William Redman CarterChapter 51
- 2 years ago
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The four bodyguards settled around the conference room in the office of a local private investigator. None of them looked very happy. Their current assignment was proving far more difficult than any of them had anticipated. Frowning, Rock asked, "What did you find out about the homeless folks?"
"Fat Fred is a protégé of Happy Harry. As far as I know, there's nothing to worry about with regard to him. He'll keep the other homeless under control," answered Derrick Grant with a shrug.
"Happy Harry is a Druid, right?" asked Colt.
"Yes."
Making reference to Lucy's habit of handing out coupons for meals at local fast food places to every homeless person she encountered, Natalie said, "I don't like the fact that she's always talking to the homeless. I don't care who Happy Harry is, but it isn't safe for a young woman like her to talk with homeless folks like that."
Happy for a change that she had the night shift, Nicole said, "All you can do is be ready for anything."
Derrick interrupted, "Don't worry about the homeless. Your clients have a lot of friends among that crowd."
"How do you know that?"
Laughing, Derrick said, "I asked two of them questions about your clients and the next thing I know, there's twenty of them surrounding me and wanting to know why I was so interested in them. Less than ten minutes had passed between talking to the first guy and the rest of them showing up. I've never seen anything like it. I didn't even know that we had that many homeless in this town."
"What do you suggest?" Cole looked at the private investigator thoughtfully as recollections of Sherlock Holmes and his Baker Street Irregulars came to mind.
"If I were you, I'd develop some good contacts in that crowd. You'll be surprised at what they can tell you about what is going on."
The four bodyguards exchanged glances at that piece of advice. Putting the man to the test, Rock asked, "Would you give Ling that advice?"
The private investigator blanched, but answered, "Yes, I would. I'd tell her to make friends with Fat Fred."
"When we get her on the conference call, you can tell her that yourself," said Nicole.
"Okay."
"What about the woman at the college?" Natalie asked. That was the threat she was the most concerned would become real.
"I did a thorough background investigation on her. Here's the file," Derrick said as he pushed a folder across the table. The expression on his face wasn't encouraging.
Natalie picked it up and looked over the contents. Frowning, she said, "She came from a broken home. There are rumors she was molested by her stepfather."
Derrick said, "She's got a juvenile record, but we can't get to it — it's sealed by the court. I hired a firm to ask some questions in her old neighborhood. They say that she was picked up for shoplifting, passing bad checks, and possession of marihuana. Some of the kids that knew her said that she was a bully."
"Shit, that's not good," said Nicole. She leaned forward resting her elbows on the table with her arms crossed. She frowned as she reflected on the news. It worried her that William had made a special effort to tell her that Missy would be a problem.
Rock growled and said, "Those two aren't even eighteen years old. No damn reason they should have people around them like that."
"William is worried about her," Colt said.
"I'm not sure if that is good or bad. He's got a fucking bird watching the next door neighbor," said Rock. He was regretting taking this job more than ever.
Derrick said, "Don't underestimate William. His name among Native Americans is Talks With Animals. They believe that he can actually talk to animals."
That wasn't news to the four bodyguards, although the bird was the first example they had seen of anything to that effect. Rock said, "One shotgun blast and that bird is dead."
Pushing the last folder across the table, Derrick said, "Here's the background on the neighbors. The husband is an attorney and is currently living with his mistress. She's some sort of Dominatrix and makes a bunch of money at it. Apparently, he's really into that scene."
"Whatever turns his crank," said Nicole. At the look from Rock, she grinned and added, "Does the idea of getting beat up by a woman with a whip turn your crank?"
"Not really."
Derrick ignored the little exchange and said, "The wife has all of the money in the family. She inherited about ten million from her parents. I have no idea why she hasn't divorced the husband."
Colt asked, "What about the guy in South Dakota?"
"I haven't gotten a report on him, yet," answered Derrick not wanting to have to report that to Ling. Running a complete background investigation in a small town without having the target know it was happening was a lot more difficult than doing the same thing in the big city. A man who asked questions in a small town ended up getting a lot of questions asked in return.
Dreading the conference call with Ling, Natalie said, "This has been the longest ten days of my life."
"We can't put it off much longer. She's waiting for us to call her," said Colt.
While the bodyguards were briefing Ling on the events of the past week, William and Lucy were supposed to be at home. They were under strict orders not to leave the house. Of course, the couple had taken the opportunity to drive into town for a treat at a local ice cream parlor. As they sat in one of the chairs, Lucy said, "They're going to be mad at us."
