounded. At the doors of the car, Ted and Jerry had their pistols drawn and pointed at the men inside. Victor joined them at the rear of the car with his pistol drawn. The four men in the car stared in shock at the men surrounding them. Ed said, "Get out of the car and keep your hands up in the air."

"Who are you to tell us that?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "You are surrounded by an ATF agent, a Federal Marshal, a Postal Inspector, and a special agent of the IRS."

At that announcement, the men slowly climbed out of the car. One of the men asked, "Why are you working for the niggers?"

Ed gestured to Leroy to answer that question. With a smile, Leroy answered, "Oh, they are working for you. Look at all of the windows around you."

The man looked around and noticed a huge number of rifle barrels aimed in his general direction. Approaching the men, Henry said, "I suggest that you boys lie spread eagle on the ground until the police show up."

"We haven't done anything wrong. You can't hold us."

Annette came over and said, "They have Molotov Cocktails under the passenger side front seat. There is a rifle that has been converted into a fully automatic."

Henry said, "Sounds like arson and illegal weapons. We'll let the police straighten this mess out."

"Are we under arrest?"

Leroy answered, "You are in protective custody. If we were to leave here, you'd be dead before you could get to the end of the block. The only reason people aren't shooting at you is because we are here."

The Druids backed away so that they wouldn't be the ones making the arrest. It was important that none of them made any comments that could be used to get them off any charges. Henry asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"We've done nothing wrong," retorted one of the men on the ground.

The words sounded like a chainsaw to Ed. He knew that they had done things wrong, the question would be finding out what they had done. Stepping over to Leroy, he whispered, "Ask him if someone is paying him to do this."

"Is someone paying you to do this?"

"No," replied the man on the ground.

Smiling, Ed knew that they were being paid to set fires in the neighborhood. The lie had told him a truth. The other Druids noticed the smile on his face and nodded their heads. Annette said, "The police will be here in three minutes."

Henry walked over to the car as the police pulled up. When the police emerged from the car, one of the policemen asked Henry, "What's going on here?"

"I think we may have caught the arsonists that set fires here over the past two months. According to the information that we have, they have some Molotov Cocktails under the front seat."

The other cop looked around and saw the men in robes. He was about to call for backup when they all pulled out their badges. He froze and then approached to check out their identification. Shocked at the affiliations, he called over to his partner, "We've got four feds here."

On that note, the other cop got out his plastic cuffs and quickly put them on the four suspects on the ground. His partner helped him take care of the suspects. Once they were all cuffed, he called for backup to help transport the men to the local jail. That released the tension in the air and people came pouring out of the houses to see what was happening.

An hour later, the group all met back at the house of Deacon Jones. Henry said, "I guess that is the end of it."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No. This is only the beginning. They were being paid to start the fires."

Henry asked, "How do you know that?"

"He was lying when Leroy asked him if they were getting money. Now we have to find out who is paying them to destroy your community," answered Ed thoughtfully.



-------

Chapter 4


The house was quiet with everyone sleeping with the exception of Annette. In order to take the late watch, she had slept through the afternoon and evening. It made sense for her to take that watch as she could give them the most warning that something was about to happen. A very happy Annette swayed through the night watching the approaches to the town. She almost missed the three men on motorcycles, but saw them in time to give a reasonable warning.

Going into the living room, she shouted, "Three motorcyclists are on the way here with automatic weapons."

Leroy was the first one on his feet. He shouted, "Come on. Get up, guys."

It didn't take a minute before everyone was awake. After a very quick update about the evolving situation, everyone huddled together to work out a plan for dealing with the situation. Given the nature of the attack, there was only one response that was appropriate. The men headed out to their individual tasks.

The three motorcycles drove past the stop sign without even slowing down. As they raised their guns to fire at the houses lining the street, a figure dressed in a black robe stepped out of the darkness to face them with his hand out like a traffic cop signaling them to stop. The headlights of a car parked in front of a house had come on to illuminate the man.

The lead motorcyclist swerved to hit him, but was suddenly thrown end over end as the motorcycle was thrown onto the street. A rope stretched across the street at an angle and one foot off the ground had sent the bike out of control. The second motorcyclist followed after the first. He found himself flying through the air head over heals. The third, having seen the two in front of him crash, realized that he couldn't stop in time and laid the motorcycle on the street.

More men moved out of the dark to surround the fallen motorcyclists. The first was seriously injured. The second, with a broken leg, rolled around on the ground in agony. However, the third was uninjured and came up fighting. When he turned to aim at Henry, Jerry pushed the large black man out of the way while Ted threw himself in front of him. Ed charged at the gunman and tackled him before he was able to do much more than fire several shots in the air.

Henry lay sprawled on the ground with Jerry covering his body and Ted crouched in front of him. Unable to believe what had happened, he stared at the men that were willing to take a bullet for him. These were two white men that put themselves between him and harm. Their actions weren't afterthoughts, but reflexive actions.

The man with the broken leg finally got his hands on a gun and fired in the direction of Ed. Leroy, seeing the man start to act, dove between the gunman and Ed. The noise alerted Ed to the danger behind him and before the gunman was able to aim, Ed had kicked the broken leg. The gun went off once before the man passed out from the pain.

It was only a couple of minutes from the beginning to the end when two of the three men were in handcuffs while the third was lying on the ground unable to move. It looked as if his back was broken. Ed was over by Leroy putting pressure on a bullet wound in his side. It didn't look bad, but it was bleeding. His position as he applied pressure was uncomfortable and caused his leg to cramp.

It was ten minutes before the police arrived with an ambulance close behind. Victor had already arrested the men for weapons violations. The police were faced with federal law officers from four different departments. While Victor took charge of getting the prisoners transported, Ed made sure that Leroy was put into the first ambulance.

Sitting in the back of the ambulance with Leroy and the EMS lady, Ed said, "I appreciate what you did for me, but you shouldn't have thrown yourself in the way. It was a long shot and probably would have missed me."

With a weak smile, Leroy groaned, "Now you tell me."

Laughing at the attempted joke, Ed said, "You know that I'm a dead man now."

"Why?"

"I have to call home and explain why you are hurt," answered Ed.

There was a sharp shout from Leroy as the EMS person worked on him. Regaining control over the his pain and flashing a weak smile, Leroy said, "Ling! Oh, Ling! Where are you?"

The thought of Ling showing up here with Little John in tow was enough to cause a shudder up and down Ed's spine. Making a grimace, he said, "Don't even say that in jest."

The rest of the drive was quiet as the EMS woman worked over Leroy and Ed sat out of the way. He watched as Leroy was prepared for his arrival at the hospital. A catheter was inserted into the back of his hand and a saline drip started. His shirt was cut away from the wound. Looking over at the wound, Ed could tell that it had hit only muscle and that Leroy would be released sometime in the morning; if he was even kept in the hospital.

At the hospital, Ed waited to learn more about the status of Leroy. He watched as two of the motorcyclists were brought in for treatment. From the nurses he found that the one had a broken back and that the other would be in traction for several months to allow the leg to heal.

In the waiting room, Ed removed his robe and listened to the discussions around the room. A couple of men came in to talk to one of the motorcyclists. They were required to wait until the men came out of surgery. Listening carefully, Ed learned these guys were upset that so many of their members had been injured while trying to scare off the blacks. One of them even commented that it wasn't worth the money they were getting paid.

His attention was distracted when a kid sitting next to him tugged on his shirtsleeve and asked, "Did you know you are bleeding?"

Ed looked down at the leg that kept cramping on him and saw the slight trickle of blood from under his pant leg. There were two holes in his pant leg showing where a bullet had entered and exited. He swore and walked over to the nurses' station. When the duty nurse looked up, he said, "I just discovered I was shot."

The nurse looked at Ed like a man from the moon and asked, "You just discovered you were shot?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that I was so pumped up by the action that I didn't realize that I had been shot until a boy over there pointed it out to me."

"I'm going to have to report this to the police," replied the nurse.

"No problem," answered Ed as he showed his IRS ID.

Suddenly, things started happening very quickly as the nurse shouted, "We've got a wounded Fed here."

Within seconds Ed was taken into the emergency room and a doctor cut off his pant leg. Looking at the wound, the doctor said, "Yep, you got shot."

Ed replied, "Just sew it shut and I'll go home."

Seeing an old bullet wound next to the new one, the doctor said, "I see you have a little experience with getting shot."

"Yes," replied Ed. Their handling of the events this evening had not gone very well. Two wounded out of seven was not very good.

The doctor proceeded to sew up Ed with minimal conversation. Before the doctor had finished, two ATF agents and a FBI agent had joined them in the small room. When the FBI agent learned that he was in the room with Ed Biggers, attitudes changed very quickly. One of the ATF agents was dispatched to follow the two men in the waiting room. The doctor listened to the conversation as he worked.

When Ed had been sewn up, he went in search of Leroy followed by the ATF and FBI. They found Leroy in the waiting room reading a copy of National Geographic. His wound, like Ed's, had taken just a couple of stitches. He looked up at Ed and said, "Lots of fuss for nothing."

"Better a fuss over nothing than nothing over a fuss," remarked Ed with a smile.

"I was getting worried that you left me here and then I learned that you had been shot too," remarked Leroy looking at the short leg of Ed's blue jeans. The wound was bandaged and there wasn't much too see.

"Yeah, must have happened when I kicked that jerk after he shot you."

Leroy said, "I only have one question. How do we get home?"

Smiling, Ed turned to see the two agents behind him looking at each other as they wondered which one would play taxi. Ed said, "You might want to help your partner follow the bad guys, so that leaves the FBI agent to be chauffeur."

The agent introduced himself, "I'm Special Agent Hans Standford, Dr. Biggers."

Ed replied, "Nice to meet you Hans. This is my husband, Leroy. Please call me Ed."

"I thought you were married to John Carter."

"We are," answered Leroy.

The drive back to the house was uneventful. Both Leroy and Ed were lost in their thoughts, each making an occasional comment. Disturbed by the wounds, Ed said, "Two of us were wounded."

Leroy nodded as he looked out the window. The area had changed so much since he had left that it was difficult to know where he was. Housing developments and shopping malls had replaced open fields. He turned to face Ed and said, "The wounds were minor and won't stop us."

As they neared the area where Deacon Jones lived, Ed noticed a number of fields with signs identifying that they were under development by Renzy Development. The signs boasted of homes starting at half a million dollars. Ed asked, "How do you think someone buying a home for half a million dollars will feel about living next to your parents' community?"

"Are you suggesting this is about property values?"

Nodding, Ed said, "Money is an amazing motive."

When they arrived at the house, the three men entered to find everyone sitting around the living room waiting for them. Ed said, "Thanks, Annette."

"My pleasure, Ed," replied Annette. She added, "When I saw the wound, I knew that you would be back before dawn. I made sure that Deacon Jones and Cleo stayed here."

Cleo came out of the kitchen and rushed over to Leroy, hugging him. The hug caused a Leroy to grimace in pain. Noticing, she took him to his room saying that he needed to lie down and rest. Ed watched with amusement until she noticed the bandage around his leg. Suddenly she was mothering him as well. He wanted to hit himself for having forgotten to put on his robe before returning to the neighborhood. Too late to hide his wound, he put on his robe and joined the others in the living room. He invited the FBI agent to join them.

Henry had watched Ed and Leroy return, but remained in his chair lost in thought. The events of this evening had shaken him far more than he would ever admit. He had seen each one of them throw himself into danger to protect others without regard for their own life.

Ed announced, "There is nothing that we can do until morning. I suggest that we all get some sleep. Hans, pull up a section of floor because tomorrow we are going to be very busy."

Waking alone on the floor of the living room, Ed discovered that he had slept far later than expected. It was almost noon before he woke and he was surprised to find that it was without his normal early morning fuzzy headedness. He went into the kitchen and discovered Henry sitting alone at the table. After he poured himself a cup of coffee, he sat down across from Henry and asked, "What's up?"

Not answering immediately, Henry looked at Ed for a long time. After a while, he said, "I don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"You guys are risking your lives for a bunch of poor blacks in a rundown neighborhood. Jerry and Ted both threw themselves into harms way to make sure that I didn't get hurt. Why?"

"You have thrown yourself into harms way. Why?"

"This is my home. Of all the folks around here, I'm the biggest, fastest, and strongest. I'm the best able to protect them from what is going on."

Smiling at Henry, Ed asked, "So you believe that the strong should protect the weak?"

"I haven't thought about it that way, but sure."

"I am a Druid. We follow two rules. If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. The troubles here violate both of those rules and we aim to protect the weak."

Henry was quiet for a long time as he thought about what Ed had said. He lived his life according to those rules, at least to the best that he could. As he thought about it, he wondered if he could throw himself in front of a bullet for a total stranger. Finally, he said, "You and your friends are very brave."

"Not really, we serve the Gods and Goddesses," answered Ed as though it explained everything.

"Can I become a Druid?"

"If you are called," replied Ed. Examining Henry very closely, he said, "Touch my medallion."

Henry reached out and touched the medallion. After a second, he asked, "So?"

Ed shook his head and said, "You have not been called."

"You can tell that just from me touching your medallion?"

Sighing, Ed answered, "Yes. May I suggest that you touch the cross of Deacon Jones?"

"Okay, do you mind telling me why?" asked Henry with skepticism. He wondered if the reason was that he was not good enough or if it was because he was black.

"Perhaps your calling is from another source," replied Ed. As his eyes flashed an unnatural light, he said, "Deacon Jones is a holy man, touched by his God. Perhaps your calling is the same as his."

Shocked by the raw power that emanated from Ed, Henry heard the truth in his words and felt ashamed that he had questioned the motives behind the answer to his question. The reference to Deacon Jones as a holy man surprised him. It was well known in the neighborhood that Deacon Jones had experienced some sort of call from God, but that this white man knew all about it was completely unexpected.

Deacon Jones came into the room and sat down at the table. Looking over at Ed, he said, "Leroy is doing all right. He's a little sore on his side, but it's not too bad."

"I'm sorry that he was injured trying to protect me," replied Ed.

"Don't be. I knew that he had a good character and this just proves it. Everyone is talking about you and your Druids."

Glancing over at Henry, Ed changed the subject. "Let Henry touch your cross."

With the same kind of hesitancy that Druids exhibited when asked to show their medallions, Deacon Jones fished his cross out from under his shirt. It was a simple wooden cross, very plain in appearance. He held it out and said, "Touch it Henry."

Henry reached out and touched the cross with the same directness with which he had touched the medallion earlier. This time, it was as though a jolt of electricity had passed through him. Wide eyed, he looked up and stared at Deacon Jones. He said, "I'm to be your bodyguard."

Extending his hand, Ed said, "Congratulations. I knew that you had a calling, it was just a matter of finding it."

Henry accepted the handshake understanding much more about the Druids and Deacon Jones. Having touched the cross, he knew that he could step between Deacon Jones and danger. That knowledge freed him. He replied, "Thank you. Now I understand why you answered the way you did."

Deacon Jones changed the subject when he said, "Hans has gone to pick up Bill Turner to bring him here with his report on the background investigation you requested he perform."

"That's good news. I didn't really want to spend four hours away from here." Ed was afraid that much time away from here would provide an opportunity for a major attack. He asked, "Where is everyone else?"

Henry answered, "Ted is watching my post. Jerry is at the other end of the street watching that entry into the area. Annette is asleep upstairs. Victor is in Atlanta arranging for the case against the three men last night. Leroy is upstairs resting."

"I feel bad that I'm not out there doing something," Ed joked. His stomach growled announcing his hunger.

Hearing the growl, Deacon Jones called, "Cleo, Ed is awake. Come in here and make him some breakfast."

Ed apologized for the rudeness of his stomach. "Some cereal would be fine."

"Baloney, you were wounded last night and need to get some solid food in you to help you heal quicker," replied Deacon Jones.

Shortly after Ed finished eating, Victor, Bill, and Hans arrived at the house. The men gathered around the table and laid out the information that they had found. The picture that emerged was that a neighborhood would start experiencing significant racial, criminal, and social upheaval. The property values would drop and then Devin Renzy would move into the area buying up the property at a very low price. He would then plow everything down and redevelop the entire area forcing minorities to move out. The problems in the neighborhoods were often the result of racist organizations or criminal groups that would attack the residents.

After hearing everything, Ed said, "We need a wiretap on the group that attacked us."

Victor answered, "The ATF has already done that. There are already calls that tie Devin to the attacks. We are now getting a warrant to get his phones tapped."

"Glad to hear that. Is there anything else I should know?"

Victor said, "You have to know that this guy is really tied into local government. You are not going to be able to include Atlanta police in this operation until it is over. We will have to rely on Federal types from outside this locality."

The news depressed Ed as he had hoped to have a little more support for their effort. He asked, "Just how tied in to things is he?"

"Let me just say this. He's everywhere. He has friends in the mayor's office, the police chief is a personal friend of his, and he has helped elect half of the commissioners in local government. He's even on the local Fusion Foundation Volunteer Board." Victor sat back with a frown as he considered what that level of connectivity meant.

Ed leaned forward and said, "As of this moment, this area is a gated community. We will have Deacon Jones explain the situation to the people around here. I'll contribute fifty thousand dollars to pay for fencing this whole community and to support Henry in establishing a guard at the gate. That should require the bad guys to go through other channels in order to get control over the property. For now, that will minimize the chances that people will get hurt."

Deacon Jones smiled at the news. He had known the moment that Ed has shown up that things were going to change. Druid solutions always left the world a better place. Deacon Jones added, "It will increase the sense of community and increase our property values significantly. We will stop being a slum neighborhood."

For his part, Henry just stared at Ed. He shocked that Ed would put up that much money for their protection. He said, "You don't need to support me."

Ed replied, "You have to eat, pay your bills, and take care of your family. There's no reason to go hungry when the money is available."

Henry was silent as he thought about how Ed thought more of his welfare than the money. Rather than arguing, Henry asked, "What needs to be done first?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "At the meeting, try to get volunteers to help put up a fence. In the mean time, you need to find out how much fencing material is needed to protect the community and purchase it. You and I will go to the bank and take care of getting you access to the money that is required."

"Me? Shouldn't it be Deacon Jones?"

"You. You have become a leader in the community," replied Ed.

Puzzled, Henry asked, "When did that happen?"

"When you took it upon yourself to stand between the community and the bad guys. You accepted a responsibility on their behalf. That makes you a leader," answered Deacon Jones with a smile.

"How could you possibly trust me with that much money?"

"You have been called to serve a God. Who am I to say that a servant of a God is not worth trusting?"

Deacon Jones and the Druids around the table chuckled at the expression that crossed the face of Henry. He knew the truth of what Ed had said. It was a very humble Henry that followed Ed out of the house and to the rental car. After a trip to a local bank where an account was established for Henry with fifty thousand dollars, the two men went to a large hardware store to establish the cost of fencing materials. As they priced the materials, Ed was shocked to learn that the fence would cost closer to a hundred thousand than fifty thousand. On the way back to the house, they stopped at the bank and Ed transferred another hundred thousand into the account.

The two returned to the house in time for an early dinner. Many of the other residents were around their houses. The treatment of the men in robes had changed significantly over the course of a single day. Many people had viewed the activities in the middle of the night. They had seen how the men in robes had protected Henry and put themselves in personal danger.

In a town meeting, Deacon Jones explained how they were going to turn their community into a gated community to keep out those who meant ill to the people. Many of the people found it ironic that a poor neighborhood would put up a fence to keep out the rich. They were surprised to learn that a hundred and fifty thousand dollars had been deposited into an account to pay for the fence. All that would be required was for the able bodied men to turn out Saturday morning to help install the fence. The deacon had turned on the charm and women were agreeing to cook a great lunch and dinner for the men as they worked.

For the next three days, the town was busy. Men were taking turns watching the ends of the street. The Druids were everywhere doing anything and everything that needed to be done. On the days before the town erected the fence, Druids used augers to drill postholes, mixed cement, and erected posts. After school and work, young men in the neighborhood helped them work.

On Saturday, the remaining posts were put up and chain link wire run along the posts that had been set over the preceding days. The security gates were installed at the ends of the street into the neighborhood. A simple shelter was erected for the children to use when waiting for the school bus.

On Sunday, the remainder of the fence was built and a small security house was established. Controls for opening the electronic gates were handed out to the residents of the community. On the urging of Deacon Jones, people that weren't helping with the fence went up and down the street cleaning the neighborhood.

In the mean time, the Druids had been working hard on bringing Devin to justice. As the scope of the investigation broadened, more and more groups were identified that were helping him to make his money. He had a hand in every racist organization in the state and had sought to bring in people from outside the state. The phone taps had allowed them to prevent Devin from having any success in harming any of the residents.

After violence had failed him, Devin moved to get the community condemned. To his dismay, lawyers met the building inspectors at the gates. The resulting inspection had resulted in the need for a few houses to require repairs, but the monies left over from the fence took care of them. Henry had argued that it was a result of the fence that had forced the repairs to be made.

Leroy took a leadership role in motivating people to work. When it became clear that a public relations attack was underway, he had spent twenty thousand on flowers to spruce up the look of the community. When the news cameras arrived, they found a model community with people outside talking to each other as kids ran and played in the streets. Deacon Jones had led the reporters through the neighborhood explaining how the recent agitators had united the community and given the people a sense of pride. When questioned about that, the deacon replied that if this little neighborhood was so valuable that someone would want to take it, that it was valuable enough to want to make it nicer.

The news broadcast that night undermined the efforts to reduce property values and turned into a challenge for Devin. Devin was furious and the ATF agents listening to the wiretaps could see the desperation with which he planned his next move. In those recordings, he had ordered criminal acts to be performed in very plain language. This would enable them to arrest the man and convict him with ease.

Ten days after Ed and Leroy had arrived in Atlanta, simultaneous raids on several racist organizations were undertaken by the ATF. They had acquired sufficient information to convict the leadership of those groups for arms violations and murder for hire. The news went through the Atlanta area like wildfire.

Leaning on the Lexis that belonged to Devin, Leroy waited for him to leave his office. Ed had never seen Devin Renzy, but recognized him the moment he stepped out of his office. This man was a sociopath and his entire being screamed lie to Ed. He gave a signal to the others that Devin was on his way.

Devin stormed over to his car glaring at Leroy. As soon as he was within range, he shouted, "Get away from my car!"

"Are you Devin Renzy?" asked Leroy in a pleasant voice.

"Get away from my car before I have you arrested!" shouted the man angry that Leroy had not immediately jumped up and done his bidding. He started moving forward to attack the young man.

"Speaking of arrests, I do believe that you are in a little legal trouble at the moment," replied Leroy still leaning against the car. A smile spread across his face as he gestured around him.

The statement brought Devin to a sudden stop. He looked around and spotted four men in robes blocking his exits from the area. There was a robed woman in the background who was swaying from side to side. Her movements reminded him of Stevie Wonder playing the piano. He turned to face Leroy and asked, "Who are you?"

Leroy answered, "I'm one of the men your people shot."

Devin snarled as he said, "You'll never prove it."

At a nod from Ed, Victor stepped forward and said, "Devin Renzy, you are under arrest."

As Devin was cuffed, Ted read him his rights. In the mean time, a police car was called in to transport the man to jail. Annette joined the other Druids at the car with a smile on her face. As they waited for the car to arrive, the Druids started talking. Victor said, "This is going to be a big bust for the ATF. We have arson, weapons, and conspiracy to commit murder."

Ted replied, "Don't forget his connections to drugs."

Smiling, Ed said, "I can tell you that Bill Turner has turned up a number of cases of tax fraud as a result of bribes paid out by Devin. Hans Stanford from the FBI is happy about the organized crime component."

Frowning, Leroy said, "It looks to me like Ted, Jerry, and Annette don't get anything out of this."

Ted smiled and said, "This is my service to the Gods and Goddesses. I need nothing more from it."

Smiling at Ted, Ed said, "I imagine that there are many more things that will come out over the next few days now that we can investigate his books. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't get a lot of this. He was tied into too many people in this area and I suspect that a few judges are involved."

Jerry answered, "I'm retired and only consult on occasion. They feel that a seventy-year-old man is a too old to work. The God doesn't think that way and for that I am grateful."

Leroy asked, "What about you, Annette?"

"The Two-Sided One feels that even a blind girl can help save lives. To participate in something like this makes me one of the strong rather than the weak. I am not a burden on the people around me, but a savior for them," replied Annette.

Leroy and Ed returned to the house. At the gate, Henry opened it for them with a great big smile. He shouted, "The arrests have made the television."



-------

Chapter 5


The Druid College was opening in two days and Druids were arriving from all over the country to attend the opening. This was a historic event as it was the first Druid College in a thousand years. When John Carter had become the Grand Druid it was a private rebirth of the Druids. The establishment of the school represented the public rebirth of the Druids.

Ed walked into the administration building and looked around. He had not seen it since the interviews of initial faculty and that had been before the walls had been painted and the floors carpeted. Now that it was finished, it was a very impressive area. The carpet dampened the sound so that many people could gather without creating a din. Plants were scattered around the room giving it the feeling that nature had entered the building. Paintings of animals and plants decorated the walls. The lighting was not overly bright, but bright enough that it was not a strain to see. Chairs and tables were scattered around the room giving people areas to sit and talk without being overheard. The environment instilled a sense of calm on the person as soon as they entered.

Connecting the administration building to the freshman dorms was a wonderful passageway. A glass ceiling that curved overhead covered the passageway with metal supports giving the appearance of branches interlacing overhead. The carpet was thick and soft, with a pattern that reminded one of leaves on the ground in fall.

The freshman dorm was another interesting building. This building was decorated to look like summer with green carpets, brown pillars, and a blue ceiling. There were tables and chairs spread around the room giving space for groups of students to study. The stairs to the level above reminded him of a waterfall.

Turning around and taking in the ambience of the room, he stopped when he spotted Kelly coming from the administration building. Happy to see his wife after ten days of separation, he said, "Hello, Kelly."

With more than a little irritation in her voice, she replied, "I heard you and Leroy got shot."

"Hello, Ed. How are you doing? I'm doing fine thank you. Oh yes, Leroy and I got shot, but it wasn't serious. It wasn't serious? Right, just flesh wounds."

Shaking her head at his pretend dialog, Kelly said, "Sorry about that. I was just a little angry that you guys were in danger again."

"I understand. You should have been there. Leroy was magnificent. He was wounded when he stepped in to take a bullet meant for me. Even after he had been shot, he took charge of the work there like a natural leader."

It was clear from the way that Ed talked about Leroy that he was really proud of the way his husband had handled himself. She asked, "You love him a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I liked him from the first day I saw him in the pool. He has a real honesty that I find refreshing." Actually, the fact that Leroy was willing to accept his judgement about whether he would stay or leave without complaint had impressed him more than anything else Leroy could have done under those circumstances.

She hadn't intended to be so bitchy and wanted to make it up to him. Grabbing Ed around the arm, Kelly suggested, "Why don't we go to our apartments so that I can welcome you properly?"

"Sounds good to me," replied Ed with the kind of smile that a man who knows he is about to have sex shows the world.

They went to the apartment of the President of the University occupied by John Carter and his family. There were more than enough rooms there for everyone in the Carter Clan to have one for their own, but Kelly shared hers with Beth while Ling shared hers with Little John. Leading him into one of the rooms, Kelly said, "Here's your room."

Ed dropped his bag near the door and moved to kiss Kelly. She hadn't undressed herself, so he took it upon himself to remove her clothes. It was a long slow process, where undoing each button led to a kiss on the newly exposed area of skin. When her shirt came off, he spent a lot of time kissing her stomach and chest. The bra came off next. His attention to her breasts caused her to leak milk, a fact that still surprised him after almost a year. It was one thing about her being a mother that he wasn't sure he liked.

He moved down to her skirt and slowly lowered her zipper. As the skirt drifted to the floor to puddle around her feet, he kissed the exposed skin taking special care along the edge of her panties. The panties soon joined the skirt on the floor. He kissed the skin exposed by the removal of the panties, but avoided her wet cunt. By the aroma of her womanly scent it was easy to tell that his administrations were having the desired effect on her.

Kelly stood with her legs apart, enjoying how Ed paid attention to every part of her body. When he had finished kissing her front, he moved around and planted kisses from the base of her neck down to her feet. She was writhing under the knowledgeable touch of his hands as he tickled all of her erogenous zones. By the time he had finished, she was frustrated that he was still dressed.

She attacked his clothes with a vengeance, popping buttons as she removed his shirt. Looking down at his feet, she saw that he was wearing his dreaded boots that were impossible to remove with any kind of grace. Frustrated, she pushed him on the bed and bent over with his leg between her legs to remove his boots. The sight of her cunt and ass so prominently displayed to his sight was enough to get Ed fully erect despite the restriction of his jeans and briefs. The boot came off with a satisfying thump. She turned her attention to his other boot and it soon joined the first on the floor.

Ed wiggled out of his jeans, getting them to the edge of the bed. Tired of waiting, she grabbed the pant legs and pulled his jeans off with an effort. All that was left was the briefs. As she went to remove them, Ed startled her by leaning forward and running a finger over her cunt, letting it settle for a split second within her crevice. The surprise action forced a squeal of pleasure to escape her lips. She practically ripped off his briefs and pushed him back on the bed.

Now that she had him at her mercy, she was suddenly of two minds as to what she wanted to do with him. Looking up at her, he smiled and said, "Go for it."

With a gleam in her eye as an idea came to her, she said, "I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting," he replied wondering why she had to leave.

Two minutes later, she returned to the room with her strap-on and the medium size dildo that she liked to use on the men. It had been a long time since she had done that to any of her husbands and Ed knew that he was in for a real ass pounding from her. She quickly lubed his ass and then the dildo.

She said, "I want you on your knees with your head on the bed."

Once he had positioned himself according to her request, she pushed the head of the dildo against his asshole. It slowly slipped into him as he relaxed his muscles and pushed out. It had taken John and him a long time to teach Kelly how best to insert the dildo in their asses. Once the head had passed the sphincter muscles, she pushed it in harder. She started thrusting her hips back and forth slowly working the dildo deeper.

When she bottomed out, Kelly started thrusting into his ass with long easy motions that were performed so that her clit rubbed against the harness. The effect slowly led her toward an orgasm. Ed grunted as the dildo was slammed into him. He moved a hand between his legs to stroke his erection. She moved around to adjust the angle of the dildo. The effect was to increase her stimulation and to massage his prostate gland.

It was a surprise to Ed when Kelly suddenly broke her rhythm as an orgasm washed over her. She screamed when her orgasm peaked and froze in spot with the dildo half in his ass. The temptation to rock back onto the dildo was strong, but Ed resisted it. After a minute she recovered and started stroking the dildo into his ass in a slower rhythm that allowed her orgasm to subside slower and the next one to build sooner.

The effect was to drive both of them to an orgasm with Ed coming before Kelly. His come shot out over his hand and onto the bed beneath him. Kelly came shortly after that, screaming out her pleasure as her orgasm struck with unexpected intensity. Ass sore, Ed collapsed onto the bed as Kelly leaned back to rest on her heels. The dildo pulled out of his ass.

Kelly removed the strap-on and laid down on the bed next to Ed. Smiling, she said, "Hello lover boy."

"Hello, Kelly," answered Ed with a smile.

"That was good. I've missed doing that."

Knowing that it had been a while since she had done that with him, Ed asked, "When was the last time you used the strap-on?"

"Before I got pregnant."

That shocked Ed since that was almost a year and a half ago. It was funny, but the sexual dynamics in the family had changed since Beth died. It had been ages since Kelly and another one of the wives had fed him his own come after sex. Winking at her, Ed asked, "Why don't you talk to Ling or Linda about a little come sharing with me?"

Kelly laughed and answered, "Linda loves come so much she won't share it with anyone and Ling isn't all that wild about it."

That news surprised Ed and he wondered if Kelly didn't miss that. Perhaps Cathy would enjoy doing that with them the next time they were at home. He changed the topic and asked, "So where is everyone?"

"John is working on the last minute details of the first three days. Ling is watching the children. The other Druids are around doing Druid kinds of things," replied Kelly.

"So we aren't the only ones that are having sex."

Kelly laughed at that statement. Druids tended to have lots of fun when it came to sex and any gathering of a large number of Druids was always accompanied by lots of swapping of sexual partners. She said, "I imagine that beds everywhere in the instructor apartments are getting a workout."

Entering the administration building, Ed found the receptionist arguing with a middle-aged couple and the eighteen-year-old girl with them. Curious about the discord, Ed wandered over, his robes swishing as he walked, and asked, "May I be of some assistance?"

The receptionist said, "Please, Dr. Biggers. This couple would like to know why their daughter was not accepted into the program."

Looking over at the couple, it was easy to see that the man was angry while his wife gave the appearance of being there against her will. The young woman would not meet his eyes and that made him think that she knew very well the reason she wasn't accepted. He asked, "Do you want the truth?"

"Of course, I want the truth," replied the man, belligerent that he would be questioned in that fashion. His hand went up to his collar and adjusted it. It was clear that the man wasn't used to wearing a suit and tie, but had worn it to look much more important than he felt that he was. Ed would have respected him more if he had come dressed in blue jeans and workshirt.

Ed replied, "Many people think they want the truth, but are very unhappy when they learn it. So I ask you again, do you really want the truth?"

"Yes."

Ed turned to the receptionist and said, "Get her application records for me please."

The receptionist left the desk, happy that she wasn't required to deal with the couple. It was several minutes before she returned with a folder and handed it to Ed. Glancing at the cover, Ed saw that the young woman was named Kristie Prevatt. Ed said, "Let's go over to that table over there."

After the family had seated themselves at the table, Ed opened the folder and read the contents. She was a very intelligent woman with an IQ in the upper quarter of a percent percentile and a poor high school transcript. The interview showed that she had social problems in high school, but that they appeared to be rooted in family problems. A smile crossed his face as he read that she had been accepted, but had not returned her acceptance letter. This was going to be an interesting exchange. He looked up and asked, "How is it that you think she was not accepted?"

"She told us so," replied the man.

"She was accepted, but didn't return the acceptance letter," replied Ed as he watched the young woman. She blushed and looked down at the ground. It was clear that she hadn't expected the parents to come to the University and complain.

The father rose out of his chair and looked at the Kristie with anger in his eyes. In a voice that carried across the room, he shouted, "You whore! Why did you lie to us? This is your only chance to go to college!"

As the young woman wilted, Ed rose and, with eyes flashing, stared at the man. He didn't like to see people harming another with words in that fashion. Leaning across the table, he said, with iron in his voice, "Sit down, sir. We do not tolerate that kind of treatment of another human being on this campus."

The man found himself sitting down before he even knew that he was following Ed's instructions. He turned to say something to Ed, but one look at Ed's eyes stopped him. The mother asked, "Can she enter now?"

Returning to his chair, Ed ignored the parents as he turned his attention to the young woman. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Do you want to come here?"

"I want to go to the school that my boyfriend is going. I was accepted, but my parents won't pay for it," the girl answered as she sulked.

In a very serious tone of voice, Ed said, "That doesn't answer the question that I asked. Do you want to come here?"

"I would come here if my boyfriend came here, but he is going to the University of Alabama."

"Again you have avoided answering my question. Do you want to come here?"

Puzzled, the girl felt that she had explained why she wanted to go elsewhere rather than here. She asked, "What do you want me to answer?"

"It is a simple question that deserves a simple yes or no answer," replied Ed with considerable patience. With many young people, they answered with justifications without ever answering the question. This young woman was very defensive, probably as a mechanism to protect her from her father.

Her mother looked around nervously as though she knew that what she was about to say would upset her husband. Summoning her courage, she asked, "Does it matter what she wants? She has to go to this school since it is the only one that we can afford."

Looking over at the mother, Ed said, "Yes, it does matter. It matters very much if she wants to go here. We are discussing her life choices and not yours. She has come of age. It is time for her to take the reins and direct her life."

The father snarled, "I am her father and she'll do what I tell her."

"She may be your daughter, but she is not your property. Donating sperm does not make someone your property," replied Ed as he narrowed his eyes. The father shrunk under his intense look. Relaxing as he looked over at the young woman, Ed added, "You might not want her to come here because we will teach her that lesson and you would never be able to control her again."

His statement decided the young woman. The idea of escaping from the domination of her father was half of what was driving her to go with her boyfriend. He was the only one who she had seen that was able to stand up to her father. She answered, "Yes, I want to come here."

Nodding his head, Ed said, "You are facing six years of the most intensive educational experience in existence. There is no time off, free summers, or holidays spent at home. Every day will be spent learning. Are you willing to make that kind of commitment?"

After thinking about it for a full minute, the young woman answered, "Yes, I think I am."

"You are or you aren't. Which is it?"

"I am."

He heard the truth in her words and nodded his head. The young woman was willing to make that kind of commitment. He asked, "Are you willing to present yourself to the Gods and Goddesses at the end of your education?"

The father said, "That's a bullshit requirement."

"No, it is not. I am a servant of the Two-Sided One and I take that service very seriously. If your daughter goes before them, they may or may not select her for service. What happens after that is their choice and not hers."

The young woman, feeling that she was about to escape her domineering father, answered in a very confident voice, "Yes, I will present myself to the Gods and Goddesses."

It was important to separate the young woman from her father as soon as possible. Ed looked around the room for a moment before spotting Laura Brockmire, the Druid in charge of the medical facilities on the campus. He called her over, "Laura, could you come here a moment?"

The Green Robed Druid walked over to the table where Ed was seated. Once she arrived, Ed asked, "Laura, would you be willing to put up with a roommate for one night?"

Looking over at the young woman, Laura nodded as she answered, "Sure."

Ed turned to the young woman and said, "Kristie, you can stay with Laura until it is time to present yourself with the other students tomorrow. For now, sign this form and I'll put it in your folder."

He turned to the father and saw the anger in his posture. This man would create trouble, claiming that they abducted her and undermined the family. The school didn't need to start with those kinds of charges made in a public forum, even if those charges were not true. He said, "Before you leave, I want you to do one small thing."

The father blustered and said, "I'll sue this school. You can't treat the parents of your students in this fashion."

As Ed looked at the father, he pulled the medallion from beneath his robe. In a very quiet voice, Ed said, "Touch my medallion."

The father looked at the medallion with suspicion and asked, "What is that?"

"It is a symbol of my service to the Gods and Goddesses. All I want you to do is touch it," answered Ed.

The man reached out and touched the medallion. As soon as his finger touched it, a blank look crossed his face. Sitting back in his chair, he stared off into space as though he was seeing something that was inaccessible to everyone else. A minute later, the man got up and said, "Come on honey. Let's go home. She's better off here than anywhere else."

"You may come and visit her anytime you want. We are not a cult and do not want to destroy the relationships between student and family. It is our desire to improve them," said Ed believing that this was probably the only time the parents would come here.

As the couple left the administration building, the wife followed the husband puzzled by his sudden change in attitude. The man moved slowly as though he had learned something about himself that he didn't quite like. At the door, he turned to look at his daughter. Although she couldn't hear him, he said, "We'll see you someday soon."

Watching him, Ed knew that he would never speak of what he had seen when he touched the medallion. He just wished he knew what it was that the man had seen. After seeing the look he gave his daughter, Ed corrected his assessment, the man would come back to see his daughter.

A very stunned Kristie, after looking back at Ed for a moment, followed Laura to her temporary quarters. Ed picked up the folder and carried it over to the receptionist. Handing it to her, he said, "Put her in the computer as having signed the letter of acceptance."

"She was accepted?"

"Yes," replied Ed. He walked away happy that another student had been added to the roster. Of the students that had been accepted, only a third had returned their signed letters of acceptance. He wondered how many students would show up tomorrow morning.

The freshman gathered in the administration building. Watching, Ed was pleased with the number of students that had shown up. It was more than he had expected despite the confidence that John had that they would have a hundred students. Once again, John was correct in his optimism, not that Ed minded.

It was soon time for the Druids to talk with the students before they were allowed into the freshman dorms. There were three hundred Druids gathered together, each dressed in their robes. All wore medallions of a God or Goddess. Many of the Druids would be instructors at the college, although most would not start their teaching duties for several years. When called, all entered the room with Ed walking somewhere in the middle of the crowd with Kelly beside him. It was not an orderly march into the room, but there was a smoothness that one might suspect was choreographed despite the fact that it wasn't.

John pointed to the Druids and said, "These are recognized Druids. You will know them by the medallions they wear around their neck."

He turned to face the Druids assembled in the room. A solemn look appeared on his face as he removed the medallion from under his robe. With great deliberation, he set it outside the robe and declared, "From hence forth, you shall wear your robes when performing your duties and your medallion outside your robe. It is up to us, the recognized Druids, to create a reputation that shall serve as a foundation for our students. We have to gain the prestige that shall force the powerful to seek out the opinions of Druids."

Ed had not known that he was going to be required to wear his robes from that day on. He looked over at the other Druids seeing the same looks of surprise on their faces. The reason made sense. Like most of them, he wondered what would be the long-term consequences of the decision.

John smiled at the students. "For the next hour you may talk to any Druid in this room. You can ask any question of them that you may wish."

Several students came to Ed asking why so few Druids wore black robes. It was a good question and one that Ed could only answer that he didn't know why. A young black woman came to Ed and asked, "Why is it that most of the Druids are white?"

"I don't know," answered Ed in total honesty.

"Are the Gods and Goddesses racist?" asked the woman with an accusatory tone in her voice. There were only a handful of Blacks and Orientals among the Druids present.

"No, they are not," replied Ed. Pointing to the new students, Ed said, "Every race is represented here."

"I think you guys are racist," replied the woman. Kelly and Ed looked at each other and laughed at the accusation. Disturbed by their reaction, she said, "That's not funny."

"One of our husbands is Black, one of our wives is Oriental, and one wife is Native American," replied Ed watching the surprise spread over her face. He added, "Better not tell them that we are racists, our sex lives would definitely suffer."

Confused by their reactions, the woman walked away wondering if this group actually had no problem with race.

Kristie Prevatt came up to Ed and thanked him for intervening on her behalf. Standing next to him, Kelly leaned over and asked, "Another damsel in distress?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "I find them everywhere, even in the lobby."

At the puzzled expression oh Kristie's face, Kelly explained, "He seems to find women in trouble where ever he goes."

That still didn't explain much to Kristie, so she smiled and answered, "What ever."

Her comment brought a smile to Ed and Kelly. Letting her off the hook, Ed said, "Kelly is my wife. She has noticed that I have a tendency to find young women in trouble with unusual frequency."

"At least every week," remarked Kelly with a smile. Noticing the expression of concern on the young woman's face, Kelly added, "Don't worry. I know there is nothing to be jealous about."

Relieved, the young woman asked, "So what's the worst situation with damsels in distress that you've been involved in?"

The question actually was much more difficult for Ed to answer than he thought. He answered, "I guess I would have to say the young women that had been captured by the white slavers."

Disagreeing, Kelly said, "I think it was the two young ladies that you rescued from the serial killer."

Listening to the exchange, Kristie couldn't believe that this man had been involved in such dangerous situations. She asked, "That happens often?"

"Something that bad only happens about once a year," answered Ed.

"Oh."

Kelly watched her walk away and then noticed that John was looking over at them. When she waved to John, Ed looked over at John. He saw that John was surrounded by students and gave him a little wave as well. Another student came over to Ed and said, "The Grand Druid just gave me a check for ten million dollars."

"Congratulations," replied Ed as he looked down at the check. He asked, "So what are you going to spend it on?"

Still incredulous that John had given her ten million dollars, the woman said, "Is it real?"

"Sure, it's a real check." Kelly answered after glancing over at the check in the hand of the student.

"I don't know what to do with it," said the young woman.

"Why did John give it to you?"

"I told him that I wouldn't be satisfied without a lot of money and then he gave me this check," answered the student.

Smiling because he knew the answer to his question, Ed asked, "So are you satisfied?"

"That's exactly what he asked me."

Glancing over at John, Kelly said, "So what are you going to do with it?"

"I have no idea."

Repeating his question, Ed asked, "So are you satisfied?"

"Not really. It's not supposed to be this easy."

"So I suggest you find a way to spend the money that will make you satisfied," replied Ed. Amused at the woman's reaction, he watched as she walked off still staring at the check.

When the hour had finished, John called the room back to order. "Students, please return to your original locations. Druids, you may leave now."

It took several minutes for the students to gather in front of him. The Druids didn't take half that long to leave the room. Individually each one turned and left the room at their own pace. Kelly dashed out of the room to go feed Beth, her breasts were starting to hurt from the milk filling them. Ed was one of the last Druids to leave the room. He turned back to watch the students and listened as John told the students, "I shall lead you to your new quarters. You will find that all of your needs shall be taken care of while you are here."

Knowing what was in store for the students, Ed returned to the president's apartment to meet up with Ling, Kelly, and the kids. Little John had just finished feeding and was ready to sleep. Ed picked up the baby and set him on his lap. Opening the geology book, he started reading about continental shift. Although he found the topic interesting, it appeared that Little John didn't, as he fell asleep almost as soon as Ed started reading.

A few minutes later, Beth climbed onto the couch and after grabbing his finger listened for a few minutes before falling asleep. Ed finished the section of the book and leaned back in the chair. Looking down fondly at little John as he sucked his thumb in his sleep, Ed felt like he had the entire world in the palm of his hand.

Kelly and Ling watched Ed from across the room. Sharing a look that suggested they knew he would fall asleep within five minutes, they both stepped out of the room. Watching over the children was a simple matter. They just had to wait for the men to take care of the kids and then watch them all sleep.

It was two hours later when Kelly shook Ed awake. He looked down at the babies sleeping in his arms and whispered, "Don't wake them."

Kelly said, "It's time for you to get something to eat. Dinner is being served in the second year dorm for the Druids. Have fun."

Deciding that he was hungry, Ed nodded and slowly got off the chair without disturbing the children. Beth tried to hold onto his finger, but she let it slip out of his grasp. With an easy stride, he headed out to the second year dorm and dinner. The past few days of interacting with so many Druids had been a pleasure and he looked forward to talking with them some more.

Entering the dining hall, he was surprised that it was only partially filled. Wandering over to Sid Smith, with the ever present bear by his side, Ed asked, "Where is everyone?"

"There's a big party going on downstairs. They decided that so many Druids together was a wonderful opportunity for an orgy," replied Sid.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I was hungry and came over here to get something to eat before returning," replied Sid as he filled his plate with food from the buffet. As he piled another couple of slices of roast beef on top of the food already there, he asked, "So will you go there?"

"No, I don't think so," replied Ed as he eyed all of the food on the plate.

Winking, Sid asked, "Afraid of the wives?"

"No. I can't wait to get back to the little ones."

"You really enjoy being a father, don't you?"

Sighing with pleasure as he thought about it, Ed answered, "Yes, I do."

"Me too."

"Where are your wife and kids?" asked Ed as he realized he didn't know that much about Sid's family life.

"My wife is in the forestry service and has to work this week."

"What are you going to do when you start teaching here?" asked Ed. It was a long distance from the national park in Wyoming where he lived to here.

"My wife has applied for a position in this area and will be moving here in about six months. Since I won't start teaching here for another two years, I'll probably wander around the park service looking for problems for a while."

The answer made Ed wonder what kind of problems existed within the park service. Curious, he asked, "Problems?"

"There are a lot of problems. A park ranger was killed last month and I've been working on that case. We have people crossing the border into the states through a park in New Mexico. There's some poaching going on in several of the parks. We also have had a number of cases of Wasting Disease among deer herds in Wisconsin," replied Sid.

"Wow, I didn't realize that being a Park Ranger encompassed so many problem areas."

When the men reached the table, Sid set the large plate of food that he had been preparing on the floor for the bear. Surprised, Ed had thought all of that food was for Sid. Instead, Sid was eating a modest salad. Noticing the look, Sid said, "I have to keep myself looking good for the wife. Not many women will put up with sharing a small house with a bear."



-------

Chapter 6


The Halloween festivities were scheduled to start in two hours and the haunted house was ready for business. For now, it was closed as the people who would work in it took the time to relax before the busy evening. The kids, on the way home from school, gathered outside the haunted house speculating about what they might see this year. Some of the younger kids looked at it with fear as the older kids egged them with horror stories and rumors of what would be inside. Watching them, Ed couldn't help but smile. A simple reminder that everyone needed to be in costume later sent the kids running home.

With nothing to do, Ed walked over to the bar to visit Shirley and help her with any preparations that she might have for the evening. Entering the bar, he found Shirley sitting with the rest of her family. Shirley was holding the younger of their two kids in her lap and was kissing it on the top of her head. Edward was bouncing their son, John, on his leg giving him a ride. Both of the kids were beaming from the attention being given them.

Mary, sitting with her back to the door, was describing her job in the haunted house. She was stationed in a dark booth in the part reserved for the older kids and adults. This part of the haunted house included air jets that when aimed at someone's back felt like a cold hand touching their back. Her job was to trigger the jets and show a holographic ghost behind the intended victim.

Shirley noticed Ed come in the bar and winked at him as he snuck up behind Mary. When he blew a puff of air on her back, a very startled Mary almost flew out of the chair. She let loose a scream and turned to look at Ed. With false anger, she tapped him on the arm and shouted, "You nasty man! You scared the daylights out of me."

Laughing at the success of his little joke, Ed said, "I came over here to see if Shirley needed any help for tonight."

Waving a hand in a gesture of dismissal, Shirley said, "The nursery is all set up. We've got a dozen cribs and two dozen sleeping mats for the young ones. It is amazing how many young children there are in town now."

Sidney Fitzpatrick pet his seeing eye dog, Timmy, and said, "It might be that people have remembered how to love each other in this town."

Shaking his head in wonder at the kinds of things going on in town, Edward said, "I saw a couple, in their sixties, making out in the park the other day. The man had his hand inside her shirt as they were lying on the ground listening to music. They looked like a couple of teenagers."

Giggling, Mary said, "That was Manuel and his wife. I saw her giving him a blowjob a little later behind the concession stand."

Putting his hands over his ears as though to block out all sound, Sidney said, "Now that is something this little monkey wishes he could have seen."

The gesture of putting his hands over his ears puzzled Ed and he asked, "What's with the hands over the ears?"

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Two out of three isn't bad," explained Mary as she reached over and fondled Sidney's crotch. She winked at Ed and said, "You should see what he does when I start talking dirty to him."

Ed laughed at the mental image that conjured. He could see Sidney trying to fill his mouth with her breast while she talked dirty to him. Sitting back in the chair, Ed looked at the family gathered there. They were six very happy people that were satisfied with their lives. The idea made him wonder why there weren't more people that had achieved that same level of happiness and satisfaction in their lives.

Dr. Hayes followed by Ling and Kelly carrying the babies came into the bar. When Ling spotted Ed, she said, "There you are. We were looking all over for you."

Looking sheepish, Ed replied, "Just finished with the haunted house test runs and came over here to help."

Going over to the bar, Dr. Hayes set his medical bag on the counter. He and Kelly were going to watch over the nursery so that parents and the older children could enjoy the festivities. They had done that the previous year and everyone in town had appreciated knowing that a doctor and a nurse were watching over their kids. Looking over at Ed, he asked, "You promise there won't be any heart attacks because of that scary house you built?"

"I promise," answered Ed laughing at the doctor. He asked that question last year, but ended up going through the haunted house at least four times last Halloween.

Arms tired from holding her, Kelly set Beth on the floor. Free of her mother, Beth walked around the table wobbling very little. She paused to check her brother, resting comfortable in Ling's arms, before going over to the slightly older John riding on Edward's leg. When John saw Beth, he immediately hid his head against his father's chest. After a few seconds, he turned to peak at Beth who stared at him in confusion.

Ed watched the interaction between Beth and John with interest. This was the first time that she had been in a situation where she was meeting another kid her age and it was clear that she didn't know how to proceed. Finally after watching John for a minute, she said, "Hello."

John buried his head further into his father's chest. Watching the reaction of Beth, Kelly said, "He's shy."

"What's shy?"

"He's afraid to meet you," answered Kelly with a little smile.

"Strange."

After staring at Beth for a minute, Shirley turned to Kelly and said, "Her verbal skills are very highly developed."

Even though the statement was targeted at Kelly, Ed said, "I was reading a book on infant development the other day. In some areas, she appears to have the cognitive development of a two-year-old. Physically, she's a year old and her motor skills reflect that."

Getting bored with John, Beth wandered around the bar checking out the sights. Finding the pile of toys, she squealed with delight. Sitting on the floor, she started building things with some small wooden blocks. Seeing what was going on, Kelly smiled and said, "She loves wooden blocks."

Mary asked, "How about dolls?"

Dr. Hayes said, "She has several dolls and only plays with one of them. The problem is the fathers. They play with blocks."

"Hey, I like playing with the blocks," replied Ed as he looked over at Beth as she built another arch. Because all of the blocks were square, the closest she could get was a lintel. Watching her, he got an idea to get some blocks made that would allow her to construct a real arch. With a little pride, he said, "The other day she built a hollow pyramid."

Shirley looked over at Ed like he was speaking Greek, or perhaps more accurately Egyptian. With a question in her voice, she said, "I take it that is significant."

Surprised, Ed looked up and said, "I bet there are ten year old kids that couldn't do that. It is actually a very sophisticated structure that uses balancing forces to keep it from collapsing."

Laughing at the passion of Ed, Kelly said, "Ed is disappointed because Beth is more interested in Physics than Geology."

With a smile, Ed replied, "Wait until I take her out rock hunting, then we'll see her change her mind."

Dr. Hayes interjected, "Just wait until Leroy starts taking her to watch the animals. You and John won't stand a chance."

John climbed off his father's lap and went over to where Beth was playing with the blocks. He watched her building some structure, but after a minute knocked it down as he said, "Mine."

All of the adults turned their attention to the interaction between the two children. Beth frowned at the abrupt actions of John and asked, "Really?"

"Mine."

Shirley started to get up to talk with John, but Kelly put a hand on her arm. Surprised, the mother looked over at Kelly and said, "I have to teach him to share."

"There are more ways for that to happen than direct intervention by the parent."

Beth said, "They are nice."

"Mine."

"Is that the only word you know?" asked Beth confused by the singular response to every thing she said.

"No."

Beth stood with her hands on her hips, mimicking the same position her mother used when she was upset about something. Disturbed, she grabbed John by the hand and led him to the table where her parents were seated. For a minute she looked from Kelly to Ed with concentrated deliberation. Finally, she pulled him over to Ed. Taking John's hand she reached out and touched it to the medallion. Her action took both of her parents by surprise.

John stood there for a moment and then said, "Let's play."

The two kids returned to the pile of toys. Within minutes, they were playing with the blocks on the floor. Beth would point to a block and John would fetch it for her. They played quietly as Beth worked to recreate the structure that she had been building earlier. Watching them, a fascinated Shirley asked, "What just happened?"

Frowning as he tried to understand what had happened, Ed replied, "I'm not sure, but I think she took the matter to the Two-Sided One."

Looking over at Little John, Mary was quiet and said, "I would rather not question it."

Two women and a man came into the bar with another child. Setting the child down, they watched as he walked over to where Beth and John were playing. The two children greeted him and incorporated him into their activities. Their arrival caused Ed to check the time and say, "It's time to get over to the haunted house. The kids will be coming soon and we have to do the makeup on our volunteers."

Mary and Sidney went over to the haunted house with Ed. Mary helped wrap Sidney in the strips of bandages so that he could be a proper mummy. The seeing eye dog sat in the corner watching the proceedings with interest. While Mary did that, Ed was busy with Ling putting makeup on the volunteers from the retirement home. Mrs. Hayes was already in her witches costume and was talking with the children that had stopped by to see how much longer it would be before the haunted house opened.

It wasn't long before everyone was ready for the haunted house to open. It operated on a schedule with first graders allowed in for the first half an hour. The second graders were allowed in the next half-hour. Each hour, making the rooms darker, adding special effects and more interactions with the volunteers increased the scariness of the exhibit. By the time the high school students would go through it, the haunted house would be very scary.

Mrs. Hayes started letting the kids into the house, allowing a group of five with their parents to enter at a time. All of the kids were in costumes. The first room was poorly lit and as the door closed behind the kids, the people waiting in line could hear them scream as the floor shook. Later in the evening, the room would go completely dark.

After a moment, a door opened leading them to a witch's glade where a volunteer dressed like a witch was stirring a bubbling caldron of apple cider. The bubbling was caused by small pieces of dry ice in the brew. As she filled small cups with the cider, the witch cackled, "This witches brew shall make some of you tall and others small. Go through the door to the right to grow and to the left to shrink!"

Most of the kids waited for their parents to tell them that it was okay to drink the potion. It didn't take long for them to finish the little cups of drink. Surprisingly, all of the kids threw their empty paper cups into the caldron labeled trash. Later in the evening, the display would be darkened and the witch would appear to cast a spell on one of the people turning them into a toad.

The next room was designed with the proportions all wrong so that kids on one side of the room looked like giants and those on the other looked like midgets. At first, the kids looked in horror believing they had actually shrunk or grown, but then realized that a trick had been played on them. The kids screamed in pleasure as they raced around the room, going from large to small and back again. This room would be turned into an elf camp for the bigger kids. Of course, the elves would play practical jokes on the teenagers.

An old man dressed like Dracula entered the room at the far end and directed the group into a darker room. This room was decorated with coffins and covered mirrors. Some of the kids moved closer to their parents as they wondered if this was truly a vampire. As he led them past a wooden coffin filled with rubber bats and plastic spiders, Dracula said, "One and one alone may you take. More than that and I'll suck your blood."

Under the watchful eye of Dracula, each kid took a toy out of the caldron. When one of the kids, trying to be brave, took two toys, Dracula smiled and said, "Now I feed upon a child!"

As Dracula slowly approached, the kid immediately dropped the second toy back into the coffin. After he returned to his mother's side, another door opened and the group moved out of the room.

They entered an Egyptian tomb complete with mummy. As he started to step from a sarcophagus, Sidney shouted, "Who dares risk the curse of the mummy?"

The movement of the mummy was enough to scare the young kids from the room. In a mad dash, they all raced to the exit. At the exit, a good fairy dressed in a long flowing gown with very delicate wings greeted them. She gave them all little bags of candied corn in a large trick or treat bag. After that, she waved her wand over them all and said, "You are protected from bad dreams!"

The kids immediately dispersed to go trick-or-treating with dreams of filling their bags with sweets. Most of the items to go into the bags would be little toys, skeletons, rings, stickers, and other items that young kids would enjoy. Many of the storeowners had agreed that the last thing anyone wanted was a lot of kids hyped up on sugar running around town, a sentiment that was shared by the parents.

At five, the costume contest for children that weren't in school yet was held. The variety and complexity of costumes was surprising, but most amazing was the fact that none of the costumes were store bought. As Halloween had become more of a community event, entire families worked to costume their children. There were kids dressed up like battleships, rockets, clocks, vampires, princesses, and fantasy characters of all kinds.

The Sheriff found Ed watching the progress of kids through the haunted house. As he approached, the Sheriff said, "I heard the kids talking. They say it is the best haunted house yet."

Smiling, Ed said, "Wait until the teenagers go through it."

Laughing at the memory of the white-faced teenagers exiting the house last year, the Sheriff asked, "It's scarier than last year?"

"Lots. So how many people do we expect to get this year?"

The Sheriff looked around and said, "About ten thousand."

"That's a lot. The population of the town is only a thousand."

"Yes. This is turning into one of the biggest events in the whole area. People are driving miles to come here."

Frowning, Ed asked, "I should have asked earlier if you needed help with security."

Shaking his head at the idea that Ed should have made arrangements for security after all of the other stuff he had done, the Sheriff replied, "You see all the men wearing gunfighter costumes with the badges. They are volunteers from town to help watch over things. We have over a hundred of them walking around here."

"That's good."

The Sheriff looked over Ed wearing his Druid robes and asked, "So are you going to be wearing that outfit all of the time?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Nodding, the Sheriff looked out over the crowd with eyes that searched for problems. Turning back to Ed, he said, "I was watching the news the other night. I saw there was a Druid advising the President. Later, I saw the Director of the CIA giving testimony in the Senate and a Druid was sitting behind him. I see that you guys are everywhere."

"That's the idea. John wanted the world to see us so that the students of the Druid College would have a chance to help change the world into a better place to live."

Smiling, the Sheriff decided it was time to drop the bombshell on Ed. He said, "That reminds me why I came over here to talk to you. A little after sunset, you and Father Donnelley are to be interviewed about this block party for the ten o'clock news."

"Father Donnelley and me?" asked Ed surprised at the choice of people to be interviewed. He asked, "What about the Mayor and Shirley? They are far better people to be interviewed about tonight's activities."

"It was their idea to have you two represent the town."

Sighing, Ed replied, "I guess I had better go talk to him before the vultures arrive."

The Sheriff laughed at Ed's characterization of the press. It was well known that the Carter Clan kept their distance from the press. Neither man liked to boast about their actions. He watched as Ed turned over responsibility for watching the haunted house over to Edward.

After wandering up the street, Ed found Father Donnelley hard at work running the cakewalk. Ten young kids were walking around the circle hoping to land on the square where they would win a cupcake. Since the event was free, most of the kids played until they won. After watching for a few minutes, Ed walked over to the priest and said, "Hello Father Donnelley."

Turning to face Ed, a frown formed on the face of the priest. With an unenthusiastic tone of voice, he answered, "Oh, it's you."

"The town leaders decided that you and I should be interviewed at sunset by a couple of reporters for the ten o'clock news," replied Ed ignoring the lack of friendliness on the part of the priest.

"Whose bright idea was that?"

"The Mayor and Shirley according to the Sheriff."

The priest frowned and replied, "They aren't going to be happy until we fight or become friends."

When the priest punched the button on the tape recorder, one of the children let out a cry of delight and ran to collect her cupcake. Ed watched while the priest went through the spiel to bring the next set of kids onto the cakewalk and then punched the button to start the walk. Ed said, "Ever see so many happy kids?"

"No, I haven't."

"Regardless of any theological differences that we may have, at least we can agree that these are healthy happy kids."

"Amen to that," replied the priest.

Ed watched as the priest went through the routine of selecting another winner and then started another group through the cakewalk. He waited until the music was playing, before he said, "Did you put up a collection plate this year?"

"No," replied the Father Donnelley. Every year Ed made the same suggestion to him, but he didn't do it.

"I noticed the other day that the church needs painting," remarked Ed.

"I will take care of my church, thank you very much," replied the priest irritated that this pagan was telling him how to run his parish.

Ed turned away to leave and then said, "Yes. It is important to have a strong church in this area and you have done a good job of it."

The priest whipped around and, in anger, asked, "What does that mean?"

"Attendance at your church is at an all time high and it is due to you."

"And?"

"It is important for people to worship a God that stands for good. The Catholic God stands for good."

Ed walked away as the priest stared at his back. There were times when he didn't understand these people at all. After the Christmas pageant last year, he had discovered that John Carter had donated the money for it. This year, the money had shown up and he still hadn't decided what to do with it. Linda was one of his parishioners and he couldn't refuse the money outright. Half of their staff attended church on a regular basis.

He turned back to the cakewalk and stopped the music. Another kid ran off to collect his cupcake. The priest gestured to one of the other people to take over for him. He went off in search of Ed to continue the conversation. It took some time, but he found Ed talking to a young couple that had just been engaged. Rather than announce his presence, he waited to hear what was being discussed. The young man asked, "Would you be our best man?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Ed answered, "I think you need to talk to Father Donnelley about that first before you ask me."

The young woman replied, "I don't think he likes you."

Smiling at her perceptiveness, Ed replied, "He and I serve different Gods. It isn't that he dislikes me as a person, but he does not trust that I serve the good. He is an honorable man that serves his God and his Church. You are of his faith and I would not dare to allow myself to come between you and him."

The young man looked puzzled and asked, "But aren't you in competition over souls?"

"Not at all," replied Ed. Seeing that his answer had not satisfied the young man, he explained, "There is great evil in this world that seeks to harm innocents. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Pagans are joined in the fight. We would not weaken an ally in this fight by trying to steal good people away from their faiths."

The young woman asked, "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Talk to Father Donnelley and get his permission for me to enter his church to participate in that most holy of ceremonies. If he gives his permission, I shall be there. If he doesn't, then find someone who is more acceptable to your faith."

As the couple discussed the matter, Ed stood up and left. On his way, he ran into Father Donnelley. Surprised, he asked, "Is it time for us to give the interview already?"

"No, it is not. I just took a break," replied the priest deciding that this wasn't the time to confront Ed. He had been surprised at how insistent Ed had been with the couple that they get his permission.

Ed detected the slight lie that constituted more of a lie of omission than an outright lie. Rather than call the priest on it, he said, "Enjoy your break. I guess they want us to meet in front of the house of horrors."

"Sure," replied the priest. He left to return to the church for a few minutes to seek holy guidance. He had been doing that all too often lately. The issue of group marriages had nearly caused him to excommunicate everyone that participated in them, but he realized he would have lost more than half of his congregation. He had not come out against them, deciding that it was better to keep them near while he did his best to guide them to heaven. His Bishop had agreed. In fact, his Bishop had warned him against raising it as an issue at all.

There were more people crowding the sidewalks, even though the younger kids had already headed home. Ed returned to the haunted house. The kids going through it were in the fifth grade and the horrors had become a little more shocking. From outside, he could hear the kids having a good time inside even though there were occasional screams as they were surprised.

He relieved Edward so that he could enjoy some of the festivities. Of course, he had forgotten to tell Edward that he needed to be relieved at sunset to give the interview to the press. Shrugging his shoulders, Ed watched the haunted house. A young child and his mother came out of the house at one of the emergency exits. Ed greeted the little boy and asked, "What's that matter?"

"It was too scary," replied the kid as he snuffled and wiped a tear from one of his eyes.

"Oh," replied Ed. He winked in the direction of the mother and asked, "Would you like to know how we made it so scary?"

"Gosh, I don't know."

"If you understand, then you'll know that you don't have to be afraid of it," suggested Ed.

"Okay," answered the kid as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his costume.

Ed took the boy and his mother behind the haunted house and showed how they made the floor move. Then he showed the boy the elderly people as they were taking their breaks. The sight of all these old women, dressed like witches, sitting around drinking tea and talking about their grandchildren made the little boy giggle. As he went through the whole background of each room, the little boy relaxed.

When they were done, Ed suggested, "Now that you know how it is done, do you want to go through it again?"

"Sure."

Ed watched as the mother took the little boy back into the line. When they came out the other end, Ed greeted him with a high five. The mother took away a happy little boy, a sight that pleased Ed more than he could put into words. He returned to his patrol making sure that nothing bad happened.

Well before sunset, he spotted the camera crew as they headed over to the haunted house. The crew went along the street taking background shots. Finally, the reporter stood in front of the haunted house as she introduced the story. Watching them at work, Ed wondered how they could enjoy that kind of work. Here they were amidst people having a great time and they held themselves back from joining in the fun.

As it approached sunset, the news crew set up at the exit to show the kids coming out. It was here that they were going to perform the interviews with Father Donnelley and him. Edward came over and looked at the activity for a moment before he said, "Time for the great show."

Sighing, Ed answered, "I guess so."

He waited for Father Donnelley to show up before he went over to the reporter. The shock on her face when she saw his robe was almost worth the trip. The two men stood side by side looking uncomfortable at being in front of the camera. The reporter, a rather attractive woman, gave an introduction to both of the men.

Once she had finished her bit, she shoved a microphone in front of Ed's face as she asked, "Halloween is a Pagan holiday, so are you sponsoring this as part of being a pagan?"

Ed replied, "My fondest memories of childhood are of trick-or- treating. Father Donnelley and I are in this to help create happy memories that will last these children the rest of their lives. Later tonight, we shall celebrate the religious aspect of this holiday, each in our own way."

The reporter turned to the priest and asked, "The Catholic Church used to burn witches. How do you feel about having pagans in town?"

Taken aback by the question, Father Donnelley glanced at Ed for a second before answering, "The pagans in town have been active supporters of all kinds of community events. Dr. Biggers has put on the haunted house. Dr. Carter has supported many other activities in town. They have helped to make this town a nicer place to live by providing honest and wholesome activities to provide a sense of community. I have no problem with that."

Dissatisfied with the answers she was getting, the reporter asked, "How many pagans are there in this town?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "There are three, although John is currently living at the Druid College where he serves as President of the College."

Feeling like she was going to score, she asked, "So how many pagans would you like to see living in town in the future?"

"That is not up to us to decide."

She turned to the priest and asked, "So how many of your parishioners have they tried to convert away from Christianity?"

"None," replied the priest in all honesty. He added, "They recommend that people start coming to church more frequently."

Ed took the microphone away from the reporter and said, "Tonight is Halloween and in our little town it is a holiday for children. The kids are going from store to store knowing the treats they get are safe. Entire families are enjoying themselves. We have a haunted house, a cakewalk, magicians, mimes, and others entertaining kids of all ages, from infant to ninety."

As he handed the microphone to Father Donnelley, Ed said, "I'm sure that Father Donnelley would like to say a few words about the activities here."

The priest took the microphone and said, "This evening is a special occasion. Once a year, kids get to dress up as superheroes and give voice to their imaginations. Our town wishes you and yours a Happy Halloween."

He handed the microphone back to the reporter. When he was sure that the camera was off, he turned to Ed and said, "Thanks."

"For what?" asked Ed puzzled at the words of the priest.

"For not letting this blow up into a Christian versus Pagan argument."

"I would never allow that to happen. Such an argument would harm many."



-------

Chapter 7


The winter months had been busy ones for Ed. He had worked at the university, his consulting business had taken him all over the southwest, and he had brought down a fake charity organization. That didn't include his activities on the board of the Fusion Foundation, two trips to visit John at the Druid College, and several conferences where he had presented papers. His busy life had finally caught up to him and it was time to rest.

Stopping by the office, he saw that Cathy was busy on the phone arranging for an end of semester party for the biology department on behalf of Leroy. He smiled at how well Leroy had stepped up to his responsibilities as a member of the Carter Clan. It had taken him ages to realize his own responsibilities, but Leroy had settled right into it. He waited for Cathy to get off the phone to make his request.

When she finished her call, she turned to look at Ed. He noticed that she looked a little tired. He asked, "Are you okay?"

"Just a little tired, that's all."

There was a slight dissonance in her voice. He asked, "What's the matter?"

Realizing that she wouldn't be able to hide the truth from Ed, Cathy answered, "It's been rather hard keeping up with all eight of you."

"Eight?"

"Yes, don't forget to include the kids."

Thinking about the demands upon her time, Ed wondered if they were going to have to hire an assistant for her. He asked, "Do you need some help?"

Cathy smiled and answered, "I've also been helping Walt and George proof-read their manuscript. I'll get a little more rest when that is done."

"They have a manuscript?" asked Ed surprised at the news. He had known they were working on a book, but hadn't known they had made that much progress. Considering how much the two men argued over every little detail, he had figured it would take them a lifetime.

"Yes, they sold their idea for a book. Actually, they sold the idea for a whole series of books," replied Cathy with a little pride at their accomplishment.

"That's good news. I had no idea they were that far along."

"Yes, lots of books coming out of this household lately."

"When is Linda's book coming out?"

"Next month."

"Has anyone arranged a celebration for her?" asked Ed.

"Kelly has already set up a party at the library and I've already arranged everyone's schedule to be there."

The telephone rang and Cathy turned to answer it. It was Jim calling to discuss some legal issues that were important to the family. That was a little more important than idle talk or arranging for his trip. Ed realized that she was going to busy for the next twenty minutes and made a gesture to get her attention. When she turned to face him, he said, "I'll be back in half an hour."

She nodded and went back to the call. Ed wandered up to the security center and found George sitting behind the console watching the cameras and testing the sensors as Bob walked around the property. Sitting down in a chair next to George, Ed watched him at work. It was only a few minutes before Bob had completed his circuit around the building and went on to his duties.

George turned to face Ed and said, "Sorry, I wanted to finish the sensor tests. Bob is rather busy getting ready for his wedding and I don't like to waste his time."

Ed had forgotten about the pending wedding and still hadn't come up with an appropriate wedding present. Nodding, Ed said, "I imagine that he and Marguerite have a lot on their minds right now."

"You can say that again. She's been interviewing cooks to take her place while she's gone."

"How are things going for you?"

"Fine. I'm happier here than I was in the army and I never thought I would say that."

Ed was pleased to hear the truth of his words. The last security specialist had sold them out and nearly got the rest of the staff, John, and Kelly killed. There was one area that he had a remaining concern about and he didn't know how to ask the question. Instead, he said, "I heard that you and Walt are publishing a series of books."

George sat back and smiled as he said, "Yes, we are. I can tell you this, three years ago I would never have thought of doing that. I really enjoy working with Walt. He's a smart guy."

"So you don't have any problems with him or his sexuality?"

Looking over Ed with amusement, George answered, "Oh, you mean the fact that he is a part time faggot?"

Ed didn't like the way that George put it and said, "That isn't a nice thing to say."

"I'm one now, so that isn't a problem. We've been doing each other for about a year now, usually at the request of Cathy and Sarah."

Ed laughed at the revelation. He commented, "Amazing what women can get a man to do."

"Yes, it is," remarked George.

Standing to leave, Ed said, "I'll let you get to your work. I'm glad you're enjoying it here."

George nodded and went back to work. With the arrival of the children, he had been researching ways to better protect them from kidnappers that might use them for financial gain. He was waiting for Ling to show up so they could discuss some of the devices he had found.

As Ed left, he passed Ling on her way into the security center. Stopping her, he asked, "What's up?"

"I'm going to meet with George on how to protect the kids. We've been working together for a long time."

That his children might be kidnapped because they were rich had never occurred to Ed. As he thought about it, he knew that recovery wouldn't be an issue. A single call to Annette Baker and they would know within minutes where the kids were located. The real problem was keeping them from getting injured. He commented, "Finding them if they are taken won't be a problem. We do have some resources that others do not."

Ling glared at Ed and said, "I don't trust people alone. I want more than one way to locate them."

"I don't trust people alone, but I do trust the Gods and the Goddesses," replied Ed with patience. There was no doubt in his mind that this answer wouldn't satisfy Ling. He predicted her next comment would be about the injuries that John and he had suffered in their service.

"Right. You and John get beat up more than I do when I'm competing against the best fighters in the world."

Shaking his head at a difference that would never be resolved, Ed replied, "I'll let you two get on with it."

Concerned for the future, he watched as Ling entered the security center. Anyone that attempted to harm the kids when she was around had better be prepared to die a painful death because she wasn't going to stop hurting them until they were dead. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Searching for Sarah, Ed went down to the laundry room where she usually hung out when not cleaning elsewhere in the house. She wasn't there, but Walt was. Kneeling down on the floor, he had a hand thrust under the washing machine working on it. Surprised, Ed asked, "What's wrong with the washer?"

"Oh, it just needed to be leveled. This is just a little preventive maintenance."

"I never heard of doing that."

"Sometimes they shift after years of use and it is a good idea to level it."

"Oh. I heard that you were publishing a book with George."

Walt checked the level sitting atop the washer. Satisfied, he stood up as he answered, "Yes, it's just about finished."

"You must be proud of it."

Rubbing his hands together to remove any dust, he said, "I am very proud of it. I've really enjoyed working on it with George. He should have been a commissioned officer."

"So are you happy working here?"

"Yes, I am."

Satisfied that things were going all right, Ed asked, "So where is Sarah?"

"She's upstairs cleaning the nursery."

"Thanks."

Walt looked at Ed for a moment and then said, "You must be planning on being out of town for a while."

Surprised by the accuracy of the observation, Ed asked, "How did you know?"

Laughing, Walt said, "You always make a tour of the entire staff before you go somewhere asking each of us if we are happy here."

Ed had not realized that his survey over the state of the household was that obvious. After he had failed to follow up on his doubts about Greg, that man had almost lead to a disaster. As it was, Bob still had medial problems with his neck from that incident. He felt like he needed to answer the charge and said, "Yes, I'm planning on going away for a little while to get some rest. After Bob was hurt, I don't want anyone put at risk again, so I guess I do tend to grill people about their job satisfaction."

Walt shrugged and said, "In the military, a commander that doesn't make sure that things are in good order before leaving the base isn't much of a commander."

Smiling, Ed replied, "I just like to make sure my home is safe before I go out."

Walt smiled and said, "Go question Sarah so you can rest easy on your trip."

Shaking his head, Ed left the laundry room and headed over to the nursery. It had been a while since he had been in the nursery. Stepping into it, he saw that a toddler bed had replaced the cribs. The walls were still colorful and the diaper changing station was still in place. The single bed that had been used by whichever adult had been watching over the babies at night was in place. Cameras covered the beds and baby monitors were situated to watch and hear everything going on in the room.

Sarah was in the nursery wiping down the surface of the changing station. It was obvious that she came in here everyday to clean. The room was clean enough to eat off the floors. He watched her work, her naked body moving and her long black hair swaying as she wiped the top. Her breasts swung in time to her work. It was a very nice sight and one that he had appreciated many times in the past. She turned and found him watching her. With a smile, she asked, "Do you like what you see?"

Blushing at having been caught, Ed answered, "Yes, I do."

"What are you going to do about it?"

Licking his lips, he said, "I'm going to go find Linda."

"Smart answer," said Linda from behind him. She had seen him making his rounds and followed him to the nursery. Her arrival had coincided with Sarah's comment.

Ed nearly jumped a foot off the floor at the sound of Linda behind him. Recovering, he said, "I didn't know you were behind me."

Linda looked over at Sarah and said, "Tell him you love working here so that he can finish his duties and I can have a little fun with him."

Sarah asked, "Is he going out of town again?"

"Don't you guys have anything better to do than talk about me?" asked Ed.

"Yes, he is," answered Linda to Sarah's question.

"Nope," answered Sarah to Ed's question.

"Now tell him you love it here."

"I love it here."

At that, Linda pulled Ed away from the nursery and over to the corner. She dropped down to her knees and pulled the robe over her head. With just a little effort, she fished his hardening cock out of his pants. Seconds after it was freed from his pants, she had locked her lips around it. Looking down, Ed couldn't see Linda as she was totally covered by his robe. Looking up, he found a smiling Sarah posing at the door with a finger rubbing her slit. Seeing that she had his attention, Sarah shook her head so that her long hair covered her breasts.

With so many of the women in the house having short hair, Ed had discovered that he was very attracted to long hair. Linda and Sarah both had long hair that came down to the middle of their backs. Sarah knew how to use hers to her best advantage. The duel eroticism of the situation was having the desired effect on Ed. Watching Sarah while Linda sucked his cock was too much for him to resist. Within two minutes of Linda putting her mouth around his cock, he was filling it with his come. She stayed down there for much longer making sure that his cock was completely clean.

Ed sagged against the corner, barely able to stand. Looking up at Sarah, he could tell that she was disappointed that he had already finished. She was just starting to get worked up and now the show was over. Linda crawled out from under his robe and wiping the corners of her mouth with her finger, said, "I love the taste of your come."

Even though her words rang true, he didn't need his truth sense to know that. She would give a blowjob at the least little excuse and she was very good at it. The husbands swore that she loved giving a blowjob more than any other sex act and not one of them could claim to last more than three minutes with her sucking their cock. There was hardly a day that went by in which she didn't give Ed a blowjob.

Pouting, Sarah said, "You could have taken your time. I didn't even get near an orgasm and you had polished him off."

Looking back at her cousin, Linda said, "Would you have preferred if I let him fuck you and then got the come out of you?"

"You bet your war bonnet," replied Sarah with a grin at the idea.

"I'll do that next time," remarked Linda with total seriousness.

Ed knew that the next time he was with Linda, he'd be with Sarah as well. He asked, "Linda, how is it that you can give me a three hour orgasm whenever you want and then give me a blow job that lasts less than two minutes?"

She smiled and said, "When I start sucking, I can't wait to get your come in my mouth. When I start fucking, I want it to last forever."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he said, "I like it either way."

Linda smiled as she skipped away, hoping to find Leroy. Sarah shook her head and said, "She really loves come. And to think that I was the black sheep of the family."

Laughing at her assessment, Ed replied, "I guess we corrupted her."

Ed returned to the office to find that Cathy was off the phone. Sitting down, he said, "I want to take a trip somewhere and I'd like to leave tomorrow."

"Are you thinking of the cabin where you worked on your dissertation?"

"That's a good idea. Sure."

Cathy checked the rolodex and said, "It might take me a little time to arrange that. I don't know if the owners have rented it out."

Frowning at the idea of having to postpone his trip, Ed asked, "Can't you call them and ask?"

Even before he had finished asking his question, Cathy had dialed the number. He listened as she talked to the owners. The conversation went back and forth without sufficient information on his side to know what was the likely outcome. The tension was almost too much for him. The problem wasn't that he had his heart set on the cabin as a destination, but it was the only one that he could identify. When she hung up, she looked over at him and said, "You can go there tomorrow, but you'll have to air out the cabin. It's been closed up all winter."

Pleased with the outcome, Ed said, "No problem. Can you arrange a flight there?"

"Private jet?"

"Commercial jet is fine. I'll go first class though," answered Ed as he recalled the last time that he had traveled in the back of the plane.

"Okay, I'll arrange two seats for you."

"Two?"

"Of course, Linda was already here and said she was going with you."

That surprised Ed, particularly since he hadn't asked her to go with him. While he would not have thought that spending a week or more in a cabin on a lake as something she would enjoy, he wasn't about to complain. He had wondered if he would be able to talk anyone into going there with him. He asked, "Does she even know where I'm going?"

Cathy smiled as she answered his question. "She suggested it."

Somehow, Ed felt that he was getting maneuvered into something, but he wasn't sure what it was. Rather than question it, he replied, "Okay. Let me know when you get the travel arrangements completed."

"I'll see if I can rent a Hugger for you," said Cathy with a secret smile.

"Thanks."

Leaving the office, Ed went to the kitchen where Marguerite was preparing lunch. Seeing that there weren't any kids around, he fixed himself an iced tea. He sat in one of the chairs around the kitchen table and watched Marguerite dance. Smiling, he commented, "It's always great to watch you cook even if it is some kind of concoction best fed to the dogs."

Marguerite grinned at Ed as she replied, "What was it that you said when I won first place this year?"

After taking a sip of his iced tea, he answered, "I think it was something to the effect that you fooled them."

"Right. You were jumping up and down so much that they almost threw you out."

At least Ed had the grace to blush. He had gotten carried away when she won this year, much to the amusement of the others in the room. Embarrassed, he said, "You aren't going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Not when you start calling my cooking dog food."

"I surrender. You are the best cook in the world."

Marguerite laughed as she replied, "I wish I had a tape of you saying that."

"So what is that mess you're creating?"

"It is called lunch."

Shaking his head, Ed asked, "So what are the major ingredients in this mystery food?"

"Arsenic, Cyanide, Mercury, and a few other toxins," replied Marguerite enjoying herself tremendously at Ed's expense.

Laughing, Ed replied, "I'll eat after my official taster tries the food."

"And who is that?"

"Bob!" replied Ed knowing that she would never endanger her fiancée.

"Oh no you don't!" replied Marguerite in mock horror.

"Okay, so what are you cooking?"

"Soup to go with some sandwiches," replied Marguerite. Seeing the look of glee on his face, she added, "The soup is not from a can and the sandwiches are on homemade bread."

"Darn, I was hoping to have something decent to eat."

Smiling to herself, she threw her towel at Ed and went back to work. Bob came in a few minutes later and, after seeing the towel on the table, asked, "Which one of you killed the referee?"

As Ed pointed at Marguerite, she pointed at him. Bob burst out laughing knowing that their jibes at each other were just their way of playing. He knew that if anyone else ever criticized Marguerites cooking, Ed would be all over him or her in a minute. Every year, Ed entered her into the most prestigious cooking contest for private Chef's. Marguerite knew that Ed took more interest in her cooking than anyone in the house. Half of the time, Marguerite cooked dishes she knew or thought Ed would enjoy. Ed said, "Did you know that your duties now include being my official Food Taster?"

Bob made a gesture like a man dying of poison as he screamed, "Awk!"

Laughing, Marguerite said, "Enough of that."

In a more serious tone of voice, Ed asked, "So what can I give you for a wedding present?"

"You already gave it to us," replied Bob surprised by the question. Ed had already given them the diamond for the wedding ring.

"What? You mean the diamond?"

Marguerite shook her head and said, "Yeah, that little diamond. You know, the one that is worth about forty thousand dollars."

"Are you sure you don't want something else?"

"No," replied Marguerite. She said, "You may have another marriage taking place here, though."

"Oh, who?" asked Ed surprised that this was the first he had heard about it.

Marguerite looked over at Ed surprised that he hadn't heard anything until now. With a grin, she said, "It looks like Cathy, Sarah, George, and Walt have formed an informal group marriage. There is talk that they might make it official."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," replied Bob.

Ed didn't know what to make of the news, but it did explain a little about the current situation between Walt and George. Undoubtedly, the two women had chosen to model their marriage after that of the Carter Clan. This would take a little time for him to process. He refilled his iced tea glass from the pitcher in the refrigerator and returned to the table. Shaking his head, he said, "I don't know what to say."

"How about, I'm very surprised?" asked Marguerite with a grin.

"I've very surprised," answered Ed.

Kelly came into the kitchen and said, "Here you are. I've been looking for you all over."

"Sorry, I didn't know you were back," replied Ed.

"You know aren't supposed to drink tea when the kids can see you. If you want something to drink, have some milk."

"That's why I'm drinking it in here."

Kelly said, "I've been with the kids all morning. It's your turn to watch them while I get ready for lunch."

Slowly standing up, Ed asked, "Where are the kids?"

"Linda is watching them in the living room."

"Great, I'll be here for lunch with the kids." Leaving the kitchen, Ed went directly to the informal living room.

When he arrived in the living room, Beth was playing with a doll that was undressed. Every time Linda tried to dress it, Beth would take the doll away from her. Frustrated, Beth said, "The lady doesn't wear clothes."

The comment caused Ed to stop in his tracks. Going over to the toy box, he pulled out a sheet of paper and the crayons. Putting the paper on the coffee table, Ed said, "Beth, would you like to draw the lady for me?"

After going to the coffee table, Beth spent the next few minutes drawing a very careful picture. Ed watched as she drew a circle of trees and a naked lady in the middle of the glade. The lady was clearly naked, as Beth had included nipples and pubic hair in the picture.

Little John stopped playing with his toy cars and came over to look at the picture. He pointed and said, "The lady."

Crudely drawn with purple trees and an orange woman, Ed knew that it represented the Goddess. This was the first time that the children had given real evidence that they were aware of the Goddess. He asked, "Can I send this picture to Daddy John?"

"Yes!" screamed Beth excited to be sending something to the father that she didn't get to see very often.

Ed didn't want to make any promises, but he was sure that once John saw the picture that he would want the kids to come to the college. Looking over at Linda, Ed said, "Don't dress the doll. It's important to her."

Looking at Ed in surprise, Linda replied, "Okay. I don't see what the big deal is."

"I'll tell you about it later," said Ed as he stared at the picture. After studying it for several minutes, he held the picture out to Beth and asked, "Is something missing?"

Beth looked at the picture and then took it from Ed. With her tongue sticking out, she drew a loop with a dot at the bottom hanging from the hand of the woman. Nodding his head, Ed knew that Beth was drawing the Goddess holding a medallion in her hand. She handed it back to Ed and said, "Send it to Daddy John."

"The Lady. The Lady," shouted Little John as he tried to dance. His little legs were not up to it and he fell.

Kneeling to help John stand up, Ed said, "Let's take this to Cathy so she can send it to Daddy John."

He followed behind Beth and Little John as they led the way to the office. Beth handed the picture to Cathy and said, "For Daddy John."

As Cathy leaned down to take the picture, Ed said, "Ship it overnight, earliest delivery possible."

The instructions surprised Cathy as the kids normally collected a number of pictures before they sent it to John. She looked at the picture blankly. It didn't mean anything special to her. Cathy, hoping to praise Beth, said, "That's a nice picture of Sarah."

"Lady, not Sarah," said Little John correcting her.

Beth frowned at the mistake in understanding her picture. Ed noticed and said, "Cathy hasn't ever seen the lady."

"Oh," said Beth. Deciding that it was an honest mistake, she said, "Sarah has no clothes too."

"Right," said Ed.



-------

Chapter 8


This was the first time that Ed had traveled outside his normal area while wearing his black robe and the reactions that he received were beyond anything that he would have predicted. People stared at him when he walked by them. It wasn't the kind of stare that people gave freaks, but the kind of stare they gave a celebrity.

Months of television coverage about the mysterious Druids had made the name a household word. Whenever there was a forest fire, Sid was on television talking about how the Fusion Foundation had helped put it out and, of course, he was wearing his Druid robes whenever he was interviewed. Druids had found children lost in the woods, brought down drug rings, rescued people from burning buildings, and stopped riots. Every night, at least one Druid was on television talking about something that they had done to make the world a better place.

Walking beside Ed, Linda was unnerved by the attention. The closer she stood to Ed, the more attention she received. Finally, she whispered, "They're staring at us."

In a soft whisper, Ed said, "No, they are staring at my robe. For most of these people, this is the first time they've seen a Druid."

"Wow, how do you stand it?"

"I don't know. This is my first time to experience something like this. Usually, I'm able to fade into the background," answered Ed as they arrived at the ticket counter. Ed found the line for first class and went up to the counter.

The woman, wearing her airline outfit, almost hid behind the counter. Summoning her courage, she asked, "What may I do for you sir?"

Ed was about to answer when the supervisor came out and relieved the woman. The supervisor asked, "What may we do for you sir?"

"I have reservations on a flight out of here," answered Ed. He flipped open his identification so that the man could look it up in the computer.

The supervisor paled when he saw the ID for the IRS. After working on the computer for a full minute, the supervisor said, "Yes, Dr. Biggers. I'll print up your ticket right now. Do you have any luggage to be checked?"

Shaking his head, Ed pointed to the saddlebag slung over his shoulder while Linda held up her travel kit. Handing the tickets and a card to Ed, the supervisor said, "Okay, sir. Here are your tickets and this is a complementary key to the VIP lounge for you to use while waiting for your flight."

Looking at the key, which was nothing more than a credit card sized piece of plastic with the logo of the airline on the front and a computer strip on the back, Ed asked, "Is this normal for first class passengers?"

"No, sir. You are a Druid and we'd like to extend this courtesy to you."

Ed frowned, irritated at receiving special treatment, and looked over at Linda who was standing there wide-eyed. Rather than make a scene, he said, "Thank you."

The two of them walked away from the counter and headed to the gate. It took them less than a minute to get through security. When they passed the VIP lounge, Linda asked, "Can we go in?"

"Sure," replied Ed enjoying her sense of adventure. Normally, he would have enjoyed it, but he hadn't liked the way it had been offered him.

They sat at a table as a waitress came over to them to get their drink order. While Ed ordered a coke, Linda ordered a glass of wine. The waitress, as she set the beverages on the table, said, "That will be..."

A man caught her attention across the room by gesturing wildly. When she finally understood what he was signaling, she said, "These are on the house."

Frowning at the sudden change in what she was saying, Ed asked, "How much would they normally be?"

"Eight dollars," replied the waitress.

"Thanks," replied Ed. Not having seen the man behind him making the gestures, he was irritated at the way she had suddenly decided to make them complimentary.

When the waitress had left the table, the man from across the room came over to their table. When he arrived there, he held out a hand and said, "Welcome to the executive lounge."

Looking up at the man, Ed asked, "Do we have you to thank for our drinks?"

"Yes. I believe that you are the first Druid that we've had come through this airport."

"Not really. We usually fly out of here on a private jet, but this is a vacation trip rather than a business trip. We thought we would save a little money, so we are going by commercial airline," replied Ed.

"Oh, so you live around here?"

Glancing over at Linda, Ed said, "Basically."

An awkward quiet descended on the group as the man looked at Ed trying to figure out what that answer meant. A memo had passed over his desk that all airport managers were to look for a Druid that might be interested in consulting for the airline. This particular firm was in financial trouble and it was hoped that having a Druid make suggestions would help the company.

In the mean time, Ed was trying to figure out what the man wanted from them. He didn't trust the entire setup and wouldn't until he knew what they wanted from him. Linda sipped her wine feeling important just for being in the room.

Finally, the man broke the silence. "Are you interested in consulting for our airline?"

At last the truth was out. Leaning forward, Ed replied, "Not really. I want to be on the board of directors."

Shocked at the audacity of the suggestion, the man sat back in his seat wondering what to do. The memo hadn't covered this situation. There was only one thing that could be done and that was to call his boss at corporate headquarters. Standing, he said, "Excuse me for a moment."

The man stepped away from the table as he reached into his pocket and made a call on his cell phone. From across the room, Ed watched him talking on the phone with his boss. Incredulous that Ed would have the nerve to ask that, Linda asked, "Do you really think they would put you on the board?"

Smiling at the expression on her face, Ed said, "Maybe not, since the guy didn't ask my name. We'll see what happens next."

The man finished his conversation and returned to the table. Sitting down, he said, "If you'll give me your name and contact information, the office will get in touch with you."

Ed pulled out one of the family cards and handed it to the man. Glancing at it, the man put the card in his pocket without giving it a second thought and said, "I'll forward this information on."

Ed pulled a second card out and handed it to the man as he said, "I think you should call your boss back."

"Why?"

"You might want to keep your job," remarked Ed.

The man left the table and called his boss again. This time, the conversation was much shorter with the man looking at Ed several times as shock spread across his face. Pale, the man returned to the table and said, "Dr. Biggers. They accepted your proposition. At the next board meeting you will be recommended to become a member."

"Thank you," replied Ed with a smile and a wink at Linda. Her reaction was a little more muted as it was the first time that she had seen Ed use his influence.

The man looked at Ed for a minute and said, "Thank you for making me call a second time. You probably saved my job."

"No problem," answered Ed. He checked his watch and added, "We had better get to the gate. Our plane is about to board."

Linda finished her wine before standing up while Ed left a ten- dollar tip for the hostess. The two of them left the lounge and headed to the plane. They made it just in time and took their seats in first class. Once they had seated themselves, Linda asked, "So why were you so sure that they would put you on the board?"

Looking over at Linda as she sat proudly in her chair, Ed answered, "A lot of companies have been trying to get Druids on their boards. I know this airline is in trouble and the fact that they only wanted a Druid to consult suggested that if I were to play their game, they'd be out of business before too long. I'm sure that someone there has a list of who's who among the Druids. I am pretty high in that list."

Raising an eyebrow, she replied, "That's rather conceited of you."

"No, it just makes me old. I've been serving the Two-Sided One longer than anyone else alive," answered Ed honestly.

"Is that how rank is determined among the Druids?"

"Yes. That and how many Gods and Goddesses you serve. John serves three and that makes him the highest ranked Druid. There are three that serve two and they are the next highest ranked. Jerry has served the longest of anyone. Then there is Mary, she's been serving the second longest. Then there is little old me."

"So you are the seventh highest Druid?"

"I guess so. I don't really think about it because it doesn't mean that much," replied Ed. It was funny, but the only Druid that seemed able to call upon others was John. Otherwise, Druids just showed up where and when needed.

Linda looked at Ed with a funny expression. It was hard to believe that two of her husbands were that important and neither one thought of themselves as special. In a way, she felt as if she and Leroy were the least significant people in the family but no one had ever treated them that way.

The trip was without incident. When they landed, Ed told Linda to stay in her seat until everyone else had disembarked from the plane. Confused, she did as he asked and watched as tired looking passengers shuffled from the back of the plane wrestling with their carry-on luggage. Their clothes, wrinkled from sitting in the same position too long, looked like they had been worn for a week rather than half a day. Turning to look at Ed with concern, Linda asked, "What's the matter with everyone? They look like they've been in a fight."

Ed pointed to one of the men and said, "Look at him. He's flying here on business and will probably have to make a sales pitch within an hour or two. If he can't come across fresh and alert, he'll probably blow the sale."

"But what's the matter with them?"

"When everyone is off the plane, I'll show you," answered Ed.

Curious, Linda watched as businessmen tried to get off the plane. An elderly woman, visiting family in the area, was struggling to get her luggage down the isle and the men behind her raised their eyes to heaven as though praying for a miracle. Linda hadn't seen so many miserable people in one place in her entire life. Turning to Ed, she said, "Was there a problem back there that we didn't know about?"

"No. At least not in the way that you meant," answered Ed.

When the last passenger from the back of the plane got out, Ed stood and paced off the length of the first class. Then he paced off the length of coach. In the same space that they had twelve seats in first, they had twenty-four in coach. Watching him, she asked, "What are you doing?"

Smiling, he said, "Why don't you have a seat over there?"

She flopped down on the seat and, as she rubbed her butt, exclaimed, "That's hard!"

After he had finished counting out the length of coach, he edged into the seat beside her. She complained, "Hey, don't take up so much room!"

Smiling, Ed said, "That is why they looked like hell when they got off the plane. Imagine sitting here like this for the next three hours."

Frowning, Linda said, "Your knees are hitting the seat in front of you."

"Yes, they are, aren't they?"

Linda answered, "Now I see why you guys usually fly in the private jet. That's so much more comfortable than first class. This back here is horrible."

"This is why I want on the board of this airline. Did you know that some people paid almost as much to sit back here as we did for our seat?"

"That's criminal."

"No, that's how the airlines operate," replied Ed. Satisfied, with his observations, Ed said, "Let's get out of here."

Ed and Linda went to the car rental agency and picked up a Hugger. It wasn't long before they were on the road, headed towards the cabin. It was surprising, but Ed remembered the route with ease despite the fact that it had been several years since he had made the trip. Linda looked out the window at all of the trees and said, "Wow, it really is green here. Look at all of the trees."

Ed smiled as he drove down roads covered over by tree branches with leaves in the early stages of emergence. The main town was nowhere near as crowded as it had been the summer when Ed had been here. The official tourist season had not yet started and wouldn't start for another month, but the locals had returned to repair the damage of the winter. Grocery and hardware stores were open and busy as people replaced stocks of food and purchased building supplies to fix things for the onslaught of tourists.

They stopped at one of the grocery stores to purchase cleaning supplies and food for the week. Teabags for making iced tea were a necessity, although Linda raised an eyebrow when Ed purchased two boxes of the large size. She watched as he went through the store, picking up food that catered to the male taste: coffee, steaks, eggs, bacon, bread, canned stew, potato chips, and canned peaches. She went along behind him picking up vegetables, flour, margarine, spices, lemons, and milk. They looked at the contents of each other's shopping carts and burst out laughing. Between the two of them, they had gotten everything that they needed.

It wasn't long after they left the store when they reached the cabin. It had aged a little since he had been there last, but it still was comfortable. The key was exactly where Cathy had said it would be. Unlocking the door, Ed looked at the layer of dust over everything. It was worse than he had thought it would be, but between the two of them it only took a couple of hours to get everything straightened up. By then, it was getting dark and cold.

Sitting in front of the fireplace watching the fire, they ate the canned stew with buttered bread. It was a heavy meal, but there wasn't enough to make the stomach feel heavy afterwards. They relaxed watching as the flames of the fire licked heavenward. The yellow and red flames mixed, moving in an intricate dance. A crackle would open a vent and a very small jet of blue flame would emerge. Linda asked, "Why are there little blue flames like that?"

"The interior of the log is getting hot and breaks down into combustible gases that burn blue," replied Ed recalling something that he had learned in his chemistry class.

"Does knowing those kinds of things diminish the beauty of what you are seeing?"

"Not at all. It just reminds me just how amazing things actually are."

Linda looked confused and asked, "Knowing that makes it seem a little less amazing."

Smiling, Ed said, "Most people look at a piece of wood and don't see anything other than wood. Then you come to understand just how complex that little piece of wood actually is and suddenly it is a miracle that you can see. Knowing that the wood breaks down under heat gives us a glimpse of the fire within."

"It sounds almost magical when you say it like that."

They sat quietly with Ed holding her within his arms. She shifted and lay down with her head in his lap. Brushing his hand against her hair, Ed appreciated the silky smoothness of it. After a while, her breathing slowed and she fell asleep. A few minutes later, Ed fell asleep. Throughout the night, the fire burned keeping them warm for an unnaturally long time, a gift from the God.

It was bright and early when Ed woke alone on the couch. With a great effort to move limbs that had been in one position too long, he stood and stretched. The smell of coffee wafted out of the kitchen, drawing him with the promise of caffeine. Pouring a cup and finding it too hot drink down in manly swallows, he stood there taking little sips.

Walking to the living room, he looked out the door. Little tendrils of mist rose from the surface of the lake like fairies dancing on the water. Drops of dew gave rise to little sparkles thrown across the short barely emergent grass. Robins hopped across the ground, pausing occasionally with ear to ground as they sought earthworms moving in the soil below them.

The birds, more hungry than wise, ignored Linda. She stood naked, motionless in the center of the yard with her arms raised to the sky as though welcoming the morning sun. The light on her jet-black hair made it look almost magical, giving rise to shades of deep purple. Her unblemished red skin, taut with youth, pulsed with the life force that beat within it. The sight was enough to take his breath away.

Linda turned and looked at him as he appreciated the full femininity of her body. Smiling at him, she said, "It's beautiful here."

"You should see it from where I'm standing."

Knowing that Ed was complimenting her, she said, "Maybe we can bring a blanket out here and make love."

Ed went into the house and grabbed a blanket. Within a few seconds he was by her side and spreading the blanket on the ground. Even though she had not intended for him to do it that second, she appreciated his enthusiasm.

Sitting tailor fashion on the ground with his erection pointing into the air, Ed reached up to Linda to lower her down onto his cock. From his position, she knew exactly what he wanted to do and settled easily onto his cock. With Linda sitting on his lap, her legs wrapped around his body and her cunt impaled on his cock, Ed embraced her. This was a slow and steady sexual experience; the kind that he loved the most. They were positioned such that they could look into each other's eyes, kiss gently, and hold each other close while remaining connected in their lower region. Ed started flexing his cock causing little ripples of pleasure to spread forth form her cunt to her whole body.

Under the morning sun, the breeze caressed their bodies in a way that no human touch could. Ed ran a hand through her long black hair enjoying the texture of its silky smoothness under his hand. Rocking gently on his lap, Linda looked around feeling a release at making love under the sky. How many of her ancestors had made love just like this? She didn't know, but the idea caused a little thrill of pleasure to run through her body.

They stayed in that position for almost thirty minutes as Linda slowly moved towards an orgasm. She was very close to coming when her legs started bothering her from holding that position too long. Desiring a change, she said, "I want you to fuck me doggy style."

Smiling, Ed helped her get off him. Once she was in position, Ed entered her. Her long black hair had fanned out across her back. Ed gathered her hair in his hand and fondled it as he thrust into her. She started backing into him as her excitement built towards an orgasm. When it came, it was a very large one that was accompanied by a loud scream of pleasure.

Ed started changing how he thrust into her, giving pauses of random lengths of time between thrusts. The effect of this was to tease her body to even higher levels of excitement. When he thrust into her savagely for about a minute, she found herself close to another orgasm. He stopped and she screamed in frustration. When he resumed, she came with a loud cry of pleasure.

Ed continued playing her body like a fine violin. Changing his timing, the strength of his thrusts, and teasing her with his touch he drove her to heights of pleasure that she hadn't experienced in ages. It was normal for her to take full control over sex and this was one of the few times that she had let her guard down.

For his part, Ed was doing an excellent job of controlling his levels of excitement. The changes in how he thrust into her allowed him to keep from getting too excited. All of that changed when the mental image of wrapping her hair around his cock and jacking off into it flashed through his mind. Surprised at how quickly it arose, Ed came with a startled cry.

Even Linda, facing away from Ed, could tell that his orgasm was totally unexpected. As Ed grabbed her hips and pulled her harder onto his cock, frozen in place as his come burst into her body, she wondered what had caused such an intense orgasm. Crying out his pleasure with a volume that could have been heard around the entire lake, Ed shook as the last of his orgasm passed.

Pulling out of her, he dropped to the blanket exhausted. She curled up against him looking up at the sky above. When he seemed to return to himself, she asked, "What were you thinking when you came?"

Embarrassed by his thoughts, Ed answered, "Jacking off using your hair."

The fact that his answer came out of leftfield caused Linda to emit a burst of laughter. She couldn't imagine a man wanting to do that. The come would be almost impossible to wash out of the hair and it would probably lead to her hair getting knotted. She asked, "Are you serious?"

In answer, Ed took her hand and raised a finger. Wrapping her hair around the finger and then slowly twisting moving the hair around her finger, he asked, "How does that feel?"

"It kind of tickles, but it feels nice," replied Linda as she realized that the sensation could be very pleasurable on a cock. There had been many times when she had used her hair during sex to improve the pleasure of the act. Usually, it was by running her hair along her lover's body.

"How do you think it would feel if it were a cock rather than a finger?"

"For me, it would feel the same since it is just my hair. I imagine that for you there might be a significant difference."

The subject was dropped, but the two of them remained on the blanket enjoying the sun of early morning. The fog had burned off the lake and the birds had stopped making as much noise. It was the sound of a car coming down the drive to the cabin that chased them both into the house. It was a mad rush to get dressed before the car reached a spot in front of the house. Ed emerged from the house wearing his robe with nothing under it.

When the driver stepped out of the car, it took a second for Ed to recognize Kip Caler, the FBI agent that had been in on the College Serial Killers case. Kip raised a hand as he said, "Hello, Ed. I heard that you had come back here and thought I would stop by to see if you needed anything."

Leaning against a pillar of the porch, Ed remarked, "Nice to see you again. How are things going?"

"Fine," replied the agent. He had good memories of the time spent here with Ed and John. It was the first time that he learned how to relax with his superiors, a skill that had actually helped him in his career. He looked out at the lake and said, "We had a little fun there in the lake. I hope you don't throw me in again."

Laughing at the reference to the day that John had come out here, Ed said, "You never know."

The door opened behind him and Linda stepped out wearing her blue jeans and western style shirt. Even covered, she was a beautiful woman and seeing her standing there framed by the door took Ed's breath away. The effect on Kip was greater as he had not realized that Ed was here with someone else. Ed said, "Linda, I'd like you to meet Kip Caler of the FBI. Kip, this is Linda, my wife."

"Pleased to meet you. I didn't realize that Ed wasn't alone or I wouldn't have intruded."

Linda smiled as she replied, "Don't worry. We were just relaxing under the morning sky."

Relaxing under the morning sky was not the kind of activity that normal men would want to do with that woman. Kip said, "I'm still sorry about interrupting. I thought maybe Ed would like some company fishing."

A great smile spread across Linda's face. Turning to Ed, she exclaimed, "Fishing! I haven't been fishing in years. Can we do that today?"

"Sure, I need to pick up some fishing gear in town if there is a place that is open," answered Ed. It was hard for him to believe that Linda would enjoy fishing.

A trip to town to purchase fishing equipment included a stop at a local diner for lunch. Located off the main drive, this was a diner used primarily by locals. It was a little dingy place, the kind that would be overlooked by tourists. It reminded Ed of diners in every small town. All conversation came to a halt when the three of them entered the room. As Linda and Kip moved to a table, Ed realized that all eyes were on him.

With a sigh, he joined them at a table. The waitress, after checking the rest of the room, slowly made her way to their table. It was clear from the way that she moved towards them that she was terrified about waiting on them. When she got close enough, Ed turned to her and winked as he said, "Don't worry. I don't bite, unless you want me to."

Linda laughed and slapped his arm in a good-natured fashion as she exclaimed, "You bad man. Scaring the poor waitress. I ought to let her beat you senseless."

Laughing at his wife's comment, Ed said, "You're going to destroy that image of serious Druid that we've tried so hard to cultivate."

Linda turned to the waitress and said, "Don't mind him. He's just a little child at heart."

Not knowing what to make of the comments, the waitress asked, "Do you need menus?"

Relaxed in the presence of Ed, Kip answered, "Yes."

She handed out three menus and went to get some water for them. Other patrons had whispered exchanges with her, as they were curious about what had been said to her. She returned to the table with three glasses of water. The glasses were dimpled brown plastic, the cheapest glasses employed in diners all across the country. Setting them before her customers, she asked, "Are you ready to order or do you need more time?"

The menu was a typed page with the items listed on the left and the price on the right of the page. It was easy to see that the owners catered to locals with healthy hearty dishes intended for hard working people. Ed spotted the Chicken and Dumplings and smiled, as he knew exactly what he was going to order. He looked up at the waitress and asked, "How are the Chicken and Dumplings?"

"Lots of people order them," replied the waitress, still scared of dealing with a Druid. Like many people, she had seen them on television and they had taken a larger than life stature. She didn't know what kind of people they were, but she did know that they knew some of the most important people in the country.

Catching a slight dissonance in her answer, Ed asked, "I take it you don't like them yourself?"

"Not really, but that doesn't mean much. Other people like them though," answered the woman intimidated by how his gray eyes seemed to see into her.

There was a ring of truth in her voice and Ed relaxed. Smiling, he said, "We all have our individual preferences and who am I to judge yours. I'll try the Chicken and Dumplings."

Nervous that he would dislike them, she answered, "Would you like to try a taste of it first?"

"No, that's okay."

The waitress was getting increasingly more nervous, a fact that wasn't lost on Linda. She understood how imposing the Druids could be. Even though she was married to three of them, whenever they had a Druid visitor, she found them unnerving. Trying to help the waitress get more at ease, she said, "I'll have the stew."

Kip chimed in as he ordered, "I'll have the stew also."

As the waitress started to leave, Ed stopped her when he said, "Iced teas all around."

She scribbled it down on her pad, angry with herself for not having asked. Practically running, she went to the kitchen to turn in the order. As a result of a conversation in the kitchen, it was the owner who came to the table carrying their iced teas. Ed noticed the change in who was waiting on the table and asked, "What happened to our waitress?"

The manager started to come up with a story, but stopped the moment he saw the gray eyes of Ed looking him straight in the eye with an unwavering gaze. Instead, he replied, "She is uncomfortable serving you."

Knowing that it was the truth, Ed sighed. Smiling up at the manager, he said, "Amazing how people know when you consult for the IRS. Scares them off every time."

The news that Ed worked for the IRS made the manager nervous. Kip joked, "That's okay. When you go overseas, you can tell everyone that you consult for the CIA."

Surprised, Ed asked, "How did you know about that?"

Shocked to learn that Ed actually worked with the CIA, Kip answered, "I was making a joke. I didn't know that you worked with the CIA."

Shrugging, Linda said, "They have him interrogate terrorists. It's the least dangerous thing that he does."

The manager looked at Ed wondering what kinds of things he did that was more dangerous than interrogating terrorists. Sighing, Ed said, "I kind of liked our waitress. Is she your daughter?"

"No. I don't have any children."

Looking at Linda, Ed said, "I have two, a girl and a boy. I highly recommend parenthood."

The manager, knowing the question that was on everyone's minds, decided that it was time to ask, "What brings you here?"

"Vacation. I needed a place to rest."

"The town isn't really open for business yet."

"I know. The last time I was here, I worked on my dissertation. There were so many tourists, but I prefer it quiet like it is now."

The man was surprised that this wasn't his first visit to the town. He shrugged as he said, "It is quiet at that."

"Our little town has about a thousand people in it. I like small towns."

The manager looked at Ed puzzled about his talking about small town life. How could someone that was a Druid live in a small town when they consulted important people? It didn't make sense. He asked, "You like small towns?"

"Yes. I like having neighbors that know me and treat me like a person rather than a celebrity. It's comforting to be around good hardworking people that take care of their business like the folks around here."



-------

Chapter 9


So far, the trip to the cabin was everything that Ed needed. Five days of sex with Linda, fishing, sleeping, and eating had brought him to a point where he felt refreshed and ready to take on the world once again. They still had two days left on their vacation and Ed felt that his energy levels could only get better.

A storm was brewing on the horizon, bringing with it gusts of wind that threatened to chill them. The unusually cool day for late spring prevented casual nudity, so both of them were dressed as they sat on the porch. Ed watched the storm clouds gather, wondering what a storm in this area would be like. Deciding that it was likely they would spend the whole day in the cabin, he got out of his chair to bring in enough firewood so that he wouldn't have to run out into the rain. Linda watched him work knowing that if she offered to help carry in wood, that he would turn her down.

Satisfied with the amount of firewood stacked on the porch, Ed sat down and said, "Do you want lunch in town?"

"If we miss lunch today, people will talk," replied Linda. Ed had slowly thawed the wall of silence that had greeted them their first time in town. It was hard not to like Ed when he was relaxed and genuinely interested in the lives of everyone around him.

Laughing at the concern for the locals, Ed said, "We can't upset our audience."

Driving into town, Ed watched the sky overhead darken as the clouds thickened. By the time they reached town, flashes of lightening appeared on the horizon. They made it into the diner before the rain started to fall in large heavy drops. Entering the diner, a number of patrons shouted, "Hi Ed."

Ed raised a hand and waved to everyone as he replied, "Hi everyone. It looks like a little rain is headed this way."

One of the men at the counter turned and asked, "Are you always that prone to understatement?"

"Except when it comes to describing how beautiful my wife is, then words fail me," replied Ed. The statement was greeted with laughter around the room.

Everyone glanced over at Linda, who blushed at the attention. She said, "Oh, Ed. You are such a flatterer."

The waitress, having come to know them a little better, led them to a table. She brought water and iced tea to the table without them having to ask for it. By now, the couple knew the menu by heart. Linda said, "I'll have the Chicken Fried Steak."

Ed said, "I'll have the stew."

The waitress smiled and went to the back to drop off their order. It was a few minutes later that she returned to the table. Once there, she said, "I heard that you were the guy that helped capture the serial killers a couple of years back."

As Ed looked down at the table, Linda realized that she would have to answer for him. She said, "Yes, he did. He was cut with a knife in his chest and on his back."

Looking out the window, Ed took a sip of his iced tea. A number of the other patrons there watched him and saw that he wasn't boasting about it. In a way, it made him more approachable. The waitress answered, "Oh wow. I didn't know that."

Linda looked across the table at her husband and said, "He doesn't like to talk about that kind of stuff. He'd rather know about how other people are doing."

"But he's a hero," said the waitress unable to understand why he wouldn't want to talk about it.

Ed turned and looked at the waitress with a smile. When he knew that he had her attention, Ed asked, "So what if I was a hero for one afternoon of my life? The rest of my life is spent working, playing with my kids, loving my wives, and visiting with my friends. That is what I'm proud about."

Understanding burst upon the waitress as she realized that he valued the things that everyone did rather than the extraordinary things that he had experienced. She said, "I see."

A number of other people nodded their heads in agreement. The weather outside turned horrible suddenly as rain came pouring down amid bolts of lightening striking the ground around them. Ed looked out the window and said, "Isn't nature amazing? Such power that it makes you feel like an ant."

Others in the room couldn't help but agree as a bolt of lightening struck outside the diner and the following crash of thunder deafened nearly everyone. When everyone could hear again, Linda asked, "Are you always that prone to understatement?"

The entire place burst out laughing. After that, the discussion in the diner turned to politics with people offering their differing positions on current events in the good-natured manner of people who knew each other and discussed the differences rather than exploring the commonalities. Ed listened to the discussions carefully taking a pulse of what a variety of people felt about the world around them. It was important to him to understand how others viewed current events. If it was his job to make the world a better place, then one had to understand what people thought a better place would be like.

The discussion was interrupted when a couple entered the diner. They were soaked and water flew when they removed their jackets. The man looked up and, in a voice that carried through the whole dinner, said, "I heard there were a couple of lightening strikes about twenty miles from here that started a forest fire."

With a sudden shift from friendly patron to serious Druid, Ed looked up and, in a sharp voice, asked, "Are you sure about that?"

"Pretty sure," answered the man. The woman next to him was nodding her head. The man continued, "Heard it on the local radio as we pulled in here."

Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, Ed dialed the number for the Phoenix office of the Fusion Foundation. When the receptionist answered, Ed said, "May I speak with Ellen Faber?"

He was quiet for a moment until Ellen picked up the phone. With a slight pause, he asked, "Are you tracking any forest fires where I am?"

There was a moment of silence and then he said, "I just heard that a couple of lightening strikes started a fire up here."

As everyone in the room watched him talking on the phone, he said, "Put them on alert. I'm sure that it will get escalated if what I've been told are correct."

Listening to the reply from Ellen, Ed frowned and then smiled. He asked, "They can be here within thirty minutes?"

"Okay. I'm at the Blue Goose Diner," answered Ed. After slipping the cell phone back in his pocket, he looked around and noticed that everyone was looking at him. Embarrassed, he said, "I just called the Fusion Foundation to have them put on alert."

"You can do that?" asked the waitress amazed by what she had heard. If he was talking with the Fusion Foundation and was able to put them on alert, he must be much more powerful than she had thought.

"Anyone can do that," Ed answered. Seeing the looks on people's faces, he added, "I volunteer some of my time there. Other people really do all of the work."

The look on Linda's face conveyed significant incredibility at the way he had characterized his role. Others in the diner picked up on that and one of them said, "He's prone to understatement."

That brought a general laughter to the entire place. Their lunches arrived and the pair started eating as the conversation again flowed through the room. A common topic was the work that the Fusion Foundation was doing around the country. Almost everyone had seen at least one instance where someone they knew had been helped by the foundation. Battered wives, runaway children, medical help, and hospital facilities that wouldn't have been available otherwise made a difference to everyone.

As Ed listened, he felt proud to be associated with such a fine organization that had made a real difference in the lives of ordinary people. His stew was very good and Linda appeared to enjoy her chicken fried steak, although she was only able to finish half of it. As Ed took another bite of his stew, Linda asked, "Are they coming here?"

The thought that she must have gone to a school for waitresses crossed his mind until he recalled that she used to be a waitress. Of course she had gone to that school, that was where people learned how to ask questions as soon as someone took a bite of food. Swallowing, he answered, "Yes, a spotter should be here in about five minutes now."

He waited to see if she was going to ask another question. When she didn't act like she was going to say something, he took another bite of his stew. Smiling at him, she asked, "Is he coming here to the diner?"

The look of frustration on his face caused her to burst out laughing. In response to his unasked question, she said, "Yes, I went to the school for waitresses. The first rule is to never ask a question until the patron has just put some food in their mouth."

After Ed swallowed, he said, "Yes, he's coming here after he checks out the area for a fire."

He pretended to take a bite of food as she asked, "Why is he coming here?"

"He wants to report to me directly if there is a fire, I guess," replied Ed as a smile broke over her face.

The bad weather had subsided to a simple rainstorm as the wind died and the lighting ended. The leading edge of the front had passed and the storm subsided to a constant rain for the rest of the day that would leave everything soaked. As he was about to take another bite of his stew, Linda asked, "If it is raining, won't that put out any fires?"

"Not necessarily, it often rains during forest fires."

A man wearing a blue coverall with yellow backpack entered the diner. Everyone turned to look at him, recognizing immediately the uniform of the emergency response section of the Fusion Foundation. The man took only a minute to spot Ed and walked directly to him. Once at the table, the man said, "Dr. Biggers, there is a fire about twenty miles from here, but it has been contained. It is unlikely that it will encompass more than a couple of acres."

Accepting the news, Ed asked, "So there is no need to put everyone on alert?"

"No, the ground conditions are not right for a significant spread of the fire and the local fire departments can handle the situation. I'll stand by in case it gets out of control."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure that a few homeowners and businessmen in the area will be quite relieved," said Ed with a smile.

The man relaxed a little and said, "By the way, sir, we received official notification of the fire two minutes after you called."

"Please call me Ed."

Looking around at all of the people staring at him, the man said, "I'll be going now."

"I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"No bother. I've always wanted to meet you. You've done a great job in setting up this service and I really enjoy being part of it."

"Much of the credit goes to others," replied Ed. Nodding, the man turned and left the diner as everyone watched him leave.

As soon as the man was out of the diner, all eyes turned to stare at Ed. One of the patrons said, "He's prone to understatement. Volunteered a little of his time? Sounds like he set it up to me."

Linda smiled and said, "He set up the Emergency Response Section. His late wife, Beth, set up the Medical Section."

One of the patrons looked at Ed and said, "Anything else you do that you tend to play down?"

"How can I answer that question without playing something up?"

The room laughed at the logic of his statement. The waitress asked, "So what is your favorite thing to do?"

As a broad smile spread across his face, Ed answered, "I love to spend time with my family. I have two great kids, two husbands, three wives, and more in-laws than I can count."

"So other than that?"

"I love to go rock hunting out in the desert on horseback."

Several of the people looked at him in surprise. Linda explained, "He is one of the most respected mineralogists in the country. He even found a new kind of crystal in Antarctica."

"Yes, Carterite," added Ed with a smile.

"You sure lead an exciting life," said the waitress.

Frowning at her impression of his life, Ed replied, "No more exciting than you."

"Huh?"

"You see me and you think that my life is one adventure after another. It's not. Most of it is working, taking care of things around the house, loving my family, and helping others. These are the same things that you do. I'm sure that if we were to sit down and talk about your specific interests that people would find your life interesting. Most of the people in this town are building something. All of the businesses around here don't happen without people making it happen." Ed looked around the room and noticed that a number of people were nodding as they thought about their lives.

He continued, "Someone in here may have raced cars at one time. Someone else might be a volunteer fireman and put out a fire or saved someone from burning to death. Someone else might have been in the special forces. Everyone in here has done or will do something interesting at some point in time."

The waitress said, "My life is boring. I've never done anything interesting."

Looking at the young woman, he put her age at around twenty. Smiling at her, he said, "I was a cowboy until I was in my late twenties. The most interesting thing I saw until I went to college was the back end of a cow."

The woman laughed at the image. At least as a waitress she had the odd occasion to see good-looking men come in the place. She noticed that he didn't say that she was too young and that interesting things would happen when she got older. Implicit in his statement was the idea that it was never too late to do something interesting. She asked, "Do you mean there is time for me to be rescued by someone?"

Linda played with the food on her plate and then said, "You know. Ed has rescued a lot of women from very horrible situations. We call them his damsels in distress. You can say they have had something interesting happen to them and without exception, they would have preferred not to have experienced it."

"Why?"

"It's the distress part of being a damsel in distress that they don't like. No one does," replied Linda as she looked over at Ed. Looking at the young woman with compassion, Linda added, "If you want to have some interesting things in your life, you need to be in control of it. That means you need to seek out the adventure yourself and to prepare yourself for that adventure."

"Good advice," said Ed in approval. He added, "Figure out what you want, research how to do it, then go out and do it. It's that simple."

The waitress stood there for a minute thinking about what Linda had said. It made sense that she was the one that had to pursue adventure in her life. Just waiting for something to happen would mean it would never happen or that it would not be the kind of adventure that she would enjoy. Nodding, she returned to work thoughtful about what she had heard. A number of other people in the diner were quiet as well.

Finished with their meal, Ed paid for it leaving a good-sized tip. As they left, a couple of patrons called out their farewells. At the door, Ed turned back to wave to everyone. As he and Linda returned to the car, Linda asked, "Do you think she'll find an adventure?"

Laughing at the question, Ed asked, "What do you think?"

"I'm sure she will," answered Linda with a smile.

"I think a number of people in that diner are going to go out and try some new things fairly soon. She wasn't the only one listening to us in there."

This was an aspect of Ed and John that Linda didn't understand. They would talk about things and change people in a single sitting. There was no doubt in her mind that starting tomorrow, people were going to plan a brave new adventure. She asked, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Lift people up out of their mundane lives and give them the desire to pursue something greater along with the knowledge on how to go about it."

"I didn't give them the advice, you did," replied Ed with a smile.

Shaking her head, Linda retorted, "Now you have me doing it."

Back at the cabin, Ed built a fire in the fireplace. As the warmth of the fire displaced the cold that had seeped into the cabin, the pair stripped and lay in front of the fire on a blanket. After lying quiet for almost an hour, Linda said, "Ed, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"I want to have a baby with John."

"Great. When do you want to start trying to get pregnant?"

"After my next period," replied Linda.

Nodding at the timing, Ed said, "I'm glad that we had this time alone together."

A silence descended on the room as Linda worried about what would happen as a result John's Druid nature and the closeness of her family to the animal spirits. What kind of child would the union produce? Before coming on this trip, she had gone to consult one of the medicine man of her tribe. He had looked at her for a long time after she asked the question. She could see that an argument raged inside him. It stunned her when he refused to answer. Even after pressing, he had only answered that the child would have to be her first born.

As an afterthought, Linda wondered why Ed was glad they had this time alone together. She asked, "Why?"

Ed said, "You are the only one that I haven't had a chance to deal with one on one alone. Kelly and I spent a lot of time together without anyone else around. Ling and I spent time in LA. John and I have traveled and worked together many times. Leroy and I had the time at his parents. I've always dealt with you at the house."

Surprised, Linda looked at him and realized that she hadn't spent any special time with any member of the family without the others present. She said, "Next month I'll spend some time alone with John."

"I doubt that very much," replied Ed.

"Why?"

Thinking about the picture that he had sent John just before they had left on this trip, he knew that Ling and Kelly would be going to the Druid College to stay for quite some time. He answered, "The children are going to stay with John, so Ling and Kelly will be there with them."

"How do you know that?" asked Linda. She had talked with Kelly before coming here and she had heard nothing about them going to live with John.

"The children know the Goddess already. I discovered before we came here that they see her in their dreams and talk with her on a regular basis."

That went far to explain the early development of the children. It was very strange to hear the kids talking like adults at such an early age. There were times when she found their insights very unnerving. Disappointed at not being alone with John, she said, "I guess I understand why they should be with him."

Ed smiled and said, "You can still have some time alone with the others."

"But they are all so busy."

"Everyone in the family is willing to drop other things to spend some time alone with you. All you have to do is ask."

The idea that she should spend the next month alone with various members of the family actually sounded very attractive to her. She had finished her book and had nothing special that was demanding her time. Perhaps it was time that she went on an outing with Kelly or attend a competition with Ling. She smiled as she thought about the fun she could have with them and said, "That's not a bad idea."

As they lay side by side in front of the fire, Ed started running his hand through her hair enjoying the silky sensation as it flowed through his fingers. The idea of jacking off using her hair flashed through his mind again and he immediately became erect. He was tempted to say something, but thought better of it.

The simultaneous occurrence of his attention to her hair and his erection was not lost on Linda. She waited for him to make the request that she knew he wanted to make, but he was silent. It took her some time to realize that he wouldn't ask her, particularly after her reaction the other day to the suggestion.

It was time for her to take the initiative. Sitting up, she pushed him onto his back so that his erection was more easily accessible. Not really confident about how to go about it, she wrapped her hair around his cock and started giving him a handjob. When that didn't seem to work, she started wrapping her hair around his cock and then slowly pulled it away from his cock. The immediate groan that escaped from his lips let her know that this approach was very effective.

For Ed, this sensation was something that exceeded anything that he might have imagined. The softness of her hair tickling his cock was enough to excite and yet not enough to come. What the physical sensations lacked, his emotional state more than made up. He was ready to come within a few minutes. He said, "Oh, I'm going to come."

Linda, in an attempt to keep his come from squirting all over her hair, bent down and put the very tip of his cock in her mouth. Within seconds of that, Ed came. As his come shot into her mouth, Linda wanted to smile, as this was even better than giving a blowjob. It was so easy to get his come with almost no effort on her part. She savored the taste of his come as he continued to unload into her mouth.

When Ed had recovered from his orgasm, he saw a very pleased Linda looking down on him. She said, "That was so easy."

Sitting up, Ed pushed her onto her back and settled between her legs. He attacked her cunt with his tongue, giving it more force and energy than he ever had in the past with her. This was more like what he would do with Kelly who tended to enjoy it a little rougher with him. The effect on Linda started as surprise and moved quickly into pleasure as his tongue bore into her female passage, exploring it as deeply as he could. This was one of those times that he wished he had a longer tongue.

The suddenness of his actions had taken her by surprise and that fed her excitement. Closing her legs, she locked his head in place with the side effect of pressing his nose against her clit. This brought her very close to orgasm. Reaching up, he twisted her nipples roughly, in the same way that he had seen Kelly and Ling do to themselves. The sensation must have been exactly what she needed because her whole body tightened in orgasm.

Ed thought his head was going to get crushed with how strongly she squeezed his head. This was a major accomplishment, he had brought a woman to an orgasm in less than two minutes. The speed with which she had come surprised even her. When she came down from her orgasm, she looked at him as he watched her from between her legs. She said, "I didn't know that was possible. I came faster than I do with a vibrator."

"Neither did I."

He crawled up to lay beside her in front of the fire once again. They were quiet as they enjoyed touching each other in the after glow of their orgasms. Ed said, "I'm one of the luckiest men in the world to have you for a wife. I love you, Linda."

"Only one of the luckiest men?"

"Yeah. John and Leroy are just as lucky. They have you for a wife, too."

There was no compliment that could be given as nice as that. She knew that she was loved, but for such men to consider themselves lucky for having her in their life was a complement beyond compare. She smiled and said, "I'm the luckiest woman in the world. I have five extraordinary people that love me."

They watched the fire basking in its heat. The heat was nothing compared to the comfortable warmth that existed between them. With their sexual appetites sated, their emotional appetites were being fed by the sharing of the moment. Sleep followed as naturally as thunder follows lightening.

The pair woke early in the afternoon as the rain finally abated. Dressing, they moved to the porch to watch the wildlife recover from the storm. Birds came out to feed as squirrels chased each other around the open area. A pair of mallard ducks slowly moved around the cattails leaving wakes in the water behind them. Linda sat back as a pair of ravens settled in a tree near the cabin. She stared at them and said, "Ravens are great creators, but they are often tricksters."

Looking over at her, he replied, "Ravens are birds of great wisdom. They often stay around Druids."

There was a rustle from the brush growing at the edge of the property. The noise caught Ed's attention and he turned to examine the growth. When it parted, a man stepped out. The man, five foot nothing, weighed about a hundred and twenty when wet. With curly red hair, the most amazing feature of the man was his huge handlebar mustache. Ed called out, "Over here friend."

The stranger, trying to untangle himself from the brush, had not yet seen Ed. Not looking up, he called out, "Who are you to call me friend?"

"I am Ed Biggers, servant of the Gods and Goddesses."

The man straightened up and looked at Ed in surprise. He replied, "So you are. I'm Tom Hardy. I see that One and Two found you."

Linda frowned and asked, "One and Two?"

"Yeah, my pet ravens."

Realizing that he hadn't introduced Linda to the man, Ed performed the introduction, "Allow me to introduce my wife, Linda."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am. Let me get out of these thorns." The man struggled for a minute before he freed himself from the grasp of a blackberry bush. Able to move, he made his way to the porch.

Looking over his garb, Ed asked, "I take it you haven't heard that you're supposed to be wearing your robes from now on."

"What is that? Never heard anything about that."

Ed said, "When John opened the Druid College he told the Druids gathered that they were to wear their robes from now on with the medallion showing."

"John who?"

"John Carter," replied Ed.

"Who is he?"

"He's the Grand Druid. He serves all three."

The look of surprise that crossed Tom's face was priceless. All of this was news to him. For the next few hours, Ed and Tom discussed what had been happening amongst the Druids. The change from active participant to consultant was a major change and one that many Druids were hesitant to make. Tom was more than happy to start consulting as there were many changes that needed to be made in the area of wildlife conservation.

Linda listened attentively at first and then became bored. She went into the cabin and returned with some hamburger for the ravens. After she set the hamburger on the ground, the ravens came over and ate the meat. She noticed Ed winking at her and realized that he had watched her feed the ravens.

When Tom had gotten all of the news, he said, "I will go to the Sporting Goods Store and pick up some robes. Then I'll go to the Druid College and meet the Grand Druid."

"I wonder why you weren't driven to attend the recognition of the Grand Druid or the opening of the Druid College."

Tom looked around at the quiet environment and then said, "There is a major problem up here among the wildlife. Chronic Wasting Disease is spreading through the Deer and Elk populations from Colorado all the way to here. I've been tracking down cases of that for the past three years."

Ed had never heard of that particular disease before and asked, "How bad is it?"

"Pretty bad. The animals typically loose weight until they eventually die. It is a slow death."

"How much of the population has been affected?"

"Five percent of the deer in this area have it," replied Tom with sadness. He had spent a lot of his time putting down infected deer. It was a task that was hard to do, but necessary.

Ed pledged, "You shall not have to face this alone."



-------

Chapter 10


Leroy looked at Ed puzzled by his insistence that he meet this Tom person. Time was short that day, he had to be at the University in a couple of hours to meet with his professor. This was an important meeting as he expected to be told that he was ready to start writing his dissertation. It was about time since he had collected data over two full years.

George came down from the security center and opened the front door. The odd looking man, Tom Hardy, stood at the door looking over the front of the house with an amused expression on his face. Winking at George, he said, "What a dump."

Not quite sure what to make of the strange man standing in front of him, George replied, "I take it you are Tom Hardy."

"Guilty as charged," replied the Tom as he spun around with his arms up in the air in a parody of a pirouette so that George.

"Dr. Biggers and Mr. Jones are expecting you. If you would follow me, I'll take you to them."

"And if I choose not to follow you?"

"I'll knock you senseless and drop your unconscious body at their feet," replied George without a smile trying to figure out why Ed had invited this man over. It was hard not to smile, the man's humor was contagious.

"Then I'll follow you," answered Tom as he ran his fingers over his mustache shaping the handlebars.

George led him to the formal living room where Ed and Leroy were waiting. As George turned to leave the room, Tom quipped, "Thanks James."

"My name is not James."

"Oh, I thought all butlers were named James."

"I am not a butler. I am in charge of security around here. My job is beat abusive individuals into a pulp and pack them into suitcases, preferably three, to ship them to random destinations."

Tom paused to look at George for a second. With a broad smile he said, "At least you won't need to spend all that the money getting large suitcases for me. I ought to fit in four makeup cases."

Against his will, George had to laugh at the little man standing in front of him. Shaking his head, he left the room with a parting shot as he said, "Must be a Druid."

Without waiting to be offered a seat, Tom plopped into one of the larger stuffed chairs. His small body practically disappeared in the chair, but the energy of the man shone forth. Turning to look at Leroy, he said to Ed, "So, this is the man you insisted I meet."

Shaking his head in amusement, Ed said, "Leroy, I would like you to meet Tom Hardy. Tom, this is Leroy Jones."

Leroy looked at the little man and wondered why Ed would want them to meet. Although the little man seemed to be flippant, Leroy understood that Ed would not waste his time. Leroy nodded in the man's direction and said, "What brings you here?"

Pointing at Ed with forefinger extended and thumb up in shooters gestures, Tom replied, "Him."

Smiling at the antics of the little man, Ed said, "Tom works for the Game and Wildlife Department and brought a problem to my attention. He's trying to contain Chronic Wasting Disease among deer herds in his state. This is a significant problem and one that deserves some of the best minds in the country working on it. Of course, I thought of you. I thought that since you were about to write your dissertation, that you might be interested in lining up a research area to pursue afterwards."

Thoughtful, Leroy settled back in his chair trying to remember all that he could about CWD. It had first been identified in captive deer in Colorado and had slowly spread across the country in the wild populations of deer and elk. While there was a lot known about the disease, there were questions about how its spread could be halted and reversed. He had never considered pursuing this area of research, but could become interested in it very easily. He turned to Tom and asked, "What are your plans?"

Tom answered, "I'd like to put together a core set of researchers to study the problem solely in terms of identifying efficient mechanisms for halting the spread."

Ed slipped out of the room leaving the two men to discuss the problem. Entering the kitchen he found Marguerite seated at the table reading a bridal magazine. Sitting across from her, he said, "You only have two weeks of single life ahead of you."

She smiled up at him and said, "I know. In a way, I'm lucky that most of the family is up at the Druid College. I can hardly concentrate on cooking."

Sighing at the reminder, Ed said, "I think that this house is going to be empty much of the time over the next few years. The kids need to be around John and he has to stay at the College."

"You are bothered by this."

"I wouldn't say that I am bothered by it, but I am saddened. I love this house and I don't want to leave it for a long period of time. This is such a great town and all of my friends live here."

The comment about friends provided her with a perfect segues to a topic she wanted to discuss with Ed. She had a great surprise for him and knew that he would happy to hear her news. Marguerite said, "I finally found someone to fill in for me while I'm on my honeymoon."

Surprised to hear that she had problems finding someone to take her place, Ed said, "I thought that you were going with the assistant chef of Jim Ritter."

Marguerite had met Jim Ritter when he participated in the medieval party that John and Ed had thrown for Kelly and Beth. He was a professional chef and had helped in the kitchen. Since then, their paths had crossed several times as the best chefs in the area often met and discussed their occupations. She answered, "The owner of the restaurant where they worked was arrested for fraud. Jim and his crew have started their own place and can't spare anyone."

The owner of the restaurant had been Matt Henderson and had been a real jerk. His old rock-hunting partner, Kim, had dated him, but after one confrontational evening they had broken up. The upside for Kim was that she met her current husband. For Ed, it meant that he had lost his rock-hunting partner and assistant for his consulting business. He commented, "That guy was scum and the world is better with him in jail."

Marguerite knew how much Ed disliked the owner of the restaurant where Jim had worked. Wanting to get the discussion back on topic, she said, "So that made my search much more difficult, but I finally found the perfect candidate. All you have to do is say okay."

Curious, Ed asked, "So who is it?"

"Shauna Johnson."

The choice shocked Ed. She was the assistant that he hired whenever they attended the culinary cooking contest in New York. He knew that she was studying cooking, but hadn't realized that she had progressed to a point where Marguerite would trust her with the care and feeding of the Carter Clan. Curious, he asked, "She's that good?"

Marguerite smiled and answered, "She has the same passion for cooking as I have. Until she started attending the competitions, she had never known how good food could taste or how amazing a dining experience could actually be. Next year, she's going to be my assistant at the competition."

That news really surprised Ed as he thought that Bob and Marguerite would compete together again. It also meant that he would have to find a new assistant when he went to the competition. He said, "I'm happy to hear that she has found a passion in her life. I felt that being a clerk was not as rewarding to her as she deserved. When does she arrive?"

"Tomorrow," answered Marguerite knowing that the real surprise was going to come when he saw her. Every year since Marguerite had started competing, Shauna had been losing weight as she adopted better cooking techniques and eating habits. Now, she and Marguerite were about the same size.

Pouring himself an iced tea, Ed said, "I had better get back and see how Leroy and Tom are getting along."

Nodding absently, Marguerite returned her attention to the bridal magazine. As she looked at the pictures, she knew that she was going to have a wedding that would be the envy of women all over the world. The Carter Clan had spared no expense in making sure that she had everything that a woman could want in a wedding.

Seeing that her attention was lost in the magazine, Ed returned to the formal living room where the two men were locked in a discussion that was highly technical in terms of the biological characteristics of CWD. Ed sat down and interrupted, "Leroy, I thought you had an appointment with your professor."

Leroy looked at his watch and then shot out of his chair as he said, "I'm going to be late."

As Leroy dashed out of the room, Ed laughed knowing that his husband had found a new passion. He said, "I'll have George set up a room for you to stay in for the next day or so. I'm sure that you and Leroy still have much to talk about."

Stepping out of the living room, Ed called to Cathy, "Can you have George set up a guest room for Tom?"

She called back from the office, "Sure thing."

Five minutes later, George appeared at the entrance of the formal living room. Glancing over at Tom, he asked with a forced frown on his face, "I take it this creature is staying with us."

Ed answered, "Yes, he is."

Smiling at George and the characterization of him as a creature, Tom quipped, "I only require a medium size kennel, some fresh straw, three meals a day, and a good bowl of water."

Chuckling at the request, George replied, "I'll take you to your room and explain the rules of the household to you. I shall have to trust that you'll obey them."

Mimicking the manner in which George walked, Tom followed him out of the room. Ed took a final sip of his iced tea and put the empty glass on the tray placed in the room for that purpose. Sarah would come by and clear the tray sometime during the day. With the kids in the house, he had thought they would need to get someone to help her, but she had handled the increased workload without a problem.

Leaving the house, he walked down the street to his old place that had been converted into an office for his consulting business. His new assistant was hard at work mapping out the results of their latest survey. Walking over to the workstation, Ed asked, "So, Terry, how's it look?"

The young man looked up at Ed and said, "Not very good for the owners of the mine. It looks to me like they've tapped it out."

The assessment didn't surprise Ed as he bent down and looked at the computer screen. Pointing to an area, he said, "Can you give me a more detailed look at that area?"

Fingers flying over the keyboard, a three dimensional map of the area that Ed had identified replaced the original image on the screen. There were only a few notes covering that area. Terry shrugged his shoulders and said, "There's not much there."

Looking at the notes, Ed searched his memory trying to recall that area a little more clearly. He replied, "I want you to go back out there and survey that area down to a ten-meter resolution. There were traces of quartz in that area and perhaps they can make a profit off it."

"Okay. You're the boss."

No matter how many times Ed had tried to get Terry to quit viewing him as a boss, he was meeting with significant resistance to that idea. Ed shook his head and said, "How many times do I have to say that I'm not your boss?"

"More times than you will have the opportunity."

"You are using that relationship to keep from having to think for yourself," replied Ed as he stared at his assistant.

"I would rather err on the side of caution."

Rather than react directly, Ed looked around his house hardly recognizing it after the changes. The bedroom had been converted into the computer room where Terry spent most of his time working with a GIS system. The living room was the secretarial office with a waiting room. It was still absent a secretary, but he hoped that would change today. After two weeks of advertising for a secretary, they had one applicant and he had scheduled the appointment for that morning. Sighing, Ed said, "If you don't start taking this position a little more seriously, then I won't be able to turn daily operations over to you in six months. I want you to start thinking like a businessman."

The idea that Ed would be turning the office over to him was news to Terry and news that he didn't want to hear. Staring in disbelief at his boss, he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that I intend to have you take over running this business in six months. Between now and then, I want you to start taking a more active interest in it, make decisions for yourself without waiting for me to tell you what to do," replied Ed. This was a difficult discussion, but Terry was one of the brightest students that he had encountered in all of his years at the University. He knew the young man could live up to his expectations, but the lack of commitment to it was puzzling.

"You're the expert," replied Terry in doubt of his abilities to live up to the expectations Ed placed upon him. Never in his life had he ever had to work to his fullest capacity to impress people around him. The exception was Ed who pressed him with a relentlessness that was almost terrifying.

"So are you, you just won't admit it to yourself. You keep taking the easy way out. That will not be the case from now on," replied Ed. The first test was going to be hiring the secretary for the business. The pair of them would have to work closely and Terry was going to have to select her.

Terry knew enough not to argue the point. The fact was that Ed was the only man whose talents he actually respected enough to want to work under him. Shrugging with a casualness that he didn't feel, he said, "I hope I don't disappoint. Did you ever consider that you may have misplaced your faith in my abilities?"

Looking around for something to use as a prop, Ed pointed to a glass of tea sitting on the desk. Watching Terry carefully, he said, "Suppose that you had a glass that was never filled beyond half full. The rest of the glass is wasted potential. You have to fill it twice as often than if filled to capacity. That is you. You are a glass that has never been filled to the top. We don't know just how much you can hold, but I do know that there is a lot more to you than you've allowed yourself to expose to the world."

Terry knew that the words had been spoken truly. A shudder went through his body as he considered the full implications of what had been told him. A life spent working just hard enough to be better than others around him had made him lazy and shortsighted. Ed was tearing apart a lifetime of bad habits with such ease that it made him wonder if he was that transparent.

A knock on the front door interrupted the thoughts of the two men. Ed went to the door and guided a young lady into the room. She took in his robe and medallion and recognized that he was a Druid. This only served to make her more nervous about being interviewed and she was already very nervous.

Trying to take her mind off her situation, she looked around the inside of the house. She was surprised by the business interior filled with desks, filing cabinets, and office equipment. When she had learned the interview was taking place in a house in a residential area, she had become suspicious that it was not a legitimate interview. Her boyfriend was in the car out front and would come running if she screamed. Ed, glancing out the door, noticed the nervous young man in the car. Sticking his head out the door, he shouted, "Come in. It's a little hot out there to be waiting in the car."

The boyfriend wondered if this was some sort of trap, but noticed the Druid robes. Concerned, he left the car and entered the house. Coming in, he was surprised by the lobby. Ed pointed to one of the leather-covered chairs and said, "Please have a seat."

"Yes, sir."

Ed led the young woman into his office and offered her a seat. As she seated herself, Terry entered the room and took the other chair. Still standing, Ed said, "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Ed Biggers and this is Terry Sharp."

The young woman said, "I am Lynn Holliday."

Taking a seat behind his desk, Ed picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to her as he said, "This is a list of the office software that we use. Would you mind checking off the programs that you know how to use and your degree of familiarity with them?"

The young woman went through the list checking off most of the programs and claiming a relatively high proficiency with each. After a few minutes, she handed the sheet back to Ed. He glanced over it seeing a few lies in proficiency and, as he handed the sheet back to her, he requested, "Would you please be a little more accurate in your assessment of your abilities?"

Shaken by the request, she went through the sheet again lowering her familiarity of a few of the programs. When she had finished, she handed the sheet back to Ed and said, "Maybe I overstated my abilities a little on a few of these."

Ed went through the list again and then handed it over to Terry. Frowning as he read her skills, he didn't know what to make of it. She was basically semi-skilled and there was much that she would have to learn in order to meet the job responsibilities. Training would take six months or so, but she would learn to do things their way. It crossed his mind that he was suddenly thinking in terms of things being done their way, rather than Ed's way. The thought shocked and surprised him.

Handing the sheet back to Ed and seeing the look on his face, he realized that it was up to him to continue the interview. He asked, "Would you be willing to be trained in use of the programs where you are less than proficient?"

"Yes, sir," replied Lynn.

Glancing over at Ed, Terry suddenly realized why Ed preferred informal address. It didn't feel natural to him to be referred to as sir or Mr. Sharp. One made him feel old and the other made him feel like his father. Dr. Sharp was so formal that he was always shocked when someone called him that. It didn't matter if he had earned the respectful salutation. With a grin at Ed, he corrected her, "Please call me Terry."

Sitting behind his desk, Ed put his hand over his mouth to hide his smile at the fact that Terry was taking control of the interview as he had hoped. The young woman, nervous due to the interview experience, just nodded. Noticing her nervousness, he asked, "Is this your first job interview?"

"Basically yes. I mean, I did work at a burger place," she answered. Nervous, she went to her bag and pulled out a folded resume. She handed it to Terry and said, "Here's my resume."

The crumpled nature of the paper bore testimony to her lack of experience. Terry looked over it and saw that she had a little community college as her highest level of education along with a very short history of work experience. There wasn't much information on which to judge her. He was tempted to wait for a more experienced candidate. After handing it to Ed, he said, "I see you have gone to community college."

"Yes, I did."

"What was your major?"

"I didn't have one. I was basically getting the general education requirements out of the way." Many of her classmates had declared majors early, but then changed them a half a dozen times. Rather than go through those hassles, she had chosen not to declare a major.

This was contrary to how Terry had entered college since he had known from the first day what subject in which he wanted to major. Nodding as though he could see the wisdom of doing that, Terry asked, "Are you planning on pursuing your education?"

Lynn glanced at the two men wondering what kind of answer they desired. Neither man gave a hint as to how they wanted her to answer. She chose the truth and answered, "Maybe."

There was truth in her answer despite its lack of commitment. This ambivalence intrigued Ed and, leaning forward, he said, "Let me guess. You have no idea what you want to do in life. Nothing that you've seen so far interests you to a degree where you are ready to commit to it. Adrift in life, with a boyfriend that you aren't sure how you feel about, you look at this job as a way to fill your time until you know what you want to do."

Shocked that Ed had read her true feelings so accurately, she paled and then nodded. This revelation made Terry wonder what he was supposed to do with the knowledge that he had just gained. In order to buy a little time to put his thoughts in order, Terry asked, "Would you like to tell us a little about yourself?"

After having her soul bared for them to see, Lynn could only shrug her shoulders as she said, "There isn't too much to tell that you haven't already covered."

There was an eight-year difference in age between Lynn and Terry, but almost a lifetime of experience separated them. It was a difference that went beyond age. Twelve years of college courses versus two years was significant. At school, he would be the teacher and she would be the student. Ed noticed the difficulty Terry was having in the interview and, in order to put things on a more comfortable level, suggested, "Why don't you two head over to Shirley's for a coke? Take your boyfriend along with you."

The suggestion to go a bar to talk was one that Ed had made many times in the past. The more relaxed atmosphere enabled people to open up and establish the kind of personal relationship that was necessary for people that worked together to actually work together well. Terry recognized this as an implicit suggestion that Lynn was to be hired. "That's a good idea. Lynn, why don't you go out and tell your boyfriend?"

When Lynn had left the room, he turned to Ed and asked, "Why her?"

"She's a blank slate that you can help develop to her full potential."

Terry got a thoughtful look as he examined Ed carefully. Was he a blank slate that Ed was allowing to develop to his full potential? Now was not the time to worry about that question. He would have to wrestle with it later when he had the time for contemplation. For now, the woman was about to become his problem. "Okay, I can see that. What do you suggest that I do?"

"If you like her and can work with her, send her to Cathy to be trained," replied Ed.

Surprised at how much Ed was leaving in his hands, Terry asked, "Don't you want to interview her some more?"

He knew that he could work with the young woman, particularly after Cathy trained her. Smiling at the young man, Ed replied, "She will be working with you, so it is up to you to decide if you can tolerate her. If you decide to hire her, you have to explain to her what her duties will be."

"Yes, Ed."

Ed watched the three of them leave the office and went to work on his books. He now had many business interests and was making more money than he ever thought possible. Rather than investing in stocks, he invested in small businesses that were just starting. These weren't the kinds of businesses that went to an investment broker or venture capitalist for startup capital, but family businesses. Twenty-five percent ownership in a lot of companies meant that only a handful had to succeed to make up for the losses of the others.

It took time for him to calculate the total worth of his investments, but he was shocked at the number that appeared at the bottom of the spreadsheet. He was now a multi-millionaire based solely on his own earnings. The money would have to be managed much more carefully than he had time. This meant that he would have to put Lynn in charge of keeping the books for all of his interests.

Sitting back in his chair, he thought about Nevada and his concerns that Ed was throwing away his future when he chose to pursue his education rather than accept the raise at the auction house. Now he was a millionaire. Not bad for a cowboy who had spent a major percentage of his life pushing cattle.

Looking at the clock on his desk, Ed realized that several hours had passed since the interview. Terry had returned without him noticing it. There weren't going to very too many days when Ed would be able to stop by Shirley's and chat with his neighbors. Not wanting to miss a one of his last few chances in the near future, Ed left the office and headed into town.

It wasn't long before Ed entered the bar and looked around at the people sitting at various tables. Noticing Joe sitting at a table with his very pregnant wife, Ed went over to their table. Shirley brought over a coke and joined them at the table. Smiling, Ed asked, "Let me guess. Hot tub?"

Joe laughed as Juanita blushed at the question. With a smile, he answered, "Yes, but it wasn't an accident."

"Congratulations. I'm happy for you both."

"We love the hot tub that you bought for us as a house warming present. I think we use it every day." Juanita smiled with that special smile of a woman holding onto a secret as she spoke.

Noticing the smile, Ed wasn't crass enough to follow up on it. Instead, he said, "I'm glad it is coming in useful. As hard as you work, you deserve to pamper yourself occasionally."

Shirley looked over at Ed and asked, "Speaking of hard workers, when are your wives returning home?"

"The kids have to stay there with John for a while longer and both wives are staying with them. Everyone will be here for a few days around the time of Marguerite's wedding."

"John misses Beth. I fear they shall grow apart. John is learning things at an incredible rate and I wonder how it can be."

Having been there the night that John touched the medallion, Ed knew the truth. He said, "Your son has been touched by the Two- Sided One."

"Is that a good thing?"

Quiet as he thought about her question, Ed finally answered, "I think it happened for a very good reason."

"Tell me," demanded Shirley, the maternal instinct in her rising to protect her son.

"Beth needs someone like her," answered Ed with a sad look at the idea of the loneliness that Beth and Little John faced because of their differences from other kids their age. He said, "John is not a bad choice for her. I know his parents and they are good people."

Shirley sat back as she thought about the implications of that. Had Beth chosen John as a life partner? Had the Goddess given John rapid mental development to John so that could happen? She smiled and asked, "Does that mean that we might be in-laws one day?"

"I wouldn't dare speculate on that," replied Ed with a smile at the thought of the party that could precede a marriage between the kids.

Richard entered the bar and noticed Ed sitting at the table with Joe and Juanita. Seeing him enter, Shirley turned and scurried back to the bar saying that she had to return to work. With a weary stride, Richard came over to the table and sat down heavily. He looked beat and turned to Joe and Ed. With a sigh, he asked, "So how do you put up with mood swings?"

With a face that looked far too innocent for a man married to a pregnant woman, Joe asked, "What mood swings?"

In a much colder tone of voice, Juanita asked, "What mood swings?"

Faltering at the unexpected response, Richard said, "You know, the mood swings that come with being pregnant."

Shaking his head in total denial, Joe said, "Amigo, I have no idea what you are talking about. My wife is always loving."

Ed had to put his hands over his ears to keep from getting overwhelmed by the lie. Juanita took one look at Ed and frowned. She said, "Are you telling me that I am difficult to live with right now?"

Holding his hands in front of him as though fending off an attack, Joe replied, "I didn't say anything like that."

"But you were thinking it," said Juanita as she started crying. "You think I'm a whale."

An unrepentant Richard rolled his eyes as Joe glared at him. Smiling, Ed leaned over to Juanita as he whispered in her ear, "You know that I always tell the truth. Believe me when I say that you are a beautiful woman and that Joe loves you very much."

The words had the desired effect as she immediately stopped crying and hugged Ed. A moment later, she grabbed Joe and pulled him out of the bar. Flustered by the rapid change in her mood, Joe had thrown some money in the general direction of Shirley as he was pulled past the counter. Ed laughed as they left.

Richard watched them go and asked, "Tell me, how do you put up with moody women like that?"

"You have to view it as part of the miracle."

When something becomes an everyday part of your life, it is often difficult to remember that it is something special. Living with pregnant women is like that, so easy to overlook the miracle of bringing forth a new life. Richard had forgotten that fact and the reminder caused him to look over at Ed with appreciation. A little less frazzled, he said, "Thanks, I needed to be reminded of that."

After Richard left, Ed was alone at the table. Picking up his coke, he walked over to the bar bringing the empty glasses with him. Shirley smiled at his thoughtfulness and started washing the glasses as she said, "You come in here and chase everyone away."

Laughing at the comment and how it was that he actually used to chase people away, Ed said, "Sorry about that. It wasn't intentional."

Having seen how happy Juanita was when she pulled Joe out of the bar, she knew that Ed had said the right thing to her. The look on Richard's face when he left the bar suggested that Ed had said the right thing to him. She replied, "I know."

"Things are changing around here."

"Are you going to be in town long?" asked Shirley.

"No, I'm not. I'll be leaving right after Marguerite's wedding."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Druid College. I miss my family." Ed realized that he was going to be spending the majority of time away from home.

"You seem so sad about going to spend time with your family," remarked Shirley.

"When I get there I'm going to miss my friends here," replied Ed with a smile.



-------

Chapter 11


Fascinated, Ed sat in the kitchen watching Shauna dancing as she cooked. It was amazing how much she was like Marguerite in the kitchen. Not for the first time, he asked, "Tell me again, how much time have you and Marguerite spent in the kitchen together?"

"Just the past ten days."

"And she taught you to dance like that while you are cooking?"

With a smile at the comment, Shauna replied, "A woman has to watch her figure."

Shauna had weighed in well over two hundred pounds when Ed met her the first time in New York. Now she was down to a hundred and forty pounds. She looked good, but she was still a little large for her height. George and Walt had already been by the kitchen several times. They had dropped hints that they wouldn't mind a midnight visit from her. Their suggestions had clearly surprised the black woman and she was seriously considering taking them up on their offers. Ed smiled and said, "No, that's our job. We'll watch your figure for you."

Shauna couldn't believe that Ed made that comment even though she knew he wasn't a racist or a sexist. When she had arrived at the house, a black man had met her at the door. Convinced that he was a servant, she wondered if there wasn't a subtle overtone of racism in the house. Later when she learned that he was actually one of Ed's husbands, she was shocked that Ed had never mentioned that one of his husbands was black. She asked, "Are all the men in this house horny?"

She had just finished asking the question when Leroy entered the room. With an easy laughter, Leroy replied, "I've just been ravaged by Ling and Kelly. Horny is the last thing on my mind."

Laughing at the comment, Shauna corrected herself, "Is everyone in this house oversexed?"

Cathy had come into the kitchen in time to hear that remark. With a great big smile, she said, "Hey, I resemble that remark."

Shaking her head, Shauna returned to dancing while she cooked. It was an hour to lunch and already everyone was gathering in the kitchen. She couldn't believe how welcome they had made her feel. It was her opinion that a kitchen was supposed to be the center of a house except when it was time to cook.

Ed turned to Cathy and said, "Hey, how are things going with Lynn?"

Shaking her head, Cathy answered, "She nearly fainted when she ran into John Carter and realized who we were."

"Are we that intimidating?"

"Not really, you guys are just too well known. It's like finding out you work for a movie star," answered Cathy.

"Oh," replied Ed still unused to the idea that people looked at him like he was some sort of celebrity. He had that problem when he and Linda had gone to the cabin. The locals had been afraid to talk around him until, with lots of effort, he had finally broken the ice. With a sigh, he said, "John has it even worse."

Shauna turned and looked at the crowd of people in her kitchen. By now, it was Ed, Leroy, Cathy, Kelly, and Ling. Exasperated, she said, "How do you expect me to cook with this crowd in here?"

From the door, Marguerite said, "You tell them girl."

Realizing that the chef wanted everyone out of the room, Ed suggested, "How about a swim?"

In mass, the family members showed up in the poolroom. As everyone stripped there was significant teasing and joking. Within seconds, they had all entered the water. Beth and Little John came into the poolroom with Linda watching over them. There was a small wading pool for the children set up in the corner. As they played in the pool, the adults took turns watching over them.

In the larger pool, the three wives were dunking Ed and John while Leroy watched from next to the wading pool keeping an eye on Beth and John while the children were busy splashing each other. With a twinkle in their eyes, the two children turned and started splashing Leroy with abandon. Leroy laughed and moved to the edge of wading pool and splashed back. The kids loved it and giggled with the abandon of children having fun.

The rest of the staff arrived, with the exception of Shauna and Lynn, and started stripping. It wasn't long before they had joined the family in the pool. At that point, a major water war broke out between family and staff. There was laughing, shouting, and gasps of surprise as splashes were exchanged.

From the wading pool, the kids were laughing at the antics of their parents. This kind of activity was nothing new to them. As far as they were concerned, adults were kids that were large since they played all the same games as the kids and took the same degree of pleasure in those games. The great thing was that their parents knew all kinds of new games and were continually teaching them to the kids. Daddy John had just introduced them to Hunt the Bug Eyed Monsters where they would fly space ships looking for aliens to shoot.

Amidst this fun, Lynn entered the room to call everyone to diner. She had been warned that the family tended to be naked in the poolroom, but she had not realized the full implications of that warning. On entering the room, she froze in shock as a dozen naked people played in the pool and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her embarrassment. The mission that had sent her to the room forgotten.

Leroy, noticing Lynn standing at the door, went over to the young woman and asked, "What do you need?"

Staring at the largest cock that she had ever seen, Lynn was unable to answer. This was the most unusual situation that she had ever encountered. As much as she wanted to view this as some sort of sexual frenzy, she could see that this was the same kind of activities that people in bathing suits would be doing in a pool. There wasn't the least sign of an erection.

Recognizing that the young woman was not going to answer his question anytime soon, Leroy called out, "Ed, your assistant needs you."

Climbing out of the pool, Ed walked over to Lynn. Her eyes slowly moved from Leroy to Ed and focused on his cock. The hand that had been covering her mouth moved lower to cover her breasts and her other hand moved down to cover her pubic area despite the fact that she was fully clothed.

A tugging on the hand covering her pubic area caught her attention. She looked down to find Beth looking up at her. Beth, with the innocence of a properly raised child, said, "You're funny."

"Huh?"

"You're just standing there staring at my Daddies."

Recognizing the source of the young woman's discomfort, Ed kept his distance and asked, "Was there something that you needed?"

It was Beth's comment that brought Lynn back to the real world and she answered, "Lunch is ready."

Ed turned and called out, "Lunch is ready."

Everyone scrambled out of the pool and rushed over to the towels. Lynn stared at the variety of bodies present in the room. She couldn't believe that Marguerite, a large woman, was as comfortable being naked in front of so many men as the gorgeous Linda. There were cocks of all sizes and shapes. She slowly backed out of the poolroom and ran to the kitchen.

Once he was dressed, Ed helped Little John get his clothes on. Despite the fact that he was almost two and a half, he still had problems getting his tee shirt on and getting his shoes tied. He often got his arms lost inside the tee shirt when putting it on. Little John asked, "Why don't I get shirts like yours?"

Surprised by the request, Ed answered, "I'm not sure. If you want these kinds of shirts, ask your moms to get them."

"I can do that?" asked Little John surprised that he could have a choice over what he wore.

"Of course you can. You are a person and have a right to control what you wear," replied Ed.

It was a very thoughtful Little John that followed Ed to the dining room. He wondered if he were to ask that he be allowed to wear dresses if they would allow him to do that. It would make an interesting experiment.

The family and staff gathered around the table for lunch. Shauna brought out a large tureen of soup and set it on the buffet counter. She made several trips as she loaded the buffet with sandwiches and warm meats. The kids climbed up on their tall chairs at the table to wait for their meal to arrive. Shauna brought out hot dogs for them and set the plates on the table in front of the two kids, watching as their eyes lit up in pleasure.

Going through the line, everyone gathered around the table. The typical over dinner meal conversation started. Lynn sat at the end of the table watching these people enjoying their food, teasing each other, and talking about important events with equal enthusiasm. The conversation came to a sudden halt when Little John announced, "Mommy Kelly, Daddy Ed said that I could wear whatever kind of clothes that I want."

Surprised by the volume of the announcement, Kelly turned to Little John and said, "That's right."

"I want to wear dresses like Beth," announced Little John as he watched his mother carefully to assess her reaction.

Lynn burst out in giggles that were immediately halted when she saw the looks that others around the table gave her. She couldn't believe that they would take the request seriously. Shauna, a little older and more experienced, waited to see how the family reacted. Her mouth fell open when Kelly answered, "Okay."

The request to wear dresses had the tone of a lie, but Ed recognized what Little John was attempting to establish. He wanted to know if they would impose boundaries on him. Ed cautioned, "However, you might consider that people will start treating you strangely because of that."

The reaction of Lynn had not been lost on Little John. He was not harmed by her reaction since it wasn't really important to him, but she could not have known that. Frowning, he asked, "You would let me wear dresses even if other people would not treat me nicely?"

Smiling at the suggestion that they would allow harm to come to him, John answered, "We would let you do that only if you really realized what kind of treatment you would get. Knowing that, you wouldn't be able to get angry when you were treated badly."

Shauna leaned forward realizing that they weren't exactly talking him out of his choice, but were explaining about cause and effect. When you did something of which others wouldn't approve, then you had to expect the consequences and to deal with them. It was far wiser advice than what she would have given a child. She, like most parents, would have just answered that he couldn't and that would have led to a tantrum on the part of the child.

When Little John looked over at Ed, he noticed the smile on his face. He knew that Ed understood that he had lied when he said that he wanted to wear a dress. Ed confirmed this when he said, "You don't really want to wear a dress. You wanted to find out how we would react when you asked to do that."

"Yeah," replied Little John embarrassed at having been caught in a lie.

"You could have introduced the topic in a less confrontational manner."

"What's confronshunal?"

"Confrontational means that you ask in a way that requires a direct yes or no answer without room for explanation."

"I still don't understand."

"For now, let me say that you might have found out the answer to your question in a better way."

Beth frowned and asked, "How?"

The master of confrontation, Ling, answered, "He might have said that Ed said that he could wear any kind of clothes that he wanted. That could have been followed up with the question of what would we say if he wanted to wear a dress."

Linda answered, "We could have explained that after he knows the facts of his request that we would say that it was okay."

Shocked by the sophistication of the discussion, Shauna asked, "Do you kids understand what your parents are saying?"

"Of course," answered Beth.

"Pretty much so," answered Little John. Returning back to the discussion, he said, "Daddy Ed told me that I could wear the clothes that I want. What would you say if I were to ask for shirts like Daddy Ed and Daddy Leroy wear?"

"I would have to answer that I'd be happy if you would wear shirts like that. People would see how grown up you are," replied Ling.

"So may I?"

"Of course," replied Ling with a smile. Already her son was learning how to ask for things in a positive manner.

The conversation around the table returned to normal as though nothing had happened. Little John sat in his chair and turned to Kelly. He asked, "Mommy Kelly, everyone says that if it harms no one, then do it. When I asked to wear dresses, Lynn laughed at me. I didn't care, but it could have hurt."

Sitting back in his chair as quiet settled over the room and all eyes turned to Ed, he answered, "You have met the first years at the Druid College."

"Yes."

"You know that sometimes they don't behave well."

"Yes."

"Consider Lynn as being a first year. She is still learning the rules of proper behavior."

As he giggled, Little John replied, "She's wearing clothes. It is hard to see her as a first year."

As Lynn blushed, Ed shook his head with a smile on his face. There wasn't a proper reaction to that statement. All eyes glanced at Lynn wondering what her reaction would be. Beth saved them from the embarrassing silence that had settle over the table when she asked, "How come so many people don't know how to behave?"

The question was a good one and John leaned forward resting his elbows on the table. In a very serious tone of voice, he said, "Most people never learn how to behave in a proper manner. Their parents don't know how to behave and they can't teach their children how to behave. As a result, they stomp around their life crushing the feelings of other people, treating them as objects, and destroying themselves in the process."

The children were quiet for a long time as they considered the answer. Lynn had taken offense at the statement and said, "Are you saying that I don't know how to behave?"

Looking over at her with eyes that missed little, Ed asked, "Do you want the truth?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? The truth often hurts."

"Yes," demanded Lynn getting angry with Ed for his delay.

"Then I would have to say that you don't know how to behave. You don't think about the consequences of your words or actions on others. To laugh at the innocence of a child is not acceptable behavior for a well-adjusted adult. One of the rules in our house is very simple. If it harms none, then do it. The other rule is to protect the weak from the strong. Children are at a significant disadvantage to adults. Adults should do everything in their power to protect their children from harm."

Flushed from the criticism, Lynn slowly found her anger heating up in a rolling boil. Any minute, she was going to loose her temper. She started to say something, but Ed held up a hand to stop her. "You have been raised within a society that views evil as entertainment and love as obscene. Within the norms of that society you are a good person, it is just that we live to a much stricter moral code."

The comment stunned Lynn particularly considering the harsh rules under which she had been raised. Did she view evil as entertainment? Did she view love as obscene? How could he say that? She asked, "Do you really believe that I view evil as entertainment?"

"Do you watch films in which people hurt each other? Murder, rape, blackmail, and deceit are common topics in films today. That's evil."

Leroy, having seen her reaction to their nudity, added, "You turn away from people playing with each other because of their lack of clothing."

The reminder of the activities that she had observed in the poolroom caused a blush to spread over her face. In fact, she was the only one in there that had seen anything sexual in their actions and she knew it. Grasping for some way to justify her actions, she stuttered, "That's the way the world is."

"That is why we say that the majority of people do not know how to behave."

Sitting back in her chair, she asked, "If I'm so evil, why do you waste your time with me?"

After glancing over at Ed, Cathy answered, "Because there is hope for you."

Nodding his agreement, George said, "You might want to apologize to Little John for your laughter."

The idea of apologizing to a two-year-old child was totally unheard of in her family. That everyone around this table expected that of her undermined her anger. They were treating these kids like adults. Seeing the expectant looks on the faces around the table, Lynn finally said, "I'm sorry for laughing at you."

Having been around Ed too long, Little John gave a caricature of a wink and said, "That's okay. Next time you have to stand in the corner until you know what you did wrong."

The entire family laughed at the joke as Little John had lots of practice standing in the corner. Shauna couldn't believe the sophistication of the children in managing a conversation. There was no way with the exaggerated wink that Lynn could get angry about his comment.

Having finished eating, Ed and John winked at each other. John asked, "Who wants to Hunt Bug Eyed Monsters?"

Ed, Leroy, Little John, and Beth all raised their hands. Laughing, John asked, "Who wants a horsy ride to the play room?"

Little John and Beth raised their hands. Ed picked up Beth and put her on his shoulders. As he galloped out of the room, Beth shouted, "Giddy-up!"

John lifted Little John on his shoulders and took him out of the room, bouncing as he went. Leroy went out and headed directly to the playroom to make sure that anything that might not be appropriate for the children was out of sight and behind locked doors. The wives watched the men leave the room knowing that they would take the long way to the playroom. Kelly said, "Now that the kids are out of the room, we can talk."

Ling laughed as she added, "Yes, it is so hard to get all three men out of the way. Thank goodness for the children."

Lynn was still puzzled by what she had learned over the dinner table. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she said, "You treat the children like little adults."

Kelly was about to make a comment that they didn't treat the men like adults, but held back the quip. It was clear to her that Kim was very confused by the discussion over the table. With discrete looks around the table, the staff eased out of the room until only the three wives, Lynn, and Shauna remained. Kelly said, "We treat them like people and not like adults. They are never out of reach of a responsible adult. They don't get into trouble because we never give them the opportunity."

Linda added, "We don't treat them like property that we can force into little roles that aren't for them."

Shauna said, "You don't seem to tell them no very often."

The combat trained Ling answered, "In fighting, you can use the enemies actions against them. You don't have to overpower them. We don't overpower the kids. We let them know the facts and allow them to come up with their own 'no.' When they test the facts, then they learn the truth for themselves. That's the easy way to teach kids right from wrong."

Kelly nodded and asserted, "If you tell kids lots of rules without explanation, the kids don't learn why doing something is wrong. The rules will seem arbitrary and they will spend all of their time trying to find the exceptions. Our rules have no exceptions. The kids can understand them and apply the rules in the manner they understand them. When they violate them, we explain the violation so that they understand the rules better."

There was a long moment of silence before Lynn said, "My parents would have yelled at me for demanding an apology from an adult."

In terms of childhood, Kelly had been raised in the most permissive family while Ling had been raised in the strictest. It was Linda that answered, "There are millions of adults that harm children and don't apologize. Most of the abuse is simple and doesn't leave long term scars while some is horrendous. We are against abuse in all forms."

"Okay, I'll buy all that. But you've got to admit that being naked around your kids is wrong," said Lynn.

"Why?"

"Because it is!"

Kelly sat back and looked at Lynn realizing that her upbringing had probably been very strict but misdirected. Raised amidst rules that were rigid and enforced over the least little infraction. Nudity was obscene. Licking her lips, Kelly said, "John once told me that clothes are the first lie that people tell each other."

"Clothes are a lie? I never heard such nonsense."

"You've seen Ed in his robes and you've seen him in jeans. What would you have thought if the first time you saw him, he was in blue jeans?" asked Kelly as she smiled at the young woman. She had actually thought about asking her how she would have considered him if he had been naked.

"I wouldn't have been so overwhelmed by him."

"Yet it is the same person," remarked Linda.

Nodding her agreement, Shauna said, "I worked for him for almost a week before I saw the robe and the effect that it had on people. I had gotten to know him as a person first. I'm glad that it was that way."

Kelly said, "Each time you dress, you are selecting which lie you want to tell the world."

The statement was only half-accurate as far as Ling could tell. She commented, "It isn't so much an outright lie, but it is a half truth. You wear a suit and people think you are a businessman, and they don't see that you are actually a family man, a sportsman, or a pilot. Naked, you are not hiding anything nor are you presenting a slanted view of yourself."

Linda said, "You see the nudity as obscene, but is the little dingle between the men's legs any more obscene than the nose on their face?"

"Those men don't have little dingles," remarked Lynn only realizing what she had said once the words were out of her mouth.

The comment provoked a good degree of laughter around the table. Each woman said something to the effect that her powers of observation were quite good. Blushing furiously, Lynn looked down at the table. Kelly laid a hand on her arm and said, "Don't be embarrassed by your reaction to the men. Even I had that reaction to John the first time I saw his cock. When Ed visited the Two- Sided One, his cock grew in size. Boy was I surprised by that."

"Don't you think that it ruins the magic of sex to see people naked?"

"Not at all. You see mouths every day. Does that destroy the magic of a kiss?"

Lynn was quiet as she thought about what made it wrong for a child to see their parents naked. She was so inhibited that even her boyfriend had not seen her naked except in the dark. There had to be something that went beyond her upbringing that made it wrong, but she couldn't identify it. All she remembered were her parents telling her that she should be ashamed when she was undressed.

Ed returned to the dining room and said, "The kids are still hunting bug eyed monsters. I have been sent on a mission to bring back some refreshments."

Realizing that meant she was supposed to help him, Shauna stood up and went into the kitchen. Ed, looking at the women in the room, asked, "What?"

Kelly giggled and then said, "Oh, we were just considering your dingle that dangles."

Ed looked down to see if he had left his zipper down again. There was no such problem and he was confused by the reference. Shaking his head, he remarked, "What about my dingle?"

"Nothing."

Shrugging as he realized that this was girl talk, Ed replied, "Okay."

Lynn stared at the tabletop the entire time, unable to look at Ed. He was about to say something when Shauna came out with a tray containing little jars of fruit juice. Accepting the tray from Shauna, Ed said, "I'll leave now and you can get back to your girl talk. I'll be back to listen outside the door."

Laughing, Kelly retorted, "No men allowed."

After Ed left, Lynn asked, "I don't understand you."

"What don't you understand?"

"I just find everything here confusing. You treat little kids like adults. The adults act like kids. You walk around naked without shame. Even Marguerite, who is large, was naked and wasn't embarrassed by her body," answered Lynn as she slumped down in her chair frustrated by the total absence of inhibition.

"Why would Marguerite be embarrassed by her body? She's beautiful," asked Kelly totally perplexed by what Lynn had said.

"She doesn't look thin and beautiful like you three."

"Thin and beautiful are two different things. I know that the men in this house love having sex with her. Her body is soft and yielding in bed. She is an enthusiastic lover and knows how to have a good time," replied Kelly.

"She's slept with your husbands?"

Ling smiled as she remembered how the staff had fought to get that job benefit, particularly since she had been one of them that fought for that right. She said, "It's a job benefit. The men fought against it, but they were out voted."

Lynn shook her head and said, "This is too much for me. When are they going to expect me to sleep with them?"

"Never," replied Kelly as Ling and Linda nodded their agreement.

That was not the answer that she expected and she repeated it, "Never?"

"Never."

"What? Am I not good enough for them?"

"You aren't interested. As a result, they'll never say or do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

At that, Lynn stood up and announced, "I'm going back to work. I think I've heard everything that I need to hear."

After Lynn left, Ed returned with the tray and empty bottles. Setting them on the table, he asked, "Did she get overloaded?"

"Yes," replied Kelly with a sigh. She looked at the door through which the young woman had just passed. "I don't think she'll ever accept the lifestyle that we have here."

"She's a secretary in my consulting company. There's no need for her to accept our lifestyle. It would be nice if she would learn to expand her horizons, but that isn't for us to force upon her."

Kelly frowned and said, "It's a shame that she was damaged so severely by her parents. Inhibited, adrift, and insulated to the point where she can't even imagine what it is like to live."

Linda shrugged and said, "She's normal as far as a lot of people are concerned."

Smiling as a sudden idea crossed his mind, Ed asked, "Does she know that you are a Druid?"

"No."

"It will be interesting to see how she reacts to that."



-------

Chapter 12


Arriving at the church, Ed was surprised to find Marguerite and Bob at the door greeting the guests. Dressed in a gorgeous white wedding gown, she looked beautiful as her figure was shown off in the best possible manner, with a very well defined cleavage. She took his hand within both of hers and told him, "I'm so glad that you came."

"Our family wouldn't miss this for the world."

"You aren't bothered by the fact that it is in a church?"

Puzzled by the question, Ed replied, "Why would that bother me?"

She didn't know how to answer that question, having assumed that being a Druid meant he would have a little hostility towards the Catholic Church. Recovering, she said, "I just thought you might not be comfortable in a church."

"The seats are hard?" asked Ed knowing what she meant and took the opportunity to tease her a little.

She laughed and replied, "Very."

When Ed, followed by the family, entered the church, Father Donnelley greeted him. Shifting uncomfortably, the priest asked, "Would you mind sitting on the last row?"

Overhearing the request, Linda was furious. She was a practicing Catholic and felt that the priest had overstepped his bounds by asking them to sit in the back. It came as a shock to her when Ed replied, "No problem. In fact, that is a good idea. That way if the kids get bored during the ceremony we can deal with them without making too much of a disturbance. I appreciate your suggestion regardless of motive."

The priest flushed at the implied chastisement of his actions. It was true that he didn't want the three Druids in a location where they would be highly visible. In fact, he didn't really want them present in his church, but the Bishop had told him that it would be best to allow them to attend the ceremony reminding the priest that pagans could be converted. He nodded and replied, "Thank you. May I make one additional request?"

"Sure."

"Would you and the other Druids to remain seated throughout the service. I think it would not be appropriate for you to follow the rituals of true Catholics."

"We shall honor your request, Father Donnelley," replied Ed with a short nod of his head understanding the nature of the request.

Once the priest had left, a furious Linda turned to Ed and asked, "How could you let him treat you that way?"

Hoping to reduce her anger, Ed replied, "This is the house of his God and he has a right to protect it from desecration by individuals that he feels are a threat. He asked us to stay back from the true believers so that we wouldn't undermine his ceremony. He asked us to remain seated so that we wouldn't make a mockery of sacred rites. Those are all reasonable requests."

Angry at the implications that her husbands would do anything sacrilegious, Linda retorted, "You wouldn't do any of those things."

"True, but he doesn't know that. Would your grandfather allow Father Donnelley to participate in an Indian Ritual?"

Linda sat down much more subdued, understanding the point that Ed had made. As she thought about his reply, Ed turned to the others and explained the priest's requests. John and Kelly didn't see any insult in the suggestions and no reason not to follow them.

As the processional began, Ed turned back to watch the proceedings. Father Donnelley lead the procession followed by a cross bearer, assistants, the couple escorted by their parents and the bridesmaids with the best man. He had expected the traditional wedding march, but the music was some sort of hymn. She didn't perform the typical step forward, step even, pause, and repeat type of walk that he had noticed in other services.

When she passed the row where Ed was seated, she winked at him with a large smile on her face. As she smiled at him, he was reminded that the first time Bob had declared his love for her was after the two of them had double-teamed her. To him, it seemed like the two of them had been engaged for years. In fact, they had been engaged for years, but this was the first June since Bob had recovered from his neck injury. His neck was still a little stiff at times, but it no longer hurt. It was hard to believe that she was finally getting married to Bob.

The priest went through a number of prayers and hymns before reaching the part in the ceremony where the couple exchanged vows. Ed sat threw the whole ceremony while the others in the room stood, kneeled, and sat at varying parts. He had never experienced a Catholic service and it all seemed rather odd to him.

As the time approached for the exchange of vows, the church seemed to fill slowly with the kind of feeling that Ed associated with Gods and Goddess, but it was slightly different. He knew that it was the Christian God coming to this place of worship to bless the couple. There was a brightening of the area around the couple as the priest led them through the exchange of their vows. The three Druids watched as the joining of the couple formed, seen by them as golden thread stretching from one to the other.

Once the vows were exchanged, the bridesmaids went to the pews and sat down as the couple knelt on pillows. Other Catholics came to the front to receive the Eucharist. Ed watched the proceedings interested in how the glow at the front of the church brightened as that part of the ceremony progressed. After all that wished to partake of the Eucharist had been to the front of the church, the priest gave a blessing and then a dismissal. There was much about the entire ceremony that Ed didn't understand.

As the couple walked down the isle, both of them had the same kind of glow that Ed had felt each time he had married. The thought reminded him that tomorrow was their anniversary and it was time again for each of them to drink of the wine. Renewing their vows every year had the consequence that they never took each other for granted. Every year, the family pulled closer together as the magic worked upon them.

The bride and groom left the chapel and it was time for the guests to leave the church. The Carter Clan was among the last to leave the church and joined the line of people waiting to throw birdseed at the couple. Ed had cheated and taken two bags of the seed. When Kelly noticed, she slapped his shoulder and said, "You naughty boy."

Grinning, Ed said, "Hey, I love throwing the seeds at them!"

Little John and Beth were excited about throwing the birdseed, although it took two attempts to convince them that they should take it out of the mesh in which it was wrapped. Little John had wanted to throw the whole package at once and Beth wanted to unwrap it immediately.

When the couple came out of the church, everyone started cheering and throwing the seeds. It didn't take long for the kids to run out and they begged Ed for more. Smiling, they shared the extra bag of seed that Ed had taken. Kelly had seen him hand the little bag of seeds over to the kids and nudged him as she said, "Good Daddy."

Shrugging, he said, "Hey, it's good to see them have a little fun."

By that time, the couple had reached the limousine and hurried inside with birdseed covering their clothes. The reception was going to be held at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. Although it was quite a drive, Cathy had made sure that there were several vans to take people that would have a difficult time making it there on their own.

Beth looked up at the priest by the door with a confused look on her face. She went over to the priest, followed closely by Little John. In a discreet manner, John and Ed followed behind. Once there, she looked up at the priest and said, "Your God is a bright light."

Father Donnelley stared at Beth in shock. As the priest stuttered, Little John said, "He's not like our Gods and Goddesses."

Beth replied, "Yes. It is a different feeling altogether."

"Good, but different," added Little John.

Looking at each other, John and Ed wondered how Father Donnelley was going to react to the news. The priest still had a problem with the Druids, but he had never voiced it. Now, he didn't know what to say. These kids had talked to him in total honesty and without guile. Ed whispered to John, "Why don't you take the kids to their moms while I talk to Father Donnelley?"

After saying goodbye, the kids went off with their father to return to the mothers. Ed watched them leave and, turning to face the priest, said, "They know the Goddess already. When your God descended during the ceremony to bless Marguerite and Bob, we could all see him."

Open mouthed, the priest stared at Ed unable to believe what he was hearing. These people claimed to be able to see God in his church. This was what he had feared about bringing these pagans into the church. They had mocked his beliefs and used children to accomplish it. Angry beyond belief, he shouted, "Blasphemer!"

