Shamus JournalsChapter 2
- 2 years ago
- 24
- 0
We all got loaded up in the Bradleys and left the truck at home. Jimmy was having a ball and he and Sandra were talking a mile a minute as we pulled out. We went down my drive and made the turn to go to Mark's house. The whole time I was thinking about what I was going to say to Tran and the girls. When we pulled into his drive the big gate was open. As I looked out the windshield I saw a man in the tree line. Now who the hell could that be I wondered and immediately the hair went up on the back of my neck.
"Butter, put your men on alert and have the second Bradley cover the back. I don't know what's going on but I just saw a man in the tree line that shouldn't be there. There is one Chinese woman and two small girls that belong here so anyone else is to be considered the enemy until I find out different."
He looked at me all of a half second then started giving orders through his ear bud. The second Bradley went around us and headed for the rear of the house. The men were taking down sixteens and putting on vests as we went up the driveway.
"Jimmy, you and Sandra stay inside the Bradley until I call you. There are strangers here and until we find out who they are, both of you stay put."
Butter gave me an extra ear bud and I got it clipped to my belt as we pulled up in front of the house. He gave me a quick tutorial on its workings as I climbed out the rear of the Bradley with him behind me. The others with us went behind it out of sight for right now. I walked up to the porch and knocked. There was no answer and I looked in the window and could see the girls and Tran sitting on the couch through the mirror in the hall. The girls looked scared and Tran just looked worn out. She had black circles under her eyes and really looked frail from what I could see.
"We have unfriendlies in the house and probably outside. Take them out quietly if possible but under no circumstances take any chances. They will be armed and ready so use your own discretion, men."
I watched through the mirror but could only see the three of them sitting on the couch. I knew there had to be one or more unfriendlies in the room with them or they would have come to the door. What the hell was going on here? With the death of the attorney and his client there should be no one looking for us and why would they hold Mark's family hostage? I turned to Butter and leaned over to him.
"This is now your operation Butter. Do what you need to but make sure neither the girls nor Tran is injured when you take these bastards out. I will go back to the Bradley until you give the all clear."
He just nodded his head in the affirmative and started giving orders to his men. I went back down the steps, sweating like it was a hundred degrees. I wanted so badly to break in and shoot these bastards but I knew Butter and his men were better trained than I was for this type of thing. Dammit anyhow, I thought, as I leaned against the side of the Bradley and listened to the men conversing back and forth. They had already taken down three outside guards and one was dead because he put up a fight. "Who the hell are these people and why were they here?" I was thinking as I heard a flash bang go off. It was all I could do to hold myself in place and not break through the front door. I waited for what seemed like an hour but it was only about ten minutes before I got the all clear from Butter. I saw the front door open and he was just standing there as I ran up the steps and into the front room. They were all still sitting on the couch. Tran was crying into her hands and the girls just looked scared to death. When they saw me, they came running to me and I went down to both knees pulling them to me. They were crying and telling me they had missed me and asking why I hadn't come to get them sooner.
"I'm here now girls and I am so sorry I was so late getting here. Sandra and Jimmy are out front in the truck. They are waiting to see you both."
I told the driver they were coming out and to let them in the truck with my granddaughter. They went running out with two of the team right behind them. I got off my knees and went to Tran and didn't say a word just took her in my arms.
"Are you ok Tran? You're not hurt are you?"
"Oh Harry, where have you been? We were scared to death when these punks showed up yesterday. They said you had sent them but I knew better than that because they all had foreign accents. Oh Harry, please don't cut me off from the girls, I beg you. I love them so much and I feel like they are my own."
"Calm down Tran, I will never cut you off from the girls. You are as much a part of their lives as I am. They love you too, almost as much as I love you."
She leaned back and looked at me in shock and just stared at me.
"If you ever slap me again, I will turn you over my knee and paddle your ass."
She smiled and hugged me tight, just holding me. I looked up and Butter had a big smile on his face. I finally got myself untangled from her and stood up.
"Butter, take the live ones into custody because they are foreign nationals. I want them taken to the nearest Armed Force's lockup until they can be interrogated by someone who knows what they are doing. With my temper running like it is right now, I don't think I better get near any of them. The State Police are on their way and I will run interference with them with my ID about you taking the prisoners. They can't overrule me as it is a matter of National Security now. Load the prisoners under guard in to the empty Bradley and don't let anybody but your people near them."
