Steve and Chuck Changes and Life AdjustmentsChapter 6
- 1 year ago
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Chuck
I was on my way to Cut Bank, Montana. Way up in northern Montana. My Aunt Etta-Mae had called saying she was in trouble. Lisa had just asked me to tell her what was really happening.
The cabin satellite phone was ringing. Julie went to answer it and looked up at me. I told her I could transfer the call to my headset.
"Johnson."
"Is this Charles Johnson?"
I told the voice, "It is. Most call me Chuck."
"Chuck, you have an aunt named Etta-Mae Johnson, right?"
Being wary I asked, "Who are you and what are you to my aunt?"
"My name is Ralph Davis. I am your aunt's attorney. I called your home in Tampa and was told I could reach you through this number. I'm calling to let you know your aunt may have been murdered this evening. The Sheriff just called me to let me know her home was shot up and that there were bodies in the yard, but Etta was not found. The Sheriff said there was so much blood you couldn't tell what had happened. He was calling me as he knew I was her attorney and to advise me a couple of men from out of town were trying to present him with custody papers for your two nieces and wanted a local judge to probate your aunt's will as they claim you are dead. Since you're her sole heir, you're going to have to prove who you are. A hearing on Etta's will can't be done because we don't know if she's alive or dead. It's suspicious that those men knew of the attack out there while the crime scene was still closed."
Now I was really concerned, afraid I might be too late, "I talked to Aunt Etta a couple of hours ago, and she told me she needed me as soon as I could get there, but told me she could handle the people giving her trouble. I'm on my way right now and should be in Cut Bank by eight, eight-thirty, ah, that will be about six your time."
Ralph Davis said, "The Sheriff is not allowing anyone access to Etta's grandchildren. She brought them into town yesterday for her preacher to watch after them to keep them safe and out of the problem she was having. If whoever it is that is trying to gain custody can get a judge to hear the case, since it involves minors, the hearing could be as early as tomorrow."
"Ralph, do what you can do to stall this. I've called the U.S. Marshal's office in Great Falls, and they will have the resident FBI agent get involved. I'll handle keeping my nieces from some unknown person."
"Chuck, one more thing. There is a group of people called the New Wave Militia up here and they are trying to buy up Etta's land for back taxes. These are very bad people, and if they were the ones who attacked your aunt, she may be dead. Your aunt's property taxes aren't that delinquent, and nobody up here pays them on time. Etta usually pays them just before the new appraisals come out, the same as everyone. I guess we could be putting our property in jeopardy, but that's just the way we do things up here."
I told him, "I'll take care of those as soon as we land. Meet me at the Cut Bank Airport."
When I hung up, I told Lisa to take the controls as I wanted to go to the communications desk and make some more calls.
I was curious to see if anyone was on the patio and if things were happening. Glenda answered the phone. I told her, "Glenda, you're supposed to be in bed. Why are you still up?"
"You know why, Chuck. Steve called up here, and people are going crazy. Hap has a couple dozen men dressed like soldiers carrying rifles and everything. Steve is coming home and has Ben on his way out to the airpark where Hap is heading. Chance has some of those fancy jeeps, what you call Humvees, ready to go somewhere too. What's going on?"
"Glenda, I've mentioned I have a recluse aunt out in Montana. She apparently wasn't too much of a recluse as she has a couple of grandchildren she's raising. I don't know what happened to their parents, who would have been my cousins."
Glenda said, "You have never talked about your family. You should, you know."
"Briefly, Glenda, my father was a Marine in Vietnam, another special operations type similar to Steve and me. Like us, he was medically retired out of the service, having lost most of the toes off his right foot. He did not limp much, but had to use special shoes to work. My mother was born in Louisiana and ran away from some sort of arranged marriage. She wound up in Tampa, working in a biker bar, where she met my father after he was discharged. They lived there for a while, but had to leave when her relatives found them and caused some trouble. They moved back to his hometown and settled down."
"Oh my God!" exclaimed Glenda, "Angel and Davey Johnson. Were they your parents?"
Surprised I answered, "Yes, Angelina and David. Did you know them?"
"They lived next to Abe and Alice for about three months. Then her family showed up, three cousins or brothers were going to kill David and take her home. Your dad put them all in the hospital. A few days later, five more showed up, and it was a shootout, just like Steve and the Barlows. Your folks left after that happened, telling us it was to protect the rest of us. Another group of men showed up later, looking for your mom and dad, but they were met by some gentlemen in dark suits and sunglasses, who told them that it was a bad idea to ask questions about David Johnson, a very, very bad idea. The gentlemen in suits left some cards and asked us to call if anyone came looking. I haven't thought of them in years. For the few months they were here, they were our best friends."
"Glenda, we'll talk more about this another time. Let me call Ben on his cell."
When I reached Ben, I asked, "With the information you carry about me, would you happen to have copies of my birth certificate and DD214? They should be sufficient to prove I am who I claim to be."
Ben said, "Yes, I have certified copies of your personal information in our file. I don't carry exact investment information, only a letter of credit from your bank. What kind of trouble are you in? Steve said your aunt needed you."
"It's a long story, Ben, and we don't have time to go over it. Do you know who is going to fly you out here?"
Ben exclaimed questioning, "Don't you know? The Air Force."
I had to ask, "The Air Force? How did they get involved?"
"Your buddy, Steve, called some big wheel General he knows, and there is what they call a C-5 Galaxy going to pick everyone up in a few minutes and haul us up there." Ben was just as puzzled as I was.
"Okay, Ben, I'm not sure of who all is coming, but that aircraft should be able to handle everyone. I have to make another call. See you in a few hours."
"Wait, Chuck, there's more. Lawton Monroe, the semi-retired federal judge is coming with us. You know him; he was the one who helped when you were locked up down here. Steve called him, and he's going with us to help out. His jurisdiction is anywhere in the U.S. as long as it has to do with a federal problem." After disconnecting from Ben, I thought to myself, wow, a C-5. That is a hell of an aircraft. It is huge and fast. I wonder how Steve managed to get something like that.
