Storiesonline.net ------- Shamus Journals by terriblethom Copyright© 2011 by terriblethom ------- Description: The adventures of a retired old man. LOL Codes: MF violent Mil ------- ------- Chapter 1 This is a story of cases that might have happened. It is also written as a work of fiction. I will give you a brief description of myself and my background, and tell you how I came to be in this business. I got a divorce in eighty-nine, and after the usual time of feeling sorry for myself, I bought a small house on two lots in an unnamed Florida town. I was doing pretty good on my disability and working part time, taking some small cases for workman's compensation. I was taking pictures of case cheaters and small time grifters. It was working out pretty well, and I had a good little nest egg built up for a rainy day. I had just finished testifying in one of these cases, when I came home to find a survey crew in my front yard. I walked up to the white hard hat that looked to be in charge, and told him to get the hell off my land. He politely told me that I didn't own it, and my house was on the list to be torn down. I called the Sheriff and a deputy came out. After I showed him my deed, he politely gave the crew five minutes to remove the stakes and get off my property. The foreman gave him a hard time about it, and got himself arrested for trespassing. I started laughing out loud, and got a cussing out by the foreman. The deputy put some more charges on him before they hauled him away. I went in and called for a pizza, and while I ate, I wondered who thought this land was theirs I woke the next morning to someone banging on my front door. I yelled out to them to get the hell of my porch. "Sir, we need to speak to you right away about your land." "Mister, I have a nice shotgun, and if you hammer on my door one more time I am going to shoot you through that very same door you're pounding on. If you want to talk to me, call Black's Investigations and set up an appointment." They talked to each other for a little bit and I heard them leave. I started the coffee pot and went to take a shower and shave. I was sitting at the table drinking my coffee, when I heard the familiar sound of my boss's Harley coming in my drive. Damn, what now, I thought to myself? He let himself in the back door, got coffee, and sat down. "Well, Harry, what the hell did you get yourself into now? I got a call from one of the biggest law firms in Florida, wanting to make an appointment to talk to you. They said at your earliest convenience, which I took to be right now." "Charley, they can kiss my rosy red. I don't owe anyone money and my home is paid for, so I don't care what they want." I told him what happened yesterday and about this morning's rude awakening. He laughed and told me that I should have shot and swore they were trying to break in. We discussed what they might want and why they were interested in my two little lots. We couldn't figure why they would make such a big deal out of it. Charley went on to tell me to go to the Federal Courthouse, and pick up my Federal Carry Permit. I had been finally cleared for it, and they wanted me to get my picture taken and get my identification card within twenty-four hours. They had a time limit for issuance, so it had to be processed within the prescribed time. "You been trying for a year to get it, so you better go down there today. There's nothing going on at the office right now, so you have a day or two to recover from court. I am going for a long ride myself and relax. Shirley has the desk, so she will take any new cases that we might be interested in working. I'll catch you later, so call in sometime tomorrow. Do you want me to set you an appointment with those attorneys for tomorrow afternoon?" "Yeah, if I don't talk to them, they will just drive me crazy. Set it for about twoish, so I can sleep in for a change." He left, and I went to the courthouse to get my Federal Carry permit. I had been trying so hard for the last year to get it. It wasn't that I wasn't eligible, they had to have Homeland Security do the checks and they were slower than a seven year itch. I had finally had to call an old friend that was high up and have him push the clearance. It had finally come through, with a deadline on issuance. I wondered what would have happened if I had been out of town. I went in and went through all the government bullshit, and finally about three PM came out officially licensed to carry in all states and territories of the U.S. I got back home about five thirty, just as the traffic was starting to get heavy. There was a Sheriff's cruiser sitting in my driveway and I had to stop and wait for him to move. He turned around and followed me to the house. When he got out, I could see it was my old friend Mark. I had saved him a lot of grief during his divorce by doing a little bit of picture taking at the right time. As a result, he didn't have to pay alimony, and got joint custody of his two little girls. He also was able to keep his house and property. "Hey, Harry, who you got pissed off at you now? The Sheriff got a call this morning about the arrest of that surveyor. An attorney tried to tell him they owned this whole three blocks and thus he wasn't trespassing cause it was their client's land. Did you sell out and not tell anyone? Oh, I got some more news for you. I got promoted to Captain as of midnight tonight, so you better stay out of trouble or I'll put an APB out on you." We laughed at his sickly attempt at humor. I showed him my Federal Carry ID and he was suitably impressed. "So Mark, how do they figure this is not my land? I own this full lot, all the way to the street, and the one directly across there. I have a free and clear deed. Somebody read their plats wrong or something. I have to keep them mowed and neat, 'cause the city lets me know if the weeds get too high. I hope I haven't been mowing the wrong lots all these years." We both got a laugh out of that one, knowing that the city never makes mistakes. We finally got down to why he came over, and it was to invite me to a promotion party at his house tomorrow evening. They were having a BBQ and beer bash, and all the guys wanted me to come. Because of my background, most of them considered me a brother officer. I told him I was off tomorrow and would be there. I asked him what I needed to bring, and he said; "Yourself." I gave him the finger, and he was laughing as he drove off. I went in the house, cracked a cold one, and sat down in front of the TV. That was the last thing I remember, 'til I woke up to that damned crow cawing on my front porch. I had tried feeding it dry rice, figuring it would blow up and bust. But it seemed to thrive, even with a big belly. I had even thought about getting a cat to kill it, and I hate cats. It was there on the banister every morning. I thought about getting a shotgun and shooting the bastard, but with my luck, I would miss and hit one of the cars on the street, and end up getting sued. I went in and took care of my morning ablutions and could still hear the damn thing above the noise of the shower. Damn Crows! I went out and got my coffee and listened to the morning news as I sipped it. I almost choked when the news said a Charles Carmen had been killed by a hit and run driver yesterday on the turnpike. The funeral arrangements were pending the release of the body by the Coroner's Office. I really felt bad, not only because he was my friend and boss, but I was out of a job. Damn, what a way to start the day. Then I remembered the appointment with those attorneys. I hated attorneys, not because of what they were, but because I had never met one in my fifty some years that wasn't greedy and crooked as a dog's hind leg. I got dressed and headed for the office. As I drove over, I wondered if Shirley was in today. I knew she would take his death hard, because he was the only one to give her a chance when she got out of college. I let myself in, went to my desk, and sat down. Shirley had been here, 'cause the coffee pot was still hot. I poured a cup and waited for the attorneys to show up and tell me why they were bothering me so much about my two lots. I was reading a file on private investigation licensing for each state, when the two attorneys showed up. They immediately came over and sat down. "You are Harry Hanson, I take it, sir?" "That's me, so quit with the small talk, and tell me what the hell a big firm like yours wants with little ole me." "We would like to make you an offer for your land. Our client would be more than fair, and you would make a profit from the amount of the offer." "I am not interested in selling either lot. I bought and own outright both lots, so keep your men off my land." "We represent a large company that has bought the block your house is sitting on. We thought we had bought to the "Y", until yesterday. It seems the realty company we were using thought the last two lots were part of the package. There is a commercial development going in, and we need your two lots to complete the package. We will make you an offer that you can live with." "I don't like attorney's and never did, so let me spell it out for you: N. O." "Now you listen to me a minute. We can file for eminent domain and take it from you, but we prefer to be straight with you and make a good offer." "No, let me tell you something. You can't take it using eminent domain, because it is zoned residential and commercial. By the law, that exempts me from any such action. You two think that I am a dummy, and that I didn't check all this before I bought the last two lots, seven years ago. You're wasting my time, so leave before I call security and have you escorted off the premises." They had a sour look on their faces but left. Damn, as if I didn't have enough problems today. I went through my stuff in the office, and took all my personal files and things. I still had my pay coming from this last job, and wondered if I would ever get it. Dammit, Charley, why did you have to go riding on the turnpike? I was going to miss him, 'cause he and I went way back. I wondered if his daughter would sell the business or just close it. She was working on her masters in college, and would probably not have the time to run the office. I had been looking at land and job opportunities in Nevada, and maybe this would be a good time to get serious about it. My PI License would transfer, and now that I had the Federal Carry Permit, I wouldn't have to wait for a weapons permit there. I headed for the house and my computer to look at land again. As I left the office, I put my key, with what I was still owed in the in basket. I knew Shirley would handle it with the estate attorney. I still had to find out when the funeral was, and I had the barbeque to go to tonight. I got to the house, and was relieved to see that I was alone except for that damn crow that just wouldn't leave. I grabbed several hands full of rice and threw it in his direction. He jumped right down and started stuffing himself, and I hoped he would blow up this time. I went in and got a beer, and then sat down at the computer. I brought up the realty listings I had book marked for Nevada, and started going through them, looking a little closer for listings in rural areas. Nothing new on this one, so I jumped to another and one lone ad caught my eye. Old gold mine and cabin combined, thirty acres with year round water and plenty of trees. All equipment, including snowmobile and off-road jeep with dual winches. I wondered if there were roads or just trails that went to the cabin. I took the picture tour and was really impressed with the cabin and the surrounding scenery. I noticed a little diamond flashing at the edge of one pic. When I clicked on it, a note came up saying that the mineral rights to the acreage were included in the deal. Now this fellah was smart, because he had bought them in the first place. There was a number so I called and got a recording, asking me to leave a return number and the call will be returned within the hour. I went in and took another shower, and dressed for the party at Mark's house. By the time I was done and ready to go, the phone was ringing. I answered, and the man on the other end said his name was Abe and he was the one selling the property I had called about. We talked for about an hour and he filled me in on why he was selling, and what he wanted for the whole shebang. I asked how I could get ahold of him if I came out to look at it, and when it would be convenient for me to come out. He quickly told me how to get there and to come at any time. I got all the directions from him, and then quickly went out the door and to Mark's. I spent about three hours at the party, and the food was great. Some of the people there got pretty wasted, so others drove them home. I always limited myself to three beers, so by the time I left, I was just about totally sober. I went to bed and slept good, without being awakened by the noise that usually occurred when traffic started up in the morning. I rolled over and realized it was Saturday morning, and I had nothing planned for the day. I called the airlines, and then got online and got some rates for motels stay in while I was there in Nevada. I hated cold weather, but really missed the change of seasons. After checking several sites, I found one that was the cheapest of them all. The motel was near where the cabin was, and it was a national chain that I had stayed in before. Now that I had the site and prices, I had to book within seventy two hours to guarantee the price. I wasn't going to make any plans until I went to the funeral of my friend and paid my respects. I got on the phone and called Shirley's cell. She said the funeral was Monday afternoon. I thanked her and quickly got off the phone before she started crying in my ear. I sat around the house all day and watched movies and football. Now I don't particularly like football, but I had bet fifty on this game at five to one and I just won. I would make it a point to see Mark tomorrow and collect. He always got me to bet him and won nearly all the time, so this time it was my turn to brag a little. Damn, what was the name of that team I bet on again? Oh yeah, the Patriots. I went to bed that night with a smile on my face, thinking of the expression that would be on Mark's face when I went to collect my money. I woke up to the sound of that damned crow, cawing away on my porch again. This time it sounded like he had brought friends. I shook the sleep out of my head and went out the front door, fully intending to shoot him with the pistol I had grabbed. I threw open the front door, and I'll be damned if that survey crew wasn't back again. I called the Sheriff's office and asked for a cruiser to come out to run them off again. I was putting on my pants, when someone knocked on the door. I went out, and the deputy was there and for a change I knew him. I told him I was pressing charges on all of them, and wanted them arrested and their vehicles impounded. He laughed and told me I better put the gun inside before backup got there. I threw him the bird, and he went over to the survey crew. He had them all line up, and told them they were under arrest for trespassing and destroying private property. I watched them all start arguing with him as I went around and pulled the stakes out of both of my lots. As I passed the instrument set up on a tripod, I tripped and knocked it over. The crew chief started screaming. I picked it up and tossed it in the back of one of the trucks, and he about had a fit. The Deputy quickly cuffed him and told him he was also being charged with making menacing threats. Two more units showed up, and then two tow trucks. They were all hauled off, and the trucks towed to impound. Man, they wouldn't give up. The bonds this time were gonna cost somebody a lot of money. I had a smile on my face as I locked up the house and set the alarm. I wasn't taking a chance on someone breaking in and stealing all my guns and mementos. When I got to Mark's, his girls ran out of the house, calling my name. I grabbed them both up and gave them hugs and kisses as I walked in the house. Mark was making grilled cheese sandwiches and I ordered one too. He made sure the girls weren't looking and flipped me the bird. He laid my money on the counter and told me that what I had lost to him over the years, he might as well be paying me with my own money. I spent the afternoon playing with the girls and replaying the morning's happenings. He said I ought to sell and make a killing off it. I told him I was going to Nevada to look at a cabin and thirty acres with the mineral rights. "What the hell you going to do in Nevada, Harry? That place you're talking about is out in the middle of the boondocks. I hiked all over that part of the state and camped at many of the lakes. I was stationed out in that area, and it gets really cold in the winter. That town is in the mountains, and during the winter, is snowed in for a month at a time. There are two casinos, three motels, and four combination bar and whore houses. There are only two restaurants in the whole town, and one closes for the winter every year. Are you sure you know what you're doing?" "Mark, I am tired of the heat and hurricanes, and the insurance for my little place is sky high. I have my disability and a pretty good nest egg put by, and I am looking for a little peace and quiet. The guy in Nevada is not asking much for all he has, and I want to see it. I am sure I can find some part time security work, and maybe a little investigation work if I get bored. Mainly, I just want to go to a different place and live without people staring at me or my tinker toy car." "You know, I'll hate to see you go, and a lot of the guys will too. Hell, Harry, half the guys on the department owe you a favor or two. You know that if you ever need help, just call and one of us will come running." "I appreciate that, Mark, but I have one favor I need to ask. Make sure those damn surveyors stay off my property while I am gone. Have a car sit in my driveway and monitor traffic or something. If I come back and find those stakes all over my yard, I am gonna give you hell, Mark." "Ok, Harry, I'll tell the guys at briefing, and have them keep an eye on your place while you're gone. I will tell them that anyone caught on your place should be arrested on sight. Is that fair enough, Harry?" "I appreciate it, Mark. I will buy the girls a pizza, since all you ever make is grilled cheese sandwiches for them. Better yet, I will take them out to dinner at their choice of restaurant. That way I know they will get a least one good meal while they're here." "Very funny, Harry. I give the girls what they ask for, and they always want these grilled cheese sandwiches." "Yeah Mark, that's because that's all you know how to cook, and the girls know it. It's a wonder they aren't all clogged up from all that cheese." I walked out of the kitchen laughing and he threw a dish towel at me. The girls came running and gave me a hug and kiss goodbye. I told them about going out to dinner with me and they both said they wanted Pizza Hut. They also whispered in my ear that I better hurry back, 'cause Dad's food was getting old. I went out the door laughing, and I heard Mark asking the girls what they had told me. I made it back to the house about dark and turned the alarm off and went inside. I popped a beer and sat down in front of the TV, and turned on a movie. I sat and thought about the cabin and what kind of privacy it would afford me. Man, that would be nice and to be snowed in without any human contact, would be great for a change. I figured to hang out my own shingle and to introduce myself to the local Sheriff. Maybe I could get on as a part time or reserve deputy. I woke to that damn crow again, and stumbled to the kitchen and put the coffee pot on and went to the shower. I finished up and sat down at the table and sipped my coffee. I had to get on the computer and book the flight to Nevada and get everything confirmed. I figured I would set out tomorrow and look at the cabin and land on Wednesday and come back Friday morning sometime. That would give me plenty of time to check out the area and talk to the local law, and check about some work at some of the local casinos. I was really looking forward to this little mini vacation. I went to my closet and got out my only black suit, and made sure I had a clean white dress shirt to wear. I made it to the funeral home across town, just before they called everyone inside. I signed the guest book as I went in, and grabbed a seat in the back. Charley's daughter came over and asked me to give the eulogy. I tried to get out of it, but she was insistent that I be the one, since we were friends for so long. I finally said I would, and she pulled me to the front to sit with her and Shirley. Great, I was sitting between two crying women, and I didn't have a hanky to offer either one of them. The preacher finally got done with his soul saving and called my name. I went forward and spoke for about five minutes, saying what I thought everyone wanted to hear. All the time I was cussing him in my mind for putting me in this situation. I did admit to myself that I would miss him and his asinine sense of humor, and the skewed way he thought of life. I finished and sat down between the two sobbing women. Evidently I was the only speaker, but as always the preacher had to have the final word. I listened to him for about four minutes and when he said bow your heads I left. I got outside and lit a cigarette and headed for my car. Since Shirley knew how I felt about funerals, I figured she would explain it to Charley's daughter. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too mad that I had left. I cranked the car and started home, when I remembered about the car that hit Charley and left the scene. On an impulse, I headed south on seventy-five to a little city about thirty miles from where he was hit. Six years ago, we had cause to do a sting on a plastic surgeon. As a result, he was sentenced to five years in prison and lost his medical license. He had gotten out last week, and we were notified by the parole board. Neither of us thought much about it, but I had remembered that the doctor had an old white Jeep Cherokee. A witness had told the State Patrol the car that had run away looked like one. I just had a hunch about it, and since it was Monday, and I had nothing else to do. I wanted to check it out for my own peace of mind. I owed Charley that much, so here I was, heading for the house to check it out. I finally found the turnoff, and cruised by his house. There were two cars in the driveway but no Jeep. As I went by, I noticed that the garage door was down and thought that was a little strange. I noticed a brand new shiny padlock on the hasp and this raised my curiosity level. I parked up the street and put a pancake holster on my belt at the small of my back. I walked down the street with my coat over my shoulder, hanging down to cover the handle of the gun. I walked by the garage, and noticed a window on the opposite side of the house was open. I walked toward it as I went back by. I looked in the garage through the window, and saw there was a car inside. It looked big enough to be a Cherokee, but there was a car cover on it. Since it was about a foot from the window, I decided to crawl in and look at the front of it. I looked around and saw no one, so I climbed in the window. After finally squeezing through, I came to the conclusion that I was too old and brittle to be a burglar. I stooped down at the front and raised the cover. I immediately saw that the left front light was broken and the fender was bent badly. I knew that this didn't constitute a hit and run, but I felt sure that this was the vehicle that killed Charley. I got down on one knee and immediately noticed pieces of plastic the same color as his Harley in the front springs. I knew then that this was the vehicle that had hit him. I got back up and pulled the cover down and went to the back to see if it had a plate on it. It did but was covered in mud and dirt, I wrote it down and looked at the sticker and it was current. I now had to get back out without being seen. I knew this was going to be a problem, 'cause the only way open to me was that damn window. I gave some serious thought about going out the door, but I knew I could be arrested for B&E for being in here without permission. I decided to try the window again, and hoped I wouldn't be seen. I stuck my head out and looked around. I didn't see anyone, so I climbed back out. It seemed that no one noticed me, so I went to my car. I got out my cell, called the State Police Barracks, and got on the phone with the shift commander. I told him what I had figured out about the hit and run and where I was. I gave Mark as a reference, and asked that they send a car to check it out. He told me that one was already on the way, and to wait on it. I told him what kind of car I was in and he laughed before he hung up the phone. First Charley, and now him. Why was my little car always the object of laughter? I bought it for five hundred and put about two in it. It got great mileage. I just couldn't understand why it always evoked so much laughter from everyone. I was still contemplating this, when the State Trooper pulled up along side of me. He grinned when he saw my car. "What's so damned funny about my car, Trooper?" "That's the first yellow Yugo I ever seen. I should say, that's the brightest yellow Yugo I ever seen." He laughed at the finger I threw him and said to follow him. I walked down to where he parked and we walked across the street to the doctor's house. He knocked on the door and it was answered by a young boy. The Trooper asked if his dad was there and he said yes, but that he was asleep. He then asked him if his mom was here and boy hollered in the house for his mother. She came to the door and got white as a sheet when she saw the Trooper. "Can I help you, Officer?" "Yes ma'am, I need to see your husband about his Jeep Cherokee. Is the vehicle here or maybe in the garage ma'am?" "It's in the garage, but it hasn't been driven in years, officer." "Can we see it, ma'am?" "The door's open, so just help yourself. Close the door when you're done." He looked at her and she closed the door in his face. He was shaking his head as we walked to the garage. We both went in and he walked over and pulled the cover back then looked at the window then at the car. He looked at the front of the Jeep and then shined his light underneath the left side. He got on his radio and called for a wrecker and another unit. We went back outside and stood in front of the garage door and waited. "Don't you think you're a little too old to be crawling in windows? He grinned at me and looked down at my pants." "Sure enough, there was a wide white smear up the front of both legs. I was grumbling under my breath while I brushed them off as best as I could." He went to his car and got a statement form for me to fill out, and he laughed the whole way to his car. I felt like a big enough fool, but the laughter just rubbed salt in the wounds. Damn, I was getting too old and forgetful to be doing this sneaky stuff. I smiled to myself as I thought about the story he would tell his fellow officers. I had the last laugh though, I had gotten Charley's killer. I looked up and I said to the sky under my breath; "Now we are even, my friend." ------- Chapter 2 By the time I had driven back home, it was almost dark. The traffic was pretty light so it didn't take as long as usual. I walked up on the porch and immediately noticed that the motion sensor security light didn't come on. I reached back and drew my Sig Nine. I dropped to a crouch and looked around. I didn't see any movement so I went around the house, checking the windows and the back door. All of them were securely locked and I didn't see any signs of anyone trying to get in. This was damned strange, but I couldn't find any reason to be more spooked than what I already was. I had a sudden thought and went around to the shed. I found that the lock was broken off and the hasp was bent sideways. I got the phone out and called Mark's number. I told him what I had found, and he said to stay put. He said he had a car close by and it would be there in a minute or two. I went around to the front and sat on the step. In about five minutes, a cruiser pulled in and pinned me with his spotlight. I gave whoever it was the bird as he pulled up. It was one of the Corporals I knew and he was laughing. "Damn, Harry, you never change, do you. We got word this afternoon that the State Police made an arrest in Charley's death. I also heard that a Trooper was showing pictures around of a bright yellow car that was supposed to be extinct. He was bragging that the sighting of the yellow fellow was the first in years." "Well, not every one has the choice of color for their car. Let's get down to business. Let's check out my shed and see if my riding mower is missing." He was laughing as we walked to the back. I stopped and grabbed my light from ole yeller. Hell, now I was doing it too. I just dropped my head in shame and went to the shed where the deputy was already opening the door. I noticed that he had donned rubber gloves, so I just kept my hands to myself. He called out that my mower was still there, but obviously I had been making money on the side. "What are you talking about? The only thing that has ever been the shed was the mower, gas and oil. I don't even own a rake or other lawn instrument." He backed out, holding a big plastic bag with what looked like white powder in it. I immediately knew this was a plant, and wondered who would be willing to sacrifice that much money to get me locked up. They hadn't done their homework and checked my background if they thought this was going to work. "Harry, I don't know who would be dumb enough to set this up, but I think you came back and interrupted them. I already called for the print truck to come out, and they should be here in a few minutes. Have you been in the house yet?" "No but I am going in now and put the coffee pot on. The alarm is set and you know what kind of alarm I have. You might have the print guy check the motion lights, because I think they unscrewed the bulb." "Ok, Harry, go put the coffee on. When they get here we will have a cup and talk a little bit about this. I still have to test this stuff and have the outside of the bag dusted. This represents a lot of money and this whole thing smells all wrong. Someone's going to a lot of trouble on this for some reason. I called Mark, and boy is he pissed. I will have the grounds thoroughly searched by one of the dogs, just in case there's more hidden." I nodded my agreement and went and unlocked the door. I turned the porch light on and went in the house. The alarm panel showed green across the board, so I punched in the code to shut it down. I went to the kitchen and put the big electric pot to work making coffee, 'cause I knew this was going to be a long night. I was changing clothes when I heard the truck coming into the yard, but I didn't hurry up with what I was doing. I knew the drill and it would be at least an hour before any of them slowed down enough for coffee. I finished dressing and went to the kitchen. I got out the big Styrofoam cups from the cupboard and set up sugar and milk on the table for the guys. I sat down at the table and thought about this. The only thing I could come up with was those damned attorneys. This was something they would try, figuring that they could get the property while I was in jail. Again, they hadn't done any research on me, or they would know I had a good friend that owned a bail bonding company, who would have me out as fast as I was locked up. This was a bunch of amateurs, and I had a feeling they were going to try again. Tomorrow before I left, I would call an attorney that I knew and let him take over. He was a shark and connected. He would eat these punks alive and spit out their boss. I had saved him from prison when he was accused of raping a young woman. I got her on tape bragging to her boyfriend that they would make a lot of money because the attorney would pay to keep out of jail. It turned out they had set it all up for the money. He had told me to call him anytime I needed help for any reason, so I figured it was time to call him in on these punks. I went to the front room and got the card with his home number. Being only shortly after nine, he should be still up. He answered on the first ring, and after exchanging pleasantries, I filled him in on what was going on. He got pissed on the phone, so I gave him all the information I had. He said he knew the owner of the firm personally, and would call him right away and give him hell. We shot the breeze for a few minutes more, then I turned him loose with his promise he would get the two punks in deep doo. I went back to the kitchen and sat down and had a cup of the coffee while there was still some left. I heard steps on the porch and Mark came in and sat down across from me at the table. "Harry, it looks like these guys are playing for keeps. There were finger prints all over the bag and the lights. We got a complete hand print on the mower where he leaned over to plant the bag. We identified two sets of prints and one of them is a local junkie and the other is unknown. Do you really think this is all about your two lots?" "Mark, none of this started 'till I turned down all their offers. They have bought the whole block back to the interstate exit. Now that ought to tell you that they have spent millions already. My two little lots control the access to two different exits going in different directions. Just that alone is worth millions to them for traffic control. These guys are playing for high stakes, and this type of harassment has worked in the past here in Florida and other high money areas." I filled him in off the record on who I had turned loose on them and he had a good belly laugh on that one. He never asked how I knew him, and with that my respect for Mark went up that much more. Since I had to catch the plane in the morning and he didn't pick up the girls till the evening, he said he would take me to the airport in his unmarked. With that, the other members of the team came in and emptied the coffee pot in a matter of about fifteen minutes. They all stood around telling tales for another couple of hours, 'till another call came in. Just that quick the whole place was silent. I cleaned up, remembering the happy times I did the same thing for a living. I locked the doors, set the alarm for occupied, and went to bed. I got to sleep the whole night through and got up with that damned crow practicing opera on my front porch. I went to the kitchen, set the coffee pot, and went to the shower. I got dressed, packed my bag, and set it on the couch. I went to the alarm and turned it off before Mark came to get me. I sat at the table and drank my coffee, and thought about the property I was going to look at. I just hoped that it looked the same in person as in the pictures I had seen. I had dreamed about it last night, and I wanted to move out of Florida. With the death of Charley, I didn't have anyone to hold me back. I had a lot of friends, but they had their own lives. Other than a few parties, I wasn't that close to any of them. I would miss Mark, and his girls I would miss a lot since they had always called me their uncle. I had some brothers somewhere, but I hadn't seen any of them in years. I didn't even know where they lived anymore. I had cleaned up after myself when I heard a horn out front. Looking out, I saw Mark pulling up to the porch. I made sure everything was turned off, set the alarm, and locked the door before I went to the car. The ride to the airport went by pretty quick because Mark was telling me all about the lakes and the beautiful country that I was going to see. He probably thought it would discourage me, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Now I was really looking forward to the trip more than ever. When we got to the airport, he parked in front of the terminal and dropped the law enforcement placard in the window. I checked at the counter and found the flight was early. Mark walked me to the gate and said to call when I got back and he would give me a ride home. We shook hands and I boarded the plane. To my chagrin, I fell asleep right after takeoff and slept until the stewardess woke me to fasten my seat belt. I was looking at the big metropolis of Reno, Nevada, one of the smaller sin capitals of the west. The airport was easy to find your way around in, and since I only had my carry on, I went straight through to the rental agency. I had reserved a four-wheel drive Jeep as per Abe's instructions. It took longer to sign the papers than it took to walk through the airport since I was smart enough to get every coverage I could. I think the girl doing the paperwork was mentally challenged a little, because I had to help her do a lot of the spelling on the forms. Finally we were done and I got a big surprise when I found the Jeep. It was a bright yellow with a black stripe down the middle, just like my Yugo. I was starting to think I had a yellow curse. It started right up and I headed out, using the directions Abe had given me. I drove for an hour and just like he said, county road ten sign came up and I turned right. I was supposed to go three miles down this road and he would be sitting in the driveway waiting on me. I went three miles and saw a man sitting in an almost hidden road that looked like it went up the side of the mountain. I pulled up, got out, and went over and introduced myself, asking if he was Abe? "Yep, that's my name, so I take it you're Harry?" "Abe, I have been looking forward to this all week." "Harry, you better lock it into four-wheel, because you will need it for the last half mile of the road. That's why most people don't like it. It isn't paved and landscaped up to the house." I followed and he was right, the last half mile was a rugged off road trail. The Jeep he was driving ate the ground like it was part of it. The one I was driving was making it, but it was earning the money I paid for its use. We went around a little bend and there sat the cabin. It took my breath away and I hadn't even been inside yet. I got out of the Jeep and followed Abe into the house. I just looked around and asked several questions about the deeds and how the land was laid out. He took me to a table and unrolled an aerial map. The property line was marked out and it matched the deed perfectly. There were two lakes fed by snow melt, and according to him, the trout were huge. I looked closely at the map and pointed to a dark area way south of his property line. I asked him what that was and his reply made me take notice real quick. "I won't lie, Harry. That is an old chemical plant that used to be operated by the military. It's been closed for about ten years. They still keep a skeleton staff for security and there is a rumor that they still use it for storage. So what do you think of the place?" "I love it Abe, but you never answered the question I asked you the other day. Why do you want to sell?" "Harry, I fell in love with a special woman. She owns a small sheep ranch on the other side of Reno. We want to marry and expand the ranch, but the banks won't loan us any money without using our places as collateral. We don't want to owe anyone, so we flipped a coin and I lost. That's why I am selling." "Abe, I congratulate you on your honesty and I will buy it. I want to buy the other thirty acres on the other side too. I will give you a fair price for the whole thing. That should give you and your bride a good start on your sheep ranch. We can go to town tomorrow and have the money transferred to your account, and get all the papers signed and recorded." He got a big smile and shook my hand, and said I hadn't seen all the deal yet. He took me through the house to the big wall freezer and showed me a hidden lever. He pulled it and grabbed the freezer and it swung out from the wall to reveal what looked like a ships bulkhead door. He pulled the cross lever and it came open with a hiss. He reached inside for the light switch and flipped it on. I followed behind him as he went inside. "Harry, this is a completely sealed survival shelter with its own power, water and oxygen supply. It's taken me almost twenty years to finish it and get everything working together. The way I built it, it should last better than ten years before any repairs ever need done. The water furnishes the oxygen and electricity. The water comes from a deep artesian spring that does not interact with any outside source other than what leeches through thirty feet of soil. I dynamited through to it and channeled the water to come through here and then back into the spring. The there is a small waterfall in the back of the mine runs a water wheel. When the lights are on, it kicks in and keeps the battery bank charged for the appliances in the main room. The walls and ceiling are rebar enforced by concrete, and are rated to withstand a 10.0 magnitude earthquake. I sprayed all the walls and the ceiling with waterproof rubber paint, so it insulates and seals." "Damn, Abe, were you expecting a major war or something? I think it's great, show me more. Give me the guided tour, will you?" "Ok, Harry, the kitchen is here and the stove is low power electric. There are extra elements and oven coils in the store room. This thing runs directly off the water wheel and saves the batteries. There is a power reducer that keeps it at the voltage it needs to run so it doesn't blow from a surge from the water wheel speed ups. That happens sometimes when the water speeds up from the spring pressure. There are extras in the store room if this one ever burns out. The heater and blower motor are the same way, but it will only get up to fifty-eight degrees because the water sucks out the heat when it returns to the spring. I never did figure out a way to stop that, maybe you can. The toilets run on a pressure system and drain into a twenty thousand gallon septic tank at the bottom of the mountain on the edge of the property. These toilets and all the drains will never clog and there is no way the outside air can get pulled inside by these pipes. There is always air pushing through them from a pipe attached to a fan at the waterfall. The drain pipes are six inches in diameter and are separate from the house. The hot water tank holds eighty-five gallons, and is on a timer hooked to the batteries. That way the water heats and stays hot, without draining the batteries." "Abe, this is a great addition to the property, but tell me the real reason you built it. It seems strange to me that you would spend all the time and expense to build something like this without a reason." "I have always been leery of that chemical plant, Harry. With all that's going on, it seems to me it would be a good place for some nut job to blow up. I had a couple of friends that worked there, and I was told by them that what is being stored there is more dangerous than a nuclear missile with all its radiation. I don't know that this will happen, but I wanted to be ready just in case." "If the place is closed, this seems like overkill to me, Abe. I'm not complaining because I love it, but how 'bout showing me the rest?" "This is the TV room and communications center. There are cameras covering the whole property and the house. I have short wave and citizens band radios. The TV is a thirty-six inch flat screen and there are seven thousand movies, more or less, for the DVD player. As always, spares are in the store room. I have kid's movies to hardcore and all types in between. This next room is the store room, and it took me six months of blasting to get it the way I wanted." He opened the door and it looked like a large food distribution warehouse with all the canned goods. There were bulk bags and barrels of everything that was available. One wall was all army MRE cases, stacked to the ceiling. Everything was shelved and neatly labeled as to what and how many. I would say that he was right that there was enough to last more than ten years, probably more like twenty. "Abe, it is going to take you forever to move all of this." "I got most of this for free, and a lot of the rest of it at discount prices. I have connections all over the west, and we all bought and stocked like this. There are seven of my friends that have similar places and we are connected by short wave. I have no intention of moving it. This all goes with the house, and now it's all yours as the new owner. That small room there has barrels of salted, dried, and pickled meat from beef to venison." Abe, I couldn't eat all of this in twenty years. You sure you don't want to take it to your intended?" "She already has a shelter and we have it stocked to the ceiling. Do you have an extra ten grand that you can invest?" "Yea, I can afford that, but I thought we had set the price on the place?" He laughed and said to follow him, and see what I would be getting for my money. We went down the tunnel to a small alcove and he opened a round door like the kind I had only seen on submarines. We crawled through and went about ten feet, and then came to another door that was the same. He opened it and I saw what looked to be a well stocked armory with its own machine shop and about fifty gun cases marked surplus. "I bought all these at auction, Harry. There are AKs, M 16s, two cases of forty-fives, and all are still packed in grease and brand new. There are three cases of fragmentation and three of white phosphorus grenades from the Vietnam War that I picked up from one of my contacts. There are over ten thousand rounds of ammo in each caliber. The guns can all be converted to full auto and the kits are here to do it. The forty-fives have all been reworked by a friend, and won't jam like they did in the service. There is one case of the new Beretta nine millimeter that were given to me but I never liked them. Not enough stopping power for me. None are registered, and all paperwork has long since been destroyed. This is what your ten thousand buys. These I don't want to even think about moving, so you can buy them cheap." "I am a gun nut and yes, I will give you the ten grand that you ask. I will have to go back to Florida to make arrangements to sell my place and hire a mover." "The cabin furniture stays, Harry. The only thing you will have to move is yourself and whatever valuables you have. After we sign the papers tomorrow and give you the keys, I am leaving. You will have to buy tags for the Jeep. I will follow you back to the airport and you can leave the Jeep in long term so you will have transportation when you return. Let me show you the rest of your shelter and explain a few things that you will need to know." I followed him and he filled me in as we walked. The master bedroom was huge with its own bath and closet. There were all kinds of winter stuff that went with the house, plus more clothes in all sizes for men and women packed and tagged by size and sex on the shelves of the huge closet. There was a smaller bedroom and what he called the bunk room with seven sets of bunk beds. The closet was also mostly shelves, piled high the same as the master closet. All had their own bathing area, and the bunk room had three toilets, sinks, and showers. There was a large washroom with two commercial washers and dryers that looked to be brand new. I was told there was every spare part in sets of two for everything in the place. He showed me how the control room operated, the manuals for repair and operation, and the code names for his contacts in the other survival shelters, including his if I had questions. The antennas were hidden and raised by motors, and spares were in the storeroom. We went back out to the cabin and he showed me how to set the alarm for intruders. There were also several booby traps to protect the entrance to the cabin and the front of the house. I found out then that the windows were surplus bullet proof glass, and the walls were reinforced with rebar and concrete. He said it would stop a fifty caliber, but the second shot in the same place would not be stopped. I was wondering why all the cold war mentality, but knew better than to open my mouth. I figured I was too damned old to fight a war again, but appreciated the safety it provided. We went outside and he showed me the underground garage and storage area where there was enough wood cut and stacked to last for five cold winters. From what I could tell, it was all hardwood that would throw out a lot of heat while burning. We came to the snowmobile, and it was one of the large Polaris models that seated two with a luggage space in the back. We walked to a covered vehicle and when he pulled the cover back, I saw it was a medium sized Arctic Cat with the combo track and wheel setup. He also showed me the large diesel commercial generator and the smaller backup gas one. I was in a daze, trying to remember all that I had seen and was getting a headache. We went back outside and to the back of the house where he showed me the thousand gallon fuel tanks that the generators ran from. He said they were filled to the top and would last eight months if I was easy on electrical use in the cabin. "Harry, when the snow gets really deep, I shut down the house, except for several lights on timers, and live in the shelter. Once in a blue moon, someone shows up that's gotten stuck or lost, but the alarms give me plenty of warning so I can go to the house to greet them. The wood burner only has to be fed twice a day and keeps the house toasty warm. It is fan forced and will heat the whole house without a problem. I forgot to tell you that the generator only kicks on if the electric goes out, but in the winter that's for about three months at a time. Damn electric company tried to charge me for that three months and I took them to court and won. That's why I put the generators in, they still hold a grudge and I am always last on the list to get my power back on. The town of Gold Gulch is over that way and I take the snowmobile to visit for human company. There are three whorehouses with bars and gambling. There is a large grocery warehouse that sells bulk only, and now there is only one restaurant, but the food is great and cheap too. The girls stay around all winter and are all doctor checked by the clinic in town. They are all very clean and most are good looking to boot. In the winter you can spend a week sampling the wares at real cheap prices. They get lonely too, and sometimes will give it to you for free if you treat them nice. I have spent a lot of my winters there and know most of them." "Damn, Abe, you have sure spent an interesting life living on this mountain. It makes me wonder if later on you will regret selling it. Even though I have a headache from all the information, I love it here. I am already looking forward to living here and enjoying the solitude and peace. I am going back to Florida and get my personal stuff and come right back out and move in." "Harry, I still worry about that army chemical plant. I have seen a lot of strangers around lately. I tried to report it but I was laughed at. I don't want to scare you but I would go armed when you walk around the property. It is all fenced with eight foot woven wire but that hasn't stopped them from cutting across, especially down by the lakes. By law I had to put in six gates for federal and state egress. They get left open all the time, and I know the forestry service always closes it behind them. The head ranger is a friend and he says he has been seeing a lot of strangers camping in the primitive sites. I am not trying to scare or talk you out of buying, but you need to know this as the new owner." "I don't care about that, Abe. I have a federal carry permit and I am a licensed private investigator. I will apply as a reserve deputy as soon as I move in. Then I should be covered if I have to arrest someone for trespassing. I am going to move and live here, and try to be a good neighbor if at all possible. I will not stand by and let anyone run over me and give me crap of any kind." He got a big smile on his face, and said since it was getting dark, I might as well stay the night and we could go in to town together in the morning. He didn't fool me with the invitation, 'cause I knew he wanted to keep his eye on me till we signed the papers. That way if I were law enforcement, he could get away before I could act. Staying here would give him time to get to know me a little better, and keep me away from any phones and human contact. He hadn't realized it yet, but I was almost as paranoid about my privacy as he was and would guard it with my life. We went inside and he showed me how to set the alarms. We had a pleasant meal and talked for several hours before I started nodding off and went to bed. My last conscious thought before falling asleep was how much I already loved it here. ------- Chapter 3 When, I awoke the next morning, Abe was already up and had coffee made. There wasn't too much in the way of conversation 'till we both woke up. He was like me, he couldn't start the day without at least two cups of coffee. I was sipping my second cup when it hit me how much I was looking forward to today. All the papers would be signed and the ownership of this whole place would be mine. When I came back from Florida, I would look into finding some work in the area, and check out Gold Gulch and see what all it had to offer. I wondered how much I could squeeze out of that company for my property in Florida, and if they would settle immediately. I wasn't staying any longer than I had to before coming back out here to live. "Harry, will I be able to have use of the money by tomorrow afternoon? I kinda had a hunch you would take the place and ordered the stuff we needed to do a bunch of building on the ranch. The contractors will be there tomorrow, and I have to pay half up front by cashiers check." "You should have immediate use of the funds, 'cause its an electronic transfer. It will be sent immediately into your account when I give the release number I arranged with my bank. You haven't told me yet what the total price will be with the other thirty acres and the mineral rights for it. I need the total so I can transfer the correct amount, and have enough for me to pay all the fees and taxes." "The taxes are paid for the year. I always kept them paid for the coming year so I'd not get bothered by the county. You never said how much stuff you have to ship out here. There is a package and receiving company in town that will hold your stuff 'till you pick it up for a small fee. Everyone around here uses it, 'cause the post office is a hundred miles away and won't accept or hold large shipments. I will take you over there when we get in town so you can make the arrangements and open an account. The biggest pain will be the property clerk's office, 'cause they are all retirees and slow as hell. They want to gossip and talk crap instead of working. Everything else will go fast so you will be able to catch the last flight out this evening to go back to Florida. I will leave your Jeep in long term with the ticket in the glove compartment." "Abe, is there anything else you need me to know? I get the sense that you are holding back on something and I want to know what it is." "Harry, I promise I will give you the last secret of the place when it becomes yours, and I have the money in my hand. It is not anything that should worry you, its just a little something I have for my piece of mind. Let's go to town and get this shit all done, then you can go home and get packed." It was a whirlwind day but we finally finished up with it all about three in the afternoon. I got the secret, and while it scared the hell out of me, I liked the idea behind it. I would keep it for an ace in the hole one day if I ever needed it. Abe left me at the diner in town. He said he'd head to his new place, and I knew where to find the Jeep. I sat and thought about what I had bought and how little I had to pay for it all. I paid my bill, left a good tip, and headed for the airport. Before I boarded the plane, I called Mark and let him know what time I would be in. He was a little surprised that I was coming back so quickly. I told him I would explain when I got there as they were calling for plane boarding, I got seated, and as soon as it lifted off, I went right to sleep. I woke up when the flaps came down and the plane started slowing. The rest was the usual hassle of getting through the airport and outside. There was a marked cruiser waiting at the curb and I recognized the driver as the corporal I knew. He was the same one that was at the house for the big dope raid. "Hey Harry, I was dropping off a prisoner and was told to pick you up on the way back to the office. Mark said that the realty company had been to your house four times since you left, and we ran them off all four times. The survey crew hasn't been back, and other than that it has been quiet." "I appreciate that you are picking me up, but you didn't have to be the messenger for Mark. He will probably be over tomorrow anyways. Have you eaten yet? " "No, I haven't had time to stop yet. Why, you hungry?" "Tell you what, you pick the place and I will get the check. I am starving and I sure don't feel like cooking tonight. Mark missed out when he didn't show up to get me, so now you can brag about what he missed out on." "Hey, works for me Harry. Let's stop at that big new Red Lobster by the mall. I haven't eaten there yet and since you're buying, that's as good a place as any." That's what we did. We spent a very pleasant hour just talking 'bout different cases we had both worked on, and how they had been resolved. All and all, the drive and company was worth the price of the check. He insisted on getting the tip so we each spent some money. He dropped me off at the house and it looked quiet, with the motion lights working this time. I went in, shut down the alarm, and saw the blinker going on my answering machine. I made a pot of coffee and listened to my messages. Three were solicitors, and two others were important enough to answer tonight. As I dialed the first number, I wondered why she had called so soon after the funeral. "Hello Shirley, this is Harry returning your call. No, I just got in the house." "Harry, your final check is in the mail and I wondered; since I am the manager now, if I could talk you into coming back to work? Charley's daughter decided to keep the office open and take a few cases for us to work on while she finishes school. She said she wanted to keep you on as the head investigator if you are interested." "No, I don't think so, Shirley. I am moving to Nevada, and will hang out my own shingle after I settle in. I appreciate the offer and all, but I think you can handle anything that comes along 'till you can hire someone to help you." "Ok, Harry, I am sorry to hear that because you and Charley taught me all I know. If it weren't for you two, I wouldn't have my license because no one else would hire me. I will miss you a lot, and if you ever need me, just call and I will come running. Good luck, Harry, I'll miss you." I said good-bye and hung up the phone before she started sniffling in my ear. That's one thing about Shirley, she was a good investigator, but she had water faucets for tear ducts. Once she got started, she never shut it off 'till she was dry. She was a sweetheart though. I placed the other call and got an answering machine, so I left a message, set the alarm for occupied, and went to bed. I was startled awake by someone pounding on my front door again. "Dammit, why can't people just leave me alone?" I grabbed the thirty-eight snubby from under my pillow and went to the door. Mark was standing there with a shit-eating grin on his face. I shut off the alarm and let him in, but you can bet he was catching hell the whole time. "Will you quit your bitching, Harry? You knew I was going to come over to see how the trip went. Sorry it's so early, but I couldn't wait. So, Dammit, tell me what happened." I went through the whole thing with him and when I told him about the trout lakes, I thought he was gonna drool on his uniform. He told me where he was stationed out there and sure enough, it was at the old chemical plant. I told him where the cabin and lakes were in relation to the plant. He said that even if they blew up the chemical plant, my place would be safe. Any of the agents made or stored there would stay in low-lying areas. All the high mountain areas would be out of the danger zone. He also said that it would spread eastward 'till it either dissipated or was washed away by the seasonal rains. He said he didn't know what was stored there now, but a lot of it was very toxic and lasted for years in the air. He said that if it escaped, that Reno and Vegas would be sure to go and anything east of there. We were still talking about fishing when the phone rang. I left Mark at the table and answered the phone. It was the attorney friend of mine and he wanted to know if I was going to be home this morning. When I said I would be, he said he was coming over in about an hour to talk. I agreed to his visit then went to finish my coffee with Mark. We talked for about another fifteen minutes or so, and then he said he was going home to bed. I watched him drive away and went back to the kitchen to finish my coffee. I had just finished getting dressed after showering when I heard someone knocking at the door again. It was Floyd G., the attorney, checking out the land deal for me. I let him in and got my hug and a smack on the back Italian style. "Well, Harry, it seems that you are sitting on a gold mine here. I could not find out what is going to be built here, but from all I could gather, it's going to be a huge project. They have almost all of the property and permits, but you have the two most important lots for the whole project. They asked me to talk to you and see what kind of offer you'll accept. Harry, these boys won't quit till they get what they want. Have you considered selling, or do you want me to file a restraining order to keep them clear from your land?" "Floyd, I will sell but they will have to meet my price and that will include your expenses and fees." "Dammit, Harry, I am not charging you and you know why. I would be in prison if it weren't for you and your little tape recorder. Just tell me what you want and I will handle it for you." "I will accept one million dollars and they pay all taxes and fees. I also want you to charge for yourself and your time. I will vacate the premises within one week after receipt of the money. There will be no crews on the property 'till after the week has passed. They will pay all expenses for my move, regardless where it may be, and they will pay for a one-way plane ticket to my new home. Floyd, can you practice in Nevada? If you can, I want you to handle any of my cases if I need you." "Harry, I am not able to practice in that state because I never took the bar for there. I have a good friend who is in Vegas. I will call him and arrange for him to make himself available if you need him. Now give me ten minutes with your phone, and I will make your offer to them. I think they will accept without any argument and will settle immediately. Harry, what are you going to do with your little car? My daughter just loves it and if you are going to sell it, I want to buy it for her. She will get her driver's license this month, and she has always wanted me to talk to you about it. I offered her a new car, but she is in love with yours and wants it for school. I know, I don't understand it either. Hell, they don't even make them any more." With that, he went to use the phone and I sat and thought about what he said about the car. I remembered his daughter as a little dark eyed shy girl with her mother's beauty just starting to show as she grew. I would have it completely detailed and give it to her as a birthday present. I would never survive the terrain where I was going, and I knew she would take good care of it. It was nice to know that someone besides me liked it. I would have the rear window shield put back on and have the front ground spoiler reinstalled for her. I had the window shield taken off because I didn't want the window blocked because of the pictures I took in my line of work. The spoiler was a cosmetic thing and I was worried about hitting a curb and snapping the plastic. I still had both, and with her being a young girl, I would have the radio replaced with a CD player and new speakers. I knew a guy down the street who could do it all in about two hours, and he did good work. His boy detailed cars and had done mine a couple months ago. I had sent them a lot of business over the years and as they became established, they showed their appreciation by making sure that my car came first whenever I took it in for work. "Harry, the deal is settled and you will be paid a million five for your property. They want to meet in my office at ten in the morning for you to sign the papers. They will pay any expenses you have to move, and will furnish a professional truck and driver with a crew to help you. When the papers are signed tomorrow, they will have all the arrangements made. All you will have to do is to call a number, and the crew and truck will be here within the hour. They also agreed to pay me all costs and expenses for my work on your behalf. Now, about the car, how much do you want for it and when can I pick it up?" "Floyd, I will have it tuned and detailed and bring it to your house on your daughter's birthday. I will give it to her as a birthday present from me. How about I bring it by the day after tomorrow in the afternoon, just before she gets home from school?" "Harry, I don't know how to thank you for this. The last time you saw her she was thirteen and I guarantee that you won't know her anymore. She is a beautiful young woman, and I wish I could put her under lock and key sometimes. I am like all fathers I guess, and if it weren't for her mother I would put her in a convent for my peace of mind." I laughed at him and we spent the next half hour discussing my move and how to invest some of the money, since he was a multi millionaire. I told him he could invest five hundred thousand for me, but the rest would go in my account and would be transferred to my bank in the Reno branch. He said he would handle all of that for me and split the money into checking and savings. We finished and I told him I would see him in the morning. He left and I set the alarm, went to the garage, and dropped the car off with instructions of what I wanted done to it in the next two days. He assured me that it would all be done and the car ready to deliver with the wrecker at the day and time I expected. I went to the car rental and got a new Cadillac to use while I was on their dollar. I went to Wal-Mart, then to several other stores before I found the aluminum cases I wanted to pack my stuff in for the move. I had to have something that I could lock and put my guns and other items in that would be safe till they got to their destination. I bought ten of them in various sizes and the extra locking kits for them. I took them home and then went to the bank and made all the arrangements with them for the distribution of the money. I had a new limit put on the single credit card that I had always kept only for emergencies. I would now be using it for a lot more things and made sure I had it covered, regardless of what I bought with it. I had put a big dent in my account with the purchase of the cabin, but it surprised me how much I still had for my balance. I hardly ever spent my own money, because everything I had been doing was for work and was on an expense account. I was always reimbursed for what I spent including gas, meals, and dry cleaning of my three suits when they needed it. I stopped and ate on the way home and then went to the house and started packing the trunks. I wasn't taking anything but my guns and personal items. The furnishings would stay. I arranged for the hospice to pick up everything in the house they could resell. I would be taking my laptop and the files packed in the trunk, along with my tax returns and other important papers. I looked around and realized that I really didn't have much in the way of possessions and wondered why I had waited so long to make a change in my life. I had it all packed and labeled in just a few hours. I stacked everything by the front door, set the alarm, and went to bed. I woke the next morning with that damn crow carrying on and it was barely daylight. I was so glad that I was moving and after I left, he wouldn't have a home or an occupant to drive crazy. I laughed to myself as I put the coffee on and went to the shower. I came out and sat down and the phone started ringing as soon as I went to take a sip. I let the answering machine get it and it was Mark, saying he would be here in a few minutes. Damn, I sure didn't feel like company this morning. I hurried and got dressed and shut the alarm off, just as he pulled up in his unmarked. I sat back down at the table and waited for him to come in. "Hey Harry, I got some news you might be interested in. The sheriff in that town you're moving to just died and they offered you the job if you want it. They had your background checked and we were the ones they contacted first. Now you have real reason to move out there. They will appoint you to fill out the rest of the old sheriff's term and will back you when the election comes up." "Are you crazy? I can't picture me playing politics with a bunch of rednecks. Hell, Mark, I sure don't want the job or the responsibility. Damn, I don't even like working with people. They can forget it. Why don't you take the job and move the girls out there? They would love it." "I never even thought of that. My ex would have a fit if I moved the girls out there. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't even be able to see them. I really don't think that would be a good idea at all, Harry." "Think about it Mark, your own department to run and no taking orders anymore. You would be able to hire and fire as you saw fit. I would give it some thought, if I was you, and the girls would love the different seasons. Hell, you could appoint me as a special deputy and I could work as a special investigator for you on the harder cases. Give it some thought, Mark, before you say no." "You sure know how to screw with a man's sleep, don't you? Ok Harry, I will think about it, talk it over with the girls, and make a decision. I have a few days before they contact you and I will let you know." "Mark, if you do take it, hire a housekeeper that can cook. The girls will forever appreciate it if you do. I will be picking them up tonight to go to dinner with me about five thirty, so have them ready to go." "I know that they have been talking about it all week, so they will be ready to go. I just hope you know what your letting yourself in for with those two. I will see you later, Harry." He was gone just that quick and I had a big laugh at me being a sheriff at my age. I don't know where that town got that idea, but I sure wasn't interested in the job. I went in and got my pistol, set the alarm, and went to the restaurant up the road for biscuits and gravy. They had the best in the state as far as I was concerned. When I pulled out from the restaurant, I realized I was mentally saying goodbye to everything I had built for myself over the last seven years. I made it to Floyd's office in plenty of time and even had a cup of coffee with his wife while I waited. I must be nice to have your wife as your office manager. Even after all the years since I had first met her, she was still a beautiful woman. We talked about her daughter, how she had grown since I last saw her, and how well she was doing in school. In the short time we talked, I caught up on her family, and all the gossip from the last time I had seen them all. She was a little upset because I was moving, but wished me the best and said I was to call if I ever needed anything. I went to the meeting and as usual with lawyers, it was full of language and terms only they could understand. I spent fifteen minutes listening to some damn suit read the contract and the clauses with all the other bullshit. I signed on the line and they transferred the money to my account. Then I called the bank to confirm and signed the deed over to them. I transferred the money to Floyd's account before I left, telling him I hoped he would be able to triple it in a couple of years. He gave me that shark's grin and told me he would see me tomorrow afternoon. I got the hell out of there before all the oil from all these attorneys rubbed off. I went back to the bank and had the rest of money transferred to my account in Reno. Of course, the branch here was sorry they couldn't keep my account, but the bank in Reno would handle my business without a problem. I walked out of the bank thinking I was a fifty seven year old millionaire and too damned old to enjoy it. I realized that I had two more days before I could fly to my new home. I went back to the house; called the number, and had a van there in about a half hour. I helped to load the trunks and got a receipt from the moving company. The driver told me that my stuff would be there within seventy two hours. They had a truck going that way tonight and my stuff would be on it. I thought great, I would pick it up on the way to the house. I picked up the girls a little early and had one of the greatest times of my life with those two. The trip and meal at Pizza Hut was one question after another, followed by more laughter. I would really miss these two when I left, and wondered if I would ever see them again. We stopped for ice cream, and again it was more fun than a non-father should be allowed. We got back to Mark's and the girls wouldn't let me leave till I came in and helped their dad tuck them in. I got plenty of kisses and hugs before they would let me get out of their bedrooms. I went out and sat down at the table and waited to tell Mark goodbye. He came out and sat down with me and I could see he had something on his mind. "Harry, the girls had a blast tonight. I wish you weren't moving away, 'cause I will miss you and so will the girls. I have a vacation coming up next month, and was wondering if me and the girls could come out and visit with you for a couple of weeks?" "Mark, you and those two are always welcome in my home and you know it. I will build you a nice a-frame on my property and give it to you and the girls if you want. You have enough time in to retire with a full pension, so if you want to come out there to live, I will have it built for you. I will sell it and the land it sits on to you for ten thousand dollars if you do. I would really like to be there to watch those two grow up and see what all they get into." "Thanks, Harry, I really thank you for the offer, but in order to get a Captain's pension I have to be in rank for a minimum of six months. I am thinking about a change for me and the girls. This job is getting more dangerous everyday, and I would hate to see the girls raised by their mom if something happened to me. Just that thought scares the hell out of me. You're the one that opened my eyes to what was going on so you know exactly what I am talking about." "Yeah I do, and I would hate to see it too. I hope like hell you keep your head down 'till you can retire and get out of here. You could always put me down as a guardian, and you know I would keep an eye on them for you. Well, I am gonna go, so you stay in touch and let me know what's going on. Learn to cook something besides grilled cheese all the time. They love macaroni and cheese and it's easy to cook." He started laughing as I headed for the door and my car. I would miss them 'cause they were the only ones I was close to in the area. I went to the house and went to bed, thinking about the girls and all the fun we had this evening. ------- Chapter 4 I awoke to almost total silence and wondered if something had happened while I was asleep. I had gotten so used to that crow and the noise, I was getting a little worried till I heard the traffic in the background. I looked at the clock and realized I had slept in, it was almost ten in the morning. I hadn't done that in years I thought, as I sipped my coffee. I had one more thing to do today and one thing in the morning then I was free to leave for my new home. I was starting to get excited when I started thinking about the new adventures and trouble I could get into in a whole new state. I had already sent a fax to start the transfer of my license. I also found out that my concealed weapons permit would transfer with a rather stiff fee and transfer charge. I would have to register the weapon I was planning on carrying but with the federal carry I could carry anything up to a small tank. I got dressed and called the hospice to make sure they would be here on time and as I looked out the door Mark's car was coming into the driveway. I wondered why he was coming so late. I waited on him in the kitchen and already had a cup of coffee poured for him before he sat down. "Harry, I have made up my mind after our conversation last night. Will you build me the cabin you mentioned? As soon as I finish the next four months I am taking my retirement and moving out there with the girls. I don't care if the ex likes it or not, because I have full custody. As you already know, she has missed the last three visits I set up for her. The girls don't hardly mention her any more, but I know they miss her. I hope she gets her act together before she catches something that kills her." "If you're sure I will have it started as soon as I get settled in. I will have it ready so you guys can move right in and the girls will love it. How come you worked so late?" "One of the patrol deputies was shot last night on a traffic stop. He is in fair shape but when I got the call it sure made me start thinking. My girls are too young to have to explain something like that to them. I don't want that to happen and that's what made up my mind. I been thinking about it all night Harry. I know the girls will love it especially if their favorite uncle lives next door. Hell, maybe I will buy them a couple of ponies to ride over to your house so they can visit." "Mark, I will be happy to have you as my neighbor and the girls are always welcome to visit. I am transferring my license so if I get some cases I will hire you to back me up and help me with customers. That will give you some extra money but on a Captains retirement you will have a good income. I know about the bored factor so I will use you when I can. Hey, you better find a good four wheel drive cause you'll need it out there. I have a Jeep that eats off road trails. It came with the cabin along with a snowmobile and a small Arctic Cat. Wait till you see my place you will want me to let you guys live there too. It has four huge bedrooms and two full baths." "Slow down Harry. You light up like a light when you talk about it. I can't wait to see it and we will stay overnight with you the first night we get there. I have got to go home and get some sleep, so I will talk to you again in the morning before you fly out. I will also give you a ride to the airport. I took tomorrow off so I could spend the last day with you. Yes, the girls had a fit and they will be with me so you will be busy till you get on the plane. I'll see you tomorrow Harry." I watched him as he left, and knew he hated to have to retire, but the girls were his life. I absently wondered what I would do if I were faced with his situation. I decided since it was almost one thirty I would head for Floyd's and meet the wrecker and make sure the car was set up for his daughter. I grabbed the title and went out the door trying to remember his daughter's name. It was almost three by the time I got there and I was tired of fighting the traffic. When I pulled up the wrecker was arriving too. He unloaded the Yugo and if I hadn't known better I would have sworn it was brand new. The outside and the inside looked like it was new and it even had that new car smell. I raised the hood and it was clean enough to eat off of. I pulled it in the garage and took my plate off and shut the door. I went back out and sat in my car till someone came home. Evidently everyone was running late because the first to arrive was the teenager and the only reason I knew it was her was because she was a young image of her mother and about three times more beautiful. I got out of the car and approached her and she recognized me immediately. What I didn't expect was the greeting of a kiss and a hug that left me breathless. Man I was glad I wasn't her father. I wished I were young again because girls in my time weren't built like she was. She was smiling and cutting up about me not seeing her for so many years and did I like how she had grown up. I wasn't going to answer that question and quickly changed the subject. "I came over to give you a sweet sixteen birthday present, but your dad and mom never met me like they were supposed to, so I guess it's just us. Happy Birthday sweets and your present is in there I said, pointing at the garage." She looked at me with wide eyes and made a beeline for the garage. The way she opened it she must have been a weightlifter in another life. The scream when she saw the car and the jumping and laughing made me smile. Now I knew my little tinker toy would be well loved. I hated to part with it but it wouldn't last a month in those mountains. I finally remembered her name as she came running at me and threw herself in my arms. We both ended up on the ground because she was not light by any means. She was kissing me when her mom and dad pulled up and he gave me a look that chilled my bones till he recognized me and then he just busted up laughing. "Hey Harry, your supposed to give her the car not get beat up. What did he do honey try to pick you up? Harry is an old pervert from way back." Now it was my turn with the look and he came right out and said he was just kidding. His wife was giving him hell and told him it's no wonder he didn't have any friends talking like that. I walked to my rental and stood over the trunk and filled out the title and handed it to Maria. I again wished her a happy birthday and got in my rental and left. I was pissed and I didn't want to ruin the joy of her having her own car. I knew if I stayed with my feelings about perverts I would probably knock him out. I headed back to the house 'cause tomorrow was trash day and I had a lot to put out. I cleaned the refrigerator and gathered all the stuff I wasn't going to take and put it all out. I had just finished and poured a cup of coffee when a car pulled in my drive and came straight to the house. I didn't recognize it and grabbed the stubby and tucked it in my belt. When the driver got out I saw it was Floyd and he looked like he had been kicked. I let him in and poured him a coffee and sat down. "I came to apologize to you Harry. I know how you feel about that word and I don't know why I said it. My wife is threatening to divorce me and my daughter says my big mouth ruined her birthday gift. Dammit Harry, I am sorry, and I know you wouldn't do anything towards my daughter. I guess I get over protective sometimes but she acts just like her mother and trusts everyone. I guess I am not cut out to be a father or something cause they both are someday gonna get hurt bad Harry." "Floyd its not my place to tell you how to be a father. You are a typical Italian and family always comes first. You're going to have to learn that your daughter is a separate person, and is old enough that she doesn't want daddy running her life and making all the decisions. She is going to get hurt and the best thing you can do is to be understanding and give her a shoulder to cry on. You ever call me a pervert again and I will knock you on your ass." "Ok Harry I had that coming and again I am sorry. She told me how you two ended up on the ground and it made me feel like a bigger fool. I owe you more than any other person in this world and I almost ruin it by my big mouth. I promise I will make you a lot of money with your investment and for the first year if there are any losses I will make them good. I have to get back to the house and eat crow the rest of the evening but I didn't want to leave it with bad feelings between us." He came over and shook my hand and wished me good luck and left. He was right about one thing though. If I were seventeen I would be chasing his daughter like probably every other boy in her school. I hoped when she did meet the right one he would treat her good. I went to bed and nodded off thinking about seeing the girls tomorrow. The crow opera singer woke me up at the crack of dawn. I groaned as I got up then cheered up when I realized this would be the last morning he would be bothering me. He would be homeless and I would be ensconced in my cabin. I got the coffee ready then got my shower and in that order. I got dressed and finished packing my last suitcase and sat and waited for hospice to pick up my stuff. They came about a half hour late but I still had plenty of time to catch my plane. The guys who loaded the stuff were pretty good and had it all loaded in less than an hour. I saved the DVD player and the small flat screen TV for the girls. I ran to the post office and did the change of address thing and went back to the house just as Mark and the girls came driving in the yard. The girls wanted my Harry Potter movies with the DVD player. I let them trade me a kiss apiece for the player and two each for the movies. I came out on the better end of the deal and loved it. Mark just stood back and laughed at the girls actions and cheered them on when they refused to give me more than two kisses each for the movies. We loaded the TV and other stuff in the trunk of his car. He followed me to the car rental to turn the car back in, and I didn't have to fight the agency over the miles cause they put me on the unlimited mileage special. I didn't care about the cost because that was part of the contract when I sold my house. We all loaded up in Marks car and went back to the house and I did a final walk through and was glad I did. I remembered the emergency stash of money I had kept in the wall of the closet and it was still there. I didn't think anyone would find it but I was glad the bugs hadn't cause Palmetto's will eat anything. It was five thousand in twenty's and I had to stuff them in my pocket till I could put them in my carry on. I hoped security didn't check to close or I might have a hard time explaining all that cash. I took a final look around shut the main power off, and left the keys on the counter as I walked out the door. I looked around one last time and making sure the girls didn't see me I gave the bird to the crow on top of my roof. I was laughing to myself as I sat down in the car and we drove off. The girls immediately started asking questions about where I was moving, and would they ever get to see their uncle again and how soon. I answered all the questions before I told Mark it was lunch time and I was treating for everybody. There was an argument about where to eat and I settled that by saying I was hungry for McDonalds. That was accepted by everyone except Mark but we out voted him and he took it in good grace. We had a blast and ice cream was on the list as desert, and then we were off for the airport. By the time we got there both girls were asleep in their car seats and I kissed them goodbye as I unloaded my two suitcases. Mark and I shook hands and I told him I would have his cabin ready by the time he retired, and would furnish it so he could sell his place as is. I waved at him as I walked away and went in to the ticket counter and claimed my ticket. I went to the boarding gate and went almost straight through until my name was called and I was pulled aside because a gun was found in my checked suitcase. I showed my federal permit as was released to continue boarding. I got on the plane and was seated and wondered how Mark would react when the girls showed him their hundred dollar bills that Uncle Harry had given them to buy some more movies for themselves. I fell asleep almost as soon as the plane took off. I was dreaming about my new home and I just knew I had a smile on my face as I dreamed. I woke up as usual when the flaps came down on the jet. I looked out and saw the big town of Reno again. I hoped I didn't have too much business here because I just didn't like the fake glitz and glamour. I grabbed my carry on and I waited for my other suitcase to go through the crap to get to me. I realized I was getting excited more and more as I waited. I hoped no one had stole my Jeep cause I was going to set a few records getting to my new home. Tomorrow I was going to get familiar with my property and make sure the gates were closed. I was going to read up a little cause I believe that I can lock the gates as long as I furnish an extra key for the agencies that had a right to cross my land. Damn that sounded good to me, my land. My suitcase finally came around the carousel and I grabbed it and headed for the shuttle. I was walking so fast I almost ran over a little old lady struggling with too many suitcases. I stopped and offered to help her and we walked at a crawl till we got where she said she would wait for her ride. She thanked me for the help and I said she was welcome, and rushed out the door to catch the shuttle for long term just as he was shutting the door. We took the bus to long term by way of California cause of the time it took us to get there. The driver was shooting the breeze with a bleached out blonde with ten pounds of makeup on. I had seen hookers on the street in the rain that looked better than she did. I finally had my Jeep in sight and pulled the cord to sound the chime to stop. I grabbed my luggage and almost tramped on the blonde as she stepped into the aisle as I was coming to the door. She got out ahead of me and I made a beeline for the Jeep as soon as I hit the ground. I got the keys out and it fired right up. I got the claim ticket out of the glove compartment and as I popped the clutch to take off I almost ran down the blonde. She was pulling a one of those wheeled suitcases and she stopped right in front of me with her back to me. I lightly tapped the horn and she jumped and moved to the side and I got the hell out of there before something else stopped me. I paid the eight dollars and fifty cents and headed for the open road. It was clouding over the closer I got to the mountains, and I hoped it didn't rain or I would have a wet ass before I got home. There was that word again, home. I would have to put the hard top on the Jeep, if I were going to be running around the next few days picking up my stuff. I turned onto the county road and I was almost to my driveway when the blues went on behind me. Now what the hell was going on 'cause I knew I wasn't speeding. I pulled over in my driveway and stopped and dug for the registration and insurance papers. I had it all ready by the time the officer came up to the Jeep. "Mr. Hanson? I am Deputy Bruce Sharpe and I wanted to welcome you to our county. Sorry about lighting you up, but if you got into your driveway too far the cruiser would bottom out before I could catch you. The county commissioners want to talk to you tomorrow if you can make it in. They said to tell you they will treat for lunch at the steakhouse if you can come in by twelve." "Why do they want to talk to me Bruce? You don't mind if I call you by your first name do you?" "No sir I don't, and I appreciate you asking first. Most people don't and sometimes it kinda upsets me, them getting so familiar like they know me and all. I don't know what they want, but I can give a good guess since I was the one that run the background check on you. You have had an interesting life Mr. Hanson and I have never seen a more interesting resume' from anyone before I checked on you. So what do I tell them sir?" "Bruce, just call me Harry will you, and tell them I have to come in anyway so I might as well get this over with." "Ok Harry. Well I got a call so I guess I will probably see you tomorrow. Bye now." He got back in his car and did a half ass u-turn on the narrow road and took off with lights and siren. I headed up my driveway to my house and when I got to the rough part I shifted into four-wheel, and the Jeep seemed like it became part of the ground the way it seemed to squat and dig in. I came around the little curve and the cabin was in front of me and again it just took my breath away. I took my luggage in the house and disabled the booby traps that Abe had set before he left and then I went to the fuse panel and shut off the dryer breaker and breathed a sigh of relief. I wondered how much C-4 he had packed around the house as his little surprise. I had to give him credit though because unless I hit the remote that was hidden it could not go off. There were five redundancies built in so it couldn't go off by accident even if the house was struck by lightening. I still breathed a sigh of relief when it was shut down. I went to my bedroom and unpacked and put everything away except the snubby and I stuck it in a belt holster and put it on. It would have to do till I got my own weapons tomorrow. I didn't feel like cleaning the grease from one of the forty fives right now, so it would be my weapon of choice. I went to the little shed and got the Jeep hardtop out and hooked it to the come-along mounted in the tree by the shed. I backed the Jeep up and lowered it down till it settled even with the windshield. I released it from the hook and set the little t-bolts that Abe had welded to make it easier to do it with one person. In about fifteen minutes I had it fastened and sealed with the slotted rubber strips that Abe had made from some kind of a strip of flexible tubing. I could not see any daylight in any of the cracks and hoped that I had done it right and it didn't leak. I pulled it back to the front of the cabin and parked it by the steps. While I was in town tomorrow I was going to look for one of those company's that sold and built log cabin kits. I knew the girls would love it and they were very warm, and easy on the pocket book to maintain. I wanted one with the lofts on either end with a walkway between the two. I would also make sure it had a generator for back up power in the winter. I wondered how deep the water table was up here and how much the larger septic would run. I was going to do it up right for the girls and Mark. I would make sure they would be warm and comfortable in any kind of weather. I would have a small barn with its own hayloft for storage and feed for the ponies I knew the girls would want. I would also check on types of dogs that were around here for a watch dog for them. I knew Mark would have a fit but I figured me and the girls could out vote him like always. Hmm, they would need their own four wheelers too, as would I to run around the property with. It would make it easier for me and the girls to go fishing too. I was so busy making plans I didn't even realize it had gotten dark and I turned the lights on and fixed me a big thick venison steak with fried potatoes and onions for supper. I topped it off with an ice cold beer and thought to myself that life couldn't get any better than this. ------- Chapter 5 I woke the next morning in the chair still gripping the beer bottle in my hand. The sun was barely up but I was wide awake. I set the coffee to brewing and went to the shower, and then I grabbed a shave. I almost passed on doing it 'till I remembered the lunch meeting I had today. I went to the kitchen and marveled about how silent the house was, because I could see all kinds of birds in the trees and even a few crows on the ground in front of the cabin. Man this was great, no crow opera in the mornings anymore. I couldn't stand it and went to the front door and opened it to actually find out for myself what the noise level was outside. I opened the door and almost immediately closed it. Damn, and I thought the noise level was bad at my old place, this place sounded like a zoo with all the animal noises. I wasn't about to be stupid enough to do that again. I will stay inside where it's quiet till I had my morning quota of coffee. I remembered I needed to clean one of the M-sixteens and keep it near the door, just in case I needed it for an emergency. Abe had taken his with him when he left. I figured I might as well convert one while I was cleaning it. My federal permit would let me have it fully automatic, and I also wanted to see the reworked forty-five Abe had bragged about his friend doing. I went to the big wall freezer and swung it away from the wall, pulled the cross lever, and flipped the light switch on. The hiss was a little louder this time or at least it seemed that way to me. I went to the sub door and undocked the first one of two and as I bent almost double to get into the armory, I wondered why Abe had put two doors instead of just one. I pried the lid off the top case and immediately realized that these things were still packed in the original packing grease for wet or humid climates. The smell that hit me upon opening brought back a lot of bittersweet memories. I got into the box of rags and soaked one with the cleaning fluid. Then I wiped the outside down in preparation to tearing it completely down to clean. Damn I hated this stuff, but I had spent a month working in the armory on base with five other unlucky stiffs, cleaning case after case of these things. That's how I learned the difference between the smells of the packing greases. I dug through the boxes till I found the conversion kits and set one on the tool bench. I finally got the damn thing clean and broke open the kit and spent the next twenty minutes of trial and error 'till it came back to me how to put it in right. I finally got it all back together and ready to fire so I loaded one of the magazines that was handy and went outside. I walked down the hill toward the lakes and found a large tree and tried it out half expecting it not to work. As it turned out, I didn't have anything to worry about and the thrill of shooting on full auto was a helluva rush after all these years. I went back to the armory and reloaded several of the mags and stacked them on the bench. I pried the lid up on the box containing the forty-fives and found that they had been re packed with more modern packing. I pulled one out and cleaned it in about ten minutes and spent another fifteen looking for the magazines for them. They were in a box behind the AKs. I loaded six of them and cleaned up my mess. I grabbed the sixteen and clipped on the shoulder harness, grabbed all the loaded mags, and headed for the front room. I piled it all on the couch and went back and closed everything up. I swung the freezer back against the wall and grabbed everything off of the couch. I leaned the sixteen against the front door and took a mag and the forty-five out to the same tree. This I had noticed was of the Second World War issue, so I knew it was better than a lot of the newer styles. I had noticed when I cleaned it the action was glass smooth and the trigger pull had been lightened considerably. I loaded the mag and pulled the slide back hard like a normal army issue and almost busted my own nose. My hand slid clear off the action it was so light and smooth. I had to be a little more careful next time; I wouldn't want to break my own nose. Damn that smarts, I thought, as I aimed it at a mark I made in the bark of the tree. I fired and the trigger pull was about half of the normal specs. It still had the same kick but it was accurate as hell. I fired it till it locked open and walked to the tree, and all the hits were right in the mark except for two and I figured I had pulled as I shot. I was going to keep this in my bedroom for use in the house if I needed it. I headed back in and went to wash up and get ready to go to town for my lunch meeting. I cranked the Jeep and headed down my driveway and almost ran over the deputy that stopped me yesterday. "What the hell are you doing walking up here Bruce? Didn't you get your message across yesterday?" "No, Harry it isn't that. The commissioners sent me up to remind you about the meeting and to make sure you made it. I tried to tell them you said you would be there, but you know how politicians are." "Do the commissioners in this state run the sheriff's office or is it just because they have no sheriff right now?" "In this state, if an elected official dies while in office, the commissioners run the department until another is appointed by the Attorney General to fill the term. Then the commissioners have no say how the office is run. Since you're obviously headed to town, can I get a ride back to my car?" "Sure, Bruce, jump in and I will keep you from overheating walking up the side of the mountain." "Harry, are you planning on smoothing out the road to your cabin? Ole Abe hated company and never wanted anyone up there. I sure hope you aren't going to act like he used to toward lawmen. Heck you're one of us and you know we don't set out to purposely pick on anyone but I know it happens. Abe was a loner and didn't particularly like anyone. I tried to get permission to fish in one of the lakes and he run me off as soon as I got to his door." "I am not Abe, but I dearly love my privacy and will probably just leave the road like it is. That way, no one will be knocking on my door unless it's an emergency or they are lost or something. Hell, Bruce, why do you think I bought the jeep from Abe? I may relent and smooth parts of it out a little, but not to the point to where a car could drive up it. Well here's your ride and you can tell them I will be there for the lunch date. I have some running to do so I may see you later." He got out and I waved to him as I headed down the road to town. He seemed to be a very good deputy, but if I was in his position, I would have told the commissioners to do their own legwork instead of wasting a deputy's time when he could be answering calls. I went to the storage place to see if my stuff had arrived yet, and as I figured, it hadn't gotten there yet. I went over to the local electronics store to see about switching my cell number, and find out how to hook up some kind of antenna or a booster system at the cabin. I had to be able to be reached when I started working in the area. I got a pleasant surprise there when they switched my area code and I was able to keep the same number. The booster system was a total loss though, but I did find out that there was a cell tower less than five miles from the cabin on the other mountain peak. It seems that about everyone out here uses cells and they had towers all over the place. I was told even in the worst weather the one near me had never gone down. I did buy one of those signal boosters that fit in the phone and was guaranteed to extend the signal from my phone ten miles further that what it already reached. I immediately called Mark and gave him the new area code so he could reach me if needed. Since it was about noon, I headed over to the steakhouse for my meeting and free dinner. If a politician was buying you a meal, you could bet he was carrying Vaseline with him somewhere. I had a feeling I was going to get the shaft somehow, and I really wasn't looking forward to this lunch date with a whole bunch of them. I got out of the Jeep and went into the restaurant and the smells of cooking steak made me hungry. I saw several men in suits sitting at a large back table and headed that way. When I walked up to the table, a man about sixty or so stood up and shook my hand and introduced everyone. Three were commissioners, one was the prosecuting attorney, and the other one was from the city managers office. I sat and ordered coffee and waited for someone to tell me why I was here. The oldest one whose name was Mike or Mick or something was evidently the one chosen to do all the talking and he was doing a good job of it to everyone but me. I sat for about ten minutes and stood up to leave and headed out the door to the Jeep. The one whose name was Mick caught up with me as I was opening the door to the Jeep. "Harry, where are you going? I thought we were going to talk?" "I came for the lunch and to listen but no ones said a word to me. If I called you to lunch and ignored you, you would leave too. I suggest that next time you people want to talk to me, call on the phone 'cause I won't come to town for nothing again." "Mr. Hanson, please accept my apologies for the way I treated you. I wanted to wait till after lunch to talk business, and to totally ignore you like I did was inexcusable. Please come back in and have lunch with us. I promise I will include you in any conversation this time." "Well, Mick, I will come back in but let me warn you that if you or any of your friends pull something like that again, I will leave and I will tell all of you what I think about your politeness toward strangers and new residents. I am nobody's lackey and won't be treated as such by anyone." I followed him back into the restaurant and immediately saw him nod toward the other men as he sat down. Now what the hell was that all about, I wondered? If I didn't know better, I would think it was a deliberate setup to see my reaction and how I would act in that kind of situation. Now this was something I understood and I could play this little game too. I stayed in the conversation till lunch was served and to their credit they didn't talk much while eating so I could enjoy my meal without answering a bunch of questions. We all finished our meals and when the waitress had cleared the table off and brought all of us fresh coffee, they all quieted down and waited for Mick to start the ball rolling. "Mr. Hanson, we wanted to have this meeting to get to know you a little and to give you a history of our county. Now I am going to speak for about fifteen minutes and then you can ask all the questions you want and we will answer them." "We lost our sheriff about a week ago and we have to recommend a replacement for the Attorney General. This department has had the same family as sheriff for the last fifty years. You would think it just passed from father to son and so on. The department has been nothing but good ole boys and relatives during this time and we want to bring it into the new century with all that entails. We decided to hire an experienced man with a varied background and experience. We want someone to clean up the department and hire some experienced people to help him run it. When you bought Abe's place, we ran a check on you and we all felt that you will fit the bill. Your little action toward me and the others let us know that you didn't back down from anybody and that just helped us to decide. We want you to take over the sheriff's department and run it straight and make it something we all can be proud of." "We also want you to run for election in the next term and we will back you a hundred percent. I know that you vote as an independent and we all like that because then no political party has any hold on you. You will have a large budget for equipment and personnel. You can hire and fire as you see fit to do, as long as it is within the laws of Nevada. Mr. Hanson, will you accept the appointment for the next three and a half years as our sheriff?" "Gentleman, I am honored that you thought of me, but I think you want someone younger and with a lot of current experience. I will suggest someone to you and I think he will do a better job than I could. He started as a street deputy and worked his way to the rank of Captain. He is honest and has two children and hates the good ole boy network in all departments. He is planning to retire in a few months and move out here anyway, so you will have him as a resident and as your sheriff. I will take a position as a special investigator with the department so you will also have my expertise at your disposal. If this is acceptable, he can start within the month." "Mr. Hanson, will you excuse us for a few minutes and we will give you our answer." I went to the center beverage area and refilled my coffee cup and wondered how Mark was gonna react to being a sheriff of his own department. I would work the felony crimes and let him run the department. That way he would have a lot more time with the girls and have a department vehicle to drive. I would do the call out work and he would be able to spend nights at home with the kids for a change. I just hoped these guys were smart enough to hire him for a job he would be very good at. I was on my second cup of coffee when I was called back to the table. "Mr. Hanson, we have decided to take your advice and contact the man you recommended, and we need you to write down the numbers where we can reach him. We would also like you to take over and run the office till we can get the hiring done. You will be sworn in right now as an under sheriff until then. You will essentially run the department until we get someone to take over. Can you do this for us Mr. Hanson?" "I will accept the position for thirty days and I probably will be the most disliked man in the department." "Let's go see the Judge and get you sworn in, and then we will leave you alone." We all tromped over to the courthouse where I was quickly sworn in. Then I was told where the department was and left to my own devices. I headed to the department with my command appointment in my hand. This was the shits, 'cause I was a total stranger to everyone. I just knew that it was going to cause a lot of grief 'till I could get control of everything and meet with all the ranking officers. I walked in the front door and was told to take a seat and wait by a young desk clerk. Since he was so snotty with the attitude, I quickly set him in his place. He about fell all over himself being nice as he showed me to the captain's office. I walked in and he introduced himself as Captain Andy Shepard and asked what he could do for me. "I am Under-sheriff Harry Hanson and you can call me Harry. I am now in charge of the department until a new sheriff is appointed. I want to meet with all the ranking officers and shift supervisors within the hour. I also want to meet with every available man before they go on shift." "Ok Harry, but don't expect them to come in on such short notice. The supervisors do things their own way around here and the previous sheriff let them." "You tell them if they don't come in for the meeting they will be suspended without pay and an insubordination notice will be put in their files. I am not going to play games with them over this. Get someone on the phone and call them in." I headed back to the front and went into the id section to have my card made so I would be legal. The lady took one look at my appointment and had me pictured and issued in about fifteen minutes. She took the paper and time and date stamped it and put it in the file. I told the clerk to direct me to the radio room and he pointed me in the right direction. I went down the hallway and found it by the noise coming out the open door. I walked in and stood without being noticed for about ten minutes. Finally an older man came over and asked if he could help me. I introduced myself and asked if he was the supervisor and he made a face and pointed to a private office. I thanked him and went to the door and walked in. "Who the hell are you and why are you in my office?" The man behind the desk was watching a porn movie and feeding his face with a big sub sandwich. He looked to be about four hundred pounds and was wearing as much as he was chewing. "I am your new boss and as of right now you are fired, so get your ass out of my department." His mouth fell open and I jerked the DVD player out of the shelf and threw it in the trash can by the desk. He was struggling to stand up from behind the desk and speak at the same time. "You can't fire me, I have been a supervisor here for thirty years. My brother was the sheriff and if he were alive, you wouldn't try to pull something like this." "I can fire you for the porn I just threw away. I will allow you to submit your retirement papers as of today. Don't ever show your face in this building again or you will be arrested for child pornography. If that movie was any indication, you should have been in prison years ago. Now get out!" I watched as he waddled out the door and the man that greeted me started clapping his hands and within seconds everyone was clapping. Man, I thought, he must have been a real asshole to work for. I hope when I leave they all look sad or anything besides this. I went back in the office and started going through the drawers and found about ten of the underage movies in the bottom drawer. I took them and the player and went looking for the evidence clerk. I was stopped by the man that had directed me to the office. "Who is going to be the new supervisor on days, now that you fired old fat Charlie?" "Whoever has the training and the most seniority will step in until I go through the personnel files and do some house cleaning and changing around. For right now, you are the acting supervisor. I want that office wired with a radio monitoring system so that anyone in there will be able to jump in and help if they are signaled by one of the operators. I will be having a meeting with every shift tomorrow." "Sir, my name is Pinky Thomas, and I was next in line for head supervisor if Charley ever quit. I would like to handle the personnel in here if that's ok with you. I want to get rid of some dead meat and make some changes to make it run smoother. This place is in need of a restructuring and some new equipment, if you will give your approval. I have a list and it can all be installed within a week. It is way under what Charley was going to spend and put in his pocket." "Bring the list to me in about two hours, Pinky, and we will go over it. My name is Harry, so if anyone gives you any flack, just have them see me. I want no personal vendettas so if you are planning to let someone go, bring their file to me and I will make the final decision." "Thanks, Harry, I will see you in about two hours." I went in search of the property clerk to check in the stuff I had gotten from the office. I wanted an itemized list, so if I had to use it later in court, the chain of evidence would be intact. I finally found it and a woman was in the cage and she was a civilian to boot. "Ma'am are you a deputy?" "No and I ain't the evidence clerk either. I'm just filling in till he comes back from his lunch hour and as usual he is a half hour late." "What is your job here, ma'am?" "I am the intake desk clerk, and I should have been back there, if Sergeant Chapel ever gets back." "I am your new boss so you can give me the keys and go back to work. Have Sergeant Chapel come to me to get the keys and we will have a little talk before he goes back to work." She looked at me in shock and came out of the cage, and handed me the key ring without saying a word. I locked it up and still carrying my evidence, went to the Captain's office to have a seat to wait till the sergeant found me to get his keys back. ------- Chapter 6 I sat in the captain's office for almost fifteen minutes before Sergeant Chapel showed up to get his keys and when he did, his attitude immediately pissed me off. "I am looking for the ass who ran my relief from the cage and took the keys." "That would be me and if you value your job you better tone it down and do it fast. From now on, you don't leave the cage unless you have a relief and the relief is a deputy. If that don't suit you, then tender your resignation. The attitude will change too or I will fire you for insubornation." "I run the evidence room, and who the hell are you, anyway?" "My name is Undersheriff Harry Hanson, and I am your new boss and I will be writing you up. I will put a copy in your personal file and I may demote you if I can." "When did you take over the department and why wasn't I informed of this? I am sorry about the attitude, but I am the personnel supervisor and I should have been informed immediately." "If you didn't take such long lunches you would have been informed. But, since you are no longer the supervisor of personnel, there was no reason. I have some evidence I want marked and a complete itemized list of what I am turning in. Take these keys and I will be down in a few minutes. I suggest you take a few minutes to adjust your attitude or you won't have a job in the department." He took the keys and headed back to the property room, mumbling under his breath. I heard the captain in the background telling somebody off before he slammed down the phone. I turned around and faced him before he could say anything. "Andy, if they are giving you flack about coming in, pull rank. If you can't command your men, then I want to know how you became a captain. I also want to know if I have an office I can use for meetings." "Harry, you are going to be the most hated man here 'till a new sheriff is appointed, Dammit, though, I like your no nonsense style. The old sheriff's office is through there and it is all yours. His stuff was packed and sent out yesterday so you won't have to worry about changing anything. I just hope you know what you are doing, because this department has its own groups that won't answer to anyone but the old sheriff." "Andy, if the man I am thinking of becomes the new sheriff, I will bet this department will change for the better within six months and there will be a lot of new experienced personnel. I am hardly making a ripple compared to what he will do. This good ole boy shit will stop and will not be tolerated. I am looking for a new evidence room clerk, so if you know anyone that wants the job, send them to me. Until the new sheriff comes on board, I will be making a lot of changes. Not only in personnel and job descriptions, but also in the upper echelon and shift assignments." I got up and went down to the evidence room. The sergeant had calmed down and was almost polite to me when I came to the window. He took the evidence and itemized it piece by piece before asking me how I wanted it classified. "I want it marked charges pending. I hope I don't have to use it but I want it handy if I have to." "Where the hell did you get this smut? This is a felony just to own it." "Would you believe I confiscated it from the radio room supervisor? He was watching it and eating dinner when I walked into his office. He no longer works for the department and if he shows his face again, he will immediately be arrested and charged." "Damn, Sheriff, you shore start big, don't you. If it's who I think, you will be getting repercussions before the day is over. I will tell you right now that family carries a lot of weight here in the department and won't hesitate to try to get you fired." "They can try but it won't do them any good. This department is about to undergo a big change and there will be a lot of shakeups and firings 'till it's straightened out so it runs smooth. By the way, I want to look at the itemized list of everything in this room and what its status case wise is. From the looks of this mess, it's time to start cleaning all the outdated junk out of here so there is better control and shelf room." "I couldn't agree more. The old sheriff went through everything once every two years and had an auction of all the stuff he didn't want to take home for himself. I have over a hundred firearms he was saving for himself and his family. They were scheduled to be destroyed but he always signed them over to himself and took them home or gave them away to his family and friends." "Now I know why he was so well liked, he bribed everyone. From now on anything taken out of here will be signed for and make sure the signature is readable and followed by the officer's badge number and unit. Do not let anyone in here without me being with them or you escorting them at all times. I want the list this afternoon and then we will decide what will be sold at auction and what will be destroyed or burned. Who is the night clerk and how many sets of keys are there for this room and who has them?" "I don't know how many keys are out there. I know the lock hasn't been changed for the last fifteen years. There is no night clerk, just the supervisor on duty who has a key for the cage. I will have your copy of the list within fifteen minutes. I have always kept a separate set of books that date back to when I started here. I made up my mind then that I would always cover my own ass, just in case something like this came up. I knew that sooner or later it would happen, and I wasn't about to spend any prison time because the sheriff did things like he wanted to." "Now that's the first smart thing I have heard today. I will have to reconsider my opinion of your capabilities and how well you run this department. I will have a locksmith come in this afternoon and change the locks. You and I will be the only one with keys for right now. After you get off duty this afternoon, come to my office and we will have a long talk about the personnel in the department." "I will look forward to it sheriff. I hope this department gets straightened out and run like it's supposed to. There are some damn good people here that have been held back or ostracized for their ideas and honesty. I will look forward to the changes and see how many of the old crowd quits when they find out they are not running the department any more." I smiled at that and went back upstairs to the captain's office to wait for the men to come in for the meeting. I wanted to check out the sheriff's office and see how big it was. I wanted to hold the meeting there where I could close the door and control the room. When I went into the sheriff's office, I realized that he had what would be called in the city a penthouse suite. This place was the size of three large apartments. I now knew where the radio room would be moved to when Mark or I changed things around. The front offices would be for the investigators and squad room. Looking around the office, I realized it was set up to be a home away from home. It had its own bath with a shower and all the amenities including a small bedroom with a full size bed. All the furniture was leather and looked to be brand new. The desk was an old refinished roll up and was the size of a small couch. I looked at the walls and there were outlines where pictures and other things had hung for a long time. I sat down at the desk and rolled the cover up and found it was packed with files and other paperwork. I would spend time going through all this. I wanted to see what was left behind and how much of it would be incriminating and to whom. Whoever had packed had purposely left it all behind for whoever took over to find. I would thank him when I found out who it was. Someone knocked at the connecting door and I closed the roll top before I answered. It was Andy and he informed me that the officers and supervisors were all here for the meeting. I told him to show them all in. I watched as they all came in the office and found seats. Some looked like they were curious and some mad, some half asleep, but all looked like they didn't want to be here at all. There were two Lieutenant's and five sergeants including the now smarter property room supervisor. I waited until they were all seated and then started with my little shocking speech. "Gentlemen, my name is Harry Hanson and I am the new undersheriff. I will be running the department until a new sheriff is appointed. You may call me Harry or Mr. Hanson or sheriff. I am not going to ask you to introduce yourselves because I will be meeting with each one of you over the coming week. There are going to be a lot of changes and some of you will like them and some won't. I really don't care if you do or not. If for some reason you find you don't then put in your resignation papers and I will sign them so you can look for employment else where." I waited till all the grumbles and gripes quieted down then went on with my speech. "I will be changing shift assignments and supervisors in the coming weeks. I am also going to purchase new four wheel drives and replace many of the cars in the fleet. Locks will be changed and only authorized personnel will have keys to sensitive areas. I am new in the county and just moved here, so expect to see me around and learning the area. I will do investigation and patrol duties until I become familiar with the patrolmen and the areas. Some of you may be related to the old sheriff, so I am putting you on notice right now that the old ways will not fly in the department anymore. You will be judged on your performance and how you act and treat the public and brother officers. There will be a briefing before every shift from now on and the supervisor from the previous shift will bring the incoming shift up on what is going on." I waited again until the murmuring slacked off before I went on. "I want all of you to understand that you will do incident reports on accidents and the reports will be exact and pictures will always be taken. We will always cover our butts and the shift supervisors will be responsible for all paperwork and records of his shift. There will be demotions and promotions and the personnel files will all be reviewed. Ok, gentlemen, that is all for now, but be prepared to be called in individually for your performance reviews in the coming weeks." They all looked a little shell shocked as they went out the door. Andy and the property room clerk stayed behind as they all left. I waited until the door closed behind them then Andy stepped up first. "Harry, you have shaken them all down to the core. The personnel files are in my office under lock and key and I have the only key to the cabinet. I will have it moved in here this afternoon and here is the only key to it. He handed it to me before going on. I suggest you call an outside locksmith because both of them in town are relatives of the sheriff. I also suggest that if you are going to replace the cars you take bids and make them all inclusive. I will go back to work and let Shorty talk to you." He went through the door and that's when I realized he was the perfect one to handle the departments purchasing and all supplies having to do with the department. He would also write all the government grants for money and equipment. "Well sergeant, do you have that list for me and is it ok if I call you Shorty like Andy does?" "I don't have a problem with it as long as I can call you Harry when we are alone. Andy was the last one hired and that was about two years ago. He has a college degree in accounting and does all the records and books for the department. He is a whiz with the books and the budget. If I am not being too forward, he would be a valuable asset and he is totally honest." "You seem to know everyone and their backgrounds. Why the attitude when I first met you. I almost fired you on the spot. Do you want to explain or should I guess?" "I have had to walk the line being friends with no one since I started here. That's why the two sets of books and getting me appointed as personnel supervisor. I am a good cop and like you, I hate this good ole boy mentality. I have watched it flourish here since I started fifteen years ago. You have three of the supervisors that have felony records. They were hired by the sheriff and the background checks were pulled from the files, but I have copies of all. You also have six of the deputies that have been convicted of domestic violence that was also covered up. I have copies of their convictions and they are still being covered up by the supervisors I previously mentioned. They don't deserve to be law enforcement officers on any department. This is just the top of the barrel you have taken on to clean up." "I have them all right here and until you have the locks changed on the evidence room, I have put a log chain on it. There are only two keys and here is yours. You'll notice that none of the papers in the desk were sent onto the widow, and that's because I considered them to be departmental property. I am sure you will have an eye opening experience when you go through them." "Well, Shorty, I think you have covered almost every question I was going to ask. I want the personnel file cabinet put in the evidence room under lock and key from now on. I know Andy said he gave me the only key, but I have a feeling there are more out there and I will have that lock changed too. I must admit that you have changed my original opinion of you and I think that you will make me a very valuable asset. I also think you will be getting a promotion very soon and you will be handling the personnel for the whole department. You also will be handling promotions and will help with job performance reviews and all punishments and firings by my side until the new sheriff comes on board." "Harry, I think you already know who the new sheriff is going to be, and I have a funny feeling it's somebody you recommended to the commissioners. I would also be willing to bet you turned the job down because you are too independent to be a sheriff. The sheriff's four wheel drive is downstairs and here are the keys so you can use it until the new sheriff comes in. I am going to get one of the trustees to move the cabinet, then I am going home to my wife and give her the good news and take her out to dinner." After Shorty left I went back to Andy's office and told him to call an out of town locksmith and gave him the list of the locks I wanted changed. I got directions to the department's garage and the list of our refueling stops and the county gas card for the sheriff's vehicle. I headed out for the garage to see what kind of facility we were running. ------- Chapter 7 I had gotten almost to the garage when I remembered that my unit had no call sign, and I had forgotten to tell Andy how many keys I wanted for each lock change. I did a U-turn and headed back to the department. I came through the front door and there was not a soul in sight. I heard the sound of raised voices coming from Andy's office and headed that way. The sight that greeted my eyes was an impromptu meeting of about all the civilian employees with a few uniforms mixed in. I listened in as they were grilling Andy about their jobs, if they were going to be let go, and all the questions that were asked when new leadership took over. I listened for a little bit then stepped forward and cleared my throat loudly. "Listen up, people, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to your jobs. If you were all let go this department would come to a stop for months until we could train new people. There will be some changes in the civilian workforce but nothing drastic like a mass layoff. The new sheriff will be doing most of it when he comes on board. I will be having a meeting with all employees and updating the personnel files and having a look at job descriptions and this type of thing. All of you are worried about the future and you have a right to be. As you all know; any department depends on its civilian employees because they practically run the department. Now let's get back to work and keep the place running smoothly like you always have from your end." They filed out and many had smiles and relief on their faces. I had been through all this before when I took over another department, many years ago. I knew how they felt as a lot of just elected sheriffs fired all the civilian employees and hired all new. I had always been against this type of thing because in the long run it always cost more to retrain than to keep the experienced ones in place, doing what they knew best. "Thanks, Harry, I had no idea how to answer their questions. The locksmith will be here from Reno in the morning around nine. He offered us a good rate and I would like to have him sign a voucher for future work. He is a young guy just starting up and was recommended by the department in Reno. They say he prefers to work for law enforcement exclusively since he is a wounded on duty deputy on medical pension. I also just talked to the local Wal-Mart store and they offered the department a very good rate on instant cameras and VCRs for the cruisers. They even said that they would recommend someone that would give us a break on installation. I have been trying for years to get them installed, but the old sheriff was too secretive and didn't want any record made about the unit's activities." "Andy, if you do this, make sure they are of the locking type so only authorized personnel will be able to remove and replace the tapes. Also make sure they are the constant time date stamp type of recorder with voice records built in. I want every angle covered and a strict set of guidelines set up for them. The officers with something to hide are going to have a fit about them being in their cars. Remember, Andy, always cover your ass when you introduce anything new in a department that has fought against modern equipment." "Thanks again Harry for the help with the personnel. I have a bunch more calls to make and then we need to sit down and talk about the equipment we are going to put in the new four wheel drives when we order them. I am getting bids from the different dealers now, but the dealer that always got the job is going to have a fit when he finds out he will not have the exclusive contract anymore." "Let him bid on it like everyone else. He probably was paying a kick back to the sheriff anyway. That's usually how it's done in a small town. I have been through this before and if you encounter any problems, tell them to come talk to me. I will lay it out so they can understand the new rules in this department. Hell, Andy, when you make changes to a system that has been in place for fifty years, it gets everyone in the pocket book in some way or another. Andy you are a captain with this department. You are going to have to be more assertive or would you rather be a civilian under contract? That is your choice to make and I bet you can make more money as a civilian than as a captain. Think about it, Andy. I will keep you in rank, but to be truthful with you, I don't think you like being in charge and just want to do the job you spent years in college learning how to do." "Harry, if we did that can I keep my active status and maybe be in charge of the reserve deputies? I would love to clean it out because most of them are the sheriff's relatives and only use their badge for their own gain. I have wanted to weed it out since I started but was told to leave them to their own devices and not to interfere with the way they do things." "I would be overjoyed to have you act in that status. I want you to handle all contracts, the purchasing of equipment, and writing of federal grants for equipment and emergency vehicles and this type of thing. I have contacts I can use to get the department a lot of things that are too expensive to buy outright. I especially want to see if we can get the scrambled radios and walkie-talkies. That way the citizens will not be able to hear our every movement and where the patrol units are. You let me know what you decide and make a recommendation who should be promoted to captain." "Harry, I think you should start on the personnel files tomorrow. When you run your background checks on all the deputies, you will lose two sergeants and probably all three lieutenants. I can't see any way they will be able to pass the check. There are going to be a lot of promotions coming up and I think you should consider Shorty as the new captain. He has seniority and he is good at what he does with the personnel. He never made any waves to bring him to the old sheriff's attention and he knows where all the bodies are buried. We don't have a jail for you to worry about because it was built jointly by our county and the next county over. It is run by a private company that also runs several prisons all over the west." "Have there been any problems with the prisoners, like mistreatment or anything like that?" "No, and the state keeps a close eye on them. The sheriff always bitched about it because he had no way to make any money from it. The county sharing it with us just had the same shakeup we are having with a new sheriff being elected. He has really gotten his department together and he runs it straight." "How many men are we short in the county Andy? From what I have seen this department is short at least twenty men from the size of the county." "More like twenty-five to bring us up to state minimum. We are short on cars, equipment and personnel. That's how the old sheriff made his money. Nothing was ever said because he ran the county under his rules and if you complained you didn't get elected to another term. That's the way things were run here for the last forty years or so. I don't pretend to like or agree with it but I think you and the new sheriff are about to change a lot of those ideas and habits." "It's not a matter of change, but just being honest and being proud to belong to a department that is smooth and run for everyone. People have to learn we are here for them and not for our own personal gains. Hopefully before we are done, they will have as much pride in their department as we do, Andy." I bid him goodbye and went to the radio room and almost ran over Pinky who was rushing out the door for our meeting. "Man Harry, I thought I was going to miss meeting you. I have all the plans we talked about earlier. I have been finishing them all afternoon." "Come into the office, Pinky. I have some news that I think will make your whole month. I am going to have the sheriffs personal office converted to the new combination radio and nine one one center. They will be combined and the room will be air conditioned and soundproofed. All this space here will be the investigator's offices and the sheriff will have this office." "Harry's you have made my whole year. We should have been separated from the department years ago. I only ask that you find a deputy for each shift to advise us on the law and codes on some of the calls we receive. Half the time we are guessing what department to send the alarm to. The deputy could help us to separate between law, fire and hospital." "Well Pinky, I think we can make that happen and get some new more comfortable headphones for your people to work with. Those things look to be about twenty years out of date. Hell you can't even go to the coffee machine without taking the headsets off. You should be able to unplug, go the machine and plug back in to resume your work." "Harry if you can swing that, these people will worship at your feet. Most of these people have been here for years being treated like pariahs by the deputies. These people are the ones that make a lot of difference to you guys in the field." "I agree a hundred percent, Pinky. I had my ass saved by a cool thinking dispatcher several times. I will be the first one to applaud their work and believe me, they will have their kudos before I am done. From now on every rookie will have to work a month in here before they go out on patrol. That way they will learn to appreciate the effort put into making them safe on the street." "Harry, my people will love that idea. There are several already out there that need to come in here for a month so they will be more polite to my people on the radio." "Pinky, notify your people that if one of my men gives them a hassle or smart mouth to mark the tape for review. I will listen to it personally and we will all have a little meeting about their manners. Whatever they say, tell your people to always be polite and just mark the tape for my attention. I will have a man in position to hold disciplinary meetings in a very short time. Then we will start changing attitudes. By the way, my call sign will be unit one seventy special. Tell your people that if anything pops off that's serious, to call me in on the call too. I am still learning the county so tell them I might need directions. They can switch me to a scrambled channel to give them to me as I respond." "Hmm, you're in the new cruiser so that will be channel four on that radio. Channel two is the patrol and one is the supervisors. Your private channel is three and it is only in two of the units. Yours and the old sheriff's cruiser and that is parked right now at the garage. That's the one you will be assigned when the new sheriff starts. It is almost new and is a lot better unit than the new one. I suggest you go over and get it and use it. You will see what I mean when you see it. I have an old undersheriff badge I would be proud to give to you to wear. It will take several weeks to order a new one unless you drive to Reno where they have them in stock. The uniform store here was run by the sheriff's sister and she made a bundle on everything she sold to the department. I have a feeling you will be looking for another supplier and she will raise a stink, so be prepared." "I am having Andy take bids and if she can come up with the lowest bid, then she will keep our business. Everything will be done this way from now on so anyone can bid and win if they are legally registered with the state. I don't and from now on the department won't play favorites. I am also going to go over wages and benefits and bring them up to standards with other departments in the state. I want my people happy and proud to work here." "If you do a quarter of what you say and the new sheriff keeps it up you two will be the most popular people in the county. There hasn't been a raise in this department for five years. Most of my people barely get by but they need the job so they stay on regardless. There is no overtime pay and if someone doesn't come in, another stays over to cover and gets paid straight hourly. God I hope you make some of the changes you have talked about. It will do wonders throughout the whole department and I guarantee it, Harry." I just shook my head, absorbing everything he had told me, and knew we had an uphill battle ahead of us. I needed to talk to Mick and see if I could start some of the changes immediately and how much money I had to play with. I stopped by the squad room and got the sheriff's walkie and headed once again to the garage. Pinky hollered at me and came up and handed me the badge already mounted on a belt clip. It was worn and rough on the star tips but it had the right county, and I clipped it to my belt, thanking him at the same time. He smiled and went back to the radio room while I went out the door. I got in the Ford and headed for the garage and what would probably be another hassle about leadership. I figured the place would be filthy and a fire hazard. When I got there and pulled into the lot I thought my eyes were doing tricks. The outside was spotless and the cars were neatly parked with plastic tags on the wipers with all their information on them. There was no trash or stacks of rusting parts like a normal police garage. I opened the door to a well lit and a spotless garage with ten bays. All the oils and supplies were behind a wire cage in the corner with a parts man taking care of the stock and spare parts. There was a sign out sheet along with a computer generated paper of the parts signed out. Damn, from what I could see so far, this place was better run than the main headquarters. The office was on the raised platform that looked out over the whole garage. The tires were chained in racks around the outside of the platform but the window was not blocked. I went up the stairs and thought I would be a smart ass and knock first. I heard someone tell me to come in so I opened the door and got my second surprise from the garage. The woman in coveralls sitting behind the desk would best be described as very pretty, even with the grease all over her face. No wonder Andy gave me that shit eating grin when I said this was my next stop. I went to introduce myself and was interrupted immediately. "I know who you are. I have been hearing about you all day. Have you come to fire me too?" "Not that I am aware of. Should I fire you for some reason not apparent yet?" "Well, everyone says you are firing all the old sheriff's relatives. I am a distant relative so I guess I am next then. My name is Doris Barclay and I have been running this place for the last five years. I took it over when my husband died and it's been an uphill fight ever since. I have ten good employees and I want them to stay. We are underpaid and overworked but we manage to do about all the work on the fleet that we have parts for. I have fifteen cars sitting out there that I can't buy the parts for because I don't have a budget to work with. It all has to be approved by the sheriff and he spends parts money to line his own pockets. Now that he is gone, I suppose you will be doing the same thing." "Now that all that poison is out of your system, it's my turn to speak. You will have a budget, make a list of what you need and we will get bids for the parts. No, I don't line my pockets, and anyone I find doing it will be fired and prosecuted. I have to compliment you on your shop. It is the cleanest one I have ever been in bar none. I am not interested in firing you as long as you do a good job and keep the fleet running. Looks to me like you have everything under control. I came by to drop off the new sheriff's car and pick up the other one he used. This new one is to be locked up and no one is to be allowed to sign it out unless I call and accompany them to do so. Here are the keys." She looked at me in shock like she expected to be fired because she was a woman and related to the old sheriff. Hell, I didn't care who ran the garage as long as they kept the fleet in good shape and kept the place as clean as this one was. I had to have the cleanest and neatest shop in the state. Mark is gonna freak when he lays eyes on it. "Here are your keys and this box is locked every night when I leave. Check it over before you leave and if it needs anything, drive it in and I will get someone on it. I talked to Shorty earlier and he warned me that you said what you thought. I must say that is very refreshing as far as I am concerned. How come you're not against a woman running the fleet?" "I don't care if it is a transvestite, if they do a good job and keep the place looking like this. This has to be the cleanest county motor pool in the state. I compliment you and your men and I am going through personnel records and will be meeting with you about your budget and worker wages." "None of my people have had a raise in years, and even when they went to the different classes that were mandated they were never paid while they attended. I have all the records and expenses and they can all be verified by the companies involved. If you can address that first, we here in the motor pool will be very happy. I have several other things to discuss with you when you find the time." "I am making a lot of changes but I want to have a meeting with you as soon as I can fit you in. No, I am not putting you off; Andy will call and set a time within the next few days. I have to go and meet with someone else, so let me get my car and get out of here." She told me where it was parked and I went out the back as she went out the front to bring the new car in the shop. What I had inherited was one of the older style Dodge Power Wagons. I had been freshly painted and everything on it was new, including the low profile high-power light bar on top. It had dual winches front and back and the big wrap around brush guard with the mounted push bars. When I opened the door, it even smelled new. It had two front and rear mounted spotlights that were electronically controlled from a small panel mounted on the top of the center console. I could spend a half hour trying to describe all the options, but it had everything but a bathtub. I looked under the hood and it had the high performance three eighteen with factory headers and the oversize heads. Damn, what a vehicle to just park to buy that new comfort wagon. I climbed in and turned the key. It started on the first turn and it was really quiet even with the headers. I checked all the lights and they all worked perfectly. I did notice that the spotlights were the million candlepower and would blind you if you looked straight into them. I could see nothing was needed and the tank was full so I headed for Mick's place to see how much money I was going to have to work with. ------- Chapter 8 I was headed to Mick's house and listening to the patrol radio and it was dead. There was no traffic to speak of and I wondered how many of the deputies were patrolling, and how many were shooting the breeze at some store or snoozing. It didn't take me long to get to Mick's house and to my surprise it was a small cottage surrounded by flowerbeds. I got out and walked up to the door and knocked loudly. It was answered by a gray-haired lady and she greeted me by name and asked me to come in. I was asked to sit down and offered coffee, which I accepted immediately. She said her husband would be in shortly. I sat with her and learned her name was Eva and she had been born and raised in this town. She was quick to point out to me that it was way past time for changes in the sheriff's department and the way it was run. Mick came in about this time and she refilled our cups and left the room. "Ok Harry, what's on your mind?" "I need to know how much money I have for wages and equipment. That has got to be the saddest department I have ever seen. None of the personnel have had a raise in years and almost all of the civilian employees are barely above minimum wages. I hope you commissioners are ready to back up the promises that were made when you hired me." He handed me a sheet that laid out the wages for each civilian job with a break down of years and wage increases. I looked at it for about five minutes and decided it was more than fair. It also had a lot of latitude for performance raises. I didn't see the motor pool employees listed at all and I asked him about it immediately. "Harry, that comes out of the department's budget. Any raises or benefits fall under the purview of the accountant for the department. Here are the sheets for the monies available by department and how it's used or allotted is up to you and the new sheriff. By the way, your friend Mark accepted the job and will be starting the first of the month. Everyone was very impressed with his credentials and his own sheriff gave him the highest of recommendation. Harry, I have been hearing about you and your changes all day and I hope you keep it up." "Mick, this department budget is about sixty percent above what I expected. I don't see any allotments for equipment and repairs of outdated equipment. Don't even try to tell me that comes under the heading of the department budget. Everything of this nature has to be put out for bid and approved by the commissioners. I will not allow the kickbacks to local merchants that have been going on for all these years. The department will be above board in all matters concerning bidding and awarding of contracts. Andy is taking bids and will have them together within two weeks." "We don't have a problem with that, Harry, and we feel the same way. The lower we can purchase everything, the more you will be able to use for the department budget. We have three new casinos up and running and they are paying the county big tax dollars. The commissioners decided that the first year a lot of the money will be used to bring our sheriff's department up to date. We have the money and you have the experience to use it the right way to make our department one of the best in the state. Harry, I guarantee you that if you need something, you will get it." "The first thing is the payroll will be changed to every two weeks instead of every month. That is so old it has mold on it. There will be a lot of promotion and personnel changes and I reserve the right to promote by experience and/or seniority. Dammit, Mick, almost all the senior officers have records and will have to be let go. I hope the prosecutor is ready to roll because when I start going through the books, there will be charges brought on some people. I already know that Mark feels the same way so he will push it too." "We have all new commissioners and a new criminal court judge taking office the first of the month and most are not from here originally. The prosecutor will make sure you get your warrants if you need them, and I am sure since the judge is a retired sheriff he will sign them if the reason is good. You have the sheets on the money available for all departments and we made sure that they were set high so you would have plenty to work with. I am going to bed and I suggest you go home too. You will have a long day tomorrow meeting with the department heads and ironing out the new wages and firings." I stood up and shook hands and Eva called from the kitchen saying she was glad to have met me. I said the same and headed for the door. I got back in my cruiser and called in, signed out for the night and headed home. I went up the driveway and by the time I got to the cabin I realized I was exhausted. I made a quick supper and went to bed. I woke up and it was almost eight o'clock. I put the coffee pot on and went to the shower. I was glad to hear that Mark was coming on the first, 'cause I was too damned old to be doing this all over again. I had done my thing years ago and looked forward to setting back and taking it easy. At least when I went in today I would have a monetary figure to work with and dole out so it was fair to everyone. Paid once a month, what the hell kind of sheriff had this old coot been? Starting the first they would get paid every two weeks and the raises would be on the first check. I knew that Mark and the girls would stay here 'till we could get the cabin built and the girls would love it. I had to take time to meet with a cabin builder and get that project going real soon. Since it was late spring here, the girls could get settled in before they had to go to school in the fall. I planned to have their cabin up and livable by then if it killed the contractor. Well I better get going to work and the all day meetings I would have today. I drove down the driveway and hit the hard top road and floored it. The car jumped and went to seventy really quick before I slowed it down to the speed limit. I was leaving early today so I could pick up my stuff from the storage place and take it to the cabin and unpack it. All my guns and holsters were in there and the stubby I was carrying didn't do it for me. I wanted my Glock .40 'cause I might end up needing it. That was another thing I had to handle were the department weapons. Everyone I had seen were all carrying different caliber pistols of every shape and form. I pulled the car into the sheriff's slot and locked it up and went inside and was greeted with a cheery good morning by the intake desk. I answered back the same way and went to Andy's office and settled into the chair in front of his desk. "I have all the figures we need to meet with the different departments and from now on, starting the first, the pay will be every two weeks with the increases starting then. Here you go, read them over and see what you can do with them while I grab a coffee. I will be in my office when the locksmith gets here and we will hold all the meetings in there. I want the motor pool supervisor here sometime today and tell her to bring all the personnel files with her." I handed Andy the sheets and headed to the radio room for a cup of coffee and to talk to Pinky. I walked into the room and one of the lieutenants was there and he was shouting at Pinky and the language was off the charts. "Hey, in the office now, Lieutenant." I went in and he followed me and Pinky came in behind him and shut the door. I looked at him and he wouldn't look me in the face and I started to get pissed. "What the hell is your problem? You don't come into the 911 center and cuss at the top of your voice like you were doing. The public can hear it and it is unbecoming for an officer to do something like that." "Sheriff, I broke down last night and it took them almost two hours to get me a wrecker. The driver told me what time he got the call. That is just like a civilian, they think they are more important than we are. I want that operator wrote up and suspended." "What right do you have to circumvent channels? If you had a complaint, you should have taken it to the captain." "That milk toast wouldn't do anything if it was right in front of him." "Now you just crossed another line. What is your name anyway?" "My name is Dub Johnson Sheriff. I have been with the department for two years." "Pinky, call Shorty and have him bring the file on this officer to me and tell him I want it all." "Now Dub, how did you make the rank of Lieutenant in two years? How many years have you worked in law enforcement?" "I went to the academy and graduated at the top of my class and was hired in at this rank by the old sheriff." Shorty knocked on the door and handed me the file with a wink. He went out and Pinky came back in. I opened the file and on the top was a note from Shorty telling me to look at page three. I did and it was the background check and it seemed that Dub had been a naughty boy for several years. He had been convicted of B&E twice in Maine and also had been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Arizona five years ago. This was all I needed to know. It had the official FBI stamp on it so I knew it was real. "Dub, how did you ever become an officer with three felony convictions on your record?" "The old sheriff said it didn't matter because I was in his county and he said whom he hired and fired. I have done an excellent job and expect to be here until I retire. I plan on running for sheriff in a few years." "I hate to bust your bubble but the laws in Nevada like all other state's make it clear that an ex felon cannot be a peace officer. Turn in your badge, gun and ID card right now. You are fired from this department effective as of right now." "I will fight this in court and own this place. The gun belongs to me and I am not giving it to anyone." He laid all but the gun on the desk and as I stood up I pulled the stubby and ordered him to lay the gun on the desk. He did and I swept them into the top drawer. "Dub, you are stupid as well as rude. It is against federal and state laws for an ex con to own or carry a gun. If you have any more, sell them or give them away. If I see you on the street, you will be checked and arrested if you have one on you. I could arrest you right now for having one. I want the badges and uniforms in this office by quitting time tonight. If you keep them and you are caught with them in your possession, you will immediately be arrested for impersonating an officer and that's a felony. I don't care if you or the department bought the badges and uniforms, get them turned today. Now get out of here and give Pinky the department keys and any other department property you have." He was red in the face but didn't say a word, just opened the door and left. I looked at Pinky and his mouth was wide open and for once he wasn't talking. I took the gun from the drawer and unloaded it and it was filthy. I am glad it wasn't mine because it would have probably blown up if you fired it. I was an old .38 that had seen its better days. I would have Shorty inventory it and put it in the evidence room. The ID would be turned into the proper department and his paper work would be filled out by me or Andy today. "Um Harry, how did you know all that stuff about the laws and his record." "I have twenty eight years in law enforcement and his sheet is in the file for anyone to check. All personnel will have new background checks run in the next thirty days. If anyone has a felony, they will be let go. It makes no difference if it civilian or law enforcement. The state and Federal laws are plain on the rules when it comes to employment with any law enforcement connotation. Homeland security has the last say, when it comes to employment in any department if you want federal money and equipment. I will bring his termination papers in for you to witness when I get them done." "Ok Harry, have you found out anything on the wages for my people yet" "I have the budget and starting the first of the month everyone will get paid every two weeks. All the civilian employees will get a raise and I think they will like what I am going to give them. Get all your personnel records up to date because today or tomorrow you will be meeting with me and Andy to discuss all of this. I also want bids to move the radio room and bids on new radios. If you know anyone that wants to bid on the sales and service contract let me know and have them make a list and give it to Andy." He was smiling as I left the office with the stuff from the deputy and the file I had to get done. Damn I would be glad when all this was straightened out and I could patrol and learn the county. I made it to Andy's office after a stop at the records room to turn in the ID and get the paper I needed to fill out on Dub. Damn what a name that was. I wondered if it was short for Aubrey or something like that. I went into my office and filled out the paper and called Pinky in to witness it and had him drop it off at records with the second one going to Andy for payroll purposes. I was going through the paperwork in the desk when I came across some interesting sales receipts and payments. One was a paid receipt for three hundred and fifty .40 caliber Smith and Wesson pistols being held at a local gun shop for pickup. Maybe we wouldn't have to worry about handguns after all. I would check into this on my way home today. If he had them then I would have them brought to the evidence room until I could get everyone qualified on them. If he didn't have them then I would have the prosecutor press charges for the sale of stolen weapons. I was also sure the ATF would be interested too. I was really getting into the stuff in the desk when there was a knock at the door. I closed the desk and invited the person knocking in. It was Andy and Doris and she had a big stack of personnel folders in her arms. "Harry, I will need an hour at least to go through the files with her and then make the recommendations for you to approve." "Ok, I have some personal business I have to take care of so you will have at least two hours. Make sure the first thing you settle with her is the training pay and reimbursement of expenses and see that they get an immediate payment for this. It is way overdue. Have a quiet argument, guys, and I will see you later." I left before they tried to drag me in the middle of it and headed for the gun shop with the receipt and the contract in hand. I called in and told dispatch I was signal 33 and my destination. I went through the town just sightseeing and memorizing the streets as I went. I arrived at the gun shop and it was very big for such a small town. I got out of the car after giving a signal 39 and went in the store. The place was laid out like a warehouse with all the weapons behind the counter and all the other hunting and sports gear was on counters in long rows down the center of the store. A young clerk came over to me and asked if he could help and I asked if the owner was available. He said he was in his office and he would get him for me. I was looking at the assortment of new pistols when he came over to me and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Trent Group the owner, what can I do for you?" "I came to make arrangements for the pistols you're holding for the sheriff's office. I want them delivered as soon as possible." "Sir, I don't know who you are but I am not holding anything for the sheriff's department. They were picked up almost a year ago by the evidence room sergeant. I suggest you leave before I call for an officer to escort you out of my store." "Very well then I will call the ATF and have them start an investigation into what happened to those pistols and how the sale and delivery was handled. I suggest you get your books in order because they will go through every sale and background check for the last seven years." I turned and went back out the door and climbed into the car and headed for the storage company to see if my stuff had arrived yet. When I arrived, I called dispatch and gave them my present location. I figured I would be getting a call soon about the guns and how I would profit by not pushing the investigation on their location. I went into the storage office and was told all my stuff had arrived and they would be happy to load it for me. They finally got it all in but it took a lot of changing around before it fit enough for me to take it home. I pulled out and headed for home after giving dispatch my final destination. I took the road to the cabin slowly because of all the jostling and bouncing of the cases. I worked hard and got them all unloaded and the first thing I did when they were in the house was to dig my .40 out and put my shoulder holster on. Great, I finally felt dressed. I locked up and headed back to the station to see if Andy and Doris had killed each other yet. I had to laugh about the situation considering that Andy was so quiet and Doris was like a bulldog when it came to her employees and how they were treated. I hoped they had been able to work out all the details so I wouldn't have to be the referee. I stayed off the radio and just went straight to the station and into my office. They were sitting across from each other and from the sound were hashing out the last details of the wages and raises. Doris looked up at me with a smile on her face and from the width of it I would guess she was very happy with what the motor pool was getting. Andy brought some papers over for me to sign and he had a smile on his face too. "Harry, we got it all worked out to everyone's satisfaction. Doris is happy with what we worked out. I am going to ok her to start ordering the parts she needs to get all the fleet up to par. Several of the cars can be used for parts then junked out. She also asked for what I thought was a small budget but it will work for her. The only big expenditure was the cost of a new wrecker so we won't have to pay outside contractors. She says we can also use it for the other county towing and charge them a flat fee as we will have the only county wrecker." "Ok, ok, give her what she wants, but I want the fleet up to specs as soon as possible. I plan on having a running fleet. Many of the old cars will be sold at auction and replaced with new four wheelers. Any vehicle we sell at auction will be in good running shape and painted a straight white. I want our department to have the reputation that we don't sell our junk, but we sell good running vehicles to the public. That way they will bring top dollar and draw buyers from all over the state." They were both looking at me with a look like they couldn't believe what I was saying. Most departments sold off their worn out junk for what they could get out of them but the concept I was putting into effect would double the amount we would make from the old cruisers. I signed the immediate pay vouchers to pay for the monies owed from the schooling and training the motor pool had to take to stay certified by the state. I noticed that Doris was watching me like she couldn't believe this was finally happening. I looked at her and smiled and she actually blushed. I had all I could do to keep from laughing out loud at her discomfort from being discovered. When all the paperwork was done they both left my office and I got on the phone with Shorty and brought him up to date about the guns and he was flabbergasted at what he was supposed to have signed for a year ago. After talking to him, I got on the phone with the ATF and brought them up to speed and formally asked for an investigation into the gun store and its owner. I also called my friend in Homeland Security and brought him up to date on where I was and what I was doing. I caught hell, because only a year before I had turned down a position with them, and to do this instead was what he couldn't understand. We swapped bitches back and forth for a while then I brought him up to speed about my request to ATF and he told me they would be there Monday to ream him out and I was to lock up the documents I had till they could copy them. The locksmith still hadn't made an appearance, and I buzzed Andy to see if he had heard from him. I was informed that he had an emergency callout at another department and would be here as soon as he cleared from that job. I went back to the paperwork in the desk until the next meeting. Note: all the radio codes used in this story are real. I will not say from what state or department ------- Chapter 9 I was making good headway with all the junk in the desk and most of it was junk. I found a new NRC code book and set it aside to read and memorize. I also found a little notebook that listed all the payments received from the businesses in town. Thumbing through it, I found the gun shop payoffs and I had to admit they were quite substantial. I set it aside and finished out the cubbyholes in the right side and started on the left. I remembered the cabin and decided to call Shorty and see if he knew a company that did the kits. Sure enough, he gave me a number which I immediately called, and was told they would have their contractor come over with the plans and the cost layouts for the different models. Now I was getting somewhere. I looked at the clock and realized it was lunchtime and I was hungry. I buzzed Shorty and Andy telling them it was time for lunch and I was buying. We all climbed into my car and headed for the steakhouse. I knew from my previous visit they had a lunch buffet that was cheap and compared to where I came from it would be great for anyone's budget. "Shorty, do you want to work the desk or patrol? I am going to give you a choice whether you want to be patrol captain or the captain in charge of the station. It's your choice so think about it before you give me an answer." "I knew this was more than a free meal." We all laughed at his show of disappointment. I looked through the rear view mirror at him and he was grinning back at me. "Harry, I want the patrol captain's position. I have a lot of changes that should have been done to make the department smoother and a lot more efficient. A lot of the road officers have not had their updated state courses in years. Several that I personally know of spend their shifts sleeping instead of patrolling. You also have several that spend their shifts drawing double pay. They work at several of the whorehouses as security in uniform when they should be on patrol and this type of thing. Two of them are the supervisors that will be fired when you see their records. You and the new sheriff have a long road ahead getting this department back on track and running like it should be." "Well Shorty, find me an honest officer to take your job in the evidence room. As soon as you do you will be promoted to Captain and the patrol is yours. I think you have a good idea of what I want so get it done and soon. I want to run an ad in the Reno paper for three retired officers to be radio room advisors. I want this implemented right away. I want fit men that are willing to work closely with Pinky and the 911 center staff. I will also want their input on the new radio room we will be taking bids on." Andy's cell went off and he talked for a few minutes then put his hand over it and turned to me. "The locksmith just arrived and they have him waiting in the lobby." "Have them send him to the steakhouse to join us for lunch. Tell them to tell him it's on the sheriff." He got back on the phone and talked for a couple of minutes before hanging up. "He is on his way and said to tell you he hadn't eaten yet because he wanted to get here." "Good lets go eat 'cause I am hungry." We all got out and trooped into the restaurant and ordered our drinks and went to the buffet table. I got a shock when I saw how much food Shorty piled on his plate. "Damn Shorty, you got a hollow leg or something? How do you stay so skinny when you eat so much?" He mumbled something back to me between forkfuls and I laughed and settled in to eat. The locksmith joined us about five minutes after we got settled. He looked to be about twenty-five or so and walked with a pronounced limp, probably from the wound he received in the line of duty. I absently wondered how he would like to go back to work as a supervisor. I looked over at Shorty and he must have been reading my mind because he nodded yes to my unspoken question. He sat down and introduced himself as Beau Gentry and I choked on the food I had in my mouth. He was watching me and busted out laughing at my reaction. Shorty and Andy were both laughing at me too. It took two drinks of water before I could speak again. "Sorry about that Beau, but the name kind of caught me off guard. You seem to get around very good even with the limp. How come your department won't let you come back to work, if you don't mind me asking?" "It was the department policy that since I couldn't pass the physical qual. they refused to let me return to work. I really miss it but I don't have a choice in the matter. I had been a road deputy for nine years when I got hit in a bank robbery. It's taken me a year of intense physical therapy to get to where I am. According to the docs I have come further than they thought I would." "I have a proposition for you if you're interested. I need a day shift road supervisor and I don't give a damn about the limp if you can do the job and do it right. You can start the first of the month and your rank will be sergeant. You don't have to answer right now, talk to your wife and anyone else you need to before you give me your answer. You will have to live in the county though." "I am not married and I don't have to think about it. I love law enforcement and for you to offer me a dream job like this, I will take it without reservation. I rent a little apartment in Reno so moving will not be a problem. I will keep my business open on a weekend or part time basis if that's not a conflict." I smiled and assured him this was not a conflict and introduced him to Shorty who will be his commander and to Andy our department budget officer. I then introduced myself and at the same time telling him I would be in the position till the new sheriff started the first of the month. I shut up and went after my meal again and we all stuffed ourselves. I noticed that he and Shorty seemed to hit it off and I was glad that Shorty seemed to be coming out of his shell a little. I knew that he was going to be a good Patrol Captain and the officers would be treated fairly but firmly. We finished our meal and I got the check with my credit card and the three of them left the tip. Beau followed us back to the station and we all went to our offices with Beau following me to mine. "Beau, the first thing I want done is to have the safe opened and the combination changed. When you get that done, talk to me and we will start changing locks." "Ok Harry, but this shouldn't take long." He went to work and Andy knocked and said he needed to talk about some figures concerning the state mandate training for officers. He also wanted to talk about the hiring of some new officers for the patrol division. I told him he needed to talk to Shorty about all of that since he was the new patrol captain. He smiled and went back out the door saying he would be in the dungeon if anybody wanted him. I smiled at his archaic mention of the evidence room. I heard Beau chuckling in the corner and ignored him. I had just returned to the cubby holes in the desk when the receptionist knocked on the door. I told her to come in and was in turn told that Mrs. Hawkins wanted to speak to me. I asked her who that was and damned if she didn't giggle and tell me it was the department uniform lady. I told her to give me five minutes then send her in. "Well Beau, this will be your first official duty. I want you to witness this conversation and please don't start laughing and stir her up more than she already is." "Ok, Harry, but I reserve the right to snicker now and then." "Very funny, Beau." I got the knock on the door and the receptionist opened the door and let her in. She looked to be about forty or so and was wearing jeans that looked to be painted on and let me tell you she ought not be wearing jeans, let alone jeans that tight. Her rear was as wide as the big floor safe Beau was trying to open. "I understand you are temporarily in charge of the department now. I would appreciate it if you would ask that man to leave as this is a private meeting." "He is not going anywhere and if you wish to talk to me then I want the door open, so please open it or leave and make an appointment for another time." She glared at me for a moment, took a deep breath and opened the door then sat back down in the chair beside the desk. "I have a contract with this department for uniforms and I hear they are being opened for lowest bids. I want to remind you that the contract I have gives me all uniform sales and equipment for the sheriff's department. If you try to break it, I will have my attorney start action to freeze any purchases until this is settled." "Now let me give you a taste of the law, and when you leave, call your attorney and he will tell you the same thing. By law, all contracts have to be put up for bid. The old sheriff never did this and he was in violation of state and federal laws. You do not have any contract that is valid with his death, and you will not freeze the bidding process. I will have the county prosecutor go through your books and if you have made more than 25% profit in your dealings, then you will have to give all the money back to the department. I suggest you think very carefully before you try any legal moves because it will cost you big time. I have seen the books of your dealings with this department from the past. Now do you want your books audited or not? That is the big question facing you, Mrs. Hawkins." I watched as she thought it through and watched the disappointment cross her face as she came to realize that I wouldn't be bullied and with a witness and the door being open she couldn't pull anything to give her an advantage. She got up and left without saying another word. After she left, I heard Beau snickering in the corner by the floor safe. "Oh shut up Beau and open the safe." He busted out laughing and I joined in with him. I decided that I was going to have her books audited and see how much money she had made off the department over the years. I started digging through the desk again when Beau let me know the safe was open and I better take a look what was in it. From the sound of his voice he was shocked and excited at the same time. I got up from the desk and walked over to where I could see the inside and got a shock when I looked. Both of the large compartments were stacked completely full with bundled currency and from what I could see they were bundles of hundred dollar bills. At the top were several of what looked to be account books. I told Beau to close the door and change the locks on the office while I went to the phone. I called the evidence room and told Andy and Shorty to come to my office immediately and for Shorty to bring a book of evidence login sheets. "Beau when they get here you will be a witness to everything that's logged. This will be kept in this office until I look through the books in that safe. I will then make a decision whether to turn it over to the local prosecutor or call the Attorney's General office in." He just nodded his head and then my other two captains arrived. I told them what was happening and how we were going to do this. I wanted to make sure our ass was covered six ways to Sunday when it comes to the stuff from the safe. I told Andy to pull the money out and count it and if the numbers on the bills were consecutive then he would record the numbers after checking to make sure they all were in the stack. I took the books out and went to the desk leaving them logging in the money and anything else that was in there. I sat down and started reading through the books and realized that no part of this whole town was clean. He had kept records going back about thirty-five years and every penny of graft and kickbacks were recorded in these books. I spent about twenty minutes going through just one and I knew from the list of names that I was not going to deal locally with anyone and was going to have to go to the capital or maybe federal. The names were a who's who of representatives and judges and prosecutors in this and several surrounding counties. "Fellas, these books are way above our heads so I am going out of town and maybe even out of state to the federal level. I don't even want to see all the other names in the other books. This is really big and beyond our scope of investigation. Since I am going to cover our asses I want a copy machine brought in here and we will copy every page for our own protection. When we are through all this money and the copy we will take to the bank and put it in a safe deposit box. It will be set up so it cannot be opened unless all four of us are together to sign. I will hide the copies of the books and will tell no one where they are at until the investigation into their contents breaks then we will give them to the press to make sure the prosecutions are conducted honestly. Do you all agree to this?" They all thought it was a damned fine idea, so we decided to do it that way. I would hide the copies in my shelter and would keep them to do just what I said I would do. Beau wheeled the copier from Andy's office in and I made the copies which we all signed to assure that they weren't fakes or made up. They finished counting the money and I checked the books to see which bank wasn't listed and we went there and did just what I said. It turned out that after inventory there was more than two million in the safe and it was all in new bills with all the stacks having consecutive serial numbers so they could be traced that way too. We came back to the office and Beau gave me the new keys to the office and went with Shorty to change the locks in the evidence room and personnel file cabinet. I told Beau to change the combination on the evidence safe also. I got on the phone to the AG's office and was given the runaround, so I told the clerk to tell the AG that I had tried to give him first crack at my stuff then hung up the phone. I waited for ten minutes and when he didn't call back I called the FBI in Vegas and asked for a supervisor. I did not get the runaround there after I identified myself. I was transferred directly to a supervisor and when I laid out what I was sitting on he told me that he would have his team fly in immediately. He asked if there was a place they could land the helicopter and I said the landing pad was right behind the station. He hung up after saying they would be there in about an hour. I told Andy what was going on and that I would be back shortly. I went directly to the cabin and hid the copies then went straight back to the station. I was going to disclose the copies but would not surrender them until the prosecutions were well underway. I heard the chopper and it landed in back of the station and then the feds came in and tried throwing their weight around with my intake clerk. They didn't even faze her and I had to laugh when they got frustrated and asked her politely where my office was. She answered just as politely saying if they would have a seat she would see if I was available. They all had a seat before she came out from behind the counter and came to my office. I gave her a smile and a thumbs up when she knocked on the open door. She smiled back and announced them with a wink at me. They came in and as was their protocol the head fed introduced himself. "Sheriff, I'm agent Hadley the supervisor of the team you see before you. Where are the books and the evidence? I want to get started on this immediately." "Before I turn over anything there are going to be some ground rules laid down." "You don't dictate any ground rules to my department, sheriff. I dictate the rules and how we work. "Agent Hadley, don't bullshit a bull shitter, I was working in law enforcement before you graduated high school. I spent eighteen years as a U.S. Marshall so don't try that bully shit with me or I will call Homeland Security and have a little talk with them about your attitude toward my department. You will get the money and books but you will sign the evidence log sheets before I release it to you. Also I have made a complete copy of all the books involved and we will keep a copy until you start prosecuting some of the bigwigs in the books. If you don't do the investigation fairly, then we will release the copy we have to the press. I want you to understand clearly how we stand and how we will respond if the important people in the books aren't prosecuted like all the others." "Ok sheriff. You made your point and you know the steps. We always act this way and since you have experience with federal service you know why. Where are the books because that is where the interest lies in Vegas. The money you should keep in a special account until its disposition is decided." "Agent you will have to take the money too. It is all brand new hundreds and the serial numbers are consecutive. You might be able to trace it that way." "Damn, I was hoping that it was all old bills. Ok. We will sign for the money too. Now can we have the evidence?" "I will have my four men gather, and we will all go to the bank where we put it in a safe deposit box. That way you can have your team check the bill numbers before you sign for them." "Sounds like a good plan to me. I like the privacy angle of being in the box room out of public eye." I called Beau, and the others together and we loaded into three cars and went to the bank. As each bundle was checked off of the sign in sheets, Agent Hadley was going through the books and every once in a little while he would whistle when he came across a certain name. "Harry, have you looked at the contents of these?" "I have read them all and made the copies so they would be readable. I know what you're after and I will tell you now Agent Hadley, I will not forget the names and the copy is totally safe. Tell the federal prosecutor that all the names are fair game or the press will get them all with the monetary figures included." "That's blackmail, Harry. You know what will happen if you release that list. You also know the prosecutor has to do what her or his boss says when it comes to the prosecution of the names in this book." "I know that they're better not be any walks. They don't have to go to prison but they better disappear from public office or positions of trust. I will be making a call to Homeland Security tonight and I will apprise them of what you removed from this safe deposit box. I will also make several recordings of the names and figures in the books and give them to someone I trust to make sure they get in the right hands if something happens to me." "Come on Harry, they don't do things like that anymore. Nothing's going to happen to you." "Hadley, if you believe that bullshit then you need to go into another line of work. I will cover my ass and my department. I always have and always will." We decided to drop it and I got all the signed documents, and we went back to the station. The feds left in their chopper and we went back to my office. I gave the signed documents to Shorty and told him to copy them and put the copies in his safe and I would hide the originals with the book copy. "Harry, do you think you are really in any danger? I heard what you said and it pissed me off." "Shorty, with some of those names in that book they will try every trick. They cannot be prosecuted and stay in office. Anyone they think knows something will be a danger to them and they will eliminate the threat if they can. I am in the process of making copies of the books and they will be sent to people that I trust to get even if something happens to me. You guys are safe since I made it plain to Agent Hadley that I was the only one that read the books. I am going to Reno tomorrow to mail some of the copies. When I hear that they have arrived I will mail the rest. Guys I am sorry you got dragged into this but I have protected you the best I could. Beau, since you are not a member of this department yet you won't even be mentioned and I will be able to use that to help me if need be." "Harry, we all talked earlier and we will back you in any way we can. All you have to do is ask. I will drive your Jeep to your cabin and drop it off and Beau can pick me up and bring me back to the station before he leaves. I have already sworn him in and he is a member of this department. I can do this as the captain, since you already hired him. He will have his ID before we leave so he can carry. All three of us voted on this so you better not bitch." I looked at all three of them and realized I had the core of a damn good department right in front of me. I knew that once Mark met them he would agree. "Thanks Guys, I appreciate the help." ------- Chapter 10 When the guys went out, I sat back to think for a little bit. I was realistic and knew I had seventy two hours at the most before I would find out if I was going to be hassled by any of the names on the list in the books. I was going to Reno tonight and make some copies and send the original copy to Floyd and tell him to cover my ass from his end. He was connected and high in the family and a good friend. I had other dealings with him and he always covered me ten ways from Sunday. I knew he would this time too. I went out the door and called dispatch from my car with a signal 43 and went toward the cabin. I was watching the rearview and saw no tails. I went up the driveway and there was my Jeep that Shorty had delivered. I parked behind it and went in the cabin. I went to the shelter and got the copy, put it in one of the waterproof document packs and grabbed the M-16 and four of the mags and went back to the car and back down the driveway. I was well armed and if I ran into trouble I was prepared. I knew I was rushing but the need was on me so I floored the car and flew down the freeway about eighty-five miles an hour. The Dodge was smooth and never seemed to strain as I went up the mountain and down the other side toward Reno. I got off at the second exit near the airport and started looking for a copy shop that had overnight express. I spotted one across from the sheriff's substation and pulled in there. I hid the rifle under the seat and locked the doors and went inside. The clerk showed me how to run the copy machine and I went to work. I was finishing the final copy of them when a deputy came in the door with a bundle of papers and gave them to the clerk. He looked at me then came over where I was stuffing the last of the copies in the overnight envelope. I already had them addressed and the clerk said the pickup for them was due in about ten minutes. "That your unit out there?" "Yeah, I had a bunch of paperwork that had to be sent overnight so I came down here to send them out. This was closer to where I was going anyways." "I heard the old sheriff died and they have hired a man out of Florida to be the new sheriff for the rest of his term." "His name is Mark Simmons and he was a Captain until he accepted the job here. What's your interest in the department there?" "Easy there, I was just talking. That old sheriff was well known here for causing problems when he came to town. He and our old sheriff were close friends. Now that we have a new sheriff, he asked us to watch for units from your county and to make contact with the deputy driving it and see why he was in town. I am not trying to make you mad, just doing my job." "Deputy, give me a few minutes to pay my bill and make sure these go out and I will buy you a cup of coffee and answer all your questions. Will that help you out in doing your inquiry?" "Give me a minute to call in and I will take you up on that cup of coffee." While he walked across the street, I paid for the copies and the overnight charges for my packages. I waited and watched the driver as he picked up all the outgoing packages and headed toward the airport. It was in clear sight and I watched as the packages in his truck were unloaded and x-rayed then put on the plane. Since he had sorted them as he put them in the truck I knew they would be away and out of mind when to plane took off. I had paid the extra fees for the return receipt requested and I would have proof of their delivery within forty-eight hours. I knew whom I had sent them to and when I got the receipt's I would burn them so there would be no trail of deliveries. I watched the plane take off and headed across the street to the substation to meet the deputy for coffee. I almost ran him over as I was going in as he was coming out. "I am not familiar with this town so you will have to pick a place to go to, deputy." "There's a small café down the street about three blocks from here. Just follow me and we will go there um, Officer." "My name's Harry Hanson and I am the acting sheriff till the first of the month when the new sheriff comes on. Now that you know my name and who I am, suppose you tell me who you are." "My name is Theo Morgan and I am a patrolman with the sheriff's department. I have been a full time deputy for five years in the western division here." "Well Theo, now that we have formally met, let's go get that coffee." We both laughed and headed for our units. I pulled out and followed behind him as he led me to the coffee shop. We pulled into a small lot and there were four other units already there. Great, a cop hangout. I followed Theo inside and we were greeted by several of the officers already seated. We took a small booth and ordered coffee and sat back to talk. I liked Theo's personality and his humorous way with word. He seemed to be laid back and not wound up like a lot of the modern officers were. We talked about the department and how I was hiring officers to fill out the openings I was experiencing. I had left several of his questions open ended and he finally asked the question I was waiting for him to ask. "Harry, how many years' experience does your department require for another deputy to be hired as a supervisor?" "Theo if you have five or more years experience and are up to date on your state mandates then we would be interested in talking to you. If you or anyone else passes the interview then he would start the first of the month. I do need new supervisors for second and third shifts. I just hired a man for first and he used to be a member of your department." "Who might that be Harry? I might know him or previously worked with him" "I hired Beau Gentry for day shift supervisor and I think he will make me a good one." Now I was just feeling him out to see his reaction and really didn't give a damn what he thought. I just wanted to see his reaction and how he handled me hiring Beau with his handicap. "Wow Harry. You couldn't have hired a better man. Beau was a great deputy and was always good working with people." My respect for Theo had just notched up to the top ten. I knew then that he would make a good leader if I could get him to change departments. "Harry maybe I'm out of line a little by saying this but the new sheriff prefers his supervisors and officers of the higher ranks to be married. I know several of the guys that are single who would love to live in the mountains and be able to hunt and fish when they wanted to without taking time off for the season. Would your department be interested in hiring men like these? I could spread the word and see how many might be interested." "You do that Theo and if you're interested in one of the supervisor's jobs, then come up on your next day off and talk to me and my patrol captain. Tell your friends we need men on all three shifts and they can transfer and keep their seniority." "Thanks Harry and I am off the day after tomorrow. I think I will come up and talk to you. Well, I have to get back to work so I will see you the day after tomorrow, and will probably bring a couple of the guys with me who will want to interview also." "Ok Theo, bring all the men who are interested and we will talk to them and go from there." He got up and went out and I had to laugh as he put down a quarter for the tip. I added a couple of dollars to it, paid the check and went out to my unit and headed back to the cabin. Since it was getting dark, I knew I was going to bed early after setting the little traps Abe had showed me to protect my cabin from strangers. I wouldn't have to worry if they were friends because these little traps were warning systems only and not lethal. The lethal ones I would set if I felt I was in danger of being attacked. I made it to the cabin without falling asleep and checked the little light set in the doorbell to see if it was red. It was still green so I knew nobody had visited. I went in and made a sandwich, had a beer and went to bed. I woke up at six with the persistent beeping of the alarm. I set the coffee to brew and headed for the shower. I realized I had two more weeks to go before Mark would take over and I would become a man of leisure again. To be honest, I would miss the patrol but not all the meetings and paperwork. I owed it to my friend to get the department up and going for him as much as possible. I finished my coffee grabbed a "to go" cup and headed for the station. I called in a signal 33 and headed in. I was about two blocks from the station when a call of 65f came over the radio and then the signal 65 followed it and I called in for the location. I was told to go to the gulch Golden Glove Casinos ASAP. I told dispatch I was on my way, threw the lights and siren on, and hit the gas. I knew how to get to the gulch from Abe's directions and figured I would see the other units to tell me where to go. I pulled into the main street of the gulch and saw several flashing lights at the end of the street and headed there after killing the siren. I climbed out of the car and was met by a Sergeant I didn't know. "Sheriff we have a fatal stabbing of one of the whores and the suspect is in custody. He is still drunk. He doesn't remember what happened. I called the coroner and we were waiting on you before we questioned him any further." "What's your name Sergeant?" "I am Sergeant Abram's sheriff and it's good to finally meet you. I came on duty an hour ago and this is my first call this morning. Helluva way to start the day, Sheriff." "Well Sarge, for the record my name is Harry and from now on you will refer to the woman by her name, not whore. I want the suspect isolated, preferably in the back of a unit with a deputy making sure nobody talks to him. I also want a unit to stop any press that show up. I want them kept at least a hundred feet from the scene. Make it clear to the deputy handling the perimeter that any press person that breaks through will be arrested and charged with impeding an official investigation. Get on that and then we will wait till the coroner arrives before we print and handle any evidence." "Sheriff, the coroner already called back and said to just haul her in. He said he is too busy to come out to handle a dead whore." "He said what?" "I swear, that was the call I got from him, just a few minutes ago." "Ok. We will play it that way this time Abrams. Bag her hands and collect any evidence that's visible and transport her. I will have a talk with the coroner when I get back to town. Take the prisoner to the jail and collect his clothes right down to his underwear. I want pictures of everything as you strip him. Make sure you bag and tag all the items. I don't want the chain of evidence broken. Log it in to Shorty after you're done. Have a man take statements from all the witnesses and make sure he checks and records all the information from their IDs so we don't have any non appearing witnesses if this goes to court. I am going to let you run this and I want it done the way I told you. If it's not, it will be your ass on the line." "Ok sheriff, I think I will be able to do all that you asked. Do you have any other suggestions that might help me doing this?" "Just remember, if you have any doubts about anything remember the old saying; if you have doubts bag it and tag it. Try not to use plastic bags as they sweat and destroy evidence. Use paper bags and if you have to buy them, do it and I will make sure you get your money back. Label everything plainly with ink and make sure the deputy you use for the statements can write legibly and that all statements are signed and dated. That's all the advice I can offer you, Abrams." "Thanks for giving me this opportunity sheriff. Before we were kept away and told not to interfere." I went back to my unit and while I was sitting, I saw an older man covered in blood led to a cruiser and put in the backseat. The deputy stayed outside by the door watching him. I wondered if this Sergeant was one of the ones that had a domestic violence conviction. I would check and see what his jacket had to say. I called the prosecutor and asked if the coroner was elected or appointed by the commissioners. He said he was an appointee, and said if I were having trouble with him that I had the power as the sheriff to fire him and have the commissioners appoint someone else if I wanted too. I got his location and found out he also ran one of the three funeral homes in the county. I pulled out after waving at Abrams and headed back into town. I called in a signal 33 and headed for the funeral home and my talk with the so-called coroner. I liked Abrams attitude and he wasn't afraid to ask questions to help himself. I hoped that I could keep him on and would talk to Shorty about him. I pulled up in front of the funeral home and called in a signal 39 telling them I would be signal 37 and where. I had yet to figure all the weird last names that the people of this town had, and wondered if all their distant relatives were from other countries and had settled here for some reason. I walked in the front door and was met by a woman that was showing more cleavage that a dancer in Vegas. I personally thought it was highly inappropriate for a funeral home and grieving families. She had me take a seat in the directors private office saying she would send him right in to talk to me. She had not asked my business with him and to me that was a sign he was always talking to strangers in private. I looked around and his walls were covered in diplomas for his work and certifications for the funeral home. I did not see any M.D. license or any hospital affiliations. How the hell can a man be a coroner and not be a doctor, and do autopsies and expect the findings to be used in court. I was waiting for about ten minutes when he came in and shook my hand introducing himself as Mr. Thump. He asked what he could do for me. "It's not what you can do for me. It's what I am going to do for you. From this moment you are dismissed as the coroner for Porter County. I will have your termination entered into the duty log and will send a letter to the commissioners of my action." Instead of being upset or mad he sat back in his chair and laughed at me. Now I was getting pissed and got up to leave before I broke his pretty white teeth. "Sheriff, you are new to the county and you don't have the pull it takes to fire me. I can have your job if you push this matter. I suggest you return to your office and throw your weight around there, because you don't impress me at all. I am sure the new sheriff will see it my way also, so you may leave my office now, and don't bother me again with your attempt at throwing your weight around." I looked at him for about three minutes and then laid the bombshell on his ass. "I have the books of all the bribes and kickbacks, and if I remember correct, your name is on the first page. I am going to push to have your license revoked by the Attorney General, and I will bet your smug ass I will have it done within seventy-two hours. Now who is throwing their weight around?" I got up and left him with his mouth hanging open in shock. His name was a small fry, but he did have enough on him to get his license suspended even if he wasn't prosecuted. I was pissed but laughed out loud as I walked out his door and went back to my unit. I called in a signal 33 and headed for the station. I still hadn't heard from the gun store and wondered if he was dumb enough to think he would be able to bluff his way through the ATF investigation. I was going to set it up with Pinky and have all my calls recorded until further notice. I also would stop at the electronics store and pick up one of those tape recorders that voice activates and record any conversations I had with the visitors that came to discuss business. I got the recorder and went back to the office and went to the records room. I asked the clerk to type up the coroner's dismissal and enter it into the day duty roster. I wanted the letter stamped and a copy filed and immediately hand carried to Mick. I went back to my office and called him to warn him about the letter that was on the way. I also filled him in on our conversation and he was pissed that anyone had the gall to think the new commissioners could be blackmailed by a funeral director. I called the prosecutor back and gave him the information about the funeral director and the payoffs and he said he would contact the appropriate authorities and start the procedure for immediate suspension of his license. When I got off the phone, I was smiling and that's how Shorty found me with a big grin on my face. "You look like the cat that swallowed the canary. What have you got stirred up now?" I told him all that had occurred last night and this morning and he was grinning right along with me when Andy and Pinky came in with arms full of personnel folders. I groaned out loud and they all laughed at me. I told Shorty to bring me all the folders on the supervisors as soon as he could. He left me with Pinky and Andy, laughing as he went out the door. My good mood went down the drain as soon as Pinky opened his mouth. We argued back and forth for about three hours and finally reached an agreement that was acceptable to Pinky and his people. I had to admit he fought for everything he could get but I could tell by the smile he was very happy with what he had gained. Before he left, I made it clear to him about recording all my calls, even on the private line. I also told him about the hiring of the retired officers for his radio rooms and how I wanted the ad to read. I told him to call it into the Reno and Vegas papers and he would be responsible with me for the interviews. He was happy with my idea and said he would phone it in this afternoon. They all left the office with smiles and I leaned back in the chair and just kept on going. I picked myself up off the floor cussing and checked the chair and saw a recorder taped to the bottom of it. It was one of those small micro jobs with the voice-activated feature. I didn't touch it but got on the phone and told Shorty to bring a fingerprint kit up to my office. I got a rubber glove off the shelf and carefully took the tape off and laid it on my desk and shut the recorder off. I waited for Shorty to show up and put my finger across my lips to indicate to him to keep his mouth shut. He looked at the recorder and his eyes widened when he saw what it was. I motioned him to search the office and we started going over it with a fine-toothed comb. We found a twin to the one on my desk on the bookshelf behind the desk. I shut it off and set it down beside the first one. "Well Shorty, seems someone is worried about something. This is my fault because I forgot to lock the door last night. Go out to reception and see if there were any visitors signed in after hours and whom they visited. If there is nothing, then we know it was someone that works here on second or third shift. I will do the prints since I have hundreds of hours of experience with them. He went out and I opened the kit and started dusting the recorders and both sides of the tape. I ended up with four really good prints. I walked them up to records and scanned them into the computer and started running them through the local database for our department. I got two different hits within minutes and got a shock when one of them stood out. The recorder under my chair had the prints of someone that I would not have believed if I hadn't processed the prints myself. I printed out the information, covered my tracks with the computer, and went back to my office." ------- Chapter 11 "Hey Harry, you daydreaming or something? Did you find out if there were any prints on that stuff?" "Yea Shorty, I did and your not gonna believe whose they are. I find it hard to believe that they would have the gall to even attempt it, let alone act on it. The first recorder I found had Pinky's fingerprints on it. The one you found had the intake clerk's prints all over it. I think we better call Andy in with the prosecutor then we will all meet with Pinky and see why he did this. There were prints on the tape but they are not in the departments files. I am going to run them through the state database before we have our meeting." "Damn, Harry, I always liked ole Pinky. Before I came here he was the undersheriff but had a falling out with the old sheriff. He decided to run the radio room and gave his position up. They never spoke after they fell out. I know you found his prints on it but I find it hard to believe he would do something like this. Let's talk to him before we call anyone else in and see if he can explain his recorder being here." "Ok Shorty, I'll go along with you on this, but if it backfires, I am going to blame you, and demote you to the evidence room." We both had a laugh at that and he went to get Pinky. I sat and thought about the whole thing and realized that I had to agree with Shorty on this one. I really didn't think Pinky would do this either. I wondered whose prints were on the tape and then I went to the records room and started them through the state database. I knew this could take awhile but I really wanted to know who the prints belonged to. I was still waiting for the results if any when Shorty handed me a cup of coffee and said that Pinky was in the office and he would keep him occupied till I got done. I was still there five minutes later when the computer beeped and I had a match to the prints. I looked at the results and wasn't surprised when I saw whose name popped up. I printed it out and cleared the computer and headed back to my office. I walked in and they were laughing. It cut off quickly when I sat down in my chair. I reached out and flipped the cover off the recorders. "Pinky, do you recognize this recorder? I found it taped to the bottom of my chair and your prints were all over it." "That's the recorder from my desk drawer that I use for meetings with my people. I have no idea how it got under your chair. Do you think I put it there?" "I know you didn't Pinky, but I find it odd that you have such a close relationship with Mrs. Hawkins. How come she was visiting you here last night?" "Harry, she was my brother's wife before he died last year. She came in the radio room to talk to me about how she could bid on the uniforms for the department. I told her she was in deep enough and better just find some other line of work. She didn't stay long and left mad because I wouldn't help her. Hell, I never liked her, but I had to try 'cause my brother loved her." "Well Pinky, I hope you don't like her too much because I am going to put her in jail. If she hadn't left her finger prints on that tape, you would have lost your job. From now on, no one is to be in the radio room unless they work there. If anyone has visitors, have them meet in the lobby. I think when the new radio room is done, the only entry will be by key card. The supervisors will have them and will let their own shifts in." "Harry, I am truly sorry that I didn't see this coming. I never saw her take the recorder or come into your office. If you want to fire me, I will understand and won't fight it." "Pinky, I must admit I was shocked to the core when your prints showed up on that recorder. If it hadn't been for the prints on the tape, you would have been fired. Shorty talked me out of calling the prosecutor until we could get your side of the story. Dammit, Pinky, with all the changes going on, you're going to have to be stricter with your people, and make some solid rules of conduct. You're the supervisor, so supervise. That's all, so you can go back to work now, and remember what I said about visitors." He got up and left and Shorty and I discussed how to handle the intake clerk. He went and got his personnel file and the file I wanted on the patrol supervisors. I sat and decided when the radio room was built there would be camera's mounted in all the common areas. That would include the offices and all the entrances and halls. I wanted to have a cover if someone said we were acting unprofessionally or if someone got too aggressive with a prisoner. Shorty walked back in with a handful of files and we sat down at the table and started going through them. "Shorty, this intake clerk was recommended by Mrs. Hawkins. I want him gone today so you better get ready to fire him. I don't know what relation to that woman he is, but nobody puts a recorder in my office and expects to keep their job." "Calm down, Harry, he is gone as far as I am concerned and I will be glad to be the one who tells him. You need to look at the other files I brought in so we can make a decision on them." I sat and started going through the personnel files of the men in the department and immediately saw that at least three of the patrol deputies had been convicted of domestic violence. They had to go unless they could get their records expunged. With the new federal regulations, I knew this to be almost impossible. The name Abrams caught my eye so I opened his folder and started reading. His jacket was pretty clean except for one incident that he was involved in. This was a minor misdemeanor and he had already paid his fine. I laughed out loud as I was reading and Shorty looked at me and just shook his head. "Shorty, do you think we should fire a man for pissing on his ex wife's cat, or should we fire him for being stupid enough to be seen?" We both busted out laughing then Shorty said something that caught my ear. "He was only arrested because her brother was the town cop where it happened. He beat the hell out of him after he was cuffed. He was a deputy but was let go after too many complaints about his abuse towards prisoners. I wish he would come around here and let me catch him." "I liked the way Abrams conducted himself on that murder of the woman at the casino. I hate cats myself, so we are going to keep him on. I would have shot the damn thing if it had rubbed up against me. Did he get all the evidence logged in to you?" "Yes and I have you to thank for all the writing. I have never seen so many paper bags in all my life. He had every one of them stapled with the evidence seal covering the fold across the bag. He had them numbered, logged and all the statements clearly written. I am no field investigator, but I think he did a hell of a job and he had pictures of everything. He sent to body to Kerry county and had their coroner do the autopsy." "Good, he acted pretty smart and was not afraid to ask questions to help himself to do the job better. I want him on the list to be interviewed for a detective's position. By the way, I have several officers coming in tomorrow to interview for jobs with our department. I think they will accept just to be able to hunt and fish without having to take vacation time off for the season." "Man, Harry, do you ever stop working? I was going to go to the academy next week and interview several of the class that is due to graduate in a week. Do you have any objections to hiring women for patrolman? They have several that have black belts and I wanted to talk to them about working here." "I don't have anything against hiring women as long as they can do the job. I have trained a couple that have gone far over the years. One is a lieutenant now and the other a chief of detectives. I would rather have an integrated department because it will make us receive federal grants quicker. Let's get back to these folders." I finished going through marking the ones I was going to fire with the word terminate and handed them back to Shorty. "Call these in starting tomorrow afternoon and we will let them go one at a time. I have to think about filling positions and I will if at all possible use some of our own personnel. You need to sit down and make a list of who we might promote and where we should put them. Tomorrow is Friday and I am going to take the weekend off, and do some fishing in my lakes. Abe told me there were some huge trout in the lakes and I plan on catching some. I also want to check with land management and the forestry department about chaining my gates so my property can't be used as a shortcut. I have time right now so I think I will call them." "Ok Harry, while you do that I will get the list ready and then maybe we can get something to eat. I haven't eaten today and my gut thinks my throat's cut." He sat down at the table and started going through the files and I got on the phone to the forestry department and found out the information I was looking for on the first call. I told the officer I would be at the lake Saturday and would give him the extra key then. He said the BLM manager for this area was his neighbor and he would make sure he got his key also. "Shorty, where's a hardware store in this town? I need to buy some log chain to close the gates on my property and to get some good locks to put on them. I just found out as long as I give a key to the right people, I can legally shut the shortcuts off that cross by the lakes." "I never knew that Abe was having trouble with trespassers up there. Of course he didn't like too many people and I still can't figure out why he decided to sell after all the years of work he put in the place." I laughed and said; "it's called love, Shorty. Don't tell me that you married for lust. I bet your wife don't know that or you would be sleeping in your evidence room." He laughed and looked a little sheepish like he didn't want to admit to anything. I got up and told him to round up Andy and we would go eat. We spent forty five minutes looking for Andy and finally found him in the weight room. Hell I didn't even know there was such a thing in this station. They had a nice workout room with a spa and sauna. There were lockers up both walls and a large PT area by the sauna. I wondered how they had raised the money for this stuff then decided I wasn't going to ask, just start using it to get myself back in shape and relieve some stress. We finally talked him into breaking off his workout and come with us to eat. Andy picked the place since we took him away from his daily workout. We headed up the steps to the front lobby to get my unit. We were going to a place called the Shady Lady where they had Chinese and American food and one of the largest buffets outside of the casinos in the county. We got there in about five minutes since it wasn't that far from the station and went inside. They sat us at a back table, and then my worst nightmare happened with a voice that floated out of the air from the kitchen. "Harry Hanson, you old dog. Long time no see. Where have you been keeping yourself?" Andy and Shorty were looking at me with a grin on their faces. I recognized the voice almost immediately and knew I was about to be embarrassed big time. All she would blab would be true and from my younger and wilder days as a Marshal when I was here for a year. Her name was Tran and she used to be the madam from the famous Mustang Ranch. She was at the time about four foot tall and a very beautiful woman who ran the place with an iron fist and a tire thumper. (Wood stick a foot long used to check tires on a semi.) I groaned aloud and the guys busted out laughing at the look on my face. I looked up as she approached and saw she was still very beautiful, even after all these years. "Harry, I heard that you were the new sheriff but I wasn't sure it was the same Harry Hanson that used to wear all my girls out every weekend." Well that brought big guffaws from the guys and I just hung my head knowing it was only starting. Tran was a loud mouth and had always loved teasing me, and it looked like she hadn't changed. "I see you are still the good looking guy I remember. I retired when the place went to the IRS. I bought this restaurant and never looked back. You still chasing oriental women or have you gone and got married on me?" "Tran, I am not married and will you please hold your voice down a notch or two? I see your big mouth still has all the venom it used too. You always were beautiful and that hasn't changed but you never learned how to be discreet in your mannerisms." "Harry, if I ever wrote a book about your visits to the ranch with your friend Monk, you would really be embarrassed and so would Monk." Now while all this was going on, I noticed that both Andy and Shorty were leaning forward in their seats and absorbing every word and I knew they would remind me about all she said when they wanted to get back at me for whatever reason. I wanted to put some duct tape across her mouth but it was already too late and she would probably like it. Damn, of all the people to run into just when I was starting to earn some respect. I looked at the guys again and they were all smiles, listening to every word she was saying. It was going to be a long lunch break and one I would probably have nightmares about. "Well Harry, are you going to ask me to sit down and introduce me to your friends?" I did and although I couldn't remember her last name it didn't seem to faze her in the least and she just kept running her mouth to the guys about my exploits at the ranch. I didn't say anything, just hung my head and ate my food, swearing that I would never set foot in here again. Just when I was swearing that to myself, she said something that made me feel about two inches tall. "You know, if I hadn't been a whore and in another life, I could have easily fallen in love with Harry. I know I razz him and embarrass him, but he is a fine man. He's about the only man that I would ever consider as being husband material. He is a true gentleman and an honest man." I could not believe what I was hearing and even with her big mouth, this was the first time I had ever heard her say anything good about any man. I looked at the guys and they were smiling at me and I did something I hadn't done in years, I blushed. They all cracked up at my embarrassment and Tran leaned over and kissed me right on the lips. I could feel myself getting redder when she did. She whispered in my ear; "I hope you come by again to see me because you're the only man I was ever in love with, even after all these years." I leaned back in shock at her statement and was totally tongue tied, and didn't know what to say. She got up and said the meal was on her and took the check as she left. I put down a five for the tip and the guys all did the same and we walked back to my unit in total silence. Of course when we got seated Shorty had something to say as usual but what he said was a shocker. "Harry, ex whore or not, she is one beautiful woman and you need to stop back and see her again. I think she has more than a friendship in mind. I don't know anyone else in this burg that is as pretty and still single." I didn't say anything and just kept my mouth shut. I realized he had said was what I was already thinking to myself. Then Andy said something that took the conversation off of me and I was glad that the subject had changed. "Harry, Doris called me this morning and said she had found one good deal on an almost new wrecker. She said it was a combination rollback and big enough to tow a semi so she could handle the big road equipment the county uses. The price is about thirty thousand under book and she wants the ok right away before someone else jumps on it." "Andy, that's your purview so why are you asking me?" "Because by law, you have to sign off on it because of the amount involved. I called around to several equipment dealers and she is right about the savings. What do you want me to do?" "If it's a good deal, jump on it and I'll worry about the consequences. That woman is a damn good supervisor and that motor pool is the cleanest one I have ever been in. I think that I am going to enter it in the national data base so they will be inspected. I would bet that they will win one of the slots for the most orderly and clean motor pools in the state." "I didn't know there was anything like that, but me and Andy both agree with you that the place is cleaner than most of the dealerships we have seen. Are you gonna do it Harry?" "Yea I will, after we get the wrecker and it's painted with the department colors." "Not that, I mean, are you going to go back and see Tran?" They were both looking at me and waiting for my answer. "Why don't you guys mind your own business? I don't think I asked for your advice and I sure don't want to discuss my love life with a bunch of married men." "Well, as stubborn as you seem to be, and the fact that she's already told us how great of a lover you are, I would think you would be interested. I can have my wife tell you the advantages of being married if you want. I'm sure she would love to sit down and talk to you about it." "Why don't you both drop it? I don't want to get married or fall in love with anyone. I been there and still have the scars that go with it. I think I will give Tran and her big mouth a wide berth from now on. I don't want to hear about you guys or your wives giving her updates on me when you go there to eat either." They both busted up laughing as we pulled up to the station. ------- Chapter 12 We made it back to the station and I quickly ducked into my office, hoping I wouldn't hear more about my love life and Tran. I had just got settled in the chair when Shorty came in with one of the Lieutenants on the list and told him why we were letting him go. He didn't seem upset and explained that he had been expecting it with the new leadership. He was pleasant about it and