"Ok Harry, we have four that gave up and two that died when they tried to fight my team. "Who are these people Harry? They all have Russian accents and are refusing to speak any English. What the hell did we stumble into?"
"Tran, were they looking for Mark or me?"
"They wanted Mark and they wouldn't believe he was dead, Harry. They said he had something that belonged to them but wouldn't talk to me about it. Harry, can we please go to your place now? I want to get the girls out of here before State Police question them and they have to relive all of this again. Our suitcases are all packed and sitting over there."
I got on the radio and had the driver send Jimmy in to me so he could carry the stuff to the Bradley. He came in and one of the team was with him. When I told him what I needed, he grabbed a load of the suitcases for the first trip. He made three trips before he had all of them out of the house. Tran went out on the last trip following Jimmy. Butter told two of his men to take Tran, Jimmy and the girls to my house and stay with them until relieved. I got on the phone and called the Director, bringing him up to date and whom I thought we had in custody. He asked to speak to Butter and whatever he said brought a smile to his face. I heard the sirens long before they came into the driveway. The first one in the door was Butch wearing Captain's Bars on his shoulder tabs.
"Harry, damn it's good to see you. Where you been Commander? What have you got for me this time?"
Butter gave me an odd look and then smiled when I caught him. I went on to tell Butch what had happened and how his men were to handle it. I told him we had two dead and to call for his Coroner to handle the bodies. He asked about prisoners and I told him they were to be in Federal custody. He started to object until I handed him my ID. He looked at it with surprise and didn't ask again about the prisoners. I told him to have his people keep any news hounds at the end of the driveway and if they snuck in to arrest them immediately. He busted up laughing saying that this was just like old times. He got on the horn and made his calls, and then got his men spread out over the grounds to make sure nothing was touched until his lab people could get there. Butter was leaning against the wall smiling at me giving orders. I walked over next to him and leaned on the wall.
"Ok Butter, what's so damned funny?"
"I was just thinking about what you said earlier about officers. You know for someone who hates them so bad seems to me that's what you are here. I have heard you called sheriff and commander. Just how damn many commissions do you have anyway?"
"Butter, just do me a favor and shut up, will you?"
He and the other team member standing next to him lost it. They evidently thought the whole thing was funny. I heard a chopper coming in and it landed in the big meadow in the front of the house. A Colonel came in asking for me. Butter just pointed his finger at me. I noticed it was his middle finger and I gave him a dirty look. He just laughed at me as I became the center of attention again.
"I'm Colonel Phillips, head of Military Police at Nellis. The Director of Homeland Security called me to pick up some foreign nationals you are holding under the Patriot act. I'm supposed to transport them to Nellis until someone from your Department comes in to interrogate them. I was told to clear it with you and a Lt. Spears of SEAL Team Three. The team is to provide security to Nellis. I was ordered to tell you this by the Director. He said if you wanted to double check you could call him as he is en route to Nellis as we speak. Would you mind telling me what's going on?"
"I will let Lt. Spears fill you in Colonel as you fly back. His men have the prisoners in the Bradley at the rear of the house. As of right now I am out of this. LT, it's all yours now. Do your thing. I will let your men at my place know what's going on."
"Harry, tell them to load up and go back to Reno and wait on me there. I shouldn't be too long. We will all be seeing you in a week or so and I will fill you in on what happened. Come on Colonel, let's get them loaded and get out of this madhouse."
He got on his radio and had the Bradley pull to the front and assigned several of his team to load the prisoners on the helicopter. He gave orders that they were to have their feet tied after they got them aboard. I watched as he and the Colonel left. Within a few minutes I heard the chopper lift off and fade into the distance. The Bradley driver came back in and reported to me saying he was to stick with me until he got me home with my family.
"Harry, those men were all ex-spetsnaz troops. Every one of them had their unit tattoo on their arms. What's surprising to me is none of our team was injured taking them out. If it hadn't been for your warning it might have turned out different. How did you know they were there?"