I called Nightfox next. I knew he would probably be asleep, but I needed to tell him what was up. He answered, "What took you so long to call me?"
"I love you too, Sam."
"So, what is all this that you're calling the men from Great Falls out and the FBI are interested as well? What the hell are you doing trying to take on the New Wave Militia by yourself?"
"Nightfox, I have never heard of the New Wave Militia until just a few minutes ago. I really don't care who they are, but if they are giving my aunt a problem, I want to talk to them."
Sam said, "Don't go off half-cocked. Those are some real rough people. The agent in charge up there will brief you about them. I was told by the Sheriff up there that they did not find your aunt, so she may be either hiding or a hostage."
"I hope so, Sam, I'm worried."
"Listen, Chuck," Sam said, "You're getting some heavy duty support from your friends, and Steve has called in a favor from the Air Force. I don't know what kind of army Steve has, but he's sending part of it up there. Make sure Steve's men are not targets. Let the law work for you."
"Thanks, Sam, I'll do what's right, or should I say, what's needed."
The next thing Sam said surprised me, "I have the strike team scrambling, and they will be taking off from Andrews in the next half hour. I'm sending them up with some vehicles and plenty of armament. Since this is probably something about the New Wave, I want you to have as much support as needed."
"Thanks again, Sam. That might be overkill, but in this case I welcome overkill."
"Do what's right, Chuck."
The man hung up on me. That must be catchy in DC.
I sat back in my chair and was suddenly tired, very tired. This could be a false alarm or a real cluster fuck. Hopefully, this can be handled intelligently, and hopefully, my aunt is okay. I needed some coffee, so I went back to the cockpit. Julie handed me a cup of coffee as soon as I was seated again. Lisa looked at me funny and said, "Okay, we've heard a little, but tell us what is going on."
I spent a few minutes telling them everything I knew up to this point. I told them of Steve sending Hap and men by military aircraft, with Ben on his way to give legal support. Lisa was happy to know Sam Nightfox was sending more help. We should have felt comfortable, but I was still very anxious.
That's when Julie said, "Tell us about your family. We have time; tell us so we understand."
I told them how my dad had been a Marine and was discharged around Tampa. "He met my mom there and married her. Mom came from a Cajun family that felt as if they owned her and came to Tampa to take her back to the bayou. Dad must have hurt a couple, since they came back with guns. Dad came out ahead again, but decided to move away, back to his hometown."
"Glenda just told me that she, Alice, Abe, and Martin were my folks' best friends when they lived in the same trailer park we live in now."
"As I told you before, I have never met my aunt. I only know from things I heard. My parents seldom spoke of her. I heard stories early on in school. Something about her being pregnant, then there were the stories about her being a witch and hexing someone. Her boyfriend ran off, died, or married someone else, depending on who told the story. I was teased quite a bit about her in the early grades, but around sixth grade, I started to muscle up, and my father began training me in martial arts. I expect that my peers still talked about her, but few did it to my face. As I have told you before, other than music, I was pretty much a loner growing up. Looking back, I'm sure a lot of that relates to the way people viewed my aunt, and in turn, viewed my family."
"My father would occasionally say something about her. My sister evidently looked a lot like her, but my mother always hushed him up, saying something like, 'what is buried should stay buried'. I know he wrote to her every month and received letters back from her. I've sent her Christmas cards and have written several letters to let her know where I was, what I was doing, and my address, in case she wanted to write back."
"I never quite understood why my parents stayed in that town where I grew up. They were treated terribly. When they were killed while I was overseas, I received notice from the Sheriff's Department that my folks were at fault and that all their property was taken in settlement of a lawsuit by the other party. I later got an unsigned letter from someone saying that they had been broadsided by a large truck and knocked into the river. Witnesses had stood on the bank and watched them die."
"Luckily for the town, I was in Iraq, or there would have been a bloodbath. Two days after I was notified of their deaths, I received a letter from my father. In it he told me that the family planned to leave as my sister was going to enroll at USF, and they were moving to Tampa. He wrote and underlined that under no circumstance was I to come back to that town. I would find my family in Tampa. Dad could always calm me down, and I could hear my father's voice coaching me through Tai Chi forms, relaxing me. I could almost hear him tell me to let it go, the time was not now. I had the three of them cremated and the ashes held for me by the military. While I was in rehab, I had them spread at sea off the Florida coast."
Tina said, "Tell us more about your father."
"I guess he looked at lot like me, about 5'10", 160 lbs. He could do anything with his hands. He ran a repair shop and fixed everything. People would bring old toasters, TVs, radios, fans, even cars and trucks. Lawn equipment was big. He did this as cheaply as possible, since most of his customers lived on the edge of poverty. He kept a lot of people in that town going, in spite of how we were treated."
"I remember how knowledgeable he was in the woods. Starting when I was about 4 or 5, he would take me out into the forest and teach me. I think he could communicate with the woods. I watched as he walked into a clearing where there was a mother rabbit and her babies. We sat down and watched while they looked at us and kept munching the clover and grass. He worked hard to teach me, but I was never as good at it. I did learn to feel the forest some, to the point that I could feel animals as they approached, but he seemed to know everything that was going on."
"We would go out every year and kill one deer, usually an older buck. He did that Native American thing where he thanked the deer for its life after killing it. He always split the meat with some older folks down the street. He was, and still is, the best man I have ever known. I know some that come close, but to me, he was the best."
Lisa asked, "And your mother?"
"She was Cajun, small, about 5'1". She had black hair and very dark eyes; her skin was like a Coppertone ad. The thing I remember most was her dancing. She loved to dance. She had many, many records of all types of music; Cajun, blues, country, rock. She would put the music on and get the four of us out in the living room dancing; my mother, father, sister, and me. We would change partners often so we would learn better. I know you've heard from the Fab Five about the night at the Hard Rock; Mom taught me all that. She also encouraged me to play my guitar and the piano, telling me that her family had been musicians for centuries, and that it was in my blood."
Julie softly asked, "Tell us about your sister, Chuck."
