On the way back to the warehouse Bryce explained that Joe was going to help with a training class in the morning. He never explained who the class was for and Joe never asked, he figured if Bryce wanted him to know he would have told him. He mentioned that they were going to be working on force on force training and that Joe should wear jeans and to remember to wear a cup for his protection.
Joe fell asleep that night thinking about the mannequins and a world that required him to shoot people that small. As he prepped he always knew that if things went wonky all bets were off. But, shooting kids never occurred to him as a possibility and the thought of it was disconcerting to say the least.
Joe was up at 8:00am and was getting breakfast when he realized the range had clients and the apartment was empty. He slowly ate his yogurt and scanned the paper somebody had picked up. As always the paper was filled with stories that seemed that they should be something somebody made up. Joe wondered if he was living in the wrong time, the stories were constantly challenging his perception of the world in a bad way.
Lost in thought he didn’t hear Bryce till he asked him a question. He turned toward the doorway,
“Sorry Bryce can you repeat the question; I was engrossed by the paper and didn’t hear you.”
Bryce repeated,
“I said that if you want you can grab your Glock and safety gear and join the class. Don’t tell anybody you’re staying here. Lazarus told the head of the group that you are a client and came for a day of training.”
Joe quickly replied that he wanted to participate,
“That sounds good, I’ll get my gear.”
Joe rushed off to get his range bag and fill it with the items he would need for the day. After that he walked down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs he looked around at the 6 scruffy looking characters milling around or preparing to shoot.
Lazarus saw him and called for everybody’s attention,
“Everybody, this is Joe, he’s a client. He was the guy that videoed the pepper spray attack at the bookstore a while back and hit some of the talk shows condemning the violent acts of the far left. He has more death threats than all of you combined so we’re training him. I asked him to shoot with us today since he will be on red team later today.”
A woman in her late 30’s to early 40’s with blonde hair held in a pony tail stepped out of the group,
"Joe, they call me Josie and it’s nice to meet you. This is my team; we’re with a Federal Agency. As you can see we do some undercover work here and there. From left to right that’s Dragon, Nicey, Bo, 2-Tone and Jackie.”
Joe looked at the assortment of Federal Agents and tried to guess for 5 seconds which agency they worked for,
“Nice to meet you and thanks for letting me tag along, I’ll try to stay out of the way.”
Lazarus took them thru the shooting drills and began working with individual shooters. The two women in the group were doing OK but two of the guys seemed to be irritating Lazarus. Bryce was working with the two guys that did very well. Suddenly Lazarus was beside Joe and had pulled his targets from the counter and was looking at them.
Lazarus hit the remote that worked the range system’s overhead speakers; it was attached thru a wireless microphone that Lazarus carried with him,
“Everybody safe your weapons and come here, I need to show you something.”
As the students walked toward Joe’s shooting position he was curious what Lazarus was going to say.
Lazarus walked to each shooting position and picked up the targets that each student had already shot and wrote something on them.
Lazarus in front of the assembled students and thumbed thru the pile,
“Joe is a civilian that came to us recently to provide him with protection and has been instructed by Bryce and myself in the art of shooting and self-defense. He has received many death threats and in an attempt to mitigate the possibility of him being killed we provide him with protection at functions and instruction that may someday save his life. Yesterday he had his eyes examined and found out that he had lost some of the visual acuity that is so important to shooting and today is wearing contacts. The reason I mention this is that at this point his firearms proficiency surpassed that of half of you. Now Joe wasn’t a bad shot when he got here, he did however need some work and some time behind the trigger. It is important to realize that the possibility of needing to use a firearm to protect yourself, a teammate or a civilian is part of your job. I would guess that other than quals. Many of you are not practicing on a regular basis, this needs to change. The reason I share Joe’s story with you is that you are undercover agents and understand the importance of secrecy. Also, remember that good eyesight is a cornerstone of good shooting. Joe’s story stays in this room and think about the information about shooting we will give you today. Now, get back to work.”
Bryce had a big smile on his face. Whether it was at Lazarus’s speech or pride in Joe's shooting Joe didn’t know.
The group went back to their shooting and broke for a late lunch that had been brought in. The food was along the lines of Lazarus’s eating regime and the students were happy for the lull in the action.
After lunch Lazarus stood before the group and explained the rest of the days agenda,
“We will be splitting this group up and doing force-on-force training for a few hours. We have two abandoned warehouses that will serve as our shoot houses and will be using training rounds. These rounds are marking rounds and everybody will protect their head, neck and groin. One scenario will allow you to have plans of the building before you enter; the plans may or may not be current. The other scenario will simply be building clearing and Bryce and Joe will act as hostiles. Safety is the number one priority of this training rotation and remember to expect the unexpected. I don’t want to see anything that you saw in a movie or a video game. I require your teamwork to be professional and wish you luck.”
Bryce stepped forward to address the group, "Dragon, Jackie and Bo gear up, you’re with me. The rest of you are with Lazarus.”
Bryce walked over and pushed the shooting counters toward the backstop and pulled a suitcase from under the counter. He opened the suitcase and started to ask for weapons and performed the steps to convert the weapons to fire the marking rounds,
“Safety begins and ends with you. Don’t fire these at any distance closer than 3 feet. Always wear your protective gear inside the building and if you get hurt, call out and we will immediately stop the exercise. These rounds can sting; it’s like being shot like that.”
Bryce handed the first weapon back after cycling it a few times and shooting it into a 5 gallon bucket to insure it was operating properly.
After he had converted all the weapons and checked each member for live rounds he led the group down the block to a warehouse and pulled keys from his pocket and opened the door. As he entered the building he pulled a flashlight out and depressed the tail cap lighting up the small entry area,
“We need 5 minutes to get set, after that you can go. I want to work one at a time to begin and then you will do it as a group. Any questions?”
The man called Dragon raised his hand, “We work the building and then return to this point?
Bryce simply nodded his head and motioned for Joe to follow into the dark building. Bryce had already picked his ambush points and showed Joe where he wanted him.
As Joe kneeled behind a stack of metal 55 gallon drums he heard Bryce take up a position not 30 feet away and tried to calm his nerves. Joe’s heartbeat and pulse had quickened and he was getting anxious.
Eight minutes later the first victim walked near Joe and had figured out he was there. He began by using verbal commands to come out with his hands up; Joe didn’t know what to do. Bryce answered his question by sneaking up and shooting Dragon twice in the back.
The second trainee fell to the same ploy and the third actually got a few shots off before Bryce called for time to check for the distinct marks on all the shooters. Bryce was hit in the leg down low and the trainee was hit three times in the chest or back. Joe had put one round on target and Bryce walked outside to explain the next round of fun and games.
The next round required them all to work as a team and took 15 agonizing minutes. Joe was at the spot Bryce had picked and was waiting for the team to walk into the kill zone. They spotted Joe and gave the verbal commands while one of them scanned the room for Bryce. Joe complied and was waiting for Bryce to step out of the shadows and rescue him when one of the team began yelling instructions toward the far corner.
Bryce had worked around the room and the team member had mistaken a dummy dressed as Bryce for him. Bryce opened up with the marking rounds. He again called time and shined the light on the team members who were each dotted with the marking gel.
Bryce walked them all out and began an explanation of what had happened, “I baited you and used Joe as the tethered goat. I then used a mannequin as a ruse and was able to get around to your backs and kill or disable all of you. Don’t tell the other team anything and we’ll talk about it later. Now go down three blocks to this address and wait outside for the other team to finish.”
Bryce walked over to Joe, “You did well, were you scared?”
Joe laughed, “Very scared is more like it.”
Bryce smiled, “It’s gets scary in the dark waiting for somebody to come around a corner and hurt you. I have a method I use to calm myself and will show you how it works tomorrow. For now we wait for the other team. I’ve scanned their records and one of them has the potential to get us, the key is to remain calm. I think you hit one of them last time.”
As Joe was about to answer the remaining three trainees walked up to the building and stood in front of Bryce. Bryce again explained the rules and double checked every weapon to insure it was still safe and the men walked back into the dark building.
Joe heard a rat or a mouse scurry across the floor in the corner near Bryce. Joe waited in the dark with his Surefire in his left hand and his weapon in his right. He didn’t move till after Bryce had marked his 4th victim of the day.
The 5th trainee was good and had got Bryce in his headgear and was taken out by Joe from 20 feet. Joe wasn’t surprised it was Josie that had gotten Bryce and they sent her out to send the last trainee in for their chance.
2 Tone was the last trainee, he was louder than the others and had been hit quicker than any of his co-workers. Bryce, Joe and 2-Tone walked outside and Josie smiled as they opened the door.
Bryce walked up to Josie and stuck his hand out to shake hers, “Josie, I’ve done that exact exercise at least 20 times and that is the first time I’ve been tagged. Good job, now you will work as a group and let’s see what you can do.”
Josie’s luck didn’t hold and Bryce tagged all three with marking dye and received no hits himself.
As the group headed back down the street to the warehouse Josie was watching Bryce with a cautious eye. It seemed she had something on her mind and Joe was eager to figure out what it was.
With the marking pistols strapped into their regular holsters Lazarus worked with them all on pulling their weapons from their body and eventually everybody put the safety gear back on and it was gunfight time.
Lazarus stepped in front of the group, “It’s time for an exercise I call gunfight, the goal is to draw and shoot your opponent before he shoots you.”
Josie stuck her hand up, “If you need a volunteer I’d be happy to help you demonstrate with Bryce.”
Bryce looked over and raised his eyebrows, “Sure, the rules are simple. Five feet minimum and one shot only. You start at the buzzer. Twelve feet will separate you two. You guys step over there and go.”
Bang, bang and it was over.
Bryce and Josie both took their headgear off and were standing and looking a little smug and Joe could see Josié had one in the chest. He then looked over and noticed Bryce was sporting a spot on the forehead of his head gear.
Lazarus smiled, “Winner, Josie. Excellent job.”
Bryce looked over at Lazarus, “I know that with the vest on it wasn’t fatal. You know me, I shoot till they drop.”
Lazarus pointed to Bryce’s headgear and Bryce turned it over and looked at it. He stood shocked for 15 seconds before answering,
“Good work Josie.”
Joe was only able to beat one of the agents and by the end of the day had decided that being in Law Enforcement was no picnic.
The next day Joe was happy to have to focus on his research and that his daily training was the only distraction put in front of him. Joe enjoyed a seemingly normal day pouring through data and taking notes in his room. The more he researched the subject the more comfortable he was getting with it. He was filling up page after page of notes and sources he wanted to go back to later.
This story was huge and the media was constantly downplaying the incidents that were affecting almost every international Meeting and event. Joe was keeping a list of business’s and their owners that had been affected by the violence and destruction and was looking forward to interviewing them by phone or e-mail.
As he researched the various incidents he was seeing a trend in the media of trying to pin the blames for the problems on the local Police. No matter what happened, the media was portraying Law Enforcement as incompetent idiots that were abusing the citizenry and out of control.
A closer look at video and certain eyewitness accounts indicated that Police were generally reluctant to switch to riot mode till it was clear the problem wouldn’t solve itself.
He also found video of Law Enforcement talking about the security concerns of these big events at Conferences and they were experimenting with various coping strategies that clearly weren’t working. The anarchists and rioters clearly had a better handle on the PR campaign that shaped the way the public viewed these clashes and weren’t beyond editing and piecing together video to sway the public's thinking.
As evening came, Joe’s phone was vibrating and he saw a number he wasn’t familiar with. Deciding that he’d answer it anyway, he grabbed it before voicemail picked up, “Joe, speaking.”
On the other end of the line a middle aged woman began to speak, “Joe, my name is Agatha Shelp and I got your number from Katherine Page. I need a speaker for an event in two weeks and my original guest was hurt over in Europe and can’t make it. Katherine told me you two have a mutual acquaintance and I was hoping you might fill in.”
Joe jumped right in, “Hello, Katherine called and mentioned you were looking for somebody. Can I call you Agatha or would that make you uncomfortable?
Agatha smirked over the phone, “Joe, everybody calls me Aggie.”
Joe laughed, “OK, Aggie. I’ll be honest with you and tell you my appearances on TV have inflamed certain people and I have had some death threats. I’m interested but, I employ a security advisor and he needs to look at the pictures and plans for the building and the training and capability of your campus Security Officers. I assume that they are State Officers and have broad-reaching legal authority?”
Aggie seemed distracted as she began answering, “Yes they are State Law Enforcement Officers and I can e-mail site specifics and the protocols for high risk speakers. I don’t want a video of our students behaving badly ending up on the 'net. So far, knock on wood, we have been spared the embarrassment of students rushing the stage or otherwise disrupting our speakers.”
Joe added, “I’ve been offered a ten city tour and been researching the process and it looks as if violence is going to rear its ugly head eventually. I’m guessing sooner rather than later. The bookstore incident was the first round in the next wave of aggressive agitation. I don’t know if you saw or heard it, but a woman died in that incident. I had met her at a previous talk and talked to her for a few minutes and she didn’t deserve to die for listening to a discussion about the world we all share. If we don’t talk about our disagreements, how can we make things better?”
Aggie paused as the moment passed over Joe, “I agree Joe. I’ll share a nugget of truth, in the halls of higher education the ends justify the means and have for quite some time. I mean, Joe can I trust your discretion? Can I share something and be assured it stays with us?”
Joe thought it over for 5 seconds, “If I ever use it I’ll change your name and occupation. In certain professions I cannot ignore insight, I can only protect my source. Is that fair enough?”
Aggie paused, “I can live with that. The truth is some of us are gently trying to wrestle the mike away from the left wing extremists and wackos. This place still has a few people that have not been driven out for their more conservative views and having somebody like you would be a nice change of pace. If you saw the list of people the Speakers Committee considers for this forum, you would either die laughing or move to Utah. After they vote on the list they give it to me and I book the speaker that is available. Well, I always go for the most reasonable among the group and actively sabotage the wackos that end up on the list. I also research all list names and the level of kookiness defies explanation. I can assure you that if you speak here it will not be permitted to turn into a sideshow.”
Joe pondered the opportunity to speak to a receptive crowd, “Aggie I’m interested, if you send the information I’ll see what I can do. I cannot and will not make any promises. My security guys are tasked with keeping me safe and I trust them with my life.”
Aggie was starting to sound excited, “I understand and appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. I’ll get that information to you and look forward to hearing back from you. If your security guy has questions he can call me or the head of campus security. I’ll include his name and contact information in the e-mail.”
Joe ended the call as Lazarus entered the room. His limp was more noticeable and Joe wondered how he had gotten the hitch in his giddy-up, “Special Agent Ringg just called. He has an update and will be here in 20 minutes or so. I asked him to serve as your training partner for a few minutes so we’re going to talk and then you are going to practice some moves with him. After that we’re going to all go grab dinner, he’s buying by the way.”
Fifteen minutes later the intercom buzzed and Lazarus buzzed Agent Ringg into the building. Lazarus sent Joe down the stairs to escort him up.
Ringg had the beginning of bags underneath his eyes and looked exhausted. He was dressed casually in a pair of khakis and a green polo style shirt. Joe met him just inside the doorway,
“Agent Ringg, it’s good to see you again. You look like you’ve been working hard.”
The two men had reached each other and Joe stuck his hand out for the big man striding toward him to shake.
As the two men released each others hand, Agent Ringg returned the greeting, “Joe, good to see you’re still alive. They tell you that I’m buying dinner this time?”
Joe turned and the two men began the walk toward the stairs. Joe offered his reply to Agent Ringg’s query, “I heard that, if you need suggestions I could go for a steak and a baked potato. Lazarus and Bryce have me on some sort of healthy eating thing. And yes, it does suck a little. The good news is I’m losing some weight.”
The men entered the apartment loft and Lazarus was sitting at the breakfast bar drinking a glass of water, “Agent Ringg have a seat. It’s good to see you again; I hope you come bearing good news.”
Agent Ringg walked over and sat heavily in the chair next to Lazarus, “Well, I think it is at least decent news. We tracked Zui Ling Long and Barbie Queensland to an address over by Joe’s old job. They were staying with a woman named Heather Short. Heather Short is a friend of Joe’s ex-girlfriend Mandy Peters. I personally interviewed Short and Peters and we don’t think they knew much if anything about what was going on.”
Joe was stunned, thinking that Mandy was mixed up in this was making him a little nauseous,
“What can you tell me about Mandy’s involvement?”
Agent Ringg had a pained expression on his face as he replied to Joe’s question, “We think Mandy mentioned your upcoming talk to Heather Short. Then Short mentioned it to the three people crashing at her place and they decided you were a target of opportunity. Heather Short is eight months pregnant and she told us they were supposed to be working for a non-profit and needed a place to crash. Heather is a committed liberal and was referred to them from another friend. Mandy is the friend of somebody we think was duped and doesn’t appear to have done anything that should cause us to believe she is involved.”
Joe still looked a tad pale, “So, you think she just picked the wrong person to share information with. Is there much possibility she was involved?”
Agent Ringg paused, “At this point, not likely. I’d avoid talking to her for now till we know for sure.”
Lazarus interjected, “Are Long and Queensland in custody?”
Agent Ringg paused, “No they are not, we’re getting closer everyday. Heather Short actually contacted us after they left and she found a page of notes and drawing in her spare bedroom. They are marked Timeless Book Store and she put two and two together and called Detective Black of the Olida Counter Terrorism team.
Lazarus had another question, “Do you think they are still in town and trying to get Joe?”
Special Agent Ringg chuckled, “We think they are still in town and are trying to track them down. Being them sucks, because after tonight’s news they are going to be on TV and the pressure on them increases dramatically. If we nabbed them in the next 48 hours, I wouldn’t be surprised. With their picture being broadcast later today, I’d guess if they were looking for him before they’re going to quit and make a run for it.”
Joe walked over and got a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the cooler in the small kitchen area. Both men were watching him. Finding out somebody you trusted betrayed you to dangerous people could have a strange effect on many people and Lazarus and Special Agent Ringg had seen their fair share of people that took the news badly.
After Joe’s 30 second interruption he came over and sat down at the breakfast bar, “I’d like to make contact with Mandy and ask her about her involvement. For my own peace of mind. It’s important to me that if she contributed to my life being placed in jeopardy that I know.”
Agent Ringg looked at Joe as he spoke, “If you go that route, I’d like to wire you with a mike and record the conversation. Also, we’d provide some protection just in case she is involved, and the team is looking for you.’
Joe smiled, “Agent Ringg, I wouldn’t have it any other way. How do you feel about Greek Food? I was thinking maybe I could call her and offer to grab dinner at the Greek place over by the college.”
Joe looked at Agent Ringg and pulled his newest cell phone from his pocket and dialed Mandy’s number from memory. She didn’t pick up so he left a message, “Mandy, it’s Joe. I just got a strange e-mail from a detective over in Olida about Heather and wanted to talk. I’m getting dinner later at Spiro’s and was wondering if you’re free tonight. If you can make it, you can reach me at this number.”
Joe ended the call and turned to the two men beside him, “Well, Lazarus said he wants to do a few drills. I’m going to change real quick and will be back in three minutes.”
Joe headed back to his room to get changed.
Lazarus looked at Special Agent Ringg, “Is the team you’re using yours or borrowed?”
Ringg watched Lazarus, “It’s more of a Task Force grouping. I haven’t worked with most of them. I’ve seen files and they mostly look like good cops and have lots of experience. I can put you at the Command Post if it makes you feel better. I really think she isn’t involved and it’s a waste of time.”
Lazarus smiled, “Special Agent Ringg could you tolerate a story from an old time cop?"
Special Agent Ringg simply nodded.
Lazarus continued, "three weeks after 9-11 Bryce and I were called to a disturbance at a Haunted House about three blocks from here. Both of us were Sergeants back then with almost 20 years in. Two of our men were working off-duty as Security at a Haunted House and tried to nab three men selling drugs in the parking lot. One of them pulled a gun a let off a few rounds toward them and fled. We were responding and I saw them running down an alley and radioed it in, Bryce found me just as the men ran into this building. We called it in and followed them in here. This building is where they went to hide from us. Five minutes later I was shot in the leg and Bryce had taken three to the vest and one to his arm. In that time between us we had killed three men and expended 40 rounds of ammunition. We were friends back then and a group of us practiced with our duty weapons on a monthly basis. Other cops did the minimum to qualify and told us it was a waste of time but it saved our lives that day. Bryce shot one of the guys in low light conditions from 20 feet and put two in the chest and one in the head using his issue weapon and a Maglite.”
Ringg looked suitably impressed, “I understand I shoot for recreation and so does my usual partner. So does the rest of my family. I’m surprised you live in the place that almost cost you your life.”
Lazarus smiled again, “The owner of the warehouse had a nephew and he was one of the gunmen. The nephew and his friends had been using the place as a headquarters for some other stuff, including cooking meth. The owner found out what had happened and felt badly and gave the place to me. The building was a wreck, it was just attracting bums before his nephew started using it to make drugs and he didn’t want the hassle. The area was trashed back then and I fixed this building up and started reclaiming the area. I was given disability and spent the next year doing rehab and learning to teach shooting and a host of other things. I traveled across the country attending schools and by the time I finished I knew that teaching was my new calling.”
Special Agent Ringg nodded, “Well, of the places I’ve shot at, this is the most interesting.”
The sentence was interrupted as Joe walked back into the apartment dressed in blue sweats,
“I’m ready.”
Lazarus walked over to a kitchen drawer and pulled a box out and handed it to Special Agent Ringg. Inside the fresh looking box was an athletic cup.
Lazarus spoke as Ringg looked at the box, “Better cup up. We don’t want you getting hurt.”
Ringg nodded and headed to the small bathroom to put the safety equipment on. He returned and the men walked down the stairs and entered the shooting area. Lazarus limped over to the mats stacked near the wall and started pulling them down. Ringg and Joe began to help.
After a 15 by 15 foot area had been matted Lazarus pulled a blue training pistol from under his shirt and handed it to Special Agent Ringg, “Joe disarm the Special Agent at five feet please.”
Ringg brought the blue training weapon up as he had been taught and Lazarus simply went,
“And now.”
Joe disarmed the Fed and had him on the ground in ten seconds.
Lazarus laughed, “Joe, you better let him up. Ringg, you need another try?”
Ringg looked at Joe with a smirk, “The training is working for you, Joe; I have not lost a weapon in retention training in five years. Let’s try it again.”
And they did and Ringg got up from the mat and looked at Lazarus, “Explain how a civilian just took my weapon, twice?
Lazarus shook his head, “Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll show you the video. We can see if you can spot your problem.”
Special Agent Ringg couldn’t spot his problem so Lazarus had to point it out to him on the monitor.
Ringg shook his head in disgust, “Now I understand how you guys stay in business. I did a refresher three months ago and didn’t have any problems. The instructor is supposed to be good and she totally missed it, the fact I was exposed by somebody with limited training is frightening. Heck, I might clear a few days after this case is closed and see what else needs work. Let’s get something to eat before I start obsessing.”
Lazarus had a dour look on his face. He understood that as a cop learning that the training you’re receiving has a hole in it isn’t fun. He and Bryce had carved out some profitable niches making instructors look inadequate, “Ringg, sometimes we pick up ways of doing things that are close to being good enough to fool us and others. In this case close enough isn’t, you now know what needs to change. That’s about as good as you can make it. Now, I’m hungry and we have an Italian joint five minutes from here that is good and I think you’ll like it.”
Special Agent Ringg headed to his rental parked in the front parking lot while Lazarus and Joe made their way to the garage. Joe hopped into Lazarus’s Suburban in the garage and they made the six minute journey. Ringg followed and in the parking lot mentioned he was from St. Louis and was interested in finding out the quality of KC’s old-style Italian eateries.
The men all enjoyed a pleasant meal and dinner conversation was a lot of law enforcement stories, and the ridiculous burden that paperwork and procedure had imposed on law enforcement’s efforts to control crime. Ringg was professional but mentioned that sometimes he felt the system added to the difficulty of arresting and stopping ‘bad guys’.
Bryce met them at the restaurant for dessert and regaled them with tales of the US World Cup Soccer game he had just finished watching,
“Soccer is the sport of the rest of the world. While Americans talk about and follow the NBA, NFL and MLB and such, billions of people follow soccer like it was their countries national sport, because it is. What the US team has done is impressive, they rose above some very bad calls and advanced to the next round. If this team is able to win the World Cup it would be akin to what the US Hockey Team did at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, NY. The coaches and players of the US Soccer Team would be forever remembered in the same light as that fateful group of young hockey players when they defeated the scourge of the civilized world in the ‘Miracle on Ice’”.
Ringg looked over at Bryce, “My mother is from Scotland and soccer is big over there. She follows the English Premiere League which is now on US television. One thing that is nice about the Premiere League is that the hype of the players’ lives isn’t as big a part of the game's impact on the media. Fans of soccer aren’t as likely to hear the stories of their team’s players involved in scandals and committing all kinds of crimes like professional athletes in the US.”
As a sociologist Joe had some thoughts about the relationship between Americans and their sports heroes. The sports leagues and teams had become masterful at manipulating the public’s perception and luring the customers into the stands. The system had evolved to the point that individual athletes had press agents and PR flacks to spin the image and the message they wished to convey to their bosses and the public. That helped explain the obscene amounts of money athletes were paid in salary and endorsements. Joe wondered how much athletic shoes would cost if they were just shoes and not endorsed by these titans of self-promotion.
Joe was about to add something when Lazarus spoke up, “Joe, you thinking of going to Canada for the G-20? It’d be a great opportunity to do research for your book and let you spend time without the worry of ninjas raiding your underwear drawer.”
Joe paused since in all the recent hub-bub he had forgotten about the upcoming conference in Canada. It could be an excellent opportunity for interviews and to try to get a first hand perspective of the people responsible for the violence, “I’ve gotten so distracted with everything I forgot about the conference. When I get back I’m going see if I can get a press pass and a book a room and a flight. In fact after we leave here, I’m going to call Dorth and see if he has any ideas.”
The rest the evening passed and Special Agent Ringg received a text and quickly paid for dinner and made his goodbyes.
As Joe got seated in the driver’s seat of Lazarus’s SUV he dialed the cell for Dorth Mann in New York. He waited while the call was routed to the east coast and finally heard Dorth’s voice, “Joe it’s good to hear from you, what’s up?”
Joe smiled and laid out his plan, “Dorth, I want to go to Canada and cover the G-20 meeting. I was hoping you had an idea or two to help me get there.”
Dorth Mann replied, “OK, if you can get Kitten Page to go with you, I think I can get a magazine to cover expenses and throw you both some money. That will cover the cost and provide both of you with press passes. Let me make some calls and see what I can do and you call Kitten and see if she is available. Call me after you get a hold of her and let me know what she says.”
Lazarus had two glasses of wine with dinner and didn’t want to risk driving so Joe was his official designated driver for the five minute trip back to the warehouse. Joe dialed Katherine’s number and waited while it rang.
Katherine’s smooth voice came over the phone, “Joe, how are you doing? I was just thinking about you, I signed the contract with Dorth and you and I are officially book buddies.”
Katherine paused and Joe decided to lay it out and see if she was interested, “Katherine, I want to go and cover the G-20 in Canada and I just got off the phone with Dorth. He said if you go with me he might be able to get us an assignment from a national magazine which means we get expenses, press passes and a paycheck. Is that something that you are interested in?”
Katherine chuckled, “I’m in and can see it being good for the book. I have a cousin that lives outside of Toronto and just graduated from film school. Maybe we do a low budget documentary or a travelogue of the experience and find somebody to use the footage on their website. I think she would be game, call Dorth and pitch the idea for the video and let’s see what happens.”
Joe smiled as he was speaking. He liked this girl more and more, “I’ll get right on it. I’ll let you know when I find something out. Are you going to call your cousin or wait till we have more information?”
Katherine replied, “I’m going to call to see about crashing at her place and saving that part of our expenses. I will be waiting for your call, so if it’s late call anyway, we need to get to Canada ASAP if the project is a go.”
Joe simply replied, “I’ll talk to you.”
Joe pulled the match to Bryce’s SUV into the garage and dialed Dorth as he climbed the stairs to the apartment, “Dorth, Katherine’s cousin is living in Toronto and just graduated from film school. What about filming a low cost documentary for web release?”
Dorth paused, “That is a great idea. I’ll see if I can pry some money from the magazine and they can have exclusive content for their website. If we shoot enough good video for a documentary you guys can write the script and have the narration done in post production. What you need to start is an outline of what you hope to emphasize and a good camera set-up. Pack your bags tonight just in case I get it sold, you’ll have to move quickly. I’d plan on leaving tomorrow afternoon at the latest.”
Joe smiled, “OK, that sounds like a plan.”
Both men hung up their phones and Joe called Katherine to tell her what Dorth said and to congratulate her on her book deal.
Two hours later Joe’s phone rang. Lazarus had gone to bed and Joe was taking notes on a yellow legal pad. He reached down and caught it on the third ring, “Dorth, got news on the trip?”
On the other end of the phone Dorth laughed, “Well, as a matter of fact I do. They bought the whole package and are sending the equipment for the video to Kitten’s cousins in Toronto. She can show you how to use it and Kitten and you will be submitting blogs about the protestors and such. They are holding the cover of the magazine and you two might be able to snag it if you get anything interesting. The contracts are in your e-mail, you need to sign them and overnight them tomorrow before you leave town. I also had one of our guys put together a LLC for you and Kitten and you also need to sign the paperwork and overnight that to the address shown. I don’t remember what state but if I remember correctly your company will be on the state's rolls by close of business the day after the paperwork comes in. Kitten is driving into town and you and she fly out in the late morning and will have to stay with the cousin. I’ve e-mailed some other stuff that will help you get the job done and if you need help, the magazine contact number is in the e-mail.”
Joe smiled, “Well, its looks like you have everything taken care of. I’ll call if I have questions.”
Joe's call waiting beeped and he looked at the number and it was Katherine, “Dorth, that’s Katherine. Can I call you if a have question?”
Dorth responded to Joe’s question, “Yes you can and be careful while you're there. We have plans for you.”
Joe clicked over, “This is Joe, please press one if you’re going to Canada in the morning.”
Katherine chuckled, “Well, three hours ago I was planning on a nice boring weekend and now we are going to Canada and trying to interview undesirables and their victims. I’ll say this for you Joe, never a dull moment.”
Authors Note- I’ve been to Canada as a kid and young adult but it’s been a while. Since I’ve never been to Toronto some of the details might be vague and confusing, please bare this in mind as you read. If you find something that is incorrect feel free to let me know.
alangator
------------
Joe was up early the next day excited about the trip. He started his day by telling Lazarus about the trip and asking for a ride to the airport. He then moved onto re-reviewing the documents that Dorth had e-mailed. He didn’t completely understand them, he trusted Dorth and signed them and asked Lazarus about overnight envelopes. He made a list of things that he needed or wanted to take and by 8 a.m. Katherine Page had called to say she was in town and needed directions to the warehouse.
Joe had spoken to Lazarus and he OK’ed leaving her car at the building while they were gone. He even agreed to put her gun in his safe to insure it wasn’t at risk of getting stolen.
Lazarus also helped him plan the things a man with dangerous enemies was able to carry with him in the somewhat weapon-restrictive country. While taking Joe’s gun was not an option, Lazarus researched getting and using pepper spray and if carrying an ASP would be a problem.
As Joe was reviewing his list the intercom buzzed and Lazarus pushed the button to talk, “May I help you?”
Over the intercom Joe heard the voice of Katherine Page, “Yes, Katherine Page for Joe Quick.”
Joe watched as Lazarus smiled the smile of mischief, “I’ve got a Kitten Page on the visitors log, are you any relation?”
Over the intercom Joe heard her laughing and then her voice cleared and she replied to Lazarus’s taunt, “I am the infamous Kitten Page in the flesh.”
Lazarus hit the button to release the magnetic lock on the door as Joe headed downstairs to meet her at the entrance to the building.
Katherine Page walked thru the door wearing a pair of jeans and a red Seneca College t-shirt.
Joe greeted her, “So, book buddy, what time did you get up and did you remember your passport?”
Katherine looked at him with sleepy eyes, “I don’t want to talk about it, lets just say I will be taking a nap on the plane and leave it at that. Nice range, do you get much shooting in?”
Joe smiled as he led her to the stairs to the apartment, “You could say that.”
At the top of the stairs Lazarus was standing with a big smile on his face, “As I live and breath it’s Kitten Page. It’s nice to meet you I’m Lazarus. I’m Joe’s landlord.”
Katherine smiled and extended her hand, “I’m Katherine Page but you can call me Kitten. And the way he describes it, you’re his tormentor. It’s still nice to meet you; I appreciate the ride to the airport. Parking at that place is almost as bad as getting through security. How are we doing on time?”
Joe answered that question, “I’m five minutes from finishing packing and a quick trip to the restroom and we’re off.”
Joe was good to his word and they were in Lazarus’s Suburban and on the way to the airport in ten minutes. The 20 minute drive was quiet as Katherine was working on her laptop and Joe was making notes on places that might be interesting to see because of the conference.
Lazarus dropped them off and told Joe to call when he had the return flight information.
Joe and Katherine made their way to the e-ticket counter and headed for the security line. They had over an hour and a half till the flight departed and were busy in the waiting area after they cleared the security process. Both used that time to work and hardly a word was spoken between the two.
At 10:00 when they started boarding the plane Joe had made a good start in getting his ideas sorted out. Katherine worked till Joe nudged her and she looked up with a sheepish smile. She had been lost in her work and hadn’t heard the overhead announce the boarding, “Sorry, I was just getting to a stopping point. My cousin e-mailed me some notes about what’s going on in the city and we can talk about it on the plane. More than a few people are complaining about the huge expense of hosting the conference and the protestors have made their way into the area.”
She stood up and they both made their way to the departure gate. The attractive boarding agent gave Katharine an extra big smile as she wished her a good flight. She barely looked at Joe as she reviewed the ticket in his hand.
Luckily Joe and Katherine had been seated next to each other and settled in for the short flight to Toronto. Toronto was around 850 miles from Kansas City and was on Eastern Daylight Time so they would lose an hour. Joe planned to ask Katherine what the game plan was as soon as she finished her nap since she was asleep before the plane left the gate.
The flight was uneventful and Joe found himself falling asleep for the last 30 minutes of the flight. He was woken up by Katherine gently tugging on the sleeve of his golf shirt and was shocked to find out he had been snoring. He looked at the clock on his cell phone and found out it had adjusted to the local time which was 1:30 p.m.
Katherine smiled as she began the process of taking her laptop out of the pocket in front of her and returning it to its bag. Joe did the same thing and Katherine started laying out their plan of attack, “My cousin is picking us up at the departure gate and the magazine sent us video equipment from Vancouver. We need to get our press credentials at the Press Center and hightail it to some areas she has picked out. She will show us how the equipment works and we need to get some footage to the magazine's website for editing before 8 p.m. Toronto time. I assume you have documentary type questions for us to use?”
Joe looked at her as the plane settled onto the runway and began doing the landing shuffle. The noise increased dramatically and Joe had to elevate his voice slightly for Katherine to hear them, “I’ve written numerous questions, we can look at the list and try the ones we feel the most comfortable with. We can play with them till we start getting the answers we need and a line on the violent protestors.”
Katherine shook her head up and down in the affirmative as the plane was making its way to the gate.
After de-planing and clearing the Canadian Border Services Agency counter and heading for the exit, Joe managed to get Katherine to wait as he stepped into the men’s room. It was a nice smelling room and Joe quickly stepped over to use the urinal and began listening to the overhead announcements which were in English and French.
He finished his task quickly and washed his hands and rejoined Katherine in the concourse.
As they began walking toward the exit Katherine had a question, “Joe, every time we leave someplace you stop in the bathroom. Do you have a medical condition I need to know about? I don’t want to pry; it’s just that we will be moving quickly for the next few days and I’m wondering if there is something we need to know?”
Joe smiled and began the tale, “My bodyguards’ Bryce and Lazarus do the same thing I do. I asked them about it and they explained as cops they never knew when they would be able to wash their hands or use the restroom. So they always make sure they do those things when they can and I adopted their way of doing things. Before I leave someplace I always stop and use the restroom and wash my hands. It seems silly but they swear by the logic and said that they have avoided uncomfortable experiences because of the habit.”
Katherine stopped in mid-step as travelers walked around her. One guy in a Yankees ball cap called her an idiot under his breath which Joe heard,
“That makes a lot of sense. Let me know if you see a bathroom, I have no idea how long it will take to get to the Press Center.”
Katherine found a restroom and Joe waited while she was occupied in there. When she walked out she mentioned being hungry. What about a restroom no matter how clean made you think of food Joe was clueless about.
Both of them had elected to pack light and found Katherine’s cousin waiting near the area,s departure area. Katherine walked up to an attractive redhead in a grey York University t-shirt and gave her a hug. Both women were giggling at something they were whispering about and Joe couldn’t quite hear what it was.
They broke apart and Katherine turned to Joe, "Joe, this is my cousin Robin. She will be our guide and cameraperson.”
The tall redhead introduced herself to Joe, “I’m Robin; it’s nice to meet you. My cousin has talked about you and I think we are going to have a blast on this project.”
Joe replied, “I hope so, it’s very last minute but we’ll see what we can get done. I appreciate you working with us”
Robin nodded, “It’s going to be fun. Kitten and I haven’t had time together since before I left for school. To make it even better she found somebody to pay for our reunion and we got a small job out of the deal. Your agent has a lead on distribution if we can put together a companion documentary. Kitten explained that this was very last minute; I’m impressed with what you guys can do in less than 24 hours. I got an express delivery with a small fortune’s worth of video gear 2 hours ago. I was afraid to leave it in my car.”
Robin turned and headed for the parking area and Joe and Katherine followed not knowing where the day would take them
Authors Note- I’m blending some fact and fiction and hope that it conveys the right tone. After viewing video from the internet and some unconventional news sources I think maybe I’m getting there.
Alangator
They followed Robin to the parking lot and she used the remote on her keychain to unlock the doors of a small Honda SUV. Joe didn’t know it but the small 2001 Passport EX was 4WD. Robin jumped into the driver’s seat and Katherine jumped into the passenger seat. Joe was left standing at the rear door and decided to go with the flow.
Robin started the vehicle and they were off. She was a competent driver and seemed attuned to the flow of the drivers around her.
After five minutes of silence Robin addressed her passengers, “We need to get our press credentials and head downtown. I called an ex-classmate and she gave me some insight on where the action might be. The local news is speculating that the trouble might begin today or tonight and we need some decent footage for the website. Have you guys worked out any questions or are we going to wing it?”
Katherine answered, “Joe has a list and we’ll start with those questions and adjust as we go.”
Robin turned around to make eye contact with Joe in the back passenger seat briefly, “Good, after we get our press ID’s we need to work on getting the two of you looking more like film students and less like citizens. I brought some clothes for the two of you and a few accessories.”
After getting near the Press and Information office for the conferences they searched around for parking and finally found a pay garage with an attendant that promised to keep the vehicle safe. The 20 year old kid with straw colored hair was taken with Robin and mentioned he was looking forward to seeing her later.
After parking the SUV they all climbed out of the vehicle and Robin walked to the back of it and raised the hatch. She moved some stuff around and grabbed a t-shirt and a fanny pack, which she then put on.
She turned back to Joe and threw the shirt to him, “OK, try this on and then take it back off. We want to look professional at the press office and then we go undercover. Kitten, did you bring any regular respectable clothes for your press pass photo?”
Katherine nodded, “I’ve got khakis and a golf shirt in my bag.”
Robin smirked, “Good, get in the truck and change and if you brought perfume put one drop on your wrist. Joe, if you have khakis you can change after Kitten. Chop, chop let get moving, people.”
Katherine did what was suggested and emerged looking professional three minutes later. The sweatshirt was replaced and she looked good. Joe was especially appreciative of the fit of her pants and made a mental note to not get caught staring.
Joe had simply looked in his bag and found the pants and changed next to the SUV since he had on boxer briefs and they were the only people in sight. When he started to unbutton his pants Robin turned around to afford him more privacy and promptly snuck a peek at his butt, which she approved of.
Robin reached into the hatch again and began removing expensive looking video equipment and handing it to Katherine and Joe for the ten block walk to the press office. All of them were wearing backpacks and were hoping getting the credentials would be a simple affair and they could get to work quickly. At the press office they had their passports and ID checked and then the press liaison took their pictures for the badges.
Robin had wandered away and was chatting up an official in a blue suit that looked like she wanted to be someplace else. The internet was already full of videos from people claiming the locals were none to happy about the city being taken over by the meetings and attendant problems it brought. The videos were rife with conspiracy theories and the type of off-beat speculation that drove a portion of the left's worldview.
Much was being made of the money that was being squandered on security for the event and how regular people found the expenditure immoral or simply asinine and irresponsible. While Joe agreed that almost a billion dollars in security was crazy, it would not justify the riots, vandalism and violence. How these people thought that burning police cars helped their cause was a mystery to Joe. Their causes ranged from global warming, social justice, corporate welfare, globalization, environmental issues, nuclear power , the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, socialism and the conflict in Palestine.
Joe’s research convinced him that the left had cornered the Market in the PR war. They were all over the internet and hardly anybody was speaking out about the outrageous tactics employed by the black bloc and their ilk, or the danger these people could have on what was left of civil discourse.
After ten minutes of waiting Robin returned, “I got a lead on a possible problem brewing not far from here.”
They made their way outside and entered the next business and Robin and Katherine went to the restroom together, lugging the equipment in with them. Katherine emerged wearing an artsy blouse and as she walked past Joe he smelled a different smell than the perfume of before.
Robin walked up to Joe, “Change into the other clothes and, never mind.”
Robin pushed Joe into the men’s bathroom and followed him in. Inside she simply pointed at his pants, "Out of those and wash your arms with this.”
She handed him a two ounce vial and after Joe opened it he noticed it smelled like peppermint. She then pulled a disposable razor from her fanny pack and was eyeing his neck like a hungry Vampire, “I brought a nice fake rub-off tattoo for you. It says Monica and we’re going to put it on your neck. The shirt will mostly hide it but I want people to see it peeking out. Shirt off please.”
Joe complied with her request and Robin quickly shaved an area around his neck and applied the fake ink. Joe didn’t have any tattoos and was hoping it would be gone by the next time he saw his mother or she’d give him an earful.
Joe slipped out of his khakis and put his jeans back on. He then washed his hands and arms with the peppermint soap, “Robin, what is this soap? It smells like peppermint, is it shampoo?”
Robin was looking at his neck as she answered, “Dr. Bonner’s Peppermint Soap, its very hippy and says I wash anyplace I can. It’s all part of the disguise. Your clothes, scent, tattoo and speech all need to say I’m one of you. We don’t ever break cover and will not use our real names. I’m thinking we go with calling each other White, Green and Black. ”
Joe was now fully dressed and ready to go, "That's very Reservoir Dogs."
Robin looked at Joe in the mirror, "Yes it is Joe Quick. I'm hopeful about you since you just spotted the Reservoir Dogs reference."
They opened the door to find an employee of the restaurant starring daggers at them.
Robin had an explanation ready, "Sorry, my brother is diabetic and needed a shot. I didn’t think you wanted his girlfriend in there with him. He usually takes the oral medication but for some reason he needed a shot just now. If his numbers get too out of whack, he cannot inject himself and this beats a trip to the ER."
Joe looked uncomfortable, “I need to use the restroom and I’m sorry for the fuss.”
Joe turned and reentered the bathroom. The employee seemed satisfied with the explanation and turned and left after he apologized. Joe decided Robin had a little larceny in her heart. If he didn’t know better, he might have believed her story.
The trio finished in the restaurant and followed the directions the official had given Robin. Protestors were now wondering around the area and Robin was shooting while Joe attempted to get some interviews. After almost ten "no thanks, go aways" Joe finally found some skaters that wanted to be famous and they did 15 minutes of interviews with them.
Joe was depressed at the skaters lack of understanding about anything and hoped they could salvage something from the effort. Joe’s questions finally found their mark and the next thing you know the skaters are sharing a rumor they heard about the day’s autonomous direct action event. Various ‘affinity groups’ were also planning to work their way toward the Summit Security Zone in the afternoon.
With Robin behind the camera and Katherine running sound Joe was shocked the police hadn't figured a way to shut these morons down. If the rumor had any validity, it took the three of them all of 35 minutes to get an idea or two of where the fun was going to be.
Joe was about to ask another question and had already promised to blur the skaters faces when he noticed out of the corner of his eye a group of seven police dressed in riot gear walking toward them.“Guys, better get moving they look unfriendly. We’ll stall them while you get going.”
The angry men moved toward them and when they got closer and the skaters were gone Katherine noticed the official from the press office was actually a member of law enforcement.
The woman walked over to Robin and began gesturing wildly and Joe was buying it till he saw Robin smile and then he knew it was theatre. Her six burly companions seemed to know the score and the one near him asked under his breath who they were working for.
Joe answered keeping his voice down. The magazine was middle of the road and had requested content that showed the American public what lengths certain groups would go to for their cause. However, they planned to crucify the anarchists and their ilk and had requested as much of the violence and destruction as it was safe to acquire.
All Joe needed to know was what they expected and what would get their stories printed and he and Katherine could come up with a plan. The packet Joe received from them indicated that the magazine believed the US was about to swing away from some of the lefts craziness of the recent past and they planned to capitalize on that shift in momentum to gain new subscribers. They speculated that they were going to expand their readership by supporting a more conservative or pragmatic approach to government and were leaning toward support of anybody that advocated a more conservative fiscal policy.
Robin finished and put the camera back up on her shoulder and the group of vaguely menacing Toronto cops moved away. Joe was embarrassed he didn’t understand who the Police were. His trip was so last minute he didn’t knew if the local cops were doing security for the event or if it was the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. For all he knew it was the Canadian version of the Highway Patrol.
They worked the crowds when possible and put together lots of footage for the website and headed home for some dinner after it looked like the day wasn’t going to provide a significant violent event.
They made the 8pm deadline for the website and went to find a place to eat on the magazines dime. Lazarus had admonished Joe that he was to use his credit card only under emergency circumstances and Katherine would pay for their dinner using her credit card and submit the receipt to the magazine.
While mulling over the menu Joe noticed that Robin had been texting since the footage had been sent to the magazine,
“Robin is everything OK?”
Robin smiled,“The girl in the riot gear from earlier is hitting on me and I’m gently rejecting her advances while fishing for information. She said she works for Canadian Security Intelligence Service and is attached to a Toronto Police Service unit as their Intelligence Liaison.”