"I saw one in the tree line briefly and I knew there were no men supposed to be here, just Tran and the girls. Then the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I knew something wasn't right. They weren't looking for me but for Mark and he has been dead for almost a week. That tells me they been out of touch with their contact for a while. A couple of months ago we confiscated enough foreign weapons to supply a small army. Mark was the sheriff at the time so I figure they thought he had the weapons stored somewhere locally. BATF took them out of the area they same day they were found to I don't know where. They probably figured if they held his family hostage he would give them back. Now you know as much as I do about the whole thing."
"I heard about that Harry. If I remember correctly, they were part of a shipment stolen from Customs in Miami several months ago."
"Yep, the very same ones. We never did figure out how they got clear out here. There was no paperwork on who owned or transported them. The old sheriff here was running some kind of clearing house for people and guns."
Butch came in saying they were done here and both bodies and three cars had been towed to the impound yard. He said they put Tran's VW in the barn and locked it up. I told him to go ahead and clear his men but leave one on the gate for now until after I left and could set the alarms and close the gate behind me. He smiled and went out saying it was good to see me again and he looked forward to working with me. I got on the phone and called my house and got the alarm codes from Tran for the house and how to close the main gate. I got the house alarm set and we climbed into the Bradley and went down the driveway to the front gate where I punched the numbers into the pad to close it and set that alarm. I dismissed the Trooper after the gate closed and we headed back to my cabin. This had been a hell of a first day home was all I could think as we went up the drive to my place. When we pulled up in front of the house, everyone was sitting on the porch eating from paper plates. The rest of the team was spread out eating but had all corners covered. We got out and I was mobbed by the girls with them sobbing on my shoulders. I had no idea what to say to them so I just let them cry. I figured this would do them more good than my talking. They finally quieted down and went back to their food, not letting me out of their sight. I noticed that Tran was as bad as they were as she watched every move I was making. I knew I was going to have to sit down with her and have a serious talk but I had no idea what I was going to say to her. I finally got all them settled in and dismissed the SEAL team to go back to Reno. I made all the girls go in the house and I set the perimeter alarms and cameras to audible. We all sat down in the front room and let the girls just talk. I answered all their questions as well as I could. Within a short time they were yawning so I sent them to brush their teeth saying I would be up in a few minutes to tuck them in. Sandra smiled at me and said Jimmy could sleep in one of the spare rooms. She told him to come with her and she would show him where he was to sleep. I waited a few minutes and went up and tucked the girls in and gave them hugs and kisses goodnight. I went to Sandra and she was already in bed waiting on me.
"Grandpa, I am so happy they are all ok. When you said there were strange men there I thought something had happened to them. Starting tomorrow Jimmy and I will help them to feel at home here. We will help them unpack and make sure they are all ok. I love you grandpa. 'Night."
I just smiled at her with tears in my eyes and gave her a big hug and kiss and went back downstairs for a talk I knew I wasn't going to like. I had surprised myself when I told Tran I loved her but even with my hard headedness I knew inside it was true. She had never been far from my thoughts the whole time we had been gone. I didn't understand it but I knew I felt this way for some strange reason.
I woke the next morning in the chair still gripping the beer bottle in my hand. The sun was barely up but I was wide awake. I set the coffee to brewing and went to the shower, and then I grabbed a shave. I almost passed on doing it 'till I remembered the lunch meeting I had today. I went to the kitchen and marveled about how silent the house was, because I could see all kinds of birds in the trees and even a few crows on the ground in front of the cabin. Man this was great, no crow opera in...
I sat in the captain's office for almost fifteen minutes before Sergeant Chapel showed up to get his keys and when he did, his attitude immediately pissed me off. "I am looking for the ass who ran my relief from the cage and took the keys." "That would be me and if you value your job you better tone it down and do it fast. From now on, you don't leave the cage unless you have a relief and the relief is a deputy. If that don't suit you, then tender your resignation. The attitude will...
I had gotten almost to the garage when I remembered that my unit had no call sign, and I had forgotten to tell Andy how many keys I wanted for each lock change. I did a U-turn and headed back to the department. I came through the front door and there was not a soul in sight. I heard the sound of raised voices coming from Andy's office and headed that way. The sight that greeted my eyes was an impromptu meeting of about all the civilian employees with a few uniforms mixed in. I listened in...
