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I think it is the time to bring Part 2 to a close. Just how good is Ed at what he does? I'll leave that to you to decide. There are some bad dudes here. Just how bad will be revealed. Some mysteries of the past are finally solved; however some may never be solved. There's Mindy again and what really is her involvement in this whole thing? I'll let you mull that over for a while. Let's just say her situation will eventually be resolved. The weapon I describe is a real weapon with capabilities as described. There will be a shooting, but no animals were harmed. I discovered this posting is over 17,000 words, so I might wait until Monday to start posting Part 3.

Chapter 26: Orange County California. Ed Goes to Work.

Al Conklin was tending bar as usual on a Friday afternoon, other than the two Fridays he’d lost while being in the slammer. Strangely, he received a paycheck even though he had missed more than a week on the job. Actually it wasn’t that strange at all. The little extra things he’d been doing on the side for Richard O’Donnell had been greatly appreciated and Richard made sure his bond was posted and also made sure he had this job.

The Judge at first hadn’t wanted to grant bail because Earl and Al had been a bit over-aggressive in their confrontation with a couple of gay protestors at the campaign rally. For some reason the judge changed his mind and they were granted bail, which Richard took care of. There was talk now that the two they beat up weren’t going to press charges. Press charges or not they were lucky the beating they received wasn’t any more severe than it was. ‘Fucking queers,’ thought Al.

It was still early and only a couple of the regulars were in and they were playing pool in the far corner. Al heard the unmistakable rumble of a Harley pulling up outside and shortly a burly sunburned cycle jock limped in. His hair was cut military short, but he had a short but full beard. He was wearing a vest made out of an old camouflaged field jacket. There were a number of organizational patches and various award ribbons fastened to it. There were also a number of marksman devices dangling down the front on one side.

“Christ, it’s hot out there. Gimme a Coors.”

“That’s quite a vest you got there. What flea market did you buy it from, the Rose Bowl?” joked Al.

“You fuckin’ son of a bitch, I got it at the same place I got this metal leg. I got the real one blowed off in ‘Eyerack’. What the fuck was you doing when we were over there killing gooks; sittin’ in this bar and jackin’ off?” Ed hated using this terminology. He had great respect for the Afghani and Iraqi people, but he had to play on the bigotry of Al and the others to make their plan work.

“Hey take it easy, pal. I didn’t mean anything. There’s always a bunch of these phony soldiers commin’ in here and I’m gettin’ tired of them. All those rag-head heathens over there should have been wiped out. Bush should have just turned all that sand into glass. We could have gone in there later and had all that oil for ourselves.

“What happened to your leg?”

“It was one of them IED’s. That’s a fancy name for a fuckin’ booby trap. Saddam left a lot of ammunition around and the gooks made bombs out of howitzer shells and other stuff. Anyway, one of them got me.

“Know what I got for it – a medical discharge and free medical at the VA. I didn’t get a fuckin’ penny. Thank God I had a little stash. I got the bike and a bed roll and not much more. I’ve been trying to get a job in security, but nobody wants an ex-GI sniper with one leg. Gimme another Coors.”

“You were a sniper?”

“Yeah, and a damned good one. I can hit a six inch circle at a thousand yards.”

“Shit! What did you use?”

“It was a special .50 caliber job. You want to see one? I got one put away somewhere private.”

“How’d you get one? Aren’t they hard to get?”

“Naw, I sent parts to a friend a bit at a time and pretty soon we had enough for two of ‘em. He got one and I got one. Thought it might come in handy some day.”

“Look, I might have a job for you. The name’s Al Conklin,” he said extending his hand.

“Ed Harris. Good to meet you,” said Ed while giving Al’s hand a firm grip and shake.

“How can I get a'holt of you?” asked Al

“Shit, I don’t know. I don’t have no place to hang out right now.”

“Can you tend bar? We’re short handed around here and could use some help. I might be able to get you a place to stay.”

“When you say you got a job for me, you don’t mean tendin’ bar do you?”

“Not exactly. I got a friend that wants to take care of a little problem. We sent a couple of guys to do it and we ain’t heard nothin’ from them.”
‘Bingo,’ thought Ed, ‘that’s one problem taken care of. They don’t know what happened. Time to put plan “B” into action.’

“You said you got a place where I can stay? I might be interested in doin’ a little bar tendin’ and anything special you got in mind. You gotta realize that special jobs are expensive. There’s a lot of risk.”

“Let me make a call.”

Al went over to the phone the counter behind the bar and dialed a number. Ed memorized the buttons pushed. It was a little knack he’d picked up. He also had the ability to listen very carefully and read lips.

“Yes sir, it’s Al. Have we heard anything from that worthless son of mine and his shit for brains friend? It’s been a month and a half since they last reported in. Maybe it’s a good thing we gave them only half the money up front. I swear that kid could fuck up a wet dream ….

“I know, Sir. I thought they had enough on the ball to get the job done. It should’ve been simple ….

“Maybe they’ll call in, in the next few days ….

“Are you still wantin’ to do the job? I think I got a guy you might want to meet ….

“Yeah, he’s an ex-sniper from the army. Got his leg blowed off and they kicked him out ….

“Okay, I’ll tell him. Good night.”

“He’s not sure right now, but I can use you here. We got a room upstairs in the back and there’s a shed where you can put your bike.”

Al opened the cash register and retrieved a key.

“If you’re interested, go take a look and then come back here and I’ll show you the ropes.”

“Okay,” said Ed and he took the key and limped out to his bike. The limp was contrived. Many people didn’t even realize he was missing everything below his right knee. Modern prosthetics had come a long way since the days of the pirates’ peg legs.

Ed parked the bike out back and climbed the stairs. It could certainly have been worse. It was fairly clean and it had a small bath and a kitchenette. He sat on the bed and got out his cell phone.

“Mike, it’s Ed, as if you didn’t know. I’m in. Buying off those two other bartenders worked. It was almost too easy. Here’s a phone number for you, 760-555-0199. He talked to someone and called him ‘Sir’. Have your guys run a trace on it. Al Conklin knows nothing about what happened up there. I’m glad we got to the locals in time here to stop the search for next of kin. I’m going to stay above the bar. It’s not too bad, really. I’m not sure where Scroggins is, but he can’t be far. Let me get situated for a few days before we have a cop come in and give Al the bad news ….

“Is Matt ready? …

“I think he has a couple of stunt men lined up,” responded Mike. “Matt says they are a couple of macho gays and like nothing better than having some straight guys pick fights with them so they can beat the shit out of them. They’re both hand-to-hand combat experts. Do you think you can meet them somewhere and go over the choreography? …

“They don’t have any problems looking and acting straight do they? I can meet them in a cycle bar over in Anaheim and we can go over things. I want to put on our little show after Al gets the bad news. I think the best time would be on a Friday or Saturday night. I want to feel out the crowd at this place first ….

“How’s Jo holding up? I imagine she’s getting stir crazy. I think we can let her out again. These guys haven’t heard from our two dead friends and don’t know anything about what happened. I think it was those two only. Like I said, Richard doesn’t want too many people involved ….

“Anyway, I dropped a hint that I could do ‘special ‘jobs’. They weren’t too excited but now they know.

“I’m going back to the bar and show them that those years working in the NCO Club didn’t go to waste.”

Ed found the bartending to be easier than he anticipated. Most of the customers were beer drinkers and most of them were lite beer drinkers. There were few calls for mixed drinks and most of those were pretty straightforward. A few customers drank straight liquor. The number of smokers was very high and they created a pall of smoke that burned one's eyes and nose. Ed had been genuinely trying to quit and had been cold turkey for three weeks. Moving back into this atmosphere had him smoking in short order. He vowed that once this operation was over he would never light up another one.

It was the following Wednesday afternoon when Ed and Al were cleaning up and getting ready for the night’s activities when a plainclothes officer showed up. He was carrying and made no attempt to hide anything.

“I need to speak to Albert Conklin. Is he around?”

“That’s me, copper. Why you bothering me? I’ve kept my nose clean.”

“I don’t have anything to do with that. I am Officer Brian McFadden of the Orange County Sheriff's Department,” he said, flashing his ID and badge. “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you. Would you like to go sit down for a moment?”

They went over to a table and sat while Ed listened in.

“I’m sorry this has taken so much time. I think there was some screw-up up north and we didn’t get the word they were looking for you. Your son William Conklin?”

“Yeah, what’s that dumb shit done now?”

“He and his buddy decided to attack a lady up in Redding and made a number of mistakes. They shot two cops. One of the cops killed the other guy and while William was getting ready to finish the one cop off, the lady blew his brains out with the cop’s gun. I have a picture for ID purposes; however, there’s no doubt it’s him. His prints are in all sorts of records.”

Al was quiet for a few moments. Finally he shrugged. “Well, one last fuck up in a long string of fuck ups. He never could do anything right. When did this happen?”

“Back in mid July.”

“Shit! Do we know who killed my kid?”

“Yeah, I have a reprint of an article from the Redding paper.” He handed the article to Al. “You can have it. They have his car up there and you can get it if you would like. There is an impound fee. William had over a thousand dollars in cash on him and you can get it too. They will just need some sort of ID or power of attorney before anyone can pick it up. Since you have been found, you may be responsible for the disposal of his body.”

“I don’t want his fuckin’ body. He’s been nothing but a pain in the ass since the day he was born.”

“You need to take that up with the City of Redding. I can’t help you there. I’m sorry to have to bring this sort of news to you, but I got to move on. I have some subpoenas to serve.”

Officer McFadden got up and extended his hand and Al ignored him. He turned and looked at Ed, and unseen by Al, winked and walked out the door. When the door closed, Al looked down and read the short newspaper article.

“Well, I’ll be a son of a bitch, that fuckin’ freak killed Billy and that goddam Mike O’Donnell was there too! Where in the fuck did he come from? Shit, we thought he was in Eyerack or one of those other heathen countries.”

“What are you talking about, Al? Do you mean you know who killed your son?”

“Ed, I gotta make a phone call. Would you clean up in here? I’ll be back in a while.” Al went to the back office and shut the door.