Katherine swallowed the water she had been drinking,“Well the whole security thing here is apparently a huge deal. I’m talking hundreds of millions in security for the meetings."
Katherine’s comments were interrupted by Joe’s phone, "Hey Bryce, how are you doing?"
Both women watched as Joe spoke to Bryce.
“Yes, that would be good.”
“No, it’s kind of slow. Rumor mill has some stuff going on tomorrow and Sunday.”
“I think we make a great team and we’re getting tons of footage”
“I’m not going to tell her that, her cousin will put me on the street. I doubt I could find a room within 60 miles of the city.”
“OK, you too. And Bryce thanks for calling to check on Katherine, she's doing fine."
Joe smiled as he ended the call.
Both women were watching him and finally Katherine asked, "So, what did Bryce say?"
Joe looked at her with a smile barely concealed on his face,“Basically he wanted to see how we were doing and asked if we needed some help. One of the guys he knows has a retired Toronto cop that owes him a favor. I told him we’re good and don’t need help.”
Katherine was staring thru Joe and he was feeling it,“And what aren’t you going to tell me?”
Joe looked at his attractive book buddy,“That is something for another day, trust me.”
The trio enjoyed the dinner and made their way back to the apartment to get some sleep after the long day. The women were in the bedroom and Joe was on the couch. Robin was on her laptop in bed and surfing the web trying to find leads for the next day. They all hoped Saturday was the day that would bring with it some footage that was newsworthy.
Joe was doing his morning stretching routine in his boxer briefs when he heard somebody stirring in the bedroom. He quickly threw on a pair of shorts and a shirt to finish up his exercise. He had forgotten in his fatigued state that he wasn’t in his room at the warehouse and didn’t want to get caught in his underwear. That would seem less than professional and they had a lot of work to do and making it weird for anybody would not help.
The bedroom door rattled for a second and opened. Katherine came out wearing an oversized t-shirt that fell to just above her knees. Her hair looked a little crazy and she made her way to the bathroom, “Morning, did you start any coffee?”
Joe answered her after she had closed the bathroom door, “No, but I can.”
Katherine had closed the bathroom door and from the other side of the bathroom door came her reply, “Excellent idea, see if you can find some bread that isn’t moldy.”
Joe walked over to the galley style kitchen and was quietly looking thru cabinets in case Robin was still sleeping. Now it was weird, he had seen Katherine’s legs and it feared it would be an image that would distract him for the rest of the day. He cursed the effect certain women had on men, or specifically he cursed the effect Katherine had on him. Working thru the book process with her was going to be a challenge.
He was mentally making a list of coping strategies when Joe heard her walk into the kitchen behind him and open the frig door. Limit face to face contact was going on top of the list. If he wasn’t around her he might not be as apt to see something that might prove distracting, like her legs from just above the knees down to her cute ankles.
Joe turned around in the small kitchen and was visually assaulted by the sight of Katherine bent over looking in the refrigerator. This time the t-shirt revealed a little more of her thighs and Joe needed to focus and get someplace safe, “Excuse me, can I get by.”
Katherine turned around with a surprised look on her face. She clearly had heard the discomfort in Joe’s voice, “Joe, I’m sorry. I stayed up too late and my brain must be turned off. I’ll get some pants on.”
Katherine headed back into the bedroom and closed the door. A few minutes later Joe heard the two women giggling behind the flimsy door. Joe would bet that Katherine was telling Robin of their uncomfortable kitchen encounter.
A few minutes later, both women came out of the bedroom wearing lounge pants and regular sized tees. Robin headed to the bathroom and Katherine walked over to the kitchen’s breakfast counter and sat down.
She looked uncomfortable and was fidgeting with a rubber bracelet on her right wrist,
“Joe, I’m sorry about earlier. I feel comfortable around you and forget that we don’t know each other that well. I didn’t mean to embarrass you or make you uncomfortable and I’m really digging working with you. If I picked two people to work with on this little project, you and Robin would be my choices. That being said, I’d like to think that if a problem or concern arises that we can talk about it and search together for a solution.”
Joe laughed, “I’m sorry, I was just surprised. It seems that this project has a sense of intimacy that I don’t normally associate with work. When I looked over and saw those legs of yours I became temporarily distracted. I want to insure that we do good work and don’t allow distractions to compromise our relationships.”
Katherine became Kitten and answered, “Joe, were you staring at my legs?”
Joe smirked, “I’m a man, of course I was staring at your legs. Any reasonable young single man would be staring at your legs given the opportunity. The exception being those men that were visually impaired, I would wait till you left the room and describe them for those men not able to visually inspect them themselves. Heck, I might call Bryce or Lazarus and describe your legs to them. Have you seen my phone anywhere?”
Kitten smiled, “Joe that is good for 2 reasons. The first is that a woman always appreciates being appreciated. And the second is that it’s hot out and I’m wearing cargo shorts today if you think you can handle it. Oh, and you better not call Bryce or Lazarus or else I will have to find new and interesting ways to torment you.””
Joe heard the shower start up in the bathroom before he could answer. The thought of Katherine wearing shorts, even cargo shorts isn’t what he wanted to hear, “I guess I can wait to describe your legs to the guys and I think that wearing shorts sounds like a great idea. If we’re going to be lugging around all the equipment then comfort should be the order of the day. I’m looking forward to seeing what shirt Robin will be pairing with my cargo shorts and hope that it is something both pithy and understated; also it should go with my shoes. That’s important to me.”
Katherine started coffee and watched the maker do its work as if it was purifying water and she was stranded on a dessert island. She watched and as the machine stopped she scooped the carafe off the burner and poured the coffee into a mug that she had found, the mug read; ‘Vegetarians Suck, Eat More Meat’.
Robin had finished in the shower and came out wearing cargo shorts and a red stripe t-shirt. Katherine grabbed her mug and disappeared into the bedroom and emerged one minute later and went to take her turn in the bathroom.
Again, Joe heard the water running and Robin went into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee, “I’m thinking we get breakfast on the go, if that’s OK with you. I know a place where some of the web based and independent journalists are hanging out. Maybe we can pick up some information about anything going on today?”
Joe was sitting at the breakfast counter and simply nodded his agreement, “What shirt have you chosen for me today?”
Robin smiled and it was clear she was amused, “It’s from a bar in Austin that is incredibly hip. You’ll like it, it screams look how hip I am. If anybody asks tell them you were there four years ago at the New Years Eve Party.”
Katherine finished in the bathroom and came out sporting a pair of cargo pants and another peasant blouse that was mostly green or shades of green.
As she passed Joe getting his stuff from his duffle she had a question for him, “So, did you check out Robin's legs in her cargo shorts? Or, are you more a lets sexually harass the hired help type?”
Joe laughed as he made his way into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He replied to her question through the closed door, “What and ruin the surprise? We’ll need something to talk about at lunch.”
Joe used the toilet and showered, he walked out of the bathroom six minutes later, “Are we ready? I’m starved.”
Robin was sorting thru equipment and picking what they needed, "I think I’ve got it figured out. Let’s get loaded up and get moving.”
The knock at the door surprised all three of them and Robin went to see who it was. She opened the door and Joe heard deep man's voice.
“Robin, I’m Jim Tacker and Lazarus sent me to keep an eye on you, Kitten and Joe”
Robin paused and remembered Katherine talking about Joe's friends, “Jim, come in. Joe’s in the living room.”
Jim entered the living room and walked over to Katherine, “Kitten, it’s nice to meet you. Lazarus said to say hello.”
He reached out and shook her hand and turned to Joe, “The famous Joe Quick, I saw you on Fox. It’s nice to meet you. Lazarus is a friend of a friend and wanted me to tag along and keep you guys out of trouble. He agreed to come up here and do a class in exchange for me hanging out with you for a few days. I’m supposed to call him and let him know when I caught up to you and it looks like I was just in time.”
Joe carefully watched Jim reach into his pants pocket and pull out his cell phone, he then dialed Lazarus and waited while the phone rang, “Lazarus, its Jim Tacker in Toronto. I found your friend and I assume he’ll want independent verification of who I am. Here you go.”
Tacker handed the phone to Joe, “Hello, Lazarus?”
On the other end of the phone Lazarus spoke, “Sorry, I was overruled. Panel voted to send a guy. They say Tacker is a good guy and he might be able to help you out with his police contacts.”
Joe simply stated, “If the panel voted than it’s OK with me. And, who is the panel?”
Lazarus chuckled, “Protection Panel, we sometimes put some people together to look at situations to insure that we are acting correctly and have all the bases covered. Your safety was on auto-pilot here and when you left it was decided to convene a panel. It wasn’t my call; it might be a good idea. And it might not and only time will tell.”
Joe involuntarily shrugged, “OK, we’ll make do. Thanks for the help; I’ll let you know how it goes. Talk to you later.”
Lazarus explained that it was customary in these situations that he would feed Tacker out of his meal allowance and said goodbye and both men hung up.
Joe turned to Katherine and Robin, “Looks like our trio is now a foursome. Tacker comes highly recommended and has contacts we might need at the Toronto Police Service. Robin do you have a shirt for him by any chance?”
Robin shook her head, “No, we’ll just maintain some distance and nobody will know he is with us. If he gets in trouble we can bail him out by saying our boss hired him. Tacker, I’m White, Katherine is Green and Joe is Black. Please don’t use our names on the street. We’ll refer to you as Red. Sound good?”
Tacker smiled, “Not a problem. I know a guy that is in the PR department that might be able to get us an exclusive interview with a spokesman or maybe even the Chief. They are always looking for sympathetic journalists and media types.”
Katherine squirmed, “Well, we’re not conventional journalists. We are working for a magazine and our stuff is being fed to their website but we actually have another agenda.”
Katherine looked at Joe to see if he was willing to share any more information with the stranger with references.
Joe saw Katherine looking at him and decided that if Lazarus and the Panel trusted this guy then he would also, “Tacker, I mean Red. I’m here doing research for a book about the activists and the increasing violence that certain members employ to make a statement. I’m trying to get a line on these Black Bloc idiots and witness the riots and vandalism that is part of their plan to convince the world that their positions are valid. Personally, a US Special Agent has informed me that a team may be looking for me so they can kill me. Lazarus is one of my bodyguards and is tasked with my safety. Very few people know of this and I ask you to not tell anybody about the death threats or the book. While it might help with the article it could also get out that I’m in town and put us all at risk.”
Tacker looked confused, “That’s not a problem, you’re sounding more and more like my kind of guy. I’m hungry, have you guys eaten yet? I know a place.”
Authors Note-
After doing some research on the net, I’ve blended small elements of fact into and around a fictional plotline in the following pages. For me watching u-tube footage of the events surrounding the Toronto G-8/G-20 Conference was both interesting and disturbing. As a writer I found the videos helpful and insightful, as a person with a family I found some of the footage disturbing and more than a little depressing. Hope everybody likes my take on the events.
alangator
__________
Jim Tacker looked maybe 50 or so and was fit for a guy his age; he had a shaved head and had that walk that you associate with guys that pump a lot of iron. As they all followed him into the downtown diner he scanned the room looking for something or somebody.
What they didn’t know, that Tacker did. was that he had heard that a friend in the media was using the diner as a base. He thought perhaps he had some ideas about how to find the Black Bloc. Tacker was looking for his friend and spotted an open table and instantly staked it out for the group.
The trio settled into their table and placed their equipment in between themselves on the bench and stacked the non-fragile stuff in the aisle on the floor.
Tacker was still looking around the diner and leaned over to speak to the trio above the noise of the surrounding customers, “Try the Ranch Omelet, it the best thing on the menu.”
Tacker then spotted somebody he knew and got up to go speak with him. He made his way around the equipment and the throng of independent, web-based and pseudo-journalists. Joe suspected that the room also contained a number of self-important bloggers.
He looked as if he knew a guy wearing khakis and a golf shirt and was speaking to him for maybe five minutes. At one point Tacker pulled his cell out of his pocket and was scrolling thru the menu or sending texts. They didn’t know which.
Tacker shook the mans hand and returned to the table and sat down, “We got an hour or two before a protest starts from the park. It’s for the protestors arrested and still being detained at the Central Detention Facility. The organizers are having a pre-protest meeting in the ‘free speech zone’ and the protest kicks off around 11:30 or so. They will walk to the Detention Facility and rumor has it that the Black Bloc will be sending some people into the crowd to cause some mischief.”
Joe looked over at Katherine who looked interested in attending the meeting.
Robin was the first to respond, “That sounds like something we should get to. How about we get something to go and get over there?”
Katherine nodded to her cousin, “I agree, maybe they have egg sandwiches or something we can get sandwichfied.”
They each had their omelets cut in half and placed on 4 pieces of bread and headed to the parks ‘free speech zone’ to start shooting video of the event. Robin had a guy that was hovering around her and insisted on trying to talk to her while they all worked.
He was in his early 20’s and wearing a red t-shirt with a picture of a Bob Marley album cover on it. The backside of the shirt read ‘Legalize Pot. He had a regular haircut, if you consider a Mohawk a normal haircut. The side of his neck was tattooed and he had holes in his ears a toddler could fit his/her pinkie thru. He insisted on asking questions about where she had grown up and what college she went to.
After 10 minutes of this Robin became tired of his badgering and handed the video camera to Katherine to operate and pulled on his sleeve and walked just out of earshot with him. She looked at him and was talking in a low voice. Joe and Robin couldn’t hear what was being said but the guy appeared to be apologizing and walked away looking embarrassed.
Tacker had found an anti-globalization t-shirt sold by a vendor and was watching them from 20 or 30 feet away. He milled around and appeared to be interacting with various groups or individuals.
Joe watched as Tacker moved a little closer to them and watched as he started drifting close enough to hear the protest organizer requesting her charges to cooperate with their police escorts and refrain from taunting them, and to avoid confrontations with them.
The protest organizers had arranged with the police to march to the Detention Facility with a police escort and at 11:30 they began their ten block march to the Detention Facility. The procession was well-behaved and no problems arose till ten minutes after they were standing outside the facility waiting on the release of the detainees.
While the protestors were singing Kumbaya next to the jail a confrontation developed between police and the protestors. Eventually protestors began sitting down and started chanting their slogans. Various camera people and ordinary citizens with smaller recorders and cell phones were filming.
All of a sudden another commotion broke out on the edge of the gathering and the line of over 100 riot police started acting aggressive and protestors were shouting they hadn’t done anything. A few of the riot gear clad policemen shot large rubber bullets at individual protestors. Katherine noticed something flying through the air toward the line of police donning their protective riot gear ensembles.
The rubber bullets bouncing around led some protestors to panic and they started moving quickly toward the streets that would allow them to exit the area. While maybe 100 protestors made it out of the area they simply stopped and observed the scene from just outside the danger area. With many of them recording the events on cell phones they caused a logjam that impeded the exit of many of the protestors.
The trio was part of the 20 or so regular camera operators they could see moving around the group of over 200 people. The camera people were careful to stay away from the authorities to insure they didn’t agitate them since they had pepper spray, batons and guns that could shoot the rubber bullets. That number didn’t include the multitude of protestors using handheld recorders or using cell phones to document the event.
The facility backed up to houses and barriers had been erected between them to insure that the entry and egress points were reduced to only the streets surrounding the facility. Joe assumed it was to keep the Black Bloc from causing trouble or to prevent them from taking off between those houses after causing problems.
Many of the camera people had on crash or military style helmets in anticipation of trouble. Many were wearing safety glasses or goggles and Nomex type gloves. Joe realized that a few were wearing protective vests. Joe heard one cameraman tell another he was wearing a protective cup to insure the safety of his guy parts.
After a few minutes a bullhorn was heard, “Attention, Attention ,please move away from this facility. A bomb threat has been received and we ask all of you to exit the area immediately. Please move slowly and carefully toward the end of the block. If you see a suspicious package please inform a member of the police force. We will have people searching the area for explosive devises and ask that you not bother or otherwise impede their efforts. A Water and First Aid Station has been set-up two blocks east of here and we encourage you to go there if you need assistance.”
Robin moved over to where Joe was interviewing one of the protest organizers. Joe was using a small camera and Robin brought her bigger broadcast quality rig into the mix as Joe continued his questioning, “How does this affect your desire to welcome your fellow protestors back to freedom?
The small framed red-headed woman was ready to answer that question, “Obviously, we’d prefer to be here when they are released. This bomb threat is likely another example of certain elements in our ranks that choose to disrupt our activities in the hope of making the authorities look bad. Some of us feel that it unfairly makes the protestors look bad, most of us are peaceful and advocate non-violence.”
Joe asked his next question, “I assume you are referring to the Black Bloc?”
The petite organizer nodded to the camera, “Yes, they are known as the Black Bloc and have likely ruined this non-violent protest and show of support for our friends that have been unjustly detained by the powers that be. While we expect to eventually hold the authorities accountable, these people don’t answer to anybody. They mistake their actions as something other than the reckless and immature behavior that it is.”
Joe glanced at Robin, now aware of her standing next to him, “How does the Black Bloc’s presence affect the way you protest? And are you ever given the chance to interact with them and seek to find common ground?
The organizer wiped a cloth across her neck and answered, “They operate without any known central leadership. They never interact with us and have impeded our efforts to bring attention to important issues and causes in the past. I feel that the lack of dialogue between them and other groups contributes to situations such as the one we witnessed today and will ultimately weaken our position.”
A group of eight riot policemen approached the trio and their interviewee. The leader of the riot gear squad lifted his face shield and set his shield on the ground, “Folks, please exit this area, it may not be safe. We have an area set-up over by the First Aid area and encourage you to use that as an interview area. This area is going to be swept by the bomb dogs shortly. We assume the threat is a hoax but want to insure your safety.”
Joe looked at the older officer, “We’re moving officer. Sorry, we were waiting for the crowd to clear some before we got going.”
Joe looked at his interviewee, “Thanks and good luck. Here is my number, if you see or hear anything interesting you can call me.”
Joe handed the scrap of paper to the woman and she put it in the front pocket of her expensive looking tie-die shorts.
The woman took a slip of paper from her pocket and pulled a small golf style pencil from her pocket and wrote something on the piece of paper. She then stepped close to Joe and stuck the piece of paper in Joe’s back pocket. The gesture had a sense of intimacy that Joe wasn’t completely comfortable with. It was a little unsettling to him and he smiled at the women and turned to his partners and asked, “You ready? We better get going before they get cranky and decide to use tear gas or pepper spray to clear the block.”
Robin had lowered her camera and was trying to arrange her stuff so that she could walk without falling on her face, “Let’s get out of here.”
When Joe turned back around the woman was 20 feet away and walking toward the designated egress area, “That was awkward.”
He turned around and found that his partners had started drifting away and hadn’t heard anything he had said. He wasn’t going to mention that the small attractive women had given his butt a squeeze when she placed the piece of paper in his pocket. She squeezed it afterward to insure he knew it wasn’t an accident.
Joe picked up his equipment and followed Robin and Katherine. He saw Tacker ahead waiting while pretending to tie his shoe. If Joe didn’t know what Tacker was doing, he wouldn’t think anything of the gesture.
He walked quickly and caught up about a block away from the now restricted area. Robin was laughing at something Katherine had said when Joe walked up, “Did I miss something good?”
Katherine smiled her Kitten smile, “Joe, did that women grab your butt? That seems like it is a violation of some sort of documentary filmmaker guidelines. ”
Joe blushed since he figured nobody had seen the grab and he was embarrassed, “If you must know she actually did it twice. That doesn’t mean we’re going steady in Canada does it?”
Both women laughed at Joe’s quick recovery and he felt he had done a decent job of
covering his embarrassment. He then realized that Robin had pulled her stalker aside and spoken with him. Joe was hoping he wouldn’t have to spend time with that idiot later in the day. That would be very awkward for him since he thought the guy looked like a moron and might end up telling him.
Both women had turned around and were heading for the first aid area where they could refill their water bottles and rest for a few minutes. Joe found himself staring at Katherine’s legs again; he realized it and looked away quickly.
As they waited at the water station Joe noticed Tacker talking to the guy in the khakis again and watched as he pulled his cell out and dialed.
Joe felt his phone vibrate and quickly answered it, “Hello.”
On the other end of the line Joe heard Tacker’s voice, “After you have watered up, follow me. I have a source that says another protest is starting in 45 minutes down the street. He said they are expecting trouble.”
Joe replied, “OK, got it.”
He leaned over to Katherine, who was standing next to him, “Red said to follow him, he has a lead.”
The trio followed Tacker down the street and around a block. After five blocks they came up on maybe 500-1,000 protestors milling about and listening to various organizers recite speeches about their favorite causes and the current injustices of the civilized world.
Anti-Globalization was by far the largest crowd on the side of the area they were in and the bullhorn carrying organizer was walking around a 20 foot circle and rallying his troops. Joe heard more than a few international corporations he was familiar with mentioned in a very negative way. The protest organizer was a better than average orator and his crowd responded enthusiastically.
Tacker was maybe 15 feet away listening to a speaker extolling the virtues of Communism and the Workers Union. Tacker looked slightly uncomfortable; apparently he was a fan of capitalism and found listening to some tin-pot moron objectionable.
After ten minutes of listening to the speakers carry on, Joe, Katherine and Robin started moving with the crowd toward the now infamous barrier fence. They positioned themselves toward the front of the march in hopes of capturing some interesting video footage. Also, the front of the march had more signs and placards and the crowd there seemed more energetic. The downside was that more bullhorn carrying protestors congregated toward the front and their chants became repetitive and grating on the trio’s nerves.
Joe paused and stood next to Katherine and Robin, “You happy here or do we move up to the very front? If problems arise then they likely will be starting in the front and working their way back.”
Robin had the big camera on her shoulder and was panning thru the crowd looking for something interesting, “I can live with that, let’s get going. If we hurry we can get in the front before the main body catches up.”
Katherine was running a small digital recorder and zoomed in on five Toronto Police Force officers dressed in their standard uniforms for the day. That uniform was riot gear and they didn’t look is if they were having fun. The serious looks on their faces conveyed the concern they had for their own safety. The shields and batons would offer little protection from the masses of protestors arrayed against them. They were assigned to escort duty and stayed away from the protestors.
After some time had passed, an impasse between elements of the protestors and the police ensued. The police tried unsuccessfully to impede the group’s movements and then it started.
Elements of the protestors began becoming aggressive and eventually the cops got cranky and in the end the cops left and the Black Bloc damaged some property and burned some police cars.
All during this time Tacker walked next to Joe, Katherine and Robin as they filmed. Every once in a while somebody came running by or a police vehicle would carom past them going someplace. The police were using a small fleet of large passenger vans to transport their personnel where they were needed. Nobody knew if the vans were being used to reduce the number of marked police vehicles in the area or to simply fit the riot clad officers into, since they were wearing bulky equipment.
They all stuck close to each other and formed an almost 360 degree arc while filming. Each would talk to the others and inform them on what they were watching and warn them of danger.
Danger came in the form of a black clad kid wanting the camera on Robin's shoulder. He came up to her and demanded her camera and simply reached out to grab it. Wrestling with her, he forgot the other people around him and Joe took advantage of his folly by landing a solid elbow to his face that knocked the kid down to the ground and rang his bell.
He was stunned and when he got up he was bloody and calling for friends that weren’t around. Tacker encouraged the trio to move off to another corner of the demonstration. Tacker stepped away from the group and watched the man as he told people what had happened. Joe had smelled pot on him when he cold-cocked him and was hoping his story wouldn’t be taken seriously.
Joe’s cell rang, “Hello.”
Tacker’s voice was almost drowned out by the mob beside him, “We need to move, your friend found some friends and they are looking for you. They haven’t spotted you guys yet but they will very soon if we stay here. I don’t know if they are Block Bloc but they don’t look very nice. Move away from the mob toward that bank and I’ll follow you at a distance. If I see trouble, I’ll call you and let you know.”
Joe looked over to Tacker, who stood 30 or 40 feet away from them, “OK, we’re moving right now.”
Joe slid over to Katherine, “Red said we might be having company and we need to move now. He’ll watch us from afar to make sure that guy and his friends don’t sneak up on us.”
Katherine looked surprised, “OK, let move.”
They both stepped over to Robin who was manning the big camera. Katherine leaned over to whisper into her ear, “We need to get moving. Red is worried about that guy and some friends coming back over to us and we don’t want to have that camera stolen or broken. We’ll follow Joe since he knows where we are supposed to go.”
Robin had continued to film while Katherine was talking to her, “Just point me in the right direction.”
With the Black Bloc on a rampage three black clad kids with bandanas over their faces came up to them and informed them that they were not allowed to film in order to maintain the privacy of the Black Bloc members. Robin had rigged hidden video recorders into Joe and Katherine’s backpacks and while appearing to be simply spectators to the vandalism and violence they were actually able to record some of what they had seen.
Robin and Katherine lowered their cameras and Robin reached into the backpacks and switched the high quality spy cameras on. The magazine had opted to send the small cameras in the package of equipment from Vancouver and Robin had figured out how to use them by calling the tech guys at the rental house in Vancouver. Joe started walking the opposite direction of the theft he had foiled and Katherine and Robin followed closely. They were still using the hidden cameras and walked two blocks until they thought it might be safe to stop again.
Joe’s phone rang, “Hey.”
Tacker voice again filled the tiny speaker, “Your boy and his friends are still looking around here and haven’t any idea you left. I’m one block from where you were and headed your way. Can you hold up?”
Joe looked around and noticed the filming ban wasn’t in effect where they were, “Sure, I think we can film again. Looks like another protestor vs. cops thing brewing.”
Tacker replied, “I’ll be to you in four minutes”
The hidden camera video would be rough and out of frame but could provide insight not readily available to the general public. Joe assumed that trusted Black Bloc members were filming the ‘direct action’ to use in propaganda videos. With all the cameras around the protests five Black Bloc members lugging cameras weren’t concerned with being singled out by law enforcement.
A confrontation was again brewing between the supposedly peaceful demonstrators and a line of law enforcement. Joe watched as a kid in black ran up to the line and smacked the helmet of a cop on the line with a sign. While the cops head was protected, it didn’t seem a wise thing to do.
He turned to Robin who was getting the big camera up on her shoulder and pointed the incident out to her. Just then another black clothing wearing moron did the same thing to a different cop. Both Joe and Katherine watched as another kid tried the same thing. After he smacked the helmet the cop tilted his shield and used his knee to extend the bottom of it and smash the kid’s foot. The kid immediately collapsed onto the ground holding his foot and cussing up a storm. The cop and the people beside him quickly formed a circle around the kid and officers quickly and professionally handcuffed him and hauled him away.
This wasn’t popular with the crowd and another melee started. The trio moved away from the police lines and avoided the crowd, moving to an area with less activity. They were still filming and Joe noticed many of the camera people were darting dangerously close to the areas with the most action.
After 15 minutes of this back and forth they decided to get going and look someplace else since the general feeling was getting or was hostile on both sides. Tacker had suggested they make a hasty retreat and all agreed that sounded logical.
During the bad times tear gas was used and they all resorted to using bandanas to provide some protection when they ended up too close to it. Katherine was sick and puking for some time. She had some breathing problems and took longer to recover than the others. All of them were glad lunch had been delayed and found the smell of burning cars wafting down the street between the tall buildings to be sickening.
Earlier after the Police had moved off and the cars were burning Joe, Robin and Katherine heard various people talk about Canadian law enforcement using agent provocateurs based on what they had observed. Witnesses refused to believe that the violence and vandalism was done by anybody but the police themselves since they had spent so much money on security and had brought so many law enforcement members to Toronto. The thought that law enforcement abandoned their cars to the mob instantly started the rumors and the protestor’s, violent and non-violent alike, found one thing they agreed on.
As Joe walked down a random street away from the latest clash, he was reminded for an instant why he had made this trip and soaked in the atmosphere. He didn’t feel he would gain another opportunity to see these types of situations unfolding in front of him and their cameras.
While viewing this stuff on the internet was useful, seeing it in person gave him a completely different perspective and would enhance and further develop his thoughts for the book.
Joe found a familiar street and headed back to the diner to get something to eat while filming was handled by Robin and Katherine. Tacker was walking 20 feet behind them and walked quickly to catch up to Joe.
As he began walking next to the trio he looked over at them, “We need to get a copy of our videos to a police PR flack I knew. If we do, he has time for an exclusive interview, and will comment on the burning and vandalized police vehicles we saw earlier.”
Robin stopped walking and took the heavy camera from her shoulder, “I need a rest, this thing is heavy. Joe, think you can run the camera?”
Joe stopped and reached for the camera, “I’ll give it a shot if we don’t get anything earth shattering, I should be fine.”
Katherine stopped next to them, “Let’s burn some copies of what we have, and try the PR interview. Can we eat first?”
Tacker was standing beside them and shrugged his shoulders, “That’s sounds better than braving another tussle with bricks flying through the air to me.”
Joe was thinking about what he was going to eat for lunch as his cell interrupted his thoughts,
“Hello.”
On the other end of the connection Joe heard Dorth’s voice, “Joe, you doing OK? Anything interesting happen yet?”
Joe smiled as he spoke into the phone, “We have footage of riots and confrontations between cops and the Black Bloc. We have two views of the riot that led to the burning of three police vehicles and we have tear gas attacks and blood on the street.”
Dorth sounded pleased, “That’s perfect. The reason I called is that I have a speaking engagement for you tonight if you’re up to it. It is for a conservative PAC that is Washington based and pays $5,000. They want the whole explanation of your experiences at the bookstore and will restrict phones and video equipment from the event. I e-mailed the specs to Bryce and he has given his approval, if Tacker and another security escort go with you.”
Joe mulled the offer over a few seconds, “Dorth, I need to talk to the team here and get their input. Can you give me maybe 20 minutes and I’ll call you back?”
Dorth agreed, “That’s a good idea. Let's try to get a decision in the next 20 minutes or so and I’ll stall the event coordinator till then.”
Joe hung up the phone and dialed Bryce who answered on the first ring, “I was expecting your call, what took so long?”
Joe smiled as he answered the man's question, “I just hung up with Dorth and he briefed me on tonight’s event.”
Bryce paused, "Oh; I’ve left two messages for you about that in the last 20 minutes. He mentioned time was short and if you’re doing the event we need another security guy if Tacker agrees to do it with you.”
Joe replied, “It gets crazy loud here sometimes and we had a guy try to steal the expensive camera that the magazine rented. I didn’t hear the phone ring or feel it vibrate. I’ll check with Tacker and see what we can get done.”
Joe hung the phone up and turned to Tacker standing beside him, “Red, you got plans tonight? It seems I need two bodyguards tonight so I can speak to some group at a fancy hotel.”
The team grabbed lunch to-go from the diner and began the trip back to the apartment.
Robin was excited and was talking as they walked, “OK, here’s what we do. I can put together a rough slideshow of what you have from the bookstore incident video. A sort of "here is where my journey started". Then we mix in some images from yesterday and today and you follow-up with here is where I’m at now. I think the images will add depth to your speech and enhance the overall effect. How does that sound?”
Joe looked at her as he was walking, “You can do that? That sounds great; I’ve never gone in front of a live audience this large and on short notice. I can use all the help I can get.”
Katherine looked over, “When we get to the apartment you shower and then you and I find a proper suit for you. Robin does her thing and Tacker is working on finding another security guy for tonight. I think if we find security this is doable.”
Joe smiled as he relished working with such a supportive team. He had found he really liked their chemistry and was apprehensive about the speaking engagement yet strangely excited, “Katherine, I’m glad you want to go with me to pick out a suit. Since I cannot use my credit cards, I was hoping you could loan the money to me. With shoes, a shirt and a tie it should be less than $500 US if you can swing it?”
Katherine moved to the side of the sidewalk to avoid a group of protestors walking the other way down the sidewalk, “I can handle that, you’re good for it.”
The group all chuckled at her witty comment and Joe was slightly embarrassed, “Very funny, make fun of my situation if you must. I say we get this done and grab an expensive dinner on the magazine after the speech. I think we all deserve it.”
After getting to the apartment they all began their tasks. Tacker had found two guys that were available, which wasn’t easy. The meetings had pulled Law Enforcement from all over the country and eventually he settled on another retired cop and a Captain home on leave from the military. Both friends of friends and came with references but Tacker hadn’t met either one.
Joe reached for his cell and dialed Bryce’s number.
Bryce answered on the third ring, “Hey, Joe what do ya know?”
Joe shook his head, “I got another retired Toronto PD guy and an Army Captain home from somewhere in the Middle-East. Will that work?”
Bryce replied, “That works for me, have Tacker call me.”
Joe smiled since the last minute plans were working out, "I’ll do that, anything else? I’m running tight on time?”
On the other end of the line Bryce uttered the simple phrases, “Good luck and be careful. Remember what we’ve taught you.”
Joe smiled at his friends concern, “I will, I promise.”
They ended the call and Joe dialed Dorth and told him to take the job and text and e-mail a confirmation of the engagement to him. Since he was going to buy a suit he wanted to know the job was locked in before he paid for it.
Joe then found the address and phone number for a men’s store near the downtown area. They offered alterations while you waited and he and Katherine took off for the shop in Robin’s vehicle.
While they were gone Robin was using a laptop to edit images out from Joe’s original video that had potential and arranging them into a makeshift slide loop. Joe had accessed a copy of his video from the bookstore for her and she was going to work on it first. The plan was to finish with the bookstore images and then put together something from the video they had shot from the G-8/G-20 riots to drive home the point. They had quite a bit of video and nobody envied Robin's job at all.
As Katherine and Joe walked into the smallish suit store, Joe realized that this was nicer than the places he usually bought his suits.
A dapperly dressed older man with a grey goatee walked up to them. He wore a suit that screamed good taste and was wearing a gaudy gold watch, “I’m Serge, how can I help you?”
Katherine nodded to him, “Serge, I’m Katherine and this is Joe. Joe is meeting my parents tonight for the first time and we need something sharp. I want my parents to approve of him and my dad believes that clothes make the man. We need to find something suitable and wait for the alterations. I was told on the phone that you can do that and it wasn’t a problem. Is that correct?”
Serge smiled at the scenario he had seen many times before, “Joe, do you need a complete outfit or just a suit? We also offer a line of shoes, shirts and accessories and can do alterations after the clothes are paid for. ”
Joe replied, “Serge, I need it all. What price range are your suits?”
Serge looked serious, “Well, I can make you look awfully good for right at $1,000.00 US. All our suits come with two pairs of pants like in the old days. Let me grab a color wheel and see where we’re at.”
Serge was a man of his word and after 30 minutes of trying this and that, he and Katherine had a combination they were both pleased with for a little less than $1,000.00 US. Joe was quiet as they hovered and handed this or that for him to try on.
After a final consultation Serge expertly marked the suit with his tailor’s chalk and went to the back room to begin the alterations while Katherine paid for their purchases at the counter. Joe was thankful for the time to begin working on his speech and pulled his laptop form its bag and began working.
Katherine sat next to him and was perusing a women’s fashion magazine, “Joe, this was fun. We should go shopping again sometime.”
Joe nodded, “Katherine, I really cannot thank you enough for helping out. You and Serge make shopping look easy. Oh, and I enjoyed spending your money, even if I do have to pay you back.”
Katherine smiled her Kitten smile and seemed playful, “Don’t worry about the money; I’ll get paid back one way or another.”
Joe almost thought that Katherine was flirting with him but wasn’t sure. He was fairly sure that Robin had seen him glancing at Katherine’s bottom after they ordered lunch earlier. Those cargo shorts looked good on Katherine, in fact they looked very good.
Maybe Robin had told Katherine what she had seen and Katherine was giving him the business. Oh well, he had work to do, he’d worry about it later.
Joe stood next to the stage entrance and was waiting while the emcee began the speech that would introduce him to the crowd.
Joe and his team, as he now thought of them, had pulled together and done what it takes to get him ready for his speech. He decided that he would try to do the speech in a more casual way and forego notes.
He did have a copy of his talking points that were on index cards but they were all mostly bullet points.
Robin had finished the slide show and video presentation and was now behind the camera operating it on a tripod. Katherine was running the handheld and was maybe ten feet from him shooting video and Tacker was standing beside her and watching for trouble. The two extra security team members had been assigned by Tacker. The captain was seated at the first table and the retired cop was milling about watching for people that looked out of place.
Joe watched and listened as the emcee went into Joe’s introduction, “Ladies and gentlemen, less than a month ago a man at a bookstore was just beginning a speech that condemned the land re-distribution aspect of social justice. At a point a few minutes into the speech he was rudely interrupted. He is with us tonight to tell us what happened and share some other thoughts with us. I give you Joe Quick and I hope you find his story as interesting as I did. Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Quick!”
Joe walked out onto the stage and as he passed the emcee shook his hand and nodded.
As he set his notes on the podium that he was standing at, he smiled and began his talk,
“Ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by thanking you for allowing me to be here tonight and introducing myself. My Name is Joe Quick and till a month ago I was the Sociology Chair at a community college in the Kansas City area. Not long ago I was asked by the owner of a small local bookstore to give a speech at the bookstore and was free to choose my own topic.”
Joe reached down and brought the bottle of water to his lips and took a small swallow and continued.
“I chose to comment on a video of a speech that was in the news at that time and that had gone viral on YouTube by Alimare Toolman. Maybe some of you had seen the speech that was given at the Milwaukee Forum on Understanding. I personally had never heard of this yearly event and had to look it up.
I’m going to quote from the Milwaukee Forum of Understanding website. ‘The Milwaukee Forum of Understanding is committed to bringing attention to the issue of social justice. We embrace social justice as a tool to tip the balance of power in this country, and the world for the good of all mankind.’
I think it is important to see the video of the speech I showed that day and ask that you give it your attention.”
The room lights dimmed and the same portion of the speech was shown to the room as the day of the attack that had so dramatically changed Joe’s life. Joe stepped aside and watched while the video played on the huge screen behind the speaker’s area.
The video ended and Joe stepped up behind the podium and waited while the crowd adjusted to the room's normal lighting levels, “I’m going to play the video now of my comments after the video was shown. This is unedited video taken by a HD video camera I had set-up. It was shown on various local and national news programs.”
The lights again dimmed and Joe moved to the side of the stage to watch himself on the huge screen.
‘While many believe that social justice has many benefits I do not wish to address social justice in its broader context. I wish only to address Alimare Toolman’s comments concerning the subject of property redistribution. As we saw from Mr. Toolman’s comments he strongly advocates property redistribution and states that by taking property and distributing it to the underclass we march down the road of social justice. That we give people the opportunity to flee the hardships of their urban existence and seek out a more productive and equitable life.’
Joe watched as on the screen he reached for a bottle of water and took a quick sip.
‘I want to address the calamity of property redistribution as shown by events over just the last 30 years. I find it telling that anybody would advocate seizing agricultural land and giving it to people that are not trained as farmers.’
Joe watched the video as Sky Jackson stood up and yelled ‘liar’ and threw the tear gas grenade at him. The grenade went off and people frantically made their way to the exits while gasping for breath and coughing. After the room was cleared the video stopped and the lights came up again.
Joe stepped back to the podium, “The women you saw in the tie-dye shirt that stood and threw that tear gas grenade is named Sky Jackson and she is in Federal custody for a multitude of charges. She was affected by the tear gas like everybody else at the event and apprehended by police at the scene.”
Joe shifted his weight and was watching the crowd to see how they were reacting to what they had just seen.
“Sky Jackson is an interesting example of the trends that US Law Enforcement is seeing; she is actually a Canadian National that was in the United States illegally. She was identified using her fingerprints and they found a match in the ID Database that is used for all legal visitors to the US. 9-11 taught the US Government to more closely regulate and monitor who is visiting our country legally and in this situation it paid off.
The effects of this attack are noteworthy from a sociologist's point of view in that the attack was carried out at a small event that was attended by a dozen people and is a disaster for them from a media perspective. The attack trashed a small business that was locally owned and operated. Also, a female attendee not 15 feet from me had a heart attack and died from the effects of being exposed to the tear gas. I watched as rescue personnel tried unsuccessfully to revive the woman and I can tell you it was one of the most tragic and moving experiences in my life. I had met the victim at another talk I gave and she seemed nice and I know her family misses her greatly.
The video of the event was shown on local news and I was asked to appear on cable news programs on Fox. While I appreciated the forum to speak out against these types of attacks my effort was rewarded with legitimate death threats and extensive vandalism at my home which I was forced to abandon for safety reasons.
The network had recommended that I put security in place before my appearances and a federal agent briefs me on a regular basis on the death threats and the progress of the investigation. While agents continue to track co-conspirators, I live at a safe-house that is guarded 24/7 by private security personnel. I must wear a bullet-proof vest similar to those used by Law Enforcement throughout the world.
The federal agent believes that this attack was carried out by a group that included other operatives that have not, as yet, been detained by Local or Federal Law Enforcement.
I needed permission from the federal agent to even mention the other co-conspirators, since they are the targets of ongoing efforts to apprehend them.”
Joe paused as a slideshow of images from the Toronto riots began playing behind him. Robin had arranged the images to be shown by 2 projectors at the same time. The smaller image size meant he was bothered by lights shining in his eyes because the images were behind him to his left and right.
Joe looked back at the screens and continued, "The reason I’m in Toronto with you tonight is to document the actions of a certain shadowy element of the protestors known as the Black Bloc. The G-8 and G-20 have drawn them and thousands of other protestors into the city. And, as always ,anarchists show up to lend their warped perspective on the meetings and cause trouble. For me the Black Bloc represents aspects of the same thinking that killed that woman at my talk at the bookstore. They are known to incorporate what they call ‘direct action’ into their agenda which is really a euphemism for confrontations with police, spray painting graffiti, throwing rocks and bricks, breaking windows and setting things on fire. My goal is to gather material for a book I’m writing that deals with the radicals and members of fringe groups that will use any and all methods to force their twisted agenda down the throats of people that disagree with their ideology, stated and otherwise.
I now view certain elements of left wing agendists as minority players that have the potential to impact the world we live in a very negative way. Their utopian worldview, merged with the violence we see at an event like this one, clearly shows that they are bent on changing the status quo by hook or by crook and I, for one, refuse to gave them the benefit of the doubt due to their morally repugnant methods of garnering attention to their cause.
I know this is unorthodox, but at this time I will answer any questions that anybody has.”
Katherine handed her camera to Tacker and strolled to a participant that had her hand up and handed the wireless microphone to her.
Joe answered 15 or so questions over the next 30 minutes and was given a hearty round of applause as he exited the stage and the emcee stepped back up to continue the program.
After he left the stage he walked up to Jim Tacker, “So, how did I do?”
Tacker looked at Joe and stuck out his hand, “Joe Quick, it is an honor to work for you and I hope someday I can call you a friend. And I’m not just saying that because you’re buying dinner.”
Joe smiled, “Jim, that’s good because technically the magazine is buying dinner. And about us someday being friends, any man or women that puts his/her life on the line to protect me is my friend and it is I that aspires to be their friend and don’t forget it.”
Tacker laughed, “I won’t. Now, can we get this circus wrapped up and go get something to eat?”
Katherine and Robin entered the backstage area and walked to the two men while lugging the camera and assorted equipment. Joe noticed that the captain was with them and was carrying the camera in its protective plastic case.
As Katherine approached Joe she smiled, “You did pretty well, all things considered. The audience liked the speech and I heard them talking amongst themselves and the reviews were very positive. A guy approached me and said he wanted to buy you dinner. I told him you would call if you were available. His card says he is with a Canadian TV channel.”
Joe took the card from Katherine’s hand, “Well, tonight we eat on the magazine's dime. I’ll call him and let him know I have other plans.”
Joe pulled his phone out and called the Canadian Network Executive and explained his predicament. He was asked about lunch and Joe agreed to call if he could break free from filming the protests and other various gatherings.
Smithy, the ex-Toronto Police Service member, wandered in and the group took off for dinner at a well-known steakhouse.
Dinner was a jovial affair as the ex-cops and the captain told stories from their interesting careers. Joe almost shot wine from out his nose as the captain shared a story from his time in Afghanistan that involved a goat and a big pile of sheep droppings. The food was excellent and Joe had just finished his steak when his cell rang.
Joe saw Lazarus’s number and answered, “Hey Lazarus, the speech went pretty well. I’m eating dinner with everybody now, can I call you back?”
On the other end of the line the was a pause, “Joe, I have some good news and some bad news and we should talk now.”
Joe stood up from his chair and moved toward the restaurant's entrance, “What’s going on?”
Lazarus paused again before he spoke, “Joe, I don’t know how to say this. But, there was a fire at your house and it’s completely destroyed. I’m standing there right now. There is not much left that the flames, heat or water didn’t get to.”
Joe had reached the entrance area and sat heavily on the bench that was used as a waiting area. His words didn’t come as he processed the loss of his house. He had spent a lot of time and effort getting the house how he liked it and the thought of it being gone affected him deeply,
“Lazarus, if you pull my notebook from my room it has the number to my insurance guy. Can you call him and let him know what happened? I think I’ll fly back tomorrow if I can get a flight out. I have enough material and want to see the ruins of my house. This incident is a stark reminder why this project is so important to me.”
Lazarus replied, “I already called the insurance guy and left a message. He might not call back till Monday. There is a little good news, the Police caught the two idiots working with Sky Jackson and we have them on tape setting the fire. They were picked up by local PD after I called the fire in. Special Agent Ringg was out here earlier and wants to chat when you get back. That counter-terrorism guy was with him. I don’t remember his name”
Katherine had seen Joe leave the table a few minutes earlier and saw him as she was making her way to the bathroom. She walked toward him and saw the look on his face and decided he looked like he could use a friend. She stood ten feet away out of hearing distance as he finished up his call.
Joe replied to Lazarus’s gap in memory, “Detective Black is his name. Thank you for calling the insurance guy. And thank you for giving me a safe place to live and the training. It means a lot to me.”
Lazarus spoke slowly, “Joe, I talked to the members and they all want to sit down with you and discuss some things I think you might be interested in. It can wait till you are ready. I’m just sorry we couldn’t do more.”
Joe smiled just a little, “You and Bryce have done quite a bit. I’ll call when we figure out what I’m doing.”
Lazarus replied, “That’s good enough. Look forward to hearing from you.”
Both men ended the call.
Katherine approached him from the side as he hung the phone up, “Joe is everything okay? You look like something is seriously wrong.”
Joe hadn’t noticed Katherine standing near him and turned to face her, “The two missing terrorists just burnt my house to the ground. They were caught, that should make me feel better about it. But it doesn’t.”