I was headed to Mick's house and listening to the patrol radio and it was dead. There was no traffic to speak of and I wondered how many of the deputies were patrolling, and how many were shooting the breeze at some store or snoozing. It didn't take me long to get to Mick's house and to my surprise it was a small cottage surrounded by flowerbeds. I got out and walked up to the door and knocked loudly. It was answered by a gray-haired lady and she greeted me by name and asked me to come...
I was making good headway with all the junk in the desk and most of it was junk. I found a new NRC code book and set it aside to read and memorize. I also found a little notebook that listed all the payments received from the businesses in town. Thumbing through it, I found the gun shop payoffs and I had to admit they were quite substantial. I set it aside and finished out the cubbyholes in the right side and started on the left. I remembered the cabin and decided to call Shorty and see if he...
When the guys went out, I sat back to think for a little bit. I was realistic and knew I had seventy two hours at the most before I would find out if I was going to be hassled by any of the names on the list in the books. I was going to Reno tonight and make some copies and send the original copy to Floyd and tell him to cover my ass from his end. He was connected and high in the family and a good friend. I had other dealings with him and he always covered me ten ways from Sunday. I knew he...
"Hey Harry, you daydreaming or something? Did you find out if there were any prints on that stuff?" "Yea Shorty, I did and your not gonna believe whose they are. I find it hard to believe that they would have the gall to even attempt it, let alone act on it. The first recorder I found had Pinky's fingerprints on it. The one you found had the intake clerk's prints all over it. I think we better call Andy in with the prosecutor then we will all meet with Pinky and see why he did this....
We made it back to the station and I quickly ducked into my office, hoping I wouldn't hear more about my love life and Tran. I had just got settled in the chair when Shorty came in with one of the Lieutenants on the list and told him why we were letting him go. He didn't seem upset and explained that he had been expecting it with the new leadership. He was pleasant about it and wanted to know if we would give him a good report when he applied to one of the casinos. I told him I would and...
We went back out into the showroom and the clerk was still on the floor with the young deputy standing over him. "Grab your partner and book him for assault on an officer. Have them hold him for seventy two hours for investigation. Then come back to the station and see me or Shorty for a special assignment. Bring your partner with you." "Yes sir, sheriff!" He yanked the clerk up with little effort and marched him out the front door. I saw him speaking into his radio as he went out. We...
The more I thought about the bust tonight the more little details came to mind that I hadn't discussed with the men. I decided I would call them all in and have an operations meeting before we started. I knew we all had cars and all but two were unmarked. I had to make sure we all had walkies and that they were charged. Mine was sitting on the charger so I knew it was charged. Since Jim and Jerry were new to this type of detail, I wanted them to be in the least danger if it went south on...
I just about had all the notes together for the meeting tonight when my phone rang and I about jumped out of my chair. I picked it and it was Sergeant Abrams on the other end. "Sheriff, I just checked my answering machine and there were several messages on it to call you. Have I done something wrong or did I screw up that murder somehow?" "No, Abrams, you haven't screwed up or anything like that. I wanted to know if you wanted some overtime and to help work on a special operation...
I got the milling troopers attention, and asked if their supervisor was there yet? I was told he was on his way and would be there in a few minutes. I watched as still another State Trooper unit pulled up and it was a Sergeant who got out of the car. I called him to the side to speak in private. "Trooper get most of these men of yours out of here. They are tramping over my crime scene and interfering in my investigation." "Now look sheriff, I think this should be a combined bust and...
I took a shower in the bath off of the bedroom and to my surprise, found a cupboard full of towels and other stuff. I found new razors and shave cream, and toothbrushes still in their original packages. I felt like a new man by the time I was finished. I went back out to my office and all the men were already gathered waiting on me. I noticed that Kit's boy was there and was joking with Beau and Shorty. He was built like a football player and sure looked older than his thirteen years. I sat...
Shorty spoke up and ended my thought process. "Harry, this stuff is so far beyond us I hate to think about it. I know a lot of the names on this list, and let me tell you, they will do anything to keep this from coming out for public consumption. I think we need to get that smart ass FBI agent back here with his team and turn it all over to him." "I am going to call my friend in Homeland Security and see if he can't get that ATF team in here tonight. Let me get on the phone with him...
I followed the guys out and watched as they put the mines in the trunk of the car. I told Bob to drive them back to the department and then to take time to eat before coming back. I had to wait for the team to move the bodies and for the refrigerated truck. I was hoping against hope there was maybe only a couple of bodies in the house but I guess deep inside I knew I would be wrong. I had smelled that type of decay before and this was stronger than I had ever smelled. I knew that there would...