wanted to know if we would give him a good report when he applied to one of the casinos. I told him I would and then reminded him that by law he wasn't allowed to carry a weapon or own any unless he got his record expunged. He seemed to understand everything that he was being told and made it clear to Shorty. He would have all his stuff turned in by the end of the day tomorrow. We spent the rest of the afternoon firing the supervisors and trying to do it in such a way that there wouldn't be too many hard feelings. For the most part they expected it with the change of sheriffs but a couple had to be threatened with immediate arrest before they calmed down and accepted the facts of life. I had to remind a couple of them that if they tried to play officer and were caught, it was a felony and they would not like jail being an ex officer. It was around five when the secretary from the front buzzed me and said she was leaving. She wanted to know if I needed anything before she left and I told her no and to have a good evening. I looked at Shorty and said since we were done, now would be a good time to knock it off for the day. He agreed and we both headed for home. I remembered to lock the office this time before I went to my unit. I was finally going to get home before dark and then groaned when I remembered I had to pick up the log chain and locks from the hardware store. I headed that way and found it fairly easily. I got the stuff I went in for and threw it in back of the unit and once again I headed for home. I had just walked in the door when I remembered the log cabin contractor had never showed up at the office. I put the M-16 by the door and got the coffee going. I had just sat down in the chair when I saw a bright yellow Jeep pull up in front of the house. That thing looked like the one I had rented from the airport, and it was. It was filled with suitcases and two little girls that I had missed since I had left Florida. Mark had come and he was two weeks early. Good that meant I could get him settled in the next week, and give up my position and go back to being a man of leisure. Now I was really happy as I ran to grab the girls up in my arms. They were both trying to climb into my arms at the same time and I was eating it up. Mark was watching and shaking his head at our struggle. I was finally able to get free and went to help him with the bags. We made three trips before we got it all in the cabin. The girls directed us by telling us which suitcases were theirs and to be careful how we handled them. I was laughing and for a while it felt like home having them here. We finally got done and we all sat down in the front room. Mark and I sat on the sofa and the girls went to the windows, sat down on the window ledge, and were watching the deer as they came out of the pines to eat the green grass growing in the little meadow in front of the cabin. "Harry, sorry we showed up early, but the house and contents sold quicker than I ever dreamed it would. Those people bought everything in the house except our personal stuff. Our things are on a moving van somewhere on its way here. I appreciate your offering your cabin for a place to stay, and I have to say it's beautiful up here." "Hell Mark, you know you and the girls are always welcome in my home for as long as you need to stay. I am trying to get a contractor nailed down to start on your place. Since you're here, you can help me pick out the type of place you would like to have built for you and the girls." "Can't I just take it easy for a few days and enjoy the peace and quiet? I want to walk around with the girls and just relax before I take the sheriff's job." "Tomorrow is my last day till Monday so let's take the weekend and just explore with the girls. Maybe we can find a spot to build your cabin and do a little trout fishing. I bet your daughters would love it. We can use my Jeep since it was made for the country around here. The back seats are in the garage and we can bolt them in so the girls will have seat belts." "Sounds like a good plan to me, Harry. I am looking forward to the whole thing. I haven't had any fresh caught trout since I was stationed out here in the service. I know my daughters will love being able to explore the area and get used to the different animals. I will have to watch out for snakes and show them the poisonous ones if we see any." "I have snake bite anti venom in the refrigerator for emergencies. Abe kept it for some reason. I have plenty of food and will cook so they get something other than grilled cheese sandwiches." I left Mark growling about cheese and cooking and headed for the kitchen to cook our dinner. Dina, the oldest came in and asked if she could help me fix supper, and I told her I would be glad for the help. We fixed fried taters and for meat we had big thick pork chops that had to be the thickest chops I had ever seen. I cooked everyone one apiece since they were so big. I had juice for the girls and beer for the guys and we sat down to eat. The girls were yawning about half way through the meal and I could tell the excitement of the day was catching up with them. We took them to their rooms, and made sure they brushed their teeth. We both tucked them in before I went to the kitchen to put everything in the dishwasher. I made a pot of coffee and sat down in front of the windows and just watched the stars and the moon rise. I felt like I now had a home with the girls and Mark being here. I had always thought the sounds of kids laughter was the most relaxing sound you could hear. I now had that in the cabin, thanks to my friend and his family. I knew I would miss them when they finally moved to their own place. I set the coffee pot to go in the morning and went to bed. I woke with the alarm, turned the coffee pot on, and went to the shower. My guests were still sleeping so I had my coffee and got my to go cup and headed for the office. I turned the radio on but it was silent, so I had a quiet ride in. Tomorrow I would be running around my property with my temporary family and having fun for the first time since I had arrived. I pulled into the station and went inside and found part of the lobby was set aside for uniforms and gear that had been dropped off already this morning and last night. I could not believe the amount of clothes each deputy had issued to him. No wonder Mrs. Hawkins had made such a profit from the department. I went behind the counter and there was a box full of badges and other equipment. The ID cards were there with a rubber band around them. I took the band off and found that each deputy had three ID cards issued to them for some reason. I decided that I would have a talk with the records and ID section this morning. From this point on each man would have one ID, and if he lost it he would have to fill out a form, and have it approved before another one was issued. I headed into my office and saw that Andy's desk and personal possessions were gone. What the hell! I called the evidence room and there was no answer so I headed for the radio room to talk to Pinky and see if he knew what was going on. I walked in and it was bedlam in the radio room. I saw Pinky and Shorty in the office and it looked like they were shouting at each other. I walked over and opened the door and they both swung toward my entrance and relaxed when they saw it was me. "Somebody want to tell me what's going on? It seems the station is empty and all the employees are here in the radio room. I suggest you get your people under control, Pinky, and then we can see why everyone looks like a bomb hit the station." I must have said the wrong thing because they both looked at each other in shock. Pinky went out and even through the office door I could hear the noise die down. I saw my clerk headed out of the room followed by the other personnel that worked out front. I sat down and sipped my coffee and waited for Pinky to come back in the office. He returned shortly and sat behind the desk and looked at me. "Harry. I have some bad news. Andy was hurt last night when he and his wife were on the way to dinner. The story I am getting is that a truck came around a curve on the wrong side of the road. He swerved to miss him and went off the road and hit a tree. His wife will be ok but he is non responsive to treatment. They don't know if he will make it or not. The truck driver was drinking and he is under arrest. His truck has been confiscated as material evidence." "Damn, how is his wife taking it and is she still in the hospital?" "She is home with cuts and bruises but is expected to be fine. She seems to be taking it all very well considering how much they loved each other." "I want a unit at their place for transportation if she needs it. Have Doris get one of the unmarked units ready for her to be driven back and forth in. I want full department support for her for whatever she needs. I want flowers sent to the hospital and I want a deputy on his door until we find out if he is going to be ok. Now, goddammit, get it done! The both of you!" I got up and headed for my office, telling Shorty I wanted to talk to him when he got through doing what I had ordered them to. I went in and couldn't sit still so I went to the records room and had the clerk type up a notice to put in all the boxes about having more than one ID. I made it an order and gave all the personnel one week to turn all the others in. I asked her if she had a list of all the reserve officers and I was told that no list existed. I called the newspaper and put a notice in on the front page. I made it clear what the consequences would be if the order wasn't followed. I very carefully worded it so there could be no misunderstandings and no recourse if they broke the law by impersonating an officer. After I got off the line with the newspaper, I called the prosecutor and we had a little conversation about the charges he was going to put on the driver. I also wanted the information on the company he drove for and all the information on his insurance company. I planned on talking to Andy's wife and giving her the name of the attorney that Floyd had given me out here for my use. I would call him and put him on notice that she would be calling him and how much he wouldn't charge her. I called the prosecutor back and inquired about the license of our crooked coroner, and was told he was under investigation by the attorney generals office, and his license was suspended until the investigation was completed. This could take up to five years since they had a backlog of cases. I had to laugh at that and asked him if he knew of a doctor that might be interested in becoming our coroner. He could not think of anyone but would put the word out at the hospital. I told him I wanted to meet anyone they found before they were hired. I sat at my desk and thought for a minute and went back to the records room and sat down with the clerk and had a little talk about the special and reserve deputies. Turns out she had a complete list of the specials and some of the reserves. I told her and also put it in writing that all the special and reserve positions were to be terminated immediately. I told her about the ad in the paper and how I wanted the paperwork to be stamped. She started to get a little attitude and I told her that she could sit down right now and write out her resignation if she couldn't follow the sheriff's orders. I finally found out that her husband made extra money by working the football and other games in uniform as a special. I asked her if he had taken the course and she said no, not that she knew of. I sat down with her and explained by law he couldn't be a special or reserve without taking the course. He could be arrested for impersonating an officer if someone checked. I asked her where he worked and she said the county motor pool. I then asked her about his raise and she knew nothing about it, only the one she was due to get. She said she would be getting paid almost double what she had been making. I wondered why Doris hadn't told her people about the raise they were getting and decided I would make a trip over there later. Better yet, I would have her come here and explain why she hadn't told her people yet. I finished up in the records office and headed back to mine and Shorty joined me at about the same time. "I, or should I say we, got everything you said done Harry. I never heard of the things you are doing for Andy's wife. This department has never gone out of their way to take care of an injured officer. Pinky and I thought that it was very kind of you to have a driver for her since she doesn't drive." "Shorty, we always take care of our own and always will. What I ordered is standard procedure for most departments, and from now on it will be for ours too. I am going to call Doris in and have a talk with her and I want you to stick around to witness everything that is said. I want the door left open even if she raises her voice. I just found out that she hasn't told her employees about their raises and the repayment of school costs. I don't like the sound of that and I am going to find out why." I got on the phone and called the garage and was told that Doris had taken the week off and would be back sometime next week. The man I talked to said he was in charge and she hadn't told anyone why she was taking time off. I spent about ten minutes on the phone with him and found out the information I needed. "Shorty, I was just informed that Doris took a week off without clearing it with me or payroll. She doesn't have any vacation time coming or any sick time. She submitted her pay hours for the coming week and charged the county for sixty hours that she isn't going to work. I am calling payroll now and having her check stopped until she talks to me about all this." "Harry, I know for a fact she has to clear any time off with her boss first and that's you. What the heck is going on Harry?" "Shorty, I want you to find a replacement for your evidence room and quick. I need you up here since Andy is out. Also, what happened to all the stuff from his desk and all the paperwork?" "I have it Harry. I put it in the evidence cage so it wouldn't disappear. Things have a habit of doing that in a very short time." "I want a spot and report APB put out on Doris. I want to know where she is and I really want to talk to her as soon as possible. Have Pinky run her through the computer and get all the information and put the call out statewide." "OK Harry, be right back." I called payroll and put a hold on her check until she contacted me or called in. I wondered if Andy had got all the paperwork on the raises turned in before his accident. I called payroll back and was told that he had turned in everything yesterday afternoon, and all the raises would be on the next check. The school reimbursements had already been sent to the people on the list that was turned in by Andy. If all the paperwork had already been turned in, then why hadn't Doris told her people about it? This was getting weirder and weirder. I had a feeling the other boot was about to fall and on top of me. I was still thinking about it when Shorty came back in all excited. "That was quick, Harry. We sent it out and within minutes her car was spotted at the gun store in town. Let's take a run over there and see what's going on. I have a unit watching the store." We went out the door and I locked my office as we went out. We jumped in Shorty's unmarked and went flying out of the parking lot, headed for the gun store. We made it in about five minutes and the unit we had waiting disgorged two officers as we pulled up and got out of our car. "One of you cover the back and the other one goes in with us." We went in the front door and the same clerk was working and he frowned when he saw the uniformed officer. I asked him where his boss was and he said in a private meeting with a customer. I headed for the office and the young clerk grabbed me by the arm, and I put him on the floor immediately. "Cuff him and stay with him until we return," I told the young deputy. "Yes sir, sheriff." The clerk's eyes got big when he heard me called by my title and I wondered why he was so shocked. Shorty led the way and we went into a back room that had boxes of guns stacked clear to the ceiling. This place was like an armory on a military base. There were a lot of M-16's with the U.S. Government stamp clear on the sides. I looked at Shorty and he was staring at all the boxes as we walked. We walked another hundred yards and came to a small office, and there were loud voices coming from inside so we stopped to listen to what we could hear and it was interesting to say the least. Trent: we have to make the delivery tonight because I need to get them out of my storeroom. Doris: I don't have a vehicle to take them to the drop off points. The new sheriff is too damned smart for me to use the department truck. Trent: we have to deliver them tonight. This was your idea and now that we have a big payoff on those M-16's you're backing out on me. I have paid you thousands of dollars to store them in your garage and now you tell me you won't move them? Doris: I still have those pistols stored there too and I don't think I can hide them too much longer. I have kept my people in the dark so far, but with all the changes, that can't last. Trent: I have a buyer for them and they should be gone next week. How about if we rent a truck to do the move? That way we won't look suspicious when we drive to the old mine. I looked over at Shorty and saw he had a small tape recorder in his hand, taping everything that was said. I smiled at him and shook my head in wonder. Damn he was a good officer. Doris: I got into this to pay for my daughter's college not to kill anyone. That little trick last night was stupid. Hell Trent, even you should know you can't kill a captain and get away with it. If this new sheriff gets a whiff of your involvement, he will be on you like a tick. Trent: He is just another has been that is trying to look important to everyone. He threatened me with an ATF inquiry and I laughed at him. I am smarter than any washed up has been. Doris: Let me tell you a little of his history Trent. He was a U.S. Marshal for eighteen years and was wounded nine times in action. He spent eight years as a lieutenant with a sheriff's department in another state and when he left it was rated one of the best in the state. His friend is a connected lawyer that owes him more than he can ever repay. Now you think you are smarter than he is, then you better leave the state. He has been busting people like you for more years than you are old, Trent, and he scares me. Trent: Ok, Doris. We will wind it all up this coming week and then lay low and see what happens. This has made me too much money to just shut it down. I would hate to see you in jail Doris but don't try to back out on me now. I looked at Shorty and he was grinning at me like a Cheshire cat. I motioned for him to follow me and we went back far enough that we could talk without giving ourselves away. "We are going to play this off for right now. I want a watch put on the motor pool and this shop tonight. I will call the prosecutor and get some warrants pushed through and we will take them down in motion. This shop is going to be the first to fall, and then Doris and the guns stored in our motor pool. Now follow my lead and I hope I don't raise any suspicions." I walked back and knocked on the door and it was answered by Trent. "Is Doris here? I want to talk to her about the wrecker she was going to buy." "Doris, the sheriff's here to talk to you about a wrecker or something." She came out smiling at me and Shorty and acting like she was surprised to see us. This was working great so far. "Harry, what about the wrecker? I told Andy it was a good deal." "It's not that Doris, I wanted to know how soon we would be able to pick it up and get it painted. You're the boss of the motor pool and I depend on you to get things done. Call my office tomorrow and let me know how long before it can be in service. By the way, Trent, your clerk is under arrest for assaulting an officer. You can bail him out after court tomorrow. Let's go, Shorty, I have a dinner date in Reno and I don't want to be late." ------- Chapter 13 We went back out into the showroom and the clerk was still on the floor with the young deputy standing over him. "Grab your partner and book him for assault on an officer. Have them hold him for seventy two hours for investigation. Then come back to the station and see me or Shorty for a special assignment. Bring your partner with you." "Yes sir, sheriff!" He yanked the clerk up with little effort and marched him out the front door. I saw him speaking into his radio as he went out. We stood and watched him search the prisoner and read to him from the card all officers carried. Now me, I had it memorized so I didn't need the card anymore. I started for the unit and Shorty was following me and he was mad from the expression on his face. We pulled out heading for the station and Shorty exploded before we went a block. "That dirty son of a bitch is mine, Harry. He was the one that ordered the accident. Don't look at me like that, I know the tape's no good but I can use it to force a confession from him. He is going to pay for hurting my friend." "Your damn right he is and he is yours. I want that woman because she stood and treated us like she was surprised to see us. She must think I am stupid. I don't need a warrant for the motor pool because its county property but I am getting one for the gun shop and his home. I want the pistols that the department paid for and I want him for attempted murder. We will be bringing that truck driver in to the station to talk to him and we will also use your little tape to make him talk. I think when he hears that part of the conversation, he will be willing to make a deal to save his own neck." "That's a damn good idea. I will fill out the papers for the warrants and I hope to God the old judge is half snockered or he won't sign them. He hates the department and I think he and the old sheriff were related somehow. How many men are we going to need for this bust, Harry?" "I plan on using the two that were there today, and I want you to call Abrams in and see if he wants some overtime. I don't know anyone else we can use that I would be willing to trust. Damn, I have those guys from Reno coming in today too. We will make all their interviews the quickest on record and hire them if you agree with the way they interview and conduct themselves." "I don't have a problem with doing it that way Harry. Sometimes the first impression is the best when it comes to hiring. I can tell by his attitude if he will work out or not. At least if we hire them we will be getting experienced officers. They can go on the road right away. Maybe we will find a couple that's good enough to be supervisors." "I have one coming in that's a good candidate for that position. I talked to him in Reno and had coffee before he had to go back to patrol. He had a high opinion of Beau too. Hey! Let's give Beau a call and see if he wants to come in and help tonight. I bet he is ready to get his feet wet about now. If at all possible I want the ones buying the guns too. The money we will confiscate for the department and put it in the fund for equipment and officer assistance." "You sure know all the angles, don't you? Does the new sheriff have your knowledge about this type of thing? I sure hope so, Harry. You are going to stay on when he comes, aren't you?" "Shorty, I plan on turning in my badge and spending a week with two girls and a lot of fishing. I am going to become unemployed till I decide I want to work again. Mark will run the department and I have a feeling you will be his second. Hell, I'm looking forward to being unemployed for awhile. This kind of work is too hard on this old man." "Yea right, you're an old war horse, and you will always be in some kind of law enforcement. I can't believe you're going to quit. You are one of the best officers I have ever known. You have more information in your head that most of the sheriffs in this state all together. I want it on record that I am going to ask the new sheriff to keep you on in the same position. I finally found someone in this business that I can respect and now you're quitting. Not if I have a say so about it Harry." We made it back to the station just as four men were getting out of a car in the lot. I recognized Theo and the other three must be his friends. I wave to them to follow me in and we went right to my office. Shorty and Theo had a long conversation about patrol and hunting. Now I couldn't figure out how hunting fit into patrol but he was the patrol captain. "Harry, I think I will follow your advice and say we hire him as the second shift supervisor. He can start on the first when the new sheriff takes over." He got up happy and shook our hands. Out of the other three we hired only two of them as patrolmen for second and third shift. We passed on the other deputy because he copped an attitude with Shorty about working nights. He seemed to have a problem with that shift and said he would only work first. Needless to say he didn't make the grade and they went back to Reno with us having three more experienced deputies for our department. Theo had told us there were four or five more that were planning to come up to interview. Shorty got on the phone with the prosecutor and I got on with Beau. He said he would be here within the hour and ready to go. The prosecutor told Shorty he would have the warrants for him in about an hour and then we could go. The two deputies from the store came in with smiles on their faces and I found out their names were Jim and Jerry and had been on the department for six years. Neither had been given the chance to work anything major and wanted the experience. I told Jim to get a unit for himself and make sure the radio worked on the scrambled channel. I told them to make sure that they wore their vests. "Sheriff, no one in the department has vests. They were never given to us in all the time I have been here. I can't afford to buy one." Damn, no one in the whole department had vests. This was not good. I looked over at Shorty and he was smiling at my expression. "What are you grinning at? I will get my men vests if I have to buy them myself." "You won't have to do that Harry. All of you come with me." We followed him to the gym and right through the back door to a storage building behind the station. He took a key from his pocket and opened the lock and the place had about two hundred new vests still in the factory boxes. I noticed immediately that they were the new ones that had just been released for law enforcement. They were less than a year old and never been opened. I looked at Shorty and he was smiling again. "Ok, quit with the grin and tell me what's on your little pointy mind. You been holding out on me again." "I took these six months ago when the state sent them to all the departments. I hid them away so the sheriff wouldn't sell them to the private sector. I also still have some of the 9mm rifles in the evidence room. The rest were sold to someone when they came in. I hid three cases of them for a rainy day. We can issue them to all the units tonight along with several magazines in case we get into a firefight. They are semi-auto but better than nothing." "Remind me to tell Mark to give you my job when he takes over." We all picked out our size vest and were closing the shed when Beau wandered in and we had him pick one out too. We all went back to my office and Shorty and Jim went to the cage to get the rifles for tonight. I went to the front and got Beau a sergeant's badge and one of the belt clips to mount it on. I then sent him and Jerry to the motor pool to pick up one of the sergeants units for him to use. I sat back and planned our moves for tonight and how to make double sure none of my men got injured. I wasn't fooling myself because I knew I was the only one with any experience in this type of thing. Beau was the only one with any experience in gun battles and that was by accident. According to his captain he gave as good as he got and saved several lives against big odds. I figured he would hold his ground, but the others were unknown players in the game and we would have to watch them. Damn, this was getting complicated and I didn't know the danger factor from the people he was delivering to. There were a lot of holes in what we were doing, so I had to make sure I got all the pieces together. This was a throw together operation and it all depended on the gun delivery, and whether the M 16's in the store were stolen. We could confiscate the store and contents, sell them at auction to dealers, but the stolen stuff would have to be returned. I wondered if he had the back that I hadn't seen set up as a warehouse. We would have to check it out later. The men all wandered back in and I sent Jim and Jerry out to eat. At four they were to set up surveillance on the store. Shorty said he had binoculars for all of us and they went to get them from the cage. Beau came back in with coffee for the both of us, and then I remembered I had left my go cup in my unit. I got on the phone and called Mark through his old number and to my surprise he answered on the second ring. I told him I would be late getting back and to make sure the girls had their pick of some of the pre-made meals that were in the freezer. They were all labeled by content and how long to set the microwave for to cook them. I knew they were delicious because I had already put a dent in them. I figured Abe's lady had made them for him to make sure he ate a good meal. Mark said that was a good idea and said he was having fun with the girls, feeding the crows stale bread. I finished talking to him and hung up. Then it hit me what he said about the crows and the girls feeding them. I made up my mind right there that after they went to their own place I would declare open season on the damn things. I remembered the crow from Florida and just knew he had followed me somehow. Damn crows! "Harry, thanks for calling me in on this. I will try to keep an eye on the two young guys as we go through the tail." "Those two guys have been on this department for six years Beau. I think with a little teaching they will make us good officers. I have a whole list of men that have to catch up on the state mandated training courses. I need to contact the academy and find out how many courses they have to take and how long it will take them." We sat and talked about the schedule and other duties that he would have as the first shift supervisor. All the guys on the detail showed back up and we decided that we would start the surveillance at about six and everyone needed to be in place no later than seven. I made sure the two young deputies knew what they were to do and how to utilize the unmarked units in the tail of the rental truck. We all went back to our duties and I grabbed Shorty and Beau and we went to lunch. I was deep in thought when Beau asked me a question. I didn't hear him but I did hear Shorty say something about my brain being overtaxed with all that's going on. "Very funny, Shorty. I was wondering where this mine was that they could use to deliver that many guns. They must be delivering to some survivalists from out of state or something." "Maybe Harry, but we have several of those groups around this area. The old sheriff dealt with them all the time. He made a lot of money from them over the years. It could be that all of the gun running started with him and Trent just kept it up after he died. I had a feeling that those vests were to be sold to them and that's why I hid them when they came in from the state. The rifles went out before I had a chance to hide them. They were given to the department from the state also. I think we better be careful tonight or we might end up in a fire fight with the ones who are buying the guns. They are all armed, even when they come to town to buy supplies." "I think we better start checking permits for our county and see how many we can revoke for lying on the applications when they filed for the permits. I do know we can revoke them as the law enforcement of the county. That's Nevada law and it is very plain on that particular item. I will get the list from the clerk when we get back to the station." "I think it will stir up a lot of hard feelings for the department if you start revoking the permits. We need to set down and make up a list of the rules of how and use of guns before we start doing that. I know for a fact that at lease fifty percent of the permits issued were to the old sheriff's friends and relatives. That's a can of worms I don't think we ought to open, Harry." "Shorty, I don't give a damn what the permit holders think because if they haven't taken the training course, they are a danger to our men in the field. They have to file the paperwork when they file for the permit. If it's not on file, then the permit will be revoked until the right paperwork is filed." "I never knew they had to take a course to get a permit. I wonder how many of them have taken the course and are legal?" "They also have to register the gun's serial number when they file. The law here states that they have to carry the gun they registered and if they carry any other gun they can get in big trouble. Nevada law states that they must take a shooting course that's certified by the state every three years or lose the permit. The paper work on this is filed with our department because the permit is issued from there. I think we need to go through all the paperwork real soon. By the way, Shorty, I put a notice in the paper dissolving the sheriff reserves effective immediately. It will be on the front page where everyone can see it. That ought to take care of any problems of people using the badge to further their own agendas." "Hell, Harry, half of the reserve is the old sheriff's relatives. They are not going to take that without raising hell. I hope you don't get shot for that move." "If they have completed the criminal justice course required in Nevada, then they can have their commission back. If they are not up to date with their courses then they can't be reserve officers. That's the law and it will be enforced by our department like it's supposed to be." We went in to the steak house and sat down to eat and again Shorty filled his plate heaping full. Beau and I both got a kick out of how much he was able to eat. Damn, I was glad I didn't have to pay his grocery bill. Like all the other times I ate with everyone, there wasn't much said during the meal. It seemed that they concentrated on eating and not talking. That was fine with me, because I could concentrate on eating instead of having to listen to someone talking. I paid the bill and they left the tip, then we headed back to the station. When we went into the lobby, the uniform stack had grown again. I told Beau to go through them and pick out something that fit him and have them dry-cleaned on the department. He said that he would be glad to instead of buying them. I told him where the badges were and to get himself one or two of the sergeant's badges. I told Shorty to see if there were any of the shirts that had no stripes sewn on them for his use as a captain. The rest could go to the evidence room for further disbursement to whoever needed then. Most of them looked brand new and some were still in plastic from the cleaners. I would have to make a decision on the uniform contract soon because of all the new guys coming in. They would all get four sets of uniforms that the department would pay for. Over that amount they would have to buy themselves. I had plenty of badges so I would not have to order any of them. I wasn't ordering any equipment belts until I got the new weapons for the department. I hoped the pistols we would be seizing tonight would be the ones I had the receipts for. Then I could get everyone certified to carry the same weapon on duty. I went into my office and called that company back to see what happened to the contractor they were supposed to send out. I got the runaround from the woman on the phone so I told her they had just lost a cash sale. She tried to salvage the conversation but I was already pissed at her attitude so I politely told her that I would hire an out of county company to do all the building. I slammed the phone down, ending the call. I got out a phone book and started looking for what I wanted. I found a company that was located in California, just across the border from our county. I told them what I wanted and they said they would have a contractor salesman out to see me on Monday morning first thing. I looked up at the knock on my door and said come in. It was Pinky and he didn't look very happy. "Harry, I am getting all kinds of calls from the reserve and special deputies, wanting to know why their positions have been revoked." "Pinky, just tell them that if they want to discuss it then we will have a meeting Monday at noon, in the gym here at the office. If they don't want to meet then, tell them the order stands as written." "How come you decided to revoke all the reserve and special deputy positions? Some of them have been specials for years." "Pinky, how many of them have taken the peace officer certification course?" "I don't know, Harry, but probably none of them have. The old sheriff gave then their commissions if they asked him or wanted to work at one of the schools as security." "Pinky, by law they are supposed to take the same courses the deputies have to take to stay certified. If they haven't, by law they can't be reserve or special deputies. They also have to pay for the course out of their own pockets because as reserve or specials the department is not responsible to pay for the training. They also have to keep up to date with the mandated update courses they have to take every year. Again they have to pay for the courses. That's why the notice was put in the paper." "Ok Harry, I will tell them about the meeting but the rest is up to you to tell them. They are pretty angry that they are losing their badges. Some of these ole boys are pretty salty and won't want to listen to what you have to say. I suggest you have some extra people at the meeting." "I'll take that under advisement, Pinky. I don't really care if they like it or not because that is the law and they have to learn to abide by it. The old sheriff broke it to suit himself but that is not the way it will be done from now on. If they don't like it then they can always move to a different county." Pinky was laughing as he went back out the door. I sat and thought about all the changes I was throwing at this department. I had done this before somewhere else, but that time I started out by firing half the people and starting over with all new personnel. I had only had to let all the supervisors go this time. Speaking of supervisors, I wondered if Shorty had called Abrams yet to see if he could work tonight on this bust. I called down to the evidence room and asked him, and was told there was no answer at his house and he would try again later. I wondered if he had a hobby that he did on his days off. Maybe he fished or something. I would have to find out when he made it in this evening to work this detail. ------- Chapter 14 The more I thought about the bust tonight the more little details came to mind that I hadn't discussed with the men. I decided I would call them all in and have an operations meeting before we started. I knew we all had cars and all but two were unmarked. I had to make sure we all had walkies and that they were charged. Mine was sitting on the charger so I knew it was charged. Since Jim and Jerry were new to this type of detail, I wanted them to be in the least danger if it went south on us. I got on the phone and asked Pinky to come to my office for a minute. He came in with a smile on his face and whistling as he sat down. "Ok Pinky, give it up. Why are you so damned happy all of a sudden?" He gave me a shit eating grin before he answered my question. "I decided that I am going to attend that little meeting of yours Monday with the reserves and specials." "Ok, why the sudden change of mind?" "I got it from a reliable source that if you don't reinstate the reserves and specials that you will have to fight with Hubba Hodson or quit your job here." "Who or what is a Hubba Hodson?" "That's the old sheriff's stepson and he is meaner than a rabid wolf. He just called me and when he told me that, I had to laugh and think cheerful thoughts. He is almost seven foot tall and dumber than a hoe handle. I can just picture him being dumb enough to go up against you. I will also make sure there is a PR-24 in the gym for your use. Try not to break it over his thick head." I groaned out loud, and Pinky started laughing so hard he was turning red. "I don't see where that's so funny. I am not going to fight some idiot to prove I am tough. If he gives me some shit, I will shoot him in the knee and let you sort it out with his relatives. Didn't you tell me you were distantly related to all of them?" "Ok Harry, truce. I am sorry but the thought of him fighting with you just tickled my funny bone. Believe me when I say he will try you, and if he does and wins you will be laughed out of town by these rednecks. Just about everyone of that crowd is afraid of him because he is big and was the sheriff's son. He has been arrested about ten times for assault but none of the charges ever stuck because of his daddy. You will know him by the big wad of tobacco in his jaw. He will try to spit it in your eyes before he swings at you." "I have a cure for that and also for him. If he makes a move he will go to prison for a few years and spend some time in the hospital before he goes. I hate bullies and anyone that helps them. I called you in here to tell you I want the scrambled channel clear for the rest of the night. I don't want the radio room monitoring it. If I need to reach you I will use the private channel. Make sure all your people understand that or they won't have a job come morning." "No problem Harry. Do you want me to put the state police on alert status until you say otherwise?" "I will call in and let you know on that one, Pinky. Make sure your lead dispatcher monitors channel three until I clear all units. If any word leaks out it will be from your end, so restrict telephone usage to emergency calls only. I want to make sure they have no early warnings of what we are doing. It won't start till after midnight but the orders go into effect immediately." "What's going on, Harry?" "We are helping the state gaming commission raid one of the gulch casinos for drugs and money laundering. I know that we won't move in until after midnight, but better be safe than sorry." "Ok Harry, can I go back to work now? Remember about Monday and Hubba." He was laughing at the scowl on my face as he went out. I hated to lie to him but I had this itch about the radio room and couldn't drag it out. I decided if I was wrong, I could always eat crow later. Damn, I had crows on my mind again. I got hold of Shorty, and had him tell all the guys to assemble in my office at six sharp for a pre mission meeting. I also reminded him to call Abrams again and see if he was home yet. I got up and went to the records room and asked the clerk to give me any files she had on this idiot called Hubba Hodson. There were no records but the clerk told me a lot of history on this ole boy that Pinky failed to mention. I found out that she knew most of the reserve and specials from way back when the sheriff had appointed them. Some were strictly used to guard his deals and property up in the mountains somewhere north of here. The only way the other county would let them be armed was because of their association with this department. This was getting more interesting by the moment. I went back to my office and closed the door and made a few calls to the county mentioned and informed them about me revoking all their badges and appointments to this department. I got a very respectful thank you very much for the information, before they hung up saying they would see about disarming the whole bunch starting right now. I had to chuckle to myself about the enthusiasm of the sheriff there. He sounded like he was relieved that he had a reason to go after them. I wondered to myself about how many problems he had with them in the past. I happened to think of something, and hit redial and talked to the sheriff again. Now that ought to create a few shake ups within the ranks of the private guards. I got on the phone to the Attorney Generals office and asked for a complete list of the 9mm rifles that had been sent to this department last year and got some more good news. If any were recovered that belonged to the department that weren't disbursed to full time deputies, then they would be charged with possession of stolen state property. I told the investigator I was talking to about the old sheriff selling them to the private sector, and he said he would put out an alert on NCIC immediately. I told him I would personally fax him a copy of the serial numbers of the ones we had at the department. Now that would maybe recover some of them from being used against someone in the future. I called down to Shorty and told him to write the numbers down for me and he said he already had them filed. I gave him the fax number, and to whom to send it to, and he said he would get it out right away. Damn, I was starting to cook on all burners. I looked at the clock and it was only two forty five. I needed a cup of coffee so I headed for the radio room to get a cup. I was stopped at the front desk and asked what they were supposed to do with all these uniforms. I looked and they were in three stacks almost waist high. Most of the stuff I could see looked like they were brand new and had never been worn. There were two boxes of badges and other stuff behind the counter. I told her to call the cage and tell Shorty to move them down there for safe keeping for right now. I told her to make sure the records room destroyed the ID cards after recording the names and how many were turned in. I went to my unit and got my go cup and went back in to get fresh coffee. I wondered how many sets of uniforms had been charged off to the department by Mrs. Hawkins and what she had made selling them to us. We had fired seven people and it looked like we had fired twenty from the stack of uniforms and badges. I got my coffee and after returning the greetings from several people in the radio room, I went back to my office. I got on the phone with the prosecutor and filled him in about the uniform problem and all the other information I had about Mrs. Hawkins and asked for an investigation of her business from the Attorney General's office. He said he would make the call and see if he could get the ball rolling right away. I also filled him in on the rifles and what I had done about them, and he said he hoped they could be found or the state might hold the department responsible for their loss. I informed him that I had already reported them sold by the old sheriff before I took control. He said he thought that it might get us off the hook but to keep a watch out for state auditors. I told him that I had all the current records, and Andy had all the records and dealings from the previous years on tape and secured. He gave a sigh of relief, and said that he was relieved that it was all safe, just in case the state started raising cain about the department. I was also congratulated for the article on the front page, and that I had resolved the department of any responsibility if they used their badges for anything after today. He said I should have been a lawyer the way I worded the article. I quickly told him where he could go and he hung up laughing. As much as I hated crows I figured they were smarter than lawyers. I leaned back in the chair with my feet on the desk thinking about tonight, and damned if I didn't doze off. I was rudely awakened by the telephone ringing. It was the deputy at the hospital letting me know that Andy had come out of the coma and was talking to his wife. I warmly thanked him and called down and let Shorty know the news. I had barely hung up the phone when he came bursting into my office saying let's go and see him. I was shaking my head at his exuberance as I got up and grabbed my coffee. I locked the door as I went out, and we once again were flying out of the lot with Shorty having the pedal to the floor. "Slow down Shorty or we are going to be in the beds next to him. We have plenty of time to visit and get back before the meeting." "I know Harry, but I am really happy he is out of the coma and talking. We have been friends for over ten years and his wife and mine are school mates from grade school. Nina introduced me to my wife and it has been the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I love the both of them like family. We were going to go with them that night but Trudy had cramps and didn't feel like going. We would have been in the car too if not for that." "Shorty who else besides you four knew you were going to dinner there?" "The only other person we told was Pinky so he would be able to reach us if something happened. Oh no, Harry, you don't think he had anything to do with it do you?" "I don't know Shorty but several things haven't been adding up about the radio room and him. Something's fishy but I haven't been able to put my finger on it yet. Something is telling me from now on we need to watch what we say in his presence. I am not saying he is crooked but my gut is telling me that he's not on the straight and narrow." We drove the rest of the way to the hospital in silence. Shorty seemed to be thinking hard about what I said, so I kept quiet on the ride up the elevator to the third floor where Andy was. The deputy on the door was an older man that I hadn't met yet so I stopped to talk to him while Shorty went in the room to see his friend. "Sheriff it's nice to finally meet you. My name's Bob Vale, and I have been with the department for twelve years. This is the first time I have ever had the pleasure to actually meet anyone with your expertise. I am glad the department is finally starting to straighten out, and be something we the officers can be proud of." "Thanks for the sentiments, but we have a long way to go before that happens, Bob. I can make the changes but it's up to the deputies to carry them out and make something of them." "I sure hope with the change of leadership things will start to happen. I haven't been to any of the state mandated classes since I started with the department. The other deputies are all in the same boat. This department would only let us have all the uniforms we wanted but no raises or schooling. I hope you and the new sheriff will be able to change all of that." "That's one thing that tops the list for me. If the deputies we have are willing to work with me then I will get the monies for the training. I am going to call the academy Monday and see what classes we all need to catch up to mandates. I also want to have all the officers carrying the same caliber of pistol. From what I have seen so far there are about every weapon known to man and none of them in good shape." "I think there are three of us that have modern weapons. None of us has qualified with a registered instructor since I joined the department. I would be afraid to be in front of half the deputies on the force at the range. Sheriff, I will tell you right now that most of the deputies want to get up to grade, and be proud to be in this department. That's all we have been talking about since you took over." "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bob, and tell the others that we will have one of the best departments in the state. Tell them to hang in there and it will happen." Shorty came out and he had a big smile on his face. He stopped and shot the breeze with Bob for a few minutes and we headed for the unit as it was getting close to the meeting time. "You going in to see him, Harry?" "Not this time around, Shorty. I will let him spend the time with his wife. That's more important to them than being interrupted by visitors all the time. I will give it a few days then spend some time with him." "Why is it you always seem to make sense in what you do Harry? So far you seem to be able to feel what is happening before everyone else does. I have never worked with anyone like you before. I hope as the Patrol Captain I can do it like you do." "Shorty, this is not my first department to clean up and I always go with my gut. So far it has saved my life several times. I have learned to sense the people's feelings around me and it pays off more often than not. You and Andy were the first two I sensed would make good officers because you wanted to work with me and not try to undermine the changes. I first thought you would be the first to go when Andy told me your situation. I understood your reluctance to get close to any new people. I had to take it into consideration when I interacted with you. Hell you've grown up and become an entirely different person in just a week." "Thanks Harry, I have to admit that I have always stayed in my cage, so I could cover my ass with all the crooked dealings going on all these years. I have a lot of information I have yet to tell you and paperwork to back it up. Even Andy doesn't know all of what I do." "Let's talk about this later and get this meeting going so I can get all the guys set up. Did you get hold of Abrams yet?" "I can't reach him at any of the numbers he has listed. It's like he dropped off the face of the earth or something. Maybe he went to Reno or maybe he has a girlfriend in another county. His unit is at his home but his personal car is gone." "We will do this tonight with those we have. I can put the State Police on alert but I don't want to do that unless we are totally outnumbered." We pulled in at the station and there were at least a dozen units in the parking lot. I looked at Shorty and he looked as puzzled as I was. We went inside and there were deputies sitting in every chair in the lobby. I stopped and looked at them for a minute and realized that I didn't know any of them. They must have chosen a spokesman because one of the older ones in the crowd stood up. "Sheriff, we heard what you did for Andy and we came in to personally thank you. You're looking at what's left of the patrol officers. There are seven more we couldn't reach in time to come in, but they already said how thankful they are that the sheriff is taking care of the men. I am the oldest man on the force and I been here for twenty two years. This is the first time I have ever thanked a sheriff for anything. These men feel the same way. We will back you and follow your orders because Bob said you would make us the best department in the state, and after all these years of graft, we are looking forward to the change." "Men, I will promise you that if you stick with me, you will receive your state training and new units and a lot better pay than you have been getting. All I ask for is for you to be straight up with all your dealings with the public and this department. I will be going over all your files and bring your pay grade up to match the years you have served. You also will get merit raises as you complete your schools and get up to date on state mandates. The new sheriff feels the same as I do about this. He worked his way up to captain from patrol. He knows what you need and will see you get it. Gentleman, I thank you all for coming in. I would love to sit down and talk to all of you right now but I have to make another call to the Attorney General about a lot of the missing material that belongs to the department. Remember when you're out there and need help, don't be afraid to get on that radio." I left Shorty there to talk to them, while I went to my office to put the final thoughts for tonight together. I had to admit that having that many deputies willing to do what it took to get their pride back was more than I expected. That older officer should have made rank years ago and I would personally look at his file and see if he was clean and then I would immediately promote him. Damn, I had to get this department up to speed and manpower. I was wishing I had never volunteered for this when faced with that kind of hope from men who had never had any. I sat down at my desk and started making notes for the meeting so I wouldn't forget anything. ------- Chapter 15 I just about had all the notes together for the meeting tonight when my phone rang and I about jumped out of my chair. I picked it and it was Sergeant Abrams on the other end. "Sheriff, I just checked my answering machine and there were several messages on it to call you. Have I done something wrong or did I screw up that murder somehow?" "No, Abrams, you haven't screwed up or anything like that. I wanted to know if you wanted some overtime and to help work on a special operation that's going down tonight? If you are interested, come in wearing civvies for a meeting at six." "I would be glad to work with you again, sheriff. I will be there at six sharp." "Ok Abrams, see you at six then." He hung up the phone sounding happy to be coming in for extra duty. I had looked at his file and still thought he would make a good detective for the department. His actions tonight would better help me make that decision. I would have him ride with me so I can keep an eye on him and see how he acted under pressure or in a firefight if one happened. I had about an hour before anyone showed up, so I decided I would see if there was an extra coffee pot up front for my office. I called the clerk and she informed that there was a brand new one in the storeroom that she would be glad to set up for me and make sure I always had fresh coffee. I told her she didn't have to make my coffee for me but I was politely told that she considered it part of her job. I couldn't dissuade her from it so I told her to get it set up. She came in a few minutes later with the new pot and all the condiments and proceeded to start a pot brewing for me. She was at least sixty years old and reminded me of someone's grandmother, whom I found out she was, thirty times over. When I asked her why she hadn't retired I was politely told that she was too young to retire. I also found out her husband was in a nursing home with advanced Alzheimer's disease. She informed me that she had got the job here to have something to do instead of staying home all day long. We talked awhile longer about the department and what she had seen over the last three years she had worked here and how much the morale had changed since I had taken over. I found out her name was Sunny with a u and she didn't like the old sheriff at all. She said she thought he was one of the cruelest men she had ever met and his son was just like him. She figured that they both would have been in prison if he hadn't known all the politicians in this and several other counties. She broke her conversation off when she heard the phone ringing at the front desk. Shorty and Beau came in and found seats. Then they both noticed the addition of the coffee pot and helped themselves to a cup and sat back down. "Abrams just called and he will be in at six sharp. I didn't tell him what the duty was but he didn't seem to care. I still think we will consider him for a slot in the detectives when they start up. I figure we will put him in homicide and see how he does." "Well if that stabbing was any indication then I feel sorry for the new guy in the cage when he brings his evidence in to have it booked. Do you know it took me almost two hours to record all the bags he brought in. I thought I was going to have writer's cramps before I was through writing." "I told him if he had any doubts about anything to bag it and tag it. He must have taken what I told him to heart. I still think he did a good job with the whole thing." "I will agree with you there, Harry. He had all the evidence tape set perfect and all the bags stapled and sealed. Whose idea was it for him to use paper bags instead of plastic, anyways?" "Shorty, you need to learn a little about forensics. Plastic bags are great for certain things, but they draw moisture with temperature changes sometimes. If you have sensitive evidence you put it in paper, even if you have to triple bag it. I have seen DNA taken from stuff stored in paper bags years later, but it breaks down in plastic bags and gets degraded. Wax bags are about the best but they are hard to find. I told him to put it all in the paper bags." "Now that you have explained it, I know why he used all paper. I learn something new from you everyday. Did you know that stuff, Beau?" "Nah, we had a forensics team in the Reno department. I never knew none of that stuff Harry was saying. I would like to learn more though. It sounds interesting as heck and something that would come in handy. Harry, do you ever think we will have a department with all the modern stuff like the big cities have?" "I doubt it because the expenditure would be too much for this small of a department. The only thing we can do is always teach our men to keep the chain of evidence intact until it goes to wherever we have to send it for analysis. That will probably be the State Police forensics lab in Vegas. You can bet they will always ask about the chain of evidence to protect their butts when it goes to court. Tonight is a prime example of what I am talking about. If we impound all the guns then you two and Abrams will have to itemize every piece and take every serial number down for the State Police." They both groaned and I laughed at their expression on their faces at the news they would be responsible for all the paperwork for tonight's sting. I opened my mouth to say something else when Abrams came in followed by Jim and Jerry. They were carrying folding chairs and I figured my clerk had a hand in this one. Everyone noticed the coffee pot and got a cup and sat down around the desk talking to each other. The clerk came in again and started another pot of coffee and closed the door as she left. How the hell she knew that all the bodies I was expecting were here I will never figure out. "Ok gentlemen and I say that loosely. This is a small briefing before we head out to our little sting tonight. Jim, you and Jerry will be our eyes on the target. Both of you will park where you won't be noticed too much, and watch the front and rear of the gun store. You will call in as soon as they start loading any truck. Beau will do the tail as long as he can, then Shorty will take over since he has a dark colored unmarked. I will follow along with Abrams in the rear in my unit. Jim and Jerry will drop back and follow me on side streets as much as we can. That way we won't stand out with all the cars. We will be using channel four at all times. Those of you that don't have it in your units get one of the supervisor's walkies and use it to monitor. Do not tie up the channel with conversation. The tail car will be doing all the talking, giving us all directions. I have my own M-16, but Shorty will give Abrams one of the rifles like the rest of you have been issued." "My rifle is fully auto but all of yours are semi-automatic. I want no shooting unless you are shot at. If that happens, shoot to kill and don't try to be a hero by trying to shoot someone in the arm or shoulder. That's an idiot's move and I speak from experience. Remember, I don't care how many of them get hit by us if they fire first, but we will not start the firefight. We will give them every chance to surrender. Now, with that, are there any questions?" "Since there are no questions then the two spotters can go and set up. You have binoculars so you can park far enough away not to be too noticeable. Shorty, give Abrams one of the vests and a rifle then both of you come back here. Jim, Jerry, I want you to head out and set up. Call in and give us your location as soon as you're set. That's all folks so let's get going." Everyone except Beau got up and left to do as they were told. I handed Beau the search warrants and told him to go over them and see if there were any holes in them we needed to know about before they were served. I sat and sipped my coffee as he read then and he was smiling when he finished. "Harry, these are the plainest warrants I have ever read. They cover everything including outbuildings and vehicles. Who drew these up?" "Believe it or not, Shorty did all the paperwork. I read them and they looked more like federal warrants instead of county warrants. I have never seen a warrant done so thoroughly to cover all the things you normally wouldn't think about including. I wonder where he learned all that and what books he has read to learn it." "I don't know, Harry, but they are good. I am going to sit down and learn all this when I have a chance and find out where he learned to do it this way." We dropped it when Shorty and Abrams came back in and they were laughing. I watched as Abrams took off his shirt and put the vest on making faces the whole time he was trying to get it on. We were laughing as he struggled to get into it. I could tell he hadn't worn one before and when he finally got it on his shirt wouldn't button over top of it. I nodded at Shorty and he took him back down to the cage to find some shirts that fit him from the uniform stacks he had there. He was in civvies but I knew there were several light jackets he could wear over it. I got another cup of coffee when my walkie went off. "Unit twelve and unit twenty are in position. Do you copy one?" "This is one and you are coming in four by four, twelve. Keep me apprised of any movement. One out." Shorty and Abrams came back in and he had on one of the light jackets on over the vest. I had to ask so I went ahead. "Abrams, do you have a first name or would you prefer me to call you by your last name all the time." "I have a first name but everyone just calls me Kit. That's about the only name I ever answer to. I believe it's in my personnel jacket the same way. My real first name is Kitchard after my great grandfather. I shortened it in school so I wouldn't get picked on." "Ok Kit, works for me. Since we will be riding together the rest of the night it makes it a lot easier. "Unit twelve to one." "Go ahead twelve." "A moving van just backed into the dock and they are loading it with gun boxes." "Ok twelve, we are on our way. Keep me apprised." "Roger one." "This is it, fellas, they are loading up right now. Beau, park down the street where you can see the store, and follow when they pull out. We will be one street over waiting for your call. Let twelve and twenty know when you're in position." We all headed out and I made sure I locked the door as I grabbed my walkie. I followed Shorty to a vacant lot one street over from the gun store. We had just shut the engines off when I heard Beau contact the spotters and let them know he was in position. Now it was just a matter of waiting until they left the store with the guns. I hoped they would pull out while it was still daylight, but figured they wouldn't leave until dark. I also wondered if Doris would be with him when he delivered. Either way she would be arrested tonight like the rest of them. "One this is twelve. I have two subjects getting into the truck. One female and one male driving. Do you copy, over?" "I copy twelve. Let five take the tail and you both stay in place until we see which way they are headed, over." "Copy one." We started our units up and waited for Beau's call for direction. It wasn't long in coming when he radioed that they were headed west on county road 101. "Stay with them for awhile at a distance, five. Three, you start moving up and close the gap until five has to drop out." "Copy that, one." "Twelve and twenty, you come out and follow at a distance of a mile and I will be behind you." "Copy that, one, we are moving now." I pulled out and we were off to the races. I noticed that Kit hadn't said a word and was sitting with a smile on his face as he listened to everything that was going on. I wondered as I drove if he would ask any questions as we went along. We had been driving for about an hour when five called in. "Three, this is five. I am pulling off so you move up as soon as I do. I think they are headed for the old Thornton mine. It's the only one out this way." "Copy, five, I am moving up now." "Twelve and twenty, close the gap to a half mile but be slow about it." "Copy that one, we are moving up now." "Unit three, close the gap a little because I don't want to lose them now." "I know where the mine is one. We will know for sure in five minutes if they turn into there." "All units, if they turn in do not, I repeat, do not follow. Go past the entrance to a wide spot and pull over and kill your lights. Do all units copy that last transmission?" I got come backs from all units and was told by Shorty there was a truck pull off at the top of the hill above the entrance. He suggested we all meet there to talk about the next move we would make. I agreed with him and we all pulled in and got out of the cars. "Shorty, can you see the mine from up there?" I said pointing at the small hill above us. "I might be able to, let me try and see." We all stood around and waited till he stood up on top and looked through the binoculars. "The truck is there Harry and they have portable lights strung around in a circle for some reason." "Watch them Shorty while I get on the radio." I turned the walkie to channel 3 and asked for Pinky. I was told he left early without telling anyone where he was going. I told her to call the State Police and have them contact me on channel 4 right away. I didn't have long to wait when I was contacted by a Sergeant from their office. I told him where we were and what I suspected and asked if he had an air unit up. He said it was just finishing refueling and I asked him to send it our way as soon as possible. He acknowledged my request and said they would contact me when they were airborne. He said they would send several units to back us up if we needed it. I told him to have them run silent because we were still undetected and I wanted to keep it that way. He acknowledged my request and said they were on their way. I told Shorty to sit down and try not to move too much. I told the others to move their cars in a row next to the hill so they would be in the shadow of it. I knew what was coming and wanted to make sure my guys understood why they had to stand still. I heard it before I saw it and immediately recognized the familiar sound of a Huey at low altitude. I stood still and used the binoculars Shorty had given me to track its progress. It was coming in from the west so unless it circled, it wouldn't see us. I watched as it feathered out to land and saw the missile tubes mounted to the skids. Shit, I had to warn the State Police chopper that they were armed. I got on the radio and they answered on my second call. I filled them in on what I had observed and they said they would call in a Blackhawk from Nellis to handle it. I told them to stay outside hearing range from my position and they said they were hovering ten miles away. Beau asked what was going on. "All of you gather round. Come on down Shorty, you need to hear this too. The chopper that landed is armed with air to air missiles. There is a Blackhawk coming in from Nellis to handle him. We are not moving in until it gets here. There are several State units on their way and should get here soon. We are way out of our league with an armed Huey and I don't know how many men aboard." "Damn, Harry, I watched it land and never saw all of that. How were you able to tell all of that from here?" "Shorty, I am familiar with it because I was in Viet Nam and rode in hundreds just like the one that just landed. I recognized the missile pods mounted to the skids on either side. They would have shot down the State Police chopper with no problems. That's why they called in the Blackhawk from Nellis Air Force Base. It can handle just about anything in the air. I was worried what this was going to turn into. I knew the Blackhawk would handle the Huey with no problem, but I would lose the evidence I wanted to put them both away. I had the warrants that we would serve, but I didn't know how many stolen guns were still in the gun shop. "Unit one, this is Nellis one do you copy?" "I copy Nellis one, your target is in the valley ahead of you and is presently on the ground. When you go silent and cover, we will move in. If they fire on you take them out by my order. Do you copy Nellis?" "We copy one and consider it done." I waved my guys to their units and waited for the Blackhawk to go over before I led them out with lights and sirens on. I turned into the dirt road leading to the mine and clearly saw the Huey trying to lift but the Blackhawk was over them and they couldn't lift off. I kicked the power wagon in the ass and closed the distance to the rental truck. I was about fifty feet away when someone opened up with an automatic rifle and shot the shit out of my windshield. Kit ducked saying Oh Shit as he went down. I could see he wasn't hit just shook up. I slammed on the brakes and bailed out with my M-16 and started working toward the gun that was firing. I could see a shoulder so I shot it and when the rifleman fell out from behind his cover I shot him in the head twice and moved toward the helicopter. I didn't hear any other gunfire as I came out from behind the rental truck. I fired two shots where I knew the co-pilot would be sitting and immediately the helicopter started shutting down. I waited until I could hear better and shouted out to the helicopter. "This is the Porter County Sheriff's Department. I will open fire if you don't shut it down and come out with your hands up. You are not taking off so you can't go anywhere. I will open fire and I guarantee you I will shoot for the fuel tank. It's your choice." The blades wound down and men started coming out of the chopper and lay down with their hands stretched out in front of them. I noticed that there were two of my deputies covering the chopper while I watched the prisoners. "Jim, Jerry, clear the chopper." "Kit, get some of those Troopers to help you handcuff and search the prisoners as soon as the choppers cleared. Where's Shorty and Kit?" "Over here sheriff, we have a couple of friends of yours. They were trying to climb the slag pile in all the confusion. I think they were rather surprised to see us show up." "Ok, hold them by the rental until we get these ones cuffed. Make sure you read them their rights. I watched as the prisoners were cuffed and searched then sat back down with about three feet between them so they couldn't talk without raising their voices. I watched and listened as Jerry read them their rights as a group then ask them individually if they understood them. When they all had answered to the affirmative, I dropped the barrel of my gun towards the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. "One to Nellis, do you still copy?" "We copy loud and clear one." "Thanks for a great job, Nellis. You saved a lot of lives tonight and we all appreciate it. Have a safe trip back and the next time I am in town the beers are on me." "That's a big 10-4 one and thanks. Nellis out." "One to State Police Air Unit, do you copy?" "Go ahead one, we read you loud and clear." "The sky's safe and all is under control. You might have your people send a forensics unit. We have one DB at this location. We also need a coroner. Did you copy last transmission?" "We copy loud and clear one. We have a unit already on route and will place the call for the 65f. Do you need any other support at this time?" "Negative air unit. Thanks for the assist." "No, thank you for the warning one. We won't forget it. Air unit 30 clear." I turned around and looked and saw about forty men in uniforms milling around, waiting for instruction. I took a deep breath and walked to the biggest knot of Troopers and prepared to get into an argument about jurisdiction that I knew would happen. This was my county and I sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone take the bust from my men at this stage of the game. ------- Chapter 16 I got the milling troopers attention, and asked if their supervisor was there yet? I was told he was on his way and would be there in a few minutes. I watched as still another State Trooper unit pulled up and it was a Sergeant who got out of the car. I called him to the side to speak in private. "Trooper get most of these men of yours out of here. They are tramping over my crime scene and interfering in my investigation." "Now look sheriff, I think this should be a combined bust and investigation." "No, it won't be combined. I called for backup and forensics. Your men arrived too late to back us up and we already had the suspects under arrest when the first of your men arrived. Do you want to call them off or do I call your Commander and feed him the facts? Your choice Sergeant." "Ok sheriff, we'll do it your way." He started sending his men back to their patrol duties and kept four there to help guard the prisoners. I wasn't worried about the prisoners; I wanted to have a little talk with the two who started this whole thing out of the State Police hearing. I walked over to Shorty and pulled him to the side. "Take these two into the station in separate cars and keep them separated. Here's a key to my office, put him in the bedroom with a guard and put her in a chair in front of my desk. I will be in shortly, so don't let them call or talk to anyone. Take Kit with you, he can take Trent in Jim's car and you use yours for Doris. Make sure you leave the interior light on the whole trip and note it in your report. I will explain it later. Now get Kit and get them out of here." He took off and I saw him grab Doris and Kit grabbed Trent and they snuck around to the cars. I called Jim over and explained why his car was being borrowed and he got a laugh at my little ploy. Things were winding down when the coroner and forensic unit showed up and took over that end of the investigation. I had already taken several rolls of film and then I put a claim on the chopper and called Nellis to send a ordinance team or a pilot to fly it to Nellis to unload the missiles and fly it back to the pad next to the station. I would almost be willing to bet the missiles were stolen from some base just like the crates of M-16's on the truck. They were all there and none had been moved to the chopper. I lowered the door on the truck and had Jerry stand guard on it until I could have it driven back to the gun store. I had to give my rifle to the forensic team, but I made sure I got a receipt for it as I knew it wasn't stolen. I had seen and still had the receipts for all my arms I had gotten when I bought the cabin. I had the State Police Sergeant have his men take the passengers from the chopper and told him he could have them. I made out a statement about the shooting but I knew with the holes in my unit there wouldn't be any repercussions from his death. After all, he had opened up on me with an illegal weapon. I also gave the Sergeant the automatic weapons that the men were carrying. While I was talking to the coroner, another chopper came in and three men repelled down on ropes from about a hundred feet up. The asked for me and I was pointed out to them and they came directly over to me without talking to the Sergeant who tried to question them. "Sheriff, we're from Nellis ordinance depot and were told to report directly to you and follow your orders. This tall drink of water next to me is the pilot you asked for." "I want you to fly this bird back to Nellis and remove the missiles and see where they were stolen from. Then I want the ship flown back to my department and set down on the pad behind the building. I plan on impounding it and using it for the department in the future. Also tell your superior I have a truck load of stolen M-16's he might want to check into." "Damn, sheriff, you hit the jackpot tonight didn't you? I bet I already know where the rifles were stolen from. If it checks out, your department is in for a considerable award from the government. It's an open reward so it will be collectable with the right paperwork." "Ok fellas, count the missiles and give me a receipt for them and the chopper and you can leave anytime you're ready." They hustled over and started counting and the pilot was writing down the serial numbers on the chopper when the Sergeant came over to me. "What are they doing sheriff?" "They are getting ready to take the chopper to Nellis and disarm it. After that they will return it to my department since we impounded it as evidence." "Sheriff, you can't let them take it, we are planning on flying it to our headquarters." "You can bet your ass that's not gonna happen Sergeant. This is my county, my bust, and my investigation. I have already impounded the chopper, and the truck and contents. I gave you the men and the illegal automatic weapons they were carrying. Be glad you have that since you didn't do anything but arrive after it was all over. I have a brand new unit shot to hell that I have to get repaired. I suggest you take your prisoners and be happy or I will just send you and your men packing and let you explain how you arrived after it was all over." "Ok sheriff, you have the upper hand on this one, but the way you are there will be other times when you'll be glad to share with my department." "Hell, I will be giving you busts in my county when we start cracking down on the past dealings of the old sheriff. You know as well as I do it would be a conflict of interest for us to make the arrests. If you give me your card with all your numbers I will be sure to tip you off so you can handle it." "Now that sounds like a good trade off to me, sheriff. Here's my card and I will be expecting your call when it starts going down." He turned and called to his men to load the prisoners and weapons. He stopped for a minute and asked the forensic team how long they would be and if they needed someone to stay. He was told they were almost done and to go ahead and go. I waited till they had all pulled out and called my men over and told Jim to drive the truck back to the gun store and we would be there shortly to serve the warrants. I told Beau to get on the horn and get a wrecker out and have my unit taken to the garage for repairs. I told Jerry we would all be riding back in his unit and that he and his partner would be helping with the warrants. He shook his fist in the air with a loud yea. I had to laugh and wondered how long it would take him to get tired of the drudgery of law enforcement. While they were all doing that, the pilot from Nellis came over with the list and a signed receipt for me on the chopper and missiles it contained. I told them it looked good and they could take off as soon as they were ready. They all thanked me and ran for the chopper. I waited until they were airborne and told my men to get ready to go. Jim left in the truck but I called him back and we all loaded the large generator and lights in the back of it for impounding. I figured to either keep it for emergencies or sell it at auction for money for the department. Hell I wasn't going to leave it to sit out here and let it be stolen. I knew I was nitpicking but this was my nature and you could never tell when the power was out, maybe some child or family would appreciate the heat that the generator could provide them when they were cold. I watched as the forensic team packed their stuff up and climbed into their van and left. I got the chain and locks from my unit and the extra mags for my rifle and threw them into the unit we were taking back to town. We followed the wrecker all the way into town. He went directly to the garage and the night man buzzed him in the gate. I told him to leave a note for the day crew to get it fixed as soon as possible. We went back to the station and piled out of the unit and went inside. We all walked to my office and went in. I pulled Shorty to the side and gave him his next instructions. "Take everyone but Beau, and take your prisoner to the store and serve him with the search warrant. Take the guns from the rental and put them in the store and close it up. Put a deputy on guard until tomorrow and then take Trent to the jail and book him on these charges. 1-Dealing in stolen government property. 2-Violation of the patriot act as in selling to terrorists the stolen weapons. 3-Attempted murder of a police officer. 4-Three counts of destruction of county property. That should hold him for the weekend. I will get the ATF involved when they get here Monday. I will also call the prosecutor and see if he can block bail until we have a chance to go through the store and his house." "Ok Harry, what about Doris?" "I am going to question her with Beau as the witness to the interrogation. I want to make sure she is given every opportunity to help herself by turning state's evidence. You go do your thing and make sure Kit is in on the whole thing. If Trent gives you any shit, just book him and do the searches without him. With the warrants, we don't need him there anyways. Maybe he will give you his sales list for the last few years. Do not remove the cuffs for any reason. If he has to piss take him outside and let him piss against the building. He may have the store wired so don't take them off inside or take any crap from him. If he gets snotty, just take him to jail then do your search." They all left without saying anything more and I grabbed a recorder and Beau and we sat down at the desk with Doris. "Doris, I will be doing the questioning and I am going to read you your rights again and will inform you I will be recording the interview. Now please state your name and address for the record please." "My name is Doris Barclay and I live at 2334 East Second Avenue, Porter, Nevada. I have had my rights read to me twice and I understand them fully. I will cooperate and am under no duress to do so. I have not invoked my right to an attorney and have no plans to do so." "I am undersheriff Harry Hanson and will be conducting this interview with the subject Doris Barclay, with Sergeant Beau Gentry as the witnessing officer. Now, state in your own words how, and how long you have been running guns and storing them on county property. I will let you tell it in your own words, and will withhold any questions until you have finished giving this recorded statement, on this 22 second day of April 2003. It is now twenty two thirty hours. You may begin, Mrs. Barclay." We spent the next two and a half hours listening to her story and confession and we got it all on tape. She was so thorough that I only had three questions to ask and she answered them without any hesitation. I looked at Beau and asked if he had any additional questions and he declined saying that he thought it had all been covered. I informed her that it would be transcribed to paper for her to sign. I asked her again if she wanted an attorney and she declined. I stood and cuffed her again and we left for the jail. It took me longer to book her in that it did to get her confession. Maybe I was stretching it a little but they were slow as hell getting her booked. I asked the desk clerk who was in charge of booking and got his name and number. She got a little snotty and asked who I was and when I identified myself to her whole attitude changed. I got her name from her uniform and made a note to call her boss first thing Monday morning and put a bug in his ear about all the time that was being wasted with the slow bookings. Beau and I went to the gun shop and the crew was still there going through the store. I called them off for the night and sealed the doors and called one of the night shift deputies in to watch it till morning. I got back to the station and made arrangements with the radio room to make sure he was relieved at shift change tomorrow. I sent everyone home and realized I didn't have any wheels, so I went to my room off the office and went to sleep. I woke up in the dark and was disoriented until I remembered where I was. I went in and there was a pot of fresh coffee and Shorty was sitting at my desk with a cup. "Damn Harry, you look like death warmed over. I forgot you didn't have any wheels and when I came back you were out, so I locked the door and went home myself. Here's your key that you loaned me. I went by your place and picked you up some fresh clothes. I met the new sheriff and he seems like he is going to be a good boss to work for. He had a lot to say about you and how he knew you would be staying on when he takes over." "Thanks for the clothes, Shorty, but I am not staying on and last night was a good example why I won't. I am getting too old for all the late hours." "So you say, but the way you handled yourself last night saved our asses. I had no idea where the shots were coming from. I was hunkered down behind cover and didn't have the courage to raise my head to see who was shooting. Kit told me how cool you acted when your unit was shot to hell. We couldn't believe you went to the shooter instead of taking cover like the rest of us." "Shorty, I went to the shooter because I was mad he shot up my unit. I didn't want to shoot him but he didn't give me a chance to ask him to surrender. I don't even know who he was. I was more worried about him shooting one of you or some other person. I automatically shot to kill. I want you Kit, Beau and myself to do the searches today. I especially want to search his house. We also have the unpleasant duty of firing a snitch today." "I heard about Pinky but I don't know where he went after he left here." "I do because I put a G.P.S. tracker on his car yesterday. I borrowed it from the local Radio Shack for just that purpose. I told you I had a feeling about the radio room and it came to me last night. I had a feeling that someone was feeding information to the bad guys. I told Pinky we were going to raid one of the gulch casino's with the gaming commission. According to the G.P.S. he went directly there and stayed for fifteen minutes before going home." "I don't understand him Harry. He got promoted by you and is now making good money. Why would he throw it all away? "I don't know the answer to that one, Shorty. I never understood why any man would throw his career away for extra money or favors. I like Pinky, but this has put him in a situation where I don't have any choice but to let him go. The information that passes through any radio room from the units in the field is not for public consumption. That information is not to be leaked or used by anyone." "I see what you mean, Harry, and as usual you're right. You have done more for this department in the short time you've been here than anyone I have ever seen. I want to be the one to let Pinky go. He betrayed my patrol units and if you hadn't set him up, someone could have been killed." "Let's call him in here and see what he has to say and you can take it from there. We have to conduct the searches today so I need to call Beau back in and the rest of the crew we used last night. I liked the way they worked together so we need to use them today. "Let's get this over with, go get him will you?" I watched as Shorty went to the radio room. This job stinks but while I am here, I will continue to weed out the bad ones, so the department can be free of the few that would endanger the men in the field. They depended on having their backs covered by their own people. I personally knew how important the people that answered the calls on the radio were. I had my life saved by a cool thinking dispatcher who kept me awake when I had been shot while serving a warrant. Nobody ever gave them the credit they so much deserved. No department in this country could run without them. Shorty walked back in with a paper in his hand. He sat down with a glum look on his face and handed me the paper. I looked at it and it was a written resignation from Pinky and another supervisor from the night shift. I looked at Shorty with a puzzled look on my face and he quietly explained. "The night shift supervisor is related to Pinky and they both spend all their off time together. I have seen them and their families at the roller rink many times. He must have been in on it with Pinky and they both decided to get out before you fired them. I will have this stamped and file it with records." "Make a copy of it and keep it in your safe. I still have to get the G.P.S. tracker from his car. When we go out here shortly, keep your eyes open for him. I have a feeling he is tied up in all this somehow but I can't put a finger on how he ties in. We also need to get the stuff that Doris said was stored at the motor pool." "Ok, Harry, I already called the guys and they are on their way in. Kit asked me if he could bring his son along and I told him I didn't see any problem with it. He gets his kid on weekends. His ex had a live in boyfriend and he and the boy don't get along at all. I wish there was something I could do to help him get full custody of the boy." "How old is the boy Shorty?" "I believe he is almost thirteen now. Ok Harry, I see that smirk, you know something that we don't." "Well, if Kit took his ex back to court and filed for custody, I can almost guarantee he will get it. The boy is old enough by law to decide who he wants to live with, and if her live in was named in the case for change of custody I would almost bet she would sign the papers without a hearing. I read the NRC and by law here if Kit is paying support, and her boyfriend is working, then she has lied to the court. She has to report any income coming into the household whether it's hers or not. If he doesn't work, then she cannot receive support until he marries her or he moves out. Kit is not required to support his son and her boyfriend. That's how the court looks at the situation." "Dammit, Harry I read the NRC from cover to cover several times but I don't remember that being in it." "That's because you haven't read the civil rules of the NRC in the second book that was just published and released last year. That one is a real eye opener if you take the time to thoroughly read it. Some of the state laws are great for the father that wants custody or wants his visitations increased." "I didn't know there was a civil NRC. I can't wait to tell Kit all about this. He will go crazy and will probably file the first thing Monday morning. Harry, you never cease to amaze me with all the information you have rolling around in that head of yours. How come you got out of law enforcement and went private?" "That's a long story Shorty. Sometime we will sit down and I will tell you about it. Now I need to grab a shower and shave then put on clean clothes. When the guys come in, have them help themselves to coffee. There are some sodas in the little fridge under the coffee pot for the boy." ------- Chapter 17 I took a shower in the bath off of the bedroom and to my surprise, found a cupboard full of towels and other stuff. I found new razors and shave cream, and toothbrushes still in their original packages. I felt like a new man by the time I was finished. I went back out to my office and all the men were already gathered waiting on me. I noticed that Kit's boy was there and was joking with Beau and Shorty. He was built like a football player and sure looked older than his thirteen years. I sat down after getting a cup of coffee and one of the donuts someone had brought in. I cleared my throat and laid out the plans for today. "We are going to search Trent's house and business today. I will take Kit and his son with me to search his house. The rest of you will go directly to the store and start going through it. All of you going to the store, be careful of booby traps. He is the type that would set them in his own business to wipe out evidence. Beau will open the safe if there is one, and the rest of you will take a general list of the cases of different firearms. You don't have to record serial numbers this time but before this is over you will have to record everything in the store. I have the ATF coming Monday morning so they will be taking over the store part of it." "Kit and I with his son will search his house for any records pertaining to sales and buys. I may have to call Beau over to open the safe if he has one there. Guys, be careful and don't set off any booby traps. I will draw an unmarked from the motor pool for transportation. If you get snowed under then call Jim and Jerry in to help out. Shorty you're in charge at the store. Let's get going, guys." "Harry, there is an unmarked already out front for you to use. I had it brought over from the motor pool on my way in this morning. They said to tell you that yours ought to be ready to go by late this afternoon. They said the window shield was the only damage to it. You have several holes in the body but nothing important was hit." "Thanks for the good news, Shorty. Now let's get out of here so we can get done before dark." I locked the office door as we went out, and I also remembered to grab my walkie. I didn't know if the unmarked had the right channels, but I would use the walkie for channel 4. I had to drive around the block several times before I finally found his house. It was sitting back in a type of cull de sac and couldn't be seen from the road. I pulled into the driveway and up in front of the house. I told the boy to stay in the car until his dad and I cleared the house. I knocked on the door while Kit went around back. I knocked louder announcing myself and tested the door to see if it was locked and it was. I knocked a pane of glass out of the window closest to where I thought the lock was and slipped my hand through to unlock the door. The handle lock was easy but the lower one was a deadbolt that was locked and unlocked by a key. I stood back and kicked the door by the deadbolt. It didn't do anything but crack the first try so I kicked it again and this time the door jamb split so with the third kick it came open. I went in with my gun drawn and cleared the lower floor. I heard Kit come in and I pointed to the second floor. We went up the steps and cleared the rooms up there one at a time until I was satisfied the house was unoccupied. We went tramping back downstairs where I found his desk and computer. I told Kit he could bring his son in but to keep a close eye on him in case we might have missed someone that might be hiding in the house. I holstered my gun and sat down at the desk and started going through the files that were shoved haphazardly in about all the drawers. I didn't find anything I considered important until I booted up the computer. I found a treasure trove of information that he kept there. I started printing files for my records and hoped they would lead the federal boys to his buyers. It took me the better part of an hour to print all the sales files and then I started on where he had bought the stolen guns he was selling. There were names and bases and the amounts that had been bought and what he had paid each individual for each purchase. This stuff I would turn over to the military investigators for them to handle. This was way out of my department's league. While the last files were printing, I got on the radio to Shorty. "One to three, do you copy?" "I copy one, and I must say there are more of the guns from last night stored in the back warehouse. I make it out to be almost a thousand cases total. Did you copy that one?" "I copy four by four, three. I want you to keep looking and call the two others from last night in. Have them go to the motor pool and impound what they find stored there, copy?" "I copy loud and clear one. Do you want them brought here or taken to the cage?" "If they are pistols have them taken to the cage where we can check the numbers against our stolen pistols. Also have someone in dispatch call Nellis and ask for their investigations division and see if someone can come in today to check serial numbers against stolen base weapons. One out." "Three out." I went on with the printing and decided that I would impound the computer and the printer for a little extra security. This enterprise he was running covered some big names and ranks from what I could see. I wanted to make sure I covered my department and men as much as I could. Those government boys would be frothing at the mouth if they knew the extent of what I had. From some of the dates in the computer this had been going on for at least ten years. I was watching the printer and didn't notice Kit's son come up until he spoke to me. "There is a large picture file you haven't opened yet sheriff." "You know about computers do you?" "Yes sheriff, it is a hobby of mine and I have a good one at dad's that he bought me last year. I went to the community college last fall to learn how to program them. I got straight A's through the whole course." "Well now son from here on you're the departments computer whiz. What's your name boy?" "My name is Danny, Sheriff, and I would be glad to help. Do you want me to back up the pictures on disk? You won't be able to print these because the printer isn't a photo printer." "Danny, you back everything up on disk if you have enough of them to do that. I will make sure I buy you lunch for your help." "Gee, thanks sheriff. This won't take long at all." I walked away shaking my head, wondering what the world was coming to when a kid was smarter than the adult. I didn't know a damn thing about computers but a thirteen year old had learned to program them for fun. Now I knew it was time to retire and sit on the porch like a good old man. I went to looking for a wall or floor safe but if there was one I couldn't find it. "Um sheriff, I think you better come and look at this." "What did you find Danny? Is it a blueprint of this house or the store or something like that?" "It's all of that sheriff and more. I don't think I ought to be looking at this stuff. I think I will go talk to dad for a little bit." I looked at him in confusion as he got up and went out the door, looking for his dad. I sat back down at the computer and realized that I should not be looking at this stuff either. He had a death list with all the facts and pictures of the persons he had watched being shot in the head in cold blood. He had the graves marked by longitude and latitude and how deep they had been buried and by whom. I looked at twelve of the pictures and realized there had to be at least a hundred more. I could not believe the neat bookkeeping he kept from the shooter to the grave diggers. God, I had a headache. I yelled for Danny to come back in and asked him if he had enough of the disks to put all this on them and he said there were plenty. His fingers danced across the keys of the pad and he brought up the blueprints of the store and this house. I got on the walkie and told Shorty about the full basement that ran the length of the store and how to get in it. I also reminded him to watch out for strings or other booby traps on the floor and the steps. He acknowledged my warning and then I had Danny bring up the blueprints for the house we were in. I discovered where the safe was and that there was a complete underground house under the little knoll in back. I found the entrance on the computer and went in search of it after telling Danny to put a copy of everything on disks, especially the pictures and sales and the list of sellers. He said he could do that in a very short time. I told him to get after it and yell when he was done. I found Kit in the kitchen and told him to stay close to Danny while I had a look around. I told him to keep an ear open for any one coming to the door and to make sure not to let anyone in. I went to the kitchen and found the basement door and went down the steps. I finally found a light switch and it flipped on to show a small grow area that had pot plants at least a foot high and almost all of them had big buds already formed. I knew that they could be harvested at any time. I found the shelves and swung them out to get to the door behind them. There was a light switch that lit up a long hallway the led to the underground house. I stopped at that point for some reason. My gut was telling me not to go down that hallway. I had a hunch and lay down flat on my stomach looking down the hallway. I saw that there were a set of tiles in a zig zag pattern that were maybe a tenth of an inch lower than the rest. These had to be trigger tiles that were a trap for anyone walking down the hall that hadn't been there before. I wondered what was so important in this place that he had gone to all the trouble to set it up like this. I backed out and closed the door and slid the bookcase back. I needed an expert for this job. I knew I could do it by memorizing the pattern but I was afraid that someone would come looking for me and walk straight down the hallway setting the traps off. I closed it all off and went back upstairs to see how Danny was progressing with the disks. I had just shut the door to the basement and started for the front room when I heard strange voices talking from the front of the house. I pulled my gun and checked to see that one was up the spout before I slowly moved toward the voices I could hear clearly. One was Pinky's and the other was a stranger to me. I let them talk as I crept up to the door so that I could peek into the room. There was a man with a shotgun standing just inside the door facing away from me. I looked a little farther around the door and saw Pinky sitting on the couch and he wasn't armed, just running his mouth. This would be easy as long as Pinky didn't have a gun hid somewhere I couldn't see. Then I got a break from Danny. "Well, if you're here to steal the computer how come you don't have a gun like your friend does?" "Well sonny, I figure I am big enough that I don't need a gun to handle one and a half men. Besides, If I had a gun, I might get excited and shoot someone." That was the information I needed and stepped up and hit the dummy with the shotgun as hard as I could right behind the ear. He dropped and when Pinky jumped up I had my pistol pointed right at his chest. "Gee Pinky, sorry to bust your bubble but you and your friend here are under arrest. Don't move because I might accidentally shoot you in the leg or maybe your privates by accident. Lay down on the damn floor with your hands out in front of you like you know how." I heard Danny sniggering in the background. Kit came over and quickly handcuffed Pinky and then went to the unconscious man and cuffed him with the cuffs I threw to him. I walked over to Danny and asked him if he was ok? "Sheriff, this has been the greatest weekend of my life. If I knew my dad did this all the time I would love to work with him every weekend." I just laughed out loud at his enthusiasm and boyish excitement. I helped Pinky up and searched him and found a small derringer behind his belt in the center of his back. I rubbed it in about him bragging about not carrying a gun. I sat him and his friend on the couch and got my walkie from the computer desk and called Shorty. "One to three, do you copy?" "I copy one, the basement is stacked to the ceiling with any kind of weapon you can name. There is also ten cases of C-4 here. I think we need help with all this stuff Harry." "I agree Shorty, put a pair of deputies on the door and seal it up until we can make some phone calls. I need Jim and Jerry at my location for transport. I have two to be booked as soon as possible." "What happened one, do you need help?" "No just transport and another deputy to guard my location until I make those calls." "I have them on their way one, they are ten away. See you back at the station. Three out." "Danny did you get your little job done?" "I shore did sheriff. I have them all in this case." "Can you break down the computer and load it in the trunk along with all the other stuff." "Yes sir, it will take me about ten minutes to load it all up." "Harry, you don't know who you're messing with. This computer can get you killed if the information is made public." "Is that what made you sell everyone out, Pinky? I never understood how a man could sell out the people he works with." He never answered me just hung his head. I noticed the other man was waking up and knew he was going to have a hell of a headache. To cover the department I would have him checked out at the hospital before he went to jail. I heard a car out front and looked out the door. Jim was climbing out of his unit. Jerry pulled in and they walked up to the porch together. I caught them before they entered and had a quick talk to them. They both agreed and went in the front room. I watched as they read both of the prisoners their rights and loaded them up and pulled out. I went back in and saw that Danny had almost all of the computer and disks loaded up in the trunk. I kept all the papers I had printed out and laid them on the front seat of my unit. I pulled Kit to the side to talk to him. "Kit, the next time you are working a special detail make sure you carry your damn gun. You could have gotten both of you killed back there. Suppose I hadn't been there?" "I am sorry Harry, but with Danny coming along with me to work I forgot all about it. I guarantee you it will never happen again." "I think you learned a good lesson here today Kit. It could have gone the other way very easily." I dropped the conversation when Danny called and said the stuff was all loaded. I went out the front door and there was another unit pulling into the driveway. I went to meet it and it was Bob from the hospital. He greeted me with a grin and I laid out what his duties would be. He said he would be glad to work a double if I needed him. I said it was very possible but he was to radio me in three hours. We all piled into my unit and went back to the station where I had Beau and Kit take the computer to the cage for safekeeping. I took the disks and put them in my office safe and had Beau change the combination again. I took the printed copy of the files to my desk and we sat down to go over them. I separated them by sales and by buys and split each stack with the men, giving them high lighters so they could highlight the names they recognized. Each had a different color so when they exchanged stacks they could tell who knew who. Since I was the odd man out because I didn't know anyone in this area I was free to think about that booby trapped hallway. I knew I could make it but for anyone that was not an expert with this type of trap, it would be suicide. I wanted to know what was stored in that underground house. I called Nellis and asked if they had a bomb guy that dated back to Nam. They were a bit puzzled by my request but put me through to a man they called Stubby. I had to laugh at the picture that came to my mind with the nickname. He answered and I immediately recognized the voice. I disguised my voice and told him what I thought I had and he was immediately interested. He asked when he could bring his team over and I said how about this evening when everything had quieted down? He said he would be here at seven and asked if we had a helo pad. I told him there was one behind the station where they could land. I sat back and thought about the voice on the phone and our history together. I wondered how he had ended up in the Air Force when he had started out in Special Forces during the war. ------- Chapter 18 Shorty spoke up and ended my thought process. "Harry, this stuff is so far beyond us I hate to think about it. I know a lot of the names on this list, and let me tell you, they will do anything to keep this from coming out for public consumption. I think we need to get that smart ass FBI agent back here with his team and turn it all over to him." "I am going to call my friend in Homeland Security and see if he can't get that ATF team in here tonight. Let me get on the phone with him right now." I called him and gave him a general outline of what we had and he put me on hold for a few minutes, then came back on with the director on the other line. I laid it out in a general way again and he told me I would have a team of agents there within the hour along with a federal prosecutor. I informed him I had a bomb disposal squad from Nellis coming in at seven he said that he could see no problem with it. I reminded him that since I had so much trouble with Agent Hadley that I wasn't going to take any shit from anyone whether they were a prosecutor or not. He said that he would make it plain to all personnel that I would be in charge and if I had a problem to call him personally. He reminded me that he was very familiar with my record and how many federal investigations I had run in the past. He gave me his personal cell number and said to use it if I needed anything. I hung up the phone and all my guys had a shocked look on their faces. I told them to shut their mouths or we wouldn't have a live fly in the building. That broke the tension and they were all laughing. "Shorty, did Jim and Jerry bring in those pistols from the motor pool?" "They shore did and they all matched what you had receipts for. I spot checked twenty of them and the numbers matched. We now have all new pistols for our guys as soon as we can get them qualified with them. I know a retired man that is a state licensed instructor and will qualify all of us for a single fee. He travels around to all the small departments and does this for a living. He is cheap and honest." "Sounds good to me, give him a call Monday and see when he is available." I heard the chopper fly over the station and sent Shorty out to show them in to my office. I had a feeling this was going to be a very long afternoon. I was right about it being a long afternoon, but I didn't know we would still be going strong till three on Sunday afternoon. I sent Kit and his son home after sending them to the steakhouse for dinner on me. I sent Shorty, Jim, Jerry, and Beau to the gun shop with the ATF team and they were out of my hair. The federal prosecutor set up his table with his fax and the computer from Trent's and went to work on what it contained. I never let on I had a complete set of everything that was on it. I heard the second chopper about fifteen minutes after seven and knew my bomb guys were here to go through the house with me. I wasn't telling anyone about it until I saw what was hidden inside of it. I waited for the voice on the phone to come in knowing he was going to give me hell for not keeping in touch over the years. He came walking in and saw the federal prosecutor and went over to him asking if he was the sheriff and what the hell he wanted with a bomb disposal unit here in bumfuck Nevada. The prosecutor looked up in surprise until I spoke up from the side of the room. "He didn't call for you, asshole, I did. You got a problem with that, Preacher?" "Harry, my god, I thought you were dead. Last I heard you got shot in the head and they didn't know if you were going to live. Damn, it's good to see you again. What you got for me that you had to ask for a Viet Nam era vet?" "Bring your team and come with me. This one is not for little ears." I pointed at the prosecutor and grabbed my walkie telling him I would be out for awhile. I called the radio room and told them I could be reached on channel 4 and would be out and about. I got them all loaded in two cars with one of his men driving one and me driving the lead car. I filled him in on what I had seen and what I thought was the setup and he just shook his head before saying anything. "Damn Harry, your gut feelings are still saving your life like they used to do for all of us in Nam. If what you think is true, then we are in for a long night trying to figure out what kind of booby traps are set like that. For some reason they don't sound like pressure release to me. I ran up against something like this five years ago and it cost me two men before we got it figured out. The guy that used to set these up is dead but he never kept a list of how many he did for private individuals. I know he did several hundred before he died. He was a disposal expert for Aberdeen Proving Ground for twenty years. He was one of the best and I don't think he has ever been beaten for his ingenuity over the years. I hope for all our sakes this isn't one of his setups. We pulled up at the house and Bob met us as we got out of the cars. I told him to stay put and not to let anyone in unless he cleared it with me first. We went on in and I took them to the basement where they laid eyes on the pot plants. "Hey sheriff, if we disarm this, can we have some of these buds for our fee? Man, that is some huge home grown. Look at those buds, they are dripping with resin. Betcha they would make you float above the floor after a joint or two." "Yeah, or make you stupid enough to think you were Peter Pan and could fly, you idiot." I had heard this type of banter before from close knit teams and didn't pay any attention to it. I opened the door and had Preacher lie down and look at the tiles and how they zig zagged and were depressed just a hair from the others. He got back up on his feet and said it was a Harness set up for sure. He wanted to roll a bowling ball down the hallway and just set them off but I put the kibosh to that idea. I flat told him that wasn't an acceptable option as I wanted to search the house at the end of the hallway. I asked if he had a can of black spray paint I could use? "What the hell you got in mind, Stinger?" "It's Harry now, Preacher." "I don't care what your men call you but to me you will always be Stinger. Now, what you got on your mind?" "I am going to mark the safe tiles as I go down the hallway. I can memorize their pattern and mark around the pressure tiles as I go. I want a look in that house before we take a chance and blow it up using your bowling ball method. I will take the chance I can negotiate through them without stepping on one of the triggers. I suggest you move your men back until I see if I can make it through." "Stinger, you're nuts, you know that? Shit, if your going to do this, at least take one of my portable sniffers with you." "I think I will stick with the can of paint and my gut Preacher. Keep your men back in the basement away from the door." I lay down on my stomach and looked at the tiles that were depressed and then counted the tiles and then recounted the depressed ones. I closed my eyes and memorized the pattern of the depressed ones and how many there were and how they criss-crossed between each other. I spent almost a half hour doing this before I stood up. I heard Preacher pull his men back and then the almost silent good luck Stinger. I stepped on the first solid one I had memorized and then leaned down and felt for the depressed one and marked it with an X with the paint. It took me almost an hour to go halfway down the hallway. I ran into two of the depressed tiles side by side and felt in front of the two and there were two more on the right side of the two center ones. I marked all of them with an X and stepped over to the single solid one in the group. I stood on it and felt ahead and ran into the same pattern again, but the forward two were on the left this time. I marked them and moved up to the only solid one again and felt the floor and there was one directly in the center. I marked it and then I didn't find any for about four feet and then there were two together side by side. I marked them both and then didn't find any more until I got to the door at the end of the hallway and there was one right directly where you would step to turn the door knob to open the door. This was the last one in the hallway and I made sure to mark it with the X so it would be noticed. I checked the door for any booby traps but didn't find anything, so I twisted the knob and it turned easily. I opened the door and the smell immediately made me almost gag. I had smelled this before and knew what it was. Rotting human corpses and from the smell, many of them in various stages of decomposition. I closed the door and went back down the hallway to the basement where I found the team sitting around waiting to see what would happen if I screwed up. "Preacher, I marked all the trigger tiles with an X. Can you and your men disarm them?" "I don't know, Stinger. All we can do is try." "I have I don't know how many rotting corpses in that house that are going to have to be identified and removed. I need those things disarmed so I can have a cadaver team in full hazmat suits go in and get them out. Preacher you know the drill and what has to be done. Try to disarm them, will you?" "Ok Stinger, I will try but it scares the hell out of me to even have to touch those tiles." "Tell you what Preacher, I will do the first one and see how it's set up and then we can decide if we want to go any further." "Hell Stinger, Now I know you're crazy. Man you just don't know when you're well off, do you?" "Will you just give me the damn tool kit before I change my mind?" He handed me one of the small kits and I laid down on my stomach by the first marked tile. I took the miniature pry bar and slid it under the edge of the tile and pried it up far enough to pit one of the small wooden wedges under the side. I repeated the same procedure with all four sides. I then carefully slid the small camera underneath of the tile and saw the coil had been glued to the bottom of the tile. I continued to look at all four corners of the tile and saw a secondary trigger set up with a string that was tied to a pin that came out when the tile was stepped on. The spring was a swivel only and had nothing to do with the pin through the anti personnel device. I took the long handled snips and cut the string then pulled the tile out of the floor with the spring still attached. I turned around and threw it like a frisbee to Preacher. He yelped but caught it. "Dammit Stinger, that wasn't funny. You scared ten years off me with that trick." "I think you will find all of them set up like this one but don't take any chances. Check each one to make sure. You and your men start taking them out and I will call for a hazmat team to come in to handle the bodies." "Well Stinger, you did it again. I never understood how you do and know everything you do, but like Nam, I am sure glad you still have the touch." "Me too, Preacher." I went back up the steps feeling like I was a hundred years old. I had learned one important thing about myself today. I no longer was an adrenalin junkie like I used to be. God I would be glad when Mark took over this department. I went out the front door and took a deep breath before I got on the walkie to base. "One to three, do you copy?" "I copy one." "Put the ATF commander on the horn." "This is Sikes, what can I do for you sheriff?" "I need a full hazmat team. I have what is thought to be at least more than a dozen code-16's in various stages of decomp. Can you arrange this from maybe Nellis or somewhere Sikes? I will also need a refrigerated truck at my location. One clear." "Please repeat last transmission one. Did I hear that right, one?" "You heard right Sikes. Now how about getting on the horn and get things moving. One out." I gave a sigh and sat down on the steps and Bob sat down beside me. "Sheriff, I hope you don't let all this get you down. I am surprised that you have held it together so far. I heard about last night and from what I heard you did a hell of a job. I don't know what you found in there but from the transmission I just heard it must be pretty bad. I don't envy you your job, but everything you have done so far is for the betterment of the department. If you need help, I know many of the men will be more than glad to come in on their off time and give you a hand. Just say the word sheriff and I will start making calls." "Bob, what I really need more than anything right now is a big cup of coffee. I have an ATF crew in the gun store and the Nellis bomb squad in the house and a federal prosecutor in my office. I need a cup of coffee to settle my nerves." "There's a small gas mart three blocks away and if you will relieve me for a few minutes I will go get you the biggest one they have." "Bob, consider yourself on break for ten minutes. Better bring ten of the largest cups you can find back. Don't forget to get yourself one too. Here's twenty and that ought to cover it. Make sure you get plenty of cream and sugar will you?" He took off and I sat back and just closed my eyes and relaxed for a few minutes. I started to doze off when it seemed to get dark on me. I came awake with my gun in my hand and was looking at two kids who were staring at me and blocking the sun from my face. "Hey mister, you better not let the deputy catch you with a gun. You will be arrested and throwed in the pokey." I just busted up laughing and told them I was the sheriff and I was supposed to have a gun on me at all times. They both ran off laughing at me saying that I was sleeping on duty like most cops do. I smiled and sat up straight waiting for Bob to come back with a cup of coffee so I could get some alertness back after the adrenalin high I had come down from. I wondered how Preacher and his team were doing when Bob pulled in with the coffee. Damn I was tired and the day was only a little better than half over. "Here's your coffee, sheriff. I got the biggest cup they had. I hope you like it hot 'cause this stuff is strong and hot." I took a sip and sighed with pleasure. I got up and took the rest into the house to the team in the basement. From what I could see they had almost all the tiles pulled and the mines were stacked next to the wall by the door. I looked at them and saw all the pins had been spread so they wouldn't pull out easily. "Hey Preacher, if you guys want to take a break I have hot coffee for everyone." "We have two more to go Stinger and then we will be done." I watched as they repeated what I had done by the numbers. I hadn't realized it but I was holding my breath as they removed the one by the door. I had a hunch all of a sudden. "Stop! Don't take the last one out yet. I have a feeling that all isn't right with that one." "Back out guys, if he feels that way he is probably right. Let's all back out and take a break and let him sort it out." "Come on Preach. You're going to go on a stranger's hunch?" "Damn right I am. He saved me and our team more times than I care to count by following his hunches." "You mean to tell us that he is that Stinger you talked about so much?" "Yep, he's the one." "Well I'll be damned. We finally get to meet the legend. Hell, Preach, we always thought you were full of it." "Only you would think something like that, Hays. This is the, Stinger, otherwise known as Staff Sergeant Harry Hanson. He is personally responsible for saving his team more times than I can count. His gut has been responsible for evading more booby traps and ambushes than I care to count. Hell, he can sniff an ambush two klicks away. He saved my life four different times that I can remember. If he says something's not right then take his word for it without question." We sat and drank our coffees as I thought about what I thought was wrong about that last tile. Then it hit me right between the eyes. "I just figured out what's wrong with that last booby trap. It's not the last one. It's a series connect to a timer in the house. It was never meant to go off just start the timer to destroy the house. I will bet there is at least five pounds of plastique set throughout the house." "Come to think about it Stinger you might just be right. That means there at least four trip wires set against the spring with a battery to start the current. When you step on the tile it creates a short sending the current through the wires. Damn boys we almost screwed up trying to pry the tile off like the others. If we had it would have shorted that way too. Damn how do we disarm it without setting the charges off?" "I have an idea that might work. All the other strings have been nylon right. Then these have to be copper filled In order to carry the current. Doesn't liquid nitrogen spray immediately break copper threaded wire?" "Damn, you're right, Stinger. If we all spray from all sides then it will all freeze and break without carrying any current. The battery will also be discharged if we can hit it directly with one of the sprays. Let's try it and see if we can use the real thin wedges to hold it up until we can all spray the hole under the tile." They went back in and I watched as they carefully placed the small wedges under the edge of the tile. From where I stood there was more than enough room to fit the small straw nozzles under the tile. Man I hoped this would work. If it didn't then we could all kiss our asses goodbye. I watched as they all got a small can of the nitrogen spray and counted down and started spraying into the hole under the tile. I held my breath as they emptied the cans and pulled the tile up from the floor. Preacher looked at me and gave me the thumbs up. I knew it was clear and walked forward to look into the hole. I was wrong, there were eight wires that had been connected to the spring. The battery was one of the six volt types that campers use in lanterns. "Well Stinger, you saved my team again. Do any of you guys think I am full of it when it comes to this man?" I heard a resounding no from all of them as they thanked me for saving them from being a statistic on a piece of paper. One of the guys opened the door and got green around his eyes and closed it quicker than he opened it. "Damn, I'm glad I don't have to work in there. I think we better wind this up and take the mines back to Nellis and dispose of them." "Stinger, I thank you once again. If you ever need us just make the call and I am sure we all will come again to help you out. I think I will write a full report on this in case anyone else runs into a Harness trap setup. I think you're the only one who has ever figured him and his traps out. I will make sure all the disposal departments know that they can call on you for advice if they need it." ------- Chapter 19 I followed the guys out and watched as they put the mines in the trunk of the car. I told Bob to drive them back to the department and then to take time to eat before coming back. I had to wait for the team to move the bodies and for the refrigerated truck. I was hoping against hope there was maybe only a couple of bodies in the house but I guess deep inside I knew I would be wrong. I had smelled that type of decay before and this was stronger than I had ever smelled. I knew that there would be at least fifty or more bodies and would bet that there would be more. I wondered if this was a dump of some kind and why there were no reports on missing people. I now knew I would be charging Trent with enough murder charges to get him executed. I still wanted the whole story from Doris besides the tape. There was something there that I hadn't been told and I wanted to know what. I heard the truck before I saw it and when it went by I radioed the unit following it and had him turn it around. They pulled into the drive and were followed by a passenger van then my unit with Jim driving. This was one briefing that I didn't want to give or be part of. I felt sick inside that I had opened up this can of worms that everyone called a town. I thought that I had seen and did everything a law officer did during his career but this place was a sore waiting to be squeezed. I had all of them come into the front room and have a seat. "What we are about to get into is everyone's nightmare. I am going to suit up also because I want the make sure there are no more booby traps to threaten anyone. I hope you brought a large amount of body bags because you're going to need them. We have cleared the hallway of booby traps but without masks we couldn't enter the house itself. That will be my job and none of you will enter until I clear the whole place. I am going in blind because I have no idea how many rooms or how big it is. Are there any questions?" "I have one sheriff. If you haven't been inside how do you know how many bodies we will be dealing with?" "I spent three tours in Nam and I have more experience with this type of thing than any of you do. I am sure you were told that I was in charge but if any of you think you can do a better job then stand up and go for it." They all looked at each other but none of them stood up. I went back outside with them and got my suit and told them that we would suit up inside so the neighbors wouldn't get upset or panic. I told Jim to guard the front until Bob got back from his break then he would help carry the bodies to the truck. He gave me a shocked look and dropped his head without saying a word. I led them into the basement and of course they all had something to say about the dope growing and how big the buds were. I gowned up and said I would keep in touch on the built in radio in the suit. I walked down the hallway wishing I didn't have to face what I was about to see. I went down the hallway and opened the door to the underground house and immediately noticed that all the lights were on. Then I saw the first body. It was leaning up against the doorway leading to another room. I didn't see any marks or bullet holes upon close examination. It wasn't that old and hadn't started to decay yet but was starting to swell. I moved further in and came to a large room where bodies were in rows and stacked two and three high. What the hell was this and where had all these bodies came from? I bent over and examined a few of them and there wasn't any sign of violence on any of them. Some were just skeletons while others looked fresh. I went to another room and it was the same way. No signs of violence. I checked the other rooms and made sure there were no booby traps. I saw several blocks of C-4 scattered about and gathered them after taking the detonators out of them. I had gathered twelve blocks in all the rooms and roughly counted one hundred and ten bodies from skeletons to fresh corpses. I was totally stumped as I walked back down the hallway to meet with the team that would be hauling them out. I walked into the basement and they all were suited up except for the headgear. I took mine off and could smell the death on myself. "There are by rough count over a hundred bodies in there. The most puzzling thing to me is the fact that none show any signs of violence. Some are fresh and some look like they have been there for years. I really don't know what to make of this. I want one of you to take photos of everything in there. If you can get clear shots of the faces that are intact I want them taken. I don't know which one of you is the team leader but you are going to need a lot more help than what you have right now." They were all looking at me like I had lost my mind. "Sheriff there is no way that many bodies could all be in one place. My name is Thomas Reasoner and I don't want you to think I am calling you a liar, but I worked for five years in Bosnia. Are you sure of the count?" "Tom, I have more experience than you and take my word for it when I say there are over a hundred bodies in there. There are also fifteen blocks of C-4 stacked in one corner. I think I found all of them but tell your people to be careful. I have the detonators in this bag. Tom, why don't you suit up and go on in and verify what I told you and then you can call for more people and a bigger truck. Remember, this is your operation but I want photos of every body and of the faces that are still intact." I stripped off the suit and went upstairs and into the fresh air. Jim came over to me and said Shorty had been trying to reach me. I got on my walkie and called him. "One to three." "This is three, where you been one, I was starting to worry." "I have been counting bodies three, why were you calling?" "These ATF guys want to work through the night. My guys have been going strong all day and we are tired, and none of us have had anything other than coffee all day." "Let me talk to Sikes three." "This is Sikes. What can I do for you sheriff?" "You can cut the smart ass attitude Sikes. Wrap it up for the night and report back to the department." "You can forget that sheriff. I am running this investigation and as of now you don't give me orders." Now I was pissed off royally. I told Jim I was taking his car and I headed for the gun store with lights on. I slid to a stop in front of the store and went in and told the first fed I ran into to get his boss up here right now. I waited till the short heavyset man came up to me and he had that superior smirk on his face that seemed to go with the feds because they thought they were smarter than all the locals. "Sikes, I said we were wrapping it up and unless you want to keep your job as team leader you better listen when I give you an order." "Sheriff, you can kiss my ass because you don't tell me or my men what to do." I almost hit him but I held myself in check and pulled out my cell and called the director of homeland security. He answered on the second ring and asked what was wrong and I proceeded to fill him in telling him that his man was about to be ran out of my county along with his team. I told him what he told me word for word and he said to give Agent Sikes the phone. I smiled at him nastily and handed him the phone. He turned away and then he started stuttering and saying he had no idea, and that he would cooperate in any way and yes he liked his job. He looked at me and handed me back the phone. I told the director that either he get this asshole out of my sight or I would call the commander of Nellis and have him take all the weapons to his base and he could run the investigation. I handed the phone back to Sikes and he simply said two words, yes sir. He handed me the phone and all it had was a dial tone on it. He called his men together. "Gentlemen, we are no longer investigating this case by order of the director of Homeland Security. My attitude to our boss here on site had caused this case to be taken out of our hands. This team will be reassigned and I will be sent to another duty station. A new team will be flown in tomorrow to resume where we left off. Let's close it up and seal it up." I took my men and thanked them all for the help and called dispatch and asked that men be assigned to the store and the house for the next two shifts. I had Shorty take me to the motor pool and my unit was ready to go, almost as good as new. I told him it was in his hands now and that I was going home and would be back in the morning and not to bother me unless it was an emergency. I went straight home and Mark was in the driveway playing ball with the girls. I waved them off saying I stunk and would give them hugs as soon as I got a shower. I hurried up and did just that and got myself a cold beer and sat down on the porch to relax. The girls had to have their hugs from Uncle Harry so I had to do my uncle duty. God after what I had been through the last couple of days the hugs were worth more than gold. Mark came over and sat down beside me and said that I looked bad and wanted to know what was going on. I looked him in the eyes and flatly told him to enjoy the time with the girls because when he took over he had a mess to clean up. I was quitting the day he was sworn in. He looked at me in shock because he had never heard me speak in that tone of voice before. He started to say something else but the girls were calling him to play some more ball. He went back with them but he had a thoughtful look on his face as he went. I got up and went into the house to see what I could fix for our dinner. I found several more of the venison steaks and I got them out to thaw and dug through the canned goods to find something to go with it. I found a dozen roasting ears frozen in the second freezer and got those out to thaw also. While they were thawing, I made a cherry cheese cake and put it in the fridge. I knew I was going a little overboard but I needed the change to get my mind off of the horrors of the last two days. Especially today with all the bodies in the house. This was my way of relaxing and getting my mind off everything. I thought about the girls and how much they would like the cheesecake. I knew there was whipped cream in the cupboard and got a can out and put it in the refrigerator. I was cutting the onions when I felt a small pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind. "What's wrong Uncle Harry? You seem so sad and I was wondering if I could help in some way." I turned around and went to my knees and hugged her enjoying the little girl smell of her. "No honey, I had a hard day at work today and I was just trying to forget about it. You go play with your dad and sister and I will get us all something to eat. That is unless you want your dad's grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner." "Eww, I would rather eat TV dinners than more of dad's grilled cheese glue cakes." I busted up laughing and she grinned impishly at me and ran back out to play. I had to remember her nickname for them to use the next time Mark wanted to cook for all of us. With that thought in mind, I got the big skillet out and set it on the counter. I put the water on to boil the corn and mixed the spices into the oil to fry the steaks. I had just put the corn in the boiling water when I heard Mark and the girls come in and he sent then to wash up for supper. He came into the kitchen and just watched as I turned on the fire under the skillet. "Harry, is there something going on that I need to know about? I have never seen you in such a bad mood in all the years I've known you. Something's eating at you and I have a feeling it's because of me." "No Mark, it's not because of you at all. I wished I had never talked you into taking the job as the sheriff for this county. I have never seen such a corrupt town and such a history of murder and crooked dealings. I want you to enjoy all the time you can this week with your girls. When you take over on the first I guarantee your whole attitude toward law enforcement will change. Hell, Mark, I wish now that I hadn't volunteered to run it until you came on. That's all I have to say about the subject until the first when I hand you this badge and spend my time with the girls and just be an old retired private eye." He didn't say anything more about the subject but I could see he was doing a lot of thinking. I started frying the steaks and he went into the other room after grabbing a beer from the fridge. The girls came running into the kitchen saying how good whatever I was cooking smelled. I laughed and put them to work setting the table as I finished up cooking the food. They were chattering back and forth and for awhile I was able to forget all the horror I had seen. I took the corn in and put the butter on the table. I poured milk for the girls and brought out the steaks and we all sat down to eat. I was chosen to butter the bread and to cut up their steaks into edible pieces for them. Mark was just grinning on how the girls were fussing over me. I was eating it up and made a great big fuss cutting the meat into pieces. We all sat and the girls stuffed themselves with the corn and meat. I waited till they were all rubbing their tummies saying how full they were before springing my surprise on them. "I guess that since you're all so full I will have to eat all the dessert by myself." "Uncle Harry, you know we always have room for dessert. What kind is it anyway?" "Well girls I went all out and made fish Jell-O with whipped cream." To my surprise Mark was the first one to say yuck. He thought maybe I ought to give it to the first cat that wandered by. I was laughing at all the yucks I was getting from the girls when I finally broke down and told them what I had made. I told them I would bet they would like it better than their dads grilled cheese glue cakes. The girls thought this was hilarious and wasted no time saying anything would be better than those, even fish Jell-O. "I have cherry cheese cake with lots of whipped cream. Who has room for a piece?" I heard three quick me's before I got the question finished. I was laughing to myself as I went to the kitchen and got us all a piece with liberal amounts of whipped cream all over the top. I set them down in front of everyone and they wasted no time eating them. I was watching the girls shovel it in and wondered where they were able to put it all. The girls cleaned up the table and I put it all in the dishwasher. I asked them if they wanted to watch a movie and had to list the ones I had and then wait till they decided which one they wanted to watch. I got them all set up in front of the big screen TV and turned the movie on. I grabbed my cigarettes and went outside and sat down on the porch. I smoked and thought about the corpses I had found and where they might possibly have come from. I was smoking my third cigarette when it came to me and I knew I had the answer to the mystery. I ran it through my mind again and it all fit. I went in the house and grabbed my walkie and went back out to the chair and called in. I switched to channel 3 before calling. "One to dispatch, do you read?" "Go ahead one, we read you loud and clear." "Have three contact me ASAP on channel 4 dispatch." "We will track him down one, and give him the message." "Thanks dispatch, one out." I switched the walkie to channel four and waited for Shorty to call me back. It took about ten minutes but the call came loud and clear. "Three to one, do you copy?" "Reading you four by four three, will you call me on my cell? I want a private conversation about the subject I am about to discuss." "Roger one, give me five and I will call you back. Three out." My cell rang in six minutes exactly. I asked him where he was and he said he was now at home. He had been to the hospital visiting Andy. I asked how he was and Shorty said he was being discharged home tomorrow. I said that was great. I told him my thoughts about the corpses and he said he would check it out and have an answer for me tomorrow when I came in. I told him to get pictures if at all possible and he said that he would. I let him go and told him to make sure Beau was coming in tomorrow so he could open a safe for me. I was told he was staying with Kit tonight so he would be there. I let him go feeling better about the whole body situation. I lit another cigarette and sat and watched the sun going down and wondered if I was right about what I thought. ------- Chapter 20 I sat until the girl's movie went off and they came out to get me to help tuck them in bed. I made a big production out of it as I always did. I went back to the kitchen and set the coffee pot up for the morning. I remembered my favorite go cup was still in my unit and went to get it. I found it on the floor with a bullet hole through the center of it. To say it was ruined would be an understatement. Now that pissed me of because I had used it for years and it was the only one I had ever found that kept the coffee in it hot longer than an hour. Damn, now I would have to find another one and finding one like this would be impossible since the company had gone bankrupt several years back. Maybe this was why because their products worked as advertised. I dug through the cupboards and found one that Abe must have kept for years because of the wear and tear on it. I washed it out and decided to try it in the morning until I could find another one that I could be happy with. I figured with the mountain air and climate Mark had gone to bed so I set the alarm and did the same thing myself. I woke to the beeping of the alarm and for the first time in years I did not want to go to work. I hated the thought of going in today and having to face more of the shit that was coming down. If I had it figured right, I was going to be one of the most hated men in the state when all the prosecutions started. I kicked the coffee pot on and got my shower and shave. I drank a cup sitting on the front porch, watching the sun come up and I knew I was just putting off the inevitable by not going in. I went in and filled the go cup and headed for my unit. I noticed a puddle of something under it and checked to see what it was and I felt the puddle and realized it was oil leaking from somewhere. Damn what a way to start the day. I got down and looked underneath to see if I could find out where it was coming from and couldn't tell. I pulled the hood release and opened the hood and immediately noticed it was leaking from the oil cooler mounted in front of the radiator. I also noticed the grenade that was taped to the brake line off the master cylinder. I looked a little closer and saw that the fishing line had melted from the engine heat. That's why it hadn't gone off when I put it in gear. I didn't touch it because I wanted to preserve any prints that were on it. I checked the other two Jeeps and they were clear and I was relieved that they were only after me. It had to have been done at the motor pool because the line had melted and I had let it sit and run until I finished talking to Shorty on the radio. Well I was starting to think I would be cleaning house at the motor pool, then remembered the mechanic that had beat a hasty retreat when I had climbed into the unit. He had practically run to the other side of the garage when I started the engine. I think I will have a little talk with the motor pool today. I had a lot of loose ends to tie up and I was determined to do it all so I could have an easy Monday meeting with the reserve and specials Monday. I had an idea that there were going to be a lot of disappointed people come Monday. I fired the unit up and turned on the radio and it was quiet on all channels. I cruised into the station and saw several unmarked cars already there. I saw Shorty's car and Beau's sitting at the back of the lot. There was a chopper on the pad behind the station and I figured the ATF team had arrived early wanting to start to work. I went in and passed the empty lobby headed for my office. Damn, I had forgot that the prosecutor was there when I kicked the AT team out last night. I had forgotten all about him being here without a car or any food. Now I felt like an ass because he had been working away and not hassling me or my men. Maybe he found the bedroom and crashed there. I hoped he was ok and not mad about the rude treatment he had received from my department. I opened the door and walked into a mess between Shorty and what I took to be the team leader of the ATF team. I went to my desk and dumped the man who was sitting in my chair on the floor. Now that caught everyone's attention and shut them all up. "All of you sit the hell down and shut up. I am in charge here and if any of you FEDS doubt it I will be glad to wake up the director of Homeland Security and let you talk to him. I am sure he will appreciate the call and thank you for it." That quieted any more of the loud voices and argument. I asked Shorty what happened to the federal prosecutor and he said a unit had taken him and his gear to a motel and was due to pick him back up at nine this morning. Now that news made me feel better. At least he hadn't been left without any means to sleep or shower. I sat back and sipped my coffee, knowing from the impatient look on the ATF team leader's chief he wanted to start a conversation but he knew what had already happened to the previous team leader so he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut and wait for me to start the conversation. "Gentleman, this is how it's gonna go. The ATF will do their thing but any moves will be cleared with me. I will have one man from my department representing my department. He is not your errand boy and speaks for me. If this is not satisfactory for you, team leader, then you can take your team and leave right now." "Sheriff it has been made very clear to me and my men that you are in charge. I don't like it but unlike my predecessor I am not stupid enough to make a splash about it. I have been told you have more experience at this than I ever will, and that you know what we do and how we go about it. This will make it easier for me and my team. I am not here to run the investigation just to get some idea of the enormity of the thefts." "Team Leader, I am going to make your career and if you play along with me you will be able to name your duty station. That of course is based on the assumption that you play along with my little plan, and not be the pain in the ass that most ATF agents are." I got a laugh from him and his men over that one. They knew I was once one of their little club and wouldn't be bullied or ordered around. "Sheriff, my men and I would all like to have us and our families posted to Hawaii. If you can arrange that we will walk over glass for you and your department. Now what do you have in mind?" I got the sheets that showed the sales and buys that I had printed out, and handed them to him telling him what they would do for his career if he got on them before the kid prosecutor figured out what he had and started acting on it. He was so excited his hand was shaking. "Sheriff, we will have warrants and get on this within thirty minutes. We are flying back to Reno where we know a federal judge that is friendly. The gun store will have to wait until we get back, if that's ok with you." "Go for it, Team Leader, and remember where it came from and you owe us a big one. The computer over there has all the files on it so if you take it, then you have to give me a receipt for it to cover my ass." He grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote on it for several minutes and signed it. He handed it to me and him and his men took the computer and were gone within five minutes. I heard the chopper winding up to leave when the prosecutor came back in looking like death warmed over. He went to the coffee pot poured a cup and sat down at his table. It took him about five minutes to notice the computer was gone. He got a shocked look on his face and turned red asking where the computer had disappeared to. My men all busted up laughing and he just looked confused. I told him the ATF team had taken it to a federal judge about ten minutes ago. His shoulders slumped and he mumbled something and I asked him to repeat himself. "I spent hours on it yesterday and couldn't get any of the files open or read anything on them. I guess I am a failure as a prosecutor." I felt sorry for him but the hilarity of the situation hit my funny bone. I busted out laughing and he and my men all looked at me like maybe I had gone over the edge or something. I finally wound down and then explained why I had been laughing so hard. "Danny cracked that machine in less than five minutes. Why do you think I hired him as the department's computer whiz?" They all looked at me then at Kit with the surprised look on his face, and they all lost it. The poor prosecutor was looking lost so I explained it to him and he gave me a sheepish grin before laughing at himself. I waited till they all settled down and told them to take a seat. "I am not worried about the guns right now. Has there been any word from the cadaver team I left at Trent's house?" "I haven't heard a thing, sheriff. Want me to check with the deputy at the house and see what's going on?" "Go ahead Kit and see what the progress is and let me know. See if there's anyone on the front desk while you're at it." He went out and I looked at Shorty and said we have another problem in the department we need to settle this morning. I told him about the grenade and who I thought had put it there. I also told him how I discovered it and that I had an oil leak that we needed to address with the motor pool. I asked him if anyone on the department had experience with fingerprint kits besides me. He said Bob Vale had been to several schools on forensics and had paid for them from his own pocket during his vacation time. I told Shorty he was now a Sergeant and to call him in to work. By the way, Beau, I have a safe at Trent's house that needs to be opened so when we leave here we will head over there and you can open it up for me. I told him it fell under the purview of the warrant so we would be covered legally. He said that he would be able to open it and he had all his stuff in the car. He also told me that he had not opened the one at the gun store yet either, so we had two for him to open. I gave him a big smile and said I wondered what we would find when we opened them up. I personally was hoping that the one at the house might contain the names of the bodies and where they had come from. Kit came back in and he was not looking happy with the news he had found out from the deputy on the scene. "Harry, they have been working all night and thought they had them all until they found a basement under the house that had at least another hundred or more bodies piled three high the whole length of the basement. There is a new team just came in to relieve the others. They have taken two semis to Nellis already and have called for two more. He says he would like to be relieved so he can go home and take a shower and try to forget all the body bags he has seen all night. I had radio send Jerry out to relieve him. I ordered breakfast sandwiches from the restaurant down the street and the radio room would like to talk to you when you get a chance." I felt sorry for the deputy, but I knew a shower wouldn't help and he would have the picture in his mind for a long time. I got up and headed for the radio room to see what they wanted. I arrived and was immediately asked to go to the office. I walked in and was met by a woman who was built like a professional wrestler. "My name is Kate and I am taking over as the supervisor since Pinky is gone. I would appreciate your cooperation with the way I run my department." I looked at her for about three minutes before I exploded all over her. Wrong day and wrong time to try to bully me. "You're not taking over anything. As of this moment you are fired for insubordination. I suggest you pack your personal things and quietly leave or I will have you forcibly removed from the building." She looked at me like she couldn't believe I was serious. When she realized I was, she got up and grabbed a lunch bag and quietly left the building. I watched the reaction from the other operators and while some had shocked looks on their faces some had smiles. I walked out of the office and stopped in front of the booths. "All of you listen up. Make no mistakes about what I am about to say. I decide who gets promoted and who doesn't. If any of you have a problem with this then you need to clock out and leave also. This is not the same department you're used to and never will be again. You do your jobs and you will be paid a fair wage for doing it. I have already raised your pay by at least fifty percent but if you don't like it, then clock out and I will hire new operators. I will not be bullied or threatened by anyone and if you get a new supervisor it will be based on their personnel jacket and not by how tough they think they are. You are all getting a new radio room and 911 center combined. Your equipment will be modern and you will be treated with respect by the officers that depend on you." I walked out the door headed for my office and heard a loud applause coming from the room I had just left. I figured Kate was related to someone who thought she was tough or something. I would make a note to call personnel tomorrow to make sure she was taken off payroll. No, I wouldn't either as I had underlings now to do that sort of thing. Something more I would throw at Shorty for him to do. I also needed a personnel Sergeant and I had just the person in mind if he wanted to get off patrol and retire as a Sergeant. I figured he would jump at the chance at his age and being able to work regular hours. I would talk to Bob about him when he came in today. I had a little more than one week before Mark took over and I was out of here and it would be his to run and set up like he wanted. I was going to be an old uncle babysitter for the girls. I was really looking forward to getting out of this pressure cooker and relaxing with a fishing pole and two cute companions for the rest of the summer. I went back to my office and all the men were back with Bob having a big smile on his face. "Thanks for the promotion Harry. I will try hard not to let you down. Now what are we into today?" "I have a grenade attached to the master cylinder of my unit. I want you to remove it and dust it for prints along with the tape that it's attached with. Don't worry, it won't go off unless you pull the pin as you remove it. You are now the department's forensic expert. You have the training so let's put it to use starting right now. I will arrange for a special unit for your use and only your use. No one else will be authorized to drive it. I want you to set it up with what you need to collect evidence and handle crime scenes." He asked Shorty for a new fingerprint kit and said he would take care of my problem immediately. He was smiling as he went out the door. I now had to get hold of the old deputy and all I knew was his name was Dale and he was respected by all the road deputies according to Bob. I waited for Shorty to come back and then we all piled into two units and headed for the motor pool and the little prick that tried to blow me up. We pulled into the driveway and I sent the second unit around to the back and told them not to let anyone leave. I was the first one in the door and the acting shop foreman came over to see what was going on. I saw the little asshole and went after him and got him as he reached the back door. Being the gentleman as always, I helped him go out by using his face to depress the bar across the door that opened it. He fell out bleeding on the ground and Kit very kindly helped him up by using his foot to raise his head while he was read his rights. They cuffed him and let him slide down the building with his face and then apologized to him while helping him back up to his feet. He was loaded into the car and Beau volunteered to keep an eye on him while we finished our business in the shop. I called the acting manager to the office and laid it out for him. I could smell the fear that was coming off him. I pushed a little more and he broke down. "I had nothing to do with it sheriff. Hubba set it all up and told me I would disappear if I said one word to anyone. He brought the grenade and had Peanut rig it to your unit. I am so sorry but he said he would do things to my daughter if I didn't go along with him. I love my job here and I guess you will fire me now. My wife said I should tell you but I was afraid for my daughter. That man's a beast and he will do things you can't begin to believe." "Well Mr. Shanes, you will not lose your job. If I was in your shoes, I would think about my kid first too. I do want my unit fixed today and done right this time without any extras added to it. Where is the Hubba Hobson right now?" "He is usually at the Golden Goose with his buddies getting drunk. Peanut was supposed to call him there as soon as he had any news. Sheriff, I heard about Doris and I think you should know that she has been paying back what her husband got into years ago with the old sheriff. Hubba raped her over and over until she decided to do his bidding. He finally had to threaten her daughter to get her to do what he and Trent wanted. They whipped her daughter with a bullwhip right here in the garage one night. After she got out of the hospital Doris had to send her to her sister's so she could heal. She spent several years in a hospital to get back to where she could function normally. Doris sent her to college and the last I heard she was a straight A student. That's the type of person this Hubba Hobson is. Now you realize why I was so worried about my daughter." "I promise you after today you won't have to worry about Hubba again. I plan on arresting him and I hope he resists when I go after him." We left the garage and Kit met us out front with his prisoner. I told Kit to have him checked out at the hospital and under no circumstances was he allowed to make any kind of phone call. He was to stay by his side at all times and take no shit about it from anyone. He left and we went back to the station. I was so mad I was going to do something I hadn't done in years. Find an excuse to beat a very deserving man to death. I knew what I was capable of and feared it, but sometimes it was something that couldn't be controlled. This was one instance that I figured it wanted out and free. I called it my inner rage and had only let it loose once before when I was after a man that liked to rape three and four-year-old girls to hear them scream. That's why I had left federal service; I scared myself with what I had done to him when I found him. The alligators thought he was a good meal and I quietly retired and dropped out of circulation for years. ------- Chapter 21 We went back to the station and I called all the remaining men into the office. I closed the door and told Shorty and Beau to check the office. They started checking and when Bob saw what they were doing he told them to leave it to him. He dug into the bag at his feet and pulled out a small box which he flipped the switch on and it started beeping. I recognized it immediately as a modern sniffer and knew it had only been out for federal use for a year. I watched as he went around the office and it only went off once and it was a weak signal. I waited until he was done and took the small directional bug from him. "That thing is really old, Harry, and isn't working anymore. I will tell you that the room is clean and I guarantee it." "Thanks Bob. I am not going to ask where you were able to lay your hands on that thing, but keep it out of sight unless we need it. You have just earned the promotion and you will make a hell of a forensics man when you get going." "All right gentlemen, this is what's going to happen this afternoon. We are going, or should I say I am going after Hubba. I don't know about all of you, but after what I heard this morning he is mine. I want to make this very clear to all of you. I am not planning on taking him in if he resists arrest. None of you are to interfere in any way if you decide to go with me. You men are the core of this department and if you don't think you can handle what's going to happen, then don't go. All of you know he won't come in quietly and this is what I am counting on. Bob, I want you to take a marked unit and go in and check the place out and let me know where he's at and where his cronies are. They all know you so it shouldn't bother them with you coming in like you're on patrol." "Shorty, Beau, if you're going, then come in through the back and cover the cronies when Hubba and I get into it. Both of you have unmarkeds so you should be able to come in through the alleys behind the casino. Remember, none of you are to interfere regardless of what happens. I want this made very clear and I will also make it an order." "Are you sure you want to try to take him by yourself, Harry? I know this man and he is an animal and has hurt a lot of people over the years. He has never used a weapon, just his hands and feet. No offense, Harry, but you're getting up in years and he is a young man." "Shorty, I have a few advantages he doesn't know about and this won't be the first time I have done this on my own. He deserves what's going to happen to him and I will be the one who takes him down. All of you heard what he did to Doris and her daughter, so how many more has he done this to we don't know about?" "Shorty, I want her released if I don't come back for some reason. She doesn't deserve to be locked up after what she's been through. Get her off on probation and put her back in charge of the motor pool. I want your word you will make this happen even if we have to drop the charges for lack of evidence. Remember, you do not interfere for any reason, just keep my back clear. Let's go, fellas, and Bob will go in first and do the scouting. We will be using channel 4 like always" I watched as they filed out to go take up their positions. I sat and thought about what he had done to so many people over the years because he was protected by his daddy's badge and position. Oh well, time to go, I thought to myself as I locked the office door and headed for my unit. I had one of the unmarkeds for use till mine was fixed again and I took my shoulder holster off and locked it and the extra mags in the trunk. That left me with only my cuffs and I had a use for them. I climbed behind the wheel and headed for the gulch. It took about fifteen minutes for me to reach the main street and sitting in the car, I could see the casino Hubba was in. I noticed Bob's unit sitting out front and waited for him to come back out and give his report to me before I moved in. I got the call from him as he was standing next to his unit. "Harry, he is sitting by himself to your right as you go in. His friends are at the bar on the other side of the room. Shorty and Beau are in the kitchen watching his friends. I will come in behind you so I can watch your back and the stairs to the left of the door. Whenever your ready, my friend." "Remember Bob stay out of it regardless of what happens to me." I drove down the street and pulled up in front of the casino and shut off my unit. I got out and went to the open door and stepped inside moving quickly to the side so my eyes could adjust to the dimmer light. I looked around as I waited and saw the man I was looking for sitting by himself in the corner and he was a big fella alright. Well now was as good a time as any. I walked over to him and sat down in the chair across from him. "Hello Hubba, I am the new sheriff and I have come to arrest you for attempted murder of a law enforcement officer." "You can't arrest me 'cause I am a deputy too." "I revoked yours and all your friends' badges so you are no longer a deputy. Stand up please and put your hands behind you." He stood up and I walked forward to put the cuffs on him and caught an elbow in my chest. Damn, I had fallen for that one like a rookie. I was backpedaling and trying to breathe as he turned around and started after me. I was finally able to get a breath and as he came after me he swung a fist that looked like a twenty pound sledge. I sidestepped and kicked his knee as he went by. It broke 'cause I felt it go and he screamed like a woman. He swung around and started after me again so I kicked him in the balls with the point of my steel toed shoe as hard as I could. I figured that would put him down but he only grunted. Oh Shit! He swung at me again and I let him hit me in the top of my head and I went down seeing little birdies flying. I rolled to the side and was able to regain my feet because he had watched me go down with a smile on his face. I sidestepped and he came after me again and swung at my face. I stepped into him and he missed and I kicked him in the kneecap on the other leg and I felt it break through my shoe. He staggered and didn't go down so I stepped in and he caught me with a glancing blow to my ribs and I went down again. I was a little slow getting up this time and he was up before me and kicked for my face. I rolled and came back to my feet and kicked him in the shinbone between the knee and the ankle. I knew I had shattered the bone because he screamed again from the pain of the kick. He caught his balance somehow and came at me again so I jumped up and kicked him in the ribs as hard as I could kick him while in the air using my body weight to complete the kick. I felt his ribs go and I went down. Before I could roll to the side he somehow kicked me in the forehead and this time the little birdies were in color and there were twice as many. I got up and he was standing bent over at the waist gasping. I circled him and side kicked the knee I had first kicked and this time he went to his face on the wooden floor. I went behind him and he was up to his knees again so I kicked him as hard as I could in the balls again. He still only grunted and I stepped back to see what his next move would be. He was holding himself up with his hands and he started coughing and I saw a large amount of blood hit the floor coming from his mouth. I waited and he did it again and went down to the floor in his own mess and twitched a couple of times and was still. "Bob, call for an ambulance and get statements from everyone. I want this place closed down and let the women take all the perishable food for themselves. Also, let them split all the money at the tables and bar." I sat down and heard the siren from the ambulance coming and it made my head throb. I felt the top of my head and there was a big knot right in the center of my head and one on my forehead. They hurt like a bitch but I figured I had gotten off easy considering how slow he had been. I could see he was still breathing so he was alive but not in good shape at all. It took five men to put him on the Gurney and all five again to get him loaded into the ambulance. The medic gave me an ice pack for my head and was filling out forms. They didn't seem to be in any rush to get him to the hospital so I figured he would be able to stand trial for his crimes. Shorty came over and said he was taking me to the hospital to have me checked out. I told him I would drive myself and he could follow. I also told him my weapon was locked in the trunk of my unit. The ambulance finally left and again the siren raised hell with my head. I told Bob to lock this place up and that we were taking it over to be sold for auction unless the owner came forward and then we would charge him and still sell it. The girls all thanked us for the food and money they had been given and then they all were gone. Bob cut the electric and locked it up and put the signs from the department on it. I walked to my unit and opened the trunk and got my weapon and badge out and told Shorty to have someone drive it back to the station. He could drive me to the hospital to get me checked out since I had a hell of a headache. "Harry, you are a real mess. Your eyes are swelling shut and the knots on your head are the size of baseballs. Keep that ice pack on them till we get to the hospital. You know that he almost killed you with that head punch. What the hell were you thinking about? Did you think you would break his fist with your hard head or something? You sure made him a soprano with those kicks to his privates. I will bet he won't rape anyone else in his lifetime." "Shorty, will you please shut up. My head is killing me and your mouth flapping is making it worse. Man, I hope I don't have to do that again because I am too old for this shit." "Well Harry, he was the pretty much the glue that held the old crowd together and now that he is out of action you shouldn't have any trouble from that bunch again. You do know that you are going to be the talk of the county, don't you? You are the only person that has ever beaten him in a fight, even though you may have broken your hard head doing it." "Shorty, will you please quit with the..." ------- Chapter 22 I woke up and there was a beautiful oriental woman sitting in the chair next to my bed. Damn, it was Tran. What the hell was she doing here and in my room? When she saw my eyes open she ran out of the room. I looked around and realized I was in a hospital. Damn but my head hurt. Within a few minutes, two little girls came running in and climbed into my bed with me, and I got all kinds of hugs and kisses from them. Now this was the kind of healing I could get used to. "Uncle Harry, you look like a raccoon. Yeah like the one that comes out of the woods at the house, but his eyes are black and yours are yellow. Are you coming home pretty soon? Auntie Tran says you will be better soon now that you're awake." Mark came in and told the girls to wait outside while he talked to me. Tran came in and I just glared at her until she left. Mark and I talked for a little while and he said he had to get the girls to the house and would stop back tomorrow. Shorty came in next and sat down looking at me. "Harry, you look like hell. I bet those are the yellowest eyes I have ever seen." "Shorty, how long have I been here. Seems like a long time except for the fact that I feel like shit and still have a headache." "Harry, you almost died from the swelling of the brain. We had no next of kin listed so they wouldn't operate, just kept you packed in ice as the swelling went down. Hubba wasn't so lucky. He died on the way to the hospital and it was listed as accidental due to resisting arrest. He bled to death because a shattered rib pierced his heart. Beau opened both safes and the one at Trent's house had a complete list of the bodies and where they came from. Most all of them have been identified and buried by relatives. You know every man on the force has been here at one time or another checking on your condition. The guards on the door are all volunteers and none would take a cent for doing it." "We got Doris off with five years non check probation. The prosecutor and the new judge went to bat for her at the federal court in Reno. She was released to your custody and is back running the motor pool like you wanted. She says she owes you her life and will take care of the fleet or die trying." "How damn long have I been in here Shorty?" "You have been out of it for sixty seven days, Harry. All of it packed in ice and in a drug induced coma. I know you are a hard head, but that woman sitting out there crying her eyes out has been in this chair holding your hand almost the whole time. The only time she ever left was to go home and change and come back. Those two little girls love her to death and have adopted her as their Auntie Tran. She has been taking care of them for the sheriff and according to him, they have never been happier with anyone other than you. I know you don't want to hear it but she loves you a lot more than you deserve boss." "Shorty, I know she is beautiful but her past does not lead to a trusting relationship. I will be taking care of the girls when I get out of here. We have a fishing date with some big trout. I have to turn my badge in and go home to my cabin where I belong." He looked at me and went out the door, laughing his head off. I heard one of the nurses tell him to hold it down. Tran came back in and sat in the chair looking at me. "Why are you here Tran? Haven't you spent enough time away from your business? The girls will be back with me once I get out of here so you can run your restaurant." "Harry, will you please shut up for a while and let me speak. I know I have made fun of you for years but I need to tell you the whole story. Do you remember when the Mirage burned down? My husband was there gambling and died in the fire. I was alone and the only work I could find to feed myself was the Madam of the ranch. After the life insurance and lawsuits I was a rich woman. I stayed on there because I wanted to make sure the girls weren't mistreated or beaten. I never sold myself or was with any man other than my husband. When you and Monk started coming in I fell in love with you almost immediately. Monk and Judy are married and have three kids and I am their godmother. He runs the security for a casino in Vegas where they live with the kids and very happy. I made fun of you because every time I got around you I got so nervous I had to do something to cover it up. That was the only way I kept myself from being a fool in everyone eyes. Judy was the only one that knew and she never even told Monk. I will leave but please don't take the girls away from me because I love them like they are my own." "Tran?" "Yes Harry." "Why don't you shut your pie hole and kiss me." She did and man could that woman ever kiss. I had cramps in my toes by the time she was done. We talked for about two hours and we both decided to see each other and take it day by day and see how it turned out. I did however make it clear that I and the girls would be going fishing on a regular basis. I was in turn informed that she wanted to be included because she loved trout fresh caught and cooked. I sent her home and told her to get a good night's sleep and I would see her tomorrow. She wanted to know how soon I was going back to work and I told her my days of carrying a badge were over and I was retired again. She walked out of the door laughing almost as much and loud as Shorty did when he left. I heard a nurse tell her to hold it down there were sick people here. I heard her tell the nurse yeah and she had just left his room. Now what the hell was the joke here? Two people laughing like that so what was I missing in all this? I must have dozed off because when I woke, Doris was sitting in the chair next to the bed. I got a drink of water and asked her what she wanted here. "I came to thank you for interceding for me. I wanted to thank you in person for the help. I didn't figure I had any friends anywhere. My daughter passed the bar for Nevada and is going to start her practice here. This is all because of you and the arrest of Hub or should I say his death. Why did you take such a chance because of a sorry person like me Harry?" "It wasn't just for you, Doris. It was for everyone he hurt over the years with his dad's help. You and your daughter were just the catalyst that set it all off. I still find it hard to believe you and she went through all that and are still nice people. I don't know your daughter, but for her to go on and graduate with straight A's makes her special in my book. I hate bullies and their kind so it didn't take much of an excuse for me to go after him." "Harry, I promise you I will have the best garage for you and Mark. I have already made several changes that you wanted and the wrecker is painted and ready to go. We have already made three thousand dollars with it just locally. I have fifteen units ready for auction and they are in excellent running condition so they will make money for the department. Your personal Jeep has been completely redone from top to bottom by the employees at the shop. It has been rebuilt and painted and a few extras added for your convenience. There was no county money used in doing it. You hurry up and get well and I will see you again." She got up and left me with several questions that I wouldn't get answers for until I got out of here. I got up and had a little dizziness but it passed so I went to the shower and took a nice shower and put the pajama pants on that Tran had left for me at sometime or other. The top was way too small but the bottoms fit fine. There were also slippers so I decided to take a little walk. I had forgotten about the deputy outside the room and he almost had a heart attack when I walked out of the room. "Sheriff, are you sure its ok for you to be up and running around?" "I am fine deputy and I am on the hunt for a good cup of coffee. If you know where there's any at tell me or I will fire you." He gave me a wide eyed look then realized I was only joking. "There is no such thing in this place sir. They have the worst coffee I have ever tried to drink. I have one of the guys stop by on patrol and get me some from the gas mart as he goes through." "How soon is he due to go through deputy?" "He should be there right about now sir." "Get him on the radio and have him bring me the largest cup he can buy. I will pay him when he gets here." He got on the radio and had his friend bring the extra cup with him when he stopped off, so we walked to the front lobby and waited for his arrival. I could feel my taste buds getting ready for a hot sip of coffee. I was sitting there thinking about it when I saw a vision of beauty coming down the hall towards me. It was Tran and she was dressed to the nines. Man, I thought the deputy was going to break his neck the way he was bending it to watch her walk my way. She came up and leaned over and kissed me and I put dents in the toes of the slippers. Man she was hard on my feet with those kisses. "What are you doing back here? You trying to hurt one of my men or what? He about broke his neck trying to watch you walk down the hallway." The young deputy turned red as a beet and was trying to apologize to her when we both cracked up. He just smiled when he realized that we weren't upset with him but thought it funny. "Seriously though, I thought I told you to get a good night's sleep and to come back tomorrow." "Harry, being here has become my own form of relaxation. Besides I enjoy being here with you and now that you're back to your old grouchy self, I will have someone to talk to." "Well I am waiting for a cup of good coffee to be delivered since there's none to be had here in the hospital. My personal expert here told me that when I came out to find a cup. You are too late to order though so I will share with you." "I do not drink that nasty stuff. I prefer a cup of tea." "Must be your oriental background. I can't believe a true American would turn down a cup of good coffee. I see I will have to teach you a few things about how to please your man." "I have not said you were my man, and if it came down to it hinging on coffee or tea, I guess I will stay single because I hate the taste of coffee in any form." "That's probably because you're an oriental heathen and never accepted our ways. I can see right now you have some changing to do if you want your green card." "Mister, my family have been citizens in this country since 1834 and we do not require green cards." "Well you don't have to act so hoity toity to all us barbarians." The deputy was listening to all of this and couldn't tell if we were serious or not. I turned toward him and said in a loud voice. "See what happens when the inscrutable oriental falls for a barbarian. Things are never the same afterwards." He looked at Tran and then at me and just laid his head in his arms like he was trying to hide from it all. I looked at Tran and she was smiling at me and the deputy, and I leaned over and kissed her real quick while his head was down. She just shook her head at my silliness and gave me one of those inscrutable smiles only oriental people know how to do. I think she was starting to grow on me or maybe it was my head wound acting up because I swore I could see her getting younger as we sat together waiting on my coffee. I heard the outer doors swish open and here came Dale with two huge coffees. I noticed he was wearing Sergeant stripes and was glad that he had made rank. I couldn't remember if I had told Shorty to promote him or not. He had made it and that's all that counted in the end. "Hey sheriff, glad to see you finally up and around. Things were just too quiet with you sleeping all the time. I think I have you to thank for the stripes. I finally made supervisor after all these years. Well hello, Miss Tran, I see you're looking beautiful as always. I hope this old man appreciates a beautiful woman. If he doesn't, remember I am still single and looking." "Dale, you have outlived three wives already and I have no wish to be the fourth. I think I will stick with Harry because I stand a chance to out live him." They both busted up laughing and I just smiled at them, because you or anyone could tell that they were friends and always had some kind joke between them. I gave him the money for the coffee and put cream and sugar in it and took a sip as soon as I had it all mixed up. Damn that was good. I just sat back in the chair with my feet stretched out and sipped it with my eyes closed. I had just taken another sip when I felt a tug on the cup. I opened my eyes and a nurse was trying to take it out of my hand. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing nurse?" "You are not allowed to have coffee and I am taking it to throw it away." "I am going to say this one time just so you understand me. If you touch my coffee again you will be wearing it in the jail because I will have you arrested for assault. Now get away from me and my coffee." The deputy stood up quickly and stepped between us and flatly told her if she touched me one more time she was going to jail. I watched a kid go from that to a lawman just that quick and I was proud of him. The nurse backed away and I sat back and sipped my coffee again. I was hearing a funny noise and looked at Tran and realized she was busting up laughing and trying to cover it up with her hand. I smiled and winked at her and she couldn't hold back any longer and busted out laughing. "Harry, remind me never to try and take your coffee away from you. I think you and your deputy scared her half to death. I bet she never tries that with anyone ever again." Our mirth was short lived when a doctor came up to us with an attitude. "Mr. Hanson, I would appreciate it if while you stay here you abide by hospital rules. There is to be no outside drink or food to be consumed in the hospital. Now throw that away and return to your room." "Doc, if you had decent coffee in this place I wouldn't have to send out for it now would I? I will finish it and then return to my room, thank you." "I drink the coffee here and have for years and I don't see a thing wrong with it." "Well that explains it then Doc." "Explains what Mr. Hanson?" "You been drinking the coffee here, and that's probably why you're such an asshole. Get out of my face before I forget I am the sheriff, and bust your head for you." He looked at me in shock, and stomped down the hall and disappeared around the corner. I leaned back in my chair again and sipped my delicious coffee to the sounds of laughter from the deputy and Tran. Damn, but this coffee is good. ------- Chapter 23 I sat and sipped my coffee with Tran and the young deputy. She was laughing and kidding around with him as we sat in the lobby. I finally decided I was tired enough to go back to my room and lay down. We all three walked back and the deputy took his station outside of the door and I crawled back into bed. That little bit of exercise had taken more out of me than I ever thought it would have. I was almost asleep when Tran kissed me goodnight. I remember smiling but nothing after that. I woke with the sun in my eyes and Tran was asleep in the chair next to my bed. I looked at her and even asleep she was a beautiful woman. I found it hard to believe she was a year older than I was. She was like most oriental women and kept their beauty for more years than most other women. I turned to my side and just watched her sleep. She was stirring and opened her eyes and saw me watching her. She smiled and asked how long I had been awake? "I just woke myself and I must say the scenery gets better every day. I am going home today whether they want me to or not. I cannot stand just laying here when I could be having a good cup of coffee and some jelly filled donuts." She just laughed at me saying that if I ate them then I would have been twice as fat as I was. "Hey, I am not fat nor have I ever been. I still have the same waist size that I had when I got out of the army in 1970, so there." "Boy are we grouchy in the mornings. Do you want me to have the deputy get you another coffee?" "Would you please dear, I would be forever grateful if you could arrange that for me." "Oh Harry, will you quit trying to be nice. It doesn't fit you worth a damn." She got up and patted her hair and went out the door with an extra wiggle for my benefit. I laughed at her and damned if she didn't stick her tongue out at me. That definitely was not the action of a refined full grown woman in her senior years. Well, will you listen to my old grouchy ass. I couldn't believe I had even thought that, and at my age. I should be grateful she even saw any good in me after the way I had treated her last night. Now I knew I was getting old I was talking and answering myself in a hospital of all places. Man I needed to get out of here and quick. I got up and went to the closet and my clothes were hanging there. I grabbed them and went to the bathroom and quickly got dressed. I had just tied my shoes when the doctor came in. "Where are you going, Mr. Hanson? I haven't released you back out into the public yet. I think you better get back undressed and into bed." "Doc, I am not getting back into bed but I will go home and sit in the sun and enjoy the view. I have had enough of your hospitality here. Now you can release me to go home or I am leaving, even though you haven't signed the paper. What's it going to be, Doc?" "I personally don't think your ready to go home, but you're a stubborn man. I will sign the papers but I will not ok you to return to work until I am satisfied you are completely healed. I know you are having headaches and I will give you a script but it will be non narcotic since you have a head injury." "I know the drill, Doc, so you don't have to give me the pep talk. Give me 600 mg ibuprofen and that should handle any headache I have. Now write it so I can go get a good cup of coffee." "He smiled and signed several papers and handed me the script saying at the same time he wanted me back in his office in one week for x-rays and a checkup." "I will be there Doc and bring you some fresh caught trout for your dinner. I will even clean them and pack them in ice for you." "If you get lucky enough to catch fresh trout then I will check you out for free if you bring me some packed in ice, Sheriff." He smiled and left the room, leaving me wondering why everyone didn't think I was a good fisherman. Now I would have to put up or shut up. Oh well, the girls would help me catch them and if Tran wasn't too finicky, then she would help too. I headed out the door with a smile on my face and almost ran over Tran. She had a cup of machine coffee in her hand so I took it and dropped it off at the nurses desk as I went by headed for the sun and home. I didn't see the deputy until he caught up with us saying he was supposed to stay by my side until the sheriff dismissed him. "Good I need a ride to the station so I can get some transportation and go home." "Your personal Jeep is in the parking lot sheriff. The keys are in Miss Tran's possession." I turned around and looked at her and she handed me the keys with an impish grin on her face. I hugged her and we walked out the door with my arm over her shoulder laughing my fool head off at the irony of it all. I walked to the parking lot with Tran and didn't see my Jeep so I asked the deputy where it was at. "All I know is that the motor pool brought it over and gave Miss Tran the keys saying she was to give them to you when you got out." I looked down at Tran by my side and she was laughing into her hand again. "Ok lady, where is it?" "Right in front of you Harry, don't you know your own Jeep?" I looked where she was looking and saw a Jeep with a four inch lift kit with wrap around brush guards on the front and back. It had new all terrain tires and winches on the front and back. Did I mention the damn thing was painted a bright yellow, with a wide black stripe down the center front to back. Mark you dirty SOB, I am gonna kill you with my bare hands if it takes me all year. Tran was laughing into her hand again at the expression on my face. "I really don't think its funny Tran and the fact that my best friend was behind this even makes it worse." "Oh Harry, will you ever learn? The girls chose the color because they loved your little car in Florida. Mark tried to talk them out of it but they both said that's the color you would want it painted. They even pooled their money to have a picture of it blown up so they could hang it in their cabin when it's done." "What cabin and where are they building it, Tran? I was supposed to have it built for them as part of my surprise for the girls when they moved out here. Damn, I had some special plans for the girls and the cabin. Shit, shit, shit." "Harry, please calm down. I have them doing it like you talked about for days while you were under. I know everything you wanted done and it's being done just that way. Please don't be mad, but from your talking, I knew how important it was for you to get it done before winter set in. I bought all the rest of the ground around you when Abe recommended that I grab it because it was a good tax write-off for me. Between the two of us, we own the whole area up there all the way to Gulch City. Their cabin is being built on a flat mesa that straddles the property line. It will be sheltered in the winter and cool in the summer. They will have the lofts you talked about so much and the barn for their ponies and other critters they might want to gather. I promise you it will pass your inspection and it's not far from your place so they can visit you as much as they want." "I'm sorry Tran but the whole thing threw me off from seeing the Jeep and all the rest coming at me so fast. Damn I have a headache. Can you drive the Jeep or should I have the deputy drive us to the station to find me a driver so I can go home?" "I can drive anything with wheels Harry. I used to race in the desert when I was at the ranch. I owned my own racing dune buggy. I have a house full of ribbons and trophies I won over the years. Let's get you home before you pass out on me." We climbed into the Jeep and I thanked the mechanic for putting the steps on the frame to make it easier to get into. Tran sat down and slid the seat up and she caught me staring at her legs. "You are not healthy enough to even think about that. Put your eyes back in your head and look forward." I leaned back and closed my eyes, reliving the picture of what I had just seen. I must have had a smile on my face because she told me to quit being a dirty old man. I laughed out loud and looked over at her and she was smiling. "You know, as beautiful as you are, I can't for the life of me figure out why you fell for me. Tran, I haven't had any kind of relationship for over ten years. I have worked and went home and repeated it every day. The only pleasure I got out of my life was the time I was able to spend with the girls. I had a lot of friends but I never got close to any of the women I knew. I just made friends with them so I didn't have to show any feelings toward them." "I haven't been with anyone either Harry. I have a lot of friends here but haven't dated anyone. When you walked into my restaurant with your men I almost fainted. I could not believe that after all these years you had walked back into my life. I almost ruined it off the bat because I was so nervous. I couldn't seem to shut my mouth like it always used to be. Harry, will we work out or do you think any relationship we have won't work because of our differences?" "Tran, I can't answer that right now. We can only take it one day at a time and see if we are compatible. You love people and I am a semi hermit that hates crowds. I only took the job as Undersheriff so I could help Mark get a good start with his own department. I don't even know what happened after I went to the hospital. I had a lot of things going and like a fool I had to try to be a hero and ended up leaving him in the lurch. I did leave him with some good men if he had sense enough to keep them on after I left." "Harry, hasn't anyone told you anything since you woke up?" "I haven't seen anyone but you and Shorty. Mark was there for a few minutes as you know and the girls. What was so funny to you two when I said I was quitting?" "I won't tell you anything right now. Mark made me promise I wouldn't talk about the department to you and I gave my word. Can you lock the wheels in or should I get out so you can stare at my butt as I bend over?" I hadn't realized it but we were at my driveway. I winked at her and got out and locked the hubs in and away we went. I should have looked at her butt because my headache was now throbbing. What I needed was a cup of coffee. Hey, wait a minute. "How did you know where I lived at anyways?" "I have met Mark several times at your driveway when I brought the girls home. He always drove down to meet me because he said there was no way anything but a four wheel drive could make it up to your place. Oh Harry, it's beautiful. No wonder you love it up here so much. This place is all the girls talk about when I am bringing them home. I can see why they are so proud of it." We stopped in front of the porch and I slowly climbed out. My head hurt but I wanted a cup of coffee so bad I could taste it. I sat down on the porch to rest for a minute and Tran asked if I was ok. I told her I was going to rest a moment then make some coffee for me and tea for her. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remembered was Mark shaking me asking if I was all right. I opened my eyes and it was almost dark. "Where's Tran at, is she ok? Did something happen?" "Calm down Harry, she just went to town to get some clothes and get your prescription filled. She made coffee for us and said she would be back shortly. Come in because it's getting chilly out here. The girls are worried sick about you. They thought you were dead when we first pulled up. It was all I could do to make them believe you were taking a nap." I got up and went in the house behind Mark and was immediately mobbed by the girls. I had to accept lot of hugs and kisses before they would believe I was ok. Dina brought me a cup of coffee and sat it down on the coffee table and crawled up on the other side of me and gave me another hug. "How do you like your new Jeep, Uncle Harry? We got to pick out the color so we had them do it like your little tinker toy. We always thought it was so cute, but we could never figure out how you were able to get into it and drive it. It was so small and tiny and we thought you would like the Jeep the same color. Well, do you like it, Uncle Harry?" "I love it, sweetheart. I thought your dad was playing a joke on me when I first saw it. Then I found out it was you two that picked the color so I liked it then. If it had been him I would have made him sleep on the porch with the crows." Mark busted up laughing and said it was time for bed. They said that since I was sick, I could give them their hugs and kisses from my chair. I did and they said goodnight and went to bed. I saw headlights coming up the drive and tensed for a minute till I saw it was my bright yellow Jeep coming back from town. Damn, now I had to get used to driving a yellow vehicle again. ------- Chapter 24 Tran came in wearing jeans and a sweat shirt. She was carrying a small bag and had a paper bag from the drug store. She handed me an ibuprofen and refilled my coffee cup so I could have fresh hot coffee. I had to admit, being home I felt a lot better and my head wasn't hurting. Mark came back in and sat down, sipping his coffee. You would think we were at a wake the way they both were looking at me. "All right you two. What's up?" Mark laughed and looked at Tran and she nodded her head at his glance. This was getting more mysterious all the time. "Harry, what are your future plans? I mean, will you stay on as my number two like all the men seem to want or are you going to quit like you keep saying you will? Before you say anything, I have to tell you that you have been awarded commissions for life from the FBI, ATF, State Police and the Department of Homeland Security. You have to be the most decorated Undersheriff in this state. I have given you your commission on a permanent basis and the commissioners voted to have it entered into the county laws." "What brought that shit on, Mark? I was just doing my job like any lawman would do. I was trying to make sure you had a good department to start with. I left you with a good core of men and I really hope you kept them all." "Harry, I have not let anyone go and have used Shorty's knowledge to further what you started. The casino is going up for auction in a week and will make the department a lot of money. The gun store has been bought already and with the stock, it made more money than the tax base of the whole county last year. There have been over a hundred federal arrests and several hundred state arrests. There is a State Police Sergeant that is now a Lieutenant, thanks to you, and he has been by almost every day to see how you're doing. I met Tran when I went to the hospital and she and the girls have been inseparable ever since. Now I find out she is an old friend of yours from when you were a Marshal. I have a felon running the county motor pool, thanks to you and several high ranking individuals. By the way, that's the cleanest motor pool I have ever seen." "She didn't deserve what happened to her and her daughter, Mark. It was my fault she got charged so I felt she deserved another chance." "By the way, Harry, having a safecracker and a professional CPA on staff was a good touch. Also, there was an ATF agent who called from Hawaii to tell you thanks for the boost. What the hell kind of a racket were you running? Also, after all the years in law enforcement, you should know better than to use your head to try to break someone's fist. It's almost impossible. I am going to bed now because unlike some, I have to go to work in the mornings." I just looked at him with a stunned expression on my face as he went to the steps. I looked at Tran and she was smiling at me with that damned inscrutable grin again. I leaned back and rubbed my head and tried to absorb what I had been told when Mark called to me from the steps. "Harry, thanks for being my friend. Any man would be proud of what you have done and I am. I am also proud that you tried almost to your death to give me a department I could be proud to run. Whether you think so or not, I have just that, thanks to you." I sat there with my mouth open in shock. In all the years we had been friends, that was the most I had ever heard come out of his mouth when he wasn't talking about his x-wife. Tran came over and sat in my lap smiling. "I think it is time for us old folks to go to bed. Since I am a visitor, where do I sleep Harry?" I looked at her in shock and almost broke my own neck trying to twist around to hug her before she could get away. "You are sleeping with me because I might have a relapse, and if you were too far away I might not recover." "Remember Harry, we are sleeping and you are not well enough to think about what your dirty mind is already doing." Well that put a dent in the libido but whether I would admit it or not, I wasn't thinking about sex. I was still trying to absorb all that Mark had told me as we cuddled under the blankets. (Oh, and for your information she made me wear sweats, and she wore a flannel straight jacket that would take a knife to get into) I thought about if for a whole five seconds before I passed out. I woke up with the sun shining through the blinds and when I looked at the clock it was almost ten in the morning. Man I felt pretty good this morning. I hadn't realized how much I missed having a warm body next to me, even if she wore a straight jacket to bed. I wondered whose honor she was protecting. I got up and stretched, and went for my usual shower and shave. I got dressed and that's when I noticed my gun and badge sitting on the dresser. I just glanced at it as I went out and headed for the voices in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and just busted up laughing at the sight that greeted me. Dina and Dana were licking spoons and Tran was beating the hell out of something on the counter. She had flower all over the side of her face, and her hair which was usually in a bun, was hanging in her face. Every time she brushed it out of her eyes, she left more flower on her face and in her hair. I was totally ignored by all of them so I got my coffee and snuck back to the porch where I sat down in a chair. I had to admit, it was peaceful sitting here drinking my coffee and listening to the laughter and voices in the background. I got up and went to the garage and dug out the fishing poles and the tackle box and took them back to the porch with me. I was testing the poles and checking the line, changing what I thought was weak. I had bought several dozen small spinners in different colors and was storing them in the box. The girls came running out the door wanting to know what I was doing. I explained to them about fishing and how I was checking the poles and stuff for our first trip to the ponds. Dina was dancing from foot to foot like she does when she wants to speak, so I said they could ask questions if they wanted to. Since they were both very polite, this was the invitation they were waiting for. "Uncle Harry, does it hurt the fish when you hook them?" "I don't think so honey, at least I never heard them say it did." Of course the little one had to put her two cents worth in and her question threw me for a loop. "Is it easier to shoot a deer to eat or catch fish? I like the deer you cook but I don't remember you cooking any of these fish you're talking about." I was saved giving her an answer by the arrival of Tran. I looked up at her and she was back to her usual clean self with no flower showing that I could see. I had to say something because my machoness made me a fool like most men when it came to beautiful women. "Hey Auntie, what happened to all the white makeup you were wearing earlier?" I thought it was a cute thing to say because the girls agreed with me by giggling at my remark. Boy, for future reference I would remember to keep my mouth shut. "Would you like to eat today or would you rather sit out here and watch the girls and me eat moo goo gai pan for supper? You need to remember that I am cooking for all of us, and we heathens know all kinds of ways to starve big loud barbarians." "Auntie Tran, what's a barbarian? I looked at her and busted out laughing while she thought of an answer that she could tell the kids. I decided I would break in and do my thing. "Honey, a barbarian is what Auntie Tran calls me because she is a lady, and can't say bad words in front of small children." "Auntie Tran, don't you like our Uncle Harry?" I watched with a smile as she took a deep breath to keep from hitting me over the head like I knew she wanted to. The girls were looking back and forth between the two of us, waiting to see if she was going to answer their question. I saw her take another deep breath as she tried to think of some way to answer without showing she was ready to clobber me. "My little honeys, I love your Uncle Harry but sometimes he makes me so mad I could just clobber him." "That's ok, Auntie Tran, dad says the same thing sometimes, but he knows we all love him too." Now I don't know what Tran thought, but I was flabbergasted at their answer and felt like I was ten feet tall. Tran on the other hand had tears in her eyes and was hugging the girls while shooting daggers at me. Hey, what did I do? I was the one that was loved by everyone. I smiled at the roof as I looked up and felt the impact of a foot kicking me in the shin. "Ouch, that hurt. Alright, who kicked the loved one?" The girls started giggling and Tran was avoiding the glare that I was sending at her. I got up and pretended I was crippled, and the girls started giving Tran hell for kicking their poor sick Uncle Harry. I tried to keep a straight face but the look of guilt on Tran's was all it took to set me off. I was laughing my head off and the girls were laughing with me, and I was getting hugs and kisses and watching Tran the whole time. I could see she was fighting back a smile while watching us carrying on. I finally got an arm free and stretched it out toward her and she came into it and sat on the arm of the chair, laughing like the rest of us. The girls grabbed their ball and went to play catch and I waited for the chewing I knew Tran was going to give me. "You know, Harry, this is a side of you that I would never have believed existed if I hadn't seen it for myself. You truly love those two, don't you? If I wasn't already in love with you, I would soon be, seeing how you feel about those little girls. Did you ever have any kids, Harry?" "I have a daughter that refuses to speak to me. I think she is about twenty four years old now. We used to be really close until she had a mixed racial baby and I said a dumb thing. From that point on, she would never speak to me again. I was being my usual smartass, and I did it at the wrong time with the wrong word. I have a granddaughter that I will never know or get to see. I was wrong but it's something I will have to live with. It's just another black spot on my soul that I will have to answer for. Can I get the fishing stuff done now?" "Harry Hanson, you are just an old softie and I love you for it. I hope we can work it out between us because I would hate to love for this long and find out I was wrong in my feelings. I have food to cook so you keep an eye on the girls while I do it." I finished getting the poles ready to the sound of the girls laughing. I heard Tran call us to dinner and I in turn called the girls saying chow was on. They ran in the house and I told them to wash up as they ran by. I had a sudden thought and instead of going in, I went and got the spare pistol from where I had hid it and climbed into the Jeep. I cranked it up and drove down the track to the pond. Something had caught my eye and even though I didn't know what it was, it was bothering me. I checked the pistol and put one up the spout as I eased down to the first pond. There! A reflection of some kind, coming from the small gully between the two ponds. I pulled up to the edge, shut down the Jeep and got out. I walked along the bank and the hair was standing up on the back of my neck. I finally got close enough to see a body laying in the gully. Whoever it was had binoculars around their neck and they are what had caught the sun. When I stood over him I could see he had been shot several times in the torso. I could also see he was wearing some kind of uniform. I looked carefully around me and there was no movement. From here I could clearly see the old chemical storage facility. I wondered if this had something to do with this man's shooting. I got my cell out and to my surprise I had a strong signal. I called in and identified myself to dispatch and told them I had a code 32 and to have the units enter from the old logging road by the depot. I would wait on scene till the lead unit took over. Then I called the house and when Tran answered the phone, I told her to keep the girls inside for now. I also told her where I was and what had happened, and that I would be back to the house shortly. I was going to have her take the girls to her house and they could stay there for right now or until I thought it was safe to come back. I stood and waited until the first unit came on scene. It was Bob, and he was driving a four-wheel drive van that looked to be almost new. "Hey, Harry, good to see you. What do we have?" I told him and while he took pictures, I filled out a statement. I decided to go back to the house and gave him my statement, telling him where I was going. "I got your statement, Harry, so you can go ahead and leave. You're still out until the doctor says you can come back." I climbed back into the Jeep and wondered if everyone at the station knew my status. I pulled up to the porch and put the gun back into the hiding place, then went into the house and straight to the kitchen. "Tran, I want you to take the kids to your house for an overnighter. Have them pack clothes and their toothbrushes. Take the Jeep and I will pick it up later. I am going back to the pond and I will tell their dad what's going on." She looked at me for a minute and quietly said ok. I went to my bedroom and put my gun on and grabbed the extra mags and my badge which I clipped to my belt. I grabbed a jacket and went back downstairs. Tran and the kids were loading bags into the jeep so I went over to the girls and got my hugs and kisses from them. I went over to Tran and kissed her, much to the kids delight. "Harry, you be careful. Remember, you just got out of the hospital. I will heat up some supper when you come after your Jeep so you will have a hot meal." "Ok, Tran, I am going to help out a little then I will come over to your house. Oh, where do you live?" She laughed and told me. I said goodbye to the girls as she started down my driveway. I turned around and went back down the hill to the pond where I could see several units spread out around the scene. When I walked up, Shorty came over and immediately shook my hand. "Man, Harry, you just can't stay out of trouble can you? The fellow you found is the Federal Ranger for this area. There's an FBI team on their way and should be here soon. They told us to contain the scene until they got here. I had Bob take pictures and make sure we were covered if they wanted to give us hicks a hard time." "Yeah, they are good at that shit and have it down to a science. I suggest you get Bob out of here before they see his van and take everything he has gathered. This is my property so they won't give me too much shit or I will throw them off by a law they don't know is still on the books. It will probably be Hadley again and you know he is power mad." He went over to Bob and sent him back to the station along with several of the other deputies. I stayed with him waiting for the FEEBS, or the proper initials FEDS. I liked FEEBS better because they almost all were over educated idiots that thought they were better than anyone not a FEEB. Of course most of the federal agencies were that way. It seemed with the new age, education made you a lawman and all your common sense went out the window with a degree. I heard them long before they came into sight. It was a damned shame the taxpayers had to pay for all the expensive cars and other luxury vehicles they just had to have for status. They came in three four-wheel drive Suburbans with a van to haul the body. I was right, it was Hadley again. When he saw me, he kind of shrunk in stature and the usual cockiness wasn't there when he walked over. "Hello, Harry, how you feeling?" "I'm fine, Agent Hadley. This is your crime scene now, so do me a favor and instruct your team not to tear up my land. I would hate to call the director and fax him a bill for damages. The area from that gate over there to the one you came in is the only egress to this area. MY home is up there and no one came in that way. That's a polite hint to stay the hell away from my home." "Don't worry, Harry. I will have my team walk the ground from gate to gate looking for evidence. Under no circumstances will I allow my men close to your home. This area is all private land, right?" "That fence down there is the separation from mine to federal. That old chemical storage facility is Army land as far as I know. The rest of the area is also private and I know the owner. The federal public campgrounds are down the old logging road you just drove up to get here. That all the information I can give you, Agent Hadley." "Thanks, Harry. I appreciate the geography lesson. I didn't even know there was a chemical storage facility around here. I am going to have to check with Washington to see what all they have stored there. That might be the reason for the death of this man. We have been getting alerts for the last two months about Middle Eastern tourists coming to Reno for their vacations. I may just have found the reason why, right down there." "I suggest you get on the horn and put a call in to Homeland Security and put them on the alert and let them find out what's still being stored down there." "I would, but we always get put on hold until some low level clerk gets around to transferring our call. Hell, even the Reno director can't get through half the time." "I tell you what, Hadley, I will make the call and see what I can do. I have the director's number." "How the hell did you get that? Never mind, just make the call, will you?" I wasn't even sure if it still worked, but it was worth a try. I rang the number and he answered on the second ring. When I told him who it was and why I was calling, he told me to spill all I knew and he would take it from there. I spent almost fifteen minutes filling him in, and he only asked two questions and I was able to answer both. I turned the phone over to Hadley and he talked for just a few minutes, backing me on everything I had said. The Director rang off, telling us he would get right on it and have a Special Ops team fly in to the plant immediately and to stay until he could find out what we were dealing with there. Hadley looked at me with new respect, and smiled at Shorty who was trying to look inconspicuous beside me. "I appreciate that, Harry. I only know of three people who have his personal number and they are so far above my pay grade I am a pauper next to them. I am not even going to try to find out who you know, because I don't want to be like that poor ATF team leader that got smart with you. That story is still being told around the office. Besides, you outrank me by a long shot." I told Shorty we had to go, and we left Hadley with a warning to watch his six. We went back down the logging road which was smoother than my driveway. When we hit the gulch, we headed straight for the station. I wanted to tell Mark where the girls were and pick up my four-wheel drive from the motor pool. I went in the station and was practically mobbed before I could get through the lobby. The lady that had been making my coffee gave me a hug and a big smooch in front of everyone. I finally got through all the well-wishers and made it to my old office. Shorty was laughing his head off at my discomfort. We walked into Mark's office in just that way. He was sitting behind the desk and when we came in, he stood up and asked me what the hell was going on. I filled him in and he just looked at me in total shock. "Harry, thanks for thinking of the girls. I know they'll be safe with Tran. I just got off the phone with the director of Homeland Security and he was telling me they were still using the old storage facility for plutonium storage. They were taking it to an undisclosed location but suspended the shipments three months ago. They are in the process of beefing up the security as we speak. I hope it's not too late, but we will see. The company responsible for the shipments went belly up and not a soul knew about it. They don't even know how much is there and what else might be stored there. You have become quite a celebrity, Harry. He gave all the credit to you and asked me if you were staying with the department. Seems he wants you to work as a trouble shooter for him." "Mark, I am retired and am not now, or ever, going to work for the federal government again. I have two little girls I still haven't taught to fish yet. Besides, Tran would kill me." ------- Chapter 25 "Technically I am not allowed to let you go to work, but since you have all the other commissions and your federal carry permit, I don't see the harm in letting you nose around a little to see what you can find out." "I want to pick up my marked unit from the motor pool and I want someone to call State and find out where the hell is my M-16 they were supposed to return to me two months ago. In one of the units is some chain and locks for my gates and extra mags for my 16. I don't suppose they are in the evidence room are they, Shorty?" "I have all your stuff locked up and no, I haven't found anyone I can trust to take it over. I am doing double duty with that situation and Beau refused to open the safe there without your permission. He says only you have the combination and you have important evidence locked up in there." "Shit, that's right! I have all the copies on disk of what was on the computer from Trent's and some other stuff I didn't want the FEEBS to get their hands on. There is also a matter of a little over two million dollars that belongs to the department that I take it hasn't been returned. The judication of those cases is almost over so we should have had the money back. Come on, Shorty, and get my stuff and let me pick up my unit. I will take a ride and have a talk with Agent Hadley." While Shorty was getting my things from the cage, I called the lab and asked for a supervisor. When I finally got to talk one, I told him who I was and why I was calling. He told me to hold a sec and he would talk to the lab and find out about my rifle. I was on hold about three minutes and he came back on and said since my weapon had been full auto it had been destroyed. I went off on him ordering him to give me the State Commander immediately. I was put on hold for about five minutes and then a secretary came on telling me he was in a meeting and I would have to call back tomorrow. I told her bullshit, and if she didn't put me through I was going to come up there personally and arrest him for destroying private property, mainly mine. She hung up on me. Bad mistake on her part since I had the rank, with them, of senior commander for life bestowed by the governor of the state. I decided I was going to be an asshole and find out if the rank meant anything or was just a gesture to make him look good in front of the voters. Mark was laughing like hell, trying to be quiet about it and I glared at him. I didn't think it was funny at all and I was pissed about the situation. Imagine some damn desk jockey ordering my rifle destroyed without doing any kind of check to see if I was legal to own it. I had to get my temper under control 'cause I was starting to get a headache and I didn't need that right now. What I really needed was a cup of coffee and, as usual, there wasn't any in Mark's office. I would have to go to the radio room for it. Oh well, I might as well get it over with. I kind of knew what was going to happen, but I was still unprepared for it when it happened. I walked up the hall and as soon as I stepped in the door, everyone who was not on the phone immediately stood up and started clapping. Amid the shouts of welcome back, and all the other confusion, I was able to grab a cup and escape before I was engaged in conversation. I waved my hand in the air as I exited. Jeesh, the way they acted you would think I had died and came back to life or something. I walked back into Mark's office and he and Shorty were laughing, so I flipped them the bird before I sat back down by the phone. They were laughing their asses off at my actions. I was still pissed, but the headache had eased off. I took a pill and got on the phone, hearing Mark tell Shorty to listen to this because he was about to hear a master of ass chewing at work. I flipped them the bird again while the phone was ringing. The main switchboard answered and I identified myself, asking to speak to the governor. I was immediately put through to my surprise. "Hello, Harry, what can I do for you today? By the way you are welcome to stop in at any time to talk to me, or the attorney general and we will see you in person." I immediately got to the subject and he was as pissed as I was, from the tone of his voice. "Give me five minutes and I guarantee you will not only get an apology, but your weapon replaced by one of the brand new tactical M-16's." He hung up and Mark had to put his two cents worth into the whole thing. "Gee Harry, you going to run for office? If you are, you need to practice being a little more long winded with your speeches." They both cracked up again but I didn't think it was very funny, especially since Mark knew I hated politicians of any kind. "You know how I feel about those people, and since you will be running for office, you could be put in the same classification as they are with me, my friend." The smiles disappeared immediately, but he couldn't resist the last barb at me. "Well that's true, but remember you will have a new boss if I don't get reelected for the next term." I looked at him and smiled nastily and said; "He might not be a big pain in the ass like you are sometimes." He glared at me and we both busted up laughing. Shorty looked totally lost with that remark but before I could explain, the phone in front of me rang. I purposely let it ring several times before I answered it. "Porter County Sheriff's office, how can I direct your call please?" I heard sniggering from the two of them again as I waited for the secretary that had hung up on me to finish her spiel, and I hung up on her when she was done. The two clowns in the office thought this was hilarious, and were mimicking my voice with high pitched girlish tones when the phone rang again. I answered the phone in an almost perfect imitation of Mark's voice and even identified myself as him. I was asked if a Harry Hanson was available to talk to the State Commander of the State Police. I answered in Mark's voice again, telling her that he was on his way up there to make an arrest and was out of radio contact. I hung up the phone after telling her I had to go, there were more pressing matters that I had to handle. "Harry, that was a dirty trick to pull. I can't believe you used my voice to do it. Man, I can just see it the next time I have to call up there for any reason. I will be put on hold forever. Hey, how did you learn to mimic my voice so well? How many other times have you done that? Hey, now I remember. I got my ass chewed for letting one of my men have a bachelor party that I was supposed to have ok'd at the station squad room. I remember because I never did such a thing. It was against department rules to have private parties for any reason at the department." "Well it was his retirement party and we got a stripper for him free, and couldn't find a place to rent. We had a great time. Too bad you were at a law enforcement conference in another state where your supervisor couldn't reach you." "Harry, it took a year for me to get that letter of reprimand taken off my record." I busted up laughing at the look of total dismay on his face at the little joke I had pulled on him. "Hey, all the guys thought you were the greatest thing that had ever hit the department. They drank at least three toasts to your leadership abilities." I watched Shorty's face getting redder and redder from trying to hold back the laughter. The last statement was the breaker and he totally lost it. He laughed until I thought he was going to pass out. Mark didn't think it was very funny, until he glared at me and I winked at him, at the same time pursing my lips in a kissing pucker. He smiled and shook his head in a disgusted manner before laughing softly to himself. "Ok you two, this little clown patrol is over. I have work to do. Both of you get out of here and get back to work." I grabbed the chains and the lock packages, letting Shorty grab the extra mags and we went out of Mark's office, closing the door behind us. "Harry, I have had more fun and laughter serving with you than I did in the service. You and Mark are really close aren't you?" "Yea Shorty, we have a long friendship and history together. I would tell you the story, but it's not my place to do that. When you get to know him better maybe he will tell you about it. Until then, let's get my unit from the motor pool." We went down the front steps and a chopper flew over and landed beside ours on the pad. I watched as a State Trooper climbed out of it carrying a rifle case. He walked over to us and spoke to me. "Do you know where I can find Sheriff Harry Hanson? I have a gift for him from the Air Wing of the State Police." "I am he, how can I help you, Trooper?" He handed me the case he was holding, stood at attention and saluted me. "I am one of the Troopers that you saved when we were flying the night you busted the gun runners. We all got together and got this rifle for you as a token of our appreciation. If not for you we might not have gotten to see our kids at the end of the shift. I told you that we owed you and if you ever need our services, you call this number and we will be there at any time, Harry. The command doesn't know we're here, so I have to go." He ran back to the chopper and they were gone just that quick. I looked at Shorty and he looked back at me as puzzled about the whole thing as I was. We went to his unit and put all the stuff including the gun in his trunk. We climbed in, headed for the motor pool and my first visit to it since I had gotten out of the hospital. We pulled into the yard and I had my first glimpse of the wrecker I had signed for. Damn, that thing was huge. It was set up like no other wrecker that I had ever seen and the emblems on the door were as tall as the unit we were sitting in. "Impressive isn't it, Harry? You ought to watch Doris drive it. I bet she could thread a needle with that thing. Look up at the top of the door and check out the name everyone voted on for it." I stepped out of the door and stepped up on the jamb where I could see the top of the door of the wrecker. Yes it was that big. The name in gold lettering said; "Hard Head!" I sat back down in the seat rubbing my head and Shorty was smiling at me and the look on my face. "Did you say the name was voted on?" "Yep, open voting by everyone in the department and that name came up in ninety percent of the votes. That's also your unofficial nickname now, Harry. No, it's not meant as an insult, but a token of affection by everyone that knows about you and your fight with Hubba. Within a day everyone in the county was talking about it, and how you were the first one that ever whipped him in a fair fight. You have become a local legend and they are all glad that he's dead. By the way, Andy and his wife settled out of court with the trucking company and the insurance company. They are set for the rest of their lives and when the truck driver heard the tape, he came clean and cooperated with authorities. He did a lot of the delivery and pick up for Trent's little enterprise. They are still making arrests from the list he wrote for them." I shook my head and was still thinking of the wrecker's name as we went inside. Just like at the radio room, as soon as I was recognized everyone started clapping and shaking my hand. I looked up at the office and Doris was in the window looking down, smiling from ear to ear. I finally was able to get free and we went up the steps to the office. I took a seat shaking my head as I sat down. "What's wrong, Harry? Don't you like all the attention? Everyone here has nothing but good to say about you because of Shane and me. I won't forget it and neither will he." "Doris, can I have the keys to my unit? Tran has my Jeep and I need transportation." "It's ready to go, Harry, and I will personally guarantee you there are no extra surprises hidden in it. It has been kept in the wash bay and everyone keeps an eye on it. We had to make a few changes in it because of the oil leak, but it runs like new. While you're here, I want you to look over the units we are selling at auction next week and see if we missed anything." I took the keys to my unit from her and followed her out back to where the auction stuff was stored, and about fell over at the sight that greeted me. The cars we were selling had been painted every color including yellow. There were some with racing stripes and all kinds of different types of airbrushed pictures on some of them. Out of the units there, there were only five that had not been tricked out in some way. I looked at her and she was smiling at the look of disbelief on my face. "That semi that hit Andy was loaded to the roof with fifty five gallon drums of equipment paint. The insurance company wrote it off and told us to either dispose of it or we could use it on county equipment. The semi is in the auction too. We repainted it and it should bring a large amount as it is almost new. Jim and Jerry went crazy with their air brush hobby and this was the result. Hell, it took ten gallons of paint to do Hard Head. It was painted a lime green when we bought it. We have enough paint to last for twenty years if we don't get too carried away. Well, do you think they will sell for good money or not?" I didn't answer her right away I just walked down the line of cars looking at some of the finest airbrushing I had ever seen outside of a custom car show. I wished I had a camera to record some of the work I was looking at. Jim and Jerry were wasting their talent being deputies. They should open their own graphics shop and do cars and motorcycles. If a scene came to mind it was represented here on these cars. I came to the little Volkswagen at the end of the row and immediately thought of Tran when I saw it. It was painted black with a small dragon coming out of the front over the top where the main part of the body was. She was covering a clutch of eggs. It was so realistic the head actually looked like it was rearing up at the bear it was facing. The bear was a grizzly, it was up on its back feet and it looked like it was real. I fell in love with it immediately and I was going to buy it for her if it cost me all that I had in the bank. The longer I looked at it the more real it seemed. I hadn't realized I was being spoken to until Shorty waved his hand in front of my face breaking the mesmerizing effect the car had on me. "Earth to Harry. Haven't you ever seen a Volkswagen before?" "Not like this one, Shorty. I am going to buy this one for myself for a gift for someone. Damn, the longer you look at it, the more real it seems. Doris, what's the story behind this little bug?" "It was in the garage at the casino you confiscated. It had been totally restored from top to bottom. It had no VIN number so we gave it one and had a title made for it so we could sell it. Jerry did the dragon and Jim put the bear in when he wasn't looking. They almost got into a fight over that one. Then they both just stared at it, just like you, and decided to leave it like it is. You know that by law you don't have to bid on it. You can pay the fair market value and purchase it now. I have the list the state auditor left and you can pay that and it's yours. Of course none of these were painted when he made the list out." "Are you sure that's legal, Doris? I don't want to get anyone in trouble. I can wait and bid like everyone else." "It's perfectly legal, Harry. If you don't believe me you can call the tax office and they will back me on what I am saying. That's why they are back here out of sight until the auction. Anyone could walk in and pay the fair value and drive whatever they bought home. Write a check and I will do all the paperwork for you and you can pick up the title tomorrow." "I don't have a check book with me. I only use a credit card these days." "Hey, I have a machine in the office and it will go directly through the tax office and cut down on the paperwork. That way I only have to have you sign the title and the county purchase papers." "Ok, let's do it now so I can make sure I've bought it before someone else does." "I need you to come here when you can spend a few hours with me, Harry. Those bays there are full to the ceiling almost, with equipment and other stuff I need to get cleaned out. I can't do it without your or the sheriff's approval. A lot of it is new and can be sold at auction for cash for the department. Some of it is so old it needs to be sold for scrap. You won't believe all the stuff that's in those six bays." "I don't have anything planned for tomorrow that I know of so we can do some of it then and maybe fit it into the auction next week. How much of it do you think you can sell in the auction next week, Doris?" "If we can go through it with my people, we can get a lot of it ready to go. I have a big surprise for you when we get to the last bay. I will save it for tomorrow so I can see how you react to this one." "Do you have someone working for you that I can have go through the little VW and make sure it's ready to go?" "Damn Harry, don't you listen? Every one of these cars is in tip top condition. That little car is brand new from top to bottom and I have all the paperwork on the restoration and what company in Vegas did the work. I called them when we found it and they said everything was new from the ground up. It even has the aftermarket heaters and air in it. It runs so quiet you can't hear the motor standing five feet away. I will have it put in the spot your unit is in and have one of the guys give it a good wax job. Jerry gave me some sealing wax I never heard of for it. He says it will seal the airbrushing so it won't ever fade or get dull." I went in with her, signed all the papers, paid the fair market value of fifteen hundred dollars and it was mine. I decided to just go home and got halfway there, and remembered I hadn't stopped at Tran's like I had promised. ------- Chapter 26 I decided I would call Tran from the cabin and explain why I wasn't coming over. I had a few hours of daylight left and I wanted to get the chains on the gates and put the signs up that I had ordered. I got her on the phone and she sounded like she was out of breath. When I asked her about it she informed me she was playing twister with the girls and losing badly. I had to laugh at the picture of a grown woman of our age trying to get into some of the different positions required for the game. She said she was sorry, but there was moo goo gai pan in the fridge for me and Mark for supper. The girls had to get on and make sure that I was ok. I told them their Dad would be stopping over, and to make sure they gave Auntie Tran a kiss for me. After I got off the phone, I drove down to the ponds and went to the gate by the federal lands and put the chains on the gate. I walked along the fence line putting up the signs that would be in plain view of any camper on the federal side. I had already made up my mind that if I caught anyone on my side they would be immediately arrested and prosecuted. I was mounting a sign to the corner between all three boundaries when a voice on the other side broke my concentration. "Mister, does this mean me and my dad won't be able to fish for breakfast anymore?" I looked up, startled, and there was a little boy about ten years old, standing on the federal side. He was dressed for hiking and had a fishing pole and a small tackle box with him. "You and your dad will have to get written permission to fish in the ponds from now on. The owner lives in that cabin up there, and if you walk along the fence there is a gate by the cabin to get in. If you want to fish, you will have to enter that way from now on." "Is this 'cause the Ranger got killed up here? The news is all over the campground, and a lot of the campers have left. The two ponds they have for campers to fish in are all yucky with green stuff, and the fish don't bite there anymore. Me and dad always caught fish here for our breakfast and they are fun to catch. They're really big here, too." "What kind of green stuff are you talking about?" "Algae and moss is what dad says it is, and grows there because the ponds are stagnant all summer. Will the owner give us permission to fish here if we ask?" "I don't see why not, if you make sure you leave it as clean as you found it. I will write you out a permission slip right now if you will give me your name." "My name is Reggie and my dad's name is Stuart. Our last name is Edwards. Are you the owner?" I wrote out the permission slip for him before I answered him. "Yes, I own all of this and quite a bit more. I also am a law officer. I hope you and your dad enjoy fishing here, and don't catch them all before I get a chance to do some fishing myself." "You don't have to worry about that, Mister. It only takes two of them to feed us since they are all so big. That first pond has some huge catfish in it. We caught one last year that weighed over thirty pounds. We had him for supper and breakfast. I'll tell dad so he can tell the other campers that fishing's not allowed here anymore with out permission." He turned and ran off before I could inquire how many of the campers were fishing here on a regular basis. I shrugged to myself and finished with the last sign on this side. I went back to my unit and went to the other gate that separated my land from Tran's and did the same thing. I was standing and looking out at the pond when I heard a vehicle coming toward me in low gear. It sounded like a truck and I wondered why they were on Tran's land. I was standing beside my unit when the truck came into sight. It was a heavy four wheel drive with a large camper on the back. The driver stopped and looked at the locked gate and signs. He went back to the truck and came out with a large set of bolt cutters, and I smiled to myself at the surprise he was about to receive. I wondered why he hadn't seen my unit when it dawned on me, I was parked at an angle that only let the back of my unit be seen from where he was. He obviously hadn't seen it because he would not be trying to cut the lock and failing. I was about to laugh out loud at his frustration at not being able to cut the lock when he did something completely unexpected. I watched as he walked back to his truck and tilted the seat forward and was searching for something from his digging actions. I watched as he came out of the truck with a stick of dynamite with the fuse attached. I could not believe anyone would be stupid enough to do what he was going to do. Time to put a stop to this shit, and right now. I walked down to the gate and he was concentrating so hard on what he was doing I was standing in front of him before he knew anyone else was around. "Mister, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're under arrest. Now put your hands up." I startled him so bad he dropped the dynamite on the ground and squealed out in fright. "Who are you and what do you mean I'm under arrest? I ain't did nothin." I pulled my gun because I didn't like what he was doing with his right hand as he talked to me in obvious fright. I pointed it at him and his arms went straight up, and that's when I saw the grip of a pistol in his belt on the right side. I kept my gun pointed at him and unlocked the gate. "You keep your hands right where they're at, Mister. If you even twitch I will shoot you where you stand. I am Undersheriff Hanson." I went behind him and pulled the gun from his waistband. It was a stainless .357 and was a nice weapon. I stuck it behind my back and holstered mine. I cuffed him and then searched him. He had a hunting knife on his belt and I threw it to the side. I pulled his wallet from his pocket and opened it. He was from Reno and carried an Aryan Brotherhood card in his wallet. I didn't say anything but walked him over to my unit. "This is unit two to dispatch." "Go ahead, two." "I have a code 40 under arrest and need someone to transport. Have them come in a four wheel through the cabin entrance." "Roger two, one is en route as we speak. I have four on the way to transport. Do you need anything else?" "No dispatch, that is all for right now. Two out." I knew Mark was one but who the hell was four? I guess I would have to wait and see who showed up. I saw Mark coming from the cabin and he wasn't wasting any time, even if the trail was rough. He slid to a stop about ten feet from my unit and hopped out. "Who the hell is this guy?" I told him and had him hold the prisoner. I went back and got the dynamite he had dropped. I carefully pulled the cap out of the end of the stick and laid it on top of the fence post. I walked back to Mark and I thought he was going to shit when he saw what was in my hand. "What the hell was he doing with something like that, Harry? It looks like it's a brand new stick." I told him, and he looked incredulous that someone would go through all that trouble to trespass. I said until transport got there I was going to search his vehicle. He showed a big reaction to that statement. "You can't search my truck. You cops have no right." "This stick of dynamite gives me all the probable cause I need. Didn't the brotherhood teach you anything?" Before he asked, I handed the license and the card to Mark. He glanced at it then did a double take, realizing what he was holding. I walked back to the truck and looked behind the seat. There was a metal ammo box filled to the top with sticks of dynamite. There was a roll of slow burning fuse and a plastic sandwich bag, of all things, full of the blasting caps. Man, this guy was a total idiot. I stepped back from the truck and heard a noise coming from the slide in camper on the back. I whistled and when Mark looked at me I signed what I wanted him to do. He caught on immediately. The prisoner was handcuffed to the tow hole in the front bumper using Mark's cuffs and mine. He came to me and I hand signaled him to cover the other side of the camper. I grabbed the keys from the ignition in case the camper was locked and walked around to the back next to, but out of sight of the window in the door. I reached out and turned the knob slowly. It was locked! I looked at the keys in my hand and picked the only one on the ring that looked small enough to fit the door lock. I slid along the back to where I could put the key in the door hoping that whoever was inside wasn't armed. The shell on this camper was thin as an egg shell and I didn't have a vest on. I motioned to Mark to move when I opened the door. I would be blind for a moment because it opened toward me. I turned the key and distinctly heard the lock release. I grabbed the knob and looked at Mark to see if he was ready. He had his gun in both hands, ready to move when I opened the door. I mouthed on three at him and he nodded he understood. I mouthed the count and pulled the door wide on three. He went to his knee and pointed the gun into the camper. I heard several small screams as I moved into line to cover him. He had a shocked look on his face and when I looked inside I felt the same shock. The inside of the camper had been gutted and was full of young women sitting on the floor. They looked to be Mexican or Latino. I didn't speak the language but Mark did and he started asking them questions. I left him and went to check on the prisoner and use the radio. How the hell were we going to get them to a road? They all looked like they were starving and every water jug I had seen was empty. They obviously hadn't been able to use a bathroom from the smell when the door opened. "Alright, Bubba, who are the women in the camper? Where were you taking them?" "I picked them up hitch hiking about midnight last night. I really had to squeeze them so they all fit in the back." "Be a smart ass, doesn't make me any difference. My partner speaks fluent Spanish and I am sure they will tell him everything. You, on the other hand, have about thirty federal and state charges you'll be facing." "I wanna call my attorney. I'll be out on bail in about an hour after I'm booked." "You'll have that opportunity. You won't be getting out on bail though. You will be held without bail under the laws of the Patriot Act. That means federal charges, then state charges. I guarantee you will be in jail for the next fifty years on the state charges. You being from Nevada, you probably should know this is the worst state you could have been caught in. Nevada has the harshest laws concerning white slavery and transporting illegal aliens in the U.S." He didn't say anything, just hung his head and refused to answer any more of my questions. Mark came back over with the girls following him. I noticed they were talking between themselves as they walked. I got a glance at them in better light and about half of them looked to be twelve or thirteen years old. I wondered where their final destination was to be. I was glad that we had stopped it before they went any further. This setup had to be a regular thing for the driver to know to come this way. I wondered if the Ranger had been taken out by one of his friends when he discovered something he shouldn't have. I told Mark I was going to unlock the other gate so Doris could get the wrecker in to tow the camper truck. I also wanted the traffic to use the federal logging road instead of my driveway. I heard Mark on the radio as I unlocked the gate. He was having the old school bus at the motor pool brought out for the girls along with water and food from the burger place in town. We had an account with them for emergency use just like this. I would have to have a talk with Tran and see if I could talk her into putting some fence up where that road came in. I heard Mark asking dispatch where four was. He was told he was trying to get through an accident in town. The traffic was backed up waiting for the wrecker to tow the car that was involved. He told dispatch to have the unit on scene to push it to the side but to take pictures before he did. If there were any injuries he was to be sure to take pictures of the whole scene and cars. He was doing it like they did in Florida and I hoped it didn't come back to bite him. The people here were taught never to move the cars until an officer had given permission. They also believed that they were not to allow anyone to leave the scene unless critically injured. I was still getting used to the laws here and I hoped Mark had been doing his homework too. I heard the wrecker long before I saw it. God that thing was loud from a distance. I headed back to the camper to get the explosives from behind the seat. I still wondered how this moron hadn't blown himself and his illegal passengers sky high. I was surprised to see Bob following the wrecker and school bus. Good, I would have him take the explosives and the caps. He would have proper storage so he could transport them to the evidence room. I heard tires spinning and saw a State Trooper Crown Vic following the parade of vehicles. Now who the hell called them? I outranked whoever it was and would be glad to pull rank if needed. I watched Doris handling the wrecker and I had to admit she was good. It took her one try to back to the camper truck and she was ready to hook up to it. I walked over to where she was climbing out. "Doris, before you move it, I want Bob to go through the cab and collect everything in it. I hope there's some paperwork to help us find out where these girls were going or coming from. The driver has clammed up until he talks to his attorney." "No problem, Harry. I can use the overtime." ------- Chapter 27 I watched as the Trooper pulled up next to Mark's unit and shut it off. I saw who it was immediately and wondered what he wanted. He nodded at Mark, looked at the girls and came straight to me. "Hey Harry. I see you're back at it again. Can't you ever stay out of trouble or at least till your healed?" "What are you doing here? I hadn't heard the State was called in on this." He looked at me and busted up laughing. I just looked at him like he was nuts. "You really don't know do you?" "Know what, you idiot? If all you're going to do is laugh, just leave. I don't have time for your cryptic comments." "You're now a Senior Commander with our unit. We were ordered by the Attorney General that regardless of men already on a call, if you were involved we were to back you up in any way we could. You are an Undersheriff for this county, but you are also a State Trooper now and have all of our units at your disposal. I was in the area to replace your M-16 so I took the call instead of a road unit. Thanks to you I got promoted, and I am now a roving Supervisor for three counties. I have your badge and ID in my unit." "Oh man, just what I need, more confusion on a scene. Did you guys have to take the order literally? This whole deal might be good if your guys know that they are not to interfere in any way." "They have already been told this and that when they are backing you up, they are under your orders just like they were with any other Supervisor. If you have any problems with any of my men you let me know immediately. The guys on the Air Wing still credit you with saving their lives that night. I don't know the whole story, but you are a hero with them." "Well you'll have to excuse me for a moment as I still have work to do." I went over to Bob and explained what we had found and he said he had just the thing to put them in. I watched as he packed them in a foam layered box that was used to transport any explosive thought to be unstable. I left him at his work and walked back to Mark. He was feeding the girls from the bags of food on the hood of his unit. "Harry, these girls have been out of water for two days and haven't been fed anything for three days. From what they told me, they were brought over the border in a boxcar, then this idiot picked them up and has been having his fun with them every time he stops. If I could shoot him I would. Four is coming now so he will be transported before I lose my temper with him." I now knew who four was. I had to laugh when he saw me; he did a double take and came over shaking my hand. "Hey, Harry, glad to see you up and about. Sorry I was late, but the traffic in town is all screwed up with that truck full of live chickens overturning. Everyone in line was helping to catch the ones running loose." "Good to see you too, Beau. This is what we got." I told him the whole story and some of the charges he was to be booked with. I also told him he was to call the prosecutor to make sure that he wasn't released because of some screw up. That's when he gave me the news I hadn't heard yet. Trent had been released on bail because the FEDS thought he had turned and would cooperate. Now I was pissed and I asked if Doris had been told or warned that he was free. He didn't know, so I decided I would warn her. I walked back over to where she was and pulled her out of earshot of everyone. "What's wrong Harry?" "I just found out some news you need to know, Doris." I proceeded to tell her and I could see she was upset about it. I gave her the cell number of Shorty's phone and mine, and told her to use it if she laid eyes on him anywhere. The FEDS might have set him free, but we could re-arrest him with the state charges and hold him until I got a chance to talk to the dumbass prosecutor who thought he could turn him. He should have been kept under surveillance the whole time he was out. I decided I was going to call Hadley and ask him who the ass was that came up with this bright idea. I went to the side and called him and didn't give him a chance for any pleasantry. I went right to the subject and proceeded to give him hell about it. I have to admit he never lost his cool, just let me go on until I got it out of my system. I finally ran down and to my surprise he was laughing on the other end of the phone. "Harry, he is not running free. He is being monitored twenty-four hours by the U.S. Marshals. He has an ankle bracelet and is physically checked every four hours. That young prosecutor made the deal with him. We didn't have a say so about it and I threw a fit about it too. He also refused to release the money because he said it was from crooked enterprises, and the department shouldn't be able to use it a second time for the same thing. I'm sorry, Harry, but it's out of my hands unless you come up with something." "Do you have his boss's number? I am going to give him a call and mess up that punk's whole career." He gave me the number in Vegas and I got on the horn. To my surprise, he took my call and knew who I was. He explained that the Director had called his boss and they were all given orders to give me any assistance they could. I explained what was going on and how he had acted in my office, and the whole background of the case. I brought him up to date on Trent and his house, and what we had found and all the weapons he had sold and bought. I reminded him that Trent couldn't be helping much since we had all the records of his deals and buys. I also reminded him that without me and my department they wouldn't have so many guilty pleas and good convictions. I also made it very clear to him that this young pup's attitude towards my department was an insult to me and the men that had worked hard getting his case set up. I told him that if we were going to be treated this way, I would make sure that all the cases from now on would be turned over to California Federal District to prosecute. He immediately said that he would get on it and see if he could get us a prosecutor that wanted to cooperate with local law enforcement. He said he would make a call when we were through and get the kid, as he called him, transferred to Idaho where he couldn't screw up so much. I thanked him for his time and was told the money would be sent back with the release papers tomorrow by armored truck. I thanked him again as I hung up the phone. I was smiling to myself as I walked back to where Mark was still trying to get the girls ready to go to the shelter in town. They would all get showers and clean clothes plus a clean bed to sleep in until INS came to get them. "I hope you have good news for me, Harry. INS says we have to take them until they can get Border Patrol to transport them back to the border. From what they told me it would be next week sometime. What are you looking so smug about?" "I'll tell you later. Here's what we are going to do with the girls, Mark." I told him the plan I had in mind, and he was laughing his ass off by the time I got through laying it all out to him. He looked at me for a minute before saying anything. "Harry, if I ever make you mad at me, please tell me. I would hate like hell to have you for an enemy. You have got to have the most devious mind I have ever heard tell of. I think it will work but you'll have to be the one to do it. The sheriff cannot be involved in such chicanery by an underling that's not supposed to be on duty." "Bullshit, Mark, you just want to protect your reputation if it backfires on me. When it doesn't, don't expect any credit, and don't be jealous because I pulled another one off." "Never entered my mind, Harry, because I have faith in your stupid ideas. Whether they work or not it's still fun to see you work." "Thanks a lot, boss, I appreciate the confidence in my assistance to your problem." He must have thought it was funny because he was laughing as I stomped away from him. "Harry, here is your replacement 16 and your badge. I need your signature to prove I gave them both to you." I signed his paper, took the gun over to my unit and locked it in the box in the back. I threw the badge and case in with it. If I kept it up I wouldn't have enough pockets to put all the IDs in. I was waiting on the call from the Marshall's to tell me they had locked Trent back up. I was leaning on the back of my unit when my cell rang. It was the call I was waiting on and I was told he was back behind bars. He also had a "Do not release" stamped all over his folder. I thanked the Marshal and went over to the wrecker, just as Doris was getting ready to leave with the camper truck. I gave her the good news and she was smiling from ear to ear by the time I finished. "Thanks, Harry, that takes a big load off my mind. I know you had something to do with it and I will repay you for all you've done for me these last few months. I don't know how, but I owe you more than I like to owe to anybody. Do you want me to deliver the VW with a big red bow tied around it? I know Tran and she is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. You couldn't have picked a prettier woman to date." I told her to go ahead and make sure she knew it was a gift from me and I would call later to see if she liked it. I just hoped she would like the gift, and that she wouldn't think it was too pretty to drive. I was still trying to get accustomed to having a girlfriend, and that, I thought, would take some getting used to. I watched as the whole parade went back out the gate. I told Mark I was going to lock the gates back up and then I would meet him at the cabin. I drove to the gate at the federal side and re-locked it. I had already locked the other one before I left, so I went to the cabin to relax a little bit before I got on the phone and made a few calls to set up tomorrow's party for the press and the governor. I knew he would love the exposure and would go for what I had in mind. I just hoped that the INS would be so embarrassed they would send someone right away for the girls at the shelter. When I walked into the cabin Mark handed me a beer and a pill. "You're as bad as Tran. She left us moo goo gai pan for our supper. I hope you like it 'cause that's all I'm cooking tonight." "I guess I'll have to like it, even if I can't pronounce it. I hope it's good 'cause I am hungry. Harry, what the hell is going on around here? I thought slavery was outlawed a hundred years ago. Those poor girls were scared to death and being raped by that jerk-wad didn't help them any. Aryan Brotherhood. How the hell did they get into slavery and the selling of human flesh? That is rare for them, and I know that it can't be nationwide. They deal in arms and other things that make them money, but I have never heard of them dealing in humans. How long do you think they have been running through here, Harry?" "I would guess for a while now. That idiot knew all the back roads through here too well. With the shape the girls were in, I wonder if he wasn't headed for the casino we shut down. That might have been a stopover place for them. We need to send Bob in since he knows everyone down there. He needs to talk to the girls that worked in the casino. I bet they know more than anyone about the workings there. I think we should also do a thorough search of all the buildings on the property. I never checked anything out, just shut it down. We need to do it before the auction and the place has a new owner." "I agree with you there, I never thought about it either. Harry, you're going to stay on and be my second, aren't you? I sure don't want to lose you because you're my eyes and ears out in the field. You know, as sheriff, I spend most of my time sitting behind a desk answering phones and being the thing you hate; a politician. I hate it too, but I don't have a choice as it comes with the job." "You're gonna have a busy day tomorrow. There is an armored truck coming from Reno tomorrow with two million and some change that goes into the county coffers. You also need to get with Andy and take care of the bids for the new units before winter comes. Mark, it snows in feet here and you're going to need the new four-wheel drives. The only other one we have is Bob's van and we can't use it for patrol." "I know, Harry, but since it's finally starting to settle down a little I have a lot of catching up to do. I wanted again to thank you for making sure the girls were safe with Tran. If someone should shoot at the cabin for some reason, all this glass would be a deathtrap for anyone inside." "Mark, this glass is bulletproof to anything but a fifty caliber. Every piece of glass on this place is like that. That's one of the reasons I liked the idea of all the windows. I also have booby traps all over the place that are both lethal and non-lethal. Don't worry, the girls are perfectly safe here and anyone else that's inside once I set them. Abe, the previous owner, was a total recluse and valued his privacy. He was also somewhat of a survivalist and made sure he was protected on all fronts. I inherited all of the extras when I bought the place." "Harry, you never cease to amaze me with some of the things you know and stumble into. I am going to tell Tran she can bring the girls back tomorrow evening. With all you have set in place, I don't think I have to worry too much about their safety, but I will make sure to tell Tran to keep her eyes open. I am supposed to give you your goodnight hugs and kisses, but I just did cause I ain't kissing your ugly ass." I laughed and went to the kitchen and re-heated the food. To say it was delicious would be a lie. It was great and from the taste, Tran was a first class chef. By the time we finished eating it was all gone and we were stuffed. Mark said he was going to get his shower and go to bed. I told him I was going to be up for a while longer making some other calls to contacts I knew from way back when. I spent the next two hours on the phone and then when I hung up from the last one, it rang and almost made me jump out of the chair. It was the governor telling me he liked my plan and he would be there at nine with his whole entourage, but only if he could present me with my plaque from the state. I took a deep breath and agreed, thinking I was going to make someone pay for all I was going to go through tomorrow. I headed up the steps after setting the non lethal surprises that were scattered around the cabin. I left a note for Mark explaining where the switch was and how to shut it off before he left. I got my shower and set the alarm and passed out. I woke hearing Mark cussing to himself, and smiled at his description of the coffee pot being so slow when he was running so late. I went down to the kitchen and it was only a little after six so he wasn't running late to work. "Why the rush, Mark?" "I wanted to stop by and see the girls on my way to work. I was going to stop and get them some of their favorite donuts from that little Gas Mart on the corner by Tran's. They have the best home made donuts I have ever tasted, and they make them fresh right there every day. Tran loves the blueberry muffins so make a note of it." He poured his coffee gave me a smart assed grin, and was gone. I went to the bathroom and did my thing to make me less ugly and had my first coffee of the day. ------- Chapter 28 I was sitting drinking my first cup when it hit me. I hadn't called Tran to see if she liked the little car. If for some reason Doris hadn't delivered it, I was going to give the whole surprise away. I decided I would wait till I got done with the governor's big press conference. I got my go cup and locked the cabin, set the alarm, and cranked my unit. Yes, I checked it first, and since I had the other problem, Doris had made a few changes to protect me from it happening again. I turned the radio on and called in and was immediately told to contact one on channel four. I switched over and asked him what was going on. He said to come to his location immediately. I kicked the lights and siren and started breaking speed limits. If something had happened to the girls, I was going to prison for killing someone. I shut down the siren when I got to the Gas Mart and went from there with just the lights on. I saw all of them standing outside next to the little car and wondered what the hell was going on. I was shaking as I pulled up next to them and got out. "Didn't take you long to get here, Harry. I'm sorry if I scared you but this woman of yours threatened to beat me with a ball bat if I didn't get you here immediately. Now that you're here, maybe me and my girls can finish our visit." I turned to Tran and she came into my arms crying like a baby. I looked at Mark and he was smiling at me and both the girls were giggling at me. What the hell was this all about? I just stood and held her while she got it out of her system. The longer I stood there feeling like a fool, the more puzzled I got at her actions. "Tran, what's this all about? I thought something happened and my so-called friend thinks it's funny. The girls are laughing at me so will you please tell me what I did to you that made you cry?" "Oh Harry, I was up almost all night waiting for you to call. I wanted to tell you this is the most beautiful gift anyone has ever given me. How do I thank you for it?" "All of this is over a car? I was scared to death something had happened to the girls and you, and all this is because I gave you a car!" I knew my voice was getting loud but I was upset with the worry and all the bullshit because of a car. How was I supposed to react to all of this, I wondered? Damn, I needed a hot cup of coffee. I tried to untangle myself from Tran to get my go cup but she was stuck to me like glue. I just stood and waited in the middle of the street, feeling like a fool, wondering if I needed a girlfriend after all these years without one. I was going through the memories of all the bad luck I had with women over the years when she stepped back and slapped me. "What in the hell was that for?" "For making me worry all night." I turned away got in my unit and left without saying a word. I went to the station and made arrangements for Bob to go to the gulch this morning and do some talking. I told him to track down some of the girls and see if they knew anything about the girls coming through. I told him to take Beau and see if there were any safes in the casino we needed to open. I also told him to confiscate any monies or paper they found and to bring it all in. We were going through the place with a fine tooth comb this afternoon and I was leaving it to him and Beau to pave the way for us. I went to the radio room and re-filled my coffee cup, and headed for Marks office to talk to him. I walked in and he was on the phone so I waited for him to finish before I gave him the news. "Mark, from now on Tran is not welcome in my home. She can bring the girls to you at the driveway like before. I don't want her any where close to me for any reason. I will give you the new alarm code tonight for your use only. I suggest you tell her to leave the keys to my Jeep at the gas mart and I will have Doris pick it up later today." "Harry, don't go off half cocked. Will you listen to me for a minute?" "Mark, we are friends but my personal life is off limits to you or anyone else. I don't need a woman and I sure as hell don't need the domestic problems she brings with her. The girls love her so they need her, but I sure as hell don't. I don't want a repeat of her performance ever again. I will be cleared by the doctor next week so I will work for you, but don't throw her up in my face again. I have to meet the governor in a few minutes and then we are going out to that casino to do a complete search of it. I'll see you later at the cabin." When I left he was sitting there with his mouth open in shock. I was pissed but this was going to be a long day so I should be over it by tonight sometime. I knew the girls loved her, but nobody slapped me and I sure as hell didn't need a girlfriend. I was in the state of legal prostitution if I needed it that bad. I climbed back into my unit and went to the shelter to meet with the governor and the press. I stood and took all the praise and bullshit along with the plaque. Then he turned the mike over to me telling them I had a message to send out to the immigration services. "Ladies and gentleman, I want to thank the governor for the award and I also want to try to shame a certain bureau that says they do good work to stop illegals from coming into this country. I have twenty-two girls, ages thirteen to seventeen that were brought into the state from Texas. Law Enforcement here thinks this is part of a pipeline in this area. When we called the INS to inform them we had the girls, they in turn informed us they were too busy to send them home. These girls were mistreated badly by their transporter and he is in jail as we speak. These poor girls deserve to go home, but the INS seems to think that children are not important, and them being enslaved is not a thing they worry about. I don't know about all of you, but if someone had taken my daughter and she was found, I would want her back. The girls were fed for the first time in three days yesterday by my department." I waited a few moments for what I was saying to sink in, then made the sign for the shelter to bring them out in front of the cameras. The governor was standing by the door helping them to line up so they could be seen, and he was eating this up. "These are the little girls we found yesterday. All of you can see how young they are and how helpless in a foreign country. I don't think any of them speak our language so how would they call out for help if they could? I think they are a little young to be used by some pervert as a sex slave, don't you? We need your help by calling your elected officials and give them an earful about how these poor girls are being treated by our country and the INS. Thank-you for your time. I am sure the governor has a few things to say about this too." I stepped down, and when I caught the governor's eye as he stepped back in front of the cameras, he winked at me. I smiled and left the whole mess before one of the news people wanted to interview me. I knew he was going to stir it up more and figured the INS would be calling within the hour. This was all live so it was going out all over this part of the west. I was laughing at the picture of Mark fielding all the irate calls from INS officials. As I pulled out of the circus I called in and asked dispatch what three and four's location was. I was told they were in the gulch and had left word to have me join them as soon as I got off the cameras. I thanked dispatch and headed for the gulch and my job. I pulled up in front of the casino and saw several women standing around outside. I got out of my unit, set the locking system and headed for the door. As I stepped up to the porch they parted for me as I went inside. I saw my men all gathered around Shorty so I went that way. "Harry. Glad you made it. We have a bit of a problem. This whole place sits on top of a big cave and was built so it could be used to store the stuff the casino would need to run. There are no blueprints and none of the girls know the way in. They said Hubba and his dad were the only ones who knew how to get in. They also said there were always deliveries during the night and they all came in through the doors in the rear. Beau has opened three safes and they were all full of money and all kinds of jewelry. I think the jewelry is from the bodies that you found at Trent's place. Don't ask me why but from the looks of some of them they are clearly heirlooms." "Leave them in the safes for now. I am more worried that there might be more people in the cave and I pray they are still alive somehow. I think this was a clearing house for slave auctions of women and children. Grab a few of those Bic lighters and let's go find the cave entrance. Is the electric still on here?" "We never had it shut off because of the reefer units in the back. They are all full of beef so we kept it frozen." "What the hell would they need all that beef for? Let's head back there and look from that point." "Bob, I want you to get all the lanterns you can find and set them in here for right now. We might need the extra light if we find the entrance and it's not wired. All the rest of you spread out and check the walls for square or round cracks that look like some kind of door." We went over the whole place with a fine tooth comb for about three hours and didn't find shit that even resembled a door or a way to the cave. We took a break and everyone sat down by the reefers and had a soft drink from the cooler in the casino. I was staring at the reefers lined up covering almost half of the loading dock, thinking about the stuff Beau had found in the safes in the casino when something out of place caught my eye. I sat and looked at the reefers for about five minutes before it finally came together. I walked over in front of them, looking at the doors on the end of each one. From the way they were sitting together, the only doors that could be opened were the end doors on the outside two. The rest would be blocked because there wasn't enough space between them to open. I walked around behind them and there were rolls of electric wire in spools behind each reefer. I went back to the side where I was having my soda and got down and looked under the end one. They were all on wheels and every wheel that I could see had a grease fitting so they wouldn't seize up. Now this was weird and getting weirder. I pushed the one I was looking under and it rolled as easily as rolling a two-wheel cart. I pushed it all the way to the door by the kitchen and went back and moved the next one up against the first one. I noticed that as they rolled, the wire on the spool behind them unrolled as I pushed them. I got them all moved over and started looking for the entrance I knew had to be there somewhere. I looked around the whole area I had just cleared and didn't see anything that even looked like an entrance. I sat down on a milk crate and just looked at the area, hoping something would pop out at me. Damn! Damn! Damn! I couldn't see anything different in the area where the reefers had been sitting. The spools were set up like that for a reason and it was up to me to figure it out somehow. I got up and walked over and started looking behind the spools next to the wall and that's when I saw the metal plate set into the floor behind the third spool. I rolled the spool to the side and put my finger in the hole and pulled the door open. Inside were two pull handles about the size of a small ball bat. I pulled one and nothing happened. I pulled the other one and it was the same thing. I pushed them both back down and heard a distant rumbling. I stood up and watched the whole floor where the reefers had stood sink down inside a hole. When the movement stopped, I walked over and looked down into the hole. It was a vehicle ramp and I would be willing to bet that it had seen plenty of traffic, as smooth as the rock was. There was a moldy smell but it wasn't the smell of death. I hoped that we wouldn't find any bodies down there when we searched it, but I wasn't holding my breath that would happen. I looked around and saw that a similar piece of concrete had folded down at the outside edge so that a truck could pull in the back and right down into the cave with no one seeing it from the outside. I yelled out front where the guys were trying to get another game plan together. "I think I got it guys. Grab some of those lights and come back here." They all came out of the door from the casino and just looked at the hole in the floor. "Harry. I am not going to even ask how you figured it out. That's a hell of a neat set up though. Do you think it's wired for light? I would really prefer not to walk down into a hole blind. We don't know what kinds of booby traps might be down there." "I'll go first, I really don't think there are any because it's too well used. It might be wired to blow but from some other place. I don't see any other way to find out, Beau. Give me one of the Mag Lights and then give me ten minutes before anyone comes in behind me. Whatever you do, don't turn on any lights or flip any switches until I can check it all out, ok?" I looked at them and wondered if I was doing the smart thing. Oh well, you only live once, I was thinking, as I went down into the hole in the floor. ------- Chapter 29 I went down in the hole one step at a time, shining the light ahead of me as I went. I noticed dust along the sides of the ramp and grabbed a handful as I went. I was walking and throwing it ahead of me as I walked. I wasn't taking any chances of there being a floor ankle height laser system. If there was, the dust would show it and keep me from breaking the light. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble setting this all up. The ramp had a slight curve to it and came out in the middle of a huge cavern. I stood still and shined the light at the ceiling to see if there were lights mounted within sight. I could see twelve foot commercial lights mounted on the ceiling throughout the cavern. I started looking for the box or a switch to turn them on. At the side mounted on the wall was a huge electric box so I went over to it and opened the panel. All of them were marked except four that were in the lower corner of the box. They were small and had no label at all, so I had a sneaking hunch these four were the arming timers for the cavern. I flipped the switch that said overheads and all the lights on the ceiling came on and almost blinded me they were so bright. "Harry, ok if we come down now?" "Come on down but stay in the middle of the ramp till you reach me!" I watched as they came down and all of them stayed right in the middle like I had told them to do. I waited till they were all standing by me and asked Bob if he had a screwdriver I could use. He handed me one of those Swiss pocket knives with all the attachments on it. I took the flat screwdriver blade out and proceeded to remove the screws holding the outside cover on the box. "Harry, please don't tell me you're disarming something. I hope to hell you know what you're doing. That little knife was a gift from my son, so don't break it or he will never forgive me." I had the cover off by that time and I could see that I was right about the four switches. The set up was nothing that I had ever seen before so I decided not to try to disarm it. I handed the knife back to Bob and just stared at the setup in the box to see where the wires were leading. From what I could see, they ran inside the conduit with all the other wires so I couldn't see where they went. Someone with more knowledge than me would have to work on it later. I wanted to look around before I called any outside help in our little operation. "Ok guys, let's look around and see what all this shit sitting around is. Whatever you do don't open any doors for right now. This thing has an arming system that I've never seen before and I don't know what will set it off. Just stay in the main cave for right now 'till I get the boys from Nellis in here to disarm the whole place." "You can bet I will do what you say, Harry. I sure don't need a big bang to make my day." We all had a laugh at Bob's statement before we spread out to look around the cave. I had been in underground chambers before, but this place looked to be bigger than five or six football fields all put together. There were doors leading off the main area all over the place. That was where I wanted to search because if there were any records or valuables, that's where we would find them. I had a sneaking suspicion there was an office here and I would be willing to bet my cabin it was wired to blow if you didn't know how to get in. I was thinking about the rooms and what might be in them when Shorty yelled at me to come here and look at this. "Harry, these are some kind of missiles and there must be thirty cases of them. There are also thousands of AK-47s all stacked behind these. Man, someone is going to be out of some serious cash when they don't get these. Harry, there's enough arms here to start world war three. We need to make some calls again. I have a feeling these came from a foreign country 'cause all the writing on the crates is in another language and more than one. What the hell was the old sheriff into?" "Let's all go back up top until I can get the boys from Nellis in here and the ATF again. We are going to be hip deep in federal agents again in about an hour. I need to call Mark and bring him up to speed and then start making some calls. This is going to be a long day, fellas, so I hope you all don't have any plans for tonight." We all walked back up the ramp and I left Bob to guard the back while we went out front so I could make a bunch of calls. I called Mark and he listened for a few minutes and said to make the calls and he was on his way. I called Nellis and got my friend. I told him what I thought I had and they said they would fly in right away. I told them to land anywhere in town they could find room and there would be several other choppers coming in besides theirs. I called the ATF next and they said they would be there shortly too. I called Hadley to tell him to get word to the Federal District in Vegas. He said he and his boys would be coming in too since the FBI did all the domestic terror calls now. I made a call to the governor and told him what we had. He said he would send the State Troopers in for me to use as I saw fit, but to make sure they got some of the credit. I assured him they would be in it all the way but to keep the Commander away from me. He laughed and said no problem. I was sitting on the seat of my unit when one of the women that was on the porch of the casino came over to me. "Sheriff, is this going to stop the auction this weekend? We all need jobs again and I was chosen by the girls to ask you." "I don't see how. We will still hold the auction and I will tell you there are a lot of bidders coming to bid on the casino. If it sells, you all will probably have jobs because it was stated in the notice that all the previous employees were to be given first preference in hiring. If the new owner gives any of you problems just let one of us know and we will have a talk with him about the rules of his ownership." "Gee thanks, Sheriff, the girls will all appreciate the good news." "After this all calms down in the next day or so, I will be giving everyone in town all the frozen beef in the reefers out back. Everyone in town needs to meet and make arrangements to have a butcher dress all of it out. I guarantee that it will fill everyone's freezer to the top by the time it's all cut up and packaged." "Sheriff, we will all appreciate it as we are all scraping bottom trying to feed our families. Here in the gulch we all stick together and help each other, but even with some of us working, the money only goes so far." "I have probably two semi's full of canned goods I will make sure I hand out with the beef too. Some of it will have to go to the shelter, but I can give the rest to the families here in the gulch if you want it." "Sheriff, you're going to be an even bigger hero to the people here if you do that. Did you know the casinos here act as the bank for their employees? All of us that had savings with the Golden lost it all when you closed it down." "You tell anyone that worked there if they have paperwork or receipts showing that, we will honor all of them. Someone should have let me or my people know. You spread the word that I will do what I say." "Sheriff, we asked Bob about it several times but he always blew us off. We didn't know anyone else to talk to." "I will take care of it and you can tell your people I will do some of it this evening if they show up with their paperwork." "Gee thanks, Sheriff, we'll be there with all of our savings books and we will make sure nobody tries any funny business." She went running over to the people on the porch and I heard a cheer go up within a few minutes of her returning. I also heard the familiar sound of a Huey coming in for a landing in the field behind the store. When I got them in place, I was going to have a serious talk with Bob and make sure he knew the rules that Mark and I went by when it came to handling people. I didn't care what their work was, we treated everyone with respect and courtesy. I watched as Preacher and his team came swaggering over to me. I had to smile thinking about the last time we met and how he acted like the same old hardass he always thought he was. "Hey Harry, how's it hanging? You got another problem you can't handle?" "If you were a comedian like you thought, you would be a millionaire by now instead of still being an NCO in the air jockey corps. What I have is something entirely new to me." I went on to describe what I had and that I wanted the whole place checked so we could search it. He got serious as soon as I started describing what I had seen in the electrical box. "That don't sound like anything I have ever seen either. We better take it slow till I can figure out what I have. Ok, let's go men." I watched as Beau met them and they went inside. I had a couple more calls to make before I could go back into the building. I heard a motor and looked up to see Mark's unit pulling behind mine. I was still on the phone so he stood and waited for me to get off before he spoke. "How high is the explosive danger, Harry? Should we evacuate the area or what?" "That's not necessary Mark. Any booms will be under the casino and will destroy it. I doubt Preacher will let that happen. That's why I called him in to disarm the device. I think we have it under control, but to be on the safe side, no one goes down there until Preacher gives me the all clear sign. I have Troopers coming to handle the crowd and will make sure they get some of the credit. Mark, we have three times as many arms in that cave as what we already found. The only difference is, this stuff is war material and is too heavy duty to be sold locally. I think there was a hell of a business being run here and we have only scratched the surface of it." I went on to tell him about the money and all the other stuff I had going on and he fully agreed with me on the previous employee's money being returned to them without all the paperwork. I told him I would collect the paperwork for our files to cover our ass. He smiled and told me it was my ass not his, and that I should remember this when I pulled one of my famous stunts. "You know, boss, you really inspire loyalty in your employees and fellow workers. I only hope when you get old like me, and go to the great beyond, you have some one you call friend to mourn your passing." He looked at me in shock and then busted out laughing. Boy, some people just didn't appreciate me like they should. I heard the chopper coming long before it got to the little town. I wondered who would be in this one. I decided to make myself scarce for a little while and see how Preacher and his men were doing. I told Mark to tell everyone to stay back until I gave the all clear. I went back to the casino and told Beau to watch the front door, and to keep everyone out for right now. I also told him if he got some lip to tell them I would chew ass if any of them broke my orders. He gave me a shit eating grin as I walked away. I felt a lot of pride in these men and I hoped they would all stay with their jobs as long as they wanted to be with the department. I still had to promote two men to Lieutenant and soon. I came out of the door and Bob wasn't in sight so I went looking for him. I walked to the back where the dock was and he was talking on a cell with someone. I turned to walk away and a part of his conversation caught my attention. I froze just out of his sight and listened to him for a moment. I don't know who he was talking to, but whoever it was, they were catching hell. I knew right then he wasn't one of us and it really bothered me because I had really liked him. I would talk to Mark before I made any moves but he was on thin ice as far as I was concerned. Damn, the day was turning bad again. I couldn't catch any more of the conversation so I went back down the ramp to where Preacher was working on the electric box. I looked around and saw several of his men checking all the arms for booby traps, and others were checking the doors to see if they were wired in any way. I knew they had already been ordered not to open any of them, for fear of setting off a chain reaction if they opened the wrong one. "Hey Preacher, what did you figure out about this one?" "Stinger, this is the most convoluted setup I have ever run across. Part of it was done by an expert but the rest was cobbled together with what looks to be scrap radio parts. Half of it doesn't even work, it's just there. Two of the switches weren't hooked to anything but the box. I am in the process of disarming the main timer relay that runs all over this cave. My men have already cut all the wires running to over ninety shaped charges they have found so far. Man, if this had gone up it would have made a big hole in the middle of town. Harry, there are two of the concrete and lead plutonium storage slugs in the corner. We checked them and they are not leaking and seem to be pretty new." "How the hell did they get hold of those? Damn, this changes the whole picture. I will have to call the NRC into this and that's not going to be pleasant for the governor. Preacher, do not say a word to anyone, at least until I can search behind all the doors and see what I have. The NRC will shut me down and I don't want that happening yet. I still have a lot of searching to do before that happens. Send one of your guys to let me know when it's safe to do the search, will you? Make sure he only tells me, Preacher." He gave me a thumbs up and I headed back up the ramp. I figured there were all kinds of federal agents outside wanting in. Knowing the FEDS and me, it was only a matter of time before I got into it with one of the Team Leaders. ------- Chapter 30 I walked back outside and Bob was sitting on a milk carton, holding his head in his hands. I didn't say anything to him, just headed out front to see who else had showed up. Beau was sitting on a chair blocking the doorway as I came up behind him. "Harry, there have to be about thirty feds from a half a dozen departments out there and they all want in. I sure don't envy you your job today. Mark told them all that you were running the investigation and they would have to talk to you. Have fun, Sheriff, better you than me." "Gee, thanks a lot, Beau. I just may put you in charge of the public relations part of this, buddy." "You do and you'll be looking for a new officer. I wouldn't touch this mess with a ten-foot pole." I laughed and walked back outside to be mobbed by all the FEDS hanging around outside. I held up my hands and cleared my throat to get their undivided attention. "Some of you know me and some don't. I am running this investigation and if you think I'm not, then leave now. I know Agent Hadley, so all of you can get together with the both of us to coordinate your movements, and what part in this you think you might play. The only people I want involved right now are the FBI and the ATF agents so the rest of you find a place to roost till I bring them up to speed. If I catch any of you inside before I ok it, you will be asked to leave and not return. Have I made myself clear?" I waited till I saw most of them shaking their heads in agreement, then I went over to Hadley and the man standing next to him. "Harry, this is Agent Barry Thomas from the ATF. I pulled him aside so you could brief both of us together. What the hell have we got here, Harry? I haven't seen so many agencies in one place since the trade center bombing." "Hadley, I am going to send them all back where they came from shortly. We have a serious situation here and I don't want anyone but your teams inside the cave. The team from Nellis is disarming the booby traps but it's a lot more serious than that. I will show both of you when we go inside but until then I want to get traffic and news under control. I have State Troopers coming in for that job. Barry, if I may call you that, I have enough weapons in that cave to start world war three. You are going to go into shock when you see the stockpile down there. I suggest you start getting some semis lined up now, because you're going to need them and a couple of heavy forklifts." "Sheriff, are there that many weapons in that little cave?" "That cave is the size of several football fields and it is stacked to the ceiling with pallets of weapons. You name it and I think you will find it in the stacks. It's all in foreign languages and from several different countries." "Sheriff, I got a memo about a month ago that a ship load of weapons disappeared from a storage warehouse in Florida. They were never found, and even more have been rumored to have come in from the West coast. If these are them, then you've solved one of the biggest mysteries that nobody could ever explain. My men and I are happy to work under your command and yes, we already heard about the last ATF team leader that bucked you." I laughed and walked away headed for the crowd that was all silent watching me coming at them. "Gentlemen, unless you're with the FBI or ATF climb back in your choppers and cars and leave. They are the only two agencies that have jurisdiction in this matter. There is nothing for your agencies, whatever they are. You have ten minutes to clear out before I call the director and tell him you're refusing to cooperate with me." One luckless soul started to say something but the guy standing next to him pulled him to the side and after a whispered conversation they both walked away. I watched as the area around the casino cleared out and heard a voice to the side talking to me in a muted tone. I turned and there was a young State Trooper standing there trying to get my attention. "Commander, I have ten men waiting to be assigned wherever you want to use us. I was told to tell you by the Lieutenant that he will be here in about ten minutes to assist you." "Trooper, I want the entrances coming into town blocked off. No one gets in except residents with a valid ID for this town. Instruct your men that if any news people get in, I will hold them personally responsible. If they want to know anything, tell your men to tell them we found a large amount of unstable dynamite in an old mine. If they break the roadblocks, arrest them for trespassing on a crime scene. If that's not good enough, then charge them with something else that will keep them out. When your superior gets here, tell him to report directly to me." "Gotcha, Sheriff, we will keep everyone out until you clear it." I went back to Hadley and Barry to talk to them some more until Preacher finished up. Damn, I didn't want to tell Hadley about the plutonium, but I knew I had to sooner than later. I saw Mark and changed direction to talk to him to see what he thought I should do. He was on the phone talking to someone so I slowed until I saw him put the cell back in his pocket. "Damn Harry, you sure ran everyone off quick. This place was starting to look like a helicopter parking lot. Where did all those agents come from? I heard at least four different agencies besides the two you held back." "Mark we got a more serious problem." I went on to tell him what was found in the cave, and he got a shocked look like someone had kicked him in the stomach. "Harry, you know the regulations as well as I do. You can't put them to the side just to satisfy your curiosity. Do you want me to make the call or do you want to do it?" "I want to wait till the supervisor from the State Trooper side gets here. I promised the governor to give them some of the credit on this, so we would have all the man power to handle traffic we needed. Dammit, Mark, I wanted to search all those rooms to see what was in them. I especially wanted to find the office, to get my hands on the paperwork to find out about the human side of this, and how much they were involved. If the NRC moves in then we lose everything until they go through everything. If they find any traces, they will want to burn it all to kill the trace. You know how they work, Mark. Will you give me at least an hour to check after Preacher clears the cave? I also want to get the money and stuff from the safes and pay the people who had savings there. The NRC will freeze it all and probably want to destroy it to be safe. Preacher has a counter and I will have him check ahead of me as I search." "Harry you are walking on thin ice here but you're right in a lot of your points. Have Beau move the money and stuff to his trunk after it's checked. Once the cave is cleared, you will have one hour only to check it out, then I make the call, like it or not. Sorry, but this one is out of my hands completely and you know it. Go on and do your thing 'cause you have to get Beau cleared first." I headed for the cave again to borrow one of Preacher's team to check the safes so Beau could move the money. I stopped by and told Hadley that they better get comfortable because it was going to be awhile. I went back to the door and stopped at Beau's side and whispered in his ear to open the safes and wait for me. I went back to the cave and Preacher was still working at the box. I stood next to him and explained what I was doing. He called one of his men over and told him to take the Geiger counter and go with me. I went back up the ramp with him by my side and noticed Bob wasn't at his post. I walked to the edge of the dock and he was on the cell again talking to someone. I knew then when we got back to the station he was in deep shit and he would explain or he would be fired on the spot by me and Mark. Beau met us and showed me the first safe and it checked clear. We followed him to the second one. It was smaller and didn't have much in it, and it was dirty as hell. The counter went off quick when we got near the door. I pushed the door closed with my foot and used a bar rag to spin the dial to lock it. The soldier checked us and when we had very little residual reading, we both let out a sigh of relief. The soldier spoke up then. "Sheriff, I don't know what was in there, but it was one of the highest readings that I have seen in a small space. Man, I am glad you were smart enough to check before you leaped. I am headed back to my team and I won't say a word to anyone." I thanked him and took Beau to the side. "Every casino I have ever seen has those armored car carry bags. See if you can find some and pack the money in them and put it in your unit's trunk. Put the jewels in a separate bag and do the same with them. We will be paying these people out of the money you collect from the big safe. Try to keep the small stuff together and when we pay them, we will have them sign their paperwork and keep it for our records. I want to pay them, but we will have to cover our asses when we show where the money went." "What you're asking shouldn't be a problem, Harry. The bills are all stacked by denomination and the change is all rolled. The jewelry is in a bag already, and it's a very large one and heavy. There are a bunch of Krugerands in the bottom of the safe in a chest. I don't think I can pick it up by myself though. Want me to have Bob help with this?" "I want Bob to stay where he's at. Call me when you're ready and I will give you a hand with it. If you have to, break the Krugerands down in bags if you have enough. I want this between us if at all possible. What we're doing could have repercussions for Mark and the department if it's found out by the wrong people. This is an order from me so you won't have any trouble. If I get fired, it's no big deal to me because I have a nice little nest egg put away. I told Mark what I was going to do so he would be covered too, so now you are safe too." "Harry, this is more than some damned guns ain't it? I have a suspicion you found something down there that is bigger than all of us if it was known." "Beau, you don't know the half of it. Just do as I told you and let me take care of any repercussions that might come down." "You got it, Harry. I will make sure to do this as quickly as I can and get my unit away from here as quick as I can to keep the money safe." He went off and I headed back to the cave to start my search, if Preacher would let me. Bob was still talking on his cell when I went through the dock area and it pissed me off because not only did I not trust him now, he wasn't at his post so anyone could come in without us noticing. He looked up and saw me and I motioned him back to the dock. He nodded his head and started back toward me. "Bob, dammit, you're supposed to be on the dock, not talking on your cell with your back turned. Stay up here and do your job, will you?" "Ok Harry, it was my kid calling me from home saying he would be at the neighbors eating supper." I thought, yea right, and I have a wife at home. I didn't say anything else and went back into the cave. "Hey Stinger, it's all clear now I think. My guys have cleared the doors except the four on the far end and they refused to go in those. They are full of dead bodies like the house was. Man, you sure have an interesting job." "Preacher, I want you and your team to stick with me while I search the rooms. Have the counter ready to check anything I want to take out. I am on a short leash here so I need all the help I can get. You know what happens when the NRC comes in and takes over. I want all the clean evidence I can find out of here first. Have any of your guys found anything that looks like an office?" "Walk to the end of the ramp and the door directly across from it has a desk and file cabinets in it. Could that be what you're looking for? I suggest you take one of my guys with you to check the room before you start digging around in there." "Thanks, Preacher, and that's a good idea." I headed for the door and one of his guys met me there and that's when I realized they were all wearing close contact radio earphones. They didn't use the standard frequencies to talk between headsets but a special wavelength that was classified. He went ahead of me and checked the file cabinet first. He spent about five minutes doing this after popping the lock with a little tool I had never seen before. He found a phosphorus grenade in the drawer with a line running directly to the leg of the desk. If I had gone to the desk first, I would have immediately destroyed all the records in the cabinet. Damn that was a close call. He finished checking the cabinet and the rest of the room including the desk and pronounced it clean. I started going through the file cabinet first and found a complete inventory in a folder marked "Hubba". I didn't find any name lists or anything that would lead me to buyers or purchasers. I did find another sheet with the names of the people the jewelry belonged to itemized by name and piece. I took it and in the bottom drawer I found a complete list of employees and how much the casino was holding for them. Several of the names had deceased hand written beside them. Of course they kept the money because next to the amount was a little notation that said; "ours now". Oh that was really cute. I would make it a point, since I had their social security numbers, to check and see if there were any heirs. Just glancing at the amounts, I would say some of the women had quite a bit set back, or taken from them so they couldn't leave. Either way, they were getting it back today. I couldn't find any lists in the cabinet so I went to the desk, and since the drawer that locked had already been popped like the file cabinet, I went to it first. There was only a book in it and it was an old first edition Mark Twain signed by the author. I opened it and noticed letters designated by different colored highlighters throughout the book. The back cover had the country color coded with the highlighters. It didn't give a clue other than that little bit of information. There was nothing else of importance in the drawers. I had a sudden hunch and pulled the drawers out one at a time and checked the bottoms. Aha! Taped to the middle one was a yellow envelope that was full of microfiche. Man, this was old school and would take a special projector to look at it. I didn't find anything else that was important to me. "Harry, the NRC is here and they want everyone out now. Grab a few of these charges and carry them in your arms like they were hot. You might be able to sneak out those papers if you do. Stuff the folder in your back under your shirt and tuck the book under the waist in front. Now let me stack these so the books don't show. I left several of the detonators hanging out of these, so don't touch any electric wires or your day will be a big bang. Let's go before they get suspicious." ------- Chapter 31 We made it out of the cave ok, but I noticed that Bob was still talking on his cell to someone. I followed Preacher out the front door. I handed the blocks of explosive off to one of his men, and went to my unit. I immediately locked the folder and book up in the lockbox in the back of my unit. I went over to Mark and the man standing beside him and introduced myself. "I am Steve Johnson from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. From what the sheriff has told me you are in charge here." "Yes I am unless you decide to over-rule me. Here is what we have." I spent the next ten minutes explaining it all to him and what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. To my surprise he totally agreed with what I wanted to do with a few stipulations. "Harry, if we don't find any more hot spots I don't see any reason to destroy the casino. We will remove the two slugs and the safe, and then scan the whole area for any further readings. If we don't find any, we will turn the whole works back over to your department to handle. Will our truck fit into the opening to remove the slugs or will we have to cart them out?" "You should be able to drive right to the corner where we found them. Your people should look around, but I don't think there's any more than the two. The safe is behind the bar and it is on wheels so you can load it for disposal easily. There is another safe in an office off the casino. We haven't had a chance to check it yet so I will leave it up to your people to do that. If we can help you in any way just yell." "Thanks, Harry, we will try to be quick, but thorough. By the way, good job on the news this morning. Thanks to you and your Governor, we now have a new Director of the INS and I hope this one does his job." He walked away from us and when he was out of earshot I turned to Mark. "I got a whole file of records and a code book. Preacher helped me get them out. Mark, we need to call a meeting tomorrow about a personnel matter. I think we have a spy in our ranks." I went on to tell him about Bob and what I had seen and observed. He was as disappointed as I was, and said that personnel was my job and he would back me all the way in any changes. He also asked me if we had got enough money out to pay these people off this evening. I went on to tell him about Beau and what he had done at my request. He said good deal and then walked away, dialing a number on his cell. I turned around and there was that same lieutenant from the State Troopers waiting on me by my unit. "Harry, I was sent over to help you with our people. What do you need that isn't here already?" "I think your guys have got it pretty well covered, Lieutenant. What the hell is your name anyway? I'm tired of calling you by your rank." "All my guys call me by my nickname, which is Butch. My full name is a real doozey to pronounce so that's what everyone calls me. Since I call you by your first name, it's only right that you call me what everyone else does." "Well, Butch, NRC is taking over for right now so I want you to help me with another little job I have to do." I went on to explain about paying the money to the people that worked in the casino and the circumstances behind it. To my surprise he fully agreed with me on the whole thing. We headed over to where Beau was sitting in his unit, guarding the money and other stuff we had recovered. I wanted to ask him about the contents of the third safe and see what had been in it. "Hey, Harry, I see you're out of a job for a little while. When do we start the payout to the employees?" "Just as soon as they gather around your unit. I have an itemized list I found in the cave of all their money amounts. We will match it to their little books and see whose is closest. I think the one I have is actual but you can never tell for sure. Butch is going to help us with the payout and watching the money. He is going to take all the jewelry and with the list I have found, and hopefully the State Troopers will be able to return about all of it to their rightful owners or their families." "What the hell was in that third safe, Beau? You never said a word about it to me." "Harry, I think most of the paperwork you have been looking for is in it. I didn't let anyone know what was in it. I told everyone it was empty. I hope you are able to get us back in there to get it out. Damn, will you look at that, they must have radar or something?" I looked the way he was looking and there was a long line of people in front of the unit with little books in their hands. I went back to my unit and got the list of names and amounts out. I walked back to Beau's unit with it in my hand. "Open the trunk and have one person at a time come around and we will pay them that way. I want to see every one of them as we pay them off." I didn't know what I was looking for but that little itch was bugging me again. I watched as Beau matched the book they each had to the list I had. So far they both matched perfectly so I knew the one I had was on the money and was the right one. We went through about thirty people when my little itch really started acting up. I started looking around but couldn't figure out what was bothering me. I motioned Butch over to me and whispered to him. "Get on your radio and have two or three of your men check out the town and the roof tops where they can see them. Tell them to be careful." He looked at me with raised eyebrows but got on his radio and did exactly what I said. He put six men in different patterns patrolling the area around where we were at. "Ok Harry, they are moving. Mind telling me what's going on now?" "I don't know, Butch, but I have this little itch telling me to be alert. Something isn't right but I don't know what it is." "I guess we'll have to wait and see won't we?" I looked around again and still had that little itch. "Butch, keep an eye on Beau here while I look around, will you?" "Sure Harry, but watch your ass will you? I don't want to have to come see you in the hospital again." I left him with Beau and headed for the dock to see why Bob wasn't out front with us. When I walked into the casino, everyone I saw was wearing white, light weight, haz-mat suits. The radiation level couldn't be very high, or they would have the heavy weight ones on with the oxygen tanks. I went out through the kitchen and on the dock and didn't see Bob anywhere. I went back into the casino and found my way to the office Beau had told me about. When I walked in, there was someone in one of the suits trying to open the safe. Now this picture didn't look right to me. I pulled my weapon and shouted out for him to stand up and identify himself. He stood up slowly and whirled around to face me, and he had a gun in his hand. I saw it in the split second it took for my eyes to tell my brain I was in danger. I already had my gun pointed at him so I fired immediately, shooting him in the upper part of his chest on the right side. He raised his gun up fighting the shock and tried to align it with me. I stepped to the side and fired again. He went down on his knees and then fell face down on the floor. I heard someone behind me and whirled around bringing my gun to bear, when the figure threw his hands up. "Don't shoot, I don't have a gun or anything. Who is that? Is it one of my people? Why does he have a gun? Who are you and what are you doing in here?" "Why don't you shut up with all the damn questions and get your boss. While you're at it, get the sheriff and have him come in. Tell him it's an officer involved, code 52. I'll wait here until someone who has some authority over me tells me to leave." I wanted to see who was in the suit, but I knew I couldn't touch anything until I had another officer with me, in case of any problems with the officer involved shooting, and the investigation that always follows. I stood and waited for someone to show up to see what the shooting was. First in the door was Butch and I immediately told him to have his roving patrols cover the entrances and not let anyone leave. I also told him that applied even if they were wearing a white suit. The next person in was the NRC supervisor. "Harry, I hope you haven't shot one of my people. What the hell is one of my people doing with a gun?" "Don't touch it! I don't think he's one of yours or one of mine. I have a man missing and then I find this one trying to open the safe. I want you to call all your people in and have them remove their head gear and make sure they're all yours. Something is wrong with this whole set up, and I haven't figured out what it is yet?" "Ok Harry, shouldn't be a problem since the cave is clear and all my people are all in here moving the safe, and taking readings in all the rooms and the kitchen. I'll get them all in the main casino and do the check." "Butch, get two of your men on the front, because I think we are going to have a runner real quick like. You take over the shooting investigation to keep my department out of it. Send one of your men to keep an eye on Beau, just in case. Here's my weapon, the case is yours now." "Harry, you get into some of the craziest situations I have ever seen. Ok we'll do the shooting investigation. You probably know the drill better than I do so let's see who's under the mask." He pulled the hood off and there was a complete stranger under it. Well at least I didn't know him. As it turned out, neither did Butch and he was quick to say so. The ID said his name was Edward Jones and he lived in Texas. We had just started to check his pockets when the radio went off saying a runner had been caught trying to leave by the front door. Butch told his man to hold him and then told the others to stay alert for more. He told me he would stay with the body and for me to go check around for my missing man. He handed me his weapon before I left. I checked it to make sure there was one up the spout before I left the room. I went to the main casino and the NRC supervisor came over to me immediately. "Harry we are done here and these are all my men. The driver is out on the dock waiting for the ok to come around and pick us up." "Let's go make sure it's your driver in the truck. We have caught another person dressed like your people so it a good idea not to take any chances. Tell your people to wait here while we go check the driver." He immediately went over and told his people to wait where they were while he did another check. We walked out the kitchen door together and were checked by one of Butch's men. When he saw me, he let us go. I immediately noticed the driver still had his suit on. I cocked my weapon as we walked toward the truck. The driver looked over and saw us coming and immediately tried to start the truck. I ran toward it bringing my gun up and got it lined up on him before I shouted at him. "Start that truck and I will shoot you! Very carefully slide to this side and get out." I tracked his movements with my weapon as he slowly slid across the seat and opened the door. A gun fell out on the ground when he opened the door. "You touch it and I will shoot you in the head." I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and moved a little so I could see that side without taking my eyes off the driver. I immediately saw that the trooper was covering the driver with his weapon and following my lead. "Walk this way five steps then get on the ground on your face." I watched as he followed my directions and when he was down, I motioned for the Trooper to cuff him. When I saw he was cuffed securely, I went over and picked up the gun and released the magazine. I racked the slide back and caught the round before it hit the ground. Damn, I hadn't done that in years. I walked to the prisoner, pulled his hood off and it was another stranger. Before I could get to his wallet, the supervisor came over to me. "That's not one of mine, Harry. I don't know who he is, but I want to know what happened to my driver." The prisoner spoke up immediately. "Your driver and that dumb deputy are inside of the cave tied up. They are fine. We were told the deputy on the dock was ours but he didn't want to help us so we knocked him out. How the hell did you find us out so quickly?" "Your stupid partner made a mistake and pulled a gun on me. I'm afraid you are one short on your crew now. I hope you know that the charges on your bunch will all be federal terrorist charges. The one for assaulting my deputy is peanuts and with your big mouth, he will be charged with you. All of you will be very old men before you get out." The supervisor called one of his men out to drive the truck and I sent the deputy out front with the prisoner. I went down the cave ramp again and immediately saw Bob and the other man tied back to back leaning against the wall. I took Bob's cuffs and cuffed his hands before I untied the rope. The NRC worker was awake and watched my actions. "You know he was one of them, don't you? I will admit he wouldn't help them, but he was the one who let them into the cave. I watched them put on our suits and then they pulled his gun and made me get out of the truck. From what I could hear they wanted the slugs and a bunch of important paperwork that had some kind of list they needed. Your deputy told them that the sheriff had already taken the papers and they should take the truck and leave. He argued with them, then one of them hit him with a board and they tied him up with me." "Do you recall anything else they said?" "No, that's about all I heard. Oh, they also said something about moving the girls while they were here. I heard the one guy talking about a big warehouse that was almost full. I didn't get the location but from the way they talked, it couldn't be far away from here. The one that had the board said he would take them water as soon as all the cops cleared out of the area." I helped him up and then I leaned over and slapped Bob in the face a few times and he started to come around. When he was almost back in the world of the living I pulled him up to his feet and helped him up the ramp. He was trying to walk on his own but was dragging his feet as he walked with me. When we stepped out, we were met by several Troopers so I handed him off to them. I took his cell and his badge and ID from him before they took him away. I was going to get a warrant for his cell calls and see if we could trace all of his calls. This whole deal had almost succeeded and if it weren't for the idiot pulling a gun, it would have worked. I was going to have Hadley take all the prisoners. I felt like hell and I still had a lot to do here plus all the damn paperwork. I was going to make sure I got my gun back this time. I really liked that Glock and it felt comfortable under my arm. ------- Chapter 32 I went back out to the main part of the casino and into the office to give Butch his gun back. I noticed that there was a Coroner there with him. I handed him back his gun and arched my eyes at him in question. "This is the State Coroner, Harry. Since Porter County doesn't have one assigned yet I called ours in. I will make sure your Glock is returned to you personally. I think we have destroyed one too many of your guns. As soon as the Coroner is done, you're back in business. We turned those prisoners over to that FED of yours. He was a little shocked to see one of your deputies in cuffs with them. I'm not gonna ask what that was all about." "I really don't want to discuss it either, Butch. I need you to call in more men for a search of the area. Seems I just found out there is a warehouse in this area somewhere that is full of illegals. Those men haven't given them water or food for several days. I would guess with the information I have there are over a hundred of them. I think we are about to embarrass the INS again." He was laughing as I walked out of the office. I went back out and hunted up the NRC supervisor. He was talking with one of his men so I waited till he was done before I approached him. "Mr. Johnson, have you cleared all of your people? I also want to know the status of the casino. Can we sell it at auction or are you going to blow it up? I need to know what to tell all the people who are expecting to go back to work when all of this is over." "Sheriff, there were no hot spots to be found except for that small safe we hauled out. I will let you know what kind of radiation was in there as soon as we get it back to the lab. The slugs we recovered came from a country other than ours. Since their shipping point and the information about them is classified, that's all I can say. I will tell you that your respect from Homeland Security has shot way up. The director said to tell you if you need anything you have his number. I need to get my people and the contraband back to the lab, so it's all yours again." With that statement he went out the front door and was gone just that quick. I headed out the same door looking for Barry so he could turn his men loose with the weapons in the cave. This was starting to get more complicated, and I was tired and my head was splitting from all the tension. I still had several hours to go before I could take a break. I walked up to Hadley and Barry who seemed like they never moved from where they were. I must have looked pretty ragged because Hadley handed me a large cup of steaming coffee. I took a deep sniff and a drink in that order. "Hadley, have whoever's interrogating those men see if they can find out where the location of the warehouse is they were using to house the illegals in. That comes first before anything else. Those poor women haven't had any food or water for several days. If I have to shut this whole operation down till we find them I will. Barry, you better get your men busy in the cave, but tell them to stay out of the rooms. Some of them might still be booby trapped." I watched as he called his men together and headed for the cave. I knew I wouldn't see him for several hours with all they had to do. I went over to where Beau was sitting in his unit. I got in the passenger side and sat down with a sigh. "Harry, I heard about the shooting. Why was he trying to get in the safe? It's empty and he was wasting his time since I changed the combination when I opened it." I looked at him for a moment then busted up laughing. The whole picture was running through my mind as I laughed the tension away. I finally settled down and Beau was looking at me like I was crazy. "Are you ok Harry? Do you need medical or have you gone off the deep end on me?" "Neither Beau, I thank you for the comedic relief though. I think we need some food because we still have a long day ahead of us. Did you get all the casino people paid off?" "I got all the ones on the list and a few who had the little books that weren't on the list. I have all the books and the list in the trunk. There is still a lot of money left plus the Krugerands. I have all the papers from the safe too, Harry. I am really sorry you had to shoot someone because I didn't tell you the safe was empty." "It wasn't your fault, Beau. He didn't give me any choice in the matter. I need some food, let's go to that little restaurant and get something to eat. Maybe my headache will ease a little if we do. Stop and pick Hadley up on the way, will you?" We stopped and Hadley climbed in with us saying he was at a stand still until his chopper got back from Reno. We all went to the little restaurant which was already crowded with the locals eating. We waited by the door until a table opened up so we could sit down. I didn't want to sit at the counter because I wanted to stretch my legs. I decided to ask Beau a question while we were waiting for a table. "Hey Beau, I haven't seen Kit since I got out of the hospital. Where has he been?" "I thought Mark had told you, Harry. He took a leave of absence for six months. His ex-wife's boyfriend got drunk and beat his son Danny half to death. He is still in the hospital recovering. Kit went back to court and got full custody of him, and put his ex and her boyfriend in jail. Her brother, the cop, has threatened Kit with harm if he doesn't drop the charges. He is having to be very careful going back and forth to the hospital." "Why the hell wasn't I told about this Beau? Mark should have let me know. I have some pull in certain areas and I think I can put the brother out of business for a while. I will also have Danny transferred out of the brother's town so he will be powerless to interfere. Kit isn't planning on dropping the charges, is he?" "No, he said she and her so called boyfriend deserve time in jail for what happened. He has been trying to get the boy moved here but he doesn't have the money for the ambulance charges. Our crappy insurance here in Porter County doesn't cover it. Kit doesn't have the extra money to do it so he is driving back and forth everyday." "You tell Kit to have his boy transferred here immediately. This department has a fund for that type of thing and we have money to handle the transfer. If you have his number, call him now and tell him to have it done right away. If the ambulance service gives him any crap, tell them to call me. Danny is a member of our department and we take care of our own. He is our computer expert and as such we will make sure he has the best. If his ex's brother, the cop shows up around here, I want him arrested immediately and held till I can have a one on one with him. He, or anyone else doesn't get away with threatening a member of our department." "Harry, I think the FBI can give this rogue cop a little talking to and help out too. I hate bad cops as much as I hate terrorists. To me they are one in the same except people like him just want to use their power to feel big. Let's eat, Harry, I don't want to get started on this subject right now." We went over to the table that had become available and sat down. I immediately ordered another coffee since I only had the one in the unit that Hadley had bought me. I took a sip of the water and wondered where Shorty and Mark had disappeared to. I was about to ask Beau when his walkie went off with my call sign. He looked surprised as he handed it to me. I told dispatch to go and was informed that the Coroner was looking for me. I radioed back and gave them my location saying I was not to be disturbed unless it was an emergency. I handed the walkie back to Beau with a smile. "Harry, one of these days you're gonna get told off by one of these officials. I just hope it's not a high ranking one that can cost you your job." I laughed at the thought of losing my job. I really didn't care because I wasn't looking for a job when I found this one. If I got fired I would be getting away from a lot of stress, and the other headaches that went with it. "Beau, if they fired me it would be no great loss. I didn't want the job to begin with. Now that Mark is settled in I don't need to stay and can enjoy my retirement." "I got news for you, Harry, the whole department would have a fit if you were fired. You have done more for the men in the short time you have been here than anyone ever has. Being an outsider, I hear everything that goes on from the different shifts. Theo has been one of your biggest supporters." "I hired him for his experience and due to the fact he had no complaints because I hired you with your leg like it is. He was one that immediately had nothing but praise for you, even with your disability. That's the kind of Deputy I like to have on this department. He will treat the people he comes in contact with like this department should be treating them. There is still a lot of work to be done before we become one of the best in the state. That is the ultimate goal of Mark and myself." Before he could say anything else our food came and we dug in. I had heard this little restaurant had good food but someone had understated just how good it was. What we had ordered and were now shoveling down our gullets was just like Mom used to make. Man, if it wasn't so far from the cabin I would eat here every day. I was watching Hadley eat and had to smile at the way he was cleaning everything on his plate. He must not have any access to a good eating place in Reno. I was thinking about turning this part of the investigation over to him, and spending time looking for the women locked in that warehouse. I also wanted to go through the papers and the other things we had recovered from the casino. This was going to take several hours if I did it the right way. I also had to write up the statement on the shooting, be interviewed by the internal affairs of the State Troopers, and be cleared by them. I knew it was a righteous shoot, but there were rules any law officer had to follow. If it is done by the numbers the chance of a law suit fell remarkably. I was just finishing up when Butch came walking in. He saw us and headed for our table and sat down. "The men you ordered are here, Harry. What exactly are we looking for, and how far should we spread out in the search?" "Have a coffee, Butch, and I will lay it all out for you." I told him what I thought we were looking for and how to go about the search. I also told him he should have the air units up looking in the hills and places where we couldn't drive our units. We hadn't found the truck the men had come in, but I would bet it was a four wheel drive. I went on to turn the casino over to Hadley to run and I wanted to be kept in the loop about everything. While we were all together I had Hadley call and find out if the interrogation had produced any results yet. I was really hoping one of the men would give up the location of the warehouse so we wouldn't have to search. I told him to tell his team if one of the women died while they were locked up that we would go for the death penalty and confiscate all their personal property. I was hoping at least one of them was married and with this threat hanging over their heads, they would talk. Some how we had to get those women and kids free and out of confinement. This county was going to be checked from end to end as soon as I had the manpower to do it with. I was also going to get on the county code enforcers and make them get out and earn their salaries for a change. I knew the commissioners were on our side and would push from their end. I was sitting there drinking my coffee and absently rubbing my cheek, when the mornings little slap from Tran went through my mind again. Damn, I didn't know why she did what she did, but as far as I was concerned she had slapped any feelings I had for her out the window. I had never hit a woman in my life. I knew quite a few that I would like to just knock on their asses, but I didn't believe in hitting a woman. I did believe that regardless of how much you liked or loved someone, if the relationship came to any physical contact you should walk away. I knew sometimes it was hard, and I already had the scars to prove it, but it taught me this was the best road to follow. After this morning's little show, which I hoped the girls had missed, I would stay without a regular woman in my life. I had been doing it for years and I was reasonably happy with my life. I sure as hell didn't need all the complications that a relationship brought into a bachelor's life. I would never speak ill of her, and not ever talk about her in front of the girls. I knew I would be facing a barrage of questions from the girls but I could deal with that when it came. "Harry, the Commander is raising hell about all the resources you're pulling in here. What do you want me to tell him?" "I'll call the Governor and shut him down. Just tell him I have the approval of the Governor to use all the manpower I need. If he wants to call him then he has my blessings." Butch busted out laughing as I pulled my cell out and hit the speed dial for his personal line. When he came on I explained what was going on and that the Commander was raising Cain about me using resources without getting his approval. The Governor told me to carry on and he would handle the Commander from his end. He also said the priority right now was to find those women and get them help. He hung up with the words of you're doing a good job, and the Troopers could use the publicity and appreciation from the people for the rescue of these women. I looked over at Butch and he was still listening to the phone in his hand. I heard him say 'yes sir' a couple of times before he closed the cell. "He had to let me go to take a call from the Governor. What the hell did you say to the Governor to get him to call the Commander so quick, Harry? That man is a political appointee and doesn't know anything about field work. Our old Commander was demoted to supervisor of field operations so he could take his job. He makes the same salary but he just goes through the motions these days. He is putting in his time until he can retire in the next few months." "Butch, the Governor gave me use of all the manpower I needed to use here. The Commander has no say over me because I report directly to the Governor and I also outrank him. You won't hear anymore from him after he talks to the Governor, and gets set straight on who is in charge down here." We were sitting at the table talking shop when we heard the sound of a chopper coming in to land. "That will be my men coming back, Harry. Let's go see if they have any new information on that warehouse you're looking for." We all got up and paid our bills, leaving a good tip for the waitress. We went out to Beau's unit and climbed in, heading back to the casino. ------- Chapter 33 Before we got back to the casino, I turned in the seat and told Butch what I wanted him to do in relation to the illegals. "Butch, I am turning over the search operation to you to run. I want that warehouse found and help given to those poor women and girls. If anyone gives you any shit, call me on my cell and if you need warrants then you will have them. I will put the prosecutor on notice and he will be ready for your call. I have the bus filled with bottles of water coming and if you need ambulances don't hesitate to call for them. I need to grab another weapon and do a little chore I think needs to be done. Beau, I want you to take the stuff in the trunk to the evidence room. I want the papers kept aside for me to look at. The rest I want in the cage safe for right now. All of you know my cell number so you will be able to reach me. I will be back later to check in." I got out of the unit and got in mine and headed for the motor pool. I wanted to pick up my personal Jeep to make the run I wanted to make. I made it to the lot and my Jeep was sitting out in front. I parked my unit beside it and went in to get the keys from Doris. She was in her office so I went up the stairs and entered. She had a pot of coffee going so I took a cup and sat down. "Harry, how do you get yourself in so much trouble? Here are your keys, and the owner of the Gas Mart said to tell you the color of your Jeep clashed with the color of his store. He also said to tell you that he is holding a dozen donuts with your name on them." I had to laugh at the way she put that one at me. "Doris, I am going to another county and I want my unit put inside and kept an eye on until I come back. Here are the keys but unless it's Mark asking, you don't have them. I have some sensitive stuff locked in the weapons box and this is the safest place I know to hide them. I don't want anyone to know it's here unless something happens to me. Then you let Mark know where it's at immediately." "Harry, what the hell are you getting into now? You spent two months in the hospital and now it sounds like you're getting into it again. I don't want to have to come see you in the hospital again so watch your ass this time. Why don't you let me send little Jimmy with you to watch your back? You're a hero in his eyes and he would love to help you." "I don't know who Jimmy is but this is something I plan on doing myself. I won't be in any danger and sure won't need backup. I just want to make sure that I have covered myself in case of any repercussions. I have to go, so remember what I said. I will see you later when we go through the bays." I got up and walked out and went to my Jeep. It started on the first twist of the key and I headed for the house and my gun trunk. I went up the drive to the cabin, went inside and got into the trunk where I kept my guns. I was looking for my 10mm and the extra mags I had stashed. I finally found it and put the shoulder holster on and put the mags in my pocket. I grabbed my extra set of cuffs and looped them through my belt. Now I was going to visit Danny and have a talk with Kit about his brother-in-law and his threats. Normally I wouldn't have interfered, but this had been bugging me since Beau had told me about it. I considered Danny to be one of the family and he deserved better than he had gotten from his mother. Her relatives were not going to threaten my people and hassle one of my men for protecting his son. I drove to the little town of Pickens, hoping I would stick out enough with my bright yellow Jeep that I would attract some attention. Not gonna happen, I thought, as I parked in front of the hospital. I got out and went inside to the reception desk. I asked the candy striper at the desk what room he was in and as I went to the elevator I saw a uniform watching me. I took the elevator to the fourth floor and started looking for the room Danny was in. I finally found it and he was alone watching television. I walked in and sat down in the chair next to the bed. He looked at me with a surprised look on his face. He was still showing the bruises from the beating and had his right arm in a cast. I was trying to keep a rein on my temper as I looked at his injuries. "Hello, Sheriff, what are you doing here? I didn't know you were out of the hospital." "I been out for a while Danny. I just heard about what happened, so I thought I would drop in and see how the department's computer expert was doing. You didn't think I forgot about you, did you? I want you to get better because I might need your expertise again and you can't do me any good lying in here." "Gee, Sheriff, I thought you were kidding when you said I was the department computer expert. I shouldn't be in here too many more days. I have to go to physical therapy when I get out but I will be back to school soon. I do my homework as dad brings it in from the school. I have kept my grades up and I am still carrying a B+ average. My uncle is causing Dad a lot of problems because he won't drop the charges against Mom. I know Dad is trying to get me transferred to the hospital by his house so he doesn't have to drive so far every day." "I have already made the arrangements for your transfer as soon as I talk to your dad. I don't want you to worry about anything but getting better. When you get out, I want you to come into the station so we can get your ID card done. I didn't get a chance to have it done for you before. I also want to introduce you to the Sheriff while we are there. I am sure he will want to meet you since you are the youngest member of the department. I am proud of the way you assisted us during the investigation, and the crimes you uncovered on the computer. If you decide to go into law enforcement when you get older, I will help you all I can." "Gee. That's really nice of you Sheriff. I don't really know what I want to do when I grow up but having an official ID from the department will sure make my buddies jealous. Dad will sure be proud of me." We were interrupted by the appearance of the uniformed officer I had seen in the lobby. By Danny's reaction to his appearance I guessed this was the uncle that was giving Kit a hard time. He was about my size with the look of a heavy drinker about him. He had the red eyes and prominent blood vessels in his face from too many nights of getting drunk. His identity was confirmed as soon as he opened his mouth and the way he addressed Danny. "Hey kid, who's your friend?" "I don't think that's any of your business, officer. If you want to know my name, then ask me respectfully and you might get it if I feel like telling you." "Mister, I don't know who you are but I am the law here, and if I ask you a question then you'll answer or go to jail. This little sissy is my nephew, and since you're not related, you'll have to leave." "I don't care who you are or how you're related to him. This is a public facility and is open to anyone for visitations. I know a drunk like you is not his dad, so you have no say as to who visits him. If you don't like me being here, get his dad to order me out. Better yet why don't you leave and let us resume our conversation." "I will leave for now, but this is my town and once you get out on the streets you come under my jurisdiction." He left as abruptly as he showed up and I had to smile at his backing off from his bluffing. I now had the answer I was looking for and I knew when I left I would see him again. That was the meeting I was looking forward to. I would make a phone call before I left and then we would play his little game out to its conclusion. "Sheriff, you better watch out for him. He is almost as mean as Mom's boyfriend. They used to drink at the house all the time, and Mom drank as much as they did. I always went to my room so they would forget I was there but this time I didn't move fast enough. Manny kicked me in the butt as I went by him and when I told him that he wasn't allowed to touch me, he went crazy and I ended up in here. I remember hearing Mom and my uncle cheering in the back ground. I didn't know that he was so mean and I didn't fight back because Dad always told me never to fight." I sat and listened to him as he relived the whole thing and grew madder with every word. I couldn't believe his own mother would let someone beat up on this gentle child. Well, two were in jail, and if it worked out like I wanted it to, there would be a third spending time and would no longer be a peace officer. "Danny you should not fight except to protect yourself. Your dad is right except for one thing he forgot to teach you. When your life is in danger, it's ok to fight back with anything you can lay your hands on. Especially if it's an adult that's attacking you." "My dad was in Desert Storm and has a bunch of medals. He has been trying hard to keep his temper under control, but he told me he was getting to the point to where he was about to explode all over my uncle. Sheriff, please don't let him go to jail for beating my uncle up. He's all I got left and I love him a whole lot. I am afraid he will hurt my uncle really bad, and end up in jail with Mom." "Don't you worry about your uncle, Danny, he will be taken care of by me today. I have a feeling he will be in jail before the day is over. Tell your dad I was here and the department will pay for the ambulance to transfer you to the hospital by your dad's house. You're one of us and we take care of our own. You be good Danny and get better so I can swear you into the department as our resident computer expert. I have to go and I will see you again." "Ok, Sheriff, I promise I will be out of here soon and will come to the station for my ID as soon as the doctors say it's ok for me to walk around." I went back out the door and caught the elevator down to the first floor. I got on my cell and made the call I planned earlier, and was told it would take ten minutes for them to get into position. I was told that they would call when they were ready for me to move. I sat down in the lobby and thought about what Danny had told me about what happened to him. I was already mad enough to chew nails and made up my mind I would hurt his uncle before he went to jail. I hated bullies and he was the worst kind of bully; he carried a badge and was supposed to protect the innocent and helpless. I didn't know how good a fighter he was but I was going to find out as soon as he moved on me. I had a feeling he depended on his badge more than he should, and would use it to scare and coerce his victims. I was still thinking about it when my cell rang and startled me. I answered and was told my people were in position and I could move whenever I was ready. I walked out to my Jeep, climbed in and pulled out of the parking lot. I was headed out of town and doing three miles under the speed limit. I was about a half mile from the city limits when the blues went on behind me. I pulled over about five hundred feet outside of the city limits. I rolled down the window in the Jeep and waited to see who got out of the cruiser. Sure enough it was Danny's uncle and he was acting like a real cop. "May I see your license and registration please?" "Why was I pulled over officer? I was under the speed limit." "I pulled you over because I warned you in the hospital this was my town and jurisdiction. I didn't like your smart mouth in front of my nephew. I think you need to be taught a little respect for officers of the law. Why don't you step out of the vehicle? I see you're a resident of Porter County. I hear they have a new Sheriff there and he's looking for good men. I think I might get on there and then I can keep an eye on you. Come to the back of the vehicle please." I went to the back of the Jeep and waited for him to make his move. I didn't have long to wait. He pushed me up against the spare tire and hit me in the kidney where I thought he would. I was braced for the punch but it still took my breath away and hurt like hell. I waited for him to draw back for another punch, and when I felt him tighten up his hand on my shoulder I turned around and kicked him in the balls. He went down on one knee holding himself. I stepped back and gave him time to recover and let him get back up. "You just made a very bad mistake, Mr. Hanson. Now I have you for assault on an officer and battery and resisting arrest. I am going to beat the hell out of you before I take you in." "Since we are more than five hundred yards beyond the city limits you have no jurisdiction, and you assaulted me for no reason. You couldn't charge me for resisting arrest because I was never under arrest. You seem to have totally forgotten your law enforcement training, officer, or should I say prisoner. Allow me the pleasure of introducing myself to you. I am Undersheriff Harry Hanson of Porter County. That's just one of my positions, but I don't need to tell you the rest because you don't need to know. You can give up on your own or I will be glad to make you." He didn't answer, just drew his baton and came toward me. Now this was my kind of fighting, I thought as I pulled the cuffs from my belt. He smiled when he saw me do that and swung the baton toward my head. I blocked him with the cuffs and hooked the baton in one of the cuff openings. Doing this, I was able to pull him close to me where I nailed him on the chin and then the nose before I stepped away from him. He dropped the baton and went for his gun and I out drew him by a large margin. He dropped his gun and I kicked it in the ditch. I put mine back in the holster and smiled at him. "Don't you think you are a little over weight and out of shape to be a cop? I think you better give up before I beat the shit out of you like your friend did to Danny. I can't believe you would cheer while watching a child get beat senseless by a full-grown man. You're a worthless son of a bitch and don't deserve to carry that badge." I was hoping to get the opportunity to beat on him some more but it wasn't to be. My backup arrived with their unmarked cars. I wondered what had taken them so long to get here, but then they arrested him and read him his rights. They took the video camera from my Jeep and marked the tape as evidence. I took his badge and walked away from him holding the badge in my hand. I watched as they cuffed him and picked up his weapon from the ditch. I realized then that they had given me the extra time to handle him my way, but when he had given up fighting me they had moved in. My respect for the Attorney General's men went up about three notches at that point. I watched as they drove him away, and I headed back into town to go to see his Chief. I wondered what his reaction would be and if he knew about his officer and his mean streak. I pulled up in front of the small Police Station and parked. I got out and went inside to the front desk. I asked the clerk if the Chief was in. I was asked who I was and I showed her my ID. She called on the phone and I was told to go to the third door on the right where he would see me. I knocked on the door and was told to come in. I went in and had my first look at the Chief of Police for this town. I was not very impressed at the picture I was seeing behind the desk. He was, I would guesstimate, about seventy years old and was in the middle of some kind of trembling fit. He was shaking so bad he wasn't able to pick up the cup of coffee he was trying to drink. He tried two different times as I watched. He gave up and swung his attention to me. "What can I do for you, Sheriff? It isn't often I have such high ranking officers come to see me." I caught onto his game immediately and played along with him. I had a sneaking hunch our conversation was being recorded. "I am bringing you news about one of your officers, Chief. He was arrested this afternoon so I thought I would bring you his badge. He won't be needing it anymore." I reached out and dropped it on his desk in front of him. He had calmed down a little and was able to pick it up to look at it. "I don't know this officer but if what you say is true then he will no longer be on this department. How did you get involved in this, Sheriff?" "I was the one he chose to try to rough up this time. He came out on the losing end and was arrested outside the city limits by Special Investigators from the Attorney General's office. I am afraid he will be prosecuted and go to jail. I hope you have a better officer to replace him." "I don't think I will have to worry about it after next month. The city is disbanding this department and the city will be patrolled by the Sheriff's Department. None of the men here were offered a position so they will all have to look for work in other departments around the state. I am retiring and hope to spend my last few years doing some trout fishing." "I wish you the best of luck, Chief. I hate to see any department disbanded and the men unemployed. I need to get back to my own department so I'll be heading out." As I got up to leave, I dropped one of my cards with my cell number on it. He quickly put his hand over the card. I went to the door, and he said, "It was nice to meet you", as I left. Now what the hell was that all about, I wondered to myself as I headed out of town. ------- Chapter 34 I was still thinking about all that went on in the Chief's office as I drove back to Porter. I went directly to the motor pool to pick up my unit. I parked my Jeep in front again and went inside. Several of the mechanics waved as I walked through the shop. I went up the steps and went into the office, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down for a minute. "That was quick Harry. Are you ok? Here are your keys and your unit is in the wash bay. I am going to put your name on the floor so you will have a reserved spot to park here. Your unit spends more time there than the cars we're washing." "Doris, how well do you know the gulch area?" I went on to tell her what was going on there and what kind of building we were looking for. She sat and thought for a minute then she perked up with what looked like an idea. "Harry, you might want to check the old Peters' place. He belonged to the old Sheriff's crowd and his old place is out in the middle of nowhere. He had several buildings on his property that were big enough for what you're talking about. It's hard to find and even harder to get to. He has been dead for several years, but his son ran with Hubba all the time. Let me get my county map out and I can show you where it's at." While she was digging her map out I got on the phone with the prosecutor and told him I needed a search warrant for the property. I wanted it to be for the aliens and for illegal weapons. He said he would draw it up and I could pick it up on my way back to the gulch. Doris came back to the desk, unfolded the map and she started looking for the Peters' place on it. "Here it is, Harry. You have to take the old logging road up the hill behind the casino you're checking now. It's about five miles back in the hills. There's only one way in and out of that area. I suggest you watch your step with the son, because he is mentally challenged and has a real bad temper. He is like his papa, and hates the law and won't give up as long as he can fight. Harry, he is not very stable and will shoot at trespassers at the drop of a hat. He is also a very good shot and he and Hubba used to hunt together all the time. He knows all that area up there like the back of his hand." "Well, this will be a real challenge for the State Troopers. I guess we will find out when we get in there. Where the hell do all these nuts come from? How many of these antisocial clans are there around here?" "You forget, Harry, this county has been the haven for all these nuts for years. The old Sheriff encouraged them to move in here and he was the unofficial leader of them all. You will run across this type of thing for many years until they all die off. You have only come across a small number of them. I suggest you and your people wear vests if you have them, 'cause Scoobie always shoots for a heart shot and for an instant kill." I thanked her as I handed her the keys to my Jeep. I climbed into my unit and headed for the prosecutor's office to pick up the warrant. I double parked in front of the courthouse and went in. The prosecutor was coming down the hall and when he saw me he waved a paper in the air to catch my attention. I walked over to him and he handed me the paper. "This is somewhat broad based, but the Judge said to tell you it will stand up in any court. Harry, one of the women that works in the recorders office knows the Peters boy and said to tell you he is very dangerous. She said that since the old man died he has never been seen in town. She also said there were booby traps all over the hills up there." "Tell her I said thanks for the warning, but I was told all of that by Doris at the motor pool." "Harry that was a nice thing you did for her and I think you will never regret it. Before you leave, I need you to sign her probation papers since you are her sponsor. The Federal Court was very adamant that you be her sponsor. Just make sure she stays out of trouble while she is on probation." "I really don't think she will be any kind of problem, but I will keep my eyes on her just the same." I followed him to his office and waited while he got the papers out. I signed them and before I left he gave me his card with his home and cell numbers on it. I thanked him before heading out the door to my unit. As soon as I pulled out, I got on the radio and had dispatch call Beau to meet me at the gulch. I was informed he had already returned and was acting as the go between for our department and the State Police. I cleared and headed directly for the gulch. When I went down the main street of the gulch, I noticed that there were a lot of State Troopers units and there seemed to be more coming in. I pulled up beside Beau's unit and got out. He was on the radio and Butch was standing beside the driver's side as I walked up. "Butch, have you found any sign of the girls yet?" "Not a sign of them, Harry. We have checked all the buildings big enough to fit the description you gave us but nothing so far. That ATF team leader has been looking for you. I told him you were off the radio for awhile and that Hadley was in charge while you were gone. Harry, the air units want to know if you have any idea where they should look." "Butch, I have uncovered information about where they might be. I have a warrant, but I want to hold up for a minute until I can check it out by air. Have one of the air units pick me up, will you? While I am up, pull all your men in except the ones on the roadblocks. This shouldn't take too long." He was on the radio almost immediately so I stood by and waited for the chopper to land. I watched as one of their units landed behind the building in front of me. I ran over and climbed in the back and was handed a headset to put on as we lifted off. Man, I hadn't been in one of these things for years. "Commander, where are we going?" I directed them to where Doris had told me the buildings were. As we flew over the faint road, I noticed the truck sitting in the brush up the hill behind the casino. I had the pilot call it in, with the warning for whoever checked it out to be careful of booby traps. We had cleared the ridge behind where the truck was parked, and I saw the buildings that had been described to me. I told the pilot to fly over, and we would give it a casual check before we went any lower for a closer view. I warned him that the resident of the property might shoot at us if we got too low. He informed me this was a retired combat chopper, and it was armored in all the vital areas. Unless he was shooting armor piercing bullets, he wouldn't do anything but ping us. We flew a high pass over the buildings and I immediately saw a white rag being waved from one of the windows. I pointed it out to the pilot and we went in for a closer view of that building. I told him to fly over the smaller building first so we didn't draw attention to whoever was waving the rag. We dropped down over the small barn and just as we started to turn to go into our run over the big building I felt a PING right under my feet. I told the pilot immediately and he swung the chopper to face the small building. I put the binoculars up to my eyes and saw a man standing in the doorway of the barn with a rifle pointed toward us. I saw the flame out of the barrel and there was SPLAT sound from where the pilot was sitting. I looked around the seat and there was a big Star in the front part of the window in front of the pilot. He was laughing like crazy as he dove the chopper toward the barn and the shooter. "If you get me killed, I will haunt you forever!" "Don't worry, Commander, I'm just gonna scare the hell out of that idiot. I can't believe he would draw attention to himself by shooting at us. Hang On!" I was, believe me, and the pilot was laughing like crazy as he flew almost into the open barn doors. Damn, this guy was crazier than I was when I was young. He was laughing as the shooter dove flat on the ground and he pulled up. I swear from my seat we only cleared the barn by about an inch or so. As we turned we were over the big building, I had the binoculars to my eyes and could see a small girl waving what looked like a pair of panties between the bars over the window. This was all the confirmation I needed and I immediately ordered the pilot to take us back to town. While we were flying back I had the pilot tell Butch to have Hadley at our landing site. When we sat down I jumped out and went over to them pulling Hadley to the side away from the chopper as pilot was shutting down. "I want you to get on the horn and call your Swat Team in immediately. That SOB has all the advantage and I don't want any officers getting shot because he does. I doubt any of them have ever been in a shootout or ever had a gun shot at them. The women are in a large building at the back of the property. I don't want to give him any time to harm any of them so get your team in here now!" "They have already been called in and are on their way, Harry. When I heard you were taking hits I called and ordered them in. I also called in the bomb team you use from Nellis and they are on their way also. Sorry if I jumped the gun, but I anticipated what you would need. I think I am finally starting to get a handle on how you think. They will be here in ten and ready to rock and roll, Harry. They have been ordered to wear full body armor." 'You won't hear me complain because you jumped the gun. I'm glad you did because it will cut down on response time. Hadley you tell your guys this man is not operating on all cylinders, and that they should shoot to kill if they have to. I don't want anyone hurt here today if we can avoid it. I don't know how many women are in that building, but the one I saw couldn't have been over twelve years old. Damn the rotten bastards for locking up these kids to sell. If I had my way I would just shoot them all right on the spot." "Calm down, Harry, we all feel the same way. Here come my men now." I watched as the chopper landed about fifty feet from the other one. The door slid open and a man came running over to us dressed in full assault gear. "I was ordered to report to you sir. You lay it out for us and we will go in to get him." I described the situation and layout of the area, warning them to look out for ground set booby traps. I told them I wanted two of their men to set up a perimeter with a clear field of fire to cover the warehouse when it was established where the shooter was. I also told him the man was an avid survivalist and he was to be considered to be extremely dangerous. I touched on a few other points before telling him to shoot to kill if they had a barricaded subject and he refused to surrender. He nodded his head at me and Hadley then ran back to the chopper and they took off. We would have to wait for the all clear before we went in because they would maintain radio silence. I watched as they disappeared over the rim and hoped that he wasn't smart enough to use the women as hostages. I didn't want them to kill him, but I had a feeling he would go out hard. I sure hoped he hadn't wired the building the women were in. Oh well, it was out of my hands now. I watched as the Air Force chopper landed and Preacher and his men jumped out. "Hey Stinger, what the hell have you gotten yourself into now?" He had that shit eating grin on his face and for a moment I flashed back to another time and place. I quickly shook my head and went on to explain why he and his team were back again. He started cussing before I finished the explanation. Man, his language hadn't improved over the years. Hadley and Butch were both laughing at his vivid description of what he thought of someone who would do something like that to a child. "Harry, we will be more than glad to help out in any way we can. I'll go and brief my guys but don't get mad if they start cussing when I tell them." I looked over at Hadley, and he and Butch were both laughing like hell at what he said. "Will you two quit laughing? He doesn't need any further encouragement. I have known him for over twenty years and he just gets worse as he gets older. He was and still is a damn good soldier, but he doesn't have the temperament for authority figures, and will tell an officer off in a minute." Nobody said anything, but just stood there smiling like a couple of idiots. Man, don't they teach these young guys how to act professional any more, I wondered? I just shook my head and found a nice soft spot of grass and sat down while I waited for the all clear on the radio. I must have dozed off because I woke with the feeling of someone kicking the bottom of my foot. When I opened my eyes Hadley was standing over me with a radio in his hand. "We got problems, Harry. They have him cornered in the house but we have two men down, one with a serious wound from some kind of booby trap. The team leader says he will be ok until they can clear the area. He wants to know what you want him to do." "If he is holed up in the house and has harmed two men then I don't have a choice. Wait here, and tell him to establish a perimeter around the house, and keep him in there for about twenty minutes until I can get there." I got up and ran for the casino. I went through it and down the ramp to the cave where Barry was still working with his team to get all the pallets broken down for shipment. I called him over and asked him where the crates of RPGs were. He looked at me in surprise for a minute and pointed to his right. I went over and since one of them was open, I took three of the grenades and the weapon to shoot them out of the box. "Harry, you can't take those. I have to account for them when the stuff is transported." "I don't have time to explain now, Barry. I will take full responsibility for them so you won't have to worry." I ran back up the ramp and back toward the chopper. I ran toward Preacher and his men and as soon as he laid eyes on what I was carrying, he made a circling motion over his head for the pilot to wind it up. I climbed into the Huey and all of his men piled in behind me. We were up and flying in a few moments, headed for the battle area. I heard Preacher whoop as I was arming the grenades. We topped the ridge and I could see the SWAT team had the house circled so the person inside wouldn't escape. I motioned to Preacher to have the pilot hover just off the ground about five hundred feet to the side of the house. I didn't see any windows there so we could dismount in relative safety. His pilot was damned good because he feathered, Preacher and I were out in seconds, and he was back in the air. I motioned to one of the SWAT team members to come to me, and when he went to one knee by my side, I asked him where the suspect was located in the house relative to where we were at. He pointed to the front of the house and made the motion that he was on the close side of us. "Have your men move back about ten feet so any debris doesn't hurt any of them. Tell them to duck because I am going to blow that bastard out of there." He got on his radio with a big grin on his face. I waited until they were all back and I shouted at the house. "THIS IS THE PORTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT! IF YOU DON'T SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY WE WILL BURN YOU OUT!" I waited for his reply and it wasn't long in coming. "I AIN'T GONNA SURRENDER! THIS HERE'S PRIVATE PROPERTY AND YOU AIN'T GOT ANY BUSINESS TRESPASSING ON MY PLACE!" "I HAVE A LEGAL SEARCH WARRANT AND YOU HAVE WOUNDED SEVERAL FEDERAL OFFICERS. I WILL GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES TO COME OUT OR WE ARE COMING IN AFTER YOU!" "KISS MY ASS!" I saw Preacher smiling and I gave him the finger. I told the SWAT man to have the team leader to draw his fire to the far right side of the house and I would do the rest. I waited for the fire to start up and him to answer it, and stepped out where I had a clear shot at the front right window. I fired the RPG at an angle into the house. It exploded and I stepped up and fired another one angled a little lower, a little farther to the right. When it exploded, I fired the last one at the front door and blew it and whatever he had braced against it to hell. I dropped the now empty RPG on the ground, pulling my pistol as I ran in the front door. I kept going through a door way heading for the last spot he had been firing from. He was down but he wasn't dead. I walked up to him and pushed the scoped rifle away and quickly cuffed his hands behind his back. I called the all clear and then the house was full. I was surprised that the whole place wasn't on fire but I had gotten lucky with the type of grenade I had picked. It was not an incendiary. Hell, it didn't matter because I couldn't read Cyrillic anyway. ------- Chapter 35 I watched as the SWAT team gathered up the prisoner along with their own wounded. They wasted no time getting them all loaded on the chopper and flying out. I watched as Preacher's Huey landed in the front yard of the smoking house. His team climbed down and came over to us. "Preacher, I want this whole front area cleared of any booby traps. I am not going to let those women out of there until I know it's clear. I also want your pilot to go back and get loaded with the bottles of water from the bus I have there. Tell him to tell the others to stay away unless they speak fluent Spanish. If they can, then have them hitch a ride with the water and come in." "You got it, Stinger. Man, this is just like old times isn't it?" "Will you get your war mongering ass busy? I don't have time for this shit right now." He laughed and went to his pilot and talked for a few minutes, then went to his men. I watched as they started checking the ground and anywhere else they thought might be a booby trap. I knew this was going to take a while, and I was trying to ignore the crying from the big barn like building. It was really getting on my nerves. I could feel the misery without having to see it. I heard the distinctive sound of the Huey before I saw it coming. I hoped they had plenty of water on it for these poor women. I watched as it landed almost in the same spot it did before. I was surprised to see Mark and Hadley both jump down from it. They immediately started unloading the bottles of water and when I got there, they had most of this load on the ground. I was glad they had all this excess energy because my ass was dragging. I saw another chopper hovering to the side and as soon as ours took off it landed almost in the same spot. Butch jumped down and the three of them were unloading more water. I sat down on one of the stacks and waited till they were done and the chopper had took off again. "Harry, me and Hadley both speak fluent Spanish, and we are here to help." "Mark, you should be home with the girls not working this late. I have to get some portable lighting in here because there is no electric. I have Preacher and his men checking the grounds before I am letting any of them come out. This whole thing is FUBAR big time. They are all going to have to be walked out of here and it can't be done tonight." "Dammit, Harry, where do you think I have been all day? I have a complete portable hospital coming in and a field kitchen with the lighting and everything else you need. The Governor has it all coming from Nellis and it should be arriving at any time. Relax Harry, let someone else do some work. You have been hard at it all day, and not only in this county from what I heard. Why don't you sit there and let us do our jobs for a change?" This was the first time that Mark had ever given me an order so I did what he said, lit a cigarette and just relaxed. I was watching Preacher and his men spreading out in an ever widening circle, checking the ground before it got dark. I saw Mark and Preacher talking before Mark carefully walked up to the warehouse door. Hadley came over and sat down beside me. "Harry, you did a hell of a good job here today. Those women owe their lives to you and your actions. Mark told me what happened in Pickens. Man, you just don't let anything get by you, do you? I still find it hard to believe you have accomplished all you have today. I bet you were a hell of a Marshal when you were younger." "Hadley, I am the first one to admit I have a rigid sense of ethics for myself, but I still have feelings for the innocent and helpless around me. I hate the fact that these girls went through all this horror just to try to find a life for themselves. I also hate it that there are men like us that have to be the ones to send them back to the poverty they were trying to escape from. I am sworn to uphold the law, but I don't have to take any enjoyment out of doing it. If I had my way, they would all be given to a host family, and let them earn the right to be citizens so their family doesn't have to go through what they did." "Harry, I am married to a beautiful Latino woman and we have three kids. We all have learned English and Spanish together so they would not forget their heritage. My wife used to work sixteen hours a day to make ends meet, but she never gave up. I feel the same way about this whole situation that you do, but I am realistic enough to know I can't change it. I am with you about it, but it's not up to us. I have to have my wife talk to me sometimes, to keep me from ruining my whole career because of the hate I have for the men who do this. No, Harry, you're not the only one who's mad here today." I watched him walk up to the warehouse and was thinking about what he said. Just goes to show you that you never know all you thought you did, about the people you worked with. I watched as Preacher went over to Mark and they talked a little before he came over to me and sat down. His men all gathered around us in a circle waiting for their ride. "Stinger, this is one part of your job I don't think I would like to do. You have to send them all back, don't you?" "The INS will. I don't have a say in it, Preacher. I am just thankful I found them before they all died of dehydration. I feel sorry for them 'cause they will be shuffled around like cattle after they leave here. I just hope they get treated better before they get home to their families. I want the people behind this operation and I will get them sooner or later. They won't be able to hide forever." I watched the Huey come in with a sling underneath it. They lowered it down to the ground and went to the side and hovered while fifteen soldiers came out both sides of it to the ground. They went running over to the sling and started pulling out crates of stuff. I watched as they sorted them and then they started pulling the contents out. They were portable lights and they were making a huge circle of them with two pointing toward the warehouse. They set the empty cases off to the side, stacking them neatly. Then another Huey came in and more men and equipment came out. There was a large kitchen being set up to feed everyone. I watched as another one came in and set the field hospital by the house. Several of the soldiers came over to me like they knew who I was. "Sheriff Hanson, we were told to report to you. We are all fluent in Spanish and are here to help with any language problems." "Those two men over there by the warehouse are in charge now. I suggest you report to them for your assignments. I will warn you now the conditions inside there are gonna turn your stomachs. Please do not let those poor women see you show any type of rejection toward them. I will promise you if you do, I will personally take you out in the dark and kick your ass. Those poor girls deserve every bit of kindness you can show them." I watched as they slowly went over to Hadley and reported into him. They talked a few minutes and I saw him look over at me and smile, before he said something to the soldiers that made them come to attention immediately. Preacher came back over and sat down beside me and we both watched the tables and chairs being set up in the yard of the house in front of the hospital. From the smiles I was seeing on the soldiers, none of them looked unhappy to be here. "Harry, looks like me and my men are going to be here for a while. They took our ride to haul more supplies in. There are also a lot of the women from town walking out to help out so there will be other females around. You must be very popular there, because when they heard you were staying, they all decided to come out and help. I know I act like an ass sometimes, but you on the other hand, are still out here saving lives like you did for our team in Nam so many times. I still owe you my life ten times over, my friend." "Preacher that was war and it doesn't count. We had to cover each others' back to stay alive. I would rather have your friendship, than have you think you owe me for saving your miserable hide." We both had a good laugh at that and watched as a private helicopter flew over the area. I told Preacher to get on the horn and warn him off before we had him arrested. He was trying to get permission to land, but he was told the area was an Air Force Training area and was closed to civilian craft for ten miles. He finally flew off but wasn't happy about it. I called Hadley over and asked him to close the area to air traffic unless cleared by Nellis or him. He got on the horn to Nellis and informed them of the orders and they agreed right away. They didn't want some dummy crashing into one of their choppers flying in and out of the area. I leaned back and amid all the confusion I fell asleep. I don't know how long I was sleeping when I heard a scream and sat bolt upright from a lying position. I came up off the boxes with my gun in my hand looking for the source. I felt a hand on my shoulder and started. Mark was standing beside me pushing the pistol toward the ground. I quickly holstered it and heard another scream. "We had two hundred and ten-people still alive in there. They found fifteen really small children that didn't make it. The screams that startled you are the mothers venting their grief in the only way they can. Damn, I hate this job, Harry. Let's turn it over to Hadley, and go get the girls and go home." "Why don't you do that Mark, and give them a kiss and hug for me, will ya? I will stay and see this through and help all I can. Take my unit home with you and I'll catch a ride back with someone. Here's the key." He looked at the mother kneeling on the ground next to the body bag and walked away with tears in his eyes. I spied Hadley still by the warehouse and walked over to him. I was standing a little to the side, and realized he was crying while silently watching the little bodies being carried out to be placed in body bags. I turned and walked out of the lights and watched as another mother recognized a body and went down to her knees sobbing. I sat down on a log and let the tears flow. I couldn't hold it back any longer. I thought I had it under control but I didn't, and I couldn't stop the tears from coming after seeing all the little bodies lying on the ground. If I thought cussing would help I would have let loose but I knew it wouldn't. I just stood numb and hurting while I watched the same scene play out four more times. I walked away and went to find a cup of coffee. I was so very thankful I wasn't the one having to move those tiny little souls from the building. I found the coffee pot and had my first cup of the evening. I noticed about a dozen girls eating but most were stretched out on the ground in sleeping bags asleep. I sat down at the table and lit a cigarette wondering where all these kids had come from. I only saw maybe twenty adults in the whole crowd. The woman I had talked to about the money saw me and came over and sat down next to me. "Sheriff, this is the most horrible thing I have ever seen in my life. One of the little girls from town was found in that place. We didn't know she was missing until they found her here. The State Troopers let her parents take her back to town until the funeral home could come get her. He said she would be taken to the hospital for an autopsy, but they would release her to her parents tomorrow. Why is this happening Sheriff?" "Lady, if I could answer that then I would be able to find out who brought them here. If I ever do, he won't have a chance to explain to a jury of his peers. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I need another cup of coffee." I got up and went to the coffee pot and damned if she didn't follow me. I guess she couldn't take a hint. "Sheriff, I'm sorry for talking about it. I have seen the effect this has had on all the law enforcement and the soldiers. I never saw so many men crying in my life. My ole man made me cry, but he didn't shed a tear when our daughter was killed by that animal Hubba. I will always be grateful to you for giving her peace after all this time." "How old are you, lady? You look like you're about thirty at the most. How many years ago has this been?" "I didn't mean to make you angry Sheriff. I lost my girl five years ago come this June. I am fifty-four years old. I work as a bartender in the other casino in town. The money I collected was mine, from when I worked there when it all happened. I quit right after that. I'll go now and quit bothering you." I watched as she walked away, trying to figure out why she had approached me in the first place. I looked up and saw Hadley coming for the coffee pot, and I waited for him to come up. ------- Chapter 36 I made sure I met Hadley at the coffee pot as he came up to the feeding area. "Harry, if I didn't have a family to support I would spend the rest of my life looking for the people that could do this to children. This is one time that I need to go home and hug my kids and my wife. If she saw this, she would be in the hospital with shock. Do you have any idea at all who is shipping these kids to this part of the country?" "I haven't had a chance to go through all the papers I confiscated from the casino yet. That first bunch we found were being driven by a member of the Brotherhood out of Texas. I still don't believe they are doing this." "If they are, it's a first for them. They deal in arms and drugs and other smuggling but they have never been connected with something like this. No, I think it's some other group. Maybe the Mexican Mafia or one of the Drug Cartels. I have not seen any memos or any other information about anyone dealing in children like what we have found here. My team will sweat that man you blew up as soon as he is able to talk." "I don't think I had much of a choice on that one Hadley. I wasn't going to let him hurt anyone else or blow that warehouse. Sorry, but it was my call, Hadley." "I am not blaming you for what you did, Harry. I would have done the same. By the way, will you call me by my first name?" "If I knew what the hell it was I would." "It's Sean, and I'm sorry I haven't been very polite toward you. I didn't realize how many years of experience in the service you had. I about had a heart attack when I finally was able to get my hands on your jacket. If you don't mind me asking, why did you drop off the face of the earth after the Butler case?" "Sean that's one subject I would like to forget about. Let's say I got him, but he died before he could stand trial. I decided right then I was done with government service. That's why I went with the County service. It was rife with the same mentality as the big boys were. I went private, and the only reason I am carrying this badge now is because of Mark. Hell, Sean, I don't have to work, but I need something to keep me busy. I don't think I would rate this as such, but maybe it will help to erase some of the black spots on my soul. What are we going to do with all these little kids, Sean?" "That's not for us to decide, Harry. I can tell you that most of the ones I talked to were orphaned from all over the Latin countries. There was one little girl, the one who was waving the rag, told me a big white man bought her and ten others for fifty dollars American each. She told me she has had only had three meals in the last ten days, and very little water. She also said some of these kids had been in that barn for two weeks before they got here. She didn't know where they were going from here, but she said anything was better than being in that barn." I didn't have any type of comeback for that statement so I just sat in silence and drank my coffee. I looked at my watch and to my surprise it was only a few minutes after midnight. I looked around and all the girls except one were asleep. The one sitting at the table was staring at me like she knew me, or was trying to remember if she did. Now this was disconcerting as hell. I noticed Sean was taking it all in with a frown on his face. "Do you know her from somewhere Harry?" "I have never seen her before that I know of Sean. I wish she would quit staring at me." She must have been reading my mind because she went over to an empty sleeping bag and went to bed. "That was really weird, Harry. Are you sure you don't know her?" "I am positive Sean. I must remind her of somebody or something. Let's go see if they have any food left. I haven't eaten since this morning." He looked at me in surprise and nodded his head. We walked over to the chow line and asked, and were told all they had left were some bologna sandwiches and some soup. We were told they were having a full breakfast in the morning. The choppers were due in at daybreak with more food and water. They were also expecting clothes and the stuff to set up portable showers for all the girls. They said the women from town were coming back to help with bathing and getting clothes to match the girls. We were also told there was a tent set up for the two of us by the house. He said a Sgt. by the name of Preacher had made sure it was set up for us and even pointed us out to make sure they all knew who it was for. We thanked him and headed for it. There was a light burning inside and two cots with sheets and a pillow. I stripped down to my briefs and climbed in between the sheets. Sean wasn't far behind me and since the light was closer, I was the one who turned it off. I did make sure I put my gun under my pillow, close at hand just in case. I fell asleep thinking about the girls. I don't know how long I had been asleep when my eyes popped open, and I realized I was holding my pistol. I didn't know what had awakened me so I lay on the cot listening to the sounds around me. I heard what sounded like steps outside of the tent. I didn't move, just laid and listened. There it was again, in the rear of the tent, coming around to the front. I could hear Sean breathing in a steady pattern so I knew he was still sound asleep. The steps were almost by the flaps now, and I had the pistol pointed at the opening of the tent flaps. Whoever was out there would be outlined when they opened the flaps so I would be able to see who it was. I waited for what seemed like an hour to me, when I saw a hand grab the flap and ease it open. I almost shot, but at the last minute I was able to see it was the little girl who had been staring at me at the table. I wondered what she was up to as I watched her ease into the tent. I reached up and turned the light on and she let out a little scream when the light came on. Sean sat up wide awake looking toward where the scream came from. "Why are you here and what do you want?" "I don't think she speaks English, Harry." "Oh I think she does because her eyes widened when I spoke to her. Now little girl, why are you in my tent?" "I was looking for you, Harry. My mom said she thought you were out this way. That's why I let myself stay with the other orphans. I could have escaped at any time. Don't you remember who I am? I know I was only five the last time you saw me, but I haven't changed that much have I?" "I don't know who you are and I certainly would have remembered if I knew you. Where is your family?" "My mother is dead, that's why I was in the orphanage in Sonora. I did have a letter for you but those men burned it when they searched me. If you could have read it, you would have understood why I was trying to find you." "You don't have it, and I have no idea who you are, or who your mother might have been. If you have some kind of explanation, then I suggest you tell me or get out of here." "I will tell you, and I will also tell you where Mom said the records were she locked up for you to read. My name is Sandra Hanson and until we went to Sonora we lived in Columbus, Ohio. My mother's name was Cindy and she was your daughter until she died of cancer. I am your granddaughter, and I have been trying to find you for two years. I wrote to everyone Mom told me about, but nobody knew where you were. Can I please stay with you or are you going to send me back to Sonora to be sold again?" I was sitting there with my mouth hanging open with my gun still in my hand. My God! Did she say she was my granddaughter? My daughter died of cancer two years ago? Why hadn't someone told me about all of this? How come my ex never let me know? She knew where I was as I always sent her and her family a Christmas card every year. Sean spoke up and it took a couple of minutes for it to register he was even speaking to me. "Harry, say something will you? If this is true, then you are twice blessed in the last twenty four hours. I think she is waiting for you to answer her." "How come your grandmother never said anything to me? She would have taken you and your mom in if she needed help." "You don't understand. Mom and I moved down there after grandma died of the same cancer that killed Mom. That was a year before we moved. Didn't anyone ever tell you anything?" "Your grandmother's dead, too? This is the first I've heard of any of this. How come her family never told me or wrote and let me know?" "Grandma's husband was scared to death of you. Mom used to use your name to scare him when he would treat us mean. All she had to do was threaten to call you and he would leave us alone. He used to beat on Mom and Grandma when they didn't do what he wanted." "He knew about you and your mom, and didn't call or drop me a line? I think he needs a little jolt of reality. I don't know what to say as your mom and I haven't spoken since you were born." "Mom told me all about it and she always regretted that she lost you over a stupid comment. She spent hours telling me about you while she was in that filthy hospital down there. She kept telling me to get to you no matter what it took. She loved you, and cried because she couldn't see you before she died. I don't know how many times she made me promise to find you. I have and went through all of this and now you don't want me either. I am beginning to think I am better off alone." I was still in shock but Sean wasn't, and he spoke up for me immediately. "Sandra, I have a feeling he is still in shock from all of this. Can you tell us a little more of how you got here all the way from Sonora? It might help us to find out who's doing this." "I know who the one is who is buying all these girls. It pays to be able to speak both languages. He lives in Austin and runs several large grocery stores there. We stayed in one of his warehouses the first night we came into this country. He picked two of the little girls and we never saw them again. He has a big ranch with the circle L on all his trucks and clothes. He was one of several that came through and looked at us. He was the big boss and wasn't afraid to brag about it. We were all supposed to be loaded on a ship going to some desert country to be sold as slaves for a big profit. I overheard them talking about this being the biggest load so far, and that they all would make millions from us. He keeps his records in his office at his ranch and he told the rest he would be sure to write down how much their shares would be." "Sandra, that's the most information we have been able to find out since this whole thing started. I think Harry is starting to come around a little. Why don't you wait outside while we get dressed and then we will join you?" I watched still in shock, as she smiled with her mother's smile, as she ducked out of the tent. Now that my memory had been shocked into reality, I could see how much she resembled her mother when she was that age. I still couldn't believe that her mother was dead as well as my ex wife. To think she went through all of this to find me was incredible. I did know that her grandmother's husband was in for a big surprise as soon as I got to a phone. I had promised him years ago I wouldn't put him away with what I had on him, unless he mistreated my daughter. He had and he was going to pay big time when I got through with him. "Harry, I know this has been a big shock, but you need to get a grip, and tell me what you are going to do about her. She deserves to have a home after all she has been through. Are you ready to be a father again? I think you both need to sit down and get to know each other. Why don't you get dressed and go out there and talk to her some more?" I didn't answer, but got dressed and put my gun away. I went out of the tent and she was sitting all alone at one of the tables drinking coffee. I stopped and watched her for a little bit, and the more I watched the more the memories of my daughter came back to me. Damn, that black spot on my soul had just gotten bigger. If I had known where she was I would have brought her home to stay with me and taken care of her. I was fifty seven years old with a granddaughter that was at the most ten going on twenty. She was wise way beyond her years from all she had been through. I would be willing to bet her mom made sure she had a good education, more than normal kids her age. I knew I was just putting off the inevitable so I slowly walked to where she was sitting. I detoured and grabbed a coffee on my way. I sat down beside her and lit a cigarette waiting to see if she would start the conversation. I couldn't think of anything to break the silence between us. I was thankful when she started the conversation with a question. "You never did answer my question." "Which one was that?" "Whether you're going to accept me or send me back to be sold again?" I looked at her in shock, and she smiled at me, and once again my mind was taken back to the past. I had to quit doing that, and get a hold of my mind. This was all surreal to me and getting worse. "I don't think I could do that. I might have to rescue you again and I don't think I could stand the shock. I am an old man and these shocks are not good for me. Will you tell me why your mom chose Mexico to live?" "She was working for a travel agency, and they offered her a job there to teach new employees. After she got sick, thieves stole everything we owned including all our papers. We were stuck, and when she got too weak to leave, I was put in the orphanage while she was in the hospital. They didn't watch us very close so I spent most of the time with her. That's how I knew who you were when you sat down. We used to have an old picture but it got taken too. You haven't changed much, well, maybe your face is a little fatter. The papers my mom left for you are in the bank, in your name, in Columbus. Mom opened the box and paid for ten years so it would be there. It has all my records in it, along with the papers for you to be my guardian. That's all I know." I was deep in retrospect again when Sean sat down across from us. I noticed he was trying to use the phone but the signal here was weak, as I had already discovered. Preacher had used the radio and his pilot for me to get my messages out. He was talking to Sandra and I caught the tail end of the conversation. When he addressed me by name, it snapped me out of my thought pattern. "Well Harry, do you think you will be able to stand having a child in your world? I think this one will keep you on your toes. I am going after the man she told us about as soon as INS comes in tomorrow. Since it spans several state lines, it falls under our purview. Harry, will you help by calling the Director and telling him what I am planning to do? If we get him in on this, I will be able to use Homeland's clout for warrants or anything else I need." "Sean, if she wasn't here, I would go with you, but I might shoot him so I will make the call, and pull in a few of the points I have made with him in the last week. I think this guy's weak spot will be the bodies he had to bury somewhere. If you can get pictures, I will have Sandra look at them. Maybe she can identify some of the people she saw there." "I would be glad to help out all I can. The girls here deserve someone to help them so it doesn't happen again. I just wish they all had families to go home to." "Believe me they will be treated better after all the reporters get here tomorrow. I think Mark is planning on having them come in early in the morning before any of them can get the new clothes and showers. Sandra will be going with me to the cabin. I am sure she will like the girls when she meets them. I have to arrange to get her in school and whatever else she needs. She is going on a big shopping trip as soon as things settle down here tomorrow. We still have the auction coming up this weekend and I have to get it all organized." "Grandpa, do you think maybe I can get some breakfast first?" ------- Chapter 37 My God! I still couldn't believe I had found my granddaughter among all these poor children. I was going to have to readjust my whole way of thinking and living. I would have to remember I had to think about someone besides myself for a change. The shock of my daughter's death still hadn't set in yet, but I knew it would. To die in a filthy hospital leaving her daughter must have been hard on her. I remember how independent and proud she was when she turned 18. I still remember taking her out to celebrate her birthday and she got drunk on one mixed drink. We laughed about it for months afterwards. Sandra, this was the first time I had ever heard her name since she was born. I looked over at her, sound asleep with her head in her arms, and wondered how much horror she had been through and seen, trying to find me. I knew if I ever found out some worthless adult had molested her, I would hunt him down if it took every cent I had. How can one so little be so sweet with everything she had gone through? It was almost light outside when I heard the first chopper coming in. I woke Sean up and told him I was catching a ride out with Sandra on it, and that he would be in charge until Mark came in with the reporters. I had some phone calls to make and couldn't do it here. He looked at her sleeping, and smiled and wished me good luck. I waited till I saw the chopper with a sling on the bottom coming in and I woke her. "Come on, we are catching a ride out of here right now." I ran over to where the chopper was disgorging troops and waved it down. The pilot settled it on the ground and I helped her inside. I put the head phones on and told him where to set down and let us off at. He gave me the thumbs up and we were airborne. I was looking down and saw a long line of people walking into the valley down the old logging road. Some were women but others looked like reporters because they were all carrying cameras and equipment. I had to laugh thinking about the unaccustomed exercise they would all get carrying all that junk. The pilot set us down where I told him to, and when we were out and away he took off, heading back to Nellis. I saw Butch immediately with about two dozen troopers. We walked over to him and I told him I wanted one of his men to take us to the motor pool. He looked at Sandra but other than raising his eye brows, he never said a word. We got in the car and took off with the lights on. We passed Mark coming in and I don't think he even recognized me. We pulled up at the shop and my unit and Jeep was sitting out front. We went inside and since it was so early, only Shayne was there doing paper work. "Hello Harry, who's your friend?" "This is my granddaughter, Sandra. I need the keys to my personal Jeep. I am going to stay out of radio contact for a while so you haven't seen me today." "The Sheriff just dropped off your unit. I will pull it inside out of sight. I suggest you turn your cell off too. I have already had a dozen calls from different news agencies looking for you. Seems you're a hero again. The Governor has already had one news conference this morning naming you and the State Police the heroes of the hour for finding all those children. The radio room has been swamped with reporters trying to get to see you. My wife said they are pulling their hair out with all the calls already this morning." "Thanks for the tip. We will go straight to my cabin from here. They better not try to walk up there or I will have them arrested for trespassing." "I don't think you have to worry about that, Harry. Nobody would tell them where you lived or anything else about you. Doris has already called everyone saying if we said anything we would all lose our jobs. I don't know of anyone that wants to get on her bad side." We both had a good laugh at that one. I walked out to my Jeep still holding on to Sandra's hand. When we climbed into the Jeep, her eyes were so big they looked like dinner plates. "Sorry to rush you around like this but I need to stay low for a while or I will get hounded to death. I think you are going to love your new home. I will fix you a big breakfast as soon as we get there. I think Dina has some clothes that will fit you until we can go shopping to get you a whole new wardrobe." "Grandpa, will you please slow down a little? I have been two years trying to find you so we don't have to do everything in one day. I just want a hot shower and some clean clothes. The food can wait till after I have that. You don't have to spend a lot of money on me for clothes and stuff. I haven't had much for years so it doesn't bother me to wear hand me downs until we can go shopping. I have learned to do without and it doesn't bother me anymore. I am happy I finally found you after looking so long. I bet Mom's smiling right now up in heaven seeing us together. I did what she wanted, but you have to know that I don't expect you to try to spoil me. I just want a roof over my head and food on a regular basis. I will work to earn everything you get me because I am not lazy." "Sandra, finding you means more to me than anything else. I shudder to think what would have happened if you hadn't found me. They would have shipped you back to Sonora because you don't have any papers. I promise you right now, as long as I am alive, you will have anything your heart desires. I have a lot to make up for and you are just part of it. I will have your mom's body brought back up here for you if you want. If I had known, I would have come and gotten you both without any hesitation." "Mom was happy working with the people down there. I was the only loose end for her, and she was powerless to help me other than to tell me to find you. I have looked for a long time and it was hard for me to not be discouraged as I had to eat garbage to live sometimes. I was one of the lucky ones because I wasn't molested like a lot of the girls were. I remembered everything Mom taught me and believe me it saved me a couple of times. She told me she would always watch over me until I found you. When I was about to give up, I could hear her telling me to keep going because I was closer than I thought. When I saw you last night, I couldn't believe my search was finally over. Now I just want to be a little girl again and let someone besides me make all the decisions. I want you to promise me if I get on your nerves or become a pain to you that you won't throw me away. I just want someone to love me for a change, Grandpa." "I promise you here and now, I will never throw you away or stop loving you. If we have problems we will talk and work them out so we both can be happy. When everything settles down in the next two weeks, we will fly to Columbus and get the papers. I will not only be your guardian, but I will also adopt you as my own. What about your father? Won't he want you to come and stay with him?" "Mom put those papers in the box too. He signed away any rights he had so he wouldn't have to pay child support. Mom told me everything before she died, and she also said to tell you that you were right about him being a moocher and a leech. I don't remember him at all, and Mom always said I would have a better life when I found you. That's all I want, Grandpa, a happy home I won't have to leave because I am no longer welcome." "You won't ever have to worry about that ever again. Well here we are, what do you think of your home?" She looked around and was out of the Jeep almost before I could shut the motor off. She was looking all around and had a childish ear to ear smile on her face. "Is this our home? This is so beautiful, Grandpa. Is it all yours?" "No honey, it's ours and I hope you like it. I have two big fish ponds and there are animals roving everywhere. Come on young lady, let's get you cleaned up and a big breakfast in your belly." We went up on the porch and I shut the alarm down and we went in. She just stood and looked around taking it all in. I asked what sizes of clothing she wore and she told me what she thought she wore now. I took her up to my room and told her to take her time with her shower and to use all the hot water she wanted. I got her one of the small sized robes from the closet and gave her towels. I told her there were toothbrushes and everything else she needed in the closet in the bathroom. I heard the water come on as I headed for the shelter. I went into the bunk room and found the sizes she had told me and gathered up everything from undies to boots. I made sure I went up and down in sizes just in case. I found a bomber jacket in her size and grabbed it too. I had a huge stack of clothes on the table when I heard the water shut off in my room. I looked at all the things I had gotten for her and realized as far as I was concerned this was just a start for her. I would also make sure she had a college fund and anything else she might want for. It took me three trips to move all the stuff up to my bedroom and pile it all on the bed for her to pick out what she wanted to wear. I decided to give her the privacy I felt she needed and headed for the kitchen to start coffee and her breakfast. I was almost finished with the meal and was taking the eggs to the table when she walked into the kitchen. I looked up and dropped the skillet on the floor in shock. She was my daughter's ghost, and the shock and pain was almost too much to bear for me. I sat down in the chair and started crying in my grief and my damned stubborn ways. I had driven her away and now I would never be able to say how sorry I was. I felt her little arms around me, and she was saying over and over; "It's ok, Grandpa, she knew you loved her." I reached up and hugged her to me, trying to get control of my grief. I had spent years wondering what I would say to her when I saw her again but now I would never have the chance. I had her daughter and I would never drive her off like I had my own daughter. I would spend the rest of my miserable life trying to make it up to her, by making sure Sandra would be loved with all my heart. "I'm sorry sweetie, but when you walked in I thought it was your mother's ghost. You look like her twin when she was your age. After breakfast I will get what few pictures I have and let you look at them." "I forgot to tell you, Mom put all the photo albums you gave her along with your mom and dad's burial books in the box. She also said you would make sure I got them when I found you. Grandpa, don't be sad for her. She was happy with the way we lived till she got sick. I think you were the only person besides me she thought about at the end. I love the new clothes, but how were you able to buy so many so fast? I was only in the shower for fifteen minutes. Do we have more eggs to cook or should we eat off the floor?" I laughed and cleaned up the mess while she set the table. I had more food cooked in a few minutes and we sat down to eat our first meal together. I watched fascinated as she ate enough for two people. She polished off three glasses of milk, and had a milk mustache which she licked off before helping herself to more eggs and toast. I finished and was having coffee before she sat back in her chair and smiled at me while rubbing her belly. "Grandpa, you can cook for me anytime. That was the best meal I've had in months. Can I have another glass of milk?" "You can have all the milk you want. I think at this rate you will be putting on a few pounds in a couple of weeks. Well we have the whole day together, so do you have anything you want to do?" "Can we go to a big town and just walk around and see the sights? I haven't done that since Mom and I moved to Mexico. I want to have some French fries and an ice cold Pepsi and just take in the sights." "I will make a few calls, then get a shower and then we will go to the airport and charter a flight to Las Vegas. I think you will get your fill of the sights and sounds of the area really quick. You can watch a movie on the DVD while I get ready." She didn't know what a DVD was so I showed her all the movies and she chose Harry Potter of all things. She explained she had heard about him even in Sonora but had never seen any of the movies before. I set it up and she was enthralled by the big screen and when I gave her a cold Pepsi and the headphones, she ignored me from that point on. I went to the shower, and shaved, then got dressed in casual clothes. I sat down and got on the phone and started my calls. The first one I made was to a friend of mine who was the Chief of Police in the town where my daughter had stayed. I spent ten minutes telling him the whole deal and what had happened and he was furious. He said he would get the files I told him about and he would take it from there. I called the Director next and brought him up to speed and told him what I wanted him to do for me. He said it would be ready to go before the end of the day and that Hadley would have his full cooperation in however he wanted to handle it. He told me to give him his personal number and he would back him all the way. He said he wanted this type of thing stopped cold and he would make sure Hadley got whatever he needed. Damn, that meant I had to go back to the gulch to talk to him. Well if I didn't do it today, I would call him in Reno tomorrow. I was not about to return to that madhouse when I had a little girl downstairs that wanted to spend some quality time with me today. I made the third call and he said he had already doubled my original investment. He also told me he had deposited the profits into my account and he was going to use the original amount to do it again. I told him what had happened and he said he would have the bank's name and all the information for me within 24 hours. I hung up with a smile on my face. I put my shoulder holster back on and grabbed my ID and a light jacket, and headed back down stairs. I walked into the front room and she was sound asleep in the chair all curled up with the headphones still on. I knew all the excitement had caught up with her and I was torn as to whether I should wake her up or let her sleep. In the end I decided to just let her sleep. This was probably the first time she had a full stomach, and felt safe for a long time. I was looking at her, and then at the picture in my hand, and I couldn't tell any difference between her and her mother. It was uncanny how much they looked alike. I sat down on the couch across from her, and started going through my mind's eye to find the memories I was looking for. ------- Chapter 38 I was deep in thought when I heard the phone ringing. I glanced over at Sandra and she was still sound asleep with a smile on her face. I glanced at the caller ID and it was Mark's cell so I picked it up. "Harry, I am at the office with a supervisor from the INS. He wants that girl you took from the valley. He is having a fit because you kidnapped her, as he put it. He is threatening to have you arrested by his people if you don't bring her in. What do you want me to do?" "You tell him this word for word. If he tries to pull any shit with me I will shoot him on sight. That so called girl is my granddaughter. He doesn't have the jurisdiction or the power to take her away from me. If he wants to push it I will pull some strings and have him removed from his job, Mark." "He is pretty adamant about this, Harry. They flew him in from Texas to handle this job and he thinks he is God or something. He also said that his people should have been called first before we made any moves." "You say he is from Texas?" "Yeah from Austin I think. Ok, Harry, I recognize that tone so what's going on?" "You tell him we are coming in to the station and whatever you do hold him there until we get there. I think we might have found our unknown link. Call Hadley and tell him to meet me in the parking lot, will you?" "Ok, Harry, but I hope you know what you're doing. You could be in deep trouble if he pushes this thing." "Just let me worry about it, Mark." He hung up and when I turned around Sandra was looking at me with big eyes. "Don't worry, honey, nobody is taking you anywhere unless they kill me first." She smiled at me, and then I sat down and told her what I was thinking, and she smiled and told me she remembered every face of the men that had looked at all of them while they were in that warehouse. We got up and went to the Jeep and headed for the station. When we pulled in, Hadley was waiting for me and I could see he also had changed clothes and shaved. He came over saying "Hi" to Sandra, asking what was going on. I told him my thoughts and what I was thinking about this supervisor from Texas. He got a thoughtful look on his face, and then said let's go see this ass and find out his story. I also went on to tell him what the director said, and I gave him the director's personal number for his use. He thanked me and was all smiles as we walked inside the station. Sandra had a death grip on my hand and I told her not to worry she wasn't going anywhere except with me. Hadley told her the same thing and she relaxed her grip a little. We went into Mark's office and there was a little short bald man giving Mark hell as he leaned over the desk. When he saw me with Sandra she moved behind me. He turned around and looked at her with an evil smile on his face. "Well little girl, you are coming with me back to where you belong." "Grandpa, that's one of the men from the warehouse." I let loose of her hand and hit him four times as hard as I could. He was down on the floor and I was putting the boots to him when Mark and Sean grabbed me and pulled me off him. I watched as Sean arrested him and read him his rights. Even after all that he was still cussing me for messing up his profitable business. I went after him again and Mark had to physically pull me out of the office. I was still threatening him when Sandra spoke up and her voice calmed me down immediately. "Grandpa, he is scum just like the rest of them. They will lock him up where he belongs, but I don't want to lose you because of him. Will you please calm down and let your friends handle him? I think you have done enough damage to him. He never touched me, but he was one of the ones that helped the big boss choose the girls they took. He will get his when your friend Sean gets through with him. Can we go get something to eat?" Mark was listening with a big smile on his face as he saw the effect she had on me. He laughed and introduced himself to her saying he and his two girls were staying with me temporarily while they looked for someplace to buy. "Sandra, your grandfather is a very important part of this department. My two girls call him their uncle and they both love him like he is. I hope you and they become good friends as you all get to know each other. Did you know he saved several other girls before he found all of you? I know he is grouchy sometimes, but he is an old softy at heart and loves kids." "You don't have to tell me about my grandpa. My mom told me everything there is to know about him, and so far he is just like she said he would be. I am thankful I was able to find him, and I know my mom is happy for the both of us. That poor man in there is sick, and he is weak, and I know he will lead Sean to all the others that have been doing this. I just wish I could be there to see them all locked up for all the kids they have mistreated. Now, about that food, Grandpa." Mark and I both laughed at her mention of food again. I told her we had to wait a minute while I wrote a statement for her to sign then we would eat anywhere she wanted. She smiled and said to please hurry up because she was starving for some French fries. Seems they didn't have those in Sonora, and cold Pepsi was almost impossible to get there too. I smiled at her and we went to the radio room so I could write the statement. When we walked in, everyone stood up and clapped as soon as I walked in. Sandra was looking around with that ear to ear grin again as we went to the office. I sat down behind the desk and wrote the report, filling in the facts as she told them to me. I finally finished it and turned it around for her to print her name. I made a big mistake by saying that to her and she immediately told me about it. "I can read and write, Grandpa. Mom home schooled me and even though I am only nine and a half years old, I can read as well as most adults. I can also write and do algebra. I took after Mom in that aspect. She was really good with math and so am I." "If you can do all that then you're better than me. I still have to count on my fingers if it's above ten." She just busted up laughing and it was the sweetest sound in the world to me. Mark came in and sat next to her and asked her if I was bothering her. She smiled at him saying not any more than he was. I busted out laughing at the embarrassed look on his face. She was smiling impishly at him as he got red in the face. "I can see right now that between you and my daughters; I am going to have to watch what I say. I have a feeling I should be very careful what I say around you three." "I can't wait to meet them, Mark. I haven't had anyone my age to play with for a long time. Do they have any Barbie Dolls? I used to have a whole bunch of them with all kinds of clothes but they were stolen while I was in the orphanage. I really miss playing with them. Grandpa, if I work real hard will you buy me some more of them to play with?" Mark and I looked at each other in shock. I didn't know what to say. Of all things she wanted after all she had been through were some Barbie Dolls. Well, she would have them and the big playhouse to go with them. I suddenly remembered that her mom had a whole bunch of them too until she had started collecting those stupid Troll dolls. I remembered how many of them I had bought, and mailed to her when I was working on the road as a Marshal. I could only hope they had gone out of style. "Can we go eat now, Grandpa? I signed your paper and you said we could eat after we were done with it. I think I want to go to McDonald's if they are still in business. I haven't eaten at one since Mom and I moved to Sonora. I want some of their French fries." I handed Mark the signed and witnessed statement and watched as he added his signature to it. We headed for the local McDonald's for her French fries. Me, I was planning on having a Big Mac and fries. I noticed she was smiling again as we pulled into the lot and went inside. She ordered a child's hamburger meal with a large side order of fries and I ordered my Big Mac. We went to the table and she came back with three cups of catsup. I was about half through my sandwich when Tran and the girls came in. Of course the girls spotted me immediately and ran over giving me hugs and kisses. They both sat down and looked at Sandra waiting for me to tell them who she was. "Dina, Dana, this is my granddaughter Sandra. She will be living with us from now on." Dina immediately got up and went over to her and hugged her saying she was glad to meet her. Of course Dana was right behind her saying the same thing. They started talking and I was totally ignored by all of them. I noticed Tran standing back with the tray with their food on it and even though I would just as soon her not be there, I motioned her over to sit with us. She sat down avoiding looking at me the whole time. Of course Dina changed the whole situation. "Auntie Tran, this is Uncle Harry's granddaughter. She is going to be living with us from now on. She came all the way from Sonora to stay with Uncle Harry. Her name is Sandra. She's the same age as me. We will be going to school together and everything." Tran looked at me in shock, but never said a word. I just finished my meal and let the girls carry the conversation. Neither Tran nor I said a word to each other the whole time. Dina noticed but didn't say anything. The girls spent the whole time planning their weekend, and to my surprise Sandra was right in the middle of the planning. Well, there went my quality time with her. I was happy because she was being a kid instead of a miniature adult. I finally told her we had to go because we had other stops to make before we went home. She got up telling the girls she would see them later when they got home. We went out to the Jeep and then I headed for the big department store in town. When we pulled up she was looking all around us and at all the different stores she could see. "If we're here to buy clothes, you have already given me more than I can wear." "Well honey, you don't have any dresses or any kind of dress clothes. Don't you think you might need something like that for when we go to the big city?" "I am not a little sissy, Grandpa, and I hate dresses. Mom always said if you wore a dress then you were considered to be helpless and vulnerable. She hated them and so do I. I could use some different socks though. The ones you gave me are wool and they itch like crazy. I love the boots and flannel shirts though. These are my kind of clothes." I didn't say a word, just got out of the Jeep. This was déjà vu all over again. I distinctly remember her mother telling me the same thing when she was her age. We went in to the girls section and she grabbed two packs of socks and I told her to get pajamas and some slippers. She got what she wanted, and I noticed none were of the flannel type that were so warm in the winter. I reminded her about the snow here and how cold it got. She told me that if it got that cold in the cabin, then we would have to just cut more wood for the fireplace. Talk about being put in your place, and then I had just had it done to me. When I looked at her she was laughing at the look on my face at her comment. "Grandpa, quit being so serious. I know you're not gonna let us freeze. If I need warmer sleeping clothes I will just have to double up on what I sleep in." "Whoa right there, Sandra. You do not need to double up on anything. You get whatever you want. I promise you I can afford it. Down the road I will get you your own credit card for what you might need to buy. Now I need for you to get under things that fit you as the ones I brought out this morning were old granny panties." That got me a red face from her and a whole bunch of giggles. I was enjoying every minute of this whole thing. She picked out some little girl panties and I asked her about buying bras. "Grandpa, I always thought you had to have some kind of chest to wear those. I haven't developed to the point to where I need something like that. I'm only nine years old." Now it was my turn to get a little red, and the clerk was laughing her ass off which just made it worse for me. They were both having a good laugh at my red face. The clerk bent over to whisper in Sandra's ear making damn sure I could hear her. "Your grandpa must have a vision problem or he doesn't have a girlfriend." Oh very funny, lady, I thought to myself, but by that time they were both laughing their asses off at my discomfort. I threw my hands in the air and sat down on the bench beside the dressing rooms to let them finish with their little joke. They finally quit laughing at me when an elderly lady came up and called me a pervert for skulking outside the women's dressing rooms. I looked at her in shock and those two lost it again. The lady was standing in front of me glaring when Sandra came over and sat next to me. She looked up at the woman and her next comment had me almost rolling on the floor. "Lady, if you spent as much time picking up men as you do eating, then you wouldn't look like the wrong end of a big cow. Now go away and leave my grandpa alone before I report you to the fat patrol." I almost fell on the floor when she stomped down the aisle talking to herself. Sandra turned to me with a smile on her face. "Bet she don't pick on my grandpa anymore." The clerk and I both busted up laughing. I decided she was perfectly capable of giving as good as she got. I was beginning to realize how she had survived these last two years on her own. This was one tough little girl I had inherited. I couldn't be more proud of her than I was right at that moment. We left the clothing area walking arm in arm. We went to the toy area next and I told her to pick out some Barbie Dolls to play with. Her eyes filled with tears and she hugged me while crying on my shoulder. I just held her and let her get it out of her system. She calmed down and went down the isle picking out five she said were her and her mom's favorites. She got a few changes of clothes for them and said these were the ones she wanted the most. We went to the front and got some groceries and to my surprise she said she really wanted some Pop Tarts. She said she and her mom used to have them for breakfast all the time. I told her to get all of them she wanted and in whatever flavor she wanted. Now me, I hated to shop but for some reason doing it with her was a lot of fun. We got two gallons of milk and three cases of Pepsi. There were a few other things we got, but all in all it wasn't much considering she had been without any luxuries for two years. It all came to less than two hundred dollars. We got it all loaded in the Jeep and headed back to the cabin. "Will I have my own room, Grandpa? Will I be able to decorate it myself?" "I have a room you can have right now. You can decorate it any way you want to. If you get tired of it we can always repaint, and you can start all over again." "Can we stop at a paint craft store? I want to get some things to do my room the way I want to. I think when I am done with it you will like it a lot." I stopped at the only craft store in town and gave her my credit card telling her to get whatever she needed. I parked out front where I could watch the door and waited for her to complete her shopping. It was about fifteen minutes later when she came out struggling with three big bags of stuff. I jumped out and helped her get them in the Jeep. We went back to the cabin where she handed me my credit card and the receipt. I glanced at the receipt and got a bit of a shock. She had spent more in the craft store than we had spent in the department store. We went to the room across from mine and I told her it was hers to do what she wanted with. She looked around and was pleased, if the smile on her face said anything. She went to the big wall across from the window and stood looking at it for about ten minutes. She went out to the Jeep and started carrying her stuff into the bedroom. I helped her and we got it all inside. Then I brought the clothes from my room and carried them in. She sorted them, handing me a stack she said wouldn't fit her. I noticed she had kept the leather jacket. I went out and left her to her own. I went back to the shelter and put the clothes on the shelf and got another big load of the size she was wearing. I made sure there were t-shirts and more jeans and flannel shirts in different colors. I had another large stack by the time I was through. I went back to the storage area and grabbed one of the extra DVD players and a twenty three inch flat screen television for her room. I would buy her a stereo of her choice when she asked. I carried it up to her room in three trips and she wanted me to let her set it up the way she wanted. I told her if she needed any help I would be downstairs. I went down and got on the phone again. The first call I made was to Sean. He came to the phone on the second ring. He was excited and was spilling over with good news. He now had the whole list of the traffickers and where the bodies on the ranch were buried. He was going there tomorrow and make the arrests. He told me all the players were under surveillance. I told him to go for it and if the big boss resisted arrest to shoot him in the leg for me. He laughed and said he hoped to get an excuse to get a few shots in for Sandra and the other girls. My next call was to Florida again and I had to scramble to find a pen to write the information down. I had it all and he asked me what was going on. I told him the story in the short form and he was cussing on the phone by the time I was through. He reminded me if I needed any help, he knew the right people to call. I thanked him and told him it was all under control. We ended the conversation with his reminder to call him if I needed anything at all. The third call was again to my friend in Columbus. He informed me the ass was under arrest and he guaranteed me that when he went to prison he would call a few favors in and give him a good cell mate. I thanked him and when he asked how Sandra was doing, I said she was ten going on twenty. He laughed and said aren't they all. He reminded me that his youngest was graduating this coming year, and I had promised to be there since she was expecting her godfather to make an appearance. I gave him my address and made him promise to remind me. He said he would and also said I better bring Sandra or his wife would be very upset with me. I laughed and told him we would be there. I called Butch and asked him if things had calmed down yet. He called me a few choice words for abandoning him in the middle of it all. I laughed and told him he might make Captain from all of the publicity. He quickly told me to stuff it 'cause it wasn't worth the hassle. We laughed and he said that all the press for the State Troopers would help the department. He said several of the townspeople were wondering if the auction was still going on this weekend. I told him yeah and he could tell them so. He told me the ATF had finally taken the last load of weapons out of the cave and the bodies had been transported by the Cadaver Team from Nellis. I told him how to shut the cave entrance down and he was to do it for me today. I also told him to keep a guard on the front and rear of the casino 'till I came out tomorrow. He said it was no problem and that the truck had been towed to my yard by Doris. I thanked him for all the help and told him to thank his men for me, that they had done a great job. Since all the business had been done for the day, I turned the radio on and sat looking out the window. I was thinking about all the changes that had happened in my life in the last few hours, and I said a prayer for my daughter and thanked her for leading Sandra to me. I promised her I would always take care of her and she would lack for nothing. I thought back on her, and the time we had spent together as she was growing up. I promised myself I wouldn't make the same mistakes again with Sandra. ------- Chapter 39 I was sitting and looking out the window when Sandra came back into the room. "Grandpa, do you have a small step ladder I can use to finish what I am doing in my room?" "Let me look in the shed, sweetie. I will be right back." I went to the garage, found a small step ladder and carried it back inside and gave it to her. She thanked me and headed back to her room. I was wondering what she needed that for when the phone rang again. I saw by the caller ID it was the State Police so I went ahead and answered it. "Harry, this is Butch, and we have a small problem. Someone burned down the buildings and the house on the Peters' place last night. It's a total loss. We think it was because there was something hidden there that nobody wanted anyone to find. Do you have any suggestions as to what may have been hidden for them to do this?" "I have a suggestion, Butch, have your people search for underground caves or basements under where the buildings stood. These wouldn't be harmed by the fires and they could return later to gather what they were trying to hide. I think maybe it might be more arms or something of this nature. If the buildings were burned, then they would be hidden until they went back to get them at a later date. Also, check for helicopter flights in and out of that area for the last several months." "That's a damn good idea, Harry. I will get my people on it right away. You might have just hit upon the answer. I wonder how many other storage areas are in this county we haven't found yet?" "I will have the County Inspectors start doing their jobs real soon, Butch. It's about time that all these old and unsafe buildings were torn down. The owners may not like it much, but there are county ordinances covering this type of thing. If the inspectors don't want to do their jobs, then we can always hire ones who will. Have they been able to identify the bodies found in the cavern yet?" "The list you had was a big help, but there are still a few that they have no idea who they were. We are in the process of getting warrants for several of the cemeteries to exhume and see if there are bodies in the graves. Also the FBI turned over the data from Trent's computer to us to investigate, since it's in our jurisdiction. Harry, this will be a lot of work, but we at the State Troopers thank you for making us more visible with the public. By the way, we have a new Commander. He was a field Captain and knows his business. He says if you ever need anything for you to let him know, and you will have it without any argument. He also said to tell you if you have any beef with him to call him, and he will settle it between the two of you. He is like you, from the old school and is a no nonsense type of Commander." "That's good, Butch, maybe the men will have a little more confidence in their leadership now. I will be at the motor pool all day tomorrow so if you need to reach me, you have my cell number. I am going to try to spend some time with my granddaughter so I won't be in to work for the next week or so." "I forgot to congratulate you on finding her, Harry. I am very happy for the both of you. She looks like a little sweetie and I bet she keeps you on your toes. Harry, the Governor gave all the credit to you and us for saving those girls. The men and I thank you for including us, and the morale went up about ten fold when they heard all the news coverage. The air wing has already said you were the best, and if you needed any of them all you had to do was call." "Tell them all I said they did a great job, Butch. I am going to go as I have some things to do around here before Mark and the girls get here. Keep me up to date will you?" "You got it Harry." I went out to the kitchen and was trying to decide what to fix for dinner when Sandra came in covered in paint splatters. "What in the world happened to you? You look like you've been in a paint ball battle." "I am doing my room like you said I could. Do you have any cold Pepsi? I need a cold drink. I still have about four hours of work to do before I am done. Grandpa, will you give me a hug?" "You can have all the hugs you want anytime." She came over to me and I took her in my arms and hugged her tight. She was trembling with emotion, but I never said anything because I figured if it was something she wanted to talk about she would tell me. I grabbed a Pepsi and gave it to her and she went back to whatever she was doing in her room. I had to admit my curiosity was aroused but I would wait for her to invite me to look. I grabbed some more of those huge pork chops out of the freezer and put them on the counter to thaw. While they were doing that, I peeled potatoes and made stuffing to put in the pork chops when I baked them. I had just finished the stuffing when I heard a loud motor coming up the hill from the road. I grabbed the pistol and stuffed it in my belt and went out to the front porch. I didn't know who was coming up the driveway but it wasn't someone I had invited. The vehicle that topped the hill was something out of a junkyard and an old collector car. It was an El Camino body mounted on a four-wheel drive chassis and it was loud enough to wake the dead. It was about four feet high with the lift kit and was all primer. Now who the hell was this, I wondered. I couldn't see the driver since the thing sat so high in the air. I sat in the chair and waited to see who it was. When it stopped next to my Jeep, it was about four feet higher than mine. It reminded me of one of the mud bog buggies I had seen racing in Florida. When the door opened I had the pistol next to my leg just in case whoever it was wasn't friendly. When he climbed out and jumped to the ground I saw it was Andy and his passenger was, whom I took to be, his wife. They had to drop ladders in order to climb down, and I had to laugh at the sight of them carefully climbing out of the thing. It was a good thing Nina had jeans on or she would have had some skinned knees. "Hey, Harry, I want to introduce you to my wife Nina. I figured we would stop by since I heard you were in hiding. We wanted to thank you for the courtesy you showed us while I was in the hospital. Nina really appreciated having you assign her a driver so she would be able to come and go as she needed to." "Not to change the subject Andy but what the hell do you call that thing you are driving. It looks like something out of a horror movie." Andy looked at me and then Nina busted up laughing at the look of chagrin on his face. Nina was still busting a gut when Andy started to explain, but was interrupted by Nina. "Sheriff, he built this ugly thing in his spare time. I still haven't figured out what he is going to use it for but he just had to have it. I have to wear ear plugs to keep from going deaf when he starts it up. Maybe he would believe you if you told him he needed some kind of exhaust on it. He bragged it was so good at being off road, but it barely made it up your driveway." I looked at her and then at Andy who was red as a beet and just lost it and within a few seconds Nina was laughing as hard as I was. Andy was scuffing his foot in the dust he was so embarrassed at us laughing at his toy. I finally decided to let him off the hook a little and Nina winked at me when I looked over at her. "Andy you know she's right about the exhaust. If you weren't on private property right now, I would write you a ticket. That thing is a menace to all the wild life in the area. The deer will be hiding for a week after hearing that thing. You still haven't told me what the hell it is." "Aw come on Harry, not you too. She gives me enough hassle over my baby. I wanted something I could get around with in the winter. It can go almost anywhere I want it to." "If that's the case my dear husband, how come you had such a hard time getting up Harry's driveway in four wheel drive? I thought for a minute I was going to have to get out and push it over that last little tree root." I looked at the both of them and realized she loved it as much as he did but this was her way of making fun of his baby as he called it. "Aw come on, hon, it wasn't that bad. I just have to get the gear ratio right so all four wheels pull together. I promise you I will get it right and then you will be proud to ride in it with me." "Not until I can take the ear plugs out, I won't." I invited them in for a drink and she came over to me and hugged me whispering in my ear; "I love that stupid looking thing but he doesn't need to know it." I laughed as I opened the door for them to come in the house. I asked what they wanted to drink and they both wanted coffee. I grabbed three cups and we sat down in the living room to talk. Bad mistake, as Nina started giving me hell. "Harry, what is going on between you and Tran? She said you refused to speak to her. I was over at her house the other day and she was crying because she said she did a stupid thing and you refused to ever speak to her again because of it. Will you please tell me what happened? Trudy and I both are very worried about her." "Nina, I don't want to be rude to you, but that is my personal business. If you're so worried about it then I suggest you ask Tran what happened. I will tell you there will never be any more interaction between us. Now let's drop the subject and go back to that thing sitting in my front yard." Well needless to say that got me a dirty look, but she dropped the subject to my relief. Andy spoke up and started telling me about his baby. The whole time he was telling me about it I noticed Nina kept glancing at me as if she was trying to figure out how to broach the subject of me and Tran again. I was saved with the appearance of Sandra. "Grandpa, how soon will the girls be home? Oh hi! I didn't know you had company. I will go back and let you visit." "Sandra this is Andy and his wife Nina. They work with me. This is my granddaughter Sandra. She will be living here with me from now on. Excuse the paint all over her but she is decorating her room to suit herself. Even I am not allowed to see it until she's done. I would say from all the different colors I would guess she is making it polka dots." "Grandpa, I am not going to tell you so quit hinting. I am very glad to meet you both. Can I ask what kind of truck is that thing you came in? How do you get in and out of it?" I busted up laughing again at the look on Andy's face when she asked that question. Nina was laughing as hard as I was. Sandra was watching all of us trying to figure out what she said that was so funny. "Sandra, Andy calls it his baby but even he hasn't figured out what it is yet. If he ever does then he may figure out what to name it." Sandra walked over to the window and stared at it for a few minutes and walked back over next to Andy and said in a clear voice to him. "I think it's nice, Andy. You should name it "CRUNCHER" because it's big enough to crunch anything that gets in the road." Andy looked at her and got a big smile on his face. He grabbed Sandra and hugged her saying when he had it painted that would be its name. He said he would put that it was named by her in small letters below its name. He had a big smile on his face and Nina was shaking her head and smiling at his enthusiasm. Sandra had a shocked look on her face at the hug, but it quickly changed to a grin when she realized he was serious about naming it that. She was still grinning when she headed back to her room. "Harry, I didn't know you had a granddaughter. How long has she been here and how long will she be staying with you?" I gave him the short story about her past and how she had found me. When I got to the part about her mother and the circumstances surrounding her death, Nina was openly crying and Andy had tears in his eyes. Going over it all again I had tears in my eyes again too but I was determined to fight crying again. It seemed that every time I thought about it I almost broke down again. Nina broke the tension as she sniffed and said to me. "Harry, I am so happy for you both. If you ever need a sitter you call me and I would be honored to have her come to my house. I think she is beautiful, and she is so poised and sure of herself. Please let her come and visit with me. I don't know if Andy has ever told you but I play several musical instruments, and I would love to teach her if she shows any interest in it. I am so sorry about your daughter. Come on, Andy, your CRUNCHER is waiting to be put back in the garage. Let's leave Harry alone as he has things to do I am sure." They both got up and Nina reminded me that she was serious about Sandra coming to visit her at any time. I watched as it took Andy ten minutes to turn the thing around so he could head back down my driveway. I went back to the kitchen and started stuffing the pork chops and putting the spuds on to boil. I made another cheese cake for desert. I heard another vehicle coming up the drive and went to where I could see who it was this time. It was Mark with the girls so I went back to the kitchen. They came running in the house yelling for me so I told them I was in the kitchen. I got my hugs and kisses but it was cut short when they wanted to know where Sandra was at. I told them which room I had given her and they took off looking for her. Mark came in and sat down after getting himself a beer. "How's she doing, Harry? The girls told me about meeting her and that's all they talked about all the way home. Are you going to adopt her?" "Mark, she is more grown up than I am. She has a level head on her shoulders and is more down to earth than her mother was. She is her twin at that age. I am going to fly us back to Columbus and get the papers, and then we will go from there. I am still in shock from all the information she has told me. I never figured I would be a father at my age but I will do the best I can." "Harry, if the feelings my girls show you are any example then you shouldn't have any problems. I am just hoping you don't decide to quit the department now that you have her to take care of. I think my girls and she will become like sisters and we won't be able to part them without having a revolution on our hands. I know you don't want to hear her name but I had to explain to Tran about the circumstances of her rescue. The girls had been talking about her all day and she asked me. Since you hadn't told me not to talk about it I went ahead and told her the story. You aren't pissed at me are you?" "Not hardly, Mark. I may not want to have anything more to do with her but she is an important part of the girls' life. I am not petty enough to step between that. You have a good babysitter and they are hard to find these days. I just don't want her name thrown up in my face all the time. I thought we had something going at one time, but after her actions I don't want any more to do with her." I told him about Andy's visit and the thing he was driving, and we both got a laugh out of the name Sandra had given it. I went on to tell him about her decorating her room and having paint all over her, when he looked at me and said in a quiet voice. "Harry, if I know my girls, we are both going to have three girls to clean up tonight. I hope you have some turpentine because I have a feeling this was their plan all along. I wondered why they couldn't wait to get home tonight. I was also told that I was to stay away from the room until they were done." "Hell, don't feel bad, I was warned too. I have a gallon of turpentine I got out when I saw Sandra for the first time this afternoon. Supper will be ready in about an hour so we will get to see their condition then." We both looked at each other and laughed. ------- Chapter 40 We were to be really surprised at the girls' condition when I sent Mark to call them for supper. When they showed up in the kitchen, the sight was enough to make a sane man pull his hair out. Dina had a scarf tied around her hair and the only thing it protected was her forehead. Dana was in about the same condition, but she had one side of her face painted white like she lost a battle with a paint roller. Sandra was still looking like she had lost a battle with a paint ball gun. The only difference I could see was that one eyebrow was white and the other was pink. I looked at Mark and he had his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. I told them to go wash their hands for supper and they all ran for the bathroom. Mark looked at me and lost it. I didn't think it was that funny myself, but he was having a ball. "Harry, that's the first time I have ever seen them that dirty. I am going to get my camera and take some pictures of this one. I just hope the only thing besides themselves that got painted were the walls. Oh this is so funny. Those two have always been so prissy about their appearances." I watched as he went for the camera to take some pictures. Meanwhile the girls came back in and I didn't see any difference or any progress to show where they had washed themselves. I just sighed and told them to set the table for supper. I just hoped the paint taste didn't make them hate their food. I need not have worried because after they sat down they dug in and to my surprise, they ate everything I set on the table. They all had two glasses of milk and then cleaned the table and went back to the bedroom without saying a word except to thank me because the supper was great. I looked at Mark and he was smiling so I decided to grab my coffee and go to the porch and watch the sun set. I sat back and lit a cigarette, and Mark sat down in the other chair. "You know, Harry, that is the most I have ever seen them eat. Did you see how quickly they went back to the bedroom to finish up whatever they are doing? I am really wondering what they are up to in there. This is a whole different side of them that I have never seen before." "Mark, I decided when Sandra told me not to peek to just try to quit worrying about it. My curiosity is just as high as yours is, but unlike you I am about half afraid to see what they are painting in there. She bought enough supplies to paint the whole cabin if she wanted. It's probably my fault because I told her she could do it any way she wanted. I didn't know your two were going to be involved too. Do you know how long it's going to take us to get all the paint off of them tonight? You can do your two and I will do Sandra. If you need help don't yell for me as I figure I am going to have my hands full." "Well, Harry, did it ever occur to you they all might want to bathe together?" "Oh God, I hope not. That's one mess I don't need to face after eating a full meal. I am not going to quit the department, but I am planning to take some time off in the next couple of weeks. I need to get those papers and get a court date set to adopt her. I am not taking any chances of some damned bureaucrat trying to stop me. Her mom said her dad signed away all parental rights and I need to have those papers checked to make sure they were done by an attorney and not something they wrote out. Mark, if he tries to make a move to take her from me it will be the biggest mistake of his life if he lives that long." "Harry, just take it easy until you have all the facts. I know how you feel about her, but don't go off half cocked. You have a good attorney so let him do the work. I don't want to have to come east to bail you out, my friend. I don't know anything about her father, but if he has never paid any child support then that makes your case that much stronger. You have any kind of ID you need so use it if you have to. I want you both back here in one piece, Harry. The girls would go crazy if they didn't have their Uncle Harry to hug goodnight. I suggest you make some phone calls before you leave and see the judge here to get custody before you go back east." "That's a damn good idea, Mark. He should grant me custody here in Nevada and then if there are any hearings, we will have them here. I can't picture her dad having the money to hire an attorney or to live here while the hearing phase goes on. I want him out of the picture, Mark, and I have over a million dollars in the bank I can use to make sure that happens." "Harry, you're jumping the gun again. Wait 'till you get your hands on the papers and let your attorney look at them. Why don't you have her stay with Nina while you fly back and get all the ground work done? Before you get mad, remember the bigger the surprise the quicker the adoption takes place. Hell, you have half the law enforcement in the land on your side. Use them, Harry, and use the hell out of them to get what you're after." I went to say something more when the girls came out on the porch. God, what a mess we had to clean up. They were even worse than the last time we saw them. Mark took some more pictures and busted up laughing at them. I just shook my head wondering how we were going to get all the paint out of their hair. "Grandpa, do you have any turpentine I can use to help us get the paint off? Don't worry I can see the look of shock on your faces and I know what I am doing. Mom taught me how to clean hair and other parts to get the paint off. I promise you both I will have the girls completely clean of any paint in a little while if you let me. When we're done, I want you both to see what we did in the bedroom." "Ok, Sandra, if you can do what you say, then you get to pick where we eat tomorrow for lunch." "Ok, Grandpa, you have already lost the bet. Give me an hour and they won't look like they've ever been painting. Come on girls let's show these two what we can do together." I handed her the turpentine and they all left to go to the bathroom in the girls' room. I looked at Mark and he just shrugged his shoulders at me. I wondered what I had gotten myself into now. Mark had that shit eating grin on his face as he watched me. "Harry, I don't know what you're thinking, but if she does what she says then I won't have to clean all that paint off the girls and that's worth you paying for lunch if you lose." "Very funny, Mark. I have a feeling I have just been suckered but I can't figure out how. That girl is way too smart for her age. She is going to keep me on my toes even when she's asleep, I think." He thought that was hysterical, and was quick to tell me I needed a woman in my life even if she was only nine years old. I needed a second set of eyes with her. I had a deep down feeling my education about kids was about to take a turn for the learning curve. I had spent years beating around the country and I already had a feeling she was smarter than me. I wondered how many times she would outsmart me in the years to come. My daughter had me pegged and always had, but Sandra was the one I was afraid of because she was so smart. I loved her already, but I had a feeling she would always be one step ahead of me. Helluva way to run a horse ranch. Mark and I were talking about me promoting Kit when he got back when we heard someone behind us clearing their throat. We turned around and there stood three sparkling clean little girls dressed for bed. I couldn't see a spot of paint on them anywhere. Oh well, I had been had again as I expected. Mark was looking with his mouth hanging open like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I dropped my head to keep him from seeing me smiling at his disbelief. Hell, I was having a hard time believing it myself. Mark just had to open his big mouth. "Ok, you win, I don't see any paint anywhere, but I want to know how you all did it so fast?" "Well, we just washed up, and since it was water-based paint it comes off really easy with a little soap and some good shampoo. Mom and I used to look worse than all three of us did, but it comes right out. Grandpa, I want to eat Chinese tomorrow. Do they have a place in town? I want to practice with my chop sticks again, like me and Mom used to. She said you were the one who taught her how to eat with them, and Grandma used to have a fit about it." "Well even though I feel like I've been taken, a promise is a promise so that's where we will eat." "Can the girls come too? I promised them they could join us if I won the bet." "Sure they can if Mark brings them. Since he started all this, he can just meet us there with the girls only." I looked at him so he would understand what I was trying to tell him and he nodded his head yes that he understood. He was shaking his head as he told the girls to brush their teeth and get ready for bed and we would be in to tuck them in. They ran into the house and Sandra stayed behind as Mark went in. I looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You go ahead and tuck them in. I want you to come to my room when you're done. I have something I want you to see with just the two of us." "Ok, honey, see you there in a couple of minutes. I have been wondering all day what you have been doing in there." I went and helped Mark tuck the girls in and then went back to the front room where Sandra was waiting on me. She motioned me to sit down next to her so I did, and waited to see what she wanted to talk about. She climbed in my lap and hugged me and I hugged her back, feeling the moisture come to my eyes again. "Grandpa, thanks for letting me be alone and do the room the way I wanted to. Mom and I used to do murals on the walls of the house we lived in so I decided to do it here. This one is of Mom and Grandma and myself. I wanted to tell you so the shock wouldn't be so great when you see it for the first time. Me and Mom took lessons from an old man named Ramon Gutierrez. He could paint anything from just a description. Come with me, Grandpa, and let me show you my room. The girls were a lot of help painting the background, but I did the rest." She took my hand and led me to the room and when we went inside, she switched the overhead light on. The sight of the wall was enough to take my breath away. I took that one look and realized she had more talent in her hands than I could ever hope to achieve if I had another lifetime to try to learn. The wall was painted as a house with flowers in boxes on the window sills and standing in front of it was the painting of Sandra and Cindy holding hands as the sun set behind them. The paintings were so real and lifelike I felt like I could reach out and touch my daughter's face again. In the window to the side her grandmother was sitting with a smile on her face looking at them. If she ever decided to paint this on canvas, it would be priceless. I looked down at her and she had a wistful smile on her face as she looked at it. I just felt like breaking down in sorrow and grief. "Grandpa, I had two years to think about this in my mind and how I would do it. It's what helped me to keep going when it got too hard. I put this together in my mind over the months I was looking for you. Do you like it?" "Honey, it's the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. You have so much talent and it shows. Don't ever touch it; just leave it like it is. I want you to do one on the big wall in the front room by the fireplace. It is so beautiful I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me. Will you please do one for me of you and your mother?" "I would be glad to, Grandpa, but you have to help me with some of it so it's our special project. I have one in mind that will fit perfectly on the wall you're talking about. I love to paint and me and Mom used to do a lot of landscape scenes, but they were all stolen. I would like to start doing it again if you will buy me the supplies I need." "Honey, as beautiful as this is, I will be honored to buy your supplies and all the canvas you want. I only ask that you let me have a few of them for my own collection. Someday you're going to be famous and your paintings will be worth a lot of money. I can only guess how much you're going to improve if you keep it up." "Oh, Grandpa, I like to paint, but I use it as a stress relief type of thing. I may do a dozen then not do any for months. Mom was the same way. She would do it for days, then not touch a brush for months. I love to play guitar and violin though. I learned from the kids in the village we lived in. Some of the music was so sad we used to cry as we played. I learned how to play a twelve-string guitar from a neighbor and the violin from a retired college professor from Berkley who lived down the street from us. He and Mom used to sit and drink tea and talk about everything they could think of for hours. They were really boring to listen to. He used to teach me as they talked and I loved the classical music." "Sandra, you have kept me on my toes since you found me, but the more I learn about you the more I feel like a dunce. You are doing all the things I always wanted to. Did you know most of my family on my mom's side was musically inclined? They used to make their own instruments and then play them for hours at reunions. I was a kid, but I remember the dances and the bluegrass music they played. My mom played the mandolin like it was an extension of herself. I really hope you keep that up, as I love to hear someone play in the evenings. Maybe if you have the patience and time you will teach me how to play the guitar?" "That's easy, Grandpa. I will also teach you how to pick a banjo so we can play some duos when the snow is falling and we sit in front of the fire this winter." "Nina told me today she played and wanted to know if you wanted to learn. I think she will be the one learning from you from what you say. I think it's time for you to say goodnight. We have a busy day tomorrow as we have to help Doris go through all the stuff stored at the motor pool and see what we will be able to sell at the auction this weekend. I think you will have fun going through all the junk in the bays." "That really sounds like fun. I hope she likes me and I am sure we will have fun going through all that junk because we are women and it's in our blood." We both laughed as she hugged and kissed me goodnight. I told her we would eat breakfast at McDonald's in the morning if she wanted to. She smiled and said that sounded like a good idea to her, but she still wanted Chinese because she won the bet. I laughed as I shut the light out and went back to the front room. Since Mark wasn't there, I guessed he had gone to bed. I set the coffee pot up and the alarm and went to bed myself. ------- Chapter 41 I dressed in older clothes and went in to wake Sandra. When I shook her and her eyes opened, she smiled at me and said, "Good morning". I turned to leave and the picture was glowing with the sun shining on it. It took me a few minutes to realize she had used some kind of glitter mixed in some of the colors. Talk about a heart stopper. I went down stairs and got my first cup of coffee and sat and thought about it. I still couldn't believe she was so skillful with the way she had put the glitter in the paint. She was growing on me more and more as each day went by. I hoped she had fun with me today, going through all the junk in the bays. I figured Doris and she would get along fine. When she came into the kitchen where I was drinking coffee I had to laugh at her appearance. She had a flannel shirt on with jeans and hiking boots. She had one of the large red bandannas wrapped around her hair like she was going motor cycle riding. "What's so funny, Grandpa? I thought this would be great to keep the spiders and dirt out of my hair." "Why didn't you wear it yesterday and give one to the girls to keep the paint out of their hair?" "Grandpa, if I had done that then I wouldn't have won my bet. They had to get paint in their hair for me to win my free lunch." She was grinning at me and I was mumbling under my breath as we headed out the door for breakfast. I kept mumbling and she was giggling all the way into town. I knew I had been suckered, but I hadn't realized she was so smart. "Grandpa, will you quit mumbling? I know it wasn't fair to you, but the girls helped me so we could all eat Chinese. They want to learn to eat with chop sticks too. I am sorry I took advantage of you, but we all decided you could afford to feed us since we did all the work." "I don't mind feeding all of you, but it wasn't fair of you to take advantage of me and ask the girls' help. All you had to do was ask for what you wanted. This is your home and what I have is yours, Sandra. You don't have to resort to trickery." "You're right, Grandpa, I promise I won't do it again. It's just that when me and Mom were in Mexico, we had to barter for everything, and we got pretty inventive on the way we did it. It's just the way it's done there, and if you lose then it's all a big joke, and nobody ever gets mad about it." "I have to admit you and the girls had me and Mark going though. We were betting on whether we would be able to get all the paint out by morning. I think that's the first time I have ever seen them so dirty. I know it was for Mark, and that's why he was taking pictures." "I got to admit, it wasn't easy to get them to go along. I had to work on them for ten minutes." I was still laughing when we pulled into McDonald's. We got out and headed inside and Mark and the girls were sitting there waiting for us. "Took you guys long enough to get here. The girls and I have been waiting for fifteen minutes. Harry these three are going to give us both bald spots if they keep making these plans without us knowing about it. I was politely told that they had all agreed to meet here for breakfast. I think my oldest and Sandra worked the details out last night." I looked over at Sandra and she was looking up at the ceiling so I reached over and tickled her belly. She busted up in giggles with the girls both joining in. We went to the counter and they all ordered, grabbed their food and went to a table before Mark and I could get our coffees and pay the bill. I looked over at him and realized he was having a ball with all of this stuff. I could see I was going to have to learn how to lighten up a little, or I would have all three of them picking on me all the time. Mark and I sat, and he ate breakfast while I had my coffee. The girls had their own table and I noticed they had their heads together again. I shuddered to think of what they were cooking up this time. Mark was watching me and smiling. "Mark, if you say one word, I will punch you right in the nose." He lost it and the girls looked over at us in surprise. I was sitting and seething at him for drawing attention to us. The people at the other tables were smiling at his laughing. I was thinking he ought to act like a sheriff when Sandra came over and whispered in my ear. "Grandpa, is he always so jolly so early in the mornings?" I looked at her and thought for a minute before I answered her. "He thinks I'm too old and grouchy and I should be more jovial like he is. He doesn't realize you guys have been plotting again already this morning." "Who, us? We wouldn't do that to you again, Grandpa." I looked at her in shock and she busted out in giggles and went back to their table. It wasn't three minutes later that they were all giggling and laughing. Boy, I sure hoped they weren't going to pick on me this time. Mark and the girls headed to Tran's while Sandra and I went to the motor pool for a full day of junk picking. When we arrived, Doris was just pulling up herself. We got out and I told her why I was there and introduced her to Sandra. They hit it off like they were old friends, and I just knew I was in trouble again. I went and got the keys to my unit and called in and let dispatch know where I was. I told them to have Beau to report to me here when he came in for his shift. I signed off and heard Mark signing in for the day. I had a feeling I was in for a long day. I went to the office, got my coffee and sat down while we waited for the crew to report to work. I wondered just what we would find in all of those bays out back and how much of it was good. I asked Doris if she had called the auditor so we could get the stuff priced for the sale. I was told not to worry it was all taken care of. Sandra smiled at me when I started grumbling again. Man, I had to break myself of doing that, as I had to admit it didn't sound very polite for a sheriff to be doing it. The motor pool personnel started coming in and I noticed Doris was standing in the window watching. I don't know how she knew, but she told Sandra it was time to go junk sorting and they went out the door. Since the invitation hadn't included me, I refilled my coffee and followed them. I got to the bottom of the stairs in time to catch one of her speeches to her people. "Gentlemen, there will be no mechanic work done today. We are going to clean out the bays of all the junk in them. This is Sandra and she is my second in command today. I want you all to step up and introduce yourselves to her." I watched as every man there came up and shook her hand. They all, except for one, had a ready smile for her. The one who hung back looked like a sixteen-year-old kid, but with a weight lifter body. He wasn't as tall as I was, but he was built like a fire plug and his arms were bigger around than my body. He finally walked up to Sandra, and I noticed that Doris had stepped back a little to watch the exchange. "Hi, my name's Jimmy and I work here. I am very glad to meet you Sandra. Is it ok if I call you that?" I was watching Sandra's reaction to this young fella. He was obviously mentally deficient but he was a gentle giant and I would almost bet he was everyone's favorite here. His next words threw me for a loop and I was sure it would shock Sandra, but she in her wisdom had read the situation a lot quicker than I had. "I know you think I am retarded, but I am just not very smart. I would like to be your friend and your grandpa is my hero. He saved my aunt from being away from me just when I needed her most." "Jimmy, my name is Sandra as you already know. I don't want to be your friend, but I could use an adopted big brother to look out for me and help me if I need it. Would you like to be my big brother?" "I sure would, but will your grandpa say it's ok for someone like me to be a big brother to you?" "I think Grandpa would be proud of having you as my big brother. He is always worried about somebody bothering me, but if I have you to watch after me then he will know I will be safe because you wouldn't let anyone hurt me." "They better not try because they will get hurt themselves. I would never let anyone hurt you. I never had a little sister and I always wanted one. I can show you lots of things my aunt has taught me. We can have a lot of fun together." I looked over at Doris and she had a smile on her face. I noticed the rest of the men were also smiling at the exchange between the two. I was a little hesitant about where this was going but Doris came over and pulled me to the side. "Harry, he is my dead sister's son, and he is as gentle as a puppy. I think Sandra felt that from him and carried it on to its conclusion. I will guarantee nobody will ever touch her if he is around as he would break them in half. He doesn't have a temper, per se, but his protective instinct is very strong. Just let them go through the day and I think you will see what I am talking about. He will think she is his sister from this point on and will treat her with the utmost respect. I bet you they will have fun together throughout the day." "Ok Doris, I will take your word for it, but I will reserve judgment as I watch him around her." "Fair enough, Harry." "Ok, everyone gather around. I want Shayne to stay in the shop to handle anyone who comes in. The rest of us are going to make short work of the bays in back. The junk will be piled to the side, while the stuff Harry or I think will sell, we will put to the side to be cleaned up for the auction. Sandra will keep the list of the good stuff. Jimmy will be helping her and he will do most of the carrying as he takes it to her. The rest of us will be moving the stuff out of the bays one at a time. I don't know what's in a lot of them so I suggest everyone be careful of how you handle anything you can't see plainly." We all trooped out to the rear and opened the first bay. There were five different farm tractors sitting in the front that we could see. Jimmy and Sandra started giving directions to the men and in short order they had the tires aired up and the tractors lined up side by side by the auction cars. They started digging out boxes. None had any markings on them so Sandra had them stacked to the side to be checked later. I was starting to feel like a third wheel when Beau showed up, and was watching all this with a smile on his face. Now I had something to do and I decided to jump right into it with him. I walked over to where he was standing and started right in with my plan for him for the day. "Beau, I want you to go to the gulch and get the people together, and give out that beef in the portable freezers. The canned goods in the cave go to them too. Save a truck load for the shelter here in town." "Harry, it's being done as we speak. Butch started doing it first thing this morning. He said you had already told him what you planned on doing with all of it. He has a dozer clearing the rubble off the foundations at the Peters' place too. Seems like you're stuck here being the junk inspector for the day." "Oh, very funny, Beau. Dammit, I gotta find something to do before I go nuts. Sandra and Doris have everything under control here so I am just standing around with my thumbs up my butt." "Mark said to tell you he called the Judge as soon as he got in and you are supposed to stop over there this afternoon and pick up some kind of papers. I have to go to Reno to look at the four wheel drives we had made an offer on. Andy is going with me so I guess you're stuck here doing your junk thing." He was laughing as he walked back into the garage. Great, now I was stuck doing junk picking as he called it. I went inside and grabbed a folding chair and carried it out to sit on when Jimmy came over and took it out of my hand. "How did you know my sister needed a chair? Thanks Sheriff, now I have to find her a folding table and she will be set to do all her paperwork." I looked over at Doris and she was laughing at me as Jimmy walked away. Dammit, this isn't funny anymore. I went back in and got another chair, and this time I was able to unfold it and sit down to watch them carry stuff out of the first bay. I watched as Doris headed my way and I wondered what she was going to spring on me now. "Harry, how old did you say Sandra was? I have never seen anyone be so well liked so quickly. These men have always been suspicious of anyone who comes around. They have accepted her as one of their own so quick it's eerie. Jimmy is happier than I have seen him for a very long time. He has taken to calling her "Sis" and they are getting along great." "What's the whole story on him, Doris? I got the feeling you took him in to keep him from being locked up in some state institution." "I will tell you the whole story, Harry, but it stays between us. I don't normally tell anyone my personal business but since I owe you so much, I will this one time. My sister was pregnant with him when she was choked unconscious by Hubba. When she awoke in the hospital, he had been born three months early. The oxygen deprivation caused him to be like he is. He is not retarded like a lot of people think, but he is a savant and only responds to a very few people. Your granddaughter seems to have a calming effect on him for some reason. In his mind she is his little sister and I don't think anything will ever convince him otherwise. His IQ is way beyond both of ours, but he has to think everything through. He graduated high school when he was fourteen. He was offered a full scholarship to college, but his mother was killed in a car accident about that time and he withdrew inside himself. He has been that way for years until today. This is the first time he has smiled and laughed since it happened. Harry, if anyone tried to hurt her he would kill them on the spot. I am worried about his reaction when she has to leave when we get through. I have always been there for him, but I think he has found someone he loves more than me. I think Sandra has taken a liking to him too as they act so natural together." "Doris, she has that effect on everyone she meets. I don't understand it but I know she is happy for the first time in a long time. You should see her paintings. She has more talent in one hand than I have in my whole body. She plays violin and guitar and I am just starting to learn about her other talents. She is smarter than I am and I will be the first one to admit it. She looks so much like her mom it scares me sometimes." "Jimmy plays the same instruments and he is fantastic with them. I took him to Nina several years ago, and in a few months she told me she couldn't teach him anymore because he was better that she was. I am not smart enough to be able to teach him, but I have a feeling Sandra is, and I hope they get to play together. I think we will both hear some of the most beautiful music we have ever heard. I seem to remember there is some musical stuff in one of these bays from a store that closed years ago. I hope they find something they both like and then maybe we will see what they are capable of." I just looked at her in shock. The news about Jimmy was a shock to me, but after watching him for awhile, I had already revised my opinion of him. I wondered how close he and Sandra would become. I wasn't against the friendship because I had a feeling down deep that the two of them would become inseparable. I knew somehow that Jimmy would never harm her, but if I was asked how I knew that, I would not be able to answer the question. I decided I would let it go to its logical conclusion. I lit a cigarette and just watched as Sandra was telling Jimmy something about the box he had just drug out of the building. It had a stencil on the side of it written in Spanish. Jimmy was telling Sandra something about the marking, and she was arguing with him about it. I got up and walked over to them to listen to what this was about. "Sis, I'm telling you it says banjos on it. That is old style Mexican for banjo." "Jimmy, it's not Mexican, it is Mestizo for bongo. I just spent several years down there, and I had to learn to read and write it." "You two sound like two old women arguing. Why don't you just open the box and see which one of you is right?" "Grandpa, I think this is one time you just may be right about how to prove a point. Jimmy is too stubborn to admit he is wrong, but then again he has a valid point as it does look like banjo." "I am not wrong, Sis, and you know it. I studied the language for several years and just because you can speak and write it doesn't make you right." I was shaking my head at the change that had come over him, and I could see how much his time with my granddaughter had brought him out of his shell. I reached down and took my pen knife and cut the seal on the box. I pulled the flaps open and packed inside in their own cases, were banjos. There were twelve stacked on top of each other. I showed him one of them and he gave Sandra a smile of triumph. They grabbed two of them and took them out of their hard cases and they both strummed them at the same time. They looked at each other and made a few adjustments of some kind and both started picking them. At the sound of the strum the workers all gathered around them and listened as they started playing them. I was spell bound along with everyone else as they played some kind of song they both knew. I looked over at Doris, she was smiling and her eyes were moist with tears as she watched them together. Man, those two could really play as I listened to them go up and down the scales, filling in as they strummed along with each other. I could tell they both were having fun as they were looking at each other and had big smiles on their faces. They played for about five minutes and when the song was over they grinned at each other and gave a high five to each other as they put them down. Everybody was clapping and they both got a little red in the face when they finally realized it was for them. "All right, everyone, show's over. Let's get back to work or we will never get done today. We still have nine more bays to do and there will be no more free concerts today." There were several sounds of raspberries as they all went back to work. Doris was smiling as she put the banjos back in the cases and put the box with them in it to the side. I knew right then I was going to buy one of them for Sandra to play at the cabin. I couldn't believe how good she and Jimmy were on them. They all went back to work and Doris motioned to me to follow her inside. We went into the office and she poured us a coffee and I sat down, waiting to see what she had on her mind. "Harry, that's the first time he has played in five years. Do you see what I mean about his talent? As good as he is, I think maybe Sandra was a little better though. I haven't heard him talk in sentences for the same length of time. Harry, I hope you don't get mad at me for saying what I am about to, but I think those two must have known each other in a past life. Did you see how they picked up on each other's rhythm? It was like they had played together before. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Harry, she's perfect for him. They seem to be in tune with each other and he smiles every time she speaks. You can't believe how happy it makes me to see him come out of his shell. I love him like he's my own and I am so happy." "Calm down, Doris. I agree with a lot of what you're saying. That's the first time I heard her play and she is good without a doubt. Jimmy is happy, that's plain to see, even to an old fart like me. Before you ask, yes I trust him totally with her. I had already made up my mind about that one as I watched them interact together. I think we both are going to have a problem separating them at the end of the day today." "Harry, I don't want him to withdraw back into his shell again. We have to figure something out that will benefit the both of them somehow. How do we do that without hurting them?" "Hell, don't ask me. I think I will let them work it out. I have discovered Sandra has a way of doing things that seem right to everyone involved. I know she is smarter than me, and in the short time I have been with her, I have discovered she has already thought ahead of most problems before I can even ask how she expects to handle it. I think I will just leave it to her this time too." Doris looked at me like I was nuts, but she shrugged her shoulders and sat down behind her desk thinking about what I had told her. I could see the wheels turning as she sipped her coffee. ------- Chapter 42 I don't know how long we sat there in silence, but Jimmy came in and addressed me. "Sheriff, Sis sent me in to get you. We found something she thinks you ought to see." He went back out the door before I could give him any answer. I looked at Doris and she was smiling. Jeesh, I could see right now she wasn't going to be any help when it came to those two keeping me running. I went outside and everyone was looking in bay 2, and as I walked over to see what was going on Sandra looked at me with wide eyes. "Grandpa, I don't know what to do with all of these. They look like they are all brand new but there are no serial numbers on any of them." I didn't answer her just walked over and looked in the door like every one else was doing. Talk about getting a shock, I got a big one. There had to be at least four hundred Harleys in there, parked any way they could fit in the bay. There was hardly room to squeeze between them. I had to agree with Sandra as they all looked like they were brand new, and when I checked several of the odometers there was less than ten miles on most of them. This was beyond anything I had ever seen before. There had to be a million dollars in Harley's in this bay and like her, I couldn't find any numbers on any of the ones I looked at. I looked at some of them and to a one they all still had the rubber tits on the tires. I knew none of them had been ridden or these would be worn off. There were stickers on the tires signifying they were all brand new. "I think we will lock this back up until we can get someone from the state in here to try to trace where these came from. Go ahead and lock this back up and go to the next one, fellas. I will get on the phone and make some calls." Sandra put the padlock back on the door and unlocked the next bay. The men went in and started carrying the stuff out for her to look at. I walked over, sat back down in my chair and got my cell out. I put the call through to the new Commander and he came on the phone immediately. We chit chatted for a few minutes before he asked me what I needed. I told him what we had discovered and he got real excited when I told him about the Harleys. "Harry, I think you have solved a mystery that has been on the books for the last three years. If you have found the bikes I think you have, then your department is in for a big surprise from the Harley company. Those bikes were on the way to the west coast factory when they disappeared from the box car they were shipped in. The serial numbers were never installed because they were going overseas for government use. Harry, I will send a rep out to make sure, but if they are, then they belong to your department. They were written off and there was never a stolen report out on them. The government who ordered them prepaid and when they were lost they never reordered because they had a coup three months later. The country has since been broken up and now they don't know who's running it. We would be interested in buying a bunch of them for our motorcycle division. I will make the call and the rep will come out this afternoon from Reno to look at them. You have got to be the luckiest law enforcement officer I have ever heard of. Give us first dibs on them, will you?" "Sure will, but are you sure of your facts?" "I was one of the investigators, so yes, I am sure of what I'm talking about." "Tell him to come to the motor pool and ask for me or Doris when he gets here. Talk to you later, Commander." I sat and thought about what he had told me and wondered how they had ended up here in the bay. I figured it had to be Hubba, or the old sheriff who had stolen them, but for what purpose I couldn't for the life of me figure out. They couldn't be titled because there were no serial numbers on any of them, and they would lose too much money if they sold them to a chop shop. "Grandpa, we need you to look at this stuff. We found some more cycles and these are all different from the first ones. Jimmy says they are all terrain vehicles and he also said there are trailers for all of them." I took a deep breath, went to where they were all standing and he was right. There were twelve Polaris ATVS sitting side by side in the center of the bay. They had broken one of the stacked boxes open and inside were the self build type trailer for them. Now these would not be sold as we could use them in the winter for transportation if the snow got too deep. With the trailers we could pull them with the new four wheel drive units. "Wheel those things into the shop later and assemble the trailers. We will keep these for winter use for the department. Push them over there and stack the boxes of trailers next to them. When you finish, go through the rest of the bay and see what other surprises we find there. Good work, guys!" I watched as they did what I asked and when I looked over at Sandra, she and Jimmy had their heads together discussing something. I went and sat back in my chair figuring I didn't want to know what those two were up to now. They were laughing with each other at whatever it was. I looked at my watch and realized it was only ten in the morning. We still had two more hours till lunch. God, I hated this part of the job. I was a trained investigator not a junk picker, as Beau called me. Sandra and Jimmy were having a ball with all the stuff they were finding and to them it was a big adventure. Doris was holed up in her office and somehow seemed to be getting out of doing anything. Hey! I was the boss here not her. I got up and headed for her office again. I had just opened the door when I ran into a State Trooper dressed in a Commander's uniform coming out. "I take it you're, Harry? I am Commander Charlie Sanders. I just had to see those Harleys. I saw pictures of them and each one was set up for desert use as well as jungle duty. They are one of a kind cycles and Harley has never produced any more of them. I own a Harley myself and I love it." "Hold on for about five minutes, Commander, and I will be glad to show them to you." Before he could say anything else I went up to the office and Doris was still sitting behind the desk with her feet up. "Doris, this ain't no picnic. Get off your butt and go supervise your workers. This is your little project not mine so go do it." She looked at me in shock for a minute, and just busted up laughing as she came out from behind the desk. "Damn, I figured I could skate through this, Harry. I figured you would have fun looking through all that junk and I could just relax and let you do it. Oh well, looks like I'll have to go to work." She actually had the nerve to laugh all the way down the stairs. I was just shaking my head as we went back outside again. I went over to the Commander and she went over next to Sandra and Jimmy. They talked for a couple of minutes, then she and Sandra looked at me and laughed as they started going over the paperwork in front of Sandra. "Sandra, come over here and bring the keys and unlock the bay again, will you?" She ran over and unlocked the padlock and went back to what she was doing. I pulled the bay door up, and heard the sharp intake of breath from the Commander as the bikes came into view. He walked in and just stood and looked at all the different bikes sitting in the light. He looked over his shoulder at me and smiled before squeezing into the middle of them. "God, Harry, aren't they beautiful? These are all one of a kind never to be seen or made in this country again. I want to buy one for myself, and if you have any sense you will too. Hell, buy two and put them up for when you get the bug. My department wants to buy two dozen of them for the motorcycle department. These are not like the ones we have now as they don't have all the restrictions and fancy computers on them. Because of where they were going to be used they couldn't put all that modern junk on them. These are built like the old style with points and straight wiring. They will be easy to fix and maintain. Even the tires are common and easily found and are cheap to buy. When the rep gets here he will give you a list of serial numbers that you will be able to assign to them. They will be listed with the state and you can assign them to each bike as you sell them. I would give your people and mine first chance to buy them as it will make them all happy. I don't think the auditor will let you sell them at the auction because of no serial numbers. You can do it the way I am suggesting and it will make for some happy men." "I think it's a good idea, Charlie, but did you have to be so long winded about it?" He laughed and said it was his way of making a point. I laughed and told him I hope he never has to chew one of his men out, because they would die of old age before he was done talking. He got a big kick out of that one and laughed some more. "We found a big cave under the warehouse where the kids were found. It was empty but hadn't been too long, Harry. From some of the busted crates and trash I think it was part of the same shipment you found. They are checking the house and the smaller barn now. I also heard there was an old mine up there, and since one of my guys had a father that worked it, he is going up to show Lieutenant Whyzowski where it's at." "If that's Butch's last name, no wonder he has a short nickname. He said his real name was a doozie to pronounce and now I see why." Before he could make a comment Doris hollered at me in an urgent voice. "HARRY! I think you better make a call to your friend at Nellis and get him here." I looked at Charlie and he was a little white around the mouth as we both ran to where Doris was standing. When we got to the door where everyone was backing out of the bay, what I saw shook me to the core. There were metal and wooden boxes, stacked almost five foot high along the wall all the way to the other door. Some were clearly marked DYNAMITE, and the metal ones had Army markings on the side that said SEMTEX, one pound units for destruction only. These were old stuff that was supposed to have been destroyed, but had ended up here. How long they had been there was a mystery, but the explosive power would flatten this whole side of town if it went off. "Everyone listen to me! I want all of you to immediately vacate the area and if one of you tells anyone, and cause a panic I will see you in prison for the rest of your days. I want all of you to consider yourself on paid vacation until Doris calls you back to work. Commander, as of now I am declaring an emergency. I want a ten-block area around the motor pool evacuated and your men will keep everyone out of that ten blocks. Tell them we have an underground gas leak. The people vacated can stay at the empty casino at the gulch. There are plenty of rooms and all the power is still on. Doris, call Mark and tell him what's going on and that I have control for now. None of you use a cell phone within a hundred yards of here. Jimmy, I want you to take Sandra home and stay with her until I call or come home. I leaned over and gave her the alarm code. All our lives depend on keeping this quiet until I can get it out of here. None of you will talk to the press for any reason. NOW MOVE, PEOPLE!" I watched as everyone left the area but Sandra and Jimmy. I looked at her and she had tears in her eyes. I grabbed her and hugged her to me anticipating what she was going to say. "Don't worry honey. I am not staying either and I will be home soon. I am not about to do something stupid and lose you just when I found you. Jimmy will take good care of you until I get home later. Why don't you two each grab one of the banjos and take them with you?" "Grandpa, please don't get hurt. I won't have anyone if something happens to you. You're all I have in this world." "Sis, believe me when I say the Sheriff knows what he is doing. He will come home and we will be waiting on him. I promise you, I will make sure nothing happens to you while we wait for him." I smiled at him and he smiled back at me. Sandra gave me a hug and kiss before she took Jimmy's hand and they walked away together. He stopped and handed her one of the cases and took one for himself. She looked back at me and I gave her the thumbs up before they went through the door together. I went inside and out the front to my unit. The Commander climbed in beside me and as I drove out he was hauling out his cell phone. I stopped and closed the gate and put up the sign that said closed for lunch. Then it hit me I was supposed to take Sandra to lunch. When we got far enough away, I got on the radio, called in to dispatch and told them to declare the emergency to the units on patrol. I pulled out my cell after I got off the radio and put a call into Preacher. I was put through immediately. He started out with the jokes, but I put a squash to it quick. I told him what I had and where, and how much I thought was in the bay. I told him I was evacuating a ten-block radius and he said that was the minimum, but I should do twenty to be safe. I told him this was an industrial area so there aren't many houses to worry about. He told me he had a problem and that he didn't have enough of the special trucks to transport all of the explosives. He said there was a large plant about a hundred miles from Porter and that they had enough trucks to do the job if we could get them. I told him they would be here by the time his trucks were. He laughed and said good luck as the owner was a prick. We hung up and I got on the phone to the Governor and advised him of what was going down. I told him what I had been told by Nellis about the company with the trucks, and he said not to worry they would be on their way within ten minutes. I told him I was having Commander Sanders handle the traffic and evacuation. As usual he was happy about that and wished me good luck. ------- Chapter 43 Dammit, here I was in the middle of the old sheriff's greed again. I wondered how much more contraband we were going to find. He still had several properties we hadn't even looked at yet. Well, this time I wasn't going to take any chances. I was going to delegate, and go home to be with my granddaughter. I turned to Charlie and made my intentions clear. "I am turning this over to you, Charlie. I have a scared granddaughter at home and we just got back together. You know what has to be done and I have it all in motion. This is now your responsibility, Commander." "I understand, Harry, but you need to stay near a land line just in case I need something I can't get. You have all the pull and I want to be able to use it if I need to." "Charlie, it's yours if you need it. You have my home and cell numbers so don't hesitate to call me if you need something. The man from Nellis is an old war buddy of mine so I will offer you a suggestion. Don't piss him off, and the most important thing with him; don't try to throw your weight around. He will quickly tell you what you can do with it." I watched him for his reaction and he was smiling from ear to ear as I finished my words of advice. "Sounds a little like you, if everything I have heard is true, Harry. Don't worry, he is the most important person here today. I sure as hell don't know anything about explosives. I just hope he doesn't blow me up before I get a chance to buy one of those Harleys from you." "Shit, Charlie, if he blows you up the Harleys are going to go too, so you will have something to ride to wherever you plan to go, up or down." He busted up laughing as I dropped him next to one of his Troopers, who had come to pick him up. "Ok Harry, you got me on that one. Give her a hug for me, will you?" I headed for home talking to Mark as I went. I had forgotten to ask Doris if Jimmy drove, or how he got around. I figured I would find out when I got to the cabin. I felt a little guilty turning it all over to Charlie, but I realized her plea to me had touched a nerve. I was all she had, and at this stage I didn't even have legal custody of her. I had what I would call possession only. I decided Monday I was flying to Columbus, and get it all legal. I had a will to change and a lot of other legal stuff to do to take care of her. I pulled up in front of the cabin and had to laugh at the moped sitting there. I bet he had to push it all the way up the drive to get up here. When I pulled up, Sandra came running out of the cabin with Jimmy two steps behind her, with a big smile on his face. Sandra jumped in my arms and almost knocked me down with the force of it. "Oh, Grandpa, I'm so glad you came home. Do you have to go back or can you stay with us?" I looked over at Jimmy and he seemed to be waiting on my answer as much as Sandra was. "I think I will stay unless Charlie lets it get away from him. I think Jimmy better stay too because his moped might fall apart if it has to go up and down the driveway too many times in one day." They both were laughing when Jimmy finally said to me. "It has never been off the road before. I did have to carry it up the last part. I have a Jeep but I never drive it. The moped's easier in town and I only live ten blocks from work. Aunt Doris always says she can walk faster than that thing runs. I like it because if it breaks down I can always carry it to work and fix it." Sandra was giggling like crazy as she looked at him then the moped. "Sis, it's not funny. It is easy to fix and carry." "It might be easier if you packed it in your lunch bucket. It's bigger than the bike is." This time they both were laughing like crazy. I just walked by them and headed for the house and the coffee pot. I was halfway up the steps when she caught up with me still laughing. "He can be so funny sometimes. He reminds me of some of the stories Mom used to tell me about you and the situations she got you into when she was little. She used to tell me those stories and she would laugh and giggle like crazy. She said she did it just so she could watch the expressions on your face. She thought they were funny." "Well don't you get the idea of doing it. She did a lot of things she used to get in trouble for. We both did a lot of things we got in trouble for." "I know, Grandpa, and it helped her to talk about it toward the end, when the pain was bad and they couldn't give her anything more to help. I have relived those memories with her many times and it just made me look that much harder to find you." I hugged her to me and smooched her on the forehead and heard Jimmy laughing. I looked down at her and she was sticking her tongue out at him. "Now that's not very ladylike. Put that thing away or I might have to tape it to your lip." They both were laughing as we went into the house together. I noticed Sandra pushed Jimmy so she could slip in first. I went to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee, while Sandra got two Pepsi's and gave one to Jimmy. These two were a trip, and I could see he actually thought of her as his little sister, and she accepted him without reservations. I sat down at the table and sipped my coffee while they sipped their Pepsis. I caught onto the fact they were copying everything I did and seemed to be trying to out do each other. "Ok, you two, try doing your own thing and quit doing what I am. You're both being a pain in the rear." They were both smiling at me when I finished my little speech. I didn't think it was very funny but those two did, and they were laughing at me again. I was getting tired of this little exercise. "You two need to find something to do, or I am going to send Jimmy home and you to your room, young lady." They both got up and went into the front room leaving me alone with my thoughts. It was a few minutes later I heard them start up on the banjos. This I wanted to hear so I went in and sat in the chair across from where they were sitting. Abe had left a small electric organ and I thought it was some kid's toy but when Jimmy sat down behind it I quickly changed my mind. He did something to it and now it sounded like an electric guitar. He was doing something to the pitch and when he got it right he told Sandra to start. She started playing the theme from Deliverance. Man, these two were good, and they added their own stuff to it and it just seemed to make it better. Jimmy stayed at the little organ and they switched to Dueling Banjos and then they started speeding up and then it seemed like the both of them were just a blur while they were playing. I watched their hands, and half the time I couldn't see them they were moving so fast. They finished and I started clapping. "You two are great. Sandra, did your Mom tell you my favorite song?" "She sure did Grandpa. Want me to play it for you?" "If you can without a piano." I watched as she went over to the little organ and looked at it. She whispered something in Jimmy's ear, and he smiled and nodded his head yes. She sat down next to him, he did something to the organ again and she started to play. I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, and I could see my daughter's smile as the song played. I remembered the first time we listened to it together. We had spent all day in music stores trying to find the song, because I had opened my big mouth. We had been arguing about her favorite songs and she had two she loved to hear over and over. I had got tired of hearing them and told her I knew one that would bring tears to her eyes like the ones she liked. She called me on my challenge and off to the music store we went. It turned into an all day trip and we finally found it, but the singer wasn't the original. I pointed that fact out to her but she said if the music was good then she could shut out the singer. I had my doubts but we bought it anyway. It was snowing by the time we got home, and as usual her mother wasn't there, so we started a fire and shut all the lights out except the outside flood lights. I started the song and she climbed in my lap. We watched the fire and the snow as it played. When it was over, I looked down at her and she had been crying, and the tears were still wet on her sleeping cheeks. I carried her into her room and put her to bed. When I leaned over to kiss her good night she whispered it was now her favorite song too. These thoughts were running through my head as I listened to Sandra play our song. I must have had tears running down my cheeks because she climbed in my lap and kissed me. The music was still playing and I realized that she had switched and let Jimmy play to come over to comfort me. "I love you Grandpa, she whispered. That was the first song I learned to play when I was four years old. Mom spent days teaching me so I could get the notes right. She cried just like you every time I played it. I know her other two favorites too, and I will play them for you when it's snowing outside and the fire is going." "Oh honey, I think you have brought more joy into my life since you got here than I have felt in years. I am so blessed that you found me, and I hope we never have to tell each other we're sorry for something we said in anger. Promise me we will always talk out and settle any arguments right away. I drove your mother away and I have regretted it for years." "She always said the both of you were too stubborn to admit you were wrong about anything. I don't think we will ever have that problem, because I will remind myself what I had to go through to find you. I don't want to think about it ever again, so I promise we will be happy together." I sat in the chair with her in my lap and listened to Jimmy play, and he was great. I watched him as he played, and he had his eyes closed as his fingers moved across the keys. He had to be able to see the keyboard in his mind because he never opened his eyes the whole time. He finished and we both clapped at his playing. He smiled and said he was running out of songs for the organ. "Can I bring my guitar the next time I come over to play with Sis?" "Jimmy, you are welcome to come over anytime and yes, bring your guitar. Sandra plays a twelve string and she also plays the violin. I am planning on buying her both of them as soon as we find a good music store." "There is a nice one in Reno that I go to, but they charge big bucks for violins. The ones they have are all collector's items and belonged to famous musicians. They are hundreds of dollars and Aunt Doris could never buy me one because of the price. I play too, but I don't think I will be as good as Sis, from what she told me about who taught her. He was famous for years before he retired. He used to write all his own classical music and a lot of it was published. Some he would never sell and Sis said he taught her all of them when he was teaching her. I wish I could have heard him play just one time." "Jimmy, if Grandpa buys me a violin, I will teach all of them to you. They are meant to be played by more than one instrument and he had to adapt them for us to play. I used to lie in bed and listen to him play at night. All the villagers listened at night to his mini concerts. He could really play some beautiful music and he made it sound so haunting and sad." "Gee, Sis, I would love to learn. I have several small pieces that I wrote and I will teach you them. Maybe we can get Nina to come up and play too. She is really good on the piano and the cello." They were making plans without asking me but the way they played it was better than the opera so I would just sit back and enjoy their talent for as long as they let me. ------- Chapter 44 "Come on you two, I have somewhere I have to go before five. Jimmy, throw your moped in the back of my unit." He picked it up like it weighed ten pounds and sat it on top of the gun box in back. He grabbed what Sandra called his lunch box, but to me it looked like a small satchel packed too full. Jimmy got in the back and buckled up then Sandra did the same in the front. We went down the drive, and Sandra remarked to Jimmy that this was better than him carrying his moped, her, and his lunch box. I had to laugh at this one, and they both gave me dirty looks. We went down the road as fast as I dared with all the traffic coming from town to the gulch. Maybe Charlie had decided to evacuate more people after Preacher got a look at the explosives. I waved at Bruce as we went by his post and he waved back at me. I pulled up in front of the courthouse and with Jimmy and Sandra in tow. I went to the Judge's office and asked for him. His secretary said he was in court but she had the papers for me to sign. I signed on the lines she said to, and she told me to wait, she would be right back. We waited for about five minutes and she came back in and handed me a folder saying it was recorded and the rest was up to me. I walked out to my unit with Sandra and Jimmy still following me in silence. When we got in, I handed her the folder. She opened it and read for about five minutes and let out a whoop that scared ten years off me. I got a big hug and kiss and she turned to Jimmy saying the words that would sear themselves into my mind until the day I died. "Big brother, I am now legal, and my grandpa loves me because he filed for custody of me." I looked at her and at Jimmy in the rear view mirror, they both had tears in their eyes. Now I was stumped as to why this would be so important to him, so I decided I would gently ask him. "Jimmy, why are you crying?" "I am happy because my little sister will be staying here with the only person that means anything to her." Out of the mouths of babes. Boy did I feel about three inches tall. I hadn't in my grownupness realized my filing the papers for custody was so important to her. I called Doris and when she answered, I asked if she wanted to ride into Reno with us. Being Doris, I had to give her a good reason why she should go with us. I didn't have one but when I said Jimmy was going with us, she decided to go too. We dropped his moped off when we picked up Doris, and of course Sandra got into the back with Jimmy, throwing a wide hint for Doris to ride up front with me. They were whispering and laughing before we even left the city. I called dispatch and told them where I would be and that I would be on my cell if I were needed. I was told that the explosives would be removed by midnight tonight, and that the motor pool could reopen tomorrow. I thanked them for the information and signed off. "Harry, maybe you better take me back to the house so I can call everyone and tell them the news." "Aunt Doris, if you do that then I won't speak to you for a week. Sis and I want you to go too. We are going to pick out a violin for her. Did you know she learned to play it from a famous violinist? He taught at Berkley until he retired. He taught Sis all his classical music and she is gonna teach me." "Ok, I know when I'm beat, Jimmy. I will ride along if Harry can put up with me for that long." They both laughed and then looked at me as if I had the deciding vote. "I can stand her for that long, I guess. But one thing I will make clear to her and to both of you and that is that I decide where we eat supper." They all looked at me like I had snot running out of my nose or something. I was thinking about looking in the mirror when Doris had to get the final word in as usual. "You can do that, Harry, but if you pick a fast food restaurant then we will all catch a bus back." The kids thought that was hilarious and were quick to agree with her. I hadn't realized I was grumbling and talking to myself, until Sandra asked me what I was saying and again Doris pounced on me. "Don't mind him, kids, when you get his age you start talking to yourself because nobody else will listen to you." "Very funny, you overaged hippie." I thought I had won that one from the dirty look I got, but as usual I was sadly mistaken. I heard the kids laughing in the back seat and out of the corner of my eye I saw Doris was sticking her tongue out at me. The kids were laughing like crazy at her antics. I looked at her, and realized she had her eyes crossed too while doing the tongue thing. Man, she was worse than both of the kids. I didn't say anything, not wanting to encourage her to act more stupid than she already was. We came into the outskirts of Reno with the kids still laughing, and Doris gave me directions on how to get to the music store. When we pulled up in the front, the kids and Doris beat me out of the unit. I climbed out and followed them into the store. Jimmy and Sandra immediately took off and I tried to follow them, but they were picking guitars by the time I found them. I was standing to one side listening to them, when a clerk came up and grabbed the guitar out of Sandra's hands. I grabbed him and he was on the floor with my cuffs on him before he could react. "I don't know who you think you are but I will put you in jail so quick for assault you will think you were born there." An older man came running over and asked what happened. When I told him, he asked if I would let him go and that he would apologize for his actions. I took the cuffs off and he stood up and did apologize to Sandra and Jimmy for his actions. "I have warned you about your attitude before so, this time, you're fired. Get your final pay from my wife and don't show your face in here again." He must have seen the puzzled look on my face because he explained what was going on. "He is on a work scholarship type of thing. He is a music major but he has been warned before. His professor talked me out of firing him the last time but he is a hard headed young man. He thinks because he is a violin soloist he is better than everyone that comes in here. I am sorry he grabbed you, young lady. You are welcome to play the instruments anytime. After all, that's what they're here for, to play." Sandra and Jimmy both smiled at him and picked up the guitars again. While they were tuning them I asked the manager about violins and the price range of a good one for my granddaughter. He handed the kids a pick each and said to follow him. I left the kids with Doris and followed the owner to the violin area. There were hundreds there and he was showing me the cheaper ones. He said beginners didn't need a real expensive one because they were too hard on them until they learned to play. I just smiled and didn't say a word to him letting him go on with his spiel. "Those in the cases are the better ones, or are they just for show?" "Sir, I doubt if you want one of those for your daughter. They are one of a kind instruments and they are several hundred years old. I have a pair that belonged to so and so and he had them made out of a special wood because of the sound the wood creates. When he died I bought them from his estate." Ok guys, laugh, but I couldn't pronounce his name if my life depended on it, let alone use the Italian inflections the owner did. Me, I just nodded my head like I knew what he was talking about. When he said the price for both of them, it got my attention real quick. Hell the pair of them cost more than I had paid for my house, when I had first moved to Florida. I knew a little about bartering though so I set to work doing what I was good at. We went back and forth for about thirty minutes before he finally agreed to my offer. I told him I wanted the authentication papers and everything else I needed for insurance purposes. He looked at me in surprise and smiled when I handed him my credit card. "May I suggest you get lessons for both of them before you let them touch these. The young man may never be able to play like you want, sir." "I'll tell you what, mister. I will bet you a five thousand dollar bet, that they both play better than your soloist you just fired." "Those two, a little girl and a challenged young man? It's your money, and I will take that bet, mister. I will even let them use a cheap set of violins, so they don't break these two beauties." "I will let them use the ones I bought for them so get them out while I go round them up." I went over to where a crowd of people were standing around listening to them play. They just finished a song when I walked up and several of the people were clapping in appreciation. I walked over to Sandra and tapped her on the shoulder, to get her attention. She walked to the side where I motioned her to go, and I leaned over and whispered in her ear. I told her about the violins and she was smiling when I told her about the bet, and what the owner had said about her and Jimmy. "Give me a minute to talk to Jimmy, Grandpa, then we will see if we can change this critic's mind for him." She was giggling when she put the guitar back on the rack and Jimmy followed suit. She pulled him over to the side and when he bent down she started whispering in his ear. Doris came over to me and asked what we were up to. I gave her a brief explanation and she started to smile at me by the time I was done. "Harry, I know how well Jimmy plays. He says Sandra is better than he is, so I think there will be one mad owner when he loses. This one I have to see for myself." I waited until Sandra and Jimmy were done talking and when they came over they both had big smiles on their faces. "Let's do this grandpa." I was laughing as we walked over to where the owner had set both violin cases on top of one of the glass cases. He handed me the receipt and I signed it. The moment he gave me my copy he had a shit eating grin on his face. I watched while Jimmy and Sandra picked up the violins and immediately asked for rosin for the bows. The owner got it for them and while they were doing their thing I noticed that there was a whole group of people watching them in anticipation. I could see no down side to this because I was going to hear some beautiful music whether I lost the bet or not. Jimmy didn't know it yet but one of the violins was his. I had bought the pair and he deserved to have one that was special and he could cherish every time he looked or played it. I knew I was going to have a fight with Doris about this but as far as I was concerned she didn't have a say so because it was my money. I knew both of them would take very good care of them, and make some beautiful music in the years to come. It looked like they were getting ready to start and I looked at the manager and he had this triumphant smile on his face as he watched them get ready. I looked at Sandra and she winked at me, and I almost laughed and gave the whole thing away right then. Oh this was going to be good I thought, as I looked at the owner again. Jimmy ran the bow across the strings and it screeched loudly. He giggled at the noise. I had to turn my back to them to keep from laughing out loud. I heard another screech and just knew without looking that Sandra had copied him. Doris was looking at me with a suspicious look when they did it again together. I turned back around and almost laughed out loud when I saw what Sandra was doing. She was showing Jimmy where to put his fingers. I glanced at Doris and she looked like she was about to blow she was so red in the face. I caught her eye and shook my head in a negative motion. She just glared at me again, but didn't say anything. I just knew I was going to catch hell for not letting her in on it. I saw Sandra look at Jimmy and nod her head yes and they both swiped the bows at the same time. Now I didn't know what the hell they had decided to play, but from the look on the owners shocked face it must have been something that most wouldn't try. The different expressions that went across his face in just a couple of minutes of their playing, was as they say; priceless. Now me, I was a dummy when it came to music but those two made those violins walk and talk. The notes they played I had never heard played on a violin. I had in my younger years heard this piece before, but then it was in a concert hall by a man who, at the time, was considered the greatest player alive. I don't remember his name but these two made his playing sound sick. I could tell by the owners face he had forgotten about the bet and was just enjoying the music they were playing for his store. I happened to glance at the door and I saw the clerk he had fired earlier standing beside an older man whose mouth was hanging open in shock. The kids finished the last few notes of the piece and everyone broke out in applause. Doris was smiling and clapping as hard as everyone else was. They both put the violins back in the cases very carefully and closed them. Sandra came running over and hugged me, Jimmy was smiling as he came over to us. I hugged him and told them both how good I thought they sounded together. "It wasn't just us grandpa, those violins made it sound almost perfect. The one I was playing had the same sound and pitch as my teacher's did when he played it. It was like I was playing for him again. I wish we could afford to buy one of them for me and Jimmy to play." "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they are already yours. I bought them before you both played them. I suggest to you both you better play for me to earn their price." You would have thought I had farted out loud or something, from the look on their faces when it finally sank in what I had just said. I watched as the tears came to their eyes when they looked at each other. I went over to the owner and he gave me a receipt showing he had credited my card with the five thousand we had bet. "I don't know who those kids are but they are the greatest I have ever heard. I have been all over the world and heard many of the greats play, but those two are perfect together. You tell your granddaughter she can pick any guitar she wants, and it's on the house, if they will come back sometime and play for us again." I thanked him and went to pick up the violins, but Sandra and Jimmy were there and beat me to it. I told Sandra about the guitar and she said she would take the one she was playing earlier. The owner gave her a case for it and she handed it to me to carry. Doris came over and we headed for the door. "Sir, I would like to talk to your children, if you don't mind." I handed the guitar to Doris and the unit keys and told her to go ahead. She started to argue when she saw my facial expression and went out with the kids without saying a word. "I thought I said I wanted to talk to the children." "Mister, you're not going to get near my kids. If your student is any reflection of your attitude and manners then you both fail the human being test. I will say this one time so listen closely. Stay away from me and mine. If I ever see either one of you again I will not be responsible for my actions." I turned and walked out the door before I smashed his face. Imagine him trying to teach either one of them. I would shoot him first. They had more talent and heart than anyone I knew, and an ass like him would never get a chance to sour that for them. I climbed into my unit and was immediately set upon by Doris. I could see right now this was going to be a long dinner. The kids were getting a kick out of her and egging her on. Oh well, here we go again. ------- Chapter 45 I was right. Doris gave me hell about spending that much money on someone I didn't even know. I didn't say anything until we pulled up in front of the steakhouse they had chosen to eat at. I turned in the seat so I could face Doris and still be able to see Sandra and Jimmy as I spoke. She opened her mouth to say something and I just held up my hand for silence. "You been giving me hell since I left the music store. This time you shut your mouth and let me speak. I bought the pair of violins because they are a matched pair and the owner wouldn't sell them separately. I gave one to Jimmy because he deserves it. I don't give a damn if you like it or not. I have the money and the way they play, they both deserve an instrument they can pass down in the years to come. They will pay me back ten times over when they play together. Jimmy has adopted Sandra and she him. I didn't have a say in it, but I am a parent now with Sandra, and now Jimmy, and as a parent I will buy my kids what I want to, when I want. Doris, you are his aunt but he is my adopted son now, so if you want to bitch, go to the bathroom and do it in the mirror at yourself. That's one of the main reasons why I am still single. Now let's go eat dinner and forget about the arguments." The kids were high fiving in the back seat and Doris looked like she was going to explode. I got out and the kids were right behind me. Doris was behind the kids when she all of a sudden started laughing to beat the band. We stopped and turned to face her, and she stopped laughing and hugged Sandra and Jimmy then led the way in the front door. I was still trying to figure out what the hell that was all about when I realized I was standing by myself just inside the front door. I shook my head and then saw Sandra waving at me from a table by the front window. I went over and sat down next to her, and then I got blasted again. "See, I told you both he was getting old. He can't even follow us to the table to sit down." I started to blast her when I saw the smile on her face. I grumbled a little and Sandra laughed out loud at me. We ordered from the waitress, and sat back and just chatted about the look on the music store owner's face when they were playing. The kids were laughing about his mouth hanging open the whole time they played. I knew Doris was going to ask me the question and she did it, but worked it in so smoothly I answered without thinking about it. "Harry, how much did you get soaked for those two violins?" "I got him down to a little under a hundred grand." All of them froze with their mouths hanging open. I almost laughed out loud at the looks on their faces. Sandra was the first to break the silence. "Grandpa, you won't have to sell our house will you? I can use a cheaper one rather than see you have to move from your beautiful house." "Let me make this clear to all of you this one time. I have many more thousands of dollars. When I moved out here and bought my cabin I was going to retire and just take it easy. I sold my house and property in Florida for more than a million dollars to a big multinational company. I was the last holdout and got a lot more than I thought I would, thanks to a lawyer friend who handled the deal for me. To hear you two play so beautifully together is worth a lot more than any amount of money. Besides I won five grand and Sandra got a free guitar. I have explained myself, and my feelings, so let's drop the whole thing right now. I just want both of you to be happy, and to keep playing such beautiful music." The kids were smiling, but I could see the frown on the face of Doris as she sat looking at the kids. The waitress brought us refills and it broke some of the tension around the table. Again I knew she still had something to say so I just kept up the chatter with the kids waiting for her to figure out what was bothering her. We finished the meal, and I left a good tip and paid with my credit card. We went out to the unit and all climbed in. We hit the road with the kids' chatter in my ears from the back. I knew Jimmy was of age but he was a kid to an old man like me, and he seemed like he was being one when he was with my granddaughter. She seemed like she had found a kindred spirit when they were together. I had to agree with Doris when she said he actually thought she was his sister. After thinking about it through the day I had come to the conclusion Jimmy had found someone he could enjoy being with, and I figured Sandra felt the same. I knew there was the age difference thing, but I really felt they enjoyed the pretend of being brother and sister. Jimmy was the total opposite from when I had met him the first time. As Doris had said, he seemed to come out of his shell since meeting her. Even though to most he would be considered slow, I knew better. He actually took the time to think before he spoke and thought everything through before he opened his mouth. I had already figured they were pretty much on the same intellectual even with the age difference. Between the two of them I would be willing to bet they were over three hundred, way over. My daughter had raised Sandra right and I could tell Jimmy had been brought up pretty much the same. They both had been through so much, and could talk about it without being bitter or hating about it. Their humor and personality came through every time they were together and they seemed to know what each other was thinking. I know it seemed like I was describing an old married couple, but once in a blue moon you meet the person that you can enjoy being with, regardless of what you're doing. This was something that ages or area or circumstance couldn't control. If I had to name it I guess I would call it karma or even the perfect match of spirits. I thought this is what was happening between these two, and I wasn't about to interfere as long as they were happy. I was the one reaping the benefits with Sandra being so happy, and the music the big wigs went to the city and paid to hear. I hoped Dina and Dana wanted to learn too. Those two were smart as whips, and they had that special something it took to be the best at everything they could learn. Among the four I would almost bet we would start having some of the best entertainment in Nevada. I pulled up in front of the house and Jimmy got out after telling Sandra he would see her tomorrow at the shop. They hugged and he went toward the house. Doris hadn't got out of the unit so I turned toward her and saw she was silently crying. Oh God, please tell me I didn't have a weeping woman on my hands. I was the type that didn't know what to do when a woman cried. I did the only thing I knew how, I sat and waited to see what was wrong. "Harry, what you did for Jimmy is beyond what anyone else ever has done for him. At first I thought you were trying to get to me or something like that. I don't want to get into it with Sandra here." "Doris if you're trying to say you thought my grandpa was trying to get in your pants then even I knew better than that." "Sandra!" We both said in unison. She just grinned and shrugged her shoulders at us. "Anyway, Harry, what she said. After your little speech at the restaurant I realized you really liked him for himself, and I felt so ashamed at my previous thoughts. I sat at the restaurant and tried to remember the last time I heard him laugh or talk like a normal kid, and I realized it was more than five years ago. We have lived in silence so long I guess I got used to it. He never had a kid's life with everything that happened, but I saw the kid he should or could have been had he been happy. This precious little thing and his hero worship for you has done more for him in one day than I have been able to do for years. Harry, you saved me from being put away for a long time, then you turn my nephew's life around. It makes me wonder what you will do next to make me look like a fool." "Doris I didn't know he was related until you told me, and as for saving you from prison, I just felt it was the right thing to do after all you had been through. I didn't attach any strings to what I did, and I am sorry you thought there were. I didn't make any changes in Jimmy that weren't already there, but it came out naturally with the addition of someone he could be responsible for, Sandra. If the changes were done, it was between the two of them and I didn't have a thing to do with it. I just helped it along to its natural conclusion by letting them do their own thing. I would appreciate it if you would quit blaming me for your problems and just accept what happened. You might find you will be a lot happier in your own life if you do." First she glared at me, then she smiled sadly and got out and went to the house without saying another word to either of us. Sandra climbed in the front and then spotted Jimmy's violin, grabbed it and took it to the door, and handed it to Doris when she answered the knock. Doris smiled at her and she ran back to the unit and climbed back in. "Ok, Grandpa, I've had a busy day and I'm beat. Let's go home so I can get a nice hot shower, and relax until the girls come home." I looked at her with a shocked expression, then busted out laughing. She was smiling at me with an ornery little smile on her face. I laughed almost the whole way home. When we pulled up to turn into my drive it was blocked by a State Trooper unit. I stopped in the road and flipped my lights on so oncoming cars could see me. Butch climbed out and came over, and I rolled my window down to hear what he had to say. "Hey Harry, I thought I would drop by and thank you for the little job in the gulch today. We handed out all the beef and thanks to you there are a lot of little kids who are going to eat for a while. I never realized they were doing so badly there with only one casino open. I saw so many tears today I went through eight boxes of tissues I bought. I needed to ask you how you knew they were all about starved there, and that they all were chipping in to help each other out. I had two of the older guys break down on me when they saw the shape some of those kids were in. All the guys are taking up a collection for clothes and other items, and I wanted to know if we could talk to your men to see if they wanted to help." "You go right ahead, Butch, and count me in for a thousand. I didn't know they were that bad off down there. I promised them the food rather than throw it away. I figured they could get more use out of it than some dog food company. I am proud of the fact they didn't hesitate to help out at the Peters' place with their own town in such bad shape. I have never in my life seen so many beat down people because of a law enforcement officer and his need for power. I've hated every little minute I've been here, but I hated myself for not getting here sooner to help them. Does that make sense to you?" "In a twisted way it does, Harry, but everything you've done since you've been here has helped in some way or another. Your whole department has changed for the better, and you have put more old cases on the shelf than anyone I ever heard of. Hell, Harry, Mark is the sheriff but he looks up to you like you were his father. Only someone like you could save a barn full of aliens and find your only blood relative among them. Believe it or not, every Law Enforcement Officer in Nevada knows your name and would give his right arm to work a case with you. That's the reputation you've made for yourself since you've been here. I owe my own promotion to you and your unselfish actions. Good night, Harry, and I will tell you when to write the check." I looked at Sandra who was leaning over to hear the conversation, and she looked as shocked as I felt. "Grandpa, have you done everything he said? I don't understand, and Mom never told me you had such a dangerous job. Did you ever tell her what you do or talk to her about it?" "No honey I didn't just because of how you're reacting now. I always separated my professional and home life just for this reason. I always spent all my off time with your mother, because she was the person I thought about when I went after the ones who were the most dangerous. When one of the men I was hunting had killed a child or a young person, I always used my feelings and love I had for your mother to catch him, because I knew how I would feel if it happened to me." "Since you're all I have left in this world now, will you quit being a hero to everyone and just be my grandpa for a while? I would like to spend some time and maybe have you walk me down the aisle some day when I get older. I want you to be around to see me grow up, so I can make you and Mom proud. I can't do that if you're out chasing criminals all the time." "Let me tell you something, Sandra. I am the undersheriff and it's my job to run the department for Mark. I no longer chase wanted criminals or that type of thing since I left the Marshal's service more than ten years ago. I bought this cabin to retire in and now it's great for us to live in while we get to know each other better. I go to work in the morning and come home at night. If I was doing what you don't want me to, wouldn't I have stayed and overseen the explosive removal instead of coming home to spend a great day with you and Jimmy?" "Ok, you got me there, but please remember what I said when you decide to play Lone Ranger again, Grandpa." "Very funny, Shorty. I need a coffee and I am tired of sitting in this vehicle. Do you want to chew on me any more today?" "Nope, I think my jaws are tired enough from chewing on your old hide." She bailed out, and ran for the porch, giggling like crazy. ------- Chapter 46 She was still laughing as we got in the house. I went to the kitchen and got a pot of coffee brewing and she grabbed a glass of orange juice. We sat down at the table and sipped our drinks. "I think I am going to fly to Columbus on Monday. I want to get those papers from that box. It's time for me to get some things done that need to be done. Those papers had to be checked by an attorney and certified as your mother's handwriting." "If you think I am going to stay behind then we need to talk, Grandpa. I am not leaving your side. I have a lot riding on those papers too. Besides you can't do it without me. It's my retina scan that will get us the box." "Your retina scan? What kind of setup does this bank have? I never heard of using a retina scan to get a safe deposit box. I was going to get a court order and just open it." "I was with Mom when she set it up and it took her two days to find the new type of scanning the banks overseas were using. She made sure my eyes were recorded. I think she knew she was sick even then. Grandpa, can we have a stone carved for her later? There's a man in the village that does them, and he and Mom had it all worked out between them. He knows what she wanted on it but, she got sick too quick and I didn't have any money to pay him. We could go together and you can meet some of our friends. They helped me when that man came to buy us from the orphanage. If it wasn't for the villagers, I would have never found you. No, Grandpa, I am going with you because I promised Mom I would be there when the box was opened. It seemed to be very important to her." "I won't make you break your promise then. Besides I don't think they would let me on the plane, carrying an eyeball in a box." She totally lost it, and her laughter made me feel like I was getting younger with each laugh. She finished her orange juice and went to get her shower. I went into the front room and sat in the chair, looking out the window. I don't know how long I had been sitting there when she crawled up in my lap and snuggled up next to me. She smelled like soap and shampoo like her mother used to after her shower.We sat and she dozed off holding me around my neck. I must have dozed off too because the next thing I knew the girls were in the house and Mark was trying to get them to be quiet and not wake us. I saw the camera flash go off and it startled me fully awake. "Sorry, Harry, but you two looked so peaceful I couldn't help myself. The girls brought sandwiches home for supper. We stopped on the way and they decided what to get everyone. We will be moving out next week as I just found out our cabin is done and ready for us to move into. Tran has some papers you have to sign. She said it was for the land boundary release, whatever that is. We are going up tomorrow to look at it and wondered if you wanted to go with us. She said it's right around the hill so we can drive there from here." "I have a general idea where it's at. Yes, we will go because I haven't seen it yet either. Tran took over while I was in the hospital and took the project out of my hands. She did it without consulting me, and I didn't find out until the day I got out of the hospital. That's another thing I am pissed about. I was going to give it to you and the girls as a gift from me but she decided to take the whole project over, pushing me completely out of the picture. Don't get me wrong, Mark, I am glad you have your place, but there were some things that I wanted, and I was supposed to have it built. I had some special plans for the girls, and some surprises I wanted for them. I know I'm sounding petty, but I wanted to have it as a surprise for your move. That's one of the reasons I don't want anything more to do with her and the other reason is personal." "I didn't know, Harry, and she told the girls it was from both of you. I figured by now you would be getting tired of us living here. I know the girls love being here with you and I know they are going to miss your cooking. I already have been told I need to take some lessons because they are tired of my glue sandwiches. Harry, if it bothers you that much we can stay here for now until we can build another place." "You most certainly will not. That's your place and I think you and the girls will love it when you see it. If I had my way you all would stay here with me and Sandra, but you need to have a life for yourself and the girls. Mark, you need to find someone and get married again. You're not the type to stay a bachelor the rest of your life. Me now, I was never cut out for marriage because I am too damned independent, and no woman likes that in a man. I do reserve the right to buy the girls a few things for their enjoyment since they are going to be mountain girls now." "You may be right about the marriage thing, Harry. It has been on my mind of late. I haven't met anyone I would consider a mom for the girls yet. They need someone besides a crusty old bachelor and a single father that can't cook. They are going to be really unhappy at first I think, because they will miss you and Sandra. Will you help me pick out the furniture and stuff? I have no idea what I will need or how to pick something out that fits with the cabin. I do know I want heavy well padded stuff though. I will make sure I get good quality so it lasts for many years. The girls and their friends will give it a workout over the years you can bet on that. I have a feeling they will be having a lot of sleepovers as they get older and make friends in school. That's another thing we have to think about, shots and all that stuff. Neither one of us has a doctor for them, and unless Sandra knows what shots she has had, she will have to be inoculated all over again." "Damn, that's right, Mark, I never thought about all of that stuff. I hope her records are in the box. By the way we are flying to Columbus Monday to get her records. I will check with the health department where her mother lived, and get her records from there. I have a copy of her mom's birth certificate, I will take with me to prove I am her dad so there won't be any privacy issues. I also am going to have to go to Mexico and get a copy of her death certificate. Sandra also wants to get a stone for her grave. I will be very busy in the next few weeks getting this stuff all straightened out." "If you both go to Mexico make sure her papers are in order or they might try to keep her. Hadley called me this afternoon. He is flying back with a bunch of pictures for Sandra to look at. He says she won't have to appear in court because of the INS guy's confession and all the paperwork he turned over to make a deal. He said they have made more than forty arrests so far and they are still issuing warrants. They found ten graves they exhumed and none of the bodies were more than twelve years old. He says they are still looking into the Mexican connection to all of this, and the Federal Police there are cooperating all the way. The woman running the orphanage where Sandra was is in prison, and several of her connections have been arrested also. He said to tell you he had some personal things he wanted to talk to you and Sandra about when he got here." "Now, that is good news, Mark and I think Sandra will be happy about it. I just wish someone down there had called me or written to let me know she was sick. I would have brought her and Sandra back here, and taken care of them and she could have had the best doctors money could buy. At least she wouldn't have had to suffer like Sandra was telling me she did. I think that hurts more than anything. Sandra is so much like her it scares me sometimes." "Anyone watching you two together can tell you are really close. Harry, can I ask you a personal question?" "Sure, Mark, you know I don't have anything to hide from you." "Sandra didn't get molested by one of those creeps did she? I know it's none of my business but she is like my own girls and I know what I would do if someone hurt them." "She said she hadn't been touched by anyone she came in contact with. I am so grateful for that, because I would hunt him down and God help him when I found him. I knew I was missing something in my life and she has filled that empty place I didn't know I had until she came." "Now that I understand, Harry. I see how you are with the girls and they respond to it like nobody else they have come in contact with. I did as you suggested and changed my will making you their guardian in case something happened to me." "If it's ok with you, Mark, I am going to do the same with you concerning Sandra. I don't know of anyone else I would trust with her. I know she will be well-taken care of with you and the girls. I didn't tell you because it was supposed to be a house warming present but I will tell you now. I have a college fund set up for the girls and they won't have to worry about paying for their education. I prepaid for eight years of college and it covers everything. I will do the same for Sandra this week so she will be taken care of too." "Harry, I don't know what to say except thanks. I was worried about it and didn't know if I would be able to put aside enough to help them. I had that plan when we were living in Florida but it won't transfer to another department or state. I had to cash it in when we moved." "The one I got is a national plan and it's good in any state and a couple of different countries if they want to study abroad when they get older. At the time I didn't know my daughter was gone and I didn't have anything else to do with the money. Dina and Dana are like my own, and they deserve something special from their Uncle Harry. This way they will be able to use it to make their lives better than ours." The girls came back into the room and informed me they were hungry, and wanted to eat their sandwiches now. I started to get up but Dana told me they would set the table since there were no dishes to mess with. "Figures you girls would want kitchen duty when you didn't have to clean up afterwards." "Well, Uncle Harry, that's why we had Dad stop and get sandwiches." I busted out laughing when she stuck her tongue out at me after she finished her little speech. I glanced over at Mark and he was grinning at us and shaking his head at her actions. They called us to supper and when we sat down, I was assaulted by all three of them. "We decided tomorrow we want our Chinese dinner we won. We all know why we couldn't get it today but we better get it tomorrow or we're gonna tell everyone you're a welcher, Uncle Harry." "Ok. Ok. We will have Chinese tomorrow. I am not a welcher, even if you three tricked us into making the bet." "We did not, Grandpa, we just omitted a few details to help us win. Besides, you like Chinese, and we like to be taken to a restaurant and treated like ladies once in a while." Mark and I both totally lost it with that statement. "It's not funny, Grandpa. We are going to dress up and so will you. Uncle Mark has a suit he can wear and I know you do because I saw them in your closet. Dina is going to lend me a dress to wear and we will all get dressed up for an evening on the town. We want to invite some of our friends to go with us so it won't be just us girls." "Hold it right there, you three. I will not invite anyone else because I know what you three are trying to pull so forget that idea real quick. Mark and I will get dressed up but neither one of us will be set up with dates by anyone. You may invite Jimmy, but that's all." They, all three, started in on us saying it wasn't fair. It was their night and they should be able to invite who they wanted. I reminded them the bet was for the three of them and not all their friends. I already knew who they had in mind, and there was no way I was going along with that one. We argued with them for about fifteen minutes, and when they saw we weren't going to budge, they finally dropped the idea and ate their food, giving us dirty looks the whole time they ate. I looked at Mark and he was smiling over the whole thing. I knew then and there I was going to have to watch him, because he would give in to the three of them in no time at all if they pushed him. They finished eating and cleaned up. When they headed into the other room, they were already whispering among themselves. I wondered what they were planning this time and how they would try to slip it by me and Mark. "Mark, they're already scheming again. Don't you dare cave in to them or so help me I will put a knot on your head. Those three are determined to set us up and you're the weak link here and they know it." "What do you mean weak link? I make them behave, don't I? I think you're being a little paranoid, Harry. They're only little kids for gosh sakes. You make them sound like little crooks, Harry." "That's not funny, Mark, and you know what I mean. Those three already tried to get us hooked up with them doing the choosing. If you can't see what they're trying to do then you need a knot on your head." "Harry, calm down, they think they are being sneaky. I think it's funny, and your reaction just goes to show that you need to remember they are just kids trying to help someone they love. As for me I don't want a blind date either, but I realize they are three girls and they have the dating thing in their blood. You better get used to it, because it's going to happen even more now that there are three of them and they have us out numbered." "I hear what you're saying, but unlike you, I don't even want to think about them trying to set me up all the time. There has to be some way we can put them off track when they start with this scheming thing again." Mark just laughed, and I was grumbling to myself as I took my coffee and headed for the front porch. ------- Chapter 47 The rest of the night went by smoothly and we got the girls to bed without anymore mention of the coming dinner. I set the coffee pot and the alarm and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. I woke up about fifteen minutes before the alarm went off. I made the trip to the kitchen and turned the pot on and went back to get my shower. I made sure to wear jeans and hiking boots today as we were going back to the motor pool again to try to finish up as much as we could before the auction the day after tomorrow. I was sitting in the chair in front of the window when Mark came down. "Morning, Harry. How come you're up so early?" "I woke up before the alarm went off. Have you awakened the girls yet?" "Nah, let them sleep a little longer. I am going in late today because of looking at the house. You guys going back to the motor pool again today?" "Yes, we are going to go through as much as we can before the auction Saturday. I hope we don't find another surprise like the last one. Man, that previous sheriff must have been a total idiot. Could you imagine what would happen if that stuff had somehow gone off? That part of town would have been flat." "Harry, I think it was probably the son. He was a dummy from everything I have been told. I also heard he was an equal opportunity sadist to everyone he was around. I think maybe you did the world a favor on that one. I wonder what the cabin will look like?" "If she did it like she says I think you and the girls will love it. I guess I will have to buy them some ATVs to get back and forth from there to here. I wouldn't want them to walk. I might even put the blade on the Arctic Cat and grade them their own road to travel on." "Harry, that's all I need. Those three running loose up here on ATVs. They will kill themselves running through the woods showing off to each other. I think they can learn to walk between houses. The graded road is a good idea but the ATV is a no no as far as I am concerned. If they bring it up just say they are still too young to own such a powerful machine or something, will you?" I was laughing at him by the time he was done with his little two cents worth. I did agree with him after I thought about it for a few minutes. The picture of them three on machines in the woods made me shiver. I wondered what he was going to say when I bought them horses for the barn on their place. Oh well, I would cross that bridge later. I headed up the steps to wake Sandra up and when I got to the landing I could hear her singing in her room so I went back downstairs. I started breakfast and Mark went up to wake his two. I decided we were going to have blueberry pancakes and started making the batter for them. I dug the big flat grill out and started it heating as I mixed the batter. "Morning, Grandpa, what's to eat this morning? I think I could eat a horse I'm so hungry." "We are having blueberry pancakes this morning. Go ahead and set the table while the girls get dressed, will you?" She had the plates and silverware out when the other two hit the kitchen. They immediately started helping her after giving me my hugs. I was cooking pancakes when I caught a snatch of conversation that almost made me drop the pancake I was putting on the platter. So that was their little scheme, I thought to myself. I wondered whose idea that was as if I didn't know already. Sandra had never met Tran so it had to be Dina's idea. She was in for a rude awakening if I had any say in her slick little plan. Gonna get me married my foot. I would have a little bit to say to them when breakfast was over. I set the pancakes and syrup on the table and told Dana to call her dad for breakfast. I decided I would be the one giving the dirty looks this morning. This was going to be fun if I did it right. I waited till everyone was seated and eating before I started with the dirty looks in Dina's direction. I knew she wouldn't be able to stand this very long and I was almost chuckling out loud when she hid her eyes from mine the second time. When she looked away, avoiding my look the third time, Mark must have sensed something was going on. "Ok you two, what's going on now?" "I don't know, Daddy, Uncle Harry keep looking at me in a mean way. I think he's mad at me or something." "Now why would I be mad at you Dina? You just got out of bed. Did you do something to upset me in some way?" "Hmm, not that I know of, Uncle Harry. Can I have some more pancakes please?" "Now Dina, don't change the subject. You didn't answer my question. What did you do?" "Alright, I give up already. I invited Auntie Tran to meet us this morning at the new cabin. I'm sorry, Uncle Harry, but she loves you and I was trying to help her. She cries every time we talk about you and Sandra. I can't stand to see her so sad all the time." After that little admission I immediately quit teasing her because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. "It's ok, Dina. She should be there to see if you girls like your new home. Honey, Tran will get over her sadness, and she will love to stay and baby-sit you both in your new house. She and I will always be friends and I don't want her to be sad either. You and Dana need to try harder to cheer her up when she gets like that. I started to say something but Mark had to put his two cents worth in. "Girls, your Uncle Harry will never get married again. He likes being single and being able to do whatever he wants to because he is. I think maybe your Auntie Tran thought she could change him but that will never happen. She will just have to accept that. I know she cares a lot for him, but he doesn't have the same feelings for her. Now I don't want either one of you trying to get them together again. If it does happen it will be because they want it not you." "But Daddy, they were together for a little while before. We think Auntie Tran was a lot happier when they were. We just wanted her to be happy again." "I know that, Sweetheart, but they are grownups and little girls shouldn't interfere with grownups feelings. Now I want both of you to promise you will quit trying to get them back together and just leave them alone from now on, ok?" "Ok, Daddy, but can we at least introduce Sandra to her today?" "That's up to Harry so you better ask him first." They both looked at me for my answer and I pretended to be thinking before I answered them. "I think I will leave that up to Sandra, girls. If she wants to meet her then I have no objections." I sat and watched them both start smiling after they heard my answer and then they both started in on Sandra. I knew I wouldn't be able to not let her meet Tran because the girls loved her and I figured Sandra would too when she met her. Tran had been good for the girls but Sandra would have a baby sitter I chose. It wasn't going to be Tran because I didn't want Sandra pumped for information on me everyday. I knew the girls volunteered the information and all Tran had to do was ask about me and the girls would tell her. I figured I would let Sandra come home from school and let Jimmy watch over her and then that way they could play their music together. I knew I wanted Sandra to keep up with her playing, and Jimmy would want her to teach him the new songs she had been taught while living in Mexico. This would be a win-win situation for me, and the both of them. Besides, I liked hearing them. When winter hit I had already planned to cut my hours so we could spend more time together. I did want to learn how to play the guitar so we could play a few things together. I also wanted her to paint the mural on the wall by the fireplace. If it was anything like the one she had done in her room, then it would amaze everyone who visited. I broke up their little chatting session when I told them to clean up the table and load the dishwasher. They were still talking a mile a minute as they did their cleanup. Mark was smiling at them as they finished up. "Harry, thanks for what you did for them. I know you didn't want to, but they love Tran. They have been talking about having Sandra meet her for the last couple of days. I think you have just made their whole day for them." "Mark, I couldn't very well have said no to them without hurting their feelings. I know how they feel about her and for a short while I was starting to feel the same. I quickly changed my mind when she slapped me the way she did. I won't take something like that from anyone. If she had been a man I would have knocked her out then and there. Since she was a woman I did the only thing I could, walk away. I don't need to have all that kind of violence in my life, as I see enough working in the job I do. To this day I still can't believe she did it and for no reason. At least one I will never know. I will be civil to her for the girls' sake but that's as far as it will ever go for my part." "I understand what your talking about, Harry. You know how me and my ex were. Sometimes I wanted to stomp her into the floor. If not for the girls I probably would have. If you hadn't intervened on my behalf, I would have lost them and my job. I still haven't heard a thing from her since we moved out here. The girls don't even ask anymore. I had always entertained hopes that she would straighten out and want to be part of their lives, but it seems like she is to busy to even call them. Even a hooker has a day she doesn't work at certain times. It still bothers me, Harry." "I know, Mark, but you can't change her. You already tried that and it blew up in your face twice if I remember right. Well, we better get this bunch rounded up and head out. You lead and I will pull you out if you get stuck." "Very funny, Harry." He got up and yelled for the girls to get ready to go. I grabbed a light jacket, my ID and weapon from the bedroom. Sandra was right behind me as we went out the door. I set the alarm and hit the remote to turn the alarm off in my unit as we went down the steps. When it shut off the horn sounded and Dina was in front of it and she screamed in fright. Mark hugged her and I got a very dirty look from her when she saw me smiling. I didn't do it on purpose because I hadn't even paid attention, just done it out of habit. "Uncle Harry, you did that on purpose. You just wait, now I owe you one and you know me. I will pay you back for scaring me so bad." Sandra was laughing as was her sister and Mark. Me, I decided I better just act serious because I did know her and when she wanted to she could be very sneaky. She had got me back once in Florida and to this day I still remember how easily she had done it to me. Jeesh, now I had to start watching her. I would almost be willing to bet she would include the other two in it, when she figured out how she was going to do it. What a way to start the day. I was following Mark as he headed out for the cabin. Within the first ten minutes, Sandra and I were laughing so hard, I was having to have to wipe my eyes on my sleeve so I could see where I was going. I finally took pity on him after the third time he had to back his unit up and change directions. I got on the radio to see if he had his on and luckily he did. I told him he was taking too long and why didn't he follow me as I knew a short cut to get there. He readily agreed and I heard the girls in the back ground comparing his driving to his grilled cheese sandwiches. With that one I totally lost it. Sandra was laughing almost as hard as I was after I explained about his grilled cheese sandwiches. I took us back to the cabin and turned down the hill to the gate I had locked. When we got to it I took the little track the fence company had used to repair the fence. We came out to a clearing that was high enough that it overlooked the new cabin. We were facing the rear and I had to admit it was just as I would have built it, barn included. I also saw the little VW sitting behind where we were looking from. It was as shiny as the day I had it delivered to her. "Grandpa, it's beautiful. I will really miss them when they move. Will I be allowed to visit them?" "Sure you will, Sandra. I am going to grade a road from our place to theirs. Then Mark will be able to find his way without getting lost in the woods. I still can hear Dina ragging on him about his driving." "That was really funny, Grandpa. I can't believe he is the sheriff and gets lost a hundred yards from your house. Wait till I tell Jimmy about this one. He will crack up. Have you ever gotten lost grandpa?" "I was never lost but I have been twisted around enough that I had to wait for the sun to set to get my direction. Once you have that then you will always be able to find your way because you can tell which way to go. Why do you ask?" "I was just curious." "Sandra, if you want to learn wilderness survival then I will be glad to teach you. Many years ago when I was young I used to instruct it in the Army." "I want to learn everything I can from you. Maybe you can teach all of us later on, when we get through with all the things we have to do. I really want to see what's in the safe deposit box. Mom always said I had a big surprise coming if something ever happened to her. I really miss her, Grandpa." "So do I, Honey. I still feel guilty about all that happened. Every time I think about it I am in awe of you and your strength. I still can't believe you found me and it scares me to think what might have happened if you hadn't. Now let's go see Mark and the girl's new home." ------- Chapter 48 I locked my unit into four-wheel drive and eased down the hill to the cabin. Looking in the rear view I noticed Mark had waited till I was almost half way down before he started after me. I pulled up to the back of the cabin and parked behind the VW and of course Sandra had to remark on it. "That little car is beautiful, Grandpa. Who does it belong to? I like the picture of the dragon protecting her eggs." "It belongs to Tran, the girls' baby sitter. I thought it was pretty too, and since she is Chinese, it fits her to a T." Mark pulled up beside us with a big smile on his face when he got a good view of the cabin and barn. He and the girls climbed out and headed for the door. Sandra was right behind them and they were all talking a mile a minute. I got out and walked to the barn to look inside. I had to admit Tran had used what she learned from my sleep talking to do it like I had talked about. It was two storied and there was a small hay mow in the top with a play area for the kids. There were three stalls on the one side and they were plenty roomy with the feeders easy to get at. The other side had a bunch of wire mesh cages pre-built for any animals the girls wanted. I opened the double doors by the cages and there was room on the other side for any type of equipment Mark wanted to buy. There was a workbench against one wall with electric plugs and lights overhead in the main barn and the storage area. Like it or not I could see she had listened very closely to my rambling when I was unconscious in the hospital. Well, I might as well get this over with so I turned and headed for the house. When I walked inside I could hear the excited voices of the girls as they checked their new home out. They were already arguing over which bedroom they were going to get. I smiled as I looked around the complete stainless steel kitchen with all new modern appliances. I almost laughed out loud with the picture in my mind of Mark making his glue sandwiches on the new stove. There was a center eating bar set up with the five stools already in place. Hell, maybe she had already furnished it for them. I walked into the dining room and there was a table there that could sit eight people. It was brand new and made to fit in with the rough look of the inside of the cabin. I then realized Tran had gone all out and furnished it with furniture that looked like it was made from the same wood as the cabin. I had to admit it really all did fit in together, with the furniture matching the walls, and it had almost the same wood grain as the wood used in the making of the cabin. I went into the front room and it was the same way. I would almost bet the huge couch that went along the whole wall would weigh six hundred pounds. There was a big modern fireplace with the fan forced heat blowers set into each side of the fireplace. I hoped there was another heat source because when the electric went out during the winter storms, they would all have to sleep here to stay warm. As I found out later there were three generators and a propane heating system for just that purpose. The well was below the cabin, where they had drilled into an underground river, and it had tested almost one hundred percent pure with no pollutants detected. There was a reverse osmosis system in the large finished basement for their protection. I had to give her credit, she had done an excellent job for Mark and the girls. Hell, I would have been proud to move in here if I needed a place to live. Mark came down from the upstairs with papers in his hand and handed them to me telling me I needed to sign them so they could be recorded. I sat down in the big chair and read them quickly and they all seemed to me to be above board. All in all, between Tran and I, we were giving Mark five acres on each side of the property lines. The cabin had been built straddling the lines between her property and mine so we had equally given them the acreage. There was no mortgage, and the property and cabin were free of encumbrances of any kind. The taxes looked cheap enough to me. I did notice the fencing around the property had already been paid for and would be installed within the month. The back gate would connect with my property, so the girls could come and go to my place easily. The other gate would be at the end of the driveway and would be electronically controlled, and all the area would be clearly posted against trespassing and hunting. When I saw the last page I was happy. There was a complete breakdown of the costs, and a complete inventory of everything that had been done to the place. My half of it was a helluva lot lower than what I thought it would be, for how well it had been built. Tran had gotten everything done for thousands less than what I had thought it would be. I signed everything and took my copy of the papers. I decided I would stop at the bank today and transfer the funds into her account. The girls were coming down the stairs, which were circular, from upstairs. Their faces were beaming in joy and excitement and I felt at peace because I knew they would be happy here and safe. Tran came over to me and I handed her the other copies she needed. "I will stop by the bank this morning and transfer my half of the cost into your account. You did well with it, Tran, and I think the girls will be very happy here. I will grade a road from the back gate to my place so Mark can't get lost again finding his way to my cabin. I couldn't believe the furniture matched the cabins wood grain so well. Now if Mark can learn to cook, then the girls won't starve when they are snowed in." "Thank you Harry. I just listened to you ramble about how you wanted it and made notes whenever you talked about it. I am sorry for what happened between us. I hope we can be friends for the girls' sake. I think Sandra is very special, and she is what you needed to take the loneliness from your life." "I know you're right on that one. She is very special and so talented it scares me. She is going to teach me how to play the guitar so we will have something to do this winter when we are snowed in. Tran, I hope you meet someone that makes you happy. I would say we weren't meant to be, and you showed that to me." "Harry, sometime you are so dumb I'm surprised you have lived this long. You wouldn't know what a woman feels or wants if it bit you." With that last outburst she stomped away from me clutching the papers in her little hand. I must have had a dumb look on my face because I heard giggling from the side of me, and when I looked toward where it was coming from, Sandra was standing with her hand over her mouth trying to keep from laughing out loud. "Ok that's enough from you. Tell the girls goodbye because we have to go." She was still giggling as she ran to the back of the house to do what I told her. I could see right now I was going to have to watch for little ears when I was catching hell from someone. I wondered how much she had heard of the exchange between Tran and me before she started laughing at the look on my face. Knowing her, probably the whole thing. We went out the front door and I had a chance to see the front of the cabin. I noticed the trees had been cut back far enough that if one fell it couldn't hit the cabin. There were still plenty left to screen the cabin from the road, which I figured was almost a half-mile from the cabin. When we walked around the side I saw there was a two-car garage hidden from sight in the trees and again it was also safe from any that fell. Man, Tran had put a lot of thought into all this for them. This idea must have been hers because I knew I had never mentioned a hidden garage. I would almost be willing to bet this is where the generators were kept safe and dry out of the weather. Looking a little closer I could see the exhaust pipes coming out of the roof for them so I had guessed right. I had noticed in the papers I had, that both the garage and barn along with the house had been well insulated to hold the heat. Then it hit me what the vents in the barn were for. They were for heat so the barn would stay warm in the winter for the animals. These girls would have some spoiled animals to play with when they got them. We piled into my unit and drove down the driveway. As we went down, I noticed it was angled and had one long curve to it to make it easier to negotiate in the winter when there was snow and it was slippery. This again had a lot of planning put into it. I knew Mark was going to have to buy himself a tractor with a snow blade to keep it clean, or he would end up walking, even with four wheel drive. I then had a thought about my driveway, and realized as rough as it was, I would have to grade it too if I wanted to get in and out in the winter. Oh well, that's what the blade on the Arctic Cat was for. We came out to the highway and headed for the bank so I could transfer the funds as I had promised Tran I would. Sandra hadn't said a word since we left so I decided I would ask her what was wrong. "Honey, you're being awful quiet. What's wrong?" "I was just thinking about what the girls asked me. They want me to paint a picture of them and their dad in each of their bedrooms. I want to, but I don't know if they will like it, Grandpa. I don't want to do it, then have them be upset because it's not what they thought it should look like." "The best way to get around that one is to have the bedrooms owner help you all the way. Then if they don't like it, they share the blame of how it turned out." "Boy, that's a good idea. I still will have to think about it though. I want to do ours before I do any more. I have been thinking about it, and I want to sketch it out so you have some idea of what we are going to do. When is this auction you are having?" "Day after tomorrow at the gulch where the closed casino is located. We will be there all day Saturday and maybe part of the day Sunday. That's why we are trying to get all the stuff in the bays gone through to see how much we can sell. So far we haven't gained that much stuff. I am hoping today we will be able to find a lot more stuff." "Me and Jimmy will do our part, Grandpa. I had fun until we all had to leave. I am looking for something for myself and when I find it I will let you know. I won't say what it is because it might not be there. Jimmy says he thinks there are some but he wasn't sure. Maybe we will find them today." I didn't ask her what she was looking for because we had just parked at the bank. We got out and went inside and I asked the teller about transferring the funds. To my surprise, it took about ten minutes to completely do it all. We headed back for my unit with receipt in hand, and headed for the motor pool and my job as junk picker. When we pulled in, Jimmy was sitting in a chair by the door. As soon as he saw my unit he jumped up and headed in our direction. I barely got parked when Sandra jumped out and was grabbed up in his huge arms for a hug. They were talking a mile a minute by the time I got out and walked to where they were at. "Morning, Sheriff. Glad you and Sis could make it. I been waiting for her to arrive. I have her table and chair all set up for her to start." "Ok, you two, go do your thing. I'll be out in a few minutes." They went in the door and disappeared before I even got to the door. I had to smile to myself at their relationship. I personally thought she was as safe with him as she was with me. Those two were going to get even closer and I hoped they did. I had come to realize he was almost as special to me as she was. I went to the office but Doris wasn't there so I got a coffee and headed to the back where the bays were. Shayne was in the shop working on a unit and he waved as I went by. I stepped outside and saw Jimmy had a chair set up for me. I could get used to this kind of treatment. I didn't get a chance to sit as Doris called me over to where she was standing. As I got closer I realized it was the bay in which the explosives had been stored. I was thinking the worst as I walked up to where she was standing. "Harry, there is residue all over the floor in here. How do we clean it so that it's safe?" "Have one of the guys mix bleach and use hot water with a pressure washer. Make sure he wears a mask while he does it. There's a drain in the floor so as long as he uses a strong solution of bleach it won't build up in the drains. Tell him to use plenty of water and wash ahead of him so there's no sparks. That will clean it so it's safe even if you strike a match and drop it." "Thanks, Harry, I was worried about it. Since I don't know anything about this stuff I waited till you got here. We have an industrial pressure washer with a large tank on it so it will work out great. Your granddaughter and Jimmy are down at bay six. They found all the musical stuff I knew was here. Both of them are having a ball going through all the stuff in there. I hope you have some extra money because the auditor said to sell anything in there for whatever we could get out of it." "Oh great, those two loose in a music store again. We may never get any work done today." She was laughing as she walked off. I went back and got my chair, and moved it over by the little table Jimmy had set up again. I was watching as they had the men pull the boxes out, and they opened them to see what was inside. They both had markers and if it wasn't something they were interested in they marked it and had someone set it to the side. These two were having a ball, if the laughter and kidding with every one was any indication. With them opening every box, this bay was going to take a long time to get through. I heard the overhead door coming up behind me and when I turned to look, I saw Doris coming out pulling a large pressure washer. She was unrolling the hose as she walked. She called one of the men over and was evidently telling him what I had said, as he looked at me a couple of times while she was talking. I turned around when I heard a squeal from Sandra. She was holding a banjo up and telling Jimmy something as she shook it. I didn't bother getting up because they had only got started and I had a feeling I was going to hear a lot of excited yelling and squealing today. ------- Chapter 49 I listened to the kids laughing in glee at every musical instrument they found. To put it mildly, I was bored to death. I had watched the kids bounce in and out of the bay for the last hour. I just wished I had their energy. I was about to doze off when Sandra came over to me with Jimmy right behind her. She was holding a hard case that looked like it was for a guitar. "Grandpa, I found what I was looking for. I found a left handed guitar and a mandolin. I want you to buy them so I can teach you how to play this winter. Jimmy and I already found each of us a mandolin so we can all play together." "You two are something else. I will buy them all for us on one condition." "What's that?" "You two promise not to make fun of my two left arms while you try to teach me." "Oh Grandpa, we wouldn't do that. We want you to learn so you can play with us. I am digging out guitars for the girls to learn too." "Ok you win. Pile the stuff you want to buy in a special pile and I will get them. But please, no more than you both need to teach us, ok?" They gave each other a high five as they ran back into the bay. It didn't take long for them to make a pile to the side. I didn't know what they were going to cost me, but if it made them happy then it did the same for me. They had the stuff cleared out of the bay in no time and declared most of it was in good shape to sell at the auction. I watched as they moved to the next bay and opened it and everybody back away from the door. I got up thinking the worst when one of the men called for Doris. We both got there about the same time and the sight in the bay took both our breath away. The whole bay was filled with the roll type tool boxes and they all were of a brand name and all looked new. She opened a few of the drawers in them and they were full to the top. "Harry, I am claiming one each of these for every bay in my shop. The rest we can sell at auction. I need them as the ones we have are pretty well worn out." "Doris, they're yours to choose from. Use what you need and load the rest for auction. They are the triple stack type so they should have anything you need for your people." All the workers gave out a big cheer, and proceeded to grab a box and roll it to the shop. They took two extras and the bay was still over half full of the tool boxes. "Doris, how do you plan on loading all this stuff to take it to the auction?" "We have three thirty foot flat bed trailers. We can use the forklift to do the loading. It shouldn't be a problem Harry." "Ok Doris, you know better than me what your guys are capable of. I just hope we can get it all moved over in time to sell all of it." "Don't worry, Harry, I have four trucks coming to move the stuff over as we get a load. There is one coming in today as a matter of fact. They are from the state so they all are bonded. We are getting into some expensive stuff and I want to make sure none of it comes up missing. I checked with Mark this morning and he will have a guard over there all the time to make sure. Harry, I hate to think where all this stuff came from, but I will be glad to finally get it out of here. When this is all cleared out I can assign each man his own bay and have room for some other plans I want to put into motion. Thanks for sticking with this so we can get it done." "Well, I hate sitting around here doing this, but I will see it through if it kills me, or those two kids wear me out watching them have so much fun." "Yeah, they seem to be in their element don't they?" I just snorted at that ridiculous statement and walked back to my chair. This day was getting longer and longer with each passing hour. I was sitting and about half dozing when Doris came out, and said there were several people from the gulch in her office that wanted to talk to me. I got up and went to her office. I got a cup of coffee and sat down facing the five people that were standing inside. "What can I do for you folks today?" "Sheriff we need your help. When we had all the other homecoming and grand openings in the gulch, we were issued permits to sell food and drinks and these types of things to help raise money for our people. We went to the courthouse this morning, and a new clerk who is the old sheriff's first cousin refused to let us buy the permits. She flat out told us her relatives from around the county had already bought all the available permits. If we tried to set up to sell they would wreck our stands and run us out of the area until the auction was over. The county recorder is away until next month in training. She is a good lady and was just elected this last month. Is there some way you can help? We need the funds we make from the sales. All of our stuff has been inspected by the health department and cleared for use." "Let me make a couple of calls. I don't like the sound of all of this. It stinks, and the old sheriff and his family have caused enough trouble in this county." I got on the phone to the prosecutor and explained the problem to him and he was almost as pissed as I was getting. He said for me to give him an hour to draft a restraining order for the judge to sign. He also said he would call the new county recorder and apprise her of her clerk's action and see what she had to say. I was to call him back in an hour. I told the people from the gulch what I had been told and they were all smiles at the news. I noticed the woman from the valley was their spokesman and she seemed to have her arguments carefully thought out. We sat around and drank coffee and whiled the hour away, waiting for me to make the call back to the prosecutor. I waited almost an hour and made the call. He got on the line immediately stating the judge had signed an order stating that any permits previously issued were null and void. I was also told there was a law on the books stating that any community that wanted to apply for permits for this type of thing had first choice before they were opened up to outside applicants. He told me he also had a signed and notarized fax from the recorder giving me power of attorney to act in her place until she returned. I told him we would be there to pick up the paperwork in a little while. I went out and told Doris to tell Sandra I would be back as I had a call to make. She smiled and said she hoped I was able to help them. We all headed for the courthouse. I parked in front and waited while they found parking spots. We went in the front door together and headed for the prosecutors office. I walked in while the others waited in the hallway for me. He was waiting for me and handed me the court order and the power of attorney. "Harry, I know this clerk you're talking about and she thinks she runs that office. The newly elected recorder told me on the phone if you have to fire her to make sure you got all her keys and not to let her take anything that wasn't personal." "If she gives me some crap I guarantee you she won't be working here after today. I've about had my fill of these power hungry relatives of that old sheriff." I went back out and we headed for the recorders office. When we walked in, I noticed that one of the older women who saw us walk in almost ran to an office and whispered in another woman's ear. This woman got up and came to the counter. "How many times do I have to tell you gulch trash the permits are all sold out? Why are you back here and who is this old man you brought with you? If you think he can change things then you better get an attorney. By the time you do that the auction will be over and the question of the permits will be moot. Now leave this office before I call a deputy to remove you." Listening to her talk to these people like they were trash beneath her feet had me so pissed I had to take a deep breath. I knew if I didn't get myself under control I would probably smack her and that wouldn't help the matter at all. I backed away from the counter and got my walkie out and asked dispatch for a unit to come here ASAP. They said Beau was in the area and was on his way. I just stood and glared at her while I waited for him to arrive. When he walked in and saw all the people standing around the woman immediately started in on him. "I want these people escorted from this office. They are causing a big problem and interrupting official business." Beau looked around and then he spotted me and just started grinning. "Hey sheriff, are you causing a disturbance here. Can I have permission to remove you from these premises?" The woman's mouth fell open at his calling me sheriff and from the look on her face she knew she was in deep shit. Call me an old man will she? "Lady, I have power of attorney from the elected county recorder and you are fired. You will clean out your desk taking only personal items. If you remove county property you will be arrested for theft. Also your friend over there is fired along with you. Which one of you is the most knowledgeable about county matters?" One younger girl shyly held up her hand at my question. She informed me her name was Jean and she had been working here for four years as a filing clerk. "Jean, I want all the food vendor permits this woman issued pulled and revoked. I have an order from the judge giving me the power to do this. I will give you the paperwork and you can stamp and record it to make it legal. I want you to call the people on the permits and tell them they have been revoked. I also want new permits issued to these people free of charge, and any other gulch resident who applies with the correct identification. Do you think you and your staff can handle this little chore?" "We would be more than happy to, Sheriff. I live in the gulch myself, and when I objected to what she was doing she threatened to fire me for insubordination. I know I can speak for the rest of us when we say we are happy to see that old bitch go. She thinks she is the recorder and tries to rule everything in this office whether it's legal or not." "When the recorder comes back make a list of the things she has pulled that are illegal and if the recorder thinks she should be prosecuted we will be happy to arrest her." I noticed the woman in question come out of her office with a big box and I saw some file folders in it and stopped her. I made her sit it on the floor and asked Jean to go through it to see if there were any county files or property in it. Jean found folders of files, and one that contained deeds with her name on them. They had been put into her name after the old sheriff had died so they were illegal as hell. These deeds would let us check out properties we knew nothing about, and maybe find the original owners he had cheated to get them. There had to be a hundred in the file she had tried to smuggle out. I had Beau put her under arrest for theft and forgery to start with. I took her key ring and had Jean check it, and the only key on it that was hers was to her personal car. I dropped it in her purse after taking several bundles of money out and giving it to Jean to put back in the safe. "Lady, when the prosecutor gets done with you I would guess you will be spending a few years in prison. I am getting a search warrant for your home right away and we will find out what else you have stolen. I suggest you find a good attorney. Since your friend has been helping you she can go to jail with you." Beau took them both out, and I told Jean to lock her office until we could pick up her computer to check it. I left the people from the gulch getting their permits for vending and went back to the prosecutor's office. I told him what had happened and that I wanted a search warrant for her home and auto and any other buildings that were in her name. He sat down and immediately started typing it up for me. He finished and had added some things I hadn't thought of. He said for me to wait here while he got the judge to sign it. When he came back he was smiling as he handed me the paperwork. "Harry, the judge said to tell you if you need anything else to just call him direct. If he needed to add anything to the paperwork he would do it immediately. He said to tell you to keep up the good work and to be careful because you are racking up a lot of enemies with the old sheriff's kin." I thanked him and went out to my unit and called Charlie. I told him what I had and asked if he wanted to handle it because I didn't have the manpower. He sounded excited to take it over. He said he could use something to do because he could feel his arteries hardening from sitting behind his desk. I told him to meet me at the motor pool and I would sign all the paperwork over to him and his people. I called Mark and brought him up to date and he said he was glad I had turned it over to the State Troopers. He asked me if I had an idea about hiring some more deputies. I told him about my idea of running ads in the Reno and Vegas papers. We still had openings for supervisors, detectives, and officers. I asked him about the new units and what Andy had decided. He told me we would have forty new units painted and ready to go by the end of the month. Andy was checking with another bidder in Vegas today and would be calling in later. I then told him about the ATVs we had found in the bays and my plan to use them for winter use and he said it was a great idea. I told him I was going to sell about a hundred of the Harleys to the State Police. The rest would be offered to the men from their and our departments because of the serial number problem and assigning them to the bikes. He said it was my call, but he wanted one for himself so I was to pick him out a nice one for his personal use. I laughed and asked him how he would haul both girls at the same time. He had a comeback, and asked if an old man like me ever heard of side cars for them. I called him a smartass and he ended the call laughing. When I pulled back into the motor pool there were about twenty State Troopers milling around, talking and shooting the breeze. I got out and was greeted by about half of them wanting to know what I had gotten into this time, and that they were tired of pulling my fat out of the fire. I gave them the bird and they all cracked up. Butch pulled in and came over to me with a big smile on his face. "Hey Harry, Charlie radioed me and said to meet you here. He said you had a bunch of search warrants for us to serve. Thanks to you I just took the captain's exam and will be promoted again. Harry, if you ever need anything at all just call me and I will be there along with half of our troop. These guys heard the call and came in on their own time to help out. Most of them are off today but wanted to help out." "Butch, I don't think there will be any problems with these but you know how that goes. Make sure they all have their vests on just to be safe. All these are related to the old sheriff so I don't know what might happen. I want you to stop by the station, and pick up one of our walkies so you can stay in touch with me. Get one of the supervisor walkies that has the private channel on it. Use channel 4 at all times. That way it won't go through dispatch. I want to know if you find anything important. Check for hidden holes and such. You been through this before." "Will do, Harry. Charlie said to tell you he is sending one of the guys that buy our bikes over tomorrow to pick out the Harleys he wants to buy. There are a lot of the men that want to buy some of the ones that are left, so I will warn you right now they will be coming around to look at them. I want one too so save me a good one, will you? I want one of the Sportsters I have been hearing so much about from Charlie for the last day or so." "I don't know one from the other, Butch. I might buy one for Jimmy if he wants one. His moped just doesn't get it for him and Sandra to run around on. She already told me she wants one for when she gets older. Me, I like four wheels under me at all times. I was never a big fan of them and all the noise they make." "Well, to each his own, Harry. We better get going, so good luck with your junk picking duty." I gave him the finger and he was laughing as he called his men together to give them their assignments. I went back inside and sat down in the office and sipped a fresh cup of coffee someone had made while I was gone. ------- Chapter 50 I got my coffee and took a deep breath and headed back outside. Doris called me to the side before I had gone a hundred feet. "Were you able to help those poor people, Harry?" "They are in the process of getting their permits as we speak. How are the kids doing with the bays?" "We got lucky on one of them. There were two portable sawmills in it and they both were on wheels. They have already been loaded on one of the trailers and headed for the gulch. I am having all the stuff for auction put in the field that you used to land all those choppers in. The toolboxes go next and I have several large portable lights that are being put on top of the old house by the field. They will light up the whole area so the guard will be able to see better. The cars we drove over yesterday and several of the gulch residents were able to buy a couple of them before they went for auction. I figured they needed them more than a few hundred dollars extra we would get out of them." "That is one point you and I agree on completely, Doris. If they want the stuff at the Auditors price then they are welcome to it. So far, what we are taking over is all top notch stuff so it should bring good money. How are we set for winter tires, Doris? We have a lot of new units coming in and they will all need winter tires put on them when the season changes. They are all four wheel drives." "I talked to my supplier and he gave me a sweet deal if I can buy them before September. I told him I would be able to. Harry, can we talk about Jimmy and Sandra for a minute?" "Sure, what's up, Doris?" "I was wondering if you will let him stay at your place a few nights a week. He has been driving me crazy about this new music Sandra wants to teach him. Harry, I haven't seen him so excited about something for a long time." "Doris, he is very welcome to come and stay as long as he wants. I have enough room after this weekend for several more. Mark and the girls are moving into their new place Saturday, so it will just be me and Sandra there. I know your going to throw a fit, but I decided to buy him one of those Harleys in the bay there." "Not this time, Harry. I've already picked out the one I want to get him for his birthday. I put a do not sell sign on it already. This time I will do the buying. Hell, I have the money. I don't do anything with my pay from here but pay a few bills. Thanks to you I now make a good wage." "Ok, I won't argue about this one because I have a feeling I would lose. Did you know Sandra has one picked out for herself? She wants it for when she gets older." "I know I helped her pick it out. They both picked out the same colors only different models. She liked the color of the one I let her help me choose for him then she found one almost the same color. It's got a do not sell sign on it too. Harry, if something ever happens to me, will you make sure Jimmy's taken care of?" "Now that goes without saying, Doris. He will always be welcome to come and live with me and Sandra. I have come to have a lot of respect for him and I know that Sandra thinks a lot of him. I never figured I would ever trust anyone where she is concerned, but I have had to change my mind on that one. Those two are like two peas in a pod. I don't think either one could be happy without the other one around." "He thinks more of your granddaughter than anyone else I think. All he talks about is her and how she is such a great musician. He keeps talking about some songs she knows from a man she learned from in Mexico. Do you know what he's talking about?" "I don't know his name, but Jimmy says he was a great musician and then he retired and disappeared. Sandra took her lessons from him, and I guess he taught her a lot of songs that were never heard by the public before, and he refused to publish or sell them before he left the public eye." "He has been so excited to be able to learn them that that's all he talks about. He has talked more in the last few days than he has in years. He played his new violin last night for me and it brought tears to my eyes. I asked him what the song was and he said it was one he composed. I didn't even know he knew how to write music. He said it was one of many he wants to teach to Sandra. I wish he were younger because I would send him to Julliard to study music." "Well Sandra is good with her music but she is one of the greatest artists I have ever seen. You should see the mural she did in her room at the cabin. I can't believe they are so smart, and I feel so dumb next to the both of them. I just try to keep up with them and stay a little ahead of them when I can." "Those two are about the perfect pair. I just wish he had met her a long time ago maybe he wouldn't be so backward now. I sure haven't been any help to him these last few years. Trent got me in so much trouble I didn't have any time to spend with him. Every time he tried to talk to me I shut him down. I have had to live with that for a long time. Now that he is so happy I want so much to help him, and maybe share in some of his happiness. The lord knows I haven't had any for a long time." She turned and walked away to the garage and I went slowly to my chair, thinking about all she had told me. I knew she felt guilty about all she had done, but I never realized it went so deep. With the abuse she had gone through it was a wonder she was still in her right mind. I still hadn't met her daughter, but I would be almost willing to bet she was as hard as her mom was. I wondered how Kit and Danny were doing. I hadn't heard from them since he had moved him here for his physical therapy. I saw Sandra open the next to the last bay, and then she and Jimmy were laughing and clapping their hands at whatever was inside. With these two I didn't know if I wanted to see what was inside or not. The choice was taken out of my hands, when they called for me to come over and look and see what they had found. I went over and the whole bay was full of bicycles of every shape and form. From little kids to mountain bikes. Stacked on the sides were new tires and rims and inner tubes by the box full. I immediately knew what I was going to do with these. Every kid in the gulch would now have their own bike to ride. I sent Jimmy for his aunt and told Sandra what I had in mind. By the time I was through explaining she was jumping up and down in excitement. Doris came up with Jimmy and I outlined my plan to her. She had a smile on her face by the time I was done. "I'll get on it right now, Harry. This is really nice of you to do this." She called one of the men over and told him what she wanted him to do and he smiled then took off. We went to the last bay and opened it and at the look on my face, Doris lost it laughing so hard tears were coming out of her eyes. "I told you I had a surprise in the last bay Harry. Now what are you going to do with all of them?" "What the hell am I supposed to do with I would guess a thousand double barrel shotguns. Where the hell did all these come from Doris?" "They were bought for pennies on the dollar, when the old manufacturing company went bankrupt two years ago. They are all collector's items Harry. Some of them are inlaid with gold and silver and are special ordered from all over the world. The auditor said to record the serial numbers and sell them for whatever we can get for them. Harry, all the anniversary ones are in the front, and I was ordered to give them to you as a gift from the state for your services. Harry, please don't turn them down, because we went to a lot of trouble to dig them out and get all the paperwork done so they could be recorded in your name. You can give them as Christmas gifts to your friends." "Whose bright idea was this one, Doris?" "The Governor and the Attorney General. They wanted to do something special for you because of all you have done for this area since you became sheriff. I have the paperwork in my office for you to take home along with the guns. Harry, they are worth hundreds apiece and will make great gifts because of their value and collectability." "Ok, Doris, but how am I supposed to get them all in my unit?" "I will have Jimmy deliver them in the pickup next week sometime." "We won't be here for the next week. We have to go to Columbus Ohio and get Sandra's paperwork all done. We will probably be gone about all week. You can have them brought out to my place after we get back. The rest of them should sell really well at the auction since they are so sought after by collectors. We can legally sell these because they are all new and not confiscated goods." It was about an hour later I heard the sound of children's voices coming toward us. I waited till they all came out of the garage and stood in front of me. One cute little girl came up to me and looked up at me with big eyes. "I remember you. You helped my family when we were starving. You're the one who had all those men give us food. Do we have to pay you back now?" "No, but I have something for all of you to take home with you. All of you come with me because I have a surprise for all of you. Those of you that have a baby sister or brother be sure to tell one of us." I opened the bay door and watched as all of their eyes got big at seeing all the bicycles in the bay. "I want each one of you to pick out a bike for yourself and we will engrave your name on it so you will know it's yours. We will give you extra tires and tubes for it so it should last you a long time." They looked at each other in disbelief before they broke and went running into the bay. I looked at the adults standing around and like me they all had tears in their eyes at the joy on the faces of these kids. From their reactions I would guess that none or at least most of them had never owned their own bike before. They ran from bike to bike like they couldn't believe that they could have their choice. They started filing out one by one pushing their choice. The little girl was pushing a mountain bike that was bigger than she was so I stopped her. "Now why would you choose a bike that you can't ride honey?" "It's not for me it's for my big brother who has been sick for the last month. He ran a nail in his foot and he got sick from it." "Has he been to a doctor?" "We can't afford to go to one, mister. Mom has been soaking it but it doesn't get any better. Maybe if I took this home to him he might get better so he can ride it." I had a feeling I knew what was wrong with him and decided I would do something about it when we were through here today. "Honey your pick yourself out a bike and we will take this one to your brother too." I got a big hug as she ran back in and came out with a pretty girl's bike for herself. I told one of the men to load up twenty of the children big wheels to take back with us along with twenty of the tricycles. "All of you listen to me. These are your bikes. Your name will be engraved on them when we go back through the garage. If you need tires or tubes, we have plenty of them for you. After your names are on your bikes, we will load all of them on the truck and follow the bus back to the gulch." While the men in the shop were putting the names on their bikes, I made a phone call to the hospital. I told the director after I finally got him on the line who I was and what I wanted. He said he had a new intern that would be more than happy to make some extra cash. I told him what I needed and to make sure he was well stocked up on medicine and anything else he might need. He was to make a list of all used stuff and I would pay any expenses incurred for any treatments. I had another plan in mind but it would have to wait till I got back here after my trip to Columbus. I watched as the kids all had their names engraved in the bike frames and the smiles on their faces told me a hundred times over I had done the right thing for them. I went back out back and told Jimmy to take Sandra home with him until I picked her up about four. She quickly reminded me we had a date tonight for Chinese food. I told her I hadn't forgotten and that we had plenty of time to get ready. I also told Doris to transport the guns on Saturday morning for the last minute addition. The rest of the stuff she could go ahead and take on over. I told her what I had told Jimmy and that I had a little chore to do for the next two hours. She gave me a funny look but didn't say a word. I followed the bus and truck to the gulch where the parents were all waiting for the kids to come back. When they saw what was in the truck and the kids were laughing and carrying on like kids as they unloaded them. I told several of the women there were big wheels and tricycles for the younger kids. I watched as an old Datsun pulled up to the crowd and a young guy in white climbed out. I went over to meet him and told him what the little girl had told me. He wanted to see the boy immediately. I found the little girl with both the bikes and I offered to push the big one to her house for her. She smiled at me and gave the doctor a funny look but didn't say anything. When we got to her house, it was just a shack in an old gully. It looked like it had been there a hundred years. I asked her mother if we could see her son as I had brought a doctor to look at his foot. She reluctantly let us in and showed us his bed. I don't know about the doctor but I could smell the decay as soon as I got close to him. The doctor rushed over to him and took the bandage off his foot and it was a decaying mess. He immediately took a syringe out and gave him a shot and went to work on his foot. He drained the infection and questioned the mother about allergies and then prepared another syringe and gave it to him in the big vein in his arm. He then sprayed the infection and lanced the foot. The smell almost made me gag. When there was clear blood coming out he then cleaned it using some kind of clear liquid. When he was done, he gave the mother, who was crying her eyes out, a bottle of antibiotics, telling her to give them to him every three hours until they were gone. He gave her his card and said if there were any complications to call him immediately. "I don't have any money to pay you, Doctor. I hardly have enough to feed my family." "Don't worry about money ma'am. Let's get you're son better then we will take it from there. You tell anyone in the gulch if they need me I will come out immediately." We went back to his car and I was surprised to see the tears in his eyes as he put his bag in his car. "Sheriff, that's the first time I have felt like a human being for many years. I am going to contact some friends and see if we can't open up a free clinic here. Thank you for bringing back the reason why I went to school for all those years." I watched as he drove back to the hospital. Oh well, I had a Chinese dress up dinner to go to. I had better head back to town and pick up my granddaughter. ------- Chapter 51 When I got back to town, I went by the shop. The gate was closed and locked, so I headed for Doris and Jimmy's house. I pulled up in front and honked the horn. Sandra came running out and climbed into my unit. "Hey, Grandpa, I see you made it back in time to go to dinner. I think we're all going to enjoy this evening. I know I'm looking forward to it." "I think I am too, sweetie. By the time we get back to the cabin, Mark and the girls should be there. Do you think Dina will have a dress that will fit you?" "I've got news for you grandpa, we already found me one. She also has a pair of shoes that fit me. We're supposed to pick Jimmy up on our way to the restaurant. He went out and bought a brand-new suit, just for the occasion. He is really looking forward to going. He told me that this was the first time he has been invited out to dinner for over three years. He was really excited about going with us." I didn't say a word, but I could see she was really excited about him going out with us. I figured it was the least I could do to repay him for taking such good care of Sandra when I wasn't around. When we got to the cabin, Mark and the girls hadn't arrived yet. We went in, and I headed for the coffee pot and she went to her bedroom. I heard the shower come on. I brewed a pot of coffee and sat down at the table. I heard the girls coming up the steps before they ever got into the house. They were both yelling about eating Chinese as they headed for their bedrooms. Mark came into the kitchen, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down next to me. "Well Harry, looks like we're in for it now. I guess I better go get my suit on. That's all those two talked about the whole way home. Is Sandra bringing Jimmy with her?" "Yeah, he went out and bought a new suit, just for the occasion. I will pick him up on our way to the restaurant. I think he is as excited as Sandra is." I watched as Mark went upstairs to get ready to go. I finished my coffee and headed that way myself. I got a quick shower and shave then grabbed my dark blue suit. I dug in the dresser and got a clean white shirt. After getting dressed I made sure to grab my ID and pistol before going back downstairs. With all the enemies I had made, I decided to carry my gun. I didn't know if Mark would, but I was for the protection of these kids while we were out. I sat down and grabbed another cup of coffee, and relaxed, waiting for them to finish getting ready. First down the steps were Mark's girls. Sandra was right behind them, and I hardly recognized her. I almost had a heart attack, because she looks so much like her mother. She came over to me and curtsied, smiling as she did so. "Honey, you look absolutely beautiful. Your mother would be very proud of you. If you were about 35 years older I would marry you." "Thank you, Grandpa, I love you too. Do you really think I looked nice in this?" "I would say you're probably one of the most beautiful young ladies I have ever seen. If you're not careful, I may buy you a whole wardrobe of dresses." "Oh no you won't either! I like my blue jeans and flannel shirts, thank you." "Dina, you and Dana look really really nice. With you two, your dad won't ever find a girlfriend. She would have to be really pretty to take his eyes off of you two." We all piled out the door and headed for the vehicles. I set the alarm as I went out. Since we were going to pick up Jimmy, Mark was following us. When we got to Jimmy's house he came running out in his new suit. I could not believe the difference in him. He looked like he just stepped out of an Ivy League school. He got into the unit with us and we headed out for the restaurant. We both found parking spots right in front. I introduced him to Mark and the girls, and we all went inside. It seems that I had been outsmarted again by the girls; they already had a large table reserved for us. Jimmy helped each of the girls with their seats and then seated himself. The waitress came over and gave us all menus. "Well girls since I'm paying you get to choose whatever you want. Just remember you have to eat what you order." I just sat back and smiled as they discussed what they were going to order for supper. Mark had a big grin on his face the whole time. When the waitress came back, every one of them ordered moo go gai pan. Of course they all had to have chopsticks. I just sat back and grinned at the thought of them eating with chopsticks. I knew Sandra and I knew how, but I didn't know if the rest of them did. Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I was sitting there drinking my tea, when the two figures that walked through the door almost caused me to choke. It was Tran and Doris all dressed to the nines. I knew right then and there, three little girls were going to be in the doghouse big time. Of course they came over and sat down next to the girls. I didn't say a word at the time, but I just knew it was going to hit the fan when we got home. I looked over at Mark, and he was avoiding my gaze. I knew right then and there he knew all about it. If it wasn't for Sandra, I would have gotten up and left. I sat and pretended that they weren't there for Sandra's sake. It was all I could do to hold my temper under control. I would try, but wasn't going to guarantee that it would last. When the food was served I sat and ate and didn't say a word to anyone. I finished up eating with regular utensils. When I noticed Sandra and Jimmy were done eating I told them both it was time to go. Sandra didn't look very happy about leaving so early, but I wanted to get out of there. I dropped Jimmy back off at his place and we went home. When we got now Sandra went to her room, and I headed for the kitchen. I was sitting at the table when she came back downstairs dressed in her nightclothes. "Grandpa, I didn't know they were going to be there, honestly. If I had known I wouldn't have asked you to go. Jimmy told me that he didn't even know his Aunt was coming. I think he was as surprised as you were, but not as much as I was. I know it ruined your meal, Grandpa, but it ruined mine too. I was really looking forward to our dinner tonight." "Honey, I know that it wasn't your fault. I could see that from the look on your face when they walked in. I do know the two little girls that are in big trouble when they get home. I think maybe Mark knew about it too, because he wouldn't even meet my eyes at the table. I promise you, when we go to Columbus, we will go out to a Thai restaurant that I know of. The owner is a real good friend of mine. Your mom and I used to eat there all the time. I think he will be very happy to meet you." "Grandpa, please don't be mad at me about what happened tonight. I would never pull anything like that on you after I gave you my word." "Don't worry, honey, I am not mad at you. We will do the auction this weekend, and then we're out of here for a week. I don't know about you, but I'm tired, let's go to bed. We have to get up real early in the morning again. I love you sweetheart, goodnight." I watched as she went up to bed, set the coffee pot and went to bed myself. I woke up the next morning still in a bad mood from last night. I went down turned on the coffee pot and went back up to take my shower. I hadn't heard Mark or the girls come in, so I didn't know if they were there or not. I woke up Sandra, and told her to get ready. I got my coffee in my go cup and waited on Sandra to come down. I looked out front and Marks unit wasn't in the yard. When Sandra came down, I told her we were eating at McDonald's again. I set the alarm as we went out the door. We got in my unit and headed for McDonald's for breakfast. We went in, got our breakfast and sat down to eat. When we were finished, we headed for the motor pool. Jimmy was sitting out front and waiting for us to pull in, and ran over to the unit to get Sandra. I knew there wasn't much to do today except finalize what had to be sent to the auction. I went up to the office and Doris was absent, but there was fresh coffee. I refilled my go cup, and headed out back. There were three trailers almost loaded and ready to go. I walked over to where Sandra and Jimmy were standing, waiting to see what they had to say to me. I was looking around for Doris but she was nowhere in sight. I knew if I saw her I was going to ask her who had invited her last night. The forklift was loading the rest of the toolboxes from the one bay, and from what I could see everything else had been taken out. "Well Sandra, looks like we won't have much to do today after all. Why don't we go down to the Gulch. I want to look around and see how everything set up." "That sounds like a good idea grandpa, can Jimmy come with us?" "Of course he can sweetheart, I wouldn't think of going without him. Of course that's up to him whether he wants to go or not?" "Sheriff, I would be more than happy to go with you and Sis." All three of us headed toward my unit and of course I had to stop and get a fresh cup of coffee on the way. We all climbed in and headed for the Gulch. I noticed that Jimmy and Sandra didn't have much to say as we drove. We were going by my driveway when I saw Mark with a load of suitcases in his unit. I kept going, hoping he would have enough courtesy to at least thank me for letting him and the girls stay at my place. I had a very funny feeling there was something else behind all this. When we got to the Gulch I couldn't believe how the residents there had the place all decorated for the auction. There were streamers and welcome signs all over the place. Signs pointed the way to all the stuff that was to be auctioned. I noticed there were several deputies standing around watching over everything. I also noticed several State Troopers were coming in to help out. The main drag through town had barriers set up to keep anyone from driving through. Watching all the activity, I had a feeling this was going to be a big affair for this area. Several vendors and food carts set up on each side of the street. Some were already open selling to the people walking around looking at this stuff for sale. I gave Sandra $10 to get herself some kind of treat or maybe an elephant's ear. I remember I always loved them, and so did her mom. She and Jimmy were off and running so I figured I wouldn't see them for awhile. I finally laid eyes on Doris by the toolboxes in the field. I walked over and pulled her to the side. "Now I want you to tell me whose bright assed idea it was for you two to show up last night." "I'm sorry Harry, but I didn't have any idea you were going to be there. Tran called me and told me to meet her there at certain time. When I walked and saw you and the girls and Mark, I started to get mad about the whole thing myself. I felt like a total fool the whole time I sat at the table. I could see you were really mad and I didn't blame you at all, because I felt the same way." "I wasn't mad at you, Doris, but at the whole situation. It was just supposed to be a family thing. I told Sandra to invite Jimmy, because I feel that he is part of my family. I came by the driveway little bit ago and Mark was moving his stuff out to his new house. I don't know what's going on, but the last I heard he wasn't leaving until Saturday. He and the girls didn't even come home last night. Oh well, if he doesn't have a good explanation, I'll just turn in my badge. I can spend a lot more time with Sandra, and there are a lot of things we can do together. Matter of fact, if he shows up here today I'm going to hand him my badge." "Harry, I'm sure there is a good explanation behind what happened. Before you go off half cocked, at least try to find out what it is. I know you're pissed and so am I. I still can't figure out what the whole idea behind it was. Look around you, Harry. More and more people are coming in to look at what we have to sell. The people here in the Gulch are already making good money from the food carts." "I'm waiting for Butch to show up so he can tell me what he found out from the warrants yesterday. I haven't heard a word from him or Charlie either. Come on I'll buy you a cup of coffee." We walked over to one of the vendors and ordered two coffees and two Polish Sausage sandwiches. We sat down to eat at the picnic table next to the vendor and just watched the crowd walk by. "Harry, thanks for helping me getting the bays cleaned out. Thanks to you, I now have enough room to make some changes for the better. I wanted to do this for a very long time. The old Sheriff would never let us open any of the bays. He said the stuff in there wasn't any of my business. What are you planning on going with all the leftover bicycles?" "I'm going to give them to poor families for Christmas presents this year. If it's okay with you, I am going to leave them right where they're at. If you should need the space, we can move them somewhere else. I think there are a lot of kids around the county that will appreciate them." "You know, Harry, there are lots of poor people in this area that appreciate everything you've done for them. I talked to the mother of the boy you took the doctor to, and he is doing a lot better. I know that boy; he gets straight A's in school. All of these food vendors live here in the Gulch. This extra money will mean a big deal to them until the casino sells. You have a good idea with the stipulation that the new owners must hire all the previous employees. Did you know someone from back east bought the other restaurant? It will be opening this fall. They are an old couple, and plan on hiring local people only." "Well, Doris, I hope this place comes back for the people's sake. They can use all the breaks they can get. The troopers and deputies have raised a lot of money to help buy new clothes for the kids here. I can guarantee you one thing, they'll be no more crooked crap going on. Well, I better go round up them kids before they get all of us in trouble. If Jimmy's not busy tomorrow, have him load those shotguns and bring them up to my place. Along with the paperwork and whatever else you have for me to prove ownership." "Will do Harry, talk at you later." ------- Chapter 52 I went walking around the area looking for the kids. I finally found them playing a game, trying to win a big teddy bear. Sandra was cheering him on, trying to get a yellow bear. "Grandpa, Jimmy won me a big bear. I'm going to keep it in my room on the end of the bed. What are we going to do this afternoon, Grandpa?" "I don't know, Sandra, I think we will just go home and relax. Maybe you and Jimmy can practice your music awhile? I don't know about you, but it's going to be a long day tomorrow. Jimmy, go tell your Aunt that you're going to the house with us." We sat down at a table and waited for him to come back. It didn't take him very long to return and we climbed into my unit and headed for the house. When we pulled up in front of the house, Mark was loading suitcases into his unit. I walked over to him and asked him what was going on? "I'm just moving the girls stuff to the new place, Harry." I threw my badge and identification at him, saying I quit. He didn't say a word to me. He just finished loading his unit, saying goodbye. For some reason I felt like a load had been lifted off my shoulders. Well, I still had my PI license to fall back on. I also had all the other ID's to use if I needed them. I went in the house, turned the coffee pot on, and sat down and waited for it to brew. I decided to dig out my laptop computer and see about our plane tickets to Columbus. I got online and booked our tickets and hotel using the company I always used. I also arranged for a rental car when we got to the Columbus airport. Since I no longer had a reason to be here for the auction, I went ahead and booked us to fly out in the morning. I told Sandra and Jimmy I would return in a little bit, then headed for the motor pool. When I got there, Doris was in her office, so I handed her my unit keys. I told her I was no longer with the Sheriff's Department, so not to call me but to call Mark for any problems she might have. I got the keys to my Jeep and headed back to the cabin. She tried to question me about it, but I didn't feel like talking. When I pulled up in front of the cabin, I could hear a violin playing, and I just knew Sandra was teaching Jimmy one of the new songs. I had never heard it before, so I knew that's what it was. I grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down at the table and just listened to them play. Since we were leaving in the morning, I knew I had to tell Jimmy to wait to bring the shotguns until we got back. As I listened to the two of them play, I could not believe how beautiful it sounded. I didn't know who was on the violin, but they could make it talk. I spent the next three hours sitting and listening to them, sipping coffee and wondering what kind of a situation we were going to run into in Columbus. I heard a vehicle pulling up in front of the cabin, I got up and looked out the front and it was a State Trooper four wheel-drive. I watched as Charlie climbed out and came up to the door and knocked. I let him in and we went to the kitchen. I poured him a cup of coffee, and we both sat and listened to the music. "Harry, I heard you quit the sheriffs Department. If that's true, I want you to come to work for me as a supervisor of our whole troop. I don't know what caused the rift between you and Mark, but I am going to take advantage of it if I can. You already have the rank of senior Commander, so it will be no problem to work you in as the supervisor. You won't have to answer to anyone, but only check in with me once in awhile. I will give you your own unit, which you can use for personal and on duty use." "Charlie, I have to think about it, because I'd like to spend some time with my granddaughter. I haven't even made up my mind what I want to do yet. I already have ID's from Homeland Security and the FBI. I have my own federal carry permit. I can carry a gun anywhere. I don't know, Charlie, let me think about it. We are leaving for Columbus tomorrow. So how about I give you an answer when I get back." "You do that Harry, but I want you to consider that we would really like you to be part of our unit. You are a damned good investigator, and it would be a shame if you didn't keep working at it. You have your ID from my department, so use it if you need it. I will back you in any way possible if you run into problems. Well, I better get back, so I'll talk to you later." I walked into the door and watched as he drove down the driveway. Just what I needed, something else to think about. I went back to the kitchen and sat back down, thinking about what he said. Sandra and Jimmy came in and sat down to table with me. They both had Pepcis, which they were sipping looking at me with a question in their eyes. "Jimmy, tell your Aunt I said to send you out with the shotguns next week when we get back from Columbus. I decided that we are leaving tomorrow to fly there. We will be gone a week or maybe two, depending on what we run into. Don't worry, I'll have Sandra call you when we get back. Well guys, where do we eat at tonight because I sure don't feel like cooking?" "How about we all go to the steakhouse in town, and all of us have a big T-bone for supper? Grandpa, while we're in Columbus, can I visit some of my friends?" "Honey, you can visit anyone you want too because we'll have a whole week end to just roam around, taking in the sights. I have several friends there I want to visit too. All in all, it should be a pretty pleasant trip for the both of us. Okay you two, get ready to go get something to eat." While they were getting ready, I went up and checked the girl's and Mark's room. There was nothing left, so he had gotten everything out that he wanted. I decided to change the alarm codes on the house when we left this time. We would drop Jimmy off before we came home. I would show Sandra the survival shelter, and how she could get in there in case of an emergency. I would be almost willing to bet that she would go crazy upon seeing it. We all piled into the Jeep and headed for the steakhouse. We set down at a table, and then we all headed for the buffet and piled our plates full. I watched as Jimmy made four trips, and could not figure out where he was putting all that food. Sandra was laughing and making fun of him saying he acted like he hadn't eaten for a month. His come back to her was he liked the food here. We all spent a pleasant afternoon, and then we took Jimmy home and headed back to the cabin. When we got inside I told Sandra that I had something I wanted to show her. I made her promise that she would never tell anyone what she was about to see. I made sure that she understood that she couldn't tell Jimmy either. I went to the freezer and slid it back, showing her the lever to pull to get inside the shelter. When I opened the door the hiss sounded and her eyes got big. I pulled open the door and flipped the lights on. She didn't say a word as she walked with me and I showed her everything in there. I was surprised that she hadn't asked me one question about why it was here and why I hadn't told her about it. When we came back out and I closed it back up, then we went into the kitchen and sat down. I just sat there and waited for the questions I knew were coming. "Grandpa, did you build that or was it already here when you bought the place? Do you realize that you have enough supplies in there to live for 10 years? That place is really neat. Is that one of the reasons why you bought this cabin grandpa?" "No honey, I didn't even know about it when I came out here to look at it. It was shown to me after I bought the place. I have two big fishponds down over the hill that we can fish in when we come back from Columbus. They are stocked with trout, and one of the boys at the campground told me there were some huge catfish in one of the ponds. He told me him and his dad caught several of them and they were delicious. Have you ever been fishing? Your mom and I used to go all the time." "No grandpa, but I would sure like to. Mom said she used to out fish you all the time. She did tell me that you held the state record for blue cats in Ohio. She said you got it at Seneca Lake at the boat docks. She also told me that you used to take her on the bike every weekend to the mountains for camping and fishing. I hope we get to do some of those things, because I think it would be fun. Do you have any brothers, Grandpa?" "Well, honey, when we get to Ohio we will stop and visit my brother. My other brother's health is bad, and he is not in very good shape. My other brother and I never got along and I would just as soon punch him in the mouth as look at him. We never got along, and probably never will." "If you don't mind grandpa, I'm going to go up to my room and start sketching for the mural for the fireplace. When I finish it I will bring it down let you see it. I think when you see it you will like it, and then we can pick out the colors and the type of paint we can use." I watched her as she went upstairs, thinking to myself that she had to be the oldest 10-year-old I had ever met. She had more common sense than most adults I knew. I got my computer back out and made sure that our flights and everything were booked and set. I grabbed a cup of coffee and went out to the front porch and sat down thinking about everything that happened in the last couple of days. It still bothered me about Mark. For the life of me, I just couldn't figure out why he did what he had done. I knew that he would have to make the first move, because there was no way I would. I hoped I would still be able to see the girls because they meant so much to me. I knew it wouldn't take long for Sandra to want to see the girls, and I would have to make some kind of arrangement for them to visit. I decided that when we got back, I would take the Arctic cat and grade a road from my place to his back gate. That way the girls could come and go as they wanted. I just hope that my quitting the department didn't have a detrimental effect on the men. I had made a lot of friends that I wasn't about to cut off because of Mark. I had already made sure the paperwork for Kit and Danny was completed. I didn't think Mark would overrule them. Since we were leaving tomorrow, I just hoped the auction went okay. I knew Doris would be there overlooking everything and would make sure that all the rules we had set would be followed. Since it was getting dark, I decided to go ahead and set the coffee pot for the morning. After I'd done that, I went up to Sandra's room and told her to pack a suitcase to be ready to leave in the morning. I gave her a hug and kiss goodnight. Then I headed for my room, set the alarm and went to bed. I woke up the next morning with the alarm clock beeping in my ear. I went down and turned the coffee pot on, and headed for the shower. Since I had already packed my suitcase, I carried it down and set it by the front door. I went back up woke up Sandra told her to get a shower and get ready to go. I went in to the kitchen fixed our breakfast and waited for her to show up. I didn't have long to wait, as she came down sat her little suitcase by mine at the door. We ate in silence, and got ready to leave. We loaded the suitcases into the Jeep, and I set the alarm on the door. We headed out for Reno and the airport. We had gone on the interstate for about 15 minutes, when she finally spoke to me. "Grandpa, I love you and I am really looking forward to being with you for the next week. I thought your friend Hadley was flying in with some pictures for me to look at." "I don't know, honey, I haven't laid eyes on him. Maybe he got held up in Texas or something. I am sure he will find us when he is ready." "I'm not going to worry about it, I'm just going to enjoy this week. You know this will only be the second time I have ever flown in a plane. This is going to be a lot of fun." We pulled in the long term parking at the airport, I got my ticket for the Jeep and we caught a bus to the terminal. We walked over to the ticket counter, where I gave her my charge card and picked up our tickets and boarding passes. She directed us to gate 14. We had a half hour layover in St. Louis, Missouri, and then we flew directly to Columbus. We boarded the plane and found our seats and got settled in. I could see Sandra was excited about flying, but I always hated it. I wasn't about to tell her that though. The plane took off and we weren't in the air a half an hour when she was fast asleep. I just smiled to myself and leaned the seat back and dozed off myself. I woke up when the plane came in for a landing at St. Louis. Since we didn't have to deplane there, I just let her sleep. We took off again for the straight shot to Columbus. When we landed in Columbus, she finally woke up asking if we were there yet. I told her we were just landing in Columbus now. We went into the luggage carousel and claimed our bags. From there we walked to the car rental, where I signed the papers, and we had our wheels. I had made reservations for us at the downtown Hilton so that's where we headed. We pulled up in front, the valet took the car and we went inside to check in. We were given a room with two beds on the second floor. I busted up laughing when she bounced on both beds to decide which one she wanted. "Well we're here sweetie, so what do we do for the rest of the day?" Let's go to Eastland Mall, and just walk around like mom and I used to do. I want some White Castle's grandpa. Mom and I used to pig out on them all the time." "Sounds good to me sweetie, I used to like them too, but I always ate too many of them and got a stomach ache." ------- Chapter 53 We left the room and went down to the front desk and made arrangements to pick the car up out front. When we climbed in the car, I made sure we were buckled up. We headed for the freeway to go to Eastland Mall. When we got to the mall, the lot was packed full of cars. "Looks like we got a long way to walk honey." After walking for what seemed like 15 minutes we finally made it inside. I let her lead the way and just followed along. After about two hours of window shopping, I was totally worn out. We set down by the fountain in the center of the square, and just watched the people go by. "Well, what are we going to do next?" "I don't know, Grandpa, but I'm tired of walking. Let's go to White Castle and get something to eat. By the time we're done with that it will be time to go back to the hotel." We walked out the side door of the mall and across the parking lot to White Castle's and got our food. As usual, I stuffed myself to the point I thought I was going to bust. I groaned as I stood up. We headed back for the car and Sandra laughed at me the whole time. I personally didn't think it was very funny. I knew sometime I was going to have to stop for some Rolaids. By the time we got back on the main road, I had heartburn so bad I couldn't swallow. Sandra was having a ball with my discomfort, and she suggested that we stop at a gas station to get something for my heartburn. Needless to say, we did just that. When we got back to the hotel there was a message waiting for us, it was from my friend who is the Police Chief. How he knew where we were at is beyond me, but he left a number for us to call. We went up to the room, Sandra turned the TV on and I got on the phone. I called my friend and he told me that Sandra's so-called stepfather had hung himself in his jail cell last night. "Well, Bill, if you're waiting for me to show sorrow, then forget it. What pissed me off is the fact that I couldn't get my hands on him for 10 minutes. I am not going to tell Sandra, because she doesn't care. He mistreated my ex-wife, Sandra's mother, and her. I do appreciate you calling to let me know though. If you're going to be home tomorrow, we might stop by so Sandra can see your wife." "Harry, you and Sandra are welcome to come by anytime you want to. My wife will be overjoyed to see her again. I bet she has grown two feet since we saw her last. I am not going to tell her tonight because she would be up half the night. We'll see you two tomorrow, Harry." When I got off the phone Sandra was watching a Harry Potter movie. This one was different than one from the cabin. I wasn't for sure how many of these movies there were, but I knew she liked them. I decided since she was watching TV I would go ahead and get a shower. I went into the bathroom and took my shower and I don't even think she realized I was gone. When I came out from the shower she was sitting in a recliner, with pillow and blanket watching Harry Potter. I figured by the time it was over she would be sound asleep. I decided to just leave her and her recliner and leave the TV on for her. Myself, I was beat and had a stomachache. The White Castles had done it to me again. I decided to go ahead and go to bed myself. I shut the lights out, got my hug and kiss and went to bed. When I woke the next morning, Sandra was still asleep in the chair and Harry Potter was still playing. If I had slept in that position I would be crippled. I woke her up and told her to get her shower and get ready for the day. Since it was almost 10 o'clock in the morning, I called for room service. I ordered our breakfast and told him to bring up plenty of extra coffee for me. When Sandra came out of the shower I had to laugh. She was wearing one of the hotel robes that was at least three sizes too big for her. She had rolled the sleeves up but there was at least a foot of it still dragging on the floor. "Don't laugh, Grandpa, I forgot to bring mine from the cabin so I had to try to make this one fit until I could get dressed. I am starving, is the restaurant still serving breakfast?" "I already ordered from room service so you better get dressed unless you plan on eating in your tent." "Very funny," she said as she ran back to the bathroom with her clothes. The room service knocked and I let him in. He set up the table and I gave him a good tip as he left. I called to Sandra and told her that breakfast was here and she better get some before I eat it all. She came flying out of the bathroom without her shoes and socks and immediately plopped down at the table, taking her share of the eggs and bacon. I noticed she beat me to the orange marmalade and used every pack on her toast. I just shook my head and smiled at her antics. If I were a stranger, I would think she hadn't been fed for several days. I piled on what I wanted and sat back and ate my breakfast. She polished off everything after politely asking me if I wanted any more. She even used her fingertips to get the crumbs from her plate. "That was a good start to the day, Grandpa, now I need to finish dressing and brush my teeth." I almost choked on the sip of coffee I was taking when she said that. I could see right now, I was going to have to get used to having someone around that kept on the move at high speed all the time. I had plenty of coffee so I just sat and waited for my turn at the shower. If she was like every other teenager, I would be waiting awhile for her to finish. I was surprised when she came out about ten minutes later looking like she was ready for anything. She had jeans on and a short sleeved plaid shirt on with her hiking boots. "Grandpa, you better get ready because I heard you on the phone last night, and I do want to see Aunt Joyce. I haven't seen her since I was four years old. Mom and I used to go shopping with her all the time and she was really nice. As much as I hated the way John treated all of us, he didn't deserve to die the way he did. I know you hated him but he didn't get that way until he lost his job and started drinking. That was the only time he ever did anything to us." "I don't care about all of that Sandra. The fact that he touched any of you, whether sober or drinking was inexcusable. Also, he should have let me know about everything that happened to all of you. I made it clear to him when he married your grandmother if something were to happen he was to let me know immediately. That's why I blame him and hate him for his actions. I would have moved mountains to help all of you, if I had known what was going on. When I see Bill, I am going to give him hell for not telling me. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on all of you for me." I went to the shower and was done with everything in about ten minutes. I went back out to the main part of the room and she was watching cartoons on TV. I gathered up my ID and put it in my pocket along with the cash I had got from the ATM at the mall. "You ready to go kiddo? Let's go get the car and go to Westerville to visit some old friends. Tomorrow we go to the bank, and if everything goes right, we should be able to finish our business, and go visit my brother so you can meet him and his wife." We went down to the garage and got the car and headed out. I hadn't been here in so many years it took me a few minutes to get myself out of the downtown area to get on the right road to get to Westerville. We pulled up in front of their house in about an hour and we had barely gotten out of the car when Joyce came running out and hugged Sandra up in her arms. I had to admit, she had put on a few pounds but she was still a pretty woman. I was left at the curb as they headed to the house with Joyce and Sandra talking a mile a minute. I hadn't taken two steps when Linda came running out of the house and jumped in my arms, giving me a big hug and kiss. Boy had she grown up. My goddaughter was now a woman and she was beautiful. I remembered she was graduating this year and would be going on to college at Ohio State like her other two sisters. Man, where had time gone? The last time I had seen her she was in seventh grade with braces and pimples. "I am so glad you came, Papa Harry. I haven't seen you since Sandra was a baby. I am sorry to hear about everything that happened. I am glad you'll be at my graduation this spring though. I reserved a seat for you and Sandra next to Mom and Dad. Did you know Dad is going to retire next year? He and mom bought a place in the mountains of Kentucky next to Mom's parent's place. They have been planning this for years. Are you going to stay long? Where do you live now?" "Linda, if you take a breath or two, then I will be glad to answer all your questions. Sandra and I live in Nevada up in the mountains. We have a big cabin and there are all kinds of animals running around on our property. I retired and moved there from Florida. Do you have a boy friend since you're all grown up now?" "No, I date but I want to finish college before I settle down and think about things like that. Both of my sisters are the same as I am when it comes to that subject. We all made a pact, and agreed we would finish our education first before we decided to settle down and think about raising a family. Dad was happy about that one but I think Mom was a little disappointed." "Well, if you let me get in the house, I want to see your dad before you talk me to death. Besides, the way Sandra and your mom were going to town she may need rescued from all the woman's talk." We went in the house with her holding on to my arm and laughing in her happiness to see me after all these years. I used to babysit her when she was little and she and my daughter had been really close despite the age difference. I remember taking her and my daughter catfishing when they were young and she always wanted to spend her summers with us at the farm. She loved riding the horses and had a baby piglet she bottle fed when its mom wouldn't let it suckle. She had a fit because I wouldn't let her bring it home with her to keep in her room to raise. Her dad had laughed so hard at how close she and it were. He was all for letting her until the pig peed on him while he was holding it, trying to feed it from a bottle. Man, those were the good old times when we were young and just starting out in our lives and marriages. Bill met us at the door as we came in and we shook hands and hugged each other. He looked ten years older than he was, but I would be willing to bet it was from the pressures of the job. His department had gone from fifteen men, to over a hundred in ten years because of the growth of the city. "Damn, it's good to see you, Harry. You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you. My wife is going crazy over seeing Sandra again. She sure has grown since we last saw her. She looks just like her mother when she was her age. I'm sorry about everything that's happened, Harry. I wish I had known what was going on in that house because I would have locked him up a lot sooner. Why don't you come to my office? I have some news that you're not going to like, and to be truthful, I hate to be the one to tell you about it. I haven't seen you for ten years and I hate to have to ruin our reunion with bad news." We went into his office and sat down. He closed the door so we would have privacy. He got us a beer and we sat back and caught up on out lives for the last ten years or so. I was getting impatient for the bad news, but I knew he was happy to see me as much as I was to see him so I waited for him to do his thing. "Harry, he made a collect call from the jail before he took his life. He called Sandra's dad in New York. I didn't know about it until yesterday when the jailer told me about it. I had a reverse directory check done on the number and it was to Sandra's natural father. He is on his way here as we speak. I have two men waiting at the airport for him to land. He has an old warrant for theft and they will arrest him as soon as he lands." "Don't worry Bill, if he wants to dispute my custody of Sandra then he will have to come to Nevada and file his paperwork. The judge gave me permanent guardianship of her until I file adoption papers there. I also have an injunction to keep him away from her until the matter is decided. Hell, she doesn't even remember him and he signed his rights away when she was born. We have to open Cindy's safe deposit box tomorrow, and from what Sandra says, all the papers needed to make her mine are in there. If he makes a move to get near her I will make sure he doesn't try it again." "Don't do anything stupid, Harry. I will take care of him from my end. I never liked him after the first time I arrested him when I was a patrolman. I have his hometown and state sending his records to me and they should be here in the next two days. Cindy told me years ago he had other kids he has never paid any child support on, and we can get him for that too. New York is cooperating with us all the way on this one." "When we open the box tomorrow I think we will have a lot of questions answered. Sandra said her mom drilled into her head that I was to be there with her and that there were several surprises for the both of us." I told him how she had found me and the rest of the story. Bill was openly crying by the time I had finished. "Harry, I promise you right now I will shoot the son of a bitch before he ever tries to get to her. That girl has been through more than any one person should ever have to. She has to have more guts than any grown man I have ever met. She deserves all the happiness you can give her and I can tell she loves you more than my own kids love me. I don't think I could have gone through what she has and kept sane." "Bill, I thank God every day for her presence in my life and the happiness she has already given me. She plays the violin and several other musical instruments like an angel. She is also one of the greatest painters I have ever seen. I told him about the mural she did on the wall of her bedroom." "Harry, do you have any official ID with you?" "I told him I had ID's from three different agencies and how I came about getting them. He had a shocked look on his face when I got through explaining the whole thing. I thought he was going to explode in excitement when I finished." "Do you know that you can just about do anything in the U.S. with those credentials? My God Harry, I read about some of the investigations and the busts in Nevada but your name wasn't mentioned. Leave it to you to be the only old man who is famous and doesn't even know it. You know you always were a little on the weird side. I have always loved you like the brother I never had and it sure hasn't changed now. Wait till I tell the guys in my department, they won't believe that I know you." "Damn, Bill, I never asked for the notoriety and I sure didn't do it to be famous. It just happened and I was lucky enough to be there to put a stop to it. I only have one ID that I carry and it is the Senior Commander of the State Police in Nevada. I have a federal carry permit so I can carry anywhere. I left the other ID's in a drawer at home. I have no need for them so I don't bother carrying them. If I need help, I can always call the Governor of the state and let him do his thing." "As much as I want to keep talking to you, we better make our appearance for dinner or Joyce will kill us both. She has been cooking all morning in anticipation of your visit today. Besides, Linda will be hanging onto you making sure you get brought up to date on her life since she saw you last. This is going to be a long and pleasant day for you and Sandra, my friend." We were both laughing as we went out to the kitchen to meet with the women and let them put me through the hundreds of questions I knew I would have to answer to satisfy their curiosity. ------- Chapter 54 When we got out to the kitchen, the women were setting the table for dinner. "Ok Harry, since you and Bill have had your man talk, I think it's time for you to catch the rest of us peons up on what you have been doing for the last ten years. Linda has already told me you would be here for her graduation so I won't have to nag you about that." I spent the next hour catching them up on my life. They must have asked a hundred questions before the meal was over. We went into the front room and the questions continued. I glanced over at Sandra and she had that smirk on her face that she gets when she knows I am tired of talking. I waited till I was sure no one was looking then stuck my tongue out at her. She lost it and Joyce and Linda was looking at her, trying to figure out why she was laughing so hard. "Sandra, is this a private joke or would you like to let us in on why you are in hysterics all of a sudden?" "Grandpa was making faces at me, and I was the only one who saw it and it caught me by surprise is all." "Harry, we are trying to have a serious conversation with you, so would you please save your weird sense of humor for some other time? I mean, come on, we haven't seen you in ten years and you're making faces. That's not right, Harry, so quit it. We really want to know how life's been treating you." "Still the same old Joyce, always being serious and still picking on us old men." That brought the other three of them down in laughter, while Joyce was sputtering and glaring holes in me as she tried to get control of everyone again. When it finally settled down, she stood up and came over to me and gave me a hug while whispering in my ear. "Damn, it's good to see you again Harry. That's the first time I have seen Bill laugh like that in months." With that, she went to the kitchen and brought back fresh drinks. Sandra and Linda were whispering something and then they were up and running for the upstairs. Now I was really curious as Linda was somewhat of a bookworm, and never ran in the house that I could remember. Bill was looking a little surprised at their actions too, and when he looked at me I just shrugged my shoulders. We didn't have long to wait because they came back down with one of those portable keyboards and Sandra had a guitar in her hand. I looked at Bill for an explanation and he just looked puzzled at the whole thing. "Linda, I didn't know you played any musical instruments?" "I learned how to play this keyboard in music class at school. I took the course for extra credit and this was the only thing I could learn. I thought the teacher was going to fail me until she realized I was a natural at playing electric keyboard tunes. I ended up getting straight A's through the whole course. Sandra said she plays the guitar and since we had that old one of grandpa's I thought I would let her see if she could play it." I didn't say a word since when I looked at Sandra she gave me that look. You know the one I'm talking about. The one that says if you open your mouth, I will clobber you when we get by ourselves. All women have it, young or old. I sat back in the chair and shut my claptrap and waited to see what would happen. Of course Joyce had to stick her two cents worth in and it stirred Linda up. "Now you girls take those noisy things to the kitchen. Neither one of you knows how to play and I want to talk to Harry, not listen to a bunch of screeching noises." Wrong thing to say to Linda or Sandra. "Mom, for a change, will you please just sit there and let us do our thing? I promise even you will be surprised at what we can do. Besides that's your father's old guitar he played all the time, so wouldn't you like to hear it again?" Well needless to say Joyce got a little red but sat back and didn't say a word. Sandra tuned the guitar from the keys she asked Linda to play and within a few minutes they were ready. I looked over at Bill and he was looking at me with a question in his eyes and I just smiled at him. Linda did something to the keyboard and it sounded just like a banjo. I knew what they were going to play at that point so I just smiled and sat back to listen. They cut loose and I almost rolled on the floor at the look on Joyce's face when she heard Sandra playing the guitar. Then it was Linda's turn, and when she cut loose I thought Joyce was going to faint from surprise while listening to her daughter play. They played the long version of the Deliverance theme and when they finished you could hear a pin drop for a few seconds. Then Joyce had to have her say and it surprised the hell out of Bill and me. "Girls, I must offer both of you my apologies, I didn't know either one of you could play like that. Linda, where did you learn to play? I don't remember you taking any lessons during high school." She asked the same question of Sandra, and when they finally were able to explain, she surprised us all by asking Sandra if she knew some kind of ballad that her dad used to play. Sandra must have known it because she started playing it and about three minutes into it tears were running down Joyce's cheeks. She moved over to sit next to Bill and just sat and cried the whole way through the ballad. When Sandra strummed the last few notes, she sniffed and wiped her eyes before saying anything. "Sandra, that was beautiful. I haven't heard that piece since I was a little girl. Dad used to play it for me and he said it was one of his favorites. Honey, if you can play that old guitar that well then it's yours. It has been collecting dust for years in Linda's room because none of my daughters could learn to play it. Will you and Linda play something else for me before you leave?" "Joyce don't you think you should let Linda have it? After all it did belong to her grandfather and maybe she might have kids someday that might want to learn. Besides it a 1956 Fender acoustic and is very valuable. I have all the musical instruments I need thanks to grandpa spoiling me. I cannot accept it, but I would like to play it some more since it sounds so mellow." I noticed Linda was smiling when Sandra finished so I knew it meant a lot to her, and when she saw me looking at her I winked and she gave me a big smile. They talked for a minute and decided on a song that I had never heard before. They both seemed to know it very well because they played it completely through without any hesitation. I did notice it gave them both solo parts they could play, and they sounded like they had played it together a hundred times it was done so smoothly. When they finished all the adults clapped and they stood up and bowed to us. They did it several times, being typical young showoffs. I was laughing as they sat back down and got a grin from both of them. "Well girls that was great, but it's time for supper and tonight we are going out to Red Lobster. Since Sandra and Harry are guests, Bill is paying the tab. Come on, Linda, lets change and let your dad and Harry talk a little while we get ready. Sandra you can come with us and talk to Linda. Maybe she will move faster as it usually takes her forever to get ready to go anywhere." They took off and Linda was arguing with Joyce about what she said. I did notice she was smiling the whole time, and Sandra was just shaking her head listening to them argue back and forth. "Harry, I have your cell number and when I get some news, I will call you right away. Since it's Sunday, I will make sure he doesn't go before the judge till afternoon tomorrow. That will give you plenty of time to go to the bank and see what's in the box your daughter left you. I promise he will get a very high bail if I have to call in every favor owed to me. The Judge is a good friend and I will call him first thing in the morning. Whatever you do, don't let him get to you and make you lose your temper. I remember the last time I saw that, and I still have nightmares about the look on your face." "Don't worry Bill, I will do it all legally and he doesn't stand a chance unless he has more money than I do, which I doubt. I have already called my attorney and he is standing by if I need him. I will open the box and then we will fly back to Nevada right away, if necessary. I don't think we have anything to worry about from him. I do appreciate you giving me the information you have, but he will never get close to her for any reason as long as I am alive." We didn't get to talk about it any more because the girls showed up and demanded we go eat as they were starving. We decided to take both cars because Sandra and I were headed back to the hotel when we were through. "Grandpa, Linda thanked me over and over for not taking the guitar. She said it meant a lot to her and she had no idea her mother would try to give it away. The funny thing is she knows how to play it but never told her mom. She taught herself but because her mom had always told her not to mess with it, she never told her. I explained she ought to sit down with her and show her she can play it and what it means to her." "You did well by refusing it and I am proud of you for thinking of Linda's feelings. I think Linda was shocked to the core her mom was trying to give it to you." "I know, she told me. She even went out and bought a case for it out of her allowance. She also told me she took it to a store that restores guitars, and had it completely gone over because it was starting to show some cracks where the finish had worn off. She said she saved for six months to pay for the work. I am so glad I was able to refuse it because it would have broken Linda's heart if I had accepted." "I had a hunch it meant a lot to her from the shocked look on her face when Joyce tried to give it to you. She is probably the only one of the girls that it means anything to. If I remember correctly, the other two were only interested in their grades and getting a full ride scholarship to Ohio State. I know neither one of them ever paid any attention to it because it was always in Linda's room." We had to cut off our conversation as we were pulling up to the restaurant. When we parked the car, Sandra leaned over and kissed me on the cheek, whispering that she was happy I was so understanding. I looked at her in shock and tried to kiss her back but she bailed out her side giggling. The evening went well and it was a lot like the old times except my wife wasn't there to pick on me like she used to get a kick out of doing. Oh well, Linda and Sandra both filled that gap. I thought Sandra was going to giggle herself to death when I missed my mouth with a big bite of lobster. I picked it out of my lap with my fingers and slurped it in and Joyce gave me hell about my lack of table manners. Well, I wasn't about to waste it since it hadn't hit the floor but I was the table slob from that point on. Linda and Sandra both spent the rest of the meal demonstrating how to dip and eat lobster the correct way. When the meal was finally over and I didn't have to listen to their coaching, I sat back and gave a sigh of relief. We all sat and talked for a while before we headed back to our vehicles. I was hugged by Joyce and kissed by Linda, and was sternly told by both that we had better stay in touch a lot better that what we had in the last few years. Joyce gave Sandra their phone number, and told her if I decided to trade her in then she could come and live with her and Bill. Sandra was still laughing as we got in the car to go back to the hotel. We made the drive a lot quicker because the traffic had died down on the city streets. "Thank you, Grandpa. It was so nice seeing them again. It doesn't seem like Aunt Joyce has changed at all." "Yeah, I had a good time too, even if you and Linda picked on me all night at the restaurant." She was still laughing as we rode the elevator up to our room. I immediately noticed the message light was flashing on the phone. I sent Sandra to get her shower for bed and called the desk. It was from my attorney saying he was in town from Florida visiting friends. He left me the number where he could be reached if I needed him tomorrow. He said he would be free all day tomorrow so just call and he would come immediately. Now that was service, but I figured he felt he needed to stick close because he knew me so well, and he could get any documents I might need right away from the court here. Still, it was a nice gesture on his part and I appreciated it. Sandra came out of the shower and I noticed the hotel had evidentially left a robe in her size when they had cleaned the room. I gave her a hug and headed for the shower to wash the butter off, left over after the missing my big mouth fiasco in the restaurant. When I came out, Sandra was asleep in her bed and I left a wake up call for us before I went to bed. Our day tomorrow would be both hectic and filled with all kinds of emotions. My head had barely hit the pillow before I was sound asleep. ------- Chapter 55 I woke up with the phone ringing in my ear. It was our wake up call I had left the night before. I roused Sandra and we got ready to go to breakfast. She was half asleep as we sat down at the table. I ordered for us and she ate everything they set in front of her. I had my usual coffee but with what I knew was coming; I just didn't have any appetite. When I saw Sandra smiling and waving at a little girl at the next table, I knew she was awake and in her usual good spirits. "Honey, before we go to the bank, I want to talk to you for a minute. I was thinking that this is not going to be pleasant for either one of us, and I was wondering if it was ok if we brought the stuff from the box back to the hotel. We can go through it there in privacy away from the bank and all the nosy people." "I really like that idea, Grandpa. Mom said there was a letter for each of us and if it's ok, I would rather read mine in private away from some old woman watching." "Ok kiddo, then we will buy a large briefcase before we go in. I wanted to make sure it was ok with you before I made the decision." "I know mom sent a letter to the bank every year with instructions in it because I had to mail it for her. She said it was her yearly instructions to the bank to follow the instructions she had set up before we left. Grandpa, I am really nervous about this because mom was always so mysterious about it. She wouldn't tell me much, even after she was in the last stages of her cancer. I just want to get the things from the box and come back here before we look through them." We left the hotel and went to a store that sold large briefcases. I bought two of them, one smaller for Sandra if we needed it. We then walked to the bank, which was about a block away from the hotel. When we got to the bank and I asked for the safe deposit room we were turned over to a nice lady that checked our ID and then scanned Sandra's eyes through a hand held reader. All in all I would say it took a whole half hour for us to get the box her mother had left for us. I was glad we had both briefcases when I saw the size of it. The lady set it on the table and left us in privacy to open it. I was getting ready to open it when there was a knock at the door and we both said to come in. A man who identified himself as the bank manager asked if I was Harry Hanson? "I am he. What is it you want, sir?" "May I see some identification, sir?" I showed him my ID from the State Police and he smiled at us before replying. "I received a Federal overnight from an Agent Sean Hadley of the FBI. He said I was to check your ID and then give it to you immediately. I have followed his instructions and I will now leave you two to open your box." He left immediately and I looked at the package. It was addressed to Sandra so I handed it to her. She just looked puzzled and put it in her case. I opened the box and there were two letters lying on the top addressed to me and Sandra. I gave her hers, and she put it in the case with the package. The photo albums were next and I put then in my case along with my parents burial guest books I had given my daughter years ago. There was an old pink baby doll that was hers when she was little, and it still looked as ragged as it did when she drug it everywhere we went. I gave it to Sandra and the next thing I found was a large yellow legal envelope stuffed full. I put it in my case and that was all except for a large picture of all of us at her tenth Christmas. I remembered it because I was dressed as Santa, and she and her mom were sitting in my lap with the both of them pulling my beard and laughing. It had taken me all year to grow that beard and three hours to dye it snow white. They had spent ten minutes shaving it off after the picture was taken. That was the last time we were all together as a family. I looked over at Sandra and she had tears in her eyes so I said let's get out of here. She just nodded her head yes and we left the bank after closing the box account. When we got back to the room, I called for soda and a pot of coffee. When it got there, I didn't know what to say or do as I dreaded going through this stuff. I could tell Sandra felt the same as I did. "Why don't we take a break then read the letter your mom left for each of us? I need to build my courage up before I read it." "Please, Grandpa, I don't want to open mine either but I think we have to. Let's have something to drink then we can open them. Can I have mom's old doll? She told me the whole story about it and it would mean a lot to me if I could keep it to remind me of her." "Honey, anything in there is yours for the asking. I made sure your mom got them before I moved away after the divorce. Her mother wanted to throw them away but I kept them because I knew she would want them. I wonder what happened to the baby blankets I gave her." "They got stolen with everything else while mom was in the hospital. She cried for days over the one her grandmother hand made and painted for her." We sat and talked for a while, putting off the chore we both didn't want to do. Finally came down to that time, so we just took them out and looked at them for a minute or so. I opened mine and it broke my heart as I read it. Dear Dad, If you are reading this then Sandra is safe with you, and if I know you she is doing great. I never stopped loving you, Dad, even though we never talked for all those years. The cancer that is killing me and mom is from a factory we worked at. Mom signed her settlement over to you, and I signed mine over to Sandra for her future. I know you will take care of her, and she is a very special little girl as I am sure you have already found out. Buddy is not her father, she is a bank baby. I chose who I wanted her father to be so she would be smart and have a good life. You were right, he was a bum. He has no claim on her and there are papers in the box that makes you her permanent guardian. I know about the orphanage she had to go to, and they wouldn't let me make a call for you to come get her. I am so relieved she is safe with you after what she went through to get to you. I know you don't believe in ghosts, but Sandra can tell you I stuck with her to help all I could. I think it was the love you always showed me that made me believe I could help her in her journey. Dad, my love for you and her was so strong I knew I could do it. The letter you are reading was mailed three months before I died. Sandra mailed it for me so I know you won't think she is lying. I love you and I wish we could have been together so I could have talked to you again. I taught Sandra our three special songs so you both would always have a part of me whenever you got together as she grows up. I love you dad. Your Loving Daughter, Cindy I sat and cried as I finished what she had written. There was a lot of things I didn't believe in, but from what Sandra had already told me and what I had read, I knew I had been wrong about a lot of my beliefs. Love does conquer all, even after death. Sandra's own statements and this letter had proven it to me beyond any doubt. I looked over at Sandra and she was crying almost as hard as I was. I held out my arms and she ran into them sobbing against my chest. We didn't say a word to each other, just cried out our sorrow. We cried ourselves to sleep with her in my arms, and again it reminded me of how many times my daughter and I had slept the same way when she was little. I had lost everything that was important to me, but had gained so much when Sandra had come into my life. I felt proud and sad at the same time that it took the loss of one to bring two together. I woke up stiff as a board, but I didn't move for fear of waking Sandra up. I looked down at her as she slept and felt something inside of me give way. It was as if something had disappeared from me that I had not known was there all these years. I tried to analyze what had gone, but I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. It felt like some kind of shield had collapsed inside of me that I didn't know was there. As I watched Sandra sleep, I knew I loved her more than my own life and always would. She was smarter than me and had twice the heart that I had ever had. She was her mother's special little girl, and I would always be the first to acknowledge it if I was ever asked. I was still shaken and a little spooked about what Cindy had written in the letter to me, but I knew I would never doubt its contents. I felt as if someone was in the room with us, and had a chill go down my back with the feeling. "Grandpa, can we get something to eat? I don't want to go out but can we order something in?" "You call room service and order for the both of us, but don't you dare forget my coffee." She was giggling as she picked up the phone to make the call. I knew I had to go through the legal papers in the case, but I wanted to call Floyd and have him come over and look at them with me. He was the attorney that would be handling it for me. When Sandra got off the phone, I called him at the number he left and he said he would be right over. He almost beat the room service girl there. Sandra and I were having our meal when he knocked at the door. I let him in and he shook my hand and introduced himself to Sandra, asking her if she would marry him when she got older because she was so cute. I thought Sandra was going to choke on her food she was laughing so hard. I handed him the yellow packet of papers and a cup of coffee, telling him to look at the papers then we would talk. He went to the desk and sat down while I went back to my meal. Sandra was still smiling at him as we ate the food. She had done a good job ordering. As I was having another cup of coffee, I could hear Floyd muttering to himself in the background. Sandra was giggling at him again when she heard him. "Harry, are you done feeding your face yet so we can talk?" "Ok Floyd, tell me what you have that's so important." "Well first, the papers are all top notch and ready for filing. I can do that today and it will be final as soon as I get them stamped at the courthouse. Did you know you have another three million dollars in an escrow account from your ex-wife? There was some kind of settlement and she signed it all over to you to do as you please with it. Sandra has almost five million in the same type of account. You have been named as her steward until she turns eighteen then the money is hers to do as she pleases. It's all in the same bank where the box was. When I file the papers, you will have total control of it all. There are also several life insurance policies in both your names that I will have put into your regular account when they come in. There is also complete DNA report that has already been filed to show Sandra is the daughter of your daughter and an unknown male. There are papers from the bank; I think you know what I am referring to, to show that Sandra was conceived through them by your daughter. You will have full custody and guardianship of her as of this afternoon when I file the papers." "I know about the settlements, Floyd. Transfer half of mine to my regular account and leave the rest where it's at. Leave Sandra's untouched where it's at. When you leave here make sure you go directly to the courthouse and do the filing. Take another million from my account and do your magic with it when you get home. I want to know for sure today that the papers have been filed and are legal. Call my cell and leave a voice mail when you're done at the courthouse. Take the papers with you and keep it all in your safe in case I need them. Sandra and I are going to go visiting later today before we head back to Nevada." "There's something else we have to talk about Harry and it concerns the both of you. Can I talk freely in front of Sandra?" "Go ahead, Floyd, I don't hide anything from her and she is very smart so I wouldn't try." "Harry, there is an open ended contract out on you and the girl. It was put out this morning from Texas. It is for a huge amount and if I were you, I would find a hole and crawl in it until your Federal friends can do something about it. I hope you have a weapon with you. I will not say another word as you already know what to do, but I wanted to give you a heads up. The word hasn't gotten here yet as far as I know, but it will by this afternoon." "Thanks for the warning, Floyd. You get the papers done quickly and stay out of it. I will take it from here. I have some things I want you to take for safekeeping but don't get in the middle trying to protect us. Your wife and daughter would kill me if something happened to you. Take this case and contents for safekeeping and get those papers done. You won't hear from me until this is all over." He took the case I handed him along with the papers. Without saying anything other than see you later, he was gone. "Sandra, give me that packet you got from the bank this morning." "Grandpa, will we be safe or will those horrible men try to keep us from testifying against them?" "Don't you worry, your old gramps has been in this situation before and I will keep us safe. Now let's see what Sean sent us." I opened the package and found new passports for the both of us along with a letter of instructions I was to follow as soon as I opened the package. Sean knew about the contracts and was sending us somewhere in the islands only he and the Director knew about. I was to call the enclosed number and follow the directions the voice would give us. I called the number immediately and was given instructions where we were to go and everything would be taken care of from that point on. I explained it all to Sandra and she was smiling about the adventure we were about to embark on. She and I both were packing our bags as we talked. I settled up with the hotel, left a large tip for the staff, got the car and we headed for Grove City Airport. ------- Chapter 56 Here I was sitting on a pristine white beach on my own island, thinking about how we had arrived here. We had flown from Grove City, Ohio to Miami, Florida landing at a small airport I had never heard of, even though I was from Florida before I had moved to Nevada. Sandra and I stepped out of the plane inside a small hangar and were met by Sean Hadley of the FBI. He hugged Sandra and shook my hand, telling us both there was food inside the office for us. He followed us in and watched while we had sandwiches and drinks. When we had settled down to eat, he started giving us the particulars of what was going on. "Harry, we know who took the contract out but he skipped to Mexico before we could grab him. He was out on bail which he shouldn't have been, but some dumb clerk screwed the paperwork up before we could catch it. We are working closely with the Federals there to get him back to us. Until we can, the Director ordered that you both disappear for a month or two. I have some news about your friend Mark that's going to piss you off, but I figured you needed to know about it since he is your friend. They took his ex-wife hostage yesterday, and he told them where you were in exchange for her release. She wasn't released, at least not alive. They found her in a dumpster about an hour ago. We haven't told him yet as I wanted to get your thoughts on the matter before I called him." "Mark always loved that woman so I can't blame him for trying to get her out of it. He should have called me because with my connections, I might have been able to help her. I suggest you tell him that he will have to face me when I come back, and that I don't forget easily. If it was just me there would be no problem, but Sandra is involved and that just plain pisses me off about what he did to her. You handle it Sean and I will take care of my end when we go back there." "You and Sandra get to spend the next couple of months on a very private island as guests of the French Government, only they don't know it since the owner belongs to us. The island is a sovereign nation unto itself, so nobody can touch you there without us knowing they're in the neighborhood. We have our own people already in place to watch over you and Sandra. Why don't you go with Larry here, while I show Sandra some pictures? We also have some surprises for her that I think she will be very happy about." I got up and followed Larry to another small room off the office. When he switched the light on the sight that greeted me took my breath away. There were two tables covered with any kind of pistol you could imagine. When I looked at Larry he was smiling at my reaction to the sight. I figured I was smiling like an idiot at all the toys in front of me. "I was told that you can have as many of them you want, since they are to be melted down today, and there will be no record of what you take for yourself. Whatever you take will be marked as destroyed. There are cases for them and plenty of ammo in the cupboard to your right. We confiscated these from a dope dealer. He had a very large collection of rifles too. They have already been destroyed as will these after you leave, Harry." I walked over to the table like a kid at Christmas. I picked up a Desert Eagle fifty caliber pistol and decided I had to have it. I set it to the side and picked up a Sig Saur forty five that was a special edition built to specs' for whoever had owned this collection. It was for a left hander and the shells ejected to the left. It was ported for kick control, and I decided since I could shoot with both hands, I would take it too. I picked up a case and opened it and almost pissed myself at the sight I beheld. It was two Walther twenty two's with extended mags, and two stainless steel Carswell silencers. They were the new style with twist lock grooves on the outside of the barrel, so they looked like they were part of the sight without giving away what they were for. I took them immediately and asked Larry if there were holsters for the ones I had chosen. The fifty had a heavy hip holster and the others had custom-made shoulder holsters for them. I went to the locker and took five hundred rounds for each from the supplies there. I took a small shoulder bag and put it all inside thanking Larry as I headed back into the other room. I felt like a kid with what I had in the bag. The sight that greeted me shot me down real fast. Sandra was crying her eyes out on the chair. "What the hell's going on Sean? Why is she crying, what the hell did you say to her?" I was getting madder by the second as I waited for an answer to my question. "Harry, those are not sad tears. I didn't say anything that would upset her. I think you know me better than that by now." "Then tell me why she is sobbing like that Sean?" "I gave her several bags of her and her mom's stuff that we were able to get back. When she saw those two blankets, that's what happened. I don't know why, they're just a couple of baby blankets." Then it hit me what they were and I went to my knees in front of her and hugged her to me. She had finally lost it after holding it all inside so long. She was sobbing so hard her whole little body was shaking. I just held her and let her get it out of her system. I had to admit to myself that I doubted if I would have been able to hold it back this long. I looked over at the two blankets laying there and knew them immediately. They had been made by her mother's grandmothers for her mother's birth. I knew then why she was taking it so hard. Her mother had cried on her death bed over their loss. I looked up at Sean and he had a worried look on his face watching her cry. I smiled to reassure him and nodded my head to the hangar. He grabbed Larry and they left us alone. "Are you ok honey? Want something to drink?" I waited for about five minutes for her to get herself under control enough to answer me. "I'm sorry grandpa, but seeing those blankets again brought it all back to me. I miss her grandpa, and I remember how she cried when she found out those two baby blankets had been stolen. It all came back to me in a big rush of memories and I broke down. Seeing all those pictures of those men again didn't help matters any. Please tell me I won't have to go through all this again grandpa? I don't want all those memories again." "I promise you right now Sandra, that I will never let any of them ever touch you." "Sean got a lot of mom's and my paintings back from that horrible woman from the orphanage. She was the one who had our house robbed. I also have all my papers and mom's important stuff she had locked up in the small safe she carried with us to Mexico. I don't think they ever figured out how to open it because there are hammer marks all over the top of it and around the hinges. Everything that was important to mom and me is in there, grandpa. Will you go through it with me when we are on the plane again?" "I would be honored to Sandra. I know how much all of this means to you so I am going to ask Sean to have it all put in protective custody 'till we return. That way you will know it's all safe until you want it back." "Thanks. I guess that will be ok, but make sure you tell him not to lose anything." I laughed and told her he won't lose it. I saw Sean looking in and waved him back into the office. He looked at Sandra then at me and I quipped to him. "It's a woman thing so you wouldn't understand." "Aw grandpa!" I busted up laughing at Sean as he let out a sigh. "Harry, I wasn't supposed to let you see the pictures, but I think you should take a look at them for your own peace of mind." I took the yellow envelope from his hand and went over to the desk. I took each of the eleven pictures out and memorized the faces as I looked at them. They weren't all that impressive but I knew that I would know them if I ever saw any of them again. I also knew what I would do if they ever tried to get close to Sandra for any reason. Thanks to Sean, I now had the perfect weapon to handle the problem if it ever raised its head close to me and mine. I put them back and handed the envelope back to him. He might not have liked the look on my face but he didn't say anything about it. "Well, are you two ready for a little beach vacation? I think you will both enjoy where you are going. Harry, you can teach Sandra how to scuba-dive for lobsters. I am sure she would love to learn. The plane is all gassed up and you both will be on your way in about ten minutes. Harry, neither Larry nor I know what you chose in there, and there is no record of them. None of them had any numbers on them so they will be impossible to trace after today." "Sean, are you expecting problems and should I consider this a warning?" "I have not seen any problems but I wanted to make sure you could handle it if something did come up for some reason. We will be totally out of touch until it's safe to bring you both back, so you be careful, Harry. Our people there are good but I think you are a lot better. There is no cell service there but there is a marine radio in the house and on the boat. I will give you a paper showing the channel we monitor 24/7. It would take an hour for us to arrive so you will be on your own till then. I will make sure this stuff of Sandra's is safe 'till you come back. You have my personal word on that. You two enjoy yourselves while I will get the ass that started this and have the contract cancelled personally. I also am going to have a very personal talk with his attorney with the special team from Homeland Security by my side." So here I sit in the sun watching Sandra play with the supposed Guard Dog in the surf. There were three of these Dobermans that roamed the island. She had made friends with all of them the first week we had got here. They followed her around like they thought she was their mother or something. It was downright sickening the way they treated her. Now me they tolerated but I had a sneaking suspicion they would love to sample my butt if they thought they could get away with it. Damn, but this was boring. Sean had checked in yesterday and had no news for us about coming back. I hoped he got that pig soon or we were going back and staying in my cabin where I knew we would be safe. I had walked the whole island within a week from boredom. There was only one way in or out because of the coral reefs that enclosed the whole island. According to May, they had to blast the narrow channel in to where the dock was. The alarms and cameras were state of the art and had been upgraded a week before we got there. It was all done in house, so there was no knowledge about it by the French or any of the locals that fished a mile out from the island. They only fished early and late evening so if there were any other boats out there we stayed inside 'till they left. There was dish television so Sandra had cartoons but I had boredom as I hated to watch television. It had taken me all of a week to teach her how to scuba dive and she was like a fish in the water. She always caught more lobsters than me, but I had finally gotten a ray and I enjoyed every bite of it. Sandra hadn't made up her mind about it though as she said it was tough. They delivered the supplies from a Navy Destroyer. I had thought this was kinda strange until May had told me they kept all deliveries in-house so the locals wouldn't get mad because they didn't buy any from them. The closest land mass was about three miles away. It was another island but a lot larger than this one. I was told the population there was almost fifty thousand. Some tourists came but not very many so strangers stuck out. Seth, the other agent took the boat there for a few things twice a month. Everyone there knew he worked for the Frenchman so he didn't raise any suspicions on his trips. They had a shortwave there. He used it to stay in touch with the Frenchman twice a month. Sandra had been having a blast since we arrived and was as brown as a coconut husk. Her blond hair was almost white from the sun and salty surf she was always playing in. I had to admit she deserved the vacation after all that she had been through. I hoped she would be happy to go back home with me when it came time to leave. I had to admit this little exile had been good for me too as I had lost twenty pounds and was running with Sandra ten miles along the beach every day. I was in good shape, and it showed because all my clothes were too big for me. I had to borrow some of Seth's shorts to wear. "Harry, we are picking up a large boat three miles out headed this way! Maybe you and Sandra best come in for a little while till we see which way they are going." "Ok May, we'll be right up!" I called Sandra and we headed for the house for a cold one for me and a Pepsi for Sandra. The dog stayed by her side the whole way there and was happily wagging its stub as it walked along. When we got to the house I gave Sandra her drink and grabbed mine and went to the crow's nest. Everywhere I seemed to go somehow crows played a part in everything. I put the telescope on the boat and to my surprise it was a tug. Now what was a tug doing this far out to sea? I watched it closely as it went around the island and saw the two men on the top looking through binoculars toward the island. "May, you better warn Seth that they are checking us out. They will be coming around to his side in about ten minutes." "Ok Harry. You don't suppose it's someone looking for you, is it?" "I don't know May, but set the charges just in case we have unexpected visitors. Tell Seth to set the other surprises as he comes toward the house. Get on the radio and tell them this is private property and not to approach." I heard her hailing the tug but they wouldn't answer. She kept trying, and I called Sandra to get dressed like we had practiced. She went into her room and I went to mine and got dressed with all my little toys ready to go. I put a light fishing vest on to cover the two shoulder holsters but there was no way to hide the fifty because it was so big. I heard May whistle the dogs in so Seth could activate the claymores. They were anti personnel and were almost the same as we had used in Nam, but newer and a lot more powerful. We went back downstairs to the camera room with May. "Harry, they won't answer any of the known frequencies here. Seth says he is working his way to the house as he sets the mines. Whoever navigating that tug doesn't know what he's doing. He has already run it aground twice trying to get to the beach on the far side. That tells me they don't know anything about this island. I already put the call in for help and they are on their way. Look there!" I looked at the screen she was pointing at and I could see ten men gearing up to come ashore. They hadn't found the entrance to the boat dock yet so I told May to wait until they started in then release the water mines. There were ten of these in the channel that were hooked to the bottom and could be released by remote control. If that tug made it past all of them without blowing up I would be surprised. All ten had been set in place by Navy Seals, and were checked every month to make sure they worked like they were supposed to. Now it was just a matter of time to see how the visitors would come in. I was standing between May and Sandra and watched as Sandra changed between cameras and angles to keep them in sight. May must have taught her everything she knew about the control room because Sandra looked like she had been doing it for years. "I think they finally learned to use the depth finder on that floating piece of junk, Harry. See, they are coming into the channel real slow. I am going to wait until they are completely committed before I release the mines." "Good idea May. Let them get about twenty yards into the entrance to where they have no place to go." Seth came in and made Sandra get up and took control of the mines by flicking a switch. "Ok, you dirty SOBs, come and get some. We're ready for you now." Sandra sat down in Seth's lap and was looking at the monitors trying to watch everything at once. May was smiling at her and Seth as they kept changing the views. "Harry, I would invite you to set on my lap but my husband might get jealous." I started to laugh until I realized what she had said. Hell that goes to show you how smart I was as I didn't even know they were married. All this time I had been flirting with her and wondered why Seth had always smiled and looked at me in pity. Talk about feeling about two inches tall. I just shook my head at my stupidity and went back to watching the monitors. The boat had gotten to the twenty-foot Mark when I saw Seth push two of the line of buttons on his board. They immediately went from red to green and we all waited with held breath for the few seconds it would take for the command to reach the mine releases. We heard the first beep then the second almost immediately and the lights stayed green so we knew the mines were coming up from the bottom of the channel. The first must have hit in the center of the boat because it broke in half almost immediately. The second one hit about where the props should have been but that explosion was anti climatic. "Harry let's go see if there are any survivors. Sandra you stay in here with May until we come back. This room is armor protected and is safer than any tank or Bradley. May, set the door and walls to lock after we leave and stay on the mikes in case we have any other visitors. Ok Harry, I shut the mines down so let's go." We left the room and I heard the bolt on the door thunk into place. Then I heard several other deep thunks as she set the walls and whatever else she had to do. I had to admit these two were good at their jobs, even with all the joking went on as they did what they had been trained to do. We ran for the dock to see if anyone had survived. The dogs were ahead of us and immediately spread out in a search pattern. I noticed there were four bodies floating on the surface and all were in full battle gear. I didn't feel a bit guilty over their loss but was mad that we had been found here. That meant a leak in a high place, somewhere down the line. This was another damned problem that we would have to sort out. By the time the helicopters got there we had the four bodies on the dock and had fished all the debris that we could find out of the channel. I knew that divers would go down to get anything they could find, and they were probably already en route. I did know one thing, Sandra and I were going home to my cabin. If I had to, I would take a little trip to Mexico and take care of our problem myself. I knew where I could leave Sandra if I had to, and she would be safe. Sean was the first one who jumped to the ground. "Are you and Sandra ok Harry? How the hell did they find out you were here?" "We are fine Sean thanks to your two people. They did a hell of a job today. Someone high up leaked our location, Sean. That's the only way they would know we were here. We are going back to my cabin today so I suggest you arrange our transportation." We spent the next hour arguing about my decision to return. He finally gave in when I laid out my plan to sneak us into the cabin. I told him I would stay in touch with my own short wave radio and we wouldn't step a foot outside. To all eyes the place would look like there was nobody there. Of course I didn't tell him we wouldn't be there but let him believe he was doing his job like he was ordered ------- Chapter 57 We had just landed back in Florida when Sean walked into the hangar with a big smile on his face. "What are you so happy about?" "The divers just faxed the pictures of the men who were aboard the boat you guys blew up and guess what?" "Well gee there Sherlock, should I be able to read your mind?" Sandra started giggling and Sean gave her a smile before he got around to answering me. "The lawyer and his client were on that tug, Harry. Needless to say you two should be able to go home as soon as it hits the news. We already gave a press release. Too bad though because I could get used to hitching rides on those fighters. Man, are they fast and sweet to ride in. I left an hour after you and still beat you back. How about you two staying here tonight and then we will fly you back to Columbus tomorrow? We also can fly you to Reno if you want." "Ok Sean, the contract's off, but what have you and the Director done about the leak. It had to come from your or his office. Wait a minute! I know where it came from Sean. I want a cell now, preferably my own." "All of your stuff is still locked up in storage Harry. Here, use mine it's clean." "No, I don't want you to be associated with this at all, Sean. I'll use the pay phone outside the terminal." "Harry, if you figured out where the leak is I want to know. This is a matter of pride to me and I hate a traitor in my own ranks. I promise I will do it in such a way it can't be traced back to me or you." "Sandra honey, why don't you take a little nap while me and Sherlock have a little talk. We'll be right outside if you need me for anything." "Ok grandpa, don't be too hard on Sherlock. Don't forget he is still young and learning." Sean stuck his tongue out at her and she started giggling at him. Then it hit me just how young he really was to be in such a responsible position. We went into the hanger and I told him my suspicions and got an angry stare when I was done. "No frickin way Harry. Oh I'll check it out, but if you're wrong I will expect an immediate apology." "If I am wrong Sean, then you know I'm man enough to be the first to apologize to you and to him. I don't think I am though." "It will take a couple of hours so order pizzas for you and the shrimp. I can't believe she called me Sherlock." I laughed as I went back inside and found she was sound asleep on the couch. I figured she needed it with all that had happened today. I closed the blinds to the office and sat in the desk chair to watch over her. I had to take the fifty off as it was just too uncomfortable in this chair. I put it on the desk by my hand and sat back thinking about Mark. I knew he still loved his wife, but I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that he would put Sandra in danger like that. Me, I could take care of myself but she was a babe in the woods. How the hell do I handle this one? I sat for about three hours racking my brain on what to do and it all came back to his love for his wife. I knew about that and while I could sympathize, I still couldn't forgive him for putting Sandra in the middle of it. Then I thought of how he would have taken her death and knew he would be deeply hurt and his girls would be even more devastated. I felt sorry for them and even though I was pissed at Mark I still loved the two of them like they were my own. If Mark and I became enemies then they would be caught in the middle of it all. This time I decided I would sit down and talk it over with Sandra. Maybe she had a perspective on it that I had missed. Then it hit me that I was depending on her to help me! That brought a whole new set of shocks to me. I had someone who was smarter than I was to bounce ideas off of instead of just wading in and damn the consequences. I had someone besides myself to talk to and she would always have me to talk to about her problems. I was thinking it was a good feeling when Sean knocked on the door and stuck his head in motioning me to come out of the office. I went out slipping the fifty under my belt. "Harry you were right. I can't believe it. We would never have known except when he used the radio he forgot to change the channel back to the normal one he used. The operator marked it down in his book and we were able to trace it to Sonora. I checked and she didn't know a thing about it. Before they could get her gun away from her, she almost shot him. The SEALs said she made them proud with all the new language they learned from her. Harry, I trained him and worked side by side with him for five years until he got married and they got posted down there. They were there for more than five years and this was the first sign of any trouble with anyone we sent down there. Why would he do it Harry? I just don't understand it at all. They had it made and they were able to bank their checks because everything was free for them. I'm sorry Harry for putting you and Sandra in danger. If something had happened to her I could never forgive myself. I thought you would be safe there." "Calm down Sean, will you? It's not your fault. There's no way you could have known. If it eases your mind any the only way I was able to figure it out was because he supposedly set the claymores as he was coming back to the house. But, they were all electronic signal controlled and he never threw the switch when he came to the secure room. The dogs were still running loose when he came in. May had whistled them in but he let them back out when he opened the door. I started thinking about it when Sandra made the comment that she would miss the dogs as we were getting off the plane." "I just talked to the Director and he is going to make an example of him and he will probably spend the rest of his life in prison. As soon as Sandra wakes up I have transportation arranged for you and her to go to a hotel. There are several clothing stores nearby where you both can get some new clothes if you want. Two men will be with you at all times until this story hits the national news. I will have the Special Forces at the chemical plant sweep your property before you get home. Not saying there is anything there but it's a just in case type of thing. I have some worse news that I just found out, Harry." "Will this wait, Sean? I think I have heard enough bad news today to last me for several months. Besides, I want to get Sandra settled back home so she can start playing again. She has hated not being able to play her music for the last month. I must admit I miss it myself. I just want to get her back to a semi normal life again. I want to spend time with her at our home doing normal things." "I can understand that Harry, because my wife has already reminded me that I have a months vacation coming and she has already had me put in for the whole month. She wants to rent an RV and travel with the girls out west. I think I need the time with my family too. It's been a long time since we have spent more than a few days together, and I think it will do us all good to be with each other." "Grandpa, I'm hungry and I need a shower. Can we please get to someplace where I can have the creature comforts that I deserve? Tell Sherlock we need a room and food." Sean got a shocked look on his face then rolled his eyes. I busted out laughing at his next comment. "She did it again Harry." He got on his phone and called for our ride as I walked back into the office laughing. Sandra hugged me and whispered; "he looks like a Sherlock grandpa, and I think he's funny." Sean hollered out our ride was here. We went out the door into a withering hail of gunfire. I pushed Sandra back inside and tipped the metal desk over and got behind it with her. I pulled the fifty and waited to see who would come through the door while wondering if Sean was ok. I heard a few more shots then sirens coming in the distance. The door was partially ajar so I told Sandra to stay right there handing her one of the Walther twenty-twos. I had taught her to shoot them on the island, plinking at cans we had set up on the far end of the island. I crawled to the door and looked out seeing nothing but glass everywhere. I pulled myself further out where I could see a little better and Sean was lying next to the wall in a pool of blood. I reached out and felt his neck and he had a good strong pulse. From where I was it looked like he had been hit in the leg and shoulder. I grabbed his collar and drug him into the office behind the desk where I checked him a little better. Neither wound was life threatening but he was losing blood and I had to stop this or he would bleed out before help came. I tore my t-shirt off and tied it around his leg then tied his tie around his shoulder. I looked over at Sandra and to my surprise she was watching the door while I took care of Sean. I heard the crunch of glass outside the door and motioned Sandra down. I waited then saw the barrel of a gun come into sight. I didn't figure he was a friendly or he would have sung out already. I aimed the fifty where his body should be and pulled the trigger twice. He fell flat before the last boom had dissipated. I waited to see if anyone else showed up but the sirens were so close I didn't think they would stay around, if there was anyone else out there. I got Sean's cell and called the Director, and told him what happened. He said he would handle it and that I was to stay where I was. I took Sean's badge out and got ready for the locals to come storming in. I took the Walther back from Sandra and holstered it. Sure enough the locals came in pointing guns everywhere and I yelled out I was FBI and had an officer down. The lead man took one look at the badge and called for the ambulance attendants to come in. "Sir, I know you are armed, please slide it out until we get to the bottom of this, please?" I slid the fifty out in plain sight and watched as he holstered his weapon. "Are there any other wounded in here sir?" "No, but there was a driver in the car that was coming to pick us up. The man out there is one of the shooters. He was the only one I saw but I counted three different automatic weapons firing. You might want to have your men check the other buildings close to this one. They can't have gone far and I didn't hear any vehicles leaving." He got on his radio and had his people shut down all the gates and ordered them to search all the buildings. He also warned them that the shooters were armed with automatic weapons. I heard a chopper coming in and it landed on the tarmac in front of the hangar where we were. I heard the challenge to the occupants and they all identified themselves as U.S. Marshals. Three came in and immediately spread out in a defensive position between me and the locals. "Mr. Hanson, I am Marshal Teague. We were sent by the Director to guard you and your granddaughter. If there is any doubt of our identity I was told to have you call the Director." "No offense Marshal but I plan on doing just that." I made the call and was given a description of all three of them that matched them, and also what they were wearing down to the sock color. I stood up and watched as Sean was loaded onto a stretcher. "I want life flight called for him right now. He has lost a lot of blood." "He is one of us and I made the call as we were coming in. I can hear their chopper coming as we speak, Mr. Hanson." "Call me Harry, Marshal, and we will be going to the hospital when we leave here. I want my gun back also." He went out to the local in charge, and a few words were exchanged and he came back in and handed me the fifty, which I reloaded then holstered. We walked out with the stretcher and I watched as it was loaded on the life flight chopper. When they took off, I looked around and saw a sheet-covered form lying next to a black Crown Vic. I felt sorry that the driver hadn't made it, and made a note to send a large flower arrangement to his funeral. I heard gunfire again and pulled Sandra down beside me. I had the fifty in my hand without even realizing I had drawn it. The Marshals formed a circle around us with their guns drawn also. The gunfire died off and I heard there were two bad guys down, and also an officer was hit but only grazed. I let out a sigh of relief at the news that while another one of the good guys had been hit, he was ok. "Marshal, I want to know who these guys were and how they knew we were here. I also want our transport shadowed by a gun ship from the local base." "I really don't think that's necessary Harry." "I do and if you won't make the call then I will and I guarantee I will get what I want. Let's come to a quick understanding here and now. I am taking charge of our safety from this point on. You follow my orders or get the hell out of here and I will make my own arrangements. Your choice Marshal. I want to get to the hospital to check on my friend and I don't have time for any bureaucratic bullshit." "Sorry Harry, but even you don't have that kind of pull. Now get in the chopper so we can get you both out of here." I didn't say another word but got on the phone and called the Director and went off on him. He listened to me for a few minutes then told me to shut up and calm down, and to put that dumb ass Marshal on the phone. I handed him the phone and walked away taking Sandra with me. I climbed into the Crown Vic and fastened the seat belt on Sandra then started the engine and pulled out. I went through the exit gate about ninety holding my badge in plain sight. The cop on the gate just waved me through. I headed in the same direction as the life flight chopper. I knew there had to be a hospital close by where they had taken him. I got on the radio and identified myself to the dispatch and asked which hospital Sean had been taken to. They came back in a few minutes with the information and directions on how to get there. I turned the lights and siren on and floored it. This had the big interceptor engine and I was flying as I headed to the hospital. I looked over at Sandra figuring she would be scared to death, but she had a grin from ear to ear as we flew down the highway. I saw the sign for the hospital exit and went down the ramp, and barely slowed as we went through the light. I went down the street about four blocks and saw the sign for the emergency room. When we pulled up, I parked in a reserved spot and we jumped out and went inside to the desk. I flashed the badge again and was told they had just taken him to surgery. We got on an elevator and rode up to the surgery waiting room. There were vending machines and Sandra asked for some money so she could get a soda and some chips. I gave her all the change and ones I had. I sat down after checking in at the desk and Sandra came over with soda and chips for us to snack on while we waited. "Grandpa, Sean will be ok, won't he? Why were those men shooting at us? I thought it was all over." "Evidentially someone didn't get the word, honey. I think he will be fine. The wounds weren't that bad but he lost a lot of blood and that's not good with gunshot wounds. When that happens, shock sets in and can cause problems if it's not treated right away. I think in this case he will be fine." "Have you ever been shot grandpa? Is that how you know all these things?" "Yes honey, I have been but never seriously. I learned about all of these things when I was in the army many years ago. We got the bandages on him in time but I am feeling kind of naked without a shirt on. This vest doesn't cover much." She giggled at me, and I was glad to see she wasn't in shock herself with all that had happened. I wondered what had happened to the Marshals, but I wasn't to wonder long as they all got off the elevator while I was thinking about it. They split up so all points of the room were covered as we sat there. Teague came over to me and handed me a new shirt and Sean's cell phone. "Who the hell are you Harry? I just got reamed by the Director of Homeland Security for not doing my job. I was told I was to follow your orders in all matters of your and your granddaughter's safety. He is sending more men so Sean and you will be covered even better. I was also told you outrank me so far that you could have me transferred to Greenland just by saying the word. I been doing witnesses for fifteen years and never had a problem like this." "Well Teague, I was doing it when you were still in diapers. The service has gone to shit since they decided you had to have a degree to even qualify. The service went to shit when that degree became field experience. I want the men coming checked to make sure they are who they say they are. There will be no mistakes this time. Has Sean's wife been notified?" "She is being brought here as we speak Harry. Whether you believe it or not I do know how to do my job. The Director is in Miami and is coming in personally to talk to you. I still want to know who you are?" "That's a need to know Teague, and right now you don't need to know. Just do your job until you are relieved by me or the Director." I sat back and Sandra handed me my drink, which I had forgotten about. "Grandpa, are we going home soon? I am tired of this vacation and I want to see Jimmy. I want to play my violin and just be me for a while. I don't like all this protection stuff. I need a shower because I am starting to smell and I hate that. When I was with those people I never got to wash and I hated it. I don't want to have to smell like that ever again." "As soon as I find out how Sean is doing we will go to a hotel and get a nice hot shower. I need to put this shirt on before the Director and Sean's wife gets here." I stood up and took the vest off then both shoulder holsters. I put the T-shirt on which ironically said welcome to the sunshine state. I put both holsters back on then the vest, which did a pretty good job of covering them. Sandra started giggling and I looked down at her and she was looking across the room to where the nurse's station was. I looked that way and a cute little blond was sitting there with her eyes popped out and her mouth wide open in shock, I guess from all the hardware I was wearing. I had just sat back down when the elevator opened and several men in suits came in herding a tall bald headed man and a small Latin woman. I guessed she was Sean's wife as she went directly to the nurse's desk. I watched as she talked to the nurse for a few minutes then came directly toward me and Sandra. I stood to greet her and she smacked me right in the kisser. I must have had a shocked look on my face because Sandra started giving her total hell in Spanish. She was standing right in front of Sean's wife and giving her hell. I caught a few words she shouldn't be using, but I was still in shock from the smack. I watched as the woman hugged Sandra to her while crying her eyes out. Man, did I need a cup of coffee. The tall man came over to me and stuck his hand out. I shook hands with him and he introduced himself to me. "I am glad we finally get to meet. I was tired of catching hell on the phone not knowing what you looked like. I brought four of my own people to take over your security until this is over. Sorry about the smack but Sean's wife has a temper. I almost got the same thing the first time I met her. She was mad at me too, I guess. Your granddaughter seems to have calmed her down though. Harry, what the hell's going on? The news coverage on the death of those two has been really heavy. This shouldn't have happened. Do you know of anyone else who might want you out of the picture for some reason? We checked in Nevada and there was nothing we could find coming out of there." "Have any of the perps in Texas made bail? That's the only reason I could think of for all this. Sandra is the only one who can identify them and put them all together in one place. What about that little INS prick I knocked down? He made several threats toward Sandra. Hell, I can't think of any other reason why this would still be going on." "That INS asshole is dead. He turned all his records over and his wife posted his bail. His throat was cut before he got home. The rest of them are in jail without bail on several murder charges. We haven't been able to trace those weapons you uncovered. We think it was a Russian connection of some kind but it has been a dead end so far. The slugs we were able to trace though, they came from an underground storage area the Russians use for their depleted plutonium. They are running a complete inventory as we speak but it seems the ones you found were the only ones missing so far. We still haven't been able to identify the source of the contamination in that safe. None of the NRC experts have ever seen anything like it. I am going to stay here until I find out how Agent Hadley is doing. Then I have to fly back to Washington and meet with the Justice Department about all of this. Here's a phone and new ID for you. I suggest you give Hadley's ID back to him when he wakes up. The phone is clean with no GPS in it so you can use it anywhere. If there's no signal, push the red button and it becomes a SAT phone that's scrambled also. That's your permanent phone from now on. Use it like you would your own as there's no way to monitor or trace it in any way. When you turn it on you and your granddaughter put your thumbs over the screen and from that point on you two will be the only ones who can use it. Don't look so surprised, it's all new technology for agents use to protect themselves. If it's tampered with, it fries itself immediately." The Director got up then and called a man over to him and pointed at me then Sandra. Then he brought the man over and introduced him to me and then he went over to Mrs. Hadley and sat next to her. I opened the ID. It had a current picture and the title I was given in it was Special Investigator for Homeland Security of the United States. There was also a copy of my carry permit on the other side. For some reason I felt like I was being used but couldn't figure out how as I hadn't asked for any of this. If I got a pay check in the mail then I would send it back to them immediately. Sandra came over and sat in my lap. She wiggled around to get comfortable then twisted so she could look at me before saying; "Will you please move that cannon of yours so I can get comfortable? It's poking me in the ribs." I laughed out loud at her and got a smile in return as I slid the holster further to the side. "Grandpa, she is really very nice. She is sorry for slapping you. She said it was a reaction from the tension of not knowing what was going on. The only thing she heard about coming here was that you had been the one who Sean was protecting. She thought you had accidently shot him instead of those other men. I guarantee you I set her straight on the matter though. I told her about what had happened and how you saved his life by applying those bandages. She asked if you would forgive her for slapping you." "I guess in a way I had it coming. I should have introduced myself instead of waiting for her to ask the nurse who I was. Damn, she slaps harder than Tran does." Sandra started giggling at me when I said that and it took me a few minutes to see the humor in it. I just started to say something smart when a doctor came out asking who Mrs. Hadley was. She stood up with a worried look on her face and walked to where he was standing. "He will be just fine Mrs. Hadley. We removed the bullets and he should make a full recovery with no problems. Whoever applied those pressure bandages probably saved him from bleeding to death. They were very skillfully placed without shutting off the blood flow completely. He is in recovery and should wake up in a few hours. You can go in and sit with him if you wish. The nurse can tell you what room he will be in as soon as we get him situated." I could see the tension flow out of her with the release of the deep breath she was holding. She turned to me and started in my direction again. I couldn't run because Sandra was in my lap so I just braced myself for another slap. "I am sorry Harry. Sandra told me what happened and as it turned out she was right. I should not have slapped you, and for that I apologize. Sean talked about you and Sandra so much I felt like I knew you." With the last words she broke down in tears, I guess from the relief that he was going to be ok. I set Sandra on her feet and got up. Mrs. Hadley came into my arms, crying and sobbing. I didn't know what to do so I just stood there holding her and patting her on the back. Sandra was grinning at me and so was the Director. Me, I didn't see anything funny about the whole thing. Slapped hard as hell then ending up holding the slapper trying to comfort her. Then it hit me right between the eyes why Tran had slapped me. How the hell can you ever understand a woman I was thinking as she sniffed and went to the nurse's station. I saw her grab a handful of tissues and I looked down at the shoulder of my vest. It was soaked! The Director got up and flipped me a two fingered salute before stopping to have a few words with Mrs. Hadley. He got back on the elevator that one of his men was holding and was gone just that quick. I looked around and the Marshals were gone. Just the three men the Director had left to baby sit us. "Chuck, find us a place to stay tonight. We need clothes, some hot food and a shower. We will come back to visit Sean tomorrow and then we are going home. Mrs. Hadley, if you need me Sean has my home number. If you need anything don't hesitate to call. I'm sorry to leave you here by yourself but we need some food and rest." "Don't worry about me Harry. My mom is on her way with the kids so they will be with me tonight. You just take care of yourself and that young lady by your side. I will see you when you come in tomorrow." As we rode the elevator down, I asked Chuck about someone to guard Sean and was told there were two of his own team already there. They would watch over him and his family. We were loaded in an armored suburban and taken to a large estate near the airport. There were clothes and all the things we would need to be comfortable while we were there. We were told dinner would be served in an hour if that was enough time for us to get a shower and change. Sandra just smiled at all the new clothes and I told Chuck we would be ready in plenty of time. I told Sandra to get her shower first and then I would take my turn. While she was in the bathroom, I was checking out the room we were in. It had two large beds and a balcony that overlooked a small fish pond. It was a short drop I noticed right away, just in case. I still couldn't figure out why we were still hot. There had to be another reason for it but I was stumped. I was going home tomorrow and God help anyone who tried to get to us there. I also would call my attorney after supper and see if he had any ideas about who wanted us dead. I knew he would be able to find out more than I could. ------- Chapter 58 I waited for Sandra to finish in the shower and when she came out she had a big smile on her face. I looked at her in a quizzical way and she smiled at me then explained. "You're gonna love this shower, grandpa. It has the massaging head on the shower and it has enough pressure that it almost knocked me down when I stepped under it. I hope they brought me some jeans with those clothes. I hate wearing a dress and trying to be nice just because it's expected by a girl in a dress." "You just be yourself and let me worry about what is right or wrong. Here, I need you to put your thumb on this new phone so we can get it set up." As it turned out this was only part of the process. There was a voice recognition step with a sentence you had to say along with your name. We listened to the voice telling us the different steps we had to go through to get it to work for us. Me, I thought it was a pain in the ass but Sandra was having a ball with the whole process. We finally got it up and running so I could use it later. I went to get my shower leaving Sandra to get dressed. I had already put a chair under the door knob so I knew nobody was going to enter without us knowing. I made my shower quick and cut myself shaving as usual. When I got back to the bedroom Sandra was dressed and waiting on me. She was wearing shorts and her usual boots with a button up type of shirt. I looked at my stuff and could immediately see it had come from Wal-Mart or some chain store. There was a light cotton jacket I could wear over the t-shirt so my shoulder holsters would be covered. I got dressed and put the forty five in the small of my back and the fifty on my belt. Sandra just watched not saying a word. We went down the steps with me leading and were met at the bottom by a stranger. I had the fifty covering him before he even realized it was pointing at him. "Who the hell are you and where's Chuck?" "He had to go out for a little bit to check the perimeter, Mr. Hansom. My name is Steve and I was coming to call you and your daughter to supper. Will you follow me please?" He turned and started walking away from us. I nodded my head to Sandra to move the opposite way. He wasn't part of the detail and he had screwed up big time by calling Sandra my daughter. We moved back up the steps while I was already calling the Director. I didn't know how many were in the house but I would bet Chuck was already dead. This was all coming apart too fast. They had to have inside help to have found us so quick. When I got the Director on the line and told him of my suspicions he was livid, telling me to find a room where I could guard us until he got there with the SEAL team he was meeting with. He was still in the area and had been delayed because of the heavy fog. He said they would be coming in with choppers and that I wasn't to move until they had total control of the house and grounds. We went back to the bedroom where our little bit of stuff was and I filled my pockets with extra mags for the 45 and the twenty-twos. I gave Sandra one telling her to be careful and don't shoot unless she had too. My cell rang and I answered it. I was told by the Director that the SEAL team was working their way toward the house and to stay put until he knocked on the door. I put the chair back under the knob and waited for whatever was going to happen. Steve came to the door talking and trying the knob as he did. When he couldn't enter he dropped all pretenses. "You know we will get you so why don't you give up. I promise neither one of you will suffer. We have a job to do Mr. Hansom and we will do it." "What I want to know is who the hell you people are? The contract was canceled with the death of the money man and his attorney." "I assure you it has not been canceled and was just raised less than an hour ago. There are six of us in the house and unless you want you and your daughter to suffer before you both die I suggest you just quit with all the hiding." "I think you better check with your contact because she is not my daughter and you have made a serious mistake, Steve." "I don't think so Barry Hansom, we have been looking for you for the last two weeks. I guarantee you and Miss Kathy won't be testifying in front of the grand jury tomorrow." I looked at Sandra and she looked back with a question in her eyes. I just shrugged at her. I didn't know who he was after but I knew this was all a case of mistaken identity. I almost busted up laughing but the seriousness of the whole thing wasn't a laughing matter. He tried to use his weight to bust through the door but it was made of oak and he didn't get far doing that. He then tried shooting the door handle and lock off. I waited 'till I was sure of where he was standing and again the superior power of the fifty paid off as after I shot I heard a dull thump outside the door. I looked at Sandra and she had both hands covering her ears. She grinned at me before she dropped them back to her sides. "Grandpa, my ears are still ringing from this morning. I wish you had some kind of noise killer for that thing." I gave her a big grin and sat on the edge of the bed with her right beside me. We didn't say anything but I was watching the balcony and the door. I had already killed the lights but since it was still daylight out, the room was brighter than I wanted. We were in the shadows as we sat on the bed. I still hadn't heard the chopper carrying the SEAL team and wondered if it was one of the new style that was almost totally silent. We sat for about twenty minutes then came a knocking at the door. I almost shot out of reaction to the noise. "Harry, it's me and the house and grounds are clear. You and Sandra can come out if you wish. We moved the body in the hall so there's nothing to see." I recognized the directors voice but for some unknown reason I still hesitated. Then I called his number on the cell and heard the ring in the hall. He answered and said he wasn't being coerced and it was all clear. I went to the door and he was standing there with two fully battle dressed men with camouflage paint on their faces. I recognized the weapons and patch on their flack jackets as soon as I laid eyes on them. I motioned them to go ahead of us and followed them down the stairs with the fifty still in my hand. The rest of the team was spread in a circle at the foot of the steps so I walked to the nearest chair and sat down. Sandra was standing behind the chair as we had practiced so many times on the island. "Now somebody want to tell me how they got on to us so quick?" "I'll be damned if I know Harry, but this has already cost too many lives. Have you figured out what the hell's going on because I sure as hell haven't?" "Do you have a witness in protective custody with his daughter by the name of Barry Hansom?" "Not that I'm aware of but let me check." He got on his cell and made several calls and the color drained out of his face as he listened to whoever he was presently talking to. He asked a couple of questions then hung up the phone with a look of puzzlement on his face. "How did you know, Harry? He and his daughter are testifying in front of the grand jury in the morning. You mean all of this has been a case of mistaken identity?" "I'm afraid so Director. The dummy in the hall tipped me off when he couldn't seem to quit calling me Barry and Sandra Kathy. He said the bounty just got raised again about an hour ago. Now if it was me, I would get his cell or try to find out who put the hit out. I have a feeling it's someone in the prosecutor's office because he knew too damn much for it to be anyone else. I don't know what it's all about but it has cost too many innocent lives already. Did they take down Chuck and the others?" "Yes, I'm afraid they did, even the cook who wasn't even part of the team. Dammit, I just lost a good friend and you can bet there is going to be hell to pay over this. Harry, this is Lt. Spears and he and his team are your ghosts for the rest of the night or until I deem it safe enough to release them. You will be in charge but he has almost as much experience in this stuff as you so I would listen to his suggestions if it were me. I have a team coming in to clean up the mess and again, you and Sandra will be moved tonight. I'm sorry but I don't know what else to do until I can get all this unscrambled. They have a chopper outside for you so if you have anything you need to take with you, better grab it. The ride will be a short one and I promise a hot meal will be waiting when you get there. I have to go and you have my number. I'm sorry about all of this, Harry, and if I had known I wouldn't have brought you into Florida when you came back. Sean is doing fine and is awake and giving the doctors hell because they won't let him get up and walk around." We both got a good laugh and I felt Sandra squeeze my shoulder at the news. We watched as he left and then the Lt. came over and asked if we were ready to go. We were loaded into a helicopter that was whisper quiet as we took off. I was watching as we flew toward the glades and then it hit me where we were going. I turned to the Lt. and he was grinning at me. I smiled back and asked if we were going to the sinkhole and when had it reopened. He looked at me in shock and laughed before answering my question. "Man if you remember that place then you must be old school. We been training there for the last five years. How's come you know about it Mr. Hanson?" "I was an instructor there for the Army when we were training Vietnamese Army Officers on the advanced tactical radar that was used in the Huey gun ships. I spent a lot of time getting ate by mosquitoes there. We used to rotate in and out on a six month on then six off." "I remember reading the names of the instructors there on the inside of the old NCO quarters before we tore it down. That was a long time ago Mr. Hanson." "Yea LT, longer than I care to admit." He just grinned at me as I felt the chopper feathering out to land. There were no lights on anywhere and then I realized they all now had night vision goggles on. We were escorted into what must have been the chow hall because the smells were making my mouth water. We went through one door and then through another into a brightly lit dining room. They were under complete blackout conditions here like we always were. "Mr. Hanson, I think you will be safe here until I can get my team showered. Then we will join you for a late supper. Young lady, I think I have a set of fatigues that will fit you if you want them." "Gee sir, that would be great. I would love to wear them instead of these shorts." He smiled as he went out and we went to the counter. I got a cup of coffee and Sandra was offered a Pepsi by the cook who came out to see what was going on. When he saw Sandra he did a double take. He had a big smile on his face as he came over to us and brought her the Pepsi. "Sorry ma'am, we only have Pepsi for female officers. I didn't know these swabbies allowed women into their private little training ground. It's good to see a pretty face around here for a change." I was smiling at his sense of humor and Sandra was giggling at his words. I had noticed despite all the violence of the last couple of days, she was relaxed and not defensive around strangers like she was when we first went to the island. I personally was happy she was starting to smile and act more like her age instead of a miniature adult like she was when she first found me. She still had her temper though as I had seen it at the hospital. All in all I was very proud of her. She had rubbed off on me too as I seemed to have more patience than I remembered. She and the cook were joking back and forth and he was telling her if these swabbies gave her any problems to just look them in the eye and say "Semper Fi", Navy. I lost it at that point and was laughing up a storm at the looks of surprise I got from both of them. I started to explain why I was laughing when the SEAL team came in dressed in full uniforms. I just looked at them in shock as did the Marine cook. He looked at me in total shock as they came over to the table where Sandra was sitting and they all came to attention in front of her. "Sandra Hanson, by acclamation of the men in SEAL Team Three we hereby adopt you as an honorary SEAL with all the customary ideals of SEAL Team Three. You will be addressed as Chief and be treated as such with the rank we have given you. Here are your uniforms and we all would be proud if you accepted the honor to become one of us." They all saluted and held it for five seconds and dropped hands still at attention. Sandra looked at them with wide eyes and then looked at me for guidance as to what she should do. "Honey, this is a great honor they are offering you. The decision is yours to make." "I won't lose you will I grandpa? I mean, I won't have to stay here and train or leave your side if I do this, will I?" "No honey you won't lose me but this is a serious decision you are making. These men are some of the best of the best of our armed forces, and they are offering you something that is rarely offered to anyone. The decision will have to be yours, Sandra, but I think your mother would be proud of you if you accepted it." We all waited to see what she would do. She looked at me again and then at the men in front of her. She stood slowly and to my surprise threw them a perfect textbook salute while standing at attention she held it. The Lt. returned it then all them started laughing and coming to her to hug her and congratulate her for becoming a SEAL and a member of their unit. Even the cook came to her and hugged her congratulating her on her appointment. They told her where the head was and she asked what a head was and when it was explained to her, she got a little red in the face. I laughed and got a dirty look for doing so from all the men and my granddaughter. She marched to where they had pointed and went in. One of the team stood outside the door at parade rest until she came back out. I saw the door open but couldn't see her as he had her stay behind him as they came back to the table where we were all sitting. He turned around and I could see he was making a few adjustments then he turned back around and in a loud voice said to all the men sitting at the table. "May I present our newest team mate, Chief Hanson!" He stepped aside, and even I was shocked at the picture before me. She was dressed in jungle fatigues that looked like they were made for her. They were tailored perfectly and her rank was pinned to her collar tabs in regulation black. She had the boots to match and looked like a miniature female soldier. I was in shock and wondered how they had come up with all of this in such a short time. The uniform and boots made the picture complete and dammit, I didn't have any kind of camera to take a picture. I didn't have to worry as several of the team got out small digital cameras and were taking shots of her with each other. I just shook my head in wonder at how happy she seemed to be with these men. She was joking and cutting up like she had known them for years. The Lt. came over and sat next to me and started to tell me how they had made all this happen. "I can see by your expression you shocked with all of this Mr. Hanson. We got a shipment of fatigues in last week that were to go to some third world country and they were for some reason all children's sizes. Imagine our surprise when we found out our new jungle boots were all in children's sizes too. I personally think she looks great. My men came up with the idea after seeing what happened at the house. I helped move that body in the hall and you hit him dead center through a wall by sound. I realized then we weren't dealing with ordinary people. Your comment about this base tells me that you had to have been in Special Forces or you wouldn't have known about this place. Several of my team have children and have been away from them for too long on this deployment. I hope this is all ok with you." "LT, I am as proud of her as any parent would be. After what she has been through today it's good to see her laughing and having a good time. If this helps the morale of your team then by all means let them have their fun. It will do them all good in the long run. I do want a few of those pictures and one with the whole team and her. I will give you my email address and you can send them to me there. I will have them blown up so she can hang them on her wall in her room. Make sure you have the men sign at least one picture before we leave here tomorrow so she can carry it with her. From now on just call me Harry, will you?" "Well Harry all of that can be arranged I'm sure. My name with the team is Butter and please don't ask how I got that one. My armorer wants me to ask you if he can get his hands on that fifty of yours for a couple of hours. I promise when he is done with it you won't have another that will match it. He is a wonder with weapons of all kinds. I noticed you are wearing double shoulder holsters and a back holster. Can I ask you what they are? I have never seen weapons like the two in your shoulder holsters. They look familiar but the profile is all wrong to me. No, I am not trying to disarm you but my hobby is handguns and they are driving me nuts." I pulled one of the Walthers out and unloaded it before handing it to him. He looked at it then broke it down looking at the inside and how it was set up. He had a stumped look on his face when he did this but all of a sudden he started smiling as he put it back together and handed it back to me. I broke it down and double checked to make sure the mainspring was there and put it back together, loading it as I did. I reholstered and looked at him, waiting to see what he would say at my actions. He was frowning as he looked back at me. "If I didn't think you were being careful I would take that as an insult. She is one of us now and I wouldn't do what you were checking for." "Butter, she may be but her safety is all I live for right now. I am always careful even when among friends. I have learned since this all started not to trust anyone, even the Navy SEALs, as much as I admire what you and your men do. We thought this was all over but as you heard tonight it isn't. I wasn't trying to insult you or your men but she is all I have and I don't take any chances when it comes to her safety. My personal safety I can handle but after the day we have had so far I won't take any chances." He looked at me for a few minutes then at Sandra and smiled to himself before addressing me again. "Sorry Harry, I wasn't thinking about her, just my own feelings. She is special to you and now to my men. I just wasn't thinking when I spouted off." My respect for this team leader went up to the top after that last statement. I could see now why he was so well liked by his men. He not only was an officer, but one of those rare persons in command who could be one of the guys and still have their loyalty and respect without throwing his weight around. His type of leadership was rare and he would go far if he lived and stayed in the service. "Where did you lay your hands on those Walthers, if you don't mind me asking?" "I can't tell you that but I can say they are a matched set and I have the Carswell silencers for them. They are the stainless steel ones made for the Walther. I will let your armorer work over the fifty but I want it back before breakfast. I have grown rather fond of it in the last few hours." "How do you get away with owning and carrying those twenty-twos? Anyone else would be jailed for life for even owning the silencers. We have silenced nines but nothing like those little beauties. I would love to shoot one later at our range if you'll let me." "I don't see why not Butter, but you better include the Chief because she is better with them than I am. I taught her how to handle them and she took to it like she had been shooting them all her life. Tell you what, let's make a few side bets with your team. She will out shoot most of them with these and I bet they will all lose money if they challenge her to a match." "Harry, I like the way you think. I need to teach these yahoos a little humility and if she is as good as you say, then I can make my car payment at the same time." We both were laughing as the cook called us to the counter to eat. The men all gathered around asking Butter what was so funny but he refused to even give them a hint as he smiled sweetly at Sandra, pushing her ahead of him in line. I was smiling to myself as her plate was heaped with food to the point that she could hardly lift it. Man, I was thinking, this is going to be fun. She needed the relief and she loved shooting those little guns. I had a hunch there were going to be some very surprised SEALs before the night was over. We finished up with the meal and I was surprised at how much food Sandra put away. We went to the break room where there were pool tables and several big screen TVs situated all over the room. All were playing news channels until Sandra found a remote and started channel surfing. She finally settled on some kids show on Nickelodeon. I noticed several of the SEALs were smiling at her choice and a couple sat down near her and started watching with her. Within a few minutes they were all laughing at something. I just shook my head and was watching a local channel I remembered from living down here. There was no mention of the shootings at the house, but there was a long segment on the lawyer and his client drowning in a boat accident. They showed a lot of pictures and the story on the slavery ring he was running out of Texas. They went on about the FBI arresting the leaders and the sellers with the cooperation of the Federal Police in Mexico and several other countries. They showed clips of the kids from the barn on the Peter's place. They said they had enough evidence in paper trails and bodies to convict the leaders and most of the others for life twice over. This was a great relief to me because we were going home tomorrow after we visited Sean in the hospital. "Gentlemen, we have range in one hour. I think we will let our new Chief fire a few times. She is supposed to be good with a twenty-two. I for one think she is probably better than most of you. As a matter of fact I am so sure she is that I will entertain any bets against her from those of you that think you can out shoot her. I will cover all that want in on the action. She can pick her weapon of use. Her grandfather says she is partial to one of the little twenty-twos that he carries for backup. Sandra, do you want to show these old men how to shoot?" "Sure do. I like the little guns. I got good at plinking cans with them. You will have to ask my grandpa if it's ok though. I am not allowed to have a gun unless he is there to make sure I don't hurt anyone." She said it in such an innocent girly voice that I almost busted up laughing at her when she winked at me. I looked over at Butter and he must have caught the wink because he had a smirk on his face. I just sat and acted like I was thinking about it and several of the men started egging me on to let her show her stuff. They were promising they would make sure she was safe and would go easy on her. I took a deep breath and played the whole thinking thing through before I said anything. "I suppose she could since she seems to want to. All of you remember she is just a little girl and hasn't shot guns much at all. I know she is a member of the team but I don't want her feelings hurt because she's not as good as you guys." This brought forth several outbursts that they wouldn't do that, and they would teach her how to shoot like a team member. It took all I had to keep from laughing and giving the whole thing away. I had a brick of a hundred standards I had brought and I knew she was familiar with this ammo because I had taught her with these. I would have to reload the mags as I had them loaded with HPs. This would only take a few minutes and then she would be ready. I would also take one of the silencers with me and after it was over let her show off a little bit with it. If it was a standard range then she could go from aisle to aisle shooting twice at the targets with the silencer on. She had loved shooting with it after she got used to the extra weight on the end of the gun. Also, I would get a laugh at the shock factor that she would throw at this battle hardened team I was looking at because she was too small and too young to be able to shoot like she could. I had worked with her two hours a day the whole time we were on the island and she was two hundred percent better than her mother and her mom was a whiz with a pistol. I had come to realize that Sandra was a natural with whatever she wanted to learn because she wouldn't quit until she was the best she could be. Then the whole timetable went in the shitter when one of the SEALs broke out a violin and started playing it. Sandra went over like a moth to a flame and sat next to him, asking if she could borrow it for a minute. "You know how to play one of these Chief? I would be proud to let you play it but be careful because it was my great grandfather's." She took it from him and immediately asked if he had any rosin for the bow as she said it was too something or other. He smiled as he reached in the case and handed what looked like a bar of soap to her. She carefully worked on the bow and did a couple of adjustments to it then tucked the thing under her chin and closed her eyes and started playing a song I had never heard. Within a few moments there was total silence as everyone was listening to her. I saw at least ten more people come in the room quietly and sit down to listen. The owner was sitting with his mouth open in shock as he listened to her play it. Damn but I had missed this and wished Jimmy was here to play with her. She played for almost an hour and never opened her eyes the whole time she was so into the music. I think every man in the room including me had tears in their eyes when she finished the last song she was playing. I had a feeling this was one of the unpublished ones only she and her teacher knew. When she took the instrument from under her chin everyone in the room was on their feet clapping for her. Looking at all these servicemen who appreciated any kind of entertainment that was a break for them, I couldn't have been more proud of her for giving them this little bit of special happiness. She handed the violin back to its owner thanking him for letting her borrow it. He put it in the case and with tears running down his cheeks he made her whole evening with the next few words. "You, young lady are better with that then any I have ever heard. You just earned your stripes with us twenty times over. I wish I could play that beautiful." She hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled as the tears were running down his face. Nobody said a word, just smiled at them with tears in most of their eyes also. "Let's all take a break then head for the range. We have finally got a member of our team that has some talent. Sandra, I think we would all appreciate it if maybe later you could play some more. If you can play a guitar we have some of those and I think there's an old twelve string banjo around here. It was left here years ago and has been rotting away ever since. I'll have them in here when we get back from the range if you want. I would love to hear you play some more but it's up to you, Chief." "If I'm not the only one playing I would be happy to, Butter." Several of the people in the room said they could play a little and would be glad to play with her. She gave them all a smile before coming over to me and sitting in my lap. "Grandpa, I want to go home tomorrow. I miss my brother and I want to be normal again. I think it's time to call a stop to this vacation." "I couldn't agree more honey. We will be heading home tomorrow if I have anything to say about it, and I do, even if I have to hire a private jet to take us." That got me a big kiss and a hug. We sat for a few minutes and then Butter led us all to the range. I am not going to even try to describe the red faces of several of the team members but needless to say, Butter made enough to pay his car payment and Sandra was given a pistol marksman medal they scrounged up somewhere. She had a ball and the SEAL team learned a few lessons when it came to Sandra. When we went back to the rec room there were thirty people already there waiting for her to show up. Sandra was smiling and joking with the team as we walked in. She got a somewhat shocked look on her face, seeing all the people who were waiting for her. She looked over at me and I just shrugged and smiled at her. There were guitars of every shape and size and that old banjo turned out to be a home made one from God knows where. It was inlaid with pearl and tortoise shells. She picked it up and strummed it and made a face that drew a few laughs. She spent the next few minutes tuning it while one of the men bent the fingertip picks down so they would fit her fingers. She asked if anyone knew the theme from Deliverance and only one man said he knew it. I could tell he was from the south by his accent and would guess Tennessee or Kentucky. He had his own guitar and looking at it, you could see it was well used by all the rubbed spots on it. She started out and he fell in with her and they were off. They played together for about ten minutes then she asked if she could borrow his guitar. He handed it to her with a puzzled look on his face. She went into several Spanish songs that she knew and he was smiling as he watched her play his guitar. She played it for about twenty minutes and several songs but the whole time she was looking around the room. Then it hit me that she was looking for the owner of that violin. I didn't see him either and asked Butter where he was. It turned out he was on guard duty, so I asked Butter to see if anyone else had a violin she could play. He said he didn't know but would pass the word because he wanted to hear her play it some more himself. He got up and said a few words to one of the team who in turn got up and went out the door. In a very few minutes the owner came in with the violin in one hand and his weapon in the other. He had a big smile on his face that would have lit the room up except for the night paint on his face. Sandra spotted him immediately and smiled almost as wide as he did. Butter came back over and sat down and I shot him a hard look as he did. "Hell Harry, its not often we get a great break like this and since he's the only one with a violin I figured it wouldn't hurt to have him come in and enjoy it too. This place is so well protected by electronic counter measures it's not like I was leaving a hole in the perimeter. You been here so you know what this type of entertainment means to morale. She is the darling of the whole base and they would keep her if they thought they could get away with it. Now quit bitching and enjoy like the rest of us, will you?" I grinned at him and sat back to listen like the rest, and since they were still coming in I knew the word had spread. I listened as she finished up the Spanish song she had played at Joyce's for her. She handed back the guitar and went to the soldier and he handed her the violin. Before she even lifted it up applause broke out. She smiled at them and started in asking the man with the guitar to join in for this song. I recognized the tune but couldn't remember the name of it. He must have, because they did play well together and he was good with that old guitar. When they finished she thanked him and went back to playing solo. She played for another hour and the music was beautiful and I didn't know any of it. As I watched her it really hit me that she was the most important thing in my life. I had changed because of her and it had happened without me even realizing it. I wondered what I would do once we got home. I knew I could do about anything with my money but I wanted to include her so she would be by my side as much as possible. I didn't know what I would do with myself when she went to school but I guess I would have to cross that bridge when we came to it. I was startled out of my thinking when my cell phone rang. I jumped about a foot in the air and got several dirty looks from the audience. Jeesh, you would think I willed it or something. It was the Director so I walked to the hallway between doors to talk to him. "Harry, I tracked down the leak and you were right again. One of the investigators from the prosecutor's office was dirty. He finally gave up his connection and we arrested him an hour ago. I just wanted to check in and bring you up to date. How's Sandra doing there? Were you in some kind of concert or something? I thought I heard violins in the background when you answered." I explained to him what was going on and filled him in on all that had occurred since we had arrived. He got a good laugh out of it and informed me we had a jet waiting tomorrow after we left the hospital. He was sending us home saying it should be all over, he hoped. He said we would land at Reno and would be provided transportation from there. I told him my jeep was still in long term parking and I needed to get it. He said it had already been picked up and taken to the State Motor Pool a month ago. It would be brought to my cabin as soon as it was confirmed I was there. He also said he would be out there for a couple of days next week, touring that old chemical plant. He wanted to know if Sandra and I could put him up for a night since he wanted to talk to me in private. I said he was more than welcome to stay with us and Sandra would enjoy having him there. He thanked me and got off the phone saying the team would be our escort tomorrow and would stay with us until we got home. They were standing down for the next month and would enjoy getting off base for awhile. I thanked him for both of us and he said he had to go as he was catching a plane again. He hung up and I went back into the rec room and sat back down. Butter leaned over and whispered to me when I got settled. "Cell phones are barred here Harry. I suggest you turn it off from this point on." I didn't answer him just handed him my ID to look at. He opened it and his eye brows rose to his hairline when he did. "Damn Harry, I didn't know this. Sorry about that but please keep the phone traffic down as much as possible will you?" He handed back my ID and I leaned over far enough so he could hear me and said to him. "It's a scrambled sat phone and can't be traced, Butter. There's no way anyone can get a lock on the signal because it changes frequencies every three seconds while in use. There's no GPS on it either." He looked at me in what I would call shock and smiled to himself as he sat back to listen to the music. I did the same and again started thinking about us being home tomorrow. I had missed the cabin and I already knew Sandra did. Home. That was a very welcome word to me. ------- Chapter 59 The impromptu concert went on for about another hour with Sandra playing with several different people. The cook came in with refreshments when it was over. Sandra climbed into my lap and promptly fell asleep. I think everyone in the rec room came over and just touched her with smiles on their faces. They all said I was to thank her for all the fun and the great playing she had done all evening. Butter came over and said our room was ready if I wanted to put her to bed. I got up with her in my arms and followed him to one of the double occupancy rooms that some of the staff had evidently given up for the night. There were still personal pictures on the walls. I noticed there was fresh clothing for both of us on the footlocker at the end of the bed. There was a private shower and then it hit me this was Butter's and his exec.'s room. They had given it up for us for the night. I got Sandra undressed and tucked in and she never moved the whole time. I sat down on the edge of the bed and ran my hand across her hair getting it out of her face. I watched her sleep like I had always done with her mother, wondering how I had fallen in love with this little bundle of beauty so fast. I felt like I had always been with her. I sat there wondering about the lives we would have down the road and I swore to myself then and there she would always come first before anyone or anything from now on. Then I realized that since she had found me I had always been putting her first instead of myself like I had always done before. I sat and thought about how close she and Jimmy were and hoped they would always be that way. Those two shared a love for music like no others I had ever met before and they complimented each other when they played the music they both loved. I got on the cell and made a call to Floyd and we talked for about an hour, making some arrangements and getting a few things straightened out. All of our things he was holding for us would be sent out immediately to the package holding company that I had an account at. I would make sure the things that Sean had put in storage would also be sent as soon as possible. We never did open that little safe that had been recovered as Sandra had Sean put it in storage too. She decided she would wait till we got home to open it so we didn't take it to the island like we started to. I finally turned in and was asleep within a few minutes, still fully clothed. I was still a little worried so I figured it would save time if an emergency came up during the night. I woke up the next morning to the sound of reveille being piped throughout the base. I looked at my watch and saw it was five thirty and I just groaned. I looked over to Sandra's bed and it was empty. I got a bit of a scare until I heard her singing in the shower then I smiled at my foolishness. I sat up on the edge of the bed wishing I had a cigarette while I waited to take my turn in the shower. She came out barefooted with a green T-shirt on and fresh fatigue pants in the desert camouflage colors. "Morning Grandpa, are we going home today?" "Just as soon as we visit Sean in the hospital. I don't know about you, but I've had my fill of this hiding crap." "Me too! I had fun last night and enjoyed playing with all the people here. I don't know about you but if you get your shower maybe we can eat 'cause I'm starving." I just laughed at her and headed for the shower. I got mine and dammed if I didn't cut myself shaving again. I would be glad to get home to my electric shaver. I brushed my teeth and went back out, dressed in the same fatigues she was wearing. I had a pair of the desert boots waiting for me to put on that matched hers. I felt kind of foolish wearing these but it was all I had so they would do until we got home where I could wear my jeans and flannel shirts I had grown to like so much. I put the shoulder holsters on under the shirt and to my surprise they didn't show at all because the shirt was big enough to cover them completely. I put the nine in my back and put the holster for the fifty on, making a note to be sure to get it back this morning. I put the extra mags in the lower side pockets of the pants, making sure I separated them, remembering where they were by weapon. When we were both ready, we headed out the door to find the chow hall. There was a guard outside of our quarters and he led us to the chow hall. I figured this was to keep us from seeing too much in case we started to wander around. I didn't mind because this was for security reasons and if I were here I would do the same thing. I did notice Sandra had her rank on along with the medal she had been given last night. When we walked into the chow hall and were seen, almost everyone stood and clapped, welcoming Sandra. We were given our own table and were soon joined by the team after we got our food and sat down. They kept up a steady stream of conversation with Sandra and me as we ate. I had to smile at her because she was giving as good as she got with these men. I could tell she felt at ease with them just from the way she was acting. The fact that she was being treated like royalty seemed to make her and the men happy as they waited on her hand and foot. She had been seated at the head of one of the tables with the team all sitting around her while I was exiled to the far end by myself. I didn't mind at all because this would be a memory for her to always keep as she grew older. Even though she was only ten years old, she would be able to do anything with her life because she was so smart and talented. The whole team was dressed the same as we were so she fit right in with them. Butter came in and sat next to me. He dug into his food without saying a word until he was finished eating and was sipping his coffee. "Harry, we have been ordered to go with you to your home in Nevada and make sure you get there with no problems. The men are all looking forward to it so they can spend some more time with your granddaughter. All I heard all morning is how talented they think she is. I was asked by the team if some of them could visit with you after this deployment. Sandra had told them about how you had fishing ponds they could fish in and how big the trout were supposed to be so they decided they would come and camp on your place, if it was ok with you. Harry, I have never seen any of these men take to someone like they have taken to her. I think to a man they have all pretty much adopted her as one of their own even if she is only ten years old. She told them about what happened and how she went through all the hardship she endured to find you. She is the unofficial commander of this whole base as far as the troops here are concerned. I hope this doesn't offend you in any way." "Butter she is smart enough to make her own decisions and if they want to visit, then they are all always welcome at my home. I am sure she would give me holy hell if I did have a reason to object. They think she is talented but wait until they hear her and her adopted brother play one of their concerts. Those two are geniuses on any instruments they play. Their IQ's are higher than any four people here but they both have common sense, unlike most highly intelligent people you meet. I have plenty of room at my place for any of them that want to visit and you as well as your team are always welcome to come out and unwind anytime. Butter, I was a very bitter old man until she came into my life and now I depend on her like she is my right arm. I spent years beating around this country and she has given me more help and love than I can ever remember knowing for all my fifty-seven years. I think she has come to love and feel a part of your team in a very short time and would be very hurt if she lost contact with them." "Not to change the subject Harry but the Director called today and we are supposed to take you to the hospital to visit your friend then escort you to your home. Harry, I have never been married but if I ever do and have kids, I just hope they are half as down to earth as she is. I have been the commander of this team for five years and they have never taken to anyone like they have to her. They are as proud of her as I have ever seen them with anyone. The two that are married and have their own kids are already planning some kind of reunion so they can introduce their families to her. The armorer is done with your fifty and is in the range doing the final adjustments to it. He spent the whole night working on it and I think you will be very surprised with what he has done with it. He asked me to ask you if you could get him some of those Carswell silencers for our Berettas. I think he was the most shocked at Sandra's little demonstration last night. He said she was the most gifted shooter he had ever seen." "Well Butter, tell him I think the silencers might be arranged but I won't guarantee him anything. I will need to know if he wants the screw in or the outside lock-on type. I have a connection in Germany who can lay his hands on about anything and if I can, I will arrange to see if he can have some made with the refillable chambers in them. This way if they start to get too loud your armorer can refit them and quiet them back down. With a nine like your people use it won't take many shots to burn the filler out. He will be able to refit these in the field and it might save a life when you need the silence. I think I can get him a set of ten with the material to repack them but it won't be cheap as they are always made to order. I can have them made in gunmetal blue so they won't shine in the night but it's up to your armorer. I can mail them directly to him or you if you give me an address before we part company." "We have a blind drop we all use for important things we can't get on the outside and I will give it to you later. Harry, I was not snooping on you but I got my hands on your service record, or at least most of it that wasn't classified, and I couldn't believe half of what I read last night. How come you never became an officer? I saw it was offered and you always turned it down. A field commission is a great honor in times of war. I know it's none of my business but I am curious about it. I know you old guys don't like to talk about it but if you would tell me I promise I will never repeat our conversation to anyone." I took a deep breath, thinking about his question, trying to answer it in such a way that he could understand my reasons. He was right. I hated to talk about it but he had earned my respect in the short time I had known him. I decided to answer his question but I didn't know if he would be able to understand it all. But, I would try, if for nothing else but to try to get it off my chest after all these years. If I would admit it to myself it would probably do me good as I had never talked about it to anyone. "Butter, I never took it because it would tie me down with too many rules. As an NCO and squad leader, I felt I could bend, twist and even break the rules if it would save one of my men. Officers just have too rigid of a code and too many superiors they have to answer to. I worked in the field behind the lines on most of my three tours over there. I only lost one man because I didn't move fast enough to save him. If I had been an officer, I wouldn't have been able to even make the attempt because of their rigid orders. In Nam anything you did in the field was subject to change by the minute or hour. They sent several butter bars out with us for training but out of all of them I only met one who was worth a shit, and that was cause he was a former NCO and was willing to learn. Most of them were fresh out of West Point and gave commands that made no sense. They tried to turn my people into cannon fodder, which I couldn't allow. I had three article fifteen's over this because I countermanded their orders. I had to threaten to shoot one who later pissed himself the first time a bullet came near him. He told me and my men to charge into an ambush that would have gotten us all killed. That's why I never accepted it and never had a high opinion of officers. No offense intended." "None taken," he said as he busted up laughing. "I was just curious, Harry. It's not like that now, thank God. We have the last word when we're in the field. We may have our asses chewed when we get back but there is no interference during a mission." I didn't say anything else, just sat and watched Sandra chatting back and forth as she ate her food. We were escorted back to our quarters where the armorer came in and handed me back my fifty with a smile on his face. "That's the first time I have been able to handle one of those since they came out. I will be buying myself one when we go home this time. That is one of the sweetest shooting pistols I have ever fired. I made a few changes to it to make it better to handle but overall there wasn't much I could do to improve it. I did make the slide and trigger pull a lot better by doing a little milling on them. I was at the range trying out a few ideas but I really didn't have any time to follow through. I hope it handles a little better for you now. I would love to get my hands on those two little Walthers of yours too but since we are leaving in a few minutes, I won't have the chance. Maybe if when we come to visit you will let me work on them a little? Sandra, you are a better shot than any person I have ever seen in your age group and I hope to have the time for you to show me just how well you can do." "Thanks from the both of us. If you should come out for a visit I have a machine shop you can play around with a little. I also have some World War Two era forty fives that have already been reworked that you might be interested in looking at." He just gave me a big grin as he went out the door. I was getting our stuff ready to go when I noticed a sea bag with Sandra's name on it at the end of the bunk. It was full of the fatigues and had an extra set of the jungle boots in it. I had to smile, thinking she would love this. She came back out of the bathroom with a smile on her face and came over to me. I handed her the sea bag and she looked at me in surprise. She set it down and started going through all the stuff the team had given her with an ear to ear grin on her face. She picked the sea bag up and threw it over her shoulder and looked at me. "Well, come on Grandpa, I don't wanna miss my ride." I followed her out, chuckling at her enthusiasm. We went to the helo pad which was about twenty yards from the chow hall. The team was waiting on us and she got helped in. They buckled her in while I was climbing into the chopper. It lifted off silently and headed back into the city. We landed at the same airport we had started from and there were two humvees waiting on us. They took Sandra's bag saying they would load it on the jet with our other stuff. I wondered what other stuff as we pulled out heading for the hospital. We were all dressed the same except the team all had pistols on under their shirts like I did. I noticed there were several M-16s in wall racks in the humvees. I would hazard a guess they were ready for anything but I didn't feel we were in any danger on this trip. When we got to the hospital we were accompanied by two men while the others stayed with our transportation. I went to the desk and asked what room Sean was in. It wasn't until I showed my ID that they finally told me what room and floor. At least they were following basic security I thought and I saw the receptionist get on the phone as soon as we walked away. I figured she was warning his team that we were on our way up. We were meant by an agent as soon as we got off the elevator. "I will need you to give up your weapons before you can go any further, Sir." I looked at her in a searching way as I didn't like her smart attitude. "We don't give up our weapons for anyone, Agent. I outrank you and I suggest you better call your immediate supervisor before you try to push your weight around here. Here's my ID and these are my escorts." She looked at my Id and immediately backed off with the attitude and said to go down the hall to room three twenty. She handed me back my folder saying "Sorry Sir for any misunderstanding". We went down the hall and saw another agent sitting outside the room. He didn't say a word as my team sat down while Sandra and I went in the room. Sean's wife was there and immediately got up and hugged Sandra, speaking a mile a minute in Spanish to her as I went over to the bed. "'Bout damn time you got here Harry. Will you tell these idiots I am fine and to let me go home?" "Hey buddy, I have no control over your doctors. Besides, I think you better stay and make sure there are no problems. I have a feeling your wife would kill you if you screwed up her vacation." He busted out laughing and grabbed me in a hug, asking if we were ok. I said we were fine and was on our way home as soon as I left here. He looked at me a little funny and the grin and good nature went away as he settled back in the bed. "What's wrong Sean? You look like somebody just stuck a pin in your balloon. Ok buddy, what's going on?" "I tried to tell you yesterday Harry and now I wish I had. Mark is dead." "What! How the hell did that happen, Sean?" "He went back to Florida to bury his wife and after he had her cremated, he went looking for the ones who killed her. I don't know the whole story but he was killed in a gun battle with some of her bosses and the bouncers from the strip club she worked in. According to the report I got, he didn't start it but they tried to keep him from talking to her boss and one of the bouncers, not knowing who he was, pulled a gun and all hell broke loose. Three innocent bystanders were seriously wounded but none by Mark's weapon. He killed both bouncers and her boss by the time it was all over. He was cremated and his and his wife's ashes were sent back to Nevada. Harry, the girls are now yours as he had a will stating that they were to be given over to you if anything happened to him. They are with Tran at their home waiting for you to come back. The judge there has all the paperwork for you. I tried to tell you yesterday but you didn't want any more bad news. I'm sorry Harry; I know he was a close friend. If it's any consolation he died instantly and he took those assholes with him." I just stood there trying to absorb what he was saying when Sandra started sobbing and ran over to me. I bent down and took her in my arms, still in shock myself. Poor Dina and Dana. They have lost their mother and now their dad in a very short time. I wondered if they thought I had abandoned them too as I had been gone for so long. My God, I now had three kids to raise. I wondered why Floyd hadn't told me about all of this when I had talked to him last night? He probably figured I already knew since me and Mark were so close. God Dammit, I had lost another friend to a bunch of cowards. Now I wondered how I was going to take care of all three little girls when I hadn't even got to know Sandra as well as I wanted to. I turned to Sean with tears in my eyes and told him we had to go and if he needed anything to make sure he called. I got a hug from his wife as I walked out the door in shock. Butter saw my face and immediately took charge, hustling us onto the elevator and getting us back in the humvees headed back to the airport. "Harry, what's wrong? You look like you have seen a ghost and the Chief is crying her head off. Is there anything we can do to help?" "I just found out my best friend is dead and now I have two more kids to raise. Dammit, if I didn't have all that responsibility, I would get even with a few of these bastards that started all of this." "Grandpa, (sniff) don't you dare leave me now. We have to get the girls and bring them home. Can I use the phone? I want to call Jimmy and have him meet us at the house to help. I feel so sorry for Dina and Dana; they are going to need all the love we can give them as soon as we get there." I handed her the phone as the jet took off. She got on the phone and spent about a half hour talking to someone I thought was Jimmy. She was talking a mile a minute and I couldn't hear what she was saying, but knowing her, she was doing the right thing. I sat back and got mad at myself for being mad at my friend that was dead. Even though he had done me wrong it still wasn't worth his death to try to find out why his ex had died, as far as I was concerned. I felt sorry for her but at the rate she was going and the drugs, she wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. The type of life she had been living wasn't known to have very much longevity. How was I going to raise three girls by myself? As much as I hated the idea I was going to have to sit down with Tran and have a long talk with her. She was very close to the girls and I know as much as I didn't want any contact with her, she would be even closer to them with all that had happened. There was no way in hell I would even think of trying to separate her from them at this point. What was I going to say to the girls and how was I going to cope with all of this now after what we had been through. I dozed off thinking about what I was going to say to Tran when we got there, and I knew she would be scared to death I would take them from her forever. I still had to admit I had feelings for her regardless of all that had happened, and that scared me too! I woke up when I felt the change in the jet's speed signifying we were coming in for a landing. I felt like I hadn't slept for days and was mentally exhausted. I looked out the window and saw we were landing in a small area reserved for private jets at Reno. We coasted to a stop in front of a small hangar where there were three Bradleys sitting with several armed troops standing around in a defensive perimeter. Now what the hell was this all about I wondered. I looked over to where Butter was sitting and he looked as surprised as I was at all the armed men. "Harry, you and Sandra stay on board until I find out what's going on. I don't like the looks of this. This was supposed to be under the radar with nobody knowing we were coming." When the plane came to a stop and the ladder was lowered, he got off with two of his team and went over to the soldiers. He talked to the man I thought was in charge for a few minutes. I could see Butter go off on him, giving him hell. From the look on his face he wanted to shoot someone. He came back on the plane and came over to me. "Harry, this is a cluster fuck. They were ordered to provide heavy security from the Commander at Nellis. They think you are some kind of Senator or something. Can you please call the Director and see if he can call them off?" Sandra handed me the phone and I called the Director and told him what was going on. He started laughing and I started to get pissed because he thought it was so funny. He finally calmed down and I gave him hell saying I didn't need all these headaches right now. He must have caught something in my voice because he became all business immediately. He told me to give the phone to Lt. Spears. I handed the phone to him and he started off the plane again, talking a mile a minute. He stopped at the bottom of the steps and was having a serious conversation. Then went over to the man he had talked to before and handed him the phone. The man came to attention immediately and listened to what was being said without moving. When he handed the phone back to Butter he started giving his men orders. They immediately went to work putting all the stuff I had left with Sean in the truck while moving the Bradleys closer to the plane. Sandra was looking out the window and got excited at seeing our stuff being loaded in the truck. "Grandpa, that's all of our stuff that Sean was keeping for us. Good, now I won't have to worry about that anymore. Are we going to the cabin first or to the girl's house?" "We'll go to our place first and get this stuff unloaded. I want to let the house air out a little before we go get the girls. While we are at the house I will get some things out for supper for all of us. I don't know how long the team is staying but if they are in no rush I will bring the girls back then cook supper for everyone. Honey, I think we better bring Tran with us too because I don't think they will want to be separated from her for right now. Is that ok with you?" "Grandpa, I know you won't want to hear this but she loves you as much as the girls. I think it would be a good idea for you to start thinking about them all as a package. You won't get part without accepting all of them. I know I'm only ten but I can tell when a woman is in love. Grandpa, haven't you learned yet it's a girl thing that no man will ever understand?" When she said that, my mouth dropped open in shock. Then she hugged me and I felt her start giggling. It took a few minutes before she was laughing hysterically at my expense. I didn't know what to say other than she had got me again. Then it finally kicked in what she meant and I felt like a damned fool. The team members still in the plane were all smiling at us and I felt like a total idiot. For the life of me I couldn't find any fault or any kind of lie in her logic. As usual, she had out thought me again. Damn, and I thought I was supposed to be the adult here. I got up with her still laughing in my arms. I decided to tickle her and that set her off even more. When I got to the door I handed her off to one of the team and went down the short steps to the ground. I heard her telling him to put her down and that was an order. He busted out laughing and set her on her feet. She gave him one of those smiles that melts blocks of ice. The rest of the team followed us down and all were still on alert as they were checking out everything around the plane. Butter came over to me, handing me back the cell. "Harry, we have use of two of the Bradleys and the truck with your stuff in it. The Captain and his men will return to Nellis and pick up their equipment as soon as we are done with it. Let's get loaded up and take a look at this mountain cabin Sandra has been bragging about." After they got all our stuff in the truck we headed for home. Ahh, there was that comfortable word again. I couldn't wait to get there. When we went up the driveway the first thing I saw was Jimmy sitting on the front steps waiting for us. He stood up and I watched as Sandra went running from the truck right into his arms. He had a big smile on his face as he hugged her to him. When I got close I could see he had tears running down his cheeks. "Sheriff, it's so good to see you and my sister again. Where have you been all this time? Did you hear about the sheriff?" "I know all about it Jimmy. We are going to air out the house a little and then go get the girls and bring them home. There's a lot of stuff in the truck to be taken to Sandra's bedroom. Will you help my guys unload it and show them where to put it?" "I sure will Sheriff. Can I stay tonight so I can spend some time with my sister?" "Jimmy, I told you a long time ago you are always welcome here." I went to the porch and immediately the hair on the back of my neck went up as the doorbell light was red instead of green. I froze then asked Jimmy if he had touched it and he said no, that he had just arrived. "Butter, have the team check the perimeter. I've had visitors and they may still be here as this resets in fifteen minutes." He made several hand signals as I took Sandra and Jimmy to the nearest Bradley, telling the driver to lock it down until I gave the all clear. I then went to the door of the house with the fifty drawn after I had checked to make sure there was one up the spout. I hit the alarm code and quietly opened the door. The house smelled stale as I went to the main panel and slid the cover back checking the outside cameras. The one in the rear of the house was blinking red so I turned it on. I saw three men crouched behind the garage at the woodpile. I signaled the SEAL with me by holding three fingers up saying "Rear, behind the woodpile". He passed the message to his team and they split up to go in from each side. I didn't see any weapons in sight but they wouldn't stand a chance if they were dumb enough to pull them on the team. I watched as the team moved in on them and they were covered before they even knew anyone was close to them. They all stood up with their hands in the air and were quickly searched and marched to the front. I checked the rest of the perimeter and saw their truck parked behind the trees about a hundred yards to the side of the house. I signaled the SEAL with me and he sent two men to check it out. They found a girl in it and had her plastic cuffed before she even knew what happened. They brought her around to the front with the other three. When I went out the front door, all four were on their knees facing the porch. The girl was crying and the other three looked scared to death. I went down the steps with the fifty still in my hand and faced them. "Ok, suppose you tell me why you were trying to break into my house?" "Sir, we weren't trying to break in. We were looking for aluminum so we could make some extra money. We rang the doorbell but nobody answered so we started looking around to see if there was any scrap we could pick up to sell. Honest, we never tried to break in. We saw Jimmy come up and sit down on the steps. Ask him, he knows us and that we don't steal. We always ask but we were only looking for cans to make some extra money for gas so we could go to the lake to go swimming like we do every summer. Look in my truck if you don't believe me. There are only cans in the back. Why do you all have guns?" "I ask the questions here kid. My name is Harry Hanson and I am with the State Police. You kids made a bad mistake coming here. Didn't you see all the "No Trespassing" signs all over the place?" "Yes sir, but everybody has those. We didn't do anything wrong. Please don't arrest us Mr. Hanson. We never been in any trouble before." I didn't say anything just waved to the Bradley driver to send Jimmy and Sandra out to me. He opened the door and let them out. Jimmy walked over and took one look at them and turned to me. "Sheriff, they aren't thieves. They spend most of the summer gathering aluminum to sell for extra money. I know all of them as they come to the shop where all the men save their cans to give to them. I fix the old truck they drive with some of the scrap parts when they break down because they don't have any money. They all live in the outskirts of town and are really some good kids." "Butter, cut them loose. You kids want some summer jobs?" "Yes sir, we shore do sir." "You come back next week and I will give you all some work to make yourselves some extra money honestly. Don't ever come up here without permission again. Next time I will arrest all of you. I can keep all of you and a few more busy all summer if you are willing to work. Think about it and then come back and give me your answers. Now get in your truck and get out of here." They all took off running and I had to smile as I watched then leave. Kids looking for cans. Well, at least they were not drinking or smoking dope and were trying to earn their spending money honestly. I went back in the house where Jimmy and several of the team were carrying the boxes to Sandra's room. She was supervising and the men were all calling her Chief. Jimmy had a puzzled look on his face every time he heard them address her as such. I almost busted out laughing as she was giving orders like a typical NCO but with a smile on her face. "Harry, this is a great place you have here. You know all of the team is going to want to come up and do some unwinding, don't you?" "Butter, they are always welcome anytime. In the winter there is some great hunting. I own quite a bit of this whole mountain and the owner of the rest is a friend of mine who I think will also give them permission to hunt on her side. When do you guys have to be back in Reno?" "We have to report back today Harry. I wish we could stay a couple of days to do a little fishing but I guarantee you we will be back as soon as this deployment is over. God, this place is great. I bet you paid a fortune for it." "Actually I bought the whole thing for less than sixty-five thousand. Why do you think I moved here from Florida?" "Jesus Harry it's worth every cent of it. If you stumble across any other places like this for sale cheap let me know will you? Here is all the information on the drop and the email address for the team. Don't tell Sandra but in the stuff we took upstairs there is an 8x10 framed picture of her and the whole team. Our photo expert made it from one of the pictures we had taken last night and they all signed it for her. Harry, before we leave, can we drive you to where you have to pick up your friend's children? Your Jeep is supposed to be here later but I figure you won't want to wait that long. Harry, if that's Sandra's brother, I would hate to be the one who ever picked on her. That boy is a giant; he has muscles on top of his muscles." We both had a laugh at that and I filled him in on Jimmy a little. When he heard about him playing as well as Sandra, he said something that would make me proud for a very long time. "Harry, when the team hears that they will demand to hear them play. That fella who owned the violin has no family, just that ole violin he is so proud of. He lost his wife and kids to a drunk driver several years ago. That violin was his oldest daughter's and that was the only thing in the car that was in one piece. He takes it everywhere he goes and has been trying to learn to play it for his daughter ever since. Harry, he cried almost all night after the concert. That was the first time since it happened and he finally let go of his grief. He asked me if he could come out to visit with you and Sandra when he gets out of the service this month. He has his twenty in and is retiring. Don't worry Harry. He would never harm her in any way but I think he would love to have her teach him how to play a little better. He is a good and gentle man, Harry." "You tell him he is always welcome and I am sure Sandra would be very proud to give him some lessons. Jimmy would too I bet. He writes his own music and let me tell you he is a genius with just about any type of musical instrument. Well, let's get the team rounded up and make this ride I don't want to make. Butter, I am an old man and I think I am going to have my hands full with three kids. Mark's girls are smart and beautiful and I love them dearly but I have my doubts about being a good father to them. Hell, I barely know how to take care of Sandra and if she wasn't so smart I would be lost. I just hope and pray I can give them the love and happiness they all deserve." "Harry, I don't know you, but from what I have seen of the love between you and your granddaughter, I don't think you will have any problems at all. I think she will be a help to you too because she seems to be able to sense what you want before you do. I watched the interaction between the two of you and she loves and trusts you like no other child I have ever seen at her age. From what you said about your friend's girls I don't think you will have any problems there either. Harry, I have heard you mention the name Tran several times. Is she the girl's mother?" "Butter, that's a long story but she is my age and one of the most beautiful women I have ever laid eyes on. We dated for a little while but I broke it off because I just don't understand women and the way they think." He busted out laughing and I kind of smiled at his reaction to my statement. I started to say something but he interrupted me. His next words caught my attention because I had thought the same thing many times but always thought I was foolish in thinking so. "Harry, no man will ever understand any woman. They can be your best friend and lover but neither you nor any man will ever understand why they do the things they do. All any man can do is love them and hope they feel the same way. If it don't work then it's human nature to try again when it's time. My mom told me that ten years ago as she lay on her death bed. She and my father were married for forty two years and she always kept him on his toes. My father told me one time that's why he loved my mother so much. She always kept him guessing every day what would be new today and how he would handle it. He loved that woman with all his soul and she felt the same. They had their ups and downs but their love always made them happy, even when mom threatened him with a ball bat she kept hanging in the kitchen." He smiled at me and asked if we were ready to go. I went in the house to get Sandra and Jimmy to go with us and pick up the rest of my family, hoping they would want to come and live with me. I was still wondering what I was going to say to Tran when we all loaded into the Bradleys and headed for Mark's new house and the saddest thing I would ever face. ------- Chapter 60 We all got loaded up in the Bradleys and left the truck at home. Jimmy was having a ball and he and Sandra were talking a mile a minute as we pulled out. We went down my drive and made the turn to go to Mark's house. The whole time I was thinking about what I was going to say to Tran and the girls. When we pulled into his drive the big gate was open. As I looked out the windshield I saw a man in the tree line. Now who the hell could that be I wondered and immediately the hair went up on the back of my neck. "Butter, put your men on alert and have the second Bradley cover the back. I don't know what's going on but I just saw a man in the tree line that shouldn't be there. There is one Chinese woman and two small girls that belong here so anyone else is to be considered the enemy until I find out different." He looked at me all of a half second then started giving orders through his ear bud. The second Bradley went around us and headed for the rear of the house. The men were taking down sixteens and putting on vests as we went up the driveway. "Jimmy, you and Sandra stay inside the Bradley until I call you. There are strangers here and until we find out who they are, both of you stay put." Butter gave me an extra ear bud and I got it clipped to my belt as we pulled up in front of the house. He gave me a quick tutorial on its workings as I climbed out the rear of the Bradley with him behind me. The others with us went behind it out of sight for right now. I walked up to the porch and knocked. There was no answer and I looked in the window and could see the girls and Tran sitting on the couch through the mirror in the hall. The girls looked scared and Tran just looked worn out. She had black circles under her eyes and really looked frail from what I could see. "We have unfriendlies in the house and probably outside. Take them out quietly if possible but under no circumstances take any chances. They will be armed and ready so use your own discretion, men." I watched through the mirror but could only see the three of them sitting on the couch. I knew there had to be one or more unfriendlies in the room with them or they would have come to the door. What the hell was going on here? With the death of the attorney and his client there should be no one looking for us and why would they hold Mark's family hostage? I turned to Butter and leaned over to him. "This is now your operation Butter. Do what you need to but make sure neither the girls nor Tran is injured when you take these bastards out. I will go back to the Bradley until you give the all clear." He just nodded his head in the affirmative and started giving orders to his men. I went back down the steps, sweating like it was a hundred degrees. I wanted so badly to break in and shoot these bastards but I knew Butter and his men were better trained than I was for this type of thing. Dammit anyhow, I thought, as I leaned against the side of the Bradley and listened to the men conversing back and forth. They had already taken down three outside guards and one was dead because he put up a fight. "Who the hell are these people and why were they here?" I was thinking as I heard a flash bang go off. It was all I could do to hold myself in place and not break through the front door. I waited for what seemed like an hour but it was only about ten minutes before I got the all clear from Butter. I saw the front door open and he was just standing there as I ran up the steps and into the front room. They were all still sitting on the couch. Tran was crying into her hands and the girls just looked scared to death. When they saw me, they came running to me and I went down to both knees pulling them to me. They were crying and telling me they had missed me and asking why I hadn't come to get them sooner. "I'm here now girls and I am so sorry I was so late getting here. Sandra and Jimmy are out front in the truck. They are waiting to see you both." I told the driver they were coming out and to let them in the truck with my granddaughter. They went running out with two of the team right behind them. I got off my knees and went to Tran and didn't say a word just took her in my arms. "Are you ok Tran? You're not hurt are you?" "Oh Harry, where have you been? We were scared to death when these punks showed up yesterday. They said you had sent them but I knew better than that because they all had foreign accents. Oh Harry, please don't cut me off from the girls, I beg you. I love them so much and I feel like they are my own." "Calm down Tran, I will never cut you off from the girls. You are as much a part of their lives as I am. They love you too, almost as much as I love you." She leaned back and looked at me in shock and just stared at me. "If you ever slap me again, I will turn you over my knee and paddle your ass." She smiled and hugged me tight, just holding me. I looked up and Butter had a big smile on his face. I finally got myself untangled from her and stood up. "Butter, take the live ones into custody because they are foreign nationals. I want them taken to the nearest Armed Force's lockup until they can be interrogated by someone who knows what they are doing. With my temper running like it is right now, I don't think I better get near any of them. The State Police are on their way and I will run interference with them with my ID about you taking the prisoners. They can't overrule me as it is a matter of National Security now. Load the prisoners under guard in to the empty Bradley and don't let anybody but your people near them." "Ok Harry, we have four that gave up and two that died when they tried to fight my team. "Who are these people Harry? They all have Russian accents and are refusing to speak any English. What the hell did we stumble into?" "Tran, were they looking for Mark or me?" "They wanted Mark and they wouldn't believe he was dead, Harry. They said he had something that belonged to them but wouldn't talk to me about it. Harry, can we please go to your place now? I want to get the girls out of here before State Police question them and they have to relive all of this again. Our suitcases are all packed and sitting over there." I got on the radio and had the driver send Jimmy in to me so he could carry the stuff to the Bradley. He came in and one of the team was with him. When I told him what I needed, he grabbed a load of the suitcases for the first trip. He made three trips before he had all of them out of the house. Tran went out on the last trip following Jimmy. Butter told two of his men to take Tran, Jimmy and the girls to my house and stay with them until relieved. I got on the phone and called the Director, bringing him up to date and whom I thought we had in custody. He asked to speak to Butter and whatever he said brought a smile to his face. I heard the sirens long before they came into the driveway. The first one in the door was Butch wearing Captain's Bars on his shoulder tabs. "Harry, damn it's good to see you. Where you been Commander? What have you got for me this time?" Butter gave me an odd look and then smiled when I caught him. I went on to tell Butch what had happened and how his men were to handle it. I told him we had two dead and to call for his Coroner to handle the bodies. He asked about prisoners and I told him they were to be in Federal custody. He started to object until I handed him my ID. He looked at it with surprise and didn't ask again about the prisoners. I told him to have his people keep any news hounds at the end of the driveway and if they snuck in to arrest them immediately. He busted up laughing saying that this was just like old times. He got on the horn and made his calls, and then got his men spread out over the grounds to make sure nothing was touched until his lab people could get there. Butter was leaning against the wall smiling at me giving orders. I walked over next to him and leaned on the wall. "Ok Butter, what's so damned funny?" "I was just thinking about what you said earlier about officers. You know for someone who hates them so bad seems to me that's what you are here. I have heard you called sheriff and commander. Just how damn many commissions do you have anyway?" "Butter, just do me a favor and shut up, will you?" He and the other team member standing next to him lost it. They evidently thought the whole thing was funny. I heard a chopper coming in and it landed in the big meadow in the front of the house. A Colonel came in asking for me. Butter just pointed his finger at me. I noticed it was his middle finger and I gave him a dirty look. He just laughed at me as I became the center of attention again. "I'm Colonel Phillips, head of Military Police at Nellis. The Director of Homeland Security called me to pick up some foreign nationals you are holding under the Patriot act. I'm supposed to transport them to Nellis until someone from your Department comes in to interrogate them. I was told to clear it with you and a Lt. Spears of SEAL Team Three. The team is to provide security to Nellis. I was ordered to tell you this by the Director. He said if you wanted to double check you could call him as he is en route to Nellis as we speak. Would you mind telling me what's going on?" "I will let Lt. Spears fill you in Colonel as you fly back. His men have the prisoners in the Bradley at the rear of the house. As of right now I am out of this. LT, it's all yours now. Do your thing. I will let your men at my place know what's going on." "Harry, tell them to load up and go back to Reno and wait on me there. I shouldn't be too long. We will all be seeing you in a week or so and I will fill you in on what happened. Come on Colonel, let's get them loaded and get out of this madhouse." He got on his radio and had the Bradley pull to the front and assigned several of his team to load the prisoners on the helicopter. He gave orders that they were to have their feet tied after they got them aboard. I watched as he and the Colonel left. Within a few minutes I heard the chopper lift off and fade into the distance. The Bradley driver came back in and reported to me saying he was to stick with me until he got me home with my family. "Harry, those men were all ex-spetsnaz troops. Every one of them had their unit tattoo on their arms. What's surprising to me is none of our team was injured taking them out. If it hadn't been for your warning it might have turned out different. How did you know they were there?" "I saw one in the tree line briefly and I knew there were no men supposed to be here, just Tran and the girls. Then the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I knew something wasn't right. They weren't looking for me but for Mark and he has been dead for almost a week. That tells me they been out of touch with their contact for a while. A couple of months ago we confiscated enough foreign weapons to supply a small army. Mark was the sheriff at the time so I figure they thought he had the weapons stored somewhere locally. BATF took them out of the area they same day they were found to I don't know where. They probably figured if they held his family hostage he would give them back. Now you know as much as I do about the whole thing." "I heard about that Harry. If I remember correctly, they were part of a shipment stolen from Customs in Miami several months ago." "Yep, the very same ones. We never did figure out how they got clear out here. There was no paperwork on who owned or transported them. The old sheriff here was running some kind of clearing house for people and guns." Butch came in saying they were done here and both bodies and three cars had been towed to the impound yard. He said they put Tran's VW in the barn and locked it up. I told him to go ahead and clear his men but leave one on the gate for now until after I left and could set the alarms and close the gate behind me. He smiled and went out saying it was good to see me again and he looked forward to working with me. I got on the phone and called my house and got the alarm codes from Tran for the house and how to close the main gate. I got the house alarm set and we climbed into the Bradley and went down the driveway to the front gate where I punched the numbers into the pad to close it and set that alarm. I dismissed the Trooper after the gate closed and we headed back to my cabin. This had been a hell of a first day home was all I could think as we went up the drive to my place. When we pulled up in front of the house, everyone was sitting on the porch eating from paper plates. The rest of the team was spread out eating but had all corners covered. We got out and I was mobbed by the girls with them sobbing on my shoulders. I had no idea what to say to them so I just let them cry. I figured this would do them more good than my talking. They finally quieted down and went back to their food, not letting me out of their sight. I noticed that Tran was as bad as they were as she watched every move I was making. I knew I was going to have to sit down with her and have a serious talk but I had no idea what I was going to say to her. I finally got all them settled in and dismissed the SEAL team to go back to Reno. I made all the girls go in the house and I set the perimeter alarms and cameras to audible. We all sat down in the front room and let the girls just talk. I answered all their questions as well as I could. Within a short time they were yawning so I sent them to brush their teeth saying I would be up in a few minutes to tuck them in. Sandra smiled at me and said Jimmy could sleep in one of the spare rooms. She told him to come with her and she would show him where he was to sleep. I waited a few minutes and went up and tucked the girls in and gave them hugs and kisses goodnight. I went to Sandra and she was already in bed waiting on me. "Grandpa, I am so happy they are all ok. When you said there were strange men there I thought something had happened to them. Starting tomorrow Jimmy and I will help them to feel at home here. We will help them unpack and make sure they are all ok. I love you grandpa. 'Night." I just smiled at her with tears in my eyes and gave her a big hug and kiss and went back downstairs for a talk I knew I wasn't going to like. I had surprised myself when I told Tran I loved her but even with my hard headedness I knew inside it was true. She had never been far from my thoughts the whole time we had been gone. I didn't understand it but I knew I felt this way for some strange reason. She was sitting on the couch in flannel pajamas when I entered and had washed up because she looked a lot better than she had earlier. I grabbed a coffee and went over to her and sat down next to her. "Harry, thank you so much for showing up when you did. I had no idea where you were or how to contact you. When we got the news about Mark, I was lost. Then the Judge came out with Mark's will and told me he had signed the girls over to you. I thought I would never be able to see them again because of the way you felt about me. I'm sorry I slapped you and I am really sorry and shocked at the way you reacted to it. It was all my fault and it broke my heart when you wouldn't talk to me. When those men showed up, all I could think of was "Where's Harry when we need him?" Where did you and Sandra disappear to Harry?" I told her about the contract and all that had happened from the time we left till we came home today. I also told her I didn't know about Mark until this morning when I was told by a friend. I told her if I had known I would have been here sooner to help with the girls. That's when she broke down crying and came into my arms. I just sat there and held her, letting her get it out of her system. After all the pressure she had been under the last couple of weeks she deserved to cry and release the tension. I handed her a box of tissues when she started to calm down a little. Her next question threw me for a loop. "What are we going to do about the girls, Harry? I can't stand to be parted from them for more than a few hours and I can't stay here. What would people say about me living under the same roof with you and us not married or even engaged?" "Well missy, I think its time we became engaged. Hell this is Nevada, we could go get married tomorrow if you wanted to." Her head jerked up and she got red in the face like she was getting ready to explode all over me. I braced myself but got a hell of a surprise by the answer she gave me. "I think that would be a good idea. It's about time you made an honest woman out of me after all these years of me being in love with you. We will go to Vegas so Monk and Judy can stand up for us. We will also stop at the Judge's office tomorrow so you can sign the papers so the girls will be yours. Then you can start the adoption proceedings on them along with Sandra." "You know something Tran, you still have a big mouth on you and remember, I don't like to take orders from anyone." "Except from your soon to be wife. Now let's go to bed as I need some sleep. I haven't had much in the last few weeks worrying about you and Sandra." I just looked at her in shock as she lead me to the bedroom, reminding me that we weren't married yet so I wasn't to get any strange ideas. I didn't get three steps up the stairs before I was laughing my head off at her old-fashioned ways. When we got to the bedroom I was soundly kissed with her telling me it wasn't funny as she took her vows seriously and I better save my strength for the honeymoon. It was my turn to be shocked and I almost made a smart retort I would have been sorry for later. We fell asleep spooned together like we had slept that way for years. When I opened my eyes the next morning, she was facing me sound asleep. I just lay and looked at her and realized again how beautiful she was. Then it hit me I was going to be married again and real soon to this woman that I hardly knew. I did know she had a temper and could be hard as nails if it was called for and I wondered what I was going to do now for a job. I knew I wouldn't be able to just sit around and I had three girls to provide for now. Dina and Dana were mine in all but blood and I had to think of them as well as Sandra. I would have to enroll them in school and get all their school stuff and we had yet to open the safe that Sandra thought was so important to her. Hell, I was fifty seven years old and had three small girls to raise. I wondered if I would live long enough to see them grow up. What about Mark's house? What was I going to do with it now that the girls were living here now? What was Tran going to do with her place and would she want to live here? I was driving myself nuts already this morning and I hadn't even had my first coffee. I slid out of bed, put on shorts and a shirt and went downstairs and found that Jimmy was already up and had coffee made. I grabbed a cup and sat down at the table with him. "Sheriff, are you ok? You look kind of worried this morning. Those men won't come back will they?" "No, Jimmy I don't think so. Tran and I are getting married and I want you to be with me when we do. Will your aunt let you travel to Vegas with us for a few days?" "She shore will Sheriff. I have all kinds of vacation coming from the shop so I will be able to get the time off. Does my sister know about this?" "Not yet; it just was decided last night. You're the first to know so I would appreciate it if you would keep quiet until I can talk to her about it." "Talk to me about what Grandpa?" Oh shit, I was busted and Jimmy was fighting to keep from laughing out loud. Sandra looked at him and then me and sat down waiting for an answer to her question. I felt like I had my head in a bear trap and was thinking hard to come up with some way to tell her without hurting her feelings. "Sandra honey, I have some news to tell you and I don't want to hurt you by springing it on you so quick." "The Sheriff and Tran are getting married, Sis. Isn't that great?" "Jimmy I'm gonna strangle you, you big mouth." Sandra looked at him and then me and totally lost it. She was laughing so hard tears were running down her cheeks. I looked over at Jimmy and he had the same shocked look on his face as I must have. Sandra got up still laughing and ran up the steps. "Jimmy if she gets mad at me over this surprise I am gonna throw you in the pond." Then I heard running upstairs and all three girls came down screaming at the top of their lungs. They all jumped on me, and all three were laughing and congratulating me. Tran came down the steps still about half asleep to find out what all the noise was. They swamped her before she got to the bottom of the steps. She just sat down where she was and they all were hugging her. She had a surprised look on her face trying to figure out what they were so happy about when Jimmy opened his big mouth again. "Congratulations on being Mrs. Sheriff, Tran. I am happy for the both of you." I got a dirty look from her then she was smiling and hugging the girls back. They all went back upstairs and I just knew the scheming was starting. I turned around to face Jimmy again and he looked so happy I didn't have the heart to give him hell for ruining the surprise for the girls. He was smiling and laughing at me, and I could tell he was happy about the whole situation. I took a fresh cup of coffee out to the porch and lit a cigarette, thinking about the mess I had gotten myself into now. I had a bad feeling that this was going to turn into a three-ring circus by the time the girls and Tran were done with it. What was she going to do when SEAL Team Three showed up to unwind in the next couple of weeks? They could always stay in Mark's house since mine was full now. I also had a feeling Jimmy was going to get a bit of an education being around that bunch. Doris was going to kill me for sure before this was all over. Damn, every time I turn around I kept getting in deeper and deeper. I did have a feeling the local establishments were going to have their hands full too if the team went out on the town after a deployment like I used too when I was in the service. Man, I sure could dig a hole for myself without opening my mouth. I would have to have a talk with Tran when we could get a minute's peace, which I doubted would happen today. I brought the phone out and called Charley and when he came on he gave me hell for not calling him sooner. We both got a laugh and I asked him what happened to my Jeep that was supposed to be delivered yesterday. He said the battery had gone dead and he had to have another one put in it today. He said he would send me one of the Blazers for my use until mine was ready. He went on to say he was sorry about Mark and asked if I was going to run the department now since I was next in line with his death. I kinda froze for a minute then told him I didn't ever want to be a sheriff and have to put up with all the political bullshit. He laughed and said he still wanted me to consider his offer. I told him I was just trying to get settled back in and didn't want to think about it at this time. He finally said he had another call and my unit was on its way. My call sign would be Commander Two. I hung up the phone wondering about this sheriff stuff. I knew I had a permanent commission with the department but there was no way in hell I would ever be the sheriff. My temperament wouldn't make me a very good sheriff for any county. I was never very good at taking orders from anyone. I could see right now this was going to be a long ass day for me. I called the Judge and was told he was in court and would call me back as soon as he got out as he wanted to talk to me. Now I had another reason to worry. I knew I had to sign the papers on the girls but I had no idea what else he wanted to talk about. Neither Mark nor his ex had any relatives that I knew of but I could be wrong and if someone wanted to dispute my claim on them, I hoped they had plenty of money. I called Floyd and his wife said he was in a big meeting with a large company but she would tell him I called. I was also told her daughter was taking care of her little yellow car and wouldn't let anyone touch Uncle Harry's gift to her. We both got a laugh out of her over her protectiveness toward the little car. Her mom said it was her most valuable possession as far as she was concerned. She wouldn't even let her girlfriends eat or drink in it. She said to be careful and she had to go. I sat back and now my coffee was cold. I went in to get a fresh cup and was reminded I was supposed to shower and get dressed as we had to go sign papers on the girls. Well, I thought to myself as I slowly climbed the steps, I guess I will never be my own boss anymore. As I showered, the doubts about all of this were really starting to kick my ass. "What the hell had I let myself in for?" I was thinking as I shaved. I got dressed, putting the fifty in its customary place on my hip. I was going back down the steps like I was going to the gallows and that's about how I felt. "Grandpa, there's a State Trooper at the door looking for you." I went to the door and the Trooper standing there looked like he was twelve years old, he was so young. He gave me the keys to my unit. He also had my Glock from the casino and had me sign for it. He actually saluted me before getting in the unit that had followed him here. I went back upstairs and cleaned the Glock and loaded it and grabbed several mags. I took my light jacket off and put the shoulder holster on, putting the fifty away in the gun safe in my room. I dug the State ID out and put it in my pocket with my Homeland Security ID. I headed back down the steps and went to the kitchen where Tran was cooking breakfast. I passed on breakfast and went back out to the porch sipping my coffee and lighting another cigarette. I hated to admit it but I was getting cold feet fast. Before I could think about it any more Tran came out and sat down in my lap. "Harry, I know you're having second thoughts about all of this. I want you to understand right off the bat I am not your boss or would I ever try to be. I love you for you and I will always be there for you to talk to if something is troubling you. I agreed to marry you because I love you not because I want to try to change you. If I had to do that to be happy then it isn't worth the trouble. Please don't get cold feet on me now Harry. I have wanted this for more than twenty years and all the girls are happy for us. Don't worry about their little schemes because I will handle them. Harry Hanson, whether you believe it right now or not, I will be a good wife for you. I will try my best to make you happy and be a good mother to the girls." "Tran, you're right, I am having second thoughts. After being single all these years the thought of being married scares the hell out of me. It's not that I don't think you will make a good wife but I worry if I will make you a good husband. My temperment after all these years of being by myself isn't what I would call good. If it wasn't for Sandra, I would have gone after some of the people who have caused the problems for everyone. I don't have a job and I worry about being a good father to three small girls and how they will feel toward me when they don't get something they want. I worry about if I will live long enough to see them grow up and if I don't will they be able to go on if something should happen to me. I worry about you having all this stress at your age when you should be taking it easy and enjoying your golden years, not being a mother to three orphans like I have. This is what's going through my head, hon." "Harry Hanson, I am only two years older than you are and as for me being a mother, how old do you have to be to love someone? If you ever mention anything about golden years again, I will hit you over the head with a club. As for me being a good mate, you just wait 'till our honeymoon. I haven't been with a man for more than twenty years and I have some catching up to do so I suggest you might want to buy yourself a few of those blue pills I have heard about." After that last statement she kissed me and took my coffee cup and went back in the house. I sat there letting all she had said sink in, then I about panicked wondering if I could buy those blue pills over the counter in Vegas. My God, twenty years????????? ------- Chapter 61 I was still sitting in the chair when Tran brought me another coffee. She gave me one of the most sensual looks I had ever seen from any woman and I watched her as she went back in the cabin. She had to know I was looking at her cute little rear because she seemed to put an extra little wiggle in it as she walked. I took a sip of my coffee and burned my lip. I was still muttering under my breath when Sandra came out and sat down in the lap that Tran had just vacated. "Grandpa, I have been talking to the girls this morning and they seem to have accepted their dad's death ok. Tran did a good job of explaining it to them when she got the news. They seemed to be more worried about when their Uncle Harry was going to pick them up. They said other than being grouchy, none of those men touched any of them. They made Tran cook for them and the girls both said they told them when their Uncle came to get them they were in big trouble. They said the leader asked several times where you were. When Tran couldn't tell them they had an argument in their language and your name was mentioned several times. I have a suggestion for you that will help them to relax, if you want to listen to it. I know with the wedding and all I am sure your mind is a million miles away." "Honey, if your suggestion will make me forget all this marriage stuff then for God's sakes tell me. I could use the distraction." She busted out laughing again before she answered me. "I think a nice shopping trip for all of us is in order. The girls and I need to get out for a while. Since Jimmy walked here, we need to drop him at his house to pack a bag as I asked him if he could stay a couple days. I really missed him Grandpa and I hope you're not mad 'cause I asked him to stay." "Sandra, even if he has a big mouth he is always welcome to come here for a few days at a time. As for the shopping trip, I think that's a great idea because as you know, the team is coming next week and I need to buy some steaks and beer. I need to tell Tran about them too because she doesn't know about them coming yet. Honey, are you ok with me getting married this quick? I really haven't had much time to spend with you unless you count our time on the island." "Grandpa, if you're happy then so am I. I will make one thing clear to you, I will not call her mother so don't expect me to. I like her but nobody can ever replace my mother in any way." "I would never even think about asking you to do something like that, Sandra. I think she will be like your grandmother more than being like a mother. Hell, just call her Auntie Tran like the girls do. If there is ever any problem of any kind I want you to promise me you will come and talk to me about it. I don't think there will be but I want to be the first to know if there is. I want your promise on this Sandra." "I promise Grandpa but she is really nice and she loves the girls. I don't think we will ever have any problems. She is one of the few real people I have ever met. She seems to be just what she is, a woman who is in love with my grandpa. I hope both of you are happy together. If you ever need someone to talk to just remember I am also a woman, just a lot younger than most." I looked at her and got that impish grin that she knew how to use to throw me off track when she knew I was going to say something. I hugged her to me and kissed her soundly. She giggled and got up, asking me if I was ready to spend part of my old age pension. I slapped her on the butt and she went in the door giggling away. Old age pension my foot. I got up and headed in to get another coffee. I didn't get five feet inside the door before I was surrounded by all of them wanting to know if I was ready to go yet. I looked up and Jimmy was leaning against the kitchen doorway with a big grin on his face. "I'm ready any time you guys are. Big mouth over there has to ride on the roof though," I said as I went back out the door. They all caught up to me before I got off the porch giving me hell saying Jimmy was family and family didn't ride on any roof. I stopped in my tracks and was run into by at least two of the girls. I turned around and looked at them in a stern manner before saying anything. Sandra had both fists on her hips like she was getting ready to fight or something and the girls were glaring at me. I looked at Tran and she had a small grin on her face she was trying to hide and it got bigger as I looked at her. "Ok, no roof. He can walk back because I don't think there's room for him in the unit since he's so big." That did it. They were all giving me hell and I could hear Tran and Jimmy laughing in the background as they were chewing me out like I was in front of a drill sergeant or something. If they were allowed to cuss, I would be getting an ear full. Dina kicked me in the shin she was so mad. When she realized what she had done, she got the most shocked look on her face and covered her mouth with both hands. Then I lost it as I was hopping around on one leg. I kept hearing her say I'm sorry over and over and I laughed harder every time she said it in such a small voice. Tran finally stepped in saying I was kidding them and Jimmy would ride inside with the rest of us. Jimmy was sitting on the ground with his arms wrapped around his ribs he was laughing so hard. Sandra looked at him then at me and gave me hell saying I was mean to talk like that to her brother and her sisters. I finally got calmed down enough to rub my shin when this little voice spoke up from the back of them. "I'm sorry I kicked you Uncle Harry but that was mean." I just took her in my arms and hugged her to me and was hugged in turn by the other two. Tran I noticed was smiling and her eyes were moist as she watched me with them. I opened the doors and told everyone to pile in. They all tried to get in at the same time and it took a couple of minutes for them to sort out who was going to sit where. Jimmy sat in the shotgun seat in the front, with Tran next to me while the girls sat in back. I had everyone buckle up and we were off to town. I stopped and backed up to the cabin and went in to set the alarms then we were off again. I asked them where they all wanted to go and they all wanted to go to Wal-Mart except Jimmy. He wanted to go home because he said he had several things he had to do and he would meet us back at the cabin later. I dropped him off at his house and of course we had to stop at Tran's place so she could pack a few more things. We finally pulled into Wal-Mart about two hours later. The girls were having a very lively discussion about what Navy Seals ate when they were off duty. I got that look from Tran at this news and I told her I would explain it all as we shopped. When we went inside Tran and I both got a cart and I went to the side and down on one knee facing the girls. "I want all three of you to listen to me because this is serious. I want all of you to stay close to either me or Tran. After the last two days I don't want any of us to take any chances. If someone should touch you or act funny or try to separate any of you I want all of you to start yelling at the top of your lungs and to hell with what anybody thinks. Whatever you do, all three of you stay together and look out for each other. Don't ever get too far away from Tran or me for any reason, ok? I will be in the grocery side and Tran will stay close to you. If there is any problem yell for me and I will hear you, ok?" "We will Grandpa and we will protect each other always." I smiled at them and got a kiss from Tran that they thought was cute or something because they all said ahhh at the same time. I stuck my tongue out at them as I headed for the grocery side. I could hear them laughing as they headed in the other direction. I went through the grocery side like a white tornado grabbing steaks and beer and anything else I thought we would need. I had a cart piled high with what I had grabbed and then went in search of them. I was beginning to worry as I walked down the isles looking for them but as I found out the worry was pointless. They were all in the clothing section trying on clothes and generally making a pain of themselves arguing about what they looked good in. Tran was sitting outside the fitting room and I sat down beside her. "Harry I love them all but I had forgotten what girls and clothes were like. They have been trying to decide on what dresses to wear to our wedding for the last half hour. I know they have tried on at least a hundred outfits and hated them all." "Hon, why don't you tell them what you will be wearing and then you can all dress alike?" "Harry I hate to admit it but that does make a lot of sense to me. There is one problem though, I don't know what I'll be wearing because I haven't given it much thought." "Why don't you all get your heads together and figure something out while they're here, Tran. Then you all will know what to buy while we are in the store. If this stuff here isn't good enough for you then we can go elsewhere to shop." "Well Harry, we are not having a big church wedding, thank God so I think we can all find something we agree on. Also, that man over there in the green jacket has been watching all of us. I think he's harmless but I wanted to tell you." She got up and called the girls together and I watched the man she had pointed out from the corner of my eye as they went among the dresses talking. He seemed to me to be watching them too closely for just being a shopper. I sat back on the bench with my head back acting like I was bored to death and kept a close eye on him. I then noticed he wasn't alone because he made a motion to another man who was on the other side of the counter. My neck hair immediately went up as I stood up and walked toward the girls. He was moving to intercept me as was the other man. I got to them first because I was closer and told Tran to take them to the dressing rooms, now. She didn't question just told them to come with her to try on the dresses they were holding. Sandra must have caught the sudden tension in her voice because she helped to get them moving. I walked to the side as they went to the rooms. The two I was watching started to move into the room area so I pulled the Glock and held it at my side and waited to see what they were going to do. Tran was standing outside the two rooms the girls were in and the man moved in on her. I stepped up from the side pushing the gun into him. He froze and didn't take another step and his friend froze in place too. "I don't know who you are but if you move any closer to them I promise you will be breathing from a straw when you do. Tell your friend to back off and then you and I will have a nice polite little chat." He looked at his friend and used a sideways motion of his head to tell him to go. His friend looked at him then at me for a moment, then left the area. At least he went to the front of the store out of my sight. "Now who are you and what do you want with my family?" "I don't know who you are but we want the guns from the cave, and the sheriff has them. We mean no harm to anyone, but we just want our merchandise back." "You, my friend, are an asshole. If you had bothered doing your homework you would have found out the sheriff was killed in Florida last week, and the BATF took the guns into Federal custody the same day they were found. I have no idea where they took them but I would guess it was to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. If you had checked the local papers, you would have known all of this. I don't know who sent you but next time, tell your boss to do his homework. I am going to let you walk away, but if I ever see your face around my family again I will not hesitate to shoot you on the spot. If you want to talk further, I am in the book under Homeland Security as a Special Investigator. I will be taking the security tapes from the store with me and if you're smart, you will get out of the country before they put a pick up order out on you and your friend. Tell your boss to get on the internet because all the information about all of this is public record that anyone can read." "I think I will take your advice to heart because it sounds like the truth to me, but my boss has the final decision as you know. May I ask your name comrade?" "My name is Harry Hanson and I was the lead investigator on the case. That's in the records too." To my surprise he smiled at me, and walked away heading for the front doors. As I watched he was joined by three others besides the two I had already spotted. I waited till they got out the doors then called the Director and filled him in on what just transpired. He was angry at first but then he said the four had been questioned, and they were in the process of arresting some of the others involved. I told him to send someone for the security tapes here because they had all stopped right in front of the cameras to chat before they left. I gave him an accurate description of the two and then a general description of the others. He asked me if I thought I needed extra eyes, and I told him as of this point I didn't think I did but I would call if anything changed. He thanked me and we ended the conversation. I was standing there with my gun still in my hand and when I realized it I put it away hoping the little drama wasn't witnessed by some busybody. I gave Tran the all clear sign and she called the girls back out and they decided they would all wear yellow summer dresses to the wedding. They all had them picked out and to my surprise they all matched. Then they decided they needed shoes so off to the shoe section we went. I hung back, keeping a close eye out, but nothing else disturbed the day. We ended up spending about three hours in the store and had to get another cart before we were through. When we went through the checkout, I almost groaned at the price of my family's little shopping trip. It took us twenty minutes to fit it all in the back of the unit. Then they all decided they wanted to eat at Tran's restaurant for supper so we headed over there. I called Jimmy on the phone and he answered on the first ring asking where we were. I told him and he said he would be there in about ten minutes. I couldn't help it so I asked him if he was riding his moped. He quickly told me no, he was in his Jeep as it was better suited for the so-called road to my house. I told him he was a smart ass and he hung up on me laughing the whole time. While we were being seated at one of the bigger tables who should come in but Andy and Shorty with their wives, so they joined us too. This was starting to be like some kind of party as Beau, Kit, and Danny came in within a few minutes of each other. The waitress had to push another table over to seat us all. Of course the girls thought this was all just peachy and were having a ball talking back and forth with everyone. Then I got an even bigger surprise as Jimmy came in and Doris was with him. They sat down with us too and it quickly turned into a big gab fest. I was sitting there listening to all the talk when it hit me that all of these people were almost like family to me. The only person missing was Mark and even if he had done what he did, I still considered him my friend and fellow officer. I was drinking a glass of sweet tea when ole big mouth let the cat out of the bag again. "Everyone listen up because I have some big news. Tran and Harry are getting married in Vegas next week." I glared at him but he winked at me with a big smile on his face. I just couldn't find it in me to stay mad at him. He was having a ball with all of this and so were the girls as they started up on what they were all wearing. They would all match Tran's dress right down to the underclothes. I gave Sandra a dirty look and she just giggled at me when I did. I got handshakes from the men and hugs from the women. Then they started on Tran and I could tell she was embarrassed and proud all at the same time. Then Shorty had to open his big mouth and get them all started back up, just as it started to settle down. "Tran, if he is going to marry you over a slap I suggest you use your fist next time and maybe you will get pregnant." I just groaned out loud and they all started laughing at me. Tran's face was red as a beet which made me laugh and I got another one of those looks from her. I just knew our quiet little wedding was going to get very crowded if Nina and Shorty's wife had any say in this. All the women had their heads together and they had all somehow moved together. I hadn't even caught the change of seating. Of course Shorty wanted to know why we were gone so long so I had to go through the whole story again for them. They wanted to know if I needed any extra guards around for the kid's safety. Then Tran had to bring up what had happened at the cabin and at Wal-Mart this afternoon. To a man they all wanted to help any way they could. I was rather surprised it wasn't mentioned about who was the next in line for sheriff. I waited for that shoe to drop through the whole meal but nothing was said at all about it. Shorty did say he would increase the patrols around my area for a while to watch for strangers but that was about it. By the time we got done eating and loaded back in my unit it was almost dark outside. I finally got them settled down enough to get them buckled in the back of the unit. I had a sudden hunch and decided to drive over Radio Shack. When I stopped out front, I told the girls I was going to get them cell phones. Since I already had an account, I could add them to mine at a very cheap rate. We all went inside and the girls went crazy, trying to figure out what color phone they wanted. I had a talk with the salesman and he said they could pretty much pick out whatever they wanted in colors. Needless to say we spent about an hour getting what they wanted. I asked Tran if she had one and of course she did. I asked her if she had it on her now and she said yes so I told her to always keep it with her. We headed back to the cabin and before we went a half a mile the girls were sound asleep. When we pulled up in front of the cabin, I looked through the rearview mirror and just smiled to myself. For being as ornery as they were, they looked like little angels asleep. Tran helped me get them to bed. Jimmy pulled up within 10 minutes and helped us unload and put away the groceries. We set the girl's stuff by the couch. Jimmy said he was tired so he went to bed too. I locked the doors and set the inside alarms and made sure the cameras outside were set to audible. Tran and I sat down on the couch, her with her tea and me with a beer. "Well honey, are you sure you want to go through with this? From what I saw tonight, I think your friends are going to turn this into a three-ring circus. Of course we could run away but then the kids would kill us." "I've already thought about that Harry. You just leave it to me to worry about my friends. I mean, stop and think about it, they're your friends too, my love. I think it excited them more that you asked me than it did when I accepted. I think your adopted son is the one that's going to be trouble over all of this. Today I learned really quick you can't keep a secret with him around." We both got a laugh out of that one. We just sat on the couch with her head on my shoulder while she sipped her tea. We both stood up at the same time and headed for bed. We fell asleep snuggled together like last night. When I woke the next morning, I was snuggled up against the back of Tran with a handful of breast. I had to admit from a man's point of view she was all woman. I quietly slipped out of bed and went to the shower, doing my morning ritual. I got dressed and went to the kitchen to make coffee. When it was done, I took my first cup, shut the alarm in the house down and went to the front porch. That's when I got my first glimpse of Jimmy's ride. It was a Jeep Cherokee that had at least a five or six-inch lift kit. It had the wrap around brush protectors on the front and back with a large winch in both places. Hell, the tires on the thing were bigger than my unit. It reminded me of Andy's cruncher but it wasn't quite as high off the ground. As I sat there sipping my coffee, I wondered what kind of engine he had in that thing. No wonder he drove the moped around because this thing would suck gas if he had to drive it very far. Knowing Jimmy, he had probably built it on his own. Then another thought occurred to me and I wondered if I could talk him and Sandra into playing at our wedding. I would be almost willing to bet that between the two of them they would know a good song that would fit the occasion. I just refilled my coffee cup and was headed back to the porch when the phone rang. I picked it up and took it with me. When I answered, it was the Director wanting to know if I could talk. I told him I was sitting on the front porch enjoying my coffee so this best be good. "Harry, those weapons you recovered are only part of the shipment that is hidden out there somewhere. According to the information we gathered there should be at least eight or nine more semi-loads hidden in that county. Since all of Seal Team Three except for two are coming out there next week, I want you to use them to see if you can locate where these weapons are hidden. Harry, this falls under the purview of National Security, so use your ID anyway you can to get warrants for anything else you need. If you have any problems what so ever, call me and I will get Federal warrants for you. I also have two Seal teams at the old chemical plant. You can call on them for security for your family as long as you need them. I don't expect you will have too many more problems but it's better to be safe than sorry. I'm sorry I'm putting this all on you but you know more about that county than any other man I have on my team. I talked to the President this morning and was told that you will have 100 percent cooperation from any agency you need. Since Sean is up and about using a cane, he will be coming out too. He said to tell you he hopes you have room for his whole family because this will be a working vacation. Harry, this is all on your shoulders now so do the best you can. We have to find those weapons before the Russians do. I don't think they will bother you or your family any further. The two we arrested yesterday said you told them that all the information about what was recovered was on the Internet for the reading. They evidentially did what you said and read everything they could find on the subject. I have to go now because of a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff but I will stay in touch. Talk to you later, Harry. Be careful." Damn, how the hell was I going to explain this one to Tran? I just knew she would hit me over the head with a piece of firewood. Man oh man what a way to start the day. I had a sudden thought and got on the phone and called Charlie. "Charlie, when your man served those warrants on the different properties did they find anything? How many of them had large buildings or abandoned barns sitting on them?" "I don't know Harry, give me a chance to talk to Butch and see what he has to say. He was the one that ran the whole operation. Let see what I can find out and I'll call you back in about an hour. Does this mean you're back at work?" "Yeah, but not for you this time. I am working directly for Homeland Security, at least until this is all over. Get back to me as soon as you can. Talk to you later, Charlie." I sat and sipped my coffee thinking about what the Director had told me, trying to figure out where they could store that many weapons without raising any suspicion. Like it or not, I was going to have to go to town and have another little talk with Doris and see what she thought. I also needed to go to the County Recorder's office and have a look at all the properties that were rated commercial use. I was also going to contact the sheriff in the next county and get his opinion on that survivalist camp he didn't like. Just maybe they had stored some of the weapons in underground bunkers there. There were so damn many possibilities I was going to drive myself crazy trying to figure out where they could've put them. I also decided I would take a little cruise down to the Gulch and talk to some of the people there. Maybe they knew something more that they hadn't told me or one of my deputies. Oh God, Tran was going to have a fit if I left her all alone here today. As I sat there thinking about it, I decided that I better be smart and have a talk with her before I did anything. Like it or not I had a wife and family to think about now. I couldn't just go running off like I normally did. I was sitting there in the chair with my head in my hands when Tran came out on the porch. I looked up at her and it was like she could sense there was something wrong. She gave me that look and sat down in my lap. "Okay Harry, what's going on?" I spent the next 15 minutes explaining to her what was going on and what I was expected to do to try to solve the problem. I also then told her about the Seals coming out to unwind for 60 days. To my surprise she wasn't upset. She didn't voice an objection or castigate me in any way. Much to my shock, she just smiled and said, "It will be nice to have other men around to flirt with me and the girls." I gave her the meanest look I could possibly summon up but she just started laughing. "I was just joking Harry. Personally, I think Sandra is really looking forward to them coming out. She was telling me all about them yesterday and how they had adopted her as a member of their team." "You will be here today with the girls and Jimmy mostly by yourself. The cameras are on audible so I suggest you try to keep the girls inside today. I will be back just as soon as I possibly can. If you get spooked for any reason call me immediately." I walked back into the house with her and went up stairs. I got my ID, put my gun on and headed for my unit. My first stop was going to be the County Recorder's office and then to the judge to sign the papers for the girls. ------- Chapter 62 When I got to the end of my driveway, I decided to call the Seal team at the chemical plant. When I got their Commander on the line and identified myself to him, he said he was expecting my call. I asked him if he could put someone up on one of the tallest buildings there with binoculars to keep an eye on my cabin. He said it had already been done as they watched out for their own. I had to think for a minute before I realized he was talking about Sandra. Damn, I would never have thought it would have been taken so seriously. Oh well, he never knew what I was thinking as he asked for my cell number. I gave it to him and he said not to worry as they would be keeping an eye on my cabin. I thanked him before I hung up. Then I headed for the courthouse to talk to a woman who worked there that I remembered had lived in the gulch. I parked in an empty reserved spot and went inside. When I saw the sign that said Building Inspectors Office I went there first on a sudden impulse. The lady behind the desk asked what I needed and when I told her I wanted to talk to the building inspector, she just laughed. "Sir, the only one left is old Denny and he is almost seventy years old. The others quit when the old sheriff died and the county, in all their wisdom, hasn't hired any others. Now Denny will be glad to talk to you but I suggest you put casts on both legs because he will talk them right off of you. His office is back there in the corner. Just knock on the door if you're fool enough to brave going in there." She just cackled as I went toward the door she had pointed at. I knocked rather loudly and was grumpily told by the person behind the door he wasn't deaf and to come in. I went into to what looked like someone had left all their loose paper in one place to be recycled. I looked for a chair or something to sit on but gave that up and then looked for the person I knew was in here. I couldn't see anyone and when he spoke up I jumped in shock. He was behind what I think you would call a desk, but it was piled so high with papers you couldn't see him. "Well I'll be damned if it isn't Harry Hanson, our famous sheriff. 'Bout time you started using your head for something besides being a Hubba punching bag. I wondered how long it would take you to get smart enough to come and have a little talk with me. I been doing this job more than forty years and nobody knows this county like I do. I bet you are looking for either more weapons or kids being hidden again." "Actually I am looking for weapons but I wouldn't hesitate to free more children if I could find them. I wish you would stand or something so I could see you over all this mess. How the hell do you find anything in here?" "Actually there is a method to what you see here. All of this is on a computer, but I always keep a paper copy of everything because the computer files seem to have a habit of either being deleted or changed after I enter them. There by the door is a stack of folders I think will help your search. I would rather you didn't see me face to face in case someone gets their hands on those files. If that happens I can say I never met you and you must have taken them from my office. That old hag out there has a mild case of Alzheimer's so she won't remember you being here ten minutes after you leave. Harry, when you go to search some of those places, I hope you have some professionals to help you because you will need them with these ole boys. They were born with the bark on and it never fell off as they grew up. Most served time in the military and they won't be easy to get near. There is a Wal-Mart shopping bag there that you can put the folders in. Put today's paper on the top so they can't be seen. There's one there by the door. I wish you the best but I will give you another word of advice, don't take them home with you and keep them some place safe. The plans and stuff in those folders no longer exist on the computer so only you will know about them. Now leave so I can go get some lunch." I carefully put the stack of file folders in the shopping bag, put the newspaper on the top to cover them and went out the door. I went past the woman's desk in the front and she waved as I went out the door. I went from there to the Judge's office and was shown in almost immediately. "Harry, I have a bunch of papers you will need to sign. Afterwards I will have my clerk file them and give you copies. Mark left it all to you to use as you see fit. He had six rather large insurance policies on him and his wife with you as the beneficiary on all of them. He left the cabin to you, and all the papers and other documents to you too. Harry, Dana is not his daughter but his niece. Her parents were killed when she was born and he adopted her. He had no living relatives nor did his wife. He made the will out about a week before he went to Florida. I asked him why he was leaving everything to you instead of the girls and he said he knew you would make sure they would never want for anything as long as you lived. I have a letter from him for you to read, but he said you were to never divulge its contents to the girls for any reason." I signed all the papers in somewhat of a daze as the Judge set them in front of me. He told me as I signed the last one that it was about Sandra, and I had now legally adopted her as well as the girls. I just looked at him in shock and he handed me Mark's letter. I put it in my inside jacket pocket and sat with the bag between my feet, waiting for his clerk to come back. When she came back in, she handed me a thick file folder saying the insurance polices were on the top. The judge shook my hand saying he hoped I decided to go back to running the department since Mark was gone. I just sadly smiled at him and didn't answer as I went out the door. I went to my unit and started driving without thinking about where I was going. I ended up at the gate to the old chemical plant. I was asked for ID and when I showed it, I was told I was expected. This partially snapped me out of the fog I was in and I wondered how they knew I was coming. I was waved to a spot next to a building that said Offices on it. A soldier escorted me inside and up a long flight of old wooden stairs. He left me in an office telling me the Commander would see me in a few minutes. As I sat there, I heard a familiar voice and wondered what Preacher was doing there. I got my question answered when I was shown into the Commander's office. When I saw who was sitting there with a big grin on his face I went off. "You sorry son of a bitch, since when did you become a Commander? How the hell do you get promotions that fast and into another branch of service? You better start explaining or I am going to bust you right in the nose, friend or not." "Damn Harry, if you will you calm down I will be glad to explain it all to you. I was never in the Air Force. My team and I were working undercover to try to find out where all of the stolen ordinance was going. We worked on this for almost a year and kept running up against dead ends until you broke the whole thing wide open. I have been the head of Seal Team Two since I went into the Seals after Nam. Special Forces put me out so I went to the other side and have been here ever since. By the way, that was nice work on that basement. We were stumped until you figured it out. The Director called this morning and said you were in charge of both teams here as well as Three when they come out. Seems you have come a long way too since the Army. By the way, there are two more of those slugs we need to find, according to the Director. He called a few minutes ago and said the Russians were still missing three they couldn't account for. He said they might be with the other weapons you are searching for. I have been ordered to follow your orders to the letter. Damn, it's good to be working with you again. I wanted to tell you when we found those kids but I was under orders not to open my mouth to anyone." I just sat down in shock and was handed a cup of coffee. I went to sip it and burned my lip again. "Damn that smarts," I was thinking as I looked at Preacher with that damn smug smile on his ugly puss. I decided to leave the folders here for his men to go through and see what they thought of the contents. I needed to go home and see the girls to help me calm down from all the shocks I had been handed today. "Preacher, you and your men go through these files and see what you think of them. They don't exist as far as the county is concerned. They have been either erased or deleted from the computers in the courthouse. I think they will hold the key to where all the stuff we are looking for is at. There is a chance we might find more illegals so we will have to be careful as we raid them. I was told a lot of the owners are prior military and very good at what they do, so I would start planning for about any kind of situation. Some of them are old Berets and Seals that have gone native. I will leave these with you. You have my cell if you need anything. We won't start moving until Three gets here so you have plenty of time to scout and plan. I am going home to my girls and try to spend a quiet evening with them. I just signed the papers for the two little ones of Mark's so now I have three to try to take care of. Preacher, it's going to get hot around here and I want your best when it comes time to watch over them." "Harry, I've had three round the clock on your place since you came back. We did a complete scout and I will have to admit those cameras are the hardest to spot I have ever seen. I want to add a few better ones in a few blind spots, if that's ok with you. We have tapped into your system and we can see what you do. I was going to ask but we had limited time so I gave the order to go ahead. We also have the other cabin completely covered too. Sean is bringing his family and we wanted to make sure they were all safe too. I will show you where we tapped in so you will know and can unhook the tap when this is all over. Don't worry Harry, we won't let anything happen to your family. Did you know that Butter entered Sandra in the official record as a member of his team? She is the first given this honor as far as I could find out. The Joint Chiefs about had a fit but the Director and the President overruled them and kept it as part of the official record. It is also entered at the training center in Norfolk. She must have made a hell of an impression on the sinkhole while she was there." "You don't know the half of it Preacher. Thanks for watching my family; I appreciate it more than you know." "Hell Harry you know we watch our own's backs. They will be fine so go home and enjoy your time together. We will have some long days when the other team gets here in a few days. By the way who is that beautiful woman watching them? Is she married or looking?" "Too late Preacher, we are getting married next week." His eyes bugged out and his mouth dropped open so I walked out the door, leaving him looking stupid. By the time I got to my unit I was laughing out loud at his reaction to my news. Several of the soldiers smiled at me just shaking their heads in wonder that anyone could find humor on this stinking chemical wasteland. I went back to the cabin and when I pulled up in front, Tran was sitting in the chair holding her head in her hands. She looked so pitiful I went up to her and hugged her, not saying a word. "Harry, please put me out of my misery." "What are you talking about Tran? What's wrong honey?" "Stick your head in the door and see what I have been listening to for the last two hours. I don't know how much longer I can take it before I go crazy." I looked at her in puzzlement and went up and opened the door. The noise that hit me put my teeth on edge. It sounded like there were a hundred cats screeching like a rocker had squashed their tails. I quickly closed the door and then lost it. I sat down on the step and laughed till tears run out of my eyes. Tran came over and sat down next to me kissing me on the ear. "I hope to God they are quick learners Harry, or we will have the shortest marriage in history." Then she started laughing with me and that's how Jimmy found us when he came out and sat down next to us. "I don't know how much of that I can take Harry. I need earplugs or something because I have a headache." Well that set me and Tran off again and he just smiled at us as we held each other up. I wanted a cup of coffee but I sure wasn't brave enough to face that noise to get it. Besides, the cup would probably shatter before I got it out of the house. We just sat there and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Sandra came out and saw us sitting there and went over to speak to Jimmy. "Why are you out here? You're supposed to be helping me teach them how to play." "I have a headache so I thought I would come out here to see if I could get it to ease up a little." Sandra started giggling before she answered him. "They are really bad, aren't they? Let's see if we can't teach them how to play a guitar instead. My hair is standing up on end from all the screeches. I don't even think I was that bad when I started." We busted up laughing again as she went back into the house. Jimmy just smiled at us and then he told us they were the worst two people on violins he had ever heard. He was hoping they could learn the guitar so he could at least try to help them. He got up and went back into the house too. I turned to say something to Tran and got kissed right on the lips. It took my breath away and when we broke apart she smiled at me, telling me to just be quiet and don't say anything for a change. I smiled at her and got kissed again. If she kept this up there wasn't going to be a honeymoon because I was going to tear her clothes off right there on the porch. She broke away and looked in my eyes and I swear she could read my mind and she said to me as she smiled. "That's just a small sample, wait until the real thing." I looked at her from the back again and this time she did wiggle at me as she went back into the house. I decided to take a little walk to see if I could bring my blood pressure down as well as another part of me. This did not bode well for my concentration at all, as all I could think of is what she would look like, spread out on our honeymoon bed with that long hair and a look of lust on her face. I hadn't had these kinds of thoughts since high school and here I was fifty-seven, thinking with my small head like a high school kid again. I hated to admit it but I would be glad when next week rolled around and we could get all of this behind us before I became a nut case or something else I didn't want to name. By the time I got settled down I was at the ponds. I was walking around the edge when I saw what looked like a big log lying in the shallows. I leaned over for a better look and realized I was looking at a huge catfish, just lying in the warm shallow water. My God, he had to weigh at least seventy-five pounds. I watched him for a little bit then continued walking around the edge. Before I had walked all the way around I saw at least ten or more the same size or larger. I had the bug from that point on and swore I would bring the girls down here and we would do some fishing for these monsters. If they ever hooked or caught one of these monsters they would be living down here with a pole in their hands every day. I was walking back toward the house when I caught a flash from the top of the hill above me. I called Preacher on the cell and asked him if one of his men was on top of the hill and he said no, they were closer to the cabin. I told him about the flash and he said he would get his men moving to box the position. I kept talking and laughing into the cell after he hung up trying to keep whoever was up there watching me until his men could get into position. I was talking to no one and slowly walking when I heard a shout and saw someone rolling down the side of the hill. Since he was in civvies, I knew he wasn't one of the team. I was standing over top of him by the time he stopped rolling. I had my gun covering him when he raised up and looked at me. It was the man from the store and I didn't think, I just shot him between the eyes and kept walking toward the cabin. My cell rang and I answered it and it was Preacher wanting to know, why I had shot him? I told Preacher I had warned him before but he didn't listen, and I wasn't giving any of them any mercy when it came to me or my family. He said he would have the body moved until they could get him out to be identified. I told him the Director had arrested him this morning and it might be better to find out how he got out. I put the cell away and realized I was growing a hard skin when it came to these assholes. I wasn't about to let them touch my family and I decided right then and there I would kill any that came near us for any reason. I had a good attorney and plenty of money so I knew I would not have to spend any time in jail because I was protecting my family the only way the Russians could understand. This is one time I was in the right and I would make sure they all understood this, even if I had to shoot half the Russians in this country. My family was all I had and I wouldn't let anything happen to them, even if it meant I had to go hunting alone. I walked into the house and thank goodness it was quiet. I got a cup of coffee and went to the porch and called the Director. I asked him how the man had gotten out of jail and I was told he was still in. I told him I just shot him between the eyes so he better do some checking to see what the hell was going on. He sounded shocked and asked if I was sure it was the same one from the store. I told him to quit asking stupid questions and find out how he had gotten out. I also told him if this shit kept up I would start hunting and he wouldn't like the results. I told him from this point on if they got near any member of my family I would shoot them on the spot. I also told him the team watching my place hadn't even known he was there. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. Then he said he would settle this tonight or heads were going to roll because he was going to report all that I had told him to the President. He said he was on it but for me to keep alert for a while longer until he could get it all worked out. I didn't bother answering but just closed the phone and shut it off. I was on my own now and God help anyone who tried to pull anything on me, Tran, or the kids. From this point on I would carry the fifty and the twenty-twos with the silencers attached. If they wanted a war, they had come to the right person. It had become personal because I was the only one I could depend on to protect my family. As far as I was concerned, the Seals were dismal failures until I decided differently. If one man had slipped up on them without their knowledge then they needed to go for training to enhance their abilities. I went back into the house, locking the door behind me and setting the perimeter defenses. I didn't set the lethal ones because of the Seals being out there, but if they came close to the cabin, they or anyone else was in for some nasty surprises. I decided I would call Preacher and set him straight on a few things. I got him on the phone and told him I was taking the cameras to another frequency and to pull his men away from the house for the night. I told him I was taking control of my own security and if he didn't like it then he needed to pull his men back to where he was. I told him I had set several non-lethal traps and I didn't want to see him or his men until I called for them. He started to sputter and I reminded him I was in charge, not him, and hung up the phone and shut it off. I put them both on chargers and went looking for Tran and the girls. The girls were already in bed so I kissed them and went to my bedroom. Tran was sitting up in bed reading a book waiting on me. I got in the safe and got the fifty out and the twenty-twos, putting the silencers on them before I holstered them. I got ten extra mags out for each of them and put them in easy reach in case I had to go out quickly. I went to the bathroom and got a quick shower and climbed into bed. Tran scooted over next to me putting her book down looking at my face. "You've come to some kind of a decision, haven't you love. Want to tell me what's going on?" I told her the whole thing without holding anything back, and what I had decided when it came to them. She didn't say anything for awhile as she thought about what I told her. She kissed me before saying anything and again she shocked me with what she had to say about what I had decided. "You mean the world to me and those girls and I know you feel the same way. You do what you think is necessary to give yourself peace of mind when it comes to our safety. Just remember, I don't want to come to the hospital again 'cause you got careless, so stay safe for our sakes, my love." She turned out the light and curled up against me kissing me goodnight as she did. I heard her whisper I love you as she fell asleep. I knew I was going to show all of them the shelter just in case something drastic should happen. Sandra already knew about it but I wanted Tran to know how to get in and set the safeguards for her and the girl's safety. I knew if they got in there and things went to shit, then they would be safe. But, anyone outside of the shelter could kiss their asses bye bye. I finally fell asleep, wondering why the Seals had missed the man on the hill, especially since he gave his position away several times by using the scope on the rifle he had. They should have been able to catch the reflection since they were looking through binoculars toward the cabin. Something was wrong with this situation and I couldn't figure out what it was, but I knew it would come to me like it always had when I had a vexing problem. ------- Chapter 63 I woke up just before dawn and got dressed without waking Tran by some miracle. I put the shoulder holsters on and the fifty on my belt. I put the extra mags in the vest I was wearing. I had bought it at a gun store and it was made fuller for the shoulder holsters. It had many inside pockets that fit all the mags perfectly. I went down to the kitchen and opened the shelter. I quickly got out several of the sixteens and about a dozen mags for each of them. I hid them around the house, up high where the girls wouldn't see them. I had been shown all these hiding places by Abe when I bought the cabin. I got my coffee and figured I would go out one of the hidden exits and do a little scouting to see what I could see. I left a note on the table for Tran, telling her I was outside and for her to keep everyone inside until I came back and to let nobody in whether she knew them or not. If it was someone she knew, she was just to tell them to come back when I was home. I went to the big rug by the fireplace, pulled it back and raised the trapdoor under it. I reached in and flipped on the light switch. I remembered to grab the scrambled cell and lowered my self into the hole, pulling the rug back over the door as I lowered it. Abe had showed me how to do this too, to keep his little escape tunnels a secret. This one came out behind the hill the Russian had been on yesterday. The end was behind a small briar patch and you couldn't see it even if you were standing next to it when the door opened. I switched the lights off before I went out the small trap door, just in case the hill was still in shadow and the sun hadn't reached it yet. I didn't want any light showing as I went out. I went to the top of the small hill and sat down with the non reflective binoculars I was using and started scoping out the area. There was a small wind blowing but with the sun coming up I was comfortable. Where I was sitting I couldn't be seen from the chemical plant, but I had a bird's eye view of the cabin and all the area around it. I had been looking around the area for about ten minutes when I caught a movement about a hundred yards in front of where I was sitting. I trained the binoculars on it then moved them to the side just a hair and waited to see if I saw it again. Sure enough the wind blew what looked like a strip of rag and then it hit me what I was looking at. Someone in a gilley suit was laying on the edge of the small bluff above the cabin. I knew from where he was laying all he could see clearly was the small meadow in front of the cabin and my unit. If someone would walk out of the house he would have a clear shot after they cleared the porch. I scanned across the meadow to the woods line and waited. I finally saw movement below the small gate that led to the woods. That's two I thought, as I looked for more. There was a third man near the top of my driveway behind the fallen tree. Those two had a clear shot of the porch and anyone who came out the front door. Well, its time to end this shit I thought. I crawled on my belly very slowly toward the man in front of me. He was so intent on watching the area below he never even heard me. I pulled one of the silenced Walthers and stuck it up against the back of his head. He froze, dropping the rifle he was holding. I saw it was a modified AK with a large scope on it. I shot him in the back of the head and moved on to work my way around the hill to come out behind the one by the tree. It took me about a half hour to get close enough to see that he was one of the ones in Wal-Mart that had also been arrested. How the hell had they gotten out I was wondering as I shot him twice in the head from about fifty feet. He went down without a sound and I started working around to get behind the other one at the small gate. Since it was still green and there wasn't much dead foliage, I was able to move quickly but quietly. It still took me about fifteen minutes to work my way around behind him and then I still didn't have a clear shot with the Walther. Well, I might as well see how many more of them there are I thought as I pulled the fifty out. I shot him twice in the center of his back and moved to where I could see the woods line by the ponds. There was a man running for the far gate where we had caught the smuggler. I rested the fifty on a limb for a few seconds and shot him in the back. He went up off the ground about a foot before landing on his face, skidding in the grass. He didn't get up so I looked around to see if there were any more I could get a shot at. I didn't see any movement so I sat down to wait for a few minutes. I didn't want to give my position away. I was watching the pond area and caught movement. I raised the fifty but I recognized the Seal battle dress they were wearing. They had evidentially come up from the chemical plant at the sound of the shots. I put the binoculars up and saw Preacher was ahead of them, giving hand signals for them to fan out. I sat and waited until they were almost in view of the cabin and quietly spoke so I didn't spook them. "You're a little late Preacher. Have your men collect the bodies and get off my land." "Dammit Harry, you scared the hell out of me! I almost shot you. What the hell is going on and how did you get out here without us seeing you? I have an extra dozen cameras set up everywhere and we never saw you or anyone else on your land. How many of them are there Harry?" "There were four, and one is the other Russian that was arrested yesterday that's supposed to be still in jail. There is a sniper in a gilley suit on top of the bluff, one by the fallen tree at the head of the driveway and one about a hundred yards to my left. The fourth one is down by the far gate. I told you and the Director I was going hunting, and neither one of you would like the results. This is only a start, Preacher. You have a mole in that chemical plant so you better start cleaning your own house." "Harry, I can vouch for both teams at the plant. None of them are dirty." "Whoever was on the cameras this morning had to have seen these men come in, because it took me less than twenty minutes to spot them with my binoculars. Someone on your team is playing both sides, Preacher. I suggest you better start checking personnel or I will have all of you reassigned before the day is over. I have known you for better than twenty years but in this case my family's safety is on the line, so friendships go out the door. Your choice to make, my friend. I will be calling the Director as soon as I have my coffee so you got that long to get these bodies out of here and start finding your mole." He was saying something else but I just tuned him out as I walked to the cabin and let myself in the front door. I shut the alarm down, locked the door, and headed for the kitchen to fix a pot of coffee and do a little thinking. I had taken five lives in two days and I felt guilty until I thought about what they would have done if anyone had come out to the front porch to have their coffee, like we did a lot in the mornings. Someone knew our habits and since the only one who had been keeping tabs on the cabin was at the chemical plant, then the mole was there and was reporting to someone close by. I thought it was about time I took my little ride to the gulch to have a talk with a few of the people there. If there were strangers in that area, they would know about them. I felt sure they would tell me if I asked the right people. Since I hadn't been present for the selling of the casino that might be a good place to start. If the new owners were foreigners then they would come under suspicion immediately. The restaurant had also been newly purchased so I would check with them too and meet the new owners. I could use my State Trooper ID, saying I was just doing a routine check on licenses. I hadn't heard back from Charley yet and wondered why he hadn't called me back. I got the cleaning kit and cleaned the guns and reloaded the mags while I had my first cup of coffee. I was seriously thinking about having Tran and the kids stay in the shelter until this was all over. I was so deep in thought I jumped when a pair of lips kissed me on the forehead. I saw it was Tran and she was smiling at me. "You're supposed to sleep in bed not at the kitchen table my love. Good thing I wasn't a bad guy sneaking up on you." "Hmm, I never made love to a bad guy before. I wonder who would be better, you or him?" "Why me of course, I don't have stubble on my face." We both got a laugh out of her comment as she sat down beside me at the table while having her morning tea. We sat and enjoyed the silence until I heard the sound of feet running upstairs. "Well, the munchkins are up. There goes the neighborhood." She looked at me and choked on the sip of tea she was in the process of taking. I just laughed at her as I went and got out the pancake mix and started making breakfast. She got up and set the table, pouring their milk and orange juice as I made pancakes. All three of them came clomping down the stairs and when they came into the kitchen, I almost dropped the batter on the floor at the sight that greeted me. Tran just started laughing at them. They all three had Simpson pajamas on and their slippers were big Homer heads that said "DOH", every step they took. They all plopped down at the table, wanting to know what was for breakfast as they were starving. I just shook my head as I set a big platter of pancakes down. "Sandra, what time did Jimmy leave? I didn't see his Jeep this morning." "He left about ten, Grandpa. He said he had to go to work this morning and he promised his aunt he would be home early." I just breathed a sigh of relief to myself. That meant he had left before the men had showed up because I doubted very much that they had came in during the night. None of them were dressed to spend a night outside. I was going to have to talk to him and explain the danger to him right now, and see if I could keep him away for a few days. I knew this would be over in a week or so, as soon as we found the weapons and the missing slugs. Since Preacher had those maps and plats, I hoped he was keeping them locked up, not laying out where everyone could see them. I also decided we would have the DOT start checking all cargo in this county on the big rigs coming in and out. We could order this under the auspice of Homeland Security and it would be done on every vehicle. I still had to call the Director and report on this morning's doings. I wanted to run a few other ideas by him that had come to me. I sat down and ate with my family. I had just reached for another pancake when a loud beeping started. The girls were all looking around trying to figure out what the noise was. I got up and slid the panel back next to the stove so I could look at the cameras. There was a Blackhawk helicopter landing on the small flat area to the side of the cabin. I hit the zoom on the camera as they landed and when the Director climbed out, I hit the reset button on the alarm. He was walking to the cabin with three men on all sides of him. I went to meet him at the front door and opened it just as he raised his hand to knock. "You're welcome to come in sir but your men stay outside. The less people who know the layout in here the better." He turned to his men and told them to wait outside and stepped in. I locked the door behind him and showed him to the kitchen. He recognized Sandra immediately and spoke to her politely. I introduced him to Dina and Dana and he gave them a big smile, telling them his name. They both giggled when he did that for some reason. I asked if he wanted coffee. "Thank you Harry, and maybe if you have enough I'll have some of those pancakes too. I haven't had a chance to eat breakfast yet because I have been hopping around since I got your call." I then introduced him to Tran as she got up to make him some fresh pancakes. When I told him we were getting married next week he congratulated both of us sincerely. I told the girls to finish and go get dressed and watch a movie until the adults were done talking. I didn't want them listening in on our conversation because I already knew Tran was going to be mad about my little adventure this morning. I hadn't told her about it yet. Tran and I sat and sipped our drinks while he ate three pancakes before setting back in the chair sipping his coffee. "Harry, do you know a General George Brown?" "I used to have a man by that name as the General when I was in the Army. Why?" "He is now the President's liaison to the military and when I reported what had happened here this morning, he busted up laughing. It took him five minutes before he got himself under control enough to explain his actions to the President and me. Seems that he remembers you very well. Tran, did you know your husband-to-be never failed in a mission the whole time he was in Viet Nam, and only lost one man the whole time he headed up Special Ops?" "I have known Harry for over twenty years Director, and nothing he does now or then surprises me. He is very good at about anything he does. That's why I love him so much." "Harry, the four you took out this morning were all on the tapes we confiscated yesterday. The two who were supposed to be locked in the brig at Nellis were set free less than two hours after they were locked up by the Colonel in charge of the brig there. He has now disappeared too and is AWOL from the Air Force. Harry, I think we found out who has been tipping them off about your movements. He is not a Seal Team member but is an officer in charge of the enlisted men at the chemical plant. He is being held under guard until we can talk to him. You were pretty hard on Preacher this morning, Harry. He is almost as worried about your family as you are. According to his second he has taken this personal because he failed you and your family. His XO says Preacher is madder than he has ever seen him. He recognized the man in the gilley suit as a shooter that killed one of his men about a year ago while he was on a mission here in the states. I talked to the Russian ambassador this morning and they have accounted for the three slugs they thought were missing. That's one load off but we still need to find those missing weapons. What I can't figure out is why they think you know where they are located?" "I don't think that's it at all. I think they are worried I will find them before they do so they want to take me out before I do find them. They made a big mistake there because unlike them, I will shoot any of them I see on sight. They have to wait for the right circumstances so they don't have witnesses but I don't and won't hesitate to shoot on sight. If it was just me, I would act as bait to pull them out in the open but I have three kids and a woman I love to take care of now. I won't play games with them Director, so if you or the powers that be can't accept that then I will give you my ID and do it on my own." "Not necessary Harry. I was supposed to tell you this in private but Tran can hear it too. You have an Executive Order to do whatever it takes to insure National Security. I think you know what that means. You now have the power to do whatever is necessary to recover those weapons. I will give you a copy of the directive for you to file to cover your rear if someone doesn't like how you do it. I, from this point on, don't know how you got your hands on a certified copy of the order, so keep it in a safe place." We ended his visit with some of the ideas I had thought about, like having the DOT do the checks and this type of thing. He thought it was a good idea and would call the governor and put it into effect immediately. He also told me Team Three would be here day after tomorrow and they voted to be the personal protection for my family as long as they were needed. He said the two members with families were voluntarily cutting their leaves short to join the rest of the team while they were here. I told him to tell Butter those two men were excused by my orders, as the time with their families was more important. Besides, the remaining members would be more than enough to do the job, and I didn't have that much space to put them up for an extended visit. He just smiled and said he had to go, but for me to keep in touch and I was still in charge. He went back out. I watched as the chopper lifted off, heading for the chemical plant. I relocked the door and went back to the kitchen, right into one of the worse ass chewings I had gotten in years. "Harry Hanson, whatever possessed you to take on four professionals all by yourself? And I suppose you just thought if I didn't know about it then it would be ok?" "Now Tran." "Now Tran, my Chinese ass! If you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will beat you half to death with the first thing I can lay my hands on." "Hmm, sounds exciting. Wanna go upstairs and make love the rest of the day?" She glared at me then started laughing and came over and sat down on my lap, hugging me. "Harry, I know I said to do what you thought was necessary but please don't take chances like that again. I don't want to lose you now, nor do the girls. Sandra would be heartbroken if something happened to you. Dina and Dana just lost their father and they don't need to lose their loving uncle too. We all need you alive, Harry. Let your friends do the dirty work from now on. That's what they are trained to do." "Honey, I have something to show you, so come with me and listen to all that I tell you. It just might save yours and the girl's lives if the house is ever breached." I took her to the big freezer and we went through the steps about how to lock them in and set the controls once they were inside. I showed her the control room with all the manuals on how to run it all. I spent an hour showing her everything Abe had shown me. When we came back out and I closed it up, she just sat down at the table in what I would call shock at all she had seen. I fixed her a cup of tea and me a coffee and sat down next to her. She looked at the freezer then at me a few times before she spoke a word. "Harry that's the most bizarre setup I have ever heard of. I knew old Abe was a recluse but I never thought he was that paranoid about the world. I have to admit, it's a safe place if a nuclear bomb were to fall, but to use it like you want to is beyond comprehension. Harry, you could feed half of Nevada with what you have stored in there. Do you really think we will have to use it?" "No I don't honey, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't think it will go that far but I felt you needed to know about it for your and the girls' sake. Just promise me if you ever think someone is going to get in, you will take the girls in there until I can come for you. I want that promise from you Tran." "You know I love those girls and yes, I will promise that if I feel our lives are in danger I will hide with them in there but I refuse to blow up your home regardless of how many people come in. I just couldn't do it Harry, I love this place almost as much as you do. Besides, once I set the locks when we are inside no one will be able to get in even if they knew where we were hiding. Harry, since I am now positive you love me for me I have something to tell you. I am a millionaire twenty times over. I have invested wisely and own much more, including a couple of casinos in Vegas I bought as an investment years ago when I got the settlement from my husband's death. I have no idea of my total holdings and worth. I just know it keeps getting larger and larger as the years go by. When we get married it will belong to both of us and I want us to spend it and make sure the girls enjoy it too. I love you with all my heart, Harry, and I have for more than twenty years. I know I tease you, but I am scared to death of making love to you because I haven't been with any one since my husband died over twenty years ago. He was the only man I ever knew and I was a young girl when we were married. Harry, you are a man of the world and I am afraid that you will be disappointed in me when we consummate our marriage. I am not experienced like some of the women I know you have been with in your life. Will you please be gentle and teach me how to be a wife and lover?" I just looked at her in shock for a few moments before I could form the words I wanted to say. "Tran, you are one of the most naturally sensual and beautiful women I have ever met. This may surprise you but I had almost the same fear that you have. I was afraid I would not be able to make you happy. I think we can teach each other as we go. As for your money, it means nothing to me because I have a rather large amount in the bank and Sandra has as much or more than I do. It hasn't changed me any more than yours has changed you so let's don't worry about it. Let's just try to be happy together and see if we can raise the girls to be down to earth as much as possible. When this little pile of crap I am into is over, I have an idea that we will have to sit down and discuss. It has been a dream of mine for years so maybe we can work it out together. By the way, what the hell is your last name?" She totally lost it at that point. The girls came down and asked what she was laughing at and it just made her laugh harder. I looked at Sandra and she was smiling at us as they stood there, waiting for an answer. "I just asked her what her last name was and she went into a laughing fit." The two girls thought this was funny too and started laughing at me and when I looked at Sandra, she was just looking at me in pity and shaking her head at my stupidity. I didn't think it was very funny as I had never in all the years I had known her had a reason to ask what her last name was. I just knew her as Tran and she had a big mouth and a nasty attitude. Now that we were getting married, I figured I needed to know her last name so when we filled out the marriage license I wouldn't look too stupid. I grabbed my coffee and went into the front room and sat down on the couch, trying to figure out why everyone thought my asking her last name was so funny. Sandra followed me in and sat down in my lap looking at me with a smile on her face. I gave her a dirty look and she giggled at me. "Grandpa, how long have you known Tran?" "I have known her in one way or another for over twenty years. Why?" "Now you're getting married to her and you finally get around to asking her for her last name. Don't you think you should have done that years ago?" "Well gee Einstein, maybe I never had a reason to. When I knew her before I could hardly stand to be around her, let alone ask her what her whole name was. It wasn't until I came out here that we hit it off and fell in love with each other. Do you think I should have kept my mouth shut and not asked? Maybe I wouldn't be sitting here wondering why everyone thinks it's so funny, including my own granddaughter." "I am not laughing Grandpa but don't you think you maybe should have asked before you started sleeping together?" "Sandra! What a thing to say and what do you know about our sleeping arrangements? Maybe I slept on the floor, or Tran did, for all you know." "Grandpa, I am not dumb and Mom explained the birds and bees thing to me when I was eight. She caught me kissing one of the village boys. There was nothing going on but the look on her face was, to say the least, priceless. She took me to the house and sat me down and chewed me out first, then gave me the standard lecture about sex and adults. It was all I could do to keep from laughing at her; she was so embarrassed as she talked to me. When she was finished, I did laugh and told her I had several of the books that all the kids in the village looked at. When I showed her one, I thought she was going to have a heart attack. That was the only time she ever paddled me. I thought the pictures were cool but Mom didn't and quickly let me know about it. I couldn't sit right for two days after that. Needless to say I got rid of all the picture books and we never mentioned it again." I looked at her in shock as she finished, and she started giggling again but I didn't think it was very funny. Eight and kissing boys. What the hell was her mom thinking taking her down there? "That's almost the same look I got from Mom, Grandpa. Don't worry, I know I am not old enough yet to have a boyfriend but I think you should marry Tran even if you don't know what her whole name is." "I think it might be wise on your part to drop the subject while I am still in a good mood." I started tickling her and she started laughing. "I love you Grandpa and I think we will all be just fine as long as you remember you're an adult and us kids do make mistakes from time to time. After all, we are still learning to be adults even if they sometimes don't know what's good for them." She ran back to the kitchen before I could grab her, giggling all the way. I was smiling to myself at her remarks, remembering how much she had changed since she had found me. She was acting her age more and more and it seemed like she was enjoying it. I for one was glad she wasn't so serious, even if she was ten going on thirty from some of the insights she laid on me. Tran came in and lay on the couch with her head in my lap. She was still smiling as the girls went upstairs to watch a movie they had all wanted to see. "Harry, I'm sorry I laughed at you when you asked, but with all that has happened then you asking what my name was, it just struck me as funny. Here we are getting married and you don't even know the name of the woman you are marrying. If that isn't funny, I don't know what is. My maiden name was Tran Van Loi but my married name was Santiago. My husband was from a very prominent family in Portugal. His mother was Chinese also and we were part of an arranged marriage between families. My family is still very prominent there, but I haven't been back in years. I stay in touch with both families but they won't come here to visit. I haven't wanted to go back because they would try to force me into getting married to someone they picked for me. I moved here, as I told you, when the ranch closed because I fell in love with the town and the mountains around it. I was very happy until you came and then I had hope again. I am not happy about the way things started between us but I am very happy about how they are turning out since you came back. When you rescued us from those men and told me you loved me, I felt like my dreams had all come true. Harry, what happened to my little car? You never said and I am worried about it because it means so much to me." I told her where it was and then what Sandra and I had talked about. She was laughing by the time I was done telling her. "Harry, with her I sometimes wonder who is the adult because she is so smart and wise beyond her years. She and I had about a three-hour talk. She told me how she found you and I cried over all she went through. She is really a very special little girl. I know I am too old to have children but I would love to believe if we did they would be as smart as she is. I saw the picture in her room and it is beyond words. She told me she was going to do one in the room by the fireplace for you and I asked her to do one on the other side of all of us together. I hope that's ok with you, my love." "She is a hell of an artist. You ought to see some of the paintings she and her mother did together. Sean recovered most of them for her and they are all in her room. She hasn't shown any of them to me yet but if she doesn't soon, I am going to ask to see them. I would love to hang some of them up in here for everyone to see. She told me about them but I can't wait to actually lay my eyes on them. Tran, I wish we had gotten together sooner myself. Until I was gone that month I didn't realize how much I had missed you. Until Sean's wife slapped me in the hospital, I didn't realize why you did the same thing. Then it hit me and I was sorry that I wouldn't talk to you and try to work it out. Like I said before, when this is over we are going to enjoy the rest of our lives and watch the girls grow up. Now, I need to make some phone calls and take another trip to town. Maybe I will do the trip thing tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want to go upstairs and spend the rest of the day in bed?" "I do but I have waited this long for you I think I will wait until next week, so you will just have to think cold thoughts until you make an honest woman out of me." With that, she smiled at me and went to the kitchen and dammit if that little extra wiggle was there like she knew I was looking at her rear as she walked out. As she turned the corner, she looked back over her shoulder and gave me that smile and I could feel my blood pressure rising again. Man, it was going to be hard to keep my hands off her for the next few days, especially if she kept smiling at me like that. ------- Chapter 64 I was smiling to myself as I grabbed my cell. I called Charley and was told he was out. I left word for him to call me when he had a chance. I then called the motor pool and Doris answered the phone. I explained to her some of what was going on and asked her to have a talk with Jimmy. She should tell him I wanted him to stay away from the cabin until I let him know it was safe to come back around. She said she understood and would pass the word onto him. "Harry, are you going to take over the department since Mark is no longer the sheriff? Andy is running it now with Shorty's help but the commissioners are starting to get antsy, afraid that it will revert back to the way it used to be. I expect you will be getting a call in a few days about this." "I would not make a good sheriff, Doris. I can't take orders worth a damn. Besides, I don't work well behind a desk." "I figured that but I thought I would ask anyway. Oh, by the way congratulations on your upcoming marriage. You two make a good pair. Maybe she can keep you under control in your declining years. I bet the girls are having a ball with all of this. Harry, I'm sorry about Mark. I know what it's like to lose close friends." "Thanks Doris, but I need a little information if you can provide it. Who bought the casino in the gulch for the first question and have the new owners of the restaurant opened up yet?" "The casino was bought by a conglomerate of casino owners from Vegas and they hired everyone locally before they went outside. The people in the gulch are almost all working now, Harry. The restaurant is owned by an old couple from back east and they are really sweet. I think they came from Indiana or close by there. They also hired all local people, and from what I hear, they are great people to work for and they pay a fair wage. What exactly are you looking for Harry?" "I am trying to locate a bunch of Russians that have come into the area in the last couple of weeks. I have seen several in the last couple of days and wondered where they are all coming from?" "Harry, you don't lie very well do you. I haven't heard of any moving in but I will put the word out for you and see what I can find out. Hey, they are planning on selling your old unit if you're interested. The whole department has these new four wheel drive pieces of junk that we are constantly working on." "I want it, Doris. Do the paperwork on it and I will come in and pay. I want it set up so buy what you need to do it and I will pay for any charges incurred. I want lights hidden in the grill and a wig wag system put on it. Tell Jimmy to do it and I will pay all his labor. I also want winches on front and rear as well as wrap around brush guards and I also want some of that really thick screening put over the radiator area. I want the small hole diamond style cut to protect the front. Without going into much detail, I want it as safe as possible without adding too many pounds to it." "Harry, Jimmy is a whiz with that type of thing and I think I know what you have in mind. I will let him set it up for you. His Jeep has more surprises than any civilian vehicle I have ever seen. He was experimenting when he built it and he told me you could shoot it with a rifle and it would only dent the doors. He said he wanted to try some new things he read about if he ever did another one, so don't be surprised if you get more than you bargained for, Harry. He has been experimenting with some kind of ceramic spray he made. He has been really happy since Sandra got back." "Ok Doris, turn him loose on it but tell him I need it as fast as possible. My jeep is still in the state impound and I am using one of their units until they get it back to me. I tried to call Charley but he is out somewhere." "I'm surprised he hasn't called you after what happened yesterday evening." "What are you talking about? I haven't heard from anyone since I got back, other than the other night." "Butch and another Trooper stopped a large flatbed yesterday and when they walked up to it, the three inside opened up on them with automatic weapons. They were both hit several times but they had vests on. They kept them in the hospital because they both have several broken ribs. I have the truck here as I was the one who towed it after they found it abandoned and burned. The State Trooper wrecker is supposed to pick it up later today so their forensics team can go over it." "Doris, where was it found?" "Up at the old Creole mine by that survivalist camp that took over the mine several years ago. They claim they wanted to reopen the mine when they bought the property, but all they do is shoot and play some kind of war games there. Trent took me there once. He said they were all old military officers that tried to keep their old battles going so they could all feel young again. He had a lot of contempt for them, but I can tell you they bought a lot of weapons from him over the years. They shop here in town and are always very polite to all they speak to. They have all new buildings up there and they rebuilt the old place. They put all their housing underground because they said it would be easier to keep warm in the winter. Hubba ran the other camp over in the next county and let me tell you, all of those people are whackos. They think they own that whole mountain and all of them live in concrete caves like moles. I never went up there, but Hubba used to brag about how if they were ever attacked, they could stand off an Army for years, if they needed too. His pappy used to send truckloads of supplies up there every month. That went on for years until you put that animal in his grave. I would like to keep talking to you Harry, but I need to get the men back to work as they are playing poker again. They are supposed to be on lunch but it was over with fifteen minutes ago. I'll get Jimmy started on the power wagon right away." She hung up the phone, but in that short call I had gotten more information than I had asked for. She, whether she knew it or not, had been a big help, as I now had an idea where the rest of the weapons were. If they were there, we would need more help than just two Seal teams. Damn, this was going to turn out to be really messy if we had to fight our way into the camp in order to search it. "Harry wake up, your other cell is ringing. Will you answer it? It is driving me crazy." I grabbed the scrambled cell and it was Butter on the other end, informing me that they were at Nellis picking up some transportation and would be here tonight instead of tomorrow. I told him to come ahead. We would make supper when they got here as I had steaks and beer for all. He said great and hung up. I sat there for I didn't know how long, holding the cell in my hand. Tran came in and kissed me on the forehead and said lunch was ready if I was interested. I followed her to the kitchen and was greeted by two crying girls and Sandra, who had a shocked and puzzled look on her face as she watched them sob. I couldn't figure out what was going on until I saw what was on the table. Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup! Oh God, I thought, how was I going to handle this one as they both came flying to me? I went down on both knees and hugged them, letting them cry. I looked up at Sandra and Tran and mouthed, "I'll explain later." They both looked at me with puzzled expressions. I picked both girls up and went to the couch with them and sat down, holding them in my arms, feeling almost as bad as they did. "Uncle Harry, can we please live here with you since both Mom and Dad are gone?" "Honey, I don't know if you can understand this but your dad made sure you would always be with me before he died. I wouldn't ever let you stay with anyone else. Auntie Tran feels the same way and she loves you as much as I do. This is your home now, and I will take care of you both until you get married. Then you can get your own place. Now if we don't eat, I might faint from weakness and then you both will have to kiss me to wake me up." They both were half laughing and crying at me when I said that. "Uncle Harry, you can be so silly sometimes. Since I am older, I will be the one who has to kiss you and I don't think that would be much fun. I hate your mustache and it tickles when you kiss me good night." That started and argument between them about who would kiss me so I quickly kissed them both. They both started giggling, climbing down and headed for the kitchen. I breathed a big sigh of relief and followed them out and sat down. Throughout the whole meal Sandra and Tran both kept watching me. When they were through eating, I told them to go brush their teeth and Sandra would be up in a minute as I wanted to talk to her about her violin. They took off acting normal again arguing who got the toothpaste first. "Ok Harry, now will you tell us what that was all about? Sandra said as soon as the saw what was on the table they started crying." "Sandra, remember when we first went to see the cabin and they girls were teasing Mark about his glue cakes, and you asked me what they were talking about?" I watched as she thought about it and then she realized what I was talking about. She got a look of wonder on her face as she realized what had been on the table. "I'll go up and talk to them Grandpa. I should have known, but until you reminded me it completely slipped my mind." She got up and headed upstairs with Tran watching her and then she turned to me. "Now what was all of that about Harry? What are glue cakes and why would food upset them so much?" I told her the whole story about Mark not being able to cook, and he was constantly making grilled cheese sandwiches for the girls. They had nicknamed them Dad's glue cakes. She looked at me for a few minutes and started crying. "I am so sorry Harry, I didn't know. I never meant to make them cry or remind them of their dad's death. I feel so bad." I took her in my arms and she sat down in my lap still crying. I let her get it out of her system before I started talking to her again. "Tran, from what I gathered, it wasn't the food that upset them. They asked me if they could stay with us since their dad and mom were gone now. That just reminded me of my own stupidity for not telling them they would always be with us now. I could just kick myself for not setting down with them right away and allaying any fears they might have. This is just another example of what a piss poor father I will be to them. Tran, I love them all but I don't know if I am what they need as they grow up. This really worries me because I don't want them to feel like they are neglected in any way. I should be spending more time with all of them instead of out trying to help a country that has all but forgotten about their own people and how they feel." "Harry, if you feel that way, then don't do it for them. Think of all the innocents who will be on the receiving end of what those guns can do. Do it for them. As for you being a poor father to those girls, then I think you should rethink that. The girls didn't come crying to me but directly to you because you are the one they trust and they all know that you will always be there to make them feel better when they are upset. Harry, they love you like you are their father, and Sandra won't do anything without talking it over with you first. She is the anchor for all three of them and I have a feeling she will always be so. Sandra and Dana are the same age but Sandra is the mother to them and if you watch them together, you will see what I am talking about. Harry, I don't know any adult trying to raise children that doesn't make mistakes and I am sure we will make a lot of them as they grow up. That doesn't mean we are bad parents, just parents in training because I guarantee you we will be in training all of their lives. Now, you do your job, but just remember we have three days before we get married and we haven't even picked out rings yet." "I already have your ring, you snoop. As for the three days, I better sleep on the couch 'cause right now I'm so frustrated I might not be able to control myself if we keep sleeping in the same bed." "That's your choice Harry, but the couch is not very comfortable, and you're too old to be getting up in the mornings with your back bothering you. If you can't control yourself for just three days, then I have a feeling we will be having a very short honeymoon. I better make arrangements now because I don't think you will live through the first couple of hours." I quickly looked at her and she lasted about two seconds before she lost it. A couple of hours my foot! Then I began to wonder if maybe she had a point because it had been so long I didn't even know if the equipment still worked like it should. Damn, I thought, another thing to worry about. She was still laughing as I stood up and dumped her on the floor on her butt. I stretched my hand out to her. "May I help you up miss smart ass? I suggest you just keep that up because you will be the one who has to apologize after our marriage. Besides, I will make sure the team watches the girls so we will have plenty of time together to find out if your so-called arrangements will be needed." She looked up at me and lost it again and then the girls were on her laughing and tickling her. I never knew she was so ticklish, and this gave me another idea I could use to my advantage. She looked up at me again and must have seen something in my eyes as I looked at her. "Don't even think (giggle) about it Harry. If you do what you're thinking, I will get even and you know how long I carry a grudge." "Ok, everyone the team is coming early and will be here tonight, so we better make some room for them and decide where everyone is going to sleep." Sandra jumped up with a big yippee and told the girls they had some moving to do and to come with her. They all headed upstairs and I helped Tran up. When she got upright, she melted into my arms and kissed me. Well, here I go again, I was thinking as she broke the kiss. She didn't say anything but went up the steps to help the girls. I went to the kitchen and got a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, thinking about my up coming marriage, and this time to my surprise, I was looking forward to it. I sat there listening to furniture scraping the floors and doors slamming and the excited voices of the girls as they did whatever they were doing. I heard steps and Sandra came around the corner and sat in my lap. "Grandpa, will you go to the shelter and get one of those larger dome tents and sleeping bags, and a king size air mattress and a pump for it? The girls and I are going to camp in my room. We have moved all the bunk beds into the girl's rooms and set them up as singles for the team. We moved all our clothes to my room and we will camp there. The girls are really excited about setting up a tent in the room. There are six beds for the team and I think they are big enough for them." "Honey, they will think they are in the lap of luxury, just having beds to sleep in. Yes I will get all the stuff out for you. I showed the shelter to Tran so you aren't the only one besides me who knows about it. Keep the girls upstairs for a little while, while I get the stuff dug out. I will bring it up to you or I will call up and let you guys carry it up." "Thanks Grandpa." I got a kiss and she went back up the steps. I sighed and went to the shelter to get what she wanted. Hell, she must have been paying closer attention to the supplies than I was because I didn't even know there were tents in there. I went in and sure enough there were about twenty tents of various sizes. I got one out big enough for four to six people and then went looking for the air mattresses. I finally found them and got a shock at how many there were. There were at least twenty of each size, and there was even the type that had legs on them. They were called bed in a bag and there were three of each size. I grabbed the king size one and then got three of the single ones just in case. I took five of the summer sleeping bags out to the kitchen then went back and got two of the electric pumps for them. I stood and thought about anything else I might need, but from what I had already dug out, I figured I had enough for now. I closed up behind me, thinking about all the stuff in there I would probably never use. I called up to the girls and they sounded like a stampede as they came down the steps. When they saw all the stuff, I had piled in the kitchen, Dina cracked us all up with her comment. "Uncle Harry, I am not a horse and I don't think I can make that many trips, so guess what? You're elected to help us. We'll carry the sleeping bags and you can get the rest." I looked up and saw Tran was bent over, she was laughing so hard and then Sandra lost it. I just started mumbling and grabbed the heaviest object, which was the king size bed in a bag, and started for the steps while they were all laughing at me. Hell, this was their idea, I thought, as I huffed and puffed up the steps wishing the house wasn't two stories. I heard them behind me as I stopped on the first landing and they were still giggling. Tran had the tent and they all had a sleeping bag. "Come on Uncle Harry. We want to get everything set up before the team gets here and you're blocking the steps." I stuck my tongue out at her and started up again. They were all laughing again as I made the top. They all passed me, saying I better hurry because there was still plenty of stuff in the kitchen to bring up. I had news for them, the rest would be put in the front room and if it was needed, then the person needing it would have to carry it up the steps. Damn, this bed in a bag must weigh seventy pounds, I was thinking as I went into Sandra's room. I got another shock as the bunk bed was gone and the dresser was in the far corner, leaving the whole floor clear for the tent. I was laughing to myself, wondering which one of them could set up a tent. Well, I was in for a shock again as Tran had it up and ready for the bed in less than ten minutes. I was told to carry the bed into the tent and go drink my coffee as they had it all under control. They all were standing and watching me and each and every one of them had a big grin on their face as I did what I was ordered. Talk about feeling unwanted. I pretended I was pouting as I left the room and when I got out the door all of them broke out laughing. I was smiling to myself as I went back into the kitchen and sat down after warming up my coffee. ------- Chapter 65 I was still sitting in the kitchen about an hour later when I heard Dina calling my name. I went up to see if maybe by some chance they needed me for something but I was outta luck as they only called me up to proudly show me their tent and how they had set it up. I looked over at Tran and she had that little grin on her face as she watched me ooh and ahh over all that they had done. I sat down on the bed and realized it was almost as comfortable as mine. That thing must have had fifty legs under it going in all directions. It was the most stable air bed I had ever sat on. The girls were all grinning at me and I could see from their faces they were all very proud of their little campsite. I got up and went to the door and as I went out I turned around. "I think when we go camping in the near future I am going to let you girls set up the campsite. I have never seen a neater place to stay. I think you will all be very comfortable sleeping in the tent while the team is here. All of you remember they will be in charge of your safety, so do as they say, even if you don't like what they tell you to do." "We will, we promise!" They all three shouted out to me. I just smiled and went back to the kitchen where my cell was ringing. It was Charley and he brought me up to date on all that had happened. I told him what I had found out and he insisted that his special unit team be included in any raids looking for the weapons. I told him that would be ok with me but they would have to be directly under the Seal Team Leader's orders and they would be in a lot of danger the whole time. I went on to tell him that if any of the men were married, then they were out because I had enough widows to think about without adding more to my list. He agreed, saying that ninety percent of them were single and that they were all ex-military of all branches. He hung up saying he would put them on alert and to just call when I was ready for them. I didn't tell him where we would be raiding because that was on a need to know basis and I hadn't picked the places yet. I knew I was going to have to sit down with Preacher and decide real soon. I called the Director and brought him up to date and was told the President had put the Special Ops teams from all the bases under my control till the weapons were found so I would have experienced men to handle the raids. When I told him what I had promised the State Police Commander, the Director said he wanted a complete list of Charley's manpower so he would have the final approval of who we would use. I knew he wanted to run a quick background check on them since this was classified. I told him I would have Charley fax it to him if he gave me a number to fax it to. He did and I wrote it down with him saying they had found the AWOL Colonel with his throat slit outside Reno about three hours ago. We talked about a few other details before he hung up, saying he had another call. I called Charley back and gave him the news and explained the reason I thought was behind it. He said he would get it sent out within the next ten minutes. He thanked me profusely several times for getting them included, and I finally got a little pissed. "Charley, don't thank me because they may not live through the raids and I, for one, am glad that I don't have to pick them and have that on my conscience. Think about what you're saying, my friend, and what it means when you have to make the family calls when you lose some of them. I have had to do it and I wished to God I never had to." "I'm sorry Harry. I know what you're saying, but these men have been training for this for years and were never called on. For some reason, we were never needed. I know I am being overly enthusiastic, but I am so proud of all of them. Believe me I know what I will have to face, but I want them to have their chance and thanks to you, they finally will. Harry, I know you don't know them but they are some of the best I have ever seen in urban fighting." "Ok Charley, but just remember what I said. You may be condemning some of them to their deaths." He went on saying he would get the list sent out and that I would be as proud of them as he was and I just sighed. He hung up and I called Preacher. He tried to go off on me over this morning but I cut him off, saying I would be there tomorrow and I thought I knew where the weapons were. He said fine, but he was going to have a private one on one talk with me before I left tomorrow. I waited a minute before I spoke, knowing what he was saying, and now I was mad. "Preacher, I ain't no kid anymore and though I know I can take you, I am not going to go through all that macho bullshit. I will tell you right now I will shoot you in the leg and leave you for the medics. I am responsible for my family, not you, and these little soldier games don't work with me anymore. Do you fully understand me?" He didn't answer me for about three minutes. When he did, I was ready for more shit but I didn't get it. "I'm sorry Harry, but in all the years we have known each other, we have never let each other down. I did this morning, and I could have gotten one of the girls killed. You don't know how much this is eating at me. I let you down in the worst way." "Preacher, I am not holding a grudge but you have the soldier mind set. Until you finally find someone that means more than your own life, you will never change the way you think and do things. I have been the same way all my life, but since Sandra came along I have changed, and even I didn't know how much until they were in danger. They are uppermost in my mind, not you or your team or the Director or anyone else. I will do what needs to be done but they will always come first." "I understand Harry and I think maybe you're right. I will follow orders from this point on and I promise you my men will cover your back so you can go back to the girls when this is all over. Besides, the Director told me if I didn't do as I was ordered, I would be taking early retirement when this was over." I busted out in a laugh and he told me he was too young to retire and he wanted to stay in as long as he could. He swore and declared he didn't know what he would do as a civilian, anyways. We both got a laugh and I told him I would be there tomorrow as soon as I could. I would get Team Three squared away tonight when they got here. We hung up with him saying he would see me tomorrow. Tran had come in and got some tea and caught the tail end of our conversation. She just smiled at me as she sat down and waited for me to finish. "Harry, are you sure Sandra wasn't some kind of military genius in a former life or something? I can't believe she knows so much about strategy and this type of thing. She is up there with a pencil showing the girls where the team will be taking up stations outside and how they will be set up with overlapping fields of fire. What is she talking about? Harry she is ten and already acts like she has been in a war or something." I started to laugh, but the serious look on her face squelched the laughter. I was trying to think of how to answer her when I saw movement outside. I held my finger over my lips in the sign of silence and drew the fifty. I motioned her to the floor and went to the front room for a better look. When I saw what had caught my eye, I called her in and we watched as three Bradleys pulled up in front of the cabin. It was Team Three and they were an hour or so early. I waited until I saw Butter climb out then opened the door to greet him. I was standing on the porch when Sandra went flying by me and jumped from the porch right into his arms. He went down and then the whole team was out with a defensive perimeter up and covering them. The ones who were free came over and pulled them both up off the ground, making fun of him for being put down by the chief that easy. He had a smile from ear to ear as he carried her into the house. She introduced him to Dina and Dana, saying they were her new sisters. He went to one knee and shook hands with both of them with that big smile still on his face. I finally got them settled down, telling him the chief would show the team their quarters. He looked at me in surprise before saying anything to me. "That's why the extra Bradley, Harry. We brought portable sleeping units to set up to stay in." I started to tell him about the sleeping arrangements but Sandra went off on him. "Butter, you and our team sleep in the house with the rest of us. I have your quarters already set up, and there is extra room and beds ready for the two extra men you brought along. I don't want to hear about the team sleeping outside again." "Ok Chief, even your superior officer knows when he is out ranked." He went back outside and gave the team their orders. They all cheered the chief, saying it's about time they were treated like they were human. They all went trooping up the steps, carrying their sea bags with Sandra leading. I heard one at the rear asking the chief where the cold ones were and she smartly told him there were plenty, but they wouldn't get any booze until they were squared away. They all just laughed at the one who asked, saying he better listen to the chief as she out ranked him. I turned around and Tran was standing there, looking up the steps with her mouth hanging open. She closed it and turned to me. "See what I mean Harry?" I lost it and sat down on the couch, laughing my head off at her expression. Dina and Dana climbed in my lap and just hugged me tight, then Dana spoke up with her thoughts on the matter, talking to Tran. "Auntie Tran, she is a Seal now and she told us she was a chief, whatever that is. I didn't know that there were chiefs in non Indian tribes. I didn't see any Indians among those men, and they weren't dressed like my picture books." She looked at Dana and then at me before throwing her hands in the air and walking toward the kitchen. Her parting comment made us all laugh. "You're all crazy. I can't believe I am marrying into this insanity. Chief ten year olds, and an old man who thinks he is twenty again, and two beautiful girls who encourage him by agreeing to whatever he says. I just can't win." Both of the girls looked at me, and then busted up giggling. They went on for about five minutes before Dina said something to Dana that I almost missed. "I don't know if she will survive us or not, Dana. I sometimes wonder how normal we all are too. This has to be the weirdest family I have ever seen, but I love all of us." I just hugged them to me with tears in my eyes, wondering how one man could be so blessed. "Uncle Harry, maybe you better go and give her a kiss and tickle her with your mustache. I think she needs it right now." They were both giggling as they climbed down and grabbed my hands pulling me up. I went to the kitchen and Tran was there, looking out the window with tears in her eyes. I went up behind her and hugged her to me and she turned around with a smile and tears in her eyes. "God, I love all of you Harry." I kissed her and heard the giggles and lost it myself, almost laughing into Tran's mouth before I could pull back. I hugged her, telling her of my instructions from the girls. Then she took off after them and caught them both, and they went into one of their tickling contests. I just stood and watched, as did Butter who had come back in. He had a big grin on his face as he watched them. He walked over to my side still smiling at them as he did. "Harry, you have a great family don't you? I have never seen so much happiness in one house before. Harry, George Atkins, the sailor with the violin came with us because he gets out tomorrow and he has adopted Sandra. He has done nothing but talk and brag about how she reminds him of his daughter and how well she can play. I tried to refuse him but he told me he would catch a hop out on his own if he couldn't come with us. I decided I would team him up with you for a few days so you can see he is harmless." "Butter, I have to meet with Team Two tomorrow and then go to town, so it will give me a chance to get to know him a little. I just hope in his grief he isn't transferring his love to her in the wrong way. I won't put up with that and Sandra doesn't need it either." "I don't think that's it, Harry. I think she is just someone he has come to admire since that night on the base when she played. He really wants to learn to play and he wants to learn from her for some reason. He said she was so gifted and he would learn from the best, even if it killed him. He's a good man Harry. I have known him for almost ten years and he has been one of the most dependable men I have ever met. When he lost his family, he didn't give up but threw himself into his work. He spent hours on that violin, telling me he promised his daughter that he would play for her when he got good enough. When he heard Sandra play, he finally broke down and we talked for hours. That night was the first time in three years he ever told me about what happened the night he lost them. It tore me apart listening to the hurt and grief in his voice as he told me. Form your own opinion, but I think you will not doubt him when you get to know him a little." I had started to say something else when Sandra and the team came down the stairs with one of the men yelling at Butter that they were all squared away and the chief was satisfied. She was going to show them where the beer was at and then we would all sit down and she would brief them. I looked at Sandra and she gave me a big cheesy grin and winked at me. I dropped my head, smiling at her at how easily she was handling these battle hardened veterans. Butter just snorted in disgust that she was leading his team around by their noses. "Harry, if she keeps this up I am going to fire all of them." I laughed and just sat down as Tran went to the kitchen and started handing out beer to the team, getting a thank you ma'am from all of them. She had a disgusted look on her face and I knew she hated that word, but she just smiled at all of them. When they were through, she brought one to Butter and me and we all sat down. I made a head motion to Sandra to go upstairs and although she wanted to stay, she told the girls to grab some Pepsis and the chips so the adults could talk. I got another dirty look from her as she went up the stairs and I winked at her and got that smile I loved so much. I waited until they were all settled before I started talking. "Gentlemen, and I use the word loosely, the lady sitting next to me is Tran, and we are to be married in two days in Vegas. I waited for the congrats and wise cracks to settle before I went on. I am depending on you to look out for our safety while we are in Vegas and here at the cabin. I hate to say it, but Team Two let us down badly yesterday and once before. I chose all of you for this because Sandra is one of you and I know how much all of you think of her. The other two little girls are Dina, the youngest, and Dana who is the same age as the chief. I know all of you would rather go on some of the raids we will be making, but this is more important to me and Tran. I know you are thinking this will be boring, but I have already had to take down five of them who would have killed me or any one of the women to get at me. This will not be easy so don't get lax. Butter will bring you up to speed in a little while, after I talk to him. I leaned forward and looked at each of them directly in the eye before saying; this is my family and if you have adopted Sandra like you say, then it is yours too. Nuff said, now let's drink our beer and get acquainted." I sat and listened to some of the off the wall comments and then Butter spoke up, addressing them briefly. "The chief is one of us and her and her family's safety is now up to us. As Harry said, we will not get lax or let any of them come to harm in any way. Security at Vegas may be a problem but we will handle it. I will go over the property here with Harry. We will also be responsible for Agent Hadley when he arrives in a few days. Most of you have already been at the other cabin so you know the layout there. We will, I repeat, we will not let any harm come to any of them in any way while they are under our protection. All of you except George have taken the Secret Service training school, so you already know what to do. Now enjoy your beer because they will be limited to two each a day." He got the normal groans and bitches, but I could see it was all put on. I looked over at Tran and she had that little smile on her face as she took it all in. I got up and went to the kitchen, leaving Tran to answer the questions I knew the team would be asking her. I got another beer and started thinking about all that Doris had told me while I was on the phone with her. If that camp that Hubba had run was like she said, I would need some specialized equipment that I hoped the President would ok for urban use. ------- Chapter 66 I was sitting at the kitchen table sipping my beer, listening to the team talking to Tran. They were asking her if she had any sisters as beautiful as she was and the usual carrying on with single men. She was laughing and giving it right back to them when Butter skipped into the kitchen, sitting down across from me. I knew he wanted to talk and to get my take on it all so I started out by showing him the camera system and the little non lethal traps I had and where they were located. He laughed and asked me if I had always been so paranoid. I told him about the former owner of the cabin and the glass in the cabin and he just whistled as he heard me out. "Damn Harry, you sure have a lot of safeguards for someone who lives so far from town. This place is almost set up like the sinkhole. Now, what was all that about this morning? I was watching Tran's face and I could tell she was worried." I told him about my little hunting trip and how the other team had missed them coming in and about the mole that they had found. I told him not to take any chances because these people would not hesitate to kill one of his men if they thought they could get to me. I unrolled the aerial map Abe had given me and we went over the area from the bird's eye view of the map. He was looking at several of the weak spots I already knew about when he asked me a question that threw me a little. "Harry, how important is this wedding to you and Tran? I am worried about security in the hotel and taking care of the girls. I want to make sure there are no weak spots for someone to get in." "I have already rented the double penthouse and there is only one elevator up to it by a special key card that is issued the day we arrive. My friend is head of security there and he will shut down all cameras on that floor and have his people guarding the elevator. None of them will be allowed to come up for any reason. I have already told him if anyone other than my party steps off that elevator then he better call the coroner because they will be immediately shot. There will be no room service or maid service as long as we decide to stay. Tran doesn't know it but she is the principal owner of the casino. They will not do anything to anger their boss, and they are used to big wigs with their own security. There are cooking facilities with completely stocked kitchens in both penthouses. They will be stocked the day we are to arrive with all fresh food my friend's wife will buy personally. Tran is their kid's godmother and she will be in the wedding party along with my friend. He was a member of my team in Nam, the same as Preacher was. I think I have pretty well covered the bases on that, Butter. This is the weak spot with all the woods and a public campground at the edge of my property. I showed it to him on the map telling him the rest of the mountain and a lot of the other areas belonged to Tran." "Ok Harry, you seem to have it well in hand. I will be splitting the team when we go to Vegas because I need to leave men at the other house. I know you have a lot riding on your shoulders right now but do you think I might be able to use a couple of Team Two to help at the other house? I know they let you down by your way of thinking, but I know all of them and they are good, Harry. As much as I hate to admit it, they may be even better than my own team. They all have been together and executing missions successfully for six years with Preacher leading them the whole time. Harry, he is almost as old as you and tough as old leather." "Butter, I know more about Preacher than you could ever imagine, since we served together for almost three tours. Hell, I was the one who trained him. I will leave that decision to you because you're in charge as of now unless I see something that I think needs changed. I am going to be doing some running around tomorrow and I will take George with me so I can get to know him a little better. Like I told you before, I will reserve judgment until I am satisfied. I suggest you tell him I will be asking some direct questions and he better answer or he is out of here." "No problem Harry, I warned him before we came out here, and he said you could ask anything. I think I will ask for a couple of Team Two to help my guys who are staying behind. I will have them work the other house since my guys are already set up with quarters here, thanks to the chief. God, did you see the way she led those men around like they were putty in her hands? Come to think of it, I was too! This is disgusting!" I lost it and he was smiling the whole time he said it, so I knew he was happy she was here to do it to his men. I would never forget the look on his face when she jumped into his arms from the porch. I knew then he loved her as much as his men did, whether he complained or not. I got up, telling him I was going to get supper ready as everyone was probably starving. He said George was a good cook and if I needed help he would send him in. I thought about it for a minute before I refused, saying I didn't want to divulge my secret recipes to anyone. He just gave me that look before going back into the front room. I called the girls down, telling them to get the extra leaves for the table and the folding chairs out while I got busy. We got the leaves in and the girls got the table all set up then went into the front room to get better acquainted with the team. I was busy making corn bread when Tran came into the kitchen. I put the cornbread into the oven and she came over to me and kissed me. "Harry, I don't want to appear crude, but those men need to be laid and soon." I dropped the pan of green beans on the floor from the shock of her statement. She was laughing her butt off as she helped me clean the mess up. Since I was now out of green beans I got out the corn. She opened the cans as I recovered from the shock. I was trying to think of some kind of comeback but for the life of me I was tongue tied and just drew a blank as to what to say to her. I knew she was right but it still didn't help me any when it came to having to think about her statement. I decided to just keep my mouth, shut hoping she would forget about it. Boy was I wrong on that point. She was like a bulldog, as I found out in a few more minutes. "Harry, did you hear what I said?" "Well since half of our supper went on the floor how could I not hear you?" "Well what are you going to do about it?" I turned around to look at her and she had that smirk on her face again. Oh hell, I thought, how was I going to answer this one? I didn't know any women to send them to since the only place I ever went to was the ranch, but that was almost twenty years ago. I knew she had something on her mind, but I'll be damned if I was going to step into that one so I didn't say anything. I figured if I kept quiet she would tell me what she was thinking. It took about ten minutes of her giving me dirty looks, but she finally got around to telling me what she was thinking. "Why don't you set it up with Butter and let half of them go to the gulch for the night? Tomorrow the rest could go since we will still be here. It's the least we can do for them since they are giving up their leaves to guard us." "If I didn't know better, I would think you had an ulterior motive for even suggesting this. How do you think I am supposed to suggest this to Butter? Better yet since it was your idea, I will let you do it." "Harry Hanson, if you think I would stoop so low as to suggest something like that, then you are right. I think it will be fun to see the expressions on their faces when I do it." I almost dropped the platter of steaks I was taking to the table. She let out a giggle and twitched her way to the front room, telling me to hurry up with supper because she was hungry. I just stood with the platter in my hands watching her as she walked away. I set it on the table still in shock at her. Then I started to remember how bawdy she used to be at the ranch and started chuckling to myself, knowing she was going to do it. I couldn't wait to see the looks on the men's faces when she did. Damn, I had picked a hell of a woman, I was thinking to myself as I called them all into supper. Sandra sat at the other end of the table with the team and Tran sat next to me, rubbing my leg throughout dinner. The two girls knew something was going on but they couldn't figure out what. They kept watching us all through dinner. I watched as the team demolished everything I had cooked and the five cherry cheese cakes I set down. With this bunch, there wouldn't be any leftovers to store. When everyone was done, all the girls cleaned up the kitchen and the table while the team grabbed another beer and went into the front room. We all sat around and shot the bull. I noticed the girls were yawning so I sent them to brush their teeth and wash up for bed. They gave half-hearted objections but I knew they wanted to go camp in their tent so I went ahead and pushed it. I waited for about ten minutes and went up to tuck them in and had to unzip the entrance to go into the tent. They were all sound asleep with room to spare on the big air mattress. I went to my room and got the digital camera and took several shots for our own album. I was smiling when I headed back downstairs and froze on the steps just looking at the shocked looks on the team's faces. "Butter, sorry if I shocked all of you but you guys are giving up your normal play time for us so that's what you need to do. We are all adults here and the women in the gulch are all clean. Nevada law makes them get regular checkups and I heard there are several new girls working there that came out from Vegas when the new owners bought the place. I will call and give them my credit card number and whatever you want will be on me. That goes for all of you." "Tran, I don't think I want Harry pissed at me or my men. I really don't think you know just how dangerous he can really be if he gets mad. I got a complete briefing on him from Preacher and I have seen some of his records from his previous service." "Harry and I had a coin toss in the kitchen and I lost. Look Butter, we both have the money so we want to do this for the team. Just make sure the girls never know about it, because I know Sandra would never forgive either one of us if she found out. Now you guys decide who is going and I will call ahead and make all the arrangements. Think about it men, free women and drinks at no charge to you. How many times have you ever had an offer like that?" I sat down on the landing and just waited to see what they would decide. I was sitting in the dark so they couldn't see me, and it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud at the expressions on some of their faces. Tran was speaking on her cell and I had a sudden hunch she was part of the bunch from Vegas who had bought the casino. For all her manners and the way she carried herself, I knew at that point she was a very astute business woman. Didn't know her own worth? Yea right, I was thinking. I would be willing to bet she ok'd every move that she put her money in and how much to invest. I was seeing another side of her that I had to admit made me proud she wasn't the half-assed air head she tried to be. When we went to Vegas we were going to have to sit down and clear the air between us. I didn't want her to play a part she felt she had to, just to keep me from knowing just how smart she was. I didn't feel intimidated by her business acumen and I was glad she was on top of all her business dealings. She came back over to the men and sat down next to Butter. "Ok, it's all arranged. Now you can have some fun and the tips are up to you to take care of. The casino is called the Nugget and they are expecting you when you get there." She gave them directions and I watched as they tried to figure out a way to decide who was going tonight. Butter finally decided for them when they kept arguing back and forth. He assigned all of them except himself and George to go tonight. He said that he didn't feel there was much risk in having them go tonight so they should get it over with so they could concentrate on their jobs after they got back in the morning. They all practically ran out the door heading for one of the Bradleys. Butter just sat back and smiled as they all piled in, then he closed the front door and locked it. I was watching Tran as she was looking at George, a little puzzled because he hadn't gone with the men. I knew she was going to ask so I just sat and waited to hear what he would say. "How come you didn't go, George?" "I appreciate the offer ma'am but I haven't had a drink for three years. I used to tie one on with the men and my Mrs. always understood and thought my hangovers were funny. When my family was killed by a big truck that ran a light, I swore I would never drink again. I promised my oldest I would learn to play that old violin my father gave her so I could play for her after I did. The night Sandra came to the base was the anniversary of their deaths and I still hadn't learned to play it very well, but I kept driving everyone nuts trying to learn. When that little angel picked it up and I heard her play, it was the answer to my prayers. I have been in this man's service for twenty-five years and when this mission is over I will retire. I came out here to ask her if she would find it in her heart to teach me how to play. You see, I have a promise to complete before I pass on. She is so good I want her to teach me to at least play it good enough so my daughter can hear it as she sleeps. No ma'am, I will stay right here and ensure she is safe so I can ask her if she will teach me how to play. If she decides to teach me, I will go back to North Carolina and play for my little girl and then my life is done. I don't know what I will do after that but I am sure the Lord will guide me as I stumble through the rest of my life. That little girl of yours has more love in her fingertips than fifty percent of adults I have met." "I'm sorry George, and I am sure she would feel honored to teach you. I am sure Jimmy will help too. Those two play together better than any I have ever heard, and when they do, you can hear the angels singing along from on high if you listen hard enough. You are in for a real treat the first time you hear them both together. I'm sorry I brought up bad memories for you." "Not bad memories ma'am, just a deep sadness. The night she played was the first time I ever cried over their loss. I sat there on my bunk holding that old violin wondering how something so old and used could produce such beautiful sounds. She helped start me healing which I never thought would happen. I was so bitter and so frustrated I couldn't find anyone who would give me lessons. I almost smashed it a couple of times. Then she came and it all seemed so right that I waited and kept it all these years. It's the only reminder I have of them and it means a lot to me. I never went back to our home so all I have of them is some old pictures, my memories, and that old violin. I remember my girl's face when I gave it to her and she started taking lessons. She took that ole thing everywhere and wouldn't let anyone touch it. It was the only thing in the car that wasn't smashed according to the police. No ma'am, I am not gonna let her out of my sight, and I swear to you and your man she will be safe as long as I am alive." He got up and headed for the steps so I went down to the front room. He passed me on the steps and nodded as he went by me. I knew then that what Butter had told me was right on, and I wouldn't have to worry about him around Sandra. That kind of pain and sadness in a man's voice couldn't be faked, no matter how good an actor the person is. I had the advantage that I had heard it before in my own voice, when I lost my wife and two daughters all those years ago. "Hey Butter, where did the team go so fast?" He looked at me in shock then at Tran who was smiling at me. I was going to keep him guessing a little longer but Tran put the kibosh to that with her answer. "Harry Hanson, I know what you are doing, and unless you want to sleep in the team room tonight, I suggest you quit teasing him right now. I told you I would take care of them and I did, so just drop it before you get on my bad side." I kissed her on the cheek as I sat down laughing at her mock anger. "How come you didn't go with them, Butter?" "I have a fiancé at home, and I have never cheated on her yet and I won't start now. I will be promoted to Lt. Commander in three months and be out of the Seal teams then. We will be getting married and will live wherever they assign me after my promotion. I want to have a traditional wedding at Annapolis where I graduated from. We have been together since junior high school and we both have been looking forward to this for many years." "Well if you want, you can turn in. The alarm for the inside I will set when we go to bed and the cameras are all on audible, so if one goes off you will hear the loud beeping all over the house. There is a station on the second floor that I already showed you so you will know where to reset it if it goes off." He told us both goodnight and went upstairs to bed. He barely got out of sight when Tran started cracking up. I looked at her and she was laughing like crazy so I waited to see what this was all about. "Oh Harry, I haven't shocked so many people since I was at the ranch. You should have seen them when I said I was going to send them to a whorehouse for the night. I have never seen so many red faces in my life. They are like little boys trying to act grown up. I am glad you let me do it now. Let's go to bed because I have a feeling I will be making coffee most of the morning tomorrow." I set the alarms and had to endure a half hour of kisses that left me wide-awake, but she went right to sleep. I was glad I only had one more day of this torture. ------- Chapter 67 I woke up the next morning with a sinus headache, the first one I had in years. I went in and dug through my shaving kit 'till I found the medicine I always kept on hand. I took two and got in the shower and then I cut myself shaving. I sure hoped the men who went to the gulch last night were doing better than I was this morning. I went down to the kitchen and got the coffee going and started the extra pot. Hmm, I thought Tran said she would be making the coffee this morning but she was still sleeping. I looked up at the clock and realized it was only a little past five in the morning. No wonder they were all still asleep. I was sitting there thinking about the subjects I was going to go over in the briefing this morning when my personal cell rang. I went into the front room and picked it up off the charger and answered it. A voice on the other end sounding like they were trying to disguise their speech patterns started talking. I hit the external recorder when he did. "Ve vant you to queet looking for our veapons. If you do not ve vill have to start shootzing your family and friends. Ve vill take zem away within ze veek. Zen you not have anyting to look for." "Don't hang up, just listen! I am not the one who is doing the looking, but Homeland Security is and they won't give up till they find the weapons. I had no interest in it all until your men tried to kill me and threatened my family. To me this is a personal affront, so you need to know I am actively searching for the rest of you. I will shoot every one of you until I find the one who gave the orders to hit me and my family. If you want the number for the Director of Homeland Security, I will give it to you so you can call him. Or you can have your boss meet me one on one and apologize for threatening my family then I am out of it. Your choice to make, but I suggest you do what I ask or find a hole." "I vill tell vhat you say. I do vant that number, zen I can talk to your boss instead of you." I gave him the number and the whole time I was smiling to myself. As soon as he had the number he hung up again, reminding me he would pass on what I had asked. I turned the recorder off and went back to the kitchen still smiling. Maybe I would be able to get a chance to cut the head off the snake after all. The number I had given him was a cutout and would immediately go to the Director, but there would be four or five agencies tracing the call. I already had a hunch where the call had come from, but I would reserve judgment till after I met with Preacher this morning. I would head to the next county where the camp was and have a talk with the sheriff there and get his outlook on the camp and its inhabitants. Then I would go to the shop and pay for the unit Doris was holding for me. I was still planning on taking George with me because he would be a good back up if I needed it. I also knew that it was highly improbable that the boss himself would meet with me but I would still be able to cut some more of them down, even if it was just the soldiers of their bunch. After the other day and what I had seen, I had made up my mind that I would put them down like they had rabies, because they had done the unpardonable to me. They had threatened harm to the ones I loved most, and nobody did that and got away with it as long as I could draw a breath. Butter came in looking for coffee and sat down, saying the men were supposed to be back by 09:00 and they better not be late or they would be running all morning, hangovers or not. I told Butter about the call and he almost choked on his coffee when I told him about me trying to set a one on one with their boss. He listened to the recording and when we sat down he lit into me like I was one of his men. "Harry, are you nuts? They will shoot you down like a dog the moment they lay eyes on you. That has to be the one stupidest thing I have ever heard." I let him stew while I poured another coffee before I said anything. "Butter, reel it in 'cause I am not an amateur nor am I one of your men. These bastards threatened my family so I'll tell you the same as I told the Director. I will take them out as I find them without any regret. I have an executive order and can handle it as I wish. They started this and I will finish it, even if I have to take the whole bunch out. I don't need your protection. You're assigned to my family, not me. I am going to the briefing with Preacher this morning, and then I am going to the next county and have a little talk with the sheriff there. He is the one we will have to deal with if those weapons are in his county, which I think they are. At least some of them are, but I think I have figured out where the rest are and it is going to cause some very red faces when it's found out. Sean will be here some time today and he can brief you a little better on all the bodies we found when we first started this. By the way, all the plutonium slugs have been accounted for so it is just the weapons we have to recover." "Dammit Harry, I have come to like you and your family so don't you go and do anything stupid. George is going with you today whether you want him or not. He is one of the best pistol shots I have ever known, and he has a carry permit like the rest of us do. I know what the chief can do, and if you taught her then I can just imagine how good you are with any kind of weapon. According to Preacher, you haven't lost your touch." "I had planned on taking George, but maybe I will go alone on this trip because if I find what I think I will, I don't want the extra set of eyes. Butter, I want them to come after me this time because once the Teams start to observe them, then they will stay in hiding and I won't get another chance to draw them out. They are watching the cabin, on that you can bet. They have just learned to do it from a distance, and I think I know where they are set up. When I leave the briefing, I am going to take their little nest out. I just need to know the family is safe so I can concentrate on what I am doing without any distractions." "Harry, your family will be safe as long as I am in command here. I have already called Preacher and he has several men at the other cabin. When Sean arrives, I will meet him and do the introductions. Do you know what kind of alarm system they have over there?" "I have no idea but Tran will fill you in, since she set it all up. You can bet it is state of the art because she uses top of the line equipment for whatever she is in charge of. Don't ever underestimate her, Butter. She can be as hard as concrete if she has to be." "When your men get here have your demo man check over my unit to make sure there are no surprises for me. I haven't used it for a couple of days and I don't know if they had time to plant anything on or in it." I got up before he could answer and made another pot of coffee since his team was about due. I started breakfast because I heard the girls in the bathroom. Tran and George came in and grabbed a coffee and sat down. Butter was talking to her about the alarm system at the other house while I made breakfast for all of us. I decided I would make French toast and bacon for the girls since they hadn't had it for a while. I ended up frying six pounds of bacon and made three loaves of bread into French toast and put it in the oven to keep warm. I watched as the girls and the rest ate 'till they were full. Tran got up and made another pot of coffee and I went to the front room to get away from all the chatter. It was 08:59 when the Bradley stopped in front of the cabin and the men started piling out. To my surprise they all looked reasonably sober except for one and the others were helping hold him up. I opened the door and was greeted with a cheery hello from most of them. They headed for the kitchen when one said it smelled like breakfast was ready. I just smiled to myself as I heard Butter chewing them out for not making sure they all were able to walk. I just shut them out because it brought back a lot of memories from my past. I was sitting in the chair thinking about my upcoming marriage when two little wiggle worms climbed into my lap. I got a kiss and a thank you for the great breakfast from both of them. "Uncle Harry, when are we leaving for this Vegas where you and Auntie Tran are getting married?" "Tomorrow morning sweethearts, why?" "We were just wondering because we are bored to death. We both are tired of watching movies and not being able to play with Sandra. She spends all her time with those Indians." "Honey, you all will be together for years and she will only get to visit with them while they are here. I know you're bored and I thank both of you for making the best of the situation. I will talk to Sandra and make it clear she needs to split her time a little better. Why don't you ask her to give you both some guitar lessons today? I think she will if you ask her. Better yet, before I leave, I will ask her if you two want me to." "That would be great, Uncle Harry. We do have a movie we want to watch that Sandra didn't like because she said it was too much of a kid's movie. We will go up and watch it now and she can come up when it's over and give us our lessons." They gave me another kiss and hug and went up the steps. The news about Sandra's attitude bothered me so I called for her to come into the front room. Tran was following her and I told her I wanted to have a private conversation with Sandra for a few minutes. Tran just smiled and went back to the kitchen and Sandra came over and climbed into my lap. "What's wrong Grandpa?" "Sandra, I think you need to break up your time a little between the Team and the girls. They are feeling totally left out. Sandra, I love you but I need to remind you that you are not an adult, and those two little ones depend on you and consider you their big sister. You went through a lot finding me and it has made you grow up faster than you should have. They have always been protected by their father and everyone around them. They lost both parents almost in the same week and they are still afraid of their surroundings and the living situation they are in. You have been there for them and they have come to depend on you almost as much as I have. I know it doesn't seem fair to you but you are so smart and you have a unique look on things I have come to depend on. They feel the same way and they are scared of what will happen to them after Tran and I get married. Honey, I know you're proud to be adopted into the Team but the girls are your team too and you are their leader. Without Butter and the rest, the members of our family are our own team, and we always help each other as we grow and become one with each other. Take some time for them too, honey. I know you are hesitant about having a ready-made family and are still adjusting yourself, and that's my fault. I am sorry I threw you into all of this so fast but those two and Tran love you and want to be your family as much as I want us all to be. Please think about what I have told you and remember, I love you and always will." She sat turned looking at me and I saw tears starting to come out of the corners of her eyes and she just hugged me, crying on my shoulder. She wasn't sobbing but just crying, and I didn't know why because I had tried to be up front with what I had told her, but I had a deep suspicion she was crying because something I had said touched a nerve. She leaned back and wiped her face and sniffed before she spoke. "Grandpa, they are my family now and I think of them as my sisters. I feel bad that I have been ignoring them when they are more important to me than anything else. I have come to love them both and I promise from now on it will never happen again. I will go up and talk to them and maybe give them a guitar or Spanish lesson. Thank you for telling me in such a sweet way, Grandpa. I know you love them both too and you worry a lot about us. I promise I will always be there to help all I can so you don't have to worry so much about all of us. Tran told me you signed the papers and adopted all three of us and believe it or not, I am very happy for you and Tran. She loves you almost as much as I do and I think the girls will always think of you as their Uncle Harry. One other thing I think you should know before you get in trouble. Dina is a year older than Dana and we both are the same age and our birthdays are just two days apart. Guess what else?" "Ok I give up, what else?" "They are less than two months away and Dana will be nine a month after that. I think you better think of some good gifts for all of us because we all want to celebrate at the same time." With that I got a sloppy kiss and she gave me that cheesy grin and went up the steps. Oh God, now I had something else to worry about. Hey! What did she mean by good gifts, I was thinking when Tran came back in followed by one of the team. "Mr. Hanson, Butter said I was to check out your unit for any possible surprises. Can I have the keys so I can get in it and go through the inside, just in case?" I threw them to him and almost missed as Tran sat down in my lap. "Ok Harry, what was Sandra crying about? I know you said something to upset her and I want to know what it was." I told her word for word what was said and she just looked at me in shock, then she smiled at me and gave me one of those kisses that curled my toes. "See, I told you that you would make a good father to them. The girls came straight to you again when they had problems. Harry, they all love you so much and to them you are their hero. Sandra will always be there to help you like she said, but she will always stick up for them, even if it makes you mad sometimes. They will be the three musketeers as they grow older. I am glad you told me about their birthdays and I already know what I am getting them, so I guess you will be on your own as I won't share with you, my sweetheart." She got off my lap and kissed me again and then started laughing as she went up the steps. I didn't think it was funny because I had no idea what I could get the girls, and hadn't bought anything like that for so many years I had no idea what kids even wanted these days. Damn, I needed to talk to someone that had kids the same age to find out what to get them. I went up the steps and into my room, putting on the shoulder holsters and the fifty with the vest covering the shoulder holsters. I grabbed the scrambled cell and my ID and went back downstairs, just in time to have my keys tossed at me with the word that my unit was clean. I reached above his head and got the sixteen and five mags I had hid there. He looked at me with wide eyes saying he had looked for hidden weapons and places to hide their extras, but that he had never dreamed the mantle above the door was deep enough to hide anything in. I just smiled and said there was a forty-five with extra mags up there too. I grabbed my binoculars from the end table and went out the door to have my meeting and go hunting again. Instead of taking the road, I went down the hill to the gate on the campground side. I unlocked it and went through that way to the chemical plant. I went through the campground but it seemed to be deserted. I pulled up to the gate and showed my ID and was told I was expected and knew where to go since I had been there before. I drove in the muddy area between the buildings and could see men in full hazmat suits loading barrels of stuff into army trucks. I didn't want to think about what was in them as I pulled up to the old steps, locked my unit and went inside. Preacher was waiting on me and handed me a coffee and then led me to another room with guards on the outside. We went in and he had all the files laid out with a bunch of pictures of both camps on them. I could tell they were satellite pictures because they were from a high altitude. Looking at the pictures I could tell which camp was which immediately because one was pristine and the other looked like the city dump on one side of it. That had to be the one Hubba ran because of what Doris had told me. "Harry, I talked to the Director this morning and he personally knows the owner of the military camp that is so clean. He said he has been there several times and it is run by a retired Admiral. He said he would call him today and we would be given carte blanche to look at anything we wanted too. He also faxed me a list of the sixteens that are still missing from several bases and if we found them there, they would be reimbursed for what they paid for them. This other camp is the enigma because with all the passes that have been made over it, we haven't seen one person outside. I have an Air Force drone up above it as we speak, mapping the whole place. We will keep it there as long as we need it." "Preacher, you probably won't see them as they are all woodsmen and hunters. According to the Intel I have, they all live in concrete caves like moles. I don't think anyone knows how many of them are up there for sure. You will need to send in a scout team to live off the land for a few days to get some kind of idea on who and how many are there. Tell the Director to send two teams out here from Bragg for our use. After briefing them, drop them off for three days. Hell, you know the procedures so do it that way until we can get more Intel on that camp. My source told me they could stand off an Army for months if they needed too because they have been stocking up on stuff for years. Some of the weapons will be there but I think I have figured out where the biggest part of them is. I will wait till Sean arrives and we will all meet and I will lay it out for all of you. I know the FBI will handle that part of it, but that camp and all those whackos are going to be on our hands. This will be a fight and we, as well as them, will lose people so I will let someone above me handle that part of it. This will be a combined strike and we can't let them hole up or they will just wait us out. We have to find their weak spot or this is going to get messy as hell. We need some kind of gas to use that will put them down for hours without any lasting effects. We know there have to be women and children there but as I said before, we don't know how many or where. These people moved here from the backwoods states all over the country so we will have to be really careful on how we handle this. They were born and raised in this environment and know how to survive in it. They have been getting prepared for a raid for years and they know their own home ground. We, on the other hand, will have to go in mostly blind." "Ok Stinger, I heard what your mouth said but what is your gut telling you?" I sat down in a chair and sipped my coffee thinking about it before I ventured an answer to his question. I had an idea but I would pop that on him later. "Preacher my gut tells me this is going to be a bad one and we will need to come up with a whole new way of fighting these types of groups. If this bunch hooked up with Hubba, then you can bet they are all pretty much the bottom of the barrel, and we unfortunately will have to play by the rules that they won't use. I think we will lose more men than they will and that's why I have some ideas I will run by you before we plan the strike. Under no circumstances will the ATF or the FBI be involved in this. We will do this with Special Ops Teams only. I will use the State Police Special Unit to handle the road and gates in and out of the place. They have been training for years just for this type of fighting. They will handle that part of it and that's all. Believe me when I say they will have their hands full, which means we can put our people in where they will do the most good. I am hoping when the State Police show up at the gates the men inside will rush out to protect the place from them coming in. If they do that we can take them down from behind and cut down the odds even more. When the scout teams go in, tell them to look for vents and exhaust pipes. Have them mark as many as they can on their maps. This will be their weakness and we will need it to immobilize their families. Have them take some pictures on regular and infrared film, and we will see what they are hiding if we are lucky. Have that drone of yours use the same type of film and get a lot of night shots of the place." "Damn Harry, you haven't lost your touch have you? I have already ordered some of what you said but as usual you are way ahead of me on some of the stuff you mentioned. Harry, we have been ordered to fly Sean and his family to Vegas tomorrow after we fly you and your family in. Also, the Director is flying in to be at your wedding too. What we don't or should I say what I don't know is if I am going to be invited too?" "Hell Preacher, I can't get married without my best man there. I don't think Monk will mind sharing the spot with another of the old team." "HOT DAMN HARRY! THIS IS GONNA BE GREAT WITH THE THREE OF US TOGETHER AGAIN." "I take it then you will be there?" "I would have been mad enough to shoot you if I couldn't be. Thanks Harry, I thought you might still be mad at me for my poor performance the other day." "Preacher, I was pissed but you know me well enough that I don't stay that way long. I just worry about Tran and the girls because they were dragged into this because of me and my sense of fair play." "Butter called and said you were going hunting again when you leave here. Harry, please let me and my men handle this one. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. I will do it any way you want it done, just let us do it this time." "This is a personal thing Preacher." I went on to tell him about the phone call and the meeting I was trying to set up with the boss of that bunch, and he went off like Butter did. I let him rant and helped myself to another cup of joe while he cussed up a storm because he thought I was nuts. "Harry, if this meeting happens, you will be covered by my men all the way. This one is out of your hands, even if we have to follow you everywhere you go from this point on. You can't set yourself up as bait when you have a family that depends on you to be there for them. The Director told me about your friend Mark and how you adopted his kids when he was killed. That's four women you have to take care of and you can't do that while being bait for a bunch of killers. No Harry, you will be covered like a blanket if it happens." "Damn Preacher calm down, will you. I will let you know because I had already planned to use your people for cover. I don't want anything to happen to me either. I know what my responsibilities are, and I sure as hell don't want to leave a widow as beautiful as Tran is. Besides, she would come to hell to beat me to death again if I got killed after she waited twenty years on me." "Harry, I don't know the story on you two but if a woman as beautiful as she is waited twenty years on YOU then she can't be wrapped too tight." I totally lost it with that statement. I was laughing so hard I had to hold my stomach to breathe. Preacher just stood and looked at me until I got myself under control again. "Preacher, there is a very long story behind our relationship and maybe if you get Monk drunk enough he might tell you. His wife knew all along but I don't think he had a clue what was going on." "That's it Harry! You know I will find out the story now if it kills me. I can't believe a woman that beautiful fell for you, and now I will make it my personal mission to get the whole story. Now, to change the subject, will you let my people handle this today?" "I will under one condition, Preacher. I want them shot with a twenty-two and left where they fall to be found by their own people. Nothing is to be touched and no tracks left to show how many of your people were there." "Fair enough Harry. I think my men will enjoy this little hunt. They are still feeling bad about the other morning. Now give me the information where you think they are and we will take care of it this morning." I sat down with him and explained where I thought they were set up and showed him on the map the road that went up there. He said it was a good possibility I had guessed right as he too would have set up with a good telescope in the same location. I told him to warn his people they would probably be in the old smoke watchtower and it would be dicey to sneak up on them. I also told him to remember they had a complete view of the whole countryside. I told him I planned on borrowing a Park Service truck and acting like I was checking out the road and the tower as the Park Service did every three months. I also told him they probably would not shoot at the truck for fear of bringing too much heat down on themselves. If the truck went to the top, a man or two could sneak out when he drove off after he was under the tower. That way they wouldn't be too suspicious as they would stay down until the truck left. He just grinned at me as he said as usual I had it all planned out. We shook hands and I told him I would see him tomorrow as I headed for my unit to go to the next county. I didn't personally know this sheriff, but he was known to run a tight department and was honest. He had inherited some of the problems Mark and I had faced when he took over and had rapidly cleaned it up with minimal problems. I had talked to him on the phone when I had cancelled the reserve deputies' commissions and I thought he was happy about it. Oh well, I would find out when I got there in about an hour. ------- Chapter 68 I went up 310 to the interchange and turned left before I noticed the car behind me. I got on the radio to dispatch and identified myself, asking if there was a unit in my general area. I was told there was a traffic unit about a mile ahead of my position so I asked them to have him pull over the brown Chrysler about a mile behind me. They responded that it would be done, so I also told them to tell the officer to do it as a felony stop and to be careful. I also told them I would swing around and assist the unit. They cleared and I heard them passing the information to the traffic unit. He responded saying he was a two-man K-9 unit and would be glad to assist. I just smiled to myself as I went by his position behind a sign. When the Chrysler passed him he came out behind it with his lights on and the car almost immediately pulled over to the side. I did a quick U-turn and went back, blocking him in from the front. I grabbed the sixteen, laying it on the seat within easy reach. There were two men in the car and when they saw the drawn pistols they followed instructions to the letter and lay down in front of the other car with their arms outstretched. I pulled the fifty and covered them while the officer cuffed them and helped them up. The two officers then searched them, finding handguns on both of them. I walked up and started searching the car, which they didn't like at all. I found a sawed-off shotgun on the floor on the driver's side and when I opened the trunk, it was full of AK's and mags for them and all were loaded. I showed them to the officer and he immediately called for transport for the two men. They didn't say a word the whole time, just nodded their heads when asked a question and then I read them their rights. "I think I will let you two take credit for the bust. Just be careful with these two because they probably belong to the same crowd that opened up on Butch and the other officer. I will stick around until transport shows up and then I have to leave. If you need my statement have Charlie call me. They are to be charged with domestic terrorism and held for Federal Authorities with no bail." "Sure thing Commander, and thanks for the bust. We were getting awfully bored clocking cars and waiting for some excitement. Are you sure you don't want your name on the sheet?" "I'm positive guys, they're all yours to deal with. I think Charlie will want to have a little talk with them so you better check with dispatch and let him know what you have." He called in and reported what he had and asked if the Commander could be notified of their stop and what was in the trunk. I heard him come back personally telling them to transport to the station before booking. They were loading the guns into their trunk as evidence when I heard a car coming fast. I looked up at the car coming and saw several guns in plain view. I told the Troopers to get down, and then we were under fire. I pulled the fifty and opened up on the driver before they got next to us. I must have drilled him dead center because the car ran up the embankment on the other side of the road and flipped over. It rolled twice before stopping on its top. I waited a few minutes and went over to it and either they were all dead or out of it from the crash. I pulled several automatic weapons out and laid them behind the car in the ditch. One Trooper stayed with the prisoners while the other one came over with his pistol out to cover me. "You ok Commander? Man thanks for the warning because I would have never expected a second car. I have called it in and the ambulance and the coroner are on their way. Charlie said for you to stick until he got here. What the hell kind of a cannon are you using? Man, that thing is loud and from the looks of the driver and the windshield, it's powerful as hell." I knew he was just letting off steam because of what happened. I didn't call him down for the remarks, but I did give him that look and he settled right down. He helped me drag the two in the back out and put plastic cuffs on them. The two in front were dead, one from a broken neck from the crash and the other one was missing most of his head from my window shot. I noticed the Trooper was looking a little green so I sent him back to his car to get his camera so I could take some pictures of all of them except the driver. I took facial shots of the car's occupants then the two by the cruiser. I stepped back and took pictures of the car and all of the weapons laying in the unit's trunk and what I had dragged out of the car. I got the keys and let the trunk fall open on the wreck, and it was full of more rifles. I heard the Trooper gasp as they fell out of the trunk. They also had an RPG with several grenades for it. I was wondering if these were recovered, or they had brought them with them when they came. Well, I thought that's eleven so far and wondered how many more of them were wandering around Nevada with cars full of weapons. If Preacher's men had found the others I wouldn't know the count until I talked to them. This was getting a little out of hand, and I still didn't know where they were all staying. Charlie and the Coroner beat the ambulance to the scene. He jumped out and came directly to where I was leaning against my unit. "Harry, thanks for having the unit alert me to what was going down. Don't these people know they can't get away with killing law enforcement? That one over there fits the description of one of the ones who opened up on Butch and the rookie he was backing up. Dammit Harry, isn't there some way we can keep them from getting out on bail?" I showed him my other ID and said they were all going to be held on domestic terrorism charges and that there is no bail on those charges. I also told him I would call the Director and have recording devices set up for all their visitations as soon as they arrived at the jail. I filled him in on the happenings at the cabin and he just looked at me in shock. I told him to hang on a minute while I made a call and set things up. I called the Director and filled him in on the happenings up to date and he said he would call the Federal Prosecutor and get the ball rolling. I was to tell the State Police they were responsible for the prisoners until he could get a couple of Russian-speaking interrogators in place. I passed the word to Charlie when I hung up and he said he was going to have his own private ten minute talk with the one prisoner. I reminded him about leaving marks and he just gave me an evil smile, telling me he was familiar with protocol when it came to questioning hostile prisoners. "Harry, we'll take over from here. Just fax me your statement when you get time to write it out, will you? I am not going to ask you for your gun, but remember we may need it sometime to test fire it for court. I promise you the bullet won't be filed to protect your other position. Where the hell were you going when you spotted the tail?" I told him and he said the sheriff there was a damn good man and had inherited a less corrupted department than Mark and I had. He had straightened it all out within months and now had a top notch department like ours was becoming. He also had been imported from another state just to straighten out the department. I told him for safety's sake to make sure the ambulance and the prisoners were escorted by other units because the Russians would take them if they got a chance. "Don't you worry about that Harry. I have several old armored cars I will use for transport. We have never lost a prisoner and it won't happen on my watch. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't been here today. I would have probably had lost two men but for your experience, Harry. Your Director cleared fifteen men from the list I sent him and they are all on alert for when you need them. I have already made it clear to them you're in charge and they are to follow your orders to the letter. You can take off if you want, and I will stay and take charge here until we get it all cleaned up. Don't worry, I have more units on the way to make sure there are no more problems with these people." We shook hands and I climbed back into my unit and continued on my journey. When I pulled into Medford, I started looking for the courthouse. The county sheriff was located in the bottom two floors with the basement being the jail. I found it with little problem and parked in a spot marked reserved for deputies. I went into reception and asked to see the sheriff. I was told unless I had an appointment I would have to come back another day. I presented my Homeland Security ID and they immediately called his office. I was escorted back to his office by a sergeant who let me in, walking away after shutting the door behind me. I got my first glimpse of the man behind the desk and he was about the same age as Mark had been from what I could tell. He was on the phone so I got to observe him a little bit before he hung up and turned his attention to me. When he saw me sitting there, he got a smile on his face and stood up and held out his hand to shake mine. "Damned if it isn't Harry Hanson in the flesh. So you finally decided to visit my neck of the woods, huh? What's the bit about Homeland Security?" "Hell Sheriff, I have so many IDs I can pick and choose which one is the best at the time. How did you know it was me because I don't remember ever meeting you?" "I went down for the big news conference but you disappeared before I had a chance to talk to you. I take it you don't like reporters?" "Never did and never will, Sheriff." "Harry, just call me Avery like everyone else does. Sorry to hear about your friend Mark. Who is going to take over the department now that's it starting to get a good reputation?" "I have no idea Avery, but Andy is running it on a temporary basis until the Commissioners decide. I know I would never make a good sheriff 'cause I hate politicians worse than the flu." "Ok Harry, I know you didn't come up here to chitchat, so what's going on?" I went over the Russian thing then I brought up the camp in his county and asked how many problems he had been having with its occupants. He sat and heard me out before he started talking. "Harry, that camp of redneck backwoods freaks is the sore spot of my county. I know they have illegal weapons but I can't get probable cause to search. I do want to thank you for pulling all their special commissions. It made my whole day to drive out there and give them the news. I have never seen so many mad people in my life when I gave them the news. Harry, they are dangerous as hell and the people here have been putting a lot of pressure on me to close them down. I can't because they stay to themselves and pay their taxes on time every year. They own about a thousand acres of prime mountain real estate that the logging people would love to get their hands on for the timber rights. They have armed patrols all over the place and they won't hesitate to shoot if you're on their side of the line. Please tell me maybe you are going to shut them down." "I don't know anything for sure right now Avery, but I will tell you they have come to the attention of Homeland Security for running illegal weapons and maybe illegal aliens. I can tell you that it would be a good idea to keep your men out of the area for the next couple of weeks while they are checked out. Do you have any idea of how many people live there?" "I would guess upwards to three hundred men, women, and children. The kids don't attend the local schools and are rarely seen off the camp. The men and women come to town on a regular basis but they keep a low profile while they shop and go out to eat. They don't usually cause any problems, but it is a sore waiting to pop from what I have seen. A lot of the women have bruises, and several are always going to the little clinic across the county line. It's run by a doctor that doesn't ask questions, but likes the money they pay for his treatment. I tried checking him out but ran into a dead end after he went to medical school. His name is Dr. Roy Larkinson. He just popped up about three years ago and opened the clinic. He gets a lot of medical supplies from Canada and Mexico according to the UPS driver who goes there five or six times a week to deliver." I just started to ask him another question when the scrambled cell rang with its distinctive chirping. I answered it and it was the Director on the line telling me Sean was settled in and there were three teams from Bragg on their way to the chemical plant. I gave him the doctor's name and told him to get someone right on it and to call me back on him as soon as possible. He then informed me that Team Two had taken down two men in the fire tower and made sure they would be found by their friends. He also told me I was too damned sneaky for my own good and that he was sending me an escort to make sure I wasn't ambushed on the way back to my home. The excuse he used for this was that since I was getting married tomorrow, he wanted to make sure he was attending a reception and not a wake. He hung up, laughing as I started to give him hell. The sheriff was listening with a smile on his face as I slapped the phone shut in frustration at being hung up on. "Now that takes guts to cuss out the Director of Homeland Security. Damn Harry, you need to be a little more diplomatic to your bosses." "He isn't my boss and I damn sure didn't ask for the job I have been given. It was dumped into my lap because I was the only one who knew this area. He puts his pants on the same way I do in the mornings and I hope when he shaves tomorrow he cuts his throat." Avery lost it at that point in the conversation, and when he quit laughing he gave me some news that just about made my whole day. "Harry, I don't know if it caught your attention on the way in, but just across the line on my side there is an old faded sign that says Nevada Timber Company. Some foreigner bought the old place out about a month ago, and fixed up all the buildings and brought in a bunch of timbering equipment that's still sitting on the trailers. After he got done with the buildings it's like he lost all interest in doing anything else. My guys have been watching the place, and there are more men coming in every day. It's like they are waiting on something to happen. Now I don't know much about languages but they all speak like some of the old Russian movies on television. My guys have written a couple of tickets to them for minor things. They have always been polite and immediately paid the tickets, usually on the same day they received them. Does this help you in any way?" I went on to tell him what had happened on my way up here, and he just stared at me when I was finished. He seemed lost in thought as he looked at me after absorbing the information I had told him. I added a few more things, telling him about the weapons we thought they were looking for and he about exploded when I was done. "Dammit Harry, I thought I had finally cleaned up this county and now you lay this shit on me. I will follow your advice, but unless they break the laws I can't just pull them over and search their cars. I will alert my deputies so they can cover themselves if they have to stop some of those people. I hope your people get this shit over with soon so it can settle back down to being dull and boring. Even though all of this shit pisses me off, I do appreciate you coming up here to tell me what's going on. We will cooperate fully if it helps to clean up some of the sore spots in this county. Harry, just do me one favor if you can, will you?" "What's that Avery?" "If your people do decide to raid these places, will you call me so I can pull my people back so I don't get any of my deputies hurt trying to help out? I have a really young force and they don't have the experience for this type of thing if it goes down." "I give you my word Avery. If I can let you know I will, but I need your cell and home numbers, and for you to tell the switchboard if I call I am to be put through to you immediately. You will have enough time to call your men back, but you can't tell them what's going down in case you have one on the take that you don't know about. Don't get mad because you know as well as I do that it's always possible in any department." "I know Harry and like any sheriff, it's not something we like to think about. Ok, I will do it your way but try to give me a little notice if it happens." I went to answer him but my cell started chirping again. This time it was the Nevada Department of Health with news about the good doctor. I listened to the voice on the other end for about ten minutes before I thanked him and hung up. "That was news about your doctor. He is a doctor but not licensed in the state of Nevada. He also doesn't have the required bond posted. He gets his meds from Canada and Mexico because he lost his privilege to purchase when he was sued and lost in another state. They are going to check out his operation next week and will probably end up shutting him down. I kinda got the message they weren't too happy about him opening up shop here and them not knowing about it. I think if they shut him down it will put some more pressure on the camp out there. They will need a doctor sometime and will have to search for another one." "Well thanks Harry for the information. That sure was quick for you. I been trying to find out about him for about six months and didn't get anywhere. I met him right after he came here. He wanted to set up and I questioned him briefly about his experience. I guess he didn't like all the questions because within a month he set up shop over there in the next county. I am glad to see my gut isn't always wrong on its hunches. Harry, it's been a pleasure but I have a personnel meeting with the commissioners to go to. I could take you along and they might give me more men if you impress them enough." "Go to hell, Avery." We both laughed and shook hands before I headed back to my unit. When I walked outside George and Butter were waiting on me, leaning against my unit trying not to look suspicious. I looked over and saw a deputy sitting in his car watching them and busted out laughing. "What's so damned funny Harry?" Butter asked. "You two sure don't fit the profile of cops and I bet that deputy watching you is wondering why you are leaning up against a Commander's car like you owned it. Get in you two and for cripes sakes, quit grinning will you?" I unlocked the doors and they climbed in, not saying a word other than the waving at the deputy as we went by him. I was still chuckling at the two of them and that was when Butter cut loose on me. "I just caught hell from Preacher, who caught hell from the Director, for you not taking an escort with you this morning. Then I heard about your little bit of target practice on a moving car and its occupants. Dammit Harry, I am not going to let you and your hard head ruin my career or my promotion. I told you to take George here with you this morning. But no, you decided to play Lone Ranger again. From now on you will have one of us with you whether you like it or not. I know I don't hold rank over you but that's an order from the President." "Damn Butter, calm down will you? I know you caught hell and so will I when my future wife finds out. I did accomplish what I set out to do though. I got more information on the camp and I found out where all the Russians are holed up. Only most of them are not Russians but Ukrainians. There are about twenty of them there now with more coming in every day from all over. They really want those weapons bad and I have a feeling they haven't found any of them yet. Now, I have one more stop to make then we can go home, but before I do I want to talk to Sean." "Harry, for someone who hates rank you sure have enough for three people. Let's see if I can name a few." "Never mind, Butter!" "Oh no Harry I want to do this to see if I even get close to some of the positions you hold." "If you start, I will have you transferred to Alaska for the next three years with no leave expected." "Ok Harry, I will drop it but I will not take another ass chewing for you." I looked at him and grinned and sped up trying to get to the garage before Doris left so I could pay for the unit I had bought. I didn't know about the chain of events I was about to put in motion, but afterwards I was glad of the outcome. We pulled into the shop and the gates were still open so I parked and the three of us went in. I was greeted by several of the workers as usual and we went up the steps to the office. I went in first then Butter with George bringing up the rear behind us. Doris was behind her desk and slid the paperwork over to me to sign. "Who are your friends Harry? I don't think I've seen any of them around before." "This is Lt. Spears, and the fella behind him is George Atkins, soon to be retired from the Navy, Doris." "Oh my God" she said and turned white as a sheet and fell back into her chair. I turned around to look to see who had come in and noticed George was as white as she was. He stumbled to the nearest chair and sat down in obvious distress. Now what the hell is going on here, I thought to myself as I waited to see who would speak first. It was George as he seemed to regain his composure faster than Doris. She seemed to still be in some kind of shock. "Doris Little, as I live and breathe. Where the hell have you been, girl? I came back from overseas and you had disappeared and I could not find out where you went. Even your family didn't know. That's a hell of a way to treat your fiancé if you ask me. I would still like to know the answer to that one even after all these years. What happened to you?" She didn't say anything at first but her eyes filled with tears, so I hit Butter with my elbow and we went out the door so they could have some privacy. I was a little shook up myself at Doris and her reaction as I had never seen this side of her. "Harry, did I just miss something or was I seeing things?" "I don't know Butter but from their reaction to each other I think we would be better off to give them some time alone. Let's go look at the unit I am buying from the county. I think you will like it too." I walked over to one of the mechanics and asked where the unit was and he just looked at me and grinned. "Good luck with that one sheriff. Jimmy took a week of vacation and he locked himself and your unit in bay three and hasn't come out since. Hell, even Doris can't get him to come out to eat. She has been bringing his meals to him ever since he went in there. The only two I have seen let in is Jerry and that other deputy that runs around with him all the time. Jim, I think his name is." I looked at Butter and then headed out the back door to bay three. I beat on the door and heard a surly who is it. I told him it was Harry and a few seconds later Jimmy came out the door, just lifting it far enough to squeeze under it. "Hello Harry, what can I do for you?" "Jimmy, I was just told you took a week of vacation to work on the unit I am buying. I told your aunt that you could do it on your own time. Now I want you to knock off and go home and pack a bag. We are all going to Vegas tomorrow and I expect you to be at my place no later than six this evening. Make sure you bring your suit and anything else you think you might need to go to a wedding. If you are late, I will hang you up by your heels in my yard and beat you with a violin till you're black and blue. Do we understand each other?" "Yes Sheriff, I'll be there and on time." "Now suppose you open that door and let me see what you been up to in there." "No sir, I can't do that Sheriff. I told Aunt Doris it was a surprise and I won't let you ruin it. You will just have to wait 'till it's done like everyone else." I looked at him a little bit shocked but I was proud of the way he stood up to me and wouldn't reveal his surprise to anyone. I smiled at him then gave him a dirty look before I walked off. When I went back in the door and it closed behind, me I busted out laughing. Of course Butter wanted to know what was so funny. "Butter, if you had seen him a couple of months ago you wouldn't believe the change in him. He was very backward and shy but his IQ is higher than both of ours together. He is like Sandra, a musical prodigy and can play as well as she can and on any instrument. They play together like they have done it all their lives. I will have them play a little tonight, and I bet George has a fit when he hears them together. Speaking of George, maybe we better round him up and head back so I can talk to Sean a little bit before we go home." "Good idea and I still wonder what that was all about between those two. It was like they both had seen a ghost or something." We went up the steps and when I opened the door I got a hell of a shock when I did. Butter gasped almost loud enough to wake the dead. George and Doris were lost in a kiss I would guess had been going on for a while as they didn't hear us clomping up the steps. They broke apart and when they saw us standing there, Doris turned beet red and sat down in her chair. George was still standing with his eyes closed, still puckered up and I just couldn't resist. "George, if your lips freeze that way we will be calling you fish mouth from now on." His eyes popped open in shock and he just hung his head with his whole face getting red. Butter busted out laughing and I gave him a dirty look and he cut it off in mid laugh. I signed the papers giving her my credit card which she ran through the machine. She signed all the papers and gave me my receipt. I reminded her we were leaving for Vegas tomorrow and she better be at the cabin no later than eight. I also told her to make sure Jimmy brought his violin tonight as he was staying overnight with us. She still had that dreamy look about her so I reminded her again and she seemed to snap out of it a little. "Dammit Harry, I heard you the first time. You don't have to keep reminding me every five minutes." "Now that sounds more like the Doris I know so well. Sorry we interrupted but we have to go, so say goodbye to George." "Go to hell, Harry, and keep your nose out of my business." I started laughing and she joined me in a couple of minutes, saying she was a little distracted when we came in. I looked at her and told her she was dead to the world and went down the steps. When we got to the garage floor I looked up and she smiled at me before we went out the front door. We climbed back into my unit and headed for Sean with the information I had to give to him. I felt sure he would be glad to do his part since he had been on the receiving end of all of it since the beginning, right by my side. ------- Chapter 69 We drove the whole way to the cabin that used to be Mark's in total silence. I had a hunch what Butter was thinking about, but George seemed to still be in a bit of a daze. Unlike Butter, I had a hunch George was still thinking about Doris, trying to rectify his feelings for her and weigh it all against the guilt from the loss of his wife and kids. I had gone through the same thing so I had a feeling about what he was thinking about. When we came to the gate, I identified us and the gate opened to let us in. Although I knew they were there, I couldn't catch a glimpse of any of the team that was guarding the house. I pulled around to the back out of sight, and that's when one of the team met us. He told us we were expected and to go right in. When I walked in the back door the first thing I heard was the sound of kid's laughter from further inside the house. I smiled to myself as we went through the kitchen. The kid's laughter made the tension drain right out of me, and I felt lightened somehow as we went into the main room. "Harry, it's good to see you again. I want to thank you for saving my life. You took off before I had the chance earlier. I think you've met my wife Carly? At least I heard you got to meet her temper." I looked over at her and she was trying to bite back laughter if the smile she was fighting was any sign. I rubbed the side of the jaw she had slapped and just laughed. She lost it as did Sean from his seat on the couch. "Yea, she slaps harder than Tran does." With that they both were laughing their asses off at my discomfort. "You ought to try being married to her. At least she's an equal opportunity slapper. She'll slap anybody she can reach when she is mad. Believe me, I been on the receiving end of it a few times. Now Harry, what's this I hear from Preacher you figured out where most of the guns are? Are you going to let me in on it or take all the glory for yourself? Also, I have a crow to pick with you my friend." "You too? Seems like everyone had some kind of problem with me today. Get it out so we can resolve it before we get down to business about the guns." He just looked surprised, and looked at Carly in a puzzled way before he spoke again. "Harry, I'm not mad at you for anything but a little disappointed you didn't invite us to your wedding tomorrow. I had to hear about it from Preacher when he was here earlier. I didn't even know you were planning to get married. When did all of this happen?" "Sean, I see Preacher has a big mouth as usual. I was planning on having you, Carly and the kids there if I had been given a chance to ask. Since my surprise is ruined by Mr. Big Mouth, all I can say is, you will be there. The team will bring you to my place tomorrow and we will ride choppers to Vegas. It's already been arranged. Make sure you all pack some clothes because we will be there for at least three days. Did the team stock the house for you? If you need anything just let me know and I will have it brought." "Harry the house is great and has been fully stocked with everything we need for our stay. The kids have been having a ball with all the room to play. Man, this place is beautiful." "Yea it is Sean, too bad Mark never had a chance to get settled in before he was killed. They barely had a month here before he went down. Now it just stands empty and the girls will have to wait too many years to live on their own. I just can't seem to bring myself to sell it because I don't want strangers living in his home. I thought most of this place up and Tran had it built to my ideas, mostly for the girls. They will never use it and to hear your kids having so much fun makes me happy. Carly, if you will make the coffee we can sit at the table and I will go over the whole thing about the guns for Sean." We spent the next two hours going over the ideas I had, and what would be the best way for his people to handle the recovery. I reminded him to make sure any teams he had recovering the weapons would be covered by SWAT, because the people who wanted them back would not hesitate to shoot. He was surprised by where I thought they were hid and asked me several times if I were sure. I handed him the list of the different graveyards and the mausoleums that had been renovated in the last year by three different funeral homes. Since they were all on the lists I had recovered from the safe at the casino, I felt sure I was right in my surmise. There was also a list of new ones that had been built supposedly by the request of the county, which didn't show up on any of the paperwork I had seen while spending time at the county computers. There was no record of any such items being voted on by any of the commissioners from the old crowd. When I had spoken to several of them, they all said they didn't order any such construction. I told Sean that when we came back from Vegas, this part of the operation was his and the rest was mine. He was a little shocked about all that I had laid on him, but he said he would be on the phone setting up his people as soon as we got to Vegas. "Harry, the person who set this up either was a genius or had a very twisted mind. I can't believe they would do this just to hide some guns and explosives. Why didn't they put them in a cave like the others?" "I think these weapons were stolen from the weapons suppliers, Sean. They planned on making a separate deal with all the survivalist groups in the U. S. so they could get help from them with other stuff if they needed it down the line. When we get back, this county will be cleaned up and most of the old sheriff's crowd will either be dead or in jail. I think the actions we take in the weeks to come will finally break their hold on this and several other counties. I think I have had enough for today so I will see you all bright and early tomorrow. You can watch me go to my doom once we get in front of the justice tomorrow." Everyone got a big laugh at me when I said that, and as I got up to leave, Carly came over to me and whispered in my ear. "Thank you for giving my husband back to me Harry. For that I will be forever in your debt. I am so sorry I slapped you at the hospital." "Carly, your slap was what made me finally accept my love for Tran and realize why she slapped me a long time ago. It took you and my granddaughter to make me realize how much I really did love her. I couldn't be happier about us getting married tomorrow." I went back out the back door with Butter right behind me. George was leaning up against my unit deep in thought, and as we climbed in he asked me a question that threw me a little. "Harry, Doris told me she had a lot to tell me about her life here and I was wondering, how much do you know about it?" "George, I won't talk out of school but I will say she hasn't had it easy for the last few years. The rest will be up to her to fill in if she decides to tell you. I will say she is a fine woman and she has shown herself to be a woman of honor with her friends and family." "Thank you Harry and I appreciate it that you won't talk out of school. It just shows me I was right in coming here. I never thought I would ever see her again and to my surprise, I still have a lot of feelings for her even after all these years." "George in my own personal opinion she is a fine woman and would make any man a good wife. Just remember, she won't be pushed or ordered about in any way. She has a good head on her shoulders, and you will have the next three days to get to see what I am talking about. Jimmy and Sandra will be playing tonight so I think you will be in for a treat. Butter, when we get to my place contact Preacher and have him send some of his men to patrol the area around my cabin. Your team loves Sandra and I am sure they won't want to miss her playing tonight." "Thanks Harry, I will. I would have a riot on my hands if they had guard duty while she was playing. They have wanted me to ask her several times to play but I reminded them she wasn't their personal U.S.O. entertainment. If this Jimmy plays as good as she does, we are all in for a real treat tonight. Didn't you say Jimmy was the nephew or something of Doris?" "Yes, he is her sister's son whom she raised after her sister died. He was really backward and shy until he and Sandra adopted each other. Since then he is your normal eighteen year old, only three times smarter and even more gifted." We pulled up in front of my place and I took a deep breath before going in. Yep, Tran was waiting on me and she proceeded to give me a good hiding in front of everyone. I just stood with a sickly embarrassed grin on my face as she climbed up one side and down the other. The girls were all sitting on the couch with big grins on their faces as she gave me hell. Butter was grinning and making slapping motions with his hands every time she scored a point on how stupid I was. I was starting to get a little pissed when she finally wound down. I looked at her for a few minutes before I said anything. I think Sandra knew what was coming because she was shaking her head no as I opened my mouth. "Tran, if we were married and you did that in front of everyone, I would take you to the bedroom and turn you over my knee. Since we aren't, I can only say, never dress me down like a kid again. Now, if you're done, I suggest you drop it before I say something in anger I will regret on the night before our wedding." She must have seen she had went a little too far because she dropped it, asking what I wanted for supper. I told her just to make finger food as I wasn't that hungry and I was sure the team would eat anything that was made. Jimmy pulled up in his Jeep and came in with his suitcase in one hand and his violin in the other. Sandra went running to him and got a big hug as did Dina and Dana. They all seemed glad to see him. He hugged Tran and asked if we had eaten yet? She just laughed saying she was going to make super now if he was hungry. He told her he had missed lunch and was starved. I went to the bedroom to make some calls and the girls were dragging Jimmy upstairs to see their tent. My first call was to Preacher and I gave him hell for tipping Sean about the wedding. He apologized to me saying that since Sean and I had been together the whole time he thought Sean knew. He also told me the two teams from Bragg were already here and getting their game plan together for scouting the survivalist camp. They had new satellite images to pour over and had some really good pictures from the drone to look at yet. I reminded him again to remember that these people were woodsmen and knew the ground. He told me these two teams from Bragg were specialists in this type of thing, and since they all came from the mountains, they knew more about the woods than any of his own people. When I told him about finding the Ukrainians and what I planned on doing about them, and he got mad, saying his men could use some action too. I reminded him that he barely had enough men to guard both cabins with the different shifts and the security for it all while we were in Vegas. He finally calmed down saying I was right, but it still didn't sit well with him because the Russians or whatever they were had made the team look bad. I reminded him a little humble pie never hurt anyone, and I was quickly told to go to hell. I invited him over to the cabin to hear Sandra play tonight and he said he would be glad to come. I finally was able to get off the phone after going over the schedule for the morning. My next call was a joint one to the Director and the ATF Director. I told them what I had found out about the Ukrainians and the types of weapons they were carrying around in their cars. We finally got on the same track and the raid was set up for two in the morning the day after tomorrow. The ATF would handle it and would make sure the camp got burned down in all the confusion. I also told him to find out who had bought it and what his connection to all of it was. He said he would be on it first thing in the morning. I gave him Avery's number, reminding him that he wasn't the enemy. He hung up thanking me for the information and said he would take it from this point. I was thinking to myself he sounded like a damn fool when the Director said he would call me back on the other cell in five. I got on the horn to Avery and told him the plans, and that it was FYI and not for anyone else. He said no problem and thanked me for the tip. I told him the Director of ATF would be calling him tomorrow and what he would be looking for, and that I thought he sounded like he was full of himself so be prepared. He just laughed and again said he appreciated the call. I smacked myself in the head from the thought that had just occurred to me. I stuck my head out the door to yell for Tran and almost knocked her over as she was bringing me a tray with sandwiches and fresh coffee. "Sorry honey, but I just had a thought. We hadn't invited Andy and Shorty and their wives to the wedding yet." "Calm down Harry, I already took care of it. They are two of my best friends and I would never forget to invite them for the both of us. They will be here at eight in the morning and Doris is riding with them in Cruncher. Nina said he finally put an exhaust on it so she won't have to wear ear plugs." "Thanks honey, in all the confusion it just slipped my mind. Is there anyone else I might have forgotten about?" "I think we have covered all our friends Harry. I am sorry about earlier, but when Butter told me you left without an escort, I was so worried. Then I heard about the shooting on the road and I was mad enough at you to spit. Lucky for you, Sandra knew what you were up to. When she told me, I calmed down a little, but it was still very stupid on your part. Would you have really done what you said if we were already married?" "You can bet on it woman. You wouldn't have been able to walk very well for a little while when I was done." She looked at me in a funny way. I had started to sip my coffee when she said to me as she went out the door, "Ooh, sounds kinky to me." I almost choked to death on the sip of coffee. When I finally quit coughing I could hear her laughing as she went down the steps. Then it hit me she had done it on purpose so I would choke. Man, this was going to be a really interesting marriage cause she gave as good as she got and usually came out ahead when she did. I was still smiling to myself when the chirping of the cell started. I answered it and the Director's voice was on the other end sounding angry. "Harry, why the hell did you involve the ATF on that raid? Why didn't you let the Seal Teams do it?" "There are three reasons for that. One: the ATF has an overinflated opinion about themselves, and it's time they had to eat a little bit of dirt and prove themselves to me. Two: they have specialized teams for this type of thing, and they say they are the best at it. Three: plausible deniability, in that if they fail and burn the camp down, they take it on their own heads and we didn't have a say of any kind in the raid. They will take all the heat if they fail. If they win and take a bunch of prisoners, we will have first crack at them without putting any of our people in harm's way." "Harry, that is the most twisted way of thinking I think I have ever heard. I like it! You should have been a politician, or at least a Governor or something from the way you think sometimes." "Bite your tongue, and I hope you cut your throat shaving tomorrow." He hung up, laughing his head off saying he would see me tomorrow in Vegas. I hung up thinking he was as sneaky as I was because I was doing all of this shit without a paycheck. Then it hit me what I had said and I almost choked again on the coffee I was sipping. I got in the closet digging through the one small floor safe I had in the corner. I hadn't seen the ring I had in it since I had got it. I bought it ten years ago because it seemed like a good investment at the time. If I remembered, I had the matching bands in stainless steel. Ahh, here they are, I thought as I got both boxes out. I opened the one and both bands were in it. The other one held the diamond and I knew it was the right size for Tran because when I had bought it, the jeweler had told me it was a small size five. He had offered to resize it for me but I wanted to keep it the way it was. It looked so dainty even with the big marquee cut diamond on it. I had taken it to another jeweler and had it appraised for insurance purposes. When he told me the appraisal price, I had almost shit because it was appraised six thousand higher than what I had paid for it. When I had told him what I paid for it he offered to buy it for three thousand more on the spot. He had sent the paperwork to my insurance company along with the number on the diamond that was lazered into its bottom. I got up, closed the safe, and put the box into my pocket. I picked up the tray and headed for the kitchen with it. I noticed everyone was drifting into the dining room so I figured the music was about to start. I hurried up and got a refill on my coffee. I got a big start when I went into the dining room as it was packed with people. Preacher must have brought the other two teams from Bragg with him as I didn't know a lot of the faces that were standing around. Men were sitting on the floor and leaning against the walls around the whole room. The girls had commandeered the couch and had saved me a place next to Tran. I sat down and Butter leaned over the back, telling me the place was surrounded with men because they all wanted to hear the music even if it was muffled by the walls. I got up and opened a few of the small windows in the front and off the kitchen. I figured it was the least I could do for these men who were guarding my family. Then I heard a knocking at the door and to my surprise, Sean and his family came in from the other cabin. They were all given chairs to sit on and when they were settled in, Preacher stood up asking for silence. When it got quiet, he spoke to all the men in the room. "I welcome all of you to this little get together. Since we all decided to come, we won't have to worry about security because there is a ring of armed men around the whole cabin. They all volunteered to come because Team Three opened their big mouths telling them about Harry's granddaughter and how well she plays. After I got here, I found out her brother plays as well as she does and both of them have volunteered to play for all of us. They have extra guitars and several other instruments so if any of you play; it is an open invitation to join them. I have a few other little things to say before we start, so quit with the groaning and listen up. Harry and Tran are getting married tomorrow so I want to propose a toast to them. Here's to you both and may you both be happy. Now, if Tran should change her mind between now and tomorrow, I would be glad to stand in to take Harry's place." This brought a bunch of catcalls and some weren't very kind toward Preacher. The girls were giggling on each end of the couch. Tran had a shocked look on her face at his announcement, and to me the look on her face was worth the catcalls. This must be a night for announcements as Sean stood up and held up his arms for silence. What he had to say was completely different from the good-natured banter from Preacher. "I don't know any of you except Preacher and some of the men who are guarding my family. If it weren't for Harry's quick action in Florida, I wouldn't be here with my family now. He saved my life there, and I was by his side when he found his granddaughter. Now I have spent more time with her and him than you men and she is a very special young lady. She covered both our backs there when Harry was helping me so I owe her too. He has stuck his neck out to help more people than any man I have ever met. There are at least three hundred little children he personally had a hand in saving. The fact that they were illegal does not take away from his dedication to the people he has helped. My family and I wish to thank him, and wish him and his bride the best we can for their happiness. Harry, on behalf of myself and my family, and all those little girls you saved, I thank you from the bottom of my heart." He sat back down and you could have heard a pin drop before the applause started. I felt about two inches tall as it kept going on, vibrating the whole cabin. Sandra came over and hugged me, making my embarrassment even more pronounced. The girls were right there giving me hugs too. I stood up and the place got quiet again waiting for what I was going to say. "I am not one for speeches so I will keep this short. This is my family including Jimmy over there by the door. Since we decided to get married, I haven't had a chance to formally ask Tran for her hand so I will do it now in front of all of you so she can't back out tomorrow." This brought a bunch of laughter from the men and a red face from Tran. I got down on one knee in front of her and pulled the box from my pocket. I swallowed a couple of times trying to get the words straight in my head that I was going to say. "Tran, I know you have loved me for a very long time. I almost screwed that up by being my usual thick headed self. We agreed to get married but I have never formally asked you if you would marry me. Tran will you marry me tomorrow, and accept my girls as your own family?" I opened the box and heard several oohs and ahhs from the crowd as the light caught the diamond. "Harry, I have loved you for twenty years, and for me there has never been any other man but you. I don't know what else to say but yes. I will marry you tomorrow, and from this point on these girls will be the daughters I never had. Oh yes Harry, I will marry you and be happy it has finally happened." I put the diamond on her hand and the place broke out in bedlam. There were toasts, clapping, and I noticed Carly had tears running down her cheeks. The girls were all over us, kissing and hugging us. Tran stood up and came into my arms and kissed me and I felt my toes go through the tops of my shoes. Man my toes were throbbing by the time she broke away from me. She was crying openly and the girls were all doing it too, just because she was. Of course Sandra put the topping on the whole thing with her comment for our ears. "Grandpa, that move was the smartest I have ever seen you make so far. I am so happy for the both of you. Now I need to play, so get your self under control so we can all enjoy the evening." I sat back down next to Tran and the girls climbed into our laps. Tran had a misty eyed smile on her face as she held my hand while looking deep into my eyes and mouthing; I Love You Harry. There was no way I could top that so I just said me too. Sandra and Jimmy stood up and the place got quiet again. "We are going to do something a little different tonight for all of you. Jimmy has several pieces he composed for the two of us to play together. Then we will ask for any of you that play to come up and join in and we will play any songs you know. I am going to play some of the songs I learned from my teacher that he never published. I did a couple of them for my team in Florida, but there are so many I haven't played I will do a few new ones tonight. Jimmy and I hope all of you enjoy our playing." I then noticed that Jimmy must have brought the music stands because Sandra was reading from the sheets on the surface in front of her. They started in and from that point on we were all spellbound with the music they were making. There were sad songs that tugged at your heart, and some were so joyous it made your whole body tingle with pleasure. If Jimmy had composed these, I wondered what else he was capable of. When they came to the last one, he said he would play this one by himself as he had composed and written it for his adopted sister. I could tell by the look on Sandra's face that this was a surprise to her. He played for almost a half hour and from the looks on everyone in the room, his song ran the scale of emotions for all who listened. Sandra had tears running down her cheeks when he finished. She went into his arms crying and thanking him for the beautiful music. When the applause finally died down, I heard her ask him what the name of the piece was and his reply brought the house down in applause. "I call it; "Sandra's Love Song." Did you like it sis?" Before she could answer, the whole place answered for her with a resounding yes. He got a little red when he realized everyone had heard their conversation. They asked if anyone could play any instruments and several of the men stood up saying what they could play. They got out the banjo and guitar cases and to my surprise, they had mandolins. The electric keyboard was taken over by one of the team members from Bragg and several grabbed banjos and guitars. George had his violin and went up to Sandra and Jimmy and talked to them for a minute. Sandra looked at his bow and got out the rosin again and put some on it. They talked for a few minutes more then Sandra told everyone they were going to play a song with the three of them, but if anyone knew it to just join in. Jimmy started out with George joining then Sandra. The keyboard set to piano kicked in and then several of the other instruments. This had turned into a regular jam session as they all were having a ball playing together. George kept up with them but I noticed he was watching finger placements of Sandra and Jimmy as he played along. The guy playing the keyboard must have taken lessons because he was good with that thing. They finished and then decided to do Dueling Banjos. This gave everyone a chance to play a little solo and they all did great and everyone got a chance to show their stuff. This went great and then they switched to the Deliverance theme and again, everyone played a little solo as the song went around. They played several other songs the others all knew and then there was silence as Sandra stepped forward with her violin. "These songs I am about to play were taught to me by a virtuoso on the violin. If I said his name some of you would immediately know it. He played all around the world and composed almost all of the music he played. While my mom and I lived in Sonora, he took me under his wing and taught me all he could. I promised him I would never tell anyone who he was until he died, and then he told me the songs he taught me were mine to do with as I pleased. I will always be thankful to him because if he hadn't taught me, I wouldn't be as good on this thing as I am. He was a good man, and he could compose a new song as quick as I would learn the one he was teaching me. I have the music in my mind as he never wrote anything down. He would tell me the scale and notes and that's how I learned them. He always said if you couldn't play in your head, then you could never master the beauty of the violin. I hope you all like these as they are some of my favorites." For the next two hours I sat enthralled as she played. I watched as grown men cried and smiled and sat tapping their toes to the music. She had these men captured with the music like a snake charmer. They hardly even moved the whole time she played. I had tears running down my cheeks as I watched the love for the music that showed on her face as she played. I could tell she was reliving her life, the time she was down there in Mexico, in the music. I saw Tran was watching me crying as Sandra played and she squeezed my hand with tears in her own eyes. Finally the emotion got to be too much for me, and I went to the kitchen to be alone for a minute thinking about my daughter. I had failed her when she needed me the most and I would forever blame myself for it. I got down a glass and after putting several cubes of ice in it, poured three fingers of scotch on top of the ice. I just sipped it thinking about Cindy and the suffering she went through with nobody by her side but Sandra. It just wasn't fair, I was thinking, as Tran came into the kitchen and hugged me. I hugged her back and the tears started again. For some damned reason I couldn't control my feelings tonight. I stood with Tran in my arms and sipped the scotch while I listened to Sandra play in the background. ------- Chapter 70 I was still standing in the kitchen holding Tran and sipping my scotch when Dina came in looking for us. She came over to me and Tran with a big smile on her face. "Don't be ashamed because you are crying, Uncle Harry. I cried for my mom and dad but it got better. Will you please come back in and sit with me and my sister and listen to the rest of the music?" I smiled at her and picked her up, hugging her to me. I was thinking to myself I had to be the most blessed man in Nevada with the family I had. Tran smiled at us and we went back in and sat back down on the couch. Dina stayed in my lap while Dana crawled back into Tran's. I looked up at Sandra and immediately noticed she had tears running down her cheeks as she lovingly played the music she was so proud of. I looked at Jimmy standing in the shadows and he had tears running down his cheeks too. I knew then it wasn't just the music but the loving way it was played by a person who loved to play it. I now realized what Sandra meant with what she said about the violin. She knew how to play it in her head without any sheet music to guide her. Right then I made up my mind I was going to rent a recording studio and an orchestra, and let them record all the music they loved so much. I looked around the room and to a man, and even Carly and her kids, they were all captured by the beauty of the music. I saw many of the team members crying freely as they listened to her play. This was better than any other music I had ever heard in my fifty-seven years and I had listened to everything over the years. Sandra played another half hour before finally calling it quits, and everyone was clapping and cheering. I even heard clapping coming from the guards outside the cabin. Jimmy came forward and they both took several bows and then Sandra said the coffee was on and they would play one more song together with George leading before everyone left. I looked around and spotted George with a surprised look on his face at her announcement. He evidentially didn't know anything about this so I just waited to see what he would do. He went directly up to Sandra and Jimmy and they started talking among themselves as everyone else headed for the kitchen. Tran got up and went in with Carly behind her to hand out whatever it was they had bought or made for everyone. I had no idea they had even made or gotten anything for this shindig tonight. Hell, I hadn't even thought about after entertainment refreshments. I hadn't realized there would be so many people come to listen to the music. I got up and went up to where the three of them were talking and caught a little of the conversation. To me it sounded like George was afraid to play whatever it was they had decided on. "Sandra, I don't know if I can do it or not. Playing the piece you taught me at the base and doing it in front of everyone is an entirely different situation. I know it's not very long, but what if I screw it up or something?" "George, you can't screw up such a small seven note piece. I showed you how to place your fingers and how to tilt the bow for the right pitch, so just close your eyes and pretend it's just you playing. Jimmy and I will be here to back you up with the harder part of the composition so don't worry about it. You'll be just fine. Just start it out and we will come in after the third note. You just keep playing the same seven notes over and over and I promise you it will be fine. Now go get a drink and calm down a little. You're making me nervous with all your worry when there's no reason for it." He sort of shrugged and headed for the kitchen as I stood there watching. "Well Grandpa, did you like the new songs I played tonight? I think the one Jimmy wrote for me was beautiful." "I loved hearing both of you play and you both make me very proud. Jimmy, the song was beautiful and so were the others you composed. Sandra, I think your mother would have been blubbering almost as much as I was at the beauty of the music you played. I have to tell both of you, I am very honored to be able to claim that you are both a part of my family. I have a feeling you will both be asked to play at several of the military bases when word of this gets out. These men will brag about this to every soldier they ever meet in the future. Now, both of you get something to drink and take a break. I know you're both tired and remember we have another long day tomorrow. At least you both will get to ride in a helicopter all the way to Vegas tomorrow." They both smiled at each other and headed for the kitchen and I went out the front door to have a cigarette and think about tomorrow a little. I wanted a cup of coffee but I snagged the scotch on the way out. I sat down in a chair in the dark so as not to outline myself in the light and lit up, sipping the scotch. I heard several of the guards talking about how great those kids could play, and almost to a man they said they wish they would tour some of the bases so others could hear them. I just smiled to myself thinking how proud I was of the two of them. I wondered down the line what Dina and Dana would end up playing with the two teachers they had coaching them. I would be willing to bet if they really wanted to learn, they would both be good at playing whatever they decided on. I watched as Preacher and another man came out and sat on the top step. From the conversation I was overhearing, we had problems right off the bat. "Preacher, I know you trust this Harry person but he doesn't know my people like I do. If they can't sneak up on these hillbillies then it can't be done. He seems to think they are the greatest woodsmen in the world from what you're telling me. Preacher, they are just red necks playing at being survivalists." "Cap, I know that's what you think but you aren't from the woods like these people. Hell, from what you told me, this is your first command. The way you're thinking you will lose half your men in the first insertion. I know Harry and believe me when I say he knows what he is talking about. He was doing this before you were in diapers." "That may be but I am in charge of my men, not him, and he doesn't tell me how to handle my people. I will do it by the book and no civilian is going to tell me how to do team insertions. I will drop them off choppers and let them infiltrate as they see fit. Those people won't know my men are there." I sat and listened to this asshole, who was typical of all officers with no experience. And although I didn't want to interfere, I knew if he did it the way he was planning he would lose his teams before they went a hundred feet toward the camp. I decided I was going to put a stop to this before he got some good men killed by being too stupid to listen to anyone's advice. "Captain, in case you didn't know it I am your boss, civilian or not. Now, as of this moment you are relieved of duty and will report back to Bragg. I will write a full report of how damn stupid you are. It's officers like you that got so many men killed in Nam. You may be a Captain but you have no common sense and no experience. Let me clue you in a little before you leave tonight. Those hillbillies, as you call them, were born and raised in places that you wouldn't believe. They can stalk and kill a deer without it even knowing anyone is near. They live in woods and so far back in the hills you would get lost in an hour. This particular camp has been supplied with everything they need to wage war anywhere, and you can bet they are good at it. If you send the men in the way you were going to, you would never even find their bodies. They would all be killed before they went a hundred feet into those woods. If you want to argue with me, I will call the Director right now and let you talk to him about the chain of command here. Your choice." Before he could say anything Preacher spoke up, trying to keep the enlisted men from hearing us argue. "Captain, that's Harry Hanson and he ran Special Ops in Nam for almost three tours. If he says that's how it will be, you can bet he knows what he is talking about. Now what I would like to know is why a RA Captain is in command of Special Ops Teams to begin with. I hate to tell you, but you just shot your career in the ass once he writes that report." "My uncle pulled some strings so I would have some experience on my record. He is a Congressman in the State of Kentucky. As for me being relieved, it can't be ordered by a civilian, least of all one who is afraid to move out of the shadows so he can be seen by his betters." I took two steps forward and kicked him in the jaw. I clearly heard it break right at the hinge as he fell against Preacher. I started after him again but was grabbed by someone whom I found out shortly was Butter and George. "Harry dammit, calm down before you kill his dumb ass. Hell, you already broke his jaw. Preacher, get him out of here before Harry gets loose again." I got my arms free and was faced with Tran looking like she was ready to fight anyone that touched me. "Butter if you touch Harry again I will personally break your head. Now back away from him and someone tell me why you two are manhandling my husband." "Harry, go get a cup of coffee and let me find out what the hell is going on here in our own home. Somebody better have a good explanation for all of this or all of you will be out the door so fast you will think you were in a revolving door." I went in the house before she went off again. I had the prior experience of knowing what she was like when she got mad and I was glad I wasn't Butter or George right at this instant. I wondered how badly I had hurt that asshole, but I really wasn't worried about it because he earned everything he had gotten from me. Nobody told me they were my better, even the most powerful man in the White house. I got on the cell and made the call I knew was going to stir up a whole bunch of crap. When I got off the cell, I was surprised that he hadn't been madder at me for attacking one of the soldiers. He was more upset that they had sent a green captain to command the teams from Bragg. He said he would talk to General Brown and see why it had happened. He also said I was still in charge by direct order of the President and that the situation hadn't changed. He said the Congressman was an asshole like his son and I wasn't to worry about him because he wouldn't be elected again. He already had been in several scandals and the voters were ready to vote on a recall for him. I had no idea what he was talking about but it sounded good to me, so I just got my coffee and sat back down on the couch. I took a drink and set it on the end table and leaned my head back. I was thinking about that camp when someone plopped down beside me. I didn't have to open my eyes to know who it was as I could smell her perfume. "Harry Hanson, am I going to have to dig out my old thumping stick to keep you in line?" My eyes flew open in shock as I looked at her and then she started laughing at my reaction to her statement. "Butter told me what happened and that Captain is lucky I wasn't out there or I would have busted a chair over his head. Imagine, talking to you that way like he was special or something. Harry, how do you keep from shooting some of these??? ... Argh!" I just busted out laughing at her attempt to keep from cussing. The Tran I remembered would have cussed the whole bunch out then dared someone to say something. She leaned her head on my shoulder and her next statement put the icing on the cake for me for the night. "I hope you didn't hurt your foot, because if you did, I will hire a wheelchair to make sure you are able to get married tomorrow." If it wasn't for the fact that Dina climbed into my lap at this moment I would have been rolling on the floor. As it was, I was laughing so hard that Dina was giggling because she was bouncing up and down in my lap. Sandra and Dana came over looking at me, trying to figure out what was going on. I decided to just shrug at them because it would take too long to explain it all. Since everyone was drifting back in, I figured the song the three were going to do would start soon and get me out of the hole I had dug for myself. Dana climbed back into Tran's lap and Sandra gave me that look as she headed for her violin. I knew she would be asking what that little byplay was all about, and I hoped she wouldn't want to know too much or I would be in Dutch with her. When everyone seemed to be back in the room, George walked up and picked up his violin. The whole room got silent and he looked like he was scared to death as he looked at Sandra for some clue as to when he was supposed to start. I watched as she gave him a hundred watt smile and motioned for him to start. He got three notes out then Sandra joined in then Jimmy a few seconds later. I watched as George seemed to relax and I could tell when he started to enjoy playing. He started to smile and it just got wider as he played with Sandra and Jimmy backing him up. When they finished, she took his hand in hers and the whole place was applauding and cheering them. Everyone was going up to them saying how much they had enjoyed the night before they started drifting out the door heading to their respective posts. Butter came over to me and Tran asking if he could speak to us in private. We went to the kitchen and I made a fresh pot of coffee before sitting down at the table to see what he had to say. Tran got up and got the girls off to bed then joined us. "Harry, I don't know what started that little fracas on the porch because I just walked out at the tail end of it. They flew the Captain to Nellis to the hospital to repair his jaw. Preacher was laughing so hard on the phone I couldn't get an explanation from him so will you tell me what caused that incident?" I told him the whole story and as I got to the part about him being RA, I could see his jaw muscles twitching. I knew he was as pissed as I had been on the porch. When I finished he just sat for a few minutes, getting himself under control before he spoke. I looked over at Tran and she had the little smile on her face as she watched him. I could tell she was having a ball with all of this by the way she was smiling at him. "Harry, I'm sorry we grabbed you. If I had known the whole story, I would never have interfered. Tran, I must apologize to you for thinking that you were sticking your nose in where it didn't belong. Please give me some warning next time before I make you mad again. I don't think I would want you near me or my men if you had a club in your hand when you were." "Butter, Harry is my man, and if you grab him, don't ever turn your back on me because I will clobber anyone who does. I may chew him out, but I love him and I can get away with it sometimes. But, you nor anyone else better not ever lay hands on him in front of me. This is the only time I will ever warn you, so pass it onto your men for future reference." "I will certainly do that, ma'am. Again, I apologize to both of you for my interference in your business. Harry, to change the subject, I wanted to ask you if maybe Sandra and Jimmy can play at some of the other bases in the future. Almost all the people here tonight asked me if I would ask you. They all thought tonight's playing was some of the finest entertainment they had ever heard. I am still hearing their music in my head. Those two have to be the most gifted violin players I have ever heard. Also, the cabin and the woods are well covered for the night so I think I will turn in. The choppers are all fueled and ready for tomorrow. Goodnight Miss Tran, Harry." He left heading for the stairs and I went up to kiss the girls goodnight. They were sound asleep with Jimmy on one of the single airbeds by the tent. He was sleeping too, so I just brushed his hair out of his eyes before I went back down to the kitchen and helped Tran clean up. We finished up and I set the alarms and we went to bed. "Harry, I don't know if I told you, but the ring is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. How did you know what size to get because you never asked me?" I told her how I had come by the ring, and how long I had kept it in the safe. She just smiled before kissing me goodnight. I lay awake thinking about tomorrow, wondering how much my life would change. I had to admit to myself, I loved all of them more than I can ever remember loving anyone else but my daughter. I just wished I had found all of them when I was younger so I would be able to spend more years with them. I would be a married man tomorrow with three beautiful daughters, married to one of the most beautiful women I had ever known. I was still smiling to myself as I dozed off, dreaming about our wedding tomorrow. ------- Chapter 71 I woke up from a dead sleep wide awake. I looked over at the clock and it was a little after four in the morning. For some reason I was excited, and I knew I would not be able to go back to sleep. I got up, kissing Tran on the cheek as I went to get my shower. I didn't cut myself shaving this morning, which I took as a good omen for the day. I went downstairs and got the coffee going and started laying out the stuff for breakfast. I decided I would fix eggs, ham, and grits for breakfast this morning. I was humming to myself before I remembered the radio in the kitchen and turned it on. The first thing I heard was the weather report, and the announcer said it would be a perfect sunny day with the high about seventy eight. I was smiling even wider after I heard that. The last time I had gotten married it rained for an overwhelming three days straight. It was a most miserable wedding and a short honeymoon, because she had caught a cold from the air conditioning in the church. She was sick and her bitching ruined it all as far as I was concerned. I got the ham and grits made and put them in the oven to keep warm. I remembered when I used to hate grits, but an old fella in Florida had taught me how to garnish them to make them edible to a northerner. I beat the eggs to make scrambled eggs because they went further with all the people I was feeding. I started making toast when George came into the kitchen, asking if he could help in any way. "I got it pretty well under control but if you want, you can start making the toast. How did you like playing with Sandra and Jimmy last night?" "Harry, those two have got to be the greatest musicians I have ever had the honor of listening to. When Sandra announced we three would be playing the last song together, I almost ran and hid. I have never been so scared in my life. I heard two songs last night I would love to learn to play. Do you think Jimmy would teach me Sandra's Love Song so I can play it for my daughter? I think she would love to hear her dad play it for her. The other one is the short one Sandra played that was so happy that everyone was tapping their feet to the melody." "George, I think they would consider it an honor to teach them to you. I suggest you tell them why you want to learn those two songs so they understand why it means so much to you. I think you will have to sit down and tell them both about your family and your promise. I will almost guarantee you they will teach them to you if you tell them the truth. George, I lost my wife and two daughters many years ago to the VC in a mortar attack. I had just got the approval that morning to send them to the states. I had come in from a mission and when I caught a hop to the orphanage and found out what happened, I was mentally wrecked. I am not going to tell you what I did but if it hadn't been for Preacher and the rest of my team, I might still be over there killing anyone in black pajamas. It took me many years to come out of my shell and realize life goes on, regardless of how much misery I was in. I had good friends to help and I became almost normal, and the nightmares stopped after a few years. The only thing good to come out of my second marriage was Sandra's mother. I still hurt because I wasn't there when she needed me. I won't make that mistake with Sandra or the other girls. I will be there for them, even if it costs me my life. I feel the same way about Tran and believe me, she feels the same way about me." "Yea, we got a taste of her temper last night. I think she would have broke a club over our heads, as mad as she was when she saw us holding you. I don't think I have ever seen a woman as mad as she was." We both got a good laugh out of that comment. I looked up at the clock and it was almost five thirty. I sent George up to beat on doors, telling everyone it was time to get up and start getting ready to go. He left with a smile on his face saying it would be a pleasure and it was too bad I didn't have a loudspeaker in the house to play reveille. I just laughed and started cooking the eggs for everyone's breakfast. I just finished cooking the eggs when the girls came in. They were still about half asleep but they helped set the table. I noticed everyone had either suitcases or seabags, which they all were stacking by the front door. I didn't know it at that time but I was about to get lost in all the activity. I had just finished packing my suitcase when there was a knock at the door and Sandra asked if she could speak to me. I told her to come in, wondering what this was about. "Grandpa, I need you to promise me something before we go with Tran." "Honey, you know I would do anything for you if it's in my power to do so." "Grandpa, we, as in all the women and kids, are taking the first chopper. I want you to wait here until we leave. "Sandra, that's an old belief that dates back to the stone age. Do you actually think it will make a difference how much we love each other if we talk before the wedding?" "No I don't, but we all voted on it and decided we would try to keep it as traditional as possible. Please just go with it Grandpa, for me?" "Ok, I'll go along as long as it doesn't create any security problems for the team." "We already got it all set up so there's no worry there. Also, I want you to be sure to not carry that cannon. It shows too much and everyone will be able to see it at the wedding. Wear one of your other guns that can be hidden in a shoulder holster, please Grandpa, for me?" With that she gave me a kiss saying she would see me later. She left and I put the fifty and the Walthers in my suitcase and put the Glock in my shoulder holster. That girl is just too smart for her own good, I was thinking as there came another knock at the door. This time it was Preacher and he had coffee for both of us. "I was picked by the women to baby sit you while we wait for your transportation, Harry. You don't seem very excited for someone about to take the step into the deep end. Say, do you think Monk will have some good food at this little party?" "Preacher, the last time I checked everything was all set up. We will be eating buffet style at the reception. Now quit trying to cheer me up because I am just fine. Jeesh, you're sounding like you did when you fell for that little Canadian girl in the hospital. Just do me a favor and give me a little peace and quiet, will you?" He busted out laughing and I just grinned at him while sitting down on the edge of the bed, thinking about the old team. I wondered how many of them were still alive and where they were all at now. Preacher was the only one I had run into after all these years until Tran told me about Monk and Judy. I couldn't believe he had three daughters and they were all living in Vegas and working in one of Tran's casinos. Man, all the stuff Monk and I had done when we were single would have made a preacher blush. I had known he had a soft spot for Judy but I had never dreamed they would get married and settle down and raise a family. I had to admit that back in the old days she was beautiful and looked like her Italian family. Man, those were the good old days, I was thinking when Butter stuck his head in the door and said my chopper was ready. When I went downstairs I got another big surprise when I saw who was waiting on me. Andy, Shorty, Jimmy, Beau, Kit and Danny were standing at the bottom of the steps with big smiles on their faces. I wondered where Sean was and asked Preacher. I was told he went with his family because none of them had ever ridden in a helicopter and they were scared to death. We all piled in and belted up, then we were off. Since there was so much noise as usual, we didn't try to talk among ourselves. I sat back and dozed off, wondering what other surprises were in store for me today. I must have been a physic in my earlier life because the next little shock happened about an hour and a half later when the pilot feathered out to land the chopper. I looked out and didn't see anything but desert and scrub cactus. What the hell! They didn't slide the door open until the pilot completely shut the chopper down. "Where the hell are we? This sure isn't Vegas, Preacher." I was reaching for my Glock when the door slid open from the outside, and Monk was standing there with a huge grin on his ugly puss. "Welcome back to our old playground, Harry." He busted up laughing at the look on my face as I realized where we were. It was the old Mustang Ranch but I could see it was now a modern resort with a big pool and cabins in a circle around it. I was speechless, wondering why we were here instead of the casino where we were supposed to be. I tried three times to speak but nothing came out. Monk must have took pity on me because he started to explain why were here instead of Vegas. "Harry, Tran bought the old place at an IRS auction and had it tore down. She set it up as a wedding resort for the more affluent customers, so they could have privacy while they spent their honeymoons in the middle of the desert at a first rate motel and casino. This whole place is now empty just for you and her to get married. We decided the security problems would be easier out here instead of in the middle of Vegas in an open casino. There is only one road in and out, and I have men on roving patrols around the clock. There are also hidden cameras that cover the whole perimeter as well as motion detectors. This place is better protected than Fort Knox, so relax and take your hand off that pistol before you shoot yourself. I dropped my hand, feeling like a fool, but I was starting to get pissed because I hadn't been informed about any of this shit. I jumped down and headed for the main building where I could see the girls standing. Monk and Preacher must have seen the look on my face because they both grabbed me at the same time, pulling me to the side. "Dammit Harry, don't go off half cocked. This was a last minute change when we found out the place was due to be remodeled next week. We thought this would be perfect for everyone because it will be easier to keep tight security on. Tran didn't know either until Judy met her at the chopper just like I did with you. Now get that damned temper of yours under control before you do something stupid and ruin the whole day. If it relieves your mind any she was as upset as you are. She made sure I was the one to meet you because she said and I quote; "Harry is gonna whip someone's ass when he realizes where we all are. Monk, if he goes off, I want you to be there to calm him down before he shoots someone." I looked at him in shock and just shook my head because I couldn't think of anything to say. I just stood there thinking back with not so good thoughts about this place. I wondered if Tran was having the same thoughts as I was when Sandra ran up to me with a big smile on her face. I got control of myself so I wouldn't upset her with my temper, because she didn't know anything about our past here. To her, this was just another adventure with her new family. "Grandpa, this place is great. There is a pool, a huge pinball and arcade for us kids and they have a great big go cart track out back we can drive on. We will all have something to keep us busy while you and Tran have your honeymoon. You wait till you see your cabin. It has its own hot tub and everything." I just smiled at her enthusiasm before it hit me she was right. I hadn't taken the kids into consideration at all with my other plans. They would have been bored to tears sitting in a room with nothing to do for the three or four days we would have been there. I could feel myself calming down like I always did when she was with me. I think Preacher and Monk saw it too because they all started toward the main building, leaving me and Sandra by ourselves. I got down on my knees and gave her a big hug and kiss. She stepped back looking at me sharply. "Ok, what's wrong Grandpa? I have seen that look before. What are you mad about? I'm supposed to show you to your room so you can start to get ready, but I don't like that look on your face. You better talk to me because I won't quit until you tell me what's going on?" "Come on, show me the room and after we will get there I will try to explain it to you. I don't know if it's something you should know, but I have never lied to you and I won't start now." We walked to the main building where everyone was gathered. I was greeted by almost everyone there as we walked to the room I had been assigned to so I could get changed to be married. I noticed they had the altar all set up with fresh flowers everywhere. I also noticed that there were only a few people standing around, and I figured everyone was getting ready. When we got to the room my suitcase and suit bag was there waiting. "Grandpa, we have about an hour to get ready. I don't know how long it will take you but I can be ready in less than fifteen minutes. That gives you a half hour to explain to me why you're so mad." I sat down in the chair with her in my lap and told her the whole story and the reason why I was so mad at the change in plans. By the time I was about a third of the way through my relationship with Tran, she was giggling so hard she was biting her lower lip to keep from laughing out loud. I stopped and looked at her and she busted out laughing at my look. She laughed until tears ran out of her eyes, and I just sat there wondering what the hell was so funny about my story. I waited until she calmed down a little before asking her and the answer I got back shocked the hell out of me. "Grandpa, I heard the team talking about their party at the Nugget the other night. I asked Tran about it, and she sat down and explained her past and how she met and fell in love with you. Unlike you, she didn't try to sugar coat it but told me straight out. If I didn't like her past, she would not marry you until it was ok with me. She said I was the oldest ten year old she had ever met, and that she would never lie to anyone about her past. Grandpa, she loves you with all her heart, and I think you feel the same way. I think this is one time you grownups need to be reminded that the past is just that, and the future together is all that's important. Now, will you get ready so I can be a flower girl like I always wanted to be?" With that she went out the door leaving me astounded at her insight and logic. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. "Harry Hanson, how the hell did you ever survive this long without her and her guidance to an old man?" With that said I got another shower and put my suit on. I debated leaving the shoulder holster off, but decided I wasn't ready to let my guard down just yet. I knew nobody knew where we were at, but I still had that little worry so I kept it on. The security was top notch because I knew Monk only hired the best and the team was here too. But, I was of the old school, better safe than sorry. I sat down on the bed, trying not to think about what was coming. But to my chagrin, I was excited knowing I was going to finally get to do more than kiss the woman I loved. After all the teasing, we would be husband and wife in about fifteen minutes, if my watch wasn't fast. I was still thinking about it when there was a knock at the door. I got up and opened it and Jimmy was there in his suit, saying it was time for me to get hung. Then he realized what he said and turned red as a beet. I just laughed and hugged him, saying he had been spending too much time with the team. He laughed saying maybe I was right. When we walked around the corner I got another surprise. The team, to a man, was in dress whites and was lined up in twos to escort me to the altar where Preacher and Monk were waiting for me. Jimmy went on ahead and stood next to Monk while I was escorted by the team. The women were all lined up on one side and the men on the other. When I was completely around the corner I got my first glimpse of the JP and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God he wasn't dressed as Elvis or something. He was in a dark grey suit and had a Bible in his right hand. Everyone was clapping as the team walked me to the altar. I stopped on the first step and shook Monk's hand then went to Preacher and repeated the handshake. He had more medals on his jacket than most of the Generals I had seen over the years. I saw two Silver Stars as well as the Navy Cross. I realized then his career had been a lot more active than what he had let me know about. I had just stepped up next to Jimmy when the organ started with the bridal march. I jumped about two inches at the sound, and Jimmy nudged me in the ribs with his elbow and with a big smile on his face. The first in the door were Sean's girls, spreading flower petals as they walked. Then came Dina and Dana, doing the same with different colored petals. Next came Sandra and Tran, holding hands as they walked together. They both had big smiles on their faces as everyone started clapping again. God, did they all look beautiful as they came toward me. I noticed that Trudy, Nina, Doris, and Carly stood on the steps on the bride's side as they came up to the altar, just like my side was doing. When Tran walked up to the steps, Jimmy moved to her side and escorted her up the steps. The three girls came to my side, and I smiled at them as I watched as Sean's girls stood side by side across the bottom step, still throwing petals on the altar. They stayed there facing us as the JP had Tran and I face each other across the podium he rested the Bible on. Damn, I had forgotten to get the marriage license and I almost panicked. I looked at Preacher with wide eyes and he just handed me a rolled up document, which the JP took out of my hand before I could see what it was. From that point it was all a jumble to me and I think I was in shock. I did notice that Jimmy gave the bride away, and my girls gave me to Tran the same way, but for the life of me I didn't remember saying yes or any part of the whole thing until he presented us as Mr. And Mrs. Harry Hanson. I remember stepping up to kiss the bride as I was told to, but I don't remember the kiss at all. It seemed like I was in some kind of daze as we walked down the steps with everyone clapping and cheering us. We went into the big reception room where we sat down at a raised table overlooking the room. Our table seated us with the girls and Jimmy while the rest of the party sat in the front at another table which was below us. I realized everyone seemed to be waiting on something, but I had no idea what it was until Sandra kicked me under the table, snapping me out of my daze in pain from the kick. I stood up quickly, trying to rub my shin, and looked over at her and got that cheesy grin from her with her rolling her eyes at me. I stood there for a minute feeling lost when Tran whispered I was supposed to give a short speech to our guests. I looked at her then the realization hit me I was married and I was speechless. Tran noticed the look on my face and started giggling at me before standing up and addressing the guests. "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for my husband. He seems to be in a somewhat catatonic state from the shock of being married. I want to thank all of you for coming. The bar and everything else is free, so all of you please enjoy yourselves. When Harry gets his wits back he may have something to say, but the way he is acting that may be awhile yet. We have live entertainment so everyone can dance and have a good time. The dinner will be buffet style and please enjoy yourselves while you are here. I want to thank our friends and whether new or old, I am happy all of you could come. Now please, help yourselves to food and drink while I try to get Harry to come around." They were all laughing as they headed for the food. Sandra leaned over and whispered in my ear; "Grandpa, if you don't snap out of it this may be the shortest honeymoon in Nevada history." I looked at her and realized I was still in shock and I seemed to have missed everything that had happened in the last half hour. "Harry, are you ok? Do you need a doctor? There is one on call here if you need him." I looked at Tran and almost fainted at the beauty before me. I leaned over and kissed her. I don't know how long I had been kissing her when Monk yelled, "Get a room, will you?" I broke apart from her and the girls were all giggling at me. I looked around and realized where I was at and almost panicked again. God I was a mess. I finally got a hold of myself when Sandra leaned over and told me I was now married, and I needed to be the host for my guests instead of Tran doing it all, covering for me. I took a deep breath and stood up. It only took a few minutes for everyone to quiet down to see what I was going to do now or say or not say. "I am sorry for my previous actions. I think maybe I thought I was dreaming all of this or something. I want to thank all of you for coming but most of all, I want to thank my girls and my adopted son for putting up with me. Tran is one of the most beautiful women I have ever known, and I am still in shock that someone as lovely as her would marry an old grouch like me. I want to propose a toast to all of you who are friends and acquaintances. I want to also toast to friends lost, and not able to share in the joy I have found here today. May they be and stay forever in our thoughts, and us in theirs as we go through life. I want to thank my daughters for kicking me under the table and bringing me back to the present. I hope all of you enjoy your mini vacation while we are here. I think at this moment I am one of the most blessed men in the world, and I have my family and friends to thank for the joy I have found." I sat back down and the applause went on for several minutes. The rest of the day was filled with dancing and chatting with everyone. It was about ten when Tran and I were able to sneak out without being noticed. Judy had already told Tran she would watch out for the girls. We finally got to our cabin and the rest is for our memories. Needless to say, we both enjoyed our first night as husband and wife. No, I didn't need the arrangements, and she had to soak in the hot tub the next morning before we went to breakfast. She said if I said anything smart, I would be sleeping alone the rest of our honeymoon. ------- Chapter 72 After Tran got through in the hot tub, we went to breakfast. We could have ordered in, but we both wanted to check on the girls to make sure they were not driving everyone nuts. When we got to the main lodge, it was almost too quiet. Monk and Judy were sitting at one of the tables eating so we sat down with them. "Judy, nice to see you again. How have you been doing now that you're married with kids of your own?" She looked at me in a puzzled manner and then I realized what she was thinking about and rapidly explained my question. Of course Monk and Tran though it was hilarious and were cracking up at my discomfort. "Harry, we are all doing fine thanks. I am very glad Tran finally got you after all these years. I hope both of you are very happy together. Now where did you steal those beautiful girls from? Knowing you I bet you didn't have them or didn't want them." Before I could say anything Tran jumped in and proceeded to dress Judy down for her smart ass comment. She then went on to tell both of them the whole story. I could see the hurt in Judy's face as she listened to Tran explain. "Hold it! Now Judy doesn't know and she doesn't know anything about me except from when Monk and I used to come here twenty years ago. I am sure she didn't mean anything by her comment. I suggest both of you settle it right now because I am proud she married my friend and has her own family. Tran, I love you but right now you are out of line and I think you know it. This isn't twenty years ago and you certainly don't run everything like you used to. They may work for you but your sarcasm is not warranted. Now, I want to know where my kids are and if they behaved while under Judy's care." They all fell silent and just looked at me in shock. I saw Monk grin but he hid it well, and then Tran and Judy were both apologizing for their remarks. "Harry, the girls were fine and are in the arcade playing the games. Your friend's daughters are with them and Sandra seems to keep them well in hand. Harry, is she your blood? She looks like you in the face." "Sandra is my granddaughter, Judy. Maybe later Tran can tell you the whole story about how she found me. Now, where are your kids? I haven't seen them yet and I would love to meet them." I was informed they were in the house with Judy's mother so they didn't interrupt the party and guests. "Oh for Christ's sakes, Judy. Tell them to come out and play with the other kids and have some fun. They are no bother and besides, as far as we are concerned, you and Monk are family. Tran, will you tell her since you're their godmother?" She very rapidly did just that, and also told Judy to tell her mother to come out and join the adults. She said she hadn't seen her mother for a few years and wanted to talk to her again. Judy got up and headed for the house. We ate and then sat back so I could have my coffee and smoke a cigarette. Monk started in on me as soon as Judy got up. "Harry, she has been worried to death you would refuse to talk to her because of her past. She has been looking forward to seeing you again, ever since you called telling me about you and Tran. Harry, why are you and your family being guarded by Navy Seals? I mean, it was great to see Preacher again after all these years but to have him and the Director of Homeland Security at your wedding is a little strange." Before I could say anything, Preacher, Butter and the Director came in and sat down looking like three miles of bad road. From what I could see, they must have really tied one on last night. They didn't say a word, just reached for the coffee and sat back sipping. Being a smart ass, I just had to say something. "You three look like you were on a three-day binge. Are any of you able to work today?" Well, Tran lost it and all I got were three dirty looks from them. The Director glared at me a minute then spoke. "Harry, I came here to attend a wedding but thanks to these two, it turned into a tequila shooter contest. I am normally not one to hold a grudge, but somewhere down the line I will find a shitty job that I will stick them on, to repay them for part of the headache I have this morning. By the way, congratulations to both of you. I have to fly out in about an hour, so a little silence would be appreciated. I don't want to sound as miserable as I feel when I brief the President this morning." We all looked at him with surprise before the whole table busted out in laughter. I had to admit, he did sound miserable. This was probably the first time he has been able to relax since he took his position. Before we could say anything else, three beautiful girls ran to Tran yelling "Auntie Tran, Auntie Tran". They all gave her a hug and a kiss before heading straight to the door marked arcade. Judy sat back down and introduced us to her mother, who I would guess was about my age and still a very attractive woman. I in turn introduced them to the rest of the table. I noticed Preacher got a gob smacked look on his face when Judy introduced her. Oh no, I thought, and here we go again. I looked over to see if Tran had noticed, and when she looked at me with that smirk on her face, it suddenly hit me this all was a setup on their part. George appeared at the side of the table, waiting to be seen I guess. When Butter noticed him, he asked if anything was wrong. "No sir, I wanted to ask if it was ok to take one of the jeeps out to the lake. Doris and I want to spend some time together talking and catching up." Tran spoke up and told him to make sure the kitchen packed them a basket to take along. I guess that settled the matter because Butter told him to take as much time as he needed but be sure to take his pistol with him just in case of snakes. I knew this wasn't the reason but I didn't say a word, just watched as he smiled and almost ran to the kitchen. Butter waited till he was out of sight before he commented. "Harry, I think this trip and running into Doris again was just what George needed. You know, technically he was out of the military at midnight last night. He will get his final retirement papers when we get back to Nellis. I had his jacket sent there so he could stay in the area and now it looks like he will be here awhile. I just hope it works out for him because he has seen enough grief. Maybe he will hook back up with Doris and be happy again. He is a good man and he has suffered greatly since he lost his family." "Well Butter, I think if they do hook up, as you call it, they will make a good pair. Doris is a good woman and she and George both deserve some happiness. I guess like anything else, it's up to them to work it out. Now Judy, you still never answered my question." She told me about her and Monk's life up to date and while I was interested and listened, I was watching the byplay between Preacher and Judy's mother. They seemed to be talking without saying a word and it was all I could do to keep from laughing at their antics. I looked over the top of my coffee cup at Tran, and she was watching as intently as I was and smiling to herself. "Tran honey, what are you going to do today?" "I plan on meeting the wives later and we are going to catch up on our tans a little. What are you going to do Harry?" "I am going to gather up the girls and see if I can get a race going on the go-cart Track. I haven't driven one of those things since my daughter was little. I bet I can beat the girls all day long." "Harry, there's no fool like an old fool. Those girls will probably beat the pants off you all day, so don't come whining to me later saying your go-cart was the slowest one on the track." "Old fool! That wasn't what you –" "If you finish that sentence, I will make you miserable the rest of our time here Harry. I warned you about comments this morning." I looked at her sitting there with that little smirk and remembered what she had said before we left the cabin this morning. I decided to just shut my mouth before I put my foot in it. I must have looked shocked because there were several snorts from around the table. I glared at Preacher and Butter because they seemed to be the ones trying to keep from laughing. I looked at the Director and he had his head down but I could see the big grin on his face as was on Judy's as she looked at me and then Tran. I decided I would get out of there before I got myself into more trouble. I got up and headed for the arcade to get the girls and I heard several people laughing as I walked away. I would make her pay tonight for that little embarrassment, I thought to myself as I walked into the arcade. The girls all were playing one of the fifty or so games in the arcade. I hollered out that I was going go-cart riding if anybody was interested and I was immediately surrounded. They were complaining that they had been waiting on someone to invite them because there had to be an adult present for them to race. We all headed for the track and were joined by several of the team saying they wanted in on the races too. I wasn't sure about Judy's girls but they assured me they had their own go-carts and raced them all the time. I knew that I was in trouble then, because if they had their own go-carts they did this a lot and were probably very good. When we got out to the track, it took my breath away. It was set up like a professional raceway and had to be at least a mile long. It twisted back and forth like a snake's back. I walked over to the window and slipped the attendant a twenty as I introduced myself, saying I wanted the fastest cart he had. He looked at me and busted up laughing before he explained. "Sir, they are all set up exactly alike here. Skill wins the races, not fast carts. The ones you have to beat are Judy's girls as they all three hold rack records and have for years. Now let's get all of you into your safety equipment, because if you don't wear it then you can't race. Oh, and thanks for the tip sir." Well to make a long story short I spent five hours racing and didn't even place fifth the whole day. Sandra beat the track record once but Judy's girls won the rest of the time. By the time we were done and headed into the dining hall, I was so sore I could hardly move. That hot tub was going to get a work out tonight, that's for sure. We went in and found everyone else was already there eating or just talking. The girls all had a ball recounting their races, but the team members and I didn't have much to brag about so we all kept out mouth's shut. I sat down next to Tran. I was so sore and stiff I could hardly lift my fork to my mouth to eat. Tran was watching me with that smirk on her face so I gave her a dirty look at which she laughed out loud at me. "Well Harry, how many races did you win today? You seem awful quiet for a winner." Before I could defend myself, Sandra spoke up loudly in excitement. "Grandpa didn't win any of the races, Tran. I think he came in fifth one time. I set a new track record though. None of my team hardly even placed all day. They were a real disappointment to me and the rest of the unit." By this time everyone in the place was laughing out loud at us. I had a sickly grin on my face, but felt better when I saw the team members who were out there with their heads down in shame. Tran was looking at me and having a lot of fun at my expense, or so I thought. Sandra and the girls were all having a blast and laughing up a storm. Monk was laughing and shaking his head at me and I sneakily gave him the finger, which just made him laugh harder. After all the laughter and wise cracks tapered off, I was finally able to eat with a little dignity. When I was done, I went to get up and realized I should not have waited so long to hit the hot tub. I was so stiff and sore I could hardly stand. God, did I ache all over. Tran took my arm and had a big smile on her face as we walked out, or rather as she walked out and I shuffled out behind. "Harry, I think you need a nice soak and a massage. You seem a little stiff to me." I gave her a dirty look and she just smiled at me. When we got to our cabin, the hot tub was already going. I found out later she had come in before dinner and turned it on, knowing I would need it. I grabbed a quick shower and didn't even bother drying as I went directly to the hot tub and eased myself down in it. Tran stripped her robe and bathing suit off and went to the shower to wash the suntan lotion off before joining me. When she came out of the bathroom nude, to my surprise I lost all interest in my sore muscles. She slipped in next to me and snuggled up with her head on my shoulder and we sat for a few minutes. I tilted her head back and kissed her, and once again I felt my sore toes curl at the intensity of the kiss. When we broke apart she had something to say that I didn't need to hear but I got a kick out of it anyway. "Harry, when Judy became the manager here, I had the track built so her girls could practice for the peewee races in Vegas. It became so popular with the guests I expanded it, but the girls held all the track records until Sandra broke one today. I am surprised you even came in fifth, knowing how well they race. They have a whole house full of ribbons and trophies from races all over the state. Harry, I raced off road for years but I have never been able to beat any of them yet. Once a year we close the resort so the leagues can have the grand nationals here. We don't charge them anything for the whole weekend and the kids have a blast while they are here. Most of the staff freely give their time to help, and it has become one of the largest races in the state. We closed the resort this week so we could build some large bunk houses and some off road trails for the kids to ride four wheelers on. We had a lot of letters from the parents asking if we could build the bunk houses so the parents could have some privacy with each other in the cabins while they were here. Most of these kids come from impoverished homes and neighborhoods and their parents never get to spend some quality time with each other. This was the way we decided to help. We are also building another twenty cabins down by the lake so we can have some of our regulars come and be able to have some privacy while watching the races. I have an old train enthusiast building a small railroad to the lake so the guests there will be able to come to the main gambling hall to eat and gamble. I have tried to give back to the poor as much as I could." "I figured there was more to it than what I had already deduced. Tran, I know you're no dummy and I don't feel threatened by your business acumen. I know you run your own investments and have a hand in every thing your money goes into. Now that it's out in the open, will you please quit trying to act like you don't know anything about business? Honey, I don't feel threatened or dumb because you're so smart, so quit acting like you're someone else, will you? I would be proud to be your husband if you were the dummy you try to act like sometimes. Get it through your head, I love you for you, not what you think I should see or believe. I think what you're doing for the kids is great, and I would be willing to put a million in the pot to make it better for them, so if you need it don't be afraid to ask. I have a few ideas that would also work here and would increase the bottom line for you." She looked at me in shock before she kissed me, and we spent the next two hours soaking and talking about my ideas. She thought most of them would go over great and said she would talk to her architect to see if they could be worked in. She also told me she didn't need my money because she used most of the improvements as a tax write off. We finally went to bed to a repeat of the night before, but she outlasted me this time because I was stiff and so tired and I couldn't seem to keep from dozing off. Face it, I was worn out and needed some sleep to recover from my hectic day as a losing racer. I don't know how long I had been sleeping when someone started pounding on the door. I was barely able to roll out of bed, I was so sore. I got my robe on and answered it and found Preacher there with a worried look on his face. "Harry, Doris and George haven't come back from the lake. We just did our roll call and he wasn't there. Monk sent a patrol to look for them and I hate to bother you, but you are the boss here. Do you have any suggestions for us?" "Calm down Preacher, I will be at the main lodge as soon as I get dressed. Put some coffee on and we will wait and see what the patrol has to say." He said ok and I closed the door with Tran asking me if I wanted her to come with me. I told her no as I dressed. I told her I didn't think we had much to worry about because nobody knew where we were at. I figured the Jeep had broken down and knew George wouldn't panic because it was dark. I looked at my watch and it wasn't even midnight yet. God how long had I been sleeping I wondered. Let's see, we had gone to bed while it was still light out, and after our extra activities, I remember passing out in a very short while. The walk to the main lodge helped me get some of the stiffness out and the coffee I was handed by one of the team helped to clear the cobwebs out a little. Monk came over with a smile on his face and sat down. "Harry, I told Preacher not to wake you up. We got them on the surveillance camera and if the pictures are any clue, they have been too busy to remember the time. They are still at the lake doing what comes natural to two adults that are having a good time. I'm sorry he disturbed you and Tran for something so trivial." "Monk, to quote Butter and from what you just told me, I guess they hooked up again after all these years. Tell Preacher the next time he pounds on my door I will put a bullet through it before I answer. Tell George if he doesn't receive an apology from Preacher to let me know because I have a special detail just for Preacher to do." Monk just laughed and I got a big cup of coffee to go and headed back to my cabin. I was feeling wide awake and I figured Tran could wake up and do her duty to her new husband. I found out what she thought of that idea in a very few minutes when I crawled into bed again and kissed her on the neck. I was very politely told I had coffee breath and she wasn't kissing me until I brushed my teeth. I suddenly had an idea and started tickling her but was promptly pushed out onto the floor. Damn that wood is cold I thought, as I went to brush my teeth with her giggling in the background. When I woke up the next morning, it hit me this was our last day here. We had all had a good time being able to relax without worrying about being shot at. I just wished it could go on for a couple more days. I was finally able to drag my stiff and sore self into the shower to get ready to go eat. I was famished. I was leaning against the shower wall letting the hot water beat on my shoulders when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist. "Good morning my love. Still stiff and sore from yesterday?" "Yes I am and believe me, if I do that again it will be in moderation. Tran honey, I know I haven't said much but I am going to miss our time here. You know, Judy and Monk seem as happy as we are." "Harry, I will tell you something if you never repeat it to anyone." "Tran, you know I don't speak out of school. Besides, with my reputation here who would believe me?" She got a chuckle out of that and I was told to wash her back as she started speaking again. "Just before the ranch closed Monk asked Judy to marry him and she refused on the spot. When he asked why she told him she had a better chance of living as a prostitute, even with all the diseases out there than he did with his job. That's why he turned in his resignation so he could find something less dangerous. I watched you when he did and I worried as much as she did about what you were doing. For years I wondered if you had survived or maybe had been shot in some town I never heard of. They had no idea I owned the casinos in Vegas, and when he was offered the job as head of security, he accepted immediately. They were married within six months after he went to work. She became a housewife and stayed home, getting pregnant within a month. I, of course, kept in close contact with her so if Monk heard anything about you, I would hear it too. The last I heard of you Harry, was when you were after some child killer. Then it was like you dropped off the face of the earth. I had all but given up ever seeing you again when you walked into the restaurant in Porter." "Honey, that case was the reason why I quit being a Marshal. I finally got my fill of it all and went back to my hometown and lived for years. It seems I couldn't stay away from the badge so I became a Lieutenant with one of the local departments. I did that for eight years, but when I got my divorce from Sandra's mom, I moved to Florida and became a Private Investigator. That's where I was until I bought Abe's place. My boss was killed and even though his daughter wanted me to stay on, I moved out here for a new start. Boy did I ever get that. Now look at me, married to a beautiful woman and with three girls I have to raise, and me an old man." We got out of the shower and dried off. I started to get dressed when Tran gave me one of those kisses and whispering in my ear; "old man or not, I think we better be a little late for breakfast so I can take care of your problem", she said looking down at my waistline. She did and yes, we were late for breakfast. ------- Chapter 73 When we got to the main lodge and walked in I noticed that all of the team was at one table off to the side. I looked over at Tran but she just shrugged as we sat down at the table with the girls. Sean and Carly came in and I had a sneaking suspicion they were treating this as a second honeymoon or something because she had that same glow on her face than Tran had. I watched as Andy and Shorty and their wives came in shortly after Sean. Their wives, Nina and Trudy, had the same glow on their faces. I had to shake my head thinking I was seeing things or maybe putting more into it than what it really was. The girls all came in from the arcade and we had to push another table up so everyone could be seated. "Grandpa, can we please stay here about another week? I haven't had this much fun in a long time." "Sorry baby, but we have held up the remodeling on the resort long enough. They have a lot of work to do and besides, I have to finish the job at home. We can all come back again and stay a little longer next time. After all, Tran owns this place and that makes her the boss, so I don't think we would have any problems getting cabins." I watched as mine and Sean's girls got a disappointed look on their faces, and I immediately felt bad for them. Carly was just smiling at me, and I had a feeling she knew exactly what I was thinking as I was sure my love for the girls showed in my face. We ordered and I sat back, lighting a cigarette and getting dirty looks from Sean's girls as I did. I looked over at Sandra and she immediately shook her head in a negative fashion so I put it out without taking another puff. This seemed to appease them as they immediately started talking about the arcade games. I looked over at Sean and he mouthed later at my look. I sat there sipping coffee as the women talked about how good a time they were having, and that they hoped to come back soon. I was sitting and listening to the conversation around the table when I heard someone at my side clearing their throat. I looked up and saw that Preacher was standing by my side. "Harry, I think you better turn your cell on as the Director has been trying to reach you all morning. I told him you were still in your cabin and he told me to tell you the crap has hit the fan and he needed to talk to you ASAP." I didn't even answer him but got up and went to the cabin to get the scrambled cell and my personal one. I turned them both on as I headed back to the main lodge and my breakfast. When I sat down, I held up the scrambled cell so Preacher could see I had it and started to eat. I had just taken my third bite when that irritating chirping started. I answered and the Director asked me if I was able to talk. I told him I was in the middle of breakfast so he told me to call back as soon as I finished because it was important. I told him ok and hung up to finish eating. When I was done, I excused myself and headed outside with a large go cup and my cigarettes. I sat down on the bench by the front door in the shade and called him back. As soon as he knew it was me he started talking. "Harry, the ATF really screwed the pooch on this one." Hell, I had forgotten all about the raid on the lumber camp. "They went in and the ATF Director decided he would lead the special teams himself. Harry, they used WP grenades instead of flash bangs to hit the cabins. I don't know the whole story yet, but from the reports I am getting they about blew that part of the county off the map. They are still fighting the fires including the forest fire that got started with the explosions." "What the hell did they blow up, Director? I never heard Avery mention any kind of hazardous material out there." "It seems when the old company went bankrupt and sold out, they left several thousands of gallons of used motor oil and other chemicals in underground storage tanks. I talked to Avery about it and he checked the records, but the tanks were not listed as being there. Anyway, when they used the WP it burned through the floors and ignited the tanks like a string of firecrackers. Harry, we have twenty-two ATF agents in the hospital and an unknown count of men missing. The people in the cabins didn't survive because the tanks were buried under the area where the buildings were. We don't even know how many ATF agents went on the raid as there was no list of who was called in to help. I have a chopper on the way for you and Sean. I want you both on site as soon as possible to handle any problems. I will leave the team there at the casino to make sure your families get home safe later today. I suggest you tell Sean what's going on and get ready to leave." I hung up the phone with a sick feeling in my gut, thinking about the inferno that must have engulfed the old lumber camp. I wondered how many agents were killed that they would never find? God this was a FUBAR, big time. Why the hell had they used WP instead of flash bangs to gain entry? I went back inside and passed the word to Sean and watched as he absorbed what I told him. The rest of the table had shocked looks on their faces by the time I was done. I heard the chopper land out in the parking lot so I grabbed a restroom break and another big coffee before heading out. I hugged the girls and kissed Tran as I went out the door. I knew they would be safe because there was nobody left to threaten any of them. I also knew the seal team would assure their safety until we could return. I had my Glock on, and knowing Sean like I did, I would bet he was armed too. I waited outside the door 'till he joined me. Then we walked over to the chopper and were helped in by the copilot. When we were seated and belted in, we were handed headphone helmets which we put on. "Sirs, we will be at Nellis in about fifteen minutes. You will be catching a ride on one of the Black Hawks we have there. You will arrive at the site in about a half hour after that. We were told to stay on site and under your orders until you relieved us. I don't know what's going on, but the bird you will be riding on has a full compliment of weapons to be used at your discretion." I looked at Sean and he looked as shocked as I was at that news. I made a motion to the copilot to shut off the mike and I took the helmet off and turned to Sean. "What the hell do we need an armed bird for?" "I don't know Harry, but I really don't like the sound of it. Did the Director say anything about any problems on the site?" "Not a damned thing Sean." I went on to give him the whole story of the raid and the ATF using WP instead of flash bangs and what had happened. I watched as he went into a mild shock over all the men who were unaccounted for. We were discussing the whole stupidity of the thing when the copilot tapped me on the knee and pointed down. I looked out and saw a helicopter with rotors spinning that I figured was our ride. When we landed the copilot ushered us out and over to the Black Hawk, and almost immediately we were back in the air. I was thinking the Black Hawks were used by the Army but the pilots wore Air Force flight suits. We were again handed helmets and were hooked into the ground radio traffic so we could listen in on all the calls. We were over the site in less than a half hour as the pilot must have been really pouring it on. I knew these things were fast, but this must have been jet boosted or something because we were going so fast everything was just a blur outside. We landed in a clearing that was marked with flares and the pilot shut it down saying they would be right here if they were needed. He handed us a set of ear buds and said we would be in direct contact with them at all times. I was still clipping the unit to my belt when a State Trooper unit pulled up and the driver motioned for us to get in. When we were in and seated he took off with the siren and lights on. "I'm supposed to take you directly to the staging area Sirs. The Commander and Butch and the Sheriff are waiting on your arrival. Man, I have to tell you, I have never seen fires burn this hot before. The whole place is nothing but fire and smoke. The firemen haven't been able to get close enough to attempt to put it out because of the intense heat. The whole forest in the area is on fire. When camp blew it splashed the area with burning liquid from the underground tanks." I didn't say a word but just looked at Sean in shock at the news. He was shell shocked from the look on his face. We pulled up and got out and were met by Charlie and Avery, who looked worried. "Harry, we got a hell of a mess here and the firemen can't get close enough to the fire to do anything. It has been burning all night and doesn't seem to be letting up at all. I don't know what was in those tanks but this area is better than a half mile from the camp and our eyes are still burning a little. We have all the roads in the area shut down but the forest fire is the main worry as it is headed directly toward the town. There is a gorge it has to cross but there isn't much water in the stream. The Forest Rangers think it will jump the stream. We are looking at blowing the small dam at the head of the canyon so the water will put the fire out before it jumps the stream. We have a problem with that though because it's an earth and timber dam and our demo expert says he doesn't have enough explosive to blow it. It's an old dam and poses no public safety threat, but by the time we get the explosives here it will be too late. Is there anything you can do to help?" I thought about it for a couple of minutes then remembered the chopper had a full compliment of weapons, and this meant they had to be carrying missiles. They had the firepower on it to blow up a dam I was sure. "Avery, are all personnel clear of the dam and watercourse?" "I think so Harry but let me check. Do you have an idea that will help?" "I think I can solve the problem but I want to make sure everyone is clear of the area before I do anything. Check with your people while I talk to our ride to make sure." I got on the ear bud and posed the question to the pilot, and was told that it would be no problem at all with just a couple of missiles. If I wanted the whole dam taken out, they would have to use more than two, but it still posed no problem. I told them to get airborne and await my orders. I got a ten four and heard the chopper winding up in the background. "Avery, are all the people clear? Make damned sure because my chopper is ready to blow the dam on my word." "How the hell can they with no armaments? I mean, I don't doubt your word Harry, but that dam is going to be a tough nut to break. They can't just land on it and expect it to break it down. It's made of logs and some concrete. There's not a lot of water behind it but it should do the job if we can get it flowing." "Avery, we came in on a Black Hawk with a full weapons load. I think a missile or two should do the job, don't you?" "Harry, by this time I should know not to ask, but why have you got a fully armed chopper under your command?" "Hell, don't ask me. I just caught a ride in on it. Sean here is the one you should ask because he is afraid of his own shadow." "Go to hell Harry!" I just laughed and asked Avery again to make sure his people were clear and waited till he did. I then told the pilot to blow a hole in it and release the water as soon as he could. We stood and waited until we heard the first boom and then the second then another before my ear bud went off. The dam is down and the water is headed in your direction. There is a lot of debris in it so I hope everyone is back a good piece, Sir. I asked Avery to warn his people again, telling him about the debris so he got on the radio again. He talked to several different departments and just looked at me, putting his thumb up. I told the pilot to set it back down, but to first fly over the area and see if the fire jumped the gorge before he landed. He came back saying the fire was dying out on the edges, even though the water hadn't reached it yet. I told Avery and he passed that onto the firefighters. I heard several cheers in the distance and just smiled to myself, glad I could help them in some way. Then the pilot reported there was four Humvee's coming across country headed in our direction. I asked him what color they were and he said they were painted in forest green. I told him to keep an eye on them and let me know what they were up to. "Avery or Charlie, either one of you have any green Humvees in the area?" "Hell no, they both answered." Then my ear bud went off with the pilot reporting they had just run a roadblock, killing the two men manning it. I looked at Avery in shock. "You will wipe all of them out under my direct order, Captain. I don't want any of them alive when you're done. If you don't, I will personally have you court-martialed for disobeying a direct order. Are we clear?" "Yes sir we are, and I was under your command from the beginning, Sir. I will be more than glad to take those bastards out after they shot down those guards. Out!" I knew I had just made the Captain mad but I also knew any conversation was being recorded and this way he wouldn't get any flack for blowing up the Humvees after my threat. I had a feeling these were some of the assholes from Hubba's camp, because if they were on the up and up, they would have stopped at the roadblock and shown ID to the two men manning it. I now had to tell whoever was running the roadblocks they had lost two men. "Charlie, are your men manning the roadblocks?" "Yea Harry, the deputies are all close to town to control the citizens there, why?" I told him what happened to the two men, and what I had ordered my chopper to do about it. He just looked at me for a minute or two then went off, cussing up a storm, asking me where the roadblock was so he could send an ambulance and men to the site. I asked the pilot and he gave me a good description that I passed on to Charlie. Avery knew exactly where it was and got on the radio, sending an ambulance and several deputies to check on the men since it was close to town. We all just stood there, waiting on a report on the two Troopers. It took about ten minutes but the report came back to Avery that they were both alive and on the way to the hospital. They had been hit several times but for the most part their vests saved them. Avery told the deputies to stay at the site, and if anyone tried to run it, to open fire on them immediately. "Harry, where are those bastards at now? I am going to send the special teams after them." "Charlie, they won't be alive in another two or three minutes. I told the chopper to take them out and not leave any of them alive." "I still want the teams to check it out. If any of them are still breathing, I want to make sure they don't draw another breath after today." "Charlie I agree with you but we need a prisoner. Tell your men to try to save at least one for me to question if at all possible, ok?" "Sir, all vehicles have been destroyed and are burning. We strafed the area three times on either side. Is there anything else you want us to do sir?" "No, return and land and I will send a car for you Captain. You will come up with me to the staging area." "Yes sir, out!" I could tell he was pissed and asked Charlie to send a car for him. He said consider it done, and wanted to know where the Humvees were at so his people could check them out. I told him the location and he walked away talking on his radio. I asked Avery if there was any coffee and he pointed to a small shelter that was set up about a hundred yards away. I motioned for Sean to join me as I walked that way. "Harry, what the hell just happened? Did you order an attack on civilian vehicles?" I stopped and turned to face him and he took one look into my eyes and stepped back. "Sorry Harry, but are you sure of your actions? I don't want you to be jailed for killing some harmless rubberneckers." "Sean, dammit, if you had turned your ear bud on, and then you might have understood what was happening. You stood there totally out of touch with the bird and you know better. Get your head out of your ass and into what's going on around you. We ain't in paradise anymore, my friend. We are in the middle of a battleground, and if you don't wake up you may not make it back to Carly and the kids. I'm not trying to be a prick but I don't want to tell Carly you got killed because your mind wasn't on your job." I turned around and just walked away, thinking about the two men who had been shot down, just for doing their jobs. I didn't want to think about the missing ATF men from this fiasco that their so-called leader had started. In a way, I was glad he was dead, because with all the loss of life, he would have spent the rest of his in prison from charges of multiple murder. I got to the tent and saw several large coffee pots and grabbed a cup. I sat down in one of the chairs at the side, thinking about that bunch from the other camp we would have to handle in the next few days. What the hell were they thinking, coming here and shooting down two Troopers? It just didn't make any sense at all. I didn't think they would be foolish enough to try and back up the men that were in this camp, unless it was part of an agreement they had made to get money for the weapons I thought they had. I would have Charlie check the area to see if there were a lot of weapons in the ashes of the trucks. Maybe they were delivering the weapons and didn't know about the raid and explosions. Right now I was in the dark and completely stumped. I watched as the Trooper that brought us here dropped off the Captain who was directed to where I was sitting. Sean was at the coffee pot with a look of concentration on his face as he got his coffee. The Captain walked up to me and before he could speak I told him to grab a coffee and sit down. Sean came over and sat down next to me sipping his coffee. The Captain came back and sat down on the other side with a quizzical look on his face. I handed him my ID and he looked at it, then handed it back to me. I told him he was to speak freely, and the reply I got to that made me smile. "God dammit, I didn't need you to order me to blow the hell out of those bastards. After what they did, I would have done it and sworn my bird malfunctioned or something. Anyway, I wouldn't have let them get away with shooting those two men down like they did, Sir." "Captain, can I assume everything said on that warbird is recorded?" "Yes sir, all conversation is recorded including the ear buds we gave you." I watched as he realized what I had done, and he got a smile on his face when he figured it out. He was shaking his head and smiling as he took a sip of the bitter coffee. "Sir, I think I owe you an apology. I think maybe you might have been a little pissed at some of the names I called you up there." "Captain, I wanted to make sure you and the copilot were completely covered in case some bureaucrats kicked up a fuss over this little incident. You probably have a family and a good career ahead of you. I was just making sure it wasn't tarnished in any way by my orders. I hope you understand the reason why I said what I did and why I thought it was right." "Yes Sir, I do now and I thank you for it, but you may have put yourself in a mess by that destroy order, Sir." "Oh, I don't think so Captain. I have the Director of Homeland Security watching my six on this. You just make sure you follow procedure when you are called in on this. Now, enjoy this lousy coffee and I will send you back to your bird when you are ready." "Thank you sir, for me and my copilot." "Harry, what the hell are you talking about? I think that whole conversation went over my head." I turned to him and told him everything he had missed while he had his ear bud off and he just looked at me in shock when I finished. He didn't say a word as he sat and thought about what I said. I sent the Captain back to his bird and then Charlie came over and sat heavily down in a chair next to me. "Harry, that chopper of yours did a job on those trucks. All we found were body parts. That whole area for a hundred feet on either side of the road looks like it was just freshly plowed. Several of my people got sick when they saw the destruction up there. My God Harry, do you ever do anything in moderation?" I looked at him and he cracked up at the look on my face. "Thanks, for all of us Harry. You paid them back for the two men who were hurt. One of them was my son, and I am sure his wife will be grateful that the men who shot him got what they deserved. Thanks to you, he will live to make me a grandfather, I hope." With that he got up and went over to the coffee pot and then went back to talk to Avery. I watched as they talked a little bit then Avery looked toward me and then started laughing. Sean was watching them and he just looked at me in wonder. "Harry, I owe you my life and now it seems I am apologizing again for being an idiot. You're right, I should have had my ear bud on, but I didn't think we would use the chopper again so I never bothered turning it on. I think maybe I need to get back to work because I think I am getting spoiled by being with Carly too much. You know, these last two days have been like a second honeymoon for us. From what Carly told me the other married couples feel the same way. Harry, I have a big favor to ask you when we get back. I didn't want to consider it, but Carly told me if I didn't she would talk to Tran and have her talk to you." I turned and looked at him then realized what it was he was going to ask me. I had to smile to myself, because Tran and I had just this morning talked about it too. It was all I could do to keep from laughing, but I knew Tran wanted to be part of it so I just kept my mouth shut and left him hanging. I could see some of the fireman moving in with hoses toward the camp. I knew we would have a sickening job to do as soon as they got the fire under control. I hoped they had plenty of body bags, because I had a feeling they would be needing them. This time I was glad I didn't have to be the one to go to the families with the news. I was sure there were a lot of missing men because of how few were in the hospital. I wondered how many of those would be able to return to work in the near future. ------- Chapter 74 I was sipping my coffee thinking about the attack by the Humvees when I felt like I was smacked in the back of the head by someone's hand. It was so realistic feeling I actually looked around to see who was behind me. This whole thing is wrong, I was thinking. There's no way a Federal Agency would use WP grenades on a raid. There had to be another explanation. I got up and dropped the bitter coffee cup in the trash and headed for Charlie to talk to him before we left. When I walked up beside him he looked at me in a funny way as I motioned him to the side. "Charlie, I want the men who were cleared to get a refrigerated truck and a case of body bags. They are to go up to where the chopper took out those trucks and gather all the bodies they can find. I also want facial shots of all the heads that are intact. Have them gather all the weapons they can find and load them to be dropped off for the lab to check numbers on." "Harry, they are not your lackeys. Let the Coroner handle that crap. My men have better things to do than to spend an afternoon gathering body parts." "Charlie, let me put this another way. Either they do as I say or they can stand down when we raid the camp. If they get sick from that, then they won't survive a full scale firefight. They need to get dirty and this is the quickest way I can think of. They will see a lot worse once we start into that camp, I guarantee it. They will not only have to shoot but be shot at and some of the shooters will be women. If they can't handle a little blood and guts, then they will all die the first fifteen minutes. This is not a suggestion but an order, Charlie. When your guys get them all bagged, take them to Nellis. I will make all the arrangements for them to drop the bags off. Now what's it going to be Commander?" He looked at me like he thought I was joking, but when he saw the set of my face he just said ok, they will be on their way in fifteen minutes. I turned around and walked away, motioning Sean to my side as I went over to the unit to catch a ride to our bird. Sean came running over and piled in the back as we pulled away. I got on the ear bud and told the Captain to wind it up because we were leaving. "Harry, I know that look, what bug's up your ass now?" I told him to wait until we were airborne, and then I would tell him what was going on. In a very few minutes we were back in the bird with our helmets on. "Captain, fly over the fire area as low as you can so we can observe the area." "What are you looking for Sir?" "I don't know but if I see it I will know." We flew directly into the smoke, a little low I thought, but the rotor wash helped give us glances at the ground as we circled the area. I finally saw something to the side of the big holes in the ground and told the Captain to hover over the area. I tapped Sean on the knee telling him to look down and to tell me what he saw. He was looking down toward the area I was pointing at and got a quizzical look on his face when he spotted the same thing I had. I had the Captain spiral out a little farther, and saw two more of the same thing as did Sean. I then told the Captain to take us to Reno. I got on the cell and made arrangements for a car to be waiting for our use. I told the Captain to go back to Nellis and refuel, rearm, and come back to Reno and wait for further orders. He said ok, he would land in the reserved Federal Area and wait for us there. When we landed we got out and he took off immediately. We were met by another agent who handed us key to an unmarked parked by the hangar. He went back inside and we took off. "Harry, where the hell are we going, and why did you tell the pilot to refuel and rearm?" I told Sean why we were in Reno and what I had planned and he looked at me like I was crazy. "Seam, you saw the same thing on the ground as I did. I know that the ATF doesn't use four wheel drives. I also know that the men at those bunkhouses didn't have any, so where do you think they came from?" "Harry, if you're right, this will take the blame off those poor men who are still alive and help set a lot of wrongs right. Why the hell would they attack there while a raid was going down?" "I think it was just a coincidence Sean. I don't think they had any idea the ATF was even around. That's why those Humvees were coming today, to find out what happened to their people. They probably saw all the smoke and came to help them. If we can find an agent conscious, I think we will get confirmation of my ideas. First we are going to stop at a Radio Shack and buy two top of the line tape recorders so we can get everything on tape. I want to make sure if I am right, these poor men get the recognition they deserve. If I have to go public I will to absolve them. I had a problem with the scenario the whole time we were there. No self respecting Federal Agent would use WP when they have flash bangs by the thousands for their use. Also, they would never attack without giving the occupants some kind of warning." "Harry, thank you. I think there's more to you than anyone knows. I have seen you in all kinds of situations, but I always noticed you thought most of your moves out then the hell with what anyone thought, you just acted. I can see why Preacher and Monk respect you so much. Man you don't miss a trick, do you?" I just looked at him and smiled as I pulled up in front of the store and we went in. We got the best they had and several extra tapes in the best grade they carried. We came out and I headed for Reno Memorial Hospital. I knew this had to be where they were brought because they had one of the best burn wards in this part of the state. I had no idea of what we would be facing and in retrospect, I wished I hadn't done this myself because the pain and anguish I was about to see would haunt me for many years to come. We had just pulled up in front of the hospital when my cell went off. I almost threw it out the window because the chirping got on my nerves so bad. I answered it and the Director was on the other end and the attitude started to piss me off. "Harry, where are you and Agent Hadley? I sent you up to the site and I was told you both left. I want you back on the site so when they knock those fires down you can find out what happened. I suggest you follow orders for a change." "Director, you can kiss my ass. I am not one of your flunkies and I am not getting a paycheck, so I don't have to put up with this bullshit. I suggest you tone it down when you speak to me, or you can shove this phone and my ID up your ass." I hung up and tossed the phone over to Sean who was looking at me with his mouth hanging open. I got out of the car and went in the hospital and up to the front desk. I showed my ID and asked where the accident victims from last night were. I was told they were on the fourth floor in their own wing. I caught the elevator up and got off and was met by an armed agent. I showed him my ID and he backed off, asking what he could do for me. I told him I wanted to speak to one of the doctors who were treating the Agents. He said to follow him and we went to a side room where a young doctor was writing in some charts. I showed him my ID before I spoke. "Doctor, I know this is hard but I need to know if any of the men brought in last night are awake so I can talk to him, if at all possible." "Mr. Hanson, there is only one who is able to speak and he is in a lot of pain. He is in a full body cast from the concussion of the blast. He is on pain medication so I don't know if he will be able to tell you anything yet. His name is Barry Thomas and he is in room 414. I suggest you take it slow because his vocal cords are very sore." "Thank you, Doctor. How are the rest doing and will they be able to lead normal lives when they recover?" "Some, maybe ten will be able to return to duty, but the rest will never be able to lead normal lives. Some of those poor men are burned so bad they will spend years undergoing skin grafts. The rest have had their internal organs so badly damaged they will be lucky to live, and then they will be in constant pain and have to have round the clock treatment. What the hell happened up there?" "Doc, if I knew I would tell you, and I promise you I will find out." He just shook his head and I headed for room 414. I remembered Barry's name from the gulch and hoped he would be ok when he healed. He had seemed to be a good man and proud of his job. I was almost at the door when Sean caught up with me. "Harry, the Director said to tell you he apologizes for his tone of voice but he is under a lot of pressure to find out what happened. The President is breathing down his neck because we left the site instead of finding out what happened. I didn't tell him anything except you were following up on a hunch you had. He asked me to ask you to call him when you decide to confide in him about what the hell you're doing." "Sean, I think we are about to get our answers. The man in this room we both met in the gulch. Remember Barry Thomas?" "The young guy who took inventory of all those weapons in the cave?" "The very same agent. He is the only one awake and I want to talk to him before he is ordered not to give out any statements. You and I both know this whole fiasco wasn't the ATF's fault. If I can get it on tape, I will go public with it to get them off the hook for all of this. They certainly don't deserve all the flack they are getting from all the other Agencies." We went in the room at the same time and I almost gasped at the sight before me. The doctor said he was in a full body cast but he didn't say his whole head was bandaged and he was hooked up to about thirty different machines, each with their own tube running into his body. I took a deep breath before I went over to the bed. I turned the recorder on and motioned for Sean to do the same. He did but he seemed to be in shock. "Barry, can you hear me?" He was whispering as he answered me. "Barry Thomas, this is Harry Hanson. Do you remember me from the gulch?" "I remember you Harry. Who's with you?" "Agent Hadley, who you should remember from the gulch too. I came to ask you about last night. Do you remember what happened at the timber camp?" "Harry, we didn't stand a chance. We were standing at the truck getting our vests and flash bangs when these four pickups came out of the dark. Can I have a drink?" I got the ice water and put the straw to his mouth and he took several swallows before he pushed it away with his tongue. "They were running back and forth on both sides of the cabins