Katherine and Joe talked for 20 minutes in the empty waiting area and Joe was thinking of the things he hadn’t retrieved from the house when he and Bryce went to close it up. Most of what he owned was just stuff, but 20 or 30 items had sentimental meaning to him. He had copied all his pictures to digital files and had multiple copies of them in a safe deposit box at the bank and they were also stored on an online file sharing website.
As Katherine tried to talk him around, he was compiling a mental list of the things that were most likely gone forever. He then realized that he had forgotten about one of the boxes they had packed that contained things like his baseball glove and the copy of ‘Atlas Shrugged’ by Ayn Rand he bought when he was 15. That box had been full when he carried it to Bryce’s Suburban; hope was again alive inside him.
Bryce looked at Kitten and thought 'my world just went crazy and I cannot envision a better person to share my thoughts and feelings with'. He blinked twice and felt the urge pass, “We better get back to the group. They’ll be wondering what happened to us.”
Katherine nodded a sympathetic 'I understand' nod, “Sorry, you’re right. Are you all right?”
Joe shook his head up and down, “Katherine, in a way I’m better than I have been in years. I’ve been living this strange existence, constantly under the shadow of a violent premature death. The main threats to my health and safety have been caught. Yes, it cost me my house, but we both know houses can be rebuilt, or people can just move or build another one. I’m going to talk to my team when I get back home but, that chapter looks to be done with. This surreal experience allowed me to meet Bryce, Lazarus and you. In your own ways all three of you constantly amaze me. I’m thankful for the friendships; something tells me they will be even more valuable to me in the future.”
Katherine was fighting a tear that finally let go and slowly ran down her cheek, “Joe, as we sit here the embers of the fire that destroyed your house are still being extinguished and yet you accept that calamity as a fair exchange for the circumstances that brought Bryce, Lazarus and me into your life? Either you’re mentally unstable, or that is the nicest compliment anybody has ever given me.”
Katherine leaned over and kissed Joe on the mouth. Joe was surprised but recovered quickly and the slow languid kiss was charged with electricity. It felt to Joe like the ten second kiss had changed his world forever.
Katherine pulled back with a slightly puzzled expression on her face as she realized what she had just done, "Joe I’m sorry, I was just so moved by your words. I... I. I can’t talk about this right now, I need to think.”
Katherine stood up and walked toward the restrooms and Joe sat for another 20 seconds and got up to make his way back to their table. After he sat down he noticed that Robin answered her phone and stood up to head in the direction of the restroom. As she walked by Joe her face betrayed her curiosity.
Their three new Toronto friends hadn’t seemed to notice they were gone and were now enjoying a small parfait glass of what appeared to be chocolate mousse. Joe smiled as he calculated the bill mentally in his head.
Katherine and Robin were gone ten minutes and both looked fine when they returned. Robin shared her chocolate mousse with Katherine who made very little eye contact with Joe. Tacker and Robin ordered another Baileys and Coffee after the rich desserts were finished and the conversation picked back up.
Joe stood up, "Can I have your attention for a second? First of all, I want to thank all of you for being here tonight and sharing this great meal with me. It is one of, no strike that, it is the best meal I can remember ever having. I also want to thank the security guys for making themselves available at the last minute. Without you guys I wasn’t going to be able to speak tonight, so thank you. The last time I stood in front of an audience somebody died and having you guys here helped me get off the ground and back on the horse. Katherine and Robin have been great to work with and, even if I don’t know them as well as I want, I can say they are awesome to work with. I want to thank them for helping me with this project. Truth be told they are far more qualified to spearhead this project than I am and have done excellent work. I can only hope that the magazine appreciates their effort as much as I do. On a more somber note, 30 minutes ago my friend and security guy at home called and told me that the two terrorists associated with Skye Jackson have burnt my house to the ground. They were apprehended by local law enforcement and are now in federal custody.”
Joe words had run dry and he sat back down. Robin's face had changed from looking pleased as Joe described her and Katherine’s efforts to a mild look of shock.
Tacker looked at Joe and spoke, “Joe, working with you, Katherine, and Robin has been insightful to say the least. Any man that stands in front of a large crowd of strangers and gives a speech while others conspire to kill him gets my respect. I’m sorry about your house and wish you luck in rebuilding it and your life. I know you’ll be OK. I also want to thank you for allowing me to be part of this project in my own small way.”
Tacker paused and smiled before he delivered his next line, "And if you guys go the whole documentary route and find distribution I expect to be credited as the security coordinator.”
The table broke into laughter and Joe launched his cloth napkin toward Tacker in a playful way. As the laughter was dying down, Joe followed up Tacker’s comment, “I swear, you talk about movies and all of a sudden everybody wants credit for their contribution.”
The table again broke into laughter and Joe almost forgot he was now technically homeless.
Dinner broke up and they all headed back to the hotel to pick up the cars of the security contingent. They all piled out at the bell stand and Joe told the security guys to contact Dorth Mann and he’d make sure they were paid. They had checked the video equipment with the staff and Robin left to get the equipment out of the hotel safe. Katherine was quiet as she and Joe waited for Robin to return. As the bellman man handled the luggage into Robin's SUV, Katherine got into the SUV and waited. Joe made sure the equipment was all accounted for.
As Joe put the main camera in the back, he felt Robin hug him as if she was trying to drive the air from his lungs. Robin whispered in his ear, “Joe, I love this project and can’t thank you enough for including me. I’m sorry about your home. Katherine told me about your forced sabbatical and your girlfriend leaving you. It seems that for every door that closes a window opens. And buddy, it seems that your new life is chock full of open windows to chose from.”
Joe chuckled, “Thank you, I’ll try to remember that. I was serious about working with you and Katherine. I’m shocked at how natural it feels after so short a period of time. Oh, and by the way I think I saw you flirting with the captain. Did my eyes deceive me or do you two share a spark or two?”
Robin broke the hug and looked into Joe’s eyes with a smirk on her face, “Joe Quick, you concentrate on your own social life and I will concentrate on mine. Whether or not Captain Harkness and I shared a moment or two has no bearing on our project. After all, how could a girl fall for a guy that has the same name as a character from Dr. Who?”
Joe smiled, “Pretty easily, from the looks of it.”
Robin in a mock upset voice replied, “Joe, get in the car before I leave you here to fend for yourself.”
Katherine was already sitting in the front seat so Joe hopped into the backseat of Robin’s vehicle for the quiet ride back to the apartment.
When they walked into the apartment, Joe waited while Katherine and Robin used the bathroom and began to carefully remove his new suit from his body. Just before he took the jacket off he looked into the mirror and found the suit was flattering and benefitted from the weight he had lost while training with Lazarus and Bryce.
He came out of the bathroom and Katherine sat on the couch looking as if she was waiting from him. She had changed into a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt and had a glass of water beside her.
She took a drink of the water and began to speak, “The magazine just e-mailed me and they love the video footage from today. They expanded the size of our coverage and mentioned the opportunity to get the cover. Anything we write needs to be in to them by Monday at noon their time. Since our work and personal situation is bound together, I think we should talk about what happened at the restaurant. I want to apologize to you for what I did and assure you that something like that cannot and will not happen again. I hope that you can forgive me for my temporary lack of judgment so we can move forward. I think we all have worked very well together and don’t want anything to stand in the way of that.”
Joe sat next to her with a serious look on his face, like he was the aggrieved party all the while thinking about how long he was going to have to wait till he kissed Katherine again. He held his hand up to get her to pause so he could say his piece. When Katherine had paused to listen to what he had to say, he began, "Katherine, I have been interested in you socially since we first met. The kiss made me realize two things at once. One, I’m glad we have been spending time together, it’s given me time to get to know you. And the other is that I’d like to kiss you again. Quite being embarrassed about crossing some politically correct line in the sand and tell me if we can see each other when we get back home?”
Katherine paused as she considered her answer. The discomfort was clear in her face and her expressions, “The magazine suggested we stay another day if you can handle not getting back to your house. Of course if you need to get home, I understand. I think we should finish here and we can talk about what happens when we get back home. I need some time without any pressure to figure this out. I do want us to work together to get the article submitted and try to get it published. Our perspective in a mainstream magazine would be a big deal and would be a nice PR piece when the book gets published.”
Joe fell asleep quickly after his exhausting day. A long day, a big dinner, news of the loss of his home and sexual tension will make a man appreciate an early night and the absence of dreams. He didn’t remember dreaming, but when he suddenly came awake at 4 a.m., he knew what the first thing he thought about was and it was the situation with Katherine.
He had agreed with Katherine to wait to talk about their relationship in a personal context until they returned to town and after the kiss he was pretty sure she would end up on the same page as him, eventually.
He made his way to the small kitchen and found a glass and drew a glass of water from the pitcher in the refrigerator. Just then he heard the toilet flush and Katherine stepped quietly out of the bathroom till she saw him. They exchanged a glance and Joe meticulously studied her face for a sign of what she was thinking. Nothing was evident in her expression in the dim light.
She walked into the kitchen and stood five feet from him, “Joe, I hope you understand my needing to stop and think about what happened at the restaurant. I’m not one of those career obsessed women that think work always comes first, but I want to try to respect my work. I understand that the kiss had some heat but that by figuring out where to go first, we ultimately stand a better chance of making good decisions.”
Joe paused as he slid past her in the small kitchen and continued walking back to the couch. He stood next to it as he spoke, “I understand, heat's nice but an examination of our world views might be a better indicator of compatibility. I’m not in a position to approach things casually; my life is more complicated than it was a few months ago. It’s worse since we are going to be working together and I agree we need to think before we act.”
Katherine walked over to him and hugged him, “Thank you for letting me mull some stuff over, I appreciate it. Night.”
She turned and walked to the bedroom and Joe lay down to try and get some sleep. The feel of her body's heat through her t-shirt, combined with the brief contact their bodies had made during the quick hug, had an effect on him. The key for him would be expectation management and he wasn’t looking forward to that at all.
Again Joe was up and doing his stretching exercises when the door to the bedroom opened and Katherine and Robin made their way groggily into the living room. Katherine headed for the bathroom and Joe heard the shower running five minutes after she got in there.
As he resumed his stretching he was thinking, “Please, do not come out in a towel. Respect the fact that I’m a healthy single male and put on an ugly robe or some ratty sweats.’
Ten minutes later Katherine came out wearing a pair of tan cargo shorts and plain white t-shirt. She made her way into the kitchen and made herself some toast. As she ate the toast she looked at Joe, “Joe we have the interview with the security guy for the meetings in an hour and getting past security is going to be slow. Did you forget?”
Joe had forgotten that Tacker and Robin had traded a copy of their video for a meeting and interview with the head of the conference’s Security Chief on camera, “Yea, I forgot. I’ll get moving as soon as Robin is done.”
Joe began gathering his clothing and toiletries for a quick shower. Katherine had begun the process of sorting their equipment for the day. Somebody knocked on the door and Joe found Tacker standing there holding a donut bag and sipping coffee from a travel mug.
Tacker smiled and offered Joe the bag, “Look, I know you’re on a modified eating program but I got us all donuts anyway. Hope that isn’t a problem? We have a busy day and they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I should say they used to say that, who knows what they say now. Science seems to change their mind a lot more than in the old days.”
Joe stepped aside and let Tacker in. The girls were thankful for the donuts and quickly grabbed one each. Both were eyeing the bag until Joe finally picked the bag up and ate his donut, the last in the bag.
Joe made good time getting ready and they headed to an off-site command vehicle to meet the man charged with event security. They received a "sorry, his office was told to call you and let knew that the meeting has been moved to the Police Training Facility".
They eventually found their man at the training facility. He was generous with his time and seemed to be frank about his assessment of what had happened so far with the meetings.
Katherine and Robin had run cameras during the interview and Joe was tasked with asking questions. They all had determined a list of possible questions and Joe made the final decision about what questions to ask as he was doing the interview.
After 20 minutes an aide came in and told them that their interviewee was needed at another meeting and they wrapped it up. Robin was especially happy with the interview and Tacker re-appeared and told them they were needed in a conference room down the hall.
The group walked into the conference room where two people appeared to be waiting for them. The first was a middle-aged man that was maybe 20 pounds overweight, sporting a full head of red hair and an old style handlebar mustache. The man walked toward them followed by the kid from the camera incident the day before.
The stranger stuck his hand out to Joe, “I’m Inspector Cappy Doyle with The Toronto Police Force. The kid that you decked trying to steal your camera is my son. A friend in surveillance recognized him and showed me the video. I want to apologize for his actions and he has something to say to you. Sean?”
The kid's face was swollen and deeply bruised, but he stuck his hand out, “Sorry for yesterday, I was caught up in the moment. I hope I didn’t damage your equipment.”
Just then he leaned into Joe’s space and whispered under his breath, “You’re lucky that you sucker punched me, old man, or I would have kicked your ass.”
He then leaned out again, “My dad says I’m grounded for four weeks and cannot play video games or use the computer for anything except school.”
The kids had increased the pressure of his grip and Joe was matching him. He released the handshake and looked at Captain Doyle, “Captain, I don’t want to cause trouble, but your son just indicated to me that he is unhappy with our exchange and feels I bested him through deception. Perhaps some time in the ring or on a mat might teach him a valuable life lesson. I’m free right now if that is convenient.”
Inspector Doyle looked at his son. It was the look parents give their children when they refuse to shut up and get a clue, “Sir, my son is over 18 and has two years of Mixed Martial Arts instruction. If you wish to grant him the opportunity he feels he’s earned, then it is up to you and him. The training gym in the basement would be willing to give me 30 minutes and loan us some equipment.”
Joe looked at the kid, “Kid, you willing to spar with an old man and see if you can beat me in a fair fight? Or are you more accustomed to talking shit?”
The kid smiled a predatory smile, “I promise not to do any permanent damage. I’ll fight you unless you’re afraid? I will need to see proof that you are HIV and Hepatitis free.”
Joe winked at the kid and reached into his shorts and removed his wallet. It contained his card from the clinic that started that he was HIV and Hepatitis free and covered the name and showed it to Inspector Doyle.
Doyle nodded, ”Sean it appears that he is disease free; His card is only 3 weeks old. You sure you want to do this?”
Sean watched Joe, “I’m sure dad. I’m not buzzed like yesterday.”
Joe just accepted the fact that he had offered to fight a stranger for fun and was hoping to get some of his frustration about recent events off his chest, “Well kid, my day at home for the last month or so is three hours a day of training with a guy that has seen over 20 years of duty in law enforcement like your dad. His goal is to train me up and I doubt I’ll even puke working out with you.”
Inspector Doyle led them all to the gym and walked up to a woman working out with the heavy bag. Joe was happy he wasn’t fighting her, her kicks were rocking the bag and she stood almost six feet tall. She was well over 150 pounds and was wide hipped, with a flat and firm butt and thick through the chest. Her workout top revealed a flat stomach and no discernable body fat. They chatted for a few minutes and the two walked back over to the group.
Inspector Doyle stopped in front of Joe, "Green, this is Miranda Stooper. She runs hand to hand and firearms training here. She said we can use the gym and can loan you both some equipment.”
Miranda Stooper reached out and grabbed Joe’s hand and shook it. Her grip was solid and she looked him in the eyes, “It’ll be good for my class to observe this match. Follow me and I’ll get you guys set up.” She then turned to Sean Doyle and did the same.
Joe looked at Katherine and Robin and followed Miranda as he was shown the way to the men’s locker room.
She started pulling equipment and asked over her shoulder, “You guys want boxing or mixed martial arts.”
Both men answered at the same time, “Mixed Martial Arts.”
Miranda handed Joe a stack of stuff and showed him to a locker in a corner, “This is you. Sean, follow me and we’ll find you somewhere to get changed.”
Joe opened the locker and was glad to have the time to use the restroom since he hadn’t crapped since before dinner last night and felt bloated by last night's big meal. He made his way over and relieved himself, feeling he was now ready to fight. After changing into the borrowed clothes he began his warm-up and did his stretching.
Miranda came from around the corner, “You ready or to you need more time to get ready? The kid seems to have been taught that warming up is for girls because he’s moving at a snail's pace and hasn’t really even stretched properly.”
Joe stood up and looked toward Miranda, thinking and wondered if this had been a mistake. Bryce and Lazarus emphasized avoiding confrontations if possible and here he was getting ready to fight a stranger in front of a crowd, “I’m as ready as I can be. Wish me luck.”
Miranda smiled, “Good luck, lets go.”
Joe followed Miranda into a room that was set-up with a boxing ring and he rolled into the ring under the ropes. Miranda explained the rules and both were offered the use of headgear which both refused. She handed both a pair of light gloves and stepped out of the center of the ring.
Joe stepped into his corner and centered himself until the bell rang. Joe simply moved around and waited while the kid threw some junk to see if he was going to get a quick knockdown.
Joe gauged his reach and waited while the kid mistook his hesitancy as fearfulness and began to become cockier. Already with only two minutes gone, the kid had moved inside his position and threw a front kick that Joe barely was able to escape. Joe countered quickly with a move Lazarus had shown him and buried a right into the kid’s stomach and he folded.
Sean Doyle lay on the mat and looked as if he was ready to conceded defeat as he tried to regain his breath. Joe stood at a neutral corner while Miranda checked to see if the stupid kid was okay and wanted to continue to fight.
After 20 seconds Sean was back on his feet and was looking daggers at Joe.
Miranda walked over to Joe, “TKO if you want it. The kid wants to fight, if you're game?”
Joe talked through the mouthpiece he had been given, “Fight on. I’ll take the next TKO.”
Miranda walked over to the kid and told him the news. They all walked back to the center of the ring and Miranda got the action restarted, “And fight.”
The 20 Police cadets-in-Training were enjoying the bout and Joe became aware of their presence for the first time since entering the ring. He again focused on Sean and soon received a quick kick to his cup that wasn’t pleasant.
He stepped aside and Miranda issued a warning while Joe took stock of the groin shot.
Joe looked at Sean who was smiling and waited for his next move which was a combination that Joe countered and gave Sean a quick left to balance out his bruising.
The bell rang and both combatants returned to their respective corners to rest. Joe was starting to sweat and a cadet offered him a drink of water that he swished his mouth out with and spit into the offered bucket.
The bell rang again and Sean must have seen something because he leaned hard into the attack. Joe promptly faked a left jab and kicked Sean in the ribs. The kick made solid contact and Sean again hit the canvas and was unable to get up after ten seconds.
Miranda declared Joe the victor and the cadets-in-training cheered as if the bout meant something. Sean gingerly made his way to his corner and sat on an offered stool.
Joe walked over to thank him and shake his hand.
Sean stood up, “Old man, it looks as if I underestimated you. Good job and I’m really sorry about yesterday.”
Joe smiled, “No problem, and next time you purposely kick somebody in the guy stuff, remember to make sure they cannot get back up to hurt you. You’re lucky; if you did that to me on the street, I would have broken your ankle to teach you a lesson.”
Sean nodded sheepishly, “I understand and you’re right, sorry about that.”
Joe nodded, “We’re even. Now I need a shower, it was interesting to meet you.”
Sean nodded this time, “Same here.”
Joe made his way back to the locker room and was undressed and wrapped in a towel getting ready to head to the showers when he heard Miranda behind him, “You did pretty well for a civilian. Tacker said you been training for less than a month.”
Joe held his towel and turned to face her, “Yea, I’ve been getting some serious death threats. I train three hours a day which is usually stretching or working out, self-defense and firearms. Next weekend its two days of defensive and protective driving.”
Miranda paused, “Look I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I was hoping we could maybe grab dinner later on if you’re free?”
Joe stood in his towel, “Miranda, I recently broke up with my girlfriend and now might or might not be involved with the girl outside without the big camera on her shoulder. This is not a good time for me or I’d accept your offer in a heartbeat. I’ll give you my e-mail address and you can e-mail me.”
Miranda nodded, “I understand, thanks for being upfront with me. Tacker said your instructors are law enforcement trainers. Is that right?”
Joe replied, “They are actually ex-Kansas City Missouri patrol guys that retired and do training and other related work. They mostly train government agency people, but do some work with a few local police departments. E-mail me and I’ll see if I can release their names to you. I’d highly recommend them, they are amazing. Anyway I need to get showered, is the kid okay?”
Miranda smiled, “The only permanent damage is to his ego. Did he even land a hand or foot on you other than the cheap shot?”
Joe looked down at his naked body covered by the towel, “I’m going to have a bruise on my shin maybe.”
Miranda looked at Joe's shin unconsciously, “Well, I’ll let you get going. Thanks for the demonstration; I hope the cadets learned something from it.”
Joe smiled and stated, “I hope it was helpful to them. And my real name is Joe Quick. We are shooting video and writing an on-line article condemning members of the Block Bloc. Until yesterday I was being chased by two maybe assassins. We all used color names like they did in Reservoir Dogs. I’d ask that you not tell anybody my name to help keep us all safe. I know it seems melodramatic but a Homeland Security agent seems to think it’s a good idea.”
Miranda looked at him, “Interesting story, if I come train with your guys will you buy me lunch and tell me the whole story? Tacker will vouch that I’m discreet, he failed his qualifying a few years back and I made a modified scoring arrangement till he could have his eyes fixed.”
Joe pondered the offer for 20 seconds, I can live with that,assuming we discuss our social commitments first. Don’t want any confusion on that score.”
Miranda left and Joe was left alone to his ten minute shower, then got dressed. Maybe when the thing between him and Katherine worked its way out, he’d tell her of the Miranda’s strange pre-shower visit and dinner offer. On second thought maybe he wouldn’t.
Joe came out of the locker room to find Katherine, Robin and Tacker waiting.
Robin addressed him, “Let’s get moving, slow poke. Inspector Doyle got us an interview with a Deputy Chief in 45 minutes. Apparently, they were at the academy together and you are his new best friend for not hurting his son and maybe teaching him a lesson at the same time.”
Katherine had a knowing look on her face, “Took you a while to get showered, you all right?”
Joe snickered and suspected Katherine knew what Miranda had done, “No, I’m fine. I’m not as young as I was once, if you know what I mean?”
The Deputy Chief interview was done and they all headed to Robin’s SUV and loaded up the equipment. They had discussed it and decided to skip the event stuff and just set up at a static location and roll video of the protestors as they made their way past their position.
Tacker had picked the location and since Joe and Katherine were flying home on a late afternoon flight they would only be working half a day or so. Robin parked the small SUV in the lot they had used before and they all started pulling the equipment from the van and lugging it to a nearby park.
Robin explained as they walked, “B-roll is supplemental or alternate footage that supports either an interview or in our case a documentary. Being in a static position, I doubt we get much but what the heck. I have a connection for copies of today’s happenings and we are working on a short window till you guys head home. We are going to run the backpack cameras as much as possible which is something we should have been doing the whole weekend.”
They drudged to their vantage point and spent the morning just hanging out and watching people go by. While nothing spectacular happened, they enjoyed their last day of working together and about 3 p.m. headed back to Robin’s apartment so Joe and Katherine could pack and get to the airport on time.
The flight home was boring and they both fell asleep sitting next to each other. When they arrived home, Bryce was standing next to the arrivals gate and holding a sign with Kitten written in black Sharpie.
Katherine walked up to him and gave him a good natured punch in the arm, “Very funny Bryce, I’m considering talking Joe into hiring some new help. Perhaps I could find a chauffeur who could supplement our security personnel and is both respectful and professional.”
Bryce was grinning ear to ear as she admonished him, “Well young lady, finding help with my level of efficiency is almost impossible. Add my sense of humor to the mix, and I’m convinced you could not ask for a better employee. Did I mention that I’m also able to get discounts using my AARP card?”
Joe stuck his hand out, “Bryce, thanks for coming. We could have taken a cab, it’s not that far. Aren’t I pretty safe since they caught my stalkers?”
Bryce smiled and spoke to Joe for the first time since they’d walked up to him as he shook Joe’s hand, “It’s no problem I didn’t have any plans anyway. I wanted to hear about your trip and I was hoping maybe one of you would buy me dinner so I could avoid eating turkey burgers at home.”
Everybody smiled and they headed to a bar Bryce knew about that was supposed to have excellent burgers and chicken sandwiches.
Dinner was a somber affair since both Joe and Katherine were tired from the hectic pace while covering the meetings. Joe had acquired two large blisters and they were making their presence known with each step he took.
While eating, Katherine slipped out of the booth to use the restroom and Joe took advantage of her being gone to call Lazarus and ask a few questions. Lazarus picked up on the second ring,
“Lazarus, it’s me. I know Katherine is pretty tired and was wondering if she could crash at your place? I’d be willing to sleep on the couch. I’m just not sure she should drive home tonight.”
On the other end of the phone Lazarus replied, “That’s not a problem. They’re cleaning up after a bad accident on I-70 around Highway 65 and traffic is backed up so that is a good idea. Make sure she knows that she shouldn’t tell anybody exactly where she staying for security reasons.”
Joe was relieved, “Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll talk to you later. Oh, do you want us to bring you anything to eat?”
Lazarus thought for a second and answered, “Tell Bryce to order me a chili cheese burger with extra onions. See you later.”
The trio finished their meal and Katherine accepted Joe’s invitation to use his room for the night. She was waffling till she heard about the accident and found a traffic report from the Highway Patrol on their website. With an estimated delay of over an hour, her decision was easy and they headed to the warehouse.
Joe moved his stuff to a corner in the safe room and threw a sheet, blanket and pillow on the couch. While Katherine chatted with the two security guys, Joe headed down to the gym to get a workout in to make up for the ones he had missed.
Strangely enough he found he had missed the three hour a day routine and was looking forward to re-establishing the routine. He first concentrated on stretching and worked his way up to some light lifting.
When he came out of the gym, Katherine was walking toward him. Lazarus followed carrying a range bag, “Lazarus offered to let me do some shooting under his tutelage.”
Joe nodded, “He is an excellent teacher. I’m going to get a shower and I’ll be back down.”
Katherine smiled, “OK.”
Joe dragged himself into the shower while Katherine received her lesson. He let the water wash away the stress of his recent journey. He was looking forward to a good night's sleep in a familiar bed. It was then that he remembered that he was destined to spend another night on a couch and groaned audibly to nobody.
After his shower he turned on the TV to get caught up on what was happening in the world. After maybe being upstairs for 45 minutes, the shooting stopped and Katherine and Lazarus entered the apartment.
Lazarus headed to his room and Katherine sat next to Joe, “Lazarus said that you are going to driving school tomorrow morning and invited me along. I know we haven’t had that other talk and I’m not quite ready, would it be OK for me to tag along? I’m free for another two days and thought it might be fun.”
Joe considered the idea for a minute. Essentially the two days at the training facility would give them the opportunity to spend time together in a non-date environment. Joe was all about getting a better feel for the situation, “Well that depends on if that means I spend more time on the couch, or if they will provide a bed for me to sleep in. I’m over the couch thing and would look forward to your company. That other conversation will happen when it happens, I can be patient when needed.”
Katherine smiled, “Great, it sounds like a lot of fun. I’m going to grab a shower and wash the range smell out of my hair. Then I’m going to your room and going to go to sleep. Good night.”
Joe watched TV for another half hour and fell asleep on his makeshift bed with it still tuned to the cable news channel.
At 8 a.m. the next day his ears were assaulted by the ringing of his phone next to him and he answered it, “Hello.”
On the other end of the phone came the voice of Special Agent Ringg, "Joe, its Ringg. Are you up yet?”
Joe shifted on the couch and stood up. He headed to the bathroom to relieve his full bladder, “I’m up, barely. I hear they caught my favorite domestic terrorists.”
Ringg paused, “Joe, I’m sorry about your house. We did all we could and in this instance it clearly was not enough. I was at the site and it’s a complete write-off. The arsonists are looking for deals and both appear to have some financial resources that you can chase in civil court. We hope to mine some information about the group through them, but these people arranged their network in a similar fashion to mainstream terrorists. We might knock on the door, but it’s not like we are going to be able to roll the whole network up without some serious work.”
Joe agreed, “I’m not surprised; information can travel over landlines, cell phones and computers. All those methods can be hacked, hijacked or spoofed. If that's not hard enough to follow, they can pitch the devise and start again. Look, I appreciate you catching these people and keeping me updated on the progress of the investigation. The next house I live in is going to be much harder to burn to the ground.”
Special Agent Ringg chuckled, “This is hopefully the last time somebody sets your house on fire.”
Joe saw the number of his insurance agent, “Ringg, sorry to cut you short, but my insurance guy is on the other line. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Joe hung up, clicked over and listened to his agent explain the irregularities of his claim and was informed they might not cover his loss due to the terrorism clause in his policy.
Joe hung up after promising to wage war with the company till he was paid every last dime he was owed. He didn’t know how they had come to their conclusion so quickly and thought it strange an agent gave him the news and not an adjustor or even somebody from their legal department.
Joe meandered over to the kitchen area where Katherine was making whole wheat pancakes from scratch. Lazarus stood next to her, browning sausage and frying hash browns on a hotplate.
Lazarus looked up from his task, “We’re having a special breakfast to celebrate the fact that those morons have been arrested and are currently eating their breakfast in a detention facility. It sounds like the insurance company got wind of your situation. Let me guess, are they refusing coverage based on a clause that excludes acts of terrorism?”
Joe nodded, “Yes they are, and quickly too. It’s just a few days after the fire and they have already decided to refuse coverage for the damage. My agent called to tell me that they are refusing coverage and cancelling my policy. Is the fire marshal’s report even available yet? It does seem strange to me that he called and not an adjustor or a lawyer. Do you happen to know a good lawyer that might take the case if the insurance company refuses to pay?”
Lazarus watched the small grill in front of him and turned the big pile of hash browns,
“Yes I do, and you have an appointment at noon with him for lunch. I checked this morning and the fire marshall's report isn’t done yet. Sometimes over the weekend the reports aren’t available till Monday at the earliest. Now this stuff is about done, how about we eat?”
Katherine opened the oven and pulled a plate of pancakes from it. She and Lazarus started doling the food out, “Joe these pancakes are made from whole wheat that Lazarus ground himself. No artificial stuff, just stuff I can pronounce. They look good, where’s the syrup?”
Lazarus opened a cabinet and handed her a decorative bottle of real maple syrup from Canada,
“It’s the real deal. I buy it in bulk from the guy that makes it in up in Quebec. I prefer syrup and honey to traditional sweeteners like sugar and corn syrup."
During breakfast Lazarus informed Joe of the day’s activities. They were all going to Joe's burned house to make sure nothing was salvageable and take videos of the damage for his records and a possible lawsuit in the future. Then they were dropping Joe off at his lunch meeting and taking Katherine’s laundry to a place. After that they were going out to the driving school to start their training in the afternoon.
The training facility was an hour south of them and they would be spending the night on-site, so after breakfast Joe sorted through his meager possessions to find enough clean clothes for the two day class.
After ten minutes he asked if they had time to go shopping since he was severely limited in his clothing choices. Most of his limited amount of clothing was dirty from his trip. Lazarus agreed that they could fit it in after going to his old house or he and Katherine could go shopping for him while he met with the lawyer for lunch.
With Katherine and his stuff packed for another trip, they got into the Suburban and headed out. Joe was happy to have access to his firearms again as he had become accustomed to carrying them and wearing the vest which he brought but didn’t wear. He did take a modified BOB that he had been working on with the help of Lazarus and Bryce.
Joe was quiet on the drive to see what was left of his former home and Lazarus and Katherine respected his space while they drove. Non-offensive world music played softly on the stereo system as Lazarus drove. Katherine was reading a book or watching snippets of video on her laptop that Robin had e-mailed to here from the weekend. When she watched the videos she used ear buds so she didn’t disturb the men.
Joe walked from the big SUV to the burned shell of his home. The smell of burnt wood and plastic was still noticeable to Joe who wondered if it was actually a smell or his mind playing tricks on him. He peered into the basement and saw a puddle of plastic where his LTS food was stored.
Lazarus pulled a small video camera from a protective bag in the back of the SUV and began his walk around the burned out structure. He walked and shot video as Joe did his thing.
As Joe walked around the perimeter of the destroyed structure, he was sure nothing he wanted back had survived the conflagration. Like in many fires or floods, he noticed that a pair of his hiking shoes sat on the basement floor and appeared untouched by the flames, the heat or the water that was eventually used to bring the fire under control.
After 20 minutes he walked back over to the Lazarus and Katherine, “We should get going. I don’t see anything here that is salvageable. I want to buy some clothes and get to my lunch appointment early.”
His friends nodded in understanding and they all got back into the large SUV and were off to find Joe some suitable clothing.
They all walked into the mid-priced department store and Lazarus made an excuse and said he wanted to explore the bakery section of the store. Katherine followed Joe to the men’s department and they began to peruse the racks for some clothes for Joe.
Katherine stopped and reached into a rack and pulled a shirt off its hanger and held it up with two fingers on each hand for Joe to see, “What about this one?”
Joe glanced over to see an aqua blue t-shirt with the word ‘DUDE’ emblazoned across the chest. Katherine turned the shirt around so Joe could see the back of the shirt. Across the shoulders was ‘SWEET’.
Joe turned back to the rack of jeans to mask the grin on his face and continued looking for decent looking jeans in his size as he replied to her attempt at humor, “Very funny, Kitten. If I had known that you were going to be so hard to shop with, I would have had Lazarus crack the window of the truck and left you in the Suburban.”
Katherine smiled as she rifled through the racks of shirts, “Joe, this is shopping, baby. It would have taken both of you to keep me out of here. Now be nice or our next stop is going to be in the intimates section to find me a new bra. This one is rubbing me in a rather uncomfortable place. ”
Joe looked at her briefly as he blushed. He turned his body toward the rack of jeans and replied to her obvious taunt, “OK, OK, you win, I’ll be nice.”
Joe and Katherine continued shopping and Joe was able to find some jeans that fit pretty well and some generic looking t-shirts in five different colors. After about 30 minutes Lazarus came over, wheeling a shopping cart filled with five gallon buckets and lids. Joe could still smell the frosting that had been in them.
Lazarus smiled, “I thought as long as we are here I’d see if they could spare some five gallon frosting buckets. I picked up ten of them with lids and made arrangements for another 20 or so in the next week. I also wanted to pick up a few loaves of their Ciabatta, I hear it’s good.”
Katherine had a quizzical look on her face, “Lazarus, why do you need all the buckets?”
Lazarus had almost forgotten that Katherine wasn’t part of their group. He felt that there remained a chance she would be eventually and felt bad he needed to mislead her. He looked over at something in the next aisle much like Joe had as he answered, “Five gallon buckets are great for storage or to use to tote around stuff in. I also use them to store spent brass in at the warehouse. Sometimes we use them at the outdoor range to affix targets to instead of plywood. You just pick a distance and send the rounds downrange. We subscribe to the reuse, repurpose and recycle mantra when it’s practical. And trust me, it’s practical a lot of the time.”
The trio had finished their shopping for Joe and headed to the pharmacy section of the store. Katherine and Joe had to pick up some shampoo and shaving supplies since they elected to leave theirs in Toronto to avoid the hassle of flying with them. They both also picked up some other things like nail clippers and tweezers that were difficult to fly with.
With the pharmacy portion of their shopping done, they headed over to check-out to pay for their purchases. They all three successfully negotiated the self-check out feature and headed to the parking area.
After they loaded into Lazarus’s big SUV they headed out of the parking lot and made a few turns to find themselves behind the department store. Lazarus pulled the SUV next to the trash dumpsters and got out of the vehicle.
He leaned back into the truck before he closed the door, “I need to pick up some used cooking oil from the bakery department. The guy that normally picks it up hasn’t shown up for two weeks. A friend has a bio-diesel processor and is always looking for used oil. I need to load up 30 gallons, then we can get going.”
A store manager in a dress shirt with a name tag on met him at the oversized door and they both walked to a small stone enclosure located next to the enclosure for the regular trash dumpsters. Lazarus and the manager began bringing out four gallon screw top containers that contained the used cooking oil.
Joe got out of his seatbelt and opened his door to lend a hand. He turned to Lazarus as he closed the door, “Hey, need a hand?”
Lazarus smiled and nodded, “We can always use a hand.”
Joe and Lazarus, along with the manager, brought over 30 of the plastic containers and placed them into the back of the Suburban. Lazarus had laid a sheet of plastic to protect the rear of the vehicle. Lazarus chatted with the manager for a few minutes after the task was completed.
Joe waited while Lazarus did his thing and saw the smirk on his face when he re-entered the vehicle, “I just arranged for another used oil source. The regular guy is late all the time and hasn’t been leaving enough containers so we will now be taking over the disposal of their fry oil.”
Katherine was in the back seat and addressed Lazarus, “Is it just me or does your truck smell like donuts?
Lazarus looked back at her for two seconds as he drove them past the store's loading dock,
“I know it’s early but lets pick up Scooter and see what he wants for lunch and drop Joe at his lunch meeting. Katherine, since he’s taking time to do the class and not getting paid you might think about buying Jacob lunch.”
Lazarus headed back to the highway and headed south while Katherine banged away at her laptop and Joe just watched the land pass him by. Since they had left the warehouse near the river, the land had transformed and they were in an area that was relatively flat and the trees were mostly used as windbreaks or to mark property lines. Much of the land was under cultivation or being used to raise cattle on and occasionally the earthly smell of manure was present.
Lazarus pulled the truck off the highway and ten minutes later they sat in the truck at what appeared to be a small private runway. The straight runway was bisected by simple paved paths that lacked both curbs and ditches. The simple paved paths were maybe 15 or so feet wide and asphalt sealer had been used in various places to reduce the damaging effects of the Midwestern freeze and thaw cycles. A large metal hanger sat next to the runway with very large doors facing the expanse of concrete and asphalt.
Joe looked over as a big guy riding a big Harley rumbled up to their vehicle and brought the piece of American engineering to a smooth and effortless stop. Their instructor was sporting a clean shaven head instead of a helmet and was wearing jeans and a light grey golf shirt. He obviously took staying fit seriously and his arms strained the material of the shirt he was wearing. He removed his glasses and walked toward the Suburban.
Lazarus slid out of his seat and Joe and Katherine did the same and walked toward the two men who were shaking hands and patting each other on the back.
Lazarus looked over and introduced Joe and Katherine from ten feet away, "Joe, Katherine, say hi to Jacob. He is going to be your instructor for the next two days or so. Jacob, I’d like you to meet Joe and Katherine.”
Joe had reached Jacob and was now shaking his hand while Katherine stood beside him waiting her turn, “I’m Joe; I appreciate you taking the time to teach us what you know. Lazarus said even if it was early for lunch we could pick you up and you guys could go eat. I mean, if that fits your class schedule. I’m sorry to say that I have an appointment and will not be able to join you.”
Jacob smirked, “Joe it’s good to meet you, I’ve heard good things. Sorry about your house! I’ve had that experience on a small scale and it’s no fun. I lost an outbuilding 10 years ago to a lightning strike, it’s not quite the same, but you’ll notice that the smell is difficult to clear from your mind when it’s your stuff that got burned.”
Jacob pivoted to Katherine, “And this is the infamous Kitten. Bryce says good things about you. I think that you will enjoy the class. We’re going to work on defensive driving and teach you how to squeeze more performance out of any vehicle you get behind the wheel of. After that it’s protective or evasive driving. That will be where I teach you some seriously useful techniques. That will be mostly the PIT maneuver, j turns and bootlegger’s turns. Then we will have a basic overview of operating motorcycles safely and some basic evasion maneuvers for them. If we have time, we’ll give you a basic overview of driving an 18 wheeler. Just a tractor without the trailer.”
Lazarus looked over at the group he had brought together, “We need to get Joe to his lunch appointment. Jacob, you want to ride with us or meet us wherever we are going?”
Jacob started walking toward his Harley and turned to address Lazarus, “I’ll put my bike in the garage and ride with you.”
Jacob straddled the big machine and started it up. The throaty roar echoed off the metal building and its big doors started sliding to the side as he drove into it. He returned two minutes later and got into the backseat as the door reversed direction and closed.
Lazarus watched to be sure the door was closed before he put his vehicle in gear and headed off up the road. They made two turns and had driven maybe half a mile as Lazarus pulled up to the gate of a property and lowered his window and pressed an intercom button.
They all waited while the intercom was answered, “How can I help you?”
Lazarus responded, “12,12,12.”
The gate began opening and they followed the winding road through the trees and stopped in front of an older mobile home perched at the side of the road. The gravel parking area had an older Ford 4-wheel-drive pick-up sitting in it. It looked like it would fit maybe three or four vehicles on it. Lazarus stopped the truck and they all got out.
The door to the mobile home opened and a man in his late 50’s or so walked out to meet them. He was average height, and had brown eyes and brown hair. He looked to be close to his ideal weight and carried a pistol on his left hip in an inside the waistband rig.
He stepped toward the group, “Welcome to B-Side, I’m William Cleeman. My friends call me Willy.”
alangator:
I'm enjoying this story very much. Thanks for writing this!
Deena:
I'm not a big fan of interrupting a story with comments, so I looked for a Comment Thread. If it turns out I'm blind and didn't see it, please move this to the appropriate place.
Joe and William Cleeman stood in the gravel parking area next to the trailer and watched as Lazarus, Katherine and Jacob drove away in Lazarus’s Suburban.
William Cleeman turned to Joe, “Joe I’m hungry, you hungry? I’ve got the grill heated up and two chicken breasts marinating in the refrigerator.”
Joe followed Willy into the older trailer. The small living room held a tasteful loveseat and a desk sat in the corner alongside a fancy looking executive chair.
Willy walked into the small modern kitchen area and pulled a glass bowl from the refrigerator, “I’m sorry to hear about your house! I’d welcome the opportunity to help you get your insurance company to quit jacking you around and begin the process of processing your claim. I don’t know what Lazarus or Bryce have told you about me, but I’m part of the group. In fact they call me the Patron and I’ve financed more than a few of the projects that Lazarus and Bryce have implemented. I’ve practiced law for 25 years and, as an original group member, I’d like to help you with the trouble you’re having with them. This is a very interesting case. I personally have never heard of a case like this where they are denying a claim so soon after a fire event. Somehow they have gained access to the fact that the arsonists were out to get you. Of course, their position isn’t legally defensible in the long run and you should prevail.”
Joe had to step quickly as Willy carried the chicken out the front door and around the corner to a charcoal grill that sat in front of the truck parked on the gravel parking area.
Joe considered his confusion, “So you’re saying that eventually they will most likely have to pay the claim? Why deny the process?”
Willy lifted the lid to the grill and used tongs to place the chicken breasts on the grill. The skin of the chicken emitted a slight hiss and Willy lowered the lid. As he did so he continued his thought, “I can put the paperwork involved in motion and begin the process of harassing them till they reassess their position. Lazarus told me that you have video of your house taken prior to you leaving it.”
Joe watched as Willy raised the grill cover and took a quick look at the underside of the chicken breasts. Joe searched his mind till he could remember the last time he had done a full house video survey of his house, “I took over an hour of video of everything in my house about three months ago. The recent video will almost confirm that it contained the same stuff that was in it when they burned it to the ground. I have itemized lists of electronics, kitchen gear, tools, prep stuff and clothing. I moved all my guns and ammo when I left to hole up with Lazarus, but I had a fair amount of prep stuff including LTS food and lots of tools. I had tools that my grandfather and great uncle bought 50 or 60 years ago and now they’re gone forever.”
Willy opened the grill lid and after looking at the underside of the chicken breast turned them over and closed the lid. He set the tongs on the hook on the side of the grill and walked to the old pick-up. He opened the door and reached into the cab, pulled a folder from the truck and closed the door. Willy walked over to Joe and handed the folder to him, “That folder has the papers that allow me to act as your attorney. Please review them and let me know what you want to do. If you want me to be your guy, then you need to sign them and have them notarized.”
Joe paused, then he opened the folder and looked at the fees and charges part of the agreement. Under fees the only blank that had a number next to it was the lines listed as postage and copying. The rest of the page had N/C next to every possible charge. Joe turned and looked at Willy, “It looks as if your pricing is fair. So I only pay for expenses like postage and copying?”
Willy nodded as he flipped the lid to the grill open and examined the chicken breasts, “The events that led to your house burning down weren’t your fault. I respect that you stood and spoke out against what you believe is a warped and twisted view of the political process. Even after the booker at the cable network told you that it was possible that your life might be threatened, you still went ahead and went on their show. For that conviction, I consider representing you a privilege and hope to someday call you a friend.”
Joe was taken aback. He had never heard himself referred to in such an exulted manner before, “Willy, I appreciate your support. Since this thing started Bryce and Lazarus have treated me like family and now you add the weight of your legal expertise to help me fight against the insurance company. Thank you; I accept your offer to become my legal representative. Bryce and Lazarus trust you and if they trust you then I trust you. I’ll sign the papers as soon as I can get to a notary.”
Willy opened the lid and examined the chicken with a practiced eye. He removed both pieces and put them on a cobalt blue serving plate,
“Excellent, I look forward to raising a little hell. I bet you are looking forward to getting some money so that you can start replacing your stuff. A prepper without his gear and supplies is just another sheep waiting for slaughter.”
Joe followed Willy back into the trailer as he made his way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and removed mayo, salad dressing and lettuce from the crisper. Joe thought about it for a second, “Willy, it’s funny but in some ways my preps are like a security blanket that you hope to never have to use to get through an awkward situation. If I wasn’t living atop a pile of them, I would be going a little crazy. I think that restocking a house at a later date is going to be fun. I purged all kinds of stuff that I have no use for and will replace it with better choices. Talk about a clean sweep, I now own two duffle bags of stuff and my guns and ammo.”
Willy set everything down and pulled a package of buns from the top of the refrigerator. He pulled two plates and two bowls from the cabinet and sat them down, “I usually have a salad at lunch. Now let’s eat, I’m starved. Oh, I asked Lazarus to join us after they finished eating. We have something else we wanted to discuss with you while Katherine and Scooter started the driving training.”
Both men made themselves a salad and put their chicken on buns slathered with mayonnaise. A pitcher of iced tea helped to round off the simple but excellent meal. After discussing suing the arsonists, they ate their food and discussed some items that were getting time on the news.
After eating they walked over to the desk where Willy began making some notes about the problems Joe was having with the insurance company and their plans to sue the arsonists and recover some damages.
With the legal discussion done, the conversation segued to Joe talking about the things he had seen and experienced while in Toronto at the G-8 and G-20 meetings. Willy was an intense listener and used the opportunity to ask an occasion question to help him round out his understanding of the international event. Willy was eager to understand the small minority of the protestors that were often violent and clashed frequently with police at those types of events. The protestors were also responsible for large amounts of vandalism against businesses they deemed objectionable or were just conveniently located.