I sat until the girl's movie went off and they came out to get me to help tuck them in bed. I made a big production out of it as I always did. I went back to the kitchen and set the coffee pot up for the morning. I remembered my favorite go cup was still in my unit and went to get it. I found it on the floor with a bullet hole through the center of it. To say it was ruined would be an understatement. Now that pissed me of because I had used it for years and it was the only one I had ever...
We went back to the station and I called all the remaining men into the office. I closed the door and told Shorty and Beau to check the office. They started checking and when Bob saw what they were doing he told them to leave it to him. He dug into the bag at his feet and pulled out a small box which he flipped the switch on and it started beeping. I recognized it immediately as a modern sniffer and knew it had only been out for federal use for a year. I watched as he went around the office...
I woke up and there was a beautiful oriental woman sitting in the chair next to my bed. Damn, it was Tran. What the hell was she doing here and in my room? When she saw my eyes open she ran out of the room. I looked around and realized I was in a hospital. Damn but my head hurt. Within a few minutes, two little girls came running in and climbed into my bed with me, and I got all kinds of hugs and kisses from them. Now this was the kind of healing I could get used to. "Uncle Harry, you look...
I sat and sipped my coffee with Tran and the young deputy. She was laughing and kidding around with him as we sat in the lobby. I finally decided I was tired enough to go back to my room and lay down. We all three walked back and the deputy took his station outside of the door and I crawled back into bed. That little bit of exercise had taken more out of me than I ever thought it would have. I was almost asleep when Tran kissed me goodnight. I remember smiling but nothing after that. I woke...
Tran came in wearing jeans and a sweat shirt. She was carrying a small bag and had a paper bag from the drug store. She handed me an ibuprofen and refilled my coffee cup so I could have fresh hot coffee. I had to admit, being home I felt a lot better and my head wasn't hurting. Mark came back in and sat down, sipping his coffee. You would think we were at a wake the way they both were looking at me. "All right you two. What's up?" Mark laughed and looked at Tran and she nodded her head...
"Technically I am not allowed to let you go to work, but since you have all the other commissions and your federal carry permit, I don't see the harm in letting you nose around a little to see what you can find out." "I want to pick up my marked unit from the motor pool and I want someone to call State and find out where the hell is my M-16 they were supposed to return to me two months ago. In one of the units is some chain and locks for my gates and extra mags for my 16. I don't...
I decided I would call Tran from the cabin and explain why I wasn't coming over. I had a few hours of daylight left and I wanted to get the chains on the gates and put the signs up that I had ordered. I got her on the phone and she sounded like she was out of breath. When I asked her about it she informed me she was playing twister with the girls and losing badly. I had to laugh at the picture of a grown woman of our age trying to get into some of the different positions required for the...
I watched as the Trooper pulled up next to Mark's unit and shut it off. I saw who it was immediately and wondered what he wanted. He nodded at Mark, looked at the girls and came straight to me. "Hey Harry. I see you're back at it again. Can't you ever stay out of trouble or at least till your healed?" "What are you doing here? I hadn't heard the State was called in on this." He looked at me and busted up laughing. I just looked at him like he was nuts. "You really don't know do...
I was sitting drinking my first cup when it hit me. I hadn't called Tran to see if she liked the little car. If for some reason Doris hadn't delivered it, I was going to give the whole surprise away. I decided I would wait till I got done with the governor's big press conference. I got my go cup and locked the cabin, set the alarm, and cranked my unit. Yes, I checked it first, and since I had the other problem, Doris had made a few changes to protect me from it happening again. I turned...
I went down in the hole one step at a time, shining the light ahead of me as I went. I noticed dust along the sides of the ramp and grabbed a handful as I went. I was walking and throwing it ahead of me as I walked. I wasn't taking any chances of there being a floor ankle height laser system. If there was, the dust would show it and keep me from breaking the light. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble setting this all up. The ramp had a slight curve to it and came out in the middle of a huge...