"I know."
"You're driving them crazy," said Lucy with a grin.
"I'm sure they are telling my mother all about it," William said. He asked, "So how do you enjoy having a bodyguard?"
"I was really glad that she was there when I ran into Missy," answered the young woman. She would never forget the look of raw unbridled hatred Missy had given her.
"Yeah, I'm worried about Missy," William admitted. He was silent for a moment and then said, "Don't forget that you have friends here in case something ever happens."
"Friends?"
"Happy Harry's people," answered William.
"Oh." Having met most of them through William, she tended to think of them as his friends. She was always amazed when some homeless person she had never met addressed her as Lucy Diamonds. She kind of liked it when they called her by that name, since it was so much better than the nicknames the kids in high school had used for her.
William took a sip of his milkshake and gestured to her little paper cup containing a single dip of vanilla ice cream. He said, "We have to finish before Ling calls to yell at me."
She laughed and ate a spoonful of her ice cream. The weekly calls from Ling had become a joke between them. The appearance of a bag lady coming into the ice cream parlor caught her attention. The woman approached and, in a voice filled with fear, said, "'cuse me, but you're Half Feather and Lucy Diamonds, ain't ya?"
William turned and looked at the woman taking in her tattered clothes and dirty appearance. She looked as if she was terrified to talk to them. Nodding, he said, "Yes. How can I help you?"
The woman licked her lips nervously and said, "I was locked up earlier this week in the local... Where I was don't matter none. Well, maybe it does. I was in jail if'n ya needs to know. While I was in 'dere, some woman was really talkin' nasty 'bout Lucy Diamonds. She was talkin' 'bout hirin' someone to hurt her real bad."
"Was her name Missy?" asked William in a soft voice intended to diminish her fear.
"That's the one. Real hateful woman, she is."
"Thank you for telling us," William said in a soft voice. She looked scared as if she were a rabbit surrounded by a pack of dogs. He asked, "Would you care for some ice cream?"
The woman looked around and noticed the other customers staring at her. She was used to stares. Lots of people stared at her while she was pushing her shopping cart around. Just because she was used to it, didn't mean she was comfortable with it. She said, "Tain't really the place for a person the likes a' me."
"Nonsense, everyone likes ice cream. We'd really like for you to join us," William said getting up and holding a chair out for her. "What would you like?"
Embarrassed by the gesture and unwilling to create a scene by refusing, the woman sat down in the offered chair. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Well, I'll take a bowl of ice cream, jus' like Lucy Diamonds is havin'."
"Wait right here and I'll return with it in minute. Vanilla?"
"Chocolate if they got it," answered the woman. She looked down as if afraid that she had made an unreasonable demand. She actually shivered.
As William went to the counter to get a scoop of chocolate ice cream, Lucy turned to the woman and said, "We haven't met. I'm Lucy."
"I'm Just Jan," answered the bag woman knowing who Lucy was. Everyone on the street talked about the woman who handed out coupons for food to anyone who asked.
"Jan, it's nice to meet you."
"It's Just Jan," replied the woman. She'd gotten her nickname when she had first started living on the street by insisting that everyone call her just Jan. Before she knew it, everyone was calling her Just Jan. After a while, that was who she had become — Just Jan. Glancing at William as he waited in line, she asked, "Is Half Feather always this nice?"
"I'm the wrong one to ask. I think he's nice all the time," Lucy answered with a smile.
"Imagine, him pullin' out a chair for the likes o' me. He's a right gentleman, he is," said Just Jan. The idea that someone like him would take notice of her was too much to believe. She paused to watch William order her chocolate ice cream. She turned back to face Lucy and said, "You're such a pretty little thing. Hate to think of that horrible woman hurtin' ya. You take care of yourself, ya' hear me?"
"I appreciate the warning," Lucy said.
"You or Half Feather ever need somethin', you tell Just Jan. I'll help ya, don'cha worry about that. I've become much more 'sponsible now. I been takin' my meds for a year wit'out fail," the old woman said gesturing with her finger in the air.
"I'll remember that, Just Jan." She wondered what required her to take medication and then realized that it was probably a mental disorder. Her heart was breaking thinking about the woman being forced to live on the streets because of a chemical imbalance in her brain.