Ed smiled in understanding at the priest and shook his head as the priest raved at him in outrage. When the priest finally wound down, Ed said, "Touch my medallion."

Rather than reaching to touch the medallion, the priest in righteous anger grabbed it with the intent of tearing from his neck. The action died the moment his hand contacted it. His face went slack. After a minute, he released the medallion and stared at Ed. Moving in slow motion, he turned away from Ed and entered the church. Left outside, Ed wondered what the priest had seen.

When Father Donnelley had grasped the medallion, he was transported to a quiet meadow in which an attractive naked couple stood holding hands facing him with wry smiles on their face. The man said, "We are the Two-Sided One, the God and Goddess in one that Ed serves."

Looking at the man, Father Donnelley didn't know what to say. After a moment, he croaked, "Demon."

The woman smiled and said, "So your church has labeled us for centuries."

The man said, "Your God wishes you to enter his house."

The priest scoffed, "You claim to speak for God Almighty."

"No, we are delivering a request to you from him," said the woman with a trace of amusement in her voice. At that time, the vision ended leaving the priest disoriented.

Inside the church, Father Donnelley knelt in confusion and prayed for guidance from his God. He spent ten minutes in deep prayer as Ed waited outside for the return of the priest knowing that a changed man would exit the church. John came over and asked, "What's up?"

"He's inside praying."

"Looked a little angry to me."

Ed smiled at the mild description of the priest's state of mind. He answered, "He was furious until he went to rip the medallion off my neck. I think he met the Two-Sided One."

Raising an eyebrow at the idea, John said, "The rest of the family is ready to go to the reception. What about you?"

"I'll wait here for Father Donnelley. When he comes out, we'll ride together. If he doesn't want to ride with me, I'll take my car."

"Okay, we'll see you there," replied John. He was a little disappointed that it was Ed that had faced the priest. In a way, he felt that as head of the Druids, it should have been his role to be the bridge among the various religions.

Observing the look, Ed winked and said, "Don't be so sad. Your service is to save lives, remove evil, and provide people with choices. Mine is to the truth."

As always, John was amazed at the insight of his husband. Shaking his head, he replied, "I know. It is just that there is so much more that I want to do."

Ed sat down on the steps watching John gather up the family and head over to the cars. With so many people, including the family and the staff, they had brought five cars. Ed was left with a single car in which Linda was waiting for him to finish his business.

Linda, a good practicing Catholic, was worried. Ever since their arrival at the church, she was afraid of what would happen between the Druids and the Father Donnelley. The requests of the priest had angered her, as her spouses had done nothing wrong. The comments of the kids had upset the priest and the altercation between the men had suggested that Ed had said something that angered the priest.

Her abdomen rippled and a light sweat broke out on her brow. This was not the first time she had felt that way. In fact, she had not felt well since she had gotten pregnant after her visit with John and she was beginning to worry that she was getting ill. Pensive, she waited to see what would happen next.

The door behind Ed slowly opened and Father Donnelley stepped out of the church. For a moment, he stood on the steps and looked at the sky around him. There was a look of wonder on his face as if he had just rediscovered the miracle of the world around him. His hair, what little remained of it, had turned white. The priest, feeling contrite for his previous actions, sat down on the steps next to Ed and said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"My hostility in the past. I didn't understand."

Ed shrugged and replied, "It never bothered me."

"So you saw my God." It wasn't a question, but a statement by the priest to confirm what Ed had said earlier.

"Yes. I take it you saw mine," remarked Ed with a smile as he privately wondered in which form the priest had encountered him.

"Yes I did."

"I take it you also saw yours."

"Yes, I did," answered the priest as his hand went to his chest to feel the wooden cross hanging around his neck. He looked over at Ed and recalled that Ed's service was to the truth. What did it mean to be in the service of truth? All religions valued truth and it was the one meeting ground that all holy men shared.

"Ready to go to the reception?" asked Ed.

Nodding his readiness, the priest replied, "Yes, I am."

"Come with us. We'll bring you back here when you are ready to return." Ed made the offer fully expecting the priest to accept it.

Father Donnelley had not realized that Ed had waited to give him a ride to the reception. It proved to him that Ed was thoughtful and concerned about his well being. He doubted that he could actually drive himself and replied, "I'm afraid that I won't be very good company."

"I understand. It takes time to recover from such meetings."

The priest broke out in laughter, realizing that Ed probably understood better than any other individual within the Church. The irony was not lost on him as he replied, "I never thought I would find understanding from a pagan."

Chuckling softly, Ed stood and helped the man stand up. As he led the priest to the car, he commented, "I like the white hair."

"Pardon?"

"Your hair turned white."

An uncomfortable silence held sway in the car as the trio headed to the site of the reception. Father Donnelley sat in the back seat of the car thinking over his experience, occasionally reaching up to stroke the wooden cross resting on his chest. Concentrating on driving the car with the appropriate care for a man carrying a pregnant woman, Ed said nothing. This left Linda silently watching the priest, changed from his experience, as he meditated on what he had seen.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, Linda finally broke the silence as she asked, "Are you going to be a Saint?"

The question brought a smile to Ed as he recalled the advice that an elderly doctor had given to Greg Dow. In particular, he had said that saints make lousy role models. The reaction of the priest was one of horror as he said, "I hope not."

Teasing, Ed said, "It's not up to you."

"I thought you were going to help cheer me up."

Ed laughed and said, "Welcome to the club of those of us whose fates the powers that be have chosen to direct on our behalf."

The priest understood the reference as a way to refer to all Gods and Goddesses that formed the core of religious beliefs of all kinds. His hand went to the cross on his chest as he wondered about his future. Life until that day had been spent as a priest working in a small parish in an out of the way town in the middle of nowhere. A shudder went through his body as he thought about what his future might hold.

The three of them went into the Phoenix Botanical Gardens and were directed to Dorrance Hall where the reception was being held. The air held the smells of great meals in preparation. Nationally and internationally known Chefs had come to prepare the meals for the newlyweds in a show of respect for Marguerites cooking abilities. They had borrowed the idea used by Marguerite at the wedding reception for Dale and Terry. Samples of various dishes with stacks of colored papers for guests to select their meal were provided at the entry to the Hall.

Ed was overwhelmed by the selection of dishes and finally allowed Linda to decide for him what he should eat. With a grin, she selected a Thai Dish knowing that Ed always approached foreign foods with a great sense of wonder and adventure. She figured that he would appreciate its spicy taste and exotic flavors. Knowing that she could swap dishes with Ed in case he didn't like his, she went with a wild game dish with duck, venison, and fish. A very subdued Father Donnelley took the Steak Diane.

It was time for the couple to seek out the rest of their family and they went in the general direction in which they expected to find their husbands and wives. Father Donnelley went to the table at the head of the room to join the newlyweds. As fitted his priestly duties, he would give a prayer before eating the meal.

After searching for a few minutes, Ed spotted the family at the table directly in front of the newlyweds. Shaking his head at the honor that had been given the entire family, he led Linda over to the table. The rest of the staff was seated at the table next to theirs.

As Ed sat down, Beth said, "He looks happy now that he's seen his God."

Nodding his agreement with her assessment of the situation, Ed replied, "Yes, he does."

Little John was silent for a long time and then asked, "Why was he mad that we could see his God?"

John glanced around the table catching Ed's attention. Watching the reaction of his son, John answered, "I think it is a private matter for him and we should respect his desire for privacy."

"Would it harm him to ask?"

"No, it would not harm him to ask," replied John interested in seeing how Little John would explore the issue of privacy.

"So I could ask?"

Nodding, John replied, "Yes, you could ask him if you really felt that you had to know. May I ask why you are so curious about that?"

"I think he doesn't like the Goddess," replied Little John as Beth nodded her agreement.

Ed interjected, "It was not the case that he didn't like the Goddess, but that he believed that the Goddess didn't exist. He knows otherwise now."

"Norance," said Little John as though that explained everything.

"Ignorance," corrected Beth as John and Ed smiled at the exchange.

Kelly, watching the discussion, interrupted, "It wasn't ignorance, it was that his faith in his God didn't allow him to accept the existence of our Gods and Goddesses."

Both children got quiet as they thought about what they had just learned. Watching as they considered the information given to them, the family knew that the synthesis of an understanding would take time. Ed hoped that perhaps he could learn additional insights into the issue from his children knowing that they tended to view the information from a perspective that was fresh.

Father Donnelley stood as several people tapped the sides of their glasses hoping to get everyone's attention. The reaction as many people looked at the priest and noticed for the first time the physical changes in his appearance caused as much noise as the individual conversations that had been interrupted. Holding up his hands, the priest said, "Let us pray."

As the crowd fell silent, Father Donnelley said, "Our Lord that Dwells in Heaven, hear our prayers for this loving couple. It is easy to forget that the message of your son, Jesus Christ, was one of love. In recognition of this message, let the love, shared by this young couple, grow stronger with time and may it serve as a model for others to follow. Amen."

The priest sat down as people looked around in surprise at the shortness and directness of they prayer. Ed was tempted to clap, but realized that was not the appropriate reaction. The kind of relationship that Marguerite and Bob had planned for the future was not the kind of relationship that the church normally endorsed. It was likely that the priest understood this even before he gave the prayer.

A swarm of servers came out of the back of the room with dishes of all kinds. The head table was served first, but it wasn't long before all of the tables had food delivered. Ed looked at the Thai appetizer and tasted each item with the hesitancy of an individual faced with something never before experienced. Linda watched him with amusement, prepared to give him her salad if he found it totally inedible. He smiled and said, "Very interesting, I rather like it."

Marguerite from her seat noticed the food set in front of Ed and smiled at the expression on his face, as he tasted the dishes. He always had that same expression when she served him something he had never tried. She called out to him, "Enjoying your meal?"

Looking over at her, he replied, "Very much. It's a whole lot easier to enjoy your meal when you aren't afraid of being poisoned by the chef."

She laughed and shook her head in amusement. With a twinkle in her eye, she said, "You have no idea how much work I went through to make sure that you were served the poisoned dish."

Even though others in the room were not privy to the private teasing banter that existed between Ed and Marguerite, it was easy to tell that neither meant a word of what they said. Few people were taken by surprise when Ed put his hands around his neck and made choking noises. Father Donnelley laughed as hard as Marguerite watching the exchange.

The kids had taken the fast food happy meals that had been provided. It was actually their first experience with such a meal and they discussed the food with the kind of passion that Ed possessed when trying a new dish. The consensus was that it was okay, but couldn't compare to most of the dishes that Marguerite prepared for them. As the two kids chatted, Ed remarked to the adults at the table, "We should probably give them the full fast food experience at some point in time."

Frowning, Kelly replied, "The food isn't all that healthy."

Looking across at Ed, Ling said, "I don't trust the food served at those places."

Expecting some comment from Linda, Ed looked over at her and noticed the grimace as her stomach fluttered once again. Concerned, he asked, "Are you feeling alright, Linda?"

Tentatively, she replied, "It's just my stomach is bothering me a little. I wouldn't worry about it."

Seeing the grimace on Ed's face and knowing that Linda was pregnant, Kelly wasn't about to take any chances. In her best professional voice, she said, "Linda, you are coming home with me and Dr. Hayes as soon as this reception is over. He's going to give you a full checkup."

"There's no need," argued Linda.

"Better to be safe than sorry," retorted Kelly knowing that the longer a medical problem had to develop the worse the treatment would be. A nervous stomach might mean the onset of flu and she didn't want anything hurting the health of the baby developing within Linda.

Beth looked over at Kelly and frowned as she thought about her mother getting a medical checkup. Standing up, she walked over to Kelly and touched the medallion around her neck. It was clear that nothing happened when she touched the medallion. Confused, Beth walked over to John and touched his medallion. Again, nothing happened as a result of touching the medallion. Confused, Beth returned to her chair and looked around the table.

Little John leaned over and whispered something in the ear of Beth. The two them talked quietly enough that none of the adults could hear their conversation. When they sat up again, there was a troubled look on their face. Ed leaned forward and said, "The Gods and Goddesses are not your servants. They won't come to you every time that you are a little worried about something."

The children didn't react to the announcement, but did decide not to pursue it any further. Dissatisfied with his answer, Beth looked at the remains of her happy meal and asked, "Can I go play with John?"

Ed looked around and saw John squirming in his seat next to Shirley and Mary. It was clear to him that the children needed to burn a little energy. The adults had finished the appetizers and would soon be getting the main dishes. It wouldn't be a good time for the kids to be wandering around. As Ed frowned, John answered, "Sure. Why don't you take John and Little John over to that corner over there and play Hunt the Bug Eyed Monsters?"

Beth smiled as she said, "Okay. I bet Daddy John will be over there as soon as he is done eating."

Shaking her head, Ling answered, "No one will take that bet!"

Linda joked, "The good bet would be whether Daddy John is over there before Daddy Ed."

Little John said, "No, he's too busy trying new food to beat Daddy John."

As the family laughed, the children went to get John to play with them. Ed watched them as they politely asked permission from the parents for them to play. It was clear that the idea came as a relief to the parents. After a few minutes, the kids went over to the corner and started playing. Before long, other kids went over to join them. Muted shouts of boom, bang, and whirs formed a gentle background noise that didn't disturb anyone.

The next course of food was served. Ed looked over his dish very carefully and tried a taste of the main dish. It was very spicy and a surprised look crossed his face. Tasting it, he said, "This is very strange."

The whole family watched as he sampled his food. His experience with the food was very deliberate and thorough. When he bit into one of the peppers, tears came to his eyes and he sat back looking at it. It took him several minutes to recover from the experience. Sitting back in his chair, he shook his head and said, "Talk about hot! Wow!"

The family chuckled as he drank half a glass of water. With great care, he picked all of the peppers out of the dish creating a small pile of them on the side of his plate. In addition to the peppers, he removed the little stalks of lemongrass. Once that was done, he attacked his food with a passion. Making appreciative noises as he ate, Ed was happy with the choice in meals.

Father Donnelley watched from the table at the head of the room and shook his head at the childlike innocence with which Ed ate. There was only one word that came to mind to describe Ed and that word was 'sensualist.' How long had the church condemned sensualists for their total surrender to their senses? Watching Ed eat, the priest wondered where was the sin in what he was doing. Ed wasn't a glutton, eating only enough to fill his empty stomach. None of the deadly sins was present in his actions.

Noticing the attention the priest was giving him, Ed raised a fork with a bit of shrimp on it and winked. The priest shook his head as Ed took pleasure in eating the morsel of food. Turning to Marguerite, he asked, "Does Ed always enjoy food that much?"

Marguerite smiled at the priest and said, "Yes, he does, but he won't usually let me see him enjoy it. It's a little game he plays with me."

"Why not?"

Marguerite laughed and said, "He likes to tease me."

The priest looked down at his steak, amazed at how well it had been prepared. Looking up, he said, "He says that you are the best cook in the world."

Amused at the second-hand source of praise about her cooking from Ed, Marguerite called out, "Hey Ed. Father Donnelley says that you told him I was the best chef in the world."

It was impossible for him to deny that he had said it. Instead of denying it, he answered, "Yeah, but I wasn't on the judging panel."

Father Donnelley asked, "Would that have changed the verdict of the judges?"

Ed suddenly found something very interesting on his plate that demanded his attention. John laughed and said, "Not at all."

Ed just shrugged and said, "It would have made no difference at all."

Marguerite smiled and turned to the priest as she said, "That's the first time he's ever admitted that in public. You should be honored."



-------

Chapter 13


The bed was typical of all beds in hospitals, adjustable but only to uncomfortable positions. It was morning as Ed sat next to Linda holding her while she proceeded to throw up in a small bucket. Rubbing her back and massaging her neck didn't help her relax. Mornings were the worst for her. In addition to the pains in her abdomen, she suffered from morning sickness. The morning sickness had started the morning after she had slept with John.

Dr. Hayes came in the room about the time that Linda had finished throwing up. Sitting on the other side of the bed, he rested his hands on the head of his cane and then rested his head on his hands. Ed looked over at the doctor and asked, "Dr. Hayes, is this normal?"

The doctor shook his head and answered, "This is the roughest pregnancy that I've ever seen. The morning sickness is normal, but the muscle spasms aren't."

Linda leaned back in the bed as Ed started rubbing her swollen belly with the lotion. A sigh escaped her lips as the sensation of his touch eased the tension in her belly. They both jumped when the baby inside kicked. Linda said, "Quite active, isn't he?"

"Is it a he?"

"Or she?" replied Linda with a smile. The smile immediately disappeared as another spasm racked her abdomen.

Ed frowned since his truth sense couldn't decide which was the correct answer. It took him a minute to realize that she didn't know the gender of the child. Leaning forward, he kissed her head and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too," replied Linda amazed at the loving care he was giving her.

Dr. Hayes said, "You had better go now if you are going to reach the airport in time."

Leaving Linda here was one of the hardest things that Ed had ever done. When he had tried to back out of going, everyone in the family had insisted that he go. Bending down, he kissed her forehead and said, "Don't go anywhere until I get back."

She forced a laugh and said, "Get out of here."

Ed left the infirmary of the Druid College and headed to the family suite. Ling watched him as he came closer and asked, "Why do you always take the roughest shift?"

"I love her."

"We all love her, but this is hurting you," replied Ling with tears in her eyes. To see Ed so concerned for Linda was hard to watch. It was even harder when he spent nearly fifteen hours a day next to her doing what ever he could to make her feel more comfortable.

"I should cancel my trip."

"No. You must leave. I have your stuff in the car and I'm ready to drive you to the airport."

Twenty-one comfortable black leather chairs surrounded the conference table, ten along each side and one at the head of the table. The wood of the table shone with an exceptional sheen that suggested its high cost. All of the men and women seated in the chairs were well-dressed and sitting in very dignified manners. The obvious exception was Ed, who slouched in his chair with his legs crossed with the ankle of his right leg resting on his knee. In front of each person, a leather-bound document rested on the table containing the agenda for the meeting and background information about the company. Ed had read it over very carefully. There was no explanation given for the record loses the company was reporting.

Mr. Howard Hardgrove, the CEO of the airline sat in his chair like a man that rules the world. Despite the fact that his airline was hemorrhaging money, his position was secure. He owned all of the board members. Every year, he received a good bonus and a golden parachute made if virtually impossible for them to fire him. The only way he would lose is if he resigned and that was never going to happen.

The only problem was the presence of the new board member. He stared at the far end of the table at the Druid that a number of stockholders had insisted be given a seat on the board of directors. They hadn't even told him which Druid to put on the board, only that he was to get a Druid. At least he had used the opportunity to get rid of the pain-in-the-ass that used to occupy that chair.

Seated in the chair at the far end of the table, Ed listened along with the other members of the board as one of the executives discussed the airlines current financial straits. As part of his presentation, a vice president of the company described how he expected to turn a profit though an advertising campaign offering discount fares, painting the planes in a distinctive color, and increasing frequent flyer reward programs. Details as to the cost and return on the plan were a little sketchy.

As everyone nodded in agreement at the plan, Ed snorted in disgust. His reaction caught the attention of Mr. Howard Hardgrove. It was his desire to get them to cut a bonus check for taking such an aggressive action to increase revenues. There was a wonderful little summerhouse that he wanted to buy in Cape Cod. Having a member of the board scoff at the idea was going to make it hard to sell them on the idea. Turning to Ed, he asked, "What do you find so offensive, Dr. Biggers?"

Ed leaned forward and said, "Your flights are flying at an eighty- seven percent occupancy, which happens to be near the highest in the industry. Already, you buy back tickets from your customers because of over-booking practices. Selling more tickets isn't going to turn this company around. You have to make money on the tickets you are selling."

"So what do you suggest, if you know so much?" asked the CEO rather irritated at the Druid's comment. This was his company until they voted him out or he retired. He didn't appreciate having this Druid shoved down his throat and it was time to put him in his place.

Ed had arrived that morning and been admitted to the board less than an hour before. He had very little insight into how the business was run, but the fact sheets that he had read while waiting for the meeting to begin bothered him tremendously. It wasn't so much that they were outright lies, but that they didn't reflect the truth. There was no way to assess the true value of the company. Ed said, "Give me four days of complete access within this company and I will tell you exactly how to turn it around."

Howard, voice dripping with sarcasm, said, "It will take you four days to figure out where the bathroom is."

"Then I take it your answer is no," replied Ed.

"You can present your findings at the next board meeting in three months," replied Howard thinking that this concession would prove to some of the more troublesome stockholders that he had tried to cooperate. By that time, he would find some other mechanism to get rid of this pain in his side.

Eyes flashing, Ed stared at the CEO as he said, "The next board meeting is the Stockholders meeting. By that time, this company will have lost a half a billion dollars and will not be able to recover. Six months from now, you'll be filing Chapter 11. Look at the numbers yourself and you'll see that I speak the truth."

Howard sat back and said, "My offer stands."

With an abruptness that shocked the others in the room, Ed stood and said, "Fine. I resign and shall inform the stockholders that voted me on the board the reason for my resignation."

As Ed turned to walk from the room, Howard realized that this man meant business and wasn't here to play games. If the stockholders found out that he had kept Ed from doing what he was brought in to accomplish, then the next stockholders meeting would be a disaster. Thinking hard, he shouted, "Get back here."

At the door, Ed turned and said, "Sir, do not waste my time. In less than a year, John Carter and myself developed a plan that brought down organized crime in America during a single day of raids. If my efforts aren't supported by you, then nothing I say or do can help this company."

Slumping in his seat, Howard knew that he was defeated. He replied, "Four days, that's all you get."

Ed smiled at what he planned for the next meeting and said, "Great. I'll make all of the arrangements and we'll meet in four days from now."

Howard frowned at the loss of control over the meeting and said, "We'll adjourn now and meet again in four days."

Smiling at the discomfort of the CEO, Ed said, "I expect that you'll introduce me to your executive staff in two hours. I suggest that you tell them that if any of them miss this meeting that you will personally fire them."

"You can't be serious!"

"Dead serious." His flat voice conveyed the seriousness of his stance.

For the next two days, Ed spent twenty hours a day going through various aspects of the business as a plan formed in his mind. Walking through the accounting department, he grabbed accountants left and right telling them to follow him to a conference room. Men and women broke down into tears as he pushed them to limits that they had never expected to encounter.

After twelve hours, more people were called into the conference room. These were the individuals that adjusted fares over the course of booking flights. He was relentless in his questioning. With single-minded determination, he sought to understand how every aspect of how fares were computed. These individuals broke down under his constant grilling as he questioned every business practice that they employed in setting fares. Time after time, they had to admit that they had no real data to back up the rules that they followed.

The third day was spent constructing a plan to turn the company around financially. Accountants struggled to make sense of the numbers as a clear picture emerged of how the airline would be run in the future. The people in charge of setting up the fare schedule complained that his approach would loose them passengers. He argued back that they could afford to loose the customers that cost them money. As the argument became more heated, Ed realized it was because they were arguing to keep their jobs. A simple compromise was established.

After his tenth call from Howard Hardgrove and several attempts to undermine his efforts, Ed used his cell phone to call for reinforcements. The plan that emerged was radical, but had the ability to immediately turn around the company without seriously impacting the majority of people that worked for the firm. There would be some that could be significantly hurt by the changes, but they were the ones most responsible for the problems.

A rather tired Ed sat in the first class seat waiting for the other board members to arrive for the remainder of the board meeting. It was the only first class seat in the plane. There were exactly twenty-one seats in the coach area of the plane. He had worked most of the night getting the plane fixed up for the meeting and hoped that his point would be taken by the other members of the board.

The board members entered the plane not knowing what to expect. The looks on their faces as they were lead to coach seats were priceless. Ed was enjoying himself tremendously as they tried to fit in the narrow chairs with hard cushions. Once they were seated, the 'fasten seat belt' sign came on.

Howard complained bitterly about the seating accommodations. He kept elbowing the man seated next to him and his knees were hitting the chair in front of him. Irritated, he said, "You can't conduct business cooped up like this!"

A very pleased Ed took his seat on the back row as a stewardess lowered a screen for his presentation. While she was busy doing that, another stewardess came up the isle with the pushcart offering each person a beverage and a bag of peanuts. Several of the people sitting on the isle complained when the cart hit their elbows. Tempers were approaching the boiling point and they had only been in the chairs for ten minutes. The stewardess reminded each person that they had to fasten their seat belts.

Once everyone had been served, Ed said, "Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to coach. I think that we would all agree that it isn't very pleasant. This is the service that you are selling your customers. Lots of comfort for the money, but I'm sure you know that. Oh, wait one minute, you get free first class seats when you fly."

Howard shouted, "How dare you!"

"With great ease, I assure you," replied Ed as he turned on the projector for the presentation. "The first slide shows the average cost to transport a customer from one point to another via this airline. Of all your costs, only one is really significant. Thirty-five percent of your cost goes into ticket sales and passenger management. That figure is the amount that it costs you to sell a ticket, give tickets away on overbooked flights, and handle seating assignments. It doesn't include advertisement."

As people examined the slide, Ed could tell that there weren't any surprises in the figures. In a way, that surprised him, but it didn't slow him down. He flipped up the next slide and said, "For each passenger that you carry, you are loosing an average of three dollars."

Howard interrupted, "So tell us something that we don't already know."

This was as Ed suspected all along. They knew that they were losing money, but didn't want to change the way they operated to make a profit. With a smile, he threw up another slide and said, "This is how the figures could break down if you go along with the plan that I've developed."

There was stunned silence in the plane as people looked at the slide that Ed had put up on the screen. He let them process it for a minute and then said, "Ticket sales and customer management have dropped to one percent of the total cost. Advertising drops to five percent. This is assuming an average occupancy rate of fifty percent for each flight."

"Fifty?"

"Yes, fifty percent occupancy rate."

Howard stuttered as he said, "I notice that the fuel and airplane costs have risen to forty percent."

"Yes, that's true," remarked Ed as he looked at the slide.

"Fuel is cheap!" On an earlier occasion, he had claimed that fuel was expensive.

"The reason the percentage is so high is that we are assuming that fifty percent capacity pays for the entire cost of transportation and services. Ninety percent of each ticket sold above that capacity is pure profit," replied Ed with a smile knowing that he had hit them below the money belt.

"How do you expect to achieve this?" asked Howard convinced that this guy had played with the numbers in some funny manner.

"Do you want the truth?"

The CEO replied, "Of course I want the truth."

"The first action is to reduce the cost of ticket sales and customer management. We shall have to adopt a fixed rate pricing and a no refund policy on tickets. Once the seats on a plane are sold out, that's it."

"You are suggesting that we stop our current pricing policies?"

"Exactly."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because we want the customers to be willing to pay twenty dollars more for a ticket than the typical discount ticket," replied Ed with a smile. He had been shocked when he looked over the variety of prices paid by customers and the number of people that were flying free.

"You're dropping the average price?"

"Yes."

"How can you do that?"

"That is the second action that we need to take. Right now the ratio of salaries between the highest paid person in the company and the lowest paid person is two thousand. That should be lowered to five hundred. Morally, I would say that it should be lowered to twenty because of the poor performance of the company, but I recognize that is not going to happen," replied Ed. The lowest paid person, a janitor, was getting paid twenty thousand per year and the CEO was getting an outrageous forty million after bonuses were taken into account.

Howard exploded, "That's absurd. Do you know how much responsibility this job carries with it?"

Very amused by the question, Ed said, "Sure, I know how much responsibility your job has. For the past year, this company has lost money and you haven't been able to correct it. I would say that you are failing in your responsibilities and haven't owned up to the failure."

One of the other members of the board, an academic from a rather large school of business, asked, "And what is the consequence of that changing that ratio?"

"It drops the total labor cost of the company by ten percent," replied Ed. Seeing the looks on the faces of the people around the room, he added, "That is after giving a five percent raise to the lowest paid people in the company. When you add in the overhead and other charges, it turns out to be a significant amount of money."

The woman bent down and did some calculations on the numbers. She looked up and asked, "How many people are affected by that?"

"One percent of the company would have their wages dropped so that they are under the two thousand rule."

She looked up and asked, "Do you mean to tell me that a thousand people in this company make over a million a year?"

"Yes," replied Ed. He wondered if the other board members would support him in lowering the wages of the highest paid executives in the company if that was the only change that he proposed. It would actually return the company to a profitable status, but such a move wouldn't last. Looking over at Howard, it was clear that the CEO wasn't about to go for it.

After struggling with his seatbelt, Howard stood up in the plane and hit his head on the luggage compartment. They had been there for thirty minutes and he was tired of being shoved into a space that wasn't fit for a dog. Angry at the suggestion, he said, "You have no idea what you are talking about doing to this company! We will loose all of our top executives if we do that."

"The downside is?" asked Ed pleasantly.

"We can't run the airline without them, you idiot!"

"Seems to me that you can't run the airline with them," replied Ed.

The woman asked, "What is the third step?"

"We reduce the number of seats on the plane by one half. This requires making chairs that are halfway between the current coach seat and a first class seat," replied Ed.

"You are reducing the number of passengers in half?" shouted Howard furious at the man. He looked around the room and noticed the people in the chairs thinking about how much more space this would have given them. He could see that they were entertaining the idea put forth by Ed. This airline would become the laughing stock of the entire industry. The other airlines would be getting half of their customers.

"You won't have an empty seat on a single plane. Fifty percent of your customers will be pure profit."

A number of people started nodding their heads at the idea. Even if his numbers were generous, it still made sense to have a base number of passengers at which every passenger after that meant pure profit. Howard shouted, "The stockholders would never go for it!"

Signaling to the stewardess, he let her know that it was time for lunch. He announced, "I have spent twenty dollars per lunch so I hope that you enjoy it. I realize that for many of the people here, a twenty dollar lunch may be a cheap, but for a lot of the people that fly your airline it is an expensive lunch."

The stewardess handed out typical airline fare to each person. Without exception, they looked at the meal in disgust wondering how it could possibly cost twenty dollars to provide such low quality food. After eating a bite of the food, Ed remarked, "Perfectly horrible, just like every time that I've flown this airline. I'm going to suggest that we change catering companies or start our own."

Howard still hadn't returned to his seat. In a firm voice, the stewardess said, "Sir, the fasten seat belt sign is still on. I'm afraid that you have to return to your seat."

Angry, the CEO turned to her and said, "You're fired!"

Laughing at the empty threat, Ling answered, "Sorry, but I don't work for you. I'm married to Ed."

The look on his face was priceless as Ed and several of the other board members burst out laughing. Glaring at everyone around the room, Howard restated his position, "The stockholders will never go for it."

It was time for Ed to provide his coupe de grace. Ed touched a button and the next slide came up on the screen. It showed the projected value of the company over the next year. At the end of the year, they would show a three-dollar a share return on investment. Looking at the mess on his plate, Ed decided that the only thing worth eating was the wilted salad and stale bread.

He didn't make a single comment about the value of the company, letting the slide talk for itself. Howard stared at the slide seeing how the initial cost would drive the company into great debt, but that the curve turned upwards very quickly. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized there was no way that he could prevent the changes that Ed had proposed. The question now was how could he get out with the most money possible. It was possible that he could strike a deal with Ed to fire him for his golden parachute.

Moving very slowly, Howard sat down in his chair wondering what had happened. In four days this guy had totally reinvented the entire corporation. He looked at the food sitting on the tray in front of him and pushed it away. He owned shares in that company and if it lost the contract with the airline, those shares would be worthless.

After everyone finished as much of the meal that they could stomach, Ed said, "Would everyone prefer to reconvene in the boardroom in two hours?"

The vote was unanimous. As everyone shuffled out, Howard waited to speak with Ed privately. Once everyone had left the plane, he asked, "Ed, could I speak to you for a minute privately?"

"Sure, don't mind Ling. She will never say a word," replied Ed.

Glancing over at the short oriental woman, Howard wondered why Ed had included her. Rather than argue, he said, "Will you be firing me?"

Shaking his head, Ed said, "No. You are going to have to resign if you want to leave the company."

"Do you know how much money that will cost me?"

"Yes, I do," replied Ed. He had checked out the contract with great attention to detail. He added, "We will keep you under the terms of the contract even if it means that your duties are reduced to that of being a janitor."

"You can't do that!"

"That's right. I can't, but the stockholders can."

Howard looked over at Ed and said, "You're a criminal."

Looking down at the floor of the plane, Ed replied, "I'm a criminal? No, I don't think so. Even knowing that this company was going down the tubes, you were milking it for every dollar you could. I don't know if there was anything that you did that was illegal. I'm not going to look into that unless forced."

"I own everyone on the board. You are not going to get away with this," declared Howard.

Ling smiled as she said, "Didn't you ever hear the saying, don't fuck with a Druid?"

Ed put his arm around Ling and walked out of the plane leaving the CEO behind. With a smile, Ling bumped her hip against Ed and said, "That made me horny."

Laughing at her obvious pleasure in confrontation, Ed asked, "And where do you suggest that we take care of that problem?"

"While you've been sleeping on the floor here, I actually rented a hotel room at the airport here."

Twenty minutes later, they were in a hotel room lying naked on the bed in sixty-nine. Ed was busy licking Ling with great pleasure as she finished sucking him to a firm erection. It only took her a minute to disengage and get on all fours as she said, "Fuck me doggy style."

Positioning himself behind her, he lined his cock up with her cunt. With a very slow motion, he started to enter her. She wasn't going to have any slow and easy action today. With a grunt, she thrust back taking the full length of his cock in one smooth motion. Getting the hint, Ed started to thrust into her. She shouted, "Harder. Fuck me, harder."

Ed increased the pace of his thrusts and was soon slamming into her with great force. She was pushing back to meet his thrusts announcing her excitement with her typical loud screams while his hands were on her hips pulling her into him. It didn't take her long to achieve an orgasm. The speed with which she had come surprised Ed, but he didn't slow his actions. The volume of her orgasm didn't surprise him.

Placing a pillow under her stomach, she slowly lowered herself to the bed with her ass raised in the air. Ed adjusted his position so that he could really hammer his steel hard cock into her. Grabbing another pillow, Ling bit into it to keep her screams from echoing throughout the hotel. The first orgasm was just a warm up as far as the volume with which she would announce her pleasure.

Even with a corner of the pillow jammed into her mouth, her next orgasm was unmistakable. The muffled scream still echoed around the room. Ed could feel the come boiling in his balls as he approached an orgasm. In an attempt to prolong his performance, he changed his pace. That simple action triggered another orgasm in Ling. As her cunt fluttered around his cock, he spewed forth his fluids deep within her.

Sweaty and hot, Ed gently pulled out of her and lay on the bed. It had been too long since he had made love to one of his wives. His concern for Linda had kept him by her side almost all of the time. Turning to face Ling, he kissed her gently and said, "I probably haven't said it as many times as I should, but I love you. I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," answered Ling. She was concerned about Ed and knew that he needed to take care of himself. She knew he loved her, but he was so worried about Linda that everything else was background.

After they showered together, Ling sat on the toilet seat and watched as Ed shaved. She had never seen him shave before and commented, "I like watching you shave."

"Pardon?"

"I like watching you shave."

"Why?" asked a very puzzled Ed.

"It just seems remarkably intimate to me," answered Ling as she watched him purse his lips to trim under his lips. There was something very intimate and masculine about a man shaving.

Almost cutting himself, he stopped shaving to laugh. Shaking his head, he replied, "You can watch me shave anytime you want."

"Thanks, I think I will," replied Ling.

Ed reached the boardroom on time while Ling stayed behind in the hotel room. Taking the same seat at the end of the table, Ed examined the faces of the people gathered around the conference table. It was clear that the past two hours had been spent doing a lot of arm-twisting. It didn't matter how many arms had been twisted since Ed knew exactly what he was doing.

Howard Hardgrove sat at the end of the table glaring at Ed. His attempt to set the IRS on him had backfired when he found out that Ed was a major player in the organization. Inquiries at the FBI had resulted in old contacts hanging up on him after telling him that Ed was a national hero. Attempting to call in political support had exploded in his face when several Senators told him to drop it. It was time for him to try private approaches and that required him to delay the meeting for a little while.

Howard opened the meeting when he said, "It is normal in business situations such as this for background investigations to be performed on board members. Ed Biggers, do you have any identification on you?"

"Yes, I do," replied Ed with a smile. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his driver's license, his IRS ID, and his CIA ID. Opening them one at a time, he showed them to the people around the room. Several twisted-arms suddenly became untwisted as they realized that Ed could bury them with a simple audit.

Howard stared at the IRS badge like it was a cobra. His last attempt to wrest control over Ed had failed and he knew it. He slumped in his chair and said, "Okay. I guess you want us to take a vote on the actions proposed by Dr. Biggers."

Everyone around the table nodded, although most of them did not look that excited. The ringing of a cell phone interrupted the silence in the room and brought a look of relief on Howard's face. Ed pulled out his phone and answered it. A smile broke across his face and he started laughing at the news. After a few minutes, he put the cell phone away. Turning to everyone in the room, he said, "My wife was attacked in her hotel room."

Howard started at how Ed had taken the news and looked around the table. Covering himself, he asked, "How is she?"

"Quite happy. She actually got to seriously hurt a couple of people."

The professor from the business school asked, "What happened?"

"She neutered one, broke the spine of the other, and broke about ten bones in the third."

"That's horrible."

Smiling around the table, Ed answered, "She could have feed them their own guns one bullet at a time, but she didn't. I'm rather pleased with the self-restraint that she showed this time."

Howard paled.



-------

Chapter 14


Beth had taken to wearing overalls, deciding that she liked to have all of the pockets they normally had. Little John, rejecting the blue jeans all of the other men in the family wore when relaxing, enjoyed shorts and button shirts. Neither of them liked to wear shoes and would go without whenever they had the opportunity. Ed watched them heading over to his table in the first year dorm. It was strange, but they always came to the first year dining room despite repeated attempts to get them to go to the second year dorm with Ling.

Beth climbed up on the chair beside Ed while Little John sat down on a chair on the other side. Seeing that he was surrounded, Ed asked, "So what do you want?"

Little John frowned and asked, "Why do you think we want something?"

"If you just wanted to chat, you'd sit across the table from me. When one of you wants something, you sit together to the side. When both of you want something, you sit on each side of me," replied Ed as he watched the expressions on their faces change.

Beth said, "We want to know why we wear clothes all of the time."

"Did you ask your mothers?"

Little John shrugged noncommittally. Beth looked away at the first year students walking around the dining room. Smiling, Ed said, "I take by your lack of answer that you did."

"Okay, we did. Beth asked Kelly and I asked Ling."

"What did they say?"

"That it was for our own protection."

"Protection from what?"

"Adults that would want to take 'vantage of us."

Nodding his head, Ed listened carefully to them trying to determine if that was the sole reason for it. He asked, "You don't think that is a fair concern."

"Right."

There had to be a way to handle this question in a manner that would convince the children that walking naked around others might not be a safe activity. Sure it was safe to do it here, but this was a special environment. That phrase repeated itself in his mind and he saw his solution. He said, "Why don't each of you go and find four first year students each to bring here for a discussion?"

The two kids looked at each other in surprise by the suggestion. After staring at Ed for a minute in puzzlement, they split up and went to find first year students. It took them several minutes. In the mean time, Ed had moved to a larger table that would easily hold a dozen people. The two kids returned with four students each. Pointing to the chairs around the table, Ed said, "Please have a seat."

The students sat down at the table. Most of them were nervous being around Ed, knowing his reputation as a human lie detector. Pointing to the kids, Ed said, "Please ask about the fairness of your mother's concerns."

Little John and Beth looked at each other for a moment. Finally, it was the little girl that said, "Our mother's believe that it is unwise for us to go naked."

Noticing the look that Ed was giving them, Little John said, "They think that some adults will try to take advantage of us."

The students looked to Ed for guidance, but he just answered, "Tell them your honest feelings about this issue."

There was a long period of silence. Finally, one of the male students spoke, "We are to live by two rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. For you to walk around naked is consistent with the first rule. However, I have to obey the second rule and I would not let you do it."

One of the other students objected, "It violates the first rule. It may not hurt others, but it could lead to harm for themselves."

One of the female students said, "That's true. Sometimes it is hard to remember that the first rule includes harm to yourself as well as harm to others."

Little John and Beth looked at each other suspicious about the nature of the argument. Finally, Beth asked, "How could we be harmed?"

The question was met with silence. Finally, one of women that had a very difficult time dealing with nudity at the beginning of the year answered, "There are some men and women in this world that will hurt you beyond your ability to imagine. Your body is not big enough to handle some things that they would do to you."

One of the male students examined the woman that had just spoken with an understanding eye. Her comment had explained many of the problems that she had at the beginning of the semester. Even now she would occasionally have problems when people touched her without warning. He said, "Beth. Little John. Listen to her. She has been harmed in the past by the same people that we are attempting to protect you from."

Little John asked, "Exactly what kind of harm are we talking about?"

Ed leaned forward at this point. His eyes flashed with an unnatural light as he said, "We are talking about evil, pure evil. There is an evil so ugly that most adults can not look upon it. Daddy John fights it as hard as he can. I fight it as hard as I can. The students here are learning how to fight it. You are too young to face that evil yet. Even I have bad dreams about the things I've seen."

The idea that their parents might be afraid of something so much that it gave them bad dreams at night convinced the two that it was better to follow their advice. Little John said, "I'm convinced that harm could come to us."

Shaking her head, Beth said, "When will we be safe?"

"You will never be totally safe, but there are places where you are safer."

Frowning, Little John asked, "Where?"

"Here is one place. Another is our home back in Arizona. There is where your Grandfather Leroy lives. There is the Native American College that is run by your Great Grandfather William Redman."

The information provided to the children required a little time for them to comprehend. They knew they could go without clothes at home. If that was one of the safer places, then wasn't it possible for them to do it at another of the safer places? It was an interesting question. Little John asked, "So if this is safer, then could we go without clothes here?"

Ed sat back and asked the other students, "What do you think?"

Three of them shook their heads no and four nodded their heads. Ed asked, "Would one who thinks it would be okay like to state their reasons?"

"It is safe here."

"Would someone who think not, please state your reason?"

"We don't know how safe it is."

Smiling, Ed said, "Can anyone think of a compromise?"

"Only if chaperoned."

Ed turned to the two children and asked, "What do you think of that?"

"What is caperoned?"

"Chaperoned. It means that you are watched over by another for the sake of protecting you," replied Ed.

Beth thought about it for a long time without answering. Little John was bored and said, "Fine with me."

"Okay," replied Beth.

Nodding, Ed asked, "So are you ready to get out of your clothes now?"

"No. We just wondered, that's all," replied Little John. He stood up and said, "Let's go see Sarah."

As the two children walked off, one of the students asked, "All that just to walk away?"

Nodding, Ed said, "I didn't think for a minute that they actually wanted to go naked."

"So why involve us?" asked one of the students.

"Three reasons. First, it was necessary for them to understand that our rules are not arbitrary. Second, you needed to work through the question as well," replied Ed. He stood up to leave.

"What's the third reason?"

"I didn't know how to answer them," answered Ed with a wink and a smile.

His departing comment was a topic of conversation that lasted through an entire class. Mostly, it was his admission of not knowing how to answer the question that was the central topic of conversation. The interaction with the children was also the subject of great debate. It was hard for them to relate to such young children acting in such an adult fashion.

Linda lay in bed, weak and tired from her pregnancy. Her ordeal was almost over according to the doctors. Only a week or so more to go before she could expect to enter labor. Between the kicking of the child and the muscle spasms in her stomach, she was ready for the pregnancy to end. When Ed entered the room, she smiled up at him and said, "I'm sorry that you couldn't attend Leroy's graduation party."

"Don't be sorry. He knows why I'm here. He wanted to have the party here, but that wasn't reasonable," replied Ed.

"Still, I know how much you love him," replied Linda as he took her hand and kissed it. The gesture touched her deeply, as he knew it would. She added, "I know how much you love all of us."

"Yes, I do. You are in pain and if my being here provides the least little comfort, I won't leave your side," replied Ed. This had been a very rough pregnancy and he didn't understand why. Her stomach spasms and the fact that her morning sickness lasted until the last month of her pregnancy puzzled the doctors.

Laura Brockmire came over to where Ed stood and watched as he talked to his wife. The past few months had been very hard on Ed and she understood his dedication to her well being. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she said, "Ed, I have to ask you to leave now."

Looking over at Laura, Ed asked, "Why?"

"The Goddess only knows."

Looking over at Laura, Ed decided that it was her calling and not his place to interfere. He stepped out of the room and waited in the hall. As he waited more green robed Druids entered the infirmary walking with their characteristic calm. Watching them enter, he couldn't help but worry about Linda. Turning, he found Sarah, Little John, and Beth watching him. Attempting to let them know that he wasn't worried, he winked and said, "They threw me out."

In her most comforting voice, Beth said, "Don't worry Daddy Ed."

Laura came out of the infirmary and said, "Sarah, your cousin is asking for you."

Sarah nodded and followed Laura into the infirmary leaving Ed and the kids outside. Looking down at the kids, Ed asked, "Who's up for some ice cream?"

He had to run in order to keep up with them as they headed directly for the dining room. The waitress was at the table shaking her head at their order knowing that if she served the kids ice cream without a parent around that she'd be in big trouble with two angry mothers. Ed joined them at the table and said, "Don't worry. They can have ice cream."

"I'll have a Hot Fudge Sundae with Vanilla ice cream."

"I'll have a cup of chocolate ice cream."

Smiling, Ed said, "I'll have a banana split."

The waitress knew that Ed would order that and asked, "Is Kelly or Ling around?"

"No," replied Ed noticing the look of relief on the face of the waitress. He wondered what kind of threats the wives had used on her to create that kind of reaction. What ever it was, it was most effective and could prove useful in the future.

It was a few minutes later that the waitress showed up with the three deserts on a tray. Setting them out on the table, she walked away. As Ed examined his banana split, he said "Wow."

"Wow," echoed Little John with delight in his eyes as he took in the Sundae.

"Wow," exclaimed Beth as she stared at the scoop of chocolate ice cream.

As one, they all started eating their ice cream treats. Each made noises of appreciation as they tasted it. One of the students started laughing and called over, "I have never seen three people enjoy their food as much as you three."

The three of them winked at each other. It was clear that Ed was a bad influence on the children, but none of the students would have dared suggest it. One of the things that Ed had made sure of was that the kids understood how to enjoy food and not to use food as a way to escape problems. They were still enjoying their food when Sarah came down to the dining room. Looking at the three of them, she adopted exactly the same pose that Kelly normally gave when she caught them having a between meal snack. The kids took one look at her and pointed at Ed saying simultaneously, "It was his idea!"

"Thanks a lot kids," muttered Ed as he shoveled another spoonful of food into his mouth.

Sarah asked, "Would you kids like to attend a lecture for a while?"

"I'd rather go to the library," answered Beth.

Little John didn't understand his sister's attraction to the library, but knew that he could probably find a book about animals. Rather than argue with her, he said, "That's fine with me."

When each of them had finished about a third of their serving, they pushed the dish away and stood up. Sarah asked, "Aren't you going to eat the rest?"

"No. It is not good to over eat," replied Little John.

Sarah stared at them as they made their way to the library. Turning to look at Ed, she asked, "What did they mean by that?"

"I told them that it was never a good idea to eat more than was comfortable."

"How did you get them to believe you?"

Laughing, Ed said, "I let them eat as much ice cream as they wanted one night. They had stomachaches for hours. So what brings you here?"

"Linda wanted me to take care of you."

Puzzled, he said, "I feel fine. She's the one that is in the infirmary."

"Oh, you silly man. She didn't mean that way."

"Oh, I understand," replied Ed.

He followed Linda to the bedroom. Once there, she said, "Get undressed."

Lifting his robe over his head and removing his sandals, Ed was soon naked. Sarah took her time disrobing, attempting to entice him with a slow reveal of her body. Even though he had seen her naked body for years, her slow strip had the desired result as his cock slowly erected. She moved over to the bed and sat there with her long hair covering her breasts. Ed couldn't help how much he enjoyed the sight of a woman with long hair using it in a sexy fashion.

Sarah wiggled a finger in a come hither motion. Ed slid onto the bed next to her and kissed her nipple that peaked around the hair. Much to his shock, she pushed him on his back and wound her long hair around his cock. Seeing the smile on her face, she said, "Linda said that you liked to fuck long hair."

Ed was about to reply when she slowly rubbed his cock with her hair. All that came out of his mouth was a simple groan. She started rubbing his cock with serious intent. Her cousin had warned her that it would be best to cover the head of his cock with her mouth when he started to come.

The sensation of long silky hair wrapped around his cock was like no other erotic feeling that Ed had ever experienced. It wasn't wet like a cunt or a mouth. It wasn't hard like a hand. It wasn't even enveloping and warm like fucking a woman's breasts. It was silky and soft, that tickled his nervous system more than excited his cock.

Wide-eyed and amazed, Sarah watched the reaction that Ed had to her administrations. This was a kind of power over a man that she had never imagined. It wasn't long before he started muttering, "I'm going to come. I'm going to come."

Sarah bent down and sucked the head of his cock into her mouth. With little time to spare, her mouth was soon flooded with his come. Unlike her cousin, Sarah wasn't so fond of come and now her mouth was full of it. She moved up and fed his come back to him, surprised at how easily he accepted it. Returning to his cock, she cleaned up the come that slowly seeped out.

Lying on the bed, Ed was overwhelmed by the sensations. Sarah removed her hair from around his cock. Looking down at him, she said, "Wow, what a sense of power."

"Huh?" asked Ed as his mind continued to float in the sky.

Realizing the state of mind that Ed was in, Sarah realized that with just a little effort she could get him hard for a nice little ride. It was a simple matter of running her fingernails up and down the length of his partially erect cock to get it back to attention. Happy with the result, she climbed onto his cock and lowered herself on it. As a shudder of pleasure ran through her body, she said, "Oh fuck, I've missed this monster cock."

Taking her time, she fucked herself with his cock. Her attention was turned inward, following her own progress towards orgasm than paying any attention to what Ed might be experiencing. For Ed, he was happy lying there as Sarah did all of the work and appreciated the lack of demand for him to perform. Too many of the sexual encounters he had with the women in the house required him to do all the fucking and this occasion was a pleasant change.

Running a hand over her body, his thumb gave the slightest brush against her clit. The soft touch was just enough to send her over the edge. She froze in position as her muscles locked up in orgasm. Stomach quivering and legs trembling in a full body orgasm, the only sound from her was a slight squeak.

Ed had come during the middle of her ride without her paying any attention to the fact. The last five minutes of her ride were almost painful, but he couldn't complain. She calmed down and asked him, "Did you come?"

Reaching up and pinching her nipples, Ed answered, "Yes, I did."

She sighed and climbed off him. Lying on the bed beside Ed, she fell asleep. Listening to her soft breathing lulled Ed to sleep within a few minutes.

The collision of two bodies on his forced Ed to wake from a very deep sleep. Confused, he looked around and found Beth and Little John on each side of him with smiles on their faces. They made tickling motions with their fingers for just a long enough time for Ed to realize what was going to follow. For the next five minutes it was a full out tickle war with Ed losing. Laughing, he picked them both up and said, "I surrender!"

"You can't surrender," cried Little John as he was ready to carry on for a lot longer.

"I can't?" asked Ed wondering when the rules of a tickle war had changed.

"Nope, you can't," asserted Beth.

"And why can't I?"

"Because you have to be awake enough for the news."

Ed stood up and walked around the room carrying a child under each arm jiggling them as he went. As he moved, he asked, "What news is that?"

"I'm a big sister!"

"And I'm a big brother!"

Ed froze in place and looked down at the children as he realized what that meant. Linda had finally given birth. Without setting the children down, he ran to the infirmary to find out how Linda was doing. Having made the trip several times a day and believing that he could make the trip with his eyes shut, it only made sense that this was the one time that he got lost.

Beth and Little John finally got his attention so that he set them down. With each of them grabbing one of his hands, they lead him to the infirmary where Laura was waiting for him with a smile. She looked at Ed and said, "You could have gotten dressed."

Smiling, Ed said, "I was too excited to remember. How is she?"

"She's weak, but that's to be expected. The baby is doing fine," smiled Laura. She didn't want to tell Ed that the baby wouldn't cry when they gave him the ritual slap to his bottom to trigger the breathing reflex. She swore the child had just looked at her as if to ask her what was the problem that required her to hit him.

Looking at the kids that had lead him to the infirmary, he asked, "Laura, could you watch the kids for a minute?"

"Sure."

Entering the room, Linda was on the bed with a baby nestled next to her. The baby was perfectly developed with the proper number of fingers and toes. Ed reached out to touch the perfect little hand amazed once again at the miracle of birth. Linda smiled weakly at him and said, "Say hello to William Redman Carter."

"Hello William Redman Carter," cooed Ed as he brushed a hand against the baby's face.

Linda watched Ed as he examined the child. After several minutes, Ed picked up her hand and kissed it gently. He asked, "How are you feeling?"

"My stomach has stopped twitching."

"That's good. I bet you are tired."

"Yes, but I can't wait to get out of the bed," replied Linda. She hoped that it wouldn't be long before she could get out of bed and move around. Laura had promised that it would only be two or three days, but she would need to get a little stronger. Glancing down at his cock, she smiled and asked, "Did my cousin take care of you?"

"Yes, she did," answered Ed. It dawned on him that she had sent Sarah to keep her away while she was giving birth. Giving voice to his suspicion, he asked, "Did you send me away on purpose?"

"Of course, my lovely man. You've been so worried about me that I couldn't stand the idea of you standing out there hearing me scream while I gave birth. Besides, it's been ages since you got laid."

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of the two kids. Beth and Little John approached the baby and looked at it with wide eyes. Little John asked, "What is the baby's name?"

"William Carter."

"So I have a little brother?"

"Yes, you do," answered Linda with a smile.

"May I touch him?"

"Be gentle, he's very small."

As Little John reached out to touch the baby, Beth said, "We must protect the weak from the strong."

"William, I will protect you," vowed Little John as he touched the baby with a gentle hand.

Watching the children interact with the new baby touched Ed far more than he could express in words. He knew that William would be watched over with great attention from his older brother and sister. Smiling down at the two, he said, "I know you'll take care of him."

Both of the children stood up straighter. They reacted with pride from the simple words of recognition from their father. Little John said, "Thanks."

He bent down and kissed each child on its head. He said, "I love both of you kids."

Beth looked around awkwardly and said, "Gosh, you guys are always telling us that."

"That's only because it is true."

Little John grabbed Beth's hand and said, "Let's go play a little."

Ed watched the two kids go. Once they were gone, he pulled out his cell phone and called home to give the rest of the family the great news. The announcement was greeted with great rejoicing that he could hear over the phone. Kelly was shouting her congratulations. John broke in and said, "We'll be there tomorrow. Leroy defended his dissertation today. He's now Dr. Jones."

For the first time, it dawned on Ed that Leroy had just become Dr. Jones and that reminded him of the archeologist of the movies. He knew what his present for Leroy was going to be. Even as he decided on the present, he wondered where he could find the proper hat and a bullwhip.

Once he had hung up, he told Linda, "Leroy is now Dr. Jones."

Still weak from having the baby, she smiled as she said, "That's great. I know he was so worried about it."

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Laura. With the kind of take no prisoner type of attitude common to nurses world over, she told Ed, "She needs to get some rest. You can come back in a couple of hours."

"Thanks, Laura," replied Ed. He bent down and kissed Linda on her forehead. Standing beside the bed, he looked down upon her with his face expressing his love. "I love you, Linda Carter."

"I love you too, Ed Biggers."

Kissing a finger and touching the forehead of William Carter, Ed said, "We love you too, William."

Laura guided him out of the infirmary and held him up a minute. With a concerned look on her face, she said, "I just wanted to tell you one thing about William."

"Is there a problem?"

"Not really. We are going to have to wait a day or so to know more, but he doesn't seem to speak."

"Doesn't speak? He's just a baby."

Laura smiled realizing how Ed might have misinterpreted her statements. Correcting her previous statement, she said, "He doesn't cry."

"Oh, that is a little more serious," replied Ed as he considered it although he didn't know how much more serious. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided that he could love a child with the same intensity of feelings regardless of handicap. He asked, "Is there some corrective action that needs to be taken?"

Laura frowned as she considered the discussions held earlier and answered, "All of the Druids called in to consult have said that he is perfectly healthy."

"That's all we can ask for," Ed said as he looked back in the room. The little fellow was sleeping his mother's arms and looked quite contented. He decided that any action would have to wait until the whole family was gathered together. "For now, let's just watch and wait."

"That's what I was going to recommend. I assume that he will get hungry after a while and start screaming at some point."

"Sounds about right. What can you tell me about Linda's health? When can she get up?"

Laura looked in at Linda resting on the bed. Tonight would probably be the first full night of rest that she would have. They would get some breast milk from her before she went to sleep and bottle-feed the baby during the night. She answered, "Tomorrow, I'll let her get up and walk around a little, but not too much. She's pretty weak from having spent almost eight months in bed."

"What should I do?"

"Go play with your kids!"



-------

Chapter 15


Lying on the floor of the living room with his head supported by his right hand, Ed was surrounded by a dozen small radio controlled cars as he watched a couple of them actually move. Across from him, Little John was busy with his remote control guiding one of the cars through a maze of obstacles that Ed had just finished constructing. John was seated on the couch fiddling with his controller trying to get his car out of a tight spot that was created by Leroy's car. Leroy was laughing at John even though his car was upside down after having fallen off the bridge. Beth's car was nearly at the end of the course, but had hit a tower of blocks. The blocks had come crashing down on it and she was having difficulty getting her car out of the mess.

At the door of the living room, Kelly and Ling watched the scene in dismay. It was hard to believe the husbands were as bad as the children in ignoring their calls. Kelly said, "We're hungry."

There were five choruses of 'Just a minute.' John finally got his car free and raced to catch up to Beth, but it ran off the course and hit another stack of blocks. Little John, tongue out and following the movement of his car, had just passed Beth and was ready to cross the finish line when a giant hand came down and grabbed his car. Everyone looked up at Kelly holding the car as she said, "We're hungry."

Grumbling in a good-natured manner, the group got up and followed the two wives out of the room. As they went, Ed asked, "Where's Linda?"

"She's waiting for us there."

"Oh," answered Ed feeling a little guilty about holding up the dinner. He knew that Linda was still weak and shouldn't have to put up with their games.

Kelly noticed the look on his face and said, "She didn't want to disturb you guys. The five of you haven't had many chances to play together lately."

Leroy stopped at his room and said, "I'll be right there. Don't wait for me."

While Kelly looked over at Leroy with impatience, Ed didn't notice that Leroy had left the group and had just walked on. The kids had gone with him, but John stopped to look at Leroy only relaxing when he saw the black man wink at him. The family went to the dining room without Leroy.

Linda was seated at a large table with William in an infant sling, keeping him close so that when he pulled on her shirt, she would know to feed him. When his diapers were dirty, he would kick in the sling and point downwards. The child was not slow, as he would stare directly into her eyes as he made his requests just to make sure that she knew he was serious. Little John and Beth were convinced that he was waiting to say something that would be meaningful. None of the parents wanted to argue with them.

Sitting next to Linda, Ed reached over and touched him on his nose. William smiled back at him. Knowing exactly what Ed thought, Kelly said, "Gas."

"Nope, he smiled at me," replied Ed.

She had gone through this with Ed over Beth holding his finger when she was an infant. It was well known that infants didn't smile. Even as she thought this, Beth sat down and grabbed his hand wrapping her hand around one of his fingers. Ed turned to her and smiled. He received a smile back and a comforting squeeze on his finger letting him know that she believed William smiled at him.

Everyone in the family looked around the room at the naked first year students while they waited for Leroy to show up. The students were slowly adjusting to being naked all of the time. There were still complaints about the lack of privacy in the restrooms, but the experience was necessary for their further development. The first year dorms were much quieter at that time in the year even though less than two months had passed since the beginning of the new year.

This was the second class of students to enter the College and they were going through the same difficulties in adjusting to the new lifestyle as the first class had experienced. It would take almost a year before any one of the students would make it through the day without trying to impose some moral outrage to an action that caused no harm.

The first week had been extremely tough and even Little John had told one of the students to grow up. The reaction had been one of surprise, but the student was actually one of the better-behaved students now. Apparently getting put into place by a three-year-old was a bit much for an adult ego.

Ed noticed that a number of students were starting to drift into the dinner room. They were doing nothing but standing around as if they expected something interesting to happen any time now. He turned to John and asked, "What's up?"

The question prompted John to notice the unusual behavior of the students. After looking around, he shrugged and said, "I have no idea."

Everyone at the table noticed the unusual behavior. Ed was about to call one of the students over, when a number of them started humming the theme song from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Someone shouted, "Look, it's Arizona Jones."

Ed's head swiveled so fast that he almost hurt his neck as Leroy came into the dining room. The sight of a black man wearing the Indiana Jones outfit, complete with bullwhip surprised Ed beyond his ability to react. This was the outfit that he had gotten Leroy as a graduation present. Leroy cracked the whip as all of the students laughed at the expression on Ed's face. Leroy shouted, "Okay, Ed. That treasure belongs in a museum."

Ed started laughing so hard that he could hardly stay in his chair. With a huge smile on her face, Ling ran over to Leroy and said, "Protect me from the bad guys, Arizona."

The students slowly dispersed laughing as they went. Every time Ed looked over at Leroy, he cracked up and started laughing again. Leroy swaggered over to the table and sat down across from Ed. As tears ran down Ed's face from laughing so hard, Leroy said, "I hate snakes."

The entire family was laughing at how Leroy was dressed. Ed finally got himself under control and said, "Hello, Dr. Jones. What treasures are you chasing now?"

Smiling at Ed, Leroy said, "I've found all the treasure I need. Two husbands, three wives, and three kids."

John clapped his hands in applause as he spoke, "Well said, Dr. Jones."

Little John and Beth just looked at each other and decided this was going to be a game they would get to play when they got older. It definitely looked interesting, even if they didn't understand it. Beth said, "I think you look good in that outfit. You can wear it when you go camping with Daddy John."

At that, Ed had to leave the table to get full control of himself. As he left, Linda said, "I think you got him good, Leroy. Or should I say Arizona?"

Leroy laughed and said, "I was so surprised when I opened his present. The more I thought about it, the more fitting I thought it was."

The first one to catch on was Kelly and she burst out laughing, "You mean that was a present from Ed?"

Smiling at the family, Leroy said, "Yes. There was a little note that said there was a Dr. Jones tradition that had to be carried forth."

Shaking his head, John said, "That reminds me of the rubbers incident when he bought the bright yellow rubber galoshes for all of us."

Linda said, "That Ed. He really knows how to have fun."

Nodding, Leroy said, "He also bought me some hiking equipment that's first class as a more serious present, but I have to admit that I really liked this one."

Ed returned to the table when the waitress brought his Beef Fajitas. As the beef on a bed of onions and peppers sizzled from the hot skillet, he waved a hand over it wafting the smell to his nose. He appreciated the aroma of fresh food cooked to his specification. The rest of the family did not miss his enjoyment of the food. It was not unusual for them to wait while he went through his normal ritual of appreciating his food before eating. It was almost a ritual reminder of the bounty provided by the Gods and Goddesses that should be enjoyed to its fullest extent.

Looking up, Ed noticed everyone watching him. Puzzled, he asked, "What?"

"You just enjoy your food so much."

"What can I say? I like to eat," replied Ed.

Bored at staying in the college, Ed decided to take a drive around the countryside. At home, he would have taken his horses out for a ride. Here, he didn't have a horse to ride or even a place to ride. The property around the Druid College was being used as a place to grow a number of endangered species of plants and casual movements around the property was discouraged.

After pulling out of the college, he turned in a direction that led away from the airport since this wasn't a direction that he had explored. About a mile down the road, he noticed a for sale sign. Pulling off the road, he pulled out his cell phone and called the number on the sign. In a few minutes, he had the details as to the location of the real estate office that was handling the property.

He headed directly to the real estate office, his intended exploration over for the day. The road to the office was pleasant with trees covering the road and the fall colors trying to come out. It would be a few more weeks before the colors turned to their optimal splendor. For now, it was just the odd tree or two that was displaying yellows and oranges.

Pulling into the parking lot, Ed got out of the rental car and entered the office. A young woman, slightly overweight, was seated at one of the three desks. It was a bare office that looked like it didn't do too much business and the business that it did probably wasn't high value properties.

She looked up at him and took in his black robe. Having seen enough of them in town to know what they represented, she asked, "You're one of those Druids, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am."

She frowned for a minute and then shrugged her shoulders as though she decided that it didn't really matter to her. A lot of people in the area were very puzzled by this group of people. At night they would see them on the news, always in a positive light. Around town, they helped people without being asked. She'd even had one stop and help her with a flat tire. The man seemed nice, but she was really disturbed by the bear that had watched him while he worked. In a rather bored tone of voice she asked, "So what can I do for you?"

"I called about the property that is a mile down the road from the Druid College."

She knew exactly which property he meant. The owner had put it up for sale as soon as word came out that they were building some sort of religious school in the hope of unloading it before the property values went down. The property values had gone down for a while, but that hadn't lasted long. After a year of having the school open, there hadn't been any problems with students running wild so the property values had rebounded. She replied, "Oh, you were the one who called."

"How much land is there and how much is it?" asked Ed going directly to the issue at hand.

She answered, "It is four hundred acres and is going for $2500 an acre."

It didn't take Ed long to do the math. The price was an even million for the property. He recalled that John had bought the land for the college at $1500 an acre. If he paid the same amount, then it would only be six hundred thousand dollars. Ed replied, "The owner is rather proud of that place, isn't he?"

"Speculation on the possibility that your school will buy the property or a couple of businesses might move in." She knew that the land was priced a little higher than other properties in the area, but it wasn't that outrageously priced.

Ed sat back and thought about it for a minute as he considered what he could do with that land and how much he was willing to pay for it. It took him a minute to fish out his cell phone to call Cathy and find out how much money he had in his family property account. This was money that he had never spent in the entire time that the fund was established. When Cathy answered, he asked, "How much do I have in my property fund?"

The lack of a greeting did not disturb Cathy. She was used to that single-minded focus when he or John was doing something. After looking up the account, she answered, "A million two."

"Thanks," replied Ed as he hung up the phone. The woman sat at her desk looking at him with a puzzled expression unable to believe that he would be that rude to someone on the phone. Turning to the woman, he said, "Can you ask the owner if he'll accept eight hundred thousand for the property?"

She considered the consequences of such an offer and realized that her commission would be close to twenty four thousand dollars. The owner was a miserly individual and she suspected that he would balk at that amount, but it was worth a shot. Nodding, she answered, "I could ask."

"Okay," replied Ed as he waited for her to make the call.

She sat there looking at him waiting for him to say something else. It dawned on her that Ed was waiting for her to make the call. The intensity with which he was watching her unnerved her. She requested, "Could you please leave while I make the call?"

Nodding, Ed went outside and sat on his car wondering why she wanted him to leave. He decided that she wanted to see what price the owner would actually accept and didn't want him to know. It would be a simple matter to find out that value, but she didn't know that. As he sat there, he thought about the kind of improvements that he could make to the land. A barn and corral for horses would be good, as would a small house to use after putting up the horses.

The door opened and the woman calling out disturbed his thoughts, "I've talked to him."

The rental car shifted as he slid off the hood and headed towards the door. The movements of the car made him wonder if he had been gaining weight without realizing it. He hadn't had to buy any larger pants or get a bigger belt. Entering the building, the woman said, "He said that he would take nine hundred thousand."

"What did he say to the eight hundred thousand?" asked Ed knowing that she had not told the full truth.

She licked her lips and answered, "He really wants nine hundred thousand."

"I realize that he wants that much. You told me that already. However, I bet he said that he would accept eight hundred thousand if I wouldn't budge," replied Ed.

He was too accurate in his assessment of what Mr. Gavin had said. Deciding that it would be better for the negotiations to take place between the principles, she picked up the phone and called him. When he answered, she said, "Mr. Gavin, it might be better if you come down here and negotiate with the buyer."

Ed raised a hand and said, "How about we meet at a restaurant and discuss this over coffee?"

"He would like to meet you at a restaurant and talk about it over coffee."

The woman continued to talk on the phone for several minutes. Bored, Ed looked around the room. There was a calendar with the name of the real estate company on the wall opened to a picture of a pheasant taking flight. The wood paneling was faded with age and probably hadn't been oiled since it was installed. The wood desks were probably bought new twenty years ago and showed the scratches, dents, and dings of every day use that had passed since they were new. The faded carpet was worn in a path between the desks.

When she hung up, she said, "He'll meet us at the Possum in twenty minutes."

"Good," replied Ed. He sat back and looked at the woman as he said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ed Biggers."

"I'm Lisa Waters. So why are you interested in the property?"

"Horse Riding and camping."

"Pardon?"

"I would like a place to ride a horse and to take the kids camping."

"You aren't going to add the land to the school?"

"No."

The revelation surprised the woman that this man was willing to pay that much money just to have a place to ride a horse and take his kids camping. She said, "You are aware after the land was purchased by the College that all of the land around it was zoned for commercial and residential use."

"That's fine with me. I'll probably put a barn, corral, and small house on it. That's residential use."

"I think the idea was that it would be subdivided and sold for track homes or developed for a hotel."

"What a horrible thing to do with a perfectly fine piece of property."

"It would be worth a lot of money," replied Lisa as though that mitigated all negative consequences of developing the land.

"Ms. Waters, there are many things in life that are more important than money. There's the smile of kids when you take the time to play with them. There's the pleasure that man and woman can share. Eating a perfectly prepared meal can be a source of joy. Taking a quiet moment to appreciate a sunset over the desert. Those things are much more important than money."

"You must be rich to think that," scoffed Lisa.

Looking across at Lisa, Ed said, "I used to earn a living as a cowboy. I didn't make much money, but I had a house that my parents left to me when I was orphaned at sixteen. My best times were spent finding rocks out in the desert. Believe me, I've been poor. When I went to college in my late twenties, I made only enough to cover my basic living costs, but every night I watched the sunset."

She stared at him in surprise at the passion that his voice conveyed when talking about hunting rocks and watching sunsets. She asked, "How do you make your money?"

"Hunting rocks."

The answer took her by surprise and she had no ready reply. Glancing at her watch, she said, "Let's head over to the Possum. It's two blocks away and we should reach it before Mr. Gavin arrives."

Nodding, Ed asked, "Do you mind if we walk?"

Surprised at the request, she answered, "That would be fine."

The two walked down the street to the diner. As they walked, Ed looked at the local businesses. A few of them had clear signs that they had been recently renovated. He commented, "It looks like a few of the businesses in the area are doing pretty well."

"The College is spending a lot of money in town. Some of the businesses are growing because of it. Others aren't getting that much of the pie."

"Why do you think that is the case?"

"Not many of the people there come into town to eat, go to the movies, or buy personal items. It tends to develop a very lopsided economy."

There was no way that anyone from the College would come into town to eat at a restaurant here considering the high quality of food available in the dining rooms. He said, "I'm sure that will change with time. We have two hundred students now and I'm sure that their parents will be coming to visit a little more frequently."

"I've never seen one of the students from your school."

"You won't until they are close to graduating. For now, they have classes five days a week and study groups on weekends."

"What about summers?"

"They have no holidays, except for a few days between quarters."

"No holidays?"

"Right. They live that way for six years."

"Six years!" This was news to her. She had assumed that it was a normal college. This was beginning to sound like a major brainwashing operation.

"Yes."

"You guys must be brainwashing them to keep them there that long."

"No. We just have a very thorough curriculum. They will be advising companies, politicians, and government agencies when they graduate."

She looked over at him with suspicion wondering if this wasn't some sort of plot to take over the normal responsibilities of government. It was the kind of activity that would be the plot of a great Hollywood movie. She asked, "You're some kind of religious group, aren't you?"

"Yes. We serve the Gods and Goddesses."

They reached the diner and entered. A very tired looking waitress wandered over to them until she noticed the robes worn by Ed. They had only had about a dozen of the Druids come in the restaurant since the college opened. Moving with caution, she asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, we'd like a table for three. We are meeting a Mr. Gavin here."

The waitress led them to a table and threw the menus down on the table. As Ed took a seat, his cell phone rang. Irritated, he took it out of this pocket and answered it. Without any small talk, Cathy said, "There's a Colonel Grey looking for you. He's flying to the college in a helicopter and wants to know where you are."

Ed replied, "I'm at the Possum in town here. I'll return to the College when I finish my business here."

"I'll let him know that," replied Cathy as she hung up.

He pocketed the cell phone and said, "That was my secretary."

The telephone etiquette shown by these people was horrible. There wasn't a hello or goodbye. She didn't know what to make of it. Returning to the conversation outside, she asked, "So how come you guys haven't been in town trying to attract new followers?"

"We don't do that. We let people come to us," answered Ed. That was an easier answer than explaining that people answered the calls of the Gods and Goddesses.

"You don't go out to get followers?"

"No. There are only about four hundred of us."

"That's not very many."

"What can I say? We are kept busy," replied Ed. He didn't know how many Druids they could expect to come out of the Druid College. Even those that weren't called would be instrumental in the future.

Mr. Gavin showed up at the table and sat down staring at Ed. He didn't like Druids and often referred to them as 'those strange fellers.' Getting straight to the point, he asked, "You the feller that wants to buy my place?"

"Yes, I am."

"If I'd knowed you was one of them strange fellers, I'd a told her not to sell it to you."

Ed sat back and looked around at the people in the restaurant. It wasn't that people were hostile, but they didn't trust him. The waitress came over to the table and asked, "Do you know what you want?"

Ed gestured to Mr. Gavin to place his order. The old man said, "Coffee and put it on his bill."

Lisa said, "Coffee."

"Iced Tea, please," replied Ed. With a negligent gesture, he added, "Put them all on my bill."

The waitress shrugged and walked off to get the beverages convinced that she was going to get another lousy tip. There was a commotion at the front of the restaurant as someone said, "There's a military helicopter landing over at the park."

"Drat," said Ed as he shook his head. Looking over at the man seated across from him, Ed asked, "So you don't want to sell your property to me?"

"Right-O, buddy."

The man spoke true and that bothered Ed. It wasn't that he minded being disliked, but he didn't want it because of his service. He was spared responding by the arrival of a man that strode up behind him; his steps announcing his presence. Without looking to see who was behind him, Ed said, "Hello, Colonel."

"Hello, Ed," replied the Colonel surprised that Ed knew him without turning around.

"Have a seat while I finish up here," replied Ed.

"I've got a jet waiting for you."

"Where am I going?"

"To an American base in Saudi Arabia. We've caught another bigwig. Everything that you require is there."

"What's the hurry?"

"He's a really important guy and we want to catch his confederates before they have a chance to move."

Ed didn't like the idea that he was supposed to be at the beck and call of Colonel Grey. It was unreasonable to expect that he was to drop everything at a moment's notice. Looking over at the Colonel, he said, "Have a seat and drink a cup of coffee."

"We need you now!"

Ed looked over at the Colonel and said, "I'm not in the Army, Colonel. I'm a civilian and I donate my time to the IRS and CIA. I don't charge a dime. You have no right to come here and ask me to drop everything at your convenience. I'll come, but I want you to arrange a chance for me to ride one of those Arabian horses."

The Colonel looked at Ed and knew that he spoke the truth. Rather than argue further, he sat down and gestured to the waitress for a cup of coffee. He wondered where he was going to find an Arabian Horse for Ed to ride while he was there. Throughout the exchange, Mr. Gavin had been watching the Colonel open-mouthed. The idea that one of these Druids could get a full Colonel to travel across the country to talk to him make him re-appraise the guy sitting across from him. He asked, "Why would they want you to go there?"

"I'm a human lie detector. I hear lies when they are spoken and I can see lies when they are written. It makes me the perfect interrogator of individuals that seek to harm innocent people," replied Ed.

"I believe you," replied the man.

"No you don't, but that's not important. I'm still interested in buying that land and want to find out why you are unwilling to sell it to me at a far market value."

The Colonel accepted the cup of coffee from the waitress and took a sip. It was overly strong and quite bitter. He grimaced and set the cup down. Lisa had just tasted her coffee and gestured to the waitress. After a whispered conversation with her, the woman went off and returned with three new cups of coffee.

Ed noticed the exchange and smiled as he took a sip of his iced tea while waiting for Mr. Gavin to answer him. The elderly man looked over at the Colonel and asked, "What can you tell me about this feller?"

"He was one of the two architects of the raids that brought down organized crime. He's credited with saving hundreds of people from certain death. He has caught a number of serial killers, getting stabbed by one of them in the process. He was shot when he saved his husbands life when they were breaking up a white slavery ring. The last major thing that he did was bring down a corrupt real estate developer who had killed a family of four with a fire bomb trying to get people to sell their property to him," replied the Colonel as he watched Ed turn to stare out the window.

Mr. Gavin frowned as he recalled all of those stories on the national news. Turning to look at Ed, he said, "So you are some kind of hero."

"Not really. I just do what I can to make the world a better place for my children. John is the real hero in the family. He's saved thousands of people, established the fusion foundation, captured serial killers, broken up child pornography rings, and built the College."

Mr. Gavin considered himself to be a patriotic American and dedicated supporter of law and order. He asked, "Any other heroes up at that school of yours?"

"Lots. Sid is in charge of the forest fire-fighting unit of the Fusion Foundation and works for the National Park Service. We have nurses who volunteer their time in all kinds of ways. Some of them specialize in the treatment of highly contagious patients that require full body suits to protect them. Researchers who are attempting to eliminate catastrophic diseases like Cancer, MS, and Diabetes. Everyone of them will take a bullet to protect you from evil."

Turning to the Colonel, he asked, "Is that true?"

The Colonel nodded and said, "We have a Druid by the name of Oscar Meyers that destroyed a dozen terrorist training camps all by himself."

"I'll sell it to you for nine hundred thousand."

"Eight hundred thousand and I'll have the money transferred to your back account as soon as the papers are signed. I'll also give you an additional twenty five thousand if you can locate an honest person to serve as caretaker of the property. That person will have to know how to work with horses and take care of the land."

"Horses?"

"Yes."

"Okay, eight hundred thousand," replied the old man knowing that he wasn't going to get Ed to budge on the price. It was more money than he had thought he would get for the land.

Ed fished out one of the family cards and handed it to Lisa. He said, "Call her and arrange for the money transfer. I'm going to Saudi Arabia now and will be back in about four days. I'll sign the papers then if you would be so kind to bring them up to the Druid College."

Turning to the Colonel, he said, "I have to return to the College and pickup something. If you take the helicopter there, I'll be along within twenty minutes."

The Colonel stood and nodded at Ed. As the man left the restaurant, Mr. Gavin turned to Ed and asked, "What do you want that land for?"

"I need a place to ride horses and take the kids camping. I'll let Ms. Woods explain it," answered Ed. Pulling a ten from his pocket, he set it on the table to cover the cost of the coffees and left the diner.

The next few days were busy, spent on flight to Saudi Arabia, interrogating the prisoner, and returning after twenty-four hours there. The high point was riding the Arabian horse across the desert there. It was quite a thrill and he made sure that he got a picture of him mounted on the horse.



-------

Chapter 16


Standing beside the single horse drawn carriage, Ed could not believe his luck in finding it. It was just large enough to carry two adults and three children. The drivers seat was open, but the passenger area was enclosed. There was a small area in the back to carry some luggage. The carriage, known as a Glass Panel Rockaway, was the kind of carriage that irritated so many drivers of modern cars in rural areas.

The Mennonite man that he bought it from had been very surprised to find a buyer that wasn't Mennonite and actually meant to use it. The entire experience of purchasing the carriage had been very educational for Ed. Since there weren't Amish around Arizona, Ed didn't know anything about this group. It was a surprise to learn that some of them had white carriages rather than the black carriages that he had always seen in pictures.

While purchasing the carriage, Ed had taken the time to talk to the man selling it. He had not realized that there were three classes of Mennonite and that those that drove the white carriages belonged to a specific class, but he didn't understand the full significance of the social status. It was clear to him that no one could understand the subtleties without living within the culture.

After buying the carriage Ed painted it brown, preferring the look of a more natural color. Now that the carriage was fixed up for use, all of the family with the exception of Ling, was going camping on the property that Ed had purchased. Ling was competing back in Arizona and had taken the occasion to spend a little private time with her training partner pursuing a desire that the family understood.

Ed helped Little John, Beth, and Kelly climb into the carriage and waited for all of them to settle on the seat. The kids were excited as this was their first camping trip and they had no idea what to expect. Their excitement translated into having a difficult time sitting still. Understanding that, Ed and Kelly gave them the few minutes necessary to calm down and come to grips with the situation. Taking William from Linda, he handed him to Kelly to carry on her lap. The back of the carriage was just big enough for all of them.

Once everyone was settled, Ed helped Linda onto the driver's bench. Over the past week, Linda had learned how to drive the carriage. Wearing blue jeans, a work shirt, and his cowboy hat without the robe, Ed climbed into the saddle relaxing into it like it was a long lost friend. Linda, with a simple slap of the reins, got the horses moving. Prodding his horse, Ed moved in front of the carriage where horse settled into a steady pace. He led the carriage along the path that had been cut through the woods by the caretaker.

The distance wasn't far and could easily have been hiked, but with all of the gear they would be carrying, the three kids, and Kelly who didn't like hiking this was a far better solution. Following the curvy path, Ed led them to the campsite situated by a small stream that ran near the edge of his property.

The campsite was a small clearing with a fire pit constructed in the center with plenty of space around it for tents and people. Off to the side was a stack of logs cut from trees that had been removed to make the path to the campsite. The grass, what little there was in the clearing, had been mowed by the caretaker. Ed hadn't asked him to do that and then realized that the man might be using the campsite as a place to take his breaks.

The kids got out and looked around with wide eyes taking in details faster than they could process them. They had never been out in the woods like this and were ready to explore the surroundings. Ed held them back as he said, "Once I'm done taking care of the horses, I'll need some help putting up your tents. Then we need to collect some small pieces of firewood. After that, you can explore."

The kids raced over to the carriage and opened the back. Struggling to carry the tents over to where Ed had told them to set them, they dropped them on the ground. In the mean time, Ed had unsaddled the horse he had ridden and then removed the harness from the horse on the carriage. He led the horses a short way from the camp and hobbled them so that they could graze without traveling far.

Returning to the kids, Ed laid the first tent on the ground as he explained what he was doing so that they could learn from the experience. Once the tent was laid out, he pushed the tent stakes into the ground making sure that they were at an angle where they would not pull out if the wind picked up. After that, it was a matter of assembling the poles and slipping them into the appropriate slots. It didn't take too long for the large tent to be raised. The wives and William would use this tent.

The kids rolled out their tent on the ground following the example set by Ed. With lots of groans, they tried to push the tent stakes into ground and found they couldn't. Ed went over and helped them with that little task. The tent poles gave the kids a little more difficulty than anticipated since they were so long that the kids had difficulty controlling them. Once again, Ed came to their rescue and put the poles in place. In minutes, the little tent they would use during the night was erected.

Staring at the tent, Little John couldn't believe that they would actually sleep in it that night. He turned to Ed and asked, "Is this where we are sleeping tonight?"

"Yes, it is."

"Wow, that's neat." He crawled into the tent and looked around. Noticing the window of the tent, he took the opportunity to open and close it a couple of times. Bored with the window, he opened and closed the tent door. Beth stood there watching him while shaking her head at the pleasure the little boy was getting out of working a zipper.

Snapping his fingers to get their attention, Ed said, "Let's get your sleeping bags and put them in your tent."

That task was quickly accomplished. In the mean time, Kelly and Linda had taken out the camping chairs and set them around the fire pit. They had the whole the day to relax and planned on sitting in camp, enjoying the view, chatting, and watching everyone else go about their business.

Ed took the kids around to pick up small pieces of firewood, warning them about the possibility of snakes. The warning didn't seem to mean much to them, but they listened carefully anyway. Before long, there was a nice stack of small sticks in the fire pit that would serve as good tinder for the larger logs in the woodpile. The kids were enjoying their outing even though they had done nothing except work the entire time.

The small stream was perfect for riding in an inner tube. It was deep enough for the tubes to float down the stream, but not so deep that the kids couldn't stand up in the water. He would save that little excursion for the afternoon when it was a lot hotter. For now, he thought they should explore the area around camp. After taking a quick walk around the perimeter of the camp, he said, "Okay, kids. You can go ten paces outside of the cleared area. Explore all you want."

The kids went searching around the edges of camp. For them, this was a new world and one that presented something of interest with every step. From across the campsite, Ed watched the kids follow a bug. Little John got down on all fours and watched as a beetle crawled along the ground. It was a Tiger Beetle, the copper coloring making it a very pretty insect. Beth knelt over, resting her hands on her knees, watching the beetle with a lot less interest than Little John exhibited.

Curious, Beth asked, "What kind of bug is that?"

Smiling up at his big sister, Little John said, "It is a Tiger Beetle. They aren't all that common around here."

"How do you know?"

"I read about them in a book at the school while you were reading those boring math books."

"My math books aren't boring," countered Beth in the same manner that she always responded when he made that comment. Interested in the bug because of its pretty coloring, she asked, "Are all Tiger Beetles like this?"

"Not all of them are like this. There are lots of different kinds. I think this one is a Cicindela Repanda," answered Little John trying to remember the name of the insect. He had just finished reading the book on beetles.

Even though they were facing away from the children, Kelly and Linda listened to the conversation from their chairs. Surprised by the revelation that her children were reading, Linda mouthed, "Math books?"

Kelly shrugged to indicate her puzzlement and mouthed, "Tiger Beetle?"

Standing where he could see everyone, Ed smiled at the kids knowing full well that they spent hours in the library reading the books within it. Each would wander off to a different section and spend as much time as they could huddled over a book studying it with great care. One afternoon, Ed had found the book Beth had been reading. The math book opened to the bookmark placed in the section dealing with quadratic equations. He was curious if she actually understood the math, but thought better than to try and test her knowledge of it directly.

William tugged on the blouse of Linda trying to get her attention. Looking down at him, she saw that he looked her straight in the eye to let her know that he wanted to be fed. With her free hand, she undid her shirt and pulled it open giving William access to her breast. Contented the child nursed silently as a look of sadness crossed her face while looking down at the child at her breast.

Kelly understood the look and it tore her heart in two. The question was no longer when William would make a noise, but if he would ever make a noise. Almost as if he knew her thoughts, he stopped nursing and looked up at his mother. Linda kissed her finger and touched it to his forehead in a gesture of love. Satisfied, he went back to nursing.

Losing interest in the beetle, the kids went on to look at other natural wonders. A butterfly landed on a tree near them. Beth said, "Oh, look at that."

Little John looked at the butterfly and frowned. Butterflies were the hardest of insects for him to identify accurately. This particular butterfly was a swallowtail, but without catching it and comparing the arrangement of spots and colors, he couldn't identify which particular kind it was. It was a swallowtail, but it could have been any of a number of different species. He said, "It is a swallowtail."

"Any particular species?"

"I can't tell. I would have to catch it and take it back to the college to compare it against the pictures in the books." Little John really wanted to be able to identify the butterfly and wondered how he could achieve that. Looking over at his father, he asked, "Could I have a book on bugs so that next time I can identify them without having to capture one?"

"I shall see what I can find for you," answered Ed thinking there was probably a better way to accomplish the same thing. Rather than bring the bug to the book or the book to the bug, it seemed like it would be easiest to bring a picture of the bug to the book. Of course, it was quite possible that Little John wouldn't be able to use the camera at his age.

The constant references to books were making Kelly very curious. She asked, "Do you two read books?"

Little John turned and looked at her for a second. The look in his oriental eyes reminded Kelly that Ed was his father and Ling his mother. Somehow, the result was a very penetrating and unflinching look that seemed to examine far more than was normally seen. He answered, "Yes, we go to the library all the time."

Beth shrugged her shoulders and said, "He likes books on animals. I think it is because of all the pictures. I like math books."

"I like the books on animals because they are interesting."

When it looked like Little John was going to launch into a tirade about boring math books, Ed interrupted, "You have to respect each other's areas of interests."

Kelly looked at Ed and asked, "Who let them have free run in the library?"

John and Leroy stepped out of the woods from behind the women. John answered, "I'm afraid that it was me."

"And how did that happen?"

"I was in the library with them one day when something came up. The librarian said that she would watch them for a while. When I came back after ten minutes, the kids had their noses buried in the books," replied John as he removed his backpack. Setting it down on the ground, he looked around the camp taking in the tents and the firewood.

John was wearing blue jeans and a work shirt like the first time that Ed had met him. Leroy was wearing the Arizona Jones outfit sans bullwhip. When Ed noticed, he laughed which prompted Leroy to comment, "Hey, it's a good hiking outfit."

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "I created a monster!"

The wives laughed as Leroy paused for a moment to pose heroically at the fire pit. With the same practiced move as John had used, Leroy removed his backpack and set it on the ground next to John's. Both packs were light since Ed had carried the heavy stuff in the back of the carriage.

After looking around the campsite, John said, "Wow, look at this campsite. I've never camped with this much gear before."

Nodding his agreement, Leroy added, "I'm wondering where the kitchen sink is stored."

Ed was embarrassed by how much stuff they had brought with them on this little camping trip. This overnight outing had required four separate trips to a local sporting goods store to get tents, sleeping bags, inner tubes, a fusion battery, and a portable air pump. There wasn't a single item that he had purchased for this trip that he had ever used when camping before this trip.

John came over to him and patted him on the back in a comforting fashion. With a smile, he said, "We are packing for a family now. My parents used to do stuff like this when I was younger. They even had a camper that they pulled behind the car."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "A camper?"

"Yeah, it was one of those fold out ones with the canvas top. They stopped going out when my brother and I started to get in trouble. I was the only one in the family that continued to go camping," answered John. The reminder of his misbegotten youth brought back memories, both good and bad. He got quiet as he considered those early days with his family.

The rest of the family waited patiently giving John a chance to continue with what he was saying. Their effort was ruined when Kelly let loose a scream. Little John had found a small garter snake and had surprised her by holding it in front of her face. Beth was laughing at the reaction of her mother to the little snake and the puzzled look on Little John's face.

John looked at the scene and started laughing as he had done the same thing when he was a little kid. There was something about finding a garter snake and showing it around that seemed to run in the gender. Leroy went over to look at the snake with a professional eye as Ed watched the scene. It didn't take long for Kelly to calm down and reach out to pet the snake on the head. Since beginning her service to the Goddess, she had become much more accepting of the trials and tribulations of nature seeing the Goddess as the beautiful woman and the woman that humans were turning her into.

Ed came over and examined the snake to make sure that it was not poisonous. It was a bluish color with darker blue stripes and a light yellow underbelly that gave it a very pale appearance. His experience with snakes usually included a rattle at the end and the difference was significant. The little garter snake flicked its tongue out exploring its surroundings without showing the least concern about being held by Little John.

Leroy asked, "Did it bite you?"

"No," answered Little John as the snake rubbed its head against his thumb.

"It didn't release a bad odor?" This was unusual behavior for a garter snake. Usually, it would bite and release a foul odor to discourage being picked up. The bite was only dangerous to earthworms and small amphibians.

"No musk smell," answered the little boy. Looking up at Leroy, he said, "The snake knows."

Looking over at Little John, Ed said, "I know the snake knows that you are a friend of the Goddess. Still, you have to be careful. You have seen all of the little scars around Daddy John's ankles?"

"Yes."

"Those were done by snakes after John entered the service of the Goddess."

The news gave Little John pause to consider the idea that not all animals would respect a servant of the Goddess. After a while, he set the snake down and watched it move through the grass to return to the woods. He turned to Ed and said, "I knew that it wasn't poisonous, but I shall be more careful from now on."

Ed rubbed the boy on his head and said, "That's all we ask."

Little John winked and then ran off to explore more of the wilderness around him. He stopped under a tree and pointed up at a bird sitting in the branches above him calling out, "Look, it's a Black Throated Blue Warbler."

Beth joined him under the tree and said, "Wow. That is a very small bird."

"Not really, there are lots of smaller birds that are common around here." The bird flew off, heading deeper into the woods. Little John was ready to follow, but Ed clearing his throat reminded him of the boundaries established by the family.

Ed returned to where he had set his saddle, bedroll, and saddlebag noticing that the backpacks and bedrolls belonging to John and Leroy had joined his stuff. Kelly and Linda were still sitting in their chairs, enjoying the nice morning sun. Kelly said, "They went out to check out the stream to see if it was really all that great for tubing. They'll be back in a minute."

Jiggling nervously, Linda asked, "Where's the outhouse that you said was here?"

Ed smiled and pointed to the road that they had taken to get to the campsite. He answered, "It's about twenty feet up the road and ten into the woods. You can't miss it."

Needing to use the outhouse, Linda set William down on the ground and made her way down the road. William stood on unsure legs and wandered around the campsite. Although his motions were jerky and unsure, his eyes sought out all of the strange new wonders around him. Sitting in Linda's chair, Ed watched the child squat to examine the fire pit with total attention to detail. Frowning, he turned to Ed and looked at him for a moment.

Watching the child, Ed was sure that if he could talk he would ask about the fire pit and why it was there. Knowing that the child would understand later when they started a fire, he chose not to answer the unasked question. Instead, he said, "Later you will know."

Satisfied with the answer, William left the fire pit and looked in the tents. Ed could see from where he was sitting that John or Leroy had put the sleeping bags in the tent the wives would use during the night. William went into the tent and lay down on one of the sleeping bags. Within minutes, he was sound asleep taking a late morning nap.

Curious, Kelly asked, "Do you think the children understand the stuff they are reading?"

"Little John seems to know the insects and reptiles in this area. He's never been out here to see them before. I do know that he's been looking at the books on wildlife in North Carolina," answered Ed.

Licking her lips thoughtfully, she asked, "Who taught them to read?"

A chill went down Ed's spine at the question. It was a very interesting question and one that he didn't know how to answer. It was going to be a very informative discussion around the campfire. He answered, "I don't know."

Her hand went up to stroke the medallion around her neck as she asked, "Do you think?"

"I don't think so."

The adults were quiet listening as the kids made noise exploring the enivornment. The oohs and ahs were like music to the ears of the adults. John and Leroy returned from their hike along the stream satisfied that they would have a fun afternoon of tubing down it. To assure and afternoon of fun, the two men got busy inflating the inner tubes with the air pump that Ed had purchased for that purpose. The fusion battery had more than enough power to run the pump, but the pump was the only thing that required electricity that they had brought.

Little John, hearing the noise of the pump, came running over to watch what his fathers were doing to create so much noise. The inner tubes were something that he had never seen before and his curiosity drove him to ask, "What is that?"

"It is an inner tube," replied John as his finally filled with air. He handed the hose to Leroy who started to fill another inner tube.

"What is an inner tube?"

Smiling at Little John, John answered, "In the old days, tires used to have one of these inside them to keep the air inside the tire. Modern tires don't require them anymore."

"Do we need that because the carriage is so old?"

Leroy heard the question and laughed in a good-natured manner before answering, "No, we brought them to use in the stream. We are all going in the water an hour after lunch to have a little fun."

"So you mean that is a toy?"

"You bet," answered John looking forward to floating down the stream resting inside the inner tube. By the end of the afternoon, he knew that none of the kids would want to leave the water.

Lunch consisted of simple sandwiches. Ed and the two kids had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with potato chips. All three of them were quite happy with the selection. The others ate ham and cheese sandwiches with various kinds of chips. They had Tang with their lunch. William ate a large jar of pureed vegetables, looking satisfied in his choice of meals.

After lunch, everyone settled down for a short nap. The warm weather kept everyone out of the sleeping bags, but didn't prevent the wives or the kids from closing the doors of their respective tents. From outside, the men heard the giggles the kids made while they played a bit before falling asleep. Ed smiled at Leroy and John while making a gesture towards the tent bringing attention to the kids. His husbands nodded back at him with large grins on their faces.

Later, Ed returned from the outhouse to find that the camp was alive with activity. The kids had awakened from their naps and their excitement about going to play in the water woke everyone else. It didn't take long for every to get undressed and in the water. Together, they walked up the stream. The men carried two inner tubes each, with Kelly carrying one and Linda carrying William.

After walking up the stream for about two hundred yards, Ed set one of the inner tubes in the water and helped Little John get into it while John helped Beth get into another. Leroy had set down one of the inner tubes in the water for Linda, who climbed into it carefully while Kelly held William. Once she was in the inner tube, Kelly handed William to her wife and watched as the pair floated lazily down the stream.

Leroy got into his inner tube and followed behind Linda. Once he was a little distance down the stream, John and Ed released the inner tubes with the kids in them. The slow moving water carried the kids down stream, pausing occasionally as the inner tubes encountered rocks in the water making them spin a little. John and Ed were right behind the kids in their inner tubes.

Little John was yelling his pleasure at the sensation of freedom that he felt in the water. The ride to the campsite was only about ten minutes and once they reached it the kids were ready to go upstream again. The wives wanted to stay in the water near the campsite, but William started slapping the inner tube.

Together the family made four trips down the stream before the wives decided that they were definitely staying in the water by the camp. William raised another fuss, but the three men and two kids went up stream leaving him behind with the wives. The action as they rode the stream to camp included lots of laughter as the kids discovered that they could splash their fathers while floating in the inner tube. The fathers had just as much fun splashing back.

At the campsite, the group got out of the stream and went over to the cooler to drink some Tang. After a glass each, they returned to the tubes only to find William, with hands on his hips, standing between them and the inner tubes. John asked, "Do you want to go again?"

William nodded his head in a very clear indication that he wanted to go. From his stance, it was clear that he intended to create a problem if he didn't get to go with them. John reached down and picked up William as he said, "I'll take you little guy."

With a large smile, William nodded his happiness. John picked up an inner tube and waded into the water. Ed looked at Beth and Little John and said, "You know, you'll be able to do this even after we get tired if you can carry the inner tubes instead of us."

It took Beth a few minutes to figure out how she could get the inner tube up the stream. She found that if she stood it up on end, the water would support the weight and she could just pull it upstream by herself. Little John copied her so that together they went upstream each with their own inner tube. Ed used the freedom to get the inner tube away from John so that he only had to carry William.

They made several more runs downstream before William was satisfied and the men were tired. Leroy stayed up at the top of the stream to keep the kids from going too far upstream while Ed stayed at the bottom of the run to keep the kids form going too far down stream. Between them, they let the kids made two more runs before their energies ran out.

After enough time had been spent in the stream, the family gathered around the fireplace getting dressed. It was still a couple of hours before the sun would set, but Kelly sent the kids to their tent to take a late nap so that they could stay up a little later and enjoy the time around the fire.

While the kids slept, Ed and John built a fire in the fire pit. It was going to take some time for the wood to burn down to nice coals, so they sat around the campsite watching the thin clouds move across the sky. Even the wives chose to sit quietly rather than talk the entire time. The wood slowly burned down to coals and Ed went over to smooth them out. John went over to the carriage and retrieved a grill to set above the coals. In the mean time, Leroy went over to the cooler and removed five steaks and four hotdogs.

The wives spread a blanket for everyone to sit upon while eating their meal. The enameled plates and cups that Leroy favored when camping were set out. Kelly got out the canned peaches and canned corn while Linda searched for the buns, ketchup, and mustard for the hotdogs. In the process, she discovered the package of giant marshmallows that Ed had slipped into the food hamper. Tempted to get angry, it dawned on her that she actually wanted them for desert herself.

When dinner was almost ready, Kelly went into the small tent and woke the kids. Little John and Beth charged out of the tent, their little bodies recharged from the hour long nap. William took his time coming out of the tent, having a little trouble with the door. Once out, he went over to the fire pit and looked at it for a long time. John noticed and said, "We built the fire there so we could cook diner."

Everyone gathered on the blanket and waited as Ed and John served up the meat. There were the normal comments about how cooked each piece of meat was. Leroy made his normal moderation in all things speech. The kids expressed surprise at their first hotdog cooked outdoors, realizing that it wasn't boiled like normal.

Leroy came over with the heated corn and put a little on everyone's plates. Kelly went around with the large can of peaches and fished out a couple of peach halves for each plate. William looked at the food that the other two kids were eating and started to frown. His frown turned to a smile when Linda opened the can of Vienna Sausages.

The sun set a little after the men had finished cleaning up the dishes and putting the food up in a tree to keep any bears from getting to it. As the night slowly settled, John built up the fire to cast a nice warm glow around the campsite. Leaning back, John asked, "So how did you learn to read?"

Surprised by the question, Beth answered, "You taught me."

"I did?"

"You and Daddy Ed and Daddy Leroy."

The replied surprised everyone, as none of the people she named remembered ever teaching the kids how to read. Ed asked, "How did we teach you?"

"When you read to us, you run your finger under the words. You point to the word and then you say the word," answered Little John surprised that they didn't know the answer to the question.

Kelly shook her head and said, "I guess that answers that question."

Nodding his head in agreement, Leroy said, "I guess it does."

Noticing all of the nodding heads around him, William nodded his as well. Linda glanced down at William wondering if he understood or was just mimicking them. Looking around, she said, "It sure gets darker here than out in the desert."

John pointed to the trees overhead and said, "No sky above. It's shady here even in the middle of the day."

The sounds of frogs calling out for mates started in the background. It was a calming noise that was occasionally shattered by the sound of an owl hooting somewhere in the distance. Lying on his back, Leroy said, "I used to hike along the Appalachian Trial. It's not too far from here, but the night sounds here remind me of when I would hike there."

Ed laid down on his bedroll and said, "The sounds are so different from the desert. I keep waiting to hear the sound of a coyote howling. The frogs make a noise like nothing else."

A bullfrog sounding from near the stream was startling in its volume. It was amazing that a frog could produce so much sound. Ed, never having heard one before, asked, "What was that?"

Kelly smiled and said, "That was a bull frog."

Shaking his head, Ed commented, "I thought all frogs just went ribbit."

Looking up from the fire, Little John said, "No. Every species of frog makes a unique sound to attract a mate."

Interrupting the conversation, Linda asked, "Who's up for desert?"

At the question, Ed grinned and said, "I am!"

She smiled at Ed and said, "I take it you know where they are. Why don't you bring them here for us?"

Ed went to where they had hung the food and lowered the food hamper. In minutes, he returned to camp with the bag of giant marshmallows. He stopped by the carriage and removed a handful of roasting forks on which to cook them over the fire. Handing out the forks, he said, "Be careful. We don't want any accidents."

"What are these for?"

After grabbing a marshmallow from the bag, Linda speared hers and immediately set it over the fire. Seeing what she had done, the kids quickly followed her example. It wasn't long before there were a number of burning marshmallows in the fire. None the less, the entire bag was consumed as the kids learned how to cook them to a nice golden brown. William even had fun eating little pieces of uncooked marshmallows.

The activities of the day, the late hour, and the excitement took its toll on the kids. One by one, they cuddled up against one of their fathers and fell asleep. Looking around the campsite at his family, Ed couldn't think of a better feeling than having shared such a wonderful day. With a sigh, he said, "This is the life."

Leroy echoed, "Amen to that."



-------

Chapter 17


The hall was typical of hotel conference rooms with folding partitions that allowed it to be turned into two separate rooms. The carpet on the floor was utilitarian, more than capable of resisting the normal spills of buffets, conference meals, and cocktail parties. Lined across the room, row after row of chairs faced the speaker's podium with a large screen lowered for display of computer presentations.

At the podium, Kelly spoke about the career projections for individuals entering the medical field. The audience of academicians in charge of nursing programs at universities around the country did not look too happy about what she had to say. The number of graduating nurses was increasing to a point that in six years there would be a surplus. Unless the schools cut back on their nursing programs, they would be doing a disservice to their students and to the profession as a whole.

When she announced that the Fusion Foundation would be cutting back in scholarships and assistantships for nursing students, there was a general grumbling in the audience. The hostility of the audience was understandable. They were in charge of growing their nursing programs and the news that they may have to consider cutting back their efforts was not something they wanted to hear. It didn't help when Kelly pointed to areas of the health care industry, in which growth was predicted, although none of which fell under a nursing related field.

Sitting in the back of the room, Ed understood the difficulty of the task that Kelly had undertaken. She had accepted the burden of telling people a truth they didn't want to hear. That was the problem with serving truth and one that Ed faced almost daily. Most people preferred lies when it fit their particular goals or interests and pointing out the lies tended to make people angry. He didn't expect Kelly to have too many difficulties with the crowd. These were professionals and they would decide what actions made sense for their needs. The fact that the message was being delivered by a Druid gave it a significance that no other messenger would be able to convey.

Once Kelly was done with her presentation, she returned to the table. Leaning over to him, she said, "You can go and play now."

"Thanks," replied Ed with a wink before slipping out of the room. He wasn't really interested in the nursing field beyond being there as moral support for his wife. Walking down the hallway of the hotel, he was the subject of significant interest as people watched the Druid stroll aimlessly down the hall. Having nothing better to do, Ed stopped occasionally and looked at the displays of various shops within the hotel.

Reaching the lobby, Ed looked around and decided that he had enough of being inside for the day. Stepping outside, he noticed the large square outside the hotel. People were sitting on benches as others walked past them with the intensity that comes of having a purpose that they saw as important. An occasional tourist took a moment to look around while consulting a map or asking for directions. Looking over the large square, Ed was disappointed that the ground was covered with paving stones rather than gardens. A little grass or flowers would have provided people with the connection to the earth that was entirely missing.

Most of the benches contained two or three people, sharing a seat while busy following their own agenda. People read books, maps, or just watched others walking around. There were maybe fifty of people around the square, none talking to another person except on their cell phones.

A woman, in her early thirties, sat on a bench alone. Her makeup was applied overly thick as though it was hiding a black eye. Shoulders slumped, back curved, and arms clutched tightly around her chest, her posture screamed out to the world, 'Leave me alone.' It was not the posture of a person that was angry for the moment, but the posture of a woman that had the life beaten out of her and was convinced that no one cared what happened to her. She sat there with a negative solidity that made her feelings a reality.

A dark ominous shadow fell across her blocking out the light and warmth of the sun. Looking up, she was shocked to see a black robed man standing in front of her with his hands on his hips and staring into her eyes with an intensity she had never before experienced. Her isolation from people and news didn't allow her to recognize him for what he was, a Druid. Driven by habit, she said, "Go away."

Looking down at the woman, Ed did not change the steady expression on his face in reaction to her command. Instead, he replied, "No."

Surprised by his flat insistence at staying there, she looked around frantically before she said, "Please go away. He'll see you."

This was what Ed had expected to hear and was the reason that he had come over here. Her fear of some powerful force, which although not present, was the reason that he didn't leave. The medallion around his neck felt warm. Instead of leaving, he sat down next to her and turned to face her. Indifferently he said, "I would assume that you refer to your husband."

His comment struck her as hard as a slap. Frantically, she looked around for some place to which she could relocate, but there wasn't an empty bench available. Thinking more about the reaction of her husband than the identity of the man next to her, she said, "Look, I'm warning you. You had better get out of here."

Crossing his legs and leaning towards her so that he gave the appearance that they were having an intimate conversation, Ed asked, "Is he that bad?"

"You don't understand. He's very jealous and doesn't like me talking to other people. Just get out of here. Now."

Looking beyond her, Ed asked, "Are you afraid that he'll hurt me or you?"

Getting angry at his continued insistence on talking to her, she answered, "He'll kill you and hurt me."

Ed continued to sit next to her even as she turned so that her back was facing him. With a very quiet voice, he said, "You can run, but you can't hide. He'll keep it up until one day either you or he will be dead."

"I have kids!" cried the woman as she considered the impossibility of her situation. Life was not like in the movies she had watched before getting married. Men didn't chase after women with roses and sweet words, but forced them into submission with cruel words and closed fists.

A man came over to the bench and glared at Ed with narrowed eyes. He took in the robe and recognized that it meant this stranger talking to his wife was a Druid. He didn't know what that meant, but rather than confront the man, he commanded, "Come on bitch. It's time for you to get your fat ass home."

As though examining a particularly ugly patch of pond scum, Ed looked up at the man. The only phrase that went through his mind to describe the man was trailer park trash. With a very definite chill in his voice, Ed replied, "That's not a very nice way to talk to your wife."

"I suggest that you get out of here or else..."

The last two words of his suggestion hung in the air between them. The effect of the threat was undermined when Ed extended a hand to the woman and said, "I'm Ed Biggers."

The pathetic woman looked at her husband in terror and, on the verge of tears, begged, "I didn't invite him here! You've got to believe me."

Ed turned to look at the man, his eyes boring into the stranger's soul, as he said, "Her posture drove me here. I could not resist her. To see a person so afraid of some monster required me to come to help her."

"The slut is my wife, so get lost," replied the man with anger. All he needed was for this woman to start getting ideas. She was already a pain in the ass, requiring constant attention to make sure that she obeyed him in everything.

A tight smile, almost threatening, slowly spread across Ed's face as he listened to the man. Nodding his head, Ed said, "It looks like I have found the monster."

The man reached out to grab his wife. Rather than grabbing her hand, he grabbed her hair to drag her behind him. As he pulled her off the bench, he yelled, "Whore, you're leaving with me. What did you promise him for his help, a blowjob? Taking it in the ass? You fucking bitch, wait until I get you home!"

Unable to resist the hand pulling her hair, the woman followed along. Her fear was plain for all to see, but no one else in the square moved to stop her abuser. Stepping in front of the man, Ed said, "I'm going to make your life so miserable, you'll beg me to take you in the ass rather than the federal hassles you are going to experience. Right now, I'd like to ask you about your taxes."

The man released his wife and turned to take a swing at Ed. Rather than ducking or blocking the swing, Ed accepted the punch although he made sure that it connected with his chest rather than face. As soon as the blow landed, Ed immediately wrestled the man down to the ground and held him there. Once the man was subdued, he said, "You have just assaulted a federal agent."

The woman had been about to hit Ed, but his comment about being a federal agent made her realize suddenly that hitting him was asking for serious trouble. Her enthusiasm for saving her husband evaporated when he shouted at her, "You whore. This is all your fault."

A police officer came over to investigate the disturbance. As he approached, Ed called out, "This man just assaulted me. Would you mind detaining him?"

The cop took in Ed's black robe and the gold medallion around his neck. The word among various law enforcement personnel was that helping a Druid was a very good way to get promoted. He immediately cuffed the man on the ground without asking a single question. Once that was accomplished, he turned to Ed and asked, "What happened?"

Ed pulled out his IRS badge and, after leading the officer a few steps away from the man on the ground, said, "He was pulling his wife around by the hair as a result of me engaging her in a conversation. When he hit me, I immediately subdued him and threatened him with arrest for assaulting a federal agent."

"Do you want him charged?"

For several minutes, Ed whispered some instructions to the officer while the man nodded his agreement and smiled. With great deliberation, Ed walked over to the woman and led her to the bench on which she had been seated. She stared at him with fear in her eyes, wondering what was going to happen to her and her husband. Looking off to the distance, Ed said, "You are responsible for your own happiness."

"What?" The unexpected comment took the woman by surprise.

"You are responsible for your own happiness."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Are you happy?"

She stared at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. She glanced at her husband who was listening to the policeman. Finally, she said, "No."

"That's your fault."

She bristled and said, "You don't understand."

"I understand much better than you can possibly imagine," replied Ed as he looked into her eyes. His voice was far colder than anything she had ever heard used in her presence. Without breaking eye contact, he said, "You have chosen to be unhappy."

She shivered as if it was cold outside under his intense stare. All pretense of protecting her husband evaporated, but years of self- hatred came boiling forth. She said, "It's my fault that he's mean to me. I don't live up to his expectations."

"That's true, but not in the way that you intended. It is your fault that he's mean to you since you continue to stay with him," replied Ed as he looked contemptuously at the man on the ground.

"I have children."

"That's not an excuse. They aren't immobile. You can take them with you. In fact, by allowing them to stay around your husband, you are harming them."

The woman, frustrated by his lack of understanding, broke down into tears. Sniffling, she knew that she was no good and couldn't do anything on her own. In her mind, it was a fact that she was a waste of space. Her parents had told her that and her husband had beat that fact into her all of the time. If she left him, she would starve to death before she could find a job. The only future available to her was as a prostitute and, if her husband was correct, she was a lousy fuck that wouldn't be able to get a single customer.

Ed watched as the woman cried knowing exactly what thoughts were going through her head. The last thing that she needed was for him to act in an understanding manner. She had tough truths to face about herself, her life, and her future.

The cop knelt down next to the man on the ground. In an amused voice, he said, "You have no idea who you hit."

"You mean, I hit one of those religious freaks."

The cop laughed and said, "No, you just hit one of the most important men in the IRS."

"IRS?" asked the man as his stomach started performing flips on him. No one ever wanted an IRS agent angry with him or her. That was when he realized the guy had even started to ask questions about his taxes before he had hit him.

"Oh yes. His husband is a major player in the FBI. Dude, you're really screwed," laughed the cop.

"FBI?"

"I imagine after they take your house, your earnings, your savings, and cars they will feel like it's a good beginning. Once you think you've hit bottom, then they will really get to work on you. You are so fucked."

Desperate, the man tried to think and came back with the comment, "I'll join the Fusion Foundation Emergency Response Team. They will hire anyone one."

"So long as that person hasn't pissed off one of the board members and congratulations, that's exactly who you pissed off."

The man stared at the policeman from his position on the ground and said, "You can't be serious."

"His husband is John Carter, founder of the Fusion Foundation. Did I tell you that you were really fucked? I'm beginning to think that was an understatement," said the officer.

On the bench, Ed had waited for the woman to finish crying. When she had stopped, he said, "You have a choice to make. You can stay with him until he either beats you to death or you kill him. If you don't like those choices, you can leave him today while he is detained."

Glaring up at Ed, she spat, "And where will I go?"

"There is a Fusion Foundation Shelter for Abused Women down the street. They can help get you a position in the Fusion Foundation workforce where you will receive training that can allow you to return to the private sector."

She had never heard of the shelter or that they could help her get a job. Her husband had restricted what she could watch on television, read in the newspaper, and with whom she could talk for the past decade. Hesitating, she asked, "What about the kids?"

"They will take you to your kids and bring them to the shelter with you. In five days, you will be located elsewhere and your husband will have to work through Fusion Foundation Lawyers in order to get in contact with you." Sherry had been the person that set up the shelter program for abused women and children. She had made sure that everything was done in a legal fashion to assure that men would not be able to follow their wives, but had to go through Fusion Foundation Lawyers. On the other hand, she had also assured that husbands had access to legal representation to prevent wives that used false charges of abuse from stealing the children away from their husbands.

The stated goal of the Fusion Foundation Shelter program wasn't to destroy families, but to allow families the chance to get help and treatment, protecting all members of the family from harm. Ed had agreed with that policy from the very first moment Sherry had laid out the goals.

"There are programs like that?"

Nodding, Ed replied, "Yes, there are."

This was more than she could possibly have hoped in terms of helping her get out of her situation. The only problem was that she was basically worthless and they would soon discover that. They would throw her out of the shelter long before she was able to get anything established.

Ed stood and looked over at the man on the ground. Before returning to the policeman, he said, "The policeman will walk you to the shelter if you are willing to go."

Walking over to the man on the ground, Ed knelt next to the policeman and said, "You can walk her over to the shelter now. Be firm, but don't force her to go."

The cop said, "I'm sorry, but I told him who you were. I hope that isn't a problem."

"Not at all. Saved me the trouble, officer. Once she has entered the shelter, return here and we'll decide what to do with this guy."

The guy was still on the ground, uncomfortable with position but unwilling to draw anymore attention to his circumstances. The cop walked off leaving Ed alone with the man. Ed looked down at him and asked, "What am I supposed to do with you?"

Knowing that any argument would be futile, the man answered, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hit you."

"That doesn't answer my question. What am I supposed to do with you?"

Unable to joke about his situation, he suggested, "You could have the cop take care of it and forget that this ever happened."

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "That just won't do."

The man on the ground felt like crying. He knew that he was going to get reamed big time by this guy and the idea scared the hell out of him. Everything that he had worked for was going to be taken away from him. His house, his money, his wife, and his kids were going to be taken away. He looked up in time to see the policeman walking away with his wife. He asked, "Where's she going?"

"To the Fusion Foundation Shelter for Battered Women," answered Ed pleased that she had made the decision to go there. For the next three days, she was going to be so busy with counseling and make-work projects intended to build her confidence that she wouldn't have a chance to regret her decision.

Her husband knew the consequences of her going there even though he had hidden them from his wife. She was gone and so were the kids. It would take him months to get them back. Feeling as though she had been stolen from him, he said, "I guess she's gone."

"Yes. If you go through the full process, there is a chance that you can get them back. Of course, that depends on both of you."

Frowning, the husband said, "Right. I'll only get to see her after five years of counseling with some fucking psychologist. By that time, she'll have turned the kids away from me."

Returning to the original question, Ed asked, "So, what should I do with you?"

"I guess you are going to fuck me over big time with your IRS and FBI buddies."

"Well, that might be what I could want to do, but I'm asking a very different question. What should I do with you?" Using waffle words such as might and could made it possible for him to make that statement. Even on his worst day, he wouldn't do that for his own desire but because the individual deserved it.

The man looked up at Ed and said, "The law says that you should turn me over to the police. Then you have to decide if you want to press charges or not."

Nodding, Ed said, "What would happen if I didn't press charges?"

"I'd get off with just an arrest record."

"What could I do to you, if I wanted?"

"You could get everything I own, get me thrown in prison, and make it so that after I got out of prison I'd either be going right back in or be homeless on the street," replied the man honestly.

"So those are the two extremes available to me. Basically let you go or put you in torment for the rest of your life." Saying it aloud made him realize just how much power he actually held over this man. There were many men that wouldn't be able to resist demonstrating their full power.

"Shit," mumbled the man on the ground at hearing the extremes and feeling that the hand of doom was about to descend upon him.

Ed said, "I live according to two rules. If it harm none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. Now somehow between those two rules, we ought to be able to figure out how to resolve this situation."

"You've taken my wife and kids away from me."

"Yes, that answers the immediate application of the rule that I protect the weak from the strong. The problem is that doesn't do anything for future women that you may encounter."

The man on the ground sobbed as he wondered where this was heading. Ed asked, "What do you do for a living?"

Surprised by the question, he answered, "I sell used cars."

"I can cut a deal with the judge that you be enrolled in the Forest Fire Fighting section of the Emergency Response Unit of the Fusion Foundation for two years with the condition that you be counseled while there. Of course, counseling is required for all people in the Emergency Response Unit since the work often incurs a significant emotional impact," replied Ed.

The idea of that didn't sound so bad compared to what could happen to him. Hopeful, he asked, "No prison?"

"No prison," replied Ed knowing that the man was seriously considering the offer.

The silence was broken by the happy voice of Kelly showing up behind Ed. Looking down at the man on the ground, she asked, "Hi Ed. I see you have been having a little fun while I was stuck in that meeting. What did he do?"

The man on the ground looked up at Kelly and saw the robe. With a groan, he muttered, "Oh no. Another one."

"He was abusing his wife," replied Ed.

Wanting to put a little scare into the guy and knowing that Ed would never do it, she suggested, "Why don't you just kill him and be done with it?"

Seeing the smile and wink that she gave him, Ed laughed at the joke and said, "We were just discussing cutting a deal with a judge that he go fight fires for a while."

"Um, maybe getting a little taste of fire might give him some insight into what hell holds for him," replied Kelly surprised at the solution that Ed had found to the problem.

That suggestion made the man on the ground think about the long- term consequences of his behavior. Ed asked, "So, would you go along with that? We cut a deal with the judge and you go fight fires."

Defeated and knowing that he was defeated, the man answered, "Yes."

"You really want to go through with the whole judge thing?"

"Not really."

Nodding, Ed asked, "So when the officer returns, you would be willing to go with him so that you could sign up for that?"

"Yes," replied the man.

Kelly smiled at Ed knowing that he would do just about anything to avoid having to spend a day in a court. All of her husbands had spent time testifying in court and detested doing it although it was necessary to finish many of their services. With a wink at Kelly, he said, "So when the cop comes back, I'll have him take you to the local Fusion Foundation Office and you'll sign up adding that you require significant counseling for your problem. You agree to that?"

"Yes, sir," replied the man.

Knowing that he was speaking the truth, Ed knew that his willingness to do that could change between here and the Fusion Foundation Office. He said, "Good. I'll tell the cop that if you do it, then everything is okay. If you change your mind before getting to the office, then I'll make sure that you feel the worst case possible."

The threat was not lost on the man. He would go through with it rather than face a lifetime in jail and lose everything that he owned. There was nothing left to do except wait for the police officer to return. It surprised him when Ed and Kelly helped him to his feet and led him over to the bench where he could wait with a little more comfort. Able to see all of Kelly for the first time, he was shocked by the affection with which she looked at Ed even though Ed had done nothing to demand that of her.

After a few minutes, the police officer returned and said, "Dr. Biggers, she went in the shelter and they've gone to pick up the kids."

"Good. Could I ask you to do one more thing for me?"

"Sure."

"I need you to take this guy down to the local office of the fusion foundation and sign him up for service fighting fires. Make sure that he requests additional counseling for his problem."

The police officer nodded and asked, "Am I supposed to press charges?"

"Only if he doesn't sign up."

The officer smiled as he realized that Ed had offered the guy a choice between a carrot and a stick. Domestic abuse cases were the toughest on police and this solution effectively killed all possibilities of it escalating into a more troubling problem. Smiling at Ed, the cop said, "I understand."

"If you give me your card, I'll make a little call this afternoon letting your watch commander know how much you helped me."

Happy at the news, the officer handed over the card and after removing the cuffs left with the man. Ed watched the pair walk away satisfied with his solution. A couple of years of hard work, good counseling, and a chance to reflect on his treatment of the wife gave him a chance to become a better man.

Kelly smiled and said, "Another damsel in distress?"

"Yes," replied Ed with a lopsided grin.

The couple sat down on the vacant bench and watched people walking past them. After a few minutes, Ed said, "It's a shame."

"What's a shame?"

"I saved her only because I saw it. She had hundreds of chances to save herself, but couldn't convince herself to act."

Kelly was quiet for a long time. Years as a nurse had shown her a huge number of abused people that would show up at a hospital as a result of their abuse and then claim to have fallen down. Physical abuse was often easy to spot, but far more crippling in some cases was the emotional abuse heaped upon them. She said, "I know what you mean. It's just that very few people accept that they are responsible for their own happiness. If they are unhappy about their situation and choose to stay in it, they are shirking that responsibility."

"It's a whole lot easier to blame someone else than to accept your own role in being unhappy."

"Yes, there's also the threats."

"Staying in such a situation assures that she will suffer whatever abuse those threats promise," asserted Ed.

"More often than not," agreed Kelly.

They were quiet as each thought about the situation. There were times when Ed wanted to pick up the abused women and try to shake some sense into them. How could anyone give up themselves to another for abuse and harm? How could they accept that they deserved it? It made no sense to him. Shaking his head, he said, "Can they hate themselves that much?"

"Yes, my dear husband. People can hate themselves that much," replied Kelly. Observing the sadness on his face, she said, "So many women are raised to think that they are second class citizens who must do as the men in their family say. They go into jobs they hate because 'he' tells them to do it. In many cases, it is a cultural abuse as in the case of Oriental and Muslim women."

"I never thought about that," replied Ed as he considered Ling and her confident manner. He looked over at Kelly and said, "So are oriental woman normally submissive?"

Kelly thinking about the number of men that had married oriental women thinking they would get a submissive woman only to discover that they had married just the opposite. She laughed and replied, "Not at all. Most just become very manipulative."

"Aren't we just being prejudiced in these generalizations? I mean, Ling is a very loving and giving woman that knows her mind. I would hope that many oriental and Muslim women are of the same character."

"I suppose I am being a little negative, but I've seen quite a few women that have been totally beaten up by the culture."

There was a long moment of silence as they each thought about the discussion. Finally, Ed said, "I've seen a lot of people of all cultures that have been totally beaten up by their culture."

"Too true."



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Chapter 18


After returning to the Druid College when the conference that Kelly had attended was over, Ed went up to the roof to watch the sunset. Much to his surprise and pleasure, John stepped out of the stairwell and joined him in one of the chairs. The two were quiet as the sun set over the horizon. The colors were muted compared to the colors of sunsets of the desert. Here, the mists around the distant mountains tended to give it a softer and gentler appearance. The effect on the men was predictable despite the differences. As the sun set, a sense of peace settled over the pair.

Watching the sky darken, Ed broke the silence when he said, "I encountered another example of spouse abuse on the last trip."

Shaking his head, John said, "That is the one thing that I don't know if it is possible to end. It is amazing to me what harm people do in the name of love."

"There must be something that we can do."

"We've built the Fusion Foundation Shelters for Abused Women and Children. Thousands of women and children have gone through those shelters."

They fell silent for a long time as they considered the problem of abuse. There were a hundred and seventy five million women in this country. If one out of a hundred women were abused, that meant that almost two million women experienced abuse. The magnitude of the problem was staggering. Ed said, "It happens behind closed doors most of the time."

"Removing the right to privacy would cause such harm that any benefits would be miniscule."

"Right."

The stars moving across the night sky followed the path that they would take regardless of who watched them. Staring up at them, the two men understood they held minor places in the grand scheme of things. Compared to the stars above, they were mere specks that didn't even constitute a flash in the night sky. Turning to face Ed, John said, "Some things will take more time to solve than others. I'm afraid that is a problem that shall outlive us."

Realizing that John was correct, Ed replied, "I know. It is just that the problem is so large."

The men were quiet as the stars continued to move across the sky. It was getting late and they both knew that it was time for them to head downstairs. A noise at the stairwell caught their attention and Kelly came out. She smiled at them and said, "Hey, you two. What are you talking about?"

"Abuse and how there isn't much that we can do about it."

She sat down in one of the chairs and looked at the sad faces on the two men. Smiling at them, she said, "You know, there are a couple of towns where abuse has been totally eliminated because of you two guys."

Ed could hear the ring of truth in her voice prompting him to ask, "What towns?"

"Our hometown, a little town in Colorado, and one in Georgia," she answered as she considered the changes that had gone on in their hometown since she had first started dating Ed. It was even spreading to towns around the area as men and women learned to truly love and respect each other. There were other towns that were changing as well. She added, "The same thing is happening where other Druids live and work."

The realization that progress was being made helped Ed feel a lot better. With more Druids spreading across the country, there was hope that a grass root change in the culture would take place. Ed smiled and said, "I didn't think of it like that."

John nodded as he thought about it. This was one of those problems that had to be dealt with on a more personal level. His thoughts were interrupted when Kelly said, "Speaking of spousal abuse, I want both of you in my bed now."

The two men laughed and stood to join her downstairs. Together they walked down the stairs and returned to their accommodations. It didn't take long for them to get undressed since they only wore their robes with nothing underneath. After years of marriage, looking at a Kelly when she was naked and sexual still caused the men to react. It was amazing how the emotions could detect the difference between a sexual and non-sexual interaction between naked bodies.

John smiled over at Kelly, appreciating her naked body as his cock rose to salute her. The effect on Ed was identical. Kelly, happy to be the center of attention by the two men said, "I want to ride one of you and suck one of you."

The two men looked at each other knowing the full implications of what she was asking and smiled as a decision was made. Kelly was in a selfish mood and they were more than happy to provide her with her desires. That was true love, giving one's best efforts to satisfy another's needs. There was no doubt they would do as she asked.

John went on the bed eliciting a squeal of pleasure from Kelly as she realized that the men had agreed to do as she requested. Without any foreplay, she found herself wet between the legs and ready to go. When Ed started kissing her neck, John's hands fondled her breasts. Nipples swelling under his hands, she was in heaven. When Ed moved his hand around to her breasts, John took the opportunity to slowly rub her slit. With a gentle touch, he avoided touching her clitoris and didn't enter her with his fingers. Her cunt lips swelled under his administrations.

Unable to wait any longer, she slid down on his cock. Kelly could feel every part of her body reacting to the sensation. Her imagination fueled her desire as strongly as the physical attentions being given her body. This time in bed, she was looking forward to the climax more than the acts that would take her there.

Standing, Ed straddled John's body and presented his cock for Kelly to enjoy. She slipped it into her mouth as soon as it came within reach. Her tongued worked over the sensitive area around the head of his cock. Her hands rose without conscious thought to fondle his balls and tease the area around his ass.

Looking down at Kelly, Ed could hardly believe the energy and effort that she was putting into this blowjob. She was trying to get him to come as quickly as possible. When she deep throated him and started humming, the result was to drive him very close to an orgasm. She backed off as his balls pulled up tight against his body signaling his approach to orgasm. The change eased his urgency to come until Kelly pressed her finger against his prostate gland. His come boiled out surprising him with how fast she had been able to bring him off.

Her mouth filled with come as she backed off his cock to provide as much room within her mouth to hold it. When his cock gave one last twitch, she pulled off his cock keeping the come within her mouth. Wiped out, Ed backed away and lay down on the bed next to John. This was what Kelly had wanted and she fed Ed's come to John. Fully expecting this from Kelly, John accepted the come filled kiss from his wife. This triggered an extremely powerful climax in Kelly. Nothing got her off faster than feeding come back to the men.

As she came, her cunt fluttered around John's cock. The sensation was almost too much for him. Once her orgasm passed, she started riding John frantically hoping to come a second time before John reached his orgasm. When his hip thrusts upwards started to lift her in the air, she knew he was close. She thought about what she was going to do next and immediately exploded in orgasm.

The look on her face told Ed all he needed to know. When John stopped thrusting upwards as his orgasm ended and Kelly started to come down from her explosive high, he gestured to his lips. Excited, Kelly climbed off John and settled with her cunt over Ed's mouth. She experienced two more very quick orgasms as John's come was pushed into his mouth.

It was almost half an hour later when Kelly sighed and said, "I don't know how many women there are in this world that love when men will swallow come. All I know is that I'm the luckiest woman in the world to find three men that will do that for me."

Ed and John looked at each other and immediately went to kiss her breasts. Their sudden move surprised Kelly and she sucked in her breath. As she stretched back to enjoy the sensations, John moved down to lick her cunt. The men took their time driving Kelly to an erotic high. She lay on the bed, her body trembling from the sensations, as they teased her body with gentle kisses appearing at random as they gave her body the worshipping that all women desire.

Not quite reaching an orgasm, Kelly was floating in bliss. When Ed rolled onto his back and pulled her atop him, she took the hint and straddled his hips. Lowering herself on his cock, she enjoyed the less rushed activity. Breathing heavily, she gave herself over to the sensations her body was feeling.

John went over to the bedside table and removed a tube of lube. Slathering the jelly over his cock, he went to Kelly and started applying it to her asshole. She paused in riding Ed to allow John a chance to lube her properly. She cried out in pleasure as John entered her from behind. Heart beating and seat pouring from her, she shouted, "Oh, fuck me."

The two men adopted a rhythm that they knew would drive her to a quick orgasm. Each man thrust at a different pace creating a wide range of the sensations in Kelly. As orgasm after orgasm washed over her, she started murmuring over and over, "Oh my Goddess!"

The continual spasms of her ass muscles on his cock soon became too much for John and he came with a roar. His body was drenched in sweat and his muscles shook from the continuous demands he had placed upon them. He pulled his overly sensitive cock from her ass even as ribbons of his come shot out from the end of his cock and covered her back with ribbons of come.

Ed placed his hands around Kelly, holding her close to him and rubbed the come into her back. After a few minutes, he rolled over so that he was above her. Thrusting furiously into her, he changed his rhythm whenever he approached his own orgasm, and this action continued her nearly constant orgasm. Her legs were shaking, her stomach was rippling, and her cunt continued to spasm around his cock as her murmurs became animal grunts.

When his arms began to tire from holding himself above her, he changed his thrusts to come as quickly as possible. Within a dozen thrusts, he exploded into her body. Buttocks locked to force his cock as deep as possible, the orgasm spread over his whole body as he announced his pleasure with a roar. Exhausted, he collapsed on Kelly and lay on her until he recovered enough strength to roll off her. Not paying attention to which direction he rolled off her and onto John.

John moved out from under Ed and changed to the other side of Kelly. She was still lost in a land of post-orgasmic bliss. Taking advantage of the situation, John ran his hand over her body extending the blissful state even as the steady breathing from Ed announced that his husband had fallen asleep.

After extending her state of mind for fifteen minutes, John got up and went to retrieve a damp cloth to clean up Kelly. Returning to the bed, he cleaned her gently not disturbing her sleep. Her cunt was raw from intense use and his come had seeped from her reddened asshole. He took his time and treated her gently.

After finishing his shower, John stood at the foot of the bed looking at his husband and wife. They had moved to a spooning position and Ed held a breast in his hand. He grabbed his robe and slipped out of the room only to run into Ling. She smiled at him and said, "Wow, she must be in heaven. One of these days, you guys are going to have to do that to me."

Kissing Ling with affection, John replied, "We need to find a sound proof room before we do that."

Laughing at the reference to her rather loud way of announcing her pleasure, Ling said, "Are you hungry?"

Nodding, he followed Ling to the kitchen where they fixed a late night omelet. Sitting around the table, the two of them talked while they ate. At first, the conversation was standard family small talk about the kids and work. Ling surprised John when she said, "I want to have another baby."

Looking over at Ling, John wondered which one of the husbands she had in mind for a father. He asked, "Any one special for the father?"

Embarrassed by her choice to have a father other than John, she said, "I'd like to have a baby with Leroy."

"That sounds great. I know that Leroy is starting to get anxious about having a child."

Relieved, Ling was happy that John understood her desire. Leroy was the only one that hadn't been a biological parent to any of the children so far. She nodded, "Yes. I know that Kelly won't be having another child as she has begun to hit menopause. I doubt that Linda will want to have another child after all of the complications of her first pregnancy."

Ed woke late and came to life much faster than normal for him. Feeling halfway alert, he took a shower before going in search of coffee. Stepping out of Kelly's bedroom, he smelled the air and headed to the kitchen. Pouring himself a cup, he heard Linda say, "I think he's growing shorter."

Realizing that she was playing one of the family's early morning typical practical jokes on him, he grumbled, "Women in this house are wearing me down."

The silent pause behind him suggested that Linda didn't know what to say in response. After taking a sip of his coffee, Ed said, "Surprised that I'm not two foot nothing by now."

Linda broke out in laughter and said, "You're awake. That's no fun."

Turning around, Ed said, "What are you doing down here? I thought you would be upstairs."

"I came down here to get another pot of hot tea," replied Linda as she went to the stove to heat a pot of water. Once she had filled the teapot and put it on the stove, she turned to look at Ed. Smiling, she asked, "Do you want to finish making it and carry it up there for me?"

"Sure," replied Ed. It would give him a chance to see all three of his wives together for a change. He watched as Linda winked and then headed up the stairs.

While the water was heating, Ed ate a quick bowl of cereal instead of going to the first year dining room as he had planned. It was one of the kid's cereals with cartoon characters on the box. He wouldn't admit it, but he tended to like their cereals much more than the adult fare that the wives usually got for them. The water had come to a boil before he had finished it.

After fixing a pot of tea with Earl Grey, he picked up the ceramic teapot and carried it upstairs. Stepping out onto the roof, he was disappointed to find that they were all dressed. As far as he was concerned, there were few sights as pleasing to the eye as all three of his wives sunning themselves naked. He set the pot of tea on the little table and said, "Here you go ladies."

"Thank you, Ed," replied Linda appreciating that he had taken the time to do this favor for her. She smiled over at him and asked, "What can I ever do to thank you?"

With a grin, Ed replied, "Maybe you can talk one of your wives into joining the two of us in bed this evening."

Kelly smiled and said, "I didn't wear you out last night?"

"Who got worn out last night?" asked Ed with a smile.

Realizing this wasn't an argument that she was going to win, Kelly shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Me."

The other two wives laughed at her admission. Ling and Linda looked at each other and winked as they decided that it would be the two of them. The moment was interrupted when Beth came out and asked, "Am I supposed to go to school today?"

There was a long moment of silence. The question of what to do with the two older children with respect to their formal education had never been settled. Both of them were far more educated then most children their age, but there were major gaps in what they had learned. Some of the gaps were odd; the kids could read but didn't know the alphabet. As far as they were concerned, there was no reason why B had to follow A.

The local school district was pushing for them to enroll the two children in the local school. The children of other Druids were attending the schools, but few of them demonstrated the kind of advanced knowledge possessed by their children. Deciding to take the issue by the horns, Ed said, "We are going to go to the admissions office to find out what grades you two need to be enrolled in."

His announcement took the wives by surprise since it was very rare for Ed to unilaterally make a decision such as that without involving them in a discussion beforehand. Concerned, Kelly asked, "Is that a good idea?"

"Sure it is," remarked Ed with a feral smile. Turning to Beth, Ed said, "Why don't you and your brother gather together the books you are currently reading?"

Beth smiled and ran off to find her brother. Lately, he had been reading history books along with his biology books. She was still reading her math books, but his interest in history had roused her curiosity about the subject and she had just finished a book on the American Revolution and the Civil War. As a result of Kelly, both kids had just finished reading a couple of plays by Shakespeare.

Kelly looked at Ed and asked, "What are you doing?"

"What grade do you think they will put the children in?"

Kelly shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I have no idea."

Ed laughed and said, "Beth is already starting to learn pre-calculus material in mathematics. Little John is reading college level biology books. Both have read Shakespeare and can make direct quotes of major passages. They know more history than most college students can even imagine. The only television that they watch is the cable news, so they know about economics, current events, and geography. Do you really think they will put them in any grade or just admit that they don't know what to do with them?"

Laughing at the image of administrator confusion that his comments invoked, Ling said, "Rather than defend, you attack. Good strategy."

The entire family showed up at the school to enroll the children. The secretary looked at the three Druids and the three children knowing that this was going to be a difficult enrollment. She was about to reach for the phone, when Little John stepped up and said, "My sister and I are here to enroll in classes."

Nodding, Beth asked, "Do you have a good calculus teacher?"

The secretary stared at the kids, amazed at their verbal skills. She looked over at Beth, seeing a seven-year-old girl hardly able to believe that she could even say the word calculus much less know what it was. Normally, she just handed the papers to the parents and they filled them out. This was going to require a person with a little more authority than she possessed. In the falsetto voice that many adults use with children, she asked, "What are your names?"

"I'm John Carter."

"I'm Beth Carter."

When she looked up at the parents, they were smiling and John answered, "We are their parents. I'm John Carter, he's Leroy Jones, she's Kelly Carter, she's Ling Carter, and she's Linda Carter. That wonderful little man down there is William Carter."

From the rear, Ed waved as he said, "I'm Ed Biggers."

"Sorry, Ed. I didn't realize that I missed you."

"That's okay John. I was standing behind you and you didn't see me."

The secretary watched the exchange between the two men with a puzzled look on her face. Little John said, "They like to play around like that."

Impatient and excited about going to school with children her age, Beth said, "I thought you were about to call someone."

Reminded about what she was doing, the secretary made a call to the school administrator warning him that there were nine people here to see him about enrolling two students. While she was on the phone, Ed stepped out from behind everyone and knelt next to the two kids. He asked, "Do you want one of us there when you talk to the man?"

Beth and Little John shared a look for a second. Beth answered, "Yes. Could you and Ling come with us?"

At first Ed was surprised by their choice, but realized that it made sense. They wanted him there to make sure that they were treated honestly and Ling in case someone threatened them. Nodding, he said, "Okay."

The secretary hung up the phone and said, "Dr. Arenot will see you in the conference room. I'll take you down there."

Little John interrupted, "We have picked the mommy and daddy we want to go with us, so there will only be four of us."

The secretary decided not to make an issue of it and said, "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the conference room to meet the School Superintendent, Dr. Arenot."

The two kids, Ed, and Ling followed the secretary to a conference room. Ling and Ed carried the books that the children had last been reading. The secretary opened the door and the four of them entered. Looking around the room, the group all took seats on one side of the table with the kids sitting between the adults. The secretary said, "He'll be with you in just a moment."

Looking at some of the books on the shelves in the room, Little John asked, "What is pedagogy?"

"It is a course of study about teaching," replied Ed surprised that he actually knew the answer to that question.

Little John was quiet for a moment and then said, "I thought it would mean the study of kids."

Beth looked at her brother in surprise that he would even have a guess at the meaning of the word and asked, "Why did you think that?"

"Ped- usually means child while -ology usually means study," replied Little John. He was quiet for a moment and then said, "I guess I will have to learn Greek and Latin someday. Do you think they teach that here?"

Dr. Arenot happened to enter the room just in time to hear the comment of Little John about the need to study Greek and Latin. The statement was so surprising that he almost tripped over his feet. Recovering, he sat down and asked, "Why would you feel a need to learn Greek and Latin?"

Little John turned to face the man and answered, "Well, I was wondering why pedagogy means study of teaching rather than a study of children."

Dr. Arenot sat back and looked at the young child in front of him. Deciding that it might be interesting to answer, he said, "It comes from the Greek word pedagogue who was the a man that led children to school and came to mean teacher."

Little John smiled and said, "That explains it. It is a corruption of Greek rather than original Greek."

"So I take it you are interested in languages?"

Little John frowned and answered, "Not really. I'm more interested in biology at the moment, but I'm beginning to get more interested in geology. It's just that so many things have Latin and Greek names that it would be nice to understand the roots."

Ed turned to Little John and asked, "When did you start getting interested in Geology?"

Giggling at the very pleased expression on Ed's face, Beth said, "You just made Daddy Ed very happy."

"You used to read it to us all the time. The other day, I picked up one of your books and realized that we were in a rather interesting geological area. I'm finding it fun."

Smiling at the news, Ed said, "Maybe one of these days we can go rock hunting together."

Dr. Arenot cleared his throat in an attempt to get to the subject matter at hand. Once he had everyone's attention, he said, "I take it you are the Carter kids."

Beth answered, "Yes. I'm Beth and this is John."

Looking over at Ed and Ling, he asked, "I take it you are here in response to the notice that I mailed you."

"Yes, we are," answered Ling after a glance at Ed who was still looking over at Little John with affection.

He had expected to enroll the children in kindergarten or possibly first grade. After the short conversation, he knew that wasn't going to happen without boring these kids to tears. Turning to Beth, he asked, "So do you know how to read?"

"Of course," replied Beth. She turned to Ling and asked, "Could you please show him my books?"

Ling set a stack of books on the table. The stack included the analytic geometry book that she had just finished working through, the history book that she was reading, and the biology book that she had just started. The Superintendent examined the stack of books and asked, "So you like math?"

"Yes, very much. It was the first thing I started studying."

Nodding, he turned to Little John and asked, "What books have you been reading?"

Ed set the stack of books on the table. Dr. Arenot looked at the books, noticing that they were just as difficult and high level as his sister's. Looking over at Ed and Ling, he was at a loss as to what to say to them. The normal situation was for parents to come into his office to argue about how smart, attractive, or talented their child was. He would require them to prove it using standardized test scores with the usual result that the kids went into the grade appropriate for their age. He turned to Beth and asked, "Are you excited about going to school?"

"Oh, yes. I can't wait to play with other kids my age."

"How about you, John?"

"Not as excited as Beth. She's much more social than I."

Dr. Arenot sat back at a total loss as to what he could do. The pause was much longer than was comfortable for most people, but Ed and Ling sat back smiling at each other knowing that they wouldn't have to worry about sending their kids to the local school. Finally, he said, "I see no solution except to recommend home schooling. We shall have to establish at what grade level they will start."

Beth began to cry when she heard what Dr. Arenot had said about home schooling. She looked over at Ling and asked, "Is he saying that we aren't good enough to go to the regular school?"

The question was a surprise to everyone in the room except Little John who had been wondering the same thing. Even he looked a little sad at the idea of not being allowed in the school. Ling put an arm around the little girl and said, "No. He's saying you're too smart to go to this school."

Going over to the bookshelf, Dr. Arenot pulled down a first grade reading book and handed it to Beth. He said, "This is what kids a year older than you are reading."

Beth, sniffling back her tears, opened up the book and read through it in just a matter of minutes. Looking up at Ed, she asked, "Is he telling the truth?"

"Yes, Beth. He's telling you the truth. That is a first grade book."

She relaxed and looked at the book with a sad expression. Frowning, she said, "Kids my age read this?"

"Yes," replied the Superintendent surprised that this child would be saddened by the education possessed by children her own age.

She said, "William can read more complex material than this."

Shocked at the suggestion that William could read, Ling glanced at Ed and then asked, "He can read?"

"Oh yes. He reads all of the time when it is just the three of us together. He's the one that got me interested in history," answered Little John.

"He's a fast reader, too," added Beth knowing that William read about twice as fast as her and Little John. The little guy read everything, but only when there wasn't an adult around. That made her realize that they usually only read when there weren't adults around since their fathers played with them so much and their mothers tended to take care of their physical needs such as food, clothing, and sleep.

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "What subject does he like the most?"

"Psychology, but I don't understand why," answered Beth.

Dr. Arenot asked, "How old is William?"

Ling answered, "He's three."

Shaking his head, Dr. Arenot could not believe what he was hearing. He asked, "Could I talk to him?"

Beth answered, "No. He doesn't talk."

"He doesn't talk?"

"He's never made a sound in three years, not even when he was born. The doctors can't find a physiological reason for that," answered Ed knowing that the subject was a sore point among the wives. Perhaps learning that William knew how to read would help.

Dr. Arenot said, "I'll make arrangements for a testing agency to come here and test all three of the children. Is it all right for me to call you next week?"

"Yes, it is. I'm afraid that you'll have to talk to John or Kelly though. Ling, Leroy, Linda, and myself are returning to Arizona for a while at the end of the week." Ed was feeling homesick, missing his friends in town and the desert. Probably the one thing that he missed the most was the sky; there just wasn't enough sky here.



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Chapter 19


Kelly sat down on a bench as the kids started to play on the swings at the school ground. Beth and Little John were giving pointers on how to swing to William, but the swing was just too big for him. He slid to the ground and stepped away nearly getting hit in the head by Beth who didn't realize that he had crossed in front of her. He would have been hit if he hadn't ducked when she swung forward. Kelly, seeing the near miss, started to climb out of her seat, but stopped when Beth said, "Don't walk in front of or behind someone swinging. You'll get hurt."

Now that he was standing off to the side, William turned back to Beth and nodded his understanding. Going over to the slide, he looked up at it wondering if he was strong enough to climb all the way to the top. Taking a deep breath, he started climbing. Kelly, seeing what he was doing, started to run over to the slide in the hope of catching him if he should fall. She stopped when William reached the top and then slid down without hesitation. Brushing off the dirt from his shorts, he stood up at the base of the slide and looked up at the top wondering if there were taller slides anywhere.

She returned to her seat when William went to one of the riding toys and struggled to climb up on it. The youngest of the children was totally fearless when it came to physical activities. The only time that he didn't try something was when he decided that he wasn't strong enough to do it properly. She had never seen him hurt himself no matter what he had tried.

The recess bell rang and fifty-seven seven-year-olds came running out of the school to play in the playground. The screams of kids taking a break were unmistakable. The three Carter kids stopped and gathered together watching the kids run over to the swings and other activities on the playground. Kelly watched her kids as they reacted to the sudden swell in playmates. This was the most number of kids that any of them had ever seen and it would be interesting to see how they would react.

Beth went over to watch the girls playing jump rope while Little John directed William away from some of the bigger kids. A number of boys were kicking a ball around and the two Carter boys went over to watch. Little John looked like he wanted to join in, but he wasn't going to leave the side of his little brother. Kelly was concerned and thought that she should try to talk William into sitting with her so that John could play.

As she went over to get him, she noticed him turn to look at a larger kid that was pushing around a little kid. This was clearly an uneven fight, but the teacher watching the kids on the playground hadn't noticed. William pointed at the big kid and, in a clear loud voice, shouted, "Evil!"

The volume was loud enough to attract attention from kids all over the playground. As the teacher turned to see what was happening, Beth, John, and William had moved between the big kid and the small kid. Standing between his older brother and sister, William pointed his finger at the bully and said, "You are evil! Do not touch that kid again."

"And what are you going to do about it?" asked the big kid as he looked down at the three little kids. Rather than wait for an answer, he moved to push William to the ground.

Kelly started to run over to the kids finding that she running next to the teacher. The teacher swore, "That damn kid won't leave the little kids alone."

The three Carter kids had reacted before the big kid had a chance to touch William. Beth and John had tackled him to the ground and William had thrown himself on the kid's head. Between the three of them, the big kid was effectively pinned to the ground. Moving so that he was straddling the kid's neck, William leaned down and said, "You shall never hurt another kid again. Do you understand me?"

The big kid tried to hit William, but William just grabbed his ears and twisted as hard as he could. The shock and pain caused the kid to scream and burst into tears. William repeated, "You shall never hurt another kid again. Do you understand me?"

The kid screamed out, "I un'stand ya!"

William released the ears as Kelly and the teacher arrived. It took a minute, but the adults soon had the kids separated. The big kid, his arms held by the teacher, glared down at William who stood with his legs apart and his hands on his hips. Angered, the big kid tried to kick William. The attempt was unsuccessful and, as the teacher tried to restrain the kid, William retaliated by hitting him in the balls as hard as he could. As the big kid curled up into a ball, William leaned forward and said, "I shall not tolerate such evil."

In shock, Kelly stared at William and didn't hear what the teacher was saying to the child. She knelt down and said, "You can talk."

William just shrugged his shoulders as if to say that it was old news and went to stand by his brother and sister. The brother and sister looked at each other over William's head and made faces suggesting that this was news to them. Kelly watched the interaction wondering what other secrets the children had that she had no clue even existed.

After tapping Kelly on the shoulder, the teacher finally managed to get her attention. Kelly looked up and said, "I'm so sorry, I was just distracted."

The teacher, still holding onto the bully, said, "Don't worry about your kids being in trouble, Harold has been hitting the little kids ever since school started. This is the first time anyone ever hit him back. Are your kids okay?"

Looking over at the three kids standing together providing a unified front, she answered, "They are fine."

The teacher looked over at the kids and shook her head. It was hard to imagine that the little fellow had taken on Harold and won. She looked at Kelly and only then realized that she was a Druid. Her hand flew up to her mouth as she realized who these kids were. There were five children of Druids in the school and they were all advanced for their ages. The classes with Druid children in them tended to be very quiet and well behaved. Many of the teachers had commented on how an air of calm surrounded these kids and projected that calm to the kids around them. It was almost unnerving, but very appreciated by the teachers. She said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize who you were."

"Who am I?" asked Kelly surprised at the statement.

"Aren't you one of the Carter wives?"

"Yes, I am," replied Kelly still not sure what the teacher was getting at.

"Your kids are here to get tested, right?"

Understanding burst over Kelly as she realized that news about the kids would have spread over the school. She nodded as she answered, "Yes. I thought I would give them a little time to play on the swings before they went in to get tested. We don't have swings at the college, so they seldom get to play on them."

"I understand. I'm so sorry this happened."

Kelly shook her head looking over at her three children. With a smile, she said, "I'm not. They take after their fathers, moving between the strong and the weak to protect the weak. They use as little force as necessary to stop the strong. I also discovered that my youngest son can talk."

The teacher could not believe that a mother would give that response to her children getting in a fight. It was as though she were proud of them. Instead, she suggested, "You might want to take your children into the school for testing now."

Kelly nodded and joined her kids. Together they went into the school, leaving behind a confused teacher and a very embarrassed bully as one of the kids pointed out that he had just been beaten by a someone that was only three.

When the children had been in the fight with the bully, Ed was across the country in Arizona taking a moment of pleasure in the pool at home. Linda was swimming in the pool with him, talking about how tough it was to be here without William. This was her first time to be away from William and it was tearing her apart. Unfortunately, she had a very busy autograph tour to take, which would end in California. While there, she would hopefully sign a contract to make a movie based on her book.

Understanding how tough it was for Linda to leave William back in North Carolina, Ed asked, "Would you like to call them?"

Sighing, she answered, "It wouldn't do any good. The kids are getting tested now."

Ed said, "I sure was surprised when I found out that he could read."

"Tell me about it," replied Linda. How could a mother not know that her child could read college level material? She still couldn't believe that every time she left William alone with the other kids, he was spending the time reading.

The telephone in the poolroom rang. Getting out of the water, Ed went over to it and hit the speakerphone button to answer it. He was surprised, when Kelly said, "Hi guys! Have I got news for you!"

The cheerful tone in her voice was a great relief for Linda who had feared that the call signified some major problem. She called out, "What's up, Kelly?"

"Linda, you aren't going to believe this!"

"What?"

"William talked today!"

The surprise was enough that Linda almost drown. Coughing as she stood up in the pool, Ed asked, "Are you okay?"

Kelly asked, "What's happening?"

"I think that Linda just about drowned when you gave her the news."

Still coughing, Linda croaked, "What word did he say?"

Kelly laughed and answered, "I didn't hear his first word, but I understand that it was 'evil.' He spoke whole sentences as he was threatening a bully."

Confused by the disjointed fashion in which the story was emerging, Ed said, "Hold on. Start at the very beginning."

Linda pulled herself out of the pool and went to listen at the speakerphone. Both of them listened open mouthed as Kelly related the activities that had occurred on the playground. The behavior exhibited by the children were clearly that of Druids protecting the weak from the strong. Ed smiled with pride as he heard the story. Linda, more worried about the kids fighting, was still amazed to learn that her son could talk. It was as though a dream came true for her.

When Kelly hung up, Linda turned to Ed and, with tears of happiness running down her cheeks, said, "I have to go back, even if it is for half a day."

Nodding, Ed said, "Go get packed and I'll tell Cathy to arrange a flight out there for you."

Going into the office, Ed told Cathy, "We have a mother that has to go see her child. Can you arrange a flight to North Carolina for Linda?"

Worried, Cathy asked, "Is William okay?"

Nodding, Ed said, "He said his first word and his mommy wasn't there to hear it."

Relieved to hear the good news, Cathy laughed at how happy Linda must be about her son talking. She turned to the telephone and started making the arrangements for Linda to get there. Knowing the autograph schedule, she arranged for a flight the next day to the first stop on her grand tour.

Linda flew out of the house, getting a ride to the airport from Bob. Ed didn't even have a chance to tell her goodbye or wish her a nice flight. With her departure, Ed was left alone in the house with the staff. Ling was competing in California and Leroy was in Wisconsin checking out Chronic Wasting Disease among the deer population.

Moving into the kitchen, Ed sat down and looked at the two women dancing as they cooked. Marguerite and Shauna were having a good time preparing lunch. Watching them reminded Ed of days gone past. He laughed as he said, "I don't know what to think of this. Two women in here dancing on my grave and I'm not even dead yet from their cooking."

Without taking a break from their dancing, both women turned and threw foam balls at him. Their actions shocked Ed, as he was not expecting anything like it. Doing his best to come up with a witty comeback, he said, "Now that I have built up an immunity to your poisons, you're trying to stone me!"

The two women winked at each other and danced over to the counter. As one, they turned and sprayed him with water pistols. Defenseless and laughing too hard to flee, Ed raised his hands and shouted, "I give up!"

Marguerite burst out laughing at the look on his face. Giggling, she said, "Finally got you."

Ed was still laughing at their surprise attack. Talking between chortles, he agreed, "You got me, but I'll come up with a suitable revenge."

Shauna laughed and said, "Hollow threats."

"Since I'm the only family member here, how about I take everyone out to dinner tonight to Maria's?"

Marguerite and Shauna glanced at each other, deciding that they would cook the dinner intended for that night then next night. Marguerite answered, "Sure, that would be great."

"When will lunch be served?"

"In three hours, if that is okay."

Nodding, Ed said, "I'll go over to my office and return in time for lunch."

Shauna laughed as she said, "Good. Your negative attitude towards our cooking is spoiling the broth."

Chuckling, Ed went to the door as he called out over his shoulder, "That's it. Blame me for your mistakes."

Two wet spots showed up on the back of his shirt as the pair shot him a final time with the water pistols. In response, Ed sped up his exit followed by the giggles of the two women. Rather than be irritated, he was pleased to see them working and playing together. It meant that the staff was happy.

The walk to his old house only took a few minutes. He felt comfortable moving under the wide-open Arizona sky, unable to believe how much he had missed it. It was almost a shame to go into the building.

When he reached the house, he was surprised that the door was locked. Fishing his key ring out of his robe pocket, he unlocked the door and entered finding that there were groans coming from the back office. Smiling, Ed wondered if the sounds indicated what he thought they meant. Rather than disturb who ever was in the back office, Ed went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of iced tea.

Standing in what used to be his dining room, Ed looked around the office noticing a number of minor changes in the layout. They had moved the receptionist's desk to a side, with the office equipment directly behind the desk on a table. A new conference table had been moved into the dining room. The furniture in the waiting room had been improved and a number of rock samples had been mounted on the wall as décor.

A huge map showing detailed geological features of the state covered the wall. He was familiar with every site shown on the map, having been present when each and every measurement had been taken. They had a second version of the map in the office safe that showed mineral deposits. This second map predicted a large number of sites where additional mineral deposits should occur.

His hands traced common features of the Arizona landscape. Seeing the landscape of the entire state drawn out before him only reminded him how much he liked the desert. His attention was distracted by the clear sounds of a female orgasm in the office. He listened with a smile wondering who was in there.

Sitting at the desk, he waited for them to finish their activities. Turning on the computer, he went through the financial status of his consulting company. Consulting jobs were down within the state and he had been resisting going outside of the state for other jobs. He had expected the downturn in consulting jobs since their firm had consulted with the majority of mines in the state. They didn't need him to come back over and over since he did a very thorough job when brought in to identify present and future mining activities. For now, they had three site visits scheduled over the next two months. That was barely enough to cover the operating costs.

The bottom line demonstrated a positive balance that was over seven digits. He brought up the books for his other investments and was pleased to see that he was doing well with almost all of his investments. He flagged three of them in which he would reduce his holdings and free up some capital for the business at hand.

The door opened behind him, which was immediately followed by a feminine scream, "Oh my God. He's here!"

Ed smiled and turned to see a very embarrassed Lynn Holliday and Terry Sharp exit from the back room. With a wide grin, he said, "I guess you forgot that we have a meeting this morning."

Terry replied, "That's supposed to be in half an hour."

Lynn stood behind Terry still very embarrassed by what Ed must have heard coming out of the back office. Even though months of working around the Carter staff and being around people in the town had changed her attitude about causal sex significantly, she still retained some of the inhibitions that came from years of living within a very repressed home.

"We'll start early and make it up to the house in time for lunch," replied Ed as he turned to the computer to print up a couple of pages of material that he had been examining. The printer was slow, pumping out a few pages a minute, which forced the three to wait for them to finish printing.

Once they were done, Ed went to the conference table and sat down. Still embarrassed by the noises they had made, Terry and Lynn sat down on the side opposite of him. In his normal business voice, Ed started the meeting by saying, "Lynn, I have to compliment you on managing my business interests. The amount of money there is rather impressive."

The praise sent a little thrill through the young woman. She had worked hard to make sure that his investments would be good. "Thank you, Ed."

Flipping through the pages that he had just printed, he selected out three of them. Handing them to Lynn, he said, "I want to reduce my interests in these firms in half. Work with the owners to arrange a turn over of the shares back to them at a rate that won't kill them."

Lynn looked at the firms he had selected and knew that it wouldn't be difficult to do as he had asked. These firms were doing well and making good profits. The owners would definitely want a greater share of ownership on them. Looking up at Ed she said, "No problem. I imagine the owners will be more than happy to get more shares."

"I want the monies from that sale to go into operating the mine."

Terry looked up sharply and asked, "What mine?"

"The mine that we are going to open," replied Ed with a smile.

That Ed was considering opening a mine was very unexpected. Terry asked, "What mine?"

"Go get the map from the safe," Ed requested knowing that Terry would know exactly which map he meant.

After Terry had spread the map over the conference table, Ed pointed to a region of cattle country. "This area here has tremendous mineral deposits but has never been mined. I want to lease the mineral rights from the owner of the land. I know that he's having some financial difficulties at the moment, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get a reasonable lease. I don't want to pressure him, but he would really like the extra money. I know that he wants to continue raising cattle."

Lynn nodded as she realized that her job would be arranging for the lease. Terry looked at the map region that Ed had pointed out realizing why he had been sent there to collect samples last month. The samples had not been anything spectacular, but Ed had seemed pleased when he had called him with the results. Terry said, "I don't know anything about running a mine."

Looking up at Terry, Ed smiled and replied, "Call Calvin Kerr and ask him to set up the mining operation. If he balks, offer him a percentage of the action, but no more than twenty percent."

"You've got this all planned out, don't you?"

"Not fully. Once we've got the mineral rights, I want all of that property surveyed and samples taken. Select the one that is most promising and then bring in Calvin." He was tempted to add Kim, but that thought carried with it a little hurt since he missed spending time in the desert with Kim.

Lynn noticed the slightly sad look that appeared around Ed's eyes and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Just thinking about an old rock hunting partner," replied Ed.

Terry knew that Kim had been working with Ed before him. She hadn't been as technical in the approach as Terry, but Ed always talked nicely about her. "You mean Kim?"

"Yes, I do," he answered in a voice that conveyed a deep longing that he knew it would go unfulfilled.

Terry nodded significantly at Lynn, as she finally understood the source of his sadness. Looking at Ed in a different light, she realized that when he loved or cared about someone it was for life. The revelation shocked her and she decided to change the subject. She asked, "So are there any new investments that you want to make?"

Putting on a very serious expression on his face, Ed leaned forward and said, "I want to concentrate all of our efforts on the mine. I've got a feeling that this is going to be big. All of my training and years of experience hunting rocks in that desert is screaming at me to develop a mine there. With regard to my existing investments, I want to let them ride. I don't want to consider any new investments until we have a clear idea how the mine is performing."

She left the table and went to get her books. Returning to the table, she opened them and said, "Your income from your investments will drop to half a million a year."

Frowning, Ed asked, "What does that make my personal cash on hand?"

"Right now you have a little over half a million in cash. You spent a lot of money outfitting that property in North Carolina."

Smiling, Ed thought about the number of camping trips that he had on that property. Since purchasing it, they had several full family trips and each one had been a lot of fun. He had gone out alone and with individual members of the family. Smiling, he said, "I don't regret a single penny that I spent on that."

Frowning, she said, "In the two years I've been working with you, your cash flow has never been so low."

Puzzled by her concern, Ed asked, "What would I spend that money on?"

The question shocked her. She went through the books to look at the uses of the money that he had used in the past. Every dollar, except for the money that went to the property, had been used in investments. He paid himself a twenty-five thousand a year salary, an amount that was less than she was paid. She answered, "I don't know."

Terry had been listening to the conversation with some concerns and asked, "What about consulting?"

Turning to face Terry, Ed smiled and said, "I've been thinking about making a couple of changes in that area."

Stomach tensing at the thought that Ed was going to shut down the consulting activities, Terry asked, "What kind of changes?"

"I want you to take over all of the consulting activities, bringing me in only when there is a situation that you can't resolve. I'm going to allow you to expand the region of the country that the firm will take consulting jobs as you see fit."

Sitting back in shock, Terry said, "You are turning all of the consulting operations over to me?"

"Yes."

To be given carte blanche was daunting and required a little more clarification. He asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean that when a customer calls, you will tell him that you will be the individual performing the survey and data analysis. You can tell the customer that if there are any exceptional findings that you will discuss the matter with me. It is up to you to decide if you have sufficient expertise in the geological formations typical to that area to take the job. The normal consulting rates will apply."

The fact was that Ed had basically turned the company over to Terry and the young man realized it. So far, Ed was keeping the financial aspects of the company, but he would have to release some control over the finances. "About the financial aspects, I'll need some control over them."

Laughing at the understatement, Ed said, "You are going to need total control over them if you are to do the job correctly."

"Total?"

Ed shuffled through the few remaining papers in front of him and said, "Right now, the books for Biggers Consulting are kept separate from all other business interests that I have. I have been transferring profits over to my other companies for investment purposes. From now on, we will treat the profits and my income from that company separate from all of my other business activities."

Lynn went through the books and double-checked what Ed had said. She knew that all of his companies passed profits up to Biggers Holding Company, which then distributed those profits back to his companies as developmental money. She wanted to see what would be the impact of that. She frowned as she realized that would lessen his cash flow into the other investment areas by almost a quarter of a million a year. She looked up and said, "That cuts your investments into your other companies by a quarter of a million a year."

Nodding, Ed said, "Yes. I'm not developing any of those companies at the moment. All of their profits shall flow into the mining operation. The mining operation shall be a separate activity from the consulting company. We'll start up a company called Biggers Mining."

Surprised by the change, Lynn said, "Oh."

Continuing with the financial aspects of the company, Ed said, "Terry will continue to draw his current salary from Biggers Consulting. As soon as Biggers Mining is started, he will draw an equal salary from it. I'll continue to draw my salary from Biggers Holding and an additional salary of five thousand dollars a year from Biggers Consulting and Biggers Mining. You can draw an extra ten thousand from Biggers Consulting and Biggers Mining."

The idea of a raise of ten thousand dollars a year was tantalizing, but she wanted to verify that she understood his instructions correctly. It was possible that he meant to reduce the salaries taken from the holding company. She asked, "Do you mean spreading the extra salary across both companies?"

"No, I mean that amount from each company. You two will be earning it, believe me."

Lynn sat back and considered the consequences of getting a raise of twenty thousand dollars a year. That was a significant increase in her standard of living. Frowning, she said, "That's a pretty significant raise."

"Yes, but it is also a pretty significant increase in responsibilities. I'm giving you the authority and the responsibility to make pretty significant business decisions on my behalf. That requires fair compensation and I'm making sure that you have it," replied Ed.

Wondering if he could handle any more news, Terry asked, "is there anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," replied Ed. He looked at Terry and then at Lynn before asking, "Are there any other questions that you might have?"

As they both shook their heads signaling a negative answer, Terry said, "I'm sure that I'll have a thousand questions later, but for now I can't think of a single thing."

"Good," replied Ed with a wink at Lynn.

Ever since her first experience with the kids, Lynn had been trying to come to grips with their apparent maturity and the way the family treated them. Many nights of sleep had been lost trying to come to grips with the fact that the adults were routinely naked in front of the children. She had finally been enlightened the day that she had watched a special on a South American tribe where the entire tribe went naked. They decorated their bodies with rings, piercings, and feathers as artificial means of attracting mates. Nudity among the tribe was nothing more than a different kind of clothing.

Once she had gotten over the family's nudist practices, she had come to like the kids and the other members of the family. She felt so sorry for William who couldn't speak. She asked, "So how is the family?"

"Busy. It's hard to believe that with six people in one marriage how difficult it is for two of them to get together. I came out here with four of them and now I'm all alone again," answered Ed.

Having heard that Linda was here for another day, Lynn asked, "What happened to Linda?"

Smiling and with significant pride in his voice, Ed said, "The kids got into a fight at the elementary school playground. Apparently, they were protecting a little kid from a bully."

One of the rules of the house echoed through her mind, 'protect the weak from the strong.' She could understand how he would respond to their actions with pride. Not only did they know the rule; they followed the rule. She asked, "So why did Linda go down there? Did any of the kids get hurt?"

"William spoke."

"That's great! What did he say?"

"He spoke complete sentences telling the bully that he was not to harm those weaker than himself," replied Ed with pride.

Even Terry recognized the significance of William's sudden vocalization. Full sentences. Who could have imagined that a baby that had never made a sound would suddenly start talking in complete sentences? He said, "That's amazing."

Ed stood and said, "Let's get to lunch. I'm taking everyone out to dinner at Maria's tonight. You are invited if you have nothing else to do."

At the looks on their faces, he knew that they would probably come to the dinner. He added, "There will probably be an orgy afterwards."

Judging by the blush that formed on Lynn's face, he guessed that she would probably not return to the house that night. He would be proved wrong in that assessment and discover that she had turned into a very aggressive and vocal lover.



-------

Chapter 20


A month had passed since the meeting in which Ed had decided to enter into the mining business. He stood on the site where they would begin mining operations now that they had closed the deal on the mineral rights. Jack Clark, the owner of the land was sitting in his truck watching Ed, reserving judgement as to the wisdom of having leased the mineral rights to him for ten years. The woman he had negotiated the deal with had been very focused on her boss's needs and had used his need for the money to continue his cattle operation as a lever to convince him to sign. Now that he had signed lease, he feared that the mine would ruin his property.

Calvin, wearing his Green Robe, finished walking around the property examining the area with a critical eye. Ecologically correct mining was his area of expertise and this site was going to be a challenge. His very pregnant wife waddled over to him from another corner of the site and conferred with him privately.

Calvin and Kim gestured for Ed to come over to where they were standing. Ed swung by the pickup truck and said, "Jack, you want to hear what he has to say?"

Jack climbed out of the air-conditioned cab of his truck and joined Ed as he went over to meet Calvin. Once there, he stood back to listen to what they discussed. He didn't have any legal rights over their operation. He hadn't realized that until after he signed the lease. Ed looked around and asked, "So what's your opinion?"

Grinning broadly, Calvin answered, "Kim says this is a very rich site. Of course, you already knew that."

Ed grinned as Kim, despite her swollen belly, made a bow in his direction. Looking over at Jack, he asked, "Can we get it out of the ground?"

"You can rape the land and get anything out of the ground that you want."

Hearing that, Jack looked down at the ground and swore. This was exactly what he had feared.

"You know that's not how I operate," replied Ed.

Jack turned to examine Ed wondering where he was going. Calvin said, "I know. It's going to be expensive. You'll still turn an obscene profit, but it is going to cost a bit to do the job right."

Nodding, Ed said, "Can I turn a ten percent profit?"

"Easily. It will probably closer to twenty five percent and a twenty times return on investment over a five year period."

A twenty-five percent profit was good for a mine. "The land can be returned to pristine condition?"

"Yes, if you do it the way that I suggest," replied Calvin knowing that Ed would probably hire him to oversee operations on a regular basis. With his wife expecting a child, that would be a nice break. He added, "it'll remain in pristine condition the whole time."

The chance for her to spend some time at home without having to work was very attractive to Kim. Hoping to clinch the deal, she added, "We'll offer our services at a discount."

Remembering the words of John when it came to accepting free or discounted advice, he replied, "No. Charge me your regular fee."

Calvin smiled having suspected that is what Ed would say. "Good."

Pointing to the landowner, Ed said, "Explain to Jack how we'll go about mining on his place. I'm sure that he would like to know how intrusive this is going to be."

Calvin went over to Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder as he led him around the site explaining what his advice would be in establishing the mine. As they walked, Jack nodded his head as he listened to the plans.

Kim turned to Ed and said, "Hello, Ed."

Smiling at seeing her with a swollen belly and the glow that pregnant women possessed, Ed said, "You're looking good. Pregnancy agrees with you."

"Thanks. I've missed working with you, but I have to say that I'm very happy with Calvin," replied Kim. She had come to love Ed but couldn't have shared him with the other wives. Through counseling, she had come to grips with a year of continuous rape by her lesbian aunt, but retained her basic possessiveness. Living with Calvin had satisfied so many holes in her life, that she wouldn't risk that for anything.

"I can tell. You two look very good together. I'm so happy that you've found the happiness that you deserve," replied Ed meaning it with his whole heart. She looked so happy, despite walking around the desert in the heat eight months pregnant. He asked, "Do you want to sit in the truck? I'm sure that you are uncomfortable out here."

Smiling at his typical consideration, Kim answered, "Yes, I think I will. I came out here because I wanted to see what would actually prompt you to open a mine. Maybe we'll have a chance to talk at length after I've had the baby."

Ed helped her get to the truck that she and Calvin had driven out here. Once she was settled, Ed returned to wait for Jack and Calvin to return from their walk around the future mining site. He was pleased to learn that they would be able to extract the goods and leave the land pristine behind them.

The men returned from their walk. Ed did not know the details of what Calvin was going to recommend since that report would be going to Terry. All that he was concerned about was that everyone involved accepted that it was a good project. Turning to Jack, he asked, "Is it a go?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked you if the project was a go," answered Ed.

"It's not my call," replied Jack.

Calvin smiled as he watched the puzzled expression on Jack's face. He said, "He's asking you if you see any problems with this project from your perspective."

"Why should that matter?" asked Jack not aware of the harm none rule of the Druids. Ed would stop the project if it were harming Jack or his ability to make a living.

"When I encounter you anywhere, I have to be able to look you square in the eye and know that there are no bad feelings between us. If you think this will work for you, we'll do it. If you think it is going to ruin your land, we'll stop it right now."

That he would be given the ability to stop this mine just by saying no was surprising for Jack. Legally, Ed had leased the mineral rights and could enter his land at will to do as he wished to get at the minerals under the ground. Looking over at Ed, he said, "I think it is a go."

"Great. I'll tell Terry and he'll work out the contract with Calvin. We'll look at what kind of access we'll need and get together with you to make sure that it doesn't interfere with your cattle operations."

"Thank you, I appreciate the consideration," replied Jack. When he had asked his lawyer about signing a contract with a Druid, his lawyer had told him that no one was ever screwed by dealing honestly with a Druid. The word in the legal world was that they were people of their word.

As Ed handed him a business card for Terry, he said, "Please call Terry if you have any questions or if any problems arise."

Jack pocketed the card and was ready to turn away. Calvin, after fishing out one of his cards, said, "Here's my card. If you have any questions, please call me directly."

Jack accepted that card and paused for a moment. He said, "You are both Druids. I've heard that you were straight shooters. I respect that. I hope that I'm not disappointed."

The two Druids exchanged smiles. Ed said, "Don't worry. You'll be treated fair. If you wish, you can participate in the interviews of all the people hired to work on the mine."

"You'd do that?"

"Yes. It is your place and you have a right to know who is coming onto it."

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer," replied Jack. He left feeling much better about the deal. This was beginning to look like a good decision.

Calvin and Ed were soon alone looking over the land. Ed sighed and said, "This land is so pretty."

"Yes it is," replied Calvin as he looked at the horizon. This job was going to be a pleasure as Ed would listen and follow his advice to the letter, unlike many of the people for whom he consulted. Most wanted to get their mines into a condition where they met the minimal environmental regulations. He said, "It's going to be a pleasure to work with you, Ed."

"I want you to make a monthly inspection and write up any suggestions that you have. We'll have the foreman implement any change that you suggest."

"That much consulting could cut into your profits."

"Every dollar spent to save the land is a dollar well spent. I expect to come out here and camp. I don't want to see a huge scar in the land or toxic waste that will kill me later," replied Ed.

"You're singing to the choir," Calvin joked.

Ed glanced over at the truck and said, "Kim looks very happy."

Calvin replied, "There's no way she can be as happy as I am. She's an amazing woman and is going to make a great mother."

"Yes, I know that," remarked Ed. Turning to look at Calvin, Ed said, "I'm happy the two of you found each other. There for a while I was very worried that she wasn't going to find the right person."

Calvin nodded and said, "She's never had a better friend than you. You did more for her than she even realizes."

"It was mutual."

The men were quiet for a moment and then Calvin said, "I better get her back to the house. She came out here to see what made you so hot to go into mining."

"I appreciate her making the effort. If there is anything I can do, let me know."

"By the way, she's sending you a thank you present."

"For what?" asked Ed wondering what she had in mind.

Without answering the question, Calvin shot him a big grin as he returned to his truck. In minutes, he had left the site, churning up a cloud of dust behind the silent car. Ed turned and looked around the mine. He bent down and looked at the rock beneath his feet. Shaking his head, Ed returned to his truck and drove home.

Reaching town, Ed stopped in front of Shirley's to get a coke. Entering the bar, he was amazed at the changes that it had undergone. A hardwood floor had replaced the old wood plank floor. A new polished wood bar replaced the old laminate bar that had been showing its age. She had painted the walls again and put up some more western art on them. By the door was an antique coat rack for use on rainy days or in the winter.

Shirley, sitting behind the bar, looked fantastic. Until she had married, she had not been aging well. Marriage agreed with her and she actually looked younger today than the day that he had met John. Sliding into the chair as she set a coke on the bar, Ed said, "You look great."

"Thank you. What brought that on?" asked Shirley.

Puzzled, Ed didn't know why he had noticed her appearance. Tentatively, he answered, "I don't know. I just came in and was struck by your beauty."

Shirley smiled at Ed and said, "You're good for a woman's self image."

Rather than respond in any kind of coherent fashion, Ed just made a non-committal grunt. Surprised by his reaction, Shirley thought about it for a minute. Ed had been coming into the bar almost every day since his return and had never commented on her appearance. It made her wonder what had happened to him today. She asked, "So what did you do this morning?"

"When out to look at the site where we are planning to mine."

"Who else was there with you?"

"Calvin, Jack Clark, and Kim."

When Ed mentioned Kim, understanding burst over Shirley. Smiling, she said, "That explains it."

"What explains it?" asked Ed confused.

"You saw Kim and that reminded you of the other women in your life. It would follow that you came in here and looked at me as a woman for a change rather than as a friend," explained Shirley. It didn't matter how much time had passed since his great change, the fact that he treated women as total equals in causal conversation still surprised her. Every woman in town was his sister. He loved them and helped them, without ever expecting any kind of sexual favor in return. When a woman expressed a desire to have sex with him, he was still surprised by the offer.

"I don't know what to say," replied Ed. He took a sip of his coke as he thought about it. She could be correct and seeing Kim did make him take notice of the things around him a little more. He sighed and said, "I guess I still love her."

Laughing, Shirley said, "Ed, I don't think you've met a woman that you didn't love. You just don't think of most women in a sexual way. Your wives and Kim are about the only ones that you see in a sexual way a good percentage of the time. Even the women on your staff have to drag you into bed."

"Maybe you're right," answered Ed.

"I am right and you know it. The other day, Marguerite was telling me that Shauna was damn near begging you to sleep with her. When she hinted at it, you said that there are lots of men around that would value her."

"She was suggesting something to me? When?"

"What would you call it when a woman tells a man that she needs a good solid fucking?"

"Depends on the context. I just thought she was discouraged about not finding a boyfriend."

"Silly man. If a woman tells you that she needs a good fucking, odds are that she's asking you to provide her with one."

"Maybe I'm dense," replied Ed. It always surprised him when women found him desirable.

"Maybe you're well hung," suggested Shirley with a smile knowing from personal experience that there wasn't a maybe about it. He and John were both extremely well hung and half the women in town wanted a second chance at them.

"I can understand that. I sometimes I forget about the equipment below," replied Ed. He realized that it was strange, but he had never been size conscious even when he was smaller. He took another sip of his coke as he thought about it.

Shirley watched as Ed drank his coke. She had seen Ed in a variety of moods and didn't recognize this one. Smiling at him, she said, "Why don't you head home and let one of your wives take care of you?"

Shrugging, Ed said, "No one is home today. Linda is still out pushing her book. Ling went up to help Leroy. Kelly is with John and the kids at the college."

"Do you need some company?"

Frowning, Ed said, "Nah, I probably need some time alone for a while."

Nodding as though she understand his feelings, Shirley was actually quite puzzled by his behavior. She asked, "Are you sure?"

Finishing his coke, Ed pulled some money out of his pocket and paid for his drink. Thinking about his days with Kim had made him feel bad and he decided that it would be best if he headed home for a swim. He felt that swimming might ease some of the pain that he was feeling.

Floating on his back in the middle of the pool, Ed stared at the ceiling above. With a languid move, he pushed himself through the water. It felt like the tiles were moving rather than him. Bored, he stood up and looked around the pool. As he started to walk to the edge, Cathy came in the poolroom. Noticing her standing uneasy at the door, Ed asked, "What is it?"

Nervous, Cathy looked around for a moment and then said, "There's someone here to see you."

Puzzled by her behavior, Ed asked, "What's the matter?"

"I've talked to your wives and they say it is okay."

Totally confused, Ed asked, "What is okay?"

"Kim sent over a new rock hunting partner for you," replied Cathy. She wasn't quite sure what she thought about it, but it wasn't her place.

Ed said, "I'll meet him in the formal living room."

Pausing to consider if she should correct the gender mistake, Cathy said, "That might be a good idea."

Curious about what to expect, Ed climbed out of the pool and dried himself with a towel. He pulled on his robe without bothering to put anything on under it. Cathy's behavior had roused his curiosity and he could hardly wait to find out who this mystery person might be. Looking up after slipping the robe on, he noticed that Cathy had left.

Stepping out of the poolroom, Sarah was standing nearby looking at him with a funny expression on her face. Naked as usual, she stood there shifting from one leg to the other. The effect was to create a nice swaying motion of her breasts. She noticed him looking at her and said, "I can't believe that Kim did that."

Ed asked, "What did she do?"

"You'll see."

Curious, Ed headed towards the formal living room. Before he reached it, he ran into Marguerite and Shauna. They were both staring at him. Beginning to get a little irritated, he asked, "What is it?"

The two women exchanged glances and then said, "You'll see."

Ed was beginning to wonder if he had done something wrong. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Walt, George, and Bob watching him. He turned to Marguerite and asked, "Would you like to tell me what's up?"

Marguerite shook her head and returned to the kitchen followed closely by Shauna. In all of his years with the staff, he had never seen them act this strange. He headed to the living room, but stopped in the office. Looking over at Cathy, he asked, "Before I go in there, would you please tell me what's going on?"

Shaking her head, Cathy said, "Kim sent someone over here to become your rock hunting buddy. I talked to your wives and they say they are fine with it."

His truth sense suggested that there was a slight tinge of a lie there. He asked, "You say they are fine with it, but I don't think you believe them."

"That's true," replied Cathy as she looked down at the desk. After a minute, she looked up and said, "They can't imagine what she looks like."

"She?"

"Go in there and meet her," begged Cathy.

Ed went into the formal living room to meet his guest. She was at the far end of the room examining one of the paintings hanging on the wall. Wearing an expensive designer dress that presented her body in a very complementary fashion, it was clear that she was a very attractive woman with lots of money. Ed announced his presence, "Hello?"

The woman turned to look at Ed giving him a chance to examine her more closely. She had jet-black hair cut in a pageboy with bangs. She had perfect features on a perfectly shaped face. Her breasts were well proportioned for her body. The effect reminded him of a model from the 1950's. An uncertain smile broke across her face as she looked at Ed and asked, "Are you Ed Biggers?"

Moving closer to her, he was able to see that her makeup was extremely subtle and suggested a professional touch. She was an extremely attractive woman, but that didn't explain the reaction of the staff. Placing her age at twenty-four, he answered, "Yes, I am."

She paused as though she expected him to recognize her. Seeing that he didn't appear to know who she was, she finally said, "I'm Nora Turner."