"She was so sweet, a younger version of my mother. She was a year younger than me and had the same problems I had with gossip and mean-minded kids. I spent a lot of time protecting her all through school. She was like Mercy and Missy in some ways. She always understood what people were really saying and often predicted things. My father made her keep it in the family, as doing things like that evidently were part of the reason my aunt had left town.
I attended a vocational welding school and planned to play more music in the area. I hated to leave town to join the service, but my father insisted. I had been shot at twice when out hunting, and my father told me to go before something bad happened. He promised me that he had things under control. My sister only had a couple months of school to finish, and then the family was planning to leave."
I realized that tears were running down my face; Tina, Julie, and Lisa were all touching me, trying to comfort me. I had never come to grips with the loss of my family. I had never cried for them before, never really grieved, not even when I had their ashes spread. Now my aunt, my last connection to them, was in trouble and could be lost. The flood gates were open. Lisa and Tina had orchestrated this, but I knew it was important to get this out, to grieve, and to open up about my family; the family that I thought would be waiting for me in Tampa, just like my father wrote me. I would save my aunt and cousins and, if possible, find out who was behind this.
"Did you ever do anything about what happened to your family, Chuck?"
"Not directly, but since I've come into so much money, I've bought as much of the town as has been for sale. I own everything other than personal homes, and I own the mortgages on most of them. I just let them sit; I own them; I own the town and could shut it all down tomorrow if I chose to do so. Actually, it is all owned by ADB Development, Angelina, David, and Bethany. Sarah Perkins, my crazy lady lawyer, did all of the work for me. She knew it was a personal problem I had with the community. I won't shut it down because there are too many innocents involved, many of whom helped us as much as they could back then. I also don't really know who was to blame for what happened. Besides, I am a U.S. Deputy Marshal, I don't do revenge; well, not for revenge's sake. I enforce the law. I will make people uncomfortable, but that is it. I do or rather Sarah, has spies in town and make sure that any corruption is shutdown at once. As it is, the local sheriff is afraid to take a free cup of coffee at the diner. Last time he did, I sent him a note citing state regulations pertaining to public officials taking bribes and the appearance of impropriety. Someday, when the time is right, I will visit, maybe."
I looked at the ladies and said, "One of the things I love about all of you is that you take care of me, not just the sex, but you love and comfort me. I don't tell you often enough, but I am telling you now. I love each and every one of you. You have become my family, not replacing, but standing in for, the one I lost. I know that somewhere my mother, father, and sister look down and smile on the blessings you have brought to my life. I have come back from missions pretty burned out, and you have helped me out of the guilt I feel for what I have to do. You are doing that now, and I thank you for that."
From Limon to Cut Bank is a little over 2900 miles, roughly 5 hours at 600 mph and within the range of the Citation. Unfortunately, the winds were not in our favor so it was necessary to stop for fuel along the way, and Amarillo was the selected place. For the rest of the flight, Lisa and I let each other doze so we would be fresh when we arrived. We switched off every hour, one closing their eyes and snoozing, the other attentive to the aircraft.
As we passed Great Falls, I called the number the attorney had given me to tell him we would be landing in a few minutes. He said he would be right there to meet us. When we landed at an old bomber base, now Cut Bank Municipal, we got off the plane to be met by the Great Falls, Montana, Station Chief Deputy, the FBI Special Agent in Charge, the local Sheriff, and Ralph Davis, my aunt's attorney.
The Deputy stuck out his hand, "I'm Daniel Bryant, Station Chief Deputy, Great Falls – Billings Region, and this is Nancy Martin, FBI Special Agent in Charge also of the Great Falls – Billings Region. Sam Nightfox called me with additional information about what was going on. We have been trying to get a handle on how to bring the New Wave down and are hoping this will be our opening. We know you are here on personal business, but if things go bad, as they tend to do around the New Wave, we will be here to support you. I wish I could promise you National Guard troops, but we are worried about New Wave infiltration. They have been spreading a lot of cash around. The Governor says there is a National Guard MP platoon that just returned from Afghanistan. It is over fifty percent female, but they experienced several heavy firefights doing convoy duty. The New Wave is heavily male dominated, so we can be sure there is minimal, if any, infiltration in that platoon. That would give you roughly forty troops to augment what you can provide. The MPs have 10 Hummers all armed with .50s. They have already been called up for an emergency training exercise and can be here in roughly four hours."
The Sheriff had been telling us everything he knew of Aunt Etta's situation, and had been discussing what was going on for over an hour, when a huge C-5 Galaxy landed. That aircraft is really big, powered by four giant turbines. Its first major operational use had been during the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when it flew two 53 ton tanks at a time from the US to Israel to replace that country's losses during the opening phase of that war. In addition to its huge cargo deck, it has rear-facing passenger seats for 73 troops up in the spine of the aircraft behind the cockpit, way over the cargo deck. Its crews call it FRED, short for Fucking Ridiculous Economic Disaster, but it's been flying for over 40 years and is forecast to keep flying for at least another 20.
When the aircraft parked near the operations building, the rear ramp lowered and people began streaming off. The first person to come down the ramp was Hap. He was accompanied by Ben Phillips and Lawton Monroe, the semi-retired federal judge. The next two people surprised me, Missy and Mercy walked down the ramp and went straight to Tina and Julie for hugs. They stood away from me for the time being as I surveyed what was coming off the aircraft.
I looked at Hap, "How did you get here so fast?"
Hap said, "Steve called and told me to get some men together and to call Ben. Steve said he had a C-130 ready to pick us up at the airpark. Chance had the vehicles there when we arrived, then the C-130 turned into this C-5, so we had enough room for the vehicles too."
"Hap, what did you bring?" I asked as we watched vehicles and men coming from the aircraft.
"I brought twenty-five men; most have Special Forces training, and all have combat experience," Hap enthusiastically answered. "We have six of our new composite armored Hummers with mini-guns, compliments of 'you don't want to know'. Sam Nightfox called and advised me to consider all of the men to have been sworn in as special security Deputies to protect the judge, along with you and Lisa."