Linda, an attractive young woman, was a special friend of Patrick. She had a well defined hour glass figure with long shapely legs. Her hazel eyes, flecked with gold, drew attention to her face. Her face with soft features was framed by naturally curly blond hair that gave the impression that she had just come from bed. As far as most men were concerned, she would have been an ideal cheerleader type except for what many thought was one major flaw. She was the least endowed female on the...
Wearing western garb, William sat on a bench soaking up the sun in front of the Morgenstern building housing the Department of Economics within the School of Business. Classes would be starting in three days and the current crop of undergraduates were busy moving into their dorms. He watched the parents and their children wandering around the campus with a frown. The sons and daughters wanted to declare their independence despite fears of the great unknown. The parents wanted to keep their...
"You're lonely." Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, "My girlfriend is hundreds of miles away." "I don't mean that way," Joe said. "What do you mean?" "You don't have any friends. There may be a lot of people around you, but you don't really have any friends." Joe cut a piece out of the steak and put it in his mouth while watching William to judge his reaction. He knew that William was going to be leaving in a week and wondered what was going to happen to his...
William sat back and stared at the stack of papers. He had spent the past four weeks going over the first draft of his dissertation and fixing the small errors that had crept into it. Sections had been changed to be more precise. The language had been improved to be more readable. References had been checked and the original sources double checked for accuracy. This pass through the dissertation was at a less strenuous pace than the first pass. He had worked eighteen to twenty hours a day on...
Representative Sidney Smith walked to his office pleased that he had an entire afternoon without a single appointment. Between public speeches, committee meetings, time spent on the floor of the House of Representatives, and smooching with businessmen for funding, he felt that he never had time to think through the issues. It was his standing order that no appointments were to be scheduled Friday afternoons. That was his time to catch up on the issues of the day. Entering his office, Sidney...
Eddie stood with his legs spread shoulder wide and his fists on his hips. Glaring at the man standing in front of him, he said, "My brother is the smartest person alive." "There are a lot of very smart people in this world, young man," the distinguished looking man said with amusement in his voice. He added, "As Provost of this University, I can tell you that many of them are here on this campus." "I don't care who you are. My brother is the smartest person alive. He's going to win...
While reading her book, Lucy occasionally glanced over at the television to watch the election coverage on the television. It was kind of sad, but the news coverage only addressed a few of the state elections. When they failed to mention the race in Texas, she shook her head and said, "The news services really make me mad." "Why?" William asked moving his book aside to look at Lucy. "They are only covering some of the races we're interested in," Lucy said gesturing over at the...
Responsibility is perhaps one of the most complex words in the English language. Written down on paper, it is fourteen characters long. It is pronounced using six syllables. Whether it is written down or spoken, the word is significantly larger than the average word. Despite that, it is still too short of a word to convey a concept so significant. It is a heavy word; just ask anyone who strives to live up to an unpleasant responsibility. Responsibility can weigh a ton. A responsibility is a...
Doug, sitting in the loveseat sideways with a leg over the armrest, looked up from his book and saw that William had put down the manuscript he had been reading. He asked, "So what do you think?" "I like it," William said nodding his head. "What about my conclusion?" "I think you are right on target. It does seem that a crisis of followership must be a democratic phenomenon," William answered. Doug had concluded after studying several dozen national histories that a loss in...
"That woman is impossible," Forest Shadow declared. "Which woman?" William asked looking up from the journal in which his paper had appeared. In the week that she had been there, Forest Shadow had said that about Lisa, Lucy, Jan, Natalie, and Nicole. He didn't think there was another woman in the house about whom she could complain. "Jan. Can you imagine that she started in on me again about how I treat Lucy? White people just like her were the ones that raped our culture. Why should...
The Denver Aquarium is owned by a restaurant chain. The Carters had reserved the entire place for two parties, one held at lunch time and the other held at dinner time. The lunch time party was to allow employees of the Fusion Foundation, fellow students, and neighbors a chance to interact with the newlyweds. The dinner time party was for executives, business types, and elected officials. Perhaps it was because of the years spent living in the desert, but the entire family looked forward to...
Seated in the student center, William drank a glass of iced tea while waiting for Lucy to get out of her class. She was taking her mid-terms and had been feeling the pressures of late. This afternoon was particularly rough since she had two exams one after the other. He had come along to provide emotional support fully confident that she would ace each exam. An angry young man carrying a tray of food approached the table next to his. The young man threw his tray down on the table and then...