shooting into them. When they came back for the second run they started throwing grenades at the cabins. We all just stood there in shock about a hundred yards away watching the whole thing. All of a sudden there was a loud bang and I woke up here. Harry, we never even got a shot off before the whole place blew up. They say I will be able to return to duty but it will take a lot of work. Harry, do you know who was in those pickups? They were all painted a dark color and were full of men with guns. We never stood a chance and wouldn't have, even if we had been closer. How many of us are still alive Harry?" "I don't know Barry. We don't even know how many agents were at the scene. Your boss didn't leave any records of how many he called in for the raid. Do you know how many were there last night my friend?" "Harry, there were seventy agents there, and most were the special teams brought in from all over. I was there because I was supposed to film the raid for the court hearings. What happened? All I can remember is a loud bang then nothing. Harry, the pain medicine is kicking in again because I am getting sleepy. Will you do me a favor?" "If I can Barry, what is it you need my friend?" "Will you come back and visit me again? I don't have any family and I admired you the first time I met you. I don't want to lay here with nobody to talk to so will you-" He was asleep so I said next to his ear I would come and see him on a regular basis, and we would go fishing as soon as he got out of this place. I looked over at Sean with tears in my eyes, and he was in the same condition I was. We turned the recorders off and headed back to the car. I was thinking furiously about what Barry had told me, and I was getting madder with every step I took. When we got back to the car I decided to make a call and set some assholes straight on a few things. I asked Sean for my cell and he handed it back to me. "Harry I know you're mad as hell because I am too, but please be careful what you say. We cleared them completely but I don't want to have you rub their noses in it." "Why the hell not, Sean? Out of seventy good men there are maybe three that will lead a normal life because of some damn rednecks who decided they wanted to play cowboy. If they, as in the higher ups, don't retract some of the comments I have been hearing on the news, I am going to go live with this recording and see if I can make some of them crawl back into the holes they came out of. Now give me my damned phone and stay out of it." I called the Director and gave him a quick rundown on what I had found out. I told him I wanted a three way patch with him and the President. He said that wasn't possible so I told him I was giving my ID and phone to Agent Hadley and I better not hear from him again. I did just that and got out of the car, giving the keys to Sean and hailed a cab to take me home. When we pulled up in front of the cabin we were met by one of the guards but I just walked by him and went inside. Butter was sitting on the couch and I went over to him. "Butter, as of now I am no longer a VIP. Take your men to the chemical plant and report to Preacher for another assignment. Don't argue with me, just do it now!" I went into the kitchen and waited until I heard them leave about a half hour later. Tran came in wearing her night clothes and made coffee and sat down beside me at the table. "Harry, I have seen that look before. Want to tell me what's going on?" We spent the next hour with me telling her all that had happened today, and why I quit working for the Director. She didn't say anything until I was done talking. "If that's they way they want to act then I am glad you no longer work for them. I can't believe that they would blame it on those poor agents even after they knew the truth. To be truthful, I am glad you are out of it because you deserve better after all you have done for them. If we need guards I will have Monk send a handpicked team out here. Now let's go to bed, my love. I think you need a hug and a shower but not in that order." I looked at her and smiled and kissed her on the forehead. I set the alarm and the traps and we went to bed. I unplugged the house phone and turned my cell off to make sure I wouldn't be disturbed. I fell asleep snuggled up against Tran, but I had nightmares almost the whole night. I kept seeing Barry in his bed and hearing his plea to me to visit him because he admired me. The same thing woke me all night long and then it came to me what I was going to do now. Tran was sound asleep when I got up and went into the girl's room and gave them all a kiss before I headed for the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on. I was sitting in the recliner when my Jeep came up the driveway. I grabbed the forty five and went outside to see who was driving it. It was the same young Trooper and he said he was supposed to pick up my marked unit, leaving my Jeep. I tossed him the keys and he gave me my keys. He left and I sat down on the porch step thinking about my situation now. If Charlie took the marked unit, I was now persona-non-grata with his department too. Oh well, I had been there before and I wondered how long it would be before my carry permit would be revoked. I sat back laughing silently and for the first time since Sandra and I got back, I felt free and at ease. I had made copies of the tape and already mailed two of them to two stations I knew wouldn't be bullied by the government and would report on them fairly. I knew the shit was going to hit the fan today, if it already hadn't. I decided I would call Jimmy later and see how much longer he would be on my other unit. The way it was looking, I would be needing it sooner than I thought. I had just stood up when I heard someone calling my name. I looked around and George was coming up from the road in civvies. I stood there and waited for him to walk up the hill. I noticed he was carrying his sea bag over his shoulder. "Hey Harry, got any java for a poor sailor?" "Sure George, come on in. I just got a pot going." We walked into the house and to the kitchen where I poured us a cup and we both sat down at the table. I took a sip, waiting for him to speak. "Well, I hope I'm not intruding but since I am now a civilian I can talk freely. Harry, the shit hit the fan when Butter and his team came into the chemical plant last night. Preacher went up one side and down the other on him for leaving you and your family unguarded. Then the Director called and I thought Preacher was going to go off on him too. What the hell did you do yesterday? Sean came home to the cabin and he and his wife were up talking half the night. I guess he decided to tender his resignation and he told the Director where he could put his phone and your ID. Preacher told the Director if he didn't like the way he was running things, then he could have his commission too. Man you really stirred up a hornets nest. A General Brown was on the phone first thing this morning wanting to know what the hell was going on down here. He and Preacher talked for about an hour until the other team from Bragg arrived and reported in. Harry, I think you can expect lots of visitors this morning from what I heard. The President is pissed at the Director and they are in a meeting as we speak. When the news came on this morning, they really went ballistic at the White House." "George, I never liked the ATF but they didn't do anything wrong. Over fifty men are dead and all I heard was how they screwed up during their raid. I just set the record straight before they put a lid on it all, leaving the ATF holding the bag. I am sorry to hear about Sean though because he is one of the best I ever worked with." "Harry, can you use an extra set of eyes for awhile? I am free now and don't have anything else to do." "George, as far as I'm concerned you are welcome but I will have to discuss it with Tran before I make any decisions on house guests. She is pissed about how I was treated and I don't know what kind of mood she'll be in this morning. I know Sandra would love to have you so she can teach you the violin, but let's just wait and see what happens, huh?" "Good enough Harry. I can always rent a place in the city but I have come to love the view from here. Harry, I think Doris and I are going to start dating again. She told me about everything that happened to her, and if I had been here, I would have just shot the SOB instead of beating him to death. She is still a great girl even after all she has been through. She also told me about all the things you have done since you moved out here, and if they treat you like they are doing, then they are fools." Tran came in and greeted George, and made her tea from the hot water I already had waiting. She sat down at the table with us, sipping it while looking at George. I told her that he had requested to join us. "George, you know you are welcome here and I am sure the girls will be glad to have you. I think we are going to be outcasts for awhile from what Harry told me last night so I hope that doesn't bother you." "Miss Tran, I quit worrying about opinions when I got in the Navy. If you don't know the old saying about it I am sure Harry can tell you. Besides, I think he can use an extra set of eyes for awhile. I also want to learn to play that old violin so I can close an old wound, and settle a few things when I go back to my home. Besides, I think it's going to be a zoo around here in a couple of hours. I figure Sean and his family should be here in about a half hour. He quit his job yesterday, not long after Harry did. Nope, I would like to stay around for awhile, because I have a feeling its going to be very interesting for the next few days." We all got a chuckle out of his comments. I got up to make breakfast because I heard little feet upstairs, signifying the girls were awake and would be hungry. I had just started to cook when Tran said she hoped I had plenty because four Bradleys had just pulled up in front of the cabin. I set the eggs down and went to see who was here. It was all the teams and Sean and his family. They all came up the steps talking about the bright yellow Jeep sitting in front of the cabin, wondering whose it was. When Sean and his family came into the house, I stepped out on the porch, closing the door behind me as I did. "I thought I told all of you to leave last night, Butter. My family and I are leaving today for a few weeks, so I suggest all of you stay off my property while I am gone. Oh and tell anyone who asks I am now very retired and don't want to be bothered for any reason." I went back in the house, locking the door behind me and went into the kitchen. Tran and Carly were finishing up cooking breakfast and Sean and George were sitting at the table laughing about something. I kissed Tran on the back of her neck before I grabbed my coffee, sitting down with them. "Well Harry, since we all are unemployed, now what are we going to do for fun?" Before I could answer Sean, Tran spoke up and said since she thought she was pregnant, she thought I had had enough fun. I fell off the chair as I tried to turn around to face her. She and Carly were cracking up as well as Sean and George. "That's not funny you guys. Man, I almost had a heart attack. Tran, don't ever scare me like that and it's not funny," I said laughing. She came over and helped me up saying I needed the shock to jump start my day. She and Carly were still cracking up, and I gave George and Sean a dirty look which only served to make them laugh harder. I figured I would have the last word as I got up and headed for the front door. "Where are you going Harry? Breakfast is almost ready." "You can pick me up later at the hospital, honey." "Why, what's wrong?" "I am going to get neutered right away." Well I got the last word alright, but it was a wet one as Tran threw a full glass of orange juice in my face. When she realized what she had done she got the strangest look on her face, just before I started around the table to get her. She squealed and ran for the steps, getting tangled up in the girls as they were coming down to eat. I grabbed her and started tickling her, and of course the girls joined in and it somehow became a free for all and everyone ended up in a pile at the bottom of the steps. Since I was soaked I made sure I hugged everyone, getting them all covered with the sticky stuff. We all had to get showers again before we were able to sit down to eat. We were still laughing as the girls cleaned up the table and headed up to watch a movie in the tent. I felt like I had a hundred pound weight lifted off my shoulders as we all sat and sipped our choice of drinks. Carly was still laughing and Sean had a big smile on his face. I looked around the table and felt at peace with myself for a change. "Well, I think we all need to go to town and Sean needs a vehicle for his family since he is staying for awhile. George will need one too but I think Doris can help us. I will call her in a little bit to see what she has in the back. I think she will give George a special deal if he offers her a kiss in lieu of payment." George got red and we all laughed at him and he laughed with us. Damn, I missed Mark, because he would have gotten a big kick out of the whole situation. My happiness was short lived as someone was knocking on the door. I went to the door and two men in suits were standing there. I opened the door to see what they wanted. I noticed George by the kitchen door with a pistol held by his side. "Are you Harry Hanson?" "Yes I am and who are you fellas?" They showed me their creds and they were both from the NSA. I was informed of my rights, with them saying they wanted me to come with them to the nearest law enforcement agency for questioning. "Am I under arrest, and if I am please show me the warrant." "No Sir, you are not under arrest. We have some questions for you and would prefer to do it in private." "I suggest you both get off my property and if you come back have a warrant. Meanwhile, I will call my attorney and advise him of the situation and put him on alert. Now please, leave my home." They didn't say another word, just walked down the drive. I had to laugh thinking they were already pissed because they had to walk to get here. I went back in and noticed Tran had a worried look on her face. "Don't worry honey. If they come back I will put Floyd on alert. I guarantee you they don't have anything on me or they would have a warrant already. They were on a fishing trip and when they found out I wouldn't spook, they left." "Harry, I have two of the best criminal attorneys in the U.S. on retainer, and I will call them too. These bastards aren't going to pick on my husband after all you have done for this county and people." She went stomping to the phone and plugged it in and started dialing. I grabbed my cell and called Floyd at home. He answered on the first ring and when I explained what was going on, he said he would call his friend and have him call me back immediately. He said not to worry because his friend was one of the best ex federal prosecutors in the business. We shot the breeze for a little bit before I hung up. I had barely hung up when my cell rang and a Mr. Xavier said he was on the case and had already talked to Floyd. He gave me his personal numbers and said to call him if I needed him. He said he had his own helicopter and would come immediately when I called. Tran came over to me with a puzzled expression on her face. "Harry, who the hell are you? I called my attorney and he said he had already been alerted by one of the most powerful attorneys in the U.S. to handle your case pro bono." "Well honey if you told me your attorney's name, I might know who you're talking about." "His name is Alexander Xavier. He used to be one of the most powerful federal prosecutors in the world. He married Mary from the ranch. They have three boys and they are all attorneys too." I just laughed and told her who I had called and she got a shocked look on her face when I told her Floyd's name. "My God Harry, do you realize who he is?" "I have known him for years and his daughter is my god daughter. His whole family and I have been close for years. He handles all my investments for me." She just went back to the kitchen, shaking her head and talking to herself. I got a kick out of the whole situation because normally she was never shocked by business dealings, but this was something new to her. I had a feeling she would be asking me a bunch of questions when we were alone later. When I went back to the kitchen she was sitting at the table with a shocked look on her face and the other three staring at her. "Harry, why does the NSA want to talk to you? Is there something going on we don't know about?" I sat down and told them all what I had done with my copy of Barry's statement and how it had already been on the news. George joined in telling them what he had already told me, and I thought Sean was going to have a fit, he was so red in the face. "Harry, they took my tape before I got to the airport, warning me I had better not talk about it to anyone. That's why I quit yesterday. They still had planned on blaming that fire and the loss of life on the ATF agents who are dead. Man, you really blew the whole thing wide open didn't you? Do you know the families will be filing lawsuits for the next twenty years for the way their men were treated? No wonder NSA is involved. Harry, they are going to try to hang you if they can." "Sean, that won't fly because I have a certified copy of an executive order signed by the President, giving me free rein in the name of National Security. I don't think they will want that coming out in the news because it isn't supposed to exist." "Jesus Harry, you got them by the short hairs, don't you? Does the President know you have a certified copy?" "No but if they push me, he will when the papers start to print copies of it. I think the Director will put a stop to all of it. He knows I have it because he gave it to me in front of Tran." "Damn Harry, no wonder you aren't worried. Man, they will jump through hoops to keep that quiet. I hope you have it in a safe place." "I do and my attorney has a copy as well as several other friends that I can trust to make sure it gets in the right hands if something happens to me. Don't worry, Sean, I always cover my ass in a crunch. Now, let's call Doris and see if George can get us all a discount on a car. Pucker up George, so you can get some practice in before you go to meet her later." He gave me a dirty look which got everyone started laughing. We were all still laughing when I picked up my cell to call Doris to see what kind of vehicles she had to sell for the county. ------- Chapter 75 Everyone was still laughing at George when I saw two people walking up the drive. One was a woman and the other was carrying a large camera over his shoulder. I called back into the kitchen telling everyone what was coming up the driveway. They all came out to watch them huff and puff as they walked up the steepest part. Tran had a smart comment and they all got a laugh out of it. I was asking myself whether I should run them off or talk to them. I knew it would be about the tapes I had sent out and decided to try to be polite unless they started pushing about other things. I stepped out the door telling everyone else to stay inside. Tran handed me a cup of coffee and I closed the door behind me as I sat down in the nearest chair. I watched with a smirk on my face when the woman had to stop to get her breath before coming up the last fifty yards or so. When she got to the porch, she just sat down on the step panting. The cameraman had a smile on his face as he sat the camera down. I didn't offer them anything, wanting to see what her attitude would be when she was able to speak. That took about five minutes before she was able to breathe normally. She asked the cameraman politely for the mike and my respect went up about three notches for her. "Mr. Hanson, I am Shelly Adams, a reporter for WKXT in Reno. This is my cameraman, Art Simon. I think if I plan to keep chasing news I am going to have to start going to the gym again." I got a chuckle out of that one as did her cameraman. My respect for her went up a little more because she treated her cameraman like he was someone instead of just a lackey for her to order around. "What can I do for you Miz Adams? I hope you didn't walk up here just for your morning stroll, because if you start asking questions that are none of your business, you just wasted the whole morning." "No Sir, the station manager sent us out to ask you a few questions about the tape you sent to the station. That's all we want to ask about, Sir." I told her to ask her questions and if I could answer them I would. She interviewed me for about a half hour, never wavering from the subject of the tape. I answered all her questions in a frank manner, giving her all the information I could, to try to help the ATF agents. I told her about my hunch and the vehicles we had seen, and why I sent the tapes out to make sure the men involved would be remembered with respect, not be blamed for something they had no control over. We covered several subjects and there were only a couple of questions I refused to answer because of National Security. She finally asked for some water, which I was glad to get them both a bottle of. I could tell they both appreciated it and they remarked on how cold it was. They left smiling and talking back and forth as they walked back down the driveway. I went back inside and called Shorty, asking him to put a deputy at the end of my driveway so I wouldn't be bothered by any more reporters. "Harry, I heard what happened and Andy said to tell you to remember you still hold your commission here. I will send someone out with your ID and a unit for your use as soon as I get off the phone." "Tell Andy I said thanks but I don't need the unit. I am going to town later to buy a couple more vehicles for Sean and for George, a friend who staying with us. The ID I can use because I have a feeling it might come in handy." "Then I will also send a walkie for your use since you don't want a unit. Harry, the commissioners said to a man to tell you they haven't forgotten all you have done for this county, and they will back you in any way they can. If you need the Department's help, just yell. I think about every man here would help in any way they could if you needed it." "Thanks Shorty, tell them I appreciate it and tell Andy thanks. I'll catch you later, my friend." "Ok Harry, just remember we haven't forgot what you have done for this county and its people." I hung up and went back into the kitchen with a lump in my throat, thankful I had some good friends besides the ones I was facing. I sat down with a fresh cup of coffee and we discussed my interview. Sean said I handled it like a pro. I told them about the woman being so polite, and Sean said that would change as she got some experience on her in the news business. We were all laughing about that when Carly spoke up. "Harry, Sean and I want to ask you a question." "Well go ahead and ask Carly." "We were wondering if you and Tran would rent us the cabin we are staying in. We have fallen in love with it and the girls just love the place. Harry, there are two cars in the garage at the house. Tran told me that beautiful little one is hers but the station wagon, she didn't know whose it was. Maybe we could buy it because it would be perfect for all of us." Damn, I had forgotten about that old Dodge wagon of Mark's. He had told me he bought it to drive out here in and I had forgotten all about it. He had told me he got it from a friend of his for almost nothing so he could haul the girl's important stuff out here. If it was ok with Dina and Dana, I would just give it to Sean because he, I was sure, was short on money, particularly with him not working now. I also knew I could get him on with the sheriff's department and because of his experience, he would immediately make Captain and make a good living. I would talk to Shorty then him about it later. I looked over at Tran and she had that damned smirk on her face again. I sat for a couple of minutes acting like I was thinking. I decided I would put it on Tran for a change so I did. "I have no objections Carly, but the final decision is up to Tran She is the boss in this house since she married me and had me neutered." Well that broke things up because George and Sean lost it. I was surprised when Tran and Carly looked at each other and both of them started smirking. Right then I realized I had made a bad tactical mistake and I had a feeling I would be reminded of it as the years went by. Damn, I had stuck my foot in my big mouth again trying to be a smart ass. Oh well, I had no recourse but to try to act like I didn't know what I had done in front of them both. Before they could get a dig in, I got up and called for Dina and Dana to come downstairs a minute. I sat down on the couch and they climbed into my lap, waiting to see why I had called them. When I explained to them why, they both looked at each other then smiled at me. Dina had the final word concerning the wagon. "Uncle Harry, Dad hated that old clunker, as he called it. He told us all the way out here it was like driving a big truck, and it had the worst radio he ever tried to listen to. We would both be glad if you gave it to Carly and the girls. Besides, we love your Jeep and would just as soon not have to ride in that clunker again. The back seats smelled like dogs." I laughed and hugged them both, thanking them for helping out. They gave me a kiss on either cheek and ran back upstairs, saying I had interrupted their Monopoly Game. I walked back out to the kitchen to total silence. When I walked in, I had four sets of eyes looking at me in a quizzical way. I refreshed my coffee and sat back down before I spoke to Sean. "Well Sean, it seems you have inherited an old Dodge station wagon, free of charge. I will get the paperwork done and sign it over to you. Will you all quit staring at me? I asked Dina and Dana first because if they had an emotional attachment to it, I didn't want to hurt their feelings by just giving it away. I thought it was the right thing to do." "Harry, for being a new husband and father, you seem to know just how to talk to those girls. I have just one question though." "Well, spit it out Sean." "What was that comment about dogs Dina made?" I lost it, saying it was my secret and they would find out for themselves when they drove it for the first time. They all laughed but I got a dirty look from Tran I couldn't figure out. I found out later when she made it plain to me there would be no more secrets between us, because we were in this relationship together and would share everything. I didn't think it was a secret at the time, but I agreed because whether I liked it or not, she was a hundred percent right. Anyway, the only one who needed wheels now was George so I went back to the front room to call Doris. I had just picked up the receiver when the alarm went off. I almost pissed myself I was so startled. I went running to the kitchen, and slid the panel back to look at the cameras. The pond camera was blinking red so I zoomed in to see what had set it off. Landing in the big clearing by the pond were two Black Hawk choppers. The first out was the Director and Preacher and then another man in an Army uniform. George was looking over my shoulder as Tran came up ducking under my arm, standing by my side as she looked too. "Harry, if he tries to create any problems in our house, I will personally run him and the rest of them out the door. George, hand me that gun you had earlier. I want them to see me with it, and know I am not going to let them give Harry any shit in our home. Carly, go upstairs and tell the girls to stay up there and play until they are called." "Calm down honey, and since when did you ever learn how to handle anything but a tire thumper?" "Harry Hanson there are a lot of things you don't know about me yet. This is our home and they will not treat my husband like some flunky while I draw a breath. You can let Preacher in and the Director and that other man but nobody else. Better yet I will meet them at the door. The rest of you sit down and drink your coffee and let me handle this." I looked at her with a smile but George and Sean were shocked speechless by her sudden change in attitude. "Come on fellas, we better do as she says or we will be in big trouble." I set the example by resetting the alarm and going to the table. Carly came back in and refilled our cups then went to the sink to finish whatever she had been doing. Tran had disappeared into the front room and I looked at George and raised my eyebrows. He must have sensed what I was asking, because he raised the front of his shirt showing me he was still in possession of his pistol. I just let out a big sigh and settled down to drink my coffee, waiting to see what would happen next. Preacher was the first one who came into the kitchen. I almost busted out laughing at the pained look on his face. I knew then Tran had just dressed him down because I knew her. He didn't say a word, just sat down. Carly poured him a cup of coffee and he just nodded his thanks. The Director was in next and he was almost a replay of Preacher. By this time I could barely hold back my laughter. The next man through the door I recognized immediately, and he had a big smile on his face as he came over and shook my hand. "Hanson, it's good to see you again. It's been a long time my friend." "It sure has General. I see you gained a couple of stars since I saw you last." "Yea well, I am still overdue for retirement by about ten years. My wife says this is my last duty, because she wants to spend some time with me before I get too old to lie on a warm beach and neck with her." I just laughed at the old joke he always used since Nam. He hadn't changed much. Well he had a few more wrinkles but he still looked squared away like he always did. The next three had their Green Berets tucked under their shoulder tabs of their uniforms. They sat down and didn't say a word. I noticed they were all captains and had been in quite a few years by their chevrons. "Harry, these are Captain's Anderson, Johnston, and Triplett who I think you know already." I looked at Preacher then at Triplett before I realized who I was looking at. "I'll be damned if it ain't Stumpy. Man, you must have kissed a lot of butt to make Captain." I stood and started around the table. He was up and met me halfway hugging me and we were thumping each other on the back. This went on for a couple of minutes before we sat back down smiling at each other. I hadn't seen him since he was medivaced out of a firefight we got in at Ben Loi. I hadn't ever been able to find out how he was, and I had checked for many months. They said he has been sent back to the world for medical treatment and that was the last I had ever heard of him. Now he was sitting at my table with that shit eating grin on his face I had missed all these years. Tran was standing at the sink with Carly with a big smile on her face at our little show. I figured the Director would start up the conversation and I was right. But the subject he started with threw me and the rest, if the expression on their faces was any sign. "First Harry, I want to present you with a personally signed and stamped apology from the President. He wrote this out and said that I was to present it to you personally, because of my actions and the way you were treated by me and several Senators. The Senate overwhelmingly voted to censure the ones responsible for trying to blame those men you cleared. You'll also be happy to know they all have received the highest awards a Federal Agent killed in the line of duty can receive. I also have a personal commendation for Agent Hadley for his actions in the matter. I was also ordered to tell Agent Hadley he is now a Field Director with his choice of duty stations. I have more but I will turn it over to General Brown because he has a few things to say to you, Harry. I turned toward him to see what kind of shit he was going to lay on me. He was grinning from ear to ear as he opened his briefcase and pulled some documents out. He laid them on the table in front of him and turned to address me. "Harry, I have known you since Nam. I will say this now because I should have said it many years ago. I was proud that you served under me over there and if it were up to me, you would never have been discharged. I tried for years to get you reinstated but I was overruled every time. That Lieutenant got what he deserved as far as I was concerned. Now I have the honor to fulfill a life long dream. Harry, the papers I have restore you to reserve status for a period of three years. With your other Federal time, you can retire and collect full benefits at the end of the three years. You will have the rank of Major in Special Forces." I just looked at him in shock before I started laughing hysterically. As I was laughing, I was looking around and the ones sitting and standing were looking at me like they thought I had gone off the deep end or something. When I finally got myself under control, I wiped my eyes and asked Tran for more coffee before I could speak. "General, I always respected you but no fucking way. Look around you Sir. I have a beautiful wife, three daughters and a life any sane man would envy. I am fifty seven years old and a millionaire. Hell my wife is worth more millions than I am. General, I love you for fighting to get me this, but I will stay right where I am at. No offense sir but I don't follow orders worth a damned and never did. That hasn't changed as I got older. I think the Director can clue you in on my way of doing things." To my surprise he was the one who started laughing next. He got it under control faster than I did, and he also asked Tran for more coffee before he spoke. "Harry, thank you. I just won a hundred from the President. When he hatched this little idea I reacted just like you did. I told him you would probably tell me to stick it where the sun doesn't shine, but you surprised me by being nicer than I thought you would. Your reaction was worth the trip out here. Damn, you haven't changed in all these years have you?" "General as you well know, I have always been my own man. That hasn't changed, and you have two of my old team members here that will tell you and the President the same thing. Now, putting aside the bullshit, what's the real reason for this little visit?" This time the Director took over the conversation as I figured he would. "Harry, I want you to come back to work with me. No, I am pleading for you to come back. I made a bad mistake by trying to push you when I know I shouldn't have. You went above what you should have had to in order to make sure those ATF agents got a fair shake. I was like everyone else, and was just going to let them take the blame for all the destruction. Your way of doing things may not be by the book, but your insights are very valuable. If the person you are working for will only take the time to listen and learn. Unlike you, I didn't have any law enforcement experience when I was appointed to this job. A lot of the advice I got was to say the least, worthless. You have been my eyes and ears since I became associated with you. You taught me more in the time I have known you than any of those so-called experts. I can't afford to lose that if I want to do a good job for the people I am tasked to protect. This raid coming up is beyond my expertise. The men in this room have repeatedly told me they don't stand a chance of pulling it off without your knowledge, and gut feelings, as they put it. Harry, I have been reminded several times by Agent Hadley and Preacher we wouldn't have gotten this far without you, and I have to agree. Will you please see this through to help us hold down the loss of life with what's coming up?" "Director, I won't give you an answer now. I will let you know in the morning. I have to discuss this with my wife because she has a very large stake in this too. She is my own personal voice of reason and I won't do anything without discussing it with her first. I will tell you if I decide to run the operation and I will turn in my creds the moment it is over." "Good enough Harry, I will stay at the old chemical plant tonight so you can reach me there to let me know. I will also reassign the protection for you and Agent Hadley's family. Here is your cell and ID so you can reach me." "Have the teams on protection work from the chemical plant as their base of operations because things are just getting back to normal here. I will also want transportation for Sean's family to go back to their home when I call." He just nodded and got up to leave. Tran came and thanked them all for coming. Stumpy came over and shook my hand again before he walked out behind Preacher. I had been surprised by his silence during the whole meeting. The General shook my hand again before he left, still smiling. When Tran came back in, she picked up the papers and gave one to Sean, then put the apology letter up on the shelf by the camera panel. She turned around to face me and I saw she had tears running down her cheeks as she smiled at me. I went over to her and took her in my arms and when I did, it seemed like the kitchen got vacant almost like magic. I stood and held her in my arms thinking how much she had come to mean to me in such a short time. I was also thinking to myself that maybe I might make a good husband after all if we stayed together for a few more years. She leaned back and kissed me, and it was all I could do to keep from squeezing her too hard as the kiss went on a few minutes. "Harry, I have to admit that I have had some doubts about how we would get along with each other. I think all those went right out the window with what you said here today. I knew you loved me but to hear you say it in front of everyone made me feel so proud of the fact we were man and wife. I am not going to discuss this with you because this is one decision that is the man's, and it's up to you to make it. Honey, whatever you decide I will stand behind you and be proud of you. I have read and seen movies about Navy Seals and Green Berets for years but until today, I never realized how close they are and how much they depend on each other. The joy on your face at seeing your friend again made me happy for you. Harry, I know they are all considered the best of the best, but if they think that much of you, I sure am proud you were one of them. If they are depending on you like they say, I think maybe I have the one man that is above them all." I couldn't talk because the lump in my throat kept me from saying anything. I had realized as she talked, that I had finally found the woman I had always yearned all my life for. I just hoped I would always be able to live up to her expectations and give her the love she deserved. I looked up and it was almost four in the afternoon, and I realized none of us had eaten anything since breakfast. I immediately felt guilty because the girls were probably starving and they had been told to stay upstairs until they were called. I broke away from Tran saying, "Look at the time". She looked up at the clock and got a dismayed look on her face and started calling for Carly. When she came in Tran told her to look at the time. She got a shocked and guilty look on her face and I was immediately run out of the kitchen. They started digging in the fridge, telling me to call the girls down to get ready for supper. I did as they asked, then joined George and Sean on the front porch and lighting a cigarette. "I wondered how long it would be before you got run out of the kitchen Harry. I bet Carly heard my stomach growling all the way in there." "Oh shut up Sean, before I tell Carly you were more worried about your hunger than the girls not eating since breakfast." He gave me a dirty look, to which George busted out laughing before saying to both of us. "Hunger ain't so bad, but practicing your pucker is downright humiliating with everyone watching, thinking you were trying to be a fish imitator." When Carly came out to get us to eat, we were still rolling on the porch in laughter. She just gave all of us one of those looks that women have that say all men are kids, and as she went back in the house, we lost it all over again. ------- Chapter 76 We finally got ourselves settled enough to go in and eat. When we finally sat down, we were still smiling at each other and Carly was giving Sean dirty looks. I looked over at George and he had his head down with a smile on his face. Me, I just ate, grinning the whole time. To my amazement, Tran seemed to be blissfully unaware of what was going on around her. The girls all seemed to be kidding back and forth, but I noticed Sandra as usual was picking up on something, because she kept glancing at me throughout the meal. After I ate, I decided to go up and go through the papers from Mark. If I remembered correctly, the title to the car was in the folder of documents I had received from the court. When I got up from the table, I headed upstairs to see if I could find it. I got the folder out of the dresser, sat down on bed, and started to go through it. It was then I remembered the letter Mark had left me. I got in the closet, dug it out and sat down on the bed to read it. "Dear Harry," "Regardless of what you may think, I did not tell them where you were. When they called saying they had Terri, the only thing I told them was that you and Sandra had flown back East. When I got the call telling me she was dead, I decided I would find out what happened. I called all my contacts to get a lead on what happened. The information I discovered is at the bottom of this letter. Harry, I have several other things I need to tell you first. Dana is my sister's daughter, who I adopted when my sister and her husband were killed in Europe. I had no idea who sent her to me or how they found me, until I got a call from the airlines. They had a folder with all the information in it, along with a copy of their death certificates. I hadn't talked to her for years, and didn't know she was married or had a child. Dana's birth certificate and passport, along with her shot records are in the paperwork the judge gave you. Harry, I left everything to you because I knew how much you loved the girls. I have no doubt you will take good care of them. I hope you and Tran work things out, because she loves the girls too." "Harry, I found out who got Terri hooked on smack. His name is Roman Sanders. He is some kind of millionaire who lives in Miami. Even after checking all my sources, all I can find out is that he emigrated here from Russia. Needless to say, somehow he talked her into staying at his mansion for a month. From what I can find out, he pimped her out at his parties. After he got tired of her, he sent her to one of his strip clubs. Hooking is how she supported her habit. From what I have been able to find out she is not the first. If you can do anything, consider it my last wish. I am going to the club to have a talk with her boss while I'm in Florida. I guess if you're reading this, things didn't go well for me. Harry, you have been my best friend for ten years. I love you like a brother and know that you will take care of my girls. Please tell them that their mother and I love them and always will. Thank you Harry, for being my friend and brother." "Your friend, Mark" I don't know how long I just sat there on the bed holding the letter in my hand. It must have been quite awhile, because Tran came in looking for me. She took one look at me, sat down next to me and just held me. I just handed her the letter, never saying a word. She sat and read it, then looked at me in shock. "Harry, I am so sorry. I think you should make a trip to Miami when all of this is over. I have never been a vengeful person, but I think this needs your special touch. Between me and you, I think this man needs to be punished somehow. When you decide to go down there, I suggest you talk to Floyd and see what he can find out about this person." "Thank you, my darling, and I am very glad that you think the way I do. When this is all over, I am going to handle this person personally. I'm going to have Floyd do a complete background check and dig up everything he can on this man. By the time I'm done, I will know everything about him from the time he was born. I'm going to do as Mark asked and destroy this letter. We will never speak of it again." "I agree my love, this is something that should be kept just between two of us. Now, will you please get the title out to that dumb car and take George to see Doris before he drives us all nuts?" I looked at her and we both busted out laughing. I got the title out of the folder and put it on the bed. I watched as Tran burned the letter, dropping it in the waste can and making sure it burned completely up. I grabbed the title and we both headed back downstairs to the kitchen. When we got near, I could hear George talking about Doris, and had to smile to myself, knowing the bug had bitten him bad. Tran was grinning almost as much as I was, I noticed, as we walked into the kitchen. "George, Sean, come on we are going to town. I hope Doris is glad to see George, because if she isn't we are all going to be miserable as long as he is here." We headed out the door with George saying he wasn't that bad, but Sean and I just laughed at him as we got into my Jeep. When we got to the bottom of my driveway, there was a sheriff's unit blocking it. To my surprise it was Beau, and before he moved his unit to let me out, he handed over my ID. I thanked him saying he was always welcome to come up to the cabin to visit, but his reply gave me a little shock. "I started to Harry, but your bodyguards stopped me before I had gone ten feet up the drive. They said they were under orders you weren't to be bothered by anyone." I got out my cell and called Preacher. I went off on him, saying if any law enforcement wanted to come up to my place his men were to call it in and let them by. I also told him that if it happened again, I would personally come down there and kick his ass up between his shoulder blades. He apologized but I didn't hear the end of it as I had hung up the phone already. I told Beau if he had any problems again to call me on my cell and I would handle it. He just laughed saying he had forgotten my number. He had to switch cell companies when he moved here. I gave it to him again and told him to come and visit anytime. I called ahead to the judge explaining what I was going to do with the title. I asked him to call DMV and clear the way for me, so I wouldn't have so much hassle with all the forms I knew I would have to fill out. He must have, because it only took us fifteen minutes to do it all, including transferring Sean's driver's license to Nevada from Florida. When we pulled away and headed for the shop, I could see George grinning in the rear view mirror. I looked over at Sean and made a motion to him to look in the back and he did, shaking his head at the big smile on George's face. When we pulled up at the shop, I thought George was going to climb over my lap he was in such a hurry to get out. He finally got out and was inside the shop before we could get the Jeep doors closed. We both just stood in front of the Jeep laughing at his antics. I decided this would be a good time to talk to Sean about taking a job with the sheriff's office. I asked him if he was interested, and what rank I thought I could get for him. He looked at me kind of funny for a minute before he said anything and he kind of laughed before he answered me. "Harry, I already accepted the job as sheriff of Porter County this morning when the commissioners called me. I was looking for a way to tell you so it wouldn't bother you because of your friend Mark. Carly and I talked about it, and we decided if you would rent us the house I would accept the position. We are both tired of me being away from home all the time and not getting to spend any time with the kids because I travel so much. I hope I haven't hurt our friendship in any way by accepting the position, Harry." "Does either Andy or Shorty know about this Sean?" "Harry, they both talked to me while we were at the resort. They asked me to break it to you if I accepted, because you and Mark were so close. Neither one wanted to hurt your feelings nor cause you to get upset because they were approaching me with the idea of me taking Mark's place. Harry, I will want you to handle any high priority investigations and work your own hours. Will you stay with the department and help us build it up to where you and Mark wanted it to be?" "Sean, I won't give you an answer right now because of what's going on. I do want you to know I am happy you accepted the job. I think you will make a good sheriff, and it's good having a friend so close by if Tran ever gets mad at me." We both got a good laugh out of that one as we walked inside the shop. I didn't see George anywhere and figured he was up in the office with Doris. I grinned at Sean as we went up the steps, noticing that there had been a blind put over the window that overlooked the garage floor. I laughed out loud as I pointed it out to Sean. Like always, I didn't knock on the door but just went in. Doris and George were wrapped in a lip lock and I had to clear my throat to make them realize we were there. "Dammit Harry, don't you ever knock?" "Doris, don't snap my head off, because this is the second time you been caught kissing on county time. The blind won't help if you don't put some kind of warning on the door. I will paint you a sign saying "do not enter kissing in progress". Do you think that would help?" She and George both busted out laughing as they broke apart. I told her why we were here and she said she had two good units that were eligible for sale. They were both four wheel drives and in good shape, she said. I told her George was looking for a vehicle and he was the one who was interested. She gave him one of those misty eyed looks, and I just smiled when she saw me looking at her. I asked her how my unit was coming. She said Jimmy was finishing up a few small details and I should be able to pick it up tomorrow. She took George out back as Sean and I helped ourselves to coffee. "Harry, I never thought I would give up Federal Service, but since the offer for sheriff came I have thought of nothing else. Carly is really happy I will be home on a regular basis and get to spend more time with the girls. I called my two-week notice in and they all thought I was going crazy or through some mid life crisis or something. It must be catching because two of my former team members are coming out next week to put in applications for work in the department. I told them they would be interviewed by Shorty because he was Patrol Captain and did all the hiring. They were so happy about coming out they just said ok. One is the woman you met guarding my room at the hospital. She is single and like me, tired of traveling all the time. Hell Harry, she is only twenty years old and already a field agent. She has done a good job working for me and is one of the smartest people I know besides your granddaughter and Jimmy. Those two are totally off the charts when it comes to IQ I think." "Sean, you're used to working in the field and being a sheriff means you will spend most of your time behind a desk. Are you sure you will be able to handle it?" "I know Harry, but it also means I get to go home every night and I don't get shot at or have to protect some scumbag just so he can make a deal to walk. I will be looking forward to a little down time and some dull and boring months. I also want to do some fishing with you and our girls, and maybe we can go hunting this fall when the season comes in. It's been years since I have been able to do anything remotely like having a good time. Speaking of good times, how long does it take to look at a used car? Its getting dark and everyone has left the shop." "I don't know, but if they are necking instead of taking care of business, I am going to tell George he has a time out coming." We both cracked up and headed for the back of the shop. When we went outside, at first I didn't see anyone, but then I saw the windows on one of the vehicles all fogged up. I pointed it out to Sean and we crept up to it. When we looked inside, they were doing the beast with two backs and we both shouted at the same time as loud as we could. "GET A ROOM YOU TWO!" We both heard a loud thump and we just lost it. I wondered who had been thrown to the floor. We were leaning up against the front of the car laughing our heads off when Doris came storming out the other side. When she saw us laughing so hard she just stopped and glared at us both before joining in with us. George was another matter. He couldn't seem to get his pants fastened, and his face was as red as a beet as he stood fumbling with his zipper and belt. When Doris saw this, she just slid down the side of the car, she was laughing so hard. Doris had the final word when she croaked out; "I feel like I been caught by my dad all over again. The last time George left his pants and just ran into the woods." Sean and I both looked at George when she said that and he had his head in his arms, hiding his face from us in embarrassment. His ears and all the skin we could see were a deep red and it wasn't from spending too much time in the sun. I just had to ask so I did. "George, is that the one you are going to buy? Did the suspension pass all the tests you and Doris put it through?" I heard a laughing voice from the other side tell me to go to hell. Sean lost it again when she said that. I could not believe four adults were standing outside in the dark, laughing like a bunch of kids. Well, maybe two kids because Sean and I hadn't been caught in the back of a car. I finally walked around to the far side where Doris was still sitting on the ground laughing. I offered her a hand up and when she stood she said to me. "Harry, I haven't had this much fun or been this happy in years." "I suggest you button your blouse before we get into the light or we will all get a free peek at what you showed George." She looked down and started giving me hell as she buttoned up. I walked back to the shop laughing at her. We finally made it to the office where George signed the papers to buy the old unit. As we were heading for the door to go home, Doris told him she would have it cleaned and detailed in time for him to pick it up tomorrow. I busted out laughing again as I went down the steps with the other two following me. She must have realized what she said because the last thing I heard as we went out was; "Oh go to hell, Harry". Since it was well after dark, I called ahead and arranged for Sean's ride back to the cabin for him and his family. When we pulled up, they were all waiting to leave saying they would see us tomorrow afternoon sometime. I was greeted by Tran and the girls saying they had sandwiches for me for supper since they had already eaten. I just gave them all a hug and I locked the door behind George as he came in. He was still a little red in the face and his shirt was buttoned crooked but I never said a word, just headed for the kitchen because I was starving. Riding herd on him and Doris had given me an appetite. ------- Chapter 77 We had finished eating and I was tired, but I made sure to spend some time with the girls before I sent them up to get ready for bed. Tran and I tucked them in and we asked them when they were going to move out of the tent. "Can't we stay in here a little while longer, Uncle Harry? We all like it and besides, we're in no hurry to move all those beds back to the rooms." I busted out laughing and told them as long as they were getting along living in the tent, then they could make up their own minds about when to move. This seemed to make all of them happy, if all the extra hugs and kisses I got were any sign. I finally said goodnight and Tran and I headed to our own room. I grabbed a quick shower but ended up sharing it, which made my night. I told her what had transpired between George and Doris. She got a good laugh out of it before I went to a more serious subject. "Honey, I know you said it was my decision, but I still want your input. You have just as much as stake in the decision as I do, because if something did happen to me, everything would fall on you. I am going to try to just do the planning and not go into the field, but this is like war and the situation is always fluid. I may have to go with some of the reserve to help out if it becomes too hot for the men in the field. This is why I am asking you again for your thoughts on the matter." "Harry, I am sticking by my original statement. You know more about this type of thing than I ever will and those men are depending on you to guide them. You will be the biggest part of the whole thing. If you have to fight, just be careful and come home to us. Remember, you have a promise to fulfill in Miami, so come home safe after this is all over, my love." I couldn't figure a comeback for that statement, and the look of love and trust on her face made me want to kiss her. I did and it took awhile before we finally fell asleep in each other's arms. I woke the next morning, grabbing a quick shower and headed for the coffee pot. Tran had bought one of those programmable types that she set for the time to brew. Now I was assured of it being done as soon as I got up, unless I got up earlier than the programmed time. She had showed me how to start it manually in case this happened. I got my first cup and sat down in the recliner looking out across the small meadow in front of the house, thinking about today. I had a decision to make. If it was wrong, it would affect everyone around me. I would be in the proverbial, "between a rock and a hard place", if I didn't watch out for myself. George came in and sat on the sofa across from me, sipping his first cup and not saying a word. I appreciated the silence. We were both on our second cups when he spoke. "Harry, can I ask a favor of you?" "George, I would be glad to help in any way I can as long as it doesn't involve family matters." "Nah, nothing like that Harry. I want you to clear me to watch your back in this upcoming raid. I know Preacher and the others will keep a close eye on you, but I can stay closer and cover you better because I am free to move about and not under anyone's orders." "George, I don't know that it's such a good idea. If something were to happen to you, Doris would kill me outright. I saw how happy she is and since I have known her, this is the first time I have gotten to see her laugh and smile. I don't think I want to be the cause of her losing that for any reason." "Harry, I hate to be the one to tell you this but all the wives and Doris have already talked it over. They're the ones who decided they wanted me to cover you after I expressed my worry about it. Doris was the most adamant because she said she owed you more than she could ever repay. She wouldn't tell me what she meant, but I got the feeling I would be in hot water if I didn't ask you to consider it." "I just don't know George, but I will think about it. As for Doris, I don't know why she feels like she owes me anything. But, she is a good friend and I have always liked her go to hell attitude. I think I will reserve any decisions on the matter until I meet with all the teams to see what kind of Intel they have on the camp. I have been out of the loop for the last few days. I also haven't called the Director yet to give him my decision on the matter. I have a family to take into consideration now." "Now that I do understand, Harry. From all I have heard, they, as in the Teams, want you to plan the raid because they all feel you have some kind of gut instinct that seems to keep those around you alive. Preacher and Triplett seem to think the raid will be better planned if you do it. I listened to them and heard some of the stories they told about you and some of the stunts you used to pull off. If they were all true, then you are one of those rare people that seem to sense problems and know what to do about them before anyone else around you. Now, about last night." I just busted out laughing and he got all red again as he tried to explain. I told him I had already told Tran about it. He just sat back on the couch, mumbling something about all the women knowing about it now. I just laughed harder at his reaction to the women knowing about him and Doris. I had just started to say something smart when that distinctive chirping started. It took me a couple of minutes to find the cell before I answered it. It was the Director and the news wasn't good. "Harry, we have a problem. I know you haven't given me your answer yet, but Preacher wanted me to call and fill you in. There are about a hundred or so men that just arrived in Hubba's camp, coming from another camp about four hundred miles away to the North. We knew about that one, but this is the first time they have ever sent any men off their own grounds. From the pictures we are getting from the drone, they, along with the camp's occupants, are fortifying the perimeter around the main living area. Preacher wants to know if you can come down right away and look for yourself and give him some idea of what they are doing. He said these types of fortifications are all new to him." "Tell him George and I will be there in a half hour. I want to make sure to tell Tran where I am going and she is still asleep." "Ok Harry, see you shortly." I went up and woke her telling her what was going on, and that I had to go and was taking George with me. She just smiled and kissed me before pulling the sheet over her head. I was smiling to myself as I went to the kitchen, filling my old go cup and at the same time, filling George in on what was going on and telling him that he was going with me. I set the alarm as we went out. We climbed into the Jeep and drove straight down the hill to go the short way through the campground. As we went through the campground, I noticed there were several tents set up and wondered if they were civilians or some of the personnel from the teams. We were let in the gate immediately and went straight to the offices where the Intel was set up. We went up and the guard let us both in right away. We were called over to a large screen monitor and that's when Preacher started talking. "Harry, those men in desert fatigues arrived this morning and most of the men and a lot of the women from the camp came out of underground entrances to meet them. They have been busy as a bunch of bees ever since they got there. I can't figure out what kind of fortifications they are building around the main area. This is real time view so we can monitor the camp all the time." "Does that thing have a zoom on it?" He turned to a young guy who had a small joystick in his hand, asking him if it did. "Yes sir, I can zoom up close enough to see ants on the ground. You just tell me who or what you want to see and I will zoom the camera in on it." "Do you see that man in the front that seems to be in charge? Zoom in on him so I can see if any of us know him." "Yes sir, watch this." I watched as he manipulated the drone over the man a little to the side then zoomed in on him. When he had the drone steady, he kept zooming in closer until we could see a clear picture of his face. When he looked up his face was clear as a bell and I started cussing out loud. Everyone looked at me in shock and I told the operator to snap several stills of him before he took the drone out of range. I went to the coffee pot, getting a cup from there and forgetting about my go cup, I was so upset. "Harry, what the hell has you so upset about that man? Do you know him from somewhere?" "Preacher if you think a minute, you, me, and Stumpy all testified at his Court Marshal in 1971 in Saigon." I watched as he thought about it for awhile and I could see the look of puzzlement in his face. Stumpy had the same look as Preacher and I started cussing again. The Director was looking at me like I was a stranger that had gone nuts or something. "Dammit, have both of you lost your memories? That's Captain John James Jackson or JJ Jackson as he was known then. He got a life sentence at hard labor with no possibility of parole. We all testified about his shooting of over a hundred villagers. He was drunk and bored when he did it, or so he swore on the stand." I watched as they both got hit with the realization of what I was talking about. Stumpy slammed his fist on the table and Preacher just started getting white, which I knew meant he was about to go off. "Harry, are you sure that's him? There is no way he could have survived at hard labor all these years, let alone be out of prison." "Preacher, that face still haunts me because he was one of us. The whole time he just laughed, saying that the only good gook was a dead one. He didn't differentiate between women and children, because to him they were all the same. Director, I suggest you get on the horn now, and find out why he is loose and how he got out. I know the kind of fortifications he is building, and if he completes them, we will never be able to raid that camp." I sat down at the table, lighting a cigarette and noticing my hands were shaking from anger. I don't know who the Director was talking to, but he was giving somebody hell. I sat and drank the nasty coffee that was the trademark of all services, still forgetting about my full go cup sitting in front of me. The Director broke my thoughts about ten minutes later. "Harry, our records show he is still serving his time and is not eligible for parole at all. Maybe that man you saw just looked like him or something." "Director, I would know that face and command stance if I were a hundred years old. Send someone you trust to where he is supposed to be, and if they say he is there have fingerprints and pictures taken. Also have blood drawn, because he would be in the database. He is military, and all soldiers still on the roster have to be in the database whether they are incarcerated or not. Put a rush on it because if it is him as I think it is, we just ran out of time." George came over and sat down across from me, and pushed my go cup toward me as if to remind me I didn't have to drink the battery juice I was sipping. I grinned at him, immediately grabbing it. Stumpy and Preacher came over and sat down by us. I didn't feel like talking, but I could see they were all looking to me to bring them up to speed on the things they didn't remember. To me it was like yesterday because he had been so smug throughout the whole proceeding. This once again reminded me about how your past could come back to haunt you, even from twenty years ago or longer. I had only been one of the minor witnesses, but the main ones were all part of his team. We had come across the bodies and reported it to our command. They had immediately followed up from there, but we hadn't heard any more about it until we were called to testify. "Preacher, Stumpy, do either one of you remember that little yard village in Cambodia that the VC could never take or over run? JJ helped them build it and it was never taken, as far as I can remember. The VC tried everything, they even had a whole company charge it. There were only ten survivors and they were so scared they refused to go near it again. Remember, we took pictures of it in case we might be able to use the ideas to help some other friendlies. I think I still have some of them in my old footlocker. That's what he is setting up in that camp, and if he completes it, we might as well pack up and leave. The loss of life would be off the charts." "Stinger, I remember that place. You were taking pictures of all the dead while the chief gave me the grand tour of the area. If that's what he is setting up, and from my memories and looking at the drone feeds it is, then I have to agree with Stinger, Preacher. We better not try to take it, because if they have the supplies and everything else that we think they have, they could stand us off for years. If that is JJ, then they will be done within seventy two hours from all the hustle I am seeing. They are setting up machine guns that look like fifties on all the high areas as we sit and watch. I am wondering how he got out because it is all coming back to me now. I was pulled off leave to testify and it made me mad because he just sat there with that superior look on his face like he knew something everyone else didn't. How many of these damned camps are in this state? I thought most of them were in the South and Midwest." I didn't say anything because I was sure they had read all the reports I had given Preacher about the old sheriff and his penchant for forming his own little kingdom. "Harry, check the fax because my man is sending the pictures of the man who is Jackson from the prison." I got up and went over to the fax machine just in time to watch the picture coming through. I grabbed it out of the tray and looked at it and just laughed. "Well, seems as if a switch has been made because that's Stiles. He was second in command and got ten years for his part in the massacre. It explains a lot to me, because now I know for sure that's JJ out there helping them get ready. Director, I suggest you have JJ put on the ten most wanted immediately and inform the locals not to try to arrest him if they want to live. Since they are using pine to build the fortifications, I suggest we pull back for at least thirty days and wait for it to dry out, and then set it on fire in the middle of the night. It will burn hot and smoky and then we can move in and do our job. I also suggest you start watching the camp JJ came from, because it will be the command point of all of the camps within several hundred miles or so. You can bet his camp is fortified with concrete and steel plus a lot of surprises. If we could capture him, it would put a big crimp in their morale with him being gone. We need to backtrack where he came in, and set an ambush with our teams and see if we can get him when he leaves." They all looked at me like I had lost my mind before Preacher jumped up, going to the drone operator, asking him for the tapes of when the extra men had showed up. The drone operator gave them to him and he went to another computer and slipped the disk in and started going through the footage. The Director was talking a mile a minute on his phone. I heard him order two more teams from the naval station in California. He said he wanted them here ASAP. He then called the President. I heard the Director filling him in on all that had been discovered. I looked over at George and he was just sitting back in his chair with a grin on his face. "Harry, I can see now why you are so respected among these men. I wish I could have had the honor to have served under you when you were in your prime." "Gee thanks, I guess that means you think I'm too old to be doing this job?" He looked at me for a full minute before we both busted out in laughter. Stumpy looked at us and just smiled. The Director came over and sat down by me with his phone in his hand. "Harry, the matter has been turned over to you by order of the President. He wants this resolved with little loss of life and as quiet as possible. He wants you to take charge of the whole shebang as of this moment. Will you accept the job?" "I will if he understands I will run it my way with no interference from the Generals in Washington. I will not be second guessed by a bunch of armchair warriors. I will run it to win with as little loss of life on both sides as possible. If he doesn't agree I need to know now, so I can go home to my family." I watched as he repeated my conversation word for word to the President. He listened a few minutes before he hung up the phone. "He agreed fully and will also put it in writing. You will receive a copy within forty eight hours. It's now your operation Harry, and I was ordered to tell you if you needed anything, you would have it as soon as it was requested. I have to leave and report back to D.C. to meet with the Joint Chiefs. Good luck Harry." He had just walked away when Preacher called me over to where he was looking at the route JJ had come in. "Harry, from what I can tell, he came in with four Humvees down a gorge. It looks like it goes on for many miles. Hell, we were lucky we had the drone in the right spot to see him. It would have been an impossible job if it hadn't been." "Have the drone operator pull the drone off the camp and fly it up that gorge so we can get a good look at it and to see how far it goes. If I am right, he will leave at night and go back the same way. I plan on having all three teams from Bragg somewhere along that route to ambush him. We will try to capture him, but if they can't, I want his whole outfit destroyed before he can return to his camp. I also want two of those silent birds here with a full weapons load, ready to go at a moments notice." "Can do Harry, I'll alert the teams and make the necessary calls. It's good to be working with you again, my friend." "Don't be too happy, Preacher. You'll find I have changed a lot since Nam. I don't know any of the teams, so you're going to have to run interference. Most of the commanders won't like taking orders from a civilian and if I get any flack, they are out of here with no argument, so you better make it plain to them." "Can do Harry. Between Stumpy and me, I am sure we can make any doubters see the light about taking your orders." "Ok Preacher. Get everything in motion. I am going back to the house for a couple hours, and then I will be back. By the way, make sure the campground by my place is closed to the public the rest of the summer will you?" "It has already been done Harry. I have our overflow personnel staying there for now." "Good deal. Come on George, let's go back to the house and eat. I am a hundred percent sure I don't want to eat here with that smell pervading everything." As we went out, I heard several of the people in the room chuckling at my comment. We didn't talk much as we drove to the house because I was thinking heavily about the upcoming raid, and George didn't seem to want to break my concentration. I was going over the start of a plan I had to put JJ and his crowd out of business. If it worked like I was planning then we would break the back of two camps at one time. I knew deep down that someone had to be giving the orders for all the survivalist camps in the area. With the discovery of JJ being free, I now knew why they all seemed so organized and well equipped. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say his camp would be so well organized and defended it would be almost impossible to get them to do anything while he was loose and running things. I hadn't had much interaction with him in Nam, but I knew his reputation for ruthlessness toward anyone who didn't agree with his way of doing things. We would have to take the camps one at a time and hope his and the others, except for Hubba's, would listen to reason. With their families on the site I knew I was hoping for the best. Oh well, I would cross that bridge when I came to it. We pulled up in front of the cabin, and before I could get completely out of the Jeep, I was surrounded by three little girls wanting to know where I had been and why I had missed breakfast. I hugged them to me noticing Tran was standing in the doorway with a big smile on her face at my happiness at being surrounded by the girls. ------- Chapter 78 We went inside to eat a bite and the girls stayed right by my side the whole time, asking questions which I patiently answered the best I could. They finally made me promise I would take them to Sean's when I was through eating. I looked up at Tran. She had that little smirk and was shaking her head at me. "What?" "Harry, those girls have you wrapped around their little fingers. All they have to do is get together and pressure you a little and you just give in. I have learned something today, my dear." I just gave her a big grin for which I got a smile and a kiss on the cheek. George and I finished and put our dishes in the dishwasher. I called the girls down saying if they wanted to go, that they better be ready. To my surprise they all were carrying small back packs. I looked over at Tran and she bent down by the couch and picked one up too, holding it up so I could see it. "Ok that's it, what's going on, you four? I have a feeling this was a setup from the beginning. Now someone tell me what's going on or we are not going anywhere." "Grandpa, we are all staying overnight at the other house. Carly, Tran and all us girls are going shopping after a while. We four decided to help the girls feel at home, since they haven't had time to bring their stuff out here yet. Besides, we need some new movies to watch because we have seen all the ones we have." "Ok I give up. This will work out well for me too because when you guys go to town, you can drop George off so he can pick up his car and get plates for it. I am sure Doris will be able to tell him everything he needs to make it legal. I have to go back down to the plant, so things will work out all the way around. Now, let's see how hard it's going to be to squeeze us all into my Jeep." Well that little chore took longer than I thought. Tran and I sat up-front while George had a girl on each knee and the other one sitting against the door. I was glad my other unit was almost ready, because this Jeep wasn't made for more than four people. By the time we got to the other house, the girl's were giggling at something George said and Tran had a disgusted look on her face, for some reason. Then I realized what it was. I had unconsciously lit a cigarette in the small space inside the Jeep. I immediately apologized as I put it out. "Harry, that is a filthy habit, and please try not to do it inside such a small space again. I have never minded you smoking, but it smells worse than your coffee breath in such a small area." This brought forth a loud set of giggles and they were catching when Dana said; "It's almost as bad as his mustache when he kisses us." Tran lost it as did I when she said that and to my surprise, Tran told her she liked my mustache. She said it made kissing me an adventure in evading the tickles. Now me, I wasn't stupid enough to get in the middle of this one, so I just smiled, not saying a word. Dana, of course had a quick comeback to which all three girls broke out in giggles all over again. "You just like kissing our Uncle Harry, Auntie Tran. He could have a beard down to his knees, but that wouldn't stop you from kissing him all the time. That's how adults are, and they never do what's normal for us young ladies. Hmm?" I looked over at Tran to see her reaction and to my surprise she was biting her lip to keep from laughing or saying something she shouldn't. I didn't have that reservation so I spoke right up and boy did I regret it later. "That's why she loves me, girls. My mustache makes her smile and if I had a beard she would love it because she loves me so much." "Grandpa we love you too, but I think maybe you and Tran are a little too old to be acting like us kids. After all we have common sense about these things. In other words, we love you, but we can do it without all the hair and stuff irritating our complexions. We girls are very sensitive about our skin, and hair is an irritant we have to put up with from you because we all love you so much." "Well excuse me Miss Einstein. I think maybe you are getting a little too smart for your britches. Maybe I ought to remind you who's the boss around here." "We already know who that is, and I guarantee you it isn't you. Remember, you have been neutered, whatever that is. I will have to look it up when I find my dictionary, but it didn't sound good to me, Grandpa." I started mumbling under my breath, and Tran was laughing her head off as we pulled up in front of the other cabin. I was trying to catch her eye, but she just got out, still laughing at Sandra's comment. I helped them get their packs out, and got a kiss and hug from the girls before they went running up to the door. Tran came over with a big grin on her face, giving me a kiss and hug. "Just remember honey, payback is really sweet if it's done right." "Yes Harry, and I have more practice at it than you do." She was laughing when I started mumbling again. She was still laughing as she went in the door, leaving me standing by the Jeep wondering how I had lost control of my life so fast. I looked at George as he started for the door, and he had a smart comment too. "Remember Harry, they always have the last word. Besides, you asked for that one." I was mumbling out loud as I climbed back into the Jeep, heading for the chemical plant to see if there had been any new developments. By the time I had gotten to the bottom of the driveway it hit me that I was one man against three girls and a smart woman. I was going to have to sit down, and figure out some way to win with those four once in a while, for my own peace of mind. I hadn't seen a unit at my driveway as we left and wondered where he was so I called in to ask Shorty. "Sorry I didn't call to tell you Harry, but we had a big fight at one of the new casinos. I had to send all the extra men out there to help break it up. They had a big convention and they had a little too much booze and got into a big fight. The security officers there were overwhelmed so I sent men to back them up. Sorry I didn't call you. I will have someone there within the hour since it's about settled now." "The girls are all coming to town in about an hour, so just have someone keep an eye on them for my peace of mind, will you?" "No problem, Harry. I will alert the patrol units to watch over them. Will they be in Mark's old wagon?" "Yea, if Carly can drive it ok. I don't look for any trouble, but I would rather be safe than sorry, Shorty." "We'll take care of them, Harry." I thanked him, hanging up and calling Preacher, telling him of their plans. He said the team at the house would shadow them and make sure there were no problems. I told him I was on my way back, and he said he had some footage he wanted me to look at when I got in. I told him I would be there in a few minutes and hung up. When I pulled up at the gate, I immediately noticed that security had been tightened because they had set up entrance and exit barriers. This way the flow of traffic in and out could be better controlled for the plant. I had my ID checked before I was granted entrance. I drove up to the parking area by the offices and went up the stairs to the operations room. Upon entering, I immediately noticed there were two men with joysticks in their hands watching separate monitors. When Preacher called me over to where he was looking at a monitor, I was still watching one of the drones view as it circled the dump on the side of the camp. Something had caught my attention. "Which one of you is handling that drone over the dump area?" "I am sir," one of the operators said. "Fly that thing back over the dump in the same flight pattern you just used. There's something strange about that dump." As he brought it back around Preacher came over looking at me with a question in his eyes. I just pointed at the screen because the drone was coming over the dump. As I watched, I saw what had caught my eye as he tilted it a little to circle back. "Preacher, there's a door in the middle of that dump. I would guess it's an emergency exit. The outline is clear when the drone is in a certain spot. Mark it on the map so when we go in, it can be blown. I am sure if you're on the ground it will be easy to see or feel by a good demo man. Now, what was it you wanted me to look at?" "We ran the drone all the way up that gorge to where it splits. The tracks from the vehicles are clear as a bell all the way up it. When it peters out, there is another gorge that runs off in a small stream back toward the camp. The other one goes through the trees where we can't see." "That's how he was able to slip in, Preacher. He used the natural cover as a screen. Let me see the area around the split." He started the footage back up, and I had a realistic picture of the whole track through the gorge. I asked how high the drone had been and was told they kept it up high with the zoom on the gorge so they could get a better view. I just nodded my head because I was watching the footage closely. When the footage got to the split I had him freeze it. "That's where we are going to hit him, Preacher. If it were me, I would have left a couple of men behind to watch my retreat. I want a team ready to go for a three-day stay. I want them to locate JJ's eyes there, and set shape charges on both sides of that cliff. Under no circumstances are they to make contact with the guards until they have the charges set. Then they should have the guards covered so they can be taken out when I give the order. You can bet JJ is keeping in close touch with them by radio or phone. Probably by phone since there are towers all over the hills up there. When he leaves, we will insert the other two teams on either side of the gorge. Have the drone fly up there again so we can find a good place to insert them. Now you know why I wanted those silent choppers. The guards won't hear them until it's too late to warn JJ. They can do a high tactical insertion so the wind from the rotors won't disturb the trees too much. Make sure the team going in this evening has NV gear and extra batteries. Also, make sure they have scrambled phones and radios so they can't be monitored by JJ's people. When you find a good place about a mile from the gorge, have them go in tonight right after dark. Remember, those guards might be ex-Special Forces, so warn our men." "I already put all three teams on alert. We have plenty of explosives and ammo. I will have a team ready to go before dark. The choppers came in about an hour ago and have already been refueled and are standing by. I also have three Black Hawks on the ground here if we need them. All of them are fully armed with a full compliment of missiles and the two silent ones have the new electric Gatling guns. These have been field tested and are almost as quiet as those choppers. They sure scared the hell out of my ground crew when they came in. We didn't pick them up on radar at all, but they just appeared setting down in the field next to the others. Both of the pilots had a big laugh at the ground crew's reactions to their appearance. How did you know about them Harry? There are only ten of them in service and are used strictly for the teams. Oh yea, Butter said to tell you "hi" and to remind you about Sandra and Jimmy playing for the other bases. He said his men have been having a fit about not being able to say goodbye to Chief Hanson. The Director pulled them back before they had a chance to say goodbye to her." "I wondered why I hadn't seen him. Tell him I haven't forgotten, and I have arranged for their special shipment. It should be in within the next two weeks. Also tell him as soon as I get a chance, I will send him Sandra's new cell number. He can give it to his team so they can call her if they want to." "Will do, Harry. Hmm, what shipment are you talking about?" "Never mind, Preacher. It was a promise to Butter I made." He gave me a fish-eyed look before calling for Stumpy to join him as he went out the door. I knew he was going to brief the insertion team that was going in tonight. I grabbed a chair and sat down where I could watch the monitors. The fortifications at the camp were three quarters done, if I was right in my thinking. If I was right, JJ would be leaving to go back tomorrow night sometime. I warned both the operators about keeping the drones high enough so they wouldn't be detected. I got that look in return. You know the one that says they know what they're doing, so they don't need reminding about how to do their jobs. I had to admit they both looked like they were having a ball as they used the little joysticks like they were playing a game or something. I asked about how well they were able to see through them at night and I was quickly told that they could see at night almost as well as daytime. "I want stills snapped of any of the men in the desert fatigues you can get a clear sight of. Maybe we can identify some of them and know what we will be up against. I have a feeling most of them are from his old teams. We can use any Intel we can get at this point, guys." I got a pair of "yes sirs", and a smug grin from both of them. I stood up and went to the coffee pot, and that's when I saw all the face shots on the table, of men in desert fatigues spread out all over the place. I felt like a fool since somebody, probably Preacher, had already given the order to do it already. Oh well, it was still a good idea on my part I was thinking, before I got a taste of the coffee. I almost spit it on the floor, it was so bitter. Maybe I had been spoiled in my old age, but this stuff wasn't fit for anyone to drink, let alone make. I was wondering who had made it when one of the operators yelped in a surprised way. I went back to the screens and asked what was going on? "Sir, I just got a split second glimpse, but it looked like anti aircraft guns that they were moving into the trees. By the time I got the drone back in place they were in the trees under heavy cover. See that hole closing there? They have a huge underground cave there and it's full of boxes and vehicles. I snapped a picture, but it will probably be blurred because I didn't get a chance to focus the camera. Man, they were quick. I have a feeling they have been practicing for a long time, to do it so smooth and fast, sir." "I think you're right, soldier. Remember, if either one of you hasn't been told, that camp has been there for many years. They have had time to practice and perfect every move they make. They have about every type of weapon used in the armed forces including missiles. I am surprised they don't have a Sam battery set up somewhere." They both turned and looked at me in shock for a few seconds before going back to work. I noticed they were both looking a little more intently at their screens when they did. I watched as they both reached over and flipped a set of toggle switches. When I asked what they were doing they said they were scanning for any passive radar signatures. "If those drones have any other little surprises, I suggest you both turn them on." "They have a lot of surprises as you call them, but the more we turn on the more battery drain we have." "Bring one in, and make sure its standing by fully charged to relieve the other. Start using them in shifts, and use all the capabilities they have. If it cuts down on flight time, so be it. I want all the pre-warning of anything we can get. Remember, our guys are depending on anything that you pick up to give them warning of something new, or something we don't know about. You two are our eyes out there, and the men are depending on you to help them when they go in." They looked at each other and both of them looked a little shocked at my statement. It was then I realized they hadn't been briefed on how serious their jobs were. I was starting to get a little pissed at Preacher for not filling them in and letting them get away with thinking this was like a game. Up till now I could see they had been having fun with their little toys, but I could sense the change in attitude from watching how they were acting now. I did notice they had turned all the switches on, because all the lights were glowing green. I was going to have to have a private talk with Preacher before this went any further. He was forgetting the most basic rule I had always stressed to my men. I heard a phone ring and I was told I was wanted in the briefing room. They gave me directions and I went down the hall, counting doors till I got to the one I was told. I noticed all the windows in the office were blacked out as I went in. Inside it was just a typical briefing room with folding chairs set up facing the front. There was a small podium with a screen behind it. When I came in, I was introduced by Preacher, who turned the briefing over to me. I nodded to Captain Johnston before I started talking. "My name is Harry Hanson and I will be your boss for the duration. Please don't call me sir or mister. If any of you don't like taking orders from a civilian speak up now!" I waited a few minutes looking at each of the men as I did. When nobody said anything, I went on with my briefing. "Don't let the fact that you will be going up against a survivalist camp make you let your guard down. The men you will be facing in the next few hours are trained the same way as you are. I would bet most of them have spent their time in the groups too. You were chosen for this because most of you are or were born in the country and raised in the woods shooting and hunting. Your objective is to set the charges and spot the guard or guards that are sure to be there. Do not give your presence away unless it's to save your life. If you are put in this position, then kill the SOB and hide him where he can't be found." I listened to the chuckles I got before I went on. I didn't want to make this too long, but I had to cover a lot of ground. "If for some reason you get in the shit, I have two more teams to back you up. They can be dropped in a matter of ten minutes. Make sure you take plenty of ammo and grenades. Preacher will be in contact with you and we will monitor all radio channels. Do what you need and pull back to a safe area until we assault the column that will be coming up that gorge in the next seventy two hours. We are not sure of the time, but I personally think that will be pulling out late tonight or tomorrow night. If they don't give up, then I am ordering you to destroy the whole column. Remember, they wouldn't hesitate to do the same to you if the situation were reversed. The man leading these men is an ex-Beret, called JJ Jackson. He slaughtered more than a hundred women and children in Nam because he was drunk and bored. He put them in a big circle and had his second blindfold him. His second stood behind him spinning him around as he emptied more than thirty mags before he killed the last one. He went from body to body and put a head shot in every one so there wouldn't be any live witnesses. He almost got away with it, but my team was coming in from a mission and found the bodies and reported it. That's the man you are facing. If he doesn't give up, kill him on the spot. Now I'm done. Are there any questions?" There weren't, so I backed away from the podium as Preacher came back up. "I want to talk to you immediately after this briefing." I went back out the door and into the Intel room, looking at some of the folders I had gotten from the old man at the courthouse. Preacher came in after about ten minutes wanting to know what was going on. "I want to see Johnston's jacket, Preacher. I watched him as I briefed the men and his reaction to what I told them about JJ didn't look right to me. I have a hunch he knows JJ and he is old enough to have served over there." "If I remember correctly, he was in country for a year. I don't think it was with JJ, though." "I still want to see his jacket from the time he joined the teams. I have that feeling Preacher, and I won't put those men's lives on the line until I satisfy my gut hunch. Bring Anderson's jacket too. I don't like the feeling I have, my friend." "Ok Stinger, I know better than to doubt you when you say that. I'll go get them now and we both will go over them. I also have a complete jacket on JJ that the Director had faxed out." I watched as he went out the office door with a frown on his face. I was picturing the look and facial expressions on Johnston's face and for some reason he just didn't seem right to me. He had almost a smile on his face when I described the massacre. This wasn't the reaction that a normal Beret would have upon hearing something like that. He should have had the same as the other men's, horror and indignation at such an act. He had only sat with his head partially down with that little smile on his face. It was almost like he knew all the details and thought it was funny. I knew there were several of JJ's men and some others there watching, but they had never been caught or questioned about the matter. Hell, I was a realist, and knew innocents got killed in battle. But to kill them for fun was an unforgiving act of cold-blooded murder. I wouldn't hesitate to kill someone trying to kill me or mine, but not an act like that. As I sat waiting on Preacher to return, I replayed the girl's actions from this morning and had to smile again at how easily they had gotten the upper hand with me. Tran was right, they did have me wrapped around their little fingers. God did I love it though, I thought to myself, laughing out loud at the whole discussion of complexions and hair. Then I remembered the remark about neutering, and almost called Tran to tell her to hide the dictionary. I just hoped they wouldn't remember to look it up, but if they did, I would let Tran handle that one, since she had started the whole thing. I was still smiling when Preacher came back in with a frown on his face. This doesn't look good, I was thinking, as he slammed the folders down on the table. ------- Chapter 79 I looked up at Preacher when he slammed the folders down and waited for him to explain. "Harry, sometimes I think I shouldn't be in command. I just perused through his jacket as I walked down the hall and guess what I found in the middle? His team has only been with him for two weeks. They just completed their training at Bragg. They all served together in Desert Storm as Rangers though. Johnston was an REMF in Saigon and he has to have met JJ at least a dozen times. According to the records I have, he was the team's supply officer. After Nam he went to OCS and passed at almost the top of his class. Guess who sponsored him? Yep, JJ himself. Stinger, where the hell do your hunches come from?" "He is to be placed under guard immediately and shipped back to Bragg. When he gets there, he is to be questioned by a board of inquiry about his failure to report his previous friendship with a wanted felon. We are going to change our plans, Preacher. You can bet he has already warned JJ, and he will change his return route. Have one of the drone operators scout around and see if there is another way out of that camp that he could use. He will come after me, because by now he knows who I am and where I live. Alert the team guarding the women and for God sakes, make sure they don't cause a panic. Have your team leader pull Tran to the side and tell her. She will know how to handle it." I watched as he went out the door at a run to do as I had asked. I picked up Anderson's folder, and he was a boy scout from what I was reading in his records. He and his team had been together from the start, and had been on seven successful missions without losing a man. He and his team were highly decorated and none of them were married. This was unusual, but better for all as they wouldn't have any distractions when on a mission. I decided then and there, Anderson and Stumpy would be my main teams in the field. I would use Johnston's team as a backup in case one of the other teams needed extra firepower. I was pondering this new information when Preacher came back in, holding a hankie against his bleeding nose. "He about flipped out, Harry. It took me and Stumpy to put him down. Now he is shackled and cuffed and will face more serious charges. I called Nellis, and as soon as he arrives, he will be escorted back to Bragg in shackles and under arrest. We found a generic cell in his pocket but it was clear. Harry, why don't they just let us shoot traitors any more?" I looked up at him and grinned before I half assed answered him. "That would be too easy, Preacher. The armchair warriors wouldn't have anything to brag about at their golf outings then. I want to talk to Johnston's XO as soon as he is shipped out." "I already put him on one of the choppers with two of my men as guards. I was afraid if word got out, someone would perform a little barracks justice, Harry. I will send LT. Masters in as soon as I get the drone operators lined out. Harry, we have to get this SOB, because I don't want any of my friends hurt by his egomania." He went back out before I could formulate a reply to his statement. I was thinking about what I would do if I were in JJ's place, when there was a knock at the door, to which I hollered, "Come in." I looked up at Masters as he came to attention. "At ease, Lieutenant. I'm not your superior as I said, and if you answer, or address me, do it as Harry, ok?" "Yes sir, er Harry sir, er Harry." I just laughed and he sat down, realizing I wasn't going to be a stickler for formality. I went on to explain about his former CO, and he just about ripped the top of the metal table he was gripping it so hard. I waited a few minutes for him to master his temper before I told him he could speak freely. "He took command of our team two weeks ago Harry. My old CO was hospitalized for back problems. To be totally truthful with you, neither I nor my men liked him. He was just too sneaky and controlling for us. Does this mean we are going to be relieved of our duties too?" "No Lieutenant, I don't base my opinions on whole teams. I see you and your men have been together a long time, and I will use you and your team as backup. You will be the firemen for the other two teams." "Firemen, Harry?" "Yea, if they get caught in a firestorm, it will be you and your men who are responsible for putting the fire out. The other two teams will be depending on your men to be there when you are needed." "Thank you, Harry, for not branding my men with the same brush as that so called CO. You and the other two teams can depend on us, that I promise you." "Ok Lieutenant, you can stand down on tonight's raid. I figure your former CO has already warned JJ, and he won't make the mistake of going back the way he came. Knowing him, he will find a different route back to his camp. I have the drone operators looking into that as we speak. I would appreciate it if you would check around, and find someone who can make some decent coffee though. This stuff isn't fit to drink." He just laughed as he went out the door, remarking he was sure he had just the man for me. I sat back wondering how Tran would take this news when my personal cell rang. "Harry Hanson, we are still staying at Sean's house tonight regardless of who doesn't like it. I suggest you put some of these sick animals out of their misery, before it spreads to decent folk in the county. I love you, be safe." Click! I just sat back and totally lost it, much to my surprise. This woman I married was something else. Preacher came back in with his nose all swollen, and I told him about my cell call, and he busted out laughing too. "You know, Harry, I never did get the story out of Monk. I don't suppose you would tell me would you?" "Not in a million years, Preacher. If he wouldn't tell you then I am not about to ruin his silence for one of his old team mates. Besides, it's none of your business, anyways." "Aw, come on Harry, that's not fair. We never kept secrets in the old days. We always told each other everything." "This ain't the old days, and I am not about to make her mad at me by telling you about our past histories. If I did that, I would be living here like the rest of you, and smelling this crap all the time. I like having a nice warm beautiful woman to cuddle up to at night. I bet you sleep with your pistol like you always did." "Ok Harry, point taken, but sleeping with my pistol has saved my life a couple of times in the past. I would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself, though. My men think I have a different girl in my bed every night." I was just at the point of saying something smart, when one of the drone operators stuck his head in the door saying they had found his route back, they thought. We got up and followed him out to one of the monitors he had set up to show us. We watched as he went through what the drone had filmed, pointing out the route that would keep JJ undercover most of the way back to his own camp. The operator also said this was the only other way he could get there in those big Humvees, because of the width of the axles they had installed under them. I didn't think he would leave them behind either, so I looked for the best possible place for an ambush. There was one stretch that went on in the clear for about a half mile. This was the only place I could see to stop them with the choppers. I wasn't about to put the men in harms way because they didn't have any way to survive without vehicles. Besides, it would take too long to get them into position, even if we had them. I thanked the operator, telling him to make sure the drones were always above the camp at a high altitude. One was to be kept back and charged from now on as a backup. I motioned Preacher to follow me back to the Intel room where we sat back down. "I am going to use the Whispers to take out the whole bunch at once, Preacher. They have those quiet Gatlings they can use so nobody survives. That clear stretch is the only spot they are in the open for any length of time. JJ might have one of those little Doppler setups on one of those trucks but they won't get a read on them, because the Whispers won't show on that type of radar. That's the only type I am aware of that is small enough to mount on a fast-moving vehicle. Do you know of any other type that is small enough to mount on that type of vehicle?" "No, I sure don't, and if there were I would tell you. I know what type of clearance you have, Harry. I think your idea is the best I have heard yet. We can watch to see which way they head when they leave, then send the choppers to meet them. They will stop to check at the edge of the trees before going out in the clear, and won't even hear the choppers waiting on them, if they stay high enough. The timing will have to be almost perfect though, and the pilots will only have time for one run. They have to score on all of them or he will escape, and will be causing more trouble. I suggest you have a team on the ground to do mop up and take facial recognition shots. I suggest you put a team at both sites just in case. That way we can split the choppers so all routes are covered, Harry." "Will just one run by a single chopper do the damage we are looking for, Preacher?" "Harry, they cover eight feet on either side from the center, and they put out more firepower than the old Puffs we used to use in Nam. No man can run fast enough to escape, even if they knew they were there. I think one per ambush is more than enough to handle four or five vehicles in a column. This way we can hedge our bets since he already knows we are using drones with real time coverage. Our biggest break was your hunch that shut down his eyes in our camp. There might be others, but I now have the scrambler system going, so nobody can make any outgoing calls on a cell. The radio room is under guard, and all calls have to be cleared by me, you, or Stumpy. Can you believe he is now a Captain?" "Not anymore than I can believe you are a Commander, Preacher." "That's not funny, Harry. I worked damned hard to make my rank. But to be fair, I guess Stumpy did too." "Ok Preacher, here's what we're gonna do." I went through it step by step off the top of my head. I didn't have a plan, per say, but I knew the whole situation would be fluid. I knew that I had to make allowances for any thing that would pop up under the Murphy's Law syndrome. We got it pretty well hashed out, so I told him to call all the teams and the chopper pilots together for a briefing in fifteen minutes. "Do you want Masters and his team too?" "Of course, Preacher, they are going to be my backup firepower for any team in the field. I think Masters is a good XO, and if I can, I am going to call General Brown and see if I can get him promoted to Captain. That way he can command the team without some REMF telling him what to do. Let's move, Preacher, time is running out on us if we want to stop JJ before he gets home." "Ok Harry." He went out the door to make the arrangements. The door had no sooner closed when a man came in with a large cup of coffee and handed it to me. He stood there as I sipped it. To my surprise it was delicious and better than what I made at home. I was trying to figure out what the extra aftertaste was when he asked if it met with my approval. "Soldier, if this is an example of what you can do, then you have a permanent job while you are here. This is delicious and better than what I make at home." "Thank you Harry. I learned how to make decent coffee for the same reason you were complaining about what the cook makes here. I just hope you don't pull me off my team just to make coffee, Harry. Lieutenant Masters said I was to take charge of the coffee pots here from now on." "I love good coffee, but put your mind at ease, because you will stay with your team. I would have a riot on my hands from your men if I did that, Sergeant. I suggest that you make sure you have plenty made in case you do go out in the field though." "That you can bet on, Harry. Harry, is LT. Masters in any trouble because of what happened to our CO?" "No, he is not. I don't brand all men with the same brush, not like a lot of our so-called leaders do. I have talked to him, and I am satisfied he is honest and a good team leader. Between me and you I am going to try to get him promoted to Captain so he can command his own men. All of you have good records, and one bad apple shouldn't ruin the pride the team has in their abilities to do their jobs. If he hasn't explained it to you and the team, all of you will be my reserve force for the duration. Now all you have to worry about is keeping the coffee going until I send you out in the field. By the way, is that Chicory I am tasting in this coffee?" "Yes sir. I carry a special bag with me full of fresh roots. I take it everywhere I go because the men like my coffee too, sir." "If you call me "sir" one more time, I will have Masters see if you know how to drop and give a hundred." He busted out laughing as he went out. I sat back sipping the delicious coffee trying to look ahead to see what I had forgotten. I was still thinking when Masters came to get me for the briefing. I wasn't even going to go this time, but I figured Preacher had a reason for wanting me there. I went into the same room and the only change was that there were more of the folding chairs set up. I went to the podium after Preacher motioned to me. Well, I was thinking to myself, I was once again in the spotlight, briefing the teams before a mission. This was almost like the old days except for the smell. Instead of Napalm, it was chemicals. "Well men, since Preacher let me down, I guess this briefing falls on me to do." I got a dirty look from Preacher and a lot of guffaws from the men assembled. I went through the whole plan and the changes I was making on their assignments. I spoke for about a half hour before I started giving out specific orders. "You two Whisper pilots are to use your Gatlings exclusively unless a vehicle is able to break from the column. Then take them out any way you deem necessary. Stumpy, I am sending your team to the gorge. If his eyes are still there, I want them captured if possible, or killed if that isn't doable. I will have you inserted tonight, so make sure you are equipped for a three-day stay. Take his eyes out as soon as they are located, if that's possible. I want him to think we are still sticking to our old plan. Since he already knows about it, he will fall back to his other escape route." "Anderson, your team will go in tonight too, but with a different purpose. You will be mop up after the Whisper has made her run. I want you to take several digital cameras with flashes. I want facial shots and a full spread on JJ's body. I will give you a good clear shot of him, so identification will be easy. If any of them live, try to treat them, but don't make it a high priority. I want all of you to realize that if the situations were reversed, he would give any survivors a head shot and keep going. If you can't get a full facial shot, take fingerprints. We have kits here for that purpose. If you don't know how to do it, see me and I will give you a crash course. I know you're wondering why we are taking out civilian targets, but remember, these men have the same weapons we have. They were stolen from different bases across the country. They have declared their intent just by possessing these weapons. Any sane man wants to have a fully automatic weapon, but I don't know any normal man or woman who would use them against others to show how tough they are. This bunch has a murderer as their leader, and you can bet he won't hesitate to do it again to keep from being captured. His men are, or used to be, in the groups for the most part, and have had a lot of the same training you have. I suggest you take this into consideration when you go up against any of them. This is just another mission we have to complete, so don't let anything else interfere. Do what you have to and come back upright. If there are any questions I will be glad to answer them." "What if some of them are able to escape the chopper, Harry?" "Then hunt them down and take them out unless they surrender, which I doubt will happen. Remember they WILL NOT hesitate to shoot you, so I suggest you be faster than they are." I waited to see if there were any other questions and when there weren't, I dismissed them saying they would be pulling out at twenty-one hundred hours. I had to mentally count it off in my head, because I had been a civilian for too many years. I kept the Whisper pilots back as the men got up to leave. When the room had cleared, I called them up front to the map. I pointed out where they were to drop the men by high tactical inserts. They would then return to base by a roundabout way, so as to not be accidently seen by someone on the ground. They would always run their missions dark. "Fellas, one of you is going to get some weapons time. I want the column totally destroyed. If you have some reason why you think you can't do this, I want to know now, because if you hesitate out there, they will take you and your aircraft out. Don't, for a minute, think they don't have missiles, because there have been several thousand stolen from different bases with only a handful being recovered. Once this mission starts, I don't want to hear any excuses why you can't do this. When those men hit the ground tonight, their lives depend on your air cover. If one of you hesitates and one man gets killed because of it, don't come back. I will shoot you myself, if you do. If you don't return, I will send Jets to take you out. Your choppers are good, but no match for Black Hawks or Jets. Your birds are not equipped to evade the radar on those aircraft. I would do it rather than let you turn them over to the enemy. Are we clear?" "Sir, you don't scare us because we damn well know what our duties are toward the teams. Either one of us or our seconds would give our lives before we let a team member get killed, if we could stop it. I don't know about Herb here, but your statements are a little overboard as far as we are concerned." I started to chew his ass when Preacher broke into the conversation. "Both of you listen to me! I will be in line behind Harry to do the same thing if you hesitate to do your jobs. This is not a discussion group. He is your immediate superior and the Commander of this operation by order of the President. Now, if you want to argue, I will relieve both of you, and have you replaced immediately. As for you not doing your jobs, Harry and I both spent three tours in Nam. Believe me, we have had it happen to us more times than I want to count. You were chosen because you both have excellent records for team insertions and cover. This is no different, because like Harry said, if they get sight of you they will send a missile up your ass just like any other enemy would. Now, are there any other comments before you check your birds over for tonight's mission?" "No sir!" They both looked a little white around the eyes at Preacher's words and temper, not withstanding the fact he outranked them big time. He dismissed them and watched as they left the room. "Sorry about that Harry. I didn't mean to overstep my bounds, but their attitude pissed me off." "Well my friend, I see why you made Commander. You still have to have the last word in any conversations." He looked at me for a second before he started chuckling. Within a few moments he was shaking his head and laughing out loud. "You know, Harry, sometimes I forget you know me better than any man alive. Man, this is just like old times, with you as the comedy relief instead of me for a change." "Kiss my ass, Preacher." We both were chuckling as we walked back to the Intel room. I knew the next several hours would be nerve racking, so we both could use the laughter while we had the time. Now all we had to do was wait until JJ made his move, then we could get at him and his men. I hated the killing that was about to be done, but I knew he and his men would never surrender. He always surrounded himself with people who were as ruthless as he was. His second, Stiles, was a good example. He had stayed in prison all these years at hard labor so his Commander could get out and live a normal life, until I had come along. I had a sudden thought and turned to Preacher. "How often do the men at the cabins check in?" "Every hour, Harry, why?" "We are going to change that pattern since JJ knows team tactics. Have them check in every thirty minutes by a man with a password from this point on. Give the password to each man on a different frequency after they give you their service numbers. That way the radio can't be monitored if you scramble each channel as you change it. If I remember correctly, the ear buds are able to read their mother radio, even if it's scrambled." "That's right Harry, and I have my own man on ours. I will have him check and assign frequencies immediately. You don't think JJ will try to move against your cabin this fast, do you?" "I wouldn't be surprised by anything at this point, Preacher. Let's get it done for my own peace of mind. That way if he does attack our men, whoever he sends will be in for a big surprise when it comes time to check in. They won't know the password because he won't be able to monitor the other ear buds." "That's a damn good idea, Harry and sneaky too. It will also alert us immediately to any breaks in security around the cabins. I am going to double the men around Sean's cabin tonight, and do the same to yours at about twenty-three hundred hours. Let me get with my radio man and have him assign the frequencies immediately." Once again, he was out the door at a run, so I went to the drone room for a cup of fresh coffee. I immediately noticed that one of the drone operators was dozing in his chair and tried to send him for some sack time, but I was immediately refused. "Sir, if the bird running now had problems, it would take too long for me to get here and get the other bird up. I am used to dozing in my chair, so don't worry about me." "Ok soldier, but if either one of you needs anything, have someone send word to me immediately and I will take care of it." They both chuckled and said my sending that soldier to make some decent coffee was worth any discomfort they might have. They both said the coffee was the best they had ever had, on or off the base. I smiled at both of them as I refilled the cup I was holding and headed back to the Intel room to hurry up and wait. ------- Chapter 80 I was sitting in the Intel room going over my plans in my own mind, trying to find any flaws. For the life of me, I couldn't see anything I had left out. But, as with all plans, things were always fluid. This early, the only danger facing the men in the field was the gorge operation. I had no idea if JJ had left men behind to watch or not. If he had, I didn't know if they were still there or had been ordered back to camp. If they were there, I knew they would be well dug in and would be alert for any movement around them. This made it more dangerous for the men going in. I had made the mistake of assuming they would be well equipped with NV equipment, the same as we were. I had to smile to myself, remembering the old adage about assuming anything. I had no doubt Stumpy would know how to flush them out, but I could only hope I didn't lose anyone while they were doing it. I had to find something else to catch my attention, I was thinking, or I would drive myself crazy with details. I went in and refilled my cup, then went outside to have a cigarette. I was sitting on the steps when I was approached by Masters, who also had a cigarette lit. "Since when did the groups allow smoking, Masters?" "They don't like it Harry, but I have been smoking since I was a kid. I learned from my older brother, and he got the habit from Dad. We used to grow our own for extra money. That's how I was able to attend college, and then go to OCS after I graduated. Other than my dad and grandpa, I think I am the only one who ever left those hills." "Where are you from, Masters?" "A little burg called Myerstown, way back up in the hills of West Virginia. It's close to the Pennsylvania border, about a hundred miles from Wheeling. I don't know if there are enough people to call it a town, but that's all I ever heard it called. It was named after a civil war Colonel named Jimmy John Myers. He was some kind of aide to General Lee. Hell, we had to walk five miles from our house to get to the store. I still think one of my legs is shorter than the other from walking on the sides of those hills, Harry." We both chuckled at the old joke, and then fell silent as we smoked and watched the moon crest over the mountain across from us. If it weren't for the chemical smell and the noise of forklifts running, this would be an idyllic location. I sipped my coffee, thinking about the cabin and how much I had missed having a child's laughter in my life before I moved here. I had never dreamed I would be married and have three little girls to raise. I had to admit to myself, I was happier now than I had been for at least the last ten years before I came out here. I knew thinking about the girls helped me not to worry about the lives I was responsible for again. I had to admit, I didn't like it anymore than I had in Nam. I was hoping against hope I wouldn't have nightmares again when all of this was over, but I knew I would. I was already having them over the short conversation I had in the hospital with Agent Thomas. I couldn't understand why he would attach his admiration to someone like me. I wasn't anyone special, and I sure didn't want anyone thinking I was. I would make it a point to go back and visit him when this operation was over. I had promised I would visit, and I meant to keep my word to him. "Harry, Stumpy just radioed in and I think we might have just got a lucky break. You better come up and listen to his report." I looked at Masters and shrugged, getting up to follow Preacher to the radio room. We went down the hallway to the last room. The noise after being outside in the relative quiet was almost too much for my eardrums. I followed him over to the corner where the scrambled radio was set up all by itself. He had the radio operator contact Stumpy again. "Chick 1, this is mother hen, do you copy?" "I copy ten by ten, mother hen, is rooster there?" I looked over at Preacher and he got that shit eating grin and shrugged. I gave him the finger before I took the mike in hand. He was chuckling as I replied to Stumpy. "This is rooster, chick 1, what is your sitrep at the present time?" "We have caught one egg and have one broken rooster. Can you send mama hen out to pick up the egg? We will stay and see if anymore eggs are found or new ones laid, over." "Mama hen will be on the way shortly. Suggest you take egg to nest, and then wait to see if anymore are found, copy?" "I copy ten by ten, rooster. Egg will be waiting for mama hen at nest, copy?" "I copy chick one, and I am clear." "Chick one, clear to mother hen." "Preacher that has got to be the worst excuse for radio jargon I have ever heard. What smartass kid thought that one up?" I just looked around at the personnel in the room, as they all broke up in laughter at my statement. I was glaring at Preacher waiting for an answer, but he was laughing as hard as the rest of them. He finally settled down, and told the operator to send transport for the prisoner before he answered me. "Harry, both of the teams in the field decided on it. They both said you reminded them of a rooster watching over his flock to keep them out of danger. Honest to God Harry, I didn't have anything to do with it. You know as well as I do the teams in the field decide on what codes to use." "Yea well, you would think they would be a little more professional." I went out the door and as I closed it behind me, I started chuckling to myself. Man, I could see I was going to have my hands full, trying to keep these guys in line, if this was any indication. I was glad the radios were scrambled, because I could just see the confusion if anyone was listening in on that transmission. I had left my coffee cup in the radio room, but I could still hear the laughter, even through the closed door. I decided I would hunt up a new cup and wait to see what our prisoner had to say when he arrived. I just had a feeling he would have some kind of wild story about why he was camped in that particular spot that had nothing to do with his real reason for being there. Oh well, I would find out shortly when he got here. I went back into the Intel room to wait on his arrival. I had been sitting thinking about interrogation techniques I could use when Preacher stuck his head in the door, saying they had arrived. I got up and followed him to the lower floor to a room that was about 12 x 12 and solid concrete with a barred door. Before we went in, Preacher told me they had taken all the toxic chemicals out when they first arrived. They had done a complete decontamination on the room so it could be used as a brig. When we went in, the prisoner was shackled to big rings set in the floor and he was sitting on a metal chair. There was a cot in one corner with a bucket for bathroom use by the foot of it. There was a long chain set in another ring in the floor by the cot so a prisoner could reach the slop jar but that was about all. Two men brought a folding table in and set it up in front of the prisoner's chair. We had two padded folding chairs to sit on while we were in the room. We were brought fresh cups of coffee as we sat down. The prisoner was about six foot tall and you could see he was in good shape. He had a few bruises and a black eye, but there were no other outward signs of violence on his person. I sent for a camera so we could snap a few shots of his face to cover our asses, just in case. He just sat and glared at us, not speaking at all. Preacher led off and I just sat back and watched his reaction to the questions. The private brought the camera and a fingerprint card with an ink pad and set them on the table. Another private brought two M-16s in and laid them on the table too. I immediately checked to make sure they were both unloaded and the prisoner watched me as I went through the process. He hadn't spoken or answered any of the questions Preacher asked. He was watching me the whole time, like he was trying to figure out how I fit in here. "Look, I am not going to waste my breath if you won't speak. I will give you a choice, either give me your name or I will run your prints and have your whole record in about fifteen minutes. I know you and your friend were the rear guard for JJ. I can just ship you to Leavenworth as a domestic terrorist. I don't have time to play your silly games. The ball's in your court, so what are you going to do?" He sat and glared at me for a few minutes. Then he asked a question aimed at me. "Who the hell are you, mister? I can see you are not in the service because of your obvious age." "I am a Special Investigator for Homeland Security. I decide what happens to you and how you're charged. If you don't already know, I can charge you with domestic terrorism, and put you away for at least a year before you will even be able to see an attorney. Now I don't give a damn if that happens or not, but I guarantee you that you will tell all you know before that happens." "Just how do you expect to accomplish that if I won't cooperate?" "We have the drugs at our disposal that will make you sing, but I won't guarantee you will be normal after they are given to you. Under the terrorism laws, we can pretty much do anything, if we feel you have information we need to save lives. I have pretty much guessed what JJ is up to, but I need it confirmed by you, because being one of his men, you know things I need. Preacher, call the medic in and tell him I need the green colored liquid I brought. It's in the cooler in my quarters. I guess I am going to have to do this the hard way, because I don't have time for this mute bullshit." I was hoping Preacher would remember the little trick we used many times in Nam to scare the hell out of uncooperative prisoners. I sat back and drank my coffee a sip at a time, with the prisoner watching every sip I took. I knew his mouth was dry and he needed a drink but wouldn't ask for it. I made a production out of drinking my coffee to make him even thirstier than what he already was. The door opened and the private came in and filled my cup back up with fresh coffee. I noticed he must have been coached because he poured it slow so the man sitting across from me would be able to get a good clear look and smell the brew. I thanked him and as he went out, Preacher came back in with a small vial of a green liquid and two syringes in fresh sterile packages. There was also a bottle of alcohol and several cotton balls for swabbing. "Call in two of the guards to hold his arm steady. I sure as hell don't want to miss the vein. Better yet, tie him tight to the cot, and I will inject it directly into the jugular so it will work faster. That way I won't have to waste time waiting for it to get to his brain. You better have the medic stand by in case he has a reaction to the drug. He can give him a shot of Benadryl to counteract the snake venom in the serum." I sat as Preacher went out the door. I heard him talking to the guards in a low voice before they came back in and led the prisoner to the cot. He didn't fight, but I could see the color draining out of his face as he was tied tight to the cot face up with his head hanging over the end for easy access to the neck. When he was tied tight, I looked over at Preacher and he had a big grin on his face. "Sir, can I talk to you in private for a minute? I am not comfortable with what you're doing here." We went outside the door, and went into the well rehearsed argument we had used for years in another time. With the door not completely closed, the prisoner could hear every word we said. "Sir, do you know what that stuff will do to his brain if you give him too much? I thought you were going to use the Sodium Pentothal, not that venom concoction that has done so much damage to the prisoners it has been used on. I have to protest the use of that particular concoction, sir." "Commander, that man is not going to tell me anything without a little persuasion on my part. I happen to like using the venom cocktail. I could care less if it makes him a vegetable. I believe you were told by your superiors that the prisoner is mine to do with as I wanted to make him talk. Now, stand aside and let me have my fun, Commander. Besides that, Commander, he has not even said his name, so if he should die or need medical care, he is just a John Doe to my Agency. Now, if you don't want to watch, then by all means just make sure the medic is here before you leave." I went back into the room and started preparing the syringe. I pulled thirty CCs up into the syringe and soaked a cotton ball with alcohol. Then I went over and swabbed the big vein on his neck as I held his head sideways, so it would pop up real nice. I was talking to him, explaining what I was doing step by step. He was soaking wet with sweat before I got done with the swab. I went back to the table and picked up the syringe and called the medic in, telling him to get the shot of Benadryl ready in case it was needed. I knelt next to the cot by his head where he could have a plain view of the needle in my hand. "Well my friend, this is your last chance to speak to me. I am not going to quit injecting this little cocktail into you until I get the information I want. I hope your family has good health insurance, because you will need constant care for a very long time." I turned his head sideways and touched the needle to his neck in preparation of sliding it into the vein. "Stop! Stop! I'll tell you what you want to know. Just don't put that stuff in me." "Ok, but I will warn you now, if you hesitate or refuse to answer any question I will shoot it into you on principle." "I will answer any question you ask without hesitation. May I have a cigarette and a drink before we begin, sir?" "I will bring in a video camera, and you can have your drink and cigarette when you start answering our questions. Everything you say will be taped, so if you change your story we will know immediately. Since I have been disappointed by not being able to use my liquid interrogation, I will be waiting for you to screw up. You won't get a second chance, so I suggest you don't give me a reason to come back in here." "You don't have to worry about that, sir. I will answer all the questions to the best of my knowledge. Just give me a chance to prove it to you." I got up and went outside the door to a high five from Preacher. "He's all yours now. Bleed him for every bit of Intel you can get, then let him rest for a few hours and do it again. I have a few calls to make while you work on him. Let him have a couple of cigarettes, and some of the bad coffee. Whatever you do, don't let him out of his chains for any reason, Preacher. I left the vial sitting on the table in plain sight, but I have the syringes and the alcohol. We wouldn't want to give him any ideas." "Man, that was slicker than we used to do it in Nam, Harry. Hell, you had me sweating by the time you got done with your mind games. You must have been practicing in your years away from the groups." "No Preacher, I just learned to study human nature a little closer over the years. You better get the camera and get started before he manages to pull his nerves together." I walked away from the grin on Preacher's face, hating myself for what I had just had to do. Even though it was only colored syrup water in the bottle, I hated the fact I had to mentally torture someone like I just had done. Sure, we did stunts like this in Nam, but that was war and under totally different circumstances. This was not even close to that hell hole over there. The man I had just mentally crushed probably had a family and he thought he was doing what was right. His choice in the way he did it may be wrong, but it still didn't make what I did to him right. I went to the radio room and asked the operator if the cell scrambling would interfere with my sat phone. He said there was no way since I was hooking directly to a satellite and not a tower. I thanked him and grabbed my coffee cup as I went out. I poured a refill before I headed for the drone room to start making calls. I took my coffee and went back to the Intel room and gathered my thoughts. I looked at my watch and was shocked to see it was almost four in the morning. I decided to wait for a couple of hours before I started making my calls. I laid my head down on the table and dozed off, thinking about Agent Thomas and wondering if he would recover completely. I don't know how long I had been sleeping when I was awakened by someone shaking my shoulder. "Wake up, Harry. We have a lot of movement in the camp and the drone operators sent me to get you." It was Masters and he was holding a fresh cup of coffee. I immediately took a sip, trying to clear my head. I stood up but my right leg was asleep, so I just stood shaking it until I could walk. I followed him to the drone room and sat in an empty chair next to both operators. "Sir, I think those men we have been watching are getting ready to pull out. The big cave opened again, and they drove those Humvees out about five minutes ago." "Are they the same ones that they came in, soldier?" "Yes sir, they are. We already compared them to the stills we took when they arrived. That one there has some kind of dish mounted to the roof now. It wasn't there when they came in." "Masters, where is Preacher?" "I think he is still with the prisoner, Harry." "Get him out of there and into the radio room to alert the teams in the field. Also, have the Whispers get ready to go. Make sure they are fueled and have a full weapons load. Tell Preacher to get some kind of communications up here so we can talk to the radio room operator. I don't want to move away from these monitors until I see what JJ is planning now." "Ok Harry." "Are both drones over the camp now?" "No sir, just the one, and it went on duty about an hour ago. The other one is being charged." "How close is it to being done, soldier?" "Better than halfway, I would guess. If we shut down some of the battery drain on both of them they would last longer, as we said, sir." "Shut down everything that except the radar search and leave the cameras on." "The cameras don't run off the drone batteries, they have their own built in. We put fresh ones in every time we bring the drone in for charging. The passive radar system doesn't pull much juice either, sir. It's the night vision gear that is the hardest on the batteries. The thermal heat imagery can be manually controlled from here so we don't have to use it unless we need to. We did get some good clear shots of the inside of that cave this time. We haven't looked at them yet, but from the preliminary shots they have more weapons and food stored than most bases, sir." "Well soldier, that's not new news to me. I just want you to concentrate on that bunch that is getting ready to leave. Keep the drones high and out of sight and use the cameras to track them when they pull out. This will be the most important part of the operation. We have to know which way they are going and track them as far as possible. Will the thermal imagery work during the day?" "If they stay out of the sun, then yes, it should be able to pick up the heat from their vehicles while they are under tree cover." "Ok guys, the ball's in your hands now. The men in the field are depending on you for Intel, so don't let them down. If the trucks split up, keep one drone on the radar truck and you decide who to follow with the other one." "Yes sir, we will keep them in sight all the time." I got up and went to the coffee pot, leaving them to discussing tactics and which drone would be the lead one. I refilled my cup and stood watching all the activity in the room. I was thinking that those drones needed a lot of support personnel, when Masters came back in and straight to me. He handed me one of the ear buds to put on. "Harry, the radio operator says this will hook you right to him. The scrambling won't interfere with these. Preacher will be up in a few minutes. He was making sure the prisoner got fed. He said the man was a treasure trove of information that we can use to our advantage." "Good, we may need all the help we can get before this is over. Masters, put your team on alert and be ready to move out. I don't know if they will be needed, but I want them ready to go." "Ok Harry, but I already had them mount up awaiting further orders. We can be out of here and in a bird in less than five. Harry, you're really worried about this JJ person, aren't you?" "Masters, he is ruthless and a brilliant tactician, if my memory serves me correctly. He is also one of the few commanders that spent as much time in the field as his men. He knows every trick in the book and some he invented himself. I always had a feeling for this type of work, but I will readily admit I am not in his class. I have to beat him by being two steps ahead of his every move, and that's gonna be hard to do, Lieutenant. He is also a brilliant strategist, and he plans his moves for every contingency when in the field." "In other words Harry, what you're saying is we were sucking hind tit when he came into the picture." "That pretty much covers it, but sucking hind tit, as you put it, would be more fun than trying to out maneuver him in the field." "Sir, you better come look at this! They are mounting more equipment on the roofs of those trucks." I went over to the screens with Masters following me. I looked and drew my breath in with a hiss. They were mounting ground to air heat seekers on one, and on the other one, they were bolting down one of the electric sixties. This was war surplus material and I wondered how Hubba's camp had gotten their hands on such sophisticated stuff. "Harry, we have a problem. I heard you talking about Doppler radar last night, but that's not what's on the roof of that truck. That's the XV11, and it is in testing at Bragg. If he has gotten the bugs worked out, our choppers are in deep shit." "Tell me about it, Lieutenant, and don't hold anything back." "They brought it out to Bragg two months ago, Harry. They were trying to work the bugs and glitches out, but weren't having much luck when we left. If he has been able to perfect it, then the choppers won't be able to get close enough to him to fire on his convoy. That system is supposed to be able to lock onto any aircraft and send missiles to take them out automatically. There is no human interaction needed once it's turned on. The only setting is the distance to target when it will open fire. I don't know how he got his hands on one of them, but this is bad, Harry." "You're the only one here who knows about it, so I suggest you start wracking the grey matter and see if you can remember a way around it. If it has all those problems, I don't see how he could have worked them out if the inventors haven't yet. It might be good for close use but I am hoping he doesn't have full control of it yet." I pulled out the cell and called the Director and told him to have General Brown call me back immediately. He wanted me to brief him, but I told him the shit was hitting the fan and I didn't have time because I needed to talk to General Brown. He hung up saying to give him a couple of minutes to find him. While I waited, I went over all that Masters had told me. I knew if anyone could work the bugs out of an experimental radar system, JJ had men who could. When my cell started chirping, I had it up and at my ear and talking to the General before the first chirp got completed. I brought him up to date, and when I mentioned the new radar system, he was puzzled. He said this was the first he had heard about it so I told him all that Masters had told me. He said to give him ten minutes and he would call me back with all the information I would need. I had closed the cell when Preacher came in, looking like he had been on a drunk. His eyes were red and he was yawning as he headed to the coffee pot. When he filled his cup, he came over to where we were standing. I had Masters fill him in on all that was going on. He just looked at both of us with his eyes bugging out of his head when Masters described the small radar's capabilities, if it was operating. "Harry, something isn't right here. How could he have gotten a top secret piece of equipment so fast? Even if Johnston had helped him, he still couldn't have gotten it here at this camp and running. I think he is bluffing us and doing very well at it. He knows we have three teams that just came from Bragg, so they would know about the new radar. I will bet you that this is a copy taken from photos Johnston sent him." "I already thought of that Preacher, that's why General Brown is checking with Bragg as we speak. I have him telling the techs who are working on the radar to physically check it out, and make sure it's not some plaster copy or something. Masters says they only have the one unit and a few spare boards for it, so we will know in a few minutes. I don't like those truck mounted heat seekers he has, but they will have a hard time locking on the Whispers. If I remember correctly, they have aft mounted jamming just for that reason. Before we deploy them, I want the pilots warned, Preacher." "Your fire chief has already passed the word, Harry. The pilots are changing the vent cantors as we speak. The pilot from the briefing said to tell you that unless those missiles are laser guided, they won't get a lock on their birds." "Since you both are more familiar with the modern stuff, I suggest you both go over and take a good hard look at what they have mounted on that truck. I'll stay here and wait for General Brown to call me back." I watched them go over to the monitors, thinking it was going to be a long day today. Little did I know. ------- Chapter 81 While Preacher and Masters went over to observe the monitors showing what the drone over the camp saw, I got another cup of coffee and waited for the chirp of the cell. It wasn't long in coming and again I answered it before the first chirp quit. It was General Brown and his news was a relief to me, at least in part. "Harry, that experimental radar is still at Bragg and under close guard. I personally had the techs and the Commander on duty check it and they all said it hadn't been moved. They opened it up and it's the real thing. I don't know what you have there, but it isn't the XV11. I know things are moving fast, but you do need to bring me up to speed, Harry." I spent the next ten minutes bringing him up to date. I could tell he was on speaker phone because of the echo in the background. I figured he was in the President's office, so I told him of my plans to take out JJ and the vehicles. Then the President himself came on the line wanting to know if we could capture JJ and his people. "Sir, I wouldn't even try. He won't surrender and will kill anyone who tries to capture him. I won't put my men at risk for some hair-brained scheme like that. I suggest you read his jacket if you haven't already. I am sure the Director has briefed you on what his reaction would be to that move. If you don't think I am handling this correctly, then you need to have someone else take it over in the next hour. From what I can see, they are getting ready to move out." "Mr. Hanson, you have full control and you do what you think needs to be done. I wasn't trying to second guess you, but I wondered what the chances were. Both General Brown and the Director are telling me to keep my nose out of it. I am going to follow their advice and let you run the show, which you seem to be doing very well. By the way, your prisoner rolled himself out of the chopper about five hundred feet in the air and is dead. Too bad, because I was looking forward to having his superiors question Captain Johnston. We will hang up now that we are up to date and leave it in your very capable hands, Mr. Hanson. Good luck to you, sir." I was standing with a stupid look on my face, with a dead phone at my ear when Preacher yelled at me to look at this. It took me a few seconds to snap my thinking processes back into the present. I went to the monitors and got there just in time to see the vehicles disappear into the pines. "Well Harry, now it's just a waiting game for the next ten minutes or so till we see which way he turns at the split." "Preacher, I am getting that feeling again. Can you have one of the drones see if they can get a count on the vehicles under those pines? Have them use the thermal scan and see if you can count the vehicles. Since it's overcast, it might just work. There's something wrong with this picture and I haven't figured it out yet. He knows we are watching him in real time, so why did he leave in the middle of the day, and with heavily armored trucks? Something has happened to change his timetable. The defenses of Hubba's camp aren't finished and he would never not finish a job unless there was a hell of an important reason. I don't like this one little bit. What happened to the other two teams the Director ordered? Why haven't they gotten here yet?" "Sir, there are five vehicles under cover, just sitting there waiting on something. They have their engines running so we are able to get a good clear count." "Preacher, have the radio room try to reach the incoming teams. I have a feeling he was warned about them and is laying in ambush. That's why the heat seekers. The teams always travel on old Hueys and those throw off a heat signature that the heat seekers couldn't miss." I watched as Preacher gave the orders and the two incoming teams answered immediately, saying they were thirty out. I immediately told the radioman to tell them to turn north for the next twenty minutes before swinging around to approach our landing area. I listened as the order was acknowledged by the lead pilot. This should put them completely out of range of those missiles. I felt relieved that I had figured it out, but I was still worried about why he was just waiting like he had no cares. "Sir, we are picking up a slow mover headed for the camp. From the signature it's a helicopter, but not one of ours. Who do you think it might be? Maybe it's a news chopper or something." "That whole area has been ordered off limits and they won't last five minutes when they get in range of those missiles. I don't know how to warn them or if they would even listen if we did. You can bet JJ is monitoring the open channels." I called down to the radio operator to see if they had heard any chatter on the open channels and he said it had been quiet all morning. We all just stood and waited to see who it was and what JJ would do when they got in range. They would have to be really close for him to get a good lock under all those trees. I noticed the drone operator had taken the drone high to try to get a look at the incoming craft. We finally spotted it and it was still just a speck in the distance when JJ fired the first missile. We watched as the smoke trail went up and seemed to hesitate then flew directly toward the incoming craft. We still couldn't see who it was, and unless the pilot was very good, they were goners. I could tell the missile had locked on. "Oh hell Harry, it's locked on. They don't stand a chance now. I wish we could have warned them or something." We all just stood and watched. The pilot must have seen the missile and tried to get away, but it hit at the back and the craft exploded in midair into a ball of flame. We watched in silence as it plummeted to the ground and burned. We could see the smoke rising from the crash, and I wondered how many people he had just killed for no reason. Dammit, I was thinking, why did they disregard the no fly zone that had been ordered by the government two days ago? "Fly the drone over the crash and snap some stills. We might get lucky and find out whose craft it was. That son of a bitch is going to pay if I have to go after him myself. Now all of you can see just how crazy he is." There wasn't a word said as we watched the drone fly over the pine trees getting closer to the site of the smoke we could all see plainly now. When the drone came over the burning debris, we couldn't see anything for the flames and smoke. I still had the operator snap a couple of stills and fly the drone out a little further in a circle. There! The tail boom was hanging from one of the trees and it had State Trooper marked on the length of the boom in plain sight. Charlie, you son of a bitch! This is going to cost you your job, I was thinking as I dialed the Governor's private line. I had to admit I was madder than hell and maybe I was too harsh at the time, but he had just cost two men their lives for no reason I could think of. When I identified myself to the Governor again, he was all jovial but I cut that off quick, telling him what had just happened. He sounded shocked and wanted to know why one of his choppers was in a no fly zone. I told him my thoughts and ordered Charlie relieved of duty pending federal charges. He was shocked to say the least, but he wholly agreed with me saying it would be handled immediately. I gave him my cell number and told him this was a Homeland Security Operation, and I would brook no more interference. I also told him the Special Teams were to stand down until further notice. He was mad as hell about the two men by the time we were through conversing. He told me that as of now I was in charge of the State Troopers, until he found another Commander. I recommended Butch and the Governor said he would call him in immediately and put him in charge, until I was able to personally meet with him at his office. We hung up with his promise that it wouldn't happen again, and that the Attorney General would also be looking into charges for the careless loss of the two men's lives. As I folded the phone, I was hoping it wasn't either of the men I had saved that night so long ago at the mine. They both had kids and both seemed to like their jobs. Oh yes, JJ Jackson would pay if I could arrange it. I finally came back to the present to see everyone staring at me like I had two heads or something. "What?" "Harry Hanson, for somebody who just moved out here you have a hell of a lot of power. We just listened to you chew the Governor's ass and relieve the Commander of the State police. How could you possibly know how many men were in that chopper?" "Preacher, all the State Trooper air units are manned by two men, one pilot and one Fluor operator. They are all two-seaters, crammed with equipment so there isn't room for more than two. They are all good men who have helped me before. The loss of their lives was a waste, ordered by a Commander that wants to make a name for himself and his Urban SWAT Teams. I know him personally and like him but this little act was total suicide, any way you look at it. I guarantee you if I have any say, his career is over. Now, bring that drone back over the camp and recheck the count on those vehicles and see if they are still there. I also want to know where the extra vehicle came from, so someone review the tapes and see if you can see if it came out of that cave and who got in it. When the other two teams get in, I want them in the briefing room immediately. I also want another Whisper on site as soon as it can get here. We now have the men, let's see if we can put JJ and his people out of commission if they pull out tonight or if they are already moving." I walked back and got another coffee, watching as the men jumped to and started following my orders. Masters and Preacher were going over the tapes frame by frame, trying to see who had gotten into the extra truck and where it had come from. The drone operator was bringing the drone back over the camp and circling it above the trees where the vehicles were. I noticed he was widening his circles and he looked puzzled as he did. "Sir, there is no trace of the trucks that were under the trees. I will move it north and see if they are heading that way." I watched as he took the drone along the path we thought JJ would take to return to his camp. He had gone about three miles when he started getting excited. "Sir, I have five vehicles headed straight north about at thirty miles an hour. Four are almost bumper to bumper and one is lagging behind about five hundred feet. So far they seem to be following the path we thought they would. They should get to the split in about a half hour and then we will see which way they go, the gorge or the outer route that we already scouted." "Good job soldier, keep with them and don't let them out of your sight. Get the other drone ready to go up and let me know immediately of any changes to their course. Preacher, did you and Masters find out anything from the tapes?" "Harry, we can't tell for sure but it looks like JJ is in the extra vehicle. We didn't have a good picture of its occupants, but one looks just like him getting into the front passenger side. The driver is definitely one of the men who came with him. His face is in plain view for about three seconds as he looked around before he got in. It matches one of the pictures we took earlier. I think JJ is using the other four trucks as bait to see if they are attacked. He will lay back and make his escape if they are. How do you propose to handle this one?" "We will wait and see which route they take, and if they take the outer route, I will have one of the Whispers take several shoulder fired missiles to Anderson and his team. They can take him out, even if he stays in the trees when the others cross the clearing. They can spread out in the trees, and I am sure one of his team will get a clear shot. JJ will stop while the others cross and they can take him out then. The Whisper will take the others out like we planned. It all depends on which route they take. If he knows another route, we might have a problem. But, with the other two teams here we can hopscotch them by chopper so they will be ahead of them. If any of you have a better idea, speak up now." I didn't get any comments, so I went out of the room, checking with the radio operator to see if the other two teams had landed yet. I was informed they were five out and would be sent directly to briefing as soon as they dropped their gear and I thanked him. I asked if there were any problems at the cabins last night and was told everything was quiet. I told him to let me know when the two teams were in the briefing room. I went to the Intel room to call the Director to check out a couple of things. I also wanted to have a private conversation with General Brown, to see if I could get Masters promoted so he could command his team while they were here. As far as I was concerned, he deserved it. But, knowing the Army, it would take some pull from someone up there in the ranks to make it happen. I figured I was owed and I would call in a favor if I had to in order to accomplish my goals. The two teams coming in were Seals so I would let Preacher be my go between with them. So far he had done a hell of a job, and seemed to be known and respected by all the men on this temporary base. I got on the cell and made my call, not knowing what kind of hoops I might have to jump through to get it done. I got the Director first and told him what I wanted and what I wanted checked out. He said it would be done by someone he trusted on his staff. I then called General Brown and told him what I was trying to do and why. To my surprise, he said he thought he could swing it without a problem. He would let me know within the hour after he talked to the President and Master's Commander at Bragg. He said it was probably overdue since as I well knew, the Army was slow in promoting its men and hadn't changed. I hung up with a smile at his last words about making rank. I then got on the phone and called Floyd down in Florida and told him what I wanted, and that he was to spare no expense getting it done. "Harry, this is the first time you have ever asked me for anything as seriously as this. I have met the man and I never liked him, and I will be glad to do the research you asked for. He tried to get me to handle his businesses, but I refused it because at the time I didn't like his attitude. Give me a couple of weeks and I will have everything you need. When you come down, my daughter wants to talk to you about that damned car you gave her. My car wouldn't start last week, and she refused to let me use it to drive to work. I had to call a cab to get here and was late for a meeting with a client. She won't let anyone touch it, and got in a fight at school because one of her friends banged the side of it with her door. She got suspended for three days. She took it to your friend's garage and had him buff it out and wax it. Harry, what is it with her and that old car? Neither her mom nor I can't understand why she is so protective over it." "Hell Floyd, why do you think I would know? I suggest you don't bring attention to it and see if the novelty wears off." "Harry, that won't work. She used part of her savings to have your friend at the garage find one with a blown engine that she could use for parts. He has it out back and told her it would be there if she needed it. She also had him put the spoilers on it for ground effects and a complete light kit. That thing looks like a big yellow light bulb at night. She is also planning to have the seats redone as soon as she saves the money. Harry, she loves that car more than she loves her parents, I think." I just busted out laughing for which he gave me hell, but he laughingly told me goodbye when he hung up the phone. As I was talking to Floyd, Preacher came in and sat down. He had a troubled look on his face and I wondered why. "Ok Preacher, why the long face?" "Harry, I know this is not a good time to bring it up, but are we doing the right thing here? I mean, using the military to take out civilian targets? Don't get me wrong, I would do JJ myself, but what about all the women and children that will get hurt or killed if we screw up? You're talking about the families of those chopper pilots set me to thinking about it. I have overheard some of the other personnel talking about it too." "Before I answer you, let me ask you a question. Did you talk to the man in charge of that other camp?" "I sure did and faxed him over a list of the serial numbers of the stolen weapons. He had his armorer go through their inventory and called me back saying they had about a hundred weapons that were on the list. They have been crated up and are waiting for us to pick them up. He was polite and cooperative about the whole thing. He also invited us in to recheck all their stocks of weapons if we wished. I gave the Director the list and how much we owed them. We are reimbursing them for their loss by paying them back what they paid for them." "Ok Preacher, do you think Hubba's camp would do the same thing? Should we set up a meeting and see if they will cooperate by handing all their illegal weapons over?" "I wish we could Harry, but from what I have observed, they would probably shoot us on sight." "Ok Preacher, I think you just solved your moral dilemma. I mean think about it, if they would cooperate I would be happy as hell. I don't want to harm women and children any more than you do, my friend, but they aren't leaving us any choice. If they would give us the illegal stuff they have, I would be glad to accept them. I would leave them alone to go on living like they are, but I just don't see that happening, do you?" "No, I don't either, but I wish we could give it a try before it breaks out in open warfare. I hate the thought of harm coming to innocent women and children. Hell Harry, we saw enough of that to last us a lifetime. Has anyone ever tried talking to them now that this Hubba and his old man are dead?" "Not that I know of Preacher, but you just might have an idea there. After we take out JJ, let's sit down and discuss it further. Hell, they might listen to reason, you never know. I know if I had my family and knew we were going to be attacked, I would gladly give up any illegal weapons I had to protect them from harm. I don't know the mind set of this bunch, but it might be worth exploring it if we can do it peacefully." "Harry, it never hurts to try. I just don't want to end my career with the picture in my head of kids and women being harmed by my men when maybe I could have stopped it before it began. I know I can speak for the other teams too, because they have all come forward with the same thoughts. They will follow orders but as you know, none of them want open battles with kids in the line of fire, Harry." "I agree a hundred percent Preacher. Let's put this on the shelf for now so we can brief the two teams that just arrived. I want to give it some more thought and see if I can come up with a way to meet with the leaders of that camp without anyone being shot." We both got up and headed for the briefing room. I was thinking about what we had discussed while Preacher started the briefing, and I had to admit it did have merit. I would rather just take the weapons and leave them alone, rather than fight with them and maybe have heavy casualties on both sides. I knew I didn't want any more deaths on my conscience. If there was any way to do it, I would rather keep away from open warfare. I figured setting up the meet would be the hardest part of it all. Maybe I could bring Avery into it since he knew them better than I did. Maybe he could arrange a meet so we could feel them out and see if they wanted to resolve the whole thing peacefully. I could only hope it would turn out that way, but I had a sinking feeling we would have to go in. Preacher handled most of the briefing this time. He introduced me and gave them some of my background, then asked if any of them had problems with me running the show. He just got grins, so he went on with the briefing. We finished up in about an hour and I wondered why the drone operators hadn't contacted me. I left the room before Preacher was done and headed for the operations room to see what was going on. When I walked in, both operators were sitting in their chairs with a look of boredom on their faces. "Ok, bring me up to speed." "Sir, they stopped before the cut off, and have just been sitting under the trees for almost an hour. We just ran a count and all five vehicles are there. We both have been wondering what they're up to." "Well your guess is as good as mine at this point, soldier. They might be waiting for dark to move, but if I were to guess, I think there is another reason. Send one of the drones ahead about five miles or so and see if there are any other vehicles in the vicinity. They might be waiting on more men to finish the job, but he left too quickly, almost like they had a falling out or something." I grabbed a coffee and sat down in the extra chair, waiting to see if there were any developments. I sat thinking about why he had stopped and then I had a hunch. I called the radio room and told them to start monitoring all the open channels. If my hunch was right, then we would have him. I called down to the radio room again and put the Whispers and the Black Hawks on alert. "I want the other drone flying in a circle about five miles around and keep your eyes open for other choppers." I called for Preacher to come in to act as a go between for me and the radio room. I hoped my hunch was wrong, but I had a feeling I was right. I had the radio room alert the teams in the field to stay under cover at all times for the rest of the day. If JJ had a chopper he could arm, he might use it to take out the teams ahead of his direction of travel. He could also escape in it and leave his men to drive the trucks home. If he got in a chopper, I would send one of ours to blow it out of the sky. I had already made up my mind he wouldn't escape, so now all I could do was wait and see what he did next. After about fifteen minutes of no activity, I was about to climb the walls. "Sir, we have three slow movers coming in from the south. They are on a direct heading for JJ's position. I raised the drone to about a thousand feet above them and I am heading it toward them. This way we can get a good view of them long before they get to him. We will have the advantage this time, Sir." "Good thinking, soldier. I want stills taken if possible so we have a record of them. They look to be at about three hundred feet. That means they are trying to evade any radar to get in and out quietly. Let's get a good look at them, shall we?" "Yes sir, we should be in view in a few minutes. If I move the drone too fast, it might catch their attention with its movement. This way, we will go slow and easy and shouldn't attract any attention from the pilots. I would be willing to bet they are watching for other craft by the way they are flying. The outer choppers are flying in a turnout position so they can catch any movement coming in from the sides. Look! There's a fourth one about three hundred feet behind the others. Man, they are taking no chances of being surprised by another craft. They are armed to the teeth, too. They have missile pods and door gunners on all three of the front ships. They are taking no chances of being forced to land anywhere except where they want to." "Preacher, get the Whispers and all three Black Hawks moving in their direction. Have the drone operator in direct contact with them to guide them in by G.P.S. Tell them what we are seeing and see if we can patch the pictures to their onboard screens. Tell them to wait on my order to fire unless they are fired on, then they can blow them out of the sky. First we wait and see what their intentions are. I have a feeling they are there to pick up JJ and his men. They will abandon the trucks until it's safe to retrieve them. If they load up in those choppers, I want them shot down the moment the last man is in the door." We watched as the first chopper came in and set down in a small clear spot between the trees. I could see men running out of the trees and boarding. It took off and the next one came in. The process was repeated with the full one covering the one loading. "Preacher, have one of the teams that just come in dropped behind them about two miles. They are to take shoulder fired missiles and take all those trucks out. I don't want them in one piece. Tell them to be careful of any guards that might have been left behind. If they miss one of those trucks for some reason, I want to know immediately." I wanted to be sure to cover all the bases, just in case JJ didn't get on one of the choppers. He might try to stay behind and use one of the trucks to escape. We watched as the third chopper lifted off, and then the fourth came up. It didn't land, just resumed position behind the others as they flew off. "Tell the Black Hawks to attack as soon as they get in range. I want all of those birds on the ground and dead as soon as possible." It took about eight minutes before the air battle began, but it didn't last half that long. I think they got off one missile before they were all shot down by our birds. With the drone monitoring the battle, we had a bird's eye view of it all. I made sure the cameras were recording it. Within ten minutes the trucks started blowing up under the trees as the other drone circled the area. We were informed that all five trucks were destroyed and there had been no guards present. I sent the Whispers to pick up the other teams and take them to go to the helicopter battle site for pictures or fingerprints, if they could get any. I had the Seal Team picked up and returned to base. "Preacher, you debrief the Seal Team coming in and I want it all recorded. When the other two teams come back, we will both debrief them and gather any evidence they bring back. I don't think there will be much from what I observed, but I am hoping they have proof of JJ's demise. That would make my day and I could tell the families of those two State Troopers they didn't get away with it. I want a chopper made ready for me to use. I am going to see the Governor then to the hospital in Reno. Then I am going to go see a sheriff friend of mine about the meeting we discussed earlier. If anyone can arrange it, he might be the one to do it for us." "Ok Harry, but I think we got JJ. But with him, I am like you, I want to see proof. I will make one of the Whispers available for your use. I think it will impress anyone you need to visit, especially if they can't hear it coming until you drop in. It ought to be good for a laugh or two from their surprise. I just hope your friend can arrange that meet. Then even if it doesn't work, we can at least say we tried." I watched as he walked out of the room, and I had to agree with his reasoning. I figured Avery would know if it were possible. The visit to his office and the Governor would wait until tomorrow because it was getting late. I wanted to see Agent Thomas and tell him we were going after the ones who were responsible for his and his men's plight. I hoped he was doing better than the last time I saw him. ------- Chapter 82 It was hard as hell to just sit and wait for all the Intel to come in. The Seal team was back and Preacher was debriefing them, but I was waiting for the teams that were at the battle site to get done and come in. This was the apple we all were waiting for. I got on the cell and checked with the Director, telling him I wanted a recovery team at the battle site tomorrow first thing. He said they had the proper facilities at Nellis and had a team specially trained for this type of thing. I brought him up to date and told him we had filmed it all, and that he would have copies ready when he wanted them. Almost the next question out of his mouth was the one that I was waiting for. I told him I had two teams at the site taking pictures and getting fingerprints, and I was pretty sure we had put JJ out of business permanently. I also told him we were taking DNA samples from all the victims to see if they could be identified by that method. I got a "good job and thanks" for all I had done so far. I just shrugged it off and hung up the phone. I hadn't been off the line for more than three minutes when it rang again. This time it was General Brown telling me that as of fifteen minutes ago, Lieutenant Masters was now a Captain. Also, he was faxing the promotion to me to have Preacher give him the ceremonial promotion speech. I thanked him and just grinned when he said the Major's spot was still open if I wanted it. I told him to go to hell in a laughing manner. He just laughed and said he had framed the signed hundred dollar bill he had won from the President. He informed me he also owed me a big steak dinner. We chatted for a few more minutes before he had to go, thanking me again for taking care of JJ and his men. I sat and thought about all the men who had died today because they had followed JJ's lead. I didn't feel proud, just sick inside at the loss of all the lives I had ordered today. Damn, but I wish there had been another way. No matter how I looked at it, I just didn't see another way I could have accomplished it. I was sitting at the table wondering why I felt so drained when it hit me that I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. I had been living on coffee the whole time. I stood up and headed out to ask someone where the chow hall was, when I almost knocked Masters over as he was coming in the door to get me. "Harry, the other two teams are landing. Preacher sent me to get you for the debriefing." "Thanks Lieutenant, I appreciate it and if you would, can you find me a nice thick sandwich of some kind? I haven't eaten anything since yesterday." "I sure will Harry. I will bring it to you in the briefing room along with a soda to wash it down." He went out the door and I headed for the briefing room, stopping by the operations section to grab the faxes out of the machine. One was the promotion and the other was a well done to the men from the President. I would pass them to Preacher at the debriefing and let him handle them as he saw fit. I didn't figure the two teams coming in would be in much of a mood to celebrate after the job they had just finished. But then again, I remembered when we used to look for good news to wipe out what we had seen in the bush. I watched as the two teams went in the briefing room. I followed them in and stood to the side, observing them as they got seated. They all looked like they were beat and needed a hot shower and some food that wasn't out of a box. Preacher stepped up to the podium and I sat down to listen. "I am not going to drag this out because I know all of you want to shower and find some hot food. I have ordered the cook to fix steaks and all the trimmings for you." This got a big cheer and smiles from all of them. "Men, you did a good job out there. Stumpy, that prisoner you got for us was a treasure. After Harry scared the shit out of him, he sang like a songbird. I videoed everything and it is available to any of you that want to watch and listen. Rather than have you write your reports, I have a camera set up that will record all that both field commanders have to say. When you both have finished with your reports, the rest of your teams can speak if they want. I want any observations positive or negative that any of you want to tell us about. Stumpy, you start then Anderson will follow. I want a complete mission report from the time you were dropped till you returned here." I sat and listened as Stumpy gave a precise report from the time his team was dropped right up to the point when they came here to be debriefed. Only one of his men had anything to say and it was a derogatory remark about the men they had found acting as rear guard. He got a brief laugh from everyone present and a dirty look from Stumpy. From Stumpy's report, his team had acted as scouts, looking for bodies at the battle site. Anderson and his team did all the picture taking and fingerprints. "We positively identified JJ from the photograph we had with us. From what we could tell, he jumped out of one of the choppers trying to save his life. But, he was impaled on a chunk of an old pine tree that was sticking up where he landed. If it hadn't been for that, he might have survived the fall and been able to get away. We took his picture from all angles and then we took his fingerprints just to make sure. Most of the men died in the crashes and there weren't many remains to be seen. All the choppers must have been carrying extra fuel bladders because of the heat from the fires and the way the wreckage was scattered. I am afraid we don't have much to show in the way of bodies or prints, Preacher. The small chopper was the only one that didn't explode. It was so full of holes, that I was surprised that the pilot was still alive when we got there. He told us he had been hired because of the radar equipment he had onboard. He was the only one in the bird and he died before we could get him out." Masters came in and handed me a big sandwich and a soda and then sat down by my side. I hated eating in front of these men, but I was starving and still had things to do. I stood and handed Preacher the two faxes and sat back down, sipping my soda as he read them. He started smiling when he got done. "I want to thank all of you for your detailed and precise reports but on top of all of the bad things you have seen today, I do have some good news that concerns all of you. The two faxes Harry just handed me concerns you Green Beanies. It seems for some reason, and I don't know why, Lieutenant Masters has been promoted to Captain effective immediately. Since I am a Seal I don't think this is fair to me, because I don't need another double bar strutting around." Everyone was cheering Masters. Preacher called him up to the podium and shook his hand, congratulating him on his promotion. He handed him the paper and the two teams gathered around him, slapping him on the back and giving him hell. I just sat back and smiled at their antics, it brought back a lot of good memories for me. I looked over at Preacher, and he nodded his head at me with a big smile on his face. Other than the sergeant I had spoken to, he was the only one that knew I was behind the promotion. I got up and slipped out the door, heading for the chopper pad to catch my ride to Reno to see Agent Thomas. I used the ear bud to tell the radio operator I was coming. When I got to the pad, one of the Whispers was winding up so I climbed in. I got strapped in and put the helmet on so I could speak to the pilot. He spoke first and to my surprise, it was a question I could answer. "Harry, did we get JJ today? If we did, is it ok if I tell the other pilots? None of us has heard if the mission was a success or not." "I have to tell you it was a complete success. JJ won't be killing anyone else where he went. You can tell the other pilots and give them a big well done from me and the President. The mission was a complete success and we didn't lose a man. Also, you can tell them Masters has been promoted to Captain, effective immediately." He had a big smile on his face as he informed the other pilots of my news. I heard several cheers then he came back to me to thank me for the news. He asked where we were bound for and I told him to set down in the Federal space at the Reno airport. I told them they would have at least two hours before we returned so they could get something to eat. This got a big "thanks" from both pilots. I had them radio ahead and make arrangements for a car for me. When we landed and I climbed out, I was met by the same man as before and handed a set of keys. He pointed to a white Crown Vic and went back inside without saying a word. I got in the car and headed for the hospital. I parked in a reserved spot again and went inside and up to the same floor as last time. Once again, I was met by a guard who checked my ID before I was allowed to go any further. I asked him if Agent Thomas was still in the same room. I was told he was and doing well, so I walked down the hall to his room. I looked in before I entered and saw that he was sitting up in bed. All the bandages were gone from his head and there was only one IV that I could see. He was black and blue but seemed to be wide awake and reading a book. I stepped in and when he saw me, his whole face lit up in a big smile. "Hey Harry, I see you made it back. As you can see, I am doing a lot better than the last time you saw me. They're supposed to take the upper part of the cast off tomorrow. The lower half will be gone in about a week. Man, it's good to see you. I have been talking to the guard a lot, but he never stays long." I walked over and grabbed the chair in the corner and sat down next to his bed. "Well, you sure do look a lot better. I flew in just to check on your progress. From the looks and the sound of your voice, you are healing nicely. Have any of your people been in to visit?" "Not for a couple of days. Thanks from all of us, Harry. I heard how you went to bat for us and got our names and reputations cleared. You don't know how much we all appreciate it. I know I am sure glad I got to meet you in the gulch that day. I'm also very glad you were put in charge of the investigation at the lumber camp. If it wasn't for you, we would have been branded as a bunch of idiots. Some of the other guys I see in physical therapy told me to pass the word to you that they appreciated all you did for us. You're probably the only one who had the balls to speak for us and clear our names. Man, you should have seen all the reporters that tried to get interviews after you sent those tapes out. It was on all the news stations, and now there is a congressional investigation over the whole thing. Every man on this floor was presented with a Medal of Valor by the Director yesterday. Harry, were any bodies recovered at the site? I tried to find out but they have clamped a lid on it all." "Barry, I don't think there were. The fires burned so hot I think all of the bodies were cremated on the spot. You were one of the lucky ones, if you want to call it luck. I have been so busy the last couple of days I haven't had time to get updated on it yet. Hell, I haven't seen my family for two days." I went on and told him everything that happened in the last two days. He was absorbing the news I was giving him like a sponge. He had a smile on his face as I told him all about what had happened, and that we were going to go after the camp that had caused the explosion. We sat and talked for about two hours, but I could see he was getting sleepy. I told him I had to go and would stop back in a couple of days. He thanked me for coming and asked if I would bring him a big chocolate milkshake when I came back. He said I would have to sneak it past Attila at the desk. I laughed and said she didn't want the trouble I could bring her if she tried to stop me. He laughed and was nodding off as I stood up to go. He smiled tiredly and thanked me again for coming. He was asleep by the time I got to the door to leave. When I walked past the nurse's desk, the woman there gave me a dirty look as I passed. It pissed me off so I walked over to the desk. "Lady, what is your problem? If you ever look at me like that again I will have you moved to the geriatric floor until you retire." She was still sputtering and trying to speak as I got on the elevator. The door closed and I was still chuckling to myself when my cell started that damned irritating chirping. When I answered it, Preacher was on the other end. "Harry, you left your personal cell on the desk and like a damned fool I answered it when it started ringing. Your wife wants you to call her, and if you don't, she said she would put knots on my head because I didn't tell you she called. Harry, that woman scares the hell out of me so would you please call her? Make sure you tell her I called you right away to give you the message." I totally lost it, and he hung up cussing me because I thought it was funny. I was still chuckling to myself as I dialed her cell. She answered on the second ring, wanting to know if she was going to see me tonight or not. She also informed me the girls were worried about me because I hadn't called. I asked her where she was and was informed they had just gotten home. I told her I was at the hospital in Reno, and would have the chopper land in the meadow and let me off. I said I would be home in about an hour and to put some coffee on. I was told that George had already started a pot because he said that since she called, he figured I would come running. I hung up, telling her I loved her, and chuckling at her description of George, and his figuring I would be home shortly. As I drove toward the airport, I had to admit it would be great to go home instead of that stinking chemical plant. When I got close to the airport, I called in on the unit's radio and informed the voice that answered me that I would be there shortly and to pass the word to my pilots. He said they were sitting in front of him and would be ready to go when I got there. I signed off and finished the drive, wondering how they would take to me having them set down in the meadow and letting me off there. Well, I thought, since I was their boss, they probably wouldn't voice too many objections to the unorthodox landing site. When I pulled into the parking spot where I had found the car, the rotors were already turning on the Whisper. I handed the keys back to the man who waved in an off handed way and went back inside. As I boarded the chopper, I thought maybe he had gotten used to agents dropping in and borrowing the cars. When we lifted off, I told the pilot where I wanted to land and he asked if it was ok with the owner. I laughed and told him I owned the whole mountain, between me and my wife. He just turned and grinned, saying then he had permission to land. I was laughing at him as we flew over the metropolis of Reno on the way home. It seemed like it took us forever to get there, but I knew it was just that I was anxious to see my family. Two days without their company was way too long, and I promised myself it wouldn't happen again if I could help it. When we were getting close, I told the pilot I wanted to be picked up at nine the next morning and we would have two stops to make. He said he would be fueled and sitting in the same meadow waiting on me. I just smiled as I jumped out on the ground and he lifted off, heading back to the chemical plant. I just knew I was going to be sent to the shower because although I had washed up last night, I knew I stunk of sweat and chemicals. I was challenged before I had taken five steps toward the cabin. Oh hell, I had forgotten about the security we still had guarding the cabins. I stood stock still and he asked for my ID. I showed it to him and got a smile saying he was sorry, but I should have radioed in and to notify the guards I was coming in by chopper. I laughed and told him I was so anxious to get home I had forgotten they were here. I called in on my ear bud, letting the radio man know where I was and that I would be here for the night. He also reminded me I should have let them know I was coming. He was surprised I wasn't shot full of holes along with the Whisper. He also told me Preacher had been stumbling around the radio room mumbling something about knots and mean women. I laughed and when I told him what had happened, he said he would spread the word. I laughed as I walked up toward the cabin, knowing that Preacher would be branded a fraidy cat by morning. He would never live this one down and I knew what would happen and what would be said once the word got around. Hell, I was married to her and she scared me when she got mad. When I stepped up on the porch and opened the door, I was spotted by Sandra and she ran and jumped in my arms. "Oh Grandpa, I missed you. Where have you been and why haven't you called us? We went shopping and got a great big stack of movies. Tran let us pick out ten apiece and I also got some new jeans. Dina and Dana are in the shower getting ready for bed. Phew! You stink!" I just hugged her and gave her a big kiss, making sure I rubbed my mustache against her nose as I did. She just giggled and hugged me tighter. We were in this position when Tran walked in from the kitchen. When she saw us she smiled and came over immediately. "My turn young lady, I need a kiss and a hug too." "Hold your breath when you do because he stinks pretty bad, Aunt Tran." "Well thanks a lot! That's a heck of a way to treat a man who has missed his family for the last two days, telling him he stinks." When Tran hugged me, she whispered in my ear that I did stink, and as soon as I got my hugs from Dina and Dana I was to take a shower. "You will not lay in the same bed with me smelling like an old stinky chemical plant, my dear." She kissed me after giving me that grin of hers, and it was all I could do to not break her back, I was hugging her so hard. When we finally broke apart, she shooed me to the kitchen where George had coffee waiting. I stayed there until the girls came down so I could hug them and kiss them goodnight. When I walked into the kitchen George handed me a cup of coffee with a grin. "Harry, that granddaughter of yours is something else. She has already taught me the short melody and I have about half of the other one learned. I can't believe how easy she makes it to learn how to play. Do you know she knows over a hundred songs and none of them are written down? She hears the tune in her head and plays it immediately. Dina is getting good on that guitar, too. Dana likes the mandolin because her hands are so small and she can hold it because it's so light. Doris said to tell you your Jeep is ready any time you want to pick it up. I saw it yesterday and man, you talk about a thing of beauty, it sure is. Your son did a hell of a job on it. Sorry, I mean Jimmy did a good job on it. That boy can do about anything he sets his mind to, I think." "Damn George, take a breath will you? These last two days have been a battle with all that's happened, and I have to go out again tomorrow. I appreciate the news, but I need to just relax a few minutes and forget about all that's happened. I'll bring you up to date later on. Did you get your unit from Doris?" He was off again saying he had got it and turned it over to Jim and Jerry to paint. He was supposed to pick it back up tomorrow. He also informed me that Doris was going to go to North Carolina with him to help him clean out the house and get it ready to sell. He was talking up a storm. I could see how happy he was and it made me glad to see it. He had certainly changed since he first came here. I was glad he was pulling out of his depression from losing his family. I didn't get any further in my thinking because suddenly I had a little girl in each arm. Dina and Dana were going crazy trying to kiss and hug me. This time I didn't hear about how I stunk, but I noticed Dana wrinkled her nose when I hugged her. While I was getting kissed and hugged, Tran and Sandra came in and got out the ice cream. We all sat down at the table and had a small bowl. I sat back and listened to them talking, soaking it up and enjoying every minute and every word. I watched them as they talked and I could see they all had accepted George as part of the family. He was talking back and forth with everyone and they were totally relaxed with him. I could see the adoration in the way he looked at Sandra as she talked about his playing, and how much longer she thought it would take him to learn the love song Jimmy had written for her. All I could do was sit and watch and enjoy it. This was my family and I loved each and every one of them. To my surprise, it was Sandra who said it was bed time. I watched as they put all the bowls in the dishwasher and told them I would come up to the tent shortly to give them their goodnight kisses and hugs. They all looked at each other and just giggled. I looked over at Tran and there was that smirk again. I wondered what this was all about and found out when I went upstairs a few minutes later. I went into Sandra's room and the tent was gone. I stopped in surprise and looked around. The furniture and the bunk beds were set back up like they had been before. "Grandpa, we moved everything back today. We decided we needed to have our own space again. Dina and Dana are sharing the middle room and George is in the last room. He did most of the work. Did you know his daughter was the same age as me and the other girl was the same age as Dana? We have talked a lot while I have been teaching him to play the violin. He says that since he has been here, he has been happier than he has in years. Grandpa, he is really a nice man and I feel so bad he lost his family the way he did. I know I haven't said it lately, but I love you and I am glad I was able to find you." I went over to her bed with tears in my eyes and hugged and kissed her, saying I loved her too, and I didn't know what I would have done with my life because without her, it had seemed empty. She, as usual had to have the last word, and it got a laugh out of me. "Grandpa, will you please kiss the girls goodnight and get a shower? You really stink!" I kissed her again, laughing as I did, and went out the door chuckling. I went into the middle bedroom which was the biggest of the three on this side. The girls had put their beds on each side of the room and were waiting for me to tuck them in. I kissed and hugged Dina, telling her goodnight, then went over to Dana's bed and did the same with her. When I got through and got back up, Dana whispered to me. "Uncle Harry, you need a shower. You smell bad and your breath smells like coffee." I laughed telling her that's where I was headed now. I was chuckling as I headed to my room and the shower. I stripped down and had to admit I did smell pretty ripe. I got into the shower and just stood for a few minutes, soaking in the hot water as it cascaded over my back. I got washed and scrubbed then brushed my teeth. Tran came in and hugged me from behind as I was brushing. It was when I reached for my pajama bottoms that she spoke for the first time since coming into the room. "Don't bother my love. You'll just have to take them off again." I watched her cute little derriere as she walked nude to the bed and climbed in. I quickly finished brushing and almost ran to the bed. The first kiss curled my toes as usual, and for the next few hours I forgot all about the last two days. When I woke, I looked at the clock and it was six thirty. I kissed Tran on the back of her neck since I was snuggled up against her back. She opened one eye and looked at the clock. "If you think, I am getting up this early you got another thought coming my love." She pulled the sheets up over her head as I headed for the shower again. When I got out and was getting dressed, I told her about the coming day and that I would be gone for most of it. "Just call home later and let us know where you're at, my dear." I put the fifty on my belt and stuffed several extra mags into my jacket pocket as I went out, telling her I would call. When I got down stairs, George was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him. I got a cup and sat down and filled him in on all that had happened in the last forty-eight hours. He didn't say anything but had a smug look on his face as I told him about JJ and how he had met his demise. "Harry, I can tell by listening to your voice it bothers you about all the lives lost. I didn't know JJ personally but I have heard tales of him over the years. If anyone deserved to die, he did, and it was long overdue. His men were probably as bad as he was or they wouldn't be following him. I do know that several of them were dishonorably discharged from the Navy. A couple of them I knew personally, and they were bad all the way through. I heard them talking about him on the ship several times. They seemed to think he was some kind of hero or something, and that he should never have been put in prison for what he did. I think I would have loved to see his face as he died and came face to face with all the women and children he murdered. Now that's divine retribution." I just looked at him and to my surprise he was serious, if the expression on his face meant anything. I didn't know how to reply to that so I didn't say anything, just sat and sipped my coffee. Just thinking about his comment brought several unpleasant thoughts to my own mind about whom I would have to face when I came before my maker. This wasn't getting me anywhere, so I thought about my coming day and wondered how or if Avery would be able to set up the meeting with the camp for us. I personally hoped he could and that I could settle it peacefully. I still wondered why JJ hadn't set up the rest of the defenses for them. They had to have fallen out over something because knowing JJ like I did, he wouldn't have pulled out 'till all the defenses were completed. Maybe they realized he was ruthless and would want to take over their camp too. This was getting me no place, I thought as I grabbed another cup of coffee. I called Preacher and told him to make sure my ride was on time and to give my personal cell to the pilot so he could return it to me. "Harry, that I will be glad to do. I hope you told your wife I called you right away and passed her message on. Harry, I know she is beautiful and you love her, but I don't know how she got so mean. She scared the hell out of me and the Director when we came to your house. Some of the things she threatened us with gave me bad dreams. Man, I am so glad I am still single." "Preacher, you're the one who offered to marry her if I didn't. Remember?" "Yes, and I sure as hell would have been miserable because she would have ruled my life with an iron fist. Harry, I think I will stay single and sleep with my pistol. At least it doesn't talk or give me hell if I do something wrong." I busted out laughing for a couple of minutes then told him to be sure not to keep one in the chamber or the next bad dream could be his last. "Go to hell, Harry!" While I was still laughing, he went on to tell me the camp had several trucks out and were dragging off the logs JJ had put up. It looked like they cutting them up for firewood. He said the hole had been open all morning and the drone operators had pictures of everything in it. He said the way they were acting, they wanted to show off everything they had stored in the cave. He said there were more than a hundred women and children outside while the men were working. He wanted to know what I thought they were doing. He wondered if it was on purpose like they were trying to send a message to us or something. "I don't know Preacher, but if they are I hope it's a peaceful one. Maybe JJ shook them up bad enough that they want to talk with someone. I will find out today when I meet with Avery. If anyone would know, he will. I will be calling him in a few minutes to see if he knows anything." He hung up saying he was hoping they were going to be peaceful, and that I should set up some kind of talk with them. Since it was almost eight-thirty, I figured Avery would be in his office. I dialed his number and he was surprised when he answered and realized who was calling. "Damn Harry, have you become psychic or something? I was just getting ready to call you. I have three men in my office from the camp, and they want to talk to you or whoever is in charge of all those little planes over their camp." "Tell them I will be there in about a half hour or so. Do you have a helicopter pad we can land on?" "There is a large clearing behind the courthouse. I will send a deputy out to set up red cones in a circle to guide you in. Harry, I hope this is a good omen." "Me too, Avery. I guess we will find out when I get there, won't we." After I hung up the phone I must have had a funny look on my face or something because George asked me what was wrong. I told him what was going on and he said maybe they had decided they didn't want a fight with the military over some weapons. They might give them up if I handled it right when I got there. I looked at him then got out the cell, telling Preacher to have Stumpy on the chopper with his fatigues and Beret on. I went on to tell him what was going on and he sounded happier than I had heard him for a while. He was babbling something about settling all of this peacefully when I cut him off, saying I wanted the chopper sent right away. He got off saying he would send it now since it was already warming up on the pad. He said Stumpy would be there and ready to go. I hung up the phone and telling George I would be back later, I walked out the door, heading for the meadow where I would be picked up. ------- Chapter 83 I was standing by the meadow when the Whisper came in for a landing. Damn that thing was quiet. If I hadn't known it was coming, I might have thought it was some kind of alien craft. As it was landing, I noticed the rotor wash was barely registering on the grass and weeds below it. I climbed in and got strapped in, then put the helmet on. The pilot immediately asked "Where to this time?" I told him north to Medford. I explained that we were to land behind the courthouse and to look for a circle of traffic cones to land in. He laughed and asked if we were going to a circus or a car wreck. I looked over at Stumpy and he was grinning at me. Damn, this is almost like old times, I thought as we lifted off. Stumpy and I discussed his role in the upcoming meeting. I told him he was not to speak unless he was directly addressed and then to act like anything said was an everyday occurrence in his job as a Green Beret. "Stinger, what the hell kind of set up are you getting me into? This sounds like I am along as your muscle or something. Act tough? Hell I am tough! I don't have to act like it." I just gave him that look I used to use when they had said something stupid. He must have recognized it or remembered it because he quit mouthing off and let me go on. "You are the muscle, you idiot. I want to impress on them that it will be Green Berets they are up against. If we handle this right, maybe we can solve the whole issue without a shot being fired. I know all of you have talked, so play your part and let's see how it goes, huh?" He just gave me a funny look and shut up. The pilot broke in and said he thought he had the courthouse in sight. I looked out and told him to fly around it and look for the circle of cones that was supposed to be there. When we cleared the side of the building, the cones were in plain sight sitting in what looked to be a small park. I noticed several people looking up at us with their mouths hanging open at our sudden appearance. The pilot set us down in the exact center of the cones and started shutting it down while Stumpy and I climbed out. He put his Beret on at the cocky angle the way we always wore them. I had to smile when he did, because I remember how I used to be so proud of the unorthodox headgear when we went out around the base at Bragg. This was back when we weren't accepted as soldiers by the regular army, or straight legs as we called them. We went up the back steps to the Courthouse and were let in a security door by a young deputy. "Man, a Green Beret in person and a helicopter you can't even hear. You guys must belong to a top secret organization, huh?" Stumpy totally ignored him and I gave him a dirty look, trying to keep from laughing out loud at his enthusiasm. He led us directly to Avery's office and knocked, saying his guests were here from the helicopter. He motioned us in and that's when I got my first glimpse of the three men from the camp. They were dressed in jeans and flannel shirts, and all three had full beards. "Harry Hanson, this is Mike, Zeke and Bull. Zeke does the talking since he is the leader and will be speaking for all of them." "Gentlemen, as Avery said, I am Harry Hanson and the man with me is Captain Triplett of the Special Forces from Fort Bragg. Now, since you asked to speak to me, I will let you start, Zeke." "We wanna know, why all those little model planes are flying over our homes? They are driving us crazy! That mad man who showed up was even worse. He said he was taking over all the camps in the state, and ours was first in line to be reorganized. We just wanna be left alone to live the way we want." "Zeke, that mad man as you called him, is dead, as well as all his men. He made the mistake of firing on my men. Now, as to your camp, I don't see a problem with all of you living there just like your ancestors. We have one problem though Zeke. You have enough weapons to start a small war and that we can't allow. I know you have a cave full of arms of all kinds, and almost all of them are illegal. Since none of you have a Federal license to own them, we need to resolve this as soon as possible. Now Zeke, I know you have women and kids in your camp, and I would hate to see any of them hurt in any way. That's not what we want to do. Give up the illegal weapons, and then you and your people will be left completely alone. I know Hubba brought them up there for you to store until he sold them to his buyer. Since he and his daddy are dead, you have been left holding the bag for all his illegal deals. Zeke, we don't want your personal guns or all the food you have stored up there. We only want all the stolen weaponry that Hubba and his daddy stored in your cave. I have personally seen machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons, and that doesn't even scratch the surface of what Hubba has stored with you." He didn't say anything for a few minutes, just stared at me with his mouth hanging open. He looked at the other two and they both nodded at him when he did. I knew he was going to try to bluff, and then try to act hard about it. I was already mentally prepared for it. I knew he wanted to settle this, but he had to do it in such a way that he wouldn't lose respect as a leader. I looked over at Avery, and he was sitting back sipping coffee, trying not to smile. He already had a hunch I would end up winning this little mental fight with these people. Zeke went into his little spiel about how they could hold out against an army with all the stuff they had in their little cave. He then went into the little game about how the army wouldn't fire on women and kids, and then he started in on how his men were better trained than even the government's CIA. I let him go on until he ran out of breath, then I stood up and went to the coffee pot and poured a cup. My getting up broke his concentration like I planned. He sputtered to a stop with his bragging. I sat back down, taking a sip, and leaned forward, looking him directly in the eyes as I spoke. "Zeke, I will use all the force at my disposal to get those weapons. I can have a plane that you won't hear or see drop a bomb or two through the top of that cave. What kind of damage would that do to your homes since they are all underground? Think about it Zeke, what would a big explosion like that do to your camp? Zeke, if that's what it takes, I will do it. I don't want to get in a shooting match because regardless of how good your men are, they would lose. I can spend days bombing the area before we even move in. Zeke, I want you to understand me. I don't want to kill your people. I am giving you a way out of this and still have your way of life you seem to love so much. You know if it comes to shooting, you will lose the property and everything in or on it. It will be impounded because you and all of your people will be classified as terrorists. It will be out of your hands at that point, and too late to save your people." I sat and watched as he thought about what I was telling him. We were so close to settling this peacefully, I could taste it. I knew he didn't want to lose his land or have his people killed over guns that didn't belong to them. Hubba was dead, so they didn't owe him anything. I noticed he kept looking at the other two, and every time they nodded their heads yes. He looked at me and his next question threw me. I was the one who had to regroup my thoughts before I could answer him. "Are you the same Harry Hanson who took Hubba on and beat him in a fair fight?" "Zeke, that wasn't a fair fight at all. I knew when I went up against him; he would kill me if he could, so I decided to kill him first. I almost didn't make it, and spent several months in the hospital." He smiled at me for the first time, and I was surprised that his teeth were perfectly white and he had a very friendly smile. "Harry, if we give you all the illegal guns, I want your personal word we will be allowed to keep our hunting guns and pistols. We also want to keep all the jeeps and trucks that are in the cave that Hubba stored there." "Zeke, if your guns are only semi-auto and not stolen, then I don't want them. As for the trucks and stuff, if they aren't stolen, then you are welcome to them. I told you, I just want the illegal stuff. Zeke, my wife and I own the mountain we live on, and if I lost it I would be very upset. I know all of you feel the same way. I will give you my personal word that if it isn't stolen, then you can keep it. How many men has this already cost you to keep those guns? I know of at least ten that were burned to death at the old lumber camp. Zeke, those guns are not worth one person's life, especially since they are dying for someone who is already dead." "Harry, will you give me two days to talk to the others? I am the main leader but any decisions that affect the camp are made by a committee. I will tell them everything you have said, and we will probably give you everything you want so we can get on with our lives. We will only deal with you and Avery, though. When it's time, you can bring your soldier boys in and load up the weapons. But, don't think for one minute we will allow anyone to take our personal weapons. They are all legal and on the books as being legally bought. We will keep the food and medical items, and if the vehicles aren't stolen, we will keep those too. Give me a number where we can call you with our decision. Before you ask, no, we won't try to hide any for later use. That I will give you my word on." I wrote down my cell number and we shook hands as they got up and left. I let out a sigh of relief and looked over at Stumpy. He stuck one big thumb up in the air with a big smile on his face. Avery was a different matter though. "Dammit Harry, you just pulled off the coup of the year. I can't believe you just sat in my office and averted a shooting war with those people. When they came in this morning and asked me to call you I almost shit. That's the first time I have ever seen any of them act like they had any smarts at all. This has got to be the greatest day of my whole career in law enforcement. Let's get a drink on me and talk about this some more." "Avery, calm down will you? This isn't over yet, and they may still change their minds. I hope they don't, but it can happen. I have to get back and call the President to tell him what went on at this meeting. But, I will take a rain check on the drink. I do want you to keep an eye on the camp for any traffic moving in and out 'till we get this resolved." "I will be glad to, Harry, and I do expect you to come up and have a drink with me when this is over. Also, I have heard about your music concerts, and would love to be invited to one of them. They have been the talk of the state, since those soldiers had their little party at the gulch. That's all they talked about the whole time they were there. Hell, I heard about it the next day." "Tell you what, Avery; my granddaughter has been bugging me to play again. I will make sure you and whoever you want to bring get an invitation. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to get back." We got up and Avery walked us out to the door saying he had better see me again soon. We climbed back into the bird and flew around the courthouse the same way we came in. We were headed back to the camp and I asked the pilot to let me off in the meadow like before. He reached back and gave me my personal cell, saying he had forgotten about it in all the rush to get here, I took it and put it in my pocket, thanking him. Stumpy was still grinning and I told him to tell Preacher what went on, and that I would call it in when I got home. I sat back and thought about all that was said in the meeting. I was remembering the loss of life that had already become too much, all over some damn weapons that were no good unless you were going to war. They, or at least most of them, were surplus and supposed to have been destroyed. The others were foreign made and were stolen. I hadn't mentioned the illegals and would wait before I did. That was one box I didn't want to open at this stage of the negotiations. At this point, all I could do was keep my fingers crossed that we could just go in and get them without firing any shots. From this point on, it became what I hated most, a waiting game. When the Whisper dropped me off in the meadow, I went directly to the front porch and called in. George must have seen me come up, because he brought me a big cup of coffee. I mouthed thank you, and started my report to the Director. He was as surprised as I was that the members of the camp had called for a meeting with me. He said he was going to switch to the speaker phone and let me complete the report. I knew he was in the President's office when he did that, so I just went on with what I was saying. I finally finished, and the President had a few questions, but overall they were happy that maybe this could be settled without a shooting war. I was in the same frame of mind, and didn't hesitate to tell them so. I was congratulated on my efforts, and was told that when I needed the trucks and personnel, they would be sent immediately to my location from Nellis. I was finally able to get off the phone. I light a cigarette to help settle my nerves a little before I went into the house. I was sipping my coffee and smoking another cigarette, when I was stormed by the girls wanting to know if I had the day off today. "I think they can do without me for today, what did you have in mind for us to do?" "Grandpa, we want to try this fishing thing you and George have been talking about. We need to get out in the fresh air and maybe get a little sun before the weather changes. Besides, you promised you would teach us how to fish." "Ok you three, why don't you see if Tran and George want to come too?" I headed for the shed to get the rods and reels and a shovel to dig some worms with. I figured we would dig the worms first, and then head to the smaller pond and see if the trout or sunfish were biting. I had already told the radioman what we were doing by the ear bud, so I knew the men around us would be extra vigilant while we were out in the open by the ponds. I just hoped each of the girls got to catch at least one today, if nothing else than for the fun of catching one. To my surprise, they all were coming. We went down to the rich loam along the fence, and dug around. We found several dozen night crawlers without too much trouble. Sandra and Dina handled them without a problem and had fun doing it. Dana was another matter. She refused to touch those slimy things without gloves on, and no amount of reasoning could change her mind. "Dana, how do you expect to fish if you won't handle the worms? They don't jump on the hooks by themselves." "Harry Hanson, quit being so mean. I will bait her hook for her. I used to fish all the time when I was a little girl. She will get used to it, so just give her a little time. After all, we girls aren't all tomboys like Sandra and Dina seem to be." "Tran, we are not tomboys, this is a new adventure for us both. So far it has been fun, and I, for one, can't wait to put one of those wiggly things on the hook. My mom used to tell me about how much she and Grandpa used to fish and that she loved it. I just hope I like it as much as she used to." Well, that put the damper on Tran, and I could tell she was sorry for bringing it up. We got all the worms in an empty can and headed for the pond. I was walking along the side of Tran, and discretely putting a perfect muddy, slimy hand print on her rear as we walked. I just hoped that she didn't catch onto what I was doing, because she would wrap one of the rods around my neck. As it was, she just gave me a big smile. I didn't let on a thing, wondering which one of the girls would notice it first. Regardless of what happened, I was going to have fun today for a change. I looked back at George and he made a circling motion around his head with his finger. I just chuckled to myself as I walked along. When we got to the pond, Sandra was the first one to try putting a worm on her hook. Dina was watching carefully as I showed her the easy way to do it. Dana kept making comments and asking what the black stuff coming out of them was. When I told her, I thought she was going to have a fit right then and there. I totally lost it I was laughing so hard at her. Tran was fighting back laughter and George walked away to keep her from seeing the tears of laughter running out of his eyes. I didn't know it till later, but while bending over like I was, I had pressed the button on the ear bud and all of our conversation and laughter was being transmitted to the base. I learned later that the radio operator fell off his chair, he was laughing so hard. He put it on the intercom after explaining what was going on, and the men all had a ball listening into it. I finally got Dina's and Sandra's lines in the water, but after I baited Dana's rod, she refused to take it until I washed my hands and the handle of the rod where I had touched it. That was when Tran finally lost it. She sat down on the ground holding her ribs, she was laughing so hard. Dana gave her a dirty look, saying she refused to touch worm poops for any reason. I got her line in the water and explained to all three of them what to do and what to look for before pulling the rod up to hook a fish. Of course Dana had the first bite, and when her bobber disappeared I told her to pull hard and she did. The fish, a nice trout, came out of the water and smacked her right in the face. She screamed and dropped the rod while trying to wipe her face where the fish smacked her. I finally yelled at her to pick up her rod before the fish got away. It was big enough to make a couple of nice fillets. "If you think I am touching that thing Uncle Harry, I have something that's not nice to say about it. I may have caught it but I refuse to touch it. If you want it, then you take it off the hook because I refuse." To my surprise, Tran got up and picked it up and deftly removed the hook, then dug a stringer out of the tackle box and put the fish on it. She put the fish in the water and stood up, tying the stringer to a large stick she stuck in the soft ground. She grabbed Dana's rod and fixed the worm, then cast it back in the water, never saying a word to Dana the whole time. Sandra got the next bite, and when she pulled back the rod to set the hook, it bent almost double. I told her how to reel it and how to keep the drag loose to let it wear itself out. She must have fought it for five minutes before finally dragging it up on the bank. It was a huge trout, I bet it went ten pounds. I put it on the stringer with her telling me to hurry up because Dina had one on too. That's when George came over and pitched in to help out. I got Sandra back in the water and Dina had caught a large trout too. George got it in for her and Tran yelled saying she had a huge one on and needed help with it. I went to her side and watched as she used the drag like a pro, while fighting what had to be a very large fish from the way it almost pulled her in a couple of times. She finally got it in close enough to where I could grab it by the mouth and heave it up out of the water. God, it was a huge trout and looked to be more than twenty-five pounds. She looked up at me and had a smile on her face from ear to ear. George yelled that he needed help. The other two were hooking so many fish he couldn't keep up. Dana just stood with crossed arms, not saying a word. I decided I wouldn't say anything to her. She would have to decide if she wanted to fish any more today. Within an hour we had enough caught to make a nice mess of fillets for supper. Dina and Sandra caught almost all of them, but Tran had the biggest one of all. I never got to put a line in the water nor did George. From the smiles on everyone's faces except Dana's, I thought a good time was had by all. As we walked back to the cabin, I was perplexed by Dana's attitude as this wasn't like her at all. George and Tran decided they would clean them for supper if I made the corn meal beer batter to coat them in. Sandra and Dina went up to shower and I went to the kitchen. Dana followed me in and watched as I washed my hands and started putting the batter together. "Uncle Harry, are you mad at me?" "Of course not honey, why would you think that?" "Because of the way I acted down at the lake." I went to my knees and hugged her to me and she started crying when I did. I didn't say anything just let her get it out of her system. Tran came in and saw what was going on and went back out the door. I guess she figured Dana would talk to me quicker than her. "I'm so sorry about the way I acted today. I have been missing my dad and mom so much, and you haven't been here so I could talk to you, Uncle Harry. I love you almost as much as I loved Dad. Why did he have to get killed?" I didn't know quite how to answer her question, but I knew she was depending on me to give her an answer she could understand. I took a deep breath and tried to explain it so she would be able to. I put my hand over her heart and tried to explain something that I didn't fully understand myself. "Honey as long as this heart beats he is not dead. You have your love for him in here. Every time you think about him or your mother, just put your hand here, and you will always know your love for them will be there. Your hurt will fade over time but your love for them never will. I loved him too, but you and your sister are his special girls, and you can bet he will always be watching out for both of you as you grow up. I know it hurts, and I have felt the same hurt you do. You always made him proud, and he and your mother loved both of you very much. Just remember, the bad men may have taken him away from both of you, but they will pay for it in pain and anguish for eternity. Your mom and dad will always be with you and Dina because of your love for them. I don't know how else to explain it to you honey, but every time you miss them, just put your hand here over your heart and think about how much you loved them, and how much you know they loved you both." I got a tear filled smile from her, and she moved my hand and put hers there, and closed her eyes. In a few moments a look of wonder came over her face, and she got a big smile on it as she felt her heart beat. "Thanks Uncle Harry, I knew you would be able to help with the hurt I felt every time I thought about them. That's why I love you so much. You always seem to know how to help me when I need it the most." She smiled at me again and went to the steps and upstairs out of my line of sight. I just sat down on the floor and let the tears flow as I thought about how much they meant to me. My grief was finally coming out over the loss of my best friend. I felt a presence beside me, and Tran sat down and just held me not saying a word as I sat and cried like a baby. I thought about my daughter, and then about my best friend and all the people I had lost over the years. I sat on the floor of the kitchen with the woman I loved, and she was holding and rocking me like a child. She seemed to know me better than I knew myself and was there when I needed her. I could only hope that I could return the favor some day when she needed me. I finally pulled myself together and got up, helping her up at the same time. I looked at her and kissed her in thanks. She just smiled at me before reminding me she was hungry for some fresh trout and was the batter ready. "It will be by the time you bring them in." ------- Chapter 84 I finished getting the batter ready and pulled the big skillet out of the cupboard. I put in the oil and spices I liked to use and turned the fire on and let it slowly heat the oil while I dug out some of the thick fries I knew the girls liked. I plugged in the deep fryer to heat as I finished up with a couple of small things for cooking. Tran and George came in with the fillets. I checked to make sure there were no bones in them as I dipped them into the batter. I waited a few minutes while Tran and George got washed, then dropped a few drops of water into the oil to make sure it was hot enough. George went out saying he was going to bury the remaining fish parts in the woods as Tran started making the fries. I coated several fillets and put them into the hot grease to cook. When the smell hit me I was almost drooling as I watched them turn a golden brown. "Harry, I love you!" "I love you too Tran, so tell me what brought that on all of a sudden?" "I think you're the only man I have ever met who can feel empathy for the ones who are hurting. You act so hard, but inside you are the most caring man I have ever met. I know you love your granddaughter, but I think you love Dina and Dana almost as much. I get a strong feeling that your feelings are tuned into to what they feel, somehow. I know having all of us thrust into your life hasn't been easy, but it seems to me that you just seem to grow more in love with us as the days go by. I spent over twenty years wondering if I would ever be happy again, and now I have my happiness and the love of a good man. I feel contented with all of you like I never thought I would be." "I know exactly what you mean, hon. I went from being a contented bachelor and loving it to being a family man and loving it more than I ever thought I would. When Sandra found me, it was a helluv an adjustment for me. Then Dina and Dana came to me, and it all just seemed right for some reason. I would never in a million years have believed I would get married again, but I did and I ended up with a beautiful woman who I love more than life. I have one of the most precious things that any man dreams about, a perfect wife and three kids who love me without reservations." When George came back in, I told him to tell the girls to come down and set the table. He went upstairs to pass the word and came down almost as quick as he went up. "What's wrong George?" "Umm, they said to tell you they would be down in a minute. They are all in Sandra's room having some kind of meeting. At least that's what it looked and sounded like. Harry, I want to thank you and Tran for having me as your guest. I had more fun and laughs today than I have had in years. I don't know how you manage to fit it all in with everything that's going on right now. I just wanted to tell you that Doris and I are moving in together as soon as we come back from North Carolina. She wants to try having a relationship with me again. I got to tell you, it scares the hell out of me! I haven't been close to anyone since my family was killed, and now all of a sudden it seems that I am starting all over again. I guess I just don't know how to start living again. I will say Sandra has helped me more than all the shrinks I saw in the service. That girl is so smart and mature I sometimes can't believe she is just ten years old. But anyway, I still have to practice a few more times with her help, and then Doris and I will be going back to sell the house and go through stuff and see if I want to keep anything. Thanks Harry, for the friendship, and thanks Tran, for letting me bend your ear for the last week or so." We didn't get a chance to respond because the girls swarmed into the kitchen and had the table set in record time. They all sat down and just waited until I set the food on the table before they said anything. I watched as they all tasted the fish and then it was a fight between them to see how much they could eat. I finally told them to slow down and take time to check for any missed bones and to taste their food. They did for about five minutes and before I knew it the fish and fries were all gone and they were all staring at me as I ate the last bite on my plate. "Ok you three, what's going on now?" Dina was or seemed to be the one chosen to express their demands and she didn't waste any words but came right out with it. "Uncle Harry, we decided its time you start spending more time with us before you get too old to enjoy your time with us." "Ok you three, I am not that old and my extra job is almost over, so I think you better explain what you're talking about. Tran quit giggling, this seems to be serious. Now girls what is it you want before I get too old to be able to do it?" "We want to go fishing some more, and do a little camping and traveling before school starts. We also want to visit Sandra's friends in Columbus, and to meet some of your family. We also want to play for some of the soldiers, like you said we could if we learned how to play. Sandra says we are pretty good so I, or we think we should have the chance to do some things like that before you get too old to want to do it with us. So what do you think about it Uncle Harry?" "Let's get something straight right now! Tran if you don't stop giggling you can go sit in the front room. This is serious business we are discussing here, and not a giggling matter. Girls, we can do some of the things you want to do. As for my being too old, that will never happen. If I get that old, one of you can push me in a wheel chair, so I don't miss any of the things you want to do. Now, if you three are done trying to make me feel old and feeble, I think maybe you can clean the table and go watch a movie before bed time or something." They all looked at each other and jumped up with big smiles on their faces and cleaned up. When they were through, they all went running upstairs to watch a movie or plot against me. After they cleared the room, Tran totally lost it. I was trying to give her a dirty look without smiling, but George just shook his head and went out the front door with a cup of coffee. "Ok lady, what's so damned funny?" "Oh Harry, you are too gullible. They just did it to you again. They just wrapped you around their fingers like they always do, and you just sat there and fell for it. Too old to do the things they want to do, now that was a new approach even for them. I bet you a dollar Sandra thought it all up because she knows you better than you do. George is right you know, she is too smart to be just ten years old. I just love watching them work you around to their way of thinking. I for one can't wait until they become teenagers and go out on their first dates. It will be so funny watching you walk the floor until they come home, or you shoot one of their boyfriends because you don't like him, or you go crazy trying to figure out why they like him. I think the next ten or so years are going to be very entertaining for me." "That's not funny Tran, and you rushing it doesn't help. Now I will have nightmares, thinking about them when they are teenagers and dating. Next time, just keep your opinions to yourself will you?" I got a kiss and more chuckles from Tran as she poured me another cup of coffee. She sat back down and sipped her tea and watched me. Now I was feeling self conscious because I just knew the other shoe was going to drop. I finally started thinking about my meeting this morning to take my mind off of her staring at me. I tried to go back over everything that had been said to me. If there was a downside to it, it could only be if they changed their minds about handing over the weapons and stuff. For some unexplainable reason, I didn't think this was going to happen. Then I started thinking about what Zeke had said about JJ taking over all the camps, and wondered how many he had actually controlled. From all the information I had been able to gather, there were only four in this state. Then I wondered why he would even want control of them. I still thought he was after all the weapons in the camp that Zeke led. If he had been able to get them, he would have considerable power and could have caused a lot of trouble for the state. This was getting me nowhere because his hold had been broken with his death. I wondered how long it would be before his own camp dissolved without him to lead it. "Harry? Harry!" "What dear!" "I think you better go out front. George has been calling you to come outside." I got up trying to grasp why I hadn't heard him calling, but since I had been so deep in thought, it was normal for me to shut everything out. When I got to the front door, I could see Jimmy, Jerry and Jim all standing at the bottom of the steps with a soldier behind them with his weapon pointed at them. I could feel my anger growing as I stepped outside to find out what was going on. "Soldier, this is my son and two deputies from this county. If you don't quit pointing your weapon at them, I will take it from you and shove it where the sun don't shine. Now, do you want to explain why you are threatening them, or do I call and have Preacher come up here to explain it to me?" "Sorry sir, just following orders." "Since I issued the orders, it seems to me you have overstepped your orders. Now, why are you pointing a gun at my son and these two deputies?" "I didn't know they were deputies, sir. They drove up and I immediately ordered them out of their vehicles. I didn't know the retard was your son, sir." I flew off the porch and grabbed the 16 out of his hands, but before I could butt stroke him, George grabbed me from behind. "Settle down Harry. If you hit him in the mood you're in, it might kill him. Just call Preacher and have him come up and handle it. I promise you it will be worse on this idiot with Preacher doing it instead of you beating him half to death." I dialed the phone and handed it to George as I lit a cigarette. I stripped the 16 down and threw the parts as far as I could. I apologized to Jimmy and was pacing back and forth when Tran came out. I heard George mutter "oh shit" when she did. "What's wrong Harry? You look like you're mad about something. Is it bad news about the camp?" I just shook my head no, and then walked off so I could get my temper under control. What the hell kind of soldiers did they have in this bunch? Jimmy came over and put his arm around my shoulders and hugged me. "Don't worry about it Harry. They have been calling me that for years. I have gotten used to it, and I don't let it get to me anymore. I brought your unit up to you. I think you're gonna like everything I did to it. I guarantee you unless someone is driving a racecar, it is the fastest Power Wagon on the road in this state. Where's my sister? I want to visit with her awhile while I'm here." I looked at him and again felt the rage because he had been called something as demeaning as that. He was smiling at me, and I had to admit his smile was the most calming thing I could have seen at this moment. I told him where Sandra and the girls were, and he went into the house. I just stood there and I could hear George explaining to Tran what had set me off. She had that look on her face as she just glared at the soldier standing at attention in front of her. Then I thought about Preacher and how afraid he was of her, and I couldn't help myself, I started chuckling. I just knew he was going to catch hell from her as soon as he got here. When he pulled up with Stumpy driving, I beat a hasty retreat to the porch. George was right behind me. "Harry, I think this is going to be the safest place to be for the next few minutes. She's almost as mad as you were. Jim and Jerry said my truck would be ready tomorrow, and they left saying they were glad you weren't mad at them. I think you might have scared them a little when you stripped that weapon so fast and threw the pieces in the woods. They said to tell you they will see you again when you calmed down a little. I think I will go in and see if Jimmy will show me how to play few of the harder notes. Sandra and I couldn't figure out how to make it easier for me. Good luck!" He beat a hasty retreat inside, leaving me on the porch to watch as Tran lit into Preacher. She was talking so low I couldn't hear a word of the conversation, but whatever she said must have really shook Preacher because he got white as a sheet. Stumpy was standing behind him and grinning, but when Tran looked at him, the grin immediately disappeared from his face. Now I was grinning and chuckling to myself as I watched two of the toughest warriors I knew being dressed down by a little oriental woman who stood a little over four foot high. She must have been addressing them both now, because Stumpy was like a little boy, scuffing his boot in the dirt as she spoke. She stood a few minutes looking at them, then said something to them before she turned to come toward me. I wiped the grin off of my face immediately. When she came up the steps she looked at me and I could see she was fighting back a smile and her eyes were twinkling with laughter. She leaned over and kissed me as she went by saying softly to me; "I bet that doesn't ever happen again around my home or to my son and husband." I got up to follow her inside when Stumpy came up to me. Preacher was standing in front of the guard with his back to us and I started grinning again. "Harry, the next time I come up here will you meet me at the ponds? I don't ever want to face your wife again for any reason. She scares the hell out of me and I don't even know her. If word of this gets out at the camp, we both might as well resign our commissions. Man oh man is that one tough lady. I know it's none of my business, but does she treat you that way too?" With that statement I fell back into the chair laughing so hard I couldn't catch my breath. Preacher turned around and looked at me and then Stumpy. He came up to the bottom step before he spoke. "Harry, you won't have any more problems with your visitors. Don't you ever try to call me up here again. From now on, use the phone or come to the base. Come on Captain, let's get the hell out of here!" I watched as they drove off. The soldier was looking for the pieces of his weapon when Tran came back out and sat in my lap kissing me. "Do you think I got my point across to them, dear?" "Hon, I don't think we will ever have to worry about them coming to visit us again anytime soon." "Ahh, that's too bad, Harry. I was planning on inviting them up to a BBQ next week." I looked at her in shock to see if she was serious. From the look on her face, I thought she was until she couldn't hold it in any longer and started to giggle. "Oh by the way, the next time you decide to put a slimy hand print on my rear, I will pay you back in a way you won't like, my dear. I had a heck of a time explaining it to the girls, especially with George laughing so hard right in front of them. Now, let's get the girls settled down, because I want to spend some quality time with you tonight. I think Jimmy will be staying the night so we won't have to worry about taking him home later." We got up and headed for the door and I sneakily put my hand on her rear as we went inside. I got that look and decided that discretion was easier than getting her mad at me. I dropped my hand with a smile. I got a smile back, but it was one of the types you don't ask questions about or push for more information about. I just kissed her on the neck, smiling to myself as she headed upstairs and I went to the kitchen. ------- Chapter 85 For a change we had a pleasant evening with no interruptions. I got to hear Dina and Dana play along with Sandra and Jimmy. George even took his turn and I couldn't believe he was playing so well after such a short time. Then all three played Sandra's Love Song together and did an award winning performance on it. Of course Sandra played two more written by her teacher and they were new ones. I was totally bewildered, wondering how many songs she had in that pretty little head that I hadn't heard yet. When they finished, George and Jimmy went up to practice some more, and the girls came over and sat on the couch with Tran and me. There wasn't much conversation among us, but it seemed like we were all enjoying the closeness. The girls decided to go up and watch a movie before bed, and that left Tran and me alone for the first time in awhile. I leaned over and kissed her and the return almost took my breath away. "Harry, how long do you think you will have to stay in Florida?" I turned and looked at her, putting a time table together in my head before I answered her. "Probably no more than a week, if Floyd gets all the information I asked for. I promise you I will be in and out as fast as I can, hon. I wouldn't even go except that I owe him for all he went through with Terri and the girls. If I hadn't stepped in, he would have lost custody and Terri wasn't in any kind of shape to take care of them. Like all courts, unless you have good evidence, the man doesn't stand a chance. I think this will be a quick in and out. Then we can maybe get back to some normalcy in our lives. I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to spending some time with my family for a change. I haven't had much chance to do that since this all started." "I know Harry, but we are still very happy together. These little lapses on your part are not your fault. The girls and I have talked about it a lot, and I think they understand what's going on. George hasn't helped much because he makes you out to be some kind of hero or something. The girls just eat his stories and jokes up. I had to pull him aside because some of the jokes he was telling them were what I would call a little dirty. After he thought about it, I almost laughed out loud because he blushed a deep red. Since then, he has kept it on a "G" level as far as I have heard. I hope for Doris and his sakes' they can have a good relationship. He seems like such a good man, and she needs someone like that." I didn't say anything, just got up and poured us a glass of wine. I took it back into the room, and we sat and watched the sun set, sipping our wine together. For the first time in several weeks, I felt at peace with my surroundings and the company I had beside me. Later, I took the glasses out to the kitchen and then we went upstairs. We went to make sure that the girls were settled in and make sure Jimmy was ok sleeping in the guest room with George. When we went into Sandra's room, she was sound asleep and the girls were the same. We kissed them all goodnight, and went to check on George and Jimmy. They were fine also, and from the little snatch of conversation I caught, they were talking about Doris. I told them we were going to bed, and I would take Jimmy home in the morning. I barely got an ok from him before they were talking again and I closed the door. I went into our room and found that Tran was in the shower, so I undressed and joined her. We played until we ran out of hot water and she laughed because I had to rinse the soap off with the freezing water. When I got dried, I ran for the bed to warm up. She never did let me get warm, just a little overheated. I woke up the next morning cuddled up against her back with a mouthful of her hair. I got it out of my mouth and kissed her on the neck. "How come you always wake so early and so happy, Harry?" I raised the covers and looked, but got swatted when I did and she chuckled at me. "It's not every day an old man like me can wake up with a view like that. Besides, if you didn't treat me so well every night I would probably wake up grouchy with a hangover like I used too. This is like having a Victoria's Secret model in my bed every morning and she belongs to me. What man wouldn't be happy with something like that for the rest of his life?" I got out of bed to the sound of her giggles and headed for the shower. I was hoping there was some hot water so I wouldn't freeze to start the day. I got dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt with the fifty riding my hip like it was part of me. I grabbed the light jacket with the extra mags and headed for the kitchen. I got the coffee going and settled back with a cup on the front porch in my favorite chair. I lit my first cigarette of the day, hacked a couple of times and then sat back and enjoyed the quiet. I was on my third cup when George finally came out looking like he was hung over. He explained that he and Jimmy had talked most of the night. I told him I was going to walk down to the plant to get my Jeep and then I would come back and take Jimmy home. He just nodded when I said that. I got both phones from their chargers and my ID and headed for the plant. I told the radio operator what I was doing via the ear bud and got an ok from him, saying he would alert the guards and the gate I was going to use. I almost got to the gate when my cell went off. It was Zeke from the camp and his news made me smile until he got to the end. "Harry, you can take anything from here that is stolen. We decided we would cooperate with you all the way. Also, there is another cave that we don't have access to, which Hubba used to store his special stuff in. None of us have ever been inside it, and you and your people will have to figure out how to get in. We also want anything there that isn't stolen, if it's ok." "Zeke, I gave you my word that you could keep whatever wasn't stolen, but let's wait on that cave until we see what's in there. I am glad you told me about it, because it would have caused a mess if we had found out about it later. We still have a lot of documents to go through, so it will probably be listed there somewhere. Ok, now the big question, when can we start moving the stuff out, and how many big trucks do you think we will need? What equipment should we bring with us?" "We have two forklifts, but I would guess at least ten or more big flatbeds to empty our cave. Harry, about all the troublemakers that Hubba brought in, they are all dead so it's mostly just the original people here and the widows of those men. I can tell you most of them plan on staying here. Harry, we are now mostly older people with women and kids so there will be no trouble of any kind. The vote was unanimous to give it all to you. You can start tomorrow and we will be glad to load the trucks for you. I do have one question though." "What's that Zeke?" "How you gonna know what's stolen and what we get to keep?" "I will bring a radio truck so we can check it by computer online and get an almost immediate answer for most of the stuff. If there are trucks and equipment that you get to keep, I will have titles for them so you can legally register them with the state. For anything else we will have to go through channels, but I will expedite that for you too." "Thank you Harry, and I will hold you to your word. I guess we will see you tomorrow at dawn then. Again, thanks Harry for trying to help us by being so cooperative about all this stuff." He hung up and I smiled to myself until it hit me how much work we had ahead of us. We had to put all the lists and serial numbers together so we could get it all done in one day if possible. This other cave worried me because even they didn't know what was in it. This was going to be a big worry until we got inside to see what was there. Knowing Hubba and his dad, it was hard to tell what we would find. When I got to the chemical plant gate, a Jeep was waiting to take me to the Intel area. I walked into the room and found Preacher asleep in a chair with his head on the table. I decided I wouldn't disturb him and went to the radio room. I had the operator call Stumpy in and to have him meet me in the briefing room. I headed in that direction and almost ran over Masters as he was coming around the corner. "Damn Harry, when did you get here? I want to thank you for putting in a good word to get me promoted so I could keep my team. The guys are really happy that we are staying together. I would probably still be on the waiting list for promotion if not for your help." "You deserved to run the team that you have been with all these years. I have to meet Stumpy, so I will catch you later." "Ok Harry, and thanks again." I went on toward the briefing room and found Stumpy was waiting outside the door as I walked up. "What's going on Harry? I was told there was a briefing but no one's in there." "I need a few things done right away and since Preacher is snoozing, I thought I would call on you to get the ball rolling." I told him about the call from Zeke and what I needed and that it had to be in motion this morning. He gave me a big smile and said he was glad it was going to be settled peacefully. I went on to tell him about the other cave and what Zeke had told me about it. He looked pensive for a minute then asked if it was possible that we could fly up there today to get a look at it to see what it would entail to get in. I told him unless he had a good demo man then we were wasting our time. "Hell Harry, Preacher will just have to do without his beauty sleep since he is the best demo man on the base right now. I will get it all organized so we can leave as soon as you can get permission from Zeke and his people for us to land up there." "I have to take Jimmy home first, and then I will come back. Have one of the Whispers ready to go when I get here. I will call Zeke and get permission to land. Have the radio operator get busy and get those semis moving in our direction right away. I also want all the paperwork on all stolen arms with serial numbers ready to go tomorrow. I will call the Director while I am out and he can get the ball rolling on that. I know this is a rush, but I want to be ready by tomorrow. Let's get moving on this right away. Use all the personnel you need and I also want a drone over the camp all night to watch it. If they try to move anything, I will want to know right away." "Ok Harry, go do your thing and when you get back we will be ready to roll." I headed out the door and climbed into the Jeep. I thought it looked like it needed a good cleaning from the mud all over it. I drove back to the cabin and found Jimmy sitting on the porch waiting, and he jumped right in. As we headed down the driveway, he said to just drop him off at the shop as he had to work today. When we stopped at the gate, I told him to drive as I had several calls to make and we switched seats. I got on the phone and the Director answered on the first ring. He said he was with the President and General Brown and would put me on the speaker. I went through the whole conversation I had with Zeke and told them what I had promised and given my word on. I was told by the President that I was in charge, and to do what was necessary to settle this without bloodshed, if at all possible. He said he thought I had done an outstanding job so far and he would cooperate with me until it was all finished. He also said he wasn't worried about some old trucks and food, just to recover all the arms I could. He said he would have Nellis start the trucks heading for the camp right away so they would be ready by morning. Then I told them about the other cave and they all got excited, wondering what we would find inside. He said maybe I had finally found some of the stolen arms that had never been recovered over a five-year period. We talked for a few more minutes, setting up what I thought I needed for tomorrow. I was assured they would be burning up the fax machine getting the lists and information to me. I hung up and a few minutes later we pulled up in front of the shop. Jimmy got out saying he would see us this weekend. "Harry, when this is all over, would you use your connections to see if we can play for the troops at some of the bases? All four of us want to play, if it's possible." "Jimmy, it is possible and I have already been asked by several of the commanders if I would let you. I am going to hire a small orchestra to go with us so you will have the accompaniment you need to make it an even better show." "Wow, Harry that would be great. See you all this weekend. Sandra is going to teach me some more of the songs she knows and we are also writing a few for the two of us to play together." He went running into the shop with a big smile on his face. It still made me feel in awe of what he had become since he and Sandra had adopted each other. He was a completely different person and I was as proud of him as if he were my own son. I got back on the phone and called the number Zeke had called me from, hoping that someone would answer. It rang about ten times before somebody finally picked up, and I asked for Zeke, telling the person on the other end who I was. Zeke came to the phone and I told him what we planned on doing and asked permission to land in his compound. He gave it and said he was looking forward to seeing me again. I hung up after getting the directions for where we were supposed to land. He was having us land by the cave we knew about, saying the hidden one was just a few hundred feet from it. Before I pulled out, I called Tran and let her know what was going on. She just told me to be careful and supper would be waiting when I got home. Now that was an understanding woman and beautiful to boot. I raced the Jeep back to the plant and was waved through by the guard. I used the ear bud to let the radioman know I was back. He told me to go directly to the helo pad and that they were waiting on me. When I got there, Stumpy and Preacher and several equipment cases were in the chopper. I climbed in and buckled up, then put my helmet on as we lifted off. I gave the directions to the pilot and proceeded to fill them in on what we were going to do when we got there. I noticed Preacher and Stumpy had 16s with them. I told them to leave them in the chopper and to just keep their sidearms on. When we were on the ground, I told the pilot that as soon as we had the equipment off, he was to return to base and wait for my call to pick us back up. I knew if I did it this way, Zeke and his people wouldn't be able to get their hands on the chopper if they weren't playing straight with us. I wasn't about to let them get the upper hand if I could control the situation. I had put all three teams on alert before we left, so if it came down to nut cracking we would be ready for any situation that came our way. We flew directly to the camp and to my surprise, they had flares burning in a circle where we were supposed to land. I would hazard a guess this was nothing new to them from the way they had it arranged. When we hit the ground, we pulled the cases off the Whisper and it took off immediately. Several teenagers and Zeke came over with a pickup and helped us load the cases into the back of it. We rode in the back for about a thousand yards to the lower side of the dump. As I looked around, I could see a well-used dirt road through the woods leading straight to the dump. "Harry, Hubba always brought his personal stash this way from the valley below here. He would call and tell us to keep everyone away until he left. One of the boys got curious one time and we found his body hanging from a tree the next morning. In case you're wondering, I wasn't in charge of the camp at that time. Several truckloads of men disappeared a few weeks ago, and I was elected to run the camp when they didn't come back. I knew all of this stuff would be trouble for us and when JJ came in that day to take us over, we all decided right then to get rid of it." "Zeke, that was a smart move to make. It would have caused your people a lot of trouble because we knew about a lot of the stuff here. I, for one, am glad we didn't have to fight our way in to get it. It would have been a bloodbath any way you look at it. Now, if you will give us a little while to figure out how to get in, I will let you see what's inside. Then you can tell your people how many problems they would have had if this hadn't been reported." "Ok Harry, just whistle when you want me. We have been getting all the arms and stuff that we know we can't keep ready for you to take tomorrow when your trucks show up." He jumped back into the truck and wound his way back up the hill next to the dump. I looked at Preacher and he had a stunned look on his face, but Stumpy had a grin from ear to ear. "I have a hunch how to open this Preacher. Do you have a sound emitter in your stuff?" "I sure do Harry, are you thinking what I am? If you're right, this will be a piece of cake." He opened the smaller case and got out a small black box with lights all over the top of it and pointed it at the dump. When he pressed the big button on top, the lights started flashing in a series. "What this is doing Harry is going through all the known frequencies of garage door openers to see if it gets an answer back on one of the known frequencies. If it does, it will lock onto the signal and work on the same wave as the receiver." We stood there for about five minutes watching the lights on the box. I was wondering how damn many different garage door openers there were when the box went to a steady tone and lights stopped flashing. "Got it, Harry. We better move back a ways so if it's booby trapped, we won't be caught in the blast." We backed down the dirt road to the edge of the trees with each of us standing behind one as Preacher pushed the button again. We all watched, holding our breaths as the huge door slowly opened. It took it about ten minutes to open fully. The entrance was the size of a large hanger door and big enough to hide a plane in. Since there was no explosion, we slowly walked toward the door to get a glimpse of what was inside. When we got to the opening, I could see the inside went on for quite a ways and looked to be bigger than the cave under the casino. I felt a shiver go down my spine, thinking about what we would find inside of here. "Preacher, you and Stumpy dig out some lights while I whistle for Zeke to come down. We will have to be careful about booby traps, but for some reason, I don't have a feeling we will find any. What I'm afraid of is what Hubba has stored inside of here. Knowing him, it could be just about anything and everything. Preacher, I want you to go first to take a look around for any booby traps. When you think it's clear, let us know and we will follow you in. Remember how the cave under the casino was, so when you find a light switch, I suggest you find the box before you flip it." "I remember Harry, and you can bet your ass I ain't about to blow myself up this close to end. I need some R&R and I plan on going to Cancun for a week or two to unwind. Working with you again and trying to stay out of sight of your wife has made me a wreck." I though Stumpy was choking to death as he was wheezing hard after Preacher said that. I quickly looked over at him and realized he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe right. Preacher just gave him a dirty look and the finger as he bent over the biggest box, getting some equipment out in preparation to enter the cave. I walked over and smacked Stumpy on the back with the flat of my hand and he just fell over on the ground. God, was he disgusting in that position. I was glad we weren't getting shot at or he would be gone. ------- Chapter 86 By the time I got Stumpy settled down, Preacher was already in the cave. I saw Zeke coming down the hill in the pickup and waited until he joined us. "Didn't take you guys long to get it opened up. I am almost afraid to go inside there, Harry. Knowing Hubba and how twisted he was, it's hard to tell what will be inside." "I know what you mean, Zeke. I am not sure I really want to know what he has been hauling up here for so many years. I decided to let you go in with us since you have been straight with me. I was hoping you also might be able to shed some light on a few things for me." "Ask away Harry, I won't lie to you about what I know about. I already told you we all decided to cooperate with you in any way we can." "I'm not casting any aspersions on you or your people, Zeke. If I didn't trust you, I would have brought several squads of troops with me. Zeke, how long has your camp been under control of Hubba's people?" "For about three years, Harry. At first he paid us for storing his stuff and the money was welcome. Then he started bringing in all these weirdos and they took over from our original people. Hell, they considered us their slaves and we had to wait on them hand and foot. They brought their own women and kids with them, and they even treated them like some kind of lower class people. They were all members of the same group from several states. They had all lived in the hills and acted like animals most of the time. By the time we figured out what was going on,, it was too late to stop it." "How 'bout their women and kids? I mean why do they still want to stay on?" "Most of them are young and have little babies. Since their men disappeared, they have been happy for the first time since they been here, I think. I know I shouldn't ask, but I have a feeling you know what happened to them." "Zeke, let me just say they won't ever be coming back here. They made a very bad mistake, and it cost them more than they thought it would." "Harry if you're saying what I think you are, then thanks from all of us. The medical supplies will last for years, and the food will feed everyone here for years. If we get to keep some of the vehicles, it would help a great deal. I give you my word if anything like this happens again, I will let the sheriff know immediately and let him handle it. I think it's time my people became part of the community again." "Zeke, I suggest you talk to Avery and let him send you to a good attorney. There are several lumber companies that are interested in the timber rights on your land. That could bring you and your people here a lot of revenue, if it's handled right. It's something to think about." Before we could talk anymore I saw the lights coming on in the cave. God the place looked like an underground bunker, from what I could see from the entrance. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Stumpy and Zeke almost simultaneously. Preacher came to the entrance and waved us in. We walked into the cave and the sight before my eyes almost took my breath away. Along the wall in front of us were literally hundreds of classic cars and trucks from the fifties on up. Hubba had to have been an avid collector or he had a whole bunch of car thieves working for him. "Harry, there are enough weapons down at the other end to stock the Army of any country. There are tanks and jeeps and every kind of transport you can think of. Most of those look like they were all surplus and have been completely rebuilt from the frame up. Hell Harry, they all look like they are new. The arms are from about six or seven countries if the stencils mean anything. What would anyone want with all of this stuff? Oh, and there are hundreds of dead bodies in a big hole in the floor by the fuse box. I almost fell in it walking around the area. Don't worry Harry, they are just bones and look like they have been there for years." "Thanks Preacher, did you see anything that looked like an office or any paperwork? I would love to find out if there was a complete inventory I could get my hands on." "Nothing yet Harry, but this cave goes back under the mountain for I don't know how far. I think we need to call in some help to explore all of it. That is, if it's ok with Zeke and his people." "I don't have a problem with you all bringing more of your people in. Hell, we will help all we can too, if you need us." "Thanks Zeke, but until I am sure this area is totally safe, I want professionals in here only. I don't want to chance any of your people getting killed if they hit a booby trap or something." "Never thought of that, Harry. Ok, we will set the flares for you to bring more of your people in. I'll put one of the women in a truck to haul them down here as they land. If you need me for anything, you know where I am." "Ok. Here's how this is going to run, Preacher. I want Stumpy back at the base to monitor all radio coming from here. Preacher, you run this end of the operation. We will bring Masters' and Anderson's teams in to help you get a handle on what's in here. Preacher, your team will still be on body guard duty for now. If this plays out like I think it will, we have just closed down one of the biggest smuggling operations on the west coast and recovered all the goods. Preacher, your priority will be to make sure there are no booby traps and to find the paperwork on all of this stuff, if it's here. I think he probably kept it all here because this was his personal stash and he felt safe here. Tell the teams to bring side arms only. I don't want to cause a panic with them getting off the choppers combat ready. Ok Stumpy, get on the radio and get the ball rolling. You and I will catch a ride with the last chopper out. Tell them to bring cameras and plenty of pens and paper in case we don't find any paperwork." I watched as Stumpy went out to use the radio we brought with us and then turned to Preacher. "How come you're turning this over to me, Harry? I mean I'm glad to get it, but I figured you would want to run the show." "Preacher, this is in your hands because it's gonna be a pain and you have the lists of what we are hunting for. I am going home to join Tran and the girls for supper. If you don't think you can handle it, I can let Stumpy take over until I can get here tomorrow." "If you tried to pull a stunt like that, I would hit you right in the nose. Seriously though, what if a lot of this stuff isn't stolen? What am I supposed to do with it?" "Preacher, if it isn't listed as stolen and was purchased legally, then Zeke and his people just hit the jackpot, didn't they?" "God Harry, if some of those cars are not stolen, do you think he would sell any of them?" "That's between you and him. All I want is the arms and any stolen stuff. You know what we are looking for so it will be your job to get it out. I will need to know by morning, just how many trucks we will need to haul all the stuff away that we will be taking." I turned and went out the cave door. I looked back over my shoulder and Preacher was just standing and staring at all the cars sitting in the cave. I knew what he was feeling, because I had seen a couple I would love to own myself. Hell, maybe I would have a chat with Zeke, if they weren't stolen. When I got outside Stumpy was still talking on the radio so I waited 'till he was done to see what he had to say. "Harry, they are on the way. Maybe we better walk up the hill to meet the choppers so we don't miss our ride. Do you think Preacher will be ok for about ten minutes by himself?" "I don't think he will have any problems. Besides, he will be soaked by the time the other two teams get here." "Soaked?" "Yea, from drooling all over himself over those cars." "Harry, I can't say as I blame him. Man those things are some of the most beautiful Classic Cars I have seen in my life. Did you see some of those old trucks?" I just looked at him smiling to himself and walked away. We all remembered those cars because they were from our time and generation. Yeah, we had all missed out on our childhoods by going to war so young, so I guess they both had a right to be admiring the cars we had seen in that cave. By the time we got to the top of the hill, one of the Whispers was already setting down in the circle of flares. When Masters and his group got out, we got in and headed back to the base. I left a few instructions there for Preacher and grabbed my Jeep and headed for the cabin. I stopped by the small pond and called the Director to tell him what we had found. I could tell by his voice he was happy about it. I told him what would be coming at him and he replied that he had extra personnel he would call in to check serial numbers. He also would see if he could find out any additional information we might need. He also said there was a big stack of blank titles already delivered to the base for my use if I needed them. We talked for about fifteen minutes more, and then I hung up and called Avery. I filled him in on what was going on. He said he couldn't miss this, and that he was going to drive out there and see it all for himself. I told him he better check with Zeke first and gave him the number to call. I had finished all my calls and headed for the cabin and something to eat. When I pulled, up the girls all came running out and about smothered me with attention. Tran was standing on the porch wearing a big smile at their antics. I was finally able to get out of the Jeep, but Dina and Dana proceeded to chew me out about how filthy I had let their Jeep get. I just laughed at them saying that it would get a lot dirtier before the winter was over. Boy, wrong thing to say as they then told me that I wouldn't be allowed to drive it in the winter because the salt might make it rust. I got to the porch with Tran's laughter in my ears. I sat down and explained to them that Tran would be driving it and if they wanted to go somewhere, they had to use it because it had four wheel drive to get up and down the driveway. Dina and Dana both didn't like it but finally agreed with me. Sandra was smiling at them and me as I talked. When they went back into the house, I got a few little extra hugs from my granddaughter and from the way she was acting, I knew something was up. "Ok kiddo, you want to tell me what you are fishing for?" She and Tran both broke out in laughter at my metaphor. I was looking at both of them with some trepidation, because when both of them were plotting together, I usually came out with the short end of the stick. "Grandpa, I decided to start on the family painting on the back side of the fireplace. I spent the morning drawing in the outline of it but I need to go to the art store again to get some more paints. I kind of thought we could all eat at Tran's restaurant tonight since we have to go to town. Is that ok with you? Tran also wants to check in to see how things are at the restaurant since she hasn't been there for awhile." "Wellll... , since you put it that way, do I have enough time to grab a shower before we go?" "Yippee, yes, if you hurry it up and don't take all evening. I want to get to town while it's still daylight out for a change. Since we'll be taking your personal Jeep, I need the keys to make sure there is enough room in the back for the stuff I need to buy." "My personal Jeep?" "Yeah, you know, the one Jimmy just delivered. I think we need to give it a test drive to see how it handles. Jimmy told me some of the things he did to it, and I can't wait to try out the harness seat belts he invented to fit us girls." I just looked at her in silence since I had no idea what she was talking about. I didn't get a chance to question her as she was pulling me out of the chair to get started on my shower so we could go. Tran followed behind me as I went to our room, shaking my head in puzzlement. I stripped down and headed for the shower, still wondering what she was talking about. Come to think of it, I hadn't got to talk to Jimmy much about it other than what he told me about it being faster than any other Power Wagon. My curiosity was starting to kick into gear as I got in the shower. I would be almost willing to bet they heard my yell all the way to Sean's when the cold water hit my back. Oh hell, that's it, time to put a bigger water heater in because of all the women in the house. I couldn't go through this too many more times because the shock was too much on my poor old body. I finally got out, shivering so bad I felt like I was chipping my teeth. When I went into the bedroom, Tran looked at me and totally lost it. "Harry, if it gets any smaller I am going to have to buy a magnifier to look for it." "I don't think it's very damn funny, Tran. That water is like thirty degrees when it's not heated. I am going to put either a bigger water tank in or one exclusively for our room. Will you please quit laughing and help me figure out what to wear?" "From what I see, you don't need to wear anything because nothing is in plain view. I think it has disappeared forever my love. Maybe I ought to think about being an old maid again." I just glared at her as she went back to laughing at me. I finally got warm enough to get dressed and quit shivering, but I was planning revenge big time and in the near future on her and her twisted sense of humor. Somehow or other I just knew she had arranged all of this to get back at me for something I had done and didn't know it. I didn't say a word though as we went back downstairs to get in my new Jeep to go to town. I did find out what Sandra was talking about when the girls got the seat belts on. In the back it just looked like a normal harness but Tran's was a lot different and for a minute I wondered if Jimmy had someone in mind when he made the front passenger one. To say it was arousing to the driver would be an understatement. Tran was just glaring at me as I was chuckling at her red face after she got it all buckled up. "Harry Hanson, if you say one word I will bean you when we get to town. What was Jimmy thinking when he made these seat belts?" I was only too happy to tell her, but she smacked me with her purse saying there were little ears listening. Of course Sandra was cracking up and the other two had big grins and a look of puzzlement on their faces as we pulled away from the cabin. I watched Tran as we went down the drive and to say it was a provocative sight would be like saying I was a virgin. I got on the ear bud letting the base know where we would be if I was needed. I chuckled to myself all the way to town with Tran glaring holes in me every time she heard me. When we pulled in front of the craft store, I just handed Sandra my credit card. The three of them jumped out and went inside, leaving me waiting for the explosion I knew was coming. "I am going to have a long talk with your son about these seat belts. This is the most unladylike contraption I have ever seen. If you don't quit laughing I will get out and walk to the restaurant." "It did serve one good purpose dear." "What's that Harry?" "He isn't invisible any more." "Harry Hanson, you're impossible!" Needless to say, the rest of the trip was total silence from her and if the girls hadn't been chattering, it would have been extremely quiet. When we pulled up in front of the restaurant and I got a glance at all the cruisers surrounding the place, it was my turn to glare. She was smiling to herself, and Sandra broke out laughing again at the dirty look I gave her. I let them go in first, still being a little upset about being tricked again. When I finally got through the door I got an even bigger surprise. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" Oh hell, say it isn't so. I had forgotten my own birthday. I was standing there in shock when Tran gave me one of those kisses that she was so good at and whispering in my ear when she did. "You better hope he is back or you will be in trouble big time tonight when we get home." I must have turned red, because the next thing I realized was that everyone was laughing at me, with the girls leading me to the center table helping me sit down. Sean and his family along with George, Doris, and Jimmy were already seated. I finally got my composure back and gave Tran a dirty look as I did. She just gave me a big sweet smile then turned her attention to helping with the buffet that was along the back wall. Over the next hour, I must have shook a hundred hands and had my cheek kissed almost as many times. It finally settled down a little as we got down to eating. I was looking around as I ate, and saw just about everyone that I knew was in attendance, along with a lot of new faces in uniform. It looked like most of the department was here as well as several of the State Troopers I knew. I then saw the small stage set to the side and fervently hoped I didn't have to make a speech for all of them. This was a big enough surprise for me without any more tonight. It was at that time that damned chirping started. When I answered, I could tell I was on speaker as the Director, General Brown, and the President of the United States wished me a Happy Birthday. I thanked them while glaring at Tran at the same time. She had a puzzled look on her face and then I realized she knew nothing about the call so I smiled at her. When I hung up, everyone was yelling, "Speech, speech". Tran and the girls pulled me to my feet and escorted me to the stage like I needed help to get there. "I want to thank you all for coming tonight. At least I am able to speak this time. I have to admit my family pulled a good one on me again. I had forgotten all about my birthday and I never realized I had so many friends who would want to celebrate it with me. I thank all of you. I am not going to stand up here gabbing all night, so I thank my wife and my girls for all of this because somehow I have realized they are behind it all." There was a lot of applause as I went back to my table feeling a little foolish. I was even more embarrassed when they brought the birthday cake out on a cart. It looked like a big flame thrower, it had so many candles on it. I leaned over and with the girls help, finally blew out all the candles. I had to go through a lot of well wishing until everyone got a piece of cake and a big scoop of ice cream. The girls came over before I could get a bite and sang happy birthday to me with the whole room joining in. It sounded like there were a lot of sick whales in the room. I got a kiss and hug from the girls before they sat back down. I looked over at Tran and she gave me a big smile and blew me a kiss. I was stuffed and everyone else was talking back and forth when Andy went to the mike. "Harry, we are all honored to call you a friend and a fellow law enforcement officer. Until you came here, this county wasn't hardly fit to live in. Now we have a county we can be proud of. I have a petition that was signed by almost every resident in the county, wishing you a happy birthday. They also asked me if you would set up a charity benefit concert next week for the orphanage. They have come upon hard times since their building was condemned. Your wife donated a two acre tract on the outskirts of the gulch for them to build on. Will you and your granddaughter help us?" Before I could stand, Sandra did so I let her answer the query. "My brother and I would consider it an honor to play to raise money for a cause like that. My sisters would like to join in also. We want to make it an open concert where everyone can participate. Is there a big enough building in town to seat all the people? How much do we charge or just take donations? I personally like the donation idea because everyone will be able to come and give what they can. Grandpa and I will personally chip in ten thousand toward the building fund." She sat back down among all the applause and I felt proud of her for thinking of everyone. The next to pop up was Tran. "I have been a resident of this community for over fifteen years and always helped out the orphanage and several other charities. I will match my daughters' and husband's pledge, and add a little more to the pot in the way of vacation raffles. I own a large vacation hideaway outside of Las Vegas. I will make available five fully paid getaways there to help raise money. This we will do a little different though. Instead of buying the tickets, we will print a thousand of them and give one to anyone who makes a donation. This will be open to anyone who donates, man, woman, or a child putting a quarter in the jar. I already got permission to put a jar in all three schools, and one in the old orphanage. The printed tickets will be split evenly among them, and when they run out there will be no more printed. I know a lot of children who would love to win this trip for their parents and themselves. This is a way to make the children of our county feel like they are a part of this too. Thank you." She got a standing ovation, and it took awhile before Andy could speak again. "My wife and I will match their pledge. We also talked to all the casinos and started a war I think. They are bidding against each other to see who can raise the most money. The winner gets to name the orphanage after their casino. The catch in this is they have to help support the new orphanage for ten years. That means they will pay all the utilities and operating costs for that time. They are already up to almost a hundred thousand dollars and still going. I think we will end up with one of the most modern facilities in the state for the kids. It will also be used as an emergency shelter for the county in case of a catastrophe or something of that nature. Since, like an idiot, I started this whole fund raiser, I vote that the whole vacation thing be just for the kids, no adults are allowed to have a ticket. I also want Tran and a few others on board to help out when this all gets going. Sandra, to answer your question, we have been given permission to use the double gym in the high school to hold the concert. It will seat at least three thousand people with the extra chairs we have. Now I am going back to my seat before I completely ruin Harry's birthday party." He got a lot of applause and had a big smile on his face. I looked around wondering how I had gotten so lucky in such a short time. I hadn't lived here a year and already had more friends than I ever had in my life. Then I thought of Mark, wondering what he would think of all of this if he were here. I bet he would be proud of his department and the people who belonged to it. It was another couple of hours before it started to die down a little so we could leave. The department presented me with a new ID and a gold badge was from all the deputies. This choked me up more than the whole party. I found out later they had done it without telling anyone but their own people. The radio room sent me a new walkie-talkie that hooked directly with the new center they had built while I had been absent. It had a note attached that said; "We are your backup and first line of help. Use this to call if you need help 24 hours a day." It was signed by all the personnel. Damn, I needed a cigarette and a cup of coffee. ------- Chapter 87 By the time we were through with the party, it was almost midnight. I got the girls into the unit and we headed back to the cabin. Of course they were asleep five minutes after we left the restaurant. I did notice Tran just wore the shoulder part of the seatbelt this time and I had to smile to myself. George had told me he was staying in town and wouldn't be back for a couple of days. I figured he was staying at Doris's place. I wondered when they planned on going back to his home to clean it out. When we pulled up in front of the cabin, it looked quiet so I got out. I was met by one of the guards who agreed it was quiet and asked how my party had gone. Damn, everyone must have known about it but me, I thought, as we got the girls out of my unit. There was no argument about bed. They were so tired we had to help them put their pajamas on. When they were finally settled in, we went to bed too. There was no play tonight, and I think we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. When I woke up the next morning, the sun was just starting to rise. Looking at the clock, I saw it was a little after five. I knew I couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and showered. I got dressed and went down stairs, and then I realized I hadn't preset the coffee pot. I hurriedly made a cup of instant that would keep me until the pot was ready, and then went to my usual chair to watch the sun rise. I had grabbed the sat phone as I went out, expecting to get an early morning call from Preacher. I was on my second cup of coffee when he called. "Harry, all these cars are stolen and the arms are part of the stolen batch out of Miami. There are about seventy cases of grenades from Ft. Bliss that were stolen last year. The list goes on and on. We are going to need at least thirty flatbeds to haul all of this stuff out. I had one of the guys follow the dirt road and it comes out a couple of miles above the other camp. I hope you don't mind, but I had one of the trucks routed there to pick up what they have. I called the cadaver team from Nellis to come out to remove all the bones from that hole, and what are we going to do with the five tanks down here because they were sold as surplus legally?" "Slow down a little, Preacher. Have Nellis make sure they send extra guards for all the trucks until this stuff is in storage on base. I damn sure don't want to lose any of it now. Ok, the tanks will have to be removed, so have Nellis send some lowboy trailers. The cars we will let the insurance companies handle. I will have someone from the director's office call them today to make arrangements. Did you find some kind of inventory list of what's in there and maybe a clue to where it all came from?" "Harry, I don't know who did the books here, but everything is listed piece by piece. We found a large office with file cabinets full of paperwork. Harry, everything in this cave is listed. Where it came from by date and city, and even the surplus stuff is listed by where and what sale they bought it from. Also, there is a huge old safe that we will have to blow open. I couldn't find the combination anywhere. Your friend the sheriff has already set up guards at the entrance of the camp to keep everyone out and Zeke has roving patrols out in the woods to watch for strangers. He said I could bring in the other two teams for the same thing if I wanted to. Man, he is sure anxious to get this stuff out of here." "I have someone who will open the safe, so don't worry about it. Have the other two Seal Teams come in and provide extra security. Also, have them bring in weapons for the other teams. Make sure you tell Zeke what is going on so his people don't panic. I will call the Director and get extra security for the trucks while they are on the road to and from Nellis. See if there's some way we can drop a few trees or something so the choppers can land in front of the cave instead of above it. Also, have one of the clerks come out with a typewriter to do the titles and other paperwork for Zeke's people. I will call back shortly, as soon as I talk to the Director. Put everyone with you on alert, just in case of trouble from outside sources." "Already done Stinger, and the other two teams are enroute as we speak." I went for another cup of coffee, trying to get a plan together to make sure we could hang onto the weapons until they were destroyed. Just because the fire at the lumber company had killed those people, it didn't mean that more were not still around. Then I had one of my brilliant ideas. I would use the State Police special teams for extra security. I called Butch to see if I could borrow them for a few days. When he answered the phone and I told him what I needed and asked for permission to use them, he busted out laughing. "What the hell is so funny about that, Butch?" "Harry, you're the Commander of the State Troopers. The Governor just appointed me as temporary. If you need them, all you have to do is call them in. They have been itching to work for you in any capacity. Hell, Charlie really put a dent in their pride with what he did and they all resent him for it. I'll put out the alert and have them gather at your county garage today so you can brief them. I'll come along to introduce you and get the low down on why you want them so fast. I must admit, you have my curiously aroused too." I thanked him, and got off the phone with him to call the Director and bring him up to speed. He must have been with the President because he immediately put me on speaker. I told him all I knew and what I planned on doing. I also told him about the cars and the tanks along with the stolen grenades, and how many trucks it was going to take to haul all of this stuff. I heard someone say, "Holy Shit", in the background and wondered if it was the President or maybe the General. I went on to say that I needed extra security to escort the trucks to make sure we didn't lose any of the weapons this time. I heard a lot of conversation, then the President came on saying that he was sending three hundred Military Policemen to my location immediately. I would be in charge and they would escort the convoys back and forth. He said that if I got any static from anyone, I was to bring them up on charges immediately. "Mr. Hanson, you have done an excellent job on this so far, and I want you to keep running it until we can get those weapons safely in our hands again. You can also tell those people in the camp that they have a very large reward coming for finding them for us. They deserve something more than a few worn out vehicles. If you have any problems at all, you call and we will handle them for you. Thank you Mr. Hanson, from a grateful nation." "Mr. President, a lot of the kudos should go to the men and women here who have made my job easier. I would appreciate it if you could see your way clear to maybe give some of them promotions, the drone operators especially. They were directly responsible for getting us to where we are now. They have been dozing in their chairs the whole time this has been going on, sir. They refused to leave their posts because they wanted to make sure we had coverage over the camp. The men of Seal Team Two deserve a lot of credit too. They were the ones I had trusted my family with and who made sure they were safe while I ran this little operation. There are a lot of personnel at this little base that deserve more than a pat on the back, sir." "I get your point, Mr. Hanson. I give you my word there will be some promotions and a lot of commendations for the personnel there. Now, I will leave you to talk to the Director because I have a press conference to attend in ten minutes. Before you ask, it's not about your find. That we will keep secret as long as possible until we can get those weapons back under our control. Have a good day, Mr. Hanson." I found myself on the end of a dead phone. I hung mine up only to have it ring again in a couple of minutes by the Director. "Harry, sorry about that. He was in such a rush he hung up the phone instead of handing it to me. Now, where were we?" I was chuckling as I told him a couple of other things I wanted for the convoys and he agreed fully with me. He said all I had to do was tell the Major with the Military Police what I wanted and it would be done immediately. We talked for another half hour, going over some details and situations that could occur. I was able to finally get off the phone and went into the house to find Tran up and sipping tea. I got a big kiss, and sat down next to her, telling her what was going on, and that I would have to leave soon but this was almost over. After I said that, I got the look. I just settled back in my chair waiting to see what I had done wrong this time. "Harry, if you go running out of here before the girls get up they will be heartbroken. They, as well as I, have birthday presents to give you. They wanted to wait until we got home to give them to you." "Ok hon, I'll start breakfast. The work can wait on me for a change." I got that thousand watt smile I loved so much as I headed for the stove to start breakfast. I decided to have eggs, ham and home fries, with toast for us all. I was almost done cooking when the girls came running into the kitchen. When they saw me still there cooking, they ran to set the table and every one of them had a big smile on her face. I didn't let on I had to leave, just kept it all routine, but I knew that there would be some questions after we were done eating. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought the girls hadn't eaten for several days the way they went through the food. I barely got any toast, and Sandra grabbed the last piece of ham before I could reach for it. When I gave her a dirty look, she cut a piece of it and very slowly put it in her mouth, smacking her lips as she did. Of course Dina and Dana both thought this was hilarious. I looked at Tran, trying to put a hurt look on my face, but she refused to look me in the eye and was smiling as she finished her eggs. I put my head in my hands and they all cracked up at me. I looked at them and stuck my tongue out at them. I told them to clean up the kitchen as I grabbed my coffee and headed for the porch. I sat down with my coffee, chuckling at how they enjoyed teasing me all the time. I had to admit, having them here sure made life interesting at times. I had been sitting outside about ten minutes when the door opened and they all came out carrying wrapped presents. Dina gave me a new leather jacket with lots of extra inside pockets that she said were to carry my extra bullets for my cannon. Dana gave me leather hat like I had seen a certain actor wear, saying I had better wear it with my jacket because it matched. Sandra came up and handed me a flat present to open and I saw she had two more by her side. When I opened it I almost broke down. It was an exact copy of the mural she had in her room. She handed me the second one and I opened it with trembling hands and saw a painting of the sun setting down over the ocean. It was signed by my daughter and dated a year before she had passed away. The third one had, "From your family", written on the outside and it was a portrait of Tran and all the girls standing in front of the cabin with the setting sun behind them. They all seemed so real in the painting, and the sun was reflecting softly off their hair. They were all smiling at whoever had taken the picture. "Thank all of you for these gifts. I couldn't have asked for anything nicer. All three of these will be up in my room, where I can see them everyday when I wake and go to bed. They will remind me how much I love all of you." "Harry, I still haven't given you mine yet. When you open this one, I want you to know we all picked it out with the thought that you would never take it off." I took it from Tran with trembling hands and slowly opened it. They were all smiling as I did. It was a necklace with the figure about the size of a silver dollar. Looking closely at it, I realized it was a golden Buddha on one side and on the other side it was engraved with the words; "From your girls with all our love." I immediately fastened it around my neck, making sure the Buddha was facing outward. "This is the first necklace I have worn in years and it will be the last. As long as I am wearing it, I will always be thinking of my girls. Thank you all again for one of the greatest birthdays I have had in many years." I then got my kisses and hugs from the girls and they went back into the cabin, leaving Tran and me alone on the porch. I pulled her down into my lap and kissed her. "Hon, if you don't mind me asking, why a Buddha of all things?" "It was Sandra's idea, Harry. I am Christian but she explained that the monks believed that a Buddha was all seeing and all knowing. She also said she believed that the Buddha was the protector of all things. We all discussed it and thought it was a good idea. The engraving was my idea so we would always be close to you when you're away. She told me about the necklace her mother gave you and how much you had cherished it. Did you know she has it in that little safe she keeps in her room? It is just a few of the things her mother said were her most precious of gifts. She told me about how it had been stolen and Sean had recovered it unopened. Harry, she went through it with me and the girls one afternoon. Some of the jewelry is worth thousands of dollars. She said her mother had a lot of it hand made by the different Indian tribes she met in Mexico. Oh Harry, some of the pieces in that box are the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I have ever seen. She gave both of the girls and me an authentic Mayan necklace that has to be hundreds of years old. She said her mother traded for them from some of the villagers." "I knew the box meant a lot to her but I never knew what was in it. The day we left for the Island she was going to open it, but at the last minute had Sean put it in storage with the rest of her things that he had recovered. I can't believe she attaches so much meaning to a necklace her mother won at the fair twenty some years ago for me. When she moved away with her mother, I gave it to her to remember me by, never thinking it would come to mean so much to her and now to my granddaughter. Tran, it can't be worth more than five dollars. That's what it cost her to win it at the fair the day she gave it to me. I wore it all the time until it got so thin it would break if I moved wrong. It used to turn my neck black, but I wouldn't take it off because she gave it to me." "Harry, it's a bridge between her and her mother. The cost isn't part of the equation; it's the love they both shared between them for you. All three of us have talked a lot and I have learned things about Sandra that make me shudder. I do know that when she found you, she said she had never felt so safe since her mother died. I can also tell you that to those girls, Jimmy is their big brother and all three of them love him to death. I have to admit I think of him as my adopted son and I love him too. Now you better say goodbye to the girls, because if I heard you right, you have a meeting to go to in town." I looked at my watch and it was almost noon. I jumped up and ran into the house, telling the girls where I was going and that I wouldn't be back till late. Since they were watching a movie, I just got some quick hugs before I went out the door, kissing Tran on my way to the Jeep. I jumped in and headed down the drive, letting the radio man know I was headed out. He said he would let the guards know and told me that they had sent a clerk to the camp with the last Seal Team. I thanked him, letting him know I could be reached by phone as I turned onto the hard road leading to town. I called dispatch, letting them know I would be running with lights and was told I was clear. I didn't kick the siren on until I got to town and when I did, I got a shock then a good laugh at my siren. That son of mine must have a sense of humor or watched too many movies, because the siren on my Power Wagon sounded just like the one used in the movie Lone Wolf McQuade. It was certainly different, and I got quite a few stares and some smiles from the people I passed. When I pulled into the parking lot at the motor pool, everyone was looking at me strangely. I got out and Butch immediately came over to me with a smile on his face. "We could hear you coming at the outskirts of town, Harry. What kind of siren do you have on that thing? It has to be the weirdest sounding thing I have ever heard." "Well Butch, I think my son has been watching too many Chuck Norris movies." "I knew I had heard it before. Don't tell me, let me guess which one." He stood for a few minutes thinking while I rolled my eyes. The men standing around broke out in laughter at me. "I know! Lone Wolf McQuade, right? It's the same one he used on his personal four wheel drive. Hey wait a minute, I like Chuck Norris too." "You would!" When the laughter died down, Butch introduced me to the troopers as their Commander, and said that I was giving the orders so they better listen up. That bought another round of chuckles and I then proceeded to brief them. I told them what I wanted and what I expected out of them. I did stress that if they were fired upon, they could return fire and to shoot to kill. I gave them a brief history of what was going on and who they would be working with as teams. I also said that if I heard about any of them acting superior because they were law enforcement, I would write them up and suspend them immediately. I maybe over stressed the attitude and behavior thing, but I wanted to make it clear to them they were the guests. Their reputations as law enforcement officers would be proven by their actions while on this assignment. These people were the public they were sworn to protect, not to bully. We loaded up and I led the way, using the back way into the cave to get some idea of what the road was like. I wanted to know whether to have the trucks come in that way or not. When we got to the turnoff that was described to me, there were four of Zeke's men at the gate and it was chained and padlocked. I identified myself and was asked for ID by the oldest person. The other three were teenagers. "I am going to leave four of my men at the gate to relieve you men. That way you will be free to help Zeke at the cave." "Thanks Mr. Hanson, we been here since early this morning. I will shore be glad to get back and get some food, cause my belly thinks my throat's been cut." I had them climb into my unit, and told Butch to leave four men and a vehicle and a couple of extra walkies with the men who would now be guarding the gate. I told him to tell them to be alert because with what was going on, they could be attacked by the previous owners of the weapons. He got them set up with what I asked, and a cooler filled with water and munchies. We went through the gate, and I asked the man riding in the front how the dirt road to the cave was and told him to call me Harry. "Well, it's kind of twisty but well packed through the woods. They have a small bridge over the creek but it's a well packed road all the way to the cave. Zeke has men out watching all corners of the property for strangers. We can sure use the help and those radios you brought. Our walkie talkies are store bought and don't work worth a damn in these hills, Harry. Speaking fer myself, I am glad we can finally get rid of this stuff. Zeke said you were going to give us all the vehicles that weren't stolen, and I sure would love to own one of those Jeeps." "I have a clerk at Hubba's cave doing the titles as we speak. You do understand that the tanks will not be yours, don't you?" They all busted out in laughter at my statement. "Harry, what in the world would we do with a tank? I don't think any of us knows how to drive one. Most of us have never even driven a car, let alone a tank. Where we came from, we all walked everywhere we had to go. When we went to town we used our mule drawn wagon and the mule was worn out by the time we got there. We always had to stay overnight with friends or relatives to rest the mule before we started back. It took me three weeks to learn how to drive a Jeep when I came here." What could I say to a statement like that? I stopped at the bridge and immediately decided that it was strong enough to support any kind of vehicle, and wide enough that the flat beds would be able to use it without a problem. I had driven another mile when I heard an explosion. I must have looked startled because immediately the passengers explained what it was. "They are using explosives to drop a few of the trees by the cave to make room for your Helicopters to land. Your man said he wanted to bring in a couple of big choppers to haul some of the stuff out right away. Zeke gave him permission and we can use the wood this winter for heating and cooking in our homes." I smiled, thinking about Preacher and how efficient he could be when he wanted something bad enough. We went the last mile, twisting back and forth through the trees. The road was wide enough that the trucks would be able to handle it without difficulty. Whoever had laid this out knew what he was doing, because it all was set to keep any vehicle coming this way under almost complete cover all the way to the cave. No wonder Hubba had been able to move in so much stuff without anyone knowing about it, I thought. We came up to the small clearing and I was surprised by all the room there was in front of the cave now. They were using some kind of tracked vehicle to pull the trees to the side with log chains. I did notice, to my relief, that the teams were working side by side with the camp members. I pulled my unit inside the cave, followed by the other six loads of State Troopers behind me and stopped, shutting it down. The camp men got out and immediately went out of the cave, headed up the hill to get something to eat. Butch came up to me and his eyes got big when he spotted all the old cars and trucks along the wall in front of us. Preacher came up and stood watching their reactions to the display. I introduced him to Butch and the Troopers with me, telling him who they were and why I had brought them. I told him I left four at the main gate to relieve the locals who were starving. "I can sure use them, Harry. One of Zeke's patrols spotted some men trying to drive up an old logging road. They got stuck and had to turn around. Did you talk to the Director about extra men?" "We have three hundred MPs coming in this evening. I left word where they were to come and how to get here. Now, these men I brought will be under your direct command, so use them for security where ever you need them. It's going to be up to you to set up shifts and where you want them. These men are used to rugged conditions and should be assigned with the locals if at all possible. That way if something happens, the locals will have law enforcement officers to make sure there are no repercussions if they have to shoot someone." "Damn good idea, Harry. I have two Chinooks coming in shortly to take some of those weapons out. They should be able to put a large dent in them with the first load. I have set up operations in the office and Zeke furnished us with someone to be a runner for the duration. Let me get your men set up and then we can talk about the material you don't know about yet." I watched as he sent a young boy to get Zeke. One of the team members came up and whispered something in Preacher's ear. He just said one word and it wasn't nice. "Harry, some desk jockey at Nellis refused to send the Chinooks. He said I didn't have authorization to use them. Can you help me out here? I want to get some of those stolen guns out of here tonight. He is the Commander of flight operations there but I don't know his name." I gave him a dirty smile and walked outside, pulling my sat phone out of my pocket and calling the Director. When he came on, I told him what happened and that if I was refused anything again, he could come out and run this fiasco. Damn, I enjoyed putting him on the spot for any reason. He said he would call me right back. Within three minutes he called back, saying the choppers were on the way. He told me that he had talked to the Commander of Nellis and informed him that I was to have free use of anything I wanted. He said he informed the Commander that I was under direct orders of the President, and that if I was refused anything again, he would be looking at a new command in Greenland somewhere. He kind of laughed and said that it was all straightened out and that the MPs on the way. They should be here by tomorrow morning. He said their Commander was Major Isaac Everett, and that he was directly under my and Preacher's command. He also told me that to forestall any problems, the Major would be carrying sealed orders for me, and a list of his men and their pictures signed by a General Hinder. He also said a copy of the same would be sent to the plant to be brought out to me, just in case. We got off the phone and I went back inside to give Preacher the news. I wondered if maybe someone was expecting a switch or something because of the second set of orders. Maybe the Director had some Intel I didn't know about or something. Hmm, maybe I better cover our asses, just in case something started stinking tomorrow morning. This I would discuss with Preacher and maybe set up a little surprise. ------- Chapter 88 I went back into the cave, wondering what the idea about two sets of orders was. I had a hunch that Preacher and I were being used to weed out some of the bad apples in the Armed Forces. If I found out this was true, the crap was going to hit the fan big time. I didn't like being used any more than the next person. I stood there and waited until Preacher set the shifts up with Zeke and his people with the Troopers, then followed him into the office he had found. When I got my first look at the safe, I wondered how many men and trucks it had taken to haul it up here. I sat down and told Preacher what was on my mind about the Director's little speech and his actions. We sat and talked about it until we heard the familiar sound of the big Chinooks coming in for a landing. The next two hours were spent loading up some of the stuff that Preacher wanted to get out right away. We told the pilots to come back again for another load. They took off heading for Nellis with the first of five loads we would send out tonight. While we were waiting for them to come back, I called Tran and told her I didn't think I would be home tonight, so not to wait up on me. She said she already figured that out since it was after dark. I had been so busy I hadn't even noticed. We talked for a few more minutes before I hung up, hearing the choppers coming back. We had a large circle of lights set up so they wouldn't have any trouble landing and they started to load as soon as they touched down. By the time it was daylight, we had everything out of the cave that resembled a weapon as well as some of the heavier guns. We had sent out ten loads of arms with the Chinooks being loaded with all the weight the pilots would let us put in them and in the nets underneath. There were a few cannons and howitzers left when dawn came. Plus the tanks, of course. I knew the MPs would be in for a big surprise coming all this way to escort some old tanks and guns to Nellis, but oh well. I finally had to admit my butt was dragging when Zeke showed up with several women who immediately started handing out sandwiches and coffee to everyone. I thanked him and his people for being such a big help to us and told him about the reward they would be getting for finding the stolen arms. That got a round of cheers from them. They said they had sent food to the men on the gates too, and had fed the patrols we had running all night. We just sat back and dozed, waiting for the trucks to arrive. Both caves were almost empty except for the cars and a few things I didn't think anyone would want to steal. We had boxed all the paperwork up and sent it to the plant, but kept anything we found that had to do with the cars and trucks that had been stolen. "Harry, I am going to talk to a couple of those insurance men and see if I can't buy a couple of those cars. Since they already settled the claims, maybe they might sell them for what they settled for. I really like that HemiCuda and the blue Firebird. Stumpy wants to do the same and several men from the other teams asked me to find out about certain ones. Man, I would hate to lose out on them if we can buy them. When do you think the trucks and the Major will get here?" "I would guess shortly after dawn if they left right away. I called the base Commander and told him to keep the news that we already shipped all the guns out to himself until the Director put in an appearance. I don't think we will have a problem with him." "Not after he got the word he would be stationed in Greenland. I've been there and it's cold all year up there. Harry, your not gonna believe how many vehicles Zeke and his people will have when this is over. I sure hope they get a good reward because they have sure been good to us since we came here. I am really glad we didn't have to come in by force to get all this stuff. With all the guns and ammo they had here, it would have lasted quite a while if they wanted to hold out and fight. You know a lot of the team members have come to like these people and their simple ways. Not to mention that there are a lot of good looking single women here. It wouldn't surprise me if some of them came back to do a little visiting on their down time." "I don't see a problem with that at all. I think these people have earned our respect with their actions in the last twenty four hours, Preacher. By the way, did you get any word on what they decided to keep besides the vehicles?" "Harry, I have a list of stuff fifty pages long that they are keeping. Some of the medicine is out dated so I made sure they destroyed it. They won't have to worry about food or blankets for many years because there were ten pallets of surplus wool blankets. They have over seventy pallets of food from their cave and at least another hundred that were here. There were all kinds of summer and winter clothes, plus at least a thousand pairs of combat boots in all different sizes. Harry, if they had a yard sale and just sold part of it, the collectors would go crazy over all the stuff they have. I think everyone of my men bought at least two pairs of the old jungle boots like we used to wear. They had them in every color the armed forces ever issued. I also gave them two pallets of the paratrooper M1s we found. They were semi-auto and legal for them to own. They could shoot everyday for years and never burn up all the ammo they have for them. We recorded the serial numbers and gave them a bill of sale." "That was a good idea, Preacher. They would probably have been destroyed otherwise. They can use them to hunt with since from what I understand, that caliber is legal here. I can tell you something else, we need to watch this Major that's coming in today. I get the distinct impression from the Director that he is under some kind of suspicion. I want two teams here at the cave when they arrive, just in case. Preacher, this whole thing stinks to high heaven. I am getting the feeling we are being used to try out someone's theory or something." "Harry, if you had said that three months ago, I would never have believed it. I agree that there's something fishy about all of this because for Hubba to get what he had in this cave, he had to have someone high up in rank to help him. Maybe when we go through the paper work it might tell us something. I had Stumpy start on it immediately when it arrived. I also haven't told anyone it's at the plant, because I wanted to make sure we had first dibbs on it this time. Also, if there is someone high up involved, the teams are the ones to handle this. Harry, we recovered almost all of the weapons, but I think there is something else we don't know about. This thing has more twists than a snake's back." "Oh I agree with you there, Preacher. The only thing that worries me is who is running the whole thing and how he or she is always able to stay one jump ahead of us. JJ comes to mind, Preacher, because I think he was tipped that all this stuff was here and came to try to claim it. He just got into the wrong cave and didn't know about this one. Whoever told him about it had to know it was in this camp, just not exactly where it was located. When they came in here, Zeke and his people didn't tell them either. I have a hunch, but I need to set a little trap to make sure. I want you and all the teams to stay out of it because it won't be good for any of your careers, if my hunch is right." "Dammit Stinger, why is it you always have these hunches? I've known you for over twenty years and you always seem to be able to work it all out. If I was able to do that I would be an Admiral by now. All of our old team owes you their lives ten times over just because of your hunches. Can you tell me who you think it is, Stinger?" "No because it would completely ruin a lot of careers if you or any of the others got involved. I'm a civilian and they can't harm me with any repercussions. Tran and I have enough money that they wouldn't dare try to do us any harm. Besides, I can do what I plan and cover my tracks because I am no longer in the service. You or any of the others would be tracked within twenty four hours. You have to admit, Preacher, the teams are a close knit society. I have contacts all over this country that I have favors owed from. No my friend, this one is too big for you to get in the middle of. I am going back to my cabin and make some calls. When that Major shows up, you handle it and dismiss the Troopers I brought. For now, Preacher, you're running the show. I'll call you by tonight and give you any information I have." "Do you want me to brief Zeke and his people?" "No, just let it go on like normal. Have your radioman call in a Whisper for me. I will leave my Jeep here for now." "You got it, Stinger." I was going to go home to change and get a shower and then call the Director. He was coming to Nellis and I wanted to be there to meet him when he stepped off the plane. I left the Jeep sitting in the cave by the old cars, securely locked with the extras Jimmy had installed set. When I climbed into the Whisper, it was the same two pilots who had taken me to the hospital to visit Barry. I told them to refuel and await my call to fly to Nellis. They were happy about that because they said it was boring just sitting around making little hops. I had them drop me in the meadow again and walked to the cabin. I was greeted by the girls almost as soon as I came in sight. I got plenty of hugs and kisses but was told, once again, that I needed a shower. After they were done with their greeting and insult party, they went back inside to play and I sat down on the porch to call the Director. Tran brought me a cup of coffee, telling me I looked exhausted and that I needed a shower. Another part of the world heard from. I told her I needed to make a call then I would shower, but I also had to fly to Nellis almost immediately. "Try to catch a few winks on the way, my love. You do look exhausted and you should lay down for a couple of hours." I just nodded dialing the phone as I sipped my coffee. When I got him on the line, the first thing out of his mouth was a question about the trucks arriving. I told him I had seen them coming in as I flew to my cabin to shower and get a change of clothes. He wanted to know if we had finished the inventory of the caves, and if we had a list of how much stuff there was. I told him that Preacher was almost done with it and would have it faxed to him when he was. I then asked him when he was arriving at Nellis and was told about three this afternoon. I was also told General Brown was with him as well as the Secretary of Defense. I told him I was flying in to talk to him in private, and would meet him when he arrived. He asked why I couldn't talk on the phone since it was scrambled and I told him it was a face to face type of thing. He said he would see me when he landed and hung up the phone. I then called a friend in Florida who was a computer genius and told him what I needed. I told him that he had three hours to find it for me. He just laughed and asked how come he never got any hard jobs from me to pay back what he owed me. I chuckled and told him I didn't want to call all my favors in at once. I gave him my number and he said he would call as soon as he got the information. I then scrolled through the received numbers in the phone and found the one the Director always called from when he was with the President. I knew it went through the switchboard, but I figured he would take the call. When he answered I told him I needed to talk on a secure line and he said he would call me back. When my cell rang this time, I pushed the red button on it before I answered. He came on saying he was secure and I said the same. "What can I do for you, Mr. Hanson? I take it this isn't a social call?" "No sir, it isn't. I think I have found the traitor who has been giving out information on all our moves concerning these weapons. I hate to say it sir, but it's someone close to you." "Be very careful of what you are saying, Harry. To accuse someone without proof could get you in a lot of trouble." I went on, telling him of my suspicions and who I thought it was and why. He was silent for a few minutes, and then asked me a couple of questions that I did have the answers for. "If you're right Harry, there is going to be a lot of bad publicity for my administration. If you're sure of your facts, then I will issue an executive order to have him arrested immediately." "Let's give him a little rope first, Sir. I have already set a plan in motion to let him trap himself. I think we can deflect a lot of the negative publicity if we do it my way. Also, have the Secret Service start checking his travels and phone calls, and I bet you they will match up with a lot of the incidents we already know about. Personally, I think there have been enough lives lost without losing any more, Sir." "If you're right, Harry, I will be grateful. I will have secret search warrants drawn up immediately for his home and work. I want to make sure we are the first to move when you call me. I will alert the Secret Service contingent on the plane to back you when you give the word. Harry, be careful of this man. If what you say is true, he won't hesitate to shoot you to keep his reputation in place. You know him and how he reacts better than I do. I suggest you wear a vest if you have one, and if you don't I will have one waiting for you when you arrive. I will give you a telephone number that is a direct line to me to use. Memorize it and don't ever give it out to anyone." I memorized the number and assured him I had one of the newest vests on the market. We talked for a few minutes more, then he hung up saying he would expect my call when it was over. I went in the cabin and went directly to the bedroom to shower. When I finished I got in the gun safe and dug out my Glock to replace the fifty I was wearing. I also got out the forty-five derringer and strapped the spring mechanism to my left arm. I put the little 380 in the ankle holster I always carried as backup because it didn't show up when I was wearing boot cut jeans. I slipped the vest on over my t-shirt then the light jacket. I checked that the derringer popped down into my hand in the right position, then reset the mechanism. I took time to pull the Buddha outside of my jacket in plain sight before I went back downstairs. I gave the girls a kiss and hug and was told by them I smelled a lot better. I just chuckled at them and went outside with Tran following me. "Harry, what's going on? I haven't seen that look on your face since the ranch. If you are planning something dangerous, then please think of us before you do anything stupid. I don't want to be a widow before I get used to being married." "It's going to be fine, Tran. I just have one more little job to do on this gun thing, then we can take a few days to ourselves. Then I will fly to Florida and I will be underfoot from that point on." "Harry, you still can't lie worth a damn, can you? I realize it might be something you can't talk about, but for God's sakes please be careful. I remember that look from when you would get a new assignment and be gone the next day. You have the same look now, my love. Please be careful for all our sakes." I pulled her to me and gave her a kiss and hug. I knew she felt the vest but she didn't say a word about it. I just stood on the porch holding her, feeling her tremble and wondered if I was doing the right thing. I called for the Whisper and headed down to the pick up point in the meadow. I didn't look back because I would probably have not caught the chopper if I had. When I climbed in and got the helmet on I told the pilot our destination. I got a funny look from him, but he didn't comment and I was glad for the silence. We had been flying for about an hour when I asked that he get the base Commander on the horn for me. I made arrangements for him to meet me when we landed, and for a Jeep to be put by the airfield for my use while I was there. I sat back and thought about what I was doing and rehearsing my moves in my head. Because of my stubbornness, I was taking a big chance with my life on the line. I knew I could have let Preacher or Stumpy do this part of it, but they still had careers ahead of them and this would be a career buster if they got involved. "Sir, we have been instructed to land behind hangar thirty-two by the main runway. The base Commander will be waiting for you there." "Ok, just follow your instructions. I will take it from there after we land. Stay by your ship in case I need you." "Yes Sir." The pilot set us down about a hundred feet from the back of the hangar. There was a Jeep with one man standing beside it. I took him to be the base Commander because he was wearing one Star on each shoulder of his fatigues. He looked to be in his fifties and had a gut hanging over his belt from sitting behind a desk too long. I walked over to him. He smiled and stuck out his hand and we shook. "I take it you're the infamous Harry Hanson I have been hearing so much about. I'm General Hamilton, the base Commander. Your weapons are in that hangar and I have ten men guarding them around the clock. The Director and the Secretary of Defense will be arriving in about an hour to inspect them. I was also told General Brown is with them. I followed your orders and didn't say anything about them being here, but I don't like to lie to my superiors. Now, do you want to clue me in on all the secrecy surrounding this, Mr. Hanson?" "Just call me Harry, General Hamilton. As for all the secrecy, it is still classified but I will tell you what I can as we drive over there so I can get a look at what we have sent there. It's kind of hard to see what's being loaded when it's dark." He got a chuckle out of that and we drove the fifty feet or so to the large hangar. When we got out, the guard on the door came to attention and saluted like he should. I noticed that all the guards in sight were alert, and watching our every move as we went inside. I mentioned the fact that none of them had asked me for ID. I thought that was unusual since there were only the two of us, and they wouldn't know if I was forcing him to take me in or not. "Never thought about it like that, Harry. I will make it a point to have the Watch Commander reminded about his and his men's duty when guarding a high security area." We went in and when he flipped on the overhead lights, I almost had a heart attack. The weapons we had loaded all night were neatly stacked from one end of the hanger to the other and were about five pallets high. I guessed they had stacked them evenly on top of each other to make sure they all fit. I hadn't seen this many weapons since Nam. "Harry, I came down last night when they started bringing this stuff in, and I can't believe there are that many weapons floating around in civilian hands in this age. I had our interpreter come in to get some idea of what language the stencils are and what each box contained. There are weapons here from at least six different countries in Russia. There are ten pallets of missiles that are almost the same as our stinger missiles. There are also heat seekers that would make some terrorist a happy man if he could get his hands on them. I know I'm not supposed to ask, but where the hell did all of these things come from? I have my second running an inventory on our armory as we speak. There are cases of stolen hand grenades, and some stolen M-16s, and I don't know what else. This, to be truthful, scares the hell out of me. I hope they get them out of here soon." "I don't figure they will be here more than a couple of days, General. I know they are making plans to dispose of them in the very near future. I have some orders for you, and if you want, I will have them verbally verified for you." "I have already had it made very clear by my wife what will happen to me if I get transferred to Greenland. I don't need you to verify them, Harry. The Director already made it plain I was to follow any orders you gave to the letter. Let's be truthful here. I know there's more to you and what you do than what I have been told, and I would be almost willing to bet you could call the President direct if you needed to. I was in Nam and I have seen your kind before. You just happen to be one of the good ones who don't believe in abusing his power. You are one of the good guys, and I, for one, am happy that you are out there for us. You tell me what you want or need, and if it's here or close by, I will have it for you." I looked at him, thinking he was a little whacked, but I proceeded to tell him what was coming up and his part in it. He listened to me without saying a word but his eyes were almost popping out by the time I had laid the whole thing out. He just looked at me in shock before he regained his voice. "That has got to be the craziest thing I have ever heard of, Harry! Now, don't get me wrong, I will follow your orders, but I am giving you fair warning right now. If I die wearing mukluks and a parka, I will come back and haunt you for the rest of your life." With that, he turned and headed for the exit. I followed along behind, laughing out loud. ------- Chapter 89 When we got back outside, I was surprised to see it was sprinkling a little. The General went to his Jeep saying he would send my Jeep back to me, and that the Director and company would be landing on the runway behind me. He also told me he would have them taxi to within a hundred yards of where the guns were stored. He wished me good luck and drove away. I walked back to the Whisper, sitting in the open troop door to wait. "I have the tower traffic on, Harry, if you want to listen in. Do you mind if we go over to the Officers Club and get something to eat?" "If you hang on a few minutes I will drive you. I have a Jeep coming for my use." "Hey thanks! That will save us a lot of walking." I started to say something else when a Jeep came barreling around the end hangar, headed in our direction. This must be mine, I thought, and I also noticed they had put a rag top on it to at least keep the driver halfway dry. When he pulled up, he asked the pilot which one of us was Harry Hanson? "I am soldier, and I think you forgot something, didn't you?" "I don't think so, Sir." "Seems to me like you're supposed to salute an officer when you approach one, aren't you?" "Sorry Sirs," he said as he came to attention and saluted the two pilots like he was supposed to. When his salute was returned he came to parade rest, awaiting further orders. I could tell he was thinking I was an ass, but to me it was a respect thing. I had to do it for eight years and I knew I had been higher in rank than what he was. I motioned my pilots to get in and turned and asked the driver if I could drop him someplace as I climbed behind the wheel. "Yes Sir. You can drop me back at the motor pool, if you don't mind. It's right around the hanger where I came from." I told him to climb in and headed back the way he had come. When we came around the corner, I mentally marked where I was in relation to the Whisper, so I could come back to wait on the Director's plane to arrive. I dropped the driver at the motor pool and drove both pilots to an officers club that was about a mile from the runways. I told them they had about two hours to kill and not to drink too much. I got two smiles as they climbed out of the Jeep. I turned around and headed back to the Whisper. I got about a hundred feet from the chopper when the Air Police put the lights on me. I pulled over and waited on one of them to approach. It was a female officer and when she came up, her attitude immediately pissed me off. "This ain't no race way, sir. Show me some ID and explain why you are in a military Jeep without an escort." "I don't mind showing you my ID, and will be glad to explain my having this Jeep. I will tell you though, if you don't curb the attitude, I will have you brought up on charges." "Mr., I don't know who you think you are, but I could arrest you right now if I wanted to. Now don't give me any more crap and show me your ID." I reached into my outside pocket and handed her my folder. She grabbed it out of my hand and opened it. As she read it, her face turned three shades of white. I could see she was regretting how she acted, but she didn't know how to get out of the hole she had dug herself into. "Now, if you still want me to explain why I have the Jeep, I would be glad to call General Hamilton and let him explain it to you for me." "I'm sorry Sir, that won't be necessary. Sorry we bothered you and have a good day. I hope you enjoy your visit." She handed me back my ID and almost ran back to her car. I could see her telling her partner who I was, and he wasn't smiling when she explained it to him. I wondered then if she was new, and if the man next to her was her training officer. I started the Jeep up and pulled away, chuckling to myself about what her report of the stop might say when she turned it in at the end of her shift. I must have timed it right, because a large white plane with the Presidential Seal on the vertical stabilizer was landing. I waited in the Jeep by the Whisper and went through my moves in my head. The plane taxied up to the area where the General said they would. There was a large crowd waiting for them to deplane, and I wondered if this would make it harder for me to get my man off by himself. When I drove up close to where they would come out the door, I didn't get out of the Jeep, just waited in plain sight. I knew I could easily be seen by all the passengers as they came down the steps. When the ground crew rolled the steps up to the door, it opened immediately. Two men came out who were plainly Secret Service Agents. Their ear radios were in plain sight as they came down the steps. The next man to come out must have been the Secretary of Defense and the Director was right behind him. When they got to the bottom of the steps, there was a mad scramble as the reporters jockeyed to get pictures. I thought a couple of them were going to tumble down the steps, as fast as they were moving to get in position. When everybody got in position, the handshakes and introductions were made. The whole crowd moved toward the large building that I figured was a VIP greeting area or something. The last man off the plane was General Brown, and when he noticed me sitting in the Jeep, he gave me a smile and wave. He was unbuttoned and looked like he was half asleep as he came down the steps. When he got to the bottom, instead of following the crowd, he came directly to the Jeep and climbed into the passenger seat. "Well Harry, I heard you found another cave and hit the jackpot. I wondered why you needed so many trucks and guards. What all did you find in there?" "If you're not in a rush to get a free meal, I have something to show you." "Hell, Harry, you know me, I hate being around all those ass kissers I have to put up with. Drive on, and I will explain my absence later if anyone should ask." I started the Jeep and headed back to the hanger by the Whisper. When I pulled up to the door, I was immediately accosted by one of the guards. He looked at my ID then saluted General Brown and asked him for his ID also. When he was satisfied we matched our pictures, he waved us on. I walked to the hanger and opened the door with the General right behind me. When I switched on the lights, I heard his sharp intake of breath when he saw what was in front of him. I stepped to the side to give him a good view of it and waited for him to speak. "I thought you were supposed to have this brought by truck, Harry. When did all of this arrive?" "We decided to have it flown in by Chinooks since we were worried about it being hijacked again. The only things left at the cave are some tanks and some outdated anti-aircraft guns from the forties. This is almost all of the Miami loot and a lot of the stolen stuff from different base armories. Pretty nice haul if it had gotten into the wrong hands again. How long have you been running Global Enterprises, General?" "Harry, I have always liked you, but this time you dug too deep and stuck your nose into something that you shouldn't have. I can't let you report this to anyone or let anyone know these weapons are here until I can have them disappear again. You have cost us a lot of money and manpower, Harry. Dammit, why didn't you just let my MPs handle the transport like we planned?" When he pulled the little stubby thirty eight from under his jacket, I was expecting it. He had always carried that same gun when in dress uniform, even when he was in Nam with us. "General, did you sell out the teams in Nam too? Now it makes sense why a lot of them were ambushed when they went into the Delta and Cambodia. How long have you been playing both ends against the middle and how many of our men did you give up?" "Harry, since you're not walking out of here, it won't hurt to tell you. I started with Air America selling opium to the eastern markets. Then, when we left Nam, I went into the arms trade. When the wall fell, it opened up a whole new market for me and my friends. We made a lot of contacts in Russia and all of us made a lot of money until the sheriff of your county died. He was the shipping and storage point for all our western contacts. When his son started to get greedy and went into human trafficking, we couldn't get close to him to recover the munitions that he had stored for us. Then you came along and threw the whole thing into the dump when you killed Hubba. We had just about given up hope of ever recovering anything until JJ heard about Hubba's private stash. He contacted me and I sent him to see what he could find out. Once again, you screwed that up with your meddling." "General, I hate to tell you, but how are you gonna explain me being shot with your gun and why you would do it? Think fast, because you have to get this right, or you will be in Leavenworth for life for being a traitor to your country. Also, if this comes out, you will be hunted by your own government. Now you have to think about whether I told anyone about these being here, other than Preacher and a few members of the teams. How are you gonna explain that away when they come forward? General, you're screwed any which way you turn. You're a sorry excuse for a leader and I think when I tell Preacher and some of the old team members, they might come looking for you to correct your past mistakes." "Will you shut up for a minute? Damn, I can't think with all your gabbing." I sat and watched as he paced the floor trying to find some way out of the situation I had him in. I twisted and flexed my forearm, and the derringer dropped into my hand. I already knew what he would do from past experience, and I wanted to throw him off guard long enough for me to get the derringer cocked and ready. I knew he wouldn't let me just leave. I also knew he had a connection with the Russian Mafia in this country because of what my friend had told me. I also knew the whole board and where they lived and worked at. He had told me he had to hack through several shell companies to get to Global, and he was shocked at all the big names that controlled it. He had told me he would have a complete list of all their freight shipments for the last five years ready if I wanted it. He had said it had been almost too easy to hack into their main computer. I watched as the General turned toward me and I knew what he was going to do as soon as I saw his eyes. He shot twice, and hit me in the heart both times with the thirty eight. I went down and had a hell of a time getting my breath back. Dammit, I figured the vest would do a better job than it had. I just knew I had a couple of broken ribs. He came toward me to make the head shot he was known for and leaned over me with a smile on his face. As he started to bring up his gun, I shot him under the chin with the derringer. Part of the top of his head splattered against the boxes behind him, which I thought was fitting considering how many men he had been responsible for killing. I was still on the floor when the first guard came in shouting for me to drop my weapon. Since I already had, it seemed a waste of energy to say anything to him. He went over to look at the General as several others came in and he promptly puked on his spit shined boots. I wanted to laugh so hard, but I still could hardly breathe. I heard someone calling for the Watch Commander on a radio, so I told the guard who was pointing his weapon at me to make sure General Hamilton was also notified. I had to tell him twice before he could understand me. Damn, but I hurt. I knew the bullets hadn't penetrated the vest, but it felt like I had been kicked in the ribs by Hubba again. It was even on the same side where he had kicked me. I was still lying flat on my back when the General and a Captain I took to be the Watch Commander came in the door. "Dammit Harry, are you ok? How did this happen?" "If somebody would help me up, I might be able to explain. I really don't think I can get up by myself." The General motioned to two of the guards and they handed another their weapons and came over and helped me to stand. I slowly unzipped my jacket and when the vest came into view, I almost fell over. Both bullets were no more than a half inch apart, right where my heart was. I heard two weapons cock when my Glock came into view. "Put those damn things down. If he wanted to shoot you he already would have. Now Harry, I think you have some explaining to do." "I will be glad to just as soon as I call the President." I got the phone out and called the number the President had given me. I almost choked at the shocked look on everyone's face but just grinned at General Hamilton as I dialed the number. When he answered, I told him that General Brown was dead by a silly accident. He sighed asking if I was by myself. I told him that General Hamilton and several of the Air Police were standing here with me. He told me to hand the phone to General Hamilton so I did. He almost dropped it he was so nervous. All I heard were several "Yes sirs", and a couple of "Of courses", before he handed the phone back to me and told the men to clear the building. "I'll be outside when you're through, Harry." I waited till he was out the door before I began talking. "Sir, when the Director comes back, I suggest you have him arrested also. He is one of the board members of Global Enterprises. If you give me a fax number I will have all the information a friend of mine was able to gather. This is for your eyes only, and you will have to decide what to do about the members involved. I will tell you that they are very rich and powerful. This whole thing started in Viet Nam and snowballed from there, Sir. They had a pretty good racket going until they got too greedy and had to have it all." "Harry, you get back on your chopper and go home. I will take it from here, and I don't think any of this bunch will like what I am going to do. As for the Director, let's just say he will live to regret that he betrayed me. I will call you tomorrow afternoon as soon as I get all my ducks in a row. Harry, thanks for keeping my administration clear of it. General Hamilton has his orders and you are free to leave. The death will be ruled accidental and he will have a full military funeral fit for someone of his rank. I'll make sure I am at Camp David in talks and have the Vice President make sure he is there too. Harry, thanks again and if you ever need anything you have my personal number. Now go home to your family, you've done quite enough for someone who is not getting paid for all of this." He hung up and I reached for my derringer which was still lying on the floor. It took two tries before I was able to bend far enough to pick it up. I put it in my jacket pocket and slowly walked to the door. When I went out, I saw that the jet had already left and the General was waiting on me. "If it's ok with you sir, I think I will just walk." "How badly are you hurt, Harry? I can send for an ambulance and have the base hospital check you out." "Not necessary General. I just have maybe a couple of cracked ribs and some heavy bruising. I think I will let my wife do any doctoring. Besides, it's more fun with her." He got a good laugh out of that one as he walked me to the Whisper. They already had it warming up and I shook the General's hand, thanking him for all his help. I climbed laboriously into the Whisper and belted in, putting the helmet on. "Where to now, Harry?" "Take me home fellas. I've had a helluva day." ------- Chapter 90 We left Nellis and headed back toward my cabin. I was thinking about things and waited until we took off before I told the pilot there was a change of plans. I had decided to go back to the cave and drive my Jeep home and spend a few days with my family. I knew it would take at least a week before the bruising on my chest went away. The ribs would heal themselves but I would be sore for a while. I also had sense enough not to let Tran see the vest and where the bullets had hit. I just wasn't ready to face her temper if she saw that. If I let Preacher help me get the vest off, then I could go home and not have so much hassle from my wife. "Harry, we just got orders from some Major not to land at the cave. He said they were busy and that we should return to the plant." "You get me on the horn with that Major." It took about five minutes before he would come to the radio but he finally did and I went off on him. "Major, this is Harry Hanson and we will land whether you like it or not. If you persist on giving my pilot flak, I will have you brought up on charges. Also, I want Preacher standing by when we land." "Sorry Sir, it wasn't explained to me who was in the chopper. Preacher is unavailable at this time but will be back in about fifteen minutes." I didn't like this at all, so I called Stumpy and brought him up to speed as to what was going on. He said he had been arguing with that a-hole all morning. I told him to get his team and Preacher's ready to go. They were to board a Whisper and stand by for my call. If I didn't call in fifteen minutes, they were to assume we were captive and come in by force if necessary. I then called the President. He immediately answered the phone and I told him what was going on. He was fit to be tied and said I was to do whatever I thought was necessary to handle the situation. He also said he would scramble two more teams from San Diego and get them out to me immediately. I told him to have them come in with the local Sheriff and his Deputies as soon as they landed. I then called Butch and he said that the Special Teams were still with him at the gulch eating. I brought him up to speed and told him they were to come in from the gate we used yesterday. If they were accosted, they were to take prisoners but if they were shot at, they should return fire and keep on coming to the cave. As we were settling down to land, I told my pilot that he was to take off as soon as I hit the ground. He was to fly backup and if he was shot at to return fire immediately. I got a grin and a thumbs up from him. I jumped out at about three feet above the ground and he was in the air immediately circling my position. "How come your chopper didn't land, Sir?" "Because I prefer that it stays in the air. Now, do you want to tell me what's going on here?" "I assumed command this morning after we found that the reported weapons were missing." "Major, you were given direct orders that either Preacher or I were in command, so have your men stand down. If anyone has been harmed in any way, I will have you brought up on charges. Also, General Brown is dead so you won't be getting any more orders from him." I watched as the shock set in from my news about General Brown, I could see he didn't know what to do now that his direct line of command was shut down. I guess he decided that discretion was the better way to go since he didn't know that I knew all about him. "Have the men stand down, Captain. Bring them all into the cave area and load the trucks so we can go. Sorry about the attitude Sir, but we thought the weapons had been stolen and we were give specific orders by General Brown on what to do when we arrived." "How many of my people were harmed when you took over, Major? Answer carefully, your career is on the line because I talked to the President before I landed." "We had two wounded and they are fine and have been treated. We had several that were slightly injured when they resisted but they also will be fine. About fifteen escaped into the woods and I have men out trying to find them, Sir. The civilians are all fine and in the other cave under guard. I have given the order to recall all my men as you heard, Sir. I hope this doesn't create any problems for you or your teams." "Major, I will promise you this; if you think you are going to get away with violating a direct order from the President, you better think again. I have more men coming in and if you hadn't stood down there would have been a lot of innocent lives lost here today because of your actions. I know your men were following your orders, but that's no excuse for terrorizing innocent people. The guns you were supposed to escort are under heavy guard, and I guarantee you that none of the members of Global will ever get their hands on them again." "Sir, sorry for the misunderstanding, but I got a call from General Brown yesterday, and was given explicit instructions to take those guns to another location when they were loaded. If I may ask Sir, who or what is Global?" That gave me the answer I needed. The Major and his men weren't part of Global, but dupes used by the General to do his dirty work. I looked behind me when I heard a noise and what I saw made my day. Preacher and Masters were coming toward the cave with about fifty of the Major's men with their hands in the air. At least the teams hadn't lost their touch, I thought, as they came up and marched the prisoners into the cave. "Harry, is this shit over now? I am ready to start shooting some of these dummies that think they are a match for any team member." "Preacher, the Major has stood down and you are back in charge as of now. He was following a traitor's orders and that person is now deceased. I guarantee he and his men will not cause any more problems. Get the trucks loaded and have them get the hell out of here before I lose my temper at this mess." "The trucks are all loaded and ready to go, Harry." "Ok, let them go and get out of our hair. This has already been a disaster and now I have to apologize to Zeke and his people for what's happened to them. As soon as the trucks pull out, I need a medic and a conversation with you. Meanwhile, let me get on the horn and call off the reinforcements I have coming in." I spent the next fifteen minutes having the teams that the President called up return to base, and Butch and his men return to the gulch to continue their party. He and several of his men I could hear in the background sounded a little disappointed because they had been called off. The President must have asked me fifty questions by the time I had called off the teams from San Diego. I finally asked him why they were in San Diego and was told they were training for a mission. I decided I didn't want to know any more so I quit asking questions. He also gave me hell for not going home like I had been ordered. Since I didn't have an answer for that one, I just said sorry about that, and hung up the phone before he got started again. I had forgotten to call my friend with the information about Global, so I did and gave him the number that he should fax it to. I reminded him to make sure there wasn't a stamp on the fax paper that he could be traced with. He just laughed and asked if I thought he was stupid or something. That's it, I thought to myself. I was making a mental note to not try to advise people who were smarter than I was. I felt foolish enough as it was and decided I would just stick to the facts from now on. I stood next to Preacher and watched the convoy of trucks and MPs pull out to go to Nellis with the last of this crap. I was watching Preacher out of the corner of my eye. I could tell he wanted to shoot the Major on the spot as he went by and threw a half ass salute at him. The Major didn't know it yet but his career in the service was at an end. I would have a long talk with the President tomorrow about his actions here and if I could, I would have him forcibly retired as soon as he got back to where he came from. "Harry, if I ever lay eyes on him again I will kick his ass. Now let go up and explain all of this to Zeke's people and try to squelch any hard feelings. Man, I can't believe he pulled that stunt and I didn't shoot him for it." As it turned out we didn't have to go to Zeke. He came to us and it took about an hour to calm him and the men down enough so I could explain what just happened and tell him that they were still going to get everything I had promised. We talked for about another fifteen minutes and then they went back up the hill to get some food on for everyone. I went into the cave with Preacher following me and headed to the office. When I finally sat down, I was exhausted and thank God there was a coffee pot with fresh coffee. Well, at least it smelled like coffee. The taste left something to be desired but I needed the pick me up. I stood up and took my jacket off. Preacher almost jumped out of his chair when he saw the vest and the two bullets still stuck in it. "What the hell happened, Harry? Man, whoever shot you sure meant business!" "Just help me get this thing off before I go home will you? I am too sore to lift my arms high enough to take it off." He came over and helped me lift it over my head and examined the bullets while I sat back down. He set it on the desk and looked at me. I could see the question in his eyes. I didn't feel like explaining it right now so I just shrugged at his obvious question. "Preacher, I will explain it all to you later. I am going home and let my wife see if she can do something for the bruising. I can feel it all over the front of my chest. I also think I have a few fractured ribs. Rotate the men for one more night. Tomorrow I will have the safe opened then we are done here. I think I will let Zeke handle the cars and their disposal. They will probably get a reward of some kind for their recovery. If they don't, then I will make sure the insurance companies give them something. Oh, by the way, we no longer have that leak we discussed earlier." I got up grabbing the vest and headed for my Jeep to go home. I got a dirty look from Preacher for not explaining everything. I wanted to do it with him and Stumpy both being present since we were all on the same team so many years ago. I would be almost willing to bet they would have a cussing fit when they got the news. I climbed into the power wagon and started for the cabin. I was so sore that every bump I hit brought agony to my chest. When I pulled up to the cabin, I was still debating with myself why I called the Dodge Power Wagon a Jeep. I checked in with the ear bud, and was told the guards were back on duty and everything had been quiet. I grabbed the vest and slowly went up the steps. The girls were curled up on the couch watching a movie so I went into the kitchen after giving each of them a kiss. Tran was sitting at the table and when she saw me her whole face lit up in relief. "Oh Harry, I am so glad you're home in one piece. I have been worried sick about you all day. Is your little job done now?" "Other than a few small details, I am done with all of this crap. Hon, I need your help. Can you run me a hot bath so I can soak for a while?" "As soon as I get the girls to bed, I will be glad to. Their movie is just about over. Harry, there is something you're not telling me but it can wait until we have a talk in our room." I got that look and I knew I was in for a thorough grilling tonight. Hell, I couldn't blame her. What I did today was foolish and stupid on my part. If he hadn't shot for the heart I would be dead and the girls would be fatherless. I deserved the hell I knew I was going to catch later. I wasn't going to lie to her and I would tell her the whole story. Besides, if she didn't run my bath, I would have to take a shower. I didn't think I could bend over far enough to turn on the bathtub knobs. I was hurting really bad by the time we got the girls settled into bed and I went into our room. Tran had my bath running and I went into the bathroom to get her help taking my T-shirt off. "Hon, will you help me get this T-shirt off? I am so sore I can't lift my arms above my head." She came over and got it off me and when I stood up she let out a loud gasp. I looked down and half my chest in the heart area was black and blue where I had bruised. "Harry Hanson, tell me what happened and why you are so sore. If it were anyone else, I would think someone hit you with a club in the chest." I held up one finger and finished undressing, and slowly slid into the hot water of the tub. She had put some kind of oil in the water because it smelled faintly of eucalyptus. When I got settled, she sat down next to the tub on the small stool we had and I began my story. I didn't leave anything out or omit my stupidity on how I had handled it. When I was through, I could see she was a little miffed but she didn't say a thing to me. She calmly got up, pushed my head under the water and left the bathroom. At least I think that's how it happened. By the time I got the water out of my eyes she was nowhere to be seen. Well, it looked like I would be sleeping in the guest room tonight I thought as I got out of the tub. I got my robe on and went into the main room and she wasn't in sight. I looked around and she wasn't in the bedroom. I headed downstairs and she was sitting on the couch. As I came up behind her, I could tell she was crying. The sobs were racking her whole body, if the shaking was any indication. I sat down next to her and took her in my arms and just held her, not saying a word. I wasn't about to open my big mouth unless she wanted to talk and started the conversation first. We sat like that and she cried for almost an hour before she blew her nose and looked up at me in the moonlight. "Harry, for someone who has spent so many years in law enforcement, you have to be the stupidest person I know. Even I know you don't let yourself get shot to prove a point. If you ever pull another stunt like that or even contemplate doing something that way again, I will leave. If you had only talked it over with me, I could have suggested at least ten ways you could have sprung your trap without putting your life in danger. I will never talk about this again, but you remember that you have a wife to talk to if you can't trust anyone else. Now let's go to bed before I shoot you again." She got up and left me sitting on the couch in shock. I was expecting her to blow up or maybe cuss me out or something. I didn't expect her to react like she did, and I knew right then she meant every word she said, and would no doubt leave me if I was that stupid again. This was a bigger shock than anything she had ever done since I had known her. I got up and went to bed and lay down next to her, wondering how I had gotten the woman that every man dreamed about. I was thinking about opening the safe at the cave as I fell asleep with my head lying on her shoulder. When I woke up the next morning, I knew I was in trouble. I could hardly roll to my side to get out of bed. I finally accomplished it with a few sniggers from Tran as I did. I knew better than to say anything and I just went to the shower. By the time I was done soaking in the hot water, I felt a little less sore, but I knew it would come back if I didn't keep active. As I got dressed I was thinking, "Why had I worn a vest when it felt like I had been shot for real?" I went down to the kitchen and again I had forgotten to preset the coffee pot. I had to settle for instant until the pot was done. I went out to the porch and sat in my usual chair and I decided I would skip the cigarette for a change. It wasn't because I didn't want it, but I knew the first one always made me cough a few times. I didn't think I could take the pain this early. Then I remembered I still had part of the Ibuprofen left from my hospital stay and wondered where it was. I would ask Tran when she got up. I was still sitting on the porch on my first cup of good coffee when Tran came out and handed me two of the pills. "When did you start reading my mind, Hon?" "I hadn't realized I was, but listening to you get out of bed this morning, I figured they might help a little." "Very funny, pretty lady." She went back into the house laughing out loud, saying she would cook breakfast since I was a little weak in the chest. Oh hell, I thought, I am never going to live this one down. I felt better though knowing she had forgiven me to a certain extent. I went into the kitchen and she refilled my cup, telling me to take the pills I had laid on the table. I did and got that smile I loved so much. "What's on the agenda today, Harry?" "I need to call Beau and have him open that safe in the cave, then I am done with the whole thing." "Good enough. The girls and I have to go to town to meet with Nina and see what we can do about getting this concert rolling. I know of an orchestra I have used before. I want to call them and see if they will come and back up Sandra and Jimmy when they play. Harry, is there anyone special we need to invite?" "Now that you mention it hon, I want to see if we can arrange for those men from ATF that are still in the hospital to come as our special guests. I don't know if their doctor will ok it, but I want to try." "Oh Harry, I think that's a great idea. If you need any help, you let me know and I will pull a few strings from my end." "Thanks. I also want to make sure that Avery and his Department get an invite as well as the people from the gulch. They will appreciate being considered as part of the community after the way they have been treated all these years. I really do want to keep it local as much as possible. You better mention to Andy that there might be enough interest that we may have to do it two nights in a row." "That never entered my mind, Harry. Do you really think there will be enough people interested that we will have to have it for two nights?" "Tran, thanks to those soldiers the kids played for, almost everyone around this area knows about them and how good they are. I think he better give it some thought just in case it's needed." She smiled, looking thoughtful as I sat back and sipped my coffee. I went into the front room and got my phone. I called the department asking for Beau. I was told he was on patrol and that they would have him call me. I thanked the operator and went back to the kitchen, smelling the food Tran was cooking and wondering if the girls could too. I sat back down and got my answer when the thundering herd of buffalos came into the kitchen laughing and saying they were hungry and the food smelled good. They had the table set in a matter of a few minutes and they all three were sitting with a fork and a spoon in either hand waiting, for the food to hit the table. I decided to have a little fun with them this morning. "You three need to learn a few manners. The adults in this house get served first for a change." Of course they all looked at me like I was nuts or something. Sandra put me in my place really quick with her next comment. "Grandpa, this is breakfast, the most important meal of the day for us girls. You're just mad because you didn't get the last piece of ham and got laughed at because we didn't feel bad about it. If you plan on eating with us kids, I suggest you learn how to eat a little faster." I must have had a shocked look on my face because all four of them broke out with peals of laughter at me. I looked over at Tran and she was laughing as hard as they were. I was giving them all a dirty look and wondering why I didn't stay a bachelor, when Sandra came around the table and gave me a kiss and hug. Of course the other two had to follow her example and I was thoroughly flustered. I almost missed out on getting some of the buckwheat pancakes Tran had set on the table while I was getting kissed. This time I took enough to get filled up and the girls were giving me dirty looks as I polished off my fourth one. Evidently I hadn't been as smart as I thought I was, because Tran set another platter full on the table. The girls dug in before I had a chance to move, and they were all gone just that quick. God, how did they manage to eat so much? I knew we would have to go grocery shopping again, but this time I was going to let Tran and the girls do it. I was glad I had some money in the bank because these three would eat me out of house and home. My phone rang, so I grabbed it and a fresh cup of coffee and headed for the porch. It was Beau and when I told him what I needed, he said he would clear it with Sean and be here in about an hour. When I hung up the phone, I felt ashamed that I had forgotten all about Carly and the kids. Tran came out and I asked her if she had heard from them lately? "Harry, we talk every day. She and the girls are going to meet us in town later to go grocery shopping, as a matter of fact." "You better double what you buy for us dear. The way those three eat, the normal amount we buy won't last two weeks." "Oh Harry, sometimes I feel so sorry for you. You just never seem to get it, do you?" Before I could ask what I wasn't getting, she went back into the house shaking her head. What? I never seemed to get what? I just wish someone would explain it to me. Never seemed to get what? ------- Chapter 91 I was still sitting on the porch when Tran and the girls came out to go to town. I got my hugs and kisses goodbye as they all headed for the Jeep. Of course I was told they were going to have their Jeep washed while they were in town and I was not to drive it to the plant after it was clean again. Tran had the last word as she climbed into the Jeep, which I was expecting. "Harry, your pills are on the coffee table. Please try to stay out of any physical confrontations today. You need time to heal and I need my husband back." I was wondering what she meant by that remark as they headed down the driveway. I got on the ear bud and let the radioman know they were going to town. He told me they already knew and had an escort watching them and Sean's family, who had also left about ten minutes ago headed for town. I heard a horn honk in the distance and about five minutes later Beau was pulling up in front of the cabin. I had to admit the new 4x4s, looked good, but I remembered what Doris had told me about how they were constantly having to work on them. I was glad I had the Jeep and my Power Wagon. When Beau got out, he opened the back and got a large bag out and came up to the porch. I offered him a cup of coffee which he accepted. I got a refill and a cup for him and went back out to the porch with them. He was sitting on the top step where he could stretch out his bad leg and I handed him the coffee. "Harry, do you have any idea what kind of safe it is that's in the cave?" "I don't have the faintest idea, Beau, but the damn thing is huge." I went on to give him a good description of it and how big it was. He seemed to know what kind it was almost immediately. "Sounds like and old Frederick, Harry. If it is, it won't take long to open it. It will probably take us longer to drive there than it will to open it." "I got news for you my friend. We aren't driving but catching a ride in a chopper. Besides, it will be a whole new experience for you." "Yeah, I guess, but are you sure it's safe?" I looked at him in shock and busted out laughing. "It's not funny, Harry. I watch TV and have seen how easy it is for them things to crash. I'm not sure about this at all." It was then that I realized he was serious and feared flying in one of them. "Beau, I have been flying all around this part of the state for the last month or so. If I didn't trust them, I wouldn't put my life on the line because of Tran and the girls. It's just as safe as you are, driving your cruiser. Probably safer, because there is no traffic for you to hit or be hit by up there. If you keep an open mind, I think you might enjoy it. Besides, I need the chopper to bring back the contents of the safe." "All right, Harry, but I reserve the right to be dropped off if I don't like it." I almost said the only way to get dropped of was by parachute, but I caught myself at the last second and just chuckled. I got on the ear bud and called for a Whisper, telling the radio man it was to land in total quiet mode and that I wanted Captain Triplett on board also. I got an affirmative back and signed off. "Come on Beau, our ride is on the way. We have to walk to the meadow where he will land to pick us up." I quickly took our cups inside and grabbed my cells and the pills in case I needed them. I already had the Glock on but had to wear the sport vest. I had thrown away my nylon jacket because of the bullet holes in it. As I went back out the door, I noticed the vest lying on the stand and wondered if Tran had seen it. Dammit, I should have left it in the cave. But, like an idiot, I had hung onto it for some reason. I knew deep inside I wanted the bullets as a memento, but don't ask me to explain why, because I didn't think I knew myself. I was still stuffing extra mags and the cells into my pockets as I went out the front door again. Beau was already walking down the path to the meadow when I caught up with him. We walked in silence and watched as the Whisper set down without a sound or any wind whip. I almost busted out laughing again at the expression on Beau's face when it did. He just looked at me in awe as I told him to climb in and buckle up. I also told him to set his bag between his feet and put the helmet on so we could talk. He followed my directions, and when he was buckled in, I saw him take a deep breath. I introduced him to Stumpy and then Stumpy started in on me. "Harry, why am I here? I am still busy going through all those papers from the cave and fielding calls from insurance companies about those cars and trucks. Most of them said they have already written the cars off years ago, and they don't want to incur the expense to come get them. They have started sending clear titles to me so we can do whatever we want with the cars. Some of the guys already want to talk to Zeke and see if they can buy them for a fair price. But again, why the hell am I here when I have all that work to do?" "Stumpy, I wanted to have a private talk with you and Preacher. I have some news you both need to hear and the cave office will be the best place for me to explain." "Stinger, what the hell have you volunteered us for now? I though this whole mess was winding up finally." "It is, Stumpy, and you should be returning to Bragg in a couple of weeks. What I want to talk about goes back to Nam, so drop it until we get to the cave, will you?" He nodded and gave me a puzzled look, but he kept silent the rest of the way. When we set down in front of the cave, I told the pilots to shut it down and wait. We might have cargo to take back. As we were climbing out, Preacher came out of the cave. He seemed surprised to see Stumpy climb out of the bird with me. He didn't say anything as I introduced him to Beau again and we headed inside. I thought Beau was going to have a heart attack when he laid eyes on all the old cars and trucks that were still sitting along the wall. He dropped his bag and walked over to them in a trance like state. He touched several of them like they were long lost loves. As I watched him, Stumpy was telling Preacher the news about the titles and what the insurance companies had been telling him. Preacher immediately asked about the Cuda and the Firebird, but Stumpy told him he forgot the list since I had hustled him out of the room so fast. Sure, I was thinking, blame it on me. I got Beau's attention and he grabbed his gear and we all headed for the office. Preacher was giving Stumpy hell for not remembering any of the cars on the list and I just smiled to myself. I was thinking how much this sounded like old times, with these two arguing like they were. It used to be three of them, and the one missing was Monk. I knew if he were here, he would be egging them on to see if he could start a fight, just so he could break it up. Back in the old days, these three would fight like cats and dogs among each other. But, God help anyone that got between them. As we walked to the office, I did notice that they were having a ball trading insults, just like the old days. When we arrived at the office and Beau got his first glimpse of the safe, we were immediately forgotten about as he went over and examined it. We had used several men to slide it out from the wall, and it was all they could do to move it. I caught a whiff of fresh coffee and immediately knew by the smell who had made it. I grabbed a cup and sat down behind the desk and Preacher and Stumpy did the same, sitting in folding chairs in front of the old desk. "Ok, both of you, listen up. This is classified so it doesn't leave this room." Preacher immediately pointed to Beau who had turned around to give me a funny look. "I'll vouch for Beau, fellas. He is more close mouthed than you two are if he needs to be." "Ok Harry, what's so damned important that you wanted to talk to the two of us in private way out here?" I sat back and lit a cigarette. I coughed a couple of times, flinching from the pain of doing so, and started into my story. I sat and talked and they listened, never saying a word. I spent the next two hours telling them what I knew and had been able to find out, I went into what I figured had happened to several teams that we all knew that had disappeared while on patrol in Nam. I ended up with a play by play of the death of General Brown, and why I thought it had to happen for the good of our country. I added in a few other things that I had figured out. I finished by lighting another cigarette and getting a fresh cup of coffee as I waited for the explosion I knew was coming. Beau had stopped and had also been listening to me. When I got done, he started getting tools out of his bag to open the safe. Preacher and Stumpy looked at each other. Stumpy nodded his head and then Preacher spoke and shocked the hell out of me. "Stinger, what you did and how you did it is inexcusable. You have three beautiful little girls who love you and a wife that's every man's wet dream come true. To let yourself get shot and maybe get killed to prove a point, is just downright stupid. The two of us went through it all the rest of it with you and you should have let us in on the final act. For that we will never forgive you! Harry, I know you didn't want us to put our careers in jeopardy, but dammit, it was our duty to help you shut this mad dog down. You do remember Squirt, don't you? That mission was assigned to us by General Brown because I accepted the orders myself. For all we know the whole team might have been wiped out if it hadn't been for one of your damned hunches. As it was, we lost Squirt, but we might have all been rotting in the jungle with him but for you. I know we couldn't recover his body. Thinking about it now, I believe we were all supposed to die out there that day. You should have brought the dirty SOB back here and let me and Stumpy interrogate him our way. Harry, you are like a brother to both of us, but if you ever pull a stunt like that again, we both will beat the hell out of you." "I got the safe open, Harry, if you three can quit threatening each other long enough to check it out." We all three looked at each other and busted out laughing at ourselves. I looked over at Beau and he was smiling and shaking his head at our levity after hearing us threatening each other over the last hour or so. I got up and walked over to the safe. It didn't have much in it, but a lot of papers on the top three shelves. One stack immediately caught my eye so I picked them up and sat back down at the desk to look at them. Paging through them, I found I had a stack of signed quit claim deeds that had never been recorded. There was even one for my property that had also been signed but never recorded. The property was to have been registered into the name of the old sheriff and his son Hubba. Damn, they would probably have killed Abe and filed and taken the property if I hadn't bought it first. The signature was an obvious forgery but looked real enough to pass at the courthouse, especially with that clerk I had arrested for helping them. I dropped all of them into the wastepaper basket and set them on fire after explaining to the guys what they were. I got back up and looked through the rest of the safe. I saw a folder at the bottom that seemed to jump out at me for some reason, so I grabbed it and set it aside. I looked at the rest of the papers and thought they all were junk, but I had Stumpy put them in a box to take back with him when we left. There was about ten thousand dollars in small bills and a few other coins. I would give them to Zeke for his people. I was glad there was nothing of importance in the safe, because I had enough of this whole thing. I was going to take off for the next week or so and go to Florida. "Oh shit, Harry you need to look at this!" I looked over at Preacher and he was white as a sheet. He held up the folder he was looking at, showing me the front of it. There was a big red skull and crossbones sign on it with the words "radioactive" and "top secret" in big black letters. "Nope, it's all yours to handle, Preacher. I don't want to know anything about it. I am done with this whole thing so you handle it. Besides, you might make Admiral if you do the job right." "You go plumb straight to hell, Harry. This is way beyond my expertise and besides, you're supposed to be in charge here." "Not since yesterday. The President told me to go home and be a good boy since I ain't gettin' a pay check for my work. Nope, it's all yours, Preacher. Beau and I are going back to my place. Do either of you need a ride?" Stumpy nodded his head out of Preacher's sight so Beau and I headed for the door to go home. When we got to the cave entrance, I caught the eye of the pilot and made a winding sign over my head as we walked toward the Whisper. We were just starting to lift when Stumpy came running out. He jumped in and almost slid out the other side he was moving so fast. "Let's get the hell out of here before he notices I'm missing. Man, he is madder than I've ever seen him. Harry, he is gonna be cussing you for the next month. It looks like he is going to have to go to Alabama or Arkansas or some place like that. I don't know what was in that folder, but he was having a fit when I slipped out." "Stumpy, he's my second so don't be surprised if you get called back to help." "But I thought you said you were done with this by the President's order?" "Well, I might have stretched the truth a little on that one. I was ordered to go home and rest for a few days." "Harry, Preacher's gonna kill you." "Yeah, he just might be mad enough." I said and busted out laughing. Within a few minutes we were all laughing our heads off. The pilots kept looking back at us like we were nuts or something. When we landed in the meadow, the pilot said Preacher was on the radio for me. I told him to tell Preacher that I was home and wasn't going back out today and told him to take off. I got a big smile and a wave as they lifted off and headed for the plant to refuel. "Beau, make out a bill and I will make sure Homeland Security pays you for your services." "Are you kidding Harry? I had more fun today than I've had for a long time. You three were like listening to an old radio show or something. And that trick Stumpy pulled by sneaking out was worth the whole day. I bet your friend Preacher chews his butt out for that one." "Yeah, that was a typical Stumpy trick. Beau, I listened to them and the rest of the guys every day, and every day it was like a comedy play, watching to see who would get the other some way. You only saw a mild version today. Back in the day, they would have had a knock down drag out fight, then gone out and got drunk together, bragging about who hit the hardest. I think age is finally catching up to all of us." "Harry, from what I heard and saw today, you guys are some of the meanest bastards I have ever met. No offense intended." "None taken, Beau. Me, I'm just an old married man, trying to live a peaceful life with my family." "Yea right, Harry! Like you were when you went after Hubba by yourself." "They say hindsight is twenty-twenty. If that's the case, then I was a dumb ass for ever doing it that way. I should have let you younger guys arrest him for me." "You would have had to fire me, then. I ain't dumb enough to go up against an animal like that without a SWAT team going in first to wear him down." I just chuckled at him. When we got to the cabin, I asked him if he wanted another cup of coffee but he turned me down. "I have to get back to work, Harry. I still have two hours left on my shift. I appreciate the offer, though. I told the sheriff I would report in as soon as I got back. Maybe we can have dinner at the Chinese Restaurant again soon. See you later, Harry, and thanks for the helicopter ride. It was really cool." He threw his stuff into his unit and headed back to work. I went into the house for another cup of coffee. Since I had the whole house to myself, I decided to take a couple more pills and see if I could get a short nap. ------- Chapter 92 I laid down and fell asleep on the couch, but I bet I hadn't been sleeping for a half hour when my personal cell started ringing. I wasn't going to answer it, but something told me I should. I got it out of my vest and looked to see who was calling. It was Floyd from Florida, so I answered. "Harry, man I am glad I was able to get a hold of you. I think we have a problem on this end. Have you been out of Nevada in the last few days?" "Not hardly. I have been too busy here to leave to go anywhere, why?" "Your man that I was checking is dead. The Police found him this morning, hanging from his banister off of the second floor landing. Are you sure you haven't made a speed trip down here?" "Dammit Floyd, if I had, I would have stopped at your office first thing. Now why are you so worried about some scumbag?" "Because they found Mark's badge and ID in his hand. It's been all over the news here. When I heard it this morning, I thought maybe you had made a quick run down here without telling me. Harry, this is serious and they will probably pull you in for questioning. If you need me, just yell and I will send my friend to represent you." "Floyd, if they pull me in, then they will have the President on their asses for doing it. I was on Nellis Air Force Base all day yesterday. They can easily check, so don't you worry about me. You might put a few feelers out to see if he had any enemies that wanted him dead, besides me." "Very funny, Harry, but I'll try your suggestion. From what I have been able to find out, he wasn't a very well liked man. The police found half of his bodyguards drugged and unconscious when they responded to an anonymous call, telling them he was dead. Harry, this one has me stumped. Since you weren't here, I have no idea who it was. I did find out that his ex-wife was killed the same way in Russia about a month ago. Harry, they still don't know who did it or why. I gotta go, but you watch your back and I will keep in touch." "Thanks for the heads up, Floyd. Let me know if you find out anything else, ok?" "Ok Harry, I'll keep checking and let you know what happens." He hung up and left me sitting on the couch trying to figure out what was going on. Someone had saved me the trouble of going down to Florida, but what I couldn't figure out was why. A man like him, the way he used people, would have enemies. But, they would have killed his bodyguards too, not just him. From the information Floyd had given me, this had to have been done by a professional who had some kind of a grudge or a contract. I got up and put on my vest, deciding I would drive to town and have a little talk with Sean to see what he thought. I knew he still had connections with the FBI and they might have something useful for me. I let the radio man know where I was going as I went down the drive. I was told that Preacher wanted to talk to me as soon as possible if I checked in. I told the radio man to tell him that I was off duty for a few days and not to bother me unless it was a national emergency. He chuckled and said he doubted that Preacher would accept that one. I then told him I was taking a week off and it was time for Preacher to step up and do something on his own. He just laughed and said he was glad he wasn't me after that line of crap. I signed off thinking that Preacher was going to make everyone's life miserable for the next couple of days. When I got into town, I stopped at the restaurant to see if Tran and the girls were there. I spotted the Jeep sitting out front so I went in. That was a mistake on my part. Every woman I had met in town was there along with their kids. It sounded like I stepped into a ball game and our team was winning. The noise level was loud enough to break my ear drums. I stood in the door wondering if this had been a good idea when Sandra spotted me and came running over. She jumped into my arms, bringing liquid fire to my chest from my ribs. I almost dropped her before I could grit my teeth and hold on. "What's wrong Grandpa, are you ok?" "I have a couple of cracked rib's sweetie and I am very sore." "Oh Grandpa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." "It's ok Sandra, you didn't know. What is all this about?" "It started out as a meeting with Tran, but everyone's mad because she won't let the adults enter into the vacation giveaways. This has been going on for the last hour. I tried to make her give in, but she says it's her right to say who can win the vacations." "Ok sweetie, I think its time I stepped into this and straightened it out." "Oh I hope so, Grandpa. Tran is really upset because of all these women calling her names and stuff." I looked at her and started to get angry. What the hell kind of people were these? They get something for free and then get greedy and want to control it. They were acting like a bunch of animals or something, from what Sandra had told me. I patted her on the head and went to the front of the restaurant where I saw Tran being verbally accosted by several women. I pushed through, almost knocking a couple of the more rotund ones over as I went by. I stepped up beside my wife and the whole place got quiet when they saw me. "All of you listen to me! I really don't give a damn whether you like the way this is being handled or not. This isn't for any of you, it's for the orphanage. The reason why the kids were chosen to enter was because we thought they would enjoy winning a special gift for you parents. Now, if it were up to me, I would tell all of you to go to hell and withdraw the offer, but my wife believes in what she is doing. I am trying very hard to keep my temper because of all the kids in here, but if you all don't cut this crap out I will throw every one of you out and cancel the concert. This whole thing is for the kids, not the adults. I suggest all of you decide what it's going to be, here and now." I stepped up next to Tran and kissed her on top of the head, then turned and faced all of the women who were looking at me like I had two heads. Sandra and the girls came up beside us along with most of the other kids in the room. Sandra being Sandra had to put her two cents worth in. "My brother and I are the ones who suggested this whole concert thing. Like my Grandpa says, if you don't quit acting like kids, we will cancel the whole thing and have it in another county where you won't be welcome to come. I, for one, think the kids and the orphanage are more important than all of you old biddies arguing over a free vacation. This is for the kids, not you." I saw several of the bigger loud mouths sneaking out the door and had to grin to myself. The silence went on for a few minutes then one by one the women started coming up to Tran and apologizing for acting so bad. I was surprised as Tran accepted their apologies in a gracious manner, smiling the whole time. When everyone had finally cleared out Tran, looked at me and broke down crying. I went to my knees in front of her and just held her as she cried. "Oh Harry, I have known most of these women for years. How could they act like that over something so trivial when it's all for the kids? I am beginning to think I will stay home and keep out of this whole thing." "If you do Aunt Tran, then Sandra and I will too. Sorry I didn't get here quicker. I was on a service call when Sandra called the shop." I knew the voice immediately, but I didn't know why he was here. Sandra must have called him I was thinking, but until I got the whole story from those two, I would withhold my remarks. "Jimmy, I don't know why Sandra called you, but if you keep taking time off work you're gonna lose your job." "Sheriff, I can start my own business any time I want to. If my sisters call for me, I come. If Sandra hadn't thought it was important, she wouldn't have called." I looked up at him standing there with Sandra and Dana in each huge arm, and Dina sitting on his shoulders hanging on by wrapping her hands around his head. I couldn't help it, I just busted out laughing. He had his work clothes on and both sleeves had been cut off the shirt. He looked like a giant with the arm muscles he was showing. Tran started sniggering and we all broke out in laughter. This was one of those moments that made you feel good, and having your loved ones share it, was the icing on the cake. "Jimmy, take the girls and get some donuts from the store down the street. I need to talk to Tran for a few minutes." Well the girls just loved that idea, and asked him if he would carry them there like he was now. He just smiled at them and said no problem. To my surprise, Tran asked for two of the blueberry muffins she liked so much as they went out the door. Dina bumped her head and they all got a laugh out of her telling Jimmy he was supposed to duck. When the door closed, Tran got me some coffee and herself some tea. We sat down at one of the small tables in the back. "Ok Harry, what's on your mind? Thanks for rescuing me from all the old biddies, as Sandra called them, but you came here for something else didn't you." "I wish you would stop reading my mind. Yes, I came here because of a call I got from Floyd this morning. Tran, I won't have to go to Florida like I planned." I told her all of it and what I thought about the whole thing. To my surprise, she fully agreed with my summation of the matter. She looked at me with her eyes full of love and kissed me then spoke. "Harry, I am happy that you weren't the one who meted out what he had coming. With all that's happened you don't need another death on your mind. Harry, I think I might know who did it and why." "How would you know something like that, hon?" "I am not sure about it, but right after Mark and the girls came here, I had an odd conversation with a man who came in to eat. Harry, he gave me the creeps. His eyes were totally devoid of feeling until he looked at the girls. Then it was like he had a fire behind them, especially when he looked at Dana. Harry, he said that she may not have her mother and dad but the man who caused it would be taken care of. I had no idea what he meant, but I did tell Mark about it. He said it was probably some kook and not to worry about it. Harry, that man was a killer, and he chilled me to the bone the whole time he was near me." "Tran, I never knew about Dana and I was Mark's best friend. When I read his letter, it shocked me to the bottom of my feet. I never had any idea Dana wasn't his, or that he even had a sister. He always loved and treated them both the same, the whole time I knew him. It never came up in the divorce and I was there the whole time. Hell, I always thought they were sisters, and they still think they are. If this man knew differently then he knew more than I did." "Harry there's something else you need to know. He knew you and asked what you had been doing all these years since you came back from Nam. Harry, he was a hunter just like you used to be. Don't ask me to explain that one but it's just a feeling I got from him like I used to from you. I don't think he ever quit though." "Ok hon, don't worry about it. Do you remember what he looked like?" "Like he was still standing in front of me! He was about six feet tall and weighed about a hundred and seventy pounds, and he looked very strong. He had green, I mean really green eyes and grey hair, cut in a flat top like you used to wear. He wore casual clothes like they were made for him. Until he started talking to me, I never knew he was near me. Harry, he moved like a cat, and when he left, I never heard the bell ring above the door." Oh shit, I thought, that description only fits one person that I could remember. I had met him in Saigon in a bar, where he gave me some Intel for a mission I was going on. I had always thought he was a company man but I never knew. His information had always been dead on and saved me a lot of grief. Over the course of the two years I was acquainted with him, he had always come to me, but I never knew how he always seemed to find me. Hell, he had even met us on a patrol deep in the bush by himself. We captured a Russian advisor with the information he gave us that time. Why would a man like The Spook be interested in Dana? I never knew his real name, and the team had dubbed him with that nickname when he appeared out in the bush. I did remember, that at that time, I had thought I wouldn't want to meet up with him in a dark alley. Preacher had said he was a killer because he was never with anyone. I reminded Preacher that his information had saved our butts a few times. He replied that The Spook had taken a liking to me for some reason, but he thought that if I pissed him off, he wouldn't hesitate to kill me too. I had privately agreed with him on that one. "Harry, wake up! From the look on your face you know him, don't you?" "It's a long story, Tran. I promise I will tell you all about it tonight. Right now I need to meet with Sean and see what he can find out about this killing with his contacts. Something's not right about all of this and it's bugging me. I'll see you at home later." "Harry, I still have to meet Carly and Nina, so it will be a few hours before I get home." "No problem, hon. If you have any problems, call me. I didn't see your shadows outside, and if Preacher pulled them off I am gonna raise a knot on his head." "I told them I would be here for a while so they are all in the back eating. When they saw all those women, I thought a couple of them were going to run back to their Jeep, they were so surprised. I sent them in the back to the meeting room with Carly and the kids. Just you be careful Harry, and don't do anything to mess up your ribs again. At your age you should know better, and you don't heal like you used too." I stuck my tongue out at her as I headed for the door and heard her laughing as I went out. I almost ran head first into Jimmy and the girls coming in, and of course I had to get my hugs and kisses before I could leave. Jimmy just stood there grinning at them and me. "You need to get back to work young man. Play time's over for now." "Ok sheriff, see you later", he said as I got into my Jeep or Power Wagon. I liked the name Jeep better, so I am going to stick with that, I thought as I pulled away. I left the restaurant and headed for the station to see Sean. I went through town, and just as I pulled into the department parking lot, my cell started that irritating chirping. I opened it and saw it was Preacher, so I grinned and let it go to voice mail. Now I know he is gonna be pissed at me, I thought as I got out of the Jeep. I had just pushed the lock down and started to close the door when it went off again. I pulled it out, intending to shut it off until I saw the return number. I sat back down in the seat and answered it. "Hello Harry, I told you I would call this afternoon. I just wanted to bring you up to date a little and find out if you are planning on staying on since this is all over." "No, thank you Sir. If I did that, my wife would kill both of us and laugh while she did it. No Sir, I just need to use one of your choppers one more time then I will turn in my ID and go back to being with my family. I appreciate the trust you have shown me, but I have had enough of these freaks to last me a lifetime." I went on to tell him about the Major, but he told me that the stuff the Secret Service had gotten from the General's house had been very illuminating about some of his contacts and flunkies. He also told me that he had already had meetings with some of the people on the board of Global and that he had started cancelling the defense contracts some of them had and why. I also was told that he was in the process of doing a major reassignment on a lot of the military bases. From what I gathered, he had quite a list of high-ranking officers that were close personal friends of General Brown and he was holding that over their heads to get the cooperation he wanted. "Harry, thanks to you, I might have a chance of doing some straightening out of the military and some crooked politicians. I can't believe all the people that have been involved in this. Some of them were on my own staff. Oh, by the way, the Director resigned as of midnight last night. I now have to recommend someone for the position. Do you have any ideas, Harry? This time I want someone that I know can be trusted. If you know anyone I can call on, I would appreciate the tip. Oh yes, I almost forgot, the group at Hubba's camp has been rewarded with a clear deed for the property and five hundred thousand dollars. I would appreciate it if you would give them the news and find out where we can deposit the money. Harry, I want to personally thank you for all the fine work you have done on this. If you ever need anything, you call me. If it's within my power, I will have it done. It's the least I can do for what you have done for me and the nation." I talked to him for a few minutes and asked if I could call him back in a couple of days. I had some ideas I wanted to run by him. He said to call the number I had at any time and it would be answered. He would call me back if he wasn't available. We hung up at that point, and I was thinking hard about a few things. I decided to talk to Tran before I made any decisions, this time. Damn, it was hard getting used to having a wife, I thought as I closed the door of the Jeep and headed into the department. I wasn't being selfish, and I was adjusting, I thought to myself as I walked up the steps. Yeah, admit it Harry. She scares the hell out of you, but God do you love her and those girls ------- Chapter 93 I went up the steps to the department, smiling to myself at my silly thoughts. When I walked through the door, the receptionist who had made coffee for me way back when I started, came running around the counter. "Oh Sheriff, I'm so happy to see you again. Where have you been? We all talk about when you will be coming back to work. All of us have missed you around here. Did you get our birthday present?" "If you mean the walkie-talkie, I got it, but I don't think I will be coming back. I think I am going to spend some time with my family, and we are planning to do a little traveling." "You know that will be a big disappointment to everyone around here. You're like our own personal rock, and when it hits the fan, we all think about you. Sheriff, you will be sadly missed by all of us. I hope in the future you will change your mind. Come on! Since it's all changed around here, I better show you to the sheriff's office." As I followed her down the hall, I couldn't believe the changes since I had last been here. There were cameras everywhere and all the rooms were labeled by who or what they contained. By the time we got to the end of the hall, I was thinking maybe I had made the wrong choice by coming here instead of just meeting Sean at the cabin. The whole place was a warren of offices and interrogation rooms. I recognized the hallway we were going down, and if I remembered correctly, it led to the old radio room. Yep, it ended up coming out into a large room with desks sitting in cubicles that uniformed patrol officers were working at. Several of them smiled and waved at me as I followed the receptionist through the area and into what could only be the sheriff's office. It hadn't been too hard for me figure out since it was stenciled on the door. When we went inside, there were three large offices. Andy and Shorty came rushing out to greet me as soon as I stepped in the door. "Hey Harry, good to see you again. To what do we owe this honor?" "I just dropped in to see Sean, guys. I don't plan on staying for too long. You guys sure have moved up in the world, haven't you?" "Aw come on, Harry, you know Mark did most of this to your plans. We just finished it off is all. I think he would have been proud of the way it all turned out. You should see the new radio room. We built it just like you said you wanted it to be, and it turned out great. The only people allowed in there are authorized personnel. It's complete with modern equipment and everything the workers need to make their jobs a lot easier. We only had to hire ten new people and we also took your advice and put an advisor on every shift to recommend which calls go where. All in all, Harry, it has worked out great. I also have a new evidence clerk and a supervisor down in the evidence room. I met and interviewed her and Sean hired her specifically for that purpose. You won't believe how she has straightened that mess out. She and Jimmy have gone out a couple of times and seem to get along great. I heard him playing for her at the shop one night and she loved it." I looked at him like he had lost his mind. Jimmy dating! Wow! This news made me happy and I just grinned at him and Andy. I felt like I was a proud dad or something. I must have had a funny look on my face because they both started laughing at me. Sean came out of his office at the sound of the laughter. "Ok Harry, what have you stirred up now?" "Hell, I don't know what these idiots are laughing at." "Ok Harry, come into my office so these two clowns can get back to work. They look for any reason to keep from doing their duties. It's all I can do to keep them in here long enough to do their paperwork as it is." I smiled at the two of them and then followed Sean into his office. It was private, but smaller than I expected. He motioned me to an empty chair and got us both a cup of coffee. After he handed it to me, he sat back down behind his desk and looked at me expectantly. I sipped my coffee and told him what was on my mind. As I went through the story, I left out some facts, especially about Dana's history and Mark's letter. The rest of it I told him without embellishment. "Harry, I will check with my contacts, but you probably have more contacts than I do. I know you have a lot of friends in Florida and other places. I will see what I can do, but I don't guarantee anything. Right now, I'm not too well liked among my old outfit." "Don't worry about that, Sean. These are your men now, and from what I have seen and heard, you have earned their respect in a very short time. If your old crew can't accept what you did for your family, then maybe they don't deserve your respect. Hell, Sean, for what it's worth, I think you made a good decision for yourself and your family. According to Tran, Carly and the girls just love it here. Your girls are looking forward to starting school this fall, just like mine are." "Thanks for that, Harry. I have to admit, it's nice being able to see the girls on a regular basis, and Carly and I are getting along great since we moved here. She doesn't seem to miss our old place at all. She wants to get a dog and a cat for the girls, but I don't want a cat in the house. The dog can stay outside in that heated barn so he or she won't freeze. By the way, how come there are cages and stalls out there?" "When Tran and I built it for Mark and the girls, we planned on getting some horses and other pets for them to take care of and enjoy. Since they are with me now, I am going to have to build a barn by the meadow for the girls. I still have to have the road made between your place and mine so the girls can visit each other. I have already heard from Sandra about not having done it yet. She seems to think they need a secret way to your house for some reason. With all that has been going on lately, I forgot all about it." "Have you recovered all the weapons you were looking for?" "All except the ones you were supposed to have the FBI get." "Shit, with quitting and moving out here, I forgot all about it. I think I will call a friend of mine and have him do the recovery. I know he can use the publicity and he is a good man." "That's why I brought this folder with me, Sean. I recovered it from the cave and it has a complete list of what is there and where it's at. I thought maybe you could use it to get a little leverage for some new equipment for the department, if you are smart enough to do a little bargaining. At least that's what I would do if I had this information and needed some new equipment for my department." "Harry, has anyone ever told you that you are a crook in disguise as a law enforcement officer?" "Bite your tongue, Sean. Remember, you have to use what you have to get what you need. There's nothing crooked about that. Information is a powerful tool if you use it right. In a case like this, you use it to your department's advantage and get some of the things you need." "Ok Harry, but it still sounds crooked to me for some reason." "Sean, you aren't in the FBI anymore. In this kind of service you need all the advantages you can get. Hell, use it as a marker for the future if it doesn't feel right to you to use it the way I would." Before he could retort, his phone rang. I got up to leave, but he held his finger up for me to wait a minute. I sat back down and waited until he was through with the call. "That was the radio room. They heard you were here and I promised them I would bring you by before you left. I was warned that if I didn't, they wouldn't speak to me for the next week. Sorry, Harry, but I guess you're just going to have to take a short detour before you leave." "That's no problem, Sean, I was planning on stopping in and having a look at it anyway. I had heard already that it was built the way I suggested when I was here before. I have to admit, it aroused my curiosity a little. Let's take a walk, shall we? I have to get home in time for supper or Tran will make me sleep on the porch." "Boy, do I know that feeling. I thought a couple of times Carly was going to make me sleep in the barn. Man, does that woman have a temper." We both were laughing as we left his office and headed for the radio room. Andy and Shorty waved and shook their heads as we went out into the hallway. This time I pretty much had gotten my bearings so he didn't have to lead me in the right direction. As we walked, he handed me a plastic card saying it was my security card that opened all the security doors in the building. There were only four in existence and I was the fourth to have one. "What am I supposed to do with this, Sean? I don't work here any more." "Harry you are still the Undersheriff of this county, whether you come in or not. As my second in command, you're supposed to have one. I would have given it to you sooner, but I haven't had time to come by your cabin. That's gotta stop before the summer's over. Carly and Tran want to have a BBQ this month sometime and if they don't, then we both might be sleeping in the barn." We arrived at a thick glassed security door before I could answer. He slid his card through the reader and the door electronically opened. We stepped into another short hall and then we were in the radio room. As we came in and they saw me, everyone stood up and started clapping. Now this is embarrassing, I thought. Everyone in the place was standing up. I waited until it died down a little and spoke to them. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say but I went with my instincts. "Thanks for the applause. I suppose it is for the radio room, but I didn't get to finish it so you have Mark and Sean to thank for that." I got drowned out when someone from the back shouted out; "If it wasn't for your ideas, we would still be in the dark ages." "It may have been my idea, folks, but I left before it got started. I do thank you for the walkie-talkie. You can be assured if I need help, I will be on it in a second. From what I see, all of you with the addition of a few new faces, finally have a place you can be proud to work in. I see that you even have your own coffee pot for the night shift. I really appreciate the sentiment and it makes me happy that all of you can be comfortable and still do your jobs. I hope the respect you deserve is finally coming your way. Remember, you are the road deputy's life line. I would expect you to be there for them like you were for me when I needed you." Well that went over well, I thought, as they broke out in applause again. I slipped out the door and headed for my Jeep. I didn't get far before Sean caught up with me again and was smiling at my red face. "Harry, those people love you. You know that don't you? I was told how badly they were treated until you came in and started the changes that gave them back their pride. Did you know they won the state disaster drill last month? I didn't even know they had entered it. They fielded more than a thousand calls an hour, and handled our county at the same time. They won a big trophy and a hundred dollars per person. All of them donated it to the orphanage in the name of the department. They are the best in the state right now. Also, that motor pool of ours just won first place in their competition with the rest of the state. I just hope I don't lose Doris if she and George decide to get married." "Sean, who is the girl that Jimmy is dating? And how come I had to hear it when I got here instead of it coming from my friend the sheriff?" "I'm sorry, Harry, but I never had the chance to mention it. I haven't seen you for over a month, since you have been so busy with those camps. Remember the agent that I told you about that you met briefly in the hospital? I know she didn't make a very good impression, but she was only doing her job. She and Jimmy met at the motor pool when she took her car in and they hit it off. They have been out on several dates and seem to get along real well. Me, I am happy for them because she finally found someone to go out with that's as smart as she is. After the first time she heard him play the violin, that's all she talked about for days. She drove everybody here nuts until Jimmy told her his sister played better than he does. Now she is bugging him to hear Sandra play. Harry, she loves to hear the violin. She says it's the most beautiful sound known to man, if it is played by someone who knows what they are doing. She's a good girl Harry. The whole time she was on my team I don't think she ever dated anyone. She pretty much stayed to herself while she completed her Masters in forensics and criminal justice. She asked for the evidence room and also serves as our forensics specialist." "Sean, I wasn't saying I thought it was wrong, and I'm happy for them both. It just surprised me is all. As you know, Jimmy is like a son to me and the parent shouldn't be the last to know about these things. Hmm, I wonder if he told Sandra yet?" "Harry, Jimmy and Sandra are like brother and sister. If he hasn't told her, I would be surprised. I know Tran knows about it because Doris told her the first time they went out." "Dammit, my wife and I are going to have to have a little talk about her keeping secrets from me." "Harry, get used to it. That's part of being married. I am always the last to know anything in my own house too, my friend." I was still mumbling to myself as I climbed into my Jeep. Why is it I am always the last one to be told the important things? At least I considered them important, especially if it concerned my adopted son. I was still mumbling as I pulled up in front of the cabin and saw the bright yellow cleaned and waxed Jeep sitting there. Oh no, they did have it all cleaned up. As soon as I got out of my Jeep I was mobbed by the girls. They wanted to know if I was home for the evening because they wanted me to watch a new movie with them. The only catch was that I had to cook the popcorn. I didn't have a problem with that and said so. "Harry, supper is almost ready, so wash your hands and then come in the kitchen." "Ok hon, be there in a few minutes." While I was washing, I checked in and was told it had been quiet all day and that both women were home. I was also told that Preacher was mad as hell because I was ducking his calls. I laughed and told the radio operator to tell Preacher I would probably be available to talk to him briefly tomorrow. "Mr. Hanson, if I told him that in the mood he is in, he would probably shoot me. He has been on the line with the Pentagon all day. Needless to say, he isn't happy right now. He keeps mumbling something about his best friend bailing out on him, or something to that effect. I really think you should talk to him, Sir." "Just tell him I'll call him tomorrow sometime." "Ok, Sir." I went back down the steps, still smiling to myself, and headed for the kitchen to have supper with my family. Then it hit me, the girl's birthdays were a week away and I hadn't gotten them anything yet. Then I had a brilliant idea. I would take them to Disneyland in California and pay the extra for them to have a big birthday bash with all the Disney characters. I couldn't think of anything else to give them, and I thought they would really like that. I would call first thing in the morning and get the ball rolling on it. I went into the kitchen and found the girls were setting the table. Whatever Tran was cooking it smelled delicious. I sat down and immediately got a kiss from Sandra and a hug. "Grandpa, can I ask you a question?" Before I answered I looked at Tran. She was busy at the stove and the other two were watching me. Here we go again, I thought. "Ok Sandra, what do you three want this time?" "What makes you think we want something, Grandpa?" "I am starting to wise up to you three a little, I think. When you ask and the other two are staring at me, that means you want something. Since Tran is avoiding my gaze and making it a point not to look at me, that usually means she is in on it with you. Did I guess right?" Sandra looked at me with a shocked expression and the other two started giggling. I looked over at Tran and she had a smile on her face, but she still wouldn't look at me. "Ok Grandpa, we do want something. Have you thought about what to get us for our birthdays? Remember, we want to celebrate them together." "Now why in the world would I tell you what I got all of you and ruin the surprise?" "Gee, I hoped that you hadn't got us anything yet. Grandpa we all want to go to Disneyland for a few days. We talked it over with Auntie Tran and she said it was up to you. Will you please take us? We all want to go before we get too old to enjoy it." "Sandra, what is it with you and this age thing? Two of you will be ten and the other nine. I mean, how old is too old in your mind, Granddaughter?" "If we don't go while we are all still under twelve, then we won't enjoy it so much. You and the girls lived in Florida and they never went either. We all want to go and ride some of the rides and enjoy our birthdays. Is that too much to ask?" "I don't know yet, girls. Let me talk it over with Tran and I will give you my answer in a couple of days. I personally think I am too old for all that excitement. It might be bad for me and Tran since we are in our golden years here. Just trying to keep up with you guys might be too much of a problem. I will have to think about it." I got glared at by all four of them all through supper. We did watch the movie and I cooked the popcorn, but it was a very frigid family night. I almost busted out laughing a few times at the way they were acting, but I kept it inside. I knew I was gonna catch it from Tran when we went to bed, but I was prepared for that too, or so I thought. ------- Chapter 94 When the movie was over, Tran kissed the girls goodnight, saying she was tired and was going to take a shower and go to bed. She looked at me with that look before she headed up the steps. I had the girls clean up and put the movie away, and then sent them upstairs to brush their teeth and get ready for bed. I messed around for a little bit, then set the coffee pot up for the morning and headed up to tuck the girls in. When I went into Sandra's room, she was sitting up in bed waiting for me. I sat down and waited to see what she had to say. "Grandpa, I'm sorry if I put you on the spot tonight. I didn't mean to ruin your surprise for us. We have been talking all week about going to Disneyland and how much fun it would be to celebrate our birthdays there, is all." "Sandra, can I tell you a secret?" "Sure Grandpa, you know I won't tell anyone." "Honey, I had almost forgotten about your birthdays with all that has been going on. I have to admit, I thought about Disneyland as a surprise for you three. I was going to call in the morning and arrange booking for a week." "Then how come you said what you did when I mentioned it? I don't understand Grandpa." "I will try to explain it to you, but like I said, you can't say a word to anyone. I said that because you three are always getting your way and Auntie Tran helps you. Just because I love all four of you and go along with your sneak attacks, it doesn't mean that I don't realize what's going on. There isn't anything in this world I wouldn't do for all of you if it's in my power, but for a change I need to be the one to think it up. Sometimes I think you and Tran can read my mind. I said what I did tonight because I wanted to teach her a little lesson. I think when I go to bed tonight she is going to really read me the riot act, but I think I still can have some fun with it and her. Now you go to bed, and let me make the arrangements for your birthdays." "I love you Grandpa, but I don't think I want to be in your shoes when you go to bed tonight. Auntie Tran was the one who suggested that instead of you having to worry about gifts, this would be fun for all of us. She hasn't been there either and always wanted to go and ride the rides. I think she is gonna be a little upset that you ruined her plans." "I think I can handle Auntie Tran." "Yeah, sure you can, Grandpa." She was still giggling as I went to kiss and tuck in the other two. They didn't ask me any questions but I could see they were anxious to find out what my answer would be about them going. I headed for my room and went straight to the shower. As I went into the bathroom, I could see Tran staring at me and I had to work really hard to keep from laughing out loud. I finished my shower and turned out the lights as I slid into bed. I turned on my side facing away from her, let out an exaggerated sigh, and pretended to go to sleep. "Harry Hanson, if you think you are going to sleep, you have another think coming. I told you before about this crap about golden years and constantly throwing my age up. And another thing, that little statement about us being to old to keep up with the girls is pure bullshit, and you know it!" I knew she had paused to see what I had to say, so I just lay there, not saying a word, waiting for the next explosion. It didn't take long either. "If you don't say something, you can sleep on the couch. For you to ruin our or their plans for a birthday surprise is inexcusable, Harry." I waited for a few moments, then turned the lamp on and rolled to face her. She was so mad she was beautiful. I couldn't help myself, I started smiling at her. "Would your tire thumper make this picture complete, my dear?" It took her about five minutes to realize she had been had. I watched the play of emotions across her face as she figured it out, and finally I couldn't hold back any longer and busted out laughing. "Oh my God, Harry, when did you figure it out?" "When you wouldn't meet my eyes. I knew then that you four were hatching another plot to get me to do what you wanted. Honey, just because I'm a man and haven't been married for a long time, it doesn't mean I have forgotten just how devious women can be. You can only pull the wool over my eyes a couple of times before my inner guard starts watching for more plots from you guys. I may be a man and love all of you, but that doesn't mean I am stupid or never catch on to what's going on around me. For your information, I had already thought about going to Disneyland and was going to call and make all the arrangements in the morning. Now, will you quit harping at this old man and let me get my rest?" I shut out the light, listening to her laughter, but it took another couple of exhausting hours before I was able to finally get to sleep. If she kept this up, I was going to have to sneak a couple of those little blue pills into my shaving kit for emergencies. I woke the next morning bright eyed and feeling like a million dollars. I started whistling as I headed for the shower. "Will you please stop that racket so I can get some sleep?" I was chuckling as I climbed into the shower and got ready to face another day. By the time I got downstairs, the coffee had brewed. I headed for my usual seat on the porch to watch the sun come up and have a cigarette. I had my usual cough but my ribs didn't bother me as bad this time. I was going over in my mind what I had to do today as I sipped my coffee. I had to go to the camp and get the information from Zeke about depositing the money and give him the news about the clear title. I also had to talk to Preacher since I figured I had put him off long enough. I was also going to drive to the gulch and have a little look around and maybe have lunch in that little diner there. I had a hankering for some of their French fried onions, which had been delicious the last time I ate there. I was also going to go to Reno and talk to Barry and the doctor about them coming to the concert. I wasn't about to take no for an answer on that one, even if I had to involve the President. Something was nagging at me, and then it came forward. The Spook and what Tran had told me about meeting him. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how he fit into all of this and why he knew as much as he did. I hadn't known about Dana until Mark had told me in the letter. How the hell did a specter from that many years ago fit into Mark and Terri's past? I was hoping I'd never see him again, but something was telling me I would and soon. I wasn't afraid of him, but I had a lot of respect for him and always would have. Oh well, I thought, I had better get moving and get something accomplished. I headed in to tell Tran I was leaving. She was already in the kitchen sipping her morning tea. I refilled my cup and sat down beside her at the table. She turned my head toward her and kissed me, curling my toes again. I finally broke for air and got that look from her that almost made me take her back upstairs. The sound of footsteps upstairs put that thought out of my head. She must have been reading my mind again because she took one look at my face and sniggered into her tea cup. "Looks like you will have to wait until tonight, dear. Besides, I would guess from the look on your face as you came in you have a busy day ahead of you." I gave her a general outline of what I would be doing today and she just said to be careful and save some of my energy for later tonight because I would need it. I just looked at her and smiled. "Harry, at your age I am surprised you still have those urges. Don't worry about calling Disneyland, I have a good friend who is the Director of the park and I will call him later and make all the arrangements. I suggest you run along and get all your loose ends tied up so we can spend some time as a family again." I was going to push the urge thing, but the three musketeers came into the kitchen wanting to know what was for breakfast. I was surprised when Tran said they were eating the cereal they had bought and if they wanted toast, they could fix it themselves. When I got up to leave, I got a wink from Sandra and a cheery hello and good morning from the other two. I just shook my head as I headed for the bedroom to get my gun and ID. When I came back downstairs, I could hear all four of them making some kind of plans. But since I could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation, I didn't pay it any mind. I got the phones and ear bud from their chargers and turned them on. I called in and asked for a Whisper to go to the camp, and was told it would be here shortly. I checked the voice mail on my scrambled phone and there were six from Preacher. I deleted them as I walked to the meadow. When the Whisper landed, I was surprised to see I was to be the only passenger. When I got buckled in and the headset on, we took off. I was informed by the pilot that he had been ordered to bring me directly to the plant when I was finished at the cave. I decided to be ornery and told him when he set down and I got out, he was to return to base and I would find an alternate way back to my cabin. He twisted in his seat and tentatively asked me if Preacher and I had a falling out or something? "No, but he better understand he is not my boss, nor am I in the military. Since I don't want you two to be caught in the middle, tell him if he wishes to speak to me he better do it in a polite way. I don't take orders from anyone, and if he needs it clarified I will call the President and he will clarify my position to Preacher." He didn't say anything else, just shook his head and looked at his co-pilot who was grinning at our conversation. He dropped me at the upper cave. As soon as I got on the ground, he took off headed south towards the plant. I stood there watching him for a few minutes, then was greeted by Zeke with a big smile on his face. "Hey Harry, good to see you again. Why are you way out here and where did your ride go?" "I might have to get a ride back to the gulch with you, Zeke. I have some good news I needed to tell you, so if you will walk with me, I can fill you in." While we walked, I told him word for word what I had been told by the President. By the time I was through, he was almost dancing in excitement. "Harry, I gotta tell you, since the day I met you, there has been nothing but good news for our people. With all the stuff you gave us and now this, we can live happily here for the rest of our lives. Harry, you stuck by your word and for that we are all grateful. Avery brought out an attorney and he is handling all our affairs legal or otherwise. He is a good ole boy who came here from Tennessee when his wife died. Avery said he was happy to take our case when he heard we were all from that neck of the woods too. There are three timber companies that are fighting each other, trying to get the contract for the timber on the south slope of the camp. Now with this news, we will be even better off. Maybe some of the brighter kids can go to college when they graduate high school. We have a local account, and when we get back to the cave I will give you the number and what bank it's in. By the way, thanks for the extras you sent our way from the other cave. Several of your soldier boys have talked to me about buying some of the cars and trucks we seem to have inherited because of you. Harry, you know that wasn't part of the deal, so why did you let us have them when you could have made a fortune from them?" "Zeke, I figured your people could use anything you could get. Besides, what the hell would I do with them? There are a couple of them I would like to buy for myself, if they are on the list and it's ok for you to sell them. If you have enough Jeeps, I would love to have one of those to use on my land. Those old world war two types are practically indestructible." "Harry, we have one here that no one can figure out how to drive. It has a weird gear setup no one has seen before. Hubba used it all the time to run around in. It has a big motor and a whole bunch of electronic controls even I can't figure out. That one we will give you for nothing, if you want it." "Zeke, if it's what you say and I can drive it, I will be glad to take it off your hands. For now, I need a ride back to the gulch as soon as I get that account number. Also, if you want a little advice from me, as soon as the funds are deposited, open up another account in another bank and transfer half or more into it. That way you have the money spread out between two banks. Your attorney can set it all up for you." We walked back to the cave area and Zeke went in to write down the bank account number for me to pass on. I was standing and waiting for him to come back out, when the ground started moving under my feet. Talk about being startled! Then I realized I was standing on top of the doors that slid back to open the cave. Phew! For a minute I thought it was an earthquake or something. I quickly moved to the solid ground next to the opening doors and waited until they opened all the way. This was my first look into the cave up close. I realized it was bigger than three football fields and was all man made. Zeke came up the ramp with a smile on his face, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Did I startle you, Harry? I had the same thing done to me once and I almost pissed myself. Here is our account number and the keys to that Jeep I told you about. Come on down with me and see if you can figure out how to drive it. We filled it up with gas and checked all the fluids, but other than that, we are in the dark as to how it starts and runs." I followed him down the ramp, wondering how long it had taken to blast and drill this whole thing. My God! The place had rooms carved into the rock walls all around it. No wonder JJ thought this was the main cave. It seemed to me like it was bigger than the one Hubba used for his personal stash. The Jeep he led me to looked like a normal Jeep, almost an exact twin of what mine had been before the girls had it painted. This one was a shitty green color with what looked like a four inch lift kit on it. The tires were mudders with the extra deep tread style. It also had a huge wrap around brush guard on the front of it that was home made out of four inch well casing pipe and painted to match the Jeep color. The top was fine mesh grating screen welded to the homemade roll over cage that was above both front seats. The back had a large extra gas tank built into the passenger compartment. I climbed in and put the key in the ignition. I turned it, and nothing happened. I was sitting there, listening to Zeke and several men chuckling at my apparent failure to start it, when a thought hit me. I reached my hand under the dash and felt for a toggle switch panel. After feeling around for a little bit, I hit a box that was welded to the back of the steering column. Sticking my finger inside, I felt two toggle switches and flipped them both up. I heard an electric fuel pump come on and then the juice being turned on caused the ignition lights to come on. I twisted the key again and it started right up. "Damn Harry, how did you figure that one out? We tried to get it started for weeks and never even could get it to light up the headlights. Well, here is the title filled out in your name, so it's yours to keep now. Good luck Harry, and please feel free to visit us anytime. When we have a big party and cookout again, I will send someone to tell you and you can bring your wife and kids and enjoy some home made food and a night of good bluegrass music." "Thanks Zeke, we would be honored to attend. I will call in your account number after while. You should have the money in your account in a few days. Catch you later, Zeke!" He waved with a big smile as I turned around and headed up the ramp. As soon as I started up the ramp, I knew immediately this vehicle wasn't stock in any way. It took me a few seconds to realize the gears were set up backwards from a normal Jeep. This one had been custom built so that it could either run as an automatic transmission or as a stick. The switch over to four wheel drive was electronic too. As I felt the power underneath the accelerator, I knew the engine was a big eight cylinder of some kind. It hardly pulled down as I went up the steepest part of the ramp. I thought as soon as I got to the lower gate, I would pull over and raise the hood and see what was under it. I had a feeling I was going to be in for a pleasant surprise when I did. I took it easy as I went down the hill by the lower cave. Although the Jeep had power steering, I wanted to learn how it handled before I got overconfident and did something stupid. When I got to the bottom, I sped up a little playing with the gearshift. I finally found the position that set it as an automatic after grinding a couple of pounds of gear teeth. It seemed to shift smoothly through the gears, just like my Jeep. Once I figured it out, I went a little faster and made it to the gate in about twenty minutes. Before I went through, I stopped and shut it off and opened the hood to see what was underneath. Holy Cow! I just looked at the power plant in total shock. The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that nothing under the hood was normal in any sense. Everything that met the eye was high gloss chromed, and not the cheap stuff either. I looked at the bottom of the hood and it too was chromed. There was an envelope sealed in its own plastic packing pouch. I pulled it out and the first line nearly made me crap my pants. It had a Cosworth racing engine that had been balanced and blueprinted by Jeggs Automotive. The rest of the list was two pages long showing everything that was in it and what had been done to it. I put the pages back in the envelope and into the pouch, figuring I would study it later. I immediately thought of Jimmy and how he would go crazy over this setup. I opened the gate and drove out, then closed it behind me and headed to the DMV to register the title and get a set of tags so I would be legal. While I drove, I called home and there was no answer. I called Tran's cell and she immediately answered saying she was at Carly's house visiting. She also told me the trip to Disneyland was a go for next week. We had deluxe accommodations, and a birthday party for the girls with almost all the Disney characters. The theme park was donating all the extras for the party plus their own Disney character to show them around. I was also informed that Sean and his family were going as our guests but he didn't know it yet. She and Carly had been conspiring again and I got a big laugh out of the whole thing. Boy, would he be surprised, I thought as I hung up the phone. Then I remembered what he said about being the last to know and started laughing again. I was still chuckling as I pulled up in front of the DMV. I went inside and the title was accepted without question. In fifteen minutes or so I was legal to drive it anywhere in the U.S. I came back out and headed for the little diner in the gulch to have the onion rings I had been craving for some reason. On the way, I opened the Jeep up a little and before I knew it I was doing ninety and still climbing. It was so smooth I would never have guessed I was going that fast. I had to back down before I got pulled over for speeding and embarrassed myself. I knew if I did get pulled over, the deputy would have a field day making fun of me and the rest of the department would have an even bigger laugh at my expense. I finally made it to the gulch. Since there was a spot open in front, I quickly did a U-turn and parked where I could watch the Jeep from inside while I ate. ------- Chapter 95 When I walked into the diner, the place wasn't packed, but was doing a brisk business. I took a table facing the street with my back to the wall so I could watch the Jeep. I was greeted several times by people that evidently knew me, but I had no idea who they were. When the waitress came over, she recognized me immediately. "Well hello Sheriff, do you remember me?" "Umm, no I don't think so, should I?" "If it hadn't been for you, my little boy might have lost his foot. I was the one whose little girl you made very happy by giving her and her brother their own bikes. That lady Doris has been back several times with friends to do repair work on all the kids' bikes if they needed it. I never got a chance to thank you for helping my son. Thank you, Sheriff, for me and my kids." "That's not necessary. I hated the way the people here had been treated in the past, and was glad to help out all I could. If the situation came up again I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again." "Well Sheriff, things have sure changed for the better since you and your friends took over the sheriff's office. You know, there is almost no one in the gulch who is not working again. We have had several new businesses come in and with the new casino being built at the edge of town, we all have a good life here again." This was all news to me, so I just smiled and nodded my head, trying to get her to take my order. When she finally got around to it, I ordered sweet tea and an extra large order of onion rings. I had just leaned back and took a sip of my tea when I saw a familiar figure looking at my Jeep. I took the Glock out of my holster, and put it within easy reach in my lap. I scooted back a little further away from the table and waited to see if he would come in. He did, and damned if he didn't smile when he spotted me and came over. "Hello Harry, long time no see." "Hello Spook, what are you doing around here again?" "Don't worry, Harry, I am not looking for trouble with you or anyone else. I will only be here the rest of the day then I have to go back overseas to my job." "Spook, I always thought you were a company man." Before he could answer, the waitress came over to the table. "Hello, do want to order the same as the sheriff?" He didn't bat an eye, just ordered the same as I had and waited till she brought his tea before talking again. "Harry, I am not now or ever have been a "Company man" as you put it. I work for Interpol and always did. That's not why I wanted to talk to you, though. I know you have questions about certain matters, and I wanted to set your mind at ease before I left to go back. Harry, Dana is my niece. My brother was married to Mark's sister. They ran away and went to England when they were both seventeen. Her family disowned her, but I loved them both. I helped support them and made sure they both had good educations. When Dana came along they were bringing her to visit me when they were run off the road and killed. I took care of her for almost five years but my job kept me hopping, as you know, so she was always with a nanny. I decided to send her to Mark so she would have a stable and better life. I didn't tell him all the details, but I made sure he would accept her and that he would always take care of her." Our food came so he knocked off speaking as we ate. I slipped the Glock into my lower vest pocket so it wouldn't end up on the floor as I had to scoot back up to the table to eat. He never looked, but I knew he couldn't have missed it lying in my lap as he walked to the table. I couldn't see any weapon on him, but I knew by instinct he had one. I didn't have the feeling I was in any danger, so I relaxed and enjoyed my onion rings. When we finished eating, we both got refills and sat back and lit cigarettes. I waited for him to continue with his story. "I watched Mark and Terri for about three years, and when I couldn't I had someone watching them to make sure Dana was treated ok. I found out even after their divorce that Mark loved them both like they were his own. He never even told Dina that Dana wasn't her sister and they have grown up thinking they are. To me that was great so I quit watching them because I no longer had a reason to. I knew you and he were friends but I never realized how close until he died and you adopted both of them. Harry, don't worry, I won't dispute the adoption. They are happy and being well taken care of. Anyway, it took me almost four years to find out what really happened to her parents. But by that time, the trail was cold. They had been trying to get back at me for breaking up their arms and dope smuggling ring throughout Europe. I finally got lucky with a snitch and he gave me their names, so I went after them. I got his ex-wife in Russia then I found out where he was about two years later. By the time I got here, Mark and Terri were both dead. Dammit, if I had acted a little faster I might have prevented it." "I don't think so, Spook." "Harry, my name is Victor Saffen." "Ok Victor, I doubt if you could have prevented Terri from dying because she was already an addict. Roman was the one who got her hooked and pimped her out to his friends. That was one situation you couldn't have stopped if you wanted to. She had been on a partying and downhill slide, even before the divorce. I was the one who got Mark custody of the girls because I knew she wouldn't take care of them. I guess over the years I became their surrogate uncle because of our friendship. When he died, he already had a will set up so that they could stay with me. I love them as much as my granddaughter, and as long as Tran and I live, they will have anything and everything they need to be happy including our love." "I know that, Harry and I couldn't ask for a better person for them to be with. Since I have been coming here, all I have heard about is how you put this county and its people back on their feet and got rid of the bad elements. Harry, I been in some bad things over the years with my job and all, but I still love what I do. Now that I know I don't have to worry about Dana, I can continue doing my work with a clear conscience. Roman knew why he was dying, and he begged me to let him live and said he had nothing to do with Pierre's death. I had all the information I needed from his wife, so I knew better. Harry, if you ever need anything and I mean anything at all, you drop me a line at this address I am about to give you and it won't be a problem anymore. If for some reason I can't handle it, I will send someone who can. Oh, and the reason I always sought you out personally in Nam, was because I already knew General Brown was as dirty as they come. I could never get close to him so I stayed behind the scenes, helping you out all I could. Harry, I never did understand how you knew about the ambush that was supposed to take out your team. I tried to catch up to you in the field but by the time I got there, you had already destroyed the ambushers. By the way, they weren't NVA but paid mercs sent by General Brown. Harry, if Dana ever asks if she has any relatives, will you tell her and Dina that they have an uncle who lives in Europe somewhere? Maybe if I ever retire, I might want to come back and introduce myself to them. Tell your lovely wife she has my respect and admiration for the love that she clearly shows for the girls. Later, Harry, have a good life and take care of your family." He dropped a piece of paper on the table and was out the door just that quick. I sat there for a few minutes, absorbing what he had told me in such a short time. I knew I would probably do what he asked if the girls ever brought up the subject of relatives. After all, he was their uncle and deserved to get to know them. I knew he would make a good role model for them if he ever quit his job and finally settled down. When I stuck the paper in my pocket, I bumped the Glock, so I put that back in its holster. I got up, leaving a good tip, and went to the register and paid my bill. I said goodbye to the waitress as I went out the door. When I climbed back into the Jeep and headed for the house, I knew I had a lot to think about. I don't think I drove over thirty miles an hour the whole way back, I was so absorbed in my thoughts. The main part that bothered me, was how to explain a lot of this to Tran, and what or what not to tell her. I had never lied to her before, but there were some parts of what The Spook had told me that I felt she shouldn't know about. Hell with it, I wasn't going to lie to her for any reason. Besides, she deserved to know everything, the same as I did. We would keep it to ourselves like we had about the letter. With that decision made, I thought about calling Preacher. Then I smiled to myself, thinking he could wait a little while longer. Besides, I was going to recommend him to the President to be the next Director of Homeland Security. That will really make him blow his top, I thought, chuckling all the way up the drive to the cabin. I checked in with the radio man and again I was told that Preacher wanted to talk to me as soon as possible. I laughed and told him that maybe I would be free later. He just laughed and said he hoped I hurried up and called Preacher for all their sakes. I parked the Jeep in the shed so it would be out of the weather. I went into the house and immediately called the President. To my surprise, he answered the phone personally and sounded glad to hear from me. I told him about Preacher and why he would make a good Director for Homeland Security. He asked me several questions about his background and general stuff. We talked for a few minutes more then I asked him about using the Whisper to go to Reno to the hospital again. I was quickly told if I needed it, then I was to use it. He tried again to get me to take the position, but I again turned him down. I reminded him that I had three girls and a new wife that I wanted to be home with for a few years, not traveling all over the place. He laughed and said that it would be hard on a married man. I again pushed Preacher to him, saying he would be up front. I said that the only flaw he had that I knew of was the same as mine, neither one of us liked armchair quarterbacks. When he quit laughing he said that he had to agree and that the next Director would answer to him. The armchair quarterbacks could just go to hell. We chatted a few more minutes before he said he would give Preacher real serious consideration, and would probably hire him because he sounded like a man he could trust to work for him and his country. I had given him the camp's bank account number to which he said the money would be deposited for them within forty-eight hours. He surprised me when he asked if there was a certain model of truck that he could buy from the cave. I told him to call Stumpy at the plant, because he had the list of what could be sold and gave him the number. He thanked me saying he would love to hear my daughter play the violin for him and his wife sometime. We talked a few more minutes about this, and also, her and Jimmy touring some of the bases to play. He said it sounded like a great idea, and when she was ready just call, and he would set it all up with the Air Force Band to play with them. He then said he had to go, but for me to keep in touch. He said that I was to keep the phone and my ID even if I never did anything with them for the government again. My position and my service was appreciated by him and my country. I sat down in the chair, then decided I needed a beer. I went to see if Tran had remembered to get some at the store. When I opened the fridge, it had been well stocked with my favorite brand as well as Sandra's Pepsis. I grabbed a beer, thinking about my morning so far and I had to admit it had been kind of strange. The chat with The Spook had been the clincher. What he had told me had cleared up a lot of my questions and worries. I wondered how Tran would react to it all when I told her. I decided instead of going to Reno today I would wait and do it tomorrow. I figured Preacher had been stewing long enough and I would talk to him. Tomorrow I would catch a chopper to Reno to visit Barry again. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew I had a pair of lips kissing me on the cheek. I opened my eyes and Sandra was there all puckered up so I kissed her and gave her a big surprise by doing so. "I thought you were asleep." "I was until I felt a pair of lips touching me." "How did you know whose they were, Grandpa?" "I didn't but my natural instinct made me automatically kiss back." "Humm, I'll have to remember that if I ever need a kiss and you're asleep." With that she went to the kitchen giggling. I got up and almost dropped the beer because my hand was asleep. I switched hands shaking the one asleep to get feeling back in it. I must have been sleeping for awhile because the beer was warm and there was still half a bottle left that I hadn't drunk. I headed to the kitchen to find everybody sitting around the table eating happy meals from MacDonald's. They said they didn't know I would be here or they would have gotten me one too. I said I had already eaten and not to worry about it. I couldn't believe Tran had one and was arguing with Dana about who should get the toy from hers. I just shook my head as I dumped the warm beer down the sink. Even though I knew her age, sometimes I had to wonder if she ever grew up, or had any kind of childhood, from the way she acted around the girls when they were all together. While I stood at the sink looking at her, I saw what The Spook had seen. I could, as he had, see the love she had for the girls, and I felt a sense of pride that I had married her. I couldn't have asked for a better mother for all three of them, and one day I hoped they all thought of her as their mother, instead of Aunty Tran like they called her now. I knew I would always be Uncle Harry to Dina and Dana and Grandpa to Sandra. I had no problem with it, and was happy they thought so much of me after what they all had been through in such a short time. All three of them seemed happy and content with their lives, and I hoped they always would be. I sighed to myself and went out to the porch to have a cigarette and try to put my thoughts together. When Tran came out about an hour later, that's where she found him, sitting in his favorite chair with a smile on his face. The autopsy showed he had died painlessly from an enlarged aneurysm in the brain, probably from his head injury from the fight with Hubba. At least that's what Tran always thought. The funeral was one of the largest Nevada had ever seen, and they buried him overlooking his fishing ponds in the little meadow. Many years later, Tran would be buried along side of him. "The only man she ever loved", was what the stone said on it. Victor came to the funeral and later had a long talk with Tran. The girls, along with Jimmy and his new bride Robyn, toured the military bases performing concerts. They were received with open arms by the President when they played at the White House. George and Doris never married, but were together the rest of their lives. Butter went on to become an Admiral and married his childhood sweetheart with Sandra being the lead team member of the sword arch. Yes, Preacher took the job as Director, and Sean was sheriff of Porter County until he retired many years later. Thus ends the story of Harry Hanson. Maybe not the most perfect of men but he was one of a kind. Note. I hope you all enjoyed the story and the little lessons built into it about human frailties and doing the right thing. Many many thanks to Bill L. and Gunshot for their editing and attention to details that I missed. Thom ------- The End ------- Posted: 2011-09-05 Last Modified: 2011-12-04 / 11:37:55 am ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------