That was not enough to present a strong contingent if it became necessary. I turned to the Deputy Marshal Station Chief, "Dan, what can you and Nancy provide?"
"We are relatively small offices; we can only free up three to four people total; our men have minimal combat experience."
I looked at the attorney, Ralph Davis, and the Sheriff. "OK, it is time to ask the Governor to get that MP platoon moving; hopefully we won't need it, but I would rather be safe than sorry."
I smiled at the judge before saying, "Thank you for helping me out again."
"You're welcome, Chuck. I may not be of much help, but I can help Ben and be your local attorney until this becomes a federal case. This may be the most interesting thing I've been involved in since I took Senior Judge status and was able to quit minding a full docket."
I told those gathered, "This is Ralph Davis, Etta-Mae's attorney, and as such, is the attorney of record for my cousins Marion and Virginia Johnson."
Turning to the local attorney, I asked, "Ralph, can you shed any light on what is going on? What is behind all of this?"
Before Ralph could answer, the Sheriff said, "Let's go to Rachel's Diner in town for some breakfast. Her place will hold everyone here, and we can talk there. She runs those crazy New Wave people out of her place, so they won't bother us there. Your vehicles might cause a stir, but so what."
Ralph pointed to a couple of Ford Expeditions and said, "I own one and rented the other for you. We should have enough room for everyone."
Lisa and I put our cases into the Expedition and followed the Sheriff and lawyer into town, while leading the S&S special vehicles. We must have looked almost as scary as the bad news militia.
We drove into Cut Bank to a good sized diner with a large neon sign proclaiming, "Rachel's". The diner has some small tables, but mostly had very large family style tables that people sat at together to have their meals.
When we had coffee in front of us and our orders in, Ralph looked around at everyone and began, "As near as I can tell, there are two forces at work here, and I am not sure if they are working separately or together. They may even be at cross purposes."
"The New Wave has been trying to buy Etta-Mae's land for a couple of years. It is well situated, with a nice valley that runs right up the thirty miles it takes to cross the Canadian border. It is perfect to bring contraband into the U.S or move it into Canada. There is no other good way across, especially in the winter, as the hills are pretty broken up and difficult to get across. They, the New Wave, began threatening her a few months back, but she is, or was, a stubborn lady. Someone, who she thought were the New Wave people, took a couple of shots at her, but she shot back and thought she wounded a couple. It was then that she took the girls down to the boarding school at her church here in Cut Bank, to keep them from being hurt or even worse, killed. They are at the boarding school now, but we can't get in to see them until after the hearing to determine custody tomorrow. After that original shooting incident, the New Wave Militia seemed to go crazy, and near as we can tell, went in and shot the place up, possibly killing her."
"This brings up the other party. There is a man named Gordon Tasker, who is claiming that he should have legal custody of the girls. He says he is a distant relative of some sort. Etta-Mae's will specifically lists you as the girls' guardian, and your relationship to them as a second cousin, is certainly closer than his. He, however, claims that you were killed in Iraq and has a deposition that supports that. We have a hearing at nine in the morning tomorrow. I hope you have plenty of documentation to support your existence."
I pointed at Ben Phillips, "Ben?"
Ben patted his large briefcase, "I brought everything, birth certificate, DD214 (discharge papers), and your parents' birth and death certificates. Along with that, we have testimony from the judge, and affidavits from the Marshal's service, that will attest to the fact that you are alive and are indeed Charles Johnson, son of David and Angelina Johnson."
I addressed the group again, "Well, I don't know why he's doing what he's doing, but I do know that Gordon Tasker was a big wheel where I grew up and was a political opponent of my father. My father was not into politics, but was very vocal in his opinions. Tasker hated him and may be carrying on some kind of personal vendetta. We may need to dig deeper, as the fact that he claims a relationship to the girls, makes me think that there may be some sort of inheritance somewhere. Ben, why not turn your legal bloodhounds loose? Trace our genealogy back, and see if you can find anything, land grants, oil leases, whatever."
I asked the group, "Where is the hearing to be held, and what should be our next moves?"
Ralph Davis, the local attorney, replied, "The hearing is before a local civil child protection judge in Bryantsville. He is honest, but easily intimidated. I have arranged for some State Patrol presence at the hearing. It is nice to have some powerful friends. The fact that S&S employs a significant number of people in the state helps. I've already contacted the judge to have Judge Davis and Mr. Philips admitted to practice in this case in Montana pro hac vice, which is law Latin for, basically, a courtesy admission just for this one case."
I asked Ralph, "I trust you have accommodations for everyone? We need to get a good night's sleep tonight and get ready to make the trip to Bryantsville."
Ralph answered, "I rented all the available rooms at the Gorge Motel and have a warehouse which has been laid out with cots for those in need."
"That's good, Ralph. Does the warehouse have shower facilities for the MP platoon? We need to make sure that group is comfortable and well fed. If necessary, we will put up some screens for privacy, but I'm sure that group is used to more primitive conditions. I want all of us together as much as possible, and I want people on watch the rest of the night."
I turned to the Sheriff, "I'd like to see Aunt Etta's place. Is it far?"
The man said, "Naw, it's only a couple of miles, just north of town. We can be out there in five, ten minutes."
I asked Ralph, "Can you take the Deputy, Agent, Ben, and Judge Lawton, and lead the S&S men to the motel? I want to run out to Aunt Etta's to get a look at her place. It will give me an idea of how she lived." I also asked, "Can you take Ben to the county courthouse to pay my aunt's taxes? Make sure they are recorded today."
My women insisted on accompanying me, so we followed the Sheriff out of town on a meandering country road marked Corrigeaux Road. The terrain was densely forested with pine trees. It looked like most were what I thought were Ponderosa pines. The underbrush was thick in places, but the terrain was very rocky with jutting bluffs and boulders.