A shiver went through William when he woke in a nice soft bed. The last thing he remembered was lying on the hard ground. Even before he had a chance to open his eyes, he heard Lucy say, "He's waking up." "I'm awake," he said opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was Lucy. She was looking down at him with an expression of concern on her face. She immediately hugged him and then stood back to give him some space. He was comforted by her hug and reached up for her hand. "I was so...
William walked out the front door of his house to await his visitor. His daytime bodyguard, Colt, walked behind him wondering why they had come outside. For all he knew, they had left the house just to stand around all day in the sunshine. His eyes automatically checked the surroundings for any threats. The two men headed over to the driveway with William leading the way. A minute later, a rental car pulled up in the driveway. Colt glared at it as if it were a direct threat. He relaxed when...
Used to being sent to answer the door despite the fact that no one had knocked, Ken headed towards the door as soon as William had told him to answer it. He shook his head in puzzlement the entire trip. Although he knew from experience that there would be a person at the door, he hadn't given up wondering how William did it. Colt looked from William to Ken wondering what was happening since he hadn't heard anyone knock. The door opened to reveal a very tired looking green robed Druid while...
William looked across the table at Patrick and asked, "So how are things going?" "They are going well. Once I got over the initial shock, I found that I can deal with the nudity," Patrick answered although he wasn't going to mention the unease he felt when talking with Lucy. "Good. After two years here you'll be able to handle most things that life throws at you. You'll need that when you become a Chief," William said choosing his words with great care. It was time to plant a seed...
"Congratulations, Dr. Carter," Oliver Brown said with a grin. He was seated in a large chair in one of the emptier rooms of the mansion sipping on an iced tea. He was wearing a pair of silvered sunglasses. Despite years of living with his gift, it still hurt him to be around too many people. William took a seat across from the Grand Druid and said, "Thank you. What are you doing in here?" "I'm hiding from the President of the University. He wants me to send some of our graduating...
Cupping a match in his curled fingers to protect it from a light wind, William lit a cigarette. He shook his hand putting out the match and dropped the extinguished stick into a bucket. Holding up a hand, he said, "The screen door will slam in a minute." Despite the warning, Dale jumped when the screen door slammed shut making a noise like a rifle shot. He said, "I'm glad you warned me." "The cook takes out the trash every night about this time. It used to startle me every time I...
The months passed without much of anything too remarkable occurring. William spent most of his time working with the candidates running for office. Lucy worked on the program trying to find ways to represent the quality of the society graphically. Construction on the facility for holding the computers was progressing nicely. The young couple kept the staff very busy as well. With the ever increasing need for data, Victoria spent nearly every hour of the day searching for new sources of data...
Spreading margarine on the slice of toast with long smooth motions, William was getting ready to enjoy breakfast. Lucy watched him, waiting for him to cut his slice of toast along the diagonal. Rich enough to afford butter, it always amazed her that he actually enjoyed margarine more. William looked up from his toast and winked at her. Rock, the nighttime bodyguard, was watching him with narrowed eyes. The other three bodyguards were seated at the far end of the table eating their eggs....
William stared at Lucy in shock. Unable to believe what he thought he had heard her say, he asked, "Excuse me?" Pointing to the woman at the front of the conference room of the Carter House, Lucy said, "I asked her to remove her clothes." "I thought I misunderstood you," William said. He glanced over at Mary Gold. The woman had her head down and was hiding her mouth behind her hands. The twinkle in her eye suggested that she was trying not to laugh. The twenty-four year old woman...
The Catholic religious wedding ceremony for Cathy Black Thorn and David Light Wind started at noon. It was a traditional Catholic service and lasted for almost an hour before they exchanged their vows. The Catholic priest provided a nice service in which he blessed their marriage. To tell the truth, Lucy had found it rather boring. She also felt that the bride wasn't given the kind of attention that most women sought in the wedding ceremony. At two, the bride and groom met at their future...
"Is it working?" Lucy asked watching the array of monitors at William's desk. Shaking his head, William answered, "I don't know. We've only progressed ten years in the simulation. We've got another ninety to go." "It's been running for twenty hours," Lucy said looking over at the clock. They had started the program the previous day at noon and it was now just a little after eight in the morning. "That's right," William said woodenly. His eyes examined the curves of the...
William shook his head in amazement while going through the stack of papers Barbara had handed him. She had all of their expenditures typed up for the accountant complete with receipts. The confirmations for chartered jets were in a neat little stack. The agenda for the meetings had been typed up with copies for everyone. Looking up at Barbara, he said, "You are amazing. I don't know how you keep up with everything." Upon hearing more praise from William, Barbara squirmed in her chair. It...