Their conversation was interrupted by a light knock on the trailer door and Lazarus stepped into the room and headed to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. He opened the bottle of water as he began to speak, “We ready to get down to it?
Willy nodded and waited the 20 seconds for Lazarus to get settled into a chair. Willy reached into a drawer and removed a folder and handed a sheaf of papers to Joe, “We wanted to discuss some things with you, but I have to ask that you review these non-disclosures and sign them. These are not related to your legal case, but have to do with aspects of the group that Lazarus, Bryce and myself belong to. The guys tell me that you seem to be fairly careful about what information you share, but we need to know that you understand the importance of talking only to us about this project.”
Joe reviewed the simple documents and signed them and passed them back over to Willy who set them on a scanner and hit the button to make copies of them for Joe to take with him. He then turned back to Joe and Willy began his explanation, “I started buying the land we’re on over 25 years ago and now own a little less than a section which is 640 acres. If the land was a perfect square a section would cover an area 1 mile by 1 mile. Lazarus, Bryce, I and 15 other families are committed to build homes in what is commonly called an ‘intentional community’. We have integrated environmentally responsible features into the design of the community to benefit our concerns about the future and to put a happy environmental face on our enclave. By stressing environmental concerns we hope to forestall anybody figuring out that we are much more concerned with our families than the world at large. We have little opportunity to change the world and yet we are obligated to protect ourselves and our families from the realities of the world we live in. The hope is to begin the surveying and dirt work within the next three months to take advantage of the weather.”
Lazarus looked over at Willy as he paused, “Let’s show him the site and maybe it will help him visualize the space.”
Willy nodded, “I like that idea. Lazarus did you bring the golf cart up?”
Lazarus nodded, “It’s in front. Let me hit the bathroom first.”
Joe used the bathroom after Lazarus finished and they all headed outside, getting into the golf cart that was parked on the gravel pad next to the front door.
Willy hopped into the driver’s seat of the four person golf cart and they took off up the gravel road. Joe noticed they had gained a few feet as they ascended the slight hill. After about 75 yards, Willy swung their conveyance through the trees to a clearing that overlooked a large cleared area. The area was covered in what could be natural vegetation interspersed by trees that were no taller than four or five feet tall.
Willy got out of the cart, “That is our site. We plan to build earth contact homes around a square open area and incorporate a pool, playground and a soccer/softball field. The green area will also include a clubhouse for social events with an emergency shelter for bad weather. Earth contact homes have some disadvantages that must be overcome and can be difficult to resell. Our feeling is that they do offer the best hope of having a temperate living environment without traditional heating and cooling. They also make it easy to incorporate safe rooms, hidden areas and ballistic fortifications. With basements they give a very high protection factor against an event that generates fallout. The runway that the driving training is on is on the far side of the property and we also plan to develop a shooting range on the property. I started planting a small orchard a few years back and many of the trees are now producing."
Joe stood and surveyed the land and began to imagine how it would look with 20 earth contact homes surrounding a clubhouse and soccer field. This was the modern version of prepper Feng shui and it intrigued Joe, “It sounds like an interesting idea. How long have you been working on it?”
Lazarus answered Joe’s question, “Seven years ago I was watching a documentary about intentional communities centered on a simplified life that incorporated environmentally sound farming and livestock practices. In a way they remind me of a modern version of the communes of the 60’s or 70’s. It was then that I realized that after the events of 9-11 many of us viewed the world with a different perspective. It put the idea in my mind that a community of like-minded people could band together, acquire some land and live in a way that supported a sense of community. Lots of the people I’ve talk to or have worked with are always talking about how they don’t know any of their neighbors very well. In an environment like this we have literally chosen our neighbors. By having only a private drive we limit interlopers and retain the right to question people that might not belong on our land which can help promote a safer community. We have prepper types that mostly have either a law enforcement or military background. Of the non-prepper types we have managed to recruit a doctor and a dentist to our project. They wanted a safe place to raise their children and a place like this has more than a few advantages for them and their families.”
Willy added, “The plan is to put in a well or two and acquire the materials to treat water in a grid-down scenario. We are also going to devote some space to small scale livestock and raise a few crops. The reason we’re showing you all this is because we want to offer you the opportunity to become a member of our group and this new community. In addition to a prepper friendly place to live, we are going to be heavy with current or ex-law enforcement and military as Lazarus mentioned. They can act as a layer of security that you would not have as a man living alone on the outskirts of town. We thought as a man that has developed serious enemies in such a short period of time that you, of all people, would appreciate a community like this one. I’m pretty sure we will eventually get the insurance company to pay your claim. If you rebuild on your site ,you are basically settling for a laundry list of compromises that can be avoided if we can get you approved by the selection board and you build on this site. And while I know that many families see this as a burdensome commitment to staying in one place over a longer period of time than they normally would, the benefits for many of us outweigh the lack of geographic flexibility. The estimates we have gotten indicate that with the owners acting as their own contractor, with bulk discounts and sweat equity they have the opportunity to build more house for less money than in a traditional setting. We all should also benefit from the ability to buy and share expensive equipment as opposed to everybody having the same item in their garage they don’t use for months or years at a time.”
Joe had been watching both men for tells that might indicate areas where the talk was more idealistic than the reality and didn’t see any. He still had concerns and needed some perspective, “I have some questions that I’d want to know about, but the first thing I’d like to know is a description of the process to get approved for membership.”
Lazarus drifted over to stand beside Joe as he looked out over the cleared area and watched a hawk drifting on the wind currents. Lazarus tried to summarize the process, “Normally a candidate is put through background checks and we try to get a sense of the prospect before we approach them. A prior prepper viewpoint or the ability to understand the prepper mentality is key along with a wide range of other factors. An approach person or persons makes contact and inquires to see if they have any interest. If they are interested, we ask for references and research their listed skill sets to see how they fit and to get an idea of their level of competence in the various skill sets. At that point we require a battery of tests, including a drug test, and full disclosure about their mental and physical health. Just like a resume', people have inflated their skill sets or tried to mislead us on their health forms to acquire a position within this community if they are interested in the concept. Once the vetting is done, if they met the requirements, then we schedule a social event so some of us can get to know them and make sure that no personality clashes are glaringly obvious. If everybody is comfortable we have a vote, at that time we vote them up or down and they either join or are rejected. This process generally takes from two to four months, but with your circumstances we are at the point where we talk to you about us and do the social function. This lets you meet some more of us and lets more of us meet you. That means they could vote you in or out tonight after you leave the function. An approval vote is contingent on your physical and mental evaluation which can be completed within 21 days. You could wake up tomorrow morning to a provisional approval, if you are inclined to put forth your name for consideration.”
Willy added to Lazarus’s description of the process, “If rejected, an applicant or an applicant family can reapply for membership in six months, if they wish. In a few cases, we have designed a plan the rejected applicants or family can follow to increase the likelihood they will be approved. The key in those circumstances is to increase their attractiveness to the group. That can usually be done in one of three ways. Add skill set, acquire useful equipment and address personal issues. An example of personal issues is an ex-military member that had PTSD and entered counseling and made progress toward his feelings about his experiences in the War on Terror. Another, a non-member female applicant had a serious gambling problem and is unlikely to gain acceptance since she is still involved in that lifestyle.”
Joe looked over at the men standing on the top of the small hill beside him, “Why me? It seems that you could find men and woman that would be a greater benefit to your group than me.”
Lazarus smiled as he watched Joe ask the question, “Joe we believe that you could be a voice of reason in a time of apathy. It’s a fair bet that with your back story, that book you are working on will get published and might shed some light on an issue that many have ignored for ideological reasons. You have pursued your training aggressively and have some potential there. But you also give us another teacher that has the ability to teach through the prism of more traditional values. Even out here our children will be influenced by teaching mind-sets and textbooks that don’t reflect their parent’s way of viewing the world. We need more of us to counter that, and you could be useful in that regard. We also think that your personal security could be a problem and living around armed neighbors could be useful to you.”
Joe was convinced he wanted to learn more, “Does this social function include dinner? If it does, should I bring a side dish? I usually make homemade mac. and cheese.”
Lazarus took Joe back to the driving training area in the golf cart and dropped him off. He immediately turned the cart around and headed back to Willy’s trailer.
The area they were using was covered in spent rubber and it was obvious that the runway/driving course had seen some training on it. The paved areas that intersected the runway looked to be fairly new and were in good shape.
He waited off to the side of the runway and watched as Katherine took the older Crown Victoria down the runway and locked up the brakes. Joe could smell the rubber as it left the tires and picked up a faint smell from the brakes. After the car came to a stop, Katherine turned the vehicle around and pulled up to Joe. Katherine and Jacob got out of the Blue Crown Victoria and walked the ten feet to where Joe was waiting.
Katherine was the first to speak, “You get your meeting done?”
Joe smiled, “I’m ready to go. I have another meeting tonight between our afternoon and evening training sessions.”
Jacob spoke up, “Good, let’s get to work. I already explained our training regime to Katherine and I want to give you a quick overview of what we will be doing. This Crown Victoria is our base vehicle and is outfitted with ten sensors that will help us gauge our progress through the training regime. The sensors are connected to a software program I helped develop and will enhance our training by giving us empirical feedback that will greatly enhance your training experience. Since effective braking is a huge part of our training, we will start with learning to bring the vehicle quickly and safely to a stop. The asphalt we stand on is a starting point that will allow us understand the various processes that increase our understanding and mastery of driving. Anybody can get in a car and get it from one point to another. I strive to teach you how to maximize the performance of any vehicle so it is performing close to its maximum limitations. We first learn to brake, then we add turning and eventually we get too specialized maneuvers that will enhance our offensive/defensive driving posture. Today we train and then we break and will resume training after dark since nighttime represents a greater risk for accidents, vehicle abductions and killings due to different factors. My hope is that after the two days we have that you will see driving in a different light and make you safer on the road.”
Joe nodded, “I’m ready when you’re ready.”
Joe felt his phone vibrate and reached down to see who it was. The caller ID showed it was Dorth Mann so Joe hit the send button, “Dorth, how are you doing today?”
Dorth replied to the inquiry, “I’m doing great. Listen, the reason I called is because the Speakers Company called me and they heard about your house being torched and the arrests. They understand your security concerns and are more interested in a tour than they were before, if we can work out the details.”
Joe paused as he walked away from the car and let the idea percolate in his mind for a minute, “Dorth, how did they hear about the fire and the arrests?”
Dorth snickered, “I told them about it ,of course, and they confirmed it independently. The thing about this business is that exposure and buzz generate book deals. After you get published, exposure and hype equal sales if the book is any good and you’re very lucky. Getting published is the dream of so many people that manuscripts flood into the offices of publishers everyday by the cartful. Many often only get a cursory look by a lower level staff person, and on the off chance it’s any good, it then is brought to the attention of their boss and it works its way up the ladder. The process is brutal and the risks to a publisher are huge. People are reading less, along with greater demands from work and family the amount of entertainment available to them is staggering. This means the book market is shrinking and it’s crucial we self-promote to insure, first of all you get a deal, and then we need to insure your writing has the best chance of succeeding.”
Joe replied, “That makes sense. I’m interested in the speaking engagements, have they lined something up that I can consider or are they more interested in the concept? If I could get it so I can make a pass or play decision that would be helpful.”
Dorth could be heard clicking the keys on his computer, “They have a possible itinerary we can look at?”
Dorth quit typing on his computer, “I just e-mailed it to you. Look at it tonight and I can contact you in the morning and see what you think.”
Joe smiled since he could use the money, “I’ll do that. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Both men ended the conversation and Joe walked back over to the car were Katherine and Jacob were waiting, “Sorry, a guy called about a job.”
Jacob nodded, “I understand, Lazarus said you were fired by the community college.”
Joe shrugged, “Technically, they recommended a Sabbatical. And when I say recommended, I mean they insisted.”
Jacob walked to the car a opened the passenger side door, “Well, let’s get started.”
The trio piled into the Crown Vic and began Joe’s training. Jacob went back over the material he had covered with Katherine and proceeded to redefine how Joe thought about driving.
Jacob taught the duo how to sit in the vehicle, how to grip the wheel and how to assess their surroundings to insure maximum focus and awareness. After Jacob was happy with the results of the braking exercises, he had Katherine drive over to the hanger and he opened the door with a remote. They followed Jacob into the large building and Joe took in what he was seeing.
The building held two Cessna type small planes that Joe couldn’t indentify. Along the wall were five vehicles and included another Crown Vic, two Suburbans, a pick-up and an older armored truck.
Joe and Katherine waited while Jacob walked into the offices set against the far wall and returned with a set of keys in his hand.
Jacob walked up to Katherine and Joe, “Now we are going to train in a Suburban. The skills we learn are transferable to anything with wheels and my goal is to make you comfortable with any vehicle that you get behind the wheel of. Katherine you want to go first?”
,
Katherine smiled, “You bet, I absolutely love trucks. The bigger, the better.”
Katherine slid behind the wheel of the black Suburban and carefully backed the large vehicle out of the hanger. They went back to the braking exercise and after mastering the fundamentals with the larger vehicle, they moved on to exercises with cones to improve their control of the vehicle through a slalom type course.
Both Joe and Katherine felt their skills were improving and were happy with their progress as Jacob directed Joe back to the hanger in the evening.
After Joe parked the Suburban and everybody got out of the vehicle, Jacob walked Katherine and Joe to the office and showed them where they would be sleeping. The two offices each contained a cot. A small bathroom had a shower and the small supply storage room contained a mini-fridge and a microwave.
Joe asked to use the shower first so he would make it to his dinner on time. Jacob was taking Katherine to his home to have dinner with him and his wife so she wouldn’t have too eat alone.
Lazarus had picked Joe up in his truck and they were headed to dinner. Lazarus guided the truck into the parking lot of a BBQ joint 15 minutes from the runway and they entered the building. Joe followed Lazarus to a banquet room in the back of the restaurant and, as he opened the door, Joe was able to see the 30 foot square room was already filled with maybe 15 or 20 people. Most were standing around and chatting and maybe half held beer or a drink in their hand.
A diverse group, Joe counted 14 people, excluding himself and Lazarus. The group included two blacks, three people that might be of Hispanic heritage and one Pacific Islander. Lazarus introduced Joe to each person or couple and they chatted with them for a few minutes. Halfway through the introductions, Joe noticed a heavyset man with silver hair off to the side of the group giving him dirty looks. The man was in his 50’s, sported a beer belly and had dressed in khakis and a purple polo type golf shirt.
When Lazarus stepped over to the man, Joe found out that the man with the scowl was named Kirby. He was an ex-airplane mechanic that owned some sort of fabrication shop and was thought to be the groups second-best mechanical mind.
Joe found talking with Kirby difficult and was happy when Lazarus called for everybody to have a seat and three restaurant employees started stocking the buffet line with barbeque and side dishes. Drink orders were placed and people began moving through the line.
As the line formed Lazarus leaned over to Joe and in a voice lower than normal spoke to him, “The members will be asking questions throughout the meal. I’d advise waiting to get a to-go container and you can eat later. You want to concentrate on your answers, just be honest and you’ll do okay.”
Joe nodded and ten minutes after everybody had gotten their food a man on the far end of the u-shaped table arrangement asked the first question. Joe answered and another question was asked which he also answered. It went on like this for 30 minutes till eventually after tucking away at least a slab of ribs Kirby wiped his face and took a drink of his beer from a mug.
Kirby looked directly at Joe, “I have a question. Why should we let a guy with no law enforcement or military experience into the group? A sociologist offers little in the way of value if the world destroys itself. You say he prepped before, big deal. Preppers are all over the place, we need people with skill sets now not in two years.”
Lazarus wiped the sauce off his mouth to defend his choice to bring Joe into the fold, “Well, Bryce and I believe strongly that having another teacher is a benefit. But, having a social commentator in our group is huge. The media routinely ignores the rhetoric and actions of the left as being justified by their lofty goals and high ideals and we have the opportunity to support a man that may end up opening up the minds of millions of people. In less than a year, this man will most likely be a published author and be spending time on the news and commentary shows we watch. That level of commitment to that cause requires a high degree of security intervention and our project offers an outstanding place for a person like him to live and work. After spending time training with him, I’d say that he is much more motivated than most of us in regards to security. Someday his life may depend on what he has learned from us and it shows in the way he trains.”
Kirby again asked another question, “Every person is in for a share of limited resources if things go bad and I’m having trouble thinking I may need to share them with somebody that isn’t a proven fighter.”
Joe paused, “One of the goals of my writing this book is to point out information that challenges the belief systems of normal people and let them come to the conclusion that what I witnessed at the bookstore and in Toronto is outside acceptable behavior. I want to essentially ostracize those that believe that these methods add anything to any reasonable conversation about the way our society functions and bring attention to those that would support their methodologies in any way shape or form. I’m now more capable of understanding how people think under strange or unusual circumstances. My thinking is that with certain mindsets the key is to continue to feed information into them till they reconsider their position. For instance Kirby, you feel my joining adds little or no benefit to the group when weighted against what it costs the group. I argue that if we continue to discuss this as reasonable adults you’ll find out that me joining has benefits you hadn’t seen prior. Since I don’t think discussing your concerns all night serves any purpose, I’ll simply state something I consider important. If you spend time training with Lazarus and Bryce you’d know they coax you out of your comfort zone and teach you to have confidence in what you have been taught. Perhaps at some point I or somebody in this room will be needed to teach the things they have taught us and it only makes sense that while you say I have limited usefulness, I argue that one of my most useful qualities is the willingness to be taught and to then pass that knowledge on to the next teacher. I have devoted many hours becoming familiar with the various processes of gathering, storing and making water safe to drink or bathe in. Prior to my house burning, I had stored pieces of equipment, chemicals, test equipment and the books and designs to do this if it was ever needed. Since water is high on the list of essentials human needs, it’s vital to understand how to make it safe to consume. While stashing two Berkey Purifiers and a few boxes of filters is an excellent star, all you’ve done is depend on current technology without the ability to move forward. If the set-up you stored is damaged, lost or stolen you’re in a bad place and have to go back to the same methods used currently in the third world. Boiling water is a resource-intense process and requires taking time and resources from other projects that are vital to a person or groups survival. If I understand the process of making water safe, then I can teach it to others. Lazarus talked about maybe acting as a back-up teacher if things ever truly get bad. It stands to reason that cross training each other will act as insurance in the event somebody is unable to continue doing a specific job.”
Kirby again eyed Joe, “Let me see if I have this right. You’re telling me that you have knowledge and experience with making water safe to drink? How come we were never told about that skill set?”
Joe finished drinking from his cup and smiling, “Kirby, I’m a prepper. Lazarus and Bryce knew that I prepped and we never got around to what skills I had or what materials I had put away. I was more concerned with learning skills that might save my or somebody else’s life than making a list of what I knew or had put away. Like most of us in this room, I have things I’m learning to do that aren’t hobby or occupation related. After reading a book a few years back, I became interested in water and it just moved out from there. At lunch they told me about the project and I think I’d be a good candidate for membership.”
Kirby looked at Lazarus, “Lazarus, how is he with firearms and personal defense?”
Lazarus smiled, “With pistols he’s better than half the people I’ve trained in this room and has some potential with long guns. Self-defense, if he stays training he’ll do OK. I’ve got tape of him in Toronto knocking a mugger to the ground with an elbow. He then smacked the kid around on a mat in the Toronto Police Force Training Facility under the watchful gaze of the kid’s dad. And both the kid and the dad thanked him afterwards.”
Kirby nodded, “Joe, why does this type of set-up interest you?
Joe began what he figured was the home stretch of the interview process, “Kirby, they might have told you this but a few days ago they burned my house to the ground. I went by this morning to see it for the first time and all that is left is a hole in the ground filled with burned lumber. I was told that going on a national news show had enough risk they hired Bryce as my bodyguard. When I was at risk a federal agent said "be careful, people may be hunting you down to kill you". Lazarus took me in and began the process of training me to defend myself with firearms, knives or my body. These are guys I’d risk my life for, because they have put themselves in harm's way to protect me. These men I trust and hope they consider me a friend, they say this is a good idea and I trust them literally with my life. They have respect for everybody in this room and I’d consider it an honor to be associated with such people. The whole idea that people support each other has a lot of appeal to me because it offers a clear enhancement to everybody’s quality of life.”
Kirby stood up, “I’m the Jester and I declare this interview over. Joe, thank you for taking the time to meet with us and I wish you good luck.”
Lazarus stood and motioned to Joe that the dinner was over for them, “Are you going to take a plate with you?
Joe smiled, “You bet.”
Joe loaded a to-go box with enough BBQ for a big sandwich and threw some onion rings on top the pile. The restaurant employees had left two iced teas in plastic cups next to the table and Lazarus picked them up on the way out the door.
Lazarus started the Suburban and turned the headlights on, “I think you did OK. They will vote and we’ll know in an hour or so.”
Joe was confused about a few things and had some questions, “What was that Jester stuff about?”
Lazarus scanned the road in front of him while he explained, “The Jester is the designated questioner. His job is to put some pressure on you and ask the difficult questions. Kirby is actually one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. This was his first time as Jester and I think he did a pretty good job of it.”
The men rode the rest of the way back to the hanger in silence. Joe was lost in his thoughts and pondering the day’s events and Barbeque.
When Joe returned to the hanger the Old Crown Vic was back at the emergency stop station. He carried his dinner into the office, put it in the fridge and walked back out to join the fun.
Katherine or Jacob had noticed him and Katherine pointed the car over to pick him up. Joe hadn’t noticed before, but an older fuel or water truck sat in the shadow of the hanger. As the headlights bounced around, he could see it had a nozzle on top the cab so Joe assumed it was a water truck and looked like it was in decent shape.
The car stopped next to Joe and Jacob lowered the window, “Hop in; we have some work to do. We just got back from dinner ten minutes ago, so you have not really missed anything.”
Joe carefully got in the back seat and they were off. Jacob talked about the difference between daytime and nighttime driving and they worked on the basics they had worked on before under the nighttime conditions.
After 45 minutes they took a break and Joe went into the office that was his bedroom and grabbed a granola bar from his pack. He washed it down with a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, used the bathroom and they were back at it. Joe was getting ready to start his first nighttime run at the braking station when Jacob’s phone rang and he answered it.
Jacob was looking over at Joe as he spoke, “Excellent, I’ll tell him. Thanks, talk to you soon.”
Jacob turned to Joe, “Your application was approved by the committee. It is contingent on a review of your application and your deposit. Congratulations!”
Joe smiled and accelerated to his braking point, “Thanks Jacob, I appreciate it.”
Joe saw a flicker of confusion pass over Katherine’s face in the rearview mirror. The moment passed and he turned to continue their training.
He accelerated the vehicle to the speed Jacob told him and hit the brake; it brought the big vehicle to his best stop of their nighttime session.
After Joe had done his turn, Jacob directed him over to the water truck and got out of the Crown Vic. He climbed into the cab and started the big truck up and drove it over to the area they had been using for training.
Joe had figured out what Jacob was doing when he hopped into the truck and wasn’t surprised when he heard what sounded like a piece of machinery start up. He thought it might be a pump but wasn’t familiar with anything having to do with firefighting equipment so he just waited to see what would happen.
Water started to shoot out of the fire nozzle on the roof of the truck wetting the pavement completely. The water on the pavement glistened in the moonlight as Joe felt a fine mist touch his skin through the open window. The spraying continued until small puddles formed on the runway and Jacob shut the pump down. He then moved the big truck to a fire hydrant next to the runway and attached a hose from the hydrant to the large tank bearing truck.
Jacob walked back over to the car and got in, “Same drill as before. I won’t bore you with the physics but you understand the friction we used before is compromised and you’re going to need more room to get the car stopped.”
They applied their new understanding of braking and spent two hours running up and down the wet runway. Joe was a little apprehensive at first but quickly got the hang of it. Katherine actually whooped the first time and was having a blast till she miscalculated and the car slid off the pavement and into the grass. The second time for her was better and each run after showed her becoming more comfortable with having the exercise conducted with water on the ground in their training area.
Jacob called for a halt and walked back to the water truck. He unhooked the hose from the hydrant and drove the big slow truck to where it had been parked when they began their night time training and parked it. Meanwhile Joe moved the car back into the hanger while Katherine waited by the huge doors.
Joe slipped into the office and heated his dinner since he was starving. As usual the onion rings didn’t do well after being microwaved and he ended up removing the onions and just eating the breading dipped in ketchup. The sandwich was good and after polishing off a few bites he grabbed the paper plate he was eating off of and went to see if Jacob needed any help.
After Jacob finished moving the truck he closed the overhead door and walked over to his students standing by the man door. He handed both business cards with his cell number on it, “My cell number is on the card. I only have one key to the man door, so if you two could share the key, that would be great. The exits are all marked and a light shines on the fire extinguisher stations all night. I have a flashlight if you didn’t bring one.”
Joe smiled, “Jacob, I brought three lights, so I’m good.”
Katherine smiled at the veteran cop, “We’ve been sharing stuff for the last few days; I think we can share a key. I have a small flashlight with me and a spare set of batteries. And thanks for your time, I’ve had fun and learned a lot today. Remind your wife I’d like that recipe for the potato salad.”
Joe looked at Jacob, “Jacob, this has been very informative. Thanks for taking a day off for us. I appreciate it more than you know.”
Joe reached his hand out to Jacob and they shook hands, “Hey, we’re in this together. Good night, see you in the morning about 8 or so. Oh, and I’ll bring breakfast, if you like donuts that is.”
Jacob left and Joe finished eating while he and Katherine made small talk for an hour. Finally the pace of the last few days caught up to him and Joe said he was heading to bed. He walked into his assigned office and removed two cheap LED flashlights from his pack. Then he knocked on the door to the office Katherine was using as a bedroom and waited for her to answer.
Katherine smiled as she opened the door, “No thank you, I don’t need any magazine subscriptions.”
Joe handed her the flashlight, “I thought you may need this. It’s LED, it should run all night if you want a night light or you can use it to go to the bathroom or kitchen corner. Just in case your light goes down.”
Katherine took the flashlight, “Thanks, I sleep with a small light, so if I need to get up I don’t trip and break my neck.”
Joe smiled, “You're welcome, it’s a good neck, we’d hate to see anything happen to it. Goodnight.”
Katherine had that Kitten look on her face again, “Goodnight.”
Joe was glad he was very tired and hoped he would fall asleep quickly. Thinking about Katherine’s neck served no useful purpose.
Joe’s wish was granted and he fell asleep ten minutes after putting his head on the pillow. The last thing on his mind was that he had forgot to look at the e-mail that Dorth Mann had sent him about the speaking engagements he was negotiating for Joe.
Joe rolled out of bed at seven the next morning to the sound of Katherine knocking on the office door. He carefully rolled of the cot and made his way the six feet to the door, “I hear you, I’m up.”
When Joe opened the door Katherine stood there holding a paper plate with a croissant on it in one hand and bottle of pop in the other. A smile crossed her face as she handed breakfast to him, “Finally I’m up before you, how do you feel?”
Joe reached out and took the offered breakfast and simply nodded, “Thanks, I’ll eat and be ready to go in 20 minutes.”
Katherine was still talking through the door to him, “Hey buddy, you forgot to put any pants on.”
Joe looked down and discovered he was only wearing boxer briefs. He raised his voice so Katherine could hear him through the door, “Sorry, I didn’t know breakfast was a formal meal at this establishment.”
Joe could hear Katherine laughing through the door as he ate his breakfast. He ate quickly and gathered his stuff so he could visit the bathroom and grab a quick shower before they began their day. As Joe looked into the mirror in the hangers very small bathroom, he realized it had been three days since he had shaved. The stubble on his face made him look as tired as he felt. Maybe he’d have time to shave when he got back to the warehouse after his training.
The shower brought his eyes open enough to make it outside where Jacob was attaching a roll cage type device on the outside of both the Crown Vics. Joe walked over to see if he needed a hand and in ten minutes one car had a cage on the front and the other car had a cage on the rear. The heavy tubed cages were designed to avoid excess damage on the vehicles as they learned the PIT maneuver and went up to just below the hood, trunk and the doors they were protecting.
Apparently they were starting their day with the PIT maneuver and Jacob had explained the process as they fitted the cars with the protective metal cage to their exteriors.
With one instructor and two students, Jacob thoroughly explained what both drivers would be doing. Katherine would be first to execute the maneuver and Joe was assigned the target vehicle.
Jacob walked over to the vehicle and explained to Joe the best way to get through the door and into the roll bar equipped vehicle. The car was equipped with NASCAR type safety equipment in addition to the roll bar. The safety equipment included a fuel cell and a performance seat with a six point safety harness. Joe was required to wear an approved safety helmet similar to the ones used by drag racers and NASCAR drivers.
Joe got into the modified ex-highway patrol vehicle and Jacob helped get the safety equipment adjusted and get Joe comfortable. The five way driver restraint latch and link system was unfamiliar to Joe and Jacob chuckled as he tried to adjust the strap without help.
After watching Joe for 20 seconds he reached in the vehicle, “It only adjusts from one side. So far I’ve never had an injury from this type of training. All this is just a precaution. When we train, it’s always better safe than sorry. Just relax and listen to me over the headsets.”
Joe had his helmet on and mimed he was having trouble hearing through the foam inside the helmet.
Jacob put on a headset, “Check, check. Joe, you reading me?
Joe adjusted the volume on the headphones attached to his helmet the way Jacob had showed him, “I’m reading you. Are we ready?”
Over the other end of the wireless intercom Jacob answered, “OK, let’s get this show on the road.”
Jacob reached into the back of Joes Crown Vic and removed a short length of aluminum rod and a safety orange window net and attached them above Joe's window.
Joe spoke into his mike again, “Man, you guys take this safety stuff seriously.”
Jacob got in the car and they were off. Both Katherine and Joe quickly became comfortable with the PIT maneuver, j-turn and bootleggers turn. Jacob commented that Katherine was one of the better female students he had taught recently. He also explained to them that the teaching in the police academy for driving had recently been shortened due to concerns over firearms liability. Management in their infinite wisdom had shortened driving training and allotted the extra time into the cadet’s firearms training.
Since Jacob knew more law enforcement personnel were injured in automotive accidents than were involved in firearms incidents, he believed that more time on the test track was essential to avoid as many work-related driving injuries as possible. The upside of the extra driving training would be less automotive lawsuits. It wasn’t uncommon for police involved auto accidents to injure, kill or maim civilians. Personal injury lawyers could make a good living suing over the injuries and deaths caused by police, fire and medical emergency vehicles.
Around noon Willy pulled to the edge of the runway in his golf cart and waited while Joe drove the car over to him.
They all got out of the vehicle and walked over to the cart.
Willy smiled, “Katherine, I’m William Cleeman but everybody calls me Willy. It’s nice to finally meet you. Bryce and Lazarus say good things. Are you enjoying your training?”
Katherine smiled, “Willy it’s nice to meet you, I’m having a blast. Jacob is an excellent instructor and we’re learning a lot.”
Willy nodded his understanding, “Well I’m glad to hear that. Jacob I was hoping to steal Joe at lunch, if you can spare him. I had a few things I was hoping too go over with him.”
Jacob nodded, “I think we can spare him. I was just thinking it was time for lunch. I’m going to take Katherine to Yuk’s Chinese Palace in town, if she wants to join me.”
Katherine nodded her acceptance of the idea and Joe got in the cart and they were off.
Willy headed back to his trailer as he spoke, “Well, it seems you passed the interview and all so I wanted to talk to you about buying a home site. Being a member is a great start, but for you we think living on-site has numerous advantages. First of all is that the earth-sheltered design we will be using combined with other factors will make the cost to build cheaper than stick built. That of course means more house for less money and offers the additional benefit of lower utility and equipment costs over the life cycle of the residence. The high R-value of this type of home means your HVAC system will be sized much smaller and will cost less to install and operate. Your health form indicated sinus and allergy issues, our doctor says that he expects symptoms to be lessened in the winter by not pulling out all the moisture in the air. That, combined with minimal moisture replenishment, should work wonders for your sinus and allergy problems. The homes will also be much quieter than you are used too in a normal suburban setting. I toured your site this morning for legal purposes and I know you were on a seldom used road, but by reducing traffic in front of your house and the high R-Factor you should experience a quiet and peaceful inside environment.”
Joe took advantage of the break Willy had taken to breath, “Willy, I’m interested, but I sincerely doubt that I’m in a good position to get anybody to loan money to me at this juncture. I’m short a job and still owe money on the pile of rubble that used to be my house and might not be covered by my insurance company.”
Willy pulled the golf cart up to the trailer and Joe noticed that Bryce’s Suburban was parked next to Willy’s pick-up. Both men got out and Bryce was at the door smiling.
Bryce opened the door for the two men and stepped aside so they could get inside, “Congratulations, I hear you’re officially one of us now. Has Willy told you about your lot?”
Willy sat at his desk and swung the chair around to add to his comments from earlier, “We were just getting around to discussing that.”
Joe waited for Willy to explain the information about the home lots despite the fact that his financial position was poor at best.
Willy paused while Bryce made himself comfortable and continued, “We have a lot we think would be good for you and us. First of all we take your old lot as a partial trade. All lots here are sold at the price they were valued at 10 years ago by the County Assessor’s Office. We take the price of your lot after the debris is cleared and credit the difference to your initial development fees. We want to use that location to cover the basement and use it to stash equipment in. Or we may hold it and sell when the market is better and lots start moving for good money again. You still pay your initial road, lighting, pool, sport field and sewer assessment which is about $30,000. We will build simple asphalt roads like you see at lake community without sidewalks or curbs. That fee will include all power, sewer and electrical connections to the community and to your new home.”
Joe cell phone was vibrating and he looked at the number on the screen, “This is the library. I’ve got some material they are trying to track down for me. Do you mind if I take it?”
Willy looked at him, “Sure, no problem.”
Joe answered the call, “Joe speaking.”
A husky feminine voice replied, “Joe this is Misty at the library. We have some books that you requested and I noticed that you account has a hold for unpaid overdues.”
In all the recent pandemonium Joe had simply forgotten to renew his materials and the 30 books he had checked out before the drama were not only overdue, but then had burned in the fire at his house. Misty had flirted some with him and for an assistant librarian was cute. Not Joe's type, but harmless enough. The last time he had seen her he had made the mistake of asking ‘how it was going’ and she spent ten minutes regaling him with a description of her last visit to the tattoo shop. Since Joe wasn’t really a tattoo guy he found it boring but feigned interest since she was friendly and a good librarian. The part that was awkward was after she told him about her experience she had sneaked into the bathroom a few minutes after he entered. He turned around after he was done taking a leak and found her standing there with her pants pulled down to her knees facing away from him. She did have on a nice looking thong that framed her ass in an attractive way. But the black of the thong clashed with the greens, blues, yellows and reds of the dragoon motif tattoo on her right butt check.
Joe decided to trade on her empathy, Misty, I know this sounds like I’m making it up but most of those books were in my house and it burned to the ground over the weekend. Is there a way that I can still pick up my materials without paying for the books?”
Misty paused and sensing an opportunity continued, “Well, I’m really not supposed to let you check out anything till those books have been paid for. I’ve got an idea, you buy me dinner tonight and I’ll check the books out with my card and I can deliver them then.”
Joe paused, “Well, a friend is in town and I promised to buy dinner. Mind if I bring a chaperone for us.”
Misty laughed, “Joe Quick you crack me up. Bring your friend; any friend of yours is a friend of mine. I was thinking that maybe we could eat at Yuk’s Chinese Palace on Elmwood at 7?”
Joe smiled thinking that Katherine liked Chinese, “Misty, we’ll see you there. Oh, can we make it 8.”
Misty had a tone in her voice that conveyed her satisfaction with the terms, “8 it is, I’ll see you there.”
Joe looked at the two men in the room with him, “What, I need that material and I’m watching my money. I assume eventually the insurance company will pay for the books since they did burn in the fire.”
Willy continued without any comments on bringing another woman to his pseudo-date, “In order for you to understand what we are trying to do, it will help to use the master plan that has been approved by the county.” Willy walked over to the filling cabinet and pulled a rolled up set of oversized plans off it and unrolled them on his kitchenette table. “First of all we factored in various considerations like the layout and environment of the site, cost, and energy usage with and without being grid supported livability and survivability during crisis. Using these factors we determined that we would base our community thinking along the lines of a fallout bunker and a 21st century version of a castle using earth sheltered homes. It took some imagination to see how a grouping of unattached homes could make up a cross between a castle like fortification and a fallout bunker but we believe that you can, if you look at this master plan. We envisioned using simple concepts that were used over a thousand years ago and adapting them to serve our purpose fairly well. The very first thing that is reminiscent of castle design starts with the siting of our community. With a slightly raised area and bedrock around ten feet below the surface, we will be building on a solid foundation of bedrock that will eliminate some of the concerns that crop up with using such a heavy building system. Also we got lucky, when they extended North Street they elected to blast instead of simply going over or around some hills and we now have a 10-15 foot rock wall that helps defend that side of the property. The other sides all have older standing trees that will prevent vehicles from entering the property easily and one side has a creek that has a ravine that only allows one place to cross in a vehicle.”
Bryce took advantage of Willy’s pause to add his own perspective, “Our defenses are a combination of natural barriers, manmade deterrents and technology. Under emergency conditions the easy to traverse paths will be monitored by covert video surveillance and if things ever get bad a assortment of booby traps would be employed to insure that trespassers would be driven from the property or at least funneled to areas we can defend effectively.”
Joe looked at both men one after the other, “Guys, I don’t mean to interrupt but I’m not in a position financially to swing a new house right now. I’m a little jobless and the prospects are less than optimal. The book project may or may not be successful and the money from my speaking tour, which hasn’t been confirmed, isn’t enough to get excited about. From the way you’re talking, it sounds as if you are looking for a commitment now and I cannot do that till I have a better idea of where things are going with my financial situation.”
Willy smiled, “Joe we know you’re in a bad spot and I want to offer you a loan since we believe you are an acceptable risk. I’m confident that the insurance company will pay out. We also will file against the arsonists and we might end up being able to collect some money there. I predict that by the time school starts in the fall you will have a university position. If a university position fails to materialize, then I think you could expand your speaking engagements and make a decent living.”
Joe paused and was looking sheepishly at Willy and then at Bryce, “I’ve put resumes out and so far I haven’t heard a thing. A co-worker of Katherine’s did offer a little work but not enough to afford building a house. I’m not sure that getting that committed right now is a good idea.”
Willy smiled, “Well, I can most likely either get your old job back at the community college or entice them to offer a settlement for wrongful termination. The estimate on the plans we’ve had drawn up is around $200,000. That is a 3 bedroom house with a bathroom and walk-in closet in each room. The rest of the house will include a big kitchen, a pantry, a full 9 foot basement, a three car garage with a workshop area. Of course you will need to act as your own general contractor and do some of the work yourself. Its design has universal design features like wide hallways and easy wheelchair access to bathrooms and includes 9 and half foot ceiling. The thing that I think is interesting about these designs is that we think they will be easier than a stick built house to add on to. It’s fairly easy to add an extra bedroom or two and extend the garage or add-on space to your workshop.”
Joe worked the idea over in his head before he asked any more questions. Finally he had to ask,
“What can you tell me about the other defenses?”
Bryce smiled hoping Joe was warming to the idea that he could have a place of his own,
“Well, the exteriors walls will be 12-18 inches thick and we also are working on a system to use two layers of 6 inch thick landscape rocks set at an angle against the side fill. An I-beam frame will connect ¾ inch steel cable anchored to the rocks to provide additional ballistic protection. These rocks would be placed after the sides were mounded with dirt and we hope that most handgun and rifles rounds would never even enter the soil that protects the homes. Additional fill would be added to those areas and the rocks wouldn’t be noticeable unless you knew they were there. The cable is secured with anchors that are epoxied to the large rocks at multiple points and the I-beams are sunk in concrete to the bedrock. In a fashion they would act as a form of reactive sloped armor. A RPG or tank round detonates on the rocks and the cables keep the rock from flying away and leaving a hole in the home's ballistic protection. We had an engineer work up some preliminary numbers and it looks that for the cost it’s a relatively sound idea. We marry that with the fact that the main entrance is the only area that allows any kind of decent access to a tank, an APC or a big piece of earth moving machinery and we place guys with the 50 BMG or 50 BMG AR uppers and we might be able to get some anti-material work done. Early on we plan to build a smallish combination anti-tank bunker/OP/LP on the hillside near the main entrance. This concrete bunker will house hard-line phone and cable connections for the community. Under dire conditions we clear it out and use it as part of our defenses.”
Joe was stunned. These people were planning on being able to fend off tank and RPG attacks. He swallowed and then realized that he had seen their stash and he shouldn’t be surprised at all,
“That sounds interesting. Is that a feature that all the homes will have? Or is it just for the people that can afford it?”
Bryce looked at Willy and answered the question, “Well, the idea is that certain lots like the ones that face the public entrance are more at risk of encountering tank or other explosive rounds, those are the homes that are prime candidates for the ballistic upgrades. That includes the thicker exterior walls and roof and the rock curtain idea. Also, we are integrating an idea taken from castles design and using what is called a flat bastion. It’s simply a bastion that protects a wall that is longer than it is practical to defend from the corners. For our purposes it is a home that will be in the middle of the 3 sides and be sitting further up on the lot, since it’s further up in the lot it will allow and be able to lay down enfilading fire. The homes beside these homes will have the extra concrete on the sides that face the bastion homes because they would be shooting across the front of those homes in the event of an attack.”
Joe smiled as he asked his next question, “First of all what exactly is a bastion and what is enfilading fire?”
Bryce answered the question as he moved to the fridge for a bottle of water, “Say we’re defending a flat wall. Its defenders only have the ability to engage the enemy to the front; the closer the enemy gets to that wall the less of them can be effectively engaged due to the angles involved. A bastion generally sits out away from the wall to allow the enemy to be engaged down the length of that wall. When you look at a castle the bastion is the area that overhangs the forward most area of the wall and allows archers or in our case rifleman to engage the enemy against the wall from the foundation to the top of the wall. Bastions allow us to fire from their sides and along the long axis of their attack, that is a rough definition of enfilading fire, it’s also called flanking fire.”
Joe smiled and walked over and retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator, “I think I understand what you’re saying, the bastion in our case defends the front of the homes so that they cannot be easily breached or damaged. If the house next door has somebody between two windows that they cannot gain an angle on, then the aggressors are exposed to people in the bastion. The bastion allows us to fire into their side, the angle the bastion has will allow us to fire across the front of every house from one end to the other. You mentioned that the bastion will be located in the middle, so the two sides will actually allow us to fire down the whole front. Is that correct?”
Bryce looked at Joe, “That is it in a nutshell. The areas between the earth sheltered homes would be linked and protected by a perimeter fence and numerous obstacles. The purpose would be to deny access to the backyards and the rear of the homes which aren’t as well protected.”
Willy continued with the explanation of the communities proposed defenses, “Next we have two areas that have been hardened to withstand to some extend the pounding from direct and indirect artillery. Using a round type of architecture both my personal home and one of the garages will be built using two layers of 18 inches of rebar reinforced concrete and the middle will be filled with gravel. The semi-domed roof will have 18 inches of concrete and both structures will have a basement. Underneath my home will be the main on-site storage for community supplies and that area will be equipped with a vault type door and will be connected to an alarm that notifies Bryce, Lazarus or I. We also plan to use land on the end of the clearing to house a barn and various workshops. These structures will be built to the same standards but without the basement.”
Joe was adding the cost of the improvements in his head and decided to ask what the total financial commitment to community was, “Guys, it sounds like you are talking about a ton of money. Is there going to be a yearly assessment for all this? I mean we are talking about over a million dollars aren’t we?”
Willy answered without hesitation, “The monthly assessments for lawn care and the pool and such should be around $200.00 a month or so. And you are correct about everything else, a million would cover it nicely. You see before my wife died, I had the big house in a very good neighborhood and I sold it before the bubble burst. It netted a million and change. But, I always wanted to live on this land. She, bless her, always found the suburbs more convenient and closer to her friends and our family. So over the years I used the land for hunting and sold some timber every once in a while to pay the taxes on it. I personally will pay for the workshop space and stables to be built, a small fee will be collected if somebody wants to use them. My house will be over $500,000 and I expect the upgrades and buildings I want to put in will run another $500,000. That includes some equipment like backhoes, tractors and that fire fighting rig that is down at the runway. But building a better way of life is never ever cheap. You pay for it one way or another.”
Joe paused as he let that sink in, “Can I have some time to mull it over? Or were you looking at getting a decision today?”
Bryce smiled, “We can wait a few weeks, maybe even a month. The reason we asked you here today is that I wanted you to build next to me or Lazarus since we are scheduled to go in at the first phase. Both of us are taking the bastion lots and I think you’d be a good guy to live next to. Now let’s eat. I’m starved, hope you’re in the mood for turkey sandwiches.”
Willy, Bryce and Joe had turkey sandwiches which were good and talked further about the plans for the community. The men told Joe about the people that were scheduled to move in the first phase and the new careers some of them had chosen.
Willy ferried Joe back to the runway and the driving training continued throughout the day. Katherine agreed to have dinner with Joe and the librarian on the way home and it turned out that Bryce joined them also.
When the group arrived at the Chinese restaurant, Misty looked a little disappointed with the dinner party but gave Joe the materials he had requested anyway. Once she got used to the concept of her ‘date’ being spoiled by the intrusion of others she was excellent company. Katherine had asked to see her tattoo in the bathroom and after that Katherine and Misty got along famously.
As the trio said their goodbyes to Misty and got into the truck, Katherine closed her door and turned to Joe in the back seat, “We can date after the first draft of the book is done and submitted. If it gets bought then great, if it doesn’t we can still see each other. Personally, I think that dating other people until we have us resolved one way or the others is foolish and could be a distraction to the project.”
Joe smiled, “I agree and will curtail my social life till we are able to see each other in a social context.”
Bryce started the Suburban and smiled to himself as he pulled out of the restaurant parking lot.
Author Note-
When I was growing up my grandparent’s basement usually held 50 or 75 rolls of toilet paper. The toilet paper shared space in that basement with clean used meat trays, used peanut butter jars that eventually held screws removed from broken and discarded items, worn out t-shirts that ended up as rags and a host of other items that they had saved for future use and stored. The shelves always had a large amount of canned food. As a boy and as a young man I never understood why somebody would save and amass the items the home used on a regular basis. Since my grandparents were both born in 1910 and had suffered through the Great Depression, they had from a young age an understanding of things I didn’t understand till I was past 40. I credit them with certain changes I’ve instituted in my own life and only wish I could tell them how much I appreciate their example.