Pointing to a chair, Ed said, "Please have a seat Nora. I understand that you are a friend of Kim."

Nora smiled and replied, "Yes, I've been out hunting rocks with her and Calvin. She suggested that you and I go out sometime. She said that you were the best at finding samples that she's ever encountered."

"She's too generous," replied Ed. Hearing the sounds of the staff listening from outside the room, Ed shook his head still wondering what was going on with the staff. He asked, "Would you care for something to drink?"

It was late afternoon and a perfect time for a glass of wine. She replied, "A glass of wine would be perfect."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed called out, "Marguerite, would you mind bringing a glass of wine and an iced tea?"

From the noise outside the living room, he knew that Marguerite was going off to get the beverages. He smiled at his guest. "You seem to have created quite a stir among the staff."

Frowning as she looked towards the door hearing the hushed whispers, this was nothing new to her. Crossing her legs, her dress split presenting her thighs to view. She turned back to look at Ed and said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I have no idea what is their problem."

The idea that he didn't understand their actions was rather amusing to her. She was used to having that kind of attention. "I take it that you don't drink."

"That's right. I gave it up years ago when I realized that I was a total jerk when I drank," replied Ed. This conversation was very uncomfortable and he wondered what Kim was thinking when she had sent this women over to him. She didn't seem to be the type that would be comfortable in the desert for a week at a time.

Nodding, she said, "Lots of people in my business have problems with alcohol."

"What business are you in?"

The question took Nora completely by surprise. She had assumed that he knew who she was and answered, "I'm in the movie business."

"Oh. What do you do in the movie business?"

"I'm an actress."

Sitting back in his chair, Ed considered what he knew about the film industry. As far as he knew, she could be anything from a movie star to a porn star. He replied, "I understand that it is very hard to get work as an actress."

The sound of snickers from outside the door filtered into the room. He glanced at the door wondering what he had said that was so funny. Marguerite came into the room with a tray with a glass of wine, a pitcher of iced tea, and a glass of ice. She handed the glass of wine to Nora and then poured a glass of iced tea for Ed while looking at him as though he was a complete idiot. Leaving the tray with the pitcher on the coffee table, she paused to look at Ed, and shook her head in amazement before leaving the room.

Nora, observing the exchange, realized that Ed truly had no clue about her identity and what she did for a living. Last year, she was touted as the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood and earned over twenty million per movie. She had won an academy award and was considered one of the most talented actresses in the business. She asked, "You don't know who I am, do you?"

"I have no clue," replied Ed.

She laughed and said, "Kim said that you would be a different kind of man than I'm used to meeting."

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed said, "I don't remember ever going to a movie theatre. I've seen a few movies on television, but most of them were old."

Looking at Ed, she wouldn't have believed until meeting him that there existed a person that didn't go out to movies. Kim had told her that Ed would always tell the truth, however unlikely. She decided that it was time to change the subject. She said, "I need a rock hunting partner and Kim recommended you."

"Do you go out often?" asked Ed curious about how much experience she had and the degree of her interest. Nothing would be worse than getting out in the desert and having her complain about the heat, the dirt, and primitive conditions.

"I've been doing it since I was ten years old. I'm working on a degree in mineralogy at the College Of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State. Unfortunately, my career interferes with my studies."

For the first time since meeting her, Ed was impressed. That was a very good school and had an outstanding program in mineralogy. Nodding, he said, "That's a good program."

"That's where I met Calvin and Kim. He occasionally lectures there."

"He's the best at what he does," replied Ed.

"I found that he was the only one there that was more concerned with my interest in minerals rather than my career in movies," replied Nora with sadness in her voice. She knew that most people knew her and understood her only as an actress. Such a singled dimensional view of her as a person hurt much more than she could ever express.

Ed recognized the sadness in her voice and understood how it was to be valued for one thing without any acknowledge of the rest of a person. He asked, "Would you like to see my office?"

She took a sip of her wine and thought about his offer. Setting her wineglass down, she stood up and said, "Sure."

Smiling, Ed picked up his glass of iced tea and refilled it. Looking at glass of wine, he suggested, "You might want to take your wine with you."

Wondering about the significance of being invited to his office, she picked up her glass of wine. As they headed to the door, they heard the staff scurry away from the door. Ed smiled as he led her to the back of the house. They entered the back in time to see the naked form of Sarah disappear into the laundry room. Nora looked at Ed with a raised eyebrow and asked, "Was that what I think it was?"

"If you mean, was that a naked woman? Then yes, you did see it. The back of the house is clothing optional. Sarah is a confirmed nudist and hardly ever wears cloths. I'm rather surprised that she ran off though."

Amused, she followed Ed as he led her to his rooms. Placing his palm on the lock, the door opened and he showed her into his private room. She looked around and realized that she was in his private quarters. For a moment, she became suspicious of his motives and relaxed when he said, "My office is upstairs."

He went over to the stairs and started up. She hung behind to look around the room hoping that it would give her a little insight into the man. The room was very plain with furniture that looked very old. Considering the cost of the house, the fact that he had an old recliner and beat up coffee table confused her. Realizing that she had delayed a little longer than intended, she climbed the stairs at a quick pace to catch up to him.

Upon entering his office, she came to an abrupt stop and looked around the room taking in the display of rocks. This was an amazing collection of rocks. She could only recognize about a quarter of the samples, a fact that surprised her since she had made an A in identification. Almost reverently, she approached the wall and started examining each sample. A shiver of sexual excitement shot through her body.

Watching her reaction to his collection, Ed sat down at his desk. Unlike most people, she didn't spend all of her time examining the copper piece, but examined the lesser attractive pieces that were more geologically significant. That convinced him that she actually knew her rocks. Taking a sip of his iced tea, he settled in to wait for her to finish her examination.

Nora took her time, occasionally sipping her wine, as she examined the samples Ed had mounted. She reached a point along the wall where there was a simple picture of a stone. Underneath the picture was a label that identified the stone as Carterite found in Antarctica. She turned to Ed and said, "Just a picture of it?"

Nodding, Ed replied, "I only found a single sample of it when I was in Antarctica. I plan to return to see if I can locate some more. For now, the only sample is kept at the Smithsonian Institute."

Looking at the picture, Nora realized that it probably was the most valuable rock in existence and this guy had found it. She returned to examining the other samples. After examining the entire collection, she put the value of it at close to a million dollars. Kim was right when she said that he was one of the best collectors in the country. She said, "I'm impressed. This is a magnificent collection."

"Thank you," replied Ed.

Turning to face Ed, she said, "Would you accept me as a rock hunting partner?"

There was a pleading tone to her voice that struck Ed as a real desire on her part. Nodding, he said, "Yes. I can go out next week if you are interested."



-------

Chapter 21


Seated atop his horse, Ed surveyed the canyon taking in the geological features of the walls around him. Millions of years of geologic history were exposed for all to see. Geologically, his life would be represented as a dust speck on the wall of the canyon. It was humbling to think about it. Speaking aloud to no one in particular, Ed said, "By the Gods and Goddesses, this is magnificent."

Nora, still not used to his openness about his feelings, nodded solemnly. It was a grand sight, as layer after layer of natural history was laid bare for all to see. As her horse moved a little under her, she replied, "Yes, it is."

Having forgotten for a moment that he wasn't alone, Ed turned to look at Nora. She was settled comfortably on her horse, adapting to the slight movements of the horse with natural adjustments that were unconscious. He asked, "Getting tired of riding?"

Shaking her head, she replied, "Not really. I can go another hour."

"There's a seep about a half an hour from here. We'll camp there."

She relaxed on the horse, relieved that they would be stopping soon. Five hours on horseback could be tough on the body, particularly when you weren't used to riding that much. Odds were good that her ass would be sore the next morning. At least this wasn't the first day of the trip, but nearly the last. Smiling, she said, "That would be perfect. I'll admit that I'm worried about my ass getting a little sore."

"Sorry about that. I didn't realize that we would take that long to get back here." They were about to end a very successful trip. She was amazed at how considerate Ed had been over the duration of the trip.

They started riding on through the canyon. It was another four hours to the mouth, but they would make that trip tomorrow. She watched the canyon floor from habit, a trick she had learned from Ed for finding good sites. After a few minutes of riding quietly, she said, "I have really enjoyed this trip. It's so nice to get away from it all."

"Yes, it is. There are times when I get so fed up with all of my responsibilities that I just have to get out here in the desert."

The entire trip had been spent with her avoiding discussions about their lives outside of rock hunting. Nora had hired a private investigator to check his background. Although she trusted Kim and her judgement, it was still a good idea to check up on someone that she was going to be alone with in the desert. She had been shocked when she learned about Ed and wondered how it was that she hadn't known about him. She replied, "I know what you mean. You have no idea what it is like to be a public figure. I'm surprised that we haven't had a helicopter overhead trying to take pictures of us."

Laughing, Ed said, "That's why we are here. This is reservation land and the Chief holds absolute control over who comes on the land."

Entering the reservation had been quite an experience for Nora. She was used to having people fawn all over her, but they had been practically indifferent to her presence. The people on the reservation had acted like Ed was some sort of holy man and treated him with the same kind of respect as they showed the Chief and the tribal Medicine Man. A couple had basically fallen all over themselves making sure that he was comfortable. Glancing at Ed, she asked, "Do they always treat you with that kind of respect?"

"I am a member of the Carter Clan," replied Ed as though that explained everything. As far as he was concerned it was explanation enough.

It didn't tell her anything. She asked, "What does that mean?"

"John funded the Native American College."

"There was a bit more than that in their treatment of you," she countered.

"I am a Druid. The Medicine Men of the tribes recognize us as holy men," replied Ed.

It was easy to forget that he was a Druid out here. He was wearing blue jeans, western shirt, cowboy boots, and his hat. Sitting on his horse, he looked exactly like a cowboy, which made sense since her investigation had shown that he used to work as a cowboy. She replied, "It seems to me that you've known this particular tribe for a while."

"Yes. We have a standing deal that I give them an equal share of the stones collected. That's why I have insisted that we take three samples of each mineral we find. They like to sell them to the tourists at some of the trading post stores on the border of the reservation," replied Ed.

"Why don't they mine the stones themselves?"

Ed pulled up his horse and answered, "They don't want to hurt the land."

After pulling ahead of him, she pulled up her horse and turned to look at him. She asked, "So why do they let you look?"

"I don't hurt the land. A few samples here and there is a far different thing than a mine."

She sat there for a moment thinking about what he said. It made sense, but she knew that he was opening a mine. Rather than pursue the topic further, she turned to look around. She heard Ed climb off his horse and turned back to look at him as she asked, "What?"

"We're here."

She looked around and noticed the small patch of green plants along the canyon wall; a sure sign of a seep, a place where water collected under the ground. Digging a small hole there would give them access to the water, which they would use to water the horses. Ed had been careful to take them from seep to seep as they traveled. They were good places to camp as it made watering the horses much easier.

She climbed down and felt the muscles in her legs complain. Stretching, she said, "I'm going to be stiff tonight."

In a teasing voice, Ed said, "We'll turn you into a bow-legged cowgirl before long."

Laughing, she replied, "That would kill my acting career."

Looking over at her, Ed asked, "Is that a bad thing?"

The question shocked her. He was the first one to realize that her acting career was the hobby and collecting rocks was her passion. She looked over at him and said, "The pay is so good."

"I bet that you spend most of your money leading a lifestyle that you detest."

Shocked by his insights, she asked, "Why do you say that?"

Looking at the canyon walls around him, he said, "You are too comfortable here to be comfortable surrounded by lots of people."

Stunned, she stared at him in disbelief. In one insightful sentence he had laid bare a fundamental truth that she had worked so hard to hide in California. She looked down at the ground and said, "True."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. I feel trapped by my job," she answered. She owned a house that required her to work to continue the payments. Her clothes were expensive, often costing several thousand dollars for a single outfit. When you lead a lifestyle intended to impress, you hemorrhaged money faster than you could earn it.

"You can always sell your property and move out of that area after your next movie," replied Ed.

"What about everyone that depends on me for a living?"

"Will they get other jobs? Would they stand beside you if your career started to fail?"

The question made her think about what she really wanted. Was she as trapped as she let people make her think she was? Would they stay with her if bad things happened? The answer to that last question was that the majority of people that leeched off her would be gone in a second. Maybe two people would be upset, but they would get on with their lives. She smiled as she looked at Ed and realized that his questions were exactly what she had needed to hear. Clearly, he wasn't expecting her to answer as he had started to unsaddle the horses and set up camp.

The two went to work establishing a camp. She laid out the bedrolls and he set up the latrine. There wasn't any significant amount of dead brush with which to build a fire for cooking. They could get a reasonable fire for lighting the night, but not to cook. After searching far and wide, Ed said, "Cold dinner tonight."

Nora said, "I can make some soup. I have a small can of sterno."

The idea of having a cup of hot soup sounded good to Ed. He hadn't thought about packing sterno for cooking in the field. Nodding, he replied, "That sounds good."

Dinner was soup, canned fruits, some left over rolls with canned deviled ham, and accompanied with tang. It was an odd selection of food, but it filled the stomach and was easy to make. It didn't take long to eat, so the pair was done with their dinner well before sunset. Clean up was a simple affair, both of them shared the duties and the job was soon done.

Ed went to work setting up a fire that would burn long and produce a constant low level light around the camp. Laying down on their individual bedrolls, they watched the sky slowly darken. The western horizon was not visible and being in the canyon meant that dark arrived early. Nora, rolling over onto her side, asked, "We've been camping for four days and tomorrow is the last day. You haven't hit on me once throughout the entire trip. Why?"

Glancing over in her direction, Ed replied, "It's not time for that yet."

"What do you mean?"

Yawning, Ed answered, "I want to make sure that if we sleep together, then it will be for all the right reasons. I want you to know why I'm doing it. Right now, you'd think the wrong thing."

"What? I'm not pretty enough for you?" she asked irritated at his attitude. She knew that there were lots of men that jerked off to pictures of her.

"You're pretty enough. I'm not all that interested in looks even though my wives are three of the most beautiful women in the world," replied Ed.

She knew about his inability to lie. Sitting up to face him across the fire, she asked, "Don't you want to sleep with me?"

Pursing his lips as he gave careful thought to what he was about to say, he finally answered, "More than you can imagine."

"So why don't you?"

Laughing at her lack of understanding, Ed said, "Because you don't understand why I'm not sleeping with you."

Frustrated, she threw herself back on the bedroll and growled out her frustration. This man was infuriating. Laying on the bedroll, she looked up at the sky as the stars finally came out. Even in the canyon, the number of stars overhead were amazing. It was impossible to see this many stars in LA.

Ed was quiet as he considered his situation. Nora was a beautiful woman who believed that all men were interested in her for her body. It was a glorious body, but she had a much better mind than she allowed others to see. Over the past few days, she had shown signs of brilliance, but would quash it when he commented on it. He made love to the woman and not her body. She hid behind her body and he wasn't going to make love to her until she stopped hiding behind it.

He liked Nora almost as much as he liked Kim. In many ways, she was as good of a rock-hunting partner as Kim and in a few ways she was better. She didn't feel a need to talk as much as Kim but knew how to stay quiet and listen. She was just as enthusiastic about finding a good sample as anyone else. That was always an advantage in a partnership.

The night sky slowly darkened, but the stars shone brighter. In a couple of hours, the moon would reach a height where it could be seen from within the canyon. Ed sat up and put a few more little branches on the fire. They would slowly burn, giving forth enough light to see around the camp.

Settling back on his bedroll, he continued to look up into the night sky. Finally, she said, "How am I supposed to know when you would sleep with me without letting me know?"

Knowing that the question would burn within her for a long time, Ed replied, "You will know when you have accepted yourself as you really are."

She frowned and lay back down on her bedroll. Ed slowly dropped off to sleep and didn't hear the questions of frustrations that she asked before realizing that he was asleep. Getting up, she undressed in the hope that the sight of her naked body in the morning would tempt him into relieving her need for physical release. Lying down, she fingered herself to an unsatisfying orgasm and fell asleep afterwards.

Ed woke in the morning before Nora. That didn't surprise him since she tended to wake up well after him. He looked over at her and saw that she was sleeping naked atop her bedroll. It was a gorgeous body and one that most men would pay every cent they had to sleep with. It was a shame that the woman was trapped within the body, unable to expose the real person inside.

It took him a little time to build a fire with the small amount of wood that remained. It would be just enough to make two servings of Greek Coffee. He didn't want to go through her pack to locate the sterno as that was her property. Filling a cup with a little water, a couple of spoons of fine ground coffee, and some sugar was all that was required. Once the fire had consumed the majority branches, he set the cup on the few coals that had formed. It wasn't much, but it was enough to boil half a cup of coffee. Once the coffee was started, Ed sat back and watched Nora as she slept. Asleep, the real self, the insecure, focused, and ambitious woman, was evident in her body and face. Ed appreciated the chance at having a glimpse into the real woman.

Wandering over to the latrine, Ed took the opportunity to take a leak. There are times when the first piss of the day feels so good and this was one of those times. Finished with his business, he zipped up his pants and headed back to the fire. After using a baby wipe to clean his hands, Ed checked out the coffee and found that it was ready. Taking a second cup, he poured half of the coffee in it.

Sipping the hot strong coffee, he felt the caffeine kick in and could feel his mind starting to clear. Leaning over, he moved the cup with the rest of the coffee off all the coals but one. That single coal would keep it warm until she woke. Finishing his cup, he rinsed it out and went over to water the horses.

Watering the horses was a simple matter of clearing out the hole that he had dug the night before. He took the horses over there giving them turns at the hole. As they drank the water, the hole slowly refilled. Once they were watered, he feed them some of the oats from the pack. While they were eating out of the feedbags, he checked their hooves to make sure that there weren't any problems. All four horses were in excellent condition.

Returning to the fire, he found Nora watching him with a frown. Taking another cup out of the pack, he poured the remaining coffee into it and handed it to her. She accepted the cup, but didn't bother to say thanks. It only took him a minute to clean the cup in which he had brewed the coffee. Reaching into the pack, he pulled out two packages of pop tarts and threw one of them to Nora. Still naked, she tried posing to get his attention but he was busy trying to get the pop tarts open. She had no problem getting hers open; she shredded it in frustration.

Munching on his breakfast, Ed looked around the camp. They would be moving out in an hour and still had to clean up the site. He wondered how long it would take for Nora to get dressed. He chuckled when he glanced up at her and saw the angry look she was giving him. Politely, he asked, "Would you like another one?"

"No, I don't want another one."

Nodding his head, he replied, "Okay. I hope that you don't get dressed. I'll enjoy watching you ride."

She turned to yell at him, but caught the huge grin on his face. She realized how ridiculous the situation was and that it was time for her to start acting like a grownup. She went over to her clothes and dressed. Breaking camp didn't take much time once they started working together.

A couple of hours hunting for samples passed before their rock hunt came to an end. They had to ride to the truck, load the horses into the four-horse trailer, and visit with the Chief. As they rode out of the canyon, Ed asked, "So are you willing to come out here with me again?"

Despite her frustration, Nora had never before had so much fun collecting rocks. It was as though he were psychic the way that he could find great samples. Previously, she had spent twice as long in the field and found only half the variety of samples that she had found this trip. She replied, "Of course, I'll go rock hunting with you again."

Smiling, he said, "I'm glad."

"Really?" That he would actually be glad that she would go with him again surprised her. She wasn't sure how he felt about her. His refusal to have sex with her did not make sense to her. Most men would have been more than happy to have sex with her.

"Yes, really."

When they reached the truck, they fed and watered the horses before leading them into the horse trailer. Getting into the cool air of the truck was almost a shock to the system after so many days out in the desert. Although it was only an hour drive to the Chief's house, their bodies would be used to the cooler temperature by the time they arrived there.

The Chief welcomed the pair into his house with a simple wave of his hand. They both carried their saddlebags and with care, emptied the contents onto the kitchen table. There were sixty-three different kinds of rocks with three samples of each kind. Ed pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and offered one to the Chief. After each man lit a cigarette they turned their attention to the rocks. Drawing one of the samples, the Chief looked at it and set it down on the table in front of him. So far, they had not spoken a single word. When Nora didn't move, Ed said, "Take a sample of the same kind as Chief Daniels just took."

Nora looked at the sample in front of the Chief and took a sample of the same type of rock as the Chief. When she had done that, Ed took the remaining sample of that type. Nora sat there waiting for the Chief to take another sample. After a minute, Ed said, "Now you get to choose the first sample."

The rest of the process of dividing up the samples collected was performed quietly, with no one saying a word. Each took a turn pulling the first sample. Once the center pile of samples was cleared, Ed put out his cigarette in the ashtray, stood up, and shook the hand of the Chief. The Chief said, "It is always good to deal with an honest man."

"Thank you. I like doing business with you, Chief Daniels."

The Chief turned to Nora and said, "I hope that you are satisfied with the samples you collected. Maybe you will come here again with Ed."

"I'll be very happy to return here with Ed," replied Nora as she looked at the Chief.

He smiled at her and said, "I enjoyed your last movie, Nora Turner."

The Hollywood Movie Star in her came out. Sitting up straighter in pride, she replied, "Why thank you, Chief Daniels. I'm quite proud of that movie."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed looked at her and shook his head. The Chief noticed and said, "She is young. It takes a long time for a brave to learn humility."

Nodding at the older man's patience, Ed said, "That comes with experience."

Frowning, Nora listened to the exchange between the two men. It dawned on her that they were talking about how she craved attention and praise for her work. That irritated her. She worked hard for everything she had achieved. She was about to say something when she realized with whom she was talking. The Chief ruled over an entire tribe and had undoubtedly earned their respect. Ed was a Druid that had affected so many lives and could call world leaders on his cell phone. She asked, "Is it not good to take pride in your accomplishments?"

After glancing at Ed, Chief Daniels answered, "There is the pride that you feel and the pride that you announce. The first is good while the second is begging for attention. Many young braves feel they have to earn a reputation as warriors and will boast of their deeds. Other braves perform the same acts and let others sing their praise."

Ed added, "It is rare to have a brave that can laugh at himself for his failures."

Nodding, the Chief patted Ed on the shoulder and said, "Those are the ones who become great leaders."

Nora had listened to the men exchange their views. At first, she thought that they didn't know how Hollywood worked. You had to promote yourself to get the next job. That meant going to all the right parties and telling everyone how good you were. As she thought about it, she realized that none of the truly great stars attended those same parties. Rather than commenting, she sat there quietly listening to them.

The Chief stood and went into the kitchen. After a few minutes, he returned with two packages wrapped in aluminum foil and handed them to Ed. He said, "Susan made this flat bread for you. Harry shot a nice buck and wrapped a roast for you."

Ed accepted the gift and nodded his acceptance. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a toolkit the size of a credit card. Handing it to the Chief, he said, "Make sure that Harry gets this."

Chief Daniels looked at the toolkit and said, "Nice. He will like it."

Reaching into the backpack, Ed brought out a sheet of paper. Handing that over, he said, "Marguerite gave me a recipe for duck. I think that Susan will like it."

"You are a good man and know the ways of our people, Ed," replied the Chief as he set the two gifts on the table. Leading the couple to the door, he said, "Give the regards of our tribe to John Carter. We have two of our tribe entering law school."

"The tribe grows stronger," replied Ed.

"Yes, it does," replied Chief Daniels.

At the door, the two men shook hands. Ed reached in his pocket and pulled out the open pack of cigarettes. He had opened it when they had come out and now he handed the pack over to the Chief. Nora had watched the entire discussion and transaction with wide eyes hardly understanding a single thing the men had said. She knew they were speaking English, but it seemed like the topic of conversation kept switching with every sentence. Ed led her to the truck and said, "We'll go back to the Auction House and drop off the horses. Then we can go back to my place and have dinner."

Nora nodded and got in the truck with Ed. Ed drove to the Auction House where he kept his horses. Nora did not know that this was where Ed used to work. When they reached there, it was late but an auction was being held. Two men were herding cattle through the auction pens, the auctioneer was giving his patter, and Greg Dow was keeping a close eye on things. Greg, the young man that had helped them catch the College Serial Killers, noticed their arrival and came over to help unload the horses.

Ed climbed out of his truck and turned to Greg. With a large smile, he said, "Greg. You are looking good. This desert air must agree with you."

Nora walked around the truck in time to hear Greg answer, "I never would have thought of running this kind of business when I was in school. I bless the day that I met you."

Noticing the arrival of Nora, Ed said, "Nora Turner, this is Greg Dow. Greg, this is Nora Turner. I met Greg when I was writing my dissertation."

As Nora and Greg started to talk, Ed went to the horse trailer and started leading the horses out. They were more than ready to get out of the trailer and into the corral where there was fresh water. It only took Ed about ten minutes to take care of the getting the horses unloaded. After he put feedbags filled with oats on the horses, he started combing his horse. When he was done, he was surprised to find Greg and Nora combing two of the other horses. Wandering over to the last horse, he started to work on it. After five days out in the desert, all four horses looked in better shape than when he had picked them up.

When he finished the last horse, he went over to where Greg and Nora were talking. He arrived just in time to hear Greg say, "He got stabbed twice."

"Who got stabbed?" asked Ed wondering if there had been some kind of incident while he was gone.

"You."

"Oh, yeah," replied Ed realizing what Greg had been telling her. He turned to Nora and said, "You should have seen Greg. He was a regular hero. Protected his girlfriend and kept an insane woman from killing me. Those killers would have kept killing more people if he hadn't acted as he did."

Nora realized that Ed had just deflected all discussion about his role in the incident and gave credit to Greg. It was at that time, that she realized that Greg hadn't mentioned his role in the events. She thought about the words of the Chief and realized that these men didn't boast about themselves, but let others do it for them. Greg changed the subject and said, "I'm still learning to ride, but those cowboys over there keep giving me the meanest orneriest horses in the entire county. Yesterday, I got on one and kicked it like you're supposed to and the damn thing took off running. I was left sitting on thin air watching the ass end of that horse disappear."

Ed and Nora laughed at the description of riding the horse. Ed said, "Let me guess. They gave you Nevada's race horse to ride."

"Yep. Took the men three hours to chase down that animal," answered Greg as he laughed.

Ed knew that Greg could actually ride pretty well. The men in the yard were just playing jokes on him and he was letting them do it. Each of those men knew that in a pinch they could count on Greg to do the right thing by them. Ed asked, "So when are you going to show them how well you can really ride?"

"Aw, they know," replied Greg with a crooked smile. He had worked to earn their respect and suffered all of the new guy pranks when he first started. Nevada and Ed had warned him what to expect and how he could earn the respect of the men that would work for him.

Finished with the horses, Ed said his farewells to Greg and went over to the truck. Nora followed after him and got into the passenger seat. As Ed was pulling out of the auction house, she said, "Seems that you have helped a few people around here."

"I've helped a few. Most people credit me with far more than I actually have done," replied Ed. Ed was telling the truth as he knew it.

Nora said, "I noticed that when Greg was talking about you, that you changed the subject to Greg. He then changed the subject to a joke about himself."

Glancing over at Nora, Ed nodded and said, "Greg is a good kid. He's turned into quite a manager. Those men that work for him will walk through fire to help him out of a jam."

What was it that the Chief had said? He was proud of his accomplishments to himself, but didn't beg for attention. He could laugh at himself and that would make him a great leader. That had described Greg and now Ed was saying that Greg was a real leader for the men that worked for him. She caught Ed looking at her and realized that he had a good idea what she was thinking.

They pulled into the driveway to the house and were flagged down by Bob who was waiting for them in the driveway. Concerned that something bad might have happened to one of the wives or one of the kids, Ed pulled over immediately and rolled down his window. Bob stepped over to the open window and said, "I'll park that and bring your stuff into the house. You guys are probably pretty tired. George has a guestroom set up for Nora and Marguerite has a snack for you to eat until dinnertime. Ling has returned to the house."

"Thanks," replied Ed, relieved that there was nothing wrong at home. Picking up the two foil-wrapped packages, Ed got out of the truck while Nora got out the other side. They both stretched to get their muscles moving again and then went into the house. George was waiting for them and took Nora up to a guestroom. Ed wandered into the kitchen and found Marguerite reading a cookbook while Shauna was cooking. He dropped the two packages in front on Marguerite and said, "A venison roast and some Indian Flat Bread."

Smiling up at Ed, Marguerite asked, "Did you give away the duck recipe?"

"Yes, I did," answered Ed with a grin knowing that Marguerite would be happy that he had given the recipe to someone that would actually try it.

"We'll have this tomorrow for lunch, it that's okay."

"No problem," replied Ed.

Excusing himself, he went to his room to shower and change clothes. It took him about twenty minutes to accomplish both tasks. Rather than wear his jeans, he just threw on his robe so that he could take a swim once Nora had gone to bed. Once he was clean and dressed, he felt a million times better. Then it was time for him to search for Nora and guide her through the house.

Stepping out of his room, he was met by an amused Ling. She looked at him for a minute and then said, "She's as pretty as Cathy described."

"Who?" asked Ed as he looked over his wife. He was happy that she was home and looked forward to an evening alone with her.

"Nora Turner, the movie star," answered Ling.

"Oh, yeah. She's okay," replied Ed. Leaning over, he kissed Ling and then said, "You are so much prettier than her."

Ling blossomed under his compliment. She asked, "So did you sleep with her?"

"No."

"No?"

"Practically drove her crazy because I wouldn't."

Ling was silent for a half a second and then said, "I bet you are horny as hell."

"That's an understatement."



-------

Chapter 22


Ed and Ling were making love in the doggy position. His hands pulled her onto his cock even as she pushed back against him. Her loud vocalizations of sexual pleasure carried through the entire house and drove Ed to drive his cock into her harder. The hard thrusts only increased her pleasure and the volume of her voice. It was a cycle that drove both of them to higher pleasure.

Buttocks clenched as the come boiled up from his balls to fill her waiting cunt, Ed screamed out his pleasure in a roar like a lion. Ling put her face into a pillow, an act that muffled her orgasmic scream. Sweat dripping off his body and a thin film of sweat covering hers, the two exhausted lovers separated to allow their bodies to cool. Pulling away from her, his cock pulled out with a sucking sound.

They collapsed on the bed, sexual appetites sated. Her ass was still up in the air as she had relaxed back on her heels with her knees tucked up beneath her. Reaching over to her back, Ed ran his hand up and down her spine. She sighed in pleasure in that afterglow that was complemented by continued attention from her husband. This was life and it was good.

After relaxing for fifteen minutes, the pair went into the bathroom to shower. This was Ed's second shower in less than an hour. Taking their time washing each other, they enjoyed each other's company without it turning into a sexual encounter. For Ling, the best part came when Ed washed her hair, his gentle fingers massaged her scalp. It always amazed Ed how much the women loved to have their hair washed by someone else. Of course, that was nothing compared to how much they enjoyed watching him shave.

Entering the formal living room, Ed and Ling were searching for Nora to show her around the house. Finding the living room empty, Ling suggested they go into the dining room in case Marguerite had set out some snacks in there. The dining room was empty, but there was the sound of laughter coming out of the kitchen. As they approached the door, they could hear Nora say, "That man is so frustrating. I was horny the entire time I was out there and he didn't make a move on me. When I asked him to do it, he said no. He gets here and ten minutes later I hear a woman screaming in orgasm."

Ling looked over at Ed and smiled as she shook her head. Even she was tempted by Nora's body and couldn't understand how he resisted the temptation. Marguerite said, "Nobody can make Ling scream like that except Ed, Leroy, and John. Those men just love making love. I've always found him to be a fun lover."

Nora immediately compared bodies, shocked that he would sleep with the large woman and ignore her. She asked, "How could he ignore me? I was naked in the morning and he just fixed breakfast."

Ling pushed Ed away from the door and whispered, "Go take a swim. We'll be there in a while."

Knowing better than to argue, Ed headed to the swimming pool. He knew it was time for girl talk and no men were allowed. Rather than jump in the pool, Ed sat down in one of the chairs and thought about the next few years. For all intents and purposes, he had to move to North Carolina. In fact, all of the family was going to have to move there. Ed was going to start teaching. John was staying on the campus full time as president of the college. The wives would either live at the college or commute between Arizona and North Carolina. Kelly was definitely living at the college.

In the kitchen, Ling sat down at the table across from Nora with a look on her face like the cat that caught the canary. In a very pleasant voice, she said, "How was your trip?"

Surprised by the directness of the question, Nora stared at Ling unable to believe that this beautiful woman was one of the wives. When Ed had said that he was married to three of the most beautiful women in the world, she had just assumed that he was talking like a husband that was proud of his wife. Ling, with her petite oriental build and Caucasian features, looked exotic. An aura of strength surrounded her even though she was just sitting in her chair relaxed. If she had seen Ling before going on the trip, there was no way that she would have tried to seduce Ed. Hesitating somewhat, she answered, "We found lots of rocks."

"Isn't he great in bed?"

Looking down at the table and wondering if this was going to be a jealousy scene out of a B-grade movie, Nora replied, "I wouldn't know."

Ling sat back in her chair and pretended to examine Nora carefully. Finally, she said, "Even though I would take you into my bed in a minute, you must not be pretty enough for Ed. I suspect that he sees a real potential for beauty in you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken you out in the desert."

The comment was so mixed with positives and negatives that Nora had no idea how to respond. Despite the fact that she wasn't into women, it was nice to know that this woman thought she was beautiful enough to have sex. He didn't think she was pretty, but he saw potential in her. She asked, "What does it mean, he sees potential for beauty in me?"

Ling, glancing over at Marguerite, could tell that the Chef knew what she had meant. Winking, she gave her permission for her to be the one to explain it to Nora. Marguerite came up behind Nora and laid her hands on her shoulder. Leaning over so that her mouth was next to Nora's ear, she whispered, "I will explain it to you later."

When Marguerite went over to the stove to check on dinner, Ling leaned forward and said, "Ed and I shall be in the pool room. Come join us when you are ready."

Ling left the table and the room without waiting for an answer. It was time for Nora to grow up, to put behind the glamour and to discover true beauty. She could think of no one better than Marguerite to provide that lesson.

When Ling had left the room, Shauna who had been listening, left the room as well knowing that this was something that Marguerite needed to handle all by herself. Nora swiveled to face Marguerite and asked, "Why would he sleep with you and not me? What does she mean that I have potential for beauty?"

Not answering immediately, Marguerite took the time to fix a cup of hot tea. Coming over to the table, she sat down and took a sip of her tea. In a way, the questions Nora had asked were insulting to her personally and that was part of the reason why Ed hadn't slept with her. Rather than answer the questions directly, she asked, "Did you ever ask yourself what he would be getting out of fucking you other than the chance to rub his cock against your body?"

The crudeness of the question shocked Nora. She was about to react, but then stopped to think about what had really been asked. What would Ed have gotten out of it? She was the one that was horny. Was she really horny or was this an attempt to put the man in a position in which she held power over him? She sat back in the chair and stared at Marguerite. Clearly the large woman understood aspects of having sex with men that she had never known existed. Putting her hands up to her face to wipe away the tears that suddenly formed, she asked, "What more is there?"

Marguerite let the woman cry, knowing that to interrupt would not allow the poisons in her soul to escape. Controlling herself so that she wouldn't shake her head and send the wrong message, she thought about how tough a job Ed had actually taken on by accepting her as a rock-hunting partner. Just a week ago, she had met Nora for the first time and had been overwhelmed by her glamour. Today, she saw that it was a shell that perhaps held a real person.

When Nora stopped crying, Marguerite handed her a napkin and said, "There is rape, there is fucking, there is sex, and there is making love. Ed almost always makes love, but he will engage in sex occasionally."

Nora knew about rape, but the other distinctions that Marguerite had made were beyond her. She asked, "What's the difference?"

"Rape is a form of violence against another human being. Fucking is mutual masturbation where the whole idea is just to get off and the person you are doing it with doesn't even matter. Sex is a form of play with lots of laughter and fun, best done with friends. Making love is a mutual sharing of each other's souls, seeking to give each other pleasure without regard for your own," replied Marguerite.

"You say that Ed almost always makes love?" asked Nora wondering how the wives would possibly allow him to do that with other women.

With a deep sigh, Marguerite answered, "Oh, yes. Ed knows how to love and has a boundless amount of it. My husband Bob is that way too, but not many women know it."

"Are you saying that the reason that Ed didn't sleep with me is because I don't know how to make love?"

Nodding to indicate that Nora was on the right track, she asked, "What do you know about Ed?"

"I investigated him and learned a lot about the things he's done."

Hearing that she had investigated Ed bothered Marguerite, but as she considered how many weirdoes Nora might have to deal with she was able to moderate her anger. The reply given did not answer the question asked. She repeated her question. "What do you know about Ed?"

"What do you mean?"

"What does he like? What doesn't he like?"

Nora stared at Marguerite and realized that after spending five days with Ed, she couldn't answer either of those questions with any certainty. Voice faltering, she said, "I don't know."

Marguerite shook her head and stood up from the table rather disturbed by the woman sitting there. She asserted, "You spent almost a week with Ed where he is the happiest and you didn't even bother to learn anything about him. I know women that would give their tits to spend that much time with Ed out on the desert."

Turning on the radio, she started dancing and returned to the stove where the soup for dinner was still simmering. Leaning over, she waved a hand over the pot to bring the aroma to her nose so that she could smell it without burning her sinus passages. The flavors were blending well, as the stronger flavors slowly lost their strength and the weaker flavors started to emerge. Totally involved in cooking, she didn't hear Nora leave the kitchen.

The staff, with the exception of Marguerite, had gathered in the poolroom for a chance to talk with Ed and Ling. The house had felt so empty lately without them there. They had missed the activity and chaos that came from having the family at home. Sitting around the pool, clothes had been shed as the staff talked about what had been going on in their lives.

Shauna turned to look at Ed and asked, "When are you and I going to do a little horizontal dirty dancing?"

Looking over at Shauna and seeing her full figure jiggle as she made a little dancing move, Ed laughed and said, "When ever you want. Is tonight soon enough?"

Lifting one of her large breasts, dark brown with a black aureole and nipple, she laughed as she said, "It's about three years overdue, I would say."

"Sorry, I didn't know you were interested," replied Ed recalling the conversation with Shirley.

"How much more obvious can a woman get than telling you that she needs a good fucking?" asked Shauna. The women on the staff had said that one needed to hit Ed and John over the head to let them know they were interested in sleeping with one of the men. She hadn't believed it until she had seen it.

"I thought you were complaining about not having a boyfriend," replied Ed.

"Honey, I got men lined up wanting a piece of this full figured woman. I've been dating a man for about a year now," explained Shauna.

"Who?"

"Desmond Van Engen," replied Shauna. She rather liked the idea of becoming Shauna Van Engen in the not too distant future.

Hoping that he knew the man, Ed was disappointed to discover that he didn't recognize the name. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm sorry. I don't recognize the name. He's not from around here."

George answered, "He's the assistant Chef at the Gourmand. Marguerite was going to use him as a substitute Chef while she was on her honeymoon until Jim opened the new restaurant when his old boss was arrested."

Giggling like a schoolgirl, Shauna said, "You should see us cooking. Sometimes we even make it to the kitchen."

Ed laughed at the mental image, pleased to learn that Shauna had found someone with whom she shared a passion. He said, "I bet that is a sight to behold."

The family laughed at that, Shauna the hardest. Years of being ashamed of her body, viewing herself as a second class citizen, and distrusting whites had been stripped away leaving a happy woman. Now she felt sorry for skinny women that weren't loved for the person inside. So far her experience with Nora had upset her more than she could say and it wasn't because she knew that Nora didn't think highly of her as a woman.

Ed looked over at Walt and George and asked, "So what have you to guys been up to lately?"

Walt answered, "We are publishing another book. That one will make the third book that we've gotten out. The next one is going to be a lot of work as we are covering the period from 1965 to 1970. Lots of wars during that time with the big one being Vietnam."

George said, "We are thinking of splitting that one into two volumes. One covering the other engagements around the world and one dealing only with Vietnam."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," replied Ed. He asked, "So what else happened other than the Vietnam war?"

"Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Greece, Bolivia, Indonesia, and Cuba, to name a few areas of engagements," replied George.

Looking over at George, Bob said, "I didn't realize that our military was busy in so many parts of the world. I always thought of Vietnam as the only war of that time period."

Smiling, Walt said, "Most of that was CIA with minor military support. Still, American Soldiers fought and died for our country. We can't forget Korea, soldiers were still getting shot across the DMZ."

Ed asked, "Is there a real need for another book on Vietnam?"

Walt and George looked at each other for a minute, as it was a question they hadn't even asked themselves. As they stood up, Walt said, "Excuse us for a little while."

"Sure," replied Ed to their backs as they walked out of the room. He knew they were going to debate the issue in great detail.

Bob was smiling as the men left the room. Turning to Cathy, he said, "I think they just had a great solution to their problem."

"What problem?" asked Ed.

"They've been wondering how they could add anything to the Vietnam story. It was such a politicized war and has been the subject of so many books that there wasn't much that they could do with it," answered Cathy. The two men had been concerned for the past couple of months that they would get locked into a ten-year study of the Vietnam war and only achieve a repeat of the other books already on the market.

Smirking, Sarah said, "Now we can get them to concentrate of us rather than that silly war."

Cathy laughed at Sarah's suggestion. Noticing the interplay between the two women and adding in what he had heard before, Ed had confirmation that the four were an item. He asked, "So are you four going to get married?"

"The men keep wanting to make honest women out of us, but we aren't sure that we want to be all that honest," replied Sarah with a giggle. Walt and George had proposed several times in the past, but they had put off giving an answer. They weren't sure if they wanted to marry and what effect that would have on their working relationship.

Bob said, "Marguerite and I kept our separate bedrooms. We very seldom sleep apart, but it is nice having the chance to occasionally entertain others. It must be essential if you have more than spouse."

Nodding his agreement, Ed said, "Yes. It's murder trying to get a good nights sleep if you don't have a bedroom with a lock on the door."

Feigning anger and slapping him on the arm, Ling said, "You're going to get lots of sleep from now on, buddy."

"Oh, no," replied Ed in mock horror as everyone laughed at the exchange.

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Nora. Seeing everyone sitting around the pool naked, she was amazed to see that none of the cocks were erect. Sarah, with her Native American features, was very attractive. Ling, despite having had a child, still had a body that most women would kill for. Cathy was a very attractive woman who conveyed a sense of complete control. The men were all well built. Glancing down at Ed's cock, she nearly ruined a pair of panties as her feminine juices started flowing. Most surprising of all, was how Shauna was seated amongst them, large and naked. There was nothing that one would call beauty about her build, her breasts hung too far down, she had rolls of fat around her stomach with cellulite on her legs, and horrible skin tone as the results of loosing weight had left her with excess skin.

Shauna noticed the arrival of Nora and said, "I guess that means I have to get back to the kitchen."

Smiling at her, Ed said, "Tonight is the night."

"Oh, I can't wait to have that cock inside me," replied Shauna with a giggle as she dressed. She wiggled her ass in Ed's direction as she pulled up her skirt.

"Eight at my room?"

Licking her lips and playing with her breasts, Shauna answered, "Try to keep me away."

As Ed laughed at the teasing, Nora stared at the fat black woman wondering how Ed could possibly stand to go to bed with her. Despite her discussion with Marguerite, she couldn't imagine a man possibly wanting to sleep with that body. She shivered as a wave of revulsion swept through her body. The indifference that everyone else exhibited to the attractive and the unattractive confused her.

Ling, noticing the discomfort of Nora, said, "Grab a chair and make your self comfortable."

Seeing all of the naked people looking over at her, she sat down on the chair purposely keeping her clothes on in an attempt to see what people said about it. She was disappointed that no one made a comment, taking it as a sign that they didn't want to see her body. She knew that people wanted to see her body, she had been paid a lot of money to appear in movies naked and nearly naked.

Bob asked, "Would you like some iced tea?"

"Yes, thank you," replied Nora.

Bob went over to the refrigerator and poured her a glass of iced tea from the pitcher inside it. Carrying the pitcher back to the chairs, he set it upon the small table and handed her the glass of tea. He did not react in any fashion to her sitting there fully clothed although she doubted that he would be so calm if she were naked.

Dr. and Mrs. Hayes entered the poolroom thinking that they might be able to sneak in and have a swim. The fact that everyone was naked didn't surprise them in the least. The time spent in the house had made it clear that no one wore clothes around the pool unless they really wanted to do that. Mrs. Hayes asked, "Is this a private party?"

"Not at all. Make yourselves comfortable while I get you some tea," answered Ed as he stood. While the elderly couple undressed, Ed fetched two glasses for iced tea. Returning to his seat, he filled them both from the pitcher and passed the glasses over to them as they took their seats.

Nora had watched the old couple undress with the calm assurance of complete acceptance by the people in the room. She frowned as she looked over the Doctor. Mrs. Hayes noticed her and said, "Hello. You're Nora Turner, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," replied Nora avoiding looking at her.

At a wink from Ed, Mrs. Hayes said, "I enjoy your movies."

"Thank you," replied Nora wondering how she could excuse herself from the room without creating a scene. She didn't like being around ugly and old people; it reminded her of how short her acting career might be.

Realizing that he hadn't performed introductions, Ed interjected, "Dr. and Mrs. Hayes, are our parents-in-law and live in the house next to ours."

The news that they were relatives made her relax a little, but she was still disturbed by the sight of old bodies displayed for anyone to see. She said, "Is Kelly your daughter?"

Dr. Hayes, eyes misting, said, "Kelly is such a lovely young woman and we love her like a daughter, but our daughter was Beth."

That news caused her to look around at Ed and Ling. They both looked a little misty eyed as well. It was then that she realized that their daughter was the wife that had been killed by a car in Los Angeles. She didn't know what to make of that information. She said, "I'm sorry."

"I should have been there," remarked Ling.

Everyone else was quiet and didn't argue with her. It wasn't worth the effort since she was firmly convinced that if she had been there then she could have saved Beth. Mrs. Hayes changed the subject by asking, "So what are you doing here, Ms. Turner?"

"I went rock hunting with Ed," replied Nora wishing that she didn't need to talk to the old woman.

"Oh, that's nice. I'm sure that you had fun," replied Mrs. Hayes with a smile. She winked at Ed and asked, "So Ed, did you have a good time having such an attractive young woman with you? I bet you could hardly keep your hands off her."

Laughing, Ed said, "Why Mrs. Hayes, I can't believe that you asked that."

Dr. Hayes countered, "She's become a randy woman in her old age. Thanks to modern pharmaceuticals, I can keep up with her."

Ling replied, "And you wouldn't have it any other way."

"Your so right," replied the old man with a lecherous grin.

Unable to contain herself any more, Nora burst out, "Gross!"

Turning to look at her, Mrs. Hayes asked, "What's so gross? The fact that an old couple with wrinkles still like to make love?"

"Yes," replied Nora.

Her reply prompted laughter from everyone in the room. Their reaction caused her to flush with anger. Recognizing that she was getting angry, Ed asked, "Nora, why does it bother you that they love each other enough to make love to each other?"

She didn't know how to answer that question without seeming small and petty. How does one say that sex should only occur between attractive people? She answered, "Just the idea makes me shudder."

Frowning, Ed said, "You have never loved anyone."

"I've had my infatuations," replied Nora smugly. She had slept with some of the most desired men in Hollywood. Her romances were covered in tabloids.

"Infatuation? What's that? That's nothing like love," replied Ed. Leaning forward, he looked into her eyes, and said, "Love is wanting the best for the person. There's nothing selfish or possessive about love. It is all about giving."

The look in his eyes chilled her as she felt that he saw into her soul and found it lacking. Catching her breath, she asked, "Am I hopeless?"

"Not yet," replied Ed still looking into her eyes. He wasn't about to tell her that if she waited too much longer, that she would lose the ability to open her heart to anyone. It was never too late for that to happen.

With a very gentle touch, he reached out and brushed her cheek. It was like his touch reached into her and caressed her whole body. She found herself leaning into his touch, amazed at her unconscious reaction to the simple caress. She found that a groan escaped her lips. Self-conscious, she pulled away and asked, "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Touch me like that. I felt in everywhere in my body."

"That is what happens when you are touched by someone that knows how to love. When you are ready to learn how to touch someone in the same way, then I'll sleep with you," said Ed.

Dr. Hayes reached over to her and ran his hand across her cheek in the same manner that Ed had done. The effect was just as electric, a fact that amazed her more than anything else she had experienced that day. If that fat black woman could touch a man with the same kind of effect on him, no wonder Ed would want to sleep with her.

Dr. Hayes said, "I'm ready to take a swim now."

As the elderly couple went into the pool, it sparked a stampede into the water. Everyone jumped into the pool leaving Nora sitting in the chair watching the group at play. There were a few blowup balls floating in the pool and it wasn't long before they were playing a game of keep-away with Ed stuck in the middle.

When Ed had successfully caught one of the balls, the person throwing it went into the middle of the pool. He went over to the edge of the pool and called up, "Come on in, the water is great."

Despite her belief that they would all drool over her body, she decided that it would be nice to swim after so many days in the desert. She stripped and slid into the pool. Within minutes, she was included in the game as they passed the ball to her. In time, she spent a spell in the middle of the pool trying to catch one of the balls that passed over and around her.

Coming out of the pool, Cathy passed out towels so that people could dry off and return to the chairs. Taking a sip of his iced tea, Ed exclaimed, "That was fun."

They were relaxing when George and Walt returned to the poolroom. Sitting down with barely a glance at Nora, Walt said, "We have decided to skip the Vietnam War."

Cathy smiled and asked, "Does that mean you'll be spending more time with Sarah and me?"

Smiling and winking at Walt, George answered, "No. Walt and I will start spend more time together. We don't need any dishonest women in our lives when we have each other."

Sarah, reaching over to Cathy, gave her a solid kiss on the lips as her fingers tweaked the nipples. Sitting back, she said, "We can play that game, too."

Mrs. Hayes said, "Now boys and girls, play nicely with each other or else we are going to have to show you how."

Nora stared open mouthed at the elderly lady unable to believe that she would say something like that. The suggestion of same gender sex had not surprised Nora although she couldn't see doing that herself. It was common enough in Hollywood that a negative reaction would be the ultimate in crassness and could kill a career.

In some ways, she felt like they lived a more decadent lifestyle than half the stars in Hollywood. A group marriage, casual nudity, and sex with others was the kind of stuff that existed in old Hollywood. Walt went around with the pitcher of iced tea refilling everyone's glasses. She noticed that his cock didn't react to her body.

Shauna came in the room and announced, "Dinner is ready."

She was about to add another line, but Ed said, "And the Chefs will poison anyone who doesn't get dressed right now and hurry over there."

As Ling laughed, Shauna said, "Tonight's main course will be filet of Ed."

Everyone stood and started reaching for their clothes. It didn't take them too long to dress and head over to the dining room. Along the way, everyone participated in good-natured teasing about how feeding everyone filet of Ed would undoubtedly poison everyone.

Reaching the table, everyone sat around it continuing to share the moment. When Shauna and Marguerite came out of the kitchen with the tureen of soup, Ed asked, "So how you would prepare filet of Ed without poisoning everyone?"

Marguerite only raised an eyebrow, not aware of the joke that Shauna had told, and answered, "I wouldn't serve filet of Ed. The meat would be too tough and stringy to chew."

Ed leaned back laughing at the comment as Shauna ladled some soup in his bowl. It was one of his favorites, New England Clam Chowder. Looking up from his bowl, he asked, "Did you leave the can in it again?"

Winking at Shauna, Marguerite reached into a pocket and pulled out a small can. She set it in his bowl as she said, "Sorry boss, I forgot that you prefer your soup with can."

As everyone at the table broke out in laughter, Ed calmly tasted a spoonful of his soup. Making little smacking noises with his lips, he looked up at the ceiling as though considering the taste. Finally, he said, "A little low on the iron content in the can. I expected better from you."

Marguerite and Shauna laughed as they carried the tureen of soup into the kitchen. One of these days, they would catch him without a comeback and then they wouldn't know what to do.

Nora watched the exchange fascinated by how easy Ed laughed at jokes, even when played on him. She recalled the words exchanged between Ed and the Chief. The man that can laugh at himself will make a great leader.



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Chapter 23


The truck pulled away from the mine to be replaced by another as a bulldozer growled its way towards the new truck. Dust hung heavy in the air, kicked up by the huge tires of the truck moving through the desert. Ed blinked his eyes trying to rid them of dust, but it was a losing battle that would only be won when the dust settled back to the ground.

Outside of the trucks, it was hard to tell that this was an operational mine. Shouting over the noise of the bulldozer and truck, Calvin explained, "We are taking the wall away a little at a time, starting at the top and moving down to the bottom. The soil at the top is being sold as landfill. The next stratum is being crushed to form gravel for driveways. The layer below that is the one that we are interest in mining and we are processing that offsite. We can stop mining at any time and it will look like natural erosion."

"Are we making money off each layer?" asked Ed.

"We are reducing the cost of mining. We can sell the soil and the gravel at market prices, which is less than it costs us to get it. We may be losing a little money on each truckload, but we would have to spend more to get at the ore any other way. Shoring up the vein would cost a fortune. We are reducing the cost significantly."

It was hard to hear over the noise, but Ed understood the gist of what Calvin was telling him. The two men walked away to where they had parked their trucks, finding that Jack Clark was waiting for them. He approached with a hand extended and said, "Hello, Jack. I was just examining the mining operation."

Smiling, Jack accepted the hand and shook it with a firm grip. He said, "Every night after they leave, I come by here to check out what they have done during the day. I'm amazed, you can hardly tell that they are mining here."

"Are you pleased with the operation? Do you want any changes in how we are doing it?"

"I'm very pleased and can't think of a thing that I would change."

Calvin looked relieved to hear the property owner say that he was pleased and replied, "You've been very cooperative and that has helped a lot."

"Hell, I'm making a fortune out of this," replied the rancher. He was getting paid a percentage of every truckload that left the place and the amount was shocking. He had gotten a check for twenty thousand dollars at the end of the first month.

Terry, Ed's protégé that he had put in charge of this endeavor, was proud to hear what the rancher had to say. They had established a fair lease that left them with lots of profit and yet gave enough to the rancher to assure long-term cooperation. Ed turned to Terry and said, "You've done wonders here."

"Thanks, but most of the credit goes to Calvin. Without his guidance, we'd still be planning how to mine this site," replied Terry. The time spent with Ed had taught him the importance of sharing the credit with those that deserved it. Attempting to hog all of the glory had the opposite effect.

It was time to head back to the office and finish up the details there before leaving for North Carolina. Ed said, "Calvin. Jack. It's been good seeing you. I'm very happy with how the operation is unfolding. If there are any problems, give me a call at the Arizona house and Cathy will get you in touch with me."

Jack, not worried about having problems, replied, "Sure thing. I hope you enjoy it out east."

Calvin laughed and said, "He'll tolerate the east, but he's a desert rat at heart."

"You know me too well," replied Ed. Turning, he went to his truck followed by Terry. The young man got in the passenger side and buckled up his seatbelt.

Driving away, Ed turned to Terry and asked, "So what do the early production numbers look like?"

"The mine pulled in a profit of a hundred thousand last month. That's after all expenses have been covered," answered Terry. He expected the monthly profit to increase since they had paid for a lot of the start up cost last month.

"That's not bad," replied Ed.

"We've been operating in the black since the second week of operations," remarked Terry rather pleased the accomplishment.

"Calvin knows his stuff."

"Yeah, but you found a good site to dig."

They rode comfortable with silence, each man enjoying the desert passing outside the truck in his own way. Sighing, Ed said, "I'm going to miss the desert. I've spent some time at the Druid College. It's nice, but it isn't the desert. The trees seem to swallow the sky. By the Gods and Goddesses, I missed the sky when I was there."

"So you'll be back here three times a year for a week each trip?"

Nodding to acknowledge the correctness of the summary of his plans, he knew that those future visits would not occur often enough to satisfy him. Saddened, Ed answered, "It won't be enough."

Terry, riding in the passenger seat, said, "Well, if you miss the sky too much, then you might want to take up sailing. Lots of sky over the ocean."

Ed looked at Terry like he had just discovered a new rock. Very surprised, he asked, "Sailing?"

"Sure. An ocean is just another desert with water instead of sand," replied Terry incorrectly remembering the lyrics to a rather famous song.

Ed was quiet the rest of the trip back to the office as he considered the suggestion. There were some nice aspects of that solution to his problem. It would still be a long drive to the shore where the boat would be kept. It was only an hour drive to Charlotte from the Druid College and would be a quick flight to the shore. That was doable.

They pulled into the driveway of his old home. Entering the house, he was struck by the fact that it wasn't filled with his old furniture. For a moment, he had been transported back into time to when he had lived there with Kelly and Beth. He really hated leaving for the College since this town was his home.

Lynn, seated behind her desk, had waited all morning for Ed and Terry to return from the mine. She had gone through the books, checking and double-checking the figures she was going to present to him. It was her intention to give Ed a complete picture of his financial health before he left. When Ed had entered the office, she had been daydreaming of ways in which to thank him for all of the opportunities that he had given her. She wasn't even thirty and been given responsibility for managing millions of dollars.

Startled by Ed clearing her throat, she looked up and blushed at the overtly sexual thoughts that had been going through her mind. Pointing to the conference table, Ed went over to it and sat down. Terry and Lynn followed him. As they settled around the conference table to begin the meeting, Ed noticed the tray with a pitcher of iced tea and glasses set out in the middle of the table along with a couple of bowls of mixed nuts.

After pouring glasses of iced tea for everyone, Ed took a handful of nuts and gestured to Lynn to run this portion of the meeting. With a smile, she looked over at him and said, "The last two months have changed your financial picture significantly."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed wondered about her statement. He had reduced his investment in a couple of the more successful businesses and started the mine. Curious, he asked, "How much could it have changed?"

She said, "Well, you doubled your cash on hand and have become worth over a hundred million."

"How?" asked Ed, incredulous that such a change could have occurred in less than two months.

"The software company that you had invested in, was sold for twenty-five million. You owned twenty percent so your share was a five million," she paused to let that sink in. Getting pleasure out of the expression on his face, she added, "Another company just went public and your shares in the company are now worth about fifty million. One of the pizza companies has just franchised itself and they are opening offices across the country at a huge rate. Its value is now around fifty million as well. Your other company holdings have all increased in value to where they are now worth about twenty million."

That much money bothered Ed and he sat back to think about what he could do with it. Sipping his iced tea, his mind worked on the problem. As Lynn started to shift in her chair, he answered, "Sell the shares in the company that went public. I don't like investing in stocks. I prefer to invest in family owned businesses. Why don't you and Terry take a million each as a bonus this year? With the rest, set aside ten percent for taxes, ten percent for future investments, and use the rest for some national charity that is a little under-funded."

Pleased at how well she had been managing the funds, Lynn was totally floored by Ed's use of the money. She hadn't worked so hard to take care of his investments to see him give all of that money away. Shocked, she sat back and said, "You want to give most of it away?"

He leaned forward with a smile understanding the nature of her reaction and that she hadn't realized that she was now a millionaire. With a smile, he said, "Yes, give most of it away. Use the money so that it benefits the most number of people. Maybe use it to buy computers for high schools."

"But, you are giving away almost half of your money," replied Lynn still confused.

Sitting back, Ed said, "Let's consider that software company that I helped start. That was an investment of about fifty thousand dollars. I've been getting about that same amount of money back every year since they started making money. The five million now is gravy that I've never seen or touched. Does it matter that I have it? Not really, I'm happy with what I have."

Doubtfully, Lynn said, "Okay."

"I'd rather think about what I accomplished with that money. For fifty thousand dollars, a young man realized a dream and produced a product that makes the world a better place. He now has fifty people working for him. Those fifty people have jobs, pay for houses, and take care of their families. Now that is really an accomplishment. Amazing what that little bit of money did." Ed smiled as he thought about the last time that he had visited that company. It was a regular beehive of activity as people worked together to accomplish something bigger than anyone of them could have done alone.

Lynn looked at Ed, only then realizing what motivated him. The money wasn't anything except a tool to make things better. She thought to herself how she would live if she were a millionaire and that was when she realized that he had given her a million-dollar bonus for the year. She screamed, "I'm rich!"

Laughing at her sudden realization of her new wealth, Ed said, "I wondered how long it would take you to realize that."

Terry started to laugh and then came to the same realization about his situation. He was now worth a million. Ed said, "Before you get too excited, you had been look into the tax consequences of that bonus."

Lynn was well aware of the tax issues associated with that much money. Every week, she had to go over to the house to work with Cathy and the IRS on Ed's returns that he had to file every quarter. She would have to average that money over the past few years of earnings and follow the incredibly complex tax guidelines for paying taxes on that money. Still, the money that would be left over after paying taxes would be incredible. Glancing at Ed, she asked, "Would you be terribly upset if I chose to invest in the same companies as you?"

Shrugging, he replied, "Not at all. That might allow us to spread the risk around a little better."

The news about the money had derailed her concentration on the subject of the meeting. For a moment, her mind struggled to find a reasonable way to get the meeting back on track. There wasn't a good way to do that, so the change in topic was jarring. She said, "The mine is producing money far earlier than you expected. Two months ago we had halted reinvestment in other businesses so that you would have the money to build up the mine. Now that it is making a profit, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Let's just sit on the money from the mine for a while and see if something interesting crops up. Use the money from the other investments to help other folks starting new businesses," replied Ed. He really didn't have any plans for the money. Thinking about it for a minute, he said, "You might want to hire some assistants with some of the money from the mine."

"Pardon?" asked Terry concerned about having to hire someone.

"You need someone to help you cover the consulting business so that you have the time to watch over the mine."

Lynn looked uncomfortable and said, "I don't really need an assistant."

"Sure you do," replied Ed as he turned his attention to her. He knew that she probably viewed it as a comment that she couldn't handle her responsibilities, but that wasn't the case. She hadn't been growing lately and that distressed him. He added, "You need someone to cover you so that you can take some vacation time. Also, it's time you head back to college."

The suggestion took her breath away. She had been planning on taking business courses in the evening hoping to get a degree in business. With an assistant working for her, she could leave early if necessary to take an extra course every semester. Rather than fight the inevitable, she said, "That might be a good thing for me to do."

Happy that all was established to his satisfaction, Ed said, "Great. Anything else? If not, I had better go. If anything should come up, call me in North Carolina. Odds are, I won't be coming back here to live."

His words made her aware of the finality of his life here. Lynn sat there staring at the table in front of her in dismay. Her daydreams for a farewell gift and a chance to thank him for taking the risk to hire her had fallen apart. Now, after all that he had done for her in the meeting today, there wasn't any kind of a present that could possibly convey how thankful she was for his consideration. At that moment, it truly sunk into her mind that he was leaving.

Ed noticed her sudden change in mood and asked, "Are you okay?"

At the question, Lynn covered her face with her hands and started crying with big sobs that caused her shoulders to jerk. Staring at her, Ed had no idea what he had said or done that would cause that reaction. Looking over at Terry to see if he had a clue as to what was the matter, he found no answer there. Concerned, he stepped around the table and put an arm around Lynn in a move intended to comfort her. Instead, she started crying harder. After a minute, she stood up and ran out of the room, going into the room where all of the computers were kept.

Shocked by her unexplained behavior, Terry asked, "What's going on?"

"I have no idea," replied Ed very confused by her actions. Returning to his chair, he sat down to think about what he should do. Frowning, he said, "It appears that I have upset her somehow. Maybe you could go in and see if you can help her."

Terry left the room while Ed stayed at the table wondering what he had done that could have upset her so greatly. He replayed the conversation in his mind, but could find nothing untoward in it. That led him to wonder if he remembered it correctly. He decided that his comment about her needing to go back to school might have been interpreted as a negative comment about her abilities. He didn't mean it that way, just that she would probably want to sharpen the business skills that she had learned working for him.

Half an hour went by without a noise from the room where Terry and Lynn had retreated. Finally, Terry came out and sat at the table with a very unhappy look on his face. Pouring a glass of iced tea, he said, "She's upset that you are going away and there is no way for her to thank you for all that you've done for her."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "What did I do for her that was so excessive that a simple thank you won't suffice?"

Terry stared at Ed wondering if anyone could actually be so modest. "You have given us a million dollars, provided her with the time and resources to go to school, and you have loved her like your own daughter. What can she possibly do to thank you for all of that?"

"Just say, thank you."

His statement was met with silence as Terry tried to figure out how to tell Lynn what Ed had said. Sipping his tea, he stared at Ed wondering how he could thank him for all that he'd done for him. Finally, the only thing that he could say was, "Let me talk to Lynn for a moment."

Ed nodded his agreement and watched as Terry took two iced teas to the back room. He sipped his and checked his watch. Shirley had asked him to stop by the bar around lunchtime so that she could have a chance to talk before he left for good. He thought about what Terry had said and wondered when he had become old enough to be viewed as a father figure to a woman in her twenties. He guessed it had happened around the time when he had turned forty. In fact, he was old enough to have been her father.

The pair returned from the room. A very subdued Lynn said, "Thank you for all that you've done for me."

Ed stood up and came around to the table. Looking down at her, he said, "I did very little other than give you a chance. You have done all of the hard work."

Sniffling, she threw herself at him and grabbed him in a hug as she began sobbing. "I'm going to miss you."

Arms around her, Ed knew that he was going to miss her and hundreds of other people here in town. In a gentle tone of voice that conveyed his feelings on the matter, he replied, "I'm going to miss you, too."

She finally stopped crying and stepped back from Ed. Years of experience with damsels in distress had caused Ed to be prepared for situations such as this. He reached into his pocket and removed a handkerchief. Handing it to her, he allowed her the time to compose herself before leaving.

Shirley's bar, nestled on the street between the restaurant and a new fabric store, shone like a beacon of safety for Ed. Years ago it had been a rowdy honky-tonk with beer fights, juke box music, and quarter a game pool. Over the years it had evolved into a friendly place where the majority of clients drank cokes, talked with friends, and danced on the dance floor with their lovers. It reflected the drastic change in underlying temper of the town.

Smiling, Ed entered the bar expecting to find Shirley in her usual place for two in the afternoon. Instead of an empty bar, it was filled with the women of the town sitting around the tables, talking with each other, laughing, and having a good time. On entering, the conversations slowly came to a halt as all eyes turned to look at him. Thinking he had interrupted a Ladies Meeting, Ed said, "Oh, excuse me. I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting. I'll come back later."

"You aren't interrupting anything. We've been waiting for you to show up," replied Shirley from a table she shared with Mary, Maria, and Rosa. Four glasses of wine were set around the table.

Ed looked at all of the women in the room, each of them beautiful in their own unique way. Sherry, large as always, was smiling at him with a twinkle in her eyes as she watched his uneasy reaction to being the subject of such attention from so many women at once. As Ed glanced at Sherry, he knew that she was aware that he had slept with almost every woman in the room. Puzzled by the attention, Ed said, "I hope that I haven't kept you waiting. I guess that Cathy failed to tell me that I expected here."

Rosa giggled as she said, "Every woman in town knew that you would be coming over here. We just showed up."

That explained why he hadn't known that they were waiting for him, but it didn't explain why they were there. Rather than pursue the question, he said, "It's very nice to see all of you. I was planning to take a walk around town after leaving here and stop by everyone's house to say good-bye."

Eyes misted at his reference to leaving town and a few of the women almost broke into tears when he announced that he was going to visit each of them at their home. It was exactly the kind of thing that he would do and was half of the reason why they all loved him. He always took care to make each of them feel special. Each thought about how nice it would have been to say goodbye to him privately, but knew that it was wishful thinking. There were too many women and too short of a time for a single man to say goodbye in the fashion that each desired. Sherry broke the long moment of silence that had followed his statement when she said, "I think that most of us knew that and thought this might be a little easier for you."

Smirking, Rosa stated what was obviously on every woman's mind as she said, "Actually, we knew that this would be the only way for you to say goodbye. I doubt that even the loving Ed Biggers could sleep with that many women in one day."

At the reminder that even a young man wouldn't be able to sleep with all of the women in that room, Ed laughed good-naturedly. He wasn't embarrassed to admit that over the course of a single day that he was only good for a couple of bouts in the bed. Ten would be far too many for him and that wouldn't have satisfied half of the women in the room. He replied, "Too true, the spirit is willing but the body is not."

Juanita Ortega gestured for Ed to join the table where she sat with her mother and mother-in-law. Her confidence in making such a gesture made Ed realize how much she had grown since she was the shy young woman that had sat at the conference table years ago. Although she had said at that time that her mother and mother-in-law had wanted to sleep with him, that had never happened. Joining her at the table, he sat down and said, "Hello, Mrs. Ortega, Mrs. Gonzalez, and Juanita."

Mrs. Gonzalez replied, "Buenos Dais, Senor Doctor Biggers."

Even though Ed knew that she didn't speak English, Juanita interjected, "I'm sorry, but my mother doesn't speak English very well."

Switching to Spanish, Ed told Mrs. Gonzalez, "I don't speak Spanish very well, but I'm sure that you will understand me."

In Spanish, she answered, "You speak very well, Doctor Biggers."

"Thank you for your kind words. It is a shame that we haven't had a chance to really talk before now."

"I want to thank you for all the kindness you've shown my daughter and her husband."

Embarrassed at the praise, Ed replied, "I fear that I did very little. Manual and Joe worked hard and she stood by him through the hard times."

Looking at Ed in adoration like he was a superhero, Mrs. Ortega said, "They worked hard for many years before the day when you talked to them and told them what they needed to do to become rich. You've made my life a dream."

Juanita leaned over and said, "I wish that we could make your life a dream in the same way you've done that for us."

Ed leaned over with a smile in his eyes to take her hand. Kissing the back of her hand, he said, "Juanita, having beautiful women like you and your mothers as friends makes my life a dream. What man could possibly ask for more?"

The three women around the table blushed. Looking over at her mother, Juanita said, "Ed, we just want to thank you and don't know what to do for you."

"You have thanked me more than I deserve," replied Ed wondering what he could say that would satisfy the women.

Putting her hand on his arm, Juanita said, "The other women want to talk to you. Go to them."

Ed kissed her on her forehead and then headed over to the table where Sherry was seated. Looking back, he could see that Juanita was crying. Sherry saw where he was looking and said, "Come over here, Ed."

Torn between wanting to comfort Juanita and doing as Sherry had requested, he stood where he was. Sherry said, "Darling, she's crying because she is going to miss you. There's nothing you can do for her tears."

Head dropping, Ed went over to the table and sat down next to Sherry. When he finally settled himself in the chair, he asked, "Are you going to cry too?"

"Probably," replied Sherry with a twinkle in her eye. She knew how uncomfortable crying women made him and she promised herself that she wouldn't do it. When he looked around desperately, she added, "not."

He sat back in the chair and looked at her with a grin realizing that she had been joking with him. He said, "I've been surrounded by crying women this morning."

Nodding, Sherry replied, "You've helped so many of us and now you are leaving. It's natural for us to be sad. We are going to miss you tremendously."

"I think that people give me too much credit around here."

Sherry looked at Ed as if he were from another planet. Although she knew that he didn't think much about what he did, it was hard to believe that he was that blind to the effect that he had on other people's lives. It had to be part of the magic. She said, "Go around and talk to all the other women. I'll walk you home when you're done."

"Thanks," replied Ed realizing that he would probably need her calm presence for the trip home.

Ed went over to the other tables. At each, he talked to the women there for a few minutes. Every time he left a table, the women seated around it broke out in tears. For Ed, this was a very trying time. After having covered the whole room, he looked around and realized that only Shirley and Sherry were left in the room. He sat down heavily, exhausted by the emotions to which he had been exposed. Looking over at Shirley, he said, "Can I have a coke please?"

Shirley covered her mouth in embarrassment and ran off to get him a coke. Sherry smiled over at Ed and said, "Rough afternoon."

With a sad expression on his face, Ed answered, "I'm going to miss living here."

Shirley brought over a glass of coke and set it in front of Ed. She patted his hand and said, "You'll be missed by a lot of people around here."

"I'm going to miss everyone in this town," replied Ed with a sigh. He didn't really want to leave, but his husbands and wives were at the college and he had courses to teach there.

Shirley kissed him and said, "You'll visit here, won't you?"

"Three times a year."

Shirley sniffled and wiped her eyes. Noticing her action, Ed knew what was going to come next. Voice trembling, she said, "I'm sorry. I promised myself that I wouldn't cry."

Ed hugged her tightly and said, "I'm going to miss you the most."

As Shirley broke down in tears, Ed reached into his robe for his handkerchief and realized that he had left it at the office with Lynn. He realized that he should have brought several of them with him, but he had not predicted that so many people would be upset to see him go.

Shirley calmed down and Ed broke off the hug. Smiling weakly, Sherry handed her a napkin from the table to allow her to collect herself. She also slipped one into her pocket knowing that she would require it before long. Shirley looked up at Ed and said, "You don't know what you've done, do you?"

Confused, Ed answered, "Not really."

Shirley kissed him on the cheek and said, "That's why we care about you so much."

Tenderly, Sherry said, "I had better take him home now."

"That would be a good idea," replied Shirley as she knew that she was going to have a good long cry as soon as he left the bar.

Ed hugged Shirley one last time and then left with Sherry. Stepping out into the bright sunlight, the pair stopped to let their eyes adjust to the sudden change in light. Much to his surprise, Father Donnelly was waiting outside the bar. He greeted the priest, "Hello, Father. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I heard that you were leaving and I just wanted to stop by to say goodbye," replied the priest.

Winking at Sherry, Ed replied, "Glad to see me leave, eh?"

Grinning, the priest answered, "Of course. Can't have pagans ruining the morals of my flock, teaching them that it is alright to love each other and other bizarre ideas like that."

"Right," replied Ed with a smile knowing that the priest was joking. There was a time, not too long before, that the priest would have been serious. Turning serious, Ed requested, "Please take care of my town."

"I'll do that, Ed," replied the priest. He understood that Ed was asking him to help people continue to learn how to love each other and to be honest with one another. That was the great gift that the Druids had brought to this town. Now that the priest was dedicated to serving Love, it was an easy promise for him to make.

Sherry interrupted, "Father, I'm taking Ed home. He's been surrounded by crying women all day."

Father Donnelly smiled as he said, "I imagine there are going to be a lot of broken hearts in town when you leave tomorrow."

"Broken hearts?"

Sherry shook her head and tugged on his arm to lead him homeward. As they left, the priest said, "Take care of yourself, Ed."

"Same to you Father Donnelly. I expect to see the church painted next time I come to town."

The priest laughed and shook his head as he walked away. Even though he understood the Druids better, it still surprised him how much Ed and John supported the church. Looking over at the church, he decided that he would try to get it painted. Maybe this upcoming weekend might be a good time. It would help people get over Ed's departure.



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Part 5: Stasis

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Chapter 1

... to be drawn and quartered with arms and legs bound in chains of obligation and pulled by love.

Even as we scream our pain and anguish into the empty cavern, we hear our cries echo back at us in a voice that sounds angry rather than anguished. "I want and I don't want this!"

When opportunities for growth arise for one member of a family, how can we support them while remaining true to ourselves? Not exactly a new problem, it is a more widespread dilemma of modern times. Should one person move across the country so that a spouse can have a better life and lose theirs in the process? Or should they ask that the spouse stay in their current situation to enable their growth? Is there a better solution to the problem that remains to be discovered?

Neither a borrower, nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend. So says the great playwright. Trite advice for facing the difficult challenges of life. Change often throws choices at the living that forces one partner into accepting a debt of love or dissolving the partnership. This can not be avoided. People have no control over the chaos of opportunities and misfortune that life throws their way. The belief that we have control is an illusion.

As opportunities come and go, each brings with it the risk of terminating a loving relationship. The fear that arises from knowing that a loving relationship is at risk at all times is tremendous. Jealousy and control are expressions of inept attempts to reduce that risk, yet they only increase the risk by throwing the debt of love in the face of the other. Love becomes obligation and obligation kills love.

"Comprise!" shouts someone from the sidelines. Yet how do you compromise when the choice is an either or? The choice may be to move across the country for a dream job for one member of the relationship or to stay where family surrounds the other member in loving support. It isn't possible to move the job to where you already live or move everyone to where the job exists. To leave one spouse behind to live with their family while the other moves to follow the job is a short-term solution that in the long-term can kill the relationship. You are damned if you do and damned if you don't.

The situations that can arise are numberless thereby making each opportunity unique. With no fixed answers, we cry into the empty cavern in anguish and hear our voices echo in anger. At night, someone will lie in bed saddened by the change that life has imposed on him or her. The other lies in bed torn at the unhappiness their choice caused in the other. Anguish, anger, jealously, and loneliness are emotions produced by choices made or unmade.

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It was the first session of the forth year of classes. Ed looked at the student in surprise that such a question would be asked the very first day. It was his first time to teach in the Druid College and he had just covered the basic kinds of rocks. The student had just asked, "So what kind of rock will the dirt outside this building turn into?"

John had suggested that he use such questions to allow the students to explore the topic when he didn't have a quick or direct answer at hand. The case here was that he hadn't covered enough material to give an answer that would be understandable. The idea that the students might learn that not all answers were simple appealed to him. Ed looked around the class and asked, "So would anyone like to take a guess?"

Another student, looking about like she was nervous, raised their hand. After Ed pointed at her, she replied, "It would have to be a sedimentary rock."

Nodding, Ed said, "True enough as a first pass."

The first student raised his hand. After Ed acknowledged him, the student said, "There's a lot of organic material in the soil. Wouldn't it turn into oil?"

The discussion raged for the last ten minutes of the class. Each student added a small piece to generating an answer to the question. Many of the pieces were contradictory and Ed watched as they tried to reason out how soil would change to rock. They were not coming up with a single answer and it was easy to see that there was a certain amount of frustration building.

A few minutes before the class was scheduled to end, Ed interrupted the discussion and said, "The actual answer is quite complex. It depends on the geological forces that are applied to the soil. At every phase of its evolution, different factors can enter that will change the outcome. It may start out undergoing a sedimentary process. Once buried, it may undergo a metamorphic process. I think the complexity of the answer is part of the attraction of this area of study. Hopefully, by the end of the semester you will understand the complexity and we can return to this discussion."

Class time was nearly over and Ed had one more major task to complete before class ended. After a quick glance around the room, he said, "Read the first chapter of your book for tomorrow."

His announcement was not greeted with the kind of groans that would normally occur in a college class after receiving such an assignment. Most of the students came to class expecting that and many had already read the chapter in anticipation of the assignment.

When the clock showed that the class was over, the class filed out of room in the disorganized manner common to Druids. No one pushed or shoved as people walked at a pace of his or her choosing, adjusting it to the pace of the people around them. They weren't exactly quiet, as pairs or threesomes discussed the material covered in class in muted voices.

When the students had finally left the room, John came up to the front desk where Ed was collecting his material. With a grin, John said, "They threw you a curve on that question."

"You can say that again. I've never had a student ask that question before," replied Ed. The closest he had come to that question usually arose when he discussed the formation of sandstone. Shaking his head, he said, "It's only the first day of class."

"So how do you like teaching here?"

Still recovering from the question and the insights exhibited during the conversation that followed, Ed answered, "I like it. This is definitely going to be a challenge. Of course, they just gave me a good question for the final exam."

Laughing, John replied, "Has anyone told you that you are evil?"

"Not lately," remarked Ed with a grin. With a wink, he added, "Usually I'm much better at hiding it."

The two men laughed as they left the classroom. Ed would be returning in half an hour to teach the next section of the class. This was the introductory class to geology and he would teach two sections of it this quarter. Another instructor was teaching two sections, as all students were required to study this material. Next quarter, he would have only a single class covering the next material. The third and fourth quarters were going to be easy since he wouldn't have a class. The next year of teaching would add a class to each quarter. When the first set of students reached their final year, he would be teaching three classes a quarter, but the odds were good that there would be very few students in any particular class.

In the dining room of the fourth year students, Ed looked around at the students gathered there. They had changed in significant ways compared to how they had been the first day they had entered college. Only three students had dropped out so far and one of those was because of health problems. It was an amazing retention rate considering how it compared with other universities. The environment of mutual support, study groups, and focus on learning was having a beneficial effect. Reasoning skills that had been neglected until entering the college were now honed to a sharp edge. Ed remarked, "These kids are so sharp, I doubt that I'll be able to challenge them the last year of their education."

"You have experience on your side," remarked John, understanding exactly how Ed felt. There were times when these kids really pushed him to his limits. Taking individuals with the highest potential and developing them to the highest level possible had produced some very exceptional individuals. In a few years, they would become powerful leaders in any activity that they might pursue. Seeing the doubt on Ed's face, he added, "Don't worry. They may be able to reason, but they still need facts with which to reason about. You have those facts locked up in your head and that is what they need."

Smiling, Ed shrugged his shoulders as if to signify that he would see when the time came. The waitress showed up at the table to take their orders. Middle aged with too many years spent on her feet waiting tables, she viewed everyone and everything with the kind of jaded eye that sought out the worst. In a bored tone of voice, she said, "What 'cha want?"

Glancing at his watch, Ed saw that he had only twenty minutes before the next class. He said, "I'll take a cup of coffee."

The waitress, on the job for less than a week, looked down at him with a frown trying to remember where she had encountered Ed previously. Giving up, she asked, "Do you want me to bring a carafe?"

"No, I'm only going to be here for fifteen minutes," answered Ed. It took him a minute to realize that this was the waitress that used to work at the Possum in town. He said, "Sorry, I didn't recognize you. You used to work at the Possum, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did. The pay here is better though," replied the waitress indifferent to his observation. She turned to face John and asked, "What can I get you?"

"I'll have the Egg's Benedict and some coffee," answered John amused at her indifference to Ed. He considered teasing Ed about losing his thing for Damsels. It would be interesting to see how long she was able to maintain her distance.

She walked off to take care of the order. Ed watched her go and asked, "What is her name?"

"Sasha Zyzelewski," replied John. He had sat in on hiring her and knew that she had a troubled past. They had hired her despite the objections of the personnel director who had objected to her deeply ingrained negative attitude.

Ed nodded as he committed her name to memory. He would be spending most of his breaks between classes here and didn't want to be rude. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm curious how the next class will go."

"Probably the same but completely different."

Laughing, Ed sat back in his chair and relaxed. He said, "I need such reassurance."

John grinned and looked around the room at the students that had descended on the dining room. The waitress was busy taking orders, most of which were for coffee, juices, and quick breakfasts. The waitress, tired of running around, returned to the table at the first opportunity and set the coffees for John and Ed on it. She snarled, "We ought to put up a self serve breakfast buffet. I can't run all over the room like this."

"Good idea, Sasha," replied Ed as John said, "Do it."

The waitress stood there staring at the two men in shock, not having expected that response. Puzzled, she asked, "You want me to do it?"

"Sure," replied John. He looked across the room and noticed that one of the students had taken it upon himself to serve coffee to a number of the other students. This was nothing unusual, particularly since the students often overwhelmed the waitresses during the half-hour breaks between classes. He wondered how Sasha was going to take it.

She looked at the pair of men, noticing their smiles before she went back to her duties. When she saw a couple of the students walking around with coffeepots filling cups at various tables, she didn't know how to react. She glanced back at John and Ed for guidance, but they were just smiling as though nothing was wrong. She returned to the table and asked, "They are helping themselves. Is that allowed?"

John looked over at the students and asked, "Are they harming anyone?"

"No," replied the waitress confused by the question.

"Then it's okay," asserted Ed watching her reaction.

Squinting out of one eye in a facial expression that reminded Ed of Popeye, she said, "Explain that to me."

"If it harms no one, then do it. That is one of the rules of this campus."

"What has that got to do with them helping themselves?"

Grinning, Ed asked, "They can do it because it harms no one. In fact, I'd say that it helps you out."

The waitress walked away and returned to her work. As fast as she moved from table to table, the students were quicker. They took care of themselves and the other students around them. After about ten minutes, the waitress stood in the center of the room and just watched the activity around her.

Ed drank his coffee and watched the student dynamics. They were excited about their new classes and were already sharing stories about their instructors. More than a few glances in his direction suggested that his teaching style was already a matter of discussion. John noticed and said, "Word is getting out about you already."

"Yeah, it would be interesting to find out what they are saying about me."

"Don't worry. They'll like you, they'll hate you, and they'll curse you at times if you do your job correctly. After they leave here and experience the real world is when their opinion counts."

Ed was silent as he thought about it. In Arizona he had never really given it any thought. Most of the time was spent just trying to get the students through the program. He gave them the best that he could and hoped that it helped them in their careers. Nodding, he said, "That's true."

Taking another sip of his coffee, John shook his head and said, "It's been so long since I taught basic physics, that I was terrified going into the classroom. Still, it has been a very rewarding experience teaching these young people. They are smart."

"Yeah, I can see that they are smart."

Curious, John asked, "Did you select an intern yet?"

"Not yet," answered Ed. It had been decided that each Druid would work with one or two fourth year students to introduce them to the kind of activities that Druids performed when serving in official situations. This would help them adopt their responsibilities without the kind of surprises that other Druids had felt on their first exposure to service.

John watched as Ed finished his coffee making a grimace as the tepid liquid assaulted his tongue with bitterness. As Ed set the empty cup on the table, John said, "Time for you to get to class."

Groaning, Ed stood and went down the hallway to the connected building where his class was to be held. Entering, he saw that about half the class had arrived before him. He wondered if his kids would make it on time. There were still five minutes before class would start so there was still time for them to arrive.

Kristie Prevatt, the girl that had lied to her parents about her acceptance into the school, was seated in the front row. She waved to him when he noticed her and he nodded back wondering what kind of student she would be. For a moment he considered making her his intern, but decided against it.

When the clock indicated that it was time for class to begin, Ed went to the whiteboard and wrote his name across it in big letters. It was not necessary. All of the students already knew who he was. Turning back to face the room, he was disappointed that his kids weren't in seats. A student entered the room, three minutes late, and made his way to a chair in the middle of the room. Ed looked over at the student, irritated that he couldn't arrive on time for the first class, and said, "Please leave the room."

The student froze and looked at Ed in shock. Stuttering, he asked, "Pardon me?"

"I asked you to leave," replied Ed without a smile.

"I was just three minutes late."

"Yes and you disturbed the classroom. Now leave," replied Ed. His tone allowed no argument.

The student left the room amidst considerable comments among the students remaining in the room. Once the late student was gone, Ed turned to face the rest of the room. The room become so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Satisfied, Ed said, "Welcome to the introductory class to Geology. I hope that everyone is in the correct room."

After a pause, Ed began the same introductory speech that he had given the previous class. It was basically an overview of what they would be covering over the next twelve weeks. The school operated on a quarter system. This allowed the students to get formal introductions to more topics before selecting their final field of study. The two additional years of college allowed them to get an in-depth education in their selected field of study.

When the hour was almost over, Ed asked, "Are there any questions?"

The room was quiet for a long time before Kristie raised her hand. After acknowledging her, she asked, "Why did you ask Howard to leave the room?"

"He was late," replied Ed.

"Still, it seemed kind of harsh," countered Kristie, "since he wasn't harming anyone."

"If I was holding a test today, how many people would have been disturbed by his late arrival? None? One? Two? It doesn't matter that there wasn't anything important occurring at the moment that he arrived today. He didn't know that. However, I have established a precedent that will last far longer than today. You and he learned an important lesson today before it would have harmful consequences."

The class was silent as they left the room. As Ed collected his stuff, Howard entered the room and said, "Dr. Biggers. I'm sorry about coming to class late today."

"Apology accepted," replied Ed without looking up as he picked up his material.

Howard stood there, looking as though he had expected more of a response. That was the problem with dealing with the instructors who were Druids, the students never felt like they were in control. Half of the faculty was made up of Druids and their classes were run with much greater formality than those taught by non-Druids. Interruptions, personal attacks, and minor disruptions were immediately halted. Finally, he asked, "Am I allowed back in the class?"

"Of course," replied Ed as he headed towards where Howard stood. Pausing as he reached Howard, he asked, "Interested in a cup of coffee?"

The question surprised Howard and he looked at Ed for a moment before answering, "Sure."

"Lead on," said Ed.

He followed the student to the fourth year dining room. Uneasy, the student picked out a table near the side of the room. The choice was not lost on Ed. As he sat down, Ed looked around at all of the students and asked, "So what do you think of your time spent here at the college?"

Licking his lips, Howard answered, "I've enjoyed it."

It was the truth, but Ed could see that he wasn't enjoying the last few minutes. Smiling, he said, "I guess that all in all you've enjoyed it, but the last hour or so has not been fun."

"You can say that again," replied the student without thinking about it. Even as the words came out of his mouth, he regretted having said them.

Ed laughed and sat back in his chair pleased to have heard the unvarnished truth for a change. He asked, "So, are you and Kristie an item?"

Howard tried to follow the shift in conversation, but couldn't. Confused, he asked, "Kristie?"

"Yes, the rather attractive young woman that was sitting in the front of the class. She questioned me about why I sent you out of the class."

"Oh, that was nice of her," replied Howard.

Their discussion was interrupted by the arrival of the waitress. She glanced down at Ed and asked, "Coffee?"

"No thank you, Sasha. I'll have a chocolate milk," replied Ed knowing that if he were caught drinking iced tea or coffee by one of the wives that he'd be in trouble.

"I'd like coffee," said Howard wondering if he should go with coffee or milk.

The waitress took down the order and went to fetch their order. Ed watched her leave and noticed that she went to a table filled with cups, coffee urns, milk, juices, and cereals. Other students had already spotted the table and were gathering around it to get coffees. It didn't take her long to return with their order. On reaching the table, she said, "Here's your drinks."

"I see that you set up a self serve buffet already," remarked Ed.

Sasha looked over at the table and said, "Yes. The students raise their hands to get my attention if they want a hot breakfast. Sure makes my job easier."

"So what do you think of our students?" asked Ed.

"Strangest bunch of college kids that I've ever seen. They are all so polite and helpful. I haven't seen a single example of a hang-over since I arrived here."

Turning to Howard, Ed asked, "What do you think of that?"

"I don't know what to say," replied Howard. In the culture that existed in the school, to act in any other fashion would have been brought the immediate attention of a Druid on the student. The first year of school had been tough, but so many bad habits, rude behaviors, and wrong thoughts had been changed for the better. A few bad habits still existed, such as arriving late to class, but even that was slowly getting corrected under the watchful eyes of the Druids.

The waitress shrugged and said, "Well, I wish more people were like these kids."

Smiling, Ed watched the expression on Howard's face. The poor guy was totally confused by this talk with Ed. After taking a sip of his chocolate milk, Ed said, "That is my desire for the future as well. Perhaps with the help of these young people, we will live long enough to see the day when people are polite to each other and help when others have problems."

For the first time since he had met her, Sasha smiled. She nodded and returned to her work. Howard had noticed the exchange and asked, "Is that what you really want?"

"Yes, it is," answered Ed.

"Never going to happen," remarked Howard.

Ed smiled at Howard, knowing that the young man was telling the truth as he saw it. Instead of arguing, Ed asked, "So what do you think is the intent of this school?"

"Well, if John is telling us the truth then it is to help make the world a better place."

"How will you know if the world is a better place?"

"When people stop harming each other and the strong stop taking advantage of the weak," replied Howard feeling proud that he knew the answer to the question.

"Oh. You mean when they are polite and help each other rather than destructive and taking advantage of each other?"

"Right," agreed Howard with a slight hesitation as he considered Ed's restatement of his answer.

Ed was silent as a puzzled expression crossed Howard's face. It was several minutes later that Howard hit himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand. As a grin spread over his face, he said, "Making the world a better place does not necessarily mean making it a perfect place."

Nodding his agreement, Ed replied, "You are right. Just because it isn't perfect doesn't mean that it can't become a good place."

Howard was silent for a minute and then asked, "So are we supposed to go out and talk to people in order to convince them to be good?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No. That won't do any good. There are too many people that can't be convinced by talking. You have to lead them to it."

"Why?"

"There are three types of people that you can not talk into behaving well. The stupid, the religious fanatic, and the evil."

"Why can't you talk to stupid people?"

"They aren't smart enough to follow the logic of what you say. You have to tell them what is right in very simple terms. If they don't agree, then you'll never be able to change their mind," replied Ed.

"Okay, I'll buy that. What about the religious fanatic?"

Smiling Ed answered, "If what you say goes against their religious belief, they will cling to that religious belief even if it means their death."

"You don't think that you can reform evil?"

Frowning, Ed shook his head and thought about the evil people that he had met. There was no way to convince the serial killers, pedophiles, and predators to change their evil ways. They knew what they were doing was wrong, but that knowledge didn't stop them. It only made them more careful in how they went about performing their evil acts. He answered, "Not in a million years."

"How can you say that?"

"They know what they are doing is wrong. They don't care and there is nothing in this world that can make them care. There is only one person that is important to them and that is them. They will lie, cheat, steal, and seek any opportunity to cause harm." Ed sighed and looked across the room and said, "There are some people that have to be removed with force."

Howard stared at Ed as though he couldn't believe that Ed didn't think that things could be achieved peacefully. Shaking his head, he replied, "There is good in everyone."

"Not in everyone. Those without good in them are the evil ones."

Chilled, Howard was silent for a moment as he considered the reply. Were there people without a trace of good within them? The idea was frightening and caused a shiver to run up and down his spine. Looking up at Ed, he asked, "So why are you telling me this?"

Smiling, Ed said, "You are my intern and will work with me over the next year."

"Oh," answered Howard more uncomfortable than ever.

Pausing in the middle of raising his milk for another sip, Ed said, "The clock."

Howard glanced at the clock and saw the time. Face flushed, he exclaimed, "I'm going to be late."

Ed chuckled as the student stood up and rushed off to his next class. Still shaking his head in amusement, his reverie was interrupted by the arrival of Beth, Little John, and William. The two elder children looked upset. Little John looked at his father and said, "We were late to your class and a student told us not to go in."

"Yes, you have to be on time," replied Ed watching their reaction. He wondered if they weren't going to be late to their next class.

Little John complained, "I have biology before your class and I tend to loose track of time. It's not fair!"

Beth added, "I have history before your class. I got caught up in a discussion with another student and didn't realize that we were walking in the wrong direction."

William didn't say a word, but just sat there smiling at his brother and sister. He wasn't required to attend classes yet, but visited the ones that appealed to his interests of the day. Observing his amusement, Ed asked, "What is your excuse?"

Frowning, William just shrugged his shoulders. The lack of a vocal answer was expected, but this was a clear attempt to avoid answering. Ed countered, "You should tell me so that I know."

William looked away from Ed and whispered, "I don't know how to tell time."

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Ed asked, "Oh, that's an excuse that I would have accepted."

Beth and Little John stared at their little brother, surprised that he would admit to not knowing something. Usually, if he didn't know something he went to look it up. Little John said, "I'll teach you how to tell time."

William just nodded and watched his father. Ed said, "You two are another matter. You just told me that my material wasn't as interesting as your other classes. I'm hurt."

Beth looked over at her father using the same facial expression as Kelly when she didn't believe him and replied, "Somehow I don't believe that."

Ed smiled and shook his head at the similarity between mother and child. Winking at William, he said, "You told me that your other classes were so interesting that you couldn't break away to come to my poor little class."

Little John replied, "If you keep teasing her, she's going to tell Mommy Ling."

Ed reached over and rubbed the head of Little John in a friendly parental manner as he said, "She's going to tell Ling that I didn't let you in class because you were late anyway."

William stood and waved goodbye as he left the table. His older brother and sister watched him leave the room, suspecting that he was going to attend the class on logic with the first years. When he had left the room, Beth turned to her father and said, "He's smarter than Little John and I put together."

Curious, Ed asked, "So who do you think he will serve?"

The kids looked at each other and, together, replied, "I don't know. All or none."



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Chapter 2

Ed was seated in the dining room of the first year dorm eating lunch with Kelly when Albert Mandel and Cindy Carpenter entered the room. Waving an arm, he caught their attention and they headed over to their table. Kelly was puzzled by the appearance of the two individuals as they were wearing outfits unlike anything she had seen before. Wearing dark green clothes with soft leather boots that laced up their legs, they looked like something out of a Robin Hood movie. Noticing her puzzlement, Ed said, "They are Rangers."

Kelly replied, "They seem to know their way around here."

The comment surprised Ed until he remembered the only time the two rangers had been in the school. He explained, "The last time they were here was when you were shot and died."

"That was almost three years ago," countered Kelly.

"They are Rangers and have a memory for places."

The Rangers finally reached the table and sat down across from Ed. Albert extended a hand to Ed as he said, "It's good to see you again."

Ed shook his hand as he replied, "It's good to see you too. What brings you to this part of the country again?"

"Checking out the wildlife. Since Cindy is going to start teaching here in a couple of months, we thought we would stop by and see what accommodations were available for her," replied Albert with a gesture to Cindy.

A slight nudge in his side reminded Ed of his manners and he said, "Kelly, this is Albert and Cindy. Albert, Cindy, this is Kelly."

After appropriate exchanges had been made, Albert looked thoughtful for a moment and then asked, "You were the one that was shot last time we were here?"

That day, the one where she had died, was one that would live forever in her memory. It was a gift from the Goddess and one that she had decided was the greatest gift she had been given. Smiling, she answered, "Yes. Shot and killed."

Cindy didn't say a word; she was busy examining her surroundings and comparing them to the last time that she was here. Her first trip had been filled with embarrassment at all of the naked people walking around. Three years later, the sight didn't bother her nearly as much. Her attention was brought back to the conversation when Kelly asked her, "would you like me to show you the quarters you will have when you come here?"

She replied, "yes, please."

After Kelly and Cindy had left, Albert turned to Ed and asked, "do the Druids own the property down the road? The one with the stable and house?"

"Not really. I own it."

"Oh, I wondered. I was surprised to see all of the delicate plant species protected by cages."

Smiling, Ed said, "Yes. I had Al Turner go over the property to protect what ever might be growing there. I ride my horse and camp there occasionally."

"You take very good care of the land. The wildlife in the area has done more damage to the plants you are protecting than your horse. The deer out here are amazingly aggressive," remarked Albert.

"I try. So did you spot anything interesting while you were out there on my place?"

"Well, I did a cursory survey and didn't turn up anything extraordinary."

Ed smiled and asked, "Would you like to see a slightly more detailed survey of the property?"

"You have done one?"

"I did a geological survey. Little John did a bio-survey. Even Al says that it is pretty extensive."

"Little John? He's your son isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," replied Ed. He glanced up at the clock and saw that the kids were due back anytime. Little John was taking an algebra course and Beth was busy with her civics class. He added, "He's studied all of the wildlife in the area."

"How old is he?"

"Six going on seven."

"Sounds like he's a little advanced for his age," replied Albert not sure if he was going to accept a bio-survey from a six year old boy. Smiling at the idea that even Druids were susceptible to the normal self-delusions about the intelligence of their children, he said, "I'll check out his work and maybe I can give him some pointers."

Taking a sip of the lemonade, Ed smiled at the slightly condescending tone taken by the Ranger. The truth would become clear soon enough. William entered the room and headed to the table where his father sat. Looking around, he pointed to the empty chair as if to ask about his mother.

Ed smiled and answered the implied question. "She's showing Cindy the apartment she'll be staying in while she's teaching here."

William smiled and sat down while giving a nod of acknowledgement to Albert. Taken aback by the boy, Albert nodded in return.

Ed said, "Albert, this is William. He's our youngest. William, this is Mr. Mandel."

Albert said, "It is nice to meet you William."

William nodded in reply. At the withering glance from Ed, he said, "It is nice to meet you, Mr. Mandel."

Ed explained, "Please excuse the rudeness of my son. He doesn't talk unless absolutely forced to it."

"I'm sorry I ever said a word," William muttered with a certain amount of bitterness.

"Young man, if you don't act nicely we'll have to send you to the corner for five minutes," lectured Ed. Standing in the corner was the worst punishment that the family used on the children. They felt it gave the child time to think about what they had done wrong, yet didn't harm the child in any significant manner.

William shrugged and, after a look from his father, stood up. Marching to the corner, he stood facing it with a relaxed posture that suggested he would be happy to stand there all day. Ed watched him with sadness at his lack of social engagement with the people around him. Albert interrupted his musings when he said, "What an extraordinary child!"

"Pardon? He was quite rude to you," replied Ed.

"He doesn't like to waste his breath with trivial exchanges. I bet when he's interested in something, he asks questions."

"No, he looks it up himself. He communicates very little with others."

"Interesting," replied Albert as he watched the young man stand in the corner.

Little John and Beth sat down at the table and looked over at William standing in the corner. Beth asked, "Let me guess, he wouldn't exchange small talk again?"

Her question startled Ed as he had been watching William. Turning to face his children, he answered, "Yes."

Little John said, "I'm John and this is my sister Beth."

Beth looked over at the Ranger and said, "I remember you. You were here when Mommy Kelly was shot."

Albert smiled and said, "You have a very good memory, Beth. That was almost three years ago."

Ed sat back and watched the exchange between his kids and the Ranger. Little John was studying Albert very carefully and then said, "You are a Ranger, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." The intensity with which the child had studied him was rather unnerving. Never before had he encountered a child that took such obvious deliberation in assessing an adult. With a quick glance at Ed, he wondered if the parent hadn't been mistaken about the abilities of his son.

"Would you like to see my survey of the flora and fauna on Daddy Ed's place?"

"Yes, I would," replied Albert interested in seeing what this child had done. As soon as the answer was out of his mouth, Little John left the table without another word. Albert watched Little John walk off to get the survey.

The waitress, seeing that most of the party was present, came over to the table and asked, "What can I get you?"

Smiling, Ed said, "Three small chocolate milkshakes for the kids. A Strawberry Smoothie for Kelly."

Beth looked at her father in surprise at the order. She clapped her hands together in excitement. When Ed pointed to William, she nodded and went to fetch her brother.

Albert said, "I'll take iced teas for me and Cindy."

The waitress asked, "That's three shakes, a smoothie, and two teas. Anything else?"

"No thank you," replied Albert.

The drinks had arrived before Little John returned with his survey. Seeing the chocolate milkshake on the table, his eyes grew big at the unexpected surprise. Seeing William and Beth drinking the thick shake through the straw, he joined them and dug in. Albert laughed at how Little John had forgotten all about the survey in light of the milkshake. He was surprised when Little John finished his first sip and then opened the map and laid it on the table. "I've marked every location where I've seen a unique plant on this particular map. I've been computerizing this data so that we can map all of the plant species on it."

Albert looked over the map impressed with the level of detail captured within it. All of the rare plants that he had observed earlier were clearly marked on the map. Other plants, which weren't rare but uncommon on the property, were also shown. As he examined the map, Little John opened a photo album that contained pictures of each species of plant on the property. Albert noticed the album and went through it a page at a time, examining each picture with a trained eye. The pictures were remarkable, showing details of each plant that would allow easy identification. Looking up, he said, "This is very impressive. I hope that you will show this to Cindy. I'm sure that she'll be glad to help you when you put all of this on computer."

"Thanks," replied Little John. He opened another map and spread it out on the table atop the first map. This map identified locations in which animals had been spotted as well as all breeding sites.

Albert examined the map, noticing how each sighting was marked with a date and time. There was almost a year's worth of data present on the map. Looking up, he asked, "What about the nocturnal animals?"

Little John looked at his father with an accusatory look and said, "My parents won't let me stay up all night."

Ed smiled at the implication that he was to let his son tramp around the woods in the dark of the night. He replied, "You don't want to run into a bear in the dark."

"I know," replied Little John resigned to this limitation placed on him by his parents.

Albert said, "I'm sure that Cindy would be more than happy to pursue that part of the survey for you."

"That would be nice," replied Little John thoughtfully. He was more interested in having a complete survey than in doing it all himself. After all, others had already helped him with parts of it. After a moment, he asked, "Isn't she concerned about being in the dark?"

Albert answered, "She was my student and I taught her how to move through the woods without being surprised."

"Perhaps she can teach me," suggested Little John.

Albert glanced at Ed for a second before answering, "When the time is right, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to teach you woodcraft."

Ed nodded his agreement with the answer. Albert was examining the pictures that Little John had taken of the wildlife when Kelly and Cindy returned from the tour of the apartment. Kelly noticed the milkshakes and looked at Ed with a question in her eyes, but he just winked in return. Cindy sat down and exclaimed, "You have wonderful facilities for the faculty."

"It was John that designed them. He felt that the faculty needed to have a place that was conducive to thinking great thoughts," replied Ed.

Beth snickered as she added, "And lots of space for sex."

In the meantime, Little John had opened the map on which he had marked sightings of various insects. He set that one on the table for Albert to inspect. The Ranger was clearly impressed with the level of detail about the insect life on the property. More than four hundred species were identified. Looking over at the photo album that Little John was opening, he could tell that the young man had taken pictures of each species.

Cindy noticed the detailed examination that Albert was giving the map and looked down at it. Both eyebrows raised as she took in the detailed notes presented. She looked over at Little John and asked, "You did all of this work?"

"Not all of it. I had some help from others."

Albert sat back and examined the boy. With his short pants, button shirts, and sneakers, he looked like any other boy his age. However, the mind inside that body was remarkable. One had to wonder if it was genetics, environment, or a blessing of the Gods and Goddesses.

The conversation around the table was lively and covered a huge number of topics. It slowed when Ed turned to William and asked, "So what classes did you observe today?"

The question was one that required a verbal answer. William looked over at him and answered, "Algebra, Intro to Biology, and Sociology."

"Yes, I noticed that you didn't attend my class this morning," remarked Ed.

"Nothing new."

Beth moved to expand on his answer, "You've been reading that same material to us ever since we were little."

Little John nodded his agreement and added, "It is a little boring for us."

Kelly had never believed that the kids had understood the material that the fathers read to them, but they had proved her wrong more times than she would admit. It surprised her when Ed didn't approach the topic concerned with how bored the children were in his class. Instead, he asked, "What do you think of the rule protecting the weak from the strong?"

Little John looked up at Ed in surprise and answered, "It is very important. It is the cornerstone of the service to the Gods and Goddesses."

Beth asserted, "It is the foundation of all law."

William didn't answer, but watched Ed very carefully. Ed asked, "So how can one help the weak if one doesn't go out and talk with them?"

In a very matter of fact voice, Beth answered, "You observe them being taken advantage of by someone else."

"That is very rare. The strong tend to take advantage of the weak behind closed doors," replied Kelly.

Little John speculated, "You ask people."

Smiling as the direction of the conversation was going in the direction that he desired, Ed replied, "So someone that is being taken advantage of by someone stronger is going to just answer yes out of the blue? You don't think they need to trust you first before they let you know about a vulnerability?"

William sat back and looked at Ed with narrowed eyes. He started to say something, but caught himself. Beth answered, "You have to talk to people long enough to get their trust."

Unable to resist, William leaned forward and asked, "Are you saying that small talk is necessary in order to help protect the weak from the strong?"

"It is the first step in gaining trust," replied Kelly as she looked at Ed in amazement. This was the first question that she had heard William ever ask.

"I shall have to think about that," replied William as he stood and left the table. There were many ways in which he was just like John and this was one. As soon as he was presented with a problem that required a solution, he dropped everything else to attack it with single-minded focus.

Cindy had watched the exchange with confusion and turned to ask a question. Before she had a chance to say a word, Beth said, "You realize that we are never going to be able to get him to shut up after this."

Ed and Kelly burst out laughing. Ed replied, "We will take care of that if it should ever become a problem."

Amazed at how Ed had manipulated the conversation to get through to William the importance of the inane chatter that often precedes the important, Albert sat back and considered the lean man sitting across from him. There was a lot of depth hidden within the man. He smiled and said, "That was an interesting approach to take in order to get your son to talk more."

Ed shrugged as he replied, "It's the best that I could come up with at the moment."

Linda and John came over to the table talking quietly among themselves. As they sat down, Linda asked, "What's wrong with William?"

"Why?"

"He walked past us without even noticing us."

Little John said, "Daddy Ed gave him something to think about."

John noticed the presence of Albert and Cindy. Smiling at the pair, he said, "Hello. How are you two doing?"

Albert smiled and said, "I'm doing fine. Cindy will start teaching here next semester and we thought we'd come by and see where she would be living."

"That's great. I'm sure that Little John will be glad to show you around the fourth year facility," replied John.

Blushing, Cindy said, "I've been working myself up to where I can lecture a room full of naked people."

Laughing, Ed replied, "Sorry to disappoint you, but there aren't any naked students in your classes. They are all fourth years."

"Oh," replied Cindy with a trace of relief tinged with disappointment in her voice.

Linda grinned and said, "You can ask them and they'll probably undress for you."

"Of course, you might have to strip too," added Kelly with a large smile and a wink. She understood the subtle attraction of fantasizing about being a dressed woman in front of a class of naked students. She had often had a similar fantasy.

The three men left the table while the women were talking and the kids were ordering their dinner. When they exited the dining room, Albert said, "There's another reason that I stopped by."

Without surprise, John asked, "What is the matter?"

Albert stopped and turned to face the two other men. With a grave expression, he said, "We had a Ranger killed up in Wisconsin under very mysterious circumstances. I know your husband is up in that same area doing some fieldwork and I thought you should know."

Exchanging looks, Ed and John both nodded as they processed the news. Ed asked, "Why haven't we heard about this?"

Clearing his throat, Albert answered, "The news services described the Ranger as a hiker that had been killed. We didn't bother to correct the story."

Knowing full well the reason why the Rangers didn't correct the news story, John said, "You really do need to start getting property owner permission before you go on other people's land."

"I know, but the problem is that the ones that are the worst in preserving nature are the ones that won't give permission," replied Albert.

"Your government grants give you certain rights in that area. Particularly since you are working with the game and wildlife departments of various states," countered John.

"Those grants don't require us to inform the owners."

"Still, it would be better if you did that," remarked John. It was often very dangerous going on someone's land without talking to the landowner first. Depending on where you were, they tended to shoot first and ask questions later.

"What happened to your guy?" asked Ed wondering why Albert had said that it occurred under mysterious circumstances.

"He had been killed execution style with a single bullet in the back of the head at close range. The body was found almost a hundred miles from where he was supposed to be working. He knows everyone in the area where he was supposed to be working and basically has carte blanche to travel the land there," replied Albert.

John and Ed looked at each other for a full minute. Ed finally said, "I'll go with Albert."

As John nodded, Albert asked, "How did you know that I was going there?"

That was an easy question to answer and John did the honors. "You came here to drop off Cindy in case there was danger where you were going. You told us for two reasons. First, so that we could warn Leroy. Second, so that if something bad happened to you that we would have an idea of where to begin investigating."

Ed was busy thinking about what he would need to do over the next day. There was a lie to discover and he was ready to go after it, but he had to cancel classes and get his intern out of his classes. The school had several staff members that were to take care of all travel arrangements for faculty in cases where they were called to service. Turning to the business at hand, Ed said, "I'll make the arrangements. We can leave tomorrow afternoon and get there early in the evening. For now, I have to hunt down my intern."

The other two men watched as Ed marched away toward the fourth year dorm. Ed didn't notice the expressions of amusement on their faces since his mind was already working on what needed to be done. The first thing they would have to do is locate Leroy and Ling.

Howard was in the fourth year dining room enjoying an early dinner with Kristi. They were making plans for a walk through the woods over the weekend. When Ed entered the dining room, Howard got a sinking feeling in his stomach that the date wasn't going to happen. As Ed sat down at the table, Howard asked, "What can I do for you?"

Looking at Howard with an intensity that the young man had never experienced, Ed answered, "I need you to find out where Leroy and Ling are. To do that, you'll have to get in contact with a Druid by the name of Tom Hardy. We'll need flight arrangements to leave tomorrow afternoon for Wisconsin. Let the travel folks know that we'll go by private jet. You'll need to pack up a couple of robes since you'll be going there with me."

Howard tried to remember everything that he had been told and repeated the instructions, "I'm to get in contact with Tom Hardy and find out where Leroy and Wing are. Then make flight arrangements on a private jet to Wisconsin for tomorrow afternoon."

"The name is Ling, not Wing," corrected Ed without irritation at having his wife's name mangled.

"Yes sir, Leroy and Ling," echoed Howard as he considered what else he would have to do before leaving tomorrow. He had to tell all of his instructors that he would be absent for an indeterminate amount of time.

It was late before Ed returned to the apartments. He had just finished going over his teaching plan with Dr. Doud, the other instructor of Geology. The man wasn't a Druid and didn't understand the need for Ed to leave for an unknown amount of time. In a way, he felt put out by having to work double time because Ed was leaving without much warning or details.

Turning on the light in his room, he was surprised to find out that Linda was waiting for him on the bed. The light woke her and she said, "I meant to stay awake and send you off properly."

Ed stripped out of his robe and turned off the light. Moving over to the bed he climbed under the sheets beside Linda and said, "I didn't mean to be gone so long."

"I know."

Ed spooned against Linda and kissed her back. Sighing, he said, "This is so wonderful. We don't get to lie together like this very often. Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"All the time," replied Linda feeling safe and secure in his arms. She whispered, "You show it to me more than you tell me."

"I love you very much. Sometimes, I just don't know how to say how much I love you."

Linda didn't need his words. She knew how much he loved her. Months spent by her bedside while she was struggling to keep the baby during her pregnancy demonstrated the depth of his love for her. If she could have another child, she would definitely want Ed to be the father. Voice trembling with emotion, Linda replied, "You don't have to say a word. I know how much you love me. I feel bad that I can't convey how deeply I feel for you."

"No need. I know," replied Ed.

Linda suddenly turned around and slid under the sheet. When she reached his limp cock, she slipped it into her mouth taking him by surprise. As her tongue worked the sensitive organ, it slowly erected filling her mouth and inching down her throat. She backed off and began to really get to work on it. With a free hand, she used it to tickle his balls with her long hair.

Groaning at the sensations that she was producing in him, Ed started bucking his hips. It was normal for her to try and get him to come as quickly as possible. This time, she took her time bringing him to a climax. When he started to get close, she eased off and teased him with the soft touch of her hair.

Ed was panting and thrusting his hips upwards trying to get enough friction on his cock to come, but she kept him just on the verge. Taking a finger, she slowly traced it over his asshole, exciting him further with the attention given to thousands of nerve endings. He groaned, "Please, let me come."

She started to lick the head of his cock with languid swipes of her tongue as if it were an ice cream cone. The desire to grab her head and shove it down on his cock was almost overwhelming, but he grabbed sheets instead and arched his body in the hope of thrusting into her mouth.

Linda, knowing that he was close to losing it sucked his cock into her mouth and deep throated him in one smooth move. The surprise was enough to drive him over the edge. He cried out, "I'm coming."

Backing off his cock, Linda tried to get as much of his come in her mouth as possible. As far as she was concerned, it was a waste for it to slide down her throat without having a chance to savor the flavor for a bit. When her mouth filled up with his come, she swallowed to accept the rest of it.

Ed groaned as she sucked his cock dry and then worked it over to clean off all traces of come. Never had he heard of a woman that loved the taste of come as much as Linda did. Even as he lay there recovering, he knew that he was lucky to have such a woman in his life.

Coming out from under the sheet, Linda said, "I hope that will hold you until morning."

In the dark, it was easy to see her white teeth as she smiled at him. Ed whispered, "It will hold me until morning and then some."

"We will see about that," teased Linda.

They cuddled for ten minutes before Ed fell asleep for the night. Linda, refreshed after her short nap, lay there beside him tracing little lines on his chest until she became sleepy. Leaning over, she kissed his nipple, and then snuggled beside him.



-------

Chapter 3

Uncomfortable in hiking boots, Ed followed behind Albert as he slipped through the woods. While Ed was proud of being an outdoorsman, the Ranger was amazing in how quiet he could move through very rough terrain. Ed was no match for him and poor Howard, following behind the two men, was positively miserable. After years of not wearing regular clothes, the khaki cotton jeans rubbed him in all of the wrong places, the shirt felt confining, and his hiking boots were rubbing blisters on his feet.

Coming to a sudden stop at the tree line, Albert pointed at a small herd of deer at the tree line on the other side of the meadow. Howard shouted, "Wow. Look at all those deer."

The moment that Howard spoke, all of the deer took off into the woods. An irritated voice from less than fifty feet away shouted back, "Who's the idiot that scared off the deer?"

Grinning at Howard who flushed from the anonymous comment, Ed answered, "That would be my intern, Leroy."

A feminine voice called out, "Is that you, Ed?"

"Yes, it is Ling."

The three men stepped into the meadow as Ling and Leroy stepped out a short distance away. Ed studied Ling and liked how she was dressed like a Forest Ranger without all of the insignia. He had never pictured her as an outdoor type and this was actually a nice look for her. Leroy called out as he approached, "Is that a Ranger with you?"

"Yes, it is."

"No wonder you found us out here in the middle of nowhere," replied Leroy. The Rangers were famous within certain circles for their tracking ability.

Howard decided that the group was going to stand around and talk, so he sat down on the ground to relax. He didn't understand what they were doing there in the middle of nowhere. After a few minutes, he started itching. Looking down, he realized that he had sat on an ant pile. Jumping up, he shouted and slapped at himself trying to brush off all of the ants that had swarmed over him.

While Ed and Albert were amused, Leroy was not. He shouted, "Be quiet! There won't be a deer within twenty miles of here by the time you're done."

Ed interrupted the tirade that Leroy was about to launch. "Leroy. We are here to hunt monsters and not deer. A Ranger's body was found not too far from here."

All thoughts of deer fled as Leroy turned to face Ed. Shocked, he echoed, "A Ranger's body?"

"Yes. Albert came out here to investigate and I came with him," answered Ed. He pointed to Howard and said, "This is Howard. He's my intern from the College. He has little to no experience in the woods, so forgive him while he learns."

Mollified somewhat, Leroy asked, "So is he learning anything?"

"Yes, he is," replied Ed. Considering that they had only been out here for three days, the kid had learned a lot about moving through the woods.

Albert said, "Let's get over to your camp and pack up so that we can move out. We've still got about four hours of daylight."

Grinning at Albert, Ling replied, "No need. We're already packed up and ready to go. We've been following that herd for the past four days."

Relieved, Albert pointed to the north and said, "We need to go that way to the site where the Ranger's body was found. I'm sure that all clues have been disturbed, but there might be something."

Ed asked, "Would it be faster to go back to where we left the car?"

"No. The car is a two-day hike from here and the site is a day's hike. We'll be able to get a ride to pick up the car."

Howard, having spent three days tramping through the woods, asked, "So how come it took us three days to get here?"

"We didn't know where here was. I had to track them down."

"Oh," replied Howard. The idea that Albert had no idea where he was going seemed odd to him. After thinking about it, he asked, "So how did we end up here?"

Even though Leroy hadn't been with them, he knew exactly how they had been found. He looked at Howard and said, "He tracked us. He went into the woods looking for signs that we had been there. Once he found them, he followed our tracks. It's a pretty impressive feat."

"How difficult is that?"

"Leroy and Ling were somewhere over there. Why don't you find out exactly where they were by looking for signs of where they had been?" suggested Ed with a smile.

This digression irritated Albert who was ready to go. Perturbed, he said, "Let's go. I don't have all day to waste here."

Holding up a hand, Ed replied in a firm voice, "A student has asked to learn. We teach him."

The rebuke brought Albert up short. He remembered the number of times that he had wasted time helping his students learn more about woodcraft. Lowering his head, he said, "I'm sorry. There are only three dozen of us and the loss of one hurts me more than I thought possible."

Nodding, Ed replied, "Believe me. I know how that is. When a Druid was killed by organized crime, we put a lot of effort into taking those responsible down."

Howard had wandered towards where he thought Ling and Leroy had been. He walked around trying to see something that might help him determine where they had been, but it all looked like grass, brush, and trees to him. He was about to take a step, when Albert shouted, "Stop."

One of the things that Howard had learned over the past three days was that when someone shouted stop, you froze in place. He did as he had learned. Albert walked up to him and said, "Set your foot down."

Howard did it looking around for whatever might have caused Albert to shout at him. There wasn't a snake. Albert knelt down close to where the young man was about to step. Pointing to the ground, he asked, "What do you see here?"

"Nothing."

"Look again. Look at the grass and compare it to the grass around this area."

Howard squatted and looked where Albert was pointing. The grass looked like grass to him. He followed Albert's finger as he pointed out various blades of grass. Albert said, "Do you see how these blades of grass are all bent in this direction while these others are standing straight up?"

"Yes, I do."

"Look at the pattern that the bent blades make. What does it look like to you?"

Howard examined the area that Albert was pointing at while trying to figure what it looked like. After a minute, he said, "I guess it looks like the front half of a shoe."

"Good. Now look back here. Do you see how the ground is indented a little and a few of the grass blades are broken?"

"Yes, I do," answered Howard. It was clear when pointed out to him and he realized that was the result of the heel being set down. Excited he said, "That's the heel of the shoe. Whoever it was, was walking towards me."

"Right," replied Albert pleased that the guy was taking the clues and putting them together to tell a story. He said, "Knowing that, where would you look for the previous footprint?"

Howard looked around the ground and then said, "It should be a step back from that footstep."

"Find it."

The grass was slightly bent about eighteen inches back from the step that he had been examining. Pointing at the spot, he said, "There."

"Who do you think was walking?"

Taking a guess, he said, "Leroy."

Recognizing the questioning tone in his voice, Albert asked, "Why?"

After thinking about it for a minute, the answer came to him. Smiling, he answered, "The length of the step."

"Exactly. Now there are several secrets in tracking that will help you find signs that someone has been through an area. One is that people and animals tend to walk in a straight line unless there is an obstacle in their way. The other is that you never step on sign that you have already located. You walk off to the side and behind, close enough to spot the next sign."

Taking a few paces over to the side, Howard moved forward slowly looking for the next footstep. After a few steps, he saw where the entire area was matted down. Stopping, he pointed and said, "That is where they were lying when we came along."

Albert had watched Howard follow the tracks of Leroy back to the spot where they had been watching the deer. Nodding his head to confirm that Howard was correct, he said, "That's right. Now look at the area and tell me where Ling was."

For a full minute Howard looked at the area and decided that it was right in front of him. He pointed at the spot and said, "Right there."

"Okay. So where did she walk when she left?"

The question was easiest to answer by visualizing them laying there and then standing up to walk over to them. After a second, he said, "About where I'm standing?"

"Exactly. Of course, you wiped out all trace of her sign by trampling all over them."

Embarrassed, Howard looked down at the ground and said, "I didn't know."

Grinning, Albert said, "That's what makes tracking hard."

"I had the advantage that I knew where they had been. You didn't know, so how did you find their sign to begin with?"

Albert gestured for the others to follow them. As he led the way towards his destination, he answered, "There are all kinds of methods to use. I had a good idea of where they would be. I'm sure that you didn't notice that we made a very circuitous circuit for the first day and a half as I was searching for some sign of them. I came across a set of tracks yesterday afternoon."

"Oh, I didn't notice," replied Howard as he thought about how much his feet hurt.

As the pair walked towards the site where the Ranger's body had been found, Albert would stop and point out things for Howard to notice. Ed, Leroy, and Ling followed behind the pair. For Leroy, much of what Albert was saying was old news although he did learn a trick or two from the Ranger. For Ed, tracking in the woods was an entirely new topic and he listened with his full attention.

After an hour, Ling broke the silence when she said, "Ed, I bet you could show him a thing or two about tracking in the desert."

"I don't know about that. He's pretty observant," answered Ed.

Laughing, Leroy said, "out here, he knows what to look for and how to interpret it. In the desert, you know what to look for and how to interpret it."

"Maybe," replied Ed in a voice that expressed lots of doubt.

"You find a cactus with a nip taken out of it. There is still moisture around the nip. When was the nip made?"

"Less than ten minutes before you found it," replied Ed automatically. Cactus was tight with water and healed itself very quickly.

Leroy smiled at Ed and didn't say a word. Noticing the look that Leroy was giving him, Ed nodded and conceded the point, "You're right."

Albert had heard the exchange and asked, "Who would have thought that a little nip out of a cactus meant something. What would have caused it?"

"A bird, but you would have to see the exact type of cactus and the kind of nip to know what kind of bird it was," replied Ed.

Looking over at the student beside him, Albert said, "You may feel that you are the least knowledgeable amongst us, but we are all students. Every minute out here, we learn new things about the way that nature behaves. When I'm given the opportunity to see some new sight, I take the time to watch it. It doesn't matter if it is an insect that I've never seen before eating a leaf or the mating ritual of a pair of birds."

Thoughtful, Howard dropped back to think about what he had learned. The courses on biology at the school had not prepared him for the lessons that he was learning out here. Although he had not felt that he had learned much the first three days, he had adapted to the new environment in a fashion that would allow him to learn more over the next few days. It was true that his feet still hurt from the boots, but Albert and Ed had made sure that he changed his socks frequently, put powder inside the boot to reduce the rubbing, and took care of his sores.

Ed, uncomfortable with the continuous weight of the pack on his back, shifted his backpack and looked over at Leroy. With a grin, he asked, "Why would you possibly want to carry this stuff when a horse would do that for you?"

Laughing at his husband's obvious discomfort, Leroy asked, "Did you pack your cast iron cook set?"

"By the Gods and Goddesses, no! I'm not that stupid," replied Ed to the laughter of Ling and Leroy. He added, "Of course, I haven't had a decent meal out here. That aluminum cookware just doesn't have the same effect on the food."

Albert allowed them to catch up as he added, "Ed has burned everything that he's tried to cook."

Shaking his head in disgust, Ed said, "At least the steaks came out good."

Exchanging a glance, Ling and Leroy both know how important food was to Ed. Ling said, "We'll let Leroy cook tonight."

"Speaking of tonight, we had better camp early and near a stream. We've got to wash our clothes and some fresh fish would be a real treat," said Leroy.

Looking a little irritated, Albert was about to reply that he hated to waste daylight. However, a moment of reflection reminded him that Leroy and Ling had been out in the field for at least a month. He had seen how they had harvested food along their path, making occasional detours to get food. Taking a more gentle tone, he asked, "How are your supplies holding up?"

"They are okay. We've been grazing as we traveled," replied Leroy.

"I'm sure that you are tired of eating roots and leaves."

"You can say that again," replied Ling. She wasn't going to be able to face a tuber for months after getting out of here. There had been the occasional rabbit and squirrel, but even that was getting old.

Albert stopped and mentally visualized the area from the map that he had studied. Pointing in a direction that was somewhat off their intended destination, he said, "There should be a nice stream over that way within an hour's walk from here."

Howard stopped and asked, "You say that you've never been here before, but you know where a stream will be. How can that be?"

"I studied a map of the area and I have a good idea of where I am," replied Albert with a smile. He walked along for a few feet and then added, "I know that you didn't have to do anything to prepare for this trip as that was taken care of by Ed and myself. However, you do have to realize that preparation is everything."

Suffering from a headache, Howard satisfied himself with following the others. The hour hike passed by and the group found themselves walking along a stream searching for a good spot to camp. After about half a mile, they came to a nice meadow by the stream. With relief, everyone dropped their packs and sat on the ground.

With a smile, Leroy said, "Since I'm cooking tonight, that means everyone else has to set up camp."

"I'll go after firewood with Howard," said Ed as he looked over at his student. This would give him a chance to talk with his intern to see how he was holding up. From Howard's reaction, the thought of walking around must have hurt.

Looking around, Albert said, "I'll set up a fish trap. We should have some nice fresh fish for breakfast."

Shrugging her shoulders, Ling said, "I guess that leaves me setting up the fire pit."

Everyone went to work on his or her individual jobs. As Ed and Howard walked to the woods to pick up deadwood, Ed asked, "So, how are you holding up?"

"My feet are sore, the pants chaff, the pack is killing my shoulders, and I'm tired."

"I bet you'd kill for a coke about now."

"You can say that again."

"Sorry you came?"

Howard bent down to pick up a rather nice size branch. Straightening up, he answered, "Not at all. I've learned a lot on this trip that I don't think I would have learned anywhere else. I was in the Boy Scouts, but they didn't prepare me for this."

Ed picked up several smaller branches that would make good kindling for starting the fire. With their arms full, the pair returned to camp to drop off the wood. As they walked back towards the woods, Howard said, "Albert is a pretty amazing individual. He really knows his way around the woods."

"That is where he is at home. He is one with the woods."

Howard asked, "Where are you at home?"

"The desert. A lot of people find it inhospitable, but I love it out there." Ed looked up at the sky, finding it cut off by the trees. He missed the open sky and dry land beneath him. Everything seemed so closed in out here in the woods, that he was left with a slight feeling of discomfort. He asked, "Where are you at home?"

"I don't know. I never thought about it," replied Howard. Could one consider an American Suburb home in the same way that one could call the woods home? It was populated with fast food places, strip malls, streets of similar houses, and middle class schools. He didn't know if there were enough similarities to call it home.

Smiling, Ed gathered some larger pieces of wood and said, "Don't worry. You'll find your place. It might be a city, the shore, the open plains, or the mountains. The day will come when a place will call out to you."

Before starting dinner, everyone went down to the stream to wash themselves and their clothes. Although Albert knew to expect it, the ease with which everyone stripped and the joy they took in the water amazed him. There wasn't the least restraint in their actions. Even Howard had joined in the activities perfectly at ease with the nudity and concentration on the now. For several long minutes, he had stood on the bank watching them frolic in the water. Splashes and shouts of pleasure echoed across the landscape.

He stripped, but it was with much greater hesitancy and embarrassment on his part. His cock had reacted to Ling in a predicable manner. Discretely, Ling came over and took care of his problem by giving him a quick handjob. Standing behind him, she reached around his body and wrapped her hand around his cock. With a fast easy motion, she jacked him off. Throughout the handjob, Albert could do little except watch the hand playing with his cock. It took several minutes for him to come, spraying his seed onto the grass in front of him.

Looking around, he realized that none of the other men had watched, despite the fact that they couldn't have helped but notice what Ling was doing to him. The complete lack of voyeuristic tendencies was striking. That observation had shocked him more than anything else that he had experienced with the Druids. They really did respect people's privacy even in conditions where privacy wasn't available.

After swimming, the group retired to the campsite to prepare dinner. Leroy worked his magic over the coals, cooking the canned ham that Ed had carried in his backpack. With the canned corn that Howard had packed in and a few potatoes that Albert had brought, they had a nice wilderness meal.

After cleaning up after dinner, Howard asked, "How come we didn't fish?"

Smiling, Albert answered, "There are five of us. It would be very difficult to assure that we could catch enough fish for all of us before supper. I set up a fish trap that shall work for us all night. In the morning, we will know how well it did. If it didn't catch anything, we will just cook what we would normally have cooked."

Nodding at the reasonableness of the answer, Howard was silent. There was so much that he had learned today and he needed some quiet time to reflect on it. Albert and Leroy were clearly at ease in the woods, able to walk around without making a sound and seeing everything around them. Ling had a natural grace that allowed her to move in any environment. Ed wasn't that comfortable hiking, but he was very aware of his environment as well as the capabilities of the people around him.

Sitting across the fire, Ed watched his intern with interest as his thoughts expressed themselves on his face. After a period of time, Howard was frowning as unpleasant thoughts crossed his mind. Interrupting his intern's thoughts, Ed asked, "What are you thinking about, Howard?"

"Why did you bring me on this trip? I'm not contributing anything," answered the young man.

Ling sat between Ed and Leroy staring into the fire. She looked over at the student and was about to suggest that it was important to train for the future. Instead, Leroy said, "That's a good question."

In the mean time, Ed and Albert offered each other the opportunity to answer. Ed finally took the lead and said, "Preparation is one of the most important things. When we are gone, if you aren't prepared to carry on our work, what will happen then?"

"Are you saying that I'll be tramping around out here after I graduate?"

Ed laughed as he shook his head recognizing that the possibility of that was depressing his intern. He answered, "Who knows what you will have to face in the future. My job is to prepare you the best that I can. That means you will tag along with me all of this year. I've never done this before and I'm making it up as I go. The advantage that I have over you is that I have experience with similar circumstances."

"You also serve the Two-Sided One," remarked Howard.

The observation brought a smile to Ling as she heard the remark. She wondered how Ed would reply to that. He surprised her when he said, "If you are lucky, you will also get to serve one of the Gods and Goddesses."

"So I am basically here to learn," summarized Howard.

"And to contribute when you can," replied Ed.

"What can I do that you can't?"

"Would you like to answer that Leroy?" asked Ed as he turned to his husband.

Leroy was surprised to be pulled into the discussion and looked around for a moment wondering if anyone was going to intercede on his behalf. Ling smirked at him, an action on her part that was of no use to him. Finally, he said, "There is a lot that you can do."

"What?"

Giving Leroy a breather, Ed replied, "When the community where his father lived was under attack, it was Leroy that helped organize the people there to resist. He brought the people together and cleaned up the entire neighborhood. There is much that any individual can do when faced with evil."

Howard looked over at Leroy and asked, "Do you feel the same way as Ed? That I might be of help rather than useless?"

Seriously considering the question, Leroy saw that Ed had seen more into his actions that he had consciously put into them. Coming to a decision, Leroy answered, "Yes. I agree with Ed. Each of us can contribute something unique to a situation. Sometimes, it may not mean much to you when you do it, but to others it is invaluable."

Later in the evening, Howard was awakened by the screams of a woman. At first, he thought there was something the matter, but when he heard the kind of begging that often came with sexual relations he relaxed. Lying on his bedroll, it was impossible not hear the activities going on a little distance from camp. The noises suggested that both her husbands were servicing Ling.

Horny after four days of no sexual activity, he stood up and stepped a short distance from the camp. Undoing his pants, he fished out his stiffening cock. He wrapped his hand around his cock and started stroking like he had done hundreds of times when masturbating. As he listened to the noises from the woods, he imagined that he was the one pounding into Ling. When she announced another orgasm, he let loose jets of come that fell onto the grass at his feet.

Cleaning up the best that he could, he slipped his cock back into his pants and then zipped them up. Turning, he was surprised to find Albert standing not too far away jerking off. He had assumed that the older man wouldn't have the same sex drive that a twenty- two year old man had.

He returned to his bedroll and watched the sky overhead as noises of pleasure continued to sound from the woods. Shaking his head, he realized that she was the loudest woman he had ever heard announcing her pleasure when she was having sex.

As Albert returned to his bedroll, he commented, "She sure does announce her pleasure."

Nodding, Howard answered, "Yes, she does. It must be nice to have a lover like that."

Both men were quiet as they lay on their bedrolls. They knew that it would be impossible to sleep with that noise going on in the background, but also felt that there was nothing that they could talk about without it seeming surreal. Each man lay there thinking his own thoughts before giving up all pretense of trying to sleep. Turning, each of them sat up and stared at the fire.

It was at least an hour later when Ed, Leroy, and Ling returned to camp. They noticed the two men staring at the fire and not talking. Leroy asked, "Did we wake you?"

Albert and Howard were about to answer, but looked over at Ed. Even a polite lie wouldn't go unnoticed. Howard, the junior of the two, replied, "I guess you did."

Even by the light of the fire, it was easy to see that Ling was blushing. She hit Ed softly on the arm and said, "I told you we should have gone further into the woods."

"It wouldn't have mattered. Out here, noises that loud can carry for miles at night," observed Albert without intending to comment on her volume.

Leroy nodded his agreement while Ling apologized, "I'm sorry. I hope that we didn't disturb you too much."

"No problem," replied Howard. He would have preferred a real sexual experience, but the chance to jack off had been a release as well. The only thing that he really missed was getting enough sleep.

Ed heard the truth in his answer, but there was also a sense of a lie there. He wanted his intern to be truthful around him, so he asked, "So what was the problem?"

Groaning, Howard said, "It's not what you think."

Believing that she understood what he was implying, Ling said, "I'll be glad to jack you off if that is your problem."

"Really?" asked Howard before he thought about it. Realizing that he was talking to Ed's wife, he added, "No. I took care of that myself. The truth is that I'm dead tired and really need my sleep."

Ed laughed at the initial reaction and the truth of his addition. It amazed him how well the students accepted the rules. "Sorry. Let's all get some sleep now. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

As everyone else settled onto his or her bedrolls, Ed sat staring into the fire. His intern surprised him at times, but that was nothing compared to Ling's easy acceptance of jerking off Albert and Howard. He wondered if it wasn't a backlash from her current problem. She had been out here with Leroy for six months and had not yet managed to get pregnant.

Earlier, she had confessed to Ed that the time in the woods had destroyed her cycle and she hadn't had a period in four months. She had tested herself with one of those home pregnancy kits and found that she wasn't pregnant. With that much time passing since a period, she was getting worried that something was wrong with her.



-------

Chapter 4

They reached the site where the body of the Ranger had been found late in the afternoon. The body had been found in a small creek bed surrounded by a half dozen trees by a local man that had noticed a large number of crows in the area. When he had approached, it seemed like twenty of the birds had flown out of the creek. Wanting to find out why so many carrion birds were in one place, he had found the body expecting to find the carcass of a deer killed by a poacher.

There was nothing remarkable about the site. As Albert carefully moved around it hoping to find some sign of what had actually happened, Ed squatted off to the side trying to see what he could find with his truth sense. Leroy, Ling, and Howard all stood back watching the two men apply their individual talents to the problem. Ed was the first to give up and returned to the three observers. Once he reached them, he said, "I didn't see anything."

Albert returned to them ten minutes later shaking his head. Once there, he said, "The whole place has been trampled down by the police and everyone else that was here. Can't make out a damned thing."

Howard heard the sound of a car going by several hundred yards away. Thinking about not having to hike anymore, he said, "We can hike over to the road and, if we are lucky, we could get a ride back to your car, Ed."

Disappointed at what he had found, Albert replied, "That's a good idea. Let's go."

As Albert followed the tire tracks of the police cars towards the highway, Howard stood there looking at him with a funny expression on his face. Rather than follow, he called out, "You're going the wrong way."

Testy at the student, Albert turned to him and said, "The tire tracks lead to the highway that's a half a mile in this direction."

"Well, I heard a car drive past a couple hundred yards away in this direction," replied Howard pointing in the direction from which he had heard the car.

Albert looked over at Ed and smiled as he shook his head at the irony of the situation. He had been so intent on tracks that he had ignored other signs that he should have caught. Looking over at Ed, he said, "Let's follow Howard for a change."

The lack of response from Howard caught Ed's attention. He asked, "Why the silence?"

Puzzled, Howard said, "I think Albert should lead the way. He sees things that I don't."

Albert returned to the four of them and replied, "You're right. If there is anything to find, I'm less likely to destroy it and most likely to find it."

The others followed Albert as he took a circuitous route towards the road that Howard had heard the car come down. After a hundred yards, he stopped and called out, "This is the way that they came into the area."

The others joined him around a fallen tree and flattened bush. Shaking his head, Howard asked, "How do you know?"

"They dragged him here and one of the men tripped over the fallen tree. Someone, probably the Ranger landed on the bush and flattened it." As he made the explanation, he pointed to features that supported his interpretation of the signs.

Howard had followed the entire discussion, but was bothered by one detail. He asked, "Why do you think it was the Ranger that landed on the bush?"

The Ranger was quiet for a moment and then replied, "It's as if a dead weight was dropped on the bush. There isn't the kind of damage that a person scrambling to recover from a fall would make. If you notice over here, some of the brush is broken with dead leaves while this brush doesn't have that same kind of breakage."

Ed knelt down and examined the scene as Albert had laid it out. Footprints and other details had been lost over time, but the damage they had created had lasted. In a very quiet voice, he said, "You are saying that he was already dead when brought here."

Solemn, Albert replied, "I guess that is what I'm saying. Even bound he would have made a sign that would identify who brought him here."

"How?"

"We have a short hand that we use to mark areas. A few deep scuff marks with his boot and he could have spelled out who his captors were," replied Albert as he exposed one of the secrets of the Ranger organization.

Still kneeling, Ed drew a figure on the ground and said, "I take it this means Druid."

Surprised to see Ed write something in the secret language, Albert asked, "How did you know?"

"Oh, I found it scratched on a couple of rocks around the Druid College and wondered what it meant," Ed answered with a wry smile. At the startled reaction of Albert, he added, "There were enough rocks with that symbol to define the boundaries of the college property. A few feet away were other rocks with different symbols scratched on them."

"Care to speculate what the other symbols meant?"

"I would surmise that it described the state of the property. One of the places next to ours is over cultivated while another is completely wild. I'm sure that I can decode the symbols if I so desired."

Albert shook his head as he replied, "We shouldn't have marked your place. You guys are too observant."

Chuckling, Ed replied, "I didn't know it was you that left the marks."

Standing, Albert said, "Let's find where they entered the woods. Maybe there is more that we can learn there."

They went in the direction from which the tracks originated. It didn't take them long before they reached the edge of the woods and found the road. It wasn't much of a road, little more than a dirt track that was wide enough for a single car. Looking around, they couldn't find anything that gave clues as to where the bad guys had parked.

Howard sat on the ground a good distance away from where Albert was examining the ground. Bored with watching the three other men search the ground, he tossed rocks into the field across the road as he thought about returning to school. Noticing a couple of cans, he tried to hit them from where he sat. This had been an interesting break from classes, but he missed the social interaction with the other students.

After spending a half an hour searching the area between to road and the woods, Albert gave up and said, "There's nothing here."

Ed said, "I don't see anything wrong here."

Leroy added, "With a dirt road like this, any tracks would be wiped out in three days as a result of trucks going up and down the road. It's even hard to tell that the last truck that came through here headed up the road in that direction."

Nodding his agreement from where he was sprawled out on the ground, Howard said, "Right. There's nothing here except a couple of beer cans thrown into the field over there. Do you think we can walk to one of the places along this road and get a ride back to the car, yet?"

Leroy burst out laughing at the statement. The poor guy was so ready to get out of the woods, that he was noticing every sign of civilization. The ironic thing was that he was seeing signs that shouldn't be where they were. Leroy said, "Oh, we'll go see one of the locals soon. We have to call in the local police to collect the evidence."

Surprised, Howard asked, "What evidence?"

Giggling, Ling replied, "Oh, a couple of beer cans that are in a place where they don't belong."

Surprised at the suggestion that there was something important about the beer cans, Howard asked, "What? Someone just threw them over there after they finished drinking them."

"And who might that be?"

As he realized the significance of the cans, he knocked his forehead with his hand. At least he hadn't actually managed to hit one of them with all the rocks he had tossed in their direction. Howard answered, "Sometimes I just don't get it. I'm not used to thinking about things as clues to a crime."

Albert said, "Let's head in the direction that the last truck that passed here was going. If they live up the road, it might be the case that they saw something suspicious."

The group walked up the road. Albert, Leroy, and Ed were walking side by side discussing the amazing co-incidence that all three had missed the two most important clues. Trailing about thirty feet behind the three men, Ling walked beside Howard occasionally looking at him out of the corner of her eye. The poor guy was really out of his element here, but was doing his best to stay out of the way. She broke the silence when she said, "They are three very intense men. Once they put their minds on a problem, they don't give up. I imagine that you are the same way, but this isn't the place where you can show that ability."

Surprised by the observation, Howard answered, "It's not that bad. I've just never spent any significant amount of time in the woods. I grew up in the suburbs. To me, wilderness is the local park before they mow it."

"So did John Carter, but he hiked every chance that he had. Even today, he likes to take off and hike for days. It's a shame that his responsibilities at the College do not allow him to hike as often as he would like."

The idea that John Carter was sacrificing himself for the sake of the students was a total surprise to Howard. Glancing over at Ling, he asked, "What about Ed?"

"Living at the College is slowly killing him."

"You're kidding!"

Knowing Ed the way that she did, she could see the signs that living at the College was slowly wearing him down. The infrequent trips to Arizona were enough to revive him for a month or two, but it wasn't long after he returned before he became sullen and withdrawn. Shaking her head, she replied, "No. I'm not kidding. He's got a great sense of humor and a tremendous love of life, but that humor is shown less and less frequently. He needs open spaces to embrace life."

"That's so sad," remarked Howard as he thought about it. He asked, "What is it that he likes to do?"

"He likes to hunt rocks and ride his horse. This trip would be good for him, but he's stuck walking. He hates hiking. He feels that you don't get the big picture so close to the ground," replied Ling.

"But he's so confident and focused."

"Yes, he is. He'll work himself to death in order to right some wrong. I know that he's come close to that in the past."

"When?"

"Have you been with him to an IRS office?" asked Ling as she stopped to look at Howard. The look on his face told her the answer.

"Yes. The trips are complete agony for him," replied Howard. He had seen how hard Ed worked. It hurt to be around him when he went through the files that contained lies.

"He went through the files in New York City one year. He tried to get through the entire office in one week. Every night, he collapsed and had to be carried back to the hotel. He would have killed himself to clear up every case they had, if it had been necessary."

"Wow."

"Yes, wow. When you find your service to the Gods and Goddesses, I am sure that it will be the same for you. Even if you aren't called, you've learned much greater focus than most people can even imagine," replied Ling as she resumed walking to catch up with the three men.

Howard walked faster to keep up with her and asked, "You have that same focus, but you don't serve the Gods and Goddesses. How did you get it?"

"My uncle taught me the martial arts in the old manner. It imposed a kind of discipline that you don't see anywhere else. I spent hours standing in the yard practicing movements in slow motion. Even the slightest error brought the sharp rap of a stick on the offending muscles. I went to school for six hours a day and practiced the martial arts for eight hours every day," answered Ling. She walked along quietly thinking about those years. She had hated the unrelenting lessons that her uncle put her through and it wasn't until years afterwards that she realized he had given her a far greater gift than mastery of an obscure fighting style. He had given her a strength that allowed her to be her own person, unbound by societal convention and able to break it by having the skill to keep others from forcing her into anything that she didn't want to do.

Grimacing at the thought of what a life like that would entail, Howard replied, "It sounds like a horrible way to grow up."

Smiling, Ling replied, "I thought so at the time, but he saved me from a lifetime of misery."

"How so?"

"As an orphan, I could have been sold into virtual slavery. When I grew up, I could have been married off to an important man. Instead, he gave me a real future that allowed me to meet some wonderful people and marry for love," replied Ling.

"Sounds like it has worked out for you," replied Howard. He looked over at her as they walked along and noticed a sadness settle over her. Unsure, he asked, "So why are you sad?"

"I'm trying to have a child by Leroy, yet after six months of trying nothing has resulted. I'm still without child."

Howard didn't know much about that topic, but he felt that he should give an answer that would cheer her up. He remarked, "It is probably a matter of timing."

Ling laughed at the observation, realizing that the poor guy was closer to the truth than she wanted to admit. They were busy following some herd of deer or elk and would risk scaring them away by making love. Her screams when making love tended to scare the wild animals, particularly the hoofed ones that were often hunted.

Confused by what they were doing out here, Howard asked, "What exactly is it that you are doing out here?"

"Leroy wants to observe the infection of a deer in the wild. It has never been observed and the real question is how it happens in the wild where deer are actually able to avoid contact with infected animals. We've seen several infected animals, but the herds we have followed avoided them and in some cases chased them off. Leroy is taking samples of all the places where the herd grazes to see if there is anything there that may have left by an infected animal, but so far nothing has turned up."

It was an interesting question and he wondered how else the questions could be answered. It seemed like a waste to have such an educated man as Leroy wandering around the wilderness following deer. He looked around at his surroundings and noticed a very odd sight emerging from the woods in the nearby field. He called out, "Stop."

Surprised at the fact that everyone stopped and turned the upper half of their bodies to look at him as soon as he called out. Not wanting to scare off the bird, he pointed to a very large owl walking across the field. It waddled from side to side in a manner reminiscent of a penguin. Everyone turned to look at what he was pointing. For the next fifteen minutes, they watched as the owl trekked across the field with single-minded determination without once taking flight.

When the owl disappeared into the woods at the far end of the field, Leroy and Albert burst out laughing. Howard didn't know what was so funny, so he asked, "Why are you laughing?"

Leroy said, "I've heard stories about walking owls before, but I never believed them."

"That's the funniest thing I've ever seen a bird do," remarked Albert. He added, "And I've seen birds do a lot of funny things."

Surprised, Ed said, "I've seen a number of owls do that in the desert and never thought anything about it. None of them were that big, though."

"That was a Great Horned Owl and a large specimen at that, probably a female since they are larger than the male. They often hunt by walking, but I've never observed it before," remarked Albert as he shook his head. As Howard and Ling joined the three men, Albert added, "Thanks for pointing that out. I wouldn't have believed you if you had told me about it later."

The group returned to their march up the road. When they passed the woods from which the owl had emerged, they found a wooden house. The tire tracks they had followed turned into the drive and ended at a truck parked in front of the house. Ed and Albert went up to the house. The door opened and a man with a gun stepped out to confront them. His left cheek bulged out from a wad of chewing tobacco. Ed shouted, "Hello. We need you to call the local law for us."

Looking over to the side, the man spit out some tobacco juice and asked, "Did you find another body?"

"No. We are investigating the murder of a man that we know," replied Albert.

Chewing for a moment and spitting out more tobacco juice, the man studied Albert for a moment. Finally, he said, "Yeah. The guy I found was dressed just like you. Odd clothes for a hiker."

Ed asked, "You found him?"

"Yeah. Noticed a bunch of crows and went to investigate. I figured it was a deer killed by poachers. Found the dead man and came back here to call the cops. Damn near got fired from my job that day because I didn't make it in to work," replied the man. He spat and lowered the gun.

"Did you drink a beer or two while waiting for the cops to show up?"

"Nah. I hate beer, I prefer whiskey."

Ed could tell that the man was telling the truth by the sweet sound of his voice. He asked, "Did you notice anything unusual on the road here, a day or two before you found the body?"

"Nope. Of course, if anything happened during the day, I'd be at work. Old lady down the road would have noticed any unusual traffic. She sees everything. It doesn't matter what time of day or night it might be," replied the man. Tired of chewing, he spit out the whole wad of tobacco onto the grass next to the porch. That done, he sat down on the edge of the porch cradling the gun across his legs. Shaking his head, he added, "Sure was a shame about that guy. He looked too young to die."

Albert asked, "How do you think the body got there?"

"I thought he was a hiker at first and had fallen there and died. I figured that he had hiked in from the highway. Heard later that I was wrong about how he died. Seems someone killed him and dumped the body there. I figure that whoever did it must have come down this road here."

Ed looked at Albert for a minute and then said, "We found some beer cans in a field about where we figured they parked to drag the body into the woods. Can you think of any way those beer cans could have come to be there?"

"Not unless the feller that killed the hiker threw them there. Only four houses on this road. There's the old lady, me, the Reverend, and some guy from town that comes here on the weekends. I don't think any of them are beer drinkers." The man scratched his stomach with his right hand as he spoke.

Ed knew that he was telling the truth as he saw it. Softly, he said, "Please call the local authorities and have them come out here."

Pulling a card out of his pocket, Albert added, "Please call the game warden and ask him to come here, as well. Tell him that I am here."

The guy looked at the card with a puzzled expression. For a moment, Howard wondered if the guy could read. His doubts were put to rest when the guy said, "A Ranger? You are a park ranger?"

"No. I am a consultant for the Department of the Interior and the Game and Wildlife Departments of half the states in the country. The Game Warden will know who I am."

The man looked at him out of the corner of his eye before answering, "You don't say. You sure are a strange group; A guy dressed like Robin Hood, a cowboy, a nigger, a chink, and a fat kid."

Getting the man's eye and staring at him with a cold direct stare, Ed answered, "The black gentleman is my husband and the lady is my wife. You will talk of them with respect. The young man is my student."

"Sorry, didn't mean nothin' by it," replied the man with a shrug.

The odd thing was that Ed's truth sense told him the guy was actually telling the truth. After a moment of silence, Ed asked, "Will you make the call?"

Standing up and carrying his gun in a negligent manner, the guy went into the house. Ed turned to Howard and said, "Put on your robe. We are doing official business from this moment on."

Even as Howard dug through his pack, Ed went through the pack looking for his robe. Finding it at the bottom of the pack, he put it on and repacked his belongings. After ten minutes, the man returned to the porch and sat down on the edge. Shaking his head, he said, "Al, you must be some sort of important person. As soon as I mentioned your name, they said they were sending an FBI agent out with the game warden."

Albert, who hated being called Al, shook his head and pointed to Ed saying, "He's the important one here."

Looking over at Ed as surprise crossed his features, he said, "Damn. You're one of them Druds."

Ed corrected him by saying, "I am a Druid."

"I've seen you fellers on the television. Never saw one wearing a black robe or a blue robe before. What's with the different colors?"

"I serve the Two-Sided One, so the color of my robe is black. Howard is an initiate who has not yet been called to service, so his robe is blue."

Shrugging in disinterest, the man took a bite out of a brick of chewing tobacco. After chewing for a moment, he said, "I'm a good Christian man. Not sure that I approve of folks that claim to serve other Gods. Sounds like Satanism to me. Do you'll practice animal sacrifice?"

Smiling, Ed was about to reply that he was more than happy to consume a steak cooked well done as a sacrifice, but realized the man would probably not get the joke. Shaking his head, he replied, "No. We don't sacrifice animals or people. We serve the good and I'm glad to hear that you are a good Christian. We need more good Christians in this world."

The guy was silent as he chewed his tobacco, occasionally letting loose with a spittle of tobacco juice. Watching from a distance, Ling shuddered in disgust at the thought of kissing the man. Rather than pursue the religious issues, the man changed the topic, "Did you happen to see the walking owl?"

"Yes, we did. Funniest thing I've ever seen," answered Howard.

"Most folks don't believe me when I tell them about that damned bird. Too many people think I've been hitting the bottle and seeing things."

Albert replied, "Well, tell them that it is a Great Horned Owl and that walking around like that is well known behavior. They'll even walk into a stream after fish."

"You don't say. That's good to know."

Howard, Ling, and Leroy were tired of standing around waiting for introductions and sat down on the ground to wait. Howard dug around in his pack for a bit and then pulled out a couple pieces of beef jerky. After handing a piece to Ling and Leroy, he sucked on a piece of the jerky. The three of them watched as Ed and Albert joined the man on the porch.

The time slowly passed as evening startled to settle. The silence was broken by the sudden noise of a helicopter approaching. They all looked up in the air as the helicopter settled on the ground in front of the house. A man in a dark suit stepped out and ran, bent over, towards the house. Once a good distance away from the helicopter, he waved and the helicopter lifted off the ground.

Coming over the group on the porch, he walked directly to Ed. Stopping a couple of paces away, he said, "Dr. Biggers, I'm Special Agent Chuck Abrams of the FBI."

Smiling, Ed replied, "Nice to meet you Chuck. Please call me Ed. The ranger to my right is Albert Mandel. I'm afraid that I don't know the name of our host."

The man replied, "I'm George Hayber."

Leroy, Ling, and Howard stood up and joined the other three where Ed provided introductions. Chuck said, "Another agent will be here in about thirty minutes in a car. I came by helicopter to provide what little help I could. What's the situation?"

Albert and Ed exchanged looks trying to decide which of them would be the one to tell the agent that his trip was a wasted effort. Finally, Ed said, "We found a couple of beer cans that we believe were left by the individual or individuals that killed the Ranger that was found near here."

The news that he had been brought in to take care of a couple of suspicious beer cans seemed like overkill. However, he wasn't too upset as he was getting a chance to work with the famous husband of John Carter. "Beer cans you say. What makes you think that they might belong to the killer?"

"They are located where they drug the body into the woods."

"Ah, so you found a bit more than a couple of cans," replied Chuck, relieved that it was more than just beer cans strewn along a road.

The game warden was the next person to arrive at the house. He pulled up in front of the house and got out. Looking around, he saw the robes of the Druids and the dress of the Ranger. Walking over to the Ranger, he introduced himself, "I'm Scott Darling of the Game and Wildlife Department. I'm glad to see that a Ranger is in the area once again. I'm so sorry about John Wilkins, he was a good guy."

Solemn, Albert replied, "We will catch his killers."

The Game Warden asked, "Killers?"

Nodding, Albert said, "We have sufficient evidence to show that he was killed somewhere else and brought here to be dumped. Two men dragged his body to the ravine and threw it in. We speculate that they parked on the road down from here and drank a beer each before leaving."

George said, "Yeah, you'll definitely want to talk to the old lady down the road if that is the case. They wouldn't have been able to drive up the road without her seeing them."

Scott was quiet and said, "I'm sorry. I'm not an investigator and I totally missed the signs."

"Let's go down the road and interview the woman," suggested Ed ready to get to work.

Realizing that they only had one car and loath to walk any more, Howard said, "I'll stay here so that when the police arrive, they'll know where you went."

Ed, Albert, and the Game Warden went down the road by car. Stopping in front of a run-down wood house, they got out. Ed noticed a slight movement of the curtains that suggested someone had been watching them approach. It was a few seconds later that the woman, bent over from bone loss, stepped out of the house and looked at the Game Warden. She asked, "What do you want around here?"

Ed stepped forward and said, "We just want to ask you some questions. I'm sure that you heard about the body that was found in the woods not too far from here."

The elderly woman, seventy years of age, grumbled for a moment and decided to invite the men into her house. Standing was too hard on her bones and she didn't want to stand outside engaged in a long conversation. She was short and overweight, with fingers twisted from arthritis. She had not aged gently. Emphasizing her age, she had lost a lot of her hair. There were large growths on her scalp that were just barely covered by the little hair that remained. Hands trembling, she croaked, "Follow me."

She led them into her house. The inside wasn't much better kept than the exterior of the house. The fabric on the sofa was threadbare with portions covered by old towels intended to keep the stuffing inside it. The wood chairs squeaked when moved, as joints loosened by decayed glue allowed wood to rub against wood. The musty scent of old dust hung heavy in the air. Looking around the room, Ed realized that two days of hard work by young hands could fix much of the room. As the old woman sat in the chair, he said, "Ma'am. Would you like me to have some of my young colleagues come here and fix some of this furniture?"

"Are you saying that my house is a mess?"

Recognizing that the old woman still retained a sense of pride, he said, "No ma'am. I only suggest that young hands can repair chairs and reach places that arthritis prevents."

"Perhaps that is true," she replied with a frown. She turned to Albert and said, "You want to know about the white pickup truck that came down the road two days before they found the body in the woods. There were two men that I've never seen before in the truck. They drove down the road around two in the afternoon and left about three-thirty."

"Can you tell us about the men inside?" asked Albert anxious to learn as much as he could.

The woman was silent for a moment as she tried to remember the details that her eyes, weak from age, had captured. Shaking her head, she answered, "They were young, maybe in their early thirties. Can't tell you much more than that. My eyes aren't what they used to be."

"They see a lot despite their age. Why didn't you call your observations into the police?" asked Ed, curious about how she could sit there without telling anyone what she had seen.

"I don't have a phone," replied the old woman as though they should have known that fact. At the expression on Scott's face, she said, "I'm not all that cut off. My daughter comes out here every week with groceries. I just didn't think to tell her about it."

Ed nodded and looked around the room. On the fireplace was a picture of a young woman in her mid-twenties. He asked, "Ma'am, is this a picture of your granddaughter?"

"No. That's the only picture I have of my daughter," replied the woman.

"I shall get some people here to help you," replied Ed as he looked around the room taking in the cobwebs in the corners of the room. The idea that an elderly person would have to live in such squalor hurt him.



-------

Chapter 5

Ed, Albert, and two FBI agents sat in the local bar drinking cokes and talking to the waitress. The woman, in her early fifties, had seen more men come and go through the bar in her lifetime of working there than most women ever met in their entire lives. The four men at the table were the strangest that she had ever encountered. Winking at the woman and the bored manner in which she had greeted them, Ed said, "You don't seem surprised to have a Druid in your establishment."

"Hey, you work in a place like this long enough and you see everything. A couple winters ago, one of the regulars had a breakdown and came in here wearing an evening dress claiming to be the homecoming queen. We used to have a guy that came in here regularly that dressed up like Robin Hood, just like you, and that's old news. A guy in a robe is nothing compared to that," shrugged the woman.

Laughing at the easy truth that she told, Ed said, "I just love small towns. They are so down to earth."

The two FBI agents stared at Ed in surprise, not knowing what to make of him. They had been warned to expect anything from him. Rich Martin, the second FBI agent, suggested, "Shouldn't we be asking questions?"

Looking at him, Ed replied, "We are."

"Two suits, a Ranger, and a Druid. I figure the suits are Feds. So what are you doing in our little town?" asked the waitress.

Sitting back in his chair, Ed took a sip of his coke before answering, "Trying to solve a murder of a Ranger."

The waitress was stunned by the revelation. Uncertain, she asked, "You mean the hiker that was killed was a Ranger?"

"Yes, I do," replied Ed as he watched her carefully. Her reaction was physical, as though someone had just punched her in the stomach. Her hands immediately went to her belly as if it were in pain.

"Don't tell me that it was John that was killed?" she asked with real concern in her voice. Even as she asked the question, she knew she didn't want the answer.

Albert answered, "Yes. The hiker was John Wilkins. He was a very good friend of mine."

"Damn. I really liked John. He was such a nice guy. Always had a kind word for me when he was in town," she said with real grief in her voice as tears welled up in her eyes. With the anger that one would expect from a person that discovered their lover had been killed, she said, "I hope you nail who ever did it."

"That's why we are here," replied Albert.

Ed gestured to a chair and said, "Please sit down."

Numb, she moved to the chair and sat down. Looking up at Ed, she said, "I don't understand how it could have been him. I saw him a couple days before they reported finding the body. He wasn't going anywhere near where they found him."

Albert asked, "Do you know where he was going?"

"I thought so. He said that he was going to examine some of the places north of town. He said that he had heard that there were some rare plants up that way. Something about natural grasses."

Albert perked up at that and asked, "Did you say natural or native grasses?"

"I guess it was native."

"That would be a find. Too many of the native grasses were forced out by the introduction of other grasses. I'm sure that he would head there in a minute," Albert mused intrigued at the idea that it was possible to find a patch of native grasses. Such a find would be extraordinary. Looking over at the waitress, he asked in an excited voice, "Do you have any idea where he may have heard that rumor?"

Scott interrupted, "We are here to capture a killer, not to seek out a plant."

Holding up a hand, Ed replied, "It may be the same thing. The Ranger went to investigate the plant and someone killed him."

Albert glanced over at Ed with a questioning look and then asked, "Are you suggesting that someone may have lured him out with the promise of a rare plant?"

"Not suggesting anything, except that if he heard about a plant he would have gone out there to investigate it. Something may have happened while he was looking for it," replied Ed.

The waitress watched the conversation as she thought about her last conversation with John. Most of their talk was of a personal nature and his comments about his plans were an afterthought to let her know when she could expect him back. It wasn't that they were lovers; she was old enough to be his mother. She said, "I don't know who gave him that information."

The group was quiet as each of them processed the news in their own fashion. The waitress started to stand up to go into the back and cry when Ed asked, "I saw the most amazing sight the other day, an owl was walking across a field. Has anyone else mentioned seeing a walking owl?"

Surprised by the question, she answered, "As a matter of fact, the Bauer boys were in here talking about seeing a walking owl about ten days ago. Lots of folks were teasing them about that."

Ed smiled and said, "Thanks."

After the waitress walked away, Albert turned to Ed and said, "Smart. I never would have thought to ask about that."

"Who can see that and not talk about it?" asked Ed.

"I don't know. I'm not sure that I would want to meet someone that could see a sight like that and not be surprised or amazed by it."

The two FBI agents looked at each other puzzled by the discussion about a walking owl. Finally, Scott asked, "What's all this talk about a walking owl?"

"We saw an owl walking across the field where we found the beer cans. It was a very odd sight," replied Albert.

Looking directly at the FBI agents, Ed said, "Albert has spent more time in the wilderness than anyone else that I know. He has only seen that sight once. Now, if two guys are boasting of having seen a walking owl, odds are good that they saw the same one that we did. That places them at the scene of the crime."

The two FBI agents looked at each other and shook their heads at how these guys had managed the discussion. They had gotten very significant evidence without the person from whom they had gotten the evidence even being aware of what they had said. Not once during the entire discussion had they flashed any identification or let the waitress know that they were doing anything more than just looking around.

"I guess the next step is to find out a little about the Bower boys," said Scott happy to have something that he could do.

"First, we have to find out how to spell their name. I'm not sure that it is B-O-W-E-R or B-A-E-U-R. From the way that she pronounced it, I would suspect the later," replied Ed. Responding to a call of nature, he stood and headed towards the restroom to empty his bladder. On the way to the men's room, he noticed the payphone with the small telephone directory sitting on a shelf below the phone. Smiling, he stopped and looked up the names. There wasn't an entry for Bower, but there were about twenty for Baeur.

After relieving his bladder, he returned to the table and, as he sat down, announced, "It is spelled B-A-E-U-R."

"Okay, how did you find that out?"

"Looked it up in the telephone book. When we get to the hotel, we can get out a map and plot out the addresses of the Baeurs in the telephone book to see who lives in the right area," replied Ed.

Nodding, Albert added, "The right person could go to the Sheriff and ask about them in terms of following up on a walking owl siting."

"Why don't we go directly to the Sheriff and ask straight out?"

Ed laughed and said, "You don't know much about small towns. Everyone knows everyone here. First sign that you are hunting someone, that person can disappear for months."

Leaving the bar, Ed and the two agents went to the hotel while Albert went to get a map of the area. The hotel was only half a block from the bar and even at a leisurely walk, it didn't take long for them to arrive at their rooms. It was an old style hotel that had a single story with the rooms opening to the front of the building. There were one and one-half parking spaces in front of each room suggesting that it often had more clients coming by car than rooms. Curtains that didn't quite close all of the way covered the large windows.

Ed went to his room and moved a table away from the wall so that the four men could sit around it. Going over to the small table next to the bed, he opened the drawer looking for a telephone book. Instead, there was a Gideon Bible. Looking at it, he laughed and closed the drawer. Opening the drawer of the table on the other side of the bed, he found the telephone book.

He opened the door to his room so that the others could join him when they had finished their activities in their rooms. He knew the two agents were reporting on the progress to their section chief and calling their wives to let them know that it would be another day or two before they would be done. The telephone in his room rang and he answered, "This is Ed."

"Hello, Ed. This is Howard," replied his intern in a cheerful voice.

"How's it going?"

"Fine. We had the entire high school band out here. Most of them were painting the outside of the house. A number of the girls went in and gave the house a thorough cleaning. Leroy fixed the wood chairs by taking them apart and gluing the joints. One of the kids actually knows how to fix the cover on the sofa. He's bringing over a sewing machine tomorrow. We are going to a store in a while to pick up some fabric for the sofa."

Ed smiled at the happy tone of voice in which his intern reported the results of his day. It had been a risk, but he had put the student in charge of putting things right at the old ladies house. Leroy and Ling had stayed there to see what they could do to help, but it had been Howard's show. He replied, "Smart move getting the band to help out. Did Leroy supply the money for that?"

"No. It was Ling who came up with the idea. I thought it was brilliant and went with it. She offered ten thousand dollars to pay for band uniforms and new instruments," answered Howard. He was quiet for a moment and then said, "Leroy has been paying to get the materials for the outside of the house. There were a number of rotten boards that had to be replaced."

This was the kind of effort that everyone in the family enjoyed working on, the chance to help someone that was weak improve their life. In a way, he wished that he was back there working on the house. The chance to fix something and make it better was too good to pass up without significant soul-searching. Going out to face down evil was so much more difficult and never seemed to bring him pleasure. He joked, "We are going to make a Druid out of you yet."

Howard laughed and said, "I had better get going now. I've got to get to the fabric store. They are keeping it open late for us."

"Okay. Call me tomorrow."

"Sure thing."

Ed listened as the phone went dead when Howard hung up. It was interesting how miserable Howard had been hiking through the woods, but enjoyed the hard work of fixing up a house. He set the handset on the phone and returned to the table. Looking at it, he realized that there were only two chairs. The agents would have to provide two chairs from their room if they were going to work here.

Albert entered the room holding up a stack of papers that were photocopies of a detailed map of the area from the country records building. Shaking his head, he went to the table and started setting out the papers. Taping pages together, he reconstructed the original map. Looking up, he grunted, "They wouldn't let me take the map, so I had to photocopy it."

For Ed, this was another sign that it was impossible not to like small towns. Things were done in their own way and according to their own timetable. Fighting the system made you pushy. If you went with the flow, you could get tremendous things done. No matter what, the first step had to be winning the support of the locals. He smiled, "At least they let you copy it."

"Yeah, I guess that's so," grumbled Albert.

Scott and Rich entered the room looking at the effort that Albert was putting into reconstructing the map. Ed said, "Why don't you get two more chairs and help Albert identify where the Baeurs are located?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go talk to the Sheriff for a minute. I figure that if those boys can kill someone, then they are well known to the law for other little indiscretions. I'll use the walking owl story as a pretext," answered Ed as he headed towards the open door.

Walking down the street, Ed took a moment to get a flavor of the area. It was interesting, but even though a lot of the men wore blue jeans and caps common to the men in Arizona, the leather work boots and flannel shirts changed the look from cowboy to northern outdoorsman. Even little gestures emphasized the differences. At home, the men would stand, leaning against something, with a thumb hooked in the front pocket of the pants with the fingers spread. Here, the men stood with the legs spread and hands in their back pockets with their hips thrust forward a little.

The Sheriffs office looked like every other Sheriff office in country settings. The deputy, standing behind the counter, did his best not to look startled at having a Druid walk into the office. Intending to make Ed wait, his effort was totally undermined when Ed said, "I saw the strangest thing the other day. It was a walking owl."

The Deputy burst out laughing and asked, "A walking owl?"

"Yep. It was a walking owl. Marched right across a field like it was a little soldier. I was at the bar down the road and heard that someone else had seen the same thing. I was wondering if I could track them down and ask them questions about it," replied Ed with a smile.

"You must mean the Baeur boys."

Snapping his fingers as though he had forgotten the name, Ed said, "That's the name the waitress mentioned."

"Jack and Jake have a place north of town, but I wouldn't go out there if I were you. They don't take to strangers coming on their place. If you want to talk to them, I'd stay down at the bar. They usually stop by there around nine or ten."

Ed nodded, "Around nine or ten? I can manage that."

The Deputy leaned forward and said, "I'd catch them before they drink too much. They have a tendency to get a little mean after they've had a few. Half the time, they end up in here."

Laughing, Ed said, "Sounds like I should come by here in the morning before you release them."

The Deputy laughed and said, "I wouldn't want to talk to them at that time. They are usually pretty hung over and very nasty."

Frowning, Ed said, "Sounds like you don't like them much."

"Ah, it's not that. It's just they're always in trouble. They have a lot of relatives in the area," replied the Deputy in a confidential tone of voice. He looked around and said, "Their uncle is the local judge."

"Ah. It's like that in a lot of towns. I was the bad one in my town, but I didn't have any relatives. Still, I never did enough wrong to end up in prison and never did enough right to be an honest citizen. Then one day, wham, my world changed. Quit drinking and started walking the straight and narrow."

The Deputy looked at Ed taking in the robes and asked, "Is that the day when you became a Druid?"

"Nope. That was the day when I met John Carter," answered Ed.

"He's the head of the Druids, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is."

For the next few minutes, the two men talked about Druids, the local town, and general topics of mutual interest. In the course of the amiable discussion, Ed learned about everyone who was important in the town. He understood the small town mindset well enough to understand how things worked around there.

The next morning, Ed and Albert were scouting around the Baeur farm. On two of the corners, were scratches in the fence posts that let them know the Druid had been there. Albert studied the marks and said, "Greenhouses with undeveloped land. That's strange."

"Why?"

"Well, I'd expect them to be raising hops, but you don't need greenhouses for that. This area was once the hops capital of the country. They still raise a lot of it around here."

Shrugging, Ed said, "They might be raising rare flowers."

"I'd like to take a look at the greenhouses," replied Albert with an unusual intensity.

"Do we have enough to go to a federal judge to get a warrant?"

"No."

"Well, we do this legal. Don't go up there without their permission."

Frustrated, Albert said, "He was my friend."

In an attempt to calm Albert, Ed replied, "And we will get his killers. I want to make sure that once we get them, they stay got."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I suggest that we go talk to some men about an owl," replied Ed with a smile. Looking over at Albert, he added, "I also suggest that you write a paper about that walking owl. I'm sure that if you write a paper, that they might like to know that they are getting credit for being one of the first people to have seen it. Of course, that means they have to establish the time and place that they saw the owl."

Confused, Albert stared at Ed wondering why he would write a paper about a walking owl. The phenomena was well known and not worth a paper. Shaking his head, he said, "There's no way I could get such a paper published in a journal of national reputation."

Frustrated that he had to spell it out, he said, "Just promise me that you will write the article. I'll co-author it with you, if you get stuck on the material. I'm sure that a number of ecologists might be very interested in how a natural phenomena led to the capture of a pair of killers."

The light went off in Albert's head, as he understood the point that Ed was trying to make. Knowing about Ed's truth sense, he had just made it much more difficult for them to present the idea to Jack and Jake. Rather than leave it as things were, he said, "You know. There are several interesting aspects about the walking owl. There are a lot of people that don't know about them. I would assume that one of the more popular outdoor magazines would enjoy an article about Great Barn Owls walking through fields."

Ed smiled and nodded at the fact that their task had just become simpler. The two men left the corner of the property and returned to the car. With ease, Ed backed the car to the driveway to the house. Rather than drive up, they chose to get out of the truck to walk towards the house. As Albert fumbled with a tape recorder, they walked towards the house.

Before they were even halfway up the driveway, a thin man stepped out of the house with a rifle. Ed waved a hand and called out, "Hello. Are you Jack or Jake Baeur?"

"Who wants to know?" shouted the man back to him.

"I'm Ed Biggers and this is Albert Mandel," answered Ed in a voice loud enough to carry to the house.

Noticing the outfit of the Ranger, Jake wondered if they were here to question him about the Ranger that he and his brother had caught looking in the hothouses. Rather than just shoot, he asked, "What do you want?"

Albert called back, "I'm working on an article about a walking owl. I heard that you saw one and wanted to see if I could include your account in the article."

"You're here about the walking owl?" asked Jake surprised that someone believed that he had actually seen it.

"Yes, we are," replied Ed. The answer was near enough the truth that he had little difficulty answering in that fashion.

"Stay where you are. I'll get my brother and we'll tell you about the owl."

Ed shouted back, "Sure thing."

When Jake went back into the house, Ed turned to Albert and said, "They really don't want us to go near their place."

"You're right."

"Don't even try to get close to the house. In fact, I'd recommend that we suggest going out to the road. Remember to let them know on the tape that this is an official recording and will be used in the preparation of an article or other purpose for which it may be needed," said Ed as he thought about how entering it into evidence might be a problem.

The two brothers finally came out of the house. Ed noticed that both of them were wearing pistols. The brother that had met them on the porch said, "I'm Jake and this is my brother Jack."

Albert smiled and said, "I'm Albert and this is Ed. I'm considering writing an article about a walking owl that we saw the other day. We heard that you saw one too and wanted to give you credit for having spotted it first."

Jack shrugged his shoulder as though disinterested. Albert added, "I'm sure after the article comes out that everyone in town will believe that you actually saw a walking owl."

The two brothers looked at each other and Jack finally said, "Okay. How do you do this?"

Albert held up the tape recorder for them to see. Pressing the record button, he said, "This is Albert Mandel. I'm recording an official version of the events concerning the observation of a walking owl. This tape will be used in the preparation of an article or for whatever other use is appropriate. I am speaking with Jack and Jake Bauer. Would each of you please identify yourself for the record."

"I'm Jack Bauer."

"I'm Jake Bauer."

"You spotted a walking owl. I need to know the day, the time, and the location."

As the brothers went through the details under the gentle probing of Albert, they admitted to being at the spot where the body had been dragged into the woods, drinking a beer, and spotting the owl. The date matched exactly what the old woman had said, but they claimed to have only been there about twenty minutes; long enough to have a beer and take a piss by the side of the road. Albert had led them back to the car to draw on a map where they had been standing and where the owl had crossed the field. They were very evasive about their reasons for being at that site, giving an excuse that they were driving along the highway and decided to take a break.

Leaving the Baeur farm, Ed turned to Albert and said, "Now we have enough evidence to get a warrant. They placed themselves at the scene of a crime."

Albert growled as he said, "The whole time I was talking to them, the only thing I wanted to do was strangle them."

Three days later, Ed, Leroy, Ling, and Howard sat in a car parked a small distance away from the house watching as four state police cars arrived at the farm. Several of the state troopers got out of their car and headed to the house. Shots rang out before the troopers had even made it halfway up the driveway. After that, total chaos ruled as the men ran for the nearest cover, which in this case were their cars. The police returned fire while scrambling for cover, not quite caring where the bullets landed only that they were in the correct general direction.

Albert ran to their car and knelt down behind it. The occupants climbed out of it in an effort to put the whole body of the car between them and the house. Visibly shaken, Albert turned to Ed and asked, "Is it always like this for you guys?"

"Occasionally," replied Ed shaking his head as bullets hit the car. In an attempt to find something to distract himself from his current situation, he fished the cell phone out of his pocket as another bullet struck the car. Looking as if he was about to faint, Howard put both hands over his ears. Dialing the number to the house, Ed waited for Cathy to answer the phone. When she did, he asked, "Does the rental insurance on our car cover bullet holes?"

"I'll have to check. Can I call you back?" answered Cathy as Howard screamed, "Why are they shooting at us?"

"Sure," replied Ed. Another shot followed his statement and there was the sound of steam escaping at high pressure. He added, "Whoops, they just shot the Fusion Engine."

"I'll call you back," Cathy sighed as she answered wondering how many executive secretaries had to get answers to questions of that nature.

Ed hung up and turned to Howard. With a smile, he said, "The suspects figured out that it was Albert and I that caught them. I wouldn't doubt that they would rather see us dead than the police."

"The steam has stopped, does that mean it is going to blow?" asked Albert concerned about the Fusion Engine. Even thought there wasn't a recorded case of it ever happening, movies always showed Fusion cars exploding in a minor mushroom cloud.

"It won't blow, it'll melt and that will stop the reaction," answered Ed with the kind of calm that comes for actually knowing the answer. He had asked that question several times of John and had come to understand how the Fusion reaction would fail once the metal melted and relieved the pressure. The Fusion Engine was one of the safest inventions in a long time.

Swearing, Ling turned to Ed and said, "If you would let me carry a gun, they'd be dead by now."

"What would be the fun in that? We'd miss all this excitement," remarked Ed with a wry smile.

Albert stared at Ed incredulous at his caviler attitude. Ling laughed and said, "Right."

A bullet exited the window above Ed, having entered through the roof of the car. The glass rained down on him. Pointing upwards, Ling said, "It's raining glass and there's not a cloud in the sky."

The unexpected humor from Ling made Ed laugh. He had never heard her make any kind of joke while things were dangerous. A shocked Howard, totally unnerved by the violence, asked, "How can you laugh and joke at a time like this?"

Ed looked over at Howard and asked, "Well. What exactly are we supposed to do?"

Giving a battlefield assessment of the situation, Ling answered, "We are unarmed and seventy five yards from any better cover. We're stuck here and have to make the best of the situation."

Almost as shaken as Howard, Albert sat with his back pressed against the tire front tire of the car. He asked, "So you make jokes?"

"Of course."

"What do you mean, of course?" asked Albert as another bullet ricocheted through the car. He flinched and felt his stomach tightened. Too much more of this and he felt that he was going to shit his britches. It was clear to him that Howard was in much the same shape as he was.

Ed turned his head to look at Albert. Taking in his pale skin and the sweat on his upper lip, Ed replied, "It's a whole lot better than sitting here thinking about all of the bad things that could happen."

"You've got to be the bravest person I've ever seen," remarked Howard with awe in his voice.

"Brave?" asked Ed as he broke out in laughter. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm scared to death sitting here."

"Well, you sure look calm to me," replied Albert.

"I'm doing things to take my mind off the situation. I'm looking at the sky, examining the plants in the area, and talking to you guys."

Albert looked across the road and thought about what Ed had said. Perhaps Ed was right, it was better to put your mind to work on other things and hold tight. As he stared, it dawned on him that the plants that John Wilkins had been searching for were growing along side the road. He burst out laughing as he explained, "There's the grasses John was seeking."



-------

Chapter 6

It seemed like forever before the shooting stopped and the state police moved in to make the arrests. Standing up after the action was over, Ed said, "I wonder where our two FBI agents are?"

Howard pointed down the road to where the two agents were standing up from behind their car. With a grin, he said, "They were out of their car before we were."

About to say something to Albert, Ed turned to where he thought the Ranger was standing only to find the spot empty. Across the road, Albert was squatting examining a sorry specimen of grass by the side of the road. Frowning, he looked back at Ed and said, "There's got to be some more of this around here somewhere. I guess I'll have to come back later and search for it."

"You can stay here while we find out what was behind all of this," replied Ed.

"Oh no you don't. I've got to hear this for myself," said Albert more forcefully than he had intended. Learning the reason for the death of his friend was far more important at the moment then the plant he had found.

As a group, they went up to the porch where the troopers were holding the two brothers. When they went to question them, one of the troopers held up and hand as he said, "There's something you need to see before you talk to them."

Albert, Ed, and Howard followed the officer to one of the green houses. Entering the green house, the temperature was suddenly ten degrees hotter than outside with a humidity that caused the shirt to stick to the skin. Howard, holding his nose, said, "It smells like shit in here."

"Right. All of these boxes are filled with mushrooms. This whole green house is a mushroom factory. We've got an expert coming to examine them to determine what kind they are."

Looking at one example, Albert shook his head and said, "That is Psilocybe Cubensis. It is a hallucinogenic mushroom."

The trooper asked, "How can you be so sure?"

"When you spot a daisy are you sure that it is a daisy?"

"Yes."

"Same here," replied Albert. Looking through the glass walls of the hothouse, he could see that there were two other hothouses. He asked, "What's in the other hothouses?"

The trooper answered, "Cactus."

Saddened by the answer, Albert said, "Let's go visit the other two hothouses."

In the next one, there were rows of cactus growing on shelves. The trooper asked, "Do you know what kind they are?"

"Yes, they are Peyote. Another hallucinogenic plant."

Howard looked around at the plants in the room and asked, "So how much is all of this stuff worth on the street?"

"Not that much, I'm afraid. I doubt they pull in more than a hundred thousand a year," answered Albert. The fact of the matter was that these crops weren't that highly sought after. In the sixties, they might have made some money, but today with drugs like Ecstasy on the market their street value was pretty low.

The state trooper led them to the third greenhouse, which was filled with Cannabis. Ed looked around the greenhouse puzzled. What they had found wasn't worth killing anyone over. There had to be more to the story than what was here. He asked, "Is there another building around here?"