William stepped out the front door of the hotel and froze. Rather than facing a run down street in San Diego, he was in a meadow. There in front of him was a contrived scene of life and death. To his right, a man was facing death as a giant wrecking ball swung towards him from behind. To his left, a different man faced an identical death. He shouted, "Duck." Both men stared at William as the wrecking balls swung through them. William stared in horror at the result. Two broken bodies lay on...
The activities being performed by the occupants of the house would never be the subject of a Norman Rockwell type of picture. The scene just wasn't cute enough. Lucy, seated at her desk, was busy writing up her solution to the math problem that William had given her. At his desk, William was busy changing his program for predicting economic and social trends. Over at the dining room table, Jan was writing on a pad of paper; capturing another chapter of her book. At the other end of the...
The gymnasium of the activity center was empty except for a long table at which the tribal elders of all the local tribes were seated. All eyes were watching the door at the far end of the room for their visitor. The tension in the room was high. Most of them expected their visitor to argue with them about their conservative stance and they were not looking forward to it. They were sure that they would lose this argument with this particular visitor. Looking around the room, Robert White...
Talking quietly with each other, Lucy and William waited in the theater for Eddie to arrive. The theater room had four rows of ten seats each facing a large screen. Each chair was large and comfortable with a holder for a soda built into the armrest. Beth had ordered the chairs from a real theater supply company. Like a real movie theater, the floor slanted down towards the front of the room. At the entrance to the room, there was a snack bar complete with a typical theater-style popcorn...
Greetings had been exchanged and the guests shown their rooms in the Carter home. The next order of business was to relax. William stripped off his clothes and headed towards the pool. He jumped in feet first, reveling in the feel of cool water against his bare skin. Lucy and Ann, naked as well, slipped into the pool right behind him. Before they had even moved a dozen feet from the edge, Betsy charged into the poolroom throwing off her clothes even as she ran. Without pause, she jumped into...
William and Ed returned to the hotel refreshed from their little swim at the Mayor's house. William felt confident that another candidate had been found with a good chance of winning. They entered the suite laughing about the mayor's reaction on discovering them swimming in the pool. The laughter turned to surprise when William spotted his mother relaxing in the living room of the suite. She was seated next to Lucy. He said, "Momma Kelly! What are you doing here?" Seeing that William...
Lucy watched the screen through red eyes that saw the world through a blur. She hadn't sleep for the past thirty hours. The programmers were asleep on the floor having exhausted the last of their stamina under the nearly constant pressure from Lucy. Even if she hadn't been so tired, it would have been hard to interpret the results. There were a hundred curves all overlaid one upon another. After running twenty four hours, the model had projected ahead only twelve years. Considering the...
Amused by what he was doing, Derrick led the little horse using the reigns. Lucy was seated on its back holding onto the saddle horn with white knuckles. She was nervous; feeling like the horse was huge and ready to run away at any moment. She looked over at William and, voice tight with tension, said, "I've never ridden a horse before." "You don't say. I would never have guessed," William replied with a grin from atop the horse that Derrick had given him. It was a nice quarter-horse...
"Your mother and I watched your meeting with the White Buffalo on the news. That's how we knew to go to the ranch," said Lucy. "Pardon?" William was not aware that there had been a television camera at the ranch. "Someone filmed the whole thing with their video camera. It was on the television within half an hour of it happening." "So what did you think?" "Strange. It was like you weren't there. Your face was blank. Your voice was strange with an odd echoing quality to it. When...
Following behind Rock and Natalie, Lucy and William entered their home with a sigh of relief. They had both been very busy since their graduation. The summer had started with locating, hiring, and delivering Dante to Harry for the purpose of creating a statue of the elderly Druid. That had been followed by their wedding with a week of parties, their honeymoon, visits to a number of tribal councils, and a few visits to Homeless Hotels around the country. Exhausted, they planned to stay at home...
Ling and Betsy stopped the car at the front gate leading to William's place. Over the past year, the front of the property had changed to where it looked more like the entrance to a military base than a ranch. There was a little guard shack that sat beside a closed metal barrier. Ling's trained eye recognized the retractable barrier was capable of stopping a charging dump truck. Worried about the kind of reception they would receive, Betsy asked, "Are you sure that he'll see us?" "It...