Please look at the list and add on to it. Tell us what you save or how you re-purpose something and why. For so long many of us have taken our stuff for granted, maybe we’ve become accustomed as a society to throw stuff away just because it takes up space or doesn’t quite fit into our lives.
alangator
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Part 56
Two days later Bryce and Joe were driving in Bryce’s Suburban heading to a restaurant located near the warehouse for what Lazarus had called a committee meeting. His two friends had decided that his input might be useful on the Repurposing Committee that the community was forming.
The stated purpose of the group was to encourage their members to get acclimated to the idea of looking at things they were throwing out with a new perspective. Since Joe was a new addition to the group he had missed much of the work involved with the planning of the new community and hoped he could contribute. Joe was looking over his list of items he thought should be saved by the group. He had some he thought might not be mentioned by anybody else and was anxious for the feedback he was sure to get.
The men arrived at their destination and climbed from the car. Joe recognized Tinker from his membership meeting and waved back as the big man gave him a wave in greeting.
Tinker paused by the door and waited while Joe and Bryce arrived and greeted both of them, “Joe, I hope there is no hard feeling about the membership meeting. I was just doing my job and frankly feel you will make an excellent addition to our community. I understand how important teachers and thinkers are and respect the fact that to prosper as a group we need to include those without law enforcement or military backgrounds to avoid tunnel vision. Me, I’m more of a lets get’re done type of guy so sometimes I’m tough on the non-mechanically inclined folks.”
Joe paused before he spoke to insure he phrased his next sentence in a way that wasn’t offensive, “Tinker, I’ve no problem about what happened at the meeting. They explained what your task was and to be honest I think you did a good job. I agree with your idea that some occupation diversity can only benefit the group as a whole. Personally, I know that discussing issues and positions from different perspectives will ultimately yield better thought out viewpoints and result in better outcomes. As far as I’m concerned we’re good.”
Tinker stuck his hand out again and shook Joe’s, relieved that a potential problem had been averted, “It’s good to see you made it and I look forward to working with you.”
Joe smiled, “Well Tinker, I don’t know how much help I’ll be but I’ll give it a shot.”
Bryce interrupted the men’s love fest, “If you two are done kissing and making up I’m hungry. Let’s go inside and get this thing started.”
The men walked into the restaurant together and made their way back to the small private room that they had reserved. Two women and another man stood around talking and Joe picked up one of the women talking about what he assumed was her son’s soccer team.
The group noticed the new arrivals and hellos and handshakes were evenly distributed throughout the group.
Tinker was committee chair and sat at the head of the table so he could look directly at the committee. As he sat down he called the meeting to order and began, “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for taking time out of your lives and being here. This committee is tasked with encouraging our group to re-assess items that they throw away or give to others. As a mechanic I understand that what you throw away can sometimes be re-used or re-purposed very effectively. Often times the factor that determines an item's fate is simply little storage space and a lack of imagination. I’ve become used to looking at things with an eye toward what else they could be used for. We will have numerous goals. The first is to reclaim items that would normally be discarded to be stored for the good of the community for later use. The second is to acquire items that could be useful under a worst case scenario and the third is to provide storage for items that aren’t worth messing with selling. The items in the third category will be stored and then sold at a community garage sale and the profit will be used to offset out expenses for things like monthly fees. I’ve had some feedback and have made a list off the top of my head of items we should all be looking at saving and contributing to our efforts. Please review the list and we can discuss what items have been forgotten and discuss adding them.”
Tinker pulled sheets of paper from his notebook and started passing them out.
The Committee Members reviewed the list and somebody added, “What about electronics? Can we use broken electronics for anything?”
Tinker looked up from the list he was reading and smiled, “Definitely, if it is truly unusable we can use things like the power supply, other electronics, boards and all the screws and other interior mechanisms. Something as simple as the cord from an old TV can be used for 10 or 15 different things. Anything jump out at anyone as missing?”
Joe chimed in, “What about metal bed frames and the metal bales from Chinese take-out?”
Bryce handled that one, “The bed frames are good steel to work with for smaller projects. For instance I’ve seen small bike driven generators and the metal from a bed frame could be used to construct one of those. Also, you could use them as braces for doors or to build shelves with. The metal bales in the take-out containers have me stumped. Tinker, you got any ideas?”
Tinker spoke as he was scribbling on his copy of the list, “Take-out bales are a good idea. I see them as useful for some smaller projects. I can envision them being used to replace string or rope in some circumstances. Let’s say I break a shoelace on my sneakers, I can thread the wire through the holes and twist it with a pair of pliers and I’ve got something that will work for me. If worst case ever comes to be, our goal is to minimize the use of high priority materials. We face the possibility of never seeing certain materials again and it’s important to learn to adapt and make do.”
One of the women chimed in, “I’m confused about dryer lint. What is it used for?”
Tinker looked up, “Dryer line can be used as a fire starter. But for now I’d prefer to focus on adding to the list and then we can go over why certain items are on the list. My thinking was that we can have a list and prioritize our requests so that everyone isn’t bogged down by ten pages of requested items. When we approve the list and distribute it we can list some of the uses for each item. That will help everybody understand why it’s so important to begin to start putting this stuff to the side or contributing it to the community.”
Bryce looked up from perusing the list, “Tink, I don’t see spent brass on the list. We have some shooters that still don’t police their brass; maybe we should include a list of the scrap values of precious as well as industrial base metals. Seeing the scrap value of the metals might be useful in convincing people that we need to reassess our views about some things.”
Tinker pondered the idea and came to his conclusion, “I like that idea; since the base metals affect the price of so many things we might be able to put some things in perspective.”
One of the men that Joe had been introduced to and forgotten his name chimed in, “I noticed when we vacationed in Hawaii that above ground swimming pools are used there for water storage and checked the price on them. At around $1,000.00 it was out of reach to simply store one. But, they charge over $500.00 in this area to take one down or move it so I put an ad out and was paid $300.00 to remove one. Do you think that is something we could add to the list? An 18 foot round pool that is 4 feet deep stores over 15,000 gallons of water. They take some space to store but I can see them being very useful if the world tanks.”
Tinker looked up from the list and considered the proposed item, “That is a great idea and I like the fact that you get paid to get one which is a bonus. In fact the pool season will be over soon and I might place my own ad, a portable water system that stores that much water is a great idea. How long did it take to disassemble the pool?”
The man smiled, “Well, I had my teenagers help and it wasn’t too bad. After the water is drained, which is time consuming, it took maybe three hours to take it apart and get it loaded on the trailer.”
Tinker continued to take notes on his copy of the list as he spoke, “That we are going to add. I also think in a pinch you could use the liner as a material to patch a leaky roof or to help waterproof a defensive position. Who’s next?”
The lady that had spoken earlier answered that question, “Well, I garden some and we should have them pass to us the chemicals used in the upkeep of their yard they want to dispose of. We can utilize the material or insure it gets disposed of in a responsible manner. It might be a good idea to ask for cleaning supplies also. They are really not good for the environment and it looks bad to outsiders if we put on an earth friendly face and get caught acting in a non-earth friendly manner. I’d be willing to take the stuff we cannot use to the county’s Hazardous Materials Collection Facility if that helps.”
Tinker looked and replied to the offer, “I think we should include paint and automotive type chemicals to that program also. Are you willing to head that up and be responsible for it?”
The woman smiled, “Sure, I could put some information together and get it to you. Also, the old issues of Yankee Magazine have stuff in it about re-purposing and re-using common items. Maybe we can get the back issues on CD or DVD and look through it. I can check with the library, if that helps?”
Tinker nodded in agreement and the group ordered their food from the server and had a nice meal. Joe seemed to have more in common with these people than the people he had been spending time with before the incident and found he had a good time in their presence.
After the meeting broke up the men headed back to the warehouse where Lazarus was ready to let Joe and Bryce act as his Beta Test for his new 3-dimensional shooting program. The program was being developed for the group and a select number of personal friends only and Lazarus was excited to see what the men thought of it so far. Joe was excited he would be shooting at the mannequins he had helped pick up and was looking forward to some time on the range. While his physical condition was better, he had not been shooting as much since he had to cut back on his workouts and he was worried about finding the time to accomplish everything on his plate.
Joe’s meeting in New York with Dorth and the publisher was in two days. He was booked on a flight in the afternoon and still hadn’t packed. The lure of being one of the first to experience the new shooting program was too much and he was determined to clear his mind and give the Lazarus’s program his full attention.
As Joe walked out from the arrival tunnel at LaGuardia Airport in New York, he was thankful this part of his adventure was over. It had been a few years since he had flown and the indignity of the process to be granted acceptance onto an airplane in today’s climate grated on his nerves. The TSA’s job pissed him off to no end and being harassed by the screeners was one of his least favorite pastimes. Most regular people find being looked upon as a possible criminal to be demeaning and offensive and Joe Quick was nothing if not a regular guy
As he was being fed through the metal detector at KCI airport he felt like a cow making its way through the chute at the slaughterhouse, it was in that line that it occurred to him that it would be easier for everybody to strip naked and go through the scanner and re-dress on the other side. He looked around to locate a suggestion box and was going to pass the TSA’s management that nugget of wisdom when he realized that they had most likely already thought of it.
He exited the tunnel and began to look around for the driver that Dorth Mann had arranged for him. A middle aged guy in khakis and a polo style golf shirt held out in front of him a card with ‘J. Quick’ printed on it.
Joe walked up to the man, “I’m Joe Quick; I assume you are looking for me.”
The man lowered the placard to his side, “Mr. Quick, I’m Ken, your driver. It’s good to meet you sir. Can I help with your baggage?”
Joe smiled, “Ken I can handle the baggage. Thank you for offering and please call me Joe. I’d like to stop at the Ground Zero site of we have time. I’ve never seen it in person.”
Ken gave Joe a knowing look, “I understand Joe. It is an emotional moving site and we have plenty of time. If you will follow me to the entrance, I can get the car and pick you up and we can get going. Sorry for the inconvenience but we live under the constant threat of another incident and heightened security is part of our daily lives now.”
Joe followed the man and nodded to himself, “I understand it’s now part of the world we live in. If it’s okay with you, I’ll just walk to the car with you. I’ve been inside the terminal back home or in the jet for five hours and could use the fresh air. What’s the temperature outside?”
Ken scratched his head as he walked, “I think they said it was around 80 or so. Nice for this time of year!”
The men reached the doors that allowed them to exit the building and Joe agreed the weather was almost perfect. They walked to where the grey Town Car was parked and loaded the bags and Joe began his New York adventure.
Ken dropped Joe off as close to the former site of the destroyed Twin Towers as he could. Joe reverently made his way around the site and replayed the events of that tragic day in his head. The images he had seen that day were seared onto his consciousness and he hoped that they would always be there to remind him of how hate and evil can ruin so many people’s lives. That day stole hope and joy for thousands of families that were affected by the loss of loved ones and Joe felt it was imperative that not one American ever forget the sadness and sense of loss that was part of that cowardly act of terror.
The sun was low to the west of the site and, much like he did as he watched the coverage of the destruction of the Twin Towers on TV in his hom, he found he was unable to control the tears that ran down his face. The tears simply gentled rolled from his eyes and despite his wish they continued to snake down his face. As he became aware of it, he noticed others that were affected in the same way.
A man stepped toward Joe and handed him a crisp white handkerchief. His 60 years or so had provided him with the face of a man that appeared wise and understanding. His voice carried the vague accent of what Joe thought was Ireland, “Son, it looks like you need this more than me. It’s brand new and I’ve never used it. This is a place that has brought a tear to the eyes of many men, women and children in the past nine years. Don’t be ashamed of your tears, let them pour forth and maybe it will allow you to appreciate all the good that surrounds you.”
The man stopped speaking and tears slowly came to his eyes. They were the slow methodical tears of a person that had shed enough of them that they were in short supply. The man gulped and reached for his pocket. He pulled an identical handkerchief from his pocket and swiped at his eyes,
“My daughter was killed here on that day. 25 years old and smart as a whip. She had a good job at a brokerage house and then poof, it was all gone. Her mother died three months later. I think after all the troubles at home for so long and losing our daughter it was just too much for my dear wife. A man should ever be left alone with such a burden of grief. It makes him disagreeable.”
The man processed a look of dignity that told Joe that no amount of pain could affect the man anymore than the loss he had suffered when he lost his wife and grown child just beginning to make her way in the world.
Joe looked at the man and stepped in and hugged him, “Sir, I’m sorry for the loss of your family. I came here today to insure that those people that died here, including your daughter, would always carry a place in my view of the world we live in.”
Joe stopped speaking and released the hug. He then stepped back and the man seemed to buck up and gave him a half smile, “This is a mighty and powerfully sad place. The key is to let the emotion wash over you and avoid the melancholy that will stain your soul with if you stay too long. “
Joe half smiled, “Wise words, sir, and I’ll be sure to take your advice.”
The man turned and walked away. He didn’t stop and turn or anything, he faded into the crowd further down the block and was gone. The tears had stopped and Joe wiped his eyes a final time and put the handkerchief the man had given him into his pocket as he began to make his way back to Ken and the waiting vehicle.
The terrorist act carried out on 9-11 was an act that deeply and profoundly affected Joe. How people in this modern age could act so callously baffled him. As a sociologist he had never come to a satisfactory answer and guessed there was a fair chance he might never reconcile the events of that day in his mind.
Man shouldn’t come too easily to grips with certain acts of barbarity, they offend the common decency to the extent that evil or insanity provide the only comfort or answer to the question.
Ken pulled the car up next to Joe and he got in, “Can we get to the apartment now?”
Ken looked up at the mirror, “Yes, we will be there in 15 or 20 minutes.”
Ken recognized when it was a good time to be quiet and Ken and Joe drove in silence the rest of the way too Joe’s destination. Ken stopped in front of a building and grabbed the bags from the trunk. The men walked to the building’s entrance and Joe slipped him a $20.00 tip before shaking his hand and thanking him.
Joe followed the directions to the apartment he was using and entered the space. The studio was 20x20 feet and was tastefully decorated. Joe took his phone from his pocket and dialed Dorth’s number and was instantly forwarded to voicemail. After leaving his message, he brushed his teeth, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and left to run the errands that Lazarus had given him.
Joe found his destination after a $20.00 cab ride and started working off the list that he had been given. The New York City Library System boasted one of the largest public collections in the world and had books that were not easy to find. Joe set the alarm on his cell and began the task he had been given.
Three hours later the beeper on his cell chimed and he put his stuff away and found a cab back to the studio apartment he was using for the trip. He stopped at Dorth’s door and introduced himself to his wife and was ushered into the apartment. Both the entry way and the great room sported ten foot ceilings and had beautifully intricate wooden coffered ceilings. The trim in the room was intricately carved and Joe was stunned at the detail and beauty of the space.
After taking it in quietly for 30 seconds he turned to Inga Mann, “Inga, this space is stunning. I cannot remember being in a room in a home with as much character and detail as this.”
Inga was an attractive rail thin blonde dressed from head to toe in black. She carried a slight European accent which Joe thought might be Swedish. The mid-thirties blonde moved with the fluidity and grace of a ballerina as she saw him to the seating area and pointed toward the snow white couch that dominated the room, “Joe, please have a seat and thank you for your kind compliments about our home. When we first saw it we both fell in love with the attention to details and the flow of the space. After we had the space analyzed by a Feng shui consultant we made an offer and were excited when it was accepted the next day. The studio came with it and we decided to keep it and we use it as a guest room of sorts. If I can get you something to drink, then I’ll show you the rest of the place.”
Joe smiled, “Inga, I could use a bottle of water, if it’s not a problem and I’d appreciate the opportunity to look at the rest of the space.”
Inga smiled, “Follow me and we can start in the kitchen.”
She was off the couch and Joe stood and followed her to the adjoining kitchen. It was large by Manhattan standards and the focal point of the room was an industrial style six burner gas stove, “The kitchen was too small so we had a few walls moved around to make it more functional. We strived to keep the look and feel of the original space intact. It took four months to redo the kitchen and we had the entire apartment rewired and redid all the plumbing at the same time. It was worth it though, and we can’t imagine living anyplace else. Follow me and I’ll show you the office and the master bedroom.”
Joe followed her and was given access to every nook and cranny of the apartment. Being from the Midwest, he seldom saw homes that had as much character as the home he was shown. The front door could be heard opening as they made their way back into the great room and Joe stepped into the great room to find a blonde-headed man that stood close to six and half feet tall smiling at him.
The man stepped toward Joe and reached his hand out, “I’m Dorth Mann and it’s great to finally meet you, Joe. Thanks for flying here; I think we are going to be glad you came.”
Joe smiled, “Dorth, it’s good to meet you face to face. I’m excited about this trip and appreciate you and your lovely wife putting me up in your guest room.”
Both men released their hands from each other and stepped back. They all sat down and chatted for awhile and made plans for dinner. The Mann’s offered Joe a choice and he stated that a meal in their beautiful apartment was fine with him. Inga was known for her fettuccini alfredo and offered that as their dinner fare. Joe readily accepted the kind offer.
Joe excused himself to return to the studio to grab a shower and get dressed. At the studio he took the agreed upon 30 minutes and got himself cleaned up and checked his e-mail on his laptop. Katherine had sent an e-mail and wanted him to call before bed. Bryce and Tinker had sent requests for Joe to follow-up on if he could get back to the library.
Dinner was a simple yet elegant meal and Joe found the Mann’s to be excellent company. They shared a little of their 9-11 experiences and told Joe of all the people they knew that had lost somebody in the tragedy. Both Mann’s enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner and Joe found out that they were very light drinkers by New York publishing standards. Apparently the New York writing and publishing circle was replete with more than their fair share of people with drinking and drug problems and the stories of the escapades were almost legendary.
After dinner Inga offered up a piece of tiramisu from a famous Italian restaurant that Joe knew was the best he had ever had. Joe thanked his hosts and made his way back to the apartment to call Katherine and get to bed. The meeting with the publisher was at ten the next morning and Joe wanted to be especially alert for it.
Joe slept surprisingly well in the unfamiliar bed and was woken up at 8:00am by the clock radio beside the bed. He rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom and got that out of the way. While he was heading to the kitchen somebody knocked on the door and Joe found Dorth standing there holding a plate of croissants and assorted muffins.
Joe smiled as the smell of the breakfast breads reached his nose, “A man at my door bearing breakfast, this is like a good hotel. Heck, if I had known the level of service that was available here, I would have sent my shoes out for a good polish.”
Dorth laughed at the quip, “Joe, this apartment actually has concierge service. The rest of the tenants are on their own. If you can be ready in 30 minutes, I thought we’d head to the office and I can show you around. Our meeting was bumped to noon at The Oak Room in the Plaza Hotel across from Central Park. That in itself is a good sign since the Oak Room is pretty high profile place and not easy to get into on short notice.”
Joe took the plate and looked longingly at the plate trying to figure out which choices looked the best, as Dorth stepped into his apartment,
“I can be ready in 30 minutes if that works for you? I just need to grab a quick shower and get dressed; I’ll eat on the way in if nobody minds.”
Dorth nodded, “OK, I’ll be back in 30 minutes. I’ll see you then.”
Dorth left and Joe scrambled into action to insure he was ready when Dorth returned. He was standing in the kitchen area drinking from a bottle of water from the small refrigerator when Dorth knocked on the door for the second time of the morning.
The men headed to the street where Ken stood beside the grey Town Car with the door open and they entered the vehicle and were off. Joe polished off two of the croissants and they made small talk during the journey to Dorth’s office. Joe was glad he wasn’t driving because the drivers around the Town Car appeared to be crazy mad. Traffic whizzed all around them and Ken was a very apt driver and had no problem avoiding the random and unpredictable movements of the cars, trucks, taxis and buses that surrounded them.
They arrived safely at their destination and Dorth thanked Ken for his time. The Town Car quickly disappeared down the congested street till Joe lost sight of it. Joe followed Dorth into the elevator and they were whisked to the 12th floor offices of Dorth’s company.
A cute and pleasant woman in her 40’s offered a greeting as the men entered the reception area and Dorth introduced Joe to her. They then made their way around the office and Joe was introduced to the ten or so employees.
Many of the offices or office areas had men or women in them surrounded by mounds of manuscripts and Dorth explained as they walked down the hall to his office, “We have to weed through tons of material till we find the manuscripts that we want to have reviewed at a higher level. With the consolidation of the publishing world, more and more writers are finding it harder to get on with the established houses and that means that even with the rise of print on demand and self-publishing, we are seeing an unbelievable surge in materials that come our way. A company in Germany has acquired such a large share of the market that it is very difficult for new writers or even marginal established writers to get published. The poor performing established writers face the same hurdles as the unknowns and the expectations are higher than they were ten years ago. Publishing isn’t dead, but the industry is in flux and it’s much more cutthroat than it once was.”
Dorth ushered Joe into his office which was maybe 20 feet wide on all sides and was also drowning in a sea of manuscripts. Joe looked around and figured at least 200 hundred manuscripts lined the tables and even a chair in the corner. The sight had him second guessing his choice to write a book. He was fearful that all the work that he and Katherine had put into the project could conceivably end up as just another paperweight next to a stack of a 100 other paperweights, “Dorth, how do you make sense of it all? I’m looking at these piles and thinking about how much effort it takes to complete a book and it seems it would be easy to have my work get swallowed up in the pile.”
Dorth sat at his desk and gestured to the chair in front of it for Joe to sit in, “It may seem that way. The truth is that the publishing houses let the literary agents and other publishing houses guide them to their choices. The sheer volume of material means that literary agents are as important to the process as anybody. Without their recommendation, getting a book to print is an almost insurmountable task for the writer. The relationship I have with the people that make the decisions is as important as the relationship I have with an author I’m helping.”
Joe scanned the piles of manuscripts again, “That looks like a lot of reading. Where do you find the time?”
Dorth smiled, “Don’t worry Joe, I read every word of your stuff. With the unknowns the staff underlings generally read it first and if they think it has potential then they pass it along up the ladder. Eventually I see it and before I read it somebody writes a brief outline for me to review.”
The men continued with Joe’s education about the publishing world and the conversation took them to the time they needed to head off to the restaurant to see if Joe and Katherine’s work was destined to make the cut and beat the odds.
As Joe and Dorth walked into the restaurant Joe was impressed with the ambiance. It spoke of the old way of deals getting done. Perhaps a lunch or dinner taken with client’s consisting of good food and good booze. Of course the meal was paid for and the receipt logged onto somebody’s expense account for reimbursement. ,
The Maitre D’ showed them to a table. As they approached a short husky man in his 50’s stood and greeted them, “Dorth, it’s good to see you again. And this must be Joe Quick.”
Dorth turned to Joe and introduced their host to him, “Joe Quick, I’d like you to met Toby Attins with Layward-Bey. They publish books”
Dorth then rotated his body slightly and continued the introductions, “Toby this is my client, Joe Quick.”
Joe smiled as he shook the offered hand, “Toby, it’s nice to meet you.”
Toby Attins released his grip, “Joe, I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you. Dorth mentioned you were staying pretty busy. I’ve seen your outlines and a bunch of pages and I wanted to talk to you about publishing your book.”
The men all sat down and a waiter stepped over to take their drink orders. Toby Attins started the process by asking for an Arnold Palmer which Dorth parroted and Joe ordered an iced tea.
After the waiter left Toby Attins continued, “Joe, you should know some things about me and our company. Since your book is likely to upset a fair amount of liberals, you should know that politically I’ve spent most my life being a Democrat. That has changed over the last ten years or so, and I identify with Independents and Libertarians now. I’ve voted for the Republican Presidential Candidate in the last three cycles. Today’s Democratic Party isn’t the party I signed up for. While deep in my heart I believe they once stood for high ideals and lofty aspirations, it’s now clear that they now pander to the far left and that is a group of people that have a blueprint to drive our great country into the ground. New York publishing is a bastion of liberal thinking and I have done nothing to dissuade friends from assuming that their views are my views. While being dishonest to these people is less than the optimal choice, in my business it is imperative to be thought of as one of them. Your book is going to ruffle a few feathers that need to be ruffled and I sincerely hope that we can work out a deal so that I can become your publisher.”
While Toby Attins paused Joe wanted to make a few comments, “Toby, I appreciate you being honest with us. I’m pretty financially conservative and socially moderate. As you might guess from my back-story, some of my views are difficult to separate from my personal feeling since the incident at the book store and the drama it interjected into my life. My goal as a sociologist is to examine the data and the facts and let opinions be determined by the reader. If you saw the interviews I did on the national shows, you will notice they have a formula that favors taking a position and backing that position up with those opinions. In that format it’s critical to take what the interviewer gives you and work it to your advantage. I do think that I’m far enough into the research process to state that the left’s militant actions are a refutation of so many of the common decent views of most Americans that they are offensive. By writing the book I hope to shine the light on these people. Their views, beliefs and actions do not resonate with everyday Americans and I hope to start or re-start a conversation that places them outside the mainstream tent. I hope that they are exposed as the simplistic, opportunistic, hypocritical morons I believe many of them to be.”
The men all waited as the waiter brought their drinks and Toby continued, “That sounds like a perspective that my company can live with. I’ve seen your work and I believe with your back story we should generate a good amount of interest. The advantage of signing with us as I’m sure Dorth will explain to you is that we are connected to a larger house and can leverage our clout to insure that the book gets the press attention it needs to do well. We might even be able to slot you in at shows like Oprah and Good Morning America. That type of exposure can launch an author’s career. Selling books is a very tricky business and a multitude of factors other than the quality of the writing or the story oftentimes drive sales.”
Dorth interjected his ideas about Toby’s comments, “Toby is it just me or are the mainstream houses publishing some seriously crappy books? I’ve been underwhelmed by the quality and content of a number of them that I have actually been able to finish reading.”
Toby smiled, “Dorth, I understand what you’re saying and agree. I stopped reading one after 30 pages last night. I’m not going to mention the author, but he sells a lot of books and his reviews are higher than average. Maybe the expectations from books are falling or maybe it’s because other artist types are encroaching into the medium. Heck every time you turn around an actor decides to write a book, or a rapper decides to take up acting, a model launches a fragrance line and designs clothing. You don’t generally see writers crossing over to other business models, even screenwriters and directors usually only do a cameo in their own projects. My people and I feel that you should split this into two projects. The first is the book that deals with the radical left and domestic terrorism angle. We’d like to see the second book as a telling of your experiences from the book store incident forward. Dorth told me you were living in a safe house under the threat of death and that you were being updated on a regular basis by some guy from Homeland Security?”
Joe emptied two packs of artificial sweetener into his iced tea and took a drink of it before answered, “When I agreed to go on Fox and tell my story, they assigned a guy to provide security and monitor my incoming hate mail. He assessed my e-mail, phone and regular mail and based on their analysis, he determined the threats on my life were legitimate. They designed a plan and eventually offered me the use of the safe room in his home/office. In addition, they were instrumental in my self defense training. The network had paid them a small sum and after the agent sat with us and confirmed the threats, I was offered, at no charge, extensive training as well as the use of the safe room. I started out doing three hours a day of training and since I’m so busy I only get two hours a day now, but I’m getting much better at all this stuff.”
Toby looked at Joe like he was seeing him for the first time, “So they taught Krav Maga and all that stuff? Any firearm training?”
Joe smiled, “They started by getting me doing basic weight and cardio training and changing my eating habits. They have also trained me in basic self-defense type stuff. My instructor keeps adding stuff to our firearms training so now its pistol, rifle and shotgun. Last week I did a two day defensive driving course. Their goal is to train me so that I’m well versed in any type of situation. For instance first aid is not generally thought to be included in martial arts training, yet it’s on my list of things I will be learning.”
Toby paused thinking it over, “That makes sense, when you have an injury just like people in the military or law enforcement knowing first aid and being able to help yourself increases your survivability. These guys sound pretty serious.”
Joe smiled, “Toby, before the first training session, my instructor tells me that they treat puke as a biohazard to ensure the health and safety of their trainees. They do corporate security and executive protection as well as training and some other stuff. I’m lucky they agreed to help me, without them it could have gone much differently for me.”
Dorth sipped at his drink as the waiter appeared and asked for their lunch choices. While Joe was impressed with the room, he wasn’t looking forward to the decision he had made for lunch. Toby seemed comfortable as he ordered and Dorth was a salad for lunch type of guy. The men finished the ordering process and began to discuss business again.
Toby pulled a messenger bag from under the table and placed it on his lap. After removing a manila folder, he opened it and retrieved the papers inside. He laid papers in front of him and began his pitch in earnest, “This is our offer for the two books. I know that Dorth is getting the word out and I know that another publishing house has some interest in your work and is seriously considering it. They should be contacting Dorth later this week. We of course, would prefer to get this deal signed and get started with the details. The other house has a lower profile and lacks the prime contacts in the media world that you need to get broken out. We are offering a standard deal, give or take, and would like the book about domestic terrorism to be submitted within three months. I know you are working with somebody and feel that the book about the domestic terrorism is the book we need first. We use the exposure from your first book and some talk show appearances to bolster the profile on the second. The thinking is that one or both books will gain traction and make us all some money.”
Dorth interjected, “Toby, when do you need a firm commitment?
Toby handed copies of the papers to Joe and Dorth, “We need to know which direction that you’re going by the end of the week. During that time you need to figure out if the shortened timeline poses any problems.”
Joe smiled, “Toby, my writing partner and I have been making good progress. But, she has a day job and I need to figure out if the dates you need to hit are doable.”
Dorth looked up from reviewing the papers he had been given, “Toby, have you considered which editors might work on the book with Joe?”
Toby looked at Dorth as he answered, “It going to depend on the timing of a few different things and I cannot make any guesses at this time. I’ll assign an experienced person that can overlook the fact that the book may offend their personal belief systems.”
The men proceeded to hash out a few details over their lunch and when they were done eating they all agreed to stay in touch. A round of thanks and handshakes finished their meeting and Dorth and Joe made their way to the entrance where the Town Car sat waiting for them.
After they were in the car Joe asked Dorth, “So, is the deal any good?”
Dorth looked at him, “Individually it is as good as, or better than, I expected. The difference is that they are offering the deal times two, so that means it’s twice as good as I expected. We need to get something worked out with Katherine and make sure we can get it done on their timetable. You guys get along okay? After that work in Canada it seems that you two are professionally compatible.”
Joe smiled at the thought of their agreement concerning their social compatibility. He needed to see if he could alter the terms of that understanding,
“I think it’s safe to say that. Any idea which other house is interested? Toby seemed confident he knew something we didn’t.”
Dorth shrugged his shoulders indicating he didn’t know which other publisher was in the running, “I can’t say, I’ve heard some positive stuff but nobody has asked for a meeting, yet.”
Dorth and Inga Mann and Joe celebrated the signing of Joe’s first book contract with a visit to one of the many popular Manhattan restaurants located near their apartment. Dorth told Joe the buzz on the restaurant had faded and with the economy struggling he was able to book them a table for the same evening.
As Joe sat in the seat on his side of the table he pondered if this was an experience he’d get to repeat again in his lifetime. After Dorth and a woman in his office had reviewed the contracts, they slipped into Dorth’s office and called Katherine on the speakerphone. They needed to check to see if the additional work was a problem for her and agree to her compensation for the extra work. She had okayed the deal that Dorth had offered her for the extra work and Dorth verbally finalized the deal with the publishing house that afternoon. A few hours later Joe and Dorth entered the office of Toby Attins at Layward-Bey and signed the papers that would insure that Joe became a published author.
Since Katherine was unable to get to New York, the men all asked if they could hold a celebratory dinner in Kansas City the following week. Katherine was grateful to be included in the festivities since she was just a ghostwriter and they were often just told what to do and how to do it and received a check with little, if any, fanfare or acknowledgement of their contribution.
Joe Quick and the Mann’s enjoyed a memorable meal and headed back to the Mann’s building to finish the night with dessert in the Mann’s beautiful apartment. After dessert, Joe made his way to the studio apartment and had a hard time getting to sleep. When the adrenaline finally wore off and he was able to get to sleep his dreams were of after the book had hit the stores.
The dreams were of people yelling at him and threatening his life and then of the adulation from his adoring fans. In the dream he was always surrounded either by fans or crazed opponents wanting him to pay for what he had written.
He awoke to the sound of the alarm next to the bed remembering many of the dreams that had plagued his sleep and wandered if the dreams were his mind unconsciously letting him know the road that laid ahead of him.
Dorth had invited him to breakfast in the Mann apartment and Joe wanted to be sure he wasn’t late so he quickly showered, shaved and dressed. The Mann’s had prepared French Toast which was excellent and turkey bacon which was not. Joe and the Mann’s made small talk about the book and the economy while they enjoyed their meal. Joe was again thinking about how much his life had changed in such a short period of time.
Since Joe had some time before his afternoon flight, he again headed to the main branch of the New York Library system and searched the shelves for the books that Lazarus and Tinker had requested he look at.
Joe found the books and began shooting copies of the pages the men would be interested in and trying to get through as many of the books as he had time to. A library at a college 50 miles away had an excellent collection of technical and engineering books that they could access. But some of the books they were interested in were very difficult to get access to and out of print and not the type of books that libraries were willing to loan to other libraries.
Four hours of effort had yielded two piles of books on the reading table that stood two feet high and 300 copied pages of text, maps, tables, drawings, pictures, graphs and footnotes. Some of the material Joe hardly understood, but his friends had given him detailed notes about what they were searching for. They had even reviewed copies of the texts on Amazon and other websites to insure that they had the material that they needed. As Joe finished up his work he decided to overnight the copied materials instead of taking it on the plane with him and risk an overworked TSA employee harassing him about it.
After getting a cab, he returned to the studio apartment and packed his things for the return trip home. Well it was actually Lazarus’s home, he was just crashing there. He made his way to the Mann apartment and thanked Inga for her hospitality and gave her the gift basket of fancy soaps and other bath products he had picked up to thank her for her hospitality. As he headed downstairs his phone rang and the caller ID showed the number for Dorth,
“Dorth, I’m just heading to the front door.”
Dorth laughed, “We’re waiting, I thought we should allow some extra time for traffic. New York, a city known for traffic snarls 24/7 and 365 days a year. I’ve been stuck in traffic for an hour at midnight before. I guess it’s one of the prices you pay to live in the greatest city in the world. If we have time we can stop and get you one of those icy coffee drinks you like at the airport
Joe smirked thinking of the drinks he had grown fond of and were restricted by the Lazarus plan to transform his body into a lean, mean butt kicking machine, “Dorth not only are you a good agent, but sometimes it seems as is if you are reading my mind. That sounds like the best offer I’ll receive for the rest of the week. I’m here.”
Joe closed his phone and walked through the building's front doors and saw Dorth standing beside Ken and the Town Car. Ken had the trunk open and Joe placed his bag into it after removing the overnight envelopes. The men all got into the car and headed off to the airport.
Dorth pulled a folder from a messenger bag at his feet and handed to Joe, “Joe, this is your copy of the contracts for the book deals and some ideas for the cover art that they have worked up. When you get a chance you might to want to look at it and let me know what you think about the artwork. Since they have specialists for these types of things your best bet may be to simply pick one of their ideas and let them handle it.”
Joe opened the folder and looked at some of the artwork that they had worked up and thought that it looked fine to him, “Dorth, I have no idea what to look for. These look okay to me. What do you think?”
Dorth looked at the artwork that Joe was holding, “It all looks okay to me. We can hold off for a few weeks before we need to make a decision. How was your trip to the library?”
Joe looked at Dorth as he answered, “I found a lot of the material they are interested in. I did run out of time, but they will understand. That is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. I don’t think that the average person realizes what an incredible gift public libraries are. A person could spend weeks in there researching out topics that interested them.”
Dorth looked serious for a moment, “I spent a day in the Library of Congress in DC five years ago and was moved by the sheer enormity and scope of their collection. The collection there is unbelievable; if you ever get the opportunity to visit I’d recommend it.”
Joe looked over as the car whizzed through the streets of Manhattan toward the airport and reached beside him and handed the overnight envelopes he had put the copies of the research into, “Dorth, can you mail this to me in Kansas City. I prefer not having to worry about getting screened and them finding anything that is remotely controversial.”
Dorth took the three overnight envelopes and put them into his messenger bag, “Sure, that’s not a problem. I’ll put them out with this afternoon’s batch or find a drop off. Wait a second, I can put our account number on it and we can find a box on the way.”
Dorth pulled an address book from his bag and found the account number for the office and filled in the remaining lines of the packages label. The men all scanned the street and found a box five blocks before they entered the highway and dropped off the packages for the afternoon pick-up.
Joe and Dorth made it through security and the men found the coffee kiosk so Joe was able to get one of the establishments iced drinks. The men talked about the book and before they knew it the passengers were called and they made their goodbyes.
The flight back to Kansas City was an opportunity for Joe to make some notes on a legal pad he almost always carried with him. Joe was lost in his work and the attendant was hovering over him asking him to place the tray in the upright position when he realized they were ready to land.
Lazarus stood waiting at the gate and didn’t notice Joe walk up to him. He was watching something on his phone. As Joe stood beside him, Joe realized it was that dancing show on TV, “They say if you live long enough you’ll see just about everything.”
Lazarus looked up sheepishly knowing he had been caught watching the dancing show, “Hey, it takes a lot of stamina and practice to dance that well. As a conditioning and fitness professional, it’s imperative that I understand the activities that may motivate a student to obtain a higher level of fitness.”
Joe simply laughed and then after a minute or so he stopped and looked at Lazarus as people walked around the two men, “Lazarus, I haven’t known you that long but let’s face it that explanation is weak. Does Bryce know about your interest in dancing?”
Lazarus had a vaguely indignant look on his face, “He does and he has the sense to not berate me in public over my TV viewing choices. As a guest in my house, I assume that this is a subject that you will exercise some restraint with.”
The men began walking toward the exit, “Hey, your secret is safe with me.”
Lazarus smiled, “It better be. So, you a big shot author yet?”
Joe laughed, “I’m not a big shot author, but I am an author under contract and waiting on advance checks for two books. I’m also under a tight deadline for the first book and smitten with my writing partner who wants to wait to begin dating till the first book is in the publisher’s hands.”
The men had exited the building and headed to Lazarus’s Suburban parked at the curb unattended. Lazarus hit the button on the remote and locks popped up and Joe threw his bag into the back seat. “Joe, always with the drama.”
As Joe was seconds from entering the big SUV he saw out of the corner of his eye that Katherine was right beside him. As he turned he was in her tight embrace.
After 30 seconds she pulled back from the hug enough to see his face, “Congratulations Joe Quick. I’m very proud of you! We have arranged a dinner tonight in your honor.”
Joe was shocked at her next move because she leaned toward him kissed him on the lips. It was nothing like a congratulations kiss. It felt more like a kiss that had yearning and desire attached to it and Joe quickly recovered his wits and enjoyed the moment. He had forgotten about the book, the dinner, being in public and Lazarus standing beside them and savored the sheer joy of being in Katherine’s presence.
Lazarus must have walked around the SUV because Joe heard the driver’s door being opened and closed five seconds later. The shock that had traveled down Joe’s body was palpable and when Katherine ended the kiss she gave him a quick peck on the lips and broke the embrace.
The two of them stood three feet apart and smiled at each other as Lazarus started the SUV and they both started laughing. They laughed at their predicament for a minute till the feeling had passed.
Katherine smiled, “We can talk about this later; I’ve reevaluated our position and look forward to discussing it with you. For now we need to get moving.”
Joe smiled back, “Thank you for the congratulations, your help and the kiss. All are things I treasure greatly. And about us, look forward to your thoughts on the subject. Now we better get in the truck before we get left here and have to get a cab.”
At The Podium
Part 60
Lazarus, Katherine and Joe made their way back to the warehouse where they allowed Joe the time he needed to get ready for the dinner to celebrate his book deal.
Willy had rented the banquet room at a restaurant located halfway between the community and where the bulk of their members lived in the KC area. As Joe walked into the restaurant, he was greeted by the sight of people he had met only slightly milling around waiting for him.
Lazarus had called a few minutes before they arrived and Joe noticed the group was migrating to the rear of the building where he assumed the banquet room was located. By the time they entered the room 20 people sat at tables arranged in a u-shaped arrangement and applause broke out at the sight of the guest of honor.
After the applause died down somebody murmured ‘speech’ and then the whole group gently persuaded Joe to address his fellow members.
Joe walked to the center of the u and held up his hand to indicate he was prepared to say a few words, “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you for your warm welcome and the support you grant a man you hardly know. I cannot imagine a nicer way to celebrate the signing of my book deal than with Katherine, my talented co-writer, Lazarus and Bryce who you all know sheltered me and then taught me to protect myself during a strange time and the people that will eventually be my neighbors. I can only hope my contributions are worthy of your support. Enjoy your dinner and thank you again. I’d be embarrassed to tell you how moved I am by your support so I’ll just say thank you again.”
Joe sat down in his seat and Bryce stood to address the onlookers, “Joe we want to say congratulations and good luck. A few of us chipped in and got you something.”
Bryce picked up a package from the table and walked the three steps to stand beside Joe as he rose to accept the gift.
Without a word Joe gently tore the paper for the package and revealed a beautiful cherry finished box with exquisite dovetail corners. The wooden box was around 12 inches by 24 inches wide and 6 or 8 inches thick. Joe opened the ornate box to reveal a Glock Safe Action Pistol.
Bryce addressed Joe and the crowd, “Gen 4 Glock Model 22 in 40 caliber. Outfitted with Tritium Night Sights. The ornate handmade case holds two extra magazines and a carrying pouch as well as an inside the waistband holster. Underneath the insert is the owner’s manual, a magazine loader and a small cleaning kit. I’d like to pass the case around and let everybody look at it if it’s alright with you, Joe?”
Joe nodded his head and Joe handed the case to the diners sitting beside him. He paused to gather his thoughts
Lazarus stood to address the group, “That is the model of Glock that many of us either now or in the past have depended on to protect the lives of ourselves, our families and the public. We sincerely hope that you are never forced to use this firearm in anger and that if you do that your aim is true and that it performs effectively.”
Joe paused to find the words he felt were appropriate for the occasion. Katherine sat beside him taking it all in.
The ten second delay had allowed Joe to find the words he was going to use to convey his appreciation of the gift, “Thank you for the wonderful present. This is the first present I have received since my house burned down and the majority of my possessions were lost forever. I will cherish this thoughtful gift and the stunningly beautiful case that it is encased in till the day I die.”
The assembled group clapped politely as the weapon made its way from hand to hand around the table.
The group ate dinner and enjoyed a meal among friends and people that shared viewpoints similar to their own. The two hour meal was concluded with a cake and a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ for a member that had turned 40 the day before.
After the meal and festivities were completed the trio headed to the SUV for the trip back to the warehouse. Joe climbed into the backseat of the SUV gently holding the wooden case that held his new pistol. Lazarus and Katherine climbed into the front seat and the trio headed downtown and back to the warehouse.
The arrival at the warehouse found Joe sleeping on the couch and Katherine would be occupying the safe room for the night. Lazarus’s daughter was staying with friends in Lawrence for a few nights.
Joe awoke the next morning to Lazarus rummaging around in the kitchen.
Joe rolled over knowing the chance of any more sleep was remote so he simply rolled off the couch to begin his day. After using the bathroom he walked back into the kitchen area to find Katherine sitting at the counter in sweats looking very cute while Lazarus shared some story or another.
Katherine watched Joe and was smiling, “Lazarus, that bed is very cozy; I slept better than I have in months. I think maybe I should try to wrangle in invitation to stay here more often.”
Lazarus looked up from his duty frying eggs to address her, “Kitten, you can come and kick Joe out of his bed anytime you feel like it. I know you two have a ton of work to do. If it helps with the work flow then I don’t have a problem with it. It’s nice to be around a woman every once in a while. Since my wife passed about the only woman that ever stays here is my daughter and she still reminds me of the little girl she once was.”
Katherine smiled, “Lazarus, I hate to break it to you but college age women are a lot more mature than in your day. And I mean in every way possible.”
Joe watched as Lazarus took in a shallow breath and addressed Katherine’s statement, “As a sociologist I can explain to you what factors we think have influenced the maturation of the recent generations. It’s really quite fascinating. You see.”
Lazarus held up is hands in mock surrender, “Joe, no offense but I’m perfectly happy being ignorant in these matters. And if you want eggs instead of those healthy granola bars you complain about, then I suggest we save that lecture for another time. Talk of serious matters before breakfast gives me heartburn and I have a full day. “
Joe nodded his assent and pulled his laptop out and started going through his e-mails. They were mostly about the house, the book or the community. Tinker had e-mailed the standard list of tools that he had found he could buy at wholesale. The e-mail stated that he had found a way to buy the Ryobi 18 volt drills and tools for a price cheaper than at the home improvement stores or online. The real advantage was that he could buy the replacement batteries and repair parts at half off retail. Since the batteries were so expensive it wasn’t uncommon for homeowners to just buy a new tool when the battery conked out so Tinker planned on acquiring some abandoned drills and other 18volt stuff and simply buy a new battery for them. The main advantage of that system was that it encompassed something like 40 tools and three types of batteries.
Joe was aware that Lazarus had finished with the eggs and the bread had popped up from the toaster. He paused and looked up and decided that breakfast should be a non-work time while the other two were making small talk about something or another.
With breakfast done and the mess cleaned up, they all talked about their days. Lazarus had a basic Concealed Carry Class that he invited Katherine to join in and Joe had data to pore through. Since Katherine was going to be with the class and the noise from downstairs sometimes made it difficult for Joe to work he decided to hit a few places that had good Wi-Fi till after lunch.
As Joe was heading out in Lazarus’s Suburban his phone rang and an unfamiliar number came up on the caller ID. After a pause he answered it, “Joe speaking.”
On the other end of the phone a voice with a slight Texas draw replied. “Joe Quick, I’m Billy Ray Smith. Wilily said to call you about the work on your house. I’m the guy that is contracted to pour all the shells. I’ve got a copy of your plans and wanted to see if you had some time to meet with me today?”
Joe paused, "Mr. Smith I’m in the middle of something. Can I call you back in 30 minutes?”
Billy Ray Smith replied, “Sure, I suspect you need to verify my ID with Willy. I’ll be at this number all day till around 7pm or so. Look forward to talking with you.”
Joe smiled since apparently Billy Ray had done this dance before, “Thanks for understanding and I’ll speak to you later.”