Ed continued the clean up and hoped that they had the taps in place. He had a feeling that the machine was starting to operate and Al had to be calling his boss. Ed would call Mike later on; however, he was confident that the deputy sheriff had already reported in. In two days a little more catalyst would be added to the mix. If the situation weren’t so serious, this could be fun.

Friday, August 19, 2005

A late summer heat wave was in progress and the thirst for refreshment drove a lot of rednecks and bikers into the bar looking for some cold beers. Ed was recognized as sort of a hero among the regulars and he wore his vest while tending bar. He overplayed his artificial leg and would complain about the crappy service he got from the VA. He felt sorry about doing it as they had actually done a spectacular job at the hospital in Sacramento, but it was for a good cause. The crowd was getting loud. The two pool tables were getting good use from the eight ball players and the usual shuffleboard players were going at it. The jukebox was cranking out a maudlin country western song when all of a sudden the front door flew open and banged against the wall. It was a grand entrance. In walked two rather unusual, considering the environment, individuals. They were both wearing skintight Levis and tee shirts. One of the tee shirts had the phrase ‘GAY POWER’ in three inch pink letters. The other shirt proclaimed ‘GAY PRIDE’. Both men had large gold hoop earrings and their hair was cut very close to the scalp. Their mustaches were exaggerated in their fullness and their eyebrows appeared to be sculpted. As they minced up to the bar, silence fell over the room like a dark blanket.

“Hi, bartender, my friend and I would like a couple of Grolsch Beers please, the ones with funny tops.”

Ed found them in the refrigerator and slid the two large green bottles across the bar. “That will be six bucks.

“Look, you two finish those beers and get out of here. We don’t normally cater to your kind in this establishment.”

“Don’t get yourself into a tizzy, bartender. We will stay as long as we like.”

The one with the GAY POWER shirt looked around him. He looked at the biker next to him who was wearing a filthy wife beater and assayed his bottle of beer. “Oooo, lite beer. Do you know why drinking lite beer is like making love in a canoe?”

“Can’t say that I do, fruitcake.”

“Because it’s fuckin’ near water.”

“The big, masculine biker man drinks wimpy lite beer, how disgusting,” remarked GAY PRIDE.

That was all the biker could stand. “Why you fuckin’ little pansy, I’ll show you who a wimp is.” He telegraphed a haymaker right and GAY PRIDE easily ducked it and returned a surprisingly powerful uppercut to the biker’s belly. The biker went to his knees, then rolled on his side while trying to get his breath back. GAY PRIDE turned back to the bar and took a slug from his Grolsch.

“Fuckin’ wimps,” remarked GAY PRIDE watching out of the corner of his eye at the biker’s pal who was wielding a pool cue and was moving in for a blow to GAY POWER’s head. As the cue descended toward GAY POWER’s head, he turned and stepped into the wielders space. He reached up with his left hand and caught the man’s wrist firmly. The cue flipped harmlessly to the floor. Almost simultaneously he ducked under and flipped the assailant to the floor. There was and audible ‘crack’ as the bones in his arm shattered. GAY POWER turned back to the bar and drained his Grolsch. “Two more Grolschs please.”

“Okay, assholes, you made your point. Now get out of here before I throw you out.”

“Oh, I’m scared. Why don’t you make me leave, soldier man?”

Ed stepped around the bar and the carefully choreographed dance began. As far as the other customers were concerned it was a real brawl and surprisingly the bar tender with the bad leg got the upper hand rather quickly. GAY PRIDE attacked first charging in and taking a swing. Ed easily blocked the telegraphed punch and countered with a strong right to the jaw. At least that’s what it looked and sounded like. GAY PRIDE’s head snapped back and a spray of blood flew from his mouth. Several teeth landed on the floor and GAY PRIDE sprawled across a nearby table.

GAY POWER then made his charge and Ed ducked and flipped him over his shoulder and GAY POWER went down on his back. Ed walked over and picked him up by his belt with one hand and carrying him over to the front door, threw him out on the parking lot. Ed then returned to the table where GAY PRIDE appeared to be regaining consciousness. Ed gave him the same exit treatment and walked back behind the bar.

“Fuckin’ queers. The next rounds on me,” He shouted. He then turned to the two injured bikers and their friends. “I think you better get your pal to the hospital. His arm’s broke.”

Al Conklin was working the other end of the bar taking the whole battle in. Having been raised on WWF, everything appeared real to him. Of course as far as the two injured bikers were concerned, it was very real. For Ed and the other two, they were Dean Kancitis and Andy Morris, it was just a movie fight scene. The three of them had met at a bar a couple days before on Ed’s afternoon off and after a couple of beers went to a local gymnasium and rehearsed the phony punches and falls. He had to explain the layout of the bar and what to expect. By the end of the rehearsal, they had gained a great respect for each other.

Ed was an expert at hand-to-hand combat and had worked as a bouncer along with tending bar during off duty time early in his career. In spite of his missing leg he remained in shape and had lost little in his combative edge.

Meanwhile the two actors were driving down the road laughing over what happened.

“That was fun, but that artificial blood tastes awful. I think I need a cold beer just to get the taste out of my mouth. Let’s go find a bar with the right type of people and for god’s sake, change these shirts.”

They sped off into the evening.

Chapter 27: Orange County, Sunday, August 21, 2005. Giving Rope

It was shortly after noon on Sunday that Ed got the knock on the door he’d been expecting. He heard the sounds of two people coming up the stairs and was on his way to the door when they knocked. When he opened the door there stood Al Conklin and Earl Scroggins.

“Come on in gentlemen. I was just thinking about taking a ride on my bike when I heard you coming up the stairs. Grab a chair. Anyone want a beer?” said Ed as he headed for the refrigerator.

“Ed this is Earl Scroggins, a friend of mine. We work for a man who we feel thinks a lot like you do. Anyway, we ain’t got time for a beer right now. We want you to come with us to meet him and we want to find out if you are any good at keepin’ your mouth shut.”

“Well if the cause is right or the money is right, it ain’t no problem at all. What do you have in mind?”

“We’ll let him do the talkin’,” said Earl. “You want to come or not?”

“Shit, I was just goin’ to waste time until we opened. Sure I’ll come.”

Ed grabbed a pack of cigarettes off the counter and they went downstairs and got into Al’s 1998 Ford Taurus and headed for a hilly region east of town.

As they climbed out of the valley the road wound in and out of the small canyons and swales of the grass covered hills. It hadn’t rained in months and the golden grass was tinder dry. Yet each time they passed a house, there was lush green vegetation and lawns. Sprinklers were running at a number of houses.

‘I would hate to have to pay their water bills,’ thought Ed. Eventually they came to a gated house near the top of a hill. The gate opened automatically. Looking up, Ed noticed a plastic device hanging from the rear view mirror which probably contained a microchip.

The house was two stories and had vast expanses of glass that allowed the occupants to get a spectacular view if the air was clear enough. A circular drive and a covered area were in front of the house where they parked. They got out and walked toward a rather ostentatious, paneled front door. Al pressed the button and they could hear the Westminster chimes inside.

It took a while, but they finally could hear someone coming to the door. They could hear bolts and chains being undone and finally the door was opened. There stood Assemblyman Richard O’Donnell wearing slacks and an open necked shirt.

“Come in gentlemen. Ah, Ed Harris, I’m Richard O’Donnell. Al has told me a lot about you. Apparently, you have some special talents. Let’s go back to my office.”

As they entered the office, Ed took in the displays that covered the walls. Here was Richard shaking hands with the current president of the United States. Next to that picture was one of him with an ex-Speaker of the House, another with a famous TV evangelist and right wing advocate, another with still another far right supporter, and on and on. Richard sat behind his desk and the other three found leather covered chairs.

“Tell me, Ed, what exactly did you do in the Army?”

“Well, sir, I was in the infantry. I spent some time in the army ‘bout 20 years ago and then got out for a while and tried to find a job. I didn’t find anything to my likin’, so I drifted from job to job for a while. I did stay in the guard and at least got some pay time when I had to go to summer camp and the weekends. When all this trouble started after 9/11 I told them I wanted to go active and they obliged. When we found someone that was shooting at the good guys, I’d get a high spot and take them out. It was real fun watching those gooks’ heads exploding. I’d only do that at close range. Most of the time I would go for the upper torso. A fifty caliber shell will take care of just about anything.”

“Al says you are pretty good. Do you think you could give us a demonstration?”

“My weapon is in storage. It’s kinda’ difficult to carry it around on my hog. Let me know when you want to see it. I’ll hafta borrow someone’s car and go get it.”

“I’m sure that Al or Earl can help you. Why don’t you get your weapon next Saturday and we will take it out to the ranch and give it a try.

“As you may or may not have heard, my organization is planning on me being governor of this state in two years. We are going to defeat the current governor in the primary in 2006 and then we are going to best whoever the other side throws at us. This state has been going in the wrong direction for too long, and the gay marriage thing is the road to hell. We are going to get rid of the gays and then we are going to get rid of the foreigners that are ruining this place for honest white Christians.

“Unfortunately, my son has gotten involved with a freak, a homosexual freak that thinks it is a woman. It has seduced him into an evil world of depravity. We thought that they were not an issue a few years ago; however, we could not afford to have it around. We can’t have anything like that coming up in a campaign. We sent two people to where it lives and they were supposed to terminate it. They failed, as we have just found out, and now we find out that my son is back in the picture. This is most unfortunate. We need to terminate this matter for the good of the state. We cannot afford another failure. If you can show me that you have the talent to do the job, then we will have a job for you.”

“This sort of work is very expensive,” said Ed. “I’m gonna need fifty percent up front and then fifty percent when the job’s done. I want 100 ounces of gold, American Double Eagles are best. We do the transactions in a location I tell you to. If I am crossed, the authorities will find out. When the job is done and I’m paid, you’ve bought my silence. I guess this job is important to you. You pay me and I guarantee you won’t be unhappy with the results. I’ll also need $5,000 cash up front for expenses.”

“You certainly sound awful sure of yourself. Have you done this before?” asked Richard. “I want to see some proof of what you can do.”