"Just the house," replied the trooper.

Recalling the time when they had visited here previously, the brothers had both come out of the house. Confused, he said, "Let's check out the house."

In the house, Ed noticed that one of the walls looked odd. Going over to it, he found that it opened to a basement. Searching near the door, he found a light switch and flipped it. Warm light came shining up from the basement. Signaling for the others to follow him, he went down the stairs. At the bottom step, he stopped and looked around at the basement. It reminded him of the chemistry lab back at the College. Stepping into the basement, he said, "This explains everything."

Howard looked around the room and said, "This is better equipped than the Intro to Chemistry lab back at the school."

The state trooper ran back up the stairs and returned with the Captain in tow. The Captain looked around the basement and said, "I guess we know why they were shooting at us."

Turning to look at Ed, the Captain saw the Druid Robe and nodded. In a quiet voice, he said, "It looks like you guys get credit for another one."

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "Not so. This was because of Albert Mandel, a Ranger."

"I don't know anything about Rangers. Are you a Ranger as in Texas Ranger?"

Albert laughed and replied, "No, I'm afraid not. I'm a Ranger in terms of being a naturalist. I belong to a private group that performs work under funding by the State Game and Wildlife Department and the Department of the Interior. We help establish hunting limits, identify rare species of wildlife, and monitor ecological infractions."

"Then you are not with any law enforcement agency."

"Right," replied Albert.

"If I may ask, why are you here?"

"They killed a Ranger and dumped the body fifty miles from here," replied Albert.

The Captain nodded as he considered the information. They had not been told that the man killed was a Ranger, only that he was a hiker. It went far to explain why he had heard from just about every Game Warden in the state about this case. The Druid explained why the FBI was here. He said, "I guess your job here is done then."

Clearing his throat, Ed said, "He tracked them down and has provided all of the evidence that ties those two up there to the murder. He has a right to know why they did it."

"He'll find that out when they get to trial," replied the Captain.

Looking at the badge and nametag pinned to the shirt of the Captain, Ed rubbed his chin with his right hand as he replied, "You might want to rethink that answer, Captain Edwards."

"Are you threatening me?" asked the Captain getting ready to call some troopers in to throw the guy out. He added, "If you are, I'll throw your asses out of here in a minute."

Shaking his head, Ed pulled out his cell-phone and dialed a number on it. A few seconds later, the other end answered, "Governor's Office."

"This is Ed Biggers. May I speak to the Governor?" As Ed spoke, the Captain's eyes narrowed.

"Governor, it's nice to talk to you again," Ed paused and then continued, "Yes, we caught the guys. Albert and Leroy are hoping they will get a chance to question them a bit."

Captain Edwards realized that he had gotten into a pissing contest with the wrong man. Getting noticed by the Governor was the kind of thing that could easily kill a career. Regretting his hasty words, he wondered what he could do. He listened in amazement as Ed said, "There's no real problem here, I was just hoping that you could reassure Captain Edwards that we could talk to the prisoner and that we would obey all of the appropriate laws."

Smiling at the Captain, Ed handed the phone to him. It was a very quiet conversation on the part of the Captain. He kept glancing up at Ed and then over at Albert. When the conversation was over, he handed the phone back to Ed and said, "The Governor wants to talk to you again."

Surprised, Ed spoke into the phone, "You had something to say to me?"

Laughing, Ed said, "No sir. I think that he was doing his job as he saw it. I'd commend him if I were you. The last thing you want are outsiders coming in and messing up evidence."

"Sure," Ed said, "Nice talking to you."

Putting up the phone, Ed looked over at the Captain. With a shrug of his shoulders, he said, "Sorry about that. I hate going over someone's head in that fashion, but it does tend to cut out a bunch of red tape."

Gruffly, the Captain said, "Tends to cut off balls at the same time."

Howard broke out in laughter at that and was half tempted to reach between the man's legs to see if he still had a pair of balls. Albert gently nudged him in the side and said, "Sorry Captain Edwards. John Wilkins was a personal friend of the Governor as am I. Before we started the Rangers, we used to belong to the same Ecology Activist Group."

All of a sudden, things made a lot more sense for the trooper. He said, "We're holding them upstairs on the porch."

The Captain led the way going up the stairs from the basement, followed closely by Albert. The Ranger knew not to ask any questions until Ed was present. Ed held back a little and told Howard, "When it comes to a confrontation such as between the Captain and myself, you leave the man his dignity. You clear up the issues and you don't point fingers. He was doing the best job that he could. I wasn't lying when I told the Governor that he needed reassurance that we could question the suspects."

Howard realized that his laughter had been misinterpreted as laughing at the man. Nodding, he said, "It's just that the remark about cutting red tape also cut balls was funny."

Ed smiled and said, "Yes it was. Now get upstairs before people get worried."

The two went up the stairs followed by the trooper that had shown them around the place. He was very thoughtful as he walked behind them. It was only at that point that he realized that the Captain had stood a very good chance of getting into serious trouble with the Governor. State Troopers that irritated Governors tended to end up as security guards in malls.

On the porch, Albert stood studying the two brothers allowing his real feelings to be seen. The time when he interviewed them for the magazine article he had to act pleasant. Now he didn't. When Ed arrived, Albert said, "Can I question them now?"

Albert turned to the brothers and said, "We have you dead to rights on the murder of John Wilkins. You know that don't you?"

"Maybe or maybe not," replied Jake.

"Wise up, you're smarter than that. We have a recording where you conclusively put yourself at the place and time where you dumped his body. We have an eyewitness that can identify your truck and can testify to the actual time when you were there. We have your fingerprints on beer cans found at the scene," replied Leroy.

The two brothers looked at each other and Jake shrugged while trying to put forth as blank a look as possible under the circumstances. Albert asked, "Why did you do it?"

Irritated at his situation, Jack answered, "We caught him looking in the greenhouse."

Ed nodded his head letting the others know that Jack was telling the truth. Disturbed by the lack of remorse demonstrated by either man, Ed said, "Albert, you know the truth now. It's time to drop it and get on with your work."

A very quiet Albert walked down the drive with Ed, Leroy, and Howard. They met up with Ling who was sitting on the hood of the car watching everything going on around her. When they arrived there, Ling asked, "Can I talk to you alone for a minute Leroy?"

"Sure, Ling," answered Leroy.

As the others, in a discreet fashion, stepped away from the couple Ed remarked, "I wonder how we are going to get back to town."

Albert replied, "Well, I have a car and the two FBI agents have a car. Shouldn't be a problem. When we get back to town, you call a tow truck to pick up the car and I'll come back out here to look at plants."

It sounded like a reasonable plan to Ed. He looked back at his wife and husband. It appeared to him that Leroy was looking very depressed and Ling was sad. He didn't know what they were saying to each other, but figured that they would want to ride back in separate cars. Turning to Albert, he said, "Maybe you can take Howard and Leroy back as soon as Leroy is done talking to Ling."

Looking around, Ed spotted the two FBI agents talking to the Captain. Not wanting to interfere more than was required, he went over to them none-the-less. Chuck Abrams, one of the FBI agents, came over to him and asked, "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"I'm afraid that we are going to need a ride back to town," answered Ed as he pointed over to the bullet-riddled car.

Shaking his head Chuck pointed over to his car and said, "They got ours, too."

"It's dead?"

"No, just the windshield has been shot up," replied the agent. He pointed up to the house and said, "We are entering a joint investigation on this case. From what you found, it looks like they were running a major factory of designer drugs. We might be able to bring down a major drug ring."

"That's good news."

"We'll be ready to leave in about an hour. You might want to ask the Captain if he is going to have any of his men returning to town before then," replied the agent.

That was a good suggestion and Ed walked over to the Captain who noticed him arrive. Turning to Ed, he asked, "Do you need anything?"

"Just wondering if you were sending any of your officers back to town," answered Ed.

"Yeah. In about fifteen minutes we'll transport the prisoners back to town. We'll have a car in front and behind of them," replied the Captain.

"Any chance of getting a ride?"

"Sure. I'll have them pick you and your party up before they leave."

"Thanks," replied Ed. Handing one of his family cards to the Captain, he said, "You've been a real help. If you ever need anything, give me a call."

Glancing down at the card, the Captain recognized the name of John Carter on it. Suddenly, it dawned on him who this guy was and why there were two FBI agents watching over him like hawks. Any member of that family could pick up a telephone and talk to the president. He realized that the Black guy was listed on the card as well as the Oriental woman. Putting the card in his pocket, he refrained from whistling. Instead, he said, "Thank you very much."

Returning to the car, he found Ling sitting on the hood watching Albert walk along the road. Sitting next to her, he said, "Why the sad face?"

"I'm going home with you. Leroy is going back into the wilderness." She wasn't angry or upset, just sad that the past few months had not given her the desired result. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "I miss Little John and Beth so much that it hurts."

Giving her a crooked smile, he asked, "Ah, the adults will be wounded to learn that you don't miss them."

She rounded on him ready to unload in his direction and realized that he was teasing her. Grinning, she said, "The only one I didn't miss was you. You're so unbearable that nobody would miss you."

"Oh yeah? Can you prove it?" asked Ed happy to see that she was cheering up.

"Talk to Marguerite," replied Ling with a grin.

"Oh, that's so mean." Ed put his hand over his heart and fell back on the hood of the car as if he were wounded.

Giggling at his antics, Ling said, "Okay. I give up. You won't let me be unhappy."

Sitting up, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye and asked, "Are you ready to tell me about it?"

"I guess so," Ling said with a sigh. As her shoulders slumped, she said, "I wanted to get pregnant so bad that I could taste it, but living out in the field isn't the place where it is going to happen."

"So ask him to meet you somewhere at a time that is appropriate for you," replied Ed.

"That's what we are going to do," said Ling, "but it will be a couple months before we can do that."

Listening carefully for what she wasn't saying, Ed asked, "You think that he should stop what he's doing and take care of your desires."

"I guess so. Am I asking that much of him?"

It was a tough question to answer. It had taken two months for him to get her pregnant, but that didn't impact his work at all. The up side was that it was also a lot of fun, but that probably wasn't true out in the wilderness. Her screams would chase off the deer and elk, something that would set back Leroy's research for weeks. He replied, "I don't know. That's a far tougher question than I am competent to answer. I know both of you desire a baby."

"I know that I'm being a little unreasonable," replied Ling.

"No you're not. Let me talk to Leroy," said Ed as he looked over at his husband.

After wandering over to where his husband was waiting with Howard, he said, "Howard, why don't you go give Albert a hand looking for plants?"

Relieved at having something to do, Howard walked off to chase down Albert. He wasn't really all that interested in plants, but searching for a plant was better than standing around doing nothing. Watching Howard walk off, the pair started to stroll up the dirt road in the opposite direction. Ed said, "Rough times for you and Ling."

"Tell me about it," replied Leroy shaking his head. He didn't know what to say about the matter. He really wanted a child, but didn't feel that stopping his research for two or three months was a fair price to pay. He added, "I guess my priorities are all screwed up."

"Your priorities? I'm not sure that is the problem," remarked Ed as he glanced over at his husband. Clearing his throat, he suggested, "Did you ever think that maybe your approach to this problem might be at fault?"

"Which problem?" asked Albert not sure whether his husband was talking about getting Ling pregnant or his research problem.

"Both, actually."

The statement caused Leroy to stop and turn to Ed. Confused, he asked, "Explain yourself."

"Well, you really should spend a little time with Ling in a circumstance where she stands a better chance of getting pregnant. I know that her screams will chase off wildlife for miles around, so you'll have to go someplace where that isn't a problem," replied Ed.

"What about my research?"

"Isn't it about time that you write up your observations and perhaps plan a different way to collect data?" asked Ed.

"I need to collect more data before that."

"So put a limit on how long you'll collect data and make arrangements with Ling for the time when you are analyzing it," suggested Ed.

Squatting by the side of the road, Leroy examined the grass growing beside the road. There was a bit more of a problem that he wanted to address than just the situation with Ling. Shaking his head, he asked, "Do you think the family is falling apart?"

"Falling apart? I wouldn't say that. We are all so busy that we very seldom get together to do things as a whole family. I think the last thing we did as a full family group was go camping on my property. One of the strengths of this family is that there is always someone available when you need a little help, even if everyone else is busy," replied Ed as he thought about the question.

"That's true."

"You've been away so long that I bet you feel a little isolated," remarked Ed.

"I guess," replied Leroy as he recognized more examples of the grass that Albert was seeking.

Noticing Leroy's sudden interest in the grass, Ed said, "Tell me what is so blasted important about this grass."

Laughing in a more relaxed fashion, Leroy answered, "You have to understand that a major change in the ecological basis of this country has occurred over the past two hundred years. This grass is the grass that the buffaloes ate when they ran over the country in great herds, but exotic grasses have replaced it. The problem is that in terms of protecting the land, exotic grasses just aren't as good as this grass."

Looking over at the rather ragged looking grass, Ed just didn't see why it would be so important. It was just barely surviving. "It doesn't look all that great to me."

"That's because it is surround by a bunch of exotic weeds. The grass starts growing with greater space between root bundles because they forced apart by the weeds. The soil around the grass gets eroded and the ecology goes into a great spiral of soil loss," answered Leroy. The whole process was much more complex than he explained, but he covered the gist of the issue.

Standing beside his husband, Ed gave the answer considerable thought. He knew that they didn't understand the disease that was affecting the deer and elk populations. That a virus or bacteria didn't cause the disease was the only thing that they did know. Stretching, he said, "Maybe the answer to your research lies in the plants."

Looking up at his husband, Leroy said, "Maybe, but I doubt it."

"We had better get back to Ling. The troopers will be leaving in a few minutes. If we want a ride back to town, we better be there."

"Oh, I didn't think about that."

"Would you mind riding back with Howard and Albert?" asked Ed knowing that it would give him time to talk some more with his wife.

"No. It will give me a chance to talk a little more with Albert. He's a pretty amazing individual."

"Yes, you'd almost think he was a Druid," remarked Ed. He added with a laugh, "or a member of the Carter Clan."

Walking beside his husband, Leroy was quiet as he thought about the remark. There were times when he wondered if Ed wanted him to become a Druid. Curious, he asked, "Do you think I should become a Druid?"

"Goodness no. We want you to be the best that you can be," answered Ed. Seeing the relief on his husband's face, he added, "Besides, we love you even if you aren't a Druid."

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted the discussion. Ed fished his phone out of his pocket and answered it, "Ed here."

Cathy said, "Sorry Ed. They don't cover bullet holes when you know beforehand that there is liable to be shooting."

That was not what Ed wanted to hear. He answered, "I guess we'll have to buy the car from them. Have them put the title in Howard's name."

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the phone, Cathy replied, "Okay, I'll put the title in your intern's name. He'll need insurance before he can use it though."

"Take care of that for the next two years," replied Ed.

"If you say so."

Laughing at her doubts, Ed said, "I say so. He's going to have to stay here while it gets repaired and then drive it back to the college."

Hanging up, Ed and Leroy joined the others back at the car to wait for the police. The state police pulled up in three cars. Ed and Ling got into the first car while Albert, Howard and Leroy got into the third car.

Ed turned to examine Ling as the car made its way down the country road. After a moment, he said, "You look good dressed like that."

"You men are all the same. Leroy said exactly the same thing."

"Well, it is true. You look great dressed like that," remarked Ed.

"I'd never allow myself to be seen dressed like this in a city," replied Ling with a shudder. She didn't like the look of khaki pants and utilitarian shirts. Her normal clothes were conservative dresses. When she really wanted to treat herself nicely, she would get dressed up in a Victorian dress, drink hot tea, and read a Victorian novel. She sighed as she cried, "I just want to get back to my room and pamper myself for a week."

Holding her tightly to his body, Ed allowed Ling to cry out her frustration. She had sacrificed a lot to travel with Leroy in order to have a baby and that it hadn't come to anything hurt. It was easy to discount her sacrifices, but she was not an outdoorswoman and the past few months must have been hell for her.

When she had finally calmed down, Ed said, "I think that taking a week at home would be great."

She knew he would understand her needs. The time at the College was killing him slowly and if he didn't take as many trips back to Arizona as he could, he would really be miserable. "I knew that you would understand."

"Hey, we all have needs that we must satisfy on occasion. I'm sorry that you didn't manage to get pregnant after putting up with the wilderness for all that time."

"I guess that is what is bothering me the most. I figured I would only be out here a couple of weeks. Now, I'm actually used to tramping around in the woods," remarked Ling shaking her head. "Can you imagine that I can track deer through the deepest woods?"

Hugging her tightly, he said, "Ling, there is nothing that you can do that would surprise me. You are a most remarkable woman. You are intelligent, witty, capable, and strong."

The praise melted Ling's heart. She laid her head across his chest taking pleasure in the protection that his strong arms provided. The two state troopers had driven along without saying a word. Ling looked at the two men and said, "Ed, you forgot dangerous."

"I also forgot scary," he replied with a chuckle.

Feeling better, Ling sat up and said, "I'm going to return to Arizona for a week. I will take a day of baths, hot tea, and massages. After that, I'm going to return to my training for a couple of days. I've been away from the dojo for too long."

"I guess you feel a need to beat up someone." Ed joked although from the look on her face, it was a fairly accurate assessment of how she felt.

One of the officers turned and asked, "You are in the martial arts?"

"Yes, I am," replied Ling.

"So am I. Would you like to spar a little this afternoon?" asked the trooper.

Knowing that they both wanted to leave that afternoon, Ed replied, "I don't think that would be possible considering our schedule."

Ling said, "Besides, I'm nationally ranked and I don't think that it would be fair."

Smiling, the trooper said, "I'm at the top of the state and compete occasionally at the national level."

After years of competing at the national level, Ling knew everyone that was at the top of their discipline. She said, "If I see you at the nationals, I'll be more than happy to spar with you. As it is, I'm afraid that Ed is right. We have to fly out this afternoon and there just wouldn't be time."

The trooper nodded and said, "I'll see you there."

His comment surprised Ed as he heard the truth in his words. To let Ling know, he said, "I'm sure Ling will enjoy sparring with you then."



-------

Chapter 7

A very pregnant Ling waddled into the first year dining room and sat at the table with the rest of the family. She was due to give birth at any time and was looking forward to being able to walk around with her normal grace. Her frequent need to go pee was another thing that she hoped would end soon, since she didn't enjoy going to the bathroom in front of an audience. The students, fascinated by her pregnant body, took every opportunity to look at her naked form.

Arriving at the table, she sat down heavily and said, "I had four offers to rub lotion onto my stomach by students. I think that is a record for one trip to the bathroom."

Ed smiled at her and said, "They have come to appreciate the miracle that is birth."

Knowing what the students really wanted, Leroy asked, "Why don't you get undressed?"

His comment brought smiles to everyone at the table. John and Ed nudged each other with exaggerated leers that everyone noticed except Ling. Disappointed at her lack of response, they looked over at her in concern until they realized that she was seriously thinking about the question.

"I'll be surrounded by the entire school in five minutes," answered Ling still incredulous that she was actually pregnant. When she had returned from her hiking trip with Leroy, her period had not returned. Concerned about it, she had gone to a doctor only to find that she was almost four months pregnant. That explained the lack of a period while she was out in the woods. It didn't explain why she didn't have morning sickness. This whole pregnancy was odd.

Teasing her wife, Linda said, "Must be nice to be so popular. I've walked through here naked and no one even noticed."

"It must be the fact that I now have breasts," remarked Ling with a smile as she put her hands under her breasts. They had swelled much more this pregnancy than during her first one. They were even larger than Kelly's breasts and they had been a gift from the Goddess.

Ed reached out and rubbed a hand over the swollen belly feeling the life within. There was only the slightest stirring of the infant within and that worried him. Kelly noticed his expression and said, "The baby is just saving its energy for when it is born."

The sluggish movements of the baby were a major concern of everyone in the family. All of the tests indicated that the baby was healthy and properly formed. Several of the Druid healers had said that the baby was going to be very strong, but the lack of activity seemed to suggest otherwise. Ling was afraid that it was because she hadn't taken proper care of it during the first four months of her pregnancy. John knew the direction Ling's thoughts had taken and said, "You didn't know."

"How could I not know that I was four months pregnant?" asked Ling still incredulous at the idea. Shaking her head, she added, "Leroy, I'm so sorry. I gave you lots of grief because I thought that things hadn't worked out the way I planned."

Rather than address her self-recrimination, Leroy said, "You looked really good in the park ranger outfit. I enjoyed every minute of our time together."

Ling was about to respond when a small contraction rippled through her body. Wide eyed, she said, "I think something is happening."

Kelly stood up and said, "Boys, you got to stay here. We'll let you know when you can come see her."

A look of real disappointment crossed the faces of Ed, John, and Leroy. This was going to be their fourth child and they hadn't been allowed to participate in the miracle of birth once. Kelly had given birth before they even made it to the hospital. Linda had given birth under circumstances that had required significant medical care. Ling wasn't going to act weak in front of her husbands. They watched as Linda and Kelly helped Ling out of the dining room. Ed looked at Leroy and said, "I still can't believe that she didn't know she was pregnant."

"She said that her period tends to stop when she is in training and figured that had happened out in the woods," replied Leroy with a shrug. He was having difficulty explaining it. Shaking his head, he finally said, "We're men. What do we know about this stuff?"

Ed and John laughed at the fact that there was more than a little truth in his question. William didn't say a word as he watched his fathers discuss the matter. After a while, he said, "My sister will be a strong warrior."

"Your sister?" asked Beth in surprise. "I'm okay and I'm not a warrior."

"No, I meant my little sister," replied William.

Beth and Little John shared another one of those looks that conveyed another puzzle about their little brother that they had to solve. They had sworn to protect him, but he had never seemed to need it. Little John asked, "How can you know that?"

William just shrugged as if that was all the answer anyone required and as far as he was concerned the matter was settled. Stroking his medallions, John studied William trying to understand how it was that the boy seemed to see a different world than everyone else. His medallions were silent and he gained no further insight.

Leroy asked, "Are you kids going to your next class?"

Little John answered, "No way. I want to find out if I have a little brother or sister. I hope it's a brother, just so that William is wrong."

Everyone at the table laughed as William rolled his eyes. Even though he didn't understand the source of his knowledge, his pronouncements were never wrong. He stood up and started to walk away.

John asked, "Where are you going?"

"Class," replied the boy as he continued on his way.

The group at the table watched him walk off. No one was surprised by the style of his behavior, but his lack of interest in what was happening to Ling was another matter. Beth, frowning, asked, "Why is he going to class?"

Eyes tracking William as he went through the door to the hallway, John answered, "I think he is pretty sure that the baby won't be born any time soon."

Leroy and Ed looked at each other realizing that it would be a while before Ling gave birth. Ed said, "Yeah, it took a long time for Ling to give birth to Little John."

The group sat around talking about things, eating snacks, and drinking various beverages. The kids were drinking milk, Leroy was drinking coffee while John and Ed were drinking iced tea. The time passed slowly and there was no news. After two hours had passed, William returned from class to find that his family had not moved from the table. Puzzled, he asked, "Why are you still here?"

"We're waiting to hear about Ling," answered Leroy as though his answer should be self-evident.

William shrugged his shoulders and sat down while opening a book. Leaning back in his chair, he started to read ignoring everyone else. Beth moved so that she could read the cover of the book. Aloud she asked, "Dune?"

The boy didn't answer her question, but just kept reading. With a slow but consistent flipping of pages, he worked his way through the book totally enraptured by the story. Little John said, "I'm getting bored. Maybe I should get something to read."

"I'm bored, too." Beth looked around at her fathers as a smile came over her face. She asked, "Is anyone up for a game of Hunt The Bug Eyed Monsters?"

Almost without thinking, Ed replied, "I am!"

John and Leroy laughed at Ed's speedy answer and joined in. "Me too!"

Putting up his book, William stood ready to play. Ed picked up Little John and set him on his shoulders. "Last one to the apartment is a rotten egg!"

The three men rushed out of the dining hall with a child each riding their shoulders. They arrived at the apartment at the same time. Within minutes, the living room had been turned into a space ship. John called out, "Pilot!"

Beth called out, "Navigator!"

Leroy shouted, "Communications!"

Putting his hand over Ed's mouth, Little John said, "Gunner!"

William said, "Gunner!"

Prying Little John's hand off his mouth, Ed muttered, "Mechanic, again."

Everyone laughed and took their places. William and Little John sitting in the two chairs flanking the couch. John was in the center of the couch with Beth to his right and Leroy to his left. Ed was stuck sitting on a footstool, the low man in the crew. Once everyone was seated, John ordered, "Navigator, plot a course to BEM central."

"Aye, aye," replied Beth writing on a tablet. Looking up she handed the tablet to John and said, "Course plotted."

John checked out the tablet amazed that she had plotted a three- dimensional course. Smiling, he said, "Communications, tell base that we are heading out."

Leroy, in a very official tone of voice, said, "Base, this is Bug Hunter One. We are heading out."

John made driving motions with his hands while Little John and William rubbed their hands. He shouted, "Going into warp drive on three. One, Two, Three."

On the count of three, John acted as if he were punching a button and everyone started shaking like they were going over a bumpy road. They kept that up for about a minute and then John said, "Arriving at BEM central on one. Three, Two, One."

Everyone stopped bouncing went about getting ready to engage the monsters. John started acting like he was flying a spacecraft. Leroy looked up and said, "Twelve of them ahead at two o'clock high and ten of them at ten o'clock low."

Little John and William started making zapping noises as they fired their make believe laser guns at the bug-eyed monsters. Little John shouted, "Going to bug tracker missiles."

William replied, "Going to laser cannon. There's too many of them."

With ka-booms and whizzes coming from the two young boys, Ed laughed and said, "Better watch out. Those bugs are tricky."

Leroy shouted, "They got the communications antenna."

With a wink, John said, "Go fix it, lowly Mechanic."

While the kids were giggling, Ed shot a look at John and shook his head. He acted like he was putting on a space suit and then stepping out of an airlock. As he went, he called back, "You guys keep them nasty monsters off my back!"

As Ed pretended to fix an antenna, the others continued to fight the monsters. After a few minutes, William stood and went to the door, opening it before the person outside had a chance to knock. He gestured for her to enter the room. Laura Brockmire, the Druid in charge of the infirmary, entered and watched with a grin as Ed floated around the room. When everyone quieted down after noticing the presence of Laura, Ed called out, "There are still monsters out here."

The lack of response from anyone caused Ed to turn to see what was the matter. Spotting Laura, he blushed and said, "I didn't know you had come in."

Laughing, Laura shook her head and said, "When I told Kelly that I would get her husbands, she said the children would be playing. I can see she was right."

Leroy begged, "Tell us the details."

"Ling gave birth to a nice healthy girl," replied Laura with a smile. She added, "It was the strangest thing. When the doctor went to spank her to start the breathing reflex, she cough and then yelled."

"Yelled? Don't you mean cried?" asked John.

"She shouted Yeah!" It was the strangest thing she had ever witnessed in her life. It was almost as though the baby had made a high-five gesture.

Leroy laughed and said, "What you expect from a baby with me as father and Ling as the mother?"

The family followed Laura down to the infirmary, finding Ling on the bed holding the baby wrapped in a blanket. They approached quietly, but Ling said, "Don't worry. She's wide awake and ready to go."

Leroy bent over and looked at the baby girl. She moved her hands and legs as if she were trying to get rid of the blanket. Looking at the baby, he said, "You're gorgeous. Just as beautiful as your mother."

Ling, weak and with face pale from giving birth, replied, "And just as restless as her father."

Ed quipped, "It could have been worse."

"Huh?"

"Could have been as ugly as her father and mean as her mother," replied Ed with a smile. His comment provoked a laugh from everyone, including Leroy who made a gesture like he was mortally wounded.

Impatient, William asked, "Her name?"

Ling glanced at John for a second and then said, "Elizabeth Jones. I thought we could call her Betsy."

Shocked, John looked down at the floor to try to control his emotions. Ed understood and put a hand on his shoulder. Kelly smiled at the reaction of John, knowing that Ling had tried to honor his first real love. Ling reached out and took his hand. In a weak voice, she said, "Yes. I know all about Betsy."

"Thank you, Ling," replied John. He looked down at the baby and said, "Betsy, you are a beautiful baby."

The children crowded around the baby, each taking a turn looking at her. Beth said, "I'll protect you, Betsy."

Touching her right hand, Little John said, "I'll help you in every way that I can."

When it was time for William to look at her, he stood there for a long time without saying a word. Finally, he said, "I'll listen to you."

The comment surprised everyone. Linda gathered the kids together and said, "Let's go outside so your fathers can talk to Ling."

When the children left, Betsy started getting very active and fought her way out of the blanket. Ling asked, "Why did you do that again?"

The mother and daughter fought as Ling tried to get the baby wrapped in the blanket. John watched the child work to keep the blanket from around her and said, "She doesn't want to be wrapped in a blanket."

Exhausted, Ling said, "She never moved inside me and now she's never stopped moving."

Laura came over and said, "Let me put her in a crib so that you can get some rest."

Ling nodded her acceptance as John said, "Good idea. We'll let you get a little rest."

Linda took John's hand and led him out of the room followed by Leroy and Kelly holding hands. Ed stayed back and said, "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks for being there, Ed," replied Ling. No one had paid more attention to her throughout the pregnancy than Ed. He had rubbed cream on her stomach, fetched things so that she wouldn't have to move too much, and helped her wash in the shower. Anything that she wanted, he would fetch it for her.

Ed bent down and kissed her on her forehead. Her face was a mess, the consequences of giving birth. As far as he was concerned, she was the most beautiful woman in the world at that moment. Straightening, he said, "I love you."

Ling winked and said, "Just wait until I'm strong enough to unleash my mean."

Ed laughed as he left Ling in the able care of Laura. She had watched them and how they treated Ling. They were supportive without being maudlin, teasing her and each other without spite or meanness. She turned and took care of her patient.

Students stopped Ed as he walked down the hallways of the school asking for details about the baby. The news was spreading through the school. Many of the students wondered when they could see the infant and mother. Ed answered that it would be up to the mother and Laura as to when they could see Betsy.

When he reached the apartment, the only one there was Linda. She had just finished putting up the mess made when they played their game. Looking up at Ed, she said, "You children make such a mess of the house."

"It's too cold to play outside," remarked Ed as though trying to excuse the mess they had made.

After finishing straightening the seats on the couch, she patted a spot and said, "Have a seat here."

Ed sat down and watched as Linda set all of the chairs back in their right position. As she worked, she said, "You've been a big help to all of us when we've been pregnant. As Ling was giving birth, she said that the women of this family had to find some way to thank you."

"You're quite welcome," replied Ed taking her comment as a thank you for his actions.

His response frustrated Linda. It was impossible to show how much she appreciated his care. She still remembered how he had sat by her bedside through her entire pregnancy. She asked, "Is there anything we can do to thank you?"

"You don't need to thank me. I enjoyed being needed," replied Ed. He added, "Having Ling pregnant here sure made the past few months go by quicker."

Frustrated, Linda joined him on the couch. She knew what he really wanted and there wasn't any way that they could give it to him. He wanted to go back to Arizona, but John and the children needed to remain here. She put her hand on his thigh and said, "You don't like it here."

"I love being around my family," replied Ed. He preferred not to think about being away from home. He looked down at Linda's hand and smiled as she started rubbing it up and down the length of his thigh. "If you keep that up, I'll love it around here even more."

Linda asked, "Would you like a blowjob or an hour long orgasm?"

"Decisions, decisions," answered Ed.

"If you don't decide, I will," teased Linda.

"Some threat. Do I want heaven or heaven?"

Linda stood and gestured for him to follow her to the bedroom. He stood and let her lead the way to her bedroom. Once there, she stripped and helped him undress. He took the moment to appreciate her body. Her smooth flawless skin, reddish hued, took his breath away. Her figure was perfection, her long black hair ran down to the middle of her back. She was a sexy woman and Ed didn't believe that any man would fail to recognize that.

"I am so lucky to have a beautiful woman like you in my life." The comment came without hesitation or embarrassment.

Staring down at Ed, Linda could not believe how blind he was to her imperfections. She felt that her features were too sharp, her breasts were starting to sag, and her body wasn't well proportioned. His easy acceptance of her body only made her love him even more.

The sight of Linda was the kind of visual stimulation that caused him to get erect. As his cock filled with blood, Linda bent down and started to suck on it. This increased the rate at which his cock became erect. Once it was fully erect, she climbed on it and then didn't move. Leaning forward, she kissed Ed. Her lips and tongue exploring his lips while her hands teased his nipples. She started to contract her cunt muscles, giving a sensual milking sensation on his cock.

For the next hour, she stayed atop him milking his cock without moving. Her hands roamed his body with a light pressure that excited rather than tickled. The sensations were driving him crazy. When she felt him start to come, she tightened her inner muscles stopping his orgasm.

Linda was proud of the control that she had over her inner muscles. She had worked hard to condition them for the purpose of driving her husbands wild in bed. Now as she controlled Ed's reactions in bed, she knew that her hard work was paying off. He was thrashing around, lifting his hips off he bed, and doing what ever he could to increase the stimulation to his cock.

Ed was coming and had been coming for half an hour. This was a full body orgasm that intensified as time passed. It reduced him to a continuous babble. Linda climbed off him and put her lips around the head of his cock. It leaked a continuous flow of come. She loved come and used her mouth to keep him coming for another half an hour.

His body glowed a bright red from the orgasm while sweat covered his body by the time she finally stopped. He went from coming to sleeping without a pause. Sitting next to him, Linda smiled down at his sleeping form. Most sexual pleasure existed in the mind and knowing the effect that she had on Ed was one of the greatest pleasures she experienced.

Still naked, she stood up and left the room while he lay in bed asleep. The scent of sex hung heavy in the air around her. Stopping in the bathroom, she wiped the come that had drained from her cunt off her thighs. She considered taking a shower, but chose not to do it.

John, Leroy, and Kelly occupied the living room and she sat down on one of the chairs. Kelly looked over at her and said, "You smell like you've just made Ed a very happy man."

Blushing, Linda answered, "I don't know who is happier, him or me."

Leroy said, "I'm worried about him. He hasn't been his normal joking self lately."

"I know. He misses the desert."

"He's homesick," replied Kelly.

"Besides being here for us, what is he doing here?" asked Linda.

There was only a single way to respond to that question. John answered, "He's teaching."

Sighing, Kelly retorted, "He taught in Arizona. With regards to him being here for us, we are hardly ever here."

The family fell quiet while they considered what Kelly had just said. She had just summarized the world as seen by Ed in two sentences. No one knew what to say about his situation.

Ed woke later and went to visit Ling in the infirmary. When he entered, she was breast-feeding Betsy. It was a soft Ling, looking down at the baby with a smile on her face, who greeted Ed. This was a side of her that didn't come out very often and Ed took the moment to appreciate it. With a smile, he said, "You look like an angel."

"Oh, Ed. You are blind. I don't have any makeup on my face, my hair is scraggly, and I'm tired." Ling looked up at Ed to see him shaking his head in disagreement.

"I'm not lying or even hedging the truth. You look wonderful lying in bed feeding Betsy," replied Ed.

"You sure are good for a woman's ego." Ling grimaced as Betsy got a little forceful in her feeding.

Ed noticed the grimace and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Betsy is a tiger. She won't sit still and goes after my breasts like a cat on a mouse," answered Ling. Even as Ling spoke, Betsy threw off the blanket. Ling wrestled with the blanket, hampered by the fact that she was holding the baby. Frustrated, she said, "This kid won't stay still. She's moving constantly until she falls asleep."

The comment brought a little chuckle to Ed as he replied, "And you were worried because she wasn't moving much."

Shooting a look that bordered on a glare in his direction, Ling asked, "Beware what you wish for?"

Laughing, Ed answered, "I didn't say that. I was just saying that your fears didn't come true."

With a suddenness that was almost shocking, Betsy stopped feeding and pushed away from her mother's breast. Ling looked down at the baby and asked, "Do you want to hold her?"

"Sure, I'd love to hold her."

Handing the child over to Ed, Ling took care to keep the head supported. Ed accepted the infant cradling it in the crook of his arm and took a seat next to the bed. Rocking and bouncing the baby with gentle motions calmed her down. After a minute of rocking, Betsy fell asleep. Even asleep, her arms and legs moved constantly. He grinned down at the baby taking in her perfect little features. In a soft voice, he said, "It's a miracle."

Ling said, "Put the blanket on her."

"She doesn't want it," replied Ed as he studied Betsy's features. Looking up at Ling, he said, "She doesn't like to be constrained."

"You're kidding?"

"Not at all," replied Ed. He put a finger in her hand and she tried to twist it. Her little foot came up and kicked his hand causing him to smile. He added, "William said that she was going to be a warrior."

"William said that?"

"Yes, he did. So when are you going to start training her?"

"Training? It'll be years before she's ready to be trained," replied Ling surprised at the question. She hadn't even given any thought to training the children in the martial arts.

"She's going to be ready for training before you are ready to train her," replied Ed. Sound asleep, her arms and legs kept moving and churning. It was as though she were already practicing crawling. He rubbed a hand under her chin, which she promptly pushed out of the way. Looking up at Ling, he said, "She's ready to fight right now."

"We need to cover her with the blanket," asserted Ling.

"It's warm enough in here that a blanket is not necessary," replied Ed. He added, "We have lots of naked people walking around here. Can't have it cold."

Ling shrugged as she said, "If you say so."

"At least she keeps her diaper on."

"Don't give her any ideas," replied Ling with a laugh.

Laura came into the room and looked at Ed holding Betsy. She smiled at him and said, "You seem to love kids more than anyone else that I know."

"They are innocent. How can help feel anything except love towards them?" asked Ed. For a moment, he was taken back to the raid on the pedophile sex ring that was swapping their own children. Even to this day he couldn't understand how they could perform such a heinous act.

"They are cute at that age. The teenage years are when they lose a lot of that cute-ness," replied Laura.

"Shh, don't say that in front of the mother," teased Ed.

Ling retorted, "Our children will be cute even when they are teenagers."

"See what I mean."

Laura laughed and accepted Betsy from Ed. It was time to take the child back to her crib for the night. As she left with the child, she said, "I'll be right back."

Moving to stand by Ling, Ed asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good. The birth wasn't as hard as the first one," answered Ling. It seemed to her that once Betsy decided it was time to be born, that nothing was going to get in her way.

Laura returned and looked over at Ling for a minute. She had never seen an infant attack a breast with such intensity. She said, "I noticed that Betsy is a little rough when she nurses."

"I hate to think what it going to happen when she gets teeth. She'll bite off my nipples," replied Ling cringing at the thought. Her breasts were still sore from the last feeding.

"I'm going to suggest that you use a breast pump and then bottle feed her with your own milk," said Laura.

"Do I get to operate the pump?" asked Ed in a teasing tone of voice making gestures as though milking a cow with his hands.

"Get out of here," replied Ling.



-------

Chapter 8

Ed and John sat by the stream watching the surface as it broke over rocks, creating chaotic patterns and swirls. This summer was hot and humid, draining the energy out of Ed like he had never experienced. After years of moving around in the hot sun of Arizona, Ed couldn't believe how hot he felt. His shirt stuck to him, his pants felt damp, and sweat dripped from his nose. Looking over at John, he said, "I hate it here."

It was tempting to argue that things weren't bad here, but John knew that Ed was forced to tell the truth at all times. If Ed was saying that he hated it there, he was telling the truth. Sighing, John knew that Ed wouldn't be able to stay in North Carolina much longer. "I'll arrange for a new instructor to take over for you next quarter. Can you hang on here long enough for that?"

"I'm all torn up inside. I want to be here for my family and I can't take being here."

"If it harm none, then do it," replied John.

Knowing exactly what John meant, Ed answered, "I can teach one quarter here and travel between the home sites."

"I think that would be best," replied John with a sadness that almost broke Ed's heart. "I'm going to miss having you around all of the time."

Standing up, Ed stripped off his clothes and hung them on a branch in the slim hope that they would dry. He knew they wouldn't dry, but he couldn't help but hold forth a little hope. Entering the water, he lay down so that only his head was above the surface. The swift moving water helped him cool off. With a sigh of relief, he said, "I'm going to miss you, too. I'm afraid that I'll be alone most of the time."

"Linda will be at the home most of the time now. The rest of us will stop by on occasion so I don't expect that you'll be too lonely."

Floating in the water, Ed shut his eyes and imagined a sky above him that went from horizon to horizon. Coming out of his reverie, Ed said, "It's not that I have anything against the people here or even the countryside. North Carolina is pretty in many ways. The problem is that I can't see much more than a hundred feet and that doesn't seem right to me."

John didn't say a word. It was necessary for Ed to get out his frustration at the moment. Eyes closed, Ed continued his monologue. "What I can see is too soft. Nothing seems to have sharp well-defined edges. That lack of sharpness just strikes me wrong. It doesn't matter that I know that it is the humidity that blurs all the edges out here, I just don't like it."

John understood what Ed was saying about the area being soft. The low rolling hills that led to the mountains would blend and fade together as the sun set. Ed laughed as he said, "Even the sunsets are soft here. In the desert, you can see a clear boundary between land and sky. Here, the land seems to reach up into the sky when the sun sets. It makes me feel like the land misses the sky as much as I do."

Shaking his head, John listened as Ed discussed sunsets. John loved the contrast between the sunsets of the desert and the sunsets in the mountains here. Each had its own special flavor that had to be enjoyed in its own right. He asked, "What kind of soup is better? Clam Chowder, Wisconsin Beer Cheese, or French Onion?"

Opening his eyes, Ed asked, "That's not a fair question. They are each so different that you can't compare them. You have to enjoy each kind of soup for what it is."

John smiled and said, "That's that same about sunrises and sunsets. They are each so different that you have to appreciate them for what they are."

Lying back in the water, Ed closed his eyes as the water rushed over his body. He said, "Don't get me wrong. I don't mind the softness of the features here. It's just that I can't take it all of the time."

"You dislike the humidity."

"True. There's just too much water in the air. When it's hot, the water just clings to you making you hotter. I leave a puddle of water behind every time that I drink iced tea. I have to dry my hands after I set the glass down. There's condensation on everything." Ed fell silent having nothing more to say.

John leaned back against the tree, enjoying the feel of the rough bark against his back. His eyes watched the stream while his ears picked up the sounds of birds singing, leaves rustling, and the water splashing. He appreciated Ed's idea to spend the day on his place without the rest of the family. It was very seldom that the two men got to spend any time together. Sighing, John said, "Life seems to have gotten very complicated lately. What happened?"

"I don't know. If I did, I'd know how to simplify it."

The two men were silent, lost in their thoughts. The time passed slowly, each man comfortable in the quiet companionship of the other. After a while, Ed said, "I'm going to go rock hunting with Nora again."

"You still haven't given up on her?"

Laughing at the suggestion that he would give up on her, Ed answered, "I've got a thing for damsels in distress."

The comment brought a chuckle to John as he recalled all of the women that Ed had rescued in the past. Since coming to the Druid College, it seemed that neither one of them had done much rescuing of damsels or anything else. Ed had solved a murder, occasionally interrogated terrorists, and brought a number of tax cheats to justice. He missed standing side to side with Ed facing down monsters.

Ed lay in the water thinking about the last rock hunting expedition with Nora Turner. Although she had talked about getting out of the film business, she had remained in it and still commanded big money with top billing. The problem was that it was eating her up from the inside out. She had been drinking more and her lifestyle was getting more erratic.

Camping with such a physically attractive woman was almost painful. Until she learned how to love, he wasn't going to make love to her. It seemed to him that she was never going to learn that lesson. Men, powerful men in particular, were to be manipulated for her career. Beautiful women were competition to be ground under her heal. Charity was a means to get publicity and a tax- break. The only time that she relaxed was when she was alone with rocks.

Inside that hard exterior, a real person still survived. It wasn't going to be long before that person died and Nora would be making the news as her life spun out of control. The last two times they had gone rock hunting was out here and Ed was unable to help her as much as he had wanted. The area seemed to suck the strength from him. He said, "I'm going to take her out into the desert."

Looking at his husband resting comfortably in the stream, John replied, "You'll be able to help her there."

"I hope so. The nice person inside her is about to die," replied Ed.

"That's a rather harsh assessment." That Ed would make such a comment signified that he was very concerned about her. He wondered what had happened the last time they had been out in the field. It couldn't have been good since Ed had never discussed that trip with anyone. "The last trip must have been pretty bad for you to say something like that."

"We fought over the fact that she's become a user of other people," answered Ed as he opened his eyes and looked over at John.

The news stunned John. Users violated both rules by which they lived and that Nora was becoming a user was very bad news. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, me too."

John stood up and undressed to join his husband in the water. Easing his way into the water, he lay down feeling the coolness seep into his body. For several minutes, he relaxed with his eyes closed. He broke the silence when he said, "There are only four more weeks to this quarter. Are you going to survive them?"

"Yeah," replied Ed with less enthusiasm than John had expected. "I just need to see a real sky for a change."

"It's a shame that you get seasick," said John knowing that Ed needed to see some sky, but unable to suggest a solution. The first time that they had tried to see sky by going out in the ocean, Ed had spent the entire trip throwing up over the side of the boat.

"Don't remind me about that," groaned Ed. Just remembering the time spent on the boat made his stomach queasy. The idea of sailing had been brilliant. For about the first thirty minutes, Ed had felt better under the open sky. It was transitory. Before long, he was bent over the side of the boat retching. He lost all the food in his stomach and ended up dry heaving. It never stopped. At the end of an hour, he was begging to be brought back to shore. Even reaching shore didn't stop his dry heaves.

A noise from the woods disturbed their thoughts. Both men sat up at the same time to search for the source of the noise. A familiar shape shook the shrubs that grew along the shore, but the leaves were too dense for them to see what was moving around. John spotted the source of the noise first and whispered, "Bear."

"Fluffy?"

"No."

Staring at the bushes, Ed wondered how long it would be before the bear noticed them. They had talked softly while discussing the identity of the bear. Rather than surprise the bear, Ed decided that it would be better to talk in a normal tone of voice. "It's probably a black bear and I don't think it would be wise to surprise it."

Smiling at Ed, John said, "Right. Any speculation on what it is doing here?"

"None," replied Ed.

The bear lumbered out of the brush and paused at the edge of the water looking over at Ed and John in the water. With a low rumbling sound, the bear entered the water and sat down in it. After sitting there for a minute, he rolled onto its back and turned from side to side cooling off in the water. The two men watched the bear for a minute before John asked, "What do we do now?"

"Why are you asking me? I don't know much about bears, they don't come out in the desert."

"There are bears around the White Mountains."

The comment reminded Ed about his trips into the White Mountains. Thinking back to those times, he remembered that he had taken precautions to keep bears out of his food. It had been such a long time ago that he had basically forgotten that Arizona had bears. He grunted, "Okay. You're right. Still you hike more places with bears than I do."

"We could just stay here for a while and wait for the bear to leave."

More noises originating from the bushes attracted their attention. Both men stared as a bear emerged from the brush and headed into the water. The bear positioned itself between the first bear and the two men. Ed examined the bear and smiled as he recognized it. "Hi Fluffy!"

Sid called out, "You boys having bear problems?"

"Boys?" asked John incredulous at the characterization.

Ed called out, "Come on in. The water's cool."

Sid stripped and waded out into the water. Sitting down, he said, "Fluffy smelled another bear in the area and I thought I ought to check it out."

There was a tinge of lie in the answer, but Ed let it slide. Lying back down in the water, he asked, "So what were we supposed to do when a bear joins you in the water?"

"Well, the last thing you want to do is surprise it. Talking like you were, I'd say you took care of that little problem. Usually, I tell people to avoid bears." Sid sighed as the water flowing over his body cooled him. There wasn't much of a breeze in the woods so the heat and humidity had a very negative effect on the body.

The men stayed in the water keeping an eye on the bears and thinking their own thoughts. Breaking the silence, Ed asked, "So other than Fluffy smelling another bear, what was the real reason that brought you here?"

Sid looked over at Ed with a grin and said, "Can't hide anything from you."

Interested in the exchange, John sat up and said, "You're ducking the question."

"A call came into the college after you two had left this morning. It appears that Devin Renzy escaped from the psychiatric facility in which he was being treated," replied Sid.

The news sent a chill through Ed as he recalled the man who had tried to burn out an entire community as part of a real estate scheme. The man was a sociopath and very dangerous. He was disgusted at the idea that a judge would think that an individual who had no respect for any life but his own could be reformed. The only thing that would stop a person like Devin Renzy was death or an infirmity that rendered him unable to move. Shaking his head, Ed said, "Let me guess, he was helped by someone on the outside."

"Right. It appears that a small group of individuals that you helped capture have gotten together with the purpose of taking you down," replied Sid as he watched Fluffy rolling around in the water.

It wasn't necessary to ask why they would target him since the trial had shown that Ed was the one that had led the others in capturing Devin. Touching the medallion on his chest, Ed wasn't surprised that it was warm. Sighing, he said, "I guess it is time to go monster hunting."

John who had been thinking that it had been a long time since he had gone monster hunting with Ed shook his head at the co- incidence. Smiling, he said, "Time for us to start planning our next action."

"You're going to get involved?"

"Someone wants to kill my husband! You bet I'm going to get involved," replied John with more passion than he had intended.

The men, ignoring the wild bear downstream, spent an hour in the stream creating a plan designed to pull Devin to an area of their choice under controlled conditions. Sid's role was to inform the world where Ed would be over the news services as part of an unrelated story. The last remaining question was to select a place and time to trap Devin.

The men climbed out of the stream, skin wrinkled from having spent too much time in the water, and sat on their shirts to air dry. The humidity in the air made that a slow process. As they sat on the bank watching the bears in the stream, the day passed. The wild bear stood and wandered off downstream, ignoring the three men on the bank. Fluffy stood and joined Sid on the bank for a moment before going off in search of food.

Ed watched the bear walk off into the woods, sniffing around fallen trees in search of grubs or other edible snacks. For the first time in a long time, he felt good knowing that his stay at the college was coming to an end and that he was going to have a project to work upon for the next few weeks to help the time pass. Turning to Sid with a smile, he asked, "So is it true that a bear shits in the woods?"

The question coming out of left field cracked up Sid who burst out laughing almost uncontrollably. In all the years of traveling with a bear, he had never been asked that question. From the woods, Fluffy gave forth a loud roar as though he knew that he was the subject of a joke. The noise only made Sid laugh harder.

John, laughing as well, was having difficulty controlling himself. He was used to Ed's odd sense of humor, but it still took him by surprise at times. This question reminded him of how Ed had reacted to seeing Rover for the first time. He was tempted to answer on behalf of Sid, seeing that the man was practically incapacitated with laughter, but decided to let Sid handle it.

It took Sid several minutes to reply, "Yes, it is true."

"Thought so," replied Ed with a wink. Throughout, he had not laughed although he did smile at the reaction of Sid.

"Did you know that is the first time that I've ever been asked that question?" Sid wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. After the seriousness and tension of the planning session, the humor had returned his good spirits.

"Really? I thought kids would have asked you that all of the time," replied Ed surprised by the question.

"Kids already know the answer to that question. They ask questions about what bears eat and why they hibernate. For the most part, the kids are usually very serious when faced with Fluffy," replied Sid.

Nodding, John said, "The same was true when kids asked questions about the big cats. They were usually pretty serious when they asked questions."

Thinking back to those days, Ed realized that had been true. Laughing, he said, "The kids accepted the cats and asked questions. The adults were scared of the cats and asked questions. They were entirely different kinds of questions."

It was getting close to sunset and the three men stood up to dress. The time had come for them to return to the College and resume their duties. As they walked along the path, John said, "I really enjoyed today."

Smiling at the idea of spending some dedicated time with John and that he was going to be able to use this as a means to get away from the area for a while, Ed said, "Don't worry. We're going monster hunting again."

Looking over at Ed, John knew there was more to his statement than just monster hunting. Ed was getting a break away from the college at a time when he really required it. Although he wouldn't say it to Ed directly, he was very worried about his husband, as was the rest of the family.

Ling woke up in the middle of the night alone in the bed. Ed's side of the bed was cold telling her that he had not been in bed for a while. After waiting for Ed to return to bed, she began to worry the more time that passed. Getting up, she dressed and went to search for him.

A cursory search of the living quarters failed to locate Ed. She went upstairs to the roof where he and John would watch the night sky, but he wasn't there. There was one other place where he would often seek solace and that was his lab. She made her way to that part of the campus and looked in his room. The lights were off and it took her a minute to find the light switch. The lab was empty.

Her concern had now reached a critical level and she felt that she needed some help finding him. Returning to their quarters, she went into John's room and shook him awake. When John sat up, she said, "Ed is missing."

The news bothered John as he immediately thought of Devin's escape. On second thought, he knew that Gods and Goddesses wouldn't allow such an individual within the bounds of the college. Sighing, he said, "Let's check his lab and see if he is there. I'll check the roof and see if he is watching the stars."

"I've already looked there."

Frowning, John wondered where Ed might have gone. Getting out of the bed, he dressed in his robe getting ready to search for Ed. The pair slipped out of the room going to the living room where they could talk without chance of waking others. John asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know. We went to bed together and he seemed okay. I woke up and he was gone." Ling was very worried about Ed.

"How was he acting?"

"He was a little restless, but that's been normal for him lately," replied Ling on the verge of tears. The past year had been very hard for Ed and it was clear to everyone in the family that he was miserable living at the college. Initially, he had been pacing around acting like a caged animal. Lately, he had become sullen and depressed, showing happiness only when playing with the kids. She said, "I'm worried about him."

Unaware that Ling didn't know that Ed was leaving at the end of the quarter, John said, "It's only four more weeks and he has a monster to hunt in the meantime."

"What do you mean, only four more weeks?"

Realizing that she didn't know about their discussion, John said, "Ed is returning to Arizona at the end of the quarter."

The news that Ed was leaving came as a great relief to Ling and lessened her worries for him. Relaxing a little, she said, "That's great news."

The pair went to the entrance of the college and spoke to the person on duty there. The young man, looked up from the book that he was reading surprised to actually see someone up and around at that late hour. John went over to the counter and asked, "Did you happen to see Ed Biggers come through here this evening?"

It didn't matter that the young man didn't know who Ed Biggers was for him to be able to answer the question. The young man answered, "You are the first one that I've seen since I came on duty."

"Thanks," replied John as he turned to Ling. "I guess that means he's still here on campus somewhere."

"Yes. I'll check the various dining rooms if you'll check some of the other rooms."

The pair split up and looked around the campus. John went to the library thinking that Ed might be reading a journal since he was unable to sleep. The library was well lit with a few students studying. John stopped by one of the students and asked, "Have you seen Ed Biggers?"

One of the students looked up and replied, "He went through here about two hours ago. I think he was headed over to the planetarium."

"The planetarium?" asked John surprised at that announcement.

"Yes. I've seen him over there a number of times at night just staring up at the stars on the ceiling," replied the student.

Thanking the student, John headed off to the planetarium wondering what Ed was doing there. Entering the room, the lights were off and the complex arrangement of projectors was on. It projected stars on the domed ceiling. One chair was back in the occupied position that allowed viewing the stars without stressing the neck.

Curious as to what he would find, John walked over to the chair and looked down to find his husband sound asleep. Ed's head had fallen to one side with his mouth open and eyes shut. Watching his husband sleep under the bright stars projected on the ceiling, John shook his head in wonderment. Why would Ed be here? Looking up at the ceiling, he realized that the projection was more like the stars seen from the desert than the stars as seen from the roof.

Without waking his husband, he went to locate Ling. She might not like what he had found, but it would at least relieve her to know that he was safe. It took him fifteen minutes to locate her in the lobby where she was getting ready to leave to search the house on his land. John called out, "Ling, I found him."

Turning, she asked, "Where is he?"

"He's asleep in the planetarium."

As her worry turned to anger, she spun around to head to the planetarium ready to give him a piece of her mind. John stopped her cold when he said, "He's asleep under an Arizona sky."

Shoulders sagging as the statement undermined her anger, Ling said, "Let's get back to bed. I'll talk to him in the morning."

Sitting in the fourth year cafeteria sipping a cup of coffee now that his classes were over for the morning, Ed was relaxed for a change. He was counting down the days before he would be leaving. His reverie was interrupted by the arrival of Little John, Beth, and William, with Betsy crawling along behind them on a leash. Greeting the kids, he said, "Hi. How were your classes this morning?"

Beth shrugged and said, "Daddy John said that next year we graduate high school."

Little John said, "I thought we had to be eighteen to graduate high school. I'll only be six and Beth will be seven. That doesn't seem right to us."

Watching his brother and sister complain about their early exit from education, William wondered if there wasn't something else bothering them. This was old news and had been rehashed several times. They weren't here to talk about school, they were here to go over to the school to play with some of the kids during recess. Shaking his head, he said, "Let's head over to the playground."

Still feeling good, Ed said, "Let's go."

As he was standing, Ling and Kelly rushed into the dining room. Noticing their arrival, Ed asked, "What's the rush?"

"We wanted to make sure that we got here before you left," replied Kelly as she looked over at Ling for support.

"Why?"

"We don't want you to take the kids to the school."

The statement was like a punch to the stomach. It physically hurt and he put a hand over his belly. Dismayed that his wives didn't trust him to take the children to the playground, Ed asked, "Why not?"

"You have a madman looking to kill you. If he sees you at the school, I doubt that he'll care who else he kills while going after you," answered Ling in a tone that would accept no argument from him. It was a very real concern amongst the wives and one that Ed would have to accept.

Glancing over at the three older kids, he was surprised to see that they didn't react to the news that someone was trying to kill him. It almost disappointed him that they accepted it so easily. Feeling like a prisoner trapped in the college, Ed said, "Okay. I'll see you kids later. Have fun at the playground."

The four kids left with their mothers while Ed stayed behind. He was getting more depressed that was accompanied by a restlessness to be doing something. It was impossible for him to tell if his restlessness had to do with his circumstances or his service to the Two-Sided One. He took a sip of his cold coffee and grimaced at the bitter taste.

When the waitress came around, he flagged her down and said, "I'll take another cup of coffee."

It was a minute before she returned with a hot cup of coffee and carried off his cold one. Taking a sip, he considered where he should try to capture Devin. It had to be someplace where there was very little chance of anyone else getting hurt while allowing him to have backup nearby. There were only a handful of places that he considered.

The house down the road from the Druid College had the advantage that is was close-by and that he would have a large number of Druids in close proximity. He could place sensors all over the place so that he wouldn't be surprised. The only major drawback was that it wasn't a very attractive target for Devin.

There was the house in Arizona. It was easily defended and the staff could handle even a major threat to the occupants. His neighbors would give a warning if a stranger came into town looking for him. The problem was that the man could decide to use the town's people against him.

The last place was the lake where he occasionally vacationed. That was isolated enough that no one would be put at risk. The fact that it was a tourist town would also make a good cover for his presence there. He could have Ling and George take care of security before he ever arrived. Ling would demand to be there even though Betsy was just five months old. As he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of using that location. He would walk out if they held a gun to Maria, Shirley, Rosa, or any of his friends.

Pulling the cell phone out of his pocket, he dialed the house. When Cathy answered, he said, "Hello, Cathy. I want you to rent the cabin for the next month."

"What cabin?"

"The one where I wrote my dissertation," replied Ed realizing that he hadn't been very specific.

"Starting when?"

"Now."

There was a long moment of silence at the other end of the telephone as Cathy tried to figure out how to make that happen. "Okay. Let me make some calls."

"Great. Once you've made the arrangements, I want George to fly there and put into place a full security system. I want to know if a garter snake tries to approach the cabin. I'm sure that Ling will want to assist him in doing that."

"I take it this isn't a little unplanned vacation that you are taking," replied Cathy as she jotted down notes. Ed was talking as if she had already rented the cabin. "I'll have to get back to you in a little while. It's hard to get that cabin on a moment's notice. The owner likes to rent it out for the whole summer."

"Thanks." Ed hung up as he thought through the next week.

Howard had been watching Ed from across the room. After working with him for almost a year, he could tell that Ed was about to undertake a mission. The man exuded an intensity that was frightening to observe. Walking over to the table, he took a seat and asked, "So where are we going?"

For the moment, Ed looked at Howard trying to decide if he should bring him along or not. "I shall be going away in a week. You shall be staying here."

"Why?"

"This is dangerous."

"What does that mean?" asked Howard confused by the insistence that this was dangerous. How much more dangerous could it be than the time that the two brothers had been shooting at them?

Looking over at Howard, Ed answered, "They already killed a Druid."

Shocked at the news, Howard asked, "Who?"

"Jerry Smith."



-------

Chapter 9

The chair on which Ed was seated was of a style known as an Adirondack chair named that way because of the locale in which it was invented. From his seat on the porch of a cabin by a lake in Upstate New York, he watched the wildlife around him. It was mid-afternoon and hundreds of boats moved around the lake, leaving wakes that died out before they reached the shore. Occasionally, a boat would come close and the wake would cause little waves to break on the rocks that littered the shore.

Ling came out on the porch to sit beside him, missing Betsy already. In a conversational tone of voice she said, "We've been here for four days."

"I know and I still haven't managed to relax," replied Ed. He pointed up to the porch roof where a small yellow light was lit. The light meant that someone was watching them and that they needed to be careful about what they did.

"We need some supplies," remarked Ling, "perhaps we should go into town and pick up something for dinner tonight."

"That sounds good. How about we leave after a quick swim?"

Looking around at all of the boats on the lake trying to see if any of them were acting as if they were watching the house, Ling answered, "Sure. I'm up for a swim."

In one smooth motion Ed stood and removed his robe. Underneath the robe, he was wearing a simple bathing suit. Ling removed her wrap revealing her white bikini. The suits were necessary, as this was a public area where families that held to different beliefs about nudity were staying. Holding hands, they ran to the shore and into the water laughing as splashes flew around their legs. The water was very cold compared to the hot and humid air around them. At least it wasn't as hot or as humid as North Carolina.

They played around in the water, enjoying the moment as they splashed and swam. For the first time that day, they actually relaxed. After a half an hour, the two of them emerged from the lake and went up to the porch. Once there, they picked up the clothes they had dropped and entered the house.

They carefully entered the second bedroom and shut the door behind them. Now that they were in a sound proof room, Ed whispered, "Okay, what's with the yellow light?"

George turned from the monitor and, in a low voice that wouldn't wake Walt or John, answered, "There was a boat out there that was watching you two on the porch. They also had a parabolic microphone."

Nodding, Ling asked, "Did you get a picture of the people in the boat?"

Pointing to the computer screen where a grainy picture of a boat was displayed, George answered, "This is the best picture we were able to get. Three guys in the boat, one at the controls and two pretending to fish. You can make out the parabolic microphone right here."

Ling looked at where he was pointing and nodded her agreement. She asked, "Do you recognize any of them?"

Bending down to get a better view of the picture, Ed, in a voice that was a little louder than he intended, answered, "Can't make out enough details of their faces. Sorry."

"It is a poor quality picture. They could be the bad guys or news reporters trying to get the scoop on how a Druid takes a vacation," replied George in a whisper. He had tried to clean up the picture somewhat, but his attempts failed to bring out any details that would enable them to identify the men.

From the couch, John complained, "Can't you keep it down a little over there? I'm trying to sleep."

Looking over at the pair of men sleeping on the couch, Ed said, "Sorry John."

The pair of them slipped out of the second bedroom. After removing his trunks and putting on a pair of briefs and his robe, he went out on the porch. The rental house next to theirs along the beach had a new couple moving in that afternoon. Ed noticed and wandered over to greet them. As he approached, the man unpacking the car straightened up and observed the Druid robes. With surprise on his face, he said, "Hello. I'm Stanley Bender."

Extending a hand, Ed said, "I'm Ed Biggers."

A young man with his hair cut in a buzz cut came out of the house walking towards the car as though he was being tortured. It wasn't until he reached the car that he looked up from the ground and spotted Ed. Surprised, he shouted, "You're a Druid!"

Laughing at the announcement, Ed said, "Yes, I am a Druid. I'm Ed and who are you?"

"I'm Paul," replied the young man thinking that he was going to have some stories to tell his friends when he returned to school in the fall. He wondered how many people his age had a chance to meet a real live Druid.

"Nice to meet you Paul. Let me guess, you are about fourteen years old?"

"Wow. You must have super powers to know that."

The idea that it required super powers to guess someone's age made Ed laugh. He replied, "I guessed your age. I run a Halloween Haunted House that has kids through it by age, so I've seen lots of kids your age."

"Cool."

Stanley handed his son two suitcases and said, "Take these into your sister's room."

Stamping his foot in a minor act of teenage rebellion, Paul asked, "Why can't she carry her own luggage?"

"Because she's helping your mother clean up the cabin. Now move it, buster."

Turning to apologize, Stanley stared at Ling as she came up beside Ed. After she put her arm around Ed, he put his arm around her and performed the introductions. "Ling, these are our new neighbors out here, Stanley and his son Paul. This is my wife, Ling."

Ling, looking exceptionally good in her white sundress, said, "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

"God, you're beautiful," declared Paul as he stared at her transfixed to the spot. Once he realized what he had said, he picked up the suitcases and ran into the house blushing the entire way.

His departure brought a laugh to Ling and she said, "Young men are so much fun. I can't wait until Little John is that age."

Stanley finally recovered and said, "Little John is your son?"

"Yes. He's not quite six yet."

Stanley nodded and said, "That's a fun age. They still think you are the smartest person alive. Wait until they get to be teenagers."

The idea that his kids thought of him as the smartest person alive was funny to Ed. He said, "Oh, our kids have already figured out that we aren't the smartest people they know."

Elbowing him in the side, Ling said, "Speak for yourself, Cowboy."

"Little John adores Catherine. He thinks she's the greatest thing since sliced bread."

"Oh, that's only because she is always taking him out to watch the animals."

Realizing that they had wandered off topic, Ed said, "Sorry. We really have a hard time not talking about the kids."

"You have more than one child?"

"There's Beth, Little John, Betsy, and William," replied Ling proud of all the children.

"That's quite an armful. We stopped at two," said Stanley.

Realizing that they had wasted too much time, Ed said, "I hate to say this, but we had better run to the store and pick up some food for tonight."

"You're right. We'll see you when you get back, okay?" Ling asked the question as she glanced back at the house making sure that everything was all right there.

At the store, Ed and Ling waited patiently in line to pay for the two steaks, corn on the cob, and baking potatoes that they had purchased. The young man packing bags seemed a little clumsy as he dropped a bag on the floor as he went to pack their purchase. Bending down, he picked up the bag and set it on the shelf. With a smooth motion, he put their purchases in the bag.

As Ed paid for the purchase, the young man asked, "Could I carry this out to your car?"

Smiling at the young man, Ling said, "sure you can. Let's see, your name is Howard, isn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied Howard knowing full well that she knew his name.

As the three of them walked out to the car, Howard said, "Having a Druid around here sure is of interest to some folks. We've had all kinds of people asking questions about you. Yesterday, a pair of men came in asking about you."

"Ah, I hope you told them we were big tippers," Ed joked fully aware that they were probably being watched.

Howard smiled, "No. Just told them that you usually came into town about this time."

"It's tough vacationing when everyone asks about you," replied Ed.

"I could deliver the groceries to you after I get off work, sir," suggested Howard. It was tough slipping the extra food for the three men back at the cabin into their bag. He understood the need for the pretext, but it was getting old.

"No, that's okay. We actually enjoy the chance to come into town," replied Ed. They were trying to establish a pattern of behavior that would enable their pursuers to select the proper time and place for an attack on them. He paused and then said, "If we forgot to buy something, we'll call you."

Ed opened the back door of the hugger while Ling seated herself in the driver's seat. She always drove. Bending over to put the bag in the back, Howard gave Ed time to pull out the money for the tip. Straightening up, he found Ed holding out two bills. Smiling, he said, "Thank you, sir."

Taking the money, he could feel the note hidden between the two bills. He slipped them into his pocket and returned to the store as Ed watched him walk. On the way, Howard stopped and pushed a couple of carts together to return them to the front of the store for customers to use.

Once Howard had returned to the store, Ed closed the back of the Hugger and got into the passenger seat. After buckling the seat belt, he turned to Ling and said, "Ready."

As they pulled out of the parking lot, an old car parked across the street pulled away from the curb. The car followed them, keeping a good distance behind. Ling didn't try to lose them, but she did keep a sharp eye on the road ahead in case they tried to trap the car between two cars.

Ed opened the glove compartment and removed the remote that controlled the cameras that had been added to the car. When the road straightened out, he took a couple of pictures of the car behind them, knowing that it was too far to be able to make out any details of the license plate or the people in the car. When they reached the road on which their cabin was located, the car behind them suddenly sped up and passed them. Ed snapped a couple of pictures as the car approached.

When they stopped in the driveway, Ed pushed the button that would upload the pictures to the computer inside the house. He replaced the remote in the glove box before getting out of the car. Going around the back, he unloaded the groceries. Together, he and Ling went up to the house. The yellow light in the porch roof was on indicating that they were being watched.

Unlocking the door, both entered the house relaxing at being out of view of their unknown watchers. Ed carried the bag of groceries to the kitchen while Ling went into the second bedroom. After putting the groceries away, he joined the rest of the group in the second bedroom. Much to his surprise, John and Walt were awake. John said, "While you were gone, two men stopped by and checked out the house. We identified one of them as one of the guys you captured with the Molatov Cocktails. The other one had a limp. I suspect he was the motorcyclist that shot you and Leroy."

George was busy working on the computer examining the images that he had uploaded from the cameras in the car. There was only one picture that showed enough detail to know who was in it. Ed glanced at the picture and said, "That's the one that was driving the car when we caught them with the Molatov Cocktails. The other guy looks a lot like Devin, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't him."

Turning away from the computer, George asked, "What did you learn from Howard?"

"Two guys were asking about us yesterday. Howard answered all their questions. We set up an excuse for him to come out here in case something really important happens," answered Ed.

Walt watched the monitor that covered the house next door and shook his head. Irritated at the complications of the neighbors, he said, "I wish that idiot landlord had rented that house to us. It only makes things more complicated."

"The house on the other side of them is full of FBI agents. They'll make sure the family is safe in case anything happens." John and Walt had that discussion on several occasions, but Walt still felt bad about having civilians in the middle of a possible battlefield.

Ed asked, "So what is the deal with the neighbors?"

"They're clean. He's a civil engineer for the state. Oversees the design of bridges. She's a volunteer for the Red Cross and teaches CPR at evening classes for them," answered George.

Standing in the middle of the room, Ed was thinking about the situation. He said, "It looks like we have at least four men that will show up here when they decide to make their move. It might be as many as eight."

"Why do you say eight?"

"We have two in the car that followed us, two that came here when we were gone, three in the boat, and Devin," replied Ed.

John was silent for a moment as he thought about the implications of that. Ling, George, and Walt had permits that allowed them to carry guns. There were the four agents two houses down. He didn't like the odds. "We may need more backup here."

Nodding his agreement, Ed said, "While you are arranging that, I suggest that Ling and I take the opportunity to get to know the neighbors a little better."

Glancing over at the monitor, Walt said, "The adults are out back in the chairs. The kids are swimming in the lake. The wife is a real treat to the eyes. "

Ed and Ling left the second bedroom and went outside. They stood on the porch allowing Ling a moment to examine the surroundings to assure herself that it was safe. Pretending to notice their neighbors, Ed waved and headed over there with Ling following behind.

Once they reached the neighbors, Stanley made the introductions. His wife, Marsha, was an attractive woman in a middle class sort of way. Her hair was styled short and her figure showed signs that she had born two children. She said, "I never thought I would actually meet a Druid. I see your group on the television all the time."

"Thank you," replied Ed.

Stanley gestured to two folding lawn chairs and said, "Have a seat."

Sitting down in the chair, Ed said, "Thanks, I don't mind if I do."

Watching the children in the water, Marsha said, "Stanley was telling me that you've had four kids. You don't look like it."

Smiling, Ling replied, "I only had two children. My two wives had a child each."

The smile on Marsha's face faltered as she looked from Ling to Ed. She asked, "You have three wives?"

Nodding, Ed replied, "Yes. I have three wives and two husbands."

"Oh my. I don't know what to think of that," replied Marsha with a frown. She came from a fairly conservative community and things like that didn't happen there.

Interested, Stanley sat up and asked, "Who are the others in your family?"

"John, Leroy, Kelly, and Linda," replied Ed.

"Where are they?"

Ed closed his eyes and rubbed his ears so that he wouldn't hear the answer. Seeing his actions, Ling said, "They are scattered all over the country. Kelly is at the Druid College with the children. Linda is in California to watch the first cut of the movie based on her book. Leroy is out chasing deer through Wisconsin."

Amazed at the kinds of things the people were involved in, Marsha replied, "Wow. It must be hard to keep up with everyone."

Ed had uncovered his ears in time to hear the question and replied, "We have a very good staff that co-ordinates everything."

"You have a staff?"

"Yes. A secretary, maid, two handy men, a security specialist, and two cooks," replied Ed.

The causal manner in which Ed listed off the help made Marsha reassess the couple. She said, "You must be quite wealthy."

Leaning over to her, Ed answered, "I'm the wealthiest man in the world. I have three wives, four kids, and two husbands that love me. You can't ask for more than that."

Ling put a hand on his arm and said, "You always say the sweetest things."

"It's true. I wouldn't be half the man that I am today without the help of each and every one in my family."

The comment touched Marsha enough that she forgot about the money issue. The discussion was interrupted when Fred and Anita Smith came over from the house on the other side. As Fred neared, he said, "Hello, I hope we aren't intruding."

Fred was wearing a pair of swim trunks and an open beach shirt. The swim bag hung from his hand with a towel poking out of the top. Anita was wearing a nice one-piece bathing suit with a coverall over it. She was carrying her purse with the strap over her right shoulder with a hand resting upon it. Ed took it upon himself to perform the introductions.

Fred said, "We're expecting another couple to come in tonight. They were supposed to be here this afternoon, but they're late. We decided to take a swim before they arrived and saw Ed sitting here. We thought we'd introduce ourselves."

Ed stood and offered his chair to Anita. She accepted his offer and sat down with her purse on her lap. When it was suggested that she set it down on the ground, Anita had replied that she would probably forget it if she did that. Her comment was supported when Fred told a story about having to return to restaurants to pick up her purse. The two acted like it was a long-standing joke. Ed covered his face with both hands to hide the grimace invoked by hearing the lie.

Noticing his discomfort, Ling changed the subject by saying, "Your children are lovely. How old are they?"

"Susan is sixteen and Paul is fourteen," replied Marsha.

"Oh my. I bet you have to beat the boys away with a stick. Your daughter is a very pretty young lady," replied Ling as she looked at the teenage girl. She was wearing a very skimpy two-piece swimming suit that showed off her young figure to great advantage.

Stanley replied, "We haven't let her start dating yet."

"Oh," replied Ling in a flat voice. She didn't feel that it was right to keep a sixteen-year-old girl from dating. That was when she could explore her feelings and learn how to deal with boys.

Marsha smiled and said, "She does go out with a crowd of her friends."

The difference in the answers suggested to Ling that there was more dating going on than the father understood. Sixteen was a hard age to keep the hormones under control and the mother acted like she understood that. Ling asked, "Is she active in school?"

"She's a cheerleader," answered Marsh proud of her daughter.

The answer confused Ling, as she didn't know what kind of activity cheerleading was, since she had grown up in a very different environment. Noticing her confusion, Ed explained, "A cheerleader is someone that tries to excite the crowd at a sports event to support their team. It is a very desired position in high school."

"Oh," replied Ling. She smiled and looked at Ed, "Are you my cheerleader when I compete?"

"Yes, I am," answered Ed. He added, "Usually cheerleaders are much better looking than me."

The group of adults laughed at the obvious joke. Marsha asked, "What kind of school did you go to where you didn't have cheerleaders?"

"Oh, I went to a private school for six hours a day and then studied the martial arts for eight hours every day," answered Ling. She added, "I studied the martial arts for more hours than that on the weekends."

"You must be quite good," remarked Marsha.

With pride evident in his voice, Ed said, "She's the best in the country, perhaps the world."

Shrugging her shoulders and tilting her head to one side, Ling said, "I've only competed at the international level once."

"And you won," replied Ed as though it proved his case. Tired of standing, Ed looked over at Fred and said, "Why don't we get a couple of chairs so that we can sit down?"

Fred nodded and the two men headed over to the cabin in which Fred and Anita were staying. As they went, Ed said, "Nice family."

"Yes they are."

"I know bad things happen to good people, but it would really be a shame for anything to happen to them," said Ed making a point.

"I agree. In these troubled times, neighbors often have to look out for neighbors."

They grabbed a chair each and returned to the others. Ed said, "Nice chairs. I should have thought to pick up some in town."

"They are nice. We got these from the grocery store. Can you believe it?"

The comment almost caused Ed to stumble. He wondered if this was a hint that it was time to call Howard. He said, "I never noticed them there."

"You might want to pick some up tomorrow. I imagine you'll want to sit outside. You never know, it just might storm tonight."

A thoughtful Ed walked along realizing that the FBI had some news that things were about to come to a head and that they could expect some action that night. Undoubtedly, the three in the house already knew what the FBI had found out about Devin.

The group of six sat around chatting. After a while, the kids got tired of playing in the water and joined the adults. Susan was a young vibrant woman that was on the verge of discovering her sexuality. Ed asked, "Susan, what are your plans for college?"

The young lady, surprised that a Druid would take interest in her plans, answered, "I'm thinking about going to SUNY."

Taking up the topic, Ling asked, "What major?"

"Oh, I haven't decided."

Nodding, Ed said, "At the Druid College, we don't allow the students to declare a major until after their third year. The first three years are spent getting a feel for the different disciplines. I admit that for those of us who knew exactly what we wanted to study are at a disadvantage, but the broader education is still of value."

Interested in the subject, Stanley leaned forward and asked, "Are you involved in the Druid College?"

"Yes. John started it and Ed teaches there," answered Ling knowing that Ed would minimize his role there.

"My role is just about over, though. I'm returning home and will return to teach one quarter a year from now on," answered Ed.

Susan leaned forward and asked, "So should I apply there?"

Having long experience in explaining the entry requirements, it didn't take Ed long to set forth the basic requirements that she would need to meet. When he had finished, Marsha asked, "Since you are teaching there, do your children get in automatically?"

Shrugging, Ed said, "No, but I don't think our kids will have much difficulty qualifying."

Frowning at the assessment, Ling said, "They are going to have to take at least a year off between graduating high school and entering college."

"Why?"

"Because I think that entering college at eight is just too young," declared Ling with a look at Ed that conveyed that argument would be wasted.

Ed said, "William will probably graduate high school at six."

The other adults stared at Ed and Ling at their declaration of their children's ability. Ed noticed and said, "They are prodigies. Beth is a mathematician, Little John is a biologist, and William is a special case. We're not sure what to make of Betsy."

"That's rather unusual. Do they spend all of their time studying?"

The question caused Ling to burst out laughing. She said, "Are you kidding? Their fathers play with them all of the time they aren't in classes or busy. All of the wives hold their breaths when the men go to the toy store. There's no telling what they'll come back with."

"Hey, there was nothing wrong with the Slip-N-Slide. Even you enjoyed that," retorted Ed defending his last choice of toy.

"You guys wore it out in a week," replied Ling. That had been quite a week. Half of the student body had come out to take their turn sliding down the wet plastic sheet.

"Sid's bear is the one that broke it," retorted Ed. He added, "It would have been okay except Fluffy extended his claws to stop his slide. Besides, we thought it was funny when it happened."

Anita was surprised that they allowed a bear around the campus. In her surprise, she asked, "You let the kids play around a bear?"

"Fluffy is perfectly safe," replied Ed knowing the Ling wouldn't argue with that assessment. The years of having Rover, Shadow, and Tiger around the house had given her direct experience with wild animals that served the Gods and Goddesses.

"That's what John tells me," replied Ling.

The mention of John's name told the Benders exactly who Ed and Ling were. Paul gave voice to his amazement, "You're a member of the Carter Clan!"

"Yes, we are," replied Ed with a smile wondering how the Carter Clan had become so famous.

Marsha said, "I didn't realize who you were."

Leaning forward and placing a hand on her arm, Ed said, "I disagree. You met who we really are before you tied us to the myths about who we are."

It took Marsha a minute to parse the sentence and to understand it. When she realized what he meant, she said, "All you've talked about is your family."

"That's who we really are," replied Ed.



-------

Chapter 10

A number of small boats with lanterns clung to the dark surface of the lake as men fished through the night. Inside the house, John and Walt watched through windows of the darkened house seeking signs of movement around the property. In the bedroom, Ling and Ed napped fully clothed for immediate response to an alarm. In the soundproof bedroom, George watched the security monitors with his full attention.

Reaching over to his cup of coffee, George noticed a slight flicker on one of the monitors. Halting his motion, he turned to examine the monitor again. His back muscles tightened due to tension. Staring at the monitor, he caught the movement once again. He relaxed as he recognized the outline of a doe. Watching the doe, he grabbed his cup and took a sip of his coffee grimacing at the taste of one too many coffees for the day.

Time passed slowly for the men waiting for something to happen. George checked the monitor for the house next door and saw Anita slipping through the front door covered by the dark. Earlier, she had shown her FBI credentials to Fred and told him to keep his door unlocked that night. It appeared that Fred had followed her instructions.

In the other room, John had noticed the movement around the house next door and tensed until he recognized the feminine figure of Anita. His tension had not gone unnoticed by Walt, who had turned to look at him with rifle in hand. Walt relaxed when John shook his head indicating that nothing was wrong.

George periodically checked on the doe as it moved slowly along the berm between the woods and the side of the property. When the doe suddenly raised its head and then bound back into the woods, George gave his full attention to the screen. Within a minute, he saw several human figures moving through the woods towards the cabin. Opening the door, he snapped his fingers. The sharp noise was like a thunderbolt from the sky and immediately captured everyone's attention. Ed and Ling moved out of the bedroom, Ling carrying her rifle. George returned to the computer and his fingers flew over the keyboard informing the FBI that events were starting.

Once he sent off the message, he went into the front room and tapped John on the shoulder. John nodded and returned to the computer as George picked up his rifle from the corner of the room. Those with guns knelt by the open windows ready to defend themselves on a moment's notice. Unarmed, Ed stood in the center of the room ready for whatever action might be required on his part.

Outside, a man moved behind the house to cover the windows and backdoor. Another man moved to stand next to the house next door to cover that side of the house. Three men were on the side of the house next to the woods covering the windows from behind trees. Two men moved towards the front of the house.

The silence of the night was broken by a shout from the woods, "Ed Biggers. Come out of the house!"

Ed shouted out, "Now why would I want to do that?"

"We'll burn you out if you don't come out!"

Ling and George took aim at the two men outside the front of the house. They watched as they lit Molotov Cocktails. Frowning at the lack of imagination these guys possessed, Ed said, "On the count of three."

"One... Two... Three..." On the third word, Ling and George fired at the flaming bottles. Both bottles exploded as the bullets ripped through the glass. Within seconds, both men were screaming in pain as they were engulfed in flames. They ran towards the lake, feeding the flames with fresh oxygen. After two loud splashes, the flames spread across the surface of the lake to go out fifteen seconds later.

The room filled with the acrid smell of modern gunpowder, tickling the nose and irritating the eyes. Ed shouted, "Why would I leave the house?"

The response to his shout was a burst of gunfire aimed at the house. Inside, everyone dove to the floor. John called out from the bedroom, "What was the rest of the plan?"

"We keep them busy until they are captured by the FBI," replied Ed from the floor. He breathed in the air enjoying its smell before his nose became immune to it.

"So is it working?"

"Judging by how much they are shooting at us, I would say they are quite busy," replied Ed trying to make himself smaller as the outsiders changed over to automatic fire.

"When this is over, I'm going to kill you both," shouted Ling.

The shooting from the backside of the house stopped, suggesting that the FBI had taken the man that was positioned there. During a temporary slackening of the shooting, Walt rose up and took careful aim at one of the men in the woods. He squeezed the trigger and watched as the man staggered back away from the tree. He ducked back down under a furious barrage from the woods.

Heart racing in the heat of a battle, he called out to the others in the room, "It looks like there are only two of them left."

Ling looked out her window and saw that one of the men that had run into the lake was coming to the shore. Through the night vision sight on the rifle, it was clear to her that the man was furious. Without a second of hesitation, she shot the man in the stomach and watched as he collapsed with most of his body still in the water. She searched the shoreline for the second man and found him moving away while keeping low in the water. A single shot later and the man was floating in the water with a portion of his skull missing. George had made the shot. It was clear that he shot to kill rather than wound.

At the shocked look from Ling, he said, "He didn't surrender and that made him a combatant. I've lost too many men to injured enemy combatants that didn't stop fighting."

Hearing the truth in his words, Ed looked over at his head of security and realized that a soldier did not survive to retire without being able to take such actions. "It is easy to be shocked by such actions."

Adjusting the night vision goggle for her eyes, Ling tried to see if she could spot anyone else attacking the house. A man had slipped away from the others and was moving away from the area. A group of men were advancing on the man that was firing and the wounded man on the ground. The gunfire stopped with a suddenness that was shocking. She said, "It would appear that they have been caught, but one has fled."

"Wait until the signal," said John as he crawled, his belly tight to the floor, into the front room. Even as he finished speaking, a foghorn sounded from the woods, which was the all clear signal. As Ed stood, Ling ran out the front door to the woods while carrying her rifle. He heard a shout from the FBI agents as she sped past them. John and Ed walked out the door to see what was happening. After a quick survey of the area, they walked over where the FBI agents were gathered with their two prisoners.

Walt went to the shore to check out the man lying in the water. The man was still alive, but wounded in the stomach and covered with burns. Staring down at the man, he felt that it would be best to put him out of his misery. He faced a long battle with septicemia and third-degree burns. Pulling him out of the water, Walt used one of the plastic handcuffs to secure the prisoner. He left him on the ground after checking the wound. It was painful, but not immediately life threatening.

George had waded out into the water to retrieve the man that he had shot. Although the burns were not extensive, there was a major portion of the skull missing. He dragged the body to shore and dumped it on the ground. The odor of burnt flesh assaulted his nose. Squatting, he stared off into the distance as his hands trembled uncontrollably. Walt came over and put a hand on his shoulder. With a gentleness that was quite touching, he said, "You had to do it."

"No I didn't," swore the older man as he glanced down at the body.

"Your training dictated your actions. I would have done the same."

In response, George only grunted. From past experience, he knew he would be depressed for the next few days as his mind sought to come to grips with his actions. In this respect, he envied Ling that wouldn't cross lines that made her doubt herself.

Walt knelt next to George and said, "Think about the kids next door. He'd have gone over there and used them to make his getaway."

Fred and three other FBI agents were gathered just within the woods where two prisoners were on the ground with their hands handcuffed behind their backs. One was wounded with a gunshot in the side. The other was uninjured, but very angry.

As sirens sounded in the background, indicators that emergency vehicles were on the way, Ed asked, "There were only two?"

Fred nodded and said, "Yes, there were only two."

"There were three over here." Kneeling down, Ed lifted the head of the unwounded man and asked, "Where is Devin?"

"Why should I tell you anything, nigger lover?" The man tried to spit on Ed, but it fell far short. When Ed released his head, the man's head fell into his own spittle. Ed wasn't about to clean it off the man's face.

Shaking his head, Ed said, "You just have to love these guys."

John asked, "So tell us, where is Devin?"

The questioning was interrupted by the sound of a gun shot far into the woods. Everyone turned to look in the direction from which the shot had sounded. The agents pulled their guns concerned that someone was sneaking up behind them.

Trying to put them at ease, John said, "Sounds like Ling just found Devin."

Wondering who had fired the shot, Ed said, "Those months in the woods with Leroy appear to have made a master tracker out of her."

Walt came over and said, "Boats are coming over here. It seems that we had quite a few people that witnessed the battle here."

Fred turned to the three agents in the woods with him and said, "Let's get these guys out of the woods."

Pairs of agents picked up the prisoners and carried them out of the woods. A little more gently than would have satisfied Ling, the agents set them down on the lawn behind the house. Another agent brought over the man from the woods while Anita showed up with the man that had been hiding by the Bender house. Walt returned to the shore and pulled the wounded man over to the others. George came over with the final body and laid it on the ground in front of the prisoners. The pair of men that were not wounded sat up with legs crossed tailor fashion. It was a very quiet group that stared at their fallen comrade.

Squatting to view all of the men, Ed recognized three of them from the time in Georgia. The wounded man looked a lot like Devin, but it wasn't him. He asked, "Are you Devin's brother?"

"I'm his cousin. You fuck with one of us and you fuck with all of us," snarled the man as he stared at the dead man that George had brought over. Glaring up at Ed, he vowed, "I'm going to kill you one of these days. You killed my kin and for that you are going to pay."

John turned to Fred and asked, "Do you think you can send two men into the woods to find Ling? I'm sure that she's trying to carry a dead man back here."

Even as he made the request, two of the agents walked to the woods searching for Ling. They turned on flashlights to light their way. They were gone for five minutes when her shout carried through the still air, "Turn those damn lights off."

"Sounds like they found her," remarked John. "Do you think she caught Devin?"

"I don't know. I'm sure that he would have wanted to be here to see me die, but he's a coward."

The cousin shouted, "You're the fucking coward, nigger lover."

Irritated, Ed went into the house and grabbed a bar of soap. Coming outside, he knelt down in front of the cousin and said, "One more word out of you and I'll shove this bar of soap in your mouth."

The cousin started to say something, but when he saw the soap moving towards his mouth, he bit off the words. Glaring at Ed, he sulked at his inability to hurt the man in front of him.

Ed turned and watched as Ling, followed by the two FBI agents, emerged from the woods. The agents were carrying a body with them. They brought it over and set it on the ground next to the other. It was Devin Renzy and the man was definitely dead. There was a single bullet hole in the center of his back just below the neck.

The cousin shouted, "I'm gonna kill that..."

A bar of soap getting inserted roughly into the man's mouth cut off the shout. Ed bent down and said, "I told you that I'd shove the soap into your mouth if you said one more word."

The man tried to spit out the soap, but Ed held it in place. The man struggled desperate to get the soap out of his mouth. John put his hand on Ed's and said, "Enough."

Straightening, Ed said, "His mother should have done that to him when he was a kid."

"I agree," replied Ling as she glared down at the man who had screamed at her. If Ed hadn't moved as fast as he had, she would have broken the man's jaw.

The police cars and ambulances arrived with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Within minutes, the police were asking questions until they realized they were dealing with the FBI and that their role was to carry the prisoners to jail or to the hospital as was appropriate. It took twenty minutes for the mess to get cleared up and the prisoners removed. Ling, John, and Ed sat on the porch watching as the FBI took care of the mess. George and Walt ran interference for them, keeping the police away from the porch and handling all questions about their role in the operation.

A line of boats was offshore watching the action, fishing forgotten for the time being as they watched the police and FBI agents walking around the area collecting evidence. From the house next door, the Benders were on the porch watching the action. Although the kids looked like they were up long past their normal bedtime, it was clear that they wouldn't be sleeping for a long time.

Noticing the neighbors, Ed said, "I think we ought to go over there and let them know what happened."

"I agree," said John.

The three of them stood and walked the short distance to the porch of the house next door. On arriving, Ed said, "I'm sorry about all of this. We did everything we could to get the owner to break the lease, but they were very stubborn. Once we realized that we couldn't get the house, we made sure that FBI knew their primary job was to protect you."

Swallowing heavily, Stanley said, "We threatened to sue if they broke the lease. I guess in light of this, it wasn't such a good idea."

John said, "We're really sorry. By the time we had everything set up, it was too late to back out."

Marsha asked, "They called you by name. Why did they want to kill you?"

"Ed put them in jail for land fraud, coercion, arms violations, murder, arson, and a half a dozen other charges. They broke out and killed one of us, so we had to respond." John looked over at his husband who had turned to watch the boats on the lake. Every minute, the boats crept closer to shore as though trying to get a better view of what was going on.

Recognizing that the Benders had no idea with whom they were talking, Ling said, "I'm sorry, we've been very rude. This is John, our husband. John, I'd like you to meet Fred, Marsha, Susan, and Paul Bender."

Getting introduced to the Grand Druid was extremely exciting. It took some time for them to get through all of the normal questions that people typically asked John. In a way, it was a nice break from the serious business going on next door. The conversation veered back to the events of the evening, when Paul asked, "So when you were over here, you knew that there were a bunch of men that wanted to kill you?"

"Yes, I did," replied Ed.

"Wow, that's brave. You weren't nervous or anything."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "Well, we had two armed FBI agents here. John, Walt, and George were in our house watching everything that was going on in the area. There were two additional agents in the house next door with rifles. It wasn't brave."

Thinking about it, Susan said, "We could have been killed!"

Looking over at the young lady, Ed said, "You were very safe the entire time that you've been here."

Marsha, only now reacting to the implications of the events, asked, "How can you say that?"

Her voice showed tension and a trace of anger. Ling answered, "You might not believe it, but John and Ed would have thrown themselves between you and the bad guys. They ordered the FBI to make sure that you were safe before they went after the bad guys."

The Benders jumped when Anita, standing behind them, said, "After I came in your house, Fred took out the guy that was positioned right over here. He did that before anyone started shooting. Shortly after that, two other agents took care of the guy that was across the street. Once the shooting started, every agent we had was between your house and the bad guys."

"So what if they had thrown a fire bomb at us?"

Ed pointed to the round stepping stones around the house. "If you lift each of those stones up, you'll notice that there's a fire extinguisher under it. There's a total of forty of them around the house. You were ushered into the bathroom because we had installed a fireproof shower curtain for you to use in escaping. Anita was there with you, just in case anything went wrong. A lot of planning went into this."

The news that such preparations had been made on their behalf shocked the Benders. That Ed had known what had happened inside the house once Anita had entered only proved that he knew exactly what he was saying. Ling said, "We couldn't tell you what was happening earlier because we didn't want you to blow the operation. The guys captured tonight were really bad people."

Satisfied that all of the questions had been answered, Anita said, "We are heading out now. Two agents will stay here for the rest of your visit, just in case something else comes up. I suggest that if you stay here, that you keep your security force here as well."

As the spirit drained out of Ed, John said, "We are returning to the college tomorrow. There are two weeks left to the quarter."

Standing, Ling said, "It is getting late and we are keeping these good people up. I suggest everyone head indoors and get some sleep."

The three members of the Carter Clan headed over to their cabin and joined George and Walt. George asked, "Do you mind if we use the second bedroom tonight?"

Ling looked at her two husbands and sighed. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Go ahead."

In the pale light of early morning, Ed went outside and walked around the house checking it for damage. The side of the house towards the woods was riddled with bullet holes. Entire boards had fallen, splintered by the abuse they had suffered the previous night. The side of the house that faced the road was not injured to the same degree, but would have to be replaced.

Ignoring the patrol car and the two cops sitting in it, Ed ran his hand over the wall. Squatting down beside the house, Ed picked up a board and looked at the slug caught in it. The man who had fired it would have been overjoyed if it had struck Ed instead of the lifeless board. Disgusted at the dark thoughts he was entertaining this morning, he tossed it back to the ground.

He wandered over to the two large burn spots in the lawn. The men that had wanted to burn him had ended up getting burnt instead. Without the blessing of the Goddess, Ed was convinced the man who had survived would feel the pain without relief. It was a punishment that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

Moving to stand behind his husband, John said, "I know this wonderful woman from Trinidad who works in the burn unit in Austin. Her name is Mary and, when I met her, her primary job was to empty trashcans. Now she helps hypnotize patients so that they will not be aware of the pain when they remove the bandages. She once told me that there were no mean people in a burn unit. The fire burns the meanness out of people."

Nodding, Ed replied, "I hope that is true."

"Walt and George are going to stay here and fix things up. I think they both have to come to grips with their role in last night's activities. George is pretty torn up about it."

Fumbling in the pocket of his robe, Ed pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the number to the house in Arizona, not realizing how early in the morning it would be there. A very sleepy Cathy answered the phone. Ed said, "Cathy, I'm sorry to wake you."

"Oh, it's you."

"Yes. I would appreciate it if you would make arrangements for two people to fly up here to Lake George."

Complaining, Cathy asked, "Can't you call me back in a couple of hours. It's three in the morning?"

"Oh, I just thought you might enjoy coming up here and staying with George and Walt for the rest of the week."

Hearing the news, Cathy woke up and asked, "Are you saying that Linda and I are to come up there?"

Laughing at the sudden interest, Ed said, "Yes. I expect you to arrive this afternoon."

"We'll be there."

Closing the cell phone, Ed looked up at the amused face of his husband and said, "Hey, nothing is better than the arms of a loving woman when the soul is troubled."

"Do you want to tell them?"

"Nah, I'd rather have it be a surprise."

Looking up that house, John said, "That's probably impossible. I'm sure that one of them heard every word you said."

"I'll invite the police in for breakfast. I'm sure that they can use the break after sitting in their car all night," remarked Ed as he looked across the lake. It reminded him that they should have taken better care of the officers that had watched over them. He stood and said, "I don't like gunfights."

"Neither do I," replied John.

Ed walked over to the police car and bent down to the window as the officer inside sat up straighter. Resting his hands on his knees, Ed said, "How do you gentlemen like your eggs?"

"Pardon?"

"We're about to cook breakfast and I wanted to know how you liked your eggs," Ed said with a smile. Thinking about the activities in the house, he added, "I figure you're pretty tired of sitting in the car, so why don't you guys come into the house. Most of us are awake and the rest will be up soon."

The officers looked at each other for half a minute trading a variety of shrugs in the manner of people who have served together for a long time. Finally, the driver said, "Sure. I like mine over easy."

"Same here," added the other officer as he opened his door. Stepping out of the car, he said, "We appreciate this a lot."

Ed led the officers to the house. Once inside, he introduced himself, "I'm Ed Biggers."

"I'm Tony Tarentino and my partner is Joey Crown," said the shorter of the two policemen. Tony just made the height requirement for his service while his partner was just under the maximum height. Together, they reminded Ed of the Mutt and Jeff cartoon characters. The two were used to that comparison, being called that by half of the men in the department.

Ed called over to John, "They both like their eggs over easy. I'll take mine sunny side up."

John, busy frying bacon and sausage at the stove, remarked, "No problem. Are two eggs each, okay?"

"Sure," replied Ed as Ling came out of the bedroom. Although she was dressed, her hands flew down the sides of her body double- checking at the surprise of finding strangers in the cabin. She relaxed after Ed performed the introductions.

Gesturing to the large table for the officers to have a seat, Ed set seven of the eight cups that had come with the cabin on the table. He reached over to the counter that separated the kitchen from the eating area and grabbed the coffeepot. After filling all of the cups, he emptied the pot and spent the next few minutes brewing another pot in the drip coffee maker. While he was doing that, Ling started making toast.

Once the coffee was brewing, Ed went to the door of the second bedroom and opened it slightly. He called in, "Get up you too."

Walt called back, "We're up. Just trying to solve that problem at the moment."

Laughing as he closed the door, Ed said, "They're awake. They'll be out in fifteen minutes or so."

Tony asked, "Is there a problem?"

"Depends on your perspective," replied Ling with a smile.

Trying to start a conversation, Joey said, "That was quite a mess last night. I've never seen so many spent shells in one place."

All three of the Carter Clan replied as one, "Not over breakfast."

The chorus of voices set back both officers. They looked at each other wondering if they had done something wrong. Ed explained, "We never talk business over a meal."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know."

Sitting down at the table and taking a sip of coffee, Ed said, "Don't worry about it. We find that meals are a good time to talk about things other than business."

Ling came over to the table carrying a plate of toast and a second plate with bacon and sausage. After setting them on the table, she took a seat and started sipping on a cup of coffee. John called out, "I've got three plates of eggs over easy."

Ed got up and picked up two of them while Ling picked up the third. Setting the plates in front of the policemen, Ed said, "Help yourself."

George and Walt came out of the bedroom. Seeing everyone at the table, Walt said, "We'll take our eggs however you're cooking them."

"Is sunny side up okay?"

"Sure."

It was a few minutes later that John called out, "I've got three plates of eggs sunny side up. One cooked more than the rest for Ed."

Chuckling, Ed went over and picked up the plate of eggs that John gestured at. The four men returned to the table carrying their plates. As everyone ate, a silence settled on the room broken only the sound of the coffee brewer making burbling noises and by requests for toast, salt, or pepper. It didn't take long for the hungry people to polish off their breakfast.

Sitting back and patting his stomach, Ed said, "That was great."

Brushing the medallion on his robe, John said, "We'll leave the dishes for George and Walt to clean. I want to get to the airport and get back to the college."

Noticing the gesture, Ed nodded and said, "We'll have to stop and pick up Howard. I'm sure that he'll be glad to quit working as a bagger at the grocery store."

Tony said, "We'll follow you to the airport."

Ling drove down the country road with her normal care. Behind them, the police car followed at a respectable distance. A beat up truck pulled onto the road in front of them. Two men in the back of the truck opened fire with automatic weapons. As bullets flew off the windshield of the hugger, Ling pushed the accelerator to the floor with the result that she spun the tires as they broke loose from the road. Gravel sprayed behind the hugger until it achieved traction and hurtled forwards into the rear of the truck. Still keeping the accelerator pressed to the floor, Ling pushed the truck into a tree by the side of the road.

After the hugger came to an abrupt stop, Ling unbuckled her seat belt and flew out of the door with her pistol drawn. Jumping onto the crumpled hood of the Hugger, she fired two shots into the man left in the back of the truck and then two at the man driving the truck. Leaping into the back of the truck she found the third man where he had been thrown during the crash. She fired two shots at him.

By this time, the police car had caught up to them and came to a screeching halt. Tony and Joey rushed out of their car to take control of the situation. Ling holstered her gun as she returned to the car. When Tony reached her, she said, "There's no need to hurry. They are quite dead."

Going over to the truck, Joey spent a couple of minutes examining the bodies. Frowning, he said, "You didn't need to shoot them. They were dead already."

Seated in the back of the car, Ed leaned forward and said, "John, she's getting dangerous."



-------

Chapter 11

As Ed looked over the paper, his hand trembled with excitement. Once this paper was graded his teaching duties would be over for the next three months and he would be returning to Arizona. He read the paper with the same level of care as the rest, marking sections that were inaccurate or poorly expressed. This particular paper would have made a good summary article on the state of the art in Geological Survey techniques.

After finishing his second read of the paper, it was time to assign a grade. This was the part of the job that he disliked the most. With these talented students, the difference between an A and a B paper was almost miniscule. He gave it an A- adding a comment that it should have included a reference to a particular article that discussed geological surveys based on satellite data. All of the papers he had graded could have been published. Looking at the stack of papers, Ed decided that he would have them published.

After adding the grades to the computer, it computed the averages, uploaded them to the primary server, and generated with web page by which the students could get their grades. He closed the laptop computer and set the papers on it. It was only at that moment he noticed the tension in his back.

Getting up from the table, Ed stretched and yawned with a roar that startled the students around him. Looking around embarrassed at the reactions of the students in the room, he noticed that the majority of students were his students and that they had been watching him grade the papers. He picked up his material and grinned. "Don't worry, everyone failed."

One of the students groaned in dismay, only to realize by the laughter of the other students that Ed was joking. Blushing brightly, he asked, "So when do we find out our grades?"

"They are online now."

There was a mad scramble as students opened laptops to check their grades. Ed watched amused. The majority of students would be satisfied with their grades. Rather than watch their reactions, he headed off to his room to drop off his material before going to get something to eat. Although he didn't notice it, the Druids he passed on his way observed that there was a much more relaxed manner to his walk than they had seen in a long time.

Humming to himself, he entered the living quarters of the Carter Clan. Kelly was waiting for him to arrive, fidgeting nervously on the couch. She greeted him, "Hello, Ed. You look happy today."

"I am happy. I leave tomorrow," replied Ed as he thought about the pending flight to Arizona. He was looking forward to two days visiting people in town, a day taking care of his business, and then two weeks alone in the desert. Even his medallion warmed at the thought.

"Don't you want to stay here with us?" asked Kelly upset at the degree of change that had come over Ed just knowing that he was going to leave.

"I can't stay here. Come home with me," pleaded Ed.

The sad fact was the Kelly was very aware of what Ed meant when he said that he couldn't stay there anymore. The past year had been torture for him. Asking him to stay was the same as expecting a goldfish to live on land. She answered, "I'll talk to John and the kids. Maybe we can come out there for a quarter. It'll give the kids a chance to take some time out of school."

A large smile broke out over Ed's face as he thought about the possibility of the whole family getting together in Arizona. He wanted to shout, but controlled himself. "That would be great. I would love for the whole family to go back home for three months."

Her smile faltered, as that wasn't what she had meant. A long sad sigh escaped from her lips. Looking down, she said, "I'll talk to John. Put your stuff away and get something to eat."

As he headed towards the first year dining room, Little Beth joined him. Without saying a word, she wrapped her hand around his finger enjoying the comfort of holding hands with him. Looking down at her, Ed wanted to pick her up and hug her tight. A few minutes later, Little John came running up to him and threw his arms around Ed's leg. Ed rubbed his hair, letting his son know that he loved him.

It was a full minute before Little John released his hold on Ed's leg and looked up at his father with a tear streaked face. Lips quivering, he said, "We're going to miss you. Do you really have to leave us?"

Throat swollen from emotion, Ed could hardly trust his voice to speak. He knelt down and pulled both kids into a tight hug. Eyes watering, he answered, "I love you guys so much."

Standing a distance away, William watched the three without emotional reaction. When Ed noticed him, William said, "I think I shall enjoy living in Arizona for the next few months. Perhaps you can teach me about the desert once Great-grandfather teaches me about my other heritage."

The announcement shot through the two kids like electricity. They turned to stare at their brother. It was Little John that broke the silence. "Are you saying that we are going with him?"

Not answering the question, William said, "We are at a nexus of change. There are things that should be done before opportunities are lost."

Ed stared as William turned and walked away without farewell. The children stood in place, shocked and puzzled, as they considered what their brother had said. Finally, Beth asked, "Are we going with you?"

"I'm not sure," replied Ed. Changing the subject, he said, "Let's get something to eat. This is the last chance you get to watch the first years naked. Tomorrow they become second years."

"Oh Daddy. You are such a prevert."

"That's pervert, John," corrected his big sister. "And he's not a pervert. Today is the best day to watch the first years. They have the most confidence about their nudity and they have learned to behave properly."

As they walked to the dining room, Ed considered what Beth had said. She was quite correct in her assessment of the students. Each of them walked and sat with perfect posture, unashamed of how they looked. Even the fattest of them, the women with flat chests, and the men with small cocks had made peace with their bodies. They moved with a grace and self-confidence that would contrast sharply with the fresh crop of students entering the school in a few days.

Ed did appreciate watching the students on this day. It marked the transition from typical citizens to healthy citizens that understood and could live by the Druid rules. He nodded to students as he walked while holding hands with Little John and Beth. If the kids didn't come with him, this was going to be the thing that drove him back to the College.

Arriving at the first year dining room, they selected the largest table in the room despite the fact that there were only three of them. Others would come to visit for a few minutes and then leave. Once they were seated, a first year student came to the table and said, "I heard that you were leaving. Will you be back to teach first year Geology?"

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "No. I will only be teaching a handful of fifth and sixth years from now on."

"I am sorry to hear that," replied the student. He was of Indian descent from a family of the Brahmin cast. His application to the school had surprised Ed, particularly since it represented a major departure from his cultural heritage. This class had a number of surprising students including a Maori and two Japanese- Americans. The youngest student was seventeen while the oldest student was twenty-six.

Smiling, Ed said, "All of the instructors here are very good. You won't miss me at all."

"I intend to major in Geology and wanted the best to teach me."

The words rang of flattery, well intentioned, but flattery none the less. Little John looked up at the student and said, "Flattery doesn't work on him."

"That's true. I find that holding his hand works a whole lot better," said Beth with a giggle.

Turning to face the kids, Ed said, "Do I need to send you to the corner?"

Both kids looked up at the student and apologized. When the student asked, "Why are you apologizing?"

Ed answered, "They are apologizing for making rude comments. They didn't know that the entire reason you came here was to study Geology under me."

The comment took the student by surprise as he had never told anyone that, but he couldn't deny the truth of the statement. He had come here with no real intention of presenting himself to the Gods and Goddesses. His sole interest had been to study geology under the famous Dr. Biggers. It was a choice that had been supported by his entire family. As the student stuttered his surprise, Ed said, "It will be interesting to see what happens when it is your time to present yourself to the Gods and Goddesses. An unwilling heart does not usually lead to willing service, but there have been exceptions to that."

Swallowing heavily, the student asked, "How did you know?"

"I serve the truth. Do you think a lie on your application would go unnoticed?" answered Ed as he examined the student.

"Yet you accepted my application knowing that?" asked the student.

"Yes, I did. Let's just say that I was curious about what would happen after six years of being around Druids," answered Ed with a twinkle in his eye. Waving a hand, he added, "You can go now."

The student walked away numbly wondering how much these Druids understood what went on within the minds of their students. Ed had just given an extremely powerful demonstration and one that he would remember for the rest of his career at the College.

The waitress arrived, took their order, and departed. When she was gone, Beth asked, "Are you looking forward to Marguerite's cooking?"

"Well, I'll be worried about her poisoning me," answered Ed with a wink.

Putting her hands on her hips, Beth retorted, "I'll take that as a yes."

William and John arrived at the dining room. As John sat down, he said, "I enjoy the last day of the school year. Each group of students is looking forward to advancement to the next year. In two years we will have our first group of graduates."

Beth, tired of waiting for the news, asked, "So are we going to Arizona?"

Looking over at his daughter, John smiled and said, "Yes, you are. Kelly and all three of you kids will be going there with Ed tomorrow. Linda and Leroy will be arriving in three weeks."

Ed waited for the rest of the news, wanting to hear when John and Ling would be coming there. When John said nothing about him coming, he sagged as dreams of the whole family in Arizona faded. Looking up at his husband, John said, "I'm sorry Ed. It has to be this way. I have to be here for the new students. This is a very critical time for them. Ling still has problems in New York and will stay there with Betsy."

The reminder about Ling's current problems was sufficient explanation about her absence. Although the police officers had testified that she had acted in self-defense when she had forced the attacker's truck into a tree, her subsequent actions at shooting their lifeless bodies were being questioned. So far she hadn't been charged, but that was only because Jim was working on her case and blocking any legal recriminations.

The three kids looked at each other as they listened. Only William did not seem upset by his mother's predicament. Ed replied, "I understand."

Shrugging, William said, "There will be occasions when we will all be in Arizona. If not now, then later."

The two men stared at William wondering what he meant by that. Ignoring the looks given him by his fathers, William made a gesture to bring over the waitress. When she arrived, he said, "I'll have a hamburger, fries, and chocolate shake, please."

Amused at the actions of his son, John ordered his lunch and sat back to watch the first year students relaxing through a leisurely lunch for the first time in a year. Finished with their finals and knowing there would not be any classes for a week, the students talked about the past year. A good percentage of them were flying home to visit with their families for the first time in a year. It would be interesting to see what they said when they returned from the visits.

A female student, the largest woman of the first years, came over to the table. She spun in place giving the men a chance to see all of her. Glowing with happiness as she said, "Ed, I want to thank you for the past year. It has been an amazing experience."

Looking over at her, Ed was pleased with the changes that she had undergone over the past twelve months. For the entire first week at the college she had wept uncontrollably at having to be naked around all of the other students. The next three months had been accompanied by massive swings in her mood.

One night she had tried to get twenty other students to have sex with her one after the other in what he had learned was called pulling a train. The students, beginning to understand the rule about harming others, had politely begged off recognizing that she wanted to perform a self-destructive act. One of the students had come and notified him what she was doing. He had gone to her and spent the night telling her about Sherry and Jim.

It was a week later that she found a boyfriend with whom she had truly shared herself for the first time. The two had been inseparable since then and had added another couple to their circle of love. After a rough start, Ed was convinced that she had found balance and come to appreciate her body.

Looking over at her, Ed asked, "What are your plans over the break?"

"My lovers and I will go visit my family over the break. I want my family to meet them," she said with a smile convinced that her family would respond favorably.

"How do you think they will react to learning that you have three lovers?" asked Ed hoping that she had considered that her family might not be so favorable to her choice.

"I've been writing to them through the whole year. I've even sent them pictures of us. There won't be any surprises."

"I just wanted to make sure that you wouldn't be disappointed," remarked Ed surprised that she had sent a picture of her lovers to her family.

Curious about other families and how they interacted, Beth asked, "Were you naked in the picture?"

"Yes, we all were," replied the student with a slight blush. She added, "My family couldn't believe that I would allow myself to be photographed without clothes. I guess their fat daughter is coming into her own."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I disagree with how you express that. Their lovely daughter is coming into her own."

She laughed and waved goodbye as she went to join her lovers at their table. John turned to Ed and said, "Another damsel in distress that you rescued."

"She was on her way to recovery before I even talked to her. She just was going about it in a destructive fashion."

After taking a sip of his milkshake through a straw, William said, "Just accept that you help women more often than men."

"I've never denied that," replied Ed with a smile wondering where William was going with his comment.

"That's true. To hear you talk, you've never helped anyone."

John burst out laughing as Ed stuttered. After his laughter had died down a little, he said, "He got you there."

Ed shrugged and attacked his lunch ignoring everything else except his food. Tomorrow he would eat Marguerite's cooking and was looking forward to it. Seeing that Ed was now focused on eating, John turned to the kids and asked, "So are you excited about going to Arizona?"

"I don't really remember too much about Arizona," answered Little John.

"I've never been there," replied William in a thoughtful manner, "but I must admit to feeling drawn to the area."

The lack of an answer from Beth surprised John. Noticing everyone looking at her, she admitted, "I kinda wanna see John."

Reaching out to touch her arm, William said, "You are lucky to have John. In a few years, Little John will find a nice girl."

"What about you?" asked Beth.

"I'll be alone for a long time," he replied with a shrug as he stared into the distance. A shiver went through his body and he said, "I can't wait to meet Great-grandfather."

John and Ed sat on the roof watching the stars, an activity that was a nightly past time for the two men. The rattle of ice within John's iced tea glass was all that was required for Ed to reach down and pick up the pitcher of iced tea. He refilled both glasses and returned the pitcher to the roof. Cool water from the condensation on the pitcher seeped into his robe. Looking up at the stars, dull from a thin layer of clouds in the upper atmosphere, Ed said, "Tomorrow night, I'll be seeing a different sky. I wish you could come with us."

"I know," replied John. He took a sip of his iced tea and set the glass down. His clothes were damp from sweating, but he didn't feel any cooler. He pulled the front of his robe away from his body for a minute. The temperature wasn't that hot, but the humidity was close to ninety percent. He shook his head as he said, "This is the worst summer since I've been here."

Ed turned on the handheld fan to blow air across his body. It helped cool him down a little, but he still felt sticky. The fan died within a minute of him starting it as the plastic gears ate themselves. After shaking it, he dropped it on the roof as he said, "Cheap junk."

Ed stood to get undressed. It took him half a second to remove his robe and he sat down on his chair in his boxers. John laughed, but he followed suit. It didn't cool them down, but at least the clothes weren't sticking to them.

Kelly came up the stairwell and looked at the two men sitting in their briefs watching the stars and drinking their tea. The men were close and it was a shame that circumstances were keeping them apart. Ed was at home in the desert and, from what she knew about his family, he was the sixth generation of Biggers to have lived in the desert. John was more at home in the woods, but was happy hiking in all kinds of terrain.

As she approached, she overheard John say, "I'm surprised that you were able to last as long here as you did. I've watched as you've gotten more unhappy and felt bad that I couldn't do anything for you."

"I love you and wanted to support your work as much as I could. I feel bad that I couldn't do more," replied Ed as he traced a recent cut on the back of his hand. He had cut it on the corner of a drawer of a filing cabinet while filing the papers that he had graded that morning.

"I know that if I need you, you will come. My back is always safe."

Letting John know that need was too strong of a reason to call upon him, Ed said, "You should know that if you want me, I'll come."

"I stand corrected," replied John with a nod of his head and raising his glass in a salute.

Kelly said, "I'd prefer if you both stood and came with me."

The sudden noise behind the men caused them both to jump. Ed stood and turned to look at Kelly as he asked, "You mean our time up here is over?"

Running her hands over her body, she said, "I was hoping that you would use the rest of the time to be on me rather than on the roof."

"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea to me."

Both men picked up their stuff and followed Kelly down to their living quarters. The air was cool and chilled the hot sweaty men. Ed remarked, "I hope that your plans for us includes a shower. I must smell like an old boot."

His choice of words reminded Kelly that he was a cowboy at heart. Giggling, she said, "You better take a shower, I'd hate to end up smelling like a sock."

When they reached the bathroom, Kelly shed her robe as she gestured the two men to join her. Under a cool spray of water, the men played keep the soap away from Kelly while washing each other and her. There was lots of laughing in the shower, as Kelly never knew what the men would do next to wash her. She made sure to touch and fondle both cocks to erect status.

Getting out, they dried her and then themselves. While each man was rubbing themselves with their towel, Kelly got on her knees and sucked their cocks in turn making sure that they stayed erect. As the men were getting ready to direct her out of the bathroom, she grabbed their erect cocks and rose. As she pulled them out of the room she said, "Now I'm in control here!"

When they reached the bed, Kelly said, "First John, then Ed, then John, then Ed, then..."

As the pair of men pushed her down on the bed, Ed asked, "And when do we stop?"

"When John and Ed fall unconscious."

"What about when Kelly falls unconscious?" asked John with a smile knowing who would give out first.

"John and Ed don't stop!"

John started kissing Kelly although she was already to start. The action in the shower had already primed her pump and she was hot to get to the action. Growling from deep within her throat, she said, "Get to work. We only have the whole night!"

John positioned himself between her spread legs as she helped guide his cock into her waiting passage. Kelly groaned and clutched at John as he entered her. From his seat, Ed could see his husband's cock slide into the tight cunt and then pull out with her lips grasping at the cock. The sight was exciting and his hand moved down to stroke his own cock with languid motions.

As John picked up the pace with which he was thrusting into Kelly, Ed imagined sinking his cock into John's ass. He resisted the temptation knowing that Kelly wanted them to take turns with her until they were unable to stop. She had only asked them to do that to her once in the past and he wondered what was the reason behind the request.

Listening to the continuous animal noises that Kelly was making, he moved closer so that he had a clear view of the action. John's balls drew up tight to his body as he headed towards orgasm. A sudden scream from Kelly announced that she was coming. John picked up his pace and came within two minutes of Kelly. John's motions became spastic as his body tried to fill her cunt with his seed. Watching, Ed could see the come getting forced out of her cunt by John's cock.

John pulled out of Kelly and sat back on his knees before moving out of Ed's way. Ed took his place as Kelly fumbled for his cock. Once she got a hold of it, she guided him into her. She whispered into his ear, "Hard, give it to me hard."

Teasing her, Ed moved his cock into her with extreme slowness. Her hands grasped his butt as she tried to force him into her. He resisted her actions and started with long slow thrusts. As he slowly sped up his thrusts, her frustration changed to marvelous excitement. When he really started banging into her, her animal noises began again reaching higher in volume. She screamed and locked her body around him. Arms, almost strong enough to crush him, wrapped around his chest pulling him to her. Her legs had wrapped around his ass holding his cock tight within her. Ed relaxed his arms so that his whole bodyweight was pressing down upon her.

When she finally released her grip, he changed positions so that he could thrust into her and play with her breasts at the same time. After running his fingers around her nipples for a minute, he began thrusting into her with long hard thrusts that rocked her body and squeezed her nipples as hard as he could. As he predicted, her hands flew up to her breasts and squeezed his fingers to increase the pressure on her nipples. She cried out in ecstasy as he shot his come into her. Muscles pulled tight as he pressed his cock deep into her cunt attempting to deposit his load as deep as possible.

Climbing off Kelly, Ed sat back on his heels out of John's way. Kelly raised her arms to gather John to her. John slipped his cock into her waiting passage without her help. From where Ed sat, he could see come getting forced out of her cunt. As John went to work in a much slower rhythm, the come bubbled and oozed out of the cunt. Kelly had spread her legs wide making it easier for John to play with her clit, which stood erect begging to be touched.

Kelly was making her animal noises in a continuous fashion, breaking only to emit loud screams when an orgasm washed over her. His cock, which had deflated after coming, was now standing erect again as he watched his husband and wife together. It was hard to believe the feeling of love that washed over him as he watched them together.

With a roar, John screamed out his orgasm while his body shuddered. Body sweating, John pulled off her as her arms reached out to keep him atop her. Turning with to Ed with a weak smile, John whispered, "Time for you to finish her off."

Positioning his body over hers as she reached out to draw him closer, he looked at her face. She was delirious from pleasure, not fully aware of which husband was atop her. He entered her passage; loose from the stretching of two cocks and sloppy wet from the flood of juices their actions had produced. His cock slid into her red raw cunt without resistance.

His thrusts were slow and even, fearing to pound into her with the hardness that she desired. The animal noises returned, higher pitched than before, as her body reacted to his presence. Her mind was lost in a sea of pleasure as she entered a plateau in which her orgasms never stopped.

Sweat dripping from his body, his arm muscles strained from the effort to keep his bodyweight from crushing her. Holding his body up in that fashion gave him a good view of her breasts. With each thrust forward, her breasts rocked in smooth liquid motions. Ed watched her, fascinated by the rhythmic motion. Eyes traveling upwards to her face, he saw that she held her eyes closed and mouth open as she breathed heavily.

Ed felt a hand moving behind him as John went to tickle her asshole with a finger. The action was enough to take her beyond the plateau on which she had been riding. Her entire body arched, lifting Ed, as she emitted a loud high-pitched scream as a massive orgasm shot through her body like a bolt of lightening. For two minutes, she held her body arched in a gravity defying position.

Ed poured his come into her in an orgasm that was physically weak, but overpowering in emotions. When her body finally slumped down to the bed, he pulled his cock from her cunt as come continued to dribble out the end of his cock. The combined juices poured from her cunt, to be mopped up by John as he washed her with a warm cloth.

Still shaky, Ed watched the care with which John treated Kelly. This was love expressed with a gentle touch as he cleaned the juices from his wife's red and raw cunt. At that moment, Ed loved them both more than words could ever capture. It was a pure feeling that came straight from the heart. Unable to contain the emotions, he said, "I love you both so much."

"I love both of you so much," replied John. With a sad note in his voice, John added, "I'm going to miss our times like this."

Standing on shaky legs, Ed went into the bathroom and washed his cock. Coming back with a jar of cream, he positioned himself between Kelly's legs and spread the cream across her cunt. It would relieve the redness and prevent her from being sore in the morning. While he did that, John massaged her legs and stomach muscles.

When the men were done, they moved her off the wet spot on the bed. Ed hugged John and then left John's room. Although the bed was large, it was not large enough to comfortably sleep three. In the hall, he looked down at his hand and saw that the cut was fully healed. It always amazed him when she healed him.

Ed was the first to wake in the morning, his excitement about leaving waking him faster and more completely than three cups of strong coffee. Even as others slept, Ed carried their luggage to the car to take to the airport. Amazed at how much luggage was required for the children, Ed filled the back of the van.

Other students were up and at the curb waiting for the bus to take them to the airport. For the next week, the bus would be running between the college and the airport every other hour. Each student wore blue robes, carried a simple bag with additional robes, and had four hundred dollars traveling money from the school. The robes had a stripe on the sleeve for each year of attendance at the college.

He took a moment to watch the students as the bus arrived. There was no pushing or shoving to get in line first. One of the lessons learned at the college was that it did no good to push or shove as things happened when they happened. There was no reason to increase the tension by acting aggressive. It was with a smile that Ed watched the bus fill in record time. The driver hired to make the run stood beside the bus scratching his head as he watched the students put their luggage in the storage area and then enter the bus.

A student came running out of the building afraid that she had missed the bus. Several students laughed and shouted, "Take your time, Stacy. We wouldn't let the bus leave without you."

The student walked over to the bus, deposited her bag and then entered the bus. The driver shook his head as one of the other students said, "She's the last one. You can leave now."

Ed was proud of the eighteen students and how they behaved. It was one little sign that these students had grown over their stay at the college. They looked out for others. He waved to the students and returned to the college. It was time to wake up the family and head to Arizona.



-------

Chapter 12

At a convenience store on reservation property, Ed held the door open for William. The little guy, just shy of four years old, wasn't strong enough to open it himself. The handle was barely within reach. William, holding a five-dollar bill in his hand, marched up to the counter. The man behind the counter watched him approach with amusement at the serious expression on his face.

Reaching the counter, William said, "I need a pack of tobacco."

The man, a Native American who was thirty years old, looked down at William and said, "You're a little young to be smoking."

Lifting his head to where he could look at the man behind the counter, Williams replied, "I am William Redman Carter. It would be rude to meet my great-grandfather without bringing a pack of tobacco."

The clerk stepped back and looked at the child standing in front of him. Glancing at Ed, he reached over and picked up a pack of cigarettes. Handing it over to William, he said, "This is his favorite brand."

William handed the money over to the clerk and while waiting for his change, said, "Thank you."

When the clerk handed him the change, William went through it and separated the pennies. Setting them on the counter, he said, "For the penny tray."

The clerk, used to kids that worried about every penny, was taken by surprise but didn't show it. Instead, he replied, "William Redman will be proud of you."

Outside, Linda waited in the car worried about how the family would accept her son. Her nervousness increased when she noticed all of the tribal elders gathering in front of the building across the street. All of them were facing the convenience store as though waiting for something. Beth said, "Why is everyone staring at the store?"

"I don't know dear," replied Linda wondering if that was entirely true.

When William exited the store, he paused and looked across the street at the group gathered there. With great deliberation, he raised his right hand in a gesture of greeting to the tribal elders. He held his hand up for a full minute, waiting to lower it until after those across the street returned the gesture.

As the village elders began to disperse, he looked up at his father and said, "Let's go meet Great-grandfather."

The pair returned to the car much to the relief of Linda. She had observed the interaction between William and the village elders. She had been holding her breath from the moment when he had held up his hand and only released it once the elders had acknowledged him. Getting into the car, William said, "I hope they judge me well."

Smiling, Ed said, "Don't worry. They acknowledged you."

Looking out the window as Ed drove the car through the reservation, William was silent. When they reached their destination, he said, "That's not the same thing."

Sitting on a bench in front of his house, William Redman waiting for the car happy at the chance to meet his great-grandchildren. Time had not been gentle with the man. His cataracts did not allow him to see the car or the kids within. Next to him, Robert White Feather said, "It will be nice to see my sister again."

"I saw the movie they made of her book. They made the coyote look like a puppy and not the trickster that he is," replied the elderly man.

"It's not her fault," replied Robert knowing full well that his grandfather had not been able to see the pictures. He was just reporting what others had said about the film.

Nodding, the old man replied, "The book was good. I've always liked the coyote."

The children, in line from youngest to oldest, walked to the bench followed by Ed and Linda. William stopped in front of his great- grandfather and held out the pack of cigarettes. Robert accepted the cigarettes and placed them in his grandfather's hand as he said, "William brought tobacco."

The four-year-old said, "Great-grandfather, I am William Redman Carter. The tobacco is from all of us."

"Come closer child," replied the old man as he stretched out his arms. That the youngest would bring tobacco and share credit with his brother and sister was a good sign that they had been raised well. When William stepped closer, his great-grandfather swept him into a loving embrace. Smiling, the gentleman said, "Come closer Beth and John. I want to hug all of you."

The children swarmed over their oldest living relative as a tear of happiness escaped down his cheek. Even though he was blind, he could feel the strength and goodness of their spirits. The children were fine additions to the family. One burned brighter than all the rest and that was William. He said, "I'm so pleased to meet all of you."

Robert stood and hugged Linda to welcome her home. Ed stood back and let the family unite. When Robert finally let go of Linda, Ed stepped forward and shook hands with his brother-in-law saying, "They've been so excited about coming here. William was unwilling to delay even a day."

Robert smiled and said, "It's good to see the kids. Grandfather didn't want to wait another day for this moment."

There was truth in his statement, a fact that made Ed feel good. He respected William Redman and valued his opinion. The kids had backed away from their great-grandfather to give him some room to breathe. Calling out to Ed and Linda, he said, "You have done well with these children. They are very polite and understand our ways. I am sure that you are tired after your travels. Robert will take you to his house so that you can rest."

Glancing over at his mother and father, William asked, "If it is alright with great-grandfather, may I stay here with him?"

The old man burst out laughing and said, "I insist upon it."

Little John ran to the car and retrieved the small gym bag that contained William's clothes even as the adults discussed the matter. Returning to the family, he slipped the bag into William's hand whispering, "Have a nice visit."

The old man closed the discussion when he said, "You will see him tonight at the community center. I have arranged for your children to meet the tribe. It has been decided."

The adults knew that you didn't argue with a tribal elder once they made up their mind about some matter. Kneeling down next to his son, Ed said, "Enjoy your visit."

"Aren't you going to tell me to behave myself?"

"Do I need to tell you that?"

"No."

"There you go," replied Ed with a smile on his face. He caught the look of amusement on the older man's face. Turning to him, he said, "We shall see you later at the community center."

At William's frown, Ed shook his head afraid to ask the question. A few minutes later, the family was riding to Robert's house on the reservation. Ed asked, "So how do you like being a tribal policeman?"

"Things have quieted down here over the past few years. We have many young men that have taken the challenge given to them by the elders. Alcoholism is down, people are watching their weight, and our economic status is up. Our lawyers are among the best in the country now. Almost no one is willing to take advantage of us," replied Robert with a significant amount of pride in the recent accomplishments of the tribe.

"John will be happy to hear that," replied Ed as he navigated around some rough spots in the road. The road was in pretty good condition, but a recent rain had washed out this particular region. Parked by the side of the road was the equipment to fix it.

"So big brother, how goes the tribe?" asked Linda from the back seat as she noticed some of the major improvements in the area.

"Awa Tsireh has become a chief. He's working to protect some sacred burial grounds and has been quite successful. All of the contracts have been renegotiated for the betterment of the tribe. We are now fixing the roads ourselves out of tribal money rather than subcontracting them." Robert laughed and said, "It only made sense. Our people were doing all the work anyway. The roads are in much better shape, now."

Recalling the polite young man that had stopped by the restaurant and announced his decision to go to law school, Ed said, "He's a credit to the tribe."

"That he is," agreed Robert.

Sarah looked around at the homes and said, "I see a lot of young couples here."

"Yes, the college has been very good for us. The guy that lives there has started an internet company. Most of their business is creating web pages and they employ about ten people. The guy over there has an online store selling goods created by individuals within the tribe. Amazing how much money they've brought into the tribe," said Robert.

"I can't believe how many new houses there are here."

Little John asked, "Are there any kids our age around here?"

"Lots. I've got four kids," answered Robert with a smile.

The community center had not changed over the years since John had publicly asked permission to date Linda. That was remarkable as it meant that the center had been well maintained to last that long under the normal wear and tear of time. Linda thought it looked much smaller than she remembered. Little John and Beth were behind the center playing with other children on the playground.

Linda handled introductions between Ed and members of the tribe, not expecting him to remember everyone from the one time that he had meet them all. The pair navigated among relatives, greeting aunts and uncles that had not been seen in years. It dismayed her at how much older everyone looked. Time had been kinder to some and harsher with others.

The medicine man that she had consulted about having a child with John came over to her with a smile on his face. Taking her hand between his, he said, "I am glad to see that you survived the birth. He's a fine young man with a powerful spirit."

Surprised, Linda asked, "When did you see him?"

"When he went to buy cigarettes for his visit to William Redman," answered the medicine man. He had been in the crowd that had gathered across the street from the convenience store.

"Oh, I didn't see you there," remarked Linda.

The medicine man shook his head and smiled. Turning to Ed, he said, "I see you are still serving the truth."

"Yes, I do," replied Ed knowing that the medicine man could sense his power as easily as he could sense the power of the medicine man.

"We have young men to take our place now. The traditions will not die as we had worried for years. We have John Carter to thank for that."

Ed shook his head as he said, "John Carter may have enabled it, but William Redman, you, and the other elders of the tribe made it happen. I know for a fact that John had no idea how to help the tribe."

"William Redman is a great man," agreed the medicine man.

William Carter entered the room with the neighbor of William Redman. The young man was carrying his luggage and a long package wrapped in paper. Rather than going to his mother or father, he went to Robert White Feather. Once there, he whispered something to tribal policeman. Robert White Feather immediately left the community center.

Linda, noticing the action, went over to William and knelt down next to him. He looked at her with a tear-streaked face. She asked, "What's the matter?"

"Great-grandfather died this evening."

Linda threw her arms around William and hugged him tightly as she murmured, "Oh, my poor boy."

Ed was about to go over to his wife and son when the medicine man put a hand on his arm. "William was waiting for this day for a long time."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "Waiting for what?"

"To meet William. Now that it has happened, nothing remained for him to do."

Ed stopped and looked at the medicine man knowing that he spoke the truth, but not sure of what the truth meant. He asked, "What are you saying?"

"William Redman died twenty minutes ago."

"I must go to my son," replied Ed thinking that his son must be hurting at having his great-grandfather die while he was visiting.

"Not yet," replied the medicine man, "Both William Redman and William Carter knew this was going to happen. Why do you think he wanted to stay there?"

There wasn't anyway to answer that question. Ed looked at the man and then at his son, wondering if William had really known what was going to happen. He knew better than to question it, William was deep and in touch with information that was beyond what others could know. He went over to William and knelt down hugging him tightly.

Awa Tsireh moved to one end of the room and called out, "Everyone, gather around."

Amidst a lot of noise, people moved to the chairs facing the front of the room. The children, who had been playing outside, came in the room and went over to their parents. A feeling that something important was going to happen settled on the room. Awa Tsireh waited patiently at the front of the room as a hush fell upon the people.

Ed pulled the carton of cigarettes from his robe pocket, waiting for a chance to give it to the Chief. Awa Tsireh announced, "William Redman asked that the tribe recognize the children of the Carter Clan as members of the tribe. I would like everyone to welcome the three newest members of the tribe, Beth Carter, John Carter, and William Carter."

The news was greeted with muted approval on the part of other members of the tribe, but with delight by Beth and Little John. William, who couldn't be denied membership to the tribe, did not react in any fashion other than to congratulate his brother and sister. In a very quiet voice, Awa Tsireh said, "William Redman has passed his pipe to William Carter. I was there to witness this. He died ten minutes later."

The news stunned the people in the room. That William Redman would pass his pipe to William Carter was amazing. The pipe, given to William Redman by his Grandfather, was over a hundred years old. The news of his death was the only thing that could have overshadowed news about the passing of the pipe. Beth and Little John turned to their brother and hugged him, knowing that he must have been present when William Redman died.

Taking a deep breath, William stood and walked to Awa Tsireh carrying the pipe with the care that it deserved. Every eye in the room followed his progress. Once he was in front of the Chief, he said, "Chief Awa Tsireh, this pipe must remain within the reservation. I entrust it to your care. It is to be used by the tribal elders on occasions of great importance."

The Chief bent down and accepted the pipe from William. Removing the wrapping from the pipe, he held it up for all to see. Few in the room had seen the pipe since William only used it on the most serious occasions. Setting the pipe on the table in front of him, Awa Tsireh said, "You honor me and the elders with such a trust."

William nodded and returned to his chair. The Chief announced, "Three days from now, William Redman will be put to rest following the old ways. The medicine men will prepare for the ceremony. "

A coyote howled at the moon as the men sat around the campfire listening to the distant beating of drums and shouts as men of the tribe danced patterns that had been practiced for centuries. John, Ed, Leroy, George, Bob, and Walt were watching the stars that burned unnaturally bright that night. Ed could feel the energy feeding his soul as the desert worked its magic on him. Rubbing the blisters on his hands created by digging the burial hole in the desert, John remarked, "I'm sorry it took his death to bring us all together out here."

"William hasn't said a word since the night of the meeting at the community center," said Ed worried about his son and his resumption of a silent lifestyle.

Leroy, listening to the drumbeats, said, "He went with them tonight. I wonder what is going on."

Ed asked, "How is Sarah taking this?"

George answered, "She cried when she got the news."

"Her grandfather and her had a long talk several months ago. I think that relations between them were finally healed," said Walt. "She returned from that trip very happy. I think this hit her hard, but I'm glad that past quarrels were put behind them."

"I am glad that there was peace between them," replied John. "The final ceremony is tomorrow. I suggest that we get some sleep now."

Although it wasn't that late, John had flown out from North Carolina that afternoon, had spent three hours digging the grave, and was suffering from a three-hour time difference. After the ceremony and luncheon, he would fly back to the Druid College. Ed knew that John felt bad that he couldn't spend more time here, but the semester was just starting and it was a critical time. Ed lay back on his bedroll, resting his head on a rolled up blanket, and looked up at the stars while listening to the subtle sounds of the desert.

The morning came too early for all of the men. They woke, cleaned up camp and walked back to the community center for a communal breakfast. The women and children had spent the night as guests in the homes of the aunts and uncles, but came to the center to prepare breakfast as a family. Marguerite and Shauna cooked eggs, bacon, and toast.

Despite not having had his morning coffees, Ed had the presence of mind not to grumble. Accepting a cup from Shauna, he took a sip feeling the caffeine course through his system. While Ed drank his second cup of coffee, Linda joined them at the table with a tight look on her face. When the coffee had wakened him sufficiently to notice, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"He cut himself."

"Pardon?"

Her voice tight with worry, Linda said, "William made two cuts on his chest last night in grief about his great-grandfather."

"I didn't know that your tribe did that," replied Ed confused by the actions of his son.

"We don't," replied Linda, "but the medicine man was very pleased about it."

"I don't understand," replied Ed.

"Neither do I."

Looking at the eggs on his plate, Ed lost his appetite as he pondered the issue. He pushed the plate away with the eggs uneaten. Staring at the table, he only looked up when John returned to the table with a frown on his face. Shaking his head, John said, "The cuts aren't deep, just deep enough to scar."

Ed knew that Kelly wouldn't heal the wounds that William had inflicted on himself. They would have to heal on their own and leave scars for life. Looking up at John, Ed asked, "Who will he serve? The Animal Spirits or the Gods and Goddesses?"

"It's not our choice," replied John.

They sat quiet at the table as Ed drank another cup of coffee and thought about William's behavior. He had always assumed that William would end up in the service of the Two-Sided One. William's actions over the past few days had undermined his certainty, yet he didn't see his son serving the Animal Spirits.

John finished the eggs that Ed could not eat. Marguerite, arms crossed and frowning, stood behind Ed worried that he didn't eat breakfast. It took something major for Ed not to enjoy his food. She asked, "Is my cooking not good enough for you?"

Distracted, Ed turned and said, "It's fine. I'm just not hungry."

Leroy came over and said, "It is time for the funeral."

The family left the community center and piled into two cars. Marguerite, Bob, Cathy, George, and Walt stayed behind to prepare a lunch to be served at the community center, since the only ones allowed at the burial was the family. As they drove to the burial site, members of the tribe came out to give their respects, nodding or gesturing to the family.

The burial spot was a huge hole in the ground. The male members of the family, including all the Carter men, had taken turns digging it while the women had taken care of all arrangements. The wives joined the other women of the family by the pickup truck that had brought the body from the house to the burial site. They would follow the men carrying the body out to the grave with personal items that were to be buried with the body.

Although there was usually a Catholic priest at a burial, there had been no Catholic service as per the wishes of William Redman. William had wanted to be buried in the old way, but no one remembered the old ways in all their details. The result had been an amalgamation of memories gleamed from the tribal elders.

The pallbearers carried the body wrapped in blankets to the gravesite and lowered him into it. The face had been covered with a power made of ground corn. Two men led a horse to the grave. Ed jumped when the men shot the horse and put it in the grave with the body. Extra clothes, food, water, and other items were placed in the grave.

The men knelt and started filling in the grave by pushing the dirt into the hole with their bare hands. Under the hot Arizona sun, it was hard work filling in the hole. The children watched the activities around the burial site without saying a word. When the hole was filled in, the men cleaned the area of footprints so that the spirit would not be misled. The family backed away, clearing their footprints as they went.

It was a silent drive back to the community center. The pallbearers and the medicine men had left to cleanse the house. They would not return for three days since it was necessary for them to undergo purification rituals. All that was left for the family to do was to have the luncheon.

The smell of food filled the community center. Tables were set out on the basketball court for the entire tribe. A table at the front of the room was piled with game meats such as venison, antelope, duck, grouse, and quail. Beans, corn, and squash filled another table along with a huge pile of Indian Flat Bread prepared by Marguerite according to the recipe that William Redman's wife had taught her. It was her way of honoring the Redman family.

Members of the tribe arrived to partake of the food and to honor the late William Redman. The first in line for food was William, who piled his plate high with slices of duck, squash, corn, and flat bread. It was almost five minutes later that Beth and Little John joined him with plates piled nearly as high. Linda brought over three cups and a bottle of soda, giving each of them a glass of soda, which was a very rare treat for the kids.

A member of the tribe, a man about fifty years old, went up to the front of the room. Standing, he said, "My father was in jail when I was a young man learning the ways of hunting and fishing. It was William Redman who taught me how to hunt. He took me on my first hunt for a deer. When I made the kill, he told me how to field dress the deer so that the meat would not spoil. I remember to this day how proud I was and how lucky I was that William took the time to teach me."

The man returned to his seat and ate as others nodded their heads. Many of them had learned how to hunt from William Redman. One of the tribal elders went up to the front of the room. He said, "One day, William Redman came to me and the other tribal elders. He said that there was a white man with money who wanted to help our tribe, but that we had to figure out the form that help would take. We talked all afternoon and through the night about this offer. Many, including myself, could not believe that a white man would make such an offer. As the sun was rising, William told us that he didn't think that the tribe would survive beyond our deaths, as too few understood our ways. It was a terrible thought, but one that we believed was true. William said that we should use the offer of the white man to assure that the tribe would continue. It was in this manner that the Native American College was born."

Many of the people in the room nodded as they heard the story. This story had gone round many times and all agreed that it was William Redman who had come up with the idea for the school. It was successful, as many of the young people in the room had graduated from it. The Chief had graduated and gone on to study law.

Looking around the room, William went up to the front of the room. Many people watched him make the trip. He pulled a chair over to the spot where others had stood and then climbed up on it. Once he had everyone's attention, he said, "My Great-grandfather told me a story about how he had come to be named William Redman."

The quiet in the room was immediate, broken only by coughs and forks getting set down. He continued, "When he was a small boy, his father sent him to the school to learn to read and write. The missionary that ran the school would not allow him to speak his native language and required that all students take the names of white men and become Catholic. The young man didn't want to do this, but the missionary was quite forceful and would beat students that spoke the native tongue. After a year of pressure, he came to a decision and selected the name William Redman. He thought it was funny that the missionary accepted this name which told everyone that he was a Native American and not a white man. It was a small victory, but one that he was so proud of that he used the name for the rest of his life. He told me that there are times when it is the small victories that allow you to live long enough to overcome those that are stronger."

William was silent for a minute as everyone watched him, unable to believe that the four-year-old was able to tell such a story. He added, "It makes me proud to know that my name is William Redman Carter."

Climbing down from the chair, he pulled it back to where it had been. Ed watched him with pride as he carried himself with great dignity to his place at the table. The room remained silent until he seated himself. Beth leaned over and whispered, "That was a nice story."

Little John said, "Wow."

Linda and Sarah had tears streaming down their faces by the end of the story. They had never heard how their grandfather had gotten his name. The family listened to other stories that were told about William Redman. John went up and told how he had gone on a spirit walk with the man. After that, John left to return to the Druid College.

Ed sat listening to the stories told by people who knew William Redman while eating his lunch. The stories were so interesting that he didn't even notice what he put on his plate and what he was eating. Marguerite, watching from the kitchen, was shocked when he ate a slice of venison that was medium rare. She was about to go to him when Kelly sat down across from him. Kelly said, "you seem a little distracted, Ed. What's the matter?"

"I wish I had known him better."

"Why?"

Ed glanced down at his plate without really seeing it. A year spent away from the desert had nearly destroyed him, but he felt that William Redman would have thrived anywhere. With a trace of envy in his voice, he said, "The man had an inner strength that I feel I lack."

Kelly couldn't help herself and broke out in laughter. Her reaction shocked Ed as he stared at her wondering what he had said that was so funny. When she finally calmed down, she said, "You are the strongest man I have ever met."

Puzzled, Ed asked, "What do you mean? I could barely take a year away from here."

She looked at him and said, "A year? My goodness, you spent almost three years at the college. Did you forget nine months of sitting by the side of Linda while she was pregnant? Did you forget all of the time during the first year when you were helping John with the first crop of students?"

"I guess, but I should still be there with my family." Ed sighed at the thought that he was letting his family down.

Shaking her head, she said, "The first two years you were there, you did it out of love. This past year you felt obliged to be there. Obligation is horrible task master."

Ed stared at Kelly surprised at what she had said. She continued, "You gave up everything that makes you Ed. You gave up the desert. If anything defines you, it is the desert. You gave up a whole town of friends, your businesses, and your home."

"I know, but..."

Kelly cut him off as she said, "What did you get out of all that sacrifice? The chance to teach three classes a day. By noon, your duties were done. Then what did you have? Your family? Leroy and Linda are gone most of the time. Ling has been traveling a lot. You look at the staff as family. I have no idea how you managed to stay away from Marguerite for so long."

There was nothing that Ed could say in response. She had told him a truth and one that he hadn't wanted to hear, but needed to hear. Sitting back in his chair, he thought about it realizing that he would have to spend some time on the desert thinking about it. He had to laugh, as that was her point. "Okay. You're right and that's why I've been so miserable the last year. John didn't really need my help anymore."

He looked down at his plate and examined the food that remained. Shaking his head at the medium rare food, he said, "I'm going to have to teach that woman how to cook meat to the proper level of doneness."

Kelly laughed as she left the chair, happy to see her husband acting like himself again. Robert White Feather sat down and said, "I talked to John about your children coming to live with us for a year. William Redman and I had talked about it before. I will be glad to take them in."

"Thank you, Robert. The children need it."

"I'm impressed with your children. They are very advanced for their age. I was listening to Beth argue with one of the tribal members about how best to keep statistics about his web site. It was clear that she understands mathematics very well." Robert was talking about all of the kids, but his eyes were resting upon William. The youngest child of the Carter Clan was a mystery.

"It is William that intrigues you the most, though."

"Yes."

-------

Authors note: The burial rite described above is based on a written description of a Navaho funeral that took place in the 1950's. In that account, a Catholic priest led the funeral service and an undertaker was in charge of the burial service. I removed the roles of the Non-Native Americans. I hope this description has not offended any Native Americans.



-------

Chapter 13

"I pay them. They should put my needs ahead of theirs," said Nora as she looked at Ed expecting him to agree with her. She sat there wearing designer jeans, a stylish shirt, and boots that cost five hundred dollars. The boots weren't any good for real use, only for show in a Hollywood store. After two days, they were already showing signs that they would fail.

Chipping away at the rock face with his rock hammer, Ed didn't answer. The medallion on his chest flared with heat and then subsided. As he worked on extracting the sample, he thought about the past two days. Nora had been demanding, treating him as though he were her servant. They had to drive rather than ride because she had a movie coming up with a nude scene and she didn't want to risk any injury that would show up on the film. Rather than working on extracting samples, she was busy slathering sun block over her skin as she chattered about how the sun would cause wrinkles and they would kill her movie career.

"I don't understand why you didn't erect the umbrella here. This sun is just murder on my skin," she said repeating a complaint that she had made several times a day. She took a sip of her imported bottled water.

With a well-placed strike of the hammer, the sample came loose. He removed it from the rock face and examined it before storing it in his saddlebag. This was the third from this site and he looked around, listening to the sounds of the desert while ignoring the rambling stream of complaints from Nora. He packed his equipment with care expecting to hear the sound of a helicopter any moment.

Nora, taking a moment away from her mirror, said, "Why are you packing up? There are still more samples to collect here."

Looking over at her, Ed smiled and said, "I'm expecting company."

"Who? I thought we came out here to be alone."

"Something has come up." Ed looked at the horizon expecting to see the helicopter appear any moment. A smile crossed his face when a speck appeared over the horizon. He ordered, "Pack up your stuff, right now."

Confused and bordering on angry at being ordered around, she put her gear in the backpack moving with deliberate slowness. The helicopter was close enough for her to hear by the time she finished. Turning, she stared at the helicopter fearing that it was Paparazzi trying to get pictures of her. The military insignia on it became clear as the helicopter approached for a landing. Turning to Ed she asked, "What?"

Smiling, he said, "Your next movie involves terrorists, right?"

Uncertain, she answered, "Yes."

With a grin that went from ear to ear, Ed said, "The Gods and Goddesses have arranged a chance for you to meet a real live terrorist."

The idea of actually meeting a terrorist thrilled her, but one look at the smile on Ed's face quashed her excitement. This was the first time that he had smiled since they had come out to the desert. There was an unsettling look to the smile that dampened her enthusiasm. Still, it was an opportunity that most actors never had. Smiling, she said, "Great."

Colonel Grey came running out of the helicopter, bent over in the posture all people took when leaving a helicopter. The fear that the blades would decapitate them over shadowed the rational knowledge that the blades were five feet above their heads. Away from the helicopter, the Colonel straightened up and walked to Ed. Exchanging nods, he said, "We've got a real nasty one."

"I'll help you if she can come along," replied Ed knowing that the Colonel would put up a fight.

"She's a fucking movie star," replied the Colonel as he stared at Nora. "She doesn't have clearance."

As Nora bristled in anger at the comment, Ed turned and squatted next to his saddlebag. Opening it, he removed the rock hammer and examined the face of the rock wall. The Colonel swore and then shouted, "This is a matter of national security."

Ed didn't reply as he ran a finger over the rock face. Irritated at being ignored and knowing that Ed could basically demand anything that he wanted, the Colonel said, "She can go there, but she can't see the prisoner."

"She sits in the room with me while I work," replied Ed.

"She'll blab everything she sees to the press! She's a fucking movie star!" The Colonel was ready to explode.

The attitude of the Colonel was irritating Nora. How dare this man completely dismiss her? As visions of giving interviews in which she told how she had actually sat in on the interrogation of a real terrorist flashed through her mind, she became determined that she would go. Stroking the medallion on his chest, Ed said, "My service to the Two-Sided One demands it."

The comment brought a chill to the Colonel and Nora. It wasn't what he said, but the tone of voice in which he said it. There was an iron present in his words that Nora had never heard before. It was like a hammer hitting an anvil and he was the anvil that rang when struck but didn't demonstrate any damage. The Colonel replied, "Okay."

Ed packed the hammer and picked up his saddlebag. Turning to Nora, he said, "Come, we have to fly to the house and pick up something."

The leer jet, provided by the CIA, landed at the airbase. Inside the jet, the windows were closed so that the passengers wouldn't know where they were. The precaution was taken because Nora did not have the clearance to even know where the prisoner was being held. They were lead directly to the interrogation center for Ed to direct what changes he wanted made to the room.

Nora followed Ed, overwhelmed by the grim looks on the men that she encountered. Unlike the movies, the men didn't look like suave heroes that could seduce a woman with just a glance. These men were hard with eyes that judged people in terms of the threat that they represented. The young soldiers, standing at attention, watched everything with suspicion. The only woman that she saw was in her fifties with gray hair, overweight with a second chin, and glasses.

The interrogation room was plain with yellowed walls and no carpet. Ed looked at the florescent lights and said, "We need to reduce the lighting in here. Remove all of the bulbs except for two of them."

The Colonel went to the wall and flipped a switch. All of the lights, except for two, went out. Grinning, he said, "We knew that you would ask for that."

"Do you have the Korans?"

"They will arrive in the morning. The Ayatollah is bringing them," replied the Colonel. He looked around the room and then at Ed. He said, "If there are no further changes you want to suggest, they are ready to brief you, now."

Ed and Nora followed the Colonel to a conference room. Ed took a seat at the head of the table and gestured for Nora to sit beside him. Nervous, she sat in the chair looking around the room. For the first time in ages, she didn't feel like a celebrity. Colonel Grey sat on the other side of Ed and examined Nora as she fidgeted in her chair. It was clear that she felt nervous and lost.

At the far end of the table, a deputy director of the CIA said, "The subject is a very dangerous man. We don't know much about his past. In fact, we aren't even sure what his real name is. We are pretty sure that he is a Saudi, but we caught him traveling under a Sudanese passport."

Ed asked, "Where did you capture him?"

There was a long moment of silence before a nondescript man answered, "I took him in front of a Mosque in a country that borders the US."

After staring at the man for a minute, Ed asked, "Bounty hunter?"

"Yes, I am," replied the man as Nora's visions of a massive CIA raid fell apart.

"Were you after him specifically?"

"No. I was after a man that embezzled money from the company in which he was a partner."

Shaking his head with a smile, Ed sensed the hand of the God in the capture. "How did you take him?"

"I hired a couple of mercs. The bastard shot his own security guy when he surrendered," replied the man as he shook his head.

"So what can you tell me about the man?" asked Ed disturbed by the news.

The Deputy Director pointed to the woman and said, "Debbie, tell him."

This was the woman that Nora had seen earlier. Debbie looked down at her briefing notes and said, "The guy is a total sociopath. We don't know what conditions produced him, but he's entirely focused on destroying the United States. He doesn't even care about Israel, but uses that whole issue to motivate people to his will."

Nora leaned forward finding the report of the woman fascinating. Debbie continued, "We know that he has sent suicide bombers into Israel, but the targets had significant American involvement. In other parts of the world, he has paid for assassinations of American businessmen. I must warn you that he feels no guilt about his actions."

Ed shook his head as he realized the magnitude of the problem in front of him. He asked, "Give me a better insight into his character."

"He doesn't care about the people who follow him. He uses their beliefs for his purposes, talking young kids into blowing themselves up with promises of virgin women in the afterlife. As far as we can tell, he doesn't even believe in Allah. He will kill on the drop of a hat. I'm not surprised that he killed his own security person for surrendering when he was captured. Failure of any kind is punished by death."

Nora shook at the description realizing that she was going to be meeting a very scary person. She looked over at Ed for assurance. He smiled and asked, "What can you tell me about being a user?"

The question came as a surprise that set her back in her chair. The worst thing was that he was asking her with the expectation that she could answer. "Huh?"

"You are a user who views the people that work for you as not having lives of their own. You think that your needs should come before theirs. What can you tell me about being a user?" Ed asked the question knowing that it was harsh and would hurt, but he had to protect the people that worked for her from further harm. The medallion, emitting a feeling of soft comfortable warmth, soothed his nerves.

Flushing a bright red, Nora didn't know what she felt. Anger, embarrassment, righteousness, and shame competed. She struggled to breathe, but her chest was so constricted that she couldn't draw a breath. Hand trembling as she moved it to cover her mouth, she stared at Ed feeling like her soul was being peeled back under his direct and unwavering gaze.

Ed wasn't the only one interested in her answer. Debbie and the bounty hunter leaned forward as they studied her like an interesting specimen under a microscope. Colonel Grey and the Deputy Direct of the CIA watched Ed to see what he would do next.

Time passed before Nora drew a ragged breath and tears rolled down her cheek. She answered, "You get to rely on people who do that little extra for you. After a while, you begin to expect it from them. You forget that they have feelings and needs beyond what you do for them, as they have become tools for you to use. One day, the tools become interchangeable. It happens so slow that you never know that you have turned into something ugly."

Nodding, Ed said, "Interesting."

Debbie sat back and thought about the answer. It captured a reality that was experienced by celebrities, but did it apply to terrorists? She knew that she would have to think about that for a long time. The bounty hunter sat back disappointed as he had hoped for a greater insight that would give him an advantage in his work. All of the people that he pursued were users.

Turning to the others with the kind of suddenness that was shocking, Ed asked, "So does anyone have more to tell me? For example, hints as to why he was just across the border from us."

One of the analysts in the room answered, "We don't know where he was staying so we couldn't search it for clues as to what he was doing there. It would be consistent with past trends to assume that he is going to try random acts of violence that targets American Businesses. He's not the type that goes for the big score, but chips away at his target over time."

Debbie commented, "The initial effect is small, but over time he can bring a very real sense of terror to a very large audience."

Everyone around the table nodded their heads at that news. Ed turned to Colonel Grey and asked, "Would you take Nora to her quarters so that she can rest before dinner?"

The shift in topic again left everyone off-balance. Recovering, the Colonel answered, "If you will come with me, Ms. Turner, I'll take you to your room."

He stood and waited for her to stand. Knees shaking, Nora finally stood to follow him out of the room. When they left, Ed said, "I thank you for your patience. To the matter at hand, I'm afraid that this is going to take some time. I shall have to change how I normally interview suspects for this particular individual."

"What do you mean?"

Ignoring the question, Ed said, "I'll need five interpreters. None of them is to work for more than two hours. Once I get him in a cooperative mood, I shall stop and continue the next day. I don't expect to get anything from him for a full day."

"Why?"

"It has been my experience that a sociopath will brag about past victories once you get them talking, but they won't open up about their future plans. We have to shake him to his core." The answer was the best that Ed could give to explain what he felt would happen.

The dimly lit room was occupied by Ed seated at one end of a table. In front of him was a Koran with his crystal ball set upon it. To the right of the first Koran was the second Koran with a jewel- encrusted cover. The spine of the book faced the other end of the table.

Behind Ed, Nora was seated in a chair fascinated by the care with which Ed had taken in arranging the room. She was exhausted, having spent the whole night crying alone in her quarters. This morning, her eyes were puffy and red. She didn't look or feel like a movie star. In front of her was a short table that contained glasses of iced tea and snacks.

The terrorist was brought into the room wearing arm and leg shackles. The short chains required him to shuffle into the room. The look he gave Ed and Nora was calculated and without emotion. Unlike others that had faced Ed, this man did not react to him being a Druid. The two guards guided him through the room to the chair. Helping him into the seat, they locked the chains to a post in the table.

At a nod from Ed, the first interpreter entered the room and took the last remaining chair at the table. Situated between the two men, his role was to interpret what each man said. In the briefing, he had been told repeated to translate verbatim without interpretation. If the terrorist called Ed camel shit, then he was to translate it as camel shit.

Smiling, Ed asked, "Do you have any questions?"

The terrorist retorted, "No!"

The globe turned a bright red as Ed signaled that the man had told a lie. The jeweled Koran glowed with a pale red as well. Shrugging, Ed said, "We will have plenty of time for your questions later on."

"I don't have any questions," replied the man as he eyed the crystal ball with suspicion. The thing was clearly a lie detector of some sort, but he didn't know how it worked.

"What is your name?"

"Mohammed Ali."

The globe glowed with a red light once again. Ed rubbed his chin and looked at the Koran as he asked, "What is your name?"

"I told you, it is Mohammed Ali."

A small ray of red light reached out from a jewel on the spine of the Koran towards the terrorist. Ed stared at the ray of light and nodded his head as he felt other forces at work here. He asked, "What is your religion?"

"Islam."

A red glow settled over the globe as Ed activated the switch. More surprising to him was that the ray of light from the Koran thickened and reached closer to the terrorist. The man stared at the ray and said, "I tell you, I'm a Muslim."

As the line thickened and extended its reach, Ed shook his head. With an eyebrow raised, he said, "It appears that Allah does not agree with you. What is your name?"

"I've answered your question."

The light from the Koran changed to green with washes of red through it. Reaching over to the small table, Ed picked up a glass of iced tea and took a sip. Setting the glass down, he said, "You answered my question with a lie. What is your name?"

Angry, the man answered, "I am Mohammed Ali."

Ed continued to ask the same question for the next hour. The crystal ball remained red throughout the questioning. Each time the terrorist answered with the lie, the beam from the Koran thickened and reached closer to him. When the beam was almost close enough to touch him, he was pressed back against his chair distancing himself as much as possible. Nora was leaning forward wondering what would happen when the beam touched the terrorist. She wasn't the only one that was interested. The observers behind the mirror were transfixed by what they were seeing. The camera recording the interrogation was not showing the beam.

Looking at the beam, Ed smiled at the terrorist and sat back. He asked, "Are you ready for the next question?"

"Yes I am," snarled the terrorist. The beam extended at the lie and touched his hand. A gut wrenching scream was pulled out of the terrorist as the beam played over his body, wrapping it in red.

Nora flew back in her seat. Her hand covered her mouth as her eyes stared wide open at the tortured expression on the man's face. She muttered, "Jesus!"

Ed leaned forward to watch the terrorist thrashing around on his chair. Leaning forward he shouted, "What is your name?"

As the terrorist started to answer with Mohammed Ali, the beam intensified and he screamed in pain. Panting, he said, "Qusay Abid Al Suad."

The beam immediately pulled back and the pain stopped. Qusay sat in his chair breathing heavily uncomfortable in his urine soaked clothes. Sweat rolled off his forehead as his eyes, wild and haunted, stared at the Koran. Not allowing him to get his breath, Ed asked, "Where were you born?"

"Palestine!" shouted the man. Before Ed had a chance to change the crystal ball from green to red, the beam from the Koran reached out and enveloped Quasay. It appeared as though every nerve in his body was being burned. Ed was amazed that the man didn't break his back as a result of his muscle spasms.

Ed waited as the pain worked its way into the terrorist's soul. After a minute, Nora cried, "Enough. Ask him again!"

"Where were you born?"

"Saudi Arabia," cried the terrorist. The beam backed away as Ed changed the light on the crystal ball to green.

Ed said, "Now we know two true things. Your name is Qusay Abid Al Suad and that you were born in Saudi Arabia. Let's see what other true things we can find out. When were you born?"

Qusay didn't answer, but sat there silent. If lying brought the beam to torture him, then he would use silence as a weapon. His strategy didn't work as the beam slowly began moving closer to him even though the globe was unlit. Before it reached him, he answered, "August 13, 1960."

Ed manipulated the globe so that it glowed with a green light as the beam from the Koran slowly retreated. For the next six hours, Ed slowly extracted enough background information to begin the questioning for the future plans. Whenever Qusay lied, the beam shot forward to fill his body with pain.

As the tenth hour in the room approached, Ed asked, "Are you tired?"

"Yes," growled Qusay as he looked at Ed with hate. He stared at the crystal ball, as it remained green to indicate that he was telling the truth. The crystal ball was nothing, but the Koran was going to give him nightmares for the rest of his life.

Waving a hand, Ed said, "Take him away. We will start over tomorrow."

Two guards entered the room and unlocked the chain from the table. They helped Qusay stand up. As soon as he stood, the smell of feces assaulted the noses of everyone in the room. The urine stains on his clothes were obvious to everyone. The terrorist shuffled out of the room bent over as though defeated. Ed watched him leave while shaking his head.

With the care that holy relics deserved, Ed wrapped the Korans in individual pieces of cloth. After packing his crystal ball, he turned to wait for the Ayatollah to take possession of the Korans. The Islamic holy man entered the room and bowed to Ed as he glanced at the cloth-covered books. Awed at what he had observed, he said, "I saw the Koran seek the truth."

"No one was more surprised than I," replied Ed as he slumped in his chair exhausted.

Nora had watched Ed work throughout the day, but had left the room several times to eat, relax, and use the restroom. It was impossible for her to believe that Ed had sat there for almost ten hours concentrating on the terrorist and asking his questions. The story that emerged was one of absolute disregard for human life so long as his desires were satisfied. After listening to the man all day, she had come to the conclusion that he was an extreme example of what she was becoming. She said, "You need to eat."

As Colonel Grey entered the room, Ed asked, "Do they have any of that Chinese Barbecue here?"

It took him a minute to recall what Ed meant and then he answered, "I know a place not far from here that serves Mongolian Barbecue."

The next morning, Nora flopped into her chair exhausted from the past two days. The first night here was spent crying at the realization that Ed viewed her as a user and that, if honest with herself, she agreed with him. The second night here was filled with nightmares of terrorist acts. Her dreams starred her as the terrorist. She had dreamed of blowing up the car of her publicist. She had dreamed of sending a delivery boy to the set with a pizza box containing a bomb to blow up a young starlet who had stolen a role from her. She had woken for each nightmare feeling that she would have done that if she had thought she could have gotten away with it. She hated herself for those thoughts.

Taking his position at the table, Ed looked awake and alert. She wondered how he could push himself that hard and remain so energetic. Just listening to the horrible stories had drained her. Looking down at the little table, she double-checked that it was filled with iced tea and snacks.

Ed nodded at her and said, "Bring in Qusay."

The guards escorted the man into the room repeating the actions to secure the prisoner to the desk that were taken the previous day. Unlike the previous day when he had not shown any emotion, the prisoner stared at Ed with fear in his eyes. Once seated, he had tested the bonds that held him in a desperate hope of escape. Smiling at the man across from him, Ed said, "Good morning, Qusay. Are you ready to begin?"

The prisoner stared at Ed and then at the Koran. Swallowing heavily, he answered, "No. I'm not."

The crystal ball glowed with a greenish light. Glancing down at the ball, Ed asked, "Would you like a sip of water before we begin?"

"Yes."

A guard brought over a cup of water in a paper cup. The prisoner took a sip and set the glass down. With a deep breath he prepared himself for the questioning to begin. Ed said, "Yesterday I asked you what religion you were and you answered Muslim. The Koran disagreed with you."

Qusay shivered as he remembered the reaction of the Koran. "I remember."

"I'm curious. Do you believe in Allah?" asked Ed looking Qusay in the eye.

Looking at the Koran, Qusay answered, "I do now."

Knowing that he had told the truth, the crystal ball continued to glow with a green light. Ed pointed to the Koran on which the crystal ball was placed and explained the history of the book. Nora listened, fascinated by what Ed was saying and the reverence with which he talked about the books. Everyone in the room knew that he was a Druid, but to hear him talk about Allah one would be convinced that Ed believed in Allah. Ed turned to the jewel encrusted Koran and told about its history.

Listening, Qusay was reminded of Imams and Ayatollahs that he had known as a child. He asked, "Do you believe in Allah?"

The question took Ed by surprise, but he answered, "Of course. I may not serve him, but I acknowledge him and respect him. He is a God of good as are the Gods and Goddesses that I serve."

The light had remained green through the entire exchange. Ed sat back in his chair and in a kindly voice said, "I would like you to tell me about your current operations."

Eyes flicking between Ed, the crystal ball, and the Koran, Qusay was in a dilemma between his fears and his desire to inflict harm upon the United States. The longer he waited, the more the Koran glowed. Licking his lips, he stared as a beam started extending towards him. He reached for the paper cup, but his hands were shaking so hard that he spilled it. After a minute, he screamed, "Okay! I'll tell you."

For the next four hours he laid out every plot that was in progress against the United States. Ed probed for names and places, giving those that were listening enough details to capture all of the people involved. With questions asked in a soft voice, Ed led Qusay into reveling plots that originated in other organizations. As the man spoke, the Koran began to glow with a green light that slowly extended to engulf him in a loving embrace.

Once that happened, Ed stopped asking questions and allowed the man to talk, spilling everything that he had done. Nora listened in horror as the man revealed how he had killed people, manipulated others into killing, and the blackmail used to fund his activities. The man used people without remorse through his entire life. When he had described raping the wife and children of one of the men that had opposed him, she nearly threw up. This was not a Hollywood script, it was reality and she knew it.

Once the man wound down, Ed said, "Thank you very much. Would you like a chance to hold the Koran?"

"Yes," replied Qusay.

Ed handed the jewel-encrusted book to the prisoner and watched as he held it to his chest with eyes closed and a slight smile on his face. After a minute, he held the book out for Ed to take. Ed took the book as Qusay said, "Thank you and may Allah bless you."

"You're welcome," replied Ed. The guards came into the room and led the man away. Once the man was out of the room, Ed sat back and relaxed. Nora came up from behind and started to rub his muscles to work some of the tension from them. Ed leaned his head forward smelling her perfume and feeling the caring in her touch. She wasn't thinking about herself.

Grasping one of her hands, he said, "Let's go someplace more comfortable."

In his room, he led her to the bed and slowly kissed her. With the events of the past few days, she was vulnerable in her need for love. She responded to his kiss, not concerned with receiving pleasure, but in sharing pleasure. Kisses were exchanged as hands roamed over each other's bodies. It was a slow easy passionate buildup that led to Ed mounting her.

Body naked, her soul was bare for him to touch and touch it he did. The shell of celebrity had been shattered and he made love to the woman that had been hidden inside. Her orgasms surprised her. She had not pursued them with the relentless that had been characteristic of her in the past.

Her attention was focused on Ed and his pleasure. She ran her fingernails along his back, gentle so as not to scratch but to excite. She ran her hands over his nipples, sensing the pleasure that it brought him. With soft kisses, she gave herself to him for his pleasure.

Ed groaned as he reached the point of no return. Speeding his thrusts, he buried himself deep within her as she enveloped him to accept him fully. In tune with him, she could feel his cock flex as he ejected his come into her. A small orgasm triggered just by the knowledge that she had given him pleasure spread slowly over her body.

Sated, satisfied, and happy, Nora lay with her head on his chest tracing small patterns on his body. Tears cascaded from her eyes, expressing the deep emotional impact that their love making session had upon her. She said, "I've been a horrible person for such a long time."

"I'm sorry that I had to be so rough on you," replied Ed.

"Don't be. I saw myself in him. It was only a difference in degree, not in attitude," commented Nora. Her dreams of hunting rock had returned to her, destroying the glamour of Hollywood. She hadn't been happy, but had worked hard to present a façade to the world that she had come to believe was real. The façade was gone.

"Will you talk about what you saw in there?" asked Ed.

A shudder of horror at the evil that she had seen went through her body. She said, "Never. No one would believe it."



-------

Chapter 14

Sitting naked on the sofa, Ed watched an old movie from the late thirties and laughed at the action on the screen. The kids surrounded him on the couch, enjoying the movie with just as much enthusiasm. Kelly entered the room and glanced at the screen. She asked, "What are you watching?"

"Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone," answered Ed without taking his eyes off the television. "It's my favorite."

Shaking her head, Kelly wondered if Ed had ever seen a movie made after 1960. Watching him and the children, she decided that it was time for her to introduce them to some of the new films. There was the newest Nora Turner movie that she could get. It was rated R because of nudity, but she didn't have a problem with the children seeing naked bodies. After what they had seen in the first year dining room, she could rent an X rated movie and they would have been bored by the lack of plot. She corrected that thought; they would have been bothered by the lack of actual caring between the participants.

Moving down the couch to make room for Kelly, Little John said, "Sit down and watch with us."

She joined them on the couch, sitting between Little John and Beth. Looking over, she noticed that Beth was holding Ed's hand. Ed had an arm around William, who was close to falling asleep. Turning her attention to the film, she watched the action on the television with amusement. Basil Rathbone's character reminded her of John Carter when he was hot on the trail of a monster. She wondered if Ed saw himself as Dr. Watson, the trusty reliable sidekick of Sherlock Holmes.

The film ended and Ed demonstrated his appreciation by clapping. The kids clapped along with him, having enjoyed the film as much as he. Ed asked, "Who's up for a swim?"

All of the kids shouted, "Me!"

In a flurry of activity, the living room was cleared and splashes emerged from the poolroom as bodies hit the water at a run. Kelly stood at the edge watching as Ed and the children rose out of the water shaking their heads to clear the water from their hair. She laughed as the children immediately turned to splash their father. Moving to one of the chairs, she sat down and watched them play.

The pool chemicals gave the air a slightly acrid smell that was stronger than normal. Looking around, she noticed Walt standing across the room holding some air filters. They had interrupted him in his work. Shaking his head, he leaned them against the wall and left the room giving Kelly a quick wave. She knew that he would return when everyone had cleared the room.

William got out of the pool and walked over to Kelly. Sitting down in the chair, water dripping from his wet body, he said, "Dad is so happy here."

"Yes, he is," replied Kelly as she watched his wide grin and the ease with which laughter rolled from deep within his chest. The changes that had come over her husband in the past month were amazing. It was as though years had dropped off him.

Swinging his legs, William watched his brother and sister playing in the pool. He commented, "I think they are happy to be away from school."

"Yes, they are. How about you?"

William was silent as he thought about the question, giving it the kind of serious consideration that was typical of him. He answered, "I feel at home here although I haven't been here before. I like the desert much more than the woods. I miss the library though."

The news about the library no longer surprised her. She asked, "Would you like to order some books for our library here?"

"Yes, I would like that very much," replied William. He smiled as he watched Beth and Little John try to dunk their father. Ed stood straight and roared like a bear while the two children climbed over him. "He's so happy here."

Nora, dressed in jeans and a shirt, entered the room and watched the action in the pool from the door. They had returned from the remainder of their rock hunt the previous night and she was going to leave that evening. Kelly noticed her and said, "Come on over, Nora."

Smiling at Ed's wife, Nora went over to the cluster of chairs and sat down next to Kelly. The casual nudity around the children was surprising, but not shocking. She had been exposed to that aspect of the Carter lifestyle previously. Nora said, "It looks like Ed and the kids are having fun."

Smiling, William said, "Daddy Ed is just a big kid."

The unexpected source of the comment made Nora laugh. She asked, "Have you been hunting rocks with him yet?"

"Yes, we did a little of that in North Carolina."

"I like the way that his face lights up when he finds a new sample. It is pure and simple joy," remarked Nora. She had observed Ed with an open mind after returning from the interrogation and seen the joy with which he hunted rocks. It amazed her that she hadn't noticed that on earlier trips. A laugh burst forth from her when she saw the kids splash him in the face. The look on his face was priceless.

Kelly asked, "Would you like to join them in the pool?"

"No. I'd rather just watch them play." The answer was given without thought.

Smiling, Kelly could see the signs of love exhibited by Nora. She asked, "So how was the rock hunting trip?"

Nora was about to answer that it was heavenly when she realized that William was sitting there listening to the conversation. "It was great. We got a lot of samples out there. On the way back, we stopped at his mine. It is quite an impressive operation."

"He is proud of that mine. It is a great example of how an environmentally friendly mine can be operated in a very profitable manner. The whole family is curious how he is going to use the profits."

Getting bored of the conversation, William returned to the pool choosing to make his entrance in a cannon ball that would splash his father. Kelly turned to Nora and said, "As smart as the kids are, it is easy to forget that they are kids. It's great to see them playing like this. At the college, they spent almost all their free time in the library reading. They only played when one of their dads was available."

Taking her eyes off Ed, she examined the kids. Physically they were well developed for children their age. They weren't suffering from weight problems like many children their age, but she suspected that it was because of the care that the mothers gave their diets. She said, "They are really great children."

A naked streak flashed past as Shirley's son John ran into the room and jumped in the pool. His sudden appearance surprised everyone. The splash as he entered the water caught Ed completely unprepared. Standing, he sputtered as the kids laughed. Beth swam over to John and hugged him, happy to see her friend from town. Little John looked at John and shouted, "Chicken war!"

As William climbed on the shoulders of Little John and Beth climbed on the shoulders of John, Ed moved over to the side of the pool watching the kids with a grin. In less than thirty seconds, the battle was on. Little John and William were definitely outmatched, but they weren't going to give an inch.

Nora went over to the bench and removed her clothes, deciding that no one would mind if she were naked around the children. Once she was undressed, she returned to her chair and watched the children in the pool.

Ed climbed out of the pool and went over to the towels. Grabbing one, he dried himself off noticing that Nora had stripped. He was glad to see that she was making an effort to fit in with the rest of the family. While he was there, Shirley came in the room carrying an armload of clothes and said, "Did anyone see a naked boy running through here?"

Ed pointed at the pool and said, "He's over there."

Putting the clothes on a bench, Shirley laughed and said, "He was so excited about coming over here that I think he reached the front door before I had reached the street to your house."

She looked around and stripped out of her clothes, adding them next to the stack on the bench. Looking over Ed, she said, "You're looking good."

"You are beautiful as always." Ed stepped back and examined her body with a wink. "Yes, beautiful as always. So when are you going to run away with me?"

Grinning, she answered, "When I'm too old to keep from getting caught by you."

"Oh, I'm wounded."

Laughing at the overacting by Ed, Shirley went over to the pool and entered the water by climbing down the steps. Once in the water, she kept her distance from the kids knowing that they would splash her the moment they were done playing chicken. The splashing in the pool was sending water in the direction of the chairs.

Ed joined his wife and Nora, taking the wet chair that William had been in. Glancing down at the chair with a frown, he looked over at the pair of women and said, "It's great being home."

Looking over at her husband, Kelly replied, "really? I can't tell."

Turning to Nora, he asked, "So what have you been doing all morning? We missed you at breakfast."

Nora sighed and said, "I slept late this morning. I couldn't believe how tired I was. I guess the events of the past week took more out of me than I realized."

Knowing that the past week included the interrogation of a prisoner, Kelly asked, "So you watched Ed interrogate a prisoner?"

"I'd rather not talk about that," replied Nora as her attention turned inward.

Placing a hand on Nora's arm, Kelly said, "I understand. Seeing such evil close up is very traumatic."

Nora turned to look at Kelly fully aware that the other woman didn't know that the evil she had seen was the evil within her own self. Frowning, she said, "Yes. That is true, particularly when you see it in yourself."

Puzzled by the remark, Kelly looked over at Ed for explanation. He didn't answer, but just shook his head as though it was not a subject for discussion. Kelly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a touchy subject."

A shiver when through Nora and she changed the subject. "I talked to my agent today and canceled the negotiations for my next film. I'm retiring from the movie business."

The news took Ed by surprise, but he was pleased to hear her say that. She needed to get out of Hollywood and work on her degree fulltime. He said, "You might take small parts in the future."

She smiled and said, "Yes, I might. I'm going back to California to sell my house and get rid of all my cars. I think I'll buy a small place in Pennsylvania to live in while I go to school. It's long past time that I followed my interests."

Listening to Nora, Kelly realized that she had undergone a major change over the past week. Smiling, she said, "I think you are going to be so happy."

"Well, I don't know about that. I will be a nicer person, I think," replied Nora. She envied Kelly that she had a man like Ed in her life and wondered if she would ever find a man who was that good. She turned to Kelly and said, "You are the luckiest woman in the world."

Not knowing what provoked that comment, Kelly replied, "I'm one of the luckiest women in the world."

In the pool, the children had turned on Shirley and were splashing her with an almost continuous blitz. She was laughing and threatening, "Wait until the tables are turned!"

Laughing, Ed shouted, "Sorry, the cavalry is busy watering the horses. No rescue at the last minute."

Kelly laughed at the comment and asked, "What, you aren't going to rescue a damsel in distress? I'm shocked."

Launching himself out his chair, Ed jumped in the water and started splashing the kids. An all out battle ensued, one that tired the children while delighting them. After five minutes, everyone left the pool. Ed passed out towels to the kids as Shirley dried herself off. She had not wanted to get her hair wet, but that desire had been ruined from the first splash. The kids, once they were dried off, went into the living room to watch television. Ed watched them through the connecting door as they took their seats. Beth and John snuggled together as William selected a program on space exploration. Little John shrugged at the choice and sat back to watch.

Ed returned to the chairs and sat down next to Kelly. Turning to Shirley, he asked, "Who's watching the bar?"

"Linda."

"How's her baby?" asked Ed interested in catching up on the local gossip. The last time he had spent any time here, she was pregnant.

"Harry is a beautiful child."

"Harry? She named him after her first husband?" asked Ed surprised to learn that.

"It was Richard's idea. He felt that by naming the child Harry, they could eliminate the guilt Linda felt about her treatment of Harry by raising the child right."

"Nice." Ed knew that Richard and Linda would work through their issues together.

"Sammy is doing great. He enjoys his teaching job and was voted best teacher of the year at his school."

"I'm glad to hear that," answered Ed pleased to know that things were progressing nicely in his hometown. He wondered if there was anything that he could do to give more credit to teachers that were doing great jobs in molding the future of the country. He asked, "What do you think of a grant for use by teachers to improve their ability to teach a broader audience? It could be targeted at those that have been recognized by their peers as good teachers."

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "I would rather concentrate on poorer teachers by sending them to teaching camps. They are the ones that need help and drag down the educational standards of the country."

The principle behind her idea was correct, but targeting bad teachers could really cause problems. There had to be a better solution than that. Shrugging, he said, "I'll think about it."

"What kind of degeneracy is this?" boomed a voice from the door of the poolroom. Nora, seeing the clothes worn by the man, tried to cover herself, ashamed at being naked in front of a priest. Shirley blushed, but didn't move to cover herself.

Ed turned and saw Father Donnelley standing at the door with a grin on his face. He shouted back, "Just your normal debauchery."

The Father entered the poolroom and checked the chairs to find one that was dry. Seating himself, he looked over at Ed and said, "I heard you were back in town."

"I'm sure that you were disappointed," replied Ed with a grin. The priest looked good and took the comment with the humor that was intended.

The priest noticed that Nora was still trying to cover herself and said, "Don't bother. I've seen more than that around this town the past few years. Half the time that I visit one of my parishioners, they answer the door naked. I've even gotten to the point that I've eaten dinner with everyone else naked."

Laughing, Ed shook his head at further proof that the town was changing for the better. He asked, "So when are you going to start holding services nude?"

The question flustered the priest for a moment before he realized that Ed was kidding. He replied, "I'm afraid that I, the church, and the congregation are not ready for the sight of this old naked body at the pulpit."

Kelly laughed and said, "I'm curious and would attend to see that."

Nora couldn't believe that Ed and Kelly would talk like that with a priest. Ed asked, "How's my town doing?"

"Things are going well here. We haven't had a divorce in ages, the Sheriff hasn't had to arrest anyone in years, and attendance at my services are up."

"That's good," replied Ed. "Love is alive and well."

"Lunch will be served soon," remarked Kelly as she glanced over at the clock on the wall. "Are you interested in staying for some of Marguerite's cooking?"

"I would love that," answered the priest with a smile.

Shaking his head, Ed said, "You are much braver than I am to risk Marguerite's cooking."

His remark was greeted with laughter, as everyone knew how Ed felt about her cooking. On that note, everyone stood to get dressed for lunch. Nora didn't relax until she was completely dressed. Attuned to people, the priest said, "Nora, you are such a lovely young lady, much more pleasing to the eye than that old reprobate over there. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

The aroma of fresh baked bread and simmering tomato sauce wafted from the kitchen to fill the dining room. Mouths watered on entering the room. Ed's stomach growled, announcing his hunger loud enough that he wouldn't be able to deny it. Shauna came out of the kitchen carrying a pair of plates with veal parmesan and spaghetti. Setting the plate down, she smiled up at Ed and said, "Marguerite bought some of the canned sauce that you like so much."

