Shamus JournalsChapter 2
- 2 years ago
- 17
- 0
We drove the whole way to the cabin that used to be Mark's in total silence. I had a hunch what Butter was thinking about, but George seemed to still be in a bit of a daze. Unlike Butter, I had a hunch George was still thinking about Doris, trying to rectify his feelings for her and weigh it all against the guilt from the loss of his wife and kids. I had gone through the same thing so I had a feeling about what he was thinking about. When we came to the gate, I identified us and the gate opened to let us in. Although I knew they were there, I couldn't catch a glimpse of any of the team that was guarding the house. I pulled around to the back out of sight, and that's when one of the team met us. He told us we were expected and to go right in.
When I walked in the back door the first thing I heard was the sound of kid's laughter from further inside the house. I smiled to myself as we went through the kitchen. The kid's laughter made the tension drain right out of me, and I felt lightened somehow as we went into the main room.
"Harry, it's good to see you again. I want to thank you for saving my life. You took off before I had the chance earlier. I think you've met my wife Carly? At least I heard you got to meet her temper."
I looked over at her and she was trying to bite back laughter if the smile she was fighting was any sign. I rubbed the side of the jaw she had slapped and just laughed. She lost it as did Sean from his seat on the couch.
"Yea, she slaps harder than Tran does."
With that they both were laughing their asses off at my discomfort.
"You ought to try being married to her. At least she's an equal opportunity slapper. She'll slap anybody she can reach when she is mad. Believe me, I been on the receiving end of it a few times. Now Harry, what's this I hear from Preacher you figured out where most of the guns are? Are you going to let me in on it or take all the glory for yourself? Also, I have a crow to pick with you my friend."
"You too? Seems like everyone had some kind of problem with me today. Get it out so we can resolve it before we get down to business about the guns."
He just looked surprised, and looked at Carly in a puzzled way before he spoke again.
"Harry, I'm not mad at you for anything but a little disappointed you didn't invite us to your wedding tomorrow. I had to hear about it from Preacher when he was here earlier. I didn't even know you were planning to get married. When did all of this happen?"
"Sean, I see Preacher has a big mouth as usual. I was planning on having you, Carly and the kids there if I had been given a chance to ask. Since my surprise is ruined by Mr. Big Mouth, all I can say is, you will be there. The team will bring you to my place tomorrow and we will ride choppers to Vegas. It's already been arranged. Make sure you all pack some clothes because we will be there for at least three days. Did the team stock the house for you? If you need anything just let me know and I will have it brought."
"Harry the house is great and has been fully stocked with everything we need for our stay. The kids have been having a ball with all the room to play. Man, this place is beautiful."
"Yea it is Sean, too bad Mark never had a chance to get settled in before he was killed. They barely had a month here before he went down. Now it just stands empty and the girls will have to wait too many years to live on their own. I just can't seem to bring myself to sell it because I don't want strangers living in his home. I thought most of this place up and Tran had it built to my ideas, mostly for the girls. They will never use it and to hear your kids having so much fun makes me happy. Carly, if you will make the coffee we can sit at the table and I will go over the whole thing about the guns for Sean."
We spent the next two hours going over the ideas I had, and what would be the best way for his people to handle the recovery. I reminded him to make sure any teams he had recovering the weapons would be covered by SWAT, because the people who wanted them back would not hesitate to shoot. He was surprised by where I thought they were hid and asked me several times if I were sure. I handed him the list of the different graveyards and the mausoleums that had been renovated in the last year by three different funeral homes. Since they were all on the lists I had recovered from the safe at the casino, I felt sure I was right in my surmise. There was also a list of new ones that had been built supposedly by the request of the county, which didn't show up on any of the paperwork I had seen while spending time at the county computers. There was no record of any such items being voted on by any of the commissioners from the old crowd. When I had spoken to several of them, they all said they didn't order any such construction. I told Sean that when we came back from Vegas, this part of the operation was his and the rest was mine. He was a little shocked about all that I had laid on him, but he said he would be on the phone setting up his people as soon as we got to Vegas.
"Harry, the person who set this up either was a genius or had a very twisted mind. I can't believe they would do this just to hide some guns and explosives. Why didn't they put them in a cave like the others?"
"I think these weapons were stolen from the weapons suppliers, Sean. They planned on making a separate deal with all the survivalist groups in the U. S. so they could get help from them with other stuff if they needed it down the line. When we get back, this county will be cleaned up and most of the old sheriff's crowd will either be dead or in jail. I think the actions we take in the weeks to come will finally break their hold on this and several other counties. I think I have had enough for today so I will see you all bright and early tomorrow. You can watch me go to my doom once we get in front of the justice tomorrow."
Everyone got a big laugh at me when I said that, and as I got up to leave, Carly came over to me and whispered in my ear.
"Thank you for giving my husband back to me Harry. For that I will be forever in your debt. I am so sorry I slapped you at the hospital."
"Carly, your slap was what made me finally accept my love for Tran and realize why she slapped me a long time ago. It took you and my granddaughter to make me realize how much I really did love her. I couldn't be happier about us getting married tomorrow."
I went back out the back door with Butter right behind me. George was leaning up against my unit deep in thought, and as we climbed in he asked me a question that threw me a little.
"Harry, Doris told me she had a lot to tell me about her life here and I was wondering, how much do you know about it?"
"George, I won't talk out of school but I will say she hasn't had it easy for the last few years. The rest will be up to her to fill in if she decides to tell you. I will say she is a fine woman and she has shown herself to be a woman of honor with her friends and family."
"Thank you Harry and I appreciate it that you won't talk out of school. It just shows me I was right in coming here. I never thought I would ever see her again and to my surprise, I still have a lot of feelings for her even after all these years."