I walked back outside and Bob was sitting on a milk carton, holding his head in his hands. I didn't say anything to him, just headed out front to see who else had showed up. Beau was sitting on a chair blocking the doorway as I came up behind him. "Harry, there have to be about thirty feds from a half a dozen departments out there and they all want in. I sure don't envy you your job today. Mark told them all that you were running the investigation and they would have to talk to you. Have...
We made it out of the cave ok, but I noticed that Bob was still talking on his cell to someone. I followed Preacher out the front door. I handed the blocks of explosive off to one of his men, and went to my unit. I immediately locked the folder and book up in the lockbox in the back of my unit. I went over to Mark and the man standing beside him and introduced myself. "I am Steve Johnson from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. From what the sheriff has told me you are in charge...
I went back out to the main part of the casino and into the office to give Butch his gun back. I noticed that there was a Coroner there with him. I handed him back his gun and arched my eyes at him in question. "This is the State Coroner, Harry. Since Porter County doesn't have one assigned yet I called ours in. I will make sure your Glock is returned to you personally. I think we have destroyed one too many of your guns. As soon as the Coroner is done, you're back in business. We turned...
Before we got back to the casino, I turned in the seat and told Butch what I wanted him to do in relation to the illegals. "Butch, I am turning over the search operation to you to run. I want that warehouse found and help given to those poor women and girls. If anyone gives you any shit, call me on my cell and if you need warrants then you will have them. I will put the prosecutor on notice and he will be ready for your call. I have the bus filled with bottles of water coming and if you...
I was still thinking about all that went on in the Chief's office as I drove back to Porter. I went directly to the motor pool to pick up my unit. I parked my Jeep in front again and went inside. Several of the mechanics waved as I walked through the shop. I went up the steps and went into the office, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down for a minute. "That was quick Harry. Are you ok? Here are your keys and your unit is in the wash bay. I am going to put your name on the floor so you will...
I watched as the SWAT team gathered up the prisoner along with their own wounded. They wasted no time getting them all loaded on the chopper and flying out. I watched as Preacher's Huey landed in the front yard of the smoking house. His team climbed down and came over to us. "Preacher, I want this whole front area cleared of any booby traps. I am not going to let those women out of there until I know it's clear. I also want your pilot to go back and get loaded with the bottles of water...
I made sure I met Hadley at the coffee pot as he came up to the feeding area. "Harry, if I didn't have a family to support I would spend the rest of my life looking for the people that could do this to children. This is one time that I need to go home and hug my kids and my wife. If she saw this, she would be in the hospital with shock. Do you have any idea at all who is shipping these kids to this part of the country?" "I haven't had a chance to go through all the papers I confiscated...
My God! I still couldn't believe I had found my granddaughter among all these poor children. I was going to have to readjust my whole way of thinking and living. I would have to remember I had to think about someone besides myself for a change. The shock of my daughter's death still hadn't set in yet, but I knew it would. To die in a filthy hospital leaving her daughter must have been hard on her. I remember how independent and proud she was when she turned 18. I still remember taking her...
I was deep in thought when I heard the phone ringing. I glanced over at Sandra and she was still sound asleep with a smile on her face. I glanced at the caller ID and it was Mark's cell so I picked it up. "Harry, I am at the office with a supervisor from the INS. He wants that girl you took from the valley. He is having a fit because you kidnapped her, as he put it. He is threatening to have you arrested by his people if you don't bring her in. What do you want me to do?" "You tell him...
I was sitting and looking out the window when Sandra came back into the room. "Grandpa, do you have a small step ladder I can use to finish what I am doing in my room?" "Let me look in the shed, sweetie. I will be right back." I went to the garage, found a small step ladder and carried it back inside and gave it to her. She thanked me and headed back to her room. I was wondering what she needed that for when the phone rang again. I saw by the caller ID it was the State Police so I went...
We were to be really surprised at the girls' condition when I sent Mark to call them for supper. When they showed up in the kitchen, the sight was enough to make a sane man pull his hair out. Dina had a scarf tied around her hair and the only thing it protected was her forehead. Dana was in about the same condition, but she had one side of her face painted white like she lost a battle with a paint roller. Sandra was still looking like she had lost a battle with a paint ball gun. The only...
I dressed in older clothes and went in to wake Sandra. When I shook her and her eyes opened, she smiled at me and said, "Good morning". I turned to leave and the picture was glowing with the sun shining on it. It took me a few minutes to realize she had used some kind of glitter mixed in some of the colors. Talk about a heart stopper. I went down stairs and got my first cup of coffee and sat and thought about it. I still couldn't believe she was so skillful with the way she had put the...