“As near as I can tell, I had 42 kills in Eyerack and Afghanistan. As for over here I’m not telling. I don’t discuss past jobs with anyone. Let me get my weapon and I’ll show you what I can do next Saturday.”

“Mr. Harris, if you can back up what you’re saying you can do, I think we have a deal. We’ll see you next Saturday morning. Al, let Mr. Harris have your car next week so that he can get his weapon.”

Richard got up and walked over to Ed and shook his hand. “I am really interested in seeing what you can do.”

They left the house and headed back to the bar. No one paid any attention to the cable TV workers on the pole alongside the road.

When they got back Ed told Al he was going to take a ride before they opened up later in the afternoon. It was a good day for a ride and Ed headed for Trabuco Canyon. He took the road up Limestone Canyon that paralleled the toll road and eventually stopped in a shaded picnic area. He lay back on his bike and called Mike.

“Mike, I’m dying here. Did you get it?”

“Loud and clear, Ed. I think this will give us what we need to get some search warrants.”

“You got what he said about Jo? He is one sick son of a bitch.”

“Yeah, that was just like what he said my junior year in high school. That was the last time I ever spoke to him.”

“How’s Jo doing? Is she happier since we let her out?”

“She is much happier. We have your security folks watching her pretty closely and they are strategically placed along her running routes and I’m lagging behind her. The hospital parking lot security is a lot tighter too. They didn’t really have much before all this started.

“We need to get these guys behind bars soon. Jo doesn’t want to get married or start a family until after they are locked away; so the sooner the better. This living together is wonderful, especially since we are so sure about things. But this living in fear of your life does take the edge off of it.”

“Mike, I’m going to send those two stunt men up there that helped me stage the brawl here the other day. I want them to train Jo on how to appear as if she’s been shot. I am also going to have them bring some special equipment. I don’t want any doubt in these guys’ minds that Jo has been blown away and I think I’ll have Scroggins accompany me up there. I’m sure they have the address where you are living. We are going to trail Jo for a while so that we can pick a place to do this dastardly deed. I want Scroggins to take videos and they are going to have to be convincing. A number of people are going to be unhappy for a while. Other than the immediate family, everyone is going to have to believe she is dead.

“I’ve got to get back to the bar and change the batteries in my cigarette pack. I’ll let you know when we are on our way. Get everyone ready.”

Ed then called the two stunt men and briefed them on what they needed to do. Climbing on his bike, he headed the long way around and back to the bar.

Friday August 26, 2005

The rest of the week was largely uneventful for Ed. On Friday he asked Al for the keys to his Taurus. Having been instructed to do so, Al passed him the keys. Ed took the car and parked it several blocks away and did a quick search to determine if it had been bugged. If he’d found anything, he would have disabled the car and found a ride back, telling Al that the car had broken down. He did not want any tails.

The car proved to be clean and Ed headed for the storage facility. The gun was right where it was supposed to be, as was the case of video equipment. There was plenty of ammunition and hidden behind the foam rubber was a clip loaded with blank cartridges. He placed the fiberglass case on the back seat and returned to the bar.

Once back at the bar, he had Al come up to the room and he proceeded to show Al everything he needed to know about the weapon. His weapon had a number of unique features that were key to the success of the operation. He didn’t show those to Al.

“This weapon was first introduced by a special weapons company. It is fifty caliber and has an effective range of 3000 yards or 1.7 miles; however, I would much prefer to use it at 1000 yards or less. I have had this one modified to accept this silencer. This does affect the range and accuracy somewhat and that is another reason to keep the distance down.

“We’ll need to find a sheltered location where we can get a firm rest. You don’t just stand there and fire this thing like you’re shooting a .22.

“I want someone along on this and I want to bring proof back that the deed was done. This is a video camera with a telephoto lens setup. Someone is going to record this job while I’m doing it and it is going to be up to Mr. O’Donnell to pick someone to go along with me.

“Having seen the newspaper clipping that the cop brought in the other day I’m assuming this job is to be done in Redding, in which case I will need to get familiar with the area there.

“Tell Mr. O’Donnell that I’m ready to show him how this thing works.”

Al Conklin stood there looking at the disassembled weapon. He couldn’t believe what it looked like. He could recognize some of the parts, but overall it looked like a three dimensional puzzle. What really impressed him was the size of each cartridge.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

The next morning Ed, Al and Earl drove to Richard O’Donnell’s ranch. It was in the hills near Moreno Valley. The range was in a small side canyon and, from the looks of it, was frequently used. Ed noted a handgun range as well as a rifle range. They pulled into a small parking area and Richard was waiting for them. They were the only people there. After exchanging greetings, Ed looked over the range.

“This is hardly enough room to demonstrate what this can do. What do you want me to use as a target?”

Richard spoke up, “We have some silhouette targets in the shed. Earl, go set up a couple.”

Earl went to the shed and found a couple of targets already mounted on frames. He took them to the back of the range and set them in place. The targets had a picture of Osama Bin Laden with concentric circle targets on his head and torso.

When Earl returned, Ed had everyone drive down the road away from the target area. About a half-mile down Ed had them stop by a large boulder. They got out and Ed brought the two cases with him and placed them on the boulder.

“I don’t want any doubt that this mission is completed. I want someone to take pictures during the job and I don’t want any screw-ups. There’s only going to be one chance at this.”

Ed proceeded to demonstrate how to work the camera and he took pictures of everyone. He then assembled the rifle and loaded up a clip with five cartridges and locked it into place.

“Normally, everyone should have ear protection. But since I’ve put the silencer on we won’t need it. In real life, the bullet gets there before the sound. So as far as what your shooting at it’s immaterial whether they hear it or not. We don’t want other people to know where the bullet came from.

“Okay, let’s see what this thing will do.”

Ed placed the rifle securely on the rock and checked the wind. There was virtually none. After adjusting his scope for the elevation change, he brought the first shell into the chamber. Sighting and holding his breath briefly, he squeezed the trigger. There was a loud ‘pffupt’. He repeated the firing four more times, taking only a few seconds between each shot. He then loaded up the clip with five more cartridges and fired off five more rounds.

The other three were eager to get to the target, but Ed had them wait until his weapon cooled and he disassembled it and put it back into its case. Then they got back into the cars and drove back up to the parking area. Richard got out first and immediately headed for the targets.

“Holy Shit,” Richard exclaimed as he reached the targets. He unhooked them and brought them back to the car. Al and Earl gathered around the targets. Ed didn’t bother looking.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ’” exclaimed Al. “If I didn’t fuckin’ see it I wouldn’t believe it.”

There were two concentric rings about six inches in diameter on Osama’s forehead. Most of the inner ring was gone. On the second target all five holes were inside the eight-inch circle on Osama’s chest.

Ed looked disdainfully at the results. “Sloppy shooting! That first shot I took touches the edge of that outer ring. I sure hope that’s good enough for you.”

“I think you will do just fine.”

“Do you have a specific time and place in mind? I need some pictures. And who do you have in mind to accompany me? I don’t want to rent a car because many of them have GPS and computer systems that can record exactly where I’ve been. We need something that is nondescript, something that won’t stand out. I’ll need my $5,000 so that I can find something appropriate for the trip. We can’t use Al or Earl’s car, as the police know them. Even if the charges against them have been dropped we can’t afford to have their car identified. I am assuming this job is to be done in Redding?”

“We can’t afford a screw up like last time and it looks to me as if you are a real professional, not like the bungling amateurs that we sent before,” said Richard glaring at Al. “I think if we go back to my place we can get the cash for you today. Tell me where you want the gold delivered and I’ll have someone deliver it to you.”

They followed Richard back to his house and proceeded to his office. Richard opened up a wall safe and brought out a bundle of fresh one hundred dollar bills and counted off 50. He then went to a filing cabinet and pulled out a folder. He pulled out several pictures and handed them to Ed along with the $5,000. There was a picture of Jo coming out of her house and another at the hospital. There was also a distant shot of her running and another one of her going into a Chinese restaurant.

“I think these pictures will do fine,” said Ed. “I will let Al know where the exchange will be. Meanwhile, I need someone we can trust to come with me to Redding. Since Earl seems to know how to operate the camera, I think he’ll do.

“If we can make the exchange on Wednesday, I think we can head up there on Thursday and check things out. We’ll pick a place and time. I notice she’s a runner. That might be a good spot to do it. We’ll just have to see.”

There wasn’t much said on the return to the bar. It was Saturday and the usual amount of work had to be done to get the place ready for the night’s activities. Al wanted to discuss the shooting demonstration he saw. But Ed put him off, saying there had to be at least a dozen sharpshooters over in ‘Eyerack’ that were better marksmen than he was. Actually, this was probably an understatement when considering the three services.

*************************

Ed had been the chief enlisted man in Mike’s squadron and as First Sergeant, had to wear many hats. The position of First Sergeant was really below his rank, but he'd wanted to work with Mike. He wanted to see if his intuition was correct. His connections in the Pentagon and elsewhere pretty much assured him of getting the position he wanted. Needless to say he had not been disappointed in Mike at all. Mike had been shocked to see a Chief Master Sergeant reporting to him for duty and until everyone had left his tent had managed to keep everything on a very professional level. When the last of the enlisted personnel had departed Mike’s tent, he’d grabbed Ed in a big bear hug.

“I don’t believe you’re here, and propriety and rank be damned, I’m sure glad to see you. How did you do this? I can’t believe it’s an accident.”

“Don’t ask too many questions, Lieutenant. Let’s just say I wanted to serve one more combat tour and I’ve been keeping track of your whereabouts. I’m still young and have been fortunate to have a very interesting and fulfilling career. I called in a few IOU’s, and here I am. When we are somewhere where we can buy a beer I’ll fill you in on some of the details. Right now we have a little war to take care of.”

Less than a year later he lost his leg and had to wait to see Mike until after they were both civilians. Still, it had been worth it and it would really be worth it when this mess was taken care of.

Sunday, August 28, 2005

It had been a typical Saturday night in a redneck biker bar. There was a lot of smoke, loud talk and beer. It was 3:00 AM before Ed got to bed and he was up at nine. After cleaning up he took his bike to an IHOP several miles away. He was led to a booth in the smoking section and noted the large number of customers in both sections of the restaurant. The background noise would probably cover most of his conversation. He got out his cell phone and called Mike.