Joe called Willy to confirm that Billy Ray Smith was indeed the concrete contractor for the community. He learned that he was based out of Texas and would be also pouring retaining walls and the earth sheltered rooms for the utilities near the communities’ entrance as well as the access tunnels to bring the utilities in from the road.
Joe called the concrete guy back and learned he was doing site work and would be pouring concrete for the utility rooms near the main gate in the next week or so. Billy Ray Smith wanted to get the contract for Joe’s place finalized so that he could work out the scheduling for the work that he needed to do before winter set in.
The earth sheltered homes would be poured, cured and windows and doors would be installed before the weather turned bad. With the shells in place work could continue into the cold winter months without any weather related problems or delays.
Since all the homeowners were acting as their own general contractors, many would use the winter months to arrange good prices on the work they themselves weren’t able to do on their homes. Since Joe's schedule was jumbled up, he doubted he would get much done until he completed the rough draft of the first book.
After the first draft was in the hands of the publisher, he hoped to break from his work schedule and to try to get his home completed before summer officially began. A goal that was possible but not very likely.
Joe called Katherine and let her know that his plans had changed and he was running out to check on his homes site to go over some things with the concrete guy. The call went to voicemail and Joe assumed that she was in the middle of her class with Lazarus.
Joe headed to Willy’s house to meet Billy Joe and review the plans to the house. 30 minutes later Joe pulled up to Willy’s trailer to find a big guy wearing overalls standing next to a one ton Dodge truck. He had red hair shaved to just stubble and an eye patch over his left eye. He was on his phone using one hand to hold the phone and twirling a ball cap around his fingers with the other.
Joe got out of the SUV and walked the 15 feet to who he assumed was the concrete guy. He stuck his hand out as the man turned toward him, “Joe Quick, good to meet you.”
The man finished his call and closed the phone, “I’m Billy Ray Smith, nice to meet you. Appreciate you coming out today, I’m in town and need to get the contracts signed and to see how many guys to bring up.”
Joe turned to see Willy open the trailer door and walk out the door. He turned back to Billy Ray Smith and responded to his statement, “Well Mr. Smith, we can have Willy look over the contracts and get you back to work. I’m sure you have a lot of work to get done.”
Willy stepped into the space they occupied, and hellos and handshakes were exchanged all around. The men went into the trailer to get out of the heat and discuss the work to be done.
While discussing his home site with Billy Ray Smith and Willy, Joe discovered the extent of the work that the community had contracted from Billy Ray Smith. He was building two small utility buildings into both of the hillsides that flanked the community’s main entrance. The earth-sheltered rooms were 20 feet long and 15 feet wide and the walls were 16 inches of steel rebar reinforced concrete and covered with the dirt needed to make the structure very hard to detect unless you knew it was there. Each room was to be sited slightly above ground level and was to include three oversized window openings that would be outfitted with non-reflective glass block to allow in natural light and to provide an insulated barrier. The nature of the small building's design would allow it to be heated with a small electric wall heater that was very energy efficient. One room was slated to be used for electrical/cable and the other was to be used for the water that was supplied by the county water district. A ladder in the rooms would descend the depth needed to allow the tunnels to be below grade and kept secret from non-residents. The tunnels would come together and incline to allow them to get underneath the small creek. Under the creek because of the bedrock the tunnel would shrink to only three and half feet tall. The creek would be converted into an open concrete ditch to allow water to be diverted from the area.
The concrete storm water ditch would run between the two hills that sat slightly above the entrance area. The ditch was to be ten feet wide and 36 inches high on the vertical sides and have a two lane bridge that spanned it. The ditch would act as a vehicle barrier in the event of an emergency that posed a risk to the residents. The one piece bridge was to be anchored to the support piling in a way that that it could be detached and raised partially to avoid foreign vehicle incursion onto the property.
The 72 inch tall utility tunnel would connect the buildings to an underground room where the utilities would be distributed to each home. The ceiling of the room was three feet below grade and was to be situated on the playing fields behind the lots of the homes facing the entrance. The utility tunnel was metal culvert sealed at the seams and covered using the shotcrete method, it was the same system used to build swimming pools and allowed the metal culvert to act as a relatively inexpensive form for the exterior concrete coating. After the concrete cured and the air in the tunnel was brought to acceptable humidity levels a thin coat of epoxy coating would be applied to the metal culvert to keep the metal from degrading and control humidity.
After Joe understood the extent of the communities planned infrastructure upgrades, the men discussed the details of the work Billy Ray Smith was to complete for Joe’s home. Since most of the work would be seen only by a select group of people, Joe had asked the architect to alter the original plans that had been drafted by him. He had added a 10 foot by 12 foot vault to the plans for the basement. It would sit directly below a small safe room that attached to his bedroom that would be concealed from visitors by cedar paneling inside his walk-in closet.
Billy Ray studied the plans carefully and asked about how the extra footprint would affect the outside contour of the structure and what drainage provisions had been added to compensate for the extra space. Joe went and got a set of the original plans and discovered that no additional measures had been added to the drainage and mounding contours of his home.
Joe called the architect and asked about the concerns Billy Ray Smith had raised. The architect stated that the original plans would accommodate the design modification without any problems. Joe ended the call and looked at Billy Ray, “The man says that these original specs will accommodate the modifications.”
Billy Ray scratched his chin as he studied the plans and made the decision to share his thoughts regardless of what the architect had said, “Guys, I build earth sheltered homes and businesses for a living. I have a good reputation in an industry that is plagued with sub-standard work and morally deceitful peers. I assure you that while the architect swears the design is good, I feel it makes sense to have the plans reviewed by another person. I’ve worked with an engineer out of Canada and been impressed by the work the office does. Best engineer I’ve ever talked too. I recommend that we see if they can take a look.”
Willy pondered the idea and came to a conclusion. Since his shell had been designed and poured already, he decided a second look might be a good idea,
“I agree, I’d hate to cover my shell and find out the architect missed something and have to uncover it to make a fix. Billy Ray, get me his number and I’ll see if he can look at the plans for Joe’s and my place. If we get charged, I’ll pay it since I picked the architect and thought I had done a good job.”
Billy Ray Smith smiled, “Good, I think talking to Paula is a good idea. She knows her stuff.”
Willy smiled realizing he had assumed that the engineer was a man and that wasn’t the case at all, “Wow, I assumed you were talking about a man. Guess we know who gets the sexist moron award for today.”
Joe smiled, “Willy, what will the women in the group say when they find out that you are a sexist pig?”
Willy smiled again and looked toward Joe, “Hey, if you want me to pay for the review of your plans, you’ll forget that this ever happened. If you don’t, I’ll explain to your co-writer that you forgot to send a birthday card to your mother last month.”
Joe laughed, “Hey, I was hiding from domestic terrorists. My mother understood.”
Willy replied, “I see how you two look at each other and no girl wants a guy that ignores his mother’s birthday for a boyfriend or a husband.”
Joe held his hands in front of himself in mock surrender, “OK, you win. Billy Ray, let’s see what the engineer says and maybe we can get the paperwork done this week after we have more information. Thanks, for catching the possible problem, we both appreciate it.”
The men ended the meeting promising to stay in touch and Joe left the trailer to head back toward town. He planned to use the rest of the day to get some work done since the date for his speaking tour was coming up and working on the road would be more difficult than working from the warehouse.
Around noon Katherine called to say she was having a great time in Lazarus’s class and he had told her she was doing very well. Lazarus had a local deli deliver box lunches and Katherine had to go. Before getting off the phone, she mentioned she had cleared the next three days so that they could work together. She also asked about going out to dinner that night to discuss their situation. Joe readily agreed and asked what she was in the mood for, food-wise.
With Katherine’s dinner preference now known, Joe called Bryce to see if he had any suggestions.
Joe waited while Bryce’s phone rang and on the fifth ring the man himself answered, “Joe, I was just thinking of you. Willy told me what happened with the concrete guy. I’m glad I haven’t ordered the vault doors for anybody yet. What's up?”
Joe replied, “Katherine and I are going out tonight to dinner to discuss our personal relationship. She was hoping for seafood and I thought you might know a place.”
Bryce answered immediately, “Rocco’s is about the best in town and I know the owner and his son, Tony, that manages the place. Its downtown so it’s only 15 minutes from the warehouse. The prices aren’t bad and the food is really good. They make the bread in-house and it’s about the best bread in town. It’s where Lazarus gets all the non-store bought bread for the warehouse.”
Bryce hesitated a few seconds, “Look, I know it’s none of my business but have you thought about when you are going to tell her about the prepper thing? Some women don’t understand it and the opinions are mixed about when to bring it up.”
Joe had given the matter some thought since the first time he had kissed Katherine and still hadn’t figured out how he thought he should handle it,
“Bryce, I’m not sure when to broach the subject. She knows all about the threats to my life and I think that having a very secure home will make sense to her. With that in mind, I hope she will understand my concerns. Does your group have any experience in these matters?”
Over the other end of the phone Bryce chuckled, “Joe we have converted almost all the women that will eventually live in the community. So you can say we have some perspective on the subject. When we initially started talking to the men about the community we recommended that they coordinate the effort with us. Every time we gain a convert we use that experience to bolster our next effort. Lazarus has it down to a science; he actually pitched the idea with the spouse or significant other on numerous occasions. I’d see where tonight goes and talk to him. We want to help you make to transition to living in our community and we’re willing to do anything we can do to help.”
Joe paused to consider the information he had just heard, “That’s good to know and I’ll keep it in mind. So Rocco’s, is that the owners name?”
Bryce replied to the question, “That’s it, tell them I said hello for me.”
Joe responded, “You got it, talk to you later.”
Bryce ended the call without saying goodbye as he occasionally did and Joe returned to his arrangements for dinner. He found the number to the restaurant and called to see if reservations were necessary.
With dinner looming on his mind he finished the day at the library around 5:30 and returned to the warehouse to get ready for his ‘date’. Lazarus was finishing up his class and Joe grabbed eye and ear protection after entering the space. As he watched Katherine put together a good group at the seven yard line. She finished shooting and turned to see Joe watching her. She smiled as she turned to safe her weapon and listen to the instruction from Lazarus concerning her last group.
Apparently Lazarus was happy with her effort and had little in the way of input.
Since other shooters were still finishing their qualifications Joe went upstairs to the loft to get his clothes out and shave before Katherine and Lazarus finished. Since Joe was sick of hearing the shooting downstairs, he shaved wearing the earmuffs he had put on earlier.
An hour later Joe and Katherine got into Joe vehicle and headed to the restaurant to eat and discuss their personal relationship.
Joe was anxious as he and Katherine sat down in a comfy booth in the rear of the restaurant at Rocco’s to have dinner and talk about their non-professional relationship. Before they ordered Katherine told Joe about the class she had taken earlier in the day and raved about how good an instructor Lazarus was. She also had grown very fond of the sub-compact Glock model 26 in 9mm Lazarus had loaned her and had asked Lazarus to order her one.
As dinner progressed Joe was glad that Katherine seemed to be in charge of small talk since in their professional relationship he understood what needed to be done and was nominally the boss. This whole crush thing was awkward for him and he had come to the conclusion that Katherine would get to the matter at hand when she felt comfortable and the timing was right.
They made small talk and ordered. They each had a nice salad without a mention of their future as their main course was set on the table. Both were distracted from most anything except eating the good food sitting in front of them and enjoying each other’s company.
Joe decided he shouldn’t eat another bite and pushed his plate a few inches toward the center of the table. While he had eaten most of the food on the plate, a half a pile of fried clams and a large crab leg remained untouched on the large platter and he elected to take it with him instead of trying to eat them.
He looked up at Katherine sitting across from him and she was smiling at him. She had also set her fork down and Joe noticed that she had done a good job trying to clean her plate.
Joe was impressed with the amount of food Katherine ate on their first official date. He had seen her eat before and it was refreshing to find a date that enjoyed the food that she had ordered. As a man that had dated some, he was always put off by dates that picked at their food and avoided foods like bar-b-que and chili simply because it could be messy.
“You done?” Katherine asked.
Joe nodded yes as he answered, “Yes I’m done and I think ate the perfect amount of food. I enjoyed the meal, but don’t think I’ll feel stuffed or tired in 30 minutes.”
Katherine half-laughed and a shadow of mirth danced across her face as she replied to his statement, ‘Joe Quick, you crack me up. Are you trying to tell me you have a consumption point that you aim for that isn’t stuffed?
Joe looked at her with a serious look on his face, “Why sure, if I eat too much I’ll end up uncomfortable and lethargic. If I eat the right amount of food, I’ll have enjoyed the food I ate and be ready for the rest of my evening. Since it’s early and I don’t know what you wanted to do the rest of the evening I want to be light on my feet.”
Just then the server came to the table and asked about dessert and to-go boxes. Both passed on dessert and requested boxes to take the rest of their meal back to the warehouse.
The server returned directly and set the boxes on the table and left Joe with the check for their meal. Joe removed his wallet and placed the money inside the little check folder. He had gotten used to paying for everything with cash when the terrorists were interested in finding him and found that using cash seemed to allow him some perspective about the money he was spending.
Katherine spoke, “Can we go see a movie since it’s early? I thought maybe we could drop our leftovers off at the warehouse and catch a movie at the theatre at the Casino.”
Kansas City had experienced access to Riverboat style gambling since the mid 90’s, and along with benefits had experienced the myriad of problems associated with the easy access to gambling.
When the idea was first broached the people in favor were always touting the number of jobs that the boats brought to a community. Then they trumpeted the possible effects of the influx of money that would bolster the budgets of the local schools to seal the deal and get their agenda accepted by the local community and their politicians. As often happened, the gambling proponents fail to mention the devastating effects of gambling addiction on families and the effects of taking millions of dollars out of the local economy. Many people would argue that the effects on education were only visible to people in the profession that were in the business to make excuses about the seemingly small benefits the infusion of money netted.
Joe had been at the boats to gamble maybe ten or twelve times over the fifteen years they had been operating and had eaten there or seen a movie another five or 1ten times. While he liked the expensive facilities, he generally didn’t patronize them since he was concerned with the negative impact they had on the surrounding communities.
Joe smiled and agreed to the movie and Katherine brought the show times up on her phone. Joe differed to Katherine on the choice of a popular romantic comedy that had gotten some good reviews and they left.
They puttered around the massive casino complex and waited for the start time of their movie and made small talk. Joe figured that Katherine would get to it when she was ready and pushing the matter wouldn’t help his cause, so he waited while enjoying the nonsensical film about some improbable scenario that drove a couple to reunite after fifteen years and begin a relationship. The soundtrack at the end of the film helped convince certain moviegoers that the two lived happily ever after. A chore easier said than done.
Katherine broached the subject as soon as the vehicle doors were closed, “Joe, I feel that we should talk about our situation. I like you and I’m fine with dating prior to the first book being done. However, in regards to the physical stuff, I think we should go slowly to insure that we are sure about us as a couple before we cross that bridge. Since we have to insure we can work together, I feel that doing it this way offers our best chance of success with both aspects of our lives. What do you think?”
Joe turned toward Katherine who was watching his face and smiled as he maneuvered out of the casino’s parking lot. “That sounds like a good argument and makes a lot of sense. I really want to make it through both projects without too many distractions and dating with restrictions can help us do that. I’m still a bit raw from the relationship that I was in when this whole thing went crazy. Getting some time under us before rushing into anything makes a ton of sense. You can consider my answer yes, I’m willing to date you under those conditions.”
Katherine had a smile that Joe didn’t see in her voice as she replied to his agreement of her terms, “Excellent, now just to be sure. You’re not one of those guys that is going to talk about your ex all the time?”
Joe watched the road and answer without any mirth in his voice, “No, the past is the past. Someday it might serve a purpose to discuss our past relationships but I’m in no hurry to share that junk anytime soon.”
Since the casino wasn’t far from the warehouse they found another topic to discuss and before they knew it they were back at the evening's starting point. Joe hit the remote and the garage door of the warehouse began rising.
Katherine watched as he carefully pulled through the massive doors, “Good, now what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
Joe pulled the vehicle into its spot and killed the engine. He then ignored Katherine’s question and turned to face her. He gently leaned over and she met him halfway and they kissed. The spark hit Joe again and he was enjoying what he knew would be a brief good-night kiss.
After fifteen seconds both of them leaned back toward their respective seats. Joe segued back to her question, “Tomorrow we write. We do some research, but mostly we write. We have a lot of work to get done and not enough time to do it. Thanks for letting me date you before the book gets done, it was driving me crazy.
”
Katherine watched him as he spoke and replied, “Thanks for dinner and a nice evening.” She smiled that Kitten smile again before continuing, “I’d thank you for the kiss, but I think I earned that!”
After the date and getting home, Joe went to the bathroom to change and brush his teeth for bed. Lazarus caught him just as he was about to close the bathroom door. Lazarus smiled, “How was dinner?”
Joe answered, “The restaurant was as advertised, thank you for the recommendation. Oh, and I guess Katherine and I are officially dating.”
Lazarus smiled as he stood next to the bathroom door. He was glad the two of them were aware of what he and Bryce had seen from the first time they had seen the two of them together, “Listen, I could use your help downstairs for ten minutes, if you’re free.”
Joe replied, “Sure, no problem.”
Lazarus carefully descended the stairs down onto the floor of the firing range and moved toward the backstop with Joe following. He walked till he was even with the backstop and rolled the cart in front of the backstop that indicated that the area was occupied and was in a ‘no shoot’ condition. Joe walked up behind him as Lazarus grabbed a snow shovel from the wall and handed it to Joe. He then grabbed a five gallon bucket and moved to the area in the backstop that caught the spent rounds.
Lazarus then gave Joe the bucket and began to shovel up the spent bullets from the trap and dump them in the five gallon bucket, “Listen, did you happen to see the schedule for tomorrow afternoon? We have a community training day at the warehouse. It’s scheduled for two hours of small caliper handgun, meaning 45 ACP and below and it’s followed by an S & D committee meeting.”
Joe looked confused, “I don’t know what S&D is. Do you think Katherine and I should work off-site? It would reduce the possibility of an inadvertent statement ruining my social life.”
Lazarus shoveled the last of the deformed bullets into the bucket and turned to replace the clean-up gear on the wall, “S & D is the Security & Defense Committee and has been rolled into the Re-Purposing Committee, so you’re on it. In regular times it is tasked with reducing or eliminating crime and trespassing and hunting by non-community residents. In that posture, it’s a glorified neighborhood watch give or take. In fact it will be referred to as a neighborhood watch to the general public and to some extent the community members. In tougher times the focus shifts to more complicated security issues and methods. If we’re honest with ourselves putting up no trespassing signs and painting trees isn’t going to effectively dissuade anybody, if things are bad enough. At that point in time, if it ever occurs, the community will have need for an effective defensive force and the committee will have drawn up plans ahead of time that address those needs. The S&D Committee came up with the concrete ditch and the movable bridge at the entrance. I think those are two excellent examples of low-tech solutions that address fundamental security issues and are fairly low cost. Its main function is to limit unauthorized vehicle ingress during a crisis period. S&D is like a ‘skunk works’ that is tasked to develop low-tech, low-cost defensive measures for the community. Are you familiar with the term ‘skunk works’ and the work they did at Lockheed-Martin?”
Joe reached into his memory and couldn’t remember hearing the term before, “It seems vaguely familiar. What is ‘skunk works’?”
Lazarus smiled as he sometimes did before imparting important or interesting information, “The committee is vaguely modeled after the Lockheed-Martin secret research and engineering facility that was put together as early as before WWII. It was a group within the organization given a high degree of autonomy and unhampered by bureaucracy, tasked with working on advanced or secret projects. It was credited with development of some of our country's most advanced aircraft for the time, including the P-38 Lightning, U2 Spy Plane, SR-71 Blackbird and F-117 Stealth Bomber. Hopefully your committee will find inexpensive ways to increase our security in times of prosperity as well as times of extreme danger. Tinker is a natural fit for committee chair since he is one of our main gadget people. And you need to pull your weight since you’re new. Taking on committee responsibilities shows your commitment to the group. The committees were merged because the current thinking is that recycled materials could prove useful in the development or assembly of those low-tech, low-cost ideas.”
Joe looked at Lazarus with pity in his eyes. Like many people the process of volunteering was okay with Joe, but the meetings that he was required to attend didn’t really fit his personality type. But Joe also understood that part and parcel of the positive aspects of the volunteer groups that donated time and money to worthy causes was that committee-type meetings were important to ensure the progress of the groups’ time, energy, effort and money. They were where resources like time and money were allotted and without the effort the positive benefits would be muted at best and non-existent at worst.
Joe’s face took on an easy grin and he asked Lazarus for some insight, “Lazarus, does somebody have an idea of many hours of time the community will require from each resident after the setting up is done? I don’t want to be negative, but these meeting aren’t much fun.”
Lazarus smiled as if he had heard this feeling expressed before, because he had on numerous occasions, “We did an informal study and think that each adult will need to contribute 20-50 hours a year after the community is up and running. Bryce and I, for instance, will be spared committee meetings and will contribute primarily as firearms and self-defense instructors. That along with some occasion security and safety consultation will fulfill our volunteer duties to the group. Some of the members might end up picking up materials or supplies as their contribution. And when I say members I also include women that might be assigned a task like that. The way I see it is that better than average neighborhoods require higher than average effort. Be glad you missed the work that was done to get us to this point. The amount of research needed to plan the community and hire trustworthy and competent vendors was a real time-suck. Even then after all that effort some things could have been done better, your drainage concern is a good example. The architect says its fine and the concrete guy says he’s concerned.”
Joe looked at Lazarus, “Okay I get it, as the new guy I feel bad about having to ask questions all the time because it slows the meetings down and makes me look dense. It seems that somebody with more practical knowledge would serve the committee better than a newbie with more questions than answers and very little or no experience.”
Lazarus looked at ease as he explained the rational for placing Joe onto that particular committee, “We want to get people out of their comfort zone and bring insight and thinking from unconventional viewpoints. Let me ask you this, as a sociologist have you ever considered ways to protect yourself in the event of a TEOTWAWKI that regular people might have not considered?”
Joe shrugged, “Sure, I’d implement a low-cost exterior sound system and use it to broadcast a soundtrack that would act as a psych-ops deterrent to anyone approaching my area with an aggressive or threatening posture. The sound system could also be used as a poor man’s sound masking system to disorient attackers or cover movements or a counter-attack.”
Lazarus smiled and slapped Joe on the shoulder, “Congratulations, you have just answered your own question as well as convinced me that you are a perfect fit for the S&D Committee. I’ve seen the notes from everybody about community defense and I’ve read almost all the good stories online and in print, seen movies and TV shows that deal with the issue and nobody has ever mentioned your approach. The added benefit of that line of thinking is that in a confined living environment like a shelter stay, we could adapt the sound masking technology idea to make living conditions more comfortable for everyone. We need those types of ideas to insure that if things ever go bad we can use every force-multiplier available to us.”
Joe followed Lazarus as he headed back toward the apartment. Joe smiled thinking maybe Lazarus was right and that he could contribute to the Committee, “Okay, I see your point. What do you think about us working off-site tomorrow?”
Lazarus reached the stairs leading to the apartment and answered as he climbed the stairs at a slow clip, “Maybe you work off-site during the class and during your ‘re-purposing committee’ meeting I’ll see if she wants to get some .22 rifle work in. Then I'll take her to the roof and teach her my version of rodent control. The meeting will be over early enough you could get a late dinner with her or I could whip something up for us here.”
Joe pondered the suggestion as Lazarus entered the apartment, “I think that will work, she appears to have an affinity for handguns and I know she hates rats.”
Lazarus continued walking into the room, “Good, if she wants to shoot, we can move the meeting to the apartment and we can work on the range. I’m heading to bed, I’ve got a busy day tomorrow. Night.”
Joe replied, “Good night and I’ll see you for breakfast.”
Joe continued getting ready for bed and waited for sleep to come, thinking of interesting ways of countering trespassers and attackers. It then occurred to him that the speakers might also be used to drive wild dogs or other dangerous or undesirable animals from their area.
As Joe and Katherine drove out of the warehouse Joe noticed how perfect a day it truly was. Since the incident at the bookstore he found he didn’t really notice the things he used to take for granted, good weather being one of them. This looked like it would be a beautiful fall day with a 70 degree temperature and sun usually reserved for earlier in the season.
He didn’t know what the wind was like because the remaining buildings in the area made judging wind an iffy proposition, but Joe was happy to feel the good weather on his skin and simply lived in that moment. Lazarus had a pretty good weather station on top of the building and usually checked the inside information screen before he ventured out. Joe understood that might be something he may need to start doing. He was tempted to crank the radio and then remembered that he wasn’t alone and simply hit the play button on the CD player in the dash. The CD was a mix of mostly alternative and grunge from the 90’s and Joe had sprinkled some of the haunting female singers from the era.
The music he chose to listen to was often a reflection of how he was feeling and today the weather made him feel happy to be alive. Knowing he was officially dating Katherine buoyed his sprits and after his recent brush with being stalked by domestic terrorists and all, it was nice to find joy in life’s little things like hanging out with Katherine.
Joe drove them to his favorite library and they found a secluded corner and began the task of researching and writing. Joe was pouring through another batch of research studies and was surprised to find Katherine making notes on a hard copy of the chapters they had finished.
He went back to reading and stopped, “Katherine, are you going through the first chapters again?”
Katharine threw Joe one of her Kitten smirks, “I know it seems silly, but I prefer to edit my own writing. I’ve been known to read my own writing till it makes me half-crazy to insure I’m satisfied with the words I chose. Why let a stranger edit my work when I can do most of it myself?”
Joe put his head back into the study he was reading, thinking about the data he was pouring through. The data points could change certain aspects of his observations and becoming too attached to any word, sentence, paragraph or chapter wasn’t a good idea for him. He always wrote with the thought that he might need to change something at any moment based the information at hand.
The duo worked through the morning and broke for a simple lunch of turkey sandwiches at a well-known local deli around 1 p.m. During lunch the conversation was one that any couple that were dating and working together could have. It mostly revolved around their plans for later in the day and if they would have time to get to spend some time together that wasn’t work related.
Joe explained he had a meeting for the re-Purposing committee and that Lazarus had offered to teach her the fundamentals of the .22 caliber rifle if she was game. He also told her Lazarus had a special treat for after they were done on the indoor range.
Katherine agreed to shoot with Lazarus while Joe fulfilled his committee obligations. She then playfully pestered him about the surprise Lazarus had for her. Of course Joe resisted her efforts and two of them finished their lunch and headed back to the library to get some more work done.
Since the committee meeting was after the shooting class, they still had enough time to get some pages done before heading back to the warehouse. Joe hit a good rhythm and completed enough work to keep Katherine busy till they looked up and decided to head back.
When they entered the warehouse five adults and one teenager were at the shooting tables with their ears off listening to the instructions that Lazarus was giving them. Joe and Katherine rapidly climbed the stairs before the shooting started back up and grabbed some water from the refrigerator and sat on the couch to wait for the class to end.
As Joe dragged his laptop from the case that he used to carry it around, the shooting downstairs resumed and the funny echo assaulted their ears. He began reading through his emails to see if there was anything interesting. The concrete guy sent one that indicated the engineer had disagreed with the architect and was making a few minor changes to the plans for his home. Willy had sent an email saying that all plans were going to be reviewed and that he’d let Joe know what was going on. Joe noticed the firing had stopped downstairs and closed his laptop, waiting for the group to come upstairs to begin the Re-purposing Committee meeting.
Lazarus entered the room with his pistol holstered on his hip and was followed by three of the others that were downstairs earlier and introductions were made all around. The intercom buzzed and Lazarus moved to it and looked to see who was waiting to be let into the building.
Tinker stood at the door holding a 3-inch binder with papers threatening to spill out and Lazarus quickly hit the button that unlocked the door. A heavyset woman with red hair was beside him and followed him into the warehouse. The apartment door was open to the stairs and Joe heard the people leaving talking to Tinker and the woman with him downstairs and waited while the two made their way up to the apartment. Tinker entered the apartment and since Joe had been acting as host, he grabbed them something to drink and waited for the meeting to get started. Lazarus and Katherine went downstairs to begin her .22 LR training.
Tinker opened his binder and addressed the Committee members, “Okay, let’s get started. As the email explained we are merging the Re-purposing and Security and Defense committees. If you don’t know already, Security and Defense will be primarily responsible for securing the area around the community from crime and trespassing, as well as discouraging non-authorized hunting. We are also tasked with having the plans and materials we would need if we experienced an emergency. Our methods should be as simple and cheap as possible. Any questions?”
The heavy set woman with red hair that had entered with Tinker and was sitting beside Joe at the counter raised her hand, “Is all this really necessary? I signed up to help with recycling and now you’re talking about trying to control crime. It seems to me that with all the law enforcement people involved in the group that we are the least qualified people to be worrying about our community’s safety.”
Tinker paused as he considered her question and then addressed her concerns, “While we do have people with experience in law enforcement matters, we need access to fresh ideas to insure we have as many different perspectives as possible. I feel this will insure we have the best plans possible for any given situation. Let me give you an example, Joe was talking to Lazarus last night and mentioned he thought that using what is commonly referred to as sound masking or noise mitigation techniques might be useful. Several types of these technologies are used in large offices to combat the loud ambient noise and provide more privacy to workers in close proximity to each other. I think we might be able to adapt something for a varied range of purposes. One example would be to keep nuisance animals away from our community. There are various applications of this type of system that might include a psych-ops tool to drive away or disorient human attackers if the world as we know it collapsed. We need these types of relatively low-cost tools to improve the quality of life now and in an uncertain future. Joe, excellent idea by the way. I’ve done a quick bit of research and think that we can adapt something that will address our needs.”
A shorter athletic man that had been in the class downstairs when Joe and Katherine walked in raised his hand and Tinker nodded to him, “Well I know that creating a safety barrier around our homes is important, but what about brewing our own pepper spray? I’m sure we can learn enough about it on the internet that we could do it in somebody’s garage. I think they are using pepper spray and/or garlic as a natural insect, animal and snake control agent.”
Tinker wrote down something on a sheet of paper as he was talking, “Good idea, if I remember correctly you are a gardener. I’m asking that you do the research for that project and we will discuss what you find out at our next meeting. If the idea has potential, then we will need members that garden to grow large quantities of peppers and garlic to meet the community’s demands. Being so far away from civilization means more interaction with bugs, nuisance animals and snakes and that idea sounds like it has some potential.”
The man didn’t raise his hand this time, “If we ran lines like they do for underground sprinklers, we could put a pepper or garlic mixture anyplace we had lines running to. Someplace like the orchard or around the activity fields.”
Tinker nodded, “I like the idea of using natural ingredients to do a job. Some of our families are worried about exposing their children and themselves to chemicals. And, I for one, wouldn’t miss the anxiety that comes with using chemicals when they have little idea about how it will affect people down the road. I’ve known enough people whose lives were ruined from exposure to chemical compounds to last a lifetime. While I understand that chemicals can be used to improve our lives it seems that every time you turn around there is a concern about the long-term effects of a chemical or substance. I was using BPA water bottles till all of a sudden people are asking if this plastic is safe for humans to use and then it’s removed from the market. I took those bottles out to my garage and smacked them with a hammer and threw them in the garbage.”
Joe raised his hand to ask a question and Tinker nodded for him to speak, “What is our position on chemical compounds we know are dangerous or potentially fatal?”
Tinker had a concerned look on his face as he answered, “We are going to stay away from anything that could cause serious harm to any of residents.”
A man that hadn’t spoken yet raised his hand, “Tinker, are we going to be stockpiling materials that could be used to fortify or repair our homes in an emergency?”
Tinker nodded, “To some extent we are going to be doing just that. The community will acquire items like chainsaws, industrial fans, and pumps so that if most any situation arises we can help make it better. An example is that you have a water leak in your basement, we can loan you an industrial wet/dry vac and a fan to get a jump on the clean-up. By sharing these types of items it removes the need for each home to buy or rent equipment that will be used seldom. As an additional benefit we avoid needing to store that type of equipment in our personal homes.”
Joe raised his hand and waited for Tinker to acknowledge his question or comment. When Tinker nodded he asked something he had forgotten to ask when he got involved with the community, “Tinker, how are we going to mow all the grass and tend to the orchard?”
Tinker replied, “Part of your monthly fees will go to hiring a full-time grounds person that will do all the mowing, pool upkeep and such. The plan is to purchase a good sized tractor and some other miscellaneous equipment to get the job done. Homeowners will be responsible for the ground that covers their homes as well as any trees and bushes on their property. Since dog owners will all be required to have six foot fences around their yards, they will need to be responsible for that part of their yard.”
Joe smiled, “That sounds like a good way to do it since I abhor yard work and I’m not very good at it.”
Tinker continued, “I’d prefer that we refer to Security and Defense as a safe neighborhood program and figure out a name for the combined committee so that we can vote on it at our next meeting. Ginger, I’ll ask one of the cops to attend the next meeting so that we can pick their brain before we implement any of the plans we come up with. From what I understand, your participation will be important for the recycling portion of our committee and I’d appreciate it if you stuck with us. Part of the idea of this community is that we all work toward higher standards as a community and recycling is important to that effort.”
Ginger nodded, “Well as long as we are staying with efforts to promote green values and are actively recycling, I’m staying. I was just worried that Security and Defense might overshadow re-cycling and we’re talking more about a few trespassers than why it’s important to be green.”
One of the other men from the class downstairs raised his hand and Tinker nodded for him to speak, “I had a comment about Security & Defense; I was reading a book about the guys that fought in the Pacific during WWII. One of the passages mentioned that the Japanese had equipped a large machine gun bunker with solid walled baffles to protect the positions next to each other. Do you think we should stockpile the materials we‘d need to do the same thing for the positions at the entrance if it seems the idea has merit?”
Tinker again was making notes as he answered the question, “I’ll look into that and make a note that if the idea is a good one which I think it is ,then we can put aside the materials and add it to the Master Defense Plan Materials list. Please email me the name of the book and the author. Oh, if you can estimate or find the passage that might be useful. What I’d like to see before we meet again is a list of any ideas you have for re-purposing or security and defense and the ideas for a committee name. I think we did some good work tonight and I’ll email everybody about the next meeting. Thanks for taking the time out of your lives to help out, we all appreciate it.”
With that the meeting broke up and after everybody chatted a little they all started heading downstairs. All except Tinker who was making a show of straightening his binders contents till the others had all started down the stairs. Tinker looked at Joe, “Joe you got a minute?
Joe nodded and Tinker began, “I want to apologize about the problems with your homes design. I helped vet the architect along with Lazarus, Bryce, Willy and a woman you haven’t met yet. He had references and a solid reputation.”
Joe smirked at Tinker, “I understand that you and everybody else did the best you could with the information that you had at the time. I think maybe this whole thing is a learning process for everybody and the further down the road we get the better we will be at it. Better we figure stuff out now instead of six months after the last house gets built.”
Tinker nodded, “Appreciate your understanding. I’ll let you get going; I know you have a ton of work to do.”
Joe smiled from ear to ear, “Actually tonight I have a date with a pretty woman that thinks I’m okay.”
Tinker turned to leave, “Well, good luck then.”
Tinker left and Joe made his way to the roof where Lazarus and Katherine were seated on folding lawn chairs at the edge of the roof. In the muted light Joe could hear the muffled report as Katherine squeezed off a round and watched as Lazarus bent toward her to let her know if she had hit her target.
Joe walked toward them and Lazarus turned his way and raised his night vision device onto his forehead and spoke quietly to him, “She’s doing well, three hits so far. Grab a chair I was going to let her work another 20 minutes or so, if that’s okay?”
Joe replied, “Hey, if it’s okay with her, it’s okay with me.”
In the faded light Joe saw Katherine raise her hand and give the okay signal. Her eyes never left the scope and just five seconds after she put her hand back on the fore end of the rifle another round left the barrel.
Lazarus went back to his scope, “I missed that one, where was the shot.”
Katherine answered in almost a whisper, “ten feet left of the sewer, I think it was high.”
Joe went back inside and grabbed a chair, made his way over to their position and sat on the opposite side of Lazarus. With just his naked eyes he couldn’t see what was going on, so he just watched Katherine as she scanned for targets in the brisk autumn air.
The next few days flew by as Joe was getting close to the departure date for his speaking engagements. And while he and Katherine were able to get quite a bit of work done he was sad that their time together would be put on hold while he was traveling.
Katherine being the practical girl she was recommended that maybe they could video chat instead of using text, e-mail or their cell phones and Joe agreed that the idea had some potential. Katherine agreed to research the process and figure out how it actually worked since neither of them had ever done it.
Katherine did remind Joe that she was on staff at the University and that they were wondering about her return.
The night before Joe was to leave for his tour he was in the exercise room working out when Katherine came in to run on the treadmill.
As she walked in wearing yoga pants and a sleeveless top that bared her midriff Joe was distracted and had to quit his workout till he could focus again.
He smiled across the small room to her,
“I like the scrunchie thing in your hair it’s cute.”
Katherine mounted the treadmill and began adjusting it to her preferred settings as she replied,
“Why thank you, believe it or not it also glows in the dark.”
Joe stood up,
“I’d like to see that.”
He took a few steps toward Katherine and rested his arms on the side of the treadmill as she turned and walked to the door and flipped the lights off. Sure enough the scrunchy glowed like it had a LED in it.
Joe was 6 or 7 feet away from the door and heard Katherine moving toward him. Since no equipment blocked her way she managed to get right up into his personal space and leaned up to kiss him and give him a playful swat on the backside.
Joe noticed the scent she was wearing and between that and their close proximity was eager for either more fun or for the lights to go back on so he could return to his workout. He was surprised when Katherine chose more fun and the two of them ended up rolling around on the floor of the exercise room in the dark.
The only light in the room leaked from under the closed door, the emergency exit sign above the door and that scrunchy that had started the whole process. Joe found that he was as comfortable with Katherine in the dark as he was in the light and was thankful for that discovery.
He would later find out that Katherine had locked the door when she had turned the lights off to insure that nobody could disturb them as they debated the merits of accessories that glowed in the dark. Since when the lights were out and they were in each other’s personal space neither had talked so the discussion was implied more than anything else.
The two did manage to get their workouts finished and had decided to take Lazarus up on his offer of spaghetti w/meatballs and garlic bread for dinner which was excellent. As Joe ate and contemplated his relationship with Katherine he also questioned the logic of stuffing himself with spaghetti, meatballs and cheesy garlic bread the night before he was to spend the day in a car with Bryce.
After dinner Joe and Katherine offered to clean-up the kitchen since Lazarus had made dinner. They used the time to talk again about the complexities of a long distance relationship and worked out ways to insure that they had time as a couple as well as work partners.
It was then that they decided that since Joe was among the financially stable homeless they could spent time at Katherine’s place in Columbia assuming that Joe respected the fact that he would be in charge and sleeping on the couch. Katherine assured him that her couch was not only comfortable, but that if he had problems sleeping on it she would take the couch and he could claim her bed as his own providing she wasn’t in it at the time.
It was after cleaning up that Joe leaned over and gave Katherine a peck on the check and explained that he had to be up at 5am to hit the road. Katherine returned the chaste kiss and told him that she understood. She retired to the safe room to work on her computer or watch TV as Joe grabbed his shaving bag and did all his pre-sleep bathroom stuff.
Katherine’s plan for the next day was simple, she was going to sleep late, eat a sensible breakfast and head back to Columbia. She was lucky to have had the time with Joe and they had gotten a lot of work done. But tomorrow would bring a return to her home and her teaching responsibilities.
Joe started the next morning with a vigorous 30 minute workout and a light breakfast before shaving and getting in the shower. As usual when he walked out of the bathroom Bryce was at the counter drinking a cup of de-caffeinated coffee eating a breakfast bar and reading the paper.
He acted like being up before dawn was a fairly common occurrence for him and didn’t even mention the absurdity of the hour. Bryce talked without raising his head from the paper,
“Morning, you about ready?”
Since Katherine had been using the safe room for a bedroom he had gotten ready in the bathroom and just needed to pick-up his duffle from the safe room and threw and few things into it that he hadn’t put into it yet,
“I just want to slip in the safe room and get something real quick.”
Bryce looked up from his paper,
“I’m sure Katherine wouldn’t mind but you better knock just to make sure.”
Joe gently knocked on the door and Katherine told him it was OK to enter her room.
Joe opened the door and stepped thru,
“Sorry I just.”
His words failed him as he saw Katherine sitting up in bed with the covers resting underneath her arms across her chest. The covers revealed the skin of her shoulders and even in the dim light Joe could make out a smattering of freckles across her shoulders. The reason he had stopped mid-sentence is that he realized that Katherine was most likely naked and despite the blanket and sheet that covered her except for her shoulders he was a little distracted,
“Sorry, I left my other gun in the closet. You mind if I grab it?”
Katherine’s voice had a sleepy quality that Joe found exceptional cute and enticing,
“Grab what you need; it is your room after all. If you don’t mind I think it best that I remain in bed till you leave to avoid any awkwardness or embarrassment.”
Joe smiled and almost laughed as he answered,
“You sure? I was hoping you’d help me find it. I just cannot remember where I put it. And I was going to kiss you goodbye before I left, maybe you should get up and run and brush your teeth real quick. Do you want to get caught with morning breath?”
Katherine smiled and the Kitten voice answered,
“Joe, I take this blanket off and you’ll need to re-schedule your engagements for the sheer shock of seeing me naked. Now quit messing around, find your gun and give me a kiss and get out of here. If you’re not quick I’m going to torture you by throwing the covers off and walking over to get that kiss and then where will we be?”
Joe smirked and quickly found his gun and holster in the closet. He also grabbed a box of ammo and walked over and sat on the edge of the bed,
“OK, I believe that I was scheduled for a goodbye kiss.”
The kiss was quick and personal and Joe realized that Katherine’s breath in the morning was sweet and nothing like the morning breath he had been expecting.
He stood back up,
“OK, I need to get going. And your breath smells great.”
Katherine smiled,
“I set the alarm and got up10 minutes before you did and brushed my teeth. I’ve been dozing waiting to see if you would come say goodbye. I figured I’d see you this morning and wanted to send you off with a smile on your face. Now you better get going, Bryce is waiting and I know you guys want to get out of town before rush-hour starts.”
Joe opened the door,
“You are the tricky one aren’t you? I’ll call when we get there. Bye.”
Katherine replied,
“Bye, I’ll talk to you later.”
Joe closed the door and picked up his laptop bag and slung the duffle over his shoulder. He picked up his cell and the charging cord and he and Bryce headed downstairs and out the door.
The 2 men got into Bryce’s Suburban just as the sun was a hint of light in the eastern sky and hit the road. After they cleared the city Bryce put on a CCR CD and the men traveled in companionable silence.
Joe didn’t know what Bryce was thinking about, but Joe was locked up thinking about Katherine and hoping that when/if the time came she would get the whole prepper thing and accept it as he had a few years earlier. As those thoughts bounced around in his head he also understood that the future is almost always a question and that he was most likely in love with Katherine.
Joe paced behind the stage of the convention center’s main banquet room and went thru his speech in his head. Even working a with a teleprompter he needed to have a good grasp on the material to insure he had his breathing in sync to hit his dramatic pauses and had his energy optimized for the high points of his presentation.
Before Dorth had arranged the appearance he had never heard of the Midwest Conservative Radio Association. After Dorth called with the final proposal from the company that provided speakers to various groups, conventions and what not Joe had researched them on the internet.
The Stations in the association were almost all Midwestern radio stations that had a mostly conservative line-up with a few Christian stations thrown in for good measure. They didn’t encourage potential members that had more than 4 or 5 stations so no national Radio Networks were members and weren’t allowed to attend this or any other MCRA convention or event .
He listened to the man at the podium go into his introduction,
“Less than a year ago the man that is about to speak to us was the Chair of Sociology at a community college. What makes him interesting enough to address us tonight is his story. That story is while giving a talk at a local bookstore he and the other attendees were targeted by a domestic terrorist who wanted to silence him. The result was that the gathering was broken up and a woman had a heart attack and died from the effects of being exposed to the stress of the circumstances. Joe Quick elected at that point to go on national TV and tell his story and that of the tragic death of an innocent woman. The other members of the cell weren’t done with him and death threats were followed by vandalism to his home and reputation. He was forced to flee his home to the safety of a safe room located at a friend’s. Without further ado, I ‘d like to introduce Joe Quick and ask that you give him a warm welcome.”
The crowd applauded enthusiastically and Joe stepped on the stage and made his way to the podium. He shook the hand of the man that had introduced him and leaned forward to thank him over the applause of the assembled crowd.
He was surprised that the assembled crowd was still clapping and waited for the moment to pass so he could begin his talk,
“Ladies and gentleman I appreciate deeply your warm and enthusiastic welcome. As Mark mentioned it wasn’t long ago that I stood up to speak and somebody rudely interrupted my speech. I asked him not to mention that the reason the gathering broke up was because a woman threw a tear gas grenade onto the stage. And while that grenade only contained tear gas it did drive the group out into the street to seek fresh air and extinguished the life of an innocent woman. A woman that I had very briefly spoken with and found to be intelligent and as nice as could be. She surly didn’t deserve to die for simply listening to what one regular person had to say. And while we sit here tonight some elements of the left think that violence trumps words. That if they cause enough anarchy that their message will resonate with the people they claim to be representing. Their belief is that if they just break enough windows and scuffle with enough Police that their method of protest will add legitimacy to their warped and cynical views of our government and the world in general.”
Joe paused and took a small sip of water and continued,
“My story is representative of their lack of tolerance toward ideas and opinions that run counter to theirs. First they threw a tear gas grenade into a crowd of about a dozen or so people at a book store. That’s right, 12 or so people sat or stood listening to me as I commented that redistributing land as a part of social justice had been shown to be ineffective. I was about to site numerous examples from Africa in the last 20-30 years. One the reason this struck me as odd is that no media was in attendance at my talk, it was mostly an informal neighborhood type gathering. The woman that threw the grenade was named Skye Jackson and was in the country illegally from Canada and apprehended at the scene. She might have had ties at one time to an Eco-terrorist group called Love Mother Earth that was suspected in a series of fires in California in 2008. Obviously she faces serious charges and I believe she still sits locked up in a Federal Facility.