Wearing nothing but a loincloth and a small leather bag around his neck, William walked to the edge of the stream. Once there, he paused and looked down at the ground. At the border between water and land was a stone that caught his attention. Kneeling, he picked it up. The stone was the diameter of a quarter with a thickness of a quarter of an inch. The edges were worn smooth. There was nothing remarkable about the stone except for one feature -- the center of the stone had been worn away...
"Uh oh," William said as he pulled into the driveway. Rock, Colt, Natalie, and Nicole were standing in the driveway with their arms crossed and a frown on their faces. They didn't look too happy to see him. "I forgot about them." He turned off the motor and stepped out of the car. Looking at the four body guards, he asked, "How did you enjoy your vacation?" "You dumped us in the middle of nowhere," Colt said. "Sorry about that," William said. He glanced over at the front door to...
"Do you think I should open a publishing house?" William asked. "No," Linda answered putting the manuscript on the table. She had just finished reading it and had been very impressed. She knew Happy Harry, but not many of the other homeless. She had noticed that the manuscript had Forest Shadow crying like a baby by the time she had finished it. "Okay, so who do we take the manuscript to?" "Al Maloney would probably be the best person. His publishing house has handled a lot of best...
John Carter, William's older brother, squatted down by the campfire and picked up the coffee pot. While pouring a cup, he asked, "So what do you think of Betsy's legal problems?" Shrugging his shoulders, William answered, "I don't know what to think. I keep hoping that the father will drop the charges. It would be a disaster for the prison system if she were to go to jail. The thought of that sends shivers down my spine." John laughed and asked, "What do you think the chances are of...
The last test, marked with an A+, joined the rest of the tests stacked on the left hand corner of William's desk. Looking over at Lucy, he said, "That's the last one." "So how were the grades?" Lucy asked looking up from her work. "Not bad," William answered patting the stack of test papers. The first eight weeks of teaching had been hard on William. He didn't have any real experience of dealing with high school students. Getting his early education at the Druid College had not...
William rushed into the hotel and looked around the lobby. The elevator door opened and Lucy stepped out looking around the lobby. They met halfway with a hug that was just on the tasteful side of being publicly acceptable. William said, "I've missed you." "I missed you," Lucy said burying her face into his chest and enjoying his scent. It felt good to feel his arms around her. "I'm so glad that you could make it here," William said running a hand across her back. It felt so right...
It was the day after Thanksgiving and William sat in his hunting stand watching the area in front of him for an older buck to appear. Several does and a young buck had passed in front of him a little after sunrise, but they were young animals that would strengthen the herd. He was waiting for an older deer to come through. There was a nip of cold in the air that was usual for that time of year. He could actually see his breath. Frost had covered the few grasses that grew along the banks of...
The squick of a white board marker flying across the white board filled the air. William looked up and watched Lucy work through the equations on the board; her hand moving at almost a blur. She stepped back for a second and then dived in for another round of simplifications. Her hips swung from side to side as she worked her magic on the mathematics. With her entire body participating, her long hair started swaying in a most seductive manner. William was entranced. Frowning, Lucy stepped...
Lucy stepped out of the truck and went around to the back to get her suitcase. Before she had a chance to pick it up, Ken had grabbed it while looking at her as if she should have known he'd carry it. The van with Linda and Ed pulled up beside the car. Looking around the parking lot in front of the country hotel, William said, "We'll get checked in and then I need to get on down the road." "Are you sure that you don't want me to come?" "Lucy, I'd love for you to come, but you...
"So you're going to become Dr. Carter?" Eddie asked while watching his brother pack up his books. William looked over at his little brother. The boy was turning into a good looking young man. His short black hair, piercing grey eyes, and subdued Native American features gave him an exotic look. William knew that it wouldn't be long before the girls started following his brother around town. Pulling the roll of tape over the top of the box, he answered, "Yes, if I ever manage to get out...
"Son, you know I have to tell the truth," Ed said looking William in the eye. He had finally caught up with William before his son had entered his office. "Yes, I know that," William said with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked away from his father breaking eye contact. "You know that it isn't always an easy thing for me to do, don't you?" "Yes, I know that." Shaking his head, Ed said, "You can't hide away from the world forever. Your little brother has asked you...
Ken removed his clothes and placed them on the patio table. The past four weeks had wrought major changes in his physique. He had lost fifteen pounds, with even more fat having been turned into muscle. His shirts were too large around the waist and too small at the shoulders. He glanced over at his wife to see how she was reacting to stripping outdoors. Lisa's body was a soft red color, flushed as a result of embarrassment. After a month of morning exercises with William, Ling, and Tim...