“Good morning, Mike. Were you able to get anything yesterday?”

“Everything was loud and clear from the house. I take it everything went fine at the range.”

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I hadn’t fired that weapon in a couple of weeks; however, it came back quickly. I wowed them. I let them think it was nothing, but I was proud of what I was able to do. Those practice sessions I had were a big help. Did our friends show up?”

“What a couple of characters. Jo loves them. They have been teaching her how to fall and how to react as if hit when the charges go off. She has picked it up fast. They have also been teaching her some self-defense moves.

“There have been some interesting developments. It appears that the money we’ve seen is coming from campaign funds. The FBI has reviewed the records and video from the bank. The money was withdrawn from the campaign account and guess who did it? I’ll give you a hint: Cinderella.”

“That was the only choice I could come up with,” said Ed. “So our friend Mindy is involved in this. I wonder how deep that involvement goes? Anyone who did what she did to you and Jo has to be pretty low.

“Things are coming together very fast here. As you know, Richard gave me a $5,000 expense account. Supposedly I’m going to use it to get a clean car. We need the Feds to find a car for us if they haven’t already. I want a tracking device and if they can hide the GPS antenna, GPS would be great. I also want it bugged so that every word spoken is recorded. We might be able to get Earl to open up a bit.

“They are supposed to give me the first installment on Wednesday. I have specified that it must be in a public place. What I would like is a public park with some nearby buildings so that we can get it all on camera. I’ve been scouting a few out and Low Park in Riverside looks like it might work. Have the Feds check it out and let me know.

“Earl and I should be up there late Thursday. I’ll get one of those motels just off the Interstate before Earl and I scope the area out. The jogging trail is a natural. I want to find a relatively secure location where we can hide and not be easily observed coming and going.

“Well, my breakfast is here. Page me when you know something.”

Ed got the page on the way back to the bar. He pulled into a convenience store lot and returned the call.

“Ed, everything is just about set. Low Park will be fine. A bearded man will be on a park bench and will be reading a copy of the LA Times. What time do you want to do this?”

“Ten AM should be just fine.”

“The FBI has a 1999 Buick Le Sabre for you and it will be at Solomon Brothers over in Anaheim. Just tell them who you are and they will hand over the keys.

“We’ve been checking out the jogging route and think we have a spot that is perfect. Part of the old sewage treatment plant is up against the bluff. We found a couple of buildings there that would make a good ambush site. The old road is still usable and it will be conveniently available. The gate will appear as if it has been vandalized and left partially open.

“We’ll know where you are at all times once you get the car. Just call if you need to give us an update. Do you think Saturday morning will work if the weather holds out?”

“Let’s do it Saturday. You’ll get reports from the surveillance teams about the money exchange. I’ve got to get back to the bar. See you in a week or so.” Ed and turned off the phone.

Al was working in the bar, getting ready for the evening’s trade. As Ed came in Al looked up, “Been out a while,” he stated.

“Yeah, I went to the IHOP for breakfast, then I cruised some of the used car lots to see if there is something that meets my needs. There wasn’t anything I wanted, so I might have to go over towards Anaheim to find something tomorrow.”

Monday, August 29, 2005

The next day Ed headed to Solomon Brothers to check out the car. It was exactly what he needed. The mileage had been adjusted upwards significantly to justify a lower price, although there really wasn’t one. Ed rode back to the bar and asked Al to drive him to the car dealer so he could pick up the car.

When they got there, Ed let Al feel he was involved in the sale by letting him inspect the vehicle and offer his opinion as to its worthiness. Al did the usual checks, none of which really would have found anything wrong with the vehicle.

Al acceded that it looked like a pretty good deal and Ed made a show of passing the cash over to the ‘salesman’. Ed got the bill of sale and thanked Al for the ride saying he would be back at the bar later in the afternoon. Once Al was gone, Ed and the ‘salesman’ went over the features of the car. They could not use a GPS system, but they had other hidden transmitters that would suffice. They had also installed an emergency transmitter that Ed could activate if necessary. In his six years of undercover work, Ed had worked closely with the FBI and was well known in the agency. There would be future exchanges of service.

Ed then called Al at the bar and told him he had to notify his insurance company to add the car to his policy. The insurance company would FAX a proof of insurance to the dealership so that he could take it to the DMV to get registration and plates. Of course the plates were already there and being fastened to the car. He then told Al where the first payment was to take place and Al passed the word to Richard. The entire exchange was recorded.

Chapter 28: Tuesday, August 30, 2005. The Noose Tightens

Ed got up relatively early and drove to Riverside to the downtown branch of the Bank of America. He stopped at the information desk and was directed to a glass enclosed office along one side of the lobby. As he walked in, the man behind the desk got up, came around and shook his hand. They talked for a while and he passed a small envelope to Ed. He then had Ed sign a signature card. They got up and shook hands again and Ed returned to his car.

From the bank he drove a few blocks to the southwest on Magnolia Avenue to Low Park. It was a small park built into a wedge of land on the west side of Magnolia Avenue just south of Palm Avenue. He noted an apartment building and office building to the west and an office building across Magnolia to the east. He confirmed what he’d seen earlier. The south end of the park was going to be ideal.

He got out his cell phone and called Mike. “Mike, I’m in Low Park just checking out the lay of the land and it appears as if the picnic table on the south end would be ideal.”

“Let me check, Ed….”

“Ed, they’re telling me that the table to your left is the best one. They’re getting good video and sound. Their man will be there in the morning and he’ll be holding the table for you.”

“Okay, Mike. This thing should be over in a few days.”

Ed headed back to the bar to get ready for the evening. Al had told him that he was hiring another bar tender and they would have to train him quickly, as Ed wouldn’t be there for the weekend. When he arrived he found the new hire already getting the indoctrination from Al. Al had taken him back to the office and was showing him how the security camera system worked. The cameras were aimed at the registers and the exits and two other cameras were covering most of the floor area.

“Hey, Ed, I want’cha ta meet Frank Kennedy. He’s going ta be workin’ for us while you’re on your business trip and he’ll probably stay on, as good as business is.”

“Glad ta meet you, Frank. We can certainly use another hand here,” said Ed while shaking his hand. “Al showin’ you how everything works?”

“Yes sir. Al tells me you took care of a couple a queers a while ago.”

“Yeah, they thought they was tough and beat up a couple of customers. I didn’t think it was good for business and asked them to leave. They didn’t leave, so I threw them out. They wasn’t nearly as tough as they thought.”

Ed turned to Al, “Al, can you and me talk in private for a moment? I gotta a couple of things we need to talk about.”

“Sure, Ed. Frank, you keep cleanin’ up out here while Ed and me go to the office.”

They went to the office and Al closed the door. “What’cha got on yer mind, Ed.”

“Al, I was just thinkin’. Why don’t you write a letter givin’ Earl permission to pick up your son’s car? After this thing goes down, they might be lookin’ for two people in one car. You never can tell when a witness might show up, and if we come back in two cars, it might just confuse the cops a bit.

“I guess all you would have to do is write a letter saying you give permission for Earl to pick it up. You will have to pay the impound fees and he will get to ride back on his own. If we split up, it’ll just make it easier for us to get back. I’ll just cut over to 395 and come down the back way and Earl can take whatever route he wants.”

‘If he buys this,’ thought Ed, ‘he really is dumb. If he doesn’t, we’ll just have to get Earl when he gets back.’

Al thought about it for a while. “You know that car’s paid for. I could sell it here and get some extra cash. Yeah, better I get the money than allow the cops to get it.”

“Sounds good to me. Why don’t you call them and find out what it’s gonna cost to get the car back?”

“I don’t feel like talking to any cops, especially ones that got my boy killed.”

“Tell ya what, I’ll get the number and call them and pretend to be you. They don’t know what you sound like.”

“That’s good of ya, Ed. Thanks.”

Ed got the phone book out and pretended to hunt for the area code for Redding. He wanted Al to hear the whole process, so he called information and had them give the number for the police station.

Ed then dialed the number and when the police operator answered, he identified himself as Al Conklin and the operator immediately connected him to Mike after first advising Mike who it was.

“Yes Mr. Conklin, what can we do for you?”

“You got my son’s car up there and seeing as how he got hisself kilt, I was wantin’ to get the car back. What I gotta to do to get it? A friend o’ mine is going up there and I told him to pick up my car for me.”

Mike immediately realized it was Ed and played along. “Let me check. When’s he going to pick it up?”

“Should be Thursday or Friday.”

“That’s 54 days. It’s $10.00 a day, but for the monthly rate of $200.00 per month, we can let you pick it up for $400.00.”

“Shit, I don’t think I want to pay that much.”

“Well, take it or leave it. We’re fixin’ to send it to auction. It ought to get twice that there.”

Ed turned to Al, who could hear the entire conversation. Al nodded his assent.

“We’ll get it. What do I gotta do to let my friend pick it up?”

“Get a notarized letter giving your friend permission to pick up it and your kid’s personal stuff. We will also need a bank check or cash for $400.00.”

“Thank you officer, my friend will be there Friday. Where’s the car at?”

Mike gave Ed the address of the impound yard and Ed wrote it down. He thanked Mike again and hung up.

“Al, we don’t got a lot of time for this. You need to take Earl to some notary and get that letter. Frank and I can get things ready here while you’re out.”

Al thought that was a good idea and called Earl and told him he would pick him up so that they could get the letter. He then left the bar in Ed and Frank’s hands.

After Al left, Ed made sure the security system was off and walked over to Special Agent Steve Birnbaum, aka, Frank Kennedy and gave him a big handshake.

“Man, it’s good to see you, Steve. I’m not sure how much longer I can pull this thing off. I keep finding myself wanting to punch them out. How are things going on your end?”