On the heels of this event I spoke very briefly to the local media and offered them an HD quality tape of the disruption of me excising my right to free speech. The threats started and after a pause to reflect on the danger I elected to speak on national TV. I’m not by training or inclination a speaker to great numbers of people. I felt it was an important to highlight this occurrence and pay respect to the woman that lost her life thru the narrow-mindedness of a small group of people. Speaking in the national spotlight started an interesting chain of events. After the taping of the first show I took my girlfriend to dinner and by dessert I had my first death threat. The highlight of the next day was that my girlfriend broke up with me citing a difference in our core beliefs. That was followed the next day by the Community College that I taught at putting me on suspension under the guise of a sabbatical. At this time I was juggling death threats, my personal home address was listed on a radical leftist website and my home was subsequently vandalized. I was surprised when a Federal Agent contacted me to tell me that they thought other people might be very interested in killing me.
When somebody that should know tells you your life is in jeopardy its can be a good time to take an inventory of what is truly important to you. I used that time to think about my life and what was important to me. My worldview was deeply ingrained into the person that I was and as a teacher even at the Community College level I struggled with the way certain things were taught. I rationalized my part in the scheme of things and have come to the conclusion that to teach under those circumstances is wrong for me, and it is certainly wrong for the people being taught. With chaos placed into my life by others I was extremely lucky because my security consultant was training me to be able to use my hands and my body to defend myself. This gave me just enough confidence to function without the specter of fear or dread following me around like a warped version of my shadow. When the threats escalated I was given by those men a sanctuary in their safe house as a courtesy. It was a place to lay my weary head without the worry of being taken away in the night or killed in my sleep. A project at the G-8/G-20 summit in Canada allowed me to vacation from my strange predicament without the need to be shadowed by armed security personnel. This trip was eye-opening and resulted in the basic material for a book I have since been signed write. Unfortunately it also gave my murderous stalkers an opportunity to burn my house to the ground. While standing in the entrance to a restaurant in Toronto I found out that all my personal processions had been reduced to ashes in an act of cowardice befitting their lack of common decency. A few personal items and a duffle bag of clothes were all that I had left in the world. And while these domestic terrorist may have felt that they were turning up the heat on me, the Federal Government was turning up the heat on them and getting closer to apprehending them.”
Joe paused again and took another sip of water and scanned the crowd. They appeared to be paying rapt attention to his story and he found he was almost enjoying himself. The initial nervousness had passed and a sense of normalcy settled over his efforts,
“The people responsible for disrupting my speech, making the threats to my life and burning my house to the ground were ultimately caught and are awaiting trial on their involvement in the original attack as well as a host of crimes ranging from the threats, and computer hacking to the arson of my home and manslaughter for the senseless and tragic death of that woman in front of that bookstore.
All during this time I was housed by my 2 security guys and had the support of friends and family. I was also kept updated by a Federal Agent tasked with tracking these people down and arresting them. Their arrests opened up a glimpse into the workings of a new breed of radical liberal domestic terrorist. The Government also hopes it will help them track down and arrest members of some of these so-called Environmental and Animal Rights Groups.
In some ways they resemble the radical terrorist groups of the late 60’s and early 70’s that opposed the Vietnam War and felt that bombing and other acts of violence were justified under their warped viewpoint. They rely on their ends justify the means mantra to recruit impressionable followers into their fold and indoctrinate them into their viewpoints and perverted ways of ‘fighting the system’”.
One area that they excel in is the use of media including the new media. Online news outlets, texting, blogs and social networking sites give them anonymous access and the ability to meet and plan their nefarious deeds with little fear that they might be caught. While the government is proficient at intercepting phone calls and letters, the internet offers a set of unique challenges that must be addressed. To help stop their actions they have to follow a trail of burner phone and anonymous servers located anywhere in the world. And while the government has specialists they can turn to, getting a bead on the ringleaders and members can be very difficult.
I for one thoroughly and completely reject not only their worldview but also their methodology. They clearly subscribe to actions that are more in-line with anarchy than contributing in any meaningful way to resolving anything. Discussing issues and ideas needs to be included in the process that allows us to live together and determine if their lies any middle ground we can all embrace. If they or anyone else isn’t happy with the status quo, then it’s important to seek to change it, not destroy everything to make your feeling known like a petulant 5 year old. The price of these radical and violent actions ultimately falls on the innocent, and people who were simply leading their lives.
Environmental, Animal Rights and Social Justice Advocates have been traveling down this path for some time. I personally saw this type of thinking in play at the G-8/G-20 meetings in Toronto. There I watched as demonstrators threw rocks, broke windows, lit Police vehicles on fire and then scuffled with Police. I fear it might only be a matter of time till bombings and murders again become fashionable in certain circles of the far left. That is a time that I dread with all my heart.
For me this experience has had some positive ramifications. I am working out and watching what I eat, as well as taking classes to learn to defend myself. I understand the impact real friends can have on your life and found people I can literally trust with my life. I understand how it feels to be swimming against the current and appreciate the small things in life that I was too busy to notice before. I live my life with a tad more intensity and look forward to a different future than if I had continued living my life the old way.
I knew that more than a few people in this room have had some experience with the types of people that tried to ruin my life. Before I accepted the gracious invitation to speak at this event I did some research and found out that stations represented in this room have had problems with those that disagree with their viewpoints. And that threats and vandalism have been used to attempt to harass and intimidate the voices of those they disagree with. With that in mind I hope it’s not presumptuous to say that it nice to be among like minded people. I want to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my story with you and hope you found it a good use of your time. If you spend a few minutes thinking about what I have said then I have accomplished my goal. Again thank you.”
Joe took a drink of water, as the crowd erupted in applause till finally Joe could see people standing up at their tables. A standing O, who would have thought it. The applause died down and Joe smiled and fought back a tear. He simply stood and drank in the adulation and acceptance till after a minute it died down.
“Thank you, thank you. I cannot tell you how nice it is to be among like-minded people.
I know this seems strange but I’m willing to answer a few questions, I’ve been told that we have maybe 15 minutes or so.”
Again the applause came raining down and after a minute it died down and Joe was able to address the crowd again. He smiled feeling very comfortable among the crowd of strangers,
“Ok, anybody have a question?”
3 people were in the crowd with wireless microphones and Joe pointed to a sharp looking man sitting halfway to the end of the crowd. The woman holding the wireless microphone worked her way over to that table and handed over the mic and the man spoke into it,
“Did the federal Agent see the threats to your life as being credible?”
Joe smiled,
The original threat assessment was done by a private company and is modeled to be as effective as the system that is used by various agencies in our Government. They showed I should take the threats seriously and act accordingly. These findings were confirmed by the Agent assigned my case and he commented on the accuracy of the initial assessment. The Federal Agent recommended that I follow the protocol laid out by my security team which I did.”
A Hispanic looking older woman almost to the back asked the next question,
“Joe, if you know then what you know now would you have done the same thing? And, if so why?”
Joe nodded as he answered the question,
“Amazingly I’d do everything the exact same way again. Primarily because living in fear is no way to live and some beliefs come with a price. For me, I think that talking about the incident can be as useful to others as it was to me. As an added benefit this circumstance encouraged me to re-evaluate my health and begin to work out seriously. Then there is the fact that I’ve been taught by pros how to defend myself effectively. Your professional positions put you at odds with the views of this type of group and while it’s unlikely my story could become your story very easily. I’d open your eyes to the possibilities that what happened to me could happen to anybody in this room. If you’re not in the best shape of your life then I’d recommend finding the people to remedy that situation. You’ll feel better and it will increase the quality of your life.”
One of the men holding a microphone asked the next question,
Mr. Quick, you mentioned that the woman that threw the tear gas grenade was apprehended at the bookstore. Why didn’t she just flee the scene?”
Joe watched the questioner closely thru the glare of the stage lights,
“When she threw the tear gas grenade she had the option of rolling it in thru the door and elected to deploy it while standing at the far end of the room that she was attacking. The first thing that comes to mind is that she wasn’t training or was trained improperly. The second and more disconcerting option is that she acted in the way that the suicide bombers do in the Middle East. If that is the case and she was willing to sacrifice herself for her cause then we should all be concerned. It could signal a change in the way these types of groups will operate in the future. Suicide bombers in the Middle East are a product of the frustration of the groups that use them. In some ways these groups are unable to attack the system effectively and even if suicide bombers seem barbaric to us, some part of the Palestinian populace and the Muslim world support them. They incite terror and often are thought to have a part to play in negotiations with Israel. And while I’m never going to feel sympathy for any group that would use the technique of suicide bombings they have their supporters all over the world.”
The MC walked out on the stage and raised the microphone to his lips,
“Joe, I know that many of the stations in our Association would love to interview you about your experience when your book gets dropped. Is that a possibility?
Joe looked over and nodded,
“I would imagine that my publisher can set that up. Conservative & Christian Radio serves as counter-programming to what most of us are exposed too thru Movies, TV, books and newspapers. I’d welcome the time to share some thoughts and experiences with anybody that will have me.”
Another of the helpers in the audience had found a questioner. The man was younger than most of the other in attendance,
“Mr. Quick, I know there are 100’s of us here but if my wife and I could get a picture with you it would make my wife’s day. She followed your story and has seen all your TV appearances.”
Joe felt himself blush as he answered,
“I scheduled 3 hours for this event and was hoping to circulate and spent some time talking to people here. If nobody minds I’d be happy to take a few photos with some of you, time permitting.”
The MC walked over to the podium and announced,
“Ladies and Gentleman I’m sorry to say that we have run out of the time we allotted for Mr. Quick. Joe let me say from all of us thank you for agreeing to come and speak to us and we wish you good luck with your writing endeavors. I know I’ll be picking up a copy of your book when it is released.”
The crowd applauded and Joe was ushered back behind the stage.
Bryce stood watching vigilantly to insure that Joe was safe at all times.
Joe walked up to him,
“How did I do?”
Bryce momentarily looked at Joe to convey his sincerity,
“Joe Quick, I think in 6 months you’re going to realize being tear gassed, the death threats and your house being burned to the ground was about the best career move your stalkers could have made for you.”
Joe looked surprised,
“You think?”
Bryce looked back over after watching a security guard walk down the short hallway,
“Joe, you just got a standing ovation from a room full of strangers. Clearly your story resonates with them and they run radio stations. They have lots of listeners and that means that you have access to lots of potential customers. I think you’re going to be all right.”
Joe moved down the hallway to join the crowd,
“I sure hope so, I’m considering buying a precision rifle and optics aren’t cheap.”
After spending two hours meeting and talking with the members of Midwest Conservative Radio Association Joe was happy he had signed up to speak at the event. The response on the stage was terrific and the response on the floor was just as rewarding. As he entered the banquet hall he was deluged with well-wishers and people wanting to shake his hand or get a picture with him. More than a few asked him for an autograph as if he was somebody famous.
All through the meet & greet Bryce stood carefully watching the crowd for signs of trouble, standing close enough to do his job yet not being noticed by anyone except the most observant Radio Association member. He insured that Joe was safe and nobody that might cause problems could get close to Joe.
The men returned to the hotel the bookers had made arrangements with and settled into their 2 bedroom room suite.
Joe was surprised to see that Bryce had brought 2 hard sided oversized rifle cases up to their room. He had placed them in the hotels vault while they were at the function,
“Bryce, how many rifles did you bring? Those cases look like they might accommodate 2 long guns each.”
Bryce was sitting on the couch of the main room and stood up and walked over and picked both the cases up and set them on his bed and began opening the first case,
“Well this one is a tactical shotgun and my AR-15. I have spare magazines, ammo and some misc. stuff.”
Bryce closed the first case and picked up the second one and flipped up the latches and reached in,
“This one contains my 2 favorite ukuleles.”
Bryce pulled one of the instruments from the case and held it up for Joe’s inspection.
Joe was surprised and didn’t known that Bryce played any instruments,
“You play the ukulele? I’d like to hear you play sometime, I love the ukulele. Anytime I hear one I have to smile.”
Bryce smiled,
“Are you serious? I don’t find many people that have any thoughts about ukuleles. I’ve been playing for 20 years or so, it’s a good way to relax and focus for me.”
Joe smiled,
“Yea, for an instrument that gets little notoriety I know it ends up in more music than people realize.”
Bryce pulled the instrument into position to play it and began some strumming to get warmed up. The gentle sound slowly turned to a cover of ‘Ring of Fire’ by Johnny Cash and Bryce’s voice took on a deep resonate pitch that was similar to the vocals of the singer that made the song popular. After a few minutes the song ended and Bryce segued into ‘Hey, Soul Sister’ by Train.
Joe listened as he watched Bryce play the song and noticed that a single tear ran down his cheek. His voice was smooth and melodically and hinted at the emotional toll the song had apparently wrung from him.
Bryce finished playing the song and gently placed his ukulele back into its case,
“Sorry, Train was one of my daughter’s favorite bands before we lost her. When the song got popular this year I learned to play it. Every time I play my ukulele I play that song as a tribute to her memory.”
Joe nodded,
“I understand that song always makes me smile. It’s fun and upbeat and if she liked Train it’s likely she would have liked it.”
Bryce turned and looked at Joe from his position on the couch,
That’s strange, that is exactly what I thought. My daughter loved my playing when she was growing up. Her and her friends would give me all kinds of songs to learn for them. One day my daughter comes to me and asks to learn to play this song by the Spice Girls. That night I listen to the song 15 times and it just isn’t going to work for the ukulele or me since I hate the song. So the next day after dinner I told her I cannot do it and she starts crying and tells me it’s OK. A boy she had a crush on loved the song and he had rejected her that day. Later they became friends and he was a decent enough kid. He was nice enough to come to her memorial service.”
Joe’s cell rung and he debated if he should answer it or listen to Bryce talk about his daughter.
He looked at Bryce and Bryce nodded at him,
“Get the phone I need to hit the bathroom.”
With Bryce making the difficult decision for him Joe hit the button to take the call,
“Hey, I was thinking about you.”
Katherine asked on the other side of the phone,
“Hey, it’s me. You busy?”
Joe answered mulling over what Bryce had said,
“Not really, it turns out that Bryce plays the ukulele and he just played a few songs for me including ‘Hey Soul Sister’ by Train. I never would have thought it but he’s pretty good.”
Katherine laughed,
“I love that song. It’s funny I think I see him as the ex-cop that always has a gun on him and not the amateur musician type. Listen, I was just looking over some pages and making a few minor adjustments. I’m e-mailing a page that had a problem and was hoping you could look at it and tell me what you think.”
Joe walked to his laptop and opened the case and powered it back up,
“Looks like a got it. Can you give me 30 minutes and I’ll e-mail my thoughts back to you?”
Katherine replied to the question,
“That would be perfect, I was hoping to get it back tonight. How was your talk? Did they like you?”
Joe replied after softly clearing his throat,
“They appeared to have enjoyed the time we spent together. I did receive much adulation I’m a little embarrassed to say that I received a standing ovation.”
Katherine was surprised and while she had seen Joe speak in Toronto she never thought that the response would be that positive,
“You really got a standing ‘O’? That is terrific; I know you would do well. Tell me about it, what you said? How did it feel? Did they force you to do that thing politicians do when the crowd doesn’t stop clapping and makes that calm down thing with your hands? You know, you open up your hands and do that little bounce the hands up and down thing.”
Joe laughed,
“Well they didn’t exactly make me do it. I might have done it, I can’t remember. They did ask some good questions and tons wanted an autograph and photo after the talk. More than a few asked me to come on their stations after the book is released. I e-mailed Dorth and he e-mailed the publisher and asked that the PR department arrange it after we get done and the book is released.”
Katherine asked,
So, how is Indianapolis? Do you like what you’ve seen of it?”
Joe grumbled his reply,
“I don’t like it. It’s a lot like Kansas City and the two cities have a history of fighting over the same conventions and corporate relocations. So, I’m here as a professional and as a Kansas City area resident am looking forward to leaving as soon as possible. Don’t even get me started about the morons that decided to merge the Big 8 Conference with 4 Colleges from Texas and move it from Kansas City to Dallas.”
Katherine chuckled,
“Joe seriously, tell me how you really feel. Don’t hold back, I want to hear it.”
Joe laughed,
“OK, I get it. That was one of those questions you ask and hope that you don’ actually have to listen to the answer too. But, if I was you I’d be nice or I’m not going to bring you back a present. Originally, I was thinking of something tasteful and expensive as a reward for your outstanding efforts on our book projects. I’m currently reconsidering that and feel that maybe I jumped the gun in offering praise. ”
Katherine replied to the obvious joke,
“Well, I’ll risk the loss of some tchotchke or another and press the point that for a man that lived in the far suburbs you seem invested in the loss of status that losing those things caused Kansas City.”
Joe replied,
“Well, what happens in the city affects the suburbs and since I’m a college basketball fan stealing the NCAA rubs me the wrong way. All this competition between communities for company headquarters and events has a mercenary feeling to it. I’m not sure but it seems self-defeating to keep offering more and more money and incentives hoping that in the long run it brings value to a community and its residents. 5 or 10 years ago one of the cities out by me offered a huge package to a publicly traded KC based Communications Company to locate their Corporate HQ in their corporate corridor. A few years after the 1st phase of project is completed the company merges with a company from Virginia and all of sudden the HQ is moving to Virginia. A majority of those jobs left the city and the city has a glut of commercial space in a down market. That glut drives down the rents in the whole area and so on and so forth. So yea, I get a little pissy about it. I just think that enticing Companies and Sports Teams to move is often a terrible idea that hurts local residents.”
Katherine realized she was in trouble,
“I heard about the telecomm company. Talk about a bone-headed move by the city and to add insult to injury they took something like 5,000 jobs with them. Here in Columbia they have lured a few firearms companies to the area. I used to know a guy that worked for one of them and he loved it here. He was originally from Connecticut and the atmosphere there wasn’t very firearm friendly. In that case I think moving makes sense for the Company and more importantly the local residents. The company received a modest incentive package and has access to people that aren’t critical of guns or the firearm industry in general.”
Joe paced as he took that tidbit in,
“Now, that I understand. So much of the East Coast is liberal I can see that the Midwest is a much better fit for them. Modest incentives can make sense if they are reasonable and I know that Columbia has a huge shooters supply mail order outfit.”
Katherine eased away from the subject,
“So, did you guys get separate rooms or are you sharing?”
Joe moved on having expended all his distaste for the subject,
“We are in a 2 bedroom suite. It’s not a bad place to be put up and the gym is pretty good so Bryce and I can get in a workout before we take off tomorrow morning. We are dropping by a friend of his for lunch and then heading to Peoria for that Veterans thing.”
Bryce wandered out of his room and motioned that he was ready to go workout.
“Katherine can you hold on a second? Bryce is doing something to get my attention and I think it might be mime. I’ll share a secret with you; I really dislike magicians and hate mimes. If he keeps it up I’m going to video it and put it on the Internet.”
Joe put the phone to his shoulder and spoke to Bryce,
“Are you going to go workout or you having a stroke?”
Bryce smiled,
“Hey remember it’s my truck we are driving. Be nice or I’ll leave you here and you’ll have to walk home. I hear the NCAA has a really good fan experience or something here.”
Joe smirked,
“I’ll pass on anything the NCAA has here, have a good workout.”
Joe returned to his conversation with Katherine,
“Sorry, Bryce is going to go workout and I’m in charge of watching the guns.”
Katherine paused,
“Joe you make it sound like you’re guarding an arsenal. How many guns did you guys take?”
Joe paused a beat,
“Well that is a funny question. Let’s just say we have more than the 2 you would think we might need.”
Katherine demurred,
“Surprise me.”
Joe answered truthfully,
“We brought 2 handguns each plus one AR and one tactical shotgun. I brought my new Glock and my LCP and Bryce brought his Glock and a sub-compact 9mm. he also brought the long guns in case we ran into trouble.”
Katherine laughed,
“The trouble is if you guys get pulled over and some cop figures out you have 6 guns in the truck and you are wearing a bullet proof vest. I thought you said the risk to your life is nominal since the idiots were caught.”
Joe was slightly nervous about how to answer the question or whatever it was,
“Well sure I’m not in danger like before, let’s just say Bryce likes to be prepared for anything that comes up. It’s not like we just brought guns with us. I brought a duffle and a suit bag and Bryce brought a duffle and his ukuleles.”
Katherine replied,
“Well, it just seems that having that many guns might be a little overkill. But, I can see after what you went thru that having too many guns would be better than not having enough. How much ammo did you guys take with you?”
Joe estimated in his head,
“I’d guess maybe 450 rounds give or take between all the weapons. You know those guys they like to have more than they can imagine ever needing. If I was in charge I would have forgone the long guns.”
Katherine paused,
“Well, you know what they say? It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Oh, I ran into Aggie at the office today and she wants to put you on the list for the next speaking slot in the Spring. I told her I’d tell you about it.”
Joe thought himself the fool as he replied,
“Did I forget to mention that I had a feeler from Kansas? They want to talk to me about coming on at the break. Seems they have had some pressure from Alumni to bring in some more traditional thinking teachers and they heard about the book deal from somewhere. The money isn’t great but the commute wouldn’t be too bad. I doubt if they would allow me to speak on their rival’s campus. Can you tell Aggie I’ll let her know when I find something out for sure?”
The excitement was plain in Katherine’s voice,
“Joe that’s great, you said Dorth mentioned that you’d find a job quicker than you thought. It looks as if he was right about that. If you got that job I wouldn’t have to worry about you taking a position and having to work out of town. I think long distance relationships suck.”
She stopped and the silence traveled over the line like a pocket of air in a water line. Then she began speaking again,
“It’s just that we have lots of work to do and if you had to work someplace too far away it might hurt our relationship. And I know you are looking forward to building a house that cannot be burned down with a 5 gallon can of gas and a road flare. And living next to Bryce and Lazarus should be interesting.”
Joe used her pause to interject a question,
“Katherine, you’d miss me. Admit it and I’ll go easy on you. For a woman that wants to slow things down and take it slow you confuse me. Care to explain?”
The voice had that Kitten playfulness,
“I might be smitten, let’s not talk about it. Oh, I need to get going my mothers on the other line and I was supposed to find one of my grandmother’s recipes. Can I call you tomorrow?”
Joe smiled to himself knowing that this girl he once thought to be lukewarm to the idea of them dating was getting hotter by the day,
“Sure, I talk to you tomorrow. Have a nice evening.”
Katherine reply was short,
“You too, bye.”
The line was dead in Joe’s hand and he saw things a smidge more clearly. Maybe Katherine was going slowly to protect herself and to insure that they maintained a good working relationship.
His thoughts were interrupted by his phone and he picked up,
“Joe speaking.”
Over the phone
“Mr. Quick I’m Paula Robbar, I’m an engineer that works with Billy Ray Smith. He sent the plans to your house and had some concerns about a few things. I just got done reviewing the stuff he sent and wanted to talk to you.”
Joe paused,
“Listen Paula can I get back to you in 30 minutes? Oh, I prefer Joe if you’re comfortable with that.”
Paula interjected,
“Joe, it is then. I talked to Willy Cleeman and he said that the security word is Mercury and that you’d know what that meant.”
Joe replied to the reply,
“Paula I know what it means. Sorry about all the security, we tend to be security conscious and are always careful when we discuss things with people we don’t know over the phone. Now what can I do for you, or rather what can you do for me?”
Paula jumped right in,
“Well, I’ve reviewed the plans of your home as well as 5 other homes and the infrastructure improvements that are going in. I have some ideas that might be useful. I can send the revisions to you via e-mail and you can call me back after you’ve mulled them over and talked to whoever you need to talk to. It’s mostly minor stuff and nothing to get worked up about.”
Joe considered how design changes where going to impact his budget as he answered,
“That sounds like a good idea. I’m at my computer, give me your e-mail and I can send you something.”
Paula talked slowly,
“My address is ‘hipchillyarchy@hotmail.com’. I’ll send it as soon as I get the e-mail and we can talk after you’re looked everything over.”
Joe replied,
“Sounds good, I look forward to talking to you.”
Both parties ended the call and Joe stood to go get changed for his workout as soon as Bryce returned from his.
The trip the next morning started off slowly after the 2 men slept in unfamiliar beds and they made their way to lunch with Bryce’s friend who lived just off 20 miles or so from I-74 near the Indiana/Illinois border. They lunched on expertly prepared grilled Venison with greens beans and homemade rolls. Bryce and his friend Russ Sebring caught up since they hadn’t spent time together in 5 years. They talked about their families and touched on politics and the state of the world in general.
Russ Sebring was an excellent host and treated them graciously for the time they were there. After letting lunch digest for 30 minutes he asked the 2 men to tour his new modified safe room. Joe was amazed at the room that sat under a small green house located 50 feet from the back door of the house.
Russ explained how he had poured the underground shelter 2 or 3 bags of concrete at a time and then covered the entrance with dirt, planted grass seed and then applied for a permit for the greenhouse building and erected it legally like you were supposed to. He then moved the building over the 15 feet to cover the safe room entrance and began using it.
The room measured a comfy 20 by 25 feet and was almost the best case of organization Joe had ever seen. One wall contained floor to ceiling shelves and contained pails of storage food and other misc supplies. One corner had a divider and contained a small bathroom which Russ had connected to a dry sump 75 feet from the shelter. A door opened into a very small generator room with a nice looking diesel powered unit and a bank of storage batteries. Another wall contained fold down beds that attached to the wall. A corner housed a small kitchenette area complete with tables and 4 chairs.
Joe noticed that the air was fresh and didn’t have that musty wet odor he often noticed in basements. Russ explained that two tree stumps over the shelter housed an air intake and an exhaust port for the shelter and the compressor room. The stumps had been hollowed out and placed over the holes then sealed against bugs and vermin. The fans were common units and spares were stocked in a metal upright filling cabinet. The filters were off the shelf commonly used HEPA filters that could be found at any hardware store in the country.
Joe stepped into the bathroom area and grinned as he realized the toilet had a low tech bidet next to it. Russ had taken a standard bidet and added a water feature pump to the arrangement he assured both men his wife had commented that it worked as well as the one in their master bathroom.
After the tour of the recently completed addition to Russ and his wife’s small property he took them for a look at the retention pond he had dug to store excess rainwater runoff in. Russ claimed the 20 x 20 foot pool held over 15,000 gallons of water most of the year and he was using it to learn to grow cattails and other beneficial aquatic plant life as well as raising a few catfish in.
Bryce was impressed with not only the project but also the relative low cost of it. Since no outside contractors were used Russ had kept costs reasonable and avoided the scrutiny of curious onlookers and neighbors. Yet he still had an excellent bunker to use if the situation demanded it.
As the men made ready to depart both used the restroom and hopped back into the Suburban for the trip into Peoria. Both men had drank multiply glasses of iced tea and somewhere in rural Indiana just east of the Illinois border they elected to pull off at a truck stop and get gas and use the men’s room. They also stashed their weapons in the lock box in the back of the truck since Illinois didn’t recognize their Missouri Concealed Carry Permits validity.
Arriving in Peoria the men quickly found their hotel and settled into it before heading off to view some tourist destinations that Bryce had picked out. A member of the host Committee for the Veterans group was an ex-CAT engineering executive and arranged for the men to tour the equipment that was going into the CAT Experience near the river when it was completed. The development wasn’t completed yet, however the CAT equipment was acquired and ready for when they could move into the multi-million dollar tourist attraction. Bryce was interested in gaining some perspective concerning the large pieces of earth moving equipment and how they might be used during an extended emergency.
As the men moved around the large earth moving and mining equipment Joe was overwhelmed at the sheer size and array of the assembled equipment. A huge dump truck used in mining was on display and as Joe looked up at the cab he realized that getting a machine that big that had a driver with hostile intent stopped could prove very challenging. Even with the arms and ammo they had stashed the massive earth moving equipment had enough in common with tanks to make a man pause and think of what a nightmare they could wreck on an unprepared and uninformed group.
Bryce and Joe roamed over the site and found an employee that agreed to send technical spec. sheets for the company’s products over the last 30 years to Tinker for his permanent files. Construction details like steel thicknesses were listed as well as power plant information.
Bryce decided that if one of the large machines tried to broach their compound it would be a good idea to know where to shot it to disable it. Also, information about the power plants might be useful since CAT’s power plants where used at industrial sites around the world and had a good reputation for reliability and durability.
Bryce, Tinker and Willy were researching the possibility of acquiring an on-site back-up generator for the community and the time Bryce and Joe were spending were part of the research process. Since the cost of a generator promised to be significant the men were more than happy to invest their time in pursuit of the needed knowledge.
The men wrapped that bit of tourist time and headed to dinner with the President of the local chapter of the Veterans Group.
The men walked into the downtown restaurant and were greeted by Sam Lutte. Lutte was an ex-sergeant in the Army. Sam was plain spoken; 30ish 6 foot blonde woman with a decidedly athletic built and a short no non sense haircut that draw attention away from the fact she was missing part of the top of her right ear.
She introduced herself as she shook each man’s hand,
“Joe, Bryce I’m Samantha Lutte. I’m the local chair for our Vet group. Joe we appreciate you making the trip to speak with our members. We’ve got a good group and think you’ll be happy you and Bryce included us on your tour. I know I’m looking forward to hearing your story in more detail.”
Joe smiled,
“Sam, I’m looking forward to it and hope you and your people find it enlightening, entertaining or both. And I deeply appreciate you agreeing to forward my fee to another non-profit. Since Bryce was taking the time to accompany me I thought it was only fair that I donate to a cause of his choosing.”
Bryce shifted in his seat, the decision on if he was comfortable sharing his story plain on his face. Sharing won the battle and he replied,
“I lost my daughter on 9-11 and sent money to a charity that she would have been proud to support. While I think your group does good work, her interest was more geared toward domestic abuse shelters. I think your fundraiser will benefit from having Joe as a speaker. We did an event at a Conservative Radio Association and he had them enthralled. I don’t think the man realizes he’s pretty good at this stuff.”
Sam Lutte nodded,
“We’ve gotten more calls about this fundraiser than any other since we formed in 2004. We put Joe’s information up on our website and by the end of the day 4 people had called for tickets that said they originally had not planned on attending. After we realized what we had I e-mailed the group’s members and sold 50 additional tickets. That moved us past sold out by 2 tables and generated the equivalent of your fee so everything after this in terms of donations is a bonus.”
The three had a pleasant dinner and the men learned that Samantha was currently a Police Officer with the Peoria Police Department and had done almost 2 years in Iraq 5 years earlier.
After dinner and getting some ideas about how to spend the next day from Sam the men headed back to their hotel to get some needed downtime and rest up for a later workout at the hotel’s health club.
Bryce found an interesting program on the History Channel and Joe used his time to look over his e-mails and get some research for the book done. Joe also looked over his notes for the speaking engagement and made a few slight adjustments.
The men woke the next morning and decided after some time in the Hotel’s health facility to take advantage of the time off to tour the city and learn more about its long history. Bryce had an interest in riverside towns and enjoyed learning about the long history of the city and its early inhabitants.
The men finished the tourist portion of their day a little after 1pm and headed back to the hotel for a nap and spent the rest of the afternoon doing very little. Since Bryce had some spare time and nothing to do he used it to practice with his ukulele in his room.
Joe was casually working on his laptop and the book and snacked on granola bars while Bryce partook of the hotel’s restaurant. Katherine had sent some more revisions and notes she thought might assist Joe in keeping up with his workload.
Joe’s e-mail also included an updated price for the alterations to his home that had been recommended by Paula Robbar the engineer from Canada. He was grateful that the additional costs would total less than $3000.00 including the cost of reviewing the plans.
With the stress of knowing the cost for his homes plans firmly agreed to and understood by all parties he laid down and napped to insure he was fresh for the night’s presentation.
Joe Quick found that the crowd was younger than they were in Indianapolis and almost all of them had seen action somewhere fighting the ‘War on Terror’. After the speech he again made his way into the crowd of well wishers and autograph seekers. As Sam had prophesized the assembled crowd was enthusiastic during the speech and courteous afterwards. Spending time with men and woman that had served their country was a privilege Joe wouldn’t ever forget.
Bryce again watched in awe as Joe not only energized the crowd but managed to get them to think about the country that they had served during their time in uniform. By considering the future they were just as likely to influence the countries direction as the media-savvy liberals that conspired to disrupt Joe’s original talk and then hurt Joe.
Bryce had hope that slowly that the common sense that had propelled the United States to the apex of power in the world would re-emerge as an attribute found in everyday people and not just Conservatives and Libertarians jumping up and down trying to gain attention for their point of view.
The men returned to the hotel and Joe called Katherine to tell her about his day.
Joe and Katherine talked for an hour and shared the highlights of their day. Joe’s day was more exciting but Katherine’s day had been much more productive. Eventually the travel caught up to Joe and he signed off and went to bed.
Joe and Bryce enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and again packed up and headed down the road. Bryce had set his GPS to count down the miles till they again passed into Missouri so that they could get their weapons from the back of the truck.
As I-155 south led them to I-55 South they crossed into Missouri and pulled over to get their handguns from the trucks rear. Bryce sighed as he slid the weapon into the holster. Having a gun was so ingrained into the way he lived that the guns absence was akin to missing a limb for him. And while Sam Lutte had gotten 2 off-duty Peoria Policeman to help handle security at the previous night’s event Bryce was a man that didn’t care to trust strangers with his safety or his life if he didn’t have to.
Joe was becoming more and more comfortable with the presence of a gun on his person so the transition wasn’t bad for him at all. Since the weapons had been locked up in the truck the whole time they were Illinois Joe was more worried about theft than anything else.
20 minutes south of the Missouri State Line the men needed to make a bathroom stop and found a truck stop that would allow them to get fuel at the same time they stopped for a bathroom visit.
Bryce pulled out from the access road and was 1 block from the entrance when the sound of a siren came from behind the Suburban and Bryce pulled over.
The men waited while the officer walked slowly to the back of the truck and proceeded to stand beside the truck and peer thru the window into the back of the passenger area.
After the cop had satisfied himself with the inspection he walked beside Bryce’s window,
“Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?”
Bryce handed his license and insurance card to the officer,
“No sir, I’m not sure why you did.”
Joe could see the officer fondling the two pieces of plastic in his hand.
The officer paused and answered his own question,
“You failed to execute a complete stop before entering the roadway.”
Bryce took in a breath of air before he answered,
“Officer, I completed that stop and paused for 3 seconds as required.”
The officer harrumphed,
“Sir, you and I are forced to agree to disagree concerning that stop back there and I’m going to issue a citation to you. Are you in procession of narcotics or firearms?”
Bryce answered knowing this was quickly turning into a problem,
“Officer, both my passenger and I are in procession of firearms and have concealed carry permits issued by the state of Missouri. We have our permits with us as required by law and can provide copies of the receipts for the weapons original purchase.”
Joe could see the officer reach and put his right hand over his gun and pull it free of the holster and point it in their direction while stepping back away from the truck. His voice took on that I’m in charge voice barely below a yell,
“Driver put your hands on the wheel of the vehicle.”
Bryce complied and both men waited for the next command.
The officer continued,
“Passenger reach forward and put your hands on the top of the dash. DO IT NOW.”
When both men had responded as ordered he used his free hand to use his walkie,
“Unit 4 requests assistance to Grove Street and Frontage for a 417. Repeat unit 4 needs assist on a 417 at Grove and Frontage. Copy that?”
Over the radio Joe and Bryce heard the dispatcher,
“Copy, dispatching to your location Unit 4 on a 417. ETA is 10 minutes.”
The officer acknowledged his response for help and again questioned Bryce,
“How many firearms are in the vehicle?”
Bryce responded with a lack of emotion in his voice,
“6 sir, 2 each on our person and 2 long guns are locked in the back of the truck.”
Joe watched as the officer stepped back and proceeded to order them both from the vehicle one at a time under his watchful eye. Both men were then told to get on their knees and cross their ankles and put their hands on their head and interlock their fingers.
10 minutes later another cruiser pulled up behind them quickly. They had heard the sirens running and then 1 minute before they had gone quite. The new arrival helped to disarm and handcuff the men and they were placed in the back of the 2 cruisers. Bryce managed to get elbowed in his head for some perceived threat to the officer’s safety as he was ushered into the vehicle.
Another Sheriff’s car pulled up and an older man Joe assumed was the Sheriff slid out and went to talk the deputy in the cruiser.
20 minutes later the men were still waiting when the Sheriff walked over,
“I’m Sheriff Jacob Jones and I thank we might owe you an apology. It seems you failed to tell my Deputy that you had a permit for your firearms.”
Bryce paused,
“Sheriff, we free to go? It’s been 30 minutes and as I mentioned to your deputy twice these cuffs are too tight.”
Sheriff Jones motioned the men to turn around she he could unlock and remove their cuffs,
“My deputy said you never mentioned that you had a carry permit.”
Bryce turned to speak to the Sheriff just as the Sheriffs phone rang,
“If you’ll excuse me for a minute we can get this wrapped up and you can get on your way.”
Bryce walked to the back door of the Suburban and opened the door. He reached in and pulled his laptop bag out and powered the machine up. While Sheriff Jones completed his call Bryce was messing with the computer. He completed what he was doing and stood next to the rear door of the Suburban and waited for the Sheriff.
Sheriff Jones finished his call and turned toward the truck as Bryce’s phone rang. Bryce answered and responded using only one word responses. He thanked the caller and ended the call and turned toward the Sheriff.
Bryce looked strange as the Sheriff lumbered up to the back of the truck. Bryce smiled then and Joe know that what he heard next was going to be good,
“Sheriff Jones, you ran me so you know I did your job for 20 years. When I say your man failed to acknowledge our permits I assure you that I’m telling the truth. Since you might not trust me I thought I’d let video tell the tale.”
Before Sheriff Jones could reply Bryce hit a button on the computer and the three men watched as the Suburban came to a complete stop and advanced after a brief pause. The tape of the interaction they had with the deputy clearly showed even to Joe’s untrained eye that he repeatedly put his finger on the trigger of his weapon when no threat was imminent. After watching the tape for the 30 minutes the Sheriff stood stunned at what he had just seen.
The Sheriff regained his composure,
“I don’t know what to say. Clearly his interpretation was far different than yours and as you said the tape shows what really happened. I asked for in car video and the county declined the request, blamed it on budget concerns. I want to apologize for the incident and ask how I can make it up to you 2 gentlemen?”
Bryce smiled and reached into his wallet and pulled out a card and handed it to the Sheriff,
“Well Sheriff Jones I’ll tell you what to do. This is the card for our lawyer and I’m positive he’ll have something to discuss with you as well as your District Attorney and a few other folks. I know Special Agent Ringg from Homeland Security has spoken with you and I assure you that while I’m sympathetic to your situation your Deputy is not Law Enforcement material. The days of being a cop because your uncle can get you a job are slowly and thankfully coming to an end. Men and woman that swear the oath for Law Enforcement need to be competent to spare the public the burden & liability that bad Law Enforcement inflects on society as a whole. My nephew followed in his families’ tradition and is a good if not very good cop. He got where he is mostly because he made the grade just like most cops do. The difference is that he graduated in the top 20% off his Academy Class and not the bottom 20%. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to get our firearms back and inspect them for damage. Your nephew wasn’t very careful with them and I teach firearms usage so the process to evaluate if there is damage may take some time. Can I assume that you care to be present for that process?”
Sheriff Jones nodded at Bryce,
“Yes sir I would. I’m going to sent him home where he cannot get in anymore trouble if you can spare 3 minutes.”
Bryce didn’t answer but simply nodded.
The Sheriff walked over to his nephew and had some words with him. He didn’t look amused and unlocked the trunk of his cruiser and began pulling the weapons from the trunk and placing them in the back of the Suburban. He didn’t say a word but did what he was told and was careful this time to treat the weapons a gingerly as he would a valuable vase.
With the guns sitting in the rear area of the big SUV and the ammo stashed behind the front seat Bryce began going over each weapon and every magazine to insure it hadn’t been damaged and was in peak operating condition. The Sheriff watched the process as Joe watched the men do this particular dance.
Ironically Bryce’s inspection took the exact amount of time that they had held him in handcuffs. The guns were fit for duty but 20 rounds of Law Enforcement 12 gauge ammo had been misplaced somehow.
The men decided that the Sheriff would trade him a box from the trunk of his patrol vehicle and since Joe and Bryce were going to Illinois where gun laws were restrictive Bryce agreed that in the interest of expedience that was an acceptable solution to their missing ammo problem.
The men said goodbye to the Sheriff and continued their journey to Peoria for Joe’s talk the next day.
Bryce waited 5 minutes before he spoke of the incident,
“We got very lucky, that Deputy is a menace. I saw him caress that trigger 2 maybe 3 times and thought that maybe, just maybe he was going to shot one or both of us. I set the video to transmit when we were pulled over but being dead or crippled would have been a tragic waste. The system would have sent the video of the last 60 minutes to a secure server as soon as it had an acceptable signal but I was very worried. Thanks for keeping it together and not escalating his emotional response to what he perceived as a threat. Anytime you run into that type of situation just remember to try to de-escalate and then you hope and or pray for the best.”
Joe watched the road as it drifted past remembering what Katherine had said when they were in Indianapolis,
“I’ll tell you that was intense. An experience I hope never to repeat. After the speech in Indianapolis when Katherine and I were talking I let it slip that I was guarding the guns while you worked out downstairs. She asked me how many guns we had brought with us and I told her. She said if we got pulled over with that many guns and my bullet-proof vest that we’d be the ones in trouble and she was right. She also asked how much ammo we brought and when I told her I thought it was 450 rounds she said it’s better to have it and not need it, than too need it and not have it.”
Bryce watched the countryside fly by the window as both men contemplated their decision to take the gig in Peoria. The spell was broken and Bryce replied to Joe’s story,
“Joe that my friend is a good sign and we can build on that. The leap from that to living in an enclave of preppers is most likely doable. We use a systematic approach to understanding sub-conscious cues and are searching for certain beliefs, keywords, sentences and the use of commonly used sayings. That phrase scores high in our acceptance statistics. It might seem a tad manipulative but we can use certain words and phrase to bring her along. The environmental aspect of our community’s goals resonate with most of us to some extend and the prep component is just another aspect of that lifestyle choice.”
Joe looked at Bryce to see if he had any smile on his face and was just giving him a hard time. Bryce looked as serious as usual.
Joe replied to Bryce’s insight,
“Well, at least something good came out of this day. When I was handcuffed and thrown into the back of that patrol car I was thinking maybe this trip had been a mistake.”
Bryce chuckled at Joe’s comment,
“Joe, I think the only thing that would make this trip a mistake is if they took us back to the Station House and strip searched us. My choice in underwear today would have embarrassed us both.”
The trip the next morning started off slowly after the 2 men slept in unfamiliar beds and they made their way to lunch with Bryce’s friend who lived just off 20 miles or so from I-74 near the Indiana/Illinois border. They lunched on expertly prepared grilled Venison with greens beans and homemade rolls. Bryce and his friend Russ Sebring caught up since they hadn’t spent time together in 5 years. They talked about their families and touched on politics and the state of the world in general.
Russ Sebring was an excellent host and treated them graciously for the time they were there. After letting lunch digest for 30 minutes he asked the 2 men to tour his new modified safe room. Joe was amazed at the room that sat under a small green house located 50 feet from the back door of the house.
Russ explained how he had poured the underground shelter 2 or 3 bags of concrete at a time and then covered the entrance with dirt, planted grass seed and then applied for a permit for the greenhouse building and erected it legally like you were supposed to. He then moved the building over the 15 feet to cover the safe room entrance and began using it.
The room measured a comfy 20 by 25 feet and was almost the best case of organization Joe had ever seen. One wall contained floor to ceiling shelves and contained pails of storage food and other misc supplies. One corner had a divider and contained a small bathroom which Russ had connected to a dry sump 75 feet from the shelter. A door opened into a very small generator room with a nice looking diesel powered unit and a bank of storage batteries. Another wall contained fold down beds that attached to the wall. A corner housed a small kitchenette area complete with tables and 4 chairs.
Joe noticed that the air was fresh and didn’t have that musty wet odor he often noticed in basements. Russ explained that two tree stumps over the shelter housed an air intake and an exhaust port for the shelter and the compressor room. The stumps had been hollowed out and placed over the holes then sealed against bugs and vermin. The fans were common units and spares were stocked in a metal upright filling cabinet. The filters were off the shelf commonly used HEPA filters that could be found at any hardware store in the country.
Joe stepped into the bathroom area and grinned as he realized the toilet had a low tech bidet next to it. Russ had taken a standard bidet and added a water feature pump to the arrangement he assured both men his wife had commented that it worked as well as the one in their master bathroom.
After the tour of the recently completed addition to Russ and his wife’s small property he took them for a look at the retention pond he had dug to store excess rainwater runoff in. Russ claimed the 20 x 20 foot pool held over 15,000 gallons of water most of the year and he was using it to learn to grow cattails and other beneficial aquatic plant life as well as raising a few catfish in.
Bryce was impressed with not only the project but also the relative low cost of it. Since no outside contractors were used Russ had kept costs reasonable and avoided the scrutiny of curious onlookers and neighbors. Yet he still had an excellent bunker to use if the situation demanded it.
As the men made ready to depart both used the restroom and hopped back into the Suburban for the trip into Peoria. Both men had drank multiply glasses of iced tea and somewhere in rural Indiana just east of the Illinois border they elected to pull off at a truck stop and get gas and use the men’s room. They also stashed their weapons in the lock box in the back of the truck since Illinois didn’t recognize their Missouri Concealed Carry Permits validity.
Arriving in Peoria the men quickly found their hotel and settled into it before heading off to view some tourist destinations that Bryce had picked out. A member of the host Committee for the Veterans group was an ex-CAT engineering executive and arranged for the men to tour the equipment that was going into the CAT Experience near the river when it was completed. The development wasn’t completed yet, however the CAT equipment was acquired and ready for when they could move into the multi-million dollar tourist attraction. Bryce was interested in gaining some perspective concerning the large pieces of earth moving equipment and how they might be used during an extended emergency.
As the men moved around the large earth moving and mining equipment Joe was overwhelmed at the sheer size and array of the assembled equipment. A huge dump truck used in mining was on display and as Joe looked up at the cab he realized that getting a machine that big that had a driver with hostile intent stopped could prove very challenging. Even with the arms and ammo they had stashed the massive earth moving equipment had enough in common with tanks to make a man pause and think of what a nightmare they could wreck on an unprepared and uninformed group.
Bryce and Joe roamed over the site and found an employee that agreed to send technical spec. sheets for the company’s products over the last 30 years to Tinker for his permanent files. Construction details like steel thicknesses were listed as well as power plant information.