"Where's Betsy?" "She's grounded," Eddie answered. He shrugged his shoulders and, looking over at his mother, said, "All she did was have a little swim." "Naked, in a public aquarium, and with sharks," Ling said filling in a few details that Eddie tended to forget. Putting an arm around his little brother, William pulled Eddie against his side and said, "At least she didn't get threatened with a spanking." "True," Eddie said. He was tired and wished that he had been able to...
Seated at his desk, William listened to the sound of a twelve-string guitar emanating from the guest room. He liked the music Greg Banner created. Lucy loved the music and could listen to it all day. Turning to Ken, he snapped his fingers to get the man's attention. Once he was sure that Ken was looking at him, he said, "Doug is here." Ken reached the intercom in time to hear the signal from the guard. Pushing the button, Ken said, "Let Doug in." "Sure," came the answer. It sounded...
William looked up at the stars overhead. The sight of the summer sky was always special to him, particularly on nights without a moon. The stars seemed so low that you could reach out and touch them. Turning to the dark shape seated next to him, he said, "I love looking at the stars out here." "I do too," Eddie said with a smile. In the dark, his white teeth seemed to stand out. William pulled out his pack of cigarettes and took one out. He handed the pack to his brother and said,...
"Vera." "What?" she answered without even looking away from her computer screen. Her fingers did not slow down in the least bit. William frowned at the tone of voice that she used in answering him. It seemed to him as if she was upset about something. Dismissing his concerns, he said, "I need you to research the sex industry." "Excuse me," Vera said drawing out each word twice as long as would be normal. She saved the file she was working on before turning to face William. The...
"You're going to be heading off to college soon," William said looking across the fire at Eddie. He added another small log to the fire and sat back to watch it catch. "I've got another two years of high school," Eddie said poking a stick into the fire and watching the end start to burn. He pulled the stick out of the fire. The weak flame flickered and died. The small glowing bud at the end of the stick slowly faded. "Enjoy them while you can," William said. Everyone was telling...
The students trickled out of the classroom in ones and twos as they finished their final exams. William sat on the floor across from the door watching them leave. Some looked confident, others angry, and a few as if they didn't care how they did in the class. Those who looked blurry-eyed or were sloppily dressed had spent the previous evening cramming in the hopes of learning the material at the last minute. When Lucy stepped out of the class, she rolled her eyes and smiled. Closing the...
Chuckling to himself, William shook his head as elements of the near future resolved themselves in his mind. Ken, seated at the dining room table, looked over at him wondering what he had found so humorous. He was about to ask when William said, "It is time for one of my mothers to make an appearance." Lisa, in the kitchen with Tim, wondered why he hadn't asked her to prepare one of the guestrooms. She came out of the kitchen and looked at William with concern. This was the first that...
The underground bunker for housing the computers had been completed. A work crew sent by Dan Biggerstaff was busy wiring the room to support the network that would tie the computers together. It was a massive job considering that they were linking ten thousand computers together. It was made even more difficult due to the fact that they were physically located on four separate floors. The room was cold. The air conditioner was set up to cool ten thousand machines, but there were only empty...
Head in William's lap, Lucy was busy reading a math book. His hand was busy stroking her arm in an absent minded manner while he was reading his book. Lucy put her book down and said, "She's got a crush on you." Frowning at the sudden introduction of a new topic, William asked, "Who? What?" "I said she has a crush on you." "Oh, that's nice," William said wondering who had the crush on him. He turned the page and continued reading. "You don't know who I'm talking about, do...
Nancy Darnell, Mistress of Ceremonies for the Druids, stood at head of the platform. She had finished explaining the significance of the ceremony that was to take place and now she was waiting for the bride and groom. This was her first wedding ceremony in which none of the individuals involved were a Druid. Oliver had volunteered to perform the ceremony, but she had insisted that she be allowed the honor. It was, after all, her service. A very serene Lucy walked to the platform from the...
Jack sat in his new office unable to believe the difference that twenty four hours made in his life. His office was larger than the room he was renting. The furnishings were much more luxurious. Barbara Gray had told him that it had been the bedroom and exercise room, but they had converted it to his office. He would have been quite happy if they had left the bed in the room, but he wasn't going to tell them that. He got up and made his way to the break room to get a soft drink. That was...