“Ed, the Federal Attorneys’ are looking at a bunch of major indictments. We are pretty sure we can get O’Donnell on a Murder One charge and more than likely, Solicitation to Commit Murder. .Several racketeering as well as misuse of campaign funds charges are pending. Conklin and Scroggins are probably, at a minimum, going to get accessory to murder charges. We are also looking at possible violations of federal and state hate crime laws based on Scroggins’ past history and what we have on tape from your visits and other telephone calls.

“Going back to 1987, we are beginning to think there may be a connection with this group to the death of Isaac Pfeifer. He was killed in an auto accident near Loma Sierra.”

“Steve, I was an Air Force Recruiter in Loma Sierra back in 1994. I heard about that incident. Apparently, he was a well respected member of the community. Mike’s dad filled the spot on the city council vacated when he died. I never tied that incident to what’s going on now until you mentioned it. I wouldn’t put it past that bastard to have been involved.

“Okay, what do we have to do here?”

“Hang on a second while I get my tool kit from my car.”

Steve returned with his bag of tricks and they proceeded to wire the place. They put a small transmitter in the security system. Steve explained it was just a backup. They then placed a number of small cameras and microphones in various locations. Those basically looked like nail heads and old knots in the wooden beams and paneling.

“These don’t send a signal very far. Did you see the old van in the junkyard across the street?”

“No.”

“Well it looks like hell on the outside, but it is nicely air conditioned. When all this comes down, four agents will be in the van and four more just down the street. I’m sure they will ask me to leave. When I go outside, that will be the signal for six of them to move up with me. The guys in the van will tell us when the transaction is completed and we will come in and make the arrests.”

Steve flipped open his cell phone, which also acted as a two-way radio and verified they were receiving signals in the van. They were. Ed then turned on the security TV system and insured the tapes didn’t reveal anything. If there ever were a question about the blank period, he would just tell Al that it must have inadvertently been turned off when he was demonstrating it. It turned out to never be a problem.

By the time Al and Earl returned, Frank (Steve) and Ed were serving to the first of the afternoon’s customers. One of them was the biker who had wielded the cue and his arm was in a cast. He was relegated to driving a car for a while. His break was so severe he'd had to have two stainless steel rods inserted: one in the radius and one in the ulna. His arm would never be quite the same, although he would be back on his bike in about three months.

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Ed drove up to Low Park on his Harley. He was wearing a wife beater. He walked up to the table where a gentleman with a full beard, wearing a black coat and hat, sat reading a copy of the LA Times. Ed sat on the bench seat and got out a cigarette, lighted it and blew a cloud of smoke toward the old man. The man got up, picked up his newspapers and stormed off.

At exactly 10:00 AM, a Lincoln Town Car parked at the end of the cul de sac and a young woman got out. She was carrying a handled paper sack and she walked straight to Ed. It was Mindy Rudolph, or whatever her current last name was. She placed the bag on the seat next to Ed and stepped back and turned to walk away.

“If you don’t mind, stay right there until I make sure this is the correct merchandise.” Ed opened the bag and pulled out five tubes of ten coins each. He opened each tube carefully and checked each double eagle closely. When he’d examined all 50, he turned to Mindy and said, “You can go now.”

Mindy turned and walked back to the Lincoln. As the door opened he could see an individual sitting in the driver’s seat. He didn’t have to guess who it was. He’d seen the car at Richard O’Donnell’s house and at the target range.

As soon as Richard and Mindy left, Ed picked up the bag and walked over to the Harley where he put the paper bag in a saddlebag. He then drove to the Bank of America and went to the same office he’d before. He knew he was being followed, but that didn’t bother him.

The gentleman from the office escorted Ed to the safety deposit area.

“Did you see that guy who followed me in?” Ed asked him.

The other man nodded.

“That’s Richard O’Donnell’s son-in-law. He followed me from the park. None of these guys are very bright.

“Okay, I handled each gold piece by the edge only. I did touch the bottom edge and the caps of the four tubes when I opened them; however, I think you should be able to get good prints from the coins and the tubes. I’m going to head back to the bar now and get ready for our trip. We sure appreciate what you guys are doing in this. It’s good to be working with you again.”

Ed got back to the bar and asked Al to get hold of Earl. Ed decided he wanted to get on the road earlier than he’d originally planned. He then drove to the storage facility and retrieved the rifle and the video cam. By the time he got back to the bar, Earl was waiting for him. They put Earl’s luggage in the trunk and headed for Interstate 5. It was 2:00 PM and Ed wanted to get through the interchanges before the afternoon rush hour. That was wishful thinking. Traffic in Los Angeles could turn to shit in a moment’s notice. Traffic was bad around the 610 and 710 and ground to a halt at the Pasadena Freeway. It crawled from there until they got past Burbank. Still, they were in Santa Clarita in an hour and a half. The going was easy after that. The trip would take nearly nine hours.

“Earl, you ever done anything like this before?”

“Yeah, but it’s been a while. Me and Al took care of a queer Jew a while ago. That worked pretty good. We fixed his car so it wouldn’t start and then just happened to come by and offered to help. It was real dark and Al hit him on the head with a wrench. We started his car and I drove him up towards the Flats. We loosened his fuel line and set the car on fire and ran it off the cliff. I’ll bet it was just like Hitler’s ovens. Damned Christ killers should all have been wiped out

“It really worked good too. Mr. O’Donnell got elected just like we planned. That job paid good too, but not as good as what yer gettin’. Of course everything costs more these days. If that idiot son of Al’s had done what he was paid to do, we wouldn’t have to be making this trip.”

Ed decided he’d heard enough and turned on the radio. He would have to suffer through a lot of country western, not that it was not enjoyable in smaller doses, but he knew it was either that or listen to radical right wing outpourings from his fellow passenger for the entire trip.

“Earl, there’s something you gotta remember. When you’re drivin’ back, don’t do anything to call attention to yourself. If the car has cruise control, use it. Do not go more than one or two miles per hour over the speed limit. Stay in the right or middle lanes. Do not drink under any circumstances. I aim to make sure you get a share of the loot and if you’re in jail, you ain’t gonna be able to spend anything.

“We’re gonna get to Redding at about 11:00 tonight. This gal or whatever it is likes to get out in the morning and run along the river. I’m going to have to get up at 5:00 and you are going to be with me. We can check several possible locations on Thursday and Friday morning. Fewer people are out on Saturday morning and that should be the time for this piece of business to be taken care of.”

When they reached Stockton, twilight still painted the western horizon; however, as they headed up through the Delta region the bugs started coming out and they had to stop twice to clean off the windshield and refill the washer. Still, they pulled into the motel at 11:15.

Thursday, September 1, 2005

Ed enjoyed getting up early and was tired of the late hours he had to keep. He really enjoyed getting Earl up early. They were out the door at five AM and headed for the town house compound. Ed had Earl give him the address and they wandered around for a while before they found the right place. They cruised along the street slowly and one of Ed’s security officers was driving through the neighborhood from the opposite direction. An FBI officer was in the car with him and he was on the radio with Mike.

“Mike, if you two go out now, they should be able to see you,” said the officer. “He has Scroggins with him. Tell Jo to look pretty.”

Meanwhile, Ed was talking to Earl. “See that car back there?”

“Yeah.”

“That was a rent-a-cop. I can smell them a mile away. Lookin’ at all these high-class houses, I can see why they have them. There’s only one way in and one way out and with this security we don’t want to try anything here.

“Look, there she is and I’ll bet that other one is her queer lover. Man, it’s amazing what they can do these days. She sure is good looking.”

“That ain’t no woman. I remember when it was a boy. I don’t care how good it looks; it is an abomination and needs to be eliminated.”

“I’m with you, Earl. Let’s see if we can find another location along that trail where we can get close.”

They drove out of the residential area and found a road that generally paralleled the river and jogging path. They found several access roads to picnic areas and play grounds, but there were too many houses and/or businesses close by. Finally, Ed saw the spot he’d been told about. He could see the partially overgrown road and the gate that had been broken off its hinges that was lying to one side.

“What have we here?” said Ed. “This could be what we’re looking for. Let’s take a peek. Why don’t you go over there and pull that gate out of the way so we can drive down there.”

Earl reluctantly got out and pulled the heavy gate the rest of the way off the road. He got back in and they drove over the grass and shrubs that had come up in the decaying asphalt. The spot was ideal. A couple of concrete buildings were against the bluff and one had a stair to the roof. Ed thought the roof was too exposed and people might see them from the trail. They went down, pushed a door open and found a rather filthy room that had probably been lived in periodically. It had also been the spot for some romantic trysts if the discarded condoms were any indication. A steel frame window, missing most of its glass opened over the slight bluff. The trail was about 400 yards away and was slightly down hill from where they were.

“Quick, go get that camera. I want to see what sort of picture we can get.”

Earl got the video camera and just as they got it set up and on, Jo came along the trail. She was gliding along as usual and her speed was deceptive. Mike was nowhere to be seen. He still wasn’t ready to keep up with her. Jo was wearing a running suit and what appeared to be a light sweatshirt or windbreaker over her usual running shirt. Earl didn’t have a clue. It was still too warm for such attire. They both checked out the image on the screen and agreed it was large enough to see the results of the bullet.

Jo was making the turn to head back.

“That’s where we do it,” said Ed. “She’s facing us head on. It’ll be a snap.

“Let’s go get some breakfast and get that car.”

Things were pretty routine after that. Ed and Earl showed up at the Police station and presented the letter to get Billy’s cash and personal belongings, then went to the impound yard and presented the letter and $400.00 so they could get the car. Sgt. Braun was the attendant, although that was not what his work shirt indicated. After making a big thing about signing the paper work, he presented the keys to Earl.

Basically, this allowed Ed to turn Earl loose for the day so he could talk to anyone he needed to without being overheard. They agreed to meet after dinner and continue their surveillance the next day.

Ed called Mike and determined that they had the transmitter on Earl’s car and would at least know where the car was at any time. They had also put a remote switch in the light circuitry so that one of his brake lights and turn signals would fail whenever they wanted them to.

“Is Jo ready for this, Mike? I know this has been tough on her.”

“She’s great. She’s looking forward to the end of it. If all goes well, we should have them all put away by Sunday afternoon.”

“Has she been practicing her falls? I know it’s going to be uncomfortable, but she has to look convincing on the video.”