I don't know how long we sat there in silence, but Jimmy came in and addressed me. "Sheriff, Sis sent me in to get you. We found something she thinks you ought to see." He went back out the door before I could give him any answer. I looked at Doris and she was smiling. Jeesh, I could see right now she wasn't going to be any help when it came to those two keeping me running. I went outside and everyone was looking in bay 2, and as I walked over to see what was going on Sandra looked at...
Dammit, here I was in the middle of the old sheriff's greed again. I wondered how much more contraband we were going to find. He still had several properties we hadn't even looked at yet. Well, this time I wasn't going to take any chances. I was going to delegate, and go home to be with my granddaughter. I turned to Charlie and made my intentions clear. "I am turning this over to you, Charlie. I have a scared granddaughter at home and we just got back together. You know what has to be...
"Come on you two, I have somewhere I have to go before five. Jimmy, throw your moped in the back of my unit." He picked it up like it weighed ten pounds and sat it on top of the gun box in back. He grabbed what Sandra called his lunch box, but to me it looked like a small satchel packed too full. Jimmy got in the back and buckled up then Sandra did the same in the front. We went down the drive, and Sandra remarked to Jimmy that this was better than him carrying his moped, her, and his...
I was right. Doris gave me hell about spending that much money on someone I didn't even know. I didn't say anything until we pulled up in front of the steakhouse they had chosen to eat at. I turned in the seat so I could face Doris and still be able to see Sandra and Jimmy as I spoke. She opened her mouth to say something and I just held up my hand for silence. "You been giving me hell since I left the music store. This time you shut your mouth and let me speak. I bought the pair of...
She was still laughing as we got in the house. I went to the kitchen and got a pot of coffee brewing and she grabbed a glass of orange juice. We sat down at the table and sipped our drinks. "I think I am going to fly to Columbus on Monday. I want to get those papers from that box. It's time for me to get some things done that need to be done. Those papers had to be checked by an attorney and certified as your mother's handwriting." "If you think I am going to stay behind then we need...
The rest of the night went by smoothly and we got the girls to bed without anymore mention of the coming dinner. I set the coffee pot and the alarm and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. I woke up about fifteen minutes before the alarm went off. I made the trip to the kitchen and turned the pot on and went back to get my shower. I made sure to wear jeans and hiking boots today as we were going back to the motor pool again to try to finish up as much as we could before the...
I locked my unit into four-wheel drive and eased down the hill to the cabin. Looking in the rear view I noticed Mark had waited till I was almost half way down before he started after me. I pulled up to the back of the cabin and parked behind the VW and of course Sandra had to remark on it. "That little car is beautiful, Grandpa. Who does it belong to? I like the picture of the dragon protecting her eggs." "It belongs to Tran, the girls' baby sitter. I thought it was pretty too, and...
I listened to the kids laughing in glee at every musical instrument they found. To put it mildly, I was bored to death. I had watched the kids bounce in and out of the bay for the last hour. I just wished I had their energy. I was about to doze off when Sandra came over to me with Jimmy right behind her. She was holding a hard case that looked like it was for a guitar. "Grandpa, I found what I was looking for. I found a left handed guitar and a mandolin. I want you to buy them so I can...
I got my coffee and took a deep breath and headed back outside. Doris called me to the side before I had gone a hundred feet. "Were you able to help those poor people, Harry?" "They are in the process of getting their permits as we speak. How are the kids doing with the bays?" "We got lucky on one of them. There were two portable sawmills in it and they both were on wheels. They have already been loaded on one of the trailers and headed for the gulch. I am having all the stuff for...
When I got back to town, I went by the shop. The gate was closed and locked, so I headed for Doris and Jimmy's house. I pulled up in front and honked the horn. Sandra came running out and climbed into my unit. "Hey, Grandpa, I see you made it back in time to go to dinner. I think we're all going to enjoy this evening. I know I'm looking forward to it." "I think I am too, sweetie. By the time we get back to the cabin, Mark and the girls should be there. Do you think Dina will have a...