"George in my own personal opinion she is a fine woman and would make any man a good wife. Just remember, she won't be pushed or ordered about in any way. She has a good head on her shoulders, and you will have the next three days to get to see what I am talking about. Jimmy and Sandra will be playing tonight so I think you will be in for a treat. Butter, when we get to my place contact Preacher and have him send some of his men to patrol the area around my cabin. Your team loves Sandra and I am sure they won't want to miss her playing tonight."
"Thanks Harry, I will. I would have a riot on my hands if they had guard duty while she was playing. They have wanted me to ask her several times to play but I reminded them she wasn't their personal U.S.O. entertainment. If this Jimmy plays as good as she does, we are all in for a real treat tonight. Didn't you say Jimmy was the nephew or something of Doris?"
"Yes, he is her sister's son whom she raised after her sister died. He was really backward and shy until he and Sandra adopted each other. Since then he is your normal eighteen year old, only three times smarter and even more gifted."
We pulled up in front of my place and I took a deep breath before going in. Yep, Tran was waiting on me and she proceeded to give me a good hiding in front of everyone. I just stood with a sickly embarrassed grin on my face as she climbed up one side and down the other. The girls were all sitting on the couch with big grins on their faces as she gave me hell. Butter was grinning and making slapping motions with his hands every time she scored a point on how stupid I was. I was starting to get a little pissed when she finally wound down. I looked at her for a few minutes before I said anything. I think Sandra knew what was coming because she was shaking her head no as I opened my mouth.
"Tran, if we were married and you did that in front of everyone, I would take you to the bedroom and turn you over my knee. Since we aren't, I can only say, never dress me down like a kid again. Now, if you're done, I suggest you drop it before I say something in anger I will regret on the night before our wedding."
She must have seen she had went a little too far because she dropped it, asking what I wanted for supper. I told her just to make finger food as I wasn't that hungry and I was sure the team would eat anything that was made. Jimmy pulled up in his Jeep and came in with his suitcase in one hand and his violin in the other. Sandra went running to him and got a big hug as did Dina and Dana. They all seemed glad to see him. He hugged Tran and asked if we had eaten yet? She just laughed saying she was going to make super now if he was hungry. He told her he had missed lunch and was starved. I went to the bedroom to make some calls and the girls were dragging Jimmy upstairs to see their tent.
My first call was to Preacher and I gave him hell for tipping Sean about the wedding. He apologized to me saying that since Sean and I had been together the whole time he thought Sean knew. He also told me the two teams from Bragg were already here and getting their game plan together for scouting the survivalist camp. They had new satellite images to pour over and had some really good pictures from the drone to look at yet. I reminded him again to remember that these people were woodsmen and knew the ground. He told me these two teams from Bragg were specialists in this type of thing, and since they all came from the mountains, they knew more about the woods than any of his own people. When I told him about finding the Ukrainians and what I planned on doing about them, and he got mad, saying his men could use some action too. I reminded him that he barely had enough men to guard both cabins with the different shifts and the security for it all while we were in Vegas. He finally calmed down saying I was right, but it still didn't sit well with him because the Russians or whatever they were had made the team look bad. I reminded him a little humble pie never hurt anyone, and I was quickly told to go to hell. I invited him over to the cabin to hear Sandra play tonight and he said he would be glad to come. I finally was able to get off the phone after going over the schedule for the morning.
My next call was a joint one to the Director and the ATF Director. I told them what I had found out about the Ukrainians and the types of weapons they were carrying around in their cars. We finally got on the same track and the raid was set up for two in the morning the day after tomorrow. The ATF would handle it and would make sure the camp got burned down in all the confusion. I also told him to find out who had bought it and what his connection to all of it was. He said he would be on it first thing in the morning. I gave him Avery's number, reminding him that he wasn't the enemy. He hung up thanking me for the information and said he would take it from this point. I was thinking to myself he sounded like a damn fool when the Director said he would call me back on the other cell in five. I got on the horn to Avery and told him the plans, and that it was FYI and not for anyone else. He said no problem and thanked me for the tip. I told him the Director of ATF would be calling him tomorrow and what he would be looking for, and that I thought he sounded like he was full of himself so be prepared. He just laughed and again said he appreciated the call.
I smacked myself in the head from the thought that had just occurred to me. I stuck my head out the door to yell for Tran and almost knocked her over as she was bringing me a tray with sandwiches and fresh coffee.
"Sorry honey, but I just had a thought. We hadn't invited Andy and Shorty and their wives to the wedding yet."
"Calm down Harry, I already took care of it. They are two of my best friends and I would never forget to invite them for the both of us. They will be here at eight in the morning and Doris is riding with them in Cruncher. Nina said he finally put an exhaust on it so she won't have to wear ear plugs."
"Thanks honey, in all the confusion it just slipped my mind. Is there anyone else I might have forgotten about?"
"I think we have covered all our friends Harry. I am sorry about earlier, but when Butter told me you left without an escort, I was so worried. Then I heard about the shooting on the road and I was mad enough at you to spit. Lucky for you, Sandra knew what you were up to. When she told me, I calmed down a little, but it was still very stupid on your part. Would you have really done what you said if we were already married?"
"You can bet on it woman. You wouldn't have been able to walk very well for a little while when I was done."
She looked at me in a funny way. I had started to sip my coffee when she said to me as she went out the door, "Ooh, sounds kinky to me."
I almost choked to death on the sip of coffee. When I finally quit coughing I could hear her laughing as she went down the steps. Then it hit me she had done it on purpose so I would choke. Man, this was going to be a really interesting marriage cause she gave as good as she got and usually came out ahead when she did. I was still smiling to myself when the chirping of the cell started. I answered it and the Director's voice was on the other end sounding angry.
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...
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...
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...