“Andy and Dean say she is a real pro. They want to hire her as a movie double, but she says she will stay a doctor in Redding. She doesn’t want to leave me for Hollywood.”

“OK. I’m going to rehearse with Earl tomorrow. Do you have any spot in mind where we could leave his car for his get away? I was thinking the Mount Shasta Mall might be as good as any. It’s on my way out of town and he can get on Interstate 5 quickly from there. You can pick him up anywhere you want to. He has to think it’s a real bust. He’s going to get one phone call and we don’t want him alerting the bunch in Southern California. Everyone has to think that he was just unlucky and got caught. If he thinks it’s legit, he won’t call O’Donnell for fear of alerting us as to who the other parties are. I’m willing to bet that he’ll just ask for a public defender. And once we present the evidence he’ll start to sing.”

“We have some interesting news from the boys in Southern Cal. Based on your discussion the other night, they got a search warrant and searched his place. They were dressed as termite inspectors so they didn’t arouse any suspicion. I don’t know exactly what they found; however, I’ve been told that it’s very interesting. The FBI is flying a couple of agents up here for the questioning.

“I’ll tell Jo to expect Saturday morning.”

“I’m going to run down to Chico to see the wife and kids. They know enough not to ask questions and I am going to assure them that I’ll be home Sunday night. We are going to have to get our families together soon. Keep track of Scroggins and let me know if he’s doing anything strange. If he wants to know where I was, I’ll tell him I was doing some target practice.”

Ed drove off to Chico and spent a very enjoyable afternoon with his wife and children.

Friday, September 2, 2005

Ed and Earl drove back to the old water treatment plant after once again watching Mike and Jo leave the house and rehearsed the next day’s operation. It was critical that the shooting was filmed. They both went back to their respective rooms at the motel and kept low profiles.

Ed had a couple of cold beers in the refrigerators and he ordered a pizza. He spent the next few hours going over everything. He wanted to make sure nothing could go wrong, although he knew Murphy was out there somewhere, he hoped that he was still in Afghanistan. At about 10:00 PM he had Earl drive his car over to the Sears auto repair parking lot at the Mount Shasta Mall. He figured this was the least conspicuous place to leave a car and the easiest place for Earl to get back on the Interstate. Of course, the police knew it was there. Ed then drove them back to the motel.

Chapter 29: The Last Act of Tosca. Pat, Where Have You Been?

Mike really wanted to take Jo out to dinner; however, he felt that the mounting pressure of the next day’s events would make things less than enjoyable. So he figured the next best thing would be if he fixed dinner. He had the Caesar salad done by the time she got home and was preparing fresh artichokes and corn on the cob. It was late for corn, but these ears had looked good when he’d stopped at the grocery. The wine cooler kept the red and white wines at the right temperature so he didn’t have to worry about that.

“I guess that’s another reason I love you. Even if you can’t cook, you try,” said Jo as she planted a big kiss on Mike’s lips. “Of course I can’t cook any better than you can, so I had best keep my mouth shut.”

“We both have our areas of inexpertise,” replied Mike. “You are worse in some areas and I’m in others. I’ll tell you what neither of us can mess up and that’s a good bottle of wine. Why don’t I open up a bottle of Prosecco and we can toast to the end of our adventure while I’m grilling these steaks. I’m going to do them on the indoor grill so I can watch everything. I wasn’t sure when you would be home.”

Needless to say, dinner was delicious and the wine did not hurt it at all even if it was white instead of red. Mike had been pulling out some of his old DVDs and they would watch one or two new ones a week. The rules were that Mike would pick a new movie for Jo to watch and he wouldn’t tell her anything about it. He would just let it evolve in front of her. Mike said he would do the clean up and Jo went in the living room to practice the piano. She usually got an hour or two in; however, since Mike’s reemergence into her life, she didn’t have as much time to practice as she did before.

Jo went through a few warm up exercises before she played something Mike had never heard her play before. He walked into the living room and sat near the piano trying to puzzle out what it was.

Jo didn’t stop playing as she turned to Mike.

“I haven’t played this in a long time. Do you remember that day in the cafeteria when Billy tripped me and you laughed?”

“I sure do. I didn’t think it was funny then, but I laughed because they did and if I remember correctly, I never laughed at you again.”

“That was when I really became aware of the fact my body was changing and it wasn’t changing into a preadolescent boy. I went to the folk’s shop that afternoon and played this for the first time. I thought of myself as Les Miserables, the wretched ones. That’s when I told Mom I wished I had been born a girl. Well, guess what. I was and am and I couldn’t be happier, thanks to you.

“That was also the first time I told Mom and Dad about you as one of the enemy and yet, just a few weeks later we were best friends. What a way to start a friendship. Okay, what’s the movie?”

“It’s called ‘Dave’. Ever heard of it?”

“Is that the one with Kevin Kline? I think he is President or something, but I’ve never seen it.”

They moved to the other room and Mike turned on the system. Jo loved it (Mike knew she would) and particularly loved it when Frank Langella was left alone in the room.

When the movie ended, Jo sipped the last of her Port and she looked at Mike.

“Mike, how’s that shoulder coming along?”

“Well, Dr. Arneson says I may go back to the occasional patrols. It may bother my golf for a while. Why?”

“It’s time to take me upstairs. That’s why.”

“Oh. I’ll get the lights.”

They showered together which had turned out to be something they both enjoyed for many reasons.

When they returned to the bedroom, there was a little bit of doubt in Mike’s mind. Up to now, Jo had always been the one in charge and Mike wasn’t sure if he would handle the situation correctly. After some very passionate fondling and foreplay, it was the right time and Jo rolled to her back and opened to him. He didn’t have to think about it at all. The responses from each of them were the same as before. Jo was not a screamer, but all the physiological signs were there and as happened in the past, she almost passed out from the pleasure.

“Yes, we are definitely going to have to try this again.” Their words were spoken in unison.

The next morning, they got up a few minutes earlier than normal and started preparing for the big scene. Jo put on her running bra with her running shirt over that. She had light pads on her knees and elbows that would be concealed by the running outfit. Next she donned a Kevlar vest with two small devices fastened to it. Each of them had a fine wire trailing from it. They were also connected together, and to a small battery pack that looked like the cell phone pager Jo usually carried. Two thin plastic bags filled with fluid were hung over the two small devices. These were taped to her torso. Everything was covered by a lightweight windbreaker. They did a quick test of the circuitry, then headed for their run.

“I’m on the radio and will tell you when it’s okay to move. The observers are in place. Let’s go reel them in.”

Jo started out in her easy lope that ate up the miles. At her turnaround point, she ran directly toward the old concrete building. As it turned out, there was nothing to it. She heard a bang and felt a simultaneous hard slap on her chest and back. She did exactly as trained. There was no exaggerated staggering. She just pitched forward and ground to a halt.

Any one observing from a distance would have seen a portion of her jacket blown away, followed by gouts of blood. When she hit the ground it was like a rag doll being slammed to the ground. Shouts came from the other runners to call for an ambulance, call for the police, get help, anything! Several plain-clothes officers surrounded her. She never moved and blood was running in large rivulets across the path. Mike ran up and put on a commendable act of anguish. He remembered the last act of Tosca and suddenly realized the similarity to what they were doing.

“The ambulance will be here in a moment.” And then in a low voice he added, “They are on their way out of town.”

The ambulance arrived. The medics placed her on a stretcher. They had already covered her head with a blanket. Mike got in and they sped off to the hospital.

“That’s the last time I take a fall for those bastards, Mike. And by the way, you’re on top next time too. I’ve skinned both knees.”

Once at the hospital, she was taken in rather quickly and while in a trauma room, they placed a dummy on the stretcher and hid Jo in a small examination room. The dummy was whisked off to the morgue. Kate brought in a wheelchair and Jo, after cleaning off the artificial blood and dressing her skinned knees, donned a grey wig and put on some clothes typical of an elderly woman. They pushed her out the front door and assisted her into the Range Rover that had pulled up minutes before. Kate also passed in a small suitcase. She shut the door and the Range Rover took off, heading toward Red Bluff and Chico.

Mike in the meantime had returned to the town house and started making phone calls to notify everyone to return. He hoped that the phone calls and visitors other than family would be minimal. A security vehicle was now stationed at the front gate to discourage any news people and others from entering. Unknown to most, the story was already written and ready to go to press. The local television and radio stations were also being provided with copy. Mike received the phone call that afternoon from his parents and Marcia, Arnold and MK telling him that they were at the airport and would rent a car.

No one had heard from Pat, but MJ had been in on it from the beginning. She couldn’t be there at that time, but promised to be there later.

******************************

Ed dropped Earl off at his car parked in the Sears lot. Earl took off down Interstate 5 while Ed headed for Susanville and US Highway 395.

Earl was between Redding and Red Bluff when he noticed he was being followed. He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong and couldn’t figure out why he was being tailed. Nothing happened for a while but then the lights came on. He pulled onto the shoulder and rolled down the window. By the time the officer reached the window, Earl had his license out. He also had a copy of the letter giving him permission to have the car.

“Good morning, Sir. My partner and I noticed your brake light and turn signals aren’t operating properly. I’m going to issue you a warning; however, I have to check your license and registration before you can go.”

Earl handed them the papers and license and waited while the officer went back to his unmarked car.

Two or three minutes later, both officers got out. One went to the passenger side and the other officer came back to the driver side.

“Mr. Scroggins, we need you to step out of the car. Keep your hands in view at all times. Place your right hand on top of your head and reach out the window and open the door from the outside.”

Earl did as he was told.

“Now push the door open and step out with both hands on your head. Please step away from the car and walk to the trunk. Stop right there and turn and face the car. Lean over and place your right hand on the trunk. Move your hand to the right and spread your legs. Now place your left hand on the trunk.”

The officers did a quick body search, cuffed Earl and put him in the back seat of the patrol car. Nothing was said as they returned him to Redding. The officers transferred custody to the police and left.

Earl was a bit perplexed. What had gone wrong?