The look of disappointment on his face as he looked over the plates forced a laugh from her. She couldn't maintain the serious expression any longer. Realizing that she was kidding, Ed relaxed and took his place at the table. Father Donnelley turned to Shauna and said, "If he wasn't the victim, I would almost say that what you said was a sin. As it was him, you have my blessing."

Laughing, Ed turned to Nora and said, "Protect me from these people."

The children giggled at the teasing. Shirley smiled as she rubbed her son's wet hair when he slipped an arm around Beth. The two kids were almost inseparable. Little John didn't notice, but William watched Beth and John with a sad expression on his face. He sighed and sat down at the table beside his brother allowing them to sit together.

Marguerite came out with more plates, setting them in front of the people around the table. It didn't take long before everyone had a plate. The plates in front of the children only had spaghetti. Smelling his food with evident pleasure, Ed cut off a small bite and tasted it. He didn't say anything for a long time as he chewed the food. Everyone watched, wondering what he would say. Finally, he said, "Ah, another culinary disaster."

Amidst giggles, everyone else began to eat. The lunch was spectacular and the noises of appreciation filled the room. Marguerite watched them from the door, happy to have the family home again. The past year had been too quiet and she had missed the good natured teasing that existed between her and Ed. While he had declared the meal a disaster, he really meant that it was a masterpiece. Shauna bumped hips with Marguerite and gave her a wink.

Father Donnelley ate with great appreciation. It was a nice change from the Mexican food that he had most of the time. With so many Hispanics in his congregation, it was hard to avoid Mexican food. He couldn't remember the last time that he ate Italian food. Sighing with pleasure, he said, "This is outstanding."

Ed elbowed him and said in a stage whisper, "Don't say that so loud. You'll give her a swelled head."

"Swelled head? Did he say swelled head? I'll swell something on that cowboy!" Marguerite yelled from the kitchen as the sound of pots and pans getting bumped together provided a background noise. Her outburst was followed by giggles from the kitchen. Shauna had suggested something that would swell up real nice and Marguerite couldn't help but respond.

"Welcome home, Ed," replied Kelly with a grin at the looks around the table. She leaned over to Nora and said, "Don't worry, that is just part of their mating ritual. They'll dance around like that for a while and then come together in a loud orgasmic bang."

Smiling, Ed looked down the table at the kids and said, "Kids, guess what came today."

Looking up at his father, Little John asked, "What?"

"The telescope," he answered.

"Oh wow," cried Shirley's John. He was fascinated by space and had been studying astronomy on his own.

"I'm going to set it up tonight so that we can look at the planets," said Ed.

Turning to his mother, a very excited John asked, "Can I come over?"

Seeing the anticipation on Beth's face, Kelly said, "You can stay all day. If your mother says that it is okay, you can even spend the night."

The afternoon was spent with Ed and Father Donnelley talking about the town. The discussion was pleasant as the two men shared the same views as to what was good for the town. All Ed wanted was for people to love each other. Father Donnelly's service to his God was to promote love.

Nora and Kelly had retired to Kelly's room for a private talk after Shirley returned to the bar. There was much that Nora wanted to understand before she returned home and she felt that the only one that would listen to her was Kelly. Ed was almost too perfect for her to share her feelings of insecurity with him.

Little John went off to read a book while William returned to his room to take a nap. Beth and John went into the library to have a quiet talk. While it appeared that the children were left alone, George was watching their every move in the security room and Sarah kept an eye on them as she cleaned rooms.

In the middle of the afternoon everyone returned to the swimming pool. Marguerite had put out some snacks for everyone to munch on. With the permission of Kelly, she had brought in a pitcher of iced tea for Ed and the Father Donnelley. The children had fruit juices in little boxes while Nora and Kelly drank Smoothies.

Ed looked up smelling the air while holding up a hand to get attention. As everyone turned to look at him, he said, "Marguerite is bringing some chocolate chip cookies."

By the time he had finished his announcement, everyone could smell the delectable aroma of fresh baked cookies. Little John and Beth had not had one of her homemade cookies since they had moved to the college. William was puzzled by the excitement on his father's face. He had chocolate chip cookies back at the college and, while they were good, it wasn't something that justified such a reaction on his part.

Marguerite entered the room and asked, "Who's been a good girl or boy?"

Ed raised his hand and shouted, "Me! Me!"

Marguerite went over to the children and gave them cookies, as she said, "Ed, you could never be a good boy. No cookies for you."

After everyone except Ed had a cookie, Marguerite carried the plate over to him and, with a sweet smile, said, "Beg for one."

Ed turned to Father Donnelley and said, "The only reason she's doing this is because she didn't have a chance to poison one for me."

Nora and Father Donnelley laughed at the comment and watched as Ed struggled to keep from asking for one. Bob, watching from the doorway, chuckled at the pair. He hadn't seen Marguerite so happy in ages. Looking around Marguerite towards the pool, Ed asked, "What's a duck doing in the pool?"

As lame as the question was, there was no way for Marguerite to know if there was a duck in the swimming pool or not. Ed would put one in there just to make a joke. She looked at him wondering if he was serious. Unable to stop herself, she turned to look in the pool. Taking advantage of her distracted state, he reached out and grabbed a cookie. When she turned back, she saw that he was holding a cookie and smiling at her.

She set the plate down on the snack table and stomped off growling. Bob called out from the door, "Ed, you better watch out now. She's gonna get you good."

"Hey Bob, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, Ed," answered Bob. Looking over his shoulder at the figure of Marguerite as she headed towards the kitchen, he added, "Thanks. After that, she's going to be an animal in bed tonight."

"Glad to be of service," replied Ed with a smile.

Shaking his head, Bob went off in search of Marguerite while wondering how long the two were going to dance around like this. Father Donnelley put a hand on Ed's shoulder as he stood. Facing Ed, he said, "I better be going. You're a hopeless cause and there are sinners out there that I can save."

"See you later, Father," said Ed. He watched the priest leave, happy that the two of them had a chance to talk.

Ed turned to see Nora studying him with an intense look on her face. When she noticed him looking at her, she stood up and said, "I have to go now. Hollywood awaits."

"Have fun," said Kelly.

Ed got up to drive her to the airport, but she shook her head. "Walt said that he would take me to the airport. You stay here and play with your kids."

"Okay, I will."

From the roof of the house, the sky seemed so close that Ed felt he could reach out and touch the stars. The past three hours had been spent assembling the telescope with the help of the kids. Now it was complete and aimed at the sky. John spent a few minutes and focused on Mars. Engaging the drive that would track that planet, he stepped back and let Beth look at the Red Planet. The last to look through it was Ed and he experienced the wonder of a child at the sight. The polar ice caps were visible through this telescope, as were the canals. It was easy to see how early astronomers could believe that Martians had built the canals.

A very excited John set the telescope to examine first one planet and then another. The kids took turns looking through the telescope while Ed sat in his chair watching them and enjoying the pleasure they took in the stars. He shook his glass, listening to the ice cubes rattle, before refilling it with iced tea. Taking a sip, he enjoyed the flavor of fresh brewed tea.

Shauna brought up a tray with milkshakes for the four kids. They took a break to enjoy the treat. John, after taking a sip of his drink, turned to Ed and said, "Mr. Biggers, thanks for letting me come over tonight. That's a great telescope."

"You're quite welcome. I'll be glad to have you over any night your mother says it is okay," answered Ed.

The children, seated on the roof, returned to drinking their milkshakes. Ed stood and walked over to the edge of the building. The wall came up to his waist with places for the water to run off every three feet. He looked over the town, noticing lights going off as families went to bed.

Dogs barked, trying to chase away the dark and all imagined dangers. A desert owl sounded from somewhere. The sound of a fusion powered car traveling along a dirt road made the characteristic motor whine and noise of tire against dirt. The night sounds of town hadn't changed with the exceptions of engines and broken mufflers. It was the sound of home.

It was getting late when Kelly came over to join him. She put an arm around him and rested her head against his arm. She broke the silence. "Nora made the news tonight. She announced that she was putting her film career on hold."

"Good for her," replied Ed. He watched as the lights went out at Maria's Cantina, signaling that they were closing down for the night. That meant it was ten o'clock. In twenty minutes, Rosa would be headed home to settle into bed with Maria and Carlos. In two hours, Shirley would close up the bar. Although she hadn't said that she would come by to check up on John, Ed knew to expect her.

Behind him, the children returned to the telescope and made noises of awe when they saw a galaxy through the eyepiece. Their excitement was contagious and he went over to check out the sight himself. Looking through the eyepiece he could just make out a fuzzy blob. John explained, "There are better ones to look at, but I wanted to see if the telescope could see this one."

"It's a perfectly great galaxy, John."

Beth moved closer to John and hugged him. Little John shook his head while William turned away. The scene was broken up when Kelly came over and said, "It's time to get to bed kids."

One by one, the kids came over and hugged Ed goodnight. He told each child that he loved it and then watched as Kelly herded them down the stairs and to the bedrooms. Voices rose from the stairwell as they acted like kids everywhere at bedtime, begging to be allowed to stay up another thirty minutes.

Ed sat back in his chair and picked up his iced tea. Taking a sip, he relaxed and watched the stars. He smiled when he heard the door close down the street as Rosa arrived home. His little part of the universe was alive and well.



-------

Chapter 15

It was hard to believe that three months had passed since his return to Arizona. Over the course of that time, he had taken the kids rock hunting, watched stars through the telescope, and taught the kids how to ride a pony. Now his time with them was coming to an end as they were going to return to the college in a few short hours.

Kelly sat up in the bed and looked down at him, seeing that he was awake. Her hand wandered down his body towards his cock. He smiled when her hand reached it and wrapped around it. She leaned down and sucked on his nipple, giving a little nip in the process. She ran a thumb over the sensitive head of his cock, thrilling as she felt the blood surge into it bringing it erect.

Kissing her way down his chest, she took her time reaching his cock. Once there, she licked it like an ice cream cone while her hand fondled his balls. Ed moaned at the pleasure of the sensations she was producing within him. She took her time, paying attention to the sensitive area just below the head of his cock.

Once he was fully erect, she changed her position and mounted him. Putting her hands on his chest, she rose and lowered herself on his cock while tightening her inner muscles when she lowered down on his manhood. Ed's hips rose to meet her as he gave himself over to the sensations. Eyes closed, lost in the feelings of skin against skin, he pulled her down so that she was lying on him. She rocked her hips giving him the sensation that he was making small thrusts into her.

She squeezed his nipples and rocked a little harder. His breathing became shallower until he was holding his breath. The orgasm washed over him. He didn't know if she had come or not. She climbed off and knelt between his legs, licking and sucking his cock with a gentleness that wouldn't irritate the overly sensitive head. When it was clean, she lay down beside him and said, "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too."

"Don't worry. I've talked to Sherry, Marguerite, Shauna, Cathy, Sarah, Shirley, Rosa, and Maria. They'll take care of you while I'm gone."

Smiling Ed asked, "Let me guess. Marguerite and Shauna are going to poison me. Cathy is going to keep me so busy I don't know what day it is. Sarah is going to clean my office so I don't know where anything is. Rosa and Maria are going to butcher me and serve me as the main course in their restaurants."

Giggling, Kelly answered, "That's right."

Ed put an arm around Kelly and pulled her close to him. Kissing her forehead, he said, "I love you so much."

There wasn't any need to answer, so she just purred her contentment at lying beside him. Her hands traced the scar across his chest, wondering about the full story behind it. She noticed a few gray hairs on his chest and realized that they were all getting older. Glancing at the clock, she noticed the time and sat up. "I better get up. The kids will be up anytime now and I need to get them fed, packed, and ready to go."

Ed climbed out of bed and slipped on his robe. It felt comfortable, but he hadn't been wearing it much since he was staying around the house. Taking Kelly by the hand, they went to the dining room for coffee, which would be followed by breakfast when the kids woke. Marguerite and Shauna were in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

The smell of coffee released by the act of pouring a cup worked its magic on Ed. Holding he cup beneath his nose, he inhaled the aroma. Taking a sip, he held the hot liquid in his mouth enjoying the feeling as it cooled down. Swallowing, he could feel the caffeine rush through his system. A smile, announcing his pleasure, crossed his face.

It was amazing that such a little thing like the first sip of coffee in the morning could have such an effect on Ed. The ability of Ed to take such pleasure in little things had always been a source of wonder to Kelly. There were times when he approached making love with that same attention to each and every sensation. When he did that with her, she could touch heaven.

The children wandered into the dining room, one after the other. William was the last to arrive and drank his apple juice as he took his seat. Little John said, "Momma Kelly is making love eyes at Daddy Ed again."

Beth giggled at the announcement and it was her giggle that got Kelly's attention. She asked, "What's so funny?"

"You were making love eyes at daddy again," answered Little John. Looking at his little sister, he said, "She was giggling because she's been making love eyes at John."

"I have not!"

"Yes, you have!"

"Children, behave yourselves," admonished Kelly.

Ed smiled and asked, "Are you looking forward to returning to the Druid College today?"

None of the children answered his question, each looking to the other to be the one that answered. Finally, it was the four-year-old William that answered, "Kind of. I mean, I miss the library a lot, but I really like it here, too."

"I know exactly what you mean," replied Ed letting his son know that he wasn't hurt that he wanted to return to the college. That was his home.

Beth said, "I'm going to miss John."

"I'm sure you will. He's a nice boy and you have a lot in common with him," remarked Ed. John was just as advanced in learning as Beth. That equality allowed the two kids to connect in a manner that was impossible with any other child their age. He was convinced that the two would end up married one day.

Marguerite and Shauna came out of the kitchen carrying plates with breakfast. They set them in front of the kids with a flourish and stepped back to see the looks on the kids' faces. The plate was filled with a pancake that was powered white, with red lips, a strawberry noise, and a clown hat made of a pineapple slice and banana. The kids screamed in pleasure. This was their favorite breakfast.

Once the kids had started eating their food, Shauna returned to the kitchen and brought out two plates with Eggs Benedict. Looking at his plate, Ed winked at Kelly. She covered her mouth in anticipation of his comment. Ed looked over at Marguerite and said, "How many times do I have to tell you? The eggs go on the plate with the ham next to it and the bread over to the side."

Marguerite stepped back and looked at him with an expression that conveyed what he could do with the eggs. She replied, "Any comments about the sauce?"

Clearing his throat, Ed nodded as he looked at the pale yellow sauce. He said, "I didn't want to point out that you're supposed to smoother the eggs with catsup rather than mustard."

Unable to control herself, Marguerite burst out laughing. Returning to the kitchen with Shauna in tow, she remarked, "He really is getting imaginative in his criticism of my cooking. I didn't see the catsup comment coming at all."

Tasting the eggs, Ed released a satisfied hum as he enjoyed the mixture of flavors. The rough texture of the English Muffin, the salty flavor of the ham, the smooth texture of the egg, and the surprise of the Hollandaise sauce combined in an explosion of taste and texture. Marguerite had outdone herself this morning.

The entire family had watched Ed take his first bite of breakfast. Once he swallowed they all returned to eating the food on their plates. Kelly said, "I think I am going to miss watching you eat the most."

"Why?"

"I've never seen anyone enjoy their food so much. You take a meal and turn it into a religious experience."

Ed shrugged while he took another bite of his breakfast. He let loose with another hum of satisfaction as he savored the flavors. Smiling, Kelly went to work on her breakfast.

The staff had lined up by the door to the garage. Sarah, Cathy, Marguerite, and Shauna head tears in their eyes as the kids went from one to the other saying goodbye. Even Walt, George, and Bob looked a little misty eyed at seeing the children leave. Ed directed the children to the van. Kelly walked beside him knowing that this hurt him more than he would admit. Walt went around to the driver's seat and waited for everyone to get into the van.

Pulling out the garage, Walt steered the car down the driveway towards the road. Ed spotted the little figure of John running down the street towards the van and motioned to Walt. The van slowed to a stop for John. Ed pulled out his cell phone and called Shirley's bar. When Mary answered, Ed said, "John is running up to the van to say goodbye to Beth."

Mary answered, "I'm glad that he got there in time."

"Do you mind if we take him to the airport? I'll bring him back."

"That would be great. Thanks a lot, Ed. I owe you one."

"No you don't. I'll see you later," replied Ed as he disconnected after exchanging good byes.

Beth was ecstatic that John was going to be able to ride to the airport with them. Kelly opened the door of the van before John managed to reach it. His poor little face was flushed with the effort of running all the way from the bar and he was panting heavily. Unable to speak, he held out a hand as he fought to catch his breath. Twisting around to see the boy through the open door, Ed said, "Come on in. I just got off the phone with your mother and she said that it was okay for you to come to the airport with us."

Little John climbed over the seat to sit in the back row with his little brother as John climbed into to sit between Kelly and Beth. Beth grabbed his hand and said, "You ran all the way here to say goodbye to me. That's so sweet."

Hardly able to respond, John said, "I had to... say... goodbye."

Kelly closed the door. Once the car was secure, Walt drove on towards the airport. Ed watched the scenery pass, noticing how much closer the city seemed to his hometown than in the past. One day, it would become a suburb of Phoenix. He hoped that he would be too old to care by the time that happened.

It seemed to the passengers that it didn't take long to reach the airport. Once there, Walt drove to hangar where they would catch the chartered jet that would take the family to the college. The service staff was waiting to carry the luggage to the jet that was parked outside the hangar. The van had barely stopped before they were at the door grabbing the luggage.

Ed got out of the van. The acrid smell of jet exhaust struck his nose. The cold November air chilled his body. He shivered within his jacket, knowing that it looked ridiculous over his robe, and helped Kelly open the door. Reaching into the van, he helped everyone out of the back giving each one a big hug. Beth and John walked behind Kelly holding hands and looking very sad. It touched Ed to watch the kids together. Little John was excited about flying and could barely contain his enthusiasm.

The last out of the van was William and he stopped to look around. He sniffed the air, smelling the jet exhaust. Turning to face Ed, he said, "I'll be back."

"I know you will," replied Ed touched that his son felt it necessary to reassure his father. He led William to the stairs to the jet and watched as he climbed up. After a quick wave, William entered the plane and was lost to sight. John, looking like he had lost his best friend, climbed down the stairs and stood next to Ed.

The pair backed away from the jet until the door had closed and the jet turned to taxi away. Ed looked down and said, "It sure is hard saying goodbye, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," replied John as he wiped a tear from his eye. Ed put a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Ed sat in the back of the van beside John in order to talk with the boy. He was six going on seven facing emotions that were many years beyond their age unlike when most kids encountered them. Ed said, "I understand that Maria has opened a restaurant here in Phoenix that is open for lunch. How about you and I stop there and get something to eat?"

"That sounds like fun," replied John.

"Would you like it if your father comes with us?" asked Ed thinking that he could swing by the federal building and pick up Sydney on the way.

"That would be great."

Ed fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called the FBI office. After the normal interaction the receptionist, he reached Sydney. When he made the suggestion about going to lunch, the blind man was very enthusiastic about the idea. He suggested that his husband, Edward, could pick him up at the office and meet them at restaurant.

After hanging up the phone, Ed turned to John and said, "Both of your fathers are meeting us at the restaurant. We'll call it a man's lunch out."

"Great!" exclaimed John proud at being included in a man's lunch out even though he wasn't sure what that meant. The thought that Beth would be proud of him brought down his mood.

"Walt, could you take us to Maria's Cantina in town here?"

"Sure, Ed. It's on the way home if I remember correctly," answered Walt. He pulled off the road and checked the map to refresh his memory. He had marked the map with locations where he was occasionally required to drive so that he could go from one place to the other without getting lost. Satisfied that he had recalled the location of the restaurant correctly, he pulled into traffic and navigated his way towards his destination.

Noticing the subdued mood of his passenger, Ed said, "It is you and me. We both had to say goodbye to people that we really care about. I guess that we'll have to take comfort that we'll be seeing them again in the future."

"But I'm so alone here," replied John.

The truth in the young man's words rang clear. The message saddened Ed, bringing home the reality under which John lived. He didn't have two talented siblings with whom he could share his life. In town he was alone in his advanced mental abilities. Ed asked, "How do the kids in town treat you?"

"Not very good at home. I enjoy the days when I come to the bar with Momma Shirley because the kids there are much nicer to me. They don't care how smart I am, but play with me just the same. At home, they won't play with me."

The news that the kids in town accepted the boy and included him in their activities pleased Ed more than he could express. It was another sign that the town was healthy. "I'm sorry the children where you live don't accept you."

"I've gotten used to it. It's a whole lot easier when you know there are a bunch of kids that accept you." John shrugged and asked, "Did you have the same problems when you were a kid?"

"You wouldn't have wanted to know me when I was a kid. You might ask Shirley about that," replied Ed knowing that he would have tortured poor John with a single-minded relentlessness. He wasn't proud of that, but had to acknowledge it.

The answer surprised John as everyone said very nice things about Ed. The houses they passed had lawns that had turned brown as the weather had gotten colder. John asked, "Why do the houses here have lawns while the houses where you live have sand?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "We're smarter."

The answer made John giggle, but it didn't satisfy his curiosity. He said, "I'm serious."

"I was too. The people here think that a lawn is what makes a house presentable to others. They are fighting nature here, trying to make their houses fit into some imagined vision that declares the occupants as successful. They waste water, the most precious resource in a desert area, in that fight against nature." Ed glared at the lawns, offended at their presence here. He had understood that in some parts of town there were actually laws that required owners to plant grass.

Noticing the expressing on Ed's face, John said, "You hate the lawns."

"Yes, I do."

"So does Daddy Edward. He hates to mow the lawn and lets it die out in the summer. The neighbors get mad at him, but he just shrugs it off."

Ed laughed knowing that if he had never met Edward that he would have liked the man just for that reason. "That sounds like Edward. Mary was lucky to find him."

They arrived at the restaurant, but Walt pulled the van up to the front door rather than parking it. Ed asked, "Aren't you coming in?"

"No. I'm going to eat at the Chinese Buffet down the street. I have a date to eat at Maria's Cantina in town tonight. Twice in one day is just a bit much."

Ed and John climbed out of the van. With a wave, Walt drove off confidant that he would be finished eating well before Ed had even ordered. They had to wait for Edward and Sydney.

Ed stepped back and examined the building. It had been a pizza place before Maria had bought it and the building bore the unmistakable architecture of the pizza chain. Glancing at the patch of ground around the build, he spotted the sprinklers that contrasted sharply with the cacti and sand. It was clear that Maria had removed the grass and bushes, replacing them with native plants.

When they entered the building, Maria screamed, "Ed!"

The woman ran over to him and threw her arms around Ed giving him a vigorous hug. The reception took Ed by surprise, in part, because he didn't know that she would be working here today and, in part, because she wasn't normally that expressive of her affection. The hug comforted him.

Releasing Ed, she turned to John to hug him. The little boy squirmed in her embrace, pleased at the attention and embarrassed by it at the same time. Holding him away from her body, she made a production of looking him up and down. "Mary and Shirley must be so proud of you. You are a handsome young man."

Blushing, John mumbled, "Thanks."

Standing up, she asked, "Two?"

"Four. His fathers are joining us." Ed removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He no longer looked like a man wearing a dress. Other customers stared at the Druid, surprised to see one at a small out of the way place like this.

Knowing how Ed felt about cutting in line, she added his name to the waiting list. The pair sat down on the chairs in the waiting area, watching as others were called and taken to tables. Sydney and Edward entered the room. John ran over to his fathers saying, "Hi, we're waiting over there."

Sydney put a hand on his son's shoulder and allowed the young man to guide him to a chair while using his cane to make sure that nothing was in his way. Edward followed behind allowing his son the pleasure of taking care of his father. Noticing the absence of a seeing eye dog, Ed asked, "Where's your dog?"

"Passed away a couple weeks ago," replied Edward unable to ignore the sad reaction of his husband to the question.

"I'm sorry to hear that," replied Ed.

A very somber John, suffering from watching Beth leave, said, "I understand how you feel, Dad. Beth left today."

That wasn't news to either of his fathers. John had been inconsolable for the past few days, getting worse as the time of her departure came closer. It was still touching that John had the empathy to understand his father's sense of loss. Most children his age viewed events entirely in terms of how they affected them. This was just another sign that John was far more advanced than other kids his age. Sydney said, "I should be getting another one in a month or two."

Maria come over and said, "A table is ready for you now. Come with me and I'll take you there."

Ed and Edward followed her while John led Sydney behind them. The troop made quite an impact on the other diners. It wasn't an everyday event when one saw a Druid followed by a businessman followed by a young boy leading a blind man. Settling around the table, Maria snapped her fingers to get the attention of the waitress for this section. She called out, "Three teas and a sprite here."

Looking up at Maria, Ed asked, "What's with the special treatment?"

"This is your first time here," replied Maria with a grin.

There was a tinge to her voice that suggested she wasn't telling the whole truth. "And?"

"Well, I know the kids left today," admitted Maria.

Ed reached over and pulled her close for a hug. Leaning his head against her stomach, he said, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Beaming at the idea that she had helped him a little, Maria said, "I'm glad you suggested being open for lunch. Our lunch crowd is actually bigger than the dinner crowd here."

"I'm glad. It looks packed."

"This is a slow day. Usually we have a longer line," remarked Maria, her eyes flicked over to the doorway with a professional scan.

"So when are you going to open the outside for dining?"

Maria frowned, as she answered, "I can't It's too humid here for the misters to have much effect."

Surprised at her reply, Ed said, "So get outdoor air conditioners. With a fusion battery, you don't have a problem with power."

Everyone with the exception of Sydney stared at Ed, taken completely by surprise at his suggestion. It was Edward that said, "Such a thing doesn't exist."

"Really? I'm shocked. I can't believe that no one has built one before." Ed frowned and looked over at Edward for a second. "You're a business man. Why don't you see what you can do about that?"

Maria looked at Edward and nodded her head knowing that little suggestions by Ed usually paid very well. As if to reinforce that idea, she said, "I'd definitely buy a system like that."

Turning to Sydney, Ed asked, "So how are things at the FBI?"

The blind man laughed as he answered, "It's been rather quiet since you and John left town. It seems like you cleaned up all the bad guys and rode off into the sunset."

The image made Ed laugh as he replied, "I rode, John walked."

The waitress showed up with the beverages and set them down on the table. This was the first time that she had served a blind man and she didn't feel comfortable with it. She set the teas down in front of the men and the sprite in front of the boy. Sydney slowly reached out until he located the glass. He carefully moved the glass to where he could reach for it without searching.

The waitress stood beside Maria not knowing what to do. In the entire time that she had worked for Maria, she had never seen her take such personal interest in any client. Having worried about the blind man, she now realized that one of the customers was a Druid. Noticing the waitress, Maria said, "Take their orders and make sure their glasses are always full."

The waitress looked around and said, "They don't have menus."

Ed answered, "That's okay. We know what we want. I'll take the Enchilada Plate, cheese please."

Edmond said, "I'll take the same, make mine beef."

John glanced over at Sydney and then said, "I'll take the children's taco plate."

"I suppose it wouldn't help if I said I wanted to see a menu." It was an old joke and one that usually brought a laugh to waitresses, but she was just puzzled. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "I'll have the Taco Plate. Beef, please."

The waitress wrote down their orders and then went to the kitchen to deliver it. Maria watched her go and said, "Poor thing. I don't think she knows what to make of you."

Maria returned to the front of the store when the waitress returned with chips and dips. The men ate the chips, dipping them into the green and red salsas, while waiting for their lunches to be delivered. The time was spent talking about neutral topics, avoiding work and absent friends. It was a pleasurable time in which the men laughed and joked.

When the food was delivered, they fell silent as they ate. Sydney, long experienced at eating tacos, managed to avoid dropping any food on his clothes. Edward and John watched as Ed approached the meal with his typical mealtime intensity, grinning at the evident pleasure that he took in eating. Maria managed to come by the table to watch as Ed took his first bite of each item on the plate. When he gestured with an okay, she returned to the front satisfied that her harshest critic was happy with her food.

Other customers had watched from their tables, amazed at the manner in which the Druid had approached eating. Conversations that had been suspended around the restaurant resumed once people became more comfortable with the presence of the Druid in the room. The waitress was kept busy running back and forth, refilling the glasses of iced tea.

Eating lunch with his fathers in a restaurant had taken John's mind off the departure of Beth. That had been Ed's intention in taking him to lunch. Now that everyone had finished eating, Sydney said, "I'm going to have to return to the office soon. We are expecting a visit from the President and we're doing lots of background investigations on the usual suspects."

"Sounds like fun," remarked Ed.

"Oh yeah, lots of fun. It is amazing to me how many people out there hate the President. They had me interview one guy that wore a hat made out of aluminum foil because I wouldn't break out laughing while looking at him." Edward shook his head in disgust. "I've talked with more nuts than most squirrels see in a year."

Chuckling, Ed appreciated the comment and said, "Well, if you need my help just forget my telephone number."

Sydney burst out laughing at the comment. "Too late. I'd like it if you could come down to the office and help interview people. I bet you could reduce it down to a couple of questions."

"I'll only interview people without hats," retorted Ed with a wry grin. He had no idea how he would deal with a person wearing an aluminum foil hat, but imagined that he would have a hard time resisting the urge to laugh. A slow smile spread across his face as an idea came to him.

Edward asked, "Have you met the President?"

"No," answered Ed. "John and I try to stay away from politicians. I can't take the degree to which they twist the truth. He doesn't want to be used by anyone for political gain."

"Really? Even with all of the things that you guys have done for this country, you haven't met the President?"

"Oh, we get invited about once every three months to have dinner at the White House. It is just standard procedure for Cathy to turn down the invitation."

Edward and Sydney shook their heads in amazement that anyone would turn down the President of the United States so easily. If one's power in life was determined by whom you could safely ignore, then John and Ed were the most powerful men in the country. Sydney asked, "Does Cathy screen all of your calls?"

"Yes, she does. She knows who to let through and who to block. If it is someone that I want to talk with, she forwards the call to me. Otherwise, she takes a message."

John asked, "How does she know if you'll talk to them?"

Winking at Edward, Ed said, "They have to know to use the magic word."

"What's the magic word?"

A grin threatened to split Ed's face in half as he answered, "Please."

What started as a little giggle turned into a sidesplitting laugh as John grasped the joke that had been played on him by Ed. How many times had his mother asked him what was the magic word? Every time she asked, he answered, "Please." Even his fathers found his laugh contagious and chuckled. Edward, the first to recover, said, "That's funny."

When he finally calmed down, John asked, "Does that mean I can call Beth and get to talk to her?"

"Yes, it does."

When lunch broke up, Edward took Sydney back to work. After settling the bill, Ed went outside with John to find that Walt was waiting in the van. The ride back to town seemed to take longer than the ride to the airport. As he patted John on the shoulder, Ed thought about how it was that when the destination is unpleasant the time to get there passes too quickly.

The next day, Ed showed up at the FBI office wearing his cowboy hat wrapped in aluminum asking if they needed anyone to interview suspicious people. It took almost an hour for the FBI to regain normal operations.



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Chapter 16

Nora stood beside the bed stretching after a good night's sleep. The gesture lifted her breasts in an extremely attractive manner. Her body was perfect in proportion, weight, and shape. Even without makeup, her face could have graced the cover of any fashion magazine. A small well-trimmed patch of hair graced her pubic mound, attracting the eye without diminishing the attraction of the region below.

Her status as sex symbol and film star was understandable. Millions of women couldn't understand how she could turn her back on fame and fortune. Fans, reporters, and co-workers had besieged her with questions over her decision. The people that worked for her and whose livelihood depended on her working were angry at the sudden change in their fortune.

She was homeless now. The house in Los Angeles had been sold and she hadn't yet bought a place in Pennsylvania. The showy possessions had been auctioned off or donated to charity. All that remained were the few items that meant the most to her. Among them were her acting awards, a few childhood momentos, and her rock hunting gear.

Hearing that Kelly had left with the children, she had stopped by to cheer Ed knowing how much he would miss his wife and children. Ed had arrived at home from the airport long after she had come to the house.

Last night had been spent making long slow love. Over the course of several hours Ed had explored her body, touching her in ways and places that she didn't even know was possible. Her body reacted to just the memory. She was not surprised to discover that her cunt lips were swollen, parted, and wet when she reached between her legs. Standing beside the bed, she looked down on his body studying the individual scars. This long lean cowboy would never be given a role in a Hollywood movie; he didn't have the androgynous features that moviegoers wanted in their male stars.

Ed shifted in bed, wrapping himself tighter in the sheets, now that the warm body that had slept beside him was gone. Nora watched him with a smile realizing that it would be more difficult to wake him with a blowjob. She wondered if he would be able to get an erection after the workout the night before. Her body shivered from the memory of that most wonderful organ entering her, stretching her more than she thought possible.

Putting on a simple sundress, she left the room to get breakfast. She headed towards the kitchen, not sure if the chefs were awake or not. At the door, she paused to smell the aroma of a professional kitchen. The overriding scent was that of bread rising under the action of yeast. Traces of herbs and spices tickled her nose, giving hints of the flavors that would emerge from the room later in the day.

Marguerite and Shauna were seated around the kitchen table reading recipe books, smiling when they found one they thought Ed might enjoy. They looked up at Nora when she entered the kitchen with a very satisfied look on her face. Shauna said, "Looks like someone was well fucked last night."

Looking back down at the recipe book, Marguerite commented, "I don't know about that. She can still walk."

Going to the coffeepot, Nora poured herself a cup and joined the women at the table. Grinning, she said, "I'm glad I'll be sitting most of the day. Of course, I expect the car seat to be soaked by the time I stop tonight."

"You are leaving today?"

Nora added some cream and sugar to her coffee. Using a spoon sitting in front of Marguerite, she stirred it before taking a sip. She looked up at Marguerite, she said, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Probably." Marguerite smiled knowing that Nora probably drank it all of the time. Shauna doubted the former actress actually knew what kind of coffee it was.

Recalling the initial question about leaving, Nora said, "I'm leaving just after breakfast. I'm driving to Pennsylvania to look for a new house."

"Oh, I thought you were staying for a while."

Smiling, Nora said, "No. I'm in the process of moving. Kelly called me two days ago and told me that she was leaving yesterday. I decided to stop by here at the last minute. I figured that Ed was probably going to be pretty depressed and could use some cheering up."

Shauna giggled and said, "You and a dozen other women showed up yesterday to cheer up Ed. Needless to say, the females on staff were quite disappointed."

"Then I won't be needed around here. I'm glad to hear that," replied Nora happy in the knowledge that Ed would be taken care of by the women of his town and in his house.

Ed stumbled into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee fully unaware that he had interrupted a discussion. In his typical morning behavior, he drained a cup of coffee standing at the coffeepot and refilled his cup before looking around. He spotted the three women and mumbled, "Plotting my demise?"

Putting on a very sweet smile, Marguerite answered, "You're already dead. You're just too stubborn to lie down and let us bury you."

Shauna and Nora laughed as Ed yawned with a roar. He said, "I'll come up with something witty later."

Shauna smiled and said, "This I've got to hear."

"Good, at least you won't bury me until you get my reply," Ed muttered as he took another sip of his coffee. It was about that time that he noticed that the coffee tasted different from normal. Making a face, he said, "This coffee is horrible. What's the matter with it?"

Marguerite was about to make a joke until she saw the look on his face. He was serious in that he didn't like the coffee. She was disappointed that he didn't like the coffee that she had special ordered for him. Resigning herself to his simple taste in coffee, she said, "I'll make another pot for you."

"Thanks."

Turning to Shauna, Nora asked, "Do you think he understands that it is Jamaican Blue Mountain?"

"You really did recognize the flavor?" Shauna had only tasted Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee twice, once when they tried a test brew and this morning. It had been the best cup of coffee that she had ever tasted.

"Oh yes. It is a staple among certain wealthy circles," replied Nora. She had no idea how many times she had been served a cup of coffee with the comment, 'This is Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. It is the most expensive coffee in the world.' Such pretension had not bothered her at the time, but the memory of it was distasteful.

"I guess it would be," replied Shauna. She looked over at Ed, noticing his impatience at the coffeepot as he waited for a fresh cup of coffee. Poor Marguerite returned to the table like she had lost her best friend. She reached out to her friend as she said, "He likes the coffee that comes in a can from the grocery store. We aren't going to be able to change that."

Sighing as she watched Ed sip his coffee with pleasure, Marguerite decided that he would never accept a Gourmet Coffee. They had tried a dozen different coffees on him over the past few years and he had rejected them all.

This wasn't the first time that Marguerite had served him a foul tasting coffee. Ed turned to her and said, "It must have been a bad can. That happens occasionally."

"Yeah, I guess it was a bad can," replied Marguerite wondering what he would say if he knew that it cost $40 a pound. Connoisseurs of coffee worldwide would be shocked at his reaction to this coffee. Ed didn't like the coffee at any of the coffee shop chains, preferring the coffee available at convenience stores.

Her words rang sour, as though she were lying to him. Surprised, he asked, "Did you brew that horrible stuff on purpose?"

"Yes. It is a very expensive coffee," replied Marguerite. At the expression on his face, she added, "The most expensive coffee in the world, in fact."

Standing there, Ed tried to recall what he could about expensive coffees. He remembered something that he had heard on television and stared at Marguerite. Shocked that she would consider serving him that coffee, he asked, "Do you mean this is that monkey crap coffee?"

Nora burst out laughing as she realized what he was talking about. Shauna looked blank at Ed. When Marguerite finally figured out what he was talking about, she giggled at the thought of serving Ed that coffee. He'd never forgive her. Nora said, "Don't worry, this isn't the monkey crap coffee."

Her words were true and Ed relaxed. Shauna asked, "What's this about monkey crap coffee?"

"Kopi Luwak is a coffee that is made from the beans that have passed through digestive system of a monkey," replied Nora. The animal that digested the beans wasn't a monkey, but a marsupial called a Luwak. It ate only the ripest and best coffee berries. Unable to process the bean, it passed through the digestive system and was left on the ground under the coffee trees. It had become one of the most sought after coffees in the world, bringing a high price because of production quantities of around 500 pounds a year.

Shauna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Eyebrow raised, she said, "You're putting me on."

Ed shook his head at the thought of drinking coffee from monkey shit. The idea really bothered him and his whole body shivered in revulsion. Marguerite noticed his reaction and, with a smile, replied, "It's true. Of course, the next time Ed complains about my cooking..."

Realizing that she was joking, Ed interrupted as he said, "I knew it. You are trying to kill me. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"And why should I be ashamed of myself?" asked Marguerite knowing that he wasn't going to say that she should be ashamed for wanting to kill him. Based on the smug look on his face, she knew that his answer was going to be a real zinger. She held her breath, unable to guess what he was going to say next.

"For involving a poor innocent monkey in your plot," replied Ed with a smirk.

Nora was unable to control herself any longer and burst out into laughter. Ed turned to look at Nora. Holding up a hand as she tried to get control of herself, one look at his face was enough to cause her to laugh even harder. The laugher was contagious as Marguerite and Shauna burst out laughing. It wasn't long before Nora was laughing so hard that tears were coming down her face.

The three women were laughing, all control lost, as Ed watched with a smile. He took a sip of his coffee knowing that he had delivered an excellent exit line, but he didn't have any reason to exit. Nora struggled to stand while still laughing and cried, "I'm laughing so hard I'm going to wet my panties."

Barely able to talk, Shauna said, "I can imagine the monkey testifying at the trial. All I did was shit coffee."

In a voice as if he were introducing a new movie, Ed said, "First it was the Scopes Monkey Trial. Coming soon to a courthouse near you is the Biggers Monkey Trial."

At that, Nora lost it totally and ran from the room doubled over with laughter hoping to reach the bathroom before she lost control of her bladder. Marguerite and Shauna soon followed her out the door. Chuckling, Ed said aloud, "Cleared the room with that one."

It was five minutes before Nora returned, still wiping tears from her eyes. Grinning at Ed, she said, "It has been years since I've laughed that hard. Not since I started acting."

"It's a lot easier to laugh when you are happy," remarked Ed.

Nora came over to him and gave him a big hug. Since she had announced that she was quitting the movie business, her quality of life had undergone a radical change. She woke and planned her day rather than spending the day responding to a schedule planned by others. Events that once had been obligations, now became welcome breaks in her time. Rather than spending hours reading scripts, she was able to spend the time reading books on minerals. The greatest benefit had been in privacy, since a staff no longer surrounded her at all times of the day. She said, "I'm so much happier than I have been in years."

With a smile, Ed said, "We can't have that."

She laughed and asked, "So what are your plans?"

It was a good question and one that had hadn't given much thought. Jerry and Lynn were taking care of his businesses, he wasn't teaching this semester, and he had not arranged a major rock hunting expedition. Three months at home had recharged his energy and he was ready to do something, but he didn't know what. A smile crossed his face as an idea came to him. Looking down at her, he said, "I'm thinking about bumming a ride across the country with a retired actress."

The possibility of traveling across the country with Ed was a total surprise to Nora and she exclaimed, "That would be great."

"It will take me about ten minutes to pack up."

Nora jumped up and down excited to know that she wasn't going to face the long drive alone. As a woman, traveling alone was scary. As a former actress, she had been concerned that her public image would cause additional problems for her. It was comforting to know that a man would accompany her. She cried, "That's great. I'm so excited."

Ed looked out the door and realized that Marguerite and Shauna had not returned yet. An idea came to mind and he went over to the table. "Nora, stand at the door and keep Marguerite and Shauna out of the kitchen for a few minutes."

She looked at him blankly, taken about by the sudden change in subject. Seeing the smile on his face, she went to the door to watch for the chefs. It only took him a minute to clear off the table. He removed the single flower that was in the vase. Lying down on the table with his hands crossed on his chest, he held the flower so that it was standing straight up in the air. Nora looked over at him and smiled realizing that he was going to get Marguerite back for her comment that he was already dead.

Marguerite and Shauna approached the kitchen still giggling about the monkey comment. When they entered the kitchen, they stared at Ed in surprise. As Shauna giggled, Marguerite quipped, "Shauna, go get the shovel before he gets up again. He's already smelling and the sooner we get him in the ground, the better."

Ed couldn't hold it back any longer and started laughing. Nora said, "Too late. He's starting to rise."

Walking over to the table, Shauna bent over and examined his crotch. Shaking her head, she said, "Nope, no rise here."

At that point, they all broke out in laughter. It took time, but Marguerite and Shauna recovered and chased Ed out of the kitchen saying, "Get out of here or we'll never get your breakfast cooked."

Wearing his blue jeans and work shirt, Ed slipped into the passenger seat of the BMW as Nora turned on the power to the motor. Settling back into the leather seats, he was excited about the road trip. Nora had explained that she planned to spend the night in each state as she made her way across the country. There was no need for her to hurry, as the Spring semester wouldn't start for another month and a half. While Ed didn't have any special obligations on his time, he warned her that he might be called away by the Gods and Goddesses to perform some service.

The car pulled out of the driveway and down the street. Ed looked around at the houses and street. The houses, although old, looked in good shape. The yards were filled with sand and cactus. The buildings in town continued to reflect the style of the times in which they were built. There were no signs of decay and people waved as they drove past. Ed asked, "Isn't this a great town?"

Nora looked over at Ed with amazement at the pleasure that just looking at the town gave him. Having visited some of the greatest cities in the world, she looked around and didn't see what he saw. She asked, "What do you see when you look at this town?"

Surprised by the question, Ed answered, "It's more what I don't see. There's no trash, no signs of decay, and no gaudy displays. Did you know that this is one of the wealthiest towns in the state?"

"Really?" asked Nora looking around at the buildings. Automobiles, mostly pickup trucks, ranged from new to twenty years old. The houses were typical small town houses, neat but not ostentatious. People were wearing off the rack clothes without jewels. There was no sign of wealth anywhere.

"Yes, really," answered Ed.

"You can't tell by looking at it," remarked Nora.

"Right. That's what's so wonderful about this town. Despite the fact that the average household earns six digits incomes, the people haven't become competitive or showy. They've kept their identities."

"So what are they doing with all of that money?" asked Nora amazed at the average income in the town. After looking at the houses, she would be amazed if any of them could sell for more than thirty thousand dollars. It was impossible to tell that these people were that rich.

"They spend it on each other," answered Ed as he watched Shirley open the bar. People walked past and chatted with her as she unlocked the door.

"What do you mean, they spend it on each other?"

"They do things together. For example, the Martinez family just returned from Hawaii. This summer, a number of families are going on a cruise to Alaska as a group. They aren't going first class, but they aren't afraid to spend a little money to have a good time." The idea that their money hadn't enslaved the people pleased Ed as much as the fact that the people had become nicer to each other. This, to him, was proof that the town was filled with healthy people. When they had large gatherings, the people still cooked their own foods. The women in the kitchen made the side dishes as a group with lots of laughter while the men in the yards cooked the meats with comments about the manly art of barbecue.

"It sounds like they have fun," remarked Nora.

"Yes, but it is not all fun. They also are saving money for their retirements and putting kids through college. They have several investment clubs that meet every month." Ed talked about the town with great pride.

Nora drove out of the town thinking about what Ed had said. She thought about how many movie stars that made fortunes had become poor when their careers ended. In her own case, she had spent millions entertaining others and living the movie star lifestyle as an obligation. Selling the house, the cars, and the furnishings had not brought in as much money as she had spent purchasing them. It gave her a nice nest egg that could last her the rest of her life if she were careful.

They took turns driving, each spending an hour behind the wheel before trading off. The time was spent discussing interesting geological features of the landscape they passed. The land around them was glorious with rugged terrain that changed with each hour of travel. As humans, it was hard not to be impressed with the sight. Their geology backgrounds only intensified the impressiveness of the terrain. To see the mountain induced awe, knowing the forces involved in its creation intensified the impact.

They stopped at one of the scenic overlooks to take a break from driving. In front of them was a forest of Saguaro Cacti, with a mountain in the background. No telephone poles or electric lines marred the landscape. The air, gently blowing across the desert, was fresh without the odor of human occupation marring it. Ed chilled by the winter air, stood with head bowed, as he took a moment to appreciate the full glory and splendor that was the Gods and the Goddesses made visible to all that wanted to see. Words deserted him as the sight overwhelmed him.

A very subdued Ed returned to the car, lost in thought as he wondered how the entire world could be returned to such a glorious natural state. Nora pulled away from the scenic overview and asked, "So, what are you thinking about with such intensity?"

"I was wondering how we could heal many of the wounds that have been inflicted upon the earth over the last twenty centuries," answered Ed. It was a fact that the rate at which the natural resources were being removed from the earth had reduced. Oil, natural gas, and coal production had dropped as a result of the Fusion Battery. The harvesting of trees for use as telephone poles had halted. With low cost energy, it was economically viable to recycle metals, plastics, and other forms of waste.

Concentrating on driving, Nora said, "Things are getting better. There are no telephone or electric poles alongside the road. Air quality is much better. Acid rain is a thing of the past."

"Perhaps," replied Ed. Although his eyes looked out the window, his sight was focused inwards as his mind worked furiously as he considered the environment.

It was late afternoon when they stopped in New Mexico at a small town outside of Albuquerque. Ed studied the map and said, "We are about thirty minutes away from a Navaho Reservation. Would you like to see if they would allow us to look for a rock or two?"

Nora answered, "Actually, I would like to walk around town and see the local sights."

"I just realized that I forgot to pack my gear," remarked Ed as he wondered how that had happened.

Nora pulled into a small motel and parked in front of the office under the vacancy sign. The single story motel had been built in the early sixties in the typical featureless architecture of the time. There were doors spaced along the front with large windows. Curtains blocked the view into the room. Air conditioners stuck out below the windows, taking space away from the walkway that lead to all the rooms.

Although the place was small and old, it looked well maintained. The doors were freshly painted. The bricks looked like they had been cleaned with a power washer. Even though the bushes were in their winter state, they looked like they had been well trimmed at the end of the growing season. Who ever was maintaining this place, took care of it.

Ed and Nora entered the lobby, finding a counter almost immediately inside the door. It was clear from the signs of construction behind the counter, that the owners were going to remove counter and add more of a lobby for the place. He nodded appreciatively as he looked at the work being done.

A Native American woman came from another room and stood behind the counter. She was a beautiful woman that reminded him of Linda and Sarah. She stood with a great sense of pride that was reflected in her perfect posture. With a nod of her head and a smile, she greeted them, "Welcome."

Ed's eyes slipped over her figure, but returned immediately to her face. Smiling at the attractive woman, Ed said, "Hello."

Nora stared at the woman, her eyes slowly traveling the length of her body, and said, "You are as beautiful as his wife."

The woman stared at Nora, confused by the attention the woman was giving her body and puzzled at the statement about Ed's wife. It was not the kind of statement that married people made when having an affair and checking into a motel. Rather than clarify her confusion, she asked, "Would you like a room?"

"Sure," replied Ed knowing that they wanted at least one room. He turned to Nora and asked, "Do you want to share a room?"

"Sure."

The woman behind the counter didn't say a word, but started to go through the process of checking them into the room. She asked, "What name?"

"Ed Biggers and Nora Turner," answered Ed.

The announcement of the names caught the woman's attention. First, she stared at Nora realizing that this woman was indeed the actress. She slowly turned to look at Ed, taking in his features. He wasn't wearing the black robe, so it was easy to mistake him for just another cowboy. After a moment, she asked, "Are you the Ed Biggers of the Carter Clan?"

"Yes, John Carter is my husband," answered Ed.

Her heart started beating harder from the excitement of meeting Ed Biggers. It was hard to believe that she was in the same room with a member of the Carter Clan. While John Carter was famous, Ed Biggers and Linda Carter were just as well known within the tribes of the Southwest. She smiled and said, "I graduated from the Native American College."

"Oh, that's great. So you knew William Redman?"

"I met him on several occasions. Such a great man, it was a major loss for all of us when he died." Mentioning the death reminded her that his son was with William Redman on the day that he died. The comment about her looking like Ed's wife also made sense, as Ed was married to a Native American woman.

"Yes, our entire family was very saddened by his passing."

"I love your wife's books," she said.

Laughing at the sudden change in topic, Ed said, "I do too. She hated the movie, feeling like they made the Coyote look like a foolish puppy."

The woman waved a hand discounting the movie and said, "It was made by white men. What do they know about the Coyote?"

Nora laughed and said, "It was made by Hollywood. What do they know about anything?"

The woman's laughter sounded sweet and honest. Pulling a key off the rack, she handed it to Ed and said, "Here's your room key. Why don't you two settle into your room? I'll bring the registration form by later."

"That would be great," replied Ed.

The room was at the end of the building. It was farthest from the road and only had a single room next to it. Clearly, it was the best room of the motel. When Ed and Nora entered the room, they were surprised at the nice décor with a very strong Native American flavor. Prints of paintings by Paul Pena decorated the walls, reflecting the lives of those on the reservations. Ed went to one of the prints and admired it. He said, "I love this picture."

Nora smiled at the comment. She had been in their house and knew that he had the original hanging on the wall in the living room. After a minute, she realized that he wasn't going to tell her that they had the original. He probably didn't think that getting an original was any different from getting a print of it. She said, "You have the original at home."

"I know, but that is only because we could afford it and it was available. If it had been too expensive or unavailable, I would have bought the print. Being a copy doesn't change that it is a good picture."

Amazed at his attitude, Nora laughed at his statement. She had noticed that they had a few prints hung up in the living room. It was only now that she realized the art was on the wall because they liked the picture rather than who painted it or how much others liked it. It gave further insight into the attitudes of the Carter Clan towards their possessions.

They had hardly settled in when there was a knock on their door. Ed opened it and found the woman from the reception desk. She said, "I've got your forms filled out. If either one of you would care to sign?"

"No problem." Ed signed the form and handed it back to her saying, "I'm sorry to say this, but I didn't catch your name earlier."

"I am Shideezhi Nascha. It means little sister of the owl," replied Shideezhi. She smiled and said, "Most people call me Susan."

Ed replied, "It is very nice to meet you Shideezhi Nascha. I am honored that you have told me your tribal name. In public, I will call you Susan if you prefer."

Susan blushed and replied, "That would be fine. I would like to invite you to dinner at our home tonight."

Ed turned to Nora and said, "Susan has invited us over for dinner. Is that okay with you?"

Nora, looking over at the beautiful woman, answered, "Yes, that would be lovely."

Faltering, Susan asked, "Would it bother you if I told our Chief that you are here?"

"That would be fine with me," replied Ed with a warm smile. "You may tell anyone you wish that we are here."

After Susan left, Ed turned to Nora and said, "I need to make a quick trip to the store to purchase tobacco."

"Go ahead. I'll wait here and maybe go visit with her for a bit," smiled Nora.

"Wait until I get back," replied Ed, "You'll want to take a pack of cigarettes with you."

Nora and Ed had a wonderful evening visiting with Shideezhi Nascha and her husband. After dinner, the Chief and the Medicine Man of her tribe stopped by for a short visit. As Ed had done, they brought cigarettes with them. Instead of giving them to the hosts, they gave them to Ed. It was late in the evening when the Medicine Man asked, "How is your son, William Redman Carter?"

Surprised by the question, Ed answered, "He is fine. He returned to the Druid College two days ago."

"That is good to hear," replied the Medicine Man. He was quiet for a moment and then suggested, "It might be good for him to come to the Native American College for a while. He has two heritages."

Ed nodded as he listened to the Medicine Man. When the elderly man finished his suggestion, Ed replied, "I will pass along your suggestion to him."

Susan asked, "You won't tell him to go there?"

"He is his own person and will do it at a time of his choice," replied Ed.

The Chief and Medicine Man nodded at the wisdom expressed by Ed.



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Chapter 17

It was around lunchtime and Ed was driving when they crossed into Arkansas. The 'Welcome to Arkansas' sign flashed by with both occupants of the car shouting, "Goodbye to Oklahoma! Hello To Arkansas!"

The noise of a motorcycle, still using a gasoline engine, caught their attention. A guy in his early thirties passed them for the fourth time on his antique Harley Davidson motorcycle. While Fusion Engines were available for motorcycles, very few serious bikers used those engines. It was widely accepted among bikers that the loud engines made riding safer as drivers might not see them, but would hear them.

Watching the guy pass them, Nora said, "How is it that when I drive, we pass him and when you drive, he passes us?"

"It might be that I don't speed." Ed looked over at Nora with a smile that suggested he was more than prepared for the argument that his words would trigger.

"I don't speed!"

"The speed limit here is sixty-five and you go seventy-two."

"That's not speeding. The cops expect you to go a little over the advertised speed limit," replied Nora. She sat back waiting to hear his counter argument.

Chuckling, Ed said, "I get it. Speeding isn't speeding unless you're speeding."

"Right," she replied before a confused look crossed her face. She was going to have to think about that for a while.

It was well after lunchtime that they decided to stop for lunch. Bored with watching the road go past, Nora was ready for a break. The question was what she could find do, but that wasn't really a problem. Her car was filled with the latest and greatest gadgets, including a heads-up display that could connect to highway information servers that provided restaurant, hotel, and tourist attraction information in addition to updated road information.

She reached over to the dashboard and started pushing buttons. The heads up display came on startling Ed, as he found himself looking through a map at the road in front of him. Nora started executing queries about interesting places to stop and eat. After examining the display for several minutes, she said, "There's a diner up ahead that is one of the few art deco buildings along this route. What do you say to eating there?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he debated how to answer the question. Although he didn't really care where he ate, he did hope that the food would be good. Ed asked, "What kind of menu?"

"There's not much information about the place, but I imagine it is a typical diner."

"Anything better?" asked Ed figuring that it was another greasy spoon. He wasn't sure if he was up to eating a greasy hamburger and fries again. Maybe they might have something a little different on the menu.

"Not really. A lot of chain places, but I'm really tired of eating at them," replied Nora.

"Okay."

Ed drove as the navigation system fed him directions on how to reach the diner. Once he saw the place, it was impossible to miss. The building itself looked like a massive railroad car covered with chrome. There were no hard edges, the corners of the building were rounded. It didn't look that bad on the outside, but the place had definitely seen better times. Of course, few buildings after fifty years didn't look a little worn.

In front of the building was a huge sign with the name of the restaurant in five-foot tall letters. Surrounding the letters were neon tubes, that at night would spell out the name. The base of the sign was a stack of columns that got increasing larger. Around each column was a band of neon tubes. He wondered if the neon lights still functioned. If so, at night it would look like a series of rings that increased in diameter the higher up each ring was with the name of the diner floating above it.

As Ed pulled into the parking lot, Nora exclaimed, "He's here!"

"Who's here?" asked Ed, confused at the comment and unable to look around while he was busy navigating the parking lot.

"The guy on the motorcycle," said Nora as she pointed to the Harley parked in front of the diner.

"Do you have a thing for that guy?"

Looking over at Ed, she answered, "No silly. He just looks so interesting, almost like a Hollywood presentation of a biker guy. The leather jacket, blue jeans, and boots give him a real biker look."

Ed teased her by saying, "You like him because he looks slightly dangerous. He's got a belly that just hangs over his belt buckle. It lets you know he likes to drink beer and not wine. That scraggly beard of his makes you think that he can't be bothered to shave."

The pair of them went inside the diner, through a door that gave the appearance that you were stepping into a train. The required round chairs without backs ran along the speckled Formica counter. The floor was covered with black and white tiles arranged in a checker board pattern. Three rows of booths ran opposite of the counter, the seats covered with green fake leather.

Since it was well after lunchtime, the place was nearly deserted. There was an elderly couple seated in one of the booths. From their gestures, it looked as though they were discussing the architecture of the room while waiting for their food to be delivered. Ed wondered if the couple was going around the country looking at architectures that had been common when they were younger. It made him think that it would be a nice way to spend a retirement.

The only other client in the diner was the motorcyclist. He was seated at the counter talking with the waitress. From the nature of their body language it appeared as though the two knew each other. The waitress stood at the counter, relaxed with her weight supported on one leg. She would shift to support herself with the other leg on occasions in the manner practiced by people who stood all day. Her right hand kept going up to her head to tuck in a stray hair here and there.

Nora headed straight for the counter and sat down a couple of chairs away from the biker. She turned so that she was facing him and the waitress. Without giving the waitress a second glance, she turned her attention to the biker. From the nature of their conversation, Nora could tell that he had only been there about five minutes.

When Ed joined her, he parked his body on the stool between her and the biker. An empty chair remained between the two men. Nora leaned forward and, whispering into his ear, asked, "Trying to protect me from the nasty biker?"

He turned to her and whispered back, "When you look at me, you can watch him all you want."

Nora leaned back and laughed as she realized that he was right. If he had sat on the other side, she'd have to turn her back to him to look at the biker. She said, "Oh, Ed. You are my hero."

Laughing, Ed shook his head at the characterization of being a hero and looked around the diner. The ceiling was covered with chrome, but it had been a long time since the chrome had been polished. It made the place look dirtier than it actually was. Behind the counter was a window that connected the dining area with the kitchen. A stainless steel wheel with clips for holding orders was hanging down from the center of the upper part of the window. Below the wheel was a shelf for the cook to set plates once he had filled an order. Small heat lamps hung down to keep the food warm.

The Formica counter had a small stainless steel rail that ran across the back. Built into the rail were menu holders, with small menus sticking up. In front of the menus were the condiments, sugar, catsup, mustard, salt, and pepper. Ed reached over to the menu holder and pulled out two of them, handing one to Nora. Opening it, he saw that the food was typical diner fare including the standard Chef Salad. He didn't want a salad, so that left him with the burger.

The waitress looked over at Ed and Nora, not happy about having to interrupt her conversation with the biker. It was clear by the expression on his face that he didn't want the conversation to be interrupted as well. The expression on the face of the waitress underwent a succession of changes. First she showed irritation. After a few seconds, she looked like she should recognize Nora, but couldn't. A few more seconds passed, when she believed that she had realized the identity of Nora, but didn't quite believe it. Then, she looked like she just had to know the truth. She called over, "Are you Nora Turner?"

"Yes, I am." Nora nodded as she answered. She had seen that same succession of looks come over people before. The question was what would happen next. Would it be an exclamation that they loved all her movies? Would it be a complement about her appearance? Would it be questions about what she was doing there? Other possibilities included requests for autographs, pictures, or even lots of physical touching.

Contrary to what Nora was expecting, the waitress turned to the biker and said, "Hey, Jack. That's Nora Turner, the movie star."

Jack, the biker, turned to look at Ed and Nora for a second. Recognizing them, he said, "Cool. Hey, you're the folks that were in the Silver BMW."

Ed appreciated the low-key response to Nora's presence. So far this trip, he had watched on more than one occasion when she had almost been dragged away, as excited fans wanted her to meet their friends. He answered, "Yeah. We recognized your bike when we pulled in."

The waitress hit Jack on the arm and said, "Hey Jack. If she weren't with this guy, maybe she'd go out with you."

Jack leaned back and laughed. His was the kind of laugh that one might characterize as a guffaw, loud and boisterous without the least embarrassment that he might be noticed. Looking over at the waitress, he said, "She's not my type and I'm probably not her type."

Surprised by their reaction to her, Nora was curious why they were so laid back. His answer shocked her and her pride demanded to know why he had discounted her so quickly. Nora leaned forward and asked, "What is your type?"

As she hit the biker on the jaw in slow motion with a fist, the waitress answered, "Women that cheat on him."

With a chuckle, Jack leaned back flailing his arms as if he had been actually been hit. Recovering he answered, "Nah. I like women like Karen, here."

There was more than a little truth in his words. Curious if there were feelings in the other direction, Ed asked, "So Karen, what is your type of man?"

Acting as if he were shooting her with a miniature bow, Jack answered, "Men that cheat on her."

Karen put her hands over her heart as if she were mortally wounded. From watching her, both the fake blow and the fake arrow to the heart were long standing jokes between the two. Gesturing at the biker with a thumb, she answered, "Nah. I like men like Jack."

Again there was more than a little truth in her words. Rather than follow up on the hints given by the way they talked, Ed said, "Sounds to me like you two go back a ways."

Jack said, "Yeah. Whenever someone cheats on one of us, we go to the other one and tell our tale of woe. After a couple of hours of ridicule and beer, we go our separate ways."

Acting as if she was mentally counting the with assistance of her fingers, Karen said, "Let's see. It's been nine boyfriends for me, eight girlfriends for you. If this keeps up, I'm going to run out of fingers."

With a real sadness in his voice, Jack said, "Nine girlfriends for me. I caught Joy with Ben last night."

"Ah, shit. You must really be feeling down. Let me take their order and we'll talk," replied Karen with a gesture of her head towards Ed and Nora.

Ed watched the exchange with interest. As far as Karen was concerned, the problem with Jack was more important than meeting a movie star. Ed liked that. Both of these people cared for each other, but they didn't see the other as a possible partner. Karen moved over to them and asked, "What do you want?"

Nora replied, "Chef's salad with Italian Dressing."

From the lack of greasy smell in the air, it was possible that the food here wasn't that bad. Fearing that he was going to regret his order, Ed said, "I'll take a burger well-done, french-fries, and a glass of iced tea."

"Sweet or unsweet?"

"Unsweet, please," answered Ed. He liked a little sugar in his tea, but not as much as they normally put in sweet tea. The secret to making proper sweet tea was to add more sugar than was dissolvable into the tea while it was still hot. When it cooled down, the tea became super-saturated with sugar. That was too much sugar for his taste.

"Honey, what would you like to drink?" asked Karen.

Ed had noticed a number of waitresses over the past few days often called Nora honey when asking questions. If it wasn't honey, it was darling or sugar. He hadn't noticed women doing that until this trip and wondered if it was a regional thing. He wasn't paying attention when Nora answered, "I'll take an iced tea. Unsweet."

Karen turned to the window and hung the order on the wheel. With a negligent touch, she spun it for cook behind the window. A second touch stopped the wheel with the order where the cook could see it. The cook grabbed the order and examined it for a minute before replacing it on the wheel. Ed was only able to catch a slight glimpse of the cook.

While Karen prepared two iced teas, Ed turned to Jack and asked, "So how long have you known each other?"

A wide grin spread across his face as Jack recalled all of their years together. They had grown up as neighbors, gone to school together, and rode bikes with the same group of people. He answered, "Since we were kids. Karen was the girl next door."

Karen turned back to them and added, "We've been best buds forever!"

While their food was getting prepared, Ed listened to the couple talk. The discussion was interrupted once when the ringing of a bell indicated that she had to deliver food to the couple sitting at the table. She didn't take long to pick up the food and carry it over to the table. Ed tried to examine the order, but she was moving too fast. When she came back, the friends picked up the conversation as if it hadn't been interrupted.

Karen wasn't a small woman and looked like she could take care of herself with the roughest crowd. It was clear that she was perfectly comfortable on the back of a large bike. He noticed a tattoo of a motorcycle logo on her arm that peeked out from under her waitress outfit. She was definitely a biker. When she mentioned getting out her bike after she got off work so they could go for a ride, Ed knew that Jack and Karen were kindred spirits. From the things that they said, he was able to determine that they had never dated each other.

Ed was deep in thought when Nora said, "Hey Ed. Our food is here."

"Sorry." Coming out of his thoughts, Ed looked down at the burger. Much to his surprise, it wasn't a greasy mess. It had a very thick bun that wasn't the typical hamburger bun served in most diners. It was even covered with poppy seeds. He smelled the patty, recognizing the beef as angus. After piling the sliced tomatoes, onion, and lettuce on the burger, he put the top of the bun on the burger. He took a bite out of the burger, enjoying the subtle mixture of flavors. Setting the burger down, he chewed and swallowed. With a smile, he said, "Oh my, that's a good burger."

Nora giggled at the expression of pure pleasure on his face that was normally only present when Marguerite had surprised him with a new dish that he really liked. Karen was staring at him like he was some sort of strange creature from another planet unable to believe that anyone could eat a hamburger with such total involvement. Jack slapped the counter with an open palm, making a loud clap. He said, "See, I told you that you have great burgers here."

Ed looked around, noticing the looks everyone was giving him, and asked, "What?"

Awed, Karen said, "I've never seen a person enjoy a burger like that in my entire life."

Giggling at the expression on Ed's face, Nora said, "Ed worships food."

The couple returned to their conversation. This was the kind of conversation between friends that had helped each other through a number of previous episodes. Each told the other the same things told in the past, knowing it had helped in the past and would help again this time. There was the comfort level present in their interaction that only a few spouses find after years of living together.

As the biker and the waitress talked, Ed and Nora ate their food. Between the two, Ed took much more pleasure in his meal than Nora. Even the french-fries were good and just begged to be eaten with catsup. He obliged them, covering them in catsup without smothering them.

When he had finished his meal, he sat back on his stool with a satisfied sigh. Taking a sip of his iced tea, he looked around to find Jack staring at him. Nora was still picking at her salad, having watched Ed eat. Karen had brought the cook out to watch Ed eat. Karen said, "I would just love to have a film of you eating."

Laughing, Ed replied, "You aren't the first one that has told me that."

Nora felt a need to explain how rare his behavior had been. She said, "Ed has one of the best chefs in the country working for him. He does that almost every time he eats her cooking. I've only seen him enjoy a meal like that a handful of times when she didn't cook it."

"Dude, you got a cook?" asked Jack surprised. Of course, he had no idea if Ed worked for Nora or if he was a business partner of the movie star.

"Yeah, she's the family chef. Actually, we have two of them and they are each the very best."

Describing Marguerite as a family chef was so far from the reality that Nora had seen that she burst out laughing. She looked over at Jack and said, "Don't believe him. They tailor every meal for him. You should see the looks on their faces when he doesn't like something they cook for him. You'd think their best friend had died. Just before coming here, they served him coffee that cost more than forty dollars a pound. When he didn't like it, they just about cried."

Surprised at the sweet sound of her words when she said that they cooked for him, Ed looked at Nora as he asked, "I was sorry about the coffee, but I like plain old simple coffee. Are you sure they tailor the meals for me?"

"Of course I'm sure. Everyone in your family knows it, too. Every recipe they look at, they ask if you would like it. If it doesn't pass the Ed test, then they don't cook it."

The news that he was being treated special by the staff disturbed him and made him wonder if the other family members were getting shortchanged. While he debated that, Nora said, "Excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

After she left, Jack turned to Ed and said, "Dude. She's a real pretty woman. How'd you get hooked up with her?"

"We hunt rocks together," answered Ed turning to face the biker after watching Nora search out the women's room.

"I can just picture it on one of those cable hunting shows." Laughing, Jack held up his hand as if he was talking into a microphone. "We are here on a rock hunt with this fellow seated next to me. The wily rock is the most patient of prey, able to outwait the hunter for years. Traveling in great herds of rocks, it can take hours to spot the trophy rock."

Chuckling at the good imitation of a sports broadcaster and going with the flow, Ed added, "You have to understand that stealth is not required as much as a sharp eye. Difficult to find, they are even harder to kill as they have no vital organs."

Laughing in a volume that echoed in the near empty diner, Jack reached across and slapped Ed on the back. The elderly couple looked over at him with worry on their face, concerned that the biker was going to start getting rowdy. With a grin, Jack said, "I like you, buddy."

Karen had watched the exchange, laughing once she realized that Ed wouldn't take offense at Jack's humor. Too many people thought he was making fun of them when he went off on a tangent like that, but he wasn't. She was about to explain, but didn't have a chance.

Ed replied, "Well, I enjoy talking with someone that can spin a good joke."

Jack took a sip of coffee and looked over at Ed. He said, "So how did you meet her?"

"Oh, my old rock hunting partner sent her over to me. She had just gotten engaged to a great guy and felt that it wasn't right for her to spend weeks at a time out in the desert with me," answered Ed. After a pause, he added, "And for her, that would have been true.

"That's the kind of woman I'd like to meet. One that won't go screwing other guys."

Karen said, "Guys like that are even rarer."

"I don't know about that," replied Ed as he looked at the pair. "It seems pretty common to me."

"Bull."

Turning to Karen, Ed asked, "Would you cheat on a guy that you were going with?"

"No way," replied Karen. She might be a rough and tumble woman, but she was a good woman.

"You're telling the truth," said Ed. Turning to Jack, Ed asked, "Would you cheat on a woman that you were going with?"

"Hell no," replied Jack with a little anger in his voice. He added, "That's why it hurts so much when it happens to me."

"You're telling the truth," remarked Ed. Reaching over, he picked up his glass of iced tea and took a long slow sip. Jack and Karen watched his every move wondering what point he was trying to make. As he set the glass down, he said, "Out of six people in this room, there are at least two that feel the same way about monogamy. It doesn't seem that rare at all."

Nora returned to the counter and sat down next to Ed. She said, "I heard entirely too much laughing out here. Don't tell me you were telling a story about monkey shit coffee."

"Not guilty," replied Ed even as he felt the pressure growing in his bladder. He rose and said, "My turn at the facilities."

Ed walked over to the restroom and entered. It was a small room with a single toilet and no urinal. With his foot, he raised the seat while steadying himself by holding onto the wall. It wasn't long afterwards that he was pissing into the bowl. He occupied himself by reading the graffiti on the wall. Amidst a few poor drawings of male and female anatomy, there were the normal messages. "For a good time, call Sally the Slut." Another one said, "Greg sucks cock."

Finished with his piss, he washed his hands and left the bathroom thinking that there didn't appear to be any regional differences in graffiti. He doubted there were even cultural differences. People the world over probably had the same bathroom humor and need to leave a mark. He chuckled at the thought that in Russia, someone was probably writing on the wall, "Gregor sucks cock."

He looked around the restaurant. He saw that the elderly couple had paid their bill and left. Looking over at the counter, Nora was chatting with the biker and waitress. The tinkle of laughter filled the room when she said something funny. Undoubtedly, she was telling them about the coffee incident. Jack was slapping his thigh while Karen was covering her mouth.

It was clear to him that the biker and the waitress belonged together. It would take years for them to recognize it and by then it was liable to be too late. One or the other would be married before they ever figured it out. It was time for him to act, but the question was what he should do. He watched them for another minute before making up his mind. The medallion gave forth a reassuring warmth letting him know that his actions were right.

Walking over to the counter, he leaned down to Nora and said, "I need to get something out of the car. I'll be right back."

Nora watched him leave the diner a little confused. She knew that he didn't bring much with him on this trip except for a few changes of clothes and his robes. At the change of expression on her face, Karen asked, "You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What's up?"

Looking from one to the other, Nora wondered what Ed wanted her to do. Deciding that it would be best not to say anything that was too informative, she said, "Ed went out to the car so that he could change into his work clothes."

Jack looked out the window, seeing Ed bent over as he riffled through his saddlebag for his robe. Turning back to Nora, he asked, "So what does he do for a living?"

"Lots of things," replied Nora not really knowing how to answer that question.

Ed returned to the diner wearing his robe with the gold medallion showing. On entering, he stood at the door, legs slightly spread and hands clasped in front of him, looking at Karen. Rather than announce his presence, he waited for her to notice him. It didn't take long before she shouted, "My God, he's a Druid."

Jack spun around on the chair, thinking that she meant Ed was a member of the Druid Biker Club. He froze when he saw that Ed wasn't a biker. Bowing his head, Ed said, "I am the Druid Ed Biggers, head of all those who serve the Two-Sided One. My service is to the truth, to make known what is true and to expose what is not."

Smiling, Nora watched Ed happy at a chance to see him in action once again. The time spent with him while interrogating the terrorist had shown her just how powerful Ed was. This didn't seem nearly as serious of a matter, but that same sense of incredible power had filled the room.

"So why are you wearing that outfit?" asked Jack. Nora had called them his working clothes. He wondered if that meant he was now working.

"I have been called to make known what is true," answered Ed as he looked at Jack. The expression in his eyes was piercing. He said, "There are truths here that require to be made known before tragedy befalls those involved."

The cook came out of the kitchen and watched what was going on. He was short with a crew cut and clean shaved face. He wore the outfit common to all cooks with one difference; his was clean. His eyes darted from one person in the room to the next, wondering what these great secrets were.

Karen swallowed nervously and asked, "What truths?"

"The ones within you and within Jack," answered Ed.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jack. His chest felt tight from nervousness. Hands sweaty, he hadn't been this nervous since he had jumped over a couple of cars on his bike years ago.

In a commanding voice, Ed asked, "Jack, do you love Karen?"

Jack smiled and answered, "Like a sister, dude."

The slight dissonance of a half-truth shot through Ed. He stepped forward and, in a voice that reverberated through the room, commanded, "Do not lie to me or to your self. I ask again, do you love her like a man loves a woman?"

The smile was erased from his face as Jack looked wildly around. His breath was caught in his throat, his stomach twisted, and he felt dizzy. Hands shaking, he managed to say, "I don't know."

Ed took another step forward as he commanded, "You do know! Now tell me!"

"Okay! I do!" The shout came from deep within Jack. He had always known that he felt that way about Karen. Now that it was out, all that was left was the humiliation he would feel when she rejected him.

"You speak the truth," said Ed in a much softer voice. He looked at Karen, seeing that she had backed away from the counter as much as she could. The admission of love from Jack had not yet registered. Looking into her eyes, he asked, "Karen, do you love Jack?"

The tough woman did not want to appear vulnerable in front of her friend. She answered, "We've been friends forever."

Ed shouted, "You have not answered the question! Do you love Jack?"

Knowing her emotions much better than Jack, she knew exactly how she felt about him. Glaring at Ed, angry that she had to say it aloud, she screamed back, "Yes, I do!"

Amazed at what he heard, Jack slowly turned to look at Karen. She loved him? How was it that he didn't know that? The vulnerability with which she held her arms across her breasts tore at his heart. He wanted to rush behind the counter and hold her in his arms but his legs wouldn't work.

Ed held his hands out with palms up. With a simple smile and quiet voice, he said, "That wasn't so tough. He loves you and you love him. It is time for you to talk with each other honestly."

Her eyes lowered to meet Jack's eyes as everything that had happened finally registered. Jack loved her? When had that happened? He looked so uneasy that she wanted to run over to him and hug him.

Jack slowly rose and walked around the counter. Karen moved with him, meeting him at the end of the counter. They hugged each other. Watching them, Nora was moved to tears at the gentleness with which they held each other. Ed watched with a broad grin. The cook, rubbing the side of his nose with an index finger, said, "It's about time they realized it."

The cook, having given his take on the matter, returned to the kitchen as Ed laughed. Looking over at Nora, he said, "Not all of aspects of my service are as rough as interrogating a terrorist or catching a crook. Helping people find their happiness makes serving the Gods and Goddesses worth all of the pain in the world."



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Chapter 18

Ed stripped out of his clothes and stood naked, cock flaccid, in the center of the hotel room. After having traveled across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee, Ed and Nora had become very comfortable with the driving arrangements. It wasn't until they had reached Virginia that she had finally asked him for a favor. More than happy to oblige, Ed had been shocked when she said that she wanted him to stand naked so that she could study his body.

Dressed in one of Ed's shirts over her underwear, Nora approached Ed with more nervousness than seemed reasonable considering that they had been naked together so many times. Relaxed, Ed waited for Nora to begin studying his body without the distraction of sex.

Rather than moving directly to the parts that interested her most, she began by tracing the line defined by where he had to shave. It was interesting that his beard wasn't even, there were spots under the corners of his lips that had less hair than the rest of the face. She had never studied a man's face with that kind of attention to little details. She asked, "Have you ever grown a beard?"

"I've gone a few days without shaving, but the result could hardly be called a beard," answered Ed.

She traced around his ears, noticing that hair was starting to grow out of them. In time, they would thicken and turn gray as part of the natural growth cycle. She wondered if he would leave the hair or remove it at some point in time. Leaving his ears, she examined his neck taking the most time with the Adam's apple; fascinated by this subtle difference between male and female. Other differences made sense to her, but not this one.

She traced his shoulders fascinated by the muscular structure. Walking around him, she took in his back and chest, noticing the scars that showed as reddish streaks across his pale skin. The patch of hair that ran across his chest narrowed to a thin strip that ran down to his pubic region where it spread into a triangle. Thin hair surrounded his flat areola with small nipples set in the center. His chest hair did not seem to have a dominant pattern of direction in which it grew.

Tracing a finger over his nipples, she was surprised to see them stiffen. She had never thought about male nipples reacting to touch the same way as female nipples. Looking up at his face, she asked, "Are your nipples sensitive?"

"Yes, they are," replied Ed.

"Interesting," remarked Nora as she continued her explorations of his body.

Ed had women study his body in the past, but never with such attention to detail. While it was clear that this was something that she wanted, it wasn't a selfish desire on her part. She had realized that it had come time for her to learn more about the male body so that she could be a better lover. She was taking responsibility that sex with her would stop being a mere rubbing of one body against another and become a loving experience.

It was a long time before she reached his genitals. His cock was still flaccid despite the fact that she had been touching almost every part of his body watching it for reactions to her touch. Now she lifted his cock, studying the head, the shaft, and the ball sack. Her fingers traced the major features sending tingles of sexual excitement through Ed. Looking up at his face, she said, "This is remarkable."

"Maybe a little bigger than average, but not remarkable," replied Ed.

"No, I mean the whole thing is remarkable. I never noticed all of the little details before," stated Nora as she continued to examine his cock. Her efforts were causing his cock to erect. The veins throbbed as pulses of blood pumped into his cock. The loose skin tightened as the organ filled with blood. She licked her lips, unconscious of her action, as she watched. "This is amazing."

Ed could feel the desires of his body striving to take control as Nora continued to explore his cock and balls with her hand. The light touch tickled him, increasing his desire for a stronger firmer touch. A small drop of pre-cum appeared at the tip of his cock. She ran her finger over the pre-cum, spreading over the head of his cock. The action caused him to produce more. Looking down at her, he said, "That feels good."

She started to jack him off, watching the changes that took place in his cock. Her hand was wrapped around the shaft with a light pressure. Glancing up at his face, she could tell that something was missing in her action. He reached down and enveloped her hand within his. Squeezing her hand to the point where the pressure on his cock was exactly as he liked it. Smiling, she asked, "You like a harder grasp on your cock."

Eyes closed and head tilted back, Ed replied, "Yes, that feels so good."

She kept up the pressure, jacking his shaft. With his hand, he extended the range of her movement to include the head of his cock. She could tell from the increased rigidity of his cock that he really liked the effect. She moved her other hand to cup his balls and lift them.

After a few minutes, she was surprised when his balls drew up closer to his body, leaving the warmth of her hand. The head of his cock had turned purple and it seemed to swell even more. When he suddenly went rigid and held his breath, she knew he was close. She felt the pulses in his cock before a ribbon of come shot out the end. The first, second, third, and then the fourth major ribbon of come was released, each not quite as forceful as the previous one. He groaned as he said, "Less pressure and slower."

She eased off on his cock and watched as more come pooled at the head of his cock. The pulses within the shaft had abated to a level that was barely perceptible under her hand. His balls, tightly drawn up to his body, started to descend and the rigidity of his cock lessened.

It was only at this time that she noticed her hands were covered in come. Looking down, she saw that there was come on her shirt as well. She released his cock as she looked down at her hands wondering what to do with the come. Ed backed away and sat on the edge of the bed.

"That was the most incredible thing that I have ever seen. Thank you so much for letting me do that, Ed." In one session, she had learned more about the male sexual response than she had acquired in years of a sexually active life. Before Ed, she had only worried about her pleasure. Once she started having sex with Ed, she had been concerned about his pleasure, but her successes were hit or miss.

Ed, relaxing on the bed, said, "That was great."

After Nora washed her hands in the sink, Ed went over and washed his cock. Once the bathing was complete, they dressed in clothes suitable for being in public. Clean and refreshed, they went to dinner. After dinner, they watched television for an hour before going to sleep.

Ed stood on the balcony of the hotel looking to the southeast. Less than a six-hour drive away was the Druid College. He knew that John, Leroy, Kelly, Linda, and Ling were all there with the kids. It felt like ages since all six of them had been together. He sighed, thinking how close he was and yet how far away they were.

The noise of the sliding door opening interrupted his thoughts, but he didn't turn around. Nora said, "Your family is over there."

"Yes, they are," replied Ed as he turned to look at Nora.

His rock-hunting partner, friend, and lover said, "I want to go on alone from here."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "What? Why?"

Moving to the railing of the balcony, Nora said, "I've been depending on other people to take care of unpleasant parts of life for me. I want to drive into the city where I will make my home alone. It's a fresh start for me and I want this."

Her words were true and he understood the sentiment behind them. There was once a day when she would have had a staff that would do everything for her. They would search out the house for her, take care of her car insurance, and other day to day activities that consumed time. She was leaving that life behind.

There was nothing he could say or do to contradict her desire. Nodding his head, "I can understand that. Are you sure?"

"Very," replied Nora knowing that she couldn't lie to Ed without him knowing it. She added, "I'll admit that I'm a little scared, but that is natural."

"Okay," answered Ed as he looked at Nora. The pleasure that he felt in her decision grew from two sources. First, she was growing up and learning to be the best that she could be. Second, he was going to visit his family. Smiling, he said, "Go when you are ready to go, I'll rent a car and drive down to my family."

Ed turned to look at the surrounding area, noticing in the crisp winter air that things had achieved a far sharper appearance than in the humid summer air. From his current vantage point above the ground, much more sky was available to the observer and he could see much further than he expected. Nora moved behind him and rested her head on his back with her hands on his shoulders. She said, "I love you, Ed Biggers."

"I love you too, Nora Turner," replied Ed. They both meant it, but not in the way that others would use the term. They cared for each other, made love to each other, and wanted the best for each other. They did not want to own each other. Nora understood his marriage and he understood that she wouldn't join it.

"I've never met anyone that was loved by so many people. Men and women love you."

This wasn't the first time that Ed had been told that he was loved by a lot of people. It still surprised him when someone said that to him. He knew that if a person is asked the same question three times, then they should come up with a stock answer. What does one do when presented with the same surprising statement more than three times? He didn't know, but suspected that he should come up with some sort of answer. "I don't know what to say about that. I don't think I'm special. Anyone can be loved by as many people that know them."

Smiling, Nora returned to the room to get packed as she thought about how modest Ed was about his effect on others. She had learned from Ed how to travel without unpacking every suitcase so it didn't take her long to get ready to leave. When she came out of the room, she found that Ed had stacked her suitcases by the door. Looking at them and then at Ed, her heart began to pound while tears pooled in her eyes. Hugging him, she cried, "I'm going to miss you."

"I know, but you're going to be very busy over the next few months. Once things settle down, you can come visit me. Besides, you never know who might drop by while you are unpacking," replied Ed as he hugged her back. He was already trying to think of a housewarming present that would be appropriate for a fellow rock hound.

Breaking the hug, Nora went to the door and opened it. Grabbing the lighter suitcase, she waited for Ed to carry her other bag. Ed followed and picked up the heavier suitcase. In less than five minutes, he was left in the parking lot watching her drive away.

Renting a car was far more difficult prospect than Ed had considered when he had watched Nora drive off to face her future. The nearest car rental place was thirty miles away and there wasn't a taxi company in the town. He was faced with a question as to how to reach the rental place. Grabbing his saddlebag, he checked out of the hotel and walked into the center of town. Once there, he looked around at the places of business around the center of town. There was a local restaurant, police station, a couple of clothing stores, bar, and other places common in a small town.

The restaurant was the same place that he had eaten dinner the night before and it was a nice friendly place. It was the most likely place in town to find someone going in his direction. People would come and go through the day. It made sense that a few of them would be driving to nearby towns after eating. He wandered across the street to the front door.

Entering, he looked around at the few people in the room. He should have come earlier in the day, when most of the folks would be around before heading off to work. He followed the waitress to a table. Once there, he set his saddlebag on one of the chairs and sat down in another. Accepting the menu from her, he said, "Could I ask a favor of you?"

"What?" The woman answered, fully expecting him to request a different table.

"Would you mind asking around to find out if anyone is headed out of town? I need a ride," answered Ed.

"I'll see," replied the waitress rather doubtfully. Worn blue jeans, a work shirt, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat suggested that he was a long way from home. She wondered who this guy was and what was his story. Probably a homeless drifter, he'd walk off without paying his bill. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, that would be great," answered Ed. He took off his hat and set it on the saddlebag where it wouldn't get dirty and would be out of the way.

The waitress returned after a couple of minutes with a cup of coffee. As she set it down in front of him, she asked, "Did you decide on what you wanted to order?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll have two eggs scrambled with biscuits and gravy."

"Okay," replied the waitress. She glanced at the door as though she expected someone to arrive any minute. Finished writing the order down on the pad, she said, "I'll put this order in now."

Her words ripped through Ed as she was clearly lying about putting in his order. He was about to ask why when a policeman came into the restaurant. The look of relief on her face told the entire story. Reaching into his back pocket, Ed pulled out his wallet figuring that he might as well have his identification ready. Smiling, Ed said, "Bring another cup of coffee for the officer."

His request startled the waitress. She backed away from the table relieved when the officer took her place. The officer was about to say something when Ed flipped open his wallet showing his IRS identification. With a grin, Ed said, "Have a seat officer. I ordered a cup of coffee for you."

The officer looked over at the waitress and nodded his head to let her know that everything was under control. He sat down across from Ed and said, "Not often that we get an IRS agent trying to hitch a ride out of town."

Ed laughed at the comment as he shook his head. "I was traveling with a woman and she went on to her destination while I'm going on to mine. I didn't realize there wasn't a car rental place around here."

Still suspicious, the officer asked, "So where are you going?"

"Down to the Druid College to meet up with my family," answered Ed.

Everything sounded just a little too weird to believe. The waitress came over to the table and set down a cup of coffee in front of the officer. She backed away from the table wondering if she should put the order in for the cook to make. The officer looked at Ed and said, "That's a very interesting story. Let's see. We have a cowboy with IRS identification wanting to go visit his family at the Druid College. Have I got that right?"

"Yes, I would say that is the short version of the story," replied Ed.

"Well, I don't believe it," answered the policeman. Sitting back in the chair with his hand on his gun, he said, "It looks to me like we have an indigent with stolen identification making up a story about going to that Druid College."

Ed picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip as he considered the officer across from him. The man didn't believe him for a minute and he didn't think there was anything that he could say that would change his mind. It was time for others to speak on his behalf. He pulled out his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and hit the speed dial to the Druid College. As the number was ringing, he handed the phone to the policeman saying, "Ask them yourself."

The officer put the phone to his ear and waited for the phone to be answered. While the officer was occupied with the phone call, Ed gestured the waitress over and said, "You can put my order in now."

She looked at the officer talking on the cell phone. His face had turned pale as a result of what he was hearing on the other end. She went and submitted the order deciding that she would eat it herself if worse came to worse. In the mean time, Ed listened to this end of the telephone conversation. The officer kept answering, "yes, sir."

After several minutes, he handed the phone to Ed as he said, "John Carter wants to talk to you."

Ed held up the phone and said, "Hey, John."

"Ed, what are you doing trying to hitch rides?" There was a hint of amusement in his voice as he asked the question.

"I thought I would surprise you with an unannounced visit," replied Ed.

John said, "A certain Colonel wants to talk to you. Maybe if you were to give him a call you could get a ride on that helicopter of his."

"Don't tell me, they need someone interrogated," complained Ed.

"He wouldn't say," replied John. There was a noise in the background that sounded like one of the kids knocking over something. John said, "Figure out a way to get home. I've got to go."

"Bye, John," said Ed. He ended the call and hit the speed dial for Colonel Grey. The Colonel would not say why he wanted to see Ed, but was very insistent upon it. After a minute of conversation, he had a helicopter ride arranged.

Ending the call, he turned his attention to the officer and said, "Good news, I have a ride coming to pick me up."

"You didn't say that you were a Druid," said the officer. He looked at what Ed was wearing and wondered why he wasn't in the robes they wore when on television.

As though reading his mind, Ed said, "My robe is in the saddlebag. I'm on vacation and I only wear it when I'm working."

The discussion was interrupted when the waitress showed up with his breakfast. Ed looked over and asked, "Care for a little something to eat?"

"No, thank you."

Shrugging, Ed looked at his plate and added salt and pepper to the scrambled eggs. There weren't too many things that one could do to ruin scrambled eggs, but some folks managed anyway. He tasted the biscuit and gravy, slowly chewing as he took in the flavor. The sausage gravy had real chunks of sausage in it. Looking up at the officer, he said, "Not bad. One of my favorite southern breakfast foods is biscuits and gravy. I haven't gotten used to grits yet, but one day I'm sure I'll develop a taste for it."

"Can I ask something?"

Smiling, Ed answered, "You can ask several somethings if you want."

"Why didn't you come over to our office to get a ride?"

Ed took a bit of the eggs and chewed as he thought of the answer. It was a good question and deserved a good answer. Swallowing, he said, "I thought I'd rather meet some more people on this trip. Getting a ride from someone would give me a chance to learn more about life in this part of the country. Besides, I hate using my credentials to get favors from other law enforcement people."

Ed took another bite of his food and looked around the room. A few people were staring at him, noticing the sudden change in body language of the policeman. Glancing over at the name plate on the officer's uniform, Ed said, "Officer Givens, you might want to warn the school that they can expect a helicopter to be landing on the property in about thirty minutes."

The statement startled the officer and he reached for his radio. After a minute of discussion with the dispatcher, he asked, "What kind of helicopter?"

"An Army Black Hawk, I would imagine." The last two times that Colonel Grey had come to get him it had been in that kind of helicopter.

The officer returned to his radio forwarding the information to the dispatcher. He knew that a couple of officers would get sent over to the school just to keep order. The day had started with rumors that Nora Turner was in town last night and that had been the most exciting thing that he could imagine happening in this place. Now he had one of the most important Druids in the country eating breakfast across the table from him. In just a while, they'd have a military helicopter land at the school. He figured that he would be approaching retirement before the town saw another day this exciting.

Ed had finished his breakfast and was watching the officer across from him. With a smile, he asked, "I take it you don't have things like this happen every day."

"You can say that again. So where are you supposed to meet the helicopter?"

"The Colonel is coming here. We'll probably walk back to the helicopter."

Ed signaled the waitress for refills on the coffee. Still nervous, she came to the table carrying the pot and looked at the policeman. Officer Givens said, "Relax. He's got a ride coming to get him."

"We're expecting one more person who will definitely have coffee," said Ed. He also realized that he would probably need to change into his robe so that he would be ready to go when the Colonel arrived. He searched through his saddlebag for a minute before finding his robe. Winking at the officer, he said, "I better get dressed for work."

"Sure." Once Ed was gone, the waitress came over to the table and talked to the officer learning the identity of her customer. Her embarrassment at having called the police to report that one of the most powerful men in the country was a vagrant colored her face a bright red.

Ed returned to the dining room after having pissed and changed his clothes. His arrival was met with stares from everyone in the room. He had gone from suspicious character to a celebrity instantaneously. Walking over to his table, all eyes followed his every movement.

The time passed in its measured fashion before the Colonel, wearing his dress uniform, arrived at the restaurant. Entering, he found that all eyes turned to watch him move across the room to where Ed sat at a table with a policeman. Marching on parade was a lot less discomforting than having an entire roomful of people watching your every move. The Colonel felt like everyone was waiting for him to trip and fall. Instead, his movements became even more military and rigid. Reaching the table, he said, "We are going to have to stop meeting in restaurants."

Ed laughed at the comment and pointed to an empty chair at the table where a cup of coffee was waiting. The Colonel sat down between Ed and the Officer Givens. Ed asked, "So why were you looking for me and why didn't you call?"

Colonel Grey answered, "Well, this is nothing time critical, so I didn't bother tracking you down. I know your secretary would have been able to give me your location in about twenty minutes."

"That tells me why you didn't call. It still doesn't answer the question about why you were looking for me," replied Ed.

"I wanted you to participate in a little ceremony that we are having," answered the Colonel.

The reason made Ed very suspicious. He recalled the occasion when John was tricked into attending a FBI ceremony where he was given the Congressional Medal Of Valor. He asked, "What kind of ceremony?"

Leaning towards Ed, a smile came to the Colonel's face as he said, "A certain Colonel is getting promoted to General."

Extending a hand, Ed said, "Congratulations. You've done a lot for this country."

The Colonel took Ed's hand and shook it, pleased that he was able to hide major elements of the ceremony. He said, "Without your help, we would never have captured so many terrorists and foiled that many plots against this country."

The officer was listening to the conversation with wide eyes. He couldn't believe that anyone would delay his own promotion to General just so another person could attend. That was not as surprising to find out that Ed had been instrumental in capturing terrorists. Ed asked, "So where is this ceremony taking place?"

"We're going to the White House. The President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Acting Secretary of the Army will be present."

"It will be a private affair," said the Colonel. He picked up the cup of coffee and finished it off in one gulp. Once the coffee was finished, he said, "We better get going. We're flying to the pad at the Pentagon where a car will take us across the river to the White House."

It was a few minutes before lunch when Ed and the Colonel arrived at the White House. They were taken to a waiting room outside the Oval Office. A number of people were standing around waiting to see the President. He recognized the Secretary of Defense, but didn't know any of the others. His arrival was met with silence as each person in the room examined him. Ed turned to the Colonel and said, "This is my first time here in the White House. I've been invited hundreds of times, but never took up the offer."

From behind him, a voice said, "Yes, I know. Amazing that it takes the promotion of a friend of yours to get you here."

Ed turned around to find the President standing behind him. With a casualness that was probably rare in the circumstances, Ed said, "Howdy, Mr. President."

The President guided Ed and Colonel Grey into the Oval Office. On the edge of the desk were a number of small boxes. As the others that had been waiting outside lined up beside the President, Ed wondered where he was supposed to stand. He took a position off the to side and waited for the show to begin.

The President picked up one of the boxes and said, "This is one of the few privileges of my job that I really enjoy. Promoting and honoring men that have given service to this country that extends above and beyond the call of duty. Colonel Grey, it is with great pleasure that I promote you to the rank of General."

Colonel Grey stood at attention as the President removed the insignia of his previous rank. Single stars replaced the insignia. Once the President had stepped back, General Grey saluted his Commander In Chief. The President returned the salute before reaching back and picking up another box. He said, "A few months ago, under heavy fire, you brought down one of the largest plots against this country conceived by terrorists. For that action, it is my pleasure to award you with the Intelligence Star."

Rather than placing the medal around his neck, he pinned the ribbon onto General Grey's uniform. This was one of the few medals of honor given within the CIA. When the President stepped back, the General executed a very sharp salute, which was immediately returned by the President.

Ed had watched the ceremony with pleasure. It was nice to see that the hard work of General Grey was being given the recognition that it deserved. He was about to step forward to give his congratulations when the President turned and picked up another box. Ed was impressed that his friend was getting so awards for his work.

With a grin, the President said, "Occasionally someone provides services that are above and beyond the call of duty. On several occasions, one particular individual has provided his unique skills to perform an extremely valuable service for this nation. This, the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, is given for performance of outstanding services or for an achievement of a distinctly exceptional nature in a duty or responsibility. It gives me great pleasure to present this award to Ed Biggers."

A sinking feeling had crept into Ed's stomach as the President had started his speech that this medal wasn't going to General Grey. As the President was about to remove the medal from the case to put around Ed's neck, Ed held out his hand. After looking at the medallion already around Ed's neck, the President handed him the box without any further action. This was not the first time that a Druid had let it be known they would rather not have a medallion placed around their neck. Ed replied, "Thank you, Mr. President."

After the ceremony, the men retired to lunch with the President. Ed looked at the surroundings, more than a little impressed to be in the White House. It wasn't that Ed and John didn't have that same sense of wonder at this seat of power, but that they tried to distance themselves from the political process. It was better to work with those that had long-term positions of influence rather than individuals that had fleeting responsibilities. John had referred to it as advising the advisors.

As they gathered around the table, General Grey said, "So you finally made it to the White House."

Nodding at the obviousness of the statement, Ed replied, "Yes, I did."

The Chef came out as the soup course was served. The President looked over at the Chef surprised by his presence in the room. After a bowl of soup was ladled out for Ed, the Chef stepped forward holding a clean can in his hand. With a twisted smile, the Chef said, "Dr. Biggers. Marguerite said that you prefer your soup with can."

Ed turned to stare at the Chef for a moment and then burst out laughing. He roared and slapped his thigh as he laughed. The others around the table stared in shock, first at the Chef for interrupting the lunch and then at Ed for his reaction. After two minutes, Ed finally achieved sufficient control to reply. "No can today. How is it that you know Marguerite?"

The Chef smiled as he answered, "We went to school together. When she heard that you were coming here and might have lunch, she gave me a call."

"I'm going to have to get even with her on that one." Ed turned to the others in the room and explained, "Our Chef, Marguerite, used this opportunity to play a rather funny joke on me. I happen to like certain canned soups, a fact that bothers her tremendously. Of course, I tease her that all of her soups come out of a can. Since then, she occasionally serves me soup with a can placed in the bowl."

At the nods among the men gathered there, Ed turned his attention to the soup. The Chef watched Ed as he looked at the soup, smelled it, and then filled a spoon. Totally involved in tasting the soup, Ed had his eyes closed as he slid the spoon into his mouth. The Chef was leaning forward in anticipation. Nodding, Ed looked over at the Chef and said, "Very good. Outstanding."

The Chef relaxed and returned to the kitchen. The others around the table had watched the passion with which Ed had approached the food. The Secretary of State remarked, "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

Ed looked up and winked as he said, "Marguerite would have served the soup with the can in it."



-------

Chapter 19

Bob, furious, paced in front of the house waiting for Ed to arrive. The man had hurt his wife's feelings for no reason. When Ed came home, Bob was going to give Ed a piece of his mind before his wife had a chance to see him. His stomach churned at the thought of having to leave the house because Ed had been a bastard. Bob had listened to her vent her anger for almost twenty-four hours.

Marguerite was furious with Ed and was threatening to kill him when he arrived home. The day before, a package had arrived from one of the most prestigious cooking magazines in the country. Opening it, she had seen the silver trophy that featured an opened soup can on a marble base with an engraving that read, "Soup Can Award." Her name was engraved in large letters on the marble base. Inside was a note from the editor saying that no one deserved the award more than she did.

There wasn't any doubt in her mind that Ed had told everyone there that she cooked from cans. As far as she was concerned, this was a career killing disaster. She glared at the third place and three first place trophies from the Culinary Contest for private chefs. After receiving this trophy, those awards were worthless. She screeched, "How could he do that to me?"

George had never seen Marguerite so mad and couldn't believe what Ed had done. From the security center, he watched Bob pacing in front of the house. He was at a loss about what he should do in this circumstance. Walt sitting next to him shook his head and said, "This really sucks."

"Sure does," replied George. Scratching the side of his head, he added, "It's my job to protect Ed from them."

"Sarah is really pissed. She hasn't come out of her room all morning."

The two men shook their heads as they thought about what that meant. If Sarah and Cathy were both angry with Ed, then preventing Bob from beating Ed to a pulp would get them in trouble with the women. After several minutes of silence, George said, "Why in the hell did he do that?"

"It must be a joke that went awry," answered Walt. "It isn't like him. He's a stickler for the if it harms none, then do it rule."

The mail arrived and Bob carried it into the house to Cathy. The normal procedure was for George to check the mail for explosives and then give them to Cathy. Then she would deliver the mail to everyone. With a sigh, George said, "Watch the monitor for me and let me know if Ed shows up."

"Okay."

Once he had dropped off the mail, Bob returned to his position outside the house. Ed was running late and he wondered if Ed knew how angry Marguerite was with him. That would explain the delay in arriving at home. Outside, he resumed his angry pacing in front of the house knowing that the later Ed arrived, the angrier he would be.

Cathy sat in her office depressed at the current state of affairs in the house. The entire staff was well aware of Marguerite's fury. She announced it loudly and frequently. Everyone understood her anger, feeling that Ed had insulted them all by having a well known culinary magazine send Marguerite a Soup Can Award. Even in the office, she could hear the occasional shouts as Marguerite vented her anger.

George went through the mail with his normal dispatch until he noticed a magazine with Ed's picture on the cover. He set the magazine in front of Cathy and tapped the cover with a finger. It wasn't until she noticed the magazine with Ed's picture on the cover that she showed any interest in what he was trying to communicate. She opened the magazine and read the article. The article was about Marguerite and how she was the best private chef in the world. Her feelings underwent a complete turnabout, as she became jealous of Marguerite and the attention that Ed had given her. In hindsight, she wondered how she could have doubted Ed for even a minute.

In the dining room, Shauna was waiting for Marguerite to cool down a little. The kitchen was currently a very dangerous place to be and for the time being she preferred the dining room. She flinched as she heard the sounds coming from the kitchen. It hurt to listen as Marguerite threw pots and pans around the room with less than her normal care. The sounds coming from the kitchen were too similar to the sound of hitting canned food with a frying pan for Shauna to mistake it.

Cathy carried the mail for the kitchen into the dining room so that she could give it to Shauna rather than Marguerite. At the moment, she was a little afraid to face the woman. As she dropped off the mail, Cathy said, "You better read the magazine."

Surprised by the comment from Cathy, Shauna accepted the mail. As she picked up the magazine, she saw the picture of Ed on the cover. A sinking feeling crept into her stomach as she opened the magazine and searched for the article. She, like everyone else on the staff, knew that Ed did not give interviews. If his picture was on the cover of the magazine, then this was something very extraordinary.

Marguerite, in the kitchen, shouted, "I'm going to kill that man and can him for dog food. No, that won't do. It would be cruel to feed that to the dogs."

Shauna read the article, stunned at the content. The Soup Can Award was intended to be the greatest recognition that a private chef could receive. The award was to recognize private chefs who catered to the individual preferences of their clients regardless of how unsophisticated those preferences might be on occasion. The description of Marguerite in the article was extremely nice and demonstrated his regard for her skills as a chef. Even more importantly, it conveyed the depth of his love for her. Since the article brought tears to her eyes, she knew that Marguerite was going to be a weepy mess when she read the article.

Sticking her head through the door of the kitchen, she said, "Marguerite."

"What?" Marguerite screamed the question, giving free reign to her anger. Her arms were down by her sides with her hands curled into fists and her face was a mask of rage. Looking at the large woman, Shauna was happy that rage wasn't directed at her.

Clearing her throat, Shauna replied, "There is something that you need to read."

Angry, Marguerite retorted, "What? He's firing me? He can't fire me. I already quit!"

"Ah, Marguerite. You really need to read this," said Shauna while she held out the magazine. It was opened to the article.

Marguerite stomped over to the door and grabbed the magazine out of her hand. With the magazine crumpled in her fist she carried it to the table and threw it down. Too angry to read, she turned to leave the table, but stopped when Shauna said, "Marguerite, you should really read the article. Now! It's about the Soup Can Award."

Livid at the idea that there was actually an article about the award in the magazine, her face changed from red with rage to white with a cold fury. Shauna, seeing the look on her friend's face, left the kitchen. She didn't go far, because she knew that Marguerite would need her once she read the article.

As Cathy spread the word about the article to the rest of the staff, George and Walt came down to the dining room to provide their support. The news that it was a real award and one that meant a lot had eased the tension considerably in the house. All that was left was for Marguerite to realize what an honor Ed had done for her.

From the kitchen, Marguerite screamed, "I'm going to kill that man and can him for dog food. No, that won't do. It would be cruel to the dogs."

Shauna smiled at the difference at how Marguerite had said it this time with how she had been saying it over the past few hours. Rather than enraged, it was frustration at her mistake. The staff chuckled at the change in tone. Finally, Marguerite yelled, "How could he do this to me?"

Shauna stood and said, "Time for me to get in there. The tears are about to begin."

As the others chuckled, Shauna went into the kitchen finding Marguerite at the table crying over the magazine. With tears running down her face, Marguerite read aloud, "The greatness of a private chef is measured in how well they serve their employers. It isn't the great recipes that matter, but the pleasure that the food brings. Her food always brings me great pleasure."

Marguerite sobbed, her shoulders rising and falling. Shauna went over to her and put an arm around the big woman. In response to the show of support, Marguerite grabbed Shauna to hug her back. She said, "Did you read the part about how only the best private chef will cook any dish, even canned soup, desired by her audience?"

Shauna laughed and nodded her head. Ed had put it better than that, but her friend was barely able to see the page through her tears. Marguerite cried out, "How could he do this to me? I was so mad at him and he went and did this to me."

It wasn't hard to understand the relationship between Ed and Marguerite. An external observer might easily mistake them for newlyweds based on the way they teased each other. The staff knew otherwise, Ed and Marguerite truly loved each other. Everyone should have known that Ed wouldn't do anything to hurt her, but like many couples in love there were times when misunderstandings arose.

Marguerite, still sniffing, slowly pulled her self together and said, "I better cook something for him to eat."

Smiling at her friend, Shauna said, "I would suggest grilled cheese sandwiches and alphabet soup."

Laughing, Marguerite wiped the tears from her eyes, and said, "That would serve him right."

Ed rode up in a limousine curious why the staff couldn't come pick him up at the airport. All Cathy had told him was that the house was in an uproar and that no one could be spared. He rubbed his hands, hoping that he would beat the mail to the house. They had promised him that the trophy and the magazine would arrive today. He hoped to be there to watch the expression on her face when she saw the trophy and read the article.

The limousine pulled up in front of the house where Bob was pacing. Noticing the nervous energy of Bob, Ed got out with his saddlebag and went to talk to him. The limousine pulled away when Bob came running over to Ed. Without pausing to take a breath, he shouted, "You better get out of here before I beat the shit out of you."

Surprised by the unfriendly greeting, Ed asked, "Why would you want to do that?"

"I'm going to kill you for what you did to Marguerite," answered Bob confused that Ed might have expected any other kind of reception at the house.

"What did I do?" Ed was very confused by the angry reception and stood looking at Bob puzzled.

"She got the trophy yesterday," replied Bob, his voice chill with accusation.

"Darn, I wanted to be here when they arrived."

The reaction of Ed was so odd, that it forced Bob to think about what had happened. Bob was about to reply that Ed had to be crazy. After thinking about it for a second, he realized that Ed had suggested more than one thing was supposed to have been delivered. Puzzled, he asked, "They?"

"Yea, the magazine and the trophy," answered Ed as though the answer should be clear.

"What magazine?" He got a sinking feeling in his stomach as he asked the question.

"The magazine with the article about the award," answered Ed. A very bad feeling came over him as the thought that she might not have gotten the magazine occurred to him. He asked, "She did get the magazine, didn't she?"

"No."

"She's gonna kill me." Ed groaned and looked at the house knowing exactly what the reaction would be of receiving the trophy alone. It would have been viewed as a major insult without the article that explained the significance of the award. They had promised him that both would be delivered at the same time. The message from Cathy that the house was in an uproar made sense to him. Dreading the answer, he asked, "Did the magazine show up today?"

At the question, Bob realized that the staff didn't have the full story about the trophy. Concerned about what Marguerite would do to Ed when he came in the house, he answered, "I took in the mail, but I didn't look at it."

As the men turned to go into the house, Marguerite came running out with tears streaming down her face. Running right past Bob, she tackled Ed forcing him onto the ground as she followed him down. Straddling him, she started covering him with kisses.

Shocked, Bob stared at his wife wondering what had happened to cause that reaction. He realized that Ed was lucky, the magazine had arrived and she was happy. Sitting on his chest as she continued to cry tears of happiness, she shook her finger in Ed's face as she said, "I ought to kill you for this."

She bent down and kissed him again. This time she delivered her kisses with much more passion as her emotions went through another shift. The past few minutes had been a roller coaster of emotions. The rapid succession of emotions from anger to shame to happiness to gratitude to love left her with little control.

From beneath her, Ed struggled to catch his breath. She had knocked his breath away when she had landed on top of him. Bob, seeing him strain to breathe, bent down and pulled Marguerite off Ed saying, "Let him breath. You're going to kill him."

"He deserves it," replied Marguerite as she turned to hug Bob. It was his turn to be smothered by her in her enthusiasm. Very confused by the turn of events, Bob did his best to hold her up. Shauna came out and helped him with Marguerite while Cathy helped Ed stand once he started breathing normally.

Shaking his head, Ed said, "I take it you read the magazine article."

Marguerite spun and asked, "How could you do that to me? I've been so mad at you since the trophy arrived and then I find out about the magazine article. Now I feel horrible."

As Marguerite broke down in tears again, Ed said, "They promised that both of them would arrive today. I so wanted to be here when they were delivered, but I couldn't get a ride home. I had to wait for the limousine."

Shauna said, "You better be glad the mail got here before you did. You'd have been dead by now."

As Marguerite sniffled, Ed pulled out the ever-present handkerchief from his robe pocket and handed it to her. She accepted it and turned away as she blew her nose. Holding an arm around his wife, Bob led her back to the house knowing that she was tired and needed to be alone. Marguerite stopped and looked back at Ed. With a grin, she said, "I'm going to kill that man and can him for dog food. No, that won't do. It would be cruel to the dogs."

Everyone, Ed included, chuckled at the comment and watched as Bob led her into the house. Shauna said, "She was so mad at you. Then she read that article and hasn't stopped crying since."

"I didn't mean for that to happen. They assured me that they would both be delivered at the same time," replied Ed. The thought occurred to him that it was likely that the trophy had been broken in her anger. He asked, "Is the trophy in one piece?"

"Yes, she was waiting to break it over your head," answered Shauna, realizing for the first time that she probably would have done that. She smiled as she added, "Of course, she did dent a few pots and pans while she pretended to cook."

"Oh."

Shauna bent down and picked up the saddlebag. With an arm around him, she led him to the house. "Welcome home."

Laughing, Ed said, "Thanks. What's for lunch?"

"The menu underwent a major change about ten minutes ago. It was filet of Ed, but was changed to grilled cheese sandwiches and alphabet soup."

A huge smile spread across Ed's face at the thought of the simple lunch. Hugging Shauna, he said, "Made with store bought bread?"

"Yes. We'll make it with that horrible squishy bread that you love so much."

"That's great," replied Ed. It was exactly what he wanted to eat for lunch. He smiled down at Shauna as he hugged her. "It's great to be home."

Ed wandered down the street wearing his blue jeans and work shirt. The first house that he passed belonged to his in-laws, Dr. and Mrs. Hayes. Realizing that he hadn't seen them in a while, he went up to the door and knocked. It was several minutes before Dr. Hayes answered the door. For a moment, Ed was speechless as he looked at the doctor. The man seemed to have aged twenty years since the last time he had been home. He said, "Hi, Dr. Hayes. I thought I'd stop by and see how things are going."

"Come in, Ed. It's good to see you back in town," replied the doctor.

Ed came in and looked around the living room. It wasn't dirty, but it was a lot messier than he ever recalled it looking. Dr. Hayes, using his cane, went over to the chair in the living room and sat down with a groan. Ed moved over to a chair and sat down. "How are things going?"

"Slow. We aren't as young as we used to be," replied the doctor with a sigh.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, you know how it is. You get to a certain age and things just aren't as easy as they used to be."

Concerned with the slowness of the doctor's speech, Ed asked, "So are you keeping busy?"

"I gave the clinic over to another doctor that was looking to retire to a country place. He's a good guy."

The news disturbed Ed and made him wonder just how bad things had gotten. The doctor sounded depressed and that was not like him. Even at the worst of times the man had managed to have a positive outlook on things. His tone today sounded like he had given up. He asked, "So, where's Mrs. Hayes? Out shopping?"

"No, she's taking a nap. She woke up this morning and didn't feel very good."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Did you check her out?"

The old man was quiet for a moment as if he hadn't heard the question. Ed was about to repeat the question when the doctor answered, "She's depressed."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Why don't you and her come over for a swim later?" asked Ed hoping that it would motivate both of them to get up and move around a little.

"We'll see," replied the doctor in a tone that suggested that the answer was actually no. His hand, covered with liver spots, trembled on the cane.

The lie hung heavy in the air as Ed heard the truth. He asked, "How long have things been like this?"

"A couple of months," replied the doctor.

The doctor looked, acted, and spoke like an old man waiting to die. Since Mrs. Hayes was still in bed, it seemed to Ed that she must be in worse shape. "What happened?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the doctor answered, "The normal aches and pains of being old finally caught up to us. Her back started acting up as osteoporosis finally ate away enough of her bones for her spine to stop supporting her. My injuries have come back to haunt me."

"Is there anything that I can do?" asked Ed.

"No. We're beyond medical science," replied the doctor. He looked out the window of the living room unable to look directly at Ed. It hurt to admit that aloud, but he knew that lying to Ed was a waste of time.

Sitting across the room, Ed watched as the old man settled into himself a little more. It was more like a collapsing into depression, the relaxing into his chair. Ed said, "You can't give up."

For the first time since Ed had come, the doctor answered the question with fire, "Why the hell not?"

Ed didn't know how to answer that question and sat there staring at the doctor. Licking his lips, he said, "We need you still. The kids will be coming home in the summer and want to see you."

"I guess." The doctor closed his eyes for a moment and then said, "I'm feeling tired. Would you mind showing yourself out?"

"I don't mind. Can I hire someone to help out around the house?"

"I'll think about it."

Ed left the house worried about the elderly couple. In the street, he pulled out his cell phone and called the Druid College. When the receptionist answered, Ed said, "This is Ed Biggers. Could you get me in touch with Kelly?"

It took several minutes before Kelly picked up a phone and answered, "Hello?"

"Kelly, this is Ed."

Surprised to hear from Ed so soon after getting home, she asked, "What's going on?"

"I'm worried about Dr. and Mrs. Hayes. I think they need some of your healing magic."

There was a long moment of silence as Kelly considered how to answer the request. Finally, she asked, "Were they injured?"

"No. She's suffering from osteoporosis and his old injuries are acting up," answered Ed. If the elderly couple were beyond the help of medicine, perhaps they weren't beyond the help of magic. At least he hoped that would be the case.

"There are limits to my gift. I can heal injury, but not age. I'm sorry Ed," replied Kelly.

"I didn't realize that," said Ed as he looked up at the house.

"I'm really sorry, Ed. They are getting old. My gift can't turn back the hands of time. It can only speed up healing."

Ed squatted down finding it hard to remain standing as he processed the implications of her answer. Dr. and Mrs. Hayes were only going to suffer more as time went by. That was the last thing that he wanted for anyone.

"Ed? Ed, are you there?" The long silence worried Kelly.

"Yes, I'm here."

"What's that matter?"

"Sorry, I was just hoping that you could help them." He sighed as he thought about what he could do to make the last years of their lives happy. Tomorrow, he would go to the employment agency and interview caretakers.

"I'll come out in a week or so to see them."

"Thanks, that will make me feel a little better. I'm going to interview caretakers for them tomorrow."

The conversation ended with a recap of the episode with Marguerite. Kelly laughed as she said that he was going to have to be a lot more careful about his jokes. Of course, she had heard the whole story from Cathy already. Cathy had provided a lot more details about the twenty-four hours when Marguerite was angry with Ed.

The discussion had taken the edge off the feeling of depression that had settled over Ed. After returning the phone to his robe pocket, he headed on down the street. The office was his next stop. It was time for him to get caught up on business and see how it was doing.

There were two cars parked in the driveway and another two cars parked at the curb. Things must be going well if they had two customers. Entering, he found a woman at the desk. Two aspects of her appearance struck Ed, she was very pregnant and she was wearing large round glasses that made her look like an owl. Taken by surprised, he said, "Ah, is Lynn here?"

In a very soft breathy voice that was incredibly sexy, the woman answered, "Yes, may I know who is calling?"

"Ed," he replied wondering who the woman was.

She got on the phone and talked to Lynn. Even before she had disconnected, Lynn had burst through the door to greet Ed. On reaching him, she threw her arms around him saying, "You're back. We've missed you."

The receptionist stared at Lynn, not understanding her reaction to this man. She had been temping here for a week and had not seen Lynn act in anything other than a professional manner.

Hearing the noise, Terry came out of the computer room and spotted Ed. Coming over to him, he extended a hand saying, "You're back. It's good to see you."

Looking around the office, it was hard to miss the minor improvements. It was also a little crowded as the needs of the business had grown beyond the space of the house. Ed replied, "It's great to be back."

A young man came out of the back room. Again, Ed didn't recognize him and asked, "Are you in a meeting?"

Terry answered, "No. We were just preparing for a survey in New Mexico."

"Ah, so I take it the young man behind you is your new assistant." Although Ed had told Terry and Lynn to hire assistants, he suddenly didn't feel comfortable about the fact that they had hired people without allowing him a chance to interview them. Of course, he hadn't told the pair that he wanted to interview them.

Turning to look at the young man, Terry said, "Allow me to introduce Stan Winslow. He was recommended to me by Calvin."

The news that Calvin had been involved in hiring the kid was a major relief. As a Druid, Calvin wouldn't recommend someone that would cause harm. He faced the kid directly and said, "Hello, Stan. I'm Ed."

"Nice to meet you Ed," replied Stan still not realizing that it was Ed Biggers, owner of the business, with whom he was talking.

Lynn said, "Ed, this is Mary Gold."

"Ah. It is nice to meet you Mary." Ed tipped his hat in her direction.

In that same soft sexy voice, she replied, "It's nice to meet you."

Although tempted to say it aloud, Ed wondered how Terry or Stan managed to get any work done around that voice. Instead, he asked, "When are you due?"

"In three weeks," replied the woman as she ran her hand over her swollen belly.

"Wow," remarked Ed amazed that she still had three weeks. She looked very pregnant as though she was ready to give birth anytime. He asked, "Twins?"

"How did you know?" asked Mary.

"I have a little experience with pregnant women," replied Ed thinking about having been on hand for three women going through the greatest miracle. Turning to Lynn, he asked, "Shouldn't she be on medical leave? She's going to give birth to twins soon and should be conserving her strength."

Realizing that Ed thought that Mary Gold was a permanent employee answered, "She's the temp they sent over this week."

"Oh," replied Ed, not knowing what to make of the news.

Lynn put a hand on his arm and said, "Don't worry. We aren't working her too hard. She's just answering phones, sorting the mail, and keeping track of our calendars."

Mary replied, "I don't mind working. It beats staying at home."

It was well known how much Ed liked to spoil pregnant women. Lynn said, "Don't worry about him, Mary. He treats pregnant women like they are fragile."

"It is the greatest miracle that anyone can participate in," replied Ed as though that explained everything.

After that, Ed met with Jerry and Lynn to establish how his business interests were performing. The mine was bringing in an obscene amount of money and Ed didn't feel right about that. The businesses that he had invested in were successes and returning much more than he had invested. Even though he was donating money for computers in public schools, his balance sheets were still growing.

After business had been completed, Ed took everyone down to Shirley's Bar for tea and conversation in a more relaxing atmosphere. In the course of the conversations, he found that Stan had been a classmate of Nora Turner. While Nora's education was held back by her film career, Stan had graduated with reasonable grades.



-------

Chapter 20

Shauna set the plate in front of Ed with care. Following his normal behavior when presented with a new dish, Ed looked it over appreciating the presentation and then bent over to savor the aroma. With a smile, he picked up his knife and fork to cut a bite out of the meat dish. She held her breath, as he tasted the dish, hoping that he enjoyed it. Looking up at her, he was tempted to make one of his usual comments but realized that she was watching him with a seriousness that would make it a mistake. Biting back the comment, he said, "This is outstanding. I like the way you have interlaced the various flavors."

A smile burst over her face at the praise. She asked, "So what typical Ed comment do you have about the dish?"

"I would use flour to make pancakes," replied Ed with a twinkle in his eye. The dish had thin slices of meat with different items layered between adjacent slices. One layer was comprised of potato slices, another was spinach, a third was chopped mushrooms, and a fourth was diced bell peppers and onions. The layers had cooked in the juices of the meat as it had been grilled. Shauna had put a currant sauce over the dish and surrounded it with a salad of fresh greens.

Marguerite from the kitchen door laughed at the comment. They had argued what comment Ed would make concerning the dish and Shauna had been prepared for anything. They'd had a fun time in the kitchen trying to come up with various comments, many of them quite ridiculous.

Chuckling, Shauna said, "We missed that one. We should have known you'd come up with that after past comments about stuffed pork chops."

The rest of the staff dug in and started eating. Everyone raved about the new dish and Shauna basked in the praise. She had worked hard to come up with a new dish and she really liked it. It was easy to tell that Ed liked it and that was the best praise that she knew.

When Ed finished his serving, he asked, "What is this dish called?"

"It doesn't have a name yet," replied Shauna.

With a surprised look on his face, Ed asked, "Do you mean that you invented this dish?"

"Yes," answered Shauna with pride.

"We'll call it Shauna's Victory Meal," said Ed as he looked at Marguerite. With a wink, he added, "It celebrates your victory at creating the best new meal in this household. Sorry, Marguerite."

"It is an excellent dish," remarked Marguerite. She was proud of Shauna's development as a Chef. She added, "It is a good name. Are you going to submit it for publication?"

Shauna frowned for a moment as she considered the timing of her announcement. As far as she could tell, there wasn't a better time than the present. She had already delayed making the announcement for a week and that wasn't fair to Marguerite or Ed. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'd rather it be called Shauna's Farewell Meal."

The statement caught everyone's attention. Ed looked over at her and asked, "What?"

Shauna answered, "I'm getting married."

"That's great. Congratulations!" Ed smiled at the good news even as he mind was busy planning the wedding.

"Ah, there's a down side."

"What?" asked Ed curious what could possibly be wrong with getting married.

"We're taking positions as private chefs at the Governor's Mansion in Missouri." She looked around the room to see the reactions of everyone at the table.

Ed smiled as he said, "Darn. That means I have to visit the Governor in Missouri."

The comment was exactly what Shauna wanted to hear. She felt like she was abandoning Ed. After everything that he had done for her, there was no way for her to thank him for the opportunity to work with Marguerite. She said, "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you," said Marguerite getting misty-eyed.

Ed said, "It is our loss and their gain. Most importantly, it is your chance to shine. If you ever need some help, just give us a call."

"And if I call?"

"We'll send Bob," replied Ed as he burst into laughter.

At the far end of the table, Bob said, "Hey, wait a minute."

Marguerite retorted, "We'll do no such thing. I'll filet Ed and send him up there for you to serve him to the politicians."

"Still protecting the dogs, I see," replied Ed with a wink. He stood and went over to Shauna. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he said, "Shauna, I'd like to offer the resources of the whole family for your wedding. Anything you need or want, just let us know."

Standing, Shauna hugged Ed and cried on his shoulder. This family was just too good to be true. The notions that she had held about whites, rich people, and society had been turned upside-down as a result of knowing him. Who'd have thought that a white cowboy from Arizona would teach a New York Black woman lessons about treating people fairly? She could hardly believe the changes in her life.

Ed hugged Shauna back knowing that she appreciated him. He was going to miss her, but it was good that she was pursuing her happiness. That had changed her from an office temporary worker in New York to a world class Chef. He whispered in her ear, "Shauna, you deserve your happiness. You've worked hard to become one of the two best Chefs in the country. We're all so proud of you."

That was high praise coming from Ed, as he wasn't prone to exaggeration. If he said that she was one of the two best chefs in the world, then he meant it. She knew that for Ed, Marguerite would always be the best. To be in her class was high praise indeed.

Cathy rubbed her hands together and said, "I'd love to be at the contest next year. Can you imagine a cooking contest between Marguerite and Shauna?"

Marguerite and Shauna laughed at the statement. Marguerite replied, "It's not going to happen. The governing committee decided after winning first place three times in a row, that I'm to be one of the judges."

George and Walt had listened to the conversation while glancing at Sarah and Cathy. Both women appeared happy about the news announced by Shauna at the table, but they wondered if the pair would like to get married sometime. Ed, standing with his arms around Shauna, noticed the exchange and smiled at the two men. He decided it would be a good idea for him to talk to the pair of men later that evening.

It took time for the staff to leave the dining room. Ed, Shauna, and Marguerite were left alone. The three of them sat around the table despite the fact that it was still full of dirty dishes. Ed said, "We're really going to miss you around here."

"I'm going to miss everyone here so much," replied Shauna. Eyes misting again, she added, "You might not believe this, but I've learned so much about life living here. I like my body, my mind, and my spirit. Did you know that I hated that I was black?"

"No, I didn't know that. Why?"

Looking off into the distance, she answered, "Because I thought that God had created me black to hold me back from being happy. I saw the whole world through dark glasses that looked for signs of prejudice in everything that others did."

"That's sad," replied Ed.

"Yes, it was. Now I'm happier than ninety-nine percent of the world and that's pretty good," she said. She remembered when Leroy answered the door when she first came here to work. Her very first assumption was that he was the hired help and not one of Ed's husbands. All of her early assumptions about Ed had been proven wrong and she was glad that had been the case.

Marguerite asked, "So what are you plans for the wedding?"

"We thought we would have a small ceremony. Just family and a few friends."

"So I guess we are talking about a hundred and fifty people?" asked Ed.

"You consider that a small wedding?"

"Well, you've got a large family. What have you got, seven brothers and sisters? They all have kids. Your mother, aunts, and uncles add a few more. I imagine that your beau has some family. You've got a lot of friends here and I imagine that you have a few friends from where you grew up." Ed was trying to do the mental math to come up with a reasonable estimate of the number of people that would come.

Embarrassed, Shauna said, "My family can't really afford to fly everyone here."

"No problem. We'll charter a jet for everyone and rent two floors at one of the big hotels in Phoenix," replied Ed. He added, "That'll be my wedding present for you. I'm sure that the rest of the family will come up with a suitable wedding present for you."

Speechless, Shauna stared at Ed unable to believe that he would go to that much trouble for her. Her mouth slowly opened as the enormity of what he was offering slowly filtered through her mind. Marguerite asked, "Do you want me to get Cathy?"

"Sure."

Shauna did not say a word during the entire time that Marguerite took to get Cathy. She sat at the table staring at Ed in shock as she tried to imagine what she could have done to deserve such nice treatment. After glancing at Shauna, Cathy asked, "So what did you do to her?"

"I just offered to charter a jet to fly her family here for the wedding," answered Ed watching Shauna carefully. He was afraid that she had gone catatonic. He added, "I'd appreciate it if you would help make the arrangements for her."

"Sure. It's good to have one of you home. It was getting boring around here," replied Cathy with a smile. It wasn't entirely a joke on her part. With the family gone from the house so much of the time, the staff barely had enough work to do around the house.

Ed nodded while still watching Shauna. After another minute, he asked, "Shauna, are you okay?"

"Sure, just a little overwhelmed," replied the woman feeling like her mind and body had separated from each other.

"Good," replied Ed knowing that she spoke the truth. Looking up at the ceiling with one eye closed in concentration, he said, "Work with Marguerite to come up with catering for the wedding. I'll talk to the rest of the family and see what they want to do."

It was just like Ed to overwhelm someone and then walk away as though he had done nothing. Cathy watched as he left the dining room to pursue some other item that was on his mind. Marguerite and Cathy sat beside Shauna to talk her back to the real world.

Ed went up to the security center expecting to find George going through the evening security lockdown procedures. Instead, there was no one in the security center. He went down to the library and found George and Walt talking. Sitting down at the table, he asked, "Can I ask you gentlemen to join me upstairs to watch a sunset?"

The two men looked at each other and nodded. Walt answered, "Sure. I take it you want to talk to us about something?"

"Yes. The sun will be setting soon and it is a warm evening outside. Let's get out there before we miss it," answered Ed as he stood up.

The three went up the stairwell to the roof where the sky was beginning to show the full colors of sunset. Ed smiled as he looked at the horizon with the sun just above it. Taking his usual chair, Walt and George took chairs on each side of him. He sighed and then said, "I love this time of day."

George nodded, but didn't say anything. Walt just glanced at Ed waiting for him to get to the reason why he wanted them to come out here with him. Not saying another word, Ed settled back to watch the sunset. The colors were fantastic, with greens, blues, reds, purples, oranges, and yellows. The sky brightened and then faded as the sun disappeared under the horizon.

"When are you guys going to marry Cathy and Sarah?"

"Uh," answered Walt taken by surprise by the question.

George didn't answer immediately as he was wondering the same thing. After a delay of a full minute, he said, "I don't know."

"Well, you had better figure it out and quick. They are two lovely ladies and won't wait their whole life," replied Ed.

"They say they don't want to get married," argued Walt.

"Bah! You guys have been acting like everything is going along smoothly and there's no need for change. There is some reason why they are saying they aren't ready to marry and if you guys love them, then it is up to you to talk to them." Ed looked at George and then at Walt, his head swiveling from one to the other. The relationship among the four had felt stale to him and that bothered him a lot.

Frowning, George said, "We've talked about it."

"No you haven't. You've talked around it," replied Ed as he recalled the half-hearted conversations about marriage. He had a very good idea that they hadn't discussed the possibility in a year.

George and Walt didn't say a word, each lost in his own thoughts. The problem wasn't that they felt Ed was wrong, just the opposite. They had gone into the library to discuss the issue, but had blown it off after a few exchanges of reasons why they shouldn't bring up the subject.

While Ed allowed the two men to work throw their thoughts on the matter, he watched the stars come out as the sky darkened. He said, "Some of the light from those stars have taken longer to get here then any of us will live. It kind of puts the time we walk on this planet in perspective."

George and Walt turned to look at Ed, but Ed had stood up and walked to the edge of the building where he could see the town. They watched him as he looked down at the town with a smile on his face. Below him, lights were coming on in the houses, people were chatting in backyards lit by candles, and the traffic was dying down. Kids were running along the streets while playing games of tag as they headed home, told by their parents to be in the house when it got dark. This was his hometown and all was right within it.

Even though he had been gone for a while, Ed knew that the rhythm of life within the town had not changed. A half an hour after dark, the Sheriff would drive around town making sure that all of the kids had left the park and other places where they often hung out. After all the stores had closed, the Sheriff would walk the streets making sure that each building was locked. If he found one unlocked, he would check to see if the owner was there and, if not, call them to come down and lock the store. Towards closing time at the bar, he'd hang around the front so that anyone who was too drunk to drive could get a ride home.

The street to the house still hadn't been paved. That was part of the charm of living out here. It was as if the desert came right up to the house without interruption. The dogs still barked at real and imaginary disturbances, but the sounds of snoring had disappeared as few people slept with their windows open anymore. That was one of the subtle consequences of the Fusion Battery, everyone had air conditioning in their houses. Also gone were the sounds of bad mufflers.

He heard the shifting of George and Walt in their chairs, but didn't turn around. In the distance, a coyote howled. Elsewhere, he heard the sound of a desert owl screech as it made a kill. His eyes searched the desert in a foolish attempt to see either the coyote or the owl. Dark and distance made that impossible. He knew that, but didn't care. Sometimes one could see them when they approached town. He didn't have a horse stabled here, so going for a ride out on the desert that night was out of the question.

The town had grown over the years. Another street of houses had been added. The city council had demanded that houses be built in an architectural style consistent with the rest of the town. That reminded Ed that he had to make arrangements to have the façade on the house changed to fit an adobe motif.

Two things about the town really pleased Ed more than he could put into words. The first was that there were no cookie-cutter ranches. Each house was individual and unique. The new houses were larger as group marriages required more room. The second thing was that there weren't any green lawns marring the area. The city council had specifically voted that grass lawns were not allowed. He'd had nothing to do with either of them.

The sudden flashing of red lights attracted his attention. The Sheriff's car sped off from the park and headed towards his street. Ed watched as the events unfolded, concerned about what would cause the Sheriff to rush in that fashion. The answer came when the lady that he had hired to watch his in-laws came running out of the house waving an arm to attract the attention of the Sheriff.

He turned and ran to the stairs calling out, "Something is happening over at the Hayes house."

George and Walt immediately stood up as their training kicked in and followed Ed. They didn't know what had happened, but even as they ran past the security office both paused to get firearms and a first-aid kit. In less than a minute, all three were rushing their way to the house, jumping the fence that separated the two pieces of property without bothering to use the gate.

The woman had seen them coming and was shouting, "She's had a heart attack. Get an ambulance."

Walt turned to head towards the garage in order to get the van. By the time the ambulance showed up here, they would already be at the hospital. Ed entered the house and asked, "Where is she?"

Dr. Hayes was seated in his chair in shock. After the caretaker had discovered his wife in the bedroom, he had gone in to perform what ever aid he could. Her body was cooling down by then and he couldn't force himself to try to resurrect her. Looking up at Ed, he said, "She's dead."

"We've got to perform CPR on her!"

"You'll just end up breaking her ribcage," replied Dr. Hayes looking older than he had earlier in the day. Eyes pleading, he begged, "Let her go. It's her time."

George knew how this was going to end and left the house to wait for Walt to arrive with the van. If the van were going to be used tonight, it would be to take the doctor over to the house.

Ed realized that the doctor had not provided any first aid for his wife. Sitting down, Ed thought about it and replied, "There are two worlds side by side. In this world, the living enjoy the physical reality. In the other world, whose who have died enjoy a metaphysical reality. Neither world is better than the other is, they are just different. I'll respect your wishes."

The doctor relaxed even as Sheriff Ortega entered the house. Turning to the caretaker, Ed suggested, "Take him over to the big house for the night while I take care of the details here."

The woman nodded as Dr. Hayes said, "Thank you, Ed. I knew you would understand."

The doctor had known, but the knowledge hadn't assuaged his fears. Ed knew that and nodded at the doctor. Turning to the Sheriff he said, "Let's go find the body."

"Find the body? You don't know where it is?"

"No. I just got here."

Concerned, the Sheriff asked, "How do you know she is past hope?"

"It is her time," answered Ed not wanting to argue the point.

After a search of the house, Ed located the body in the bedroom. The Sheriff leaned down and touched her, finding that her skin was cold to the touch. The face that had wrinkled from time now appeared much smoother. The expression was tranquil. Looking at the body, Ed said, "She went without a fight, accepting death as the beginning of a new adventure. Look at the peaceful expression on her face."

The Sheriff nodded as he replied, "I've seen it before. It always amazes me."

Ed went over and closed the eyes, a detail overlooked by Dr. Hayes. Looking over at the Sheriff, he asked, "What happens now?"

"This is an unexpected death, but she is elderly. The ambulance will deliver the body to the coroner's office. They will do a simple examination of the body and check the blood to make sure that there aren't any substances that might indicate murder or suicide. After that, they'll release the body to the funeral home of your choice." The Sheriff looked down at the body of the elderly woman. This was the part of the job that he didn't like.

While the men waited for the ambulance to arrive, Ed called the Druid College. When he finally reached John, he said, "Hi John."

"Hello Ed. What's up?"

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Mrs. Hayes passed away." Ed knew that he could tell John straight out what happened as John had no fear of dying.

"Oh, that's a shame. I'm going to miss her," replied John. After a moment of silence, he said, "I'll get in touch with Leroy and let him know."

"Thanks, John. I hope everyone is coming here."

"Of course, we are. I'll charter a jet and we'll fly out tomorrow morning. We'll pick up Linda and Leroy on our way there," replied John. Births were times for the family to celebrate the life that was to be lived. Deaths were times for the family to give honor to lives that had been lived.

"I'll let Cathy know to expect you," said Ed. He was about to hang up and then added, "By the way, Shauna is getting married and moving away."

"Oh Ed. I'm so sorry. I know that you are going to miss her a lot. Still, I'm sure she is going on to bigger and better things."

"I've agreed to pay for a charter jet to fly in the family and put them up in a hotel here for the wedding," said Ed.

Laughing, John said, "Are you trying to make the rest of us look cheap with that wedding present?"

"No," replied Ed with a chuckle.

"It won't work," replied John as he hung up.

Shaking his head, Ed put away the cell phone. Turning to the Sheriff, he said, "I found out that we were losing one of our chefs today. Shauna is getting married."

"I heard you mention that to John. Are you going to get a replacement?"

Ed hadn't thought that far ahead and considered the question carefully. It wasn't clear that Marguerite required an assistant. Shauna had just stayed on after covering for Marguerite while she went on her honeymoon with Bob. He answered, "I guess that is up to Marguerite."

The Sheriff shook his head and said, "That's some staff you have there at the house."

"Why do you say that?"

Snorting, the Sheriff said, "I noticed that your guys showed up armed and with a medical kit. They were ready to kill or to save a life, with equal energy. The ladies that work in your house protect you with the same kind of willingness to hurt anyone that means you ill. I heard Sarah take apart a reporter that was trying to dig up some dirt on you guys. I never thought I would be afraid of her, but she scared the hell out of me."

"I didn't hear anything about that," remarked Ed wondering what other things were happening that he didn't know about.

"How do you get such dedicated people working for you?"

"I don't know," replied Ed as he thought about it. He said, "I can tell when people lie to me. It makes it easy to weed out the people that want to do harm to the family."

"I guess that would help," remarked the Sheriff. He laughed as he said, "Sometimes I wish Robert White Feather was around when I interview new deputies."

Ed laughed at the reminder that Robert White Feather had been partnered with Sheriff Ortega. Juan Ortega and Ed had known each other a long time, reaching back to the time when Ed was still a drunk and a bully. Ed remembered that he was Juan Ortega's first arrest when he joined the department. He said, "You and Robert were quite a pair. If I remember, you used to hate it when he went all Indian on you."

Juan laughed and said, "Yeah. He's a remarkable detective, though."

The ambulance pulled up in front of the house without the lights flashing. The two men came in and talked to the Sheriff for a minute before going about the business of taking care of the body. Ed watched as the men took the appropriate care and showed the proper respect to the remains.

It didn't take them long to put the body on the stretcher and then wheel it out to the street. Ed turned to the Sheriff and asked, "Do you need to talk to Dr. Hayes?"

"No, I'll get the coroner's report and the death certificate. He won't need to hear from me unless something funny shows up."

"Okay," replied Ed. He looked at the Sheriff for a moment and then said, "Don't be a stranger. Come on by the house around mealtime on occasion. Robert never missed a chance to eat at our house."

"Will do," replied the Sheriff.

Ed watched him leave the house and then went through the process of closing up the house. Even as he did that, he wondered if Dr. Hayes was going to return here to live. He would have to talk to the doctor about that.

With a heavy heart, he stepped out of the house. Maria was waiting for him with concern on her face. She asked, "Did she pass away?"

"Yes, she did."

Making the sign of the cross, she said, "I'm so sorry. Do you want me to let the rest of the town know?"

Looking down the street, Ed saw a half dozen faces looking in their direction. He nodded as he answered, "I guess you had better. Everyone is curious."

"Is the rest of the family coming?"

"Yes," replied Ed. He knew that half of the town would want the answer to that question as well.

Maria smiled and said, "That is good. You should not have to go through this without the support of your loving family. It is hard to lose parents."

"Yes, it is," replied Ed. He had lost his parents when he was just a teenager. Ever since they had moved here, Dr. and Mrs. Hayes had filled that role for him.

"Will John stay long?"

"I don't know," answered Ed. That was another question everyone would ask. After a moment of consideration, he said, "I will try to get everyone down to the bar one evening so that everyone can stop by and visit the whole family."

"That would be nice. I'll let everyone know." Maria reached up with a hand and caressed Ed on the cheek. She said, "Do you need company tonight?"

"No, that's okay. Oh, you might let everyone know that Shauna is getting married and moving away."

"Who is she marrying and when is the date?"

"Desmond Van Engen, a Chef at the Gourmand and I don't think a date has been set yet."

Maria smiled at the news for Shauna and knew that the town's folk would want to attend the wedding. The black woman had given a lot to the town and had always accessible for any need. Shauna and Marguerite often cooked the meals for major family and town events free of charge. It wasn't the big things that she did that were so important, but the little things. Things like helping a newlywed woman learn how to cook and bringing food over for families in crisis were the simple gifts that made her popular. She said, "I'm sure a lot of people will be happy to hear that she's finally getting married. I know a lot of us will miss her when she moves away."

"It's kind of hard to carry both emotions, happy for her and unhappy that she's leaving," remarked Ed.

It was obvious to Maria that Ed was losing another woman that he loved a lot. She sighed as she thought about the number of women that Ed loved and how many of them had gone on with their lives leaving him behind.



-------

Chapter 21

Exhausted was the only word to describe how Ed felt as he stepped into his room. He had spent most of the previous night sitting with Dr. Hayes as the old man talked about his life with his wife. The elderly doctor has loved his wife with a love that had grown even stronger in the latter years of their life together. It had been a very hard evening listening to the stories and keeping up the spirits of the doctor. On several occasions, the doctor had broken down and cried.

The morning had been just as busy. Ed had made the arrangements for the body to be taken to the funeral home, the funeral service, and flowers. Cathy had volunteered to do that, but Ed felt that it was something the family should do. No expenses were spared in the funeral arrangements. The service was going to be held in the school, since it was the largest building in town.

The afternoon was going to be just as busy for Ed. The family was returning home and that always meant a degree of chaos as the kids ran around, people dropped by, and activities scheduled during a family meeting. Throughout the afternoon, he would have to spend time with Dr. Hayes and let him know that he wasn't going through this alone.

For the moment, all Ed wanted was a nap before the family arrived. As he headed to the bed, a knock on the door brought him up short. Wondering what was the problem, he answered the door to find Cathy and Sarah with the portable massage table. They were both naked, providing a nice visual contrast. Cathy with her pale skin standing beside the dark skinned Native American beauty emphasized the attributes of each.

Cathy said, "You look like a man in need of some tender loving care. Let us give you a massage and help you relax."

Of all the things Ed had heard that day this was the best. His shoulders were tight, his back tense, and his arms heavy. A massage would solve those problems. With a smile, he replied, "That would be perfect."

Sarah rolled in the portable massage table and set out the supplies while Ed stripped. Cathy went to the stereo system and inserted a CD with soft music. Ed climbed on the table and relaxed. Cathy and Sarah went to work massaging the muscles on his back. As their hands did their magic, the muscles relaxed and he drifted into a state of mental bliss.

Sarah worked on his neck muscles, digging her thumbs into the muscles forcing the tension from the knots. Cathy worked the muscles of his broad back, spending time on those that ran along the spine. The work was unhurried, as the women were prepared to spend hours removing all traces of tension.

Ed fell into a light sleep, body and mind resting while still aware of the sensations created by the pair of women. He heard them ask that he turn over, but he didn't remember turning. Cathy gave him a facial massage while Sarah worked on his chest. After that, each woman took an arm. From the arms, they moved to his legs working the tension out of the strong muscles of his thighs.

Ed was floating in a sea of sensual bliss as his body relaxed and his mind renewed itself. When they started running their hands up and down his body with very light touches, his body reacted sexually as they had intended. Rather than move directly to rub his erection, they continued the soft exciting stroking of his body. When Linda finally reached his cock, Cathy turned her attention to his nipples teasing them erect.

Linda's hand stroked the cock up and down with a twisting motion when she reached the head. His body shuttered at the incredible sensations their hands produced in his body. With no warning, he came, shooting come over his chest and stomach. Linda smiled and said, "My cousin would be so disappointed to see that come wasted."

Without saying a word, Cathy went to the bathroom and ran a washcloth under warm water. Returning, she wrapped his cock in the washcloth. The wet warmth felt great around his cock and he sighed in pleasure. Cathy cleaned up the come off his stomach and chest.

Ed climbed off the table feeling refreshed and re-energized not realizing that almost two hours had passed. As he dressed, he said, "Thank you very much. I didn't realize how tense I was."

"You're quite welcome," replied Cathy with a significant glance at Sarah. They both knew that Ed had talked to their boyfriends last night. While the consequences of that discussion weren't known, they were sure that it would work out well for them.

"It was a nice thing you did for Shauna," Sarah said with a crooked grin. If there was anyone that took care of the women around him, it was Ed.

"Oh, hey. Any one would have done it," replied Ed with a shrug. As far as he was concerned, if you couldn't use your money to help people, then it was of no use. He glanced at the clock and stared at it wide-eyed. Surprised, he said, "Look at the time."

Cathy and Sarah prepared the massage table to be moved out of the room. In an attempt to get Ed to calm down, Cathy said, "Nothing is happening now. The family isn't due for two hours. George and Walt are with Dr. Hayes. You even have time to have a swim if you would like."

"Thanks."

Sarah wheeled the massage table out of the room as Cathy followed her leaving Ed with nothing to do. Rather than stay in his room, he left to check on the rooms for the kids. Sarah had already cleaned the rooms. The beds were made, the lights were on, and the floors were vacuumed. Even the desks had been restocked with new pens and pads of paper.

Leaving the rooms, he ran into Walt. Concerned about seeing the man given the information that Cathy had provided about him talking with Dr. Hayes, he asked, "What's up?"

"The good doctor has gone to take a nap. He said that he wanted to be alert when the kids showed up."

"Okay. That's good thinking on his part," replied Ed. There were still doubts in his mind about how well the doctor was handling the death of his wife. It was well known that when one spouse died, the other often followed within a year.

"I think the kids will be a good influence on his mental state. They'll give him something to live for."

"I hope so," replied Ed.

"Well, I'm going to double check everything for the arrival of the family. It's going to be nice to have everyone here again," said Walt. The house had been too quite for too long.

Satisfied that all was well, Ed wandered to the kitchen where Marguerite and Shauna were busy getting a meal prepared for when the family arrived. With a grin, Ed announced his presence by asking, "What kind of toxic concoction are you brewing up now?"

"Concoction?" asked Shauna with mock anger.

"Toxic?" asked Marguerite as she set down the spoon that she had been using to stir the soup she was making. She turned to face Ed with her hands on her hips as she added, "You have nerve! Now get out of my kitchen before I filet you! Out! Out! Out!"

Grinning at how Marguerite was trying to shoo him out of the kitchen, Ed said, "I know when I'm wanted and when I'm not. Definitely, now is case where I'm wanted."

"I think he has blown a fuse," replied Shauna.

Marguerite suddenly changed tack and approached Ed in a sultry seductive manner as she said, "Oh, big man. I just can't keep my hands off you. Come to momma."

Waving his hands above his head, he ran out of the room screaming, "The cooks have gone crazy!"

The two cooks watched him leave while chuckling at his antics. Shauna commented, "God, he's hard to resist, isn't he?"

"Yeah. He doesn't even know it," remarked Marguerite.

Ed went out of the house deciding that he had enough time to hit the bar and talk to Shirley. It was a little after the lunch hour and she should have a little time to spare. As he walked down the street, neighbors came out to give their condolences. He was touched by their heartfelt concern that came from a real grief over the death of his mother-in-law.

Many of his neighbors also expressed their excitement about the marriage of Shauna, asking him if she had registered at any store. Since he had no idea what that meant, he answered that he didn't know. He would ask Shirley when he reached the bar and she would explain it to him.

It took almost thirty minutes to make the five-minute walk to the bar. He didn't mind the interruptions. Stepping into the bar, he looked around and spotted Shirley behind the counter taking care of the end of the lunch crowd. He took a seat at the bar and winked at her.

While she poured a coke for him, she said, "I heard all the news coming out of your house. Some good news and some sad news."

"Yeah, that's true. I don't know if I should be happy or sad," replied Ed as he accepted the coke from Shirley.

She wiped down the bar as her eyes scanned the room to see if anyone needed her attention. Satisfied that all of her customers were okay, she asked, "Which one would you like to talk about first?"

"I guess the sad news so we can end on a happy note," replied Ed.

"Makes sense to me. I was sorry to hear that she passed away, but I've heard that you have rented the school gym to hold the service. That's nice. I know a lot of the people will be happy to know that they can attend the service."

Ed shrugged. "I thought a few people would like to give their last respects to her. She was a great woman."

"I agree. She did a lot for the community," replied Shirley. Mrs. Hayes had taken to being a community figure like a champion. Any charity or social group could count on her to support them. "The gym might not be large enough."

"I know. It's hard to believe that anyone could do that much charity work. The family was more than happy to fund a community park, but she wanted it to come from the people of the town rather than from us."

Shirley smiled at Ed knowing that Mrs. Hayes had hurt his feelings during that particular episode. She had spent a whole afternoon explaining to him that having the park given to the community by one of its wealthier members wouldn't give the rest of the town that same sense of ownership. It had taken some time for him to accept the logic of that argument. Once he had accepted it, he supported Mrs. Hayes to the fullest extent that she would allow him. Shirley smiled, "The town is very proud of that park."

"I know. She was right about that," remarked Ed.

"So tell me about Shauna," said Shirley as she changed the subject.

"She's getting married," replied Ed knowing that she wanted more details than that, but was feeling like having a little fun with her.

"I know that!"

"Oh, so why did you ask?" asked Ed with a grin.

"I want the details. Who is he? What does he do? When is it happening?"

"I don't know all the details. She's marrying Desmond Van Engen. He was a chef at The Gourmand in Phoenix, but they are moving to Missouri to be chefs at the Governor's Mansion."

"She's leaving your house?"

"Yes, she is. This is a great opportunity for her. She's lived under the shadow of Marguerite for the past few years. I know that she's learned a lot from Marguerite, but it is time for her to establish her own reputation," answered Ed.

"You're right."

With a wink, Ed said, "I feel sorry for the Governor. He's going to come into the kitchen one day and find everyone dancing."

"Oh, you're horrible," teased Shirley. She knew how proud Ed was about the skills of everyone that worked for the Carter Clan.

The comment reminded him that he had a question and asked, "What does it mean to register at a store when you are getting married?"

Stunned by the question, Shirley answered, "It is something you do so that people know what to buy you for a wedding present."

"Huh?"

"You set up a list of items that you would like to receive as a wedding present. That way, everyone can buy a plate knowing that the plate will match the plates that other people buy. When someone buys one of the items, it gets checked off the list."

Who ever had come up with that idea had been pretty clever. Nodding as he considered the idea, he said, "I was worried that we did something wrong when we got married. I thought it meant that you were supposed to go to some store to get permission to marry."

Shirley giggled as she recalled when he had confused a baby shower with a baby bath. From the look on his face, she knew that he had followed her thoughts. She said, "I hope that we get to have a bridal shower."

"You're putting me on. I know all about baby showers," replied Ed.

Shirley giggled and commented, "There really is such a thing as a bridal shower."

His truth sense told him that she was telling the truth. There really was a bridal shower and it made him wonder what was involved. Knowing that it didn't involve bathing, he said, "Now that is something that I might enjoy watching. Shauna washing in the shower."

Shirley started to react, but then realized that he was teasing her. With a wink, she replied, "I'll let her know that."

"Okay," retorted Ed knowing that Shirley would tell Shauna and Shauna would shower in front of him just to carry the joke to its logical conclusion.

The door of the bar opened as a elderly redheaded man entered. Coming over to the bar, he sat down next to Ed. With a glance at Ed, he turned his back to him as though the man was not worth talking with. Not realizing or caring that he was interrupting a conversation, the man said, "Hello, Shirley. I'll take a coke and a roast beef sandwich."

After setting a coke in front of the man, Shirley turned and called in the order to the restaurant next door. The idea of selling sandwiches in the bar had helped both businesses to the point where they had installed a window connecting them. The restaurant had become a little higher class with more formal service while the bar served the laid-back lunch crowd.

She returned to the bar and said, "Your order will be ready in about five minutes."

"Great."

Ed had watched the man without knowing who he was, but understanding that Shirley was very familiar with him. Rather than remain ignorant, Ed said, "I don't believe that we've met."

Noticing that the man had looked at Ed as though wondering who he was, Shirley performed the introductions, "Dr. Liam Connor, I'd like you to meet Ed Biggers. Ed, this is Dr. Liam Conner. He's running the clinic now that Dr. Hayes retired."

Recalling that Dr. Hayes had mentioned turning over the clinic to another physician, Ed said, "Oh, it's nice to met you."

The first impression that the doctor had of Ed was that he was just another blue-collar worker that often came into the bar for lunch. When he learned that the cowboy was Ed Biggers, he immediately revised his opinion. Ed was not the first individual for whom the doctor's first impression had to be changed. It seemed to him that half the guys wearing blue jeans in this town were millionaires. Liam replied, "It's nice to met you."

Proud of his town, Ed asked, "So how do you like living here?"

The doctor shook his head and answered, "I don't know. It's hard to tell who's rich and who's poor in this town."

Pleased to hear that, Ed agreed, "Yes, it is."

"How do you know how to treat someone when you don't know if they are business magnate or a janitor?"

Frowning, Ed answered, "You treat them all the same. How else would you do it?"

The doctor frowned at the answer. He didn't know how to charge for his services as a doctor when he didn't know if they could pay for their treatment or if they were a charity case. In the short time that he had been in the clinic, he still hadn't found the insurance forms. He said, "I don't know which of my patients are supposed to pay."

Ed looked at Shirley who rolled her eyes. It appeared to him that this was a subject that Shirley had tried to explain to the doctor, but he hadn't gotten the idea yet. She noticed that his sandwich had arrived and said, "Ed, why don't you try to explain it to him while I get his sandwich and check the rest of the bar?"

Turning to face the doctor, Ed said, "My wife pays for all of the costs of health care that is given at the clinic. There's no need to charge anyone."

"You can't run a clinic that way," replied the doctor. His time was too valuable to be wasted on patients that didn't pay for their medical services.

Manuel came into the bar and spotted Ed and the doctor at the bar. Coming over to Ed, he patted him on the shoulder as he said, "I see you've met our greedy doctor."

Ed smiled at Manuel and said, "Yes, I have. I take it he charged you?"

"Yes, he did. It didn't matter to me since I could afford it, but some of the other people in town do not like being treated like that." Manuel was stating a fact and knew that Ed would act on it. The doctor wasn't exactly popular in town although the people were always polite to him.

"Doctor Connor, I think that you don't realize that this is a community clinic. The community pays for it, even though my wife is the biggest contributor. The owner of the building does not charge rent as he believes that it is part of being a member of the community. The chamber of commerce collects money from all of the business owners to pay the malpractice insurance."

"What about my salary?"

"Your salary? Didn't Dr. Hayes tell you that this is a volunteer effort?" asked Ed.

"Sure, but there is still usually some sort of salary that the doctor gets as part of a non-profit practice," answered the doctor.

"Not in this town, senor," replied Manuel with an irritated glance at the doctor. He added, "You'll get free admission to community events. Of course, so does everyone."

"I don't get how you can do things this way. It's not good business," replied the doctor as he looked at the sandwich that Shirley had just set in front of him. She refilled his coke and went to take care of another table.

Laughing, Ed leaned on the bar and replied, "It's not business, it's about community. This is my hometown and I care about it a lot. Everyone in this town looks out for everyone else. If you paint your house, half of the town will show up and help. The women will cook and it will turn into a party. If you have a tragedy, everyone will be there for you. You'll find people delivering meals, offering to sit the kids, give you a ride to the airport, or help in any way possible."

The doctor took a bite of his sandwich and listened to what Ed was saying. He wasn't sure that he believed a single word of it. Manuel said, "I'm going to have to run. I heard you were in here and just wanted to stop by to offer my condolences about Mrs. Hayes."

"Thanks, Manuel," replied Ed.

"I found five hundred chairs. We'll get them brought over to the high school for the service and set them up."

"Thanks, I hadn't even gotten to that detail yet," replied Ed relieved that he didn't have to find chairs for everyone to sit on. He said, "I'll let Cathy know. There are still a lot of details that I haven't taken care of yet."

"Such as?"

"I haven't written the obituary, lined up the priest, or selected the music," replied Ed.

"The paper already has an obituary written for her," replied Shirley as she returned to the bar. She added, "They have one for a number of the leading members of the community. Yes, they even have one for you."

"Oh, I hope that mine tells the truth about me. So many people exaggerate what I do," remarked Ed. He wondered if he could ask to edit his and take out some of the more sensational claims. "Maybe they'll let me edit it."

Shirley and Manuel laughed. Manuel said, "Bye, I'll see you later."

"Great. Give my regards to your family."

Manuel left with a wave over his shoulder while Ed watched him exit through the door. The flash of bright light as the door was opened hurt the eyes. Ed turned back to look at the doctor. "As I was saying, this town looks out for each other. Can you imagine that Manuel went to the bother of locating five hundred chairs for the funeral? What a nice guy."

The doctor swallowed and said, "He's rich and that's something that rich people do."

"You do worry about money, don't you?"

Richard Green stopped by on his way out of the bar and put a hand on Ed's shoulder. Shaking his head, he said, "Sorry about Mrs. Hayes, she was a grand woman."

"Thanks Richard. It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"I might be able to get a horse drawn funeral carriage. You know, one of those old fashioned carriages. My cousin in Phoenix knows someone that has museum. Should I try to get it?"

"Wow, that would be outstanding. Go ahead and try," replied Ed.

The doctor listened to the exchange. Everyone that had stopped by had offered to do something for the funeral. Others came by and gave their condolences offering to bring food, play music, and other little acts of kindness that came to creative minds. Ed thanked everyone for his or her thoughtfulness. When the line of people had ended, the doctor said, "You seem to talk to everyone."

"I do talk to everyone," replied Ed surprised by the comment.

"It doesn't matter to you if they're poor? I mean, I'm sure that they are hitting you up for money all the time," said the doctor.

"Actually, no one has ever asked me for a dime," said Ed. He had never given it a thought before and saying it aloud made it sound rather odd. "I wonder why?"

Shirley winked at Ed and said, "That's because they know you'll beat them up."

Ed laughed and slapped his thigh. Leave it to Shirley to put things in perspective. He retorted, "Darn straight."

Shirley leaned on the bar looking at the doctor as she said, "Ed gives people something far more important than money. He gives them respect. You know Manuel. I bet you didn't know that Manuel was the poorest man in town at one time. Ed is the one that helped him become a multi-millionaire and he helped him without giving him a single penny."

"Shirley, you are always exaggerating my role in it. All I did was get him to talk to you about running his business like a business."

"Right. You keep saying that and one day some poor fool is going to believe you," replied Shirley. It was a long-standing point of contention between the two of them as to who helped Manuel the most.

"I thought that he was always wealthy," replied Liam.

Ed shook his head and said, "You've never really talked to him, have you?"

"Not really," answered the doctor. The elderly Hispanic man didn't like him, particularly after the visit to his office. He wondered if he had taken the wrong approach in dealing with people.

Rosa came into the bar and headed directly to Ed. She threw her arms around him and said, "Oh, Ed. I'm so sorry about Mrs. Hayes."

"Thank you, Rosa. I guess Maria gave you the news."

"No, I heard about it while I was at work. It only took about twenty minutes for word to spread through town."

"I love this town," remarked Ed amazed at how news spread from one end to the other so fast.

Rosa said, "I wanted to come over last night after work, but I figured you were probably exhausted. Maria and I were thinking that maybe we could help Dr. Hayes out and clean the house."

The offer was very nice, but Ed didn't know what to think of it. He replied, "I'm not sure if Dr. Hayes will be moving back into the house. I'd like to keep him close to the family to help ease the shock."

"He's taking it hard?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Very hard. The past few years have been very good for them as a couple. He's going to miss her."

Rosa put a hand on Ed's hand as she said, "You'll take good care of him, I know you."

"Are you heading back to the house?" asked Ed.

"Yes."

"Let me walk with you," replied Ed as he stood up and put his money on the bar to pay for his coke. He added, "Family is coming home in a little while and I want to be there."

"Sure, Ed."

Ed turned to the doctor and said, "Doctor Connor, I don't know you, but I do have some advice for you. Stop trying to make money out of the people here. That will lead to a state of poverty worse than you can possibly imagine. Get to know them and you'll be richer than anyone you know."

The doctor turned to stare at Ed wondering if it was some kind of threat. As far as he was concerned, there were a lot of very powerful people in this town and it wasn't a good idea to anger them. The problem was that you never knew who was rich and who was poor. He looked over at Ed and replied, "Thanks for the advice."

Shaking his head at having heard the slight dissonance of a lie, Ed replied, "I know you don't believe me that it is advice, but it is."

Taking Ed's hand, Rosa left the bar pulling him with her. The doctor stared at them leaving. Shirley commented, "Ed loves everyone in this town."

As Ed and Rosa walked down the street to their respective homes, neighbors came out and chatted with them. The support of the townspeople was just as refreshing as the massage that he had received earlier that day. Their support was a massage of the spirit, calming and a reminder of inner strength.

Ed stopped at the old house of John and examined it. The staff maintained the house, but it was seldom used. It looked sad being empty so much of the time. Rosa noticed the way that Ed was looking at the house and said, "He needs to do something about the house. It's wrong to leave it empty so much of the time."

Nodding, Ed said, "I think that he intended to use it for long term visitors that wanted to retain a little of their privacy."

"Oh," replied Rosa. "Why is it empty?"

"Everyone likes to stay at the big house," answered Ed.

It made sense that people preferred to stay at the large house. The hospitality was outstanding with the staff taking care of all needs and most wants. She said, "Houses are meant for families. I think our family would be happy to see some families move in around us."

Ed looked across the street at his house and realized that while running a business out of it was convenient for him, it was not good for the neighborhood. He smiled at Rosa and said, "You're right. I shall talk to John."



-------

Chapter 22

The plans for the funeral evolved beyond anything that Ed could have imagined. The service was held outdoors in the park under the open air. The clear blue sky had turned a darker shade of blue, the mountains in the distance were sharp, and the wind was gentle. The temperature was not hot or cold, but comfortable. Everything combined to make it a perfect day for outdoor events.

The park was filled with people dressed in their Sunday best. The casket was under a white canopy, surrounded by flowers of all kinds. Small vases were given the same exposure as the large arrangements. The aroma of the flowers floated through the air. The high school orchestra played music in the background.

The hearse stood off to the side drawn by two black horses. It was black with glass panels along the side and back to allow the mourners to see the casket. The glass was etched with delicate flower patterns. Two brass lanterns, one affixed to each side of the front, reflected the sunlight. The driver was dressed in an antique undertaker's outfit loaned to the driver by the same museum that had loaned them the hearse.

The family sat as a group to the side. Ed, John, and Kelly wore their Druid Robes. Leroy wore a black suit with a black armband. Linda and Ling were dressed in plain black dresses. Little John wore the blue robe of an initiate. Beth wore a black dress in the same simple style of the dresses worn by their mothers. William wore a suit of the same cut as Leroy. Betsy was wearing a black jumpsuit. Dr. Hayes wore an old blue suit looking small and defeated. The staff sat behind the family as a group, the men wearing their suits and the women dressed in black.

When the music died, the Presbyterian Minister walked to the podium as the music came to an end. He led the people gathered through a prayer. Looking around at the huge crowd, he said, "Elizabeth Hayes was a loving wife, mother, and member of the community. She touched the lives of many people and they were better for having known her."

Ed listened to the minister talk about Mrs. Hayes wondering how well the man actually knew her. Much of what he was saying was the generic kind of talk that one gave anyone that had managed to live over eighty years. At least he didn't make the mistake of calling her a grandmother, although the kids thought of her in that manner. He glanced over at Leroy observing the tears running down his cheeks. Of the whole family, Leroy was taking her death the hardest. Dr. and Mrs. Hayes had played a major role in his life when he first joined the family.

Dr. Hayes sat in his chair, his eyes fixed ahead seeing nothing. If it wasn't for his trembling hand on his cane, one could have mistaken him for a wax figure. It was hard to determine if he was hearing anything that was said. The man's behavior concerned Ed. It was as though he had given up on life and was waiting to die.

Rather than a single eulogy, the family had decided to have three of them given by different people that had known her in different contexts. Ed had argued that Mrs. Hayes was a woman of subtle complexity. No one person could know all that there was to the woman.

Maria spoke as a neighbor and told stories about how she had helped her neighbors in the manner that kind people usually did. There had been more than one occasion in which Mrs. Hayes had sat up the night watching over the children of families that were in the midst of a crisis. The kids of the neighborhood had always felt free to come to her house for milk and cookies while telling her their problems of being young. She spoke of simple acts of kindness that anyone could perform, but few would take the time to do them.

By the time that Maria had finished, there were few dry eyes in the crowd. She had reminded everyone of the debt that they owed the elderly woman. Even teenagers were in tears as they recalled the times spent visiting with her and the kindly advise she had given them. Ed had not been aware of those activities, knowing her as a family member that helped bring a longer-term perspective to life's problems.

The Mayor spoke about how Mrs. Hayes had volunteered so much of her time to making the town a better community. He mentioned the hard work and dedication that had been required to establish this park. Pointing to the gazebo, the playground, the baseball field, the soccer field, and the picnic area, he described how she had a vision that had become real. It was the high point of her service to the community. He announced how the town council had met the previous night and voted unanimously to have a statue of her erected in a corner of the park. The statue would show her watching over the park as a kind of guardian angle.

The announcement of the statue was greeted with murmurs of acceptance at the gesture and a smattering of applause. Ed glanced at Dr. Hayes and saw that the man didn't react at all to the news about the statue. His spirits fell, as he knew that the doctor had given up and would die within a few months.

When Leroy stood up to speak, everyone sat up to listen to what he had to say. Despite how active the individual members of the family were in the town, few people understood what life inside the family was like. After taking a deep breath at the podium, Leroy said, "Once upon a time, generations of family lived together in a single town. Today that is rare except for a few towns like ours. It is a shame, because every generation needs to learn from the one that proceeded it."

He paused before asking, "How does one learn how to grow old gracefully without an example to follow? Who will tell you that retirement comes much sooner than you can believe? Who will be there to remind you that you did the same things as your children when you where their age?"

Looking around at the townspeople, he said, "When you live separated from the previous generation, the answer is no one. The key to the future lies in the past and for those of us who live separated from our parents, that key is denied us. We were fortunate the day that Dr. and Mrs. Hayes moved to our town. They brought us that key."

"From the very beginning, Mrs. Hayes gave us valuable insights. I often went with her to Phoenix when she was picking out the material for her new house. On the way we would talk about things. Much of it was about trivial stuff, such as how colors affect moods. Other things were much deeper. I remember one day when she said that personal comfort was easy, but providing comfort for a group of people was an art. Later I thought about it and realized that she had expressed a great truth."

"When I would start to get impatient, she would put a hand on mine and tell me to relax. She would remind me that the difference between some task taking five minutes and ten minutes was nothing in the span of a lifetime. Last month, when you waited in line to pay for something and the person at the register was slow, did the world stop because of the extra five minutes spent in line? No it didn't."

"She taught me to remember that we have time to achieve things and to smell the roses. I remember being worried about a particularly major exam one day. She had seen me growing increasingly more nervous. She told me that all things occur in their time and season. The season for getting prepared was over and that it was now the season to do. I should do and reap the crop that I had sowed over the past months whether it was a bumper crop or a disaster. In thinking about it, I knew she was right. Last minute cramming would only destroy the hard work that I had done over the full semester."

Leroy looked down at his notes and then back up at the people assembled before him. The elderly were smiling while the middle- aged adults were nodding. He continued, "It is important to have grandparents. Who else will explain to a child why their parent is acting they way they are? Who will tell them the story about what happened to their parent at the child's age and how that affected them for life? Sure, grandparents spoil their grandchildren, but they also teach them important lessons of life."

"My parents live in Georgia. John's parent's are in Texas. Kelly's parents are in New Mexico. Ling, Linda, and Ed have all lost their parents. It was Mrs. Hayes who stepped in and provided those stories for our children. Our family needed her more than most. She was a mother to the adults and a grandmother to the children."

After a final pause, Leroy said, "We have come to honor Elizabeth Hayes, wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved us and we loved her. We mourn her passing with our hearts and souls."

Leroy walked back to his seat and sat down, exhausted by the toll the emotions of his talk had taken on him. As the minister led others through more prayers and a sermon taken from the Bible, Leroy cried. Ed put an arm around his husband to provide comfort and to let him know that he wasn't in this alone.

When the sermon finished, six men from town stepped forward to carry the casket to the waiting hearse. It was a solemn procession that echoed across centuries, six men carrying a casket to a horse drawn hearse followed by the grieving family dressed in black. It only took a few moments to load the casket.

The driver jiggled the reins and the horse began to move at a slow pace. The family walked behind the hearse with the exception of Dr. Hayes. Bob drove a small tram that one of the people in town had located for the purpose of carrying the old and infirm to the graveyard that was a quarter of a mile from the park. The rest of the town followed behind them on foot.

The service at the gravesite was very short as the minister read the famous 'Dust to dust' passage from the Bible. The casket was lowered to the ground and it was then time for the family to drop a handful of dirt into the grave as a last act of farewell. Leading the way, John went to the graveside and said, "Fare thee well, Elizabeth Hayes."

Kelly, Ed, and the children repeated the same statement when it was their turn at the grave. Leroy broke down and wept like a baby as he dropped a handful of dirt. Ling and Linda guided Dr. Hayes to the grave. With wooden movements, he dumped the dirt into the hole. It was hard to tell if he even knew what he was doing.

Once the graveside activities had finished, everyone headed to the high school where a feast had been prepared. The solemn mood lifted as people got closer to the gymnasium. Muted conversations became louder and the tinkle of laughter carried through the air. It reminded Ed how resilient the human spirit was.

Nudging John, Ed stopped and waited for the kids. Ling held the leash to a harness that Betsy was wearing. Betsy was tugging on it trying to move faster than her mother was walking. The little girl had learned to walk recently and had gone from walking to running almost immediately. It was with more than a little relief that she turned the leash over to Kelly.

Beth was walking with her boyfriend, John, and didn't want to be disturbed by the adults. When Little John and William reached them, the men picked the boys off the ground and carried them on their shoulders. The boys giggled, happy that their fathers were ready to play again. It was a short ride as the men set them down when they reached the school.

In the gym, long rows of tables were arranged as a communal eating area. The halls leading to the gym were filled with tables loaded with food that had been brought over by the townsfolk. The family moved through the halls loading up their plates with food. Near the door of the gym several men were slicing meat off a goat that had been cooked overnight in the ground. Ed took several slices, as this was a special treat that he only had about six times in his life.

The family spread out over the gym to allow access to the most people. Ed, Ling, and William sat at one table. Dr. Connor joined them at the table after he had a very awkward conversation with John and Kelly. In fact, the entire day had been confusing for him. He had never seen an entire town turn out for a retired woman in the fashion that they had.

Once everyone had settled down and started to eat, William, in a very quiet tone of voice, said, "This is my first experience with death. I'm not sure what to think of it."

Surprised by the comment, Ling asked, "What do you feel?"

"I miss her already. Throughout the service, I kept thinking that she would have enjoyed hearing what people said about her. What Daddy Leroy said about grandparents sharing stories about our parents really struck me as wise. I am unhappy that I will never have the chance to talk to her about those kinds of things."

Nodding, Ed said, "That is perfectly natural."

"Yes, but that is not what confuses me."

There were times when the children absolutely amazed Ling concerning their maturity. It didn't seem normal to her that five- year-olds should discuss death in such an adult manner. She asked, "What confuses you?"

"Grandfather will be dying soon, but I think that the funeral for him will be a very different affair. It will be much smaller. I don't understand why that will be the case."

The comment demonstrated William's keen insight into the world around him. Ed said, "Your grandfather is pulling away from life and making his peace with those around him. People will not feel the same need to say their farewells to him when he dies because they will have already done so. Many people come to a funeral to support those that live on rather than out of individual loss. They know that the person that needs support is your grandfather. When he passes, the need to support the rest of the family is pretty small."

"Oh," replied William as he thought about the answer. He glanced at the doctor sitting across the table from him and asked, "What are your impressions about dad's explanation?"

The doctor was taken by surprise at being asked the question. He had difficulty believing that the small child in front of him was discussing this matter in such an adult manner. It was a hard question to answer since he was confused by the funeral as well. He replied, "I suppose that his explanation is as good as any."

"That tells me nothing," replied William reassessing the doctor.

The comment struck the doctor like a slap. He wasn't used to having people counter him in such a direct fashion. Stuttering, he replied, "I'm sorry you feel that way."

"You aren't used to having your authority challenged," replied William. That was a new phenomenon to him, since the Druid College was an area where every individual's grasp of facts was constantly challenged. He wanted to explore that more than his question concerning the funeral. Adopting the same expression of concentration that was common in the classroom, he asked, "Why?"

"I don't think you'll understand the reasons, boy." The doctor was tired of having the people of this town challenge his authority. Patients that balked at paying for medical services, rich people that didn't act rich, and children that didn't act like children confused him.

Shocked at the answer, William asked, "On what grounds do you base your statement that I do not have the cognitive capability or capacity to understand what you say?"

Used to William's direct manner of questioning people, Ling covered her mouth to hide her smile from the flustered doctor. Ed leaned forward interested in how the exchange would continue. The doctor stared at William surprised that he even knew the word cognitive, much less used it correctly in a sentence. Deciding to put the child in his place, he relied, "You are, what... , five or six years old. You don't have the life experiences that would enable you to understand my answer. I suggest that you learn how to respect your elders."

"That's a specious argument," replied William. "First, my age has little to do with cognitive abilities. Second, you don't know what life experiences I have had. Third, your statement that I learn how to respect my elders suggests that such respect should be automatic and that I don't respect adults that are deserving of respect."

The doctor turned to Ed with a frown and said, "Your son is rude."

"Actually, I think he is right. He asked honest questions of you and you have consistently avoided answering him by claiming an authority that you haven't demonstrated."

The doctor bristled and said, "I am a medical doctor. I hold people's lives in my hands."

"That is a frightening thought," remarked William.

"Pardon?"

"You claim to hold people's lives in your hands, but you don't seem to want to know them," replied William as he stood dismissing the doctor. Turning to his father, he said, "I'm going to go outside to the playground."

"Okay, son," replied Ed. He looked over at his son as he walked away. Although he wouldn't say it aloud, he was very proud of his son's assessment of the doctor. It agreed with his assessment. Turning to face the doctor, Ed said, "I think that you have been judged and found wanting."

The doctor was furious by the child's statement and said, "How dare he judge me?"

Proud of her son's handling of the doctor, Ling answered, "I think he dared with great ease."

Ed leaned across the table and said, "You are angry because he nailed your attitude towards your patients."

"I didn't move here to be insulted like this," replied the doctor furious.

"Why did you move here?" asked Ed knowing the answer. His gray eyes bore into the soul of the doctor with the kind of intensity that made dishonest people blanch.

The doctor looked at Ed and realized that he should be very careful in how he answered. The truth was that he thought he would move into a small town and become the big man in the community. That had not been the case. The woman that ran the bar had far more respect and power in the town than he had been able to acquire. The hostess at the Mexican restaurant seemed to carry more weight than he did. He answered, "Because I thought they needed me."

"And you automatically assumed that their need would translate into respect for your opinion in all things," commented Ed still staring at the doctor.

The doctor glanced down at the robe that Ed was wearing, reminded again that Ed was a Druid. His first encounter with Ed had been when Ed wasn't dressed as a Druid and he had forgotten with whom he was talking. Now, the robe, the intensity, and the manner in which Ed treated him made it impossible to ignore the fact that Ed was a Druid. The doctor answered, "Yes, that would follow."

"That doesn't follow," replied Ed. He added, "Manuel is the founder of a huge company that now covers the whole country. Would you respect his opinion in medicine?"

"No."

"So why should he respect your opinion about business? He respects Shirley and her opinion because she showed him how to treat his business as a business. I know you're thinking to yourself that she only owns a little bar in a small town. That doesn't detract from her skills as a businesswoman. She deals with payroll, taxes, and insurance just like businessmen everywhere."

The doctor raised an eyebrow and sat back in his chair. Ed continued, "Or how about Rosa, the hostess of a restaurant? She's just a wife of a successful businessman. Her sister is the one that owns the restaurant. Why does she get the respect that you think you deserve? She's a tough, smart, and gifted woman. A lot of girls in this town owe their acceptance of themselves to her. She helps everyone to the best of her ability."

"Even the janitor at the high school is important in this town. He's on the city council and works hard to make sure that the voices of the poorer people are not ignored. Oh, he's also responsible for some of the toughest building codes in the state to assure that the character of the town doesn't change."

The doctor realized the lives of this town were a lot more connected than he could possibly have imagined. He wondered if he hadn't taken a prejudiced view of the people here. He replied, "Surely there are some that are more important than others."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "You mean like John or I?"

"Of course," replied the doctor.

"We play a very minor role in this community. People like us, but we don't influence events much at all," countered Ed. The family gave money to support community activities and personal advice to individuals, but did not control anything. None of the family sat on the city council or even supported candidates running for office. Changes in town came about because of the community members working for them. He asked, "Did you know that we are changing the façade of our house to be compliant with the new building codes?"

"You shouldn't have to do that," argued the doctor amazed that this family allowed others to place restrictions on them.

"We don't have to do it. We are doing it to be good neighbors."

"But you are rich."

Ed leaned back and asked, "Do you think that the people of this town would have gone through so much effort for this funeral if we used our money to control life here? I don't think so. We could have paid for the best orchestra in the country, but it wouldn't have meant half as much as the high school orchestra that did play at the funeral. Why? Because it was a gift."

Ling tugged on Ed's arm and said, "You had better circulate. I notice a few people would like to talk to you and I need to get Betsy to give Kelly a break."

Ed looked around and noticed a number of people looking in his direction as though afraid to interrupt the intense discussion. He smiled and waved to them to let them know he would be over there in a minute. He stood up and said, "Doctor Connor, it's been an interesting conversation. Oh, and one more thing that you might want to know is that William is about to graduate high school at the age of six."

Rising from her seat, Ling added, "We are trying to figure out what college he should attend in two years. For your information, all three of our kids have perfect scores on the SAT."

The doctor sat there stunned at the revelation. No wonder these parents listened seriously to their children. Winking, Ed said, "You might be pleased to know that this little town has the highest average SAT scores in the country."

The pair walked over to the group that had attracted their attention. It was the Martinez-Montoya family, a group marriage of four adults and eight kids. They had been neighbors and had extended each house to form a single residence. In fact, they were one of the first group marriages to form after the Carter Clan was formed. Carlos Montoya said, "Our family is very sad for yours."

"Thank you, Carlos. How are you and your family doing?"

"We are doing well. Juanita has started a new business and it is taking off."

Searching his memory, Ed had recalled hearing that Juanita Martinez had started a business. If he remembered correctly, it was a tanning salon in Phoenix. He said, "The tanning salon?"

"Yes, you knew?" asked Juanita surprised that Ed would bother to know anything about what she was doing.

"I had heard that you were starting one," replied Ed. With a laugh, he added, "Even though I often sit out in the sun, I'm so pale I should probably come visit your place sometime."

In a light teasing voice, Ling said, "Ugly pale. So ugly that we don't want him naked."

Juanita smiled and remarked, "Of course that hasn't stopped you from getting him naked. I've heard stories about his package."

Ed blushed at having his cock discussed in such an open manner in front of the whole Martinez-Montoya family. Carlos laughed and said, "I think the two of you have embarrassed him."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "You get used to it when you're around my wives for any length of time."

Carlos shook his head and said, "You get used to it when you are around my wives too."

Ling and Juanita walked off to talk to each other with a little more privacy. Ed and Carlos watched them leave, puzzled at what they might want to discuss. Ed said, "By the way, I wanted to thank you for cooking the goat. I loved it."

"You're quite welcome. We only do that once a year for major family reunions."

Ed nodded and knew that it would be rude to beg for an invitation to a family reunion just to eat. He asked, "Would you mind telling Marguerite how to make it?"

"Marguerite?" asked Carlos with a false frown that slowly turned into a smile. "That's right. She's your chef. So is Shauna."

Ed returned the smile as he nodded his agreement. He said, "I would ask you to teach Shauna, but she's getting married and leaving us."

"Normally, I only grant the first two requests for my recipe and two people have already asked."

The look of dismay that crossed Ed's face caused the family to laugh. Puzzled by their reaction, he asked, "So who asked for the recipe?"

"Marguerite and Shauna," replied Carlos with a grin. "Don't let them know that I told you they are getting the recipe from me."

"Okay," replied Ed with a grin deciding that they were setting him up for a little joke of some sort. They would probably have him begging them to get the recipe. He could play that game as well as they could. After a thought, he asked, "Getting?"

"Yeah, I'm going to make it for Shauna's wedding party. They'll get the recipe then."

That was going to be fun. Ed was going to be able to tease them about the delay for a long time. He winked and said, "Why don't you let them know that you already gave me the recipe?"

Carlos looked at Ed and could tell that Ed was going to have fun with this if he gave him anything that Marguerite didn't already have. He said, "I'll give you the first half of the recipe. How's that?"

"Great," replied Ed.

"First you get a kid goat that is about eighteen pounds. Then you dig a deep pit and build a fire in it using dry hardwood. Once the fire has burned down to coals, you shovel pea gravel over them until you have a two-inch layer. I'll give you the rest of it later," replied Carlos with a grin.

"You gave me the part I already know," complained Ed.

Carlos winked and returned to his family. He called over his shoulder, "I know. Have fun teasing Marguerite and Shauna."