When we drove into a meadow with the cabin, you had the feeling that this was home. The place looked as peaceful as you could ever want. The house, or cabin, didn't look that big from the front, but as you curved to the side of it, you could see it was very long, going all the way to a bluff that bordered the back of the building. The front part of the cabin was log, with plaster or concrete filler between the logs. The rear of the building appeared to be of more modern construction.
Steve I was laying on my back, with Gio on my left shoulder and Juanita on my right. I could see the clock on the other side of the room showing that it was right at six AM. We were up later than usual last night. Even after coming to bed, my ladies were more active than usual, but what is normal for these women? Poor Gio, I could tell she wanted to be loved, but all she received was a lot of kisses and hugs. Our baby is more important than sex. The other girls are being almost overly...
Steve I had just discussed the medical laboratory plant with Sue and we agreed that this was an important project. We both wanted to continue to assist Chuck in helping vets any way we could. It was past time to run into work, so I went to see how the company was functioning. A walkthrough of all the shops is always the best way to get a feel for what's going on. I saw Hank in the rear of the motor shop, painting one of Shawna's chopper creations. He was doing it from a chair with his...
Chuck Lisa and I were having fun doing what we liked to do when we were relaxing. We were both sitting on a little raised stage at the bottom of what was like a theater in the round. The platform had a baby grand with a bench and two chairs, with Lisa and me sitting on them. An interesting part of this is that there was absolutely no sound system. If you were looking for un-plugged, this was the ultimate. The acoustics in the theater had been designed so that what was played on the little...
Chuck Morning is always pleasant, but being between two women is even better. We had enjoyed a great evening at Merlin's and I know Mercy had enjoyed herself by working with her dad. Steve and Sue were going to have to convince Merlin to open another place like that in Tampa to get him closer to Missy and Mercy. Wanda, Lisa, and I were at the airport having breakfast by seven fifteen, in the air by seven forty-five, and parking at the private terminal in Reno at eight fifteen. While we...
Chuck A speaker in the room was broadcasting reveille. It had the desired effect, as I swung my foot and stump out of bed. Across from me, Lisa was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. She looked up at me and said, "Old habits are hard to break, aren't they?" Wanda was trying to pull a pillow over her head, but Lisa gave her a shake and said, "You better get up, or you won't get a shower and breakfast." Lisa looked up at me, "Since you're fast, go do your thing, and I'll go next after I...
Steve Mercy was shaking me, "Steve, Steve, wake up. Chuck may need you. I think Maria's in trouble." I sat straight up trying to think why Maria would be in trouble. Oh yeah, she's about to hatch. "What kind of trouble, Mercy, what is it?" Mercy just shook her head, "I don't know, but she just woke Chuck up. He may need us. Let's get over there to make sure they are alright." I began putting some clothes on. Sue, Kathy, Mickey, and Juanita woke, seeing Mercy and me dressing,...
Chuck Waking up in a strange bed, or in this case, on a strange couch is disconcerting. I had to look around to find my leg before going to the bathroom. As I traversed to the toilet, I thought I smelled coffee brewing. When I left the bathroom, I went straight to the kitchen and found Julie and Missy sitting at the big kitchen table with fresh cups in front of them. In a chair across from them was a steaming cup of coffee. Julie smiled, pointed to it, and said, "Good morning,...
Chuck The last baby had been fed her middle of the night feeding, and I was really deep asleep. Lisa was shaking me. When I came out of my fog, I heard her say, "Your cell phone is ringing. Hope that isn't a problem." I got up from bed and hopped into my closet/dressing area to retrieve my phone from the tray I put pocket junk in. "Johnson," "You son of a gun, we did just like you've been doing and let it ride, all of it, we kept letting it ride. Brother Chuck, Tiny and I have hit...
Steve Amazing, one night the little ones don't wake you up, and the next they wake up a couple of times. It wasn't bad either time, as Mickey and Giovanna were quickly up to take care of them. I can't imagine what Chuck is doing with ten of them in his big suite. Chuck has made some very nice plans for us, considering I thought the resort was sold out to other customers. Chuck is sneaky that way. He'll have had this planned for months now, and was able to coordinate holding the Costa...
Steve As soon as I stepped out on the patio, Tiny came in the back door, waving some papers while grinning his conspiratorial grin. I asked, "What are up to, Tiny? What's got you wound up so early?" "I've just heard from another Saudi sheik who is buying a new 737. The man heard we were buyers and called our office. The night customer service people transferred the call to me and we will get the new or rather new/used bird today. The Sheik's agent said we would like the price. I...
Chuck There was a noise in the room. I couldn’t place it right away, but I finally realized it was my cell phone that was still in my pants pocket. I moved over Tiani and Lena and hopped to my pants. I pulled the phone from the pocket, flipped it open, and said, “Johnson.” The voice was very dry, very curt, “We have a job for you. You need to be in DC in four hours.” I said, “Who are you?” The voice once again with a very curt response, “We have a job for you. Get in your plane and get...
Steve On Monday and Tuesday, Sue and I went through our local plants, visiting with the managers and workers, assuring them of what a great job they were doing. A highlight of the visits was my time spent in the recently expanded R&D building. The new guy, Sandy Flowers, had become an integral part of the team there. After setting up software to track testing and modifications, Sandy had begun helping Gerry on one of her quests to create a special polymer composite that would resist...
Chuck When we woke up the next morning, I went up to the galley and made coffee. Up in the main salon, I opened the sliding door to a cacophony of birds in the nearby trees. I watched a turtle run down a log into the water, and even saw a set of eyes back in the mangroves looking for something to eat. Lisa brought me a mug of coffee and we sat out on the deck, looking around at the peaceful setting. A boat would come down or go up the river, but we were fairly obscured and someone would...
Steve I was awake around three in the morning, thinking about Chuck and Lisa. I watched them go through some really deep emotions yesterday. Every person who has gone through combat has experienced it. You hold it in and hold it in, experiencing the flashbacks and reliving the fear and adrenaline boost all over again, time and time again, whether in dreams at night or when something triggers it. Anyone who has every experienced it would have recognized that Chuck and Lisa were sitting on...