Things rapidly unraveled for Earl from that point. He was basically in a fog. He was being charged as an accomplice in the murder of Dr. Beebe. Apparently, some people had seen him and Ed leaving the scene and they were able to follow at a distance. They got his license number when he left Sears. They didn’t say whether or not they got Ed’s license number, but they must have. It would only be a matter of time before they got him too.

Earl knew he would get the chance to call for an attorney and he thought about squandering his call to warn everyone down south. But, if he did that he would give everything away. He hadn’t ratted on anyone the last time, and he wasn’t about to this time. He would have to take his chances with the public defender, at least for a while. If things didn’t explode, maybe he could get help from down south later on.

The headlines in the local paper read, ‘BELOVED DOCTOR AND MUSICIAN SLAIN BY ASSASSINS’. The local radio and TV stations also carried the story.

Everyone felt terrible about what Jo’s friends in the hospital and chamber society were going through; however, it was necessary to carry off the charade.

That night, Mike gave up the bedroom upstairs and would sleep on the couch. It was just easier having everyone there than having to run the gauntlet each time they entered and exited. They would have to endure it for one more day. Everyone'd had a chance to talk to Jo and she assured them she was fine. If all went well she would be there Sunday night.

They fixed a feast and got mildly drunk. Mike enjoyed talking to his stepfather about the travails he and Jo had gone through to get to the place they were now. Arnie was impressed with what Mike and Jo had achieved and he couldn’t wait to meet Jo in other than the cursory meetings there had been in the past. They stayed up rather late.

Sunday, September 3, 2005

The two families were sitting around the table having a robust breakfast when the phone rang. MK answered it. It was one of the security personnel at the gate.

“There’s a guy here. He says his name is Patrick Beebe and he wants to come in now! He’s real upset.”

“Oh, shit! Put him on.”

“Pat, it’s MK.

“MK, what the hell is going on? I turn on the TV last night and hear my sister’s been murdered.”

“Calm down for a second, Pat. Everything is okay. Jo is fine. Come on in and we will explain everything. Where have you been? Everyone’s been trying to get hold of you for weeks.”

Pat was already at the door.

“Somebody better explain to me what’s going on. I left Seattle last night and haven’t had any sleep in more than a day.” Then he saw Mike and really wondered what was going on.

“Okay. Just sit and we will get you something to eat,” said MK. “We are going to give this to you in chunks and not necessarily in the order of events.

“First and most important, Jo is fine. She is not far from here and will be back as soon as a few things happen. Second, Jo and Mike are very much in love.”

“Hell, I’ve known that for years,” he said as he turned and looked at Mike again.

“Third, they are going to get married.”

“Well, it’s about fucking time.”

They spent the next hour filling him in on what had transpired since July. Needless to say, he was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe that Richard was that sick, but he had to.

After Pat had a substantial breakfast, it was their turn to question him.

“Pat, we have called your school, emailed, written letters and we haven’t been able to find you. What’s been going on?”

“I don’t have the answers to everything and I don’t have excuses for the rest. I guess the first thing I need to tell you is that my committee approved my thesis and I have passed their scrutiny. I am now piled higher and dryer. When I left Idaho, I forgot to leave a forwarding address. Any mail anyone sent up there is probably still in my box. I haven’t replaced my cell phone, which at last peek was heading for the bottom of the Salmon River.

“As for everything else, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about where I was going to go with the rest of my life. I didn’t need to study for the defense of my thesis. I knew what I had found and had written about. My committee was super. When I walked out of that room yesterday afternoon, I was walking on air. All those years of work were done, but where was I going? I could probably continue to do post doctoral research and live in an office hidden under some stairway in some tower of learning, all the while fending off lovesick college freshmen. No, that wasn’t what I wanted. I’m through with that life.

“For the previous month I’ve been on a walk-about. When I returned, I made a few phone calls and have accepted a position as a Biology and Physiology teacher at John Muir High School in Pasadena. They accepted me even before my getting the PhD. You see, I rather hoped that I might be able to get reacquainted with a teacher I used to know. I’ve mucked things up a bit and would like to make amends.

“Anyway, I head back to the room I had rented and started to pack things up. Most everything else has been shipped. I hope you don’t mind, Mom and Dad, but it’s going to your place for want of any other. I turned on the TV and am listening to a story about a murder. Suddenly, I realize they are talking about Jo. I call down south and nobody answers and I don’t have the number for here and it’s unlisted, anyway. The police won’t tell me anything. Thanks Mike. So I threw everything in the back of the car, took off and here I am. I’m not sure why I thought about coming here. I guess I figured you might come here. I certainly didn’t expect to see Mike, though.”

As far as anyone could remember, this was the longest speech Pat had ever given, at least around the family. The eyes turned to MK and she had huge smile on her face. Her eyes also sparkled with tears.

“Pat, why don’t you get a shower and some clean clothes,” said Linda. “MK can drive you to see Jo and you can surprise her. She’s staying with Ed Stephens’ family until they put the cuffs on those assholes. Ed should be in Southern California and if all goes according to plan, we should hear from him soon.”

Pat got up and walked over to Mike, and putting both of his hands on Mike’s shoulders and looking him in the eye, said, “Mike, I remember the promise you made to Jo those many years ago, and you were true to your word. You were a protector and a brother to her when I couldn’t be there and I know now that you never forgot that promise. I will never be able to thank you enough; however, I want you to know that I am so glad that you are back in this family where you have always belonged.” He grabbed Mike in a big hug and held onto him for a minute. Pat had never been one to show his emotions and everyone could see he was very moved.

Ten minutes later, Pat reappeared looking much fresher and shaven. MK opened the front door and Pat followed. Everyone hurried to the front window and they were in time to see Pat’s hand reach out and grasp MK’s.

“Anyone want to take bets on a double wedding?” said Andy.

Chapter 30: Providing the Last Bit of Rope. Saturday, September 3rd

It was going to be a long but enjoyable drive for Ed and he would have a lot of time to go over the events that had occurred since July. He called Mike as soon as he was out of town.

“How’d it go, Mike?”

“Great, Ed, except Jo is pissed about scraping her knees. Dorothy picked her up and they are on the way back to your place. I’ve called the folks in Southern California and they are flying up here this afternoon. They already had reservations.

“The CHP got Earl this side of Red Bluff and are bringing him back. The FBI folks will wait until Monday before they start to work on him.

“Sounds good, Mike. I’m going to give Al Conklin a call shortly advising him that the deed was done. I’m calling an old friend of mine who is working with FOX News in LA. I want him to ensure that the local news makes mention of the shooting. I know Al watches FOX, and I wouldn’t doubt that your dad does too. I’ve played back the video and Earl did a fairly competent job. It looks as real as anything I’ve seen.

I’ll be in Reno before lunch and should be in LA after dark.

Ed continued down US 395 from Reno. He enjoyed the scenery, but didn’t want to take too long. He pulled into the bar at just about 10:00 PM. The place was jumping and Al and ‘Frank’ had all they could handle. Ed pulled up a stool and Al came over to him.

“Man, you should’ve seen the TV. They had the story on the news and pictures of the scene. Blood was everywhere. Nice job,” he added in a whisper.

“You seen Earl, Al? He should’ve been here about supper time, four or five hours ago.”

“Nope, we haven’t seen or heard from him. You don’t suppose he did something stupid and got pulled over, do you?”

“I sure hope he didn’t. I told him to be real careful and not call attention to his self. Shit, if they got him, it could screw everything up. Why don’t you call Richard and tell him we might need to change plans. You can play videos on that TV, can’t you? Why don’t we just meet here? He can bring the money and I’ll give him the video. We can do it tomorrow first thing after church. I’ll take over at the bar while you call him.”

“Good idea, Ed.” And Al went to the back office to make his calls. He came back a while later a bit later to say Richard would be there around 11:00 AM.

The three of them continued to work the bar until closing. Ed went to bed and slept like a rock. He dreamed about Richard dangling from a rope and twitching violently as the last vestiges of life left his body.

Sunday, September 4, 2005

Ed was up and about at 9:00 AM and had a quick breakfast. He was wearing his modified field jacket/vest when he went downstairs. It concealed a Glock 9mm pistol tucked into its holster in the small of his back. Steve was walking up as Ed opened the door.

“They should be here at about 11:00. I’ve never met anyone in his organization other than the stepdaughter in our past meetings, but I don’t doubt that someone will be coming with him. I’ve looked at his website and one person that is prominent in a number of the photos is his campaign manager. I doubt if his wife and stepdaughter would come. What are you doing about them?

“We’re going to bring all of them in. I don’t know how much involvement they have had in all this, but that stepdaughter has been prominent on occasions. By the way, we now have warrants for the arrests of Earl and Al on murder one for the death of Isaac Pfeifer. We found all sorts of neat stuff in Earl’s apartment, including Pfeifer’s gold wristwatch. Why he never fenced it, I’ll never know.”

“Because he is stupid, that’s all.”

They busied themselves getting everything ready. Steve confirmed that all the electronics were working correctly. He then received notice that Richard’s Lincoln Town Car was pulling up and that Al was right behind them. The Town Car had three occupants and Al was alone. Steve put his phone away.

The four of them entered.

“Frank,” said Al, “we’ve got a little business to conduct here. Why don’t you go for a drive or something for the next hour or so? Better yet, just take the day off.”

“Yes sir.” ‘Frank’ hung his towel up and walked out the door.

As Ed had suspected, the campaign manager was one of the companions. The other was Mindy’s husband.

“Well, Ed, it certainly looks as if you pulled it off. I was pleasantly surprised to see the coverage on the news last night. However, there wasn’t any body and I really want to see the body of that freak. What can you show me?”

“Let me hook up the camera to the television and we can all see what happened. By the way, has anyone heard anything from Earl? I haven’t heard a thing. I wanted to give him ten percent of my payoff.”

“Some of my sources tell me he got picked up for an equipment violation, and then somebody ID’d him as one of the shooters. He’s supposedly in jail in Redding. At least he had enough sense not to call here. That could have blown everything. We’ll have to figure out what to do with him later. You about ready with the show?”