Ed laughed and shook his head as he searched out others that might want to talk to him. A large number of women were gathered around Shauna wanting to get details about the wedding. It was clear from the way the town was acting that everyone assumed they would be invited to attend.

Spotting John across the room, Ed went over to join him. When he arrived, he said, "I think the guest list for Shauna's wedding has reached the same level as our first wedding."

John laughed and replied, "You're getting off cheap by paying for her family to show up. I agreed to feed everyone and make the arrangements for a location at which to hold the ceremony."

"You're just jealous that I got first pick," replied Ed with a wink.

"By the way, Sherry is looking for you," remarked John pointing in the direction in which he had last seen her.

"Oh, any idea why?" asked Ed as he watched Ling chasing down Betsy. The little girl was moving all out.

John smiled at how Sherry had phrased her request and replied, "Oh, she mentioned something about needing to play with a Doc Biggers Sex Toy."

Ed broke out in laughter and said, "I'll see you later."

The quiet hall of the school echoed with their footsteps as Ed followed Sherry to the other end of the high school building. She stopped in front of a classroom and beckoned him to follow her into the room. He followed her into the room after checking to make sure that the hallway was empty. Inside, Sherry knelt in front of him and lifted his robe over her head. With a quick pull, she dropped his briefs down around his feet, giving access to his cock.

It only took her a minute to take his cock in her mouth. There was something sexy about feeling a cock come erect within her mouth. It was as though with each pulse of blood filling the organ, the man was surrendering his control of the situation over to her. She loved that sensation and rubbed herself getting excited.

When his cock had come fully erect, she was ready to go. Coming out from under his robe, she went to the desk and bent over while lifting her dress as her panties hit the floor. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "Give me that Doc Biggers Sex Toy!"

Lifting his robe so that it rested across her back, he plunged into her knowing that she was ready for him. She pushed back speeding his entry to where he filled her with the first stroke. She grunted and said, "Hard, I want it hard."

Ed began to pound into Sherry with strong vigorous strokes, pulling out to the point where his cock almost slipped out of her before shoving it back in. He loved it when she was like this, all fuck and no nonsense. Her large ass cushioned his thrusts as her whole body moved under him. Like many men, there was once a time when Ed had been disgusted by the thought of having sex with a fat woman. Experience with Sherry had dispelled that disgust as he found that he enjoyed the softness of the experience.

As Ed pounded into Sherry, the teacher's desk on which she rested herself slowly moved closer to the wall. Enjoying the sensation of getting fucked by a huge cock, Sherry was in heaven and wondered if he would come before the desk hit the wall. The thought triggered an orgasm. Ed followed right behind her, coming just before the desk hit the wall. His final thrust was met with an echoing bang.

Ed pulled out of Sherry and helped her to clean up using a handkerchief from his pocket. She said, "Thank you, so much. I really needed that."

Ed asked, "What brought that on?"

She turned and sat on the desk facing him as she answered, "Funerals always make me horny. It's as though the idea of death drives me to create life. I know, it's kind of sick."

That was a twist on attending a funeral that Ed had never heard before and wondered how common it was. He thought about it and answered, "I don't think it is sick. I was glad to be of help."

"You're a good man, Ed."



-------

Chapter 23

Sitting in the living room, Ed was watching the weather channel. Everyone was flying out the next day for the new academic school year at the Druid College and he wanted to make sure that the weather would be good for their flight. Betsy came running into the living room and ducked behind the couch. A minute later, Ling came in the room and looked around. "Where is she?"

Ed pointed to the end of the couch and said, "You've been found, Betsy."

Betsy came out and started to tear out of the room. Ling caught her at the last minute and said, "Stay right here, young lady."

She bent down and put a band around her daughter's ankle. Observing the action, Ed asked, "What's that?"

"A tracking device," answered Ling. She shook her head in frustration. Trying to keep up with Betsy was a full time job that didn't give her a minute of peace. She looked over at Ed and said, "You should never have taught her to play hide and seek."

"I didn't teach her," replied Ed. Betsy had figured that game out all by herself.

"She didn't make it up." Ling straightened up and put her hands on her hips in frustration. Looking down, she saw that Betsy was already gone. She stamped her foot and started a tirade in Chinese.

Recognizing that his wife was at her wits end from chasing Betsy around the house, Ed stood and said, "I'll watch her for an hour."

He headed out of the living room searching for Betsy. It took him a minute to realize that she was running around the enclosure for the atrium, making sure to keep it between him and her. Kneeling down at one of the corners, he waited for her to show up. When she came charging around the corner, Ed grabbed her. Putting his head on her stomach, he blew air making a loud noise and tickling her. She giggled and kicked her arms and legs.

She kicked and wiggled trying to get free. Most kids learned to say mama and no as their first words. Betsy had learned a different word and said it now, "Go!"

Smiling, Ed said, "Bring me one of your toys."

He set her down on the floor as she shouted, "Okay."

Moving at her normal breakneck speed, Betsy ran down the length of the hall to get to her room. Within fifteen seconds she was rushing back holding a toy in her hand. Stopping in front of Ed, she handed the stuffed bear to him. Ed looked at it and said, "This isn't the toy that I wanted. Take this back and bring another one."

Grabbing the stuffed bear, she turned and raced back down the hall. Ling came out and watched as Betsy ran down the hall. In a minute she had returned with a wood block and handed that to Ed. Shaking his head, he said, "Different toy."

Taking the block back, she headed to her room again. Ling said, "That's cruel."

"She wants a reason to move. I bet she comes back with the stuffed bear and then turns around before she even hands it to me," replied Ed. His prediction proved true. As Betsy headed back to his room, he said, "She'll bring the ball next and then we'll play a game of fetch."

Ling frowned and said, "You play fetch with a dog!"

"She just wants to move. She doesn't care why she's moving," replied Ed watching as she came back with a ball. He smiled and accepted it from her. He threw the ball down the hall and she turned to chase it down. Looking over at Ling, Ed said, "She's a totally different person than Little John, Beth, and William."

Ling watched as Betsy came back with the ball and handed it to Ed who then pretended to examine it. Betsy danced nervously for a minute and then said, "Throw it."

Smiling, Ed threw the ball down the hall and Betsy chased after it emitting a loud squeal of delight. He laughed as she ran past it and then had to wait for it to come to her. It was amazing how fast the little girl was able to run. She was only a year and a half old. Ling went back into the living room and took the opportunity to relax.

William came out of his room and walked down to where his father was seated on the floor. He watched Betsy make a round trip in the time it took him to walk the length of the room. Without slowing down, she waved to him as she ran past. Laughing, William sat down next to his father to wait for her to return.

Betsy returned and handed the ball to William. The boy threw the ball down the length of the room. He turned to his father and said, "I was reading and saw her running past my room a dozen times. She likes to move, doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does," replied Ed.

William nodded and said, "She's going to be a very physical person, but not as fast a learner as Little John and Beth. That's going to be hard on her."

"I don't know. She's going to get to experience school like other children," replied Ed as he waited for her to return with the ball. When she came, he accepted the ball and threw it to the other end of the room.

"She won't have the patience to sit in a classroom," countered William.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." That was the only answer to William's comment. That was the only answer for every possible situation with the children. William was five and would be ready to head to college in one or two years. Little John was seven and Beth was eight. They had basically passed their tests to graduate high school and could go to college anytime now. The parents were trying to hold the kids back a little to give them a chance to mature a little more before heading off to college.

Betsy returned with the ball and he threw it down the room. She raced away as William said, "I'll be there for her."

"I know you will," replied Ed. The children looked out for each other and that pleased him a lot.

Ling came out of the living room and said, "I'm going to take this opportunity to train a little."

"Okay, I'll keep her busy," replied Ed. He watched Ling go into the playroom. The floor of the room was covered with padding perfect for working out on.

As Ling worked out, Betsy made several more round trips before getting curious about what her mother was doing in the other room. When Ed threw the ball, she headed to the playroom. From the doorway, she watched her mother go through her practice routine. She started to imitate her mother's moves as Ed watched. It was amazing the concentration that the little child put into the routine.

William noticed and said, "She's a warrior. Mommy Ling should start training her."

"I think you are right," replied Ed as he watched Betsy attempt a kick. The poor child didn't have the co-ordination to perform at the speed that Ling was executing her exercise. He wondered how he could get Ling's attention so that she would see what her daughter was doing. He called out, "Betsy, come here."

Betsy ran over to him, stopping once to look back in the room where her mother was training. She faced her father and, with significant impatience, asked, "What?"

"If you stand in front of your mother, she'll see what you are doing and will give you hints on how to do it better."

A wide smile plastered itself on Betsy's face as she ran back to the playroom. William said, "Smart."

"Go get your big brother and sister and join her in the playroom," said Ed.

William looked at him, shrugged his shoulders indifferent to the instructions, and then went to find his brother and sister. Watching him go, Ed smiled at the reaction his son to the news that he was to begin training in the martial arts. Indifference was the only reaction that he didn't predict.

It was five minutes before William returned with Little John and Beth in tow. After they went into the playroom, Ed went to the door and watched the action. Ling was lining them up to teach them the basic moves. He turned and headed towards the kitchen to spend the time drinking iced tea with Marguerite and to lament the loss of Shauna with her.

Entering the kitchen, Ed found Marguerite at the table reading a cookbook. Sitting down across from her, he asked, "Isn't that a little advanced for you?"

Marguerite laughed and sat back in her chair to examine Ed. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Came to have some iced tea."

"You know where it is," replied Marguerite returning to her cookbook.

Ed picked up a glass from the cabinet and poured a glass of iced tea from the pitcher in the refrigerator. After bringing the glass and pitcher over to the table he sat down across from her. She didn't look up from her cookbook and that was odd. Finally, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"You guys are leaving tomorrow."

"Yes, we are," replied Ed.

"You're having dinner at Maria's tonight."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed said, "Yes, we are. So are you and the rest of the staff. What's the matter?"

"It's going to be quiet around here," replied Marguerite with a sigh. She said, "Shauna is serving hundreds of people every week."

"Are you jealous?" asked Ed.

"Yes. No. I don't know."

Leaning forward, Ed asked, "Tell me who is the most respected private chef in the world."

"I am," replied Marguerite knowing that if she didn't answer that way, Ed would call her on it.

"That's right. Now who is going to be the second more respected private chef in the world soon."

"Shauna," replied Marguerite proud of her former assistant. Shauna was a rising star in the culinary world.

"So who is going to be your next project?" asked Ed with a smile.

"With no one here, there's no one to cook for," answered Marguerite with a frown.

"So we don't get tortured as your apprentice learns their craft. Sounds like a plan to me," replied Ed.

Marguerite looked down at the cookbook for a moment and then closed it. She asked, "You're willing to pay someone for me to train them?"

"No, I'm willing to pay for an assistant chef. If they happen to get trained by the great Marguerite at the same time, that is an added benefit," answered Ed. He winked at her and took a sip of his iced tea.

She looked down at the table thinking about what Ed had said. It was a tempting offer and training another chef would fill up her time. She asked, "Will the family be returning her to live for more than three months at a time?"

"I can't promise that," replied Ed with a sigh. The truth was that he didn't know what was going to happen in the near future. In the upcoming December, John was consecrating the glade and no one wanted to talk about what would happen after that.

Marguerite shook her head and replied, "I'll think about it."

Taking another sip of his iced tea, Ed wondered if he was going to be losing Marguerite soon. It was possible. The long absence of the family was putting a strain on the staff. For all intents and purposes, they sat around with nothing to do for nine months of the year. Cathy was the only one that actually kept busy.

It was understood that she wasn't going to say anything while she was considering his offer. The conversation was over and Ed left the kitchen disheartened by what Marguerite had said. At the door, he turned and said, "Before you accept another position, please talk to me."

He didn't have to explain what he meant and the lack of an answer from Marguerite confirmed what he suspected. Saddened by the conversation, he left the kitchen behind.

After wandering around the house, he found himself in front of the wall where the family pictures were hung. He stared at the picture of Beth for several minutes and wished that she were still alive. A picture of Leroy dressed in a suit had been added a long time ago. The inset picture showed him in the biology lab holding up a test- tube. Aloud, he said, "We were so young then."

Kelly walked up behind him and watched as he studied the pictures. By the slope of his shoulders, she could tell that he was depressed. In a quiet voice, she asked, "What's the matter?"

"I think Marguerite is looking for a job elsewhere."

The news struck Kelly like a slap in the face. It was made worse since she understood the special relationship that existed between Ed and Marguerite. If Marguerite were to leave, Ed would be devastated. She asked, "What?"

"The staff is not happy sitting around nine months of the year doing nothing. Marguerite is a chef and she only gets to cook for us three months a year. That's not good for her and we both know it."

"You'll be here more and so will Ling. Betsy doesn't need to be at the Druid College."

"Ling would never leave Little John alone for that long," replied Ed knowing that Kelly understood that as well as he did.

She sighed as she considered his statements. Everything that Ed wanted and worked for was falling apart. She joined him in looking at the pictures of the family, understanding what had brought him there. "We were young then."

"You still look as good today as you did that day when we took the pictures." Smiling at the Medieval dress that she wore in the picture, he said, "I bet you can still wear that outfit."

"Of course I can," replied Kelly. She was proud of her figure and the fact that she had managed to keep it after giving birth to Beth. It had been a while since she had tried it on.

Sighing, Ed said, "I'm going to my room now."

"Okay."

She watched as Ed walked away. It was tempting to join him, but it was obvious that he wanted to be alone. Instead, she went to watch the kids in the playroom.

In his room, Ed went up to his office and sat down at his desk as he ran his hand over the wood. He reached over to the architectural drawings of his new office building and laid them flat on the desk to examine them. It was a simple two-story building with a lobby and a few offices on the first floor. The second floor was an open work area. He added some notes as to where he wanted power, phone, and internet outlets.

Picking up the phone, he called the architect and let him know that he wanted to go ahead with the project subject to the modifications that he had made to the drawings. He had agreed to have the drawings forward to the architect for final changes. It felt good to work rather than worry about his problems.

He checked the clock and realized that it was still early in the day. Dinner wouldn't be for another three hours and he had nothing pressing to do until then. He wandered downstairs and went to bed, hoping to get in a short nap.

The stars above were bright that night and lifted his spirit as he watched them move across the sky. A meteor streaked across the sky burning up before it hit the ground. He listened to the sounds of the town closing up for the night. It soothed his soul to know that some things changed very little. The restaurant closed the same time now as it did years ago. The same was true for all of the other businesses in town.

In a quiet voice, Kelly called out, "Ed, would you like to come down with me?"

He answered, "Why don't you join me up here?"

She came over to where he sat and said, "I was kind of hoping that we could sleep together tonight."

"Have a seat."

Puzzled by his lack of response to her offer, she sat down in the chair next to him. Having watched Ed and John sit up here for hours she knew the pace of conversation with which Ed was most comfortable. With nothing better to do, she watched the stars waiting for him to say something.

After fifteen minutes, Ed said, "We may have to close up this house."

"I don't think that is necessary," replied Kelly surprised at the direction that his thoughts had taken. She loved this house and didn't want to see it closed any more than Ed did.

"We have six staff sitting around nine months a year. There are only three adults and four kids here during the other three months." Ed watched a jet cross the night sky. At this late hour it had to be a private jet. The commercial jets didn't fly over that area that late in the night.

Even though Kelly knew exactly what she wanted to ask, she bided her time and tried to imagine the various answers that he would have. Finally, she asked, "Where will we live?"

"I'm building a new office building. My business will move into the new building and I'll move back into my old house," answered Ed. He had laid in bed that afternoon thinking about it. He added, "Everyone else can live at the Druid College and I'll commute."

Kelly was stunned by his assessment of the situation and stared at him incredulous. He didn't look at her, but stared up at the night sky. To the east, the moon would be rising soon. It would be the barest sliver of light that would not displace the darkness. It took a half an hour for her to come up with any to say. Breaking the silence, she said, "Why?"

"When Marguerite leaves, the spirit of this house will never recover. Bob will go with her and I'm sure the rest of the staff will leave as well." To admit it aloud hurt Ed more than he could put into words.

More than anything else, Kelly wanted to run away and cry. Staying there was the hardest thing that she ever had to do, but Ed needed her and she had to stay for him. She wracked her brain trying to come up with some counter argument that would end this discussion, but couldn't come up with one. She asked, "Would you come make love to me now?"

Ed answered, "I'm sorry Kelly, but I can't tonight. It just isn't in me."

"I understand," she replied taken aback by Ed's lack of interest. It was as though something had broken inside him today. She wondered if she should get Ling to come up and keep Ed company.

"I'm very sorry."

"Let's just watch the stars for a while," replied Kelly. She sat back and looked up at the sky knowing that she didn't see the same thing that Ed saw when he looked at it.

An hour passed and Ling came up the stairs wondering what had happened to Ed and Kelly. She took a seat so that Ed was between her and Kelly. Looking over Kelly, she could see that her wife was very upset. She asked, "What's the matter?"

"Ed wants to close up the house," replied Kelly.

Ling did not react to the announcement quietly. She screamed, "What?"

It was loud enough to start dogs barking across the entire town. Irritated that she would wake people in his town, Ed replied, "Don't scream. You'll wake up the town."

His comment angered Ling, but she lowered her voice as she asked, "What do you mean that you want to close up the house?"

Kelly answered on behalf of Ed and described what he had said. As she talked, Ed walked over to the edge of the roof and looked at the town below. All of the houses were dark with the exception of those that were occupied by the three night owls who tended to stay up all night and sleep late into the morning. The deputy's car moved through the town performing a late night check.

Ed looked down at John's old house and noticed that it looked happy. It was strange how a structure that just sat in place seemed to age faster than when occupied. A young couple had moved into the house. They had lived in Phoenix previously and had fit into the town very well. Maria was very happy to have neighbors again. Everyone was waiting to find out when the wife would become pregnant.

They had rented out Dr. Hayes house after he had passed away. An electrical engineer had rented it and pretty much kept to himself. As a bachelor that didn't appear to date much, he tended to be the subject of gossip around town. Ed knew how that was and wondered how the young man was reacting to the scrutiny of a small town. Cathy's assessment of the young man was that he was very shy. It amused her that he was unable to talk to her without blushing and had to keep averting his eyes.

He glanced at the house where the doctor lived. The doctor was becoming better adapted to the town. The crucial incident occurred when he had tried to pay one of the townspeople who had stopped to help him change a tire. Rightfully, the young man was insulted that he would stop to help a neighbor for money. Everyone in the community had let the doctor know that his actions were very rude. The entire episode had taught the doctor that the town didn't use money to express thanks.

He returned to his chair receiving frosty looks from Ling. In a cold voice, she said, "This is our home too."

"You've spent less than five months here over the past five years," replied Ed.

"Still, it is important to know that it is here."

Ed said, "Linda is the only one that uses the house with any regularity. She comes here and writes another book between book tours, but mostly she spends her free time at the college. She's maybe spent a year and a half here over the past five years. Leroy spends almost all his time in Wisconsin. He even has a house there. John has only been here for funerals."

Ling stood up and walked away unable to come up with a counter argument. She was furious as she felt that this house was hers. Kelly loved the house, but she had helped build it when she installed the security center. Ed had the town and John had the college. All she had was the house.

Kelly had listened to Ed with care. She knew that he could live anywhere in the desert and would be very happy there. He didn't even need a house since he would be quite comfortable riding through the desert on the back of a horse. She also thought about the role that the Druid College had in all of this. Now that Ling was gone, she decided that it was time to bring up one aspect of future that she didn't want to discuss. Clearing her throat, she said, "Ed, you are forgetting something very important."

"What?"

"What is going to happen when John sanctifies the glade?" asked Kelly.

Silent, Ed thought about it. Kelly and the kids suspected that the result would be the death of John. This is the same thing that he thought would happen. It wasn't a common topic of conversation and John had not said what he thought would happen. He replied, "You know what I think is going to happen."

"Won't we return home if that does happen?"

"I don't know. If there isn't a new Grand Druid, someone will have to stay there to make sure that John's dream doesn't die. I would stay there until I died if that was necessary," replied Ed in a cold factual voice.

Kelly didn't doubt that for a minute. She patted his hand and said, "The Gods and Goddesses won't let things develop to that point."

Ed woke finding himself in a meadow surrounded by birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals. The meadow had the same other world feel to it as it had the last time that he was there. The colors were too bright, the sounds too loud, and the odors too strong. Life pulsed with a strong beat all around him.

He found himself facing the Two-Sided One in the female form sitting on the ground with her legs spread wide and her upper body supported by her arms. Her pendulous breasts hung down over rolls of fat. Even her eyelids were fat. Her lips were huge and flapped when she spoke. In a very sensual female voice, she asked, "What's the matter Ed Biggers?"

"I'm preparing myself for a difficult service to you," answered Ed.

"You haven't been called to perform that service."

"If John dies and there is no one to take over the college, then I will," replied Ed forgetting for a moment that he was challenging the one of the Gods and Goddesses.

"There is another Druid that serves all three of us. You haven't been called to that service." The voice had the tone of a rebuke.

"I didn't know that," replied Ed greatly relieved to hear the news, yet saddened by the confirmation that he had just been given concerning John's fate.

The fat woman reached out a hand and traced his face with tenderness. Smiling, she said, "Your service is to the truth and not to training the next generation of Druids."

Ed couldn't help himself as his cock erected under her touch. Looking down, he was surprised to find that he was naked. He was leaking pre-come and watched it coated the head of his cock. He replied, "I wish to serve in what ever way I can, but does John have to die."

"All we ask is that you serve to the best of your ability. We don't ask you to sacrifice yourself when others can carry the load. John has volunteered to sacrifice himself. Don't dishonor him by fighting it."

The meadow disappeared as Ed sat up in bed. His cock was so erect that it hurt, but he was alone in the room. He wrapped his hand around his cock and started to rub it. With smooth strokes up and down its length, he increased the speed. After a few minutes, he came. His come shot up to his chest on the first blast, but ended up dribbling out by the fifth.

Covered with come, he stood and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. On the way, he realized that had been the first time in years that he had masturbated. He wondered if that wasn't a subtle reminder by the Two-Sided One that he had a loving family that supported him. He laughed to himself as he realized that there was nothing subtle about the message.

After his shower, Ed left his bedroom. He realized that he hadn't visited the atrium in a long time. He opened one of the doors and entered the garden that ran through the center of the room and down it's length. The water in the stream ran clear. The fish were swimming with lazy flicks of their fins. Ed noticed a small lizard sitting on a rock under a leaf and wondered when the lizard had moved into the atrium.

He walked along the path and came to the bench in front of the waterfall. Taking a seat, he watched the water flow over the rocks. A rustle behind him caused him to turn around only to see George walking down the path to him. In a soft voice, he said, "Hello, George."

"Oh, it's you. I was afraid one of the kids had gotten up in the middle of the night." George sounded relieved.

"It's just me," replied Ed.

George sat down on a bench next to Ed and said, "You've been acting strange today. What's the matter?"

Shaking his head, Ed knew that he couldn't tell George the whole reason behind his behavior. He said, "I can't really tell you."

"Oh," replied the retired army Sergeant. He looked at Ed curious about his answer, as this was the first time that Ed had shut any of the staff out of his problems. He asked, "Have we angered you somehow?"

"No. Not at all," replied Ed surprised that George would even consider that as a reason for his behavior. He asked, "Are you happy here?"

George knew better than to lie to Ed. He had seen enough demonstrations of Ed's truth sense to even consider that he could get away with a white lie. "I'd rather not answer that question."

Smiling, Ed said, "Don't worry. I know that you aren't all that happy here of late. You're guarding an empty house most of the time."

"True," replied George wondering what that meant about his future employment.

"Don't worry. You're job is safe," replied Ed.

"I guess you can't sleep?"

"Oh, I slept a little," replied Ed. He calculated that he had about two hours sleep before being awaked out of his dream.

"You had better get some rest. You've got a long day ahead of you."

The water made a nice tinkling noise as it cascaded over the rocks. The inner garden, with green leafy plants, made a nice contrast to the desert outside the house. A very small green frog entered the water at the pond below the waterfall. He wondered where a green frog came from.



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Part 6: Doyen

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Chapter 1

... to explore the tension between generations.

A conflict exists between learning from one's elders and learning from self-discovery. On one hand, the elderly have so much experience that learning from it would help the young avoid many of the same mistakes. On the other hand, the world changes from generation to generation so much that many of the lessons of the elderly will no longer apply.

Too often, usually after a grand mistake, a person discovers that the advice given to them by their parents or grandparents would have prevented them from making the mistake. The realization that their elders were correct bothers them more than the consequences of mistake they had just made. Such discoveries significantly undermine self-confidence.

The converse situation is not rare. A person follows the advice of their elder and finds that the consequences are horrible. Get educated, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids, save for college, and then save for retirement. At retirement, the person is unhappy with a life spent pursuing goals that did not yield satisfaction when accomplished.

The ironic part of passing wisdom from old to young is that the young tend to believe the myths and disbelieve the facts. They believe that Grandmother and Grandfather who are still married after fifty years never cheated on each other. Odds are good that they both screwed around, but they didn't divorce as a result. Too bad that mom and dad couldn't say the same. Odds are good that they screwed around and divorced as a result. Which generation is happier? The young believe that the grandparents are the happy ones, but they never saw the fights and they miss the fact that the two of them do not talk.

Years of discovering that the trivial facts were true, despite initial beliefs to the contrary, only reinforce the most fanciful myths. Sure, touching a hot stove will burn you, but does that mean that studying law or medicine is right for you? It is possible, but it does not necessarily follow. Proof that a hot stove burns when you touch it does not prove that one should study law or medicine. The question that leads us to believe the myths are true is, "if our elders are proven right ninety-eight times out of a hundred, doesn't it mean that they should be right the other two times out of a hundred?"

The world has changed. It was once true that if you worked hard for a company that you would have a job for life. That doesn't hold today. Where it once was true that a doctor was well respected, it has changed to where a high-school graduate is dictating medical treatment to the doctor according to insurance guidelines.

The world has changed, but it remains the same. Men don't understand women and a hot stove burns when you touch it. How is a young person to know what remains the same and what changes? When is advice wisdom and when is it myth? Such questions get answered only after a lifetime and by then it is too late - the myths have already been passed on to our children and grandchildren.

John went to the window and looked outside. The sky was overcast and dark; it looked like rain. Heart heavy, Ed stood next to him and looked at the sky disgusted at the weather. He observed, "It looks like rain."

John replied, "It won't rain."

At a few minutes before noon on Midwinter's day, all of the Druids, the students, and the whole Carter clan gathered at the clearing to watch the dedication and consecration of the glade. Everyone was dressed, even the first year students wore blue robes. They stood outside the circle of trees. The clearing, inside the circle of trees, was empty. The ground was covered by dull brown grass littered with dry leaves. The air was still, but carried a tension of something about to break loose.

A news crew had come to film the ritual in the hopes of getting fill time on the news. The cameraman had put a cover over the camera in the hopes of keeping the rain off the lens. The reporter had already recorded a simple introduction to the event.

John entered the clearing moving with authority. He was dressed in his brown robes, gray cloak, and carrying his walking stick. The light of the walking stick was on. He presented himself as a small figure dominated by the size of the clearing. A wind started to blow causing his cloak to flap.

John walked to the northern end of the clearing. Lowering the lit end of the walking stick to the ground, he traced a circle around the entire clearing moving in a clockwise direction. As he walked, the wind picked up in a swirling pattern until it filled the clearing. Closing the circle, John walked to the center of the clearing and pointed his walking stick to the north. He shouted, "Let all evil leave this area!"

As he shouted, a meteor came through the clouds above and crashed into the northern end of the clearing. It buried most of itself in a crater leaving a small portion above ground level. The observers of the ritual stepped back in amazement. The dirt kicked up joined the debris swirling in the air around the clearing.

John walked to the eastern end of the clearing, and lowered the walking stick so that the light was just above the ground. He traced a second circle around the clearing moving in a clockwise situation. The wind picked up even more. Closing the circle, he stepped back into the center of the clearing. He shouted, "Protect this area from evil!"

Again, a meteor appeared through the clouds above and buried itself in the eastern side of the clearing. A small portion of the meteor remained above ground. The observers reacted just as strongly as before. The wind inside the clearing picked up even more, carrying with it more leaves and dirt.

John walked to the southern end of the clearing and using that as the starting point traced a third circle around the clearing. He stepped to the center of the clearing and shouted, "Make this area invisible to evil!"

When he shouted, he pointed the walking stick to the southern point. A third meteor hit the point. The wind picked up even more. It was swirling around the clearing forming a cylindrical wall of dirt and leaves. John was barely visible inside.

John walked to the western end of the clearing. He drew another circle around the clearing. Returning to the center of the clearing, He shouted, "Make this area a fortress against evil!"

A fourth meteor crashed into the ground at the western end of the clearing. The wind picked up even more. Outside the clearing, where the observers stood, the wind was only gently blowing. By now, John was a ghostly looking figure inside the clearing.

Inside the clearing, the wind was a gale. John's cloak swirled around him. He stood there with both arms raised. The sleeves of his robe fell back exposing his bare forearms. He raised the walking stick to the sky. He shouted, barely heard above the wind, "I give my love and my life to the Gods and Goddesses to sanctify this area."

As his shouted died, a bolt of lightening came down from the sky and struck the walking stick. Fingers of electricity walked down the stick, enveloping John. When the lightening ended, John was gone. A small pile of ashes remained. The wind picked up the ashes. As people watched, the ashes appeared to form faces in the center of the clearing. A woman's face appeared, smiling upon the clearing. That was replaced by a man's rugged face. Then a face appeared that seemed to combine the features of both male and female. It lingered for several minutes. The faces disappeared as the wind spread the ashes across the clearing.

The wind died with an abruptness that was shocking. The heavy layer of clouds overhead dissipated within minutes leaving behind a blue and bright sky. The temperature dropped a few degrees. It was suddenly a beautiful winter morning.

The crowd of observers stood still, looking into the clearing. There was no doubt that this was now a holy place. It took a little longer for the fact of John's death to sink in. Ling, Linda, and Leroy wept at the loss of their husband. Ed and Kelly stood looking into the clearing. The children were quiet and waved farewell to their father.

The time had come for Ed to participate in the next ceremony as he joined the Druids entering the clearing. He walked to south end of the clearing where he took his place in front of the Black robed Druids.

Oliver Brown walked across the clearing to stand in front of the smoking meteor to the north. He wore the Brown robe that indicated that he served all of the Gods and Goddesses. He shifted uncomfortably, disliking all of the attention that he was receiving.

A green robed Druid stepped forward and shouted, "We who serve the Goddess greet you, Oliver Brown."

A red robed Druid stepped forward and shouted, "We who serve the God greet you, Oliver Brown."

Ed stepped forward and shouted, "We who serve the Two-Sided One greet you, Oliver Brown."

The three of them stated together, "We recognize you and name you as the Grand Druid."

All of the Druids gathered there performed a half bow in the direction of Oliver Brown. Slowly, Oliver returned the half bow. He had known that he was the most likely successor to John Carter, but had not expected it to occur so soon. He shouted, "I thank you for this honor. I shall do my best to live up to the high standard that John Carter set."

The Druids came up and introduced themselves to the new Grand Druid. Ed was the last one to greet him and it was a very solemn moment for each. Oliver said, "You have a position here if you want it."

Ed frowned as he replied, "I'll stay here off and on until September and then return to Arizona with my family. The children are taking a year off from their education."

Oliver nodded his understanding. "You are an invaluable resource, but you must follow your heart. This has been a hard day for you and your family."

Ed was joined by Kelly and together they returned to the rest of the family. The children were huddled around Ling, Linda, and Leroy giving them comfort. Ed looked over at Ling seeing that she was devastated, sitting on the ground crying with her hands covering her eyes. Linda and Leroy were in shock, standing in place with tears running down their faces.

Ed and Kelly exchanged a look and then helped take everyone to their suite for privacy in dealing with their grief. The children were remarkably untouched by his death, a fact that gave comfort to Ed. He had been afraid of how they would take John's death. Betsy was still too young to understand what had happened.

Ed watched as William went over to the reporter. The little boy, five years of age, stood facing the camera. In a solemn tone of voice, he said, "My father died in the service of the Gods and Goddesses after having lived his whole life serving them. We are proud of him for his accomplishments. He has given the world a great gift by this great sacrifice. The world is a better place because he lived and is a lesser place because he is gone. We loved him and now we shall miss him. That is all we have to say about the matter."

The speech by William surprised Ed on many levels. He was the only one in the family that had the presence of mind to deal with the public at large and he had done so in a magnificent manner. Ed was busy keeping Ling from collapsing, basically having to physically carry her to the college.

Inside, Ed helped Ling to their apartment suite. She collapsed on the couch and cried some more. By then, Linda had finally processed that John was gone and was crying just as hard as Ling. Leroy kept sitting in the chair repeating, "I thought I would have more time with him."

Ed could see that Leroy felt guilty about being gone so much of the time. It was not fair as Leroy was performing important work and growing as a person. He went over to his husband and said, "Leroy, every minute that you spent with John was lived to the fullest."

"I should have been here more," replied Leroy.

Kelly watched the exchange and then leaned over to Ed as she said, "Let me help Oliver while you help the family."

Nodding his agreement, Ed said, "Please do. Let me get Reverend Leroy in here before you go."

Ed went to the back of the house where the Reverend had retired after the ceremony. He was shocked by the events that had occurred and was trying to reconcile them with his beliefs. He looked up sharply when Ed called him, "Reverend Jones. Leroy needs you."

The Reverend stood and followed his son-in-law out of the room. He was shocked when he saw the devastated looks on the faces of the family. Entering the room, he looked at Linda and Leroy. They were Christians and, after a quick glance at Ed, he took a place at the front of the room. Holding his hands together and bowing his head, he said, "Let us pray."

Leroy and Linda immediately bowed their heads as Kelly slipped out of the room. Reverend Jones said, "Lord, help us through these difficult times. I know the Bible tells us of the sacrifice of your son, Jesus, on the cross. There is little said in the good book about the family and friends left behind. We know that they must have felt grief at the loss of such a powerful and loving man."

After a slight pause, the Reverend continued, "Today, we have witnessed another sacrifice of a man for his Gods and Goddesses. You know our grief and we wish that you would lend us your strength as you lent your strength to Mary and the apostles. Help us through this time of loss. Amen."

The prayer had the desired effect on Linda and Leroy as they replied, "Amen."

The Reverend joined them on the couch and they talked among themselves in quiet voices. Ed spent his time talking to Ling, working through her grief. After a while, she said, "You knew."

"Yes, I knew," replied Ed as he held his wife in a tight embrace. He added, "So did you."

She pulled away and looked at him in surprise. It was a fact that she had suspected it would happen. One couldn't stay around the kids without knowing it. She replied, "Yes, I guess I did."

Little John, Beth, and William came into the room with Betsy in tow. Seeing Linda and Leroy in such pain, Little John said, "Don't be so sad. He knew what was going to happen and looked forward to it."

Beth said, "We love him and know that he'll be watching over us."

William looked at his parents feeling sad for Linda and Leroy. Ling appeared to have overcome her initial shock at the death of John. As he had expected, it was Ed that had the strength and will to pull the family through the crisis. Looking over at Ling, he said, "I'm so glad that Oliver Brown was here."

The comment seemed to come out of left field and surprised Ling. She asked, "Why?"

"Because we would loose Daddy Ed if he wasn't here," replied William after a quick glance at his father.

Ling stared at Ed wondering what William meant. Shrugging, Ed said, "I would have taken over running the College if there wasn't a new Grand Druid. I'm not going to see John's dream die."

Everyone turned to look at Ed in surprise. That Ed hated living there was well known. That he was willing to live there to make sure that the College succeeded, even if it meant his death, was a statement of his loyalty to John. Eyes misting, Ed said, "He was my best friend and I loved him like he was a part of me."

Everyone realized that they weren't alone in their pain. His comment brought them together to face the future without John. Beth came over to Ed and wrapped her hand around his finger. The gesture touched him and he looked down at her with love in his eyes. She smiled up at him and winked.

Little John asked, "Where's Momma Kelly?"

"She's talking to the students. They were all taken by surprise and need reassurance that all will be okay," answered Ed. A thought came to him and he wanted to slap his forehead with the palm of his hand. He said, "I had better call the staff before they learn about John over the news."

Ling looked up and said, "Oh my goodness. You had better get on the phone right away."

Worried about the future of her education and wondering if they were going to have to leave, Beth asked, "What are we going to do now that Daddy John is not head of the school?"

Stopping on his way to the telephone, Ed answered, "Beth, why don't you tell us what you would like to do."

Beth answered, "I would like to stay here and finish the year so that I can graduate high school."

Little John nodded his agreement and added, "Then I want to go to college here."

The telephone rang and Ed went into another room to answer it. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach, as he feared who it was. Picking up the handset, he heard sobs as Cathy asked, "Is it true? Is he really dead?"

Taking a deep breath, Ed answered, "Yes, it's true. I was just getting ready to call you. I'm sorry that you didn't learn it from us."

Sniffling as she sought to control her emotions, Cathy said, "They showed it just a few minutes after it happened on the news. No one has had the presence of mind to call you."

Sorry that he couldn't be there to help the staff through the bad news, Ed replied, "I wish we were there with you. It would be so much nicer for us to be surrounded by our loved ones."

His statement caused her to lose control of her emotions and she broke down crying. Ed listened to her, allowing her to get it out of her system. It was heart wrenching to hear her crying and he imagined the rest of the staff in a similar state. He wondered how Marguerite was taking the news. When Cathy had collected herself, she said, "I'll tell the rest of the staff what you said."

"Thank you, Cathy."

Cathy disconnected after a tear filled goodbye leaving an emotionally torn Ed holding the telephone handset. Setting the handset back on the telephone base, he stood in place for a minute wishing he were back at home to comfort the staff. Returning to the room, he said, "Linda, you might consider calling Sarah."

Nodding, Linda stood and went to the room he had just left. Looking around the living room, it was good to see that everyone was a little more collected and controlled. He picked up Beth and sat down with her on his lap. She snuggled back against him as he asked, "So what is it that everyone wants?"

Leroy looked up and answered, "It would be best if the kids could stay here until they finish their immediate education needs. That means that Kelly, Ling, Linda, and you should be around here for most of that time. I'm going to move my lab back to Arizona so that I can join the family there. I've missed too much of our family life."

The suggestion affected Ed physically as he hoped that they could leave for home immediately. Linda said, "We felt that you would want to be here for the next few weeks to help Oliver. You would probably want to shuttle back and forth over the year until Oliver has gotten a handle on everything."

Ed listened with care to everything that was said and then replied, "John and I worked out a deal with William Redman for the tribe to take in the children for a year."

William smiled at the thought of going to live on the reservation for a year. "When do we go?"

"I think that you should spend the year after you graduate from high school," answered Ed. There were many reasons for that, but the most important was that he felt it was best for the kids to have a year of experience dealing with non-Druids under supervised conditions. The only one that looked disappointed was William, since he understood that it would be best not to interrupt his education for a year.

A quiet settled on the room as everyone thought about their present circumstances and the uncertainty of the future. Ed winked at Betsy who was seated on the floor wiggling out of boredom. She smiled and looked around uncertain about the muted mood in the room. Just a few months short of two, she didn't understand the significance of what she had seen. Frowning, she asked, "Momma Ling, can we exercise now?"

Ling didn't feel like training at the moment, but had learned with experience that two hours of training wore Betsy down enough that she could sit for much of the day. Looking at the other three kids, she saw that they nodded their agreement and said, "Sure. Let's go upstairs."

Ling and the three older kids followed behind Betsy who ran out of the room happy to be moving again. Ed smiled as Ling shook her head at the exuberance of their youngest child. Leroy burst out laughing and said, "I had no idea that our child would turn out that way."

"Neither did Ling," replied Ed with a grin. Betsy was driving Ling crazy with her incredible store of energy.

Linda returned to the room after talking to her cousin Sarah back at the house. The tribe was going to have a special ceremony of mourning for the passing of John. The news had meant a lot to her. She announced, "The tribe sends its condolences."

"Let William know," remarked Ed knowing that it would mean a lot to his son to hear that news. The ties to the tribe were very important to the young man. In some ways, they were more important to him than the ties to the Gods and Goddesses. It made Ed wonder what the future held for William.

"Of course," replied Linda with a smile. It amazed her how much Ed thought about everyone else. Even in this tough time, he had been sure to help everyone else deal with the death of John.

Reverend Jones stood up and stretched feeling that the need for him to minister to the family had ended. He said, "I'm going to my room for a little bit. If you need to talk to me, please feel free to come back."

As the Reverend walked out of the room, Leroy said, "Thanks Dad."

"You're welcome, son," replied the Reverend as he smiled at Leroy. It pleased him that his son kept his Christian faith, although he had come to respect the Druids and their beliefs. The events of this day had shaken him far more than he was willing to admit and he needed time to reflect on the lessons taught by it.

Ed watched the Reverend leave the room. When he heard the door close, he said, "I really like your father. He's a great man."

Leroy smiled and replied, "I think he misses having Henry around."

The large black man had stayed with his family in Georgia rather than come to the College with the Reverend. Both of them knew that the Reverend would be safe at the College and it was a rare occasion when Henry could visit his home. Ed remarked, "It must be hard on Henry."

"Henry serves God in a way that he never thought possible," replied Leroy. His father was not that much of a public figure, but he had already had several attempts made on his life. Henry had saved him during each of those attempts.

Linda ran a hand along Leroy's thigh as she said, "You have a right to be proud of your father. He is an important man."

The three of them spent the next couple of hours talking about their individual plans for the near future. Leroy was returning to the lab to perform tests on deer, trying to understand how Chronic Wasting Disease was spread. The years of efforts of trying to observe an actual transferal of disease had demonstrated nothing. He was even thinking about following Ed's suggestion to look at the plants.

Linda had finished her sixth children's book and had been approached to make a movie based on her second book. She was seriously considering giving up writing children's books. She wanted to try her hand at writing an adult book. The movie would take up a lot of time and she would not be home much while it was in production. This time, she was going to negotiate the voices and drawings of the individual characters.

The future for Ed was in limbo and had been since the college had opened. He didn't have anything going on in his life and was living from day to day. It was time for him to start planning.

Kelly returned to the apartment. She had spent the past few hours helping the students come to grips with the death of John. Ed took one look at her and could tell that she was feeling emotionally drained. She dropped down into a chair and said, "Oliver is talking to the staff now. He'll be done in an hour."

"That was nice of you to help him," replied Ed letting her know that her contribution had not gone unnoticed.

Kelly smiled and shook her head. "If you don't mind, I'm just going to sit here for a few minutes."

"No problem," replied Ed. He stood up and went into the kitchen. He took a few minutes to make a couple of smoothies for the wives and iced teas for the men. Putting the drinks on a tray, he brought them out to the living room bringing smiles to everyone.

Seeing the tray with Smoothies brought a smile of relief to Kelly. With clear appreciation in her voice, she said, "I was just working up my energy to fix some drinks."

He handed her a smoothie and watched as she took a long sip of it. Setting the tray down on the table, he handed out the other drinks taking a tea himself. As everyone relaxed and drank their beverage, Ed returned to the kitchen and went to work making sandwiches for everyone. He lost track of how many sandwiches he was making and just kept making them until he ran out of ingredients. Grabbing the plate piled high with sandwiches and a bag of potato chips, he returned to the living room.

After he had set the plate down on the table, hands reached out to grab sandwiches. He rushed back into the kitchen and grabbed a stack of plates for everyone to use. They were grabbed as soon as he set them down on the table. The first bag of potato chips was empty by the time he sat down with his dinner.

Ling returned with the kids and they swarmed over the sandwiches. Beth went into the kitchen and returned with another bag of chips. Ling went in and found a full pitcher of smoothies waiting for her. Smiling at the thoughtfulness of whoever had made them, she poured four glasses and returned to the living room with them.

The kids were sitting cross-legged on the floor eating sandwiches and chips. Betsy, for a change, wasn't bouncing around the room and the adults appreciated the moment of calm. Leroy finished his sandwich and put together a plate for his father. Standing, he said, "Let me give this to dad. I sure that he's hungry too."

Thinking about it, Ed prepared another plate with a sandwich and chips. He said, "My turn to help Oliver."

He left the apartment and went over to the president's office. Setting the plate down on the worktable, he looked around the office realizing that he no longer had the right to enter whenever he wished. It was a reminder that his role at the college was changing to that of just another faculty member. He left the office, heading off to track down Oliver.

Oliver left the conference room, exhausted after dealing with staff. To his great surprise, he was met by Ed. Taking a deep breath, anticipating that Ed was going to make a request of him he said, "Hello, Ed."

With an unexpected tenderness, Ed said, "We have prepared a little something for you to eat in the president's office. Go there and eat in solitude. You need some time alone to get your thoughts in order."

This unexpected kindness touched Oliver more than he would admit. First Kelly had shouldered some of the burden of dealing with the students and now Ed was making sure that he had a moment to relax. He wasn't going to argue with the suggestion. He said, "Thanks. I'll go up there now."

Ed watched him go and talked to staff members that had been hanging around. Catherine rushed over and looked around seeking Oliver. Ed called out, "Catherine. Over here."

She approached and asked, "Where is he?"

"He went to the president's office for a moment of quiet. He's got a sandwich and chips to eat there," answered Ed with a smile. Putting an arm around her shoulder, he led her away from the crowd as he said, "How are you holding up?"

"Me? I should be asking you that question," replied Catherine surprised by his question.

"Everyone is supporting us, but who is there for you? Oliver is in the spotlight, but no one is looking after you and you are affected by the events of today just as much as anyone," replied Ed.

Catherine looked misty-eyed as she remembered the past. This was the anniversary of her beginning her service to the Gods and Goddesses. She had come out of the meadow into a snow-covered area dazed by the entire experience. John had greeted her, taken her to eat, and given her the sporting goods store. She asked, "Did you know that John was the one that greeted me when I became a Druid?"

"Yes, I knew that," replied Ed.

"I'm going to miss him."

Ed hugged her tightly and said, "Let's head to the office. Your boyfriend is going to need you after he's had a chance to relax."

The pair went up to the president's office. Ed left her there and went to the apartment. Inside, the rest of the family was waiting for him. Kelly said, "We realized something while you were gone."

"What?"

"Now that Oliver is the president of the college, we are supposed to move out of this apartment," answered Linda.

Ed sat down and thought about it. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Perhaps Oliver will let us stay here until we are ready to leave."



-------

Chapter 2

Ed sat at his normal place at the conference table and looked around the room at the other occupants. Jim sat at the head of the table with a huge stack of papers in front of him. Seated next to Jim was Jack Anderson, the family accountant. Ed didn't know the man that well and realized that it had been years since he had talked to him.

Kelly, Leroy, Ling, and Linda shifted nervously waiting for the family meeting to begin. They were watching Ed, making him feel self-conscious. Ed looked over at the door waiting for Cathy to arrive with John's personal papers. As soon as she came, they could start the meeting.

Cathy entered the room and took her place at the far end of the table. Getting out her notebook and pen, she was ready to take notes. Pained by the need to hold the meeting, Ed said, "Unless there are any objections, I call the family meeting to order."

When no one said anything, Ed said, "Okay. The first item on the agenda is the reading of the will. Jim, if you'll take over the meeting."

Clearing his throat, Jim said, "John left a copy of his will with me that was dated four months ago and duly witnessed by three observers. It is a very simple will, far simpler than most wills."

Ed listened with increasing numbness as Jim proceeded to read the will. John had divided his shares in the family to the other shareholders equally with the provision that any odd shares go to Ed. Ninety-five percent of future revenues from his patents were to go to the Fusion Foundation and five percent was to go to the family. He had placed all responsibility for administering the money to Ed.

John had left five million for each staff member, including Shauna. Cathy dropped her pen in shock when she heard that the staff was included in the will. It tore at her heart that John would leave them with that much wealth. She burst out in tears and had to leave the room. Jim waited for her to return before continuing with the terms of the will.

The remainder of his assets was divided amongst all family members in equal share. The moneys for the children were to be provided in three increments. An even million was to be dispersed when they graduated high school. Another million was to be dispersed when they reached eighteen. The remainder was to be made available when they turned twenty-one. Jim was responsible for administering those funds.

When Jim finished reading the will, he asked, "Are there any questions about the terms of the will?"

No one answered. They just sat quietly thinking about what John had done for them. Jim looked around at every and then said, "Jack was kind enough to work up the figures for me."

Jack looked up and said, "The amount per family member works out to a hundred and thirty three million. Since most of that money is in investments, it will be difficult to distribute it without liquefying the assets. The family income from the patents is currently at a hundred and twenty million per year."

Ed looked around the room to see how the others were reacting to the news. Kelly raised a hand and said, "Do we have to liquefy the assets? Can't we distribute the assets in the same way that Ed divides rocks?"

That seemed like a reasonable solution. Ed said, "That seems fair to me."

Linda and Leroy both nodded their heads in agreement. Ling asked, "How does Ed divide rocks?"

Ed explained how he would take all of the samples involved and place them in a single pile. At that point, each person would select a sample in a single round, with each person taking turns going first in successive rounds. Ling was impressed and said, "Sounds fair to me."

Jack shrugged and said, "If everyone agrees, then I don't see a problem with that approach. If Jim would be willing to select a proxy to stand in for the children, I can break the assets into individual units of a million each."

Listening to the discussion, Jim was trying to figure out the legal implications of dividing the assets in that manner. He couldn't see a problem and said, "I'll have to check and make sure that is legal."

Jack said, "There are tax issues that limit how much you can inherit without being taxed. You guys are way over that amount."

The discussion concerning taxes continued for another thirty minutes. At the end of that time, Ed said, "I suggest that we take a lunch break. Marguerite has set up a nice buffet for us and I would hate for it to go to waste."

As everyone went to get a bite to eat, Cathy slipped out of the room to cry. Ed noticed and followed her out of the room, catching up to her as she burst out in tears. Concerned, he pulled her into a hug providing a shoulder for her to cry upon. As her body shook, Ed pulled out his ever-present handkerchief to dry her tears. Amidst her sobs, she said, "I really loved John."

"I know, I know. He loved you too," replied Ed rubbing her back as she slowly relaxed and her sobs died down. He knew that the whole staff was in shock over the death of John. It would only get worse when they found about the provisions of the will.

Cathy straightened up and accepted the handkerchief from Ed. "Let me clean up and I'll be back."

"Okay," replied Ed. He returned to the room to get his lunch. Kelly and Ling had noticed his absence and gave him a thumbs-up sign to let him know that he had done the right thing. He turned his attention to the food in the buffet and filled his plate. It was all finger food that could be eaten at ease, a bite at a time.

Returning to his chair, he thought about the responsibilities that John had placed upon him. The family was looking to him to for leadership and he doubted that he was up to the task. Distracted by his concerns about his new responsibilities, he barely paid attention to what he was eating, going through the motions without thought.

Kelly noticed that Ed was distracted and frowned as she thought about how he was taking the death of John. She asked, "Ed, are you feeling okay?"

"Just a little tired," replied Ed. It was the truth, but not all of the truth and it hurt him to say it.

"If you say so," commented Kelly. Ling, Linda, and Kelly exchanged glances that communicated exactly what they were thinking. They each knew that his state of mind couldn't be eased with a little sex. This was going to require two weeks in the desert with an appropriate companion. He wouldn't be getting it anytime soon.

Ed munched on a mini-taco barely tasting it. The tax issues that he faced were horrendous and he was going to have to work hard to get John's affairs in order to meet the necessary tax-filing deadlines. Those tax deadlines were looming large on the horizon. He wanted to curse the IRS, finding it hard to believe at this moment that he actually worked for them.

Leroy sat down next to him and said, "Ed, you've done so much for all of us already. Anything that I or any one of us can do to help, let us know."

Pleased at the offer of support, Ed replied, "Thanks Leroy."

"You're welcome."

Smiling for the first time that day, Ed said, "Just don't turn off your cell phone."

Leroy laughed at the joke; satisfied that Ed was recovering a little of his positive outlook on life. He replied, "I'll double check that it is on in a month or two."

Ed laughed and shook his head. Some of the tension drained from his back and he took a sip of iced tea appreciating the cool liquid flowing down his dry throat. Looking around the room, he saw that everyone had returned and it appeared that everyone was ready to resume. He asked, "Are we ready to resume?"

As everyone nodded, Ed requested, "Jack, would you please give us an update on the financial health of the family?"

The report was shocking in terms of the amount of money that was controlled by the family. Ed had not realized that John had been pouring millions of dollars into the family coffers on a monthly basis. Ed was personally worth close to three hundred million dollars from his business interests, he had just inherited another hundred and twenty million dollars from John, and his shares in the family were worth seven hundred million. Stunned, he realized that he was a billionaire.

"Ed, you remain the major stockholder in the family." Jack had to repeat himself before he was able to get Ed's attention. Once he was sure that he had Ed's attention, he said, "Ed, you are the major stockholder in the family. You have been in the past and your responsibilities do not change. In effect, you are the chief executive officer of the family. John was the chief financial officer. You need to name a new CFO."

Ed had not thought about which member of the family would manage the family assets now that John had died. He looked around the room and asked, "I'm accepting nominations for the job."

No one said a word as they looked at each other. It was a thankless job and one that no one really wanted. Long after the silence had become uncomfortable, Kelly said, "I think it should be Ling."

Ling sat up with a surprised look on her face and asked, "Why me?"

Leaning on the table to give his words more emphasis, Leroy answered, "You are the most disciplined of us all."

The assessment concerning her discipline didn't surprise Ling, but she didn't think that it qualified her to take charge of the financial health of the family. She was going to argue against it, but looked at Linda and Leroy realizing that no one else was any better qualified than she was. Sighing, a frown tugged on the corner of her lip as she said, "Okay."

Ed asked, "Anyone object to Ling being the CFO?"

No one objected. Jack and Jim exchanged a glance at how quickly and easily the family had put someone in charge of their financial health. Jim said, "I'll set up the paperwork for her to take over that position."

"Cathy, you need to arrange a time for Ling and Jack to get together to go over the books. When the paperwork is done, we'll have another family meeting to sign it."

From her end of the table, Cathy nodded as she jotted down the assignments. It seemed to her that these family meetings always meant more work for her. She didn't mind, it was much better than the months of boredom that she had experienced since the college had opened. She looked up and said, "Got it."

Jack examined the books and said, "Tax time is coming up. I'll be here for a month working with the IRS on your returns. I'll need to talk to each of you. Ed, I'll have to talk to Lynn about your corporate taxes."

Cathy didn't bother to wait for someone to suggest that she arrange times for Jack to meet with the family members. She said, "Okay, I'll arrange the times for you to meet."

Ed looked down at the agenda and said, "That ends the reading of the will and the family corporate business. I'm going to propose that we all update our wills in light of the new economic conditions."

As every nodded their agreement, Ed turned to Cathy and said, "Please schedule time for all of us to meet with Jim for discussing our wills."

Cathy took down a note to that effect knowing assigning her with that job was the easy part. The hard part was to find times for them to get together with Jim. She nodded and said, "Okay."

Looking down at the agenda, the next item was the one that was going to take the most time. Taking a deep breath, Ed said, "Three of our children have effectively finished high school. We've been holding them back because they are still very young. It is time for them to move on to college."

Linda said, "William is only five!"

Hoping to squash any argument right from the beginning, Kelly said, "We have to protect the weak from the strong."

Supporting Kelly, Ling said, "They are still children emotionally."

This was what Ed had been afraid would happen. The three mothers would try to keep the children close to them. Leaning back in his chair he listened to the arguments as to why the children should remain at home. After the discussion died down, Ed, in a tone of voice reminiscent of John, said, "If it harm none, then do it."

Kelly asked, "What does that mean?"

Rubbing his temple with his forefinger, Ed answered, "If we hold them back too long, they will never complete college. That would harm them more than anything that I can imagine short of a direct physical attack."

Surprised by his assessment, Linda asked, "Why do you say that?"

"How would you take it if I required you to attend high school every day for the next four years?" asked Ed.

Remembering how boring high school had been the first time through, Linda answered, "I'd be bored out of my mind."

Kelly nodded her agreement. She added, "With our life experience, we'd be miserable."

Crossing her arms, Ling sat there frowning at the direction that the discussion had taken. Little John was only seven and for him to compete against adults was grossly unfair. He didn't have the emotional maturity to deal with them. She said, "They have the emotions of kids."

"They've been dealing with the students and the faculty at the Druid College almost their entire lives. Don't give me arguments about their emotional maturity, they are as mature as the other students there," replied Ed.

Not wanting to back down, Ling challenged, "So what are you saying we do?"

"Send them a year to the reservation to give them additional life skills and then allow them to apply to the Druid College. Both environments are safe, yet it allows them to grow," replied Ed.

His proposal was met with silence from the wives as they each considered it. They had known that he was going to argue for the reservation next year no matter what. From his comments, he was more concerned that the kids enter college immediately afterwards.

As the silence dragged on, everyone became more uncomfortable. Finally, Leroy said, "I say that is a good plan."

Kelly said, "As much as I hate to say this, but I have to agree with you."

Thinking about William and how young he was, Linda said, "I have to think about it."

"I don't like it, but I get your point. I don't have a ready answer for your assertion that if they don't go to college now, they never will. I suspect you are right," replied Ling feeling that admitting it was the most difficult thing that she could do. She asked, "Are you sure they'll go to the Druid College?"

"I'm sure that Little John and Beth will go there," replied Ed. Pausing for effect, he said, "William may choose the Native American College or the Druid College. I don't know which one he'll pick."

The idea that William would go to the Native American College was one that no one had expressed previously. William had two heritages and Linda wasn't going to deny him the chance to experience her heritage. With hope in her voice, she asked, "Do you really think so?"

"Every medicine man that I've talked with has asked when he was going to come to the Native American College. My answer has always been that he is his own person and will decide for himself," answered Ed.

Linda was quiet for a moment and then said, "I still need to think about it."

Looking around the room, Ed hoped that someone would say something that would allow them to resolve this issue once and for all. At the moment, he really missed the calming presence of John and how he could put things into their proper context with a single statement.

Frowning, Leroy didn't like that the wives were holding back the children, although he understood their feelings. The time spent away from the house had given him a special perspective about the kids. It seemed to him that every time he returned from the field the kids had grown up a year for every month he was gone. He leaned forward and asked, "Linda, what is it that you want for the children?"

"I want them to have a normal childhood," she answered with far more emotion than she had intended.

"They aren't normal children and that denies them a normal childhood. William's IQ is off the charts and even most adults are intimidated by him. Little John and Beth are nearly as quick as he is. A normal childhood is denied them regardless of what we do." Having made his point, Leroy sat back and watched Linda's reaction. He could tell that his assessment of the situation upset her.

Ling had been quiet, listening to the arguments put forth by everyone. Finally, she said, "They don't know how to protect themselves yet."

Kelly had witnessed how the children had worked together to take down a bully on the playground and that had been two years ago. She also knew that they had been training with Ling for six months. She asked, "Are you telling me that after training with you for a year and a half that they won't be able to defend themselves?"

As Kelly predicted, Ling replied, "They'll know how!"

Grinning, Ed watched as Ling realized what she had said. She sat back and said, "Okay. Point taken."

Knowing that she was losing, Linda said, "I want to hear from the children themselves what they want to do."

It was actually a very good suggestion and one that Ed realized he should have made a long time ago. It would be hard for their mothers to deny them the future they desired. Ed looked over to Cathy and asked, "Cathy, could you call Walt and ask him to bring the kids here?"

Cathy went to the phone and called Walt as requested. While she was on the phone, Ed took his empty iced tea glass and refilled it at the buffet. Deciding that he was going to let others do the talking, he took another plate of the mini-tacos to snack on during the remainder of the meeting.

As soon as she hung up, Cathy went to the door and opened it. All three children were standing by the door, curious as to what was being discussed inside. She ushered them into the room. They entered embarrassed at having been caught listening at the door.

Kelly asked, "Were you eavesdropping?"

The three children looked at each other, not wanting to answer the question. Finally, William said, "Beth and I thought you were discussing us and we wanted to know what you were saying since it affects us. William was waiting to talk to you."

Returning to his chair, Ed said, "That's why we want you here."

The children moved over to the table and sat down together with William between his older brother and sister. Ed noticed the seating arrangement and wondered about the significance of it. William asked, "So what do you want to ask us?"

"What do each of you want to do going forward in time?" asked Ed.

The three kids looked at each other for a second trying to decide which one should answer first. William gestured to Beth for her to go first. Beth answered, "I want to enroll formally in the Druid College."

Little John said, "Same here. I want to see if we can skip the first year since we've already attended all of those classes."

Ling and Kelly were silent as they accepted what the children requested. They were already talking about skipping a year of college in the most aggressive educational institution in the country because it would be a repeat. What would it be in a year's time? What would it be in two years? Even Linda looked shocked at the suggestion that they skip a year of college.

Sitting in his chair and swinging his legs that didn't reach to the ground, William smiled at the reaction of his mothers. Looking at his brother and sister, William said, "You don't need to get the first year of courses waved. We already have credit for them."

Ed knew that William was telling the truth, but he didn't know how that had come to pass. "How come?"

"Daddy John submitted our enrollments in classes as enrolled rather than auditing," replied William.

Beth said, "I didn't know that. Now I feel real bad about my A-."

"I would have studied a little harder," added Little John. He was quiet for a moment as he considered an item that he knew his fathers had wanted the children to do. He said, "I know you want us to spend a year at the reservation. That would be a good break. I'm not opposed to doing that."

Beth shrugged and said, "Sounds good to me."

William looked around the room and said, "I want to go to the Native American College for two years and then transfer back to the Druid College. I talked to admissions at the Native American College and know that they will accept me for two years. I already talked to Oliver about returning to the college and he didn't see any problem. After I graduate from the Druid College, I will spend the year on the reservation."

With tears welling up in her eyes, Linda realized that she had lost the battle to keep her child at home with her. She sniffled and said, "When were you going to tell me?"

Her reaction was exactly what he had expected. Looking over at his mother, he answered, "Here and now."

His answer suggested that he knew this meeting would be held and that he had bided his time until now to inform them of what he had been doing. Curious, Ed asked, "Did you check other schools?"

Surprised, William looked at his father for a minute before answering. "Yes, I did. It turns out that most Universities consider the majority of the first year curriculum to be remedial courses and they don't accept the credits. Of course, we would enter as freshman and graduate in four years rather than five years."

Linda looked over to Kelly and Ling for support, but found that both of them were considering what William had said. It suggested that he was ready to move forward with his life regardless of what they had to say about it. She said, "You finish the year."

"Great," replied William. He looked around the table and said, "We should return to school tomorrow so that we don't miss too many classes."

As he stood up to leave the room, Ling asked, "Where are you going?"

"There's nothing else to talk about. Momma Linda will take us back to the college tomorrow. You, Betsy, Momma Kelly, and Daddy Leroy will come out next week. Daddy Ed will come out in a couple of weeks," replied William as he pushed his chair closer to the table. He added, "We should probably get packed."

Chuckling, Ed watched William leave the room. After a moment of indecision, the other two kids followed him out. Ed said, "Remarkable."

"We should have made him CFO rather than me," remarked Ling totally overwhelmed by William. She knew that for the next year she would have to increase the pace of martial arts training if they were to have sufficient skill to defend themselves.

It was time for Ed to regain control of the meeting. Clearing his throat to get everyone's attention, he summarized, "Beth and Little John will graduate from high school this year and then take a year off on the reservation. They will return to the Druid College to finish their college education. Any comments?"

After waiting for someone to say something, he said, "Okay. That's the plan for them. Cathy, can you make the arrangements for the trip to the reservation and their application for the Druid College."

Cathy nodded as she added more items to her list of things to do. "Got it."

"William will finish the year. After that, he will go to the Native American College for two years, if they accept him. He will then return to the Druid College and finish his college degree. He will then spend a year on the reservation. Any comments?"

Linda was about to object, but sat back in her chair. She knew that William would argue to do what he wanted until he got his way. Looking directly at her, Ed said, "Okay. That's what he's going to do. Cathy?"

"Got it already, Ed," replied Cathy writing down additional items. She added, "I'll make arrangements for a flight out tomorrow."

Shaking his head, Ed commented, "Maybe you should be running this meeting. I was about to ask if that was okay with everyone."

"Sorry." Cathy didn't sound all that sorry.

Everyone else laughed at the comment, feeling that Ed had been put in his place by the very business-like nature of Cathy. He said, "Okay. I guess some people are flying out tomorrow. Who?"

Linda replied, "Me."

Ling and Kelly looked at each other. Ling said, "I have to stay here to take care of family business."

Kelly said, "I'll go tomorrow."

"You can't. I've got to call a meeting of the Fusion Foundation Board of Directors. We need to select a new Chairman of the Board. That means that you and Ling both need to be here," replied Ed.

"I can't go. I'm setting up a new lab closer to home," replied Leroy. It was his goal to move the lab to where he could spend more time with the family, even though he knew it was too late since three of the kids were leaving the house and John was gone.

Sighing, Linda said, "William was correct again."

This wasn't the first time that anyone said that and Ed doubted that it would be the last. William seemed to have some sort of connection to the future that most people lacked. He didn't think that ability was psychic. Instead, he believed that William paid very close attention to the people around him and predicted how people would react to things based on their essential character.

Ed said, "Cathy, I need you to make arrangements for a meeting of the Fusion Foundation Board of Directors."

Cathy added a note to that effect on her pad. She looked down the pad of paper and realized that she had a huge list of things to do. Kelly asked, "Are we done?"

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "No. Two more minor items."

"Can we take a break for a minute? I've got to visit the lady's room," replied Kelly.

"Sure, I could use a break too," replied Ed. He stood and stretched deciding that he would take a quick run to his room. As he walked to his room, he thought about his role in the family. He was the oldest one in the family now and everyone seemed to turn to him for advice. It was at these times that he missed John the most.

Returning to the library, he noticed that the staff was hanging around the library wanting to hear what Cathy had to say. She had taken a few minutes to talk to Jim to arrange making appointments for everyone before stepping out of the room. She stepped out in time to see Ed returning. Looking over at the rest of the staff, she raised her hand wide open and mouthed, "Million."

Ed could tell by their blank looks, that they didn't understand what she had tried to pantomime to them. He grinned and said, "Come in the library, everyone."

The staff, feeling like they had been caught doing something wrong, entered the library behind Ed. Cathy went to her chair and stared at the papers in front of her trying to keep from drawing attention to himself. Ed returned to his chair after refilling his iced tea glass. As was typical in family meetings in which staff or visitors attended, the staff sat in chairs that were lined along the wall. The only one that wasn't present was Walt, who was busy watching Betsy (a more accurate description was that he was busy chasing her down).

When the rest of the family arrived, Ed brought the meeting back to order. The staff, curious as to why they had been invited into the family meeting, sat on the edges of their chairs. Ed winked at Marguerite and said, "There are two minor items of business to take care of before this meeting is concluded. I would like to address them in front of the staff since the items affect them. Are there any objections to this?"

George raised an eyebrow trying to figure out what Ed wanted to discuss. The other staff members shifted nervously as Ed checked to make sure that there were no objections to his plan. Satisfied that no one was complaining, Ed said, "I would like to propose the hiring of four new staff members."

There were gasps from the staff at the news. For the past five years, they had basically done nothing and wondered if this was an attempt to replace them. Even some of the family members were confused. Giving voice to what was on everyone's minds, Leroy asked, "Why?"

This was a question that Ed didn't really want to answer, but had known it would be asked. Taking a big breath, he said, "With the death of John, I feel like a certain amount of protection has been lifted from the house. In six months, we are returning home to live and I want to make sure that we are safe. At present, Walt and George share security duties around the house and coverage is not twenty-four hours a day. I would like to hire two more security personnel so that can be corrected."

George was about to object and say that he could handle it, but thought better about it. It was true that security coverage was not full time and they relied too much on sensors that were unattended most of the time. Two more people would allow them to staff the security center full time. He also realized that it wasn't his decision.

Leroy had noticed the initial reaction by George and asked, "What do you think, George?"

"Perhaps Ed is correct."

Ling, looking at Ed in irritation, sat back and said, "I'm here."

"Yes, you are," replied Ed knowing that she would want to fill in any security gaps around the house. He asked, "Are you going to sit up all night watching the monitors?"

"No," replied Ling thinking about the time required to train the children and returning to compete. She realized the point that Ed was making. Reluctantly, she said, "I guess you're right."

Nodding, Ed continued, "I also discussed with Marguerite the hiring of an assistant cook to take the place of Shauna. Considering that we are moving back here, I think we will be keeping her much busier than in the past."

Laughing, Kelly said, "You just want a witness when she poisons you."

Both Marguerite and Ed laughed at that. Recovering, he added, "I would also like to get an assistant for Cathy. I don't think it is fair that we have no backup to support her when she feels ill or wants to take a day off."

Cathy was about to argue, but Kelly shook her head. She recognized that Cathy was the most overworked member of the staff and often had to rely on Lynn from Ed's business to help her out. Ed asked, "Does anyone have objections to these proposed staff changes?"

When no one said anything, Ed smiled at Cathy and said, "Add that to your list of things to do."

Smiling, Ed said, "The last piece of business is to let everyone know the terms of the will that apply to them. John left five million dollars to each of the staff members."



-------

Chapter 3

Sitting at the obscenely large desk, Ed stared up at the picture of John that hung on the wall of the office. It was an official color photograph of John. His white hair and beard with the robe, cane, and cloak made him look like a mystic. The whole world saw John as a mystic, but Ed knew better. He sighed and said, "John, you brought out the best in me. I'm a better man for having you in my life. I really miss you."

"Talking to yourself?" asked Ellen Faber as she entered the office.

"Talking to John," answered Ed with a sigh.

Although Ellen ran the daily operations of the Fusion Foundation and knew both men, she knew very little about the relationship between John and Ed other than the fact that they were married. She had watched the news coverage of John's death and had been shocked when she had seen him struck by lightening in the middle of the glade. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for the family to be there and observe that scene. She said, "He was a great man."

Smiling, Ed said, "He was a man and he was great. Calling him a great man diminishes his life as a man and his greatness."

The comment gave Ellen pause and reminded her why she had come in the office. She said, "The rest of the board is present."

"Okay," replied Ed as he stood. He paused to look around the office before saying, "Too fancy."

Ellen shook her head. Over the past few years she had been invited in the offices of some of the most powerful men in the country. This office was barren compared to any of those she had encountered. It was hard for her to imagine billionaires feeling uncomfortable sitting behind a desk that cost five thousand dollars. She shrugged and said, "Its' purpose is to impress."

The comment made Ed laugh and he retorted, "I'd rather be impressed by the person behind the desk than the desk they are hiding behind."

He walked across the hallway to the conference room and took his seat. The seat at the head of the table was conspicuously empty. Ellen stood by the seat and said, "I call this meeting to order."

After everyone acknowledged her, she continued, "The agenda is on the table in front of you. Normally, the first order of business is to review the minutes of the last meeting. However, today we have a different and far more difficult task as the first order of business."

Breaking the tension in the room, Fluffy yawned as though bored with the meeting. Looking over at the bear in irritation, Ellen continued, "The first order of business is to elect a new Chairman of the Board."

As she went through the process of reading the charter of the Fusion Foundation, Ed listened with only half his attention on what she was saying. His thoughts turned in the direction of the others in the room wondering which one of them would take the place of John at the head of the table. He felt sorry for that person, as there was no way they could ever live up to the reputation of John. His attention returned to Ellen when he heard her say, "There has been a motion that Ed Biggers take over as Chairman of the Board."

"Pardon?" asked Ed wondering how he had missed the nomination.

Ling said, "I second the motion."

Ellen asked, "Are there any other nominations?"

Looking around the room in the hope that someone would say something, Ed tried to come up with a name to nominate. His mind went blank and he couldn't remember the name of anyone in the room. As panic welled up in him, Ellen said, "If there are no other nominations, then I move that we vote on making Ed the Chairman of the Board."

"Seconded," said Sidney and Sherry simultaneously.

"All those in favor say aye."

Everyone except Ed said, "Aye."

"All those opposed, say nay."

Ed's throat swelled up as he tried to get out a word. He grabbed a glass of water and took a sip. Sherry was sitting across the table from him watching his discomfort with a smile. Ellen asked, "Abstain?"

Ed finally managed to croak, "Ah."

Smiling at Ed, Ellen said, "The motion has carried. Ten votes for the motion and one abstain. Ed Biggers is now the Chairman of the Board."

As everyone clapped, Ed shook his head in disgust while wondering how this had come about. It was clearly time for him to say something, but his mind was still blank. After a minute, he said, "I did not seek this position, but I shall do my best to carry it out in the manner that John desired."

Ellen said, "If you will take the chair at the head of the table, I turn this meeting over to you."

Ed moved to the head of the table and looked down the table at everyone gathered there. Most of the board members were Druids and he felt that it was time for that to change. He said, "The second item on the agenda is approval of the minutes of the last meeting. Does anyone have any corrections or comments on the meeting minutes?"

When no one said anything, he continued, "I move that we accept the minutes as they stand."

"Seconded," replied Ling.

They went threw the formal business of voting on the meeting minutes. Even as they went through the process, Ed glanced at his watch wondering how long this meeting was going to last. Once the minutes were accepted, Ed said, "The next item on the agenda is the empty spot on the Board of Directors. I suggest that we identify potential candidates and bring the names to the next meeting. We'll cull the candidates down to three and then invite them in for an interview. After that, we'll vote on the person to fill the spot."

Harold Hawkins, the only businessman on the board, raised his hand. When Ed acknowledged him, he said, "We need more businessmen on the board."

Ed said, "If you find a businessman that is willing to forsake all current and future business with the Fusion Foundation, then go ahead and nominate them."

"I was going to question that rule," replied Harold. That rule prevented any of the businesses that he owned from selling their products to the Fusion Foundation. Although he ran a chain of video rental stores, there were opportunities to get into other businesses that this rule prevented him from pursuing.

"You can make a motion to change that rule, but I assure you that changing that rule will be defeated. It would put the tax-free status of this organization in jeopardy. This organization deals with huge amounts of money and we have to prevent any hint of conflict of interest on the part of the board," said Ed. He looked at Harold with the expectation that he would make the motion or threaten to resign, but the man surprised him and settled into his seat.

Sidney raised his hand and when Ed acknowledged him, he asked, "What would be the primary area of responsibility?"

Ed thought about it for a moment and replied, "I guess they would take over the Emergency Response Section."

The meeting lasted for another two hours as they established that a technologist would be a good candidate and covered the other items on the agenda. The discussion concerning the budget seemed to drone on forever, but in his new position of Chairman of the Board he found that he had to pay attention. It was with great relief that he was able to call an end to the meeting.

As people left the room, they stopped to congratulate him. Ed still didn't know who had nominated him. When the room was empty of everyone except Ellen, Kelly, Ling, and himself, Ed asked, "Who nominated me?"

Laughing, Ellen answered, "Sidney."

"I'm going to get even with him one of these days," remarked Ed. It was hard for him to believe that Sidney had done that to him.

Kelly said, "He only voiced what everyone in the room was thinking."

Ed sat down in a chair and thought about it. In a way, it made sense since most people thought that he was John's right hand man. He never thought of himself in that manner, but it was true in many ways. John had shared more of his thoughts with Ed than anyone else. Sighing, Ed replied, "I guess."

Ling asked, "Will you be coming home with us?"

"No. I'll finish up a few items here and head to the University," answered Ed. He had given up his position at the University and now it was time to see if he could return.

Kelly and Ling kissed him before leaving to return home. When they were gone, Ed turned to Ellen and said, "I suppose that it is time to write a press release."

"I already have one written for you," replied Ellen with a smile. She had assumed that it would be Ed that took over for John. She added, "I assume that you'll want to edit it."

"Of course," said Ed. He decided that he would do that and then get something to eat. There was going to be a lot of work to do this afternoon and he scratched making it to the University off his list. He asked, "Would it be appropriate that I talk to the heads of each of the Fusion Foundation Sections?"

"I was going to suggest that," answered Ellen. She actually had a list of things that Ed needed to do that afternoon before the news spread too far. She added, "I have a press conference scheduled for this afternoon."

Ed returned to the office while Ellen went to get all of the work items that she had arranged for him. Sitting behind the desk, Ed looked around the office wondering how much time would be spent at the desk over the next few months. Things didn't look good for him in the future.

Kim Green knocked on the doorframe to get his attention. Looking up at her, he was surprised to see how old she looked. He had met her when they were undergraduates in college. He said, "Come in, Kim. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I really enjoy working here," answered Kim. In the past few years, she had traveled to many places around the world establishing staging areas for the Foundation, negotiated purchase agreements with companies, and served as a press agent during crisis situations overseas. For a young woman that had dreams of making the world a better place, this was the perfect job. After holding the position for nearly sixteen years, she still thought it was the perfect job. She looked at Ed and said, "I'm sorry about John."

"Thank you," replied Ed. Getting condolences still threw him for a loop, as he didn't know how to respond. Gesturing for her to enter the room, he said, "It's really good to see you. I hear that you've been globe trotting on behalf of the Fusion Foundation."

"Just got back from Italy where I negotiated a storage area for supplies," replied Kim while she entered the room and took a seat. She added, "I have to say that it is a very lovely place. So much history packed into such a small area."

"How was your reception there?"

"When people heard that I was with the Fusion Foundation, they went out of their way to show me a good time. You'd be surprised what a great reputation the Fusion Foundation has everywhere around the world," answered Kim. When she had arrived in Italy, very high-level government officials did everything they could to help her. Curators had given her personal tours through some of the greatest historical landmarks once they learned that she was from the Fusion Foundation. Everywhere she went, people told her what a great organization she represented. It was overwhelming.

"That's good. I'm very glad to hear that," replied Ed. This was the kind of feedback that he liked to hear. Kim was quiet for a minute as she struggled to figure out how to bring up a request. Ed noticed her sudden change in demeanor and asked, "What do you want?"

"Uh, I kind of wanted to ask you about something."

"Ask away," replied Ed curious what could be so serious that she wouldn't know how to go about asking him a question. Leaning forward with his elbow resting on the table and his finger to his temple, he watched her struggle with asking her question. It was clear to him that she had no clue how to make her request. He suggested, "Maybe if you give me a hint I can help you formulate your question."

Kim looked down at the floor, feeling like she was about to loose her nerve. Summoning her nerve, she said, "I haven't been satisfied by a man since my rape."

He didn't know exactly what she meant. Did she mean that she hadn't been with a man since the rape or that a man hadn't been able to give her an orgasm since the rape? Regardless of which answer was correct, the news shocked Ed as he realized that it had to be at least sixteen years since she had been raped on the campus. In as soothing of a voice as he could manage, Ed replied, "I don't know what to say."

Hesitating, she smiled at him and said, "It's not your fault that I can't be satisfied in bed by a man."

"I thought that you had gotten beyond the rape," replied Ed very disturbed by this revelation.

"You don't understand. I've gotten over the rape and know in my heart that it was an act of violence by a very sick man. The problem is that I haven't found a man that can satisfy me," she said. "I know it's not physical as a few women have been able to bring me to orgasm, but it's that I haven't been in bed with a man that turns me on."

Rather than say anything, Ed sat back to listen to her. It was better to let her come to the point than try to put words in her mouth. She licked her lips nervously and then said, "You rescued me. No one has done anything that significant for me."

He realized where she was headed and wondered if she was actually going to request him to sleep with her. Rather than address the question now, he decided that this was something that was best dealt with in a more private environment. He asked, "Would you like to come over to dinner tonight?"

Believing that he was agreeing to sleep with her, Kim sighed with relief that she hadn't had to say it aloud. A wide grin spread over her face as she said, "I'd love to come over."

"Great. Come over about seven," said Ed. He watched as she thanked him and fled the room far faster than she had intended. Smiling to himself, he shook his head at having to rescue another damsel in distress.

Helen returned in time to hear the final exchange and was relieved to know that Ed was going to take care of Kim. The two were occasional lovers and she was fully aware of Kim's unrequited desire to sleep with Ed. She knew how frustrating it could be since she shared the same feelings. Entering the room, she placed a stack of papers on the desk and said, "Here you go."

Groaning, Ed stared at the stack of papers knowing that it would be hours before he could get through them all. Sighing, he picked up the first paper finding that it was the legal form establishing him as Chairman of the Board. He reviewed the signatures of other members of the board and signed it. Ellen had recorded his vote as abstained. He signed the form and handed it back to her as he said, "I would have objected, but I was too shocked to think straight."

Ellen laughed and said, "The choice was obvious. No one would have listened to your objections."

He looked over the next paper in the stack. It was a draft of the press release that she was going to send out to the news services. Looking over it, he thought that it made him sound inhuman and unreal. Grabbing a pencil, he immediately removed statements that talked about his heroism and his unrelenting dedication to a list of causes. He then took out all of the references to his past accomplishments that had nothing to do with the Fusion Foundation. Finished, he handed it back to Ellen and said, "You might want to review this. I've made a few changes."

She looked at it in dismay. The one page press release had been reduced to four sentences. The first indicated that he had been elected as Chairman of the Board. The second told how he had helped set up the Emergency Response Center. The third described his dedication to the keeping the mission of the Fusion Foundation on track. The fourth expressed the honor that he felt at being given the responsibility. She said, "I'll release it if you allow me to include your Fusion Foundation resume with it."

"I have a Fusion Foundation resume?"

"Yes. Whenever you've done something for the Fusion Foundation or achieved some other public recognition, we've documented it," replied Ellen with a grin.

"I'd like to see that," Ed mused aloud as he wondered what was in the resume. There were no doubts in his mind that it would exaggerate his past accomplishments.

"I thought that you would say that. The binder contains your resume," replied Ellen watching the expression of disbelief that crossed his face when he took in the thickness of the binder.

"This isn't a resume, it a biography!"

"Not so. Each of your accomplishments has a single paragraph describing the significance of your involvement," replied Ellen. Kelly and Linda had worked with her in developing the resume. It was based on the material within a biography about Ed that the two wives were preparing. She had found the material in the biography so captivating that she had read the entire thing in a single night.

Looking at the thickness of the binder, Ed laughed and said, "It's too thick. No one would possibly bother to read it all. Go ahead and release it with the press release."

Ellen shook her head at his reaction knowing that he was probably the only one in the world who would believe that statement. There were no doubts in her mind that thousands of people would read it from cover to cover over the next few days. She took the binder and the marked up press release to hand over to the press. Standing, she said, "Let me release this to the press now."

"Okay," replied Ed as he turned his attention to the other papers in the stack.

Two hours later, Ed stood up from behind his desk and looked around. He stepped out of the office to find Ellen at her desk working on her computer. Having finished the stack of paperwork, Ed sighed and said, "I'm heading out, now."

"No you're not," replied Ellen.

Looking at her as if she had declared that the world was flat, Ed asked, "And why not?"

"You have to meet the press in twenty minutes," answered Ellen. She worked for a minute on the computer and then the printer came to life. Turning to watch the progress, she said, "I've written a small speech to introduce you to the press. You should probably consider what you want to say to them."

The announcement that he would have to meet the press sent chills down his spin. He hated the press since they usually wanted to get more information of a private nature than what was the nominal subject of the press conference. Grumbling, he returned to his office to consider what he would say to the news vultures.

His desire to flee was strong as Ellen led the way to the room where the press conference was being held. He followed her into the room and saw the huge number of cameras aimed at the podium. Ellen walked directly to the podium and looked around for a minute. She was used to holding press conferences as they were almost a weekly event as one tragedy or another struck the world. Seeing that everyone was ready, she spoke, "Hello. I'm Ellen Faber, the Executive Director of the Fusion Foundation. I am sure that you are aware that John Carter, former Chairman of the Board of the Fusion Foundation, has passed away. At the meeting of the Board of Directors this afternoon, Dr. Ed Biggers was elected the new Chairman of the Board. It is my great pleasure to introduce, Dr. Ed Biggers."

As all eyes turned to look at him, Ed slowly took his place at the podium. In a serious tone of voice, he said, "Hello. I'd like to thank you for showing up to this new conference. It is with great sorrow that I became the Chairman of the Board of the Fusion Foundation this afternoon. No one can replace John Carter and his vision for a better world. I will do my best to see his vision become a reality. I will entertain your questions now."

A reporter from the front asked, "Are you on any other Boards associated with charities or companies?"

Ed answered, "I'm on the board of a major airline and have started a number of other charities."

A woman reporter from the back of the room asked, "I noticed in your resume that you have performed some services for the CIA. Those services have earned you the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. Is the Fusion Foundation a CIA front company?"

The question shocked Ed as he stared at the woman that had asked the question. He answered, "No. My work at the CIA is as an American Citizen who supports his country in whatever fashion he can. I work with the IRS, FBI, CIA, and other government agencies to make the United States a better place to live. I also work to make the world a better place through my charities. The Fusion Foundation was established by John Carter to help the world using royalties from his inventions. The charities and other activities are totally separate."

The woman said, "I'd like to follow up on your answer. If it were a CIA front, you wouldn't tell us that it was. What proof can you provide that the CIA is not involved?"

Looking at the woman, Ed replied, "I can't prove a negative, but you are welcome to view all of our books. In my service to the Gods and Goddesses, I can not tell a lie without feeling horrible pain. I tell you straight out, there is no connection between the Fusion Foundation and the CIA."

"You expect us to accept that you are telling the truth just because you say you have to tell the truth?" asked the reporter with a sneer.

Ed realized that she was trying to create a story rather than report on this one. The medallion on his chest started to burn and then glow with brilliant light that blinded all that looked upon it. The cameras facing him went blank as if they had been turned off. Leaning forward on the podium, Ed said in an inhumanly loud voice that reverberated through the room, "There is no connection between the Fusion Foundation and the CIA."

The power of his voice, the light emanating from the medallion and the flash of anger from his eyes convinced the reporters in the room more than his words. The technicians recording the press conference didn't hear a word through their headsets.

Relaxing back, he said, "Let us remember the mission of the Fusion Foundation. It is to help people. We have education programs, health programs, art and science programs, and disaster relief programs. All these are to help people, all people, live a better life. We give with equal ease to the homeless poor and the wealthy in their castles. Almost every one has had their lives touched in a positive manner by the Fusion Foundation. I am proud of that history and will work my hardest as Chairman to assure that it carries on into the future."

Another reporter asked, "Why is it that the Emergency Response Teams of the Fusion Foundation are the only part that has an international scope?"

Ed smiled and said, "Social issues tend to differ from nation to nation and we would never impose a solution for this nation upon another. However, a disaster is the same everywhere. We go to disasters where our people can help victims through the hardest times of their lives. Medicines, food, shelter, and clothes are provided. Other services are brought to play as necessary. Once the emergency is over, our people leave. We ask nothing of those that we help. We give and then we go."

Another reporter asked, "Are there any countries that have refused your assistance?"

"Yes, there have been a few. It is their sovereign right to refuse admittance of individuals into their country and one that we respect."

A woman on the front row raised her hand. Ed looked over at her. She was tall, blond, and with her hair short. She reminded him of his late wife, Beth. In a very sultry voice, she asked, "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" asked Ed confused by the question. He wondered if she had been sent here because of her similarity to Beth.

"Give and then go," replied the woman reporter as she adjusted the position of her hair. She crossed her legs and pulled her shoulders back to pull attention to her breasts.

Although she looked like Beth, she didn't act like her. While at work, Beth was a consummate professional and not a flirt. Ed answered, "John Carter established the Fusion Foundation to help people with the money that he earned from the Fusion Well and Fusion Battery patents. His goal was to make the world a better place for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. The Fusion Foundation is working. Inner-city slums are slowly disappearing as young people achieve a better education and move up economically. Health costs are down, performance arts are flourishing, and science is solving problems that have long haunted people."

The grilling continued for another ten minutes before Ellen stepped up and said, "That's all for now, folks."

She led Ed out of the room. Once the door closed behind them, he sat down in exhaustion letting the wall support his back. Putting his elbows on his knees, he held his head in his hands and said, "That was horrible."

Ellen looked down at Ed amazed at his collapse. The press conference had gone much better than she had expected. The reporter that had asked all of the questions about CIA involvement had been trying to find something negative to report about the Fusion Foundation for years. Trying to tie the Fusion Foundation to the CIA was a very imaginative approach. She looked down at him and said, "It went pretty well."

"I don't like talking to the press," replied Ed.

One of the men that worked in the press office walked down the hall and stopped in front of Ed. He said, "Three of the reporters are asking for private interviews with Dr. Biggers."

Ed looked up at the man, realizing that he didn't recognize him. In a tired voice, Ed replied, "I don't give private interviews."

"This is important," replied the young man.

Tired, Ed stood and faced the young man. He said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know your name."

"I'm Eugene Ford," replied the young man.

"Eugene, you have to understand that I don't give private interviews. I am a private person and value my privacy much more than my money," said Ed.

The young man didn't know what to make of Ed's statement and looked to Ellen for guidance. She smiled and said, "He doesn't do private interviews."

Ed started to walk away and then stopped as a thought occurred to him. He turned to Eugene and said, "I am not giving a private interview, but I will talk to the reporter that wanted to tie the Fusion Foundation to the CIA. Bring her to my office."

Both Ellen and Eugene reacted with surprise. This was the last person that they would expect him to meet privately. Eugene left to deliver the news to the woman while Ellen followed Ed to his office. Once there, she asked, "Why would you want to talk to Brittany Lee? She hates the Fusion Foundation."

"You just answered your own question," answered Ed as he took a seat. Learning that there was someone that had a deep dislike for the Fusion Foundation hurt Ed more than he would admit. There had to be a reason for it and he wanted to discover it for himself. Realizing that he had worked through the afternoon without drinking anything, he asked, "I really hate to be a bother, but could you please ask someone to bring us some coffee?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't even think about that," replied Ellen. She returned to her desk trying to figure out how she had answered her own question. She called down to the front desk to send up one of the volunteer workers to serve as a hostess.

Eugene entered the top floor looking lost followed by Brittany Lee. It was his first time to the top floor and it took him a minute to get his bearings. Brittany looked around rather disappointed at the executive quarters of the Fusion Foundation. She had expected something a little richer in appearance considering the wealth of the people that sat on the Board. Eugene took her to Ed's office and knocked on the doorframe. Ed looked up and said, "Please come in."

"Dr. Biggers, I would like to introduce you to Brittany Lee."

From behind his desk, Ed looked over at Eugene irritated at the formality of address. He requested, "Please call me Ed. I do not like formality when I deal with people. That goes for you, as well, Ms. Lee."

The reporter looked at Ed and wondered why he hadn't stood up to greet her. When Ed gestured to a chair, she sat down wondering why he had asked that she come up to talk. Her mind flashed to the questions about the link between the Fusion Foundation and the CIA, making her wonder if she had stumbled upon a secret. Eugene had been very insistent that this wasn't an interview, so it must be an attempt to silence her. She asked, "So why did you want to talk to me?"

"First, this is an informal conversation and not an interview. Are you recording this?"

"No."

The lie struck Ed like an out of tune piano. He ignored the lie and declared, "You hate the Fusion Foundation."

"No, I don't," she answered looking at him through narrowed eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Ed replied, "Don't lie to me. You hate the Fusion Foundation. What did the Fusion Foundation do that hurt you?"

"Nothing," replied Brittany with a straight face.

The lie ripped through Ed like a chainsaw. Something bad had happened to her in the past that she blamed on the foundation and it was up to him to discover what it was. Her name didn't ring true, but that was common among television personalities. He said, "You weren't always called Brittany Lee. What is your real name?"

"Brittany Grant," replied the reporter with bitterness in her voice.

The name released a floodgate of memories in both of them. Ed recalled the case where a woman had tried to use the Fusion Foundation as a means of leaving her husband by claiming that he was physically abusing her and sexually abusing her daughter. The charges had been false, but the father had died before he and his daughter could be reunited for even a visit. The daughter, a young girl by the name of Brittany, had blamed the Fusion Foundation for the fact that she couldn't see her father before he died.

A volunteer knocked on the door and asked, "Would you like your coffee now?"

"Yes, please," replied Ed as he considered how to address the problem at hand. The volunteer handed a cup to each person in the room and dealt with adding sugar and cream to Brittany's coffee. When she had finished and left the room, Ed asked, "Do you remember me?"

"No."

"Try to imagine me wearing blue jeans and a work shirt," requested Ed as he saw the light of recognition cross her face.

Makeup couldn't hide the clear flush of anger that came over her face as she charged, "You and that fat bitch kept me from my father!"

As the young woman started to rant, Ed sat and let her vent her anger. In this state of mind, nothing that he could say would deflect her need to express years of frustration, hate, and anger. After a few minutes, she stopped shouting and broke down into tears. Ed moved around the desk and handed her the handkerchief that was always present in his robe pocket. She accepted it without thinking about the source. When she had calmed down, Ed said, "Years ago a woman came to a shelter claiming that she had been physically abused by her husband and that her thirteen year old daughter had been sexually abused by him. She had bruises, cuts, and a fractured arm to back up her story. The problem was that it didn't seem right to the caseworker since the woman didn't act like any other battered woman that we had in the shelter."

Brittany looked up at Ed, startled to hear what he was saying. She asked, "She didn't?"

"No, she didn't. The caseworker called in Sherry to review the case. Sherry is the fat bitch that you referred to a moment ago. Sherry talked to the mother, to the young lady, and to the father. She suspected that the mother was lying, but the injuries were real. Sherry called me to talk to the family. Unfortunately, I was not in the area at the time. If I recall correctly, I was with John hunting a serial killer that preyed upon prostitutes. When I returned, I came to the shelter and talked to the mother, the father, and to the young woman. At that time, I didn't wear the robes when I worked."

Brittany stared at Ed unable to believe what she was hearing. Ed continued, "It didn't take me more than a minute of talking with the mother to determine the truth. She had lied to everyone involved, including her daughter. She had paid a high school athlete to beat her and then told everyone, the daughter included, that her husband had done it."

"You discovered that?"

"We figured it out and then made arrangements for the father to visit the daughter. He died before the visit was to take place. The daughter blamed us for keeping her separated from her father. The problem was that once the father was dead, we had no legal recourse to right the wrong that had been perpetrated on the young woman. Her mother had legal custody and we had no proof that would hold up in a court of law. The mother left with the daughter that afternoon and we never saw either of them again." Ed stopped and looked at the reporter.

Brittany unable to think took a sip of her coffee. With a trembling hand she brought the cup to her mouth, spilling some down the front of her dress. At one time, she wouldn't have believed the story, but it explained all of the disturbing details that had come to haunt her nights. She asked, "How did you figure it out?"

"I'm a human lie detector. I know that you are recording this conversation, so don't try to convince yourself that I didn't know," replied Ed. He looked at the young lady and then added, "I think you need to have a long talk with your mother. However, I'm sure that she has been telling the lie for so long that she believes it to be true."



-------

Chapter 4

It was a tired Ed that returned home from his first afternoon as Chairman of the Board of the Fusion Foundation. He noticed the strange car parked in the driveway and realized that Kim Green had beaten him to the house. Hitting his head with the palm of his hand, he realized that he hadn't let anyone know that she was coming. It was even worse since he had left her with the mistaken impression that she would be sleeping with him that night.

Entering the house, he was met by Cathy with her ever-present notepad containing the messages for him. She said, "Hello Ed. Just a few items for you. I called the University to let them know that you were tied up this afternoon and wouldn't make there. They wanted me to let you know that they are looking forward to discussing your return to the faculty there."

Although she didn't say it, he knew that he should have called her and let her know that he was going to be unable to meet with the department chair. He said, "Sorry, I really should have called you."

Cathy smiled knowing that there were a lot of things that he should have done that day, but she wasn't going to bring that up at the moment. She said, "We've made arrangements to interview individuals for the new staff positions tomorrow, but you will need to talk to Bob tonight."

Ed wondered why he would need to talk to Bob, but replied, "Okay."

Glancing down at the list, Cathy said, "I've confirmed the meeting with Jim to work out details for your will tomorrow morning."

Ed had forgotten that little piece of business and wondered when he would get a break. Frustrated, he said, "Find a time for me to go out in the desert."

Cathy added that item to the list with a smile. She could tell when things were starting to get overwhelming for him because he would put a halt to everything and demand that time be set aside for the desert. She asked, "Would four days be enough?"

"If that is all that you can arrange, then it will have to do."

"Kim Green arrived around six saying that you had invited her for dinner at seven. She apologized for being early. I provided a guestroom for her so that she could freshen up a little prior to dinner."

Ed frowned as he thought about it, particularly since the guestroom would further re-enforce the idea that he was going to sleep with her. He said, "You probably did the right thing."

"Pardon?" asked Cathy in surprise.

"She has expectations that are not going to be met this evening," replied Ed.

"Oh." The explanation did not enlighten Cathy in any fashion since she didn't know what the expectations were or why they wouldn't be met. She looked down at the last item on the list, the one item that she had no clue what it was about. She said, "Walt and George want to talk to you."

"Okay," said Ed, "I'll talk to Walt and George in ten minutes in my room. After that, I'll have them send Bob to me. When I'm done with Bob, I'll deal with Kim. I'll take a short swim and meet her in the dining room at seven."

Cathy nodded and said, "I'll send Walt and George down to your room."

"Great," said Ed as he turned to leave. He paused and turned to look at Cathy. With a wink, he said, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know," replied Cathy as she headed to her office.

Smiling, Ed headed to his room. He hoped to have a minute of peace before George and Walt arrived. As he approached his room, he was disappointed to find that Walt and George were waiting for him by the door. Putting his hand on the reader, the door opened as he said, "Come on in, guys. I understand that you want to talk to me."

The pair of men followed him into the living room, feeling uncomfortable about being in there. They very seldom entered Ed's room. Looking around, it was the same as always. It was filled with furniture that would have been new in the fifties, but looked very dated in the modern world. In many ways it reflected Ed. He had manners that would have been considered completely normal in the fifties, but seemed old fashioned. Turning, Ed asked, "What's up?"

Walt looked to George, allowing the older man to take charge. George said, "We are proposing to Sarah and Cathy tonight."

"It's about time."

The response was not what they had expected, but Walt continued on by saying, "We are wondering about living arrangements."

"What do you want to do?"

Licking his lips, Walt said, "George and I were thinking about buying a house."

Surprised, Ed looked at the two men as he considered the impact that would have on running the household. It meant that Cathy would not be available at all times and that the men would have to have actual work shifts. Of course, hiring additional people wouldn't impact things too much. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "That's not a bad idea. You might want to keep your rooms here just in case you have to be here at night."

George asked, "You aren't upset?"

"Why would I be upset?" asked Ed surprised at the question.

"Well, we get an inheritance and then move out. It doesn't look very good," replied George.

"You're getting married and it's time that you started thinking about starting a family. I wouldn't want to do that in someone else's house. I wouldn't expect that you would want to do that. Now go and propose to your women," replied Ed making a motion like he was herding them out of his room.

As the pair of men walked to the door, Walt turned to Ed and said, "Thank you for understanding."

Smiling, Ed replied, "I think you're going to be very happy being married to Cathy and Sarah. They are good women and love you. I'm very happy for all four of you."

The two men left, closing the door behind them. Ed pulled off his robe and went into the bathroom to wash his face hoping that it would wake him up and allow him to regain his focus. He had just finishing drying his face when there was a knock on his door. Knowing it was Bob, he went to the door and opened it saying, "Come on in, Bob."

Bob followed his naked boss into the living room and looked around at the furnishings. While his coworkers were taken aback by the furniture, he was taken aback by the lack of an entertainment system. Bob waited until he had his boss's attention and then said, "You are going to interview new people tomorrow."

"Yes. Of course, you and the rest of the staff are invited," said Ed. Ed stopped his trip to the bedroom to pick up a clean robe and turned to face Bob wondering what was the problem. He knew that Bob was fully aware that the staff would be included in the interviews the next day.

"That's not quite what I was wanting to talk to you about. You know the jewelry shop that you gave me years ago?"

Ed nodded as he remembered it very clearly. Bob had made the wedding rings that he and Marguerite wore. Bob was very talented in creating gold and silver jewelry. He answered, "Sure, I remember."

Bob looked down at the floor and said, "Well, while you and the rest of the family were living at the Druid College, I built up a rather significant business."

"That's great."

This wasn't as easy as Bob had hoped it would be. He hemmed as he tried to figure out what to say next. Finally, he blurted, "I've been making almost a million a year in sales."

The announcement impressed Ed, as he was not aware that Bob had been so successful with his part time business. As he thought that, he realized that Bob was hinting that he would prefer to do it fulltime rather than part time. He suggested, "I guess with that kind of business, you'd want to pursue it a little more intensely than in the past."

"Yes," replied Bob relieved that Ed understood.

Ed walked over to Bob and extended a hand saying, "I wish you the best of luck in your efforts. As a small business owner, I know how tough it is to make it. If you need any help, you can count on me. I'm sure that Cathy or Lynn will be more than happy to help you with your books and taxes."

The offer was overwhelming. Bob shook Ed's hand as he said, "I guess I'll move my stuff in with Marguerite."

"Why?" asked Ed.

"I don't expect you to provide room and board for me if I'm not working for you," replied Bob.

Chuckling, Ed said, "I'm not going to risk having a grumpy Marguerite trying to poison me because she's upset with you. Keep your room."

Bob relaxed and accepted the offer. With a smile, he said, "Marguerite will be happy to hear that."

"I'd like to commission you to create four wedding rings," remarked Ed.

"Four wedding rings?"

"Yes. George and Walt are proposing tonight to Cathy and Sarah. I figure that would make a nice gift for them. Make them with four diamonds, with pairs of common color and cut," answered Ed.

Bob was grateful for the commission and would do his best to make sure that Ed was proud of his present. He replied, "I'll get to work on it right away."

As Bob turned to go out the door, Ed said, "I'd still like you to come with us tomorrow to interview the new staff members."

"Sure, I'll be happy to do that," replied Bob.

"Great."

Bob left the room thinking that he was going to have to do something for Ed, but he didn't know what he could do that would express his gratitude. He was whistling as he headed off to talk to his wife to let her know what Ed had said.

Ed glanced at the clock and saw that it was about fifteen until seven. He headed into his bedroom and threw on a clean robe. He still had to deal with Kim, but Kelly and Ling would support him in that. They were wonders at getting to the roots of problems. He would have about ten minutes to swim and work some of the tension out of his body before meeting Kim in the dining room.

The swimming pool was not empty. Kelly, Ling, and Kim were swimming the length of the pool using slow languid strokes as they chatted in an amiable manner. Ed looked at Kim taking in her naked body. She was a very attractive woman, with a body sculpted by years of exercise. He asked, "Do you mind if I join you in the pool?"

Kelly answered, "Come on it. No splashing."

Dropping the robe on the chair, Ed stood by the side of the pool for a second before dropping his body into the pool. The slight pause had given Kim a chance to see his cock and the sight took her breath away. She couldn't believe the size of it despite the fact that Kelly had described in great detail.

Ed rolled over onto his back and floated in the water allowing the weightless feeling to relax his muscles. With a sigh, he said, "That feels so good."

Ling drifted past as she said, "Rough day?"

"You might say that if you are prone to understatement. First you guys make me the Chairman of the Board. Then I have to fill out paperwork all afternoon, followed by a horrible press conference. The real zinger was when past failures came back to haunt me this afternoon," replied Ed.

"A past failure?" asked Kelly surprised to hear Ed say that.

"Yes. Years ago a woman used the Fusion Foundation to hurt her ex-husband with the result that she left a legacy of hatred instilled in her child. Today, that child was in my office," answered Ed. The odor of chlorine tickled his nose although it wasn't strong enough to irritate the eyes or nose. For Ed, the smell of chlorine in the poolroom, the odor of spices in the kitchen, and the dryness of the desert air meant home.

Kim hadn't said anything as she thought about the day Ed had. She hadn't realized that he might be exhausted by the day's activities. She said, "I didn't realize that your day was so rough. Would you like me to come back some other time?"

Putting his arms into the water above his head, Ed brought them down to his side pushing his body through the water with one powerful stroke. He answered, "No. Please stay for dinner. I would like to talk with you afterwards. It is a little cold to be up on the roof tonight, but I think you might enjoy a walk through the atrium garden."

Ling, from the other end of the pool, said, "Kinky. A little Garden of Eden action. Nice move."

Laughing, Kelly retorted, "Kim, you had better watch out for the trouser snake. It's a big one."

Kim blushed as she thought about the size of his cock. Ed groaned and threatened, "If I wasn't so tired, I'd swim down there and dunk you."

Laughing even harder, Ling called back, "I'll ask Marguerite to provide some apples for you to snack on."

Realizing that they weren't going to let him get away from them without lots of teasing, he said, "I tried that fig leaf trick and it doesn't work. I couldn't find one big enough to hide everything."

Kelly burst out laughing and had to stand up. It took her a minute to calm down as she kept imagining Ed standing in front of her with a little leaf stuck to the end of his cock. She glanced at the clock and said, "It's after seven. Marguerite said that dinner would be ready around seven thirty. If we are going to look pretty for dinner, we had better get dressed."

Floating on his back, Ed said, "You all look pretty, dressed and undressed, made up or natural. In fact, I can't think of an occasion when you didn't look pretty."

All three women froze where they were and turned to look at Ed. He wasn't paying any attention to them as he relaxed in the water. A tear came to Kelly's eye as she looked at him knowing that he said exactly what he meant and meant what he said. She couldn't imagine anyone receiving a nicer compliment. She looked over at Ling and saw her own face reflected back at her.

Kim was stunned that a man would say that. She went over to the side of the pool and lifted herself out of it. Her movements broke the spell holding Kelly and Ling in the pool. They followed her out of the pool and went over to the stack of towels. As Kelly handed out the towels, she said, "I suggest that we do something special for Ed this week."

Wondering what her wife had in mind, Ling asked, "What?"

Glancing over at Ed floating in the water and the look of bliss on his face, Kelly answered, "I don't know. Let's talk about it while we're getting dressed."

Kim was sure that she wasn't included in the discussion and picked up her clothes before heading to her room to put on her make up and dress. She was surprised when the two wives grabbed her and led her away. In the water, Ed was totally unaware of the activities in the hall. He rolled over and started swimming the length of the pool in a nice even breaststroke. Reaching the end of the pool, he turned and swam back. There wasn't much time so he limited his workout to five laps. It wasn't enough to tire him out further, but was enough to relax his muscles.

Finished with his laps, he got out of the pool and dried off. Once dry, he put on his robe and headed to the dining room. He entered the room and looked over the place settings trying to figure out what was on the menu tonight. It was an impossible task and he knew it.

A young woman that he didn't recognize entered the room and set out several small plates containing butter. She was a little thin and small for his taste, but attractive in a way. He watched her work realizing that she hadn't noticed that he was in the room. Clearing his throat, he said, "Hello."

Startled, the woman fumbled the last plate of butter and watched in horror as it landed butter side down on the tablecloth. She glanced up at Ed as a look of shock crossed her face as she recognized him. Giving forth a little scream, she ran out of the room leaving the plate on the table.

Chuckling, Ed went over to the table and picked up the plate. Using one of the knives, he scrapped the butter off the tablecloth and returned it to the plate. He carried the plate and knife into the kitchen. The young woman was crying at the kitchen table. Marguerite was watching her puzzled at her behavior. Ed said, "I'm afraid she took one look at me and dropped this."

Marguerite smiled as she realized what must have happened. She said, "I've always said that you scare women."

Chuckling, Ed asked, "Are you saying that I'm uglier than usual?"

"Your usual is ugly enough. Now get out of my kitchen."

Smiling in the direction of the young lady, he said, "Don't let her poison me. I'm counting on you."

A hot bun hit him in the back as he left the kitchen. Marguerite shouted, "I'll be bringing out the dog dish for you tonight."

Ed laughed and waited for the women to arrive. He wondered if the young lady was the new chef that Marguerite was going to train. He didn't have to wonder long as Marguerite came out and said, "I have three candidates trying out for the position of assistant chef. Each one will work two days here and then I'll pick one. This is her first day and she's scared."

Ed patted Marguerite on the butt and said, "You just keep telling them how mean I am."

"Mean? How can I do that when you were so nice to Bob?" asked Marguerite. She had appreciated how easily Ed had taken the news that Bob had wanted to pursue his jewelry business rather than serve as a handyman. She knew that Ed would be that way, as he never stood between someone and their efforts to improve themselves. Usually, he did what he could to help.

"I didn't do anything other than wish him luck," replied Ed.

"Right," retorted Marguerite with a snort. She knew better than that. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. In a soft voice, she said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Ed watched her return to the kitchen swinging her hips in an exaggerated manner. She knew that he would watch her leave.

He turned in time to see the women enter the dining room. As always his wives looked outstanding. Kelly was in her green robe, filling it out in a most pleasing fashion. Ling was dressed in a conservative green dress that fit like a dream. Kim was dressed in a nice white dress that was well tailored to her athletic form. Betsy followed behind walking forward three steps and then taking two backward steps. It was her way of burning off energy.

He waited for them to settle in their places around the table and then went to his seat. There was an empty table setting and it took Ed a moment to realize Leroy was supposed to be there. He asked, "Has anyone seen Leroy?"

The deep rolling voice of Leroy emerged from the doorway as he entered and said, "I keep seeing him every time I pass a mirror."

Ed laughed and replied, "Must be a fearful prospect to see that face staring back at you."

Betsy giggled at the teasing and kicked her feet as she waited impatiently for the food to arrive. She watched her parents bored with the slow pace of conversation.

"I've missed you too, Ed." Leroy went over to the table and took his normal seat. Looking around at the empty table, he said, "Everything looks wonderful."

Kelly said, "We were waiting for you to show up."

"Thanks. I'm starved."

Marguerite came out of the kitchen with some soup plates and placed them around the table. Noticing the looks she was getting from everyone, she said, "Ed scared the help away."

As everyone turned to look at Ed, he nodded his head in confirmation. Kelly asked, "What happened?"

"She didn't see me and when I got her attention, she spooked and ran," answered Ed.

"Bad Daddy Ed," chirped Betsy still swinging her legs.

"And here you were calling me ugly." Leroy pulled down on his face so that he looked like a monster. His actions caused Kim to laugh. Turning to her, he said, "We haven't met. I'm Leroy. According to Ed, I'm the black sheep of the family."

"He was born in Aries, that makes him a ram. Be careful that you don't go baa around him, Kim."

Kim giggled at the exchange realizing that it was two very close men teasing each other. She leaned against Leroy and said, "Baa."

Everyone cracked up with Betsy laughing the loudest although Leroy was nearly as loud. He leaned against Kim and said, "I might be a ram, but Ed is a wolf."

"Howl!" screamed Betsy trying to participate in the conversation. Her comment brought another round of laughter to the table.

The laughter died when Marguerite brought out a tureen of soup. Ed tried to get a peek inside, but she held it away from him and took the opportunity to fill everyone else's bowl. Once he settled back in his seat, she ladled out a serving of soup into his bowl. Everyone watched Ed as he looked at it trying to figure out what kind of soup it was. It looked like some kind of cheese soup, but there were potatoes and corn floating in it. It smelled and looked good. He dipped a spoon into the soup and tasted it. Sitting back, he said, "That's good. What is it?"

"It's Cheesy Corn Chowder," answered Marguerite.

Nodding, Ed smiled and took another taste of the soup. Looking up, he said, "You can make this again. I like it."

Marguerite smiled and corrected him when she said, "Mona made it."

"No wonder it's good," replied Ed with a wink.

The rest of dinner was good with a wilted lettuce salad, a simple pot roast with carrots and potatoes, and an apple-pear pie for desert. Ed was pleased with the hearty meal and sat back with his appetite fully sated. Betsy had a special meal prepared for her that was a little more appropriate for someone her age.

After seeing that everyone was done, Marguerite came out and poured coffee for everyone. As she was filling Kim's cup, a duel scream of excited female voices echoed through the room. "Yes! Yes! We will!"

Ed put a hand to his ear and said, "I think we just heard Cathy and Linda accepting the marriage proposals of Walt and George."

"Really?" Kelly asked excited by the news. "It's about time."

"Yes, really," said Ed. "George and Walt came to me when I came home to let me know that they were going to ask the two women to marry them tonight. They also let me know they were going to buy a house to live in when they get married."

The news that almost all of the staff was going to leave the house upset Ling. This was home to her and their leaving was an insult. She asked, "What? Isn't living here good enough for them?"

"No it is not. This is our house and our rules. They want a house that is theirs, one that they can live in according to their own rules. I don't blame them a bit," answered Ed in a very serious tone of voice.

"I didn't think about it like that," replied Ling rather surprised at Ed's defense of their choice. This had been her home since she had started working here and remained her home after she had married into the family.

Ed looked around and decided that it was about time to tell them the other news. He said, "Bob is pursuing his jewelry business full time. He wanted us to know that before we went to interview people tomorrow so that we could find a replacement."

Ling was about to explode when she noticed that Marguerite was still in the room. Kelly asked, "Did he say why?"

"Yes. He has been having a lot of success with selling his work. In fact, I commissioned four wedding rings as a present for the foursome in the other room," answered Ed.

"It's going that well?" asked Ling in surprise.

"Yes. He told me that last year he had sales on the order of a million dollars. I'm very proud and impressed by his accomplishment," said Ed. It was an impressive accomplishment if one thought about it. A handyman that didn't know how to read had been able to build up a business with over a million dollars a year in sales. He looked up to see Marguerite smiling at him with a great big grin on her face.

"That is good. I guess I'm not surprised by the news. It seems to me that everyone in this house seems to achieve success in some area or another," said Ling. It seemed like everyone succeeded in some way or another with the exception of her. She glanced over at Betsy and saw that the child was having a hard time staying in her chair. She said, "I better get Betsy out of here before she starts climbing the walls."

Betsy beat Ling out of the room before her mother had even finished her statement. Ling raced after her trying to keep the child in sight. This often repeated sight still managed to bring a smile to everyone. Leroy stood and said, "I better help her."

"Sure," replied Ed.

The conversation continued around the table while Ed, Kelly, and Kim enjoyed their coffees. Ed was enjoying it a lot until Kelly said, "Come along you two. It is time for us to let Marguerite clean up the dining room."

"Yes, that would be a good idea," echoed Kim.

Ed wondered what was going on when Kelly took his right arm in hers and Kim took his left arm. Together the two women led him out of the room and into the back of the house. Kelly led them to her door and ushered them inside. Kelly helped Kim strip as he looked at her for the first time with the kind of eye that a man looks at a woman with whom he was about to make love. Her hard body was excited with erect nipples atop full soft breasts and a nice trimmed patch of pubic hair above a hot pussy. His cock reacted to the sight, tenting his robe in a very obvious show of interest.

Walking to stand behind Ed, Kelly pulled his robe off from him. This gave Kim her first clear view of his body. The hard cock drew her eyes and pulled the breath from her chest. Her pussy became hot and wet, her lower lips swelled in anticipation. Kelly whispered, "She needs you. I will return to take care of her when you have finished and left."

Ed listened, but his mind was on Kim. Stepping closer to her, he ran a hand over her hair feeling the silky texture as it flowed between his fingers. She leaned her head into his hand. He cupped the side of her face feeling the desire pulsing under the skin. The door closed behind him, but he didn't pay attention to it. His attention was focused on the sexy woman standing exposed and vulnerable in front of him.

Stepping forward, he took her by the arm and led her to Kelly's bed. She settled back onto the bed with arms open and legs spread inviting him to mount her. He lay down beside her and began to caress her body. She expected aggressive actions on his part, but he treated her like she was a virgin and that threw her off balance.

Bending over so that his lips brushed hers, she opened her mouth inviting him to explore it with his tongue. Instead of meeting her expectations, he sucked on her lower lip teasing her. Breaking off, he rubbed his tongue along her upper lip, The action tickled and fed her excitement. She reached up to grab his head to kiss him harder, but he shifted his head to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. Frustrated, she ran her hands along his back hoping to pull him atop her, but he reached between their bodies to rub her breast.

The sensations that Ed triggered within her caused her to react. She arched her back trying to increase the pressure of his hand upon her breast, shaking when he traced a ring around her nipple with a finger.

Moving down, he ran his tongue up her throat, the underside of her chin, and onward to her lips. With a tenderness that shook her to her core, he began to kiss her lips exploring them with the patience of a man that had all night. She moaned in response.

Over the next hour, Ed teased her body with kisses. He covered every inch of her body as her breathing deepened and her body flushed with excitement. She screamed out her first orgasm when he sucked her breasts. His hand between her legs triggered her second orgasm with nothing more than a soft touch. Her third orgasm came when he licked her hot steamy pussy with his tongue.

By that time, she fully expected him to mount her, but he surprised her by rolling her over to her back. He kissed the back of her neck and traced his way down to the small of her back with little kisses. Her hand snaked between her legs and brought her to a fourth orgasm. He pulled her up and back so that she was on her hands and knees.

Lining his cock to her pussy, he teased the lips with his hard cock. She backed into him, impaling herself upon it. The action made her breasts swing in motions counter to the movement of the rest of her body. With slow languid strokes, he thrust into her as she pushed back driving his cock deep within her. By this time, she began to experience orgasms virtually continuously, screaming out her pleasure for the world to hear.

Ed soon reached the point of no return and shot into her grunting his pleasure. When he released her hips, Kim collapsed onto the bed and lay there shaking as her body attempted to deal with the orgasms that had shot through her. Ed fell to the bed beside her and traced little patterns on her body drawing out her pleasure.

When Kim finally came around, she smiled and said, "That was everything and more than I ever dreamed. Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure," replied Ed having enjoyed it as much as her.

"You can go and get Kelly now."

Ed stood and staggered out of the room. After stopping to get his robe, he left Kelly's apartment. Stopping by the informal living room, he found Kelly watching television. After taking one look at him, she said, "Go to bed and get some rest."



-------

Chapter 5

Ed, dressed in jeans and work-shirt, sat back enjoying his cup of coffee after finishing breakfast and laughed as Betsy ran into the room to begin her breakfast. Any time now Ling would show up looking bedraggled as she tried to keep up with the dynamo. Betsy had already asked Marguerite to make her favorite breakfast and had sat down at the table before Leroy entered the room. Groaning, he said, "Good morning, Ed."

"Where's Ling?"

"I'm letting Ling sleep in a little," said Leroy. He looked over at Betsy who was bouncing in her chair. "I don't think we expected Betsy would be quite so energetic all of the time."

Marguerite came out of the kitchen with a huge bowl of hot cereal. It was a double portion of food for most kids Betsy's age, but it would barely satisfy the child's appetite. She would eat it all and then sit lethargically for a few minutes. Once she had digested her food, she would start moving and wouldn't stop until the next meal. Betsy started shoveling the food into her mouth, eating it so fast that Ed doubted she even tasted it.

Kelly and Kim came into the dining room. Kim's wild tangled hair made her look as if she had just been having sex. Kelly was grinning like a cat that caught a canary. Once they had seated themselves at the table, Kelly ran a hand over Kim's thigh. She smiled as the other woman spread her legs slightly at the intimate touch.

Kelly's actions over the past evening had confused Ed and he didn't understand what was in her mind. He took a sip of his coffee and considered the two women, trying to figure out the relationship that had grown between them. Something was going on and he didn't know what it was. Shrugging his shoulders, he took a sip of his coffee deciding that time would reveal all to him.

Rubbing his chin, he knew that he had to shave and get ready for the rest of the day. He needed a haircut as well and decided that he would take a trip to the barber that morning. Kelly noticed him rubbing his face and asked, "Can we watch you shave today?"

It always amazed him how much his wives enjoyed watching him shave. On some mornings, he would wind up with all three of his wives watching him shave. With an eyebrow raised, he answered, "I was thinking of going to the barber this morning and getting a straight razor shave and a haircut."

Betsy looked up from her bowl of hot cereal and asked, "Can I watch?"

"You want to watch me get a haircut?"

"Sure," replied Betsy.

Kelly nodded her agreement and said, "So take Betsy with you."

"Okay," replied Ed wondering if he was going to end up leading a parade down to the barbershop.

Kim, talking for the first time since coming into the dining room, said, "I'll stay here with Kelly for a while."

Ed finished his coffee and looked down the table at Betsy. She had already finished her breakfast and was sitting back with her hands folded across her bulging stomach. It would be twenty minutes before she was ready to go. He stood up to go and said, "I'll wait for Betsy outside."

Leroy nodded and said, "Give me about fifteen minutes to get her ready."

Ed stepped out of the house and walked to the street to look around the neighborhood knowing that when Betsy came out, she'd race over to him. The weather was warm and he enjoyed the feeling of the Arizona sun on his skin. It was a shame that he had to interview staff and work on his will today. Spending time indoors was always hardest on nice days like this one.

The door of the house opened and Betsy came running out full steam ahead with an excited yell of joy at being able to move. He watched as she approached, her little legs covering in one minute what had taken him five. She was smiling as she moved. When she reached him, he started walking as she ran in circles around him.

As they reached the driveway of the Hayes house, the man that had rented it drove up. Ed waved and grabbed Betsy so that his neighbor could enter the drive without worrying about running over the little girl. Ed couldn't help wondering why the neighbor was at home at that time of day. When the guy got out of his car, he carried himself as though he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.

Ed decided it was time to meet his neighbor and waited as the man approached. He examined the tenant of the Hayes house carefully. The man looked to be in his late twenties, with curly hair that looked difficult to control, and rather large ears that stood out from his head. Ed let Betsy loose and she immediately began running around in circles. As he watched her go, he called out, "Howdy, neighbor."

"Hello," replied the man in a rich masculine voice. As he approached, he extended a hand as he said, "I'm Dan Biggerstaff."

Accepting the handshake, Ed replied, "I'm Ed Biggers. The little dynamo is my daughter, Betsy."

"Pleased to meet you," replied Dan as he watched Betsy take another lap around the two men. He didn't have a clue what to say about the little girl and her hyperactive behavior.

"I heard that you are an electrical engineer."

"Yes. Worked through the night and just got home," said Dan. He rubbed his chin and said, "I need to shave and get some rest."

As Betsy ran past another time, Ed replied, "I'm on my way down to the barber shop to get a good old fashioned straight razor shave."

"They do a real shave down there?" asked Dan in surprise.

"Yes, they do," answered Ed. Betsy stopped running in circles and ran thirty yards away. She bent over to examine something by the side of the road. Ed tried to make out what she was looking at, but just couldn't tell. He looked over at Dan noticing the man rubbing his chin.

"I think I'll head down there with you and get a shave," said Dan.

"Great," replied Ed. He looked over at Betsy and saw her dancing around. He leaned forward with his eyes squinted trying to make out what she was doing, but it was impossible to see. He turned to look at Dan and said, "Let's catch up to the kid."

Dan said, "Sure."

When Ed turned to head towards where Betsy had been, he found that she had run back to them. In her little hand, she held out a four-foot long rattlesnake by its head. The snake, with a very pronounced diamond pattern on its back, was thrashing around and the rattle was shaking furiously. It was clear the snake was very irritated at its treatment. Angry, she said, "Bad snake. It tried to bite me!"

Ed grabbed the snake behind her hand and shouted, "Let go of it!"

She let go of the snake and stood there as though she was waiting for her father to punish it. In one fluid motion, Ed threw the snake as far away as possible and turned to look at Betsy. Trying to keep his voice calm, he asked, "Did it bite you?"

"No. Silly snake was slow." She stood in front of him with her legs slightly spread and her hands on her hips, as though she disapproved of his actions of throwing the snake away. He was supposed to yell at it to behave and give it back to her.

Ed knelt down and checked her arms and legs to see if he found any sign of snakebite. There were no signs and he breathed a sigh of relief. Concerned, he asked, "What happened?"

"It tried to bite me, but it was too slow," said Betsy with a pout, "so I caught it by the head!"

The idea that Betsy could grab a striking rattlesnake by the head sent a shiver down his spine. It was an impossible feat, but she wasn't lying to him. Dan stared at the little kid shocked at her attitude and the incredulous at the story that she told. Ed asked, "Was it trying to bite you when you caught it?"

"Yeah," replied Betsy started to bounce around in boredom at the conversation. She felt the need to start moving again.

"Promise me that you'll never play with another snake like that again," said Ed wondering how he was going to explain this to his wives.

"Okay," replied Betsy as she took off running completely unfazed by the incident with the snake.

The matter of fact manner in which Ed had dealt with the problem had surprised Dan. He asked, "Does that happen often?"

"First time," replied Ed shaking his head. He followed after Betsy allowing Dan to follow or stay, as was his desire.

Dan, gliding into step with Ed, said, "No one can catch a rattlesnake that way."

"I never would have believed it, but she was telling the truth," said Ed. He watched Betsy running down the street and then back to them. He took a few steps and then said, "I wonder how I'll explain that to her mothers."

The comment about mothers reminded Dan that he was talking to one of the Carter Clan. He tried to remember what he could about them and it took him a minute to remember that Ed was a Druid. He looked over at the cowboy walking down the street beside him, not quite believing that Ed was a Druid. He asked, "Why aren't you wearing a robe?"

"I'm not working," replied Ed. He didn't like to wear his robes around town, preferring to be a regular guy in his hometown. Most of the residents of the town ignored the robe, but there were a few that treated him differently from when he was dressed in jeans. Other neighbors waved to him as they went about their business.

Dan tried to decide what he thought of Ed. The tall lanky cowboy didn't fit his idea of a Druid. The causal attitude and friendly greetings by everyone was not what Dan had expected. He had always heard that the Carter Clan was reclusive and had little to do with other people. He asked, "So you only wear your robes when you are working?"

"For the most part," replied Ed as Betsy passed them. Ed reached out and picked up the little girl as he said, "You stay here with me until we get to the barbershop. I don't want you getting run over by a car."

"I can go faster than a car," replied Betsy as she wriggled in his arms.

Knowing that his daughter believed that, Ed threw her on his shoulders and, in an attempt to distract her, said, "Horsy ride time."

Dan had watched the interaction with interest, amazed that the man had that much patience with the squirming kid. Dan said, "You have a lot of patience with children."

"Betsy is the most energetic of our kids. Beth, Little John, and William are much more scholarly. They prefer books to athletics," replied Ed. Betsy tried to goad him into moving faster by rocking on his shoulders, but her efforts had no effect.

"Oh," replied Dan. He looked at Betsy wondering what he would do with a child like that in his life. The issue was mute. He was a bachelor and would remain one for the rest of his life. It was not by choice, but a matter of appearance and behavior. Anytime he got around a woman his tongue stopped working. All interactions with women ended with him blushing while stammering inane conversation. He couldn't even work with them, a fact that was a major subject of discussion at the office.

The men reached the barbershop and Dan held the door open for Ed. As Ed stepped into the shop, the two men inside said, "Howdy, Ed."

"Howdy Sheriff. Howdy Doc." Ed set Betsy down and watched as she immediately dashed around the small room to check out the interior.

Doc, the barber, went over to a candy bowl and pulled out a sucker. He turned to Betsy and, offering it to her, asked, "How are you doing, Betsy?"

"Good. Saw a bad snake, but Daddy Ed threw it away," answered Betsy as she eyed the sucker with great interest. She went over to where Doc stood. Barely able to control her desire to move, she asked, "Is that for me?"

"Yes, it is," replied Doc.

Her hand reached out and grabbed the sucker faster than the eye could follow. Once she had it in her hand, she said, "Thank you."

Dan had watched her grab the sucker and, as a result, could believe that she was able to catch a snake in mid-strike. Everyone except Ed stared at her in shock. It took a second for Doc to reply, "You're welcome."

Ed said, "Everyone, this is our new neighbor, Dan Biggerstaff."

Doc said, "Welcome to Doc's Barbershop, Dan. I'm Doc. Have a seat and I'll get you on your way."

Dan sat down and asked, "Do you do straight razor shaves?"

"You bet," replied Doc while he went through the procedure for giving a haircut and a shave.

Keeping an eye on Betsy, Ed took a seat next to the lawman. Turning to the Sheriff, Ed said, "I heard that you haven't been able to catch a criminal in ages. Are we going to have to find a new Sheriff?"

The Sheriff laughed and said, "We've got more cops than crimes in this town. We didn't even have a schoolyard fight so far this year."

Betsy took a seat next to Ed to watch the barber cut Dan's hair. Giving a wink to Betsy, Ed asked, "What are these kids coming to?"

His comment brought a round of laughter to the room. Doc went to wave his comb, but it fell out of his hand. Before it hit the floor, Betsy had moved from her seat and caught the comb. She held it up for Doc. The elderly man looked down at Betsy and said, "You sure are a fast one."

"Momma Ling says I'm faster than her," replied Betsy as she handed the comb over to the barber. Returning to her chair, she sighed and said, "But not as strong."

Ed hugged her tightly, but she squirmed in response to the restriction of the hug. He released her and turned to the Sheriff. He asked, "So how are things going?"

"Well, things are quiet and that suits me perfectly fine," answered the Sheriff. The past few years had been characterized by almost no crime in the town. The only thing that he really did that was of value was checking the stores to make sure the doors were locked at night. It was a rare occasion when he found an unlocked door, but it did break up the time.

"Our family is moving back here to stay for a while. I hope that doesn't mean a sudden increase in criminals," replied Ed.

As Doc trimmed the hair along the back of his neck, Dan asked, "Why would that mean an increase in criminals?"

The Sheriff answered, "There are some people that think the world would be better off without the Carters."

"Yeah, we're hiring a couple more security people just in case. Now that John is gone, I fear that some of the protection over the house has disappeared."

The Sheriff nodded as he thought about it. Without John's strange ability to predict trouble and react to it, then it was likely that things would not turn out as well as in the past. He was going to have to take appropriate precautions prior to the family returning.

Betsy watched as the barber gave Dan a straight razor shave. She was fascinated when the barber stropped the razor and leaned forward in her seat as he slowly scraped the morning beard off Dan. She stared in fascination as the deliberate movements of the barber removed the rich foam. Turning to her father, she asked, "Is that what he is going to do to you?"

"Yes," replied Ed with a smile.

She looked at the Dan, flinching at the sound of the razor scrapping of the whiskers. Concerned, she asked, "Does it hurt?"

Dan didn't answer as Doc moved the razor over his face. Ed said, "It actually feels very good."

Ed took a seat on the chair when Doc had finished with Dan. Looking over at the Sheriff, he asked, "Would you mind standing in front of the door? She can disappear faster than chocolate at a women's tea."

"Sure thing," replied the Sheriff with a chuckle. He didn't make a move towards the door thinking that Ed was kidding.

Ed cleared his throat as Doc wrapped the apron around Ed and tied it in the back. Once Doc was done, Ed said, "I'm serious."

The Sheriff looked surprised until he glanced over at Betsy. She gave him a challenging grin, as if to see which one of them could get to the door first. He reached over to the door and held it shut as he stood to reposition himself. Betsy looked at him like he had cheated. He looked up at Ed and said, "Point taken."

Betsy turned to watch Ed get his hair cut, but kept looking out the corner of her eye to see if the Sheriff had moved away from the door. The Sheriff noticed her occasional glances at him and was amazed at her tenacity. He looked down and said, "I'll lock you up in jail if you try to run off."

"Have to catch me first," she replied.

Dan looked over at the child amazed at her saucy attitude and total confidence in her abilities. He didn't know enough about children to guess her age, but he assumed that she was under the age of three. With the Sheriff blocking the door, he didn't want to ask the man to move out of the way. Instead, he decided to talk to Betsy and asked, "Are you going to go to the Olympics?"

"What's that?" asked Betsy happy to have something to do even if it wasn't moving.

"It's a sporting competition where the fastest and the strongest athletes compete."

"I'll win the whole thing," replied Betsy without a shade of doubt.

"You can only compete in a few events, not all of them," said Dan.

"I'll win the whole thing," replied Betsy.

Dan laughed and said, "Somehow, I think you just might do that."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked, "Are you laughing at me?"

The question took Dan by surprise and said, "No. I laughed because I can imagine you doing it, but the idea that anyone could do that is funny to me."

"Why is it a funny idea?"

"Well, they have different competitions at the same time. So to win everything, you have to be at three or four different places at the same time, but I can see you doing that."

"Oh," replied Betsy as she sat there and thought about it. Looking over at Dan, she asked, "Did you ever go there?"

It took a minute for him to realize that she was asking if he had ever been in the Olympics. He said, "No. I'm the slowest and weakest athlete in the world. In a race, I'm likely to run in the wrong direction."

Betsy giggled at the comment imaging him running in the wrong direction. She grinned at Dan and said, "You're funny. I like you."

"I like you too."

Betsy looked at him for a minute and then said, "Aunt Cathy says that you are cute because you act funny around her."

Dan choked at her comment and wondered what why it was that females, even one so young, could fluster him so easily. Off balance, he said, "I... ah... "

"Yeah, she said you talk just like that," noted Betsy with a smile. She looked at him as though expecting him to say something else funny.

Ed was sitting in the barber chair with a hot towel on his face while listening to the conversation. It was tempting to rip the towel off and tell Betsy to lay off the poor guy. The Sheriff chuckled and said, "She's a Carter kid alright. I've never met kids that could get an adult off balance as fast as any of the Carter kids."

It was reassuring to know that he wasn't alone. Dan said, "Well, I don't know how to talk to women."

The Sheriff chuckled and said, "What man knows how to do that?"

Doc was close to finishing Ed's shave and looked up at the two men. He said, "Ed knows how to talk to women. Every woman in town loves him and we all know that it isn't his good looks."

His success with women had always been a puzzlement to Ed. He replied, "My success with women is overstated. It is a mystery to me that any women like me."

Shaking his head, Doc returned to making the last few strokes of the razor across Ed's face. The Sheriff commented, "It's not over stated. Every woman in town loves you."

Betsy, proud of her father, said, "That's cause he's a good guy."

Dan looked over at Ed thinking that the guy was good looking. There was no doubt in his mind that Ed had great pickup lines if all the women in town loved him. He envied guys that could deal with women without getting tongue-tied.

Doc wiped Ed's face, removing the last traces of shaving cream. Ed felt his face with his hand, appreciating the smoothness of his skin. Ed said, "Smooth as a baby's bottom."

The statement puzzled Betsy. She looked at her father and asked, "Why would you want a baby bottom for a face?"

"I don't want a baby bottom, but the smoothness of a baby's bottom."

"Oh."

Dan said, "Men's faces are often rough even after they shave. This kind of shave leaves the face feeling really smooth. A nice smooth shave is a real treat."

Betsy reached out and rubbed his face. As surprise flickered over her face, she said, "It is smooth."

Haircut and shave completed, Ed climbed out of the chair. The Sheriff stepped forward and rubbed Ed's face with a smile on his face. Chuckling, he said, "Just like a baby's bottom!"

Betsy slipped around the Sheriff and out the door before anyone even knew what happened. Dan followed her out the door, but she was very fast and quickly pulled ahead of him. Looking back at Dan and giggling, Betsy headed across the street without checking for cars. A car was headed her way, with the driver looking over to the side waving to a friend. It was at the last second when the driver saw Betsy dashing across the street. With a loud squeal, the driver stood on the brake and turned the wheel to avoid hitting her.

In the meantime, Dan had seen the car and tried to catch up in order to push Betsy out of the way of the car. True to her earlier statements, she sidestepped the car. The car missed Betsy, but hit Dan taking his legs out from under him and throwing him to the road where he hit with a horrible crack. He found himself looking up at the bottom of the car and unable to move. Confused, he tried to get up, but his body didn't respond.

Ed had followed them out the door and watched the accident unfold with horror. At first he was afraid for Betsy, but when he realized that Dan was going to be hit he tried to reach him to pull him out of the road.

Betsy ran to her father and grabbed him around the leg crying in the belief that Dan was dead. Her sobs tore at his heart, but he had to deal with Dan's problem first. With fingers that didn't want to respond, Ed pulled the cell phone out of his pocket and called the house using the speed dial. As soon as Cathy answered, he said, "Get Kelly down here to the barber shop right now. Have Walt bring down the van!"

Ed hung up the phone and knelt down to Betsy. The little girl was crying as she realized that she had been the one responsible for the accident. The Sheriff, kneeling next to Dan, was on his radio calling to get the doctor over as quick as possible. Carrying Betsy, Ed went over to the Sheriff and said, "Kelly is on her way here. She'll take care of him."

The Sheriff stood and, in a whisper, said, "His back is broken."

Ed knelt down next to Dan and said, "Don't worry. Kelly is on her way and she'll fix you right up."

Dan groaned and said, "I think my back is broken. I can't feel my legs."

Betsy stared at Dan and, with sorrow in her voice, said, "I'm so sorry."

"That's okay," replied Dan. On saying that, he realized that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Mentally, he cursed the idea of being paralyzed without ever having experienced sex. The idea of going through life as a virgin was depressing.

Dr. Connor arrived and said, "Everyone back up."

Ed turned to the doctor and said, "Kelly is coming."

Disturbed, the doctor turned to Ed and said, "So what! Get out of the way."

Grabbing the doctor, Ed pulled him aside as he said, "Kelly is coming here. She's a Druid healer and she can take care of the problem."

Angry and tired of all the Druid mystic talk around town, the doctor replied, "I don't give a damn if she has a magic dildo. The man has a broken back and I have to stabilize him."

"Look at me, doctor. You know that I have to tell you the truth. When Kelly is done with him, he will be able to walk," said Ed in a tone of voice that suggested that arguing was a wasted effort.

The Sheriff came over and shouted, "Get out of his way, Ed. He's a doctor!"

The shouting match continued until Walt pulled up in the van and Kelly stepped out. She was wearing her green robe and looked regal. Bending down, she started to caress Dan's face with gentle strokes and kissed his lips. The doctor tried to stop her, but Walt was faster and soon had the man in an arm lock.

The doctor stopped struggling as Kelly continued to caress the man lying on the street. She started to undress the man, his body responding to her actions. Everyone watched in shock as Dan's body started to twist and straighten itself. By the time she had pulled down his pants, his cock was erect. She moved over to straddle him and raised her robe. With a smooth action she lowered herself on his cock.

Dan was frozen in shock at the sight of the woman making love to him in the middle of the street. He couldn't believe that he could feel his cock. As she lowered herself onto it, he felt his toes curling. When she started to ride him, the unreality of the situation made him decide that he was dreaming.

Kelly threw back her head and started to slowly rock on the cock embedded within her. Her hands reached up to her breasts and she squeezed them through the robe. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations of her actions.

Dr. Connor watched with a look of incredibility on his face. The man's back had been broken and now his legs were moving. It was unbelievable that the man was thrusting up into the woman atop him. He looked over at Ed and asked, "Is this real?"

"Yes, she's a healer. She heals through sex," answered Ed as he made a gesture to Walt. Walt released the arm lock on the doctor.

Betsy was watching Dan on the ground, relaxing once she could see that Dan was going to be all right. That her mother was having sex in the middle of the street didn't register. She looked over at her father and asked, "It's okay now?"

"It's better now," replied Ed as he looked down at Betsy. Her tear- streaked face gave testament to her regrets about her actions. Looking over at Walt, he said, "Move everyone back."

Kelly had a small orgasm and continued to ride Dan until the man came within her. She didn't really like having sex in public, but there were times when her gift made its demands on her. She leaned forward allowing him to slip out of her. Move back a little, she took a moment to lift his pants back up and zip the zipper. She knelt down and kissed Dan before she said, "You're all better now."

"Oh my God," cried Dan as the situation fully registered. There was only one explanation that made sense, he was dead and had gone to heaven. He did the only logical thing and promptly fainted.

Shaking his head, Ed looked down on the man who was out cold in the middle of the street. The doctor knelt down and after a second, said, "He's in shock."

"If it is okay with the doctor, we'll take him back to the house and put him in the infirmary. Kelly and Sarah can watch over him until he recovers," suggested Ed.

The doctor, completely unnerved by what he had seen, replied, "That's fine with me. I hope that I'll be able to examine him later."

Ed and Walt carried Dan to the van as Kelly asked the Sheriff what had happened. When she learned that Dan had been injured trying to save Betsy, she turned to Betsy and said, "Young lady. You and I are going to have a long talk."

"I'm really sorry," cried Betsy as tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt sorry for what she had done, but knew that after talking to her mothers that she'd never forget this day.

From the van, Ed said, "Kelly, why don't you and Betsy return to the house with Dan? I've got a few things to take care of here and I'll walk back."

Betsy got in the car with Kelly. Ed watched them return to the house. Walking over to Paulo Covas, the driver of the car, Ed said, "I'm sorry about that. He's okay and I doubt that he'll request any damages. If he does, let me know and I'll do what I can for you."

The driver's hands were still trembling from the experience. Seeing that the young man was still upset, Ed said, "Come on into the barber shop and relax for a moment."



-------

Chapter 6

Ed stepped into the infirmary and looked at Dan lying in the bed. Sarah, naked as always, sat in the chair next to the bed. She looked up from the magazine she had been reading. Frowning, she said, "He keeps waking up and then fainting. I don't understand."

Looking at the man in bed, he replied, "We're going to go to the employment office to find some more staff. You might want to get dressed. I'll sit here with Dan until Maria comes over."

Sarah set down the magazine and left the room. Even though she had interviewed people every time that they had hired new staff, it still seemed weird to her that she had such control over who would work there. It was an enormous responsibility and one that she took seriously.

Ed sat down in the chair that she had so recently occupied and picked up the magazine. It was a financial magazine with articles describing various investment options. He knew that she was very careful with her money and wondered what she was planning to do with her inheritance.

His musings were interrupted by a groan from Dan. Dan was staring at him and asked, "Am I dead?"

"No, you're perfectly healthy. Why would you think you were dead?" asked Ed.

"I'm sure that some woman had sex with me. I keep waking up and finding a naked woman sitting in that chair," replied Dan confused. He added, "I was sure that I had died and gone to heaven."

Ed chuckled as he thought about telling Kelly and Sarah the effect they had on their guest. Sarah would be delighted. He said, "Well, my wife had sex with you after your accident to cure your broken back. We brought you back here and had Sarah watch over you. She's a nudist. So you aren't dead and you weren't dreaming."

The idea that he had slept with Ed's wife scared Dan as he had visions of the cowboy beating him to a pulp in jealousy. He stuttered as he said, "I didn't mean to have sex with your wife. She just showed up and I couldn't help myself."

Laughing at the man, Ed said, "Well, I suppose with your broken back there wasn't too much that you could do to stop her."

"Right," replied Dan in relief. Then he realized that Ed had just said that his back had been broken. He moved his arms and legs, finding that everything worked correctly.

"She fixed your back," stated Ed noticing the man's movements.

"It couldn't have been broken. You can't cure a broken back," replied Dan as his engineering background started to raise its head. He believed in the laws of physics and knew that it took time for bones to heal and that nerves didn't.

"I can't, but Kelly can. She's a Druid healer," explained Ed.

"That doesn't explain it."

"The Goddess gave her the gift to heal through sex. It is a very powerful gift and can bring someone back from the point of death. I'm sure that you won't believe me, but you can ask the Sheriff and the Doctor about the state of your back before Kelly had sex with you."

Dan didn't believe in supernatural powers, but chose to reserve his judgement. He wasn't going to argue the point, particularly when a successful argument meant that he would have been able to stop the woman from making love to him in the middle of the street. He said, "Well, I'm glad to learn that I'm not dead."

Ed sat back in his chair and examined the young man. Finally, he said, "I know you're pretty tired. I suggest that you sleep here where Maria can watch over you in case you have some problems or nightmares about your recent experiences."

The idea that he was supposed to sleep knowing that a woman was watching him disturbed Dan. There was no way that he would be able to sleep. He countered, "I couldn't sleep around a woman."

"Why not?" asked Ed surprised by the comment.

"I'm not good around women. I get nervous and all tongue-tied around them."

Puzzled, Ed said, "They are just people."

"People with breasts, legs, and lips. I just look at a woman and my brain shuts down." Even talking about women made Dan blush.

"How about where you work?" asked Ed incredulous that all women could have that kind of effect on a man.

"I can't work with women," answered Dan admitting aloud the fact that he couldn't work with women. It was a shame because he knew it was keeping him back in his career. His employers kept him in a back office where he could do his design work, recognizing that he was one of the best at it. The problem was that others presented it and often gained the credit for the work that he had done.

Dan was telling the truth. Ed's truth sense was screaming at him that the guy was being totally honest. This wasn't the normal kind of bashfulness around women. It was a phobia of them that was just as crippling as Agoraphobia, Arachnophobia, and Claustrophobia. He didn't know what a fear of the opposite sex was called, but this guy had it. Ed said, "I'll tell Maria not to come in here unless you are screaming, but I must insist that you stay here. You've been through a lot this morning."

Dan could see the sense behind Ed's suggestion. With great reluctance, he said, "Okay."

"She'll probably spend her time in the swimming pool."

"Who is Maria?" asked Dan curious if she was another staff member.

Ed answered, "Your neighbor, two doors down."

Dan wasn't sure which woman Ed was talking about. There was a young one and an older one that lived two houses down from him. He hoped that it wasn't the younger woman, she was really pretty. The other was almost old enough that she wouldn't affect him that strongly. "Oh."

Ed said, "I have to go now. Get some sleep."

The family was gathered along one side of a long table. Betsy sat at the end farthest away from the door. Next to her sat Ling and Leroy. Ed sat between Kelly and Leroy. There were empty seats where Linda and the other kids would have been sitting. Ed didn't feel right about hiring someone without the whole family present, but they needed staff.

They weren't there five minutes before Betsy started wiggling around in her chair. Ling turned to the child and said, "Practice your Tai Chi."

Happy at the suggestion, Betsy stood and walked to the front of the room where she would have the space necessary for her exercise. Ling watched with a critical eye as her daughter started going through the movements. After a minute, she said, "Slower. Make your motions slower and smoother."

Betsy didn't say anything, but her motions slowed down and became smoother. At the slow speed, little bobbles became more pronounced. Every time she made an error, Ling called her on it and had her repeat the move until it was perfect.

Ed watched as Betsy performed the exercises, amazed at the self- discipline that the child demonstrated. It was strange for a child her age to be so in touch with her body. Other kids her age were still stumbling around, awkward and unable to catch a ball. Thinking about it, he realized that he had never seen her stumble.

A knock on the door interrupted the exercise. Betsy ran to the door and looked back at her father for permission to let the person in the room. When Ed nodded, she opened the door and skipped back to her chair. Cathy entered the room and closed the door behind her looking around anxiously. Ed said, "You already work for us."

Cathy laughed and said, "We just wanted to clarify something. The candidate that we like is a single mother with a child that is a year and a half old. Is that a problem?"

Immediately assessing what it meant to her, Betsy shouted, "Oh boy. A playmate!"

As everyone chuckled at the comment, Ed looked around the room. Everyone basically shrugged as if to say that they didn't know what to say. Ed commented, "I expect with Sarah and you getting married, that we can expect you to become pregnant before long. Am I wrong?"

Cathy smiled as she answered, "I'm looking forward to becoming a mother."

"I don't see a problem." Ed looked around the room and saw that everyone was nodding their heads in agreement with him. He looked over at Cathy and said, "Send her in."

Cathy smiled and went out of the room. A minute later, there was a timid knock on the door. Ed was about to call out, but Betsy appeared beside the door and opened it. She looked up at the woman and said, "Wow! You look like an owl."

In a sharp voice, Ling said a few words in Chinese that were clearly a rebuke for her comment. Ed didn't know if Betsy understood what Ling had said, but she returned to her chair in a very subdued manner. He looked up at the little woman at the door and realized that she did look like an owl. She wore huge round glasses and had her hair cut short. It dawned on him that the woman looked familiar, but he couldn't place her.

The woman walked forward and set her resume on the desk in front of him while looking directly at him the entire time. He picked it up and read down the page seeing her name, Mary Gold. It suggested that he had met her, but he still couldn't place her. It was disturbing to see that she had a long history of temp jobs, apparently unable to get a full time job. Turning over to the next page, he saw that she had a letter of recommendation from Lynn, his secretary at the business. He smiled as he realized that this was the woman with the sexy voice.

He didn't say a word, but handed the resume to Kelly. She skipped the resume and read the recommendation letter. Looking over at Ed, she raised an eyebrow as she handed the resume back to him. He handed it over to Leroy without saying a word. Kelly nudged him to get his attention. He asked, "What?"

"Why didn't you say you knew her?" asked Kelly. She looked over at the small woman as she asked her question trying to see what her reaction would be.

Ling bent forward, not having had a chance to see the resume, and asked, "You know her, Ed?"

"Yes, I know her," replied Ed.

"So?" asked Ling.

"I'd rather have your opinion before I say more," replied Ed. As he spoke, Mary shifted nervously from foot to foot, as she didn't understand the dynamics of the situation. She suspected that Ed would be for her, but the wives would argue against. He said, "In fact, I'll excuse myself from this decision."

Leroy looked at Ed and said, "Please explain why."

"Nope," replied Ed. He sat back and wondered how the family would react to her voice.

Ling asked, "Mary, how is it that you know Ed?"

Clearing her throat, Mary answered, "I was a temp in his office for three weeks. I only met him one time, but he was very kind."

Staring at Mary with an incredulous look on her face, Ling turned and looked at Ed. With a voice like that, she had no doubts that Ed would sleep with her in a minute. For that matter, that voice was so sexy that it made her want to sleep with Mary. She asked, "What did Ed do that was so kind?"

"I was eight and a half months pregnant. He was a little upset that I was working that late in my pregnancy. Lynn said that he would pay me even if I stayed at home because he didn't think that pregnant women should work."

Betsy said, "Your voice is so soft and gentle. I like it."

Glancing at Ling, Leroy could see that Mary's voice was having an effect on her, too. He had an erection just from listening and wondered how he could work with her. Kelly was the only one that seemed unaffected by the voice. She asked, "Why so many temp jobs and nothing permanent?"

Mary answered, "My voice doesn't give me a very professional presence. The people I work for tend to get teased about hiring a fluff girl instead of a secretary. I could make a great living doing phone sex, but I'm actually not a very sexual person."

Kelly could believe it, but she looked to Ed for confirmation. He nodded his head to let her know that the woman was speaking the truth. Ed looked around at everyone trying to assess what they thought, but each one gave a sign of indecision. The voice was a drawback, but he couldn't see that being a major problem. He was about to ask her to leave the room, when he recalled that she had been expecting twins, but Cathy had mentioned that she had a child. He said, "I thought you were expecting twins."

"I had twins. The smaller one died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome," replied Mary with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," replied Ed feeling the irony of his gift from the Two-Sided One. One of the problems with his gift was that bad news told truthfully had a sweet ring to it.

Kelly and Ling felt for the young woman. They understood the anguish that she must have felt on finding her child dead in its crib. Wondering if that was the reason why she was a single mother, Kelly asked, "What about the father?"

"He died in a car accident shortly after I became pregnant. Killed by a drunk driver," answered Mary in a flat tone of voice that still sounded sexy.

"I'm sorry to hear that," replied Leroy. He didn't know what to else to say.

Ed looked around the table and then said, "Mary, would you mind stepping out the door for a few minutes?"

Convinced that this meant she wasn't going to get the job, she stepped out the door. Once she had closed the door, she broke down and started crying. The receptionist came over and tried to comfort her knowing how many people reacted when they weren't hired.

Ed asked, "Kelly, should we hire her?"

"Yes," answered Kelly without the least sign of hesitation.

"Leroy?"

Leroy shifted in his seat, uncomfortable due to the swelling of his cock, and answered, "I don't know."

"Ling?"

Ling, very embarrassed, looked away as she answered, "Her voice makes me want to perform obscene acts with her. I don't know."

"Betsy?"

"I like her. She has a neat voice and looks like an Owl," answered Betsy as though that was enough of a reason to hire her.

Ed wondered if Mary didn't try to look like an owl rather than a sexy young woman because of her voice. Ed commented, "I wonder if she realizes that our lifestyle tends to be a little more liberal than most."

Leroy said, "She'll know something is up if she comes into the pool and every time she says something to me, I get an erection."

"She's going to think that I have permanently stiff nipples," replied Ling.

The discussion went on for another five minutes, as everyone was in agreement that it was their problems and not the candidate's problem that was an issue. He thought about how John would handle this situation. Undoubtedly, he would say some single line of wisdom and everyone would know how to act. Finally, Ed said, "We are afraid of hiring her because of our reactions to her voice. An interview is a two-way street. Not only are we to make sure that we can work with her, but she has to make sure that she can work with us. I suggest that we present our problem to her and let her decide."

Leroy looked at Ed with a funny look on his face for a moment and then said, "You sounded just like John there for a moment. You're right."

"You're right, Ed. We should let her decide," said Ling.

Ed looked over at Betsy and saw that she was ready to move. He said, "Betsy, why don't you go get Mary."

Betsy was out of her chair in a flash. She ran to the door and opened it. Looking out the door, she couldn't find Mary. She stepped out a few steps until she saw Mary crying in a chair. Going over to her, Betsy asked, "Why are you crying?"

"Because they aren't going to hire me," answered Mary.

"They sent me out here to take you back in," countered Betsy. She added, "Don't cry."

Not wanting to look weak in front of a child, Mary dried her tears. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and regain control. She said, "Lead the way."

She followed Betsy in to the conference room and closed the door behind her. Returning to her position in front of everyone, she said, "Betsy told me that you wanted me back here."

Ed nodded and looked around the room wondering if the family was going to leave this chore to him. By the looks on their faces, he knew his answer. With a sigh, he said, "I have to tell you that we debated a long time about extending an offer to you. I'm sure that you want to know what we discussed. We agreed that you had the qualifications for the job. Our discussion, though, was about us rather than you."

"I don't understand," said Mary unsure of what Ed was trying to tell her.

"What did the staff tell you about our lifestyle?"

Her stomach sank as she realized where he was taking the discussion. She answered, "I know that you spend a lot of time in the house undressed and that occasionally I might encounter you doing private things. I know that I'm allowed to go naked in the back of the house, if I wish."

"Is that all the staff told you?"

"No. After I've worked for you for a time, I can request anyone of you to join me in bed." She looked around the room and blushed as she realized that she might end up sleeping with Ed or Leroy.

"That borders on our problem. After you left the room, Ling said that listening to your voice made her want to do obscene things with you. Leroy is sitting here with an erection just from listening to your voice. I will admit that I'm rather turned on myself."

"Oh," replied Mary. People had hinted at that over the years. Her late husband used to say that to her all the time. However, she had never had it told to her in such a straight out manner, particularly in an interview. She wondered why Ed told her this. Looking at everyone, she realized that he hadn't said what Kelly had thought. She turned to Kelly and asked, "What about you?"

"I'd love to bury my head between your legs," replied Kelly. She looked over at Ling who was irritated that she hadn't said anything like that before. Kelly, sensing disbelief on the part of Ling, shrugged her shoulders defensively and said, "It's true."

"Oh, my," replied Mary as she thought about what Kelly had said. It was then that she realized what the staff had meant when they said she would be able to ask any member of the family. How was she to know that it included the women of the family? She didn't know what to make of that.

Ed said, "We have two rules in the house. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. That means that we will never pressure you into anything that you don't want to do. It also means that our bodies may react to your presence at times when you can see the reaction. We don't know the full consequences on you of working for us knowing that we are interested in having sex with you. We do not want to create a hostile work environment, as that would harm you."

Mary listened to what Ed was saying. She still had no idea if they were offering her the job. Kelly was getting irritated at the delay and said, "What my husband is saying is very simple. The job is yours only on the condition that it would not harm you. You are the one who has to judge that and you have to tell us that straight out. I suggest you think about it for a few minutes before giving us an answer."

The job was hers if she was willing to accept that all of them wanted to sleep with her. Knowing that was a great relief. The question was, did their open sexual interest in her bother her? She knew the answer was yes, but it didn't mean anything. She would get that anywhere she worked. Fully a fourth of her time was spent fending off the advances of other employees. Deciding that it didn't matter, she said, "I'll take the job."

Shaking his head, Ed said, "That's not the question. Will working for us when you know how we feel harm you?"

"It doesn't matter."

There was a sense of truth in her answer. He knew that she believed that it didn't matter, but that wasn't the point. He said, "It does matter."

Confused, she said, "Whether I get hurt or not is very important to you, isn't it?"

"The most important thing possible," answered Ed.

"It's going to happen on any job I get," replied Mary.

Again her belief in her words was true, but Ed knew better. Ed said, "Not so. I assure you that we can find you a job where your voice will not matter. I happen to know that the school for the deaf in town needs a secretary. The special qualities of your voice will not be an issue there."

The reply shocked her. As she thought of it, she wondered how people that held the harm none rule so seriously could possibly harm her. They were admitting their weaknesses to her with such openness that it seemed impossible. She answered, "I don't believe I will be harmed by any of you."

Her voice had the ring of truth to it, making her words sound doubly sweet. As everyone started to relax, he held up a hand to let everyone know that the questioning wasn't over. He asked, "Do you think it will harm your daughter to see the things in the house that she might see?"

The question shocked her. She hadn't thought about the impact on her daughter of seeing adults walking around naked or even having sex with each other. She looked over at Betsy, seeing the child looking expectantly at her. She asked, "Your name is Betsy, isn't it"?

"Yes," answered Betsy pleased to be included in the discussion by the Owl lady.

"What do you think about everyone walking around undressed at home?"

"Nothing. The first years at our other home are always undressed," answered Betsy confused by the question. She turned to her mother and asked, "Am I supposed to think something when everyone is undressed?"

Smiling, Ling answered, "No. She wants to know if you are harmed because of it."

"What's the difference between when people are dressed and undressed? They are the same except they have no clothes on."

Mary smiled and said, "I don't think it will harm Lucy."

"Will you work for us?"

"Yes, I will," answered Mary confident that all was going to change for the better.

Ed said, "Go join the rest of the staff to interview the next candidates."

Mary left the room and joined the rest of the staff. It was almost an hour later before there was another knock on the door. The time had passed quickly since everyone was watching Ling train Betsy in the martial arts. Betsy went to the door while Ling returned to her seat. When Ed nodded, Betsy opened the door.

A very attractive black woman entered the room. She was five foot six inches tall, but she carried herself like she was ten feet tall. Marching into the room, she stopped and looked around the table. Her eyebrow rose when she saw Leroy, but she didn't say anything. After a few seconds, she put her resume on the table in front of Leroy.

Leroy picked it up and examined it for a minute before handing it to Ling. Shocked, she saw that the woman had trained in Karate with Sonny. Ling looked at it and asked, "Claire, it says here that you have studied the martial arts."

"Yes, I have," replied the black woman.

"Who was your sensei?"

"My Sensei is Sonny Timewell," answered the woman knowing that the information was in the resume. She added, "I'm still in training."

"It's funny that I've never seen you training with him," replied Ling wondering how she could claim to be trained under Sonny and, yet, she had never seen the woman in the Dojo.

"Not funny at all. You've been away for almost six years," replied the woman letting Ling know that she knew all about her.

Leroy took the resume out of Ling's hand and passed it to Ed. Ed glanced down at it and read that she had been through police training. He handed the resume to Kelly and said, "I see that you have police training and served on the Tucson police force. Why did you leave them?"

She looked over at Ed and said, "They had me writing parking tickets all day long. I didn't join the police to be a meter maid."

"So you would be happy being a private security guard?" asked Ed.

"I'm not sure," replied the woman with blunt honesty.

"You would take a job not knowing if you would be happy with it?" asked Kelly.

"I won't know until I do it." She stood there like a force of nature.

Leroy had slumped back in his chair looking at the woman trying to figure her out. Her answers were delivered like rifle shots. There was a violent timber to her words that suggested an undercurrent of anger in her words. He leaned forward and asked, "Why are you angry?"

She looked at him and for a moment her composure cracked as she considered answering. Once she regained her control, she answered, "That is my problem and I would rather not discuss it."

Leroy turned to Ed and said, "I want the truth."

It wasn't the first time that day that Ed wished John was with them and he was sure that it wouldn't be the last. Ed said, "Will it affect your ability to do the job?"

"No."

There was enough of a lie in that statement for Ed to feel uncomfortable. He said, "You just lied to me. Your problem will affect your ability to do the job."

Kelly said, "You can't lie to him without him knowing it. He's a human lie detector."

Claire thought about it for a minute and then said, "Suppose I don't want to answer the question."

"We don't hire you," answered Ed.

"It might affect my ability to do my job," replied Claire.

"Are you jealous of Ling?" asked Ed seeing out of the corner of his eye Ling's surprised reaction to his question.

"No."

"Do you have a problem with our lifestyle?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that."

Having encountered the problem before, Leroy said, "You don't like that a black man is married to a white woman, an oriental woman, and a Native American."

"That does bother me," replied the black woman not aware of the fact that one of the wives was a Native American. After seeing the shocked look on Kelly's face, she decided to tell them exactly what she thought. She said, "A successful black woman doesn't have too many choices for a husband. He should have married one of his own."

Betsy's forehead wrinkled as she frowned. She tried to decide what the woman meant. After a few seconds of thought, she asked, "Are you saying bad things about Daddy Leroy?"

Claire turned to answer Betsy and then took a closer look at the girl. Her eyes flitted to focus on Ling and then on Leroy. It was obvious that Betsy was the product of their union. She sighed before she answered. "I was just explaining my problem."

Ed's cell phone rang and curious, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the caller id. It was a call from Linda. He opened the cell phone and was about to say hello, when the voice at the other end said, "Hire her."

"Is that you, William?"

"Yes, I have to go to class, now," replied the young man before he hung up.

Ed looked up to find the rest of the family looking at him, assuming that something bad had happened. Ed shrugged his shoulders and put the cell phone back in his pocket. Finally, Kelly asked, "Was that William?"

"Yes, it was," replied Ed.

"Well, what did he say?" asked Kelly, frustrated at the lack of information.

"Hire her," answered the cowboy as he stared at Claire.



-------

Chapter 7

The poolroom was quiet for a change when Ed, restless and anxious, stepped into the room. The lights were turned low giving it the sense of being larger than it really was. He stripped and entered the pool, enjoying the coolness of the water as it flowed over his body. It was the first time during the entire day that he was able to relax. The two new hires had moved into their rooms and Dan had returned home. Even Betsy had gone to bed early after meeting Lucy.

For some reason, the pool wasn't helping him calm down and his restlessness increased. In order to work out some of the energy, he broke out into the breaststroke intending to make fifty laps. After the first five laps, he picked up the pace trying to work some of the tension from his body. He had only done fifteen laps when he stopped and stood up in the pool. His medallion was giving forth a feeling of warmth that demanded his attention. He climbed out of the pool and dried himself before putting on his robe.

Moving towards the front of the house, he ran into Claire. She was checking the front door to make sure that it was locked. Seeing her nervousness, he asked, "What's up?"

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling," replied the black woman as she looked around the house. She wasn't sure if it was first night jitters in a new place or an intuition about something real. There was one thing that she trusted above what her eyes told her and that was her intuition.

She was telling the truth about having a bad feeling. Concerned that his unease was justified, Ed led Claire up to the security center. They found Walt at the console scanning the surroundings with intense scrutiny. Noticing the tension in Walt's posture, Ed asked, "What's up?"

"One of the neighbors called and said there's a strange car parked down the block. It's an older model BMW."

"Has anyone gotten out of it?" asked Claire as she looked around the security center. It was the first time for her to visit the room and she was amazed at the sophistication of the equipment that filled it. This was a very expensive setup that rivaled anything she had ever seen.

"I didn't notice the car until after it had been there for a while. I'm reviewing the tapes to find when it arrived," answered Walt as he pointed to another monitor that was showing the same scene moving in fast motion. It was a few minutes before it showed the car. He stopped the tape and backed it up a little. They watched as the car pulled up and a man got out. The man grabbed something and moved between the houses where he was lost from view. Walt commented, "He's definitely acting suspiciously."

"I agree," answered Ed. Claire was nodding her head amazed at the business-like attitude of Ed and Walt. This was a first class operation and she knew that she could contribute.

Walt stopped the tape and pointed to the figure getting out of the car. He asked, "Do you recognize him?"

Ed examined the picture carefully, but could not make out the individual with sufficient detail to identify him. Shaking his head, he said, "No, I don't. Where's George?"

"I already called him to come up here and get armed," replied Walt.

The door opened behind Ed and Claire as George entered the room. Giving a short nod in the direction of the other three, he walked over to the gun cabinet and opened it. Taking out a couple of pistols, he took one and handed the other to Walt. After glancing at Claire, he asked, "Do you have a valid permit?"

"Yes," replied Claire. It wasn't necessary for her to have it on her at the moment, but her concealed weapon permit from her last job was still valid.

Ed nodded to let George know that she was telling the truth. George handed a pistol to her, but she looked at the pistol and then at the cabinet. Spotting a sniper rifle, she said, "Give me the rifle and I'll go up on the roof."

"The sniper rifle?"

"Yes, I'm a trained sharpshooter."

"It's sighted in at a hundred yards." George took back the pistol and handed her the rifle. He also handed her a radio with an earpiece and microphone. He said, "We use channel 8. The local police monitor that channel as well."

Claire checked out the rifle making sure that it was loaded and then slipped out of the room. It was a top of the line rifle with a special air-cooled barrel to prevent warping the barrel due to uneven cooling. She could fire several shots in quick succession without losing accuracy.

Walt turned on the radio that was built into the console while George attached his radio to his belt and fixed the earpiece in place. A moment later, Walt said, "We have penetration at the Southwest Corner of the property. He's carrying a gym bag and moving fast to towards the back of the house."

"Sound the internal alarm," ordered Ed wanting to get everyone into safe locations. Since the kids had been born, two rooms had been turned into safe rooms. John had spared no expense and Ling had designed them to incorporate top of the line equipment. Once Ed had joked that the safe rooms could resist a direct hit by a nuclear bomb, but Ling had just winked in reply. It had made him wonder.

The activation of the internal alarm started the recorders attached to the internal cameras. Ed watched the internal monitors to make sure that everyone was responding to the alarm. Kelly was headed to the infirmary. Leroy had grabbed Betsy and was heading to the safe room with Ling. The staff was collecting in the hallway to head to the other safe room.

It was with some relief that he saw Bob standing in front of the door waiting for Mary to come out with Lucy. Mary came out of the room wearing a rather simple nightgown looking confused at what was going on. After exchanging a few words with Bob, she ran back into the room and emerged a minute later with a sleeping child in her arms. He led her to the safe room and made sure she entered it.

Once that was done Bob turned back to head to Claire's room. Ed went to the intercom and said, "Bob, Claire is already in the security center."

Turning to the camera, Bob gave a thumbs-up sign and returned to the safe room. The door closed behind him. Ed breathed a sigh of relief when he saw on the other monitor that Ling, Leroy, and Betsy had closed the door of their safe room. He had been afraid that Ling would slip out at the last minute.

There was silence in the control room as everyone watched the monitor aimed at the back of the house to see what the intruder was doing. George said, "I'm going to the back of the house to watch the rear doors."

"Go," replied Walt. He watched the monitor carefully trying to figure out what the man was intending to do. The man had set the bag on the ground and knelt next to it. Turning to the microphone, Walt said, "He's at the backdoor and is opening the gym bag."

Claire's voice, in a whisper that wouldn't carry, came over the speaker of the radio. "I'm in position and can see the individual."

Chuckling at what he was watching on the screen, Walt reported, "He's spray painting the fake cameras. Our guy has watched one too many movies and none of the right ones."

A half a minute later, George said, "I'm in position at the back door. Let me know when it is a go."

"Oh, shit." Walt's smile disappeared as he saw what the man pulled out of the gym bag. He tried to decide who should act to subdue the man. Coming to a decision, he spoke into the microphone, "Claire, are you in a position where can you take him out? He's got explosives."

"Yes," whispered Claire.

"Do it."

Three seconds later there was the telltale crack of a high power rifle being fired over the speaker. The figure in the monitor collapsed onto the ground, the package in his hand rolling away from him. Seeing that, Walt felt that it was safe for George to go outside and grab the man before he had a chance to recover. Walt said, "Get him, George."

They watched as George opened the door and grabbed the man on the ground. He pulled him several feet away from the door and searched him for a weapon. A gun was tossed over to the side. The entire capture was over in just a few seconds. Satisfied that George had the situation under control, Ed said, "Watch the monitors while I go down and find out who he is."

"Sure thing," replied Walt. After glancing at the monitors, he added, "The police have just shown up at the front of the house."

"Send them around to the back," replied Ed as he opened the door and rushed towards the back of the house.

Stepping out the door at the back of the house, Ed looked at the man on the ground. It was hard to make out his features in the dark. He knelt down to get a better look at the man. A broken end of his collarbone was showing through the dark shirt that he was wearing. Blood had soaked the shirt, but it was hard to see it in the dark. The man glared at Ed as he accused, "It's all your fault."

It took Ed a minute to recognize the man as Howard Hardgrove, the former CEO of the airline company that Ed had revamped. They had finally gotten rid of him last year without having to pay the golden parachute for his departure. Rather than the executive appearance that he had in the past, he looked almost like a homeless man. He needed a shave and his color was poor. Shocked at the appearance of the man, Ed asked, "What's all my fault?"

"You screwed up my life when I had everything all set up for the future, you bastard," replied the man as though he was a victim of the fact that Ed had completely revamped the airline and turned it into a profitable company. Rather than recognizing the wisdom of what Ed did, he had fought it to the end. He had even gone so far as making an attempt on Ling's life.

The Sheriff came around to the back of the house and took control of the man on the ground. His deputy went over to the gym bag and examined the contents. He whistled and said, "He's got enough explosives here to take out the back of the house."

Claire showed up at the back door. George noticed her arrival and the easy way that she held the rifle. Impressed by her shooting, he said, "Good shot. Right off the collarbone."

She went over to the prisoner and examined the wound. It was exactly where she had expected to hit him. Satisfied that she hadn't severely injured him, she replied, "I'm happy with it."

The Sheriff looked at Claire wondering who she was. It was clear that she wasn't a danger or George would have taken her out. He stepped away from the prisoner as he asked, "Who's this?"

Realizing that the Sheriff hadn't had a chance to meet her, Ed answered, "This is Claire. She's the newest member of our security team. Actually, she starts tomorrow."

"Where were you when you shot him?"

Claire pointed over to the top far corner of the building. The Sheriff looked up and mentally traced the path the bullet must have taken. If it had been off the least little bit, she'd had taken him through the brain. He said, "Very impressive shot."

"I was trained for SWAT operations at the police academy," replied Claire with a trace of bitterness in her voice. It had made being a meter maid an even greater insult.

Amazed at her abilities and qualifications, the Sheriff asked, "Ed, where do you find these people?"

Ed chuckled, but didn't answer. He tapped George on the shoulder and said, "Have Walt send the all clear."

"Yes, sir," replied George as he reached down to his radio.

The presence of Claire and the other activities going on around him had distracted the Sheriff from watching the prisoner. He turned his back to the prisoner and asked, "Have you got a tape of everything?"

"You bet," replied Ed.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Howard moved towards the explosive that he had dropped when shot. He had inserted a timer fuse just before he had been shot. He hoped that at least he could take Ed out with him by blowing everyone up. Before his hand reached the explosive, Claire kicked him in the stomach causing him to double over in pain. For a moment, she regretted not having taken a more lethal shot when she had the chance.

The Sheriff immediately grabbed the guy and subdued him. Putting handcuffs on the man, he said, "This is going to be painful, but you asked for it."

Howard screamed as his left arm was twisted behind his back. The collarbone stuck out even more. The Sheriff lifted the man off the ground and led the prisoner around to the front of the house to put him in the police car. As the Sheriff guided him, Howard was shouting that he would sue for police brutality.

The deputy followed behind the Sheriff. He knew that he would be the one to drive the man to the hospital. He would have to stay there until the hospital decided if they would keep the prisoner or release him. No matter what happened, it was going to be a long night for him. The Sheriff would perform the rest of the investigation and then head back to the office.

It was an hour before things calmed down at the Carter House. Once he was sure that the police were gone, Ed wanted to talk to the security staff. He went into the security center with George and Claire pleased with how well they had handled the situation. When he had everyone's attention, he said, "Good job, people. That was a great shot Claire."

Claire smiled at the praise and said, "I think I'm going to like this job."

"Why?"

She looked at Ed and replied, "Because I was able to use my training for the first time in my career. You have a first class operation here and I'll be happy to be a part of it."

He heard the ring of truth in her voice. He said, "Ling said that you are invited to show up in the playroom at nine for training."

That Ling wanted to train Claire was quite a surprise to the black woman. She wondered if there was some hidden meaning behind the invitation. Did Ling doubt that Sonny had actually taught her the martial arts? He was the best instructor in the state and she believed that she could take Ling despite what Sonny had told her. Not really wanting to participate, she said, "Okay."

Her hesitation was obvious and Ed tried to reassure her. "Don't worry. Betsy will be there for training as well. George and Walt attend her training sessions on occasion."

George said, "She's the best instructor that I've ever encountered."

Walt nodded his agreement as he said, "You can say that again."

Now that the excitement had ended and his duties to the staff were over, all that Ed wanted to do was to relax. He said, "Well, I'm going to go finish my swim now."

Floating on his back in the middle of the pool, Ed was alone at last. Staring at the darkened ceiling, he thought about the events of the evening. Claire had performed very well and it made him wonder how William knew that they should hire her. The boy confused him and he didn't know how to support William in becoming the best person that he could be. He decided that John would have told him that the best thing to do was to get out of his way.

As his mind worked through the problems of the day, he found that he was relaxed for the first time since leaving the house after breakfast. It was only then that he realized he hadn't even had the chance to enjoy his straight-razor shave. In a languid motion, he moved his arms a little causing him to move through the water. The water flowed over his hips with the effect that it felt like a thousand little hands massaging his cock. He smiled enjoying the sensation.

From the door, Ling watched Ed relaxing in the water in the dark room. It was difficult to see him in the dark, but she could tell that he was relaxed by the way that he floated motionless. He had been tense since John's death. Although he didn't show it, she believed that he had taken John's death harder than anyone else in the family did. It was also clear that he had adopted the role of John as the stabilizing voice in the family and that had added to his stress.

She had just been up in the security center getting a briefing from Walt about the attack. He had told her how well Claire had performed. The black woman had been calm, collected, and focused. Ling doubted that she could have made a better shot than Claire had made that night. The report was clearly positive. The news reassured Ling despite the fact that she felt her position as protector of the family was slowly getting eroded.

In the past she would have been upset about running to the safe room. However, Ed had convinced her that of everyone in the house that required her protection, the safety of the children had to come first. They were the most defenseless and, if things really turned bad, she would be their last line of protection. It was the kind of argument that a person would use on an elderly warrior.

She thought about the guy next door that had faced a life of paralysis to save her daughter. It had been her hope to talk with him after he woke, but he had snuck out of the house avoiding everyone. There had to be some way to thank him, but she had no idea what to do.

She leaned against the doorframe and broke the silence. "I heard what Kelly did for Dan after he tried to save Betsy."

Surprised to learn that he wasn't alone, Ed stood up and faced Ling. She was naked and leaning against the doorframe looking sexy as always. He didn't know if other men could look at the same women for years and still find her sexy, but his wives had that effect on him every time. Ed replied, "She was embarrassed about having to use her gift in public, but it was necessary."

"I'd like to do something to thank him," said Ling, "but I don't know what I can do."

"There's not much that you can do. He's terrified of women," replied Ed recalling his discussion with Dan.

Ling was silent for a while and then asked, "Are you sure that he's afraid of women or is he afraid of his reaction to women?"

"Same thing, isn't it?"

They were not the same. Smiling, Ling said, "Let me handle it."

Ed was about to warn her off, but decided that he wasn't going to be able to change her mind. Instead, he chose to warn her to be careful. Playing with people's fears was not something to be undertaken lightly since great and lasting harm could result. He said, "If it harms none, then do it."

"I know," replied Ling. "I'm going to bed now."

"Goodnight, Ling. I love you," replied Ed knowing that she wasn't suggesting that they sleep together that night.

"I love you. I'll see you in the morning," replied Ling. She hesitated and then returned to her room. Looking at the bed, she watched as Betsy slept. The little girl slept completely motionless in contrast to her continuous motion exhibited while awake. She was spending the night in Ling's room because of the excitement of the evening. It was a shame, since Ling would have enjoyed having Ed in her bed that night.

Ed moved to the edge of the pool and climbed out. After drying off, he went to the refrigerator and poured a glass of iced tea. The light from the refrigerator almost blinded him. After pausing a moment to recover his vision, he sat down in one of the pool chairs and took a sip of his drink. It was getting very late, but he wasn't ready to get to bed.

He had almost finished his iced tea when a noise at the door caught his attention. He looked over at the door thinking that Ling had returned to invite him to bed. Instead, Mary, wearing a bathrobe, crept into the room. It was clear that she thought that she was alone. She looked around as if to make sure that she was alone and started to untie the belt of her robe.

Ed frowned at the realization that she had come down for a private swim. From the way she was acting, he suspected that she was naked under the robe. He cleared his throat to let her know that he was there before she had a chance to disrobe. She jumped two feet in the air and spun around to face him. In a strangled voice, she cried, "Who is it?"

He said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, but I thought I should let you know I was here."

Mary retied the belt of the robe, her fingers fumbling in her nervousness. She appreciated that he warned her before she had jumped into the water. Not knowing what else to do, she said, "I thought I would be alone. I'm sorry for intruding."

"Don't worry about it. I was just thinking about the events of the evening," replied Ed amazed at the effect that her voice had on him. No matter how many times he heard her talk, it still struck him as being incredibly sexy. He wondered how ugly of a subject she had to talk about before it stopped being sexy.

Approaching him, Mary asked, "Are things like that around here all the time?"

"No. This is the first time in years that we have been attacked here," answered Ed. He laughed and then added, "Just this morning I was teasing the Sheriff about the low crime rate."

Mary glanced down at Ed now that she had moved closer and could make him out in the dark room. She was shocked that he was naked. The sight of his huge cock literally took her breath away. She had assumed that he would wear a swimming suit in the swimming pool even if he were naked elsewhere. Looking away so that he wouldn't think she was staring at his cock, she asked, "Why would people attack you?"

Ed answered, "I've helped put a lot of people in jail as a result of my service to the Two-Sided One. That guy lost his job because I caught him abusing the power of his position as CEO of an airline. When you are a family that controls over a billion dollars, you tend to attract people that want to do you harm."

His comment caught her attention and reminded her that she was dealing with a very important man. The fact that he was naked gave the entire conversation a surreal feeling. She asked, "Am I safe here?"

"Safe? Yes, you are pretty safe here. You saw the safe room."

She had seen the safe room and had been impressed by it. Bob had pointed out how well provisioned the room was and how they could survive a fire that brought down the rest of the house. Shrugging her shoulders, she replied, "I guess I'm just not used to thinking of things like that happening around me."

"No one is used to thinking about things like that," replied Ed. He looked over at Mary trying to get an insight into what she was thinking. He pointed to one of the chairs and said, "Have a seat."

Without thinking about it, Mary took a seat next to Ed. She was silent as she thought about her day. It had been a day full of conflicting emotions and she felt a need to express them, but didn't feel like she could talk to Ed about it. Her eyes glided down to his cock and she realized that it wasn't even erect. It reminded her of a question that she had during the interview. She asked, "Was there really a job available at the school for the deaf?"

"Yes, there is really a job there," replied Ed curious about the question. In an understanding tone of voice, he asked, "Thinking of quitting?"

Mary smiled and shook her head. She answered, "No. I was just curious."

"No problem," replied Ed. He stood and said, "I'm going to bed now. Why don't you take your swim?"

"Okay," replied Mary as she watched him leave. He stopped and picked up his robe at the door. It wasn't until he reached the light from outside the door that she could see his scars. Once he was gone, she shed her robe revealing a bathing suit and went for a swim. As she moved through the water, she wondered what it would be like to swim naked.

Ed finished a late breakfast prepared by Mona and eaten under her watchful eye. There wasn't much that you could do wrong with scrambled eggs, but she showed that desire for each meal to be the best that she could make. She understood the pursuit of excellence over the pursuit of perfection. This was her last meal of the tryout and she apologized for having run away the first night.

The woman's small size was a source of amusement for Ed and one that he would never mention aloud. She was so small that he felt she could give him a blowjob without having to bend down. When he stood, her head barely came to his chest. If he had an erection, the head of his cock would be about mouth level on her.

He was then introduced to the next candidate, a young man of Italian descent by the name of Paul. He explained that his specialty was Italian food. He hoped that Marguerite would be able to expand his repertoire, as it would make him more marketable. Ed didn't care for his attitude, which seemed to be more career- oriented than a drive towards excellence.

Ed left the dining room and started to pass by the playroom. Much to his shock, he heard Ling talking in a very authoritative voice ordering someone around in a dictatorial manner. He listened as she ordered, "Stand up straighter. Position your body just like Claire. Look at her. How can you stand like her if you don't look at her? That's better."

Ed peeked in the room. Shocked, he saw that Ling, Claire, Betsy, and Dan were practicing Tai Chi in the nude. Dan, a bright red blush covering his entire body, looked like he wanted to die. Every time it looked like he was about to flee, Ling would step in front of him and direct him on his posture. She would reach out and adjust his position with firm movements while telling him to look at Claire and copy her position.

It was easy to see that Claire was enjoying the situation far more than Ed expected. Betsy thought his behavior was funny and kept giggling, but Ling was relentless in her push to get him to move in the manner she wanted. He slipped away wondering if Dan was going to sue for sexual harassment. There was no way he was going to interfere, particularly when he understood what Ling was doing. She was making him concentrate on his body and on the bodies of the women around him, divorcing it from sex.

There wasn't much to do that day, so he decided to spend a little time in the informal living room watching a movie. He missed watching movies with the kids as they approached them with the same enthusiasm as him. Looking through the DVDs, he found one that he hadn't watched in ages. It was an old John Wayne film, one of the few in which he died. He inserted the DVD in the player and stretched out on the couch with the remote. Before he had a chance to start it, Kelly and Leroy came into the room.

Kelly asked, "What are you doing?"

"About to watch a movie. Want to join me?"

Leroy asked, "What movie?"

"The Shootist."

"John Wayne, great," replied Leroy as he joined Ed on the couch. Leroy was as much a fan of the movie as Ed.

"Let me get in-between you two," said Kelly. It wasn't that she enjoyed the movie or the actor, but she did enjoyed the time spent with the two men on the couch. Sitting between her two husbands was a great way to relax.