Steve It was already six thirty when I looked at the clock. Today was Saturday, but I could hear noises and people moving around in the kitchen. I did my bathroom stuff and walked out to find what looked like most of Chuck's household in the kitchen. Chuck and Lisa were peeling potatoes, some pregnant women were working with dough for some kind of treat, and Gina and Mesa were making some paper thin pancakes and wrapping them around cream cheese and fruit. I wanted to try one right then....
Chuck When I woke up between Nancy and Judy, I was surprised they were still sleeping next to me. The noise that woke me was building in volume. Two of the babies were awake and fussing because they wanted to be fed. As I was preparing to get up, both of the mothers got out of bed, changed the babies, looked around, and found me sitting on the edge of the bed. Nancy said, "We have to use the potty. Can you hold your daughters so we can go?" I just smiled and held the two tiny people in...
Chuck I awoke when the clock clicked over to five thirty. My internal clock was working as always. As I moved from between Lisa and Tina, Tina raised her head, "Do you have to get up so early? I don't have to go in until nine this morning." Lisa also woke up and told her, "The man is flying to his islands this morning with all of the investors and architects. I'm sure he's strung pretty tight this morning." Tina grinned at me and patted the bed, "Lie down here, Lover, and let me...
Chuck When I woke, it took me a second to get my bearings. We had been moving around so much lately it was difficult to remember where I was. The clock said it was only five fifteen, but I was wide awake and needed the bathroom. After the bathroom, I put my peg on and went into the kitchen to heat up some of yesterday's coffee in the microwave. With cup in hand, I walked out to the patio and it seemed as if the studio was calling me. I reached inside the patio door, took the studio keys,...
Chuck Oh my, I was really hurting this morning. I don't remember being hit that hard last night, but Jin must have gotten a couple blows through my defenses. I did use most of my body to counter his attack when I took Chin out of the spar. That's probably why I hurt. This isn't normal; this is the sign of old age or something. I was taught better than this and should be able to overcome simple bruises and minor sprains. As I moved from the bed, Lisa looked at me and smiled. I heard her...
Chuck The household went to the patio for breakfast. That morning, Lisa and I were taking off for the beginning of our tour of offices around the country. Our first stop was going to be in Seattle, an office that is both a regular U.S. Marshal's office, but also houses the Marshal for that area when he isn't in DC to fight for funding. After lots of hugs and kisses, and getting a big sack full of sandwiches from Julie, Lisa and I went home for our suitcases and weapons cases. We have...
Steve After thinking my aunt and cousin in Lakeland would enjoy watching Merlin at Sue's Blues, I went inside to get my cell phone to call the two. When my cousin answered, I happily greeted her, "Hey, Gail, how're you doing? This is Steve, your nearby cousin who never gets to see you." Gail was suspicious. "What did you call for? We don't talk but a couple of times a year. Do you need something?" I laughed. "Actually, I am calling to offer you something. A good friend of mine who...
Steve Breakfast had the usual menagerie of people. I did miss Tiny and Henry, along with Ruth and Nancy. There's something about having your family and close friends around in the morning to get your day started off good. When I spied Wanda and John, I went over to them, "Hey, Wanda, have you heard from Chuck?" Almost sadly, she said, "No, but I did hear that he had some kind of run in with some FBI guys but was instrumental in apprehending some homegrown U.S. terrorists and for...
Steve I went to check on Chuck and found him crashed back by the kids. Bonita had her head in his lap, snoozing too. Trixie and Dixie were sitting with him with their heads on his other thigh, so he was well taken care of for the time being. Back up front, Mercy and Lisa were trying to explain about the women at Chuck's condo and on the new boat down in Costa Rica. I had to ask, "Mercy, how do you know all this. Did Chuck tell you?" Lisa and Mercy looked at each other and said,...
Chuck As I came out of my fog this fine Monday morning, there was pressure on my hips and my ego was feeling pretty good. I lay there thinking Lisa, Julie, Taiying, Sing, or one of the boat or condo girls was getting some early morning pleasure from my now very firm, very excited pleasure injector. Lips touched mine, but I didn’t feel the hips shift forward for the horsey rider to be kissing me and I didn’t feel any breasts on my chest. As the kiss became more insistent I opened my eyes to...
Chuck Tuesday morning was the usual confusion, yet precision, of getting the little ones taken care of and ready to transport to the patio for breakfast. There, Lisa and I had coffee and spoke with everyone for a while. Steve and I gave Billy the go ahead on beginning our machine shop and school. Tiny said he would come up with an accountant to keep the new business on track. I thought my morning was going well until Mark came to me after breakfast and asked, "Can we get together for some...
Steve I was having coffee in my room at the resort. I had the patio doors open, looking out from the ninth floor toward the beautiful lagoon or small harbor in front of the hotel. It was still too early for beach people, but there were workers cleaning the beach. Two tractors were dragging the sand, smoothing it out to make it more appealing to the tourists. In the harbor and at the dock were several large yachts and sailboats. None, however, rivaled the Have Mercy, the Mercy Mercy, or...
Steve I had been told first by Mercy, then by Sue, that all of the women wanted to talk to me. That usually is almost instant death, or maybe it was going to be an execution, mine. At least they had waited for me to finish eating breakfast before the hanging. It was with great apprehension that I was following Sue, Kathy, and Mickey up the stairs, or more appropriately, the broad curved ladder that goes up to the salon. Mercy was at the helm, with Juanita sitting beside her . Juanita...
Steve I was up early, as usual, sitting in the parlor on one of the fixed stools at the bar in the suite. You know how it is; waiting for coffee to brew can seem like an eternity when you don't want to sit there and wait. There was no place else to go and nothing else to do. If I went out to the patio, I would just have to come back in. If I went back into the room, I would probably disturb someone. Wonder why I can never sleep late? Only on rare occasions can I sleep until seven or eight....
Chuck When Sue and Don relieved me at midnight, I went down to the office to check the rings I was going to hand out later that night. I separated eight of the rings, along with the special one I had made up for Lisa. The only difference between the special one and the others was that it had two brilliant blue diamonds on each side of the big diamond while the other rings had two bright red rubies on each side of a big diamond. The bands were wide, much wider than what a normal engagement or...