Bryce decided that if one of the large machines tried to broach their compound it would be a good idea to know where to shot it to disable it. Also, information about the power plants might be useful since CAT’s power plants where used at industrial sites around the world and had a good reputation for reliability and durability.
Bryce, Tinker and Willy were researching the possibility of acquiring an on-site back-up generator for the community and the time Bryce and Joe were spending were part of the research process. Since the cost of a generator promised to be significant the men were more than happy to invest their time in pursuit of the needed knowledge.
The men wrapped that bit of tourist time and headed to dinner with the President of the local chapter of the Veterans Group.
The men walked into the downtown restaurant and were greeted by Sam Lutte. Lutte was an ex-sergeant in the Army. Sam was plain spoken; 30ish 6 foot blonde woman with a decidedly athletic built and a short no non sense haircut that draw attention away from the fact she was missing part of the top of her right ear.
She introduced herself as she shook each man’s hand,
“Joe, Bryce I’m Samantha Lutte. I’m the local chair for our Vet group. Joe we appreciate you making the trip to speak with our members. We’ve got a good group and think you’ll be happy you and Bryce included us on your tour. I know I’m looking forward to hearing your story in more detail.”
Joe smiled,
“Sam, I’m looking forward to it and hope you and your people find it enlightening, entertaining or both. And I deeply appreciate you agreeing to forward my fee to another non-profit. Since Bryce was taking the time to accompany me I thought it was only fair that I donate to a cause of his choosing.”
Bryce shifted in his seat, the decision on if he was comfortable sharing his story plain on his face. Sharing won the battle and he replied,
“I lost my daughter on 9-11 and sent money to a charity that she would have been proud to support. While I think your group does good work, her interest was more geared toward domestic abuse shelters. I think your fundraiser will benefit from having Joe as a speaker. We did an event at a Conservative Radio Association and he had them enthralled. I don’t think the man realizes he’s pretty good at this stuff.”
Sam Lutte nodded,
“We’ve gotten more calls about this fundraiser than any other since we formed in 2004. We put Joe’s information up on our website and by the end of the day 4 people had called for tickets that said they originally had not planned on attending. After we realized what we had I e-mailed the group’s members and sold 50 additional tickets. That moved us past sold out by 2 tables and generated the equivalent of your fee so everything after this in terms of donations is a bonus.”
The three had a pleasant dinner and the men learned that Samantha was currently a Police Officer with the Peoria Police Department and had done almost 2 years in Iraq 5 years earlier.
After dinner and getting some ideas about how to spend the next day from Sam the men headed back to their hotel to get some needed downtime and rest up for a later workout at the hotel’s health club.
Bryce found an interesting program on the History Channel and Joe used his time to look over his e-mails and get some research for the book done. Joe also looked over his notes for the speaking engagement and made a few slight adjustments.
The men woke the next morning and decided after some time in the Hotel’s health facility to take advantage of the time off to tour the city and learn more about its long history. Bryce had an interest in riverside towns and enjoyed learning about the long history of the city and its early inhabitants.
The men finished the tourist portion of their day a little after 1pm and headed back to the hotel for a nap and spent the rest of the afternoon doing very little. Since Bryce had some spare time and nothing to do he used it to practice with his ukulele in his room.
Joe was casually working on his laptop and the book and snacked on granola bars while Bryce partook of the hotel’s restaurant. Katherine had sent some more revisions and notes she thought might assist Joe in keeping up with his workload.
Joe’s e-mail also included an updated price for the alterations to his home that had been recommended by Paula Robbar the engineer from Canada. He was grateful that the additional costs would total less than $3000.00 including the cost of reviewing the plans.
With the stress of knowing the cost for his homes plans firmly agreed to and understood by all parties he laid down and napped to insure he was fresh for the night’s presentation.
Joe Quick found that the crowd was younger than they were in Indianapolis and almost all of them had seen action somewhere fighting the ‘War on Terror’. After the speech he again made his way into the crowd of well wishers and autograph seekers. As Sam had prophesized the assembled crowd was enthusiastic during the speech and courteous afterwards. Spending time with men and woman that had served their country was a privilege Joe wouldn’t ever forget.
Bryce again watched in awe as Joe not only energized the crowd but managed to get them to think about the country that they had served during their time in uniform. By considering the future they were just as likely to influence the countries direction as the media-savvy liberals that conspired to disrupt Joe’s original talk and then hurt Joe.
Bryce had hope that slowly that the common sense that had propelled the United States to the apex of power in the world would re-emerge as an attribute found in everyday people and not just Conservatives and Libertarians jumping up and down trying to gain attention for their point of view.
The men returned to the hotel and Joe called Katherine to tell her about his day.
Joe and Katherine talked for an hour and shared the highlights of their day. Joe’s day was more exciting but Katherine’s day had been much more productive. Eventually the travel caught up to Joe and he signed off and went to bed.
Joe and Bryce enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and again packed up and headed down the road. Bryce had set his GPS to count down the miles till they again passed into Missouri so that they could get their weapons from the back of the truck.
As I-155 south led them to I-55 South they crossed into Missouri and pulled over to get their handguns from the trucks rear. Bryce sighed as he slid the weapon into the holster. Having a gun was so ingrained into the way he lived that the guns absence was akin to missing a limb for him. And while Sam Lutte had gotten 2 off-duty Peoria Policeman to help handle security at the previous night’s event Bryce was a man that didn’t care to trust strangers with his safety or his life if he didn’t have to.
Joe was becoming more and more comfortable with the presence of a gun on his person so the transition wasn’t bad for him at all. Since the weapons had been locked up in the truck the whole time they were Illinois Joe was more worried about theft than anything else.
20 minutes south of the Missouri State Line the men needed to make a bathroom stop and found a truck stop that would allow them to get fuel at the same time they stopped for a bathroom visit.
Bryce pulled out from the access road and was 1 block from the entrance when the sound of a siren came from behind the Suburban and Bryce pulled over.
The men waited while the officer walked slowly to the back of the truck and proceeded to stand beside the truck and peer thru the window into the back of the passenger area.
After the cop had satisfied himself with the inspection he walked beside Bryce’s window,
“Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?”
Bryce handed his license and insurance card to the officer,
“No sir, I’m not sure why you did.”
Joe could see the officer fondling the two pieces of plastic in his hand.
The officer paused and answered his own question,
“You failed to execute a complete stop before entering the roadway.”
Bryce took in a breath of air before he answered,
“Officer, I completed that stop and paused for 3 seconds as required.”
The officer harrumphed,
“Sir, you and I are forced to agree to disagree concerning that stop back there and I’m going to issue a citation to you. Are you in procession of narcotics or firearms?”
Bryce answered knowing this was quickly turning into a problem,
“Officer, both my passenger and I are in procession of firearms and have concealed carry permits issued by the state of Missouri. We have our permits with us as required by law and can provide copies of the receipts for the weapons original purchase.”
Joe could see the officer reach and put his right hand over his gun and pull it free of the holster and point it in their direction while stepping back away from the truck. His voice took on that I’m in charge voice barely below a yell,
“Driver put your hands on the wheel of the vehicle.”
Bryce complied and both men waited for the next command.
The officer continued,
“Passenger reach forward and put your hands on the top of the dash. DO IT NOW.”
When both men had responded as ordered he used his free hand to use his walkie,
“Unit 4 requests assistance to Grove Street and Frontage for a 417. Repeat unit 4 needs assist on a 417 at Grove and Frontage. Copy that?”
Over the radio Joe and Bryce heard the dispatcher,
“Copy, dispatching to your location Unit 4 on a 417. ETA is 10 minutes.”
The officer acknowledged his response for help and again questioned Bryce,
“How many firearms are in the vehicle?”
Bryce responded with a lack of emotion in his voice,
“6 sir, 2 each on our person and 2 long guns are locked in the back of the truck.”
Joe watched as the officer stepped back and proceeded to order them both from the vehicle one at a time under his watchful eye. Both men were then told to get on their knees and cross their ankles and put their hands on their head and interlock their fingers.
10 minutes later another cruiser pulled up behind them quickly. They had heard the sirens running and then 1 minute before they had gone quite. The new arrival helped to disarm and handcuff the men and they were placed in the back of the 2 cruisers. Bryce managed to get elbowed in his head for some perceived threat to the officer’s safety as he was ushered into the vehicle.
Another Sheriff’s car pulled up and an older man Joe assumed was the Sheriff slid out and went to talk the deputy in the cruiser.
20 minutes later the men were still waiting when the Sheriff walked over,
“I’m Sheriff Jacob Jones and I thank we might owe you an apology. It seems you failed to tell my Deputy that you had a permit for your firearms.”
Bryce paused,
“Sheriff, we free to go? It’s been 30 minutes and as I mentioned to your deputy twice these cuffs are too tight.”
Sheriff Jones motioned the men to turn around she he could unlock and remove their cuffs,
“My deputy said you never mentioned that you had a carry permit.”
Bryce turned to speak to the Sheriff just as the Sheriffs phone rang,
“If you’ll excuse me for a minute we can get this wrapped up and you can get on your way.”
Bryce walked to the back door of the Suburban and opened the door. He reached in and pulled his laptop bag out and powered the machine up. While Sheriff Jones completed his call Bryce was messing with the computer. He completed what he was doing and stood next to the rear door of the Suburban and waited for the Sheriff.
Sheriff Jones finished his call and turned toward the truck as Bryce’s phone rang. Bryce answered and responded using only one word responses. He thanked the caller and ended the call and turned toward the Sheriff.
Bryce looked strange as the Sheriff lumbered up to the back of the truck. Bryce smiled then and Joe know that what he heard next was going to be good,
“Sheriff Jones, you ran me so you know I did your job for 20 years. When I say your man failed to acknowledge our permits I assure you that I’m telling the truth. Since you might not trust me I thought I’d let video tell the tale.”
Before Sheriff Jones could reply Bryce hit a button on the computer and the three men watched as the Suburban came to a complete stop and advanced after a brief pause. The tape of the interaction they had with the deputy clearly showed even to Joe’s untrained eye that he repeatedly put his finger on the trigger of his weapon when no threat was imminent. After watching the tape for the 30 minutes the Sheriff stood stunned at what he had just seen.
The Sheriff regained his composure,
“I don’t know what to say. Clearly his interpretation was far different than yours and as you said the tape shows what really happened. I asked for in car video and the county declined the request, blamed it on budget concerns. I want to apologize for the incident and ask how I can make it up to you 2 gentlemen?”
Bryce smiled and reached into his wallet and pulled out a card and handed it to the Sheriff,
“Well Sheriff Jones I’ll tell you what to do. This is the card for our lawyer and I’m positive he’ll have something to discuss with you as well as your District Attorney and a few other folks. I know Special Agent Ringg from Homeland Security has spoken with you and I assure you that while I’m sympathetic to your situation your Deputy is not Law Enforcement material. The days of being a cop because your uncle can get you a job are slowly and thankfully coming to an end. Men and woman that swear the oath for Law Enforcement need to be competent to spare the public the burden & liability that bad Law Enforcement inflects on society as a whole. My nephew followed in his families’ tradition and is a good if not very good cop. He got where he is mostly because he made the grade just like most cops do. The difference is that he graduated in the top 20% off his Academy Class and not the bottom 20%. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to get our firearms back and inspect them for damage. Your nephew wasn’t very careful with them and I teach firearms usage so the process to evaluate if there is damage may take some time. Can I assume that you care to be present for that process?”
Sheriff Jones nodded at Bryce,
“Yes sir I would. I’m going to sent him home where he cannot get in anymore trouble if you can spare 3 minutes.”
Bryce didn’t answer but simply nodded.
The Sheriff walked over to his nephew and had some words with him. He didn’t look amused and unlocked the trunk of his cruiser and began pulling the weapons from the trunk and placing them in the back of the Suburban. He didn’t say a word but did what he was told and was careful this time to treat the weapons a gingerly as he would a valuable vase.
With the guns sitting in the rear area of the big SUV and the ammo stashed behind the front seat Bryce began going over each weapon and every magazine to insure it hadn’t been damaged and was in peak operating condition. The Sheriff watched the process as Joe watched the men do this particular dance.
Ironically Bryce’s inspection took the exact amount of time that they had held him in handcuffs. The guns were fit for duty but 20 rounds of Law Enforcement 12 gauge ammo had been misplaced somehow.
The men decided that the Sheriff would trade him a box from the trunk of his patrol vehicle and since Joe and Bryce were going to Illinois where gun laws were restrictive Bryce agreed that in the interest of expedience that was an acceptable solution to their missing ammo problem.
The men said goodbye to the Sheriff and continued their journey to Peoria for Joe’s talk the next day.
Bryce waited 5 minutes before he spoke of the incident,
“We got very lucky, that Deputy is a menace. I saw him caress that trigger 2 maybe 3 times and thought that maybe, just maybe he was going to shot one or both of us. I set the video to transmit when we were pulled over but being dead or crippled would have been a tragic waste. The system would have sent the video of the last 60 minutes to a secure server as soon as it had an acceptable signal but I was very worried. Thanks for keeping it together and not escalating his emotional response to what he perceived as a threat. Anytime you run into that type of situation just remember to try to de-escalate and then you hope and or pray for the best.”
Joe watched the road as it drifted past remembering what Katherine had said when they were in Indianapolis,
“I’ll tell you that was intense. An experience I hope never to repeat. After the speech in Indianapolis when Katherine and I were talking I let it slip that I was guarding the guns while you worked out downstairs. She asked me how many guns we had brought with us and I told her. She said if we got pulled over with that many guns and my bullet-proof vest that we’d be the ones in trouble and she was right. She also asked how much ammo we brought and when I told her I thought it was 450 rounds she said it’s better to have it and not need it, than too need it and not have it.”
Bryce watched the countryside fly by the window as both men contemplated their decision to take the gig in Peoria. The spell was broken and Bryce replied to Joe’s story,
“Joe that my friend is a good sign and we can build on that. The leap from that to living in an enclave of preppers is most likely doable. We use a systematic approach to understanding sub-conscious cues and are searching for certain beliefs, keywords, sentences and the use of commonly used sayings. That phrase scores high in our acceptance statistics. It might seem a tad manipulative but we can use certain words and phrase to bring her along. The environmental aspect of our community’s goals resonate with most of us to some extend and the prep component is just another aspect of that lifestyle choice.”
Joe looked at Bryce to see if he had any smile on his face and was just giving him a hard time. Bryce looked as serious as usual.
Joe replied to Bryce’s insight,
“Well, at least something good came out of this day. When I was handcuffed and thrown into the back of that patrol car I was thinking maybe this trip had been a mistake.”
Bryce chuckled at Joe’s comment,
“Joe, I think the only thing that would make this trip a mistake is if they took us back to the Station House and strip searched us. My choice in underwear today would have embarrassed us both.”
At The Podium
Part 69
Bryce and Joe traveled south and crossed into Memphis and headed to the hotel that the speakers group had booked for them. The men put the long guns and Bryce’s ukuleles in the hotel’s vault and went to their room for a quick nap and some time not sitting in Bryce’s big Suburban.
Before Joe laid down he did some stretching to work the kinks of traveling out of his back. As usual on their trip down he drank only water to help him combat the discomfort that soda pop gave him. Bryce mentioned that when they got back home he was going to go to his chiropractor and get a treatment and a 30 minute massage to work his back into shape.
Bryce had an extensive list of places he wanted to visit and eat at. Beale Street and barbeque were at the top of the list since Bryce hadn’t been to Memphis in a long time and Joe had only been to Memphis as a kid.
Bryce also had made arrangements to stop by a manufacture of 50 caliber rifles in Murfreesboro and was excited to take a look at the place where they made the big boomers of precision rifles. Their group was a little light in the full on distance shooting area and hoped to eventually purchase a 50 caliber rifle to get some people practiced up with. Hopefully with some 50BMG AR uppers and some purpose built 50’s they would have good anti-material and long distance capabilities. Of course the problem with getting the 50’s was they were very, very expensive and the ammo was not cheap. Add in the cost of quality optics and you’re talking some serious gun money.
The rifles themselves were expensive and feeding good ammo to it could add up quickly since the rounds ran at least 2-3 dollars each and weren’t always reloadable. Once they had the right accessories for a re-loading set-up and the spent brass they could re-load the cases themselves. The hope was that by doing this the cost of teaching people to shoot the big rifle would be lowered to a price that could be more easily justified.
Both men took a quick rest and had decided that they would go and roam the famous Beale Street and partake of some of Memphis’ popular Barbeque and see if any interesting bands were playing. Bryce’s ex brother-in-law was off and offered to give them the dime tour of Beale Street and the interesting clubs, restaurants and bars which Bryce quickly accepted.
After talking to Ron Rewsen his ex brother-in-law Bryce looked over at Joe,
“My ex brother-in-law offered to take us on a whirlwind tour of the famous Beale Street assuming you can afford to feed him all the barbeque he can eat.”
Joe smiled thinking of the trying the famous barbeque that some thought was as good as the stuff from his hometown and maybe checking out a band or two,
“I think we can handle that, in fact I’m looking forward to it. I found a few clubs I’d like to check out if you two are game.”
Bryce walked into his bedroom and pawed thru his duffle as he answered the question,
“Hey free Memphis barbeque and the chance to see a band or two sounds like the perfect diversion to me. But with all the barbeque I plan on eating we are going to need to hit the health center harder than normal tomorrow. I should mention that I was married to Ron’s sister 25 years ago and we still stay in touch. His sister, my ex-wife died of ovarian Cancer 5 years ago. He just got his 5 year chip and is a recovering alcoholic that is raising his sister’s 15 year old son from her second marriage. He said he’d be here at 7:30 or so to pick us up.”
Joe was a surprised that Bryce had volunteered the amount of information that he had. For a man he had spent over 100 hours with he really only had a slight knowledge of certain aspects of Bryce’s personal history. Joe was more concerned with other things than Bryce marriages past and present. He did hear Bryce mention his wife occasionally and Lazarus had mentioned that she was a special person and that his friend was lucky in regards to that aspect of his life. The couple had withered not only his job as a cop in a city that had its share of violence but also his being shot on the job. They had also managed to defy the law of averages and stayed together after their daughter lost her life; it was a testament to the love, strength and resolve of their relationship.
Joe involuntarily licked his lips anticipating the excellent food to come,
“That sounds like a plan. Is just me or are you as hungry as I am? All the talk of food on the way here has my brain obsessing over it.”
Bryce’s smirked as he answered,
“Well, if I had to guess I’d guess I’d say you won’t be disappointed. I am going to hop in the shower real quick.”
Joe nodded his understanding as his phone rang on his hip. He answered it on the 3th ring after seeing it was Dorth Mann,
“Dorth how’s your day?”
Over the other end of the phone Dorth Mann his literary agent replied,
“Joe my day is going really well. Did you guys make it into Memphis yet?”
Joe answered his agent’s question,
“Not only are we sitting in the hotel room but Bryce’s ex brother-in-law is taking us out on the town for barbeque and to hit a few of the clubs on Beale Street. I cannot tell you how good food sounds right about now. What’s up?”
Dorth jumped right in to address the reason he had called,
“Well the speaker’s rep just called and told me that the hotel you’re scheduled to speak at his having some problems with some sort of dispute with their union employees. He has known about the problem for almost a week and I knew that Bryce would need to know about it so he could alter his security plan. So far they have disrupted 3 events in the last 5 days.”
Joe scratched his head pondering the information he had just been given,
“Doth, what kind of disruption are we talking about? Anything violent or dangerous?”
Dorth replied to the question,
“Well, 5 men crashed a wedding, got very drunk and started a fight with the best man that they lost. It resulted in 5 arrests and sent one crasher to the hospital with a concussion and another with a fractured jaw. A guy in the groom’s party was military and he handled himself well. The second was sabotage of the sound system at a Shareholders meeting that delayed the event by almost 2 hours. The third was a regional used car dealer’s convention and the disgruntled union members called in a disturbance in one of the rooms on an upper floor. While security was distracted they vandalized 20 cars in the valet lot that had dealer tags. They mostly slashed tires. Damage was estimated at almost $30,000.”
Joe was leery of getting the information only 24 hours before his speech,
“Wow that sounds like it might be bad. Bryce just got into the shower and I’ll relay the information to him when he gets out. Does the hotel have a plan to help us get thru the event?”
Dorth could be heard shuffling papers in front of him as he replied,
“Well I think that Bryce should get with security and come up with a plan to keep your talk and the meeting on track. I assume that the hotel will be amenable to adding a few off-duty Memphis PD guys to supplement their security contingent. I just e-mailed the outline that I was provided and the contact information that you’ll need.”
Joe walked over to get his laptop from its bag and plugged it into the room’s high speed outlet,
“OK, I see the e-mail. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as we know. Thanks for the heads up, I appreciate it.”
Dorth and Joe ended the conversation and Joe waited for Bryce to finish his shower and getting dressed. When Bryce walked into the sitting room Joe explained the situation and showed Bryce the information Dorth had sent to them. The men discussed the problem and worked out some ideas concerning they would counter a possible problem.
Ron Rewson knocked on their hotel room door at exactly 7:30 as promised and introductions were made and handshakes were exchanged all around.
The men took 30 minutes to discuss the security problems associated with the labor dispute that was plaguing the hotel to see if they could avoid having Joe’s speech ruined.
Ron Rewson made some calls and found some people he knew that might be interested in getting some off-duty work if it was available. While he was on the phone talking to co-workers Bryce was on the line with the Hotel’s Head of Security who was a retired ex-Memphis PD Lieutenant.
Bryce briefed the men about the problem after Ron Rewson was done finding some help,
“OK, I talked to a guy that runs security here and his name is Pollik. Ron, I asked and apparently he knows you from a few years back. Does the name ring a bell?”
Ron Rewson smiled,
“Yes, I know the guy. He headed the SWAT team for 4 or 5 years and has a reputation as a good cop. What did he say is going on here?”
They are having problems with the union who are trying to pressure management to come back to the negotiating table. We should e-mail those union guys and explain that it’s 2010. Hell in a few months it’ll be the second decade of the millennium. He told me the report we have is accurate and they are open to bring in a few extra guys working off-duty for security. Ron you got a guy who can provide liability insurance for you and somebody else?”
Ron Rewson nodded,
“I got a friend I’ve done a few off-duty jobs for over the years. Let me call him. Also, might be nice to take a look at the room and see where we’re at and what we can do with what you’ll have.”
Bryce agreed and the men took the elevator down as Ron tried to contact his buddy and see if he was willing to help them out. As they exited the elevator and made their way to the security office Ron reported that his friend would be willing run the off-duty work thru his company and provide insurance certificates to the hotel.
The men waited in the small outer office while the on-duty security dispatcher moved around in the adjacent office.
A shorter man with an impressively defined upper body and intense eyes slid into the small outer office and addressed them,
“Help you.”
He stopped when he recognized Ron Rewson and a smile covered his face and then he continued,
“Rewson, it’s been awhile. I hear you are still protecting the people of Memphis, is that true? I haven’t seen you since the Memphis basketball game in 08. I cannot for the life of me remember who they were playing.”
Ron Rewson stuck his hand out,
“Pollik, good to see you again. I believe it was a loss to Syracuse by 5 or 7. If I remember you had some unbelievable seats for that game. I’d like to introduce you to Bryce Byrd and Joe Quick. Joe is speaking in the ballroom tomorrow and Bryce is my ex brother-in-law.”
Pollik smiled as the remembrance of that hopeful Basketball Season flooded thru his memory and he extended his hand to each of them in turn as he was speaking,
“I think you’re right. That was a disappointing ending to a pretty awesome season. Calipari had those guys running on all 8 cylinders. Bryce, Joe it’s good to meet you and hopefully we can get thru your event without any complications. Bryce I just cleared it with the site General Manager and they will pay for 2 off-duty Memphis cops to supplement our normal security staff. I also added 2 of our in-house guys to keep an eye on everything else. So far the agitators have used different tactics each time they have hit us. The IT department reported that they fended off a serious attack on our system this morning. They didn’t hear about the other problems and just reported what almost happened 2 hours ago. I’m pretty sure the incident is part of this dust-up between the Union that represents all non-management hotel employees and Management.”
Ron replied,
“Pollik, do you mind if Schmidt and I handle the off-duty? I’ve got a friends company that can provide the liability insurance. You can pay us your normal off-duty rate and we’ll waive minimum shift length.”
Pollik smiled,
“Hey, if Joe is more comfortable with that and the convention is happy with the arrangement I think we’ll be fine with that. I wish these idiots understood that tourism drives jobs in a hotel and sabotaging events will eventually led to losing jobs or hours. Not to mention that every time they do something dumb it increases the likelihood that event planners and convention organizers will hear about it and take their business someplace else. If they take the business to another hotel it hurts the employees they claim to be looking out for. If they take it to another city it in a small way negatively affects the whole city.”
Bryce faced Pollik and rubbed his lower back as he added a few thoughts to what he had just said,
“Pollik, what’s the problem with the two sides? How hard are they trying to come to an agreement?”
Pollik shifted uncomfortably in his feet as he answered,
“The family that owns this place also owns 5 other properties in the south. Revenue is down because of the economy and they also are trying to be more conscious of their illegal worker problem. So, the union is screaming for more money for their members when revenue can’t support the increase in wages. The union in this case also is balking at the attempt the company is making to hire only legal workers and avoid harassment from the government over illegals. They claim that the more careful screening process borders on harassment and is racially insensitive. This is despite the fact that the law of the land requires all workers to provide proof of US Citizenship. They seem to think that Hotel Management should forgo the background checks to confirm US citizenship or Guest Worker status.”
Joe laughed,
“Are you telling me that the Union that represents these workers actually believes having employees that haven’t been checked out makes sense? People rent a room they expect t be as safe as they are at home, more or less. It sounds like you’re going to be dealing with this problem for a long time.”
Pollik nodded at the men,
“Tell me about it.”
The men finished up their impromptu meeting and Joe, Bryce and Ron made their way to get something to eat and check out the entertainment on Beale Street. The restaurant they ate dinner at was very good and Joe couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed such a big meal. When he was done eating he was stuffed to the point that he was trying to figure out if he could unbutton his pants without anybody noticing it. Ron took them to a bar on Beale Street and they enjoyed a talented band that featured an unbelievable piano player. And while the music the band played wasn’t the blues that the area was world renowned for it was fun. After an hour at 10pm the men all decided they would call it a night and headed back to the hotel.
True to Bryce’s word early the next morning they spent extra time in the Hotel’s Health Club to burn the unhealthy amount of calories they had consumed the night before. Joe was not feeling well and was wishing he had shown more restraint at the restaurant, maybe if he had passed on dessert he’d feel better.
The men showered and headed to see the widow of a friend of Bryce’s. She lived an hour outside the Memphis city limit and had something she wanted to talk to Bryce about. Bryce had met her husband at a pistol training class in 2000 and the men had formed an instant bond of trust and respect that had lasted the rest of Calvin Davis’s life
Joe looked up from his laptop as they pulled into the drive for Melissa Davis’s home. The imitation plantation home sat 200 feet back from the street and oak trees lined the drive like in the movies. The trees appeared to only be 10-20 years old and were missing the trademark Spanish Moss often seen in the south. But Joe thought that in 50 years this newer house would look like a stately antebellum era plantation house.
The men climbed from the truck and stepped onto the porch and rang the bell. Joe heard an organ version of ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’ playing on the other side of the door.
Melissa Davis answered the door and stepped onto the porch to hug Bryce. She was maybe between 60 and 70 years old and not more than 5 feet tall and weighted all of 100 pounds. She wore a casual yellow dress and was barefoot. Her hair was fashionable short and an atypical shade of red not found naturally.
“Bryce Byrd, about time you got off your butt and came and visited. I haven’t seen you since Calvin’s funeral. Thanks again for making the trip I know Calvin would have appreciated it. He always said you were one of the finest and most loyal men he ever met.”
She looked past Bryce and stared at Joe,
“And who is this handsome man you brought with you. Looks smart, I was married to a College Professor for 35 years and I can recognize the smart ones from 100 feet away if I have my glasses on.”
Bryce smiled and stepped back,
“Melissa Davis may I present Joe Quick. Joe, this is Melissa Davis. Her husband Calvin was a friend and a hell of a shot with a pistol.”
Joe was surprised that Melissa Davis stepped over to him and gave him a hug that took his breath away. For a smaller woman she had a strong embrace.
As she hugged him she spoke,
“Joe Quick, Bryce mentioned you to me. Said you were good people. Welcome to my home.”
Melissa broke the hug and stepped back and indicated that they should step into the house.
Joe replied while trying to gauge his body for any broken bones or sprains,
“Mrs. Davis, it’s nice to meet you. Bryce had nothing but good things to say about you and I want to thank you for inviting us into your beautiful home.”
Melissa Davis blushed,
“Joe, I insist that you call me Ms. Melissa, everybody under 65 does. Now how about I get you some sweet tea? I was just fixin’ to get a glass for myself.”
Both men nodded and Bryce replied to the offer,
“Ms. Melissa I think some sweet tea would hit the spot about now.”
Melissa Davis motioned for them to follow her. She walked into the kitchen which Joe thought looked more like the kitchen in a nice restaurant,
“Are you boy’s hungry? I could whip something up.”
Bryce smiled,
“Well maybe later, I don’t want to put you out.”
Melissa laughed. She had the laugh of a woman twice her size and gave Bryce a sly look,
“Bryce Byrd, if I didn’t know you better I’d say you scheduled yourself to be here around late morning to make sure you got to eat lunch here. And I know you love that wife of yours but whenever you come to visit you look at the food like you haven’t eaten in 2 days.”
It was Bryce’s turn to blush,
Ms. Melissa, you got me. I dream about that sauce you make for the chicken. It’s one of my all-time favorite sauces. I suppose you could talk us into staying for lunch if it isn’t too much trouble.”
Melissa Davis smiled and they drank the sweet tea she had poured from an ornate glass pitcher. While Bryce and Melissa Davis caught up Joe just enjoyed hearing friends talk about their families and what had going on since they last saw each other.
After an hour of them chatting amongst themselves Melissa Davis turned toward Joe asked him about the incident at the book store. Joe gave her the story and she asked a few questions about the incident. They then talked about the trials and tribulations of teaching at the College level. Melissa imparted a few nuggets of wisdom from her experience as the wife of a tenured professor.
2 hours after they had arrived Melissa Davis asked them to follow her to the cellar. Joe knew that many houses this far south didn’t have basements and was surprised. Joe was not surprised to see the basement was very nicely finished and sported a 50’s style jukebox and a sharp looking full sized pool table. The contemporary leather furniture looked both comfortable and was aesthetically pleasing.
She led the men to the bar on the wall and pulled it away from the wall. The wall slid smoothly and Joe noticed it looked like she was opening the refrigerator door and not 100’s of pounds of wood.
Behind the movable wall for the bar stood an oversized vault door which looked imposing. Melissa Davis put her right thumb on a touchpad and after 5 seconds the door made an audible click and swung open 6 inches. She stepped back and Bryce finished swinging the heavy vault door open.
Bryce stepped in and Melissa Davis followed. They had blocked his view and as he crossed the threshold the lights clicked on. Florescent fixtures threw light into every nook and corner of the room. As Joe’s eyes roamed over the small room from the doorway the one word he spoke was louder than he had intended,
“WOW!”
Joe took in the room as Bryce & Melissa Davis talked off to the side. Joe thought the room was over 35 feet long and not more than 20 feet wide. Both sides of the room contained drawers that extended to a regular counter height while the tops were open gun display racks without doors that allowed the weapons to lean back with their muzzles pointed toward the back of the cabinets.
The Pièce de résistance of the collection was likely the 2 MG-42 machine guns that shared the top of a custom waist high display case that looked custom built. It was located in the middle of the aisle and the base was a stunning Cherry, the same as the rest of the custom cabinetry. 10 feet down the room a WWII era flame thrower sat on a base similar to the one that held the MG-42’s.
Joe didn’t know for sure the weapons weren’t reproduction but doubted it very strongly.
Joe was shaken on the shoulder by Bryce, who was standing beside him,
“Joe, I asked of you could hold these binders for a few minutes while I take a quick look at a few of these weapons.”
Bryce handed the binders into Joe’s arms and pulled a leather case from the pockets of his cargo pants. The case was maybe the size of a cell phone from the 80’s. He opened the case and pulled out some tools and such. Joe recognized an inexpensive digital camera, a magnifying glass, a jeweler’s loop and a bore scope.
Bryce began the examination of the MG-42’s and moved this and removed that. He checked this and looked at that. After 10 minutes he stopped and moved to the flamethrower and repeated the process. He must have not been as familiar with the flamethrower or maybe because it had less parts to it because he was done in 5 minutes. He then shot pictures of the weapons he had just inspected; Joe thought he had shot over 100 pictures in the span of 10 minutes.
He looked up at Melissa and Joe,
“Melissa I’d like to see if the values that Calvin listed are still accurate and reflect current market conditions. If that pans out which I think it will I’d need to inspect all of the weapons and inventory the spare parts and ammo which will take a full day or so. My hope is that my guy is interested and we can get you paid and ship these out in a week or two. Did Calvin tell you that I helped him find the machine gun on that middle stand? After we met he talked me into taking a class at a gun range over in GA. The owner of the range was trying to sell a German WWII MG-34, it was in rough shape and overpriced. So, I put Calvin in touch with a guy I know and they worked something out for that MG-42 which was in much better shape than the MG-34 he had passed on. I fired a few belts thru it at Knob Creek 6 months after he bought it. That was before he went thru it and got it all prettied up.”
Melissa nodded her understanding,
“I remember him telling that story. And let me tell you when he told me how much it cost I hit the ceiling. Later I understood that he loved those things and it was maybe money well spent. When he bought the second one he told me that some of his guns had done a better job against inflation than our stocks after the tumble a few years back. Even selling to you at a reduced rate I’m in pretty good shape. And don’t worry too much about the time issue. I’ve been waiting since 6 months after he passed to get these sold. With all the weapons I thought it might be a serious undertaking and don’t forget the trucks are included also. I want to sell it all at one time. I’m hesitant of trusting strangers with these things and letting strangers down in here is unappealing in the extreme. The trucks are at our lake place and we can go look at them any time you want. I know Joe has a speech tonight. How are you thinking of working it out so that you guys can make your next engagement? Or are you thinking of traveling back down here after the speeches are all done?”
Bryce took the binders from Joe and began leafing thru them,
“We are due in St. Louis 2 days from now. And if Joe agrees and we are interested we could stay over tomorrow and do the weapon inspection and then head out the day of the speech. I don’t have any idea who I can get to inspect the trucks. I’m going to need to think about that.”
Joe piped up,
“What about Tinker? You said he is mechanically minded if you can get him down here. I mean if he’s available.”
Bryce smiled,
“Joe, that sounds like a plan. Melissa, where is the closest small airport?”
Melissa Davis looked puzzled,
“There is one maybe 20 miles from here. Calvin had a buddy that ran the place and he took us up in one of his planes occasionally. Crazy guy tried to get me to go skydiving with Calvin and him 5-10 years ago, said he videotape it for us.”
Bryce smiled,
“That will work out great, I can fly my guy in and he can avoid having to fly commercial which he dislikes and I have a guy that has a plane that owes me a favor.”
And while Joe’s knowledge of guns was spotty at best he did notice some weapons that he thought he could indentify if he had to. Joe counted 12 AK style weapons and 12 older style semi-auto pistols that reminded Joe of pocket pistols. Joe picked one up and noticed the CZ engraved in the slide and set the weapon back in it’s space/ Almost all the weapons in the display racks except for the AK’s and the pocket pistols seemed to be from the WWII era or so and included SKS’s, Garands and a few Mauser bolt action rifles.
The two talked it over and Joe heard that she was looking to get around 70% of the weapons retail value and 50% of the value of the trucks which Joe was still not sure were. He’d look at the binder or ask after they left what trucks she was trying to sell.
Melissa offered to make them lunch and the men could start going thru the process of understanding what they were looking at. And while plenty of guns lined the walls of the cabinet Bryce opened and closed every drawer in the room looking thru them and comparing the contents with the list in the binder. He was able to match the rough count of the firearms in the cabinet to the list he was holding.
Bryce and Joe also managed to do some inventory on the head high stacks of ammo that his friend had put aside for a rainy day. While most the ammo was surplus for the MG-42’s he came across a few cases of stuff that wasn’t listed on the ammo inventory sheet. By the time they had gotten that far Ms. Melissa was at the vault door telling them it was time to wash up for lunch.
Joe bit into the chicken sandwich and felt the sauce flow over and around his taste buds. Bryce was absolutely correct; the sauce was unbelievably good and brought out the best in the gas range grilled chicken. Joe heard a moan escape from Bryce’s lips he was enjoying the sandwich so much. Next to Joe’s sandwich a pile of home-made French fries and a pile of home-made sweet potatoe fries rounded out their meals. Ms. Melissa had the pitcher of sweet tea in the middle of the table and she was ripping into one the sandwiches.
The 3 of them ate in almost total silence and let the pleasure of the fantastic food flood their thoughts. Everybody was almost done as Melissa stood and walked toward the refrigerator. Joe watched as she opened the door thinking how much better can this meal get?
Melissa rummaged around in a drawer and returned to the table caring 3 small bowls and 3 spoons,
“I whipped something up for dessert, hope you like it.”
Joe looked down and recognized the strawberry that sat on the desserts top,
“Ms. Melissa this looks good what is it?”
Melissa smiled,
“I call it dreamboat, have a taste.”
Both men slowly dipped they spoons into the cup and scooped up what appeared to be strawberry mouse. They took the spoon and tried it; after the sensation of the taste had wowed them they took each and every bite as if they had all the time in the world. The small cups held around 6 teaspoons of the strawberry flavored treat and the men had finished in a few minutes.
After they helped clean up they headed to the door and bid Melissa Davis goodbye.
Melissa Davis handed a copy of the binder to Bryce to take with him and study as he walked out the door,
“I think you’re going to need this if you want to confirm those valuations and do some of the math. If you guys want, you can crash here tomorrow night and save a few dollars.”
Bryce looked at her with a far away gaze emanating from his face,
“Sorry, I was just daydreaming. If it won’t be a problem I think we’d like to take you up on your offer to spend the night. I was thinking, I knew about the machine gun and Calvin told me he had some guns. He never said I have 2 machine guns and a flame thrower. Or I have crates of AK’s to go with my collection of 50 other guns, one of which may be museum quality. It’s a shock and knowing he’s gone just kind of snuck up on me. I miss the guy, what can I say.”
Melissa Davis leaned over and gave Bryce a quick peck on the check,
“And that is why my husband admired and respected you. You’re special, that’s what it is. The thought of a dealer coming in here and just seeing wood, metal and plastic doesn’t appeal to me. If these guns are sold they should eventually end up in a home that loves and appreciates them as much as my husband did.”
Joe noticed the tears ever so slowly running down her face and realized that despite the brave front that this was a woman that was missing her husband in a bad way. It’s fair to say that some losses take longer to come to terms with than others. Which losses effect you the most can be tricky to understand till that time is upon you.
Joe smiled as Melissa Davis regained her composure to talk,
“Ms. Melissa thank you for having me, it was truly a unique experience. I’m kind of new to the gun world and this was a real eye-opener. Listening to you and Bryce discuss your husband makes me wish I had met him. Did I thank you for lunch? The chicken was excellent and Bryce is not kidding when he said the sauce was spectacular.”
Melissa Davis smiled,
“I’m glad you enjoyed it and thanks for letting me cook for you two. I’m so used to cook and freeze sometimes I forget that cooking for people is fun. Now Joe, you knock’em dead at your speech tonight.”
Joe nodded his agreement to do as she had suggested.
Bryce and Joe climbed into the Suburban and headed to the hotel so Joe could rest for his upcoming speech and Bryce could e-mail the list from the binder to Lazarus & Willy. Bryce was hoping that Lazarus & Willy could swing the purchase price. That MG-42 was one hell of a weapon and they had an opportunity to buy 2 of them plus a room of other guns and a stack of ammo at a good price.
Bryce guided the truck expertly down the road,
“Sorry about missing Graceland and the boomer factory. It might have just been worth it?”
Joe replied,
“Tell you the truth I thought maybe we could drive down when you get that deal done and we could maybe get a visit to the boomer factory and Graceland before we headed back home.”
Bryce pondered the statement as he made a left at the intersection,
“That might not be a bad idea if you’re doing OK with your book. I don’t want to be responsible for you falling behind.”
Joe exhaled loudly,
“You know what they say? All work and no play will make Joe a cranky boy. I’m on pace to meet my writing goals. The downtime has me caught up to where I wanted to be and Katherine has been doing a great job on her end. I wish I could write half as well as her with the same amount of effort that she expends. It just comes so naturally to her and what writing of mine she alters always seems to me like I could have written it other than the fact I’m medium talented and she is really good. I’d welcome the chance to head back this way in a week or two.”
Bryce entered the interstate and accelerated to 65 MPH,
“Well traveling with you is OK and if you want you can come. Can you imagine getting to fire off a belt or two out of that 42 or lighting up something with that flame thrower? Talk about cool.”
Joe was picturing himself behind the MG-42 and letting rip,
“Yes I can. Are they even legal in our state?”
Bryce stared at the road as he answered the question that had been bouncing around in his head since the door of the gun room opened,
“That’s a very good question. I know that suppressors are OK now but the MG-42’s and the flame thrower are mysteries. I’ll make some calls when we get back. Hopefully between Kansas & Missouri we can find someplace they are legal to keep them.”
The men returned to their hotel and Joe took a nap while Bryce worked the computer and looked over the revised security plan for Joe’s speech. At some point in the afternoon Joe heard a knock on their door which Bryce answered and he rolled over and fell back asleep.
At 2 hours till his speech was scheduled to begin the alarm sounded and Joe rolled over and out of the bed. Before he had an opportunity to stand the phone next to the bed rang and the computerized wake-up call he had placed came over the receiver.
He stood and did some stretching to get limbered up and get his blood flowing. After 10 minutes of stretching he went into the bathroom and shaved. It was then that he realized that the lunch he had at Melissa Davis’s was not making his stomach happy.
After 15 minutes it was obvious that maybe he was sick or that lunch was not settling well. While he wasn’t puking he was experiencing some GI distress that resulted in hasty trips to the bathroom. He pulled the OTC med bag from his duffle and found the pills that would allow him to get thru his speech without missing a beat.
He decided to let the meds do their job and walked into the sitting room to find Bryce and Ron going over the plan for that night’s security.
Bryce looked up from his laptop,
“My, my you don’t look like you feel good. Is there a problem?”
Ron looked over,
“Hey Joe, it is good to see you again. Bryce tells me you had an interesting day.”
Joe watched as the men watched him,
“My stomach is off. I don’t know if it’s a bug or something I ate. I took some generic Imodium, which should help if anything will.”
Bryce turned back to the laptop,
“Well I packed a few adult diapers, just let me know if you need one. Our extra guy Schmidt is in the lobby watching over everything. So far not a speck of trouble, but it’s early yet.”
Joe watched as he said it and again was disappointed to see he was being perfectly serious about the adult diapers,
“Please tell me you’re kidding about bringing the adult diapers? I’m too young for those. Have you ever had to use them?”
Both men turned and smiled at Joe without understanding he was seeing them both share that same small look of glee that older people occasionally have as they explain the pitfalls of age on a younger man’s body.
Ron was the one that spoke the words aloud,
“Well, I could tell you I’d used them on a stakeout or something but that would be a lie. I had some prostrate problems a few years back and the surgery messed me up. Some stuff inside was messed up I had had some bladder problems; I’ll spare you the technical details. I leaked like an old boat left outside too long if a laughed or coughed too hard. They really aren’t as bad as you think and infinitely easier and less embarrassing than peeing yourself.”
Bryce looked ashamed at having mentioned the adult diapers in front of Ron since he knew that Ron’s surgery was a scary and dangerous time in Ron’s life,
“Well, I’ve got them if you need them. You know what they say, that the show must go on.”
Joe returned to the bathroom to shower all the while hoping that the OTC meds would do their job and everything would be OK before he was to go on. The thought of talking to an audience while wearing adult diapers and worrying about exploding in his boxer briefs sounded like a pain in the butt. No pun intended.
Joe continued his pre-speech ritual and ended up asking for the adult diapers even if the OTC meds appeared to be doing their job.
The men left and headed down to watch the crowd and Joe waited backstage for the M.C. to introduce him.
Bryce watched from backstage as Joe was introduced and it felt different than when he had spoken to the other 3 groups. And while the south still had a little bit of a reputation for being friendly to guns and was maybe a little less PC than many other areas of the country Bryce still had qualms as Joe walked out onto the stage and began his talk.
Bryce watched as Joe started his speech and realized a person was running a broadcast quality HD video set-up. Since any type of video was expressly forbidden from the audience Bryce headed toward the violator to see if it was an honest mistake or if something more complicated was going on.
Bryce’s phone rang and he hit the switch on the headset,
“Hey, what’s up?”
Ron his ex brother-in-law replied,
“I just nabbed a guy that snuck into the function thru the kitchen and dressed as part of the catering staff. There was a scuffle and he said that they wanted to get video of your boy to put on the internet. He admitted to be working with a partner but he wouldn’t give me her description. Better stay on your toes.”
Bryce mulled the information over momentarily and made his way to the back of the room. He casually watched the crowd as he stood next to the wall and scanned the room. As he had changed position he had listened to Ron’s description of what had happened,
“Well, that’s good to know. I have a guy running video without permission. You said that you talked to with the patrolman on duty for this area. Any chance you could get them rolling this way just in case we have problems? I’d like to remove this guy since I think he is with your guy, but I’d prefer to do it quickly and quietly.”
His ex brother–in-law agreed,
“I can have Pollik send hotel security your way and they can affect the removal so you can keep eyes on Joe. I don’t know what their angle is this time, might just want to start some trouble and video it for the net. You see a woman that looks out of place?”
Bryce scanned the room looking for people that seemed out of place or nervous. He looked for clothes that didn’t match those of fellow attendees. Nervous behavior or people that seemed uncomfortable in their seat could also be a sign of an interloper. Facial expressions could also indicate approaching trouble. The United States Secret Service used facial expressions when they guarded the President. Bryce figured if they used it that must be a good indicator and used his experience as a cop and the limited training he had received to continue scanning the room. Bryce wasn’t having any luck till he noticed a plain looking woman sitting just 10 feet to his side. She had a tattoo peeking out of the collar of her white conservative blouse. And while tattoos had gone main stream the tattoo she sported looked like a prison tat that was applied using ballpoint pen ink and a sewing needle or guitar string.
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