In the playroom, Dan was still trying to learn the first movement of Tai Chi. It was a series of moves with unusual names that he was sure he would forget as soon as he left the house. It started with moving into the beginning form of Taijiquan and then performing movements with names like Raise Hands, Strum the Lute, Grasp the Bird's Tail, and Single Whip. He didn't know if the names had any real significance, but it was obvious that Claire and Betsy knew them.

He had gone through it a least fifty times, but the naked little monster in front of him was relentless in making him get it perfect. She was forcing him to look at a naked woman, but was keeping him from reacting to her body by switching his attention back to his body. The fact that he had a raging erection was totally ignored by everyone in the room except him.

He finally gave up thinking and obeyed her commands without worrying about how she viewed his erection, his blush, and his discomfort. He watched as Claire went through the movement and did his best to copy her exactly. The corrections were more minor and delivered in a more gentle fashion. It amazed him when he finally got it correct and she actually praised him for having achieved a level of control over his body.

Although he had hoped that the lesson was over, she had him repeat the movement several more times telling him to mirror what Claire did. It was strange, but he actually watched her arms, legs, and body in an abstract non-sexual fashion copying her movements as accurately as he could. She stopped being a woman, but a pattern that he was trying to follow.

Ling finally called a halt to the exercise and Dan relaxed. He was surprised at how tired he was from such simple motions performed in a slow fashion. Muscles that he didn't know existed were sore. Bent over with his hands on his knees, he said, "Wow. That's a workout."

Smiling at him, Ling said, "Watch us."

He looked over and saw that Ling, Betsy, and Claire were standing in a line. As one, they started practicing Tai Chi. It was a beautiful sight as their strong bodies went through dance-like movements that demonstrated suppleness, balance, and control. He realized that what he was watching went beyond sexuality and sensuality to a total fusion of body, mind, and soul. It took his breath away.

When they completed all 108 movements, the three of them stopped and looked at Dan. Awestruck with what he had watched, he said, "That was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen. Will you teach me all of it?"

"Yes, but not today. You need to allow your muscles to relax," replied Ling as she stretched.

"Okay," replied Dan.

"Let's hit the hot tub. It will help you relax," suggested Ling.

Jumping up and down in excitement, Betsy asked, "Me too?"

"You too," answered Ling.

Claire grabbed Dan by the arm and led him over to the poolroom. The experience in the other room still fresh in his mind. For the moment, he didn't realize that he was walking arm in arm with a naked woman. By the time he did realize it, it was too late to do anything except acknowledge that it had happened.



-------

Chapter 8

Kelly returned to the Druid College once her responsibilities to the Fusion Foundation were over. Leroy left to move his lab closer to home. Ed was surprised to learn that Leroy had learned to fly and had purchased a private plane. The three-hour drive to his new lab was now just a little over an hour away by plane. Ling, working with Cathy and Mary, was still coming to grips with taking over the financial responsibilities for the house.

They were still short-staffed, but it would be a while before the employment firm could identify additional candidates. Marguerite had tried out the last candidate and selected Mona as her assistant. Mary was settling into her job with ease. Claire still had problems with the mixed marriage, but was coming to respect the wives and understand how it was that Leroy could love them.

Ed made the rounds of the house, making sure that everyone was happy. Satisfied that all was well, he stopped by the playroom where Claire was watching over Betsy. Seeing her father enter the room, she ran over to him and jumped into his arms. She asked, "Are you going?"

"Yes, I am," answered Ed touching her nose.

She smiled and asked, "Can I come with you?"

"Your mother wants you here," answered Ed.

"I know, but I want to ride a horse," countered Betsy.

"Not yet," replied Ed. He jiggled her in his arms and said, "You know that you are too small to sit in the saddle for hours at a time."

Betsy made a face and said, "Sit for hours? No way."

"That's what I mean," replied Ed with a chuckle. He knew how to shut down her enthusiasm.

Shrugging, Betsy said, "I guess you are going to go now."

"Yes," said Ed as he set her down on the floor. He added, "I'm going to miss you."

"I know," replied Betsy, "and I know that you love me, so you don't have to say it."

Ed chuckled and, after kissing her on the forehead, said, "I love you, Betsy."

"I love you too, Daddy."

Ed stood and left the room after Betsy ran back to continue the activities that she had been doing with Claire. He exited the house through the back door and looked around. Tied to a horse trailer parked by the door, his new horse waited for him already saddled. He smiled as he thought of the day ahead of him. John had purchased all of the property from the house to the mountains behind it and Ed wanted to spend the day getting a feel for the property. Untying the reigns from the back of the horse trailer, Ed mounted and started to ride around the back yard. He wanted to get a feel for the horse and allow the horse to get a feel for the new owner.

While the horse and Ed got better acquainted, he noticed Dan at the fence waving at him. Wondering what the man wanted, he rode over to his neighbor and pulled back on the reigns. The horse was well trained, requiring the smallest of nudges to convey the desired command. Ed said, "Hello, neighbor. Nice day today."

"Sure is," replied Dan eyeing the horse. He didn't ride horses, but he did ride a three-wheel ATV. He asked, "You going out into the desert for a ride?"

"Sure am. I'm going to ride to the back of our property and back again. It should take the whole day," answered Ed.

"Would you mind some company?"

"I'd enjoy it," replied Ed knowing that he would enjoy having a friend that liked to ride in the desert. He looked around and wondered if Dan thought he was going to hike while Ed rode the horse. Knowing from experience that wouldn't work, he asked, "Do you have a horse?"

"No, I've got an ATV."

Ed frowned, as he replied, "I'm not sure how this horse will react to the sound of an engine. She and I are still learning how to get along."

Dan smiled understanding the concern. He replied, "It's a fusion powered ATV. I don't like the noise of an engine."

That was a possibility that Ed had never considered. He wondered if Kelly would like to go riding with him if she was able to ride an ATV. "I'll wait for you here."

"Nah, go on ahead and I'll catch up," replied Dan with a smile. It was nice to have something to do on a Saturday. He added, "It will take me a couple of minutes to get packed up and ready to go."

"Okay," replied Ed realizing that the ATV could move as fast a horse over the terrain and had the advantage that it wouldn't get tired. He watched as Dan walked to his house with a bounce in his step. Nodding his head in amusement, he turned the horse and headed towards the desert. He kept a nice even pace knowing that Dan would catch up with him.

He stopped at one point and examined a barrel cactus. There was a small burrow, created by a desert mouse, near the plant. The tell- tail signs of mouse tracks dotted the area around the hole. There were little pairs of footprints with a line running between them made by a tail. A few feet away, another set of tracks that were parallel lines across the desert floor showed the passage of another desert creature. The sand was still filling into the track. A snake had been by here, but it had not encountered the mouse. The last mouse tracks at the burrow led into it. Smiling, he turned the horse so that they would ride diagonal to the snake tracks. After all, the snake had passed by just a couple of minutes ago and he didn't want to spook the horse.

He looked back towards the house and saw Dan on his ATV moving carefully across the terrain. It pleased him that the guy wasn't charging over the plants and wildlife in a mad dash across the desert. At least he wouldn't have to teach the guy to respect nature.

Looking up at the sky, he noticed a vulture circling as it rode a thermal. The wings were outstretched, unmoving, but each time it completed another circuit, it gained another hundred feet in altitude. The vulture moved away seeking another thermal to ride. It was amazing to watch the life created by the Goddess using the power of the God to fly.

The sound of sand crunching behind him announced the arrival of Dan. He stopped next to the horse causing a slight shudder of muscles in its forelegs, which signaled only a slight tension at the appearance of the ATV. Ed was pleased with the reaction of the horse. He reached down and rubbed the horse's neck.

Dan noticed the interaction between Ed and the horse. Not really knowing that much about horses, he was impressed by it. He commented, "That's a magnificent horse."

Smiling at the exaggeration, Ed said, "It's a good work horse at the end of its career. My buying it was basically its retirement."

"Oh," replied Dan.

Looking down at Dan, Ed said, "You look like a city boy to me. Why did you decide to move out here to the wilds of Arizona?"

Dan frowned at the characterization of being a city boy, but it was an accurate description. He answered, "My fear of women had gotten to the point where I couldn't really relax in town. Women were everywhere. Here, I could get away from them by riding five minutes away from the house on this ATV."

"Still have that problem?" asked Ed knowing that he had been over a couple of evenings to learn Tai Chi from Ling.

Dan looked at the horizon for a moment and then answered, "There are nerds, super-nerds, and pathological nerds. I'm the last kind and women have tortured me my whole life. I've been ridiculed, stood- up, harassed, and belittled in public and in private. On the other hand, I'm obsessed with sex. My body reacts to the female form and that just sets me up for more ridicule. So I guess I still have that problem, but I trust Ling and Claire not to ridicule me."

Ed thought back to the old days before he met John. In those days, he would have torn Dan apart. He sighed and said, "We live our life according to two major rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. They would never ridicule you. They will push you to be the best that you can be, but never negatively."

"We aren't making very good progress on our trip," remarked Dan deciding that he needed time to think about what Ed had said. He heard the words, but didn't understand the full implications.

Ed nudged the horse and it started forward at a leisurely pace. Dan started the ATV and rode beside Ed while he considered what the cowboy had said. They rode along silently for a while not talking. Ed felt it was reminiscent of the discussions with John where they would spend most of the time quietly pursuing their own thoughts.

After thirty minutes, Ed stopped his horse catching Dan by surprise. The man stopped and looked at Ed wondering what had provoked him to stop to find that Ed was looking at a hawk resting on a cactus. He examined the hawk and noticed the tension in its body as it stared at a location on the ground. After a few seconds, it flew down and, with a screech, captured a desert mouse. It then lifted off the ground taking the mouse with it.

"The cycle of life," remarked Ed after the hawk had disappeared from view carrying its meal with it.

"The drama of life," countered Dan.

"That too," agreed Ed. It was easy from outside to watch life with an emotional detachment that enabled one to see the cycles of season and the food chain. For the individuals involved, it was a drama of life that counted, a drama marked by birth and death, pain and pleasure, and hope and despair.

Forgetting for a moment about the fact that Ed was a Druid, Dan said, "It makes you wonder about God. Does he help the hawk feed itself so that it can live or does he help the mouse so that it can live? How does a God can make such a choice?"

"The Gods and Goddesses do it by dealing with quantities rather than individuals. Some hawks fail and others succeed, while some mice live and others are consumed. If they need to deal with individuals, they give gifts to a few that can intervene on their behalf," replied Ed thinking about the activities of the Druids. When there was trouble, Druids stepped in and helped the individuals using gifts bestowed upon them.

"I forgot that you were a Druid. I hope I haven't offended you," Dan apologized, wondering if he had insulted Ed by talking about God. In his mind, God was the Christian God he had learned about in Sunday School. It never occurred to him that Ed might view it differently.

"No problem," replied Ed surprised that Dan was worried about offending him. He added, "There are times when I forget that I'm a Druid. For a lot of my life, I wasn't a very good person. Then one day, I met John Carter and he taught me how to be a better person. Sometime along the way, I became a Druid. All that did was allow me to help others in ways that were not possible before. I may have met my Gods and Goddesses, but deep inside, I'm still a person with all the faults, flaws, and irrationalities of every other person. I just try not to let them dominate how I behave."

The comment struck Dan speechless. After that first day when he met Ed, he had researched all that he could about the man on the internet. It had taken him almost an entire day to read the official Fusion Foundation resume for Ed. The man was a giant among men.

He had been surprised to learn that Ed was the head of an entire branch of the Druid Organization. It was the most mysterious branch of the Druid Organization. The cowboy riding a horse beside him didn't fit what he had thought a religious leader should be. He had expected Ed to act more like a Cardinal, than a regular guy. Dan said, "I guess I don't understand how you can meet a God and not become something other than human."

Tilting his head back, Ed laughed aloud as though he had heard the funniest joke of his life. After calming down, he noticed the hurt look on Dan's face and apologized, "I'm sorry. I don't understand how you can meet a God and become something other than human."

Stung by the comment, Dan said, "I don't understand."

Ed kicked the horse and it started to move forward. Dan, taken by surprise, had to hurry to catch up. When Dan had caught up, Ed said, "Look around. What do you see?"

"The desert."

"How does it make you feel?"

Dan looked around trying to really see the desert. Cactus grew in patches around him. A layer of long thorns with sharp tips provided a barrier between him and the meat of the plant. There wasn't moisture on the ground or humidity in the air. Bare rock covered by thin soil lent a hostile feel to the land. If left alone out here, he'd die from hunger and starvation within a very short period of time. He answered, "Pretty small and vulnerable."

"It tends to strip away some of that feeling that you're a master of the universe, doesn't it?" asked Ed as the horse stepped around a cactus.

"You can say that again," answered Dan. It was a fact that he tended to feel small in the face of the expanse of the desert. He had to steer around a patch of cactus and envied the fact that Ed could let the horse pick a path through the plants.

"Wouldn't you say that makes you feel more human?"

"Yes, I guess so," replied Dan surprised at the characterization.

"You're looking at a very small part of the Goddess. Imagine the impact of seeing all of her. You'd feel human and nothing else. All that Master of the Universe baloney gets stripped away, leaving behind a real human being - a human that likes to play, to love, to eat, and to make love."

Dan didn't comment on what Ed had said, but understood that he was seeing deeper into the soul of Ed than he had ever seen of another human being. It made him think about what it meant to be a human. It seemed that in years gone past, he had forgotten how to play and to love. He realized that he might never have known how to love. It was a fact that he had never known how to make love.

The men continued on their journey, not talking as they each pursued their own thoughts. It was a glorious day with perfect temperature. The sky was that amazing blue color that is only found in the southwest. Not a cloud marred the expanse of blue above them. The result was that shadows were sharp and well defined. The colors were intense and bright. This was the kind of day that recharged Ed's soul and when he was the most at home in the desert.

Around noon, they were an hour from the edge of the property and Ed began to think of eating. He looked down at Dan and asked, "Are you getting hungry?"

The reminder of food made Dan realize that while he had packed water, he hadn't brought any food. Embarrassed, Dan confessed, "I forgot to bring food."

"No problem. I have an MRE. They're not great, but they are good."

The men stopped and ate lunch. Dan watched as Ed ate his sandwich, amazed at his total concentration on the food. Seeing the delight that Ed got from his food made him wonder if he actually knew how to eat. They didn't talk much as they ate. Once done, they mounted up, Ed on his horse and Dan on his ATV.

They reached the edge of the property an hour after finishing lunch. Ed looked around and noticed a dark area that seemed odd to him. He stood up in the stirrups to try and get a better view of the area. Puzzled, he said, "Dan, there's something odd over there. I'd like to investigate it."

"Let's go."

Ed frowned and directed his horse the two hundred yards to the area that had caught his attention. As he got closer, he could see that it was a rather large hole in the ground. Dan sped up so that he reached the hole first and turned the ATV so that the headlight was shining into the hole. Ed reached the site about the time that Dan dismounted from the ATV and was edging closer to the hole. Ed shouted, "Stop. Go back to the ATV and back it away."

Puzzled by the command, Dan stopped and looked at Ed wondering what was the matter. The look on Ed's face convinced him that Ed was concerned for his safety and did as he had been ordered. He parked the ATV beside Ed.

Ed's hand had immediately gone to his medallion on seeing the hole up close. There was something about this place that sent chills up and down his spine. When his hand touched the medallion, the hole shimmered and shifted as though it wasn't for him to see. Removing his hand, the hole returned solidly placed in the earth. He touched the medallion again to find that an opaque barrier with writing of some kind on it now hid the hole. Blinking his eyes, he could see that they were Native American symbols that he couldn't interpret.

Dan had watched Ed, hand clutching the gold medallion, as he stared at the hole for almost thirty minutes. He was beginning to get worried at the statue-like rigidity with which Ed was looking at it. When Ed moved, Dan jumped in surprise and asked, "Are you here?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked if you were here. It was like you were somewhere else," replied Dan with concern.

Ed was silent for a minute and then reached into his saddlebag. After feeling around in it, he pulled out the GPS. As he took a reading, he said, "This is not something for us to investigate. We have to leave it for others to investigate."

"You're kidding? We have to get the police or something?"

"No. It is a tribal matter," replied Ed as he backed his horse away from the site. He stopped and turned to Dan. In a very urgent voice, he said, "You have to promise me that you will not talk of this discovery until the proper people have been notified."

Dan looked at the hole and then back at Ed wondering why the man would request him to make such a promise. Shrugging, he said, "Okay."

The voice didn't ring of conviction and Ed's truth sense told him that the man didn't believe the criticality of the promise. Holding out the medallion and bending down closer to Dan, Ed said, "Touch the medallion and promise me that you will not talk of this discovery until I have notified the proper people."

Dan got off the ATV and approached Ed. Causally reaching out, he touched the medallion as he made the promise. Touching the medallion transported him, naked, to a meadow facing a tremendously grotesquely fat man with a cock that seemed to hang down to his knees. The fat man, lips flapping, said, "I shall keep you to this promise if I must."

Dan's body reacted by producing an almost painful erection. Barely able to breathe, he said, "You are the Two-Sided One."

The man transformed into a woman, just as fat and grotesque. She said, "Yes, I am."

"Am I to serve you?"

"Only in keeping this secret," replied the woman as she transformed into a handsome man and attractive woman joined at the hands. The woman ran a hand over his face and said, "Perhaps now that you've come to our attention, the God or the Goddess may call upon you."

His cock erupted as he returned to the desert, spilling his seed into his underwear like a kid having a wet dream. Embarrassed at the sudden wetness in his pants, he looked up at Ed. Awed by the experience, he said, "I met the Two-Sided One."

Nodding, Ed replied, "I know."

Ed was putting the horse into the trailer after watering it and feeding it, when Walt came out and said, "I'll drive the horse back to the auction yard. Why don't you go inside and clean up?"

Nodding, Ed answered, "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Entering the house, Ed went directly to his office. Once there, he pulled out a sheet of paper and grabbed his favorite pen. Pausing, he started to write a letter detailing what he had found in the desert. He recorded the location of the site and the writing that he had seen. He was careful to avoid writing the symbols in a single line, breaking it into sections that destroyed the continuity of the message. In some circles, symbols had power and recording them could have unforeseen consequences.

Once he had finished the letter, he sealed it in an envelope and then sat there wondering to whom he should sent it. Finally, he addressed it to William. He wrote on the back of it that the letter was to be opened upon arriving at the Native American College. He trusted William to identify the proper person to whom to deliver the information.

Grabbing the letter, he went down to Cathy's office with the letter expecting to find Mary staffing it. Instead, Cathy was behind the desk working through the books. When he entered, she asked, "What can I do for you?"

Handing her the letter, he said, "You can make sure that William gets this when he goes to the Native American College in September."

Cathy raised an eyebrow as she looked at the letter and then over at Ed. She wondered why he wouldn't keep it himself. As though reading her mind, Ed said, "You never know where I will be the day he leaves for there."

"Okay."

"Where's Mary?"

Cathy looked up and said, "She's staffed the office all week while I've been out shopping for wedding dresses. I thought I'd give her a Saturday night off."

"Oh," replied Ed. He had not been aware of that. He asked, "How is she working out?"

Cathy said, "I like her, but I lust after her voice."

Ed laughed as he left the office and headed to the poolroom. Now that he had taken care of his problem, he could relax. Inside, he found Dan was already there in the pool having a splash war with Ling. Smiling at seeing the neighbor naked and relaxed around an equally naked woman, he stripped out of his clothes and went to the shower to rinse off the dirt and grime of the trail. Once he felt clean, he went into the hot tub to relax.

After fifteen minutes in the spa, he got out and dried off. Ling and Dan had already moved over to the chairs and were talking. As Ed approached, he was surprised that Dan didn't have an erection. He joined them at the chairs and said, "I wonder where the snacks are."

"Mona is bringing them down anytime now. And yes, you get your iced tea." She giggled at the idea of the shock that little Mona would have when she came in the room. She was such a shy little thing and it amused Ling at how she tried to overcome it.

Ed wondered what would happen when Mona came into the poolroom and encountered a number of naked people for the first time. He looked in the pool and saw that Betsy was swimming laps using the breaststroke. It was amazing that a three-year-old could swim that well. He was busy watching Betsy when Mona entered the room carrying a tray.

Mona froze at the door and looked at the naked people sitting in the chairs. Her wide eyes could hardly believe what she was seeing. Her worst fears had come true. Marguerite had warned her, but she hadn't really believed her. Moving in a trance-like gait, she approached the little table on which she was supposed to set the snacks, while staring at Ed's cock. She bent down and set the tray on the table without removing her eyes from his crotch.

Noticing Mona's fixed attention on Ed's cock, Ling remarked, "Do you see something that you like?"

"Yes, very much so," replied Mona without realizing what she was saying.

The exchange attracted Ed's attention and he turned to see what they were talking about. He was shocked by the intensity with which Mona was staring at his cock. Glancing over at Ling, he saw her smile while she, with a wicked little smile, made a gesture like she was tweaking a woman's nipple. Glancing over at Dan, he saw that the man was staring at Mona as if looking in a mirror and seeing what he had been. He knew that Mona was not seeing Ed the man, but Ed the cock.

Mona slowly moved around the table and then knelt in front of Ed. He looked over at Ling and raised his hands as if to ask what he should do. He looked down to see her reaching for his cock. A tap on the shoulder finally drew Mona's eyes from his cock. She turned to find Betsy standing next to her. The reality of what she had been doing ripped through her mind and she paled. Betsy asked, "Are you okay? You look kind of funny."

Mona turned a bright red as her entire body blushed in embarrassment. Without answering Betsy, she ran towards the door with her hands over her eyes as she cried. She hit her shoulder in passing through the door, but didn't slow down in her rush to get away. Betsy, looking confused at Mona's reaction, asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Betsy. You didn't do anything wrong. She was lost in another world for a moment and then realized what she was doing in this one. She ran off because she was embarrassed," answered Dan.

"Oh." Betsy paused and looked at Dan for a minute. She said, "You don't talk funny anymore. I think I like you better this way."

Dan smiled and replied, "You might say that I was living in another world, too. I just woke to find that I was supposed to be living in this world."

The comment puzzled Ling and Betsy, but Ling was wise enough not to pursue it and Betsy didn't care enough to question him further. She turned to Ed and asked, "Can I go play with Lucy?"

Ed frowned as he answered, "Only if it is okay with her mother."

Betsy, still naked, tore out of the room to find Mary. She liked Mary and the fact that she took her to the park everyday to swing on the swings made her a great person in her book. It surprised her that Lucy got tired so quickly, but Betsy didn't care. She would do the running for both of them.

Once Betsy was gone, Ed turned to Ling and asked, "What was that?"

"What?"

"Mona."

"Oh. I think she'd like to jump your bones. I'm rather surprised that prim little Mona didn't care that I was here watching the entire time," replied Ling with a giggle. She had actually enjoyed the entire show and had hoped to see it run to completion.

Ed stood and gathered together his clothes. Glancing down at the snack tray, he said, "I better make sure that she doesn't quit."

"Can I watch?"

"I didn't know that I had married a voyeur, but for your information I'm going to talk to her," replied Ed recognizing that Ling was teasing him.

"You're no fun," teased Ling before sticking her tongue out at him.

Ed laughed at her antics and left the room walking in a leisurely manner. Behind him, Ling was asking Dan about his day in the desert with Ed. It pleased her that Ed had found someone close by with whom he could go out in the desert. That he had used an ATV to keep up with Ed on horseback had been a bright idea.

Dressed in his robe, Ed sat in his comfort chair waiting for Mona to arrive. He didn't know what to say to her, but he knew that if he didn't do the right thing that she could set back her development as a chef for years. His thoughts were interrupted by a very soft knock on the door that was barely audible. He stood and opened the door.

Mona, staring at the floor, was terrified that she was going to be fired. Uncomfortable, she said, "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I did. Come in," invited Ed as he stepped back to make room for her to enter the room. He looked down at the top of her head as she passed by him. As he closed the door behind her, he said, "Please, take a seat."

Mona looked around seeking the proper place to sit and chose the couch. She crossed her legs and stared at a spot in the center of the floor. She didn't see it, since the tears starting to well up in her eyes blinded her. This was the last thing that she wanted to do and now that she was here, all she wanted to do was to end it. In a soft voice, she said, "I'll pack and leave in the morning if that is okay with you."

"Why would you want to do that?" asked Ed as he sat on the other end of the couch. He sat so that he was facing her across the empty space in the middle of the couch. The arrangement provided distance and intimacy at the same time.

"My behavior was inexcusable," answered Mona feeling perfectly miserable.

"You don't say?" asked Ed with a smile. It had been his experience that the only thing that was inexcusable was evil, but he had seen no evil in her actions. He had observed weakness, but that was not the same as evil. He leaned forward and said, "I thought your behavior represented a very real and honest desire on your part."

The observation, rather than reassure her, only caused her to cry harder. This was not the first time that desire within her had emerged and caused her trouble. She sobbed, "I'm so bad!"

"In what way?"

"Sometimes, I..."

She wanted to explain, but could not put it into words. How does one explain an obsession when they don't even understand it? All she knew was that there were times when she saw the sexual organs of a person, that she had this great desire to experience it.

The emotional damn inside burst loose and she cried, "I'm a slut. I see a sexual organ and I have to have it."

It was a harsh assessment, but she spoke as though she believed it was true. He asked, "You have never had a real relationship, have you?"

"How can I? Once I saw a guy pissing against a wall and ended up having sex with him in an alley. I saw a woman in the ladies' room remove her panties to have a quickie with her date, but fell to my knees in front of her. I was lucky that I escaped with just a slap across my face. No one would want a relationship with someone like me!" The anguish in her voice was real.

Ed stood and walked to the other side of the room as he considered how to deal with the situation. Turning his back on her, he thought about her situation with regards to the household. She was weak and required protection, but in her weakness she had a strength that could harm others. He came to a decision, hoping that he wouldn't regret it.

After a minute, he turned to face her and said, "You can stay until I find a way to help you with your problem. Tell everyone in the house the nature of your problem. If they accept your attentions, then you have done no harm. If they reject it, then you have done no harm since they know to expect it. Should you continue and they slap you, allow that to serve as a warning to stop and do not take harm from it. If you rape anyone, I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. Do not ever touch the children."



-------

Chapter 9

Stepping into the Druid College brought back memories of times spent with John. Ed paused, finding it hard to believe that only a month had passed since his husband had given up his life to sanctify the glade. He looked over at the large photograph of John hanging next to the entrance. It was a color picture that showed John standing along one of the paths into the woods near the school. In it, John looked regal wearing his robe and cloak as he held his staff. A tear slid down Ed's cheek as he looked at the picture of his husband.

Behind him, Betsy entered the building followed by her mother. She looked around the entry, excited to be back at the school. When she caught sight of her brothers and sister, she released a gleeful yell, ran over to greet them and bowled over her siblings in her excitement. Ling went over to help them get untangled. Kelly and Linda joined her thinking that the kids would be upset by Betsy's roughness, but the children had turned it into a wrestling match and tickle war. The kids were having fun even though it was three against one and the one was winning.

With an abruptness that was startling, Ed turned away from his family and marched out the door. Linda noticed and felt hurt that he hadn't greeted her. She went to follow him with the intention of yelling at him, but Kelly put a hand on her shoulder and said, "He's grieving for John. It's the first time that he's really had a chance to do that."

Linda looked at Kelly in surprise at the news. She thought that over the past thirty days that Ed would have had a chance to come to grips with John's death. She asked, "Really?"

"He's been busy with hiring new staff, filing taxes, working on wills, handling family business, taking over the Fusion Foundation, and following his businesses. In between all that, he's been helping us deal with our emotions," answered Kelly. She sighed as she thought about the strength that Ed brought to the family. John had been the fount of wisdom, but it was Ed's strength that always saw the family through trials and tribulations. She added, "Give him an hour alone."

"Where did he go?" asked Ling.

"I imagine that he went to the Carter Glade."

Trudging through snow, Ed approached the glade with a heavy heart, feeling for the first time the full impact of John's death. Upon reaching it, he looked around only to find it smaller than he had remembered. He knew that it was a hundred yards across, but it only looked about twenty-five yards across to him. There was no snow on the ground inside the circle that defined the site.

Looking at the clearing reminded him of the day when John and he had cleared it of trees. That had been a grand day, the two men working side by side to clear the land. It was a nice crisp morning, perfect for hard work. They had cut the trees down using axes, with each man working on an individual tree. Once they had felled the first tree, other Druids came out to remove the branches and cut the trunks for use in making items within the College workshops.

When the family had delivered lunch, they had eaten together sharing a communion with the outdoors. After lunch, a Druid had been injured and Kelly had healed him through her healing gift of sex. Ed had joked that she enjoyed her service to the Goddess too much at times and John had teased her about that for the rest of the day.

He stepped into the circle and looked around in surprise at the sudden increase in apparent size. Walking slowly, he moved to the center of the glade where he had last seen John. He knelt and looked up at the sky for a full minute. As his grief overwhelmed him, a sound of animal loss began in his belly and grew until it burst forth as an anguished as a primal scream that lasted for a full minute. Throughout the release of his anguish, he beat the ground with his fists.

The sound reverberated within the glade, growing in strength, to echo his feelings of grief on behalf of all those who could not express theirs. He knew that he wasn't alone in the feelings he was experiencing, but he was alone in dealing with them.

Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "John! I miss you so much!"

Time passed slowly as his tears froze on his face. For the first time in his life, he wasn't aware of the cold. His grief consumed his entire attention. It felt to him as if the best part of him had died with John. After a while, Ed found that he was sitting on the ground staring into the distance.

A hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present. Looking up, he found Leroy standing beside him. It never dawned on him that Leroy wasn't supposed to be there. Confused, he asked, "Leroy? Is that you Leroy?"

"It's me. I figured you could probably use a hand getting back into the groove of things around here," replied the black man with a smile that showed his white teeth.

"Thank you for coming," said Ed as he continued to sit there feeling numb. It was hard to say if it was from his grief or from the cold. He wondered how long he had been sitting alone in the glade.

"What are husbands for?" asked Leroy kneeling down beside his husband. He put an arm around him and helped Ed stand.

The hours in the cold weather had drawn all warmth from Ed's body. Once he started moving, his entire body started to tremble uncontrollably. His hands and feet were numb. It seemed as though he stumbled with every step that he took as Leroy led him back to the college. The trip to the glade had taken very little time, but the trip back seemed to be taking forever.

As they walked, Leroy asked, "You miss him, don't you?"

"Yes, more than anything. It seems that my life has lost its meaning," answered Ed while concentrating more on walking than on answering the question.

"Why would it have lost its meaning?"

"Everything I did included John," answered Ed stumbling as his numb feet slid on the snowy ground.

Leroy disappeared, being replaced by a hairy figure that looked familiar. Ed stumbled and fell to the ground. The hairy figure lumbered off, leaving Ed lying where he had fallen. It was cold. His hands and feet felt like they solid blocks of ice. He wondered where he was, but his eyelids felt like lead and he couldn't open his eyes. An uncontrollable shiver went through his body. He was so cold.

"Were you trying to sacrifice yourself?"

The voice sounded fuzzy, as though it came from a mile away. He didn't recognize the speaker. It was hard to tell if it was because he didn't know who it was or if his ears weren't working correctly. He wondered what happened to Leroy.

"You didn't need to do that," stated the voice.

Ed ignored the voice and thought about John. His husband was gone and would never return. The manner of John's departure from this earth was supernatural. It made Ed wonder if John walked with the Gods and Goddesses.

"Ed, if you don't answer me soon I'm going to leave."

The voice sounded like John's, but it couldn't have been since John was dead. Confused, he asked, "John, is that you?"

"Who did you think it was?"

"John, I've missed you so much," replied Ed.

He tried to open his eyes so that he could look upon his husband once again, but his eyes wouldn't respond to his commands. Nothing about his body seemed to work. He wanted to move, but his body didn't respond. It was cold, so cold that it could freeze hell.

"I'm not gone from your life. I'm just not in your world anymore."

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Ed seeking guidance from the one man whose judgement he trusted above all others.

"Live. That is what the living do!"

It was as though a blast of hot air boiled through his body. Every corner of his body in which the cold had taken residence was warmed in a single instant. His eyes fluttered open. He was greeted with the sight of a very naked Kelly atop him. The sensations around his cock and the look on her face told him all that he needed to know. She was making love to him.

He reached up and caressed her breasts. She lowered the upper half of her body so that it made full contact with his. His hips thrust up into her as his conscious mind transitioned from waking to making love. His orgasm came quickly, but he had no idea how long Kelly had been riding him. Her motions conveyed that she was coming as well.

Kelly calmed down and sat up while still impaled on his cock. With a worried look on her face, she asked, "What were you thinking of?"

"Huh?"

"You were half dead out there. If you had been out there another half an hour, you'd be dead," answered Kelly as her concern turned to a light anger. They had lost John and now Ed was trying to kill himself.

"What happened to Leroy?" asked Ed.

"Leroy? He's back in Arizona. You know that," answered Kelly.

"No, he was here helping me get back to the building," replied Ed confused.

"You were frozen solid in the snow. There was no one else," countered Kelly, "and if Fluffy hadn't found you, we'd still be looking for you."

"Leroy came out there and reminded me to come back. He helped me stand and walk back to the building. I don't remember much after taking a few steps," explained Ed. The sight of the hairy being lumbering away made him wonder if he had hallucinated Leroy in place of Fluffy.

"Leroy isn't here. You were out there alone."

"John was there," said Ed.

Kelly, hearing what Ed was saying, looked down at her husband with tears in her eyes. She said, "Ed, you were delirious."

"Live. That is what the living do!" The last thing that John had said to him out there echoed in his mind. He wondered if he had been living since John had passed to the other side. When he had made love to Kim, had he tasted the full flavor of the act? He tried to remember, but couldn't recall the degree to which he had been emotionally engaged with her.

Feeling weak, Ed said, "I'll be okay. I just need a little time to get back on my feet."

Kelly climbed off the infirmary bed knowing that he wouldn't lie to her. This entire episode had upset her and she didn't know what to do. His grief must have been far greater than she had realized if it had allowed him to almost die out in the cold. She had allowed him to go out there alone. She took his hand and kissed it.

"I'll let you sleep."

Ed answered, "Thanks."

Kelly left the infirmary, pausing once to look back at Ed. Her husband had already fallen asleep, but this was the rest of a man at peace and not the sleep of the dead. She frowned as she thought of her failure to support Ed and left to find the rest of the family. She needed to talk to the other two wives about this.

Ed woke feeling alert. Looking around, he recognized that he was in the infirmary. His stomach growled. Thinking about it, he realized that he hadn't eaten since leaving Arizona. He sat up and looked around for Laura. Despite the fact that it was an infirmary, this room had a very cheerful and upbeat atmosphere.

Hearing the noise from her patient, Laura glanced through the door and saw that he was awake at long last. She asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, just very hungry," answered Ed as Laura approached the bed in the manner of medical professionals everywhere.

"You should be, it's been at least twenty four hours since you ate," commented the Druid as she proceeded to check his condition. Like everyone that Kelly had healed, he was in outstanding physical condition.

"Is the dining room open?" asked Ed.

"Yes, but you can't leave here until I'm satisfied that you're all right. You almost died yesterday," answered Laura.

His stomach growled in protest at being kept from going to eat. He yawned and stretched for a second before realizing that he had awakened without his normal morning grogginess. He wasn't going to question how he felt.

"Well, I'm pretty hungry," replied Ed.

Shaking her head, Laura said, "I can't find anything wrong with you. Go and eat."

Ed dressed and left the infirmary heading straight for the first year dining room. He reached the dining room in record time and sat down at a table where he would be noticed. When the waitress came to the table, he said, "I'll have scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and coffee."

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," replied Ed a little confused by the question. He looked up at the clock and realized that it was almost lunchtime. Shrugging off the time, he considered that in Arizona it would constitute a late breakfast.

Looking around the empty dining room, Ed knew that it would be filling up soon with students coming from their classes. The noise level would rise and there would be a number of minor arguments, but nothing compared to what there had been at the start of the school year. He smiled at his observations concerning the changes in the students that occurred over the course of the first year. It was proof to him that the college was serving its purpose.

The waitress brought over his breakfast and set it on the table in front of Ed. He had taken the time to watch her walk over. He put her age around forty-five or so. Like many of the people that worked with the first years, she had chosen to wear a minimum amount of clothes that were practical for her job. For the waitresses, this meant wearing an apron and a pair of support shoes. Her body showed the results of childbearing with stretch marks around her abdomen and breasts. She had varicose veins along her legs. It amazed him that she chose to bare herself around so many young people.

As she turned to leave, he asked, "Do you like working here?"

Surprised by the question, the waitress turned and answered, "Yes, I do."

"I noticed that you have taken to wearing only an apron. The last time I saw you, you were fully dressed. I was curious why so many people from town that work here have taken to dressing down in a such a fashion," commented Ed.

"I can't speak for others, but I have observed that the longer the kids were unclothed around here the better people they became. After a month here, they stop complaining about every little thing. After two months, the number of arguments goes down. Around three months, they start becoming a little more helpful. I don't know if being naked has anything to do with it, but it seems to be a part of it to me. I just felt that I wanted to be a better person," replied the waitress looking away from Ed the entire time she spoke.

"Interesting," replied Ed as he considered her answer. Curious, he asked, "Is the town changing?"

"The town?" asked the waitress, turning to look at Ed with her eyes wide in surprise.

"I was just wondering if the people that work here were changing things in town."

"I really haven't take the time to notice," replied the waitress. She was silent for a moment as she thought more about his question and then looked at the breakfast sitting in front of Ed. She said, "You better start to eat before your breakfast gets cold."

"Thanks," he answered, "I'd hate to eat cold gravy on my biscuits."

He watched the waitress leave and turned his attention to his food. The gravy was excellent, not greasy even though it was loaded with bits of sausage. The biscuits were moist and fresh despite the late hour. He poured a little of the gravy over the scrambled eggs and tasted them. It was hard to ruin scrambled eggs except by letting them sit under a heat lamp.

Finishing his breakfast, Ed sat back and took a sip of his coffee. He had finished in time to watch the students arriving from classes for lunch. The noise level in the room rose commensurate with the number of people filing into the room. Serious discussions about the material covered in class were mixed in equal measure with lighthearted conversations among friends.

He took a moment to examine the students. Their bodies looked healthy. Their skin had cleared up and practically glowed with health. They walked with grace and acted naturally. Admittedly, few of them would ever be held up as examples of beauty by a culture that valued thin women and hard-body men. However, there wasn't a single student with whom he would refuse an opportunity to have sex.

His kids, with the exception of Betsy, entered the dining room and moved directly to his table. They moved towards him with a purpose and he was surprised to see the expressions of concentration on their faces. William reached the table first and sat down looking over the remains of the meal on the table. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "You just woke?"

"Yes, I got up about half an hour ago," replied Ed surprised that his son hadn't predicted that he would sleep so late. Of course, the question could have been rhetorical.

Beth and John sat down at the two remaining chairs at the table. They had heard the exchange between William and Ed. Beth accused, "Our mothers were crying last night. You upset them."

"That was not my intention," responded Ed.

"That was the consequence," challenged John.

"And you think that I have been bad because I caused harm?" asked Ed.

"Yes," answered John and Beth together. Their answered contrasted with the negative answer of William.

Ed sat back and looked at the three kids. The realization that they were not as unified in their assessment of the situation caused some consternation among them. The children exchanged a series of looks as though arguing without words. Little John looked very irritated, Beth looked confused, and William sat immobile.

Everything came to a halt when William said, "Daddy Ed was in pain and no one was there for him. We even walked away."

John and Beth sat there staring at William in shock, as the full import of his words became clear. For his part, William stood and left the table without saying another word. Ed watched him leave and then turned to watch the other two children. They were watching their brother walk away. The expressions on their faces reflected their dismay.

"Go to William. Let him know that I understand. There was no way for him to know how I felt."

With a sigh, Ed watched as Beth and John left the table. He would let the children work out a solution to the problem. He had not wanted to be faced with dealing with other people's problems yet. It was time to live. That was what John had told him he should be doing. He took a sip of his coffee and tried to decide what he would do next. Sighing, he stood up and muttered, "It's time to deal with the wives."

He went up to the apartment to find the rest of the family. Undoubtedly, they would be just as upset as the children had been; perhaps they were even more upset. He smiled to himself at the idea that his kids felt secure enough to question his actions. They had been right and wrong, just as his actions had been right and wrong. He hoped they would determine where they had been wrong, but he was going to make sure that they understood where they had been right.

Entering the apartment, he found a very excited Betsy running to him. She launched herself at him. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he would have dropped her. Smiling as he hugged her, he spent the moment in the now and just enjoyed the feel of the bundle of energy in his arms. She squealed, "I was so worried about you. Are you okay now?"

"Yes, I am," answered Ed.

"Good. I don't like to worry. I almost have to stay still when I worry."

Ed grinned at the most honest statement that he had heard in a long time. She had touched upon a great truth of life. He said, "I don't like to worry either. I'm sorry if I made you worry."

"That's okay," replied the little girl as she started to wiggle in order to get down. A minute hug lasted too long for the high-energy girl. Ed set her down on the floor and watched as she streaked out of the room, presumably on a mission to let his wives know that he was back. As large smile crossed his face as he watched the girl being true to her essential nature. She was energy and energy didn't take easily to being contained.

Linda came out of the back wearing blue jeans and a blue work shirt. She approached Ed walking with her hands held in her back pockets, palms facing out. Her posture emphasized her breasts by thrusting them forward. Her long black hair shone from the light reflecting off it. She stopped a distance away from Ed and, looking down at the floor, said, "Sorry."

"For what?"

"I was angry at you yesterday. You came here and didn't even acknowledge me," answered Linda.

"It should be me apologizing to you," replied Ed as his stomach twisted. The words felt sour in his mouth even as he spoke them. He knew that he shouldn't apologize for being human and allowing himself to give voice to his grief.

"No, we discussed what happened last night after the kids went to bed. All of us have been taking advantage of you. You're a lot stronger than any of us and we forgot that you might need some time to recover from all of the demands we place on you," countered Linda.

Smiling, Ed said, "I'm feeling better now. Yesterday, I got a lot of the grief out of my system."

Linda shifted her weight onto her left leg and rolled her right foot so that the side of her foot was on the ground. The pose made her look more vulnerable. Ed found her vulnerability attractive. He wanted to go over to her and protect her, but recognized that she wanted to keep her distance for the moment.

Linda thought about the discussion last night. She had been expecting Ed to show up and take her to bed. Kelly and Ling had planned on making it a foursome, with Ed being the King Bee. No one had bothered to ask Ed what he had wanted or even considered that he might want something different.

The realization that all three of them were making demands upon him for attention had not been pleasant. The wives had talked on many occasions about how much Ed did for them without asking for anything in return. In a way, they felt they owed Ed for his sacrifices on their behalf. None of them knew what to do to help or thank him.

She said, "We called Leroy last night and asked him to come here for a while."

"Why? His work is pretty important and I'm not sure that it is right to interrupt it."

With more irritation in her voice than she intended, she said, "He's family and we need him. You need him."

Ed nodded as he thought about it and realized that it made sense to ask him to come here. Leroy hadn't been around much over the past couple of years. Leroy was suffering because of it and the family hadn't been the same without him around. "Okay."

Her right hand left the back pocket and brushed her long hair back behind her ears. She said, "We just want you to know that we are here for you. If you want to talk to us or anything, just ask."

"Thanks," replied Ed as he wondered what had happened last night.

Linda came over to Ed and hugged him with tears in her eyes. She said, "I love you Ed."

"I love you," replied Ed enjoying the feeling of his wife's body pressed against his. "Can we spend a little time alone?"

Relief washed over Linda. She had wanted to ask him that, but felt she would be making demands. She whispered in his ear, "I have a special chair upstairs if you would like that."

His cock reacted to the announcement and Ed whispered back, "I would love that."

A very pleased Linda led the way upstairs. He followed behind, enjoying the view of her ass swaying. She had a particularly fine ass. It always excited him to walk behind her, particularly when she was working it like she was doing at the moment. While her body was enough to excite him, the news that she had one of her chairs here almost had him coming. It had been quite a while since she had taken him to one of her special chairs and it promised hours of pleasure.

She stopped in front of a room and gestured inside as she said, "We're here."

Ed walked in and found a chair that was different from any other that she had bought. Like her other special chairs, this looked like a squashed 'N.' Unlike the others, this one had arm rests for him and a special backrest for her. He walked around it trying to figure out all of the other features that the chair possessed. The part of the chair where his legs would rest was designed so that he would have to sit in it with his legs spread.

He turned to look at Linda and was surprised that she had already undressed while his attention had been on the chair. Examining her body, he said, "You just keep looking better every day."

Linda smiled at the compliment and said, "Get undressed, my husband."

Ed removed his robe and sandals revealing his erection. Once he was naked, Linda helped him get into the chair. As strange as it looked, it was very comfortable. She shifted his body and adjusted the chair so that the support was perfect. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes.

Looking down at her husband, Linda debated about the wisdom of what she was about to do. She put the Velcro-strips across his wrists and bound his arms to the armrest. Ed had reacted with surprise and looked at his wrists wondering what she had done to him. While he was distracted with that, Linda bound his ankles in the same manner.

Surprised by her actions, Ed asked, "What's this?"

"I wanted to make sure that you get to enjoy the full experience this time. You don't have to control yourself this way," answered Linda.

"Okay," replied Ed with more than a little doubt.

Linda stood and left the room for a second. While she was gone, Ed tested the straps that kept him in the chair. There was no way that he would be able to free himself. She was going to be able to take him to the very edge of orgasm and keep him there. He would be unable to push himself over the edge like he occasionally did when she kept him excited for too long. The knowledge that he would be helpless made his cock even harder.

Linda returned with a small table on which there were snacks, lotions, and beverages. Kneeling next to Ed, she said, "Prepare to be here for a while."

Ed looked at Linda and could tell that she was very excited. Her nipples were hard as rocks and her hands trembled with excitement. Linda enjoyed sex in all its forms, but two things sent her over the edge with greater ease than all others. She loved giving blowjobs and could come just from one of her husbands ejaculating into her mouth. More than oral sex, she loved keeping a man on the edge of orgasm for hours.

He asked, "So how long are you going to keep me here?"

"Forever, if I can manage it," she replied with a grin.

She wasn't kidding that she would do it forever if it were possible. Her hands traced paths around his nipples and then down to his cock. As his body reacted to her attention, she got wet between the legs. His anticipation of the pleasure that he was to receive increased the flow of blood into his cock making it swell even larger. She loved what she was doing to his body.

The first ten minutes of attention passed with her making light teasing touches that built his level of excitement. Her fingertips brushed against his nipples, traced the veins of his cock, and drew little circles on his scrotum. He strained against the bonds in a desire to reach down and grab his cock to take himself to the point of no return.

During the second ten minutes, the pressure of her touch increased to a level that pushed him close to orgasm. Her left hand wrapped around his cock and started jacking it with the firmness that she knew could make him come in minutes. Her right hand fondled his balls, massaging them just enough to distract him from his pleasure.

Ed struggled against the bonds and begged, "Let me come."

"Not yet, you aren't even dripping pre-come."

A shudder went through Ed when she picked up the pace and pressure of her administrations. He moaned as he approached a climax. He tried to thrust up, but the chair held his body in a position where that was impossible. He could feel his orgasm approaching. Like a NASA countdown, he counted down the number of seconds that remained until he came. He reached one and then she stopped touching him.

A wave of frustration swept through his brain as body tensed in disappointment. He groaned and tried to get something to touch his cock. He was so close that even a breath blown across his cock would have allowed him to come. Pre-come pooled at the tip. He was kept at that point as Linda touched his cock with very soft sweeps of her finger along its length.

Her other hand moved between his legs. With a fingertip, she started to trace a little circle around his asshole. He was close, so close that he could almost feel it, but not close enough to experience the desired orgasm. When Linda brushed her long hair across his cock, he tested the strength of the Velcro bonds once again.

She cooed, "Oh, my beautiful man. You are glowing."

She kept it up for another thirty minutes. His pre-come was flowing non-stop. She knelt down and lapped it up like a kitten at a bowl of milk. It was almost enough to make him ejaculate, but not quite. His entire body shook as a Linda-special orgasm washed over him. Ed had reached a level where he was experiencing a non-stop orgasm without an ejaculation. Only Linda knew how to take him to that point where his whole body experienced an orgasm without the accompanying release of fluids.

The sensations around his cock changed, becoming hotter, wetter, and harder. He looked at her impaled upon his cock. She wasn't riding him, just sitting on his cock while flexing the muscles in her cunt. This was the part that she enjoyed the most, sitting upon him feeling his cock fill her while controlling his level of excitement with her inner muscles.

Ed wondered how long she was going to be able to keep it up without allowing him to trip over into a full ejaculation. He was enjoying a full body orgasm like none that he ever had before. Linda had been right about him being able to enjoy it more if he didn't have to maintain control. This torture was the most pleasurable experience of his life. He moaned, unable to put together the energy to talk.

Looking down at Ed, Linda reached over and picked up a small container of apple juice. Inserting the straw, she held it to his lips and said, "Drink this. I don't want my beautiful man to get dehydrated."

It was an hour later when Linda climbed off his cock. She had lost track of how many orgasms she had experienced while slowly riding him. Sitting beside him, she reached over and rubbed his cock. His juices continued to seep from the head of his cock. She knelt down to suck his cock, savoring the flavor of his juices. She was in heaven, fortunate that Ed had been willing to go there with her. With a smile, she planned to stay there for a lot longer.



-------

Chapter 10

As the pair strode down the hall of the hospital, staff and patients moved out of the way as though afraid to be noticed. The red robed Druid moved with the motion and grace of a warrior. Her eyes watched every entryway seeking out danger. On the other hand, the black robed Druid seemed to swagger down the hall like a cowboy.

Ed glanced to his right taking in the room numbers on the door. There were so many doors and behind each door were patients recovering from wounds. He finally found the door he was seeking and came to a stop. The Druid beside him paused and entered the room.

Ed waited knowing that the patient wasn't there. His companion came out of the room and said, "He's over in physical therapy. Should we wait for him here?"

"No," answered Ed, "let's go see how our man is doing."

His companion shrugged her shoulders letting him make the decisions as she said, "Lead the way."

Ed strolled through the labyrinth to the physical therapy room without difficulty. His companion marched beside him taking note of the reactions of the people around them. A red robed Druid walking through a military hospital was not a good sign as far as most of the patients were concerned. Red robed Druids showed up when things were going south. The only positive note was that things would typically improve as a result of their presence.

Reaching the door, Ed stopped and held out a hand to stop his companion from entering the room. At the door, he watched the man struggling to walk between two parallel bars. He was having difficulty using the artificial leg that was attached below his stump. The expression on his face was a cross between intense concentration and anger. Ed wondered what was the source of the anger. Was he angry about not being able to master the artificial leg or at the fact that he needed it?

After five minutes, his physical therapy came to an end. As the man settled into a wheel chair, Ed entered the room and asked, "Captain Jones?"

The man looked up and saw the two Druids watching him. Frowning, he asked, "What do you want?"

Ed smiled at the reaction of the man. It was exactly what he had predicted. He said, "I'm Ed Biggers. My companion is Penny Vinter."

"So what," asked Captain Jones. He pointed to Penny and said, "You're too late. They already got me."

Ed leaned against the doorframe and said, "I take it you didn't apply to the Druid College."

Confused by the question, Captain Jones looked over at Ed and asked, "Why in the name of hell would I do that?"

"I don't know. What I do know is that an application came in with your name on it along with your school and military records," replied Ed.

"I didn't send you that."

"Everything on your application was true except for your signature," commented Ed.

"Well, I didn't fill it out," replied Captain Jones wanting to end the discussion.

Ed walked over to the parallel bars and examined them for a minute. Glancing over at the physical therapist and an aide, Ed took note of their presence and was amused at the confused expressions on their faces. He turned to face the man in his wheelchair. Looking directly at the Captain, he asked, "I wonder why General Grey went to so much trouble."

At the mention of General Grey, Penny started and turned to face Ed. There wasn't any reason for a black robe Druid to know the general. She asked, "How do you know about General Grey?"

Ed shrugged and looked over at the soldier. The Captain paled at the mention of the name. He spun his wheelchair and tried to head for the door, but Penny was alert enough to block his exit before he reached it. She looked down at the Captain and asked, "How do you know General Grey?"

The Captain answered, "It's classified."

The therapist, a muscular young man, moved in to support the Captain. Before he was able to take two steps, Ed had interposed his body between the Captain and the therapist. He turned his back to ignore the therapist, an action that confused the bigger man for a moment. The therapist growled, "Leave the Captain alone."

Penny glanced over at the therapist with an expression that suggested there were other things the man could do that might be stupider, but he'd really have to search for a long time. Her look had the desired effect on the therapist. The aide stood to the side wondering what was going on.

Ed was quiet for a moment as he examined the Captain. He said, "Let me guess. You were wounded while on a mission directed by the good General."

The reaction of the Captain told Ed everything he needed to know. He had touched on the truth. The mission that had resulted in the man's injuries had been run under the direction of the General and had gone bad. Could it be that the General felt guilty?

Penny asked, "Ed, you seem to know a lot about General Grey. Do you mind telling me about it?"

"I was present when he was promoted from Colonel to General. That was my first and last visit to the White House," replied Ed as he watched the Captain's reaction. The man didn't seem to react to that announcement, but Penny did.

Ed paced a moment and then said, "Penny. I imagine that General Grey has heard that we are here. He'll be showing up soon. Would you delay his arrival for about ten minutes?"

His request was met with laughter as she answered, "Only ten minutes? I can give you an hour."

As far as the man in the wheelchair was concerned, the assumption that the General would come to the hospital because these two Druids were present seemed pretty egotistical on their part. Captain Jones said, "He's not coming."

After Penny left the room, the therapist approached Ed now that he felt the odds were even. Ed went to the door and closed it to give them a little more privacy. Without even looking at the man, Ed said, "Reconsider that."

"I can tear you a new asshole before you take three steps. What do you think you can do to me?" The big man made fists and took another step towards Ed. The problem was that it was impossible to intimidate someone when they kept their back to you.

"Not much, I suppose. I can get an IRS audit started, an FBI investigation initiated, and begin a half dozen other things that are even more unpleasant. However, I'd rather have you accept that I'm not here to harm the good Captain."

Turning to Captain Jones, he asked, "What identification could I show you that would allow you to answer my questions?"

Captain Jones laughed at the question and answered, "Just about every alphabet soup government agency."

Ed pulled out his wallet and started showing the Ids from the various government agencies with which he consulted. He asked, "Is that enough?"

"What, you don't have DIA?" answered the Captain putting as much irony in his voice as he could muster. He was convinced that no one could possess so many badges from so many agencies. No one worked for the IRS, FBI, and CIA.

"No, Penny is the one affiliated with the NSA, DIA, Army, and CIA," answered Ed in the offhand manner of someone that knew more than others.

"You're blowing smoke up my ass. Now get out of here before I call an MP," countered the Captain.

The therapist had seen the badges and had been impressed to the point where Ed's previous threat only seemed more realistic. He backed up and glanced over at the aide while shrugging his shoulders.

Ed leaned against the parallel beams and examined the man in the wheel chair. Shaking his head, he thought about what the General had gone through to set up this meeting. It went far beyond what he could consider normal even for General Grey. The man wanted something from Ed and was using the Captain to get it.

He said, "Before you do that, let me ask you one question. General Grey went to a lot of trouble to make sure that you and I met. He knows that I'm the only Druid at the school that could have spotted the fake admission. Why does he want you and me to meet?"

"He wants you to kill me," replied the Captain.

There was a ring of truth in the answer that testified to the fact that the Captain actually believed it was a real possibility. The Captain didn't know that a Druid would never act like a hit man, but the General knew better. The actual explanation had to be something very different. Ed thought it would be funny if the reason was the exact opposite. Wouldn't it be a real kicker if the General wanted Ed to save the Captain?

"So why would he want me to kill you?"

"He's the whole reason I'm here," answered the Captain, "and it is going to take a lot to convince me that he expected me to live long enough to make it here."

From the hall came the yell, "Stand down, men. If Penny doesn't want me to pass, then you're not going to be able to get me past her."

Ed chuckled at the disturbance and said, "Better start talking fast before she lets him in."

The man in the wheelchair had heard the outburst in the hall. If the General wasn't going to force his way past Penny, then these Druids were much more powerful than they appeared. He re- evaluated his initial reaction to the identification that Ed had shown him.

"He sent my unit on a mission and I was the only one that made it back. We didn't complete the mission. There was no way to complete the mission. They dropped us off right in the middle of the enemy," answered Captain Jones with more than a little bitterness. Half of the men in his unit were dead before their parachutes hit the ground.

"And you think they did it intentionally," commented Ed.

"You bet your Druid ass," replied Captain Jones. "No one could have blown it that bad."

"Is your career in the Army over?"

"What do you care?" snapped the Captain.

"I don't actually care," replied Ed with a grin at the knowledge that his answer would probably shock the soldier. He added, "Let's just say that I was curious."

"Penny, let me in there. Now!"

At the exclamation from the hallway, Ed commented, "Sounds to me like the General is getting impatient."

The Captain stared at the door in surprise that the General hadn't already entered the room. No one ever stood between the General and what he wanted. It was a demonstration of real power that she had stopped him. He didn't know what it meant when the General started negotiating with her. He said, "I don't understand why he hasn't had her removed by now."

Ed laughed at the comment and said, "The Druids live by two rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. We expect the rest of the world to live by one rule."

"What's that?"

"Don't fuck with a Druid," replied Ed, "and the General is well aware of that one."

It sounded like the kind of thing that a military unit would adopt as a motto and the Captain, despite his sour mood, couldn't help but chuckle. He had heard a little bit about Druids over the past six years and knew that they had the ears of important people, but he didn't know just how cocky they were. Although he felt miserable, he couldn't help but admire that kind of attitude.

Ed called out, "Penny, let him in."

General Grey walked into the room as if he controlled everything around him. The effect was ruined by the grin on Penny's face. She had enjoyed taking the intelligence officer down a notch or two.

Ed said, "You went to a lot of trouble to get me here. Do you want to explain why?"

"Haven't you figured it out by now?"

"I figure you feel a little guilty about the last mission on which you sent this man and want me to help him get his emotional legs under him at the same time that he gets his fake leg under him," answered Ed.

"So are you going to accept him in the college?" asked the General.

"No," answered Ed, "he already has a degree."

The answer took the General by surprise. It had never dawned on him that the Druids would reject the Captain. He said, "Oh, I thought..."

"You thought wrong," interrupted Ed.

The Captain had watched the exchange with interest. When the Druid had suggested that the General felt guilty, he was tempted to burst out laughing. That didn't go with the reputation held by the man. That his admission had been rejected almost hurt as much as the wound that took his leg.

"So, I guess I wasted your time," said the General with a funny expression on his face.

"Yes," answered Ed. He looked over at the Captain for a minute trying to assess his character. The guy sitting in the wheelchair had been damaged and the damage went beyond his legs.

"Sorry about that," replied the General, "I guess I had better leave now."

"Is Captain Jones a good man?" asked Ed.

"Yes, he is," answered the General. After a significant pause, he added, "Followed orders and executed his missions to the best of his ability."

"I didn't ask if he was a good soldier. I asked if he was a good man."

The General went to the door and turned to look at Ed. Staring the Druid straight in the eye, he said, "I wouldn't have tried to help him if he wasn't."

Ed turned to Penny and said, "Get the Captain transferred to the Infirmary of the Druid College. I can use an assistant for the next few months."

General Grey turned and stared at Ed, surprised by the action. Penny smiled, enjoying the looks on the faces of the military men in the room. Captain Jones wondered if he had any choice in the matter.

"He's still in the military."

"Transfer him to military intelligence," countered Ed, "and assign him to me for further training. I know that you can do that."

The General stared at Ed wondering if the Druid was actually going to train Captain Jones. He asked, "Will he return to duty?"

"I doubt it," replied Ed as he looked over at the soldier. The man had been in one battle too many.

Captain Jones asked, "Don't I have a choice in what happens to me?"

"Yes, you do. You can stay here and get healed physically. You can come with me and become a whole person again," answered Ed in a matter of fact voice.

Bitterly, the man retorted, "If you haven't noticed, I'm missing a leg."

"That won't keep you from being a whole person," answered Penny. She lifted her robe to reveal an artificial leg before turning to make arrangements for the man to be transferred to the Druid College. If the man was smart, there wasn't any way that he was going to turn down the offer to work with Ed.

Everyone in the room, with the exception of Ed, watched her leave in stunned silence. Ed was merely surprised. Everyone else was shocked by the casualness with which she had showed her artificial leg. The General turned to Ed and asked, "Did you know about her leg?"

"No. She's a whole person. The body doesn't matter that much," replied Ed as he turned to the Captain to see the effects of his words on the man.

"I'll go."

The General left on hearing the Captain agree to the transfer. He was surprised by the way that things had ended. Dealing with Druids was always a surprise and Ed was probably the most difficult of them. He served the truth and, in the intelligence business, truth was a pretty slippery thing.

The physical therapist and the aide looked at each other. The aide shrugged his shoulders. The physical therapist said, "I think you should take him to his room now."

Ed watched as the aide wheeled Captain Jones out of the room. He turned to the therapist and said, "Don't feel bad. You did everything you could to protect him. He wasn't ever in danger."

The man watched Ed leave and shook his head. He had been working in the hospital for a couple of years and this episode had gone beyond anything that he had seen. It would make interesting conversation over coffee with his co-workers.

Ed pulled into the parking lot of the Druid College. As always, the lot was nearly empty of cars. Turning off the motor, he noticed Laura exiting the administration building while pushing an empty wheelchair. Turning to his passenger, he said, "We are expected."

Captain Jones watched the woman in a green robe guide the wheelchair towards the car. She didn't look strong enough to deal with a cripple. That would just make it harder for him since he wouldn't be able to use her for support while learning how to walk on his leg.

Ed got out of the car and opened the door for the Captain. As he held open the door, he thought that it was time for the Captain to get used to doing things for himself. Of course, there were going to be a lot of things that the Captain was going to have to learn how to do. When Laura arrived, Ed asked, "You ready to deal with this guy?"

Laura looked at the Captain, taking in the uniform and bitter expression on his face. She smiled as she considered what would be required to take that expression off his face. She asked, "Can I assume that he falls under the first year protocol?"

"Of course," replied Ed with a matching smile on his face at the idea.

The Captain looked from the man to the woman wondering what they had decided and decided that he didn't trust their smiles. Laura positioned the wheelchair and, as she pointed to places on the chair, said, "Put your right hand here and your left hand there. When you are ready, pull your body up with a rotating motion while pivoting on your good leg. You'll just fly into the chair with hardly any effort."

He looked at her in disbelief, but did as she instructed. He lifted and twisted, finding himself suddenly in the chair. Surprised, he said, "That was easy."

"Where's your leg?" asked Laura.

"In some hospital trash bin, I imagine," answered the Captain, the sarcasm in his voice was very difficult to miss.

"I wasn't referring to that leg. I meant the one they gave you at the hospital," rebuked Laura.

Ed answered, "It's in the trunk."

Captain Jones sat in the wheelchair sulking. He was not used to so much activity since entering the hospital and was exhausted from the trip. Hearing a noise behind Laura, he shifted to see what was making the noise. Shocked, he shouted, "There's a bear."

Without turning, Laura said, "Hi Fluffy. Where's Sid?"

The bear snorted and peaked around Laura at the man in the wheelchair. From the other side of the car, Sid answered, "Ah, I wondered what Fluffy was curious about."

The Captain turned his head and examined the green robed Druid. He hoped that the man would get control over the bear. It was making him nervous with the way it smelled the wheelchair. If the bear decided to attack him, he was virtually helpless to defend himself.

Ed smiled and stepped out of the way by going to the trunk of the car. Opening it, he removed the artificial leg and the suitcase that represented the possessions of the Captain. After getting the attention of Sid, he tossed the suitcase over to the man. Sid caught it and asked, "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Feed it to Fluffy," answered Ed with a smile.

Sid grinned, Fluffy growled, Laura adopted a small smile, and Captain Jones stared at the bear open mouthed not knowing whether to believe them or not. Laura spun the wheelchair around and headed to the building. Sid followed her while Fluffy returned to the woods. Ed followed behind carrying the artificial leg over his shoulder as if it were a rifle.

It didn't take them long to reach the infirmary. Once there, Laura took charge and got him out of the wheelchair and into the bed. Once he was there, she said, "Remove your clothes. I need to give you a thorough physical exam."

The Captain stared at her for a moment and then decided to do as she asked. If she wasn't going to hand him a robe, then he was more than happy to embarrass her with his full naked glory. It didn't take him long to remove his shirt, shoe, and sock. When it came time to remove his pants and underwear, he had to struggle, but Laura just stood to the side waiting patiently.

Once naked, the Captain smiled at Laura with defiance hoping that she would react in some fashion. Instead, she just gathered his clothes together and handed them to Ed. Once his possessions had been removed from the room, she proceeded to give him the most thorough examination that he had ever experienced.

After a few minutes into the exam, the Captain tried to get some reaction out of her concerning his nudity. He asked, "Do you like what you see?"

"Not really," replied Laura as she poked and prodded his back, "I see a lot of small scars, you have areas of tissue damage from being in bed so much, and there's a lot of asymmetric muscle development. Your stump is not healing as well as it should. Many of the stresses that you have placed on your joints could result in arthritis in the next few years. Open your mouth."

The Captain was shocked at the brutal honesty of her assessment of his health. Until his recent injury, he had been a very fit soldier in a crack special operations unit. He opened his mouth in dismay while he listened her continue her assessment of his health.

"Your teeth are in pretty good shape, although I would suggest getting them straightened. The gums are healthy, but you have a tendency to bite the inside of your mouth. I imagine that is an involuntary reaction to pain. A lot of people do that."

For more than an hour she went over his body with total focus on her work. She talked about her observations as she worked feeling that if he asked, then he deserved to know. By the time she had finished, Captain Jones was seriously depressed. The only thing that she had remarked on in a positive manner was the fact that he could still get an erection.

Disappointed that she hadn't reacted to his erection, he asked, "When do I get dressed?"

"You don't. You are here in first year protocol. That means no clothes," replied Laura with a smile.

"What!"

"Calm down," replied Laura. "Are you hungry?"

"What do you mean that means no clothes?" asked the soldier wanting to clarify what she had said.

Laura ignored his question and asked, "Would you get in the wheelchair?"

"What do you mean that means no clothes?"

Laura stepped back and answered, "I thought that would be pretty obvious. You don't get to wear clothes until you are taken off the first year protocol."

"What do you mean I don't get to wear clothes?" asked the Captain in a voice that now bordered on hysterical.

"Your clothes have all been locked up. Now if you don't mind, I'm very hungry. If you want to eat, you are going to have to get into your wheelchair so that we can go to the dining room."

"I can't go into a room full of people naked!"

"Why not?" asked Laura. She added, "You won't be the only one there in that state."

Captain Jones stared at Laura in total shock. Her comment explained why she hadn't reacted to his nakedness in any discernable manner. There was no way that he could go in public exposing the deformity caused by his injury. People would stare at him like some sort of circus freak. He couldn't take that. The thought occurred to him that there would be women present.

"I'm not going out there naked," shouted the man from his bed.

Laura smiled and went over to the phone. Once her call had been put through, she said, "Ling. I have a patient who won't get in his wheelchair. Would you mind coming down here and convincing him that it would be in his best interest?"

Looking over at the Captain, she smiled and said, "Sure, you can bring Betsy."

Hanging up, she turned to face the soldier for a moment. With a smile, she asked, "Are you sure that you don't want to get in that wheelchair?"

"Positive."

It was a few minutes later that Betsy entered the room performing a summersault, landing with perfect ease. She had just learned how to perform them and was practicing every chance that she had. Spotting Laura, she ran over to the woman and said, "Hello. Where's the guy I get to put in a wheelchair?"

Even as Laura answered, Betsy was on her way to the bed. She stopped once she got there. Reaching out a finger, she touched his stump and asked, "Does that hurt?"

Shocked at having a three-year-old girl looking at his naked body, Captain Jones stared at her unable to say a word. Her actions and lack of disgust at his injury affected him more than his nakedness. Before he got himself together enough to answer, she was gone. Trying to keep track of her was like trying to watch a fly in flight.

"He doesn't talk much, does he?" asked Betsy when she settled next to Laura.

Laura laughed and answered, "I think he's a little surprised by you. Where's your mother?"

"She's coming," answered Betsy as she returned to the bed. She flitted around the bed checking the man lying there.

Captain Jones was getting dizzy trying to keep up with the movements of the little girl. He had seen hyperactive children in the past, but this was an extreme that defied physics. No one could move that fast. He said, "Whoa. Stop moving little girl."

"I'm Betsy, not little girl. You're Captain Jones, aren't you? Daddy Ed said that he brought someone back from his trip to the military hospital. You're him, aren't you? He didn't say anything about you not having a leg. Were you born that way or did you lose it? I bet you lost it and that was why you were in the hospital. So how did you lose it?"

Betsy came to a sudden stop and looked at him waiting for an answer. The soldier answered, "Bad guys shot it off."

"You couldn't dodge the bullet? Momma Ling thinks I can dodge bullets, but she won't let me find out," replied Betsy as though it were only proper that her mother should allow someone to shoot at her so that she could dodge the bullets.

Ling entered the room and paused for a fraction of a second to look at the man in bed. Walking over to the bed, she took his hand, twisted a finger, and levered him into the wheelchair. He was unable to resist her actions; the pain was just too much. Finished, Ling said, "Laura, that's how you do it."

Betsy stamped her foot and said, "You said that I could do that. I was just waiting for you to show up."

Reaching down to run a hand through her daughter's hair, Ling answered, "Daddy Leroy is waiting for us in the dining room."

Betsy shot out of the room, her irritation forgotten for the moment. Ling laughed as the girl disappeared around the corner. Captain Jones sat in his chair wondering exactly how he managed to get into it.

Ling turned to the Captain as she said, "Sorry about that. I'm Ling and that little bundle of energy is my daughter, Betsy. You're invited to join us at our table."

Laura went over to the wheelchair and, as she started to push it, said, "Off to dinner."

"They put me in a fucking madhouse," groaned Captain Jones.



-------

Chapter 11

Captain Nathan Jones sat at the table exhausted from making the trip from the dorm to the dinning room. After a week in the infirmary, they had given him a portable parallel walker. The next week, they had moved him to a first year dorm room that he shared with three naked roommates, a man and two women.

At Bethesda, he wouldn't have been forced into such an active life without months of physical therapy. There were times when he wondered why he had accepted to be transferred here. Of course, it had been the female Druid with the artificial leg that had convinced him. She functioned as though her artificial leg was just part of her.

So far, this entire ordeal had been tougher than boot camp. At least in boot camp, normal rules of society applied. Men bunked together and were separate from women. You didn't wake up in the morning to find your roommates having sex with each other. You didn't have people having sex in public. Here it was a free-for-all. The fact of the matter was that he was horny.

One of the Carter kids entered the room and spotted him. He shivered at the sight of the youngest boy. The kid was weird, too weird for his taste. The boy seemed to know things that he shouldn't. He put his neutral face on, the one he used when dealing with people who were too powerful or too criminal to allow them to know your real opinion.

Without waiting for an invitation, William sat down at the table and said, "I see by the careful expression on your face that I make you nervous, don't I?"

'Screw the neutral face approach, ' thought the solder as he answered, "A little."

"I'd say a lot. It would probably be easier for you to imagine me as a thirty year old midget rather than a little boy," commented William.

"How come you aren't naked?" asked Nathan.

William shrugged, stood up, and then pulled off his blue robe. Returning to his seat, he asked, "Are you more comfortable now?"

The man stared at the boy sitting in front of him. He noticed the two scars that crossed his chest. He asked, "What's with the scars?"

William looked down at his chest and then answered, "I cut myself in grief when my grandfather, William Redman, died."

The soldier sat back and stared at the boy unable to believe that he had cut himself in that fashion. He knew that his father had died a couple months ago, but the boy didn't seem to have the kind of grief that would motivate him to cut himself over his father. He asked, "Why didn't you do that when John Carter died?"

"You're really asking why didn't I grieve the same way when Daddy John died," restated William thoughtfully. A full minute passed before he answered. "No one has ever asked me that. I shall have to think about it."

William was actually surprised that someone had asked a question about himself that he had never considered. He thought about his father's death for a moment and his reaction to it. The Gods and Goddesses had taken his father. He wondered if it was a difference between the two cultures at play within him. His Native American side grieved in a very different manner than his Druid side.

Nathan had watched William think about his question and realized that the young boy really did think things through. He apologized, "Sorry, I was just curious."

"There was nothing in your question to apologize for. I find it interesting that I don't have an answer. So how are you settling in here?" asked William changing the topic.

"I haven't figured out all of the rules here," answered Nathan.

"There are only two rules," replied the young boy with a grin. He knew that first years had a hard time understanding the full implications of the rules. It wasn't a surprise to him that Nathan was having a difficult time after only a week.

"Right. Protect the weak from the strong. If it harms none, then do it."

"See, you know all the rules," replied William with a wink letting the other know that he understood that the rules were much harder to understand than to spout.

"You're probably the wrong one to ask, but I was curious why the first years are not allowed clothes," asked Nathan.

"It's part of protecting the weak from the strong," answered William. He had thought about that question a lot in his time at the school and had identified a reason for it. His father had set up the program in the college, but had never explained his reasons for some of the rules to anyone. He wasn't sure if the reasons that he had come up with were the same as the reasons why his father had done it.

"Why?"

"People are at their most vulnerable when they are naked. The students here are invulnerable to that problem after the end of the first year. The experiences of this year can protect them when all others are weak. It also helps teach them the full implications of the first rule. The crowding, the loss of privacy, and the nudity makes violating the first rule almost automatic. The first years can't learn the rule deep inside them where it counts without that environment. The environment is enforced to protect them even if it hurts a little at first."

Nathan sat back and thought about boot camp. Close order drills, close-cropped haircuts, and Drill Sergeants screaming in the faces of new recruits served many of the same purposes. It was all part of taking a bunch of civilians and molding them into soldiers. He could understand that and it allowed him to better understand what was going on here.

"I guess I can accept that for now. I'll need to think about it some more, though."

William sat there for a moment and then said, "Momma Ling says that you walk like the Frankenstein Monster."

"What?" asked Nathan taken by surprise. The children had accepted his injury without a second thought and to hear William talk about how he walked was very out of character.

"She says that you need training in the martial arts and wants to start your training next week. I agree that you should start your training next week, but my reasons why I think so are totally different from hers."

"And what are your reasons?"

"The second rule. To protect the weak from the strong."

"Are you saying that I'm weak?" asked Nathan surprised by the young man's mention of the rule. He wondered if the kid knew that he had killed more than one person bare-handed.

William stood up and picked up his clothes before he answered, "There are two voices at war within you. The strong one thinks that you are less than you were. The weak one believes that you can emerge from this better than you were. I think we need to help the weak voice win."

Nathan watched William walk away as though he had just made a passing comment on the ability of birds to fly. The boy paused and put on his robe before leaving the dining room. The kid was weird, definitely weird. Despite the strangeness, he found that he liked him a lot.

Ed, Kelly, and Linda arrived at the table and sat down without asking for permission. Linda said, "I see you were talking with William."

"Yes. He's a very unusual child."

Ed laughed at the understatement while Kelly shrugged her shoulders. Although she had heard that a lot, Linda answered, "People keep telling me that, but all I see is my baby boy."

"Ling is going to start your martial arts training next week," commented Ed.

"I know. William told me," replied Nathan wondering what was the big deal about having Ling train him. He had advanced martial arts training in the special forces and felt that he could probably teach her a thing or two. At least, he could have when he still had his leg. He knew that she had pulled him out of the bed and into the wheelchair that first night with relative ease, but he hadn't been expecting it.

Ling arrived at the table and saw that there were not enough chairs for all of them. She sat down at the next table and said, "Betsy and Leroy will be here in a few minutes. I tell you, that girl is about to wear me out. I'll be glad when I start training the good Captain there. It'll give me an excuse to put her through two training sessions a day."

Captain Jones asked, "Are you telling me that you're training that little girl in martial arts?"

"Yes," answered Ling, "I am training her. I have no doubts that if she had the strength required that she could take you in a fight on your best day."

He recalled the short-lived temper tantrum where Betsy complained about not getting to throw him into the wheelchair. It made him wonder if she could have done it. That was a scary thought. Ed watched the expressions on Nathan's face change as he thought through what Ling had said.

After a minute, Nathan said, "All of your kids are a little scary."

The comment caused Ed to laugh uncontrollably. It was perhaps the most accurate assessment of the Carter kids he had heard in ages. At the school it appeared to him that the students got used to the kids after their first week of exposure. He didn't know why the students were so accepting of the kids, but they were.

Ling said, "You had better be done with your walker before next week. It will be rather difficult to train without it if you can't even stand up on your own."

"You've got to be kidding," complained Nathan. He was just at the point where he could make any kind of distance without having to stop and rest.

Shaking her head, Kelly said, "She never kids when it comes to martial arts training."

Betsy tore into the room followed by a puffing Leroy. He collapsed into the chair and said, "I give up. We've got to find a better solution than trying to keep up with her."

Ed asked, "Ling, can she take care of herself against the typical attacker?"

"Of course, she's been trained by me and she's faster than lightening," answered Ling with more than a little pride. Her daughter had the required skills and the strength to take advantage of all the weak points of an adult body. It didn't take much strength to attack the knees, groin, and instep at ground level. Any adult that actually picked up the girl would find that she knew how to attack the neck and chest in a manner to cause significant damage.

"Select areas where she can go and places for her to avoid. Strap a walkie-talkie to her in addition to your tracker and let her go," said Ed.

The three wives all looked at Ed as if he were crazy. Leroy immediately understood what Ed was saying. Nodding his approval, he said, "That's not a bad idea, Ed."

"She's a little girl. You can't let her run wild. She has to be supervised at all times," countered Ling.

Winking at Leroy, Ed asked, "So where is she?"

The wives looked around in search of the little girl. Ling started swearing in Chinese when she couldn't find her. Fishing out her tracking device, she saw that the pointer indicated that she was across the dining room. Looking over there, she spotted Betsy standing under a potted plant talking to a couple of students. Ling grunted, "Point taken."

-------

Upon hearing Nathan groan, Ed looked up from the folders that he was examining. With an exhausted expression on his face, the military man settled into one of the chairs at the table. Ed smiled at the obvious exhaustion as he asked, "So how was it?"

"She's good. I'll give her that," replied the soldier. He had never had anyone push him to his limits with the unerring accuracy with which Ling had identified them. Every movement that she required him to make was performed in slow motion. Moving as slow as she insisted was far harder than he could have imagined.

"Yes, she is," remarked Ed with a smile. The poor captain had suffered through two weeks in this environment and was only now starting to relax.

"I have no idea how many times I fell over."

The Captain understood why everyone had taken the opportunity to warn him about getting trained by Ling. She gave no quarter to weakness and forced him to face it head on. During those infrequent moments when he was ready to quit, she was in his face getting that last little bit of effort out of him. She didn't accept excuses. Can't balance with the fake leg? Big deal, he'd better learn how and do it now. He had thought the therapists at Bethesda were tough. Come to think of it, he had thought that training in the special forces was hard.

Ed interrupted his thoughts when he said, "I need you to look over the plans for my Halloween Haunted House this afternoon."

"Excuse me?"

"You're my aide now," replied Ed looking at the young man.

"A Halloween Haunted House? It's the middle of March."

Ed nodded and said, "Yes. It will take about three months to get contractors lined up to build it. Another two months or so to get it built, a month to move it out to Arizona, and then a week to get it set up. We've got to double-check the concept and engineering now."

"You want me to examine the plans for a Halloween Haunted House?" asked the soldier, still not sure that he had understood what Ed had requested him to do.

"Yes," replied Ed knowing that it was probably the last thing that the special forces man expected to be asked to do. That was why he had selected that particular task for him.

"I don't know anything about Haunted Houses."

Nodding his understanding, Ed said, "It's time for you to learn. The plans are over there."

Nathan picked up a stack of rolled up papers wondering what he was supposed to do with them. Uneasy, he stood up and left the table thinking that he would show them to Beth since she appeared interested in buildings. As he hobbled away, Ed called out, "Don't show them to the kids. They aren't allowed to see the plans until after Halloween."

Nathan, disheartened at having to abandon his plans of going to Beth, replied, "Okay."

Ed watched Nathan walk away with a smile on his face. For the next few months he was going to send dozens of odd jobs Nathan's way, challenging the man in ways that he would never expect. The time spent in the Special Forces had trained Nathan that there was very little in this world that he couldn't over come. It was time for Ed to teach Nathan that there was very little that Nathan couldn't accomplish in the civilian world.

Little John put a hand on his father's shoulder and said, "You're pushing him hard."

"Yes. Maybe he'll break down and turn to one of our young female students for a little comfort," replied Ed.

Little John laughed and thought about what William had said to him earlier that week. As he dropped into a chair, he said, "William says that I will meet the love of my life soon."

The comment captured Ed's full attention and he turned to Little John in surprise. He asked, "Are you ready for that?"

"I don't know," he replied, "but I am a little envious of the relationship that Beth has with John."

"Envious?"

"That's not quite the right word for it, but I don't know what is the right word. I'm not jealous since I don't want their relationship, but I want one like theirs. Envy? I don't think so. I wish to have someone with whom I can share things. It must be nice to exist in that kind of relationship where you don't have to put into words everything you're thinking."

"Hmm, I know what you mean. Sometimes language doesn't quite capture the subtleties of what we are feeling," commented Ed.

It amazed Ed that his children understood so much of the world without having had the chance to experience it. The fact that Little John had brought this to his attention made him wonder what his son wanted to accomplish by that act. He asked, "What do you think about what William said?"

"I'm curious how I'm going to meet anyone new when I'm here all of the time."

"Good question."

Smiling, Little John replied, "It wasn't a question."

Laughing at the attention to detail of his son, Ed retorted, "I stand corrected. It is a good subject for curiosity."

"So?"

"So what?"

"How am I going to meet anyone new when I'm here all of the time?" asked Little John.

"Did you ask William?" It didn't matter if Little John had asked or not, Ed was going to drill William concerning why he had told his brother that he was going to meet the love of his life soon. Making guesses based on behavioral projections was one thing, but wild guesses like that were something else.

"Yes and he told me to ask you," answered Little John feeling a little frustrated that he wasn't making any progress in getting an answer to his question.

"Then I guess we will have to leave here for a while. I suppose a weekend trip or two might be appropriate," commented Ed. He had a few trips coming soon and he couldn't see any reason not to bring William with him.

"Thanks. I'm looking forward to going somewhere this weekend," said Little John. He didn't understand why he was being driven to leave the college. William had reinforced something that he already felt.

The reply took Ed by surprise, particularly since he didn't remember suggesting that they were going anywhere this weekend. He asked, "This weekend?"

"Sure, why wait? I'm ready now," said Little John.

"Ready for what?" asked Ed.

"To meet her!"

"Who?" asked Ed enjoying the chance to tease his son.

Little John groaned and put his head in his hands out of frustration. He said, "To meet the love of my life."

"Where are you going to meet her?" asked Ed.

With a sign of frustration, Little John answered, "I don't know and that drives me crazy."

"I tell you what we'll do. I've got to go to the North Carolina State University and visit the Marine, Earth, and Environmental Sciences Department. We'll drive up Friday morning. That afternoon, we'll visit the campus so that I can see what kind of work they're doing there. Then, we'll go where ever you want for Saturday," replied Ed. It wasn't much, but how else was he to pick a spot where a young kid was going to meet the love of his life.

"Great," answered Little John as he stood up to leave.

Ed watched Little John leave, wondering what was driving his son. The children were developing in directions that none of the parents could have predicted. Little John was still interested in animals, but lately he had been studying genetics and genetic engineering with a passion. It was almost scary what the kid knew about genes.

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed returned to his studies concerning the geology of North Carolina. Next spring he was going to take the two geology majors to a number of significant geological areas as part of their senior field training. He was planning a number of two-week tours through geologically significant areas of North Carolina, Arizona, South Dakota, South Africa, Columbia and Antarctica. Part of his plan was to include a dozen geology majors from six colleges and universities across the country as members of the expedition.

He had just finished establishing which Colombian mines they would visit when Beth sat down across the table from him. She watched her father work for a minute before deciding that he wasn't really that busy. "Daddy Ed."

"What is it?" asked Ed looking up at his daughter.

"There is a field trip to Virginia and I was wondering if I could go with the students."

"Ask your mothers," replied Ed knowing that the mothers would probably countermand anything that he said.

"I did and they told me to ask you."

She was telling him the truth making her reply even more puzzling. Usually, the wives automatically said no to any field trips. Curious, he asked, "Where's the field trip going?"

"To a number of government agencies including NSF, NSA, FBI, and the CIA," answered Beth with a smile.

"Hmm, I can't think of a single reason why you should meet a CIA agent," remarked Ed with a grin.

"What?!"

"Really. They are all horrible people."

"But you work for the CIA," said Beth.

"Oh, I guess I forgot," replied Ed with a grin.

Realizing that her father was teasing her, Beth pouted and adopted the pose Kelly used when she didn't appreciate one of his jokes. She charged, "You're teasing me."

"I guess I am," replied Ed before he said, "You can go. Please take Nathan with you."

"Great, I'll let the moms know," replied Beth before she skipped away.

He watched her skip away amazed at how there were times when she acted like an adult and then would turn around and do something like a child. Skipping was a movement of the young and he wondered when was the last time that any of the other students had skipped.

Packing up his papers, he stepped away from the table to head back to the apartment. After a few steps, he stopped and looked around to see if anyone was watching. It took several faltering attempts, but he finally remembered how to skip. He skipped the rest of the way back to the apartment, receiving a number of blank looks from students as he passed them in the halls.

Jordon Hall at North Carolina State University where the Marine, Earth, and Environmental Sciences Department was located was a very modern looking building. Driving towards the building, he was reminded of mesas in Arizona. However, on passing the building, the glass walls reminded him of quartz crystals seeking the sky. He looked over at Little John and asked, "What do you think of that building?"

"It looks nice. I bet Beth would enjoy it a lot more than me. She's still into architecture," commented Little John.

Ed drove around and found the parking lot that the guard had told him he was to use. He was lucky to find a parking space, only having to wait a few minutes for someone to leave. There were never enough parking spaces at universities. That reminded Ed that he had meant to donate the money to have a three-story parking lot built for his school in Phoenix.

Walking to the building, both of them received the kind of stares that were the result of people seeing a Druid for the first time. Ed, wearing his black robes, strode forward with his normal intensity. Little John, carrying a book bag and walking rapidly to keep up with his father, was a subject of speculation since he wore the blue robes of initiates. Despite his young age, Little John carried himself with just as intense of a look about him as his father. People moved out of their way, although there was no need.

It wasn't long before they had reached Ed's destination. Ed looked around trying to find a place for Little John to wait for him and noticed that an empty classroom was open just down the hall. Pointing to it, he suggested, "Why don't you wait for me over there?"

Little John didn't answer, but headed to the classroom that Ed had pointed out. On entering the room, he found that it wasn't as empty as Ed had thought. A girl who looked about two years older than him was seated in a desk reading a book. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. He wondered if he should announce his presence, just sit down at another desk, or find another classroom. He set his book bag down and said, "Excuse me, may I study here?"

The girl jumped, not expecting anyone to disturb her. She turned and looked at the intruder. She frowned as she considered the blue robe that the young man was wearing. The last thing she needed was some weird kid hanging around. Intending to put him in his place, she said, "I have a night gown just like that except it is flannel."

Little John wasn't insulted in the least and laughed as though it was a joke. He replied, "I will admit that my school uniform is a little pretentious, but I never thought of it as nightwear."

"The only school where students wear robes like that is the Druid College," remarked the girl.

"Yes," replied Little John in a matter of fact voice.

The girl stared at Little John for a moment while debating if she believed him or not. She was sure that if an eight-year-old kid went to school there, then it would have been in the news. She asked, "Do you expect me to believe that?"

He smiled and answered, "Not really, but the truth is the truth regardless of what you believe."

That he hadn't disagreed with her was a surprise, but the manner in which he framed his response was even more surprising. She said, "I'll withhold judgement at the moment."

"You don't talk like you are ten," replied Little John.

"I'm advanced for my age. I'm graduating high school this year," remarked the girl.

Little John looked at her wondering if she was the one that William had said he would meet. Her hair came down to the middle of her back, she had bangs, and the cutest nose he had ever seen. She was cute and smart, the later more attractive to him than the former. It seemed too good to be true.

He picked up his book bag and moved down to sit closer to her. As he walked over, he said, "I'm John Carter."

On hearing that, the girl decided this kid was crazy. She retorted, "I thought you were a little older and had died."

"That was my father," replied Little John with a slight break in his voice that belied the emotions that the memory invoked.

His words cut through her like a knife. She couldn't believe that she had said something that cruel to him even though she couldn't have been expected to know his identity. Stammering, she said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

"That's okay," he replied. He glanced down at her book and noticed the material she was reading. He commented, "Botany?"

She glanced down at the open book and nodded her head. When she looked back up at him, she said in a defensive voice, "It's my passion."

"Mine is zoology," he replied as he opened his book bag and pulled out the book that he had brought to read.

Over the next hour, the pair of them chatted about plants and animals. In the course of their discussions, he learned that her name was Susan Grundy and that she was planning on going to college somewhere, but hadn't made up her mind as to the school. Her father wanted her to go to North Carolina State University since he worked there and could watch over her. She appreciated his desire to protect her, but felt that he would be over protective.

Little John explained how he was finishing the first year at the Druid College, but it was counting as high school for him. He told her that he was going to live on a reservation for a year before returning to finish his degree at the Druid College while his parents returned to Arizona. The comment about his parents returning to Arizona required that he explain that his parents were in a group marriage. She found the concept of having three fathers and three mothers rather disturbing.

Ed watched them talking from the door recalling the reason that Little John was here and shook his head. It made sense that he had met her here. If Little John were to meet an equal, it would have to be on a college campus somewhere. It was hard to believe that William was correct again, but he could see a strong bond emerging between the two youngsters.

Their discussion was interrupted when Ed said, "Hello. I leave you alone and you find a friend."



-------

Chapter 12

"You want me to do what?" asked Nathan with a hint of dismay in his voice.

"You heard me," replied Ed without looking up from his work.

"I'm not a baby sitter," said the soldier, indignant that he should be asked to watch Beth on her field trip. The crazy jobs that Ed was giving him to perform were about to drive the soldier crazy.

Ed looked up and said, "I don't expect you to baby-sit. I expect you to be a body guard."

"Body guard?"

Folding his hands together, Ed said, "Maybe you aren't aware that she has five parents and that together we control almost three billion dollars. That makes our children targets of people that have less than good intentions in this world."

"Did you say billion, with a b?"

"Yes, I did," replied Ed as he looked over at the soldier. He watched as a strange expression settled onto the young man's face. He was hard pressed to describe what the expression conveyed.

Nathan couldn't believe what he was hearing. For the past month, he had been around the family without even guessing how much they were worth. He had known that they had some money, but hadn't thought about just how much money they had. He had thought that the wealthy were lazy, but the Carter Clan was anything except lazy. Even the children worked hard, pushing themselves to learn all that they could of the world around them. Ling was a perfectionist when it came to the martial arts, emphasizing mastery at each step of training. Kelly traveled extensively working for the nursing profession. Last month she had testified at a congressional committee addressing the working conditions and hours that nurses often worked within ill-managed hospitals. Linda was overseeing the production of another movie based on her children stories. Ed worked tirelessly for the school, his family, and his businesses.

"I'll watch over her," Nathan replied realizing that he was being asked to protect the daughter with his life if necessary.

"Thank you. I may be a religious figure, but that doesn't mean I believe in an innate goodness in people. I've seen too many who are totally evil to believe that."

"Yes, I can see that you have," replied the soldier. In war, he had seen the best and worst of man. More than one person with whom he had served had discovered in the heat of battle that they possessed a greater cruelty within them than they had ever guessed while others had discovered a greater empathy for their fellow man than they wanted to admit.

"Spoken like a person that has seen too much," commented Ed.

The comment struck a nerve in the soldier and his stomach twisted as he recognized the truth of the statement. Wanting to change subjects, Nathan asked, "Where are they going?"

"To a number of government agencies, including the CIA. They are taking a tour of the facilities," answered Ed as he watched Nathan to gauge his reaction. He had learned that the CIA was very interested in hiring graduates from the school as intelligence analysts. Beth was going because she was interested in the architecture of the building.

Nathan sat back in his chair struggling to come to grips with going to the place where they had planned the mission that cost him a leg. Frowning, he asked, "You can't find anyone else to take her there?"

"Consider it part of your therapy," replied Ed. Sitting back in his chair, he looked over Captain Jones with a critical eye. He added, "You'll have to train up to Ling's standard before you leave, though."

There was no way that Nathan was going to argue with Ed. Even though he hadn't been at the Druid College for very long, he was far more advanced in his recovery than if he had remained at Bethesda. He asked, "Can you give me any good news?"

Ed smiled as he answered, "You get to wear your uniform for two days."

"Really?"

"I doubt they would let you walk around there naked," countered Ed with a grin as he imagined the Captain trying to get into the building naked. With a chuckle, he said, "Although I suppose that I could make some a call to General Grey so that you could go there naked."

Believing the Druid would actually carry out his threat, Nathan stood up and replied, "No thank you. I'll wear my uniform."

Ed watched as the captain walked away. His movements had become more graceful as a result of Ling's training. Dressed, most people would be hard pressed to recognize that he didn't have his leg. It would be better after Catherine finished the new artificial leg that she was developing.

When the soldier had reached the door, Ed said, "Go visit Catherine. She may require your help with a project of hers."

"Okay," replied the man with a shake of his head at the prospect of another project. He was trying hard to keep up with the little projects that Ed kept giving him, but half of the time he was out of his league. With a gruff snort, he realized that he had left his comfort zone the day he entered the college. He left the study before he could be given another assignment that he wouldn't know how to do.

Ed returned to his work on his book wondering if anyone would really be interested in reading it when he was finished writing it. More than a dozen requests had arrived asking him to publish a reference book detailing the geology and mineralogy of the American Southwest. He didn't feel as if his knowledge of the area was anything outstanding, but others disagreed with him. His problem now was trying to organize the material in a cogent fashion.

The cell phone in his pocket sounded, disrupting his concentration. He answered it, "Hello?"

From behind him, he heard Betsy giggle as she said, "Hi, Daddy Ed. It's time to eat."

Spinning around to catch her, she jumped back staying out of his grasp. With a giggle, she said, "You're so slow. You're going to have to be faster than that to catch me."

Ed chuckled as he replied, "You make it so hard to give you a hug."

Betsy jumped into his open arms. Almost as soon as he closed arms around her, she was wiggling to get away. She loved hugs, but could hardly stay still long enough to receive a proper one. Rather than try to force her way out of his arms, she said, "We better get to lunch."

Ed released his daughter and watched as she sped out of the room with a backward wave. Giving her the cell phone had not improved their ability to track her, but they could at least communicate with her. She still tended to track people down when she wanted to talk to them. Ed was sure that a social worker would be shocked that so many parents were unable to physically watch over a child, but they had never babysat a tornado.

Realizing that he should join the others for lunch, he straightened the papers on his desk so that he could work on which ever project required his attention. He looked at the stack of work projects on his desk with a sigh. Papers concerning taxes, businesses, his geology trip for the school, his book, and other legal matters were neatly filed and waiting his attention. He wondered if that represented the rest of his life. Every day he had to spend three hours dealing with items that couldn't wait. Disheartened by the thought of the work ahead of him, he left his study and made his way to the first year dining room.

Little John was talking on a cell phone and greeted his father with a grin when Ed showed up at the dining room. The young man winked at his father before turning his back and dropping his voice so that he couldn't be overheard. Ed didn't need to ask with whom Little John was talking. There was only one person who he called and she was Susan Grundy.

Greeting the rest of the family, Ed took his place at the table. As he reached for the menu, Betsy announced, "Little John has a girl friend."

Nodding his head, Ed said, "I know. I was there when he met her."

In most families, a little sister making a comment about an older brother having a girlfriend would have resulted in a scene. Around the table, this particular family nodded their agreement with her assessment. Little John reacted by making an Okay gesture, thumb and forefinger in a circle with the remaining fingers straight.

Betsy asked, "Is she nice?"

Beth answered, "Of course she's nice. Little John wouldn't like her if she weren't nice. The real question is if she is pretty."

"She's pretty," replied Ed knowing that Betsy was going to express the question in a second.

Turning back to face his father, Little John asked, "Could I use the house for guests?"

"What house?"

"The one across the street. Dr. Grundy is willing to come up for a visit with Susan and it would be great to have them stay there," answered Little John in a voice that conveyed hopeful pleading.

"Why not have them stay on campus?" asked Kelly without thinking through her question.

"Ah, that might be a problem. I'm not sure how they'll react to the nudity on campus," answered Little John. He didn't want Susan's father thinking that he had invited them just to see his daughter naked.

"Okay, invite them to use the house," replied Ed. He could understand how difficult it would be to invite the young girl to the campus. The idea of Mrs. Grundy surrounded by naked people brought a grin to his face. He wondered if she was at all like the famous woman of literature.

The young man turned away and resumed his conversation on the cell phone. William watched his brother with a sad expression. Beth had her friend, John, and now Little John had Susan. Despite her overactive nature, Betsy was going to grow up normally with lots of friends her own age. He was happy for his siblings, but was sad that it would be many more years before he would find someone for himself.

Linda watched her son and asked, "What's the matter William?"

"I have so much to do before I find a companion," answered William with a sigh. Noticing the attention being given to him, he changed the subject. "I think I would like the fried shrimp for lunch."

The abrupt change in subject threw Linda for a minute, but she recovered. Even though she was wondering what he had to do before finding a companion, she said, "The fried shrimp would be good."

Linda looked over at Ed with a pleading look on her face. Ed noticed, but wondered what she wanted him to do. After a minute of thought, he finally said, "William, in two weeks I'm going back to Arizona. Would you like to come with me for a week?"

"Yes, that would be good," replied the boy. Most of his life had been spent away from the desert, but he enjoyed his visits there tremendously. The dry desert seemed to resonate with his spirit in a manner that was very different from the campus environment.

"Yes, I think we'll go rock hunting," commented Ed as he looked at William. It would be nice to show his son the ways of the desert. He added, "A week in the desert will do us both some good."

Little John ended his conversation on the cell phone and announced, "Susan and her parents will be arriving Friday afternoon."

Smiling at her son, Kelly said, "So we finally get to meet the mystery girl."

"Mystery girl?" asked Little John confused by the label. He had done nothing except talk about her and wondered how she could possibly be a mystery to anyone in the family.

As the others discussed Susan with Little John, Ed pulled out his cell phone and called the house. Mary Gold answered the phone. As always, the sound of her voice was a surprise. He recovered and made the arrangements for his trip to Arizona. He included Nathan in his plans for the trip. The soldier would probably enjoy a week away from the confines of the college.

Once he had finished his arrangements, the waitress asked him, "What are you having today, Ed?"

"Caesar Salad with Shrimp," answered Ed wanting to have a lighter lunch than normal. He looked over the waitress and added, "You've lost a little weight."

"Yeah. I've been working out a little and started a diet," replied the waitress. She had started on a diet designed for her by one of the Druids and it was working. A number of other employees on campus had started practicing Tai Chi before their shift and she had joined the group. The results weren't immediately observable, but over the past week she had noticed that her clothes were a little looser and some of the patches of cellulite had disappeared.

"We'll you're looking good. I hope your husband noticed it," commented Ed. It amazed him how the employees on campus were changing.

The comment about hoping that her husband noticed that she had lost weight surprised the woman. She still wasn't used to people making such personal comments even though it was much more common on the campus. She looked at him and said, "A couple of months ago you had asked me if the town was changing. I hadn't noticed it at the time, but the town seems a lot calmer over the past two or three years."

"Calmer?"

"Yes, much calmer. It's like people don't argue any more. My husband had a flat tire the other day and two people stopped to help him fix it. Lots of little things like that happen now," explained the waitress.

The fifth and sixth years were allowed trips into town on the weekends. The first time the students had shown up in town there were a couple of incidents in which the locals treated them with more than a little hostility. For the last six months, there hadn't been a single incident of that nature. He asked, "What do the town's folk think of the students here?"

"At first, a lot of people were afraid that they were going to try to change people's religion. You don't mess around with people's religion in these parts. Of course, the kids didn't do anything like that. When a couple of them even helped repair one of the local churches, that really set people to talking. Since then, I guess the town has just kind of accepted them," answered the woman.

"What had happened to the church?" asked Ed curious about what had happened and wondering why he hadn't been given the opportunity to contribute a little money to its repair.

"Oh, it was damaged a bit in one of the storms. The wind had blown off part of the roof."

Ed had not been aware that any of the students had helped repair any churches in the area. He was pleased to learn that they were contributing in some fashion, however little, to the community. Talking to himself, he mused, "Interesting."

The waitress frowned at his muttering and then asked, "They won't get into trouble for doing that, will they?"

"Of course not. Why should they get into trouble for helping?"

"It was a Christian Church," she answered worried that she had talked out of turn. She'd never seen a Druid get upset, but there was always a first time.

"I'm a strong supporter of the Churches back home," countered Ed trying to put her at ease.

"But, you're a Druid. I thought that meant you couldn't be Christian."

Chuckling at her misunderstanding of the nature of Druids, Ed explained, "A good church helps its people. Why should I stand in the way of that even if I'm not Christian? That wouldn't be right. I'd rather help a church do good deeds."

"You guys sure are strange," commented the waitress shaking her head. It wasn't the first time that she said that and it wouldn't be the last. She glanced down at her order pad and said, "I better get your order in."

Once the waitress had left the table, William commented, "She works here and still doesn't understand."

"Whether she understands or not isn't important," commented Ed as he turned his attention back to the boy.

"It isn't?" asked William surprised.

Ed smiled at his son amazed that he had actually surprised the boy. William often seemed all knowing so that a gap in his knowledge really stood out. That was such a rare occasion that everyone at the table noticed it. As the others watched and listened, Ed answered, "The important thing is that she's trying to understand. Half the time, I don't understand us."

Little John frowned as he thought about the answer. His father wouldn't lie about not always understanding, but he was very important within the Druid leadership and should be in a position to understand the best. Confused, he asked, "What don't you understand?"

"Well, there are the Druids. We have been chosen to serve the Gods and Goddesses. How we get selected is a mystery to me. Then we have the others who honor the Gods and Goddesses, but aren't selected to serve. They are pagans, but they don't receive any instruction from Druids on how to honor the Gods and Goddesses. The Druids lead by example, not by words. We don't go out and actively recruit members. It's a very strange way to go about establishing a religion," observed Ed.

The group was silent as they considered his words. Little John said, "There are the stories about what you do. Don't they serve as lessons for others? What about the college? Isn't that a way to recruit members?"

Thoughtful, Ed answered, "Yes, stories about us serve as lessons for others. I'm not sure that all of the stories have much to do with being a Druid, though. It seems to me that they are more about taking a moment out of the day to help someone else. The college provides a chance for others to offer themselves for service after getting an education. We haven't actively recruited people to attend, though."

The food arrived and all conversation at the table ended while Ed examined his salad with the kind of intensity for which he was famous. The lettuce had been tossed with the dressing so each leaf had picked up some of the flavor. The shrimp were grilled with nice brown stripes where meat contacted grill. The croutons were made from bread baked on campus the previous day. The family watched as if the quality of the whole meal was determined by his appreciation of the food. He took a bite of lettuce and nodded his appreciation for it. At that gesture, everyone else started to eat.

After he had finished his meal, a satisfied Ed announced, "I'm going into town. Would anyone like to go with me?"

"What are you going to do there?" asked Linda curious about the sudden announcement.

"I'm going to take a look around and see how things are going there. I've had a couple of conversations that have made me curious how the town has changed as a result of having the college here," replied Ed. He thought about how his town had changed after John Carter had come to live there and wondered if something similar had happened locally.

No one said anything for a minute. Finally, William said, "I'll go with you."

Side by side, Ed and William walked down the main street of town looking at the buildings and watching people go about their daily lives. Their passage went without obvious attention. When they reached the police station, they both stopped in front of the building. It was new and the local police were still moving into it. Ed examined the building, observing its relatively large size, along with the new police cars that were parked to the side.

A sign identified the building as 'The John Carter Police Station.' Noticing it, William commented, "Everything looks new."

The building was larger than the old police station had been. The observation made Ed wonder if the local crime rate was increasing and there was a real need for more modern facilities. Frowning at the idea that the college had lead to an increase in crime, he said, "Let's go inside and talk to the police chief."

Entering the building, he was immediately faced with a female dispatcher seated behind a raised front desk. She was a rather large black woman with her hair worn in a short afro. Black thick- framed glasses perched on her nose. Her uniform looked as if it had shrunk the last time she had washed it. The shirt gapped between the buttons giving glimpses of the cast-iron white bra worn underneath. Her jacket was unbuttoned and hung off her shoulders. He greeted her, "Hello."

She looked up from the book that she was reading to look at the Druid. Her indifference to his presence was obvious. She said, "Ah, one of you. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to see the Chief of Police," answered Ed surprised by her reaction.

William stepped back so that he could see the woman behind the desk. She looked intriguing to the young boy. Her large size and total lack of concern about the fact that she was talking to a black robe Druid was surprising. He decided that he wanted to know her better.

"Go down the hall. He's in the third office on the left," replied the woman as she went back to reading.

"Aren't you going to check to make sure that he's available to see me?" asked Ed surprised by the casual attitude about sending him unannounced to see the Chief of Police.

"He told me to send back one of you when ever you showed up," answered the woman gesturing towards the hall with her thumb. She noticed William for the first time and leaned forward to study him for a moment. A frown crossed her face as she took in his blue robe. She asked, "Aren't you a little young to be going to that school? I thought it was a college."

Head tilted to the side as though he was studying an interesting new phenomena, William answered, "It is a college. You might say that I'm a little advanced for my age."

"I'd say you were a lot advanced for your age," she said without malice. She tried to place his racial heritage. After deciding that he wasn't Hispanic, she gave up.

Turning to his father, William said, "I'd like to talk to her while you are talking to the police chief."

Ed left the two of them talking and went down the hall to find the Chief of Police. Reaching the open door of the office, he knocked on the doorframe. The Chief looked up and saw Ed. Gesturing for Ed to enter, he said, "Come in. Have a seat."

"Thanks," replied Ed as he entered and sat down.

"What can I do for you?"

"I noticed the new facilities and thought I'd come in to see how things are going," answered Ed.

"Things are fine. Crime is down and the town is growing," replied the Chief as he pointed to a map on his wall. The map showed the town down to individual buildings. A major area of the map was a light blue indicating that it was under development.

Ed looked over at the map and saw that a new housing development was drawn in along with a supporting shopping mall. It was a major addition to the town. Surprised, he said, "I didn't realize the town was growing that much."

"Yep. Schools have improved over the past five years and it seems that some folks have heard about that. Some of the professors from your school are moving into the new housing development. Things are really growing around here," commented the man as he leaned back in his chair. He was curious why the Druid was doing in his office. He studied Ed for a moment and then asked, "Are you surprised?"

"Not really. Well, I guess I am a little," answered Ed. He didn't expect the presence of the college to have such an effect on the local economy after less than six years.

"To tell the truth, I figured that with the college here that I'd be arresting drunken college students Friday and Saturday nights and fighting drugs the rest of the time. I'm very pleased that I was wrong. You got a bunch of good kids up there," commented the Chief looking at Ed.

"Thanks," said Ed. Gesturing to with a sweep of the arm to include the whole building, he asked, "So what's with the new building?"

"The increase in tax revenues from the College meant that we had a bit more money than in the past. The city council decided that it was time to build up the infrastructure of the city before we grew too much. They call it urban planning. John Carter came to the meeting and pledged matching funds for this building, the new firehouse, and the new city office building."

Ed had not been aware that John had done that. He realized John must have done it during one of the times when Ed was back in Arizona. It felt strange to learn about things that his husband had done for others now that he was dead. He said, "I didn't realize John had done that."

"Nice fellow, that John Carter. Amazing, really. It's a real shame that he's gone," said the Police Chief in a soft voice. The times that he met with John Carter were already stories that he told his grandchildren.

Uneasy about hearing someone else talk about his late husband, Ed stood and said, "Well, I just stopped by to make sure that there weren't any problems."

"Thanks for coming by," said the man realizing that the Druid had told the truth about the reason he had stopped by the office. Once Ed left his office, he bent his head and went back to work.

Ed walked down the hallway feeling a little off balanced by the visit. Entering the lobby, he was just in time to hear William say, "That would be interesting."

"What would be interesting?" asked Ed.

"She's invited me to attend her Church this coming Sunday and to have dinner with her family afterwards," answered William. He turned to look at his father and asked, "May I go?"

Ed turned to the woman and asked, "You mean him no harm?"

"What? I wouldn't harm a little boy," replied the woman indignant at the accusation.

Smiling at the truth in her voice, Ed nodded his acceptance of her words. He said, "I believe you. William, you should call your mother and get her permission. Let her know that if she agrees that I'll ask Captain Jones to take you."

The woman watched with surprise as William reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a cell phone. A minute later, the arrangements had been made. Reaching into his pocket, William pulled out one of the family cards and handed it to the woman. He said, "If you need to get in touch with me, call the number. Either Cathy or Mary will put you through to me."

The woman looked down at the card surprised to be receiving a business card from such a young boy. It took her a minute to realize that it was a family card. She stared at the names written upon it. The name of John Carter was still on the card. She looked up at William and asked, "You're one of the Carter Clan?"

"Yes," replied William surprised by the question. "I told you my name was William Redman Carter."

"I guess I just didn't realize," said the woman wondering if it was such a good idea to take him to her church. She'd hate to have problems arise because she took one of the children of John Carter to a Christian Church. She glanced over at Ed and back at the card for a second. Curious, she asked, "Are you Ed Biggers?"

"Yes," answered Ed surprised that everyone in the down didn't know his identity. It was then that he realized that he hadn't been into the town more than a dozen times over the past six years.

"It doesn't bother you if I take him to a church?"

"Not at all," answered Ed with a smile at her reaction to his answer.

"I'll see you Sunday, Ms. Jordan," said William ready to continue the trip through town.

Together, Ed and William stepped out of the police station. Ed asked, "So why did you arrange to visit the church?"

"I'm curious about the whole Baptist thing," answered William as if it were the most natural thing for a child his age to wonder about the differences among branches of the Christian Faith. Linda was a Catholic and he had been to church with her many times. The experience made him wonder why there were so many different varieties of churches.

"Ah," answered Ed understanding that William was extremely curious about the world. It was just a rare occurrence when he showed that curiosity for others to observe.

William looked across the street and spotted a park complete with a swing set. Excited, he sped up to cross the street for the park. As he ran, he called out, "Swings!"

Ed was about to call out for him to look both ways before crossing the street when a large black bird perched on a crosswalk let loose with a raspy call. Almost tripping over himself, William slid to a complete halt. An SUV sped past him while he stared at the bird.

The bird had flown away by the time Ed reached William. Ed said, "What happened?"

"The raven shouted a warning," answered William with a puzzled expression.

"You were almost hit by that car. Haven't we told you to look both ways before you cross the street?"

"The raven shouted a warning," repeated William. He stared at the ground as though given a great puzzle to solve -- one with most of the pieces missing.

The repetition forced Ed to consider what happened in a different light. Looking down at his son, he asked, "What do you mean, it shouted a warning?"

"I heard it say the word danger as clear as day," answered William. Looking both ways, he started across the street as he said, "It spoke to me."

Ed followed William across the street trying to make sense of what his son was trying to tell him. It wasn't that he doubted animals could play a large role in the lives of the family. Rover, Shadow, and Tiger had been guardians of John. After they left other animals had watched over John, but they had never spoken to him. William wasn't in the service of the Gods and Goddesses, so that wasn't the explanation.

Ed watched as William went over to the swings. Within minutes the young boy was swinging back and forth, but his mind was elsewhere. Ed frowned at the sight of his son deep in thought. For a bare fraction of a second, he had been a regular child who was excited at the chance to play on a swing set. It was a shame that his time acting like a child hadn't been a little longer.

After a few minutes, William called out, "Hey dad, come on and play. It's fun."

Grinning at his son, Ed climbed onto one of the seats and started swinging his legs. It didn't take long before his robe was fluttering in the wind created by his movements. He leaned back and laughed as the sky rocked back and forth above him.



-------

Chapter 13

Looking up from between Kelly's legs, Ed watched as Kelly sucked on Ling's breast. As always, the sight of his wives kissing or touching each other excited him. He turned his attention back to Kelly and slid his tongue between her pussy lips. The heady aroma and rich flavor drove him renew his efforts to please her.

On the floor next to Ed, Leroy and Linda were engaged in sixty- nine. Leroy was working on her with his full attention trying to bring her to orgasm before she was able to make him come. It was no contest, since no one was as good at sucking cock as Linda. He groaned his orgasm.

Kelly lifted her hips off the floor as Ed's attention brought about her climax. She moaned and made little squeaking noises. Her legs locked around his head holding him in place with a strength that always surprised him. Her stomach muscles fluttered.

Ed moved out form between her legs as Ling moved into sixty- nine with Kelly. The sight of the two women pleasuring each other made his cock even harder. He moved around so that he was behind Ling and entered her from the rear. He reveled in the fantastic sensations of her tight cunt and Kelly's tongue on his cock. As he thrust into his wife, he couldn't help thinking that life could hardly get any better than this.

It wasn't long before he had released his seed into his wife's pussy, bringing her to a loud orgasm at the same time. Kelly cleaned his donation out of Ling, bringing Ling to another orgasm. After Ling returned the favor to Kelly, the three of them collapsed on the floor beside an exhausted Leroy and Linda.

This was the first occasion in ages when the adult members of the family were alone without having to watch over the children. Little John was over at the house visiting with his girlfriend, Susan Grundy. Beth had left that morning on her field trip to Washington and wouldn't be returning for another three days. William was visiting Barbara Jordan, the dispatcher from the police station. Betsy, the youngest of the Carter children, was attending a high school track and field event with Catherine and Oliver.

"When are the kids coming back?" asked Leroy as he idly ran a hand over Ling's breast. Her nipple, which had relaxed, became hard again under his attention.

"Little John will return here with his girlfriend and her parents for dinner," answered Kelly as she shivered. Linda's hand ran over her thigh and towards her well used pussy. Her movements weren't intended to excite Kelly, but to prolong the after-effects of her orgasm.

"Barbara Jordan will be bringing William back after their Sunday dinner," answered Ed. He wondered how the boy had enjoyed his day with the family of the dispatcher.

With a grin, Linda moved over to where Ed was lying on the floor. She tried to resurrect his erection by taking her long black hair and wrapping it around his cock. Her soft silky hair teased the nerves of his cock. Despite its recent use, his cock responded immediately to her treatment.

Grabbing Leroy's hand to keep it on her breast, Ling said, "Betsy should be back any minute now."

"And you're letting Linda get me excited?" asked Ed pretending that he was afraid of getting caught with an erection. The sensation of Linda's silky hair against the sensitive skin of his cock was almost too much for him.

Ling giggled and answered, "She'll have you shooting off in three minutes."

"Three minutes? I'd predict two minutes," teased Kelly knowing there was far more truth in her comment than there was tease.

True to Kelly's prediction, Linda soon had her mouth over the end of Ed's cock to catch his come. He erupted into her mouth; amazed that she was able to bring him off so quickly despite the fact that he had come not too long before. Ed settled back with a sigh and said, "This is nice."

"Speaking of which, we probably ought to get cleaned up before Betsy gets home," said Kelly. She didn't like to have the children find them during or immediately after their private times together. While the family was often naked around the children, they didn't engage in explicit sexual acts around them.

Sated and happy at being in the embrace of his husband and wives, Leroy didn't want it to come to an end. With a hint of complaint in his voice, he said, "Ah, just a little longer. We don't get this chance all that often."

With a sigh, Linda said, "We're going to have a lot more chances soon. The kids are leaving us in a couple of months."

The men did not have an answer to her melancholy observation. On that sad note, they gathered their clothes and headed to the shower. All three women were strangely silent, having lost their playfulness at the reminder that their children would be leaving soon. Ed moved behind Linda and started to wash her hair. Leroy moved over to Kelly and started to wash her back. Ling moved to where her two wives could wash her.

Ed and Leroy exchanged glances as they washed their wives' bodies. Ed gave his husband a wink and then, almost at the same time, the two men started tickling Linda and Kelly. The wives were unable to maintain their unhappy moods for long under the skillful assault of their husbands. Ling, seeing that the men were merciless in their tickling, moved behind Leroy and started tickling him. He was the most ticklish of the family. It wasn't long before the wives had turned the tide and Leroy and Ed were on the floor of the shower begging for mercy.

When Ed dried off Kelly, he said, "The kids will always need their mommies and daddies, you know."

"I know that," replied Kelly. His comment reminded her that it had been a while since she had visited her parents in Taos. They were getting old and weren't as active as in the past. She decided that she'd take a trip to visit them at the first opportunity.

He held out her robe for her and, as she took it, said, "Here you go. We have to dress up for our company."

"It's strange to be entertaining again. It seems to me like it has been ages since we've had guests for dinner," replied Kelly. She tried to remember when was the last time they had entertained, particularly with the wives doing all of the cooking. She decided that it had been back when they were still living in Ed's house.

Dressed in his black robes, Ed was relaxing in a chair in the dining room of their apartment when Betsy bounded up to him and exclaimed, "I got to run in a race."

Surprised by the announcement, Ling asked, "Which race?"

"The thousands of motors race," answered Betsy, "and I won."

Confused by her description of the race, Ed asked, "The thousands of motors race?"

"Yeah, they had some number with it, but I forget what it was," answered Betsy. She danced around the table, barely able to contain her excitement as she answered his question.

"The five thousand meter race?" asked Leroy realizing what she meant. He wondered if she had actually participated in a race that was that long.

"Yeah, that was it," said the little girl as she climbed onto one of the chairs. She reached out and grabbed an olive off a plate in the middle of the table. She frowned and then corrected herself. "Maybe they said four or ten. Any ways, it was a good race."

Ed could tell that she really didn't know how long the race had been. His truth sense verified that she had participated in a race. He looked at Betsy and realized that her active lifestyle had turned her legs into pure muscle. She had the chest development of a swimmer with large lungs that could handle vast volumes of air.

A knock on the door to the apartment interrupted his thoughts. Betsy raced out of the room and returned thirty seconds later. After a slight delay, Catherine and Oliver followed her into the room with smiles on their faces. Catherine said, "We brought her ribbon from the five thousand meter race."

Kelly entered the room thinking that their guests had arrived. Seeing the Grand Druid and his wife, she decided to invite them to stay for dinner as thanks for watching over Betsy. She asked, "Oh, would you like to join us for dinner?"

Looking at the table, Catherine could see place settings for eleven people around the table. Surprised at the large number of place settings, she asked, "Were you expecting company?"

Nodding his head, Leroy answered, "Little John is bringing his girlfriend over with her parents."

"Oh," replied Oliver with a frown, "isn't he kind of young to have a girlfriend?"

"We'd love to stay," said Cathy putting a hand on her husband's arm to remind him that they were talking about a Carter kid.

Kelly gestured to Catherine for her to come in the kitchen where the rest of the wives were hard at work preparing dinner. As she left, she heard Ed say, "William said that it was time for Little John to find his true love. The very next weekend, Little John met Susan while I was talking to her father about next year's geology trip that I'm putting together."

"William said it was time," echoed Oliver thoughtfully. He had spent many hours wondering about the young man. It seemed to him as though the young man was caught between two cultures and that at some point in time he would have to choose. On one hand, he had prophetic capabilities that seemed to originate from the Two-Sided One. On the other hand, he seemed to have a strong connection to the Animal Spirits of his Native American blood. He wondered which would win.

Little John entered the room walking next to Susan with her parents walking behind them. Her father was examining the surroundings with interest, as was his wife until she noticed that the Grand Druid was in the room. Her attention switched to the Druids gathered in the room.

For the next ten minutes, the room was the site of confused activity as Susan's parents were introduced, Ling set another place setting, Betsy bounced around trying to show off her ribbon, and William arrived from his afternoon visit. Somehow, in the midst of all the excitement, Dr. Alan Grundy and his wife, Maggie Grundy, found themselves seated in the middle of the table with Oliver and Catherine were seated across from them while the wives hustled dinner onto the table.

Ed sat at the head of the table and looked down its length. To his right sat Leroy, William, Alan Grundy, Maggie Grundy, Susan Grundy, and Kelly. To his left sat Linda, Betsy, Catherine, Oliver, Little John, and Ling. Once everyone was settled, there was another rush of activity as everyone served themselves of the roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, glazed carrots, rolls, and salad.

Dr. and Mrs. Grundy were about to start eating when they noticed that everyone was watching Ed at the head of the table. Wondering if they were about to observe some Druid rite, they turned to watch Ed as well. Ed waved his hands over the steaming hot food wafting the odors towards his face. A small smile crossed his face as he took his knife and fork before cutting a small slice of the roast beef. The meat fell apart in his mouth with the slightest suggestion of mint. Chewing, a look of bliss crossed his face as he savored the rich flavor of the beef. He said, "You cooked the roast with mint."

"Of course," answered Kelly, "Marguerite gave us your favorite recipe."

"It's outstanding," replied Ed with a grin. He studied the glazed carrots taking in their appearance. These were regular carrots that had been cut and quartered into appropriately sized pieces, rather than the little short carrots that had become so common. He stabbed one with his fork and set it into his mouth. Appreciating the flavor, he said, "The carrots are great. I'd swear that Marguerite cooked them."

The wives sat back in their chairs knowing that Ed could give no higher praise for a meal. At that, everyone else started eating; leaving Dr. and Mrs. Grundy staring at each other in confusion. Mrs. Grundy asked, "Is that some sort of religious ritual?"

Little John looked across the table at the parents of his girlfriend with a grin and answered, "No. That always happens when Daddy Ed is eating. We all tend to watch him since he makes such a big deal out of every meal."

"Oh," replied Mrs. Grundy making a mental note that she was going to have to be very careful if she ever invited them over for dinner.

Having observed Ed sit down at the table to eat on a number of occasions, Oliver said, "Everyone stops to watch Ed eat, even in the student dining halls."

Ling commented, "Ed really enjoys food. Our chef at home is one of the best in the world."

"The best," corrected Ed automatically. Ling might be his wife, but he wasn't going to let anyone cast any doubt on Marguerite's ability to cook.

"Okay, she's the best cook in the world," corrected Ling with a shake of her head. She knew that others might disagree with his pronouncement, but she'd never mention that to him. The rest of the family grinned, but hid their smiles from Ed.

Leroy looked over at William's plate and noticed that he had taken very little food. Curious, he asked, "William, aren't you hungry?"

"No, I had a very big meal earlier," answered the young man. Dinner had been fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and biscuits. It had also been a very enlightening experience. He had watched the other family sitting around the dinner table, talking, joking, laughing, and teasing each other just as they did in his family.

Looking across the table at her son, Linda asked, "So how was your visit?"

"I found the Baptist church very interesting," William answered in his slow thoughtful manner.

Curiosity aroused, Little John looked up the table to see his brother and asked, "What was it like?"

"You know how at the Catholic services there is the glow of their god at the front of the room?" asked William.

"Sure."

"In this service, the glow was spread through the whole room. It wasn't as bright as at the Catholic services," commented William. The glow had reached through the whole room, but had kept a space between it and William. There were a few other people in the church who were treated with the same slight distancing by the glow. He had decided that those were people who had not given themselves to the god.

"Interesting," said Little John as he considered what his brother had said. He added, "I'm sure that Beth will be interested in learning about that. Any guesses as to why the presence of God is different in the two churches?"

Shocked at the nature and subject of the discussion, Dr. Grundy asked, "Are you telling me that you can see God?"

"Yes," answered William with a curt nod before turning back to Little John. He answered, "I think it is the differences in the two ways of worship. In the Catholic religion, the church is the bridge between God and worshipper. In the Baptist religion, each person has an individual relationship with God."

Leroy nodded as he listened and, after a glance at Linda, said, "It seems reasonable to me. At least, that's how my father talks about God."

The Grundy family sat at the table wondering about the discussion. The flat claim of being able to see God didn't sit well with them. The discussion offended Dr. Grundy more than he thought it would. Mrs. Grundy, far more religious than her husband, was ready to go ballistic. Barely able to restrain her anger, she asked, "Do you see God all the time?"

Realizing that things weren't going well, Little John was waving his hands trying to let his family know that they should change the topic of discussion. He had already determined that Mrs. Grundy, much like the literary character of the same name, had a very well defined sense of propriety. Ed answered, "I know that it is hard to believe, but all of the children with the exception of Betsy seem to have an affinity for the powers that be. I have met the Two-Sided One, Kelly has met the Goddess, Catherine has met the Goddess, and Oliver has met all the Druid Gods and Goddesses."

As Mrs. Grundy getting ready to leave in a fit of anger, Leroy said, "My father is a very religious man and very well respected among many religious leaders. He would tell you that the children speak true."

Indignant that the black man would bring his father into the discussion as though it would actually matter, she asked, "And just who is your father?"

Afraid that all chances of being with Susan were over, Little John answered, "My grandfather is the Reverend Leroy Jones."

Mrs. Grundy sat back in her chair in shock at the announcement. She knew all about the Reverend Leroy Jones and had heard him speak at her church. His efforts to extend understanding across religious and racial boundaries had received national and international attention. She had heard that he met frequently with the Pope. Weakly, she muttered, "Oh my."

Seeing her mother's anger abate, Susan suggested, "You know that we are surrounded by Druids. Maybe they know what they are talking about when they speak of Gods."

Little John was still waving frantically for someone to change the topic of conversation. Ling decided to help out and said, "Betsy, I want to hear more about the race that you won today."

"I heard about it on the radio," said William looking over at his little sister. He grinned at reaction to the news that she had been on the radio and said, "They let her run because she asked them so politely. They didn't think she would go more than a hundred yards so they told her that she could. Needless to say, they were surprised when she won."

Happy to be the center of attention, Betsy wiggled in her seat and said, "Yes. It was the five thousand meats race."

Leroy winked at Dr. Grundy and explained, "It was the five thousand meter race."

"So what is a meater?" asked Betsy. The name of the race didn't make sense to her at all and she wasn't going to be able to remember the name until she understood what it meant.

Susan answered, "A meter is about forty inches. Five thousand meters is about three miles. So you ran a three mile race."

Betsy looked puzzled for a minute. She wasn't quite sure what a mile was. Finally, she asked, "So that's a long way?"

"Yes, that's a very long way," answered Ling shaking her head. Seeing that her daughter's plate was nearly empty, she piled another serving of food on it knowing that Betsy would have a huge appetite after the energy that she had expended.

"I guess that's why no body wanted to talk to me during the race," said Betsy as her face brightened. She had thought that the other runners were being rude because she was so small. Her parents reacted with smiles and shakes of their heads. Seeing the food on her plate, Betsy went back to eating satisfied with the attention that she had received. She was very hungry, but it had been so much fun running with the other people around the track.

The conversation around the table had died. Feeling a little off balance by the sudden quiet, Mrs. Grundy said, "I understand that you have another daughter. Where is she?"

Kelly answered, "Beth is on a field trip to Washington DC and the surrounding areas. The official reason for the trip is to give some of the sixth year students a chance to talk to people within the government. However, Beth is interested in architecture and went along to look at the buildings."

"Architecture? How old is she?" asked Dr. Grundy. Despite having a child prodigy of his own, he was still surprised that a child would have an interest in architecture.

"She's nine and is finishing high school this year," answered Kelly proud of her daughter.

Ling sighed before she said, "All of the kids except Betsy are finishing high school this year."

Mrs. Grundy understood the sigh. Her daughter was ten and about to leave for college soon. She said, "It's heartbreaking when the kids are so advanced. One day you wake up and they are leaving for college. You have so little time with them."

"You're so right," said Linda looking across the table at William.

Ling looked over at Little John and sighed. It seemed to her like it had been yesterday when she had given birth to him. The idea that he would be leaving home already nearly broke her heart, but there was no way that she would prevent him from growing at the rate he required. At least she would still have Betsy around the house after the other children were gone.

Dr. Grundy asked, "So what colleges are they going to attend?"

William answered, "I'm going to the Native American College for a year and then returning here for the next four years."

Little John answered, "Beth and I are going to live on the reservation for a year before returning here to continue with college."

Glancing over at Linda, Mrs. Grundy asked, "Reservation?"

"Yes, the Reservation," answered Linda. She said, "John felt it was important for the children to experience their Native American heritage."

"I can see that William is half Indian, but John appears to be Ling's son. What Indian heritage does John have?" asked Mrs. Grundy. She had not said anything before about the racial mix around the table, but it bothered her a little. She wasn't sure that she wanted her daughter dating a boy who was Chinese even though his oriental features were very subdued. She was counting on her daughter's youth to grow out of that relationship.

Giving a half wink at Linda at the use of the term Indian, Ed answered, "John Carter was very active in the affairs of Native Americans. He funded the Native American College and Linda's tribe has adopted all of our children."

William watched Mrs. Grundy and how she reacted to different people seated around the table. It was obvious to him that she wasn't entirely comfortable talking with Linda, Ling, and Leroy. He said, "The racial mix at the table bothers you, doesn't it?"

Little John, Susan, and Dr. Grundy flinched upon hearing the question. Surprised at being questioned by the young boy, Mrs. Grundy answered, "No."

The fact that Ed grimaced as the lie grated upon his nerves did not go unnoticed by William. Shaking his head, he said, "Don't lie. It hurts my father to hear lies."

Mrs. Grundy sat up straight with an indignant look on her face at being corrected by the boy. There were times when a little white lie was necessary to avoid unpleasant topics. She was about to say something to the young man when Ed interjected, "William, we can discuss this later."

"I know we can, but we shouldn't discuss this later. If she doesn't accept my brother now, then there will always be a problem in his relationship with Susan," replied William. The set expression on his face conveyed that he wouldn't be denied.

"They are our guests," countered Kelly.

"They are my future in-laws," countered William.

"You seem rather confident of that," said Mrs. Grundy with a frown. He echoed her worst fears.

"The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. My big brother has met the love of his life. Both statements are fact," replied William with such absolute certainty that Mrs. Grundy was rendered speechless.

Almost as if on cue, Betsy piped up to fill the silence that followed. "He's never wrong."

Mrs. Grundy looked around the room at the other adults and expressed her disbelief, "Oh come on."

Little John looked over at Ed hoping that his father would find a way to change the topic of conversation. With a grin at his son, Ed said, "He's never wrong. He even predicted your daughter meeting our son."

Scoffing, Mrs. Grundy retorted, "What else did he predict?"

William looked off into the distance for a moment and then a smile crossed his face. He answered, "There will be a news story in about ten minutes that an assassination attempt on the President has just been prevented."

The announcement was greeted with incredulity on the part of everyone around the table. Even the family, well familiar with his prophetic quips, was surprised that he would be so specific. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, William said, "Momma Ling, you'll be very proud of Beth. She was fantastic."

Accepting what his son had said, Ed realized what his son had implied. He frowned and asked, "What about Captain Jones?"

"He took down the assassin. Beth took down the President."

"I've got to see this," commented Ling as she stood up to go into the living room.

Everyone followed her to the living room. Dr. and Mrs. Grundy gave each other looks as if they couldn't believe that the adults were taking the boy seriously. Everyone, with the exception of Betsy, settled into the couches located around the room and turned to face the television.

Almost to the minute of when William had predicted, the normal news broadcast was interrupted with a tape of events that had just happened at a Washington DC hotel. A reporter announced that an assassin had tried to kill the President while he was addressing a group of students from the Druid College.

The family watched as a tape of the event was broadcast. It started with the President standing at a podium reading a speech from a teleprompter. Standing next to the President were a few students from the Druid College including Beth. It was easy to tell that the little girl wanted to wave to the camera, but she maintained her dignity.

A few seconds into the tape, Beth moved and the President fell down to the floor. Even as the Secret Service reacted to her actions, the teleprompter exploded as a bullet struck it. A Secret Service Agent went down as others dove to cover the President with their bodies.

The camera panned to catch a shot of Captain Jones throwing a man around the room. For a split second, a gun was clearly visible in the hand of the assassin. After a blow to the arm, the gun flew across the room.

The pair of men was buried under a pile of Secret Service agents almost immediately. Chaos reigned as people scrambled for the gun and to control the assassin. The Secret Service men at the front of the room were hustling the President away while carrying Beth off to the side. She twisted out of their grasp and disappeared behind a wall of her fellow classmates. Seconds later, a rather bruised Captain Jones appeared and took his place next to Beth.

Ed smiled upon seeing his assistant show up beside Beth and said, "Captain Jones looks a little worse for wear, but he's beside Beth protecting her."

"He still moves without broadcasting a sense of authority, but he's improving," commented Ling with a small smile as she thought about what she would cover during his training over the next few weeks.

"He took down a trained killer, evaded a number of Secret Service Agents, and made it to the side of Beth to protect her. What more do you want?" asked Ed looking over at his wife puzzled.

"He's going to have a black eye that he could have avoided," answered Ling. She shrugged and added, "He should have just killed the man and been done with it."

Ignoring the brutal ease with which her wife was talking about killing someone, Kelly said, "Beth did well."

"Yes. Too bad we couldn't see what she did to drop the President so quickly. If I had to guess, I'd say that she kicked him behind his knees," said Ling with a nod of approval.

The television stopped showing the tape and the content was replaced by an inane talking head -- an individual who called himself a reporter, but missed the mark by a long shot. For the next five minutes, they listened to wild speculation that totally misrepresented what they had seen on the tape. Disgusted at the quality of the coverage, Ed said, "Turn it off."

Dr. Grundy asked, "That was your daughter standing next to the President?"

Kelly smiled and nodded. Leroy answered, "Yes, that was Beth."

Ed's cell phone rang and he stepped out of the room after answering it. It was Captain Jones calling to debrief him on the events that had just transpired. A half-minute later, Ling's cell phone rang. Beth had called to let her mother know that her training had come in useful. Ling, after gesturing to Kelly to follow her, stepped out of the room to talk with Beth.

Seated next to her husband on one of the couches, Mrs. Grundy had watched only the first few seconds of the attempted assassination. Once she had realized what was happening, she had stared at William the entire time. She was shocked at the fact that he had successfully predicted everything that happened. Even after everything was over, she was struggling to wrap her mind around the events she had witnessed. Leaning forward, she asked, "How did you know?"

"I just know some things," answered William keeping direct eye contact with the woman. A sly smile came over his face as he added, "We can all do it to some degree."

Oliver looked at William, surprised by the boy's statement. Not sure that he understood what William meant, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"The Powers That Be only give us gifts that we already possess. All thy do is develop them to their full potential in their chosen ones," answered William looking over at the Grand Druid as though he should already understand that.

"Are you telling me that anyone can be a healer? Or a prophet?" asked Oliver.

"To varying degrees everyone has the capacity to be healers and prophets. It is more a question of the degree to which we allow ourselves to exercise those abilities."



-------

Chapter 14

William was in the kitchen-watching Marguerite prepare dinner while Ed was in the pool swimming thirty laps. Although it was typically a difficult thing to do, Ed grinned broadly as he swam. He enjoyed being home. It had taken him almost five minutes to settle in and feel comfortable. He was looking forward to remaining at home for good even though this was just a short visit.

A low moan echoed through the poolroom with sufficient volume that Ed could hear it over the splashing created by swimming. Ed tried to ignore the activities taking place just a few yards away, but he couldn't resist the temptation. He glanced over to the side of the pool and chuckled.

In a poolside chair, Captain Jones was getting his cock sucked by the diminutive Mona. She had approached him with her eyes focused on his cock. Without a hello or acknowledgement of the man, she had knelt between his legs and gazed upon his cock as if in worship. He had been warned about Mona's particular behavior, but hadn't believed Ed. Seeing her between his legs, he didn't know how to react.

During the past few months, Captain Jones had rejected all offers of sex, despite his real need for release, believing they were being offered in pity for his injury. He couldn't stand the idea of a 'pity fuck.' With Mona, there was no chance that her interest was pity. He doubted that she even noticed his amputated leg. Too horny to put up much of a fight, the soldier accepted her attention.

It didn't take long before he released his come into her mouth with a groan. Too much time had gone by to last long. She backed off his cock and looked up at him, seeing him for the first time. Breathless, he said, "Thank you, ma'am. You have no idea how much I needed to be touched by a sexy woman in that manner."

Months of therapy to control her fixation had just been undermined by five minutes of inattention. Mona was furious with herself for having lost control once again, but his statement chased away the majority of her anger. She didn't know why his words touched her, but they had touched her deeply. She bit her lip and looked up at his face afraid of what she would observe. Seeing the expression of real appreciation on his face, she was surprised to hear herself saying, "It was my pleasure."

Hoping that she now saw him the person, rather than as a cock, he asked, "Would you mind sitting here with me for a while?"

Surprised by the offer, Mona wanted to accept since he was the most handsome man she had met since Ed Biggers. Considering her recent behavior, she had expected him to chase her away. As she was about to answer, Ed asked, "When's Marguerite serving dinner?"

Reminded of her kitchen duties, Mona replied, "Normal dinner time. I was just about to go back there."

The lie hurt, but Ed let it pass without comment although Nathan noticed his grimace. Nathan suggested, "Maybe we can get together later."

"Sure," answered Mona as she stood up and headed towards the door. She paused upon reaching it and looked back at Nathan wondering if he was the one. Deciding it was too early to know, she raced off to the kitchen.

After watching her leave, Ed climbed out of the pool and sat beside Captain Jones. He had not heard much of their conversation other than Nathan's invitation for her to join him by the pool. Sighing, Ed said, "Be careful. She's far more fragile than you might think."

Nathan had watched Mona run from the room and thought about what would make a woman act in that manner. He had noticed the change in expression when he had said that she was a sexy woman. In a soft voice, he said, "Fragile? Yes, I'd say she's very fragile. More than that though, she's desperate. She's the kind of woman who will agree to a gang-bang just so men would see her as an adult woman."

"Pardon?"

"She doesn't feel like a woman," answered Nathan feeling the rightness of his answer. He trusted his intuition more than logic.

"I don't understand," replied Ed looking at the soldier in confusion. He wondered why she wouldn't feel like a woman since she was a woman.

"She's small, flat chested, and has almost no curves on her body. She doesn't feel like a woman and feels a need to prove it somehow. How does a woman prove to herself and others that she's a woman rather than a little girl? She has sex."

"That sounds like some kind of pop psychology answer," commented Ed wondering if the young man was correct.

Talking to himself, Nathan said, "If she grows her hair out, she looks like a little girl. If she wears it short, then she looks like a little boy. Either way, she isn't viewed as an adult. She probably believes that the only men who would be interested in her are probably pedophiles and they would demand she act like a little girl. That's the last thing that she wants."

Ed listened as Nathan talked to himself. It was an interesting theory, but he wasn't sure that he believed it. Nathan continued his monologue. "Her body is too small to get implants of any significant size. Anything beyond an A cup would look ridiculous and she knows it."

Interrupting the stream of consciousness, Ed asked, "So what would you do?"

"I'd ask her to wear business suits, make up, and to wear her hair in a style that is very mature," answered Nathan.

"Interesting," replied Ed. After a moment of thought, he said, "I doubt she can find a business suit that is her size. She's probably wears a size zero."

Nathan was silent for a minute as he considered what Ed had said. The odds were high that Ed was correct. After a minute, he said, "If you will excuse me for a minute, I have some errands to run."

Smiling at the obvious nature of the errands that Nathan was undertaking, Ed said, "Dinner is around seven."

"Thanks," replied the soldier as he headed to his room to get dressed. He had a lot to do before they left for the desert the next morning.

Ed sat in the poolside chair wondering what Nathan had seen in Mona that he had missed. He wasn't alone in the poolroom for long. Claire along with Dan entered the room from the outside entrance. Claire was dressed in a very nice red dress. It was cut low on the top and flowed down to her knees. Dan was wearing a tailored suit that actually made him look handsome despite ears that stuck out. Seeing the pair of them together, Ed asked, "What's up?"

"Just got back from work," said Dan.

"Yeah, they threw a party for him to celebrate his promotion," added Claire. She had an arm wrapped around his arm and was leaning against him in a very friendly manner. She looked over at him with more than a little pride in her eyes.

The nude martial arts lessons of Ling and Claire had torn down the wall that Dan had built to hide from women. That had allowed him to more fully experience life at home and at work. Breaking out of his cubbyhole with a vengeance, he dealt with customers, management, and team members directly. Dan had taken the initiative on a couple of very high profile projects. There wasn't anyone to take the credit away from him. He was forceful in getting recognition and it had paid off. In the process, he had shocked all of those who had worked with him in the past.

Raising an eyebrow, Ed realized that Claire had gone to the celebration with Dan. From the way that she was hanging on him, he wondered if something was going on between the two. As if Dan heard Ed's unasked question, he said, "We're engaged."

"Really?" asked Ed very surprised by the news. They'd only known each other for a couple of months and figured that it would be years before shy Dan would reach the point where he was capable of proposing.

"Yes," answered Claire with a grin. She'd had a lot of fun breaking Dan out of his shell and discovered that she really liked the man who emerged. He was interesting, bright, witty, caring, gentle, and supportive. When he turned his attention to her, she had his entire attention. It was almost scary at times, but definitely appreciated in bed.

"I proposed a week ago," said Dan looking down at his girlfriend. She was fierce, strong, and confident. Being in bed with her was like making love to fire and he found that he enjoyed taking the risk of getting burned.

"And I took a whole millisecond to say yes," she said with a grin. Her prejudice against mixed marriages was a thing of the past. She had found that love was colorblind. It had been an amazing revelation.

"Dan, are you still going with us for the week?" asked Ed wondering if his engagement to Claire had changed Dan's plans.

"You bet," said Dan, "I've been looking forward to this ever since you called. I even went out and purchased a trailer for the ATV."

"We could have put it in the back of our trailer," said Ed wondering why Dan would bother to spend so much money for a trailer when he had a perfectly good one.

"No, a trailer to pull behind the ATV. I can put a fifty-five gallon drum for water on it and there's still enough room to carry all of the food. It's all ready to go," replied Dan. He had spent the previous evening packing the trailer. He'd spent a fortune at the sporting goods store.

"Oh, I never thought of getting one of those."

Claire had handled outfitting them for the trip with the help of Walt. It had been an interesting experience for a city girl. She said, "I purchased two ATVs just like you requested. Why didn't you want three of them?"

"I'm riding my horse," answered Ed feeling that it seeing the desert from atop a horse was an essential part of being in the desert. William didn't have enough experience on horseback to go the whole trip and Captain Jones wasn't ready to learn how to ride with an artificial leg. Getting tired of looking up at the couple, he pointed to the pool chairs and said, "Have a seat."

Claire, uncomfortable about the invitation, sat down while Dan fetched another chair. He put it next to hers so that he could hold her hand. Claire looked over at Ed amazed at the ease with which he sat naked in front of two dressed people. She didn't have a problem when everyone else was naked, but when she was the only one undressed she quickly dressed.

Attentive to his girlfriend, Dan noticed that she was staring at Ed. He smiled as he deduced exactly where she was looking. He couldn't blame her for staring at Ed's cock -- it was very large. It didn't really bother him since he was quite secure in his relationship with Claire.

Ed drained his glass of iced tea and went over to refill it at the mini-refrigerator. He called over, "Do you want some iced tea?"

Answering for both of them, Dan said, "Sure. We'd love some."

Claire leaned over and whispered, "I work here. Maybe I should go."

"I'm sure that it's okay. Stay here for a little while longer," whispered Dan understanding how she felt.

Playing host, Ed refilled his glass and fixed two more. Holding the three glasses together, he carried them over to the little table and set them down. He grabbed his glass and returned to his seat. Getting comfortable, he said, "So, Claire. What do you think about your fiancee running off for a week?"

After taking a sip of her tea, she answered, "Well, if he was running off with a couple of blondes, I'd be a little concerned. Not too concerned, though."

"A little?" asked Dan acting as if he were hurt. His smile demonstrated that it was all an act.

"Okay, a lot," she replied with a giggle.

Ed watched the interaction between the two. There were times when they looked at each other that he was willing to swear that the love they felt was almost visible. Thinking about what each of them had been like when he first met them, it seemed to him as if people were changing for the better at a faster rate than in the past.

William entered the room and went over to where his father was seated. On arriving at the house, the boy had set aside his robe and put on blue jeans, shirt, and boots. His hair had grown to a length that was almost long enough to put in a braid. The transformation between the Druid College and Arizona had been amazing. At the Druid College, he looked like a Druid. Around the house, he exhibited his Native American Heritage without any hint of being a Druid.

Claire had watched William enter the room. This was her first time to meet the young boy although she remembered that he had called from the college to tell Ed to hire her. In a voice that she would use with most children, she said, "Hello, there. You must be William."

Turning to Claire, William raised an eyebrow and studied her. His gaze was so direct that it took her by surprise. He replied, "Yes, I must be. There are exactly two children in this house, Lucy Gold and William Carter. You already know Lucy, ergo I must be William Carter. Impeccable logic."

"William!" Ed chastised.

Sitting back in her chair, Claire realized that William wasn't putting her down, but was making a point. He was not to be treated like a child. She interrupted, "He's right, I was treating him like a little kid."

Smiling, William said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Claire. I see that you have become lovers with Betsy's hero. She's going to be crushed. I think she was a little infatuated with Dan."

Claire stared at William wondering how he knew that Dan was her lover. Recovering, she said, "I'm sure Dan will let her down gently."

Turning to Dan, William said, "It is an honor to meet someone who would risk his life to save my little sister."

"You're welcome. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Sarah," replied Dan. Previously, he would have sworn that William was Sarah's own child from the way that she talked about him. After watching the boy, he understood Sarah's exuberance and started to believe that she had been rather restrained in her comments.

"My cousin Sarah tends to exaggerate about all of the children in our family," said William.

"From what I have seen and heard, each of you is remarkable in your own way," said Dan. He grinned and said, "Of course, I've heard that Betsy is the laziest among you."

Grinning at the impossible implication that Betsy was lazy, William pulled up a chair and said, "I understand that you are a wonder at circuit design. I read one of your papers on the subject and thought it was quite fascinating. In particular, I'm interested in the idea of a CPU with a built-in random number generator. For some of the ideas that I've been pursuing, pseudo-random number generators will not work and the external random number generators are too slow. Have you been exploring that concept any further?"

If William had landed in a space ship and announced that he was from Mars, Dan wouldn't have been anymore surprised than he was at that moment. Nodding, Dan said, "Yes, I have been pursuing that idea. I'm not sure what applications you may have in mind, but I think that the market in the gambling industry will be significant."

"I agree. My applications are in the area of Monte Carlo simulations. A little historic connection to the gambling industry there."

Ed listened to the conversation with a great deal of interest. William very seldom discussed his intellectual interests with anyone. The fact that he was talking with Dan signified a real interest in the work that Dan was doing. He glanced over at Claire and saw that the woman was staring at William open mouthed.

After a few minutes, William said, "We shall have time to talk while rock hunting. For now, I think that Claire would like a little time alone with her boyfriend."

"Fiancee," corrected Ed surprised that William didn't say it that way.

The look of surprise on William's face was genuine. He recovered and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I thought you would have waited to ask until you picked up the ring from Bob."

"Bob is a little busy and I was a little impatient," replied Dan surprised that the boy knew about him ordering a ring from Bob. He looked at Claire remembering how he had proposed after an exceptionally passionate experience in bed. Looking up at her as she climaxed, he couldn't hold back his desire to spend the rest of his life with her. He had blurted out the proposal.

Claire giggled at the characterization of impatience. She considered that he was in the throes of passion and had no control over his mouth at that time. Of course, she was willing to agree to anything at the moment as well. She wondered how many women could claim that a proposal had triggered an orgasm. Looking over at William, she said, "I fear that I must get ready to return to work."

Smiling, Ed said, "I had heard that you work for some real mean people."

"Yes, they are horrible people," replied Claire as she stood to leave.

The horse trailer rattled as it was pulled down the dirt road to where the chief lived. William watched through the window of the Hugger with eyes that didn't miss a single detail of his surroundings. He turned to face Ed and commented, "They don't seem surprised to see us, but they are watching Dan and Nathan like a hawk."

"They know me and know that I will deal honestly. They don't know the others and will wait for them to prove their true character," replied Ed glancing in the mirror at the truck that followed behind.

"They are good men. My people should be able to see that," said William.

"They will," said Ed as he stopped in front of a house. They had arrived at the home of Awa Tsireh. Lounging around on old chairs under an awning were Awa Tsireh, Robert White Feather, and a young man who Ed did not recognize. He commented, "We have a committee waiting for us."

Ed, carrying two cartons of cigarettes, climbed out of the Hugger and waited for the others of their party to join him. Together, they headed towards the seated men. William, holding two packs of cigarettes, walked beside his father, his eyes watching the young man. There was a sense of expectation in the air and it originated with the young man.

Reaching Chief Awa Tsireh, Ed handed a carton of cigarettes to the two older men and said, "Greetings, Chief Awa Tsireh and Chief Robert White Feather."

"Ed Biggers, it is good to see you again," replied Chief Awa Tsireh in a measured voice.

Robert White Feather shook his hand and asked, "Are you back to the desert for good?"

"For the most part," replied Ed.

In the pause, William stepped forward and handed the two men a pack of cigarettes each. Nodding, he said, "Greetings, Chief Awa Tsireh and Chief Robert White Feather."

"It is good to see you again, William Redman Carter. I see that you are looking more like your grandfather," said the Awa Tsireh. He looked at the shoulder length hair in approval.

"After we conclude our business, you will have to tell me how your mother is doing," said Robert with a smile. It was always good to hear about his little sister.

Dan and Nathan stepped forward and handed their cigarettes to the two Chiefs while being introduced by Ed. Neither man had ever met a Chief and they were nervous that they might say or do the wrong thing. All that remained was to learn the identity of the young man and all attention turned to him. Robert said, "This young man is Spirit of Desert Rock. He is going to the Native American College next year."

William examined the young man and said, "We will be classmates."

"Yes, that is what I understand from Chief Robert White Feather," answered the young man after glancing at the two Chiefs. He didn't know what to make of the boy. For the past few years, the elders of the tribe spoke of William Redman Carter with awe. It was difficult to believe that anyone so young could possibly get accepted into a college.

"You shall be going into the desert with us," said William as though it were an agreed upon fact. He glanced at Dan and Nathan before adding, "To watch over them and to get to know me."

"And to learn of rocks from Dr. Biggers," said Spirit of Desert Rock nodding in the direction of Ed.

Robert shook his head and gently reminded the younger members of the party of their place. "It is for the elders to talk about that in due time."

William raised an eyebrow at the reminder and said, "Of course. May we be excused so that we can get to know each other?"

"That would be a good idea," replied Awa Tsireh with a wry grin.

The young man and boy walked off to the horse trailer where they could talk without intruding on the discussions of the elders. Chuckling, Awa Tsireh said, "Since they already agreed that Spirit of Desert Rock is going with you, I guess there isn't much point in asking."

"It will make his mother happy to know that he will have a friend at college," said Ed with a grin. Looking at the two Chiefs, he asked, "Standard deal on the rocks we collect?"

"Yeah," said Robert. He looked around for a minute and then said, "I guess that concludes the business side of this."

"Care for some iced tea?" asked Awa Tsireh.

"Sounds good to me," answered Ed looking forward to a nice tall glass of homemade iced tea.

"That would be wonderful," said Dan amazed at how informal everything had suddenly gotten.

"Sure," said Nathan looking back at William trying to figure out how he knew that the Chiefs were there to ask Ed to take the young Native American with them. The boy still made him nervous despite the number of interactions that had had with him.

"Is he always like that?" asked Robert pointing to William.

"Yes. He seems to know things before they happen. He also claims that animals occasionally talk to him," answered Ed.

"Spirit of Desert Rock makes the same claim. The medicine men of the tribe are all expecting great things from him. They were very happy to learn that William would be going to the Native American College at the same time with him," said Awa Tsireh as he exited the house with five bottles of iced tea.

Ed looked at the bottles with disgust, but didn't make a comment as he accepted one of them. Not for the first time, he wondered where the advertising person had gotten the nerve to call the bottled beverage iced tea. Robert noticed the shudder as Ed took a sip and said, "Don't worry, it will grow on you."

William and Spirit of Desert Rock returned to the group of men. William said, "Dale says his horse is already at the place we are headed."

"Dale?"

"Yes, that is my white name," explained Spirit of Desert Rock with a shrug. It was an easier name for most people to use in informal conversation, so he accepted it.

"Aren't you curious what they discussed?" asked Dan wondering about the presumptive way in which William had determined that Dale was going with them.

"He's going with us and we've agreed to the standard rock collecting deal," replied William as though it was obvious what had been discussed.

Ed laughed and said, "He does that all the time. I don't think he's ever been wrong."

"Blind on a few occasions, but not wrong," said William with a shrug of his shoulders. While it wasn't obvious by his statement, he appreciated the times when he was blind. Knowing that there were events that he wasn't to know about before they occurred allowed life to remain interesting.

A desert wren landed on the awning. Both William and Dale paused to look at the little bird. It chirped and then flew off. As William nodded his agreement, Dale said, "It's time for us to go."

It was almost dark before they reached a good place to camp for the night. Ed and Dale were on horseback, with Ed leading an extra horse for William to use on shorter trips around the camp. Dan, Nathan, and William rode on individual ATVs, with Dan's ATV pulling a trailer. The campsite was near an area where Dale said there were a lot of interesting rocks. Ed recalled having been in that area several years before and looked forward to seeing how it had changed.

At the camp, everyone got busy with getting the camp ready for use. Ed watered the horses and then feed them some grain. While the horses were eating, William and Dale brushed them down. Dan and Nathan unpacked the trailer that had been towed behind the ATV. It wasn't long before the camp was set up and Ed was cooking dinner over a fire of wood that Dan had brought.

Dan leaned back and watched the setting sun. With a sigh, he said, "It's really pretty out here."

"It sure is," agreed Ed stirring the stew he was preparing. He could feel all of the residual tensions leave his body under the wide-open Arizona sky.

Thinking of the large number of people who would enjoy the sights provided by the desert, Nathan commented, "You'd think the people here would open a hotel or something."

As Dale bristled, Ed replied, "They're doing something far more important with the land."

"What?" asked Dan looking around trying to see what they were doing with the land.

"They are preserving it for their children," answered Ed. A soft breeze blew through the camp bringing the scents of the desert to their noses. He inhaled enjoying the smell of cactus, sand, and dry air.

"The land does not belong to the fathers, but is held in trust by the fathers for their children," said Dale.

"I never thought about it like that," said Nathan looking around at the pristine desert area. He had spent so many years in the military fighting for what he considered the American ideal. He hadn't fought for political or business reasons, although most people cast wars in those terms. He fought for an ideal that said people should be free to pursue their happiness. He liked the idea that a man could be born poor and become president one day without having to overthrow the existing government. He commented, "I kind of believe the same thing about the American government."

The statement seemed like a total change in topic. Dale looked at the soldier and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I've fought to keep our freedoms in place. I didn't do it for myself, but for my children," answered Nathan. He sighed as he looked up at the colorful sunset.

"You didn't do a very good job. Our freedoms are eroding," commented Dan.

The old soldier laughed at the comment. He replied, "I disagree. I think we are freer than we've ever been. The opportunities that exist for our children are far vaster than existed for us. There was a time that if two men slept together, they'd have been killed without creating a riot of protest. Despite the plethora of government databases, people have far more anonymity than ever. Ed and Dale know what I mean."

Dale frowned and shook his head to indicate that he didn't know what Nathan meant. Seeing the expression on his face, Ed explained, "There's no privacy in a small town."

Realizing what Nathan was suggesting, the young man nodded his agreement. He said, "You can't hide anything on the reservation. You take a drink in the middle of nowhere and, in an hour, everyone knows what you've done."

William said, "Many of the things that people protest as losses of freedoms are in fact freedoms they never had."

Surprised at what William said, Dan turned to study the young man. He asked, "Have you given this much thought?"

"That's all I think about," answered William without a smile while staring intently at the campfire.

"I thought you were doing some modeling using Monte Carlo methods," said Dan.

"It's all part of the same thing," answered William. He didn't say anymore since he wasn't willing to discuss the full extent of his research.

Observing the way in which William turned away, Dale changed the subject and asked, "When is dinner going to be ready?"

"Soon. Are you in a hurry?" asked Ed with a smile. Out here, there was nothing to demand a particular schedule.

"Yes," answered William. His answer surprised everyone around the campfire except Dale.

"The coyotes will be calling for us soon," explained Dale with a gesture towards the open desert.

"We will go to meet them," said William glancing in the direction opposite of the setting sun. They still had time since it would be a little while before the moon rose.



-------

Chapter 15

William took to riding a horse as if he had been born on the back of one. By the third day of their trip, William and Dale seldom left Ed's side. William had learned an incredible amount of information about the desert. Dale discovered a wealth of information about rocks. The transferal of knowledge was occurring in the old fashioned manner, from the elder to the younger through demonstration and practice.

Ed knelt by the outcropping and pointed to the four-inch wide layer of rock. As his hand traced the vein, he said, "If you follow this back, you'll find that it disappears into the ground about thirty yards over there."

"How deep does it go?" asked Dale.

"Hard to say. You see how it is getting narrower across this ten- foot section. It could continue that way and disappear after another hundred feet. On the other hand, it could get thicker. We'd have to study the rest of the geology and take some core samples to know more," answered Ed with a smile.

"So this wouldn't be worth mining even if the rock were of some value?"

"Estimate the dimensions of the vein and do the calculation. For it to be worth mining, you need to know if it will make money. The total amount the vein is worth less the costs of getting it out of the grounds will tell you how much money a mine will generate," answered Ed.

"Is that it?" asked Dale wondering if he had missed something. It sounded too simple.

"Basically."

"It sounds like anyone can do it," said Dale wondering how Ed had made so much money performing surveys.

"After we return from this trip, I'll introduce you to Terry. If he agrees that you have potential, he'll take you on one of the surveys. He runs my consulting company and oversees the mine," said Ed thinking that it would be a good introduction to the business side of rocks.

"You own a mine? I thought you cared about the environment," grunted Dale. He'd seen more than a few mines in the area and had observed the damage to the environment that resulted. He looked at Ed with disgust before turning away.

"Withhold your judgement until you see it," said Ed with a grin. His mine had recently won an environmental award from a very aggressive anti-industrial environmental group. The comment from the award committee was that they had driven past it four times before realizing where it was.

"Or don't see it as the case might be," said William.

"Don't see it?"

"Most people can't find it because the environmental impact is so low," explained William.

Dale grunted and then turned to watch Nathan trying to ride one of the horses. The soldier was having problems getting a feel for the horse beneath him and the boot on his artificial leg kept slipping out of the stirrup. Dan was busy keeping the horse under control.

Frowning when Nathan slid off the back of the horse after Dan had led it forward five steps, Dale said, "Nathan sure is uncoordinated when it comes to riding a horse. What's his problem?"

"You didn't notice that he has an artificial leg?" asked William with an amused smile.

Dale turned to look at William in disbelief. He hadn't noticed Nathan limping along like a man with an artificial leg. He said, "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Lost his leg about eight months ago," answered Ed as he looked over the face of the outcropping. There were a few little crystals embedded in an unusual matrix had attracted his attention.

"Better get him off that horse before he kills himself," said Dale watching the man stubbornly remount the horse.

"He'll either quit or master riding the horse. Right now, I'm not sure which one it will be," replied Ed without turning to look at the action behind him.

Dale watched Nathan guide his feet into the stirrups. Once he knew what to look for, it was easy to see which leg was missing. It was the one that he had the most difficulty getting into the stirrup. Concerned, he said, "Maybe I should try to help him."

Distracted by the crystals, Ed replied, "Nope. Dan is helping him. You need to get back here and look at this rather interesting sample."

"Aren't you concerned?"

"No," replied Ed looking over his shoulder in time to see Nathan slip off the horse. It looked painful, but the look on the soldier's face was grim and determined.

"Why not?" asked Dale.

"Because, I'll stop them when they try something stupid," answered William.

"Like what?"

"Like when they try to tie his boot into the stirrup," said William turning to face Dale with a grin.

"They wouldn't?"

"Neither one of them knows better," said William. He turned away to watch a hawk floating across the sky. He'd been seeing hawks flying in their general direction all afternoon.

"They are coming to see you," said Dale shaking his head in wonder. The trip had been a continuous visitation by desert animals. On the first night of the trip, coyotes had visited them. Smaller desert animals had gathered along their path. Birds of all kinds had visited them. Each time, there had been a very short acknowledgement of William given by the animal before disappearing.

"They are coming to see us," corrected William turning to look at Dale.

"I have been here eighteen years and know them all. They are coming to meet you," said Dale wondering when the snakes were going to make their appearance.

Making his voice loud enough to carry the fifty yards to where Dan was helping Nathan learn to ride, William shouted, "Dan, don't even consider it!"

The engineer turned to look up at William and shouted, "I was only going to suggest that we tie his boot in the thingy."

"It's called a stirrup! You'll break his neck if you tie his boot in the stirrup," shouted William.

Nathan and Dan exchanged a few words. Dan looked up at where William was seated and shook his head wondering how the boy knew what he had been about to suggest to Nathan. He muttered, "First, it's a dynamo on legs and now a mind reader."

"The kids are something else," agreed Nathan knowing exactly what Dan meant, "but he doesn't read minds."

"What does he do?"

"He sees the future," answered Nathan, "and talks to animals."

"Even better," groaned Dan wondering when the kid was going to tell him how he was going to die. A shiver when through his body at the idea of knowing the future with some certainty.

"Have you met the other two kids?" asked Nathan.

"No."

"All of them are brilliant," said Nathan.

"Think one of them would come up with a way for you ride?"

Glaring at the horse, Nathan answered, "Probably. In fact, I have no doubt William already knows what I need to do."

Looking over at the outcropping where Ed was showing some feature to Dale, Dan wondered why William hadn't come down to show them. Shaking his head, he said, "I doubt it. He'd have told us if he knew what you needed to do."

"I don't think so," replied Nathan as he struggled to get back into the saddle. He looked down and eased his boot into the stirrup. Allowing some of his frustration to show, he said, "They will give hints, but they won't tell you outright what you need to do. William is the worst at that."

"Why?"

"They want you to grow. No matter what you are doing, they want you to grow as a result of trying and succeeding," explained Nathan. He'd come to that conclusion after some of the strange tasks that Ed had assigned him.

"What if you ask them straight out?" asked Dan as he started to lead the horse forward. He watched as Nathan's foot slipped out of the stirrup and the soldier started to tumble. Grasping the bridle, he halted the horse and allowed Nathan to recover his balance. He suggested, "Get off the horse for a minute. I don't think the problem is with the stirrup thingie, but with your prosthetic."

The suggestion took the soldier by surprise and he dismounted the horse to check his artificial leg. After walking around for a moment and inspecting it, his prosthetic seemed to be functioning perfectly as far as he could tell. Looking over at Dan, he said, "No, it's fine."

Looking around, Dan found a flat rock and said, "Stand on that rock with your heels hanging off the edge."

It was a simple request and Nathan went over to the rock. A look of surprise crossed his face when his foot slipped off the rock. He asked, "What's the matter?"

"You're prosthetic is designed to support your weight on the heel, rather than the front of your boot," said Dan.

"This is the one that Catherine designed for me. I guess I'll have to tell her about that. It's clearly a design flaw," said Nathan.

"I see you discovered the problem," observed William from behind Nathan.

Nathan spun around and looked at the boy. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Did you know?"

"Nope. I'm sure that Beth would have spotted it right off, but she understands mechanical things much better than I," answered William looking down at the boot with curiosity. He was surprised that Catherine had missed such a detail. He wondered if the distribution of forces through the heel was intentional.

Relaxing a little, Nathan said, "Oh."

"I hate to say this, but that could be rather dangerous when hiking around out here," said Dan thinking about what would happen if Nathan tried to climb a rocky slope.

Nodding his agreement, William said, "We'll tell Daddy Ed when he's done. For now, I wouldn't do any climbing."

"I can get by," said Nathan, his old training that he could overcome any obstacle returning to him. It was just a matter of willpower.

"You'll break your neck with that attitude," said Dan. Seeing the look the soldier gave him, he said, "You're forgetting that it is your equipment at fault, not you."

It was a timely reminder and one that Nathan needed to hear. He was trained to think that he could push his body to overcome the environment. Shaking his head, Nathan said, "You're right."

A day later, Ed found himself alone at the base of the mesa checking out the rocks. He stopped and turned to look around his surroundings. He was twenty feet above the level of the desert and a hundred yards from the camp. Off to the side, Bill and Dale had wandered fifty yards from camp and were kneeling next to a scrub brush. He couldn't tell what animal they were meeting, but he was sure that something had come by for them. Dale had mentioned snakes that morning.

Nathan and Dan were in the camp talking. It was good to see the two men relaxing. Nathan had decided that it was best to stay off the horse and on level ground. For the first time since leaving the hospital, he found that he had nothing to prove. It was a pleasure to just to relax. Dan, not exactly an outdoorsman, was content to sit around camp and enjoy his surroundings.

Ed took a seat and looked out at the desert around him. His thoughts turned to how he had been living his life since the death of John Carter. He'd been drifting along allowing himself to be diverted by one thing or another. It had been a while since he had visited the Phoenix office of the IRS. He hadn't even called on the University to get his old position back. He wanted to hit himself when he realized that he'd even forgotten to put up the funding for the new parking structure.

Leaning back, he took a deep breath as the realization came over him that he hadn't been of much service to the Two-Sided One since John's death. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach at the thought. He was a servant of the truth and self-truth was the hardest of all truths for him to ignore. John had died almost five months ago. Since then, he had been coping with, rather than managing, his troubles.

The death of John had left a huge gap in the family and they had no one to fill that gap. He realized that the family was unbalanced and that he was probably the last one to recognize that fact. No one had mentioned the need for another man to join the family. He thought, 'They're avoiding the subject because of me.'

It was a sobering thought that the family was willing to suffer because of how he might react. Looking down at the camp, he knew they had missed an opportunity with Dan. The young man had all the qualities they wanted in a family member. He had risked his life to rescue a young girl and proved himself a hero. He was smart, witty, kind, and gentle.

Looking over at William, he considered how little time was left before the boy went off to the Native American College for two years. They would only have a couple of months together. The same was true for Little John and Beth. He realized it had been ages since he had joined them in playing a game of Hunt the Bug- eyed Monsters. He felt that the kids had been growing up too fast, but he was part of the problem. The death of John had caused him to act like an old man.

Thinking about it reminded him of how much John enjoyed playing with the children. It was more than just the fact that the children had fun. John enjoyed the games with the same exuberance as the children. John had often dragged him into the games despite his protests. Even though he hadn't admitted it aloud, Ed had enjoyed every minute.

The desert was working its magic upon Ed. He could feel his priorities shifting and getting restored to a more natural order. A feeling of tranquility settled into his soul. Ed had achieved the balance that had been missing for so long. He smiled and watched the others move around the desert.

He stood and walked down the slope to the camp below. Nathan, alert as always, heard him coming and turned to look at him. He asked, "Would you care for some iced tea?"

"Iced tea? Out here?" asked Ed surprised by the question.

"Sure. I brought a fusion-powered cooler. It can create ice cubes for us," answered Dan with a shrug. He had brought a box of teabags for making hot tea with his breakfast and realized that with some ice, he could make iced tea.

"We've been out here for five days and this is the first time you mentioned it?" asked Ed.

Looking over at Ed, Dan answered, "I didn't read all of the instruction book until just a little while ago. How was I to know that the cooler could make ice cubes?"

"I guess you couldn't know that," replied Ed as he looked around at all the devices that Dan had removed from the trailer. Puzzled, he asked, "What is all this stuff?"

"I went shopping for camping equipment and this is all the stuff they recommended. I've got a stove, cooler, lantern, heater, bug zapper, and some other stuff I haven't quite figured out yet," answered Dan.

"It's all electric," observed Ed.

"Yeah. I can plug it all into the ATV."

Looking over at his gear, Ed realized that he belonged to an age that had long disappeared. His cast iron cookware, bedroll, and saddle belonged to an older time. Shaking his head, he sat down and asked, "Let me guess, you got an air conditioned tent?"

Dan pulled out a box with a picture of a tent on it and read the side of the box. Looking up at Ed with a grin, he said, "Hey, it says that I can get an air conditioner for this tent."

Ed laughed and shook his head. He had recommended that they sleep on the sleeping bags because it was too warm to sleep inside them, much less to use the tent. Suddenly he felt bad about giving them the advice.

Nathan said, "It's not good to use an air conditioner out here. It ruins your ability to cope with the heat."

"Oh," replied Dan. He'd been thinking about his comfort during the night and not the discomfort of the day. It took him a second to realize that he hadn't been uncomfortable, temperature wise, during the entire trip.

"Besides, it hasn't really gotten that hot yet," said Ed. In two months it would be much hotter. He found that he was looking forward to it.

"So do you want some iced tea?" asked Dan returning to the original question that had sparked the discussion.

"Sure," answered Ed as he settled to the ground next to his saddle.

Nathan looked around the camp and said, "It wasn't until Dan started unloading the trailer that I realized how much you enjoy roughing it out here."

"I never thought about it that way, but you're right. I pack light because I'm on horseback. I've always used equipment that was durable like cast iron and my bedroll. Never brought artificial light because it ruins night vision and I enjoy the stars above."

"I like how you travel," said Nathan as he watched Dale and William turn back towards camp.

"I'm just an old cowboy who loves the desert," replied Ed.

"I think I like the cowboy better than the Druid," said Nathan with a smile. His experience with Ed had always been one of increasingly more difficult individual challenges.

Ed watched Dale and William make their way back to camp. Smiling, he replied, "Things have been a little tense in my life since John died. I've been two people, John and Ed, for the past few months."

Frowning, Nathan shook his head and said, "That's something that I can't figure out about you. I mean, you're a man's man. All rough and tumble. You're a real cowboy, but you're married to a man. Sorry, but it just doesn't seem natural to me."

"You're not alone in that feeling," acknowledged Ed with a sigh. He had known that the day would come when Nathan would bring up that subject.

"I know I'm not," said the soldier. He couldn't help it when his disgust at the idea of two men together entered his voice.

Dan looked from one man to the next wondering if there was going to be an argument. He hurriedly poured some tea into one of Ed's camp cups and dropped a couple of ice cubes into it. He was about to interrupt the discussion by delivering the tea when William and Dale returned to camp.

William sprawled out on his bedroll and said, "Daddy Ed has been blessed beyond what most men and women can even dream. Lots of people dream of finding their true love. Very few of them find that one person. Daddy Ed has found six true loves."

"Six?" asked Dan thinking there were only five in the marriage.

"Beth is named after one of the original wives in our marriage," answered Ed with a sigh brought about by the sudden reminder of Beth.

Nathan asked, "What happened to her?"

"She was hit by a car and died," answered Ed with a catch in his throat.

"Oh, sorry," said Nathan. He had thought she had left them once she'd found out about Ed and John. He asked, "So why the multiple marriage? Was it a money thing?"

"Money? No. We were all poor when we planned the marriage. John had just finished getting his doctorate, I was a cowboy, Kelly was a nurse, and Beth was a doctor. The whole thing was Kelly's idea," answered Ed. He looked around at his audience and added, "It's still not about money. You have to buy your way into the family."

"So what about the guy with guy stuff? How'd that get introduced?" asked Dan curious about it. He realized that he was still holding the cup of iced tea and handed it over to Ed.

"Kelly insisted that everyone in the family had to love everyone in the family or it wouldn't work. She decided that it required people to be able to express it physically as well," answered Ed as he swirled the tea by rocking the cup.

"She was correct," said William with certainty.

"For us, she was correct," replied Ed, "Don't forget Shirley's family. They don't have that same rule in their marriage."

"I didn't realize that," said William as he thought about what his father had said. He had made a very bad assumption and that was such a rare occurrence that he made a mental note to think about it later.

"Every family has to decide what works for it," said Ed. He took a sip of iced tea and paused to enjoy the flavor and coolness of the liquid. Looking at the cup, he said, "The tea is wonderful, Dan."

"Thanks."

Finally grasping what the discussion was about, Dale said, "This is all so strange to me. I never thought about marriage as anything except between a man and a woman."

William smiled and said, "The tribes are very conservative."

"I guess so. I haven't thought about it much," said Dale looking out over the desert.

"The Native American College is changing some of that," said William watching the young man.

"Why do you say that? It's resurrecting our past," said Dale looking at William in surprise.

"That is true, but it is doing more than that. It is resurrecting the pasts of all the tribes for all of the tribes to appreciate. That is a major change," said William.

"Huh?"

"What did the Navaho know about the Mohawk before the college opened?" asked Ed.

"Oh, I see," replied Dale. He thought about John Carter and the fact that he was white. Frowning, he wondered if the white man had just screwed the Native Americans again.

"You think we have been taken advantage of by John Carter," commented William.

"You bet. Our heritage is being diluted!"

Laughing, William shook his head. Leaning forward, he said, "It wasn't John Carter who thought up the college, but my grandfather William Redman and the other tribal elders. He knew exactly what would happen as a result of creating the school. That is why he insisted that all tribes be represented in it."

"What did he think would happen?"

"A unified Native American people who could leverage political representation in fifty states for the benefit of all of us. There is strength in a shared heritage and he wanted to bring that strength to us."

"How do you know this?" asked Dale surprised at the confident assertion of the five-year-old boy.

"My grandfather told me," answered William, "just before he died."

As pieces of a puzzle fell into place, Ed turned to stare at William. Unable to hold back his epiphany, he said, "So that is why you cut yourself in grief."

"Of course," answered William as he removed his shirt to show the scars. Looking down at them, he said, "William Redman was the greatest of our tribe. One day all the tribes will honor him. I will have been the first to demonstrate that honor in a manner befitting such a great man as it will become done in the future for all tribes."

Dale stared at William thinking that the boy had the wisdom of a tribal elder. To think that a child three years old could understand the consequences of actions taken while in grief was unimaginable. For most of the trip, Dale had thought his role was to provide wisdom and guidance for the boy. It dawned on him that he'd had the roles reversed. He was there to learn wisdom from the boy.

Looking at Dale, William shook his head and said, "We are brothers. We shall each learn from the other and protect each other."

Ed took a sip from his iced tea and watched the pair of boys come to an agreement. There were times when William did something that was so extraordinary that he was stunned speechless. This had been one of those times.

A very quiet Dan studied William trying to make sense of the clues the boy had given him. His first encounter with the boy had led to the shocking revelation that William knew about his papers on CPU design. Then he had surprised him when talking about freedoms earlier in this trip and now this about unifying all of the tribes.

The only one who didn't react was Nathan. He'd come to accept that William was from a different planet and refused to treat him as human. The kid knew things that mere mortals didn't know and he was only five years old. It wasn't natural.

A silence settled on the group, as everyone was lost in their thoughts. It lasted an hour before Ed said, "I guess I better start on dinner."

On the last day of the trip, the group arrived at the location where they had left their vehicles. While Ed, Nathan, and William took care of the horses, Dale sat astride his horse looking in the direction of his home. He still had a three-hour ride until he reached home and he wanted to be on his way.

Ed noticed the young man looking off in the distance with longing. He called over to William and said, "I'll finish with the horses while you say goodbye to Dale."

Nodding, William walked over to Dale and said, "You are ready to go."

"Yes, I am," said Dale looking down at the boy from atop his horse. It was amazing to him how small and young William was. The tribal elders were correct in their assessment of the boy - he was something special.

"Take care of yourself. I'll see you in the fall," said William.

"They'll not want us to room together," said Dale. He knew it was common practice to split members of the same tribe apart.

"I know, but they will make an exception because of my age," replied William with a smile.

"And you won't protect them from their folly," retorted Dale. He smiled at his friend to let him know that he was joking.

"It won't be folly. Many of the students will have a hard time accepting someone so young in their classes. It will take some time for me to earn their respect," said William looking down at the ground.

"I hadn't thought about that."

"I'll see you in the fall."

"See you in the fall," said Dale with a nod. He turned his horse and headed home.

William watched the young man ride off. When Dale was a fair distance away, William returned to the where Ed was loading the horses into the trailer. Upon reaching the trailer, he said, "Thanks for bringing me out here."

"I'm glad that you have made friends with a classmate."

Ed returned to leading the horse into the trailer feeling satisfied with the outcome of the trip. He'd gotten his priorities straight and William had found a friend. The trip was not entirely a success. Nathan had expressed a deep routed prejudice and Dan had started acting afraid around William.



-------

Chapter 16


Hands laced behind his head, Ed sat beneath a tree with his long legs stretched upon the ground with his back supported by the trunk. Sitting with his back to a tree like this was a relatively new experience for him and he was enjoying it. Maybe it was just the chance to enjoy watching nature go by that he enjoyed.

It was four days after mid-summer's day and he was waiting for a student to emerge from the Carter Glade. A noise behind him attracted his attention, but he was too lazy to turn in order to find out who was making the noise. He guessed that it would be Oliver since the Grand Druid would be out here for the same reason he was there.

"Did she show up yet?" asked Oliver on seeing Ed Biggers leaning against the tree. The tall lanky cowboy actually looked comfortable with his back to the tree.

"Not yet," answered Ed not bothering to turn and look at Oliver. He unlaced his fingers and pointed to a nearby tree as he said, "Pull up a tree and have a seat."

Oliver walked over to the tree and sat down. The rough surface of the tree pressed into his back, making it an uncomfortable seat. Once he was settled in place, he said, "Only five out of ninety five students were called to go into the glade. Four have come out. Three servants of the Goddess, one servant of the God, and the last one to emerge will serve the Two-Sided One."

"I expected more students to be called," commented Ed. He had known that John had expected about five percent of the students to actually get called, but it seemed like such a small percentage that he had never accepted it.

"John didn't," said Oliver with certainty. John had discussed his expectations with Oliver one afternoon while going over the philosophy behind how he had established the school. It had been a very enlightening discussion.

"John was John. I'm just an old cowboy nearing the end of a cattle drive," replied Ed with a grin. The return of the last student from the glade had come to symbolize the end of his intense involvement at the college.

"I'd never say that you were nearing the end of a cattle drive," said Oliver looking over at the Druid sitting under the tree. In his black robe, silver hair, gray eyes, and tanned skin, Ed didn't look at all like a cowboy.

"I'd have never thought that Kristie Prevatt would end up serving the Two-Sided One," remarked Ed changing the subject.

"Isn't she the one who lied to her parents about not getting into the school?"

Thinking back to that day when he had been confronted by her parents, Ed had to laugh. She had lied to her parents so that she could go to a college where her boyfriend had been accepted. It reminded him of his lie to the family about going rocking hunting when he really intended to see the Gods and Goddesses. Shaking his head, he commented, "I guess I should have predicted that she would end up serving the Two-Sided One. After all, my service started with a lie."

Oliver looked over at Ed with a smile and shook his head. The story had been related to him once about how Ed had lied to John Carter about the fact that he was going to challenge the Gods and Goddesses. The result had been his acceptance into the service of the Two-Sided One. He commented, "I would say that your old life ended with a lie and your service began with the truth."

"John sure was angry," said Ed with a sigh. He smiled to himself remembering how everyone had told him to go home when he had come out of the woods.

"You miss him, don't you?" Oliver asked while shifting to get more comfortable. His new position was much more comfortable.

"Yes. I miss him a lot," said Ed looking away from the Grand Druid as he answered. He missed John as a friend and husband. The fact was that he had lost the one person with whom he could confide his dreams and concerns. It was a major loss.

A noise from the glade caught his attention. Looking over in the direction from which the noise had originated, he noticed Kristie stumble out of the woods looking dazed and confused. She was wearing her blue robes and a gold medallion. He stood up and went over to her. As he walked, he called to her, "Over here, Kristie."

Looking around, she turned to face him. It took her a minute for her to recognize who it was that was approaching. In a dreamy voice, she said, "You're so substantial."

"What do you mean?"

"You look like you are made out of granite. There's a sense of strength about you," she answered.

Ed looked at the gold medallion on her chest. The confused genitalia imprinted on the surface identified beyond a doubt that she was a servant of the Two-Sided One. Until that moment, it had been a guess which of the Gods and Goddesses she was to serve -- a guess based on the robes prepared by Catherine as directed by the God she served.

She turned her head to watch Oliver approaching her. Again she was struck with a sense of solidity and strength. She was surprised that the ground didn't shake as the pair of men walked. With a smile, she said, "You too."

"Okay," replied Oliver knowing that she probably didn't understand her gift yet. It had taken him a while to discover the true nature of his gift from the Two-Sided One. With a smile, he said, "Let us take you to Catherine so that you can get your robe."

Kristie walked between Ed and Oliver on unsteady legs thinking about what she had just been through and what faced her when she returned to class. When they were halfway to the school, she stopped and touched the arms of her escorts. Tense, she said, "I don't want to see my classmates yet."

"Of course," said Oliver in a voice intended to reassure the young woman. Each of the students coming out of the glade had said the same thing. He had not predicted that they would react that way, but he understood their actions only too well. It was hard to discuss what it was like to meet the Gods and Goddesses. To be barraged with questions right afterwards had to be a daunting prospect.

The trip to the back door of the administration building took about half an hour since she occasionally stopped to look around at her surroundings. As they reached the door, Ed said, "Come talk to me once you have a recovered a bit."

"Okay," replied Kristie, thankful they understood her need for some time alone. She looked at the two men, amazed at how they appeared to her. After a full minute, she added, "You're so solid."

Laughing at her continual return to the topic of his solidity, Ed said, "Get some rest and we'll talk later."

He watched her approach Catherine and accept a stack of black robes before going into the administration building. It was good to have another servant of the Two-Sided One. Even with her, there were only four of them, five if he included Oliver. He was the longest surviving servant and had been gifted with truth sense. Annette had the ability of far-sight. Jeff was a mathematical wizard and could decode complex ciphers just by looking at them. Oliver could see the purity of heart and the jest of life in the people around him. Kristie claimed he possessed solidity, but it was a question of what she meant by that.