Chuck I woke up in a sweat. Remembering the night before didn't help with the PTS, with maybe a D on the end. That was close. I wonder why the bomb detonated, did it have a timer? Was there another person with a remote detonator? I doubt I'll ever know. I do know I was grateful to have carried Lisa out of the way. A heavy-breasted person was at my back and it wasn't Frieda as the belly wasn't bulging. That's when I remembered Gina. My, oh my, what do I do after hearing Giovanni's...
Steve Chuck had come out for breakfast this morning to talk to me about something. When we had our coffee and were sitting at the bar away from people, Chuck said, "There's a bunch of things coming together all at once. Magellan called to say the boat's ready to be picked up. I've transferred funds and paid them, so we can bring it up any time." He took a sip of coffee and said, "You want to go to Hawaii for a few days, which at a minimum is a day going and a day returning. I can get...
Chuck It seemed like just a few minutes ago I was totaled, dead tired, completely exhausted. So what the heck, what's the matter? I never have trouble sleeping. I can even sleep soundly on the hot sand snuggled up against a track, like an APC or an Abrams tank. The shade is always good unless it's too close to mid-day. What's in my head now that I'm having trouble sleeping? I looked at the clock to see it was only two o'clock, and I was wide awake, tired but definitely wide awake. Oh...
Steve We had eaten a great supper and were all relaxing on the patio when Wanda came to get me. She asked if we could go somewhere to talk. Not knowing what was up, I took her to Sue's offices in the other end of the trailer from the bedrooms. Wanda and I sat down and she said, "Steve, I don't know what to do. I talked to Chuck this morning and he's been shot. Lisa, Nightfox, and him, were all shot. He says they're not too serious, but I'm not sure about that. When I called our base...
Steve I had just kissed Sue goodbye when she left the airpark to go to work and Chuck was inside the hangar going over evidence. This was going to be a busy day. Turning back to the charter office, I found a new person at the desk. "Hi, Charlotte, I thought Star was working this morning." "No Sir, Star is right seat on the G5 out there leaving in a few minutes. If you need to talk to her, she's probably on the aircraft now." "That's okay, I'm sure she's fine. Do we have the other...
Steve, Sunday mornings are always fun around home. Chuck showed up with his crew, dressed to stimulate as much as my ladies did. As breakfast was eaten, Chuck said, "I want play with the new boat. What do you think, Steve, could we take it out for a while?" People heard Chuck's request and were speaking up, "Yeah, take us out on the new boat." "Let's see if Chuck can captain his new boat." "Come on Steve and Mercy; let's help Chuck check out his boat." Sue rolled her eyes and...
Steve Now that Chuck was back from hiding out in the Gulf, life around home seemed to be getting back to normal. He was busy with a bunch of federal people and his prisoners were all transported to DC where they would be held or given an option to be bailed out. I told Chuck that I didn't care what happened, as long as they left me and my company alone. Tiny told me that a major military supplier was negotiating to have us produce bodies for their equipment. That is what we wanted in the...
Steve Three weeks later Wes was sitting on an overturned bucket, staring at the right wing of the parts that Jeff's team had molded before he had been hired. He had been determined to have this bunch of parts flying within a week or two. No such luck. He kept finding flaws in how the pieces fit together. He kept checking the blueprints that were downloaded from the internet with the finished product, and found the pre-made parts to be exact to the print. The problem was they didn't fit,...
Chuck This party is an amazing testament to all of the girls' ability to organize, plan, and carry through to their objective. There were many people who showed up that I would not have expected. John, the Marshal, and their families came followed shortly by Dewey and his family. I was honored to have him here, as that man has some "cool." I had to ask John and the Marshal, "I thought you two were staying down in Costa Rica?" John answered, "I wanted to surprise you. You know we had...
Steve Last night had been strange. Chuck was in a fight, no that wasn't right. He really didn't have a fight. That monster guy attacked him, and Chuck just tossed him. He did whack the guy in the nose, but it could have been the heel of the hand into the nose, a killing blow. We all learned that one. That wrist thing Chuck did was so quick that it was just something that happened as the big guy went over the top of him. I was sitting drinking that first cup of coffee contemplating what...
As soon as we all made it back to Mac's after the kidnapping, Sue, Mercy, and Kathy cornered me. Sue said, "You shouldn't have been involved in that. You are the father to a bunch of kids with another on the way. What in the world were you thinking?" Before I could answer, Mercy said, "I know you felt you had to help Chuck, and we all love him, but you have to be careful, Steve. We need you, we don't need you hurt." Kathy actually defended me, "Steve is a man. He has to defend his...
Steve I woke up several times during the night, hearing things that were normal sounds. Sure wish Chuck had stayed, I would have felt a lot more secure. Funny how a guy like that can make you feel safe. He's just a guy, a one- legged guy with a crooked smile, who is as friendly as a kitten. He can be vicious when he's on the job though. Drinking coffee at 5:55 in the morning is a good way to enjoy the day. I called down to the gate guard to see how everything was going and he said that...
Steve (Tuesday) Mercy and I were in the restaurant early, having coffee, when a couple of salt and pepper guys came in. I stood and both came toward me with their hands stuck out to shake. They sat with us and were brought coffee. Bud Anderson, said, "I've been working on this case for a year and thought we had most of it put to bed. There must be more to it, as you've turned up a significant group here in Nevada." Jim said, "Chuck split me off as his backup a while back to work with...
Chuck Lisa and I landed in Key West for customs and immigration inspection on the way home. Julie asked about shopping the beach stores, but Lisa said we should pass on that and get home. Giovanni and Mesa didn't care one way or the other as they had never experienced the wild frenzy of Key West shops. Upon arriving in the airpark traffic pattern, I thought it was unusual for no one to be manning the radios. The ILS was up, but I was a little concerned that no one responded to my...