I went walking around the area looking for the kids. I finally found them playing a game, trying to win a big teddy bear. Sandra was cheering him on, trying to get a yellow bear. "Grandpa, Jimmy won me a big bear. I'm going to keep it in my room on the end of the bed. What are we going to do this afternoon, Grandpa?" "I don't know, Sandra, I think we will just go home and relax. Maybe you and Jimmy can practice your music awhile? I don't know about you, but it's going to be a long...
We left the room and went down to the front desk and made arrangements to pick the car up out front. When we climbed in the car, I made sure we were buckled up. We headed for the freeway to go to Eastland Mall. When we got to the mall, the lot was packed full of cars. "Looks like we got a long way to walk honey." After walking for what seemed like 15 minutes we finally made it inside. I let her lead the way and just followed along. After about two hours of window shopping, I was totally...
When we got out to the kitchen, the women were setting the table for dinner. "Ok Harry, since you and Bill have had your man talk, I think it's time for you to catch the rest of us peons up on what you have been doing for the last ten years. Linda has already told me you would be here for her graduation so I won't have to nag you about that." I spent the next hour catching them up on my life. They must have asked a hundred questions before the meal was over. We went into the front room...
I woke up with the phone ringing in my ear. It was our wake up call I had left the night before. I roused Sandra and we got ready to go to breakfast. She was half asleep as we sat down at the table. I ordered for us and she ate everything they set in front of her. I had my usual coffee but with what I knew was coming; I just didn't have any appetite. When I saw Sandra smiling and waving at a little girl at the next table, I knew she was awake and in her usual good spirits. "Honey, before...
Here I was sitting on a pristine white beach on my own island, thinking about how we had arrived here. We had flown from Grove City, Ohio to Miami, Florida landing at a small airport I had never heard of, even though I was from Florida before I had moved to Nevada. Sandra and I stepped out of the plane inside a small hangar and were met by Sean Hadley of the FBI. He hugged Sandra and shook my hand, telling us both there was food inside the office for us. He followed us in and watched while we...
We had just landed back in Florida when Sean walked into the hangar with a big smile on his face. "What are you so happy about?" "The divers just faxed the pictures of the men who were aboard the boat you guys blew up and guess what?" "Well gee there Sherlock, should I be able to read your mind?" Sandra started giggling and Sean gave her a smile before he got around to answering me. "The lawyer and his client were on that tug, Harry. Needless to say you two should be able to go...
I waited for Sandra to finish in the shower and when she came out she had a big smile on her face. I looked at her in a quizzical way and she smiled at me then explained. "You're gonna love this shower, grandpa. It has the massaging head on the shower and it has enough pressure that it almost knocked me down when I stepped under it. I hope they brought me some jeans with those clothes. I hate wearing a dress and trying to be nice just because it's expected by a girl in a dress." "You...
The impromptu concert went on for about another hour with Sandra playing with several different people. The cook came in with refreshments when it was over. Sandra climbed into my lap and promptly fell asleep. I think everyone in the rec room came over and just touched her with smiles on their faces. They all said I was to thank her for all the fun and the great playing she had done all evening. Butter came over and said our room was ready if I wanted to put her to bed. I got up with her in...
I was still sitting in the chair when Tran brought me another coffee. She gave me one of the most sensual looks I had ever seen from any woman and I watched her as she went back in the cabin. She had to know I was looking at her cute little rear because she seemed to put an extra little wiggle in it as she walked. I took a sip of my coffee and burned my lip. I was still muttering under my breath when Sandra came out and sat down in the lap that Tran had just vacated. "Grandpa, I have been...
When I got to the end of my driveway, I decided to call the Seal team at the chemical plant. When I got their Commander on the line and identified myself to him, he said he was expecting my call. I asked him if he could put someone up on one of the tallest buildings there with binoculars to keep an eye on my cabin. He said it had already been done as they watched out for their own. I had to think for a minute before I realized he was talking about Sandra. Damn, I would never have thought it...
I woke up just before dawn and got dressed without waking Tran by some miracle. I put the shoulder holsters on and the fifty on my belt. I put the extra mags in the vest I was wearing. I had bought it at a gun store and it was made fuller for the shoulder holsters. It had many inside pockets that fit all the mags perfectly. I went down to the kitchen and opened the shelter. I quickly got out several of the sixteens and about a dozen mags for each of them. I hid them around the house, up high...