Entering the apartment, the first person he encountered was Linda. She was standing by one of the bookcases in the living room with her back to him. He looked over her body appreciating the view. She wore blue jeans that were just tight enough and a white stretch top. Her long black hair split the line of her shirt in two and ended at the top of her jeans. The sight was too sexy to ignore.

Walking up to her, he slid his arms around her so that her breasts were resting on his forearm. He nosed her hair enjoying the scent of her shampoo. When she hummed her pleasure at being the recipient of his attention, he kissed her neck. She pressed her body against his in time to feel his cock erect. She giggled and asked, "Are you happy to see me or is that a baseball bat in the pocket of your robe?"

Ed laughed at the variation on an old joke and said, "I'm happy to see you."

She rubbed her ass against him, enjoying the feeling of his erection. In an excited voice, she asked, "Would you like me to take care of that?"

"No," answered Ed startling her. He ran his hands over the front of her body and added, "I'd like to take care of it with you."

Linda was puzzled until she realized Ed wanted to make love to her rather than accept a blowjob or spend hours in one of her special chairs. She said, "Sounds kinky to me."

Laughing, Ed nuzzled the back of her neck. Breathing in her scent, he said, "You smell like cactus and the desert. How come I've never noticed that before?"

"That's the aloe vera in my body lotion," answered Linda with a giggle. Only Ed would find the scent of aloe vera sexy.

Taking her hand, Ed led her to his bedroom. Once there, they undressed each other taking delight as increasing expanses of skin were revealed. They made slow passionate love over the next hour. After both of them had come, they lay side by side enjoying each other's company.

Feeling relaxed, Linda decided it was time to broach a subject that had been on her mind ever since she learned that William would be leaving. Placing a hand on the center of Ed's chest, she said, "I'd like to have another baby."

"Are you sure?" asked Ed concerned about her health. Her pregnancy with William had been a very rough time for both of them. She had been confined to bed for most of the pregnancy. Ed had spent almost every day by her bedside. He didn't want her to risk her life in an attempt to have another child.

"Yes, I'm sure," she answered with calm assurance that all would be well.

"You had difficulties carrying William."

"I asked the Medicine Man about that and he claims there will be no problems," replied Linda. The Medicine Man claimed that it was the two powerful and very different spirits warring inside the child that had made the pregnancy so rough. Carrying a child with a strong spirit was tough, but carrying one with two strong spirits was life threatening.

Leaning over to suckle on one of her breasts, Ed accepted the pronouncement of the medicine man as fact. Relieved, he said, "I've never been able to deny you anything."

A little thrill ran through her body at the knowledge that he had agreed to father a child with her. Linda lay back and enjoyed the sensations of his mouth on her nipples. She cooed, "That feels so good."

"It feels good to me, too," said Ed as he watched her body react to his actions. It amazed him that after so many years, his wives still found him desirable. He looked forward to returning with them to Arizona for good.

"You're too happy," commented Linda as she held the back of his head to keep his lips where they were. She was quiet for a moment while she considered what it meant when Ed was that happy and then said, "You're going back to Arizona."

Ed gave her nipple a little love bite. When she relaxed her grip on the back of his neck, he answered, "In a couple of days. I won't be back until graduation."

Linda turned onto her side so that she was could face him. He moved so that they were looking at each other. She asked, "Who's going with you?"

"Captain Jones," answered Ed. The soldier still had not accepted the unusual lifestyle lead by Ed and Leroy. More time with the man was needed to address that issue.

Despite the soldier's real disgust at the fact that Ed made love to his husband, it hadn't been difficult to convince the Captain to join him on the trip back to Arizona. The soldier had a very willing woman waiting for his return. A very mature looking Mona had greeted Nathan at the end of the weeklong desert trip and that the greeting had gotten very personal once the couple had been left alone.

"So you're leaving three horny wives here all alone?" asked Linda with a pout. Leroy was back at his laboratory studying Chronic Wasting Disease.

Raising an eyebrow, Ed teased, "I'm sure there are a few students around here who would be very willing to step up to the task if you get too desperate."

"We're going to miss you," said Linda. It was always hard when Ed left, but none of the wives were willing to give up a minute with the children.

"You'll be off the birth control pill by the time I see you," commented Ed.

Linda smiled at the explicit acceptance that he would be happy to father a child with her. She said, "Don't forget that Leroy's award ceremony is in August."

"I know. It's a week before graduation. Despite how much I dislike that town of professional liars, I'll be in Washington to attend," replied Ed with a sour taste in his mouth. He felt it was about time that Leroy started getting national recognition for his research, but wished the ceremony could have been held somewhere else.

After an hour of small talk, Linda left to check up on the kids leaving Ed alone in bed. For a long time he thought about becoming a father again. Pleased at the idea, he showered and then dressed while planning what he would do for the next couple of days.

Kristie approached Ed while he was enjoying a banana split in the sixth year dining room. Although he wouldn't say it, he was hiding his mid-afternoon snack from his family. Sitting down without waiting for an invitation, she said, "You are so solid, like you are made of steel. The students seem solid enough, but a few of the staff appear almost ethereal. I'm not sure what to make of it."

"You haven't figured out your gift?"

Her hand flew to her chest and covered the medallion. Recalling from memory the words on the medallion, she said, "Sense of Rightness. Strength of Will."

"Ah. What do you think it means?" he asked just before shoveling a spoonful of chocolate ice cream into his mouth. This was a proper banana split with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream complete with chocolate syrup, diced pineapple, and strawberries topped with whipped cream and cherries cradled between a split banana. It was totally decadent and he was savoring every bite.

"I think I see the will power of people as solidity, but I don't understand the part about rightness. Everyone one I've seen appears to be same."

"Do you think that is because everyone here has learned to live by the two rules?" asked Ed. He carefully maneuvered his spoon to capture some of the vanilla ice cream and chunks of pineapple. It was a good combination of flavors and brought a smile to his face.

"I didn't think about that," she said. Sitting back in her chair, she thought about it and wondered if that were true. If so, she needed to get away from the school where she might be able to get some experience with a more representative sampling of people.

"We are going to a water park tomorrow. You can join us," said Ed looking up at her to see her reaction.

"What about school?" asked Kristie surprised to hear him suggest that she ignore her studies.

"What about it? You've become a Druid," Ed answered with a knowing smile.

"I've still got to pass this semester."

"And what classes do you have this semester?"

"My practicum," answered the young woman. She had chosen social work as her field of study, motivated by her past as a member of a dysfunctional family. Looking at Ed, she realized that every sixth year student would have the same answer. A practicum required that students experience their field. Embarrassed, she said, "Oh. I see."

"Yes. The Two-Sided One has given you a gift that makes it impossible to fail this quarter. For the rest of your time here at the college you will be developing that gift by using it," said Ed.

"You didn't have a period of practice," she asserted.

"Yes I did. It took me a long time to discover the full extent of my gift. At first, I thought I was a human lie detector who could tell when people told lies. I've come to discover that I have the ability to expose lies and evil things that are hidden. I'm still discovering aspects of my gift," he countered.

"Does that mean I have graduated?"

"Yes," he answered knowing that it would surprise her to hear that. He used the side of his spoon to cut off a chunk of the banana. The chunk of banana floated in a sea of melted vanilla and chocolate ice cream. For a half second, he chased the banana with his spoon before capturing it. He smiled as the spoon slid into his mouth and the flavors burst upon his tongue.

She watched him eat his banana split while considering what she should be doing with the rest of her life. It dawned on her that the jobs she had been considering wouldn't allow her to fully utilize the gift she had been given. Her future had suddenly become a maze of possibilities.

Time passed in which she was lost in her thoughts and Ed tried various combinations of flavors in his banana split. Having finished half of the banana split, Ed pushed the dish away and sat back while patting his stomach. Looking over at Kristie, he interrupted her thoughts. "There's a Druid who could probably help you sort out your future."

"Who?"

"A certain hobo by the name of Happy Harry," answered Ed with a smile at the idea of her and Happy Harry traveling around the country together.

The caravan of cars pulled into the parking lot of the water park. On arriving at the airport, the Carter Clan had discovered the van they had reserved had suffered mechanical problems and they had to take three cars. Ling was driving the lead car with Ed, Betsy, and Little John as passengers. Everyone was dressed in casual clothes as was appropriate for a day at a water park. Ed wore his blue jeans and work shirt rather than his black robe.

The only parking spaces were a good distance from the entrance of the water park. Wishing she could park closer, Ling pulled into one of the spots. Once she had turned off the motor, she turned to give last minute instructions to the kids, but Betsy had opened the door and was halfway to the entrance of the park before she had a chance to say a word. Frustrated, she said, "That kid is going to kill me!"

Shaking his head at the fact that the trip was already getting off to a bad start, Ed said, "I'll go up to the gate and pay for everyone while keeping an eye on her."

Excited at the prospect of a day at the water park, Little John said, "Let me go after her."

"Okay," Ling replied as Little John sped out of the car to find his sister. Ling sighed and said, "I'd keep her on a leash, but she'd chew through it in a minute."

"Get the rest of the family together and meet me at the gate," Ed said before getting out of the car to follow the kids.

The simple act of running filled Betsy with joy and she would have run all the way to the gate except she saw a little girl struggling with a man in the parking lot. The little girl, about nine years old, was terrified and kicked her legs against the man holding her. Betsy came to a halt and stood in front of the man with her hands on her hips watching the pair struggle. The little girl was frantic. "I want my mommy!"

"I'll take you to your mommy," growled the man while trying to get control over the wriggling girl in his arms.

"She's back there," cried the girl.

Tired of wrestling with the girl, the man slapped her across the face. He'd wanted to grab her and go, but she had fought far more than any of the others had. She screamed when the man hit her.

On hearing the scream, Betsy acted without thinking. Her heel came down on the man's instep with her full weight behind it. A blow of her fist, delivered in perfect form, to the man's groin immediately followed. He dropped the little girl who ran away screaming. Almost in slow motion, he bent over in pain with eyes that stared without comprehension at his attacker. Betsy danced around him for a second. Taking advantage of his bent over position, she slapped both hands flat against his ears rupturing his eardrums. His eyes crossed and he fell to the ground.

Backing up, Betsy proceeded to deliver kicks to his ribs with as much power as her little body was capable of providing. It was almost thirty seconds after she had started kicking when Little John reached her and shouted, "Stop it, Betsy."

Dancing back, Betsy said, "He was hurting a girl. I'm going to hurt him."

"Stop it! He's unconscious," shouted Little John looking at the wreck of a man on the ground. He could see the blood running out of the ears of the man. The boy stepped between his sister and the man to keep her from hitting him again.

The two siblings stared at each other until a security guard came running up. Panting, he looked down at the man on the ground and then at the two kids. A girl had come running to the gate shouting that a man had tried to kidnap her and he had charged out to find the man. He had not expected to find the sight that greeted him on arriving. Trying to catch his breath, he asked, "What happened?"

"He is a bad man!"

Turning to face the guard, Little John said, "My sister says that man was hurting a girl."

Betsy dodged around Little John and kicked the man another time, shouting, "Bad man!"

Ed arrived in time to see Little John holding Betsy away from the man on the ground and the security guard with his hand pressed against his forehead as though trying to fight off a headache. In a commanding voice, Ed shouted, "Betsy! John! Stop it."

The two kids froze and then turned to face their father. Fully expecting to be praised for her actions, Betsy said, "He's a bad man. He hurt a girl, so I hurt him."

It was impossible not to hear the truth of her words, but her actions had gone beyond hurting the man. Approaching the man on the ground, Ed looked over the damage. It was obvious the man was seriously injured. Looking up at the guard, he said, "Call an ambulance and the police."

Still staring in disbelief at Betsy, the security guard said, "The police are already on the way."

"I think an ambulance is more important at the moment," Ed said shaking his head. The small trickle of blood running out of the man's ears concerned him.

"Who are you?" the guard asked attempting to gain control over the situation.

"I'm Ed Biggers. Betsy and John are two of my children."

The rest of the family arrived and crowded around the victim. Betsy ran to Ling and boasted, "I stopped the bad man."

In the sudden increase in confusion, the security guard decided he had lost what little control of the situation he had and got on his walkie-talkie for help. While he talked to the security center, Ling asked, "What exactly did you do?"

"I stepped on his foot, hit his dinky, slapped his ears, and then kicked him all over," she answered with pride. She knew that Daddy Ed would have gotten angry if she had kicked him in the neck so she had avoided doing that.

Ling looked over at the security guard and said, "He's probably got a broken foot, crushed testicle, punctured eardrums, and broken ribs."

As the guard stared at Betsy, Ling hugged her daughter and said, "You did a good job, Betsy."

When Kelly went up to the injured man, Betsy said, "He's a bad man."

"Don't treat him, Kelly," Ling said, "If Betsy thought it was necessary to do this, he doesn't deserve to be treated until it is shown he wasn't hurting someone. I'm sure that Betsy did the right thing."

Hearing Ling praise Betsy was almost too much for Ed. He said, "You should have stopped once the girl got away and you could escape."

Kelly felt her skin crawl when she approached the man and doubted she could have forced herself to heal him even if she wanted to do it. It was surprising that Ed wasn't insisting that she heal the man. She could only conclude it was because he felt a sense of truth in Betsy's proclamation.

The pending argument was prevented by a strangled cry from Kristie upon catching her first glimpse of the man on the ground. As she collapsed to her knees, she cried out. "Warped. He's so warped."

Ed moved over to Kristie and held her. In a voice intended to comfort her, he said, "Tell me what you see."

"It's like looking into some sort of twisted wreck. He's solid, but so ugly inside," whimpered the young woman. She didn't have the words to describe what she saw when she looked at the man. Looking at the man was like having someone reach into her stomach and twist her insides. She felt like throwing up.

"A strong will aimed in a bad direction," said Ed looking down at the man. He knew the truth would come out.

In Kristie's kneeling position, it wasn't obvious that she was wearing the robes of a Druid. Disgusted by the hysterics, the guard asked, "What in the hell is the matter with her?"

Helping her stand, Ed answered, "She is new to her service."

The man's eyes grew huge upon seeing that she was wearing a black robe. The gold medallion caught the sun, drawing attention to her symbol of service to the Two-Sided One. He made the sign of the cross and declared, "My God, I didn't realize she's one of them."

William laughed at the reaction and said, "There are three of them here."

By this time, Betsy was bored and ready to move. Bouncing around, she complained, "Can't we go now?"

A police car with siren blaring and lights flashing pulled up as the security guard recovered enough to say, "I'm going to need to see some identification."

Kristie stood up and backed away. "I've got to get away from him for a while."

Knowing that most of the family wasn't needed at the crime scene, Beth asked, "Do we have to stand around in the parking lot?"

Chaos broke out as everyone started talking, their voices getting louder to be heard over the others. Finally, Ed had enough and shouted, "Everyone, calm down. Kelly, I want you to take everyone except Ling and Betsy to the water park. The Grundy's are waiting for us there, as is Leroy with Shirley and John."

"You take care of the guy over there, you take our statements, and you get your manager over here," commanded Ed pointing to the cops and security guard in turn.

At the surprising news that their friends were waiting for them inside the water park, Beth and Little John lit up. It didn't take Kelly long to round everyone up and head towards the gate to the park. The cops, feeling angry at having their authority stolen from them before they had even said a word, shook their heads while staring at Ed.

As Kelly passed Ed, she said, "I didn't know you invited them."

"It was a surprise," replied Ed while shrugging his shoulders. The day had started bad and was getting worse.

The cops moved to bracket Ed as the family walked off. They figured a red neck had just beaten up someone. One of them looked at the guy on the ground and asked, "What happened here?"

"My daughter encountered this man hurting a girl and took him down," answered Ed.

"Can I see some id?" asked the cop looking skeptically at the little girl. He'd never heard of an adult man trying to blame his kid for beating up someone else. His opinion of the redneck went down with the thought, 'The gall of this guy.'

Ed pulled out his id wallet and handed it over to the cop. Refusing to take it, the cop asked, "Would you mind removing your id?"

"That's all that's in there," answered Ed turning to Betsy and seeing that she was jumping around with a frown on her face. He said, "You've got to calm down. We won't get into the park until we clear up this mess. Practice your Tai Chi."

The cop stared as Betsy started going through her exercises under the watchful eye of her mother. The controlled martial art movements gave Ed's claim a little more substance.

Relieved now that he only had to deal with the cop, Ed turned his attention to officers. The cop had taken the wallet and opened it. His eyes grew large as he flipped through the identification cards from various government organizations. The initial awe quickly turned to disbelief. Challenging Ed, he asked, "Do you expect me to believe this garbage?"

"Yes," answered Ed, "I expect you will believe it soon enough."

"Watch him," said the cop to his partner as he went over to the car and stood by the passenger door such that he could watch Ed. Pulling a laptop from inside the car, he entered the information from the driver's license on it.

More sirens sounded in the distance as an ambulance and additional police cars turned into the parking lot of the water park. A manager with a woman and the girl who had been attacked arrived at the same time. Jumping excitedly, the girl said, "That's the girl who saved me."

Betsy stopped practicing and ran over to the girl. As she came to a halt, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thanks to you," answered the girl. Looking down at her, she realized that Betsy was half her age.

The man on the ground groaned. Betsy spun around ready to hit him again, but Ling said, "The police are here. You don't have to do anything, Betsy."

The mother of the girl asked, "Little girl, did you really save Carla?"

"Carla? Oh, you mean her. She got away when I hurt the bad guy," answered Betsy bouncing on her toes. All of this standing around and talking was driving her crazy.

Seeing her daughter getting impatient, Ling stepped up and said, "Return to your practice, Betsy."

"I'm Mary," said the woman to Ling. She watched as Betsy stepped away and returned to her practice. She'd never seen a kid of that age move with such grace and control.

"I'm Ling and that ball of fire over there is my daughter, Betsy," replied Ling watching the ambulance arrive. They'd be treating the man on the ground within a few minutes. From her inspection, it was clear that man wasn't dying so she just put him out of her mind.

"She really knows that kung fu stuff," commented Mary.

The cop returned to Ed and, with real respect in his voice, said, "Sir, your identifications are all in order. We need to take statements from everyone. Until we have a clear picture of what is going on, we won't know how long it will take. I apologize for that, sir."

"May I suggest that you take my daughter's statement first?" Ed eyed the waterslide with envy knowing that it would be at least an hour before he would be sliding down it. If he didn't want to wait that long, there was no way Betsy would wait that long.

The other cop had been over by the man on the ground. After getting out his driver's license, he ran a check on the man using the computer that was still atop the hood of the patrol car. After a few minutes, he came over and said, "That piece of dirt over there is a known pedophile. He's a suspect in a case concerning a missing child. Your daughter is lucky she was able to surprise him. If he had grabbed her, I doubt she would have been so lucky."

Wryly, Ed thought about how Ling had trained her. He said, "He's lucky he didn't grab her. She'd have killed him."



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Chapter 17


Ed walked to the podium and looked out across the audience who filled the auditorium of the administration building. Nearly four hundred people waited to hear what he had to say to the very first graduating class of the Druid College. Oliver had given him the honor of addressing the graduating class since he had been present at the initial conception of the idea for the school. The tension in the room rose as he looked from one graduate to the next.

Once he had composed himself, he said, "Most colleges aim to produce individuals who can contribute to society. A few schools aim to produce leaders capable of taking the country to a better future. When John Carter decided to create this school, he wanted to produce the visionaries who would select the future for our leaders.

"We started with ninety-eight students. The entrance requirements were the hardest in the country. Prospective students had to pass intelligence and psychological tests. Prospective students had to agree to present themselves to the Gods and Goddesses for service. Only ninety-eight students rose to the challenges presented them. Today, we are graduating ninety-five of the initial ninety-eight. Five of them have been accepted into the service of the Gods and Goddesses.

"The initial days of school were a little rough for our students. I'm sure that all of our graduates will agree with that. I'm confident that every one of them considered leaving the school during those first few days. Despite that rough beginning, we managed to have a retention rate of almost ninety-seven percent. That is an unheard of retention rate for a college or university.

"Over the past few days, I have asked our graduates about their plans for the future. Sixty of them are planning on going after advanced degrees in their areas of study. Thirty of them have accepted positions in key industries across the country. Such beginnings are impressive and bodes well for the future of this school."

Ed paused and took a sip of water to clear his throat. After swallowing, he said, "I talked to a man who retired not too long ago. He told me that when he graduated college, he knew he faced an uncertain future. He wondered where he would work, whom he would marry, and what kind of world he would live in.

"As he worked through his life, he only saw the daily grind. One project lead to the next. Everyday was much like the one before. He didn't think that he was accomplishing anything great.

"He told me that on the day of his retirement, he looked back over his career as many men are want to do. He realized that he had been part of many historic events in the course of his life. They weren't the big events that often made the newspapers, but minor ones that changed daily life. The projects he had worked upon produced things that people used to make their lives better. He had worked on many revolutionary devices.

"I mention this because I want you, our graduates, to leave here knowing that you will be inventing the future. The things you work on will become part of history. You are part of history. Never forget that. From this day forth, you are establishing your legacy by which future generations will know you.

"If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong. Follow those two rules and mankind will cherish you even while you live. Follow those two rules and history will remember you well."

Ed paused and looked around the room at the people gathered there. He couldn't help remembering how John and he had talked about starting the college one starry night atop the house in Arizona. The memory nearly drove him to tears. With emotion in his voice, he said, "John Carter would be proud of you. I know that I'm proud of each and every one of you. May the Gods and Goddesses bless you and protect you on your journey through life."

As the applause rose in volume, Ed returned to his chair on the stage of the auditorium. As much as he hated giving speeches, this was a speech he wouldn't have missed giving for the world. He watched as Oliver went to the podium.

Oliver said, "It is traditional in universities to have a commencement speaker of some national or international significance. We are breaking with that tradition. Instead, we asked our own Happy Harry to create a film with comments by individuals of national and international insignificance."

A screen lowered on the stage and a film started. The image of Happy Harry's face filled the screen. His twisted smile, the scar across his forehead, and unkempt hair gave him a slightly wild, but friendly appearance. The image slowly zoomed out so that it showed him leaning against his staff and wearing his green robes in front of an inner city backdrop that a well traveled person would recognize as part of Chicago.

A look of surprise crossed his face and then he said, "Oh, it's on. Okay. Ah... Congratulations to the first graduating class of the Druid College. I'm sure that you've learned all that you need to know, but there may be a few gaps in your education. A few of my friends here have a little advice to fill in on some of the lessons that you may have missed."

The image suddenly changed to a young man of about twenty years of age sitting on a cinder block in front of a fire. He said, "You say they're graduating college? What in the hell would they want to hear from us?"

The face of an old black man filled the screen as he answered, "Probably want to hear how to avoid becoming one of us."

"That's stupid, I didn't even graduate high school," answered the young man.

A woman's voice from off-screen said, "Introduce yourself, idiot. They got no idea who's talking."

The young man shrugged and said, "I'm the California Kid. Don't know why you'd want to know that. Black George says that you want me to tell you how to avoid becoming one of us. I figure you already know that -- you're graduating college. Probably got pretty good jobs lined up and all. Of course, some of the folk on the street graduated college and had good jobs at one time before life kicked them down. I guess my advice is don't let life kick you down."

The camera shifted to Black George who frowned and shook his head. He said, "I'm Black George and I guess it is up to me to introduce ourselves to you. We are the folks who Happy Harry calls the invisible people. We're bums, winos, and crazy folk with no other place to live except out on the street. He says we're invisible 'cause people choose not to see us. Of course, when something happens everyone sees us, so his description ain't exactly correct."

Pointing over at the California Kid, Black George continued, "The California Kid has been living on the street for close to six years. It might not look like it to ya'll, but the kid has done all right for his- self. He hasn't had to sell his body to get by, like so many of the others. As far as I know, he hasn't held up a liquor store or committed any other crime."

"Damn straight."

Black George chuckled at the interruption and said, "He doesn't have much book learnin', but he's smart except when he does something dumb. Of course, the same could be said of most people. They're all pretty smart except when they do something dumb. Everyone does something dumb from time to time."

The California Kid interrupted and said, "I guess one way to keep from ending up like us is to keep from doing the kinds of dumb things that got us here."

A woman's voice from off camera asked, "So what dumb thing did you do to get here?"

"I got beat up by my step-father and ran away from home," answered the young man. He was silent for a while as he considered the answer he had just given. The camera captured the introspective look on his face. He added, "I guess that wasn't so much dumb as bad luck."

The image on the screen changed to a street where a woman dressed in scanty clothes was leaning against a light post. She looked about thirty-five years old. Turning to face the camera, she asked, "He wants advice from a whore?"

Another woman, clearly a prostitute, entered the scene. She was Hispanic and wore a skirt that was so high that her underwear was showing. In a heavy accent, she said, "What Harry wants, Harry gets. He wants advice, you give him advice."

The first woman shrugged and, in a voice dripping with bitterness, said, "The only advice that I have is that if you want something from me, you're going to have to pay for it."

"Ain't that the truth. You got money and you can get anything. Of course, ya gotta use a rubber. No one, except my old man, gets me without a rubber."

The first woman frowned and said, "Giving it away. That's not for me."

The Hispanic woman looked at the other and asked, "It feels good."

"Good doesn't pay the rent."

"So how do you feel when someone pays you?"

The woman was silent for a moment as her eyes misted up. Some of the hardness dropped from her as she answered, "I lose a little bit of me each time. One of these days, I'm gonna sell the last little part of me and there will be nothing left."

"Yeah," agreed the Hispanic woman, "each time you sell yourself for money, you lose a bit of yourself."

The scene changed to a rural area. Centered in the image was a ramshackle building that was almost falling down. The entire building listed to the left as though caught in mid collapse. A grizzled old man stood on the porch waving an arm towards the camera. The focus wasn't very good and it wasn't possible to make out the details of the man on the porch. He shouted, "Get away from here, damn ya."

Happy Harry's voice called out, "It's me."

The old man shouted, "Oh, it's you. You're one meddlesome bastard. All I want is to be left alone."

"Why would you want to be left alone?" asked Harry.

"Screwing around with people hurts. Now get away from here before I sic my dogs on you."

"You know they won't hurt me," countered Harry.

"I know. Dogs can sense things about folks. You care about too many people. They'll rip your heart out one day and you'll end up just like me. Take my advice and find a good spot to squat where you can keep away from everyone before you get hurt. Now get gone!" The old man sat down on an old wood chair and rubbed the head of a flee-bitten dog that had seen too many days. It was clear that the man had a strong affection for the old animal.

The scene returned to Black George and the California Kid sitting around the fire. The California Kid had a stick that he was using to poke the fire. Looking over at the older man, he asked, "So why do you think there are so many of us?"

The light of the fire barely lit Black George's face. Fine beads of sweat on his shaved head picked up the light. The black man said, "Lots of reasons folks become invisible, kid. I'm not sure that anyone can know them all. Every one of us got our own demons that drive us. For some, it's the booze. For others, it's the family that beats 'em. I even heard of one guy who was so ugly he just hid from everyone."

"Bad luck?"

The black man's white teeth flashed in the dark as he snorted at the question. He answered, "Bad luck can be part of it. Mostly, I think it's because people are basically weak. Most folks don't realize that because they ain't never been pushed to their limit. A successful doctor makes one mistake and turns to the bottle. One day he ends up here because he wasn't able to turn away from his mistake or the bottle."

"So you're saying we're all weak," asked the California Kid. He tossed the stick into the fire with a negligent flip. Sparks flew from the fire and into the night sky.

"Yep. Happy Harry says we have to protect the weak from the strong. It makes you wonder what it means when everyone is weak."

The camera backed off so that a third man was visible. His nose was red from blood vessels that had broken as a result of years of drinking. He was shaking his head and said, "You're missing the point."

"What point is that, Red Nosed George?" asked Black George.

"We've all got our weaknesses and strengths. Doesn't matter who you are, you got weaknesses and you got strengths. We're the ones who let our weaknesses undermine all of our strengths. Others use their strengths to control their weaknesses."

The California Kid asked, "So what's with protecting the weak from the strong?"

"Some folks use their strengths to prey upon the weaknesses of the others. That's what you got to stop."

Black George shook his head and said, "It sounds too simple to me to be right, but I can't argue with you on it."

The film ended and Happy Harry approached the podium. In a quiet voice, he said, "I hope you've enjoyed meeting some of my friends. They aren't sophisticated, but they're good people who get by with a little less than most. They think about the same kinds of things as those who live in mansions. While sitting around the fire, selling their bodies on a street corner, or hiding on a porch, they ponder the great questions of life. Who am I? Why am I? What is the meaning of my life?

"I hope you remember them. The decisions you make could easily create more of the invisible folk. You shut down a construction project and one of the men let go reaches the point where he can't go on. It's a common story out there on the streets. Yes, please remember them all. The California Kid, Black George, Ginger, Maria, Kirk, and Red Nosed George are just representatives of those thousands who call our streets home.

"I wish to congratulate you on your great achievement. It is a remarkable feat and this world needs men and women of vision like you. My friends need your vision far more than they will ever admit.

"I would like to thank you in advance for the minutes, hours, days, months, and years that some of you will spend to improve life for my friends. May the Gods and Goddesses bless you and watch over you on your journey through life," Harry said with a half bow upon finishing.

As he returned to his seat, the graduating class stood to give him a standing ovation. Ed's speech had charged them with the need to adopt a vision. Harry's film had given them material to use in shaping that vision. The staff clapped and smiled while nodding their heads in approval of the presentation. More than half of the guests in attendance looked around confused by reaction of the graduates to the film.

One of the students walked to the stage and then over to the podium. She paused for a moment and then said, "In my first twelve years of education, I was taught to read, write, and do arithmetic. Oh, there was some other politically correct material thrown in, but basically I was taught to read, write, and do arithmetic. I graduated high school, confident that I knew as much as I needed to go forth in life. In my graduation ceremony, the principal of our high school went so far as to tell us that. I am ashamed to say that he was wrong.

"On the first day of college, I was asked to strip and put my clothes into a box. Standing in the hallway that connects the first year dorm and the administration building, I was sure that I had entered an insane asylum. I stripped off my clothes and put them into a box. Little did I realize at the time, that I was also removing my pretensions and prejudices.

"Over the course of that first year, we reviewed material I had been taught in the twelve previous years of school. It might sound like a waste of time, but I assure you that it wasn't. Reading became comprehension, writing became communication, and arithmetic became a logical framework that I could apply to the world around me. Looking back, I have to question why it had taken twelve years to achieve such a superficial understanding of the material I had been taught.

"I came to realize that in high school, popularity and social standing were more important than education. The effort expended to become popular and to achieve a significant social standing was tremendous. You would think that with such significance that it would have prepared me to interact with people. That supposition was proven false during that first year of college.

"In high school, every interaction with others was competitive and failure was rewarded by pain without pity. It was brutal and turned us into shallow hard individuals. Such an approach harms all that participate. It took a long time to scrub away the brutality, shallowness, and hardness that had been instilled within me.

"In the first year here, I learned about co-operation and collaboration. I was amazed to learn the power of a simple thank you. I learned that adopting a global perspective over a self- oriented view of interaction was far more enriching and rewarding for everyone involved, including myself. What an amazing revelation that had been.

"You would think that after having learned so much in the first year of college there would be little left to learn in the remaining five years. Such a thought would be wrong. Over the next four years, I learned to distinguish among fact, fallacy, and wishful thinking. Those were far harder lessons than I can convey in a simple speech. It is not easy to separate what is true from what people believe is true. It is even harder to resist the lure of that which we wish was true.

"The last year of study was the most challenging of them all. Until then, I was a gem in the rough. The last year was spent shaping and polishing by practicing my chosen field in a real environment. I was not a little intern doing a made-up project as is commonly the case. That is not how things work in this school. I was put in charge of a real project to develop a real product in an actual business. I took an idea from conception, to design, and on to manufacture."

The speaker paused to consult her notes. She continued, "So here I stand, a member of the first graduating class of the Druid College with the honor of speaking on behalf of my classmates. And on their behalf, I have to say what an honor it has been to go through a program led by such talented individuals as our Druid instructors.

"There is not enough that I can say about our instructors. Each of them desires that every student achieve greater success than achieved by them. They challenged us to master the material and make it our own. They challenged us to think beyond fact to achieve true knowledge. They pushed us to understand the principles on which facts were based.

"You may have noticed that I have not introduced myself. You may have noticed that my name is not listed in the program. The reason is that I talk on behalf of the graduating class and not for myself. I was not selected on the basis of any great accomplishments that distinguishes me from my classmates. I am proud to say that there is nothing that distinguishes me from them.

"You may wonder how it was that I came to be the student who addressed you on behalf of the graduating class. I was selected because I got a Bingo," the young woman said with a smile. The other graduates laughed knowingly.

"You heard me correctly. My fellow students and I got together and played a game of Bingo. I won, so I was elected to give this address. We chose this method of selecting a speaker because there is nothing special about any one of us. We are each unique, neither better nor worse than any other of our classmates. Any student here is capable of making this speech. In fact, a dozen of us worked on it together and it does represent the feelings and experiences of the graduating class.

"So on behalf of the first graduating class of the Druid College, I want to thank the Gods and Goddesses for the gift they have given us by providing John Carter with the vision to establish this place of learning. We have truly been blessed. Thank you," said the young woman as she gave a half bow to the audience. The students clapped wildly in support of their colleague.

Oliver walked to the podium as the heads of the three branches of the Druids formed a line to the side. Oliver announced, "Will the graduates please present themselves on the stage for the conferral of their diploma?"

In a very orderly manner, despite the fact that there had been no explicit instructions or rehearsal, the students rose and made their way to the stage. Rather than the typical black cap and gown, the graduates not chosen for service to a God or Goddess wore their blue robes with white sleeves.

As each student stepped onto the stage, Oliver announced his or her name. Proceeding across the stage, they were handed their diploma by the head of those who served the Goddess. They were then handed a small case containing a pen inscribed with the famous inscription, 'The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword, ' by the head of those who served the God. Ed handed out a small case containing a class ring. The ring was a simple band with a broad flat top that held a piece of onyx. The top was inscribed with, 'Visionary, ' above the stone and with, 'Druid College, ' below the stone.

It was a moving ceremony for faculty, graduates, and guests. The stately pace and confidence exuded by the graduates gave it a solemn feel that was impossible to ignore. Ed was saddened when it was over and had to return to his seat.

He waited for Oliver to close the ceremony when, to his surprise, the Grand Druid said, "This year we also had an unusual set of circumstances. Three very young individuals managed to graduate high school by attending our first year courses. We would like to acknowledge their accomplishment as well."

Ed looked out into the audience and saw the children sitting together. None of them looked as surprised as he felt. They stood when Oliver said, "Would you please present yourselves on stage to receive the honors you have earned?"

The three children made their way to the stage in order of their age. Ed watched with eyes misting as they each accepted a high school diploma. Looking out at his family, he could see his three wives were crying. At first he thought it might be pride, but then he realized that they were being forced to acknowledge that the children would be leaving soon. It was a bittersweet moment.

When the children had left the stage, Oliver declared that the ceremony was over. It had lasted less than forty-five minutes, but the graduates were clearly satisfied. Ed was sure that a few parents had been expecting a word or two about their contributions, but as far as Ed was concerned it was the graduates who needed to deliver that message.

Ed joined his family and, as a group, they headed to the sixth year dining room where food and drink were being served to all attendees. As they walked, Ed put a hand on Little John's shoulder and slowed to a halt before reaching the dining room. Once the rest of the family was out of earshot, Ed asked, "Whose idea was the high school graduation ceremony?"

"It was Oliver's idea."

"Why?" asked Ed believing that he knew that answer.

"Celebrating your successes is important. It was important for us, but it was also important for my mothers. They need to see and understand that we have passed a major milestone in our development as people," answered Little John looking over at his father.

Little John's words reinforced what Ed had thought. He nodded his head and replied, "I thought so. I guess we had better get in there and enjoy the celebration."

"It's an important day for you as well. You need to celebrate your success," commented Little John.

"What success?" Ed asked surprised at the assertion that he had a success.

"You saw Daddy John's idea through to completion."

"Go on in and enjoy yourself. I'll be in there in a minute," said Ed with a sudden tightness in his throat. He turned and headed towards the administration building. Upon reaching the building, he went down the hallway that would lead him to the entrance.

Ed stopped in front of the picture of John Carter that hung at the entrance of the administration building and looked over the image of his husband. Tears in his eyes, he reached out and touched the glass that protected the picture from the elements. In a soft voice, he said, "Well John, the first class has graduated. You'd be proud of them. They're all smarter than... I don't know. I've never seen a group of such smart kids gathered in one place. I wish you were here to see this day."

He could swear that he heard John say, "I saw." Aloud, Ed said, "I'm sure you did."

Standing alone in the lobby, Ed thought back to the night on the roof of the house where John and he had talked about starting the college almost nine years earlier. They had been watching the stars and John was searching for some way to use his money to further improve life for people. He'd been stuck until Ed had suggested opening a college for Druids.

Once John had embraced the idea of the college, he'd worked hard to see it become a reality. Ed recalled the trips out here to look at the building site with John and the architect. The buildings had risen slowly from the ground. The last one had been completed only three years ago. In the mean time, he had welcome six groups of freshman and watched as they had matured. Six years seemed like such a long time spent away from his beloved desert.

The school was important in the history of the family. Two children had been born in the infirmary of the school. Linda had struggled through a hard pregnancy with William. Ling had given birth to Betsy. John had died here creating a holy glade that would last for a millennium or longer. Two births and a death at this site made it a place of history for the Carter Clan. Shaking his head, he found it hard to believe that so much had happened here.

A chuckle slowly boiled up from his gut as he realized something important. He was actually going to miss being here. Grinning, he looked at the picture and said, "You old fox, you managed to make this humid green place a home for me too. I guess I'm now a wood rat as well as a desert rat."

He reached out and brushed the glass with his fingertips. Sighing, he said, "I guess I should get back to the party before I'm missed."

"Too late," Kelly said as she walked over to where he was standing. She looked at Ed and then at the picture. She put an arm around his and hugged it tightly.

Of the original four in the marriage, they were the only ones remaining. Ed said, "We need to add another picture to our wall of family members."

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked looking over at Ed.

"I'm starting to feel a little old. It's time we start looking for another husband. If this family is to live forever, we need to replenish it," Ed answered turning to look at Kelly.

She smiled and shook her head, once again amazed at the strength of her husband. Curious, she asked, "Any one in specific that you would like to add?"

"No one," answered Ed, "I know that we can't really replace someone like John, but I'm sure there is a good gentle person out there who we can all love."

"What about Dan?"

"He's getting married to Claire," answered Ed as if that prevented the young engineer from being considered.

"So, we add three more people to the family. Dan, Claire, and someone who we haven't met yet," countered Kelly. There were still rooms that stood empty in the house and accommodating three more wouldn't be a problem.

"We'll talk about it later. For now, I think it best to return to the party and send our first group of graduates out into the world in style," Ed replied.

Returning to the sixth year dining room, Ed was immediately surrounded by graduates. Among them was one woman who stood back, keeping her distance while watching everyone with amusement in her eyes. Of all the first years, she felt that she had grown and changed the most. She had entered the school aggressive and discontent with life, wanting and demanding more than what her life had held for her. Now she understood the message John Carter had tried to give her on that first day of school

The crowd slowly dissipated around Ed and she walked up to him. Smiling, she said, "I don't know if you remember me."

"Of course, I remember you, Carla. I'm pleased to see that you made it through the program."

"Well, I cashed the check John gave me on the first day of school," she announced. On the first day, John had given her a check for ten million dollars while asking if she would be satisfied with that much money. With that single act, he had taken away the single focus of her life and she had been cast adrift to find a new meaning for her life.

"Let me guess. You've given all of your classmates a portion of it and have set up some sort of fund for future graduates," said Ed.

"How did you know?" Carla asked him in shock.

"That's what John would have done," answered Ed with a grin. This was proof to him that John's vision had been realized. Curious, he asked, "How much did you put in the fund?"

"I gave everyone fifteen thousand dollars and put the rest in the fund for future classes," she answered. It was her intention to have him put in charge of managing the trust fund on behalf of future graduates.

Ed pulled out his checkbook and after taking a moment to calculate the amount in the fund, wrote a check for the same amount. Handing it over to her, he said, "Add this to the fund. It's a fine thing that you've done and it would be a shame if your thoughtful action did not survive because it wasn't funded enough."

Carla accepted the check with hands that trembled and looked up at Ed in shock. All thoughts of asking him to administrate the fund disappeared as she stared at the amount written on the chock. Biting her lower lip, she said, "Thank you. I'm sure that all future graduates will appreciate having startup capital upon graduating."

"It was your idea. I'm just pleased to contribute a little to it. I'm sure that other graduates will contribute to it when they make their fortunes," replied Ed. He bent down and kissed her on the forehead. In a soft voice, he said, "Thank you."

"For what?" she asked confused by his actions.

"For letting John and me know that the experience here has produced such fine people as you," answered Ed. Overcome by the emotion that accompanied that thought, he walked away feeling satisfied his sacrifices over the past six years had been worth it.



-------

Chapter 18

Lunch had been a quiet affair, the silence broken only by an occasional sniffle from one of the wives and the rattle of fork against plate. Kelly had been on the verge of tears ever since Chief Robert White Feather had picked up Beth and Little John to take them out to the reservation for their yearlong stay.

Ling kept bursting out in angry tears since Ed had told her that she couldn't stay on the reservation to be close to the kids. She knew he was right, but that didn't make her feel any better. She kept hugging Betsy as if to keep her from suffering the same fate as Little John. The attention was at such a frequency that Betsy was beginning to get irritated by the constant interruption of her movements. Leroy sipped his iced tea wondering how he could rescue Betsy from her mother's arms. The poor girl looked like she wanted to run away.

The food sat heavy in Ed's stomach despite the fact that it was Marguerite's cooking. She had prepared a great meal, but no one was in the frame of mind to enjoy it. He looked over at William and Dale as they toyed with their food. Every time Linda moved, William flinched afraid that she was going to grab him again. His clothes were messed up from dropping food off his fork as a result of his mother hugging him while he was eating. For the first time that Ed could remember, William actually looked his age.

Sitting back in his chair, he said, "Okay. Someone has to say it."

Looking over at Ed, Kelly put into words what all three women were thinking when she said, "They're gone. Our little babies are gone. They'll be coming back all grown up."

"Beth will be fifteen when she gets out of college. Little John will be fourteen. I don't think that makes them all grown up," commented Leroy. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew he had said the wrong thing. All three of the women broke out in tears. His shoulders slumped in frustration.

As tears flooded from her eyes, Linda hugged William to her chest as he was reaching for his glass of milk. Fortunately, he didn't spill the milk. She cried, "William's only five. He can't go away for seven years."

Dale sat beside William feeling very uncomfortable around the emotional women. Chief Robert White Feather had dropped him off at the house so that Ed could take them to the airport after lunch. They were leaving for the Native American College in two hours and it seemed to him that time had slowed to the point where two hours was going to last forever.

With his face pressed to her chest, it was difficult for William to breathe. He struggled out from his mother's grasp and took a deep breath. Weary, he said, "I'm going to suffocate if you keep doing that and you'll lose me forever."

Realizing that she was holding him too tightly, Linda relaxed her hold on him. In a tearful voice, she said, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to lose you."

"You are not losing me. I am going to the Native American College for two years. They hold classes according to the regular schedule, so I'll be home for summers. I'll only be gone for nine months," said William.

"That's forever," cried Linda.

"No, it's just long enough for me to return in time for Eddie to be born," William replied with a grin finding that he liked the idea of having a baby brother.

"Eddie?" Ed asked surprised by the announcement. He turned to Linda and asked, "Are you pregnant?"

"No," she replied.

"Yes," William answered, dropping a bombshell at the table that effectively halted all conversation. He looked down at his clothes and then over at Dale. Shaking his head at the mess, he said, "I'm going to change my clothes and load our gear into the van. Dale, would you like to help me with our gear?"

Happy to have a reason to leave the table, Dale said, "Sure."

William and Dale left the table. Betsy, seeing her chance to escape and move around without restriction, followed them out of the room. The room was silent after their exit. Marguerite came out of the kitchen and looked at the group around the dinner table. Most of the meal remained in the serving dishes or uneaten on the plates. Frowning, she knew better than to ask about the quality of the meal.

Stunned by William's news, Ed said, "I guess I'm going to be a father."

"He might be wrong," said Linda, knowing she was wrong even as she said it. William was never wrong about things like that. She brightened and exclaimed, "I'm going to be a mother!"

Kelly and Ling turned their attention to Linda and her good news. As they excitedly exchanged words, Ed slipped away from the table. As he passed the office, Cathy called, "Ed. I've got the envelope that you wanted for William."

The reminder was timely since Ed had completely forgotten about it. He stopped and accepted the envelope from her and put it into the pocket of his robe. He passed the envelope onto William at the airport two hours later. He was very sad to watch the plane take off and carry William to his destiny.

Six months after William had left for college; Ed stood on the roof of the house watching as a caravan of beat up trucks and older cars headed into town. He recognized the truck belonging to Awa Tsireh and, without turning to look at Nathan, said, "They are coming. Make sure that everything is set up in the tent."

"Who are they?" Nathan asked. In the past, Ed would give him some information on which to work. This time Ed had told him nothing except that he expected over twenty visitors that day and he was to set up a hospitality tent with food catered by Maria's Cantina.

"You don't need to know," answered Ed while watching the caravan turn onto the street leading to the house. Abruptly, he turned and headed towards the stairs to be in place to greet his visitors. His black robe flowed around him as he moved.

Confused by the answer, Nathan followed Ed down the stairs before heading to the tent that had been set up in the back yard. Ed went out to stand in the driveway for the caravan while Nathan went out the back door.

When the caravan came to a halt in the driveway, Ed fought his natural tendency to approach them. He waited for everyone to get out of their vehicles and approach him. Raising his right hand, he said, "Welcome friends to the house of Clan Carter."

"Greetings, Ed Biggers," replied the men as they approached in a disorganized ramble. No one rushed or dawdled, but made their way to him at their own speed. Each man carried a carton of cigarettes as a gift for Ed.

Nathan came out the front of the house to stand beside Ed. He watched as each man handed Ed a carton of cigarettes; introduced themselves along with the tribe to which they were a member to Ed; and then stood off to the side. The men represented tribes from all over the western portion of the country.

When Ed had too many cartons of cigarettes to carry, he handed them to Nathan and said, "Take them in the house and then go next door. Tell Dan to come over to the tent and then I want you to leave."

"Leave? You've sent everyone away. Someone has to handle security," countered Nathan feeling uneasy about getting sent away. He had no idea what was going on, but it appeared to be very important.

Irritated that Nathan was interrupting the greetings, Awa Tsireh said, "Go away. Our business here does not concern you."

"Leave, Nathan. The men with Chief Robert White Feather are members of the tribal police. They will handle security," said Ed in a tone of voice that suggested Nathan would have better luck arguing with a wall.

Nathan looked at the group of six young men with Chief Robert White Feather and nodded his acceptance of Ed's orders. Turning, he went into the house. Ed returned to greeting the other men. When the last one had introduced himself, Ed said, "I have a tent in the back where we may eat and talk."

"That is good to hear," said one of the men.

Chief Robert White Feather gestured to the men with him as he said, "You three will guard the front of the house. You two will guard the far side of the house. You three will come with me to guard the near side and the tent."

Gesturing for them to follow him, Ed led the way around the house to the tent in the back. The canvas tent was twenty feet by twenty feet and ten feet tall along the centerline. Nathan had rented it from a rental place, trying to match what Ed had requested with what they stocked.

Ed opened the door to the tent and watched as his guests entered the tent. There were blankets arranged in a circle along the floor for the men to sit upon. The men entered and then took seats on the floor. Awa Tsireh, just before entering the tent, handed Ed a long package wrapped in a small quilt. Realizing what he had been handed, Ed said, "You have honored me."

"You do not know what you have discovered," replied Awa Tsireh as he entered and took a seat in the circle.

Ed waited the few minutes that it took for Dan to arrive. The engineer was confused by the invitation and became even more surprised when he glanced inside the tent. Nervous, he asked, "Are you sure that you want me here?"

"Yes. You were specifically requested," answered Ed. In a low voice that wouldn't carry, he added, "Take the seat to my left and don't say anything until you are called upon."

Once Dan entered, Ed gestured to Chief Robert White Feather to stand guard at the door of the tent. Seeing the man approach the tent, Ed went inside and took his seat. Sitting down tailor fashion, Ed looked around and said, "We are all here."

Awa Tsireh said, "Ed Biggers, we thank you for your kind invitation to meet with you on this matter."

"I thank you for coming," replied Ed. He unwrapped the quilt with great care and removed the ancient pipe from within its folds. Opening a small pouch of pipe tobacco, he filled the bowl. Using a cheap lighter, he lit the pipe sucking through the stem without inhaling. Once the pipe was lit, he took a single draw and blew the smoke up towards the center of the circle. He handed the pipe to the Awa Tsireh who was seated to his right.

It took a few minutes for the pipe to make its way around the circle of men. When it was handed to Dan, he was tempted to pass it on, but seeing the look being given him he inhaled through the stem. Coughing and with tears coming out the corners of his eyes, he handed the pipe to Ed. Ed accepted the pipe and set it gently on the ground where it rested on the quilt. Although he knew the answer to his question, Ed asked, "What matter is it that you wish to discuss with me?"

Eskieah, an Apache Medicine Man, said, "You sent a note to us through your son. We have come to discuss what you wrote in that note."

"I thought that might be the case."

Dan wondered what note Ed had sent. It seemed odd to him that he was invited to a meeting because Ed sent a note to Eskieah. He was about to ask, but a look from Ed kept him quiet.

"It is an interesting note. You describe something that should not exist, but there is no way you should know about it," said Eskieah with a frown. The note about the hole in the desert had sent shock waves through the Medicine Men of many tribes. The description of the hole had immediately suggested that it was an ancient kiva, a ceremonial structure used by the Pueblos. The remainder of the text suggested something far more significant.

Gi Ma To, a Sioux Medicine Man, asked, "Have you ever heard of the Ghost Dance?"

Shaking his head, Ed answered, "No."

"When Sitting Bull was a Chief of our people, a Paiute Medicine Man named Wovoka created the Ghost Dance. Dancers wore brightly colored shirts emblazoned with images of eagles and buffaloes. By dancing and wearing the shirts, the young braves believed that they would become invulnerable to bullets fired by white men," explained Gi Ma To shaking his head. The end result had been the death of a large number of Sioux in a massacre. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "It didn't work and many braves died."

"That was the last of the great dances intended to rid the world of the white men," commented one of the other men, "but it was not the first."

Eskieah said, "Before the Ghost Dance, there was the dance created by Nochedelklinne. His teachings were a call to leave revenge to the almighty giver of life, Usen. He prophesied that whites would soon vanish and there would be a return of the great chiefs. It united our tribe at a time when there were many different factions. When he was killed, Juh, Geronimo and a group of Chiricahuas escaped from the reservation and fought the whites."

Recalling one of the few facts about Geronimo that he knew, Ed said, "Geronimo wasn't a Chief. He was a Medicine Man."

"Yes, he was. I admit I'm surprised that you knew he wasn't a Chief. Few whites even know he was an Apache rather than something you scream when you jump out of a plane," said Eskieah while chuckling.

"So Geronimo came up with a new dance?" asked Ed.

A look of real surprise came over Eskieah as he considered the question. It was a question he had never considered, but he was sure that wasn't an explanation. Shaking his head, he answered, "I don't think so. I think the explanation points to an even earlier dance."

A Pueblo Medicine Man by the name of Kotyit said, "Early in the invasion of the white man into the land of our tribe, there was a revolt that drove the Spanish from our territory. No other tribe in the southwest succeeded in doing this and we were not reconquered for many years. Although we were under the Spanish, then Mexicans, and finally the U.S., we preserved our traditional culture far better than many other tribes."

Curious as to when that occurred, Ed asked, "When was that?"

"1680. They resisted the Spanish for twelve years until they were reconquered in 1692."

"What has this to do with dances?" asked Ed not seeing the connection.

Kotyit answered, "We believe that a Medicine Man found a dance."

Puzzled, Ed tried to put all of the pieces together and was coming up several pieces short. Giving in, he guessed, "Are you telling me that the dance worked for twelve years?"

"No. We believe the dance has worked for over four hundred years and is still working," said Kotyit.

Awa Tsireh explained, "The signs that you included in your note was a major clue. Our people didn't use signs, preferring to keep an oral history. However, Aztecs in Mexico did use signs to record events and they also practiced human sacrifice."

"So are you telling me that back in 1680, a Medicine Man of your tribe had gone to Mexico and then returned to create a dance?" asked Ed.

"We think that is exactly what happened. From what we were able to make out from the symbols, five members of our tribe and four Spaniards were sacrificed into that hole. According to the message, so long as the number of our people was greater than the number of Spanish in that hole, our people would be victorious," answered Kotyit. Although that was the explanation they had found, the only problem was that there wasn't any oral history on which to base it. He added, "If it happened, then the Medicine Man and all those involved must have died before they ever told anyone what they had done."

There was a sound of truth to that explanation, but the results suggested the contrary. Ed asked, "So why did your people fail after twelve years?"

Awa Tsireh answered, "We think that in 1692, a white man fell into the hole and died. That created a balance in which neither group could claim full victory. Although we were conquered, we retained our culture far longer and better than other tribes in the area. We also think that another white man fell into the hole much later. Our tribe has suffered much over the past seventy years."

"Interesting. So what are you going to do about it?" Ed asked.

Eskieah said, "In your letter, you told us what you observed. We want to hear from Dan what he observed."

Surprised to be mentioned, Dan looked around for a second as all eyes turned to him. Ever since seeing the Two-Sided One, every attempt to talk about that afternoon when Ed and he had found the hole in the desert had ended with him unable to speak. Swallowing, he said, "I saw a hole in the ground. Nothing more."

"You saw nothing?"

"That's right. I drove up to the hole and tried to look in, but Ed called me back."

"What did you see when you tried to look in?"

"Nothing. It was just dark in there," answered Dan realizing that he was able to talk about the experience. Surprised, he said, "Hey, I can talk about it."

Eskieah asked, "What do you mean, you can talk about it?"

Holding onto his medallion, Ed answered, "The Two-Sided One assured his silence by preventing him from being able to talk about it with anyone but the proper individuals."

The answer caused a significant reaction among the men gathered in the tent. One of the men asked, "Why would your God care?"

"The Two-Sided One is both a God and a Goddess," explained Ed patiently. He paused to think about how to answer the question. "One of our rules is to protect the weak from the strong. That hole appears to violate our rule and I think the Two-Side One is giving you a chance to correct the situation. I don't know what would happen if another white man were to explore that hole and die. Perhaps the Native American College would fail and your culture might be destroyed."

Ed's answer created a lot of excitement among the men gathered in the tent. It was a scenario that none of them had considered. Dan thought about it in light of what William had said about the political power that would result from uniting the tribes under a single identity. Surprised at the direction his thoughts had taken, he said, "Your culture is under serious attack already. Television, music, and gambling casinos must be eating away at it like crazy. I'm surprised it has survived this long. I'd suggest that the Native American College is the last battle in a war that has been waged since before 1680."

His announcement brought stunned silence to all of the men gathered there. Gi Ma To said, "We need to consider your words. They suggest much about things that we have not understood for a long time."

"I agree," said most of the men.

One of the men said, "We must send someone to the site to observe it."

"I will go there with Kotyit," Eskieah said to the nods of everyone gathered there.

Ed said, "I will take you there when you are ready."

Eskieah announced, "I think that our business is done for now."

Carefully picking up the pipe, Ed lit it and took a puff from it. Blowing the smoke to the sky, he passed the pipe to his right. After the pipe had made the circuit around the tent, Ed carefully removed the hot plug and wrapped the pipe in the quilt. Once that was done, he announced, "We have food on the tables at the far end of the tent. Please help yourself."

It was a subdued group that met at the tables. After Ed had handed the pipe to Awa Tsireh, he went to join the others. Once there, he asked, "Are any of you instructors at the Native American College?"

Eskieah and Gi Ma To both answered, "I am."

Going over to the two men, Ed asked, "How's my son doing?"

Gi Ma To paused for a moment before he answered, "It was a little rough at the beginning until William demonstrated he had the skills to take care of himself. I would like to meet the person who trained him to fight. He's very good."

Eskieah said, "All of his instructors are impressed by him. It's hard to believe that a six year old is so knowledgeable and wise."

Although William had predicted that he would have a difficult time at first, it bothered Ed to know that the prediction was right. He asked, "How bad was it in the beginning?"

"Well, no one took him seriously. In many of the physical activities, he was considered a liability on teams. It wasn't until the students participated in mock raids that his real value was demonstrated. Somehow, he kept showing up in the right places at that right time," Gi Ma To answered. He had found it almost eerie how the young man was always where he was needed. If William hadn't been so strongly tied to the Great Spirit, he would be the ideal warrior when he grew into his full strength.

"Academically, he is holding his own," Eskieah said. The young man was not used to relying upon oral renditions of history.

"Holding his own?" asked Ed surprised by that characterization of William's ability to learn.

"He was used to learning through books rather than storytelling. He was very uncomfortable in classes when everyone gathered around the storyteller. I think that for a long time he relied upon the books that his mother wrote, but he has adjusted to the differences in teaching styles," explained Eskieah. The reliance upon the written word had surprised the instructor since children of William's age normally didn't read and were avid fans of oral stories.

"I hadn't thought of that. William has always turned to books to learn everything. I doubt he's asked more than a dozen questions in his entire life," Ed mused as he considered the basic character of his son.

After eating, Ed went outside to talk to Chief Robert White Feather. He asked, "Robert, how are the kids doing?"

"They are doing fine," answered Robert with a grin. He had been wondering how long it would take Ed to come ask about his family.

"That's good to hear. What are they doing?"

"John has joined one of the tribal baseball teams and plays right field. He's not too bad for his age. I thought because of how smart the kids are that they wouldn't fit in with the other kids. When it comes to playing though, they are just your normal kind of kids," said Robert. He had been very worried that the other kids on the reservation would label them nerds or palefaces and have nothing to do with them.

"Yeah. I've always enjoyed playing with the kids. Are they playing Hunt The Bug-Eyed Monsters?"

"Seems to be the new craze on the reservation," Robert answered with a chortle. In his day, it had been Cowboys and Indians and no one wanted to be the Indian. Now, no one wanted to be the Bug- Eyed Monster and that was okay because you didn't really need anyone to play that part. He recalled the day when he'd come into the recreation center to check up on John and Beth. Much to his surprise, he had found a bunch of kids yelling and shouting as their pretend spaceships chased after the monsters.

"It's a good activity for those days when the weather keeps the kids indoors. I really enjoy playing it," said Ed wishing he were with the kids.

Laughing at the unexpected statement, Robert asked, "You play?"

"You bet. John and I played that with the kids all of the time," answered Ed recalling the wonderful afternoons spent with the children.

"Beth donated a bunch of radio controlled cars to the activity center. The rest of the kids built an obstacle course behind the activity center. Half the time, you find them out there racing their cars through the obstacle course. It's much better than the video games the kids used to play," commented Robert. The kids had spent almost a week making the course and every week they added changes to it.

Ed relaxed and said, "It sounds to me like the kids are having a good time there. You don't know how much that means to me."

It was the next day when Kotyit, Eskieah, and Ed saddled their horses to ride out to the pit Ed had found. The horses for his guests had been borrowed from the Auction House and he hoped the two men were pleased with the animals. Ed tightened the chinches on the saddle and turned to watch the other two men at work. He commented, "I hope the horses are okay."

"They are fine. This one reminds me of my workhorse that I keep up at my ranch. Mine is a palomino, but has the same spirit as this horse," replied Kotyit.

Eskieah looked over at Ed noting that the man was now dressed in blue jeans, work shirt, and cowboy hat. As he worked with the horse, it was easy to tell that Ed was comfortable around the animals and had once made his living on a horse.

Although Eskieah had stayed in the house overnight, he found it hard to believe how wealthy the family was based on Ed's behavior. There wasn't any pretence of wealth in any word or action by any member of the family. Even the staff was treated as members of the family. More often than not, the family did things that most people with their kind of money allowed others to do for them.

"What are you doing for William's financial future?" asked Eskieah curious about his student. Based on the wealthy background, he had expected the boy to behave like a spoiled rich kid. William had surprised him when, like many of the other students, the boy had taken a part-time job to get spending money. It was clear that there was no need for him to work based on his family's wealth.

Surprised by the blunt question about money, Ed turned to look at Eskieah. Deciding that the man meant no harm, he answered, "William is already a millionaire and will receive more money when he turns eighteen and the rest of his inheritance when he turns twenty-one. He will never need to worry about money."

"He works part-time in the library for spending money," said Eskieah wondering why William would rather live off the thirty- dollars a week that he earned at the school rather than his money.

"Excellent," replied Ed with a smile and more than a little pride that his son was willing to work.

"You are proud of him for working," commented Kotyit.

"There's nothing wrong with working and I'm pleased that our work ethic has carried onto the children," said Ed although he had no idea how that had happened.

Eskieah said, "There is one thing that I'm curious about. There are five books that your son seems to read over and over. They are science fiction books."

"I know what you mean. He's always reading Foundation, Second Foundation, Foundation and Earth, Dune, and Dune Messiah. I'll admit that none of us understand his fascination with them," replied Ed. He kept telling himself that he was going to have to read them, but he had never gotten around to doing it.

They mounted up and rode out to the far end of the property. The ride was uneventful although the men took their time and talked as they rode. It was a pleasant trip to the pit. When they reached it, the tension suddenly increased to nearly unbearable levels. Kotyit looked at the pit and shook his head. In a quiet voice, he said, "There is something horribly wrong here."

Climbing off his horse, Eskieah approached the pit on foot. He nodded his agreement as he walked around it. Ed noticed that the man kept outside the transparent dome of power that he could see over the hole in the ground. Eskieah said, "It is far worse than I thought. It does not have the feel of anything done by any tribe I know."

Kotyit climbed off his horse and joined the other by the edge of the pit. Squatting beside the other man, he commented, "It feels old, very old."

"I agree," said Eskieah as he picked up some dirt and rolled it between his fingers. He smelled the soil and frowned as his thoughts turned inwards. His stomach twisted from close proximity to the site.

"Do you feel it pulling you into it?" asked Kotyit. An injured man or one suffering from the heat would be unlikely able to resist its call.

"Yes," answered the other.

Ed sat on his horse a good distance from the pit watching the two men. There was no way that he was going to approach any closer. He could feel the wrongness of the place radiating out from the center and felt uneasy. Having heard their theories about the place, he could feel they were close to the truth. It was clear to him that there was more to the story than had been guessed.

"This is a source of ill for all of our peoples," Eskieah said in anger. He stood and returned to his horse followed by Kotyit.

When they both had mounted, Kotyit said, "It was not done by any of our people although I sense that the spirits trapped inside are of our people."

Ed was silent for a moment while he considered all that he had learned. As his horse shuddered, he said, "The Inca and Aztec disappeared. I wonder if this was the only place where such a dance was done."



-------

Chapter 19


After Claire had dropped them off at the entrance, Kelly, Ling, and Ed walked into the Maria's Cantina located in Phoenix. They did not expect to find Maria there since she had retired from the day to day operation of the restaurants. She continued to manage what had become a growing chain, but had left inspections and quality control to her sister Rosa.

The reason they were at the restaurant was a mystery to everyone. Ed had a feeling that something important was going to happen and asked Claire to turn into the restaurant at the last minute. It was almost as if William had shouted, "Go there now!"

As the door clanged to a close behind her, Ling asked, "What are we doing here?"

"I don't know," Ed answered as he looked over the restaurant with narrowed eyes. Two coarse looking Hispanic men in their early twenties were crowded together in front of the register. The woman at the register looked frightened, but he couldn't see why until one of the men turned such that a gun was visible. Shaking his head, he said, "Robbery."

Ling spun around to see what he meant and saw the activity at the cash register. She was ready to move when one of the holdup men saw them and shouted, "Oh shit!"

The other holdup man looked over at Ed and Kelly standing at the door in their robes. He frowned for a second without saying a word and studied the Druids at the door with dead eyes. He raised his gun and aimed directly at Ed. Ed had no doubts the young man was going to fire and, from five feet away, there wasn't any chance he would miss. Before the holdup man had a chance to pull the trigger, he was thrown against the counter before falling to the ground. A young man had plowed into him with a football tackle and taken him out. The young man followed the gunman to the floor pounding on him with his fist.

Quick to protect the family, Ling leapt into the fight. She took out the second gunman with a single blow to the neck before he could shoot their rescuer or Ed. Never one to use a subtle approach, she made sure the man wouldn't ever be able to fire his pistol. A pair of pistols lay on the floor where the gunmen had dropped them. She kicked the loose pistols away from the area of the action.

Even as Ling was taking care of the second gunman, Ed moved to protect the woman behind the counter. Despite the fact she was on the verge of hysteria, it didn't take long for him to get her well away from the register area. Once in the kitchen, Ed shouted to get through her emotional state. "It's okay. You're safe now."

The typical noise of a restaurant kitchen died as the cooks and dishwasher noticed what was going on. Curious cooks crowded around the pair hoping to discover why the cashier was in the kitchen crying her eyes out. Outside of whispered comments to each other, all other noise disappeared.

The cashier clung to Ed for dear life, sobbing emotionally. Her entire life had passed before her eyes and, considering what little of it there had been, she was underwhelmed. Putting his arms around her, he hugged and comforted her as best he could without knowing what was actually going through her mind. Shaking his head, Ed thought to himself that it had been a long time since he had rescued a damsel. He knew the wives would give him lots of grief over this.

"It's about time you rescued another woman. I was beginning to get worried about you," Kelly said from behind Ed in a voice that was highly amused. She had a hard time suppressing a laugh at the look he gave her.

Without releasing the woman, Ed said, "I knew you were going to say something about this."

"Claire is out there having a fit about this little episode," Kelly said looking over her shoulder and through the window of the service door. She could see Claire gesturing angrily at Ling.

The woman finally collected herself and pulled away from Ed. Smiling down at her, he pulled his ever-present handkerchief from his pocket and presented it to her. She accepted it and dabbed her eyes to remove her tears. In a calm comforting voice, Ed asked, "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, I am," she replied before blowing her nose into the hanky. She blushed at the noise she made.

Looking around for some place for her to sit, Ed noticed the manager's office. Opening the door, he said, "Why don't you wait in here until you've collected yourself?"

Unaware that anything had happened in the store, the manager rose out of her chair curious as to why her cashier was being led into the office by a stranger. She asked, "What's going on here?"

The woman, having someone she knew at hand, rushed over to the manager and hugged her. Upset once again, she cried out, "We were almost robbed and he stopped it."

Looking past the woman, the manager saw enough of Ed to make out his attire. Her eyes got big upon catching sight of the black robe. Swallowing heavily, she asked, "Ed Biggers?"

"Yes."

"I'll call Maria and let her know what has happened. I'm sure that she'll want to talk to you," the manager said. Everyone who worked for Maria or Rosa knew about the black robed Druid who was a friend of the pair. It was half a second later when she noticed Kelly standing behind Ed wearing her Green robe.

As the manager took care of the cashier, Ed turned to face Kelly. Curious, he asked, "Who was the hero?"

"I don't know," answered Kelly knowing that Ed was referring to the man who had taken out the gunman. She said, "He didn't stop pounding on the guy until Ling asked him if she could have a turn. I think she was rather impressed."

"What impressed her? The fact that he kept hammering on him long after it was necessary or that he stopped to give her a turn?" Ed asked wryly.

"Hard to say," Kelly said with a chuckle.

Ed took Kelly by the hand and said, "Let's go see what's happening out front."

The couple went through the service door. Where the kitchen had been quiet, the area around the cash register was absolute chaos. The authorities were already there in full force since the restaurant was only two minutes from a hospital and one minute from a police station.

A very irritated Ling was arguing with a policeman. Claire was arguing with a different policeman about his failure to follow proper crime scene procedures. Two men were loading the gunman who had tried to kill Ed onto a gurney. The other gunman had been covered and Ed shook his head at the unnecessary death. The young man who had tackled the gunman was standing to the side with his hands behind his back. It was clear that he was handcuffed.

After looking around at the chaos for several seconds, Ed shouted, "Everyone quiet!"

The two cops spun to see who had made the noise. Seeing two Druids, they immediately froze and reconsidered their reactions to outside interference. It was well known in law enforcement circles that when a Druid wanted to take over a crime scene it was best to stand out of their way. Pointing at one of the policemen, Ed said, "You, remove the handcuffs from that man and take his statement. You, come over here and take my statement."

The two policemen moved to follow his commands. The senior policeman showed up and opened his notepad as he said, "Sorry, I didn't realize that Druids were involved."

Ignoring the reference to Druids being involved, Ed said, "My name is Ed Biggers -- spelled like it sounds."

He paused as the cop busily scribbled his name down in the notepad. Once he was sure the cop had his name correct, Ed, pointing to the man on the gurney, continued, "He was about to shoot me when that man over there tackled him. I have no idea who he is, but he definitely saved my life."

"His name is Chuck Chambers," the cop mumbled as he wrote furiously. The last thing he wanted to do was to screw up in front of a Druid.

Making note of the name, Ed said, "The man under the sheet moved to shoot that young man and my wife took him out. I'm afraid that she took the expedient approach and made it permanent. It is a clear case of self-defense. He was armed with a pistol and my wife was unarmed."

"Does she have martial arts training?" asked the cop. He had seen the results of her blow to the neck and knew what it implied.

"Yes. She's nationally ranked," answered Ed.

"So she wasn't exactly unarmed?"

"You know that deadly force is allowed against a man using a gun during the execution of a crime," countered Ed.

"True," replied the cop after a moment of thought. It wasn't quite true if the person facing a criminal was a policeman. It was strict department policy that they were to shoot to stop rather than shoot to kill even if the criminal was shooting at him. He asked, "What's the black woman got to do with this?"

"She's one of our security people and a former Phoenix police officer," answered Ed.

The cop looked over at Ed for a moment as the coins finally dropped and he realized with whom he was dealing. Looking down at his notes, he said, "I should talk to the cashier and get her version of the events."

"She's in the manager's office. It's through the service door over there," Ed said while pointing towards the door.

"Thank you. If I have anymore questions I'll get in touch with your people," said the cop backing away. The sooner he could get these people out of here, the happier he would be.

Smiling, Ed watched the cop head into the kitchen. The young man who had tackled the gunman came up and said, "Hey, I didn't see you there when I went after that guy. If I had known a Druid was around, I'd have let you handle it. I hope you're not disappointed that I charged in and stole your action. You'd have probably handled it a whole lot better than I did. I'm really sorry."

Stunned, Ed stared at the guy incredulous at what he was saying. Shaking his head, Ed said, "Chuck..."

"Wow, you Druids are really amazing. You even know my name," exclaimed the young man. For years he had heard about how Druids were heroes who rescued people in nearly impossible circumstances. In his mind, he had built them up into superheroes and wouldn't have been surprised to see one leap a tall building in a single bound. Not realizing that Ling was with Ed, he turned to her and asked, "Can you believe this guy was actually able to guess my name?"

Barely able to keep from laughing, Ling answered, "The officer told him your name."

"Oh," replied Chuck feeling a little embarrassed.

"I'm very glad you took care of the situation. He was about to shoot me and there was nothing I could have done about it. I'd have been dead if not for you," Ed said.

"Oh," replied Chuck thoughtfully. He frowned when it dawned on him that Ed wasn't a superhero. He studied Ed and Kelly with an eye that was a little more realistic in its appraisal. In a quieter voice, he said, "Then I'm glad that I acted the way that I did."

Ed examined Chuck carefully. He appeared to be in his late twenties, although he was already showing signs of male pattern baldness. He stood nearly six feet tall and weighed 180 pounds. The tackle he had used to take out the gunman suggested the man had played high school football. The fact that he hadn't gone to flab further suggested he still worked out to keep trim.

Claire came up and said, "I've got us a table over there in the corner where we can wait until the keystone cops get done."

"What's the matter?"

"Just a little irritated those two immediately assumed Ling and Chuck had done something wrong," answered Claire with a hint of disgust in her voice. She shot a dirty look in the direction of one of the policemen. She was probably much better trained than either officer, but they had her writing parking tickets and that still grated on her nerves.

"Come with us, Chuck. I'd like a chance to talk with you a little more," said Ed letting the topic of Claire's frustration drop. He knew it was a residual consequence of her treatment while she was with the Phoenix Police Department.

Ed went back to the table Claire had indicated earlier. Chuck followed, but stopped at another table and picked up a glass of watery soda from it. Ed sat down and looked around the restaurant. Most of the guests had cleared out as a result of the excitement.

Chuck sat down and said, "I don't know what to call you."

"Oh, sorry. I'm Ed Biggers. The oriental dynamo over there is Ling, one of my wives. The lady in the green robe is Kelly, another one of my wives. The black woman is Claire. She's one of our security people."

Chuck wondered what kind of mission Ed was on that required a security detail. Rather than ask the question, he asked, "Is Ling the person who took out the other robber?"

"Yes, she did. He was about to shoot you," answered Ed.

"I had figured another one of the customers would take care of him. Just about everyone in here was a man," said Chuck shaking his head. Disturbed that none of the other men in the restaurant had acted, he added, "A lady shouldn't have to get involved in a brawl like that."

"Ling has trained her whole life to be able to act in those kinds of situations." Ed wasn't going to mention that Ling had a tendency to use more force than necessary. It bothered him a lot and he was going to talk with her about it later.

Looking around the restaurant, Chuck said, "Well, consider me old fashioned, but I think men should step up to these kinds of things and protect women. I'm not a chauvinist, you understand. It's just a fact that most men are physically stronger than women are."

Hardly surprised at the way Chuck had phrased it, Ed asked, "So you think the strong should protect the weak?"

"Well, the weak should always be protected. You don't have a civilized society otherwise," answered Chuck with a negligent shrug of his shoulders. He felt that he had just uttered a universal truth and didn't need to justify it any more than stating it.

"What do you do for a living?" asked Ed as Kelly and Ling joined them at the table.

Chuck sat up straighter and answered, "I own a little networking company. We've been doing Metropolitan Area Networks for a lot of the towns in this state and now we're connecting the towns. We just got the contract to expand and maintain the state highway network. In fact, I was here to celebrate the signing of the contract before heading back to the office to announce the fact to my employees."

Ling and Kelly exchanged glances, impressed by the accomplishments of someone who was so young. Ed knew that a company capable of landing city and state contracts for networking couldn't be little. He estimated the worth of the young man was close to hundred and twenty million and appreciated the fact that he wasn't boasting about how rich he was. He said, "Impressive. I hope you're an honest man. That's a lot of responsibility."

"You bet. I know people's lives could depend on my networks being up. You can't cut corners on something so important. I mean, imagine someone having an accident in the middle of the desert and no one able to contact the authorities because the network is down. The thought gives me nightmares," said Chuck as his body shook because of a shiver that ran down his spine.

"Yes, we tend to rely upon the infrastructure of this country without giving it much thought," commented Kelly even as she glanced over at Ling with a meaningful look.

Ling was about to ask a question when a shout rang out through the restaurant, "Ed, where are you?"

Smiling upon identifying the speaker based on her voice, Ed shouted, "Rosa, we're back here."

Rosa charged into the dining room and made a beeline for the table. Breathless, Rosa asked, "Are you guys alright?"

Chuckling at her flushed face and flustered expression, Ed answered, "Yes, we're fine."

"Thank you for stopping that robbery."

"Chuck here deserves a lot of the credit for that, Rosa," explained Ed while gesturing to the young man seated next to him.

Taking a seat, Rosa listened as Ed described what had happened. While Ed talked, Kelly gestured to Ling by pointing to one of the fingers on her left hand. Ling followed through on the implied instruction and then winked back at Kelly with a cat ate the canary grin. The woman held a whispered conversation while Ed, Chuck, and Rosa talked about the attempted robbery.

The conversation at the table was interrupted when the senior police officer came over to the table and, after waiting for a pause in the discussion, announced, "Our investigation is finished. I need contact information so that we can forward it to the DA."

Simultaneously, Ed and Chuck reached for their cards. Ed handed over a family card and Chuck handed over one of his business cards. While they were doing that, the cashier came over to talk to Rosa.

The cop glanced at the cards and nodded his head. In a respectful tone of voice, he said, "Thank you."

As they left, Chuck commented, "You know, sometimes when people find that you have a bit of money they start treating you differently from others. When that other police officer found out who I was, he started saying 'yes sir' and 'no sir.' It bothers me that people treat others based on how much money a person is worth."

Trying hard not to laugh, Kelly said, "I've observed the same thing."

Glancing at his watch, Chuck stood and said, "I better be going. I'll tell the cashier to put your bill on mine. It's been a pleasure..."

Rosa interrupted, "You don't have to worry about ever paying for a meal at a Maria's Cantina again."

"What do you mean?" asked Chuck confused by her statement.

"I'll get you a lifetime card for free meals," said Rosa unaware of the wealth of the man who had stopped the robbery.

"She's one of the owners of this chain," said Ed with a smile.

"Oh, I didn't realize that. I don't really need that. I'll let you buy my lunch today, but that's all," said Chuck turning down the offer with a grin. He pointed to Ling and said, "If anyone deserves such a card, it is Ling. She saved my life."

Everyone at the table laughed at the suggestion. Rosa answered, "I've been trying to give them free meals for years without success."

It was well known that most Druids were not wealthy individuals. The press often made a point of that when they covered a story involving a Druid, so Chuck was rather surprised to learn that these Druids turned down the chance to save a little money. Rather than pursue the issue, he said, "Well, I'll let you folks be on your way. I'm sure that you have something far more important to do than talk with me."

With a nudge from Ling, Kelly handed him a family card as she said, "I'd like to invite you for dinner Friday evening. I'm sure that our place is out of your way, so be prepared to spend the night."

Chuck glanced down at the card and then took a double take. Pursing his lips, he asked, "Carter Clan? As in John Carter?"

When everyone else smiled, Rosa answered, "Yes."

"Oh," Chuck said finding it hard to believe that he had been talking to some of the richest people in the country. He decided that he had been very lucky this afternoon to find someone who would make a very valuable business partner. After a moment of thought, he said, "Sure, I'll come by Friday."

"Great," said Ling with a large smile.

Later that evening, Ed and Ling discussed her use of deadly force in the restaurant. Ed said, "One of our rules is to protect the weak from the strong. That doesn't give you permission to kill the strong."

"He was armed and dangerous," countered Ling.

"You could have disarmed him."

This was not the first time that they had this discussion. Ling looked around the room for half a minute before she said, "It isn't a game when you go up against someone better armed than you. It is a matter of life and death. I was not trained to allow another to have the chance to kill me because I wasn't willing to do what was necessary to end it as quickly as possible."

"You could have disarmed him without increasing your risk much," answered Ed.

"I would willingly die to protect you, but I won't risk one hair of my head to protect someone who wants to hurt you," Ling answered. She crossed her arms and turned away, thereby putting an end to the discussion. She was going to protect the family regardless of the consequences to herself.

Looking at Ling, Ed knew that he would never convince her to show restraint against an armed attacker. He knew it wasn't fair to ask her to do so. She was a warrior and when she fought, she treated it as a very serious matter. One of the few things he remembered his father telling him was that when someone pointed a gun at you, you had better say your prayers because they held your life in their hands and they never had your best interests at heart. He sighed and dropped the matter.

Friday afternoon found Ed in his study putting the finishing touches on the first draft of his book. Sitting back, he looked at the computer monitor with a smile, pleased with how much material he had managed to cover. He waited for the cursor to change from the hourglass to a pointer to indicate that the files were saved. It seemed to take forever, but finally it was done. Happy, he told the monitor, "I'm glad that's all done."

The computer monitor didn't reply.

Ed grabbed the mouse and shut down his machine. Just before the computer turned off, he glanced at the clock and saw the time. There wasn't enough time for him to sneak in a quick swim before their guest arrived for dinner. He stood and wiped his face in an effort to restore his focus, but he still felt drained from his afternoon of work. He looked back at the clock on his desk deciding that there was enough time for a quick shower.

He went downstairs to the bedroom of his apartment and took off his robe. Showering didn't take long, but dressing did since he wondered what were the appropriate clothes to wear. Kelly and Ling had set up this dinner for reasons that weren't clear to him and they had actually giggled while discussing it that morning. He decided to keep it simple and selected jeans, work shirt, and boots.

Walking into the atrium of the house, Ed looked around at his surroundings. The plants through the center of the room lent a nice earthy smell to the house. The waterfall in the center of the garden made a soothing sound that was augmented with the sounds of frogs calling out to each other. Sighing in satisfaction, Ed loved everything about his house and didn't want to ever leave it for an extended period of time ever again.

Kelly came out of her apartment and walked over to join him. She was wearing a very nice pale blue dress that came to just above her knee. It was tight around her waist, but its' best feature was the neckline that showed her cleavage. Looking over her with a lover's eye, Ed said, "Um, you look good enough to eat."

"I'd hate to spoil your appetite for dinner," Kelly teased, "maybe I should change out of these clothes and into something frumpy."

"No, that's okay. I'll have you for desert," replied Ed attempting a leer. Putting an arm around her, he asked, "So what's up with dinner tonight?"

Leroy came out of his room wearing a pair of blue dress pants and a light blue shirt. He hadn't changed his clothes after returning from the lab. Seeing Ed and Kelly, he went over and hugged them both. Smiling, he said, "I hear that we are having a special guest tonight."

"Just the guy who saved Ed's life the other day," replied Kelly.

"Yeah, he's real nice guy. Seems to have a good character and is pretty smart," said Ed.

"Is he good looking?" asked Linda as she came up from behind them.

Ed turned to look at her. Even though she was six months pregnant, Ed thought she looked sexier than ever. Releasing Kelly, he went over to Linda and embraced her. Kissing her gently, he asked, "How's the mother-to-be feeling?"

"Fat," she answered with a wink at Kelly. She'd answered that question the same way ever since she had confirmed that she was pregnant. This pregnancy was far different from her first. There hadn't been any morning sickness; she'd had lots of energy and no cramps.

"Want me to rub some of that cream onto your tummy?" asked Ed wanting to do something special for her. He ran a hand over her stomach trying to feel the life growing inside.

"Later. Ling just finished creaming my belly," answered Linda with a smile. Ling had also spent about thirty minutes between her legs giving her a lot of pleasure.

Leroy grinned and said, "Sounds obscene."

"Oh, it is -- especially if done correctly," Linda retorted with an equally large grin.

The quiet time was interrupted when Betsy came running down the atrium and, in an excited voice, asked, "Are we really having company tonight for dinner?"

"Yes," answered Ed.

Cathy came walking towards them and said, "A Mr. Chuck Chambers has arrived. I put him in the formal living room."

Betsy took off for the living room to meet their guest. Shaking her head at the energy expended by the little girl, Kelly said, "If she doesn't scare him off, no one will."

"Scare him off?" asked Ed wondering why Betsy would scare a dinner guest off. He stopped to consider what Kelly might have meant.

After a rather boring and uneventful dinner, Ed and Leroy sat back in their chairs on the roof of the house to watch the sunset. A small table between their chairs was set with a pitcher of iced tea and glasses. Looking over at their guest, Leroy asked, "Would you care for some iced tea?"

Chuck shifted nervously, wondering why the two men had invited him to the roof. It was hot and he was sweating in his suit coat. The idea of a cold drink appealed to him and he replied, "Sure."

While Leroy poured three glasses of iced tea, Ed repeated his suggestion a second time since arriving on the roof. "You might want to get comfortable and take off that suit coat."

"Oh, thanks," replied Chuck. He wrestled the coat off, finding that the sudden exposure of his sweat-soaked shirt to the dry desert air brought a chill. For a moment, he looked around for a place to put the coat and finally decided to drape it over the back of his chair.

Leroy handed out the glasses of iced tea, keeping one for him. Sighing, he said, "It looks like we're going to have a glorious sunset tonight."

"It sure does," agreed Ed with a satisfied smile.

"So what are we doing up here?" asked Chuck after several minutes of silence had passed. He was ready to get down to business and felt that these long periods of silence were some sort of negotiating tactic. He just didn't know what he was negotiating.

Puzzled by the question, Ed looked at Chuck wondering what he thought they were doing up on the roof if it wasn't to watch the sunset. This was supposed to be a social visit. He was saved from asking when Leroy grinned and answered, "What does it look like? We're watching the sunset."

"You came up here to watch the sunset?" asked Chuck surprised by the answer.

"We do this every night," said Ed.

"Oh."

Silence descended upon the group as the sun lowered in sky. Reds, oranges, greens, and yellows spread across the horizon. The sight took Ed's breath away despite the number of times he had watched sunsets from that chair. Leroy was just as appreciative of the view. Chuck fidgeted in his chair and watched the other two men.

Noticing the apparent discomfort of their guest, Ed said, "I take it you don't watch sunsets very often."

"No," replied Chuck with a negligent shrug of his shoulders. He was too busy building his business to sit around and stare off into the sky. He was still waiting for the business proposition that he was sure was the real reason for the invitation to the roof.

"Pity," said Ed. "I can think of no reason not to watch one of the greatest shows on earth when ever possible."

"I've been busy building up my business," countered Chuck hoping to steer the direction of the conversation.

Shaking his head, Leroy said, "What a horrible price to pay for success."

"Huh?"

Nodding his head in agreement, Ed added, "I agree."

Chuck sat back in his chair and stared at the two men. Ed and Leroy turned their attention back to the skyline and watched as the colors of the sky deepened. After a couple of minutes, Ed asked, "Did you play football in high school?"

"No. I was a nerd and spent most of high school working on my computer. I was already working on my business at that time," Chuck answered hoping to steer the conversation towards business.

The answer surprised Ed since he had originally pegged Chuck as a former high school football player. He commented, "You're built like you played football."

"I was a skinny kid in school. It wasn't until college that I gained a bit a weight although it was basically fat. I guess you've heard of the Freshman fifteen. Well, I put on about double that. Once I got a little success in my business, I started working out," said Chuck.

Eyes focused on the horizon, but not seeing anything, Chuck thought about the reason he had started working out and wearing suits. Four years before, one of his customers had told him that he was too nerdy for the management of the company to trust. The man had further explained that Chuck needed to change his image in order for his business to grow. Chuck had listened to the advice after looking around at the people who had succeeded in the high tech business. It was his hope that he had achieved the look, but not the snake-oil salesman tone.

Leroy looked over at Chuck and said, "Looks like your workouts have been successful."

"Thanks. I owe it all to my personal trainer," replied Chuck as he turned to look at his companions on the roof. He wished they would get down to business and let him know why they wanted him on the roof.

As the colors of the sunset faded to black, Ed turned and examined Chuck with a frown. He realized that the man didn't know how to take a moment to appreciate the natural beauty around him. He asserted, "You don't believe that we invited you up here to watch the sunset."

Much to Ed's disappointment, Ed heard the lie when Chuck answered, "No, I'm sure that's why you invited me up here."



-------

Chapter 20


The family lounged around the pool after having played in it for the past hour. Naked and wet from the water, Ed was happy at having his wives and husband alone with him while Betsy was at the park with Mary Gold and her daughter. He could tell the wives had something on their mind and were waiting for the right moment to initiate a discussion.

After sharing looks with her other two wives, it was Linda who broached the subject they had been avoiding all morning when she asked, "What do you think of bringing Chuck into the family?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ed frowned before he answered, "Not much."

Surprised by his answer, Ling asked, "What? You don't think Chuck is good husband material?"

Ed and Leroy exchanged glances before Ed said, "He doesn't appreciate life or the beauty of the world around him."

"I agree," said Leroy despite knowing the wives thought Chuck was perfect husband material. Even as he stated his objection, Leroy felt a little guilty since he had once suffered the same problem. He had put his career ahead of family for too many years. "He's totally career oriented."

"What do you mean?" asked Kelly surprised at how the two men agreed in their assessment of Chuck without a prior chance to discuss the topic.

Leroy looked at each of his wives in turn and said, "He never complimented any of you on your appearance beyond what is required of polite conversation. It wasn't because he was afraid to say anything about your beauty, it was that he didn't notice it."

The announcement stunned the three women, in part, because none of them had noticed it and, in part, because the two men had noticed it. The fact was that Chuck had been charming and attentive over the meal, but he had exhibited a business charm rather than a personal charm. Ling nodded slowly while she thought about what Leroy had said. Deciding to address the topic of a new husband more directly, she asked, "So whom would you like to have as a husband?"

Simultaneously, Ed and Leroy answered, "Dan Biggerstaff."

The women stared at the two men while Ed and Leroy looked at each other surprised by their agreement on the subject. No one spoke for several minutes as they each considered Dan as a possible husband. Finally, Ling asked, "What about Claire?"

"She'd make a good wife," answered Kelly, much to the surprise of Ed and Leroy. Her comment earned a sharp look from Ling.

Silenced descended upon the room for several minutes while everyone considered what had just been discussed. The idea of bringing Dan into the marriage had been considered by each in turn and then dismissed for one reason -- none of them thought Claire would be interested. Ling had considered it, but dismissed it out of hand.

Nathan chose that moment to enter the room. He looked around at the family members sitting quietly. After deciding that nothing of any significance was going on, he asked, "Ed, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Curious about what Nathan could want from him, Ed nodded and stood to accompany him out of the room. When he reached the door, Ed turned back to face his family and said, "It would still leave us short a husband."

Nodding her agreement, Kelly replied, "Yes, it would."

Linda said, "So what?"

On that note, Ed followed Nathan out of the room. Realizing he had interrupted a family discussion, Nathan apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were busy."

Smiling, Ed said, "Don't worry. It was a timely interruption."

Knowing Ed wouldn't lie allowed Nathan to relax a little despite the reason for his interruption. Taking a deep breath, Nathan said, "I asked Mona to marry me and she agreed to it."

"Congratulations. You should have announced that to all of us. I'm sure everyone will be pleased to hear the news," said Ed pleased to learn that both Nathan and Mona had healed to the point where they could commit to another. He'd had his concerns when Nathan and Mona had first connected, but since that day Mona only had eyes for Nathan.

Nathan was silent for a moment and then said, "You haven't been making many demands on my time since we moved out here to Arizona. With Cathy and Mary here, you don't need a personal assistant in the same way you did when you were at the college."

It was a realistic observation and Ed nodded his agreement with the conclusion that his need for Nathan had significantly diminished over the previous six months. Having finished the first draft of his book the previous day, Ed knew that his schedule was going to be much more relaxed for the next few months.

Seeing that Ed wasn't going to make a verbal response, Nathan continued, "Well, I called up General Grey and I can get a position at the CIA."

Surprised by the change of heart towards General Grey and the CIA, Ed asked, "You did what?"

"I called up General Grey and he told me that I could get a position at the CIA," answered Nathan understanding Ed's surprise. The initial purpose of his call had been to ask if there was any chance of returning to active duty. The general had suggested that the time spent working for Ed made Nathan even more valuable to the intelligence community. After hearing the General's reasoning, Nathan agreed with the assertion.

"Interesting," remarked Ed still finding it a little difficult to believe Nathan would actually want to work for the CIA despite what his truth sense was telling him. Unsure, he asked, "May I ask what changed your mind about General Grey?"

"Let's just say that I've made my share of mistakes working for you and understand a little better the fallibility of people even when it comes to something as important as creating plans that have life and death consequences."

"Good," replied Ed satisfied that Nathan had become a whole person once again.

"Mona has an open offer to work in a Washington restaurant," said Nathan looking down at the ground.

Smiling, Ed said, "Works out well, doesn't it. She has a job in Washington D.C. and you have a job right across the river in Virginia."

"Yeah, well..."

"I suppose someone needs to inform Marguerite," commented Ed. Since Marguerite was in complete charge of the kitchen, Mona worked for her rather the Carter Clan. It would be up to Marguerite to search for a suitable replacement for Mona.

"Mona is telling Marguerite even as we speak," said Nathan with a smile giving testimony to the fact they had anticipated the request.

"Oh, good," replied Ed, "I'm happy for you."

"Well, I'd like to thank you for all you've done for Mona and me. We're both better people for knowing you," said Nathan staring off towards the plants in the atrium. Giving and receiving thanks were difficult for him, but he knew he owed Ed a debt of gratitude that words could never express. He promised himself that some day he'd find a way to help Ed when he needed it.

"I'd like to suggest we take everyone to Maria's Cantina for a celebratory dinner," said Ed, his mood buoyed by the good news about their engagement despite the fact it would increase the pressures on him to find a suitable husband for the family.

"That would be nice. I'll let Mary Gold know," said Nathan.

Ed grinned and said, "I bet she's already has made reservations."

Nathan laughed and said, "Well, you are rather predictable."

While Nathan ran off to confirm plans with Mary, Ed muttered to himself, "When did I become steady Eddie?"

There was no one to answer his question. Rather than answer it himself, he headed to his room to get dressed in a desire to get out of the house and think about his family situation. He knew the family needed another husband. Once dressed, he decided to go to Shirley's bar. He knew Shirley wouldn't be there, but felt that the walk there and back along with the time spent drinking a soft drink or two would give him a chance to organize his thoughts.

Stepping out of the house, he looked down the street toward the center of town. The houses lining the street comforted him with their Saturday morning familiarity. Women were out in the yards, children were playing before it got too hot, and men were taking care of the houses. None of them were strangers to Ed; he knew each and every one of them by name, history, and potential. His plans for an introspective walk dissipated as friends came over to greet him.

While Ed talked to one of the newer neighbors, Dan pulled up in his car and greeted everyone. Hoping to have a chance to talk with Ed alone, he asked, "Going down to Shirley's?"

"Yes."

"Mind if I join you?" asked Dan afraid that by asking his question he was effectively forcing himself upon Ed.

Thinking about it, Ed realized that he could discuss his thoughts with Dan. Dan would be an impartial audience, at least, until Dan understood that he was the subject of his thoughts. He replied, "No, I don't mind. I'll meet you down there."

"Great, I'll see you down there in about thirty minutes," said Dan before driving his car to his house.

Ed finished his discussion with the neighbor and headed on down the street. Maria and Rosa took a few minutes to chat with him explaining that their husband was in the house recovering from an early morning threesome. Ed understood that only too well having been worn out by his wives on more than one occasion.

Reaching Shirley's Bar, Ed entered and allowed his eyes to get accustomed to the dark. He was surprised to find Sherry seated at one of the tables and waving at him. "Ed, come over here."

Ed made his way over to where she sat and took a seat at the table after looking around for Don. Taking a moment, he examined her and noticed that she'd lost some more weight. It was a good sign since she usually lost weight when happy and gained weight when things in life were bad. He knew that he had been one of the bad things in her life for years. He smiled when she kissed the air in his direction. "It's good to see you. I'm expecting Dan to show up any minute."

"I know."

Surprised by her reply, Ed asked, "You know?"

"Yeah. I talked to your wives. They said you were on your way down here and that you needed someone to talk with. I volunteered. They asked Dan to give you a little time before coming down here," answered Sherry with a grin. Poor Ed didn't stand a chance when the women in his life started to make arrangements for him.

"Have I become that predictable?" asked Ed with a sigh.

"Not really. It's just that there are a lot of people who know you very well."

Ed looked over at the door for a second while he thought about it. In a quiet voice, he said, "Familiarity breeds contempt."

"Not in your case. Usually with you I find that familiarity leads to orgasm, but that is just me." The large woman, with a wicked look on her face, was rubbing her nipple through the top of her dress even as she gave her reply.

The gesture reminded Ed of the times they'd had in bed in the past and the enthusiasm with which she responded to her lovers. Her comment caused him to burst out in laughter and eliminated a lot of the tension he had been feeling. "It's been too long."

"Sure has lover boy, but that's not your problem now. Your wives are looking for a husband and you're feeling bad because you feel like you're holding them back." Sherry watched Ed as she fed him her assessment of his situation.

"Right," replied Ed as the bartender brought over a soft drink for him. He hadn't ordered it and realized that it was just another example of his predictability.

Sherry looked down at her hands and took in the liver spots that were developing. They were just one of the signs of age that couldn't be ignored. "Did you ever think the problem might be that you're getting older and your circle of contacts has shrunk over the years?"

"I'm not old."

"Ed, you're the same age I am and we are getting old."

Sitting back in his chair, Ed studied Sherry for a minute as he considered what she said. It was true that she was looking a little older. Gravity had taken hold of her body and she sagged far more than ever. He looked down at his hands, noticing that his skin had turned to leather from years in the sun. There were wrinkles around his eyes and his hair had turned gray. "Okay, so I'm now an old fart. Are you telling me that we can't attract someone because I'm old?"

"No. You're established and that means you are surrounded by the same people day in and day out. There isn't much of a chance for you to meet new people any more and those you do meet are likely to be your own age."

Ed nodded as he thought about what she said. She was right that his circle of friends included mainly people his own age. He didn't meet many new people at the IRS. The only area of his life where he met a lot of new people every year was at the university and the professor-student relationship was not the proper one to exploit for finding a husband. Thinking about it, he realized that Chuck was one of the few new people he had met in the past six months. "Oh."

"Let's look at what you and your wives are looking for in a husband. He needs to be in his late twenties so that the family continues beyond the current generation. He has to be intelligent and honest. Ambitious, but with an ambition that is tempered by compassion since your family controls huge amounts of money. Am I right?"

Ed hadn't really thought about the age that much, but she was right. There was about a fifteen years difference between him and Leroy. They needed someone about fifteen years younger than Leroy. The spread in age among the wives didn't work out quite that evenly, but it was close. Kelly was older than Ling and Ling was older than Linda.

The other criteria were obvious to Ed. He valued the character of the person more than the physical. He said, "Don't forget that he needs to be bisexual."

"Yeah and that's a tough condition." Shirley studied Ed for a moment. She asked, "So do you have any candidates that meet all those criteria?"

"Sure, Dan Biggerstaff. Well, except for the fact that I don't know if he's bisexual."

"So ask him."

"What about Claire?"

"Ask her too."

Ed shook his head and said, "That still leaves us short a husband."

"It also gives you two people the right age to find one. Their sphere of influence is growing and they are meeting lots of new people."

Ed studied the glass of cola as he thought about what Sherry had said. The scraping of a chair at their table grabbed Ed's attention. He looked up in time to see Leroy taking a seat. Leroy asked, "Are you talking about Dan?"

"Yes, we are." Sherry looked over Leroy for a second before a smile came to her face. Winking at Ed, she said, "You know, we've never done the horizontal tango. Interested?"

The comment provoked laughter from around the table as intended. Settling back in his chair, Leroy, without missing a beat, said, "Here? Now? You bet."

Sherry laughed and said, "You're a keeper, Leroy."

"Thanks, I think."

After taking a sip of her drink, she said, "Getting back to the subject of Dan, I'm going to suggest that you ask him to join your family. I really don't see any problems with it. I know your wives are in favor of it. You've got enough room in that house for five more spouses and enough love in your hearts for ten."

Frowning, Ed replied, "Well. He or Claire might not be interested."

"You mean the bisexual stuff? I wouldn't worry about that. I've talked to him and I'd say that he loves your whole family from the way he talks about them."

Leroy nodded and said, "I'd say that he loves us, but there's a huge difference between caring about another man and having sex with him."

"There's a big difference between sex and love," added Ed.

"It wasn't a strong desire for some man to man sex that got either one of you two sucking cock." Sherry looked from one man to the other with a steady gaze.

The two men looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Neither one of them could argue with her on that point. Ed tried to recall Dan's reaction when they discussed sex between men on the trip out to the desert. He didn't remember Dan being negative about that. It did remind him of one other issue. "Dan isn't all that comfortable around William."

Leroy barked an explosive laugh. "Who is?"

The discussion ended when Dan walked into the bar and looked around for Ed. A slight frown came to his face when he saw that Ed wasn't alone, but he quickly hid it while he made his way to the table. Nodding to everyone at the table, he said, "Hello, Ed, Leroy. Hi, Sherry."

The three at the table returned greetings. Ed pointed to the empty chair and gestured for him to take a seat. While pulling out the chair to sit down, Dan asked, "So what's up?"

Ed glanced at Leroy and, in a off-hand manner, answered, "Oh, we were just talking about proposing to you and Claire."

Not really paying attention to the reply, Dan sat down and said, "That's nice."

Sherry grinned at Ed and Leroy, winked, and then announced that she had some errands to run. Ed rose and kissed her in a very intimate manner; an act that surprised Dan. Leroy waved as she left the table. When she reached the door, Leroy called out, "Call me when you're ready to dance."

"Sure thing," replied Sherry with a grin.

Once she had left the bar, Leroy turned to Dan and said, "Yes, we were discussing proposing to you and Claire. Basically, we were trying to decide if the two of you would be interested in joining our family and vice versa."

While Leroy was talking to Dan, Ed gestured for the bartender to bring over a soft drink for Dan. He turned back in time to see the effect of Leroy's words on Dan. The poor young man was staring at Leroy with an open mouth, unable to believe what he had heard and unsure if they were teasing him.

The idea of joining the Carter family had never occurred to him despite the fact that his feelings for the family members were very deep. Ed said, "I suppose the only way to know would be to invite you and Claire over for dinner to discuss it. I mean, these kinds of things shouldn't be done in a rush."

The whole purpose of talking with Ed fled from his mind as Dan tried to work out what the two men were saying. He had wanted to talk to Ed about Claire's insistence that they move into the house where she worked so that she wouldn't be absent should something happen. Now he didn't know what to think and sat there looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. Stammering, he tried to find some way to disengage from this conversation and said, "I think I need to talk to Claire."

"Probably a good idea," commented Leroy even as Dan stood to flee the room.

As Dan hurried out the door, Ed turned to Leroy and said, "That went well."

"You think?"

"Not really," answered Ed with a grin. He could understand how their proposition had surprised Dan since it had come out of the blue as far as the younger man was concerned. It would be interesting to see how Dan and Claire would react.

"I agree." Leroy slumped in his seat and wondered if they had blown any chance of Dan joining the family. "I don't know of any better way to break the news of what we were considering."

"Lots of things we could have done and I'm sure the wives will let us know each and every one of them."

The bartender arrived with the drink that Ed had requested for Dan and set it on the table. Ed looked at the drink and pushed it over to Leroy. His husband grinned and took a sip from the cup after raising it in a toast.

Claire relaxed in her tastefully decorated apartment considering Dan's reaction to her demand that they remain in the Carter household after marrying. Although the reason she had given was her job, she knew that she didn't want to leave the house for more personal reasons. She had found total acceptance by the family and reveled in it. No one had ever accepted her skills with such ease or allowed her to explore all of her limits. Her feelings for the family had grown beyond employee/employer. Practicing the martial arts in the nude with Ling had made her very aware that she even entertained ideas of having sex with all of them. She sighed when she considered that her feelings were interfering with her relationship with Dan.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts and she rose to answer it. Opening the door, she wasn't concerned if the visitor saw her in her sheer white baby doll nightgown. Dan's face lit up when he saw her in that outfit. He loved it when she wore that particular nightgown since the white semi-transparent fabric contrasted so nicely with her dark skin. He stepped forward and kissed her as if he was going to lose her and wanted to fix forever in his mind this moment. When he broke off the kiss, Claire grinned and asked, "What was that for?"

"Just..." Dan realized he didn't know how to answer her question. After struggling for several seconds to come up with an explanation, he said, "I'm confused."

Taking his hand, Claire pulled him into the room and over to the couch. Sitting down next to him, she put his arm around her shoulder and snuggled next to him. She knew this position allowed him to feel more secure. Once his arm relaxed and molded itself to her, she said, "Tell me all about it."

"Well, I went to talk to Ed about the fact that you want to live here after we're married rather than in my house." Dan shifted nervously since he didn't know how Claire would react to him going behind her back.

Claire tensed and then relaxed once she decided that Ed was probably the right person for Dan to talk with about his problems even if they involved her. She urged him to continue his story. "So what did Ed say?"

"We didn't get a chance to talk about that. He was with Leroy and Sherry when I got to the bar. After Sherry left, Leroy said they were talking about proposing to us," answered Dan wondering if he had understood the conversation correctly.

Claire sat up and turned to face Dan with a frown on her face. Disbelieving him and thinking that the joke was in poor taste, she asked, "Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not."

Claire took a deep breath and let it out slowly while she considered what Dan told her. She knew her feelings for the Carter Clan bordered on love, but she wasn't sure how Dan felt about them. She had no idea what he would say if he knew how much she cared about them. Trying to compose her thoughts, she leaned against Dan before asking, "So what did you say?"

"I said that I needed to talk to you." Dan thought about the conversation at the bar and realized he should have asked a few questions just to make sure that he understood what was being suggested. In hindsight, he even wondered if what they were proposing was marriage. They had mentioned something about her and him joining the family.

The couple was silent as each considered the matter. Neither had any clue as to how the other felt about the idea and both were afraid of asking the other. Claire liked the idea and was trying to imagine what it would be like becoming a member of the family. Dan was intrigued with the idea and was trying to imagine what it would be like to have sex with two wives at the same time.

Claire broke the silence. "What do you think of the idea?"

"I don't know," answered Dan taking the coward's way out. "What do you think of the idea?"

"I don't know," replied Claire not wanting to hurt his feelings.

The pair sat together on the couch for another five minutes without saying a word. Claire considered some of the problems that would be involved in the marriage. After a while, she said, "If we were to marry them, you'd have to have sex with Ed and Leroy."

"Yeah, I know. You'd have to have sex with Ling, Linda, and Kelly."

"Yeah, I know." The idea didn't bother Claire as much as she thought it would. The thought of Dan having sex with the men kind of turned her on, particularly the idea of watching them. Her nipples tented her nightgown.

Dan's hand chose that moment to wander and encountered her stiffened nipple. Surprised, he said, "The idea excites you."

Knowing he assumed it was the idea of having sex with the women that excited her, she said, "Uh, I was thinking about something else."

"What? Having sex with Ed and Leroy?" asked Dan wondering if she lusted after the two men.

"Not exactly," answered Claire with a nervous clearing of her throat. Knowing that he would be wondering what caused her excitement, she explained, "I was thinking about watching you have sex with them."

"Oh," he said softly and then a moment later, in a louder voice, said, "Oh."

Claire blushed and wished she could see the expression on his face. Barely loud enough to be heard, she said, "Yeah."

"I guess I'll be having sex with Ed regardless of what we decide," replied Dan after a moment of reflection. He wasn't thinking about what he would be doing. His thoughts focused on how Claire would react to whatever he did.

Claire could not feel any sense of excitement radiating from Dan during the course of his statement and that puzzled her. She sat up and turned to look at Dan. He gave her a hesitant smile. She asked, "Why?"

"I couldn't deny you anything that excites you," answered Dan tracing her chin with his finger.

'He would do it too, ' thought Claire overwhelmed by his statement. She realized that he would do anything for her. Her chin trembled as she looked into his eyes and saw the love for her shining forth from them. Overwhelmed, she replied, "I'd never ask you to do anything that you didn't want to do."

Dan leaned forward and kissed her gently. She put her hand behind his neck and pulled him tighter to her. After thirty seconds, she released her hold on him and he backed off. Dan smiled and said, "You'll never have to ask."

"I want the truth," said Claire.

"Sure."

"Are you interested in marrying into the Carter Clan?"

Dan was silent as he considered the question. Outside of spending his time with Claire, Dan enjoyed nothing more than watching sunsets with Ed and Leroy. As he thought about it, he realized that he looked forward to any time spent with Ed as much as spending time with Claire. All three of the wives were gorgeous and he cared for them almost as much as Claire. Kelly had literally saved him from a life of paralysis. Ling had saved him from a life of loneliness. After a full minute of silence, he answered, "Yes. How about you?"

"Yes," answered Claire knowing that with her affirmation, she was committing them to accept a proposal if one was offered to them.

Claire tried to remember how many times her classmates in the police academy had called her a lesbian. They had driven any thoughts of sex with a woman out of her mind as a result of her treatment. Now she was actually considering it. She thought about making love to the women and wondered if she could go through with it.

"So if they ask, we say yes?"

"Yes."



-------

Chapter 21


"Hello the roof!" shouted Dan from the stairwell. Ling had told him the men were upstairs waiting for him so they could watch the sunset together. She also said there was something the men wanted to discuss with him. He guessed the topic of discussion.

"Come on up here, Dan," said Leroy in response to the man's call.

Sitting in his chair wearing his blue jeans, work shirt, boots, and cowboy hat, Ed could have been the poster child for relaxation. Ed put down the glass of iced tea he was drinking and said, "Yeah. Come on up here, Dan."

Ed and Leroy exchanged a glance while waiting for Dan to make it to the roof. The wives had really let them have it when they had come home from the bar. Their ears were still ringing.

Dan climbed up the stairs with a light step. He was wearing blue jeans and a western style shirt with boots. It didn't take long for Dan to settle into his usual chair and accept the iced tea Leroy handed him. Dan looked at the horizon and said, "I love sunsets."

"Yeah. Looks like it will be a nice one tonight," said Ed.

Taking a sip of his iced tea, Dan relaxed and watched the horizon. Although it had been a horribly hot day, a simple mister cooled the air and made it comfortable. Ed didn't usually use the mister except on days when the temperature was well over a hundred and he was expecting company. Dan appreciated the consideration; thinking once again how he enjoyed these times on the roof with Ed and Leroy.

The minutes passed as the sun lowered on the horizon. This particular evening, the colors were not nearly as spectacular as usual, but no one cared. It was beautiful and the men appreciated beauty in all its forms. Finally, Ed said, "About this morning. I'm afraid that we were rather abrupt."

"Abrupt?" replied Dan glancing over at Ed and then Leroy. Abrupt wasn't exactly the word he would use to describe how they sprung the news on him. The two men had surprised him that morning. He decided a more appropriate word would have been ambushed.

"I hope we didn't insult you or upset you in any way," said Ed. He didn't think that he had upset Dan, just surprised him. They had placed him in a rather difficult position in that any kind of answer would have been given without input from Claire. He knew it wasn't fair to Dan or Claire to put Dan in that position.

"Not at all. I'll admit I was surprised. I already consider you like family, but I had never thought about becoming a member of the family. Claire and I discussed the matter for a bit after I left the bar. I'm still having a hard time believing it."

"We are serious about having you and Claire join the family," said Leroy figuring that the couple might have decided it had been a bad joke.

"We know you don't joke about serious matters so we took what you said at face value. We talked about it for quite a bit. I won't bore you with the details of what we discussed. We came to the conclusion that if we were asked, that we'd say yes." Dan took a sip of his iced tea to hide his nervousness.

Taking a sip of iced tea, Ed thought about what Dan said. That Dan and Claire were interested in joining the family was good news, but the wives wanted them to go through the whole dating process before making an official proposal. Kelly wanted assurance that the pair would be willing to make love to every member of the family. Ed couldn't blame her. It was one thing to consider the matter abstractly, but it was another thing to actually have sex with a member of your own gender. In this case, it was necessary that both Dan and Claire perform since the two of them were already a couple.

Dan knew it would be a while before Ed or Leroy would continue the discussion. That was their way. They'd touch upon a topic and then think about the exchange for a while. He understood and favored that form of conversation himself. Perhaps that was way he enjoyed his times with them so much. Willing to wait as long as it took, he took another sip of his tea and turned his attention back to the sunset.

It wasn't until after the sun set on the horizon, that Ed turned to face Dan. Setting his glass down on the table, he cleared his throat to get his guest's attention. In a serious voice, Ed said, "Our wives reminded us this afternoon that we'd need to date for a while to make sure that everyone was comfortable in the relationship."

It wasn't an unreasonable request once he thought about it. Dan asked, "How would that work?"

Seeing that Ed wasn't going to answer the question, Leroy said, "Each of you would go on a couple of dates with each of us. That way, we'd get to know you one on one."

"Well, I don't know about Claire, but I expect to be wined and dined in a most extravagant manner," said Dan in a serious voice. He laughed at the surprised look on Leroy's face before the black man realized that Dan had been kidding.

Chuckling at the joke, Ed said, "Speaking of wining and dining, it's time we headed to Maria's Cantina to celebrate the engagement of Nathan and Mona."

The men stood and collected the glasses. Leroy picked up the tray and carried it down the stairs. Ed went to the edge of the house and looked over the town. Now that the sun had set, lights were coming on in the houses below. The houses were small. Some of the houses had yards decorated with little status of Jesus and Mary. There wasn't a grass lawn in sight. The streets were still dirt rather than paved and cars were parked along their length in a crooked line. The people who were out and about wore plain clothes - jeans and shirts. The overall appearance of the town hadn't changed since he was a kid.

Dan followed Ed and looked over the town. In the short time that he'd lived there, he had come to love the quiet little town. It was a home that he had never known until he moved here. In a quiet voice, Dan said, "I love this town."

For a moment, it was as if Ed was talking out loud without realizing it. Dan's comment had echoed exactly what was going through his mind. He looked over at the young man and nodded his agreement.

Pointing to a young man getting into a car down the street, Dan said, "There's the Rodriguez boy. He's studying to be an electrical engineer. He's a smart as a whip and will go far if given half a chance."

"How do you know him?" Ed asked out of curiosity.

"He came by the house one day and introduced himself. He was looking for a summer internship to get some job experience. I suggested he try where I work," answered Dan. "He now works down the hall from me and is doing real good work. He's a real nice kid."

"Did you help him get the job?" asked Ed.

"Not really. He got it on his own merits," answered Dan. All he'd done was bring home some applications and then hand-carried them over to employment along with his letter of recommendation. The rest had been up to the young man.

Ed smiled at the answer. His truth sense let him know that Dan had done a little more than encourage the boy to send in an application. After a quick glance at Dan, he turned his eyes back to his beloved little town. It was good to know that someone else shared his love for the town.

"Wow, Maria and Jose really know how to send someone off in good style. I bet Rosa is going down to Maria's Cantina because she knows you have reservations there," commented Dan after seeing the kisses exchanged at the front door of the Ortiz house.

Catching part of the farewell kiss, Ed had to agree. It amazed him how passionate people remained, particularly when they were in relationships that had lasted for more than twenty years. It seemed like people here fell in love and stayed in love with greater commitment than people living anywhere else in the country.

Watching Rosa walk down the street reminded Ed that they should be going downstairs. Putting a hand on Dan's shoulder, he said, "We better head out."

"Sure," replied Dan. He took a few steps and, with a large grin, asked, "By the way, who's my date tonight?"

"Claire," answered Ed with a chuckle. It was good to know that Dan was anxious to get started dating.

They joined up with the rest of the family and staff in front of the house. Rather than drive, they all chose to walk down to the restaurant. Claire and Walt were the last ones to leave the house. When the reached the end of the driveway, Ling watched them activate the security system that locked down the entire building. Bars to keep intruders out appeared that literally covered the doors and windows. Floodlights came on that covered the entire yard.

Impressed by what he saw, Ed hadn't realized they had installed such a system. Curious, he started to move towards the house, but Ling said, "Don't go any closer. You'll set off the alarms."

"When did you do this?" asked Ed.

"While you were away at the Druid College," answered Walt. Pocketing the control, he added, "We wanted to be able to lock up and leave on a moment's notice if you needed us."

"Ah," replied Ed not knowing how to respond.

As was commonly the case for Ed, the walk down the street took more than a half an hour even though he could have covered the distance in five minutes. Their progress was frequently halted when neighbors came out to chat. The chats included all members of the Carter Clan and staff. The news about the engagement of Nathan and Mona had already spread through town. Everyone wanted to wish the young couple good luck. Ed was proud that his neighbors took such an interest in fortunes of others.

They reached Maria's Cantina a little after their reserved time. Rosa, knowing they would be late, greeted them at the door and led them to the large private dining room. He hadn't thought about the fact that they now had eight people working for them. With the six of the family, Mary Gold's child, spouses, and dates, there were sixteen in the party. Ed noticed that there were more than sixteen settings. He wondered who else would be showing up.

The table had been set and five pitchers of iced tea were placed down the center of the table. There was also a pitcher of milk for Betsy and Lucy. Baskets of chips and bowls of salsa, both red and green, competed for space with the pitchers of beverages. There were small bowls of pickled vegetables, tortilla warmers, and plates with pats of butter filling in whatever space remained.

Terry and Lynn, the employees of his consulting company, showed up while everyone was still milling around the room. Ed hadn't been aware they had been invited, but it made sense. As his personal aid, Nathan had done a lot of work with Terry. It was no different from the household staff.

Ed made his way to the head of the table squeezing past Mary while she was busy putting Lucy into a high chair. Betsy had taken the chair across the table from Lucy and was making funny faces causing the little girl to giggle. Ed smiled at the scene knowing that Betsy's energy would keep Lucy entertained and entertaining Lucy would keep Betsy busy.

Sitting down, Ed grabbed a tortilla warmer and removed a hot corn tortilla from it. After slathering it with butter, he loaded it with pickled carrots. After dribbling some salsa on it, he folded over one end and then rolled it up. Gesturing with it, he called out to Rosa, "Even if everything else in this place was horrible, I'd come for this."

Shaking her head, Rosa knew that he was telling the truth. She glanced at Marguerite and the two shared a look of amusement. They watched as he took a bite. A look of ecstasy appeared on his face as he savored the conflicting flavors -- the corn sweetness of the tortillas, the creaminess of the butter, the sharp edge of the pickled carrots, and the spiciness of the salsa.

Mona, staring at him in wonder, still had a hard time believing that food could have such an impact on a person. With a trace of awe in her voice, she said, "It's amazing when he does that."

Smiling at Mona, Rosa said, "You'll be lucky if one out of a thousand customers have that kind of experience as a result of your cooking. It's not because your food isn't good. It is just that most people don't take that little bit of time to savor it. Don't let it get you down when you go to Washington. Those customers who take the time to really taste your food will be the ones that make it all worthwhile."

Winking at her intern, Marguerite said, "I always found it best to ignore customers like Ed."

Ed sat back in his chair and said, "Mona, now that you're leaving us. I've got a few things to tell you. I know you think highly of her as a cook, but, sometimes, Marguerite doesn't quite know what she's doing in the kitchen. She has been known, on multiple occasions, to forget that the meat goes between two slices of bread and will serve some bread-like concoction sandwiched between two pork chops."

The two chefs were laughing as he went through his little speech. They'd both heard it many times in the past. Marguerite said, "It's called stuffed pork chops."

"She even gets creative in her denial of mistakes. The poor deluded woman, you just have to feel sorry for her," said Ed shaking his head sadly.

Rosa laughed and said, "I'd make him eat his own cooking and see what he says then."

Shaking his head, Dan said, "You've never seen him cook when he's out on the trail. He eats well."

Surprised, Marguerite looked at Ed and said, "You know. I've never tasted anything Ed has cooked."

Not expecting Marguerite to agree, Ed said, "You know. I've never seen you on a horse. I'll tell you what, you ride a horse and I'll cook you dinner."

Grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary, Marguerite said, "Okay. Bring it on."

"Okay."

"You heard him everyone. I ride a horse and he's going to cook me a meal."

Based on the expression on Marguerite's face, Cathy was convinced that the chef would go through with it. She asked, "Marguerite, when would you like me to have a horse brought by the house?"

"How about next Saturday?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. Ed doesn't have an appointment that day," answered Cathy as she made a note in her ever-present notepad.

Rosa said, "You know. I'd like in on that."

"So would I," said Mary Gold.

Kelly remembered her first date with Ed when he had taken her out to the desert and cooked swordfish steaks for her. They'd been very good and she knew he would surprise everyone. Ling and Linda nodded to each other since they had both eaten Ed's cooking. Ed said, "No problem. I'll cook enough for everyone who rides a horse that day."

The discussion was interrupted by the appearance of a young waitress. She had fine aristocratic features with long black hair that come down to her buttocks. With her body and flawless skin, she could have been a model. After glancing at her, Ed went back to munching on chips and salsa.

In a purely business-like fashion, the waitress went from person to person getting their order until the only one left was Ed. Looking at him in awe, she finally sidled up beside Ed. Her confident façade cracked. In a nervous voice, she said, "Dr. Biggers, could I have your order?"

"Call me Ed," replied Ed automatically. He took a moment to examine the young woman and realized that she looked familiar. He wondered where he had met her before finding it difficult to believe that he wouldn't remember someone who looked like her. It came to him in a flash when he thought back to the past few Halloweens. She was the Sheriff's daughter, Julie. He said, "Hello, Julie. You're Juan Ortega's daughter, aren't you."

"Yes, I am. Daddy talks about you all the time," answered the young woman pleased that he recognized her. Ed was popular among the kids in town because of his haunted house. Her boyfriend practically worshiped the ground that Ed walked on although he wouldn't tell the reason why he felt that way. She didn't know that Ed had once helped a young boy come to grips with his fears by showing him how the haunted house worked.

"Wow, you're all grown up. I bet you drive the young men crazy," said Ed unable to believe his eyes. The gangly young girl he had last seen standing in line at the Haunted House had grown into a very attractive young woman.

One of the things her father said about Ed was that the old cowboy was a real charmer and she was to keep her distance from him. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to keep her distance from him. Blushing at the compliment, she replied, "Thank you."

"So what are you doing working in this dump?" asked Ed while giving a wink to Rosa. Rosa rolled her eyes at his characterization of the restaurant.

"Earning some money for college," answered Julie.

"What are you majoring in?" he asked. It was the first question that he always asked when he heard someone was going into college. Of course, at the Druid College they weren't allowed to declare a major until after the first year of classes. He found it interesting that most college bound students knew what school they were going to attend, but not their major. Ed didn't think the school meant as much as the major.

"Accounting," Julie answered surprised by his interest in her career. She knew it sounded strange, but she actually enjoyed working with numbers.

"Talk to Mary Gold when you have a chance. She knows a lot of firms in the area and might be able to identify a good place to intern over the summers," he suggested. He hoped she wasn't the kind of student who was thinking primarily about the money they could make as an accountant.

She couldn't believe that he would help her since he barely knew who she was. She thought that it might be because of her father, but she couldn't resist the idea that he might be interested in her. Heart beating rapidly, she said, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'd like to see your dreams come true," Ed said while looking her in the eye. He hoped to find some indication of her desire, but all he caught was her blush.

Off balance by the direct attention, Julie tried to get the topic back to her job. Stuttering, she asked, "So what would you like for dinner?"

"I'll take the Enchilada Plate," answered Ed accepting the change in topic. Looking around the crowd, he added, "Don't forget to include enough Sopaipillas for desert for everyone. Can't eat here without having Sopaipillas for desert."

The comment brought a smile to her face. Julie understood what he meant since she loved the Sopaipillas here. Her and her friends often came here to have them. That was how she had gotten her job here over the summer. Forgetting for a moment what she was doing, she said, "They are great, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. They've got to be hot and fresh. I just love them filled with butter and honey. Even the process of fixing one to eat is fun. You open it up and peek into the hollow. Then you drop in a pat of butter and close it so that the butter can melt. You have to add enough honey in it so that it just drips down your chin when you bite into it. When some leaks out, you lick it up before it falls to the ground," Ed answered with his eyes closed. His voice had gotten a far away dreamy quality to it. He had pantomimed opening a sopaipillas and eating it. After licking his lips, he added, "All great pleasures in life are messy."

A shiver went through her body when the image of someone licking the honey off her chin flashed through her mind. It didn't help that the person doing the licking was Ed. He was just too handsome in an older man sort of way. Flustered at the thoughts she was having, she turned and fled to kitchen so that she could turn in the order.

Watching the exchange with a smile, Rosa could see that the young woman had a crush on Ed and understood why the young woman had fled the room. She wasn't the only young woman in town who saw Ed as a major hunk. She said, "You better watch out Ed. Juan is liable to come over here and hunt you down."

Confused, Ed asked, "What did I do?"

"Half the young women in this town have a crush on you. You start talking about food and they start thinking about sex."

"They do? Why would they think about sex?" asked Ed totally confused by the two suggestions.

Rosa took a seat next to Ed and explained the facts of life to him. The fact that he was rich and powerful was a very powerful aphrodisiac. When you included that he was handsome, charming, and took a real interest in them, it was too much for even the most levelheaded young woman. She added that talking about food was adding fuel to the fire since his descriptions of eating were almost sexual in nature.

Shaking his head, Ed looked over at his wives. They were smiling. Kelly said, "Poor Ed. He just doesn't get it even after all these years of sweeping women off their feet."

"I'm old enough to be her grandfather," Ed said discounting the possibility that Julie would be interested in him. He poured a glass of tea and took a sip while thinking about what Rosa had suggested. While he thought about that, everyone else resumed his or her conversations.

The meal was served and conversation came to an end as people ate their meal. There was, of course, that moment of silence while everyone watched Ed taste his food. The enchiladas were perfect. Ed ate his food with great enthusiasm. Marguerite watched with a wry grin. It wasn't often that she got to watch him enjoy the cooking of others.

Everyone watched Ed when the Sopaipillas were served. It was like watching a religious event when he prepared his sopaipillas. Julie stayed to watch him eat it. It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. Rosa, after catching her eye, made a shooing motion that sent the young woman running back to the kitchen.

The conversation resumed and grew in volume as people finished their desert. Once he was sure that everyone had finished eating, Ed cleared his throat as a precursor for getting everyone's attention. Nathan, beating him to the punch, stood while rapping a knife against his water glass. The ringing sound accomplished the desired purpose. Nathan said, "Mona and I would like to take this occasion to thank Ed Biggers for all he's done for us."

"No need," interjected Ed, much to the amusement of everyone around the table.

"Be quiet, Daddy," said Betsy in the same voice that everyone used when telling her to be still, provoking laughter from everyone in the room.

"There are some adventure stories that start with a young adventurer meeting an old wise man in strange circumstances that herald the beginning of a major change in life. The wise man senses something about the young man and sends him out on a variety of adventures to develop to his full potential. As a result of each adventure, the young man grows, ultimately becoming the hero of the story.

"Ed was the wise man in my story. He met me while I was in a hospital at the lowest point of my entire life. Rousing me out of my self-pity, he sent me on a variety of adventures. In each adventure, I learned more about myself. I went from being a single dimensional soldier to become a well-rounded human being.

"These adventures were not easy. I can't even describe my time at the Druid College in terms that anyone would believe. I'd never imagined myself spending so much time worrying about things like haunted houses.

"I'd like to thank Ed for allowing me to grow to a point where I could fall in love. While I've had my disagreements with him, I've come to understand that he knows more about love than any person I've ever met."

When Nathan sat down, Mona stood. She was wearing her hair in a bun. She wore a reserved business suit that gave her a mature, almost matronly, appearance. A broach, a big old-fashioned thing, decorated her jacket. She looked older than her actual age. She said, "Nathan had just lost a leg when Ed found him. You might say that Nathan was damaged goods."

She paused and smiled down at Nathan. Her boyfriend winked at the unflattering characterization. She continued, "When I met Ed, I was damaged goods as well. While Nathan's injuries were easy to see, mine were hidden.

"Other people would have thrown me out of the house when my problem manifested itself. Ed didn't. He gave me a safe refuge in which I could heal. There were times when I lost control, but I was in an environment in which the consequences were not disastrous. You have no idea how important that was to me.

"I'll admit that Ed didn't heal me, but he did provide the environment. Marguerite provided occupational therapy. Nathan, who understood my problem better than I did, was the one who healed me.

"Nathan and I would like to thank you for taking in two broken people and helping them become whole. We owe you so much, that we don't know how to express it."

Mona sat down and held onto Nathan's hand. He covered her hand with his other hand in support. They looked to the head of the table to watch Ed's reaction. As though he was moving in slow motion, Ed stood and looked down at the table with a thoughtful expression. There was a long pause while he marshaled his thoughts. Finally, he said, "I'm sure that it wouldn't surprise you if I were to deny much of what you've said about me and my help. We'll accept that as a given."

Everyone laughed at his comment. Without exception, everyone had been expecting him to say that he had done nothing. Once the laugher died down, he continued, "Allow me to say one thing. You helped yourselves and deserve the credit for what you've accomplished. I know everyone here will agree with that statement.

"I'm very pleased to see you together. It is clear to me that the love bond between the two of you is very strong. I wish you well in your marriage. Congratulations."

Ed sat down unable to think of anything else to say. He'd planned on talking a little about meeting them, their first meeting, and then announcing his wedding present, but Nathan and Mona had surprised him.

The others around the table were a little surprised by the brevity of his speech, but they all started giving the young couple their congratulations as if on cue. The evening wore on with conversation flowing easily as it does among people who have known each other for a long time.

Returning home, Kelly went to the wall on which portraits of the family members were hung. She looked at the pictures of John and Beth and then over at the pictures of Leroy, Ling, and Linda. The marriage had evolved over time and she liked what it had become. She thought it would be even better with Dan and Claire joining it. The young couple would give the family a future.

The other wall contained pictures of the children arranged in the order in which they had been born. There would be a new picture joining it soon. Beth, Little John, Betsy, and William were amazing children. She hoped that Eddie would be amazing in his own way.

Ed stepped up behind Kelly and put his arms around her. He asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Our family," answered Kelly settling into his embrace with comfort.

"I know what you mean. All of this talk about adding Dan and Claire to the marriage has me thinking about where we started and where we are headed. It's kind of strange to think of myself as the old man of the family. You know, I'm old enough to be Claire's father," said Ed.

"Yeah. I'm old enough to be her mother," Kelly said. The thought reminded her that her hair was starting to turn gray. She'd noticed wrinkles in the mirror. She took a breath and said, "In fifteen or twenty years, we'll be old enough to be the grandparents of the next members of the family."

The thought made Ed a little uneasy. He wondered what kind of twenty year old person would want to marry a seventy year old man. He gave voice to his thoughts. "Why would someone want to marry someone old enough to be their grandparent."

"I noticed that young Julie was quite taken with you," Kelly said. She'd watched the young woman squirm when Ed had eaten the Sopaipillas and knew what had flashed through her mind. The scene Ed had presented was remarkably similar to a man performing oral sex on a woman.

"Still not sure that I agree with that," Ed said. There was a slightly sour taste in his mouth as he said it and knew it meant he was lying to himself. To recover from the falsehood, he said, "I can understand young men falling for you. You're even more beautiful now than when we met."

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" asked Kelly. She knew he was telling her the truth as he saw it and it touched her that after so much time he still found her beautiful.

Hugging her, Ed answered, "Every day, my love."

They stood together lost in their individual thoughts. Kelly was imagining the family propagating into the far future. Dan was a good example of the kind of man to include in the family. He had risked everything to save Betsy. Claire was a strong and capable woman who demanded to be respected for her strength. She hoped they continued to marry heroes and strong-will women.

Kelly said, "We are going to have to increase the number of shares in the family. The shares are valued so high that no one can afford to marry into the family unless they are a millionaire."

"You're right," Ed said. Each share had a value of close to a million dollars. There was no way that Dan or Claire could afford a single share. They'd have to increase the number of shares by an order of magnitude to make it affordable. That reminded him of just how wealthy he was. In a soft voice, he said, "When I was riding herd on cattle, I never imagined having so much money."

"It's a frightening responsibility, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. I always figured I'd grow old and sit on the porch watching the world go by. Now, I keep hoping that I'll have a chance to watch the sunset on occasion."



-------

Chapter 22


Claire was on the bed with her legs spread apart waiting for either Dan or Ed to slide between them. The black skin of her soft breasts, topped by dark aureole and bullet hard nipples, was very inviting. Both men were still feasting on her breasts unwilling to turn down the invitation. Ed was certain that she had the largest nipples that he had ever seen. Frustrated, she asked, "Won't one of you get busy and fuck me?"

"We're too busy to fuck you at the moment. Your breasts need a lot more attention yet," said Dan in a teasing voice.

The tense excitement caused by their attention to her very sensitive breast was leaving her frustrated. She needed to be filled to reach an orgasm. She cried, "Fuck me. Will one of you just fuck me already!"

"Which one of us?" Ed asked around the nipple in his mouth.

"Either one of you! Both of you! I don't care!"

Dan and Ed shared a look and a smile. Moving slowly to prolong her agony, Ed positioned his body so that his cock was poised at her lower lips. Moving much quicker, Dan reached over and grabbed a tube of lube. Although she tried to speed up the process, Ed entered her with short slow movements. When he finally got his entire cock inside her, Claire was ready to come.

In a surprise move, Ed held onto Claire and rolled over carrying her with him. Suddenly, she was atop him. A wild grin crossed her face as she took control of the act. Her grin turned to a look of pleased surprise when Dan inserted a lube-covered finger into her asshole. She stopped her motions to allow Dan a chance to prepare her for what was going to come. Although she wanted to ride Ed hard and come as quick as possible, she controlled her desire knowing that something even better would reward her patience. It wasn't long before Dan positioned his cock against her asshole. With a low guttural growl, she said, "Stick it in me before I go crazy waiting."

Dan loved the full round shape of her ass and rarely missed an opportunity to enjoy it. He pressed his cock against her asshole. For a moment, there was resistance. Claire relaxed and pressed back against him. His cock slipped in with ease. He waited a moment for her to get used to him. She trembled with a barely suppressed desire for them to start hammering into her.

From his position below Claire, Ed knew when Dan had buried his cock into her ass. He rocked his hips so that he thrust up into her. Dan pulled his cock almost out at the same time. The men, although it was the first time they had tried this, easily adopted a rhythm that had one thrusting in as the other was pulling out. It took Claire less than fifteen seconds once they had started to come.

After five minutes of fast furious fucking, Claire had left earth far behind and was now somewhere in outer space surrounded by blackness broken by bright white stars. A fantasy of hers had come true and she hadn't even had to ask for it. She had no idea that she was screaming like a banshee, the pitch rising and falling in time with their thrusts. All she knew was that she was riding an orgasm that felt like it would never end.

The spasms of her muscles were having an effect on the two men. It was Dan who couldn't last and thrust into her savagely as he came. The sudden interruption caused Ed to lose it and he came a few seconds later with a hard thrust up into her. It was too much for Claire. Her eyes rolled up and she collapsed onto Ed -- lying atop him like a limp rag doll.

Ed recovered first, but there was little he could do while pinned down under Claire and Dan. Finally, Dan pulled out and dropped to the side. Ed rolled over taking Claire with him. He pulled out and then dropped beside Claire so that she was between Dan and him. Claire, breathing her only movement, lay with her legs spread in an obscene manner with come running out her cunt and ass.

Looking at Claire, Ed wondered if she was like Kelly and enjoyed feeding a man's come back to him. The way that Dan swallowed his come earlier suggested that he wasn't a stranger to the taste of it. While Ed was pondering that question, Dan rose on shaky legs and headed to the bathroom. He returned a minute later with three hot towels. Throwing one of the towels to Ed, Dan knelt and started to clean up Claire. She purred at the sensation.

While wiping his cock, Ed leaned on one arm looking down at Claire. Her young athletic body was covered with sweat. In the dim light of the bedroom, it gave her skin a soft glow as light reflected from the sweat. Ed said, "She's a spectacular woman."

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" Dan finished cleaning her body and picked up the third towel to clean himself. Looking over at Ed, he said, "It feels a little strange to be cleaning her up like this after sex. Usually, she straddles my face and feeds my come back to me."

"Ah, I had wondered. Kelly likes to do that. Kelly loved to suck the come out of Beth and then feed it back to me when we had a threesome. They even took turns doing it. Kelly's missed that since Linda usually swallows and Ling is rather indifferent to the activity," said Ed.

Eyes closed, Claire stretched and wriggled on the bed enjoying the feel of the smooth sheet beneath her. In a soft voice, she said, "That sounds like fun."

Grinning, Ed figured that he was going to be eating a lot of come out of women in the future. Dan said, "I'd never about it."

Claire opened her eyes and looked at the clock. It took a moment for her eyes to make out the face of the clock. She asked, "Isn't it time for Marguerite to ride the horse?"

Ed glanced at the clock and laughed. He answered, "We've got an hour yet."

Puzzled, she looked at the clock again. Her eyesight sharpened and she saw that it was only ten rather than eleven. She purred at the idea of another hour in bed although she really felt like talking and being cuddled. She asked, "Dan, was it okay?"

"Was what okay?"

"Having sex with Ed," she answered looking over at Dan. She'd really enjoyed watching the two men together and had masturbated herself to orgasm. It wasn't until they had finished that she realized she hadn't paid attention to how Dan was acting.

Dan settled down beside her and put his hand on her stomach before rubbing her belly. Although he had decided that he would do it for her pleasure the day he had discovered that the idea of watching two men together excited her, he had dreaded it. The reality was nowhere near as bad as the fantasy his fears had created. He answered, "It was okay. I was happy to give him a little pleasure."

Reaching over to Claire, Ed traced a finger around her nipple causing it to harden. He was pleased to hear the truth in Dan's voice. He'd been worried when Dan had approached the blowjob as if he were marching to war. Afterwards, Dan didn't have a problem with Ed returning the favor. Claire trembled under his finger when Dan's hand ventured between her legs.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Claire. She sighed in pleasure at what his hand was doing to her and then said, "And I'm glad to feel that."

Dan chuckled and traced a path back up her body. As expected, she growled in frustration and then purred when his hand traced a path back down her body. He asked, "Did you enjoy watching?"

"Yes, I did," answered Claire shooting a guilty look over at Ed. Swallowing, she said, "I guess I have some pretty kinky ideas."

"Really?" asked Ed wondering what could be much kinkier than the things he had already done with Leroy, Kelly, Ling, and Linda.

Blushing, she looked at Dan and then back at Ed before she said, "I kind of like seeing men in submissive situations. Like, I've always wanted to do a guy with a dildo."

For a long time, Ed didn't say anything expecting her to cover something surprising. She stared at him as if expecting some sort of response. Realizing that was her great confession, he said, "Sorry, I was waiting to hear you say something kinky."

Claire laughed and said, "You're too much sometimes."

"Speaking of too much. I've got to prepare a little surprise for Marguerite. I'd better get going," said Ed as he climbed out of the bed. He found his clothes where he had taken them off the previous night. Claire and Dan watched him dress from the comfort of her bed. Ed had a feeling that they were going to be late for the great horse riding adventure.

Ed stopped by his room to pick up a bag and a rocking horse. Looking out the door of his room to make sure that no one was around, he raced to the back of the house. He slipped out the back door. Walt was by the horse trailer watching the horse inside. Ed said, "Hey Walt. I brought my own horse for Marguerite in case the one in the trailer is too much for her."

Walt turned and looked at Ed taking in the rocking horse the cowboy was carrying in one hand. He burst out laughing. Shaking his head, he said, "Marguerite is going to kill you."

He put the rocking horse on the ground and stepped back with a pleased look on his face. They had exchanged taunts over the past few days. He teased her that he was going to have to find an arthritic horse in a wheel chair for her to ride. She had turned an old joke of his around and teased that he was going to use this opportunity to poison her with his cooking. The whole household was holding their breaths to see what would develop.

The sound of the door opening behind him caught his attention. He turned and found everyone streaming out the door with huge grins on their faces. Eyebrow raised, he waited for the joke knowing that one was surely coming.

Once everyone was outside, Marguerite stepped out of the door. She was wearing a hoop dress that billowed out about five feet in every direction. He wasn't even going to speculate where she had found it, but there was no way she was going to be getting on a real horse wearing it. The horse would disappear inside the dress. Waving a riding crop around in the air, she said, "Bring on the horse."

Recovering from his surprise, Ed stepped back and pointed to the rocking horse. She stared at it with as much surprise as he had demonstrated upon seeing her outfit. It took her a few seconds to recover, but she managed not to laugh. The rocking horse disappeared under the dress when she sat astride it. She rocked a few times and then said, "My dinner."

Ed held out the little bag that he had been carrying with him. With a great flourish, he opened the bag and extracted a piece of beef jerky. Handing it to her, he said, "Your dinner."

No one watching was left standing by the time the little drama had finished. Everyone had assumed that Ed would have been unable to recover from her outfit. No one had expected him to be ready with a joke of his own. Kelly recalled earlier jokes that John and Ed had pulled. Happy to see the return of his humor, Kelly said, "I'd have paid money to see that."

Ling was laughing so hard that she had collapsed against the side of the house. She had found the outfit for Marguerite in Phoenix and thought it would totally confound Ed. After she scraped herself away from the wall, she went over to Marguerite to help her out of the hoops revealing that she was wearing blue jeans under the outfit.

Walt led the horse out of the trailer. Much to Ed's surprise, Marguerite mounted without difficulty. Winking at him, she rode the horse around the yard for a minute. Her riding style didn't reflect the casual ease of a person who road daily, but it was far more fluid than Ed had expected. After passing him, she kicked the horse to a faster pace and immediately found that she was bouncing in the saddle. She pulled up and went around the yard a third time at a slower pace.

When Marguerite returned to the trailer, Ed asked, "When did you learn to ride?"

"I used to ride when I was a teenager," she replied with a grin.

"Figures," Ed replied shaking his head. It amazed him that after knowing her for so many years that there were still new things to learn about her.

Suppressing a groan, Marguerite climbed off the horse. She wanted to rub her rear-end, finding that she hadn't settled into the saddle with the same skill as when she was younger. She refrained from making any gesture suggesting she was sore. Bob leaned next to her and whispered, "I'll rub it and make it feel better."

She giggled at the suggestion. Aloud, she asked, "So Ed, when will you start cooking?"

"Right now," answered Ed pointing to a large grill made out of a fifty-five gallon drum that had been cut in half. Walt had filled it with cactus woods since Ed never used charcoal. Going over to the grill, Ed lit the fire and said, "It'll take a while before we have coals that are good for cooking. That will give everyone else who wants to try a little Cuisine ala Ed have a ride on the horse."

"Cuisine ala Ed?" Marguerite asked with a grin.

"Sure. What else would you call it."

The remainder of the staff took turns riding the horse around the backyard. He led the horse around the yard for those who had no riding experience despite the fact that it was probably the gentlest horse in the state. Even though Kelly disagreed, he even let Betsy ride the horse. She loved it.

When everyone had ridden, Ed and Walt put the horse back in the trailer. After a short discussion, Walt drove off to return the horse to the stable. Ed returned to the grill and loaded more wood onto it. Marguerite walked over and watched him take care of the fire. She commented, "Cooking over real wood coals. That's just about a lost art. Most people use charcoal or gas grills now."

"Not the same," said Ed while he opened one of three Dutch ovens and examined the contents. The pinto beans were ready for cooking. He put the lid back on the Dutch oven.

"You're right," replied Marguerite. She didn't have a chance to check out the contents of the Dutch oven and was curious as to what was in it. Of course, she wouldn't condescend to ask.

Ed went through the rest of the food that he was going to cook. Sweet corn still in the husk and potatoes were the easy side dishes. He had the ingredients to make corn bread and cobbler. There was a large stack of steaks in the ice chest. When he was done, he checked the fire again.

For the next six hours, he fussed with the fire and cooked the dinner. Marguerite was amazed at the skill with which he controlled the fire, adding more wood to one end of the grill to replenish the coals. He turned the trio of Dutch ovens every fifteen minutes to assure even cooking of the beans, corn bread, and peach cobbler.

Everyone with the exception of Marguerite and Mona drifted off, promising to return in time for dinner. Sitting in chairs next to the grill, the trio drank iced tea and talked. Ed talked about cooking on the trail. Marguerite talked about riding. It was a pleasant afternoon despite the heat.

A half an hour before the dinner was ready, a crowd gathered in the backyard. Walt and George set up picnic tables. Cathy and Sarah set the tables with plates and glasses for iced tea. By the time the food was ready to eat, the tables were set. Ed carried a huge platter of steaks to the table. Returning, he carried a second platter of steaks. Pointing to the first platter, he said, "Those are medium well. The other plate is medium rare."

While people selected steaks, he went to the grill and returned with the Dutch oven containing the cornbread. Removing the lid, he smiled at the perfection within it. A minute later, the cornbread had been transferred to a plate and cut up into pieces. Another trip to the grill resulted in a pile of corn and potatoes. He carried the beans over for the last trip.

Everyone loaded his or her plates with food. As had become tradition, everyone turned to watch Ed take the first bites of the meal. Instead of finding Ed bent over the plate appreciating the aroma of the food, he was watching Marguerite. All eyes turned to Marguerite to watch her reaction to his cooking.

Finding that she was the sudden center of attention was a little intimidating. She cut a small piece of the steak, amazed at the tenderness of the meat and ease with which she could cut it. She put it in her mouth and savored the rich flavor of beef cooked to perfection. It was far superior to any steak she had ever tasted that had been cooked over charcoal or gas.

She turned her attention to the corn, taking in the effects of cooking buried in coals. Removing the husk, the cob was revealed. It tasted wonderfully, having cooked with butter and salt. There was a subtle flavor that came from having cooked in the husk that was normally missing from corn prepared in other manners. She sighed in pleasure as juices ran down her chin.

There was a twinkle in Ed's eyes when she turned her attention to the camp beans he had prepared. Not quite sure what to expect, she took a spoonful of the beans. It was a rich mix of subtle flavors. There was a hint of a hot pepper that caught her by surprise. For a simple dish, she was amazed.

There wasn't too much to say about the baked potato, other than it was cooked to perfection. She had never seen anyone do much of anything special with a baked potato. The primary difference among baked potatoes was the type of potato and the fillers added once it had been cooked. She appreciated the fact that he had not used one of the more common baking potatoes. In keeping with the theme of camp cooking, the only toppings he had provided were butter and bacon.

The cornbread was a shock. It was hot and steaming when she picked it up. The butter melted as she spread it across the surface of the cornbread. Biting into it, she was amazed. It was sweet, but not overly so. It was moist, but not overly so.

Looking over at Ed with a smile on her face, she said, "I'm impressed. I couldn't taste the poison at all."

As laughter broke out around the table, everyone turned to their plates to taste the food. Ed grinned at her comment finding his often-repeated compliment returned at him. He could see that his cooking had impressed her.

Everyone who had never been in the desert with Ed was impressed with the food. Those who had eaten his cooking before were pleased that he had done his usual great job. After everyone finished eating the main course, Ed brought the Dutch oven with the peach cobbler. Everyone watched Marguerite taste it. Looking up, she declared, "This is heavenly."

Mona sat back and, rubbing her stomach in obvious satisfaction, said, "Looks to me like Marguerite may need to look for another job."

Winking at Ed, Marguerite retorted, "I just might have to nominate him for a Canned Soup award."

Everyone laughed at the compliment. Once the laugher had died down, Ed was about to make a comment when his cell phone rang. Fishing it out of his shirt pocket, he glanced at the caller id and frowned. Aloud he said, "I wonder why Rosa would call me."

He answered the cell phone with a sinking feeling in his stomach, particularly when he saw that Kelly was covering her eyes as if to hide that she was crying. In a voice filled with grief, Rosa informed him that her sister had passed away.

It wasn't until that moment that he realized he hadn't seen Maria in ages. She hadn't come by after the attempted robbery or when the family had eaten at the original Maria's Cantina. The tears rolling down his cheeks let others know that he was getting bad news.

At the end of the call, he stood. "Rosa's sister has died. I'm going to see Rosa."

Without waiting for a reply, Ed stood and walked away leaving a stunned group behind. As he headed towards the garage, Dan said, "Maybe I should go with him. He looks pretty upset."

Smiling at the consideration shown by Dan, Kelly said, "No, he needs to talk with Rosa. I know where he's going."

Ed found Rosa, Jose, and Maria waiting for him at the front door of the funeral home. There was little for Ed to do financially since Rosa was now a wealthy person, but he could provide moral support in the form of a shoulder to cry upon. Rosa greeted him with a tear-filled hug. Crying, she said, "Oh Ed! I can't believe she's gone."

"How did it happen?" asked Ed expecting to hear about a traffic accident or some other form of accidental death.

Maria took Jose by the arm and led him away so Rosa could talk in private with Ed. She knew what her wife had to say to Ed and it wasn't something that would make Ed happy. The couple stood back hoping to provide moral support to Rosa by their presence. Taking a deep breath as if to steel herself, Rosa answered, "Breast cancer."

"What?" asked Ed in dismay. He couldn't believe it despite what his truth sense was telling him. No one had told him she was ill, much less dying of cancer. He didn't understand why no one had told him. It hurt that he had been denied the chance to have one last conversation with Maria and let her know how much he loved her.

"Don't be upset, Ed. She didn't want you to know," answered Rosa knowing how much it would hurt him to hear what she said.

"Why? Why wouldn't she want me to know?" asked Ed, the anguish ripping through his heart. The idea that she wouldn't want him to share her pain made him wonder what she had thought of him.

"She didn't want you to see her while she was ill. There towards the end, it wasn't pretty. She didn't want you to see her looking so bad," answered Rosa repeating that it was Maria's vanity at work. Her tears were flowing and she clung to Ed as if he were a lifeline. Not only was she grieving for the loss of her sister, but she also felt Ed's pain.

His legs threatened to give out from under him, but he forced himself to stand there. Shaking his head as if to deny what he had just heard, he asked, "Why?"

"My sister loved only two men in her entire life, you and John Carter. She wanted you to remember her as she was before she got ill. It was the only time I've ever seen her be vain about her appearance."

The news that Maria had loved him was almost a fatal blow. He could understand why she would love John Carter; everyone loved John Carter. His shoulders slumped in defeat and he stared vacantly over Rosa's shoulder.

Rosa, feeling him go slack, stepped back while wiping the tears from her eyes. In an unconscious act, Ed pulled out his handkerchief and gave it to her. She accepted it, but didn't use it. Taking his hand, she said, "Ed. She loved you very much. She cherished every minute that the two of you spent together."

"I never told her that I loved her," said Ed. How many chances did he have to say those simple words to her? There were so many, but he had never taken that little step.

"She knew. Ed, we all know how much you love each and everyone of us," replied Rosa caressing his face with the palm of her hand.

"I never told her how I felt."

"She knew."

Ed looked down at the ground feeling old. He wasn't aware of Kelly coming up behind him until he felt her hands on his shoulder. In a soft voice, she said, "I'm so sorry, Ed."

Without turning around to look at her, Ed said, "You knew."

"She asked me if I could cure her," answered Kelly remembering when she had discussed the matter with Maria. It had hurt to tell her friend that she couldn't help her. It had hurt to keep it from Ed. Seeing the look of surprise from Rosa, she added, "You know that I can't heal disease, old age, and congenital problems."

Hearing this for the first time, Rosa covered her eyes with Ed's handkerchief and cried into it. She hadn't known that Maria had talked to Kelly or that Kelly had been unable to help. She wondered about the limitations of Kelly's gifts. "Why is that?"

"Disease, aging, and birth defects are integral parts of the cycle of life. I only know of one instance where the Goddess disrupted the natural flow of things. That was when she had Beth die of a car crash rather than cancer," answered Kelly. It hurt to tell her friend that she hadn't been able to help.

"I understand. I don't like it, but I understand," Rosa said. She couldn't blame Kelly for the fact that she couldn't heal her sister.

Ed asked, "May I see her now?"

"No. She specifically asked for a closed casket funeral," replied Rosa.

For a moment a war raged inside Ed as he considered that he would never have another chance to look upon Maria. Deciding that it was best to comfort the living, he said, "I'm so sorry, Rosa. I know her death is hard to accept and that you must be crushed."

"Thank you, Ed," said Rosa. She'd been mad at Maria for making her be the one to face Ed, but she had come to grips with that. She understood why her sister didn't want Ed to see her emaciated body. She'd have wanted the same thing.

Ed said, "I should have told her a long time ago that I loved her. Let me tell you now that I love you and if you ever need anything, let me know."

"I know. You don't need to tell me."

"Promise me that you'll let me know if you ever get sick."

Rosa glanced over at Maria and Jose. She said, "We'll see."

Ed wanted to demand a promise, but he knew that now wasn't the time to do it. Bowing to the demands of the moment, he sighed and said, "Okay."

There was one last act that Rosa had to perform. She held out an envelope and said, "Maria asked me to give this to you."

Reaching out with a trembling hand, Ed accepted the envelope. Moving over to his Hugger, he leaned against it and extracted the letter within the envelope. Kelly watched from beside Rosa. Opening it, he read the words written within.

Dear Ed,

Since you are reading this letter, then it has come to pass that I have died. I know this has come as a shock to you. I made everyone who knew about my illness promise not to tell you. Please forgive the vanity of an ill woman. You have been an important part of my life and I did not want you to see the shell of a woman that I have become.

Cancer is such a harsh illness and breast cancer is the worst of the lot. It is as though my own femininity has turned against me. My breasts gave me so much pleasure when you held and kissed them. I know that you liked my breasts. Now they are killing me. Women should not have to face such a tragedy.

For years, I was too busy building a business to worry about finding a husband. My only regret is that I waited too long before looking for one. However, there was one man in my life who I could count upon for the kind of love and support that women expect from a husband. That man was you.

I want to thank you for all the love and kindness you have shown me. You treated me like an attractive woman despite the fact that I wasn't a voluptuous as Rosa or as shapely as Shirley. You always made me feel like a woman. Even as I grew older, you treated me like a beautiful woman. Around you, I felt eternally young and pretty.

There were so many ways that you impacted my life. You and John Carter helped me grow my business. You supported me during those few times when things became overwhelming. No matter if I needed a kind word, a simple joke, a hug, or a kiss, you always managed to give me just what I needed. You even helped me accept the sexuality of my sister. Such little things, but they meant so much to me and you were always there.

We never talked about it, but I know you loved me as much as I loved you. Although we only made love a few times, I have cherished my memories of each and every time. After you, there was no other man who could measure up to the standards you had set. Please remember me with the same fondness as I have remembered you.

It is not surprising that so many women in town love you. I guess one of the things I have always appreciated about you is that you never took love for granted. You never turned it against them. You accepted our love and returned it ten-fold. In that alone, you are truly a special man.

Do not be sad for me. I couldn't stand the idea that I made you sad. Please do not be angry with me. That would be even worse. Remember me with love. Remember our times together with pleasure.

Take care of Rosa, Maria, and Jose. Make love to the women and talk with Jose. I know that Rosa and her wife, Maria, love you. There are other men and women who love you. Take care of them as well.

I love you,

Maria

Tears streaming from his eyes, Ed folded the letter and put it into his pocket. Memories of their times together flashed through his mind. He knew that the relationship had begun the day he had informed her of the death of John's girlfriend. From that day on, they had grown closer by first becoming friends and then lovers.

He didn't understand her concerns about her appearance although she was no different than many of the women in his life. To him, she had always been a beautiful woman. He glanced at Rosa and Maria thinking about what she had asked him to do with them. Since returning from the Druid College, he had not been as expressive of his love as before he had left. At least, he had not been as physically expressive of his love as before.

Naked, Ed was sitting on the couch in the living room with Linda's head in his lap. His hands were busy as he rubbed cream on her belly. He could feel the life growing inside. Despite the pleasure that this act normally gave Ed, his mind was elsewhere. He was trying to come to grips with the news about Maria. She was a little older than him and should have had a long time to live yet. It just didn't seem fair.

"Ed," said Kelly in a gentle voice.

Startled by the fact that he had not noticed her enter the living room, Ed looked up at her even as she stripped off her robe to join him. In a quiet voice, he asked, "What?"

"It is our age," said Kelly settling into place at the other end of the couch. She lifted Linda's feet and set them on her lap.

"What do you mean, it is our age?" asked Ed.

"We have reached the age where the people we knew when we were younger are starting to die off. Our bosses, our mentors, our co-workers, and even a few people our own age will die over the upcoming years," answered Kelly.

He heard the truth in her voice. It was a harsh truth and one that he wanted to deny, but it wasn't possible. He added another dollop of creme to his hand. Returning to his rubbing, he said, "It doesn't mean that I have to like it."

Linda jerked her foot when Kelly's touch tickled her. Kelly laughed at the reaction and replied, "You're right. We don't have to like it."

The act of taking care of Linda had a calming effect on him, but it didn't cheer him. He asked, "Is this a sign of the rest of our lives? Will we live to watch the people we love die?"

"It's the cycle of life. In a little while, we'll see the birth of Eddie Biggers. There will be other births. One day soon, our kids will be having kids."

Linda smiled at the mention of the name for her child. Her smile turned to a dreamy expression as a result of the attentions of her husband and wife. She sighed and said, "Eddie Biggers. I really like the sound of that."



-------

Chapter 23


Ling, Kelly, Leroy, Betsy, Linda, Dan, Claire, and the entire staff were waiting for William Redman Carter to return home. Much to everyone's surprise, he walked into the house and headed directly to Linda without pausing long enough for anyone to hug him. He stopped in front of his mother and, after a pregnant pause, said, "It is time to get you to the hospital."

"What?" asked Linda as a sudden spasm passed through her abdomen. Her eyes grew large when she realized what he meant.

"I told you that I would return in time for Eddie to be born. I've returned and he's ready to be born," William answered with a grin.

"Oh my," Linda cried as the contraction grabbed her attention to the exclusion of all else.

It was as though no one could act for ten seconds and then chaos broke out. The women all looked at Linda with wide eyes when they realized what William meant. A very loud Betsy started jumping up and down excited at the idea of having her own little brother. The women immediately swarmed Linda. Leroy shook his head in amazement at how William was able to guess events with such accuracy.

William watched the activities with a grin. The celebration of his return was turning into a celebration of a new life and that suited him perfectly. While William had always been comfortable alone, his time at the Native American College had taught him how to be at peace with his solitude. It had also taught him how to be comfortable and at peace around others.

Ling took charge. She ordered Walt and George to get two of the vans out of the garage and into the driveway knowing it would require both vans to get everyone to the hospital. While the two men ran out of the room, Ling ordered Sarah to help her cousin walk to the driveway. After dispatching Kelly to get Linda's overnight bag, Ling called Dr. Liam Connor to inform him that he was to wait for them outside the clinic so he could accompany them to the hospital.

Realizing that Ed was not there, Dan looked over at William and asked, "Where's Ed?"

"He's waiting in the car with Betsy for you, Claire, and me," answered William.

"We're going to the hospital?" Claire asked in surprise. She had expected to be left behind to take care of security.

"Of course you are. You're joining the Carter Clan as husband and wife. It is only fitting that the two of you wait in the hospital with the rest of the family," answered William. Seeing the surprised look on Claire's face, he added, "Besides, someone needs to drive us to the hospital. Daddy Ed is so excited he'll probably crash into something."

For the first time, Dan found himself laughing at something William said. Putting a hand on William's shoulder, he said, "Come on. Let's go save Ed from himself."

The crowd at the front door had finally exited the house with Linda and Sarah in the lead. The trio left the house and headed to the Hugger in which Ed was waiting for them. Claire went around to the driver's side of the Hugger and opened the door. In a gruff voice, she ordered, "Scoot over, Ling would kill me if I let you drive right now."

Ed followed his instructions knowing that it was useless to argue. Muttering under his breath, he said, "One of the problems with loving a strong woman is living with a strong woman."

Seeing the dirty look Claire gave Ed, Dan asked, "What's one of the benefits of loving a strong woman?"

"One of the benefits of loving a strong woman is living with a strong woman," answered Ed.

Claire laughed at the contradiction and turned on motor to the Hugger. Rather than backing out, she turned the vehicle around by driving it over the yard. The drive to the hospital was made in record time. Claire was not afraid of using the off-road abilities of the Hugger to shorten the trip.

Pacing nervously in front of the hospital entrance, Ed was beside himself with concern. They had beaten the vans to the hospital and he was afraid the vans had been involved in an accident. Looking over at Claire, he asked, "What could be taking them so long?"

"Well, they could have come by the highway rather than cross country. That would easily add ten minutes," answered Claire in a calm collected voice. She'd really enjoyed the drive. About halfway to the hospital, she had decided she was going to pick up a Hugger for herself.

Chuckling at the exchange, William suggested, "Call Kelly on the cell phone if you're really that worried."

"Why didn't they come the same route?"

"There's no way anyone would take that route in a regular van with a pregnant woman," answered Dan. He was enjoying this far more than was probably proper. He looked down at William and realized the boy was enjoying it as much as he was.

They beat the van to the hospital by a good ten minutes even though they left after it. For five of those minutes, Ed was getting a running commentary from Kelly over the cell phone. The fact of the matter was that Ed was concerned because Linda's first pregnancy had been so rough. Even though she had breezed through this one, he remembered the months spent by her bed before William was born.

Almost as if he was hearing Ed's thoughts, William said, "Eddie isn't going to be like me. He's going to be more Cowboy than Indian."

"Cowboy and Indian?" asked Ed surprised by his use of the words.

"Yeah, we can do that too. We'll play on different sides of the game. You know, I think that's a great idea. I'll get to practice scalping him."

Ed stared at William unable to believe what he had heard his son say. He said, "What?"

Even Dan was surprised. That was the second humorous thing he'd heard him say. Looking down at William, Dan said, "You've seem to have picked up a sense of humor while you were at school."

Nodding agreement at the statement, William said, "Yes. I did. It was one of the more important lessons that I learned."

The van with Linda showed up and all attention turned to getting her into the hospital. Although they could have used their wealth in most circumstances to smooth things out, there was no way to get around the petty bureaucrat in admissions. While Ed argued with the woman, Dr. Connor ushered Linda into the delivery room to perform a more extensive examination of her condition than had been possible in the back of the van. It was Cathy who came to the rescue and provided completed versions of all the necessary admission forms.

Ed had started towards the delivery room when Kelly grabbed him by the arm. She said, "You might be a modern man, but we're old fashioned girls. I'm her birthing coach. She doesn't want you there, so you go over to the waiting room and pace like you're supposed to."

Dan and Leroy steered Ed down the appropriate hallway with William and Betsy following behind. William walked while Betsy, in an effort to burn off some of her energy, hopped along attempting to touch the ceiling. Ling and Claire were well behind the kids making sure that Betsy didn't decide to head in the wrong direction.

It wasn't until they reached the waiting room that everyone welcomed William home. William entertained them with descriptions of his adventures at the Native American College. Betsy slowed down enough to listen to some of his stories. One of the things he had learned was the art of story telling. It had been the most difficult lesson for him to learn.

Kelly came out and announced, "It's time for you to meet Edward John Biggers."

The family watched as Ed approached the bed and looked upon his newborn son for the first time. An instant connection between father and son blossomed with a strength that was almost visible. It was a magical moment and everyone in the room knew it. Kelly's hand went to her medallion. Ling, seldom given to tears, was openly crying. William went over and put a hand on Ed's back. Dan and Claire held each other feeling honored that they had been allowed to witness this event. Even Betsy paused to watch the connection become established. Linda, exhausted from the delivery, gave voice to a line she had practiced just for this occasion. "Ed meet Ed."

Ed had visions of them playing Hunt The Bug-Eyed Monsters, riding through the desert together, and digging rocks out of interesting geological formations. He bent down and kissed his son on the head. In a soft voice, he said, "We are going to have so much fun together."

Turning to Linda, Ed kissed her gently and said, "He's wonderful."

While Ed took care of the exhausted mother, the rest of the family swarmed around the baby. Each took turns meeting the baby. As was always the case when someone joined the family, each established a special relation with the new member. Betsy's eyes glowed as she looked upon the baby. Turning to Ling, she said, "He's going to be a lot of fun."

It was late afternoon before the family returned home. Once there, Ed decided to take a walk through town and spread the news about the birth of his son. Leaving the women to spread the news with the staff, Leroy chose to come with him. When they reached Ed's old house, Rosa and Maria ran out from their house across the street. Rosa screamed, "So you have a new baby in the Carter Clan!"

"Yes, Eddie Biggers. He's a chip off the old block," said Ed unable to keep the pride from his voice.

Maria laughed at the comment. She said, "Parents lock up your girls, Eddie Biggers in town."

"She knows you too well," said Leroy. He chuckled and patted his husband on the back.

Rosa said, "So tell me all the details about Eddie Biggers. How much did he weigh, how big was he, and what time was he born?"

Leroy filled them in on the details while Ed described how much the child was like him. Realizing that Ed and Leroy had spent almost half an hour with them, Maria said, "You two had better go on and spread the news. I'm sure others want to hear all about it."

Ed and Leroy took their leave and resumed their wandering through town. After two hours of talking with people, Ed found they were in front of the Ortega household. Manuel was seated on a chair in the front yard. Waving, he said, "Hey, Ed. Leroy. Come on over and have some iced tea. Joe will be home soon."

Ed and Leroy walked up to where Manuel was seated on one of a half-dozen chairs scattered about on the porch. The hardest working man in Arizona had aged over the years and looked like an elderly man. Ed was shocked by what he saw and, once again, he was reminded that the friends of his youth were growing old. Sitting down in a chair, Leroy said, "Ed is now the father of a nice looking baby boy."

"I was kind of expecting the news," said Manuel. He had seen the two vans picking up the doctor before heading towards the highway. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. Handing it over to Ed, he added, "Here's a little something for your son."

"What is it?"

"A promissory note for a five thousand shares of our company," answered Manuel knowing that Ed would've argued against money, but wouldn't reject such a gift. They were expecting the shares to sell for over four dollars a share.

Touched that Manuel would want to make his son part of his company, Ed said, "Thank you."

"So how is the public offering going?" asked Leroy seeing that Ed was lost in thought.

Ed hadn't known that Manuel and Joe were taking their hauling company public. In fact, he hadn't been following the expansion of the company very closely at all over the past few years. He sat up and paid attention as Manuel described going through the process of taking a company public. Since a number of companies funded by Ed had gone public in the past, he understood the process quite well.

While Manuel was telling Leroy about the company, a young girl of five years of age came out of the house. Manuel turned to her and said, "Kelly, go in the house and tell your mother we have company. Ask her to bring out some iced teas for us."

The little girl smiled at her grandfather and headed back into the house. She shouted as she entered the door, "Mommy, we gots company. Grandpa wants some tea."

Ed laughed at the excitement of the little girl. When the door slammed shut behind her, Manuel flinched. Shaking his head with a wry grin plastered on his face, he said, "She'll never learn to close that door properly."

"I'm sure you spoil her rotten," said Leroy.

"Yeah. It's so much fun being a granddad. I'll admit that Kelly's a little wildcat. That kid can't keep still. Not as bad as your Betsy, though."

Leroy rolled his eyes and replied, "There isn't another child on the face of this planet who is as bad as Betsy."

Juanita came out of the house with a tray of iced teas. She was wearing a very nice sundress that showed off her figure in a most attractive manner. Smiling at Ed, she said, "The news has spread all over town. Congratulations. I heard that he's a charmer just like his father."

Grinning as he accepted a glass of tea from Juanita, Ed said, "If we're lucky, he'll get his looks from his mother. At least that way he'll have something going for him."

"He needs to get them from somewhere if he's to have any looks at all," said Leroy with a wink at Ed.

Juanita laughed at the joke. Turning to Leroy, she said, "I heard you guys had a real break-through last week. Something about actually curing one of those diseased deer."

"Yes. It looks like we found a compound that stops Chronic Wasting Disease in its tracks. Where'd you hear about that?" asked Leroy. He hadn't announced it to the public yet, although a copy of his paper was circulating amongst the small number of researchers in the area.

"You forget that my cousin is working for you," said Juanita handing a glass of tea to him.

Unaware that Leroy had made progress in his research, Ed asked, "So what's the news?"

"About two years ago, we discovered a little protein fragment seems to be the cause of the illness. Gnats can pass that protein fragment from one animal to another. The entry point is in the tear ducts. Fortunately, it is a rather low probability event, so we don't see a horrible epidemic spreading through the deer population," answered Leroy. He knew that if conditions were right and they had a huge increase in the gnat population one season, then the number of infected animals could skyrocket.

His voice shifted to one that conveyed less certainty. "A couple of weeks ago, we synthesized a new protein fragment. It binds with the bad protein fragment and renders it inert. Of course, having something work in a test tube doesn't mean much. Last week, we tried it out on one of our infected deer and it appears to be gaining weight."

"Wow, that is news. How come you haven't mentioned it to us?" asked Ed. He knew Leroy's research was a lifelong project that was characterized by long periods of slow progress punctuated by sudden breakthroughs. Since Leroy didn't have many chances to celebrate his successes, Ed wanted to make sure they didn't miss a single chance.

"I wanted to make sure of my results first," answered Leroy. He'd had several occasions where he thought they made a big breakthrough only to find he had been mistaken. They'd celebrated one of them a little prematurely and he'd always felt a little embarrassed by it.

Manuel asked, "Can you make any money on it?"

"Not for CWD. There's a possibility that a similar thing might work on Mad Cow Disease. If that is the case, then there is a lot of money to be made on it." Leroy doubted that he'd ever see money as a result of his research. It wasn't that glamorous. He glanced over at Ed and said, "I know it isn't a cure for cancer, but I'm a biologist who works on animals."

"Don't apologize. I know how important your work is. You're doing something that very few people can do -- adding to the body of knowledge possessed by mankind. I can't think of anything more important than that," answered Ed knowing that Leroy felt that his work wasn't as valuable as the work the others in the family performed. Leroy and Ling were not growing wealthy in the same way that Ed, Kelly, and Linda were.

Manuel looked down at the ground for a minute as he thought about what Leroy had said. Looking over at the black man, he asked, "Do you need funding for your research?"

Leroy answered, "We won't be able to look at Mad Cow Disease for a long time."

"No, I'm talking about the deer disease."

"There's not much of a chance to make money on that," Leroy said. He wanted to make sure Manuel understood exactly what he'd be funding. He had a lot of hopes on this treatment. There were still some questions that remained to be answered. It wasn't clear what effect the second protein fragment would have on healthy animals. It wasn't clear how they could distribute it to the animals in the wild. Finally, it wasn't clear if the effects were long term. The only thing that was certain was that no one would be getting rich out of it.

"I know. I'm not looking to make any money on this. It's just that I wasn't always rich. More than once, a deer meant the difference between feeding my family and all of us going hungry. If the deer had been sick, we'd have been out of luck. There are other folks out there in that situation. Maybe I can't help them directly, but I can help to make sure there are deer for them to eat." The emotions in his voice conveyed his honest desire to help for all to hear.

"I can understand that and we'd appreciate any help that you can give," Leroy said.

Juanita put a hand on her father-in-law's shoulder. In a soft voice, she said, "You're a good man, dad."

"Not really," he said, "It's just that there are some things that need to be done. For the first time in my life, I'm in a position to help see that they get done."

Ed laughed at that and said, "For the first time in your life? I know better than that. You've given jobs to thousands of people. That is an important thing and you did it. You've donated a lot to other causes. That is important."

"Hard to be humble around this guy," said Manuel with a wink at Juanita.

Having finished his iced tea, Ed stood and said, "We'd better head home before the wives think some young woman like Juanita offered us a better place to spend the night."

"I understand what you're saying. You have to keep the women in your life happy. Leroy, give me a call tomorrow and we'll work out the arrangements for funding your research. Ed, you hold that note and when we go public I'll get those stocks over to you," said Manuel.

"Joe will be sorry to have missed you," said Juanita.

"Give him our regards," said Ed.

As they walked home, Leroy thought about Manuel and Joe. He figured that the stocks they had given for their new son would be worth about twenty-five thousand dollars. It was a very generous gift. Funding a research project that wouldn't return much money was a very generous act. Manuel wasn't an educated man, but he was a very good man. When they turned onto the main street, Leroy said, "I'm always amazed at the generosity of the people in this town."

"This town is filled with houses that most folks wouldn't look twice at, but the people who live within them are often worth millions. I have to admire them for keeping their feet on the ground. It's a good place to raise a child. I can't think of a better place to raise Eddie."

They were about to reach Shirley's bar when Leroy said, "Let's see if Shirley is here."

"No way I can walk by here without stopping in," said Ed with a large smile.

"You'd think they would rename it Ed's place considering how much time you spend here."

When they entered the bar, Shirley called out, "Husbands, lock up your wives because Ed Biggers is on the premises."

"Don't worry men, I've come to spread the news about the birth of my son -- Eddie Biggers," shouted Ed.

"Families, lock up your daughters because Eddie Biggers is in town," corrected Shirley.

Her shout was greeted with cheers, laughter, and shouts of congratulations. Ed actually blushed. Leroy patted him on the back and quipped, "Poor Eddie. He's got a reputation and he isn't even a day old."

Ed laughed at the comment and went over to the bar where a pair of glasses filled with soft drinks was waiting for them. He took a seat where he could talk to Shirley. Leroy sat next to him on a stool closer to the door.

Feeling like teasing Ed, Shirley said, "I hope he got his looks from Linda. The kid needs something going for him."

Putting his hands over his heart, Ed said, "Oh, I'm wounded. One of the great loves of my life has called me ugly. I think I shall never recover."

Shirley leaned across the bar and caressed his face. She said, "Don't worry, Ed. I still love you."

The trio teased each other in the manner that only old friends could manage. Ed had a wonderful time catching up on the gossip about Shirley's family. The relationship between Beth and John was a long topic of conversation. John was halfway through his first year of Druid College. When Beth returned, they would be together in school and their long-distance love affair would have to face the stresses of living in close proximity. All of the parents were convinced the kids would go through the transition without a problem.

Home from the hospital, Linda leaned against Ed while he was seated on the couch in the informal living room. He had an arm around her and cradled Eddie in his other arm. Linda sighed and then said, "It's great to be home."

"I know what you mean," said Ed without looking away from Eddie. Eddie seemed to share his sentiment about being home.

Linda sat up and looked at Ed in surprise. She asked, "You know what I mean? Since when have you been stuck in a hospital for two days?"

Embarrassed at his misunderstanding, Ed said, "Oh. I thought you meant that you were happy to be here at home for good."

From her seat at the other end of the couch, Kelly said, "I'm convinced that Ed wouldn't think of a stay in the local hospital as being away from home. So long as he can see the desert out the window, he knows that home is only a few steps away."

"If you recall, my graduate research project showed that desert mice took about a year to become acclimated to cold climates. Ed is a desert rat. Using Ed as an example, I guess we can't conclude the same thing about desert rats," said Leroy. Ed wrinkled his nose in a bad imitation of a rat.

Ed chuckled softly and looked down at the infant nestled in his arm. He said, "I think they are making fun of us. We can't help the fact that we are desert critters."

"You're so sure that he's going to love the desert, aren't you?" asked Ling. She didn't really understand the relationship between the desert and Ed. As far as she was concerned, it was the great mystery about her husband which she would never solve.

"Of course, I'm sure of that. He and I have a common soul," said Ed looking down at the infant with a smile. He didn't know how to explain the connection between them any better than that.

Winking at her wives, Linda asked, "So how are you going to raise Eddie?"

"I'm going to teach him how to ride, camp, and hunt rocks. We're going to spend as much time out in the desert as the demands of modern life will allow," answered Ed. He kissed the infant on the top of the head taking in the smell of baby. Looking up at the rest of the family, he said, "We're going to grow together. Eddie is going to grow up while I grow old."

From his position on the ridge that was part of one of the mountains in the Superstition Mountains, Ed looked down at the camp below with pride watching his son hard at work. It was hard to believe how fast the years had passed since the day when he had held the infant in his arms. It seemed like yesterday when he was lying on the floor playing a game of peek-a-boo with him.

He watched Eddie, moving with quiet confidence, take care of his horse. Ed had taught him how to ride a pony when he was five. The young boy had taken to it like he had been born in the saddle. As the years passed, a horse replaced the pony. Eddie had even worked part-time at the Auction House while he had been in high school.

Rather than super-smart like Beth, John, or William, Eddie was above average. That suited Ed just fine since it meant that he had gone through the public school at home. Eddie was a good student and usually brought home academic honors. Just as important, Ed had gotten to watch him participate in school sports. No one cheered as loud as Ed did when Eddie took to the field, regardless of whether it as baseball and football field.

Of course, when it came to sports, Eddie had to take a back seat to Betsy. She had participated in track and field events in three Olympics. She was one of the few people to have competed in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. She had run away with over a dozen gold medals. Eddie had given up many an afternoon to help her train.

Eddie wasn't jealous of his older brothers or sisters. More often than not, Eddie was happiest when they succeeded in something. Linda often teased Eddie that he was the cheering section of the family. When William had received his Ph.D. in Economics, Eddie had walked around the crowd telling everyone that William was the smartest guy in the world. He was more than happy to tell anyone who would listen that Beth was the greatest architect who ever lived and that Frank Lloyd Wright could have learned a trick or two from her. He boasted that John was going to win a Nobel prize in Biology just like Leroy and Ed was convinced that it wasn't an idle boast.

Like a good older brother, Eddie was protective of his little brother and sisters. He watched over Rosa and Shirley, the twins, like a she-bear watches over her cubs. The girls were approaching the age at which the boys would start taking notice. Ed was convinced that any boy who called upon the twins would have to satisfy Eddie that their intentions were honorable. The youngest, Manuel, was just entering grade school and Eddie was more than happy to baby-sit.

The teasing comments about locking up the girls in town when Eddie Biggers was born had come true. Much to the frustration of their parents, the girls in town discovered Eddie when he became a teenager. It wasn't that he pursued them. It was quite the opposite, he was confused by their attentions. His Caucasian features, Native American skin tone, and long black hair, worn tied back in a braid, gave him an exotic appearance. With the boy's good looks and easy charm, very few girls in town could resist him. Many a teenage girl had fallen in love staring into his gray eyes and pursued him with almost obsessive energy. Ed had lost track of how many times some teenage girl had set off the security alarms trying to sneak into the house.

It amazed Ed that his son was so willing to give up Friday and Saturday night dates to go rock hunting with him. Eddie had the same passion about rock hunting as his father. It seemed like every other weekend the two of them would load up the trailer with the horses and drive out to the desert.

Although Ed loved all of the children, Eddie was special. The two of them were so much alike it was scary. They both approached food with the same sensual pleasure. One of the things that had worried Ed never came to pass. Eddie had never acted like a bully. In fact, he had gathered a circle of friends who would last a lifetime. Eddie loved the little town where he had been raised as much as Ed.

This trip was a special one for the pair. Eddie had just graduated with a BS Degree in Geology at the age of twenty-one. The young man had breezed through the program. Part of the reason was that he had been living geology for most of his life. His rock collection was very impressive. There was no doubt that Eddie would take over as the expert on Arizona Geology. They had gone on this three-week trip to celebrate Eddie taking over Biggers Consulting.

In all the years Ed had spent hunting rocks in Arizona, he had never even thought to search for the Lost Dutchman's Mine. While searching for a place to take a nap while Eddie worked over an interesting outcropping, Ed had discovered the site of legend. Ed glanced down at the gold nuggets in his hand. One of them was almost the size of an egg. He put the nuggets back in their collection box. It was marked with the location, 'Lost Dutchman's Mine, ' but not the co-ordinates. Some things were meant to remain a secret.

Ed looked up at the most glorious sunset he had ever seen. It was breath taking in its beauty and it was clear that the Gods and Goddesses had gone all out on this one. The sky was painted with colors he didn't know existed. Aloud, he said, "This is spectacular. A perfect end to a perfect day."

Eddie Biggers was busy building a campfire while waiting for his father to return to camp. It was approaching sunset and his father would return once the sun had disappeared below the horizon. He looked up at the ridge where his father was seated and smiled at the sight. Not many men his father's age could ride around the desert the entire day and still look fresh. He knew his father had slipped off for a nap, but he'd never mention it.

The wood finally caught fire and he stepped back to watch it burn. Looking up at the sky, he noticed the sun had gone down. He turned back to see if his father was having any trouble getting down from the ridge. Much to his surprise, he saw a blinding flash of light appear from where his father had been seated. He waited, but didn't see any signs of motion. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach when he recalled what William had told him before the trip.

The two hundred yards to the ridge seemed to take forever to climb. Stepping past the horse tied to a bush, Eddie finally scrambled up to where his father was seated. Ed's open eyes stared off to the horizon without blinking. A glanced down at his chest told Eddie all that he needed to know. The Medallion was gone. His father's service to the Gods and Goddesses had come to an end.

As a moan escaped from his chest, he knelt down and looked at his father. He looked like a bronze statue of a cowboy. His hat, covering gray hair, was worn level, giving him an intense expression. It was softened by the wry smile on his face that made him look as though he understood some cosmic joke that all others were denied. His leathery skin was wrinkled from decades in the sun.

Reaching over, Eddie passed a trembling hand over his father's face to close the eyes. The skin was already cool to the touch.

As tears welled up in his eyes, Eddie pulled out his GPS and took a reading. Holding the GPS in one hand, he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket with the other. Flipping it open, he spoke into the microphone, "Call Home."

When Mary Gold answered, he considered telling her what had happened. After giving the matter a second thought, he said, "Put William on the phone."

"How did you know he was here?" asked Mary Gold in surprise. After glancing over at William, she handed him the phone without further comment.

After placing the handset to his ear, William said, "He passed away."

It wasn't a statement or a question, but something between the two. Voice breaking, Eddie answered, "Yes."

"I'm sorry Eddie," said William feeling his throat tighten. He had promised himself that he wouldn't cry when the news came, but it was an impossible promise to keep. Tears ran down his face.

"At least you warned me," Eddie said. He looked over at his father and fought back the tears. He needed to keep it together until he had done everything that was necessary.

"That doesn't change the fact that you've had to face this alone," said William. He felt sorry for his little brother, but it was the way it was meant to be. He said, "Give me your GPS co-ordinates. I've got a helicopter here and can be out there in twenty minutes."

Relieved to hear that William was coming, he gave his older brother the GPS co-ordinates and then hung up to wait for the helicopter. Eddie had known that his brother would come through for him. William was always there when he needed a helping hand. In fact, most times his brother was there before the help was needed.

Stashing his cell phone back in his pocket, Eddie thought about all the things he needed to do. He had to take care of the town by arranging for a memorial service. He'd hold it up at the high school where everyone could gather. There would have to be food, lots of food, so that people would have a chance to relax and swap Ed Biggers stories. Ed had loved his hometown and Eddie knew the town would show its love for Ed. There wasn't a single person in town who wouldn't miss Ed.

Some people would need special attention. Eddie considered those he would need to visit when he returned to town. There were some that required help to live through this crisis. He would have to visit Aunt Shirley and Aunt Rosa, Ed's two oldest friends. That would be a very heart-wrenching visit.

"Don't worry. I'll watch over our little town, Dad," Eddie said. He knew his father's spirit would be watching over it as well.

Sitting down next to his father with tears running from his eyes, looked out over the desert. His father had taught him so much about love - love for the desert, love for his town, and love for people. As tears overwhelmed him, Eddie said, "I love you, Dad."


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The End
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Posted:  2004-07-27
Last Modified: 2005-08-29 / 12:01:23 am
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