Chuck A few days later, we were passing Gibraltar. Everyone on board was out on deck to view the sight that was so familiar from the kids' geography books, the thick yellow National Geographic magazine pictorials, and advertising. The iconic view we all remember from the Prudential Insurance ads, though, is visible only from one angle, on the Mediterranean side of the Rock. Fortunately, our course kept that view in sight for quite a while. Gibraltar looks unrecognizably different from...
Steve As I passed through the galley, I was confronted by Glenda, still in her robe. I asked, "Are you going to stay in today?" Glenda said, "I think Martin and I have been overdoing it. The scooter thing we did yesterday helped, but we were both so tired last night that we thought we should stay home and rest a little. I can spend the day doing some dusting, and I need to wash some clothes for my man. The two of us could use the rest. I thought I might give home a call this afternoon to...
Chuck I woke being hugged between Julie and Brandy. The two were really hanging on, but I needed to offload pretty soon. Sliding from the grasp of the two women, I saw that Lisa was sleeping with her head on Gina's cushions. I was going to go back to bed after using the head, but saw it was five fifty already and we were going to shove off early this morning. Instead of going back to bed, I hopped back to the head, showered, shaved, and quickly dressed to go see if anyone else was up. The...
Chuck Life was settling down all around. I was just doing the usual office work with no flying everywhere on an almost daily basis for a change. John Scott seemed to have settled down in DC and was enjoying his job again. I had the flying lessons and was checked out in the new Citation X but had no reason to go anywhere. The charter company used it once for a quick trip to San Diego and back, but Lisa took that one. She said it was great to have an aircraft that could fly that far, that...
Steve Oh, what a night! My lovely ladies must have thought I needed the attention as they were absolutely on fire. I think they were trying to help me set a record as they all had some of my loving and started over again. The surprise among the players was a sneaky person, as all of a sudden, when Mercy fell to the side, two large bazooms were in my face and they did not belong to Sue. Sue's mother was sitting on my pride and joy, smiling down at me. She said, "Oh, Steve, this feels so...
Chuck How can that be? My cell phone is ringing. I don't remember leaving it on. Jesus, who could be calling at, I lifted my head to see it was six thirty? I was on the outside of the pile of female flesh, so I was able to get up and hop to the table where my pocket stuff and cell phone was. "Hello." A sort of familiar voice said, "Hey, Chuck, how're you and that sweet Lisa doing?" Trying to figure out who this was I said, "We're all fine, ah, who is this?" "Hey man, this is...
Chuck Sunday mornings are fun out at the park. The women wear near nothing, driving us men crazy. I anticipated a good time. When I woke and began my exercises, John joined me on a treadmill, followed by some weights. He said, "It sure would be nice to have you close by. We could workout together. It's a lot more fun to do this stuff when you have a buddy." About that time, Lisa, Brandy, and Tiani came in and began using the other treadmill and the stationary bikes. Little Tiani said,...
Chuck Sunday Waking up in a strange place is always weird, but this is too much. I'm hugging someone different, my hand is around a soft full breast, and if what I feel is real, I'm balls deep in a very juicy unfamiliar pussy that is sliding slowly back and forth. I can feel breath on my shoulder and hear Lisa breathing. She has a little catch to her breathing when she is sleeping and when she's excited. But her hand is holding and squeezing my balls so she is probably not...
Steve We picked up a nice wind the first day out. There was a low pressure area stalled to the northeast of us, providing us with an almost direct stiff wind from the south-southeast. If we can keep this up, we'll be home in four days easy. Chuck had the helm this morning and seemed to be contemplative about going home. I went up and handed him a fresh mug of coffee. "What's on your mind, Guy, anything to worry about?" Chuck smiled and said, "I love being out on the water, but I...
Steve It was after seven when I woke up to an empty bed. I was still sleepy, but got up to at least start the day with everyone. When I sat down and joined the regulars with a cup of coffee, Sue came over and kissed me good morning, "Morning, Sleepyhead. I know you didn't get back until after four, but it's unusual for you to sleep late." "If there was not so much to do today, I would just go back to sleep for a while," I said, looking around while hugging my wonderful wife. "I see...
Steve Perhaps things are getting back to normal, or for what may pass as normal lately, and that has been near chaos. Everyone at the shop that had some activity to report visited with me, until Ruth looked in on me and said, "Its lunch time, and Sue has called to make sure you come home. DeDe said you are scheduled for a flying lesson this afternoon too. What's that about? I thought you could fly already." "I can, Ruth, but I need to be checked out in the new aircraft, and I have to...
Steve I feel as if everything is going faster. Time was rushing by the closer it comes to the time for us to sail. When I woke up Monday morning, I felt a sense of urgency to get up, do something, prepare for something, to take care of last minute anything. Mercy hugged me and whispered, "Relax, everything is taken care of. You have wonderful people who will take care of everything while you're gone. They can call you anytime, and can even e-mail you with pictures or other information, if...
Steve I had slipped out of bed while the girls were all sleeping soundly. Sue raised her head, smiled at me, looked at the clock, and lay her head back down. While I was taking a quick shower, Kathy joined me and was very amorous this morning. It wasn't long before the shower degenerated into doing her while she leaned against the wall. When we both successfully and enjoyably completed our coupling, we clung to each other as the water rained on us. Kathy said, "This is nice. Sometimes I...
Steve Monday mornings are always fun. Everyone is getting started on a new week, with new energy, new ideas, and new motivation. My first task was to return a stack of non-urgent calls that had come in the previous Friday. The first was that the St. Louis cart plant was concerned their production was not keeping up with orders. The easy solution was to ship the extra production from Florida since the local plant was working at less than sixty percent capacity. I think the St. Louis plant...
Chuck For me to not sleep well means there is a crisis. I guess there were many crises going on. It was just after five, but I was wide awake, so I slipped from bed, used the bathroom, mounted my peg and went outside to relax by forming for a few minutes. I was concerned about getting the cash and gold down to Ben in Costa Rica. If I could get out of here with all of it, I could leave here and fly direct. I might have to pull some tricks in Costa Rica to get the stuff to a bank, but I...