“Yes sir.” Ed had the camera hooked up to the wide screen and turned it on. Earl had done well and it looked better on the big set than it did on the monitor. Earl had picked up Jo as she came along the path. As she turned the corner she headed straight for the camera.

“Are you sure that’s the right person?” asked Richard.

“Yes. I compared photos. She came out of the right house and she’s with your son. He’s a bit behind her, as he still doesn’t run very well after being shot. She’s had her hair styled and is wearing more makeup than in the other photos. You haven’t seen her in a long time and I suspect she’s changed a bit.”

There was sound with the video and suddenly they heard the sound of the silenced weapon being fired. Simultaneously with the shot one could see the impact of the bullet mid sternum. The fabric blew out and gouts of blood sprayed through the air. She dropped like a rock.

‘God, she’s good,’ thought Ed.

She lay crumpled on the ground and you could see blood running across the path. That was the end of the video.

During the video, Al had moved behind the bar as Ed thought he would.

“Mr. O’Donnell, you owe me 50 ounces of gold. Pay me and I’m on my way.”

“Mr. Harris, you don’t think we could afford to have you out there with all that knowledge, do you. There’s been a slight change of plans. It seems you were shot trying to loot this place. And after Al took you in, too. Take care of him Al.”

Things happened rather quickly after that. Ed was not watching Al. He was looking at Richard’s two cronies. Al raised the shotgun he kept behind the bar. It clicked harmlessly. Steve had removed the firing pin. Mindy’s husband began to reach under his sports coat.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Ed had his Glock out, pointing at him.

The door flew open and seven FBI agents barged in with weapons drawn. They had the four conspirators on the floor and cuffed in seconds.

Ed was overcome with loathing for the bunch and wanted to walk out then; however, there was a bit of vindictiveness in him and he made sure Richard knew it.

“Boys, before you take them away, I would like to say a few things if you don’t mind.”

The agents including Steve stepped back and let Ed have the floor.

“I want you to know who I am and why I did this, and I want you to know that I did it out of the kindness of my heart, something that none of you would be familiar with.

“I am Edward Stephens, Chief Master Sergeant, US Air Force, Retired. I was the Air Force recruiter who signed up Mike O’Donnell 10 years ago to a ROTC scholarship so that he could go to school with that tall girl who used to walk by my office every day with him.”

“That’s no girl. I told you she is an abominable freak,” Richard spit out.

“Oh, you are so wrong about so many things. The only thing freakish about her is her remarkable intelligence and skill as a doctor and musician. She is also very beautiful, something that you will never be able to comprehend as Mike does. Anyway, you have made me digress.

“Your son is an exceptional leader and was an outstanding officer. I had a lot of choices in my career and I have had the good fortune to work with many federal agencies doing things I can’t talk about here. One of the choices I had was to serve with your son in Afghanistan. We earned Silver Stars together for doing our jobs and he earned the Air Force Cross for heroism when he saved my life and the life of another man while under fire. How he and Mary Kate grew up under your tutelage the way they did I’ll never know? I have never met a more honorable person in my life and I consider it my good fortune that we will work together for many years in the future.

“As for your treatment of Jo, I’ll never understand you. Maybe someday we will find out why you are such a sick son of a bitch. If you weren’t so fucked up you could see that she will be the most wonderful daughter-in-law any father could wish for. Now that you are going behind bars for life, if they don’t execute you, you will have a long time to think about it.

“She’s a good actor too. Isn’t she? We brought some good equipment to her. I know you thought that rifle looked funny, but what you couldn’t see was the transmitter in the stock that sent a signal when I pulled the trigger. The signal set off a couple of little charges and they blew out her shirt and ruptured some bags of blood. That was pretty convincing wasn’t it. She is a little pissed though because she skinned her knees. Oh, the things actors do for their audiences.

“Speaking of actors, Al, what did you think of my two gay friends? They were good weren’t they? These Hollywood stuntmen really know their stuff. How’s that guy’s arm? He never should have tried to use that pool cue on them. They were the ones that taught Jo how to take a fall.

“Now that we have you where you can’t do anyone any harm, Mike and Jo are going to get married and raise a family. Unfortunately, you will never see any of them. I can’t really think of a punishment that would be appropriate for the lot of you. Let’s see, we have the deaths of Billy and Freddy, which occurred while committing a crime you paid them to do. There are two counts of capital murder and accessory to murder. We have solicitation for murder and attempted murder for this last little thing. There are all sorts of campaign laws broken. Oh yes, there were the commissions of hate crimes and finally, we have the murder of Isaac Pfeifer. I almost forgot that one. Actually, I’ll bet we’ve hardly scraped the surface. Who knows what else they will find. Oh yes, you tried to kill me, too.

“It certainly hasn’t been nice knowing you. My work here is done.”

Ed walked outside and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He looked at it, crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. He never lit another one for the remaining nearly 50 years of his life.

He turned to Steve and said, “Somebody needs to get the car and Harley and I’ll need a ride to the airport. I want to get cleaned up first. I feel real dirty.”

Steve got a couple of the agents to take the two vehicles and waited for Ed to finish cleaning up. Ed hated beards and he was very glad to get rid of this one.

Ed and Steve walked down the stairs as some law enforcement personnel were sealing things up. The bar would never open again. On the way to the John Wayne Airport, Ed called Mike and got Andy on the other end.

“Andy, tell them it’s all over. No one’s hurt and Jo can come home. If I can catch an early Southwest flight I might be able to see you this evening.”

Ed then turned to Steve, “Thanks for the use of the Glock. It felt real good. As much as I wanted to, I’m glad I didn’t have to use it. Boy, those guys were dumb: dangerous, but dumb. Good riddance.”

As luck would have it, the 12:20 flight had been delayed. Due to his handicapped status, which he seldom called on, they put him on a cart and expedited his travel to the gate. Ed was in Sacramento at 3:00 PM. He’d called Dorothy on the way to the gate and found she was already on the way to the airport. They were at Mike and Jo’s house at 7:00.

There was a party going on.

********************************

During the trip to Chico MK had filled Pat in on more of the details of what had transpired after the shootings in the theater and how she and Kate DeMoss had worked on Mike and Jo to get them to realize nothing was more important than their happiness together. Pat had not been aware of the conspiracy, but he was in full accord with what had gone on. He too had been deeply saddened when the two of them parted and he was somewhat miffed by the fact that neither of them would say what happened. He was particularly puzzled by the fact that Jo would not at least let Mike talk to her and attempt an apology, if it had been indeed Mike’s fault, for whatever had happened. Unfortunately, he’d been too far away most of the time to effectively do anything about it. When he found out what had caused the split, his anger was difficult to control. Still, his exhaustion finally won out and he was asleep by the time they got to Red Bluff.

MK made the rest of the trip to Chico in silence. She couldn’t help but steal glances of her sleeping companion while realizing that maybe things were really going to be alright. She did have a number of questions, though, that she wanted answers to before she would let her happiness about Pat’s reappearance in her life take over completely.

When Pat and MK turned up at the Stephens’ house later that morning, needless to say Jo was surprised to see Pat with MK, but she wasn’t surprised to see them holding hands. It did become apparent after a while that neither of them was willing to let the other go. Pat explained why he’d been out of touch and apologized for his elusiveness. When he told Jo about his teaching job, she realized why the handholding was so demonstrative.

Pat was like Mike in many ways and when nature’s little mistake had been revealed, he'd accepted it easily. Things were now the way they should have been all along. Jo had always been a good companion and her love and knowledge of the outdoors was a big help when they were growing up. He’d never been hard on Jo when she was obviously not the athletic person he was. That did change as she matured and had a huge growth spurt. She could run circles around him now, but as far as hiking was concerned they were equals. Pat, at six feet, three inches was very rangy and strong. He weighed about 210 pounds and most of that was muscle. He was military fit. He was a good compliment to MK who was nearly as tall as Jo.

Physical attributes aside, Pat and MK were soul mates. They meshed like Jo and Mike did. They hadn’t been split apart by malevolence; they had been separated by lack of commitment and it would take them as long as Jo and Mike to determine what was really important.

“Jo, you really look nice. I always thought you were pretty, but now you are looking like you are trying to attract a boyfriend.”

“Pat, I will have you know that Mike proposed to me before all this redecorating happened. I asked MK and our mother to bring me up to date afterward. It suddenly seemed like the thing to do. Do you realize I had cut my hair only a couple of times in 10 years? Now that hair is going to chemo patients. I guess when I lost Mike I didn’t care so much about how I looked. We have a problem in this family. We run away when we should be running toward each other. I think we need to put an end to that now.”

They continued to talk through the rest of the morning. Pat was surprised at how close Mike had come to dying. He was really shocked when Jo told him the details of how she had killed Billy.

“Pat, I have absolutely no remorse. If he’d had the capability, he would have killed me on any one of three previous occasions. He was a cancer and needed to be removed. I killed him because he was going to kill Mike. It was an easy choice. I didn’t like doing it; however, I would do it in a heartbeat if anyone tried to harm any of the people I love and the circumstances were similar.”

Jo’s cell phone started to ring. She saw that it was someone from home. It was her father.

“Jo, Ed just called. It’s over. They have them all and no one was hurt. Apparently, it went just like they hoped. Tell Dorothy, and come on home.”

Jo turned to MK, Pat and Dorothy, “It’s over.” She sat there silently for a moment. The enormity of what had happened was suddenly starting to sink in. They had pulled it off. She was surrounded by the people she loved and there was no more danger. Mike would be at her side for the rest of her life and some day they would have a family. She thought about it some more and suddenly she started to tremble. The sobs burst forth before she even realized they were upon her. Pat and MK rushed to her side and held her closely.

After a while the sobs stopped. Jo straightened up and took a deep breath. She turned to her brother and friend, “I feel a whole lot better now. That sort of snuck up on me. It really is over, isn’t it?”

MK smiled at Jo, “No Jo, It’s just beginning. It’s just beginning.”

Jo called Dr. Arneson and had him to initiate the employee alerting system at the hospital to notify everyone that she was fine. She then personally called each of the members of the chamber society to tell them she was alright and that there would be a news conference at the theater the next day when everything would be explained.

Jo knew she had her life back.

---

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